the Fisherman and the Caliph hauled that net ashore, they found it full
of fish of all kinds; and Khalifah said to Al-Rashid, “By Allah, O
piper, thou art foul of favour but, an thou apply thyself to fishing,
thou wilt make a mighty fine fisherman. But now ’twere best thou
bestraddle thine ass and make for the market and fetch me a pair of
frails,[223] and I will look after the fish till thou return, when I and
thou will load it on thine ass’s back. I have scales and weights and all
we want, so we can take them with us and thou wilt have nothing to do
but to hold the scales and pouch the price; for here we have fish worth
twenty dinars. So be fast with the frails and loiter not.” Answered the
Caliph, “I hear and obey” and mounting, left him with his fish, and
spurred his mule, in high good humour, and ceased not laughing over his
adventure with the Fisherman, till he came up to Ja’afar, who said to
him, “O Commander of the Faithful, belike, when thou wentest down to
drink, thou foundest a pleasant flower-garden and enteredst and tookest
thy pleasure therein alone?” At this Al-Rashid fell a laughing again and
all the Barmecides rose and kissed the ground before him, saying, “O
Commander of the Faithful, Allah make joy to endure for thee and do away
annoy from thee! What was the cause of thy delaying when thou faredst to
drink and what hath befallen thee?” Quoth the Caliph, “Verily, a right
wondrous tale and a joyous adventure and a wondrous hath befallen me.”
And he repeated to them what had passed between himself and the
Fisherman and his words, “Thou stolest my clothes!” and how he had given
him his gown and how he had cut off a part of it, finding it too long
for him. Said Ja’afar, “By Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, I had it
in mind to beg the gown of thee: but now I will go straight to the
Fisherman and buy it of him.” The Caliph replied, “By Allah, he hath cut
off a third part of the skirt and spoilt it! But, O Ja’afar, I am tired
with fishing in the river, for I have caught great store of fish which I
left on the bank with my master Khalifah, and he is watching them and
waiting for me to return to him with a couple of frails and a
matchet.[224] Then we are to go, I and he, to the market and sell the
fish and share the price.” Ja’afar rejoined, “O Commander of the
Faithful, I will bring you a purchaser for your fish.” And Al-Rashid
retorted, “O Ja’afar, by the virtue of my holy forefathers, whoso
bringeth me one of the fish that are before Khalifah, who taught me
angling, I will give him for it a gold dinar!” So the crier proclaimed
among the troops that they should go forth and buy fish for the Caliph,
and they all arose and made for the river-side. Now, while Khalifah was
expecting the Caliph’s return with the two frails, behold, the Mamelukes
swooped down upon him like vultures and took the fish and wrapped them
in gold-embroidered kerchiefs, beating one another in their eagerness to
get at the Fisherman. Whereupon quoth Khalifah, “Doubtless these are of
the fish of Paradise[225]!” and hending two fish in right hand and left,
plunged into the water up to his neck and fell a-saying, “O Allah, by
the virtue of these fish, let Thy servant the piper, my partner, come to
me at this very moment.” And suddenly up to him came a black slave which
was the chief of the Caliph’s negro eunuchs. He had tarried behind the
rest, by reason of his horse having stopped to make water by the way,
and finding that naught remained of the fish, little or much, looked
right and left, till he espied Khalifah standing in the stream, with a
fish in either hand, and said to him, “Come hither, O Fisherman!” But
Khalifah replied, “Begone and none of your impudence[226]!” So the
eunuch went up to him and said, “Give me the fish and I will pay thee
their price.” Replied the Fisherman, “Art thou little of wit? I will not
sell them.” Therewith the eunuch drew his mace upon him, and Khalifah
cried out, saying, “Strike not, O loon! Better largesse than the
mace.[227]” So saying, he threw the two fishes to the eunuch, who took
them and laid them in his kerchief. Then he put hand in pouch, but found
not a single dirham and said to Khalifah, “O Fisherman, verily thou art
out of luck for, by Allah, I have not a silver about me! But come
to-morrow to the Palace of the Caliphate and ask for the eunuch Sandal;
whereupon the castratos will direct thee to me and by coming thither
thou shalt get what falleth to thy lot and therewith wend thy ways.”
Quoth Khalifah, “Indeed, this is a blessed day and its blessedness was
manifest from the first of it[228]!” Then he shouldered his net and
returned to Baghdad; and as he passed through the streets, the folk saw
the Caliph’s gown on him and stared at him till he came to the gate of
his quarter, by which was the shop of the Caliph’s tailor. When the man
saw him wearing a dress of the apparel of the Caliph, worth a thousand
dinars, he said to him, “O Khalifah, whence hadst thou that gown?”
