When it was the second day, the second of the king's viziers,
whose name was Beheroun, came in to him and said, "God advance
the king! This that yonder youth hath done is a grave matter and
a foul deed and a heinous against the household of the king." So
Azadbekht bade fetch the youth, because of the saying of the
vizier; and when he came into his presence, he said to him, "Out
on thee, O youth! Needs must I slay thee by the worst of deaths,
for indeed thou hast committed a grave crime, and I will make
thee a warning to the folk." "O king," answered the youth,
"hasten not, for the looking to the issues of affairs is a pillar
of the realm and [a cause of] continuance and sure stablishment
for the kingship. Whoso looketh not to the issues of affairs,
there befalleth him that which befell the merchant, and whoso
looketh to the issues of affairs, there betideth him of joyance
that which betided the merchant's son." "And what is the story of
the merchant and his son?" asked the king. "O king," answered the
youth,
Story of the Merchant and His Sons.
"There was once a man, a merchant, who had a wife and abundant
wealth. He set out one day on a journey with merchandise, leaving
his wife big with child, and said to her, 'If it be the will of
God the Most High, I will return before the birth of the child.'
Then he took leave of her and setting out, journeyed from country
to country till he came to the court of one of the kings and
foregathered with him. Now this king was in need of one who
should order his affairs and those of his kingdom and seeing the
merchant well-bred and intelligent, he charged him abide with him
and entreated him with honour and munificence. After awhile, he
sought of the king leave to go to his own house, but the latter
would not consent to this; whereupon he said to him, 'O king,
suffer me go and see my children and come again.' So he gave him
leave for this and took surety of him for his return. Moreover,
he gave him a purse, wherein were a thousand gold dinars, and the
merchant embarked in a ship and set sail, intending for his own
country.
Meanwhile, news came to his wife that her husband had taken
service with King Such-an-one; so she arose and taking her two
sons, (for she had given birth to twin boys in his absence,) set
out for those parts. As fate would have it, they happened upon an
island and her husband came thither that very night in the ship.
[When the woman heard of the coming of the ship], she said to her
children, 'This ship cometh from the country where your father
is; so go ye to the sea-shore, that ye may enquire of him.' So
they repaired to the sea-shore and [going up into the ship], fell
to playing about it and occupied themselves with their play till
the evening.
Now the merchant their father lay asleep in the ship, and the
crying of the boys troubled him; so he rose to call out to them
[and silence them] and let the purse [with the thousand dinars
therein] fall among the bales of merchandise. He sought for it
and finding it not, buffeted his head and seized upon the boys,
saying, 'None took the purse but you. Ye were playing about the
bales, so ye might steal somewhat, and there was none here but
you.' Then he took a staff and laying hold of the children, fell
to beating them and flogging them, whilst they wept, and the
sailors came round about them and said, 'The boys of this island
are all thieves and robbers.' Then, of the greatness of the
merchant's wrath, he swore that, if they brought not out the
purse, he would drown them in the sea; so when [by reason of
their denial] his oath became binding upon him, he took the two
boys and lashing them [each] to a bundle of reeds, cast them into
the sea.
Presently, the mother of the two boys, finding that they tarried
from her, went searching for them, till she came to the ship and
fell to saying, 'Who hath seen two boys of mine? Their fashion is
thus and thus and their age thus and thus.' When they heard her
words, they said, 'This is the description of the two boys who
were drowned in the sea but now.' Their mother heard and fell to
calling on them and saying, 'Alas, my anguish for your loss, O my
sons! Where was the eye of your father this day, that it might
have seen you?' Then one of the crew questioned her, saying,
'Whose wife art thou?' And she answered, 'I am the wife of such
an one the merchant. I was on my way to him, and there hath
befallen me this calamity.' When the merchant heard her speech,
he knew her and rising to his feet, rent his clothes and buffeted
his head and said to his wife, 'By Allah, I have destroyed my
children with mine own hand! This is the end of whoso looketh not
to the issues of affairs.' Then he fell a-wailing and weeping
over them, he and his wife, and he said, 'By Allah, I shall have
no ease of my life, till I light upon news of them!' And he
betook himself to going round about the sea, in quest of them,
but found them not.
Meanwhile, the wind carried the two children [out to sea and
thence driving them] towards the land, cast them up on the
sea-shore. As for one of them, a company of the guards of the
king of those parts found him and carried him to their master,
who marvelled at him with an exceeding wonderment and adopted him
to his son, giving out to the folk that he was his [very] son,
whom he had hidden,[FN#106] of his love for him. So the folk
rejoiced in him with an exceeding joy, for the king's sake, and
the latter appointed him his heir-apparent and the inheritor of
his kingdom. On this wise, a number of years passed, till the
king died and they crowned the youth king in his room. So he sat
down on the throne of his kingship and his estate flourished and
his affairs prospered.
Meanwhile, his father and mother had gone round about all the
islands of the sea in quest of him and his brother, hoping that
the sea might have cast them up, but found no trace of them; so
they despaired of finding them and took up their abode in one of
the islands. One day, the merchant, being in the market, saw a
broker, and in his hand a boy he was calling for sale, and said
in himself, 'I will buy yonder boy, so I may console myself with
him for my sons.' So he bought him and carried him to his house;
and when his wife saw him, she cried out and said, 'By Allah,
this is my son!' So his father and mother rejoiced in him with an
exceeding joy and questioned him of his brother; but he answered,
'The sea parted us and I knew not what became of him.' Therewith
his father and mother consoled themselves with him and on this
wise a number of years passed.
