FROM-THE- LIBRARY-OF

TR1NITYCOLLEGETORDNTO
 lTO THE PURE ALL THINGS ARE PURB*
(Puris omnia pura)
Arab Proverb.

*
Minna corrotta mente intese mai saoamente parole."
"Dtcameron " conclusion.

"Erubait, pcsuitque meam Lucretia librum

Sed coram Bruto. Brute "
I recede, leget.
Martial,

Mieulx est de ris que de larmes escripre,

Pour ce que "
rire est le propre des homines.
RABELAIS.

"The pleasure we derive from perusing the Thowand-juid-aae

Stones makes us regret that we possess only a comparatively small
"
part of HMM truly enchanting fictions.

CRICBTOM'S " History <af- Arabia.

 PLAIN AND LITERAL TRANSLATION OF THE

ARABIAN NIGHTS' ENTERTAINMENTS, NOW

ENTITULED

THE BOOK OF THE

antr at

WITH INTRODUCTION EXPLANATORY NOTES ON THE

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF MOSLEM MEN AND A
TERMINAL ESSAY UPON THE HISTORY OF THE
NIGHTS
VOLUME V.

BY

RICHARD F. BURTON

PRINTED BY THE BURTON CLUB FOR PRIVATE

SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
 Shammar Edition

Limited to one thousand numbered sets,

of which this is

PRINTED IN U. S. A.

HAY 12
89U22
 To DOCTOR GEORGE BIRD.

MY DEAR BIRD,

This is not a strictly medical work, although in places

which may modestly be called hygienic. inscribe

treating of subjects
I

it to you because your knowledge of Egypt will enable you to appre-

ciate its finer touches ; and for another and a yet more cogent

reason, namely, that you are one of my best and oldest friends.

Ever yours sincerely.

RICHARD F. BURTON.

ATHEN^UM CLUB, October 20, 1885,

 CONTENTS OF THE FIFTH VOLUME.

THE EBONY HORSE .... PACK

I

(Lane, Vol. II. , Chapt. XVIL Story of the Magic Hortc: pp. 51754$.^
UNS AL-WUJUD AND THE WAZIR'S DAUGHTER ROSE-IN-HOOD 32

(Chapt. XVIII. Story of UHS el-Wujood and El-Ward f.-1-Akmam : p. 549 .)

ABU NOWAS WITH THE THREE BOYS AND THE CALIPH

HARDN AL-RASHID 64

ABDALLAH BIN MA'AMAR WITH THE MAN OF BASSORAH AND

HIS SLAVE-GIRL 69
(Anecdote of a Man and his Slave Girl :
p. 578.^

THE LOVERS OF THE BANU OZRAH 70

(Anecdote of Two Victims of Love: p. $79.)

THE WAZIR OF AL-YAMAN AND HIS YOUNG BROTHER . . 71

THE LOVES OF THE BOY AND GIRL AT SCHOOL .... 73

(Love in a School : p. 580.^

AL-MUTALAMMIS AND HIS WIFE UMAYMAH . . . . . 74

HARUN AL-RASHID AND ZUBAYDAH IN THE BATH ... 75

HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE THREE POETS 77

MUS'AB BIN AL-ZUBAYR AND AYISHAH HIS WIFE ... 79

ABU AL-ASWAD AND HIS SLAVE-GIRL 80

HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE TWO SLAVE-GIRLS . 8l

viii Contents.

HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE THREE SLAVE-GIRLS . . 81

THE MILLER AND HIS WIFE 82

(Lane, Vol. //. Anecdote of a Faithless Wife :

p. $2.)

THE SIMPLETON AND THE SHARPER 83

(Anecdote of a Simpleton and a Sharper : p. 582. )

THE KAZI ABU YUSUF WITH HARUN AL-RASHID AND

QUEEN ZUBAYDAH 85

THE CALIPH AL HAKIM AND THE MERCHANT . . . . 86

(Anecdote of El- Hakim bi-amri-llah and a Merchant of Cairo: p. 583. )

KING KISRA ANUSHIRWAN AND THE VILLAGE DAMSEL . .

87

(Anecdote of AnooshirwAn :
p. 884.^

THE WATER-CARRIER AND THE GOLDSMITH'S WIFE ... 89

KHUSRAU AND SHIRIN AND THE FISHERMAN

'

. . . .
91

(Anecdote of Khusrow and Sheereen and a Fisherman : p. 585.^

YAHYA BIN KHALID AND THE POOR MAN 92

(Anecdote of Yahya el-Barmekee : p. 586.^

MOHAMMED AL-AMIN AND THE SLAVE-GIRL 93

(Mohammad el-Emeen and the Slave-Girl El-Bedr el-Kebeer : p. 587 .)

THE SONS OF YAHYA BIN KHALID AND SAID BIN SALIM . .

94

(Anecdote of El-Fadl and Jo! afar the Barmekce:p. 588.^

THE WOMAN'S TRICK AGAINST HER HUSBAND .... 96

(Anecdote of a Deceitful Wife : p. 589.^

THE DEVOUT WOMAN AND THE TWO WICKED ELDERS . . 97

JA'AFAR THE BARMECIDE AND THE OLD BADAWI ... 98

OMAR BIN AL-KHATTAB AND THE YOUNG BADAWI ... 99

(Anecdote of a Homicide :
p. 589.^

AL-MAAMUN AND THE PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT ..... 105

THE THIEF AND THE MERCHANT . 107

(Anecdote of an Impudent TTiief: p. 592.^

MASRUR THE EUNUCH AND IBN AL-KARIBI 109

(Compact of Mesroor -with Ibm el-Karibee : p.
 Contents. ix

THE DEVOTEE PRINCE in

(Law, Vol. 77. Anecdote of a Devotee Son of Harun er-Ratheed: p. 595.^

THE SCHOOLMASTER WHO FELL IN LOVE BY REPORT . . 117

THE FOOLISH DOMINIE . 118

THE ILLITERATE WHO SET UP FOR A SCHOOLMASTER . . 119

(Anecdote of an Illiterate Schoolmaster : p. *&))

THE KING AND THE VIRTUOUS WIFE ... . 121

ABD AL-RAHMAN THE MAGHRIBI'S STORY OF THE RUKH. . 122

(The Rukh:p. fao.j

ADI BIN ZAYD AND THE PRINCESS HIND 124

DI'IBIL AL-KHUZA'I WITH THE LADY AND MUSLIM BIN

AL-WALID 127

ISAAC OF MOSUL AND THE MERCHANT .... .129

THE THREE UNFORTUNATE LOVERS 133

HOW ABU HASAN BRAKE WIND 135

THE LOVERS OF THE BANU TAYY 137

(Result of Restraint upon Two Lovers : p. foi.J

THE MAD LOVER 138

(Anecdote of a Distracted Lover: p. 602 .)

THE PRIOR WHO BECAME A MOSLEM 141

(The Converted Prior : p. 603.^

THE LOVES OF ABU ISA AND KURRAT AL-AYN .... 145

(Aboo 'sa and Kurrat el-Eyn : p. fxfo.)

AL-AMIN AND HIS UNCLE IBRAHIM BIN AL-MAHDI ... 152

AL-FATH BIN KHAKAN AND AL-MUTAWAKKIL * . .

153

THE MAN'S DISPUTE WITH THE LEARNED WOMAN CONCERN-

ING THE RELATIVE EXCELLENCE OF MALE AND FEMALE . 154

ABU SUWAYD AND THE PRETTY OLD WOMAN

VOL. V.
.... b
163
x Contents.

ALI BIN TAHIR AND THE GIRL MUUNIS ...... 164

THE WOMAN WHO HAD A BOY AND THE OTHER WHO HAD
A MAN TO LOVER .......... 165

ALI THE CAIRENE AND THE HAUNTED HOUSE IN BAGHDAD . 166

(Lane, Vol. //., Chapt. XIX. Story of Alee of Cairo: p. 609.^

THE PILGRIM MAN AND THE OLD WOMAN ..... 186

(Anecdote of a Townsman and a Bedaweeyeh : p. 635.^

ABU AL-HUSN AND HIS SLAVE-GIRL TAWADDUD .... 189

THE ANGEL OF DEATH WITH THE PROUD KING AND THE

DEVOUT MAN .......... 246

THE ANGEL OF DEATH AND THE RICH KING ..'... 248

THE ANGEL OF DEATH AND THE KING OF THE CHILDREN

OF ISRAEL ..... . . . . . . . 250
(A Tyrannical King and the Angel of Death :
p. 636.^

ISKANDAR ZU AL-KARNAYN AND A CERTAIN TRIBE OF POOR

FOLK . . .... ........ 252

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF KING ANUSHIRWAN .... 254

THE JEWISH KAZI AND HIS PIOUS WIFE ...... 256

THE SHIPWRECKED WOMAN AND HER CHILD . 259

THE PIOUS BLACK SLAVE ......... 261

THE DEVOUT TRAY-MAKER AND HIS WIFE . .264

(Advantages of Piety and Industry : p.

AL-HAJJAJ BIN YUSUF AND THE PIOUS MAN ..... 269

THE BLACKSMITH WHO COULD HANDLE FIRE WITHOUT

HURT ............. 271

THE DEVOTEE TO WHOM ALLAH GAVE A CLOUD FOR

SERVICE AND THE DEVOUT KING ...... 274
 Contents. xi

THE MOSLEM CHAMPION AND THE CHRISTIAN DAMSEL . .

277

(Lane, Vol. II. Anecdote of a Moslem Warrior and a Christian Maiden :/. 639.^

THE CHRISTIAN KING'S DAUGHTER AND THE MOSLEM . .

283

THE PROPHET AND THE JUSTICE OF PROVIDENCE ... 286

(The Justice of Providence :

p. 6i2.J

THE FERRYMAN OF THE NILE AND THE HERMIT ... 488

THE ISLAND KING AND THE PIQUS ISRAELITE .... 290

ABU AL-HASAN AND ABU JA'AFAR THE LEPER .... 294

THE QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS 298

'
THE ADVENTURES OF BULUKIYA

..*.*
a. . . . . . . . 304

6. THE STORY OF JANSHAH 329

 The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night.

THE EBONY HORSE. 1

THERE was once in times of yore and ages long gone before, a
great and puissant King, of the Kings of the Persians, Sdbur by
name, who was the richest of all the Kings in store of wealth and
dominion and surpassed each and every in wit and wisdom. He
was generous, open handed and beneficent, and he gave to those
who sought him and repelled not those who resorted to him and ;

he comforted the broken-hearted and honourably entreated those

who fled to him for refuge. Moreover, he loved the poor and was
hospitable to strangers and did the oppressed justice upon the
oppressor. He had three daughters, like full moons of shining
light or flower-gardens blooming bright and a son as he were the ;

moon and it was his wont to keep two festivals in the twelvemonth,
;

those of the Nau-Roz, or New Year, and Mihrgdn the Autumnal

2
Equinox, on which occasions he threw open his palaces and gave
largesse and made proclamation of safety and security and pro-
moted his chamberlains and viceroys and the people of his realm
;

came in to him and saluted him and gave him joy of the holy
day, bringing him gifts and servants and eunuchs. Now he loved
science and geometry, and one festival-day as he sat on his kingly
throne there came in to him three wise men, cunning artificers
and past masters in all manner of craft and inventions, skilled in
making things curious and rare, such as confound the wit and ;

versed in the knowledge of occult truths and perfect in mysteries

and subtleties. And they were of three different tongues and
countries, the first a Hindi or Indian, the second a Roumi or
3

Greek and the third a Farsi or Persian. The Indian came

forwards and, prostrating himself before the King, wished him joy
of the festival and laid before him a present befitting his dignity ;

that is to say, a man of gold, set with precious gems and jewels

1
This tale (one of those translated, by Galland) is best and fullest in the Bresl. Edit,
ui. 329.
a
Europe has degraded this autumnal festival, the Sun-fete Mihrgin (which balanced
the vernal Nau-roz) into Michaelmas and its goose-massacre. It was o called because
it began on the i6th of Mihr, the seventh month ; and lasted six
days, with feasts,
and great rejoicings in honour of the Sun, who now begins his southing-course
festivities

to gladden the other half of the world.

8 "
Hindi is an Indian Moslem as opposed to " Hindii," a pagan, or Gtntoo.
"

VOL. V. A
2 A If Laylak wa Laylah.

of price and bending in hand a golden trumpet. When Sabur

1

saw this, he asked, O sage, what is the virtue of this figure ?"
"
;

and the Indian answered, "O my lord, if this figure be set at

the gate of thy city, it will be a guardian over it for, if an ;

enemy enter the place, it will blow this clarion against him
and he will be seized with a palsy and drop down dead. Much
the King marvelled at this and cried, "By Allah, sage, an this O
thy word be true, grant thee thy wish and thy desire."
I will

Then came forward the Greek and, prostrating himself before the
King, presented him with a basin of silver, in whose midst was
a peacock of gold, surrounded by four-and- twenty chicks of the
same metal. Sabur looked at them and turning to the Greek,
said to him,
"
O sage, what is the virtue of this peacock ? " " O
my lord," answered he, "as often as an hour of the day or night
passeth, it pecketh one of its young and crieth out and flappeth
its wings, till the four-and-twenty hours are accomplished ;

and when the month cometh to an end, it will open its mouth
and thou shalt see the crescent therein." And the King said,
" An thou speak sooth, I will bring thee to thy wish and thy
desire." Then came forward the Persian sage and, prostrating
himself before the King, presented him with a horse 2 of the
blackest ebony-wood inlaid with gold and jewels, and ready
harnessed with saddle, bridle and stirrups such as befit Kings ;

which when Sabur saw, he marvelled with exceeding marvel and

was confounded at the beauty of its form and the ingenuity of its
fashion. So he asked, " What is the use of this horse of wood, and
what is its virtue and what the secret of its movement ?" and the ;

*
The Persian word is
" "
=. King's son the Greeks (who had no sA)
orig. Shah-pur :

(preferred 2awp ; the Romans turnedSapor and the Arabs (who lack the /)
it into
into Sabur. See p. x. Hamzae Ispahanensis Annalium Libri x. Gottwaldt, Lipsiae :

mdcccxlviii.
3
The magic horse may have originated with the Hindu tale of a wooden Garuda (the
bird of Vishnu) built by a youth for the purpose of a vehicle. It came with the
" Moors "
to Spain and in
" Le Cheval de Fust," a French poem of the thirteenth
appears
Century. Thence it passed over to England as shown by Chaucer's " Half-told tale of

Cambuscan (Janghlz Khan ?) bold," as

The wondrous steed of brass
On which the Tartar King did ride ;

And Leland (Itinerary) derives "Rutlandshire" from "a man named Rutter who rode
round h on a wooden horse constructed by art magic." Lane (ii. 548) quotes the
parallel story of Cleomades and Claremond which Mr. Keightley (Tales and Popular
Fictions, chapt. ii) dates from our thirteenth century. See Vol. i., p. 160.
 The Ebony Horse. $

Persian answered,
"
O my lord, the virtue of this horse is that, if

one mount him, it will carry him whither he will and fare with its
rider through the air and cover the space of a year in a single
day." The King marvelled and was amazed at these three
wonders, following thus hard upon one another on the same day,
and turning to the sage, said to him, " By Allah the Omnipotent,
and our Lord the Beneficent, who created all creatures and feedeth
them with meat and drink, an thy speech be veritable and the
virtue of thy contrivance appear, I will assuredly give thee what-
soever thou lustest for and will bring thee to thy desire and thy
wish I"
1
Then he entertained the sages three days, that he might
make triai of their gifts ; after which they brought the figures
before him and each took the creature he had wroughten and
showed him the mystery of its movement. The trumpeter blew the
trump the peacock pecked its chicks and the Persian sage mounted
;

the ebony horse, whereupon it soared with him high in air and
descended again. When King Sabur saw all this, he was amazed
and perplexed and felt like to fly for joy and said to the three
"
sages, Now I am certified of the truth of your words and it
behoveth me to quit me of my promise. Ask ye, therefore, what
ye will, and I will give you that same." Now the report of the
"
King's daughters had reached the sages, so they answered, If the
King be content with us and accept of our gifts and allow us to
prefer a request to him, we crave of him that he give us his three
daughters in marriage, that we may be his sons-in-law ; for that the
of "
stability Kings may not be gainsaid." Quoth the King, I grant
you that which you wish and you desire," and bade summon the
Kazi forthright, thathe might marry each of the sages to one of
his daughters. Now
fortuned that the Princesses were behind
it

a curtain, looking on; and when they heard this, the youngest
considered her husband to be and behold, he was an old man, 2 an
hundred years of age, with hair frosted, forehead drooping, eye-
brows mangy, ears slitten, beard and mustachios stained and

1
All Moslems, except those of the Maliki school, hold that the maker of an
imago
representing anything of life will be commanded on the
Judgement Day to animate
it, and failing will be duly sent to the Fire.
This severity arose apparently from the
necessity of putting down
idol-worship and, perhaps, for the same reason the Greek
Church admits pictures but not statues. Of course the command has been honoured
with extensive breaching : for instance all the Sultans of Stambul have had their
portrait*
drawn and painted.
2
This description of ugly old age is written with true Arab verve.
4 Atf Laylcth wa Laylah.

<tyed J eyes red and goggle ; cheeks bleached and hollow flabby- ;

nose like a brinjall, or egg-plant 1 face like a cobbler's apron, teeth

;

overlapping and lips like camel's kidneys, loose and pendulous ; in

brief a terror, a horror, a monster, for he was of the folk of his time
the unsightliest and of his age the frightfullest sundry of his ;

grinders had been knocked out and his eye-teeth were like the
tusks of the Jinni who frighteneth poultry in hen-houses. Now
the girl was the fairest and most graceful of her time, more elegant
than the gazelle however tender, than the gentlest zephyr blander
and brighter than the moon amorous fray right
at her full ;
for
suitable confounding in graceful sway the waving bough and
;

outdoing in swimming gait the pacing roe in fine she was fairer ;

and sweeter by far than all her sisters. So, when she saw her
suitor, she went to her chamber and strewed dust on her head and
tore her clothes and fell to buffeting her face and weeping and

wailing. Now the Prince, her brother, Kamar al-Akmdr, or the

Moon of Moons
hight, was then newly returned from a journey
and, hearing her weeping and crying came in to her (for he loved
her with fond affection, more than his other sisters) and asked her,
11
What aileth thee ? What hath befallen thee ? Tell me and
conceal naught from me." So she smote her breast and answered,,
'*
O my brother and my dear one, I have nothing to hide. If the
palace be straitened upon thy father, I will go out and if he be ;

resolved upon a foul thing, I will separate myself from him, though
he consent not to make provision for me ; and my Lord will
" Tell me what meaneth this talk and what
provide." Quoth he,
" O
hath straitened thy breast and troubled thy temper." my
"
brother and my dear one," answered the Princess, Know that my
father hath promised me in marriage to a wicked magician who

brought him, as a gift, a horse of black wood, and hath bewitched

him with his craft and his egromancy ; but, as for me, I will none
of him, and would, because of him, I had never come into this
"
world Her brother soothed her and solaced her, then fared to
!

"
his sire and said, What be this wizard to whom thou hast given

1
Arab. " Badinjan "
: Hind. Bengan : Pers. Badingdn or Badiljdn ; the Mala insana
(Solatium pomiferum or .$. Melongena) of the Romans, well known in Southern Europe.
It is of two kinds, the red (Solanum lycopersicuvi\ and the black (S. Afelongena). The
know "
Spaniards it as berengeria" and when Sancho Panza (Part ii.
chapt. 2) says,
"The Moors are fond of egg-plants" he means more than appears.
vegetable is The
held to be exceedingly heating and thereby to breed melancholia and madness ; hence
H
one says t<ta man that has done something eccentric, "Thou hast been eating brinjal!s,
J
 The Ebony Horse. $

my youngest sister in marriage, and what is this present which he

hath brought thee, so that thou hast killed ! my sister with chagrin ?
It is not right that this should be." Now the Persian was standing
by and, when he heard the Prince's words, he was mortified and
filled with fury and the King said, " O my son, an thou sawest
this horse, thy wit would be confounded and thou wouldst be
amated with amazement." Then he bade the slaves bring the
horse before him and they did so and, when the Prince saw it, it
;

pleased him. So (being an accomplished cavalier) he mounted it

forthright and struck its sides with the shovel-shaped stirrup-irons ;
but it stirred not and the King said to the Sage, " Go show him its
movement, that he also may help thee to win thy wish." Now
the Persian bore the Prince a grudge because he willed not he
should have his sister so he showed him the pin of ascent on
;

the right side of the horse and saying to him, " Trill this," left
him. Thereupon the Prince trilled the pin and lo the horse !

forthwith soared with him high in ether, as it were a bird, and

gave not overflying till it disappeared from men's espying, whereat
the King was troubled and perplexed about his case and said to
the Persian, " O sage, look how thou mayst make him descend."
But he replied, " O my lord, I can do nothing, and thou wilt
never see him again till Resurrection-day, for he, of his ignorance
and pride, asked me not of the pin of descent and I forgot
to acquaint him therewith." When the King heard this, he was
enraged with sore rage and bade bastinado the sorcerer and clap
;

him in jail, whilst he himself cast the crown from his head and beat
his face and smote his breast. Moreover, he shut the doors of
his palaces and gave himself up to weeping and keening, he and
his wife and daughters and all the folk of the city and thus their
;

joy was turned to annoy and their gladness changed into sore
affliction and sadness. Thus far concerning them but as regards ;

the Prince, the horse gave not over soaring with him till he drew
near the sun, whereat he gave himself up for lost and saw death
in the skies, and was confounded at his case, repenting him of
"
having mounted the horse and saying to himself, Verily, this was
a device of the Sage to destroy me on account of my youngest
sister ;
but there is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great I am lost without recourse; but I
!

wonder, did not he who made the ascent-pin make also a descent-

"
Again to be understood Hibernice kilt."
 6 A If Laylah wa Lay Iah.

pin?" Now he was a man of wit and knowledge and intelli-

gence ; so he to feeling all the parts of the horse, but saw

fell

nothing save a screw, like a cock's head, on its right shoulder and
"
the like on the left, when quoth he to himself, I see no sign save

these things like buttons." Presently he turned the right-hand

pin, whereupon the horse flew heavenwards with increased speed.
So he and looking at the sinister shoulder and finding
left it

another pin, he wound it up and immediately the steed's upwards

motion slowed and ceased and it began to descend, little by little,

cautious and careful of his life. -

towards the face of the earth, while the rider became yet more
And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

jfcofo fo&en it bas t&e t&bm f^un&telr anfc .JFtftg-etQ&tf)

She said, It hath reached me, auspicious King, that when the
Prince wound up the sinister screw, the steed's upward motion
slowed and ceased, and it began to descend, little by little,
towards the earth while the rider became yet more cautious and
careful of his life. And when he saw this and knew the uses of
the horse, his heart was filled with joy and gladness and he thanked
Almighty Allah for that He had deigned deliver him from de-
struction. Then he began to turn the horse's head whithersoever
he would, making it rise and fall at pleasure, till he had gotten

complete mastery over its every movement. He ceased not to

descend the whole of that day, for that the steed's ascending flight
had borne him afar from the earth ; and, as he descended, he
diverted himself with viewing the various cities and countries over
which he passed and which he knew not, never having seen them
in his life.
Amongst rest, he descried a city ordered after the
the
fairest fashion in the midst of a verdant and riant land, rich in
trees and streams, with gazelles pacing daintily over the plains ;

whereat he fell a-musing and said to himself, " Would I knew the
name of yon town and in what land it is " And he took to !

circling about it and observing it right and left. By this time, the
day began and the sun drew near to its downing; and
to decline
he said "
in his Verily I find no goodlier place to night in
mind,
than this city so I will lodge here and early on the morrow I will
;

return to my kith and kin and my kingdom and tell my father ;

and family what hath passed and acquaint him with what mine
 The Ebony Horse. 7

eyes have seen." Then he addressed himself to seeking a place

wherein he might safely bestow himself and his horse and where
none should descry him, and presently behold, he espied a-middle*
most of the city a palace rising high in upper air surrounded by a
great wall with lofty crenelles and battlements, guarded by forty
black slaves, clad in complete mail and armed with spears and
"
swords, bows and arrows. Quoth he, This is a goodly place,"
and turned the descent-pin, whereupon the horse sank down
with him like a weary bird, and alighted gently on the terrace-
roof of the palace. So the Prince dismounted and ejaculating
* "
Alhamdolillah praise be to Allah he began to go round 1

about the horse and examine it, saying, " By Allah, he who
fashioned thee with these perfections was a cunning craftsman,
and if the Almighty extend the term of my life and restore me
to my country and kinsfolk in safety and reunite me with my
father, I will assuredly bestow upon him all manner bounties and
benefit him with the utmost beneficence." By this time night had
overtaken him and he sat on the roof till he was assured that all
in the palace slept and indeed hunger and thirst were sore upon
;

him, for that he had not tasted food nor drunk water since he
"
parted from his sire. So he said within himself, Surely the like of
"
this palace will not lack of victual ; and, leaving the horse above,
went down in search of somewhat to eat. Presently, he came to,
a staircase and descending it to the bottom, found himself in a
court paved with white marble and alabaster, which shone in the
light of the moon. He marvelled at the place and the goodliness
of its fashion, but sensed no sound of speaker and saw no living

soul and stood in perplexed surprise, looking right and left and

knowing not whither he should wend. Then said he to himself,

" not do better than return to where I left my horse and
I may
pass the night by it ;
and as soon as day shall dawn I will mount
and ride away." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say.

Jlofo fofjen it foaa tf)c tyfym ^un&irt an& Jpiftn^nfotf) Jlt'sfit,

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth the

said, It
"
king's son to himself, I may not do better than pass the night

*
I.*, for fear of the evil eye injuring the palace and, haply, himselL
S lf Laylah wa Laylah.

by my and as soon as day shall dawn I will mount and

horse ;

ride away."However, as he tarried talking to himself, he espied

a light within the palace, and making towards it, found that it
came from a candle that stood before a door of the Harim, at the
head of a sleeping eunuch, as he were one of the Ifrits of Solomon
or a tribesman- of the Jinn, longer than lumber and broader than
a bench. He lay before the door, with the pommel of his sword
gleaming in the flame of the candle, and at his head was a bag
of leather ! hanging from a column of granite. When the Prince
saw this, he was affrighted and said, " I crave help from Allah the
Supreme! O mine Holy One, even as Thou hast already de-
livered me from destruction, so vouchsafe me strength to quit
"
myself of the adventure of this palace So saying, he put out
!

his hand to the budget and taking it, carried it aside and opened
it and found in it food of the best. He ate his fill and refreshed
himself and drank water, after which he hung up the provision-
bag in its place and drawing the eunuch's sword from its sheath,
took it, whilst the slave slept on, knowing not whence destiny
should come to him. Then the Prince fared forwards into the
palace and ceased not till he came to a second door, with a curtain
drawn before it ; so he raised the curtain and behold, on entering
he saw a couch of the whitest ivory, inlaid with pearls and jacinths
and jewels, and four slave-girls sleeping about it. He went up to
the couch, to see what was thereon, and found a young lady lying
asleep,chemised with her hair 2 as she were the full moon rising s
over the Eastern horizon, with flower-white brow and shining hair-
parting and cheeks like blood-red anemones and dainty moles
thereon. He was amazed at her as she lay in her beauty and
loveliness, her symmetry and grace, and he recked no more
of death. So he went up to her, trembling in every nerve and,
shuddering with pleasure, kissed her on the right cheek ; where-
upon she awoke forthright and opened her eyes, and seeing the
Prince standing at her head, said to him, "Who art thou and
" "
whence comest thou ?
Quoth he, I am thy slaye and thy
L
' '" ' ' ' '
' ' - " ' i

The " Sufrab " before explained as acting provision-bag and table-cloth.
1

* Eastern women in hot

weather, lie mother-nude under a sheet here represented by
the hair. The Greeks and Romans also slept stripped and in mediaeval England the
most modest women saw nothing indelicate in sleeping naked by their naked husbands.
The "night-cap*' and the "night-gown" are comparatively modern inventions.
* Hindu fable turns this simile into better " She was like a second and a more 1

poetry,
wondrous moon, made by the Creator."
 The Ebony Horse. 9

lover." Asked she, "And who brought thee hither?" and he

" Then
answered, My Lord and my fortune." said Shams
al-Nahar such was her name), "Haply thou art he who
1
(for
demanded me yesterday of my father in marriage and he rejected
thee, pretending that thou wast foul of favour. By Allah, my sire
lied in his throatwhen he spoke this thing, for thou art not other
than beautiful." Now the son of the King of Hind had sought
her in marriage, but her father had rejected him, for that he was
ugly and uncouth, and she thought the Prince was he. So, when
she saw his beauty and grace (for indeed he was like the radiant
2
moon) the syntheism of love gat hold of her heart as it were a
flaming and they fell to talk and converse. Suddenly, her
fire,

waiting-women awoke and, seeing the Prince with their mistress,

" "
said to her, Oh my lady, who is this with thee ? Quoth she,
*
I know not I found him sitting by me, when I woke up
; haply :

'tis he who seeketh me in marriage of my sire." Quoth they,

" O my lady, this is not he who seeketh
by Allah the All-Father,
thee in marriage, for he is hideous and this man is handsome
and of high degree. Indeed, the other is not fit to be his servant."1
Then the handmaidens went out to the eunuch, and finding him
"
slumbering awoke him, and he started up in alarm. Said they, How
happeth it that thou art on guard at the palace and yet men come
"
in to us, whilst we are asleep ? When the black heard this, he
sprang in haste to his sword, but found it not ;
and fear took him
and trembling. Then he went
in, confounded, to his mistress and

seeing the Prince sitting at talk with her, said to him, "O my lord,
art thou man or Jinni ?" Replied the Prince, "Woe to thee, O

1
"Sun of the Day."
a
Arab. "Shirk" = worshipping more than one God. A theological term here most
appropriately used.
8 The Bui. Edit, as
usual abridges (vol. i. 534) The Prince lands on the palace-
roof where he leaves his horse, and finding no one in the building goes back to the
terrace. Suddenly he sees a beautiful girl approaching him with a party of her women,
suggesting to him these couplets :

She came without tryst in the darkest hour, Like full moon lighting horizon's night :

Slim-formed, there is not in the world her like For grace of form or for gifts of sprite :

" Praise him who made her from semen-drop,"* I when her beauty first struck
cried,
my sight :

1 guard her from eyes, seeking refuge with * The Lord of mankind and of morning-
light.

