thc16
thc16f
Vol 16: The Classics
STORIES FROM THE
THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
(THE ARABIAN NIGHTS' ENTERTAINMENTS)
TRANSLATED BY
EDWARD WILLIAM LANE
REVISED BY
STANLEY LANE-POOLE
WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
VOLUME 16
-30111
P F COLLIER & SON
NEW YORK
Copyright, 1909
By P. F. Collier & Son
Designed, Printed, and Bound at
Cfje Collier Press, ^eto gorfe
HA?/ /
BRIGHAtt ..iiTY
-*. »
CONTENTS
PAGB
Introduction . 5
NIGHTS i—3
The Story of the Merchant and the Jinni .... 17
The Story of the First Sheykh and the Gazelle . . 20
The Story of the Second Sheykh and the Two
Black Hounds 23
The Story of the Third Sheykh and the Mule . . 26
NIGHTS 3—9
The Story of the Fisherman 28
The Story of King Runan and the Sage Duban . . 23
The Story of the Husband and the Parrot . . . 37
The Story of the Envious Wezir and the Prince and
the Ghuleh 39
The Story of the Young King of the Black Islands 50
f
NIGHTS 9—18
The Story of the Porter and the Ladies of Baghdad,
and of the Three Royal Mendicants, Etc. ... 60
The Story of the First Royal Mendicant 71
The Story of the Second Royal Mendicant .... 78
The Story of the Envier and the Envied 84
The Story of the Third Royal Mendicant .... 94
The Story of the First of the Three Ladies of
Baghdad 107
The Story of the Second of the Three Ladies of
Baghdad 115
ac xvi — a 1
CONTENTS
-32
NIGHTS 24-
TH e Story of the Humpback
The Story Told by the Christian Broker .
The Story Told by the Sultan's Steward .
The Story Told by the Jewish Physician
The Story Told by the Tailor
The Barber's Story of Himself
The Barber's Story of His First Brother
The Barber's Story of His Second Brother
The Barber's Story of His Third Brother
The Barber's Story of His Fourth Brother
The Barber's Fifth Brother ......
The Barber's Story of His Sixth Brother
PAGE
, 122
, 127
, 141
150
158
171
173
, 177
180
, 184
187
195
NIGHTS 32—36
The Story of Nur-Ed-Din and Enis-El-Jelis
. 203
NIGHTS 537-566
The Story of Es-Sindibad of the Sea and Es-Sindibad
of the Land 242
The First Voyage of Es-Sindibad of the Sea . . . 245
The Second Voyage of Es-Sindibad of the Sea . . 254
The Third Voyage of Es-Sindibad of the Sea . . . 262
The Fourth Voyage of Es-Sindibad of the Sea . . 273
The Fifth Voyage of Es-Sindibad of the Sea . . . 286
The Sixth Voyage of Es-Sindibad of the Sea . . 296
The Seventh Voyage of Es-Sindibad of the Sea . . 304
NIGHTS 566—578
The Story of the City of Brass .
310
NIGHTS 73&-75G
The Story of Jullanar of the Sea
340
APPENDIX
The Story of 'Ala-ed-Din and the Wonderful Lamp 355
The Story of 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves . . 443
INTRODUCTORY N0TE
' • .•*
"The Thousand and One Nights" is one of the great story-
books of the world. It was introduced to European readers by
the French scholar Galland, who discovered the Arabic original
and translated it into French in the first decade of the eighteenth
century; but its earlier history is still involved in obscurity.
There existed as early as the tenth century of our era a Persian
collection of a thousand tales, enclosed in a framework which is
practically the one used in the present collection, telling of a King
who was in the habit of killing his wives after the first night, and
who was led to abandon this practise by the cleverness of the
Wezir's daughter, who nightly told him a tale which she left un-
finished at dawn, so that his curiosity led him to spare her till
the tale should be completed. Whether more than the framework
of the Arabian collection was borrowed from this Persian work
is uncertain. The tales in the collection of Galland and in more
complete editions discovered since his time are chiefly Persian,
Indian, and Arabian in source, and in ultimate origin come from
all the ends of the earth. No two manuscripts have precisely the
same contents, and some of the most famous of the tales here
printed are probably not properly to be regarded as belonging to
the collection, but owe their association with the others to their
having been included by Galland. Thus " 'Ali Baba and the Forty
Thieves" is found in no Oriental version of the "Nights," and
" 'Ala-ed-Din and the Wonderful Lamp" was long supposed to be
in the same situation, though within recent years it has turned
up in two manuscripts.
Both the place and the date of the original compilation are still
matters of dispute among scholars. From such evidences as the
detailed nature of the references to Cairo and the prevailing
Mohammedan background, Lane argued that it must have been
put together in Egypt ; but this opinion is by no means universally
accepted. As to date, estimates vary by several centuries. Burton,
who believed in a strong Persian element, thought that some of
the oldest tales, such as that of "Sindibad," might be as old as the
eighth century of our era; some thirteen he dated tenth century,
and the latest in the sixteenth. There is a fair amount of agree-
ment on the thirteenth century as the date of arrangement in the
3
INTRODUCTION
present framework, though they were probably not committed to
writing till some two centurieMater.
Of a collection of fables, fairy-stories, and anecdotes of his-
torical personages such as this, there can, of course, be no ques-
tion of a single author. Both before and after they were placed
in the mouth of Shahrazad . they were handed down by oral reci-
tation, the usual form of story-telling among the Arabs. As in
the case of our own popular ballads, whatever marks of individual
authorship any one story may originally have borne, would be
obliterated in the course of generations of tradition by word of
mouth. Of the personality of an original editor or compiler, even,
we have no trace. Long after writing had to some extent fixed
their forms, the oral repetition went on; and some of them could
be heard in Mohammedan countries almost down to our own
times.
In the two hundred years of their currency in the West, the
stories of the "Nights" have engrafted themselves upon European
culture. They have made the fairy-land of the Oriental imagina-
tion and the mode of life of the medieval Arab, his manners and
his morals, familiar to young and old; and allusions to their inci-
dents and personages are wrought into the language and literature
of all the modern civilized peoples. Their mark is found upon
music and painting as well as on letters and the common speech,
as is witnessed by such diverse results of their inspiration as the
music of Rimsky-Korsakoff, the illustrations of Parrish, and
the marvelous idealization of their background and atmosphere
in Tennyson's "Recollections of the Arabian Nights," "Barmecide
Feast," "Open Sesame," "Old Lamps for New," "Solomon's
Seal," "The Old Man of the Sea," "The Slave of the Lamp,"
"The Valley of Diamonds," "The Roc's Egg," Haroun al-Raschid
and his "Garden of Delight" — these and many more phrases and
allusions of every-day occurrence suggest how pervasive has been
the influence of this wonder-book of the mysterious East.
The translation by E. W. Lane used here has been the stand-
ard English version for general reading for eighty years. The
translations of "'Ali Baba" and " 'Ala-ed-Din" are by S. Lane-
Poole and for permission to use the latter we are indebted to
Messrs. G. P. Putnam's Sons.
INTRODUCTION
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Praise be to God, the Beneficent King, the Creator of the
universe, who hath raised the heavens without pillars, and spread
out the earth as a bed; and blessing and peace be on the lord of
apostles, our lord and our master Mohammad, and his Family;
blessing and peace, enduring and constant, unto the day of
judgment.
To proceed: — The lives of former generations are a lesson
to posterity ; that a man may review the remarkable events which
have happened to others, and be admonished; and may consider
the history of people of preceding ages, and of all that hath
befallen them, and be restrained. Extolled be the perfection of
Him who hath thus ordained the history of former generations
to be a lesson to those which follow. Such are the Tales of
a Thousand and One Nights, with their romantic stories and
their fables.
It is related (but God alone is all-knowing, as well as all-wise,
and almighty, and all-bountiful), that there was, in ancient
times, a King of the countries of India and China, possessing
numerous troops, and guards, and servants, and domestic de-
pendents ; and he had two sons ; one of whom was a man of
mature age ; and the other, a youth. Both of these princes were
brave horsemen; but especially the elder, who inherited the
kingdom of his father, and governed his subjects with such justice
that the inhabitants of his country and whole empire loved him.
He was called King Shahriyar: his younger brother was named
Shah-Zeman, 1 and was King of Samarkand. The administration
of their governments was conducted with rectitude, each of them
ruling over his subjects with justice during a period of twenty
years with the utmost enjoyment and happiness. After this
1 [Shahriyar, "Friend of the City; " Shah-Zeman, "King of the Age."]
5
@ INTRODUCTION
period, the elder King felt a strong desire to see his brother,
and ordered his Wezir 2 to repair to him and bring him.
Having taken the advice of the Wezir on this subject, he
immediately gave orders to prepare handsome presents, such as
horses adorned with gold and costly jewels, and memluks," and
beautiful virgins, and expensive stuffs. He then wrote a letter
to his brother, expressive of his great desire to see him; and
having sealed it, and given it to the Wezir, together with the
presents above mentioned, he ordered the minister to strain his
nerves, and tuck up his skirts, and use all expedition in returning.
The Wezir answered, without delay, I hear and obey ; and forth-
with prepared for the journey: he packed his baggage, removed
the burdens, and made ready all his provisions within three days ;
and on the fourth day, he took leave of the King Shahriyar, and
went forth towards the deserts and wastes. He proceeded night
and day; and each of the kings under the authority of King
Shahriyar by whose residence he passed came forth to meet him,
with costly presents, and gifts of gold and silver, and entertained
him three days; after which, on the fourth day, he accompanied
him one day's journey, and took leave of him. Thus he continued
on his way until he drew near to the city of Samarkand, when
he sent forward a messenger to inform King Shah-Zeman of
his approach. The messenger entered the city, inquired the
way to the palace, and, introducing himself to the King, kissed
the ground before him, and acquainted him with the approach
of his brother's Wezir; upon which Shah-Zeman ordered the
chief officers of his court, and the great men of his kingdom,
to go forth a day's journey to meet him; and they did so; and
when they met him, they welcomed him, and walked by his
stirrups until they returned to the city. The Wezir then pre-
sented himself before the King Shah-Zeman, greeted him with
a prayer for the divine assistance in his favour, kissed the
ground before him, and informed him of his brother's desire
to see him; after which he handed to him the letter. The King
took it, read it, and understood its contents; and answered by
expressing his readiness to obey the commands of his brother.
But, said he (addressing the Wezir), I will not go until I have
entertained thee three days. Accordingly, he lodged him in a
* £In Persian and Turkish, Vezir; popular, Vizier. J
8 Male white slaves.
INTRODUCTION J
palace befitting his rank, accommodated his troops in tents, and
appointed them all things requisite in the way of food and
drink: and so they remained three days. On the fourth day,
he equipped himself for the journey, made ready his baggage,
and collected together costly presents suitable to his brother's
dignity.
These preparations being completed, he sent forth his tents
and camels and mules and servants and guards, appointed his
Wezir to be governor of the country during his absence, and
set out towards his brother's dominions. At midnight, however,
he remembered that he had left in his palace an article which he
should have brought with him; and having returned to the
palace to fetch it, he there beheld his wife sleeping in his bed,
and attended by a male negro slave, who had fallen asleep by
her side.
On beholding this scene, the world became black before
his eyes; and he said within himself, If this is the case when
I have not departed from the city, what will be the conduct of
this vile woman while I am sojourning with my brother? He
then drew his sword, and slew them both in the bed : after which
he immediately returned, gave orders for departure, and jour-
neyed to his brother's capital.
Shahriyar, rejoicing at the tidings of his approach, went forth
to meet him, saluted him, and welcomed him with the utmost de-
light. He then ordered that the city should be decorated on the
occasion, and sat down to entertain his brother with cheerful con-
versation : but the mind of King Shah-Zeman was distracted
by reflections upon the conduct of his wife; excessive grief took
possession of him ; and his countenance became sallow ; and his
frame emaciated. His brother observed his altered condition, and,
imagining that it was occasioned by his absence from his domin-
ions, abstained from troubling him or asking respecting the
cause, until after the lapse of some days, when at length he
said to him, O my brother, I perceive that thy body is emaciated,
and thy countenance is become sallow. He answered, O brother,
I have an internal sore : — and he informed him not of the con-
duct of his wife which he had witnessed. Shahriyar then said,
I wish that thou wouldest go out with me on a hunting excur-
sion; perhaps thy mind might so be diverted: — but he declined;
and Shahriyar went alone to the chase.
9 INTRODUCTION
Now there were some windows in the King's palace com-
manding a view of his garden ; and while his brother was looking
out from one of these, a door of the palace was opened, and
there came forth from it twenty females and twenty male black
slaves; and the King's wife, who was distinguished by extraor-
dinary beauty and elegance, accompanied them to a fountain,
where they all disrobed themselves, and sat down together. The
King's wife then called out, O Mes'ud ! and immediately a black
slave came to her, and embraced her; she doing the like. So
also did the other slaves and the women ; and all of them con-
tinued revelling together until the close of the day. When Shah-
Zeman beheld this spectacle, he said within himself, By Allah !
my affliction is lighter than this ! His vexation and grief were
alleviated, and he no longer abstained from sufficient food and
drink.
When his brother returned from his excursion, and they had
saluted each other, and King Shahriyar observed his brother
Shah-Zeman, that his colour had returned, that his face had
recovered the flush of health, and that he ate with appetite, after
his late abstinence, he was surprised, and said, O my brother,
when I saw thee last, thy countenance was sallow, and now thy
colour hath returned to thee: acquaint me with thy state. — As
to the change of my natural complexion, answered Shah-Zeman,
I will inform thee of its cause; but excuse my explaining to
thee the return of my colour. — First, said Shahriyar, relate to
me the cause of the change of thy proper complexion, and of
thy weakness : let me hear it. — Know then, O my brother, he
answered, that when thou sentest thy Wezir to me to invite
me to thy presence, I prepared myself for the journey, and when
I had gone forth from the city, I remembered that I had left
behind me the jewel that I have given thee; I therefore returned
to my palace for it, and there I found my wife sleeping in my
bed, and attended by a black male slave ; and I killed them both,
and came to thee : but my mind was occupied by reflections
upon this affair, and this was the cause of the change of my
complexion, and of my weakness : now, as to the return of my
colour, excuse my informing thee of its cause. — But when his
brother heard these words, he said, I conjure thee by Allah that
thou acquaint me with the cause of the return of thy colour: —
so he repeated to him all that he had seen. I would see this, said
INTRODUCTION 9
Shahriyar, with my own eye.— Then, said Shah-Zeman, give out
that thou art going again to the chase, and conceal thyself here
with me, and thou shalt witness this conduct, and obtain ocular
proof of it.
Shahriyar, upon this, immediately announced that it was his
intention to make another excursion. The troops went out
of the city with the tents, and the King followed them; and
after he had reposed awhile in the camp, he said to his servants,
Let no one come in to me: — and he disguised himself, and re-
turned to his brother in the palace, and sat in one of the windows
overlooking the garden; and when he had been there a short
time, the women and their mistress entered the garden with the
black slaves, and did as his brother had described, continuing
so until the hour of the afternoon-prayer.
When King Shahriyar beheld this occurrence, reason fled
from his head, and he said to his brother, Shah-Zeman, Arise,
and let us travel whither we please, and renounce the regal state,
until we see whether such a calamity as this have befallen any
other person like unto us ; and if not, our death will be preferable
to our life. His brother agreed to his proposal, and they went
out from a private door of the palace, and journeyed continually,
days and nights, until they arrived at a tree in the midst of a
meadow, by a spring of water, on the shore of the sea. They
drank of this spring, and sat down to rest ; and when the day
had a little advanced, the sea became troubled before them, and
there arose from it a black pillar, ascending towards the sky, and
approaching the meadow. Struck with fear at the sight, they
climbed up into the tree, which was lofty ; and thence they gazed
to see what this might be : and behold, it was a Jinni 4 of gigantic
stature, broad-fronted and bulky, bearing on his head a chest.
* Sing, of Jinn (Genii), being created of fire. The species of Jinn is said
to have been created some thousands of years before Adam. According to
a tradition from the Prophet, this species consists of five orders or classes;
namely, Jann (who are the least powerful of all), Jinn, Sheytans (or Devils),
'Efrits, and Marids. The last, it is added, are the most powerful ; and the
Jann are transformed Jinn; like as certain apes and swine were transformed
men. The terms Jinn and Jann, however, are generally used indiscrimi-
nately, as names of the whole species (including the other orders above
mentioned), whether good or bad; the former term is the more common.
[Iblis is Satan, their King.] " Sheytan " is commonly used to signify any
evil Jinn. An 'Eft-it is a powerful evil Jinni: a Marid, an evil Jinni of the
most powerful class. The Jinn (but generally speaking, evil ones) are
called by the Persians Divs; the most powerful evil Jinn, Narahs (which
signifies " males," though they are said to be males and females) ; the good
Jinn, Peris, though this term is commonly applied to females.
10 INTRODUCTION
He landed, and came to the tree into which the two Kings had
climbed, and, having seated himself beneath it, opened the
chest, and took out of it another box, which he also opened; and
there came forth from it a young woman, fair and beautiful,
like the shining sun. When the Jinni cast his eyes upon her,
he said, O lady of noble race, whom I carried off on thy wedding-
night, I have a desire to sleep a little: and he placed his head
upon her knee, and slept. The damsel then raised her head
towards the tree, and saw there the two Kings; upon which she
removed the head of the Jinni from her knee, and, having
placed it on the ground, stood under the tree, and made signs
to the two Kings, as though she would say, Come down, and
fear not this 'Efrit. They answered her, We conjure thee by
Allah that thou excuse us in this matter. But she said, I conjure
you by the same that ye come down; and if ye do not, I will
rouse this 'Efrit, and he shall put you to a cruel death. So,
being afraid, they came down to her; and, after they had re-
mained with her as long as she required, she took from her
pocket a purse, and drew out from this a string, upon which were
ninety-eight seal-rings; and she said to them, Know ye what
are these? They answered, We know not. — The owners of these
rings, said she, have, all of them, been admitted to converse
with me, like as ye have, unknown to this foolish 'Efrit ; there-
fore, give me your two rings, ye brothers. So they gave her
their two rings from their fingers; and then she said to them.
This 'Efrit carried me off on my wedding-night, and put me in
the box, and placed the box in the chest, and affixed to the chest
seven locks, and deposited me, thus imprisoned, in the bottom
of the roaring sea, beneath the dashing waves ; not knowing that,
when one of our sex desires to accomplish any object, nothing
can prevent her. In accordance with this, says one of the poets :
Never trust in women ; nor rely upon their vows ;
For their pleasure and displeasure depend upon their passions.
They offer a false affection ; for perfidy lurks within their clothing.
By the tale of Yusuf be admonished, and guard against their
stratagems.
Dost thou not consider that Iblis ejected Adam by means of
woman ?
And another poet says : —
INTRODUCTION 11
Abstain from censure; for it will strengthen the censured, and
increase desire into violent passion.
If I suffer such passion, my case is but the same as that of many a
man before me :
For greatly indeed to be wondered at is he who hath kept himself
safe from women's artifice.
When the two Kings heard these words from her lips they
were struck with the utmost astonishment, and said, one to
the other, If this is an 'Efrit, and a greater calamity hath hap-
pened unto him than that which hath befallen us, this is a cir-
cumstance that should console us: — and immediately they de-
parted, and returned to the city.
As soon as they had entered the palace, Shahriyar caused his
wife to be beheaded, and in like manner the women and black
slaves; and thenceforth he made it his regular custom, every
time that he cook a virgin to his bed, to kill her at the ex-
piration of the night. Thus he continued to do during a period of
three years; and the people raised an outcry against him, and
fled with their daughters, and there remained not a virgin in
the city of a sufficient age for marriage. Such was the case
when the King ordered the Wezir to bring him a virgin accord-
ing to his custom; and the Wezir went forth and searched, and
found none; and he went back to his house enraged and vexed,
fearing what the King might do to him.
Now the Wezir had two daughters; the elder of whom was
named Shahrazad; and the younger, Dunyzad. The former had
read various books of histories, and the lives of preceding kings,
and atories of past generations: it is asserted that she had col-
lected together a thousand books of histories, relating to pre-
ceding generations and kings, and works of the poets: and she
said to her father on this occasion, Why do I see thee thus
changed, and oppressed with solicitude and sorrows? It has
been said by one of the poets : —
Tell him who is oppressed with anxiety, that anxiety will not last:
As happiness passeth away, so passeth away anxiety.
When the Wezir heard these words from his daughter, he re-
lated to her all that had happened to him with regard to
the King: upon which she said, By Allah, O my father, give me
in marriage to this King: either I shall die, and be a ransom
12 INTRODUCTION
for one of the daughters of the Muslims, or I shall live, and
be the cause of their deliverance from him. 1 conjure thee
by Allah, exclaimed he, that thou expose not thyself to such
peril: — but she said, It must be so. Then, said he, I fear for
thee that the same will befall thee that happened in the case
of the Ass and the Bull and the husbandman. — And what, she
asked, was that, O my father?
Know, O my daughter, said the Wezir, that there was a certain
merchant, who possessed wealth and cattle, and had a wife
and children; and God, whose name be exalted, had also en-
dowed him with the knowledge of the languages of beasts and
birds. The abode of this merchant was in the country; and
he had, in his house, an ass and a bull. When the bull came
to the place where the ass was tied, he found it swept and
sprinkled; in his manger were sifted barley and sifted cut
straw, and the ass was lying at his ease; his master being
accustomed only to ride him occasionally, when business required,
and soon to return : and it happened, one day, that the merchant
overheard the bull saying to the ass, May thy food benefit thee !
I am oppressed with fatigue, while thou art enjoying repose:
thou eatest sifted barley, and men serve thee; and it is only
occasionally that thy master rides thee, and returns; while I am
continually employed in ploughing, and turning the mill. — The
ass answered, When thou goest out to the field, and they place
the yoke upon thy neck, lie down, and do not rise again, even
if they beat thee; or, if thou rise, lie down a second time; and
when they take thee back, and place the beans before thee, eat
them not, as though thou wert sick: abstain from eating and
drinking a day or two days, or three; and so shalt thou find
rest from trouble and labour. — Accordingly, when the driver
came to the bull with his fodder, he ate scarcely any of it; and
on the morrow, when the driver came again to take him to
plough, he found him apparently quite infirm: so the merchant
said, Take the ass, and make him draw the plough in his stead
all the day. The man did so; and when the ass returned at
the close of the day, the bull thanked him for the favour he had
conferred upon him by relieving him of his trouble on that
day; but the ass returned him no answer, for he repented most
grievously. On the next day, the ploughman came again, and
took the ass, and ploughed with him till evening; and the ass
INTRODUCTION . 13
returned with his neck flayed by the yoke, and reduced to an
extreme state of weakness; and the bull looked upon him, and
thanked and praised him. The ass exclaimed, I was living at
ease, and nought but my meddling hath injured me! Then
said he to the bull, Know that I am one who would give thee
good advice: I heard our master say, If the bull rise not from
his place, take him to the butcher, that he may kill him, and
make anat' 6 of his skin: — I am therefore in fear for thee, and
so I have given thee advice; and peace be on thee! — When the
bull heard these words of the ass, he thanked him, and said,
To-morrow I will go with alacrity: — so he ate the whole of
his fodder, and even licked the manger. — Their master, mean-
while, was listening to their conversation.
On the following morning, the merchant and his wife went
to the bull's crib, and sat down there; and the driver came, and
took out the bull; and when the bull saw his master, he shook
his tail, and showed his alacrity by sounds and actions, bound-
ing about in such a manner that the merchant laughed until
he fell backwards. His wife, in surprise, asked him, At what
dost thou laugh? He answered, At a thing that I have heard
and seen; but I cannot reveal it; for if I did, I should die.
She said, Thou must inform me of the cause of thy laughter,
even if thou die. — I cannot reveal it, said he: the fear of death
prevents me. — Thou laughedst only at me, she said; and she
ceased not to urge and importune him until he was quite over-
come and distracted. So he called together his children, and
sent for the Kadi and witnesses, that he might make his will,
and reveal the secret to her, and die: for he loved her excess-
ively, since she was the daughter of his paternal uncle, and
the mother of his children, and he had lived with her to the
age of a hundred and twenty years. Having assembled her
family and his neighbours, he related to them his story, and
told them that as soon as he revealed his secret he must die;
upon which every one present said to her, We conjure thee
by Allah that thou give up this affair, and let not thy husband,
and the father of thy children, die. But she said, I will not
desist until he tell me, though he die for it. So they ceased
to solicit her; and the merchant left them, and went to the
5 Nat': a large round piece of leather which., spread upon the ground,
serves =is a table for dinner, etc
14 INTRODUCTION
stable to perform the ablution, and then to return, and tell them
the secret, and die.
Now he had a cock, with fifty hens under him, and he had
also a dog; and he heard the dog call to the cock, and reproach
him, saying, Art thou happy when our master is going to die?
The cock asked, How so ? — and the dog related to him the story ;
upon which the cock exclaimed, By Allah! our master has little
sense: / have fifty wives; and I please this, and provoke that;
while he has but one one wife, and cannot manage this affair with
her : why does he not take some twigs of the mulberry-tree, and
enter her chamber, and beat her until she dies or repents? She
would never, after that, ask him a question respecting anything.
■ — And when the merchant heard the words of the cock, as he
addressed the dog, he recovered his reason, and made up his
mind to beat her. — Now, said the Wezir to his daughter Shah-
razad, perhaps I may do to thee as the merchant did to his
wife. She asked, And what did he? He answered, He entered
her chamber after he had cut off some twigs of the mulberry-
tree, and hidden them there ; and then said to her, Come into the
chamber, that I may tell thee the secret while no one sees me,
and then die : — and when she had entered, he locked the chamber-
door upon her, and beat her until she became almost senseless
and cried out, I repent : — and she kissed his hands and his feet,
and repented, and went out with him; and all the company, and
her own family, rejoiced ; and they lived together in the happiest
manner until death.
When the Wezir's daughter heard the words of her father,
she said to him, It must be as I have requested. So he arrayed
her, and went to the King Shahriyar. Now she had given direc-
tions to her younger sister saying to her, When I have gone
to the King, I will send to request thee to come; and when
thou comest to me, and seest a convenient time, do thou say to
me, O my sister, relate to me some strange story to beguile our
waking hour: — and I will relate to thee a story that shall, if
it be the will of God, be the means of procuring deliverance.
Her father, the Wezir, then took her to the King, who, when
he saw him, was rejoiced, and said, Hast thou brought me what
I desired? He answered Yes. When the King, therefore, in-
troduced himself to her, she wept; and he said to her, What
aileth thee? She answered, O King, I have a young sister, and
m
INTRODUCTION 15
I wish to take leave of her. So the King sent to her; and she
came to her sister, and embraced her, and sat near the foot
of the bed; and after she had waited for a proper opportunity,
she said, By Allah ! O my sister, relate to us a story to beguile
the waking hour of our night. Most willingly, answered Shah-
razad, if this virtuous King permit me. And the King, hearing
these words, and being restless, was pleased with the idea of lis-
tening to the story; and thus, on the first night of the thousand
and one, Shahrazad commenced her rec'tations.
STORIES FROM
THE THOUSAND AND ONE
NIGHTS
[Nights 1—3]
The Story of the Merchant and the Jinni
IT has been related to me, O happy King, said Shahrazad,
that there was a certain merchant who had great wealth,
and traded extensively with surrounding countries; and
one day he mounted his horse, and journeyed to a neigh-
bouring country to collect what was due to him, and, the heat
oppressing him, he sat under a tree, in a garden, and put
his hand into his saddle-bag, and ate a morsel of bread and
a date which were among his provisions. Having eaten the
date, he threw aside the stone, and immediately there ap-
peared before him an 'Efrit, of enormous height, who, hold-
ing a drawn sword in his hand, approached him, and said,
Rise, that I may kill thee, as thou hast killed my son. The
merchant asked him, How have I killed thy son? He an-
swered, When thou atest the date, and threwest aside the
stone, it struck my son upon the chest, and, as fate had
decreed against him, he instantly died.
The merchant, on hearing these words, exclaimed, Verily
to God we belong, and verily to Him we must return ! There
is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great !
If I killed him, I did it not intentionally, but without know-
ing it; and I trust in thee that thou wilt pardon me. — The
Jinni answered, Thy death is indispensable, as thou hast
killed my son: — and so saying, he dragged him, and threw
him on the ground, and raised his arm to strike him with the
sword. The merchant, upon this, wept bitterly, and said to
17
18 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
the Jinni, I commit my affair unto God, for no one can
avoid what He hath decreed: — and he continued his lamen-
tation, repeating the following verses: —
Time consists of two days; this, bright; and that, gloomy; and life,
of two moieties; this, safe; and that, fearful.
Say to him who hath taunted us on account of misfortunes, Doth
fortune oppose any but the eminent?
Dost thou observe that corpses float upon the sea, while the
precious pearls remain in its furthest depths?
When the hands of time play with us, misfortune is imparted to us
by its protracted kiss.
In the heaven are stars that cannot be numbered; but none is
eclipsed save the sun and the moon.
How many green and dry trees are on the earth ; but none is
assailed with stones save that which beareth fruit !
Thou thoughtest well of the days when they went well with thee,
and fearedst not the evil that destiny was bringing.
— When he had finished reciting these verses, the Jinni said
to him, Spare thy words, for thy death is unavoidable.
Then said the merchant, Know, O 'Efrit, that I have debts
to pay, and I have much property, and children, and a wife,
and I have pledges also in my possession: let me, therefore,
go back to my house, and give to every one his due, and
then I will return to thee: I bind myself by a vow and
covenant that I will return to thee, and thou shalt do what
thou wilt; and God is witness of what I say. — Upon this, the
Jinni accepted his covenant, and liberated him; granting him
a respite until the expiration of the year.
The merchant, therefore, returned to his town, accom-
plished all that was upon his mind to do, paid every one
what he owed him, and informed his wife and children of
the event which had befallen him ; upon hearing which, they
and all his family and women wept. He appointed a
guardian over his children, and remained with his family
until the end of the year; when he took his grave-clothes
under his arm, bade farewell to his household and neigh-
bours, and all his relations, and went forth, in spite of
himself; his family raising cries of lamentation, and
shrieking.
He proceeded until he arrived at the garden before men-
tioned; and it was the first day of the new year; and as he
THE MERCHANT AND THE JINNI 19
sat, weeping for the calamity which he expected soon to
befall him, a sheykh, advanced in years, approached him,
leading a gazelle with a chain attached to its neck. This
sheykh saluted the merchant, wishing him a long life, and
said to him, What is the reason of thy sitting alone in this
place, seeing that it is a resort of the Jinn? The merchant
therefore informed him of what had befallen him with the
'Efrit, and of the cause of his sitting there; at which the
sheykh, the owner of the gazelle, was astonished, and said,
By Allah, O my brother, thy faithfulness is great, and thy
story is wonderful ! if it were engraved upon the intellect,
it would be a lesson to him who would be admonished ! —
And he sat down by his side, and said, By Allah, O my
brother, I will not quit this place until I see what will happen
unto thee with this 'Efrit. So he sat down, and conversed
with him. And the merchant became almost senseless; fear
entered him, and terror, and violent grief, and excessive
anxiety. And as the owner of the gazelle sat by his side,
lo, a second sheykh approached them, with two black hounds,
and inquired of them, after saluting them, the reason of
their sitting in that place, seeing that it was a resort of
the Jann: and they told him the story from beginning to
end. And he had hardly sat down when there approached
them a third sheykh, with a dapple mule ; and he asked them
the same question, which was answered in the same manner.
Immediately after, the dust was agitated, and became an
enormous revolving pillar, approaching them from the midst
of the desert; and this dust subsided, and behold, the Jinni,
with a drawn sword in his hand; his eyes casting forth
sparks of fire. He came to them, and dragged from them
the merchant, and said to him, Rise, that I may kill thee, as
thou killedst my son, the vital spirit of my heart. And the
merchant wailed and wept; and the three sheykhs also mani-
fested their sorrow by weeping and crying aloud and wail-
ing: but the first sheykh, who was the owner of the gazelle,
recovering his self-possession, kissed the hand of the 'Efrit,
and said to him, O thou Jinni, and crown of the kings of
the Jann, if I relate to thee the story of myself and this
gazelle, and thou find it to be wonderful, and more so than
the adventure of this merchant, wilt thou give up to me a
20 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
third of thy claim to his blood? He answered, Yes, O
sheykh; if thou relate to me the story, and I find it to be
as thou hast said, I will give up to thee a third of my claim
to his blood.
The Story of the First Sheykh and the Gazelle
Then said the sheykh, Know, O 'Efrit, that this gazelle
is the daughter of my paternal uncle, and she is of my flesh
and my blood. I took her as my wife when she was young,
and lived with her about thirty years; but I was not blessed
with a child by her; so I took to me a concubine slave, and
by her I was blessed with a male child, like the rising full
moon, with beautiful eyes, and delicately-shaped eyebrows,
and perfectly- formed limbs; and he grew up by little and
little until he attained the age of fifteen years. At this
period, I unexpectedly had occasion to journey to a certain
city, and went thither with a great stock of merchandise.
Now my cousin, this gazelle, had studied enchantment
and divination from her early years ; and during my absence,
she transformed the youth above mentioned into a calf; and
his mother, into a cow; and committed them to the care of
the herdsman : and when I returned, after a long time, from
my journey, I asked after my son and his mother, and she
said, Thy slave is dead, and they son hath fled, and I know
not whither he is gone. After hearing this, I remained for
the space of a year with mourning heart and weeping eye,
until the Festival of the Sacrifice ; l when I sent to the herds-
man, and ordered him to choose for me a fat cow; and he
brought me one, and it was my concubine, whom this
gazelle had enchanted. I tucked up my skirts and sleeves,
and took the knife in my hand, and prepared myself to
slaughter her ; upon which she moaned and cried so violently
that I left her, and ordered the herdsman to kill and skin
her: and he did so, but found in her neither fat nor flesh,
nor anything but skin and bone ; and I repented of slaughter-
ing her, when repentance was of no avail. I therefore
gave her to the herdsman, and said to him, Bring me a fat
1 The Grest Festival, commencing on the ioth of Dhu-1-Hijjeh, when the
pilgrims, halting on their return from mount 'Arafat to Mekkeh, in the
valley of Mine, perform their sacrifice.
THE FIRST SHEYKH 21
calf: and he brought me my son, who was transformed into
a calf. And when the calf saw me, he broke his rope, and
came to me, and fawned upon me, and wailed and cried,
so that I was moved with pity for him; and I said to the
herdsman, Bring me a cow, and let this —
Here Shahrazad perceived the light of morning, and dis-
continued the recitation with which she had been allowed
thus far to proceed. Her sister said to her, How excellent
is thy story ! and how pretty ! and how pleasant ! and how
sweet ! — but she answered, What is this in comparison with
that which I will relate to thee in the next night, if I live,
and the King spare me ! And the King said, By Allah,
I will not kill her until I hear the remainder of her story.
Thus they pleasantly passed the night until the morning,
when the King went forth to his hall of judgment, and the
Wezir went thither with the grave-clothes under his arm:
and the King gave judgment, and invested and displaced,
until the close of the day, without informing the Wezir of
that which had happened; and the minister was greatly as-
tonished. The court was then dissolved; and the King
returned to the privacy of his palace.
[On the second and each succeeding night, Shahrazad
continued so to interest King Shahriyar by her stories as to
induce him to defer putting her to death, in expectation that
her fund of amusing tales would soon be exhausted; and as
this is expressed in the original work in nearly the same
words at the close of every night, such repetitions will in the
present translation be omitted.]
When the sheykh, continued Shahrazad, observed the tears
of the calf, his heart sympathized with him, and he said to
the herdsman, Let this calf remain with the cattle. — Mean-
while, the Jinni wondered at this strange story; and the
owner of the gazelle thus proceeded.
O lord of the kings of the Jann, while this happened,
my cousin, this gazelle, looked on, and said, Slaughter this
calf; for he is fat: but I could not do it; so I ordered the
herdsman to take him back; and he took him and went
away. And as I was sitting, on the following day, he came
to me, and said, O my master, I have to tell thee something
that thou wilt be rejoiced to hear; and a reward is due to
22 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
me for bringing good news. I answered, Well: — and he
said, O merchant, I have a daughter who learned enchant-
ment in her youth from an old woman in our family; and
yesterday, when thou gavest me the calf, I took him to her,
and she looked at him, and covered her face, and wept, and
then laughed, and said, O my father, hath my condition
become so degraded in thy opinion that thou bringest before
me strange men? — Where, said I, are any strange men? and
wherefore didst thou weep and laugh? She answered, This
calf that is with thee is the son of our master, the merchant,
and the wife of our master * hath enchanted both him and
his mother; and this was the reason of my laughter; but
as to the reason of my weeping, it was on account of his
mother, because his father had slaughtered her. — And I was
excessively astonished at this; and scarcely was I certain
that the light of morning had appeared when I hastened to
inform thee.
When I heard, O Jinni, the words of the herdsmen, I
went forth with him, intoxicated without wine, from the
excessive joy and happiness that I received, and arrived at
his house, where his daughter welcomed me, and kissed my
hand ; and the calf came to me, and fawned upon me. And
I said to the herdsman's daughter, Is that true which thou
hast said respecting this calf? She answered, Yes, O my
master; he is verily thy son, and the vital spirit of thy
heart. — O maiden, said I, if thou wilt restore him, all the
cattle and other property of mine that thy father hath under
his care shall be thine. Upon this, she smiled, and said,
my master, I have no desire for the property unless on
two conditions: the first is, that thou shalt marry me to
him ; and the second, that I shall enchant her who enchanted
him, and so restrain her; otherwise, I shall not be secure
from her artifice. On hearing, O Jinni, these her words,
1 said, And thou shalt have all the property that is under
the care of thy father besides; and as to my cousin, even
her blood shall be lawful to thee. So, when she heard this,
she took a cup, and filled it with water, and repeated a
spell over it, and sprinkled with it the calf, saying to him,
If God created thee a calf, remain in this form, and be not
changed; but if thou be enchanted, return to thy original
THE SECOND SHEYKH 23
form, by permission of God, whose name be exalted ! —
upon which he shook, and became a man; and I threw
myself upon him, and said, I conjure thee by Allah that
thou relate to me all that my cousin did to thee and to thy
mother. So he related to me all that had happened to them
both; and I said to him, O my son, God hath given thee one
to liberate thee, and to avenge thee: — and I married to
him, O Jinni, the herdsman's daughter; after which, she
transformed my cousin into this gazelle. And as I happened
to pass this way, I saw this merchant, and asked him what
had happened to him; and when he had informed me, I sat
down to see the result. — This is my story. The Jinni said,
This is a wonderful tale; and I give up to thee a third of
my claim to his blood.
The second sheykh, the owner of the two hounds, then
advanced, and said to the Jinni, If I relate to thee the story
of myself and these hounds, and thou find it to be in like
manner wonderful, wilt thou remit to me, also, a third of
thy claim to the blood of this merchant? The Jinni
answered, Yes.
The Story of the Second Sheykh
and the Two Black Hounds
Then said the sheykh, Know, O lord of the kings of the
Jann, that these two hounds are my brothers. My father
died, and left to us three thousand pieces of gold; 2 and
I opened a shop to sell and buy. But one of my brothers
made a journey, with a stock of merchandise, and was
absent from us for the space of a year with the caravans;
after which, he returned destitute. I said to him, Did I not
advise thee to abstain from travelling? But he wept, and
said, O my brother, God, to whom be ascribed all might
and glory, decreed this event; and there is no longer any
profit in these words : I have nothing left. So I took him up
into the shop, and then went with him to the bath, and
clad him in a costly suit of my own clothing; after which,
we sat down together to eat; and I said to him, O my
brother, I will calculate the gain of my shop during the year,
s Dinar, about half-a-guinea.
24 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
and divide it, exclusive of the principal, between me and
thee. Accordingly, I made the calculations, and found my
gain to amount to two thousand pieces of gold; and I
praised God, to whom be ascribed all might and glory, and
rejoiced exceedingly, and divided the gain in two equal
parts between myself and him. — My other brother then set
forth on a journey; and after a year, returned in the like
condition; and I did unto him as I had done to the former.
After this, when we had lived together for some time,
my brothers again wished to travel, and were desirous that
I should accompany them; but I would not. What, said I,
have ye gained in your travels, that I should expect to gain?
They importuned me; but I would not comply with their
request; and we remained selling and buying in our shops
a whole year. Still, however, they persevered in proposing
that we should travel, and I still refused, until after the
lapse of six entire years, when at last I consented, and said
to them, O my brothers, let us calculate what property we
possess. We did so, and found it to be six thousand pieces
of gold: and I then said to them, We will bury half of it in
the earth, that it may be of service to us if any misfortune
befall us, in which case each of us shall take a thousand
pieces, with which to traffic. Excellent is thy advice, said
they. So I took the money and divided it into two equal
portions, and buried three thousand pieces of gold; and of
the other half, I gave to each of them a thousand pieces.
We then prepared merchandise, and hired a ship, and em-
barked our goods, and proceeded on our voyage for the
space of a whole month, at the expiration of which we
arrived at a city, where we sold our merchandise; and for
every piece of gold we gained ten.
And when we were about to set sail again, we found, on
the shore of the sea, a maiden clad in tattered garments,
who kissed my hand, and said to me, O my master, art thou
possessed of charity and kindness? If so, I will requite
thee for them. I answered, Yes, I have those qualities,
though thou requite me not. Then said she, O my master,
accept me as thy wife, and take me to thy country; for I
give myself to thee: act kindly towards me; for I am one
who requires to be treated with kindness and charity, and
THE SECOND SHEYKH 25
who will requite thee for so doing; and let not my present
condition at all deceive thee. When I heard these words,
my heart was moved with tenderness towards her, in order
to the accomplishment of a purpose of God, to whom be
ascribed all might and glory; and I took her, and clothed
her, and furnished for her a place in the ship in a handsome
manner, and regarded her with kind and respectful attention.
We then set sail; and I became most cordially attached
to my wife, so that, on her account, I neglected the society
of my brothers, who, in consequence, became jealous of me,
and likewise envied me my wealth, and the abundance of
my merchandise; casting the eyes of covetousness upon the
whole of the property. They therefore consulted together
to kill me, and take my wealth; saying, Let us kill our
brother, and all the property shall be ours : — and the devil
made these actions to seem fair in their eyes; so they came
to me while I was sleeping by the side of my wife, and took
both of us up, and threw us into the sea. But as soon as
my wife awoke, she shook herself, and became transformed
into a Jinniyeh. She immediately bore me away, and placed
me upon an island, and, for a while, disappeared. In the
morning, however, she returned, and said to me, I am thy
wife, who carried thee, and rescued thee from death, by
permission of God, whose name be exalted. Know that I
am a Jinniyeh : I saw thee, and my heart loved thee for
the sake of God ; for I am a believer in God and his
Apostle, God bless and save him ! I came to thee in the
condition in which thou sawest me, and thou didst marry
me; and see, I have rescued thee from drowning. But I
am incensed against thy brothers, and I must kill them. —
When I heard her tale, I was astonished, and thanked her
for what she had done; — But, said I, as to the destruction
of my brothers, it is not what I desire. I then related to
her all that had happened between myself and them from
first to last ; and when she had heard it, she said, I will, this
next night, fly to them, and sink their ship, and destroy
them. But I said, I conjure thee by Allah that thou do it
not; for the author of the proverb saith, O thou benefactor
of him who hath done evil, the action that he hath done is
sufficient for him: — besides, they are at all events my
26 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
brothers. She still, however, said, They must be killed; —
and I continued to propitiate her towards them: and at last
she lifted me up, and soared through the air, and placed me
on the roof of my house.
Having opened the doors, I dug up what I had hidden
in the earth ; and after I had saluted my neighbours, and
bought merchandise, I opened my shop. And in the follow-
ing night, when I entered my house, I found these two
dogs tied up in it; and as soon as they saw me, they came
to me, and wept, and clung to me ; but I knew not what had
happened until immediately my wife appeared before me,
and said, These are thy brothers. And who, said I, hath
done this unto them? She answered, I sent to my sister,
and she did it ; and they shall not be restored until after the
lapse of ten years. And I was now on my way to her, that
she might, restore them, as they have been in this state ten
years, when I saw this man, and, being informed of what had
befallen him, I determined not to quit the place until I should
have seen what would happen between thee and him. — This
is my story. — Verily, said the Jinni, it is a wonderful tale;
and I give up to thee a third of the claim that I had to his
blood on account of his offence.
Upon this, the third sheykh, the owner of the mule, said
to the Jinni, As to me, break not my heart if I relate to thee
nothing more than this: —
The Story of the Third Sheykh and the Mule
The mule that thou seest was my wife: she became
enamoured of a black slave; and when I discovered her
with him, she took a mug of water, and, having uttered a
spell over it, sprinkled me, and transformed me into a dog.
In this state, I ran to the shop of a butcher, whose daughter
saw me, and being skilled in enchantment, restored me to
my original form, and instructed me to enchant my wife in
the manner thou beholdest. — And now I hope that thou wilt
remit to me also a third of the merchant's offence. Divinely
was he gifted who said,
Sow good, even on an unworthy soil; for it will not be lost
wherever it is sown.
THE THIRD SHEYKH 27
When the sheykh had thus finished his story, the Jinni
shook with delight, and remitted the remaining third of his
claim to the merchant's blood. The merchant then approached
the sheykhs, and thanked them, and they congratulated him
on his safety; and each went his way.
But this, said Shahrazad, is not more wonderful than the
story of the fisherman. The King asked her, And what is
the story of the fisherman ? And she related it as follows : —
[Nights 3— p]
The Story of the Fisherman
THERE was a certain fisherman, advanced in age, who
had a wife and three children; and though he was in
indigent circumstances, it was his custom to cast his
net, every day, no more than four times. One day he went
forth at the hour of noon to the shore of the sea, and put
down his basket, and cast his net, and waited until it was
motionless in the water, when he drew together its strings,
and found it to be heavy: he pulled, but could not draw it
up : so he took the end of the cord, and knocked a stake into
the shore, and tied the cord to it. He then stripped him-
self, and dived round the net, and continued to pull until
he drew it out: whereupon he rejoiced, and put on his
clothes; but when he came to examine the net, he found in
it the carcass of an ass. At the sight of this he mourned, and
exclaimed, There is no strength nor power but in God, the
High, the Great ! This is a strange piece of fortune ! —
And he repeated the following verse: —
O thou who occupiest thyself in the darkness of night, and in peril !
Spare thy trouble; for the support of Providence is not obtained
by toil!
He then disencumbered his net of the dead ass, and wrung
it out; after which he spread it, and descended into the
sea, and — exclaiming, In the name of God ! — cast it again, and
waited till it had sunk and was still, when he pulled it, and
found it more heavy and more difficult to raise than on
the former occasion. He therefore concluded that it was
full of fish : so he tied it, and stripped, and plunged and dived,
and pulled until he raised it, and drew it upon the shore ; when
he found in it only a large jar, full of sand and mud; on
28
*bO?/?
THE FISHERMAN 29
seeing which, he was troubled in his heart, and repeated the
following words of the poet: —
angry fate, forbear ! or, if thou wilt not forbear, relent !
Neither favour from fortune do I gain, nor profit from the work of
my hands.
1 came forth to seek my sustenance, but have found it to be
exhausted.
How many of the ignorant are in splendor ! and how many of
the wise, in obscurity !
So saying, he threw aside the jar, and wrung out and
cleansed his net; and, begging the forgiveness of God for his
impatience, returned to the sea the third time, and threw
the net, and waited till it had sunk and was motionless: he
then drew it out, and found in it a quantity of broken jars
and pots.
Upon this, he raised his head towards heaven, and said,
O God, Thou knowest that I cast not my net more than four
times ; and I have now cast it three times ! Then — exclaim-
ing, In the name of God ! — he cast the net again into the
sea, and waited till it was still ; when he attempted to draw
it up, but could not, for it clung to the bottom. And he ex-
claimed, There is no strength nor power but in God! — and
he stripped himself again, and dived round the net, and
pulled until he raised it upon the shore; when he opened it,
and found in it a bottle of brass, filled with something, and
having its mouth closed with a stopper of lead, bearing the
impression of the seal of our lord Suleyman. 1 At the sight
of this, the fisherman was rejoiced, and said, This I will
sell in the copper-market; for it is worth ten pieces of gold.
He then shook it, and found it to be heavy, and said, I
1 No man ever obtained such absolute power over the Jinn as Suleyman
Ibn-Da'ud (Solomon, the Son of David). This he did by virtue of a most
wonderful talisman, which is said to have come down to him from heaven.
It was a seal-ring, upon which was engraved " the most great name ' of
God; and partly composed of brass, and partly of iron. With the brass he
stamped his written commands to the good Jinn; with the iron [which they
greatly dread], those to the evil Jinn, or Devils. Over both orders he
had unlimited power; as well as over the birds and the winds, and, as is
generally said, the wild beasts. His Wezir, Asaf the son of Barkhiya, is
also said to have been acquainted with " the most great name," by utter-
ing which the greatest miracles may be performed; even that of raising the
dead. By virtue of this name, engraved on his ring, Suleyman compelled
the Jinn to assist in building the Temple of Jerusalem, and in various other
works. Many of the eviL Jinn he converted to the true faith; and many
others of this class, who remained obstinate in infidelity, he confined in
prisons.
30 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
must open it, and see what is in it, and store it in my bag;
and then I will sell the bottle in the copper-market. So he
took out a knife, and picked at the lead until he extracted it
from the bottle. He then laid the bottle on the ground, and
shook it, that its contents might pour out; but there came
forth from it nothing but smoke, which ascended towards
the sky, and spread over the face of the earth; at which
he wondered excessively. And after a little while, the
smoke collected together, and was condensed, and then be-
came agitated, and was converted into an 'Efrit, whose
head was in the clouds, while his feet rested upon the ground :
his head was like a dome: his hands were like winnowing
forks ; and his legs, like masts : his mouth resembled a cavern :
his teeth were like stones ; his nostrils, like trumpets ; and
his eyes, like lamps ; and he had dishevelled and dust-coloured
hair.
When the fisherman beheld trrs 'Efrit, the muscles of his
sides quivered, his teeth were locked together, his spittle
dried up, and he saw not his way. The 'Efrit, as soon as
he perceived him, exclaimed, There is no deity but God;
Suleyman is the Prophet of God. O Prophet of God, slay
me not; for I will never again oppose thee in word, or rebel
against thee in deed ! — O Marid, said the fisherman, dost thou
say, Suleyman is the Prophet of God? Suleyman hath been
dead a thousand and eight hundred years ; and we are now in
the end of time. What is thy history, and what is thy tale,
and what was the cause of thy entering this bottle? When
the Marid heard these words of the fisherman, he said. There
is no deity but God! Receive news, O fisherman ! — Of what,
said the fisherman, dost thou give me news? He answered,
Of thy being instantly put to a most cruel death. The fisher-
man exclaimed, Thou deservest, for this news, O master of
the 'Efrits, the withdrawal of protection from thee, O thou
remote! 2 Wherefore wouldst thou kill me? and what re-
quires thy killing me, when I have liberated thee from the
bottle, and rescued thee from the bottom of the sea, and
brought thee up upon the dry land? — The 'Efrit answered,
Choose what kind of death thou wilt die, and in what manner
thou shalt be killed. — What is my offence, said the fisherman,
8 [Implying a malediction, but excepting bystanders.]
THE FISHERMAN 51
that this should be my recompense from thee? The 'Efrit
replied, Hear my story, O fisherman. — Tell it then, said the
fisherman, and be short in thy words ; for my soul hath sunk
down to my feet.
Know then, said he, that I am one of the heretical Jinn:
I rebelled against Suleyman the son of Da'ud; I and Sakhr
the Jinni; and he sent to me his Wezir, Asaf the son of
Barkhiya, who came upon me forcibly, and took me to him
in bonds, and placed me before him : and when Suleyman saw
me, he offered up a prayer for protection against me, and
exhorted me to embrace the faith, and to submit to his
authority ; but I refused ; upon which he called for this bottle,
and confined me in it, and closed it upon me with the leaden
stopper, which he stamped with the Most Great Name : he
then gave orders to the Jinn, who carried me away, and
threw me into the midst of the sea. There I remained a
hundred years ; and I said in my heart, Whosoever shall liber-
ate me, I shall enrich him for ever: — but the hundred years
passed over me, and no one liberated me : and I entered upon
another hundred years; and I said, Whosoever shall liber-
ate me, I will open to him the treasures of the earth; — but
no one did so : and four hundred years more passed over me,
and I said, Whosoever shall liberate me, I will perform for
him three wants : — but still no one liberated me. I then
fell into a violent rage, and said within myself, Whosoever
shall liberate me now, I will kill him; and only suffer him
to choose in what manner he will die. And lo, now thou hast
liberated me, and I have given thee thy choice of the manner
in which thou wilt die.
When the fisherman had heard the story of the 'Efrit, he
exclaimed, O Allah ! that I should not have liberated thee but
in such a time as this ! Then said he to the 'Ef rit, Pardon
me, and kill me not, and so may God pardon thee ; and destroy
me not, lest God give power over thee to one who will destroy
thee. The Marid answered, I must positively kill thee ; there-
fore choose by what manner of death thou wilt die. The
fisherman then felt assured of his death; but he again im-
plored the 'Efrit, saying, Pardon me by way of gratitude
for my liberating thee. — Why, answered the 'Efrit, I am
not going to kill thee but for that very reason, because thou
32 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
hast liberated me. — O Sheykh of the 'Efrits, said the fisher-
man, do I act kindly towards thee, and dost thou recompense
me with baseness ? But the proverb lieth not that saith, —
We did good to them, and they returned us the contrary; and such,
by my life, is the conduct of the wicked.
Thus he who acteth kindly to the undeserving is recompensed in
the same manner as the aider of Umm-'Amir.*
The 'Efrit, when he heard these words, answered by say-
ing, Covet not life, for thy death is unavoidable. Then said
the fisherman within himself, This is a Jinni, and I am a man ;
and God hath given me sound reason ; therefore, I will now
plot his destruction with my art and reason, like as he hath
plotted with his cunning and perfidy. So he said to the
'Efrit, Hast thou determined to kill me ? He answered, Yes.
