CHAPTER VI.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE THIRTY-SECOND NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF

THIS THIRTY-SIXTH.

THE STORY OF NOOR-ED-DEEN AND ENEES-EL-JELEES.[VI_1]

There was, in El-Baṣrah, a certain King who loved the poor and indigent,

and regarded his subjects with benevolence; he bestowed of his wealth

upon him who believed in Moḥammad (God bless and save him!) and was such

as one of the poets who have written of him hath thus described:--

He used his lances as pens; and the hearts of his enemies, as paper;

their blood being his ink:

And hence, I imagine, our forefathers applied to the lance the term

Khaṭṭeeyeh.[VI_2]

The name of this King was Moḥammad the son of Suleymán Ez-Zeynee; and he

had two Wezeers; one of whom was named El-Mo'een[VI_3] the son of

Sáwee; and the other, El-Faḍl[VI_4] the son of Kháḳán. El-Faḍl the

son of Kháḳán was the most generous of the people of his age, upright in

conduct, so that all hearts agreed in loving him, and the wise complied

with his counsel, and all the people supplicated for him length of life;

for he was a person of auspicious aspect,[VI_5] a preventer of evil

and mischief: but the Wezeer El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee hated others,

and loved not good; he was a man of inauspicious aspect; and in the same

degree that the people loved Faḍl-ed-Deen the son of Kháḳán, so did they

abhor El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee, in accordance with the decree of the

Almighty.

Now the King Moḥammad the son of Suleymán Ez-Zeynee was sitting one day

upon his throne, surrounded by the officers of his court, and he called

to his Wezeer El-Faḍl the son of Kháḳán, and said to him, I desire a

female slave unsurpassed in beauty by any in her age, of perfect

loveliness, and exquisite symmetry, and endowed with all praiseworthy

qualities.--Such as this, replied his courtiers, is not to be found for

less than ten thousand pieces of gold. And the Sulṭán thereupon called

out to the treasurer, saying, Carry ten thousand pieces of gold to the

house of El-Faḍl the son of Kháḳán. So the treasurer did as he

commanded, and the Wezeer departed, after the Sulṭán had ordered him to

repair every day to the market, and to commission the brokers to procure

what he had described, and had commanded also that no female slave of a

greater price than one thousand pieces of gold should be sold without

having been shewn to the Wezeer.

The brokers, therefore, sold no female slave without shewing her to him,

and he complied with the King's command, and thus he continued to do for

a considerable time, no slave pleasing him: but on a certain day, one of

the brokers came to the mansion of the Wezeer El-Faḍl, and found that he

had mounted to repair to the palace of the King; and he laid hold upon

his stirrup, and repeated these two verses:--

O thou who hast reanimated what was rotten in the state! Thou art

the Wezeer ever aided by Heaven.

Thou hast revived the noble qualities that were extinct among men.

May thy conduct never cease to be approved by God!

He then said, O my master, the female slave for the procuring of whom

the noble mandate was issued hath arrived. The Wezeer replied, Bring her

hither to me. So the man returned, and, after a short absence, came

again, accompanied by a damsel of elegant stature, high-bosomed, with

black eyelashes, and smooth cheek, and slender waist, and large hips,

clad in the handsomest apparel; the moisture of her lips was sweeter

than sirup; her figure put to shame the branches of the Oriental willow;

and her speech was more soft than the zephyr passing over the flowers of

the garden; as one of her describers hath thus expressed:--

Her skin is like silk, and her speech is soft, neither redundant

nor deficient:

Her eyes, God said to them, Be,--and they were, affecting men's

hearts with the potency of wine.

May my love for her grow more warm each night, and cease not

until the day of judgment!

The locks on her brow are dark as night, while her forehead shines

like the gleam of morning.

When the Wezeer beheld her, she pleased him extremely, and he looked

towards the broker, and said to him, What is the price of this damsel?

The broker answered, The price bidden for her hath amounted to ten

thousand pieces of gold, and her owner hath sworn that this sum doth not

equal the cost of the chickens which she hath eaten, nor the cost of the

dresses which she hath bestowed upon her teachers; for she hath learnt

writing and grammar and lexicology, and the interpretation of the

Ḳur-án, and the fundamentals of law and religion, and medicine, and the

computation of the calendar, and the art of playing upon musical

instruments. The Wezeer then said, Bring to me her master:--and the

broker immediately brought him; and lo, he was a foreigner, who had

lived so long that time had reduced him to bones and skin, as the poet

hath said,--

How hath time made me to tremble! For time is powerful and severe.

I used to walk without being weary; but now I am weary and do not walk.

And the Wezeer said to him, Art thou content to receive for this damsel

ten thousand pieces of gold from the Sulṭán Moḥammad the son of Suleymán

Ez-Zeynee? The foreigner answered, As she is for the Sulṭán, it is

incumbent on me to give her as a present to him, without

price.[VI_6] So the Wezeer, upon this, ordered that the money

should be brought, and then weighed the pieces of gold for the

foreigner; after which, the slave-broker addressed the Wezeer, and said,

With the permission of our lord the Wezeer, I will speak.--Impart what

thou hast to say, replied the Wezeer.--It is my opinion, then, said the

broker, that thou shouldst not take up this damsel to the Sulṭán

to-day; for she hath just arrived from her journey, and the change of

air hath affected her, and the journey hath fatigued her; but rather let

her remain with thee in thy palace ten days, that she may take rest, and

her beauty will improve: then cause her to be taken into the bath, and

attire her in clothes of the handsomest description, and go up with her

to the Sulṭán: so shalt thou experience more abundant good fortune. And

the Wezeer considered the advice of the slave-broker, and approved it.

He therefore took her into his palace, and gave her a private apartment

to herself, allotting her every day what she required of food and drink

and other supplies, and she continued a while in this state of

enjoyment.

[Illustration]

Now the Wezeer El-Faḍl had a son like the shining full moon, with

brilliant countenance, and red cheek, marked with a mole like a globule

of ambergris, and with grey down. The youth knew not of this damsel, and

his father had charged her, saying, Know that I have purchased thee for

the King Moḥammad the son of Suleymán Ez-Zeynee, and that I have a son

who hath not left a girl in the quarter without making love to her:

therefore keep thyself concealed from him, and beware of shewing him thy

face, or suffering him to hear thy voice. The damsel replied, I hear and

obey:--and he left her and departed. And it happened, as fate had

ordained, that she went one day into the bath which was in the house,

and, after certain of the female slaves had bathed her, she attired

herself in rich apparel, and her beauty and loveliness increased in

consequence. She then went in to the Wezeer's wife, and kissed her hand,

and she said to her, May it be favourable,[VI_7] O Enees-el-Jelees!

How didst thou find this bath?--O my mistress, she answered, I wanted

nothing but thy presence there. And upon this, the mistress of the house

said to the female slaves, Arise, and let us go into the bath. And they

complied with her command, and went, accompanied by their mistress, who

first charged two young slave-girls to keep the door of the private

apartment in which was Enees-el-Jelees, saying to them, Suffer no one to

go in to the damsel:--and they replied, We hear and obey. But while

Enees-el-Jelees was sitting in her chamber, lo, the Wezeer's son, whose

name was 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, came in, and asked after his mother and the

family. The two girls answered, They are gone into the bath. Now the

damsel Enees-el-Jelees heard the speech of 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen as she sat

in her chamber, and she said within herself, I wonder what this youth is

like, of whom the Wezeer hath told me that he hath not left a girl in

the quarter without making love to her: by Allah, I have a desire to see

him. She then rose upon her feet, fresh as she was from the bath, and,

approaching the door of the chamber, looked at 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, and

beheld him to be a youth like the full moon. The sight of him occasioned

her a thousand sighs; and a look from the youth, at her, affected him

also in the same manner. Each was caught in the snare of the other's

love, and the youth approached the two slave-girls, and cried out at

them; whereupon they fled from before him, and stopped at a distance,

looking to see what he would do. He then advanced to the door of the

chamber, and, opening it, went in, and said to the damsel, Art thou she

whom my father hath purchased for me? She answered, Yes. And upon this,

the youth, who was in a state of intoxication, went up to her, and

embraced her, while she, in like manner, threw her arms around his neck,

and kissed him. But the two slave-girls, having seen their young master

enter the chamber of the damsel Enees-el-Jelees, cried out. The youth,

therefore, soon ran forth, and fled for safety, fearing the consequence

of his intrusion; and when the mistress of the house heard the cry of

the two slave-girls, she came out dripping from the bath, saying, What

is the cause of this cry in the house? And when she drew near to the

two slave-girls whom she had placed at the door of the private chamber,

she said to them, Wo to you! What is the matter?--They answered, as soon

as they beheld her, Our master 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen came to us and beat

us, and we fled from him, and he went into the chamber of

Enees-el-Jelees, and when we cried out to thee he fled. The mistress of

the house then went to Enees-el-Jelees, and said to her, What is the

news?--O my mistress, she answered, as I was sitting here, a youth of

handsome person came in to me, and said to me, Art thou she whom my

father hath purchased for me?--And I answered, Yes.--By Allah, O my

mistress, I believed that what he said was true; and he came up to me

and embraced me, and kissed me three times, and he left me overcome by

his love.

Upon this, the mistress of the house wept, and slapped her face, and her

female slaves did the like, fearing for 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, lest his

father should slay him; and while they were in this state, lo, the

Wezeer came in, and inquired what had happened. His wife said to him,

Swear that thou wilt listen to that which I shall say. He replied, Well.

So she told him what his son had done; and he mourned, and rent his

clothes, and slapped his face, and plucked his beard. His wife then said

to him, Kill not thyself. I will give thee, of my own property, ten

thousand pieces of gold, her price.--But upon this, he raised his head

towards her, and said to her, Wo to thee! I want not her price; but I

fear the loss of my life and my property.--Wherefore, O my master? she

asked.--Knowest thou not, said he, that we have this enemy El-Mo'een the

son of Sáwee? When he heareth of this event, he will repair to the

Sulṭán, and say to him, Thy Wezeer whom thou imaginest to love thee hath

received from thee ten thousand pieces of gold, and purchased therewith

a female slave such as no one hath seen equalled, and when she pleased

him, he said to his son, Take her; for thou art more worthy of her than

the Sulṭán:--and he took her; and the damsel is now with him.--Then the

King will say, Thou liest. And he will say to the King, With thy

permission, I will break in upon him suddenly, and bring her to thee.

And he will give him permission to do so: he will therefore make a

sudden attack upon the house, and take the damsel, and conduct her into

the presence of the Sulṭán, and he will question her, and she will not

be able to deny: he will then say, O my lord, I give thee good counsel,

but I am not in favour with thee:--and the Sulṭán will make an example

of me, and all the people will make me a gazing-stock, and my life will

be lost.--His wife, however, replied, Acquaint no one; for this thing

hath happened privily: commit, therefore, thine affair unto God, in this

extremity. And upon this, the heart of the Wezeer was quieted, and his

mind was relieved.

Such was the case of the Wezeer.--Now as to Noor-ed-Deen, he feared the

result of his conduct, and so passed each day in the gardens, not

returning to his mother until towards the close of the night: he then

slept in her apartment, and rose before morning without being seen by

any one else. Thus he continued to do so for the space of a month, not

seeing the face of his father; and at length his mother said to his

father, O my master, wilt thou lose the damsel and lose the child? For

if it long continue thus with the youth, he will flee his country.--And

what is to be done? said he. She answered, Sit up this night, and when

he cometh, lay hold upon him, and be reconciled to him, and give him the

damsel; for she loveth him, and he loveth her; and I will give thee her

price. So the Wezeer sat up the whole night, and when his son came, he

laid hold upon him, and would have cut his throat;[VI_8] but his

mother came to his succour, and said to her husband, What dost thou

desire to do unto him? He answered her, I desire to slay him. The youth

then said to his father, Am I of so small account in thy estimation? And

upon this, the eyes of his father filled with tears, and he said to him,

O my son, is the loss of my property and my life of small account with

thee?--Listen, O my father, rejoined the youth:--and he implored his

forgiveness. So the Wezeer rose from the breast of his son, and was

moved with compassion for him; and the youth rose, and kissed his

father's hand; and the Wezeer said, O my son, if I knew that thou

wouldst act equitably to Enees-el-Jelees, I would give her to thee.--O

my father, replied the youth, wherefore should I not act equitably

towards her? And his father said, I charge thee, O my son, that thou

take not a wife to share her place, and that thou do her no injury, nor

sell her. He replied, O my father, I swear to thee that I will neither

take a wife to share her place, nor sell her:--and he promised him by

oaths to act as he had said, and took up his abode with the damsel, and

remained with her a year; and God (whose name be exalted!) caused the

King to forget the affair of the female slave; but the matter became

known to El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee; yet he could not speak of it, on

account of the high estimation in which the other Wezeer was held by the

Sulṭán.

