CHAPTER VIII.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH NIGHT,[VIII_1] AND

ENDING WITH PART OF THE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVENTH.

THE STORY OF TÁJ-EL-MULOOK AND THE LADY DUNYÀ.

There was, in former times, a city behind the mountains of Iṣpahán,

called El-Medeeneh el-Khaḍrà,[VIII_2] and in it resided a King

called the King Suleymán. He was a person of liberality and beneficence,

and justice and integrity, and of a generous and obliging disposition:

travellers repaired to him from every quarter, and his fame spread

throughout all the regions and countries; and he reigned a long time in

glory and security; but he was destitute of children and of wives.

He had a Wezeer who nearly resembled him in his qualities, in liberality

and other endowments; and it came to pass that he sent to this Wezeer

one day, and having summoned him into his presence, said to him, O

Wezeer, my heart is contracted, and my patience is overcome, and my

strength is impaired, because I have neither a wife nor a child: this is

not the usual way of Kings who rule over lords and poor men; for they

rejoice in leaving children, and multiplying by them the number of their

posterity; and the Prophet (God bless and save him!) hath said,

Intermarry, and beget offspring, that ye may increase in number; for I

shall contend for your superiority with the other nations on the day of

resurrection.--What, then, is thy counsel, O Wezeer? Point out to me

what is advisable.--But when the Wezeer heard these words, tears poured

from his eyes, and he replied, Far be it from me, O King of the age,

that I should speak of that which belongeth unto the Compassionate to

decide![VIII_3] Dost thou desire that I should enter the fire of

Hell, through the anger of the Almighty King?--Know, O Wezeer, rejoined

his sovereign, that, if the King purchase a female slave whose rank and

lineage are unknown, he will not be acquainted with her ignoble origin

that he may abstain from her, or the nobility of her extraction that he

may make her his companion: so, if he do this, she may perhaps bear him

a son who may be a hypocrite, a tyrant, a shedder of blood; and she may

resemble a marshy land, the produce of which is worthless, and attaineth

no excellence: her child may be obnoxious to the indignation of his

Lord, not doing what He commandeth him, nor refraining from that which

He forbiddeth him to do. I will never, therefore, be the means of such

an event by purchasing a female slave. I desire, rather, that thou

demand in marriage for me one of the daughters of the Kings, whose

lineage is known, and whose loveliness is celebrated. If, then, thou

wilt point out to me one of good birth and of religion among the

daughters of the Muslim Kings, I will demand her as my wife, and marry

her in the presence of witnesses, that I may thereby obtain the approval

of the Lord of mankind.--The Wezeer replied, Verily God hath

accomplished thy want and given thee thy desire.--How so? asked the

King.--Know, O King, answered the Wezeer, that it hath been told me that

the King Zahr Sháh, the sovereign of El-Arḍ el-Beyḍà,[VIII_4] hath

a daughter of astonishing loveliness, whom words cannot describe, whose

equal existeth not in this age, for she is endowed with the most perfect

beauty and symmetry, with black eye, and long hair, and slender waist,

and large hips; when she approacheth she seduceth, and when she turneth

her back she killeth, ravishing the heart and the eye. It is my opinion,

therefore, O King, that thou shouldst send to her father an intelligent

messenger, well-informed, and experienced in the course of events, that

he may courteously ask her in marriage for thee of her father; for she

hath no equal in the distant parts of the earth, nor in the near; so

shalt thou enjoy her lovely face, and the Glorious King shall approve

thy conduct; since it hath been handed down from the Prophet (God bless

and save him!) that he said, There is no monkery in El-Islám.

Upon this, the King was perfectly delighted, his bosom expanded with

joy, and anxiety and grief departed from him; and, addressing his

Wezeer, he said to him, Know, O Wezeer, that no one shall go on this

business but thou, on account of thy consummate wisdom and politeness:

depart, therefore, to thy house, and accomplish what thou hast to do,

and prepare thyself by the morrow, and demand for me in marriage this

damsel with whom thou hast caused my heart to be engrossed, and return

not to me without her. The Wezeer replied, I hear and obey:--and he went

to his house, and gave orders to bring presents suitable to Kings,

consisting of costly jewels and precious rarities, such as were light to

carry and of great value, together with Arab horses, and Davidean coats

of mail,[VIII_5] and chests of wealth such as language would fail

to describe. These they placed upon the mules and camels, and the Wezeer

departed, accompanied by a hundred memlooks and a hundred male black

slaves and a hundred female slaves, and the flags and banners were

unfurled over his head. The King charged him to return soon; and after

his departure, the King Suleymán Sháh burned with desire, and became

engrossed with love of the damsel night and day. Meanwhile, the Wezeer,

by night and by day traversed the deserts and wastes until there

remained between him and the city to which he was repairing one day's

journey, when he alighted at the bank of a river, and, having summoned

one of his chief officers, ordered him to go quickly to the King Zahr

Sháh, and to acquaint him with his approach. He answered, I hear and

obey:--and went quickly to the city; and when he arrived there, it

happened that the King Zahr Sháh was sitting in one of the places of

recreation before the gate of the city, and, seeing him as he entered,

knew him to be a stranger, and summoned him before him. So when the

messenger came to him, he informed him of the approach of the Wezeer of

the supreme King Suleymán Sháh, the King of El-Arḍ el-Khaḍrà and of the

mountains of Iṣpahán; and the King Zahr Sháh rejoiced, and welcomed the

messenger, and, having conducted him to his palace, said to him, Where

didst thou part from the Wezeer? He answered, I parted from him in the

morning at the bank of such a river, and to-morrow he will arrive and

visit thee: may God continue his favours unto thee, and show mercy unto

thy parents![VIII_6] Zahr Sháh then ordered one of his wezeers to

take with him the greater number of his chief officers and chamberlains

and lieutenants and the lords of his court, and to go forth with them to

meet him, in honour of the King Suleymán Sháh; for his dominion extended

through the land.

In the mean time, the Wezeer of Suleymán Sháh remained where he had

halted until midnight, and then proceeded towards the city; and when the

morning gleamed, and the sun shone upon the hills and the lowlands,

suddenly the Wezeer of the King Zahr Sháh, and his chamberlains and the

lords of his court and the chief officers of his kingdom, approached and

joined him at the distance of some leagues from the city. So the Wezeer

of Suleymán Sháh felt sure of the accomplishment of his business, and

saluted those who met him; and the latter preceded him until they

arrived at the palace of the King, and passed in before him through the

entrance to the seventh vestibule. This was the place which no one

entered on horseback; for it was near to the King; therefore here the

Wezeer alighted, and he proceeded on foot until he came to a lofty

saloon, at the upper end of which was a couch of alabaster set with

pearls and jewels, having four legs of elephants' tusks, and upon it was

a mattress covered with green satin embroidered with red gold, and over

it was a canopy adorned with pearls and jewels. Upon this couch sat the

King Zahr Sháh, and the lords of his court stood in attendance upon him.

And when the Wezeer went in unto him, and stood before him, he composed

his heart, and gave liberty to his tongue, and, displaying the oratory

of wezeers, and uttering the language of the eloquent, addressed the

King with courtesy of manner, and recited a series of complimentary

verses; and when he had finished, the King caused him to draw near,

treated him with the utmost respect, and, seating him by his side,

smiled in his face, and honoured him with a gracious reply. After this,

the attendants brought forward the table in that saloon, and they ate

until they were satisfied, when the attendants removed the table, and

every one who was present went forth, except the chief officers. When

the Wezeer, therefore, saw that they had quitted the hall, he rose and

stood on his feet, and, complimenting the King, kissed the ground

before him, and said, O great King, and dignified sovereign, I have come

unto thee and visited thee on an affair productive of peace and

prosperity and happiness unto thee; and it is this: I have come to thee

as an ambassador to desire in marriage thy daughter, the distinguished

by rank and lineage, from the King Suleymán Sháh, who is endowed with

justice and integrity, and graciousness and beneficence, the King of

El-Arḍ el-Khaḍrà and of the mountains of Iṣpahán, and he hath sent unto

thee many presents and numerous rarities, desiring thine alliance. Dost

thou then wish the same of him?--He then stood silent, waiting for the

answer; and when the King Zahr Sháh heard these words, he rose upon his

feet, and modestly kissed the ground; and the persons who were present

wondered at the King's condescension to the ambassador, and their minds

were amazed. The King then offered up praises unto Him who is possessed

of glory and honour, and said, still standing, O exalted Wezeer, and

illustrious lord, hear what I say: we are, unto the King Suleymán Sháh,

among the number of his subjects, and shall be ennobled by his affinity:

we covet this distinction; and my daughter is one of his handmaids. This

is my greatest desire; that he may be a means of support to me, and my

reliance.--And he summoned the Ḳáḍees and witnesses, and they bore

witness that the King Suleymán Sháh had appointed his Wezeer as his

deputy to effect the marriage, and the King Zahr Sháh joyfully

officiated for his daughter in performing the contract; so the Ḳáḍees

concluded the marriage-contract, and offered up a prayer for the

happiness and prosperity of both parties: after which, the Wezeer arose,

and produced the presents and precious rarities, and all the gifts that

he had brought, and offered the whole to the King Zahr Sháh.

[Illustration]

The King then occupied himself in fitting out his daughter, and in

honourably entertaining the Wezeer; and he feasted at his banquets the

great and the abject, and continued the festivity for a period of two

months, omitting in it nothing that would rejoice the heart and the

eye.[VIII_7] And when everything that the bride required was

completed, the King gave orders to carry forth the tents, and they were

pitched outside the city. They packed the stuffs in the chests, and made

ready the Greek and Turkish female slaves; and the King provided the

bride with precious treasures and costly jewels, and made for her a

litter[VIII_8] of red gold adorned with pearls and jewels,

appropriating to her use ten mules for the journey. The litter appeared

like a private chamber, and its occupant like one of the beautiful

Ḥooreeyehs,[VIII_9] her canopy resembling one of the pavilions of

Paradise. They packed up the treasures and wealth, and placed them upon

the mules and camels, and the King Zahr Sháh went with them to the

distance of three leagues, and then bade farewell to his daughter and

the Wezeer and his attendants, and returned home in joy and safety.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

The Wezeer proceeded with the King's daughter, and continued his days'

journeys and his route over the wastes, travelling with diligence by

night and day, until there remained between him and his country a

journey of three days; whereupon he sent forward a messenger to the King

Suleymán Sháh to inform him of the approach of the bride. So the

messenger hasted in his journey till he arrived in the presence of the

King, and acquainted him with the approach of the bride; and the King

was rejoiced, and bestowed a robe of honour upon the messenger, and

ordered his troops to go forth in grand procession to meet the bride and

her attendants with honour, desiring them to equip themselves in the

gayest manner, and to unfurl the standards over their heads. And they

complied with his commands; and a crier proclaimed through the city,

that no curtained damsel nor honoured lady nor infirm old woman should

fail to go forth to meet the bride. So they all went forth to meet her,

and the chief among them accompanied her to serve her. They decided

together to conduct her towards night to the King's palace, and the

chief officers of the court agreed to decorate the streets, and to stand

while the bride passed by them with the eunuchs and female slaves before

her, she herself being clad in the dress which her father gave her. And

when she approached, the troops surrounded her, ranged on the right and

left, and the litter advanced with her until it drew near to the palace;

and there was no one who did not come forth to see it: the drums were

beaten, and the spears brandished, and the trumpets sounded, and sweet

odours were diffused around, and the standards flapped, and the horses

raced with each other, until they arrived at the gate of the palace,

when the pages advanced with the litter to the entrance of the Ḥareem:

the palace was illuminated by its splendour, and its walls shone with

the lustre of its ornaments; and at night the eunuchs opened the doors

of the inner apartment, and stood surrounding the chief entrance. The

bride then came forward among the female slaves, like the moon among the

stars, or the chief pearl among the minor pearls of the string, and she

entered the apartment, where they had placed for her a couch of

alabaster set with pearls and jewels. Upon this she seated herself, and

the King came in to visit her, and God inspired his heart with love for

her, so that his disquietude and trouble ceased.

He remained with her about a month, after which he went forth and sat

upon his throne, and administered justice to his subjects; and towards

daybreak on the morning after the expiration of the ninth month, his

wife gave birth to a male child of an auspicious appearance. When the

King heard of it, he rejoiced exceedingly, and gave a large sum of money

to the bearer of the good tidings; and in his joy he went to the child,

and kissed him between the eyes, wondering at his surpassing beauty. The

midwives took him, and blackened the edges of his eyelids with

koḥl;[VIII_10] and they named him Táj-el-Mulook Khárán.[VIII_11]

He was nourished on the bosom of indulgence, and reared in the lap of

prosperity, and days and years passed until he attained the age of seven

years; whereupon the King Suleymán Sháh summoned the men of learning and

science, and ordered them to instruct his son in writing and science and

polite literature, and they continued to do so for some years, until he

had learnt what was requisite; and when he was acquainted with all that

the King desired, he caused him to be brought from the professors and

teachers, and engaged for him a master to instruct him in horsemanship,

who continued to teach him until his pupil was fourteen years of age.

Whenever the youth went forth on any business, every one who beheld him

was ravished by his beauty, so that they composed verses in his praise,

and even the women of virtue were overcome by love for him, through the

surpassing beauty with which he was endowed. And when he had attained

the age of eighteen years, the grey down appeared upon a mole on his red

cheek, while another mole, like a globule of ambergris, added to these

charms, and he captivated the minds and eyes of his beholders. His

comeliness increased as he became a man, and he had companions and

friends, and every one who enjoyed access to him wished that

Táj-el-Mulook might be Sulṭán after the death of his father, and that he

might himself be one of his emeers.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

Now Táj-el-Mulook became addicted to hunting, and would not desist from

it for a single hour. His father, the King, used to forbid him this

pursuit, fearing, on his account, the perils of the desert and the wild

beasts; but he would not receive his warnings. And it came to pass that

he said to his servants, Take with you provender for ten days. And they

complied with his order; and when he went forth with his followers to

the chase, they proceeded over the desert, and continued their course

for four days, until they came in sight of a verdant tract, where they

beheld wild beasts ranging at large, and trees with ripe fruit, and

springs gushing forth; so he said to his followers, Set here the nets,

and enlarge their circle, and our place of meeting shall be at the

extremity of the circle, at such a spot. They therefore obeyed his

commands: they set the nets, and enlarged their circle, and there

collected within them an abundance and a variety of wild beasts and

gazelles, in such numbers that the wild beasts cried out in fear of

them, and threw themselves in the faces of the horses in their attempts

to escape. So he urged the dogs and the lynxes[VIII_12] and the

hawks at them; and they shot the wild beasts with arrows, striking them

in mortal places, and they arrived not at the further extremity of the

circle without having taken, of the wild beasts, a great number; the

rest having fled away. Táj-el-Mulook then alighted at some water, and,

having caused the game to be brought before him, divided it: he

appropriated to his father, Suleymán Sháh, the best of the beasts, and

despatched the portion to him; and some he distributed among the

officers of his court.

They passed the night at that place; and in the morning there approached

them a great caravan, comprising black slaves and servants and

merchants. The caravan halted at the water and the verdant tract; and

when Táj-el-Mulook beheld them, he said to one of his companions, Bring

me an account of these people, and ask them wherefore they have halted

in this place. And when the messenger went to them, he said to them,

Inform us who ye are, and return an answer quickly. So they replied, We

are merchants, and have halted here for the sake of rest, for the next

station is distant from us; and we have halted in this place because we

here enjoy tranquillity under the protection of the King Suleymán Sháh

and his son; for we know that every one who alighteth in his dominions

is in safety and peace; and we have some precious stuffs which we have

brought on account of his son Táj-el-Mulook. The messenger, therefore,

returned to the King's son, and acquainted him with the truth of the

matter, informing him of what he had heard from the merchants; and the

King's son said, If they have anything which they have brought on my

account, I will not enter the city nor remove from this place until I

cause it to be displayed before me. He then mounted his horse, and

proceeded, his memlooks following him, until he drew near to the

caravan; and the merchants rose to him, and greeted him with prayers for

the divine aid and favour, and the continuance of his glory and his

excellencies. A tent of red satin embroidered with pearls and jewels was

pitched for him, and they spread for him, over a carpet of silk, a royal

carpet, the upper end of which was adorned with emeralds: and

Táj-el-Mulook seated himself, and the memlooks stood waiting upon him;

and he sent to the merchants, commanding them to bring everything that

they had with them. So they approached him with their merchandise, and

he caused all of it to be displayed before him, and took of it what

suited him, and gave them the price.

After this, he mounted, and was about to depart; when, casting a glance

at the caravan, he saw a young man, a comely youth, attired in clean

clothes, of elegant person, with shining forehead and brilliant

countenance; but the charms of this youth had suffered a change, and

paleness had overspread him, in consequence of his separation from the

objects of his affection; great was his groaning and lamentation, and,

with tears flowing from his eyes, he recited these verses:--

Our separation is protracted, and anxiety and fear are prolonged;

and tears from my eye, O my friend, are flowing.

I bade farewell to my heart on the day of parting, and now I am alone,

without heart, and without hope.

O my friend, pause with me while I bid her farewell by whose voice

diseases and infirmities would be cured.

Having thus said, he wept a while, and fell down in a swoon, while

Táj-el-Mulook looked at him, wondering at his case; and when he

recovered, he stared with a bold look, and again recited some verses,

commencing thus:--

Beware of her eye; for it is enchanting, and none escapeth upon

whom it is cast.

He then uttered a loud sigh, and a second time swooned; and when

Táj-el-Mulook beheld him in this state, he was perplexed at his case,

and walked towards him; and as soon as he recovered from his fit, he saw

the King's son standing at his head; whereupon he rose upon his feet,

and kissed the ground before him; and Táj-el-Mulook said to him,

Wherefore hast thou not displayed thy merchandise to us?--O my lord, he

answered, my merchandise compriseth nothing suitable to thy highness.

But the King's son said, Thou must positively shew me what thou hast,

and acquaint me with thy circumstances; for I see thee with weeping eye

and mourning heart; and if thou be oppressed, we will put an end to the

oppression that thou sufferest; and if thou be in debt, we will

discharge thy debt; for my heart hath been tormented on thine account

since I first beheld thee.

Then Táj-el-Mulook gave orders to place a chair; and they set for him a

chair of ivory and ebony ornamented with reticulated work of gold and

silk, and they spread for him a silken carpet; and Táj-el-Mulook seated

himself upon the chair, and commanded the young man to sit upon the

carpet, and said to him, Display to me thy merchandise. The young man

replied, O my lord, mention it not unto me; for my merchandise is not

suitable to thee. But Táj-el-Mulook said to him, It must be done:--and

ordered some of his pages to bring it: so they brought it in spite of

him; and when the young man beheld it, his tears flowed, and he wept and

sighed and lamented, and groans rose from his throat. After again

repeating some verses, he opened his merchandise, and displayed it

before Táj-el-Mulook, portion by portion and piece by piece, and took

forth from among it a garment of satin interwoven with gold, worth two

thousand pieces of gold; and when he opened this, there fell from the

midst of it a piece of linen, and the young man, snatching it hastily,

put it beneath him, his reason wandering, and thus exclaimed.--

When will the tortured heart be healed by thee? The constellation

of the Pleiades is nearer to me than thou!

Táj-el-Mulook was struck with the utmost wonder at his words, not

knowing the cause of them; and when the young man took the piece of

linen, and put it beneath him, Táj-el-Mulook said to him, What is this

piece of linen? He answered, O my lord, thou hast no interest in this.

But the King's son said, Shew it to me.--O my lord, he replied, I

refrained not from exposing to thee my merchandise but on account of

this; for I cannot allow thee to see it. Táj-el-Mulook, however, said, I

must see it:--and he urged him, and was angry. The young man, therefore,

took it from beneath his knee, and wept and sighed and lamented

exceedingly: so Táj-el-Mulook said to him, I regard thy conduct as not

right: acquaint me then with the cause of thy weeping at beholding this

piece of linen. And when the young man heard the mention of the piece of

linen, he sighed, and said, O my lord, my story is wonderful, and my

case is strange with respect to this piece of linen and her to whom it

belonged, and her who designed these figures and emblems. He then

unfolded the piece of linen; and lo, in it was the figure of a gazelle

worked with silk, and embroidered with red gold, and facing it was the

figure of another gazelle worked with silver, and having upon its neck a

ring of red gold and three ḳaṣabehs[VIII_13] of chrysolite. When

Táj-el-Mulook beheld this, and observed the beauty of its execution, he

exclaimed, Extolled be the perfection of God, who hath taught man that

which he knew not![VIII_14] And his heart was engrossed with desire

to hear the story of this young man; so he said to him, Relate to me the

story of thyself and of her who was the owner of these gazelles. The

young man, therefore, replied,--

THE STORY OF 'AZEEZ AND 'AZEEZEH.

Know, O my lord, that my father was a great merchant, and he was blest

with no child but me. I had a cousin (the daughter of a paternal uncle)

with whom I was brought up in my father's house; for her father had

died, and before his death he had made an agreement with my father that

they should marry me to her: so, when I had attained to manhood, and she

to womanhood, they did not exclude her from me, nor me from her. My

father then spoke to my mother, and said to her, This year we will

perform the marriage-contract of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh.[VIII_15] And

having agreed with my mother to do this, he began to make ready the

provisions for the entertainments.

