generosity says that it buried that of Hatim and dimmed that of Ma’an
(D’Herbelot). He was a high official under the last Ommiade, Marwán
al-Himár (the “Ass,” or the “Century,” the duration of Ommiade rule)
who was routed and slain in A.H. 132 = 750. Ma’an continued to serve
under the Abbasides and was a favourite with Al-Mansúr. “More generous
or bountiful than Ka’ab” is another saying (A. P., i. 325); Ka’ab ibn
Mámah was a man who, somewhat like Sir Philip Sidney at Zutphen, gave
his own portion of drink while he was dying of thirst to a man who
looked wistfully at him, whence the saying “Give drink to thy brother
the Námiri” (A. P., i. 608). Ka’ab could not mount, so they put
garments over him to scare away the wild beasts and left him in the
desert to die. “Scatterer of blessings” (Náshir al-Ni’am) was a title
of King Malik of Al-Yaman, son of Sharhabil, eminent for his
liberality. He set up the statue in the Western Desert, inscribed
“Nothing behind me,” as a warner to others.
Footnote 134:
Lane (ii. 352) here introduces, between Nights cclxxi and ccxc, a tale
entitled in the Bresl. Edit. (iv. 134.) “The Sleeper and the Waker,”
_i.e._ the sleeper awakened; and he calls it:—The Story of Abu-l-Hasan
the Wag. It is interesting and founded upon historical fact; but it
can hardly be introduced here without breaking the sequence of The
Nights. I regret this the more as Mr. Alexander J. Cotheal of New York
has most obligingly sent me an addition to the Breslau text (iv. 137)
from his MS. But I hope eventually to make use of it.
Footnote 135:
The first girl calls gold “Tibr” (pure, unalloyed metal); the second
“Asjad” (gold generally) and the third “Ibríz” (virgin ore, the Greek
ὄβρυζον). This is a law of Arab rhetoric never to repeat the word
except for a purpose and, as the language _can_ produce 1,200,000 (to
100,000 in English) the copiousness is somewhat painful to readers.
MA’AN SON OF ZAIDAH AND THE BADAWI.
Now Ma’an bin Záidah went forth one day to the chase with his company,
and they came upon a herd of gazelles; so they separated in pursuit and
Ma’an was left alone to chase one of them. When he had made prize of it
he alighted and slaughtered it; and as he was thus engaged, he espied a
person[136] coming forth out of the desert on an ass. So he remounted
and riding up to the new-comer, saluted him and asked him, “Whence
comest thou?” Quoth he, “I come from the land of Kuzá’ah, where we have
had a two years’ dearth; but this year it was a season of plenty and I
sowed early cucumbers.[137] They came up before their time, so I
gathered what seemed the best of them and set out to carry them to the
Emir Ma’an bin Zaidah, because of his well-known beneficence and
notorious munificence.” Asked Ma’an, “How much dost thou hope to get of
him?”; and the Badawi answered, “A thousand dinars.” Quoth the Emir,
“What if he say this is too much?” Said the Badawi, “Then I will ask
five hundred dinars.” “And if he say, Too much?” “Then three hundred!”
“And if he say yet, Too much?” “Then two hundred!” “And if he say yet,
Too much?” “Then one hundred!” “And if he say yet, Too much?” “Then,
fifty!” “And if he say yet, Too much?” “Then thirty!” “And if he say
still, Too much?” asked Ma’an bin Zaidah. Answered the Badawi, “I will
make my ass set his four feet in his Honour’s home[138] and return to my
people, disappointed and empty-handed.” So Ma’an laughed at him and
urged his steed till he came up with his suite and returned to his
place, when he said to his chamberlain, “An there come to thee a man
with cucumbers and riding on an ass admit him to me.” Presently up came
the Badawi and was admitted to Ma’an’s presence; but knew not the Emir
for the man he had met in the desert, by reason of the gravity and
majesty of his semblance and the multitude of his eunuchs and
attendants, for he was seated on his chair of estate with his officers
ranged in lines before him and on either side. So he saluted him and
Ma’an said to him “What bringeth thee, O brother of the Arabs?” Answered
the Badawi, “I hoped in the Emir, and have brought him curly cucumbers
out of season.” Asked Ma’an, “And how much dost thou expect of us?” “A
thousand dinars,” answered the Badawi. “This is far too much,” quoth
Ma’an. Quoth he, “Five hundred.” “Too much!” “Then three hundred.” “Too
much!” “Two hundred.” “Too much!” “One hundred.” “Too much!” “Fifty.”
