hath reached me, O auspicious King, that there was in the City of
Safety, Baghdad, before the Caliphate of Abd al-Malik bin Marwán,[139] a
King, Omar bin al-Nu'uman hight, who was of the mighty giants and had
subjected the Chosroes of Persia and the Kaysars of Eastern Rome; for
none could warm himself at his fire;[140] nor could any avail to meet
him in the field of foray and fray; and, when he was an-angered, there
came forth from his nostrils sparks of flame. He had made himself King
over all quarters, and Allah had subjected to him all His creatures; his
word went forth to all great cities and his hosts had harried the
farthest lands. East and West had come under his command with whatsoever
regions lay interspersed between them, Hind and Sind and Sin,[141] the
Holy Land, Al-Hijaz, the rich mountains of Al-Yaman and the archipelagos
of India and China. Moreover, he reigned supreme over the north country
and Diyár Bakr, or Mesopotamia, and over Sudán, the Eastern Negro-land
and the Islands of the Ocean, and all the far famed rivers of the earth,
Sayhún and Jayhún,[142] Nile and Euphrates. He sent envoys and
ambassadors to capitals the most remote, to provide him with true
report; and they would bring back tidings of justice and peace, with
assurance of loyalty and obedience and of prayers in the pulpits for
King Omar bin al-Nu'uman; for he was, O Ruler of the Age, a right noble
King; and there came to him presents of rarities and toll and tribute
from all lands of his governing. This mighty monarch had a son yclept
Sharrkan,[143] who was likest of all men to his father and who proved
himself one of the prodigies of his time for subduing the brave and
bringing his contemporaries to bane and ban. For this his father loved
him with love so great none could be greater, and made him heir to the
kingdom after himself. This Prince grew up till he reached man's estate
and was twenty years old, and Allah subjected His servants to him, by
reason of his great might and prowess in battle. Now his father, King
Omar, had four wives legally married, but Allah had vouchsafed him no
son by them, save Sharrkan, whom he had begotten upon one of them, and
the rest were barren. Moreover he had three hundred and sixty
concubines, after the number of days in the Coptic year, who were of all
nations; and he had furnished for each and every a private chamber
within his own palace. For he had built twelve pavilions, after the
number of the months, each containing thirty private chambers, which
thus numbered three hundred and three score, wherein he lodged his
handmaids: and he appointed according to law for each one her night,
when he lay with her and came not again to her for a full year;[144] and
on this wise he abode for a length of time. Meanwhile his son Sharrkan
was making himself renowned in all quarters of the world and his father
was proud of him and his might waxed and grew mightier; so that he
passed all bounds and bore himself masterfully and took by storm castles
and cities. Presently, by decree of the Decreer, a handmaid among the
handmaids of Omar bin Nu'uman became pregnant; and, her pregnancy being
announced to the Harim, the King was informed thereof; whereupon he
rejoiced with exceeding joy and said, "Haply 'twill be a son, and so all
my offspring will be males!" Then he documented the date of her
conception and entreated her with all manner of kindness. But when the
tidings came to Sharrkan, he was troubled and the matter seemed to him a
sore one and a grievous; and he said, "Verily one cometh who shall
dispute with me the sovereignty:" so quoth he to himself, "If this
concubine bear a male child I will kill it:" but he kept that intention
hidden in his heart. Such was the case with Sharrkan; but what happened
in the matter of the damsel was as follows. She was a Roumiyah, a Greek
girl, by name Sofiyah or Sophia,[145] whom the King of Roum and Lord of
Cæsarea had sent to King Omar as a present, together with great store of
gifts and of rarities: she was the fairest of favour and loveliest of
all his handmaids and the most regardful of her honour; and she was
gifted with a wit as penetrating as her presence was fascinating. Now
she had served the King on the night of his sleeping with her, saying to
him, "O King! I desire of the God of the Heavens that he bless thee this
night with a male child by me, so I may bring him up with the best of
rearing, and enable him to reach man's estate perfect in intelligence,
good manners and prudent bearing"[146]—a speech which much pleased the
King. During her pregnancy she was instant in prayer, fervently
supplicating the Lord to bless her with a goodly male child and make his
birth easy to her; and Allah heard her petition so that after her months
were accomplished she sat safely upon the birth-stool.[147] Now the King
had deputed a eunuch to let him know if the child she should bring forth
were male or female; and in like way his son Sharrkan had sent one to
bring him tidings of the same. In due time Sophia was delivered of a
child, which the midwives examined and found to be a girl with a face
sheenier than the moon. So they announced this to all present in the
room, whereupon the King's messenger carried the news to him; and
Sharrkan's eunuch did the like with his master, who rejoiced with
exceeding joy. But, after the two had departed, quoth Sophia to the
midwives, "Wait with me awhile, for I feel as if there were still
somewhat in my womb." Then she cried out and the pains of child-bed
again took her; and Allah made it easy to her and she gave birth to a
second child. The wise women looked at it and found it a boy like the
full moon, with forehead flower-white, and cheek ruddy-bright with rosy
