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

my finger, thou hadst not erred.’ Then pull out another stone worth a thousand dinars and say to him, ‘Take this and set it, and give this ring to one of thy slave-women.’

Give him forty ducats and to each of his journeymen three, saying, “This is for the chasing, and for the cost of the ring, that shall remain.’ And see what he will say. Then bring three hundred diners and give them to thy father the barber that he may mend his fortune withal, for he is a poor man.” Answered Kamar al-Zaman, “I hear and obey,” and betook himself to the jeweller, who welcomed him and making him sit down, gave him the ring. He took it and put it on his finger; then pulled it off in haste and said, “It behoveth a master like thee, when the like of me bringeth him a piece of work, to take his measure. Hadst thou measured my finger, thou hadst not erred but take it and give it to one of thy slave women.” Then he brought out to him a stone worth a thousand sequins and said to him, “Take this and set it in a signet-ring for me after the measure of my finger.” Quoth Obayd, “Thou hast spoken sooth and art in the right;” and took his measure, whereupon he pulled out forty gold pieces and gave them to him, saying, “Take these for the chasing and the price of the ring shall remain.” Cried the jeweller, “O my lord, how much hire have we taken of thee’ Verily, thy bounty to us is great!”

“No harm,” replied Kamar al-Zaman and sat talking with him awhile and giving a diner to every beggar who passed by the shop. Then he left him and went away, whilst the jeweller returned home and said to his wife, ‘How generous is this young merchant! Never did I set eyes on a more open handed or a comelier than he, no, nor a sweeter of speech. And he went on to recount to her his charms and generosity and was loud in his praise. Cried she, “O thou lack tact,[FN#409] since thou notest these qualities in him, and indeed he hath given thee two seal rings of price, it behoveth thee to invite him and make him an entertainment and entreat him lovingly. When he seest that thou affectest him and cometh to our place, we shall surely get great good of him; and if thou grudge him the banquet do thou bid him and I will entertain him of my monies.” Quoth he, “Dost thou know me to be niggardly, that thou sayest this Say?; and quoth she, “Thou art no niggard, but thou lackest tact. Invite him this very night and come not without him. An he refuse, conjure him by the divorce oath and be persistent with him “On my head and eyes,” answered he and moulded the ring till he had finished it, after which he passed the night and went forth on the morrow to his shop and sat there.

On this wise it was with him, but as for Kamar al-Zaman, he took three hundred diners and carrying them to the old wife, gave them to her for the barber, her husband. Said she, “Most like he will invite thee to his house this day; and if he do this and thou pass the night there, tell me in the morning what befalleth thee and bring with thee four hundred diners and give them to thy father.” Answered he, “Hearing and obeying;” and as often as he ran out of money, he would sell some of his stones. So he repaired to the jeweller, who rose to him and received him with open arms, greeted him heartily and clapped up companionship with him. Then he gave him the ring, and he found it after the measure of his finger and said to the jeweller, “Allah bless thee, O

prince of artists! The setting is conformable but the stone is not to my liking.” And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say,

 

When it was the Nine Hundred and Seventieth Night, She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al-Zaman said to the jeweller, “The setting is conformable to my wishes, but the stone is not to my liking. I have a handsomer than this: so take the seal-ring and give it to one of thy slave women.” Then he gave him a fourth stone and an hundred diners, saying, “Take thy hire and excuse the trouble we have given thee.” Obayd replied, “O merchant, all the trouble thou hast given us thou hast requited us and hast over whelmed us with thy great bounties: and indeed my heart is taken with love of thee and I cannot brook parting from thee. So, Allah upon thee, be thou my guest this night and heal my heart.” He rejoined, “So be it; but needs must I go to my Khan, that I may give a charge to my domestics and tell them that I shall sleep abroad to night, so they may not expect me.” “Where dost thou lodge?” asked the jeweller; and he answered, “In such a Khan.” Quoth Obayd, “I will come for thee there;” and quoth the other “‘Tis well.” So the jeweller repaired to the Khan before sundown, fearing lest his wife should be anangered with him, if he returned home without his guest; and, carrying Kamar al-Zaman to his house, seated him in a saloon that had not its match, Halimah saw him, as he entered, and was ravished with him. They talked till supper was served when they ate and drank; after which appeared coffee and sherbets, and the jeweller ceased not to entertain him with talk till eventide, when they prayed the obligatory prayers. Then entered a handmaid with two cups[FN#410] of night drink, which when they had drunk, drowsiness overcame them and they slept.

Presently in came the jeweller’s wife and seeing them asleep, looked upon Kamar al-Zaman’s face and her wit was confounded at his beauty. Said she, “How can he sleep who loveth the fair?”

and, turning him over on his back, sat astraddle upon his breast.