“Too much!” At last the Badawi came down to thirty dinars; but Ma’an
still replied, “Too much!” So the Badawi cried, “By Allah, the man who
met me in the desert brought me bad luck! But I will not go lower than
thirty dinars.” The Emir laughed and said nothing; whereupon the wild
Arab knew that it was he whom he had met and said, “O my lord, except
thou bring the thirty dinars, see ye, there is the ass tied ready at the
door and here sits Ma’an, his honour, at home.” So Ma’an laughed, till
he fell on his back; and, calling his steward, said to him, “Give him a
thousand dinars and five hundred and three hundred and two hundred and
one hundred and fifty and thirty; and leave the ass tied up where he
is.” So the Arab to his amazement, received two thousand one hundred and
eighty dinars, and Allah have mercy on them both and on all generous
men! And I have also heard, O auspicious King, a tale of
-----
Footnote 136:
Arab. “Shakhs” before noticed.
Footnote 137:
Arab. “Kussá’á” = the curling cucumber: the vegetable is of the
cheapest and the poorer classes eat it as “kitchen” with bread.
Footnote 138:
Arab. “Haram-hu,” a double entendre. Here the Badawi means his Harem
the inviolate part of the house; but afterwards he makes it mean the
presence of His Honour.
THE CITY OF LABTAYT.[139]
There was once a royal city in the land of Roum, called the City of
Labtayt wherein stood a tower which was always shut. And whenever a King
died and another King of the Greeks took the Kingship after him, he set
on the tower a new and strong lock, till there were four-and-twenty
locks upon the gate, according to the number of the Kings. After this
time, there came to the throne a man who was not of the old royal house,
and he had a mind to open these locks, that he might see what was within
the tower. The grandees of his kingdom forbade him from this and pressed
him to desist and reproved him and blamed him; but he persisted saying,
“Needs must this place be opened.” Then they offered him all that their
hands possessed of monies and treasures and things of price, if he would
but refrain; still he would not be baulked——And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Two Hundred and Seventy-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the grandees
offered that King all their hands possessed of monies and treasures if
he would but refrain; still he would not be baulked and said, “There is
no help for it but I open this tower.” So he pulled off the locks and
entering, found within the tower figures of Arabs on their horses and
camels, habited in turbands[140] hanging down at the ends, with swords
in baldrick-belts thrown over their shoulders and bearing long lances in
their hands. He found there also a scroll which he greedily took and
read, and these words were written therein:—“Whenas this door is opened
will conquer this country a raid of the Arabs, after the likeness of the
figures here depicted; wherefore beware, and again beware of opening
it.” Now this city was in Andalusia; and that very year Tárik ibn Ziyád
conquered it, during the Caliphate of Al-Walíd son of Abd al-Malik[141]
of the sons of Umayyah; and slew this King after the sorriest fashion
and sacked the city and made prisoners of the women and boys therein and
got great loot. Moreover, he found there immense treasures; amongst the
rest more than an hundred and seventy crowns of pearls and jacinths and
other gems of price; and he found a saloon, wherein horsemen might throw
the spears, full of vessels of gold and silver, such as no description
can comprise. Moreover, he found there the table of food for the Prophet
of Allah, Solomon son of David (peace with both of them!), which is
extant even now in a city of the Greeks; it is told that it was of
grass-green emerald with vessels of gold and platters of jasper.
Likewise he found the Psalms written in the old Ionian[142] character on
leaves of gold bezel’d with jewels; together with a book setting forth
the properties of stones and herbs and minerals, as well as the use of
characts and talismans and the canons of the art of alchymy; and he
found a third volume which treated of the art of cutting and setting
rubies and other precious stones and of the preparation of poisons and
theriacks. There found he also a mappa mundi figuring the earth and the
seas and the different cities and countries and villages of the world;
and he found a vast saloon full of hermetic powder, one drachm of which
elixir would turn a thousand drachms of silver into fine gold; likewise
a marvellous mirror, great and round, of mixed metals, which had been
made for Solomon, son of David (on the twain be peace!) wherein whoso
looked might see the counterfeit presentment of the seven climates of
the world; and he beheld a chamber full of Brahmini[143] jacinths for
which no words can suffice. So he despatched all these things to Walid
bin Abd al-Malik, and the Arabs spread all over the cities of Andalusia
which is one of the finest of lands. This is the end of the story of the
City of Labtayt. And a tale is also told of
-----
Footnote 139:
Toledo? this tale was probably known to Washington Irving. The “Land
of Roum” here means simply Frank-land, as we are afterwards told that
its name was Andalusia, the old Vandal-land, a term still applied by
Arabs to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula.