All this was done while I and my cousin were living together without the

slightest restraint, and ignorant of the circumstance; and she was more

intelligent and more knowing than I. And when my father had made the

preparations for the festivity, and nothing remained but the performance

of the contract, and my union to my cousin, my father proposed that they

should perform the contract after the Friday-prayers: so he repaired to

his friends, the merchants and others, and acquainted them with his

intention; and my mother went and invited her female friends and

relations. And when the Friday came, they washed the saloon which was

appropriated to the guests, and cleansed its marble pavement, and spread

the carpets in our house, and furnished it with everything that was

requisite, after they had decorated its walls with stuffs interwoven

with gold; the people having agreed to pay their compliments to our

family after the Friday-prayers. My father then went and caused

sweetmeats and dishes of sugar to be prepared; and there remained

nothing but the performance of the contract. My mother had sent me to

the bath, and sent after me a new suit of clothes of the richest

description; and on my coming out from the bath, I put on this handsome

suit, which was perfumed; and when I put it on, a delicious odour was

diffused from it, and left a fragrance in the way.

[Illustration]

I desired now to repair to the mosque; but, remembering one of my

friends, I returned to search for him, that he might be present at the

ceremony of the contract, saying within myself, I will busy me with this

affair until the time of prayer draws near. I then entered a by-street

which I had never entered before. I was perspiring from the effect of

the bath and the new clothes which I wore, and the moisture dropped from

me while my perfumes diffused their odour; so I seated myself at the

upper end of the street to take rest upon a maṣṭabah, and spread beneath

me an embroidered handkerchief that I had with me. The heat became

oppressive to me, and my forehead perspired, and the drops ran down my

face, and I could not wipe the moisture from it with my handkerchief

because it was spread beneath me: I was therefore about to take the

skirt of my farajeeyeh to wipe with it my cheek, when suddenly a white

handkerchief fell upon me from above. This handkerchief was more

delicate to the feel than the zephyr, and the sight of it was more

pleasant than restoration to the diseased; and I took it in my hand,

and, raising my head to see whence it had fallen, my eye met the eye of

the female who owned these gazelles; and lo, she was looking out from a

lattice in a window of brass. My eye never beheld a person more lovely,

and altogether her charms were such as the tongue cannot describe; and

when she saw me looking at her, she put her finger in her mouth, and

then united her middle finger and her fore finger, and placed them upon

her bosom; after which, she drew in her head from the window, and shut

the lattice and withdrew. A fire had been darted into my heart, and the

flame increased; the sight drew from me a thousand sighs, and I was

perplexed; for I heard not anything from her, and understood not what

she meant by her signs. I looked again towards the window; but found it

closed: and I waited until sunset; but heard no sound, nor saw any

person; so, despairing of seeing her again, I rose from my place, and

took the handkerchief with me. I opened it, and the odour of musk was

diffused from it, and I was so exhilarated by the scent that I seemed as

if I were in paradise. I then spread it before me; whereupon there fell

from it a piece of delicate paper, and, opening this, I found it richly

perfumed with exquisite scents, and inscribed with these verses:--

I sent a letter to complain to him of the pain of my passion,

in a delicate handwriting (for handwritings are various);

So my beloved said, Wherefore is thy writing thus delicate

and minute, so as scarce to be discernible?

I answered, Because I am wasted and attenuated: so, therefore,

should the writing of lovers be.

After this, I cast a glance at the beauty of the handkerchief, and

beheld an amatory couplet worked upon one of its two borders,[VIII_16]

and another, of a similar kind, on its other border.

When I saw these verses upon the handkerchief, a flame of fire shot into

my heart, and my desire and perplexity increased; and I took the

handkerchief and the paper, and went with them to the house, not knowing

any means of obtaining what I desired, and incapable of discovering how

to proceed properly in my love. I arrived not at the house until a

considerable portion of the night had elapsed, and beheld my cousin

sitting weeping; but when she saw me, she wiped away her tears, and

approached me, and took off from me my outer clothes, and asked me the

cause of my absence. She told me that all the people, the emeers and

grandees, and merchants and others, had assembled in our house, and the

Ḳáḍee and the witnesses had come, and they ate the repast, and remained

a considerable while sitting in expectation of my presence for the

purpose of performing the marriage-contract, and when they despaired of

my coming, they dispersed and went their ways.--Thy father, said she,

was violently enraged on account of this, and swore that he would not

perform our marriage-contract until next year; for he hath expended upon

this festivity a large sum of money. What, she added, hath happened unto

thee this day, that thou hast delayed thy return until now, and that

this hath happened on account of thine absence?

I answered her, Such and such things have happened to me:--and

mentioned to her the handkerchief, acquainting her with the affair from

first to last: and she took the paper and the handkerchief, and read

what was upon them, and her tears ran down upon her cheeks; and she

asked me, What did she say to thee, and of what did she make signs to

thee? I answered, She uttered not a word; but put her finger in her

mouth, and then united it with the middle finger, and placed both

fingers upon her bosom, and pointed to the ground: then she drew in her

head, and closed the lattice, and I saw her not afterwards. She carried

off my heart with her, and I sat until sunset in expectation of her

looking out from the lattice a second time; but she did it not; and when

I despaired of seeing her again, I rose from the place. This is my

story; and I beg of thee to aid me in the trouble in which I am

involved.--Upon this, she raised her head towards me, and said, O son of

my uncle, if thou requiredst mine eye, I would pull it out for thee from

my eyelids; and I must assist thee in the accomplishment of thy desire,

and assist her in like manner; for she is overwhelmed by love for thee,

as thou art by love for her.--And what, said I, is the interpretation of

the signs which she made?--Her putting her finger in her mouth, she

answered, indicateth that thou art in her estimation as her soul to her

body,[VIII_17] and that she longeth for thy union with her; and as

to the handkerchief, it is a signal of the lover's salutation to the

beloved; and the paper denoteth that her soul is captivated by thee; and

as to her putting her two fingers upon her bosom, the meaning of it is

as though she said to thee, After two days come hither, that my

affliction may be dissipated by thy countenance.[VIII_18] And know,

O son of my uncle, she continued, that she loveth thee and confideth in

thee. This is my interpretation of her signs; and if I had liberty to go

in and out at pleasure, I would effect thy union with her in the

shortest time, and protect you both with my skirt.--When I heard these

words from her, said the young man, I thanked her for what she had said,

and I said within myself, I will wait two days. I then remained two days

in the house, neither going out nor coming in, nor eating nor drinking.

I put my head in the lap of my cousin; and she cheered me by her

conversation, and said to me, Be resolute and of good heart, and dress

thyself, and repair to her at the time appointed. And she arose, and

changed my clothes, and perfumed me with incense.

I then braced up my nerves, and fortified my heart, and went forth, and

proceeded until I entered the by-street, and after I had sat a while

upon the maṣṭabah, lo, the lattice opened. I looked towards the damsel,

and when I saw her I fell down in a swoon: then recovering, I summoned

resolution, and took heart, and looked at her a second time; but again I

became insensible; and when I recovered, I saw with her a mirror and a

red handkerchief. Observing me now, she tucked up her sleeves from her

fore arms, and, opening her five fingers, struck her bosom with them

(with the palm and the five fingers): next she raised her hands, and

held forth the mirror from the lattice, and took the red handkerchief,

and retired with it; after which she returned, and let it down from the

lattice towards the street three times, letting it down and raising it,

and then wringing it and twisting it with her hand, and bending down her

head: she then drew it in through the lattice, and closed the lattice,

and departed, without speaking to me one word, but leaving me in

perplexity, not knowing to what she alluded. I remained sitting there

until the hour of nightfall, and went home near midnight.

[Illustration]

I found my cousin with her hand placed to her cheek, and her eyelids

pouring forth tears; and upon this, my anxieties and griefs increased,

and I fell down in a corner of the chamber; but she sprang towards me,

and lifted me up, and, having taken off from me my outer clothes, wiped

my face with her sleeve, and asked me what had happened to me. I

related to her, therefore, all that had happened on the part of the

damsel: and she said to me, O son of my uncle, as to her sign with

her hand and five fingers, its interpretation is, Come hither after

five days:--and as to her sign with the mirror, and her putting

forth her head from the lattice [and her actions with the red

handkerchief],[VIII_19] the meaning is, Seat thyself at the shop of

the dyer until my messenger shall come to thee.--When I heard her words,

fire burned in my heart, and I replied, By Allah, O daughter of my

uncle, thou sayest truly in this interpretation; for I saw in the

by-street a Jewish dyer. I then wept, and my cousin said, Be resolute,

and firm of heart; for others than thou are troubled with love for a

period of years, and contend with the fierceness of passion, while thou

hast but a week to endure: wherefore then should this impatience

overcome thee? And she proceeded to cheer me with her conversation, and

brought me food; and I took a morsel, and would have eaten it; but I

could not. I abstained from drink and food, and renounced the delights

of sleep, and my complexion became pallid, and my charms became changed;

for I had never known love before that, nor tasted the fervency of that

passion before; and I fell sick, and my cousin became sick on my

account. She occupied herself in relating to me the sufferings of

lovers, in order to enliven me, until I fell asleep; and I used to

awake, and find her sleepless on my account, with her tears flowing upon

her cheeks; and thus I remained until the five days had passed, when my

cousin arose, and heated some water for me, and bathed me with it, and

dressed me, and said to me, Repair to her, and may Allah accomplish thy

wish, and grant thee what thou desirest of thy beloved.

So I went, and walked on until I came to the upper end of the by-street,

and that day was Saturday; so I found the shop of the dyer shut: and I

sat there till the call to afternoon-prayers; and the sun became yellow,

and the call to evening-prayers was chanted; and night commenced, and I

saw no trace of her, nor heard a voice, nor received any message: I

therefore feared for myself, sitting alone; and I rose and walked away,

like one intoxicated, until I entered the house.

There, on going in, I beheld my cousin 'Azeezeh with one of her hands

holding a peg knocked into the wall, and her other hand upon her bosom;

and she was groaning, and reciting verses; but when she had finished her

recitation, she turned her eyes towards me, and beheld me; whereupon she

wiped away her tears and mine with her sleeve, and, smiling in my face,

said to me, O son of my uncle, Allah grant thee enjoyment of that which

He hath given thee! Wherefore hast thou not visited thy beloved this

night?--And when I heard her words, I kicked her with my foot upon her

bosom, and she fell down upon the raised floor, and there was a peg

there, and it wounded her forehead. On looking at her I saw that her

forehead was cut open, and her blood was flowing; yet she was silent,

and uttered not a single letter; but rose immediately, and burned some

tinder of rags, and, having closed with it the wound, tied a bandage

round her head, and wiped away the blood that had flowed upon the

carpet; and it was as though this accident had not occurred. She then

came to me, and, smiling in my face, said to me with a gentle voice, By

Allah, O son of my uncle, I said not this to make a jest of thee or of

her. I was troubled just now by the aching of my head, and with wiping

away the blood: but at the present moment the pain of my head is

alleviated, and that of my forehead: tell me therefore what hath

happened to thee this day.--So I related to her all that had befallen me

through the conduct of that damsel on this day; and after I had done so

I wept; but she said to me, Rejoice at the announcement of the success

of thy desire, and the accomplishment of thy hope. Verily this is a sign

of acceptance: for she absented herself from thee because she desireth

to try thee, and to know whether thou art patient or not, and whether

thou art sincere in thy love of her or not. To-morrow go to her, and

station thyself at thy first place, and see what sign she will make to

thee; for thy happiness is near, and thy sorrow is dissipated.--And she

proceeded to console me; but I ceased not to increase in anxiety and

grief. She then placed the food before me; but I kicked it with my foot,

and the contents of each saucer were scattered about; and I said, Every

one who is in love is insane, and inclineth not to food, nor findeth

pleasure in sleep.--By Allah, O son of my uncle, exclaimed my cousin

'Azeezeh, these are indeed symptoms of love! And her tears flowed, and

she gathered together the fragments of the saucers, and wiped up the

food that was spilt, and sat chatting to me, while I prayed to God that

He would hasten the morning.

And when the morning came, and diffused its light, I repaired to the

damsel, and entered hastily the by-street, where I seated myself upon

the maṣṭabah before mentioned; and lo, the window was opened, and she

put forth her head from it, laughing. She then retired, and returned

bringing a mirror, and a bag, and a pot filled with green plants, and

having also in her hand a lamp: and the first thing that she did was

this: she took the mirror in her hand, and put it into the bag: then she

tied it up and threw it back into the chamber. After this, she let down

her hair over her face, and put the lamp upon the top of the green

plants for a moment, and then took all these things and departed with

them, and closed the lattice. My heart was riven by her secret signs and

her obscure intimations, for she addressed me not with a single word,

and my passion grew more violent thereat, and my excitement and

distraction increased.

I retraced my steps with weeping eye and sorrowful heart until I entered

the house, where I saw my cousin sitting with her face to the wall: her

heart was burning with anxiety and grief and jealousy; but her affection

prevented her from acquainting me at all with the passion which she felt

on witnessing my excessive love and distraction. I then looked at her

again, and saw that she had, on her head, two bandages: one of them was

on account of the accident that had happened to her forehead, and the

other was upon her eye, on account of a pain that she suffered in

consequence of the violence of her weeping. She was in a most miserable

case, weeping, and reciting these verses:--

Wherever thou be, mayst thou be in safety, O thou who departest,

and yet dwellest in my heart!

May God be near thee wherever thou goest, to deliver thee from

vicissitudes and from misfortunes!

Thou hast gone, and mine eye is cheerless through thine absence,

and my tears are flowing--O how abundantly!

And when she had ended her recitation, she looked towards me and saw me

as she wept, and she wiped away her tears, and rose to me; but she could

not speak, from the excessive love with which she was affected, and she

remained for some time silent; after which, she said to me, O son of my

uncle, tell me what thou hast experienced from her on this occasion. And

I told her all that had happened to me; whereupon she said to me, Be

patient; for the time of thy union is come, and thou hast attained the

object of thy hopes. As to the sign that she made to thee with the

mirror, and her putting it into the bag, it is equivalent to her saying

to thee, Wait until the sun shall have set:--and as to her letting fall

her hair over her face, it implieth her saying to thee, When night

cometh, and letteth fall its black shade over the light of day, come

hither:--and the sign that she made to thee with the pot containing the

plants meant that she would say to thee, When thou comest, enter the

garden that is behind the by-street:--and the sign which she made to

thee with the lamp denoted her saying to thee, When thou enterest the

garden, to the place where thou findest the lighted lamp do thou repair,

and seat thyself beneath it, and there wait for me; for the love of thee

destroyeth me.--But when I heard these words of my cousin, I cried out

from the excess of my passion, and said, How many times dost thou

promise me, and I go to her and attain not my desire, nor find a true

meaning to thine interpretation? And upon this, my cousin laughed, and

replied, It remaineth for thee to have patience during the rest of this

day, until the daylight is gone, and the night cometh with its deep

darkness, and then shalt thou enjoy thy union and the accomplishment of

thy hopes; and these words are true, without any falsehood. She then

drew near to me, and comforted me with soft words, but dared not bring

me any food, fearing that I should be angry with her, and hoping that I

might incline to her with favour: she only came to me, and took off my

outer clothes: after which she said to me, O son of my uncle, sit with

me that I may converse with thee to amuse thee until the close of the

day, and, if it be the will of God, the night shall not come without thy

being in the company of thy beloved. But I took no notice of her,

waiting for the night, and saying, O Allah, hasten the coming of the

night! And when it arrived, my cousin wept violently, and gave me a

grain of pure musk, saying to me, O son of my uncle, put this grain in

thy mouth, and when thou hast met thy Beloved, and she hath accepted thy

suit, recite to her this verse:--

O ye lovers, by Allah, inform me, how a youth should act when

his love is intense.

She then kissed me, and desired me to swear that I would not recite this

verse until my departure from the damsel; and I replied, I hear and

obey.

[Illustration]

I went forth at the hour of nightfall, and proceeded until I came to the

garden. I found its gate open, and entered, and beheld a light in the

distance; so I advanced towards it, and when I arrived at it, I found

there a large maḳ'ad,[VIII_20] over which was constructed a dome of

ivory and ebony, and the lamp was suspended in the midst of the dome.

The maḳ'ad was furnished with silken carpets embroidered with gold and

silver; and there was a great lighted candle in a candlestick of gold

beneath the lamp: in the midst of the chamber was a fountain ornamented

with various designs:[VIII_21] by the side of this fountain was a

table of viands covered with a silk napkin, near which was a large china

bottle full of wine, with a cup of crystal adorned with gilding; and by

the side of all these things was a great tray of silver, covered over. I

uncovered it, and beheld in it a variety of fruits, such as figs and

pomegranates and grapes and oranges and citrons of different kinds,

together with various flowers, as roses and jasmine and myrtle and

eglantine and narcissus, and all kinds of sweet scents. I was astonished

at this place, and affected with the utmost delight, and my anxiety and

grief were dissipated; but I found not in this abode any being of the

creatures of God (whose name be exalted!); not even a male or female

slave did I see, nor the person who thus neglected these things. I sat

in this chamber, waiting for the coming of the beloved of my heart,

until the first hour of the night had passed, and the second hour, and

the third; but she came not; and hunger began to torment me violently,

for a long time had elapsed without my eating food, through the excess

of my passion; but when I beheld this place, and my cousin's correct

understanding of the signs made by my beloved became manifest to me, I

felt at ease; yet I still experienced the torment of hunger, and the

savoury odours of the food upon the table had excited my desire on my

arrival there. Feeling secure, therefore, of the attainment of my

object, and longing to eat, I approached the table, and took off the

cover, and found in the midst of it a dish of china containing four

fricandoed fowls seasoned with spices, around which were four saucers;

one containing sweetmeats; and another, conserve of pomegranate-grains;

and a third, baḳláweh;[VIII_22] and the fourth, ḳaṭáïf:[VIII_23] the

contents of these saucers consisting both of sweet and acid. So I ate of

the ḳaṭáïf, and a piece of meat, and I put my hand to the baḳláweh and

ate of it as much as was agreeable, and then turned to the sweetmeat and

ate a spoonful, or two, or three, or four, and I ate a portion of a

fowl, and a morsel of another dish: and when I had done this, my stomach

was full, and my joints became loose, and I was too lazy to remain

awake; so I laid my head upon a cushion, after I had washed my hands,

and sleep overcame me, and I knew not what happened to me after this. I

awoke not until the sun scorched me (for some days had passed without my

having tasted sleep); and when I awoke, I found upon my stomach some

salt and charcoal; and I stood up and shook my clothes, and looked to

the right and left, but found no one: I discovered that I had been

sleeping upon the marble pavement without anything spread beneath me,

and I was perplexed in my mind, and mourned greatly; my tears ran down

upon my cheeks, and I lamented for myself.

I then returned to the house, and when I arrived there I found my cousin

striking her hand upon her bosom, and weeping with tears like raining

clouds; but when she beheld me she arose quickly, and wiped away her

tears, and, addressing me with her soft speech, said to me, O son of my

uncle, God hath been gracious to thee in thy passion, since the person

whom thou lovest loveth thee, while _I_ remain weeping and mourning for

the separation of thee who findest fault with me; but may God not

chastise thee on my account! She then smiled in my face with the smile

of one in anger, and caressed me, and took off my outer clothes, and

spread them out, and said, By Allah, these are not the odours of one who

hath enjoyed the company of his beloved! Tell me, then, what hath

happened to thee, O son of my uncle.--And I told her all that had

befallen me; whereupon she smiled a second time with the smile of one in

anger, and said, Verily, my heart is full and in pain! But may the

person who paineth thy heart cease to exist! This woman maketh herself

extravagantly difficult to thee. By Allah, O son of my uncle, I fear

what she may do to thee. Know that the meaning of the salt is, Thou art

drowned in sleep, and seemest insipid, so that the soul regardeth thee

with loathing, and thou requirest to be salted, that the stomach may not

eject thee: thou pretendest that thou art of the number of generous

lovers; but sleep, unto lovers, is forbidden; and thy pretension to love

is false.--Such, however, is her pretension: her love for thee is false,

for when she saw thee sleeping she did not rouse thee; and had her love

for thee been true she would have roused thee.--And as to the charcoal,

the meaning indicated by it is, May God blacken thy face,[VIII_24]

since thou hast made false pretensions to love, when thou art only a

child, and hast no care but for eating and drinking and sleeping. This

is the interpretation of her sign; and may Allah (whose name be

exalted!) deliver thee from her.--Now when I heard what she said, I

struck my hand upon my breast, and exclaimed, By Allah, this is the

truth; for I slept; and lovers sleep not: so I have wronged mine own

self. What could have been more injurious to me than eating and

sleeping? And what is to be done?--I then wept exceedingly, and said to

my cousin, Direct me what to do, and have mercy upon me; so may God have

mercy upon thee; otherwise I shall die. My cousin, therefore, having a

very great love for me, replied, On my head and my eye! But, O son of my

uncle, I have told thee several times, that, if I had the privilege of

coming in and going out when I pleased, I would accomplish thy union

with her in the shortest time, and cover you both with my skirt; and

this I would not do but from the desire of obtaining thine approval. If

God permit, I will employ my utmost endeavours to bring you together;

but hear my words, and comply with my directions, and go to that same

place, and seat thyself there: when the hour of nightfall is come, seat

thyself in the place where thou wast, and beware of eating anything; for

eating induceth sleep: have a care then that thou sleep not; for she

will not come to thee until a quarter of the night hath passed: and may

God avert from thee her wickedness!--So, when I heard her words, I

rejoiced, and prayed God to hasten the night; and when night came, I

desired to depart; and my cousin said to me, When thou hast met her,

repeat to her the verse before mentioned, at the time of thy departure.

I replied, On the head and the eye.