Then said he, By the Most Great Name engraved upon the
seal of Suleyman, I will ask thee one question ; and wilt thou
answer it to me truly ? On hearing the mention of the Most
Great Name, the 'Efrit was agitated, and trembled, and re-
plied, Yes; ask, and be brief. The fisherman then said,
How wast thou in this bottle? It will not contain thy hand
or thy foot ; how then can it contain thy whole body ? — Dost
thou not believe that I was in it? said the 'Efrit. The fisher-
man answered, I will never believe thee until I see thee in
it. Upon this, the 'Efrit shook, and became converted into
smoke, which rose to the sky and then became condensed,
and entered the bottle by little and little, until it was all
enclosed; when the fisherman hastily snatched the sealed leaden
stopper, and, having replaced it in the mouth of the bottle,
called out to the 'Efrit, and said, Choose in what manner
of death thou wilt die. I will assuredly throw thee here into
the sea, and build me a house on this spot; and whosoever
shall come here, I will prevent his fishing in this place, and
will say to him, Here is an 'Efrit, who to any person that
liberates him, will propose various kinds of death, and then
give him his choice of one of them. On hearing these words
of the fisherman, the 'Efrit endeavoured to escape ; but could
not, finding himself restrained by the impression of the seal
of Suleyman, and thus imprisoned by the fisherman as the
vilest and filthiest and least of 'Efrits. The fisherman then
3 The hyena.
HC XVI— A * *
KING YUNAN AND THE SAGE DUBAN 3*
took the bottle to the brink of the sea. The 'Efrit exclaimed,
Nay ! nay ! — to which the fisherman answered, Yea, without
fail ! yea, without fail ! The Marid then addressing him with
a soft voice and humble manner, said, What dost thou intend
to do with me, O fisherman ? He answered, I will throw thee
into the sea; and if thou hast been there a thousand and
eight hundred years, I will make thee to remain there until
the hour of judgment. Did I not say to thee, Spare me, and
so may God spare thee ; and destroy me not, lest God destroy
thee? But thou didst reject my petition, and wouldst noth-
ing but treachery; therefore God hath caused thee to fall
into my hand, and I have betrayed thee. — Open to me, said
the 'Efrit, that I may confer benefits upon thee. The
fisherman replied, Thou liest, thou accursed ! I and thou are
like the Wezir of King Yunan and the sage Duban. — What,
said the 'Efrit, was the case of the Wezir Yunan and the
sage Duban, and what is their story? The fisherman an-
swered as follows : —
The Story of King Yunan and the
Sage Duban
Know, O 'Efrit, that there was, in former times, in the
country of the Persians, a monarch who was called King
Yunan, possessing great treasures and numerous forces, val-
iant, and having troops of every description; but he was
afflicted with leprosy, which the physicians and sages had
failed to remove; neither their potions, nor powders, nor
ointments were of any benefit to him; and none of the phy-
sicians was able to cure him. At length there arrived at the
city of this king a great sage, stricken in years, who was
called the sage Duban : he was acquainted with ancient Greek,
Persian, modern Greek, Arabic, and Syriac books, and with
medicine and astrology, both with respect to their scientific
principles and the rules of their practical applications for
good and evil; as well as the properties of plants, dried
and fresh; the injurious and the useful: he was versed in
the wisdom of the philosophers, and embraced a knowledge
of all the medical and other sciences.
After this sage had arrived in the city, and remained in
hc xvi— a
34 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
it a few days, he heard of the case of the King, of the leprosy
with which God had afflicted him, and that the physicians
and men of science had failed to cure him. In consequence
of this information, he passed the next night in deep study;
and when the morning came, and diffused its light, and
the sun saluted the Ornament of the Good, 4 he attired him-
self in the richest of his apparel, and presented himself
before the King. Having kissed the ground before him,
and offered up a prayer for the continuance of his power
and happiness, and greeted him in the best manner he was
able, he informed him who he was, and said, O King, I
have heard of the disease which hath attacked thy person,
and that many of the physicians are unacquainted with the
means of removing it; and I will cure thee without giving
thee to drink any potion, or anointing thee with ointment.
When King Yuman heard his words, he wondered, and said
to him, How wilt thou do this? By Allah, if thou cure me,
I will enrich thee and thy children's children, and I will
heap favours upon thee, and whatever thou shalt desire shall
be thine, and thou shalt be my companion and my friend.
— He then bestowed upon him a robe of honour, and other
presents, and said to him, Wilt thou cure me of this disease
without potion or ointment? He answered, Yes; I will
cure thee without any discomfort to thy person. And the
King was extremely astonished, and said, O Sage, at what
time, and on what day, shall that which thou hast proposed
to me be done? Hasten it, O my Son. — He answered, I
hear and obey.
He then went out from the presence of the King, and
hired a house, in which he deposited his books, and medi-
cines, and drugs. Having done this, he selected certain
of his medicines and drugs, and made a goff-stick, with a
hollow handle, into which he introduced them; after which
he made a ball for it, skilfully adapted; and on the follow-
ing day, after he had finished these, he went again to the
King, and kissed the ground before him, and directed him
to repair to the horse-course, and to play with the ball and
goff-stick. The King, attended by his Emirs and Chamber-
4 The Prophet Mohammad, who said " the sun never riseth until it hath
saluted me.
KING YUNAN AND THE SAGE DUBAN 35
lains and Wezirs, went thither, and, as soon as he arrived
there, the sage Duban presented himself before him, and
handed to him the goff-stick, saying, Take this gofl-stick,
and grasp it thus, and ride along the horse-course, and strike
the ball with it with all thy force, until the palm of thy hand
and thy whole body become moist with perspiration, when
the medicine will penetrate into thy hand, and pervade thy
whole body; and when thou hast done this, and the medi-
cine remains in thee, return to thy palace, and enter the
bath, and wash thyself, and sleep; then shalt thou find thy-
self cured: and peace be on thee. So King Yunan took
the goff-stick from the sage, and grasped it in his hand, and
mounted his horse; and the ball was thrown before him,
and he urged his horse after it until he overtook it, when he
struck it with all his force ; and when he had continued this
exercise as long as was necessary, and bathed and slept, he
looked upon his skin, and not a vestige of the leprosy
remained: it was clear as white silver. Upon this he
rejoiced exceedingly; his heart was dilated, and he was full
of happiness.
On the following morning he entered the council-chamber,
and sat upon his throne; and the Chamberlains and great
officers of his court came before him. The sage Duban also
presented himself; and when the King saw him, he rose to
him in haste, and seated him by his side. Services of food
were then spread before them, and the sage ate with the
King, and remained as his guest all the day; and when the
night approached, the King gave him two thousand pieces
of gold, besides dresses of honour and other presents, and
mounted him on his own horse, and so the sage returned to
his house. And the King was astonished at his skill ; say-
ing, This man hath cured me by an external process, without
anointing me with ointment: by Allah, this is consummate
science; and it is incumbent on me to bestow favours and
honours upon him, and to make him my companion and
familiar friend as long as I live. He passed the night happy
and joyful on account of his recovery, and when he arose,
he went forth again, and sat upon his throne; the officers of
his court standing before him, and the Emirs and Wezirs
sitting on his right hand and on his left; and he called fotf
36 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
the sage Duban, who came, and kissed the ground before
him; and the king rose, and seated him by his side, and
ate with him, and greeted him with compliments: he be-
stowed upon him again a robe of honour and other presents,
and after conversing with him till the approach of night,
gave orders that five other robes of honour should be given
to him, and a thousand pieces of gold; and the sage departed,
and returned to his house.
Again, when the next morning came, the King went as
usual to his council-chamber, and the Emirs and Wezirs and
Chamberlains surrounded him. Now there was, among his
Wezirs, one of ill aspect, and of evil star ; sordid, avaricious,
and of an envious and malicious disposition; and when he
saw that the King had made the sage Duban his friend, and
bestowed upon him these favours, he envied him his dis-
tinction, and meditated evil against him; agreeably with the
adage which saith, There is no one void of envy; — and
another, which saith, Tyranny lurketh in the soul: power
manifesteth it, and weakness concealeth it. So he approached
the King, and kissed the ground before him, and said, O
King of the age, thou art he whose goodness extendeth to
all men, and I have an important piece of advice to give
thee : if I were to conceal it from thee, I should be a base-
born wretch: therefore, if thou order me to impart it, I will
do so. The King, disturbed by these words of the Wezir,
said, What is thy advice? He answered, O glorious King,
it hath been said, by the ancients, He who looketh not to
results, fortune will not attend him : — now I have seen the
King in a way that is not right; since he hath bestowed
favours upon his enemy, and upon him who desireth the
downfall of his dominion: he hath treated him with kindness,
and honoured him with the highest honours, and admitted
him to the closest intimacy: I therefore fear, for the King,
the consequence of this conduct. — At this the King was
troubled and his countenance changed; and he said, Who
is he whom thou regardest as mine enemy, and to whom I
shew kindness? He replied, O King, if thou hast been
asleep, awake! I allude to the sage Duban. — The King
said, He is my intimate companion, and the dearest of men
in my estimation; for he restored me by a thing that I
THE HUSBAND AND THE PARROT 37
merely held in my hand, and cured me of my disease which
the physicians were unable to remove, and there is not now
to be found one like to him in the whole world, from west
to east. Wherefore, then, dost thou utter these words
against him? I will, from this day, appoint him a regular
salary and maintenance, and give him every month a thou-
sand pieces of gold; and if I give him a share of my king-
dom it were but a small thing to do unto him. I do not
think that thou hast said this from any other motive than
that of envy. If I didst what thou desirest, I should repen
after it, as the man repented who killed his parrot.
The Story of the Husband and
the Parrot
There was a certain merchant, of an exceedingly jealous
disposition, having a wife endowed with perfect beauty, who
had prevented him from leaving his home; but an event
happened which obliged him to make a journey; and when
he found liis doing so to be indispensable, he went to the
market in which birds were sold, and bought a parrot, which
he placed in his house to act as a spy, that, on his return,
she might inform him of what passed during his absence;
for this parrot was cunning and intelligent, and remembered
whatever she heard. So, when he had made his journey,
and accomplished his business, he returned, and caused the
parrot to be brought to him, and asked her respecting the
conduct of his wife. She answered, Thy wife has a lover,
who visited her every night during thy absence, — and when
the man heard this, he fell into a violent rage, and went to
his wife, and gave her a severe beating.
The woman imagined that one of the female slaves had
informed him of what had passed between her and her
paramour during his absence : she therefore called them
together, and made them swear; and they all swore that
they had not told their master anything of the matter; but
confessed that they had heard the parrot relate to him what
had passed. Having thus established, on the testimony of
the slaves, the fact of the parrot's having informed her
husband of her intrigue, she ordered one of these slaves to
38 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
grind with a hand-mill under the cage, another to sprinkle
water from above, and a third to move a mirror from side
to side, during the next night on which her husband was
absent; and on the following morning, when the man re-
turned from an entertainment at which he had been present,
and inquired again of the parrot what had passed that
night during his absence, the bird answered, O my master,
I could neither see nor hear anything, on account of the
excessive darkness, and thunder, and lightning, and rain.
Now this happened during summer: so he said to her, What
strange words are these? It is now summer, when nothing
of what thou hast described ever happens. — The parrot,
however, swore by Allah the Great that what she had said
was true; and that it had so happened: upon which the
man, not understanding the case, nor knowing the plot,
became violently enraged, and took out the bird from the
cage, and threw her down upon the ground with such
violence that he killed her.
But after some days, one of his female slaves informed
him of the truth; yet he would not believe it, until he saw
his wife's paramour going out from his house; when he drew
his sword, and slew the traitor by a blow on the back of his
neck: so also did he to his treacherous wife; and thus both
of them went, laden with the sin which they had committed,
to the fire ; and the merchant discovered that the parrot had
informed him truly of what she had seen; and he mourned
grievously for her loss.
When the Wezir heard these words of King Yunan, he
said, O King of great dignity, what hath this crafty sage —
this man from whom nought but mischief proceedeth — done
unto me, that I should be his enemy, and speak evil of him,
and plot with thee to destroy him? I have informed thee
respecting him in compassion for thee, and in fear of his
despoiling thee of thy happiness; and if my words be not
true, destroy me, as the Wezir of Es-Sindibad was destroyed.
—The King asked, How was that? And the Wezir thus
answered : —
THE ENVIOUS WEZIR 39
The Story of the Envious Wezir and the Prince and
the Ghuleh
The King above mentioned had a son who was ardently
fond of the chase; and he had a Wezir whom he charged
to be always with his son wherever he went. One day the
son went forth to hunt, and his father's Wezir was with
him ; and as they rode together, they saw a great wild beast ;
upon which the Wezir exclaimed to the Prince, Away after
this wild beast! The King's son pursued it until he was
out of the sight of his attendants, and the beast also escaped
from before his eyes in the desert; and while the Prince
wandered in perplexity, not knowing whither to direct his
course, he met in his way a damsel, who was weeping. He
said to her, Who art thou? — and she answered, I am a
daughter of one of the kings of India; I was in the desert,
and slumber overtook me, and I fell from my horse in a
state of insensibility, and being thus separated from my
attendants, I lost my way. The Prince, on hearing this,
pitied her forlorn state, and placed her behind him on his
horse; and as they proceeded, they passed by a ruin, and
the damsel said to him, O my master, I would alight here
for a little while. The Prince therefore lifted her from his
horse at this ruin; but she delayed so long to return, that
he wondered wherefore she had loitered so, and entering
after her, without her knowledge, perceived that she was a
Ghuleh, 5 and heard her say, My children, I have brought you
to-day a fat young man: — on which they exclaimed, Bring
him in to us, O mother! that we may fill our stomachs
with his flesh. When the Prince heard their words, he
felt assured of destruction; the muscles of his sides quivered,
and fear overcame him, and he retreated. The Ghuleh then
came forth, and, seeing that he appeared alarmed and fear-
ful, and that he was trembling, said to him, Wherefore
dost thou fear? He answered, I have an enemy of whom
I am in fear. The Ghuleh said, Thou assertest thyself to
be the son of the King. He replied, Yes.— Then, said she,
wherefore dost thou not give some money to thine enemy,
6 A female Ghul, that eats men.
40 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
and so conciliate him? He answered, He will not be ap-
peased with money, nor with anything but life; and there-
fore do I fear him: I am an injured man. She then said
to him, if thou be an injured man, as thou affirmest, beg
aid of God against thine oppressor, and He will avert from
thee his mischievous design, and that of every other person
whom thou fearest. Upon this, therefore, the Prince raised
his head towards heaven, and said, O Thou who answerest
the distressed when he prayeth to Thee, and dispellest evil,
assist me, and cause mine enemy to depart from me; for
Thou art able to do whatsoever Thou wilt ! — and the Ghuleh
no sooner heard his prayer, than she departed from him.
The Prince then returned to his father, and informed him of
the conduct of the Wezir ; upon which the King gave orders
that the minister should be put to death. .
And thou, O King, continued the Wezir of King Yunan,
if thou trust in this sage, he will kill thee in the foulest
manner. If thou continue to bestow favours upon him, and
to make him thine intimate companion, he will plot thy
destruction. Dost thou not see that he hath cured thee of
the disease by external means, by a thing that thou heldest
in thy hand? Therefore thou art not secure against his
killing thee by a thing that thou shalt hold in the same
manner. — King Yunan answered, Thou hast spoken truth:
the case is as thou hast said, O faithful Wezir : it is probable
that this sage came as a spy to accomplish my death; and if
he cured me by a thing I held in my hand, he may destroy
me by a thing that I may smell: what then, O Wezir, shall
be done respecting him? The Wezir answered, Send to him
immediately, and desire him to come hither; and when he is
come, strike off his head, and so shalt thou avert from thee
his evil design, and be secure from him. Betray him before
he betray thee. — The King said, Thou hast spoken right.
Immediately, therefore, he sent for the sage, who came,
full of joy, not knowing what the Compassionate had decreed
against him, and addressed the King with these words of
the poet —
If I fail any day to render thee due thanks, tell me for whom I
have composed my verse and prose.
KING YUNAN AND THE SAGE DUBAN 41
Thou hast loaded me with favours unsolicited, bestowed without
delay on thy part, or excuse.
How then should I abstain from praising thee as thou deservest,
and lauding thee both with my heart and voice?
Nay, I will thank thee for thy benefits conferred upon me : they are
light upon my tongue, though weighty to my back.
Knowest thou, said the King", wherefore I have summoned
thee? The sage answered, None knoweth what is secret
but God, whose name be exalted ! Then said the King, I
have summoned thee that I may take away thy life. The
sage, in the utmost astonishment at this announcement, said,
King, wherefore wouldst thou kill me, and what offence
hath been committed by me? The King answered, It hath
been told me that thou art a spy, and that thou hast come
hither to kill me : but I will prevent thee by killing thee
first: — and so saying, he called out to the executioner, Strike
off the head of this traitor, and relieve me from his wicked-
ness. — Spare me, said the sage, and so may God spare thee;
and destroy me not, lest God destroy thee. — And he repeated
these words several times, like as I did, O 'Efrit; but thou
wouldst not let me go, desiring to destroy me.
King Yunan then said to the sage Duban, I shall not be
secure unless I kill thee; for thou curedst me by a thing
that I held in my hand, and I have no security against thy
killing me by a thing that I may smell, or by some other
means. — O King, said the sage, is this my recompense from
thee ? Dost thou return evil for good ? — The King answered,
Thou must be slain without delay. When the sage, there-
fore, was convinced that the King intended to put him to
death, and that his fate was inevitable, he lamented the
benefit that he had done to the undeserving. The execu-
tioner then advanced, and bandaged his eyes, and, having
drawn his sword, said, Give permission. Upon this the sage
wept, and said again, Spare me, and so may God spare
thee ; and destroy me not, lest God destroy thee ! Wouldst
thou return me the recompense of the crocodile? — What,
said the King, is the story of the crocodile? The sage
answered, I cannot relate it while in this condition; but
1 conjure thee by Allah to spare me, and so may He spare
thee. And he wept bitterly. Then one of the chief officers
42 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
of the King arose, and said, O King, give up to me the
blood of this sage; for we have not seen him commit any
offence against thee; nor have we seen him do aught but
cure thee of thy disease, which wearied the other physicians
and sages. The King answered, Ye know not the reason
wherefore I would kill the sage: it is this, that if I suffered
him to live, I should myself inevitably perish; for he who
cured me of the disease under which I suffered by a thing
that I held in my hand, may kill me by a thing that I may
smell; and I fear that he would do so, and would receive an
appointment on account of it; seeing that it is probable
he is a spy who hath come hither to kill me ; I must therefore
kill him, and then shall I feel myself safe. — The sage then
said again, Spare me, and so may God spare thee; and de-
stroy me not, lest God destroy thee.
But he now felt certain, O 'Efrit, that the King would put
him to death, and that there was no escape for him; so he
said, O King, if my death is indispensable, grant me some
respite, that I may return to my house, and acquit myself of
my duties, and give directions to my family and neighbours
to bury me, and dispose of my medical books; and among
my books is one of the most especial value, which I offer as a
present to thee, that thou mayest treasure it in thy library. —
And what, said the King, is this book? He answered, It
contains things not to be enumerated; and the smallest of
the secret virtues that it possesses is this; that, when thou
hast cut off my head, if thou open this book, and count
three leaves, and then read three lines on the page to the
left, the head will speak to thee, and answer whatever thou
shalt ask. At this the King was excessively astonished,
and shook with delight, and said to him, O Sage, when I
have cut off thy head will it speak? He answered, Yes,
O King; and this is a wonderful thing.
The King then sent him in the custody of guards ; and
the sage descended to his house, and settled all his affairs on
that day ; and on the following day he went up to the court :
and the Emirs and Wezirs, and Chamberlains and Deputies,
and all the great officers of the state, went thither also : and
the court resembled a flower-garden. And when the sage
had entered, he presented himself before the King, bearing
KING YUNAN AND THE SAGE DUBAN 43
an old book, and a small pot containing a powder: and he
sat down, and said, Bring me a tray. So they brought him
one; and he poured out the powder into it, and spread it.
He then said, O King, take this book, and do nothing with
it until thou hast cut off my head ; and when thou hast done
so, place it upon this tray, and order some one to press it
down upon the powder; and when this is done, the blood
will be stanched: then open the book. As soon as the
sage had said this, the King gave orders to strike off his
head; and it was done. The King then opened the book,
and found that its leaves were stuck together; so he put his
finger to his mouth, and moistened it with his spittle, and
opened the first leaf, and the second, and the third; but the
leaves were not opened without difficulty. He opened six
leaves, and looked at them ; but found upon them no
writing. So he said, O Sage, there is nothing written in it.
The head of the sage answered, Turn over more leaves.
The King did so ; and in a little while, the poison penetrated
into his system; for the book was poisoned; and the King
fell back, and cried out, The poison hath penetrated • into
me ! — and upon this, the head of the sage Duban repeated
these verses: —
They made use of their power, and used it tyrannically ; and soon it
became as though it never had existed.
Had they acted equitably, they had experienced equity ; but they
oppressed ; wherefore fortune oppressed them with calamities
and trials.
Then did the case itself announce to them, This is the reward of
your conduct, and fortune is blameless.
And when the head of the sage Duban had uttered these
words, the King immediately fell down dead.
Now, O 'Efrit, continued the fisherman, know that if
King Yunan had spared the sage, Duban, God had spared
him; but he refused, and desired his destruction; therefore
God destroyed him ; and thou, O 'Efrit, if thou hadst spared
me, God had spared thee, and I had spared thee; but thou
desiredst my death; therefore will I put thee to death
imprisoned in this bottle, and will throw thee here into the
sea. The Marid, upon this, cried out, and said, I conjure
44 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
thee by Allah, O fisherman, that thou do it not : spare me in
generosity, and be not angry with me for what I did; but if
I have done evil, do thou good, according to the proverb, —
O thou benefactor of him who hath done evil, the action that
he hath done is sufficient for him: — do not therefore as
Umameh did to 'Atikeh. — And what, said the fisherman, was
their case? The 'Efrit answered, This is not a time for
telling stories, when I am in this prison; but when thou
liberatest me, I will relate to thee their case. The fisherman
said, Thou must be thrown into the sea, and there shall be
no way of escape for thee from it; for I endeavoured to
propitiate thee, and humbled myself before thee, yet thou
wouldest nothing but my destruction, though I had com-
mitted no offence to deserve it, and had done no evil to thee
whatever, but only good, delivering thee from thy confine-
ment; and when thou didst thus unto me, I perceived that
thou wast radically corrupt: and I would have thee know,
that my motive for throwing thee into this sea, is that I may
acquaint with thy story every one that shall take thee out,
and caution him against thee, that he may cast thee in
again : thus shalt thou remain in this sea to the end of time,
and experience varieties of torment. — The 'Efrit then said,
Liberate me, for this is an opportunity for thee to display
humanity ; and I vow to thee that I will never do thee harm ;
but, on the contrary, will do thee a service that shall enrich
thee for ever.
Upon this the fisherman accepted his covenant that he
would not hurt him, but that he would do him good; and
when he had bound him by oaths and vows, and made him
swear by the Most Great Name of God, he opened to him ;
and the smoke ascended until it had all come forth, and
then collected together, and became, as before, an 'Efrit of
hideous form. The 'Efrit then kicked the bottle into the
sea. When the fisherman saw him do this, he made sure
of destruction, and said, This is no sign of good: — but
afterwards he fortified his heart, and said, O 'Efrit, God,
whose name be exalted, hath said, Perform the covenant,
for the covenant shall be inquired into: 6 — and thou hast
covenanted with me, and sworn that thou wilt not act
6 Kur'an, xvii. 36.
THE FISHERMAN 45
treacherously towards me; therefore, if thou so act, God
will recompense thee; for He is jealous; He respiteth, but
suffereth not to escape; and remember that I said to thee
as said the sage Duban to King Yunan, Spare me, and so
may God spare thee.
The 'Efrit laughed, and walking on before him, said, O
fisherman, follow me. The fisherman did so, not believing
in his escape, until they had quitted the neighbourhood of
the city, and ascended a mountain, and descended into a
wide desert tract, in the midst of which was a lake of water.
Here the 'Efrit stopped, and ordered the fisherman to cast
his net and take some fish; and the fisherman, looking into
the lake, saw in it fish of different colours, white and red
and blue and yellow; at which he was astonished; and he
cast his net, and drew it in, and found in it four fish, each
fish of a different colour from the others, at the sight of
which he rejoiced. The 'Efrit then said to him, Take them
to the Sultan, and present them to him, and he will give
thee what will enrich thee; and for the sake of God accept
my excuse, for, at present, I know no other way of reward-
ing thee, having been in the sea a thousand and eight
hundred years, and not seen the surface of the earth until
now; but take not fish from the lake more than once each
day : and now I commend thee to the care of God. — Having
thus said, he struck the earth with his feet, and it clove
asunder, and swallowed him.
The fisherman then went back to the city, wondering at
all that had befallen him with the 'Efrit, and carried the fish
to his house; and he took an earthen bowl, and, having
filled it with water, put the fish into it; and they struggled
in the water: and when he had done this, he placed the
bowl upon his head, and repaired to the King's palace, as
the 'Efrit had commanded him, and, going up unto the
King, presented to him the fish; and the King was exces-
sively astonished at them, for he had never seen any like
them in the course of his life; and he said, Give these fish
to the slave cook-maid. This maid had been sent as a
present to him by the King of the Greeks, three days
before; and he had not yet tried her skill. The Wezir,
therefore, ordered her to fry the fish, and said to her, O
46 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
maid, the King saith unto thee, I have not reserved my tear
but for the time of my difficulty: — to-day, then, gratify us by
a specimen of thy excellent cookery, for a person hath
brought these fish as a present to the Sultan. After having
thus charged her, the Wezir returned, and the King ordered
him to give the fisherman four hundred pieces of gold: so
the Wezir gave them to him; and he took them in his lap,
and returned to his home and his wife, joyful and happy, and
bought what was needful for his family.
Such were the events that befell the fisherman: now we
must relate what happened to the maid. — She took the fish,
and cleaned them, and arranged them in the frying-pan, and
left them until one side was cooked, when she turned them
upon the other side; and lo, the wall of the kitchen clove
asunder, and there came forth from it a damsel of tall
stature, smooth-cheeked, of perfect form, with eyes adorned
with kohl, beautiful in countenance, and with heavy, swelling
hips; wearing a kufiyeh interwoven with blue silk; with
rings in her ears, and bracelets on her wrists, and rings set
with precious jewels on her fingers; and in her hand was a
rod of Indian cane: and she dipped the end of the rod in
the frying-pan, and said, O fish, are ye remaining faithful to
your covenant? At the sight of this, the cook-maid fainted.
The damsel then repeated the same words a second and a
third time; after which the fish raised their heads from the
frying-pan, and answered, Yes, yes. They then repeated
the following verse : —
U thou return, we return; and if thou come, we come; and if thou
forsake, we verily do the same.
r\nd upon this the damsel overturned the frying-pan, and
departed by the way she had entered, and the wall of the
kitchen closed up again. The cook-maid then arose, and
beheld the four fish burnt like charcoal; and she exclaimed,
In his first encounter his staff broke ! — and as she sat re-
proaching herself, she beheld the Wezir standing at her
head; and he said to her, Bring the fish to the Sultan: —
and she wept, and informed him of what had happened.
The Wezir was astonished at her words, and exclaimed,
This is indeed a wonderful event; — and he sent for the
THE FISHERMAN 47
fisherman, and when he was brought, he said to him,
fisherman, thou must bring to us four fish like those which
thou broughtest before. The fisherman accordingly went
forth to the lake, and threw his net, and when he had drawn
it in he found in it four fish as before ; and he took them to
the Wezir, who went with them to the maid, and said to her,
Rise, and fry them in my presence, that I may witness this
occurrence. The maid, therefore, prepared the fish, and
put them in the frying-pan, and they had remained but a
little while, when the wall clove asunder, and the damsel
appeared, clad as before, and holding the rod; and she
dipped the end of the rod in the frying-pan, and said, O fish,
O fish, are ye remaining faithful to your old covenant ? Upon
which they raised their heads, and answered as before; and
the damsel overturned the frying-pan with the rod, and re-
turned by the way she had entered, and the wall closed up
again.
The Wezir then said, This is an event which cannot be
concealed from the King : — so he went to him, and informed
him of what had happened in his presence; and the King
said, I must see this with my own eyes. He sent, therefore,
to the fisherman, and commanded him to bring four fish like
the former, granting him a delay of three days. And the
fisherman repaired to the lake, and brought the fish thence
to the King, who ordered again that four hundred pieces of
gold should be given to him; and then, turning to the
Wezir, said to him, Cook the fish thyself here before me.
The Wezir answered, I hear and obey. He brought the
frying-pan, and after he had cleaned the fish, threw them
into it; and as soon as he had turned them, the wall clove
asunder, and there came forth from it a negro, in size like a
bull, or like one of the tribe of 'Ad, 7 having in his hand
a branch of a green tree; and he said, with a clear but
terrifying voice, O fish, O fish, are ye remaining faithful to
your old covenant? Upon which they raised their heads,
and answered as before, Yes, yes:
If thou return, we return ; and if thou come, we come ; and if thou
forsake, we verily do the same.
7 The smallest of tne ancient Arab tribe of 'Ad is said to have been
sixty cubits high.
48 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
The black then approached the frying-pan, and overturned
it with the branch, and the fish became like charcoal, and
he went away as he had come.
When he had thus disappeared from before their eyes,
the King said, This is an event respecting which it is im-
possible to keep silence, and there must, undoubtedly, be
some strange circumstance connected with these fish. He
then ordered that the fisherman should be brought before
him, and when he had come, he said to him, Whence came
these fish? The fisherman answered, From a lake between
four mountains behind this mountain which is without thy
city. The King said to him, How many days' journey
distant? He answered, O our lord the Sultan, a journey
of half-an-hour. And the Sultan was astonished, and ordered
his troops to go out immediately with him and the fisherman,
who began to curse the 'Efrit. They proceeded until they
had ascended the mountain, and descended into a wide
desert tract which they had never before seen in their whole
lives; and the Sultan and all the troops wondered at the
sight of this desert, which was between four mountains,
and at the fish, which were of four colors, red and white and
yellow and blue. The King paused in astonishment, and
said to the troops, and to the other attendants who were
with him, Hath any one of you before seen this lake in this
place? They all answered, No. Then said the King, By
Allah, I will not enter my city, nor will I sit upon my throne,
until I know the true history of this lake, and of its fish.
And upon this he ordered his people to encamp around these
mountains; and they did so. He then called for the Wezir,
who was a well-informed, sensible, prudent, and learned
man; and when he had presented himself before him, he
said to him, I desire to do a thing with which I will acquaint
thee; and it is this: — I have resolved to depart alone this
night, to seek for information respecting this lake and
its fish: therefore, sit thou at the door of my pavilion,
and say to the Emirs and Wezirs and Chamberlains, The
Sultan is sick, and hath commanded me not to allow any
person to go in unto him: — and acquaint no one with my
intention.
The Wezir was unable to oppose his design; so the King
THE FISHERMAN 49
disguised himself, and slung on his sword, and withdrew
himself from the midst of his troops. He journeyed the
whole of the night, until the morning, and proceeded until the
heat became oppressive to him : he then paused to rest ; after
which he again proceeded the remainder of the day and the
second night until the morning, when there appeared before
him, in the distance, something black, at the sight of which
he rejoiced, and said, Perhaps I shall there find some person
who will inform me of the history of the lake and its fish.
And when he approached this black object, he found it to be
a palace built of black stones, and overlaid with iron; and
one of the leaves of its door was open, and the other shut.
The King was glad, and he stood at the door, and knocked
gently, but heard no answer; he knocked a second and a
third time, but again heard no answer: then he knocked a
fourth time, and with violence; but no one answered. So
he said, It is doubtless empty: — and he took courage, and
entered from the door into the passage, and cried out,
saying, O inhabitants of the palace, I am a stranger and a
traveller! have ye any provision? And he repeated these
words a second and a third time; but heard no answer.
And upon this he fortified his heart, and emboldened him-
self, and proceeded from the passage into the midst of the
palace; but he found no one there, and only saw that it was
furnished, and that there was, in the centre of it, a fountain
with four lions of red gold, which poured forth the water
from their mouths, like pearls and jewels: around this were
birds; and over the top of the palace was extended a net
which prevented their flying out. At the sight of these
objects he was astonished, and he was grieved that he saw
no person there whom he could ask for information respect-
ing the lake, and the fish, and the mountains, and the palace.
He then sat down between the doors, reflecting upon these
things; and as he thus sat, he heard a voice of lamentation
from a sorrowful heart, chanting these verses: —
O fortune, thou pitiest me not, nor releasest me ! See my heart is
straitened between affliction and peril !
Will not you [O my wife] have compassion on the mighty whom
love hath abased, and the wealthy who is reduced to
indigence ?
50 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
We were jealous even of the zephyr which passed over you : but
when the divine decree is issued, the eye becometh blind !
What resource hath the archer when, in the hour of conflict, he
desireth to discharge the arrow, but findeth his bow-string
broken ?
And when troubles are multiplied upon the noble-minded, where
shall he find refuge from fate and from destiny?
When the Sultan heard this lamentation, he sprang upon
his feet, and, seeking the direction whence it proceeded,
found a curtain suspended before the door of a chamber;
and he raised it, and beheld behind it a young man sitting
on a couch raised to the height of a cubit from the floor.
He was a handsome youth, well-shaped, and of eloquent
speech, with shining forehead, and rosy cheek, marked with
a mole resembling ambergris. The King was rejoiced at
seeing him, and saluted him; and the young man (who
remained sitting, and was clad with a vest of silk, embroid-
ered with gold, but who exhibited traces of grief) returned
his salutation, and said to him, O my master, excuse my not
rising. — O youth ! said the King, inform me respecting the
lake, and its fish of various colours, and respecting this
palace, and the reason of thy being alone in it, and of thy
lamentation. When the young man heard these words,
tears trickled down his cheeks, and he wept bitterly. And
the King was astonished, and said to him, What causeth
thee to weep, O youth? He answered, How can I refrain
from weeping, when this is my state? — and so saying, he
stretched forth his hand, and lifted up the skirts of his
clothing; and lo, half of him, from his waist to the soles of
his feet, was stone; and from his waist to the hair of his
head, he was like other men. He then said, Know, O King,
that the story of the fish is extraordinary ; if it were engraved
upon the intellect, it would be a lesson to him who would be
admonished: — and he related as follows: —
The Story of the Young King of the Black Islands
My father was king of the city which was here situate:
his name was Mahmud, and he was lord of the Black Islands,
and of the four mountains. After a reign of seventy years,
YOUNG KING OF THE BLACK ISLANDS 51
he died, and I succeeded to his throne; whereupon I took
as my wife the daughter of my uncle; and she loved me
excessively, so that when I absented myself from her, she
would neither eat nor drink till she saw me again. She
remained under my protection five years. After this, she
went one day to the bath; and I had commanded the cook
to prepare the supper, and entered this palace, and slept in
my usual place. I had ordered two maids to fan me; and
one of them sat at my head, and the other at my feet ; but I
was restless, because my wife was not with me; and I could
not sleep. My eyes were closed, but my spirit was awake;
and I heard the maid at my head say to her at my feet, O
Mes'udeh, verily our lord is unfortunate in his youth, and
what a pity is it that it should be passed with our depraved,
wicked mistress ! — Perdition to unfaithful wives ! replied the
other: but (added she) such a person as our lord, so en-
dowed by nature, is not suited to this profligate woman, who
passes every night absent from his bed. — Verily, rejoined she
at my head, our lord is careless in not making any inquiry
respecting her. — Wo to thee ! said the other : hath our lord
any knowledge of her conduct, or doth she leave him to his
choice? Nay, on the contrary, she contriveth to defraud
him by means of the cup of wine which he drinketh every
night before he sleepeth, putting benj 8 into it; in conse-
quence of which he sleepeth so soundly that he knoweth not
what happeneth, nor whither she goeth, nor what she doeth ;
for, after she hath given him the wine to drink, she dresseth
herself, and goeth out from him, and is absent until day-
break, when she returneth to him, and burneth a perfume
under his nose, upon which he awaketh from his sleep.
When I heard this conversation of the maids, the light
became darkness before my face, and I was hardly conscious
of the approach of night, when my cousin returned from
the bath. The table was prepared, and we ate, and sat a
while drinking our wine as usual. I then called for the
wine which I was accustomed to drink before I lay down to
sleep, and she handed to me the cup; but I turned away,
and, pretending to drink it as I was wont to do, poured it
into my bosom, and immediately lay down: upon which
* Bhang, hemp.
52 THE THOUSAND AND ONls NIGHTS
she said, Sleep on; I wish that thou wouldst never wake
again! By Allah, I abhor thee, and abhor thy person, and
my soul is weary of thy company ! — She then arose, and
attired herself in the most magnificent of her apparel, and,
having perfumed herself, and slung on a sword, opened the
door of the palace, and went out. I got up immediately,
and followed her until she had quitted the palace, and
passed through the streets of the city, and arrived at the
city-gates, when she pronounced some words that I under-
stood not; whereupon the locks fell off, and the gates
opened, and she went out, I still following her, without her
knowledge. Thence she proceeded to a space among the
mounds, and arrived at a strong edifice, in which was a
kubbeh constructed of mud, with a door, which she entered.
I then climbed upon the roof of the kubbeh, and, looking
down upon her through an aperture, saw that she was
visiting a black slave, whose large lips, one of which over-
lapped the other, gathered up the sand from the pebbly
floor, while he lay, in a filthy and wet condition, upon a
few stalks of sugar-cane.
She kissed the ground before this slave; and he raised
his head towards her, and said, Wo to thee ! Wherefore
hast thou remained away until this hour? The other blacks
have been here drinking wine, and each of them has gone
away with his mistress; and I refused to drink on thy
account. — She answered, O my master, and beloved of my
heart, knowest thou not that I am married to my cousin,
and that I abhor every man who resembles him, and hate
myself while I am in his company? If I did not fear to
displease thee, I would reduce the city to ruins, so that the
owl and the raven should cry in it, and would transport its
stones beyond Mount Kaf. 10 — Thou liest, thou infamous
woman, replied the slave; and I swear by the generosity
of the blacks (and if I speak not truth, may our valour be as
the valour of the whites), that if thou loiter as thou hast
now done till this hour, I will no longer give thee my
company, nor approach thy person, thou faithless one !
Dost thou inconvenience me for the sake of thine own
9 A building with a dome.
IJ) The chain of mountains believed by Muslims to encircle the earth.
YOUNG KING OF THE BLACK ISLANDS &
pleasure, thou filthy wretch, and vilest of the whites? —
When I heard (continued the King) their words, and wit-
nessed what passed between them, the world became dark
before my face, and I knew not where I was. — My cousin still
stood weeping, and abasing herself before him, and said,
my beloved, and treasure of my heart, there remaineth
to me none but thee for whom I care, and if thou cast me
off, alas for me ! O my beloved ! O light of mine eye ! —
Thus she continued to weep, and to humble herself before
him, until he became pacified towards her; upon which
she rejoiced, and arose, and, having disrobed herself, said
to him, O my master, hast thou here anything that thy maid
may eat? He answered, Uncover the dough-pan; it con-
tains some cooked rats' bones: eat of them, and pick them;
and take this earthen pot: thou wilt find in it some buzah u
to drink. So she arose, and ate and drank, and washed her
hands; after which she lay down by the side of the slave,
upon the stalks of sugar-cane, and covered herself with his
tattered clothes and rags.
When I saw her do this, I became unconscious of my
existence, and, descending from the roof of the kubbeh,
entered, and took the sword from the side of my cousin,
with the intention of killing them both. I struck the slave
upon his neck, and thought that he was killed; but the
blow, which I gave with the view of severing his head, only
cut the gullet and skin and flesh; and when I thought that
1 had killed him, he uttered a loud snore, upon which my
cousin started up, and, as soon as I had gone, took the
sword, and returned it to its scabbard, and came back to
the city and to the palace, and lay down again in my bed,
in which she remained until the morning.
On the following day, I observed that my cousin had
cut off her hair, and put on the apparel of mourning; and
she said to me, O my cousin, blame me not for what I do;
for I have received news that my mother is dead, and that
my father hath been slain in a holy war, and that one of my
two brothers hath died of a poisonous sting, and the other
by the fall of a house : it is natural, therefore, that I should
weep and mourn. On hearing these words, I abstained
u Barley-beer.
54 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
from upbraiding her, and said, Do what seemeth fit to thee;
for I will not oppose thee. Accordingly, she continued
mourning and weeping and wailing a whole year; after
which she said to me, I have a desire to build for myself,
in thy palace, a tomb, with a kubbeh, that I may repair
thither alone to mourn, and I will call it the House of
Lamentations. I replied, Do what thou seest fit. So she
built for herself a house for mourning, with a kubbeh in the
middle of it, like the tomb of a saint; after which she
removed thither the slave, and there she lodged him. He
was in a state of excessive weakness, and unable to render
her any service, though he drank wine; and from the day
on which I had wounded him, he had never spoken; yet
he remained alive, because the appointed term of his life
had not expired. My cousin every day visited him in this
tomb early and late, to weep and mourn over him, and took
to him wine to drink, and boiled meats; and thus she con-
tinued to do, morning and evening, until the expiration of
the second year, while I patiently suffered her, till, one day,
I entered her apartments unawares, and found her weeping,
and slapping her face, and repeating these verses : —
I have lost my existence among mankind since your absence; for
my heart loveth none but you.
Take my body, then, in mercy, to the place where you are laid;
and there bury me by your side :
And if, at my grave, you utter my name, the moaning of my bones
shall answer to your call.
As soon as he had finished the recitation of these verses,
I said to her, holding my drawn sword in my hand, This is
the language of those faithless women who renounce the
ties of affinity, and regard not lawful fellowship ! — and I
was about to strike her with the sword, and had lifted up my
arm to do so, when she rose — for she knew that it was I
who had wounded the slave — and, standing before me,
pronounced some words which I understood not, and said,
May God, by means of my enchantment, make thee to be
half of stone, and half of the substance of man ! — whereupon
I became as thou seest, unable to move, neither dead nor
alive; and when I had been reduced to this state, she
YOUNG KING OF THE BLACK ISLANDS 55
enchanted the city and its markets and fields. The inhab-
itants of our city were of four classes; Muslims and
Christians, and Jews and Magians; and she transformed
them into fish: the white are the Muslims; the red, the
Magians ; the blue, the Christians ; and the yellow, the Jews.
She transformed, also, the four islands into four mountains,
and placed them around the lake; and from that time she
has continued every day to torture me, inflicting upon me a
hundred lashes with a leathern whip, until the blood flows
from my wounds; after which she puts on my upper half a
vest of hair-cloth, beneath these garments. — Having said thus,
the young man wept, and ejaculated the following verses : —
Give me patience, O Allah, to bear what Thou decreestl I will
be patient, if so I may obtain thine approval.
I am straitened, indeed, by the calamity that hath befallen me : but
the Family of the favoured Prophet shall intercede for me 1
Upon this, the King, looking towards the young man,
said to him, O youth, thou hast increased my anxiety. And
where (he added) is this woman? — The young man answered,
She is in the tomb where the slave is lying, in the kubbeh;
and every day, before she visits him, she strips me of my
clothing, and inflicts upon me a hundred lashes with the
whip, while I weep and cry out, unable to move so as to
repulse her. After thus torturing me, she repairs early to
the slave, with the wine and boiled meat. — By Allah, O
youth, said the King, I will do thee an act of kindness for
which I shall be remembered, and a favour which historians
shall record in a biography after me.
He then sat and conversed with him until the approach
of night, upon which he arose, and waited till the first dawn
of day, when he took off his clothes, and slung on his sword,
and went to the place where the slave lay. After remarking
the candles and lamps, and perfumes and ointments, he ap-
proached the slave, and with a blow of his sword slew him ;
he then carried him on his back, and threw him into a well
which he found in the palace, and returning to the kubbeh,
clad himself with the slave's clothes, and lay down with the
drawn sword by his side. Soon after, the vile enchantress
went to her cousin, and, having pulled off his clothes, took
56 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
the whip and beat him, while he cried, Ah! it is enough
for me to be in this state ! Have pity on me then ! — Didst
thou shew pity to me, she exclaimed, and didst thou spare
my lover ? — She then put on him the hair-cloth vest and his
outer garments, and repaired to the slave with a cup of wine,
and a bowl of boiled meat. Entering the tomb, she wept
and wailed, exclaiming, O my master, answer me! O my
master, speak to me! — and poured forth her lamentation in
the words of this verse: —
How long shall this aversion and harshness continue? Sufficient
is the evil which my passion hath brought upon me !
Then, weeping, as before, she exclaimed again, O my master,
answer me and speak to me! Upon this the King, speak-
ing in a low voice, and adapting his tongue to the pronuncia-
tion of the blacks ejaculated, Ah ! Ah ! there is no strength
nor power but in God ! On hearing these words, she screamed
with joy, and fell down in a swoon ; and when she recovered,
she exclaimed, Possibly my master is restored to health!
The King, again lowering his voice, as if from weakness,
replied, Thou profligate wretch, thou deservest not that I
should address thee. — Wherefore? said she. He answered,
Because all the day long thou tormentest thy husband, while
he calleth out, and imploreth the aid of God, so that thou
hast prevented my sleeping from the commencement of dark-
ness until morning: thy husband hath not ceased to humble
himself, and to imprecate vengeance upon thee, till he hath
distracted me ; and had it not been for this, I had recovered
my strength: this it is which hath prevented my answering
thee. — Then, with thy permission, she replied, I will liberate
him from his present sufferings. — Liberate him, said the
King, and give us ease.
She replied, I hear and obey; — and immediately arose,
and went out from the kubbeh to the palace, and, taking a
cup, filled it with water, and pronounced certain words over
it, upon which it began to boil like a cauldron. She then
sprinkled some of it upon her cousin, saying, By virtue of
what I have uttered, be changed from thy present state to
that in which thou wast at first ! — and instantly he shook,
and stood upon his feet, rejoicing in his liberation, and
YOUNG KING OF THE BLACK ISLANDS 57
exclaimed, I testify that there is no deity but God, and that
Mohammad is God's Apostle; God bless and save him!
She then said to him, Depart, and return not hither, or I
will kill thee : — and she cried out in his face : so he departed
from before her, and she returned to the kubbeh, and said, O
my master, come forth to me that I may behold thee. He
replied, with a weak voice, What hast thou done ? Thou hast
relieved me from the branch, but hast not relieved me from
the root. — O my beloved, she said, and what is the root? He
answered, The people of this city, and of the four islands:
every night, at the middle hour, the fish raise their heads, and
imprecate vengeance upon me and upon thee ; and this is the
cause that preventeth the return of vigour to my body ; there-
fore, liberate them, and come, and take my hand, and raise
me ; for vigour hath already in part returned to me.
On hearing these words of the King, whom she imagined
to be the slave, she said to him with joy, O my master, on
my head and my eye ! In the name of Allah ! — and she
sprang up, full of happiness, and hastened to the lake, where,
taking a little of its water, she pronounced over it some un-
intelligible words, whereupon the fish became agitated, and
raised their heads, and immediately became converted into
men as before. Thus was the enchantment removed from
the inhabitants of the city, and the city became repeopled,
and the market-streets re-erected, and every one returned to
his occupation: the mountains also became changed into
islands as they were at the first. The enchantress then re-
turned immediately to the King, whom she still imagined to
be the slave, and said to him, O my beloved, stretch forth
thy honoured hand, that I may kiss it. — Approach me, said
the King in a low voice. So she drew near to him; and
he, having his keen-edged sword ready in his hand, thrust
it into her bosom, and the point protruded from her back:
he then struck her again, and clove her in twain, and went
forth.
He found the young man who had been enchanted waiting
his return, and congratulated him on his safety; and the
young prince kissed his hand, and thanked him. The King
then said to him, Wilt thou remain in thy city, or come with
me to my capital?— O King of the age, said the young man,
58 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
dost thou know the distance that is between thee and thy
city? The King answered, Two days and a half. — O King,
replied the young man, if thou hast been asleep, awake: be-
tween thee and thy city is a distance of a year's journey to
him who travelleth with diligence; and thou earnest in two
days and a half only because the city was enchanted: but,
O King, I will never quit thee for the twinkling of an eye.
The King rejoiced at his words, and said, Praise be to God,
who hath in his beneficence given thee to me: thou art my
son; for during my whole life, I have never been blest with
a son: — and they embraced each other, and rejoiced exceed-
ingly. They then went together into the palace, where the
King who had been enchanted informed the officers of his
court that he was about to perform the holy pilgrimage: so
they prepared for him everything that he required; and he
departed with the Sultan; his heart burning with reflections
upon his city, because he had been deprived of the sight of
it for the space of a year.
He set forth, accompanied by fifty memluks, and pro-
vided with presents, and they continued their journey night
and day for a whole year, after which they drew near to the
city of the Sultan, and the Wezir and the troops, who had
lost all hope of his return, came forth to meet him. The
troops, approaching him, kissed the ground before him, and
congratulated him on his safe return; and he entered the
city, and sat upon the throne. He then acquainted the Wezir
with all that had happened to the young King; on hearing
which, the Wezir congratulated the latter, also, on his safety ;
and when all things were restored to order, the Sultan be-
stowed presents upon a number of his subjects, and said to
the Wezir, Bring to me the fisherman who presented to me
the fish. So he sent to this fisherman, who had been the
cause of the restoration of the inhabitants of the enchanted
city, and brought him; and the King invested him with a
dress of honour, and inquired of him respecting his circum-
stances, and whether he had any children. The fisherman
informed him that he had a son and two daughters ; and the
King, on hearing this, took as his wife one of the daughters,
and the young prince married the other. The King also con-
ferred upon the son the office of treasurer. He then sent
YOUNG KING OF THE BLACK ISLANDS 59
the Wezir to the city of the young prince, the capital of the
Black Islands, and invested him with its sovereignty, des-
patching with him the fifty memluks who had accompanied
him thence, with numerous robes of honour to all the Emirs;
and the Wezir kissed his hands, and set forth on his journey;
while the Sultan and the young prince remained. And as to
the fisherman, he became the wealthiest of the people of his
age; and his daughters continued to be the wives of the Kings
until they died.
But this (added Shahrazad) is not more wonderful than
what happened to the porter.
[Nights 9—18]
The Story of the Porter and the Ladies of Baghdad,
and of the three royal mendicants, etc.
There was a man of the city of Baghdad, who was un-
married, and he was a porter; and one day, as he sat in
the market, reclining against his crate, there accosted him
a female wrapped in an izar of the manufacture of El-Mosil, 1
composed of gold-embroidered silk, with a border " of gold
lace at each end, who raised her face-veil, and displayed
beneath it a pair of black eyes, with lids bordered by long
lashes, exhibiting a tender expression, and features of perfect
beauty; and she said, with a sweet voice, Bring thy crate,
and follow me.
The porter had scarcely heard her words when he took
up his crate, and he followed her until she stopped at the
door of a house, and knocked; whereupon there came down
to her a Christian, and she gave him a piece of gold, and
received for it a quantity of olives, and two large vessels of
wine, which she placed in the crate, saying to the porter,
Take it up, and follow me. The porter exclaimed, This is,
indeed, a fortunate day ! — and he took up the crate, and
followed her. She next stopped at the shop of a fruiterer,
and bought of him Syrian apples, and 'Othmani quinces, and
peaches of 'Oman, and jasmine of Aleppo, and water-lilies
of Damascus, and cucumbers of the Nile, and Egyptian
limes, and Sultani citrons, and sweet-scented myrtle, and
sprigs of the henna-tree, and chamomile, and anemones, and
violets, and pomegranate-flowers, and eglantine: all these
she put into the porter's crate, and said to him, Take it up.
So he took it up, and followed her until she stopped at the
shop of a butcher, to whom she said, Cut off ten pounds of
1 " Mosul," a city long famous for its fine stuffs.
60
THE PORTER AND LADIES OF BAGHDAD 61
meat; — and he cut it off for her, and she wrapped it in a
leaf of a banana-tree, and put it in the crate, and said again,
Take it up, O porter: — and he did so, and followed her.
She next stopped at the shop of a seller of dry fruits, and
took some of every kind of these, and desired the porter to
take up his burden. Having obeyed, he followed her until
she stopped at the shop of a confectioner, where she bought
a dish, and filled it with sweets of every kind that he had,
which she put into the crate ; whereupon the porter ventured
to say, If thou hadst informed me beforehand, I had brought
with me a mule to carry all these things. The lady smiled
at his remark, and next stopped at the shop of a perfumer,
of whom she bought ten kinds of scented waters; rose-
water, and orange-flower-water, and willow-flower-water, &c. ;
together with some sugar, and a sprinkling-bottle of rose-
water infused with musk, and some frankincense, and aloes-
wood, and ambergris, and musk, and wax candles; and,
placing all these in the crate, she said, Take up thy crate,
and follow me. He, therefore, took it up, and followed her
until she came to a handsome house, before which was a
spacious court. It was a lofty structure, with a door of two
leaves, composed of ebony, overlaid with plates of red gold.
The young lady stopped at this door, and knocked
gently; whereupon both its leaves were opened, and the
porter, looking to see who opened it, found it to be a damsel
of tall stature, high-bosomed, fair and beautiful, and of
elegant form, with a forehead like the bright new moon,
eyes like those of gazelles, eyebrows like the new moon of
Ramadan, cheeks resembling anemones, and a mouth like
the seal of Suleyman: her countenance was like the full
moon in its splendour, and the forms of her bosom resembled
two pomegranates of equal size. When the porter beheld
her, she captived his reason, the crate nearly fell from his
head, and he exclaimed, Never in my life have I seen a
more fortunate day than this ! The lady-portress, standing
within the door, said to the cateress and the porter, Ye are
welcome: — and they entered, and proceeded to a spacious
saloon, decorated with various colours, and beautifully con-
structed, with carved wood-work, and fountains, and benches
of different kinds, and closets with curtains hanging before
52 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
them; there was also in it, at the upper end, a couch of
alabaster inlaid with large pearls and jewels, with mos-
quito-curtain of red satin suspended over it, and within this
was a young lady with eyes possessing the enchantment of
Babil, 2 and a figure like the letter Alif, with a face that put
to shame the shining sun : she was like one of the brilliant
planets, or rather, one of the most high-born of the maidens
of Arabia. This third lady, rising from the couch, advanced
with a slow and elegant gait to the middle of the saloon,
where her sisters were standing, and said to them, Why
stand ye still? Lift down the burden from the head of
this poor porter: — whereupon the cateress placed herself
before him, and the portress behind him, and, the third
lady assisting them, they lifted it down from his head.