[Illustration]

After this year had expired, the Wezeer Faḍl-ed-Deen the son of Kháḳán

entered the oath, and came out in a state of excessive perspiration, in

consequence of which the external air smote him, so that he became

confined to his bed, and long remained sleepless; and his malady

continued unremittingly; so he called, thereupon, his son 'Alee

Noor-ed-Deen, and when he came before him, said to him, O my son, verily

the means of life are apportioned, and its period is decreed, and every

soul must drink the cup of death. I have nothing with which to charge

thee but the fear of God, and forethought with regard to the results of

thine actions, and that thou conduct thyself kindly to the damsel

Enees-el-Jelees.--O my father, said the youth, who is like unto thee?

Thou hast been celebrated for virtuous actions, and the praying of the

preachers for thee on the pulpits.--O my son, rejoined the Wezeer, I

hope for the approbation of God, whose name be exalted! And then he

pronounced the two professions of the faith,[VI_9] and uttered a

sigh, and was recorded among the company of the blest. And upon this,

the palace was filled with shrieking, and the news reached the ears of

the Sulṭán, and the people of the city heard of the death of El-Faḍl the

son of Kháḳán, and even the boys in the schools wept for

him.[VI_10] His son 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen arose, and prepared his

funeral, and the Emeers and Wezeers and other officers of the state

attended it, and among them was the Wezeer El-Mo'een the Son of Sáwee;

and as the procession passed out from the mansion, one of the mourners

recited these verses:--

I said to the man who was appointed to wash him,--Would that he had

yielded obedience to my counsel,--

Put away from him the water, and wash him with the tears of honour,

shed in lamentation for him:

And remove these fragrant substances collected for his corpse,

and perfume him rather with the odours of his praise:

And order the noble angels to carry him, in honour. Dost thou

not behold them attending him?

Cause not men's necks to be strained by bearing him: enough

are they laden already by his benefits.[VI_11]

'Alee Noor-ed-Deen for a long time remained in a state of violent grief

for the loss of his father; but as he was sitting one day in his

father's house, a person knocked at the door, and he rose up and opened

it, and lo, there was a man who was one of his father's intimate

companions, and he kissed the hand of Noor-ed-Deen, and said to him, O

my master, he who hath left a son like thee hath not died. This is the

destination of the lord of the first and the last among

mankind.[VI_12] O my master, cheer up thy heart, and give over

mourning.--And upon this, 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen arose, and went to the

guest-chamber, and removed thither all that he required, and his

companions came together to him, and he took again his slave. Ten of the

sons of the merchants became his associates, and he gave entertainment

after entertainment, and began to be lavish with presents. His steward,

therefore, came in to him, and said to him, O my master Noor-ed-Deen,

hast thou not heard the saying, He who expendeth and doth not calculate

is reduced to poverty? This profuse expenditure, and these magnificent

presents, will annihilate the property.--But when 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen

heard these words of his steward, he looked at him, and replied, Of all

that thou hast said to me, I will not attend to one word. How excellent

is the saying of the poet:--

If I be possessed of wealth and be not liberal, may my hand never

be extended, nor my foot raised!

Shew me the avaricious who hath attained glory by his avarice,

and the munificent who hath died through his munificence.[VI_13]

Know, O Steward, he continued, that if there remain in thy hands what

will suffice for my dinner, thou shalt not burden me with anxiety

respecting my supper.--So the steward left him, and went his way; and

'Alee Noor-ed-Deen resumed his habits of extravagant generosity:

whenever any one of his companions said, Verily this thing is

beautiful!--he would reply, It is a present to thee:--and if any said, O

my master, verily such a house is delightful!--he would reply, It is a

present to thee.

He ceased not to give entertainments to his companions from the

commencement of day, one after another, until he had passed in this

manner a whole year; after which, as he was sitting with them, he heard

the slave-girl recite these two verses:--

Thou thoughtest well of the days when they went well with thee,

and fearedst not the evil that destiny was bringing.

Thy nights were peaceful, and thou wast deceived by them:

in the midst of their brightness there cometh gloom.

And immediately after, a person knocked at the door: so Noor-ed-Deen

rose, and one of his companions followed him without his knowledge; and

when he opened the door, he beheld his steward, and said to him, What is

the news?--O my master, answered the steward, that which I feared on thy

account hath happened to thee.--How is that? asked Noor-ed-Deen. The

steward answered, Know that there remaineth not of thy property in my

hands, anything equivalent to a piece of silver, or less than a piece of

silver; and these are the accounts of thy expenses, and of thy original

property. When 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen heard these words, he hung down his

head towards the ground, and exclaimed, There is no strength nor power

but in God! And the man who had followed him secretly to pry into his

case, as soon as he heard what the steward told him, returned to his

companions, and said to them, See what ye will do; for 'Alee

Noor-ed-Deen hath become a bankrupt. So when Noor-ed-Deen returned to

them, grief appeared to them in his countenance, and immediately one of

them rose, and, looking towards him, said to him, O my master, I desire

that thou wouldst permit me to depart.--Why thus depart to-day? said

Noor-ed-Deen. His guest answered, My wife is to give birth to a child

this night, and it is impossible for me to be absent from her: I desire,

therefore, to go and see her. And he gave him leave. Then another rose,

and said to him, O my master Noor-ed-Deen, I desire to-day to visit my

brother; for he celebrateth the circumcision of his son. Thus each of

them asked leave of him deceitfully, and went his way, until all had

departed.

So 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen remained alone; and he called his slave-girl, and

said to her, O Enees-el-Jelees, seest thou not what hath befallen me?

And he related to her what the steward had told him. She replied, O my

master, for some nights past, I have been anxious to speak to thee of

this affair; but I heard thee reciting these two verses:--

When fortune is liberal to thee, be thou liberal to all others

before she escape from thee:

For liberality will not annihilate thy wealth when she is favourable;

nor avarice preserve it when she deserteth thee.

And when I heard thee repeat these words, I was silent, and would not

make any remark to thee.--O Enees-el-Jelees, he rejoined, thou knowest

that I have not expended my wealth but on my companions; and I do not

think that they will abandon me without relief.--By Allah, said she,

they will be of no use to thee. But he said, I will immediately arise

and go to them, and knock at their doors: perhaps I shall obtain from

them something which I will employ as a capital wherewith to trade, and

I will cease from diversion and sport. So he arose instantly, and

proceeded without stopping until he arrived at the by-street in which

his ten companions resided; for they all lived in that same street: and

he advanced to the first door, and knocked; and there came forth to him

a slave-girl, who said to him, Who art thou? He answered, Say to thy

master,--'Alee Noor-ed-Deen is standing at the door, and saith to thee,

Thy slave kisseth thy hands, looking for a favour from thee.--And the

girl entered, and acquainted her master; but he called out to her,

saying, Return, and tell him, He is not here.--The girl, therefore,

returned to Noor-ed-Deen, and said to him, My master, Sir, is not here.

And he went on, saying within myself, If this is a knave, and hath

denied himself, another is not. He then advanced to the next door, and

said as he had before; and the second also denied himself; and

Noor-ed-Deen exclaimed,--

They are gone, who, if thou stoodest at their door, would bestow

upon thee the bounty thou desirest.

By Allah, he added, I must try all of them: perchance one of them may

stand me in the place of all the others. And he went round to all the

ten; but found not that one of them would open the door, or shew

himself, or even order him a cake of bread; and he recited the following

verses:--

A man in prosperity resembleth a tree, around which people flock

as long as it hath fruit;

But as soon as it hath dropped all that it bore, they disperse

from beneath it, and seek another.

Perdition to all the people of this age! for I find not one man

of integrity among ten.

He then returned to his slave: his anxiety had increased, and she said

to him, O my master, said I not unto thee that they would not profit

thee?--By Allah, he replied, not one of them shewed me his face.--O my

master, rejoined she, sell of the moveables of the house a little at a

time, and expend the produce. And he did so until he had sold all that

was in the house, and there remained nothing in his possession; and

upon this he looked towards Enees-el-Jelees, and said to her, What shall

we do now?--It is my advice, O my master, she answered, that thou arise

immediately, and take me to the market, and sell me; for thou knowest

that thy father purchased me for ten thousand pieces of gold, and

perhaps God may open to thee a way to obtain a part of this price; and

if God have decreed our reunion, we shall meet again. But he replied, O

Enees-el-Jelees, it is not easy for me to endure thy separation for one

hour.--Nor is the like easy to me, said she: but necessity is imperious.

And upon this, he took Enees-el-Jelees, his tears flowing down his

cheeks, and went and delivered her to the broker, saying to him, Know

the value of that which thou art to cry for sale.--O my master

Noor-ed-Deen, replied the broker, noble qualities are held in

remembrance. Is she not Enees-el-Jelees, whom thy father purchased of me

for ten thousand pieces of gold?--He answered, Yes. And the broker

thereupon went to the merchants; but he found that they had not all yet

assembled; so he waited until the rest had come, and the market was

filled with all varieties of female slaves, Turkish and Greek and

Circassian and Georgian and Abyssinian; and when he beheld its crowded

state, he arose and exclaimed, O merchants! O possessors of wealth!

everything that is round is not a nut; nor is everything long, a banana;

nor is everything that is red, meat; nor is everything white, fat; nor

is everything that is ruddy, wine; nor is everything tawny, a date! O

merchants! this precious pearl, whose value no money can equal, with

what sum will ye open the bidding for her?--And one of the merchants

answered, With four thousand and five hundred pieces of

gold.[VI_14]

[Illustration]

But, lo, the Wezeer El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee was in the market, and,

seeing 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen standing there, he said within himself, What

doth he want here, having nothing left wherewith to purchase female

slaves? Then casting his eyes around, and hearing the broker as he stood

crying in the market with the merchants around him, he said within

himself, I do not imagine anything else than that he hath become a

bankrupt, and come forth with the slave-girl to sell her; and if this be

the case, how pleasant to my heart! He then called the crier, who

approached him, and kissed the ground before him;[VI_15] and the

Wezeer said to him, I desire this female slave whom thou art crying for

sale. The broker, therefore, being unable to oppose his wish, brought

the slave and placed her before him; and when he beheld her, and

considered her charms, her elegant figure and her soft speech, he was

delighted with her, and said to the broker, To what has the bidding for

her amounted? The broker answered, Four thousand and five hundred pieces

of gold. And as soon as the merchants heard this, not one of them could

bid another piece of silver or of gold; but all of them drew back,

knowing the tyrannical conduct of that Wezeer. El-Mo'een the son of

Sáwee then looked towards the broker, and said to him, Why standest thou

still? Take away the slave-girl for me at the price of four thousand and

five hundred pieces of gold, and thou wilt have five hundred for

thyself.--So the broker went to 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, and said to him, O

my master, the slave-girl is lost to thee without price.--How so? said

Noor-ed-Deen. The broker answered, We opened the bidding for her at four

thousand and five hundred pieces of gold; but this tyrant El-Mo'een the

son of Sáwee came into the market, and when he beheld the damsel she

pleased him, and he said to me, Ask her owner if he will agree for four

thousand pieces of gold, and five hundred for thee:--and I doubt not but

he knoweth that the slave belongeth to thee; and if he give thee her

price immediately, it will be through the goodness of God; but I know,

from his injustice, that he will write thee an order upon some of his

agents for the money, and then send to them and desire them to give thee

nothing; and every time that thou shalt go to demand it of them, they

will say to thee, To-morrow we will pay thee:--and they will not cease

to promise thee, and to defer from day to day, notwithstanding thy

pride; and when they are overcome by thy importunity they will say, Give

us the written order:--and as soon as they have received the paper from

thee they will tear it in pieces: so thou wilt lose the price of the

slave.

