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

I said to myself, �She hath taken my wealth and ravished my wit, and peradventure I shall lose my life for her love.’ Then I returned home and told my mother all that had befallen me, and she said, �O my son, beware how thou have to do with her after this, or thou art lost.’ When I went to my shop, my factor in the drug-market, who was a very old man, came to me and said, �O my lord, how is it that I see thee changed in case and showing marks of chagrin? Tell me what aileth thee.’ So I told him all that had befallen me with her and he said, �O my son, this is indeed one of the handmaidens of the palace of the Commander of the Faithful and haply she is the Caliph’s favourite concubine: so do thou reckon the money as spent for the sake of Almighty Allah[FN#354]

and occupy thyself no more with her. An she come again, beware lest she have to do with thee and tell me of this, that I may devise thee some device lest perdition betide thee.’ Then he fared forth and left me with a flame of fire in my heart. At the end of the month behold, she came again and I rejoiced in her with exceeding joy. Quoth she, �What ailed thee to follow me?’; and quoth I, �Excess of passion that is in my heart urged me to this,’ and I wept before her. She wept for ruth of me and said, �By Allah, there is not in thy heart aught of love-longing but in my heart is more! Yet how shall I do? By Allah, I have no resource save to see thee thus once a month.’ Then she gave me a bill saying, �Carry this to such an one of such a trade who is my agent and take of him what is named therein.’ But I replied, �I have no need of money; be my wealth and my life thy sacrifice!’

Quoth she, �I will right soon contrive thee a means of access to me, whatever trouble it cost me.’ Then she farewelled me and fared forth, whilst I repaired to the old druggist and told him what had passed. He went with me to the palace of Al-Mutawakkil which I knew for that which the damsel had entered; but the Shaykh was at a loss for a device. Presently he espied a tailor sitting with his apprentices at work in his shop, opposite the lattice giving upon the river bank and said to me, �Yonder is one by whom thou shalt win thy wish; but first tear thy pocket and go to him and bid him sew it up. When he hath done this, give him ten dinars.’ �I hear and obey,’ answered I and taking with me two pieces[FN#355] of Greek brocade, went to the tailor and bade him make of them four suits, two with long-sleeved coats and two without. When he had finished cutting them out and sewing them, I gave him to his hire much more than of wont, and he put out his hand to me with the clothes; but I said, �Take them for thyself and for those who are with thee.’ And I fell to sitting with him and sitting long: I also bespoke of him other clothes and said to him, �Hang them out in front of thy shop, so the folk may see them and buy them.’ He did as I bade him, and whoso came forth of the Caliph’s palace and aught of the clothes pleased him, I made him a present thereof, even to the doorkeeper. One day of the days the tailor said to me, �O my son, I would have thee tell me the truth of thy case; for thou hast bespoken of me an hundred costly suits, each worth a mint of money, and hast given the most of them to the folk. This is no merchant’s fashion, for a merchant calleth an account for every dirham, and what can be the sum of thy capital that thou givest these gifts and what thy gain every year? Tell me the truth of thy case, that I may assist thee to thy desire;’ presently adding, �I conjure thee by Allah, tell me, art thou not in love?’ �Yes,’ replied I; and he said, �With whom?’ Quoth I, �With one of the handmaids of the Caliph’s palace;’ and quoth he, �Allah put them to shame! How long shall they seduce the folk? Knowest thou her name?’ Said I, �No;’ and said he, �Describe her to me.’ So I described her to him and he cried, �Out on it! This is the lutanist of the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil and his pet concubine. But she hath a Mameluke[FN#356] and do thou make friends with him; it may be he shall become the means of thy having access to her.’ Now as we were talking, behold, out walked the servant in question from the palace, as he were a moon on the fourteenth night; and, seeing that I had before me the clothes which the tailor had made me, and they were of brocade of all colours, he began to look at them and examine them. Then he came up to me and I rose and saluted him. He asked, �Who art thou?’ and I answered, �I am a man of the merchants.’ Quoth he, �Wilt thou sell these clothes?’; and quoth I, �Yes.’ So he chose out five of them and said to me, �How much these five?’ Said I, �They are a present to thee from me in earnest of friendship between me and thee.’ At this he rejoiced and I went home and fetching a suit embroidered with jewels and jacinths, worth three thousand dinars, returned therewith and gave it to him. He accepted it and carrying me into a room within the palace, said to me, �What is thy name among the merchants?’

