trencher and jar to the bazar, but none would buy them of him. However
there presently passed by a man with a fish which was so stinking and so
swollen that no one would buy it of him, and he said to the Jew, “Wilt
thou sell me thine unsaleable ware for mine?” “Yes,” answered the Jew;
and, giving him the wooden trencher and jar, took the fish and carried
it home to his family, who said, “What shall we do with this fish?”
Quoth he, “We will broil it and eat it, till it please Allah to provide
bread for us.” So they took it and ripping open its belly, found therein
a great pearl and told the head of the household who said, “See ye if it
be pierced: if so, it belongeth to some one of the folk; if not, ‘tis a
provision of Allah for us.” So they examined it and found it unpierced.
Now when it was the morrow, the Jew carried it to one of his brethren
which was an expert in jewels, and the man asked, “O such an one! whence
haddest thou this pearl?”; whereto the Jew answered, “It was a gift of
Almighty Allah to us,” and the other said, “It is worth a thousand
dirhams and I will give thee that; but take it to such an one, for he
hath more money and skill than I.” So the Jew took it to the jeweller,
who said, “It is worth seventy thousand dirhams and no more.” Then he
paid him that sum and the Jew hired two porters to carry the money to
his house. As he came to his door, a beggar accosted him, saying, “Give
me of that which Allah hath given thee.” Quoth the Jew to the asker,
“But yesterday we were even as thou; take thee half this money:” so he
made two parts of it, and each took his half. Then said the beggar,
“Take back thy money and Allah bless and prosper thee in it; I am a
Messenger,[415] whom thy Lord hath sent to try thee.” Quoth the Jew, “To
Allah be the praise and the thanks!” and abode in all delight of life he
and his household till death. And men recount this story of
-----
Footnote 413:
Arab. “Banú Israíl;” applied to the Jews when theirs was the True
Faith _i.e._ “before the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, whose mission
completed that of Moses and made it obsolete (Matrúk) even as the
mission of Jesus was completed and abrogated by that of Mohammed.” The
term “Yahúd” = Jew is applied scornfully to the Chosen People after
they rejected the Messiah, but as I have said “Israelite” is used on
certain occasions, Jew on others.
Footnote 414:
Arab. “Kasa’ah,” a wooden bowl, a porringer; also applied to a saucer.
Footnote 415:
Arab. “Rasúl” = one sent, an angel, an “apostle;” not to be
translated, as by the vulgar, “prophet.” Moreover Rasul is higher than
Nabí (prophet), such as Abraham Isaac, etc., depositaries of Al-Islam,
but with a succession restricted to their own families. Nabi-mursil
(Prophet-apostle) is the highest of all, one sent with a book: of
these are now only four, Moses, David, Jesus and Mohammed, the
writings of the rest having perished. In Al-Islam also angels rank
below men, being only intermediaries (= ἄγγελοι, nuncii, messengers)
between the Creator and the Created. This knowledge once did me a good
turn at Harar, not a safe place in those days (First Footsteps in East
Africa, p. 349).
ABU HASSAN AL-ZIYADI AND THE KHORASAN MAN.
Quoth Abú Hassán al-Ziyádi[416]:—I was once in straitened case and so
needy that the grocer, the baker and other tradesmen dunned and
importuned me; and my misery became extreme, for I knew of no resource
nor what to do. Things being on this wise there came to me one day
certain of my servants and said to me, “At the door is a pilgrim wight,
who seeketh admission to thee.” Quoth I, “Admit him.” So he came in and
behold, he was a Khorasání. We exchanged salutations and he said to me,
“Tell me, art thou Abu Hassan al-Ziyadi?”; and I replied, “Yes, what is
thy wish?” Quoth he, “I am a stranger and am minded to make the
pilgrimage; but I have with me a great sum of money, which is burdensome
to bear: so I wish to deposit these ten thousand dirhams with thee
whilst I make my pilgrimage and return. If the caravan march back and
thou see me not, then know that I am dead, in which case the money is a
gift from me to thee; but if I come back, it shall be mine.” I answered,
“Be it as thou wilt, an thus please Allah Almighty.” So he brought out a
leather bag and I said to the servant, “Fetch the scales;” and when he
brought them the man weighed out the money and handed it to me, after
which he went his way. Then I called the purveyors and paid them my
liabilities——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say
Now when it was the Three Hundred and Fiftieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth Abu Hassan
al-Ziyadi:—I called the purveyors and paid them my liabilities and spent
freely and amply, saying to myself, “By the time he returns, Allah will
have relieved me with one or other of the bounties He hath by Him.”