When Noor-ed-Deen, therefore, heard these words of the broker, he said

to him, What is to be done? The broker answered, I will give thee a

piece of advice, and if thou receive it from me, thou wilt have better

fortune.--What is it? asked Noor-ed-Deen.--That thou come to me

immediately, answered the broker, while I am standing in the midst of

the market, and take the slave-girl from me, and give her a blow with

thy hand, and say to her, Wo to thee! I have expiated my oath that I

swore, and brought thee to the market, because I swore to thee that thou

shouldst be exposed in the market, and that the broker should cry thee

for sale.--If thou do this, perhaps the trick will deceive him and the

people, and they will believe that thou tookest her not to the market

but to expiate the oath.--This, replied Noor-ed-Deen, is the right

counsel. So the broker returned into the midst of the market, and,

taking hold of the hand of the slave-girl, made a sign to the Wezeer

El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee, saying, O my lord, this is her owner who

hath just come. Then 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen advanced to the broker, and tore

the damsel from him, and struck her with his hand, saying to her, Wo to

thee! I have brought thee to the market for the sake of expiating my

oath. Go home, and disobey me not again. I want not thy price, that I

should sell thee; and if I sold the furniture of the house and

everything else of the kind over and over again, their produce would not

amount to thy price.--But when El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee beheld

Noor-ed-Deen, he said to him, Wo to thee! Hast thou anything left to be

sold or bought?--And he would have laid violent hands upon him. The

merchants then looked towards Noor-ed-Deen (and they all loved him), and

he said to them, Here am I before you, and ye have all known his

tyranny.--By Allah, exclaimed the Wezeer, were it not for you, I had

killed him! Then all of them made signs, one to another, with the eye,

and said, Not one of us will interfere between thee and him. And upon

this, 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen went up to the Wezeer, the son of Sáwee (and

Noor-ed-Deen was a man of courage), and he dragged the Wezeer from his

saddle, and threw him upon the ground. There was at that spot a

kneading-place for mud,[VI_16] and the Wezeer fell into the midst

of it, and Noor-ed-Deen beat him with his fist, and a blow fell upon his

teeth, by which his beard became dyed with his blood. Now there were

with the Wezeer ten memlooks, and when they saw Noor-ed-Deen treat their

master in this manner, they put their hands upon the hilts of their

swords, and would have fallen upon him and cut him in pieces; but the

people said to them, This is a Wezeer, and this is the son of a Wezeer,

and perhaps they may make peace with each other, and ye will incur the

anger of both of them; or perhaps a blow may fall upon your master, and

ye will all of you die the most ignominious of deaths: it is advisable,

therefore, that ye interfere not between them.--And when 'Alee

Noor-ed-Deen had ceased from beating the Wezeer, he took his slave-girl,

and returned to his house.

[Illustration]

The Wezeer, the son of Sáwee, then immediately arose, and his dress,

which before was white, was now dyed with three colours, the colour of

mud, and the colour of blood, and the colour of ashes;[VI_17] and

when he beheld himself in this condition, he took a round

mat,[VI_18] and hung it to his neck, and took in his hand two

bundles of coarse grass,[VI_19] and went and stood beneath the

palace of the Sulṭán, and cried out, O King of the age! I am

oppressed!--So they brought him before the King, who looked at him

attentively, and saw that he was his Wezeer, El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee.

He said, therefore, Who hath done thus unto thee?--and the Wezeer cried

and moaned, and repeated these two verses:--

Shall fortune oppress me while thou existest; and the dogs devour me

when thou art a lion?

Shall all else who are dry drink freely from thy tanks, and I thirst

in thine asylum when thou art as rain?

--O my lord, he continued, thus is every one who loveth thee and serveth

thee: these afflictions always befall him.--And who, said the King

again, hath done thus unto thee?--Know, answered the Wezeer, that I went

forth to-day to the market of the female slaves with the idea of buying

a cook-maid, and saw in the market a slave-girl the like of whom I had

never in my life beheld, and the broker said that she belonged to 'Alee

Noor-ed-Deen. Now our lord the Sulṭán had given his father ten thousand

pieces of gold to buy for him with it a beautiful female slave, and he

bought that girl, and she pleased him; so he gave her to his son; and

when his father died, the son pursued the path of prodigality, until he

sold all his houses and gardens and utensils; and when he had become a

bankrupt, nothing else remaining in his possession, he took the

slave-girl to the market to sell her, and delivered her to the broker:

so he cried her for sale, and the merchants continued bidding for her

until her price amounted to four thousand pieces of gold; whereupon I

said to myself, I will buy this for our lord the Sulṭán; for her

original price was from him. I therefore said, O my son, receive her

price, four thousand pieces of gold. But when he heard my words, he

looked at me and replied, O ill-omened old man! I will sell her to the

Jews and the Christians rather than to thee.--I then said to him, I

would not buy her for myself, but for our lord the Sulṭán, who is our

benefactor. As soon, however, as he had heard these words from me, he

was filled with rage, and dragged me and threw me down from the horse,

notwithstanding my advanced age, and beat me, and ceased not to do so

until he left me in the state in which thou seest me. Nothing exposed me

to all this ill treatment but my coming to purchase this slave-girl for

your majesty.--The Wezeer then threw himself upon the ground, and lay

weeping and trembling.

Now when the Sulṭán beheld his condition, and had heard his speech, the

vein of anger swelled between his eyes, and he looked towards the

members of his court who were attending him; whereupon forty swordsmen

stood before him, and he said to them, Descend immediately to the house

of 'Alee the son of El-Faḍl the son of Kháḳán, and plunder it and

demolish it, and bring hither him and the slave-girl with their hands

bound behind them: drag them along upon their faces, and so bring them

before me. They replied, We hear and obey:--and went forth to repair to

the house of 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen. But there was in the court of the

Sulṭán a chamberlain named 'Alam-ed-Deen Senjer, who had been one of the

memlooks of El-Faḍl the son of Kháḳán, the father of 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen;

and when he heard the order of the Sulṭán, and saw the enemies prepared

to slay his master's son, it was insupportable to him; so he mounted his

horse, and proceeded to the house of 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, and knocked at

the door. Noor-ed-Deen came forth to him, and, when he saw him, knew

him, and would have saluted him; but he said, O my master, this is not a

time for salutation, nor for talking. Noor-ed-Deen said, O

'Alam-ed-Deen, what is the news? He replied, Save thyself by flight,

thou and the slave-girl; for El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee hath set up a

snare for you, and if ye fall into his hands he will slay you: the

Sulṭán hath sent to you forty swordsmen, and it is my advice that ye fly

before the evil fall upon you. Then Senjer stretched forth his hand to

Noor-ed-Deen with some pieces of gold, and he counted them, and found

them to be forty pieces; and he said, O my master, receive these, and if

I had with me more, I would give it thee: but this is not a time for

expostulating. And upon this, Noor-ed-Deen went in to the damsel, and

acquainted her with the occurrence, and she was confounded.

The two then went forth immediately from the city, and God let down the

veil of his protection upon them, and they proceeded to the bank of the

river, where they found a vessel ready to sail: the master was standing

in the midst of it, and saying, He who hath anything to do, whether

leave-taking or procuring provisions, or who hath forgotten aught, let

him do what he desireth and return; for we are going. And they all

replied, We have nothing remaining to do, O master. So, upon this, the

master said to his crew, Quick! Loose the rope's end, and pull up the

stake.[VI_20]--And 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen exclaimed, Whither, O master?

He answered, To the Abode of Peace, Baghdád. And Noor-ed-Deen embarked,

and the damsel with him, and they set the vessel afloat, and spread the

sails, and it shot along like a bird with its pair of wings, carrying

them forward with a favourable wind.

Meanwhile, the forty men whom the Sulṭán had sent came to the house of

'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, and broke open the doors and entered, and searched

all the chambers, but without success; so they demolished the house, and

returned, and acquainted the Sulṭán, who said, Search for them in every

place where they may be:--and they replied, We hear and obey. The Wezeer

El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee then descended to his house, after the Sulṭán

had invested him with a robe of honour, and had said to him, None shall

take vengeance for thee but myself. And he greeted the King with a

prayer for long life, and his heart was set at ease: and the Sulṭán gave

orders to proclaim throughout the city, O all ye people! our lord the

Sulṭán hath commanded that whoever shall meet with 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen,

and bring him to the Sulṭán, shall be invested with a robe of honour,

and he will give him a thousand pieces of gold; and he who shall conceal

him, or know where he is, and not give information thereof, will merit

the exemplary punishment that shall befall him! So all the people began

to search for him; but could not trace him.--Such was the case with

these people.

Now as to 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen and his slave, they arrived in safety at

Baghdád, and the master of the vessel said to them, This is Baghdád, and

it is a city of security: winter with its cold hath departed from it,

and the spring-quarter hath come with its roses, and its trees are in

blossom, and its waters are flowing. And upon this, 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen

landed with his slave-girl, and gave the master five pieces of gold.

They then walked a little way, and destiny cast them among the gardens,

and they came to a place which they found swept and sprinkled, with long

maṣṭabahs, and pots suspended filled with water, and over it was a

covering of trellis-work of canes extending along the whole length of a

lane, at the upper end of which was the gate of a garden; but this was

shut. And Noor-ed-Deen said to the damsel, By Allah, this is a pleasant

place!--and she replied, O my master, let us sit down a while upon one

of these maṣṭabahs. So they mounted and seated themselves there, and

they washed their faces and hands, and enjoyed the current of the

zephyr, and slept.--Glory be to Him who sleepeth not!

[Illustration]

This garden was called the Garden of Delight, and in it was a palace

called the Palace of Diversion, and it belonged to the Khaleefeh Hároon

Er-Rasheed, who, when his heart was contracted, used to come to this

garden, and enter the palace above mentioned, and there sit. The palace

had eighty latticed windows, and eighty lamps were suspended in it, and

in the midst of it was a great candlestick of gold; and when the

Khaleefeh entered it, he commanded the female slaves to open the

windows, and ordered Is-ḥáḳ the cup-companion to sing with them: so his

heart became dilated, and his anxiety ceased. There was a superintendent

to the garden, an old man, named the sheykh Ibráheem; and it happened

that he went forth once to transact some business, and found there

persons diverting themselves with women of suspicious character,

whereupon he was violently enraged, and having waited until the

Khaleefeh came thither some days after, he acquainted him with this

occurrence, and the Khaleefeh said, Whomsoever thou shalt find at the

gate of the garden, do with him what thou wilt. Now on this day the

sheykh Ibráheem went out to transact an affair of business, and found

the two sleeping at the garden-gate covered with a single izár; and he

said, Do not these two persons know that the Khaleefeh hath given me

permission to kill every one whom I find here? But I will only give

these two a slight beating, that no one may again approach the gate of

the garden. He then cut a green palm-stick, and went forth to them, and

raised his hand until the whiteness of his arm-pit appeared, and was

about to beat them; but he reflected in his mind, and said, O Ibráheem,

how shouldst thou beat them when thou knowest not their case? They may

be two strangers, or of the children of the road,[VI_21] whom

destiny hath cast here. I will therefore uncover their faces, and look

at them.--So he lifted up the izár from their faces, and said, These are

two handsome persons, and it is not proper that I should beat them. And

he covered their faces again, and, approaching the foot of 'Alee

Noor-ed-Deen, began to rub it gently;[VI_22] whereupon Noor-ed-Deen

opened his eyes, and saw that he was an old man; and he blushed, and

drew in his feet, and, sitting up, took the hand of the sheykh Ibráheem

and kissed it; and the sheykh said to him, O my son, whence are ye?--O

my master, he answered, we are strangers.--And a tear gushed from his

eye. The sheykh Ibráheem then said to him, O my son, know that the

Prophet (God bless and save him!) hath enjoined generosity to the

stranger. Wilt thou not arise, O my son, and enter the garden, and

divert thyself in it, that thy heart may be dilated?--O my master, said

Noor-ed-Deen, to whom doth this garden belong? The sheykh answered, O my

son, this garden I inherited from my family. And his design in saying

this was only that they might feel themselves at ease, and enter the

garden. And when Noor-ed-Deen heard his words, he thanked him, and

arose, together with his slave, and, the sheykh Ibráheem preceding them,

they entered the garden.