And when I went forth and repaired to the garden, I found the place

prepared, in the same state in which I had seen it before; in it was

everything requisite, of food and drink and dried fruits and sweet

scents and other things; and I went up into the maḳ'ad, and, smelling

the odour of the food, I longed for it. I refrained from it several

times; but at length I could not withstand it: so I arose and went to

the table, and took off its cover, and found a dish of fowls, around

which were four saucers of food of four different kinds; and I ate of

each kind a morsel, and as much as was agreeable of the sweetmeat, and a

piece of meat, and drank some zardeh,[VIII_25] and, finding it

pleasant to me, I drank again of it plentifully by the spoonful until I

was satiated and my stomach was full. And after this, my eyelids closed;

so I took a pillow and put it beneath my head, saying, Perhaps I may

recline upon it without sleeping. But I closed my eyes and slept, and

awoke not until the sun had risen, when I found upon my stomach a

play-bone and a ṭáb-stick[VIII_26] and a date-stone and a

locust-seed; and there was no furniture nor anything else in the place

and it seemed as if nothing had been there on the preceding night.

I rose, and shook off all these things from me, and went forth enraged,

and, arriving at the house, I found my cousin groaning; and I chid her

and abused her; whereupon she wept, and, having wiped away her tears,

approached and kissed me, and pressed me to her bosom; but I drew back

from her, blaming myself. She then said to me, O son of my uncle, it

seemeth that thou hast slept again this last night. I replied, Yes; and

when I awoke I found a play-bone laid upon my stomach, and a ṭáb-stick

and a date-stone and a locust-seed; and I know not wherefore she did

this. Then I wept, and approached her, and said to her, Explain to me

the meaning of her doing this, and tell me how I shall act, and assist

me in my trouble. She replied, On the head and the eye. As to the

ṭáb-stick [and the play-bone], which she placed upon thy stomach, she

meaneth thereby, that thou camest there and thy heart was absent; as

though she would say to thee, Love is not thus; therefore reckon not

thyself among lovers.[VIII_27] And as to the date-stone, she

indicated by it, that, if thou wert a lover, thy heart had been burning

with passion, and thou wouldst not taste the delight of sleep; for the

sweetness of love is like a date, which kindleth a fire in the

heart.[VIII_28] And as to the locust-seed, she intimated to thee by

it, that the heart of the lover is fatigued; and she would say to thee

thereby, Endure our separation with the patience of Job.[VIII_29]--When

I heard this interpretation, fire darted into my heart, and my grief

increased, and I cried out and exclaimed, God had decreed that I should

sleep, on account of my little fortune! I then said to her, O daughter

of my uncle, by my life I conjure thee to contrive for me some stratagem

by means of which I may obtain an interview with her. And I wept.--O

'Azeez, O son of my uncle, she replied, verily my heart is full of

thoughts, and I cannot talk; but go thou to-night to that place, and

beware of sleeping, and so shalt thou attain thy desire. This is my

counsel, and peace be on thee.--I said, If it please God, I will not

sleep; but I will do as thou chargest me. And my cousin arose, and

brought me food, saying to me, Eat now what will satisfy thee, that thou

mayest have no desire remaining. So I ate what satisfied me: and when

night came, my cousin arose, and brought me a superb suit of clothing,

and clad me with it, and conjured me to repeat to the damsel the verse

before mentioned, and cautioned me against sleeping.

I then departed from her, and, having repaired to the garden, went up

into the maḳ'ad; and I gazed at the garden, and kept opening my eyes

with my fingers, and shaking my head, as the night grew dark. But I

became hungry from watching, and the odours of the food were wafted

towards me, and my hunger in consequence increased: so I went to the

table, and removed its cover, and ate a morsel of every dish, and a

piece of meat, and I went to the bottle of wine, saying within myself, I

will drink a cup:--and I drank it, and then drank the second, and the

third, and so on to the number of ten; and being already stricken by

love, I fell upon the floor as one slain. Thus I remained until day

came, and I awoke, and found myself outside the garden, with a large

sharp knife upon my stomach, and an iron dirhem;[VIII_30] and I

trembled with fear, and took them with me and returned to the house.

[Illustration]

I found my cousin saying, I am in this house wretched and sorrowful,

with no relief but weeping. And as I entered, I fell down prostrate,

throwing the knife and dirhem from my hand, and fainted; and when I

recovered, I acquainted her with that which had befallen me, and said to

her, I shall not attain my desire. Her grief increased at witnessing my

weeping and my excessive passion, and she said to me, I have failed of

success in cautioning thee against sleeping; for thou wouldst not attend

to my advice: my words profit thee nothing. But I replied, I conjure

thee by Allah that thou explain to me the meaning of the knife and the

iron dirhem. So she said, As to the dirhem, she alluded by it to her

right eye,[VIII_31] and intimated that she swore by it, and said,

By the Lord of all creatures, and by my right eye,[VIII_32] if thou

come again and sleep I will assuredly slaughter thee with this knife!--I

fear for thee, therefore, O son of my uncle, from her malice; and my

heart is full of grief on thine account, and I cannot talk. If, then,

thou art confident in thyself that, if thou return to her, thou wilt not

sleep, return to her, and beware of sleeping, and so shalt thou attain

thy desire; but if thou know that, shouldst thou go to her again, thou

wilt sleep as usual, and so go to her and sleep, she will slaughter

thee.--What then, said I, is to be done, O daughter of my uncle? I

conjure thee by Allah to help me in this affliction.--She replied, On my

head and my eye: and if thou attend to my words and comply with my

directions thou wilt accomplish thy desire. I said, I will do so. And

she rejoined, When the time of departure cometh I will tell thee. She

then pressed me to her bosom, and laid me on the bed, and continued

gently kneading my limbs until slumber overcame me, and I sank into

sleep;[VIII_33] and she took a fan, and, seating herself at my

head, fanned my face until the close of day, when she roused me; and on

my awaking, I found her at my head with the fan in her hand, and weeping

so that her tears had wetted her clothes. But when she saw me that I

had awoke, she wiped away her tears, and brought me some food. I

refrained from it; but she said to me, Did I not tell thee that thou

must attend to my directions? Eat, therefore.--So I ate, and would not

oppose her; and she proceeded to put the food into my mouth, while I

chewed it, until my stomach was full. She then gave me to drink some

infusion of jujubes[VIII_34] with sugar, and washed my hands, and

dried them with a handkerchief, and sprinkled some rose-water upon me;

after which I sat with her, in healthy frame; and when the night became

dark, she put on me my clothes, and said, O son of my uncle, watch all

night, and sleep not; for she will not come to thee this night until

near its close; and, if it be the will of God, thou shalt meet her this

night; but forget not my charge. Then she wept, and my heart was pained

for her, on account of her excessive weeping; and I said to her, What is

the charge which thou gavest me? She answered, When thou departest from

her, repeat to her the verse before mentioned.

I then went forth from her full of joy, and proceeded to the garden, and

went up to the maḳ'ad, satiated with food. I remained sleepless a

quarter of the night, and the night seemed as long to me as though it

were a year; and I continued watching until two thirds of it had passed,

and the cocks crew, and I became violently hungry from watching: so I

went up to the table, and ate until I was satisfied; and my head became

heavy, and I desired to sleep; but suddenly I heard a noise in the

distance; whereupon I arose, and washed my hands and mouth, and roused

myself; and soon after, she came. She was accompanied by ten female

slaves, and she appeared among them like the full moon among the

planets: she was attired in a garment of green satin embroidered with

red gold; and when she saw me, she laughed, and said, How is it that

thou hast remained awake, and that sleep hath not overcome thee? Now

that thou hast passed the night sleepless I am convinced that thou art a

lover; for among the characteristics of lovers is the watching by night

in the resolute endurance of desire.--She then turned towards her female

slaves, and made a sign to them; whereupon they departed from her; and

she approached me, and pressed me to her bosom, and kissed me, and we

conversed together until the morning, when I desired to depart; but she

held me, and said to me, Stop, that I may acquaint thee with something,

and give thee a charge.--So I stopped; and she unfolded a handkerchief,

and, taking forth from it this piece of linen, spread it open before

me; and I found in it the design of the gazelles, as thou seest, and I

admired it exceedingly, and took it; after which I made a promise to her

that I would pay her a visit every night in that garden, and departed

from her, full of joy; but in my joy I forgot the verse which my cousin

had charged me to repeat. And when she gave me the piece of linen

containing the design of the gazelles, she said to me, This is the work

of my sister.--And what, said I, is the name of thy sister? She

answered, Her name is Noor-el-Hudà:[VIII_35] and do thou take care

of this piece of linen.

[Illustration]

After this, when I had taken leave of her and departed, full of joy, I

returned and went in to my cousin, and found her lying down, and when

she saw me she rose, her tears dropping, and approached me, and, kissing

my bosom, said, Hast thou recited the verse as I charged thee? I

answered, I forgot it; and nothing drove it from my mind but the design

of these gazelles. And I threw down the piece of linen before her. She

arose, and then seated herself again, and, in her impatience, shed

tears, and said, O son of my uncle, make a present to me of this piece

of linen. So I gave it her, and she took it and spread it open, and saw

what was in it. And when the time of my departure came, she said, Go,

and may safety attend thee; but when thou retirest from her, recite to

her the verse that I taught thee before, and which thou didst

forget.--Repeat it to me, said I. And she did so.

I then repaired to the garden, and entered the maḳ'ad. I found the

damsel waiting for me, and when she beheld me she arose and kissed me

and seated me, and we ate and drank, and in the morning I repeated to

her the verse, which was this:--

O ye lovers, by Allah, inform me, how a youth should act when

his love is intense.

And when she heard it, her eyes filled with tears, and thus she

replied:--

He should hide his love, and conceal his secret, and be patient

under every event, and submissive.

I committed this to memory, and, glad at having done what my cousin

desired, went forth and returned to her. I found her lying down, with my

mother, at her head, weeping for her unhappy state; and when I went in

to her, my mother said to me, Perdition to such a cousin as thou! How

canst thou leave the daughter of thine uncle indisposed and not inquire

respecting her disease?--But my cousin, on beholding me, raised her

head, and sat up, and said to me, O 'Azeez, hast thou repeated to her

the verse that I taught thee? I answered, Yes: and when she heard it,

she wept, and recited to me another verse, which I retain in my

memory.--Let me hear it, said my cousin. And when I had repeated it to

her she wept violently, and recited this other verse:--

He hath sought to attain a becoming patience; but found nought

save a heart pining with desire.

She then said to me, When thou goest to her as usual, repeat to her this

verse which thou hast heard. I replied, I hear and obey.

So I went to the garden according to my custom, and when I was about to

return, I recited to the damsel that verse; and when she heard it, tears

poured from her eyes, and she replied,--

Then, if he have not patience to conceal his secret, I know nothing

better for him than death.

Retaining this in my memory, I returned to the house; and when I went in

to my cousin, I found her fallen down in a fit, and my mother sitting at

her head; and when my cousin heard my voice, she opened her eyes, and

said, O 'Azeez, hast thou repeated to her the verse? I answered, Yes:

and when she heard it, she wept, and recited to me this other verse. And

I repeated it to her; and as soon as she heard it she fainted again,

and, on her recovering, recited another verse, which was this:--

We hear and obey, and we die; then convey my salutation to the person

who hath prevented our union.[VIII_36]

At the approach of the following night I went again to the garden as

usual, and found the damsel expecting me; and we ate and drank; and in

the morning, when I was about to depart, I repeated to her what my

cousin had said; whereupon she uttered a loud cry, and was agitated, and

exclaimed, By Allah, she who uttered this verse hath died! She then

wept, and said to me, Wo to thee! Is not she who uttered this verse

related to thee?--I answered, She is the daughter of my paternal

uncle.--Thou liest, replied she: by Allah, if she were the daughter of

thy uncle thou hadst borne her the same love that she bore thee. Thou

art he who hath destroyed her, and may God destroy thee in like manner!

By Allah, if thou hadst told me of thy having a cousin, I had not

admitted thee into my favour.--Verily, said I, she is my cousin, and she

explained to me the signs that thou madest me, and it was she who taught

me how to proceed with thee: I had not obtained access to thee but

through her good management.--And did she know of our affair? said she.

I answered, Yes.--May Allah, she exclaimed, cause thee to bewail thy

youth, as thou hast caused her to bewail hers! She then said to me, Go

and see her.

[Illustration]

I departed, therefore, troubled in mind, and proceeded until I came to

our street, when I heard a wailing, and, asking respecting it, was

answered, We found 'Azeezeh lying behind the door, dead. I entered the

house, and when my mother beheld me, she exclaimed, The crime of

destroying her is on thy neck, and may God not pardon thee her blood!

Perdition to such a cousin as thou!--My father then came, and we

prepared her body for interment, and performed the funeral-ceremonies,

and buried her; and we caused recitations of the whole of the Ḳur-án to

be performed at her tomb, and remained there three days, after which I

returned to the house, sorrowing for her. And my mother addressed me,

and said, I desire to know what thou didst to her, so that thou brokest

her heart. I asked her continually, O my son, respecting the cause of

her disorder; but she would not acquaint me with it. I conjure thee,

therefore, by Allah, that thou inform me what thou didst unto her, to

cause her death.--I replied, I did nothing. But she said, May God avenge

her upon thee! for she mentioned to me nothing, but concealed the truth

of her case until she died, still preserving her affection for thee; and

when she died I was with her, and she opened her eyes, and said to me, O

wife of my uncle, may God hold thy son guiltless of my blood, and not

punish him for that which he hath done unto me; and now God transporteth

me from the perishable world to the world of eternity. And I replied, O

my daughter, may God preserve thee, and preserve thy youth! And I asked

her respecting the cause of her disorder: but she answered not. Then she

smiled, and said, O wife of my uncle, if thy son desire to go to the

place which he is accustomed to frequent, tell him to repeat these two

phrases on departing from it:--Fidelity is good, and treachery is

base:--and this I desire in my compassion for him, that I may shew him

compassion in my life and after my death. She then gave me something for

thee, and took an oath of me that I would not give it to thee until I

should see thee weeping for her and lamenting: this thing I have, and

when I see thee in the state that she hath described I will give it to

thee.--I said to her, Shew it me. But she would not.

I then gave myself up to my pleasures, and thought not of the death of

my cousin; for I was unsettled in mind, and wished that I were passing

the whole of every night and day with my beloved; and scarcely had the

next night approached when I repaired again to the garden. I found the

damsel sitting there, burning with impatience to see me; and as soon as

she beheld me, she hastened to me and clung to my neck, and asked me

respecting my cousin. I answered her, She is dead, and we have performed

zikrs[VIII_37] and recitations of the Ḳur-án for her, and four

nights have passed since her death, and this is the fifth. When she

heard this, she cried out and wept, and said, Did I not tell thee that

thou hadst killed her? Hadst thou informed me of her, before her death,

I had requited her for the kindness that she hath shewn me; for she hath

been of service to me in giving thee access to me: had it not been for

her, I should not have had an interview with thee, and I fear thou wilt

fall into a calamity on account of her disaster.--I replied, She

acquitted me before her death. And I related to her what my mother had

told me; upon which she exclaimed, By Allah, I conjure thee, when thou

goest to thy mother, learn what it is that she hath.--My mother, said I,

told me, Thy cousin, before she died, charged me saying, If thy son

desire to go to the place which he is accustomed to frequent, tell him

to repeat these two phrases:--Fidelity is good, and treachery is

base.--And when the damsel heard this, she exclaimed, The mercy of God

(whose name be exalted!) be upon her, for she hath saved thee from me: I

was meditating an injury to thee; but now I will not hurt thee nor

trouble thee. And I wondered at this, and said to her, What didst thou

purpose before this to do to me, after mutual love had taken place

between us? She answered, Thou art devoted to me; but thou art young,

and thy mind is free from deceit, and thou knowest not our malice nor

our deceit: were she still in the bonds of life, she would assist thee;

for she is the cause of thy safety, and hath delivered thee from

destruction: and now I charge thee that thou speak not with any female,

nor answer any of our sex, young or old. Beware, beware; for thou art

ignorant of the deceit of women, and their malice: she who used to

interpret the signs to thee is dead; and I fear for thee lest thou fall

into a calamity and find none to deliver thee from it after the death of

thy cousin. O my sorrow for the daughter of thy uncle! Would that I had

known her before her death, that I might have requited her for the

kindness that she hath done me! The mercy of God (whose name be

exalted!) be upon her, for she concealed her secret, and revealed not

what she felt; and but for her, thou wouldst never have had access to

me. And now I have a service to demand of thee.--What is it? said I. She

answered, That thou conduct me to her tomb, that I may visit her at her

grave, and inscribe some verses upon it. I replied, To-morrow, if it be

the will of God, whose name be exalted!--So I remained with her that

night, and frequently she said to me, Would that thou hadst told me of

thy cousin before her death! And I asked her, What is the meaning of

these words which she said--Fidelity is good, and treachery is base? But

she answered me not.

[Illustration]

In the morning, therefore, she arose, and, taking a purse containing

some pieces of gold, said to me, Arise, and shew me the tomb, that I may

visit it, and write upon it some verses, and build over it a cupola, and

pray for mercy upon her, and bestow these pieces of gold in alms for her

soul. I replied, I hear and obey. And I walked before her, and she

followed me, and employed herself in giving alms on the way as she went,

and every time that she did so she said, This is an alms for the soul of

'Azeezeh, who concealed her secret until she drank the cup of death, and

revealed not her love. Thus she continued to give of the contents of

the purse, and to say, For the soul of 'Azeezeh,--until we arrived at

the tomb, and the contents of the purse were exhausted; and when she

beheld the tomb, she threw herself upon it, and wept violently. She then

took forth a pointed instrument of steel, and a small mallet, and

engraved upon the stone at the head of the tomb, in small characters,

these verses:--

I passed by an undistinguished tomb in the midst of a garden,

with seven anemones upon it;[VIII_38]

And I said, Whose tomb is this? The soil answered, Be respectful,

for this is the resting-place of a lover.

So I said, God keep thee, O victim of love, and lodge thee

in the highest stage of Paradise!

How miserable are lovers among the creation, when even their tombs

are covered with vile dust!

Were I able [O tomb], I would make of thee a garden, and water it

with my streaming tears!

She then again wept violently, and arose, and I arose with her; and

after we had returned to the garden, she said to me, I conjure thee by

Allah that thou never forsake me. And I replied, I hear and obey. So I

resumed my visits to her as before, and she treated me with kindness and

honour, and used to ask me respecting the two phrases which my cousin

'Azeezeh had mentioned to my mother, and I repeated them to her. Thus I

remained, eating and drinking, and enjoying her conversation, and

attiring myself in changes of delicate clothing, until I became stout

and fat, and I experienced neither anxiety nor grief nor sorrow, and

forgot my cousin.

I continued drowned in these pleasures for a whole year; and at the

commencement of the new year, I entered the bath, and refreshed myself,

and put on a handsome suit; and after I had gone forth from the bath, I

drank a cup of wine, and smelt the odours of my clothes, which were

richly perfumed with various scents. My heart was unoppressed by

calamities or misfortunes; and when the hour of nightfall came, I

desired to repair to the damsel; but I was intoxicated, and knew not my

way; and, in going to her, intoxication led me aside into a by-street

called the street of the Naḳeeb:[VIII_39] and as I was proceeding

along it, lo, an old woman came, with a lighted candle in one of her

hands, and in her other hand a folded letter. I advanced towards her,

and she, with weeping eye, said to me, O my son, art thou able to read?

I answered her, Yes, my old aunt. And she said, Take this letter, and

read it to me. And she handed me the letter; so I took it from her and

opened it, and read to her its contents, informing her that it was a

letter from the absent, with salutations to the beloved. And when she

heard this, she rejoiced at the good news, and ejaculated a prayer for

me, saying, May God dispel thine anxiety as thou hast dispelled mine!

She then took the letter, and proceeded a few steps; but presently she

returned to me, and, kissing my hand, said, O my lord, may God (whose

name be exalted!) give thee enjoyment of thy youth, and not disgrace

thee. I beg that thou wilt walk with me a few paces, to that door; for I

have told them what thou hast read to me of the letter, and they do not

believe me: come with me, therefore, two steps, and read to them the

letter outside the door, and accept my prayer for thee.--And what, said

I, is the history of this letter? She answered, O my son, this letter

hath come from my son, who hath been absent from us for the space of ten

years; for he journeyed with merchandise, and hath remained abroad

during that period, and we relinquished all hope of his return, thinking

that he was dead: then came to us this letter from him; and he hath a

sister who hath wept for him during his absence night and day; and I

told her that he was in health and prosperity; but she believed me not,

and said to me, Thou must bring me a person to read this letter and to

acquaint me with its contents, that my heart may be set at ease and my

mind comforted.--Thou knowest, O my son, that the loving is prepossessed

with evil anticipations: favour me, therefore, by reading this letter

while thou shalt stand outside the curtain, and his sister shall hear it

within the door, that the recompense of him who accomplisheth a want for

a Muslim, and dispelleth from his mind a trouble, may be thine: for the

Apostle of God (may God bless and save him!) hath said, Whoso dispelleth

from the mind of a sorrowful person one of the troubles of this world,

God will dispel from his mind one of the troubles of the world to

come:--and in another tradition, Whoso dispelleth from the mind of his

brother one of the troubles of this world, God will dispel from his mind

seventy-two of the troubles of the day of resurrection:--and now I have

desired thee, do not disappoint me.--So I replied, I hear and obey:

proceed before me.

