When the day departed and the evening came, the king sat in his
privy chamber and summoned the vizier, who presented himself to
him and he questioned him of the story. So the vizier said,
"Know, O august king, that
THE KING'S SON WHO FELL IN LOVE WITH THE
PICTURE.
There was once, in a province of Persia, a king of the kings, who
was mighty of estate, endowed with majesty and venerance and
having troops and guards at his command; but he was childless.
Towards the end of his life, his Lord vouchsafed him a male
child, and the boy grew up and was comely and learned all manner
of knowledge. He made him a private place, to wit, a lofty
palace, builded with coloured marbles and [adorned with] jewels
and paintings. When the prince entered the palace, he saw in its
ceiling the picture [of a woman], than whom he had never beheld a
fairer of aspect, and she was compassed about with slave-girls;
whereupon he fell down in a swoon and became distraught for love
of her. Then he sat under the picture, till, one day, his father
came in to him and finding him wasted of body and changed of
colour, by reason of his [continual] looking on that picture,
thought that he was ill and sent for the sages and physicians,
that they might medicine him. Moreover, he said to one of his
boon- companions, 'If thou canst learn what aileth my son, thou
shalt have of me largesse.' So the courtier went in to the prince
and spoke him fair and cajoled him, till he confessed to him that
his malady was caused by the picture. Then he returned to the
king and told him what ailed his son, whereupon he transported
the prince to another palace and made his former lodging the
guest-house; and whosoever of the Arabs was entertained therein,
he questioned of the picture, but none could give him tidings
thereof.
One day, there came a traveller and seeing the picture, said,
'There is no god but God! My brother wrought this picture.' So
the king sent for him and questioned him of the affair of the
picture and where was he who had wrought it. 'O my lord,'
answered the traveller, 'we are two brothers and one of us went
to the land of Hind and fell in love with the king's daughter of
the country, and it is she who is the original of the portrait.
In every city he entereth, he painteth her portrait, and I follow
him, and long is my journey.' When the king's son heard this, he
said,'Needs must I travel to this damsel.' So he took all manner
rarities and store of riches and journeyed days and nights till
he entered the land of Hind, nor did he win thereto save after
sore travail. Then he enquired of the King of Hind and he also
heard of him.
When the prince came before him, he sought of him his daughter in
marriage, and the king said, 'Indeed, thou art her equal, but
none dare name a man to her, because of her aversion to men.' So
the prince pitched his tents under the windows of the princess's
palace, till one day he got hold of one of her favourite
slave-girls and gave her wealth galore. Quoth she to him, 'Hast
thou a wish?' Yes,' answered he and acquainted her with his
case; and she said, 'Indeed thou puttest thyself in peril.' Then
he abode, flattering himself with false hopes, till all that he
had with him was gone and the servants fled from him; whereupon
quoth he to one in whom he trusted, 'I am minded to go to my
country and fetch what may suffice me and return hither.' And the
other answered, 'It is for thee to decide.' So they set out to
return, but the way was long to them and all that the prince had
with him was spent and his company died and there abode but one
with him, on whom he loaded what remained of the victual and they
left the rest and fared on. Then there came out a lion and ate
the servant, and the prince abode alone. He went on, till his
beast stood still, whereupon he left her and fared on afoot till
his feet swelled.
Presently he came to the land of the Turks,[FN#228] and he naked
and hungry and having with him nought but somewhat of jewels,
bound about his fore-arm. So he went to the bazaar of the
goldsmiths and calling one of the brokers, gave him the jewels.
The broker looked and seeing two great rubies, said to him,
'Follow me.' So he followed him, till he brought him to a
goldsmith, to whom he gave the jewels, saying, 'Buy these.' Quoth
he, 'Whence hadst thou these?' And the broker replied, 'This
youth is the owner of them.' Then said the goldsmith to the
prince, 'Whence hadst thou these rubies?' And he told him all
that had befallen him and that he was a king's son. The goldsmith
marvelled at his story and bought of him the rubies for a
thousand dinars.
Then said the prince to him, 'Make ready to go with me to my
country.' So he made ready and went with the prince till he drew
near the frontiers of his father's kingdom, where the people
received him with the utmost honour and sent to acquaint his
father with his son's coming. The king came out to meet him and
they entreated the goldsmith with honour. The prince abode awhile
with his father, then set out, [he and the goldsmith] to return
to the country of the fair one, the daughter of the King of Hind;
but there met him robbers by the way and he fought the sorest of
battles and was slain. The goldsmith buried him and marked his
grave[FN#229] and returned, sorrowing and distraught to his own
country, without telling any of the prince's death.
To return to the king's daughter of whom the prince went in quest
and on whose account he was slain. She had been used to look out
from the top of her palace and gaze on the youth and on his
beauty and grace; so she said to her slave-girl one day, 'Harkye!
What is come of the troops that were encamped beside my palace?'
Quoth the maid, 'They were the troops of the youth, the king's
son of the Persians, who came to demand thee in marriage, and
wearied himself on thine account, but thou hadst no compassion on
him.' 'Out on thee!' cried the princess. 'Why didst thou not tell
me?' And the damsel answered, 'I feared thy wrath.' Then she
sought an audience of the king her father and said to him, 'By
Allah, I will go in quest of him, even as he came in quest of me;
else should I not do him justice.'
So she made ready and setting out, traversed the deserts and
spent treasures till she came to Sejestan, where she called a
goldsmith to make her somewhat of trinkets. [Now the goldsmith in
question was none other than the prince's friend]; so, when he
saw her, he knew her (for that the prince had talked with him of
her and had depictured her to him) and questioned her of her
case. She acquainted him with her errand, whereupon he buffeted
his face and rent his clothes and strewed dust on his head and
fell a-weeping. Quoth she, 'Why dost thou thus?' And he
acquainted her with the prince's case and how he was his comrade
and told her that he was dead; whereat she grieved for him and
faring on to his father and mother, [acquainted them with the
case].
So the prince's father and his uncle and his mother and the
grandees of the realm repaired to his tomb and the princess made
lamentation over him, crying aloud. She abode by the tomb a whole
month; then she let fetch painters and caused them limn her
portraiture and that of the king's son. Moreover, she set down in
writing their story and that which had befallen them of perils
and afflictions and set it [together with the pictures], at the
head of the tomb; and after a little, they departed from the
place. Nor," added the vizier, "is this more extraordinary, O
king of the age, than the story of the fuller and his wife and
the trooper and what passed between them."
With this the king bade the vizier go away to his lodging, and
when he arose in the morning, he abode his day in his house.
The Seventh Night of the Month.
At eventide the king sat [in his privy sitting-chamber] and
sending for the vizier, said to him, "Tell me the story of the
fuller and his wife." "With all my heart," answered the vizier.
So he came forward and said, "Know, O king of the age, that