The gate was arched, and over it were vines with grapes of different

colours; the red, like rubies; and the black, like ebony. They entered a

bower, and found within it fruits growing in clusters and singly, and

the birds were warbling their various notes upon the branches: the

nightingale was pouring forth its melodious sounds; and the turtle-dove

filled the place with its cooing; and the blackbird, in its singing,

resembled a human being; and the ring-dove, a person exhilarated by

wine. The fruits upon the trees, comprising every description that was

good to eat, had ripened; and there were two of each kind: there were

the camphor-apricot, and the almond-apricot, and the apricot of

Khurásán; the plum of a colour like the complexion of beauties; the

cherry delighting the sense of every man; the red, the white, and the

green fig, of the most beautiful colours; and flowers like pearls and

coral; the rose, whose redness put to shame the cheeks of the lovely;

the violet, like sulphur in contact with fire; the myrtle, the

gilliflower, the lavender, and the anemone; and their leaves were

bespangled with the tears of the clouds; the chamomile smiled,

displaying its teeth, and the narcissus looked at the rose with its

negroes' eyes; the citrons resembled round cups; the limes were like

bullets of gold; the ground was carpeted with flowers of every colour,

and the place beamed with the charms of spring; the river murmured by

while the birds sang, and the wind whistled among the trees; the season

was temperate, and the zephyr was languishing.

[Illustration]

The sheykh Ibráheem conducted them into the elevated saloon,[VI_23]

and they were charmed with its beauty and the extraordinary elegances

which it displayed, and seated themselves in one of the windows; and

Noor-ed-Deen, reflecting upon his past entertainments, exclaimed, By

Allah, this place is most delightful! It hath reminded me of past

events, and quenched in me an anguish like the fire of the

ghaḍà.[VI_24]--The sheykh Ibráheem then brought to them some food,

and they ate to satisfaction, and washed their hands, and Noor-ed-Deen,

seating himself again in one of the windows, called to his slave, and

she came to him; and they sat gazing at the trees laden with all kinds

of fruits; after which, Noor-ed-Deen looked towards the sheykh, and said

to him, O sheykh Ibráheem, hast thou not any beverage? For people drink

after eating.--So the sheykh brought him some sweet and cold water: but

Noor-ed-Deen said, This is not the beverage I desire.--Dost thou want

wine? asked the sheykh.--Yes, answered Noor-ed-Deen. The sheykh

exclaimed, I seek refuge with Allah from it! Verily, for thirteen years

I have done nothing of that kind; for the Prophet (God bless and save

him!) cursed its drinker and its presser and its carrier.--Hear from me

two words, said Noor-ed-Deen. The sheykh replied, Say what thou wilt. So

he said, If thou be neither the presser of the wine, nor its drinker,

nor its carrier, will aught of the curse fall upon thee? The sheykh

answered, No.--Then take this piece of gold, rejoined Noor-ed-Deen, and

these two pieces of silver, and mount the ass, and halt at a distance

from the place, and whatsoever man thou findest to buy it, call to him,

and say to him, take these two pieces of silver, and with this piece of

gold buy some wine, and place it upon the ass:--so, in this case, thou

wilt be neither the carrier, nor the presser, nor the buyer; and nothing

will befall thee of that which befalleth the rest.

The sheykh Ibráheem, after laughing at his words, replied, By Allah, I

have never seen one more witty than thou, nor heard speech more sweet.

And Noor-ed-Deen said to him, We have become dependant upon thee, and

thou hast nothing to do but to comply with our wishes: bring us,

therefore, all that we require.--O my son, said the sheykh, my buttery

here is before thee (and it was the store-room furnished for the Prince

of the Faithful): enter it then, and take from it what thou wilt; for it

containeth more than thou desirest. So Noor-ed-Deen entered the

store-room, and beheld in it vessels of gold and silver and crystal,

adorned with a variety of jewels; and he took out such of them as he

desired, and poured the wine into the vessels of earthenware and bottles

of glass; and he and the damsel began to drink, astonished at the beauty

of the things which they beheld. The sheykh Ibráheem then brought to

them sweet-scented flowers, and seated himself at a distance from them;

and they continued drinking, in a state of the utmost delight, until the

wine took effect upon them, and their cheeks reddened, and their eyes

wantoned like those of the gazelle, and their hair hung

down:[VI_25] whereupon the sheykh Ibráheem said, What aileth me

that I am sitting at a distance from them? Why should I not sit by

them? And when shall I be in the company of such as these two, who are

like two moons?--He then advanced, and seated himself at the edge of the

raised portion of the floor; and Noor-ed-Deen said to him, O my master,

by my life I conjure thee to approach and join us. So he went to them;

and Noor-ed-Deen filled a cup, and, looking at the sheykh, said to him,

Drink, that thou mayest know how delicious is its flavour. But the

sheykh Ibráheem exclaimed, I seek refuge with Allah! Verily, for

thirteen years I have done nothing of that kind.--And Noor-ed-Deen,

feigning to pay no attention to him, drank the cup, and threw himself

upon the ground, pretending that intoxication had overcome him.

[Illustration]

Upon this, Enees-el-Jelees looked towards the sheykh, and said to him, O

sheykh Ibráheem, see how this man hath treated me.--O my mistress, said

he, what aileth him? She rejoined, Always doth he treat me thus: he

drinketh a while, and then sleepeth, and I remain alone, and find no one

to keep me company over my cup. If I drink, who will serve me? And if I

sing, who will hear me?--The sheykh, moved with tenderness and affection

for her by her words, replied, It is not proper that a cup-companion be

thus. The damsel then filled a cup, and, looking at the sheykh Ibráheem,

said to him, I conjure thee, by my life that thou take it and drink it;

reject it not, but accept it, and refresh my heart. So he stretched

forth his hand, and took the cup, and drank it; and she filled for

him a second time, and handed it to him, saying, O my master, this

remaineth for thee. He replied, By Allah, I cannot drink it: that

which I have drunk is enough for me. But she said, By Allah, it is

indispensable:--and he took the cup, and drank it. She then gave him the

third; and he took it, and was about to drink it, when, lo, Noor-ed-Deen

raised himself, and said to him, O sheykh Ibráheem, what is this? Did I

not conjure thee a while ago, and thou refusedst, and saidst, Verily,

for thirteen years I have not done it?--The sheykh Ibráheem, touched

with shame, replied, By Allah, I am not in fault; for she pressed me.

And Noor-ed-Deen laughed, and they resumed their carousal, and the

damsel, turning her eyes towards her master, said to him, O my master,

drink thou, and do not urge the sheykh Ibráheem; that I may divert thee

with the sight of him. So she began to fill and to hand to her master,

and her master filled and gave to her, and thus they continued to do,

time after time; till at length the sheykh Ibráheem looked towards them

and said, What meaneth this? And what sort of carousal is this?

Wherefore do ye not give me to drink, since I have become your

cup-companion?--At this they both laughed until they became almost

senseless; and then drank, and gave him to drink; and they continued

thus until the expiration of a third of the night, when the damsel said,

O sheykh Ibráheem, with thy permission shall I rise and light one of the

candles which are arranged here?--Rise, he answered; but light not more

than one candle. But she sprang upon her feet, and, beginning with the

first candle, proceeded until she had lighted eighty. She then sat down

again; and presently Noor-ed-Deen said, O sheykh Ibráheem, in what

favour am I held with thee? Wilt thou not allow me to light one of these

lamps?--The sheykh answered, Arise, and light one lamp, and be not thou

also troublesome. So he arose, and, beginning with the first lamp,

lighted all the eighty; and the saloon seemed to dance. And after this,

the sheykh Ibráheem, overcome by intoxication, said to them, Ye are more

frolicksome than I:--and he sprang upon his feet, and opened all the

windows, and sat down again with them, and they continued carousing and

reciting verses; and the place rang with their merriment.

Now God, the All-seeing and All-knowing, who hath appointed a cause to

every event, had decreed that the Khaleefeh should be sitting that night

at one of the windows looking towards the Tigris, by moonlight; and he

looked in that direction, and saw the light of lamps and candles

reflected in the river, and, turning his eyes up towards the palace in

the garden, he beheld it beaming with those candles and lamps, and

exclaimed, Bring hither to me Jaạfar El-Barmekee! In the twinkling of an

eye, Jaạfar stood before the Prince of the Faithful; and the Khaleefeh

said to him, O dog of Wezeers, dost thou serve me and not acquaint me

with what happeneth in the city of Baghdád?--What, asked Jaạfar, is the

occasion of these words? The Khaleefeh answered, If the city of Baghdád

were not taken from me, the Palace of Diversion were not enlivened with

the light of the lamps and candles, and its windows were not opened. Wo

to thee! Who could do these things unless the office of Khaleefeh were

taken from me?--Who, said Jaạfar (the muscles of his side quivering

from fear), informed thee that the lamps and candles were lighted in the

Palace of Diversion, and that its windows were opened? The Khaleefeh

replied, Advance hither to me, and look. So Jaạfar approached the

Khaleefeh, and, looking towards the garden, beheld the palace as it were

a flame of fire, its light surpassing that of the moon. He desired,

therefore, to make an excuse for the sheykh Ibráheem, the

superintendent, thinking, from what he beheld, that the event might have

occurred through his permission: and accordingly he said, O Prince of

the Faithful, the sheykh Ibráheem last week said to me, O my master

Jaạfar, I am desirous of entertaining my children during my life and the

life of the Prince of the Faithful.--And what, said I, is thy design in

saying this? He answered, It is my wish that thou wouldst obtain for me

permission from the Khaleefeh that I may celebrate the circumcision of

my sons in the palace. So I said, Do what thou wilt with respect to the

entertainment of thy sons, and, if God will, I shall have an interview

with the Khaleefeh, and will acquaint him with it. And he left me thus;

and I forgot to acquaint thee.--O Jaạfar, said the Khaleefeh, thou wast

guilty of one offence against me, and then thine offence became two: for

thou hast erred in two points: the first, thy not acquainting me with

this affair; and the second, thy not accomplishing the desire of the

sheykh Ibráheem; for he did not come to thee and address thee with these

words but to hint a request for some money by the aid of which to effect

his design, and thou neither gavest him anything nor acquaintedst me

that I might give him.--O Prince of the Faithful, replied Jaạfar, I

forgot.

[Illustration]

The Khaleefeh then said, By my forefathers, I will not pass the

remainder of my night but with him, for he is a just man, who

frequenteth the sheykhs,[VI_26] and attendeth to the poor, and

favoureth the indigent; and I imagine all his acquaintances are with him

this night; so I must repair to him: perhaps one of them may offer up

for us a prayer productive of good to us in this world and the next; and

probably some advantage may accrue to him from my presence, and he will

receive pleasure from this, together with his friends.--O Prince of the

Faithful, replied Jaạfar, the greater part of the night hath passed, and

they are now about to disperse. But the Khaleefeh said, We must go to

them. And Jaạfar was silent, and was perplexed in his mind, not knowing

what to do. So the Khaleefeh rose upon his feet, and Jaạfar rose and

preceded him, and Mesroor the eunuch went with them. The three walked on

reflecting, and, departing from the palace, proceeded through the

streets, in the attire of merchants; until they arrived at the gate of

the garden above mentioned; and the Khaleefeh, approaching it, found it

open; and he was surprised, and said, See, O Jaạfar, how the sheykh

Ibráheem hath left the gate open until this hour, which is not his usual

custom. They then entered, and came to the end of the garden, where they

stopped beneath the palace; and the Khaleefeh said, O Jaạfar, I desire

to take a view of them secretly before I go up to them, that I may see

how the sheykhs are occupied in the dispensing of their blessings and

the employment of their miraculous powers; for they have qualities which

distinguish them both in their private retirements and in their public

exercises; and now we hear not their voices, nor discover any indication

of their presence. Having thus said, he looked around, and, seeing a

tall walnut tree, he said, O Jaạfar, I would climb this tree (for its

branches are near to the windows) and look at them. And accordingly he

ascended the tree, and climbed from branch to branch until he came to

that which was opposite to one of the windows, and there he sat, and,

looking in through this window of the palace, beheld a damsel and a

young man, like two moons (extolled be the perfection of Him who created

them!); and he saw the sheykh Ibráheem sitting with a cup in his hand,

and saying, O mistress of beauties, drinking unaccompanied by merry

sounds is not pleasant. Hast thou not heard the saying of the poet?--

Circulate it in the large cup, and in the small; and receive it

from the hand of the shining moon:[VI_27]

And drink not without merry sounds; for I have observed that

horses drink to the sound of whistling.

