_Hatim’s journey in quest of the Man of the Motto--His arrival at the
famous Mountain of Kaf_[b2.01]--_His finding the motto in question
written on the door of Harith, from whom he learns its
signification--His return, and safe arrival in Shahabad._
When Hatim was taking leave of Husn Banu, he asked her, “Pray can
you tell me in what country the man lives?”--“I have not,” said the
lady, “the least idea.” The nurse, however, replied, saying, “He
resides in the city of Maâdin, which is in a northerly direction, but
I know nothing further as to where that city is situated.” Hatim,
without further delay, set out from Shahabad, and proceeded towards
the north. After several days had thus passed, he approached the
skirts of a desert. It was then drawing towards evening, and Hatim,
observing a tree on the confines of the wilderness, halted underneath
it, and began to look around him on all sides. On a sudden, a voice
that betokened the deepest sorrow reached his ear. His heart glowed
with pity; and he said in his own mind, “Oh, Hatim! dost thou think it
proper that a fellow-creature overwhelmed in distress should be thus
left to sigh and lament, without thy inquiring into the cause of his
sorrows?”
Hatim got up, and followed the direction of the voice which he had
heard. He saw a young man stretched upon the ground, with his cheeks
bedewed with tears; his eyes languid, and his color pale, who sighed
and lamented bitterly as he uttered the following couplet:--
“_Whither can I go, whom can I consult? Oh, tell me what cure to
apply, for the arrow of love has pierced my inward soul._”
Hatim addressed the youth, saying, “Friend, what calamity has befallen
you to occasion your sighing and weeping in this manner?”--“Brother,”
said the youth, “why should I relate the tale of my woe? My telling it
can bring no relief, and my rehearsing it will increase my anguish.”
Here Hatim most kindly said to him, “At least let me know where lies
the difficulty.” The young man thus proceeded with his story: “I am a
merchant, and I sometimes visit a spacious city distant from hence
about four farasangs[b2.02]. In that city lives a merchant named
Harith, who has a daughter of surpassing beauty, resembling the full
moon. One day I went to the city in the way of business, and happened
to pass by the dwelling of Harith the merchant. The daughter was at
that moment looking out at one of the windows, and all at once my eyes
were attracted towards her. The instant I beheld this beauty my heart
rebelled beyond my control, and reason abandoned my mind; in a word, I
was taken captive in the fetters of love.
“I inquired of some of the people in the city, ‘Pray, sirs, whose
house is this?’--‘It is,’ said they, ‘the residence of Harith’s
daughter.’ I asked them further, ‘Can you tell me whether the lady be
married or not?’ They replied, ‘Truly, sir, she is unmarried as yet;
her father has three questions, and has resolved to bestow his
daughter on that man only who can answer them.’ My uneasiness was so
great that I straightway went to Harith’s gate, and sent him a message
announcing my object. Harith replied, saying, ‘I have no control over
my daughter in this case, she is left to choose for herself. She has
three questions to propose, and she will accept as her husband the man
who can answer them to her satisfaction.’
“I thence proceeded to the door of the apartment of Harith’s daughter,
and by message announced my attendance. The lady invited me to enter,
and having caused me to be seated in an elegant chamber, she sent me
word to this effect: ‘First you must sign an agreement with me, and
then I will converse with you.’ To this I replied, that I was ready to
obey whatever she should command. The lady then informed me, ‘If you
solve my three questions, I shall become entirely yours; but if you
succeed not, all your wealth shall be mine.’ In my ardor I at once
agreed to these conditions, and requested her further commands.
“She proceeded, saying, ‘My first question is this: in the vicinity of
our city is a cave the inside of which no one has hitherto explored,
nor is it known how far it extends; examine this cave, and let me know
the result.
“‘My second question is as follows: on the night of Jumat[b2.03] a
voice is heard in the wilderness of some one who exclaims, “I have
done nothing which can benefit me this night.” Bring me an account of
this person, and tell me why he reiterates such an exclamation.
“‘My third question: There is a fairy named Mahpari, who has in her
possession the precious stone called the Shahmuhra[b2.04]; find out
this fairy’s abode, and procure for me the jewel.’
“When she had finished her commands, I returned to my house and
conveyed to her the whole of my wealth, of which she is now in
possession. I then quitted the city, and made my way into this desert.
Here I wander involved in calamities: on the one hand, I have parted
with all my substance, and have deprived myself of a home; and on the
other, the arrow of love still pierces my heart.”[b2.05]
Hatim, on hearing the young man’s history, said to him, “Let your mind
be easy as to this affair; only conduct me to that city, and I shall
endeavor to put you in possession of your mistress, and restore to you
your lost property.” The youth said, “In my present state my wealth
would be useless; let me but gain my mistress, for without her my life
will be insupportable.”
Hatim took the youth by the hand, and both set out for the city. When
they arrived, they rested a little at a caravanseraï; there Hatim
left his companion, and having gone to the gate of Harith’s daughter,
he addressed the porter, saying, “Tell your mistress that I wish to
speak with her on matrimonial affairs.” The attendants immediately
conveyed the intelligence to their mistress, that a youth had arrived
at the gate who longed to converse with her. The lady, on hearing
this, threw on her veil, and gave orders that Hatim should be
introduced. She then stated to him the three queries above-mentioned,
concerning which Hatim replied, “If your father will enter into a
written agreement with me, I will solve your questions. The terms are
as follows: when I shall have brought satisfactory answers to your
questions, you must submit to be bestowed by me on whomsoever I
please, and the choice of your disposal shall be left entirely with
me.”
“When you have answered my questions,” said the lady, “I shall be
yours; and then you may dispose of me as you deem proper.”--“Enough,”
said Hatim; “now send for your father.” The father accordingly
attended, and Hatim received from him a written agreement to the
effect already stated. The daughter, addressing Hatim, said, “If you
should prove unsuccessful in the solution of any of the above queries,
what will be the consequence?”--“Wealth,” said Hatim, “I have none,
but my head is at your disposal.” On hearing this, the lady was
satisfied, and at Hatim’s request, thus stated her first question:
“_In the vicinity of this city is a cave, well known to all the
inhabitants; bring me a true account of it, and inform me of its
innermost secrets._”
Hatim took leave of the lady, and taking with him some of her people
as guides, he set out from the city, and soon arrived at the mouth of
the cave, which was situated about three farasangs distant. When the
guides had brought Hatim to the mouth of the cave, he said to them,
“Now, whether will you return to the city, or remain here till I come
out?” They answered him, saying “We are ordered not to quit this spot
till you come out, so here we shall remain; meanwhile one of us shall
return to the city, in order to procure food.”
Hatim threw himself into the cave, and began to explore his way. For
the whole of that, and several successive days, he continued to
advance, till at last he saw a glimmering light. He then supposed that
he had reached the extremity of the cave, and bethought himself that
he ought to return. But on further consideration, he said in his own
mind, “If people ask of me aught concerning the mysteries of its
interior, what answer can I give?” He therefore issued out from the
extremity of the cave, and continued to advance. Before him lay a
boundless desert, through which flowed rivulets of water. Hatim had
brought with him from the city two bags full of kernels of almonds,
and a flask full of water. Of these he ate a few every day, and after
expressing his thanks to the Creator, he pursued his route, and when
his flask full of water was exhausted, he supplied himself from the
streams that flowed through the desert.
After journeying for several days, Hatim beheld a lofty and extensive
rampart, and after examining it all around he discovered that there
was a town within it. He entered within the walls, and as he advanced
towards the town found traces of its being inhabited; and when he
approached still nearer, he saw that the natives were demons.[b2.06]
The moment that Hatim was perceived by the demons they rushed upon
him, male and female, and having surrounded him, they seized him with
the intention of tearing him to pieces, in order to devour him. One of
the demons interfered, saying, “This is one of Adam’s race, and his
flesh is a most delicious morsel; if you appropriate him to your own
use, and our king should know of it, he will certainly annihilate
every soul of you. You must not therefore touch a hair of him without
the king’s permission.” The demons asked, in return, “Who is he that
will convey the information to the king?” The other replied, “Among us
there are many enemies; therefore listen to my advice, and lay not a
finger on this man.”
The demons accordingly left Hatim and retired to their haunts. Hatim
then proceeded onwards through the city, and was very soon surrounded
and laid hold of by others. Here his case was truly desperate, for
they were ready to devour him. One of them, however, again interfered,
and thus addressed them: “The deed you are about to do will be fatal
to you. You must so proceed in this affair that the earthly man be
conveyed to the king. His Majesty’s daughter is sick, and he himself
is afflicted with an inward pain, from which he never enjoys a
moment’s respite. Thousands of the human race have been procured, and
are now kept in confinement by our monarch, but as yet he has found no
remedy; and at the same time his Majesty says that he is to be cured
by one of the sons of Adam. If, in short, the king should hear that in
such a town a man should have arrived and been devoured by you, he
would punish with death both yourselves and your wives and children.
If, on the other hand, his Majesty’s health should be restored, what
can be more gratifying? And if otherwise, why, then, this man will be
kept in confinement along with the rest of his species.”
To this replied another of the demons: “We lately conveyed such a
being as this to his Majesty, but no cure was the consequence; so we
had nothing but reproaches for our trouble. Why should we concern
ourselves with this man? Since he has once entered our country he
cannot escape, and it is best to let him make his way to the king of
his own accord, and I shall watch him in order that no one else may
assail him.”
When Hatim had listened to this conversation of the demons, he said in
his own mind, “Now, I wonder what can be the nature of their monarch’s
disease? I must inquire into his case, as well as that of his
daughter.” Having made this resolution, he departed and left the town.
Shortly after he beheld at a distance another of their towns; and as
he approached it, the demon inhabitants came upon him and carried him
before their chief. Now it happened that the wife of the chief had a
violent pain in her eyes, from which water constantly flowed.
When the demons entered with Hatim, the chief raised his head, which
was bent downwards in sorrow for his wife, and thus addressed them:
“Why have you brought hither this man? Release him, and let him go
where he pleaseth.” When Hatim beheld the anguish of the chief, his
heart was moved with pity, and he said to himself, “I must inquire
into the cause of his affliction.” He approached, and said, “Most
worthy chief, what grieves thee, and why sittest thou thus
melancholy?”--“Son of man,” replied the demon chief, “what avails my
telling thee? My wife is tormented with a pain in her eyes, without
any interval of relief.”--“If,” said Hatim, “thou wilt conduct me to
her presence, I will cure her of her pain.”
The demon rose up, and seizing Hatim by the hand, led him forthwith
into his wife’s apartment. In passing, Hatim was struck with
admiration as he viewed the princely couches that lined the spacious
galleries laid out with neatness and regularity; and a splendid throne
with piles of cushions, on which reclined the wife of the chief. As
they approached her, the demon said to Hatim, “Behold in what a sea of
affliction she is involved!”--“Of that,” said Hatim, “I will
completely cure her, if thou wilt promise to conduct me to the king of
the demons.”
The chief swore by the seal of Solomon[b2.07], the prophet of Iram,
and said, “Nothing can be more agreeable to me than to conduct thee
before his Majesty, for it will afford me an opportunity of paying him
my respects, and besides he is desirous to have some one of thy race
that may cure him of his disease.” Hatim had brought with him the
pearl which his wife had given him at parting with strict injunctions
to preserve it, telling him at the same time, “This is a token of my
affection, and is possessed of many virtues.” He now drew forth this
pearl, and having immersed it in pure water, he applied the latter to
the eyes of the chief’s wife. The instant this remedy was applied, her
pain was alleviated, and the swelling of her eyes diminished, and they
dried up. For some time previous she had been quite blind; but she now
opened her eyes, and after two or three applications of this remedy
she experienced a complete cure.
When the chief of the demons saw that his wife was cured, he with the
utmost kindness detained Hatim some time at his house, and hospitably
entertained him, and bestowed upon him every attention in his power.
After some days he conducted him into the presence of the king, whose
name was Farokash. When the demon chief was honored with an audience
from his king, having made a low obeisance, he respectfully stood
before his Majesty, and thus represented his errand: “Sire, one of the
human race is come into my possession; he is the most learned of the
age, and the most skilful of physicians, possessed of a most
benevolent heart. My wife was so afflicted with a pain in her eyes
that her life was despaired of, and in one day he completely cured
her.”
When Farokash, the monarch of the demons, heard this intelligence, his
heart rejoiced, and he gave orders to the chief to produce this
learned man with all speed. Hatim was presented to the king, who
treated him with great courtesy, and made him sit beside him. His
Majesty then stated his case, saying, “For some time I have been
afflicted with a pain in my stomach, and amidst my own subjects no one
has been successful in curing me. Remediless, I have had recourse to
the human race, but none of them has as yet afforded me the least
relief.”