The two then made acquaint: aa t id "folk rs what Follow.."

 io AiJ Laylah wa Layluk.

unluckiest of slaves : how darest thou even the sons of the royal
"
Chosroes 1 with one of the unbelieving Satans ? And he was as
a raging lion. Then he took the sword in his hand and said to the
"
slave, I am the King's son-in-law, and he hath married me to his

daughter and bidden me go in to her." And when the eunuch

heard these words he replied, " O my lord, if thou be indeed of kind
a man as thou avouchest, she is fit for none but for thee, and thou
art worthier of her than any other." Thereupon the eunuch ran
to the King, shrieking loud and rending his raiment and heaving
dust upon his head ; and when the King heard his outcry, he said
"
to him, What hath befallen thee ?:
speak quickly and be brief ;

for thou hast fluttered my heart." Answered the eunuch, "O King,
come to thy daughter's succour ; for a devil of the Jinn, in the like-
ness of a King's son, hath got possession of her ; so up and at
him ! " When the King heard this, he thought to kill him and said,
"How earnest thou to be careless of my daughter and let this
demon come "
at her ? Then he betook himself to the Princess's
palace, where he found her slave-women standing to await him and
asked them, " What is come to my daughter ? " " O King,"
answered they, "slumber overcame us and, when we awoke, we
found a young man sitting upon her couch in talk with her, as he
were the full moon never saw we aught fairer of favour than he.
;

So we questioned him of his case and he declared that thou hadst

given him thy daughter in marriage. More than this we know not,
nor do we know if he be a man or a Jinni but he is modest and ;

well bred, and doth nothing unseemly or which leadeth to dis-

grace." Now when the King heard these words, his wrath cooled
and he raised the curtain little by little and looking in, saw sitting
at talk with his daughter a Prince of the goodliest with a face like
the full moon for sheen. At this sight he could not contain him-
self, of his jealousy for his daughter's honour and, putting aside ;

the curtain, rushed in upon them drawn sword in hand like a

furious Ghul. Now when the Prince saw him he asked the
" "
Princess, Is this thy sire ? "; and she answered, Yes." And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per-
mitted say.

1
Arab. " Akasirah," explained (vol. i., 75} as the plur. of KUta.
 The Ebony Horse. li

Note tofjcn it teas tf)f flTfjrce $)un&rrtJ anb ^ixtfct!) Nig&t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Prince saw the King upon them, drawn sword in hand,
rushing in
"
like a furious Ghul he asked the Princess, Is this thy sire?";
"
and she answered, Yes." Whereupon he sprang to his feet and,
seizing his sword, cried out at the King with so terrible a cry that
he was confounded. Then the youth would have fallen on him
with the sword; but the King seeing that the Prince was doughtier
than he, sheathed his scymitar and stood till the young man came
up to him, when he accosted him courteously and said to him, O
"
" "
youth, art thou a man or a Jinni ? Quoth the Prince, Did I not
respect thy right as mine host and thy daughter's honour, I would
spill thy blood How darest thou fellow me with devils,
! me that
am a Prince of the sons of the royal Chosroes who, had they
wished to take thy kingdom, could shake thee like an earthquake
from thy glory and thy dominions and spoil thee of all thy posses-
"
sions ? Now when the King heard his words, he was confounded
with awe and bodily fear of him and rejoined, "If thou indeed be
of the sons of the Kings, as thou pretendest, how cometh it that
thou enterest my palace without my permission, and smirchest
mine honour, making thy way to my daughter and feigning that
thou art her husband and claiming that I have given her to thee
to wife, I that have slain Kings and King's sons, who sought her
of me in marriage ? And now who shall save thee from my might
and majesty when, if I cried but to my slaves and servants and
bade them put thee to the vilest of deaths they would slay thee
forthright ? Who shall deliver thee out of my hand ? " When
the Prince heard this speech of the King he answered, " Verily, I
wonder at thee and at the shortness and denseness of thy wit f
Say me, canst covet for thy daughter a mate comelier than myself,
and hast ever seen a stouter hearted man or one better fitted for
a Sultan or a more glorious in rank and dominion than I ? "
"
Rejoined the King, Nay, by Allah but I would have had thee, !

O youth, act after the custom of Kings and demand her from me
to wife before witnesses, that I might have married her to thee
publicly and now, even were I to marry her to thee privily, yet
;

hast thou dishonoured me in her person.** Rejoined the Prince,

"
Thou sayest sooth, O King, but if thou summon thy slaves and

thy soldiers and they fall upon me and slay me, as thou pretendest,
 12 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

thou wouldst but publish thine own disgrace, and the folk would
be divided between belief in thee and disbelief in thee. Wherefore,
O King, thou wilt do well, meseemeth, to turn from this thought
" Let me
to that which I shall counsel thee/' Quoth the King,
" "
hear what thou hast to advise and quoth the Prince, What I
;

have to propose to thee is this either do thou meet me in combat

:

singular, I and thou and he who slayeth his adversary shall be

;

held the worthier and having a better title to the kingdom or ;

else, let me be this night and, whenas dawns the morn, draw out
against me thy horsemen and footmen and servants but first tell ;

"
me their number." Said the King, They are forty thousand
horse, besides my own slaves and their followers, who are the like
1

of them in number." Thereupon said the Prince, " When the day
shall break, do thou array them against me and say to them
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

JJofo fofcm it foas t& &J)w l^uirtreto an& Jbfrtp-first .Hig&t,

She continued, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that quoth
the Prince, " When day shall break, do thou array them against me
and say to them This man is a suitor to me for my daughter's
:

hand, on condition that he shall do battle single-handed against

you all for he pretendeth that he will overcome you and put you
;

to the rout, and indeed that ye cannot prevail against him. After
which, leave me to do battle with them if they slay me, then : is thy
secret the surer guarded and thine honour the better warded ;
and
if I overcome them and see their backs, then is it the like of me a
King should covet to his son-in-law." So the King approved of
his opinion and accepted his proposition, despite his awe at the
boldness of his speech and amaze at the pretensions of the Prince
to meet in fight his whole host, such as he had described it to him,

being at heart assured that he would perish in the fray and so he

should be quit of him and freed from the fear of dishonour. There-
upon he called the eunuch and bade him go to his Wazir without
stay and delay and command him to assemble the whole of the

1
The dearest ambition of a slave is not liberty but to have a slave of his own. This
was systematised by the servile rulers known in history as the Mameluke Beys and to the
Egyptians as the Ghuzz. Each had his household of servile page? and squires, who
looked forward to filling the master's place as knight or baron.
 The Ebony Horse. 13

army and cause them don their arms and armour and mount their
steeds. So the eunuch carried the King's order to the Minister,
who straightway summoned the Captains of the host and the
Lords of the realm and bade them don their harness of derring-do
and mount horse and sally forth in battle array. Such was their
case but as regards the King, he sat a long while conversing with
;

the young Prince, being pleased with his wise speech and good
sense and fine breeding. And when it was day-break he returned
to his palace and, seating himself on his throne, commanded his
merry men to mount and bade them saddle one of the best of the
royal steeds with handsome selle and housings and trappings and
"
bring it to the Prince. But the youth said, O King, I will not
mount horse, till I come in view of the troops and review them."
" Be it as thou Then the two repaired to
wilt," replied the King.
the parade-ground, where the troops were drawn up, and the young
Prince looked upon them and noted their great number after ;

which the King cried out to them, saying, " Ho, all ye men, there
is come to me a youth who seeketh my daughter in marriage and
;

in very sooth never have I seen a goodlier than he ; no, nor a

stouter of heart nor a doughtier of arm, for he pretendeth that he
can overcome you, single-handed, and force you to flight and that,
were ye an hundred thousand in number, yet for him would ye be
but few. Now when he chargeth down on you, do ye receive him
upon point of pike and sharp of sabre for, indeed, he hath under-
;

taken a mighty matter." Then quoth the King to the Prince,

"
Up, O my son, and do thy devoir on them." Answered he, O
"

King, thou dealest not justly and fairly by me how shall I go

:

forth against them, seeing that I am afoot and the men be

mounted ? " The King retorted, " I bade thee mount, and thou
refusedst but choose thou which of my horses thou wilt" Then
;

he said, " Not one of thy horses pleaseth me, and I will ride none
but that on which I came." Asked the King, " And where is thy
"
horse ? "
Atop of thy palace/'
" In
what part of my palace ? "
" On the roof." Now when the
King heard these words, he cried,
"Out onfaiee! this is the first sign thou hast given of madness.
How can the horse be on the roof ? But we shall at once see if
thou speak truth or lies." Then he turned to one of his chief
"
officers and said to him, Go to my palace and bring me what
thou findest on the roof." So all the people marvelled at the
" How can a horse
young Prince's words, saying one to other,
come down the steps from the roof? Verily this is a thing whose
14 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

like we never In the mean time the King's messenger

heard."
repaired to the palace and mounting to the roof, found the horse
standing there and never had he looked on a handsomer but ;

when he drew near and examined it, he saw that it was made of
ebony and ivory. Now the officer was accompanied by other high
officers, who also looked on and they laughed to one another,
" Was
it of the like of this horse that the youth spake ?
saying,
We cannot deem him other than mad ; however, we shall soon see
the truth of his case." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.

tfoto toljcn it teas tl) fmt ^un&reU anfc btxtn=sccontr XtaDt,

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the

said, It
high officials looked upon the horse, they laughed one to other
and said, " Was it of the like of this horse that the youth spake ?
We cannot deem him other than mad ; however, we shall soon see
the truth of his case. Peradventure herein is some mighty matter,
and he is a man
of high degree." Then they lifted up the horse
bodily and, carrying it to the King, set it down before him, and
all the lieges flocked round to look at it, marvelling at the beauty

of its proportions and the richness of its saddle and bridle. The
King also admired it and wondered at it with extreme wonder ;
" "
and he asked the Prince, O youth, is thy horse ?
this He
"
answered, Yes, O King, this is my horse, and thou shalt soon see
the marvel it showeth." Rejoined the King, " Then take and
mount it," and the Prince retorted, " I will not mount till the
troops withdraw afar from it." So the King bade them retire a
bowshot from the horse ; whereupon quoth its owner, " O King,
see thou I am about to mount my horse and charge upon thy
;

host and scatter them right and left and split their hearts asunder."
Said the King, " Do as thou wilt and spare not their lives, for
;

they will not spare thine." Then the Prince mounted, whilst the
troops ranged themselves in ranks before him, and one said to
"
another, When the youth cometh between the ranks, we will take
him on the points of our pikes and the sharps of our sabres."
"
Quoth another, By Allah, this is a mere misfortune how shall :

we slay a youth so comely of face and shapely of form ? " And a

third continued, " Ye will have hard work to get the better of him ;

for the youth had not done this, but for what he knew of his own
 The Ebony Horse. 15

prowess and pre-eminence of valour." Meanwhile, having settled

himself in his saddle, the Prince turned the pin of ascent whilst ;

all eyes were strained to see what he would do, whereupon the

horse began to heave and rock and sway to and fro and make the
strangest of movements steed ever made, till its belly was filled
with air and it took flight with its rider and soared high into the
sky. When the King saw this, he cried out to his men, saying,
" Woe to "
you catch him, catch him, ere he 'scape you
! But his !

"
Wazirs and Viceroyssaid to him, O King,can a man overtake
the flying bird ? This is surely none but some mighty magician
or Marid of the Jinn or devil, and Allah save thee from him. So
praise thou the Almighty for deliverance of thee and of all thy
host from his hand." Then the King returned to his palace
after seeing the feat of the Prince and,
going in to his daughter,
acquainted her with what had befallen them both on the parade-
ground. He found her grievously afflicted for the Prince and
bewailing her separation from him ; wherefore she fell sick with
violent sickness and took to her pillow. Now when her father
saw her on this wise, he pressed her to his breast and kissing her
between the eyes, said to her, " O my daughter, praise Allah
Almighty and thank Him for that He hath delivered us from this
crafty enchanter, this villain, this low fellow, this thief who thought
"
only of seducing thee And he repeated to her the story of the
!

Prince and how he had disappeared in the firmament and he ;

abused him and cursed him knowing not how dearly his daughter
loved him. But she paid no heed to his words and did but re-
"
double in her tears and wails, saying to herself, By Allah, I will
"
neither eat meat nor drain drink, till Allah reunite me with him !

Her father was greatly concerned for her case and mourned much
over her plight ; but, for all he could do to soothe her, love-longing
only increased on her. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.

fofjen ft foas tfce ^fjtee l^unlireK anU &ixtg-ti)irtj

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King
mourned much over his daughter's plight but, for all he could do
to soothe her, love-longing only increased on her. Thus far con-
cerning the King and Princess Shams al-Nahdr ; but as regards
Prince Kamar al-Akmar, when he had risen high in air, he turned
 1 6 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

his horse's head towards his native land, and being alone mused
upon the beauty of the Princess and her loveliness. Now he had
enquired of the King's people the name of the city and of its King
and daughter and men had told him that it was the city of
his ;

Sana'a. 1 So he journeyed with all speed, till he drew near his

father's capital and, making an airy circuit about the city, alighted
on the roof of the King's palace, where he left his horse, whilst he
descended into the palace and seeing its threshold strewn with
ashes, thought that one of his family was dead. Then he entered,
as of wont, and found his father and mother and sisters clad in
mourning raiment of black, all pale of faces and lean of frames.
When his sire descried him and was assured that it was indeed his
son, he cried out with a great cry and fell down in a fit, but after
a time coming to himself, threw himself upon him and embraced
him, clipping him to his bosom and rejoicing in him with exceeding
joy and extreme gladness. His mother and sisters heard this; so
they came in and seeing the Prince, fell upon him, kissing him and
weeping, and joying with exceeding joyance. Then they questioned
him of his case so he told them all that had past from first to
;

"
last, and his father said to him, Praised be Allah for thy safety,
"
O my eyes and core of my heart
coolth of Then the King bade !

hold high festival, and the glad tidings flew through the city. So

1
The well-known capital of Al-Yaman, a true Arabia Felix, a Paradise inhabited by
demons in the shape of Turkish soldiery and Arab caterans. According to Moslem
writers Sana'a was founded by Shem son of Noah who, wandering southward with his
posterity after his father's death, and finding the site delightful, dug a well and founded
the citadel, Ghamdan, which afterwards contained a Maison Carrie rivalling (or attempt-

ing to rival) the Meccan Ka'abah. The builder was Surahbil who, says M. C. de Perceval
coloured its four faces red, white, golden and green the central quadrangle had seven
;

stories (the planets) each forty cubits high, and the lowest was a marble hall ceiling'd with
a single slab. At the four corners stood hollow lions through whose mouths the winds
roared. This palatial citadel-temple was destroyed by order of Caliph Omar. The
city's ancient name was Azal or Uzal whom some identify with one of the thirteen sons
of Joktan (Genesis xi. 27) : it took itspresent name from the Ethiopian conquerors
(they say) who, seeing it for the first time, cried "Haza Sana' ah!" meaning in their
tongue, thisis commodious, etc. I may note that the word is Kisawahili (Zanzibarian)
" Yambo sdndis the state
e.g. good?" Sana'a was the capital of the Tababi'ah or
Tobba Kings who judaized and the Abyssinians with their Negush made it Christian
;

while the Persians under Anushirwan converted it to Guebrism. It is now easily visited
but to little purpose ; excursions in the neighbourhood being deadly dangerous. More-
over the Turkish garrison would probably murder a stranger who sympathised with the
Arabs, and the Arabs kill one who took part with their hated and hateful conquerors.
The late Mr. Shapira of Jerusalem declared that he had visited it and Jews have great
advantages in such travel. But his friends doubted him.
 The Ebony Horse. 17

they beat drums and cymbals and, doffing the weed of mourning,
they donned the gay garb of gladness and decorated the streets
and markets whilst the folk vied with one another who should be
;

the first to give the King joy, and the King proclaimed a general
pardon and opening the prisons, released those who were therein
prisoned. Moreover, he made banquets for the people, with great
abundance of eating and drinking, for seven days and nights and
all creatures were gladsomest and he took horse with his son
;

and rode out with him, that the folk might see him and rejoice.
After awhile the Prince asked about the maker of the horse,
"
saying, O my father, what hath fortune done with him ? "; and
the King answered, " Allah never bless him nor the hour wherein
I set eyes on him For he was the cause of thy separation from
!

us, O my son, and he hath lain in gaol since the day of thy dis-

appearance." Then the King bade release him from prison and,
sending for him, invested him in a dress of satisfaction and entreated
him with the utmost favour and munificence, save that he would
not give him his daughter to wife whereat the Sage raged with ;

sore rage and repented of that which he had done, knowing that
the Prince had secured the secret of the steed and the manner of
"
its motion. Moreover, the King said to his son, I reck thou wilt
do well not to go rtear the horse henceforth and more especially
not to mount it after this day for thou knowest not its properties,
;

and belike thou about it." Now the Prince had told his
art in error
father of his adventure with the King of Sana'a and his daughter
and he said, " Had the King intended to kill thee, he had done so ;

but thine hour was not yet come." When the rejoicings were at
an end, the people returned to their places and the King and his
son to the palace, where they sat down and fell to eating and
drinking and making merry. Now the King had a handsome
handmaiden who was skilled in playing the lute so she took it ;

and began to sweep the strings and sing thereto before the King
and his son of separation of lovers, and she chanted the following
verses :

Deem not that absence breeds in me aught of forgetfulness; # What should

remember I did you fro* my remembrance wane ?
Time dies but never dies the fondest love for you we bear ;
* And in your
love I'll die and in your love I'll arise again. 1

1
The Bresl. Edit. (iii. 347) prints three vile errors in four lines.
VOL. V. B
 18 A If Laylak wA Laylak.

When the Prince heard these verses, the fires of longing flamed

up and pine and passion redoubled upon him. Grief

in his heart
and regret were sore upon him and his bowels yearned in him for
love of the King's daughter of Sana'a ; so he rose forthright and,
escaping his father's notice, went forth the palace to the horse
and mounting it, turned the pin of ascent, whereupon bird-like
itflew with him high in air and soared towards the upper regions
of the sky. In early morning his father missed him and, going
up to the pinnacle of the palace, in great concern, saw his son
rising into the firmament ; whereat he was sore afflicted and re-
pented in penitence that he had not taken the horse and
all

hidden it and he said to himself, " By Allah, if but my son

;

return to me, I will destroy the horse, that my heart may be at

rest concerning my son." And he fell again to weeping and be-
wailing himself And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.

fofjen it foas tfje Wbm ^untrrtfr antJ &txtg--fourt&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King that the King

again fell to weeping and bewailing himself fdr his son. Such was
his case ; but as regards the Prince, he ceased not flying on through
air till he came to the city of Sana'a and alighted on the roof as
before. Then he crept down stealthily and, finding the eunuch
asleep, as of wont, raised the curtain and went on little by little, till
he came to the door of the Princess's alcove ^chamber and stopped
to listen ;
when
he heard her shedding plenteous tears and
lo !

reciting verses, whilst her women slept round her. Presently, over-
"
hearing her weeping and wailing quoth they, O our mistress, why
wilt thou mourn for one who mourneth not for thee ? " Quoth she,
"
O ye little of wit, is he for whom I mourn of those who forget or
who are forgotten ? " And she fell again to wailing and weeping s

till
sleep overcame her. Hereat the Prince's heart melted for her
and his gall-bladder was like to burst, so he entered and, seeing
her lying asleep without covering, 2 touched her with his hand ;

1
Alcove is a corruption of the Arab. Al-Kubbah (the dome) through Span, and
Port.
2
Easterns as a rule sleep with head and body covered
by a sheet or in cold weather a
blanket. The practice is doubtless hygienic, defending the body from draughts when the
 Ebony Horse. 19

whereupon she opened her eyes and espied him standing by her.
Said he, "Why all this crying and mourning?" And when she
knew him, she threw herself upon him, and took him around the
"
neck and kissed him and answered, For thy sake and because of
"
my separation from thee." Said he, O my lady, I have been " "
made desolate long time
by thee But she replied, Tis
all this !

thou who hast desolated me; and hadst thou tarried longer, 1 had
" "
surely died Rejoined he, O my lady, what thinkest thou of
!

my case with thy father and how he dealt with me ? Were it not
for my love of thee, O
temptation and seduction of the Three
Worlds, I had certainly slain him and made him a warning to all
beholders but, even as I love thee, so I love him for thy sake."
;

"
Quoth she, How couldst thou leave me : can my life be sweet to
me after thee?" Quoth he, "Let what hath happened suffice:
I am now hungry, and thirsty." So she bade her maidens make
ready meat and drink, and they sat eating and drinking and con-
versing till night was well nigh ended and when day broke he ;

rose to take leave of her and depart, ere the eunuch should
"
awake. Shams al-Nahar asked him, " Whither goest thou ? and ;

he answered, " To my father's house, and I plight thee my troth

that I will come to thee once in every week." But she wept and
"
said, I conjure thee, by Allah the Almighty, take me with thee

\vhereso thou wendest and make me not taste anew the bitter-
"
gourd of separation from thee." Quoth he, Wilt thou indeed go
*

" " "

with me ? and quoth she, " Yes." Then," said he, arise that
we depart." So she rose forthright and going to a chest, arrayed
herself in what was richest and dearest to her of her trinkets of
gold and jewels of price, and she fared forth her handmaids
recking naught. So he carried her up to the roof of the palace
and, mounting the ebony horse, took her up behind him and made
her fast to himself, binding her with strong bonds ; after which he

pores are open but Europeans find it hard to adopt ; it seems to stop their breathing.
;

Another excellent practice in the East and, indeed amongst barbarians and savages
generally, is training children to sleep with mouths shut in after life they never snore
:

and in malarious lands they do not require Outram's "fever-guard," a swathe of muslin
"
over the mouth. Mr. Catlin thought so highly of the " shut mouth that he made it the
subject of a book.
1
Arab." Hanral" =
coloquintida, an article often mentioned by Arabs in verse and
prose :the bright coloured little gourd attracts every eye by its golden glance when
travelling through the brown-yellow waste of sand and clay. favourite purgative A
(enough for a horse) is made by filling the inside with sour milk which is drunk after a
night's soaking : it Is as active as the croton-nut of the Gold Coast.
2O A If Laylah wa Laytak.

turned the shoulder-pin of ascent, and the horse rose with him
high in air. When her slave-women saw this, they shrieked aloud
and told her father and mother, who in hot haste ran to the palace-
roof and. looking up, saw the magical horse flying away with the
Prince and Princess. At this the King was troubled with ever-
"
increasing trouble and cried out, saying, King's son, I conjureO
thee, by Allah, have ruth on me and my wife and bereave us not
"
of our daughter The Prince made him no reply ; but, thinking
!

in himself that the maiden repented of leaving father and mother,

asked her, " O ravishment of the age, say me, .wilt thou that I
restore thee to thy mother and father?": whereupon she answered,
"
By Allah, O my
lord, that is not my desire my only wish is to :

be with thee, wherever thou art for I am distracted

; by the love
of thee from all else, even from my father and mother." Hearing
these words the Prince joyed with great joy, and made the horse
fly and fare softly with them, so as not to disquiet her nor did ;

they stay their flight till they came in sight of a green meadow,
wherein was a spring of running water. Here they alighted and
ate and drank ; after which the Prince took horse again and set her
behind him, binding her in his fear for her safety ; after which they
fared on till they came in sight of his father's capital. At this,
the Prince was filled with joy and bethought himself to show his

beloved the seat of his dominion and his father's power and dignity
and give her to know that it was greater than that of her sire.
So he set her down in one of his father's gardens without the city
where his parent was wont to take his pleasure and, carrying her ;

into a domed summer-house prepared there for the King, left the

ebony horse at the door and charged the damsel keep watch over
"
it, saying, Sit here, till my messenger come to thee for I go ;

now to my father, to make ready a palace for thee and show thee
my royal estate." She was delighted when she heard these words
and said to him, " Do as thou wilt " And Shahrazad perceived
;

the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Nofo to&en t't foas t&e &w l^un&ret) anH >txtB-fiftf)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the maiden
was delighted when she heard these words and said to him, " Do as
"
thou wilt for she thereby understood that she should not enter
;

the city but with due honour and worship, as became her rank.
 The Ebony Horse. 21

Then the Prince left her and betook himself to the palace of the
King his father, who rejoiced in his return and met him and
"
welcomed him ; and the Prince said to him, Know that I have
brought with me the King's daughter of whom I told thee and ;

have left her without the city in such a garden and come ..to tell
thee, that thou mayst make ready the procession of estate and go
forth to meet her and show her thy royal dignity and troops and
guards.'* Answered the King, "With joy and gladness"; and
straightway bade decorate the town with the goodliest adornment.
Then he took horse and rode out in all magnificence and majesty,
he and his host, high officers and household, with drums and
kettle-drums, fifes and clarions and all manner instruments; whilst
the Prince drew forth of his treasuries jewellery and apparel and
what else of the things which Kings hoard and made a rare dis*
play of wealth and splendour : moreover he got ready for the Prin-
cess a canopied litter of brocades, green, red and yellow, wherein
he set Indian and Greek and Abyssinian slave-girls. Then he left
the litter and those who were therein and preceded them to the pa-
vilion where he had set her down and searched but found naught,
;

neither Princess nor horse. When he saw this, he beat his face
and rent his raiment and began to wander round about the garden,
as he had lost his wits after which he came to his senses and said
;

to himself, " How could she have come at the secret of this horse,
seeing I told her nothing of it ?
Maybe the Persian sage who
made the horse hath chanced upon her and stolen her away, in
revenge for my father's treatment of him." Then he sought the
guardians of the garden and asked them if they had seen any pass
the precincts ; and said, " Hath any one come in here ? Tell me
the truth and the whole truth or I will at once strike off your
heads." They were terrified by his threats j but they answered
with one voice, " We have seen no man enter save the Persian sage,
who came to gather healing herbs." So the Prince was certified
that was indeed he that had taken away the maiden
it And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per>
mitted say.

a foas t&e 1E%m ^tmfcrrt atto Sb

J5he said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Prince heard their answer, he was certified that the Sage had taken..
22 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

away the maiden and abode confounded and perplexed concerning

his case. And he was abashed before the folk and, turning to his
sire, told him what had happened and said to him, " Take the
troops and march them back to the city. As for me, I will never
return till I have cleared up this affair." When the King heard
this, he wept and beat his breast and said to him, "O my son, calm
thy choler and master thy chagrin and come home with us and
look what King's daughter thou wouldst fain have, that I may
marry thee to her." But the Prince paid no heed to his words and
farewelling him departed, whilst the King returned to the city and
their joy was changed into sore annoy. Now, as Destiny issued her

decree, when the Prince left the Princess in the garden-house and
betook himself to his father's palace, for the ordering of his affair,,
the Persian entered the garden to pluck certain simples and, scent4
ing the sweet savour of musk and perfumes that exhaled from the\
Princess and impregnated the whole place, followed it till he came
to the pavilion and saw standing at the door the horse which he had
'<made with his own hands. His heart was filled with joy and glad*
had bemourned its loss much since it had gone out of
ness, for he
hishand so he went up to it and, examining its every part, found it
:

whole and sound whereupon he was about to mount and ride away
;

when he bethought himself and said, "Needs must I first look

what the Prince hath brought and left here with the horse." So
ihe entered the pavilion and, seeing the Princess sitting there, as
she were the sun shining sheen in the sky serene, knew her at the
first glance to be some high-born lady and doubted not but the