When the Khaleefeh witnessed this conduct of the sheykh Ibráheem, the

vein of anger swelled between his eyes, and he descended, and said, O

Jaạfar, I have never seen anything of the miraculous performances of the

just such as I have beheld this night: ascend, therefore, thyself also,

into this tree, and look, lest the blessings of the just escape

thee.[VI_28]--On hearing the words of the Prince of the Faithful,

Jaạfar was perplexed at his situation; and he climbed up into the tree,

and looked, and saw Noor-ed-Deen and the sheykh Ibráheem and the damsel,

and the sheykh Ibráheem had the cup in his hand. As soon as he beheld

this, he made sure of destruction; and he descended, and stood before

the Prince of the Faithful, and the Khaleefeh said, O Jaạfar, praise be

to God who hath made us to be of the number of those who follow the

external ordinances of the holy law, and averted from us the sin of

disguising ourselves by the practice of hypocrisy! But Jaạfar was unable

to reply, from his excessive confusion. The Khaleefeh then looked

towards him, and said, Who can have brought these persons hither, and

admitted them into my palace? But the like of this young man and this

damsel, in beauty and loveliness and symmetry of form, mine eye hath

never beheld.--Jaạfar, now conceiving a hope that the Khaleefeh might be

propitiated, replied, Thou hast spoken truly, O Prince of the Faithful.

And the Khaleefeh said, O Jaạfar, climb up with us upon this branch

which is opposite them, that we may amuse ourselves by observing them.

So they both climbed up into the tree, and, looking at them, heard the

sheykh Ibráheem say, O my mistress, I have relinquished decorum by the

drinking of wine; but the pleasure of this is not complete without the

melodious sounds of stringed instruments.--O sheykh Ibráheem, replied

Enees-el-Jelees, by Allah, if we had any musical instrument, our

happiness were perfect. And when the sheykh Ibráheem heard her words, he

rose upon his feet.--The Khaleefeh said to Jaạfar, What may he be going

to do? Jaạfar replied, I know not.--And the sheykh Ibráheem went away,

and returned with a lute; and the Khaleefeh, looking attentively at it,

saw that it was the lute of Is-ḥáḳ, the cup-companion; and said, By

Allah, if this damsel sing not well, I will crucify you all; but if she

sing well, I will pardon them, and crucify thee. So Jaạfar said, O

Allah, let her not sing well!--Why? asked the Khaleefeh.--That thou

mayest crucify all of us, answered Jaạfar; and then we shall cheer one

another by conversation. And the Khaleefeh laughed: and the damsel took

the lute, and tuned its strings, and played upon it in a manner that

would melt iron, and inspire an idiot with intellect; after which she

sang with such sweetness that the Khaleefeh exclaimed, O Jaạfar, never

in my life have I heard so enchanting a voice as this!--Perhaps, said

Jaạfar, the anger of the Khaleefeh hath departed from him?--Yea, he

answered; it hath departed. He then descended with Jaạfar from the tree,

and, looking towards him, said, I am desirous of going up to them, to

sit with them, and to hear the damsel sing before me.--O Prince of the

Faithful, replied Jaạfar, if thou go up to them, probably they will be

troubled by thy presence; and as to the sheykh Ibráheem, he will

assuredly die of fear. The Khaleefeh therefore said, O Jaạfar, thou must

acquaint me with some stratagem by means of which I may learn the truth

of the affair without their knowing that I have discovered them. And he

and Jaạfar walked towards the Tigris, reflecting upon this matter; and

lo, a fisherman stood beneath the windows of the palace, and he threw

his net, hoping to catch something by means of which to obtain his

subsistence.--Now the Khaleefeh had, on a former occasion, called to the

sheykh Ibráheem, and said to him, What was that noise that I heard

beneath the windows of the palace?--and he answered, The voices of the

fishermen, who are fishing:--so he said, Go down and forbid them from

coming to this place. They were therefore forbidden to come thither; but

this night there came a fisherman named Kereem, and, seeing the

garden-gate open, he said within himself, This is a time of

inadvertence, and perhaps I may catch some fish on this occasion:--so he

took his net, and threw it into the river, and then recited some verses,

contrasting the condition of the poor fisherman, toiling throughout the

night, with that of the lord of the palace, who, awaking from a pleasant

slumber, findeth the fawn in his possession; and as soon as he had

finished his recitation, lo, the Khaleefeh, unattended, stood at his

head. The Khaleefeh knew him, and exclaimed, O Kereem!--and the

fisherman, hearing him call him by his name, turned towards him; and

when he beheld the Khaleefeh, the muscles of his side quivered, and he

said, By Allah, O Prince of the Faithful, I did not this in mockery of

the mandate; but poverty and the wants of my family impelled me to the

act of which thou art witness. The Khaleefeh replied, Throw thy net for

my luck. And the fisherman advanced, rejoicing exceedingly, and cast the

net, and, having waited until it had attained its limit and become

steady at the bottom, drew it in again, and there came up in it a

variety of fish that could not be numbered.

[Illustration]

The Khaleefeh was delighted at this, and said, O Kereem, strip off thy

clothes:--and he did so. He was clad in a jubbeh[VI_29] in which

were a hundred patches of coarse woollen stuff, containing vermin of the

most abominable kind, and among them fleas in such numbers that he might

almost have been transported by their means over the face of the earth;

and he took from his head a turban which for three years he had never

unwound; but when he happened to find a piece of rag he twisted it

around it: and when he had taken off the jubbeh and turban, the

Khaleefeh pulled off from his own person two vests of silk of Alexandria

and Baạlabekk, and a melwaṭah[VI_30] and a farajeeyeh,[VI_31]

and said to the fisherman, Take these, and put them on. The Khaleefeh

then put on himself the fisherman's jubbeh and turban, and, having drawn

a lithám[VI_32] over his face, said to the fisherman, Go about thy

business;--and he kissed the feet of the Khaleefeh, and thanked him,

reciting these two verses:--

Thou hast granted me favours beyond my power to acknowledge,

and completely satisfied all my wants.

I will thank thee, therefore, as long as I live; and when I die,

my bones will thank thee in their grave.[VI_33]

But scarcely had he finished his verses, when the vermin overran the

person of the Khaleefeh, and he began to seize them with his right hand

and his left from his neck, and to throw them down; and he exclaimed, O

fisherman, wo to thee! What are these abundant vermin in this jubbeh?--O

my lord, he answered, at present they torment thee; but when a week

shall have passed over thee, thou wilt not feel them, nor think of them.

The Khaleefeh laughed, and said to him, How can I suffer this jubbeh to

remain upon me? The fisherman replied, I wish to tell thee something;

but I am ashamed, through my awe of the Khaleefeh. Impart, said the

Khaleefeh, what thou hast to tell me. So he said to him, It hath

occurred to my mind, O Prince of the Faithful, that thou desirest to

learn the art of fishing, in order that thou mayest be master of a trade

that may profit thee; and if such be thy desire, this jubbeh is suitable

to thee. And the Khaleefeh laughed at his words.

The fisherman then went his way, and the Khaleefeh took the basket of

fish, and, having put upon it a little grass, went with it to Jaạfar,

and stood before him; and Jaạfar, thinking that he was Kereem the

fisherman, feared for him, and said, O Kereem, what brought thee hither?

Save thyself by flight; for the Khaleefeh is here this night.--And when

the Khaleefeh heard the words of Jaạfar, he laughed until he fell down

upon his back. So Jaạfar said, Perhaps thou art our lord the Prince of

the Faithful?--Yes, O Jaạfar, answered the Khaleefeh, and thou art my

Wezeer, and I came with thee hither, and thou knowest me not. How then

should the sheykh Ibráheem know me when he is drunk? Remain where thou

art until I return to thee.--Jaạfar replied, I hear and obey:--and the

Khaleefeh advanced to the door of the palace, and knocked. The sheykh

Ibráheem arose, therefore, and said, Who is at the door? He answered, I,

O sheykh Ibráheem. The sheykh said, Who art thou?--and the Khaleefeh

answered, I am Kereem the fisherman: I heard that there were guests with

thee, and have therefore brought thee some fish; for it is

excellent.--Now Noor-ed-Deen and the damsel were both fond of fish, and

when they heard the mention of it they rejoiced exceedingly, and said, O

my master, open to him, and let him come in to us with the fish which he

hath brought. So the sheykh Ibráheem opened the door, and the Khaleefeh,

in his fisherman's disguise, entered, and began by salutation; and the

sheykh Ibráheem said to him, Welcome to the robber, the thief, the

gambler! Come hither, and shew us the fish which thou hast brought.--He

therefore shewed it to them; and lo, it was alive, and moving; and the

damsel exclaimed, By Allah, O my master, this fish is excellent! I wish

it were fried!--By Allah, said the sheykh Ibráheem, thou hast spoken

truth. Then, addressing the Khaleefeh, he said, O fisherman, I wish thou

hadst brought this fish fried. Arise, and fry it for us, and bring

it.--On the head be thy commands, replied the Khaleefeh: I will fry it,

and bring it.--Be quick, said they, in doing it.

The Khaleefeh therefore arose and ran back to Jaạfar, and said, O

Jaạfar, they want the fish fried.--O Prince of the Faithful, replied he,

give it me, and I will fry it. But the Khaleefeh said, By the tombs of

my ancestors, none shall fry it but myself; with my own hand will I do

it! He then repaired to the hut of the superintendent, and, searching

there, found in it everything that he required, the frying-pan, and even

the salt, and wild marjoram, and other things. So he approached the

fire-place, and put on the frying-pan, and fried it nicely; and when it

was done, he put it upon a banana-leaf, and having taken from the garden

some limes, he went up with the fish, and placed it before them. The

young man, therefore, and the damsel and the sheykh Ibráheem advanced

and ate; and when they had finished, they washed their hands, and

Noor-ed-Deen said, By Allah, O fisherman, thou hast done us a kindness

this night. Then putting his hand into his pocket, he took forth for him

three pieces of gold, of those which Senjer had presented to him when he

was setting forth on his journey, and said, O fisherman, excuse me; for,

by Allah, if I had known thee before the events that have lately

happened to me, I would have extracted the bitterness of poverty from

thy heart: but take this as accordant with my present circumstances. So

saying, he threw the pieces of gold to the Khaleefeh, who took them, and

kissed them,[VI_34] and put them in his pocket. The object of the

Khaleefeh in doing this was only that he might hear the damsel sing: so

he said to him, Thou hast treated me with beneficence, and abundantly

recompensed me; but I beg of thy unbounded indulgence that this damsel

may sing an air, that I may hear her. Noor-ed-Deen therefore said, O

Enees-el-Jelees! She replied, Yes.--By my life, said he, sing to us

something for the gratification of this fisherman; for he desireth to

hear thee. And when she had heard what her master said, she took the

lute, and tried it with her fingers, after she had twisted its pegs, and

sang to it these two verses:--

The fingers of many a fawn-like damsel have played upon the lute,

and the soul hath been ravished by the touch.