Hatim said to the king, “Pray tell me, Sire, are there many of your
servants usually in attendance when you sit down to take food?” His
Majesty replied, that every one of his servants usually stood in his
presence at such times. Hatim then requested that he should be allowed
to be present on that day when his Majesty should dine, which request
was readily granted.
When the time of eating arrived, the table was laid out, and the food
was placed upon it. When his Majesty was about to commence eating,
Hatim requested him to desist for a little. He then took a joint of
meat, and held it up so that every eye in the house might look upon
it. He then ordered them to lay it aside under cover for about the
space of an hour, after which he caused the cover to be removed, and
lo! all the meat on the joint had in that short time become worms.
Farokash was an observer of this wonderful occurrence, and remarked to
Hatim, “Most learned Sir, this is truly strange.”--“This, Sire,” said
Hatim, “accounts for the pain you suffer, and the cause of it is that
a malignant eye has fallen upon the meat. Henceforth it will be
necessary that you eat in private, and that all your attendants be
previously satisfied with food; then your Majesty may eat to
advantage, for the consequence will be a complete cure, and the pain
will be removed.”
The king was highly pleased with Hatim’s advice, which he forthwith
put in practice; and in a short time his pain entirely left him, and
he enjoyed perfect health. He gratefully clasped Hatim to his bosom,
and placed him upon a throne similar to his own. Hatim, thus honored,
ventured to petition the king of the demons as follows: “Sire, you are
now restored to health; may I beg that you will liberate such of my
fellow-creatures as are now your prisoners, in order that they may
return to their own country?”
His Majesty ordered that all the sons of Adam then in his possession
should be ushered into his presence, which was done. He bestowed on
each of them a splendid dress, and having furnished them with
necessaries for their journey, dismissed them. The king then addressed
Hatim, saying, “Learned Sir, I have a favor to ask of you, if it be
not too much trouble for you to grant it.”--“It will afford me a
sincere pleasure,” said Hatim, “to comply with your commands.”--“I
have a daughter,” rejoined the king, “who has been sick for some time,
and my wish is, that you will for an instant visit her.” To this Hatim
readily assented, and the king, taking him by the hand, conducted him
into the more private apartments of the house, and gave orders that
his daughter should attend.
As the daughter of Farokash entered, Hatim viewed her face, the color
of which had become pale and yellow. He gave orders to bring some
water and sugar. These he mixed together so as to form a pleasant
draught; he then dropped into it the charmed pearl, and handed the
goblet to the king’s daughter to drink. In a short time she
experienced great relief, and when night came she enjoyed a most
profound sleep. At length her father, somewhat alarmed, said to Hatim,
“Pray tell me, most learned man, what means this long sleep?”--“Sire,
rest you satisfied; if this sleep had not ensued, we should have had
cause to fear.”
For the space of three days Hatim continued to administer this draught
to his patient, after which period she was allowed some small quantity
of light food; and in the course of ten or fifteen days she was
restored to perfect health, and her countenance assumed its natural
appearance. Hatim then addressed Farokash, saying, “Your daughter is
completely cured, so I hope you will allow me to depart, in order that
I may look after my affairs.”
Farokash brought for Hatim’s acceptance such a mine of wealth, in gold
and jewels as to be beyond calculation. His Majesty at the same time
apologized to Hatim for such an offer, saying, “This dross is indeed
unfit to be presented to you, but it will suit your servants and
attendants; I therefore hope you will accept it as a mark of my
regard.” Here Hatim observed, “I am alone; how then shall I be able to
carry it?” On hearing this, the king gave orders to his demon
subjects, saying, “Let all this wealth be carefully packed up, and you
shall accompany this worthy man, in order to carry it to whatsoever
place he may desire.”
Hatim took leave of the king, and taking the jewels and gold, departed
under the guidance of the demons. In about six months he arrived at
the extremity of the cave through which he had entered the dominions
of Farokash. The guides accompanied him through the cave, and in the
space of three days landed him safe at its mouth. Hatim asked them,
“Have you any objections to go further?” They replied, “Our orders
will not permit us to accompany you beyond the mouth of the cave”; and
accordingly they laid down their burdens of gold and jewels on that
same spot, and forthwith began to retrace their steps.
When the people that had been stationed at the mouth of the cave by
Harith’s daughter saw the demons, they all ran off. Hatim shouted
after them, “Good people, be not afraid; I am Hatim, the man who some
time ago entered in order to explore this cave. I am now safely
returned; why then do you run away from me?” The people looked back,
and seeing Hatim, they recognized him and returned.
Hatim having sent for the youth whom he had left in the caravanseraï
at his departure, said to him, “On you I bestow all this money and
these jewels which I have procured.” He then caused the valuable
effects to be conveyed into the city to the young man’s residence. The
youth fell at Hatim’s feet, but the latter raised him up, and clasped
him to his bosom.
Meanwhile the people belonging to Harith’s daughter conveyed to their
mistress the news of Hatim’s arrival. The merchant’s daughter
immediately sent for him, and requested to know the result of his
adventure. He minutely detailed to her the nature of the cave, and
every circumstance connected with his journey among the demons. He
then said to her, “Thus I have answered one of your questions; let me
now hear your next, that I may immediately set about its solution.”
Harith’s daughter stated her second question, as follows: “There is
heard in the desert the voice of a man, who exclaims, ‘_I have done
nothing which can benefit me this night._’”
On hearing this, Hatim returned to the caravanseraï, and after taking
leave of the young man, set out for the desert. One night, which
happened to be that of Jumat, as he was reclining under a tree,
occupied in adoring the Supreme Creator, suddenly his ears caught the
sound, “_I have done nothing which might have been of service to me
this night._” For the whole of that night Hatim continued to advance
in the direction from which the sound reached his ear. When daylight
came he again sat down under the shade of a tree, and began to
deliberate with himself whether he should turn to the right hand or to
the left.
While he was thus uncertain as to his route, he happened to espy a
village on the confines of the desert. Thither he bent his steps, in
order to take some repose till the night of Jumat should again arrive.
When it came to the appointed hour, Hatim once more heard the sound
repeated, and speedily set out in order to make up to it. He entered
the desert, and for the whole of that night continued to advance
without arresting his steps for an instant.
When daylight shone upon him, he halted for the purpose of repose, and
soon after his ears were assailed with the voice of sorrow and
lamentation. He started up, and after advancing some distance he
beheld a village, the inhabitants of which were all assembled together
weeping and lamenting bitterly. Hatim approached, and asked one of
them, “What is the cause of your weeping and lamentation?” They
answered him, “Once a week a monstrous giant comes to our village, and
devours one of our number; and if we do not appease him by the
sacrifice of a human creature, he will raze our abodes to the dust,
and destroy us all. At present the lot has fallen on the son of our
chief; on Thursday the monster will come, and the four days that
intervene till that time are devoted to weeping and mourning. The
youth’s relations are at this moment standing around him, extolling
his virtues and lamenting his fate. This, Sir, is the cause of the
grief that now overwhelms our village.”
Hatim inquired of the people, “Which of this assembly is the chief’s
son, and which the parents and relatives?” These were pointed out to
Hatim, who approached the chief, and said to him, “Honored Sir, pray
tell me what sort of monster is this, and what form does he assume?
Meanwhile be under no anxiety, for I, as substitute for your son, will
face the giant.” The chief replied, “Brave youth! may heaven reward
your generosity; you seem a stranger too in our village.”--“Suffice it
for the present,” said Hatim, “that I have drunk of your waters; you
have therefore a claim upon my friendship; only describe to me in what
form this monster appears.”
The chief of the village drew a sketch of the monster upon the sand;
on seeing which, Hatim observed, “This must be the giant Halūka; he
is invulnerable against all weapons, but if you will follow my
directions, I trust that, if it please God the Supreme, I may be able
to overcome him.” The people anxiously asked, “How is this to be
done?” Hatim, addressing the chief, said, “Are there any manufacturers
of glass in your village?”--“There are,” said the chief, “two or three
houses for that purpose.”
Immediately Hatim, accompanied by the chief, proceeded to the houses
of the glass manufacturers, and gave orders to the latter to this
effect: “Within four days you must make a mirror of two hundred feet
in length and one hundred feet in breadth. Such a mirror will be
necessary for the expulsion of the giant, and if you comply not he
will destroy the whole of your village.” The glass manufacturers
replied, “If you furnish us with the materials, we shall be able to
have your mirror ready within the time specified.” Here the chief said
to them, “Whatever amount of money may be of use to you, I shall
furnish”; and he immediately sent them the sum they demanded. They
then set about the forming of the mirror, and in the space of three
days their task was finished.
When Hatim was informed that the mirror was ready, he commanded the
men of the city to assemble, in order to convey the mirror to a
certain spot without the city by which the giant usually entered. The
people obeyed him, and conveyed the mirror safe to the appointed spot,
and there erected it. Hatim then told them to bring as many sheets as
when sewed together would cover the surface of the mirror, which order
was speedily executed by the chief and his attendants.
Hatim now addressed the multitude, saying, “My good friends, you may
in the meantime retire to your houses without the least uneasiness of
mind. This night you may sleep in security; and if any of you is
desirous to see the result of my stratagem, let him remain here with
me.” The son of the chief promptly spoke out, “I will be your
companion”; but his father forbade him, saying, “Already my wealth is
expended in order to purchase your safety; why then do you venture to
face the giant?”
On hearing this remark, Hatim said to the chief, “There is nothing to
fear; you may rest satisfied that no harm will befall your son. If he
should suffer the least injury, you shall be at liberty to do with me
what you choose.” Here the youth himself boldly answered, “A few days
ago, you had all resolved to sacrifice me to this monster; you will
allow, then, that I am under no great obligations to you. I prefer the
society of this brave man, who has been the means of my preservation.
Would you be thought void of religion and reckless of fame? When a man
who is an utter stranger places himself in so perilous a situation in
order to avert the evil that threatens you, is it consistent with
religion and honor to leave him alone, and retire to your houses?”
All the people, on hearing this address, insisted on remaining in
company with Hatim; and having dressed some food in the open plain,
they ate and rejoiced, saying, “This night the giant shall be
destroyed.” The whole of that day passed, and when night arrived, a
most terrific yell assailed their ears, such as usually accompanied
the approach of the giant. They shuddered, and their faces assumed a
yellow hue. “Fear not,” said Hatim; “keep strict silence, and be not
under the least apprehension. You shall soon behold rare sport; the
monster is coming, as is indicated by that howl.”
In the course of an hour the giant was so near as to be distinctly
seen in shape like an immense dome. He had neither hands nor feet, but
a tremendous mouth situated in the midst of his body. He advanced with
a revolving motion, and from his jaws issued volumes of flame and
clouds of smoke. When the people saw this terrific spectacle they
trembled, and attempted to fly. “You have nothing to fear,” said
Hatim, “stand quiet and look on; not the least harm will befall you.”
Encouraged by Hatim’s address they stood silent as the dead, and
trembling beheld the approach of the giant.
Hatim stood with his eye fixed on Halūka as he rolled towards him;
and when the giant was within a few paces of the mirror, the curtain
that covered it was suddenly pulled off. When Halūka beheld his own
monstrous form in the glass, his breath was stopped from anger; he
uttered a single yell, so loud as to make the desert and the mountains
shake. Choking with rage, he remained for a short time, till at last
his confined breath so inflated him that he burst with a noise like
the crash of the thunderbolt, so that the hearers were struck
senseless, and the echoes of the wilderness reverberated far and wide.
When the people were restored to their senses, what a spectacle they
beheld! The desert was overspread with the entrails of Halūka, who
now lay dead before them. The whole assembly, including the chief and
his son, gathered around Hatim and prostrated themselves at his feet.
They then addressed him: “Most learned Sir, tell us the reason why the
monster has thus died as it were of his own accord.”--“You see,”
replied Hatim, “the giant has come by his death, not from any weapon,
but merely by the viewing of his own image, for he had never seen his
own likeness in any other creature; rage stopped his breath so
effectually that he burst.”
Next day the inhabitants of the village, each according to his means,
produced all their valuables in gold, jewels, and diamonds, and
offered them to Hatim, who would accept nothing, saying, “My good
friends, these are not of the least use to me. In this affair I have
merely discharged my duty towards God and my fellow-creatures.”--“May
we ask,” said they, “what has been the cause of your coming into our
village?” Hatim answered, “This is the eve of Jumat, when a voice will
be heard in the desert, crying, ‘_I have not done aught that will
benefit me this night._’ In order to ascertain the meaning of this
voice, I have journeyed hither, and to-night I intend to travel in
pursuit of the mysterious being who utters the exclamation.”