Then, in the mania of her passion for him, she rained down kisses on his cheeks, till she left a mark upon them and they became exceeding red and his cheek bones shone; and, she sucked his lips, till the blood ran out into her mouth; but with all this, her fire was not quenched nor her thirst assuaged. She ceased not to kiss and clip him and twine leg with leg, till the forebrow of Morn grew white and the dawn broke forth in light; when she put in his pocket four cockals[FN#411] and went away. Then she sent her maid with something like snuff, which she applied to their nostrils and they sneezed and awoke, when the slavegirl said, “O

my lords, prayer is a duty; so rise ye and pray the dawn-prayer.”

And she brought them basin and ewer.[FN#412] Quoth Kaman al-Zamar “O master, ‘tis late and we have overslept ourselves;” and quoth the jeweller, “O my friend verily the air of this room is heavy; for, whenever I sleep in it, this happens to me.” Rejoined Kamar al-Zaman, “True,” and proceeded to make the Wuzu ablution; but, when he put the water to his face, his cheeks and lips burned him. Cried he, “Prodigious! If the air of the room be heavy and we have been drowned in sleep, what aileth my cheeks and lips that they burn me?” And he said to the jeweller, “O master, my cheeks and lips burn me.” The other replied, “I guess this cometh of the mosquito bites.” “Strange!” said Kamar al-Zaman. “Hath this thing happened to thee?” Replied Obayd, “No! But whenever I have by me a guest like thee, he complaineth in the morning of the mosquito bites, and this happeneth only when he is like thee beardless. If he be bearded the mosquitoes sting him not, and naught hindereth them from me but my beard. It seems mosquitoes love not bearded men.”[FN#413] Rejoined Kamar al-Zaman, “True.”

Then the maid brought them early breakfast and they broke their fast and went out. Kamar al-Zaman betook himself to the old woman, who exclaimed, when she saw him, “I see the marks of joyance on thy face: tell me what thou hast seen.” Said he, “I have seen nothing. Only I supped with the house master in a saloon and prayed the night prayer, after which we fell asleep and woke not till morning.” She laughed and said, “What be those marks on thy cheeks and lips?” He answered, “‘Twas the mosquitoes of the saloon that did this with me;” and she rejoined, “‘Tis well. But did the same thing betide the house master?” He retorted, “Nay; but he told me that the mosquitoes of that saloon molest not bearded men, but sting those only who have no hair on face, and that whenever he hath for guest one who is beard less, the stranger awaketh complaining of the mosquito bites; whereas an he have a beard, there befalleth him naught of this.” Said she, “Sooth thou speakest: but say me, sawest thou aught save this?” And he answered, “I found four cockals in my pocket.”

Quoth she, “Show them to me.” So he gave them to her and she laughed and said, “Thy mistress laid these in thy pocket.” He asked, “How so?” And she answered, ” ‘Tis as if she said to thee, in the language of signs,[FN#414] ‘An thou wert in love, thou wouldst not sleep, for a lover sleepeth not: but thou hast not ceased to be a child and fit for nothing but to play with these cockals. So what crave thee to fall in love with the fair?’ Now she came to thee by night and finding thee asleep, scored thy cheeks with her kisses and left thee this sign. But that will not suffice her of thee and she will certainly send her husband to invite thee again to night; so, when thou goest home with him, hasten not to fall asleep, and on the morrow bring me five hundred diners and come and acquaint me with what hath passed, and I will perfect for thee the device.” Answered he, “I hear and obey,” and went back to the Khan. Thus it befel him; but as regards the jeweller’s wife, she said to her husband, “Is the guest gone?” Answered he, “Yes, but, O Halimah,[FN#415]the mosquitoes plagued him last night and scarified his cheeks and lips, and indeed I was abashed before him.” She rejoined, “This is the wont of the mosquitoes of our saloon; for they love none save the beardless. But do thou invite him again to night.” So he repaired to the Khan where the youth abode, and bidding him, carried him to his house, where they ate and drank and prayed the night prayer in the saloon, after which the slavegirl entered and gave each of them a cup of night drink, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

 

When it was the Nine Hundred and Seventy first Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the slavegirl went in to the twain and gave each of them a cup of night drink, and they drank and fell asleep. Presently, in came Halimah and said, “O good for nothing, how canst thou sleep and call thy self a lover? A lover sleepeth not!” Then she mounted on his breast and ceased not to come down upon him with kisses and caresses, biting and sucking his lips and so forth, till the morning. when she put in his pocket a knife and sent her handmaid to arouse them.