She hath made the deaf to hear her songs; and the dumb hath exclaimed,

Thou hast excelled in thy singing!

[Illustration]

Then she played again, in an extraordinary manner, so as to charm the

minds of her hearers, and sang the following couplet:--

We are honoured by your visiting our abode, and your splendour

hath dispelled the darkness of the moonless night:

It is therefore incumbent upon me to perfume my dwelling with musk

and rose-water and camphor.

Upon this, the Khaleefeh was affected with violent emotion, and overcome

by ecstasy, so that he was no longer master of himself from excessive

delight; and he began to exclaim, Allah approve thee! Allah approve

thee! Allah approve thee! So Noor-ed-Deen said to him, O fisherman, have

the damsel and her art in striking the chords pleased thee?--Yea, by

Allah! exclaimed the Khaleefeh. And Noor-ed-Deen immediately said, She

is bestowed upon thee as a present from me, the present of a generous

man who will not revoke his gift. And he rose upon his feet, and took a

melwaṭah, and threw it upon the Khaleefeh in the fisherman's disguise,

ordering him to depart with the damsel. But she looked towards him, and

said, O my master, wilt thou part from me without bidding me farewell?

If we must be separated, pause while I take leave of thee.--And she

recited the following couplet:--

If you depart from me, still your abode will be in my heart,

in the recess of my bosom.

I implore the Compassionate to grant our reunion; and a boon

such as this, God will grant to whom He pleaseth.

And when she had finished, Noor-ed-Deen thus replied to her:--

She bade me farewell on the day of separation, saying, while

she wept from the pain that it occasioned,

What wilt thou do after my departure?--Say this, I replied,

unto him who will survive it.

The Khaleefeh, when he heard this, was distressed at the thought of

separating them, and, looking towards the young man, he said to him, O

my master, art thou in fear on account of any crime, or art thou in debt

to any one? Noor-ed-Deen answered, By Allah, O fisherman, a wonderful

event, and an extraordinary adventure, happened to me and this damsel:

if it were engraved on the understanding, it would be a lesson to him

who would be admonished.--Wilt thou not, rejoined the Khaleefeh, relate

to us thy story, and acquaint us with thy case? Perhaps thy doing so may

be productive of relief; for the relief of God is near.--So Noor-ed-Deen

said, Wilt thou hear our story in poetry or in prose?--Prose, answered

the Khaleefeh, is mere talk; and verse, words put together like pearls.

And Noor-ed-Deen hung down his head towards the ground, and then related

his story in a series of verses: but when he had finished, the Khaleefeh

begged him to explain his case more fully. He therefore acquainted him

with the whole of his circumstances from beginning to end; and when the

Khaleefeh understood the affair, he said to him, Whither wouldst thou

now repair? He answered, God's earth is wide. The Khaleefeh then said to

him, I will write for thee a letter which thou shalt convey to the

Sulṭán Moḥammad the son of Suleymán Ez-Zeynee, and when he shall have

read it, he will do thee no injury.--Is there in the world, said

Noor-ed-Deen, a fisherman who correspondeth with Kings? Verily this is a

thing that can never be.--Thou hast spoken truly, rejoined the

Khaleefeh; but I will acquaint thee with the cause. Know that I read in

the same school with him, under a master, and I was his monitor; and

after that, prosperity was his lot, and he became a Sulṭán, while God

made me to be a fisherman: yet I have never sent to request anything of

him, but he hath performed my wish; and if I sent to him every day to

request a thousand things of him, he would do what I asked. When

Noor-ed-Deen, therefore, heard his words, he said to him, Write, that I

may see. And he took an inkhorn and a pen, and wrote (after the phrase,

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful).--To proceed.--This

letter is from Hároon Er-Rasheed the son of El-Mahdee, to his highness

Moḥammad the son of Suleymán Ez-Zeynee, who hath been encompassed by my

beneficence, and whom I constituted my viceroy of a portion of my

dominions. I acquaint thee that the bearer of this letter is

Noor-ed-Deen the son of El-Faḍl the son of Kháḳán the Wezeer, and on his

arrival in thy presence thou shalt divest thyself of the regal

authority, and seat him in thy place; for I have appointed him to the

office to which I formerly appointed thee: so disobey not my commands:

and peace be on thee.--He then gave the letter to 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen,

who took it and kissed it and put it in his turban, and immediately set

forth on his journey.

The sheykh Ibráheem now looked towards the Khaleefeh in his fisherman's

disguise, and said to him, O most contemptible of fishermen, thou hast

brought us two fish worth twenty half-dirhems,[VI_35] and received

three pieces of gold, and desirest to take the slave also. But when the

Khaleefeh heard these words, he cried out at him, and made a sign to

Mesroor, who immediately discovered himself, and rushed in upon him.

Jaạfar, meanwhile, had sent one of the attendants of the garden to the

porter of the palace to demand a suit of clothing of him for the Prince

of the Faithful; and the man went, and brought the dress, and kissed the

ground before the Khaleefeh, who took off and gave to him that with

which he was then clad, and put on this suit. The sheykh Ibráheem was

sitting on a chair: the Khaleefeh paused to see the result: and the

sheykh was astounded, and began to bite the ends of his fingers through

his confusion, saying, Am I asleep or awake? The Khaleefeh then looked

at him, and said, O sheykh Ibráheem, what is this predicament in which

thou art placed? And upon this, the sheykh recovered from his

intoxication, and, throwing himself upon the ground, implored

forgiveness: and the Khaleefeh pardoned him; after which he gave orders

that the damsel should be conveyed to the palace where he resided; and

when she had arrived there, he appropriated to her a separate lodging,

and appointed persons to wait upon her, and said to her, Know that I

have sent thy master as Sulṭán of El-Baṣrah, and, if God please, I will

despatch to him a dress of honour, and send thee also to him with it.

As to Noor-ed-Deen, he continued his journey until he entered

El-Baṣrah, and went up to the palace of the Sulṭán, when he uttered a

loud cry, whereupon the Sulṭán desired him to approach; and when he came

into the presence of the King, he kissed the ground before him, and

produced the letter, and handed it to him. And as soon as the Sulṭán saw

the superscription in the handwriting of the Prince of the Faithful, he

rose upon his feet, and, having kissed it three times, said, I hear and

pay obedience to God (whose name be exalted!) and to the Prince of the

Faithful. He then summoned before him the four Ḳáḍees,[VI_36] and

the Emeers, and was about to divest himself of the regal office: but,

lo, the Wezeer El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee was before him, and the Sulṭán

gave him the letter of the Prince of the Faithful, and when he saw it,

he rent it in pieces, and put it into his mouth, and chewed it, and

threw it down. The Sulṭán, enraged, cried, Wo to thee! What hath induced

thee to act thus?--He answered, This man hath had no interview with the

Khaleefeh nor with his Wezeer; but is a young wretch, an artful devil,

who, having met with a paper containing the handwriting of the

Khaleefeh, hath counterfeited it, and written what he desired: wherefore

then shouldst thou abdicate the sovereignty, when the Khaleefeh hath not

sent to thee an envoy with a royal autographical mandate; for if this

affair were true, he had sent with him a Chamberlain or a Wezeer; but he

came alone.--What then is to be done? said the Sulṭán. The Wezeer

answered, Send away this young man with me, and I will take charge of

him, and despatch him in company with a Chamberlain to the city of

Baghdád; and if his words be true, he will bring us a royal

autographical mandate and diploma of investiture; and if not true, they

will send him back to us with the Chamberlain, and I will take my

revenge upon my offender.

When the Sulṭán heard what the Wezeer said, it pleased him; and the

Wezeer took him away,[VI_37] and cried out to the pages, who threw

down Noor-ed-Deen, and beat him until he became insensible. He then

ordered to put a chain upon his feet, and called to the jailer; and when

he came, he kissed the ground before him. This jailer was named

Ḳuṭeyṭ;[VI_38] and the Wezeer said to him, O Ḳuṭeyṭ, I desire that

thou take this person, and cast him into one of the subterranean cells

which are in thy prison, and torture him night and day. The jailer

replied, I hear and obey:--and he put Noor-ed-Deen into the prison, and

locked the door upon him; but after having done this, he gave orders to

sweep a maṣṭabah within the door, and furnished it with a prayer-carpet

and a pillow, and seated Noor-ed-Deen upon it, and loosed his chain,

and treated him with kindness. The Wezeer every day sent to him,

commanding him to beat him; and the jailer pretended that he tortured

him, while, on the contrary, he treated him with benignity.

Thus he continued to do for forty days; and on the forty-first day,

there came a present from the Khaleefeh, and when the Sulṭán saw it, it

pleased him, and he conferred with the Wezeers upon the subject; but one

said, Perhaps this present was designed for the new Sulṭán. Upon this,

the Wezeer El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee remarked, It were proper to have

slain him on his arrival:--and the Sulṭán exclaimed, Now thou hast

reminded me of him, go down and bring him, and I will strike off his

head. The Wezeer replied, I hear and obey:--and arose, saying, I desire

to proclaim throughout the city, He who wisheth to witness the

decapitation of Noor-ed-Deen 'Alee the son of El-Faḍl the son of Kháḳán,

let him come to the palace:--so that all the people may come to behold

it, and I may gratify my heart, and mortify my enviers. The Sulṭán said,

Do what thou wilt. So the Wezeer descended, full of joy and happiness,

and went to the Wálee, and ordered him to make this proclamation; and

when the people heard the crier, they all grieved and wept, even the

boys in the schools, and the tradesmen in their shops; and numbers of

the people strove together to take for themselves places where they

might behold the spectacle, while others repaired to the prison, to

accompany him thence. The Wezeer then went forth, attended by ten

memlooks, to the prison: and Ḳuṭeyṭ the jailer said to him, What dost

thou desire, O our lord the Wezeer?--Bring forth to me, said the Wezeer,

this young wretch. The jailer replied, He is in a most miserable state

from the excessive beating that I have inflicted upon him. And he

entered, and found him reciting some verses, commencing thus:--

Who is there to aid me in my affliction? For my pain hath become

intense, and my remedy is scarce procurable!

And the jailer pulled off from him his clean clothes, and, having clad

him in two dirty garments, brought him out to the Wezeer. Noor-ed-Deen

then looked at him, and saw that he was his enemy who had incessantly

desired his destruction; and when he beheld him, he wept, and said to

him, Art thou secure from misfortune? Hast thou not heard the saying of

the poet?--

They made use of their power, and used it tyrannically; and soon

it became as though it never had existed.

O Wezeer, know that God (whose perfection be extolled, and whose name

be exalted!) is the doer of whatsover He willeth.--O 'Alee, replied the

Wezeer, wouldst thou frighten me by these words? I am now going to

strike off thy head, in spite of the people of El-Baṣrah; and I will pay

no regard to thy counsel; but I will rather attend to the saying of the

poet:--

Let fortune do whatever it willeth, and bear with cheerful mind

the effects of fate.

How excellent also is the saying of another poet:--

He who liveth after his enemy a single day, hath attained

his desire.

The Wezeer then ordered his pages to convey him on the back of a mule;

whereupon they said to him (being distressed to obey), Suffer us to

stone him and cut him in pieces, though our lives should be sacrificed

in consequence. But he replied, Never do it. Have ye not heard what the

poet hath said:--

A decreed term is my inevitable lot; and as soon as its days

have expired, I die.

If the lions dragged me into their forest, they could not close it

while aught of it remained.

So they proceeded to proclaim before Noor-ed-Deen, This is the smallest

recompense of him who forgeth a letter from the Khaleefeh to the Sulṭán.

And they continued to parade him throughout El-Baṣrah until they

stationed him beneath the window of the palace, and in the place of

blood,[VI_39] when the executioner approached him, and said to him,

I am a slave under command; and if thou hast any want, acquaint me with

it, that I may perform it for thee; for there remaineth not of thy life

any more than the period until the Sulṭán shall put forth his face from

the window. And upon this, Noor-ed-Deen looked to the right and left,

and recited these verses:--

Is there among you a merciful friend, who will aid me? I conjure

you by Allah to answer me!