The chief observed, “For some time now that voice has been heard by us
also, but we do not know whence it proceeds.” Hatim remained in the
village for the whole of that day, and at the usual time at night the
voice reached his ear, and he instantly proceeded in the direction
whence it came. For the whole of the night he continued to advance as
he supposed towards the sound, and when daylight came he found himself
still in the desert, where he again halted.
In short, Hatim thus journeyed onwards week after week for the space
of two months, at the expiration of which period he at last came to a
mound of sand of about five hundred feet in diameter. He ascended to
the summit, and soon discovered that the voice issued from its
interior. He halted and looked around him; and lo! a body of men
consisting of about five hundred horsemen, and as many on foot,
appeared drawn up in array before him. He approached them, but found
that they were all statues of marble, being as he conjectured
monuments of the illustrious dead. Among these tombs Hatim rested for
a week, until the time of hearing the voice should again come round.
As the evening of Jumat closed its shades, Hatim ascended the
sand-hill, and devoutly kneeling, poured out his soul in prayer before
the Almighty Creator. When about a watch of the night had passed, the
inmates of the tombs started into life, with countenances resembling
angels. They arrayed the place with couches and thrones, on which they
sat apparelled in robes of splendid description. But amidst these, one
of the revived dead, with weeping eyes and mean apparel, his body
sprinkled with dust and ashes, and his feet bare, came forth, and in
humble posture sat upon the cold ground. Before each of those who sat
on thrones and couches flowed streams of nectar, of which they freely
drank, but none of them gave the least drop to the wretched man who
sat upon the bare earth. The latter, after some time, fetched a deep
sigh, and said, “_Alas! I have not done that which might have
benefited me this night._”
Hatim stood near and witnessed the whole scene, and rejoiced that his
inquiries were now likely to prove successful. When the hour of
midnight arrived, a table miraculously placed itself before each of
them. On every table was laid a large vessel full of rice and milk,
with a goblet full of pure water. But there stood a table apart from
the rest furnished in like manner, and one of the company said, “Come,
my friends, this traveller is our guest for the time, let him be
introduced, and seated at this unoccupied table.” On hearing this, one
of them arose, and advancing to Hatim, took him kindly by the hand,
and conducting him to a couch, placed food before him.
Hatim’s attention was wholly occupied by the man who lay on the ground
sighing and weeping, and at intervals exclaiming, “_I have not done
aught that can benefit me this night._” The latter, too, had a table,
but instead of nectar and ambrosia his cup was filled with the juice
of the zakkūm,[b2.08] and the food of the condemned, and the most
loathsome dregs mingled with blood. Hatim for some time held down his
head in deep reflection, and at last began to taste of the fare before
him. After he had refreshed himself with food and drink, the tables
vanished from his view; but his thoughts ever reverted to the
mysterious state of the wretched being who sat upon the ground before
him.
Hatim, addressing the company, said, “Most worthy sirs, I have one
request which, with your permission, I wish to state.” The whole
assembly requested him to speak. Hatim then proceeded: “How comes it,
worthy sirs, that you are seated on thrones, exalted in dignity, and
regaled with such heavenly and delicious fare? And, on the other hand,
tell me the reason why, instead of such food, the juice of the zakkūm
with the most loathsome of dregs has been allotted as the portion of
this miserable man who lies stretched on the bare earth?” To this they
replied, “From us that mystery is utterly hidden; seek information
from the sufferer himself.”
Hatim arose, and coming up to the man, said, “Pray, friend, what is
the meaning of this mysterious exclamation which you utter? From what
cause are you become involved in such misery? For heaven’s sake inform
me of your condition.” The man of woe replied, “My kind friend, I am
the chief of all this assembly. My name is Yusuf, and my occupation
has been that of a merchant. I was journeying with goods and stores to
the city of Khwarzim, and those whom you see here were my servants
that attended me. In my disposition I was so great a miser that I
never gave away in charity a single farthing of my money, nor one rag
of apparel, nor a morsel of food; nay, not even a drop of water would
I bestow on my fellow-creatures. These my attendants, on the other
hand, were wont to give of their food to the hungry, and they clothed
the naked, and bestowed their gold in charity upon the poor and the
needy, and all such as were destitute. I used to chide them severely,
saying, ‘Pray, for what purpose do you thus squander your money, and
give away your food without any return?’ Their reply was: ‘This we do
as a service acceptable to our Creator, and due to our
fellow-creatures; a service of which we shall receive the reward and
reap the advantages in a future state.’ On receiving from them such
answers, I used to beat them, and often did I threaten them with
punishment on account of their liberality. I also argued with them,
but to no effect; and whenever any of them ventured to give me
salutary advice, I paid not the least regard to him.
“On our journey a gang of robbers surrounded and overpowered us, and
seized the whole of my property. They then murdered myself and all my
attendants, and having buried us in this spot, they departed. Here we
rest, alike martyrs: but my servants are, as you observe, crowned with
glory for their charitable and generous disposition; and I, on account
of my baseness and avarice, am plunged into the lowest depth of
misery. After the robbers had murdered us, it was their intention to
mutilate and leave exposed our corpses; but one of them said: ‘Have
you not already seized their property, and slain them without cause?
How inhuman then it would be to leave them unburied on the highway! Do
you imagine that after such a savage deed you can ever enjoy the least
portion of their wealth!’ The robbers listened to this address, and
accordingly interred us in this desert.
“In my native country, my grandchildren and descendants are now living
in a state of abject poverty. My residence was in the capital of
China, in such a quarter [here he described the street and the house],
and in a certain chamber of the house is buried an immense treasure in
gold and jewels, of which no one has any information. This, too, is an
instance of my avaricious disposition, and accounts for the state in
which you now behold me. See what an exalted rank my servants have
attained! They are seated upon thrones; they fare upon the most
delicious food, and drink of the purest and coolest streams, and are
clothed in the apparel of angels, while I am doomed to suffer the
pangs of misery and despair.”
Hatim, on hearing this account, addressed him, saying, “Is it anyhow
possible to administer to your relief?” Yusuf replied, “Many a long
year have I now passed in this state of torment, but no one has
hitherto listened to my cries. This night you have approached me, and
compassionately interested yourself in my condition; on you, then, God
the Supreme will bestow his guidance in your endeavors to serve me.
Proceed forthwith to the capital of China, and find out my residence,
which is in the division occupied by the linen merchants. My name, as
I told you, is Yusuf, and in my day I was notorious in all quarters of
the city, and my grandchildren are still there in a state of
destitution. When you arrive at my residence, inform them of my
condition, and tell them that in a certain apartment [which he
particularly described] is buried a vast treasure of gold and jewels.
This treasure you shall bring to light, and divide into four equal
portions. Bestow one of these shares on my grandchildren, and the
other three you shall expend in charitable deeds; in feeding the
hungry, in clothing the naked, and in administering to the distress of
the poor and needy. Do this, and perhaps my doom may be averted; for
though I have suffered martyrdom, I am not entitled to salvation, so
heinous is the crime of avarice; whereas my servants, on account of
their liberality, are now in a state of happiness.”
Hatim solemnly promised, in the name of his Creator, that he would
strictly perform what Yusuf desired him, and added: “I should no
longer consider myself of the tribe of Taï, had I refused to lend you
my aid in your distress.” Hatim remained there during the whole of the
night, and witnessed what happiness the servants enjoyed, while their
wretched master passed his time in weeping and lamentation. When the
morning began to dawn the martyrs vanished from his sight, each into
his silent cell.
Hatim then set out on his journey for the capital of China, and after
he had advanced a considerable way, he arrived at the mouth of a well.
There he espied a man in the act of drawing water; and as he was about
to request of him to have some to drink, suddenly a serpent as large
as the proboscis of an elephant reared its head from the water, and
coiling itself round the body of the man, plunged with him into the
deep. Hatim wrung his hands in agony, and exclaimed, “Alas! what a
deed this snake has perpetrated! It has destroyed a poor man who came
hither for water, and whose wife and children are anxiously expecting
his return. Oh, Hatim! shall it be said that a poor man was deprived
of life, and you standing by without lending him the least assistance?
What will be your answer hereafter in the presence of your Creator?”
Thus he soliloquized, and instantly plunged into the water. In a short
time he fixed his feet on firm ground, and on opening his eyes he was
astonished in finding neither the well nor the water; but instead of
these a spacious plain opened to his view, abounding with beautiful
trees, in the midst of which he espied a lofty palace. He approached
it, wondering within himself whither the serpent could have gone with
the waterman, and whence sprung up the noble mansion that stood before
him.
With these thoughts occupying his mind, he came close to the palace.
There he beheld splendid galleries with elegant couches, and a throne
brilliant as crystal surmounted with piles of cushions, on which lay
asleep a monstrous creature of human form in stature like a giant.
Hatim resolved on calling this monster to account for the snake and
the waterman, but at the same time he hesitated, as he nowhere beheld
any traces either of the serpent or the man. “At all events,” said
Hatim to himself, “I shall approach him, and see what sort of subject
he is.” Hatim went up to the giant, and as the latter was still
asleep, he quietly took his seat beside him. He had not sat long when
he espied in a corner of the garden the very serpent that had carried
off the waterman.
As soon as the snake observed Hatim it rushed upon him, and he,
enraged on account of the fate of the waterman, seized it by the two
jaws, and exerting his whole strength, thus held it immovable. The
snake raised such a hissing noise, that the giant who slept on the
throne started up, and roared out to Hatim, “You son of man, what are
you about? that is my courier.” Hatim replied, “I will not quit my
hold unless my friend be restored to me.”
The giant called out to the serpent, “Beware: this seems to be a
powerful man, and capable of tearing thy jaws asunder. Above all, take
care that he discover not the passage into thy mouth!” When Hatim
heard this, he stretched open the two jaws of the serpent, entered its
mouth, and was instantly swallowed, notwithstanding the repeated
warnings of the giant to the contrary. Arrived, as he thought, in the
abdomen of the snake, he was surprised at finding himself in a
spacious and sombre apartment. He began to grope his way through this
strange abode, when suddenly a voice reached his ear, saying, “Oh,
Hatim! whatsoever you meet with in this apartment, cut it with your
dagger, for by that means only you will be released from this
enchantment; and otherwise you cannot escape hence till the day of
judgment.”
While Hatim was thus exploring his dark abode, he unexpectedly laid
his hand on something in the shape of a heart. The moment he felt this
substance he pulled out his knife and cut it into many pieces,
agreeably to the warning voice he had heard. This was no sooner done
than a flood of water rushed upon him, and he found himself
overwhelmed amidst swelling billows. Exhausted, he began to sink, and
after some time he once more felt the ground underneath his feet. He
opened his eyes and looked around him, but no trace could he see of
the palace, the giant, the serpent, the garden, or the dark chamber
where he had lately been. Before him lay a boundless desert, strewed
apparently with dead bodies. On coming nearer he observed that a few
of these wretches were still alive, while others were in the agonies
of death.
Among the living, Hatim discovered the very waterman whom the snake
had carried off. He made up to him, and said, “Brother, how came you
here?” The waterman replied, “I was drawing water from the well, when
a serpent carried me off, and having conveyed me hither, vanished from
my sight. What that serpent is, or where it is gone to, I know not.”
Hatim questioned various other individuals as to their coming thither,
and from all of them received for answer that the serpent had brought
them. He then explained to them the nature of the enchantment by which
they were held, and how he had broken the spell by entering the mouth
of the snake, and cutting to pieces the heart in the dark chamber. He
concluded, saying, “Give praise to God, for your enemy is now
vanquished, and you are at liberty to go wherever you please.” The
wretched men replied, “It is a long time since some of us came hither,
and we know not the way by which we were brought. Most of our number
have died of hunger and thirst, and we also were despairing of life;
God the Supreme has in his mercy destined thee to be our deliverer.”
Hatim, after giving them proper directions, took his leave, and
proceeded on his journey to the capital of China. In the course of a
few days he entered that vast empire, and arrived at one of their
principal cities. The sentinels at the gate immediately seized him,
and said, “Who are you, and whither do you go? You must come before
our governor, and give an account of yourself before we can allow you
to advance any further.” Hatim, thus roughly handled, said to them,
“Good people, is it the custom of your empire to annoy travellers in
this manner?”