Prince had brought her thither on the horse and left her in the
pavilion, whilst he went to the city, to make ready for her entry
in state procession with all splendour. Then he went up to her
and kissed the earth between her hands, whereupon she raised her
eyes to him and, finding him exceedingly foul of face and favour;
" "
asked, Who art thou ?" ; and he answered, O my lady, I am a
messenger sent by the Prince who hath bidden me bring thee to
another pleasance nearer the city for that my lady the Queen
;

cannot walk so far and is unwilling, of her joy in thee, that

another should forestall her with thee." Quoth she, "Where is
the Prince ?" and quoth the Persian, " He is in the city, with his
;

sire and forthwith he shall come for thee in

great state." Said she,
"
O thou say me, could he find none handsomer to send to me ?";
!

whereat loud laughed the Sage and said, " Yea verily, he hath not
a Mameluke as ugly as I am ; but, O my lady, let not the ill-
 The Ebony Horse. ?3

favour of my face form deceive thee.

and the foulness of my
Hadst thou profited of me as hath the Prince, verily thou wouldst
praise my affair. Indeed, he chose me as his messenger to thee,
because of my uncomeliness and loathsomeness in his jealous
love of thee: else hath he Mamelukes and negro slaves, pages,
eunuchs and attendants out of number, each goodlier than
other." Whenas she heard this, it commended itself to her
reason and she believed him ; so she rose forthright And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

Jlofo tofjen ft toas tfje ^T&ree f^urrtrcrt an& SbtxtB?*bnttf) i3Ufl!)t,

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that when the
Persian sage acquainted the Princess with the case of the King's
son, she believed him so she rose forthright
; and, putting her ;

hand in his, said, " O

my father, what hast thou brought me to
He " O
ride ?" replied, my lady, thou shalt ride the horse thou
earnest on ;" and she, " I cannot ride it by myself." Whereupon
he smiled and knew that he was her master and said, " I will ride
with thee myself." So he mounted and, taking her up behind him
bound her to himself with firm bonds, while she knew not what he
would with her. Then he turned the ascent-pin, whereupon the
belly of the horse became full of wind and it swayed to and fro like
a wave of the sea, and rose with them high in air nor slackened
in its flight, till it was out of sight of the city. Now when Shams
al-Nahar saw this, she asked him, " Ho thou what is become of !

that thou toldest me of my Prince, making me believe that he

sent thee to me ?" Answered the Persian, Allah damn the Prince !

he is a mean and skin-flint knave." She cried, " Woe to thee I

How darest thou disobey thy lord's commandment ?" Whereto the
Persian replied, " He is no lord of mine knowest thou who I
:

am ?" Rejoined the Princess, " I know nothing of thee save what
thou toldest me ;" and retorted he, " What I told thee was a trick
of mine against thee and the King's son I have long lamented :

the loss of this horse which is under us for I constructed it and

;

made myself master of it. But now I have gotten firm hold of it and
of thee too, and I will burn his heart even as he hath burnt mine ;
nor shall he ever have the horse again no, never ;
So be of good !

cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear for I can be of more ;
 24 Atf Laylah wa Laylak.

use to thee than he ;

and I am generous as I am wealthy ; my
servants and slaves shall obey thee as their mistress I will robe ;

thee in finest raiment and thine every wish shall be at thy will."
When she heard this, she buffeted her face and cried out, saying,
" I have not won my beloved and I have lost
Ah, well-away !

my father and mother!" And she wept bitter tears over what
had befallen her, whilst the Sage fared on with her, without
ceasing, till he came to the land of the Greeks and alighted in
!

verdant mead, abounding in streams and trees. Now this

meadow lay near a city wherein was a King of high puissance,
and it chanced that he went forth that day to hunt and divert
himself. As he passed by the meadow, he saw the Persian
standing there, with the damsel and the horse by his side and, ;

before the Sage was ware, the King's slaves fell upon him and
carried him and the lady and the horse to their master -who,
noting the foulness of the man's favour and his loathsomeness
and the beauty of the girl and her loveliness, said, " O my lady,
what kin is this oldster to thee ? " The Persian made haste to
"
reply, saying, She is my wife and the daughter of my father's
brother." But the lady at once gave him the lie and said, "O
King, by Allah, I know him not, nor is he my husband nay, he ;

is a wicked magician who hath stolen me away by force and

fraud." Thereupon the King bade bastinado the Persian and

they beat him till he was well-nigh dead after which the King ;

commanded to carry him to the city and cast him into jail and, ;

taking from him the damsel and the ebony horse (though he
knew not its properties nor the secret of its motion), set the girl
in his serraglio and the horse amongst his hoards. Such was the
case with the Sage and the lady ; but as regards Prince Kamar
al-Akmar, he garbed himself in travelling gear and taking what
he needed of money, set out tracking their trail in very sorry
plight and journeyed from country to country and city to city
;

seeking the Princess and enquiring after the ebony horse, whilst all
who heard him marvelled at him and deemed his talk extravagant.
Thus he continued doing a long while but, for all his enquiry and
;

(quest, he could hit on no news of her. At last he came to her

father's city of Sana'a and there asked for her, but could get no

tidings of her and found her father mourning her loss. So he

turned back and made for the land of the Greeks, continuing to
A
'The Bresl. Edit. iii.
354 sends him to the "land of Sin" (China).
 The Ebony Horst. 25

enquire concerning the twain as he went And Shahrazad per-

ceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Koto fofjcn it foas tfte bm f^unDrcfc anfc S>ixtp-ri$t&

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King's

said, It
son made for the land of the Greeks, continuing to enquire con-
cerning the two as he went along, till, as chance would have it, he
alighted at a certain Khan and saw a company of merchants
sitting at talk. So he satdown near them and heard one say, " O
my friends, I lately witnessed a wonder of wonders." They asked,
" " "
What was that ? and he answered, I was visiting such a dis-
trict in such a city (naming the city wherein was the Princess),
and I heard its people chatting of a strange thing which had
lately befallen. It was that their King went out one day hunting
and coursing with a company of his courtiers and the lords of his
realm and, issuing from the city, they came to a green meadow
;

where they espied an old man standing, with a woman sitting hard
by a horse of ebony. The man was foulest-foul of face and loathly
of form, but the woman was a marvel of beauty and loveliness and
elegance and perfect grace and as for the wooden horse, it was a
;

miracle, never saw eyes aught goodlier than it nor more gracious
than its make." Asked the others, "And what did the King
"
with them ? and the merchant answered, " As for the man the
;

King seized him and questioned him of the damsel and he pre-
tended that she was his wife and the daughter of his paternal
uncle but she gave him the lie forthright and declared that he
;

was a sorcerer and a villain. So the King took her from the old
man and bade beat him and cast him into the trunk-house. As
for the ebony horse, I know not what became of it." When the
Prince heard these words, he drew near to the merchant and began
questioning him discreetly and courteously touching the name of
the city and of its King which when he knew, he passed the
;

night full of joy. And as soon as dawned the day he set out and
travelled sans surcrease till he reached that city but, when he ;

would have entered, the gate-keepers laid hands on him, that they
might bring him before the King to question him of his condition
and the craft in which he skilled and the cause of his coming
thither such being the usage and custom of their ruler. Now
it was supper-time when he entered the city, and it was then
 26" A If Laylah wa Laylah.

impossible to go in to the King or take counsel with him respect-

ing the stranger. So the guards carried him to the jail, thinking
to lay him by the heels there for the night but, when the warders ;

saw beauty and loveliness, they could not find it in their hearts
his
to imprison him they made him sit with them without the walls ;
:

and, when food came to them, he ate with them what sufficed him.
As soon as they had made an end of eating, they turned to the
Prince and said, "
What countryman art thou ? " " I come from
Pars," answered he, "the land of the Chosroes." When they
heard this they laughed and one of them said, " O Chosroan, 1 I
have heard the talk of men and their histories and I have looked
into their conditions ;
but never saw I or heard I a bigger liar
than the Chosroari which is with us in the jail." Quoth another,
"
And never did I see aught fouler than his favour or more hideous
than his visnomy." What have ye seen of his
Asked the "
Prince,
" "
lying and they answered,
? ; He pretendeth that he is one of the
wise Now the King came upon him, as he went a-hunting, and
!

found with him a most beautiful woman and a horse of the

blackest ebony, never saw I a handsomer. As for the damsel, she
is with the King, who is enamoured of her and would fain
marry
her but she is mad, and were this man a leach as he claimeth to
;

be, he would have healed her, for the King doth his utmost to
discover a cure for her case and a remedy for her disease, and this
whole year past hath he spent treasures upon physicians and
astrologers, on her account but none can avail to cure her. As ;

for the horse, it is in the royal hoard-house, and the ugly man
is here with us in
prison and as soon as night falleth, he weepeth
;

and bemoaneth himself and will not let us sleep." And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

Wofo to&m it toaa t&e ^m f^untoefc an& g>{xtpsnfot&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
warders had recounted the case of the Persian egromancer they

1
Arab. "Ya Kisrawri !
" =O subject of the Kisra or Chosroe ; the latter ex-
plained in vol. i., 75. "Pars" is the origin of "Persia"; and there is a hit at
the prodigious lying of the modem race, whose forefathers were so famous as truth-
I am a Persian, but I am not
<(
tellers. a phrase familiar to
lying now," is every
traveller.
 The Ebony Horse. 27

held in prison and his weeping and wailing, the Prince at once
devised a device whereby he might compass his desire ; and pre-
sently the guards of the gate, being minded to sleep, led him into
the jail and locked the door. So he overheard the Persian weeping
and bemoaning himself, in his own tongue, and saying, "Alack, and
alas for my sin, that I sinned against myself and against the King's

son, in that which I did with the damsel ; for I neither left her nor
won my will of her ! All this cometh of my lack of sense, in that
I sought for myself that which I deserved not and which befitted

not the like of me.; for whoso seeketh what suiteth him not at all,
falleth with the like of my fall." Now when the King's son heard
"
this, he accosted him in Persian, saying, How long will this weep-
ing and wailing last? Say me, thinkest thou that hath befallen thee
"
that which never befel other than thou ? Now when the Persian
heard this, he made friends with him and began to complain to
him of his case and misfortunes. And as soon as the morning
morrowed, the warders took the Prince and carried him before their
King, informing him that he had entered the city on the previous
night, at a time when audience was impossible. Quoth the King
to the Prince, " Whence comest thou and what is thy name and
trade and why hast thou travelled hither ?
"
He replied, " As to
my name I am as to my country I come
called in Persian Harjah j
1

from the land of Pars and I am of the men of art and especially
;

of the art of medicine and healing the sick and those whom the
Jinns drive mad. For this I go round about all countries and
cities, to profit by adding knowledge to my knowledge, and when-
ever I see a patient I heal him and this is my craft."
2
Now when
the King heard he rejoiced with exceeding joy and said,- " O
this,
excellent Sage, thou hast indeed come to us at a time when we
need thee." Then he acquainted him with the case of the Princess,
"
adding, If thou cure her and recover her from her madness, thou
shalt have of me everything thou seekest." Replied the Prince,

1
There no such name perhaps it
is : is a clerical error for " Har jih "= (a man of) any
I know an Englishman who in Persian called himself
" Mirza Abdullah-i-
place.
"
Hichmakani := Master Abdullah of Nowhere.
2
The Bres. Edit. (loc. cit) gives a comical description of the Prince assuming the
dress of an astrologer-doctor, clapping an old book under his arm, fumbling a rosary of
beads, enlarging his turband, lengthening his sleeves and blackening his eyelids with
antimony. Here, however, it would be oat of place. Very comical also is the way in
which he pretends to cure the msiniac by " muttering unknown words, blowing in her face,
biting her ear," etc.
28 A If Laylah -wa LaylaK.
" Allah save and favour the King : describe to me all thou hast
seen of her insanity and tell me how long it is since the access
attacked her also how thou earnest by her and the horse and the
;

Sage." So the King told him the whole story, from first to last,
"
adding, The Sage is in goal." Quoth the Prince, O auspicious
"
"
King, and what hast thou done with the horse ? Quoth the King,
"
O youth, it is with me yet, laid up in one of my treasure-cham-
"
bers," whereupon said the Prince within himself, The best thing I
can do is first to see the horse and assure myself of its condition.
If it be whole and sound, all will be well and end well but, if its ;

motor-works be destroyed, I must find some other way of deliver-

ing my beloved." Thereupon he turned to the King and said to
"
him, O King, I must see the horse in question haply I may find :

in it somewhat that will serve me for the recovery of the damsel."

"With all my heart," replied the King, and taking him by the
hand, showed him into the place where the horse was. The Prince
went round about it, examining its condition, and found it whole
and sound, whereat he rejoiced greatly and said to the King,
"
Allah save and exalt the King I would fain go in to the
!

damsel, that I may see how it is with her ; for I hope in Allah to
heal her by my healing hand through means of the horse." Then
he bade them take care of the horse and the King carried him to
the Princess's apartment, where her lover found her wringing her
hands and writhing and beating herself against the ground, and
tearing her garments to tatters as was her wont ; but there was no
madness of Jinn in her, and she did this but that none might
"
approach her. When the Prince saw her thus, he said to her, Noj
"
harm shall betide thee, O
ravishment of the three worlds and! ;

went on to soothe her and speak her fair, till he managed to

" "
whisper, I am Kamar al-Akmar ; whereupon she cried out with
a loud cry and fell down fainting for excess of joy ; .but the King
1
thought this was epilepsy brought on by her fear of him, and by
her suddenly being startled. Then the Prince put his mouth to
her ear and said to her, " O Shams al-Nahar, O seduction of the
universe, have a care for thy life and mine and be patient and
constant ; for this our position needeth sufferance and skilful con-j
trivance to make shift for our delivery from this tyrannical King.

My first move will be now to go out to him and tell him that thou

1
Arab. " Sar'a "=
falling sickness. Here again we have in all its simplicity the old
" "
nursery idea of possession by evil spirits.
 Tht Ebony Horse. 29

art possessed of a Jinn and hence thy madness ; but that I will

engage to heal thee and drive away the evil spirit, if he will at once
unbind thy bonds. So when he cometh
do thou speak in to thee,
him smooth words, that he
have cured thee, and all
may think I

will be done for us as we desire." "

Quoth she, Hearkening and
"
obedience and he went out to the King in joy and gladness,
;

and said to him, " O august King, I have, by thy good fortune,
discovered her disease and its remedy, and have cured her for

fhee. So now do thou go in to her and speak her softly and treat
her kindly, and promise her what may please her so shall all thou
desirest of her be accomplished to thee." And Shahrazad per-
ceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
- ;

Jioto fof)*n ft teas tfje bm f^unfcretf antt &cbenttetf)

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that when the
Prince feigned himself a leach and went in to the damsel and
made himself known to her and told her how he purposed to
deliver her, she cried " Hearkening and obedience
"
! He then fared
forth from her and sought the King and said, " Go thou in to her
and speak her softly and promise her what may please her; so
shall all thou desirest of her be accomplished to thee." Thereupon
the King went and when she saw him, she rose and
in to her
"
kissing the ground before him, bade him welcome and said, I
admire how thou hast come to visit thy handmaid this day;"
whereat he was ready to fly for joy and bade the waiting-women
and the eunuchs attend her and carry her to the Hammam and
make ready for her dresses and adornment. So they went in to
her and saluted her, and she returned their salams with the goodliest
language and after the pleasantest fashion whereupon they clad ;

her in royal apparel and, clasping a collar of jewels about her neck,
carried her to the bath and served her there. Then they brought
her forth, as she were the full moon and, when she came into ;

the King's presence, she saluted him and kissed ground before him ;

whereupon he joyed in her with joy exceeding and said to the

"
Prince, O
Sage, O
philosopher, all this is of thy blessing. Allah
"l
increase to us the benefit of thy healing breath The Prince !

1
Arab. "Nafahat" = breathings, benefits, the Heb. Neshamah opp. to Nephesh
(soul) and Ruach Healing by the breath is a popular idea throughout the East
(spirit).
and not unknown to Western Magnetists and Mesmerists. The miraculous cures of the
3o A If Laylah wa Laylah.

"
O King, for the completion of her cure it behoveth that
replied,
thou go forth, thou and all thy troops and guards, to the place
where thou foundest her, not forgetting the beast of black wood
which was with her ; for therein is a devil and, unless I exorcise
;

him, he will return to her and her at the head of every

afflict

month." "With love and gladness," cried the King, " O thou Prince
of all philosophers and most learned of all who see the light of
day." Then he brought out the ebony horse to the meadow in

question and rode thither with all his troops and the Princess, little
weeting the purpose of the Prince. Now when they came to the
appointed place, the Prince, still habited as a leach, bade them set
the Princess and the steed as far as eye could reach from the King
and his troops, and said to him, " With thy leave, and at thy word,
I will now proceed to the fumigations and conjurations, and here

imprison the adversary of mankind, that he may never more return

to her. After this, I shall mount this wooden horse which seemeth
to be made of ebony, and take the damsel up behind me where- ;

upon it will shake and sway to and fro and fare forwards, till it
come to thee, when the affair will be at an end and after this thou
;

mayst do with her as thou wilt." When the King heard his words,
he rejoiced with extreme joy so the Prince mounted the horse,
;

and, taking the damsel up behind him, whilst the King and his
troops watched him, bound her fast to him. Then he turned the
ascending-pin and the horse took flight and soared with them
high in air, till they disappeared from every eye. After this the
King abode half the day, expecting their return but they returned;

not. So when he despaired of them, repenting him greatly of that

which he had done and grieving sore for the loss of the damsel, he
went back to the city with his troops. He then sent for the Persian
who was in prison and said to him, " O thou traitor, O thou villain,
why didst thou hide from me the mystery of the ebony horse ?
And now a sharper hath come to me and hath carried it off,
together with a slave-girl whose ornaments are worth a mint of
"
money, and I shall never see anyone or anything of them again !

So the Persian related to him all his past, first and last, and the

Messiah were, according to Moslems, mostly performed by aspiration. They hold that
in thedays of Isa physic had reached its highest development, and thus hi* miracles wera
mostly miracles of medicine ; whereas, in Mohammed's time, eloquence had attained its
climax and accordingly his miracles were those of eloquence, as shown in the Koran and
Ahadis.
 The Ebony Horse. 31

King was seized with a fit of fury which well-nigh ended his life,
He shut himself up in his palace for a while, mourning and
afflicted;
but at last his Wazirs came in to him and applied them-
selves to comfort him, saying, " Verily, he who took the damsel is
an enchanter, and praised be Allah who hath delivered thee from
"
his craft and sorcery ! And they ceased not from him, till he
was comforted for her loss. Thus far concerning the King but as
;

for the Prince, he continued his career towards his father's capital
injoy and cheer, and stayed not till he alighted on his own palace,
where he set the lady in safety after which he went in to his
;

father and mother and saluted them and acquainted them with her

coming, whereat they were rilled with solace and gladness. Then
he spread great banquets for the towns-folk And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Note fofjen it teas tije l&fym f^unUrefc anfc Sbtbnttg=first

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King's
son spread great banquets for the towns-folk and they held high
festival a whole month, at the end of which time he went in to the
Princess and they took their joy of each other with exceeding joy.
brake the ebony horse in pieces and destroyed its
.3ut his father
mechanism for flight moreover the Prince wrote a letter to the
;

Princess's father, advising him of all that had befallen her and
informing him how she was now married to him and in all health
and happiness, and sent it by a messenger, together with costly
presents and curious rarities. And when the messenger arrived at
the city which was Sana'a and delivered the letter and the presents
to the King, he read the missive and rejoiced greatly thereat and
accepted the presents, honouring and rewarding the bearer hand-
somely. Moreover, he forwarded rich gifts to his son-in-law by
the same messenger, who returned to his master and acquainted
him with what had passed whereat he was much cheered. And
;

after this the Prince wrote a letter every year to his father-in-law
and sent him presents till, in course of time, his sire King Sabur
deceased and he reigned in his stead, ruling justly over his lieges
and conducting himself well and righteously towards them, so that
the land submitted to him and his subjects did him loyal service ;
and Kamar al-Akmar and his wife Shams al-Nahar abode in the
enjoymeni of all satisfaction and solace of life, till there came to
$a A If Laylak wa Laylak.

them the Destroyer of delights and Sunderer of societies the ;

Plunderer of palaces, the Caterer for cemeteries and the> Gamerer J

of graves. And now glory be to the Living One who dieth not
and in whose hand is the dominion of the worlds visible and in-
visible ! Moreover I have heard tell the tale of

UNS AL-WUJUD AND THE WAZIR'S DAUGHTER

AL-WARD FI'L-AKMAM OR ROSE-IN-HOOD. 1

THERE was once, in days of yore and in ages and times long gone
before, a King of great power and lord of glory and dominion
galore ;
who had a Wazir Ibrahim hight, and this Wazir's daughter
was a damsel of extraordinary beauty and loveliness, gifted with
passing brilliancy and the perfection of grace, possessed of abun-
dant wit, and in all good breeding complete. But she loved
wassail and wine and the human face divine and choice verses
and rare stories ; and the delicacy of her inner gifts invited all
hearts to love, even as saith the poet, describing her :

Like moon she shines amid the starry sky, o Robing in tresses blackest ink
outvie.
The morning-breezes give her boughs fair drink, o And like a branch she
sways with supple ply :

She smiles in passing us. O thou that art * Fairest in yellow robed, or era*
moisie,
Thou playest with my wit in love, as though o Sparrow in hand of playful boy
3
were I.

Her name was Rose-in-Hood and she was so named for her young
and tender beauty and the freshness of her brilliancy; and the
King loved her in his cups because of her accomplishments and
fine manners. Now it was the King's custom yearly to gather
3
together all the nobles of his realm and play with the ball. So

1 " The rose

Lit. in the sleeves or calyces." I take my English equivalent from
" So I have seen a rose newly springing from the clefts of its hood,"
Jeremy Taylor,
etc.
2
These lines are from the Bresl. Edit. (v. 35.) The four couplets in the Mac. Edit.,
are too irrelevant.
Lane "
Polo, which calls Goff."
 uns al- Wujud and the Wazir's Daughter. 33

when the day came round whereon the folk assembled for ball-

play, the Minister's daughter seated herself at her lattice, to divert

herself by looking on at the game and, as they were at play, her
;

glance upon a youth among the guards than whom never was
fell

seen a comelier face nor a goodlier form for he was bright of ;

favour showing white teeth when he smiled, tall-statured and

broad-shouldered. She looked at him again and again and could
not take her fill of gazing and presently said to her nurse, " What
;

"
is the name of yonder handsome young man among the troops ?
"
Replied the nurse, O my daughter, the dear fellows are all
handsome. Which of them dost thou mean ? " Said Rose-in-
"
Hood, Wait till he come past and I will point him out to thee."
So she took an apple and as he rode by dropped it on him, where-
upon he raised his head, to see who did this, and espied the Wazir's
daughter at the window, as she were the moon of fullest light in
the darkness of the night nor did he withdraw his eyes, till his
;

heart was utterly lost to her, and he recited these lines :

Was't archer shot me, or was't thine eyes o Ruined lover's heart that thy
charms espies ?

Was the notched shaft 1 from a host outshot, o Or from latticed window in
sudden guise ?

When game was at an end, and all had left the ground, she
the
"
asked her nurse, What is the name of that youth I showed
"
thee ? and the good woman answered, " His name is Uns al-
;

Wujud ;" whereat Rose-in-Hood shook her head and lay down on
her couch, with thoughts a-fire for love. Then, sighing deeply,
she improvised these couplets :

He missed not who dubbed thee, " World's delight," o A world's love conjoin*
2
ing to bounty's light :

O whose favour the full moon favours, o Whose charms make life and
thou,
the living bright !
Thou hast none equal amongst mankind ; o Sultan of Beauty, and proof III
cite :

1
Arab. " Muffawak " =
well-notched, as its value depends upon the notch. At the
end of the third hemistich Lane's Shaykh very properly reads " baghtatan"
(suddenly)
for
" burhatan " =
during a long time.
2
"Uns" (which the vulgar pronounce Anas)
"
al-Wujud
" =
Delight of existing
things, of being, of the world. Uns wa jud is the normal pun =
love-intimacy and
liberality ; and the paranomasia (which cannot well be rendered in English) re-appears
again and again. The story is throughout one of love hence the quantity of verse.
;

VOL. V. C
34 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

Thine eye-brows are likest a well-formed Nun," o And thine eyes a Sd, 2 by
His hand indite ;

Thy shape is the soft, green bough that gives

o When asked to all with all-

:
gracious sprite
Thou excellest knights of the world in stowre, o With delight and beauty and

bounty dight.

When she had finished her verses, she wrote them on a sheet of
paper, which she folded in a piece of gold-embroidered silk and
placed under her pillow. Now one of her nurses had seen her so ;

she came up to her and held her in talk till she slept, when she
stole the scroll from under her pillow and, after reading it, knew ;

that she had fallen in love with Uns al-Wujud. Then she re-
turned the scroll to its place and when her mistress awoke, she
"
said to her, O my lady, indeed I am to thee a true counsellor and
am tenderly anxious on thy account. Know that love is a tyrant
and the hiding it melteth iron and entaileth sickness and unease ;
nor whoso confesseth it is there aught of reproach." Rejoined
for

Rose-in-Hood, "And what is the medicine of passion, O nurse

mine ?" Answered the nurse, " The medicine of passion is enjoy-
ment." Quoth she, "And how may one come by enjoyment?"
"
Quoth the other, By letters and messages, my lady by whispered ;

words of compliment and by greetings before the world 3 all this ;

bringeth lovers together and makes hard matters easy. So if thou

have aught at heart, mistress mine, I am the fittest to keep thy
secret and do thy desires and carry thy letters." Now when the
damsel heard this, her reason flew and fled for joy but she re- ;

strained herself from speech till she should see the issue of the
"
matter, saying within herself, None knoweth this thing of me,
nor will I trust this one with my secret, till I have tried her."
Then said the woman, " O my lady, I saw in my sleep as though
a man came to me and said Thy mistress and Uns al-Wujud
:

love each other; so do thou serve their case by carrying their

1
The allusion to a "written N" suggests the elongated not the rounded form
of tha
ktter as in Night cccxxiv.
*
The fourteenth Arabic letter in its medial form resembling an eye.
*
This done by the man passing his fingers over the brow as if to wipe off persplra*
is

tioa ; the woman acknowledges it by adjusting her head-veil with both hands. As
rule in the Moslem East women make the first advances and it is truly absurd to see a
;

great bearded fellow blushing at being ogled. During the Crimean war the fair sex of
Constantinople began by these allurements but found them so readily accepted by the
Giaours that they were obliged to desist.
 Uns al- Wujud ana the Wazir's Daughter. 35

messages and doing their desires and keeping their secrets and ;

much good shall befal thee. So now I have told thee my vision
and it is thine to decide." Quoth Rose-in-Hood, after she heard
of the dream, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.

Xoto tuljrn ft tons tijc <Tl)rct flHintorcli anb ^cbcntp.-sctonli Xigfjt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King that Rose-in-Hood

asked her nurse after hearing of the dream, " Tell me, canst thou
"
keep a secret, O my nurse ?" whereto she answered, And how ;

should I not keep secrecy, I that am of the flower of the free ?" !
Then the maiden pulled out the scroll, whereon she had written the
verses and said, " Carry me this my letter to Uns al-Wujud and

bring me his reply." The nurse took the letter and, repairing to
Uns al-Wujud, kissed his hands and greeted him right courteously,
then gave him the paper and he read it and, comprehending the
;

contents, wrote on the back these couplets :

I soothe my heart and my love repel ;

o But my state interprets my love too
well :

When tears flow I tell them mine eyes are ill,

o Lest the censor see and my
case foretell,
I was fancy-free and unknew I Love ;
o But I fell in love and in madness
fell.

I show you my case and complain of pain, o Pine and ecstasy that your,
ruth compel :

I write you with tears of eyes, so belike o They explain the love come my
heart to quell ;
Allah guard a face that is veiled with charms, o Whose thrall is Moon and thej
Stars as well :
In her beauty I never beheld the like ; From her sway the branches leant
sway and swell :

2
I beg you, an 'tis not too much of pains, o To call; 'twere boon without
parallel.
I give you a soul you will haply take, o To which Union is Heaven, Dis
union Hell.

Then he folded the letter and kissing it, gave it to the go-between

1
The greatest of all explorers and discoverers of the world will be he who finds a
woman confessing inability to keep a secret.
3
The original is intensely prosaic and so am I.
 36 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

"
and O
nurse, incline thy lady's heart to me."
said to her, "
To
hear is to obey," answered she and carried the script to her
mistress, who kissed it and laid it on her head, then she opened
it and read it and understood it and wrote at the foot of it these
couplets :

O whose heart by our beauty is captive ta'en, Have patience and all thou
shall haply gain !
When we knew that thy love was a true affect, o And what pained our heart
to thy heart gave pain,
We had granted thee wished-for call and more ;
o But hindered so
doing the
chamberlain.
When the night grows dark, through our love's excess o Fire burns our vitals
with might and main :.