Footnote 140:
Arab. “Amáim” (plur. of Imámah) the common word for turband which I
prefer to write in the old unclipt fashion. We got it through the
Port. Turbante and the old French Tolliban from the (now obsolete)
Persian term Dolband = a turband or a sash.
Footnote 141:
Sixth Ommiade Caliph, A.D. 705-716; from “Tárik” we have “Gibraltar” =
Jabal al-Tárik.
Footnote 142:
Arab. “Yunán” = Ionia, applied to ancient Greece as “Roum” is to the
Græco-Roman Empire.
Footnote 143:
Arab. “Bahramáni;” prob. alluding to the well-known legend of the
capture of Somanath (Somnauth) from the Hindus by Mahmud of Ghazni. In
the Ajá’ib al-Hind (before quoted) the Brahmins are called Abrahamah.
THE CALIPH HISHAM AND THE ARAB YOUTH.
The Caliph Hishám bin Abd al-Malik bin Marwan, was hunting one day, when
he sighted an antelope and pursued it with his dogs. As he was following
the quarry, he saw an Arab youth pasturing sheep and said to him, “Ho
boy, up and after yonder antelope, for it escapeth me!” The youth raised
his head to him and replied, “O ignorant of what to the deserving is
due, thou lookest on me with disdain and speakest to me with contempt;
thy speaking is that of a tyrant true and thy doing what an ass would
do.” Quoth Hisham, “Woe to thee, dost thou not know me?” Rejoined the
youth, “Verily thine unmannerliness hath made thee known to me, in that
thou spakest to me, without beginning by the salutation.”[144] Repeated
the Caliph, “Fie upon thee! I am Hisham bin Abd al-Malik.” “May Allah
not favour thy dwelling-place,” replied the Arab, “nor guard thine
abiding place! How many are thy words and how few thy generous deeds!”
Hardly had he ended speaking, when up came the troop from all sides and
surrounded him as the white encircleth the black of the eye, all and
each saying, “Peace be with thee, O Commander of the Faithful!” Quoth
Hisham, “Cut short this talk and seize me yonder boy.” So they laid
hands on him; and when he saw the multitude of Chamberlains and Wazirs
and Lords of State, he was in nowise concerned and questioned not of
them, but let his chin drop on his breast and looked where his feet
fell, till they brought him to the Caliph[145] when he stood before him,
with head bowed groundwards and saluted him not and spoke him not. So
one of the eunuchs said to him, “O dog of the Arabs, what hindereth thy
saluting the Commander of the Faithful?” The youth turned to him angrily
and replied, “O packsaddle of an ass, it was the length of the way that
hindered me from this and the steepness of the steps and the profuseness
of my sweat.” Then said Hisham (and indeed he was exceeding wroth), “O
boy, verily thy days are come to their latest hour; thy hope is gone
from thee and thy life is past out of thee.” He answered, “By Allah, O
Hisham, verily an my life-term be prolonged and Fate ordain not its
cutting short, thy words irk me not, be they long or short.” Then said
the Chief Chamberlain to him, “Doth it befit thy degree, O vilest of the
Arabs, to bandy words with the Commander of the Faithful?” He answered
promptly, “Mayest thou meet with adversity and may woe and wailing never
leave thee! Hast thou not heard the saying of Almighty Allah?:—One day,
every soul shall come to defend itself.”[146] Hereupon Hisham rose, in
great wrath, and said, “O headsman, bring me the head of this lad; for
indeed he exceedeth in talk, such as passeth conception.” So the sworder
took him and, making him kneel on the carpet of blood, drew his sword
above him and said to the Caliph, “O Commander of the Faithful, this thy
slave is misguided and is on the way to his grave; shall I smite off his
head and be quit of his blood?” “Yes,” replied Hisham. He repeated his
question and the Caliph again answered in the affirmative. Then he asked
leave a third time; and the youth, knowing that, if the Caliph assented
yet once more, it would be the signal of his death, laughed till his
wisdom-teeth showed; whereupon Hisham’s wrath redoubled and he said to
him, “O boy, meseems thou art mad; seest thou not that thou art about to
depart the world? Why then dost thou laugh in mockery of thyself?” He
replied, “O Commander of the Faithful, if a larger life-term befel me,
none can hurt me, great or small; but I have bethought me of some
couplets, which do thou hear, for my death cannot escape thee.” Quoth
Hisham, “Say on and be brief;” so the Arab repeated these couplets:—
It happed one day a hawk pounced on a bird, ✿ A wildling sparrow driven
by destiny;
And held in pounces spake the sparrow thus, ✿ E’en as the hawk rose
ready home to hie:—
“Scant flesh have I to fill the maw of thee ✿ And for thy lordly food
poor morsel I.”