The sentinels replied, “The reason why we detain you is this: The
daughter of our governor asks three questions of every traveller that
enters the city; if he give a satisfactory answer, he is permitted to
go his way, and if not, he is put to death; from which circumstance
our city is called the city of Be-dad or Injustice.” Hatim having no
choice, accompanied the sentinels, meditating as to the nature of the
questions which would be put to him. At length the sentinels presented
him to the governor: the latter asked of him, “Stranger, whence come
you, and what is your name?”--“I am from Yemen,” said he, “and on my
way to the capital of China. As to my name, it does not concern you:
no one ought to annoy the traveller unnecessarily; on the other hand,
he is entitled to kind treatment and hospitality from your hand, if
you wish to set a good example to the world, and do what is acceptable
to God the Supreme.”
The governor replied, “A severe scourge has fallen upon our city,
which has always been famous for equity, so as to have merited the
appellation of Adālatabad (the city of justice); but now, owing to
the violent caprice of my daughter, its present name is Bedadabad. For
some time past every traveller that arrived in our city has on her
account been put to death, and their blood has fallen upon my head.”
After some meditation, Hatim said to him, “Why do you not slay your
daughter at once?”--“Is it possible,” replied the governor, “for any
man to be the murderer of his own child, nay, of his only child? It is
not in my heart to put her to death.” When Hatim heard this appeal,
his eyes shed tears as he replied, “Alas, miserable man! you have no
remedy. May the Almighty Creator remove from you this heavy
affliction.” The governor of Adālatabad then conducted Hatim to his
daughter’s apartment. The lady arrayed herself in her finest apparel,
and summoned Hatim into the apartment occupied by the women, where she
reclined upon a throne of shining gold. Hatim was struck with her
beauty, which excelled that of all other mortals. She gracefully stood
up, and modestly drawing her veil over her face, received Hatim with
extreme courtesy and affection, for the instant she beheld him her
heart felt for him. She took him by the hand and seated him upon a
splendid throne, while she herself occupied another beside him.
She then sent for her nurse, and said to her, “My dear mother, this
traveller who has arrived to-day has won my heart, and is mutually
enamoured of me. He seems of noble rank; but, alas! to-morrow his life
shall be sacrificed.” The nurse replied, “Alas, my child! it is your
destiny to act with violence and oppression towards travellers, not
even excepting this comely and noble youth; but there is no saying
whether he may not prove successful in executing your commands.”--“Let
me but know,” said Hatim, “the nature of the task which the lady
proposes, and the reason why so many travellers are sacrificed in this
city, which is now proverbial for cruelty.”--“Noble youth,” the nurse
replied, “every night this lady becomes possessed of an evil spirit,
and utters the most incoherent expressions, after which she proposes
three enigmas to such strangers as may be found within the city. If
the latter fail in solving her riddles, she causes them to be
instantly put to death. None of us her attendants can venture to
remain near her at such times lest some evil might be our lot.”
On hearing this statement, Hatim replied, “Well, I shall soon know by
experience whether longer life or immediate death be destined for me.”
He was then presented with food: but he rejected it, saying, “I will
not eat of your food until I have accomplished the service you may
impose upon me; such is my vow. I consider it inconsistent with
probity in a man to waste his time in eating and drinking, or wantonly
to throw away his life and leave unfinished the business intrusted to
him by another; forgive me, then, for refusing your
bounty.”--“Generous youth,” said the nurse, “I am confident that you
will succeed in this affair; you speak the sentiments of rectitude and
honor.”
Night arrived, and all the servants and attendants abandoned the
palace, and shut fast the gates behind them, leaving Hatim to his
fate. About the end of the first watch the lady became frantic, and
spoke incoherently whatever came into her mind. She wildly cast her
eyes on Hatim, and thus addressed him: “Stranger, who are you, and
what is your business here? Answer my riddle, or you shall
die.”--“What is your riddle?” said Hatim; “let me hear it.”
The lady then proceeded with her first question, which Hatim, after
mature reflection, was fortunate enough to solve to her satisfaction,
though it was of a nature unsuited for publication to the world and is
therefore left unuttered here. “Tell me,” she then said, “the answer
to my second question, which is this: _There is a fruit sweet beyond
measure to the taste of all living creatures, whether genii, men,
beasts or birds; what fruit is this of which all are so fond?_” Hatim
instantly replied, “The fruit you allude to is their offspring, which
are dear to all.”--“Tell me now,” said the lady, “my third and last
question, _what is it that no one desires, and yet every one
obtains?_”--“That,” replied Hatim, “is death, which is destined for
all men, though no one wishes it.”
When the three questions were thus solved, the lady remained silent
for some time, when suddenly she was seized with convulsions so as to
fall from her couch. At last a snake, black and frightful, issued from
her nostrils and rushed towards Hatim. He seized his scimitar with the
intention of cutting it to pieces, but considered that it would be
cruelty, to which he was averse: he therefore took out the talisman
given him by the bear’s daughter, and threw it at the venomous
reptile. The snake became tame as a lamb, and suffered him to hold it
in his hands and shut it up in a silver vessel, after which he dug a
pit in the ground of the size of a man’s grave, and having buried it,
he replaced the earth and secured it with bricks and clay.
In about a watch after, the lady being restored to her senses,
observed Hatim, and throwing her veil over her countenance, she said
to him, “Stranger, who are you; and how came you to sit here?” He
answered, “Have you then forgotten me? I am the traveller whom your
people yesterday seized and conducted into your presence.” The
governor’s daughter called her nurse, and asked her, “My dear mother,
tell me how comes this youth to be here and alive this morning?” The
nurse replied, “My child, God is merciful, and took this stranger
under his protection; but tell me what is your state?”--“To-day,” she
replied, “I feel quite relieved and in perfect health.” The nurse
then, addressing Hatim, said, “Most learned of men, can you account to
me for this change? Tell me what has occurred in your
presence.”--“That,” replied Hatim, “I shall communicate to-morrow to
her father.”
Next morning the governor summoned Hatim, and asked him, “Tell me,
stranger, what has happened, and how are you alive?” Hatim detailed
every circumstance as it occurred, saying, “Noble sir, about the end
of the first watch your daughter was seized with a fit of raving
madness, and began to utter the most incoherent language. At length
her eyes happening to observe me, she said, ‘Rash stranger, how dare
you enter my apartment? Your life is over unless you answer my
questions.’ She then asked me three questions, one after another, all
of which I satisfactorily answered. For some time after she remained
silent, when all at once a black serpent issued from her nostrils, and
rushed furiously towards me. I seized the reptile, and having shut it
up in a silver vessel, I buried it in the court-yard; and since that
moment your daughter has enjoyed sound health.”
When the governor heard this statement, he said, “Most noble youth, on
you I bestow in marriage this my only child, which is no more than
fulfilling the vow that I have made; I therefore hope you will accept
her.”--“On one condition,” said Hatim, “will I receive her; that is,
whenever I feel inclined to leave this place, I may either leave her
here or take her with me and bestow her upon whomsoever I please.” To
this the father agreed, and on that very day the marriage was
celebrated according to the customs of the country, and the hours were
spent in mirth and joy. Hatim remained there three months; after which
period he took leave of his wife and departed. He at the same time
left orders, saying, “Should my wife ever have a fine boy, and should
the child prove himself to be of the tribe of Taï, tell him that his
father’s country is in Arabia the happy; and thither let him come
whenever he may form the desire of seeing me. If it be a daughter, let
her be carefully brought up and married to a worthy man, and should my
life be spared I shall yet visit you.”
Hatim kept awake the whole of that night in making preparations, and
as soon as morning dawned, set out on his journey to the capital of
China. In the course of a few days he arrived in that extensive city,
and inquired for the quarter occupied by the linen merchants. The
people shewed him the way thither, and when he reached the place he
asked of the linen merchants, if they knew the residence of Yusuf the
merchant, or whether any of his descendants still lived there. One of
the linen merchants immediately went to the grandchildren of Yusuf,
and said to them, “There is a stranger arrived from some far country,
who is desirous to see you.” Yusuf’s grandsons instantly waited upon
Hatim, who to their astonishment thus addressed them: “My friends, I
have been commissioned to visit you by your grandfather, from whom I
have a message for you.” When the grandchildren of Yusuf and the
people of the bazar heard this extraordinary declaration, they laughed
most heartily, and said to him in reply, “Truly, young stranger, you
are quite crazy. It is a long period since Yusuf died; how then could
he have sent you thither with a message?”--“How,” said Hatim, “could I
have known that you reside in the linen bazar, and various other
circumstances connected with you, had I not received my information
from your grandfather? I have further tokens from which I shall prove
my veracity if you will hear me; but the question now is, are you
willing to listen to me or not?”
The people requested Hatim to proceed with his message, which he thus
did: “In a certain apartment, near the bed where Yusuf was wont to
sleep, there are buried treasures and jewels, of which none but myself
has any information; these you shall bring to light, and divide into
four equal portions, of which you shall keep one-fourth, and bestow
the other three-fourths in the way which is acceptable to God the Most
High, in relieving the wants of the poor and the distressed.” He then
detailed to them minutely his late adventure, and having mentioned all
that he had witnessed respecting their grandfather, he concluded,
saying, “If Yusuf himself had not sent me, how could I have known so
much about your house?”
The people said to him, “We cannot proceed further in this affair
without applying to our king.” The relatives of Yusuf, therefore,
conducted Hatim before the august monarch of China, and being admitted
into the royal presence, they represented: “Sire, this youthful
stranger asserts that he has seen our grandfather Yusuf, the merchant,
by whom he has been commissioned hither with a message for us.” The
king on hearing their statement could not refrain from laughter: at
last he said to them, “The young man is mad; why, it is nearly one
hundred years since old Yusuf, the merchant, died; how then could this
stripling have ever seen him? Foolish youth,” continued the king,
addressing Hatim, “has it ever been known that the dead held any
communication with the living? But you are crazy, and all that I have
to say to you is, quit my capital as soon as possible.”
Hatim firmly but respectfully replied, “Most upright king, this is one
of the secret dispensations of the Almighty, and is beyond the
comprehension of mortals. We believe that martyrs inherit life
everlasting; Yusuf, however, when in this world was a miser, for which
sin he is now in a state of torment; and should your Highness be
pleased to listen seriously to my statement, it will be the means of
procuring him salvation. If I be mad, how do I come to possess my
information respecting the treasure concealed in Yusuf’s sleeping
apartment which I have never seen?” When his Majesty of China heard
this reply from Hatim, he desired the latter to state who he was, and
how he had become concerned in this strange affair. Hatim related the
cause of his journey to the tombs of the martyrs, and what he had
there seen, and the state of suffering to which Yusuf was doomed. “I
asked him,” said Hatim, “the cause of his misery, which he told me in
detailing the particulars of his past life, and also the way in which
he is likely to obtain relief. For this reason, Sire, I have journeyed
to your capital, and if you believe not my statement, at least let the
apartment in which the treasure is hidden be searched: if the gold and
jewels be found as I have described them, it will be a proof of my
sincerity; but if not, let me be doomed to the severest punishment.”
The king, after some reflection, resolved to search in person the
apartment of Yusuf, to which he immediately proceeded, accompanied by
Hatim. In the very spot which the latter pointed out, the gold and
jewels were found, to the great astonishment of the king. The treasure
was divided into four equal portions, one of which was made over to
the grandchildren of Yusuf, and the remainder was given in charge to
Hatim. “You,” said the king, “seem to be a man of integrity; accept
this wealth then, and with your own hand distribute it in charity,
after such manner as you deem proper.” Hatim for several days was
occupied in his favorite task of relieving the wants of the
destitute,--in administering food to the hungry, and in clothing those
who were naked.
Having accomplished the object of his journey to the capital of China,
Hatim began to make preparations for his return; he had the
satisfaction of seeing the grandchildren of Yusuf now raised to a
state of affluence and engaged in commerce. He took leave of the
monarch, and returning by the way he came, he arrived in the city of
Adālatabad, where he was affectionately received by his wife, who was
at that time the mother of a boy. Hatim and his friends were extremely
delighted on this occasion, and called the son Salim. Shortly after
Hatim proceeded on his journey until he came to the desert in which
were the tombs of the martyrs; amidst these receptacles of the dead he
remained three days waiting the arrival of the eve of Jumat. At the
appointed hour all the martyrs, as formerly, rose into life. Among
them was Yusuf the merchant, but in a state different from his former
condition. At midnight the tables, with food, were placed before them,
of which Yusuf now partook. At the same time there appeared a table
unoccupied, which was intended for Hatim, who at their request
approached, and after the usual salutations, asked Yusuf how he fared.