They then took out the contents of the crate, and, having
put everything in its place, gave to the porter two pieces of
gold, saying to him Depart, O porter.
The porter, however, stood looking at the ladies, and
admiring their beauty and their agreeable dispositions; for
he had never seen any more handsome; and when he
observed that they had not a man among them, and gazed
upon the wine, and fruits, and sweet-scented flowers, which
were there, he was full of astonishment, and hesitated to go
out; upon which one of the ladies said to him, Why dost
thou not go? dost thou deem thy hire too little? Then
turning to one of her sisters, she said to her, Give him
another piece of gold. — By Allah, O my mistress, exclaimed
the porter, my hire is but two half-dirhems, and I thought
not what ye have given me too little; but my heart and
mind were occupied with reflections upon you and your
state, ye being alone, with no man among you, not one to
amuse you with his company; for ye know that the men-
areh 3 standeth not firmly but on four walls: now ye have
not a fourth, and the pleasure of women is not com-
plete without men : ye are three only, and have need of a
fourth, who should be a man, a person of sense, discreet,
2 Babil, or Babel, is regarded by the Muslims as the fountain-head of the
science of magic, which was, and, as most think, still is, taught there to
mankind by two fallen angels, named Harut and Marut (Kur'an, ii. 96),
who are there suspended by the feet in a great pit closed by a mass of rock.
3 Minaret.
THE PORTER AND LADIES OF BAGHDAD 63
acute, and a concealer of secrets. — We are maidens, they
replied; and fear to impart our secret to him who will not
keep it ; for we have read, in a certain history, this verse : —
Guard thy secret from another : intrust it not : for he who intrusteth
a secret hath lost it.
— By your existence, said the porter, I am a man of sense,
and trustworthy: I have read various books, and perused
histories : I make known what is fair, and conceal what is
foul, and act in accordance with the saying of the poet: — .
None keepeth a secret but a faithful person : with the best of man-
kind it remaineth concealed.
A secret is with me as in a house with a lock, whose key is lost,
and whose door is sealed.
When the ladies heard the verses which he quoted, and the
words with which he addressed them, they said to him, Thou
knowest that we have expended here a considerable sum of
money: hast thou then wherewith to requite us? We wilL
not suffer thee to remain with us unless thou contribute a
sum of money; for thou desirest to sit with us, and to be
our cup-companion, and to gaze upon our beautiful faces. —
If friendship is without money, said the mistress of the house,
it is not equivalent to the weight of a grain: — and the por-
tress added, If thou hast nothing, depart with nothing: —
but the cateress said, O sister, let us suffer him ; for, verily,
he hath not been deficient in his services for us this day:
another had not been so patient with us : whatever, therefore,
falls to his share of the expense, I will defray for him. — At
this the porter rejoiced, and exclaimed, By Allah, I obtained
my first and only pay this day from none but thee: — and
the other ladies said to him, Sit down : thou art welcome.
The cateress then arose, and, having tightened her girdle,
arranged the bottles, and strained the wine, and prepared
the table by the pool of the fountain. She made ready all
that they required, brought the wine, and sat down with her
sisters ; the porter also sitting with them, thinking he was in
a dream. And when they had seated themselves, the cater-
ess took a jar of wine, and filled the first cup, and drank it :
she then filled another, and handed it to one of her sisters;
64 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
and in like manner she did to her other sister; after which
she filled again, and handed the cup to the porter, who,
having taken it from her hand, repeated this verse: —
I will drink the wine, and enjoy health; for, verily, this beverage
is a remedy for disease.
The wine continued to circulate among them, and the porter,
taking his part in the revels, dancing and singing with them,
and enjoying the fragrant odours, began to hug and kiss
them, while one slapped him, and another pulled him, and
the third beat him with sweet-scented flowers, till, at length,
the wine made sport with their reason; and they threw off
all restraint, indulging their merriment with as much freedom
as if no man had been present.
Thus they continued until the approach of night, when
they said to the porter, Depart, and shew us the breadth of
thy shoulders; — but he replied, Verily the departure of my
soul from my body were more easy to me than my departure
from your company; therefore suffer us to join the night to
the day, and then each of us shall return to his own, or her
own, affairs. The cateress, also, again interceded for him,
saying, By my life I conjure you that ye suffer him to pass
the night with us, that we may laugh at his drolleries, for he
is a witty rogue. So they said to him, Thou shalt pass the
night with us on this condition, that thou submit to our
authority, and ask not an explanation of anything that thou
shalt see. He replied, Good. — Rise then, said they, and
read what is inscribed upon the door. Accordingly, he
went to the door, and found the following inscription upon
it in letters of gold, Speak not of that which doth not con-
cern thee, lest thou hear that which will not please thee: —
and he said, Bear witness to my promise that I will not
speak of that which doth not concern me.
The cateress then arose, and prepared for them a repast;
and, after they had eaten a little, they lighted the candles
and burned some aloes-wood. This done, they sat down
again to the table; and, while they were eating and drink-
ing, they heard a knocking at the door; whereupon, without
causing any interruption to their meal, one of them went to
the door, and, on her return, said, Our pleasure this night is
THE PORTER AND LADIES OF BAGHDAD 65
now complete, for I have found, at the door, three foreigners 4
with shaven chins, and each of them is blind of the left
eye: it is an extraordinary coincidence. They are strangers
newly arrived, and each of them has a ridiculous appearance :
if they come in, therefore, we shall be amused with laughing
at them. — The lady ceased not with these words, but con-
tinued to persuade her sisters until they consented, and said,
Let them enter; but make it a condition with them that
they speak not of that which doth not concern them, lest
they hear that which will not please them. Upon this she
rejoiced, and having gone again to the door, brought in the
three men blind of one eye and with shaven chins, and they
had thin and twisted mustaches. Being mendicants, they
saluted and drew back; but the ladies rose to them, and
seated them; and when these three men looked at the
porter, they saw that he was intoxicated; and, observing
him narrowly, they thought that he was one of their own
class, and said, He is a mendicant like ourselves, and will
amuse us by his conversation : — but the porter, hearing what
they said, arose, and rolled his eyes, and exclaimed to them,
Sit quiet, and abstain from impertinent remarks. Have ye
not read the inscription upon the door? — The ladies, laugh-
ing, said to each other, Between the mendicants and the
porter we shall find matter for amusement. They then
placed before the former some food, and they ate, and then
sat to drink. The portress handed to them the wine, and,
as the cup was circulating among them, the porter said to
them, Brothers, have ye any tale or strange anecdote where-
with to amuse us? The mendicants, heated by the wine,
asked for musical instruments; and the portress brought
them a tambourine of the manufacture of El-Mosil, with a
lute of El-Irak, and a Persian harp; whereupon they all
arose; and one took the tambourine; another, the lute; and
the third, the harp: and they played upon these instru-
ments, the ladies accompanying them with loud songs; and
while they were thus diverting themselves, a person knocked
at the door. The portress, therefore, went to see who was
there; and the cause of the knocking was this.
The Khali f eh Harun Er-Rashid had gone forth this
[* Or perhaps Kalenderi darwishes.]
HC XVI — C
66 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
night to see and hear what news he could collect, accom-
panied by Ja'far his Wezir, and Mesrur his executioner.
It was his custom to disguise himself in the attire of a
merchant; and this night, as he went through the city, he
happened to pass, with his attendants, by the house of these
ladies, and hearing the sounds of the musical instruments,
he said to Ja'far, I have a desire to enter this house, and
to see who is giving this concert. — They are a party who
have become intoxicated, replied Ja'far, and I fear that we
may experience some ill usage from them; — but the Khalifeh
said, We must enter, and I would that you devise some
stratagem by which we may obtain admission to the inmates.
Ja'far therefore answered, I hear and obey:— and he ad-
vanced, and knocked at the door; and when the portress
came and opened the door, he said to her, My mistress, we
are merchants from Tabariyeh, 5 and have been in Baghdad
ten days; we have brought with us merchandise, and taken
lodgings in a Khan; and a merchant invited us to an enter-
tainment this night: accordingly, we went to his house, and
he placed food before us, and we ate, and sat a while drink-
ing together, after which he gave us leave to depart; and
going out in the dark, and being strangers, we missed our
way to the Khan: we trust, therefore in your generosity
that you will admit us to pass the night in your house; by
doing which you will obtain a reward in heaven. — The
portress, looking at them, and observing that they were in
the garb of merchants, and that they bore an appearance of
respectability, returned, and consulted her two companions;
and they said to her, Admit them: — so she returned, and
opened to them the door. They said to her, Shall we enter
with thy permission? She answered, Come in. The Kha-
lifeh, therefore, entered, with Ja'far and Mesrur; and when
the ladies saw them, they rose to them, and served them, say-
ing, Welcome are our guests ; but we have a condition to im-
pose upon you, that ye speak not of that which doth not
concern you, lest ye hear that which will not please you.
They answered, Good: — and when they had sat down to
drink, the Khalifeh looked at the three mendicants, and
was surprised at observing that each of them was blind of
6 Tiberias.
THE PORTER AND LADIES OF BAGHDAD 67
the left eye ; and he gazed upon the ladies, and was per-
plexed and amazed at their fairness and beauty. And when
the others proceeded to drink and converse, the ladies
brought wine to the Khalifeh; but he said, I am a pilgrim;
• — and drew back from them. Whereupon the portress
spread before him an embroidered cloth, and placed upon
it a China bottle, into which she poured some willow-flower-
water, adding to it a lump of ice, and sweetening it with
sugar, while the Khalifeh thanked her, and said within
himself, To-morrow I must reward her for this kind action.
The party continued their carousal, and, when the wine
took effect upon them, the mistress of the house arose, and
waited upon them; and afterwards, taking the hand of the
cateress, said, Arise, O my sister, that we may fulfil our
debt. She replied, Good. The portress then rose, and,
after she had cleared the middle of the saloon, placed the
mendicants at the further end, beyond the doors; after
which, the ladies called to the porter, saying, How slight
is thy friendship ! thou art not a stranger, but one of the
family. So the porter arose, and girded himself, and said,
What would ye? — to which one of the ladies answered,
Stand where thou art: — and presently the cateress said to
him, Assist me: — and he saw two black bitches, with chains
attached to their necks, and drew them to the middle of
the saloon; whereupon the mistress of the house arose from
her place, and tucked up her sleeve above her wrist, and,
taking a whip, said to the porter, Bring to me one of them.
Accordingly, he dragged one forward by the chain. The
bitch whined, and shook her head at the lady; but the
latter fell to beating her upon the head, notwithstanding
her howling, until her arms were tired, when she threw the
whip from her hand, and pressed the bitch to her bosom,
and wiped away her tears, and kissed her head ; after which
she said to the porter, Take her back and bring the other;
— and he brought her, and she did to her as she had done to
the first. At the sight of this, the mind of the Khalifeh
was troubled, and his heart was contracted, and he winked
to Ja'far that he should ask her the reason; but he replied
by a sign, Speak not.
The mistress of the house then looked towards the
68 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
portress and said to her, Arise to perform what thou hast
to do. She replied, Good: — and the mistress of the house
seated herself upon a couch of alabaster, overlaid with gold
and silver, and said to the portress and the cateress, Now
perform your parts. The portress then seated herself
upon a couch by her; and the cateress, having entered a
closet, brought out from it a bag of satin with green fringes,
and, placing herself before the lady of the house, shook it,
and took out from it a lute; and she tuned its strings, and
sang to it these verses : —
Restore to my eyelids the sleep which hath been ravished; and
inform me of my reason, whither it hath fled.
I discovered, when I took up my abode with love, that slumber
had become an enemy to my eyes.
They said, We saw thee to be one of the upright; what, then, hath
seduced thee ? I answered, Seek the cause from his glance.
Verily I excuse him for the shedding of my blood, admitting that
I urged him to the deed by vexation.
He cast his sun-like image upon the mirror of my mind, and its
reflection kindled a flame in my vitals.
When the portress had heard this song, she exclaimed,
Allah approve thee ! — and she rent her clothes, and fell
upon the floor in a swoon; and when her bosom was thus
uncovered, the Khalifeh saw upon her the marks of beating,
as if from mikra'ahs 6 and whips; at which he was greatly
surprised. The cateress immediately arose, sprinkled water
upon her face, and brought her another dress, which she put
on. The Khalifeh then said to Ja'far, Seest thou not this
woman, and the marks of beating upon her? I cannot keep
silence respecting this affair, nor be at rest, until I know the
truth of the history of this damsel, and that of these two
bitches. But Ja'far replied, O our lord, they have made a
covenant with us that we shall not speak excepting of that
which concerneth us, lest we hear that which will not please
us. — The cateress then took the lute again, and, placing it
against her bosom, touched the chords with the ends of her
fingers, and thus sang to it : —
If of love we complain, what shall we say? Or consuming through
desire, how can we escape?
6 Palm sticks.
THE PORTER AND LADIES OF BAGHDAD 69
Or if we send a messenger to interpret for us, he cannot convey
the lover's complaint.
Or if we would be patient, short were our existence after the loss
of those we love.
Nought remaineth to us but grief and mourning, and tears stream-
ing down our cheeks.
O you who are absent from my sight, but constantly dwelling
within my heart !
Have you kept your faith to an impassioned lover, who, while
time endureth will never change ?
Or, in absence have you forgotten that lover who, on your account,
is wasting away ?
When the day of judgment shall bring us together, I will beg of
our Lord a protractive trial.
On hearing these verses of the cateress, the portress again
rent her clothes, and cried out, and fell upon the floor in a
swoon; and the cateress, as before, put on her another
dress, after she had sprinkled some water upon her face.
The mendicants, when they witnessed this scene, said,
Would that we had never entered this house, but rather had
passed the night upon the [rubbish-] mounds; for our night
hath been rendered foul by an event that breaketh the back !
The Khalifeh, looking towards them, then said, Wherefore
is it so with you? They answered, Our hearts are troubled
by this occurrence. — Are ye not, he asked, of this house? —
No, they answered ; nor did we imagine that this house
belonged to any but the man who is sitting with you: — upon
which the porter said, Verily, I have never seen this place
before this night; and I would that I had passed the night
upon the mounds rather than here. They then observed,
one to another, We are seven men, and they are but three
women; we will, therefore, ask them of their history; and
if they answer us not willingly they shall do it in spite of
themselves: — and they all agreed to this, excepting Ja'far,
who said, This is not a right determination; leave them to
themselves, for we are their guests, and they made a covenant
with us which we should fulfil : there remaineth but little of
the night, and each of us shall soon go his way. Then,
winking to the Khalifeh, he said, There remaineth but an
hour; and to-morrow we will bring them before thee, and
thou shalt ask them their story. But the Khalifeh refused
to do so, and said, I have not patience to wait so long for
70 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
their history. — Words followed words, and at last they said,
Who shall put the question to them? — and one answered,
The porter.
The ladies then said to them, O people, of what are ye
talking? — whereupon the porter approached the mistress of
the house, and said to her, O my mistress, I ask thee, and
conjure thee by Allah, to tell us the story of the two bitches,
and for what reason thou didst beat them, and then didst
weep, and kiss them, and that thou acquaint us with the
cause of thy sister's having been beaten with mikra'ahs:
that is our question, and peace be on you. — Is this true that
he saith of you? inquired the lady, of the other men; and
they all answered, Yes, — excepting Ja'far, who was silent.
When the lady heard their answer, she said, Verily, O our
guests, ye have wronged us excessively; for we made a
covenant with you beforehand, that he who should speak of
that which concerned him not should hear that which would
not please him. Is it not enough that we have admitted you
into our house, and fed you with our provisions? But it is
not so much your fault as the fault of her who introduced
you to us. — She then tucked up her sleeve above her wrist,
and struck the floor three times, saying, Come ye quickly ! —
and immediately the door of a closet opened, and there
came forth from it seven black slaves, each having in his
hand a drawn sword. The lady said to them, Tie behind
them the hands of these men of many words, and bind each of
them to another : — and they did so, and said, O virtuous lady,
dost thou permit us to strike off their heads ? She answered,
Give them a short respite, until I shall have inquired of them
their histories, before ye behead them. — By Allah, O my
mistress, exclaimed the porter, kill me not for the offence
of others: for they have all transgressed and committed an
offence, excepting me. Verily our night had been pleasant
if we had been preserved from these mendicants, whose
presence is enough to convert a well-peopled city into a
heap of ruins! — He then repeated this couplet: —
How good is it to pardon one able to resist ! and how much more
so, one who is helpless !
For the sake of the friendship that subsisted between us, destroy
not one for the crime of another 1
THE FIRST ROYAL MENDICANT 71
On hearing these words of the porter, the lady laughed after
her anger. Then approaching the men, she said, Acquaint
me with your histories, for there remaineth of your lives no
more than an hour. Were ye not persons of honourable and
high condition, or governors, I would* hasten your recom-
pense. — The Khalifeh said to Ja'far, Woe to thee, O Ja'far 1
make known to her who we are; otherwise she will kill us.
— It were what we deserve, replied he. — Jesting, said the
Khalifeh, is not befitting in a time for seriousness: each has
its proper occasion. — The lady then approached the mendi-
cants, and said to them, Are ye brothers? They answered,
No, indeed; we are only poor foreigners. She said then
to one of them, Wast thou born blind of one eye? — No,
verily, he answered ; but a wonderful event happened to me
when my eye was destroyed, and the story of it, if engraved
on the understanding, would serve as a lesson to him who
would be admonished. She asked the second and the third
also; and they answered her as the first; adding, Each of
us is from a different country, and our history is wonderful
and extraordinary. The lady then looked towards them
and said, Each of you shall relate his story, and the cause
of his coming to our abode, and then stroke his head, and
go his way.
The first who advanced was the porter, who said, O my
mistress, I am a porter; and this cateress loaded me, and
brought me hither, and what hath happened to me here in
your company ye know. This is my story; and peace be
on you. — Stroke thy head, then, said she, and go: — but he
replied, By Allah, I will not go until I shall have heard the
story of my companions. — The first mendicant then advanced,
and related as follows: —
The Story of the First Royal Mendicant
Know, O my mistress, that the cause of my having shaved
my beard, and of the loss of my eye, was this : — My father
was a King, and he had a brother who was also a King, and
who resided in another capital. It happened that my mother
gave birth to me on the same day on which the son of my;
uncle was born ; and years and days passed away until we
72 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
attained to manhood. Now, it was my custom, some years,
to visit my uncle, and to remain with him several months;
and on one of these occasions my cousin paid me great
honour; he slaughtered sheep for me, and strained the wine
for me, and we sat down to drink; and when the wine had
affected us, he said to me, O son of my uncle, I have need
of thine assistance in an affair of interest to me, and I beg
that thou wilt not oppose me in that which I desire to do. I
replied, I am altogether at thy service: — and he made me
swear to him by great oaths, and, rising immediately, absented
himself for a little while, and then returned, followed by a
woman decked with ornaments, and perfumed, and wear-
ing a dress of extraordinary value. He looked towards
me, while the woman stood behind him, and said, Take this
woman, and go before me to the burial-ground which is
in such a place: — and he described it to me, and I knew
it. He then added, Enter the burial-ground, and there wait
for me.
I could not oppose him, nor refuse to comply with his re-
quest, on account of the oaths which I had sworn to him; so
I took the woman, and went with her to the burial-ground;
and when we had sat there a short time, my cousin came,
bearing a basin of water, and a bag containing some plaster,
and a small adze. Going to a tomb in the midst of the burial-
ground, he took the adze, and disunited the stones, which he
placed on one side; he then dug up the earth with the adze,
and uncovered a flat stone, of the size of a small door, under
which there appeared a vaulted staircase. Having done this,
he made a sign to the woman, and said to her, Do according
to thy choice : — whereupon she descended the stairs. He then
looked towards me, and said, O son of my uncle, complete thy
kindness when I have descended into this place, by replacing
the trap-door and the earth above it as they were before:
then, this plaster which is in the bag, and this water which
is in the basin, do thou knead together, and plaster the stones
of the tomb as they were, so that no man may know it, and
say, This hath been lately opened, but its interior is old: — for,
during the space of a whole year I have been preparing this,
and no one knew it but God : this is what I would have thee
do. He then said to me, May God never deprive thy friends
THE FIRST ROYAL MENDICANT 73
of thy presence, O son of my uncle ! — and, having uttered
these words, he descended the stairs.
When he had disappeared from before my eyes, I replaced
the trap-door, and busied myself with doing as he had ordered
me, until the tomb was restored to the state in which it was
at first ; after which I returned to the palace of my uncle, who
was then absent on a hunting excursion. I slept that night,
and when the morning came, I reflected upon what had oc-
curred between me and my cousin, and repented of what I
had done for him, when repentance was of no avail. I then
went out to the burial-ground, and searched for the tomb ; but
could not discover it. I ceased not in my search until the
approach of night; and, not finding the way to it, returned
again to the palace; and I neither ate nor drank; my heart
was troubled respecting my cousin, since I knew not what had
become of him; and I fell into excessive grief. I passed the
night sorrowful until the morning, and went again to the
burial-ground, reflecting upon the action of my cousin, and
repenting of my compliance with his request ; and I searched
among all the tombs; but discovered not that for which I
looked. Thus I persevered in my search seven days without
success.
My trouble continued and increased until I was almost
mad; and I found no relief but in departing, and returning
to my father; but on my arrival at his capital, a party at
the city-gate sprang upon me and bound me. I was struck
with the utmost astonishment, considering that I was the son
of the Sultan of the city, and that these were the servants of
my father and of myself: excessive fear of them overcame
me, and I said within myself, What hath happened to my
father? I asked, of those who had bound me, the cause of
this conduct; but they returned me no answer, till after a
while, when one of them, who had been my servant, said to
me, Fortune hath betrayed thy father, the troops have been
false to him, and the Wezir hath killed him; and we were
lying in wait to take thee. — They took me, and I was as one
dead, by reason of this news which I had heard respecting
my father; and I stood before the Wezir who had killed my
father.
Now, there was an old enmity subsisting between mc and
74 TliE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
him ; and the cause of it was this : — I was fond of shooting
with the crossbow; and it happened, one day, that as I was
standing on the roof of my palace, a bird alighted on the
roof of the palace of the Wezir, who was standing there at
the time, and I aimed at the bird ; but the bullet missed it, and
struck the eye of the Wezir, and knocked it out, in accordance
with the appointment of fate and destiny, as the poet hath
said : —
We trod the steps appointed for us : and the man whose steps are
appointed must tread them.
He whose death is decreed to take place in one land will not die
in any land but that.
When I had thus put out the eye of the Wezir, he could say
nothing, because my father was King of the city. This was
the cause of the enmity between him and me: and when I
stood before him, with my hands bound behind me, he gave
the order to strike off my head. I said to him, Wouldst thou
kill me for no offence ? — What offence, he exclaimed, could be
greater than this? — and he pointed to the place of the eye
which was put out. I did that, said I, unintentionally. He
replied, If thou didst it unintentionally, I will do the same
to thee purposely : — and immediately he said, Bring him for-
ward to me: — and, when they had done so, he thrust his
finger into my left eye, and pulled it out. Thus I became
deprived of one eye, as ye see me. He then bound me firmly,
and placed me in a chest, and said to the executioner, Take
this fellow, and draw thy sword, and convey him without
the city ; then put him to death, and let the wild beasts devour
him.
Accordingly, he went forth with me from the city, and,
having taken me out from the chest, bound hand and foot,
was about to bandage my eye, and kill me ; whereupon I wept,
and exclaimed, —
How many brothers have I taken as armour ! and such they were ;
but to guard my enemies.
1 thought they would be as piercing arrows : and such they were ;
but to enter my heart !
The executioner, who had served my father in the same
capacity, and to whom I had shewn kindnesses, said, on
hearing these verses, O my master, what can I do, being a
THE FIRST ROYAL MENDICANT m
Slave under command? — but presently he added, Depart with
thy life, and return not to this country, lest thou perish, and
cause me to perish with thee. The poet saith,—
Flee with thy life if thou fearest oppression, and leave the house to
tell its builder's fate.
Thou wilt find, for the land that thou quittest another* but no
soul wilt thou find to replace thine own.
As soon as he had thus said, I kissed his hands, and be-
lieved not in my safety until I had fled from his presence.
The loss of my eye appeared light to me when I considered
my escape from death; and I journeyed to my uncle's capital,
and, presenting myself before him, informed him of what had
befallen my father, and of the manner in which I had lost
my eye: upon which he wept bitterly, and said, Thou hast
added to my trouble and my grief; for thy cousin hath been
lost for some days, and I know not what hath happened to
him, nor can any one give me information respecting him.
Then he wept again, until he became insensible; and when
he recovered, he said, O my son, the loss of thine eye is better
than the loss of thy life.
Upon this I could no longer keep silence respecting his
son, my cousin; so I informed him of all that happened to
him; and on hearing this news he rejoiced exceedingly, and
said, Shew me the tomb. — By Allah, O my uncle, I replied,
I know not where it is; for I went afterwards several times
to search for it, and could not recognize its place. We, how-
ever, went together to the burial-ground, and, looking to the
right and left, I discovered it; and both I and my uncle re-
joiced. I then entered the tomb with him, and when we had
removed the earth, and lifted up the trap-door, we descended
fifty steps, and, arriving at the bottom of the stairs, there
issued forth upon us a smoke which blinded our eyes ; where-
upon my uncle pronounced those words which relieve from
fear him who uttereth them, — There is no strength nor power
but in God, the High, the Great ! — After this, we proceeded,
and found ourselves in a saloon, filled with flour and grain,
and various eatables; and we saw there a curtain suspended
over a couch, upon which my uncle looked, and found there
his son and the woman who had descended with him, lying
76 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
side by side, and converted into black charcoal, as if they had
been thrown into a pit of fire. And when he beheld this spec-
tacle, he spat in his son's face, and exclaimed, This is what
thou deservest, O thou wretch ! This is the punishment ot
the present world, and there remaineth the punishment of the
other world, which will be more severe and lasting ! — and he
struck him with his shoes. Astonished at this action, and
grieved for my cousin, seeing him and the damsel thus con-
verted into charcoal, I said, By Allah, O my uncle, moderate
the trouble of thy heart, for my mind is perplexed by that
which hath happened to thy son, and by thinking how it hath
come to pass that he and the damsel are converted into black
charcoal. Dost thou not deem it enough for him to be in this
state, that thou beatest him with thy shoes ?
O son of my brother, he replied, this my son was, from his
early years, inflamed with love for his [foster-] sister, and I
used to forbid him from entertaining this passion for her, and
to say within myself, They are now children, but when they
grow older a base act will be committed by them: — and, in-
deed, I heard that such had been the case, but I believed it
not. I, however, reprimanded him severely, and said to him,
Beware of so foul an action, which none before thee hath
committed, nor will any commit after thee : otherwise we shall
suffer disgrace and disparagement among the Kings until we
die, and our history will spread abroad with the caravans:
have a care for thyself that such an action proceed not from
thee; for I should be incensed against thee, and kill thee. I
then separated him from her, and her from him : but the vile
woman loved him excessively; the Devil got possession of
them both; and when my son saw that I had separated him,
he secretly made this place beneath the earth, and, having
conveyed hither the provisions which thou seest, took advan-
tage of my inadvertence when I had gone out to hunt, and
came hither: but the Truth (whose perfection be extolled, and
whose name be exalted!) was jealously vigilant over them,
and consumed them by fire ; and the punishment of the world
to come will be more severe and lasting. — He then wept, and
I wept with him ; and he said to me, Thou art my son in his
stead. — I remained a while reflecting upon the world and its
vicissitudes, upon the murder of my father by the Wezir, and
THE FIRST ROYAL MENDICANT 77
his usurping his throne, and the loss of my eye, and the strange
events which had happened to my cousin, and I wept again.
We then ascended, and, having replaced the trap-door and
the earth above it, and restored the tomb to its former state,
returned to our abode; but scarcely had we seated ourselves
when we heard the sounds of drums and trumpets, warriors
galloped about, and the air was filled with dust raised by the
horses' hoofs. Our minds were perplexed, not knowing what
had happened, and the King, asking the news, was answered,
The Wezir of thy brother hath slain him and his soldiers
and guards, and come with his army to assault the city un-
awares ; and the inhabitants, being unable to withstand, have
submitted to him: — whereupon I said within myself, If I fall
into his hand, he will slay me. — Griefs overwhelmed me, and I
thought of the calamities which had befallen my father and
my mother, and knew not what to do; for if I appeared, the
people of the city would know me, and the troops of my father
would hasten to kill and destroy me. I knew no way of es-
cape but to shave off my beard; so I shaved it, and, having
changed my clothes, departed from the city, and came hither,
to this abode of peace, in the hope that some person would
introduce me to the Prince of the Faithful, the Khalifeh of the
Lord of all creatures, that I might relate to him my story, and
all that had befallen me. I arrived in this city this night ; and
as I stood perplexed, not knowing whither to direct my steps,
I saw this mendicant, and saluted him, and said, I am a
stranger. He replied, And I, too, am a stranger: — and while
we were thus addressing each other, our companion, this third
person, came up to us, and, saluting us, said, I am a stranger.
We replied, And we, also, are strangers. So we walked on
together, and darkness overtook us, and destiny directed us
unto your abode: — This was the cause of the shaving of my
beard, and of the loss of my eye.
The lady then said to him, Stroke thy head, and depart ; —
but he replied, I will not depart until I have heard the stories
of the others. And they wondered at his tale; and the
Khalifeh said to Ja'far, Verily I have never known the like of
that which hath happened to this mendicant.
The second mendicant then advanced, and, having kissed
the ground, said, —
78 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
The Story of the Second Royal Mendicant
my mistress, I was not born with only one eye; but my
story is wonderful, and, if written, would serve as a lesson
to him who would be admonished. I am a King, and son
of a King : I read the Kur'an according to the seven readings,
and perused various works under the tuition of different
learned professors of their subjects: I studied the science of
the stars, and the writings of the poets, and made myself
a proficient in all the sciences ; so that I surpassed the people
of my age. My hand-writing was extolled among all the
scribes, my fame spread among all countries, and my history
among all Kings; and the King of India, hearing of me,
requested my father to allow me to visit him, sending him
various gifts and curious presents, such as were suitable to
Kings. My father, therefore, prepared for me six ships, and
we proceeded by sea for the space of a whole month, after
which we came to land; and, having disembarked some horses
which we had with us in the ship, we loaded ten camels wit
presents, and commenced our journey; but soon there ap-
peared a cloud of dust, which rose and spread until it filled
the air before us, and, after a while, cleared a little, and
discovered to us, in the midst of it, sixty horsemen like fierce
lions, whom we perceived to be Arab highwaymen ; and when
they saw us, that we were a small company with ten loads
of presents for the King of India, they galloped towards us,
pointing their spears at us. We made signs to them with our
fingers, and said, We are ambassadors to the honoured King
of India; therefore do us no injury: — but they replied, We
are not in his territories, nor under his government. They
slew certain of the young men, and the rest fled. I also fled,
after I had received a severe wound; the Arabs being em-
ployed, without further regard to us, in taking possession of
the treasure and presents which we had with us.
1 proceeded without knowing whither to direct my course,
reduced from a mighty to an abject state, and journeyed till
I arrived at the summit of a mountain, where I took shelter
in a cavern until the next morning. I then resumed my
journey, and arrived at a flourishing city: the winter, with its
THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT 79
cold, had passed away, and the spring had come, with its
flowers; and I rejoiced at my arrival there, being wearied
with my journey, anxious and pallid. My condition being
thus changed, I knew not whither to bend my steps; and,
turning to a tailor sitting in his shop, I saluted him, and he
returned my salutation, and welcomed me, and wished me
joy, asking me the reason of my having come thither. I ac-
quainted him, therefore, with what had befallen me from first
to last, and he was grieved for me, and said, O young man,
reveal not thy case, for I fear what the King of this city
might do to thee, since he is the greatest of thy father's
enemies, and hath a debt of blood against him. He then
placed some food and drink before me, and we ate together,
and I conversed with him till night, when he lodged me in a
place by his shop, and brought me a bed and coverlet; and,
after I had remained with him three days, he said to me, Dost
thou not know any trade by which to make gain? I an-
swered, I am acquainted with the law, a student of sciences,
a writer, and an arithmetician. — Thy occupation, he said, is
profitless in our country: there is no one in our city ac-
quainted with science or writing, but only with getting
money. Verily, I replied, I know nothing but what I have
told thee. — Gird thyself, then, said he, and take an axe and a
rope, and cut firewood in the desert, and so obtain thy sub-
sistence until God dispel thy affliction; but acquaint no one
with thy history, else they will kill thee. He then bought for
me an axe and a rope, and sent me with a party of wood-
cutters, giving them a charge respecting me. Accordingly, I
went forth with them, and cut some wood, and brought back
a load upon my head, and sold it for half a piece of gold, part
of which I expended in food, laying by the remainder.
Thus I continued for the space of a year, after which
I went one day into the desert, according to my custom,
to cut firewood; and, finding there a tract with abundance
of wood, I entered it, and came to a tree, around which
I dug; and as I was removing the earth from its roots,
the axe struck against a ring of brass ; and I cleared away
the earth from it, and found that it was affixed to a trap-
door of wood, which I immediately removed. Beneath it
appeared a staircase, which I descended; and at the bottom
80 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
of this I entered a door, and beheld a palace, .strongfy
constructed, where I found a lady, like a pearl of high price,
whose aspect banished from the heart all anxiety and grief
and affliction. At the sight of her I prostrated myself in
adoration of her Creator for the fairness and beauty which
He had displayed in her person; and she, looking towards
me, said, Art thou a man or a Jinni ? I answered her, I
am a man. — And who, she asked, hath brought thee to this
place, in which I have lived five and twenty years without
ever seeing a human being? — Her words sounded sweetly
to me, and I answered her, O my mistress, God hath
brought me to thy abode, and I hope will put an end to
my anxiety and grief: — and I related to her my story from
beginning to end. She was grieved at my case, and wept,
and said, I also will acquaint thee with my story. Know
that I am the daughter of the King of the further parts of
India, the lord of the Ebony Island. My father had married
me to the son of my uncle ; but on the night of my bridal
festivities, an 'Efrit named Jarjaris, the son of Rejmus, the
son of Iblis, carried me off, and, soaring with me through
the air, alighted in this place, to which he conveyed all
things necessary for me, such as ornaments, and garments,
and linen, and furniture, and food, and drink ; and once in
every ten days he cometh to me, and spendeth a night here;
and he hath appointed with me, that, in case of my wanting
any thing by night or day, I should touch with my hand
these two lines which are inscribed upon the kubbeh, and
as soon as I remove my hand I see him before me. Four
days have now passed since he was last with me, and there
remain, therefore, six days before he will come again ; wilt
thou then remain with me five days, and depart one day
before his visit? — I answered, Yes; — rejoicing at the pro-
posal; and she arose, and, taking me by the hand, con-
ducted me through an arched door to a small and elegant
bath, where I took off my clothes, while she seated herself
upon a mattress. After this, she seated me by her side,
and brought me some sherbet of sugar infused with musk,
and handed it to me to drink: she then placed some food
before me, and after we had eaten and conversed together,
she said to me, Sleep, and rest thyself; for thou are fatigued.
THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT 81
I slept, O my mistress, and forgot all that had befallen
me; and when I awoke, I found her rubbing my feet; upon
which I called to her, and we sat down again and conversed
awhile; and she said to me, By Allah, I was straitened in
my heart, living here alone, without any person to talk with
me, five and twenty years. Praise be to God who hath
sent thee to me. — I thanked her for her kind expressions;
and love of her took possession of my heart, and my
anxiety and grief fled away. We then sat down to drink
together ; and I remained by her side all the night, delighted
with her company, for I had never seen her like in my
whole life; and in the morning, when we were both full
of joy, I said to her, Shall I take thee up from this sub-
terranean place, and release thee from the Jinni? But she
laughed, and replied, Be content, and hold thy peace; for,
of every ten days, one day shall be for the 'Efrit, and nine
for thee. I persisted, however, being overcome with
passion; and said, I will this instant demolish this kubbeh
upon which the inscription is engraved, and let the 'Efrit
come, that I may slay him: for I am predestined to kill
'Efrits. She entreated me to refrain; but, paying no
attention to her words, I kicked the kubbeh with violence;
upon which she exclaimed, The 'Efrit hath arrived ! Did
I not caution thee against this? Verily thou hast brought
a calamity upon me; but save thyself, and ascend by the
way that thou earnest.
In the excess of my fear I forgot my sandals and my
axe, and when I had ascended two steps, turning round to
look for them, I saw that the ground had opened, and there
rose from it an 'Efrit of hideous aspect, who said, Where-
fore is this disturbance with which thou hast alarmed me,
and what misfortune hath befallen thee? She answered,
No misfortune hath happened to me, excepting that my
heart was contracted, and I desired to drink some wine to
dilate it, and, rising to perform my purpose, I fell against
the kubbeh. — Thou liest, vile woman, he exclaimed ; — and,
looking about the palace to the right and left, he saw the
sandals and axe; and said to her, These are the property
of none but a man. Who hath visited thee? — I have not
seen them, she answered, until this instant: probably they
82 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
caught to thee. — This language, said he, is absurd, and will
have no effect upon me, thou shameless woman ! — and, so
saying, he stripped her of her clothing, and tied her down,
with her arms and legs extended, to four stakes, and began
to beat her, urging her to confess what had happened.
For myself, being unable to endure her cries, I ascended
the stairs, overpowered by fear, and, arriving at the top,
replaced the trap-door as it was at first, and covered it over
with earth. I repented bitterly of what I had done, and
reflecting upon the lady and her beauty, and how this wretch
was torturing her after she had lived with him five and
twenty years, and that he tortured her only on my account,
and reflecting also upon my father and his kingdom, and
how I had been reduced to the condition of a wood-cutter,
I repeated this verse: —
When fortune bringeth thee affliction, console thyself by remember-
ing that one day thou must see prosperity, and another day,
difficulty.
Returning to my companion, the tailor, I found him await-
ing my return as if he were placed in a pan upon burning
coals. I passed last night, said he, with anxious heart on thy
account, fearing for thee from some wild beast or other
calamity. Praise be to God for thy safe return. — I thanked
him for his tender concern for me, and entered my apart-
ment ; and as I sat meditating upon that which had befallen
me, and blaming myself for having kicked the kubbeh, my
friend the tailor came in to me, and said, In the shop is a
foreigner, who asks for thee, and he has thy axe and sandals ;
he came with them to the wood-cutters, and said to them,
I went out at the time of the call of the Mu'eddin to morn-
ing-prayer, and stumbled upon these, and know not to whom
they belong: can ye guide me to their owner? — The wood-
cutters, therefore, directed him to thee: he is sitting in my
shop; so go out to him and thank him, and take thy axe
and thy sandals. — On hearing these words, my countenance
turned pale, and my whole state became changed; and while
I was in this condition, the floor of my chamber clove
asunder, and there rose from it the stranger, and lo, he was
the 'Ef rit ; he had tortured the lady with the utmost cruelty ;
THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICAN1 83
but she would confess nothing: so he took the axe and the
sandals, and said to her, If I am Jarjaris, of the descendants
of Iblis, I will bring the owner of this axe and these sandals.
Accordingly, he came, with the pretence before mentioned,
to the wood-cutters, and, having entered my chamber with-
out granting me any delay, seized me, and soared with
me through the air: he then descended, and dived into
the earth, and brought me up into the place where I was
before.
Here I beheld the lady stripped of her clothing, and
with blood flowing from her sides; and tears trickled from
my eyes. The 'Efrit then took hold of her, and said, Vile
woman, this is thy lover: — whereupon she looked at me,
and replied, I know him not, nor have I ever seen him until
this instant. The 'Efrit said to her, With all this torture
wilt thou not confess ? She answered, Never in my life have
I seen him before, and it is not lawful in the sight of God
that I should speak falsely against him. — Then, said he, if
thou know him not, take this sword and strike off his head.
She took the sword, and came to me, and stood over my
head: but I made a sign to her with my eyebrow, while
tears ran down my cheeks. She replied in a similar manner,
Thou art he who hath done all this to me: — I made a sign
to her, however, that this was a time for pardon, conveying
my meaning in the manner thus described by the poet: —
Our signal in love is the glance of our eyes ; and every intelligent
person understandeth the sign.
Our eyebrows carry on an intercourse between us : we are silent ;
but love speaketh.
And when she understood me, she threw the sword from
her hand, O my mistress, and the 'Efrit handed it to me,
saying, Strike off her head, and I will liberate thee, and do
thee no harm. I replied, Good: — and, quickly approaching
her, raised my hand; but she made a sign as though she
would say, I did no injury to thee:- — whereupon my eyes
poured with tears, and, throwing down the sword, I said,
mighty 'Efrit, and valiant hero, if a woman, deficient in
sense and religion, seeth it not lawful to strike off my head,
how is it lawful for me to do so to her, and especially when
1 have never seen her before in my life? I will never do it,
84 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
though I should drink the cup of death and destruction. —
There is affection between you, said the 'Efrit, and, taking
the sword, he struck off one of the hands of the lady; then,
the other; after this, her right foot; and then, her left foot:
thus with four blows he cut off her four extremities, while I
looked on, expecting my own death. She then made a sign
to me with her eye ; and the 'Efrit, observing her, exclaimed,
Now thou hast been guilty of incontinence with thine eye !
— and, with a blow of his sword, struck off her head; after
which, he turned towards me, and said, O man, it is allowed
us by our law, if a wife be guilty of incontinence, to put her
to death. This woman I carried off on her wedding-night,
when she was twelve years of age, and she was acquainted
with no man but me; and I used to pass one night with her
in the course of every ten days in the garb of a foreigner;
and when I discovered of a certainty that she had been un-
faithful to me, I killed her: but as for thee, I am not con-
vinced that thou hast wronged me with respect to her; yet
I must not leave thee unpunished: choose, therefore, what
injury I shall do to thee.
Upon this, O my mistress, I rejoiced exceedingly, and,
eager to obtain his pardon, I said to him, What shall I
choose from thy hands? — Choose he answered, into what
form I shall change thee; either the form of a dog, or that
of an ass, or that of an ape. I replied, in my desire of
forgiveness, Verily, if thou wilt pardon me, God will pardon
thee in recompense for thy shewing mercy to a Muslim who
hath done thee no injury: — and I humbled myself in the
most abject manner, and said to him, Pardon me as the
envied man did the envier. — And how was that? said he.
I answered as follows : —
The Story of the Envier and the Envied
Know, O my master, that there was a certain man who
had a neighbour that envied him ; and the more this person
envied him, so much the more did God increase the pros-
perity of the former. Thus it continued a long time; but
when the envied man found that his neighbour persisted
in troubling him, he removed to a place where there was a
THE ENVIER AND THE ENVIED 85
deserted well ; and there he built for himself an oratory, and
occupied himself in the worship of God. Numerous Fakirs 8
assembled around him, and he acquired great esteem, people
repairing to him from every quarter, placing firm reliance
upon his sanctity; and his fame reached the ears of his
envious neighbour, who mounted his horse, and went to
visit him; and when the envied man saw him, he saluted
him, and payed him the utmost civility. The envier then
said to him, I have come hither to inform thee of a matter
in which thou wilt find advantage, and for which I shall
obtain a recompense in heaven. The envied man replied,
May God requite thee for me with every blessing. Then,
said the envier, order the Fakirs to retire to their cells, for
the information that I am about to give thee I would have
no one overhear. So he ordered them to enter their cells;
and the envier said to him, Arise, and let us walk together,
and converse; and they walked on until they came to the
deserted well before mentioned, when the envier pushed
the envied man into this well, without the knowledge of
any one, and went his way, imagining that he had killed
him.
But this well was inhabited by Jinn, who received him
unhurt, and seated him upon a large stone; and when they
had done this, one of them said to the others, Do ye know
this man? They answered, We know him not. — This, said
he, is the envied man who fled from him who envied him,
and took up his abode in this quarter, in the neighbouring
oratory, and who entertaineth us by his zikr 7 and t his read-
ings; and when his envier heard of him, he came hither to
him, and, devising a stratagem against him, threw him down
here. His fame hath this night reached the Sultan of this
city, who hath purposed to visit him to-morrow, on account
of the affliction which hath befallen his daughter. — And
what, said they, hath happened to his daughter? He
answered, Madness; for Meymun, the son of Demdem,
hath become inflamed with love for her; and her cure is
the easiest of things. They asked him, What is it? — and
6 Poor persons who especially occupy themselves in religious exercises.
7 Zikrs consist in repeating the name of God, or the profession of his
unity, etc., in chorus, accompanying the words by certain motions of the
head, hands, or whole body.
86 THB THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
he answered, The black cat that is with him in the oratory
hath at the end of her tail a white spot, of the size of a
piece of silver; and from this white spot should be taken
seven hairs, and with these the damsel should be fumigated,
and the Marid would depart from over her head, and not
return to her; so she would be instantly cured. And now
it is our duty to take him out.
When the morning came, the Fakirs saw the sheykh
rising out of the well; and he became magnified in their
eyes. And when he entered the oratory, he took from the
white spot at the end of the cat's tail seven hairs, and placed
them in a portfolio by him ; and at sunrise the King came
to him, and when the sheykh saw him, he said to him, O
King, thou hast come to visit me in order that I may cute
thy daughter. The King replied, Yes, O virtuous Sheykh. —
Then, said the sheykh, send some person to bring her
hither; and I trust in God, whose name be exalted, that
she may be instantly cured. And when the King had
brought his daughter, the sheykh beheld her bound, and,
seating her, suspended a curtain over her, and took out the
hairs, and fumigated her with them ; whereupon the Marid
cried out from over her head, and left her; and the damsel
immediately recovered her reason, and, veiling her face,
said to her father, What is this, and wherefore didst thou
bring me to this place? He answered her, Thou hast
nothing to fear; — and rejoiced greatly. He kissed the
hand of the envied sheykh, and said to the great men of
his court who were with him, What shall be the recompense
of this sheykh for that which he hath done ? They answered,
His recompense should be that thou marry him to her. —
Ye have spoken truly, said the King: — and he gave her in
marriage to him, and thus the sheykh became a connection
of the King; and after some days the King died, and he
was made King in his place.
And it happened one day that this envied King was
riding with his troops, and he saw his envier approaching;
and when this man came before him he seated him upon a
horse with high distinction and honour, and, taking him to
his palace, gave him a thousand pieces of gold, and a costly
dress; after which he sent him back from the city, with
THE ENVIER AND THE ENVIED 87
attendants to escort him to his house, and reproached him
for nothing. — Consider, then, O 'Efrit, the pardon of the
envied to the envier, and his kindness to him, notwithstand-
ing the injuries he had done him. —
The 'Efrit, when he had heard this story, replied,
Lengthen not thy words to me: as to my killing thee, fear
it not; and as to my pardoning thee, covet it not; but as
to my enchanting thee, there is no escape from it; — and,
so saying, he clove the earth asunder, and soared with me
through the sky to such a height that I beheld the world
beneath me as though it were a bowl of water ; then, alighting
upon a mountain, he took up a little dust, and, having
muttered and pronounced certain words over it, sprinkled
me with it, saying, Quit this form, and take the form of an
ape ! — whereupon I became like an ape of a hundred years
of age.
When I saw myself changed into this ugly form, I wept
for myself, but determined to be patient under the tyranny
of fortune, knowing it to be constant to no one. I de-
scended from the summit of the mountain, and, after having
journeyed for the space of a month, arrived at the sea-
shore; and, when I had stood there a short time, I saw a
vessel in the midst of the sea, with a favourable wind ap-
proaching the land; I therefore hid myself behind a rock
on the beach, and when the ship came close up, I sprang
into the midst of it. But as soon as the persons on board
saw me, one of them cried, Turn out this unlucky brute
from the ship : — another said, Let us kill him : — and a third
exclaimed, I will kill him with this sword. I, however,
caught hold of the end of the sword, and tears flowed from
my eyes; at the sight of which the captain took compassion
on me, and said to the passengers, O merchants, this ape
hath sought my aid, and I give it him; he is under my
protection ; let no one, therefore, oppose or trouble him.
He then treated me with kindness, and whatever he said
to me I understood, and all that he required to be done
I performed as his servant.
We continued our voyage for fifty days with a fair wind,
and cast anchor under a large city containing a population
88 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
which no one but God, whose name be exalted, could
reckon; and when we had moored our vessel, there came
to us some memluks from the King of the city, who came
on board the ship, and complimented the merchants on
their safe arrival, saying, Our King greeteth you, rejoicing
in your safety, and hath sent to you this roll of paper, de-
siring that each of you shall write a line upon it; for the
King had a Wezir who was an eminent calligraphist, and he
is dead, and the King hath sworn that he will not appoint
any person to his office who cannot write equally well.
Though in the form of an ape, I arose and snatched the
paper from their hands; upon which, fearing that I would
tear it and throw it into the sea, they cried out against me,
and would have killed me; but I made signs to them that
I would write, and the captain said to them, Suffer him to
write, and if he scribble we will turn him away; but if he
write well I will adopt him as my son; for I have never
seen a more intelligent ape. So I took the pen, and de-
manded the ink, and wrote in an epistolary hand this
couplet : —
Fame hath recorded the virtues of the noble; but no one hath
been able to reckon thine.
May God not deprive mankind of such a father; for thou art the
parent of every excellence.
Then, in a more formal, large hand, I wrote the following
verses : —
There is no writer that shall not perish; but what his hand hath
written endureth ever.
Write, therefore, nothing but what will please thee when thou
shalt see it on the day of resurrection.
Two other specimens I wrote, in two different and smaller
hands, and returned the paper to the memluks, who took it
back to the King; and when he saw what was written upon
it, the hand of no one pleased him excepting mine; and he
said to his attendants, Go to the author of this hand-writing,
put upon him this dress, and mount him upon a mule, and
conduct him, with the band of music before him, to my
presence. On hearing this order, they smiled; and the
King was angry with them, and said, How is it that I give
THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT sfr
you an order, and ye laugh at me ? They answered, O King,
we laugh not at thy words, but because he who wrote this
is an ape, and not a son of Adam: he is with the captain
of the ship newly arrived.
The King was astonished at their words; he shook with
delight, and said, I would purchase this ape. He then sent
some messengers to the ship, with the mule and the dress
of honour, saying to them, Ye must clothe him with this
dress, and mount him upon the mule, and bring him hither.
So they came to the ship, and, taking me from the captain,
clad me with the dress; and the people were astonished,
and flocked to amuse themselves with the sight of me. And
when they brought me to the King, and I beheld him, I
kissed the ground before him three times, and he ordered
me to sit down: so I sat down upon my knees; and the
persons present were surprised at my polite manners, and
especially the King, who presently ordered his people to
retire. They, therefore, did so; none remaining but the
King, and a eunuch, and a young memluk, and myself.
The King then commanded that a repast should be brought ;
and they placed before him a service of viands, such as
gratified the appetite and delighted the eye; and the King
made a sign to me that I should eat; whereupon I arose,
and, having kissed the ground before him seven times, sat
down to eat with him; and when the table was removed, I
washed my hands, and, taking the ink-case, and pen and
paper, I wrote these two verses: —
Great is my appetite for thee, O Kunafeh ! 8 I cannot be happy
nor endure without thee.
Be thou every day and night my food; and may drops of honey
not be wanting to moisten thee.
Having done this, I arose, and seated myself at a distance;
and the King, looking at what I had written, read it with
astonishment, and exclaimed, Can an ape possess such
fluency and such skill in calligraphy? This is, indeed, a
wonder of wonders ! — Afterwards, a chess-table was brought
to the King, and he said to me, Wilt thou play? By a
motion of my head I answered, Yes: — and I advanced, and
8 A kind of pastry resembling vermicelli, made of wheat-flour. It i»
moistened with clarified butter — then baked, and sweetened with honey or
sugar.
90 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
arranged the pieces. I played with hitn twice, and beat
him; and the King was perplexed, and said, Were this a
man, he would surpass all the people of his age.
He then said to his eunuch, Go to thy mistress, and say
to her, Answer the summons of the King: — that she may
come and gratify her curiosity by the sight of this wonderful
ape. The eunuch, therefore, went, and returned with his
mistress, the King's daughter, who, as soon as she saw me,
veiled her face, and said, O my father, how is it that thou
art pleased to send for me and suffer strange men to see
me? — O my daughter, answered the King, there is no one
here but the young memluk, and the eunuch who brought
thee up, and this ape, with myself, thy father: from whom,
then, dost thou veil thy face? — This ape, said she, is the
son of a King, and the name of his father is Eymar: he
is enchanted, and it was the 'Efrit Jarjaris, a descendant of
Iblis, who transformed him, after having slain his own wife,
the daughter of King Aknamus. This, whom thou sup-
posedst to be an ape, is a learned and wise man. — The
King was amazed at his daughter's words, and, looking
towards me, said, Is it true that she saith of thee? I
answered, by a motion of my head, Yes: — and wept. The
King then said to his daughter, By what means didst thou
discover that he was enchanted ? — O my father, she answered,
I had with me, in my younger years, an old woman who was
a cunning enchantress, and she taught me the art of en-
chantment: I have committed its rules to memory, and
know it thoroughly, being acquainted with a hundred and
seventy modes of performing it, by the least of which I
could transport the stones of thy city beyond Mount Kaf,
and make its site to be an abyss of the sea, and convert
its inhabitants into fish in the midst of it. — I conjure thee,
then, by the name of Allah, said her father, to restore this
young man, that I may make him my Wezir. Is it possible
that thou possessedst this excellence, and I knew it not?
Restore him, that I may make him my Wezir, for he is a
polite and intelligent youth.
She replied, With pleasure: — and, taking a knife upon
which were engraved some Hebrew names, marked with it
a circle in the midst of the palace. Within this she wrote
THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT 91
certain names and talismans, and then she pronounced invo-
cations, and uttered unintelligible words; and soon the
palace around us became immersed in gloom to such a
degree, that we thought the whole world was overspread;
and lo, the 'Efrit appeared before us in a most hideous
shape, with hands like winnowing-forks, and legs like masts,
and eyes like burning torches; so that we were terrified at
him. The King's daughter exclaimed, No welcome to thee !