light; whereupon the mother rejoiced, as did the eunuchs and attendants
and all the company; and Sophia was delivered of the after-birth whilst
all in the palace sent forth the trill of joy.[148] The rest of the
concubines heard it and envied her lot; and the tidings reached Omar son
of Al-Nu'uman, who was glad and rejoiced at the excellent news. Then he
rose and went to her and kissed her head, after which he looked at the
boy; and, bending over him, kissed him, whilst the damsels struck the
tabors and played on instruments of music; and the King gave order that
the boy should be named Zau al-Makan and his sister Nuzhat
al-Zaman.[149] They answered "Hearing and obedience," and did his
bidding; so he appointed wet nurses and dry nurses and eunuchs and
attendants to serve them; and assigned them rations of sugar and
diet-drinks and unguents and else beside, beyond the power of tongue to
rehearse. Moreover the people of Baghdad, hearing that Allah had blessed
their King with issue, decorated the city and made proclamation of the
glad tidings with drum and tom-tom; and the Emirs and Wazirs and high
dignitaries came to the palace and wished King Omar bin al-Nu'uman joy
of his son, Zau al-Makan, and of his daughter Nuzhat al-Zaman, wherefor
he thanked them and bestowed on them dresses of honour and further
favoured them with gifts, and dealt largesse to all, gentle and simple,
who were present. After this fashion he did for four days full told, and
he lavished upon Sophia raiment and ornaments and great store of wealth;
and, every few days he would send a messenger to ask after her and the
new-borns. And when four years had gone by, he provided her with the
wherewithal to rear the two children carefully and educate them with the
best of instructions. All this while his son Sharrkan knew not that a
male child had been born to his father, Omar son of Al-Nu'uman, having
news only that he had been blessed with the birth of Nuzhat al-Zaman;
and they hid the intelligence from him, until days and years had sped
by, whilst he was busied in battling with the brave and fighting
single-handed against the knights. One day, as King Omar was sitting in
his palace, his Chamberlains came in to him and, kissing the ground
before him, said, "O King there be come Ambassadors from the King of
Roum, Lord of Constantinople the Great, and they desire admission to
thee and submission to thy decree: if the King command us to introduce
them we will so do; and, if not, there is no disputing his behest." He
bade them enter and, when they came in, he turned to them and,
courteously receiving them, asked them of their case, and what was the
cause of their coming. They kissed the ground before him and said, "O
King glorious and strong! O lord of the arm that is long! know that he
who despatched us to thee is King Afridun,[150] Lord of Ionia-land[151]
and of the Nazarene armies, the sovereign who is firmly established in
the empery of Constantinople, to acquaint thee that he is now waging
fierce war and fell with a tyrant and a rebel, the Prince of Cæsarea;
and the cause of this war is as follows. One of the Kings of the Arabs
in past time, during certain of his conquests, chanced upon a hoard of
the time of Alexander,[152] whence he removed wealth past compute; and,
amongst other things, three round jewels, big as ostrich eggs, from a
mine of pure white gems whose like was never seen by man. Upon each were
graven characts in Ionian characters, and they have many virtues and
properties, amongst the rest that if one of these jewels be hung round
the neck of a newborn child, no evil shall befal him and he shall
neither wail, nor shall fever ail him as long as the jewel remain
without fail.[153] When the Arab King laid hands upon them and learned
their secrets, he sent to King Afridun presents of certain rarities and
amongst them the three jewels afore mentioned; and he equipped for the
mission two ships, one bearing the treasure and the other men of might
to guard it from any who might offer hindrance on the high seas, albeit
well assured that none would dare waylay his vessels, for that he was
King of the Arabs, and more by token that their course lay over waters
subject to the King of Constantinople and they were bound to his port;
nor were there on the shores of that sea any save the subjects of the
Great King, Afridun. The two ships set out and voyaged till they drew
near our city, when there sallied out on them certain corsairs from that
country and amongst them troops from the Prince of Cæsarea, who took all
the treasures and rarities in the ships, together with the three jewels,
and slew the crews. When our King heard of this, he sent an army against
them, but they routed it; then he marched a second and a stronger but
they put this also to flight, whereupon the King waxed wroth and swore
that he would not go forth[154] against them save in his own person at
the head of his whole army; nor would he turn back from them till he had
left Cæsarea of Armenia[155] in ruins and had laid waste all the lands
and cities over which her Prince held sway. So he sent us to the Lord of
the age and the time, Sultan Omar bin al-Nu'uman, King of Baghdad and of
Khorasan, desiring that he aid us with an army, so may honour and glory
accrue to him; and he hath also forwarded by us somewhat of various
kinds of presents, and of the King's grace he beggeth their acceptance
and the friendly boon of furtherance." Then the Ambassadors kissed the
ground before him——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Forty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that, after the
Ambassadors and retinue from the Constantinopolitan King had kissed the