Replied the Fisherman, “What aileth thee to be impudent? I had it of one
whom I taught to fish and who is become my apprentice. I forgave him the
cutting off of his hand[229] for that he stole my clothes and gave me
this cape in their place.” So the tailor knew that the Caliph had come
upon him as he was fishing and jested with him and given him the
gown;——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph came
upon Khalifah the Fisherman and gave him his own gown in jest wherewith
the man fared home. Such was his case; but as regards Harun al-Rashid,
he had gone out a-hunting and a-fishing only to divert his thoughts from
the damsel, Kut al-Kulub. But when Zubaydah heard of her and of the
Caliph’s devotion to her, the Lady was fired with the jealousy which the
more especially fireth women, so that she refused meat and drink and
rejected the delights of sleep and awaited the Caliph’s going forth on a
journey or what not, that she might set a snare for the damsel. So when
she learnt that he was gone hunting and fishing, she bade her women
furnish the Palace fairly and decorate it splendidly and serve up viands
and confections; and amongst the rest she made a China dish of the
daintiest sweetmeats that can be made wherein she had put Bhang. Then
she ordered one of her eunuchs go to the damsel Kut al-Kulub and bid her
to the banquet, saying, “The Lady Zubaydah bint Al-Kasim, the wife of
the Commander of the Faithful, hath drunken medicine to-day and, having
heard tell of the sweetness of thy singing, longeth to divert herself
with somewhat of thine art.” Kut al-Kulub replied, “Hearing and
obedience are due to Allah and the Lady Zubaydah,” and rose without stay
or delay, unknowing what was hidden for her in the Secret Purpose. Then
she took with her what instruments she needed and, accompanying the
eunuch, ceased not faring till she stood in the presence of the
Princess. When she entered she kissed ground before her again and again,
then rising to her feet, said, “Peace be on the Lady of the exalted seat
and the presence whereto none may avail, daughter of the house Abbásí
and scion of the Prophet’s family! May Allah fulfil thee of peace and
prosperity in the days and the years[230]!” Then she stood with the rest
of the women and eunuchs, and presently the Lady Zubaydah raised her
eyes and considered her beauty and loveliness. She saw a damsel with
cheeks smooth as rose and breasts like granado, a face moon-bright, a
brow flower-white and great eyes black as night; her eyelids were
langour-dight and her face beamed with light, as if the sun from her
forehead arose and the murks of the night from the locks of her brow;
and the fragrance of musk from her breath strayed and flowers bloomed in
her lovely face inlaid; the moon beamed from her forehead and in her
slender shape the branches swayed. She was like the full moon shining in
the nightly shade; her eyes wantoned, her eyebrows were like a bow
arched and her lips of coral moulded. Her beauty amazed all who espied
her and her glances amated all who eyed her. Glory be to Him who formed
her and fashioned her and perfected her! Brief, she was even as saith
the poet of one who favoured her:—
When she’s incensed thou seest folk lie slain, ✿ And when she’s pleased,
their souls are quick again:
Her eyne are armed with glances magical ✿ Wherewith she kills and
quickens as she’s fain.
The Worlds she leadeth captive with her eyes ✿ As tho’ the Worlds were
all her slavish train.
Quoth the Lady Zubaydah, “Well come, and welcome and fair cheer to thee,
O Kut al-Kulub! Sit and divert us with thine art and the goodliness of
thine accomplishments.” Quoth the damsel, “I hear and I obey”; and,
putting out her hand, took the tambourine, whereof one of its praisers
speaketh in the following verses:—
Ho thou o’ the tabret, my heart takes flight ✿ And love-smit cries while
thy fingers smite!
Thou takest naught but a wounded heart, ✿ The while for acceptance longs
the wight:
So say thou word or heavy or light; ✿ Play whate’er thou please it will
charm the sprite.
_Sois bonne_, unveil thy cheek, _ma belle_ ✿ Rise, deftly dance and all
hearts delight.
Then she smote the tambourine briskly and so sang thereto, that she
stopped the birds in the sky and the place danced with them blithely;
after which she laid down the tambourine and took the pipe[231] whereof
it is said:—
She hath eyes whose babes wi’ their fingers sign ✿ To sweet tunes
without a discordant line.
And as the poet also said in this couplet:—
And, when she announceth the will to sing, ✿ For Union-joy ’tis a time
divine!