And sleep from our beds is driven afar, o And our bodies are tortured by
passion-bane.
"Hide Love!" in Love's code is the first command; o And from raising his
veil thy hand restrain :

I fell love-fulfilled by yon gazelle : o Would he never wander from where

I dwell!

Then she folded the letter and gave it to the nurse, who took it
and went out from her mistress to seek the young man but, as ;

she would fare forth, the chamberlain met her and said to her,
"Whither away ?" "To the bath," answered she; but in her fear
and confusion, she dropped the letter, without knowing it, and went
off unrecking what she had done when one of the eunuchs, ;

seeing it lying in the way, picked it up. When the nurse came
without the door, she sought for it, but found it not, so turned back
to her mistress and told her of this and what had befallen her.
Meanwhile, the Wazir came out of the Harim and seated himself
,on his couch whereupon behold, the eunuch, who had picked up
;

the letter,, came in to him, hending it in hand and said, " O my

lord, I found this paper lying upon the floor and picked it up." So
the Minister took it from his hand, folded as it was, and opening
it, read the verses as above set down. Then, after mastering the
meaning, he examined the writing and knew it for his daughter's

hand; whereupon he went to her mother, weeping so abundant

tears that his beard His wife asked him, " What
was wetted.
maketh thee weep, O my lord ?" and he answered, " Take this ;

letter and see what is therein." So she took it and found it to be

a love-letter from her daughter Rose-in-Hood to Uns al-Wujud :

whereupon the ready drops sprang to her eyes ;

but she composed
 Uns a/- Wujud and the Waztr*s Daughter. 37

"
her mind, and, gulping down her
her husband, tears, said to O
my lord, there is no profit in weeping the right course is to cast
:

about for a means of keeping thine honour and concealing the

affairof thy daughter." And she went on to comfort him and
"
lighten his trouble ; but he said, I am fearful for my daughter by
reason of this new passion. Knowest thou not that the Sultan
loveth Uns al-Wujud with exceeding love? And my fear hath
two causes. The first concerneth myself; it is, that she is my
daughter the second is on account of the King for that Uns
: ;

al-Wujud a favourite with the Sultan and peradventure great

is

troubles shall come out of this affair. What deemest thou should
be done?" And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.

Nofo fo&n it teas tfie ^fcm ^untrcetJ an* Sb*tont8.t&ft&

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that the Wazir,
" What
after recounting the affair of his daughter, asked his wife,
"
deemest thou should be done ?" And she answered, Have
.patience whilst pray the prayer for right direction." So she
I
1
prayed a two-bow prayer according to the prophetic ordinance
for seeking divine guidance; after which she said to her husband,
'?In the midst of the Sea of Treasures standeth a mountain named
the Mount of the Bereaved Mother (the cause of which being so
called shall presently follow in its place, Inshallah !); and thither
can none have access, save with pains and difficulty and distress :

do thou make that same her abiding-place." Accordingly the

Minister and his wife agreed to build on that mountain a virgin
castle and lodge their daughter therein with the necessary pro-
Vision to be renewed year by year and attendants to cheer and to
serve her. Accordingly he collected carpenters, builders and archi-

1
Arab. " Sunnat," the practice of the Prophet. For this prayer and other silly and
superstitious means of discovering
the "right direction" (which is often very wrongly

directed) see Lane, M. E. chapt. xi.

8 " Bahr
Arab, (sea or river) al-Kuniiz : Lane (ii. 576) ingeniously identifies the site with
the Upper Nile whose tribes, between Assouan (Syene) and Wady al-Subu'a are called
the "Kunuz" lit. meaning "treasures" or "hoards." Philse is still known as the
" and accurate Burckhardt (Travels
Islet of (for Uns) al-Wujud ;" and the learned
Anas
in Nubiap. $,) records the local legend that a mighty King called Al-Wujud built the
Osirian temples. I can give no information concerning Jabal al-Sakla, (Thakla) the Mount
of the woman bereft of children, beyond the legend contained in Night ccclxxix.
38 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

tects,and despatched them to the mountain, where they builded

her an impregnable castle, never saw eyes the like thereof. Then
he made ready vivers and carriage for the journey and, going in to
his daughter by night, bade her prepare to set out on a pleasure-
excursion. Thereupon her heart presaged the sorrows of separation
and, when she went forth and saw the preparations for the journey,
she wept with sore weeping and wrote that upon the door which
might acquaint her lover with what had passed and with the trans/*
ports of passion and grief that were upon her, transports such as
WQuld make the flesh to shiver and hair to stare, and melt the
hardest stone with care, and tear from every eye a tear. And
what she wrote were these couplets :

By Allah, O thou house, beloved a morn go by, o And greet with signs
if my
and signals lover e'erwont to fly,
is

I pray thee give him our salams in pure and

fragrant guise, * For he indeed
may never know where we this eve shall lie.
I wot not whither they have fared, thus At speed, and
bearing us afar
lightly-quipt, the lighter from one love to fly:

When starkens night, the birds in brake or branches snugly perched o Wail
for our sorrow and announce our hapless destiny :

The tongue of their condition saith, "Alas, alas for woe, o And heavy
brunt of parting-blow two lovers must aby " :
When viewed I separation-cups were filled to the brim o And us with
merest sorrow-wine Fate came so fast to ply,
I mixed them with becoming share of patience self to excuse, o But Patience
for the loss of you her solace doth refuse.
i

Now when she ended her lines, she mounted and they set forward
with her crossing and cutting over wold and wild and riant dale
and rugged hill, till they came to the shore of the Sea of Treasures
here they pitched their tents and built her a great ship, wherein,
they went down with her and her suite and carried them over to
the mountain. The Minister had ordered them, on reaching the
journey's end, to set her in the castle and to make their way bacfc
to the shore, where they were to break up the vessel. So they did
his bidding and returned home, weeping over what had befallen.
Such was their case ; but as regards Uns al-Wujud, he arose from
sleep and prayed the dawn-prayer, after which he took horse and
rode forth to attend upon the Sultan. On his way, he passed by
the Wazir's house, thinking perchance to see some of his followers
as of wont but he saw no one and, looking upon the door, he
;

read written thereon the verses aforesaid. At this sight, his senses
 Uns al- Wujud and the Waxif's Daughter. 39

failed him ;
fire was kindled in his vitals and he returned to his
lodging, where he passed the day in trouble and transports of grief,
without finding ease or patience, till night darkened upon him, when
his yearning and love-longing redoubled. Thereupon, by way of
concealment, he disguised himself in the ragged garb of a Fakir, 1
and set out wandering at random through the glooms of night,
distracted and knowing not whither he went. So he wandered on
all that night and next day, till the heat of the sun waxed fierce

and the mountains flamed like fire and thirst was grievous upon
him. Presently, he espied a tree, by whose side was a thin thread
of running water so he made towards it and sitting down in the
;

shade, on the bank of the rivulet, essayed to drink, but found that
the water had no taste in his mouth 2 and, indeed his colour had ;

changed and his face had yellowed, and his feet were swollen with
travel and travail. So he shed copious tears and repeated these
couplets :

The lover is drunken with love of friend ;

o On a longing that groweth his
joys depend :

Love-distracted, ardent, bewildered, lost o From home, nor may food aught
of pleasure lend :
How can life be delightsome to one in love, o And from lover parted, 'twere
strange, unkenned !

1 melt with the fire of my pine for them, o And the tears down my cheek
in a stream descend.
Shall I see them, say me, or one that comes * From the camp, who th' afflicted
heart shall tend ?

And after thus reciting he wept till he wetted the hard dry ground ;
but anon without loss of time he rose and fared on again over
waste and wold, till there came out upon him a lion, with a neck
buried in tangled mane, a head the bigness of a dome, a mouth
wider than the door thereof and teeth like elephants' tusks. Now
when Uns al-Wujud saw him, he gave himself up for lost and,
3
turning towards the Temple of Meccah, pronounced the pro-
fessions of the faith and prepared for death. He had read in

1
A
religious mendicant (lit. a pauper), of whom there are two great divisions. The
Shara'i acts according to the faith : the others (La Shara'i, or irreligious) are bound by
no such prejudices and are pretty specimen of scoundrels (Pilgrimage i. 22).
*
Meaning his lips and palate were so swollen by drought.
It is a pious act in time of mortal danger to face the Kiblah or Meccan temple, as if

standing in prayer.
40 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

books that whoso will flatter the lion, beguileth him, for that he
1

is readily duped by smooth speech and gentled by being glorified ;

so he began and said, " O Lion of the forest O Lord of the waste ! !

terrible Leo ! O father of fighters ! O Sultan of wild beasts !

Behold, I am a lover in longing,

passion and severance havewhom
been wronging ; since I parted from my dear, I have lost my
reasoning gear; wherefore, to my speech do thou give ear and
have ruth on my passion and hope and fear." When the lion
heard this, he drew back from him and sitting down on his hind-
quarters, raised his head to him and began to frisk tail and paws ;
which when Uns al-Wujud saw, he recited these couplets :

Lion of the wold wilt thou murther me, Ere I meet her who doomed
me to slavery?
1 am not game and I bear no fat |
e For the loss of my love make*
me sickness dree ;

And estrangement from her hath so worn me down o I am like a shape in a

shroud we see.
thou sire of spoils,4 O thou lion of war, o Give not my pains to the
blamer's gree.
1 burn with love, I am drowned in tears o For a parting from lover, sore
misery !

And my thoughts of her in the murk of night o For love hath made my being
unbe.

As he had finished his lines the lion rose And Shahrazad per*
ceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

fo&m (t foas t&e Qfym 3^un&tt& anlr &bntB--fotm&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that as Uns

al-Wujud ended his lines, the lion arose and stalked slowly up to
him, with eyes tear-railing and licked him with his tongue, then
walked on before him, signing to him as though saying, " Follow

1
Still the belief of the Badawi who tries to work upon the beast's " O
compassion :

"
great King I am a poor man, with wife and family, so spare me that Allah spare thee !
and so forth. If not famished the lion will often stalk off looking behind him as he goes ;

but the man willnever return by the same path ; " for," says he, " haply the Father of
Roaring may repent him of a wasted opportunity." These lion-tales are very common,
witness that of Androcles at Rome and a host of others. Una and her lion is another
phase. It remained for M.
Jules Gerard, first the chasseur and then the tueur, du lion t
to assail the reputation of the lion and the honour of the lioness.
8
Abu Haris =
Father of spoils : one of the lion's hundred titles.
 Uns al- Wujud and the Wazir's Daughter. 41

me." So he followed him, and the beast ceased not leading him
on for a while till he brought him up a mountain, and guided him
to the farther side, where he came upon the track of a caravan
over the desert, and knew it to be that of Rose-in-Hood and her
company. Then he took the trail and, when the lion saw that he
knew the track for that of the party which escorted her, he turned
back and went his way; whilst Uns al-Wujud walked along the
foot-marks day and night, till they brought him to a dashing sea,
swollen with clashing surge. led down to the sandy The trail
shore and there broke off whereby he knew that they had ;

taken ship and had continued their journey by water. So he

lost hope of finding his lover and with hot tears he repeated
these couplets :

Far is the fane and patience faileth me ; o How can I seek them 1 o'er the
abysmal sea ;

Or how be patient, when my vitals burn o For love of them, and sleep waxed
insomny ?

Since the sad day they left the home and fled, o My heart 's consumed by love's
ardency :

Sayhun, Jayhun, Euphrates-like my tears, o Make flood no deluged rain its

8

like can see :

Mine eyelids chafed with running tears remain, o My heart from fiery sparks
is never free ;

The hosts of love and longing pressed me o And made the hosts of patience
break and flee.

I've risked my life too freely for their love ; o And risk of life the least of ills

shall be.
Allah ne'er punish eye that saw those charms o Enshrined, and passing full

moon's brillancy !

I found me felled by fair wide-opened eyes, o Which pierced my heart with

stringless archery :

And soft, lithe, swaying shape enraptured me o As sway the branches of the
willow-tree:
Wi' them I covet union that I win, o O'er love-pains cark and care, a mastery.
For love of them aye, morn and eve I pine, o And doubt all came to me from
evil eyne.

And when were ended he wept, till he swooned away, and

his lines
abode in his swoon a long while but as soon as he came to him-
;

1
"They "again for "she."
2
Jaxartes and Oxus. The latter (Jayhun or Amu, Oxus or Bactros) is famous for
dividing Iian from Turan, Persia from Tartaria. The lands to its north are known as
MA ward al-Nahr (Mawerannahar) or "What is behind the stream," = Transoxiana
and were successively Samarcand and Bokhara.
their capitals
42 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

self, he looked right and left and seeing no one in the desert, he
became fearful of the wild beasts ;
so he clomb to the top of a high
mountain, where he heard the voice of a son of Adam speaking
within a cave. He listened and lo they were the accents of a !

devotee, who had forsworn the world and given himself up to pious
works and worship. He knocked
thrice at the cavern-door, but
the hermit answer, neither came forth to him; where-
made him no
fore he groaned aloud and recited these couplets :

What pathway find I my desire t'obtain, o How 'scape from care and cark and
pain and bane ?

All terrors join to make me old and hoar o Of head and heart, ere youth from
me is ta'en :

Nor find I any aid my passion, nor o A friend to lighten load of bane and
pain.
How great and many troubles I've endured o Fortune hath turned her back I !

see unfain-
Ah mercy, mercy on the lover's heart, o Doomed cup of parting and desertion
drain !

A fire is in his heart, his vitals waste, o And severance made his reason vainest
vain.
How dread the day I came to her abode o And saw the writ they wrote on
doorway lain !

I wept, till gave I earth to drink my grief ;

o But still to near and far
1
I did but

feign:
Then strayed I till in waste a lion sprang o On me, and but for flattering words
had slain :

I soothed him : so he spared me and lent me aid, o He too might haply of

love's taste complain.
O devotee, that idlest in thy cave, o Meseems eke thou hast learned Love's

might and main ;

But if, at end of woes, with them I league, o Straight I'll forget all suffering and
fatigue.

Hardly had he made an end of these verses when, behold the !

"
door of the cavern opened and he heard one say, Alas, the pity
"2
of it! So he entered and saluted the devotee, who returned his
salam and asked him, " What is thy name ?" Answered the young
" " And what caused thee to come hither?"
man, Uns al-Wujud."
quoth the hermit. So he told him his story in its entirety,
omitting naught of his misfortunes; whereat he wept and said,

1
Arab. " Dani wa gharib
"
= friend and foe. The lines are partly from the Mac.
Edit, and partly from the Bresl. Edit., v. 55.
"
8
Arab. " Wa
Rahmata-hu a form now used only in books.
!
 (7ns al- Wujud and the Wazir's Daughter. 43
* O Uns al- Wujud, these twenty years have I passed in this place,

but never beheld I any man here, until yesterday, when I heard
a noise of weeping and lamentation and, looking forth in the
direction of the sound, saw many people and tents pitched on
the sea-shore and the party at once proceeded to build a ship, in
;

which certain of them embarked and sailed over the waters. Then
some of the crew returned with the ship and breaking it up, went
their way and I suspect that those who embarked in the ship and
;

returned not, are they whom thou seekest. In that case, O Uns
al-Wujud, thy grief must needs be great and sore and thou art
excusable, though never yet was lover but suffered love-longing.*
Then he recited these couplets :

Uns al-Wujud, dost deem me fancy-free, * When pine and longing slay and
quicken me ?
I have known love and yearning from the years * Since mother-milk I drank,
nor e'er was free.
Long struggled I with Love, till learnt his might * Ask thou of him, ; he'll tell
with willing gree.
Love-sick and pining drank I passion-cup, * And well-nigh perished in mine
agony.
Strong was I, but my strength to weakness turned, And eye-sword brake
through Patience armoury :

Hope not to win love-joys, without annoy ;

* Contrary ever links with

contrary.
But fear not change from lover true ; be true * Unto thy wish, some day thine
own 'twill be.
Love hath forbidden to his votaries * Relinquishment as deadliest heresy.

The eremite, having ended his verse, rose and, coming up to

Uns al-Wujud, embraced him, -- And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

fofjen it teas t&e 2Df)ree $^unttirtj anfc &ebentp=fift&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the eremite,
having ended his verse, rose and coming up to Uns al-Wujud
embraced him, and they wept together, till the hills rang with
and they fell down fainting. When they revived, they
their cries
swore brotherhood * in Allah Almighty after which said Uns al-
;
"
Wujud, This very night will I pray to God and seek of Him direc-

1
Before noted. The relationship, like that of foster-brother, has its rights, duties
and privileges.
 44 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

tion anent what thou shouldst do to attain thy desire." Thus it

!

was with them but as regards Rose-in-Hood, when they brought

;

her to the mountain and set her in the castle and she beheld its
"
ordering, she wept and exclaimed, By Allah, thou art a goodly
"*
place, save that thou lackest in thee the presence of the beloved !
Then seeing birds in the island, she bade her people set snares
forthem and put all they caught in cages within the castle and ;

they did so. But she sat at a lattice and bethought her of what
had passed, and desire and passion and distraction redoubled upon
her, till she burst into tears and repeated these couplets :

whom now, of my desire complaining sore, shall I * Bewail my

to parting
from
my fere compelled thus to fly ?
Flames rage within what underlies my ribs, yet hide them I * In deepest
secret dreading aye the jealous hostile spy :

1 am grown as lean, attenuate as any pick of tooth,* * By sore estrange-

ment, absence, ardour, ceaseless sob and sigh.
"Where is the eye of my beloved to see how I'm become * Like tree stripped
bare of leafage left to linger and to die.
They tyrannised over me whom they confined in place * Whereto the lover of
my heart may never draw him nigh :

I beg the Sun for me to give greetings a thousandfold, * At time of

rising and
again when setting from the sky,
To the beloved one who shames a full moon's loveliness, * When shows that
slender form that doth the willow-branch outvie.
If Rose herself would even with his cheek, I say of her * " Thou art not like
"*
it if to me my portion thou deny :

Arab. " Istikharah," before explained as praying

1 for direction by omens of the
rosary, opening the Koran and reading the first verse sighted, etc., etc. At
Al-Medinah it is and
have suggested (Pilgrimage, ii. 287) that it is a
called Khirah I

relic of the Azlam or Kidah (divining arrows) of paganism. But the superstition is
not local : we have the Sortes Virgilianae (Virgil being a magician) as well as Coranicoe.
2
Arab. Wujud al-Hablb, a pun, also meaning, " Wujiid my beloved."
8 Arab.
"Khilal," as an emblem of attenuation occurring in Al-Hariri (Ass. of
Alexandria, etc.) ; also thin as a spindle (Maghzal), as a reed, and dry as a pair of
shears. In the Ass. of Barka'id the toothpick is described as a beautiful girl. The
use of this cleanly article was enjoined by Mohammed: "Cleanse your mouths with
toothpicks; for your mouths are the abode of the guardian angels; whose pens are
the tongues, and whose ink is the spittle of men ; and to whom naught is more un-
bearable than remains of food in the mouth." A
mighty apparatus for a smalt
matter ; but in very hot lands cleanliness must rank before godliness.
4 The sense is ambiguous. Lane renders the verse : "Thou resemblest it (rose) not
of my portion" and gives two explanations " because he is of my portion,"
" because
or,
his cheek cannot be rosy if mine is not." Mr. Payne boldly translates

"If the rose ape his cheek, "Now God forfend," I say, "That of my portico
aught to pilfer thou shooldst try."
 Uns al- Wujud and the Waztfs Daughter. 45

His honey-dew of lips is like the grateful water draught Would cool me when
a fire in heart upflameth fierce and high :

How shall I give him up who is my heart and soul of me, * My malady my
wasting cause, my love, sole leach of me ?

Then, as the glooms of night closed around her, her yearning

increased and she called to mind the past and recited also these
couplets :

*Tis dark my transport and unease now gather might and main, And love-j
:

desire provoketh me to wake my wonted pain :

The * And pining makes
pang of parting takes for ever place within my breast,
me desolate in destitution lain.
Ecstasy sore maltreats soul and yearning burns my sprite,
my And tears
which I would lief contain
betray love's secresy :

I weet no way, I know no case that can make light my load, * Or heal my

wasting body or cast out from me this bane.

A hell of fire is in my heart upflames with lambent tongue * And Lazd's
furnace-fires within my liver place have ta'en.
* I bear with patience
thou, exaggerating blame for what befel, enough
whatsoe'er hath writ for me the Pen !
1 swear, by Allah, ne'er to find aught comfort for their loss ;
* 'Tis oath of

passion's children and their oaths are ne'er

in vain.

O Night Salams of me to friends and let to them be known * Of thee

! true'

knowledge how I wake and waking ever wone.

"
Meanwhile, the hermit said to Uns al- Wujud, Go down to the
palm-grove in the valley and fetch some fibre." So he went and
*

returned with the palm-fibre, which the hermit took and, twisting
into ropes, made therewith a net,2 such as is used for carrying
straw after which he said, " O Uns al- Wujud, in the heart of the
;

valley groweth a gourd, which springeth up and drieth upon its

roots. Go down there and fill this sack therewith then tie it ;

together and, casting it into the water, embark thereon and make
for the midst of the sea, so haply thou shalt win thy wish ; for
whoso never ventureth shall not have what he seeketh." " I hear

Arab, "lif" (not "fibres which grow at the top of the trunk," Lane ii. 577) ; but
1

the fibre of the fronds worked like the cocoa-nut fibre which forms the now well-
known Indian "coir." This "lif" is also called "filfil" or "fulfil" which Dr.
Jonathan Scott renders "pepper" (Lane i. 8) and it forms a clean succedaneum for
one of the uncleanest articles of civilisation, the sponge. It is used in every Ilammaro
and is (or should be) thrown away after use.
*
Arab. "Shinf;" a coarse sack, a "gunny -bag;" a net compared with such
article.
 46 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

and obey," answered Uns al-Wujud. Then he bade the hermit

farewell after the holy man had prayed for him; and, betaking
himself to the sole of the valley, did as his adviser had counselled
him made the sack, launched it upon the water, and pushed from
;

shore. Then there arose a wind, which drave him out to sea, till
he was lost to the eremite's view and he ceased not to float over
;

the abysses of the ocean, one billow tossing him up and another
bearing him down (and he beholding the while the dangers and
marvels of the deep), for the space of three days. At the end of
that time Fate cast him upon the Mount of the Bereft Mother,
where he landed, giddy and tottering like a chick unfledged, and
at the last of his strength for hunger and thirst but, finding there ;

streams flowing and birds on the branches cooing and fruit-laden

trees in clusters and singly growing, he ate of the fruits and drank
of the rills. Then he walked on till he saw some white thing afar
off, and making for it, found that it was a strongly fortified castle.
So he went up to the gate and seeing it locked, sat down by it ;
and there he sat for three days when behold, the gate opened and
an eunuch came out, who finding Uns al-Wujud there seated, said
" "
to him, Whence earnest thou and who brought thee hither ?
"
Quoth he, From Ispahan and I was voyaging with merchandise
when my ship was wrecked and the waves cast me upon the farther
side of this island." Whereupon the eunuch wept and embraced
him, saying, Allah preserve thee, O thou friendly face
"
Ispahan !

Is mine own country and I have there a cousin, the daughter of my

father's brother, whom I loved from my childhoood and cherished

with fond affection but a people stronger than we fell upon us in
;
l

foray and taking me among

other booty, cut off my yard and sold
me for a castrato, whilst I was yet a lad ; and this is how I came to
be in such case." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.

1
The eunuch tells him that he is
);
not a " Sandali =
one whose penis and testes are
removed ; and consequently the highest valued. There are many ways of making the
castrato ; in some (as here) only the penis is removed, in others the testes are bruised or
cut off ; but in all cases the animal passion remains, for in man, unlike other animals, the
derided the idea
fans venerit is ihe brain. The story of Abelard proves this. Juvenal
of married eunuchs and yet almost all these neutrals have wives with whom they practise
the manifold plaisirs de la petite oie (masturbation, tribadism, irrumation, tSte-bche,
account onca
'till
feuille-de-rose, etc.), they induce the venereal orgasm. Such was the
like her confrerie was to
given to me by a eunuch's wife ; and I need hardly say that she,
be pitied. At the critical moment she held up a little pillow for her husband to bite who
otherwise would have torn her cheeks or breasts.
 Uns al- Wujud and the Wastes Daughter. 47

Nofo fo&en it teas tijc {Time flQun&rcb anU bmtt^siit!)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King;, that the eunuch
who came forth from the castle, where Rose-in-Hood was confined,
told Uns al-Wujud all his tale and said: "The raiders who
captured me cut yard and sold
off my me for a castrato and this ;

is how I came to be in such case." 1

And after saluting him and
wishing him long life, the eunuch carried him into the courtyard
of
the castle, where he saw a great tank of water, surrounded by trees,
on whose branches hung cages of silver, with doors of gold, and
therein birds were warbling and singing the praises of the Re-
quiting King. And when he came to the first cage he looked in
and lo ! a turtle dove, on seeing him, raised her voice and cried
" "
out, saying, O Thou Bounty-fraught !Whereat he fell down
fainting and after coming to himself, he sighed heavily and recited
these couplets :

O turtle dove, like me art thou distraught ? o Then pray the' Lord and sing
" O "
Bounty- fraught !

Would I knew an thy moan were sign of joy, o Or cry of love-desire in heart
inwrought,
An moan thou pining for a lover gone o Who left thee woe begone to
pine in thought,
Or if like me hast lost thy fondest friend, o And severance long desire to
memory brought ?
Allah, guard a faithful lover's lot o I will not leave her though my
bones go rot !

Then, after ending his verses, he fainted again ; and, presently

reviving he went on to the second cage, wherein he found a ring-

dove. When it saw him, it sang out, " " O
Eternal, I thank thee !
and he groaned and recited these couplets :

1 heard a ringdove chanting plaintively, * " I thank Thee, O Eternal for this
''
misery !

Haply, perchance, may Allah, of His grace, * Send me by this long round my
love to see.
Full oft* she comes with honeyed lips dark red, * And heaps up lowe upon
love's ardency.

1
In real life the eunuch, as a rule, avoids all allusion to his misfortune, although the
Slave will often describe his being sold merrily enough.
2
The visits are in dreamland. The ringdove thanks the Lord for her (his ?) suffering
in the holy martyrdom of love.
48 Alf Laylah wa Laylak.

Quoth I (while longing fires flame high and fierce # In heart, and wasting life's

vitality,
And tears like gouts of blood go railing down * In torrents over cheeks now

pale of blee),
" None e'er trod earth that was not born to
woe, * But I will patient dree mine
agony,
So help me Allah ! till that happy day * When with my mistress I unite shall
be:
Then will I spend my good on lover-wights, * Who're of my tribe and of the
faith of me j

And loose the very birds from jail set free, * And change my grief for gladdest
"
gree and glee !

Then he went on to the third cage, wherein he found a mocking-

*
bird which, when it saw him, set up a song, and he recited the
following couplets :

Pleaseth me yon Hazdr of mocking strain Like voice of lover pained by love
in vain.
Woe's me for lovers ! Ah how many men * By nights and pine and passion
low are lain !

As though by stress of love they had been made * Morn-less and sleep-less
by their pain and bane.
When I went daft for him who
conquered me * And pined for him who proved
of proudest strain,
My tears in streams down trickled and I cried * "These long-linkt tears bind
like an adamant-chain n
:

Grew concupiscence, severance long, and I * Lost Patience1 hoards and grief
waxed sovereign :

If Justice bide in world and me unite * With him I love and Allah veil us
deign,
I'll strip my clothes that he my form shall sight * With parting, distance, grief,
how poor of plight 1

2
Then he went to the fourth cage, where he found a Bulbul which,
at sight of him, began to sway to and fro and sing its plaintive
descant ; and when he heard its complaint, he burst into tears and
repeated these couplets :

The BulbuPs note,whenas dawn is nigh, Tells the lover from strains of strings
to fly :

Complaineth for passion Uns al-Wujud, * For pine that would being to hin
deny.

Arab. " Hazar ;

1 "
I have explained it as meaning "(the bird of) a thousand (songs)."
8
The " Bulbul had his day with us but be departed with Tommy Moore. We
"
" "
but it is a kind of shrike or butcher-bird
usually English the word by nightingale ;
(Lanius BoulbouL Lath.)
 Uns at- Wujud and the Wazir.s Daughter. 49

How many a strain do we hear, whose sound * Softens stones and the rock can
mollify :

And the breeze of morning that sweetly speaks * Of meadows in flowered,

greenery.
And scents and sounds in the morning-tide Of birds and zephyrs in fra-

grance vie ;

But I think of one, of an absent friend, * And tears rail like rain from a
showery sky ;

And the flamy tongues in my breast uprise * As sparks from gleed that In dark
air fly.
Allah deign vouchsafe to a lover distraught * Someday the face of his dear to
descry !