— to which the 'Efrit, assuming the form of a lion, replied,
Thou traitress, how is it that thou hast broken thine oath?
Did we not swear that we would not oppose one another? —
Thou wretch, said she, when didst thou receive an oath? —
The 'Efrit, still in the form of a lion, then exclaimed, Take
what awaiteth thee ! — and, opening his mouth, rushed upon
the lady; but she instantly plucked a hair from her head
and muttered with her lips, whereupon the hair became
converted into a piercing sword, with which she struck the
lion, and he was cleft in twain by the blow; but his head
became changed into a scorpion. The lady immediately
transformed herself into an enormous serpent, and crept
after the execrable wretch in the shape of a scorpion, and
a sharp contest ensued between them; after which, the
scorpion became an eagle, and the serpent, changing to a
vulture, pursued tfre eagle for a length of time. The latter
then transformed himself into a black cat, and the King's
daughter became a wolf, and they fought together long and
fiercely, till the cat, seeing himself overcome, changed him-
self into a large red pomegranate, which fell into a pool;
but, the wolf pursuing it, it ascended into the air, and then
fell upon the pavement of the palace, and broke in pieces,
its grains becoming scattered, each apart from the others,
and all spread about the whole space of ground enclosed by
the palace. The wolf, upon this, transformed itself into a
cock, in order to pick up the grains, and not leave one of
them; but, according to the decree of fate, one grain re-
mained hidden by the side of the pool of the fountain.
The cock began to cry, and flapped its wings, and made a
sign to us with its beak; but we understood not what it
would say. It then uttered at us such a cry, that we thought
the palace had fallen down upon us; and it ran about the
92 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
whole of the ground, until it saw the grain that had lain hid
by the side of the pool, when it pounced upon it, to pick it
up; but it fell into the midst of the water, and became
transformed into a fish, and sank into the water; upon
which the cock became a fish of a larger size, and plunged
in after the other. For a while it was absent from our
sight; but, at length, we heard a loud cry, and trembled at
the sound; after which, the 'Efrit rose as a flame of fire,
casting fire from his mouth, and fire and smoke from his
eyes and nostrils: the King's daughter also became as a
vast body of fire; and we would have plunged into the
water from fear of our being burnt and destroyed; but sud-
denly the 'Efrit cried out from within the fire, and came
towards us upon the liwan, 9 blowing fire at our faces. The
lady, however, overtook him, and blew fire in like manner
in his face; and some sparks struck us both from her and
from him: her sparks did us no harm; but one from him
struck me in my eye, and destroyed it, I being still in the
form of an ape; and a spark from him reached the face of
the King, and burned the lower half, with his beard and
mouth, and struck out his lower teeth: another spark also
fell upon the breast of the eunuch; who was burnt, and
died immediately. We expected destruction, and gave up
all hope of preserving our lives; but while we were in this
state, a voice exclaimed, God is most great! God is most
great ! He hath conquered and aided, and abandoned the
denier of the faith of Mohammad, the chief of mankind. 10
— The person from whom this voice proceeded was the
King's daughter: she had burnt the 'Efrit; and when we
looked towards him, we perceived that he had become a
heap of ashes.
The lady then came to us, and said, Bring me a cup of
water: — and when it was brought to her, she pronounced
over it some words which we understood not, and, sprinkling
me with it, said, Be restored, by virtue of the name of the
Truth, and by virtue of the most great name of God, to thy
original form ! — whereupon I became a man as I was at
first, excepting that my eye was destroyed. After this, she
9 Dais.
10 This was, and I believe still is, a common battle-cry of the Arabs, and
more commonly used on the occasion of a victory.
THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT 93
cried out, The fire ! the fire ! O my father, I shall no longer
live, for I am predestined to be killed. Had he been a
human being, I had killed him at the first of the encounter.
I experienced no difficulty till the scattering of the grains of
the pomegranate, when I picked them up excepting the one
in which was the life of the Jinni: had I picked up that, he
had instantly died; but I saw it not, as fate and destiny had
appointed; and suddenly he came upon me, and a fierce
contest ensued between us under the earth, and in the air,
and in the water; and every time that he tried against me
a new mode, I employed against him one more potent, until
he tried against me the mode of fire; and rarely does one
escape against whom the mode of fire is employed. Destiny,
however, aided me, so that I burned him first; but I ex-
horted him previously to embrace the faith of El-Islam.
Now I die; and may God supply my place to you. — Having
thus said, she ceased not to pray for relief from the fire;
and lo, a spark ascended to her breast, and thence to her face ;
and when it reached her face, she wept, and exclaimed,
I testify that there is no deity but God, and I testify that
Mohammad is God's Apostle ! — We then looked towards her,
and saw that she had become a heap of ashes by the side
of the ashes of the 'Efrit.
We were plunged into grief on her account, and I wished
that I had been in her place rather than have seen that sweet-
faced creature who had done me this kindness reduced to a
heap of ashes: but the decree of God cannot be averted.
The King, on beholding his daughter in this state, plucked
out what remained of his beard, and slapped his face, and
rent his clothes ; and I also did the same, while we both wept
for her. Then came the chamberlains and other great
officers of the court, who, finding the King in a state of in-
sensibility, with two heaps of ashes before him, were aston-
ished, and remained encompassing him until he recovered
from his fit, when he informed them of what had befallen
his daughter with the 'Efrit; and great was their affliction.
The women shrieked, with the female slaves, and continued
their mourning seven days. After this, the King gave orders
to build, over the ashes of his daughter, a great tomb with
a dome, and illuminated it with candles and lamps: but the
94 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
ashes of the 'Efrit they scattered in the wind, exposing them
to the curse of God. The King then fell sick, and was near
unto death : his illness lasted a month ; but after this he re-
covered his health, and, summoning me to his presence, said
to me, O young man, we passed our days in the enjoyment
of the utmost happiness, secure from the vicissitudes of
fortune, until thou earnest to us, when troubles overcame us.
Would that we had never seen thee, nor thy ugly form, on
account of which we have been reduced to this state of pri-
vation; for, in the first place, I have lost my daughter, who
was worth a hundred men ; and, secondly, I have suffered this
burning, and lost my teeth : my eunuch also is dead : but it
was not in thy power to prevent these afflictions : the decree
of God hath been fulfilled on us and on thee ; and praise
be to God that my daughter restored thee, though she de-
stroyed herself. Now, however, depart, O my son, from
my city. It is enough that hath happened on thy account;
but as it was decreed against us and thee, depart in peace.
So I departed, O my mistress, from his presence; but
before I quitted the city, I entered a public bath, and shaved
my beard. I traversed various regions, and passed through
great cities, and bent my course to the Abode of Peace,
Baghdad, in the hope of obtaining an interview with the
Prince of the Faithful, that I might relate to him all that
had befallen me.
The third mendicant then advanced, and thus related his
story : —
The Story of the Third Royal Mendicant
illustrious lady, my story is not like those of my two
companions, but more wonderful: the course of fate and
destiny brought upon them events against which they could
not guard ; but as to myself, the shaving of my beard and
the loss of my eye were occasioned by my provoking fate
and misfortune; and the cause was this: —
1 was a King, and the son of a King; and when my
father died, I succeeded to his throne, and governed my
subjects with justice and beneficence. I took pleasure in
sea-voyages; and my capital was on the shore of an ex-
THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT 95
tensive sea, interspersed with fortified and garrisoned islands,
which I desired, for my amusement, to visit; I therefore
embarked with a fleet of ten ships, and took with me pro-
visions sufficient for a whole month. I proceeded twenty
days, after which there arose against us a contrary wind;
but at daybreak it ceased, and the sea became calm, and
we arrived at an island, where we landed, and cooked some
provisions and ate ; after which we remained there two days.
We then continued our voyage ; and when twenty days more
had passed, we found ourselves in strange waters, unknown
to the captain, and desired the watch to look out from the
mast-head : so he went aloft, and when he had come down
he said to the captain, I saw, on my right hand, fish floating
upon the surface of the water; and looking towards the
midst of the sea, I perceived something looming in the
distance, sometimes black and sometimes white.
When the captain heard this report of the watch, he
threw his turban on the deck, and plucked his beard, and
said to those who were with him, Receive warning of our
destruction, which will befall all of us : not one will escape !
So saying, he began to weep; and all of us in like manner
bewailed our lot. I desired him to inform us of that which
the watch had seen. O my lord, he replied, know that we
have wandered from our course since the commencement
of the contrary wind that was followed in the morning by
a calm, in consequence of which we remained stationary
two days; from that period we have deviated from our
course for twenty-one days, and we have no wind to carry
us back from the fate which awaits us after this day: to-
morrow we shall arrive at a mountain of black stone, called
loadstone : the current is now bearing us violently towards
it, and the ships will fall in pieces, and every nail in them
will fly to the mountain, and adhere to it ; for God hath given
to the loadstone a secret property by virtue of which every-
thing of iron is attracted toward it. On that mountain is
such a quantity of iron as no one knoweth but God, whose
name be exalted; for from times of old great numbers of
ships have been destroyed by the influence of that mountain.
There is, upon the summit of the mountain, a cupola of brass
supported by ten columns, and upon the top of this cupola is
96 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
a horseman upon a horse of brass, having in his hand a brazen
spear, and upon his breast suspended a tablet of lead, upon
which are engraved mysterious names and talismans; and as
long, O King, as this horseman remains upon the horse, so
long will every ship that approaches be destroyed, with
every person on board, and all the iron contained in it will
cleave to the mountain : no one will be safe until the horse-
man shall have fallen from the horse. — The captain then
wept bitterly; and we felt assured that our destruction was
inevitable, and every one of us bade adieu to his friend.
On the following morning we drew near to the mountain ;
the current carried us toward it with violence, and when the
ships were almost close to it, they fell asunder, and all the
nails, and everything else that was of iron, flew from them
towards the loadstone. It was near the close of day when
the ships fell in pieces. Some of us were drowned, and
some escaped; but the greater number were drowned, and
of those who saved their lives none knew what became of
the others, so stupefied were they by the waves and the
boisterous wind. As for myself, O my mistress, God, whose
name be exalted, spared me on account of the trouble and
torment and affliction that He had predestined to befall me.
I placed myself upon a plank, and the wind and waves cast
it upon the mountain; and when I had landed, I found a
practicable way to the summit, resembling steps cut in the
rock: so I exclaimed, In the name of God! — and offered
up a prayer, and attempted the ascent, holding fast by the
notches; and presently God stilled the wind and assisted
me in my endeavours, so that I arrived in safety at the
summit. Rejoicing greatly in my escape, I immediately en-
tered the cupola, and performed the prayers of two rek'ahs 11
in gratitude to God for my preservation; after which I slept
beneath the cupola, and heard a voice saying to me, O son
of Khasib, when thou awakest from thy sleep, dig beneath
thy feet, and thou wilt find a bow of brass, and three arrows
of lead, whereon are engraved talismans: then take the
u [Bowings] : the repetition of a set form of words, chiefly from the
Kur'an, and ejaculations of " God is most great! " etc., accompanied by
particular postures; part of the words being repeated in an erect posture;
part, sitting; and part, in other postures: an inclination of the head and
body, followed by two prostrations, distinguishing each rek'ah.
THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT 97
bow and arrows and shoot at the horseman that is upon the
top of the cupola, and relieve mankind from this great afflic-
tion; for when thou hast shot at the horseman he will fall
into the sea; the bow will also fall, and do thou bury it
in its place; and as soon as thou hast done this, the sea
will swell and rise until it attains the summit of the moun-
tain; and there will appear upon it a boat bearing a man,
different from him whom thou shalt have cast down, and
he will come to thee, having an oar in his hand: then do
thou embark with him; but utter not the name of God;
and he will convey thee in ten days to a safe sea, where, on
thy arrival, thou wilt find one who will take thee to thy
city. All this shall be done if thou utter not the name of God.
Awaking from my sleep, I sprang up, and did as the
voice had directed. I shot at the horseman, and he fell into
the sea; and the bow having fallen from my hand, I buried
it: the sea then became troubled, and rose to the summit
of the mountain, and when I had stood waiting there a little
while, I beheld a boat in' the midst of the sea, approaching
me. I praised God, whose name be exalted, and when the
boat came to me I found in it a man of brass, with a tablet
of lead upon his breast, engraven with names and talismans.
Without uttering a word, I embarked in the boat, and the
man rowed me ten successive days, after which I beheld the
islands of security, whereupon, in the excess of my joy, I
exclaimed, In the name of God ! There is no deity but
God ! God is most great ! — and as soon as I had done
this, he cast me out of the boat, and sank in the sea.
Being able to swim, I swam until night, when my arms
and shoulders were tired, and, in this perilous situation, I
repeated the profession of the faith, and gave myself up as
lost; but the sea rose with the violence of the wind, and a
wave like a vast castle threw me upon the land, in order to
the accomplishment of the purpose of God. I ascended the
shore, and after I had wrung out my clothes, and spread
them upon the ground to dry, I slept; and in the morning
I put on my clothes again, and, looking about to see which
way I should go, I found a tract covered with trees, to which
I advanced; and when I had walked round it, I found that
I was upon a small island in the midst of the sea; upon
HC XVI— D
98 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
which I said within myself, Every time that I escape from
one calamity I fall into another that is worse: — but while I
was reflecting upon my unfortunate case, and wishing for
death, I beheld a vessel bearing a number of men. I arose
immediately, and climbed into a tree; and lo, the vessel
came to the shore, and there landed from it ten black slaves
bearing axes. They proceeded to the middle of the island,
and, digging up the earth, uncovered and lifted up a trap-
door, after which they returned to the vessel, and brought
from it bread and flour and clarified butter and honey and
sheep and everything that the wants of an inhabitant would
require, continuing to pass backwards and forwards between
the vessel and the trap-door, bringing loads from the former,
and entering the latter, until they had removed all the stores
from the ship. They then came out of the vessel with
various clothes of the most beautiful description, and in the
midst of them was an old sheykh, enfeebled and wasted
by extreme age, leading by the hand a young man cast in
the mould of graceful symmetry/ and invested with such
perfect beauty as deserved to be a subject for proverbs. He
was like a fresh and slender twig, enchanting and captivating
every heart by his elegant form. The party proceeded to
the trap-door, and, entering it, became concealed from my
eyes.
They remained beneath about two hours, or more; after
which, the sheykh and the slaves came out; but the youth
came not with them; and they replaced the earth, and
embarked and set sail. Soon after, I descended from the
tree, and went to the excavation. I removed the earth, and,
entering the aperture, saw a flight of wooden steps, which
I descended; and, at the bottom, I beheld a handsome
dwelling-place, furnished with a variety of silken carpets;
and there was the youth, sitting upon a high mattress, with
sweet-smelling flowers and fruits placed before him. On
seeing me, his countenance became pale; but I saluted him,
and said, Let thy mind be composed, O my Master: thou
hast nothing to fear, O delight of my eye; for I am a man,
and the son of a King, like thyself : fate hath impelled me to
thee, that I may cheer thee in thy solitude. The youth,
when he heard me thus address him, and was convinced that
THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT 99
I was one of his own species, rejoiced exceedingly at my
arrival, his colour returned, and, desiring me to approach
him, he said, O my brother, my story is wonderful: my
father is a jeweller: he had slaves who made voyages by his
orders, for the purposes of commerce, and he had dealings
with Kings; but he had never been blest with a son; and he
dreamt that he was soon to have a son, but one whose life
would be short; and he awoke sorrowful. Shortly after, in
accordance with the decrees of God, my mother conceived
me, and when her time was complete, she gave birth to me;
and my father was greatly rejoiced: the astrologers, however,
came to him, and said, Thy son will live fifteen years: his
fate is intimated by the fact that there is, in the sea, a
mountain called the Mountain of Loadstone, whereon is a
horseman on a horse of brass, on the former of which is
a tablet of lead suspended to his neck; and when the
horseman shall be thrown down from his horse, thy son will
be slain : the person who is to slay him is he who will throw
down the horseman, and his name is King 'Ajib, the son
of King Khasib. My father was greatly afflicted at this
announcement; and when he had reared me until I had
nearly attained the age of fifteen years, the astrologers came
again, and informed him that the horseman had fallen into
the sea, and that it had been thrown down by King 'Ajib,
the son of King Khasib; on hearing which, he prepared for
me this dwelling, and here left me to remain until the com-
pletion of the term, of which there now remain ten days.
All this he did from fear lest King 'Ajib should kill me.
When I heard this, I was filled with wonder, and said
within myself, I am King 'Ajib, the son of King Khasib, and
it was I who threw down the horseman ; but, by Allah, I will
neither kill him nor do him any injury. Then said I to the
youth, Far from thee be both destruction and harm, if it be
the will of God, whose name be exalted: thou hast nothing
to fear: I will remain with thee to serve thee, and will go
forth with thee to thy father, and beg of him to send me
back to my country, for the which he will obtain a reward.
The youth rejoiced at my words, and I sat and conversed
with him until night, when I spread his bed for him, and
covered him, and slept near to his side. And in the morning
100 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
I brought him water, and he washed his face, and said to me,
May God requite thee for me with every blessing. If I
escape from King 'Ajib, I will make my father reward thee
with abundant favours. Never, I replied, may the day arrive
that would bring thee misfortune. I then placed before him
some refreshments, and after we had eaten together, we
passed the day conversing with the utmost cheerfulness.
I continued to serve him for nine days; and on the tenth
day the youth rejoiced at finding himself in safety, and said
to me, O my brother, I wish that thou wouldst in thy kind-
ness warm for me some water, that I may wash myself and
change my clothes; for I have smelt the odour of escape
from death, in consequence of thy assistance. — With pleasure,
I replied ; — and I arose, and warmed the water ; after which,
he entered a place concealed from my view, and, having
washed himself and changed his clothes, laid himself upon
the mattress to rest after his bath. He then said to me,
Cut up for me, O my brother, a water-melon, and mix its
juice with some sugar: — so I arose, and taking a melon,
brought it upon a plate, and said to him, Knowest thou, O
my master, where is the knife? — See, here it is, he answered,
upon the shelf over my head. I sprang up hastily, and
took it from its sheath, and as I was drawing back, my foot
slipped, as God had decreed, and I fell upon the youth,
grasping in my hand the knife, which entered his body, and
he died instantly. When I perceived that he was dead, and
that I had killed him, I uttered a loud shriek, and beat my
face and rent my clothes, saying, This is, indeed, a
calamity ! O what a calamity ! O my Lord, I implore thy
pardon, and declare to Thee my innocence of his death !
Would that I had died before him ! How long shall I devour
trouble after trouble !
With these reflections I ascended the steps, and, having
replaced the trap-door, returned to my first station, and
looked over the sea, where I saw the vessel that had come
before, approaching, and cleaving the waves in its rapid
course. Upon this I said within myself, Now will the men
come forth from the vessel, and find the youth slain, and
they will slay me also: — so I climbed into a tree, and con-
cealed myself among its leaves, and sat there till the vessel
THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT 101
arrived and cast anchor, when the slaves landed with the
old sheykh, the father of the youth, and went to the place,
and removed the earth. They were surprised at finding it
moist, and when they had descended the steps, they dis-
covered the youth lying on his back, exhibiting a face
beaming with beauty, though dead, and clad in white and
clean clothing, with the knife remaining in his body. They
all wept at the sight, and the father fell down in a swoon,
which lasted so long that the slaves thought he was dead.
At length, however, he recovered, and came out with the
slaves, who had wrapped the body of the youth in his clothes.
They then took back all that was in the subterranean dwelling
to the vessel, and departed.
I remained, O my mistress, by day hiding myself in a
tree, and at night walking about the open part of the island.
Thus I continued for the space of two months; and I per-
ceived that, on the western side of the island, the water of
the sea every day retired, until, after three months, the land
that had been beneath it became dry. Rejoicing at this, and
feeling confident now in my escape, I traversed this
dry tract, and arrived at an expanse of sand; whereupon
I emboldened myself, and crossed it. I then saw in the
distance an appearance of fire, and, advancing towards it,
found it to be a palace, overlaid with plates of copper, which,
reflecting the rays of the sun, seemed from a distance to
be fire: and when I drew near to it, reflecting upon this
sight, there approached me an old sheykh, accompanied by
ten young men who were all blind of one eye, at which I
was extremely surprised. As soon as they saw me, they
saluted me, and asked me my story, which I related to them
from first to last; and they were filled with wonder. They
then conducted me into the palace, where I saw ten benches,
upon each of which was a mattress covered with a blue
stuff; 12 and each of the young men seated himself upon one
of these benches, while the sheykh took his place upon a
smaller one; after which they said to me, Sit down, O
young man, and ask no question respecting our condition,
nor respecting our being blind of one eye. Then the sheykh
arose, and brought to each of them some food, and the same
u The colour of mourning.
102 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
to me also; and next he brought to each of us some wine:
and after we had eaten, we sat drinking together until the
time for sleep, when the young men said to the sheykh, Bring
to us our accustomed supply : — upon which the sheykh arose,
and entered a closet, from which he brought upon his head,
ten covered trays. Placing these upon the floor, he lighted
ten candles, and stuck one of them upon each tray; and,
having done this he removed the covers, and there ap-
peared beneath them ashes mixed with pounded charcoal.
The young men then tucked up their sleeves above the
elbow, and blackened their faces, and slapped their cheeks,
exclaiming, We were reposing at our ease, and our im-
pertinent curiosity suffered us not to remain so ! Thus they
did until the morning, when the sheykh brought them some
hot water, and they washed their faces, and put on other
clothes.
On witnessing this conduct, my reason was confounded,
my heart was so troubled that I forgot my own misfortunes,
and I asked them the cause of their strange behaviour;
upon which they looked towards me, and said, O young
man, ask not respecting that which doth not concern thee;
but be silent; for in silence is security from error. — I
remained with them a whole month, during which every
night they did the same; and at length I said to them, I
conjure you by Allah to remove this disquiet from my mind,
and to inform me of the cause of your acting in this manner,
and of your exclaiming, We were reposing at our ease, and
our impertinent curiosity suffered us not to remain so ! — ii
ye inform me not, I will leave you, and go my way ; for the
proverb saith, When the eye seeth not, the heart doth not
grieve. — On hearing these words, they replied, We have not
concealed this affair from thee but in our concern for thy
welfare, lest thou shouldst become like us, and the same
affliction that hath befallen us happen also to thee. I said,
however, Ye must positively inform me of this matter. — We
give thee good advice, said they, and do thou receive it, and
ask us not respecting our case; otherwise thou wilt become
blind of one eye, like us: — but I still persisted in my
request; whereupon they said, O young man, if this befall
thee, know that thou wilt be banished from our company.
THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT 103
They then all arose, and, taking a ram, slaughtered and
skinned it, and said to me, Take this knife with thee, and
introduce thyself into the skin of the ram, and we will
sew thee up in it, and go away; whereupon a bird called
the rukh will come to thee, and, taking thee up by its talons,
will fly away with thee, and set thee down upon a mountain :
then cut open the skin with this knife, and get out, and the
bird will fly away. Thou must arise, as soon as it hath
gone, and journey for half a day, and thou wilt see be-
fore thee a lofty palace, encased with red gold, set with
various precious stones, such as emeralds and rubies, &c. ;
and if thou enter it thy case will be as ours; for our
entrance into that palace was the cause of our being blind
of one eye; and if one of us would relate to thee all that
hath befallen him, his story would be too long for thee to
hear.
They then sewed me up in the skin, and entered their
palace; and soon after, there came an enormous white bird,
which seized me, and flew away with me, and set me down
upon the mountain ; whereupon I cut open the skin, and
got out; and the bird, as soon as it saw me, flew away. I
rose up quickly, and proceeded towards the palace, which
I found to be as they had described it to me; and when I
had entered it, I beheld, at the upper end of a saloon, forty
young damsels, beautiful as so many moons, and magnifi-
cently attired, who, as soon as they saw me, exclaimed,
Welcome ! Welcome ! O our master and our lord ! We
have been for a month expecting thee. Praise be to God
who hath blessed us with one who is worthy of us, and one
of whom we are worthy ! — After having thus greeted me,
they seated me upon a mattress, and said, Thou art from
this day our master and prince, and we are thy handmaids,
and entirely under thy authority. They then brought to
me some refreshments, and when I had eaten and drunk, they
sat and conversed with me, full of joy and happiness. So
lovely were these ladies, that even a devotee, if he saw
them, would gladly consent to be their servant, and to com-
ply with all that they would desire. At the approach of
night they all assembled around me, and placed before me
a table of fresh and dried fruits, with other delicacies that
104 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
the tongue cannot describe, and wine; and one began to
sing, while another played upon the lute. The wine-cups
circulated among us, and joy overcame me to such a degree
as to obliterate from my mind every earthly care, and make
me exclaim, This is indeed a delightful life ! I passed a
night of such enjoyment as I had never before experienced;
and on the morrow I entered the bath; and, after I had
washed myself, they brought me a suit of the richest cloth-
ing, and we again sat down to a repast.
In this manner I lived with them a whole year; but on
the first day of the new year, they seated themselves around
me, and began to weep, and bade me farewell, clinging to
my skirts. — What calamity hath befallen you? said I. Ye
have broken my heart. — They answered, Would that we had
never known thee; for we have associated with many men,
but have seen none like thee. May God, therefore, not
deprive us of thy company. — And they wept afresh. I said
to them, I wish that you would acquaint me with the cause
of this weeping. — Thou, they replied, art the cause; yet
now, if thou wilt attend to what we tell thee, we shall never
be parted; but if thou act contrary to it, we are separated
from this time; and our hearts whisper to us that thou wilt
not regard our warning. — Inform me, said I, and I will
attend to your directions: — and they replied, If then thou
wouldst inquire respecting our history, know that we are the
daughters of Kings: for many years it hath been our custom
to assemble here, and every year we absent ourselves during
a period of forty days; then returning, we indulge ourselves
for a year in feasting and drinking. This is our usual prac-
tice; and now we fear that thou wilt disregard our directions
when we are absent from thee. We deliver to thee the keys
of the palace, which are a hundred in number, belonging to a
hundred closets. Open each of these, and amuse thyself,
and eat and drink, and refresh thyself, excepting the closet
that hath a door of red gold; for if thou open this, the con-
sequence will be a separation between us and thee. We con-
jure thee, therefore, to observe our direction, and to be patient
during this period. — Upon hearing this, I swore to them that
I would never open the closet to which they alluded; and
they departed, urging me to be faithful to my promise.
THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT 105
I remained alone in the palace, and at the approach of
evening I opened the first closet, and, entering it, found a
mansion like paradise, with a garden containing green trees
loaded with ripe fruits, abounding with singing birds, and
watered by copious streams. My heart was soothed by the
sight, and I wandered among the trees, scenting the fragrance
of the flowers, and listening to the warbling of the birds as
they sang the praises of the One, the Almighty. After
admiring the mingled colours of the apple resembling the
hue upon the cheek of a beloved mistress and the sallow
countenance of the perplexed and timid lover, the sweet-
smelling quince diffusing an odour like musk and ambergris,
and the plum shining as the ruby, I retired from this place,
and, having locked the door, opened that of the next closet,
within which I beheld a spacious tract planted with numerous
palm-trees, and watered by a river flowing among rose-trees,
and jasmine, and marjoram, and eglantine, and narcissus,
and gilliflower, the odours of which diffused in every direc-
tion by the wind, inspired me with the utmost delight. I
locked again the door of the second closet, and opened that
of the third. Within this I found a large saloon, paved with
marbles of various colours, and with costly minerals and
precious gems, and containing cages constructed of sandal
and aloes-wood with singing birds within them, and others
upon the branches of trees which were planted there. My
heart was charmed, my trouble was dissipated, and I slept
there until the morning. I then opened the door of the
fourth closet, and within this door I found a great building
in which were forty closets with open doors; and, entering
these, I beheld pearls, and rubies, and chrysolites, and
emeralds, and other precious jewels such as the tongue can-
not describe. I was astonished at the sight and said, Such
things as these, I imagine, are not found in the treasury of
any King. I am now the King of my age, and all these
treasures, through the goodness of God, are mine, together
with forty damsels under my authority who have no man to
share them with me.
Thus I continued to amuse myself, passing from one
place to another, until thirty-nine days had elapsed, and I
had opened the doors of all the closets excepting that which
106 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
they had forbidden me to open. My heart was then dis-
turbed by curiosity respecting this hundredth closet, and the
Devil, in order to plunge me into misery, induced me to
open it. I had not patience to abstain, though there
remained of the appointed period only one day: So I
approached the closet, and opened the door; and when I
had entered, I perceived a fragrant odour, such as I had
never before smelt, which intoxicated me so that I fell
down insensible, and remained some time in this state: but
at length recovering, I fortified my heart, and proceeded. I
found the floor overspread with saffron, and the place
illuminated by golden lamps and by candles, which diffused
the odours of musk and ambergris; and two large perfum-
ing-vessels filled with aloes-wood and ambergris, and a
perfume compounded with honey, spread fragrance through
the whole place. I saw also a black horse, of the hue of
the darkest night, before which was a manger of white
crystal filled with cleansed sesame, and another, similar to
it, containing rose-water infused with musk: he was saddled
and bridled, and his saddle was of red gold. Wondering
at the sight of him, I said within myself, This must be an
animal of extraordinary qualities; — and, seduced by the
Devil, I led him out, and mounted him; but he moved not
from his place: I kicked him with my heel; but still he
moved not: so I took a mikra'ah and struck him with it;
and as soon as he felt the blow he uttered a sound like
thunder, and, expanding a pair of wings, soared with me to
an immense height through the air, and then alighted upon
the roof of another palace, where he threw me from his
back, and, by a violent blow with his tail upon my face, as
I sat on the roof, struck out my eye, and left me.
In this state I descended from the roof, and below I
found the one-eyed young men before mentioned, who, as
soon as they beheld me, exclaimed, No welcome to thee ! —
Receive me, said I, into your company: — but they replied,
By Allah, thou shalt not remain with us: — so I departed
from them, with mournful heart and weeping eye, and, God
having decreed me a safe journey hither, I arrived at
Baghdad, after I had shaved my beard, and become a
mendicant.
THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD 107
The mistress of the house then looked towards the
Khalifeh and Ja'far and Mesrur, and said to them, Acquaint
me with your histories :— upon which Ja'far advanced to-
wards her, and related to her the same story that he had
told to the portress before they entered; and when she had
heard it, she liberated them all. They accordingly de-
parted, and when they had gone out into the street, the
Khalifeh inquired of the mendicants whither they were
going. They answered that they knew not whither to go:
whereupon he desired them to accompany his party; and
then said to Ja'far, Take them home with thee, and bring
them before me to-morrow, and we will see the result.
Ja'far, therefore, did as he was commanded, and the Khalifeh
returned to his palace; but he was unable to sleep during
the remainder of the night.
On the following morning he sat upon his throne, and
when his courtiers had presented themselves before him,
and departed, excepting Ja'far, he said to him, Bring before
me the three ladies and the two bitches and the mendicants.
So Ja'far arose, and brought them, and, placing the ladies
behind the curtains, said to them, We have forgiven you
on account of your previous kindness to us, and because
ye knew us not; and now I acquaint you that ye are in
the presence of the fifth of the sons of El-'Abbas, Harun
Er-Rashid; therefore relate to him nothing but the truth.
And when the ladies heard the words which Ja'far ad-
dressed to them on the part of the Khalifeh, the eldest of
them advanced, and thus related her story: —
The Story of the First of the Three Ladies of
Baghdad
O Prince of the Faithful, my story is wonderful; for
these two bitches are my sisters, born to my father, but
of another mother; and I am the youngest of the three.
After the death of our father, who left us five thousand
pieces of gold, these my two sisters married, and when
they had resided some time with their husbands, each of
the latter prepared a stock of merchandise, and received
from his wife a thousand pieces of gold, and they all set
108 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
forth on a journey together, leaving me here; but after
they had been absent four years, my sisters' husbands lost
all their property, and abandoned them in a strange land,
and they returned to me in the garb of beggars. When I
first saw them in this state, I knew them not; and, as soon
as I recognised them, I exclaimed, How is it that ye are in
this condition? — O our sister, they answered, thy inquiry
now is of no use: the Pen hath written what God hath
decreed. — I sent them, therefore, to the bath, and, having
clad them in new apparel, said to them, O my sisters, ye
are my elders, and I am young ; so ye shall be to me in
the places of my father and mother. The inheritance which
I shared with you God hath blessed; partake then of its
increase, for my affairs are prosperous; and I and ye shall
fare alike. — I treated them with the utmost kindness, and
during a whole year they remained with me, and enriched
themselves by the money that I had given them; but after
this period they said to me, It will be more agreeable to
us to marry again, for we can no longer abstain from doing
so. — O my sisters, I replied, ye have seen no happiness in
marriage: a good husband in this age is rarely found, and
ye have already had experience of the marriage-state. They,
however, heeded not my words; but married against my
consent: yet I gave them dowries from my own property,
and continued to them my protection. They went to their
husbands, and the latter, after they had resided with them
a short time, defrauded them of all that they possessed,
and, setting forth on a journey, left them destitute: so again
they returned to me, and, in a state of nudity, implored my
forgiveness, saying, Be not angry with us; for though thou
art younger than we, thou hast more mature sense; and we
promise thee that we will never again mention the subject
of marriage. I replied, Ye are welcome, O my sisters; for
I have no one dearer to me than yourselves: — and I re-
ceived them, and treated them with every kindness, and we
remained happily together for the space of a year.
After this I resolved to fit out a vessel for a mercantile
voyage: accordingly, I stocked a large ship with various
goods and necessary provisions, and said to my sisters,
Will ye rather stay at home during my voyage, or will ye
THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD 109
go with me? — to which they answered, We will accompany
thee during the voyage, for we cannot endure to be separated
from thee. I therefore took them with me, and we set sail;
but first I divided my property into two equal portions; one
of which I took with me, and the other I concealed, saying
within myself, Perhaps some evil accident may happen to
the ship, and our lives may be prolonged; in which case,
when we return we shall find that which will be of service
to us. — We continued our voyage by day and night, till at
length the vessel pursued a wrong course, and the captain
knew not whither to steer. The ship had entered a different
sea from that which we wished to cross, and for some time
we knew it not; but for ten days we had a pleasant wind,
and after this, a city loomed before us in the distance. We
asked the captain what was the name of this city; and he
answered, I know it not; I have never seen it till this day,
nor have I ever before in the course of my life navigated
this sea: but as we have come hither in safety, ye have
nothing to do but to enter this city and land your goods,
and, if ye find opportunity, sell or exchange there: if not,
we will rest there two days, and take in fresh provisions,
So we entered the port of the city, and the captain landed,
and after a while returned to us, saying, Arise, and go up
into the city, and wonder at that which God hath done
unto his creatures, and pray to be preserved from his anger.
And when we had entered the city, we found all its in-
habitants converted into black stones. We were amazed
at the sight, and as we walked through the market-streets,
finding the merchandise and the gold and silver remaining
in their original state, we rejoiced, and said, This must have
been occasioned by some wonderful circumstance. We then
separated in the streets, each of us attracted from his com-
panions by the wealth and stuffs in the shops.
As for myself, I ascended to the citadel, which I found
to be a building of admirable construction; and, entering
the King's palace, I found all the vessels of gold and silver
remaining in their places, and the King himself seated in
the midst of his Chamberlains and Viceroys and Wezirs,
and clad in apparel of astonishing richness. Drawing nearer
to him, I perceived that he was sitting upon a throne adorned
110 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
with pearls and jewels, every one of the pearls shining like
a star: his dress was embroidered with gold, and around
him stood fifty memluks, attired in silks of various descrip-
tions, and having in their hands drawn swords. Stupefied
at this spectacle, I proceeded, and entered the saloon of
the Harim, upon the walls of which were hung silken
curtains; and here I beheld the Queen, attired in a dress
embroidered with fresh pearls, and having upon her head
a diadem adorned with various jewels, and necklaces of
different kinds on her neck. All her clothing and ornaments
remained as they were at first, though she herself was con-
verted into black stone. Here also I found an open door,
and, entering it, I saw a flight of seven steps, by which I
ascended to an apartment paved with marble, furnished
with gold-embroidered carpets, and containing a couch of
alabaster, ornamented with pearls and jewels; but my eyes
were first attracted by a gleam of light, and when I ap-
proached the spot whence it proceeded, I found a brilliant
jewel, of the size of an ostrich's egg, placed upon a small
stool, diffusing a light like that of a candle. The coverings
of the couch above mentioned were of various kinds of silk,
the richness of which would surprise every beholder; and
I looked at them with wonder. In this apartment I like-
wise observed some lighted candles, and reflected that there
must then have been some person there to light them. I
passed thence to another part of the palace, and continued
to explore the different apartments, forgetting myself in the
amazement of my mind at all these strange circumstances,
and immersed in thoughts respecting what I beheld, until the
commencement of night, when I would have departed; but
could not find the door; so I returned to the place in which
were the lighted candles, and there I laid myself upon the
couch, and, covering myself with a quilt, repeated some
words of the Kur'an and endeavoured to compose myself
to sleep; but I could not. I continued restless: and at
midnight I heard a recitation of the Kur'an, performed by
a melodious and soft voice; upon which I arose, and, look-
ing about, saw a closet with an open door, and I entered
it, and found that it was an oratory: lighted lamps were
suspended in it, and upon a prayer carpet spread on the
THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD 111
floor sat a young man of handsome aspect. Wondering that
he had escaped the fate of the other inhabitants of the city,
I saluted him; and he raised his eyes, and returned my
salutation: and I then said to him, I conjure thee by the
truth of that which thou art reading in the Book of God,
that thou answer the question which I am about to ask
thee: — whereupon he smiled, and replied, Do thou first
acquaint me with the cause of thine entrance into this
place, and then I will answer thy question: so I told him
my story, and inquired of him the history of this city. Wait
a little, said he; — and he closed the Kur'an, and, having
put it in a bag of satin, seated me by his side. As I now
beheld him, his countenance appeared like the full moon, and
his whole person exhibited such perfect elegance and loveli-
ness, that a single glance at him drew from me a thousand
sighs, and kindled a fire in my heart. I repeated my request
that he would give me an account of the city; and, replying,
I hear and obey, he thus addressed me : —
Know that this city belonged to my father and his
family and subjects; and he is the King whom thou hast
seen converted into stone; and the Queen whom thou hast
seen is my mother. They were all Magians, worshipping
fire in the place of the Almighty King; and they swore by
the fire and the light, and the shade and the heat, and the
revolving orb. My father had no son, till, in his declining
years, he was blest with me, whom he reared until I attained
to manhood. But, happily for me, there was, in our family,
an old woman, far advanced in age, who was a Muslimeh,
believing in God and his Apostle in her heart, though she
conformed with my family in outward observances; and my
father confided in her, on account of the faithfulness and
modesty that he had observed in her character, and shewed
her great favour, firmly believing that she held the same
faith as himself; therefore, when I had passed my infancy,
he committed me to her care, saying, Take him, and rear
him, and instruct him in the ordinances of our faith, and
educate him and serve him in the best manner. The old
woman accordingly received me, but took care to instruct
me in the faith of El-Islam, teaching me the laws of purifi-
cation, and the divine ordinances of ablution, together with
112 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
the forms of prayer; after which she made me commit to
memory the whole of the Kur'an. She then charged me to
keep my faith a secret from my father, lest he should kill
me; and I did so; and a few days after, the old woman
died. The inhabitants of the city had now increased in
their impiety and arrogance, and in their dereliction of the
truth; and while they were in this state, they heard a crier
proclaim with a voice like thunder, so as to be audible to
both the near and the distant, O inhabitants of this city,
abstain from the worship of fire, and worship the Almighty
King ! — The people were struck with consternation, and,
flocking to my father, the King of the city, said to him,
What is this alarming voice which hath astounded us by its
terrible sound? — but he answered them, Let not the voice
terrify you, nor let it turn you from your faith: — and their
hearts inclined to his words: so they persevered in the
worship of fire, and remained obstinate in their impiety
during another year, until the return of the period at which
they had heard the voice the first time. It was then heard
a second time; and again, in the next year, they heard it a
third time; but still they persisted in their evil ways, until,
drawing down upon themselves the abhorrence and indigna-
tion of Heaven, one morning, shortly after daybreak, they
were converted into black stones, together with their beasts
and all their cattle. Not one of the inhabitants of the city
escaped, excepting me; and from the day on which this
catastrophe happened, I have continued occupied as thou
seest, in prayer, and fasting, and reading the Kur'an: but I
have become weary of this solitary state, having no one to
cheer me with his company.
On hearing these words, I said to him, Wilt thou go with
me to the city of Baghdad, and visit its learned men and
lawyers, and increase thy knowledge? If so, I will be thy
handmaid, though I am the mistress of my family, and have
authority over a household of men. I have here a ship
laden with merchandise, and destiny hath driven us to this
city, in order that we might become acquainted with these
events: our meeting was predestined. — In this manner I
continued to persuade him until he gave his consent. I
slept that night at his feet, unconscious of my state through
THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD 113
excessive joy; and in the morning we rose, and, entering
the treasuries, took away a quantity of the lighter and most
valuable of the articles that they contained, and descended
from the citadel into the city, where we met the slaves
and the captain, who were searching for me. They were
rejoiced at seeing me, and, to their questions respecting
my absence, I replied by informing them of all that I had
seen, and related to them the history of the young man,
and the cause of the transmutation of the people of the
city, and of all that had befallen them, which filled them
with wonder. But when my two sisters saw me with the
young man, they envied me on his account, and malevolently
plotted against me.
We embarked again, and I experienced the utmost hap-
piness, chiefly owing to the company of the young man ; and
after we had waited a while till the wind was favourable,
we spread our sails, and departed. My sisters sat with me
and the young man; and, in their conversation with me,
said, O our sister, what dost thou purpose to do with this
handsome youth? I answered, I desire to take him a?s my
husband: — and, turning to him, and approaching him, I
said, O, my master, I wish to make a proposal to thee, and
do not thou oppose it. He replied, I hear and obey: — and
I then looked towards my sisters, and said to them, This
young man is all that I desire, and all the wealth that is
here is yours. — Excellent, they replied, is thy determination :
— yet still they designed evil against me. — We continued
our voyage with a favourable wind, and, quitting the sea of
peril, entered the sea of security, across which we proceeded
for some days, until we drew near to the city of El-Basrah,
the buildings of which loomed before us at the approach of
evening; but as soon as we had fallen asleep, my sisters
took us up in our bed, both myself and the young man, and
threw us into the sea. The youth, being unable to swim,
was drowned; God recorded him among the company of
the martyrs; while I was registered among those whose life
was yet to be preserved: and, accordingly, as soon as I
awoke and found myself in the sea, the providence of God
supplied me with a piece of timber, upon which I placed
myself, and the waves cast me upon the shore of an island.
114 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
During the remainder of the night I walked along this
island, and in the morning I saw a neck of land, bearing the
marks of a man's feet, and uniting with the main land. The
sun having now risen, I dried my clothes in its rays, and
proceeded along the path that I had discovered until I drew
near to the shore upon which stands the city, when I beheld
a snake approaching me, and followed by a serpent which
was endeavouring to destroy it : the tongue of the snake was
hanging from its mouth in consequence of excessive fatigue,
and it excited my compassion; so I took up a stone, and
threw it at the head of the serpent, which instantly died : the
snake then extended a pair of wings, and soared aloft into
the sky, leaving me in wonder at the sight. At the time of
this occurrence I had become so fatigued, that I now laid
myself down and slept; but I awoke after a little while, and
found a damsel seated at my feet, and gently rubbing them
with her hands; upon which I immediately sat up, feeling
ashamed that she should perform this service for me, and
said to her, Who art thou, and what dost thou want? — How
soon hast thou forgotten me ! she exclaimed : I am she to
whom thou hast just done a kindness, by killing my enemy:
I am the snake whom thou savedst from the serpent; for I
am a Jinniyeh, and the serpent was a Jinni at enmity with
me; and none but thou delivered me from him: therefore,
as soon as thou didst this, I flew to the ship from which thy
sisters cast thee, and transported all that it contained to thy
house; I then sunk it; but as to thy sisters, I transformed
them by enchantment into two black bitches; for I knew all
that they had done to thee: the young man, however, is
drowned. — Having thus said, she took me up, and placed
me with the two black bitches on the roof of my house:
and I found all the treasures that the ship had contained
collected in the midst of my house: nothing was lost. She
then said to me, I swear by that which was engraved upon
the seal of Suleyman, that, if thou do not inflict three
hundred lashes upon each of these bitches every day, I will
come and transform thee in the like manner: — so I replied,
I hear and obey: — and have continued ever since to inflict
upon them these stripes, though pitying them while I
do so.
THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD 115
The Khalifeh heard this story with astonishment, and
then said to the second lady, And what occasioned the
stripes of which thou bearest the marks? She answered as
follows : —
The Story of the Second of the Three Ladies of
Baghdad
Prince of the Faithful, my father, at his death, left
considerable property; and soon after that event I married
to one of the wealthiest men of the age, who, when I had
lived with him a year, died, and I inherited from him eighty
thousand pieces of gold, the portion that fell to me accord-
ing to the law; with part of which I made for myself ten
suits of clothing, each of the value of a thousand pieces of
gold. And as I was sitting one day, there entered my
apartment an old woman, disgustingly ugly, who saluted
me, and said, I have an orphan daughter whose marriage I
am to celebrate this night, and I would have thee obtain a
reward and recompense in heaven by thy being present at
her nuptial festivity; for she is broken-hearted, having none
to befriend her but God, whose name be exalted. She then
wept, and kissed my feet; and, being moved with pity and
compassion, I assented, upon which she desired me to pre-
pare myself, telling me that she would come at the hour of
nightfall and take me; and so saying, she kissed my hand,
and departed.
I arose immediately, and attired myself, and when I had
completed my preparations, the old woman returned, saying,
O my mistress, the ladies of the city have arrived, and I
have informed them of thy coming, and they are waiting
with joy to receive thee: — so I put on my outer garments,
and, taking my female slaves with me, proceeded until we
arrived at a street in which a soft wind was delightfully
playing, where we saw a gateway over-arched with a marble
vault, admirably constructed, forming the entrance to a
palace which rose from the earth to the clouds. On our
arrival there, the old woman knocked at the door, and,
when it was opened, we entered a carpeted passage, illumi-
nated by lamps and candles, and decorated with jewels and
116 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
precious metals. Through this passage we passed into a
saloqn of unequalled magnificence, furnished with mattresses
covered with silk, lighted by hanging lamps and by candles,
and having, at its upper end, a couch of alabaster decorated
with pearls and jewels, and canopied by curtains of satin,
from which there came forth a lady beautiful as the moon,
who exclaimed to me, Most welcome art thou, O my sister:
thou delightest me by thy company, and refreshest my heart.
She then sat down again, and said to me, O my sister, I
have a brother who hath seen thee at a festivity: he is a
young man, more handsome than myself, and, his heart
being violently inflamed with love of thee, he hath bribed
this old woman to go to thee, and to employ this artifice in
order to obtain for me an interview with thee. He desireth
to marry thee according to the ordinance of God and his
Apostle, and in that which is lawful there is no disgrace. —
When I heard these words, and saw myself thus confined in
the house so that I could not escape, I replied, I hear, and
obey: — and the lady, rejoicing at my consent, clapped her
hands, and opened a door, upon which there came out from
it a young man so surpassingly handsome, that my heart
immediately inclined to him. No sooner had he sat down
than the Kadi and four witnesses entered, and saluted us,
and proceeded to perform the ceremony of the marriage-
contract between me and the young man ; which having
done, they departed; and when they had retired, the young
man looked towards me, and said, May our night be blessed.
He then informed me that he desired to impose a covenant
upon me, and, bringing a copy of the Kur'an, said, Swear
that thou wilt not indulge a preference, nor at all incline, to
any man but me: — and when I had sworn to this effect he
rejoiced exceedingly, and embraced me; and the love of
him took entire possession of my heart.
We lived together in the utmost happiness for the space
of a month, after which I begged that he would allow me
to go to the bazar, in order to purchase some stuffs for
dress, and, having obtained his permission, went thither in
company with the old woman, and seated myself at the shop
of a young merchant with whom she was acquainted, and
whose father, as she informed me, had died, and left him
THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD 117
great wealth. She desired him to shew me his most costly
stuffs; and while he was occupied in doing so, she began
to utter various flattering expressions in praise of him; but
I said to her, We have no concern with the praises that thou
bestowest upon him; we desire only to make our purchase,
and to return home. Meanwhile he produced to us what
we wanted, and we handed him the money: he refused,
however, to take it, saying, It is an offer of hospitality to
you for your visit this day: — whereupon I said to the old
woman, If he will not take the money, return to him his
stuff. But he would not receive it again, and exclaimed,
By Allah, I will take nothing from you : all this is a present
from me for a single kiss, which I shall value more than
the entire contents of my shop. — What will a kiss profit
thee? asked the old woman. Then, turning to me, she
said, O my daughter, thou hast heard what the youth hath
said: no harm will befall thee if he give thee a kiss, and
thou shalt take what thou wantest. — Dost thou not know,
said I, that I have taken an oath? She answered, Let him
kiss thee then without thy speaking, and so it will be of no
consequence to thee, and thou shalt take back thy money.
Thus she continued to palliate the matter until I put my
head (as it were) into the bag, and consented: so I covered
my eyes, and held the edge of my veil in such a manner
as to prevent the passengers from seeing me, whereupon he
put his mouth to my cheek beneath the veil, but instead of
merely kissing me, he lacerated my cheek by a violent bite.
I fell into a swoon from the pain, and the old woman laid
me on her lap till I recovered, when I found the shop closed,
and the old woman uttering expressions of grief, and saying,
What God hath averted would have been a greater calamity :
let us return home, and do thou feign to be ill, and I will
come to thee and apply a remedy that shall cure the wound,
and thou wilt quickly be restored.
After remaining there some time longer, I rose, and, in
a state of great uneasiness and fear, returned to the house,
and professed myself ill; upon which my husband came in
to me, and said, What hath befallen thee, O my mistress,
during this excursion? I answered, I am not well. — And
what is this wound, said he, that is upon thy cheek, and in
118 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
the soft part? I answered, When I asked thy permission,
and went out to-day to purchase some stuff for dress, a
camel loaded with firewood drove against me in the crowd,
and tore my veil, and wounded my cheek as thou seest, for
the streets of this city are narrow. — To-morrow, then, he
exclaimed, I will go to the governor, and make a complaint
to him, and he shall hang every seller of firewood in the
city. — By Allah, said I, burden not thyself by an injury to
any one; for the truth is, that I was riding upon an ass,
which took fright with me, and I fell upon the ground, and
a stick lacerated my cheek. — If it be so, then, he replied,
I will go to-morrow to Ja'far El-Barmeki, and relate the
matter to him, and he shall kill every ass-driver in this
city. — Wilt thou, said I, kill all those men on my account
when this which befell me was decreed by God? — Un-
doubtedly, he answered; and, so saying, he seized me
violently, and then sprang up, and uttered a loud cry, upon
which the door opened, and there came forth from it seven
black slaves, who dragged me from my bed, and threw me
down in the middle of the apartment ; whereupon he ordered
one of them to hold me by my shoulders, and to sit upon
my head; and another to sit upon my knees and to hold
my feet. A third then came, with a sword in his hand,
and said, O my lord, shall I strike her with the sword,
and cleave her in twain, that each of these may take a half
and throw it into the Tigris for the fish to devour? For
such is the punishment of her who is unfaithful to her oath
and to the laws of love. — My husband answered, Strike her
O Sa'ad: — And the slave, with the drawn sword in his hand,
said, Repeat the profession of the faith, and reflect what
thou wouldst have to be done, that thou mayest give thy
testamentary directions, for this is the end of thy life. — Good
slave, I replied, release me for a while that I may do so: —
and I raised my head, and weeping as I spoke, addressed
my husband with these verses : —
You render me lovelorn, and remain at ease. You make my
wounded eyelids to be restless, and you sleep.
Your abode is between my heart and my eyes ; and my heart will
not relinquish you, nor my tears conceal my passion.
THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD 119
You made a covenant with me that you would remain faithful ; but
when you had gained possession of my heart you deceived me.
Will you not pity my love for you and my moaning? Have you
yourself been secure from misfortunes?
I conjure you, by Allah, if I die, that you write upon my tomb-
stone, This was a slave of love.
That, perchance, some mourner who hath felt the same flame may
pass by the lover's grave, and pity her.
But on hearing these verses, and witnessing my weeping,
he became more incensed, and replied in the words of this
couplet : —
I reject not the beloved of my heart from weariness : her own guilty
conduct is the cause of her punishment.
She desired that another should share with me her love ; but the
faith of my heart inclineth not to partnership.
I continued to weep, and to endeavour to excite hi&
compassion, saying within myself, I will humble me before
him, and address him with soft words, that he may at least
refrain from killing me, though he take all that I possess ; —
but he cried out to the slave, Cleave her in twain; for she
is no longer of any value to us. — So the slave approached
me, and I now felt assured of my death, and committed
myself to God; but suddenly the old woman came and
threw herself at my husband's feet, and, kissing them,
exclaimed, O my son, by the care with which I nursed thee,
I conjure thee to pardon this damsel, for she hath com-
mitted no offence that deserveth such a punishment: thou
art young, and I fear the effect of the imprecations that she
may utter against thee: — and after she had thus addressed
him, she wept, and continued to importune him, until, at
length, he said, I pardon her, but must cause her to bear
upon her person such marks of her offence as shall last for
the remainder of her life. So saying he commanded the
slaves to strip off my vest, and, taking a stick cut from a
quince-tree, he beat me upon my back and my sides until
I became insensible from the violence of the blows, and
despaired of my life. He then ordered the slaves to take
me away as soon as it was night, accompanied by the old
woman, and throw me into my house in which I formerly
resided. They accordingly executed their lord's commands,
120 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
and when they had deposited me in my house, I applied
myself to the healing of my wounds; but, after I had cured
myself, my sides still bore the appearance of having been
beaten with mikra'ahs. I continued to apply remedies for
four months before I was restored, and then repaired to
view the house in which this event had happened; but I
found it reduced to ruin, and the whole street pulled down;
the site of the house I found occupied by mounds of rubbish,
and I knew not the cause.