Then she laid down the pipe, after she had charmed therewith all who
were present, and took up the lute, whereof saith the poet:—
How many a blooming bough in glee-girl’s hand is fain ✿ As lute to
’witch great souls by charm of cunning strain!
She sweeps tormenting lute strings by her artful touch ✿ Wi’ finger-tips
that surely chain with endless chain.
Then she tightened its pegs and tuned its strings and laying it in her
lap, bended over it as mother bendeth over child; and it seemed as it
were of her and her lute that the poet spoke in these couplets:—
Sweetly discourses she on Persian string ✿ And Unintelligence makes
understand.
And teaches she that Love’s a murtherer, ✿ Who oft the reasoning Moslem
hath unmann’d.
A maid, by Allah, in whose palm a thing ✿ Of painted wood like mouth can
speech command.
With lute she stauncheth flow of Love; and so ✿ Stops flow of blood the
cunning leach’s hand.
Then she preluded in fourteen different modes and sang to the lute an
entire piece, so as to confound the gazers and delight her hearers.
After which she recited these two couplets:—
The coming unto thee is blest: ✿ Therein new joys for aye attend:
Its blisses are continuous ✿ Its blessings never, never end.
——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fortieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the maiden, Kut
al-Kulub, after singing these songs and sweeping the strings in presence
of the Lady Zubaydah, rose and exhibited tricks of sleight of hand and
legerdemain and all manner pleasing arts, till the Princess came near to
fall in love with her and said to herself, “Verily, my cousin Al-Rashid
is not to blame for loving her!” Then the damsel kissed ground before
Zubaydah and sat down, whereupon they set food before her. Presently
they brought her the drugged dish of sweetmeats and she ate thereof; and
hardly had it settled in her stomach when her head fell backward and she
sank on the ground sleeping. With this, the Lady said to her women,
“Carry her up to one of the chambers, till I summon her”; and they
replied, “We hear and we obey.” Then said she to one of her eunuchs,
“Fashion me a chest and bring it hitherto to me!”, and shortly
afterwards she bade make the semblance of a tomb and spread the report
that Kut al-Kulub had choked and died, threatening her familiars that
she would smite the neck of whoever should say, “She is alive.” Now,
behold, the Caliph suddenly returned from the chase, and the first
enquiry he made was for the damsel. So there came to him one of his
eunuchs, whom the Lady Zubaydah had charged to declare she was dead, if
the Caliph should ask for her and, kissing ground before him, said, “May
thy head live, O my lord! Be certified that Kut al-Kulub choked in
eating and is dead.” Whereupon cried Al-Rashid, “God never gladden thee
with good news, O thou bad slave!” and entered the Palace, where he
heard of her death from every one and asked, “Where is her tomb?” So
they brought him to the sepulchre and showed him the pretended tomb,
saying, “This is her burial-place.” When he saw it, he cried out and
wept and embraced it, quoting these two couplets[232]:—
By Allah, O tomb, have her beauties ceased and disappeared from sight
And is the countenance changed and wan, that shone so wonder-bright?
O tomb, O tomb, thou art neither heaven nor garden, verily: How comes it
then that swaying branch and moon in thee unite?