For lovers, indeed, no excuse is clear, * Save excuse of sight and excuse
of eye.

Then he walked on little and came to a goodly cage, than which.

a
was no goodlier and in it a culver of the forest, that is to say,
there,
a wood-pigeon, 1 the bird renowned among birds as the minstrel of
love-longing, with a collar of jewels about its neck marvellous fine
and fair. He considered it awhile and, seeing it absently brooding
in its cage, he shed tears and repeated these couplets :

5
culver of copse, with salams I greet ;
* brother of lovers who woe must
weet !

1 love a gazelle who is slender-slim, # Whose glances for keenness the scymitar
beat:
For her love are my heart and my vitals a-fire, * And my frame consumes in
love's fever-heat.
The sweet taste of food is unlawful for me, * And forbidden is slumber, unlaw-
fullest sweet.

Endurance and solace have travelled from me, And love homes in my heart
and grief takes firm seat :

How shall life deal joy when they flee my sight * Who are joy and gladness
and life and sprite ?

As soon as Uns al-Wujud had ended his verse And Shahrazad

perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

1 " "
The Hamam is a lieu commnn is Arabic poetry. I have noticed the world-wide
reverence for the pigeon and the incarnation of the Third Person of the Hindu Triad
(Shiva), as
"
Kapoteshwara (KapoU-ishwara)
"
pigeon or dove-god (Pilgrimage iii.=
218.)
2
Arab. " Hamam al-Ayk." Mr. Payne's rendering is so happy that we must either
take it from him or do worse.

VOL. V.
 5O A If Laylah wa Laylah.

ttfofo fo&m it teas tfje bm |^unbU anfc &ebents=SEbmtf) Ntgfit,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that as soon as

Uns al-Wujud had ended awoke from his verse, the wood-culver

brooding and cooed a reply to his lines and shrilled and trilled
its

with its thrilling notes till it all but spake with human speech j1
and the tongue of the case talked for it and recited these
couplets :

lover,thou bringest to thought a tide * When the strength of my youth first

faded and died ;
And a friend of whose form I was 'namoured, * Seductive and dight with
beauty's pride ;

Whose voice, as he sat on the sandhill-tree, * From the Nay's2 sweet sound
turned my heart aside ;

A fowler snared him in net, the while * " O that man would leave me at
"
large he cried
! :

1 had hoped he might somewhat of mercy show * When a hapless lover he so

espied ;
But Allah smite him who tore me away, * In his hardness of heart, from my
lover's side ;

But aye my desire for him groweth more, # And my heart with the fires of
disjunction is fried :

Allah guard a true lover, who strives with love, * And hath borne the torments
I still abide 1

And, seeing me bound in this cage, with mind * Of ruth, release me my love to
find.

Then Uns al-Wujud turned to his companion, the Ispahahi, and

" "
said, What palace is this ? Who built it and who abideth in it ?
"
Quoth the eunuch, The Wazir of a certain King built it to guard
his daughter, fearing for her the accidents of Time and the incidents
of Fortune, and lodged her herein, her and her attendants nor do ;

we open it save once in every year, when their provision cometh to

them." And Uns al-Wujud said to himself, " I have gained my

end, though I may have long to wait." Such was his case but as ;

1
All primitive peoples translate the songs of birds with human language ; but, as I
"
have noticed, the versions differ widely. The pigeon cries, "Allah ! Allah ! The dove
" " Man sakat salam "
Karim, Tawwa (Bountiful, Pardoner !) the Kata or sand-grouse
'

" " and

(who is silent is safe) yet always betrays itself by its lay of Kat-ta lastly the cock
,*' Uzkuru 'llah ya ghafiliin" (Remember, or take the name of Allahj ye careless!)

2 "
Nay," the Dervish's reed pipe, symbol of the sighing absent lover (i.e. the sou'
parted from the Creator) so famed by the Mullah-i-Rum and Sir William Jones.
 Uns al- Wujud and the Wazirs Daughter. 5 1

regards Rose-in-Hood, of a truth she took no pleasure in eating or

drinking, sitting or sleeping but her desire and passion and dis-
;

traction redoubled on her, and she went wandering about the

castle-corners, but could find no issue wherefore she shed tears and ;

recited these couplets :

They have cruelly ta'en me from him, my beloved, * And made me taste anguish
in prison ta'en :

They have fired my heart with the flames of love, * Barred all sight of him
whom to see I'm fain :

In a lofty palace they prisoned me * On a mountain placed in the middle

main.
If they'd have me forget him, right vain's their wish, * For my love is grown of
a stronger strain.
How can I forget him whose face was cause * Of all I suffer, of all I 'plain ?
The whole of my days in sorrow's spent, * And in thought of him through the
night I'm lain.

Remembrance of him cheers my solitude, * While I lorn of his presence and

lone remain.
Would I knew if, after this all, my fate To oblige the desire of my heart will
deign.

When her verses were ended, she ascended to the terrace-roof of

the castle after donning her richest clothes and trinkets and

throwing a necklace of jewels around her neck. Then binding

together some dresses of Ba'albak stuff by way of rope, she tied
1

them to the crenelles and let herself down thereby to the ground.
And she fared on over wastes and waterless wilds, till she came to
the shore, where she saw a fisherman plying here and there over the
sea, for the wind had driven him on to the island. When he saw
2
her, he was affrighted and pushed off again, flying from her but ;

she cried out and made pressing signs to him to return, versifying
with these couplets :

fisherman no care hast thou to fear, o I'm but an earth-born mard in

mortal sphere ;
1 pray thee linger and my prayer grant o And to my true unhappy tale
give ear :

1
Ba'albak =
Ba'al (the God)-city (bek in Coptic and ancient Egyptian). Such, at
popular derivation which awaits a belter.
least, is the No cloth has been made there
since the Kurd tribe of gallant robbers known as the " Harfiish" (or blackguards)
lorded it over old "
Heliopolis."
2
Thinking her be a Jinn or Ghul in the shape of a fair woman. This Arab
to is a
ttrange contrast with the English fisherman, and yet he is drawn with truth.
$2 A If Laylah wa Laylak*

Pity (so Allah spare thee !) warmest love ;

* Say, hast thou seen him my
beloved fere ?
I love a lovely youth whose face excels # Sunlrght, and passes moon when
clearest clear :

The " am "

and own
fawn, that sees his glance, is fain to cry * I his thrall
himself no peer :

Beauty hath written, on his winsome cheek, * Rare lines of pregnant sense for
every seer ;
Who sights the light of love his soul is saved ;
* Who strays is Infidel to Hell
anear :

An thou in mercy show his sight, O rare I

1
* Thou shalt have every wish, the
dearest dear,
Of rubies and what likest are to them * Fresh pearls and unions new, the sea-
shell's tear :

My friend, thou wilt forsure grant my desire * Whose heart is melted in love's

hottest fire.

When the fisherman heard her words, he wept and made moan
and lamented then, recalling what had betided himself in the
;

days of his youth, when love had the mastery over him and long-
ing and desire and distraction were sore upon him and the fires of

passion consumed him, replied with these couplets :

What fair excuse is this my pining plight, * With wasted limbs and tears' un-
ceasing blight ;

2
And eyelids open in the nightly murk, * And heart like fire-stick ready fire to
smite ;

Indeed love burdened us in early youth, * And true from false coin soon
we learned aright :

3
Then did we sell our soul on way of love, * And drunk of many a well to
win her sight ;
Venturing very life to gain her grace, * And make high profit perilling a
mite.
'Tis Love's religion whoso buys with life * His lover's grace, with highest gain
is dight-

And when he ended his verse, he moored his boat to the beach and
"
said to her, Embark, so may I carry thee whither thou wilt."

" " " Habba

1
Arab. " Habbaza !" (good this!) or Habba (how good !)
: so bihi," how
dear he is to me.
Arab. "Zind," and Zindah the names of the two sticks, upper and lower, hard and
2

soft,by which fire was kindled before flint and steel were known.
We find it in Al-
" no one fire-stick (i.e. from me as a
Hariri (Ass. of Banu Haram) sought fire from my
fire-stick) and failed." See Night dccciii.
3
Arab. "Nazih" i>. travelled far and wide.
 Uns al-Wujud and the Wazir's Daughter. 55

'Thereupon she embarked and he put off with her but they had ;

not gone far from land, before there came out a stern-wind upon
the boat and drove it swiftly out of sight of shore Now the
fisherman knew not whither he went, and the strong wind blew
without ceasing three days, when it fell by leave of Allah Al-
mighty, and they sailed on and ceased not sailing till they came in
sight of a city sitting upon the sea-shore, And Shahrazad per-
ceived the dawn^ of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Xofo foljcn ft tons tfjc <Tljvcc $^unfcrrt airt rrbcnt2-cigfjti) Xtgfjt,

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that when the
fisherman's craft, carrying Rose-in-Hood, made the city sitting
upon the sea shore, the man set about making fast to the land. Now
the King of the city was a Prince of pith and puissance named
Dirbas, the Lion and he chanced at that moment to be seated,
;

with his son, at a window in the royal palace giving upon the sea ;
and happening to look out seawards, they saw the fishing-boat
make the land. They observed it narrowly and espied therein a
young lady, as she were the full moon overhanging the horizon-
edge, with pendants in her ears of costly balass-rubies and a collar
of precious stones about her throat. Hereby the King knew that
this must indeed be the daughter of some King or great noble and,

going forth of the sea-gate of the palace, went down to the boat,
where he found the lady asleep and the fisherman busied in
making fast to shore. So he went up to her and aroused her,
whereupon she awoke, weeping and he asked her, " Whence
;

comest thou and whose daughter art thou and what be the cause
of thy coming hither ?" j and she answered, " I am the daughter of
Ibrahim, Wazir to King Shamikh and the manner of my coming
;

hither is wondrous and the cause thereof marvellous." And she

told him her whole story first and last, hiding naught from him ;
then she groaned aloud and recited these couplets :

Tear-drops have chafed mine eyelids and rail down in wondrous wise, * For
parting pain that fills my sprite and turns to springs mine eyes,
For sake of friend who ever dwells within my vitals homed, * And I may never
win my wish of him in any guise.
He hath a favour fair and bright, and brilliant is his face, * Which every Turk
and Arab wight in loveliness outvies :

The Sun and fullest Moon low whenas his charms they
lout sight,
* And lover-
like they bend to him whene'er he deigneth rise.
 54 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

A wondrous spell of gramarye like Kohl bedecks his

eyne, And shows thee
bow
with shaft on string made ready ere it flies :

O thou, to whom I told my case expecting all excuse, Pity a lover-wight for
whom Love-shafts such fate devise !
Verily,Love hath cast me on your coast despite of me * Of will now weak,
and fain I trust mine honour thou wilt prize :

For noble men, whenas perchance alight upon their

bounds, * Grace-worthy
guests, confess their worth and raise to dignities.
Then, O thou hope of me, to lovers' folly veil afford * And be to them reunion
cause, thou only liefest lord !

And when she had ended her verses, she again told the King her
sad tale and shed plenteous tears and recited these
couplets bear-
ing on her case :

We lived till saw we the marvels Love can bear

all
;
* Each month to thee we
1
hope shall fair as Rajab fare :

Is it not wondrous, when I saw them march amorn * That I with water o' eyes
in heartlit flames that flare ?

That these mine eyelids rain fast dropping gouts of blood ? * That now my
cheek grows gold where rose and lily were ?
As though the safflower hue, that overspread my cheeks, * Were
Joseph's coat
made stain of lying blood to wear.

/Now when the

King heard her words he was certified of her love
andJonging and was moved to ruth for her; so he said to her,
"
Fear nothing and be not troubled thou hast come to the term of ;

ithy wishes for there is no help but that I win for thee thy will
;

and bring thee to thy desire." And he improvised these couplets :

Daughter of nobles, who thine aim shall gain o Hear gladdest news nor fear ;

aught hurt or bane !

This day I'll pack up wealth, and send it on o To Shdmikh, guarded by a

champion-train ;

Fresh pods of musk I'll send him and brocades, * And silver white and gold of
yellow vein :

Yes, and a letter shall inform him eke o That I of kinship with that King am
fain :

1
"Rajab," lit. =
"worshipping :" it is the seventh lunar month and still called
"Shahr-i-Khuda" (God's month) by the Persians because in pre-Islamitic times it formed
with Muharram (or in its stead Safar), Zu '1-ka'adah and Zu '1-Hijjah (Nos. I or 2 ; 7,
ft and 12) the yearly peace, during which a man might not kill his father's murderer.
The idea must have taken deep root, as Arab history records only six " impious (or sacri-
legious) wars," waged despite the law. Europeans compare it with the Treuga Dei (truce
of God) a seven-years peace established about A.D. 1032, by a Bishop of Aquitaine ; and
followed in A.D. 1245 by the Pax Regis (Royal Peace) under Louis VIII. of France.
This compelled the relations of a murdered man to keep the peace for forty days after
the offence was committed.
 Uns al- Wujud and the Wazir's Daughter. 55

And I this day will lend thee bestest aid, o That all thou covetest thy soul
assain.
I, too, have tasted love and know its taste o And can excuse whoso the same
1
cup drain.

Then, ending his verse, he went forth to his troops and summoned
his Wazir and, causing him to pack up countless treasure, com-
;

manded him carry it to King Shamikh and say to him, " Needs
must thou send me a person named Uns al-Wujud ;" and say
moreover "The King is minded to ally himself with thee by marry-
ing his daughter to Uns al-Wujud, thine officer. So there is no
help but thou despatch him to me, that the marriage may be
solemnized in her father's kingdom." And he wrote a letter to
King Shamikh to this effect, and gave it to the Minister, charging
him strictly to bring back Uns al-Wujud and warning him, " An
thou fail thou shalt be deposed and degraded." Answered the
Wazir, "I hear and obey;" and, setting out forthright with the
treasures, in due course arrived at the court of King Shamikh
whom he saluted in the name of King Dirbas and delivered the
and the presents. Now when King Shamikh read the letter
letter
and saw the name of Uns al-Wujud, he burst into tears and said to
the Wazir "And where, oh where, is Uns al-Wujud?; he went
from us and we know not his place of abiding only bring him to ;

me, and I will give thee double the presents thou hast brought
me." And he wept and groaned and lamented, saying these
couplets :

To me restore my dear ; I want not wealth untold :

Nor crave I gifts of pearls Or gems or store of gold :

He was to us a moon In beauty's heavenly fold.

Passing in form and soul ;
With roe compare withhold !

His form a willow-wand, His fruit, lures manifold ;

But willow lacketh power Men's hearts to have and hold.
I reared him from a babe On cot of coaxing roll'd ;
And now I mourn for him With woe in soul ensoul'd.

Then, turning to the Wazir who had brought the presents and the
" Go back to
missive, he said, thy liege and acquaint him that Uns
al-Wujud hath been missing this year past, and his lord knoweth

1
His Majesty wrote sad doggrel. He is better at finessing, and his message was a
trick because Rose-in-Hood bad told him that at home there were special obstacles to
the marriage.
$6 A If Laylah ^va Laylah.

not whither he is gone nor hath any tidings of him." Answered the
Minister of King Dirbas, " O my lord, my master said to me :

An thou fail to bring him back, thou shalt be degraded from the
Wazirate and shalt not enter my city. How then can I return
"
without him ? So King Shamikh said to his Wazir Ibrahim,
" Take a
company and go with him and make ye search for Uns
" "
al-Wujud everywhere." He Hearkening and obedience
replied, ;

and, taking a body of his own retainers, set out accompanied by

the Wazir of King Dirbas seeking Uns al-Wujud. And Shah-
razad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
-
say.

Nofo fo&en it bras t&e ^m f^un&wH anfc g&bents-nfafl)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ibrahim,

Wazir to King Shamikh, took him a body of his retainers and,
accompanied by the Minister of King Dirbas, set out seeking Uns
al-Wujud. And as often as they fell in with wild Arabs or others
they asked of the youth, saying, "Tell us have ye seen a man
"
whose name is so and so and his semblance thus and thus ? But
they all answered, "We know him not." Still they continued
their quest enquiring in city and hamlet and seeking in fertile

plain and stony hall and in the wild and in the wold, till they
made the Mountain of the Bereaved Mother and the Wazir of ;

King Dirbas said to Ibrahim, Why is this mountain thus called ?"
'*

He answered, " Once of old time, here sojourned a Jinniyah, of the

Jinn of China, who loved a mortal with passionate love and, being ;

in fear of her life from her own people, searched all the earth over
for a place, where she might hide him from them, till she happened
on thismountain and, finding it cut off from both men and Jinn,
there being no access to it, carried off her beloved and lodged him
therein. There, when she could escape notice of her kith and kin,
she used privily to visit him, and continued so doing till she had
t>orne him a number of children and the merchants, sailing by
;

the mountain, in their voyages over the main, heard the weeping
of the children, as it were the wailing of a woman bereft of her
babes, and said Is there here a mother bereaved of her children ?
:

For which reason the place was named the Mountain of the
Bereaved Mother." And the Wazir of King Dirbas marvelled at
his words. Then they landed and, making for the castle, knocked
at the gate which was opened to them by an eunuch, who knew
 Uns al-Wujud amd the Wazir's Daughter. 57

the Wazir Ibrahim and kissed his hands. The Minister entered
and found in the courtyard, among the serving-men, a Fakir, which
was Uns al-Wujud, but he knew him not and said, "Whence
" "
cometh yonder wight ? Quoth they, He is a merchant, who
hath lost his goods, but saved himself; and he is an ecstatic." 1 So
the Wazir left him and went on into the castle, where he found
no trace of his daughter and questioned her women, who answered,
" We wot not how or whither she went this
place misliked her ;

and she tarried in it but a short time." Whereupon he wept sore

and repeated these couplets :

Ho whose birds were singing gay, * Whose

thou, the house, sills their wealth
and pride were wont display !

Till came the lover wailing for his love, * And found thy doors wide open to
the
way ;

Would Heaven I knew where is my soul that erst * Was homed in house,
whose owners fared away !

'Twas stored with all things bright and beautiful, And showed \ its porters
ranged in fair array :

They clothed it with brocades a bride become ;

z * Would I knew whither went
its lords, ah, say !

After ending his verses he again shed tears, and groaned and
bemoaned himself, exclaiming, " There is no deliverance from the
destiny decreed by Allah nor is there any escape from that which
;

He hath predestined " Then he went up to the roof and found

!

the strips of Ba'albak stuff tied to the crenelles and hanging down
to the ground, and thus it was he knew that she had descended

1
Arab. "Majzub
" = drawn, attracted (literally) ; the popular term for one absorbed
in the contemplation of the Deity. During this process the soul is supposed to quit the
body leaving the I remember a scandal being caused
latter irresponsible for its actions.

in a village near Tunis by one of these men who suddenly started up from his seat in a
dusty corner and, in presence of a small crowd of people, had connection with a she-
donkey. The supporters of the holy man declared that the deed was proof positive of
his exceptional holiness but there were lewd fellows, Moslems Voltaireans, who had
;

" for the A similar

their doubts and held that the reverend man had so acted gallery."
story is told with due reserve by the late Abbe Hamilton in his book on the Cyrenaic.
There are three grand divisions of the Sufis ; (i) Mukimin, the stationaries ; (2) Silikan,
the travellers, or progressives, and (3) Wasilin, those who reach the desired end. And
No. 2 has two classes the Salik-i-majzub, one progressing in Divine Love and the
: ;

other, who has made greater progress, the Majzub-i-Sdlik (Dabistan iii. 251).
is
3 worked
Arab. "Sundus," a kind of brocade (low Lat. brocare, to figure cloth), silk
in high relief with gold and silver. The idea is figurative meaning it was hung outside
and inside with fine stuff, like the Ka'abah, the "Bride of Meccah." The "lords"
means simply the lost girl.
$8 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

thence and had one distracted and demented with

fled forth, as
desire and passion. Presently, he turned and seeing there two
birds, a gor-crow and an owl he justly deemed this an omen of ill ;
so he groaned and recited these couplets :

I came my dear friends' door, of my

to hopes the goal, * Whose sight mote
assuage my sorrow and woes of soul :

No friends found I there, nor was there another thing * To find, save a corby-
crow and an ill-omened owl.
And the tongue o' the case to me seemed to say, " Indeed * This parting two
"
lovers fond was cruel and foul !

So taste thou the sorrow thou madest them taste and live * In grief: wend thy
"
ways and now in thy sorrow prowl !

Then he descended from the castle-roof, weeping, and bade the

servants fare forth and search the mount for their mistress ; so
they sought for her, but found her not. Such was their case but ;

as regards Uns al-Wujud, when he was certified that Rose-in-Hood

was indeed gone, he cried with a great cry and fell down in a
fainting-fit, nor came to himself for a long time, whilst the folk
deemed that his spirit had been withdrawn by the Compassionat-
ing One ; and that he was absorbed in contemplation of the
splendour, majesty and beauty of the Requiting One. Then,
despairing of finding Uns al-Wujud, and seeing that the Wazir
Ibrahim was distracted for the loss of his daughter, the Minister
of King Dirbas addressed himself to return to his own country,
albeit he had not attained the object of his journey, and while

bidding his companion adieu, said to him, "I have a mind to take
the Fakir with me it may be Allah Almighty will incline the
;

King's heart to me by his blessing, for that he is a holy man and ;

thereafter, I will send him to Ispahan, which is near our country."

" Do as thou
wilt," answered Ibrahim. So they took leave of each
other and departed, each for his own mother land, the Wazir of
King Dirbas carrying with him Uns al-Wujud
dawn of day and ceased
And Shahrazad -
to say her permitted say.
perceived the

to&cn tt foas tf>t Wbm ^un^retr an*

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir

said, It
of King Dirbas carried with him Uns al-Wujud who was still
insensible. They bore him with them on mule-back (he unknow-

ing if he were carried or not) for three days, when he came

to
 1
Uns al-Wujud and the Wazir s Daughter. 59
" " "
himself and said, Where am I ? Thou art in company with
the Minister of King Dirbas," replied they and went and gave
news of his recovering to the Wazir, who sent him rose-water and
sherbet of sugar, of which they gave him to drink and restored
him. Then they ceased not faring on till they drew near King
Dirbas's capital and the King, being advised of his Wazir's coming,
wrote to him, saying, " If Uns al-Wujud be not with thee, come
not to me ever." Now when the Wazir read the royal mandate,
it was grievous to him, for he knew not that Rose-in-Wood
was with the King, nor why he had been sent in quest of Uns
al-Wujud, nor the King's reasn for desiring the alliance whilst ;

Uns al-Wujud also knew not whither they were bearing him or
that the Wazir had been sent in quest of him nor did the Wazir ;

know that the Fakir he had with him was Uns al-Wujud himself.
And when the Minister saw that the sick man was whole, he said
"
to him, I was despatched by the King on an errand, which I have
not been able to accomplish." So, when he heard of my return, he
wrote to me, saying Except thou have fulfilled my need enter
:

"
not my city." " And what is the King's need ? asked Uns al-
Wujud. So the Wazir told him the whole tale, and he said, " Fear
nothing, but go boldly to the King and take me with thee and I ;

will be surety to thee for the coming of Uns al-Wujud." At this

the Wazir rejoiced and cried, " Is this true which thou sayest ?
"
"
Yes," replied he ; whereupon the Wazir mounted and carried
him King Dirbas who, after receiving their salutations said to
to
" "
Answered the young man, " O
him, Where is Uns al-Wujud ?
King, I know where he is." So the King called him to him and
said,
"
Where ? " Returned Uns al-Wujud, " He is near-hand and
very near ;
but tell me what thou wouldst with him, and I will

fetch himinto thy presence." The King replied, " With joy and
good gree, but the case calleth for privacy." So he ordered the
folk to withdraw and, carrying Uns al-Wujud into his cabinet,
told him the whole story ; whereupon quoth the youth, " Robe me
in rich raiment, and I will forthright bring Uns al-Wujud to thee."
So they brought him a sumptuous dress, and he donned it and
"
said, I am Uns al-Wujud, the World's Delight, and to the envious

a despite "; and presently he smote with his glances every sprite,
and began these couplets to recite :

My loved one's name in cheerless solitude aye cheereth me o And driveth off
mv dcsperancc and long despondency:
60 Alf Laylah wa Laylak.

I have no helper J
but my tears that ever flow in fount, o And as they flow,
they lighten woe and force my
grief to flee.
My longing is so violent naught like it ere was seen ;
o My love-tale is a
marvel and
my love a sight to see :

I spend the night with lids of eye that never close in sleep, o And pass in pas-
sion twixt the Hells and Edens heavenly.
I had of patience fairish store, but now no more have I ;
o And love's sole

gift to me
hath been aye-growing misery :

My frame is wasted by the pain of parting from my own, * And longing

changed my shape and form and made me other be.
Mine eyelids by my torrent tears are chafed, and ulcerate, o The tears, whose
flow to stay is mere impossibility.
My manly strength is I have lost my heart;
sore impaired for How many
griefs upon my griefs have I been doomed to dree !

My heart and head are like in age with similar hoariness o By loss of Beauty's
2
lord, of lords the galaxy:
Despite our wills they parted us and doomed us parted wone, o While they
(our lords) desire no more than love in unity.
Then ah, would Heaven that I wot if stress of parting done, o The world
will grant me sight of them in union fain and free
Roll up the scroll of severance which others would unroll o Efface my
trouble by the grace of meeting's jubilee !

And shall I see them homed with me and in cup-company, o And change my
melancholic mood for joy and jollity ?

And when he ended his verses the King cried aloud, " By Allah,
ye are indeed a pair of lovers true and fain and in Beauty's heaven
of shining stars a twain your story is wondrous and your case
:

marvellous." Then he told him all that had befallen Rose-in-

Hood ;
and Uns al-Wujud said, O King of the "
Where is she,
" "
age ? She is with me now," answered Dirbas and, sending for
the Kazi and the witnesses, drew up the contract of marriage
between her and him. Then he honoured Uns al-Wujud with
favours and bounties and sent to King Shamikh acquainting him
with what had befallen, whereat this King joyed with exceeding
"
joy and wrote back to the following purport. Since the ceremony
of contract hath been performed at thy court, it behoveth that
the marriage and its consummation be at mine." Then he made
ready camels, horses and men and sent them in quest of the
pair ;
and when the embassy reached King Dirbas, he gave the

1
Arab, "Ayn" lit. eye, also a fount, "the eye of the landscape" (a noble simile) ;

and here a helper, guard, assistant.

8
"Lord" for lady, U. she.
 Uns al-Wujud and the Wazif>$ Daughter. 61

lovers much and despatched them to King Shamikh's

treasure
court with a company own troops. The day of their arrival
of his
was a notable day, never was seen a grander for the King gathered ;

together all the singing-women and players on instruments of

music and made wedding banquets and held high festival seven
days and on each day he gave largesse to the folk and bestowed
;

on them sumptuous robes of honour. Then Uns al-Wujud went in

to Rose-in-Hood and they embraced and sat weeping for excess
of joy and gladness, whilst she recited these couplets :

Joyance is come, dispelling cark and care ;

* We are united, enviers may
despair.
The breeze of union blows, enquickening Forms, hearts and vitals, fresh
with fragrant air:
The splendour of delight with scents appears, * And round us ' flags and drums
show gladness rare.
Deem not we're weeping for our stress of grief; It is for joy our tears as
torrents fare :

How many fears weVe seen that now are past ! o And bore we patient what
was sore to bear :

One hour of joyance made us both forget o What from excess of terror grey'd
our hair.

And when the verses were ended, they again embraced and ceased
not from their embrace, till they fell down in a swoon, And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her per-
-
mitted say.

ttfofo ft foas tf)e anfc

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Uns

al-Wujud and Rose-in-Hood embraced when they foregathered
and ceased not from their embrace, till they fell down in a swoon
for the delight of reunion and when they came to themselves,
;

Uns al-Wujud recited these couplets:

How joyously sweet are the nights that unite, o When my dearling deigns keep
me the troth she did plight ;

When union conjoins us in all that we have, o And parting is severed and
sundered from sight,

1
Arab. " Fi'1-khawafik
" = in the four quarters or among the flappers (standards) or
amid palpitations of heart. The bride alludes to a festal reception in a town, with burning

incense, drums, flags, etc., etc.

62 A If Laylak wa Laylaft.
To us comes the world with her favour so fair, o After frown and aversion and
mighty despight !

Hath planted her banner Good Fortune for us, o And we drink of her cup in
the purest delight.
We have met and complained of the pitiful Past, o And of nights a full many
that doomed us to blight.
But now, O my lady, the Past is forgot ;
o The Compassionate pardon the Past
for unright f

How sweet is existence, how glad is to be ! o This union my passion doth only
incite.