My life hath passed, and my death is at hand! Is there any who

will pity me, to obtain my recompense,[VI_40]

And consider my state, and relieve my anguish, by a draught

of water that my torment may be lightened?

And the people were excited to tears for him; and the executioner took

some water to hand it to him; but the Wezeer arose from his place, and

struck the ḳulleh[VI_41] of water with his hand, and broke it, and

called to the executioner, commanding him to strike off his head;

whereupon he bound Noor-ed-Deen's eyes. The people, however, called out

against the Wezeer, and raised a tumultuous cry against him, and many

words passed between them; and while they were in this state, lo, a

dust rose, and filled the sky and the open tracts; and when the Sulṭán

beheld it, as he sat in the palace, he said to his attendants, See what

is the news. The Wezeer said, After thou shalt first have beheaded this

man. But the Sulṭán replied, Wait thou until we see what is the news.

[Illustration]

Now this dust was the dust of Jaạfar, the Wezeer of the Khaleefeh, and

of his attendants; and the cause of their coming was this:--The

Khaleefeh had passed thirty days without remembering the affair of 'Alee

the son of El-Faḍl the son of Kháḳán, and no one mentioned it to him,

until he came one night to the private apartment of Enees-el-Jelees, and

heard her lamenting, as she recited, with a soft voice, the saying of

the poet:--

Thine image [is before me] whether distant or near, and my tongue

never ceaseth to mention thee.

Her lamentation increased, and lo, the Khaleefeh opened the door, and

entered the chamber, and saw Enees-el-Jelees weeping. On beholding the

Khaleefeh, she fell at his feet, and, having kissed them three times,

recited these two verses:--

O thou of pure origin, and of excellent birth; of ripe-fruitful branch,

and of unsullied race!

I remind thee of the promise thy beneficence granted, and far be it

from thee that thou shouldst forget it.

The Khaleefeh said to her, Who art thou? She answered, I am the present

given to thee by 'Alee the son of El-Faḍl the son of Kháḳán; and I

request the fulfilment of the promise which thou gavest me, that thou

wouldst send me to him with the honorary gift; for I have now been here

thirty days, and have not tasted sleep. And upon this, the Khaleefeh

summoned Jaạfar El-Barmekee, and said to him, For thirty days I have

heard no news of 'Alee the son of El-Faḍl the son of Kháḳán, and I

imagine nothing less than that the Sulṭán hath killed him: but, by my

head! by the tombs of my ancestors! if any evil event hath happened to

him, I will destroy him who hath been the cause of it, though he be the

dearest of men in my estimation! I desire, therefore, that thou journey

immediately to El-Baṣrah, and bring me an account of the conduct of the

King Moḥammad the son of Suleymán Ez-Zeynee to 'Alee the son of El-Faḍl

the son of Kháḳán.

So Jaạfar obeyed his commands, and set forth on his journey, and when he

approached, and saw this tumult and crowd, he said, What is the occasion

of this crowd? They related to him, therefore, the situation in which

they were with regard to Noor-ed-Deen; and when he heard their words, he

hastened to go up to the Sulṭán, and, having saluted him, acquainted him

with the cause of his coming, and told him, that if any evil event had

happened to 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, the Khaleefeh would destroy him who was

the cause of it. He then arrested the Sulṭán, and the Wezeer El-Mo'een

the son of Sáwee, and gave orders to liberate 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, and

enthroned him as Sulṭán in the place of the Sulṭán Moḥammad the son of

Suleymán Ez-Zeynee; after which he remained in El-Baṣrah three days, the

usual period of entertainment; and on the morning of the fourth day,

'Alee Noor-ed-Deen said to Jaạfar, I have a longing desire to see the

Prince of the Faithful. So Jaạfar said to the King Moḥammad the son of

Suleymán, Prepare thyself for travelling; for we will perform the

morning-prayers, and depart to Baghdád. He replied, I hear and

obey:--and they performed the morning-prayers, and mounted all together,

with the Wezeer El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee, who now repented of what he

had done. As to 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, he rode by the side of Jaạfar: and

they continued their journey until they arrived at Baghdád, the Abode of

Peace.

They then presented themselves before the Khaleefeh, and related to him

the case of Noor-ed-Deen; whereupon the Khaleefeh addressed him, saying,

Take this sword, and strike off with it the head of thine enemy. And he

took it, and approached El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee; but he looked at

him, and said to him, I did according to my nature, and do thou

according to thine. And Noor-ed-Deen threw down the sword from his hand,

and, looking towards the Khaleefeh, said, O Prince of the Faithful, he

hath beguiled me. So the Khaleefeh said, Do thou leave him:--and he said

to Mesroor, O Mesroor, advance thou, and strike off his head. Mesroor,

therefore, did so: and upon this, the Khaleefeh said to 'Alee the son of

El-Faḍl the son of Khákán, Request of me what thou wilt. He replied, O

my lord, I have no want of the sovereignty of El-Baṣrah, and desire

nothing but to have the honour of serving thee.--Most willingly I

assent, said the Khaleefeh:--and he summoned the damsel, and when she

had come before him, he bestowed favours upon them both: he gave to them

one of the palaces of Baghdád, and assigned to them regular allowances,

and made Noor-ed-Deen one of his companions at the table; and he

remained with him until death overtook him.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTH.

NOTE 1. In the old version, the person here named Enees-el-Jelees is

called "The Fair Persian;" but I do not find her so described in any

copy of the original. The name here given to her may be rendered "the

Companion's Cheerer;" "Enees" being a term applied to any person or

thing serving as an agreeable, cheering companion; and "Jelees"

signifying "a companion," or "one in the habit of sitting with another."

NOTE 2. "Khaṭṭeeyeh" is derived from "khaṭṭ," which signifies "writing,"

but which is also the name of a place (Khaṭṭ Hejer) in the province of

El-Baḥreyn, a famous mart for spears. Of the figure of speech employed

in the couplet in which this word occurs (considered by the Arabs an

elegant mode of ætiology, and called by them "ḥosn et-taạleel") my

sheykh gives the following example in a marginal note:--

"And the rain fell not but for the purpose of kissing the ground

before thee."

NOTE 3. "El-Mo'een" signifies "the Aider," or "the Assistant."

NOTE 4. "El-Faḍl," signifying "the Excellence," is here, as a proper

name, an abbreviation of "Faḍl-ed-Deen," "the Excellence of the

Religion."

NOTE 5. This phrase (a person of auspicious aspect[345]) is often used

by the modern Arabs and the Turks, and signifies "a virtuous or

beneficent man."

NOTE 6. This answer is not to be understood in its literal sense; it has

become a common form of speech which an Arab often uses for the purpose

of obtaining something more than he would venture to demand.

NOTE 7. "May it be favourable," or "----beneficial," is a compliment

usually addressed to a person who has just been to the bath, and to a

man who has just had his head shaved. The reply is, "May God bestow

favours upon thee."

NOTE 8.--_On the Law respecting Murder and unintentional Homicide._ The

Ḳur-án ordains that murder shall be punished with death; or, rather,

that the free shall die for the free, the slave for the slave, and a

woman for a woman; or that the perpetrator of the crime shall pay, to

the heirs of the person whom he has killed, if they will allow it, a

fine, which is to be divided according to the laws of inheritance.[346]

It also ordains, that unintentional homicide shall be expiated by

freeing a believer from slavery, and paying, to the family of the person

killed, a fine, unless they remit it.[347] But these laws are amplified

and explained by the same book and by the Imáms.--A fine is not to be

accepted for murder unless the crime has been attended by some

palliating circumstance. This fine, the price of blood, is a hundred

camels; or a thousand deenárs (about 500_l._) from him who possesses

gold; or, from him who possesses silver, twelve thousand dirhems[348]

(about 300_l._). This is for killing a free man; for a woman, half that

sum; for a slave, his or her value, but that must fall short of the

price of blood for the free. A person unable to free a believer must

fast two months as in Ramaḍán. The accomplices of a murderer are liable

to the punishment of death. By the Sunneh also, a man is obnoxious to

capital punishment for the murder of a woman; and by the Ḥanafee law,

for the murder of another man's slave. But he is exempted from this

punishment who kills his own child or other descendant, or his own

slave, or his son's slave, or a slave of whom he is part-owner: so also

are his accomplices: and according to Esh-Sháfe'ee, a Muslim, though a

slave, is not to be put to death for killing an infidel, though the

latter be free. A man who kills another in self-defence, or to defend

his property from a robber, is exempt from all punishment. The price of

blood is a debt incumbent on the family, tribe, or association, of which

the homicide is a member. It is also incumbent on the inhabitants of an

enclosed quarter, or the proprietor or proprietors of a field, in which

the body of a person killed by an unknown hand is found; unless the

person has been found killed in his own house.

Hence it appears, that the punishment with which the Wezeer El-Faḍl

threatened his son is not to be regarded as a grave criminal act;

especially when we consider the nature of the son's offence: for the

slave was the property of the king, and it was not allowable to any

other man even to see her without his permission. Many of the characters

depicted in the present work would seem incongruous in the extreme, if

judged according to European notions of justice and other moral

qualities.

NOTE 9. "The two professions of the faith," "There is no deity but God,"

and "Moḥammad is God's Apostle," are generally repeated by a dying

Muslim.

NOTE 10. This is said to imply (as my sheykh has remarked in a marginal

note) that El-Faḍl was a charitable person who bestowed pensions upon

the professors of the Ḳur-án and of science. There are many among the

modern Muslims who do so, and numbers also who found and endow public

schools.

NOTE 11.--_On the Washing, Shrouding, and Burial of the Dead._ The

ceremonies attendant upon death and burial are nearly the same in the

cases of men and women. The face or the head of the dying person is

turned towards the direction of Mekkeh. When the spirit is departing,

the eyes are closed; and then, or immediately after, the women of the

house commence a loud lamentation, in which many of the females of the

neighbourhood generally come to join. Hired female mourners are also

usually employed; each of whom accompanies her exclamations of "Alas for

him!" &c., by beating a tambourine. If possible, the corpse is buried on

the day of the death; but when this cannot be done, the lamentation of

the women is continued during the ensuing night; and a recitation of

several chapters, or of the whole, of the Ḳur-án is performed by one or

more men hired for the purpose.

The washing consists, first, in the performance of the ordinary ablution

which is preparatory to prayer, with the exception of the cleansing of

the mouth and nose; and secondly, in an ablution of the whole body with

warm water and soap, or with water in which some leaves of the lote-tree

have been boiled. The jaw is bound up, the eyes are closed, and the

nostrils &c., are stuffed with cotton; and the corpse is sprinkled with

a mixture of water, pounded camphor, dried and pounded leaves of the

lote-tree, and sometimes other dried and pulverized leaves, &c., and

with rose-water. The ankles are bound together; and the hands placed

upon the breast.

The grave-clothing of a poor man consists of a piece or two of cotton,

or a kind of bag: but the corpse of a man of wealth is generally wrapped

first in muslin; then, in cotton cloth of a thicker texture; next, in a

piece of striped stuff of silk and cotton intermixed, or in a ḳafṭán (a

long vest) of similar stuff, merely stitched together; and over these is

wrapped a Kashmeer shawl. The colours most approved for the

grave-clothes are white and green. The body thus shrouded is placed in a

bier, which is usually covered with a Kashmeer shawl, and borne on the

shoulders of three or four men, generally friends of the deceased.

There are some slight differences in the funeral-ceremonies observed in

different Arab countries; but a sufficient notion of them will be

conveyed by briefly describing those which prevail in Cairo. The

procession to the tomb is generally headed by a number of poor men,

mostly blind, who, walking two and two, or three and three, together,

chant, in a melancholy tone, the profession (or two professions) of the

faith, mentioned above (in Note 9), or sometimes other words. They are

usually followed by some male relations and friends of the deceased; and

these, by a group of schoolboys, chanting in a higher tone, and one of

them bearing a copy of the Ḳur-án, or of one of its thirty sections,

placed upon a kind of desk formed of palm-sticks, and covered with an

embroidered kerchief. Then follows the bier, borne head-foremost.