The Caliph, weeping sore for her, abode by the tomb a full hour, after
which he arose and went away, in the utmost distress and the deepest
melancholy. So the Lady Zubaydah saw that her plot had succeeded and
forthright sent for the eunuch and said, “Hither with the chest!” He set
it before her when she bade bring the damsel and locking her up therein,
said to the Eunuch, “Take all pains to sell this chest and make it a
condition with the purchaser that he buy it locked; then give alms with
its price.[233]” So he took it and went forth, to do her bidding. Thus
fared it with these; but as for Khalifah the Fisherman, when morning
morrowed and shone with its light and sheen, he said to himself, “I
cannot do aught better to-day than visit the Eunuch who bought the fish
of me, for he appointed me to come to him in the Palace of the
Caliphate.” So he went forth of his lodging, intending for the palace,
and when he came thither, he found Mamelukes, negro-slaves and eunuchs
standing and sitting; and looking at them, behold, seated amongst them
was the Eunuch who had taken the fish of him, with the white slaves
waiting on him. Presently, one of the Mameluke-lads called out to him;
whereupon the Eunuch turned to see who he was an lo! it was the
Fisherman. Now when Khalifah was ware that he saw him and recognised
him, he said to him, “I have not failed thee, O my little Tulip[234]! On
this wise are men of their word.” Hearing his address Sandal the
Eunuch[235] laughed and replied, “By Allah, thou art right, O
Fisherman,” and put his hand to his pouch, to give him somewhat; but at
that moment there arose a great clamour. So he raised his head to see
what was to do and finding that it was the Wazir Ja’afar the Barmecide
coming forth from the Caliph’s presence, he rose to him and forewent
him, and they walked about, conversing for a longsome time. Khalifah the
Fisherman waited awhile; then, growing weary of standing and finding
that the Eunuch took no heed of him, he set himself in his way and
beckoned to him from afar, saying, “O my lord Tulip, give me my due and
let me go!” The Eunuch heard him, but was ashamed to answer him because
of the Minister’s presence; so he went on talking with Ja’afar and took
no notice whatever of the Fisherman. Whereupon quoth Khalifah, “O Slow
o’ Pay![236] May Allah put to shame all churls and all who take folks’s
goods and are niggardly with them! I put myself under thy protection, O
my lord Bran-belly,[237] to give me my due and let me go!” The Eunuch
heard him, but was ashamed to answer him before Ja’afar; and the
Minister saw the Fisherman beckoning and talking to him, though he knew
not what he was saying; so he said to Sandal, misliking his behaviour,
“O Eunuch, what would yonder beggar with thee?” Sandal replied, “Dost
thou not know him, O my lord the Wazir?”; and Ja’afar answered, “By
Allah, I know him not! How should I know a man I have never seen but at
this moment?” Rejoined the Eunuch, “O my lord, this is the Fisherman
whose fish we seized on the banks of the Tigris. I came too late to get
any and was ashamed to return to the Prince of True Believers,
empty-handed, when all the Mamelukes had some. Presently I espied the
Fisherman standing in mid-stream, calling on Allah, with four fishes in
his hands, and said to him:—Give me what thou hast there and take their
worth. He handed me the fish and I put my hand into my pocket, purposing
to gift him with somewhat, but found naught therein and said:—Come to me
in the Palace, and I will give thee wherewithal to aid thee in thy
poverty. So he came to me to-day and I was putting hand to pouch, that I
might give him somewhat, when thou camest forth and I rose to wait on
thee and was diverted with thee from him, till he grew tired of waiting;
and this is the whole story, how he cometh to be standing here.”——And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-first Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sandal
the Eunuch related to Ja’afar the Barmecide the tale of Khalifah the
Fisherman, ending with, “This is the whole story and how he cometh to be
standing here!” the Wazir, hearing this account, smiled and said, “O
Eunuch, how is it that this Fisherman cometh in his hour of need and
thou satisfiest him not? Dost thou not know him, O Chief of the
Eunuchs?” “No,” answered Sandal and Ja’afar said, “This is the Master of
the Commander of the Faithful, and his partner and our lord the Caliph
hath arisen this morning, strait of breast, heavy of heart and troubled
in thought, nor is there aught will broaden his breast save this
fisherman. So let him not go, till I crave the Caliph’s pleasure
concerning him and bring him before him; perchance Allah will relieve
him of his oppression and console him for the loss of Kut al-Kulub, by
means of the Fisherman’s presence, and he will give him wherewithal to
better himself; and thou wilt be the cause of this.” Replied Sandal, “O
my lord, do as thou wilt and may Allah Almighty long continue thee a
pillar of the dynasty of the Commander of the Faithful, whose shadow
Allah perpetuate[238] and prosper it, root and branch!” Then the Wazir
Ja’afar rose up and went in to the Caliph and Sandal ordered the
Mamelukes not to leave the Fisherman; whereupon Khalifah cried, “How
goodly is thy bounty, O Tulip! The seeker is become the sought. I come
to seek my due, and they imprison me for debts in arrears[239]!” When
Ja’afar came in to the presence of the Caliph, he found him sitting with
his head bowed earthwards, breast straitened and mind melancholy,
humming the verses of the poet:—
My blamers instant bid that I for her become consoled; ✿ But I, what can
I do, whose heart declines to be controlled?
And how can I in patience bear the loss of lovely maid, ✿ When fails me
patience for a love that holds with firmest hold!
Ne’er I’ll forget her nor the bowl that ’twixt us both went round ✿ And
wine of glances maddened me with drunkenness ensoul’d.