However, on the very next day. the servant came in to me and said, “Thy
friend the Khorasan man is at the door.” “Admit him,” answered I. So he
came in and said to me, “I had purposed to make the pilgrimage; but news
hath reached me of the decease of my father, and I have resolved to
return; so give me the monies I deposited with thee yesterday.” When I
heard this, I was troubled and perplexed beyond measure of perplexity
known to man and wotted not what reply to make him; for, if I denied it,
he would put me on my oath, and I should be disgraced in the world to
come; whilst, if I told him that I had spent the money, he would make an
outcry and dishonour me before men. So I said to him, “Allah give thee
health! This my house is no stronghold nor site of safe custody for this
money. When I received thy leather bag, I sent it to one with whom it
now is; so do thou return to us to-morrow and take thy money,
Inshallah!”[417] So he went away and I passed the night in great
concern, because of his return to me; sleep visited me not nor could I
close my eyes; so I rose and bade the boy saddle me the she-mule.
Answered he, “O my lord, it is yet but the first third of the night and
indeed we have hardly had time to rest.” I returned to my bed, but sleep
was forbidden to me and I ceased not to awaken the boy, and he to put me
off, till break of day, when he saddled me the mule, and I mounted and
rode out, not knowing whither to go. I threw the reins on the mule’s
shoulders and gave myself up to regrets and melancholy thoughts, whilst
she fared on with me to the eastward of Baghdad. Presently, as I went
along, behold, I saw a number of people approaching me and turned aside
into another path to avoid them; but seeing that I wore a turband in
preacher-fashion,[418] they followed me and hastening up to me, said,
“Knowest thou the lodging of Abu Hassan al-Ziyadi?” “I am he,” answered
I; and they rejoined, “Obey the summons of the Commander of the
Faithful.” Then they carried me before Al-Maamun, who said to me, “Who
art thou?” Quoth I, “An associate of the Kazi Abu Yúsuf and a doctor of
the law and traditions.” Asked the Caliph, “By what surname art thou
known?”[419] and I answered, “Abu Hassan al-Ziyadi;” whereupon quoth he,
“Expound to me thy case.” So I recounted to him my case and he wept sore
and said to me, “Out on thee!” The Apostle of Allah (whom Allah bless
and assain!) would not let me sleep this night, because of thee; for in
early darkness[420] he appeared to me and said, “Succour Abu Hassan
al-Ziyadi.” Whereupon I awoke and, knowing thee not, went to sleep
again; but he came to me a second time and said to me, “Woe to thee!
Succour Abu Hassan al-Ziyadi.” I awoke a second time, but knowing thee
not I went to sleep again; and he came to me a third time and still I
knew thee not and went to sleep again. Then he came to me once more and
said, “Out on thee! Succour Abu Hassan al-Ziyadi!” “After that I dared
not sleep any more, but watched the rest of the night and aroused my
people and sent them on all sides in quest of thee.” Then he gave me one
myriad of dirhams, saying, “This is for the Khorasani,” and other ten
thousand, saying, “Spend freely of this and amend thy case therewith,
and set thine affairs in order.” Moreover, he presented me with thirty
thousand dirhams, saying, “Furnish thyself with this, and when the
Procession-day[421] is being kept, come thou to me, that I may invest
thee with some office.” So I went forth from him with the money and
returned home, where I prayed the dawn-prayer; and behold, presently
came the Khorasani, so I carried him into the house and brought out to
him one myriad of dirhams, saying, “Here is thy money.” Quoth he, “It is
not my very money; how cometh this?” So I told him the whole story, and
he wept and said, “By Allah, haddest thou told me the fact at first, I
had not pressed thee!; and now, by Allah, I will not accept aught of
this money”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.