Under these circumstances, I went to reside with this
my sister, who is of the same father as myself, and I found
with her these two bitches. Having saluted her, I informed
her of all that had befallen me; to which she replied, Who
is secure from the afflictions of fortune? Praise be to God
who terminated the affair with safety to thy life ! — She then
related to me her own story, and that of her two sisters, and
I remained with her, and neither of us ever mentioned the
subject of marriage. Afterwards we were joined by this our
other sister, the cateress, who every day goes out to purchase
for us whatever we happen to want.
The Khalifeh was astonished at this story, and ordered
it to be recorded in a book, as ~n authentic history, and
deposited the book in his library. And he said to the first
lady, Knowest thou where the Jinniyeh who enchanted thy
sister is to be found? She answered, O Prince of the
Faithful, she gave me a lock of her hair, and said, When thou
desirest my presence, burn a few of these hairs, and I will
be with thee quickly, though I should be beyond Mount
Kaf. — Bring then the hair, said the Khalifeh. The lady,
therefore, produced it; and the Khalifeh, taking it, burned
a portion of it, and when the odour had diffused itself, the
palace shook, and they heard a sound of thunder, and lo,
the Jinniyeh appeared before them. She was a Muslimeh,
and therefore greeted the Khalifeh by saying, Peace be on
thee, O Khalifeh of God ! — to which he replied, On you be
peace, and the mercy of God, and his blessings ! 13 She then
said, Know that this lady hath conferred on me a benefit
for which I am unable to requite her; for she rescued me
from death, by killing my enemy; and I, having seen
14 This salutation and its reply are to be given only to and by Muslims.
THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD 121
what her sisters had done to her, determined to take
vengeance upon them; therefore I transformed them by
enchantment into two bitches; and, indeed, I had wished
rather to kill them, fearing lest they should trouble her;
but now, if thou desire their restoration, O Prince of the
Faithful, I will restore them, as a favour to thee and to her;
for I am one of the true believers. — Do so, said the
Khalifeh; and then we will enter upon the consideration
of the affair of the lady who hath been beaten, and examine
her case, and if her veracity be established, I will take
vengeance for her upon him who hath oppressed her. The
Jinniyeh replied, O Prince of the Faithful, I will guide thee
to the discovery of him who acted thus to this lady, and
oppressed her, and took her property: he is thy nearest
relation. She then took a cup of water, and, having pro-
nounced a spell over it, sprinkled the faces of the two
bitches, saying, Be restored to your original human forms!
— whereupon they became again two young ladies. — Extolled
be the perfection of their Creator ! Having done this, the
Jinniyeh said, O Prince of the Faithful, he who beat the
lady is thy son El-Emin, who had heard of her beauty and
loveliness: — and she proceeded to relate what had happened.
The Khalifeh was astonished, and exclaimed, Praise be to
God for the restoration of these two bitches which hath been
effected through my means ! — and immediately he summoned
before him his son El-Emin, and inquired of him the history
of the lady; and he related to him the truth. He then
sent for Kadis and witnesses, and the first lady and her two
sisters who had been transformed into bitches he married
to the three mendicants who had related that they were the
sons of Kings; and these he made chamberlains of his
court, appointing them all that they required, and allotting
them apartments in the palace of Baghdad. The lady who
had been beaten he restored to his son El-Emin, giving her
a large property, and ordering that the house should be
rebuilt in a more handsome style. Lastly, the lady cateress
he took as his own wife; he admitted her at once to his
own apartment, and, on the following day, he appointed
her a separate lodging for herself, with female slaves to wait
upon her: he also allotted to her a regular income; and
afterwards built for her a palace.
[Nights 24 — 32]
The Story of the Humpback
THERE was, in ancient times, in the city of El-Basrah, a
tailor who enjoyed an ample income, and was fond of
sport and merriment. He was in the habit of going out
occasionally with his wife, that they might amuse themselves
with strange and diverting scenes; and one day they went
forth in the afternoon, and, returning home in the evening,
met a humpbacked man, whose aspect was such as to excite
laughter in the angry, and to dispel anxiety and grief: so
they approached him to enjoy the pleasure of gazing at him,
and invited him to return with them to their house, and to
join with them in a carousal that night.
He assented to their proposal; and after he had gone
with them to the house, the tailor went out to the market;
night having then approached. He bought some fried fish,
and bread and limes and sweetmeat, and, returning with
them, placed the fish before the humpback, and they sat
down to eat; and the tailor's wife took a large piece of fish,
and crammed the humpback with it, and, closing his mouth
with her hand, said, By Allah, thou shalt not swallow it but
by gulping it at once, and I will not give thee time to chew
it. He therefore swallowed it ; but it contained a large and
sharp bone, which stuck across in his throat, his destiny
having so determined, and he expired. The tailor exclaimed,
There is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the
Great! Alas, that this poor creature should not have died
but in this manner by our hands! — Wherefore this idling?
exclaimed the woman. — And what can I do? asked her hus-
band. — Arise, she answered, and take him in thy bosom, and
cover him with a silk napkin : I will go out first, and do thou
follow me, this very night, and say, This is my son, and this
122
THE HUMPBACK 123
is his mother; and we are going to convey him to the
physician, that he may give him some medicine.
No sooner had the tailor heard these words than he arose,
and took the humpback in his bosom. His wife, accompany-
ing him, exclaimed, O my child! may Allah preserve thee!
Where is the part in which thou feelest pain; and where
hath this small-pox attacked thee? — So every one who saw
them said, They are conveying a child smitten with the
small-pox. Thus they proceeded, inquiring, as they went,
for the abode of the physician ; and the people directed them
to the house of a physician who was a Jew; and they
knocked at the door, and there came down to them a black
slave-girl, who opened the door, and beheld a man carrying
(as she imagined) a child, and attended by its mother; and
she said, What is your business? — We have a child here,
answered the tailor's wife, and \ve want the physician to see
him: take, then, this quarter of a piece of gold, and give it
to thy master, and let him come down and see my son; for
he is ill. The girl, therefore, went up, and the tailor's wife,
entering the vestibule, said to her husband, Leave the hump-
back here, and let us take ourselves away. And the tailor,
accordingly, set him up against the wall, and went out with
his wife.
The slave-girl, meanwhile, went in to the Jew, and said
to him, Below, in the house, is a sick person, with a woman
and a man: and they have given me a quarter of a piece of
gold for thee, that thou mayest prescribe for them what may
suit his case. And when the Jew saw the quarter of a piece
of gold, he rejoiced, and, rising in haste, went down in the
dark: and in doing so, his foot struck against the lifeless
humpback. O Ezra ! he exclaimed — O Heavens and the Ten
Commandments ! O Aaron, and Joshua son of Nun ! It
seemeth that I have stumbled against this sick person, and
he hath fallen down the stairs and died! And how shall I
go forth with one killed from my house ? O Ezra's ass J 1
1 'Ozeyr, or Ezra, " riding on an ass by the ruins of Jerusalem, after it
had been destroyed by the Chaldeans, doubted in his mind by what means
God could raise the city and its inhabitants again; whereupon God caused
him to die, and he remained in that condition a hundred years; at the end
of which God restored him to life, and he found a basket of figs and a
cruse of wine he had with him, not in the least spoiled or corrupted, but
bis ass was dead, the bones only remaining; and these, while the Prophet
124 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
— He then raised him, and took him up from the court of
the house to his wife, and acquainted her with the accident.
— And why sittest thou here idle? said she; for if thou
remain thus until daybreak our lives will be lost: let me
and thee, then, take him up to the terrace, and throw him
into the house of our neighbour the Muslim; for he is the
steward of the Sultan's kitchen, and often do the cats come
to his house, and eat of the food which they find there; as
do the mice too; and if he remain there for a night, the
dogs will come down to him from the terraces and eat him
up entirely. So the Jew and his wife went up, carrying the
humpback, and let him down by his hands and feet to the
pavement ; placing him against the wall ; which having done,
they descended.
Not long had the humpback been thus deposited when the
steward returned to his house, and opened the door, and,
going up with a lighted candle in his hand, found a son of
Adam standing in the corner next the kitchen; upon which
he exclaimed, What is this? By Allah, the thief that hath
stolen our goods is none other than a son of Adam, who
taketh what he findeth of flesh or grease, even though I
keep it concealed from the cats and the dogs; and if I
killed all the cats and dogs of the quarter it would be of no
use ; for he cometh down from the terraces ! — And so saying,
he took up a great mallet, and struck him with it, and then,
drawing close to him, gave him a second blow with it upon
the chest, when the humpback fell down, and he found that
he was dead; whereupon he grieved, and said, There is no
strength nor power but in God ! And he feared for himself,
and exclaimed, Curse upon the grease and the flesh, and
upon this night, in which the destiny of this, man hath been
accomplished by my hand! Then, looking upon him, and
perceiving that he was a humpback, he said, Is it not enough
that thou art humpbacked, but must thou also be a robber,
and steal the flesh and the grease? O Protector, cover me
with thy gracious shelter ! — And he lifted him upon his
shoulders, and descended, and went forth from the house,
towards the close of the night, and stopped not until he
looked on* were raised and cloathed with flesh, becoming an ass again,
which, being inspired with life, began immediately to bray." — Sale's Koran,
ch. ii., note [p. 3 it ed. 1734].
THE HUMPBACK 125
had conveyed him to the commencement of the market-
street, where he placed him upon his feet by the side of a
shop at the entrance of a lane, and there left him and retired.
Soon after there came a Christian, the Sultan's broker,
who, in a state of intoxication, had come forth to visit the
bath; and he advanced staggering, until he drew near to
the humpback, when he turned his eyes, and beheld one
standing by him. Now, some persons had snatched off his
turban early in the night, and when he saw the humpback
standing there, he concluded that he intended to do the
same; so he clenched his fist, and struck him on the neck.
Down fell the humpback upon the ground, and the Christian
called out to the watchman of the market, while, still in the
excess of his intoxication, he continued beating the hump-
back, and attempting to throttle him. As he was thus em-
ployed, the watchman came, and, finding the Christian
kneeling upon the Muslim and beating him, said, Arise, and
quit him ! He arose, therefore, and the watchman, approach-
ing the humpback, saw that he was dead, and exclaimed,
How is that the Christian dareth to kill the Muslim?
Then seizing the Christian, he bound his hands behind him,
and took him to the house of the Wali f the Christian saying
within himself, O Heavens ! O Virgin ! how have I killed
this man? and how quickly did he die from a blow of the
hand! — Intoxication had departed, and reflection had come.
The humpback and the Christian passed the remainder
of the night in the house of the Wali, and the Wali ordered
the executioner to proclaim the Christian's crime, and he
set up a gallows, and stationed him beneath it. The execu-
tioner then came, and threw the rope round his neck, and
was about to hang him, w T hen the Sultan's steward pushed
through the crowd, seeing the Christian standing beneath
the gallows, and the people made way for him, and he said
to the executioner, Do it not, for it was I who killed him. —
Wherefore didst thou kill him? said the Wali. He answered,
I went into my house last night, and saw that he had de-
scended from the terrace and stolen my goods; so I struck
him with a mallet upon his chest, and he died, and I carried
him out, and conveyed him to the market-street, where I set
8 Chief police magistrate.
126 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
him up in such a place, at the entrance of such a lane. Is
it not enough for me to have killed a Muslim, that a Chris-
tian should be killed on my account? Hang, then, none
but me. — The Wali, therefore, when he heard these words,
liberated the Christian broker, and said to the executioner,
Hang this man, on the ground of his confession. And he
took off the rope from the neck of the Christian, and put
it round the neck of the steward, and having stationed him
beneath the gallows, was about to hang him, when the
Jewish physician pushed through the crowd, and called out
to the executioner, saying to him, Do it not ; for none killed
him but I ; and the case was this : he came to my house to be
cured of a disease, and as I descended to him I struck against
him with my foot, and he died: kill not the steward, there-
fore; but kill me. So the Wali gave orders to hang the
Jewish physician; and the executioner took off the rope
from the steward's neck, and put it round the neck of the
Jew. But, lo, the tailor came, and, forcing his way among
the people, said to the executioner, Do it not ; for none killed
him but I; and it happened thus: I was out amusing myself
during the day, and as I was returning at the commencement
of the night, I met this humpback in a state of intoxication,
with a tambourine, and singing merrily; and I stopped to
divert myself by looking at him, and took him to my house.
I then bought some fish, and we sat down to eat, and my
wife took a piece of fish and a morsel of bread, and crammed
them into his mouth, and he was choked, and instantly died.
Then I and my wife took him to the house of the Jew, and
the girl came down and opened the door, and while she
went up to her master, I set up the humpback by the stairs,
and went away with my wife : so, when the Jew came down
and stumbled against him, he thought that he had killed him.
— And he said to the Jew, Is this true? He answered, Yes.
The tailor, then looking towards the Wali, said to him,
Liberate the Jew, and hang me. And when the Wali heard
this he was astonished at the case of the humpback, and
said, Verily this is an event that should be recorded in
books ! And he said to the executioner, Liberate the Jew,
and hang the tailor on account of his own confession. So
the executioner led him forward, saying, Dost thou put for-
THE CHRISTIAN BROKER 127
ward this and take back that; and shall we not hang one?
And he put the rope round the neck of the tailor.
Now the humpback was the Sultan's buffoon, and the
Sultan could not bear him to be out of his sight; and when
the humpback had got drunk, and been absent that night and
the next day until noon, the King inquired respecting him
of some of his attendants, and they answered him, O our
lord, the Wali hath taken him forth dead, and gave orders
to hang the person who killed him, and there came a second
and a third person, each saying, None killed him but I: —
and describing to the Wali the cause of his killing him.
When the King, therefore, heard this, he called out to the
Chamberlain, and said to him, Go down to the Wali, and
bring them all hither before me. So the Chamberlain went
down, and found that the executioner had almost put to
death the tailor, and he called out to him, saying, Do it
not : — and informed the Wali that the case had been reported
to the King. And he took him, and the humpback borne
with him, and the tailor and the Jew and the Christian and
the steward, and went up with them all to the King; and
when the Wali came into the presence of the King, he kissed
the ground, and related to him all that had happened, And
the King was astonished, and was moved with merriment,
at hearing this tale; and he commanded that it should be
written in letters of gold. He then said to those who were
present, Have ye ever heard anything like the story of this
humpback? And upon this the Christian advanced, and
said, O King of the age, if thou permit me I will relate to
thee an event that hath occurred to me more wonderful and
strange and exciting than the story of the humpback. — Tell
us then thy story, said the King. And the Christian related
as follows: —
The Story Told by the Christian Broker
Know, O King of the age, that I came to this country
with merchandise, and destiny stayed me among your people.
I was born in Cairo, and am one of its Copts, and there I
was brought up. My father was a broker ; and when I had
attained to manhood, he died, and I succeeded to his busi*
128 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
ness; and as I was sitting one day, lo, a young man of most
handsome aspect, and clad in a dress of the richest descrip-
tion, came to me, riding upon an ass, and when he saw me,
saluted me; whereupon I rose to him, to pay him honour,
and he produced a handkerchief containing some sesame, and
said, What is the value of an ardebb 3 of this? I answered
him, A hundred pieces of silver. And he said to me, Take
the carriers and the measurers, and repair to the Khan of
El-Jawali in the district of Bab en-Nasr: 4 there wilt thou
find me. And he left me and went his way, after having
given me the handkerchief with the sample of the sesame.
So I went about to the purchasers ; and the price of each
ardebb amounted to a hundred and twenty pieces of silver;
and I took with me four carriers, and went to him. I found
him waiting my arrival; and when he saw me he rose and
opened a magazine, and we measured its contents, and the
whole amounted to fifty ardebbs. The young man then said,
Thou shalt have, for every ardebb, ten pieces of silver as
brokerage; and do thou receive the price and keep it in thy
care : the whole sum will be five thousand ; and thy share of
it, five hundred: so there will remain for me four thousand
and five hundred; and when I shall have finished the sale of
the goods contained in my store-room, I will come to thee
and receive it. I replied, It shall be as thou desirest. And
I kissed his hand, and left him. Thus there accrued to me,
on that day, a thousand pieces of silver, [besides my
brokerage.]
He was absent from me a month, at the expiration of
which he came and said to me, Where is the money? I
answered, Here it is, ready. And he said, Keep it until I
come to thee to receive it. And I remained expecting him;
but he was absent from me another month; after which he
came again, and said, Where is the money? Whereupon I
arose and saluted him, and said to him, Wilt thou eat some-
thing with us? He, however, declined, and said, Keep the
money until I shall have gone and returned to receive it
3 In Cairo, nearly five bushels.
4 " Gate of Victory or of Aid:" the easternmost of the northern gates of
Cairo built in 1088. The Khan referred to is mentioned by El-Makrizi as
being situated at a short distance within the present gate and by the site
of the older gate of the same name, and as existing in his time [141 7].
THE CHRISTIAN BROKER 129
from thee. He then departed; and I arose, and prepared
for him the money, and sat expecting him; but again he
absented himself from me for a month, and then came and
said, After this day I will receive it from thee. And he
departed, and I made ready the money for him as before, and
sat waiting his return. Again, however, he remained a
month absent from me, and I said within myself, Verily this
young man is endowed with consummate liberality ! After
the month he came, attired in rich clothing, and resembling
the full moon, appearing as if he had just come out of the
bath, with red cheek and -fair forehead, and a mole like a
globule of ambergris. When I beheld him I kissed his hand,
and invoked a blessing upon him, and said to him, O my
master, wilt thou not take thy money? — Have patience with
me, he answered, until I shall have transacted all my affairs,
after which I will receive it from thee. And so saying, he
departed; and I said within myself, By Allah, when he cometh
I will entertain him as a guest, on account of the profit which
I have derived from his money; for great wealth hath ac-
crued to me from it.
At the close of the year he returned, clad in a dress richer
than the former; and I swore to him that he should alight
to be my guest. — On the condition, he replied, that thou ex-
pend nothing of my money that is in thy possession. I said,
Well: — and, having seated him, prepared what was requisite
of meats and drinks and other provisions, and placed them
before him, saying, In the name of Allah ! And he drew near
to the table, and put forth his left hand, and thus ate with me :
so I was surprised at him; 5 and when we had finished he
washed his hand, and I gave him a napkin with which to
wipe it. We then sat down to converse, and I said, O my
master, dispel a trouble from my mind. Wherefore didst thou
eat with thy left hand? Probably something paineth thee in
thy right hand ? — On hearing these words, he stretched forth
his arm from his sleeve, and behold, it was maimed — an arm
without a hand ! And I wondered at this ; but he said to me,
Wonder not; nor say in thy heart that I ate with thee with
my left hand from a motive of self-conceit ; for rather to be
wondered at is the cause of the cutting off of my right hand,
5 The Arabs consider it indecorous to eat with the left hand.
HC XVI — E
130 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
And what, said I, was the cause of it? He answered
thus : —
Know that I am from Baghdad : my father was one of the
chief people of that city ; and when I had attained the age of
manhood, I heard the wanderers and travellers and merchants
conversing respecting the land of Egypt, and their words re-
mained in my heart until my father died, when I took large
sums of money, and prepared merchandise consisting of the
stuffs of Baghdad and of El-Mosil, and similar precious
goods, and, having packed them up, journeyed from Baghdad;
and God decreed me safety until I entered this your city.
And so saying, he wept, and repeated these verses: —
The blear-eyed escapeth a pit into which the clear-sighted falleth;
And the ignorant, an expression by which the shrewd sage is ruined.
The believer can scarce earn his food, while the impious infidel is
favoured.
What art or act can a man devise? It is what the Almighty
appointeth !
I entered Cairo, continued the young man, and deposited
the stuffs in the Khan of Mesrur,* and, having unbound my
packages and put them in the magazines, gave to the ser-
vant some money to buy for us something to eat, after which
I slept a little ; and when I arose, I went to Beyn el-Kasreyn.
I then returned, and passed the night; and in the morning
following, I opened a bale of stuff, and said within myself,
I will arise and go through some of the market-streets, and
see the state of the mart. So I took some stuff, and made
some of my servants carry it, and proceeded until I arrived
at the Keysariyeh 7 of Jaharkas, where the brokers came to me,
having heard of my arrival, and took from me the stuff, and
cried it about for sale; but the price bidden amounted not to
the prime cost. And upon this the Sheykh of the brokers
said to me, O my master, I know a plan by which thou mayest
profit; and it is this: that thou do as other merchants, and
sell thy merchandise upon credit for a certain period, employ-
ing a scrivener and a witness and a money-changer, and re-
ceive a portion of the profits every Thursday and Monday ; so
shalt thou make of every piece of silver two; and besides that,
e [In the Beyn el-Kasreyn or " Betwixt the Palaces," by the present Suk
en-Nahhasin. See Lane-Poole, Story of Cairo (1902), pp. 266-270.]
7 A superior kind of suk or market.
THE CHRISTIAN BROKER 131
thou wilt be able to enjoy the amusements afforded by Egypt
and its Nile. — The advice is judicious, I replied: and accord-
ingly I took the brokers with me to the Khan, and they con-
veyed the stuffs to the Keysariyeh, where I sold it to the
merchants, writing a bond in their names, which I committed
to the money-changer, and taking from him a corresponding
bond. I then returned to the Khan, and remained there some
days; and every day I took for my breakfast a cup of wine,
and had mutton and sweetmeats prepared for me, until the
month in which I became entitled to the receipt of the profits,
when I seated myself every Thursday and Monday at the
shops of the merchants, and the money-changer went with
the scrivener and brought me the money.
Thus did I until one day I went to the bath and returned
to the Khan, and, entering my lodging, took for my break-
fast a cup of wine, and then slept; and when I awoke I ate
a fowl, and perfumed myself with essence, and repaired to
the shop of a merchant named Bedr-ed-Din the Gardener,
who, when he saw me, welcomed me, and conversed with
me a while in his shop; and as we were thus engaged, lo, a
female came and seated herself by my side. She wore a
headkerchief inclined on one side, and the odours of sweet
perfumes were diffused from her, and she captivated my
reason by her beauty and loveliness as she raised her izar
and I beheld her black eyes. She saluted Bedr-ed-Din, and
he returned her salutation, and stood conversing with her;
and when I heard her speech, love for her took entire pos-
session of my heart. She then said to Bedr-ed-Din, Hast
thou a piece of stuff woven with pure gold thread? And he
produced to her a piece ; and she said, May I take it and go,
and then send thee the price? But he answered, It is im-
possible, O my mistress; for this is the owner of the stuff,
and I owe him a portion of the profit. — Woe to thee ! said she :
it is my custom to take of thee each piece of stuff for a con-
siderable sum of money, giving thee a gain beyond thy wish,
and then to send thee the price. — Yes, he rejoined; but I am
in absolute want of the price this day. And upon this she
took the piece and threw it back to him upon his breast, say-
ing, Verily your class knows not how to respect any person's
rank! And she arose, and turned away. I felt then as if
132 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
my soul went with her, and, rising upon my feet, I said to
her, O my mistress, kindly bestow a look upon me, and retrace
thine honoured steps. And she returned, and smiled and said,
For thy sake I return. And she sat opposite me upon the seat
of the shop; and I said to Bedr-ed-Din, What is the price that
thou hast agreed to give for this piece ? He answered, Eleven
hundred pieces of silver. And I said to him, Thy profit shall
be a hundred pieces of silver: give me then a paper, and I
will write for thee the price upon it. I then took the piece of
stuff from him, and wrote him the paper with my own hand,
and gave the piece of stuff to the lady, saying to her, Take
it and go; and if thou wilt, bring the price to me in the
market; or, if thou wilt, it shall be my present to thee. She
replied, God recompense thee, and bless thee with my prop-
erty, and make thee my husband; and may God accept this
prayer ! — O my mistress, said I, let this piece of stuff be thine,
and another like it, and permit me to see thy face. And upon
this she raised her veil; and when I beheld her face, the
sight drew from me a thousand sighs, and my heart was en-
tangled by her love, so that I no longer remained master of
my reason. She then lowered the veil again, and took the
piece of stuff, saying, O my master, leave me not desolate.
So she departed, while I continued sitting in the market-
street until past the hour of afternoon-prayer, with wandering
mind, overpowered by love. In the excess of my passion,
before I rose I asked the merchant respecting her; and he
answered me, She is a rich lady, the daughter of a deceased
Emir, who left her great property.
I then took leave of him, and returned to the Khan, and
the supper was placed before me; but, reflecting upon her,
I could eat nothing. I laid myself down to rest; but sleep
came not to me, and I remained awake until the morning,
when I arose and put on a suit of clothing different from
that which I had worn the day before; and, having drunk
a cup of wine, and eaten a few morsels as my breakfast,
repaired again to the shop of the merchant, and saluted him,
and sat down with him. The lady soon came, wearing a
dress more rich than the former, and attended by a slave-
girl; and she seated herself, and saluted me instead of
Bedr-ed-Din, and said, with an eloquent tongue which I had
THE CHRISTIAN BROKER 133
never heard surpassed in softness or sweetness, Send with me
some one to receive the twelve hundred pieces of silver, the
price of the piece of stuff. — Wherefore, said I, this haste?
She replied, May we never lose thee ! And she handed to
me the price ; and I sat conversing with her, and made a sign
to her, which she understood, intimating my wish to visit
her: whereupon she rose in haste, expressing displeasure at
my hint. My heart clung to her, and I followed in the direc-
tion of her steps through the market-street; and lo, a slave-
girl came to me, and said, O my master, answer the summons
of my mistress. Wondering at this, I said, No~ one here
knoweth me. — How soon, she rejoined, hast thou forgotten
her ! My mistress is she who was to-day at the shop of the
merchant Bedr-ed-Din. — So I went with her until we arrived
at the money-changer's; and when her mistress, who was
there, beheld me, she drew me to her side, and said, O my
beloved, thou hast wounded my heart, and love of thee hath
taken possession of it; and from the time that I first saw
thee, neither sleep nor food nor drink hath been pleasant to
me. I replied, And more than that do I feel ; and the state in
which I am needs no complaint to testify it. — Then shall 'I
visit thee, O my beloved, she asked, or wilt thou come to me ?
[For our marriage must be a secret.] — I am a stranger, I an-
swered, and have no place of reception but the Khan; there-
fore, if thou wilt kindly permit me to go to thine abode, the
pleasure will be perfect. — Well, she replied; but to-night is
the eve of Friday, and let nothing be done till to-morrow,
when, after thou hast joined in the prayers, do thou mount
thine ass, and inquire for the Habbaniyeh; and when thou
hast arrived there, ask for the house called the Ka'ah of
Barakat the Nakib, 8 known by the surname of Abu-Shameh;
for there do I reside ; and delay not ; for I shall be anxiously
expecting thee.
On hearing this I rejoiced exceedingly, and we parted; and
I returned to the Khan in which I lodged. I passed the whole
night sleepless, and was scarcely sure that the daybreak had
appeared when I rose and changed my clothes, and, having
perfumed myself with essences and sweet scents, took with
me fifty pieces of gold in a handkerchief, and walked from the
8 Chief.
134 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
Khan of Mesrur to Bab Zuweyleh, 9 where I mounted an ass,
and said to its owner, Go with me to the Habbaniyeh. And in
less than the twinkling of an eye he set off, and soon he
stopped at a by-street called Darb El-Munakkiri, when I said
to him, Enter the street, and inquire for the Ka'ah of the
Nakib. He was absent but a little while, and, returning, said,
Alight. — Walk on before me, said I, to the Ka'ah. And he
went on until he had led me to the house ; whereupon I said
to him, To-morrow come to me hither to convey me back. —
In the name of Allah, he replied: and I handed to him a
quarter of a piece of gold, and he took it and departed. I
then knocked at the door, and there came forth to me two
young virgins in whom the forms of womanhood had just
developed themselves, resembling two moons, and they said,
Enter; for our mistress is expecting thee, and she hath not
slept last night from her excessive love for thee. I entered
an upper saloon with seven doors: around it were latticed
windows looking upon a garden in which were fruits of every
kind, and running streams and singing birds : it was plastered
with imperial gypsum, in which a man might see his face
reflected: its roof was ornamented with gilding, and sur-
rounded by inscriptions in letters of gold upon a ground of
ultramarine: it comprised a variety of beauties, and shone
in the eyes of beholders: the pavement was of coloured
marbles, having in the midst of it a fountain, with four
snakes of red gold casting forth water from their mouths
like pearls and jewels at the corners of the pool; and it was
furnished with carpets of coloured silk, and mattresses.
Having entered, I seated myself; and scarcely had I done
so when the lady approached me. She wore a crown set with
pearls and jewels; her hands and feet were stained with
henna; and her bosom was ornamented with gold. As soon
as she betield me she smiled in my face, and embraced me,
saying, Is it true that thou hast come to me, or is this a
dream? — I am thy slave, I answered; and she said, Thou art
welcome. Verily, from the time when I first saw thee,
neither sleep hath been sweet to me nor hath food been
pleasant! — In such case have / been, I replied; — and we sat
down to converse; but I hung down my head towards the
9 Or Zawileh, the southern gate of (the original) Cairo.
THE CHRISTIAN BROKER 135
ground, in bashfulness; and not long had I thus remained
when a repast was placed before me, consisting of the most
exquisite dishes, as fricandoes and hashes and stuffed fowls.
I ate with her until we were satisfied ; when they brought the
basin and ewer, and I washed my hands; after which we
perfumed ourselves with rose-water infused with mUsk, and
sat down again to converse; expressing to each other our
mutual passion; and her love took such possession of me
that all the wealth I possessed seemed worthless in comparison.
In this manner we continued to enjoy ourselves until, night
approaching, the female slaves brought supper and wine, a
complete service ; and we drank until midnight. Never in my
life had I passed such a night. And when morning came, I
arose, and, having thrown to her the handkerchief containing
the pieces of gold, I took leave of her and went out; but as I
did so she wept, and said, O my master, when shall I see
again this lovely face? I answered her, I will be with thee
at the commencement of the night. And when I went forth,
I found the owner of the ass, who had brought me the day
before, waiting for me at the door; and I mounted, and re-
turned with him to the Khan of Mesrur, where I alighted,
and gave to him half a piece of gold, saying to him, Come
hither at sunset. He replied, On the head be thy command.
I entered the Khan, and ate my breakfast, and then went
forth to collect the price of my stuffs ; after which I returned.
I had prepared for my wife a roasted lamb, and purchased
some sweetmeat; and I now called the porter, described to
him the house, and gave him his hire. Having done this, I
occupied myself again with my business until sunset, when
the owner of the ass came, and I took fifty pieces of gold,
and put them into a handkerchief. Entering the house, I
found that they had wiped the marble and polished the vessels
of copper and brass, and filled the lamps and lighted the
candles, and dished the supper and strained the wine; and
when my wife saw me, she threw her arms around my neck,
and said, Thou hast made me desolate by thine absence !
The tables were then placed before us, and we ate until we
were satisfied, and the slave-girls took away the first table,
and placed before us the wine; and we sat drinking, and
eating of the dried fruits, and making merry, until midnight.
136 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
We then slept until morning, when I arose and handed her
the fifty pieces of gold as before, and left her.
Thus I continued to do for a long time, until I passed
the night and awoke possessing not a piece of silver nor one
of gold ; and I said within myself, This is of the work of the
Devil ! And I repeated these verses : —
Poverty causeth the lustre of a man to grow dim, like the yellow-
ness of the setting sun.
When absent, he is not remembered among mankind; and when
present, he shareth not their pleasures.
In the market-streets he shunneth notice; and in desert places he
poureth forth his tears.
By Allah ! a man, among his own relations, when afflicted with
poverty, is as a stranger !
With these reflections I walked forth into Beyn el-Kasreyn,
and proceeded thence to Bab Zuweyleh, where I found the
people crowding together, so that the gate was stopped up
by their number ; and, as. destiny willed, I saw there a trooper,
and, unintentionally pressing against him, my hand came in
contact with his pocket, and I felt it, and found that it con-
tained a purse; and I caught hold of the purse, and took it
from his pocket. But the trooper felt that his pocket was
lightened, and, putting his hand into it, found nothing; upon
which he looked aside at me, and raised his hand with the
mace, and struck me upon my head. I fell to the ground,
and the people surrounded us, and seized the bridle of the
trooper's horse, saying, On account of the crowd dost thou
strike this young man such a blow? But he called out to them
and said, This is a robber ! On hearing this I feared. The
people around me said, This is a comely young man, and hath
taken nothing. While some, however, believed this, others
disbelieved; and after many words, the people dragged me
along, desiring to liberate me : but, as it was predestined, there
came at this moment the Wali and other magistrates entering
the gate, and, seeing the people surrounding me and the
trooper, the Wali said, What is the news? The trooper an-
swered, By Allah, O Emir, this is a robber: I had in my
pocket a blue purse containing twenty pieces of gold ; and he
took it while I was pressed by the crowd. — Was any one with
thee? asked the Wali. The trooper answered, No. And the
THE CHRISTIAN BROKER 137
Wali called out to the chief of his servants, saying, Seize him
and search him. So he seized me; and protection was with-
drawn from me; and the Wali said to him, Strip him of all
that is upon him. And when he did so, they found the purse
in my clothes: and the Wali, taking it, counted the money,
and found it to be twenty pieces of gold, as the trooper had
said ; whereupon he was enraged, and called out to his attend-
ants, saying, Bring him forward. They, therefore, brought
me before him, and he said to me, O young man, tell the
truth. Didst thou steal this purse? — And I hung down my
head towards the ground, saying within myself, If I answer
that I did not steal it, it will be useless, for he hath produced
it from my clothes ; and if I say I stole it, I fall into trouble.
I then raised my head, and said, Yes, I took it. And when
the Wali heard these words, he wondered, and called wit-
nesses, who presented themselves, and gave their testimony
to my confession. — All this took place at Bab Zuweyleh. —
The Wali then ordered the executioner to cut off my hand;
and he cut of my right hand; but the heart of the trooper
was moved with compassion for me, and he interceded for
me that I should not be killed: so the Wali left me and de-
parted. The people however continued around me, and gave
me to drink a cup of wine; and the trooper gave me the
purse, saying, Thou art a comely youth, and it is not fit that
thou shouldst be a thief. And I took it from him, and
addressed him with these verses : —
By Allah ! good sir, I was not a robber ; nor was I a thief, O best
of mankind !
But fortune's vicissitudes overthrew me suddenly, and anxiety and
trouble and poverty overpowered me.
I cast it not; but it was the Deity who cast an arrow that threw
down the kingly diadem from my head.
The trooper then left me and departed, after having given
me the purse, and I went my way; but first I wrapped my
hand in a piece of rag, and put it in my bosom. My condition
thus altered, and my countenance pallid in consequence of my
sufferings, I walked to the Ka'ah, and, in a disordered state of
mind, threw myself upon the bed. My wife, seeing my com-
plexion thus changed, said to me, What hath pained thee, and
wherefore do I see thee thus altered? I answered her, M)fl
138 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
head acheth, and I am not well. And on hearing this she
was vexed, and became ill on my account, and said, Burn
not my heart, O my master ! Sit up, and raise thy head, and
tell me what hath happened to thee this day; for I read a
tale in thy face. — Abstain from speaking to me, I replied.
And she wept, and said, it seemeth that thou art tired of
us ; for I see thee to be conducting thyself in a manner con-
trary to thy usual habit. Then she wept again, and continued
addressing me, though I made her no reply, until the approach
of night, when she placed some food before me; but I ab-
stained from it, fearing that she should see me eat with my
left hand, and said, I have no desire to eat at present. She
then said again, Tell me what hath happened to thee this
day, and wherefore I see thee anxious and broken-hearted. I
answered, I will presently tell thee at my leisure. And she
put the wine towards me, saying, Take it; for it will dispel
thine anxiety ; and thou must drink, and tell me thy story. I
replied, therefore, If it must be so, give me to drink with thy
hand. And she filled a cup and drank it; and then filled it
again and handed it to me, and I took it from her with my
left hand, and, while tears ran from my eyes, I repeated these
verses : —
When God willeth an event to befall a man who is endowed with
reason and hearing and sight,
He deafeneth his ears, and blindeth his heart, and draweth his
reason from him as a hair.
Till, having fulfilled his purpose against him, He restoreth him his
reason that he may be admonished.
Having thus said, I wept again; and when she saw me
do so, she uttered a loud cry, and said, What is the reason
of thy weeping? Thou hast burned my heart! And where-
fore didst thou take the cup with thy left hand? — I answered
her, I have a boil upon my right hand. — Then put it forth,
said she, that I may open it for thee. — It is not yet, I replied,
the proper time for opening it; and continue not to ask me;
for I will not put it forth at present. I then drank the con-
tents of the cup, and she continued to hand me the wine until
intoxication overcame me, and I fell asleep in the place
where I was sitting ; upon which she discovered that my right
THE CHRISTIAN BROKER 139
arm was without a hand, and, searching me, saw the purse
containing the gold.
Grief, such as none else experienceth, overcame her at the
sight ; and she suffered incessant torment on my account until
the morning, when I awoke, and found that she had pre-
pared for me a dish composed of four boiled fowls, which
she placed before me. She then gave me to drink a cup
of wine; and I ate and drank, and put down the purse, and
was about to depart; but she said, Whither wouldst thou go?
I answered, To such a place, to dispel somewhat of the
anxiety which oppresseth my heart. — Go not, said she; but
rather sit down again. So I sat down, and she said to me,
Hath thy love of me become so excessive that thou hast ex-
pended all thy wealth upon me, and lost thy hand ? I take thee,
then, as witness against me, and God also is witness, that
I will never desert thee; and thou shalt see the truth of my
words. — Immediately, therefore, she sent for witnesses, who
came; and she said to them, Write my contract of marriage
to this young man, and bear witness that I have received the
dowry. And they did as she desired them; after which she
said, Bear witness that all my property which is in this chest,
and all my memluks and female slaves, belong to this young
man. Accordingly, they declared themselves witnesses of her
declaration, and I accepted the property, and they departed
after they had received their fees. She then took me by my
hand, and, having led me to a closet, opened a large chest,
and said to me, See what is containeth in this chest. I looked,
therefore; and lo, it was full of handkerchiefs; and she said,.
This is thy property, which I have received from thee: for
every time that thou gavest me a handkerchief containing
fifty pieces of gold, I wrapped it up, and threw it into this
chest: take, then, thy property; for God hath restored it to
thee, and thou art now of high estate. Fate hath afflicted
thee on my account so that thou hast lost thy right hand, and
I am unable to compensate thee : if I should sacrifice my life,
it would be but a small thing, and thy generosity would still
have surpassed mine. — She then added, Now take possession
of thy property. So I received it; and she transferred the
contents of her chest to mine, adding her property to mine
which I had given her. My heart rejoiced, my anxiety
140 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
ceased, and I approached and kissed her, and made myself
merry by drinking with her ; after which she said again, Thou
hast sacrificed all thy wealth and thy hand through love of
me, and how can I compensate thee? By Allah, if I gave my
life for love of thee, it were but a small thing, and I should
not do justice to thy claims upon me. — She then wrote a deed
of gift transferring to me all her apparel, and her ornaments
of gold and jewels, and her houses and other possessions; and
she passed that night in grief on my account, having heard
my relation of the accident that had befallen me.
Thus we remained less than a month, during which time
she became more and more infirm and disordered; and she
endured no more than fifty days before she was numbered
among the people of the other world. So I prepared her
funeral, and deposited her body in the earth, and having
caused recitations of the Kur'an to be performed for her, and
given a considerable sum of money in alms for her sake, re-
turned from the tomb. I found that she had possessed abun-
dant wealth, and houses and lands, and among her property
were the store-rooms of sesame of which I sold to thee the
contents of one; and I was not prevented from settling with
thee during this period but by my being busied in selling the
remainder, the price of which I have not yet entirely re-
ceived. Now I desire of thee that thou wilt not oppose me in
that which I am about to say to thee; since I have eaten of
thy food: I give thee the price of the sesame, which is in
thy hands. — This which I have told thee was the cause of
my eating with my left hand.
I replied, Thou hast treated me with kindness and gen-
erosity : — and he then said, Thou must travel with me to my
country; for I have bought merchandise of Cairo and Alex-
andria. Wilt thou accompany me? — I answered, Yes: — and
promised him that I would be ready by the first day of the
following month. So I sold all that I possessed, and, having
bought merchandise with the produce, travelled with the
young man to this thy country, where he sold his merchandise
and bought other in its stead, after which he returned to the
land of Egypt: but it was my lot to remain here, and to ex-
perience that which hath befallen me this night during my
absence from my native country. — Now is not this, O King
THE SULTAN'S STEWARD 141
of the age, more wonderful than the story of the humpback?
The King replied, Ye must be hanged, all of you! — And
upon this, the Sultan's steward advanced towards the King,
and said, If thou permit me, I will relate to thee a story
that I happened to hear just before I found this humpback;
and if it be more wonderful than the events relating to him,
wilt thou grant us our lives? — The King answered, Tell thy
story: — and he began thus: —
The Story Told by the Sultan's Steward
I was last night with a party who celebrated a recitation
of the Kur'an, for which purpose they had assembled the
professors of religion and law; and when these reciters had
accomplished their task, the servants spread a repast, com-
prising among other dishes a zirbajeh. We approached,
therefore, to eat of the zirbajeh; but one of the company
drew back, and refused to partake of it: we conjured him;
yet he swore that he would not eat of it: and we pressed
him again; but he said, Press me not; for I have suffered
enough from eating of this dish. And when he had finished,
we said to him, By Allah, tell us the reason of thine abstain-
ing from eating of this zirbajeh. He replied, Because I
cannot eat of it unless I wash my hands forty times with
kali, and forty times with cyperus, and forty times with soap ;
altogether, a hundred and twenty times. And upon this,
the giver of the entertainment ordered his servants, and they
brought water and the other things which this man required:
so he washed his hands as he had described, and advanced,
though with disgust, and, having seated himself, stretched
forth his hand as one in fear, and put it into the zirbajeh,
and began to eat, while we regarded him with the utmost
wonder. His hand trembled, and when he put it forth, we
saw that his thumb was cut off, and that he ate with his four
fingers: we therefore said to him, We conjure thee, by Allah,
to tell us how was thy thumb maimed; was it thus created
by God, or hath some accident happened to it? — O my
brothers, he answered, not only have I lost this thumb,
but also the thumb of the other hand; and each of my feet
is in like manner deprived of the great toe: but see ye: —
142 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
and, so saying, he uncovered the stump of the thumb of
his other hand, and we found it like the right; and so also
his feet, destitute of the great toes. At the sight of this,
our wonder increased, and we said to him, We are impatient
to hear thy story, and thine account of the cause of the
amputation of thy thumbs and great toes, and the reason
of thy washing thy hands a hundred and twenty times. So
he said, —
Know that my father was a great merchant, the chief of
the merchants of the city of Baghdad in the time of the
Khalifeh Harun Er-Rashid; but he was ardently addicted to
the drinking of wine, and hearing the lute; and when he
died, he left nothing. I buried him, and caused recitations
of the Kur'an to be performed for him, and, after I had
mourned for him days and nights, I opened his shop, and
found that he had left in it but few goods, and that his debts
were many: however, I induced his creditors to wait, and
calmed their minds, and betook myself to selling and buying
from week to week, and so paying the creditors.
Thus I continued to do for a considerable period, until
I had discharged all the debts and increased my capital;
and as I was sitting one day, I beheld a young lady, than
whom my eye had never beheld any more beautiful, decked
with magnificent ornaments and apparel, riding on a mule,
with a slave before her and a slave behind her; and she
stopped the mule at the entrance of the market-street, and
entered, followed by a eunuch, who said to her, O my mis-
tress, enter, but inform no one who thou art, lest thou open
the fire of indignation upon us. The eunuch then further
cautioned her; and when she looked at the shops of the
merchants, she found none more handsome than mine; so,
when she arrived before me, with the eunuch following
her, she sat down upon the seat of my shop, and saluted me ;
and I never heard speech more charming than hers, or words
more sweet. She then drew aside the veil from her face,
and I directed at her a glance which drew from me a sigh;
my heart was captivated by her love, and I continued re-
peatedly gazing at her face, and recited these two verses: —
Say to the beauty in the dove-coloured veil, Death would indeed 1
be welcome to relieve me from my torment.
THE SULTAN'S STEWARD 143
Favour me with a visit, that so I may live. See, I stretch forth
my hand to accept thy liberality.
And when she had heard my recitation of them, she answered
thus : —
May I lose my heart if it cease to love you ! For verily my heart
loveth none but you.
If my eye regard any charms but yours, may the sight of you never
rejoice it after absence !
She then said to me, O youth, hast thou any handsome stuffs ?
— O my mistress, I answered, thy slave is a poor man; but
wait until the other merchants open their shops, and then
I will bring thee what thou desirest. So I conversed with
her, drowned in the sea of her love, and bewildered by my
passion for her, until the merchants had opened their shops,
when I arose, and procured all that she wanted, and the
price of these stuffs was five thousand pieces of silver: and
she handed them all to the eunuch, who took them; after
which, they both went out from the market-street, and the
slaves brought to her the mule, and she mounted, without
telling me whence she was, and I was ashamed to mention
the subject to her: consequently, I became answerable for the
price to the merchants, incurring a debt of five thousand
pieces of silver.
I went home, intoxicated with her love, and they placed'
before me the supper, and I ate a morsel ; but reflections upon
her beauty and loveliness prevented my eating more. I
desired to sleep, but sleep came not to me; and in this con-
dition I remained for a week. The merchants demanded of
me their money; but I prevailed upon them to wait another
week ; and after this week, the lady came again, riding upon
a mule, and attended by a eunuch and two other slaves ; and,
having saluted me, said, O my master, we have been tardy
in bringing to thee the price of the stuffs: bring now the
money-changer, and receive it. So the money-changer came,
and the eunuch gave him the money, and I took it, and sat
conversing with her until the market was replenished, and
the merchants opened their shops, when she said to me,
Procure for me such and such things. Accordingly, I pro-
cured for her what she desired of the merchants, and she
144 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
took the goods and departed without saying anything to me
respecting the price. When she had gone, therefore, I re-
pented of what I had done; for I had procured for her what
she demanded for the price of a thousand pieces of gold; and
as soon as she had disappeared from my sight, I said within
myself, What kind of love is this? She hath brought me
five thousand pieces of silver, and taken goods for a thousand
pieces of gold ! — I feared that the result would be my bank-
ruptcy and the loss of the property of others, and said, The
merchants know none but me, and this woman is no other
than a cheat, who hath imposed upon me by her beauty and
loveliness: seeing me to be young, she hath laughed at me,
and I asked her not where was her residence.
I remained in a state of perplexity, and her absence was
prolonged more than a month. Meanwhile the merchants
demanded of me their money, and so pressed me that I
offered my possessions for sale, and was on the brink of
ruin; but as I was sitting absorbed in reflection, suddenly
she alighted at the gate of the market-street, and came in to
me. As soon as I beheld her, my solicitude ceased, and I
forgot the trouble which I had suffered. She approached,
and addressed me with her agreeable conversation, and
said, Produce the scales, and weigh thy money: — and she
gave me the price of the goods which she had taken, with a
surplus ; after which, she amused herself by talking with me,
and I almost died with joy and happiness. She then said
to me, Hast thou a wife? I answered, No: for I am not
acquainted with any woman: and wept. So she asked me,
What causeth thee to weep? And I answered, A thought
that hath come into my mind: — and, taking some pieces of
gold, gave them to the eunuch, requesting him to grant me
his mediation in the affair ; upon which he laughed, and said,
She is in love with thee more than thou art with her, and
hath no want of the stuffs, but hath done this only from her
love of thee: propose to her, therefore, what thou wilt; for
she will not oppose thee in that which thou wilt say. Now
she observed me giving the pieces of gold to the eunuch, and
returned, and resumed her seat; and I said to her, Shew
favour to thy slave, and pardon me for that which I am about
to say. I then acquainted her with the feelings of my heart,
THE SULTAN'S STEWARD 145
and my declaration pleased her, and she consented to my
proposal, saying, This eunuch will come with my letter ;
and do thou what he shall tell thee; — and she arose, and
departed.
I went to the merchants, and delivered to them their
money, and all profited except myself; for when she left
me I mourned for the interruption of our intercourse, and I
slept not during the whole of the next night: but a few
days after, her eunuch came to me, and I received him with
honour, and asked him respecting his mistress. He answered,
She is sick: — and I said to him, Disclose to me her history.
He replied, The lady Zubeydeh, the wife of Harun Er-Rashid,
brought up this damsel, and she is one of her slaves : she
had desired of her mistress to be allowed the liberty of
going out and returning at pleasure, and the latter gave
her permission: she continued, therefore, to do so until she
became a chief confident; after which, she spoke of thee
to her mistress, and begged that she would marry her to
thee : but her mistress said, I will not do it until I see this
young man, and if he have a desire for thee, I will marry
thee to him. We therefore wish to introduce thee imme-
diately into the palace; and if thou enter without any one's
having knowledge of thy presence, thou wilt succeed in
accomplishing thy marriage with her; but if thy plot be dis-
covered, thy head will be struck off. What, then, sayest thou ?
— I answered, Good : I will go with thee, and await the event
that shall befall me there. — As soon, then, as this next night
shall have closed in, said the eunuch, repair to the mosque
which the lady Zubeydeh hath built on the banks of the
Tigris, and there say thy prayers, and pass the night. — Most
willingly, I replied.
Accordingly, when the time of nightfall arrived, I went
to the mosque, and said my prayers there, and passed the
night; and as soon as the morning began to dawn I saw
two eunuchs approaching in a small boat, conveying some
empty chests, which they brought into the mosque. One
of them then departed, and the other remained; and I
looked attentively at him, and lo, it was he who had been
our intermediary : and soon after, the damsel, my companion,
came up to us. I rose to her when she approached, and
146 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
embraced her; and she kissed me, and wept; and after we
had conversed together for a little while, she took me and
placed me in a chest, and locked it upon me. The slaves
then brought a quantity of stuffs, and filled with them the
other chests, which they locked, and conveyed, together
with the chest in which I was enclosed, to the boat, accom-
panied by the damsel; and having embarked them, they
plied the oars, and proceeded to the palace of the honoured
lady Zubeydeh. The intoxication of love now ceased in
me, and reflection came in its place: I repented of what I
had done, and prayed God to deliver me from my dangerous
predicament.
Meanwhile, they arrived at the gate of the Khalifeh,
where they landed, and took out all the chests, and con-
veyed them into the palace: but the chief of the door-
keepers, who had been asleep when they arrived, was awoke
by the sounds of their voices, and cried out to the damsel,
saying, The chests must be opened, that I may see what is
in them: — and he arose, and placed his hand upon the chest
in which I was hidden. My reason abandoned me, my heart
almost burst from my body, and my limbs trembled; but
the damsel said, These are the chests of the lady Zubeydeh,
and if thou open them and turn them over, she will be
incensed against thee, and we shall all perish. They con-
tain nothing but clothes dyed of various colours, except this
chest upon which thou hast put thy hand, in which there
are also some bottles filled with the water of Zemzem, 10 and
if any of the water run out upon the clothes it will spoil their
colours. Now I have advised thee, and it is for thee to
decide: so dp what thou wilt. — When he heard, therefore,
these words, he said to her, Take the chests, and pass on : —
and the eunuchs immediately took them up, and with the
damsel, conveyed them into the palace: but in an instant,
I heard a person crying out, and saying, The Khalifeh !
The Khalifeh !
I was bereft of my reason, and seized with a colic from
excessive fear; I almost died, and my limbs were affected
with a violent shaking. The Khalifeh cried out to the damsel,
saying to her, What are these chests? She answered, O my
10 The well at Mekkeh, believed to possess miraculous virtues.
THE SULTAN'S STEWARD 147
lord (may God exalt thy dominion!), these chests contain
clothes of my mistress Zubeydeh. — Open them, said the
Khali f eh, that I may see the clothes. — When I heard this,
I felt sure of my destruction. The damsel could not dis-
obey his command ; but she replied, O Prince of the Faithful,
there is nothing in these chests but clothes of the lady
Zubeydeh, and she hath commanded me not to open them
to any one. The Khalifeh, however, said, The chests must
be opened, all of them, that I may see their contents: —
and immediately he called out to the eunuchs to bring them
before him. I therefore felt certain that I was on the point
of destruction. They then brought before him chest after
chest, and opened each to him, and he examined the con-
tents; and when they brought forward the chest in which
I was enclosed, I bid adieu to life, and prepared myself
for death; but as the eunuchs were about to open it, the
damsel, said, O Prince of the Faithful, verily this chest con-
taineth things especially appertaining to women ; and it is
proper, therefore, that it should be opened before the lady
Zubeydeh : — and when the Khalifeh heard her words, he
ordered the eunuchs to convey all the chests into the interior
of the palace. The damsel then hastened, and ordered two
eunuchs to carry away the chest in which I was hidden, and
they took it to an inner chamber, and went their way : where-
upon she quickly opened it, and made a sign to me to come
out: so I did as she desired, and entered a closet that was
before me, and she locked the door upon me, and closed the
chest: and when the eunuchs had brought in all the chests,
and had gone back, she opened the door of the closet, and
said, Thou hast nothing to fear ! May God refresh thine
eye ! Come forth now, and go up with me, that thou mayest
have the happiness of kissing the ground before the lady
Zubeydeh.
I therefore went with her, and beheld twenty other female
slaves, high-bosomed virgins, and among them was the
lady Zubeydeh, who was scarcely able to walk from the
weight of the robes and ornaments with which she was
decked. As she approached, the female slaves dispersed
from around her, and I advanced to her, and kissed the
ground before her. She made a sign to me to sit down: so
148 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
I seated myself before her; and she began to ask me ques-
tions respecting my condition and lineage; to all of which
I gave such answers that she was pleased, and said, By Allah,
the care which we have bestowed on the education of this
damsel hath not been in vain. She then said to me, Know
that this damsel is esteemed by us as though she were
really our child, and she is a trust committed to thy care
by God. Upon this, therefore, I again kissed the ground
before her, well pleased to marry the damsel; after which,
she commanded me to remain with them ten days. Accord-
ingly, I continued with them during this period; but I knew
nothing meanwhile of the damsel; certain of the maids only
bringing me my dinner and supper, as my servants. After
this, however, the lady Zubeydeh asked permission of her
husband, the Prince of the Faithful, to marry her maid, and
he granted her request, and ordered that ten thousand pieces
of gold should be given to her.