The merchant replied: “Noble youth, by your humane exertion my
condition has been improved, and I am now delivered from my torment;
my food and drink are the same as that of the rest, but the thrones on
which they sit are more splendid, and the apparel in which they are
arrayed is more elegant than mine; on them too are bestowed perfumes,
and substances of sweet fragrance, of which my portion is but small;
but, alas, their desert is far greater than mine, for when they were
in the fetters of human life their hands were ever active in
charitable deeds. I, however, after severe penance, have been released
from my state of misery; now I am happy and possessed of salvation.
You are the means whereby the Almighty has accomplished this end, and
on you he will bestow the reward of the righteous.”
Hatim spent the remainder of the night there as formerly, and when the
morning dawned he departed. After traversing for several days the
mountains and deserts, he came to a spot where he beheld a decrepit
old woman sitting by the wayside. When the old woman observed him, she
made a piteous appeal to his charity; and Hatim having pulled off a
diamond ring from his finger, gave it to her and walked onwards. The
old woman then cried out, “_May heaven send one or two to aid me_”;
and in an instant seven young fellows rushed from the desert. Now
these seven men were the sons of the old woman, and were notorious
robbers in those quarters. The mother shewed them the diamond ring,
and assured them that the traveller who gave it must be a man of
wealth. The robbers overtook Hatim, and walked peaceably along with
him for some space, conversing on various subjects. At last they said
to him, “Noble Sir, we are here out of employment, and if you will
permit us, it is our wish to accompany you to some city where we may
earn our livelihood by service.”
To this request Hatim readily assented; and when the robbers found
that he was duped by their false assertions, one of them came behind
him, and casting a net over his head, they all seized him and conveyed
him to the mouth of a pit which was close by. They stripped him of his
clothing, and took possession of all the money and jewels that he had
with him; after which they wounded him in several parts of his body
with their daggers, and threw him into the pit. For a long time Hatim
lay senseless; but as soon as his recollection was restored he
searched for his talisman, which the robbers had fortunately left with
his turban. The instant he brought it out the pit became quite dry; he
then applied it to his wounds, which were speedily healed.
Hatim thus restored to perfect health could not, mild as he was, avoid
making the following reflections: “What a trick those cowardly
villains have played me! Well, if we should meet again I may give them
something which will set their avarice forever at rest.” Occupied with
these thoughts he fell into a profound sleep, and in a dream he beheld
an aged man, who thus accosted him: “O, Hatim, let not thy heart be
cast down. Thinkest thou that Divine Providence has sent thee hither
without some wise and unerring design? Listen, and I will tell thee
the cause of thy falling into this apparent calamity. In this pit the
Creator, bountiful and gracious, hath kept hidden a treasure that is
destined for thee. Arise and take possession of it; for thou art
capable of employing it in that way which is most acceptable to the
bountiful Giver. Let sadness no longer dwell in thy heart; he who is
discontent is unfit for the service of God.”
To this mysterious man Hatim replied, “In every state that may befall
me, I am always satisfied with the decrees of Providence; and though
these may exceed my comprehension, I submit with resignation. Should
the sacrifice of my life tend to promote the service of God, I am
ready to yield it.”--“I am convinced,” continued the old man, “that
thy words are sincere; meanwhile take away this treasure, which is
thine.”--“I am alone,” said Hatim; “I cannot even liberate myself from
this dungeon; of what use is it then to offer me so vast a
treasure?”--“To-morrow,” replied the man, “two persons will pass this
way who will set you at liberty; and by their aid you can bring out
the treasure and carry it away.”--“It will be impossible for two
persons,” said Hatim, “to release me from this prison; and as for the
treasure, it is out of the question.”--“The two persons to whom I
allude,” replied the man, “are able to accomplish both the one and the
other”; and having thus spoken, he vanished, leaving Hatim to the
enjoyment of a pleasant dream.
As soon as the morning rays dawned, the two persons arrived at the
mouth of the pit, and called out, “Ah! Hatim, are you still alive?” To
this he replied, “He who at first created me, hath preserved me.” The
two strange beings that addressed him thrust each of them a hand into
the pit, which was of immense depth, and to Hatim’s astonishment,
their hands reached the bottom where he lay. They called aloud to him
to hold fast by their hands, which he did, and in an instant he was
set at liberty. Hatim thanked his deliverers, and said to them, “In
this pit there are vast treasures of gold and jewels; if you can bring
them to light, I will distribute the same in the service of God by
relieving the wants of the poor and needy.” On hearing this, one of
them threw himself into the pit, and handed up the treasure to the
other, who remained outside. In the course of an hour all the hidden
stores of the pit were brought up and packed together so as to be
easily carried; after which the two took leave of Hatim and departed.
Hatim for some time viewed his treasure, and thus communed with
himself: “How can I best dispose of this wealth? If the villains that
lately maltreated me were here I should bestow it upon them, that they
might for once be satisfied and cease from oppressing their
fellow-creatures.” He then selected from the stores a suit of apparel,
in which he dressed himself; and having filled a large bag with the
most valuable jewels, he departed in quest of the old woman and her
seven sons. He had not far advanced when he espied the object of his
search, sitting, as formerly by the wayside. On seeing her Hatim was
extremely glad, and walking up to her, he put his hand into his bundle
and pulled out a handful of the finest jewels, which he scattered
around her. The old woman, as formerly, gave the signal to her sons by
exclaiming, “May heaven send one or two to aid me”; and forthwith the
seven robbers presented themselves, and surrounding Hatim, asked him
whither he was journeying. Hatim addressed them thus: “My good
friends, I have one request to beg of you, which I hope you will allow
me.”
The thieves desired him to speak, whereupon he thus continued: “You
hunger and thirst for gold and worldly wealth; abandon your present
iniquitous way of life, and withdraw your hands from oppressing your
neighbors, and I will enrich you with gold and jewels to such a degree
as will satisfy your utmost wishes.” To this exhortation the thieves
replied, “Hunger and want have driven us to this avocation; and of
course, if you give us all this wealth, we shall speedily abandon a
line of life which is hateful to God and oppressive to man.”--“Well,”
said Hatim, “repent of your past deeds, and give me your solemn and
sincere promise never to transgress in future, and I shall satisfy
your wants.”--“But ere we can conscientiously give you this promise,”
replied the thieves, “shew us that immense treasure which you are to
bestow upon us.” Hatim opened his bag and displayed the treasures
which he possessed; on seeing which the thieves unanimously requested
him to impose upon them whatever terms he chose. “Swear to me,” said
Hatim, “a solemn oath in the following words: ‘Before God the wise and
supreme, who observeth and knoweth all things, we promise never to lay
our hands on the property of our fellow-creatures, nor henceforth to
injure any one; otherwise may the wrath of heaven be upon us, and may
our past deeds, of which we sincerely repent, never be forgiven.’”
Hereupon the thieves bound themselves by oath to follow his dictates,
and expressed their penitence for their past sins; after which Hatim,
having thus reclaimed them from the path of error, divided his
treasure among them and departed. Having traversed part of the desert,
he espied a dog lolling out his tongue, and exhausted with hunger and
thirst. He at once supposed that some caravan, to which the dog
belonged, must be at no great distance. When he approached, the poor
animal in the most piteous manner seemed to implore his aid. Hatim
felt for the misery of every living creature; he therefore lifted the
dog in his arms, and carried it with him, in order to restore it with
food and drink as soon as he could procure any. He had not long
proceeded when he beheld a village at some distance before him, and
thither he bent his steps. On his arrival the people presented him
with a barley loaf and some curdled milk, the whole of which he gave
to the dog. The exhausted animal, thus satisfied with food and drink,
fawned on Hatim, as if expressing its sense of his kindness, and then
lay down at his feet.
Hatim began to stroke the animal with his hands, and was meditating on
the power and wisdom of the Almighty, who created the countless
myriads of creatures that fill the universe, each with some
characteristic in form and color peculiar to itself, when his hand
passing over the head of the dog, he felt some hard substance
resembling a horn. He wondered in his own mind what this could mean,
“for,” said he, “I never heard of dogs having horns.” He examined it
further, and found that an iron nail had been driven into the head of
the dog. He drew it out, and instantly the animal assumed the shape of
a young man.
Hatim sat for some time in silent abstraction, wondering at the
miraculous occurrence which he had just witnessed. At last he
addressed the young man, saying, “Tell me, Sir, who are you, and how
have you been transformed into the likeness of an irrational animal?
From what mysterious cause have you now recovered your proper shape on
my removing the nail from your head?” The young man, struck with
Hatim’s humane and amiable disposition, and full of gratitude for the
service he had just rendered him, bowed his head to the dust as he
replied, “Benevolent Sir, suffice it to say that I am of the human
race; that by the foulest practice, which I am loth to detail, I was
transformed into that shape wherein you lately saw me; and from which,
through the Divine favor and your humane attention, I am now
delivered.”--“I should like to know,” said Hatim, “if agreeable to
you, the cause of your having assumed the shape of a dog.”
The young man, thus requested, proceeded with his own history. “Worthy
Sir, I am the son of a merchant. My father, not many years ago, made a
journey to the capital of China with a large stock of goods of various
kinds, which he there disposed of to great advantage: in return, he
supplied himself with the most valuable commodities produced in that
country, which on his arrival in Kheta he converted into gold, and
thus became immensely rich. As I was his only son, he wished to have
me settled in life, and induced me to marry a beautiful young lady.
Shortly after my marriage he died, and I became possessed of the whole
of his property, and for some time my life passed in perfect felicity.
At last my wealth was considerably diminished; I therefore made up an
investment at Kheta, and, like my father, made a journey to China,
which, of course, forced me to leave my home and country for a
considerable period. During my absence, my wife had proved herself on
several occasions a wicked woman, and at the same time procured this
iron nail from some magicians. At length I returned home, and as soon
as sleep overpowered my eyelids, my wife thrust the enchanted nail
into my head, and instantly I was transformed into the shape of a dog.
She then kicked me out of the house, and when thus driven into the
public streets, all the dogs of the city flew at me. Winged with
terror, I fled into the desert; and there for three days I had
wandered without a morsel of food or a drop of water, until the
auspicious hour when God the Supreme sent you to my relief.”
When Hatim heard this wonderful narrative, he for some time held down
his head in the lap of reflection, after which he addressed the young
man, saying: “My dear friend, pray tell me where is your
residence?”--“It is,” said he, “about three days’ journey from this
place, in the city of Suri.”--“That city,” rejoined Hatim, “I know
well, for there resides Harith the merchant, whose beautiful daughter
is so celebrated on account of her three questions. I am just on my
return to that city, having found out the solution of her second
question, which runs thus: _I have done nothing that can be of use to
me this night._”--“You speak truly,” replied the young man, “as to
Harith and his fair daughter. I know them well, being their
fellow-citizen, and I rejoice in the prospect of your company
thither.”
Hatim then advised the young man to preserve the magic nail with the
utmost care, and as soon as he arrived at his house, to serve his wife
as she had him.
* * * *
After the slave had been killed, all received from him presents, and
Hatim was for that day detained as his guest, and the hours were spent
in pleasure. Next morning Hatim took farewell of the young man, and
returning to the caravanseraï, met with the lover of Harith’s
daughter. He courteously addressed the youth, whose name was Naīm,
and made many inquiries after his condition, to all of which the other
replied; adding: “It is now several months since the voice was last
heard in the wilderness, and from that circumstance Harith’s daughter
is expecting your return crowned with success.”--“Rejoice, my friend,”
said Hatim, “for I have really succeeded in procuring the most
accurate information respecting the voice in the desert.”
Hatim then made straight for the gate of Harith, and announced his
presence to the domestics; who forthwith informed their mistress that
the Arabian prince had returned, and waited at her gates. She ordered
them to admit him; and on Hatim’s entrance, she eagerly requested to
know the result of his adventure, of which he gave her a detail from
end to end. “You speak truly,” said the lady in return: “the voice has
now ceased to be heard, and you have accomplished my second task: it
only remains for you to _procure me the Shahmuhra from Mahparí, the
king of the fairies_.”