And when he ended more embraced, drowned

his verses they once
in the sea of passion and lay down together in the private apart*
;

ment carousing and conversing and quoting verses and telling

pleasant tales and anecdotes. On this wise seven days passed
over them whilst they knew not night from day and it was to them,
for very stress of gaiety and gladness, pleasure and possession, as
if the seven days were but one day with ne'er a morrow. Nor did
they know the seventh day, but by the coming of the singers and
1

players on instruments of music whereat Rose-in-Hood beyond ;

measure wondered and improvised these couplets :

In spite of enviers' jealousy, at end o We have won all we hoped of the

friend :

We Ve crowned our meeting with a close embrace o On quilts where new

brocades with sendal blend ;
On bed of perfumed leather, which the spoils o Of downy birds luxuriously
distend.
But abstain me from unneeded wine, o When honey-dews of lips sweet must
I

can lend :

Now from the sweets of union we unknow e Time near and far, if slow or fast
it wend,
The seventh night hath come and gone, O strange ! o How went the nights we
never reckt or kenned ;
on the seventh wishing joy they "
Til), said, o Allah prolong the meet of friend
"
with friend !

When she had finished her song, Uns al-Wujud kissed her, more
than an hundred times, and recited these couplets :

1
In Egypt tie shorter " "
lasts a week ; and on the seventh day (pop.
honey-moon
called Al-Subii'a) bride and bridegroom receive visits with all ceremony, of course in
separate apartments. The seventh day (like the fortieth, the end of six months and the
anniversary) is kept for births and deaths with Khatmahs (perlectioDs) of the Koran
" "
Saylah family gatherings and so forth. The fortieth day ends the real honeymoon.
See Night dccr.cii.
 Uns at- Wtyud and the Waeir's Daughter. 63

O day of joys to either lover fain ! o The loved one came and freed from lonely
pain :

She blest me with all inner charms she hath ;

o And companied with inner
grace deep lain :

She made me drain the wine of love till I, P Was faint with joys her love had
made me drain :

We toyed and joyed and on each other lay; o Then fell to wine and soft
melodious strain :

And for excess of joyance never knew, o How went the day and how it came
again.
Fair fall each lover, may he union win o And gain of joy like me the amplest
gain;
Nor weet the taste of severance* bitter fruit o And joys assain them as they us
assain !

Then they went forth and distributed to the folk alms and presents
of money and raiment and rare gifts and other tokens of generosity;
after which Rose-in-Hood bade clear the bath for her 1 and, turning
"
to Uns al-Wujud said to him, O coolth of my eyes, I have a mind
Hammam, and therein
to see thee in the will be alone together." we
He joyfully consented to this, and she let scent the Hamman with
all sorts of perfumed woods and essences, and light the wax-

candles. Then of the excess of her contentment she recited these

couplets :

O who didst win my love in other date o (And Present e'er must speak of past
estate) ;

And, oh who ! art my sole sufficiency, o Nor want I other friends with me to
mate :

Come to the Hammam, O my light of eyes, o And enter Eden through Gehenna-
gate \
We '11 scent with ambergris and aloes-wood o Till float the heavy clouds with

fragrant freight ;
And to the World we '11
pardon all her sins o And sue for mercy the Com-
passionate ;

And I will cry, when I descry thee there, o " Good cheer, sweet love, all

blessings on thee wait!"*

Whereupon they arose and fared to the bath and took their
pleasure therein ; after which they returned to their palace and
there abode in the fulness of. enjoyment, till there came to them

1
I have noted the popular practice, amongst men as well as women, of hiring the
Hammam for private parties during the greater part of the day. In
and picnicking in it

this tale the bath would belong to the public and it was a mere freak of the bride to
" "
bathe with her bridegroom. Respectable people do not.
2
She speaks in the last line as the barber or the bathman.
64 Alf Laylak wa Laylak.

the Destroyer of delights and the Sunderer of societies ; and glory

'be toHim who changeth not neither ceaseth, and to whom every-
lining returneth ! And they also tell a tale of

ABU NOWAS WITH THE THREE BOYS AND THE

CALIPH HARUN AL-RASHID. 1

ABU NOWAS one day shut himself up and, making ready a richly-
furnished feast, collected for it meats of all kinds and of every
colour that lips and tongue can desire. Then he went forth, to
seek a minion worthy of such entertainment, saying, " Allah, my
Lord and my Master, I beseech Thee to send me one who befitteth
"
this banquet and who is fit to carouse with me this day Hardly !

had he made an end of speaking when he espied three youths

handsome and beardless, as they were of the boys of Paradise, 8
differing in complexion but fellows in incomparable beauty ; and
all hearts yearned with desire to the swaying of their bending
shapes, even to what saith the poet :

And "
I passed a beardless pair without compare * cried, I love you, both you
w
ferly fair !

" n
And "
Then
Money'd ? quoth one :
quoth I ," lavish too ; said the fair pair,
e, (?est noire affaire.

Now Abu Nowas was given to these joys and loved to sport
and make merry with fair boys and cull the rose from every
brightly blooming cheek, even as saith the bard :

Full many a reverend Shaykh feels sting of flesh, * Loves pretty faces, shows
at Pleasure's depot :

Awakes in Mosul, 3 land of purity ;

* And all the day dreams only of Aleppo.'

So he accosted them with the salutation, and they returned his

Here the "Ana" begin ; and they mostly date themselves. Of the following forty
1

nine, Lane (vol. ii. p. 578 et seq.) gives only twenty-two and transfers them to notes in
chapl. xviii. He could hardly translate several of them in a work
intended to be popular.
Abu Nowas a person carefully to be avoided ; and all but anthropological student*
is
"
skip over anecdotes in which his name and abominations
are advised to-
' occur.
2 " Houris."
Arab. "Ghilman," the counterpart, I have said, of the so-called
3
Mosul boasts of never having been polluted with idolatrous worship, an exemption
which it owes to being a comparatively modern place.
4 " Halabi
The Aleppines were once noted for debauchery; and the saying is still
Shelebi
"
(for Chelebi)
= the Aleppine is a fellow fine.
 Abu Nowas with the Three Boys. 65

greeting with civility and all honour and would have gone their
several ways, but he stayed them, repeating these couplets :

Steer ye your steps to none but me * Who hath a mine of luxury :

Old wine that shines with brightest blee Made by the monk in monastery ;

And mutton-meat the toothsomest * And birds of all variety.

Then eat of these and drink of those * Old wines that bring you jollity :

And have each other, turn by turn, * Shampooing this my tool you see. 1

Thereupon the youths were beguiled by his verses and consented

to his wishes And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.

Koto fcofjen ft teas tfce ^m f^utrti& anb ltc$tn--secon& tfigfrt,

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that when
Abu Nowas beguiled the youths with his verse, they consented to
" "
his wishes, saying, hear and obey ; We
and accompanied him
to his lodging, where they found all ready that he had set forth
in his couplets. They sat down and ate and drank and 'made
merry awhile, after which they appealed to Abu Nowas to decide
which of them was handsomest of face and shapeliest of form.
So he pointed to one of them and, having kissed him twice over,,
recited the following verses :

>
I'll ransom that beauty-spot with my soul ; Where's it and where is a
money-dole?*
Praise Him who hairless hath made that cheek * And bid Beauty bide in
that mole, that mole I

Then he pointed to another and, kissing his lips, repeated these

couplets :

And leveling weareth on his cheek a mole * Like musk, which virgin camphor
ne'er lets off it :

My peepers marvel such a contrast seeing; * And cried the Mole to me,
"Now bless the Prophet." 3

1
Mr. Payne omits the last line. It refers to what Persian boys call, in half-Turkish
" Alish Takish," each acting woman after he has acted man. The best wine
phrase,
is still made in monasteries and the so-called Sinai convent is world-famous for its
" Raki" distilled from raisins.
2
*.*. what a difference there is between them !

Arab. "Salli ala '1-Nabi," a common phrase; meaning not only praise him to
9

avert the evil eye ; but also used when one would impose silence upon a babbler.
The latter will shuffle off by ejaculating "Al" and continue his chatter (Pilgrimage

ii.
279).
VOL, V. E
 66 Alf Laylah tva Laylak.

Then he pointed to the third and, after kissing him half a score
times repeated these couplets :

Melted pure gold in silvern bowl to drain * The youth, whose fingers wore a
winey stain :

He with the drawers * served one cup of wine, * And served his wandering
eyes the other twain.
A leveling, of 2
the sons of Turks, a fawn * Whose waist conjoins the double
Mounts Honayn. 3
Could Eve's corrupting daughters 4 tempt my heart * Content with two-fold
lure 'twould bear the bane.
Unto Diyar-i-Bakr ("maid-land" 5 ) this one lures ;
* That lures to two-mosqued
cities of the plain. 6

Now each of the youths had drunk two cups, and when it came
to the turn of Abu Nowas, he took the goblet and repeated these
couplets :

Drink not strong wine save at the slender dearling's hand ;

* Each like to
other in the spirit grace
all gifts :

For wine can never gladden toper's heart and soul, * Unless the cup-boy show
a bright and sparkling face.

Then he drank off his cup and the bowl went round, and when it
came to Abu Nowas again, joyance got the mastery of him and he
repeated these couplets :

For cup-friends cup succeeding cup assign, * Brimming with grape-juice,

brought in endless line,

By hand of brown-lipped 7 Beauty who is sweet * At wake as apple or musk

finest fine. 8
Drink not the wine except from hand of fawn * Whose cheek to kiss is
sweeter than the wine.

Presently the drink got into his noddle, drunkenness mastered

him and he knew not hand from head, so that he lolled from

1
Arab. " Sukat " (plur. of Saki, cupbearer, our old " skinker ") : the pure gold (tibr)
is the amber-coloured wine, like the Vino d'oro of the Libanus.
2
is, fair, white and red
That Turkish slaves then abounded at Baghdad.
:

3
A
\Vady near Meccah where one of Mohammed's battles was fought. The line
means his waist is a fehread connected broad breast and large hind quarters.
4
Arab. "Zaura" which may mean crooked, alluding to the well-known rib,
6 A
pun. Bakr was the name of the eponymus chief and it also means virgin, as in
Abu Bakr.
6
Arab. " Jami'ayn
"
=
two cathedrals, any large (and consequently vicious) city.
7 Arab. "Alma," before noticed: I cannot translate "damask-lipped" to suit

European taste.
6 musk or apple to cool the mouth of "hot coppers."
Sherbet flavoured with
 Abu Nowas with the Thru Boys, 67

side to side in joy and inclined to the youths one and all,
anon kissing them and anon embracing them leg overlying leg.
And he showed no sense of sin or shame, but recited thesr
couplets :

None wotteth best joyance but generous youth When the pretty ones
deign with him company keep :

This sings to him, sings to him that, when he wants * A pick-me-up

'

lying
there all of a heap :

And when of a leveling he needeth a kiss, He takes from his lips or a draught
or a nip ;
Heaven bless them ! How sweetly my day with them sped ; A wonderful
harvest of pleasurereap I :

Let us drink our good liquor both watered and pure, And agree to swive all

who dare slumber and sleep.

While they were deboshed state behold, there came a

in this

knocking at the so they bade him who knocked enter, and

door ;

behold, it was the Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid.

When they saw him, they all rose and kissed ground before him ;

and Abu Nowas threw off the fumes of the wine for awe of the
Caliph, who said to him, "Holla, Abu Nowas!" He replied,
"Adsum, at thy service, O Commander of the Faithful, whom
Allah preserve !" The Caliph asked, "What state is this? "and
the poet answered, " O Prince of True Believers,, my state indu-
"
bitably dispenseth with questions." Quoth the Caliph, O Abu
Nowas, I have sought direction of Allah Almighty and have ap-
pointed thee Kazi of pimps and panders." Asked he, "Dost
thou indeed invest me with that high office, O Commander of the
" "
Faithful ? and the Caliph answered "I do whereupon ;
Abu
Nowas rejoined,
"
O Commander of the Faithful, hast thou any
"
suit to prefer to me ? Hereat the Caliph was wroth and pre-
sently turned away and left them, full of rage, and passed the
night sore an-angered against Abu Nowas, who amid the party
he had invited spent the merriest of nights and the jolliest and
joyousest. And when
day-break dawned and the star of morn
appeared sheen and shone, he broke up the sitting and, dismiss-
in

ing the youths, donned his court-dress and leaving his house set out
for the palace of the Caliph. Now it was the custom of the Com-
tnander of the Faithful, when the Divan broke up, to withdraw

1
Arab. "L/ash" lit.
raising from his bier. The whole tone is rollicking od
tlangy.
68 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

to his sitting-saloon and summon thither his poets and cup-corn*

panions and musicians, each having his own place, which he
might not overpass. So it happened that day, he retired to his
saloon, and the friends and familiars came and seated themselves,
each in his rank and degree. Presently, in walked Abu Nowas
and was about to take his usual seat, when the Caliph cried to
Masrur, the sworder, and bade him strip the poet of his clothes
and bind an ass's packsaddle on his back and a halter about
his head and a crupper under his rump and lead him round to
all the lodgings of the slave-girls, And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

ttfofo foben ft foas t&e f&bm f^untrcett arrti fg|)tsstf)fr& ttfig&t,

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph

said, It
commanded Masrur, the sworder, to strip Abu Nowas of his court-
suit and bind an ass's packsaddle on his back and a halter about
his head, and a crupper under his rump and lead him round to all
the lodgings of the slave-girls, and the chambers of the Harim,
that the women might make mock of him then cut off his head;

"
and bring it Hearkening and obedience," replied Masrur
to him.

and, doing with Abu Nowas as the Caliph had bidden him, led
him round all the chambers whose number equalled the days of
the year but Abu Nowas was a funny fellow, so he made all the
;

girls laugh with his buffooneries and each gave him something
whereby he returned not save with a pocketful of money. And
while this was going on behold, Ja'afar the Barmecide, who had
been absent on an important business for the Commander of the
Faithful, entered and recognising the poet, albeit in this plight,
said to him, "Holla, Abu Nowas!" He said, "Here at thy
service, O our lord." Ja'afar asked, "What offence hast thou
"
committed to bring this punishment on thee ? Thereupon he
"
answered, whatsoever, except that I made our lord the
None
Caliph a present of the best of my poetry and he presented me, in
return, with the best of his raiment." When the Prince of True
Believers heard this, he laughed, from a heart full of wrath, and
1

pardoned Abu Nowas, and also gave him a myriad

of money.
And they also recount the tale of

1
i.e. In spite of himself: the phrase often ocean.
 Abdallah bin Mcfamar with the Man oj Bassora/t. 69

ABDALLAH BIN MA'AMAR WITH THE MAN OF

BASSORAH AND HIS SLAVE-GIRL.
A CERTAIN man of Bassorah once bought a slave-girl and reared
and educated her right well. Moreover, he loved her very dearly
and spent all his substance in pleasuring and merry-making with
her, till he had naught left and extreme poverty was sore upon him.
So she said to him, " O my master, sell me ; for thou needest my
price and maketh my heart ache to see thy sorry and want-full
it

plight. If thou vend me and make use of my value, 'twill be

better for thee than keeping me by thee, and haply Almighty
Allah will ample thee and amend thy fortune." He agreed to this
for the straitness of hfs case, and carried her to the bazar, where
the broker offered her for sale to the Governor of Bassorah, by
name Abdallah bin Ma'amar al-Taymi, and she pleased him. So
he bought her, for five hundred dinars and paid the sum to her
master but when he took the money and was about to go away,
;

the girl burst into tears and repeated these two couplets :

May coins thou gainest joy in heart instil; o For me remaineth naught save
saddest ill :

soul which sorely grieves, o

" friend departeth an thou
1 say unto my Thy
willorauUV

And when her master heard this, he groaned and replied in these

couplets :

Albeit this thy case lack all resource, o Nor findest aught but death's doom,
pardon still :
Evening and morning, thoughts of thee will dole o Comfort to heart all woes
and griefs full fill :

Peace be upon thee ! meet we now no more o Nor pair except at Ibn Ma'amar's
will.

Now when Abdullah bin Ma'amar heard these verses and saw their
affection, he exclaimed, " By Allah, I will not assist fate in sepa-
rating you ;
for it is evident to me that ye two indeed love each
other. So take the money and the damsel, O man, and Allah
bless thee in both ;
for verily parting be grievous to lovers." So
they kissed his hand and going away, ceased not to dwell together,
till death did them part and glory be to Him whom death over*
;

taketh not ! And amongst stories is that of

pic A If Laylah wa Laylah.

THE LOVERS OF THE BANUi OZRAH.

THERE was once, among the Banu 'Ozrah, a handsome and accom-
plished man, who was never a single day out of love, and it
chanced that he became enamoured of a beauty of his own tribe
and sent her many messages but she ceased not to entreat him
;

with cruelty and disdain till, for stress of love and longing and
;

desire and distraction, he fell sick of a sore sickness and took to

his pillow and murdered sleep. His malady redoubled on him
and his torments increased and he was well nigh dead when his
case became known among the folk and his passion notorious --
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

BToto fo&en tt foas t&e ^fcree f^untoefc an& 1Efg$tgfourtD

She hath reached me,

said, It O
auspicious King, that the man
took to his pillow and murdered sleep. So his case became known
among the folk and his passion notorious and his infirmity grew ;

upon him and his pains redoubled till he was well nigh dead. His
family and hers were urgent with hr to visit him, but she refused,
till he was at the point of death when,
being told of this, she
relented towards him and vouchsafed him a visit. As soon as he
v

saw her, his eyes ran over with tears and he repeated from a
broken heart :

An, by thy life, pass thee my funeral train, A

bier upborne upon the necks
of four,
Wilt thou not follow it, and greet the grave * Where shall my corpse be graved
for evermore ?

Hearing she wept with sore weeping and said to him, " By
this,

Allah, I suspected not that passion had come to such a pass

with thee, as to cast thee into the arms of death Had I wist of !

this, I had been favourable to thy wish, and thou shouldst have

1 " Beni " " Banu r

the oblique for the nominative. !
Europeans usually write for ;

prefer "Odhrah" or "Ozrah to Udhrah ; because the Aya before the Zal takes in
pronunciation the .more open sound.
 The Wazir of al- Yantan and his Young Brother. 7 1

had thy will." At this his tears streamed down even as the clouds
rail rain, and he repeated this verse :

She drew near whenas death was departing us, * And deigned union grant
when 'twas useless all

Then he groaned one groan and died. So she fell on him, kissing
him and weeping and ceased not weeping till she swooned away ;

and when she came to herself, she charged her people to bury her
in his grave and with streaming eyes recited these two couplets I-
We lived on earth a life of fair content ; And tribe and house and home of
us were proud ;

But Time in whirling flight departed us, To join us now in womb of earth
and shroud. 1

Then she again to weeping, nor gave over shedding tears and
fell

lamenting she fainted away; and she lay three days, sense-
till

less. Then she died and was buried in his grave. This is one of
the strange chances of love.2 And I have heard related a tale of
the

WAZIR OF AL-YAMAN AND HIS YOUNG BROTHER.

IT is said that Badr al-Din, Wazir of Al-Yaman, had a young
brother of singular beauty and kept strait watch over him so he ;

applied himself to seek a tutor for him and, coming upon a

Shaykh of dignified and reverend aspect, chaste and religious,
lodged him in a house next his own. This lasted a long time,
and he used to come daily from his dwelling to that of Sahib *
Badr al-Din and teach the young brother. After a while, the old
man's heart was taken with love for the youth, and longing grew
upon him and his vitals were troubled, till one day, he bemoaned
his case to the boy, who said, "What can I do, seeing that I

1
Possibly meaning that they were shrouded together ; this would be opposed to
Moslem sense of decorum in modern days, but the ancient were not so squeamish. See
Night cccxi.
2
This phase of passion in the "varium et mutabile" is often treated of by Oriental
story-tellers, and not unoften seen in real Eastern life.
3
As has been said, "Sahib" (preceding the name not following it as in India) is a
"Wazirial title in mediaeval Islam.
72 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

may not leave my brother night or day ? and thou thyself seest
how careful he is over me." Quoth the Shaykh, " My lodging
adjoineth thine; so there will be no difficulty, when thy brother
sleepeth, to rise and entering the privy, feign thyself asleep Then
come to the parapet 1 of the terrace-roof and I will receive thee on
the other side of the wall ; so shalt thou sit with me an eye-
jtwinkling and return without thy brother's knowledge." " I hear
and obey," answered the lad and the tutor began to prepare gifts
;

suitable to his degree. Now when a while of the night was past, he
entered the water-closet and waited till his brother lay down on his
bed and took patience till he was drowned in sleep, when he rose
and going to the parapet of the terrace-roof, found standing there
to await him the old man, who gave him his hand and carried him
to the sitting-chamber, where he had made ready various dainties for
his entertainment, and they sat down to carouse. Now it was the
night of the full moon and, as they sat with the wine-cup going
round, her rays shone upon them, and the governor fell to singing
But, whilst they were thus in joy and jollity and mirth and merri-
ment, such as confoundeth the wit and the sight and defieth
description, lo ! awoke and, missing his
the Wazir brother, arose in
affright and found the door open. So he went up to the roof and

hearing a noise of talk, climbed over the parapet to the adjoining

terrace and saw a light shining from the lodging. He looked in
from behind the wall, and espied his brother and his tutor sitting at
carouse but the Shaykh became aware of him and sang cup in
:

hand, to a lively measure these couplets :

He made me drain his wine of honeyed lips, # Toasting with cheeks which rose
and myrtle smother :

Then nighted in embrace, cheek to my cheek, * A leveling midst mankind

without another.
When the full moon arose on us and shone * Pray she traduce us not to the
big brother.

And proved the perfect politeness of the Wazir Badr al-Din

it
"
that, when he heard this, he said, By Allah, I will not betray
" And he went
you !
away and left them to their diversions.
They also tell a tale concerning

1
This parapet was rendered obligatory by Moses (DeuL xxii. 8) on account of the

danger of leaving a flat roof without garde-fou. Eastern Christians neglect the precau-
tion and often lose their children by the neglect.
 The Boy and Girl at School. 73

THE LOVES OF THE BOY AND GIRL AT SCHOOL.

A FREE boy and a slave-girl once learnt together in school, and
the boy fell passionately in love with the girl. And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Noto tobcn it foas tfjc Sfjree ^tmtoeto arrt ^tg&tg-fiftt)

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the lad

said, It
fell passionately in love with the slave-lass so one day, when the :

other boys were heedless, he took her tablet 1 and wrote on it these
two couplets :

What sayest thou of him by sickness waste, o Until he's clean distraught for
love of thee ?
Who in the transport of his pain complains, e> Nor can bear load of heart
in secrecy ?

Now when the girl took her tablet, she read the verses written
thereon and understanding them, wept for ruth of him ; then she
wrote thereunder these two couplets :

An if we behold a lover love-fordone o Desiring us, our favours he shall

see :

Yea, what he wills of us he shall obtain, o And so befal us what befalling

be.

Now it chanced that the teacher came on them and taking m

the tablet, unnoticed, read what was written thereon. So he was
moved to pity of their case and wrote on the tablet beneath those
already written these two couplets addressed to the girl :

1
Arab. " Lauh." A bit of thin board washed white used for lessons as slates are

amongst us, and as easily cleaned because the inks contain no minerals. It is a long

parallelogram with triangular ears at the short sides ; and the shape must date from ages
immemorial as it is found, throughout Syria and its adjoinings, in the oldest rock inscrip-
tions to which the form serves as a frame. Hence the "abacus" or counting table
derives from the Gr. aa a slab (or in Phenician "sand"), dust or sand in old days
having been trcwed on a table or tablet for school-boys' writings and mathematical

diagrams
,74 A If Layla wa ft Laylah.

Console thy lover, fear no consequence ;

o He is daft with loving lowe's
insanity ;
But for the teacher fear not aught from him ;
o Love-pain he learned
long before
learnt ye.

Presently it so happened that the girl's owner entered the school

about the same time and, finding the tablet, read the above verses
indited by the boy, the girl and the schoolmaster; and wrote under
tnem these two couplets :

May Allah never make you parting dree o And be your censurer shamed
wearily !

But for the teacher ne'er, by Allah, eye o Of mine beheld a bigger pimp
.than bet

Then he sent for the Kazi and witnesses and married them on the
spot. Moreover, he made them a wedding-feast and treated them
with exceeding munificence and they ceased not abiding together
;

in joy and happiness, till there came to them the Destroyer of

delights and the Severer of societies. And equally pleasant is the

story of

AL-MUTALAMMIS AND HIS WIFE UMAYMAH.

IT is related that Al-Mutalammis l once fled from Al-Nu'uman

bin Munzir 2
and was absent so long that folk deemed him dead.
Now he had a beautiful wife, Umaymah by name, and her family
urged her to marry again but she refused, for that she loved her
;

husband Al-Mutalammis very dearly. However, they were urgent

with her, because of the multitude of her suitors, and importuned
her till she at last consented, albe
reluctantly and they espoused ;

her to a man of her own tribe. Now on the night of the wedding,
Al-Mutalammis came back and, hearing in the camp a noise of
pipes and tabrets and seeing signs of a wedding festival, asked

1
A " Prize
pre-lslamitic bard and friend of Tarafah the poet of the Suspended or
Poem." The tale is familiar to all the Moslem East. Tarafah's Laura was one Khaula.

King of Hirah in Chaldaea, a drunken and bloodthirsty tyrant. When offended by

2

the lampoons of the two poets he sent them with litterse Bellerophontiae to the Governor
of AI-Bahrayn. Al-Mutalammis "smelt a rat" and destroyed his charge, but Tarafah
was mutilated and buried alive, the victim of a trick which is old as (and older than)
good King David and Uriah. Of course neither poet could read.
 Tfu Caliph Harun al-Rashid and Queen Zubaydah. 75

some of the what was the merry making, to which they

children
replied, "They have married Umaymah wife of Al-Mutalammis,
to such an one, and he goes in to her this night." When he heard
this, he planned to enter the house amongst the mob of women
and saw the twain seated on the bridal couch. 1 By and by, the
bridegroom came up to her, whereupon she sighed heavily and
weeping, recited this couplet :

Would Heaven I knew (but many are the shifts of

joy and woe) o In whet far
distant land thou art, my Mutalammis, oh 1

Now Al-Mutalammis was a renowned poet ;

so he answered her
saying :

Right near at hand, Umaymah mine ! whene'er the caravan o Halted, I never
ceased for thee to pine, I would thou know.

When the bridegroom heard this, he guessed how the case stood
and went forth from among them in haste improvising :

I was in bestest luck, but now my luck goes contrary : o A hospitable house
and room contain your loves, you two !

And he returned not but left the twain to their privacy. So Al-
Mutalammis and abode together in all comfort and solace
his wife
of life and in all its joys and jollities till death parted them. And
glory be to Him at whose command the earth and the heavens
shall arise ! And among other tales is that of

THE CALIPH HARUN AL-RASHID AND QUEEN

ZUBAYDAH IN THE BATH.
THE Caliph Harun al-Rashid loved the Lady Zubaydah with
exceeding love and laid out for her a pleasaunce, wherein he made
a great tank and set thereabouts a screen of trees and led thither
water from all sides hence the trees grew and interlaced over the
;

basin so densely, that one could go in and wash, without being

1
On this occasion, and in presence of the women only, the groom first sees or is

supposed to see the face of his wife. It is, I have said, the fashion for both to be greatly
overcome and to appear as if about to faint : he groom looks especially ridiculous when
so attitudinising.
?6 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

seen of any, for the thickness of the leafage. It chanced, one day,
that Queen Zubaydah entered the garden and, coming to the

swimming-bath, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day

and ceased to say her permitted say.

Koto fo&en ft toa* rtje %\>m f^untoefc anb 3Et'$tg--s{xt& Nt$t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Queen

Zubaydah entered the garden one day and, coming to the swim-
ming-bath, gazed upon its goodliness and the sheen of the water
;

and the overshading of the trees pleased her. Now it was a day
of exceeding heat ; so she doffed her clothes and, entering the
tank, which was not deep enough to cover the whole person, fell
to pouring the water over herself from an ewer of silver. It also

happened that the Caliph heard she was in the pool ; so he left
his palace and came down to spy upon her through the screen of
the foliage. He stood behind the trees and espied her mother-
nude, showing everything that is kept hidden. Presently, she
became aware of him and turning, saw him behind the trees and
was ashamed that he should see her naked. So she laid her hands
on her parts, but the Mount of Venus escaped from between them,
by reason of its greatness and plumpness and the Caliph at once ;

turned and went away, wondering and reciting this couplet :

I looked on her with loving eyne o And grew anew my old repine :

But he knew not what to say next ;

so he sent for Abu Nowas and
said to him,
"
Make me a piece of verse commencing with this
"
hear and obey," replied the poet and in an eye-twinkling
line." I

extemporised these couplets :

1looked on her with longing eyne o And grew anew my old repine
For the gazelle, who captured me o Where the two lotus-trees incline:
There was the water poured on it o From ewer of the silvern mine ;

And seen me she had hidden it o But 'twas too plump for fingers fine.
1
Would Heaven that I were on it, o An hour, or better two hours, li'en.