The lady Zubeydeh, therefore, sent for the Kadi and
witnesses, and they wrote my contract of marriage to the
damsel; and the maids then prepared sweetmeats and ex-
quisite dishes, and distributed them in all the apartments.
Thus they continued to do for a period of ten more days;
and after the twenty days had passed, they conducted the
damsel into the bath, preparatively to my being introduced
to her as her husband. They then brought to me a repast
comprising a basin of zirbajeh sweetened with sugar, per-
fumed with rose-water infused with musk, and containing
different kinds of fricandoed fowls and a variety of other
ingredients, such as astonished the mind; and, by Allah,
when this repast was brought, I instantly commenced upon
the zirbajeh, and ate of it as much as satisfied me, and
wiped my hand, but forgot to wash it. I remained sitting
until it became dark; when the maids lighted the candles,
and the singing-girls approached with the tambourines, and
they continued to display the bride, and to give presents of
gold, until she had perambulated the whole of the palace;
after which they brought her to me, and disrobed her; and
as soon as I was left alone with her, I threw my arms around
her neck, scarcely believing in our union: but as I did so,
she perceived the smell of the zirbajeh from my hand, and
THE SULTAN'S STEWARD 149
immediately uttered a loud cry : whereupon the female slaves
ran in to her from every quarter.
I was violently agitated, not knowing what was the
matter; and the slaves who had come in said to her, What
hath happened to thee, O our sister? — Take away from me,
she exclaimed to them, this madman, whom I imagined
to be a man of sense ! — What indication of my insanity
hath appeared to thee? I asked. Thou madman, said she,
wherefore hast thou eaten of the zirbajeh, and not washed
thy hand? By Allah, I will not accept thee for thy want of
sense, and thy disgusting conduct ! — And so saying, she took
from her side a whip, and beat me with it upon my back
until I became insensible from the number of the stripes.
She then said to the other maids, Take him to the magistrate
of the city police, that he may cut off his hand with which
he ate the zirbajeh without washing it afterwards. On hear-
ing this, I exclaimed, There is no strength nor power but in
God! Wilt thou cut off my hand on account of my eating
a zirbajeh and neglecting to wash it? — And the maids who
were present entreated her, saying to her, O our sister, be
not angry with him for what he hath done this time. But
she replied, By Allah, I must cut off something from his
extremities ! And immediately she departed', and was absent
from me ten days: after which, she came again, and said
to me, O thou black-faced ! Am I not worthy of thee ? How
didst thou dare to eat the zirbajeh and not wash thy hand? —
And she called to the maids, who bound my hands behind
me, and she took a sharp razor, and cut off both my thumbs
and both my great toes, as ye see, O companions; and I
swooned away. She then sprinkled upon my wounds some
powder, by means of which the blood was stanched; and
I said, I will not eat of a zirbajeh as long as I live unless
I wash my hands forty times with kali and forty times with
cyperus and forty times with soap: — and she exacted of me
an oath that I would not eat of this dish unless I washed my
hands as I have described to you. Therefore, when this
zirbajeh was brought, my colour changed, and I said within
myself, This was the cause of the cutting off of my thumbs
and great toes : — so, when ye compelled me, I said, I must
fulfil the oath which I have sworn.
150 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
I then said to him (continued the Sultan's steward), And
what happened to thee after that? He answered, When I
had thus sworn to her, she was appeased, and I was admitted
into her favour and we lived happily together for a con-
siderable time: after which she said, The people of the
Khalifeh's palace know not that thou hast resided here with
me, and no strange man beside thee hath entered it; nor
didst thou enter but through the assistance of the lady Zu-
beydeh. She then gave me fifty thousand pieces of gold,
and said to me, Take these pieces of gold, and go forth and
buy for us a spacious house. So I went forth, and purchased
a handsome and spacious house, and removed thither all the
riches that she possessed, and all that she had treasured up,
and her dresses and rarities. — This was the cause of the
amputation of my thumbs and great toes. — So we ate (said
the Sultan's steward), and departed; and after this, the
accident with the humpback happened to me: this is all my
story; and peace be on thee.
The King said, This is not more pleasant than the story
of the humpback: nay, the story of the humpback is more
pleasant than this; and ye must all of you be crucified. —
The Jew, however, then came forward, and, having kissed
the ground, said, O King of the age, I will relate to thee a
story more wonderful than that of the humpback: — and the
King said, Relate thy story. So he commenced thus : —
The Story Told by the Jewish Physician
The most wonderful of the events that happened to me
in my younger days was this : — I was residing in Damascus,
where I learnt and practised my art; and while I was thus
occupied, one day there came to me a memluk from the
house of the governor of the city : so I went forth with him,
and accompanied him to the abode of the governor. I
entered, and beheld, at the upper end of a saloon, a couch
of alabaster overlaid with plates of gold, upon which was
reclining a sick man: he was young; and a person more
comely had not been seen in his age. Seating myself at his
head, I ejaculated a prayer for his restoration; and he made
a sign to me with his eye. I then said to him, O my master,
THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN 151
stretch forth to me thy hand : — whereupon he put forth to me
his left hand; and I was surprised at this, and said within
myself, What self-conceit! I felt his pulse, however, and
wrote a prescription for him, and continued to visit him for
a period of ten days, until he recovered his strength; when
he entered the bath, and washed himself, and came forth:
and the governor conferred upon me a handsome dress of
honour, and appointed me superintendent of the hospital of
Damascus. But when I went with him into the bath, which
they had cleared of all other visitors for us alone, and the
servants had brought the clothes, and taken away those
which he had pulled off within, I perceived that his right
hand had been cruelly amputated; at the sight of which I
wondered, and grieved for him; and looking at his skin, I
observed upon him marks of beating with mikr'ahs, which
caused me to wonder more. The young man then turned
towards me, and said, O doctor of the age, wonder not at
my case; for I will relate to thee my story when we have
gone out from the bath : — and when we had gone forth, and
arrived at the house, and had eaten some food, and rested,
he said to me, Hast thou a desire to divert thyself in the
supper-room? I answered, Yes: — and immediately he or-
dered the slaves to take up thither the furniture, and to
roast a lamb and bring us some fruit. So the slaves did as
he commanded them : and when they had brought the fruit,
and we had eaten, I said to him, Relate to me thy story: —
and he replied, O doctor of the age, listen to the relation of
the events which have befallen me.
Know that I am of the children of El-Mosil. My paternal
grandfather died leaving ten male children, one of whom
was my father: he was the eldest of them, and they all
grew up and married ; and my father was blest with me ;
but none of his nine brothers was blest with children. So
I grew up among my uncles, who delighted in me exceed-
ingly; and when I had attained to manhood, I was one day
with my father in the chief mosque of El-Mosil. The day
was Friday; and we performed the congregational prayers,
and all the people went out, except my father and my
uncles, who sat conversing together respecting the wonders
of various countries, and the strange sights of different cities,
152 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
until they mentioned Egypt; when one of my uncles said,
The travellers assert, that there is not on the face of the
earth a more agreeable country than Egypt with its Nile : — ■
and my father added, He who hath not seen Cairo hath
not seen the world: its soil is gold; its Nile is a wonder;
its women are like the black-eyed virgins of Paradise; its
houses are palaces; and its air is temperate; its odour sur-
passing that of aloes-wood, and cheering the heart : and how
can Cairo be otherwise when it is the metropolis of the
world? Did ye see its gardens in the evening (he contin-
ued), with the shade obliquely extending over them, ye
would behold a wonder, and yield with ecstasy to their
attractions.
When I heard these descriptions of Egypt, my mind be-
came wholly engaged by reflections upon that country; and
after they had departed to their homes, I passed the night
sleepless from my excessive longing towards it, and neither
food nor drink was pleasant to me. A few days after, my
uncles prepared to journey thither, and I wept before my
father that I might go with them, so that he prepared a
stock of merchandise for me, and I departed in their com-
pany; but he said to them, Suffer him not to enter Egypt,
but leave him at Damascus, that he may there sell his mer-
chandise.
I took leave of my father, and we set forth from El-Mosil,
and continued our journey until we arrived at Aleppo, where
we remained some days; after which we proceeded thence
until we came to Damascus; and we beheld it to be a city
with trees and rivers and fruits and birds, as though it were
a paradise, containing fruits of every kind. We took lodg-
ings in one of the Khans, and my uncles remained there
until they had sold and bought; and they also sold my mer-
chandise, gaining, for every piece of silver, five, so that
I rejoiced at my profit. My uncles then left me, and repaired
to Egypt, and I remained and took up my abode in a hand-
some Ka'ah, such as the tongue cannot describe ; the monthly
rent of which was two pieces of gold.
Here I indulged myself with eating and drinking, squan-
dering away the money that was in my possession; and as
I was sitting one day at the door of the Ka'ah, a damsel ap-
THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN 153
proached me, attired in clothing of the richest description,
such as I had never seen surpassed in costliness, and I invited
her to come in; whereupon, without hesitation, she entered;
and I was delighted at her compliance, and closed the door
upon us both. She then uncovered her face, and took off her
izar, and I found her to be so surprisingly beautiful that
love for her took possession of my heart: so I went and
brought a repast consisting of the most delicious viands and
fruit and everything else that was requisite for her entertain-
ment, and we ate and sported together ; after which we drank
till we were intoxicated, and fell asleep, and so we remained
until the morning, when I handed her ten pieces of gold;
but she swore that she would not accept them from me, and
said, Expect me again, O my beloved, after three days: at
the hour of sunset I will be with thee: and do thou prepare
for us, with these pieces of gold, a repast similar to this
which we have just enjoyed. She then gave me ten pieces
of gold, and took leave of me, and departed, taking my reason
with her. And after the three days had expired, she came
again, decked with embroidered stuffs and ornaments and
other attire more magnificent than those which she wore
on the former occasion. I had prepared for her what was
required previously to her arrival; so we now ate and drank
and fell asleep as before; and in the morning she gave me
again ten pieces of gold, promising to return to me after
three more days. I therefore made ready what was requisite,
and after the three days she came attired in a dress still more
magnificent than the first and second, and said to me, O
my master, am I beautiful? — Yea, verily, I answered. —
Wilt thou give me leave, she rejoined, to bring with me a
damsel more beautiful than myself, and younger than I, that
she may sport with us, and we may make merry with her?
For she hath requested that she may accompany me, and pass
the night in frolicking with us. — And so saying, she gave
me twenty pieces of gold, desiring me to prepare a more plen-
tiful repast, on account of the lady who was to come with
her; after which, she bade me farewell, and departed.
Accordingly, on the fourth day, I procured what was
requisite, as usual, and soon after sunset she came, accom-
panied by a female wrapped in an izar, and they entered,
154 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
and seated themselves. I was rejoiced, and lighted the can-
dles, and welcomed them with joy and exultation. They
then took off their outer garments, and when the new damsel
uncovered her face, I perceived that she was like the full
moon: I never beheld a person more beautiful. I arose
immediately, and placed before them the food and drink, and
we ate and drank, while I continued caressing the new
damsel, and filling the wine-cup for her, and drinking with
her: but the first lady was affected with a secret jealousy. —
By Allah, she said, verily this girl is beautiful ! Is she not
more charming than I? — Yea, indeed, I answered. — Soon
after this I fell asleep, and when I awoke in the morning,
I found my hand defiled with blood, and opening my eyes,
perceived that the sun had risen; so I attempted to rouse
the damsel, my new companion, whereupon her head rolled
from her body. The other damsel was gone, and I con-
cluded, therefore, that she had done this from her jealousy;
and after reflecting a while, I arose, and took off my clothes,
and dug a hole in the Ka'ah, in which I deposited the mur-
dered damsel, afterwards covering her remains with earth,
and replacing the marble pavement as it was before. I
then dressed myself again, and, taking the remainder of
my money, went forth, and repaired to the owner of the
Ka'ah, and paid him a year's rent, saying to him, I am
about to journey to my uncles in Egypt.
So I departed to Egypt, where I met with my uncles, and
they were rejoiced to see me. I found that they had con-
cluded the sale of their merchandise, and they said to me,
What is the cause of thy coming? I answered, I had a
longing desire to be with you, and feared that my money
would not suffice me. — For a year I remained with them,
enjoying the pleasures of Egypt and its Nile; and I dipped
my hand into the residue of my money, and expended it
prodigally in eating and drinking until near the time of my
uncles' departure, when I fled from them: so they said,
Probably he hath gone before us and returned to Damascus :
— and they departed. I then came forth from my conceal-
ment, and remained in Cairo three years, squandering away
my money until scarcely any of it remained: but meanwhile
I sent every year the rent of the Ka'ah at Damascus to its
THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN 155
owner: and after the three years my heart became con-
tracted, for nothing remained in my possession but the rent
for the year.
I therefore journeyed back to Damascus, and alighted at
the Ka'ah. The owner was rejoiced to see me, and I entered
it, and cleansed it of the blood of the murdered damsel, and,
removing a cushion, I found, beneath this, the necklace that
she had worn that night. I took it up and examined it, and
wept a while. After this I remained in the house two days,
and on the third day I entered the bath, and changed my
clothes. I now had no money left ; and I went one day to the
market, where (the Devil suggesting it to me, in order to
accomplish the purpose of destiny) I handed the necklace
of jewels to a broker; and he rose to me, and seated me by
his side: then having waited until the market was replen-
ished, he took it, and announced it for sale secretly, without
my knowledge. The price bidden for it amounted to two
thousand pieces of gold; but he came to me and said, This
necklace is of brass, of the counterfeit manufacture of the
Franks, and its price hath amounted to a thousand pieces
of silver. I answered him, Yes : we had made it for a woman,
merely to laugh at her, and my wife has inherited it, and we
desire to sell it: go, therefore, and receive the thousand
pieces of silver. Now when the broker heard this, he
perceived that the affair was suspicious, and went and gave
the necklace to the chief of the market, who took it to the
Wali, and said to him, This necklace was stolen from me,
and we have found the thief, clad in the dress of the sons
of the merchants. And before I knew what had happened,
the officers had surrounded me, and they took me to the Wali,
who questioned me respecting the necklace. I told him,
therefore, the same story that I had told to the broker; but
he laughed, and said, This is not the truth: — and instantly
his people stripped me of my outer clothing, and beat me
with mikra'ahs all over my body, until, through the torture
that I suffered from the blows, I said, I stole it :— reflecting
that it was better I should say I stole it, than confess that its
owner was murdered in my abode; for then they would kill
me to avenge her : and as soon as I had said so, they cut off
my hand, and scalded the stump with boiling oil, and I
156 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
swooned away. They then gave me to drink some wine, by
swallowing which I recovered my senses; and I took my
amputated hand, and returned to the Ka'ah; but its owner
said to me, Since this hath happened to thee, leave the Ka'ah,
and look for another abode; for thou art accused of an un-
lawful act. — O my master, I replied, give me two or three
days' delay that I may seek for a lodging: — and he assented
to this and departed and left me. So I remained alone, and
sat weeping, and saying, How can I return to my family with
my hand cut off. He who cut it off knoweth not that I am
innocent: perhaps, then, God will bring about some event
for my relief.
I sat weeping violently ; and when the owner of the Ka'ah
had departed from me, excessive grief overcame me, and
I was sick for two days; and on the third day, suddenly
the owner of the Ka'ah came to me, with some officers of
the police, and the chief of the market, and accused me
again of stealing the necklace. So I went out to them, and
said, What is the news? — whereupon, without granting me
a moment's delay, they bound my arms behind me, and put
a chain around my neck, saying to me, The necklace which
was in thy possession hath proved to be the property of the
governor of Damascus, its Wezir and its Ruler; it hath been
lost from the governor's house for a period of three years,
and with it was his daughter. — When I heard these words
from them, my limbs trembled, and I said within myself,
They will kill me! My death is inevitable! By Allah, I
must relate my story to the governor; and if he please he
will kill me, or if he please he will pardon me. — And when
we arrived at the governor's abode, and they had placed me
before him, and he beheld me, he said, Is this he who stole
the necklace and went out to sell it ? Verily ye have cut off
his hand wrongfully. — He then ordered that the chief of the
market should be imprisoned, and said to him, Give to this
person the compensatory fine for his hand, or I will hang
thee and seize all thy property. And he called out to his
attendants, who took him and dragged him away.
I was now left with the governor alone, after they had,
by his permission, loosed the chain from my neck, and
untied the cords which bound my arms; and the governor
THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN 157
looking towards me, said to me, my son, tell me thy story,
and speak truth. How did this necklace come into thy
possession? — So I replied, O my lord, I will tell thee the
truth: — and I related to him all that had happened to me
with the first damsel, and how she had brought to me the
second, and murdered her from jealousy; on hearing which,
he shook his head, and covered his face with his handker-
chief, and wept. Then looking towards me, he said, Know,
O my son, that the elder damsel was my daughter: I kept
her closely; and when she had attained a fit age for mar-
riage, I sent her to the son of her uncle in Cairo; but he
died, and she returned to me, having learnt habits of prof-
ligacy from the inhabitants of that city; so she visited thee
four times; and on the fourth occasion, she brought to thee
her younger sister. They were sisters by the same mother,
and much attached to each other ; and when the event which
thou has related occurred to the elder, she imparted her secret
to her sister, who asked my permission to go out with her;
after which the elder returned alone; and when I questioned
her respecting her sister, I found her weeping for her, and
she answered, I know no tidings of her : — but she afterwards
informed her mother, secretly, of the murder which she had
committed; and her mother privately related the affair to
me; and she continued to weep for her incessantly, saying,
By Allah, I will not cease to weep for her until I die. Thy
account, O my son, is true ; for I knew the affair before thou
toldest it me. See then, O my son, what hath happened : and
now I request of thee that thou wilt not oppose me in that
which I am about to say; and it is this: — I desire to marry
thee to my youngest daughter; for she is not of the same
mother as they were: she is a virgin, and I will receive
from thee no dowry, but will assign to you both an allow-
ance ; and thou shalt be to me as an own son. — I replied, Let
it be as thou desirest, O my master. How could I expect
to attain unto such happiness? — The governor then sent im-
mediately a courier to bring the property which my father
had left me (for he had died since my departure from him),
and now I am living in the utmost affluence.
I wondered, said the Jew, at his history; and after I had
remained with him three days, he gave me a large sum of
158 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
money; and I left him, to set forth on a journey; and,
arriving in this your country, my residence here pleased
me, and I experienced this which hath happened to me with
the humpback.
The King, when he had heard this story, said, This is
not more wonderful than the story of the humpback, and ye
must all of you be hanged, and especially the tailor, who is
the source of all the mischief. But he afterwards added,
O tailor, if thou tell me a story more wonderful than that
of the humpback, I will forgive you your offences. So the
tailor advanced, and said, —
The Story Told bv the Tailor
Know, O King of the age, that what hath happened to
me is more wonderful than the events which have happened
to all the others. Before I met the humpback, I was, early
in the morning, at an entertainment given to certain trades-
men of my acquaintance, consisting of tailors and linen-
drapers and carpenters and others; and when the sun had
risen, the repast was brought for us to eat; and lo, the
master of the house came in to us, accompanied by a strange
and handsome young man, of the inhabitants of Baghdad.
He was attired in clothes of the handsomest description,
and was a most comely person, except that he was lame;
and as soon as he had entered and saluted us, we rose to
him; but when he was about to seat himself, he observed
among us a man who was a barber, whereupon he refused
to sit down, and desired to depart from us. We and the
master of the house, however, prevented him, and urged him
to seat himself; and the host conjured him, saying, What is
the reason of thy entering, and then immediately departing?
— By Allah, O my master, replied he, offer me no opposition ;
for the cause of my departure is this barber, who is sitting
with you. And when the host heard this, he was exceedingly
surprised, and said, How is it that the heart of this young
man, who is from Baghdad, is troubled by the presence of
this barber? We then looked towards him, and said, Relate
to us the cause of thy displeasure against this barber; and
the young man replied, O company, a surprising adventure
THE TAILOR 159
happened to me with this barber in Baghdad, my city; and
he was the cause of my lameness, and of the breaking of my
leg; and I have sworn that I will not sit in any place where
he is present, nor dwell in any town where he resides: I
quitted Baghdad and took up my abode in this city, and
I will not pass the next night without departing from it. —
Upon this, we said to him, We conjure thee, by Allah, to
relate to us thy adventure with him. — And the countenance
of the barber turned pale when he heard us make this request.
The young man then said, —
Know, O good people, that my father was one of the
chief merchants of Baghdad; and God (whose name be
exalted!) blessed him with no son but myself; and when
I grew up, and had attained to manhood, my father was
admitted to the mercy of God, leaving me wealth and
servants and other dependants; whereupon I began to at-
tire myself in clothes of the handsomest description, and
to feed upon the most delicious meats. Now God (whose
perfection be extolled!) made me to be a hater of women;
and so I continued, until, one day, I was walking through
the streets of Baghdad, when a party of them stopped my
way: I therefore fled from them, and, entering a by-street
which was not a thoroughfare, I reclined upon a mastabah
at its further extremity. Here I had been seated but a
short time when, lo, a window opposite the place where I
sat was opened, and there looked out from it a damsel
like the full moon, such as I had never in my life beheld.
She had some flowers, which she was watering, beneath the
window; and she looked to the right and left, and then
shut the window, and disappeared from before me. Fire
had been shot into my heart, and my mind was absorbed
by her; my hatred of women was turned into love, and I
continued sitting in the same place until sunset, in a state
of distraction from the violence of my passion, when, lo,
the Kadi of the city came riding along, with slaves before
him and servants behind him, and alighted, and entered
the house from which the damsel had looked out : so I knew
that he must be her father.
I then returned to my house, sorrowful and fell upon
my bed, full of anxious thoughts; and my female slaves
160 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
came in to me, and seated themselves around me, not know-
ing what was the matter with me; and I acquainted them
not with my case, nor returned any answers to their ques-
tions; and my disorder increased. The neighbours, there-
fore, came to cheer me with their visits; and among those
who visited me was an old woman, who, as soon as she
saw me, discovered my state; whereupon she seated her-
self at my head, and, addressing me in a kind manner,
said, O my son, tell me what hath happened to thee? So
I related to her my story, and she said, O my son, this is
the daughter of the Kadi of Baghdad, and she is kept in
close confinement: the place where thou sawest her is her
apartment, and her father occupies a large saloon below,
leaving her alone; and often do I visit her: thou canst
obtain an interview with her only through me: so brace up
thy nerves. When I heard, therefore, what she said, I took
courage, and fortified my heart; and my family rejoiced
that day. I rose up firm in limb, and hoping for complete
restoration; and the old woman departed; but she returned
with her countenance changed, and said, O my son, ask not
what she did when I told her of thy case; for she said, If
thou abstain not, O ill-omened old woman, from this dis-
course, I will treat thee as thou deservest: — but I must go
to her a second time.
On hearing this, my disorder increased: after some days,
however, the old woman came again, and said, O my son, I
desire of thee a reward for good tidings. My soul returned
to my body at these words, and I replied, Thou shalt receive
from me everything that thou canst wish. She then said, I
went yesterday to the damsel, and when she beheld me with
broken heart and weeping eye, she said to me, O my aunt,
wherefore do I see thee with contracted heart? — and when
she had thus said, I wept, and answered, O my daughter
and mistress, I came to thee yesterday from visiting a youth
who loveth thee, and he is at the point of death on thy
account: — and, her heart being moved with compassion, she
asked, Who is this youth of whom thou speakest ? I answered,
He is my son, and the child that is dear to my soul : he saw
thee at the window some days ago, while thou wast watering
thy flowers; and when he beheld thy face, he became dis-
THE TAILOR 161
tracted with love for thee: I informed him of the conversa-
tion that I had with thee the first time; upon which his
disorder increased, and he took to his pillow: he is now
dying, and there is no doubt of his fate. — And upon this,
her countenance became pale and she said, Is this all on
my account? — Yea, by Allah, I answered; and what dost
thou order me to do? — Go to him, said she; convey to him
my salutation, and tell him that my love is greater than his;
and on Friday next, before the congregation prayers, let
him come hither: I will give orders to open the door to
him, and to bring him up to me, and I will have a short
interview with him, and he shall return before my father
comes back from the prayers.
When I heard these words of the old woman, the anguish
which I had suffered ceased; my heart was set at rest, and
I gave her the suit of clothes which I was then wearing, and
she departed, saying to me, Cheer up thy heart. I replied,
I have no longer any pain. The people of my house, and
my friends, communicated, one to another, the good news
of my restoration to health, and I remained thus until the
Friday, when the old woman came in to me, and asked me
respecting my state; so I informed her that I was happy
and well. I then dressed and perfumed myself, and sat
waiting for the people to go to prayers, that I might repair
to the damsel; but the old woman said to me, Thou hast
yet more than ample time, and if thou go to the bath and
shave, especially for the sake of obliterating the traces of
thy disorder, it will be more becoming. — It is a judicious
piece of advice, replied I; but I will shave my head first,
and then go into the bath.
So I sent for a barber to shave my head, saying to the
boy, Go to the market, and bring me a barber, one who is a
man of sense, little inclined to impertinence, that he may
not make my head ache by his chattering. And the boy
went, and brought this sheykh, who, on entering, saluted
me; and when I returned his salutation, he said to me.
May God dispel thy grief and thine anxiety, and misfortunes
and sorrows ! I responded, May God accept thy prayer !
He then said, Be cheerful, 9 my master; for health hath
returned to thee. Dost thou desire to be shaved or to be
hc xvi — f
162 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
bled? — for it hath been handed down, on the authority of
Ibn-' Abbas 11 that the Prophet said, Whoso shorteneth his
hair on Friday, God will avert from him seventy diseases ; —
and it hath been handed down also, on the same authority,
that the Prophet said, Whoso is cupped on Friday will not
be secure from the loss of sight and from frequent disease.
— Abstain, said I, from this useless discourse, and come
immediately, shave my head for I am weak. And he arose,
and, stretching forth his hand, took out a handkerchief, and
opened it; and lo, there was in it an astrolabe, consisting of
seven plates; and he took it, and went into the middle of
the court, where he raised his head towards the sun, and
looked for a considerable time; after which he said to me,
Know that there have passed, of this our day, — which is
Friday, and which is the tenth of Safar, of the year 263 of
the Flight of the Prophet, — upon whom be the most excellent
of blessings and peace !— and the ascendant star of which,
according to the required rules of the science of computa-
tion, is the planet Mars, — seven degrees and six minutes;
and it happen eth that Mercury hath come in conjunction
with that planet; and this indicateth that the shaving of
hair is now a most excellent operation : and it hath indicated
to me, also, that thou desirest to confer a benefit upon a
person : and fortunate is he ! — but after that, there is an
announcement that presenteth itself to me respecting a
matter which I will not mention to thee.
By Allah, I exclaimed, thou hast wearied me, and dissi-
pated my mind, and augured against me, when I required
thee only to shave my head: arise, then, and shave it; and
prolong not thy discourse to me. But he replied, By Allah,
if thou knewest the truth of the case, thou wouldst demand
of me a further explication; and I counsel thee to do this
day as I direct thee, according to the calculations deduced
from the stars: it is thy duty to praise God, and not to
oppose me; for I am one who giveth thee good advice, and
who regardeth thee with compassion: I would that I were
in thy service for a whole year, that thou mightest do me
justice; and I desire not any pay from thee for so doing. —
11 One of the most learned of the companions of his cousin Mohammad,
and one of the most celebrated of the relators of his sayings and actions.
THE TAILOR 163
When I heard this, I said to him, Verily thou art killing me
this day, and there is no escape for me. — O my master, he
replied, I am he whom the people call Es-Samit, ["the
Silent,"] on account of the paucity of my speech, by which I
am distinguished above my brothers : for my eldest brother is
named El-Bakbuk; and the second, El-Heddar; and the
third, Bakbak 13 ; and the fourth is named El-Kuz el-Aswani;
and the fifth, El-Feshshar; and the sixth is named Shakalik;
and the seventh brother is named Es-Samit ; and he is myself.
Now when this barber thus overwhelmed me with his
talk, I felt as if my gall-bladder had burst, and said to the
boy, Give him a quarter of a piece of gold and let him
depart from me for the sake of Allah: for I have no need
to shave my head. But the barber on hearing what I said
to the boy, exclaimed, What is this that thou hast said, O
my lord? By Allah, I will accept from thee no pay unless
I serve thee; and serve thee I must; for to do so is
incumbent on me, and to perform what thou requirest; and
I care not if I receive from thee no money. If thou knowest
not my worth, I know thine ; and thy father — may Allah have
mercy upon him ! — treated us with beneficence ; for he was
a man of generosity. By Allah, thy father sent for me one
day, like this blessed day, and when I went to him, he had
a number of his friends with him, and he said to me, Take
some blood from me. So I took the astrolabe, and observed
the altitude for him, and found the ascendant of the hour to
be of evil omen, and that the letting of blood would be
attended with trouble: I therefore acquainted him with this,
and he conformed to my wish, and waited until the arrival
of the approved hour, when I took the blood from him. He
did not oppose me; but, on the contrary, thanked me; and
in like manner all the many present thanked me; and thy
father gave me a hundred pieces of gold for services similar
to the letting of blood. — May God, said I, shew no mercy
to my father for knowing such a man as thou! — and the
barber laughed, and exclaimed, There is no deity but Godt
Mohammad is God's Apostle ! Extolled be the perfection
of Him who changeth others, but is not changed ! I did
not imagine thee to be otherwise than a man of sense; but
12 All three names signify " Chatterer."
164 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
thou hast talked nonsense in consequence of thine illness.
God hath mentioned, in his Excellent Book, those who re-
strain their anger, and who forgive men : — but thou art
excused in every case. I am unacquainted, however, with
the cause of thy haste; and thou knowest that thy father
used to do nothing without consulting me ; and it hath
been said, that the person to whom one applies for advice
should be trusted: now thou wilt find no one better ac-
quainted with the affairs of the world than myself, and I
am standing on my feet to serve thee. I am not displeased
with thee, and how then art thou displeased with me? But
I will have patience with thee on account of the favours
which I have received from thy father. — By Allah, said I,
thou hast wearied me with thy discourse, and overcome me
with thy speech ! I desire that thou shave my head and
depart from me.
I gave vent to my rage; and would have risen, even if
he had wetted my head, when he said, I knew that dis-
pleasure with me had overcome thee; but I will not be
angry with thee, for thy sense is weak, and thou art a youth :
a short time ago I used to carry thee on my shoulder, and
take thee to the school. — Upon this, I said to him, O my
brother, I conjure thee by Allah, depart from me that I may
perform my business, and go thou thy way. Then I rent
my clothes; and when he saw me do this, he took the
razor, and sharpened it, and continued to do so until my soul
almost parted from my body; then advancing to my head,
he shaved a small portion of it; after which he raised his
hand, and said, O my lord, haste is from the Devil; — and
he repeated this couplet: —
Deliberate, and haste not to accomplish thy desire ; and be merciful,
so shalt thou meet with one merciful :
For there is no hand but God's hand is above it; nor oppressor
that shall not meet with an oppressor.
O my lord (he then continued), I do not imagine that thou
knowest my condition in society; for my hand lighteth
upon the heads of kings and emirs and wezirs and sages
and learned men; and of such a one as myself hath the
poet said, —
THE TAILOR 165
The trades altogether are like a necklace, and this barber is the
chief pearl of the strings.
He excelleth all that are endowed with skill, and under his hands
are the heads of Kings.
— Leave, said I, that which doth not concern thee ! Thou hast
contracted my heart, and troubled my mind. — I fancy that
thou art in haste, he rejoined. I replied, Yes ! Yes ! Yes ! —
Proceed slowly, said he; for verily haste is from the Devil,
and it giveth occasion to repentance and disappointment;
and he upon whom be blessing and peace hath said, The
best of affairs is that which is commenced with deliber-
ation: — and, by Allah, I am in doubt as to thine affair: I
wish, therefore, that thou wouldst make known to me what
thou art hasting to do; and may it be good; for I fear it
is otherwise.
There now remained, to the appointed time, three hours;
and he threw the razor from his hand in anger, and, taking
the astrolabe, went again to observe the sun; then after he
had waited a long time, He returned, saying, There remain,
to the hour of prayer, three hours, neither more nor less. —
For the sake of Allah, said I, be silent; for thou hast
crumbled my liver ! — and thereupon he took the razor, and
sharpened it as he had done the first time, and shaved
another portion of my head. Then stopping again, he said,
I am in anxiety on account of thy hurry: if thou wouldst
acquaint me with the cause of it, it would be better for thee ;
for thou knowest that thy father used to do nothing without
consulting me.
I perceived now that I could not avoid his importunity,
and said within myself. The time of prayer is almost come,
and I desire to go before the people come out from the
service: if I delay a little longer, I know not how to gain
admission to her. I therefore said to him, Be quick, and
cease from this chattering and impertinence; for I desire
to repair to an entertainment with my friends. But when
he heard the mention of the entertainment, he exclaimed,
The day is a blessed day for me! I yesterday conjured a
party of my intimate friends to come and feast with me,
and forgot to prepare for them anything to eat; and now
I have remembered it. Alas for the disgrace that I shall
166 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
experience from them! — So I said to him, Be in no anxiety
on this account, since thou hast been told that I am going
to-day to an entertainment; for all the food and drink that
is in my house shall be thine if thou use expedition in my
affair, and quickly finish shaving my head. — May God
recompense thee with every blessing! he replied: describe
to me what thou hast for my guests, that I may know it. —
I have, said I, five dishes of meat, and ten fowls fricandoed,
and a roasted lamb. — Cause them to be brought before me,
he said, that I may see them. So I had them brought to
him, and he exclaimed, Divinely art thou gifted! How
generous is thy soul; But the incense and perfumes are
wanting. — I brought him, therefore, a box containing nedd 13
and aloes-wood and ambergris and musk, worth fifty pieces
of gold. — The time had now become contracted, like my
own heart; so I said to him, Receive this, and shave the
whole of my head, by the existence of Mohammad, God
bless and save him ! But he replied, By Allah, I will not
take it until I see all that it contains. I therefore ordered
the boy, and he opened the box to him; whereupon the
barber threw down the astrolabe from his hand, and seat-
ing himself upon the ground, turned over the perfumes and
incense and aloes-wood in the box until my soul almost
quitted my body.
He then advanced, and took the razor, and shaved
another small portion of my head; after which he said, By
Allah, O my son, I know not whether I should thank thee
or thank thy father; for my entertainment to-day is entirely
derived from thy bounty and kindness, and I have no one
among my visitors deserving of it ; for my guests are Zeytun
the bath-keeper, and Sali' the wheat-seller, and 'Awkal the
bean-seller, and 'Akresheh the grocer, and Homeyd the
dustman, and 'Akarish the milk-seller, and each of these
hath a peculiar dance which he performeth, and peculiar
verses which he reciteth; and the best of their qualities is,
that they are like thy servant, the memluk who is before
thee; and I, thy slave, know neither loquacity nor imper-
tinence. As to the bath-keeper, he saith, If I go not to
18 A perfume composed of ambergris, musk, and aloes-wood; or simply
ambergris.
THE TAILOR 167
the feast, it cometh to my house! — and as to the dustman,
he is witty, and full of frolic: often doth he dance, and
say, News, with my wife, is not kept in a chest ! — and each
of my friends hath jests that another hath not: but the
description is not like the actual observation. If thou
choose, therefore, to come to us, it will be more pleasant
both to thee and to us: relinquish, then, thy visit to thy
friends of whom thou hast told us that thou desirest to go
to them: for the traces of disease are yet upon thee, and
probably thou art going to a people of many words, who
will talk of that which concerneth them not; or probably
there will be among them one impertinent person; and thy
soul is already disquieted by disease. — I replied, If it be the
will of God, that shall be on some other day: — but he said,
It will be more proper that thou first join my party of
friends, that thou may est enjoy their conviviality, and delight
thyself with their salt. Act in accordance with the saying
of the poet: —
Defer not a pleasure when it can be had; for fortune often
destroyeth our plans.
Upon this I laughed from a heart laden with anger, and
said to him, Do what I require, that I may go in the care
of God, whose name be exalted ! and do thou go to thy friends,
for they are awaiting thine arrival. He replied, I desire noth-
ing but to introduce thee into the society of these people;
for verily they are of the sons of that class among which is
no impertinent person ; and if thou didst but behold them once,
thou wouldst leave all thine own companions. — May God,
said I, give thee abundant joy with them, and I must bring
them together here some day. — If that be thy wish, he re-
joined, and thou wilt first attend the entertainment of thy
friends this day, wait until I take this present with which thou
hast honoured me, and place it before my friends, that they
may eat and drink without waiting for me, and then I will
return to thee, and go with thee to thy companions ; for there
is no false delicacy between me and my companions that
should prevent my leaving them; so I will return to thee
quickly, and repair with thee whithersoever thou goest. — Upon
this I exclaimed, There is no strength nor power but in God,
168 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
the High, the Great ! Go thou to thy companions, and delight
thy heart with them, and leave me to repair to mine, and to
remain with them this day, for they are waiting my arrival. —
But he said, I will not leave thee to go alone. — The place to
which I am going, said I, none can enter except myself. — I
suppose then, he rejoined, that thou hast an appointment to-
day with some female : otherwise, thou wouldst take me with
thee; for I am more deserving than all other men, and will
assist thee to attain what thou desirest. I fear that thou art
going to visit some strange woman, and that thy life will be
lost ; for in this city of Baghdad no one can do anything of this
kind, especially on such a day as this ; seeing that the Wali of
Baghdad is a terrible, sharp sword. — Wo to thee, O wicked
old man ! I exclaimed, what are these words with which thou
addressest me ! — And upon this, he kept a long silence.
The time of prayer had now arrived, and the time of
the Khutbeh 14 was near, when he had finished shaving my
head: So I said to him, Go with this food and drink to thy
friends, and I will wait for thee until thou return, and
thou shalt accompany me: — and I continued my endeavours
to deceive him; that he might go away; but he said to me,
Verily thou art deceiving me, and wilt go alone, and pre-
cipitate thyself into a calamity from which there will be no
escape for thee ; by Allah ! by Allah ! then quit not this
spot until I return to thee, and accompany thee, that I may
know what will be the result of thine affair. — I replied,
Well: prolong not thine absence from me. And he took
the food and drink and other things which I had given him,
but intrusted them to a porter to convey them to his abode,
and concealed himself in one of the by-streets. I then
immediately arose. The mueddins on the menarehs had
chanted the Selam of Friday; and I put on my clothes, and
went forth alone, and, arriving at the by-street, stopped at
the door of the house where I had seen the damsel: and lo,
the barber was behind me, and I knew it not. I found the
door open, and entered; and immediately the master of the
house returned from the prayers, and entered the saloon,
and closed the door; and I said within myself, How did
this devil discover me?
14 Friday sermoo.
. THE TAILOR 169
Now it happened, just at this time, for the fulfilment
of God's purpose to rend the veil of protection before me,
that a female slave belonging to the master of the house
committed some offence, in consequence of which he beat
her, and she cried out; whereupon a male slave came in to
him to liberate her; but he beat him also, and he likewise
cried out ; and the barber concluded that he was beating me ;
so he cried, and rent his clothes, and sprinkled dust upon his
head, shrieking, and calling for assistance. He was sur-
rounded by people, and said to them, My master hath been
killed in the house of the Kadi ! Then running to my house,
crying out all the while, and with a crowd behind him, he
gave the news to my family; and I knew not what he had
done when they approached, crying, Alas for our master ! —
the barber all the while being before them, with his clothes
rent, and a number of the people of the city with them.
They continued shrieking, the barber shrieking at their head,
and all of them exclaiming, Alas for our slain ! — Thus they
advanced to the house in which I was confined; and when
the Kadi heard of this occurrence, the event troubled him,
and he arose, and opened the door, and seeing a great
crowd, he was confounded, and said, O people, what is the
news?
The servants replied, Thou hast killed our master. —
O people, rejoined he, what hath your master done unto
me that I should kill him; and wherefore do I see this
barber before you? — Thou hast just now beaten him with
mikra'ahs, said the barber; and I heard his cries. — What
hath he done that I should kill him? repeated the Kadi.
And whence, he added, came he ; and whither would he go ?
— Be not an old man of malevolence, exclaimed the barber;
for I know the story, and the reason of his entering thy
house, and the truth of the whole affair; thy daughter is in
love with him, and he is in love with her; and thou hast
discovered that he had entered thy house, and hast ordered
thy young men, and they have beaten him. By Allah, none
shall decide between us and thee except the Khalifeh; or
thou shalt bring forth to us our master that his family may
take him; and oblige me not to enter and take him forth
from you: haste then thyself to produce him.
170 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
Upon this, the Kadi was withheld from speaking, and
became utterly abashed before the people: but presently he
said to the barber, If thou speak truth, enter thyself, and
bring him forth. So the barber advanced, and entered the
house; and when I saw him do so, I sought for a way to
escape; but I found no place of refuge except a large chest
which I observed in the same apartment in which I then
was; I therefore entered this, and shut down the lid, and
held in my breath. Immediately after, the barber ran into
the saloon, and, without looking in any other direction than
that in which I had concealed myself, came thither: then
turning his eyes to the right and left, and seeing nothing
but the chest, he raised it upon his head; whereupon my
reason forsook me. He quickly descended with it; and
I, being now certain that he would not quit me, opened the
chest, and threw myself upon the ground. My leg was
broken by the fall; and when I came to the door of the
house, I found a multitude of people: I had never seen
such a crowd as was there collected on that day; so I
began to scatter gold among them, to divert them; and
while they were busied in picking it up, I hastened through
the by-streets of Baghdad, followed by this barber; and
wherever I entered, he entered after me, crying, They
would have plunged me into affliction on account of my
master ! Praise be to God who aided me against them,
and delivered my master from their hands! Thou con-
tinuedst, O my master, to be excited by haste for the ac-
complishment of thine evil design until thou broughtest
upon thyself this event; and if God had not blessed thee
with me, thou hadst not escaped from this calamity into
which thou hast fallen ; and they might have involved thee
in a calamity from which thou wouldst never have escaped.
Beg, therefore, of God, that I may live for thy sake, to
liberate thee in future. By Allah, thou hast almost destroyed
me by thine evil design, desiring to go alone; but we will
not be angry with thee for thine ignorance, for thou art
endowed with little sense and of a hasty disposition. — Art
thou not satisfied, replied I, with that which thou hast done,
but wilt thou run after me through the market-streets ? — And
I desired for death to liberate me from him; but found it
THE BARBER Jfl
not; and in the excess of my rage I ran from him, and,
entering a shop in the midst of the market, implored the
protection of its owner; and he drove away the barber
from me.
I then seated myself in a magazine belonging to him,
and said within myself, I cannot now rid myself of this
barber; but he will be with me night and day, and I cannot
endure the sight of his face. So I immediately summoned
witnesses, and wrote a document, dividing my property
among my family, and appointing a guardian over them,
and I ordered him to sell the house and all the immovable
possessions, charging him with the care of the old and
young, and set forth at once on a journey in order to escape
from this wretch. I then arrived in your country, where I
took up my abode, and have remained a considerable time;
and when ye invited me, and I came unto you, I saw this
vile wretch among you, seated at the upper end of the
room. How, then, can my heart be at ease, or my sitting
in your company be pleasant to me, with this fellow, who
hath brought these events upon me, and been the cause of
the breaking of my leg?
The young man still persevered in his refusal to remain
with us; and when we had heard his story, we said to the
barber, Is this true which the young man hath said of thee?
— By Allah, he answered, it was through my intelligence
that I acted thus towards him; and had I not done so, he
had perished: myself only was the cause of his escape;
and it was through the goodness of God, by my means, that
he was afflicted by the breaking of his leg instead of being
punished by the loss of his life. Were I a person of many
words, I had not done him this kindness; and now I will
relate to you an event that happened to me, that ye may
believe me to be a man of few words, and less of an im-
pertinent than my brothers; and it was this: —
The Barber's Story of Himself
I was living in Baghdad, in the reign of the Prince of
the Faithful El-Muntasir bi-llah, 15 who loved the poor and
15 Great-grandson of Harun Er-Rashid; acceded 861 a. b.
172 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
indigent, and associated with the learned and virtuous; and
it happened, one day, that he was incensed against ten
persons, in consequence of which, he ordered the chief
magistrate of Baghdad to bring them to him in a boat. I
saw them, and I said within myself, These persons have
assembled for nothing but an entertainment, and, I suppose,
will pass their day in this boat eating and drinking; and
none shall be their companion but myself: — so I embarked,
and mixed myself among them; and when they had landed
on the opposite bank, the guards of the Wali came with
chains, and put them upon their necks, and put a chain
upon my neck also. — Now this, O people, is it not a proof
of my generosity, and of my paucity of speech? For I
determined not to speak. — They took us, therefore, all
together, in chains, and placed us before El-Muntasir bi-
llah, the Prince of the Faithful; whereupon he gave orders
to strike off the heads of the ten; and the executioner
struck off the heads of the ten, and I remained. The
Khalifeh then turning his eyes, and beholding me, said to
the executioner, Wherefore dost thou not strike off the
heads of all the ten? He answered, I have beheaded
every one of the ten. — I do not think, rejoined the Khali-
feh, that thou hast beheaded more than nine; and this who
is before me is the tenth. But the executioner replied, By
thy beneficence, they are ten. — Count them, said the Khali-
feh. And they counted them; and lo, they were ten.
The Khalifeh then looked towards me, and said, What
hath induced thee to be silent on this occasion; and how
hast thou become included among the men of blood? — And
when I heard the address of the Prince of the Faithful, I
said to him, O Prince of the Faithful, that I am the
sheykh Es-Samit (the Silent) : I possess, of science, a large
stock; and as to the gravity of my understanding, and the
quickness of my apprehension, and the paucity of my
speech, they are unbounded: my trade is that of a barber;
and yesterday, early in the morning, I saw these ten men
proceeding to the boat; whereupon I mixed myself with
them, and embarked with them, thinking that they had met
together for an entertainment; but soon it appeared that
they were criminals; and the guards came to them, and
THE BARBER'S FIRST BROTHER 173
put chains upon their necks, and upon my neck also they
put a chain; and from the excess of my generosity I was
silent, and spoke not: my speech was not heard on that
occasion, on account of the excess of my generosity; and
they proceeded with us until they stationed us before
thee, and thou gavest the order to strike off the heads of
the ten, and I remained before the executioner, and
acquainted you not with my case. Was not this great
generosity which compelled me to accompany them to
slaughter? But throughout my life I have acted in this
excellent manner.
When the Khalifeh heard my words, and knew that I
was of a very generous character, and of few words, and not
inclined to impertinence as this young man, whom I delivered
from horrors, asserteth, he said, Hast thou brothers? I
answered, Yes: six. — And are thy six brothers, said he, like
thyself, distinguished by science and knowledge, and paucity
of speech? I answered, They lived not so as to be like
me: thou hast disparaged me by thy supposition, O Prince
of the Faithful, and it is not proper that thou shouldst com-
pare my brothers to me; for through the abundance of their
speech, and the smallness of their generous qualities, each
of them experienced a defect: the first was lame; the
second, deprived of many of his teeth; the third, blind;
the fourth, one-eyed; the fifth, cropped of his ears; and
the sixth had both his lips cut off: and think not, O Prince
of the Faithful, that I am a man of many words: nay, I
must prove to thee that I am of a more generous character
than they; and each of them met with a particular adven-
ture, in consequence of which he experienced a defect: if
thou please, I will relate their stories to thee.
The Barber's Story of His First Brother
Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that the first (who was
named El-Bakbuk) was the lame one. He practised the
art of a tailor in Baghdad, and used to sew in a shop which
he hired of a man possessing great wealth, who lived over
the shop, and who had, in the lower part of his house, a
mill. And as my lame brother was sitting in his shop one
174 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
day, sewing, he raised his head, and saw a woman like the
rising full moon, at a projecting window of the house, look-
ing at the people passing by; and as soon as he beheld her,
his heart was entangled by her love. He passed that day
gazing at her, and neglecting his occupation, until the even-
ing; and on the following morning he opened his shop, and
sat down to sew; but every time that he sewed a stitch, he
looked towards the window; and in this state he continued,
sewing nothing sufficient to earn a piece of silver.
On the third day he seated himself again in his place,
looking towards the woman; and she saw him, and, per-
ceiving that he had become enslaved by her love, laughed
in his face, and he, in like manner, laughed in her face. She
then disappeared from before him, and sent to him her slave-
girl, with a wrapper containing a piece of red flowered silk;
and the girl, coming to him, said to him, My mistress
saluteth thee, and desireth thee to cut out for her, with the
hand of skill, a shirt of this piece, and to sew it beautifully.
So he answered, I hear and obey: — and he cut out for her
the shirt, and finished the sewing of it on that day; and on
the following day the slave-girl came to him again, and said
to him, My mistress saluteth thee, and saith to thee, How
didst thou pass last night? — for she tasted not sleep, from
her passion for thee. — She then placed before him a piece
of yellow satin, and said to him, My mistress desireth thee
to cut out for her, of this piece, two pairs of trousers, and to
make them this day. He replied, I hear and obey. Salute
her with abundant salutations, and say to her, Thy slave is
submissive to thine order, and command him to do whatso-
ever thou wilt. — He then busied himself with the cutting out,
and used all diligence in sewing the two pairs of trousers;
and presently the woman looked out at him from the window,
and saluted him by a sign, now casting down her eyes, and
now smiling in his face, so that he imagined he should soon
obtain possession of her. After this, she disappeared from
before him, and the slave-girl came to him; so he delivered
to her the two pairs of trousers, and she took them and
departed: and when the night came, he threw himself upon
his bed, and remained turning himself over in restlessness
until the morning.
THE BARBER'S FIRST BROTHER 175
On the following day, the master of the house came to
my brother, bringing some linen, and said to him, Cut out
and make this into shirts for me. He replied, I hear and
obey: — and ceased not from his work until he had cut out
twenty shirts by the time of nightfall, without having tasted
food. The man then said to him, How much is thy hire for
this? — but my brother answered not; and the damsel made
a sign to him that he should receive nothing, though he was
absolutely in want of a single copper coin. For three days
he continued scarcely eating or drinking anything, in his
diligence to accomplish his work, and when he had finished
it, he went to deliver the shirts.
Now the young woman had acquainted her husband with
the state of my brother's mind, but my brother knew not
this; and she planned with her husband to employ him in
sewing without remuneration, and moreover to amuse them-
selves by laughing at him: so, when he had finished all the
work that they gave him, they contrived a plot against him,
and married him to their slave-girl; and on the night when
he desired to introduce himself to her, they said to him,
Pass this night in the mill, and to-morrow thou shalt enjoy
happiness. My brother, therefore, thinking that their inten-
tion was good, passed the night in the mill alone. Mean-
while, the husband of the young woman went to the miller,
and instigated him by signs to make my brother turn the
mill. The miller, accordingly, went in to him at midnight,
and began to exclaim, Verily this bull is lazy, while there is
a great quantity of wheat, and the owners of the flour are
demanding it: I will therefore yoke him in the mill, that
he may finish the grinding of the flour: — and so saying, he
yoked my brother, and thus he kept him until near morning,
when the owner of the house came, and saw him yoked in
the mill, and the miller flogging him with the whip; and he
left him, and retired. After this, the slave-girl to whom he
had been contracted in marriage came to him early in the
morning, and, having unbound him from the mill, said to
him, Both I and my mistress have been distressed by this
which hath befallen thee, and we have participated in the
burden of thy sorrow. But he had no tongue wherewith to
answer her, by reason of the severity of the flogging. He
176 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
then returned to his house ; and lo, the sheykh who had
performed the marriage-contract came and saluted him,
saying, May God prolong thy life ! May thy marriage be
blessed ! — May God not preserve the liar ! returned my
brother : thou thousandfold villain ! By Allah, I went only
to turn the mill in the place of the bull until the morning. —
Tell me thy story, said the sheykh: — and my brother told
him what had happened to him: upon which the sheykh
said, Thy star agreeth not with hers: but if thou desire that
I should change for thee the mode of the contract, I will
change it for another better than it, that thy star may agree
with hers. — See then, replied my brother, if thou hast any
other contrivance to employ.
My brother then left him, and repaired again to his shop,
hoping that somebody might give him some work, with the
profit of which he might obtain his food; and lo, the slave-
girl came to him. She had conspired with her mistress to
play him this trick, and said to him, Verily, my mistress is
longing for thee, and she hath gone up to look at thy face
from the window. And my brother had scarcely heard these
words when she looked out at him from the window, and,
weeping, said, Wherefore hast thou cut short the intercourse
between us and thee? But he returned her no answer: so
she swore to him that all that had happened to him in the
mill was not with her consent: and when my brother beheld
her beauty and loveliness, the troubles that had befallen him
became effaced from his memory, and he accepted her
excuse, and rejoiced at the sight of her. He saluted her,
therefore, and conversed with her, and then sat a while at
his work; after which the slave-girl came to him, and said,
My mistress saluteth thee, and informeth thee that her hus-
band hath determined to pass this next night in the house
of one of his intimate friends ; wherefore, when he hath gone
thither, do thou come to her. — Now the husband of the
young woman had said to her, How shall we contrive when
he cometh to thee that I may take him and drag him before
the Wali? She replied, Let me then play him a trick, and
involve him in a disgrace for which he shall be paraded
throughout this city as an example to others : — and my brother
knew nothing of the craftiness of women. Accordingly,
THE BARBER'S SECOND BROTHER 177
a 1 the approach of evening, the slave-girl came to him, and,
taking him by the hand, returned with him to her mis-
tress, who said to him, Verily, O my master, I have been
longing for thee. — Hasten then, said he, to give me a kiss,
first cf all. And his words were not finished when the young
woman's husband came in from his neighbour's house, and,
seizing my brother, exclaimed to him, By Allah, I will not
loose thee but in the presence of the chief magistrate of the
police. My brother humbled himself before him ; but,
without listening to him, he took him to the house of the
Wali, who flogged him with whips, and mounted him upon
a camel, and conveyed him through the streets of the city,
the people crying out, This is the recompense of him who
breaketh into the harims of others ! — and he fell from the
camel, and his leg broke: so he became lame. The Wali
then banished him from the city; and he went forth, not
knowing whither to turn his steps: but I, though enraged,
overtook him, and brought him back; and I have taken
upon myself to provide him with meat and drink unto the
present day.