Then smiled the hawk in flattered vanity ✿ And pride, so set the sparrow
free to fly.
At this Hisham smiled and said, “By the truth of my kinship to the
Apostle of Allah (whom Allah bless and keep!), had he spoken this speech
at first and asked for aught except the Caliphate, verily I would have
given it to him. Stuff his mouth with jewels,[147] O eunuch and entreat
him courteously;” so they did as he bade them and the Arab went his way.
And amongst pleasant tales is that of
-----
Footnote 144:
_i.e._ “Peace be with thee!”
Footnote 145:
_i.e._ in the palace when the hunt was over. The bluntness and
plain-speaking of the Badawi, which caused the revelation of the
Koranic chapter “Inner Apartments” (No. xlix.) have always been
favourite themes with Arab tale-tellers as a contrast with citizen
suavity and servility. Moreover the Badawi, besides saying what he
thinks, always tells the truth (unless corrupted by commerce with
foreigners); and this is a startling contrast with the townsfolk. To
ride out of Damascus and have a chat with the Ruwalá is much like
being suddenly transferred from amongst the trickiest of Mediterranean
people to the bluff society of the Scandinavian North. And the reason
why the Turk will never govern the Arab in peace is that the former is
always trying to finesse and to succeed by falsehood, when the truth,
the whole truth and nothing but the truth is wanted.
Footnote 146:
Koran, xvi. 112.
Footnote 147:
A common and expressive way of rewarding the tongue which “spoke
poetry.” The jewels are often pearls.
IBRAHIM BIN AL-MAHDI AND THE BARBER-SURGEON.
They relate that Ibrahím, son of al-Mahdí,[148] brother of Harun
al-Rashid, when the Caliphate devolved to Al-Maamun, the son of his
brother Harun, refused to acknowledge his nephew and betook himself to
Rayy[149]; where he claimed the throne and abode thus a year and eleven
months and twelve days. Meanwhile his nephew, Al-Maamun, awaited his
return to allegiance and his accepting a dependent position till, at
last, despairing of this, he mounted with his horsemen and footmen and
repaired to Rayy in quest of him. Now when the news came to Ibrahim, he
found nothing for it but to flee to Baghdad and hide there, fearing for
his life; and Maamun set a price of an hundred thousand gold pieces upon
his head, to be paid to whoso might betray him. (Quoth Ibrahim) “When I
heard of this price I feared for my head”——And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Two Hundred and Seventy-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ibrahim
continued:—Now when I heard of this price I feared for my head and knew
not what to do: so I went forth of my house in disguise at midday,
knowing not whither I should go. Presently I entered a broad street
which was no thoroughfare and said in my mind, “Verily, we are Allah’s
and unto Him we are returning! I have exposed my life to destruction. If
I retrace my steps, I shall arouse suspicion.” Then, being still in
disguise I espied, at the upper end of the street, a negro-slave
standing at his door; so I went up to him and said to him, “Hast thou a
place where I may abide for an hour of the day?” “Yes,” answered he, and
opening the door admitted me into a decent house, furnished with carpets
and mats and cushions of leather. Then he shut the door on me and went
away; and I misdoubted me he had heard of the reward offered for me, and
said to myself, “He hath gone to inform against me.” But, as I sat
pondering my case and boiling like cauldron over fire, behold, my host
came back, accompanied by a porter loaded with bread and meat and new
cooking-pots and gear and a new jar and new gugglets and other needfuls.
He made the porter set them down and, dismissing him, said to me, “I
offer my life for thy ransom! I am a barber-surgeon, and I know it would
disgust thee to eat with me, because of the way in which I get my
livelihood;[150] so do thou shift for thyself and do what thou please
with these things whereon no hand hath fallen.” (Quoth Ibrahim), Now I
was in sore need of food so I cooked me a pot of meat whose like I
remember not ever to have eaten; and, when I had satisfied my want, he
said to me, “O my lord, Allah make me thy ransom! Art thou for wine?;
for indeed it gladdeneth the soul and doeth away care.” “I have no
dislike to it,” replied I, being desirous of the barber’s company; so he
brought me new flagons of glass which no hand had touched and a jar of
excellent wine, and said to me, “Strain for thyself, to thy liking;”
whereupon I cleared the wine and mixed me a most delectable draught.