Now when it was the Three Hundred and Fifty-first Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth the
Khorasani to Al-Ziyadi, “By Allah, haddest thou told me the fact at
first, I had not pressed thee!; and now, by Allah, I will not accept
aught of this money and thou art lawfully quit of it.” So saying, he
went away and I set my affairs in order and repaired on the
Procession-day to Al-Maamun’s Gate, where I found him seated. When he
saw me present myself he called me to him and, bringing forth to me a
paper from under his prayer-carpet, said to me, “This is a patent,
conferring on thee the office of Kazi of the western division of
Al-Medinah, the Holy City, from the Bab-al Salám[422] to the furthest
limit of the township; and I appoint thee such and such monthly
allowances. So fear Allah (to whom be honour and glory!) and be mindful
of the solicitude of His Apostle (whom may He bless and keep!) on thine
account.” Then the folk marvelled at the Caliph’s words and asked me
their meaning; whereupon I told them the story from beginning to end and
it spread abroad amongst the people. “And” (quoth he who telleth the
tale) “Abu Hassan al-Ziyadi ceased not to be Kazi of Al-Medinah, the
Holy City, till he died in the days of Al-Maamun—the mercy of Allah be
on him!” And among the tales men tell is one of
-----
Footnote 416:
A doctor of law in the reign of Al-Maamun.
Footnote 417:
Here the exclamation is = D.V.; and it may be assumed generally to
have that sense.
Footnote 418:
Arab. “Taylasán,” a turban worn hood-fashion by the “Khatib” or
preacher. I have sketched it in my Pilgrimage and described it (iii.
315). Some Orientalists derive Taylasan from Atlas = satin, which is
peculiarly inappropriate. The word is apparently barbarous and
possibly Persian like Kalansuwah, the Dervish-cap. “Thou son of a
Taylasán” = a barbarian (De Sacy, Chrest. Arab. ii. 269).
Footnote 419:
Arab. Kinyah vulg. “Kunyat” = patronymic or matronymic; a name
beginning with “Abu” (father) or with “Umm” (mother). There are so few
proper names in Al-Islam that such surnames, which, as will be seen,
are of infinite variety, become necessary to distinguish individuals.
Of these sobriquets I shall give specimens further on.
Footnote 420:
“Whoso seeth me in his sleep, seeth me truly; for Satan cannot assume
my semblance,” said (or is said to have said) Mohammed. Hence the
vision is true although it comes in early night and not before dawn.
See Lane M. E., chapt. ix.
Footnote 421:
Arab. “Al-Maukab;” the day when the pilgrims march out of the city; it
is a holiday for all, high and low.
Footnote 422:
“The Gate of Salutation;” at the S. Western corner of the Mosque where
Mohammed is buried (Pilgrimage ii. 60 and plan). Here “Visitation”
(Ziyárah) begins.
THE POOR MAN AND HIS FRIEND IN NEED.
There was once a rich man who lost all he had and became destitute,
whereupon his wife advised him to ask aid and assistance of one of his
intimates. So he betook himself to a certain friend of his and
acquainted him with his necessities; and he lent him five hundred dinars
to trade withal. Now in early life he had been a jeweller; so he took
the gold and went to the jewel-bazar, where he opened a shop to buy and
sell. Presently, as he sat in his shop three men accosted him and asked
for his father, and when he told them that he was deceased, they said,
“Say, did he leave issue?” Quoth the jeweller, “He left the slave who is
before you.” They asked, “And who knoweth thee for his son?”; and he
answered, “The people of the bazar,” whereupon they said, “Call them
together, that they may testify to us that thou art his very son.” So he
called them and they bore witness of this; whereupon the three men
delivered to him a pair of saddle-bags, containing thirty thousand
dinars, besides jewels and bullion of high value, saying, “This was
deposited with us in trust by thy father.” Then they went away; and
presently there came to him a woman, who sought of him certain of the
jewels, worth five hundred dinars which she bought and paid him three
thousand for them. Upon this he arose and took five hundred dinars and
carrying them to his friend who had lent him the money, said to him,
“Take the five hundred dinars I borrowed of thee; for Allah hath opened
to me the gate of prosperity.” Quoth the other, “Nay; I gave them to
thee outright, for the love of Allah; so do thou keep them. And take
this paper, but read it not till thou be at home, and do according to
that which is therein.” So he took the money and the paper and returned
home, where he opened the scroll and found therein inscribed these
couplets:—
Kinsmen of mine were those three men who came to thee; ✿ My sire and
uncles twain and Sálih bin Ali
So what for cash thou soldest, to my mother ‘twas ✿ Thou soldest it, and
coin and gems were sent by me.