She therefore walked before me, and I followed her a little way, until

she arrived at a great door overlaid with copper; and she stopped at

this door, and called out in Persian, and immediately a damsel

approached, with light and nimble step. Her trousers were tucked up to

her knees, and I beheld a pair of legs that confounded the mind and the

eye by their beauty: they were like two columns of alabaster, and

ornamented with anklets of gold set with jewels. The skirts of her outer

clothes were tucked up under her arms, and her sleeves were turned up

from her arms, and I looked at her white wrists, and upon them were two

pairs of bracelets: in her ears were two ear-rings of pearls; and upon

her neck was a necklace of costly jewels; and on her head, a

koofeeyeh,[VIII_40] quite new, adorned with precious gems. She had

tucked the skirt of her inner tunic within the band of her trousers, and

appeared as though she had been employed in some active work. And when

she beheld me, she said, with an eloquent and sweet tongue that I had

never heard surpassed in sweetness, O my mother, is this he who hath

come to read the letter? She answered, Yes. And the damsel stretched

forth her hand to me with the letter. There was, between her and the

door, a distance of about half a rod;[VIII_41] and I extended my

hand to take the letter from her, and put my head and shoulders within

the door to draw near to her; but before I knew what she was about to

do, the old woman placed her head against my back, and pushed me

forward, while my hand was holding the letter, and I looked around, and

found myself in the midst of the house; that is, within the vestibule.

The old woman entered more quickly than the blinding lightning, and had

nothing to do but to shut the door: and when the damsel beheld me within

the vestibule, she approached me, and pressed me to her bosom, and,

taking me by the hand, unable to extricate myself from her grasp, led

me, preceded by the old woman with the lighted candle, until she had

passed through seven vestibules; after which she conducted me into a

large saloon, with four leewáns,[VIII_42] in which a horseman might

play at goff.[VIII_43] She then seated me, and said to me, Open

thine eye. And I did so, giddy from the violence that I had experienced,

and saw that the whole construction of the saloon was of the most

beautiful alabaster, and all its furniture, including the cushions and

mattresses, of brocade. In it were also two benches of brass, and a

couch of red gold set with pearls and jewels, not suitable to any but a

King like thee.

[Illustration]

After this, she said to me, O 'Azeez, which of the two states is the

more agreeable to thee, life or death? I answered her, Life. And she

said, Then if life is more agreeable to thee, marry me.--I dislike,

I replied, marrying such a person as thou. She rejoined, if thou

marry me, thou wilt be secure from the daughter of the crafty

Deleeleh.[VIII_44]--And who, said I, is the daughter of the crafty

Deleeleh? She laughed, and answered, How is it that thou knowest her

not, when thou hast now been in her company a year and four months? May

Allah (whose name be exalted!) destroy her. Verily there existeth not

any one more treacherous than she. How many persons hath she killed

before thee, and what deeds hath she done! And how hast thou escaped

from her, without her killing or troubling thee, when thou hast been in

her company all this time?--When I heard her words I wondered extremely,

and said to her, O my mistress, who acquainted thee with her? She

answered, I know her as the age knoweth its calamities; but I desire

that thou inform me of all that thou hast experienced from her, that I

may know the cause of thy safety from her. So I related to her all that

had happened to me with her and with my cousin 'Azeezeh; and she

exclaimed, Allah have mercy upon her!--and her eyes shed tears, and she

struck her hands together, when she heard of the death of my cousin

'Azeezeh, and said, May Allah compensate thee abundantly for the loss of

her, O 'Azeez; for she hath been the cause of thy safety from the

daughter of the crafty Deleeleh; and had it not been for her, thou hadst

perished.[VIII_45] After this, she clapped her hands, and said, O

my mother, bring in those who are with thee. And lo, the old woman

approached with four lawful witnesses; and she lighted four candles; and

when the witnesses entered, they saluted me, and seated themselves; and

the damsel covered herself with an izár, and appointed one of the

witnesses to be her deputy in making her contract. So they performed the

marriage-contract, and she affirmed of herself that she had received the

whole of the dowry, both the portion usually paid in advance and the

arrears, and that she was indebted to me in the sum of ten thousand

pieces of silver; after which she gave to the witnesses their fees, and

they departed.

On the following day, I desired to go out; but she approached me

laughing, and said, Dost thou think that going out from the bath is like

entering it?[VIII_46] I imagine thou thinkest me to be like the

daughter of the crafty Deleeleh. Beware of entertaining such an idea.

Thou art no other than my husband, according to the Ḳur-án and the

Sunneh; and if thou hast been intoxicated, return to thy reason. Verily

this house in which thou art is not opened but on one day in every year.

Go to the street-door and look.--So I went and looked, and found it

closed and nailed, and returned and told her so; and she said to me, O

'Azeez, we have of flour and grain and fruits and pomegranates and sugar

and meat and sheep and fowls and other provisions what will suffice us

for many years, and from this last night our door will not be opened

until after a year and I know that thou wilt not behold thyself outside

this house until after a year hath expired. Upon this I exclaimed, There

is no strength nor power but in God! And she laughed, and I laughed

also, and complied with her orders, and remained with her until the

twelve months of the year had expired, when I was blest with a son by

her. And on the first day of the following year, I heard the opening of

the door, and lo, men came in with kaạks[VIII_47] and flour and

sugar; and I desired to go out; but she said to me, Wait until

nightfall, and as thou camest in, so go forth. I therefore waited until

that hour, and was on the point of going out, in fear and trembling,

when she said to me, By Allah, I will not let thee go until I have made

thee swear to me that thou wilt return this night before the door is

closed. So I promised her to do it; and she made me swear by binding

oaths upon the sword and the Ḳur-án, and by the oath of divorce, that I

would return to her.[VIII_48]

I then went forth from her, and repaired to the garden. I found it open

as usual, and was angry, saying within myself, I have been absent from

this place a whole year, and, coming unawares, have found it open as

usual. I wonder if the damsel be still there as heretofore, and I must

enter and see before I go to my mother.--It was then nightfall, and I

entered the garden, and, proceeding to the maḳ'ad, found the daughter of

the crafty Deleeleh sitting with her head upon her knee and her hand

upon her cheek. Her complexion was changed, and her eyes were sunk, and

when she beheld me she exclaimed, Praise be to God for thy safety!--and

she endeavoured to rise, but fell down through her joy. I was ashamed at

seeing her, and hung down my head; but presently I advanced to her and

kissed her, and said to her, How didst thou know that I was coming to

thee at this time? She answered, I knew it not. By Allah, for a year I

have not tasted sleep; but have sat up every night expecting thee, and

in this state have I been from the day when thou wentest forth from me

and I gave thee the new suit of clothing and thou promisedst me that

thou wouldst return to me. I remained expecting thee, and thou camest

not the first night, nor the second, nor the third: so I still waited in

expectation of thy coming; for such is the way of the lover: and I would

now that thou tell me what hath been the cause of thine absence from me

this year. I therefore told her; and when she knew that I had married,

her countenance became pale. I then said to her, I have come to thee

this night, but must go before the morning. But she exclaimed, Is it not

enough for her to have married thee, and to have employed this stratagem

against thee, and imprisoned thee with her a whole year, that she hath

made thee swear by the oath of divorce that thou wilt return to her

before the morning, and will not allow thee to divert thyself with thy

mother nor with me, and cannot endure thy passing one night with either

of us? What then must be the state of her from whom thou hast been

absent a whole year, though I knew thee before she did! But may Allah

have mercy on 'Azeezeh; for she suffered what none other hath suffered,

and endured with patience that of which none else hath endured the like,

and died through thy oppression. It was she who protected thee from me.

I thought that thou wouldst return, and gave thee liberty, though I was

able to imprison thee, and to destroy thee.

[Illustration]

Having thus said, she wept, and became enraged, and looked at me with

the eye of anger; and when I beheld her in this state, the muscles of my

side quivered, and I feared her, and became as the bean upon the fire.

She then cried out, and suddenly ten female slaves came to me, and threw

me upon the floor; and when I fell under their hands, she arose, and,

taking a knife, said, I will slaughter thee as goats are slaughtered,

and this shall be thy least recompense for that which thou hast done

unto thy cousin. When I beheld myself, therefore, beneath her female

slaves, and my cheek was soiled with the dust, and I saw the knife in

her hand, I looked upon death as inevitable. I implored her mercy; but

she only increased in hardness, and ordered the female slaves to bind my

hands behind me; and they did so, and, throwing me upon my back, seated

themselves upon my body, and held my head. Then two of them arose and

took hold of my toes, and two others seated themselves upon my legs;

after which, their mistress arose, with two others of them, and she

ordered them to beat me; whereupon they beat me until I fainted, and my

voice became inaudible; and when I recovered, I said within myself,

Verily my being slaughtered were easier to me than this beating! I

bethought myself of the words of my cousin, when she said, May God avert

from thee her wickedness!--and I cried out and wept until my voice

failed. She then sharpened the knife, and said to the female slaves,

Uncover his throat. But God inspired me to repeat the two phrases which

my cousin had charged me to utter, namely, Fidelity is good, and

treachery is base;--and when she heard this, she cried out and said,

Allah have mercy upon thee, O 'Azeezeh! Would that thy youth had been

spared! Thou hast profited thy cousin during thy life and after thy

death!--Then addressing me, she added, By Allah, thou hast saved thy

life from me by means of these two phrases; but I must cause thee to

bear a mark of my resentment.--So saying, she inflicted upon me a cruel

wound, and I fainted; but when I recovered, the blood had stopped, and

she gave me to drink a cup of wine, and spurned me with her foot.

I rose; but was unable at first to walk: presently, however, I proceeded

by little and little until I arrived at the door of my wife's house. I

found it open, and threw myself within it, in a state of distraction;

and my wife came and took me up and conveyed me to the saloon, where I

fell into a deep sleep; but when I awoke, I found myself laid at the

gate of the garden.

In anguish I rose, and went to my home, and, entering the house, found

my mother weeping for me, and exclaiming, Would that I knew, O my son,

in what land thou art! So I approached her, and threw myself upon her,

and when she beheld me, she saw that I was unwell. Yellowness and

blackness were mingled upon my face; and I remembered my cousin, and the

kindness she had shewn me, and was convinced that she loved me. I wept

for her, and my mother also wept, and then said to me, O my son, thy

father is dead. And upon this, my rage increased, and I wept until I

became insensible; and when I recovered, I looked towards the place

where my cousin was accustomed to sit, and wept again till I fainted

from the violence of my lamentation. I ceased not to weep and wail until

midnight, when my mother said to me, Thy father hath been dead ten days.

But I replied, I think of no one but my cousin; for I deserve what hath

happened to me, because I neglected her when she loved me. She asked me,

therefore, And what hath happened to thee? So I related to her that

which had befallen me; to which she replied, Praise be to God that this

happened to thee and that she did not slaughter thee! She then applied

remedies to my wound until I recovered, and regained my usual strength;

and she said to me, O my son, I will now produce to thee the deposite

with which thy cousin intrusted me; for it is thine, and she made me

swear that I would not produce it to thee until I saw that thou

rememberedst her and mournedst for her, and that thine affections for

another were severed; and now I hope that I find in thee these

dispositions. She therefore arose, and, opening a chest, took forth from

it this piece of linen containing the design of the gazelles, which I

had originally given to her; and when I took it, I found written upon it

some verses complaining of her unrequited love for me, and there fell

from it a paper containing some words of consolation and

counsel.[VIII_49]

As soon as I had read and understood this paper, I wept again, and my

mother did the same, and I continued looking at it and weeping until the

approach of night; and in this state I remained for the space of a year;

after which, some merchants of my city, the same whom I am accompanying

in this caravan, prepared for a journey; and my mother suggested to me

that I should fit myself out and go with them, saying to me, Perhaps the

journey will dispel this sorrow which thou sufferest, and thou wilt be

absent a year, or two years, or three, until the caravan returneth, and

thy heart may become dilated. Thus she continued to persuade me, so that

I prepared some merchandise, and journeyed with them; but my tears have

not dried up during my travels; for at every station where we halt I

spread this piece of linen before me, and look at this design, and think

of my cousin, and weep for her as thou seest, since she loved me

excessively, and died through my unkindness; I doing nothing but evil to

her, while she did nothing to me but what was good. When the merchants

return from their journey, I shall return with them, and the period of

my absence will be a complete year; but I still suffer increasing

sorrow; and my sorrow hath been only augmented in consequence of my

passing by the Islands of Camphor and the Castle of Crystal.[VIII_50]

These Islands are seven in number, and the sovereign of them is a King

named Sháh-Zemán.[VIII_51] He hath a daughter named Dunyà;[VIII_52]

and it was told me that it was she who worked the designs of the

gazelles, and that this design which is in my possession was one of her

work; and when I knew this, I became excessively desirous of seeing her:

so, when the caravan entered her country, I went forth and wandered

about the gardens, which contained a profusion of trees. The

superintendent of the gardens was a sheykh advanced in age; and I said

to him, O sheykh, to whom doth this garden belong? He answered, To the

King's daughter, the lady Dunyà, and we are beneath her palace; and if

thou desire to amuse thyself, open the private door, and take a view of

the garden and smell the odours of the flowers. So I said to him, Have

the kindness to allow me to sit in this garden until she passeth by,

that I may enjoy a glance at her. The sheykh replied, There will be no

harm in thy doing so. When he said this, therefore, I gave him some

money, saying to him, Buy for us something to eat. And he rejoiced at

receiving the money, and, opening the door, conducted me within; and we

proceeded until we came to a pleasant spot, where he brought me some

delicate fruits, and said to me, Sit here while I go and return to thee.

And he left me and departed, and, after he had been absent a while,

returned bringing a roasted lamb; and we ate until we were satisfied, my

heart longing to behold the lady, and while we were sitting, lo, the

door opened; whereupon he said to me, Rise, and conceal thyself. So I

rose, and hid myself; and a black eunuch put forth his head from the

door, and said, O sheykh, is any one with thee? He answered, No.--Then

close the door, said the eunuch. The sheykh, therefore, closed the door

of the garden; and lo, the lady Dunyà came forth. When I beheld her, I

thought that the moon had descended upon the earth; my mind was

confounded, and I desired her as the thirsty longeth for water; and

after a while, she closed the door and departed. I then went forth from

the garden, and repaired to my lodging, knowing that I could not obtain

access to her; and when my companions prepared for departure, I also

prepared myself, and travelled with them towards thy city; and on our

arrival here, we met with thee.--This is my story, and this is what hath

happened unto me; and peace be on thee.

[Illustration]

CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF TÁJ-EL-MULOOK AND THE LADY DUNYÀ.

When Táj-el-Mulook heard this story, his heart became troubled with love

for the lady Dunyà. He then mounted his horse, and, taking with him

'Azeez, returned to his father's city, where he assigned to him a house,

and furnished it with everything that he required; after which he left

him, and repaired to his palace. His tears ran down upon his cheeks (for

hearing affecteth as sight and union), and in this state he remained

until his father came in to him, and, finding that his colour was

changed, knew that he was oppressed by anxiety and grief: so he said to

him, O my son, acquaint me with thy case, and tell me what hath happened

to thee to change thy colour. He therefore related to him all that he

had heard of the story of Dunyà, and how he had fallen in love with her

from hearsay, without having seen her; whereupon his father said to him,

O my son, her father is a King, and his country is distant from us:

abandon, therefore, this idea, and enter the palace of thy mother; for

in it are five hundred female slaves like so many moons, and whoever of

them pleaseth thee do thou take her; or, if none of them please thee, we

will demand in marriage for thee one of the daughters of the Kings, more

beautiful than the lady Dunyà. But he replied, O my father, I desire not

any but her: it was she who worked the design of the gazelles that I

saw, and I must have her, or I will flee into the deserts, and kill

myself on her account.

So his father said, Have patience with me, O my son, that I may send to

her father and demand her of him in marriage, and accomplish for thee

thy wish, like as I did for myself in the case of thy mother; and if he

consent not, I will convulse his kingdom around him, and send against

him an army of which the rear shall be with me when the van is with him.

He then called for the young man 'Azeez, and said to him, O my son,

knowest thou the way? He answered, Yes.--Then I desire of thee, said the

King, that thou journey with my Wezeer. And 'Azeez replied, I hear and

obey, O King of the age. The King, therefore, summoned his Wezeer, and

said to him, Manage for me the affair of my son according to thy

knowledge, and repair to the Islands of Camphor, and demand in marriage

the daughter of their King. He replied, I hear and obey. And

Táj-el-Mulook returned to his apartments, and his malady and impatience

increased: he fell down in a swoon, and recovered not until the morning;

and when the morning arrived, his father came to him, and saw his

complexion more changed, and his sallowness increased; and he exhorted

him to patience, and promised him the accomplishment of his union.

The King then equipped 'Azeez, with his Wezeer, and supplied them with

the presents; and they journeyed days and nights until they beheld the

Islands of Camphor, when they halted on the bank of a river, and the

Wezeer sent forward a messenger from his party to the King, to acquaint

him with their approach; and half a day after the departure of the

messenger, suddenly they saw that the chamberlains of the King, and his

emeers, had advanced to meet them from the distance of a league; and

they met him, and attended them until they went in with them to the

King. They placed before the King the presents, and remained in his

palace four days; and on the fifth day the Wezeer arose and went in to

the King, and, standing before him, delivered to him his message, and

acquainted him with the cause of his coming; but the King was perplexed

how to answer, for his daughter liked not marriage; and he hung down his

head for a while towards the floor; and after this he raised it, and,

looking towards one of the eunuchs, said to him, Go to thy mistress

Dunyà, and acquaint her with what thou hast heard, and with the purpose

of the visit of this Wezeer. So the eunuch went, and, after a short

absence, returned to the King, and said to him, O King of the age, when

I went in to the lady Dunyà, and acquainted her with what I had heard,

she was violently enraged, and rose against me with a stick, and would

have broken my head; wherefore I fled from her; and she said to me, If

my father force me to marry, him whom I marry I will kill. Her father,

therefore, said to the Wezeer and 'Azeez, Salute ye the King, and inform

him of this, and that my daughter liketh not marriage. Accordingly the

Wezeer returned with his attendants unsuccessful, and they continued

their journey until they went in unto the King, and acquainted him with

what had happened; and upon this he ordered the chiefs to call together

the troops that they might march to war; but the Wezeer said to him, Do

not this; for the King is not in fault: the refusal is on the part of

his daughter, who, when she knew of this proposal, sent to say, If my

father force me to marry, I will kill him whom I marry, and kill myself

after him.

And when the King heard the words of the Wezeer, he feared for his son

Táj-el-Mulook, and said, If I make war upon her father, and obtain

possession of his daughter, she will kill herself. He then acquainted

his son Táj-el-Mulook with the truth of the case; and when the prince

heard it, he said to his father, O my father, I cannot exist without

her: I will therefore go to her, and seek means of obtaining an

interview with her, though I die in the attempt: and I will do nothing

but this. His father said, How wilt thou go to her? He answered, I will

go in the disguise of a merchant.--Then if it must be so, rejoined the

King, take with thee the Wezeer and 'Azeez. He then took forth for him

some money from his treasuries, and prepared for him merchandise at the

price of a hundred thousand pieces of gold, and they both agreed as to

this course; and when night came, Táj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez went to the

abode of the latter, and there passed that night. But the heart of

Táj-el-Mulook was captivated, and neither eating nor rest pleased him:

reflections overwhelmed him, and he was drowned in them; and, longing

for his beloved, he poured forth his tears, and wept violently; and

'Azeez wept with him, reflecting upon his cousin; and they both

continued thus until the morning, when Táj-el-Mulook arose and went in

to his mother. He was equipped for the journey; and she asked him

respecting his state: so he acquainted her with the whole truth; and she

gave him fifty thousand pieces of gold, and bade him farewell, and he

went forth from her, while she offered up prayers for his safety, and

for his union with the object of his love. He then went in to his

father, and asked his permission to depart; and the King granted him

permission, and gave him fifty thousand pieces of gold, and ordered that

a tent should be pitched for him outside the city.

[Illustration]

A large tent was therefore pitched for him; and after they had remained

in it two days, they commenced their journey; and Táj-el-Mulook treated

'Azeez with familiar kindness, and said to him, O my brother, I cannot

henceforth part with thee.--And I, replied 'Azeez, am of the like mind,

and desire to die at thy feet; but, O my brother, my heart is troubled

with thoughts of my mother. So Táj-el-Mulook said, When we shall have

attained our wish, all will be well. Now the Wezeer had charged

Táj-el-Mulook to display an air of patience, and 'Azeez occupied himself

with reciting to him verses, and narrating to him histories and tales;

and they continued on their way by night and day for the space of two

months. The length of the journey became wearisome to Táj-el-Mulook; and

the violence of his desire, and his passion and distraction, increased:

so when they drew near to the city, he rejoiced excessively, and his

anxiety and grief ceased.

They entered it in the garb of merchants, the King's son being also clad

in the same manner, and, coming to a place known as the abode of

merchants, which was a large Khán, Táj-el-Mulook said to 'Azeez, Is this

the abode of the merchants? 'Azeez answered, Yes: it is not, however,

the Khán in which I lodged with the caravan that I accompanied; but it

is better than that. So they made their camels lie down, and unloaded,

and, having deposited their goods in the magazines, remained there to

take rest four days. The Wezeer then suggested to them that they should

hire for themselves a large house; to which they assented; and they

hired a spacious house, fitted for festivities. There they took up their

abode; and the Wezeer and 'Azeez studied to devise some stratagem for

the sake of Táj-el-Mulook, who was perplexed, not knowing what to do.

The Wezeer could contrive no other plan than that of his opening for

himself a shop to carry on the trade of a merchant in the market of fine

stuffs: he therefore addressed Táj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez, and said to

them, Know that if we remain in this state we shall not attain our wish;

and a thing hath occurred to my mind which probably may be advisable, if

it be the will of God. So they replied, Do what seemeth fit to thee; for

a blessing attendeth the aged, and especially in thy case, since thou

hast devoted thyself to the management of affairs: therefore give us the

advice which hath suggested itself to thy mind. And he said to

Táj-el-Mulook, It is my opinion that we should hire for thee a shop in

the market of fine stuffs, and that thou shouldst sit in it to sell and

buy; for every person of the higher ranks and of the people in general

standeth in need of such stuffs, and if thou sit in that shop thy affair

will be arranged, if it be the will of God (whose name be exalted!),

especially because of thy comely person; but make 'Azeez thy trusty

attendant, and seat him in the shop to hand to thee the stuffs. And when

Táj-el-Mulook heard these words, he said, This is a judicious

opinion;--and immediately he took forth a suit of merchant's attire,

and clad himself in it, and arose and went forth, followed by his young

men, and gave to one of them a thousand pieces of gold to fit up the

shop.