Then he brought me a new cup and fruits and flowers in new vessels of
earthenware; after which he said to me, “Wilt thou give me leave to sit
apart and drink of my own wine by myself, of my joy in thee and for
thee?” “Do so,” answered I. So I drank and he drank till the wine began
to take effect upon us, when the barber rose and, going to a closet,
took out a lute of polished wood and said to me, “O my lord, it is not
for the like of me to ask the like of thee to sing, but it behoveth
thine exceeding generosity to render my respect its due; so, if thou see
fit to honour thy slave, thine is the high decision.” Quoth I (and
indeed I thought not that he knew me), “How knowest thou that I excel in
song?” He replied, “Glory be to Allah, our lord is too well renowned for
that! Thou art my lord Ibrahim, son of Al-Mahdi, our Caliph of
yesterday, he on whose head Al-Maamun hath set a price of an hundred
thousand dinars to be paid to thy betrayer: but thou art in safety with
me.” (Quoth Ibrahim), When I heard him say this, he was magnified in my
eyes and his loyalty and noble nature were certified to me; so I
complied with his wish and took the lute and tuned it, and sang. Then I
bethought me of my severance from my children and my family and I began
to say:—
Belike Who Yúsuf to his kin restored ✿ And honoured him in goal, a
captive wight;
May grant our prayer to reunite our lots; ✿ For Allah, Lord of Worlds,
hath all of might.
When the barber heard this, exceeding joy took possession of him and he
was of great good cheer; for it is said that when Ibrahim’s neighbours
heard him only sing out, “Ho, boy, saddle the mule!” they were filled
with delight. Then, being overborne by mirth, he said to me, “O my lord,
wilt thou give me leave to say what is come to my mind, albeit I am not
of the folk of this craft?” I answered, “Do so; this is of thy great
courtesy and kindness.” So he took the lute and sang these verses:—
To our beloveds we moaned our length of night; ✿ Quoth they, “How short
the nights that us benight!”
‘Tis for that sleep like hood enveils _their_ eyes ✿ Right soon, but
from _our_ eyes is fair of flight:
When night falls, dread and drear to those who love, ✿ _We_ mourn;
_they_ joy to see departing light:
Had they but dree’d the weird, the bitter dole ✿ We dree, their beds
like ours had bred them blight.
(Quoth Ibrahim), So I said to him, “By Allah, thou hast shown me a
kindness, O my friend, and hast done away from me the pangs of sorrow.
Let me hear more trifles of thy fashion.” So he sang these couplets:—
When man keeps honour bright without a stain, ✿ Fair sits whatever robe
to robe he’s fain!
She jeered at me because so few we are; ✿ Quoth I:—“There’s ever dearth
of noble men!”
Naught irks us we are few, while neighbour tribes ✿ Count many;
neighbours oft are base-born strain:
We are a clan which holds not Death reproach, ✿ Which A’mir and
Samúl[151] hold illest bane:
Leads us our love of death to fated end; ✿ They hate that ending and
delay would gain:
We to our neighbours’ speech aye give the lie; ✿ But when we speak none
dare give lie again.
(Quoth Ibrahim), When I heard these lines, I was filled with huge
delight and marvelled with exceeding marvel. Then I slept and awoke not
till past nightfall, when I washed my face, with a mind full of the high
worth of this barber-surgeon and his passing courtesy; after which I
wakened him and, taking out a purse I had by me containing a number of
gold pieces, threw it to him, saying, “I commend thee to Allah, for I am
about to go forth from thee, and pray thee to expend what is in this
purse on thine requirements; and thou shalt have an abounding reward of
me, when I am quit of my fear.” (Quoth Ibrahim), But he returned the bag
to me, saying, “O my lord, paupers like myself are of no value in thine
eyes; but how, with due respect to my own generosity, can I take a price
for the boon which fortune hath vouchsafed me of thy favour and thy
visit to my poor abode? Nay, if thou repeat thy words and throw the
purse to me again I will slay myself.” So I put in my sleeve[152] the
purse whose weight was irksome to me.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Two Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,