ground before Omar and had delivered their embassage, they brought out
the presents, which were fifty damsels of the choicest from Græcia-land,
and fifth Mamelukes in tunics of brocade, belted with girdles of gold
and silver, each wearing in his ears hoops of gold with pendants of fine
pearls costing a thousand ducats every one. The girls were adorned in
like fashion and were clad in stuffs worth a treasury of money. When the
King saw them, he rejoiced in them and accepted them; then he bade the
Ambassadors be honourably entreated and, summoning his Wazirs, took
counsel with them of what he should do. Herewith rose up among them a
Wazir, an ancient man, Dandán[156] hight, who kissed the ground before
Omar and said, "O King, there is nothing better to do in this matter
than equip an army valiant and victorious, and set over it thy son
Sharrkan with us as his lieutenants; and this rede commendeth itself to
me on two counts: first, because the King of Roum hath invoked thine
assistance and hath sent thee gifts which thou hast accepted; and,
secondly, because while no enemy dareth attack our country, thine army
may go forth safely and, should it succour the King of Græcia-land and
defeat his foe, the glory will be thine. Moreover, the news of it will
be noised abroad in all cities and countries; and especially, when the
tidings shall reach the Islands of the Ocean and the Kings of Mauritania
shall hear it, they will send thee offerings of rarities and pay thee
tribute of money." The King, pleased by the Wazir's words and approving
his rede, gave him a dress of honour and said to him, "Of the like of
thee should Kings ask counsel, and it seemeth fit that thou shouldst
conduct the van of our army and our son Sharrkan command the main
battle." Then he sent for his son who came and kissed ground before him
and sat down; and he expounded to him the matter, telling him what the
Ambassadors and the Wazir Dandan had said, and he charged him to take
arms and equip himself for the campaign, enjoining him not to gainsay
Dandan in aught he should do. Moreover, he ordered him to pick out of
his army ten thousand horsemen, armed cap-à-pie and inured to onset and
stress of war. Accordingly, Sharrkan arose on the instant, and chose out
a myriad of horsemen, after which he entered his palace and mustered his
host and distributed largesse to them, saying, "Ye have delay of three
days." They kissed the earth before him in obedience to his commands and
began at once to lay in munitions, and provide provisions for the
occasion; whilst Sharrkan repaired to the armouries and took therefrom
whatsoever he required of arms and armour, and thence to the stable
where he chose horses of choice blood and others. When the appointed
three days were ended, the army drew out to the suburbs of Baghdad
city;[157] and King Omar came forth to take leave of his son who kissed
the ground before him and received from the King seven parcels of
money.[158] Then he turned to Dandan and commended to his care the army
of his son; and the Wazir kissed the ground before him and answered, "I
hear and I obey;" and lastly he charged Sharrkan that he should consult
the Wazir on all occasions, which he promised to do. After this, the
King returned to his city and Sharrkan ordered the officers to muster
their troops in battle-array. So they mustered them and their number was
ten thousand horsemen, besides footmen and camp-followers. Then they
loaded their baggage on their beasts and the war-drums beat and the
trumpets blared and the bannerols and standards were unfurled, whilst
Sharrkan mounted horse, with the Wazir Dandan by his side, and the
colours fluttering over their heads. So the host fared forth and stinted
not faring, with the Ambassadors preceding them, till day departed and
night drew nigh, when they alighted and encamped for the night. And as
soon as Allah caused the morn to morrow, they mounted and hied on,
guided by the Ambassadors, for a space of twenty days; and by the night
of the twenty-first they came to a fine and spacious Wady well grown
with trees and shrubbery. Here Sharrkan ordered them to alight and
commanded a three days' halt, so they dismounted and pitched their
tents, spreading their camp over the right and the left slopes of the
extensive valley, whilst the Wazir Dandan and the Ambassadors of King
Afridun pitched in the sole of the Wady.[159] As for Sharrkan, he
tarried behind them for awhile till all had dismounted and had dispersed
themselves over the valley-sides; he then slacked the reins of his
steed, being minded to explore the Wady and to mount guard in his own
person, because of his father's charge and owing to the fact that they
were on the frontier of Græcia-land and in the enemy's country. So he
rode out alone after ordering his armed slaves and his body-guard to
camp near the Wazir Dandan, and he fared on along the side of the valley
till a fourth part of the night was passed, when he felt tired and
drowsiness overcame him, so that he could no longer urge horse with
heel. Now he was accustomed to take rest on horseback; so when slumber
overpowered him, he slept and the steed ceased not going on with him
till half the night was spent and entered one of the thickets[160] which
was dense with growth; but Sharrkan awoke not until his horse stumbled
over wooded ground. Then he started from sleep and found himself among
the trees; and the moon arose and shone brightly over the two horizons,
Eastern and Western. He was startled when he found himself alone in this
place and said the say which ne'er yet shamed its sayer, "There is no
Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!"