They proceeded until they arrived at the market of fine stuffs, and when

the merchants saw Táj-el-Mulook, and observed his handsome and comely

person, they were confounded, and began to say, Hath Riḍwán[VIII_53]

opened the gates of Paradise and neglected them, so that this youth of

surprising beauty hath come forth?--and one said, This is probably one

of the angels. And when they went in among the merchants, they inquired

for the shop of the Sheykh of the market. The merchants, therefore,

guided them thither, and they went to him; and as they approached him,

he and the merchants who were with him rose to them, and received them

with honour, especially the excellent Wezeer; for they saw him to be an

aged and venerable man; and observing that he was accompanied by

Táj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez, they said, No doubt this sheykh is the father

of these two young men. The Wezeer then said to them, Who among you is

the Sheykh of the market? They answered, This is he. And the Wezeer,

looking at him and observing him, saw that he was an old man of grave

and respectable aspect, and possessing servants and young men. The

Sheykh of the market greeted them with friendly compliments, and treated

them with great honour, and, having seated them by his side, said to

them, Have ye any business which we may have the happiness of

transacting? The Wezeer answered, Yes: I am an old man, advanced in age,

and I have these two young men: I have travelled with them through all

regions and countries, and have not entered a town without remaining in

it a whole year, that they might amuse themselves with the sight of it

and become acquainted with its inhabitants; and now I have come to this

your town, and have chosen to make a stay in it: I therefore desire of

thee one of the best shops, that I may seat them in it to traffic, and

that they may amuse themselves with the sight of this city, and acquire

the manners of its people, and obtain an experience in buying and

selling and other commercial transactions.

So the Sheykh of the market replied, There will be no harm in doing

so:--and, looking at the two young men, he was delighted with them, and

he arose and stood like a servant before them to wait upon them. And

afterwards he went and prepared for them the shop: it was in the midst

of the market, and there was none larger than it, nor any more handsome

there; for it was spacious and decorated, and contained shelves of

ivory and ebony. He then delivered the keys to the Wezeer (who was also

in the garb of a merchant), and said, God grant that it may be attended

with blessings to thy two sons![VIII_54] And when the Wezeer had

taken the keys of the shop, he went to it, together with the servants,

who deposited in it their goods; and they ordered the servants to remove

thither all the merchandise and stuffs and rarities that they had. These

things were worth treasuries of wealth; and they transported the whole

of them to the shop. They then passed the night, and in the morning the

Wezeer conducted the two young men to the bath, where they washed and

enjoyed themselves to the utmost, after which they returned to their

abode to rest from the fatigue of bathing, and ate and drank; and they

passed the next night in their abode in the most perfect joy and

happiness. And on the following morning they rose from their sleep, and,

having performed the ablution, recited the divinely-ordained prayers,

and drank their morning-beverage;[VIII_55] and when daylight came,

and the shops and markets were opened, they went forth from their abode,

and repaired to the market, and opened the shop. The servants had

prepared it for them in the handsomest manner, and spread it with

carpets of silk, and placed in it two mattresses, each of which was

worth a hundred pieces of gold; and upon each mattress they spread a

skin such as Kings sit upon, surrounded with an edge of gold: so

Táj-el-Mulook seated himself upon one mattress, and 'Azeez upon the

other, and the Wezeer sat in the midst of the shop, while the servants

stood before them. The people heard of them, and crowded about them, and

they sold of their merchandise; and the fame of Táj-el-Mulook was spread

through the city, and the report of his handsomeness and comeliness was

blazed throughout it. They continued this life for several days, the

people pressing to them; after which the Wezeer addressed Táj-el-Mulook,

and enjoined him to conceal his case, and, having charged 'Azeez to keep

watch over him, repaired to the house to plan some mode of proceeding

that might be of advantage to them. Meanwhile, Táj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez

sat conversing together; and the former said, Perhaps some one may come

from the lady Dunyà.

[Illustration]

Thus Táj-el-Mulook passed his time days and nights, and slept not;

desire overpowered him, and he became more and more emaciated and

infirm, renouncing the delight of sleep, and abstaining from drink and

food; but still he was like the full moon: and as he was sitting one

day, lo, an old woman approached and advanced towards him, followed by

two female slaves, and she continued to draw near until she stopped at

his shop. Beholding his graceful person, and his handsome and lovely

aspect, she wondered at his beauty, and said, Extolled be the perfection

of Him who created thee! Extolled be the perfection of Him who hath made

thee a temptation to all creatures!--She ceased not to gaze at him, and

said, This is not a mortal: this is no other than a noble

angel![VIII_56] Then drawing close to him, she saluted him, and he

returned her salutation, and rose to her, standing upon his

feet,[VIII_57] and smiled in her face. All this he did at the

hinting of 'Azeez; after which he seated her by his side, and occupied

himself with fanning her until she had rested herself; when she said to

him, O my son! O thou of perfect qualities and graces! art thou of this

country?--Táj-el-Mulook answered her, with an eloquent and sweet and

charming voice, By Allah, O my mistress, in my life I never entered this

country until now; and I have not taken up my abode in it but for the

sake of amusement. And she wished him honour, and welcomed him, and

said, What stuffs hast thou brought with thee? Show me something

beautiful; for the beautiful bringeth not anything but what is

beautiful.--And when Táj-el-Mulook heard her words his heart

palpitated; but he understood not their meaning: so 'Azeez made a sign

to him; and Táj-el-Mulook said to her, I have everything that thou

desirest of stuffs suitable only to Kings and the daughters of Kings.

For whom, then, wouldst thou purchase, that I may display to thee what

will be appropriate?--He desired by this question to learn the meaning

of her words; and she answered, I want some stuff suitable to the lady

Dunyà, the daughter of King Sháh-Zemán. On hearing the mention of his

beloved, Táj-el-Mulook rejoiced exceedingly, and said to 'Azeez, Bring

me the most magnificent of the goods that are by thee. And 'Azeez gave

him a wrapper, and untied it before her, and Táj-el-Mulook said to her,

Choose what will suit her; for this is such as is not found with any but

me. So the old woman chose some stuff that was worth a thousand pieces

of gold; and said, What is the price of this?--What! said he, shall I

bargain with a person like thee respecting this contemptible thing?

Praise be to God who hath made me acquainted with thee.--And the old

woman exclaimed, I invoke, for thy comely face, the protection of the

Lord of the Daybreak![VIII_58] for verily thy face is comely, and

so are thine actions. Joy be to her who possesseth thee, and especially

if she be endowed with beauty like thee!--Upon this, Táj-el-Mulook

laughed until he fell backwards, and said [within himself], O

Accomplisher of desires by the means of wicked old women![VIII_59]

And she said to him, O my son, what is thy name? He answered, My name is

Táj-el-Mulook.--This, she replied, is one of the names of Kings; but

thou art in the garb of the merchants. So 'Azeez said, From the

affection of his family for him, and the high estimation in which they

held him, they gave him this name. And the old woman replied, Thou hast

spoken truth. May God avert from you the evil of the envious, though

hearts be broken by your charms!

She then took the stuff, and departed, confounded by his handsomeness

and loveliness and elegant form; and she proceeded until she went in to

the lady Dunyà, when she said to her, O my mistress, I have brought thee

some beautiful stuff.--Shew it me, said the lady. And she replied, O my

mistress, here it is: turn it over, and behold it. And when the lady

Dunyà saw it, she said to her, O my nurse, verily this is beautiful

stuff; I have not seen such in our city!--O my mistress, replied the old

woman, the seller of it surpasseth it in beauty. It seemeth as though

Riḍwán had opened the gates of Paradise and neglected them, and so the

merchant who selleth this stuff had come forth from it. I wish he were

with thee; for he is a temptation to every one who beholdeth him. He

hath come to our city with these stuffs for the sake of amusement.--At

these words of the old woman the lady Dunyà laughed, and said, Allah

afflict thee, thou ill-omened old woman! Thou hast spoken nonsense, and

art become insane.--She then added, Give me the stuff that I may examine

it closely. So the old woman handed it to her, and she looked at it

again, and saw that it was but little, and that its price was great; and

she wondered at its beauty; for she had never in her life seen anything

like it. The old woman then said to her, O my mistress, if thou didst

behold its owner, thou wouldst know that he is the handsomest person on

the face of the earth. And the lady Dunyà said to her, Didst thou ask

him if he had any want to be performed, that he might acquaint us with

it, and thou mightest accomplish it for him? The old woman, shaking her

head, replied, Allah preserve thy sagacity! By Allah, he hath a want.

And is any person without one?--Go to him, then, said the lady Dunyà,

and salute him, and say to him, I have been honoured by thine arrival in

our city, and whatever want thou hast, we will perform it for thee on

the head and the eye.

The old woman, therefore, returned immediately to Táj-el-Mulook, and

when he saw her, his heart leaped with joy, and he rose to her, standing

upon his feet, and, taking her hand, seated her by his side. So when she

had sat and rested herself, she informed him of that which the lady

Dunyà had said. On hearing this, he was filled with the utmost joy; his

bosom expanded, and he said within himself, I have accomplished my wish!

He then said to the old woman, Perhaps thou wilt convey to her a letter

from me, and bring me back the answer. She replied, I hear and obey. And

when he heard her reply, he said to 'Azeez, Give me an inkhorn and

paper, and a pen of brass. And 'Azeez having given him these things, he

wrote the following verses:--

I write to thee a letter, O object of my petition, expressive

of the torment that I suffer from separation;

And first, I make known to thee the ardour of my heart; and secondly,

my desire and eager longing;

And thirdly, the expiring of my life and patience; and fourthly,

that all the violence of my love remaineth;

And fifthly, I ask, When shall I behold thee? and sixthly,

When shall be the day of our union?

He then added beneath, This letter is from the captive of desire,

incarcerated in the prison of longing expectation, to whom there can be

no liberation but by enjoying an interview, even were it with the

phantom of the object of his hope; for he is enduring a painful torment

from the separation of his beloved.--Then his tears flowed, and he wrote

these two verses:--

I write unto thee with my tears flowing, and the drops from

my eyes descending incessantly;

But I am not despairing of the favour of my Lord: perhaps

some day our union may take place.

He then folded the letter, and sealed it, and gave it to the old woman,

saying, Convey it to the lady Dunyà. She replied, I hear and obey. And

he gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and said, Receive this as a

present from me. So the old woman took it and departed, praying for him.

She stopped not until she went in to the lady Dunyà, who, when she

beheld her, said to her, O my nurse, what hath he demanded that we

should do for him?--O my mistress, she answered, he hath sent with me a

letter, and I know not its contents. And she handed the letter to her.

So the lady Dunyà took it and read it, and understood its meaning, and

exclaimed, Whence is he, and to what doth he aspire, that this merchant

openeth a correspondence with me? Then slapping her face, she said, Were

it not for my fear of God (whose name be exalted!) I would crucify him

upon his shop. So the old woman said to her, What is in this letter,

that it hath disturbed thy heart? Doth it contain a complaint of

oppression, or a demand for the price of the stuff?--Wo to thee! she

answered: it containeth not that, nor anything but love and affection;

and all this is through thee. Or, if not, how should this devil presume

to employ these words?--O my mistress, replied the old woman, thou art

residing in thy lofty palace, and no one can obtain access to thee; not

even the flying bird. Allah preserve thee from blame and censure! Thou

hast nothing to fear from the barking of dogs. Be not angry with me for

my bringing thee this letter when I knew not its contents: but it is my

opinion that thou shouldst return him an answer, and threaten him in it

with slaughter, and forbid him from employing these vain words; for he

will abstain, and not do so again.--The lady Dunyà said, I fear to write

to him, lest he covet me more. But the old woman replied, When he

heareth the threatening, and promise of punishment, he will desist from

his present conduct. So she said, Bring me an inkhorn and paper, and a

pen of brass. And when they had brought them to her, she wrote these

verses:--

O pretender to love and affliction and sleeplessness, and feelings

of rapturous passion, and anxiety!

Dost thou seek for a meeting, O deceived, from a moon? Doth any

attain from a moon his wish?

I advise thine abstaining from thy desire: forbear then; for thou

art exposed to peril.

If thou again make use of these words, I will visit thee with

a punishment of the utmost severity.

By Him who created mankind of clotted blood,[VIII_60]

and who gave light to the sun and the moon!

If thou repeat the proposal thou hast made, I will assuredly crucify

thee on the trunk of a tree.

[Illustration]

She then folded up the letter, and gave it to the old woman, saying to

her, Deliver it to him, and say to him, Abstain from these words. And

she replied, I hear and obey.

She took the letter, full of joy,[VIII_61] and went with it to her

house, where she passed the night; and in the morning she repaired to

the shop of Táj-el-Mulook, whom she found expecting her. As soon as he

beheld her, he almost flew with joy, and when she drew near to him he

rose to her, standing upon his feet, and seated her by his side; and she

took forth the letter, and handed it to him, saying, Read its contents.

She then said to him, The lady Dunyà, when she read thy letter, was

enraged; but I coaxed her and jested with her until I made her laugh,

and she was moved with pity for thee, and returned thee an answer. So

Táj-el-Mulook thanked her for this, and, having ordered 'Azeez to give

her a thousand pieces of gold, read the letter, and understood it; and

he wept violently, so that the heart of the old woman was moved with

compassion for him, and his weeping and complaining grieved her. She

said to him, O my son, and what is in this paper, that it hath made

thee weep? He answered, She threateneth me with slaughter and

crucifixion, and forbiddeth my writing to her; but if I write not to

her, my death will be preferable to my life; therefore take a reply to

her letter, and let her do what she will.--By thy youth, replied the old

woman, I must risk my life for thee, and enable thee to attain thy

desire, and accomplish for thee that which is in thy heart. And

Táj-el-Mulook said, Whatsoever thou dost I will requite thee for it; and

it shall be determined by thee; for thou art experienced in the

management of affairs, and skilled in the modes of intrigue, and

everything that is difficult becometh easy to thee; and God is able to

accomplish all things. So he took a paper, and wrote in it these

verses:--

She threatened me with slaughter. O my bereavement! Slaughter

would be ease to me, and death is decreed.

Death is better than life prolonged to the love-smitten who is

debarred from enjoyment and treated with oppression.

By Allah, visit a helpless lover; for I am your slave, and the slave

is in captivity.

O my mistress, have mercy on me for my passion; for every one who

loveth the virtuous is excusable.

Having done this, he sighed heavily, and wept until the old woman wept

with him; after which she took the letter from him, and said to him, Be

happy and cheerful; for I must accomplish for thee thy wish.

She then arose, and left him as though he were upon the fire, and

repaired to the lady Dunyà, whom she found with a countenance changed by

her anger in consequence of the former epistle of Táj-el-Mulook; and she

handed her the second letter; whereupon her rage increased, and she said

to the old woman, Did I not tell thee that he would covet us more?--And

what is this dog, said the old woman, that he should aspire to thee? The

lady Dunyà replied, Go to him, and say to him, If thou write to her

again she will strike off thy head. But the old woman said, Do thou

write this to him in a letter, and I will take it with me, that his fear

may be the greater. So she took a paper, and wrote in it the following

verses:--

O thou who art heedless of the course of misfortunes, and who canst not

accomplish thy desired union!

Dost thou think, O deceived, to attain to Es-Suhà,[VIII_62] when

thou canst not reach to the shining moon?

How then dost thou venture to hope for our union, and to hold in thine

embrace my javelin-like form?

Quit, therefore, this project, in fear of my assault on a day

of adversity when hair shall become gray.

Having folded this letter, she handed it to the old woman, who took it

and repaired with it to Táj-el-Mulook. At the sight of her he rose, and

said, May God never deprive me of the blessing of thy coming! And the

old woman replied, Receive the answer to thy letter. So he took the

paper and read it, and wept violently, and said, I desire now some one

to kill me; for slaughter would be easier to me than this my present

state of suffering. He then took an inkhorn and a pen and paper, and

wrote a letter expressed in these two verses:--

O my hope, persist not in abandonment and cruelty; but visit

a lover drowned in desire.

Think not that I can survive this oppression; for my soul

departeth at the loss of my beloved.

And he folded the letter, and gave it to the old woman, saying to her, I

have wearied thee to no purpose. And again he ordered 'Azeez to give her

a thousand pieces of gold, and said to her, O my mother, this paper must

be followed by complete union or complete separation.--O my son, she

replied, by Allah, I desire for thee nothing but good fortune: and I

wish she may be with thee; for thou art the shining moon, and she is the

rising sun; and if I do not bring you together, no profit will remain to

me in my life. I have passed my life in the practice of artifice and

deceit, until I have attained the age of ninety years; and how then

should I fail of uniting two persons in opposition to all law?

Then, having bidden him farewell, and soothed his mind, she departed,

and proceeded without stopping to the lady Dunyà; but she had hidden the

paper in her hair; and when she sat down with her mistress, she

scratched her head, and said, O my mistress, perhaps thou wilt untwist

my hair; for it is a long time since I have entered the bath. So the

lady Dunyà made bare her arms to the elbows, and untwisted the old

woman's hair; whereupon the paper fell from her head; and the lady

Dunyà, seeing it, said, What is this paper? The old woman answered, It

seemeth that, when I was sitting at the shop of the merchant, this paper

caught to me: give it me, therefore, that I may return it to him. But

the lady Dunyà opened it and read it, and understood its contents, and

exclaimed, This is a trick of thine, and were it not for the fact of thy

having reared me, I would lay violent hands upon thee this moment. God

hath afflicted me by this merchant, and all that I have experienced from

him hath been through thy means. I know not from what country this man

hath come. No one but he could ever use such boldness towards me. I

fear that this affair which hath happened to me may be discovered, and

especially since it relateth to a man who is neither of my family nor of

my equals.--The old woman then addressed her, and said, No one can utter

a word on this subject, through fear of thy power, and of the dignity of

thy father: and there will be no harm in thy returning him an answer.--O

my nurse, replied the lady Dunyà, this is a devil. How hath he dared to

use these words, and feared not the power of the Sulṭán? I am perplexed

respecting his case; for if I give orders to kill him, it will not be

right: and if I leave him, he will increase in his boldness.--Write to

him a letter, rejoined the old woman; and perhaps he will be restrained.

She therefore demanded a paper and an inkhorn and a pen, and wrote to

him the following verses:--

[Illustration]

Though repeatedly rebuked, still gross ignorance inciteth thee.

How oft shall my hand write verses to forbid thee?

Thou increasest in eagerness after each prohibition; but I will

only permit thee to conceal thy secret.

Conceal then thy love, and never more utter it; for if thou utter it,

I will not regard thee.

If thou repeat what thou hast said, the raven of separation will

announce thy fate:

In a little time will death overtake thee, and thy resting-place

be beneath the earth:

Thou shalt leave thy family, O deceived, in sorrow, when the swords

of love have prevented thine escape.

Having then folded the paper, she gave it to the old woman, who took it,

and went with it to Táj-el-Mulook, and gave it to him; and when he had

read it, and was convinced that she was hard-hearted, and that he could

not obtain access to her, he complained of his case to the Wezeer, and

desired his prudent counsel. The Wezeer replied, Know that there

remaineth for thee nothing that can be of avail, except thy writing to

her another letter, and invoking retribution upon her. So he said, O my

brother, O 'Azeez, write in my stead, according to thy knowledge. And

'Azeez took the paper, and wrote these verses:--

O my Lord, by the Five Elders,[VIII_63] deliver me; and to her

who hath afflicted me transfer my anguish!

For Thou knowest that I am suffering a tormenting flame, and my beloved

hath oppressed me, and will not pity me.

How long shall I feel tenderly to her in my affliction! And how long

shall she tyrannize over my weakness!

I wander in agonies never ending, and find not a person, O my Lord,

to assist me.

'Azeez then folded the letter, and handed it to Táj-el-Mulook; and when

he had read it, it pleased him, and he gave it to the old woman.

So she took it, and repaired with it to the lady Dunyà, who, as soon as

she had read it, and understood its contents, fell into a violent rage,

and exclaimed, All that hath befallen me hath been through the means of

this ill-omened old woman! And she called out to the female slaves and

eunuchs, and said, Seize this artful old woman, and beat her with your

slippers.--So they fell to beating her with their slippers until she

fainted; and when she recovered, the lady Dunyà said to her, O wicked

old woman, were it not for my fear of God (whose name be exalted!) I had

killed thee. She then said to her attendants, Beat her again. And they

beat her again until she fainted; after which she ordered them to throw

her outside the door; and they dragged her along upon her face and threw

her down before the door.