Hatim took leave of Harith’s daughter, and returning to the
caravanseraï, said to his young friend: “Now I depart in quest of the
Shahmuhra.” The youth prostrated himself at Hatim’s feet, and gave
vent to his gratitude. Hatim raised him up, and embracing him, said:
“Rejoice, my friend, for as soon as I shall, by the aid of God, have
accomplished this third task, I shall put you in possession of your
beloved.” Hatim left the city of Suri, and placing his reliance upon
Divine Providence, set out in quest of the Shahmuhra. After he had
advanced a small distance, he sat down to rest under the shade of a
tree, not knowing which way to proceed. At length his mind recurred to
the cave that led to the world of demons, and he resolved to wait upon
Farokash their king, and receive his direction to the abode of
Mahparí, assured that the demons could furnish him with the requisite
information. He therefore got up, and made for the mouth of the cave,
which he entered as formerly, and in the course of a week he reached
its further extremity, and issued into the desert by the route
previously described. Shortly after the demons flocked around him from
all quarters, and recognizing their former visitor, they conducted him
to their homes, and vied with each other in their hospitality and
attention.
Hatim thus advanced from town to town, till at length his majesty
Farokash, hearing of his approach, came out to receive him, and with
all honors conducted him to his palace, seated him upon a throne, and
presented him with a variety of eatables the most delicious, and in
short, testified in every way the pleasure he felt in the meeting.
After some time, the king requested to know of Hatim the cause of his
visit; to which the latter replied: “Sire, I am on my journey in quest
of the Shahmuhra, which is in the possession of Mahparí; in this
enterprise may I venture to solicit your aid?”--“Young man,” said
Farokash, “you aim at things that are beyond the power of the human
race. There is not one of my demon subjects that can enter the
dominions of Mahparí and return alive; far less then is it
practicable by you, a mere mortal.”--“Sire,” replied Hatim, “the
Almighty Power, that has preserved me in your kingdom, will watch over
me in the fairy world, and thence conduct me back in safety. In the
meantime, may I request your Highness to furnish me with guides, who
may shew me the way thither? Otherwise I should wander astray.”--“I
wish,” said Farokash, “that you would abandon this absurd enterprise,
so inconsistent with reason.”--“How can I,” replied Hatim, “without
disgrace relinquish the task which I have undertaken? My word is
pledged to accomplish it, and a promise is sacred.”
On hearing this reply Farokash remained silent, as he felt assured
that compliance with Hatim’s request would be only hastening his ruin.
Three days were spent in discharging the rights of hospitality, after
which Hatim addressed the king, and said, “Sire, allow me to depart,
for the occasion is urgent: let it not be said that the tormented
lover has died in his protracted expectation of me; in such a case I
should have become responsible for his death, and what would be my
answer before the great Judge? The love-sick youth in whose cause I
labor is sincere in heart, and ardent in his affection; his life
depends on my successful exertions, and my failure would be the cause
of his death.”
The king of the demons summoned a few of his subjects and gave them
instructions to the following effect: “You shall conduct this young
stranger to the boundaries of Mahparí’s dominions, and remain there
until his return, if such be his fate.” The demons lifted Hatim on
their shoulders, and with the speed of the wind began to traverse the
wide-spreading desert. In the course of a month they arrived at the
confines of fairy-land, where the demons halted, and addressing Hatim,
said, “We are now in sight of the mountain Kaf, and here begin the
territories of Mahparí, within which we dare not enter; for close
upon the limits of that mountain are stationed thousands of fairies
ready to destroy us.”
Hatim took leave of the demons, and fearlessly passed the bounds of
the fairy regions, and from day to day approached nearer the mountain
whose top seemed to pierce the skies and whose sides abounded with
green trees in endless variety. When he arrived at the base of the
mountain the fairies assembled from all sides, and said one to
another: “Here comes one of Adam’s race whom we must instantly put to
death, as he has the hardihood to approach this mountain.” The fairies
hereupon rushed to the base of the mountain, and laying hold of Hatim,
carried him up, and when they had bound his hands and feet with
chains, they asked him, “Tell us, mortal, whence come you? what is
your business? and who has conducted you hither?”--“I come,” said
Hatim, “from the city of Suri, under the guidance of my
Creator.”--“Pray,” said the fairies to him, “are you come at the
request of the daughter of Harith, the merchant?” Hatim reflected in
his own mind, “Now if I tell them the truth, and say that I am come in
quest of the Shahmuhra, they will assuredly destroy me; and if I speak
falsely it will be unworthy of me, having never done so in my life; in
this case, then, silence is the best policy.”
Meanwhile the fairies came to the resolution of casting him into the
fire, “For,” said they, “he is in all probability come for the
Shahmuhra.” They quickly heaped together piles of dried wood, to which
they set fire, and throwing Hatim into the midst of it, they all set
up a loud shout of laughter, and there left him. Hatim, remembering
his Maker, took into his mouth the talisman of the bear’s daughter,
which rendered him completely proof against fire. For three days he
remained in that state, after which period he came out without even a
thread of his garment being burnt.
Hatim had no sooner made his escape than he was again seized and bound
by the fairies, who thus addressed him: “Three days since a man very
like you fell into our hands, and we cast him into the fire, and burnt
him; pray are you that individual, or some one else of the human
race?”--“O, you troop of simpletons,” replied Hatim, “assuredly, such
fools as you are never will exist; if, as you say, you burnt that
individual, how do you imagine that he should be again alive? But the
truth is, the Almighty has preserved me amidst the burning flames.”
The fairies, on hearing this, again threw Hatim into the fire, from
which, after a considerable time, he coolly walked out unhurt; a third
time they repeated the experiment, and at length becoming convinced
that he was not to be destroyed by burning, they carried him to the
shore of the salt sea, and cast him into the midst of the deep, and
there, leaving him to his fate, they departed.
Whilst Hatim was cutting his way by swimming amidst the billows of the
ocean, a large nihang (sea-serpent) happened to espy him. This monster
rushed upon him, and in an instant swallowed him alive. Hatim, thus
rescued from drowning, on coming to his senses attempted to stand up
and move about, whereby the sea-serpent became so desperately annoyed
that he darted towards the shore, and with great exertion succeeded in
disgorging him on dry land, after which he plunged into the deep.
Hatim in that spot lay, helpless and exhausted with hunger and thirst,
for the space of two days and nights, after which time he rose up, and
wandered he knew not whither, until he found himself in the midst of a
wilderness of sand. Here he continued to stray till a troop of fairies
happened to observe him; these immediately surrounded him, and said,
one to another, “Here is a mortal man, how can he have come hither?”
Addressing Hatim, they said to him, “You seem to be of the human race,
pray who brought you into our territory?”--“The merciful Creator,”
replied Hatim, “first conducted me into your dominions, but since my
arrival I have been cast into the sea, and swallowed by a monstrous
nihang, from whose inside I was ejected two days ago. I am now
exhausted with hunger; if you have any compassion within you, let me
have something to eat, and water to quench my thirst.”
To this reply the fairies rejoined, “We dare not administer to you
even a drop of water, for our king has strictly ordered us to slay
every one of the race of men or demons that may come in our way; if
we, therefore, delay a moment in putting you to death, the wrath of
his Majesty will overtake us.” Here one of the fairies said to his
companions, “Where is our king, and where are we?[b2.09] This
wretched being is not come hither of his own accord! God is merciful!
You know not from what distance he may have been brought by the
nihang, and his being found here is accidental, as it was natural he
should make an effort to preserve his life. He is one of the human
race too, and our superior, nay, the noblest of the sublunary
creation; let us convey him to our abodes, and afford him kind
treatment.”--“But,” said the rest of the fairies, “if we spare him,
and our king hear of it, his Majesty will put us to death.” On hearing
this discussion Hatim addressed them, saying, “My friends, if it is
your duty and interest to slay me, I am quite resigned without further
dispute.”
That fairy, however, who spoke in his favor still held out, saying,
“My worthy companions, our king is far distant, even seven days’
journey hence; and who among us is likely to turn informer?” In short,
they all at last agreed to spare Hatim’s life; whereupon they carried
him to their dwellings, and gave him food to eat, and fruits and water
to quench his thirst, so that in a short time he perfectly recovered.
The fairies, charmed with Hatim’s gracefulness and eloquence, crowded
around him, and felt the greatest pleasure in listening to his
conversation; they daily supplied him with food the most delicious,
and fruits the most refreshing, and spent their whole time in his
society. In a few days Hatim became a universal favorite, so that he
ventured to ask their leave to depart, in order to accomplish his
enterprise. “Pray tell us,” said they, “what is your business here,
and what brought you into our world?” Hatim told them without reserve:
“The demon subjects of Farokash conducted me as far as your
boundaries, beyond which they durst not penetrate. As soon as I
entered your dominions, the fairies that guard your coasts laid hold
of me, and three times did they cast me into the burning flames, but
from all their evil designs the hand of the Creator protected me; they
afterwards threw me into the sea, from which I escaped as I have
already told you.”--“And pray,” asked they, “what business have you so
important, that you undergo such toils and perils for its
accomplishment?”--“My business,” replied Hatim, “is with
Mahparí.”--“Beware, frail man,” said the fairies, “how you speak of
Mahparí; we are his subjects, and he has enjoined us not to suffer a
man or demon to enter his dominions; should he hear of our affording
you an asylum, he would instantly slay us all.”
In answer Hatim said: “If it is our destiny to enjoy longer life, no
one can slay us; and if you are afraid of the consequence, you can
bind me hand and foot, and carry me as a captive into the presence of
your king.”--“What you propose,” rejoined they, “is utterly absurd;
you have already shared of our hospitality; you and we have eaten salt
together[b2.10]; do you imagine, then, that we can deliver you up to
certain destruction?”--“Be under no hesitation,” replied Hatim, “on
account of any danger that threatens me, for it is my resolution to
have an audience of Mahparí as soon as possible; therefore convey me
thither at all risks.” The fairies were sadly perplexed on hearing
Hatim’s mad design, and deliberated amongst themselves what was best
to be done in the case. At length they resolved to detain him as
prisoner, and in the meantime despatch a messenger to learn the king’s
pleasure regarding him, and act accordingly. One of the fairies was
immediately sent to his Majesty, with instructions thus to address
him: “Sire, we have just seized on the sea-shore one of the human
race, who is now our captive; if such be your royal pleasure, we are
ready to conduct him into your august presence.”
The messenger departed, and in the course of seven days arrived at the
fairy court, and having received an audience, thus delivered his
message: “Sire, your subjects, who guard the shores of the sea of
Kulzum[b2.11], have there taken captive one of the human race, and I
have been despatched hither to know your pleasure respecting him.”
Mahparí ordered the man to be carefully conveyed to his presence, in
order that he might himself examine him with regard to his journey to
fairy-land. The messenger immediately returned, and after an absence
of two weeks arrived at his own residence, and stated that it was his
Majesty’s pleasure to have Hatim brought into his presence. On hearing
this, the fairies without delay made preparations for conveying their
prisoner to court. Meanwhile the report was rapidly spread through the
country, that one of the human race was being brought to the capital.
One of his Majesty’s grandees, by name Masnapari, had a beautiful
daughter called Husnapari, whose heart was restless and full of
curiosity. This fairy damsel said to her companions: “I hear that a
man has somehow entered our king’s dominions, and is now on his way to
the capital; I wish it were possible for me to see what he is like:
they tell me that mankind are beautiful in countenance and graceful in
form.” The attendants of Husnapari expressed their readiness to aid
her in gratifying her wish; and at the same time observed to her,
“Fair lady, you must take your station by the wayside as this man
passes, for after he is brought before the king it will be impossible
to see him.”--“But,” said Husnapari, “how can I leave my father’s
house? on what pretence shall I get out?” After consideration, her
youthful companions suggested that she should ask leave of her parents
to be allowed to walk in the gardens for some days. Husnapari,
delighted with this stratagem, went to her mother, and said, “My dear
mother, give me your permission to go out and enjoy for some days the
fragrance of the fields and the delights of the garden.”--“Obtain your
father’s permission, my child,” replied the mother, “and I am
satisfied.”
In short, Husnapari received her father’s leave, and attended by her
fair and youthful companions, went to the garden, where she was
allowed to remain for forty days. On her way thither, she further
consulted her friends as to the speediest means of seeing Hatim, the
main object of her journey. They told her that those who guarded the
sea of Kulzum were conducting the man from that quarter. On hearing
this, Husnapari and her companions, instead of proceeding to the
garden, swiftly transported themselves to the shores of Kulzum, where
they arrived in the space of three days, just at the moment when the
fairies were about to depart with Hatim.
Husnapari, observing the numerous assemblage on the sea-shore, halted
with her train at some distance, and sent one of her attendants to
inquire who they were. The messenger soon returned, and informed her
that these were the guardians of the shores of Kulzum, and that they
were about to convey the man to the king’s presence. “I myself,”
continued the messenger, “saw this flower of Adam’s race, as he sat on
the sea-shore; his face was beautiful, and his hair waved in graceful
ringlets. His form was elegant as the moon in her fourteenth night.”