But as he rode on, in fear of wild beasts, behold, the moon spread her
glad light over a meadow as if 'twere of the meads of Paradise; and he
heard pleasant voices and a loud noise of talk and laughter captivating
the senses of men. So King Sharrkan alighted and, tying his steed to one
of the trees, went over a little way till he came upon a stream and
heard a woman talking in Arabic and saying, "Now by the truth of the
Messiah, this is not well of you! but whoso utters a word, I will throw
her and truss her up with her own girdle[161]!" He kept walking in the
direction of the sound and when he reached the further side he looked
and behold, a stream was gushing and flowing, and antelopes at large
were frisking and roving, and wild cattle amid the pasture moving, and
birds expressed joy and gladness in their divers tongues, and that place
was purfled with all manner flowers and green herbs, even as a poet
described it in these couplets:—
Most beautiful is earth in budding bloom, ✿ When lucid waters
course through plain and wood:
No work but His th' All-great, th' All-glorious, ✿ Giver of all
gifts, Giver of all good!
And as Sharrkan considered the place, he saw in it a Christian Monastery
within whose enceinte a castle towered high in air catching the light of
the moon.[162] Through the midst of the convent passed a stream, the
water flowing amongst its gardens; and upon the bank sat the woman whose
voice he had heard, while before her stood ten handmaids like moons and
wearing various sorts of raiment and ornaments that dazed and dazzled
the beholder, high-bosomed virgins, as saith of them the poet in these
couplets:—
The mead is bright with what is on't ✿ Of merry maidens debonnair:
Double its beauty and its grace ✿ Those trooping damsels slender-fair:
Virgins of graceful swimming gait ✿ Ready with eye and lip to ensnare;
And like the tendril'd vine they loose ✿ The rich profusion of
their hair:
Shooting their shafts and arrows from ✿ Beautiful eyes beyond compare;
Overpowering and transpiercing ✿ Every froward adversaire.
Sharrkan gazed upon the ten girls and saw in their midst a lady like the
moon at fullest, with ringleted hair and forehead sheeny-white, and eyes
wondrous wide and black and bright, and temple-locks like the scorpion's
tail; and she was perfect in essence and attributes, as the poet said of
her in these couplets:—
She beamed on my sight with a wondrous glance, ✿ And her
straight slender stature enshamed the lance:
She burst on my sight with cheeks rosy-red, ✿ Where all manner
of beauties have habitance:
And the locks on her forehead were lowering as night ✿ Whence issues
a dawn-tide of happiest chance.
Then Sharrkan heard her say to the handmaids, "Come ye on, that I may
wrestle with you and gravel you, ere the moon set and the dawn break!"
So each came up to her in turn and she grounded them forthright, and
pinioned them with their girdles, and ceased not wrestling and pitching
them until she had overthrown one and all. Then there turned to her an
old woman who was before her, and the beldam said as in wrath, "O
strumpet, dost thou glory in grounding these girls? Behold I am an old
woman, yet have I thrown them forty times! So what hast thou to boast
of? But if thou have the strength to wrestle with me, stand up that I
may grip thee and set thy head between thy heels!" The young lady smiled
at her words, but she was filled with inward wrath, and she jumped up
and asked, "O my lady Zát al-Dawáhí,[163] by the truth of the Messiah,
wilt thou wrestle with me in very deed, or dost thou jest with me?"; and
she answered, "Yea,"——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Forty-seventh Night,