[Illustration]

When she recovered, therefore, she rose, and, walking and resting now

and then, arrived at her abode. She waited until the morning, and then

rose and proceeded to Táj-el-Mulook, whom she acquainted with all that

had befallen her; and it vexed him, and he said to her, We are grieved,

O my mother, for that which hath happened to thee: but everything is in

accordance with fate and destiny. She replied, Be happy and cheerful;

for I will not cease my endeavours until I procure thee an interview

with her, and obtain for thee access to this vile woman who hath

tortured me with beating. Táj-el-Mulook then said to her, Acquaint me

with the cause of her hatred of men. She replied, It is in consequence

of her having had a dream.--And what was that dream? he asked. She

answered, She was sleeping one night, and saw a fowler who set his snare

upon the ground, and sprinkled around it some wheat, and then seated

himself near it; and there was not a single bird near it but it came to

that snare. And she saw, among the birds, two pigeons, a male and a

female; and while she was looking at the snare, the foot of the male

bird became entangled in it, and he began to struggle; whereupon all the

other birds flew away from him in alarm; but his mate returned to him,

and flew around over him, and then, alighting upon the snare, while the

fowler was inadvertent, began to peck at the mesh in which was the foot

of the male, and pulled it with her beak, until she liberated his foot;

and she flew away with him. Then, after this, the fowler came and

readjusted the snare, and seated himself at a distance from it; and but

a little while had elapsed when the birds descended, and the snare

caught the female pigeon; upon which all the other birds flew away in

alarm, and among them the male pigeon, who returned not to his mate: so

the fowler came and took the female bird, and killed her. And the lady

Dunyà awoke terrified by her dream, and said, Every male is like this,

destitute of good; and men universally are devoid of goodness to

women.--And when the old woman had finished her story to Táj-el-Mulook,

he said to her, O my mother, I wish to obtain one glance at her, though

my death be the consequence: contrive, therefore, some stratagem for me,

that I may see her.--Know, then, said she, that she hath a garden

adjacent to her palace, for her diversion, and she goeth out into it

once in every month, from the private door, and remaineth in it ten

days. The time of her thus going forth to divert herself hath now

arrived, and when she is about to do so I will come to thee and inform

thee, that thou mayest go thither and meet her; and do thou take care

not to quit the garden: for probably, if she behold thy handsome and

comely aspect, her heart will be captivated by love of thee; since love

is the most powerful means of effecting union.

He replied, I hear and obey:--and he arose, and quitted the shop with

'Azeez, and they both, taking with them the old woman, repaired to their

abode, and acquainted her with it; after which, Táj-el-Mulook said to

'Azeez, O my brother, I have no further want of the shop; for I have

accomplished the purpose for which I took it; and I give it to thee,

with all that it containeth, because thou hast come abroad with me, and

absented thyself from thy country. And 'Azeez accepted his present, and

they sat conversing together; Táj-el-Mulook asking him respecting his

strange adventures, and 'Azeez relating what had happened to him. Then,

addressing the Wezeer, they acquainted him with the purpose of

Táj-el-Mulook, and asked him, What is to be done? He answered, Let us go

to the garden. So each of them clad himself in the richest of his

apparel, and they went forth, followed by three memlooks, and repaired

to the garden. They beheld it abounding with trees, and with many

rivulets, and saw the superintendent sitting at the gate. They saluted

him, therefore, and he returned their salutation, and the Wezeer handed

to him a hundred pieces of gold, saying to him, I beg thee to receive

this money, and to buy for us something to eat; for we are strangers,

and I have with me these children whom I wish to divert. So the gardener

took the pieces of gold, and replied, Enter, and divert yourselves; for

the whole of it is your property: and sit down until I return to you

with something for you to eat. He then went to the market, and the

Wezeer and Táj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez entered the garden after the

gardener had departed to the market; and soon the latter returned,

bringing a roasted lamb, which he placed before them. And they ate, and

washed their hands, and sat conversing together; and the Wezeer said,

Inform me respecting this garden: doth it belong to thee, or dost thou

rent it? The sheykh replied, It is not mine, but belongeth to the King's

daughter, the lady Dunyà.--And what, said the Wezeer, is thy monthly

salary? He answered, One piece of gold, and no more. And the Wezeer,

taking a view of the garden, beheld there a lofty but old pavilion; and

he said, O sheykh, I desire to perform here a good work by which thou

wilt be reminded of me.--And what good thing dost thou desire to do?

asked the sheykh. The Wezeer said, Take these three hundred pieces of

gold. And when the superintendent heard the mention of the gold, he

replied, O my master, do whatsoever thou wilt. So he took the pieces of

gold; and the Wezeer said to him, If it be the will of God (whose name

be exalted!), we will execute in this place a good work.

They then went forth from him, and returned to their abode, and passed

the next night; and on the morrow, the Wezeer caused a whitewasher to be

brought, and a painter, and an excellent goldsmith; and, having provided

them with all the implements that they required, introduced them into

the garden, and ordered them to whitewash that pavilion and to decorate

it with various kinds of paintings. After which he gave orders to bring

the gold, and the ultramarine pigment, and said to the painter,

Delineate, at the upper end of this saloon, the figure of a fowler, as

though he had set his snare, and a female pigeon had fallen into it, and

had become entangled in it by her bill. And when the painter had

finished his picture on one portion, the Wezeer said to him, Now paint,

on this other portion, as before, and represent the female pigeon in the

snare, and shew that the fowler hath taken her, and put the knife to her

neck; and on the other side paint the figure of a great bird of prey,

that hath captured the male pigeon, and fixed his talons into him. So he

did this; and when he had finished these designs which the Wezeer had

described to him, they took leave of the gardener, and returned to their

abode.

There they sat conversing together; and Táj-el-Mulook said to 'Azeez, O

my brother, recite to me some verses: perhaps my heart may thereby be

dilated, and these troubling reflections may be dispelled, and the flame

that is in my heart be quenched. And upon this, 'Azeez, with charming

modulations, chanted these verses:--

Ibn-Seenà[VIII_64] hath asserted that the lover's remedy

consisteth in melodious sounds,

And the company of one like his beloved, and the pleasures

of a dessert and wine and a garden:

But I have taken another in thy stead to cure myself, and fate

and contingency aided me:

Yet I found that love was a mortal disease, for which Ibn-Seenà's

medicine was vain.

Meanwhile, the old woman remained alone in her house; and the lady Dunyà

longed to divert herself in the garden; but she used not to go forth

save with the old woman: so she sent to her, and conciliated her, and

soothed her mind, and said to her, I desire to go out into the garden,

to amuse myself with the sight of its trees and fruits, and that my

heart may be dilated by its flowers. The old woman replied, I hear and

obey; but I would first go to my house and dress myself, and I will be

with thee again.--Go, then, to thy house, rejoined the lady Dunyà; but

be not long absent from me. The old woman, therefore, went forth from

her, and repaired to Táj-el-Mulook, and said to him, Make ready, and

clothe thyself in the richest of thine apparel, and betake thyself to

the garden, and go in to the gardener and salute him, and then conceal

thyself in the garden. He replied, I hear and obey. And she agreed with

him respecting a sign to be made; after which she returned to the lady

Dunyà. And when she had gone, the Wezeer arose, and clad Táj-el-Mulook

in a suit of the most magnificent of the apparel of Kings, worth five

thousand pieces of gold, and girded him with a girdle of gold set with

jewels, and repaired to the garden. On arriving at its gate, they found

the superintendent sitting there; and when he saw Táj-el-Mulook, he rose

to him, standing upon his feet, and, receiving him with reverence and

honour, opened to him the gate, and said to him, Enter, and divert

thyself in the garden. But the gardener knew not that the King's

daughter would enter the garden that day. And when Táj-el-Mulook had

gone in, he waited but a short time, and heard a noise; and before he

knew the cause, the eunuchs and female slaves came forth from the

private door; and as soon as the superintendent beheld them, he went and

acquainted Táj-el-Mulook with their coming, saying to him, O my lord,

what is to be done, now that the King's daughter, the lady Dunyà, hath

come? He answered, No harm will befall thee; for I will conceal myself

in some place in the garden. So the gardener charged him to use the

utmost caution in concealing himself, and left him, and departed.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

And when the King's daughter, with her female slaves and the old woman,

entered the garden, the old woman said within herself, If the eunuchs be

with us, we shall not attain our wish. So she said to the King's

daughter, O my mistress, I would propose to thee a thing productive of

ease to thy heart. And the lady Dunyà replied, Propose what thou wilt.

The old woman therefore said, O my mistress, thou hast no need of these

eunuchs at the present time; nor will thy heart be dilated as long as

they are with us: so dismiss them from us.--Thou hast spoken truly,

replied the lady Dunyà:--and she dismissed them; and a little while

after, as she was walking, Táj-el-Mulook beheld her, and gazed at her

beauty and loveliness, while she knew it not; and every time that he

looked at her he fainted, by reason of her surpassing beauty. The old

woman in the meantime led her on by conversation to the pavilion which

the Wezeer had ordered to be painted; and, entering this pavilion, the

lady Dunyà took a view of its paintings, and saw the birds and the

fowler and the pigeons; whereupon she exclaimed, Extolled be the

perfection of God! Verily this is the representation of what I beheld in

my dream!--And she continued gazing at the figures of the birds and the

fowler and the snare, full of wonder; and said, O my nurse, I used to

censure men, and hate them; but see the fowler, how he hath killed the

female bird, and the male hath escaped, and desired to return to the

female to liberate her, but the bird of prey hath met him and captured

him. The old woman, however, affected ignorance to her, and proceeded to

divert her with talk until they both approached the place where

Táj-el-Mulook was concealed; upon which she made a sign to him that he

should walk beneath the windows of the pavilion; and while the lady

Dunyà stood there, she looked aside, and saw him, and, observing the

beauty of his face, and his elegant form, she said, O my nurse, whence

is this handsome youth? The old woman answered, I know him not; but I

imagine that he is the son of a great King; for he is of the utmost

beauty and loveliness. And the lady Dunyà was enraptured with him. The

spells that bound her were dissolved, her reason was overcome by his

beauty and loveliness and his elegant person, and she was affected by

violent love: so she said to the old woman, O my nurse, verily this

young man is handsome. The old woman replied, Thou hast spoken truth, O

my mistress. And she made a sign to the King's son to return to his

house. The fire of desire flamed within him, and his rapture and

distraction became excessive; but he went, and bade farewell to the

superintendent, and departed to his abode, that he might not disobey the

old woman, and acquainted the Wezeer and 'Azeez that she had made a sign

to him to depart. And they both exhorted him to be patient, saying to

him, If the old woman did not know that there was an object to be

attained by thy return, she had not made a sign to thee to do so.

Now to return to the lady Dunyà.--Desire overcame her, and her rapture

and distraction increased; so she said to the old woman, I know not how

to obtain an interview with this young man but through thy means. The

old woman exclaimed, I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed!

Thou hast no desire for men; and how, then, have fears affected thee in

consequence of the love of him? But, by Allah, none other than he is

suited to thy youth.--O my nurse, rejoined the lady Dunyà, assist me to

obtain an interview with him, and thou shalt receive from me a thousand

pieces of gold, and a dress of the same value: if thou assist me not to

gain him, I shall die inevitably. So the old woman replied, Go thou to

thy palace, and I will devise means to bring you together, and give my

life to satisfy you both. The lady Dunyà then returned to her palace,

while the old woman repaired to Táj-el-Mulook; and when he saw her, he

rose to her, and stood, and received her with respect and honour,

seating her by his side; and she said to him, The stratagem hath

succeeded. She then related to him what had occurred between her and

the lady Dunyà; and he said to her, When shall be the interview? She

answered, To-morrow. And he gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and a

garment of the same value: and she took them, and departed, and stopped

not until she went in to the lady Dunyà, who said to her, O my nurse,

what news hast thou brought from the beloved?--I have discovered his

abode, she answered; and to-morrow I will bring him to thee. And at this

the lady Dunyà rejoiced, and gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and a

garment of the same value; and she took them, and returned to her house.

She passed the next night, and in the morning she went forth and

repaired to Táj-el-Mulook, and, having clad him in women's apparel, said

to him, Walk behind me, and incline thy body from side to side as thou

steppest,[VIII_65] and proceed not with a hasty pace, nor take

notice of any one who may speak to thee. And after she had thus charged

him, she went forth, and he behind her in his female attire; and she

proceeded to instruct him, on the way, how to act, that he might not

fear. She continued on her way, he following her, until they arrived at

the entrance of the palace, when she entered, and he also after her, and

she passed through successive doors and antechambers until she had

conducted him through seven doors. And when she arrived at the seventh

door, she said to Táj-el-Mulook, Fortify thy heart, and if I call out to

thee, and say to thee, O slave-girl, advance!--be not tardy in thy pace,

but hasten on, and when thou hast entered the antechamber beyond, look

to thy left: thou wilt see a saloon with seven doors; and do thou count

five doors, and enter the sixth; for within it is the object of thy

desire.--And whither goest _thou_? said Táj-el-Mulook. She answered, I

have no place to go to; but perhaps I may wait after thee and speak with

the chief eunuch. She then proceeded, and he followed her, until they

arrived at the door where was the chief eunuch; and he saw with her

Táj-el-Mulook in the attire of a female slave, and said to her, What is

the business of this slave-girl who is with thee? She answered him, The

lady Dunyà hath heard that this girl is skilled in different kinds of

work, and she desireth to purchase her. But the eunuch replied, I know

neither slave-girl nor any other person; and no one shall enter without

being searched by me, as the King hath commanded me. Upon this, the old

woman, manifesting anger, said to him, I knew that thou wast a man of

sense and of good manners; and if thou art changed I will acquaint her

with this, and inform her that thou hast offered opposition to her

female slave. She then called out to Táj-el-Mulook, and said to him,

Advance, O slave-girl! And immediately he entered the antechamber, as

she had commanded him, and the eunuch was silent, and said no more. So

Táj-el-Mulook counted five doors, and entered the sixth, and found the

lady Dunyà standing expecting him.

[Illustration]

As soon as she beheld him, she knew him, and pressed him to her bosom,

and he embraced her in like manner; and the old woman, coming in to

them, contrived a pretext to dismiss the female slaves; after which the

lady Dunyà said to her, Be thou keeper of the door. She then remained

alone with Táj-el-Mulook, and they passed the whole night in innocent

dalliance.[VIII_66] And on the following morning she closed the

door upon him and the old woman, and entering another apartment, sat

there according to her custom; and her female slaves came to her, and

she transacted their affairs and conversed with them, and then said to

them, Go forth from me now; for I desire to amuse myself in solitude. So

they left her, and she returned to Táj-el-Mulook and the old woman,

taking with her some food for them; and thus they ceased not to do for a

whole month.

As to the Wezeer, however, and 'Azeez, when Táj-el-Mulook had gone to

the palace of the King's daughter and remained all this time, they

concluded that he would never return from it, and that he was inevitably

lost; and 'Azeez said to the Wezeer, O my father, what wilt thou do? The

Wezeer answered, O my son, this affair is one of difficulty, and if we

return not to his father to acquaint him, he will blame us for our

negligence. So they prepared themselves immediately, and journeyed

towards El-Arḍ el-Khaḍrà and El-'Amoodeyn[VIII_67] and the royal

residence of the King Suleymán Sháh, and traversed the valleys night and

day until they went in and presented themselves before the King Suleymán

Sháh; and they informed him of that which had happened to his son, and

that they had learnt no news of him since he had entered the palace of

the King's daughter. On hearing this, he was as though the day of

resurrection had surprised him: his sorrow was intense, and he gave

orders to make a proclamation of war throughout his dominions. He then

sent forth his troops outside the city, and caused the tents to be

pitched for them, and remained in his pavilion until the forces had

assembled from all the quarters of his kingdom. His subjects loved him

for his great justice and beneficence, and he departed with an army that

covered the earth as far as the eye could reach, for the purpose of

demanding his son Táj-el-Mulook.

In the meantime, Táj-el-Mulook and the lady Dunyà continued together for

half a year, every day increasing in mutual love; and the love and

distraction and rapture of Táj-el-Mulook so augmented that he opened to

her his mind, and said to her, Know, O beloved of my heart, that the

longer I remain with thee, the more do my distraction and ecstasy and

desire increase; for I have not altogether attained my wish. So she

said, What dost thou wish, O light of my eye, and delight of my heart?

He answered, I desire to acquaint thee with my true history: know, then,

that I am not a merchant, but a King, son of a King, and the name of my

father is the Supreme King Suleymán Sháh, who sent the Wezeer as

ambassador to thy father to demand thee for me in marriage; and when the

news came to thee thou refusedst to consent.--He then related to her his

story from first to last; and added, I desire now to repair to my

father, that he may send an ambassador again to thy father, to demand

thee in marriage from him, and so we shall remain at ease.--And when she

heard this, she rejoiced exceedingly: for it coincided with her wish;

and they passed the next night determined upon this proceeding.

But it happened, in accordance with destiny, that sleep overcame them

unusually that night, and they remained until the sun had risen. The

King Sháh-Zemán was then upon his royal seat, with the emeers of his

empire before him, and the chief of the goldsmiths presented himself,

having in his hand a large round casket: and he advanced, and, opening

it before the King, took forth from it an elegant box worth a hundred

thousand pieces of gold for the jewels it contained, and rubies and

emeralds, such as no King of the earth could procure. And when the King

saw it, he wondered at its beauty; and he looked towards the chief

eunuch, to whom the affair with the old woman had happened (as above

described), and said to him, O Káfoor,[VIII_68] take this box, and

go with it to the lady Dunyà. So the eunuch took it, and proceeded until

he arrived at the chamber of the King's daughter, when he found its door

closed, and the old woman sleeping at its threshold, and he exclaimed,

Until this hour are ye sleeping? And when the old woman heard what he

said, she awoke from her sleep, and, in her fear of him, said, Wait

until I bring the key. She then went forth and fled. The eunuch,

therefore, knew that she was alarmed, and he displaced the

door,[VIII_69] and, entering the chamber, found the lady Dunyà

asleep with Táj-el-Mulook. At the sight of this, he was perplexed at his

case, and was meditating to return to the King, when the lady Dunyà

awoke, and found him by her; and she was troubled, and her countenance

became pale, and she said, O Káfoor, veil what God hath veiled. But he

replied, I cannot conceal anything from the King. And he closed the door

upon them, and returned to the King. So the King said to him, Hast thou

given the box to thy mistress? The eunuch answered, Take the box: here

it is. I cannot conceal from thee anything. Know that I beheld, with the

lady Dunyà, a handsome young man, sleeping in the same chamber. The King

therefore ordered that they should be both brought before him; and when

they had come into his presence, he said to them, What are these deeds?

And he was violently enraged, and, seizing a dagger,[VIII_70] was

about to strike with it Táj-el-Mulook; but the lady Dunyà threw her head

upon him, and said to her father, Slay me before him. The King, however,

chid her, and ordered them to convey her back to her chamber. Then

looking towards Táj-el-Mulook, he said to him, Wo to thee! Whence art

thou, and who is thy father, and what hath emboldened thee to act thus

towards my daughter?--Know, O King, answered Táj-el-Mulook, that, if

thou put me to death, thou wilt perish, and thou and all in thy

dominions will repent.--And why so? said the King. He answered, Know

that I am the son of the King Suleymán Sháh, and thou wilt not be aware

of the consequence when he will approach thee with his horsemen and his

infantry. And when King Sháh-Zemán heard this, he desired to defer

putting him to death; and to imprison him until he should see whether

his assertion were true; but his Wezeer said to him, O King of the age,

it is my advice that thou hasten the execution of this young wretch,

since he hath been guilty of presumption towards the daughters of Kings.

So he said to the executioner, Strike off his head; for he is a traitor.

And the executioner took him, and, having bound him firmly, raised his

hand, and made a sign of consultation to the emeers a first and a second

time, desiring by this that some delay might take place; but the King

called out to him, How long wilt thou consult? If thou do so again I

will strike off thy head.

[Illustration]

The executioner, therefore, raised his hand until his arm-pit appeared,

and was about to strike off his head, when loud cries were heard, and,

the people closed their shops. So the King said to the executioner,

Hasten not. And he sent a person to learn the news for him; and the

messenger went, and, soon returning, said to the King, I beheld an army

like the roaring sea agitated with waves; their horses are prancing, and

the earth trembleth beneath them, and I know not wherefore they are

come. And the King was amazed, and feared lest he should be deposed from

his throne. He then said to his Wezeer, Have none of our troops gone

forth to meet this army? But his words were not finished when his

chamberlains came in to him accompanied by the messengers of the

approaching King, and among them was the Wezeer who had been with

Táj-el-Mulook. He commenced by salutation; and the King rose to him,

and, calling them near to him, asked them respecting the cause of their

coming: whereupon the Wezeer advanced from among them, and approached

the King, and said to him, Know that he who hath alighted in thy

territories is a King not like the Kings who have preceded him, nor like

the Sulṭáns of former times.--And who is he? said the King. The Wezeer

answered, He is the lord of justice and security, the fame of whose

magnanimity the caravans have spread abroad, the Sulṭán Suleymán Sháh,

the lord of El-Arḍ el-Khaḍrà and El-'Amoodeyn and the mountains of

Iṣpahán, who loveth justice and equity, and hateth tyranny and

oppression; and he saith to thee, that his son is in thy dominions and

in thy city, and he is the vital spirit of his heart, and its delight;

and if he find him in safety, it is what he desireth, and thou wilt be

thanked and praised; but if he be not found in thy country, or if any

evil hath befallen him, receive tidings of destruction and of the ruin

of thy territories; for thy country shall become a desert in which the

raven shall croak. Thus I have delivered to thee the message; and peace

be on thee.--When the King Sháh-Zemán heard these words of the envoy,

his heart was troubled, and he feared for his kingdom, and called out to

the lords of his empire, and his wezeers and chamberlains and

lieutenants; and when they had come before him he said to them, Wo unto

you! Go down and search for this young man.--But he was under the hand

of the executioner, and his appearance was changed through the fear that

he suffered. The Wezeer then, looking aside, found the King's son upon

the skin of blood,[VIII_71] and he recognised him, and arose, and

threw himself upon him. So also did the other messengers: they then

unbound him, and kissed his hands and his feet; whereupon Táj-el-Mulook

opened his eyes, and, recognising the Wezeer and his companion 'Azeez,

fell down in a swoon through the excess of his joy at their presence.