1
This leisurely operation of the " deed of kind
"
was sure to be noticed ; but we do
not find in The Nights any allusion to that systematic prolongatio veneris which is so
much cultivated by Moslems under the name Imsak =
retention, withholding i.e. the
semen. Yet Eastern books on domestic medicine consist mostly of two parts the first ;

of general prescriptions and the second of aphrodisiacs especially those qui prolongetU
 Harun al-Rashid and the Three Poets. 77

Thereupon the Commander of the Faithful smiled and made him

a handsome present and he went away rejoicing. And I have
heard another story of

HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE THREE POETS.

THE Prince of Believers, Caliph Harun al-Rashid, was

True
exceeding one
restless night so he rose and walked about his
;

palace, till he happened on a handmaid overcome with wine. Now

he was prodigiously enamoured of this damsel so he played with ;

her and pulled her to him, whereupon her zone fell down and her
petticoat-trousers were loosed and he besought her of amorous
favour. But she safd to him, "O Commander of the Faithful
wait till to-morrow night, for I am unprepared for thee, knowing
not of thy coming." So he left her and went away. But, when
the morrow showed its light and the sun shone bright, he sent a
"
page to her saying, The Commander of the Faithful is about to
" "
visit thine apartment but she replied, Day doth away with the
;

promise of night." So he said to his courtiers, make me somewhat

of verse, introducing these words, " The promise of Night is effaced
by Day." Answered they,
"
We J>
hear and obey, and Al-Rakashi 1
came forward and recited the following couplets :

By Allah, couldst thou but feel my pain, * Thy rest had turned and had fled

away.

le plaisir as did the Gaul by thinking of sa pauvrt mire. The Ananga-Ranga, by the
Reverend Koka Pandit before quoted, gives a host of recipes which are used, either
externally or internally, to hasten the paroxysm of the woman and delay the orgasm of
the man (p. 27). Some of these are curious in the extreme. I heard of a Hindi who made
a candle of frogs' fat and fibre warranted to retain the seed till it burned out it failed
:

notably because, relying upon it, he worked too vigorously. The essence of the
"retaining art" is to avoid over-tension of the muscles and to pre-occupy the brain :
hence in coition Hindus will drink sherbet, chew betel-nut and even smoke. Europeans
ignoring the science and practice, are contemptuously compared with village-cocks by
Hindu women who cannot be satisfied, such is their natural coldness, increased doubtless
by vegetable diet and unuse of stimulants, with less than twenty minutes. Hence too
while thousands of Europeans have cohabited for years with and have had families by
" native
women," they are never loved by them : at least I never heard of a case.
Abu '1 Abbas al-Rakashi, a poet of the time. The saying became proverbial
1

(Barckhardt's A. Proverbs No. 561) and there are variants, e.g. The night's promise is
spread with butter that melteth when day arisetb.
78 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

Hath left me in sorrow and love distraught, * Unseen and unseeing, that fairest

may :

"
She promised me gtace, then jilted and said, * The promise of night is effaced
"
by day !

Then Abu Mus'ab came forward and recited these couplets :

When wilt thou be wise and love-heat allay That from food and sleeping so
leads astray ?
Suffices thee not ever weeping eye, And vitals on fire when thy name they
say?
He must smile and laugh and in pride must cry "The promise of Night is

effaced by Day."

Last came Abu Nowas and recited the following couplets :

As love waxt longer less met we tway * And fell out, but ended the useless
fray;
One night in the palace I found her fou' ; * Yet of modesty still there was some
display :

The veil from her shoulders had slipt ; and showed * Her loosened trousers
Love's seat and stay :

And rattled the breezes her huge hind cheeks * And the branch where two
little pomegranates lay :

Quoth I, "Give me tryst;" whereto quoth she o "To-morrow the fane shall
wear best array :"
Next day I asked her, "Thy word?" Said she o "The promise of Night is
effaced by Day."

The Caliph bade give a myriad of money each to Al-Rakashi and

Abu Mus'ab, but bade strike off the head of Abu Nowas, saying,
" Thou wast with us "
yesternight in the palace." Said he, By
Allah, I slept not but in my own house ! I was directed to what I
said by thine own words as to the subject of the verse ; and indeed

quoth Almighty Allah (and He is the truest of all speakers) As :

for poets (devils pursue them !) dost thou not see that they rove as
bereft of their senses through every valley and that they say that
which they do not ? " * So the Caliph forgave him and gave him
two myriads of money. And another tale is that of

*
Koran xxvi. 5, 6 or " And those who err (Arab. Al-ghawun) follow the footsteps of
the poets," etc.
 Musab bin al-Zubayr ana Ayishah. 79

MUS'AB BIN AL-ZUBAYR AND AYISHAH

DAUGHTER OF TALHAH.
1
IT is Mus'ab bin al-Zubayr that he met in Al-Medinah
told of
Izzah, who was one of the shrewdest of women, and said to her,
" 2
I have a mind to marry Ayishah daughter of Talhah, and I
should like thee to go herwards and spy out for me how she is
made." So she went away and returning to Mus'ab, said, " I have
seen her, and her face is fairer than health she hath large and ;

well-opened eyes and under them a nose straight and smooth as a

cane oval cheeks and a mouth like a cleft pomegranate, a neck as
;

a silver ewer and below it a bosom with two breasts like twin-
pomegranates and further down a slim waist and a slender
stomach with a navel therein as it were a casket of ivory, and back
parts like a hummock of sand and plumply rounded thighs and
;

calves like columns of alabaster but I saw her feet to be large,

;

and thou wilt fall short with her in time of need." Upon this
report he married her
--
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Note foften ft foas rtje ^fjree ^un&rrtji nnto 15i$tB'Sebent&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when

Izzah this wise reported of Ayishah bint Talhah, Mus'ab married
her and went in to her. And presently Izzah invited Ayishah
and the women of the tribe Kuraysh to her house, when Ayishah
sang these two couplets with Mus'ab standing by :

And the lips of girls, that are perfume sweet ;

o So nice to kiss when with
smiles they greet :

Yet ne'er tasted I them, but in thought of him ;

o And by thought the Ruler
rules worldly seat

The night of Mus'ab's going in unto her, he departed not from

her, till after seven bouts ; and on the morrow, a freedwoman
" Thou
of his met him and said to him, May I be thy sacrifice !

1
Half- brother of Abdullah bin al-Zubayr, the celebrated pretender.

Grand-daughter of the Caliph Abu Bakr and the most beautiful woman oilier
*
 Bo Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

art perfect, even in this." And a certain woman said, " I was
with Ayishah, when her husband came in to her, and she lusted
for him ; so he fell upon her and she snarked and snorted and
made use of all manner of wondrous movements and marvellous
new inventions, and I the while within hearing. So, when he
came out from her, I said to her, "How canst thou do thus
with thy rank and nobility and condition, and I in thy house ? "
Quoth she, "Verily a woman should bring her husband ail of
which she is mistress, by way of excitement and rare buckings
and wrigglings and motitations. 1 What dislikest thou of this ? "
And I answered "I would have this by nights." Rejoined she,
"
Thus is it by day and by night I do more than this for when ;

he seeth me, desire stirreth him up and he falleth in heat ; so

he putteth it out to me and I obey him, and it is as thou seest."
And there also hath reached me an account of

ABU AL-ASWAD AND HIS SLAVE-GIRL.

ABU AL-ASWAD bought a native-born slave-girl, who was blind
of an eye, and she pleased him ; but his people decried her
to him whereat he wondered and, turning the palms of his
;

'hands upwards, 2 recited these two couplets :

vThey find me her where I default ne'er find, o Save haply that
fault with
a speck eye may show :
in either
But if her eyes have fault, of fault her form hath none, o Slim-built above
the waist and heavily made below.

And this is also told of

*
The " remarks " The
Calc. Edit, by mistake reads Izzah." Torrens (notes i.-xi.)
word Choonj applied to this sort of blandishment (i.e. an affected gait), and says
is

Burckhardt (Prov. No. 685), * f The women of Cairo flatter themselves that their Ghoonj
is superior to that of all other females in the Levant" But Torrens did not understand
and Burckhardt would not explain "Ghunj" except by "assumed airs" (see No. 714).
It here means the art of moving in coition, which is especially affected, even by modest

women, throughout the East and they have many books teaching the genial art. In
China there are professors, mostly old women, who instruct young girls in this branch
of the gymnastic.
2
When reciting the Fatihah (opening Koranic chapter), the hands are held in thi*
position as if to receive a blessing falling from Heaven ; after which both palms are
passed down the face to distribute it over the eyes and other organs of sense.
 Harun al-Rashid and the Slave-Girls. 8t

HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE TWO SLAVE-GIRLS.

THE Caliph Harun al-Rashid lay one night between two slave-
girls, one from Al-Medinah and the other from Cufa and the
Cufite rubbed his hands, whilst the Medinite rubbed his feet
and made his concern l stand up. Quoth the Cufite, " I see
thou wouldst keep the whole of the stock-in-trade to thyself;
give me my share of it." And the other answered, "I have been
told by Mcilik, on the authority of Hishdm ibn Orwah, 2 who had
itof his (grand) father, that the Prophet said, " Whoso quickeneth
the dead, the dead belongeth to him and is his." But the Cufite
took her unawares and, pushing her away, seized it all in her
own hand and said, " Al-A'afnash telleth us, on the authority of
Khaysamah, who had it of Abdallah bin Mas'ud, that the Prophet
declared, Game belongeth to him who taketh it, not to him who
raiseth it." And this is also related of

THE CALIPH HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE THREE

SLAVE-GIRLS.

THE Caliph Harun al-Rashid once slept with three slave-girls,

a Meccan, a Medinite and an Irakite. The Medinah girl put
her hand to his yard and handled it, whereupon it rose and the
Meccan sprang up and drew it to herself. Quoth the other,
"What is this unjust aggression ? A tradition was related to me
3
by Malik after Al-Zuhri, after Abdallah ibn Sdlim, after Sa'fd bin

Zayd, that the Apostle of Allah (whom Allah bless and keep !)
said Whoso enquickeneth a dead land, it is his." And the
:

Meccan answered, "It is related to us by Sufydn, from Abu

1
The word used is
" biza'at
" = capital or a share in a mercantile business.
*
This and the following names are those of noted traditionists of the eighth
"
century, who derive back to Abdallah bin Mas'ud, a Companion of the Apostle."
The text shows the formula of ascription for quoting a " Hadis
" =:
recognised saying
of Mohammed ; and sometimes it has to pass through half a dozen mouths.
8
Traditionists of the seventh and eighth centuries who refer back to the
" Father of
"
the Kitten (Abu Horayrah), an uncle of the Apostle.
VOL. V. F
82 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Zandd, from Al-A'araj, from Abu Horayrah, that the Apostle

"
of Allah said The quarry
: is his who catcheth it, not his who
starteth it." But the Irak girl pushed them both away and
"
taking it to herself, said, This is mine, till your contention be
decided." And they tell a tale of

THE MILLER AND HIS WIFE.

THERE was a miller, who had an ass to turn his mill and he ;

was married to a wicked wife, whom he loved, while she hated

him because she was sweet upon a neighbour, who misliked
her and held aloof from her. One night, the miller saw, in his
sleep,one who said to him, " Dig in such a spot of the ass's
round in the mill, and thou shalt find a hoard." When he
awoke, he told his wife the vision and bade her keep the secret ;
but she told her neighbour And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

JLofo fo&en ft teas tfje ^fjm f^turtHtfc anto

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that the miller's
wife told the secret to the neighbour whom she loved, thinking
to win his favour and he agreed with her to come to her by
;

night. So he came and they dug in the mill and found the
"
treasure and took it forth. Then he asked her, How shall we
" "
do with this ? and she answered will divide it into ;
We
two halves and will share it equally between us, and do thou
leave thy wife and I will cast about to rid me of my husband.
Then shalt thou marry me and, when we are conjoined, we will

join the two halves of the treasure one to other, and all will be in
our hands." Quoth he, " I fear lest Satan seduce thee and thou
take some man other than myself; for gold in the house is like
the sun in the world. I reck, therefore, it were right that the
money be all in my hands, so thou give thy whole mind to getting
"
free of thy husband and coming to me." Quoth she, I fear even
,as thou fearest, nor will I yieldup my part to thee for it was I
;

"
directed thee to it When he heard this, greed of gain prompted
 The Simpleton and the Sharper. 85

him to kill her; so he slew her and threw her body into the

empty hoard-hole but day overtook him and hindered him from
;

covering it up he therefore took the money and went his way.

;

Now after a while the miller awoke and, missing his wife, went
into the mill, where he fastened the ass to the beam and shouted
to it. It went on a little, then stopped whereupon he beat it ;

grievously but the

;
more he bashed it, the more it drew back ;
for it was affrighted at the dead woman and could not go forward.

Thereupon the Miller, unknowing what hindered the donkey, took

out a knife and goaded it again and again, but still it would not
budge. Then he was wroth with it, knowing not the cause of its
obstinacy, and drove the knife into its flanks, and it fell down*
dead. But when the sun rose, he saw his donkey lying dead and-
1

likewise his wife in the place of the treasure, and great was his
rage and sore his wrath for the loss of his hoard and the death of
his wife and his ass. All this came of his letting his wife into his
secret and not keeping it to himself. 1 And I have heard this tale of

THE SIMPLETON AND THE SHARPER.

A CERTAIN simpleton was once walking along, haling his ass after,
him by the halter, when a pair of sharpers saw him and one said
"
to his fellow, I will take that ass from yonder wight." Asked
" " "
the other, How wilt thou do that ? Follow me and I will

show thee how," answered the first. the cony-catcher went up

So
to the ass and, loosing it from the halter, gave the beast to his
fellow;
then he haltered his own head and followed Tom Fool tilt

he knew the other had got clean off with the ass, when he stood
still. The oaf haled at the halter, but the rascal stirred not ; so
he turned and seeing the halter on a man's neck, said to him,
"
What art thou ? " Quoth the sharper, " I am thine ass and my
story is a wondrous one and 'tis this. Know that I have a pious
old mother and came in to her one day, drunk and she said to> ;

Pilpay says in "Kalilah wa

1
Eastern story-books abound in these instances.
" I am the slave of what I have
Dimnah," spoken and the lord of what I keep hidden."
Sa'adi follows suit, " When thou speakest not a word, thou hast thy hand upon it ; when
"
it is once spoken it hath laid its hand on thee." Caxton, in the Dyctes, or Sayings oC
" almost the same words.
Philosopher? (printed in 1477) uses
$4 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

me : O my son, repent to the Almighty of these thy transgres->

sions. But I took my staff and beat her, whereupon she cursed
me and Allah changed me into an ass and caused me fall into thy
hands, where I have remained till this moment. However, to-day,
my mother called me to mind and her heart yearned towards me ;
so she prayed for me and the Lord restored me to my former
"
shape amongst the sons of Adam." Cried the silly one, There is
no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the
Great !Allah upon thee, O my brother, acquit me of what I have
done with thee in the way of riding and so forth.'* Then he let
the cony-catcher go and returned home, drunken with chagrin and
concern as with wine. His wife asked him, " What aileth thee
and where is the donkey ? " and he answered, " Thou knowest
;

not what was this ass but I will tell thee." So he told her the
;

" Alack and alas for the

story, and she exclaimed, punishment we
shall receive from Almighty Allah How could we have used a
!

man as a beast of burden, all this while ? " And she gave alms
by way of atonement and prayed pardon of Heaven.
1
Then the
man abode awhile at home, idle and feckless, till she said to him,
" How
long wilt thou sit at home doing naught ? Go to the
market and buy us an ass and ply thy work with it." Accordingly,
he went to the market and stopped by the ass-stand, where
behold, he saw his own ass for sale. So he went up to it and
"
clapping his mouth to its ear, said to it, Woe to thee, thou ne'er-
do-well t Doubtless thou hast been getting drunk again and
"*
beating thy mother ! But, by Allah, I will never buy thee more !

And he left it and went away. And they tell a tale concerning

i.e. for her husband's and her sin in using a man like a beast.
1

* See the Second

Lady's story (tantdt Kadi r tant&t bandit), pp. 20-26 by my friend
YaCOub Artin Pasha in the Bulletin before quoted, series ii. No. 4 of 1883. The
sharpers' trick is common in Eastern folk-lore,
and the idea that underlies is always
metempsychosis or metamorphosis. So, in the Kalilah was Dimnah (new Syriac), the.
three rogues persuade the ascetic that he is leading a dog not a sheep.
 The Kazi Abu Yusuf with Harun al-Rashid. $5

THE KAZI ABU YUSUF WITH HARUN AL-RASHID

AND QUEEN ZUBAYDAH.
THE Caliph Harun al-Rashid went up one noon-tide to his couch,
to down ; and mounting, found upon the bed-clothes semen
lie

freshly emitted ; whereat he was startled and troubled with sore'

trouble. So he called the Lady Zubaydah and said to her,
"
What is that spilt on the bed ? " She looked at it and replied,
"O- Commander of the Faithful, it is- semen." Quoth he, "Tell
me truly what this meaneth or I will lay violent hands on thee
forthright." "By Allah, O Commander of the Faithful,
Quoth she,
indeed I know not how it came there and I am guiltless of that
whereof thou suspectest me." So he sent for the Kazi Abu Yusuf
and acquainted him of the case. The Judge raised his eyes to
the ceiling and, seeing a crack therein, said to the Caliph, " O
Commander of the Faithful, in very sooth the bat hath seed like
that of a man, 1 and this is bat's semen." Then he called for a
spear and thrust it into the crevice, whereupon down fell the bat.
In this manner the Caliph's suspicions were dispelled
razad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
- And Shah-

Hioto foben it foas t&e Wym. f^untjrefc.

anfc (St'ofctg^nmtl) Jltgfjt,

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the

said, It
Kazi Abu Yusuf took the spear and thrust it into the crevice^
down fell the bat, and thus the Caliph's suspicions were dispelled
and the innocence of Zubaydah was made manifest ; whereat she
gave loud and liberal vent to her joy and promised Abu Yusuf
a magnificent reward. Now there were with her certain delicious
fruits, out of their season, and she knew of others in the garden ;

1
This is the popular prejudice and it has doubtless saved many a reputation. The
bat is known to Moslems as the Bird of Jesus, a legend derived by the Koran from the

Gospel of Infancy (i chapt. xv. Hone's Apocryphal New Testament), in which the boy
Jesus amuses himself with making birds of clay and commanding them to fly when
(according to the Moslems) they became bats. These Apocryphal Gospels must be
.

carefully read, if the student would understand a number of Moslem allusions to the

Injil which no Evangel contains.

 86 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.
"
so she asked Abu
Yusuf, O
Imam of the Faith, which wouldest'
thou rather have of the two kinds of fruits, those that are here or
"
those that are not here ? And he answered, " Our code forbiddeth
us to pronounce judgment on the absent wheneas they are pre- ;

sent, we will give our decision." So she let bring the two kinds
"
of fruits before him and he ate. of both. Quoth she, What is
;

" "
the difference between them ? and quoth he, As often as I
think to praise one kind, the adversary putteth in its claim." The ,

Caliph laughed at his answer and made him a rich present ; and
1

Zubaydah also gave him what she had promised him, and he went
away, rejoicing. See, then the virtues of this Imam and how at
his hands were manifest the truth and the innocence of the Lady

Zubaydah. And amongst other stories is that of

THE CALIPH AL-HAKIM 2 AND THE MERCHANT.,

THE Al-Hakim bi-Amri'llah was riding out instate pro-
Caliph
cession one day, when he passed along a garden, wherein he saw
a man, surrounded by negro-slaves and eunuchs. He asked him
for a draught of water, and the man gave him to drink, saying,
"
Belike, the Commander of the Faithful will honour me by alight-
ing in this my garden." So the Caliph dismounted and with his
suite entered the garden whereupon the said man brought out
;

to them an hundred rugs and an hundred leather mats and. an

hundred cushions and set before them an hundred dishes of
;

fruits, an hundred bowls of sweetmeats and an hundred jars of

sugared sherbets at which the Caliph marvelled with much amaze

;

and said to his host, " O man, verily this thy case is wondrous :

didst thou know of our coming and make this preparation for
" He "
us ? replied, No, by Allah, O Commander of the Faithful,
I knew not of thy coming and I am a merchant of the rest of thy

subjects but I have an hundred concubines so, when the Com-

; ;

mander of the Faithful honoured me by alighting with me, I sent

*
Because it quibbled away out of every question, a truly diplomatic art.
*
This Caliph, the orthodox Abbaside of Egypt (A.D. 1261) must not be confounded
with the Druze-god, the heretical Fatimite (A.D. 996-1021). D'Herbelot (" Hakem ")
gives details. Mr. S. L. Poole (The Academy, April 26, '79) is very severe on the
slip of Mr. Payne.
 King Kisra Anushirwan and the Village Damsel. 87

to each of them, bidding her send me her morning-meal in the

garden. So they sent me each of her furniture and the surplus of

her meat and drink : and every day each sendeth me a dish of
meat and another of cooling marinades, also a platter of fruits
and a bowl of sweetmeats and a jar of sherbet. This is my noon-
day dinner, nor have I added aught thereto for thee." Then the
Commander of the Faithful, Al-Hakim bi-Amri'llah prostrated
himself in thanksgiving to the Almighty (extolled and exalted be
His name !) and said, " Praised be Allah, who hath been so bounti-
ful to one of our lieges, that he entertaineth the Caliph and his

host, without making ready for them nay, he feedeth them with ;
"
the surplusage of his day's provision Then he sent for all the
!

dirhams in the treasury, that had been struck that year (and they
were in number three thousand and seven hundred thousand) ;
nor did he mount the money came, when he gave it to the
till
" and thy
merchant, saying, Use this as thy state may require ;

generosity deserveth more than this." Then he took horse and

rode away. And I have heard a story concerning

KING KISRA ANUSHIRWAN 1

AND THE VILLAGE
DAMSEL.
THE just King, Kisra Anushirwdn one day rode forth to the
chase and, in pursuit of a deer, became separated from his suite.
Presently, he caught sight of a hamlet near hand and being sore
athirst, he made for it and presenting himself at the door of a
house that lay by the wayside, asked for a draught of water. Sc
a damsel came out and looked at him then, going back into the ;

house, pressed the juice from a single sugar-cane into a bowl and
mixed it with water; after which she strewed on the top some
scented stuff, as it were dust, and carried it to the King. There-
upon he seeing in it what resembled dust, drank it, little by little,
till he came to the end when said he to her, " O damsel, the
;

drink is good, and how sweet it had been but for this dust in it

1
The beautiful name is Persian " Anushln-rawan " =
Sweet of Soul ; and the
glorious title of this contemporary of Mohammed is " Al- Malik al-Adil" = the Just
King Kisra, the Chosroe per excellentiam, is also applied to the godly Guebre of
whom every Eastern dictionary gives details.
88 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

that troubleth Answered she, " O guest, I put in that powder

it,"

for a purpose;" and he asked, "And why didst thou thus ?" so ;

she replied, " I saw thee exceeding thirsty and feared that thou
wouldst drain the whole at one draught and that this would do
thee mischief; and but for this dust that troubled the drink so
hadst thou done." The Just King wondered at her words, know-
ing that they came of her wit and good sense, and said to her,
"
From how many "
sugar canes didst thou express this draught ?
"
One," answered she ; whereat Anushirwan marvelled and, calling'
for the register of the village taxes, saw that its assessment was
but and bethought him to increase it, on his return to his
little

palace, saying in himself,

"
A village where they get this much
"
juice out of one sugar-cane, why is it so lightly taxed ? He then
left the village and pursued his chase and, as he came back at
;

the end of the day, he passed alone by the same door and called
again for drink; whereupon the same damsel came out and,
knowing him at a look, went in to fetch him water. It was some
time before she returned and Anushirwan wondered thereat and
" "
said to her, Why hast thou tarried ? And Shahrazad per-
ceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Koto to&m it foas tfje QPbm f^untowtr antj Nmetitti)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King,, that when

Anushirwan hurried the damsel and asked her, " Why hast thou
" she "
tarried ? answered, Because a single sugar-cane gave not
enough for thy need so I pressed three ; but they yielded not so
;

much as did one before." Rejoined he, "What is the cause of

" and she " The cause of it is that when the
that ? ; replied,
Sultan's 1 mind
changed against a folk, their prosperity ceaseth
is

and their
good waxeth less." So Anushirwan laughed and dis-
missed from his mind that which he had purposed against the
villagers. Moreover, he took the damsel to wife then and there>
being pleased with her much wit and acuteness and the excellence
of her speech. And they tell another tale of the

1 " Sultan " is title was first assumed

here an anachronism: I have noted that Ihe
independently by Mohammed had been conferred by the Caliph upon
of Ghazni after it

his father the Amir Al-Umara (Mayor of the Palace), Sabuktagin A.D. 974.
 The Water Carrier and the GeldsmitKs Wife. 89

WATER-CARRIER AND THE GOLDSMITH'S WIFE.

1

THERE was once, in the city of Bokhara, a water-carrier, who

used to carry water to the house of a goldsmith and had done this
thirty years. Now that goldsmith had a wife of exceeding beauty
and loveliness, brilliancy and perfect grace ; and she was withal
renowned for piety, chastity and modesty. One day the water-
carrier came, as of custom, and poured the water into the cisterns,
Now the woman was standing in the midst of the court; so he
went close up to her and taking her hand, stroked it and pressed
it, then went away and left her. When her husband came home
from the bazar, she said to him, " I would have thee tell me what
thing thou hast done in the market this day, to anger Almighty
Allah." Quoth he, " I have done nothing to offend the Lord."
*' "
Nay," rejoined she, but, by Allah, thou hast indeed done some-
thing to anger Him ; and, unless thou tell me the whole truth, I
will not abide in thy house, and thou shalt not see me, nor will
I see thee." So he confessed, " I will tell thee the truth of what
I did this day. Jt so chanced that, as I was sitting in my shop,
as of wont, a woman came up to me and bade me make her a
bracelet of gold. Then she went away and I wrought her a
bracelet and laid it aside. But when she returned and I brought
her out the bracelet, she put forth her hand and I clasped the
bracelet on her wrist; and I wondered at the whiteness of her
hand and the beauty of her wrist, which would captivate any
beholder and I recalled what the poet safth :
;

Her fore-arms, dight with their bangles, show * Like fire ablaze on the waves
a-flow ;
As by purest gold were ihe water girt, And belted around by a living
lowe.

So I took her hand and pressed it and squeezed it." Said the
"
woman, Great God Why didst thou this ill thing ? Know that
!

the water-carrier, who hath come to our house these thirty years,
nor sawst thou ever any treason in him, took my hand this day

1
The "Sakka" or water curler race is peculiar in Egypt and famed for trickery and
intrigue. Opportunity here as elsewhere makes the thief.
9O Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

and pressed and squeezed it." Said her husband, " O woman,
let us crave pardon of Allah !
Verily, I repent of what I did,
and do thou ask forgiveness of the Lord for me." She cried,
"Allah pardon me and thee, and receive us into his holy
keeping." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.

ttfofo fo&en ft foas t&e ^m f^untarti anb STfoetB-ffort

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that the gold-
"
smith's wife cried out, Allah pardon me and thee, and receive
us. into his holy keeping!" And on the next day, the water-
carrier came in to the jeweller's wife and, throwing himself at
her feet, grovelled in the dust and besought pardon of her,
"
saying, O
my lady, acquit me of that which Satan deluded
me to do; for it was he that seduced me and led me astray."
She answered, " Go thy ways, the sin was not in thee, but in
my husband, for that he did what he did in his shop, and Allah
hath retaliated upon him in this world." And it is related that
the goldsmith, when his wife told him how the water-carrier
had used her, said, " Tit for tat, and blow for blow had I done !
;

more the water-carrier had done mo'e " which became a current
;

byword among the folk. Therefore it behoveth a wife to be both

outward and inward with her husband contenting herself with ;

little from him, if he cannot give her much, and taking pattern

by Ayishah the Truthful and Fatimah the virgin mother (Allah

Almighty accept of them twain !), that she may be of the com-
pany of the righteous ancestry. And I have heard the following
1

tale of

1
A famous saying of Mohammed is recorded when an indiscretion of his young wife
" There be no adultress without an adulterer
Ayishah was reported to him, (of a
husband)." Fatimah the Apostle's daughter is supposed to have remained a virgin
after bearing many children : this coarse symbolism of purity was known to the
classics (Pausanias), who made Juno recover her virginity by bathing in a certain river

every year. In the last phrase, "Al-Salaf" (ancestry) refers to Mohammed and his
family.
 Khusrau and Skirin and the Fisherman, 91

KHUSRAU AND SHIRIN AND THE FISHERMAN.

KING KHUSRAU 1
Shahinshah of Persia loved fish; and one
day, as he sat in his saloon, he and Shirin his wife, there came
a fisherman, with a great fish, and he laid it before the King,
who was pleased and ordered the man four thousand dirhams.2
"
Thereupon Shirin said to the King, Thou hast done ill." Asked
"
he, "And why?", and she answered, Because if, after this, thou
give one of thy courtiers a like sum, he will disdain it and say :

He hath but given me the like of what he gave the fisherman.