When Husnapari heard this description of Hatim’s beauty and
perfection, her desire to see him was greatly increased. She said to
her fairy train: “Alas! when am I to behold with my own eyes this
lovely being?”--“Let us watch them in the meantime from a distance,”
said her companions; “and when they shall have halted for the night,
perhaps we shall be able to carry off the man when his guards fall
asleep.” In short, the fairies of Kulzum set out with their prisoner,
and in a few days approached the garden of Husnapari, within a furlong
of which they halted for the night. When half the night had elapsed, a
select few of Husnapari’s attendants, who were proficients in magic,
approached the guards, and overpowering their eyelids with sleep, cast
a charm over the eyes of Hatim so that he fell into a profound
slumber, and then they carried him into the presence of their
mistress.
The instant Husnapari beheld him, her heart was enamoured of his
beauty. She lifted him in her arms, sleeping as he was, and carried
him herself into her own garden. When Hatim awoke, and looked around
him, he was surprised at finding himself surrounded by fairy damsels
of surpassing beauty, in the midst of a garden green and fragrant as
that of Iram. He addressed the fair assemblage, and said: “Tell me,
who are you, and who has brought me hither?” The fairest of the troop
replied, “This is the garden of Masnapari, a fairy of exalted rank,
and I am his daughter. My name is Husnapari. When the news of your
arrival in our dominions became divulged, my ardent desire to behold
your form overcame my prudence; for which reason my attendants brought
you hither when asleep.” Hatim rejoined: “Now that you have gained
your wish, may I request that you will aid me in the accomplishing of
my enterprise?”--“How can I serve you?” replied the beautiful fairy.
“The object of my coming into your country,” said Hatim, “is to get
possession of the Shahmuhra.”--“Your journey is to little purpose,”
replied Husnapari, “for no living creature can get the Shahmuhra from
the hands of the fairy king; stay with me, then, for my heart has been
yours since the moment I first saw you.”--“I will comply with your
request,” said Hatim, “if you procure for me the Shahmuhra.”--“I
repeat to you,” rejoined the fairy, “that I cannot--no creature can,
by force or stratagem, get possession of the Shahmuhra. _But I know
that you are destined to acquire this treasure_, so you may rest
satisfied.” In fine, Husnapari detained Hatim in her garden, where
both of them experienced uninterrupted happiness.
When the guards awoke from their slumbers, and found no trace of
Hatim, they began to search for him in all directions, but to no
purpose. They then held a consultation on what was best to be done.
Most of them believed that Hatim had made his escape, and could not as
yet be far off, while others suggested that probably some youthful
fairy, enamoured of his beauty, had stolen him during the night. “But
what shall we do?” said they to one another; “if the king should hear
of this affair, he will flay us alive.” They resolved to keep the
affair in secrecy, and in the meantime to make the strictest search.
If the man should be found, they were to conduct him before the king
as if nothing had happened; and if not, they considered it safest to
absent themselves.
After a considerable period had thus elapsed, Mahparí becoming
impatient, said to his courtiers, “Can you tell me the reason why this
man has not yet made his appearance? I must make further inquiries
concerning him.” His Majesty immediately despatched to the guardians
of the shores of Kulzum a messenger, who received as an answer from
them, “It is now a considerable time since we sent our prisoner to the
capital, escorted by a guard of soldiers; of these we have heard
nothing since, nor can we conjecture what is the cause of their
delay.” The messenger conveyed this information to the king, who being
exceedingly wroth, ordered his troops to scour the country in search
of the delinquents, and find out what they had done with the man.
Agreeably to his commands, emissaries were sent in all directions, and
not long after one of Hatim’s escort was seized and carried to the
capital. Mahparí threatened him with the severest punishment, unless
he told truly what had become of the man whom they had in charge. The
fairy guard with trembling voice replied, “Spare my life, O king, and
I will tell truly all that I know respecting the man.”--“Speak the
truth, then,” said the king, “otherwise you shall die.” The guard
proceeded: “Sire, we received the man in charge, and for several days
journeyed with him towards the foot of your throne. It happened, as we
halted for the night in a certain spot near a garden, that we were all
overpowered with sleep, and when we awoke the man was nowhere to be
seen. It is certain that some one must have stolen him from us, for he
would not have gone of his own accord, as he frequently expressed his
most ardent desire to have an interview with your Majesty. It is most
likely, then, that some of the fairy damsels on seeing him, became
enamoured of his person, for verily he is of rare beauty and
gracefulness, and contrived to carry him off while we were asleep.
Next morning, when we awoke and missed our charge, we fled in all
directions, from fear of your Majesty’s wrath; and this is the whole
truth.”
On hearing this statement, Mahparí ordered the culprit’s life to be
spared, and contented himself by detaining him prisoner, until such
time as the man should be found. Meanwhile he sent forth his servants,
with orders to search every corner within fairy-land until they
discovered Hatim. It happened about three months after, that one of
the escort from Kulzum entered unobserved the garden of Masnapari, and
having concealed himself in a corner, saw the beautiful fairy and
Hatim walking hand in hand amidst the flowers. He instantly recognized
the object of his search, and leaving his hiding-place, he boldly
presented himself amidst the fairy troop, saying, “Most foolish
damsels, you are aware that the king has ordered this man to be
brought into his presence, whither we were conducting him; and yet you
had the boldness to carry him off by stratagem. If you value your
lives, surrender him into my charge, otherwise death and degradation
await you.”
On hearing this address, Husnapari, instigated by fear and resentment,
said to her attendants, “How durst you, without my permission, admit a
stranger into the garden? Seize the villain, let him be severely
punished, and for the remainder of his life confined in fetters.” The
spy with the utmost activity bounded off as they were about to lay
hold of him, and fled beyond their reach. With all speed he made for
the capital, and on his arrival blackened his face, and taking his
station at the palace gate, stated that he had a complaint to lay
before the king. His Majesty was pleased to admit him, and inquired,
“Why hast thou blackened thy face? Tell me who has injured
thee?”--“Sire,” replied the spy, “my complaint is against the
beautiful daughter of Masnapari. I am one of those who formed the
escort of the Arabian prince from Kulzum, and while we were conducting
our charge hither agreeably to your Majesty’s order, this damsel,
whose name is Husnapari, contrived to steal him from us by night, and
since then she has detained him in her father’s garden. I happened to
discover the circumstance, and demanded of her the man as my prisoner.
Enraged, she threatened me with severe punishment and confinement for
life. I fortunately made my escape, and hastened to lay my information
before your Majesty.”
When the sovereign of the fairy realms heard this intelligence his
anger was extreme. He instantly despatched his commander-in-chief,
accompanied by thirty thousand troops, with orders to seize Masnapari,
and make him responsible for his daughter’s conduct. When Masnapari
beheld this formidable array drawn up around his mansion, he was
perplexed, and addressing the commander, said, “For what purpose are
these forces? In what respect have I incurred his Majesty’s
displeasure?”--“Pray sir,” said the commander, “where is your
daughter?”--“For some months past,” replied the other, “she has been
enjoying the delights of our garden in the country.”--“Wretched
being!” rejoined the commander, “I pity your case; be it known to you,
that your daughter has privately conveyed into that garden the man
whom the sentinels of Kulzum found upon their coast. This is the cause
of the king’s resentment towards you.”
When the mother of Husnapari heard this statement, pale with fear she
hastened to the garden, where she found her daughter seated on a bed
of flowers and engaged in conversation with Hatim. The enraged mother
struck Husnapari on the head, saying, “Abandoned one! you have caused
the ruin of your family. The king’s troops have surrounded our
dwelling in quest of this man, whom you have chosen for your lover.”
Husnapari, surprised and terrified at these tidings, stood motionless,
and her beautiful countenance assumed the hue of death. The mother
immediately gave her daughter and Hatim in charge to the commander of
the troops; and she herself, with the whole of her relations, was
ordered to follow to the capital.
In the course of three days they arrived at the king’s palace, where
the commander informed his Majesty that Masnapari was in attendance to
plead his own cause, and that his daughter, and the prince of Yemen
her lover, were now at hand to be disposed of as his Majesty might
deem proper. Mahparí ordered, in the first place, that the father
should be brought before him. Masnapari entered, and making a low
obeisance, said, “Sire, I swear by your Majesty’s salt, which I have
so often tasted, that I knew nothing of the transaction. I have come,
however, obedient to your commands, accompanied by my family, and all
of us are ready to undergo whatever be the decree of your
Majesty.”--“Enough,” said the king, “you are innocent, and are
accordingly forgiven; let us now examine the man who has caused this
trouble.”
The attendants immediately introduced Hatim, and placed him before the
king. When Mahparí beheld his noble form and fair countenance, all
his resentment towards him vanished, and having seated Hatim beside
him, he began to converse with him, and said, “You are a bold youth to
enter our dominions; may I ask what is the cause of your journey
hither?”--“Sire,” replied Hatim, “I had heard much of your Majesty,
and of your heavenly realms, from Farokash the king of the demons, so
that I felt an irresistible desire of visiting your country, and of
tendering you my humble services, whatever might be the risk.”--“Who,”
asked the king, “were your guides hither?”--“The subjects of
Farokash,” said Hatim. “Know you,” continued the fairy king, “whether
there be among the demons any learned and expert physician?”--“From
what I have there observed,” replied Hatim, “I believe the subjects of
Farokash have no skill in physic; but may I ask, what occasion has
your Highness for a physician?”--“I shall tell you in good time,” said
Mahparí, “for after all you may be able to serve me, as the human
race are allowed to be the noblest and most skilful of the creation,
and from their superior wisdom they are enabled to hold under their
control the regions of the fairies and demons, as was the case with
Solomon, on whom be peace.”--“Well,” said Hatim, “may I presume to
ask, what would your Majesty with a physician?”
Mahparí, in a voice of sorrow, replied: “I have a son who is the
admiration of the world, accomplished in every art and science that
adorn the mind, matchless in the beauty and elegance of his form, and
beside him I have no other child. He has been lately seized with a
pain in his eyes, which constantly flow with water, so intense that he
his now quite blind; nor does he experience a moment’s relief. If you
can procure me a learned leech who may succeed in restoring him his
sight, I shall ever remain grateful for your kindness.”--“May I ask,”
said Hatim, “what reward will your Highness bestow on that physician
who may be the means of curing the prince?”--“I will give him whatever
he asks,” replied the king. “Agreed,” said Hatim; “I myself will
undertake on these terms to restore the prince to perfect health.” The
king then took Hatim by the hand, and solemnly swore to abide by his
promise; and as it now waxed late, they agreed to retire to rest.
Hatim was ushered into a splendid apartment, while troops of fairies
attended him to execute his commands. They presented him with every
sort of food and a variety of delicious fruits, with cool water pure
as crystal. When the morning dawned the fairy king conducted Hatim to
the apartment of his son, who lay stretched upon the bed of
restlessness. Hatim took out the talisman presented him by the bear’s
daughter, and having dipped it in pure water, applied the liquid to
the prince’s eyes. In the course of the day he obtained some relief,
and the pain was greatly alleviated, but his sight was not yet in the
least restored. Mahparí, with the anxiety of a parent, watched the
progress of the cure, and addressing Hatim, said, “Most learned man,
the eyes are indeed cured of the pain which they suffered; but alas!
the vision I fear is forever lost.” After a little reflection, Hatim
said, “Sire, there is a tree that grows amidst the shades of
Zulmât[b2.12], which is called the naudar: from this tree distils a
liquid of rare qualities, of which if even a single drop could be
procured, it would be the means of restoring the prince’s sight.” When
Mahparí heard this, he addressed his fairy subjects, saying: “Is
there one among you who has the courage to enter the regions of
Zulmât, and bring me a vial full of the juice of the naudar?” The
fairies with downcast looks listened to this proposal, and replied,
“The vales of Zulmât abound with demons the very scent of whom we
cannot endure; and besides, being our enemies, they would not leave
one of us alive were we to venture thither.” The king, well aware of
this fact, held down his head in grief, when Husnapari respectfully
approached him, and said, “If my lord the king will forgive my past
transgressions, and again restore to me the prince of Yemen, I will
endeavor to find out the tree in question.”