Thus doing I desired not any harm to thee ✿ But in my presence spare
thee and thy modesty.
And they also recount the story of
THE RUINED MAN WHO BECAME RICH AGAIN THROUGH A DREAM.[423]
There lived once in Baghdad a wealthy man and made of money, who lost
all his substance and became so destitute that he could earn his living
only by hard labour. One night, he lay down to sleep, dejected and heavy
hearted, and saw in a dream a Speaker[424] who said to him, “Verily thy
fortune is in Cairo; go thither and seek it.” So he set out for Cairo;
but when he arrived there, evening overtook him and he lay down to sleep
in a mosque. Presently, by decree of Allah Almighty, a band of bandits
entered the mosque and made their way thence into an adjoining house;
but the owners, being aroused by the noise of the thieves, awoke and
cried out; whereupon the Chief of Police came to their aid with his
officers. The robbers made off; but the Wali entered the mosque and,
finding the man from Baghdad asleep there, laid hold of him and beat him
with palm-rods so grievous a beating that he was well-nigh dead. Then
they cast him into jail, where he abode three days; after which the
Chief of Police sent for him and asked him, “Whence art thou?”; and he
answered, “From Baghdad.” Quoth the Wali, “And what brought thee to
Cairo?”; and quoth the Baghdadi, “I saw in a dream One who said to me,
Thy fortune is in Cairo; go thither to it. But when I came to Cairo the
fortune which he promised me proved to be the palm-rods thou so
generously gavest to me.” The Wali laughed till he showed his
wisdom-teeth and said, “O man of little wit, thrice have I seen in a
dream one who said to me:—There is in Baghdad a house in such a district
and of such a fashion and its courtyard is laid out garden-wise, at the
lower end whereof is a jetting-fountain and under the same a great sum
of money lieth buried. Go thither and take it. Yet I went not; but thou,
of the briefness of thy wit, hast journeyed from place to place, on the
faith of a dream, which was but an idle galimatias of sleep.” Then he
gave him money saying, “Help thee back herewith to thine own
country;”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Three Hundred and Fifty-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wali gave the
Baghdad man some silvers, saying, “Help thee back herewith to thine own
country;” and he took the money and set out upon his homewards march.
Now the house the Wali had described was the man’s own house in Baghdad;
so the wayfarer returned thither and, digging underneath the fountain in
his garden, discovered a great treasure. And thus Allah gave him
abundant fortune; and a marvellous coincidence occurred. And a story is
also current of
-----
Footnote 423:
The tale is told by Al-Isháki in the reign of Al-Maamun.
Footnote 424:
The speaker in dreams is the Heb. “Waggid,” which the learned and
angry Graetz (Geschichte, etc. vol. ix.) absurdly translates
“Traum-souffleur.”
CALIPH AL-MUTAWAKKIL AND HIS CONCUBINE MAHBUBAH.
There were in the palace of the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil ala’llah[425] four
thousand concubines, whereof two thousand were Greeks and other two
thousand slave-born Arabians[426] and Abyssinians; and ‘Obayd ibn
Táhir[427] had given him two hundred white girls and a like number of
Abyssinian and native girls. Among these slave-borns was a girl of
Bassorah, hight Mahbúbah, the Beloved, who was of surpassing beauty and
loveliness, elegance and voluptuous grace. Moreover, she played upon the
lute and was skilled in singing and making verses and wrote a beautiful
hand; so that Al-Mutawakkil fell passionately in love with her and could
not endure from her a single hour. But when she saw this affection, she
presumed upon his favour to use him arrogantly, wherefore he waxed
exceeding wroth with her and forsook her, forbidding the people of the
palace to speak with her. She abode on this wise some days, but the
Caliph still inclined to her; and he arose one morning and said to his
courtiers, “I dreamt, last night, that I was reconciled to Mahbubah.”
They answered, “Would Allah this might be on wake!”; and as they were
talking, behold, in came one of the Caliph’s maidservants and whispered
him; so he rose from his throne and entered the Serraglio; for the
whisper had said, “Of a truth we heard singing and lute-playing in
Mahbubah’s chamber and we knew not what this meant.” So he went straight
to her apartment, where he heard her playing upon the lute and singing
the following verses:—
I wander through the palace, but I sight there not a soul ✿ To whom I
may complain or will ‘change a word with me.