The King Sháh-Zemán was perplexed at his situation, and in great fear,

on discovering that the coming of the army was on account of this young

man; and he arose and walked forward to Táj-el-Mulook, and kissed his

head, and, with weeping eyes, said to him, O my son, be not angry with

me: be not angry with the evil-doer for his deed; but have compassion on

my gray hairs, and lay not waste my dominions. And Táj-el-Mulook

approached him, and kissed his hand, saying to him, No harm shall befall

thee; for thou art in my estimation as my father; but beware that no

evil befall my beloved, the lady Dunyà.--O my lord, rejoined the King,

fear not for her; for nought but happiness awaiteth her. And he

proceeded to excuse himself to him, and to soothe the mind of the Wezeer

of the King Suleymán Sháh, promising him a large sum of money that he

might conceal from the King what he had seen; after which he ordered the

grandees of his empire to take Táj-el-Mulook and to conduct him to the

bath, to clothe him in a suit of the best of royal apparel, and bring

him back quickly. So they did this: they conducted him into the bath,

and, having clad him in the suit which the King Sháh-Zemán had allotted

him, brought him back to the hall of audience; and when he came in, the

King rose to him, he and all the lords of his empire, and they all stood

to wait upon him. Then Táj-el-Mulook sat and conversed with his father's

Wezeer and with 'Azeez respecting the events which had happened to him;

and they replied, During that period we went to thy father, and informed

him that thou hadst entered the palace of the King's daughter, and not

come forth from it, and that thy case appeared doubtful to us; and when

he heard this, he made ready the troops, and we came to this country,

and on our arrival have experienced joy and happiness. So he said to

them, Good fortune hath attended your actions, first and last.

The King, in the meantime, had gone into his daughter, the lady Dunyà,

and found her weeping for Táj-el-Mulook. She had taken a sword, and put

its hilt to the floor, and its point to the middle of her bosom, and was

leaning over it, saying, I must kill myself, and not live after my

beloved. When her father, therefore, went in to her, and beheld her in

this state, he called out to her, and said, O mistress of the daughters

of Kings, do it not; but have mercy upon thy father and the people of

thy country! Then advancing to her, he said to her, I conjure thee to

abstain, lest evil befall thy father on thy account. And he acquainted

her with the case, telling her that her beloved, the son of the King

Suleymán Sháh, desired to celebrate his marriage with her, and adding,

The affair of the betrothal and marriage is committed to thy judgment.

And she smiled, and said to him, Did I not tell thee that he was the son

of a Sulṭán? I will make him crucify thee upon a piece of wood worth a

couple of pieces of silver. I conjure thee by Allah, he exclaimed, that

thou have mercy upon thy father!--Go to him, she rejoined, and bring him

to me. He replied, On the head and the eye. And he returned from her

quickly, and, going in to Táj-el-Mulook, rejoiced him by what he said.

He then arose with him, and went to her again; and when she beheld

Táj-el-Mulook, she embraced him in the presence of her father, and clung

to him, and said to him, Thou hast made me desolate by thine absence.

Then looking at her father, she said, Can any one act injuriously

towards such a person as this handsome youth, and he a King, a son of a

King? And upon this the King Sháh-Zemán went forth, and closed the door

upon them, and, repairing to the Wezeer and the other messengers of the

father of Táj-el-Mulook, ordered them to inform the Sulṭán Suleymán Sháh

that his son was in prosperity and health, and enjoying a life of the

utmost delight. He gave orders also to carry forth provisions and pay to

the troops of the Sulṭán Suleymán Sháh; and after they had conveyed all

that he commanded them to take forth, he brought out a hundred coursers,

and a hundred dromedaries, and a hundred memlooks, and a hundred

concubine slaves, and a hundred male black slaves, and a hundred female

slaves, and sent them all to him as a present.

[Illustration]

He then repaired to him, with the lords of his empire, and his chief

attendants, and they proceeded until they arrived outside the city; and

when the Sulṭán Suleymán Sháh became acquainted with this he advanced

some paces to meet him. The Wezeer and 'Azeez had informed him of the

news, and he rejoiced, and exclaimed, Praise be to God who hath granted

my son the accomplishment of his wish! And he embraced the King

Sháh-Zemán, and seated him by his side upon the couch, and they

conversed together; after which the attendants placed before; them the

food, and when they had eaten to satisfaction they brought them the

sweetmeats. Soon after, Táj-el-Mulook came, approaching in his rich and

ornamented dress; and when his father beheld him, he rose to him and

kissed him, and all who were present rose to him; and after he had sat

with them a while conversing, the King Suleymán Sháh said, I desire to

perform my son's contract of marriage to thy daughter in the presence of

witnesses. And King Sháh-Zemán replied, I hear and obey. So he summoned

the Ḳáḍee and witnesses, and they came, and wrote the marriage-contract;

and the troops rejoiced at this. And King Sháh-Zemán began to fit out

his daughter.

Then Táj-el-Mulook said to his father, Verily, 'Azeez is a generous

person; he hath performed for me a great service, and wearied himself,

and journeyed with me, and enabled me to attain the object of my search,

ceasing not to exhort me to patience until I accomplished my wish, and

he hath been with us two years separated from his country: it is my

desire, therefore, that we should prepare for him merchandise; for his

country is near. His father replied, Thy opinion is excellent. So they

prepared for him a hundred loads of the most costly stuffs; and

Táj-el-Mulook bade him farewell, saying to him, O my brother, accept

this as a present. And he accepted it, and kissed the ground before him

and before his father. Táj-el-Mulook then mounted his horse, and

proceeded with 'Azeez for the space of three miles; after which, 'Azeez

conjured him to return, and said, Were it not for my mother, I could not

endure thy separation; and by Allah, I entreat thee not to cease

acquainting me with thy state. Having thus said, he bade him farewell,

and repaired to his city. He found that his mother had built for him a

tomb in the midst of the house, and she frequently visited it; and when

he entered the house, he found that she had dishevelled her hair and

spread it upon the tomb, and, with streaming eyes, was reciting these

verses:--

By Allah, O tomb, have his charms perished; and hath that brilliant

countenance changed?

O tomb, thou art neither a garden nor a firmament: how then can

the full moon and flowers be united in thee?

She then groaned, and recited some other verses; but before she had

finished, 'Azeez went in to her: and when she beheld him, she rose to

him and embraced him, and asked him respecting his long absence: so he

acquainted her with all the events that had happened to him from first

to last, and told her that Táj-el-Mulook had given him, of wealth and

stuffs, a hundred loads; and she rejoiced at this.--Such was the history

of 'Azeez.

Now as to Táj-el-Mulook, he returned to his beloved, the lady Dunyà, and

King Sháh-Zemán fitted her out for the journey with her husband and her

father-in-law: he sent to them provisions and presents and rarities, and

they loaded their beasts and departed; and King Sháh-Zemán accompanied

them three days' journey to bid them farewell. The King Suleymán Sháh

then conjured him to return: so he returned; and Táj-el-Mulook and his

father and his wife continued their journey night and day until they

came in sight of their country. The city was decorated for them, and

they entered it; and the King Suleymán Sháh sat upon his throne with his

son Táj-el-Mulook by his side; and he gave presents, and liberated the

persons confined in the prisons; after which he celebrated for his son a

second wedding-festivity: the songs and instrumental music were

continued for a whole month, and the tire-women crowded around the lady

Dunyà, and she was not tired with the display, nor were they with gazing

at her. Táj-el-Mulook then took up his abode with her, after an

interview with his father and mother together; and they passed a life of

the utmost delight and enjoyment.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH.

NOTE 1. The next story to that of Ghánim, in my original, is one of very

great length, comprising the greater part of the forty-fourth night and

extending to the end of the hundred and forty-fifth; but interrupted by

the contents of my eighth chapter, which consists of two stories of a

very different kind, that appear to have been introduced to relieve its

tediousness. With these, it occupies nearly 162 pages, or not much less

than an eighth part of the whole work. It is the story of the King 'Omar

En-Noạmán, and his two sons Sharr-kán[360] and Ḍó-el-Mekán,[361] and his

daughter Nuzhet-ez-Zemán,[362] &c. It is entirely a fiction, professedly

relating to the first century of the Mohammadan era, "before the reign

of the Khaleefeh 'Abd-El-Melik the son of Marwán;" and its main subject

is a war with two Greek Kings. Taken altogether, I deem it unworthy of a

place in the present series of tales; and so much of it depends upon

incidents of a most objectionable nature, that I cannot attempt to

abridge it; but a pleasant tale might be composed from it by

considerable _alterations_.

One of the two stories which I have extracted from it, that of

Táj-el-Mulook and the Lady Dunyà, bears apparent indications of a

Persian origin; but in their present state, the manners and customs &c.

which both exhibit are Arab. The scenes of the events narrated in the

story of Táj-el-Mulook are in Persia and, probably, in India; but

imaginary names appear to be given to the several kingdoms mentioned in

it: the kingdom of El-Arḍ el-Khaḍrà ("the Green Country") and

El-'Amoodeyn (which signifies "the Two Columns") is said to include the

mountains of Iṣpahán, and its locality is thereby sufficiently

indicated: that of El-Arḍ el-Beyḍà ("the White Country") I suppose to be

in Persia or India: and as to the Islands of Camphor, I fancy we must be

content to consider them vaguely as appertaining to India: the country

in which 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh resided is said to have been near to the

Islands of Camphor; but their story is perfectly Arab.--The Island of

Camphor is also mentioned in the Story of Ḥasan of El-Baṣrah.

NOTE 2. "El-Medeeneh el-Khaḍrà" signifies "the Green City." See the

above note.

NOTE 3. "The Compassionate" is an epithet here applied to God.

NOTE 4. See the first note in this series.--"Zahr," in Arabic, signifies

"a Flower."

NOTE 5.--_On Coats of Mail, and other Armour worn by the Arabs._ The

Prophet David is said to have been the first person who manufactured

coats of mail; and the cause of his applying himself to the art was

this.--"He used to go forth in disguise; and when he found any people

who knew him not, he approached them and asked them respecting the

conduct of Dáood (or David), and they praised him and prayed for him;

but one day as he was asking questions respecting himself as usual, God

sent to him an angel in the form of a human being, who said, 'An

excellent man were Dáood if he did not take from the public

treasury:'--whereupon the heart of Dáood was contracted, and he begged

of God to render him independent: so He made iron soft to him, and it

became in his hands as thread; and he used to sell a coat of mail for

four thousand [pieces of money--whether gold or silver is not said], and

with part of this he obtained food for himself, and part he gave in

alms, and with part he fed his family."[363]--Hence an excellent coat of

mail is often called by the Arabs "Dáoodee," _i. e._ "Davidean." This

kind of armour is worn by some Arabs of the Desert in the present day;

but the best specimens, I believe, are mostly found in India. Burckhardt

mentions one tribe of Arabs who have about twenty-five; another, two

hundred; and two others, between thirty and forty. "The dora [properly

dirạ] is," he remarks, "of two sorts, one covering the whole body like a

long gown from the elbow, over the shoulders, down to the knees: this is

the sirgh: the other, called kembáz, covers the body only to the waist;

the arms from the elbows downwards being covered with two pieces of

steel, fitting into each other, with iron fingers. Thus clad, the Arab

completes his armour by putting on his head an iron cap (tás), which is

but rarely adorned with feathers. The price of a coat of mail fluctuates

from two hundred to fifteen hundred piastres.... Those of the best

quality are capable of resisting a ball."[364] The coat of mail is

sometimes worn within the ordinary outer tunic.

NOTE 6. This implies that his parents were dead.

NOTE 7.--_On Public Royal Feasts._ On certain periodical festivals, and

on other occasions (as those of the kind here described), it has long

been, and still is, a custom of Muslim princes to give public feasts to

all classes of their subjects, in the palace. El-Maḳreezee quotes a

curious account of the feasts which were given on the festival following

Ramaḍán to the inhabitants of Cairo, by the Fáṭimee Khaleefehs.[365] At

the upper end of a large saloon was placed the sereer (or couch) of the

monarch, upon which he sat with the Wezeer on his right. Upon this seat

was placed a round silver table, with various delicacies, of which they

alone ate. Before it, and extending nearly from the seat to the other

extremity of the saloon, was set up a kind of table or platform (simáṭ)

of painted wood, resembling a number of benches placed together, ten

cubits (or about eighteen or nineteen feet) in width. Along the middle

of this were arranged twenty-one enormous dishes, each containing

twenty-one baked sheep, three years old, and fat; together with fowls,

chickens, and young pigeons, in number three hundred and fifty of each

kind; all of which were piled together in an oblong form, to the height

of the stature of a man, and enclosed with dry sweetmeat. The spaces

between these dishes were occupied by nearly five hundred other dishes

of earthenware; each of which contained seven fowls, and was filled up

with sweetmeats of various kinds. The table was strewn with flowers;

and cakes of bread made of the finest flower were arranged along each

side. There were also two great edifices of sweetmeats, each weighing

seventeen hundred-weights, which were carried thither by porters with

shoulder-poles; and one of these was placed at the commencement, and the

other at the close, of this sumptuous banquet. When the Khaleefeh and

Wezeer had taken their seats upon the couch, the officers of state who

were distinguished by neck-rings or collars,[366] and the inferior

members of the court, seated themselves in the order of their respective

ranks; and when they had eaten, they gave place to others. Two such

feasts, given on the festival after Ramaḍán and on the "great festival,"

cost four thousand deenárs, or about two thousand pounds sterling.--Two

military officers, named Ibn-Fáïz and Ed-Deylemee, distinguished

themselves at these feasts in a very remarkable manner. Each of them

used to eat a baked sheep, and ten fowls dressed with sweetmeats, and

ten pounds of sweetmeats besides, and was presented with a quantity of

food carried away from the feast to his house, together with a large sum

of money. One of them had been a prisoner at 'Asḳalán; and after he had

remained there some time, the person into whose power he had fallen

jestingly told him that if he would eat a calf belonging to him, the

flesh of which weighed several hundred-weights, he would emancipate him.

This feat he accomplished, and thus he obtained his liberation.[367]

Several cases of a similar kind to those just mentioned are instanced in

a late work. One of a man who, as related by Vopiscus, was brought

before the Emperor Maximilian [_sic_], and who devoured a whole calf,

and was proceeding to eat up a sheep, but was prevented. Another, of a

man who commenced his repast (in the presence of Dr. Boehmen, of

Wittenberg,) by eating a raw sheep and a sucking pig, and, by way of

dessert, swallowed sixty pounds of prunes, stones and all. A third, of

an attendant of the menagerie of the Botanical Garden in Paris, who used

to devour all the offals of the Theatre of Comparative Anatomy, and ate

a dead lion in one day.[368]

NOTE 8.--_On Litters for Travelling._ The kind of litter borne by mules

is generally one resembling the pálkee (or palanquin): it is borne by

four of these animals, two before and two behind, or by two only, or

more commonly by two camels, and sometimes by two horses. When borne by

camels, the head of the hindmost of these animals is painfully bent

down, under the vehicle. It is the most comfortable kind of litter; and

two light persons may travel in it. The name generally given to it is

"takhtarawán," or "takht-rawán;" but the term employed in the passage to

which this note refers is "miḥaffeh," which is often used as a general

name for a camel-litter, and particularly applied to one with a flat

top.--A very common kind of camel-litter, called "musaṭṭaḥ," or "ḥeml

musaṭṭaḥ," resembles a small square tent, and is chiefly composed of two

long chests, each of which has a high back: these are placed on the

camel in the same manner as a pair of panniers, one on each side; and

the high backs, which are placed outwards, together with a small pole

resting on the camel's pack-saddle, support the covering which forms

what may be called the tent. This vehicle accommodates two persons. It

is generally open at the front; and may also be opened at the back.

Though it appears comfortable, the motion is uneasy; especially when it

is placed upon a camel that has been accustomed to carry heavy burdens:

but camels of easy pace are generally chosen for bearing

litters.--Another kind of litter, called "shibreeyeh," is composed of a

small square platform with an arched covering. This accommodates but one

person; and is placed on the back of the camel: two saḥḥárahs (or square

camel-chests), one on each side of the animal, generally form a

foundation for it.--The musaṭṭaḥ and shibreeyeh (but particularly the

latter) are also called "hódaj."

NOTE 9. See Note 43 to Chapter iv.

NOTE 10. See Note 54 to Chapter iv.

NOTE 11. "Táj-el-Mulook" signifies "the Crown of the Kings."

NOTE 12. Lynxes were often employed in the chase in Arabian and other

Eastern countries in former times; but I do not know if they are at

present. See Note 24 to Chapter ii.

NOTE 13. By this word are meant "oblong, cylindrical, hollow beads:"

"ḳaṣabeh" signifying originally "a reed," "cane," &c.

NOTE 14. The words "who hath taught men," &c., are from the Ḳur-án, ch.

xcvi. v. 5.

NOTE 15. "'Azeez" and "'Azeezeh" (masculine and feminine) signify

"Dear," "Excellent," &c.

NOTE 16. The handkerchief is generally oblong, and each of its two ends

is embroidered with a border of coloured silks and gold; the other two

edges being plain.

NOTE 17. My sheykh has remarked in a marginal note, that this sign may

allude to her heart, or to her sighing because she enjoys not the union

she desires (as expressed immediately after); and that the latter is

more probable, as the action is one common with persons in grief.

NOTE 18.--_On Conversing and Corresponding by means of Signs, Emblems,

Metaphors, &c._ Many persons of the instructed classes, and some others,

among the Arabs, often take delight, and shew much ingenuity and

quickness of apprehension, in conversing and corresponding by means of

signs, emblems, &c., or in a conventional, metaphorical, language, not

understood by the vulgar in general, and sometimes not by any except the

parties engaged in the intercourse. In some cases, when the main

metaphor employed is understood, the rest of the conversation becomes

easily intelligible without any previous explanation; and I have

occasionally succeeded in carrying on a conversation of this kind

(though not in cases such as that described in the tale referred to by

this note); but I have more frequently been unsuccessful in attempting

to divine the nature of a topic in which other persons were engaged. One

simple mode of secret conversation or correspondence is by substituting

certain letters for other letters.

Many of the women are said to be adepts in this art, or science, and to

convey messages, declarations of love, &c., by means of fruits, flowers,

and other emblems. The inability of numbers of females in families of

the middle classes to write or read, as well as the difficulty or

impossibility frequently existing of conveying written letters, may have

given rise to such modes of communication. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, in

one of her charming letters from the East, has gratified our curiosity

by a Turkish love-letter of this kind.[369] A specimen of one from an

Arab, with its answer, may be here added.--An Arab lover sent to his

mistress a fan, a bunch of flowers, a silk tassel, some sugar-candy, and

a piece of a chord of a musical instrument; and she returned for answer

a piece of an aloe-plant, three black cumin-seeds, and a piece of a

plant used in washing.[370] His communication is thus interpreted:--The

fan, being called "mirwaḥah," a word derived from a root which has among

its meanings that of "going to any place in the evening," signified his

wish to pay her an evening visit: the flowers, that the interview should

be in her garden: the tassel, being called "shurrábeh," that they should

have sharáb[371] (or wine): the sugar-candy, being termed "sukkar

nebát," and "nebát" also signifying "we will pass the night," denoted

his desire to remain in her company until the morning: and the piece of

a chord, that they should be entertained by music. The interpretation of

her answer is as follows:--The piece of an aloe-plant, which is called

"ṣabbárah" (from "ṣabr," which signifies "patience"--because it will

live for many months together without water), implied that he must wait:

the three black cumin-seeds explained to him that the period of delay

should be three nights: and the plant used in washing informed him that

she should then have gone to the bath, and would meet him.[372]--I have

omitted one symbol in the lady's answer, as it conveys an allusion not

so consistent with European as with Arab notions of female delicacy.

The language of flowers employed by the Turks does not exactly agree

with the system illustrated in the story of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh; for the

former consists of a collection of words and phrases or sentences which

rhyme with the names of the objects used as the signs.[373] This system

is also employed by the Arabs; but I believe not so commonly as the

other.

A remarkable faculty is displayed by some Arabs in catching the meaning

of secret signs employed in written communications to them; such signs

being often used in political and other intrigues. The following is a

curious instance.--The celebrated poet El-Mutanebbee, having written

some verses in dispraise of Káfoor El-Ikhsheedee the independent

Governor of Egypt, was obliged to flee, and hide himself in a distant

town. Káfoor was informed of his retreat, and desired his secretary to

write to him a letter promising him pardon, and commanding him to

return; but told the writer at the same time, that when the poet came he

would punish him. The secretary was a friend of the poet, and, being

obliged to read the letter to the Prince when he had written it, was

perplexed how to convey to El-Mutanebbee some indication of the danger

that awaited him: he could only venture to do so in the exterior

address; and having written this in the usual form, commencing "In

sháa-lláh" (If it be the will of God) "this shall arrive," &c., he put a

small mark of reduplication over the "n" in the first word, which he

thus converted into "Inna;" the filial vowel being understood. The poet

read the letter, and was rejoiced to see a promise of pardon; but on

looking a second time at the address, was surprised to observe the mark

of reduplication over the "n." Knowing the writer to be his friend, he

immediately suspected a secret meaning, and rightly conceived that the

sign conveyed an allusion to a passage in the Ḳur-án commencing with the

word "Inna," and this he divined to be the following:--"Verily the

magistrates are deliberating concerning thee, to put thee to

death."[374] Accordingly, he fled to another town.--Some authors add,

that he wrote a reply, conveying, by a similar sign, to his friend, an

allusion to another passage in the Ḳur-án:--"We will never enter the

country while they remain therein."[375]--It is probable that signs thus

employed were used by many persons to convey allusions to certain words;

and such may have been the case in the above-mentioned instance: if not,

the poet was indeed a wonderful guesser.

