The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 9 by Sir Richard Francis Burton (best authors to read .TXT) 📖

and telling stories and talking gaily with pleasant sayings such as sorted with the entertainment. We ate and drank, then removed to another room, which confounded beholders with its beauty and which reeked with exquisite perfumes. Here they brought us a tray of fruits freshly-gathered and sweetmeats the finest flavoured, whereat our joys increased and our cares ceased. But withal the Caliph”

(continued Ibn Hamdun) “ceased not to wear a frowning face and smiled not at that which gladdened all souls, albeit it was his wont to love mirth and merriment and the putting away of cares, and I knew that he was no envious wight and oppressor. So I said to myself, �Would Heaven I knew what is the cause of his moroseness and why we cannot dissipate his ill-humour!’ Presently they brought the tray of wine which friends doth conjoin and clarified draughts in flagons of gold and crystal and silver, and the host smote with a rattan-wand on the door of an inner chamber, whereupon behold, it opened and out came three damsels, high-bosomed virginity with faces like the sun at the fourth hour of the day, one a lutist, another a harpist and the third a dancer-artiste. Then he set before us dried fruits and confections and drew between us and the damsels a curtain of brocade, with tassels of silk and rings of gold. The Caliph paid no heed to all this, but said to the host, who knew not who was in his company, �Art thou noble?’[FN#351] Said he, �No, my lord; I am but a man of the sons of the merchants and am known among the folk as Ab� alHasan Ali, son of Ahmad of Khorasan.’ Quoth the Caliph, �Dost thou know me, O man?’, and quoth he, �By Allah, O my lord, I have no knowledge of either of your honours!’ Then said I to him, �O man, this is the Commander of the Faithful, AI-Mu’tazid bi ‘llah grandson of Al-Mutawakkil al�

‘llah.’[FN#352] Whereupon he rose and kissed the ground before the Caliph, trembling for fear of him, and said, �O Prince of True Believers, I conjure thee, by the virtue of thy pious forbears, an thou have seen in me any shortcomings or lack of good manners in thy presence, do thou forgive me!’ Replied the Caliph, �As for that which thou hast done with us of honouring and hospitality nothing could have exceeded it; and as for that wherewith I have to reproach thee here, an thou tell me the truth respecting it and it commend itself to my sense, thou shalt be saved from me; but, an thou tell me not the truth, I will take thee with manifest proof and punish thee with such punishment as never yet punished any.’ Quoth the man, �Allah forbid that I tell thee a lie! But what is it that thou reproachest to me, O

Commander of the Faithful?’ Quoth the Caliph, �Since I entered thy mansion and looked upon its grandeur, I have noted the furniture and vessels therein, nay, even to thy clothes, and behold, on all of them is the name of my grandfather Al-Mutawakkil ala ‘llah.’[FN#353] Answered Abu alHasan, �Yes, O

Commander of the Faithful (the Almighty protect thee), truth is thine inner garb and sincerity is thine outer garment and none may speak otherwise than truly in thy presence.’ The Caliph bade him be seated and said, �Tell us.’” So he began, “Know, O

Commander of the Faithful, that my father belonged to the markets of the money-changers and druggists and linendrapers and had in each bazar a shop and an agent and all kinds of goods. Moreover, behind the money-changer’s shop he had an apartment, where he might be private, appointing the shop for buying and selling. His wealth was beyond count and to his riches there was none amount; but he had no child other than myself, and he loved me and was tenderly fain of me. When his last hour was at hand, he called me to him and commended my mother to my care and charged me to fear Almighty Allah. Then he died, may Allah have mercy upon him and continue the Prince of True Believers on life! And I gave myself up to pleasure and eating and drinking and took to myself comrades and intimates. My mother used to forbid me from this and to blame me for it, but I would not hear a word from her, till my money was all gone, when I sold my lands and houses and naught was left me save the mansion wherein I now dwell, and it was a goodly stead, O Commander of the Faithful. So I said to my mother, �I wish to sell the house;’ but she said, �O my son, an thou sell it, thou wilt be dishonoured and wilt have no place wherein to take shelter.’ Quoth I, �‘Tis worth five thousand dinars, and with one thousand of its price I will buy me another house and trade with the rest.’ Quoth she, �Wilt thou sell it to me at that price?’; and I replied, �Yes.’ Whereupon she went to a coffer and opening it, took out a porcelain vessel, wherein were five thousand dinars. When I saw this meseemed the house was all of gold and she said to me, �O my son, think not that this is of thy father’s good. By Allah, O my son, it was of my own father’s money and I have treasured it up against a time of need; for, in thy father’s day I was a wealthy woman and had no need of it.’ I took the money from her, O Prince of True Believers, and fell again to feasting and carousing and merrymaking with my friends, unheeding my mother’s words and admonitions, till the five thousand dinars came to an end, when I said to her, �I wish to sell the house.’ Said she, �O my son, I forbade thee from selling it before, of my knowledge that thou hadst need of it; so how wilt thou sell it a second time?’ Quoth I, �Be not longsome of speech with me, for I must and will sell it;’ and quoth she, �Then sell it to me for fifteen thousand dinars, on condition that I take charge of thine affairs.’ So I sold her the house at that price and gave up my affairs into her charge, whereupon she sought out the agents of my father and gave each of them a thousand dinars, keeping the rest in her own hands and ordering the outgo and the income. Moreover she gave me money to trade withal and said to me, �Sit thou in thy father’s shop.’ So I did her bidding, O Commander of the Faithful, and took up my abode in the chamber behind the shop in the market of the money-changers, and my friends came and bought of me and I sold to them; whereby I made good cheape and my wealth increased. When my mother saw me in this fair way, she discovered to me that which she had treasured up of jewels and precious stones, pearls, and gold, and I bought back my houses and lands that I had squandered and my wealth became great as before. I abode thus for some time, and the factors of my father came to me and I gave them stockin-trade, and I built me a second chamber behind the shop.

