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

the twain passed the night in mirth and merriment, converse and good cheer, dalliance and delight till dawn, when she returned to her own place and sent the handmaid to arouse her lawful lord and her lover. Accordingly they arose and prayed the dawn-prayer and brake their fast and drank coffee, after which Obayd repaired to his shop and Kamar al-Zaman betook himself to his own house. Presently, in came Halimah to him by the tunnel, in the guise of a slavegirl, and indeed she was by birth a slavegirl.[FN#429] Then he went out and she walked behind him, till he came to the jeweller’s shop and saluting him, sat down and said, “O master, I went into the Khan of Al-Yasirjiyah to-day, to look about me, and saw this damsel in the broker’s hands. She pleased me; so I bought her for a thousand diners and I would have thee look upon her and see if she be cheap at that price or no.” So saying, he uncovered her face and the jeweller saw her to be his own wife. clad in her costliest clothes, tricked out in her finest trinkets and kohl’d and henna’d, even as she was wont to adorn herself before him in the house. He knew with full knowledge her face and dress and trinkets, for those he had wrought with his own hand, and he saw on her fingers the seal rings he had newly made for Kamar al-Zaman, whereby he was certified with entire assurance that she was indeed his very wife. So he asked her, “What is thy name, O

slavegirl?”; and she answered, “Halimah,” naming to him her own name; whereat he was amazed and said to the youth, “For how much didst thou buy her?” He replied, “For a thousand diners”; and the jeweller rejoined, “Thou hast gotten her gratis; for her rings and clothes and trinkets are worth more than that.” Said Kamar al-Zaman, “May Allah rejoice thee with good news! Since she pleaseth thee, I will carry her to my house;” and Obayd said, “Do thy will.” So he took her off to his house, whence she passed through the secret passage to her own apartment and sat there.

Meanwhile, fire flamed in the jeweller’s heart and he said to himself, “I will go see my wife. If she be at home, this slavegirl must be her counterpart, and glory be to Him who alone hath no counterpart! But, if she be not at home, ‘tis she herself without a doubt.” Then he set off running, and coming to his house, found his wife sitting in the same clothes and ornaments he had seen upon her in the shop; whereupon he beat hand upon hand, saying, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!” “O man,” asked she, “art thou mad or what aileth thee? ‘Tis not thy wont to do thus, and needs must it be that something hath befallen thee.” Answered he, “If thou wilt have me tell thee be not vexed.” Quoth she, “Say on”; so he said, “Our friend the merchant hath bought a slavegirl, whose shape is as thy shape and her height as thy height; moreover, her name is even as thy name and her apparel is the like of thine apparel. Brief, she resembleth thee in all her attributes, and on her fingers are seal rings like thy seal rings and her trinkets are as thy trinkets. So, when he displayed her to me, methought it was thyself and I was perplexed concerning my case.

Would we had never seen this merchant nor companied with him; and would he had never left his own country and we had not known him, for he hath troubled my life which before was serene, causing ill feeling to succeed good faith and making doubt to enter into my heart.” Said she, “Look in my face, belike I am she who was with him and he is my lover and I disguised myself as a slavegirl and agreed with him that he should display me to thee, so he might lay a snare for thee.” He replied, “What words are these? Indeed, I never suspected that thou wouldst do the like of this deed.”

Now this jeweller was unversed in the wiles of women and knew not how they deal with men, nor had he heard the saying of him who said,

 

“A heart bore thee off in chase of the fair, * As fled Youth and came Age wi’ his hoary hair:

Layl� troubles me and love joys are far; * And rival and risks brings us cark and care.

An would’st ask me of woman, behold I am * In physic of womankind wise and ware:

When grizzleth man’s head and his monies fail, * His lot in their love is a poor affair.”

 

Nor that of another,[FN#430]

 

“Gainsay women; he obeyeth Allah best, who saith them nay And he prospers not who giveth them his bridle rein to sway For they’ll hinder him from winning to perfection in his gifts, Though a thousand years he study, seeking after wisdom’s way.”

 

And a third,

 

“Women Satans are, made for woe of man: * To Allah I fly from such Satanesses!

Whom they lure by their love he to grief shall come * And lose bliss of world and the Faith that blesses.”

