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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But the usurper had the better of the battle and purposed to seize the young King amidst his many when, lo and behold!
appeared a Knight backing a coal-black mare; and he was armed cap-�-pie in a coat of mail, and he carried a spear and a mace.
With these he bore down upon the usurper and shore off his right forearm so that he fell from his destrier, and the Knight seeing this struck him a second stroke with the sword and parted head from body. When his army saw the usurper fall, all sought safety in flight and sauve qui peut; but the army of the young King came up with them and caused the scymitar to fall upon them so that were saved of them only those to whom length of life was foreordained. Hereupon the victors lost no time in gathering the spoils and the horses together; but the young King stood gazing at the Knight and considering his prowess; yet he failed to recognise him and after an hour or so the stranger disappeared leaving the conqueror sorely chafed and vexed for that he knew him not and had failed to forgather with him. After this the young King returned from the battle-field with his band playing behind him and he entered the seat of his power, and was raised by the lieges to the station of his sire. Those who had escaped the slaughter dispersed in all directions and sought safety in flight and the partizans who had enthroned the young King thronged around him and gave him joy as also did the general of the city, whose rejoicings were increased thereby. Now the coming of the aforesaid Knight was a wondrous matter. When the rightful King made ready for battle the Princess feared for his life and, being skilled in the practice of every weapon, she escaped the notice of the Queen-dowager and after donning her war-garb and battle-gear she went forth to the stable and saddled her a mare and mounted her and pushed in between the two armies. And as soon as she saw the usurper charge down upon the young King as one determined to shed his life’s blood, she forestalled him and attacked him and tore out the life from between his ribs. Then she returned to her apartment nor did any know of the deed she had done. Presently, when it was eventide the young King entered the Palace after securing his succession to royalty; but he was still chafed and vexed for that he knew not the Knight. His mother met him and gave him joy of his safety and his accession to the Sultanate, whereto he made reply, “Ah! O my mother, my length of days was from the hand of a horseman who suddenly appearing joined us in our hardest stress and aided me in my straitest need and saved me from Death.” Quoth she, “O my son, hast thou recognised him?” and quoth he, “‘Twas my best desire to discover him and to stablish him as my Wazir, but this I failed to do.” Now when the Princess heard these words she laughed and rejoiced and still laughing said, “To whoso will make thee acquainted with him what wilt thou give?” and said he, “Dost thou know him?” So she replied, “I wot him not” and he rejoined, “Then what is the meaning of these thy words?” when she answered him in these prosaic rhymes:[FN#175]—
“O my lord, may I prove thy sacrifice * Nor exult at thy sorrows thine enemies!
Could unease and disease by others be borne The slave should bear load on his lord that lies: I’ll carry whatever makes thee complain And be my body the first that dies.”
When he heard these words he again asked, “Dost thou know him?”
and she answered, “He? Verily we wot him not;”[FN#176] and repeated the saying to him a second time: withal he by no means understood her. So quoth she, “How canst thou administer the Sultanate and yet fail to comprehend my simple words? For indeed I have made the case clear to thee.” Hereupon he fathomed the secret of the saying and flew to her in his joy and clasped her to his bosom and kissed her upon the cheeks. But his mother turned to him and said, “O my son, do not on this wise, for everything hath its time and season;”—And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how 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 Seventy-fourth 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 Sultan’s mother said, “O my son, everything hath its time and season; and whoso hurrieth a matter before opportunity befit shall be punished with the loss of it.” But he replied, “By Allah, O my mother, thy suspicion be misplaced: I acted thus only on my gratitude to her, for assuredly she is the Knight who came to my aidance and who saved me from death.” And his mother excused him. They passed that night in converse and next day at noontide the King sought the Divan in order to issue his commandments; but when the assembly filled the room and became as a garden of bloom the Lords of the land said to him, “O King of the Age, ‘twere not suitable that thou become Sultan except thou take to thee a wife; and Alhamdolillah—laud to the Lord who hath set thee on the necks of His servants and who hath restored the realm to thee as successor of thy sire. There is no help but that thou marry.” Quoth he, “To hear is to consent;” then he arose without stay or delay and went in to his mother and related to her what had happened. Quoth she, “O my son, do what becometh thee and Allah prosper thy affairs!” He said to her, “O my mother, retire thou with the maiden and persuade her to marriage for I want none other and I love not aught save herself,” and said she, “With joy and gladness.” So he went from her and she arose and was private with the damsel when she addressed her, “O
my lady, the King desireth to wed thee and he wanteth none other and he seeketh not aught save thee.” But the Princess hearing this exclaimed, “How shall I marry, I who have lost my kith and kin and my dear ones and am driven from my country and my birth-place? This were a proceeding opposed to propriety! But if it need must be and I have the fortune to forgather with my mother
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