Said I, �I am a man of them.’[FN#357] He continued, �Verily I misdoubt me of thine affair.’ I asked, �Why so?’ and he answered, �Because thou hast bestowed on me a costly gift and won my heart therewith, and I make certain that thou art Abu alHasan of Khorasan the Shroff.’ With this I fell aweeping, O Prince of True Believers; and he said to me, �Why dost thou weep? By Allah, she for whom thou weepest is yet more longingly in love with thee than thou with her! And indeed her case with thee is notorious among all the palace women. But what wouldst thou have?’ Quoth I, �I would have thee succour me in my calamity.’ So he appointed me for the morrow and I returned home. As soon as I rose next morning, I betook myself to him and waited in his chamber till he came in and said to me, �Know that yesternight when, after having made an end of her service by the Caliph, she returned to her apartment, I related to her all that had passed between me and thee and she is minded to foregather with thee. So stay with me till the end of the day.’ Accordingly I stayed with him till dark, when the Mameluke brought me a shirt of gold-inwoven stuff and a suit of the Caliph’s apparel and clothing me therein, incensed me[FN#358] and I became like the Commander of the Faithful. Then he brought me to a gallery with rows of rooms on either side and said to me, �These are the lodgings of the Chief of the slavegirls; and when thou passest along the gallery, do thou lay at each door a bean, for ‘tis the custom of the Caliph to do this every night,’”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

 

When it was the Nine Hundred and Sixty-second Night, She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Mameluke said to Abu Hasan, “When thou passest along the gallery set down at each door a bean for ‘tis the custom of the Caliph so to do, till thou come to the second passage on thy right hand, when thou wilt see a door with a marble threshold .[FN#359] Touch it with thy hand or, an thou wilt, count the doors which are so many, and enter the one whose marks are thus and thus. There thy mistress will see thee and take thee in with her. As for thy coming forth, verily Allah will make it easy to me, though I carry thee out in a chest.”—“Then he left me and returned, whilst I went on, counting the doors and laying at each a bean.

When I had reached the middle of the gallery, I heard a great clatter and saw the light of flambeaux coming towards me. As the light drew near me, I looked at it and behold, the Caliph himself, came surrounded by the slavegirls carrying waxen lights, and I heard one of the women[FN#360] say to another, �O

my sister, have we two Caliphs? Verily, the Caliph whose perfumes and essences I smelt, hath already passed by my room and he hath laid the bean at my door, as his wont; and now I see the light of his flambeaux, and here he cometh with them.’ Replied the other, �Indeed this is a wondrous thing, for disguise himself in the Caliph’s habit none would dare.’ Then the light drew near me, whilst I trembled in every limb; and up came an eunuch, crying out to the concubines and saying, �Hither!’ Whereupon they turned aside to one of the chambers and entered. Then they came out again and walked on till they came to the chamber of my mistress and I heard the Caliph say, �Whose chamber is this?’ They answered, �This is the chamber of Shajarat al-Durr.’ And he said, �Call her.’ So they called her and she came out and kissed the feet of the Caliph, who said to her, �Wilt thou drink tonight?’

Quoth she, �But for thy presence and the looking on thine auspicious countenance, I would not drink, for I incline not to wine this night.’ Then quoth the Commander of the Faithful to the eunuch, �Bid the treasurer give her such necklace;’ and he commanded to enter her chamber. So the waxen lights entered before him and he followed them into the apartment. At the same moment, behold, there came up a damsel, the lustre of whose face outshone that of the flambeau in her hand, and drawing near she said, �Who is this?’ Then she laid hold of me and carrying me into one of the chambers, said to me, �Who art thou?’ I kissed the ground before her saying, �I implore thee by Allah, O my lady, spare my blood and have ruth on me and commend thyself unto Allah by saving my life!’; and I wept for fear of death. Quoth she, �Doubtless, thou art a robber;’ and quoth I, �No, by Allah, I am no robber. Seest thou on me the signs of thieves?’ Said she, �Tell me the truth of thy case and I will put thee in safety.’ So I said, �I am a silly lover and an ignorant, whom passion and my folly have moved to do as thou seest, so that I am fallen into this slough of despond.’ Thereat cried she, �Abide here till I come back to thee;’ and going forth she presently returned with some of her handmaid’s clothes wherein she clad me and bade me follow her; so I followed her till she came to her apartment and commanded me to enter. I went in and she led me to a couch, whereon was a mighty fine carpet, and said, �Sit down here: no harm shall befal thee. Art thou not Abu alHasan Ali the Khorasani, the Shroff?’