Friends of the deceased relieve one another in the office of carrying

it; and casual passengers often take part in this service, which is

esteemed highly meritorious. Behind the bier walk the female mourners,

composing a numerous group, often more than a dozen; or, if of a wealthy

family, they ride. Each of those who belong to the family of the

deceased has a strip of cotton stuff or muslin, generally blue, bound

round her head, over the head-veil, and carries a handkerchief, usually

dyed blue (the colour of mourning), which she sometimes holds over her

shoulders, and at other times twirls with both hands over her head or

before her face, while she cries and shrieks almost incessantly; and the

hired female mourners, accompanying the group, often celebrate the

praises of the deceased in the manner described in the preceding tale,

though this was forbidden by the Prophet.--The funeral-procession of a

man of wealth is sometimes preceded by several camels, bearing bread and

water to give to the poor at the tomb; and closed by the led horses of

some of the attendants, and by a buffalo or other animal to be

sacrificed at the tomb, where its flesh is distributed to the poor, to

atone for some of the minor sins of the deceased.[349]

The bier used for conveying the corpse of a boy or a female has a cover

of wood, over which a shawl is spread; and at the head is an upright

piece of wood: upon the upper part of this, in the case of a boy, is

fixed a turban, with several ornaments of female head-dress; and in the

case of a female, it is similarly decked, but without the turban.

A short prayer is recited over the dead, either in a mosque or in a

place particularly dedicated to this service in, or adjacent to, the

burial-ground. The body is then conveyed, in the same manner as before,

to the tomb. This is a hollow, oblong vault, one side of which faces the

direction of Mekkeh, generally large enough to contain four or more

bodies, and having an oblong monument of stone or brick constructed over

it, with a stela at the head and foot. Upon the former of these two

stelæ (which is often inscribed with a text from the Ḳur-án, and the

name of the deceased, with the date of his death), a turban, cap, or

other head-dress, is sometimes carved, shewing the rank or class of the

person or persons buried beneath; and in many cases, a cupola supported

by four walls, or by columns, &c., is constructed over the smaller

monument. The body is laid on its right side, or inclined by means of a

few crude bricks, so that the face is turned towards Mekkeh; and a

person is generally employed to dictate to the deceased the answers

which he should give when he is examined by the two angels Munkar and

Nekeer, whom I have mentioned in No. 21 of the Notes to the

Introduction. If the funeral be that of a person of rank or wealth, the

bread and water &c. before mentioned are then distributed to the

poor.[350]

The principal ceremonies observed _after_ the funeral have been

described in Note 15 to Chapter iv.

NOTE 12. "The lord (or chief) of the first and the last among mankind"

is one of the many appellations of honour given by the Muslims to their

Prophet.

NOTE 13. My sheykh remarks, that this is said merely to excite men to

generosity; for literally it is not true, as is shown by the memorable

example of Kaạb the son of Mámeh, who preferred giving the water with

which he was provided to another, and in consequence himself died of

thirst.

NOTE 14. We are not to understand that such a slave as Enees-el-Jelees

was exposed to the public gaze in a market to which all persons

indiscriminately were admitted (for this would be at variance with

Eastern usages); but in a special mart to which none were allowed access

but persons of wealth who expressed a desire to purchase.

NOTE 15.--_On Kissing the Ground, as a Mode of Obeisance._ This and

several other passages in the present work shew that we are often to

understand the expression "kissing the ground before a person" as

signifying "touching the ground, and then the lips and forehead, or

turban, with the right hand;" and I believe this expression should

_generally_ be so understood. When I wrote the fourteenth note to the

Introduction, I inclined to a contrary opinion, chiefly from

recollecting to have read the following translation of a passage of

El-Maḳreezee, by the learned De Sacy:--"Ce khalife [El-Ḥákim] ordonna

qu'à l'avenir on ne baiseroit plus la terre devant lui; que personne, en

le saluant dans les marches publiques, ne baiseroit sa main ou son

etrier, parce que cette coutume de se _prosterner_ devant une créature

étoit une invention des Grecs."[351] But on referring to the original, I

find that the words which he renders "cette coutume de se prosterner"

signify literally "the bending towards the ground." I suppose,

therefore, that his deviating from the literal sense in one case was

owing to his adhering to it in another; and not meeting with the proof

which I had fancied to exist of his being right, I venture to differ

from him in this instance, without fear of being suspected of arrogance,

as the kind of obeisance above described is _often_ called "kissing the

ground" both by the Arabs and the Persians. I should add that, except in

the house, I do not remember to have ever seen the ground actually

touched, but nearly so, in making this obeisance, which is still called

"kissing the ground" when thus imperfectly performed.

NOTE 16. By this is meant, a place where mud was kneaded to be employed

in building. The mortar generally used in the construction of Arab

houses is composed of mud in the proportion of one-half, with a fourth

part of lime, and the remaining part of the ashes of straw and rubbish.

NOTE 17. See the note immediately preceding.

NOTE 18. In Arabic, "bursh." This kind of mat, composed of palm-leaves

(and sometimes, I believe, of the coarse grass mentioned in the next

note), is used by the poor to sit upon.

NOTE 19. This kind of grass, called in Arabic "ḥalfeh," and more

properly "ḥalfà" (by botanists, poa multiflora, and poa cynosyroïdes),

and the "'áḳool" (or hedysarum alhagi), overspread spontaneously most of

the alluvial tracts in Egypt which are above the reach of the

inundation, and in consequence left uncultivated. The former is used in

the manufacture of coarse mats, and the latter serves as pasture for

camels. The Wezeer, by taking the round mat and the two bundles of

ḥalfà, seems to indicate that he is degraded to a condition as low as

that of a maker of coarse mats. [The practice mentioned in the passage

to which this note refers is aptly illustrated in El-Maḳreezee's Khiṭaṭ.

In his description of the palaces of the Fáṭimee Khaleefehs, he says,

"There was in the Great Palace a place known by the name of the

Saḳeefeh, where complainants of injustice used to station themselves;

and it was a custom of the Khaleefeh to sit there every night, for those

of the complainants of injustice who might come to him. When any one,

therefore, was wronged, he would stand under the Saḳeefeh, and say, in

a loud voice, 'There is no deity but God, Moḥammad is the Apostle of

God, 'Alee is the Friend (Welee) of God;' and the Khaleefeh would hear

him, and command him to be brought to him, or he would intrust his case

to the Wezeer," &c.--ED.]

NOTE 20. The boats used by the Arabs in the navigation of rivers are

generally moored by means of a rope attached to a stake which is driven

into the bank.

NOTE 21. By "children of the road" are meant "travellers."

NOTE 22. See Note 55 to Chapter iii.

NOTE 23. The word which I render elevated (mo'allaḳah) is applied to a

structure raised upon columns or pillars, &c.

NOTE 24. The "ghaḍà" is a tree of a very inflammable nature, which, in

burning, gives out a fierce heat. It grows chiefly in sandy tracts, and

is described as resembling the "athl" (or tamarisk), but as being

smaller than this tree.

NOTE 25.--_On Shaving the Head._ I do not know when the custom of

shaving the head became general among the Arabs of the towns; but from a

remark of Es-Suyooṭee, I think it was not so common about the

commencement of the tenth century of the Flight (that is, about the

period which this work best illustrates) as it is at present, when it is

almost universal among all classes; for in his time, its legality was

doubted. He writes thus:--"The Imán El-Ghazálee hath said, 'There is no

harm in it in the case of him whose object is cleanliness:' and the

apparent sense of his words is, that it is improper in him who desireth

to beautify himself for any worldly purpose, as is done by people of bad

disposition."[352] It is added in a marginal note in the copy from which

I translate this, "Persons differ respecting the shaving of the head.

The opinion generally prevailing is, that it is improper to him who

wears not a turban, and allowable to him who does wear one, since he has

a substitute:"--"that it is also lawful, unquestionably, in the case of

any disease of the head:"--and "that the hanging of the rosary to the

neck, and the shaving of the head without a legal necessity, are

innovations,"--Hároon Er-Rasheed generally wore the hair of his head

sufficiently long to reach below his ears; but shaved it when he

performed the pilgrimage;[353] and many other Muslims in early times did

the same. Those who shave the head generally leave a small tuft upon the

crown; but most persons of the literary and religious professions, and

many others, disapprove of this tuft.

NOTE 26. By the term "sheykhs" we are here to understand "persons of

sanctity and of learning." See Note 9 to Chapter i.

NOTE 27. By "the shining moon" is meant "the beautiful cup-bearer, whose

face is like the shining moon."

NOTE 28. The Muslims believe that a blessing is derived from witnessing

and hearing the devout exercises, recitations, &c., of holy men.

NOTE 29. The "jubbeh" worn in Eastern countries, is a long outer vest,

with sleeves which reach nearly to the wrist. It is now generally made

of cloth, and is worn by most tradesmen and other persons of the middle

and higher classes. It differs somewhat in form in different countries.

NOTE 30. The "melwaṭah" is a garment of which I was unable to obtain a

description until I inquired of my friend Mr. Salamé, who informed me

that it was the name of a large outer garment which used to be worn over

the farajeeyeh. But I afterwards found it stated in one of the marginal

notes to a later tale, that the term above mentioned is now pronounced

"mellooṭah," and is applied in the present day to an article of dress of

cloth or other costly material; particularly to a jubbeh; but that it

is also employed, in allusion to a jubbeh, &c., in a contemptuous sense,

or, as I infer, ironically.

NOTE 31. See Note 41 to Chapter iv.

NOTE 32. The "lithám" is a piece of drapery with which a Bedawee often

covers the lower part of his face. It frequently prevents his being

recognised by another Arab who might make him a victim of blood-revenge;

and is a means of disguise seldom employed but by Arabs of the desert.

NOTE 33. The meaning is, that the act would speak for itself, and be

long remembered; that the grave of the fisherman would be pointed out as

that of one to whom the Khaleefeh had shewn signal favours.

NOTE 34. It is a common custom of Arabs of the lower orders to put the

money which they receive, especially when it is the first of the day's

gains, to the lips and forehead before depositing it in the pocket; and

the same is sometimes done by persons of the middle class.

NOTE 35. Literally, "twenty nuṣfs." See Note 17 to Chapter iii.

NOTE 36. These are the Ḳáḍees of the four great sects, or persuasions,

of the Sunnee Muslims. See Note 1 to the Introduction.

NOTE 37. The words "and the Wezeer took him away" are omitted in the

Cairo edition.

NOTE 38. "Ḳuṭeyṭ" is the diminutive of "ḳiṭṭ," _vulgo_ "ḳuṭṭ," a "cat,"

and properly a "he-cat."

NOTE 39. The words which I translate "the place of blood" literally

signify "the place of the stagnation of blood;" and are applied to the

usual place of decapitation, because the blood is left there to soak

into the ground.

NOTE 40. The recompense here alluded to is one to be received at the

final retribution; not in the present life.

NOTE 41. This kind of "ḳulleh" is a small, porous, earthen bottle, with

a wide mouth. Some specimens of it are figured beneath.

[Illustration]

[344] See De Sacy, Chrestomathie Arabe, vol. ii. pp. 99 and

120, 2nd ed.

[345] In Arabic, "maḥḍaru kheyrin" (vulg., "maḥḍar kheyr"); in

Turkish, "neek maḥẓar."

[346] Ch. ii. v. 173.

[347] Ch. iv. v. 34.

[348] Or, according to some, ten thousand dirhems.

[349] More than one is unusual; but, at the funeral of Moḥammad

'Alee Báshà, which I witnessed in Cairo, about eighty buffaloes

were thus driven in the procession: in the narrow streets of

the city, however, many of them disappeared, one after another,

so that few reached the tomb.--ED.

[350] If the reader desire more detailed information on the

subject of this note, I refer him to my work on the Modern

Egyptians, vol. ii. ch. xv.

[351] Chrestomathie Arabe, vol. i. p. 106; 2nd ed.

[352] Nuzhet el-Mutaämmil wa-Murshid el-Mutaäh-hil, sect. 7.

[353] Elmacini Historia Saracenica, page 120.

[Illustration]