Now the merchant and his wife had taken up their abode in a city
in the land whereof their [other] son was king, and when the boy
[whom they had found] grew up, his father assigned unto him
merchandise, so he might travel therewith. So he set out and
entered the city wherein his brother was king. News reached the
latter that there was a merchant come thither with merchandise
befitting kings. So he sent for him and the young merchant obeyed
the summons and going in to him, sat down before him. Neither of
them knew the other; but blood stirred between them and the king
said to the young merchant, 'I desire of thee that thou abide
with me and I will exalt thy station and give thee all that thou
desirest and cravest.' So he abode with him awhile, quitting him
not; and when he saw that he would not suffer him to depart from
him, he sent to his father and mother and bade them remove
thither to him. So they addressed them to remove to that island,
and their son increased still in honour with the king, albeit he
knew not that he was his brother.
It chanced one night that the king sallied forth without the city
and drank and the wine got the mastery of him and he became
drunken. So, of the youth's fearfulness for him, he said, 'I will
keep watch myself over the king this night, seeing that he
deserveth this from me, for that which he hath wrought with me of
kindnesses.' So he arose forthright and drawing his sword,
stationed himself at the door of the king's pavilion. Now one of
the royal servants saw him standing there, with the drawn sword
in his hand, and he was of those who envied him his favour with
the king; so he said to him, 'Why dost thou on this wise at this
season and in the like of this place?' Quoth the youth, 'I am
keeping watch over the king myself, in requital of his bounties
to me.'
The servant said no more to him, but, when it was morning, he
acquainted a number of the king's servants with this and they
said, 'This is an opportunity for us. Come let us assemble
together and acquaint the king with this, so the young merchant
may lose favour with him and he rid us of him and we be at rest
from him.' So they assembled together and going in to the king,
said to him, 'We have a warning we would give thee.' Quoth he,
'And what is your warning?' And they said, 'Yonder youth, the
merchant, whom thou hast taken into favour and whose rank thou
hast exalted above the chiefs of the people of thy household, we
saw yesterday draw his sword and offer to fall upon thee, so he
might slay thee.' When the king heard this, his colour changed
and he said to them, 'Have ye proof of this?' Quoth they, 'What
proof wouldst thou have? If thou desire this, feign thyself
drunken again this night and lie down, as if asleep, and watch
him, and thou wilt see with thine eyes all that we have named to
thee.'
Then they went to the youth and said to him, 'Know that the king
thanketh thee for thy dealing yesternight and exceedeth in
[praise of] thy good deed;' and they prompted him to do the like
again. So, when the next night came, the king abode on wake;
watching the youth; and as for the latter, he went to the door of
the pavilion and drawing his sword, stood in the doorway. When
the king saw him do thus, he was sore disquieted and bade seize
him and said to him, 'Is this my requital from thee? I showed
thee favour more than any else and thou wouldst do with me this
vile deed.' Then arose two of the king's servants and said to
him, 'O our lord, if thou command it, we will strike off his
head.' But the king said, 'Haste in slaying is a vile thing, for
it[FN#107] is a grave matter; the quick we can slay, but the
slain we cannot quicken, and needs must we look to the issue of
affairs. The slaying of this [youth] will not escape us.'[FN#108]
Therewith he bade imprison him, whilst he himself returned [to
the city] and despatching his occasions, went forth to the chase.
Then he returned to the city and forgot the youth; so the
servants went in to him and said to him, 'O king, if thou keep
silence concerning yonder youth, who would have slain thee, all
thy servants will presume upon thee, and indeed the folk talk of
this matter.' With this the king waxed wroth and saying, 'Fetch
him hither,' commanded the headsman to strike off his head. So
they [brought the youth and] bound his eyes; and the headsman
stood at his head and said to the king, 'By thy leave, O my lord,
I will strike off his head.' But the king said, 'Stay, till I
look into his affair. Needs must I put him to death and the
slaying of him will not escape [me].' So he restored him to the
prison and there he abode till it should be the king's will to
put him to death.
Presently, his father and his mother heard of the matter;
whereupon the former arose and going up to the place, wrote a
letter and [presented it to the king, who] read it, and behold,
therein was written, saying, 'Have pity on me, so may God have
pity on thee, and hasten not in the slaughter [of my son]; for
indeed I acted hastily in a certain affair and drowned his
brother in the sea, and to this day I drink the cup of his
anguish. If thou must needs kill him, kill me in his stead.'
Therewith the old merchant prostrated himself before the king and
wept; and the latter said to him, 'Tell me thy story.' 'O my
lord,' answered the merchant, 'this youth had a brother and I [in
my haste] cast them both into the sea.' And he related to him his
story from first to last, whereupon the king cried out with an
exceeding great cry and casting himself down from the throne,
embraced his father and brother and said to the former, 'By
Allah, thou art my very father and this is my brother and thy
wife is our mother.' And they abode weeping, all three.
Then the king acquainted the people [of his court] with the
matter and said to them,' O folk, how deem ye of my looking to
the issues of affairs?' And they all marvelled at his wisdom and
foresight. Then he turned to his father and said to him, 'Hadst
thou looked to the issue of thine affair and dealt deliberately
in that which thou didst, there had not betided thee this
repentance and grief all this time.' Then he let bring his mother
and they rejoiced in each other and lived all their days in joy
and gladness. What then," continued the young treasurer, "is more
grievous than the lack of looking to the issues of affairs?
Wherefore hasten thou not in the slaying of me, lest repentance
betide thee and sore concern."
When the king heard this, he said, "Restore him to the prison
till the morrow, so we may look into his affair; for that
deliberation in affairs is advisable and the slaughter of this
[youth] shall not escape [us]."
The Third Day.