Whenas Ja’afar stood in the presence, he said, “Peace be upon thee, O
Commander of the Faithful, Defender of the honour of the Faith and
descendant of the uncle of the Prince of the Apostles, Allah assain him
and save him and his family one and all!” The Caliph raised his head and
answered, “And on thee be peace and the mercy of Allah and His
blessings!” Quoth Ja’afar, “With leave of the Prince of True Believers,
his servant would speak without restraint.” Asked the Caliph, “And when
was restraint put upon thee in speech and thou the Prince of Wazirs? Say
what thou wilt.” Answered Ja’afar, “When I went out, O my lord, from
before thee, intending for my house, I saw standing at the door thy
master and teacher and partner, Khalifah the Fisherman, who was
aggrieved at thee and complained of thee saying:—Glory be to God! I
taught him to fish and he went away to fetch me a pair of frails, but
never came back: and this is not the way of a good partner or of a good
apprentice. So, if thou hast a mind to partnership, well and good; and
if not, tell him, that he may take to partner another.” Now when the
Caliph heard these words he smiled and his straitness of breast was done
away with and he said, “My life on thee, is this the truth thou sayest,
that the Fisherman standeth at the door?” and Ja’afar replied, “By thy
life, O Commander of the Faithful, he standeth at the door.” Quoth the
Caliph, “O Ja’afar, by Allah, I will assuredly do my best to give him
his due! If Allah at my hands send him misery, he shall have it; and if
prosperity he shall have it.” Then he took a piece of paper and cutting
it in pieces, said to the Wazir, “O Ja’afar, write down with thine own
hand twenty sums of money, from one dinar to a thousand, and the names
of all kinds of offices and dignities from the least appointment to the
Caliphate; also twenty kinds of punishment from the lightest beating to
death.[240]” “I hear and I obey, O Commander of the Faithful,” answered
Ja’afar and did as he was bidden. Then said the Caliph, “O Ja’afar, I
swear by my holy forefathers and by my kinship to Hamzah[241] and
Akíl,[242] that I mean to summon the fisherman and bid him take one of
these papers, whose contents none knoweth save thou and I; and
whatsoever is written in the paper which he shall choose, I will give it
to him; though it be the Caliphate I will divest myself thereof and
invest him therewith and grudge it not to him; and, on the other hand,
if there be written therein hanging or mutilation or death, I will
execute it upon him. Now go and fetch him to me.” When Ja’afar heard
this, he said to himself, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might
save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! It may be somewhat will fall to
this poor wretch’s lot that will bring about his destruction, and I
shall be the cause. But the Caliph hath sworn; so nothing remains now
but to bring him in, and naught will happen save whatso Allah willeth.”
Accordingly he went out to Khalifah the Fisherman and laid hold of his
hand, to carry him in to the Caliph, whereupon his reason fled and he
said in himself, “What a stupid I was to come after yonder ill-omened
slave, Tulip, whereby he hath brought me in company with Bran-belly!”
Ja’afar fared on with him, with Mamelukes before and behind, whilst he
said, “Doth not arrest suffice, but these must go behind and before me,
to hinder my making off?” till they had traversed seven vestibules, when
the Wazir said to him, “Mark my words, O Fisherman! Thou standest before
the Commander of the Faithful and Defender of the Faith!” Then he raised
the great curtain and Khalifah’s eyes fell on the Caliph, who was seated
on his couch, with the Lords of the realm standing in attendance upon
him. As soon as he knew him, he went up to him and said, “Well come, and
welcome to thee, O piper! ’Twas not right of thee to make thyself a
Fisherman and go away, leaving me sitting to guard the fish, and never
to return! For, before I was aware, there came up Mamelukes on beasts of
all manner colours, and snatched away the fish from me, I standing
alone, and this was all of thy fault; for, hadst thou returned with the
frails forthright, we had sold an hundred dinars’ worth of fish. And now
I come to seek my due, and they have arrested me. But thou, who hath
imprisoned thee also in this place?” The Caliph smiled and raising a
corner of the curtain, put forth his head and said to the Fisherman,
“Come hither and take thee one of these papers.” Quoth Khalifah the
Fisherman, “Yesterday thou wast a fisherman, and to-day thou hast become
an astrologer; but the more trades a man hath, the poorer he waxeth.”
Thereupon Ja’afar, said, “Take the paper at once, and do as the
Commander of the Faithful biddeth thee without prating.” So he came
forward and put forth his hand saying, “Far be it from me that this
piper should ever again be my knave and fish with me!” Then taking the
paper he handed it to the Caliph, saying, “O piper, what hath come out
for me therein? Hide naught thereof.”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-second Night,