The Khalifeh laughed at my story, and exclaimed, Thou
hast spoken well: — but I replied, I will not accept this
honour until thou hast listened to me while I relate to thee
what happened to the rest of my brothers ; and think me
not a man of many words. — Tell me, said the Khalifeh, what
happened to all thy brothers, and grace my ears with these
nice particulars : I beg thee to employ exuberance of diction
in thy relation of these pleasant tales.
The Barber's Story of His Second Brother
So I said, Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that my second
brother, whose name was El-Heddar, was going one day to
transact some business, when an old woman met him, and
said to him, O man, stop a little, that I may propose to thee
a thing, which, if it please thee, thou shalt do for me. My
brother, therefore, stopped; and she said to him, I will
guide thee to a thing, and rightly direct thee to it, on the
condition that thy words be not many. So he said, Com-
municate what thou hast to tell me: — and she proceeded
178 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
thus : — What sayest thou of a handsome house, with runnijtg
water, and fruit and wine, and a beautiful face to behdd,
and a smooth cheek to kiss, and an elegant form to embrace ;
and to enjoy all these pleasures without interruption? Mow,
if thou wilt act agreeably with the condition that I have
imposed upon thee, thou wilt see prosperity. — When my
brother had heard her words, he said to her, O my mistress,
how is it that thou hast sought me out in preference to aft
the rest of the creation for this affair; and what is there in
me that hath pleased thee? She replied, Did I not say to
thee that thou must not be a person of many words? Be
silent then, and come with me.
The old woman then went her way, my brother following
her, eager to enjoy the pleasures which she had described
to him, until they had entered a spacious house, when she
went up with him to an upper story, and my brother per-
ceived that he was in a beautiful palace, in which he beheld
four damsels, than whom none more lovely had ever been
seen, singing with voices that would charm a heart as
insensible as stone. One of these damsels drank a cup of
wine; and my brother said to her, May it be attended with
health and vigour ! — and advanced to wait upon her ; but
she prevented his doing so, giving him to drink a cup of
wine; and as soon as he had drunk it, she slapped him on
his neck. When he found that she treated him thus, he
went out from the chamber in anger, and with many words ;
but the old woman, following him, made a sign to him with
her eye that he should return: so he returned, and seated
himself, without speaking; and upon this, the damsel slapped
him again upon the back of his neck until he became sense-
less; after which, recovering, he withdrew again. The old
woman, however, overtook him, and said to him, Wait a
little, and thou shalt attain thy wish. — How many times,
said he, shall I wait a little before I attain it? The old
woman answered, When she hath become exhilarated with
wine thou shalt obtain her favour. He therefore returned
to his place, and resumed his seat. All the four damsels
then arose, and the old woman directed them to divest my
brother of his outer clothes, and to sprinkle some rose-water
Upon his face; and when they had done so, the most
THE BARBER'S SECOND BROTHER 179
beautiful one among them said to him, May Allah exalt
thee to honour! Thou hast entered my abode, and if thou
have patience to submit to my requisitions, thou wilt attain
thy wish. — O my mistress, he replied, I am thy slave, and
under thy authority. — Know then, said she, that I am
devotedly fond of frolic, and he who complieth with my
demands will obtain my favour. Then she ordered the
other damsels to sing; and they sang so that their hearers
were in an ecstasy; after which the chief lady said to one
of the other damsels, Take thy master, and do what is
required, and bring him back to me immediately.
Accordingly, she took him away, ignorant of that which
she was about to do; and the old woman came to him, and'
said, Be patient; for there remaineth but little to do. He
then turned towards the damsel, and the old woman said to
him, Be patient: thou hast almost succeeded, and there
remaineth but one thing, which is, to shave thy beard. —
How, said he, shall I do that which will disgrace me among
the people? The old woman answered, She desireth this
only to make thee like a beardless youth, that there may be
nothing on thy face to prick her; for her heart is affected
with a violent love for thee. Be patient, therefore, and thou
shalt attain thy desire. — So my brother patiently submitted
to the damsel's directions: his beard was shaven, and he
was shorn also of his eyebrows and mustaches, and his face
was painted red, before the damsel took him back to the
chief lady, who, when she saw him, was at first frightened
at him, and then laughed until she fell backwards, and
exclaimed, O my master, thou hast gained me by these
proofs of thine amiable manners ! She then conjured him
by her life to arise and dance; and he did so; and there
was not a single cushion in the chamber that she did not
throw at him. In like manner also the other damsels threw
at him various things, such as oranges, and limes, and
citrons, until he fell down senseless from the pelting, while
they slapped him incessantly upon the back of his neck, and
cast things in his face. But at length the old woman said
to him, Now thou hast attained thy wish. Know that there
remaineth to thee no more beating, nor doth there remain
for thee to do more than one thing, namely, this: it is her
180 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
custom, when she is under the influence of wine, to suffer no
one to come near her until she hath taken off her outer
clothes: thou, being prepared in the like manner, must run
after her, and she will run before thee as though she were
flying from thee; but cease not to follow her from place to
place until thou overtake her. He arose, therefore, and did
so: the lady ran before, and as he followed her, she passed
from chamber to chamber, and he still ran after her. At
last he heard her utter a slight sound as she ran before him,
and, continuing his pursuit, he suddenly found himself in
the midst of the street.
This street was in the market of the leather-sellers, who
were then crying skins for sale; and when the people there
collected saw him in this condition, almost naked, with
shaven beard and eyebrows and mustaches, and with his
face painted red, they shouted at him, and raised a loud
laugh, and some of them beat him with the skins until he
became insensible. They then placed him upon an ass,
and conducted him to the Wali, who exclaimed, What is
this? — They answered, This descended upon us from the
house of the Wezir, in this condition. And the Wali in-
flicted upon him a hundred lashes, and banished him from
the city: but I went out after him, and brought him back
privately into the city, and allotted him a maintenance.
Had it not been for my generous disposition, I had not
borne with such a person.
The Barber's Story of His Third Brother
As to my third brother (the blind man, Bakbak), who
was also surnamed Kuffeh, fate and destiny impelled him
one day to a large house, and he knocked at the door,
hoping that its master would answer him, and that he might
beg of him a trifle. The owner called out, Who is at the
door?— but my brother answered not; and then heard him
call with a loud voice, Who is this? Still, however, he
returned him no answer; and he heard the sounds of his
footsteps approaching until he came to the door and opened
it, when he said to him, What dost thou desire? My
brother answered, Something for the sake of God, whose
THE BARBER'S THIRD BROTHER 181
name "be exalted! — Art thou blind? said the man; and my
brother answered. Yes. — Then give me thy hand, rejoined
the master of the house; — so my brother stretched forth to
him his hand, and the man took him into the house, and
led him up from stair-case to stair-case until he had ascended
to the highest platform of the roof: my brother thinking
that he was going to give him some food or money: and
when he had arrived at this highest terrace of his house, the
owner said, What dost thou desire, O blind man? — I desire
something, he answered again, for the sake of God, whose
name be exalted ! — May God, replied the man, open to thee
some other way ! — What is this ! exclaimed my brother :
couldst thou not tell me so when I was below? — Thou
vilest of the vile ! retorted the other : why didst thou not
ask of me something for the sake of God when thou heardest
my voice the first time, when thou wast knocking at the
door? — What then, said my brother, dost thou mean to do
to me? — The man of the house answered, I have nothing
to give thee. — Then take me down the stairs, said my
brother. The man replied, The way is before thee. So
my brother made his way to the stairs, and continued
descending until there remained, between him and the door,
twenty steps, when his foot slipped and he fell, and, rolling
down, broke his head.
He went forth, not knowing whither to direct his steps,
and presently there met him two blind men, his companions,
who said to him, What hath happened to thee this day?
My brother, therefore, related to them the event that had
just befallen him; and then said to them, O my brothers, I
desire to take a portion of the money now in our possession,
to expend it upon myself. — Now the owner of the house
which he had just before entered had followed him to
acquaint himself with his proceedings, and without my
brother's knowledge he walked behind him until the latter
entered his abode ; when he went in after him, still unknown.
My brother then sat waiting for his companions; and when
they came in to him, he said to them, Shut the door, and
search the room, lest any stranger have followed us. When
the intruder, therefore, heard what he said, he arose, and
clung to a rope that was attached to the ceiling; and the
182 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
blind men went feeling about the whole of the chamber,
and., finding no one, returned and seated themselves by my
brother, and brought forth their money, and counted it;
and lo, it was more than ten thousand pieces of silver.
Having done this, they laid it in a corner of the room, and
each of them took of the surplus of thai sum as much as he
wanted, and they buried the ten thousand pieces of silver in
the earth; after which, they placed before themselves some
food, and sat eating; but my brother heard the sound of a
stranger by his side, and said to his friends, Is there a
stranger among us? Then stretching forth his hand, it
grasped the hand of the intruder; whereupon he cried out
to his companions, saying, Here is a stranger! — and they
fell upon him with blows until they were tired, when they
shouted out, O Muslims ! a thief hath come in upon us,
and desireth to take our property! — and immediately a
number of persons collected around them.
Upon this, the stranger whom they accused of being a
thief shut his eyes, feigning to be blind like themselves, so
that no one who saw him doubted him to be so; and
shouted, O Muslims ! I demand protection of Allah and the
Sultan ! I demand protection of Allah and the Wali ! I
demand protection of Allah and the Emir! for I have
important information to give to the Emir! — and before
they could collect their thoughts, the officers of the Wali
surrounded them and took them all, including my brother,
and conducted them before their master. The Wali said,
What is your story? — and the stranger replied, Hear my
words, O Wali; the truth of our case will not become
known to thee but by means of beating; and if thou wilt,
begin by beating me before my companions. The Wali
therefore said, Throw down this man, and flog him with
whips: — and accordingly they threw him down and flogged
him; and when the stripes tortured him, he opened one of
his eyes; and after they had continued the flogging a little
longer, he opened his other eye; upon which the Wali
exclaimed, What meaneth this conduct, O thou villain? —
Grant me indemnity, replied the man, and I will acquaint
thee : — and the Wali having granted his request, he said, We
four pretend that we are blind, and, intruding among other
THE BARBER'S THIRD BROTHER 183
people, enter their houses, and see their women, and employ
stratagems to corrupt them, and to obtain money from them.
We have acquired, by these means, vast gain, amounting to
ten thousand pieces of silver; and I said to my companions,
Give me my due, two thousand and five hundred; and they
rose against me and beat me, and took my property. I beg
protection, therefore, of Allah and of thee; and thou art
more deserving of my share than they. If thou desire to
know the truth of that which I have said, flog each of them
more than thou hast flogged me, and he will open his eyes.
So the Wali immediately gave orders to flog them; and
the first of them who suffered was my brother. They con-
tinued beating him until he almost died; when the Wali
said to them, O ye scoundrels ! do ye deny the gracious
gift of God, feigning yourselves to be blind? My brother
exclaimed, Allah ! Allah ! Allah ! there is none among us
who'seeth! — They then threw him down again, and ceased
not to beat him until he became insensible, when the Wali
said, Leave him until he shall have recovered, and then
give him a third flogging: — and in the meantime, he gave
orders to flog his companions, to give each of them more
than three hundred stripes; while the seeing man said to
them, Open your eyes, or they will flog you again after this
time. Then addressing himself to the Wali, he said, Send
with me some person to bring thee the property; for these
men will not open their eyes, fearing to be disgraced before
the spectators. And the Wali sent with him a man, who
brought him the money; and he took it, and gave to the
informer, out of it, two thousand and five hundred pieces of
silver, according to the share which he claimed, in spite of
the others (retaining the rest), and banished from the city
my brother and the two other men; but I went forth, O
Prince of the Faithful, and, having overtaken my brother,
asked him respecting his sufferings; and he acquainted me
with that which I have related unto thee. I then brought
him back secretly into the city, and allotted him a supply of
food and drink as long as he lived.
The Khalifeh laughed at my story, and said, Give him
a present, and let him go: — but I replied, I will receive
nothing until I have declared to the Prince of the Faithful
184 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
what happened to the rest of my brothers, and made it
manifest to him that I am a man of few words : — whereupon
the Khalifeh said, Crack our ears, then, with thy ridiculous
stories, and continue to us thy disclosure of vices and mis-
deeds. So I proceeded thus: —
The Barber's Story of His Fourth Brother
My fourth brother, O Prince of the Faithful, was the
one-eyed (named El-Kuz el Aswani) : he was a butcher in
Baghdad, and both sold meat and reared lambs; and the
great and the rich had recourse to him to purchase of him
their meat, so that he amassed great wealth, and became
possessor of cattle and houses. Thus he continued to prosper
for a long time; and as he was in his shop, one day, there
accosted him an old man with a long beard, who handed to
him some money, saying, Give me some meat for it. So he
took the money, and gave him the meat; and when the old
man had gone away, my brother looked at the money which
he had paid him, and, seeing that it was of a brilliant white-
ness, put it aside by itself. This old man continued to
repair to him during a period of five months, and my brother
always threw his money into a chest by itself; after which
period he desired to take it out for the purpose of buying
some sheep; but on opening the chest, he found all the
contents converted into white paper, clipped round; and he
slapped his face, and cried out; whereupon a number of
people collected around him, and he related to them his
story, at which they were astonished.
He then went again, as usual, into his shop, and, having
killed a ram and hung it up within the -shop, he cut off
some of the meat, and suspended it outside, saying within
himself, Perhaps now this old man will come again, and if
so, I will seize him: — and very soon after, the old man
approached with his money; upon which my brother arose,
and, laying hold upon him, began to cry out, O Muslims,
come to my aid, and hear what this scoundrel hath done
unto me ! But when the old man heard his words he said
to him, Which will be more agreeable to thee — that thou
abstain from disgracing me, or that I disgrace thee, before
THE BARBER'S FOURTH BROTHER 185
the people? — For what wilt thou disgrace me? said my
brother. The old man answered, For thy selling human
flesh for mutton. — Thou liest, thou accursed ! exclaimed my
brother. — None is accursed, rejoined the old man, but he
who hath a man suspended in his shop. My brother said,
If it be as thou hast asserted, my property and blood shall
be lawful to thee: — and immediately the old man exclaimed,
O ye people here assembled ! verily this butcher slaughtereth
human beings, and selleth their flesh for mutton; and if ye
desire to know the truth of my assertion, enter his shop !
So the people rushed upon his shop, and beheld the ram
converted into a man, hung up, and they laid hold upon
my brother, crying out against him, Thou infidel ! Thou
scoundrel ! — and those who had been his dearest friends
turned upon him and beat him; and the old man gave him
a blow upon his eye, and knocked it out. The people then
carried the carcass, and took with them my brother, to the
chief magistrate of the police; and the old man said to him,
O Emir, this man slaughtereth human beings, and selleth
their flesh for mutton; and we have therefore brought him
to thee: arise, then, and perform the requisition of God,
whose might and glory be extolled ! Upon this, the magis-
trate thrust back my brother from him, and, refusing to
listen to what he would have said, ordered that five hundred
blows of a staff should be inflicted upon him, and took all
his property. Had it not been for the great amount of his
wealth, he had put him to death. He then banished him
from the city.
My brother, therefore, went forth in a state of distrac-
tion, not knowing what course to pursue; but he journeyed
onwards until he arrived at a great city, where he thought
fit to settle as a shoemaker: so he opened a shop, and sat
there working for his subsistence. And one day he went
forth on some business, and, hearing the neighing of horses,
he inquired respecting the cause, and was told that the King
was going forth to hunt; whereupon he went to amuse him-
self with the sight of the procession: but the King happen-
ing to look on one side, his eye met that of my brother, and
immediately he hung down his head, and exclaimed, I seek
refuge with God from the evil of this day ! He then turned
186 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
aside the bridle of his horse, and rode back, and all his
troops returned with him; after which, he ordered his pages
to run after my brother, and to beat him; and they did so;
giving him so severe a beating that he almost died; and he
knew not the cause. He returned to his abode in a miser-
able plight, and afterwards went and related his misfortune
to one of the King's attendants, who laughed at the recital
until he fell backwards, and said to him, O my brother, the
King cannot endure the sight of a one-eyed person, and
especially when the defect is that of the left eye; for in this
case, he faileth not to put the person to death.
When my brother heard these words, he determined to
fly from that city; and forthwith departed from it, and
repaired to another city, where there was no King. Here
he remained a long time; and after this, as he was meditat-
ing upon his adventure in the former city, he went out one
day to amuse himself, and heard again the neighing of
horses behind him; upon which he exclaimed, The decree
of God hath come to pass ! — and ran away, seeking for a
place in which to conceal himself; but he found none, until,
continuing his search, he saw a door set up as a barricade;
so he pushed this, and it fell down; and, entering the door-
way, he beheld a long passage, into which he advanced.
Suddenly, however, two men laid hold upon him, and ex-
claimed, Praise be to God who hath enabled us to take thee,
O thou enemy of God! For these three nights thou hast
suffered us to enjoy neither quiet nor sleep, and we have
found no repose: nay, thou hast given us a foretaste of
death ! — O men, said my brother, what hath happened unto
you? They answered, Thou keepest a watch upon us, and
desirest to disgrace us, and to disgrace the master of the
house! Is it not enough for thee that thou hast reduced
him to poverty, thou and thy companions? Produce now
the knife wherewith thou threatenest us every night. — And
so saying, they searched him, and found upon his waist the
knife with which he cut the shoe-leather. — O men, he ex-
claimed, fear God in your treatment of me, and know that
my story is wonderful. They said, What then is thy story?
So he related it to them, in the hope that they would liberate
him: but they believed not what he said; and, instead of
THE BARBER'S FIFTH BROTHER 187
shewing him any regard, they beat him, and tore his clothes ;
whereupon, his body becoming exposed to their view,
they discovered upon his sides the marks of beating with
mikra'ahs, and exclaimed, O wretch ! these scars bear testi-
mony to thy guilt. They then conducted him before the
Wali, while he said within himself, I am undone for my
transgressions, and none can deliver me but God, whose
name be exalted ! And when he was brought before the
Wali, the magistrate said to him, O thou scoundrel ! nothing
but a heinous crime hath occasioned thy having been beaten
with mikra'ahs: — and he caused a hundred lashes to be
inflicted upon him ; after which, they mounted him upon a
camel, and proclaimed before him, This is the recompense
of him who breaketh into men's houses ! — But I had already
heard of his misfortunes, and gone forth, and found him;
and I accompanied him about the city while they were
making this proclamation, until they left him; when I took
him, and brought him back secretly into Baghdad, and
apportioned him a daily allowance of food and drink.
The Barber's Fifth Brother
My fifth brother (El-Feshshar ["Alnaschar"]) was cropped
of his ears, O Prince of the Faithful. He was a pauper,
who begged alms by night, and subsisted upon what he thus
acquired by day : and our father was a very old man, and he
fell sick and died, leaving to us seven hundred pieces of silver,
of which each of us took his portion; namely, a hundred
pieces. Now my fifth brother, when he had received his
share, was perplexed, not knowing what to do with it; but
while he was in this state, it occurred to his mind to buy
with it all kinds of articles of glass, and to sell them and
make profit: so he bought glass with his hundred pieces of
silver, and put it in a large tray, and sat upon an elevated
place, to sell it, leaning his back against a wall. And as he
sat, he meditated, and said within himself, Verily my whole
stock consisteth of this glass: I will sell it for two hundred
pieces of silver; and with the two hundred I will buy other
glass which I will sell for four hundred; and thus I will
continue buying and selling until I haye acquired great
188 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
wealth. Then with this I will purchase all kinds of mer-
chandise and essences and jewels, and so obtain vast gain.
After that, I will buy a handsome house, and memluks,
and horses, and gilded saddles; and I will eat and drink;
and I will not leave in the city a single female singer but I
will have her brought to my house that I may hear her
songs. — All this he calculated with the tray of glass lying
before him. — Then, said he, I will send all the female
betrothers to seek in marriage for me the daughters of
Kings and Wezirs; and I will demand as my wife the
daughter of the chief Wezir; for I have heard that she is
endowed with perfect beauty and surprising loveliness; and
I will give as her dowry a thousand pieces of gold. If her
father consent, my wish is attained; and if he consent not,
I will take her by force, in spite of him: and when I have
come back to my house, I will buy ten young eunuchs, and
I will purchase the apparel of Kings and Sultans, and cause
to be made for me a saddle of gold set with jewels; after
which I will ride every day upon a horse, with slaves behind
me and before me, and go about through the streets and
markets to amuse myself, while the people will salute me
and pray for me. Then I will pay a visit to the Wezir, who
is the father of the maiden, with memluks behind me and
before me, and on my right hand and on my left; and when
he seeth me, he will rise to me, in humility, and seat me in
his own place; and he himself will sit down below me,
because I am his son-in-law. I will then order one of the
servants to bring a purse containing the pieces of gold which
compose the dowry; and he will place it before the Wezir;
and I will add to it another purse, that he may know my
manly spirit and excessive generosity, and that the world is
contemptible in my eye; and when he addresseth me with
ten words, I will answer him with two. And I will return
to my house; and when any person cometh to me from the
house of the Wezir, I will clothe him with a rich dress: but
if any come with a present, I will return it; I will certainly
not accept it. Then, on the night of the bridal display, I
will attire myself in the most magnificent of my dresses, and
sit upon a mattress covered with silk; and when my wife
cometh to me, like the full moon, decked with her ornaments
THE BARBER'S FIFTH BROTHER 189
and apparel, I will command her to stand before me as
stands the timid and the abject; and I will not look at her,
on account of the haughtiness of my spirit and the gravity
of my wisdom; so that the maids will say, O our master
and our lord, may we be thy sacrifice ! This thy wife, or
rather thy handmaid, awaiteth thy kind regard, and is stand-
ing before thee: then graciously bestow on her one glance;
for the posture hath become painful to her. — Upon this, I
will raise my head, and look at her with one glance, and
again incline my head downwards; and thus I will do until
the ceremony of displaying her is finished; whereupon they
will conduct her to the sleeping-chamber; and I will rise
from my place, and go to another apartment, and put on my
night-dress, and go to the chamber in which she is sitting,
where I will seat myself upon the divan; but I will not look
towards her. The tirewomen will urge me to approach
her; but I will not hear their words, and will order some
of the attendants to bring a purse containing five hun-
dred pieces of gold for them, and command them to
retire from the chamber. And when they have gone, I
will seat myself by the side of the bride; but with averted
countenance, that she may say, Verily this is a man of a
haughty spirit. Then her mother will come to me, and will
kiss my hands, and say to me, O my master, look upon thy
handmaid with the eye of mercy; for she is submissively
standing before thee. But I will return her no answer.
And she will kiss my feet, again and again, and will say, O
my master, my daughter is young and hath seen no man
but thee; and if she experience from thee repugnance, her
heart will break: incline to her, therefore, and speak to
her, and calm her mind. And upon this I will look at her
through the corner of my eye, and command her to remain
standing before me, that she may taste the savour of
humiliation, and know that I am the Sultan of the age.
Then her mother will say to me, O my master, this is thy
handmaid: have compassion upon her, and be gracious to
her: — and she will order her to fill a cup with wine, and to
put it to my mouth. So her daughter will say, O my lord,
I conjure thee by Allah that thou reject not the cup from
thy slave; for verily I am thy slave. But I will make her
190 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
no reply; and she will urge me to take it, and will say, It
must be drunk; and will put it to my mouth: and upon this,
I will shake my hand in her face, and spurn her with my
foot, and do thus. — So saying, he kicked the tray of glass,
which, being upon a place elevated above the ground,
fell, and all that was in it broke : there escaped nothing : and
he cried out and said, All this is the result of my pride!
And he slapped his face, and tore his clothes ; the passengers
gazing at him, while he wept, and exclaimed, Ah ! O my
grief !
The people were now repairing to perform the Friday-
prayers; and some merely cast their eyes at him, while
others noticed him not; but while he was in this state, de-
prived of his whole property, and weeping, without inter-
mission, a female approached him, on her way to attend the
Friday-prayers: she was of admirable loveliness; the odour
of musk was diffused from her ; under her was a mule with a
stuffed saddle covered with gold-embroidered silk; and with
her was a number of servants; and when she saw the
broken glass, and my brother's state and his tears, she was
moved with pity for him, and asked respecting his case.
She was answered, He had a tray of glass, by the sale of
which to obtain his subsistence, and it is broken, and he is
afflicted as thou seest: — and upon this, she called to one of
the servants, saying, Give what thou hast with thee to this
poor man. So he gave him a purse, and he took it, and
when he had opened it, he found in it five hundred pieces
of gold, whereupon he almost died of excessive joy, and
offered up prayers for his benefactress.
He returned to his house a rich man, and sat reflecting,
and lo, a person knocked at the door: he rose, therefore,
and opened it ; and beheld an old woman whom he knew
not, and she said to him, O my son, know that the time of
prayer hath almost expired, and I am not prepared by ablu-
tion; wherefore I beg that thou wilt admit me into thy
house, that I may perform it. He replied, I hear and obey;
— and, retiring within, gave her permission to enter; his
mind still wandering from joy on account of the gold; and
when she had finished the ablution, she approached the spot
where he was sitting, and there performed the prayers of
THE BARBER'S FIFTH BROTHER 191
two rek'ahs. She then offered up a supplication for my
brother; and he thanked her, and doffed her two pieces of
gold; but when she saw this, she exclaimed, Extolled be
God's perfection ! Verily I wonder at the person who fell
in love with thee in thy beggarly condition ! Take back
thy money from me, and if thou want it not, return it to
her who gave it thee when thy glass broke.— O my mother,
said he, how can I contrive to obtain access to her? She
answered, O my son, she hath an affection for thee; but
she is the wife of an affluent man ; take then with thee all
thy money, and when thou art with her be not deficient in
courteousness and agreeable words; so shalt thou obtain
of her favours and her wealth whatever thou shalt desire.
My brother, therefore, took all the gold, and arose and
went with the old woman, hardly believing what she had
told him; and she proceeded, and my brother behind her,
until they arrived at a great door, at which she knocked;
whereupon a Greek damsel came and opened the door, and
the old woman entered, ordering my brother to do the
same. He did so, and found himself in a large house, where
he beheld a great furnished chamber, with curtains hung
in it ; and, seating himself there, he put down the gold before
him, and placed his turban on his knees; and scarcely had
he done so, when there came to him a damsel, the like of
whom had never been seen, attired in most magnificent ap-
parel. My brother stood up at her approach ; and when she
beheld him she laughed in his face, and rejoiced at his visit :
then going to the door, she locked it; after which she re-
turned to my brother, and took his hand, and both of them
went together into a private chamber, carpeted with various
kinds of silk, where my brother sat down, and she seated
herself by his side, and toyed with him for a considerable
time. She then rose, saying to him, Move not, from this
place until I return to thee; — and was absent from him for
a short period ; and as my brother was waiting for her, there
came in to him a black slave, of gigantic stature, with a
drawn sword, the brightness of which dazzled the sight ; and
he exclaimed to my brother, Wo to thee! Who brought
thee to this place? Thou vilest of men! Thou misbegotten
wretch, and nursling of impunity! — My brother was unable
192 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
to make any reply; his tongue was instantly tied; and the
slaves laid hold upon him, and stripped him, and struck him
more than eighty blows with the flat of his sword, until he
fell sprawling upon the floor; when he retired from him,
concluding that he was dead, and uttered a great cry, so
that the earth trembled, and the place resounded at his voice,
saying, Where is El-Melihah? — upon which a girl came to
him, holding a handsome tray containing salt; and with this
she forthwith stuffed the flesh-wounds with which my
brother's skin was gashed until they gaped open; but he
moved not, fearing the slave would discover that he was
alive, and kill him. The girl then went away, and the slave
uttered another cry, like the first, whereupon the old woman
came to my brother, and, dragging him by the feet to a deep
and dark vault, threw him into it upon a heap of slain. In
this place he remained for two whole days; and God (whose
perfection he extolled!) made the salt to be the means of
preserving his life, by stanching the flow of blood from his
veins; so, when he found that he had strength sufficient to
move, he arose, and, opening a shutter in the wall, emerged
from the place of the slain; and God (to whom be ascribed
all might and glory ! ) granted him his protection. He
therefore proceeded in the darkness, and concealed him-
self in the passage until the morning, when the old woman
went forth to seek another victim, and my brother, going
out after her, without her knowledge, returned to his house.
He now occupied himself with the treatment of his wounds
until he was restored; and continued to watch for the old
woman, and constantly saw her taking men, one after another,
and conducting them to the same house. But he uttered not
a word on the subject; and when his health returned, and
his strength was completely renewed, he took a piece of rag,
and made of it a purse, which he filled with pieces of glass:
he then tied it to his waist, and disguised himself so that no
one would know him, in the dress of a foreigner ; and, taking
a sword, placed it within his clothes; and as soon as he saw
the old woman, he said to her, in the dialect of a foreigner,
Old woman, hast thou a pair of scales fit for weighing nine
hundred pieces of gold? The old woman answered, I have a
young son, a money-changer, and he hath all kinds of scales;
THE BARBER'S FIFTH BROTHER 193
therefore accompany me to him before he go forth from
his abode, that he may weigh for thee thy gold. So my
brother said, Walk on before me: — and she went, and my
brother followed her until she arrived at the door, and
knocked; upon which the girl came out, and laughed in his
face ; and the old woman said to her, I have brought you to-
day some fat meat. The girl then took my brother's hand,
and conducted him into the house (the same which he had
entered before), and after she had sat with him a short time,
she rose, saying to him, Quit not this place until I return
to thee : — and she retired ; and my brother had remained not
long after when the slave came to him with the drawn
sword, and said to him, Rise, thou unlucky ! So my brother
rose, and, as the slave walked before him, he put his hand
to the sword which was concealed beneath his clothes, and
struck the slave with it, and cut off his head; after which
he dragged him by his feet to the vault, and called out,
Where is El-Melihah? The slave-girl, therefore, came,
having in her hand the tray containing the salt ; but when she
saw my brother with the sword in his hand, she turned back
and fled: my brother, however, overtook her, and struck
off her head. He then called out, Where is the old woman?
— and she came ; and he said to her, Dost thou know me, O
malevolent hag? She answered, No, O my lord. — I am, said
he, the man who had the pieces of gold, and in whose house
thou performedst the ablution, and prayedst; after which,
devising a stratagem against me, thou betrayedst me into
this place. — The old woman exclaimed, Fear God in thy
treatment of me ! — but my brother, turning towards her,
struck her with the sword, and clove her in twain. He then
went in search for the chief damsel, and when she saw him,
her reason fled, and she implored his pardon; whereupon he
granted her his pardon, and said to her, What occasioned
thy falling into the hands of this black? She answered, I
was a slave to one of the merchants, and this old woman
used to visit me; and one day she said to me, We are cele-
brating a festivity, the like of which no one hath seen, and
I have a desire that thou shouldst witness it. I replied, I
hear and obey: — and arose, and clad myself in the best of
my attire, and, taking with me a purse containing a hundred
HC XVI— B
194 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
pieces of gold, proceeded with her until she entered this
house, when suddenly this black took me, and I have con-
tinued with him in this state three years, through the strata-
gem of the old witch. — My brother then said to her, Is there
any property of his in the house? — Abundance, she an-
swered; and if thou canst remove it, do so: — and upon this,
he arose and went with her, when she opened to him chests
filled with purses, at the sight of which he was confounded;
and she said to him, Go now, and leave me here, and bring
some person to remove the property. So he want out, and,
having hired ten men, returned; but on his arrival at the
door, he found it open, and saw neither the damsel nor the
purses ; he found, however, some little money remaining, and
the stuffs. He discovered, therefore, that she had eluded
him ; and he took the money that remained, and, opening the
closets, took all the stuffs which they contained, leaving
nothing in the house.
He passed the next night full of happiness; but when
the morning came, he found at the door twenty soldiers,
and on his going forth to them, they laid hold upon him,
saying, The Wali summoneth thee. So they took him, and
conducted him to the Wali, who, when he saw him, said to
him, Whence obtainedst thou these stuffs? — Grant me in-
demnity, said my brother: — and the Wali gave him the
handkerchief of indemnity; and my brother related to him
all that had befallen him with the old woman from first to
last, and the flight of the damsel; adding, — and of that
which I have taken, take thou what thou wilt; but leave me
wherewith to procure my food. The Wali thereupon de-
manded the whole of the money and the stuffs; but fearing
that the Sultan might become acquainted with the matter,
he retained a portion only, and gave the rest to my brother,
saying to him, Quit this city, or I will hang thee. My
brother replied, I hear and obey: — and went forth to one
of the surrounding cities. Some robbers, however, came
upon him, and stripped and beat him, and cut off his ears;
and I, having heard of his situation, went forth to him, tak-
ing to him some clothes; and brought him back privily into
the city, and supplied him with daily food and drink.
THE BARBER'S SIXTH BROTHER 195
The Barber's Story of His Sixth Brother
My sixth brother (Shakalik), O Prince of the Faithful,
had his lips cut off. He was in a state of extreme poverty,
possessing nothing of the goods of this perishable world;
and he went forth one day to seek for something with which
to stay his departing spirit, and on his way he beheld a
handsome house, with a wide and lofty vestibule, at the door
of which were servants, commanding and forbidding; where-
upon he inquired of one of the persons standing there, who
answered, This house belongeth to a man of the sons of the
Barmekis. My brother, therefore, advanced to the door-
keepers, and begged them to give him something; and they
said, Enter the door of the house, and thou wilt obtain what
thou desirest of its master. So he entered the vestibule,
and proceeded through it a while until he arrived at a man-
sion of the utmost beauty and elegance, having a garden in
the midst of it, unsurpassed in beauty by anything that had
ever been seen: its floors were paved with marble, and its
curtains were hanging around. He knew not in which
direction to go; but advanced to the upper extremity; and
there he beheld a man of handsome countenance and beard,
who, on seeing my brother, rose to him, and welcomed him,
inquiring respecting his circumstances. He accordingly in-
formed him that he was in want; and when the master of
the house heard his words, he manifested excessive grief,
and, taking hold of his own clothes, rent them, and ex-
claimed, Am I in the city, and thou in it hungry? It is a
thing that I cannot endure ! — Then promising him every
kind of happiness, he said, Thou must stay and partake of my
salt. But my brother replied, O my master, I have not
patience to wait ; for I am in a state of extreme hunger.
Upon this, the master of the house called out, Boy, bring
the basin and ewer ! — and he said, O my guest, advance, and
wash thy hand. He then performed the same motions as if
he were washing his hand; and called to his attendants to
bring the table; whereupon they began to come and go as
though they were preparing it; after which the master of
the house took my brother, and sat down with him at this
196 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
imaginary table, and proceeded to move his hands and
lips as if he were eating; saying to my brother, Eat, and be
not ashamed, for thou art hungry, and I know how
thou art suffering from the violence of thy hunger. My
brother, therefore, made the same motions, as if he also
were eating, while his host said to him, Eat, and observe
this bread and its whiteness. To this, my brother at first
made no reply; but observed in his own mind, Verily this
is a man who loveth to jest with others: — so he said to him,
O my master, in my life I have never seen bread more
beautifully white than this, or any of sweeter taste: — on
which the host rejoined, This was made by a female slave
of mine whom I purchased for five hundred pieces of gold.
He then called out, Boy, bring to us the sikbaj, 16 the like
of which is not found among the dishes of Kings ! — and,
addressing my brother, he said, Eat, O my guest; for thou
art hungry, vehemently so and in absolute want of food.
So my brother began to twist about his mouth, and to chew,
as in eating. The master of the house now proceeded to
demand different kinds of viands, one after another; and,
though nothing was brought, he continued ordering my
brother to eat. Next he called out, Boy, place before us
the chickens stuffed with pistachio-nuts: — and said to his
guest, Eat that of which thou hast never tasted the like. — O
my master, replied my brother, verily this dish hath not its
equal in sweetness or flavour: — and the host, thereupon,
began to put his hand to my brother's mouth as though he
were feeding him with morsels ; and proceeded to enumerate
to him the various different kinds of viands, and to describe
their several excellencies; while his hunger so increased
that he longed for a cake of barley-bread. The master of
the house then said to him, Hast thou tasted anything more
delicious than the spices in these dishes? — No, O my master,
answered my brother. — Eat more then, resumed the host;
and be not ashamed. — I have eaten enough of the meats,
replied the guest. So the man of the house called to his
attendants to bring the sweets; and they moved their hands
about in the air as if they were bringing them; whereupon
the host said to my brother, Eat of this dish; for it is
16 A dish composed of meat, wheat-flour, and vinegar.
THE BARBER'S SIXTH BROTHER 197
excellent; and of these katai'f, 17 by my life! and take this
one before the sirup runs from it. — May I never be deprived
of thee, O my master ! exclaimed my brother, proceeding
to inquire of him respecting the abundance of musk in the
kataif. — This, answered the host, is my usual custom in
my house: they always put for me, in each of the kataif, a
mithkal 18 of musk, and half a mithkal of ambergris. — All
this time my brother was moving his head and mouth, and
rolling about his tongue between his cheeks, as if he were
enjoying the sweets. After this, the master of the house
called out to his attendants, Bring the dried fruits ! — and
again they moved about their hands in the air as though
they were doing what he ordered; when he said to my
brother, Eat of these almonds, and of these walnuts, and of
these raisins; — and so on; enumerating the various kinds
of dried fruits; and added again, Eat, and be not ashamed.
— O my master, replied my brother, I have had enough,
and have not power to eat anything more: — but the host
rejoined, If thou desire, O my guest, to eat more, and to
delight thyself with extraordinary dainties, by Allah ! by
Allah ! remain not hungry.
My brother now reflected upon his situation, and upon
the manner in which this man was jesting with him, and said
within himself, By Allah, I will do to him a deed that shall
make him repent before God of these actions ! The man of
the house next said to his attendants, Bring us the wine: —
and, as before, they made the same motions with their hands
in the air as if they were doing what he commanded; after
which he pretended to hand to my brother a cup, saying, Take
this cup, for it will delight thee: — and his guest replied, O
my master, this is of thy bounty: — and he acted with his
hand as though he were drinking it. — Hath it pleased thee?
said the host. — O my master, answered my brother, I have
never seen anything more delicious than this wine. — Drink
then, rejoined the master of the house, and may it be
attended with benefit and health: — and he himself pretended
to drink, and to hand a second cup to my brother, who,
after he had affected to drink it, feigned himself intoxicated,
17 Small pancakes or other sweet pastry.
18 The weight of a dinar.
198 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
and, taking his host unawares, raised his hand until the
whiteness of his arm-pit appeared, and struck him such a
slap upon his neck that the chamber rang at the blow; and
this he followed by a second blow; whereupon the man
exclaimed, What is this, thou vilest of the creation? — O my
master, answered my brother, I am thy slave, whom thou
hast graciously admitted into thine abode, and thou hast
fed him with thy provisions, and treated him with old wine,
and he hath become intoxicated, and committed an outrage
upon thee; but thou art of too exalted dignity to be angry
with him for his ignorance.
When the master of the house heard these words of my
brother, he uttered a loud laugh, and said to him, Verily for
a long time have I made game of men, and jested with all
persons accustomed to joking and rudeness, but I have not
seen among them any who could endure this trick, nor any
who had sagacity to conform to all my actions, except thee:
now therefore, I pardon thee; and be thou my companion
in reality, and never relinquish me. He then gave orders
to bring a number of the dishes above mentioned, and he
and my brother ate together to satisfaction ; after which they
removed to the drinking-chamber, where female slaves like
so many moons sang all kinds of melodies, and played on
all kinds of musical instruments. There they drank until
intoxication overcame them : the master of the house treated
my brother as a familiar friend, became greatly attached to
him, and clad him with a costly dress; and on the following
morning they resumed their feasting and drinking. Thus
they continued to live for a period of twenty years : the man
then died, and the Sultan seized upon his property, and
took possession of it.
My brother, upon this, went forth from the city, a
fugitive; and upon his way, a party of Arabs came upon
him. They made him a captive; and the man who
captured him tortured him with beating, and said to him,
By Allah, purchase thyself of me by wealth, or I will kill
thee: — but my brother, weeping, replied, By Allah, I possess
nothing, O Sheykh of the Arabs; nor do I know the means
of obtaining any property:! am thy captive; I have fallen
into thy hands, and do with me what thou wilt. And
THE BARBER'S SIXTH BROTHER 199
immediately the tyrannical Bedawi drew forth from his
girdle a broad-bladed knife (such as, if plunged into the
neck of a camel, would cut it across from one jugular vein
to the other) and, taking it in his right hand, approached
my poor brother, and cut off with it his lips; still urging his
demand.
Now this Bedawi had a handsome wife, who, when he
was absent, used to manifest a strong affection for my
brother; though he observed a proper decorum towards her,
fearing God (whose name be exalted!), and it happened
one day, that she had called him, and seated him with her;
but while they were together, lo, her husband came in upon
them; and when he beheld my brother, he exclaimed, Wo
to thee, thou base wretch ! Dost thou desire now to
corrupt my wife? — Then drawing his knife, he inflicted upon
him another cruel wound; after which he mounted him
upon a camel, and having cast him upon a mountain, left
him there, and went his way. Some travellers, however,
passed by him, and when they discovered him, they gave
him food and drink, and acquainted me with his case, so I
went forth to him, and conveyed him back into the city,
and allotted him a sufficient maintenance.
Now I have come unto thee, O Prince of the Faithful,
continued the barber, and feared to return to my house
without relating to thee these facts; for to neglect doing so
had been an error. Thus thou hast seen that, although
having six brothers, I am of a more upright character than
they. — But when the Prince of the Faithful had heard my
story, and all that I had related to him respecting my
brothers, he laughed, and said, Thou hast spoken truth,
O Samit (O silent man) ; thou art a person of few words,
and devoid of impertinence; now, however, depart from
this city, and take up thine abode in another. So he
banished me from Baghdad; and I journeyed through
various countries, and traversed many regions, until I heard
of his death, and of the succession of another Khalifeh;
when returning to my city, I met with this young man, unto
whom I did the best of deeds, and who, had it not been for
me, had been slain: yet he hath accused me of that which
is not in my character; for all that he hath related of me,
200 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
with respect to impertinence, and loquacity, and dulness, and
want of taste, is false, O people, —
The tailor then proceeded thus: — When we heard the
story of the barber, and were convinced of his impertinence
and loquacity, and that the young man had been treated
unjustly by him, we seized hold upon him, and put him in
confinement, and, seating ourselves to keep watch over
him, ate and drank; and the feast was finished in the most
agreeable manner. We remained sitting together until the
call to afternoon-prayers, when I went forth, and returned
to my house; but my wife looked angrily at me, and said,
Thou hast been all the day enjoying thy pleasure while I
have been sitting at home sorrowful; now if thou go not
forth with me and amuse me for the remainder of the day,
thy refusal will be the cause of my separation from thee.
So I took her and went out with her, and we amused our-
selves until nightfall, when, returning home, we met this
humpback, full of drink, and repeating verses; upon which
I invited him to come home with us and he consented. I
then went forth to buy some fried fish, and having bought
it and returned, we sat down to eat; and my wife took a
morsel of bread and a piece of fish, and put them into his
mouth, and choked him, so that he died; whereupon I took
him up, and contrived to throw him into the house of this
physician, and he contrived to throw him into the house of
the steward, and the steward contrived to throw him in
the way of the broker. — This is the story of what happened
to me yesterday. Is it not more wonderful than that of the
humpback ?
When the King had heard this story, he ordered certain
of his chamberlains to go with the tailor, and to bring the
barber; saying to them, His presence is indispensable, that
I may hear his talk, and it may be the cause of the deliver-
ance of you all: then we will bury this humpback decently
in the earth, for he hath been dead since yesterday; and
we will make him a monument round his grave, since he
hath been the occasion of our acquaintance with these
wonderful stories.
THE HUMPBACK 201
The chamberlains and the tailor soon came back, after
having gone to the place of confinement and brought the
barber, whom they placed before the King; and when the
King beheld him, he saw him to be an old man, passed his
ninetieth year, of dark countenance, and white beard and
eyebrows, with small ears, and long nose, and a haughty
aspect. The King laughed at the sight of him and said to
him, O silent man, I desire that thou relate to me somewhat
of thy stories. — O King of the age, replied the barber, what
is the occasion of the presence of this Christian and this
Jew and this Muslim, and this humpback lying dead among
you; and what is the reason of this assembly? — Wherefore
dost thou ask this? said the King. The barber answered,
I ask it in order that the King may know me to be no
impertinent person, nor one who meddleth with that which
doth not concern him, and that I am free from the loquacity
of which they accuse me: for I am fortunate in my charac-
teristic appellation, since they have surnamed me Es-Samit;
and, as the poet hath said, —
Seldom hast thou seen a person honoured with a surname, but thou
wilt find, if thou search, that his character is expressed by it.
The King therefore said, Explain to the barber the case of
this humpback, and what happened to him yesterday even-
ing, and explain to him also what the Christian hath related,
and the Jew and the steward and the tailor. So they re-
peated to him the stories of all these persons.
The barber, thereupon, shook his head, saying, By Allah,
this is a wonderful thing! Uncover this humpback that 1
may examine him. — And they did so. He then seated him-
self at his head, and, taking it up, placed it upon his lap,
and looked at his face, and laughed so violently that he fell
backwards, exclaiming, For every death there is a cause;
and the death of this humpback is most wonderful: it is
worthy of being registered in the records, that posterity may
be instructed by this event ! — The King, astonished at his
words, said, O Samit, explain to us the reason of thy saying
this. — O King, replied the barber, by thy beneficence, life is
yet in the humpback ! He then drew forth from his bosom
a pot containing some ointment, and with this he anointed
202 THE HUMPBACK
the neck of the humpback; after which he covered it up
until it perspired; when he took forth an iron forceps, and
put it down his throat, and extracted the piece of fish with
its bone, and all the people saw them. The humpback now
sprang upon his feet, and sneezed, and, recovering his con-
sciousness, drew his hands over his face, and exclaimed,
There is no Deity but God! Mohammad is God's Apostle!
God bless and save him! — and all who were present were
astonished at the sight and the King laughed until he
became insensible; as did also the other spectators. The
King exclaimed, By Allah, this accident is wonderful! I
have never witnessed anything more strange ! — and added,
O Muslims ! O assembly of soldiers ! have ye ever in the
course of your lives seen any one die and after that come to
life? But had not God blessed him with this barber, the
humpback had been to-day numbered among the people
of the other world; for the barber hath been the means
of restoring him to life. — They replied, This is indeed a
wonderful thing!
The King then gave orders to record this event; and
when they had done so, he placed the record in the royal
library; and he bestowed dresses of honour upon the Jew
and the Christian and the steward; upon each of them, a
costly dress; the tailor he appointed to be his own tailor,
granting him regular allowances, and reconciling him and
the humpback with each other: the humpback he honoured
with a rich and beautiful dress, and with similar allowances,
and appointed him his cup-companion; and upon the
barber also he conferred the like favours, rewarding him
with a costly dress of honour, regular allowances, and a
fixed salary, and appointing him state-barber, and his own
cup-companion: so they all lived in the utmost happiness
and comfort until they were visited by the terminator of
delights and the separator of friends.
[Nights 32—36]
The Story of Nur-Ed-Din and Enis-El-Jelis
THERE was, in El-Basrah, a certain King, who loved
the poor and indigent, and regarded his subjects with
benevolence ; he bestowed of his wealth upon him who
believed in Mohammad (God bless and save him!) and was
such as one of the poets who have written of him hath
thus described: —
He used his lances as pens ; and the hearts of his enemies, as paper ;
their blood being his ink;
And hence, I imagine, our forefathers applied to the lance the term
Khattiyeh.
The name of this King was Mohammad the son of Suleyman
Ez-Zeyni ; and he had two Wezirs ; one of whom was named
El-Mo'in the son of Sawi; and the other, El-Fadl the son
of Khakan. El-Fadl the son of Khakan was the most
generous of the people of his age, upright in conduct, so
that all hearts agreed in loving him, and the wise complied
with his counsel, and all the people supplicated for him
length of life: for he was a person of auspicious aspect, a
preventer of evil and mischief: but the Wezir El-Mo'in the
son of Sawi hated others, and loved not good; he was a
man of inauspicious aspect; and in the same degree that
the people loved Fadl-ed-Din the son of Khakan, so did
they abhor El-Mo'in the son of Sawi in accordance with
the decree of the Almighty.
Now the King Mohammad the son of Suleyman Ez-
Zenyi was sitting one day upon his throne, surrounded by
the officers of his court, and he called to his Wezir El-Fadl
the son of Khakan, and said to him, I desire a female slave
unsurpassed in beauty by any in her age, of perfect loveli-
ness and exquisite symmetry, and endowed with all praise-
worthy qualities. — Such as this, replied his courtiers, is not
203
204 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
to be found for less than ten thousand pieces of gold. And
the Sultan thereupon called out to the treasurer, saying,
Carry ten thousand pieces of gold to the house of El-Fadl
the son of Khakan. So the treasurer did as he commanded,
and the Wezir departed, after the Sultan had ordered him
to repair every day to the market, and to commission the
brokers to procure what he had described, and had com-
manded also that no female slave of a greater price than
one thousand pieces of gold should be sold without having
been shewn to the Wezir.
The brokers, therefore, sold no female slave without
shewing her to him, and he complied with the King's com-
mand, and thus he continued to do for a considerable time,
no slave pleasing him : but on a certain day, one of the
brokers came to the mansion of the Wezir El-Fadl, and
found that he had mounted to repair to the palace of the
King; and he laid hold upon his stirrup, and repeated these
two verses: —
O thou who hast reanimated what was rotten in the state ! Thou
art the Wezir ever aided in Heaven.
Thou hast revived the noble qualities that were extinct among men.
May thy conduct never cease to be approved by God !
He then said, O my master, the female slave for the pro-
curing of whom the noble mandate was issued hath arrived.
The Wezir replied, Bring her hither to me. So the man
returned, and, after a short absence, came again, accom-
panied by a damsel of elegant stature, high-bosomed, with
black eyelashes, and smooth cheek, and slender waist, and
large hips, clad in the handsomest apparel; the moisture of
her lips was sweeter than syrup ; her figure put to shame the
branches of the Oriental willow; and her speech was more
soft than the zephyr passing over the flowers of the garden ;
as one of her describers hath thus expressed: —
Her skin is like silk, and her speech is soft, neither redundant nor
deficient :
Her eyes, God said to them, Be, — and they were, affecting men's
hearts with the potency of wine.
May my love for her grow more warm each night, and cease not
until the day of judgment !
NUR-ED-DIN AND ENIS-EL-JELIS 205
The locks on her brow are dark as night, while her forehead shines
like the gleam of morning.
When the Wezir beheld her, she pleased him extremely,
and he looked towards the broker, and said to him, What is
the price of this damsel? The broker answered, The price
bidden for her hath amounted to ten thousand pieces of
gold, and her owner hath sworn that this sum doth not
equal the cost of the chickens which she hath eaten, nor
the cost of the dresses which she hath bestowed upon her
teachers; for she hath learnt writing and grammar and
lexicology, and the interpretation of the Kur'an, and the
fundamentals of law and religion, and medicine, and the
computation of the calendar, and the art of playing upon
musical instruments. The Wezir then said, Bring to me her
master: — and the broker immediately brought him; and lo,
he was a foreigner, who had lived so long that time had
reduced him to bones and skin, as the poet hath said, —
How hath time made me to tremble ! For time is powerful and
severe.
I used to walk without being weary ; but now I am weary and do
not walk.
And the Wezir said to him, Art thou content to receive
for this damsel ten thousand pieces of gold from the Sultan
Mohammad the son of Suleyman Ez-Zeyni? The foreigner
answered, As she is for the Sultan, it is incumbent on me to
give her as a present to him, without price. So the Wezir,
upon this, ordered that the money should be brought, and
then weighed the pieces of gold for the foreigner; after
which, the slave-broker addressed the Wezir, and said, With
the permission of our lord the Wezir, I will speak. — Impart
what thou hast to say, replied the Wezir. — It is my opinion
then, said the broker, that thou shouldst not take up this
damsel to the Sultan to-day; for she hath just arrived from
her journey, and the change of air hath affected her, and the
journey hath fatigued her; but rather let her remain with
thee in thy palace ten days, i-hat she may take rest, and her
beauty will improve: the!! cause her to be taken into the
bath, and attire her in clothes of the handsomest description,
and go up with her to the Sultan: so shalt thou experience
206 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
more abundant good- fortune. And the Wezir considered
the advice of the slave-broker, and approved it. He there-
fore took her into his palace, and gave her a private apart-
ment to herself, allotting her every day what she required
of food and drink and other supplies, and she continued a
while in this state of enjoyment.
Now the Wezir El-Fadl had a son like the shining full
moon, with brilliant countenance, and red cheek, marked
with a mole like a globule of ambergris, and with grey
down. The youth knew not of this damsel, and his father
had charged her, saying, Know that I have purchased thee
for the King Mohammad the son of Suleyman Ez-Zeyni,
and that I have a son who hath not left a girl in the quarter
without making love to her: therefore keep thyself con-
cealed from him, and beware of shewing him thy face, or
suffering him to hear thy voice. The damsel replied, I hear
and obey: — and he left her and departed. And it happened,
as fate had ordained, that she went one day into the bath
which was in the house, and, after certain of the female
slaves had bathed her, she attired herself in rich apparel,
and her beauty and loveliness increased in consequence.
She then went in to the Wezir's wife, and kissed her hand,
and said to her, May it be favourable, O Enis-el-Jelis !