It is as though I’d done so grievous rebel-deed ✿ Wherefrom can no
contrition e’er avail to set me free.
Have we no intercessor here to plead with King, who came ✿ In sleep to
me and took me back to grace and amity;
But when the break of day arose and showed itself again, ✿ Then he
departing sent me back to dree my privacy?
Now when the Caliph heard her voice, he marvelled at the verse and yet
more at the strange coincidence of their dreams and entered the chamber.
As soon as she perceived him, she hastened to rise and throw herself at
his feet, and kissing them, said, “By Allah, O my lord, this hap is what
I dreamt last night; and, when I awoke, I made the couplets thou hast
heard.” Replied Al-Mutawakkil, “By Allah, I also dreamt the like!” Then
they embraced and made friends and he abode with her seven days with
their nights. Now Mahbubah had written upon her cheek, in musk, the
Caliph’s name, which was Ja’afar: and when he saw this, he improvised
the following:—
One wrote upon her cheek with musk, his name was Ja’afar hight; ✿ My
soul for hers who wrote upon her cheek the name I sight!
If an her fingers have inscribed one line upon her cheek, ✿ Full many a
line in heart of mine those fingers did indite:
O thou, whom Ja’afar sole of men possesseth for himself, ✿ Allah fill
Ja’afar[428] stream-full draught, the wine of thy delight!
When Al-Mutawakkil died, his host of women forgot him, all save
Mahbubah——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Three Hundred and Fifty-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Al-Mutawakkil
died, his host of women forgot him all save Mahbubah who ceased not to
mourn for him, till she deceased and was buried by his side, the mercy
of Allah be on them both! And men also tell the tale of
-----
Footnote 425:
Tenth Abbaside. A.D. 849-861.
Footnote 426:
Arab. “Muwallad” (fem. “Muwalladah”); a rearling, a slave born in a
Moslem land. The numbers may appear exaggerated, but even the petty
King of Ashanti had, till the last war, 3333 “wives.”
Footnote 427:
The Under-prefect of Baghdad.
Footnote 428:
“Ja’afar,” our old Giaffar (which is painfully like “Gaffer,” _i.e._
good father) means either a rushing river or a rivulet.
WARDAN[429] THE BUTCHER HIS ADVENTURE WITH THE LADY AND THE BEAR.
There lived once in Cairo, in the days of the Caliph Al-Hákim bi´
Amri´llah, a butcher named Wardán, who dealt in sheep’s flesh; and there
came to him every day a lady and gave him a dinar, whose weight was nigh
two and a half Egyptian dinars, saying, “Give me a lamb.” So he took the
money and gave her the lamb, which she delivered to a porter she had
with her; and he put it in his crate and she went away with him to her
own place. Next day she came in the forenoon and this went on for a long
time, the butcher gaining a dinar by her every day, till at last he
began to be curious about her case and said to himself, “This woman
buyeth of me a ducat-worth of meat every morning, paying ready money,
and never misseth a single day. Verily, this is a strange thing!” So he
took an occasion of questioning the porter, in her absence, and asked
him, “Whither goest thou every day with yonder woman?”; and he answered,
“I know not what to make of her for surprise; inasmuch as every day,
after she hath taken the lamb of thee, she buyeth necessaries of the
table, fresh and dried fruits and wax-candles a dinar’s worth, and
taketh of a certain person, which is a Nazarene, two flagons of wine,
worth another dinar; and then she leadeth me with the whole and I go
with her to the Wazir’s Gardens, where she blindfoldeth me, so that I
cannot see on what part of earth I set my feet; and, taking me by the
hand, she leadeth me I know not whither. Presently, she sayeth, “Set
down here;” and when I have done so, she giveth me an empty crate she
hath ready and, taking my hand, leadeth me back to the Wazir’s Gardens,
the place where she bound my eyes, and there removeth the bandage and
giveth me ten silver bits.” “Allah be her helper!” quoth Wardan; but he
redoubled in curiosity about her case; disquietude increased upon him
and he passed the night in exceeding restlessness. And quoth the
butcher:—Next morning she came to me as of custom and taking the lamb,
for which she paid the dinar, delivered it to the porter and went away.
So I gave my shop in charge to a lad and followed her without her seeing
me;——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Three Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,