 

Said she, “Here am I sitting in my chamber; so go thou to him forthright and knock at the door and contrive to go in to him quickly. An thou see the damsel with him ‘tis a slavegirl of his who resembleth me (and Glory be to Him who hath no resemblance[FN#431]) But, an thou see no slavegirl with him, then am I myself she whom thou sawest with him in the shop, and thine ill thought of me will be stablished.” “True,” answered Obayd, and went out leaving her, whereupon she passed through the hidden passage and seating herself by Kamar al-Zaman, told him what had passed, saying, “Open the door quickly and show me to him.” Now, as they were talking, behold, there came a knocking at the door. Quoth Kamar al-Zaman, “Who is at the door?”; and quoth the jeweller, “I, thy friend; thou displayedst to me thy slavegirl in the bazar, and I rejoiced for thee in her, but my joy in her was not completed; so open the door and let me look at her again.” Rejoined he, “So be it,” and opened the door to him, whereupon he saw his wife sitting by him. She rose and kissed their hands; and he looked at her; then she talked with him awhile and he saw her not to be distinguished from his wife in aught and said, “Allah createth whatso He will.” Then he went away more disheartened than before and returned to his own house where he saw his wife sitting, for she had foregone him thither by the souterrain. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

 

When it was the Nine Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the young lady forewent her spouse by the souterrain as he fared through the door and sat down in her upper chamber;[FN#432] so as soon as he entered she asked him, “What hast thou seen?” and he answered, “I found her with her master; and she resembleth thee.” Then said she, “Off to thy shop and let this suffice thee of ignoble suspicion and never again deem ill of me.” Said he, “So be it: accord me pardon for what is past.” And she, “Allah grant thee grace!”[FN#433] whereupon he kissed her right and left and went back to his shop. Then she again betook herself to Kamar al-Zaman through the underground passage, with four bags of money, and said to him, “Equip thyself at once for the road and be ready to carry off the money without delay, against I devise for thee the device I have in mind.” So he went out and purchased mules and loaded them and made ready a travelling litter, he also bought Mamelukes and eunuchs and sending, without let or hindrance, the whole without the city, returned to Halimah and said to her, “I have made an end of my affairs.” Quoth she, “And I on my side am ready; for I have transported to thy house all the rest of his monies and treasures and have left him nor little nor much, whereof he may avail himself. All this is of my love for thee, O

dearling of my heart, for I would sacrifice my husband to thee a thousand times. But now it behoveth, thou go to him and farewell him, saying, ‘I purpose to depart after three days and am come to bid thee adieu; so do thou reckon what I owe thee for the hire of the house that I may send it to thee and acquit my conscience.’

Note his reply and return to me and tell me; for I can no more; I have done my best, by cozening him, to anger him with me and cause him to put me away, but I find him none the less infatuated with me. So nothing will serve us but to depart to thine own country.” And quoth he, “O rare! an but swevens prove true!”[FN#434] Then he went to the jeweller’s shop and sitting down by him, said to him, “O master, I set out for home in three days’ time, and am come to farewell thee. So I would have thee reckon what I owe thee for the hire of the house, that I may pay it to thee and acquit my conscience.” Answered Obayd, “What talk is this? Verily, ‘tis I who am indebted to thee. By Allah, I will take nothing from thee for the rent of the house, for thou hast brought down blessings upon us! However, thou desolatest me by thy departure, and but that it is forbidden to me, I would certainly oppose thee and hinder thee from returning to thy country and kinsfolk.” Then he took leave of him, whilst they both wept with sore weeping and the jeweller went with him, and when they entered Kamar al-Zaman’s house, there they found Halimah who stood before them and served them; but when Obayd returned home, he found her sitting there; nor did he cease to see her thus in each house in turn, for the space of three days, when she said to Kamar al-Zaman, “Now have I transported to thee all that he hath of monies and hoards and carpets and things of price, and there remaineth with him naught save the slavegirl, who used to come in to you with the night drink: but I cannot part with her, for that she is my kinswoman and she is dear to me as a confidante. So I will beat her and be wroth with her and when my spouse cometh home, I will say to him, ‘I can no longer put up with this slavegirl nor stay in the house with her; so take her and sell her.’ Accordingly he will sell her and do thou buy her, that we may carry her with us.” Answered he, “No harm in that.” So she beat the girl and when the jeweller came in, he found her weeping and asked her why she wept. Quoth she, “My mistress hath beaten me.” He then went in to his wife and said to her, “What hath that accursed girl done, that thou hast beaten her?” She replied, “O man, I have but one word to say to thee, and ‘tis that I can no longer bear the sight of this girl; so take her and sell her, or else divorce me.” Quoth