One day, as I sat there, according to my custom, O Prince of True Believers, there came up to me a damsel, never saw eyes a fairer than she of favour, and said, �Is this the private shop of Abu alHasan Ali ibn Ahmad al-Khorasani?’ Answered I, �Yes,’ and she asked, �Where is he?’ �He am I,’ said I, and indeed my wit was dazed at the excess of her loveliness. She sat down and said to me, �Bid thy page weigh me out three hundred dinars.’ Accordingly I bade him give her that sum and he weighed it out to her and she took it and went away, leaving me stupefied. Quoth my man to me, �Dost thou know her?’, and quoth I, �No, by Allah!’ He asked, �Then why didst thou bid me give her the money?’; and I answered, �By Allah, I knew not what I said, of my amazement at her beauty and loveliness!’ Then he rose and followed her, without my knowledge, but presently returned, weeping and with the mark of a blow on his face. I enquired of him what ailed him, and he replied, �I followed the damsel, to see whither she went; but, when she was aware of me, she turned and dealt me this blow and all but knocked out my eye.’ After this, a month passed, without her coming, O Commander of the Faithful, and I abode bewildered for love of her; but, at the end of this time, she suddenly appeared again and saluted me, whereat I was like to fly for joy.

She asked me how I did and said to me, �Haply thou saidst to thyself, What manner of trickstress is this, who hath taken my money and made off?’ Answered I, �By Allah, O my lady, my money and my life are all thy very own!’ With this she unveiled herself and sat down to rest, with the trinkets and ornaments playing over her face and bosom. Presently, she said to me, �Weigh me out three hundred dinars. �Hearkening and obedience,’ answered I and weighed out to her the money. She took it and went away and I said to my servant, �Follow her.’ So he followed her, but returned dumbstruck, and some time passed without my seeing her.

But, as I was sitting one day, behold, she came up to me and after talking awhile, said to me, �Weigh me out five hundred dinars, for I have need of them.’ I would have said to her, �Why should I give thee my money?’; but my love immense hindered me from utterance; for, O Prince of True Believers, whenever I saw her, I trembled in every joint and my colour paled and I forgot what I would have said and became even as saith the poet, �‘Tis naught but this! When a-sudden I see her * Mumchance I bide nor a word can say her.’

 

So I weighed out for her the five hundred ducats, and she took them and went away; whereupon I arose and followed her myself, till she came to the jewel-bazar, where she stopped at a man’s shop and took of him a necklace. Then she turned and seeing me, said, �Pay him five hundred dinars for me.’ When the jeweller saw me, he rose to me and made much of me, and I said to him, �Give her the necklace and set down the price to me.’ He replied, �I hear and obey,’ and she took it and went away;”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

 

When it was the Nine Hundred and Sixty-first Night, She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abu Hasan the Khorasani thus pursued his tale, “So I said to the jeweller, �Give her the necklace and set down the price to me.’

Then she took it and went away; but I followed her, till she came to the Tigris and boarded a boat there, whereupon I signed with my hand to the ground, as who should say, �I kiss it before thee.’ She went off laughing, and I stood watching her, till I saw her land and enter a palace, which when I considered, I knew it for the palace of the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil. So I turned back, O Commander of the Faithful, with all the cares in the world fallen on my heart, for she had of me three thousand dinars, and