How didst thou find this bath? — O my mistress, she
answered, I wanted nothing but thy presence there. And
upon this, the mistress of the house said to the female
slaves, Arise, and let us go into the bath. And they com-
plied with her command, and went, accompanied by their
mistress, who first charged two young slave-girls to keep the
door of the private apartment in which was Enis-el-Jelis,
saying to them, Suffer no one to go in to the damsel; — and
they replied, We hear and obey. But while Enis-el-Jelis
was sitting in her chamber, lo, the Wezir's son, whose name
was 'Ali Nur-ed-Din, came in, and asked after his mother
and the family. The two girls answered, They are gone
into the bath. Now the damsel Enis-el-Jelis heard the
speech of 'Ali Nur-ed-Din as she sat in her chamber, and
she said within herself, I wonder what this youth is like, of
whom the Wezir hath told me that he hath not left a girl in
the quarter without making love to her: by Allah, I have
NUR-ED-DIN AND ENIS-EL-JELIS 207
a desire to see him. She then rose upon her feet, fresh as
she was from the bath, and, approaching the door of the
chamber, looked at 'AH Nur-ed-Din, and beheld him to be
a youth like the full moon. The sight of him occasioned
her a thousand sighs; and a look from the youth, at her,
affected him also in the same manner. Each was caught in
the snare of the other's love, and the youth approached the
two slave-girls, and cried out at them; whereupon they fled
from before him, and stopped at a distance, looking to see
what he would do. He then advanced to the door of the
chamber, and, opening it, went in, and said to the damsel,
Art thou she whom my father hath purchased for me? She
answered, Yes. And upon this, the youth, who was in a
state of intoxication, went up to her, and embraced her,
while she, in like manner, threw her arms around his neck,
and kissed him. But the two slave-girls, having seen their
young master enter the chamber of the damsel Enis-el-Jelis,
cried out. The youth, therefore, soon ran forth, and fled
for safety, fearing the consequence of his intrusion; and
when the mistress of the house heard the cry of the two
slave-girls, she came out dripping from the bath, saying,
What is the cause of this cry in the house? And when she
drew near to the two slave-girls whom she had placed at the
door of the private chamber, she said to them, Wo to you !
What is the matter? — They answered, as soon as they
beheld her, Our master *Ali Nur-ed-Din came to us and
beat us, and we fled from him, and he went into the chamber
of Enis-el-Jelis, and when we cried out to thee he fled.
The mistress of the house then went to Enis-el-Jelis, and
said to her, What is the news? — O my mistress, she
answered, as I was sitting here, a youth of handsome per-
son came in to me, and said to me, Art thou she whom
my father hath purchased for me? — And I answered, Yes. —
By Allah, O my mistress, I believed that what he said was
true; and he came up to me and embraced me, and kissed
me three times, and left me overcome by his love.
Upon this, the mistress of the house wept, and slapped
her face, and her female slaves did the like, fearing for 'AH
Nur-ed-Din, lest his father should slay him ; and while they
were in this state, lo, the Wezir came in, and inquired what
208 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
had happened. His wife said to him, Swear that thou wilt
listen to that which I shall say. He replied, Well? So she
told him what his son had done; and he mourned, and rent
his clothes, and slapped his face, and plucked his beard.
His wife then said to him, Kill not thyself. I will give thee,
of my own property, ten thousand pieces of gold, her price. —
But upon this, he raised his head towards her, and said to.
her, Wo to thee! I want not her price; but I fear the loss
of my life and my property. — Wherefore, O my master?
she asked. — Knowest thou not, said he, that we have this
enemy El-Mo'in the son of Sawi? When he heareth of this
event, he will repair to the Sultan, and say to him, Thy
Wezir whom thou imaginest to love thee hath received from
thee ten thousand pieces of gold, and purchased therewith
a female slave such as no one hath seen equalled, and when
she pleased him, he said to his son, Take her; for thou art
more worthy of her than the Sultan : — and he took her ; and
the damsel is now with him. — Then the King will say, Thou
liest. And he will say to the King, With thy permission, I
will break in upon him suddenly, and bring her to thee.
And he will give him permission to do so: he will therefore
make a sudden attack upon the house, and take the damsel,
and conduct her into the presence of the Sultan, and he will
question her, and she will not be able to deny: he will then
say, O my lord, I give thee good counsel, but I am not in
favour with thee: — and the Sultan will make an example of
me, and all the people will make me a gazing-stock, and
my life will be lost. — His wife, however, replied, Acquaint
no one; for this thing hath happened privily: commit,
therefore, thine affair unto God, in this extremity. And
upon this, the heart of the Wezir was quieted, and his mind
was relieved.
Such was the case of the Wezir. — Now as to Nur-ed-Din,
he feared the result of his conduct, and so passed each day
in the gardens, not returning to his mother until towards the
close of the night: he then slept in her apartment, and rose
before morning without being seen by any one else. Thus
he continued to do for the space of a month, not seeing the
face of his father; and at length his mother said to his
father, O my master, wilt thou lose the damsel and lose the
NUR-ED-DIN AND ENIS-EL-JELIS 209
child? For if it long continue thus with the youth, he will
flee his country. — And what is to be done? said he. She
answered, Sit up this night, and when he cometh, lay hold
upon him, and be reconciled to him, and give him the
damsel; for she loveth him, and he loveth her; and I will
give thee her price. So the Wezir sat up the whole night,
and when his son came, he laid hold upon him, and would
have cut his throat; but his mother came to his succour,
and said to her husband, What dost thou desire to do unto
him? He answered her, I desire to slay him. The youth
then said to his father, Am I of so small account in thy
estimation? And upon this, the eyes of his father filled
with tears, and he said to him, O my son, is the loss of my
property and my life of small account with thee? — Listen,
my father, rejoined the youth : — and he implored his
forgiveness. So the Wezir rose from the breast of his son,
and was moved with compassion for him; and the youth
rose, and kissed his father's hand; and the Wezir said, O
my son, if I knew that thou wouldst act equitably to Enis-
el-Jelis, I would give her to thee.— O my father, replied the
youth, wherefore should I not act equitably towards her?
And his father said, I charge thee, O my son, that thou take
not a wife to share her place, and that thou do her no injury,
nor sell her. He replied, O my father, I swear to thee that
1 will neither take a wife to share her place, nor sell her : —
and he promised him by oaths to act as he had said, and
took up his abode with the damsel, and remained with her
a year; and God (whose name be exalted!) caused the
King to forget the affair of the female slave ; but the matter
became known to El-Mo'in the son of Sawi; yet he could
not speak of it, on account of the high estimation in which
the other Wezir was held by the Sultan.
After this year had expired, the Wezir Fadl-ed-Din the
son of Khakan entered the bath, and came out in a state of
excessive perspiration, in consequence of which the external
air smote him, so that he became confined to his bed, and
long remained sleepless; and his malady continued unre-
mittingly; so he called, thereupon, his son, 'Ali Nur-ed-Din,
and when he came before him, said to him, O my son, verily
the means of life are apportioned, and its period is decreed,
210 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
and every soul must drink the cup of death. I have nothing
with which to charge thee but the fear of God, and fore-
thought with regard to the results of thine actions, and that
thou conduct thyself kindly to the damsel Enis-el-Jelis. — O
my father, said the youth, who is like unto thee? Thou
hast been celebrated for virtuous actions, and the praying of
the preachers for thee on the pulpits. — O my son, rejoined
the Wezir, I hope for the approbation of God, whose name
be exalted ! And then he pronounced the two professions
of the faith, and uttered a sigh, and was recorded among
the company of the blest And upon this, the palace was
filled with shrieking, and the news reached the ears of the
Sultan, and the people of the city heard of the death of El-
Fadl the son of Khakan, and even the boys in the schools
wept for him. His son 'Ali Nur-ed-Din arose, and pre-
pared his funeral, and the Emirs and Wezirs and other
officers of the state attended it, and among them was the
Wezir El-Mo'in the son of Sawi; and as the procession
passed out from the mansion, one of the mourners recited
these verses: —
I said to the man who was appointed to wash him, — Would that
he had yielded obedience to my counsel, —
Put away from him the water, and wash him with the tears of
honour, shed in lamentation for him :
And remove these fragrant substances collected for his corpse, and
perfume him rather with the odours of his praise :
And order the noble angels to carry him in honour. Dost thou
not behold them attending him ?
Cause not men's necks to be strained by bearing him : enough are
they laden already by his benefits.
'AH Nur-ed-Din for a long time remained in a state of
violent grief for the loss of his father ; but as he was sitting
one day in his father's house, a person knocked at the door,
and he rose up and opened it, and lo, there was a man who
was one of his father's intimate companions, and he kissed
the hand of Nur-ed-Din, and said to him, O my master, he
who hath left a son like thee hath not died. This is the
destination of the lord of the first and the last among
mankind. 1 O my master, cheer up thy heart, and give over
1 The Prophet Mohammad.
NUR-ED-DIN AND ENIS EL-JELIS 211
mourning. — And upon this, 'AH Nur-ed-Din arose, and went
to the guest-chamber, and removed thither all that he
required, and his companions came together to him, and he
took again his slave. Ten of the sons of the merchants
became his associates, and he gave entertainment after
entertainment, and began to be lavish with presents. His
steward, therefore, came to him, and said to him, O my
master Nur-ed-Din, hast thou not heard the saying, He who
expendeth and doth not calculate is reduced to poverty?
This profuse expenditure, and these magnificent presents,
will annihilate the property. — But when 'Ali Nur-ed-Din
heard these words of his steward, he looked at him, and
replied, Of all that thou hast said to me, I will not attend
to one word. How excellent is the saying of the poet: —
If I be possessed of wealth and be not liberal, may my hand never
be extended, nor my foot raised !
Shew me the avaricious who hath attained glory by his avarice, and
the munificent who hath died through his munificence.
Know, O steward, he continued, that if there remain in thy
hands what will suffice for my dinner, thou shalt not burden
me with anxiety respecting my supper. — So the steward left
him, and went his way; and 'Ali Nur-ed-Din resumed his
habits of extravagant generosity: whenever any one of his
companions said, Verily this thing is beautiful ! — he would
reply, It is a present to thee: — and if any said, O my
master, verily such a house is delightful ! — he would reply,
It is a present to thee.
He ceased not to give entertainments to his companions
from the commencement of day, one after another, until he
had passed in this manner a whole year; after which, as he
was sitting with them, he heard the slave-girl recite these
two verses : —
Thou thoughtest well of the days when they went well with thee,
and fearedst not the evil that destiny was bringing.
Thy nights were peaceful, and thou wast deceived by them : in the
midst of their brightness there cometh gloom.
And immediately after, a person knocked at the door; so
Nur-ed-Din rose, and one of his companions followed him
212 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
without his knowledge; and when he opened the door, he
beheld his steward, and said to him, What is the news? —
O my master, answered the steward, that which I feared on
thy account hath happened to thee. — How is that? asked
Nur-ed-Din. The steward answered, Know that there re-
maineth not of thy property in my hands, anything equivalent
to a piece of silver, or less than a piece of silver ; and these
are the accounts of thy expenses, and of thy original property,
When 'Ali Nur-ed-Din heard these words, he hung down
his head towards the ground, and exclaimed, There is no
strength nor power but in God ! And the man who had
followed him secretly to pry into his case, as soon as he heard
what the steward told him, returned to his companions, and
said to them, See what ye will do ; for 'Ali Nur-ed-Din hath
become a bankrupt. So when Nur-ed-Din returned to them,
grief appeared to them in his countenance, and immediately
one of them rose, and, looking towards him, said to him,
my master, I desire that thou wouldst permit me to depart. —
Why thus depart to-day? said Nur-ed-Din. His guest an-
swered, My wife is to give birth to a child this night, and it
is impossible for me to be absent from her : I desire, therefore,
to go and see her. And he gave him leave. Then another
rose, and said to him, O my master Nur-ed-Din, I desire
to-day to visit my brother; for he celebrateth the circum-
cision of his son. Thus each of them asked leave of him
deceitfully, and went his way, until all had departed.
So 'AH Nur-ed-Din remained alone; and he called his
slave-girl, and said to her, O Enis-el-Jelis, seest thou not
what hath befallen me? And he related to her what the
steward had told him. She replied, O my master, for some
nights past, I have been anxious to speak to thee of this
affair ; but I heard thee reciting these two verses : —
When fortune is liberal to thee, be thou liberal to all others before
she escape from thee :
For liberality will not annihilate thy wealth when she is favour-
able; nor avarice preserve it when she deserteth thee.
And when I heard thee repeat these words, I was silent,
and would not make any remark to thee. — O Enis-el-Jelis,
he rejoined, thou knowest that I have not expended my
NUR-ED-DIN AND ENIS-EL-JELIS 213
wealth but on my companions; and I do not think that they
will abandon me without relief. — By Allah, said she, they
will be of no use to thee. But he said, I will immediately
arise and go to them, and knock at their doors; perhaps I
shall obtain from them something which I will employ as
a capital wherewith to trade, and I will cease from diversion
and sport. So he arose instantly, and proceeded without
stopping until he arrived at the by-street in which his ten
companions resided; for they all lived in that same street:
and he advanced to the first door, and knocked; and there
came forth to him a slave-girl, who said to him, Who art
thou ? He answered, Say to thy master, — ' AH Nur-ed-Din
is standing at the door, and saith to thee, Thy slave kisseth
thy hands, looking for a favour from thee. — And the girl
entered and acquainted her master ; but he called out to her,
saying, Return, and tell him, He is not here. — The girl, there-
fore, returned to Nur-ed-Din, and said to him, My master,
Sir, is not here. And he went on, saying within himself, If
this is a knave, and hath denied himself, another is not. He
then advanced to the next door, and said as he had before;
and the second also denied himself; and Nur-ed-Din ex-
claimed, —
They are gone, who, if thou stoodest at their door, would bestow
upon thee the bounty thou desirest.
By Allah, he added, I must try all of them: perchance one
of them may stand me in the place of all the others. And
he went round to all the ten; but found not that one of them
would open the door, or shew himself, or even order him a
cake or bread ; and he recited the following verses : —
A man in prosperity resembleth a tree, around which people flock
as long as it hath fruit ;
But as soon as it hath dropped all that it bore, they disperse from
beneath it, and seek another.
Perdition to all the people of this age ! for I find not one man of
integrity among ten.
He then returned to his slave: his anxiety had increased,
and she said to him, O my master, said I not unto thee that
they would not profit thee? — By Allah, he replied, not one
of them shewed me his face. — O my master, rejoined she,
ZU THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
sell of the movables of the house a little at a time, and
expend the produce. And he did so until he had sold all
that was in the house, and there remained nothing in his
possession; and upon this he looked towards Enis-el-Jelis,
and said to her, What shall we do now? — It is my advice,
O my master, she answered, that thou arise immediately,
and take me to the market, and sell me; for thou knowest
that thy father purchased me for ten thousand pieces of gold,
and perhaps God may open to thee a way to obtain a part
of this price; and if God have decreed our reunion, we
shall meet again. But he replied, O Enis-el-Jelis, it is not
easy for me to endure thy separation for one hour. — Nor
is the like easy to me, said she: but necessity is imperious.
And upon this, he took Enis-el-Jelis, his tears flowing down
his cheeks, and went and delivered her to the broker, saying
to him, Know the value of that which thou art to cry for
sale. — O my master Nur-ed-Din, replied the broker, noble
qualities are held in remembrance. Is she not Enis-el-Jelis,
whom thy father purchased of me for ten thousand pieces of
gold? — He answered, Yes. And the broker thereupon went
to the merchants; but he found that they had not all yet
assembled; so he waited until the rest had come; and the
market was filled with all varieties of female slaves, Turkish
and Greek and Circassian and Georgian and Abyssinian ;
and when he beheld its crowded state, he arose and exclaimed,
O merchants ! O possessors of wealth ! everything that is
round is not a nut; nor is everything long, a banana; nor
is everything that is red, meat ; nor is everything white, fat ;
nor is everything that is ruddy, wine; nor is everything
tawny, a date! O merchants! this precious pearl, whose
value no money can equal, with what sum will ye open the
bidding for her? — And one of the merchants answered,
With four thousand and five hundred pieces of gold.
But, lo, the Wezir El-Mo'in the son of Sawi was in the
market, and, seeing 'Ali Nur-ed-Din standing there, he said
within himself, What doth he want here, having nothing left
wherewith to purchase female slaves? Then casting his
eyes around, and hearing the broker as he stood crying in
the market with the merchants around him, he said within
himself, I do not imagine anything else than that he hath
NUR-ED-DIN AND ENIS-EL-JELIS 215
become a bankrupt, and come forth with the slave-girl to
sell her ; and if this be the case, how pleasant to my heart !
He then called the crier, who approached him, and kissed
the ground before him; and the Wezir said to him, I desire
this female slave whom thou art crying for sale. The broker,
therefore, being unable to oppose his wish, brought the slave
and placed her before him ; and when he beheld her, and con-
sidered her charms, her elegant figure and her soft speech, he
was delighted with her, and said to the broker. To what has
the bidding for her amounted ? The broker answered, Four
thousand and five hundred pieces of gold. And as soon as
the merchants heard this, not one of them could bid another
piece of silver or of gold ; but all of them drew back, knowing,
the tyrannical conduct of that Wezir. El-Mo'in the son of
Sawi then looked towards the broker, and said to him, Why
standest thou still? Take away the slave-girl for me at the
price of four thousand and five hundred pieces of gold, and
thou wilt have five hundred for thyself. — So the broker went
to 'Ali Nur-ed-Din, and said to him, O my master, the slave-
girl is lost to thee without price. — How so? said Nur-ed-Din.
The broker answered, We opened the bidding for her at four
thousand and five hundred pieces of gold; but this tyrant
El-Mo'in the son of Sawi came into the market, and when he
beheld the damsel she pleased him, and he said to me, Ask
her owner if he will agree for four thousand pieces of gold,
and five hundred for thee : — and I doubt not but he knoweth
that the slave belongeth to thee; and if he give thee her
price immediately, it will be through the goodness of God;
but I know, from his injustice, that he will write thee an
order upon some of his agents for the money, and then send
to them and desire them to give thee nothing; and every
time that thou shalt go to demand it of them, they will say to
thee, To-morrow we will pay thee : — and they will not cease
to promise thee, and to defer from day to day, notwith-
standing thy pride; and when they are overcome by thy
importunity they will say, Give us the written order: — and
as soon as they have received the paper from thee they will
tear it in pieces: so thou wilt lose the price of the slave.
When Nur-ed-Din, therefore, heard these words of the
broker, he said to him, What is to be done? The broker
216 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
answered, I will give thee a piece of advice, and if thou
receive it from me, thou will have better fortune. — What is
it ? Asked Nur-ed-Din. — That thou come to me immediately,
answered the broker, while I am standing in the midst of the
market, and take the slave-girl from me, and give her a blow
with thy hand, and say to her, Wo to thee ! I have expiated
my oath that I swore, and brought thee to the market, be-
cause I swore to thee that thou shouldst be exposed in the
market, and that the broker should cry thee for sale. — If
thou do this, perhaps the trick will deceive him and the
people, and they will believe that thou tookest her not to the
market but to expiate the oath. — This, replied Nur-ed-Din,
is the right counsel. So the broker returned into the midst
of the market, and, taking hold of the hand of the slave-girl,
made a sign to the Wezir El-Mo'in the son of Sawi, saying, O
my lord, this is her owner who hath just come. Then 'Ali
Nur-ed-Din advanced to the broker, and tore the damsel from
him, and struck her with his hand, saying to her, Wo to thee !
I have brought thee to the market for the sake of expiating
my oath. Go home, and disobey me not again. I want not
thy price, that I should sell thee; and if I sold the furniture
of the house and everything else of the kind over and over
again, their produce would not amount to thy price. — But
when El-Mo'in the son of Sawi, beheld Nur-ed-Din, he said to
him, Wo to thee! Hast thou anything left to be sold or
bought? — And he would have laid violent hands upon him.
The merchants then looked towards Nur-ed-Din (and they
all loved him), and he said to them, Here am I before you,
and ye have all known his tyranny. — By Allah, exclaimed
the Wezir, were it not for you, I had killed him ! Then all of
them made signs, one to another, with the eye, and said, Not
one of us will interfere between thee and him. And upon
this, 'Ali Nur-ed-Din went up to the Wezir, the son of
Sawi (and Nur-ed-Din was a man of courage), and he
dragged the Wezir from his saddle, and threw him upon
the ground. There was at that spot a kneading-place for
mud, 1 and the Wezir fell into the midst of it, and Nur-ed-
1 By this is meant, a place where mud was kneaded to be employed in
building. The mortar generally used in the construction of Arab houses
is composed of mud in the proportion of one-half, with a fourth part of
lime, and the remaining part of the ashes of straw and rubbish.
NUR-ED-DIN AND ENIS-EL-JELIS 217
Din beat him with his fist, and a blow fell upon his teeth,
by which his beard became dyed with his blood. Now there
were with the Wezir ten memluks, and when they saw Nur-
ed-Din treat their master in this manner, they put their hands
upon the hilts of their swords, and would have fallen upon
him and cut him in pieces ; but the people said to them, This
is a Wezir, and this is the son of a Wezir, and perhaps they
may make peace with each other, and ye will incur the anger
of both of them; or perhaps a blow may fall upon your
master, and ye will all of you die the most ignominious of
deaths : it is advisable, therefore, that ye interfere not be-
tween them. — And when 'Ali Nur-ed-Din had ceased from
beating the Wezir, he took his slave-girl and returned to his
house.
The Wezir, the son of Sawi, then immediately arose, and
his dress, which before was white, was now dyed with three
colours, the colour of mud, and the colour of blood, and the
colour of ashes; and when he beheld himself in this con-
dition, he took a round mat, and hung it to his neck, and
took in his hand two bundles of coarse grass, and went and
stood beneath the palace of the Sultan, and cried out, O
King of the age ! I am oppressed ! — So they brought him
before the King, who looked at him attentively, and saw
mat he was his Wezir, El-Mo'in the son of Sawi. He said,
therefore, Who hath done thus unto thee? — and the Wezir
cried and moaned, and repeated these two verses : —
Shall fortune oppress me while thou existest; and the dogs devour
me when thou art a lion?
Shall all else who are dry drink freely from thy tanks, and I thirst
in thine asylum when thou art as rain?
— O my lord, he continued, thus is every one who loveth
thee and serveth thee: these afflictions always befall him. —
And who, said the King again, hath done thus unto thee?
— Know, answered the Wezir, that I went forth to-day to
the market of the female slaves with the idea of buying a
cook-maid, and saw in the market a slave-girl the like of
whom I had never in my life beheld, and the broker said that
she belonged to 'Ali Nur-ed-Din. Now our lord the Sultan
had given his father ten thousand pieces of gold to buy for
him with it a beautiful female slave, and he bought that
218 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
girl, and she pleased him; so he gave her to his son; and
when his father died, the son pursued the path of prodigality,
until he sold all his houses and gardens and utensils; and
when he had become a bankrupt, nothing else remaining in
his possession, he took the slave-girl to the market to sell her,
and delivered her to the broker : so he cried her for sale, and
the merchants continued bidding for her until her price
amounted to four thousand pieces of gold; whereupon I
said to myself, I will buy this for our lord the Sultan; for
her original price was from him. I therefore said, O my
son, receive her price, four thousand pieces of gold. But
when he heard my words, he looked at me and replied, O
ill-omened old man ! I will sell her to the Jews and the
Christians rather than to thee. — I then said to him, I would
not buy her for myself, but for our lord the Sultan, who is
our benefactor. As soon, however, as he had heard these
words from me, he was filled with rage, and dragged me
and threw me down from the horse, notwithstanding my
advanced age, and beat me, and ceased not to do so until
he left me in the state in which thou seest me. Nothing
exposed me to all this ill treatment but my coming to pur-
chase this slave-girl for your majesty. — The Wezir then
threw himself upon the ground, and lay weeping and
trembling.
Now when the Sultan beheld his condition, and had heard
his speech, the vein of anger swelled between his eyes, and
he looked towards the members of his court who were attend-
ing him; whereupon forty swordsmen stood before him,
and he said to them, Descend immediately to the house
of 'Ali the son of El-Fadl the son of Khakan, and plunder
it and demolish it, and bring hither him and the slave-girl
with their hands bound behind them: drag them along upon
their faces, and so bring them before me. They replied,
we hear and obey: — and went forth to repair to the house
of 'AH Nur-ed-Din. But there was in the court of the Sultan
a chamberlain named 'Alam-ed-in Senjer, who had been
one of the memluks of El-Fadl the son of Khakan, the father
of 'Ali Nur-ed-Din; and when he heard the order of the
Sultan, and saw the enemies prepared to slay his master's
son, it was insupportable to him; so he mounted his horse,
NUR ED-DIN AND ENIS-EL-JELIS 219
and proceeded to the house of 'AH Nur-ed-Din, and knocked
at the door. Nur-ed-Din came forth to him, and, when he
saw him, knew him, and would have saluted him; but he
said, O my master, this is not a time for salutation, nor for
talking. Nur-ed-Din said, O 'Alam-ed-Din, what is the
news ? He replied, Save thyself by flight, thou and the slave-
girl; for El-Mo'in the son of Sawi hath set up a snare for
you, and if ye fall into his hands he will slay you: the Sultan
hath sent to you forty swordsmen, and it is my advice that
ye fly before the evil fall upon you. Then Senjer stretched
forth his hand to Nur-ed-Din with some pieces of gold, and
he counted them, and found them to be forty pieces; and
he said, O my master, receive these, and if I had with me
more, I would give it thee; but this is not a time for ex-
postulating. And upon this, Nur-ed-Din went in to the
damsel, and acquainted her with the occurrence, and she
was confounded.
The two then went forth immediately from the city, and
God let down, the veil of his protection upon them, and they
proceeded to the bank of the river, where they found a
vessel ready to sail: the master was standing in the midst
of it, and saying, He who hath anything to do, whether
leave-taking or procuring provisions, or who hath forgotten
aught, let him do what he desireth and return; for we are
going. And they all replied, We have nothing remaining
to do, O master. So, upon this, the master said to his crew,
Quick! Loose the rope's end, and pull up the stake. — And
'Ali Nur-ed-Din exclaimed, Whither, O master? He an-
swered, To the abode of Peace, Baghdad. And Nur-ed-Din
embarked, and the damsel with him, and they set the vessel
afloat, and spread the sails and it shot along like a bird
with its pair of wings, carrying them forward with a favour-
able wind.
Meanwhile, the forty men whom the Sultan had sent
came to the house of 'Ali Nur-ed-Din, and broke open the
doors and entered, and searched all the chambers, but with-
out success; so they demolished the house, and returned,
and acquainted the Sultan, who said, Search for them in
every place where they may be: — and they replied, We
hear and obey. The Wezir El-Mo'in the son of Sawi then
22G THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
descended to his house, after the Sultan had invested him
with a robe of honour, and had said to him, None shall take
Vengeance for thee but myself. And he greeted the King
with a prayer for long life, and his heart was set at ease:
and the Sultan gave orders to proclaim throughout the city,
O all ye people! our lord the Sultan hath commanded that
whoever shall meet with 'Ali Nur-ed-Din, and bring him to
the Sultan, shall be invested with a robe of honour, and he
will give him a thousand pieces of gold; and he who shall
conceal him, or know where he is, and not give information
thereof, will merit the exemplary punishment that shall befall
him ! So all the people began to search for him ; but could
not trace him. — Such was the case with these people.
Now as to 'Ali Nur-ed-Din and his slave, they arrived
in safety at Baghdad, and the master of the vessel said to
them, This is Baghdad, and it is a city of security: winter
with its cold hath departed from it, and the spring-quarter
hath come with its roses, and its trees are in blossom, and
its waters are flowing. And upon this, 'Ali Nur-ed-Din
landed with his slave-girl, and gave the master five pieces
of gold. They then walked a little way, and destiny cast
them among the gardens, and they came to a place which
they found swept and sprinkled, with long mastabahs, and
pots suspended filled with water, and over it was a covering
of trellis-work of canes extending along the whole length of
a lane, at the upper end of which was the gate of a garden,
but this was shut. And Nur-ed-Din said to the damsel, By
Allah, this is a pleasant place ! — and she replied, O my mas-
ter, let us sit down a while upon one of these mastabahs.
So they mounted and seated themselves there, and they
washed their faces and hands, and enjoyed the current of
the zephyr, and slept. — Glory be to Him who sleepeth not !
This garden was called the Garden of Delight, and in it
was a palace called the Palace of Diversion, and it belonged
to the Khalifeh Harun Er-Rashid, who, when his heart was
contracted, used to come to this garden, and enter the palace
above mentioned, and there sit. The palace had eighty lat-
ticed windows, and eighty lamps were suspended in it, and
in the midst of it was a great candlestick of gold ; and when
the Khalifeh entered it, he commanded the female slaves to
NUR-ED-DIN AND ENIS-EL-JELIS 221
open the windows, and ordered Ishak,the cup-companion, to
sing with them: so his heart became dilated, and his anxiety
ceased. There was a superintendent to the garden, an old
man, named the sheykh Ibrahim; and it happened that he
went forth once to transact some business, and found there
persons diverting themselves with women of suspicious
character, whereupon he was violently enraged, and having
waited until the Khalifeh came thither some days after, he
acquainted him with this occurrence, and the Khalifeh said,
Whomsoever thou shalt find at the gate of the garden, do
with him what thou wilt. Now on this day the sheykh
Ibrahim went out to transact an affair of business, and found
the two sleeping at the garden-gate, covered with a single
izar; and he said, Do not these two persons know that the
Khalifeh hath given me permission to kill every one whom
I find here? But I will only give these two a slight beat-
ing, that no one may again approach the gate of the garden.
He then cut a green palm-stick, and went forth to them,
and raised his hand until the whiteness of his arm-pit ap-
peared, and was about to beat them; but he reflected in
his mind, and said, O Ibrahim, how shouldst thou beat
them when thou knowest not their case? They may be two
strangers, or of the children of the road, 3 whom destiny
hath cast here. I will therefore uncover their faces, and
look at them. — So he lifted up the izar from their faces and
said, These are two handsome persons, and it is not proper
that I should beat them. And he covered their faces again,
and, approaching the foot of 'AH Nur-ed-Din, began to rub
it gently; whereupon Nur-ed-Din opened his eyes, and saw
that he was an old man; and he blushed, and drew in his
feet, and, sitting up, took the hand of the sheykh Ibrahim
and kissed it ; and the sheykh said to him, O my son, whence
are ye? — O my master, he answered, we are strangers. —
And a tear gushed from his eye. The sheykh Ibrahim then said
to him, O my son, know that the Prophet (God bless and
save him!) hath enjoined generosity to the stranger. Wilt
thou not arise, O my son, and enter the garden, and divert
thyself in it, that thy heart may be dilated? — O my master,
said Nur-ed-Din, to whom doth this garden belong? The
* Wayfarers.
222 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
sheykh answered, O my son, this garden I inherited from
my family. And his design in saying this was only that
they might feel themselves at ease, and enter the garden.
And when Nur-ed-Din heard his words, he thanked him,
and arose, together with his slave, and, the sheykh Ibrahim
preceding them, they entered the garden.
The gate was arched, and over it were vines with grapes
of different colours; the red, like rubies; and the black,
like ebony. They entered a bower, and found within it
fruits growing in clusters and singly, and the birds were
warbling their various notes upon the branches: the night-
ingale was pouring forth its melodious sounds; and the
turtle-dove filled the place with its cooing; and the black-
bird, in its singing, resembled a human being; and the
ring-dove, a person exhilarated by wine. The fruits upon
the trees, comprising every description that was good to eat,
had ripened; and there were two of each kind: there were
the camphor-apricot, and the almond-apricot, and the apricot
of Khurasan; the plum of a colour like the complexion of
beauties; the cherry delighting the sense of every man; the
red, the white, and the green fig, of the most beautiful
colours ; and flowers like pearls and coral ; the rose, whose
redness put to shame the cheeks of the lovely; the violet,
like sulphur in contact with fire; the myrtle, the gilliflower,
the lavender, and the anemone; and their leaves were be-
spangled with the tears of the clouds ; the chamomile smiled,
displaying its teeth, and the narcissus looked at the rose
with its negroes' eyes; the citrons resembled round cups;
the limes were like bullets of gold; the ground was carpeted
with flowers of every colour, and the place beamed with the
charms of spring; the river murmured by while the birds
sang, and the wind whistled among the trees; the season
was temperate, and the zephyr was languishing.
The sheykh Ibrahim conducted them into the elevated
saloon, and they were charmed with its beauty and the
extraordinary elegances which it displayed, and seated
themselves in one of the windows; and Nur-ed-Din, reflect-
ing upon his past entertainments, exclaimed, By Allah, this
place is most delightful ! It hath reminded me of past
events, and quenched in me an anguish like the fire of the
NUR-ED-DIN AND ENIS-EL-JELIS 223
ghada. — The sheykh Ibrahim then brought to them some
food, and they ate to satisfaction, and washed their hands,
and Nur-ed-Din, seating himself again in one of the windows,
called to his slave, and she came to him; and they sat
gazing at the trees laden with all kinds of fruits ; after which,
Nur-ed-Din looked towards the sheykh, and said to him, O
sheykh Ibrahim, hast thou not any beverage? For people
drink after eating. — So the sheykh brought him some sweet
and cold water : but Nur-ed-Din said, This is not the beverage
I desire. — Dost thou want wine? asked the sheykh. — Yes,
answered Nur-ed-Din. The sheykh exclaimed, I seek refuge
with Allah from it! Verily, for thirteen years I have done
nothing of that kind; for the Prophet (God bless and save
him!) cursed its drinker and its presser and its carrier. —
Hear from me two words, said Nur-ed-Din. The sheykh
replied, Say what thou wilt. So he said, If thou be neither
the presser of the wine, nor its drinker, nor its carrier, will
aught of the curse fall upon thee? The sheykh answered,
No. — Then take this piece of gold, rejoined Nur-ed-Din,
and these two pieces of silver, and mount the ass, and halt
at a distance from the place, and whatsoever man thou
findest to buy it, call to him, and say to him, take these two
pieces of silver, and with this piece of gold buy some wine,
and place it upon the ass: — so, in this case, thou wilt be
neither the carrier nor the presser, nor the buyer; and
nothing will befall thee of that which befalleth the rest.
The sheykh Ibrahim, after laughing at his words, replied,
By Allah, I have never seen one more witty than thou, nor
heard speech more sweet. And Nur-ed-Din said to him,
We have become dependent upon thee, and thou hast
nothing to do but to comply with our wishes: bring us,
therefore, all that we require. — O my son, said the sheykh,
my buttery here is before thee (and it was the store-room
furnished for the Prince of the Faithful) : enter it then, and
take from it what thou wilt; for it containeth more than
thou desirest. So Nur-ed-Din entered the store-room, and
beheld in it vessels of gold and silver and crystal, adorned
with a variety of jewels; and he took out such of them as
he desired, and poured the wine into the vessels of earthen-
ware and bottles of glass; and he and the damsel began
224 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
to drink, astonished at the beauty of the things which they
beheld. The sheykh Ibrahim then brought to them sweet-
scented flowers, and seated himself at a distance from them;
and they continued drinking, in a state of the utmost de-
light, until the wine took effect upon them, and their cheeks
reddened, and their eyes wantoned like those of the gazelle,
and their hair hung down : whereupon the sheykh Ibrahim
said, What aileth me that I am sitting at a distance from
them? Why should I not sit by them? And when shall I
be in the company of such as these two, who are like two
moons? — He then advanced, and seated hmself at the edge
of the raised portion of the floor; and Nur-ed-Din said to
him, O my master, by my life I conjure thee to approach
and join us. So he went to them; and Nur-ed-Din filled
a cup, and, looking at the sheykh, said to him, Drink, that
thou mayest know how delicious is its flavour. But the
sheykh Ibrahim exclaimed, I seek refuge with Allah !
Verily, for thirteen years I have done nothing of that kind.
— And Nur-ed-Din, feigning to pay no attention to him,
drank the cup, and threw himself upon the ground, pretend-
ing that intoxication had overcome him.
Upon this, Enis-el-Jelis looked towards the sheykh, and
said to him, O sheykh Ibrahim, see how this man hath
treated me. — O my mistress, said he, what aileth him? She
rejoined, Always doth he treat me thus: he drinketh a
while, and then sleepeth, and I remain alone, and find no
one to keep me company over my cup. If I drink, who
will serve me? And if I sing, who will hear me? — The
sheykh, moved with tenderness and affection for her by her
words, replied, It is not proper that a cup-companion be
thus. The damsel then filled a cup, and, looking at the
sheykh Ibrahim, said to him, I conjure thee by my life
that thou take it and drink it; reject it not, but accept it,
and refresh my heart. So he stretched forth his hand, and
took the cup, and drank it; and she filled for him a second
time, and handed it to him, saying, O my master, this
remaineth for thee. He replied, By Allah, I cannot drink
it: that which I have drunk is enough for me. But she
said, By Allah, it is indispensable: — and he took the cup,
and drank it. She then gave him the third; and he took
NUR-ED-DIN AND ENIS-EL-JELIS 225
it, and was about to drink it, when lo, Nur-ed-Din, raised
himself, and said to him, O sheykh Ibrahim, what is this?
Did I not conjure thee a while ago, and thou refusedst, and
saidst, Verily, for thirteen years I have not done it? — The
sheykh Ibrahim, touched with shame, replied, By Allah, I am
not in fault; for she pressed me. And Nur-ed-Din laughed,
and they resumed their carousal, and the damsel, turning
her eyes towards her master, said to him, O my master,
drink thou, and do not urge the sheykh Ibrahim; that I
may divert thee with the sight of him. So she began to fill
and to hand to her master, and her master filled and gave
to her, and thus they continued to do, time after time; till
at length the sheykh Ibrahim looked towards them and
said, What meaneth this? And what sort of carousal is
this? Wherefore do ye not give me to drink, since I have
become your cup-companion? — At this they both laughed
until they became almost senseless; and then drank, and
gave him to drink; and they continued thus until the ex-
piration of a. third of the night, when the damsel said, O
sheykh Ibrahim, with thy permission shall I rise and light
one of the candles which are arranged here? — Rise, he
answered; but light not more than one candle. But she
sprang upon her feet, and, beginning with the first candle,
proceeded until she had lighted eighty. She then sat down
again; and presently Nur-ed-Din said, O sheykh Ibrahim,
in what favour am I held with thee? Wilt thou not allow
me to light one of these lamps? — The sheykh answered,
Arise, and light one lamp, and be not thou also trouble-
some. So he arose, and, beginning with the first lamp,
lighted all the eighty; and the saloon seemed to dance.
And after this, the sheykh Ibrahim, overcome by intoxica-
tion, said to them, Ye are more frolicsome than I: — and
he sprang upon his feet, and opened all the windows, and
sat down again with them, and they continued carousing
and reciting verses; and the place rang with their
merriment.
Now God, the All-seeing and All-knowing, who hath ap-
pointed a cause to every event, had decreed that the Khali f eh
should be sitting that night at one of the windows looking
towards the Tigris, by moonlight; and he looked in that
HC XVI — H
226 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
direction, and saw the light of lamps and candles reflected in
the river, and, turning his eyes up towards the palace in the
.garden, he beheld it beaming with those candles and lamps,
and exclaimed, Bring hither to me Ja'far El-Barmeki ! In
the twinkling of an eye, Ja'far stood before the Prince of
the Faithful; and the Khalifeh said to him, O dog of Wezirs,
dost thou serve me and not acquaint me with what hap-
peneth in the city of Baghdad? — What, asked Ja'far, is the
occasion of these words? The Khalifeh answered, If the
city of Baghdad were not taken from me, the Palace of
Diversion were not enlivened with the light of the lamps
and candles, and its windows were not opened. Wo to thee !
Who could do these things unless the office of Khalifeh were
taken from me? — Who, said Ja'far (the muscles of his side
quivering from fear), informed thee that the lamps and
candles were lighted in the Palace of Diversion, and that
its windows were opened? The Khalifeh replied, Advance
hither to me, and look. So Ja'far approached the Khalifeh,
and, looking towards the garden, beheld the palace as it were
a flame of fire, its light surpassing that of the moon. He de-
sired, therefore, to make an excuse for the sheykh Ibrahim,
the superintendent, thinking, from what he beheld, that the
event might have occurred through his permission: and ac-
cordingly he said, O Prince of the Faithful, the sheykh
Ibrahim last week said to me, O my master Ja'far, I am de-
sirous of entertaining my children during my life and the
life of the Prince of the Faithful. — And what, said I, is thy
design in saying this ? He answered, It is my wish that thou
wouldst obtain for me permission from the Khalifeh that I
may celebrate' the circumcision of my sons in the palace. So
I said, Do what thou wilt with respect to the entertainment
of thy sons, and, if God will, I shall have an interview with
the Khalifeh, and will acquaint him with it. And he left me
thus; and I forgot to acquaint thee. — O Ja'far, said the
Khalifeh, thou wast guilty of one offence against me, and
then thine offence became two: for thou hast erred in two
points: the first, thy not acquainting me with this affair;
and the second, thy not accomplishing the desire of the
sheykh Ibrahim; for he did not come to thee and address
thee with these words but to hint a request for some money
NUR-ED DIN AND ENIS-EL-JELIS 227
by the aid of which to effect his design, and thou neither
gavest him anything nor acquaintedst me that I might give
him. — Prince of the Faithful, replied Ja'far, I forgot.
The Khalifeh then said, By my forefathers, I will not
pass the remainder of my night but with him, for he is a
just man, who frequenteth the sheykhs, and attendeth to the
poor, and favoureth the indigent; and I imagine all his ac-
quaintances are with him this night: so I must repair to
him: perhaps one of them may offer up for us a prayer
productive of good to us in this world and the next; and
probably some advantage may accrue to him from my
presence, and he will receive pleasure from this, together
with his friends. — O Prince of the Faithful, replied Ja'far,
the greater part of the night hath passed, and they are now
about to disperse. But the Khalifeh said, We must go to
them. And Ja'far was silent, and was perplexed in his mind,
not knowing what to do. So the Khalifeh rose upon his
feet, and Ja'far rose and preceded him, and Mesrur the
eunuch went with them. The three walked on reflecting,
and, departing from the palace, proceeded through the
streets, in the attire of merchants, until they arrived at the
gate of the garden above mentioned; and the Khalifeh, ap-
proaching it, found it open; and he was surprised, and said,
See, O Ja'far, how the sheykh Ibrahim hath left the gate
open until this hour, which is not his usual custom. They
then entered, and came to the end of the garden, where they
stopped beneath the palace; and the Khalifeh said, O Ja'far,
I desire to take a view of them secretly before I go up to
them, that I may see how the sheykhs are occupied in the
dispensing of their blessings and the employment of their
miraculous powers; for they have qualities which distinguish
them both in their private retirements and in their public
exercises; and now we hear not their voices, nor discover
any indication of their presence. Having thus said, he
looked around, and, seeing a tall walnut-tree, he said, O
Ja'far, I would climb this tree (for its branches are near
to the windows) and look at them. And accordingly he
ascended the tree, and climbed from branch to branch until
he came ito that which was opposite to one of the windows,
and there he sat, and, looking in through this window of
228 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
the palace, beheld a damsel and a young man, like two moons
(extolled be the perfection of Him who created them !) ; and
he saw the sheykh Ibrahim sitting with a cup in his hand,
and saying, O mistress of beauties, drinking unaccompanied
by merry sounds is not pleasant. Hast thou not heard the
saying of the poet? —
Circulate it in the large cup, and in the small; and receive it from
the hand of the shining moon ; 4
And drink not without merry sounds ; for I have observed that
horses drink to the sound of whistling.
When the Khalifeh witnessed this conduct of the sheykh
Ibrahim, the vein of anger swelled between his eyes, and he
descended, and said, O Ja'far, I have never seen anything of
the miraculous performances of the just such as I have be-
held this night : ascend, therefore, thyself also, into this tree,
and look, lest the blessings of the just escape thee. — On
hearing the words of the Prince of the Faithful, Ja'far was
perplexed at his situation; and he climbed up into the tree,
and looked, and saw Nur-ed-Din and the sheykh Ibrahim and
the damsel, and the sheykh Ibrahim had the cup in his hand.
As soon as he beheld this, he made sure of destruction ; and
he descended, and stood before the Prince of the Faithful,
and the Khalifeh said, O Ja'far, praise be to God who hath
made us to be of the number of those who follow the ex-
ternal ordinances of the holy law, and averted from us the
sin of disguising ourselves by the practice of hypocrisy !
But Ja'far was unable to reply, from his excessive confusion.
The Khalifeh then looked towards him, and said, Who can
have brought these persons hither, and admitted them into
my palace? But the like of this young man and this damsel,
in beauty and loveliness and symmetry of form, mine eye
hath never beheld. — Ja'far, now conceiving a hope that the
Khalifeh might be propitiated, replied, Thou hast spoken
truly, O Prince of the Faithful. And the Khalifeh said, O
Ja'far, climb up with us upon this branch which is opposite
them, that we may amuse ourselves by observing them. So
they both climbed up into the tree, and, looking at them,
heard the sheykh Ibrahim say, O my mistress, I have re-
4 The cupbearer.
NUR-ED-DIN AND ENIS-EL-JELIS 229
linquished decorum by the drinking of wine ; but the pleasure
of this is not complete without the melodious sounds of
stringed instruments. — O sheykh Ibrahim, replied Enis-el-
Jelis, by Allah, if we had any musical instrument, our happi-
ness were perfect. And when the sheykh Ibrahim heard her
words, he rose upon his feet. — The Khalifeh said to Ja'far,
What may he be going to do? Ja'far replied, I know not. —
And the sheykh Ibrahim went away, and returned with a lute ;
and the Khalifeh, looking attentively at it, saw that it was
the lute of Ishak the cup-companion; and said, By Allah, if
this damsel sing not well, I will crucify you all; but if she
sing well, I will pardon them, and crucify thee. So Ja'far
said, O Allah, let her not sing well ! — Why ? asked the Kha-
lifeh. — That thou mayest crucify all of us, answered Ja'far;
and then we shall cheer one another by conversation. And
the Khalifeh laughed : and the damsel took the lute, and tuned
its strings, and played upon it in a manner that would melt
iron, and inspire an idiot with intellect ; after which she sang
with such sweetness that the Khalifeh exclaimed, O Ja'far,
never in my life have I heard so enchanting a voice as this !
— Perhaps, said Ja'far, the anger of the Khalifeh hath de-
parted from him? — Yea, he answered; it hath departed. He
then descended with Ja'far from the tree, and, looking
towards him, said, I am desirous of going up to them, to
sit with them, and to hear the damsel sing before me. — O
Prince of the Faithful, replied Ja'far, if thou go up to them,
probably they will be troubled by thy presence ; and as to the
sheykh Ibrahim, he will assuredly die of fear. The Khalifeh
therefore said, O Ja'far, thou must acquaint me with some
stratagem by means of which I may learn the truth of the
affair without their knowing that I have discovered them.
And he and Ja'far walked towards the Tigris, reflecting upon
this matter; and lo, a fisherman stood. beneath the windows of
the palace, and he threw his net, hoping to catch something
by means of which to obtain his subsistence. — Now the Kha-
lifeh had, on a former occasion, called to the sheykh Ibra-
him, and said to him, What was that noise that I heard
beneath the windows of the palace? — and he answered, The
voices of the fishermen, who are fishing: — so he said, Go
down and forbid them from coming to this place. They were
230 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
therefore forbidden to come thither; but this night there
came a fisherman named Kerim, and, seeing the garden-gate
open, he said within himself, This is a time of inadvertence,
and perhaps I may catch some fish on this occasion: — so he
took his net, and threw it into the river, and then recited
some verses, contrasting the condition of the poor fisherman,
toiling throughout the night, with that of the lord of the
palace, who, awaking from a pleasant slumber, findeth the
fawn in his possession ; and as soon as he had finished his
recitation, lo, the Khali f eh, unattended, stood at his head.
The Khalifeh knew him, and exclaimed, O Kerim ! — and the
fisherman, hearing him call him by his name, turned towards
him; and when he beheld the Khalifeh, the muscles of his
side quivered, and he said, By Allah, O Prince of the Faith-
ful, I did not this in mockery of the mandate; but poverty
and the wants of my family impelled me to the act of which
thou art witness. The Khalifeh replied, Throw thy net for
my luck. And the fisherman advanced, rejoicing exceedingly,
and cast the net, and, having waited until it had attained its
limit and become steady at the bottom, drew it in again, and
there came up in it a variety of fish that could not be
numbered.
The Khalifeh was delighted at this, and said, O Kerim,
strip off thy clothes: — and he did so. He was clad in a
jubbeh 6 in which were a hundred patches of coarse woollen
stuff, containing vermin of the most abominable kind, and
among them fleas in such numbers that he might almost have
been transported by their means over the face of the earth;
and he took from his head a turban which for three years
he had never unwound; but when he happened to find a
piece of rag he twisted it around it : and when he had taken
off the jubbeh and the turban, the Khalifeh pulled off from his
own person two vests of silk of Alexandria and Ba'lbekk, and
a melwatah 6 and a farajiyeh, and said to the fisherman, Take
these, and put them on. The Khalifeh then put on himself
the fisherman's jubbeh and turban, and, having drawn a
litham 7 over his face, said to the fisherman, Go about thy
8 A long outer coat with sleeves nearly reaching to the wrist.
•A jubbeh or dress of costly material.
* [The Bedawi muffler, made by the end of the head-kerchief.]
NUR-ED-DIN AND ENIS-EL-JELIS 231
business; — and he kissed the feet of the Khalifeh, and
thanked him, reciting these two verses: —
Thou hast granted me favours beyond my power to acknowledge,
and completely satisfied all my wants.
I will thank thee, therefore, as long as I live, and when I die my
bones will thank thee in their grave.
But scarcely had he finished his verses, when the vermin over-
ran the person of the Khalifeh, and he began to seize them
with his right hand and his left from his neck, and to throw
them down ; and he exclaimed, O fisherman, wo to thee !
What are these abundant vermin in this jubbeh? — O my lord,
he answered, at present they torment thee; but when a week
shall have passed over thee, thou wilt not feel them, nor think
of them. The Khalifeh laughed, and said to him, How can
I suffer this jubbeh to remain upon me? The fisherman re-
plied, I wish to tell thee something; but I am ashamed,
through my awe of the Khalifeh. — Impart, said the Khalifeh,
what thou hast to tell me. So he said to him, It hath oc-
curred to my mind, O Prince of the Faithful, that thou de-
sirest to learn the art of fishing, in order that thou mayest
be master of a trade that may profit thee; and if such be
thy desire, this jubbeh is suitable to thee. And the Khalifeh
laughed at his words.
The fisherman then went his way, and the Khalifeh took
the basket of fish, and, having put upon it a little grass, went
with it to Ja'far, and stood before him; and Ja'far, thinking
that he was Kerim the fisherman, feared for him, and said,
O Kerim, what brought thee hither? Save thyself by flight;
for the Khalifeh is here this night. — And when the Khalifeh
heard the words of Ja'far, he laughed until he fell down
upon his back. So Ja'far said, Perhaps thou art our lord the
Prince of the Faithful? — Yes, O Ja'far, answered the Kha-
lifeh, and thou art my Wezir, and I came with thee hither,
and thou knowest me not. How then should the sheykh
Ibrahim know me when he is drunk? Remain where thou art
until I return to thee. — Ja'far replied, I hear and obey: — and
the Khalifeh advanced to the door of the palace, and knocked.
The sheykh Ibrahim arose, therefore, and said, Who is at the
door ? He answered, I, O sheykh Ibrahim. The sheykh said,
Who art thou? — and the Khalifeh answered, I am Kerim the
232 THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS
fisherman : I heard that there were guests with thee, and have
therefore brought thee some fish ; for it is excellent. — Now
Nur-ed-Din and the damsel were both fond of fish, and when
they heard the mention of it they rejoiced exceedingly, and
said, O my master, open to him, and let him come in to us
with the fish which he hath brought. So the sheykh Ibrahim
opened the door, and the Khalifeh, in his fisherman's disguise,
entered, and began by salutation; and the sheykh Ibrahim
said to him, Welcome to the robber, the thief, the gambler !
Come hither, and shew us the fish which thou hast brought.
■ — He therefore shewed it to them; and lo, it was alive, and
moving; and the damsel exclaimed, By Allah, O my master,
this fish is excellent ! I wish it were fried ! — By Allah, said
the sheykh Ibrahim, thou hast spoken truth. Then, address-
ing the Khalifeh, he said, O fisherman, I wish thou hadst
brought this fish fried. Arise, and fry it for us, and bring
it. — On the head be thy commands, replied the Khalifeh: I
will fry it, and bring it. — Be quick, said they, in doing it.
The Khalifeh therefore arose and ran back to Ja'far, and
said, O Ja'far, they want the fish fried. — O Prince of the
Faithful, replied he, give it me, and I will fry it. But the
Khalifeh said, By the tombs of my ancestors, none shall fry
it but myself: with my own hand will I do it! He then
repaired to the hut of the superintendent, and, searching
there, found in it everything that he required, the frying-
pan, and even the salt, and wild marjoram, and other things.
So he approached the fire-place, and put on the frying-pan,
and fried it nicely; and when it was done, he put it upon a
banana-leaf, and, having taken from the garden some limes,
he went up with the fish, and placed it before them. The
young man, therefore, and the damsel and the sheykh Ibra-
him advanced and ate; and when they had finished, they
washed their hands, and Nur-ed-Din said, By Allah, O fisher-
man, thou hast done us a kindness this night. Then putting
his hand into his pocket, he took forth for him three pieces
of gold, of those which Senjer had presented to him when
he was setting forth on his journey, and said, O fisherman,
excuse me; for, by Allah, if I had known thee before the
events that have lately happened to me, I would have ex-
tracted the bitterness of poverty from thy heart; but take
NUR-ED-DIN AND ENIS-EL-JELIS 233
this as accordant with my present circumstances. So saying,
he threw the pieces of gold to the Khalifeh, who took them,
and kissed them, and put them in his pocket. The object of the
Khalifeh in doing this was only that he might hear the damsel
sing: so he said to him, Thou hast treated me with benefi-
cence, and abundantly recompensed me ; but I beg of thy un-
bounded indulgence that this damsel may sing an air, that I
may hear her. Nur-ed-Din therefore said, O Enis-el-Jelis !
She replied, Yes. — By my life, said he, sing to us something
for the gratification of this fisherman; for he desireth to
hear thee. And when she had heard what her master said,
she took the lute, and tried it with her fingers, after she had
twisted its pegs, and sang to it these two verses : —
The fingers of many a fawn-like damsel have played upon the lute,
and the soul hath been ravished by the touch.
She hath made the deaf to hear her songs ; and the dumb hath
exclaimed, Thou hast excelled in thy singing !
Then she played again, in an extraordinary manner, so as
to charm the minds of her hearers, and sang the following
couplet : —
We are honoured by your visiting our abode, and your splendour
hath dispelled the darkness of the moonless night :
It is therefore incumbent upon me to perfume my dwelling with
musk and rosewater and camphor.
Upon this, the Khalifeh was affected with violent emotion,