Mahparí, delighted, said to her in return, “Fair lady, I heartily
forgive your pranks; nay, on receiving an explanation from your
father, I extended my full pardon to you all; but so far as regards
the prince of Yemen, I have no control over him; he is entirely at his
own disposal.” Hatim then addressed the beautiful fairy, saying,
“Noble lady, if it is your wish that I should dwell with you during
the whole of my life, it is more than I can by any means promise you;
but if you will be satisfied with my remaining in your society only
during my own pleasure, and having full liberty to depart when I think
proper, then I sincerely promise not to deceive you.” The beautiful
fairy replied, in the accents of love, “Alas! I can lay no claim to
your affections, but say you will stay with me for at least a few
days. My time shall be wholly spent in the enjoyment of your society;
and when I shall have sufficiently admired you, then your departure
will be in your own choice.”--“Enough,” said Hatim, “for the present;
lose no time in the accomplishment of your dangerous enterprise.”
Husnapari, accompanied with seven thousand fairy troops, immediately
set out upon her journey; and so swiftly did she wing her course, that
all her convoy were left far in the rear. In the space of forty days
she entered the regions of darkness and arrived at the tree of naudar,
the top of which seemed to pierce the skies. From its trunk flowed a
liquid white as milk and sweet as honey. She caught the drops in her
vial as they fell, and when it was filled she carefully sealed it up,
and began to retrace her steps from the dreary abode. Meanwhile a host
of demons, many thousand in number, who acted as guards of the tree of
naudar, observed the beautiful fairy as she was returning, and
immediately pursued her. Husnapari increased her speed, and fled
swiftly as the bird that flies for its life. The demons followed fast
for the space of four farasangs, when finding that they were losing
ground, they returned to their haunts.
Forty days later the beautiful fairy arrived at the court of her
sovereign, and presenting to his Majesty the vial containing the
precious elixir, she detailed the events of her journey. The king was
boundless in his gratitude, and exalted her into the rank of the most
select in his household. Hatim dipped his talisman into the elixir,
and applied a few drops of it to the eyes of the prince, which still
continued shut. At the end of eight days he repeated the process, and
a complete cure ensued. When the prince again beheld the faces of his
father and mother, his joy was unbounded. Grateful, he prostrated
himself at the feet of Hatim, who speedily raised him to his bosom,
saying, “Let thy thanks be rendered unto God.”
In the meantime the fairy king offered for Hatim’s acceptance
treasures to such an extent as would defy calculation. Hatim, after
expressing his sense of the king’s bounty, said, “Sire, this vast
wealth is useless to me unless your subjects conduct me to the
dominions of Farokash, and convey the treasures thither.” To this
Mahparí readily assented; whereupon Hatim rejoined: “Sire, I value
not gold and jewels; all I wish from your Majesty is the fulfilment of
the agreement which you were pleased to make with me, _that I should
receive from you whatever I asked_.”--“State your wish,” replied
Mahparí, “and you shall not be disappointed.”--“Give me then,” said
Hatim, “the Shahmuhra which adorns your hand.”
The fairy king, on hearing this request, silently held down his head,
and after some time said, “I see how it is; the daughter of Harith the
merchant has sent you hither in quest of the Shahmuhra.”--“True,
sire,” replied Hatim, “and I on my part have undertaken to procure it
for her.”--“Well,” continued the king, “I will strictly abide by my
promise, but the daughter of Harith shall never possess this
treasure.” Hatim suggested that as soon as he had acquitted himself of
his task, the Shahmuhra might possibly be returned. At this suggestion
the king unfixed the Shahmuhra from his arm and fastened it on that of
Hatim, who immediately perceived its rare qualities; for he had no
sooner placed it on his arm than all the treasures of gold and
precious stones concealed within the bosom of the earth were clearly
displayed to his eyes; nor was he at any loss to discover the reason
why Harith’s daughter so eagerly desired the possession of this key of
wealth.
Mahparí summoned into his presence three of his most cunning
magicians, and gave them instructions to this effect: “When this man
shall have delivered the Shahmuhra to Harith’s daughter, and she in
consequence accepts her lover in marriage, you shall transport
yourselves thither, and after she has had it ten days in her
possession, bring it back to me.” Hatim then took leave of the fairy
king, and proceeded to the residence of Husnapari, with whom he spent
three months in the enjoyment of every happiness. At length he bade
adieu to the beautiful lady, and accompanied by the fairies, of whom
some carried his treasures and others conveyed himself in a litter, he
left the capital, and in a few days reached the territories of
Farokash. When arrived at the line of separation between the two
regions, the fairies left him, and the demons, who had previously been
his guides, and had remained there during his absence in fairy-land,
took him up and conveyed him with his treasures to their own capital.
Hatim had an interview with Farokash, who received him with the utmost
kindness and hospitality. Next day he continued his homeward journey,
and, by his former route through the cave, in the course of time
arrived safe in the city of Suri.
Hatim immediately on his arrival sought out the lover Naim, on whom he
bestowed all the wealth which he had brought from fairy-land. The
youth accepted the costly treasures with a profusion of thanks, after
which, Hatim waited on Harith’s daughter and presented her with the
Shahmuhra. The lady, on receiving this treasure, was filled with
delight, and said to Hatim, “Now, peerless hero, I am yours.”--“Pardon
me,” replied Hatim, “if I reject your offer; you know what anguish the
youthful Naim has been suffering for years on your account; him
therefore you shall accept as your husband.” The lady said, “I am
entirely at your disposal.” The father and the lover were immediately
sent for, and Hatim made them join hands as father and son. The
marriage contract was drawn up and agreed to, the love-sick Naim was
blessed in the possession of his mistress, and Hatim was pleased with
what he had himself done. In the course of ten days, the Shahmuhra
mysteriously disappeared from the lady’s hand, whereupon her grief and
lamentation were excessive. Hatim earnestly endeavored to console her,
saying, “Lady, you have in your possession such treasures of gold and
jewels as will be amply sufficient for your posterity, even unto the
seventh generation; why then should you not be content?”
Hatim shortly after took leave of his friends in Suri, and betook
himself seriously to the attainment of the object of his journey,
viz., the solution of Husn Banu’s second question. He travelled
through many a stage without success, till at length he arrived on the
banks of a large river. There he beheld a lofty mansion built of
stone, over the door of which was written, “_Do good and cast it into
the river._” On seeing this motto, Hatim devoutly thanked the Ruler of
events, and said, “I have now reached the object of my desire.” While
he was in this contemplation a crowd of attendants issued forth, and
conducted him into the house. There he beheld seated upon a throne a
venerable man, whose age amounted to a hundred years. On Hatim’s
entrance, the aged sire rose up and courteously received him; after
which, he presented him with food and drink of various descriptions.
When Hatim had appeased his hunger and allayed his thirst, he said to
his entertainer, “Venerable sir, pray what is the meaning of the motto
which is written above your door?”--“Young stranger,” replied the aged
man, “listen to my tale, which will explain it. In the prime of my
life I was a daring robber, and lived by plundering my
fellow-creatures. But every day, when I rested from my sinful
avocation, I used to bake two large loaves, the ingredients of which I
mixed with sweet-oil and sugar. Two such loaves I daily threw into the
river, saying, ‘_This I give away to propitiate the favor of heaven._’
A considerable period had thus passed, when one day I was seized with
sickness so violent that my soul seemed to quit my body. Methought a
man seized me by the hand, and pointing out to me the way to the
infernal regions, said, ‘_There is the place destined for thee._’
While he was on the point of hurling me into the midst of the
condemned, two youths divinely fair in countenance and angelic in form
came to my rescue. These were my guardian angels. They laid hold of
me, one by each arm, and said, ‘We will not permit this man to be
utterly destroyed in his wickedness; sinful as he has been, his future
station is in paradise, and thither we will convey him.’
“They swiftly wafted me to the regions of the blessed, where an angel
of exalted rank stood up and asked them, ‘Why have you brought this
man? A hundred years of his life are yet to pass; but there is another
of the same name whom you were commissioned to bring.’ The two angels
who had carried me to the gates of paradise, again brought me back to
my own house, and said to me at parting, ‘We are the two
loaves[b2.13] which you used to cast into the river for fishes to
feed on, as a service acceptable to the Almighty.’ When I recovered
from my trance, I rose up and fled for refuge into the threshold of
divine mercy, exclaiming in the voice of supplication, ‘Gracious God!
thou art merciful, and I am a sinful creature. I repent of all my evil
deeds, which I committed in the depravity of my heart. To thy gates I
flee for protection. Spare me, merciful Creator, and from thy secret
stores of grace bestow upon me that which is meet for me.’
“When my health was restored, I prepared the two loaves as formerly,
and went with them to the side of the river, in order to cast them
upon the waters. On the shore I found a hundred dinars, which I took
up and carried with me to the village. I there caused it to be
publicly proclaimed, that if any person had lost a sum of money, he
should obtain the same from me. None came forward to claim the money;
I therefore laid it aside, in hopes that the real owner of it might
some day appear. Next day, when I went to the river-side, according to
my usual mode, I threw my two loaves into the water; and another sum
of a hundred dinars made its appearance on the shore. I took the money
home with me. In the same way it happened to me for ten successive
days. On the eve of the eleventh day, as I was asleep, a man appeared
to me in the visions of the night, saying, ‘Servant of the Almighty,
thy two loaves have pleaded thy cause in heaven, and the merciful
Creator has forgiven thy sins. The dinars which thou receivest are for
thy competency; what is not necessary for thine own support, bestow in
charity upon the poor.’
“I awoke from my dream and betook myself to prayer, and rendered my
thanks to the bountiful Giver. I have since built this mansion, on the
door of which I have written the motto that has attracted your
attention. Every day I receive the sum of a hundred dinars on the
shore of the river; and I occupy myself in giving it away in charity,
in feeding the hungry, the poor, and the helpless stranger. Nearly a
hundred years of my life still remain, and this, young stranger, is my
history.”
When Hatim heard this wonderful account of the aged man, he devoutly
expressed his sense of the divine mercy. After having stayed a few
days, he took leave of his venerable entertainer, and began to retrace
his way to Shahabad. Having travelled a considerable distance he came
to a desert, where he beheld underneath a tree two serpents in deadly
contest: the one was black and loathsome, the other beautiful and
graceful to view: but the black snake had the advantage in the
struggle, and was on the point of killing the other. Hatim speedily
approached, and raised a shout that terrified the black serpent, which
let go its victim and fled. The serpent of beautiful color being quite
powerless, remained beneath the tree, looking gratefully at Hatim. The
latter observing this, addressed the white snake, saying, “Fear
nothing from me, I will here watch over you till you are recovered.”
In the course of a few hours the serpent began to move slowly round
the tree, which being done it assumed the form of a beautiful young
man.
Hatim stood wrapt in astonishment, when the youth addressing him,
said, “My good friend, I am of the race of the genii, and the son of
their king. The black snake which you saw is my father’s slave who
bears deadly hatred towards me. To-day he happened to find the time
fitting, and having transformed himself and me into serpents, he was
about to slay me, when God the Supreme sent you to my relief.” On
hearing this Hatim rejoined, “As you are now recovered, proceed to
your abode without delay: as for me I have affairs of moment.” The
genius replied, “My residence is not far hence; if you will deign to
honor me with a visit, nothing could be more agreeable to me.” In
short, the prince of the genii conducted Hatim to his troops, and
under their convoy proceeded to his palace. There he rested for the
night, reclined upon a throne, and was charmed with the most melodious
music. Next day he was offered the richest treasures of gold and
jewels, which he rejected, saying that such things had no value in his
sight. As he was about to depart from this hospitable mansion, the
genii caught the base slave who had attempted to kill the prince; and
having dragged him to the place of execution, they put him to death in
Hatim’s presence.
Hatim took his leave of the genii, and continued his journey till he
arrived in Shahabad. He went straight to the caravanseraï, where he
was joyfully received by Munir, the Syrian prince. Husn Banu’s people
in the meantime conveyed to their mistress the news of Hatim’s
arrival. She next day sent for him, and said, “Brave youth, this time
you have been long absent; pray have you attained the object of your
journey or not?”--“Praised be God,” said Hatim, “I have been quite
successful.” He then detailed to Husn Banu all that he had witnessed
since his departure, and particularly the history of the aged man on
the banks of the river. When Husn Banu heard this wonderful adventure,
she looked towards her nurse, who said, “The youth speaks truly: your
second question is solved.”
Food and drink were then called for, of which Hatim and the prince of
Syria partook; the former assuring the latter that through divine aid
he would accomplish the solution of the remaining questions. Three
days were spent in discharging the rites of hospitality, at the
expiration of which Hatim waited upon Husn Banu, saying, “Now, fair
lady, let me hear your third question, that I may endeavor to solve
it.”--“There is a man,” replied Husn Banu, “who says from experience,
‘_Injure no one; if you do, evil will befall you._’ Find out where
that man lives, what injury he has done, and what evil has befallen
him.”