The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 14 by Sir Richard Francis Burton (best book clubs .TXT) 📖
- Author: Sir Richard Francis Burton
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my son, and indulge thy desire; but return again soon and be not absent too long.” Accordingly the youth hastened to the Palace and entering it looked right and left, none seeing him the while, and proceeded to the Harem where he seated himself beside the daughter of the Sultan. Still none perceived him until, after a time, he put forth his hand and softly stroked her neck. But as soon as the Princess felt the youth’s touch, she shrieked a loud shriek heard by all ears in the Palace and cried “I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the stoned!” At this proceeding on the girl’s part all asked her saying, “What is to do with thee?”
Whereto she answered, “Verily some Satan hath this instant touched me on the neck.” Upon this her mother was alarmed for her and sent for her nurse[FN#119] and when informed of what had befallen the girl the old woman said, “If there be aught of Satans here naught is so sovereign a specific to drive them away and keep them off as the smoke of camel’s dung.”[FN#120] Then she arose and brought thereof a quantity which was thrown into the fire and presently it scented and pervaded the whole apartment.
All this and the Youth still sat there without being seen. But when the dung-smoke thickened, his eyes brimmed and he could not but shed tears, and the more smoke there was the more his eyes watered and big drops flowed till at last all the Kohl was washed off and trickled down with the tears. So he became visible amiddlemost the royal Harem; and, when the dames descried him, all shrieked one shriek, each at other, upon which the Eunuchry rushed in; then, finding the young man still seated there, they laid hands upon him and haled him before the Sultan to whom they reported his crime and how he had been caught lurking in the King’s Serraglio a-sitting beside the Princess. Hearing this, the Sovran bade summon the Headsman and committed to him the criminal bidding him take the youth and robe him in a black habit bepatched with flamecolour;[FN#121] then, to set him upon a camel and, after parading him through Cairo city and all the streets, to put him to death. Accordingly the executioner took the Youth.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night, Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Linkman took the youth and fared forth with him from the palace: then he looked at him and found him fair of form and favour, a sans peer in loveliness, and he observed that he showed no fear nor shrinking from death. So he had pity upon him and his heart yearned to him and he said in his mind, “By Allah, attached to this young man is a rare history.” Then he brought a leathern gown which he put upon him, and the flamey black habit which he passed over his arms: and setting him upon a camel as the Sultan had commanded, at last carried him in procession crying out the while, “This is the award and the least award of him who violateth the Harem of the King;” and he threaded the streets till they came to the square before the great Mosque wherein was the Shaykh. Now as all the folk were enjoying the spectacle, the Sage looked out from the window of his cell and beheld the condition of his scholar. He was moved to ruth and reciting a spell he summoned the Jann and bade them snatch the young man off the camel’s back with all care and kindness and bring him to his cell; and he also commanded an ‘Aun of the ‘Auns[FN#122] to seize some oldster and set him upon the beast in lieu of the Youth.
They did as he bid them for that he had taken fealty of the Jann and because of his profound studies in the Notaricon[FN#123] and every branch of the art magical. And when all the crowd saw the youth suddenly transformed into a grey-beard they were awe-stricken and cried, “Alhamdolillah—laud to the Lord—the young man hath become an old man!” They then looked again and behold, they saw a person well-known amongst the lieges, one who had long been wont to sell greens and colocasia at the hostelry gate near the Cathedral-mosque. Now the headsman noting this case was confounded with sore affright; so he returned to the palace with the oldster seated on the camel and went in to the Sultan followed by all the cityfolk who were gazing at the spectacle.
Then he stood before the King and the eunuchry and did homage and prayed for the Sovran and said, “O our lord the Sultan, verily the Youth hath vanished, and in lieu of him is this Shaykh well known to the whole city.” Hearing these words the King was startled; sore fear entered his heart and he said to himself, “Whoso hath been able to do this deed can do e’en more: he can depose me from my kingship or he can devise my death.” So his affright increased and he was at a loss how to contrive for such case. Presently he summoned his Minister and when he came into the presence said to him, “O Wazir, advise me how to act in the affair of this Youth and what measures should be taken.” The Minister bowed his brow groundwards in thought for a while, then raising it he addressed the Sultan and said, “O King of the Age, this be a thing beyond experience, and the doer must be master of a might we comprehend not and haply he may work thee in the future some injury and we fear from him for thy daughter.
Wherefore the right way is that thou issue a royal autograph and bid the Crier go round about the city and cry saying, ‘Let him who hath wrought this work appear before the King under promise of safety and again safety—safety on the word of a Sultan which shall never be falsed.’ Should the Youth then surrender himself, O King of the Age, marry him to thy daughter when perhaps his mind may be reconciled to thee by love of her. He hath already cast eyes upon her and he hath seen the inmates of thy Harem unrobed, so that naught can save their honour but his being united with the Princess.” Hereupon the Sultan indited an autographic rescript and placed it in the Crier’s hands even as the Wazir had counselled: and the man went about the streets proclaiming, “By Command of the just King! whoso hath done this deed let him discover himself and come to the Palace under promise of safety and again safety, the safety of sovereigns—safety on the word of a Sultan which shall never be falsed.” And the Crier ceased not crying till in fine he reached the square fronting the great Mosque. The Youth who was standing there heard the proclamation and returning to his Shaykh said, “O
my lord, the Crier hath a rescript from the Sultan and he crieth saying, ‘Whoso hath done this deed let him discover himself and come to the Palace under promise of safety and again safety—safety on the word of a Sultan which shall never be falsed.’ And, I must go to him perforce.” Said the Sage, “O my son, why shouldst thou do on such wise? Hast thou not already suffered thy sufficiency?” But the young man exclaimed, “Nothing shall prevent my going;” and at this the Shaykh replied, “Go then, O my son, and be thy safeguarding with the Living, the Eternal.” Accordingly, the Youth repaired to the Hammam and having bathed attired himself in the richest attire he owned, after which he went forth and discovered himself to the Crier who led him to the Palace and set him before the Sovran. He salamed to the Sultan and did him obeisance and prayed for his long life and prosperity in style the most eloquent, and proffered his petition in verse the most fluent. The Sultan looked at him (and he habited in his best and with all of beauty blest), and the royal mind was pleased and he enquired saying, “Who art thou, O
Youth?” The other replied, “I am the Half-man whom thou sawest and I did the deed whereof thou
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