NOTE 19. Perhaps it is unnecessary to explain that the actions here

described are those of a dyer, dipping a piece of linen into a red dye,

and then wringing it. The shop of the dyer is generally, like most other

shops, a small chamber or recess open towards the street. Pans

containing the different dyes are imbedded in its floor.

NOTE 20. "Maḳ'ad" is a name generally given to a chamber in which male

guests or visiters are received, having an open front with two or more

arches, and looking into the court or garden of the house. Its floor is

elevated about ten or more feet above the ground, and the front is

usually towards the north, or nearly so.

NOTE 21. I suppose it to be meant, that these designs were executed in a

kind of mosaic work; for the pool of the fountain is generally

ornamented with black and white marble, and pieces of fine red tile,

inlaid in complicated and tasteful patterns. A view and plan of a

fountain of this kind are inserted in the Introduction to my work on the

Modern Egyptians.

NOTE 22. "Baḳláweh," from the Turkish "baḳláva," is a name given to a

kind of pastry, which is generally thus prepared:--A paste made of fine

flour with clarified butter is rolled thin, and laid upon a tray: upon

this paste is then spread a composition of clarified butter and blanched

almonds (and sometimes walnuts and currants) beaten small; and over this

is put another layer of paste. Eight of these double layers of paste

with the composition above mentioned between them are placed one upon

another, making the whole about an inch thick. It is baked in an oven;

cut into lozenge-shaped pieces, about three inches long, and two inches

wide; and after it is thus cut, some honey or treacle is poured over.

NOTE 23. See Note 99 to Chapter v.

NOTE 24. It is a general belief of the Muslims that the wicked will rise

to judgment with their faces black; and hence the origin of the

imprecation, "May God blacken thy face!" But it is often used to signify

"May God disgrace thee!" for a person's face is said to be black when he

is in any disgrace; and in the reverse case, it is said to be

white.[376]

NOTE 25. "Zardeh" (which is a Persian word) is a name given to rice

dressed with honey and saffron; but here it appears to be applied to a

sweet drink infused with saffron.

NOTE 26. By the play-bone and the ṭáb-stick an allusion is conveyed to

two games common among the Arabs. The play-bones are used in the same

manner as dice, of which they are probably the origin; and both bear the

same name in the Arabic, in the singular "kaạb" or "kaạbeh," that is, "a

cube." Of the game of ṭáb I have given a full account in my work on the

Modern Egyptians (vol. ii. ch. iv.). I need only mention here, that the

ṭáb-stick is of a flat form, about a span (or eight inches) in length,

and two-thirds of an inch in breadth, generally formed of a piece of a

palm-branch; one side of which, being cut flat and smooth, is white; the

other, green, or, if not fresh, of a dull yellow colour. Four such

sticks are used in playing the game.

NOTE 27. The more simple interpretation is this:--Idle games are more

suited to thee than affairs of love.

NOTE 28. El-Ḳazweenee makes a remark somewhat similar to this at the

close of his account of the date; but the interpretation of the meaning

conveyed by the date-stone in our text is very far-fetched: my sheykh,

in a marginal note, gives one perfectly apposite: the date-stone is

called "nawáyeh," and more properly "nawáh" and "nawà;" and the last of

these words signifies also "distance," "absence," &c., and is often used

to express the state of one who is far from loving or being a lover: it

implies also, in this case, that, if he slept again, she would cast him

off.

NOTE 29. The locust-fruit, by its dark colour, and the length of time it

remains in a state of preservation after it has been plucked, is

rendered a fit emblem of a heart long enduring separation from the

object of its love.

NOTE 30. "Dirhem," I have before mentioned, is the name of a silver

coin: it is also the name of a weight, very nearly equivalent to

forty-eight English grains; and being here described as of iron, we must

understand it in the latter sense.

NOTE 31. I suppose the iron dirhem to be symbolic of the eye because it

is round, and perhaps likewise because the Arabic term for "iron"

(namely "ḥadeed") has also the signification of "sharp" or "piercing;"

in which sense it is often applied to the sight (as in the Ḳur-án, ch.

l. v. 21). See the next note.

NOTE 32. From this double oath, it seems to me probable, that, by the

circular form of the dirhem, an allusion was meant to God (as being

without beginning or end), and that the matter of which it was composed

(from what I have said in the note immediately preceding), as well as

its form, conveyed the allusion to the eye.

NOTE 33. This gentle kneading or pressing of the limbs, which is one of

the operations performed in the bath, is often practised by the Arabs

for the purpose of inducing sleep.

NOTE 34. This is a kind of nebeedh. (See Note 22 to Chapter iii.) The

same fruit is also stewed with meat. It is called in Arabic "'onnáb."

NOTE 35. See Note 18 to Chapter vii.

NOTE 36. It is seen that 'Azeezeh speaks of herself in the masculine

gender in the verses here inserted; but this is in accordance with a

common Arab custom.

NOTE 37.--_On the Ceremony called_ Zikr. Zikrs are very often

performed after a death; the merit of the performance being transferred

to the soul of the deceased.

I have before mentioned these ceremonies (in Note 63 to Chapter iii.);

but in a vague manner; and as it is my object in the present work to

give such illustrations as will satisfy the general reader, without

obliging him to refer to other books, I shall here insert an abridged

extract, descriptive of a zikr, from my Account of the Manners and

Customs of the Modern Egyptians.

The zikkeers (or performers of the zikr), who were about thirty in

number, sat, cross-legged, upon matting extended close to the houses on

one side of the street, in the form of an oblong ring.[377] Within this

ring, along the middle of the matting, were placed three very large wax

candles; each about four feet high, and stuck in a low candlestick. Most

of the zikkeers were Aḥmedee darweeshes, persons of the lower orders,

and meanly dressed: many of them wore green turbans. At one end of the

ring were four munshids (or singers of religious odes), and with them

was a player on the kind of flute called "náy." I procured a small seat

of palm-sticks from a coffee-shop close by, and, by means of a little

pushing, and the assistance of my servant, obtained a place with the

munshids, and sat there to hear a complete act, or "meglis," of the

zikr; which act commenced at about three o'clock (or three hours after

sunset), and continued two hours.

The performers began by reciting the Fát'ḥah (or opening chapter of the

Ḳur-án) all together; their sheykh, or chief, first exclaiming,

"El-Fát'ḥah!" They then chanted the following words;--"O God, bless our

lord Moḥammad among the former generations; and bless our lord Moḥammad

among the latter generations; and bless our lord Moḥammad in every time

and period; and bless our lord Moḥammad in the highest degree, unto the

day of judgment; and bless all the prophets and apostles among the

inhabitants of the heavens and of the earth; and may God (whose name be

blessed and exalted!) be well pleased with our lords and our masters,

those persons of illustrious estimation, Aboo-Bekr and 'Omar and 'Osmán

and 'Alee, and with all the favourites of God. God is our sufficiency;

and excellent is the Guardian! There is no strength nor power but in

God, the High, the Great! O God! O our Lord! O Thou liberal of pardon! O

Thou most bountiful of the most bountiful! O God! Amen!"--They were then

silent for three or four minutes; and again recited the Fát'ḥah; but

silently. This form of prefacing the zikr is commonly used, by almost

all orders of darweeshes in Egypt.

The performers now commenced the zikr. Sitting in the manner above

described, they chanted, in slow measure, "Lá iláha illa-lláh" ("There

is no deity but God") to the following air:--

[Illustration: Lyrics:

Lá i - lá - ha illa - l - láh.

Lá i - lá - ha i - l - la - l - lá - h.

Lá i - lá - ha illa - l - láh.

]

bowing the head and body twice in each repetition of "Lá iláha

illa-lláh." Thus they continued about a quarter of an hour; and then,

for about the same space of time, they repeated the same words to the

same air, but in a quicker measure, and with correspondingly quicker

motions. In the meantime, the munshids frequently sang, to the same, or

a variation of the same, air, portions of a ḳaṣeedeh, or of a

muweshshaḥ; an ode of a similar nature to the Song of Solomon, generally

alluding to the Prophet as the object of love and praise; and at

frequent intervals, one of them sang out the word "meded," implying an

invocation for spiritual or supernatural aid.

The zikkeers, after having performed as above described, next repeated

the same words to a different air for about the same length of time;

first, very slowly; then, quickly. The air was as follows:--

[Illustration: Lyrics:

Lá i - lá - ha illa - l - lá - h.

Lá i - lá - ha illa - l - lá - h.

Lá i - lá - ha illa - l - láh.

]

Then they repeated these words again, to the following air, in the same

manner:--

[Illustration: Lyrics:

Lá i - lá - ha il - la - l - láh.

Lá i - lá - ha il - la - l - láh.

]

They next rose, and, standing in the same order in which they had been

sitting, repeated the same words to another air. After which, still

standing, they repeated these words in a very deep and hoarse tone;

laying the principal emphasis upon the word "Lá" and the first syllable

of the last word "Allah;" and uttering it, apparently, with a

considerable effort: the sound much resembled that which is produced by

beating the rim of a tambourine. Each zikkeer turned his head

alternately to the right and left at each repetition of "Lá iláha

illa-lláh." One of them, a eunuch, at this part of the zikr, was seized

with an epileptic fit, evidently the result of a high state of religious

excitement; but nobody seemed surprised at it; for occurrences of this

kind at zikrs are not uncommon. All the performers now seemed much

excited; repeating their ejaculations with greater rapidity, violently

turning their heads, and sinking the whole body at the same time: some

of them jumping. The eunuch above mentioned again was seized with fits

several times; and I generally remarked that this happened after one of

the munshids had sung a line or two and exerted himself more than

usually to excite his hearers: the singing was, indeed, to my taste,

very pleasing. The contrast presented by the vehement and distressing

exertions of the performers at the close of the zikr, and their calm

gravity and solemnity of manner at the commencement, was particularly

striking. Money was collected during the performance for the munshids.

The zikkeers receive no pay.

NOTE 38. From the last of these verses it appears that the flowers are

described as _laid_ upon the tomb (in accordance with the custom

mentioned in the last paragraph of Note 16 to Chapter i.), and not as

_planted_ upon it; though this is frequently done in some countries of

the East; the monument being filled with mould, and the whole of its top

open.

NOTE 39. See Note 25 to Chapter v.

NOTE 40. See Note 35 to Chapter ii.

NOTE 41. The "rod" (in Arabic "ḳaṣabeh") was, according to the Egyptian

measurement, until lately reduced, about twelve English feet and a half.

NOTE 42. See Note 12 to Chapter iii.

NOTE 43. It is common (as my sheykh has remarked) to say, of a very

spacious chamber, that a horseman might gallop in it. The playing at

goff by horsemen has been mentioned in a former tale. It was a common

exercise in Egypt as well as Persia and other Eastern countries.

NOTE 44. "Deleeleh" is an epithet used in modern Arabic as indicative of

artifice, machination, or fraud.[378] It is often employed as a female

nickname.

NOTE 45. From this point to the end of the story of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh

I omit some portions which are tedious, and others which are more

objectionable.

NOTE 46. Any one may enter the public bath, but none can go out of it,

without paying.[379]

NOTE 47. The "kaạk," commonly called "kaḥk," has been described in Note

16 to Chapter i. De Sacy has remarked that our English word "cake" seems

to be from the same origin.

NOTE 48.--_On Oaths._ To explain this passage, I must repeat, with a few

slight additions, some remarks which I have made in a former

publication.[380]--Among a people by whom falsehood, in certain cases,

is not only allowed but commended,[381] oaths of different kinds are

more or less binding. In considering this subject, we should also

remember that oaths may sometimes be expiated.[382] There are some

oaths which, I believe, few Muslims would falsely take; such as saying,

three times, "By God the Great!" (Wa-lláhi-l-Aẓeem), and the oath upon

the muṣ-ḥaf (or copy of the Ḳur-án), saying, "By what this contains of

the word of God!" This latter is rendered more binding by placing a

sword with the sacred volume; and still more so, by the addition of a

cake, or piece, of bread, and a handful of salt. But a form of oath

which is generally yet more to be depended upon is that of saying, "I

impose upon myself divorcement!" (that is, "the divorce of my wife, if

what I say be false"); or, "I impose upon myself interdiction!" which

has a similar meaning ("My wife be unlawful to me!"); or, "I impose upon

myself a triple divorcement!" which binds a man by the irrevocable

divorce of his wife. If a man use any of these three forms of oath

falsely, his wife, if he have but one, is divorced by the oath itself,

if proved to be false, without the absolute necessity of any further

ceremony; and if he have two or more wives, he must, under such

circumstances, choose one of them to put away.

In the case which this note is principally intended to illustrate, the

wife of 'Azeez makes him swear by the sword and the Ḳur-án in the hope

of inducing him to return to her; and by the oath of divorce, to make

the inducement more strong, and that she might be enabled, in case he

did not fulfil his vow, legally to contract another marriage as soon as

she should have waited the period which the law requires.

NOTE 49. The verses I have omitted as they are the same (with the

exception of some slight variations) as the first, second, third, and

fifth, of those commencing at page 185 in this volume; and the contents

of the accompanying paper as being tiresome and in some parts unmeaning.

NOTE 50. See the first note in the present series.

NOTE 51. I have substituted "Sháh-Zemán" (signifying "King of the Age")

for Shahramán; the latter being evidently a mistake of a copyist.

NOTE 52. "Dunyà" signifies the "world."

NOTE 53. "Riḍwán," which signifies "approbation," "complacency," &c., is

the name of the Guardian of Paradise.--The meaning of this passage is,

"Surely this handsome young person is one of the Wildán, or Weleeds,

those beautiful youths prepared to wait upon the faithful in Paradise;

and he hath escaped thence through the inadvertence of Riḍwán." The very

meanest in Paradise is promised eighty thousand of these servants,

besides seventy-two Ḥooreeyehs, &c.

NOTE 54. A compliment of this kind is generally uttered on letting a

shop or house, and on selling an article of dress, &c.; and "God bless

thee!" is usually said in reply. In like manner, a merchant selling

goods to be re-sold says, "May God grant thee a profit upon them!"

NOTE 55. The word thus translated signifies taking a morning-draught of

wine, milk, sherbet, or any other beverage.

NOTE 56. When Zeleekhà invited her female friends that they might behold

Yoosuf (or Joseph) and excuse her for inclining to him, at the sight of

him they cut their own hands, and praised God, ejaculating these words,

"This is not a mortal," &c. (Ḳur-án, ch. xii. v. 31).

NOTE 57. To persons more or less above him in rank, the shopkeeper rises

and stands, or merely makes a slight motion as if he were about to rise.

NOTE 58. This is a common invocation, for the protection of a person

from envy, or the evil eye, founded upon the last chapter but one of the

Ḳur-án, in which the believer is desired to "seek refuge with the Lord

of the Daybreak" from various evils, and among these "from the mischief

of the envious." It is very often said to imply admiration of a child,

that the mother may not fear.

NOTE 59. This ejaculation is addressed to God.

NOTE 60. This alludes to one of the stages of the creation of man

explained in the Ḳur-án, ch. xxii. v. 5.

NOTE 61. The old woman is described as being "full of joy" because,

having induced her mistress to answer the letter, she saw a prospect of

continuing the correspondence, and so obtaining additional presents.

NOTE 62. "Es-Suhà" is an obscure star in the Greater Bear, at which

people look to try their powers of sight. It is the star 80, by [Greek:

z].

NOTE 63. My sheykh has remarked in a marginal note on the "Five Elders"

or Sheykhs here mentioned, "the known number is the four; namely the

[first four] Khaleefehs; or the Four Welees (eminent saints), the seyyid

El-Bedawee and the seyyid Ed-Dasooḳee and Er-Rifá'ee and El-Geelánee."

The latter four are often mentioned together as being the saints

generally most esteemed in the present day and the founders of the four

principal orders of Darweeshes.--Who, then, can be meant by "the Five

Elders" I do not know; but I have retained this number as it occurs

again in a variation of the same verses in a subsequent tale, which is

almost exactly the same as that of Táj-el-Mulook.

NOTE 64. "Ibn-Seenà" ("Son of Seenà") is the true name of the great

physician called by us "Avicenna."

NOTE 65. The gait of Arab ladies is very remarkable: they incline the

lower part of the body from side to side as they step, and with the

hands raised to the level of the bosom they hold the edges of their

outer covering. Their pace is slow, and they look not about them, but

keep their eyes towards the ground in the direction to which they are

going.

NOTE 66. It should be remarked here, that the private room of an Eastern

princess is not to be regarded as a Western bed-room. In the East, a

guest may lay himself down upon a deewán in the presence of another, to

pass the night, without any infringement of decorum.

NOTE 67. See the latter paragraph of the first note in the present

series.

NOTE 68. See Note 9 to Chapter vii.

NOTE 69. The doors in Eastern houses generally turn on two wooden pins;

one fitting into a hole in the lintel; the other, into a hole

immediately behind the threshold; and the latter is very short. It is

therefore often easy to displace a door by raising it a little, which

may be done by means of a projecting wooden lock; and in many cases,

when the door cannot be displaced from its sockets, it may be raised

sufficiently to remove the inner latch from its catch. The doors of the

ancient temples and tombs in Egypt were formed as above described, with

pins, which were often made of bronze.

NOTE 70. I here read "nimsheh" (also written "nimjeh" and "nimjáh"--from

the Persian "neemjah") instead of "ḳamsheh." The latter is described by

my sheykh, in a marginal note, as "a strip of leather divided into two,

and tied together and nailed at the upper end to a piece of wood;" but

the use of such an instrument in this case would be ridiculous. The name

of "nimsheh" is often given to a royal dagger.

NOTE 71. As persons are often decapitated in an Eastern palace, a skin

is made use of to receive the head and the blood. I believe it to be

similar to the round skin used by travellers to eat upon; which is

converted into a bag by means of a running string round the edge.

In concluding the present series of notes, I may state my opinion, that

the two stories to which they relate are fully worthy of insertion in

this collection, as extending the picture of _Arab_ life and manners,

whatever may be thought of their _origin_.

[360] Thus commonly pronounced for "Sharrun kán," signifying

"an evil hath come into existence." Names of this kind are

sometimes given by the Arabs not in dispraise, but as prophetic

of great achievements.

[361] "Light of the Place."

[362] "Delight of the Age."

[363] Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[364] "Notes on the Bedouins and Wahábys," 8vo. vol. i. pp. 55

and 56.

[365] The Dynasty of the Fáṭimee Khaleefehs was founded by

El-Mahdee in Western Africa, in the year of the Flight 297. His

third successor, El-Mo'ezz li-deeni-lláh, conquered Egypt in

the year 358, and the seat of his government was transferred to

Cairo. As they claimed descent from Fáṭimeh, and were of the

Shiya'ee sect, their possession of the fairest province of the

orthodox (or 'Abbásee) Khaleefehs forms a strange episode in

the history of El-Islám.--Their power was overthrown by

Ṣaláḥ-ed-Deen, in the year 567.--ED.

[366] See Note 15 to Chapter ii.

[367] "El-Khiṭaṭ:" Account of the Palaces of the Khaleefehs.

[368] Dr. Millengen's Curiosities of Medical Experience, quoted

in the Literary Gazette, No. 1043.

[369] The art here mentioned was first made known to Europeans

by a Frenchman, M. Du Vigneau, in a work entitled "Secrétaire

Turc, contenant l'Art d'exprimer ses pensées sans se voir, sans

se parler, et sans s'écrire:" Paris, 1688: in-12.--Von Hammer

has also given an interesting paper on this subject in the

"Mines de l'Orient," No. 1: Vienna, 1809. (Note to Marcel's

"Contes du Cheykh El-Mohdy," vol. iii. pp. 327 and 328: Paris,

1833.)

[370] Called "ghásool el-azrár." In Delile's Flora Ægyptiaca,

the name of ghásool is given to the mesembryanthemum

nodiflorum, class icosandria, order pentagynia.

[371] This name is now given to sherbet.

[372] Ḥalbet el-Kumeyt, ch. x.--The aloe-plant is called

"ṣabir," "ṣabr," "ṣibr," and "ṣabbárah." The second of these

words signifies "patience;" and so does the root of _all_ of

them: and the last signifies "very patient." The _reason_ of

its having these appellations cannot, of course, be _proved_.

[373] See Marcel, _ubi suprà_. He states that Von Hammer's

vocabulary of flowers and other hieroglyphic objects contains

120 articles; and that of Du Vigneau, 179; almost all of the

former being the same as those of the latter.

[374] Ch. xxviii. v. 19.

37 5: Ch. v. v. 27.--This anecdote is from the Ḥalbet

el-Kumeyt, ch. viii.--[Káfoor was a black eunuch purchased by

El-Ikhsheed, the first of the virtually-independent dynasty of

the Ikhsheedeeyeh, which fell before the Fáṭimee Khaleefehs.

Káfoor was regent of Egypt for upwards of twenty years, during

the reigns of his master's two sons; and was actual governor

from the year of the Flight 355 to 357.--ED.]

[376] Sometimes, also, it means "May God cause thee to

experience grief!" or "sorrow!" and, used in this sense, it is

similar to the phrase, often occurring in this work, "the world

became black before his face."

[377] The zikr here described was performed near the tomb of a

saint, for whose sake it was celebrated. The ceremony is often

performed in a sepulchral mosque, and often in the court, or in

a chamber, of a private house.

[378] Marginal note by my sheykh.

[379] Idem.

[380] The "Modern Egyptians."

[381] See Note 57 to Chapter iii.

[382] As shewn in Note 68 to Chapter iv.

[Illustration]

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,

DUKE STREET, STAMFORD STREET, S.E., AND GREAT WINDMILL STREET, W.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I., by Anonymous