And if thou give him less, the same will say: He despiseth
me and giveth me less than he gave the fisherman." Rejoined
"
Khusrau, Thou art right, but it would dishonour a king to go
back on his gift and the thing is done." Quoth Shirin, " If
;

thou wilt, I will contrive thee a means to get it back from him."
" "
Quoth he, How so ? "; and she said, Call back, if thou so please,
the fisherman and ask him if the fish be male or female. If he
say, Male, say thou, We want a female, and if he say, Female,
say, We want a male." So the King sent for the fisherman, who
was a man of wit and acuteness, and said to him, " Is this fish
"
male or female ? whereupon the fisherman kissed the ground
"
and answered, This fish is an hermaphrodite, 8 neither male nor
female." Khusrau laughed at his clever reply and ordered him
other four thousand dirhams. So the fisherman went to the
treasurer and, taking his eight thousand dirhams, put them in a
sack he had with him. Then, throwing it over his shoulder, he
was going away, when he dropped a dirham; so he laid the bag
off his back and stooped down to pick it up. Now the King

1
Khusrau Parwiz, grandson of Anushirwan, the Guebre King who tore his kingdom
by tearing Mohammed's letter married the beautiful Maria or Irene (in Persian
11 "
Shirin the sweet) daughter of the Greek Emperor Maurice: their loves were

sung by a host of poets and likewise the passion of the sculptor Farhad for the same
;

"
Shirin. Mr. Lyall writes " Parwez and holds " Parwiz" a modern form.
2
He could afford it according to historians. His throne was supported by 40,000
silver pillars ; and 1,000 globes, hung in the dome, formed an orrery, showing the

motion of the heavenly bodies; 30,000 pieces of embroidered tapestry overhung the
walls and below were vaults full of silver, gold and gems.
Arab. " Khunsa," meaning also a catamite as I have explained. Lane (U. 586;.
has it
" This fish is of a mixed kind "
; (!).
92 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

and Shirin were looking on, and the Queen said, " O King, didst
thou note the meanness of the man, in that he must needs stoop
down to pick up the one dirham, and could not bring himself to
"
leave it any of the King's servants ?
for When the King heard
these words, he was exceeding wroth with the fisherman and
" "
said, Thou art right, O Shirin ! So he called the man back
"
and said to him, Thou low-minded carle ! Thou no man
art !

How couldst thou put the bag with all this money off thy
back and bend thee groundwards to pick up the one dirham
and grudge to leave it where it fell ? " Thereupon the fisherman
kissed the earth before him and answered, " May Allah prolong
the King's life! Indeed, I did not pick up the dirham off the
ground because of its value in my eyes but I raised it off the ;

earth because on one of its faces is the likeness of the King and
on the other his name ; and I feared lest any should unwittingly
set foot upon it, thus dishonouring the name and presentment of
the King, and I be blamed for this offence." The King wondered
at his words and approved of his wit and shrewdness, and ordered
him yet other four thousand dirhams. Moreover, he bade cry
abroad in his kingdom, saying, " It behoveth none to be guided
by women's counsel ;
for whoso followeth their advice, loseth,
with his one dirham, other twain." 1
And here is the tale they
tell of

YAHYA BIN KHALID THE BARMECIDE AND THE

POOR MAN.
YAHYA BIN KHALID the Barmecide was returning home, one
day, from the Caliph's palace, when he saw, at the gate of his
mansion, a man who rose as he drew near and saluted him,
saying,
"
O Yahya, I am in sore need of that which is in thy
hand, and I make Allah my intermediary with thee." So Yah/a
caused a place to be set apart for him in his house and bade
his treasurer carry him a thousand dirhams every day and
ordered that his diet be of the choicest of his own meat. The
man abode in this case a whole month, at the end of which
time, having received in all thirty thousand dirhams, and fear-
ing lest Yahya should take the money from him, because of
the greatness of the sum, he departed by stealth And Shah-

s
So the model lovers became the ordinary married couple.
 Mohammed al-Amin and the Slave-Girl. 93

razad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per-
mitted say.

foSm it foas tlje 3Hbro |Duntivcti an& Ntnetp-secontJ Xt'gfjt,

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the man,

said, It
taking with him the money, departed by stealth. But when they
told Yah of this, he said, " By Allah, though he had tarried
with me ^ the end of his days, yet had I not stinted him of
"
my largesse nor cut off from him the bounties of my hospitality !
For, indeed, the excellences of the Barmecides were past count
nor can their virtues be committed to description, especially those
of Yahya bin Khalid, for he was an Ocean * of noble qualities,
even as saith the poet of him :

I asked of Bounty, " Art thou free ?" Quoth she, "
No, I am slave to Yahyd
Khilid-son " !

"
Boughten ?" asked I. "Allah forfend," quoth she, * "By heirship, sire to
"
sire's transmission !

And the following is related of

MOHAMMED AL-AMIN AND THE SLAVE-GIRL.

JA'AFAR BIN MusA AL-HAoi once had a slave-girl, a lutist,

2

called Al-Badr al-Kabfr, than whom there was not in her time
a fairer of face nor shapelier of shape nor a more elegant of
manners nor a more accomplished in the art of singing and
striking the strings she was indeed perfect in beauty and
;

extreme in every charm. Now Mohammed al-Amfn,3 son of

Zubaydah, heard of her and was urgent with Ja'afar to sell her

"
Arab. " Jamm." Hcb. Yamm." Al- Hariri (Ass. of Sinjar and Sawah) uses the
1

rare form Yam for sea or ocean.

1
Al-Hadi, immediate predecessor of Harun al-Rashid, called
" Al-Atbik": his
upper
lip was contracted and his father placed a slave over him when in childhood, with orders
" Musa "
to say, !
(draw thy lips together) when he opened his mouth.
atbik !

* Immediate successor of Harun al-Rashid. Al-Amin is an imposing physical figure,

fair, tall, handsome and of immense strength ; according to Al-Mas'udi, he killed a lion
with hisown hands ; but his mind and judgment were weak. He was fond of fishing ;
and his reply to the courtier bringing important news, "Confound thee ! leave me for !

Kausar (an eunuch whom he loved) hath caught two fish and I none," reminds one of
royal frivolity in France.
94 Alf Lalah wa Laylah.

to him but he replied, " Thou knowest it beseemeth not one

;

of my rank to sell slave-girls nor set prices on concubines but ;

were she not a rearling I would send her to thee, as a gift, nor
grudge her to thee." And Mohammed al-Amin, some days after
this went to Ja'afar's house, to make merry ; and the host set
before him that which it behoveth to set before true friends and
bade the damsel Al-Badr al-Kabir sing to him and gladden him.
So she tuned the lute and sang with a ravishing melody whilst ;

Mohammed al-Amin fell to drinking and jollity and bade the cup-
bearers ply Ja'afar with much wine, till they made him drunken,
when he took the damsel and carried her to his own house, but
laid not a finger on her. And when the morrow dawned he bade
invite Ja'afar and when he came, he set wine before him and
;

made the girl sing to him, from behind the curtain. Ja'afar knew
her voice and was angered at this, but, of the nobleness of his
nature and the magnanimity of his mind he showed no change.
Now when the carousal was at an end, Al-Amin commanded one.
of his servants to fill the boat, wherein Ja'afar had come, with
dirhams and dinars and all manner of jewels and jacinths and rich
raiment and goods galore. So he laid therein a thousand myriads
of money and a thousand fine pearls, each worth twenty thousand
dirhams nor did he give over loading the barge with all manner
;

of things precious and rare, till the boatmen cried out for help,
"
saying, The boat can't hold any more ;" whereupon he bade them
carryall this to Ja'afar's palace. Such are the exploits of the

magnanimous, Allah have mercy on them And a tale ! is re-

lated of

THE SONS OF YAHYA BIN KHALID AND SA'ID BIN

SALIM AL-BAHILI.

(QUOTH was once in very narrow

Sa'id bin Salim al-Bahili 1 ), I
case, during the days of Harun al-Rashid, and debts accumulated
upon me, burdening my back, and these I had no means of dis-
charging. I was at my wits' end what to do, for my doors were
blocked up with creditors and I was without cease importuned for
payment by claimants, who dunned me in crowds till at last I was
sore perplexed and troubled. So I betook myself to Abdallah bin

1
Afterwards governor in Khorasan under Al-Maamun.
Sons of Yahya bin Khalid and Scfid bin Salim al-Bahili. 95

Malik al-Khuza'P and besought"liim to extend the hand of aid

with his judgment and direct me of his good counsel to the door
"
of relief; and he said, None can save thee from this thy strait
and sorrowful state save the Barmecides." Quoth I, " Who can
brook their pride and put up patiently with their arrogant pre-
"
tensions ? and quoth he, " Thou wilt put up with all this for the
bettering of thy case." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.

/lob) tofjcn it tons tfje 3Hbtft #>untirrtJ nntJ ilinrti}=UjtrtJ Jlicjljr,

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that Abdallah
ibn Malik al-Khuza'i said to Sa'id bin Salim, " Thou wilt put up
with all this for the bettering of thy case." So I left him suddenly
(continued Sa'id) and went straight to Al-Fazl and Ja'afar, sons
of Yahyd bin Khalid, to whom I related my circumstances ;
whereto they replied, "Allah give thee His aid, and render thee
by His bounties independent of His creatures and vouchsafe
thee abundant weal and bestow on thee what shall suffice thee,
without the need of any but Himself; for whatso He willeth
that He can, and He
gracious with His servants and knoweth
is

their wants." So I went out from the twain and returned to

Abdallah, with straitened breast and mind perplexed and heavy
of heart, and repeated to him what they had said Quoth he,
"Thou wouldst do well to abide with us this day, that we may
see what Allah Almighty will decree." So I sat with him awhile,
"
when lo !
up came my servant, who said to me, O my lord, there
are at our door laden mules, and with them a man, who
many
says he is the agent of Al-Fazl and Ja'afar bin Yahya." Quoth
" I trust that relief is come to thee rise
Abdallah, up and go see :

what is the matter." So I left him and, hastening to my house,

found at the door a man who gave me a note wherein was written
"
the following After thou hadst been with us and we heard thy
:

case, we betook
ourselves to the Caliph and informed him that ih
condition had reduced thee to the humiliation of begging where- ;

upon he ordered us to supply thee with a thousand thousand

dirhams from the Treasury. We represented to him The debtor :

will spend this money in paying off creditors and wiping off debt ;

whence then shall he provide forjiis subsistence ? So he ordered

1
Intcndant of the palace under Harun al-Rashid.
96 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

thee other three hundred thousand, and each of us hath also sent
thee, of his proper wealth, a thousand thousand dirhams so that :

thou hast now three thousand thousand and three hundred thousand
dirhams wherewithal to order and amend thine estate." See,
then, the munificence of these magnificos :
Almighty Allah have
mercy on them ! And a tale is told of

THE WOMAN'S TRICK AGAINST HER HUSBAND.

A MAN fish one Friday and, bidding her cook i(
brought his wife a
against the end of the congregational prayers, went out to his
craft and business. Meanwhile in came her friend who bade her
to a wedding at his house so she agreed and laying the fish in a
;

jar of water, went off with him and was absent a whole week till
the Friday following; 1 whilst her husband sought her from house
to house and enquired after her ; but none could give him any
tidings of her. Now on the next Friday she came home and he
fell foul of herbut she brought out to him the fish alive from the
;

jar and assembled the folk against him and told them her tale.
-- And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.

ttfofo foben tt teas tfje {&* ^untrrelr an& !tftnctg=fourt& STt'g&t,

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the woman

said, It
brought out the fish alive from the water-jar and assembled the
folk against her husband, and told them her tale. He also told
"
his ; but they credited him not and said, It cannot be that the

fish should have remained alive all this while." So they proved
him mad and imprisoned him and mocked at him, whereupon he
shed tears in floods and recited these two couplets :

Old hag, of high degree in filthy life,

* Whose face her monstrous lewdness
witnesses.
When menstruous she bawds ; when clean she whores ; And all her time
bawd or adulteress is.

And 'a tale is related of the

1
Moslem women have this advantage over their Western sisterhood they can always :

leave the house of father or husband and, without asking permission, pay a week or ten
days' visit to their friends. But they are not expected to meet their lovers.
 The Devout Woman ana the Two Wicked Elders. 97

DEVOUT WOMAN AND THE TWO WICKED ELDERS. 1

THERE was in times of yore and in ages long gone before, a

woman among the children
virtuous of Israel, who was pious and
devout and used every day to go out to the place of prayer, first
entering a garden, which adjoined thereto, and there making the
minor ablution. Now there were in this garden two old men, its
keepers, and both Shaykhs fell in love with her and sought her
"
favours but she refused, whereupon said they, Unless thou yield
;

thy body to us, we will bear witness against thee of fornication."

" "
Quoth she, will preserve me from your frowardness
Allah !

Then they opened the garden-gate and cried out, and the folk
"
came to them from all places, saying " What aileth you ? Quoth
"
they, We found this damsel in company with a youth who was
doing lewdness with her but he escaped from our hands." Now
;

it was the wont of the people of those days to expose adulterer

and adulteress to public reproach for three days, and after stone
them. So they cried her name in .the public streets for three days,
whilst the two elders came up to her daily and, laying their hands
on her head, said, " Praised be Allah who hath sent down on thee
"
His righteous indignation Now on the fourth day, when they
!

bore her away to stone her, they were followed by a lad named
Daniel, who was then only twelve years old, and this was to be the
first of his miracles (upon our Prophet and upon him be blessing

and peace !). And he ceased not following them to the place of
" Hasten
execution, till he came up with them and said to them,
not to stone her, till I judge between them." So they set him a
chair and he sat down and summoned the old men separately.
(Now he was the first ever separated witnesses.) Then said he to
" "
the first, What sawest thou ? 2 So he repeated to him his story,
" "
and Daniel asked, In what part of the garden did this befal ?

1
The tale of
" Susannah and the Elders" in Moslem form. is the Arab
Daniyal
Daniel, supposed to have been buried at Alexandria (Pilgrimage, i. 16).
According to Moslem law, laid down by Mohammed on a delicate occasion and
2

evidently for a purpose, four credible witnesses are required to prove fornication, adul-
tery,sodomy and so forth ; and they must swear that they actually saw rem in re t the
" Kohl-needle in the Kohl-etui," as the Arabs have it. This practically prevents con-
viction and the sabre cuts the Gordian knot.
VOL. V. G
 98 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

"
and he answered, On the
eastern side, under a pear-tree." Then he
called the other old man and asked him
the same question, and he
replied, "On the western side of the garden, under an apple-tree."
Meanwhile the damsel stood by, with her hands and eyes raised
heavenwards, imploring the Lord for deliverance. Then Allah
Almighty sent down His blasting leven-fire upon the elders and
consumed them, and on this wise the Lord made manifest the
innocence of the damsel. Such was the first of the miracles of
the Prophet Daniel, on whom be blessing and peace And they !

relate a tale of

JA'AFAR THE BARMECIDE AND THE OLD BADAWI.

THE Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, went out one
day, with Abu Ya'Kiib the cup-companion 1 and Ja'afar the Barme-
cide and Abu Nowas, into the desert, where they fell in with an old
man, propt against his ass. The Caliph bade Ja'afar learn of him
whence he came so he asked him, " Whence comest thou ? " and
he answered, " From Bassorah."
;

And Shahrazad perceived the --

dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

ttfofo toftcn it toas tjje tE&ree ^untortt an& Nmetg=ftfrt)

She said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when

" "
Ja'afar asked the man, Whence comest thou ? he answered
;

" " "

From
Bassorah." Quoth Ja'afar, And whither goest thou ?
" "
Quoth the other, To Baghdad." ThenJa'afar enquired And
"
what wilt thou do there ? and the old man replied, " I go to seek
medicine for my eye." Said the Caliph, " O Ja'afar, make thou
"
I shall hear what I shall
sport with him," and answered Ja'afar,
2 " "
exceedingly mislike. But Al-Rashid rejoined, I charge thee

on my authority, jest with him." Thereupon Ja'afar said to the

"
Badawi, If I prescribe thee a medicine that shall profit thee,
what wilt thou give me in return?" Quoth the other, "Allah

1
Who, in such case, would represent our equerry.
2 contrast with the townsfolk;
The Badawi not only always tells the truth, a perfect
" O Sa'id ! " and he has a hard
he blunt in speech addressing his Sultan
is rough humour
" wut." When
which we may fairly describe as you "chaff" him look out for falls.
 The Caliph Omar bin a I- Khattab and the Young Badawi. 99

Almighty will requite the kindness with what is better for thee
"
than any requital of mine." Continued Ja'afar, Now lend me
an ear and I will give thee a prescription, which I have given to
none but thee." " What is that ? " asked the Badawi and Ja'afar ;

answered, "Take three ounces of wind-breaths and the like of

sunbeams and the same of moonshine and as much of lamp-light ;
mix them well together and let them lie in the wind three months.
Then place them three months in a mortar without a bottom and
pound them to fine powder and after trituration set them in a cleft
platter, and let it stand in the wind other three months after ;

which use of this medicine three drachms every night in thy sleep,
and, Inshallah thou shalt be healed and whole." Now when the
!

Badawi heard this, he stretched himself out to full length on the

1

donkey's back and let fly a terrible loud fart and said to Ja'afar,
"
Take this fart in payment of thy prescription. When I have
followed it, if Allah grant me recovery, I will give theo a slave-
girl, who
shall serve thee in thy lifetime a service, wherewith Allah
shall cut short thy term and when thou diest and the
;
Lord
hurrieth thy soul to hell-fire, she shall blacken thy face with her
skite, of her mourning for thee, and shall keen and beat her face,

saying: O frosty-beard, what a fool thou wast2 ?" Thereupon

Harun al-Rashid laughed till he fell backward, and ordered the
Badawi three thousand silver pieces. And a tale is told of

THE CALIPH OMAR BIN AL-KHATTAB AND THE

YOUNG BADAWI.
THE Sharif Husayn bin Rayyan relateth that the Caliph Omar bin
Al-Khattab was sitting one day judging the folk and doing justice
between his subjects, attended by the best and wisest of his
counsellors, when there came up to him a youth comely and
cleanly attired upon whom two very handsome youths had laid

1
The answer is as old as the hills, ttste the tale of what happened when Amasis
"
(who on horseback) raised his leg, broke wind and bade the messenger carry it back to
Apries." Herod, ii. 162. But for the full significance of the Badawi's most insulting
reply see the Tale of Abu Hasan in Night ccccxi.
Arab. "
7 "
Yi saki* al-Dakan meaning long bearded (foolish) as well as frosty
bearded.
1OO Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

hold and were haling by the collar till they set him in tha
presence. Whereupon the Commander of the Faithful, Omar,
looked at him and them and bade them loose him then, calling ;

him near to himself, asked the twain, " What is your case with
him ? " They answered, " O Prince of True Believers, we are
two brothers by one mother and as followers of verity known are
we. We had a father, a very old man of good counsel, honoured
by the tribes, sound of baseness and renowned for goodliness who

manhood -
reared us tenderly in childhood, and loaded us with favours in
;- And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.

fo&en it foas tfje {&: f^untrtrti anil Kmetg-satft

She said, It O auspicious King, that the two

hath reached me,
youths said to the Commander of the Faithful, Omar son of Al-
"
Khattab, Our father was a man honoured by the tribes, sound of
baseness and renowned for goodliness, who reared us delicately in
childhood, and loaded us with favours in manhood in fine, a sea ;

of noble and illustrious qualities, worthy of the poet's praise :

'Is Abu's-Sakr of Shaybdn 1 ' "

? they asked; o Quoth I, Nay, by my life, of
him's Shaybdn :
How many a sire rose high by a noble son, o As Allah's Prophet glorified
Adnan!" 2

Now he went forth this day to his garden, to refresh himself

amongst its trees and pluck the ripe fruits, when this young man
slew him wrongously and swerved from the road of righteousness ;

wherefore we demand of thee the retribution of his crime and call

upon thee to pass judgment upon him, according to the command-
ment of Allah." Then Omar cast a terrible look at the accused
"
youth and said to him, Verily thou hearest the complaint these
"
two young men prefer what hast thou in reply to aver ?
;
But

1
P. N. of the tribe, often mentioned in The Nights.
Adnan, with whom Arab genealogy begins, is generally supposed to be the
*

eighth (Al-Tabari says the fortieth) descendant from Ishmael and nine generations are
placed between him and Fahr (Fihr) Kuraysh. The Prophet cut all disputes short by
" "
saying, Beyond Adnan none save Allah wotteth and the genealogists lie (Pilgrimage
fi. 344). M. C. de Perceval daes Adnan about B.C. 130.
 The Caliph Omar bin al-Kkattab and the Young Badaxui. 101

he was brave of heart and bold of speech, having doffed the robe
of pusillanimity and put off the
garb of cowardry so he smiled ;

and spake in the most eloquent and elegant words ; and, after
"
paying the usual ceremonial compliment to the Caliph, said, By
Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, I have indeed given ear to
their complaint, and they have told the truth in that which
they
tell, so far as they have set out what befel and the commandment ;

of Allah is a decreed decree. But I will forthright state my case

1

between thy hands, and it is for thee to give commands. Know

then, O
Prince of the Faithful, that I am a very Arab of the-
2
Arabics, the noblest of those that are beneath the skies. I grew
up in the dwellings of the wold and fell, till evil times my tribe
befel, when I came to the outskirts of this town, with my family
and whatso goods own
and as I went along one of the paths
I :

leading to its gardens, orchards and garths, with my she-camels

highly esteemed and by me most precious deemed, and midst
them a stallion of noble blood and shape right good, a plenteous
getter of brood, by whom the females abundantly bore and who
walked among them as though a kingly crown he wore, one of the
she-camels broke away ; and, running to the garden of these
young men's father, where the trees showed above the wall, put
forth her lips and began to feed as in stall. I ran to her, to drive

her away, when behold, there appeared, at a breach of the wall, an

old man and whose eyes sparkled with angry ray, holding in
grey,
his right a stone to throw and swaying to and fro, with a swing
like a lion ready for a spring. He cast the stone at stallion, my
and it killed struck a vital part. When I saw the
him for it

stallion drop dead beside me, I felt live coals of anger kindled in

my heart ; so I took up the very same stone and throwing it at the

old man, it was the cause of his bane and ban thus his own :

wrongful act returned to him anew, and the man was slain of that
wherewith he slew. When the stone struck him, he cried out
with a great cry and shrieked out a terrible shriek, whereupon
I hastened from the spot but these two young men hurried after
;

1
Koran xxxiii., 38.
*
Arab. "Arab al-Araba," as before noticed (vol. i. 12) the pure and genuine blood
" " " Mosarabians " and other
as opposed to the Musta'aribah," the Muta'arribah," the
Araboids ;
the first springing from Kahtan (Yak tan ?) and the others from Adnan.
And
note that
" Arabi " = a man of pore Arab race, either of the Desert or of the city,
while A'ardbi applies only to the Desert man, the Badawi
IO2 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

me and laid hands on me and before thee carried me." Quoth

"
Omar (Almighty Allah accept of him !), Thou hast confessed
what thou committedest, and of acquittal there is no possible
occasion ; for urgent is the law of retaliation and they cried for
'

mercy but it was not a time to escape." The youth answered,

" I
hear and obey the judgment of the Imam, and I consent
to all required by the law of Al-Islam ;
but I have a young
brother, whose old father, before his decease, appointed to him
wealth in great store and gold galore, and committed his affair
to me before Allah, saying I give this into thy hand for thy
:

brother ; keep it for him with all thy might. So I took the
money and buried it nor doth any know of it but I. Now, if
;

thou adjudge me to be justiced forthright, the money will be lost

and thou shalt be the cause of its loss wherefore the child will
;

sue thee for his due on the day when the Creator shall judge
between His creatures. But, if thou wilt grant me three days'
delay, I will appoint some guardian to administer the affairs of
the boy and return to answer my debt ; and I have one who will
be my surety for the fulfilment of this my promise." So the
Commander of the Faithful bowed his head awhile, then raised
"
it and looking round upon those present, said, Who will stand
"
surety by me for his return to this place ? And the youth looked
at the faces of those who were in company and pointing to Abu
2 " This man shall answer
Zarr, in preference to all present, said,
for me and be my bail." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Jiofo fo&m ft foas t$e ^fjrcc fDun&rcB and Jittutg-sebcntlj $i'gf)i,

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the

said, It
"
youth pointed to Abu Zarr and said, This man shall answer for
me and be my bail," Omar (Allah accept of him !) said, " O Abu
Zarr, dost thou hear these words and wilt thou be surety to
me for

*
Koran xxxviii. 2, speaking of the Unbelievers (i.e. non- Moslems) who are full of

pride and contention.

8
One of the Ashab, or Companions of the Apostle, that is them who knew him per-
of the bench or
sonally (Pilgrimage ii. 80, etc.). The AshaT) al-Suffah (Companions
sofa) were certain houseless Believers lodged by the Prophet (Pilgrimage ii. 143)
 The Caliph Omar bin al-Khattab and the Young Baaawi. 103

" "
the return of this youth ? He answered, Yes, O Commander
of the Faithful, I will be surety for him three days." So the
Caliph accepted his guarantee and let the young man go. Now
when the appointed time passed and the days of grace were nearly
or quite at end yet the youth came not, the Caliph took seat in his,
council, with the Companions surrounding him, like the constella-j
tions about the moon, Abu Zarr and the plaintiffs being also pre-
sent and the avengers said, " Where is the defendant, O Abu
;

Zarr, and how shall he return, having once fled ? But we will not
stir from our places till thou bring him to us, that we may take of

him our blood-revenge." Replied Abu Zarr, " By the truth of the
All-Wise King, if the three days of grace expire and the young
man return not, I will fulfil my warranty and surrender my person
"
to the Imam ;" and added Omar (whom Allah accept !), By the
Lord, if the young man appear not, I will assuredly execute on
Abu Zarr that which is prescribed by the law of Al-Islam " ' f

Thereupon the eyes of the bystanders ran over with tears those ;

who looked on groaned aloud and great was the clamour. Then the
chiefs of the Companions urged the plaintiffs to accept the blood-
wit and deserve the thanks of the folk ;
but they both refused and
would accept nothing save the talion. However, as the folk were
swaying to and fro like waves and loudly bemoaning Abu Zarr,
behold, up came the young Badawi and, standing before the ;

Imam, saluted him right courteously (with sweat-beaded face and;

" have
shining with the crescent's grace) and said to him, I given?
the lad in charge to his mother's brothers and have made them,''
acquainted with all that pertaineth to his affairs and let them into
the secret of his monies after which I braved the heats of noon
;

and have kept my word as a free-born man." Thereupon the folk'

marvelled, seeing his good faith and loyalty and his offering him-
self to death with so stout a heart and one said to him, " How
;

noble a youth art thou and how loyal to thy word of honour and
thy devoir!" Rejoined he, "Are ye not convinced that when
death presenteth itself, none can escape from it ? And indeed, I

.
'
Hence Omar is entitled " Al-Adil the Just. Readers = will remember that by
Moslem law and usage murder and homicide are offences to be punished by the
family, not by society or its delegates. This system reappears in civilisation undw
the denomination of "Lynch Law," a process infinitely distasteful to lawyers (whom
It abolishes) and most valuable when administered with due discretion.
 IO4 A If Lay la h wa Laylah.

have kept my word, that it be not said, Good faith is gone from
"
among mankind." Said Abu Zarr, By Allah, O Commander of
the Faithful, I became warrant for this young man, without know-
ing to what tribe he belonged, nor had I seen him before that day;
but, when he turned away from all who were present and singled
me out, saying This man shall answer for me and be my bail, I
:

thought it not right to refuse him, and generosity forbade to dis-

appoint his desire, there being no harm in compliance therewith,
that it be not bruited abroad, Benevolence is gone from among
mankind." Then said the two young men, " O Commander of the
Faithful, we forgive this youth our father's blood, seeing that he
hath changed desolation into cheerfulness that it be not said, ;

Humanity is gone from among mankind." So the Caliph rejoiced

in the acquittance of theyouth and his truth and good faith ;

moreover, he magnified the generosity of Abu Zarr, extolling it

over all his companions, and approved the resolve of the two
young men for its benevolence, giving them praise with. thanks
and applying to their case the saying of the poet :

Who doth kindness to men shall be paid again"]"* o Ne'er is kindness lost
betwixt God and men.

Then he pay them, from the Treasury, the blood-wit

offered to

they refused, saying, We forgave him only

"
for their father ;
but
of our desire unto Allah, the Bountiful, the Exalted and he who
1
;

is thus intentioned followeth not his benefits with reproach or with

inischief." *
|L
And amongst the tales they relate is that of

Lane translates (ii. 592) "from a desire of seeing the face of God;" but the
1

general belief of Al-Islam is that the essence of Allah's corporeal form is different
from man's. The orthodox expect to
" see their Lord on
Doom-day as they see the
full moon " (a tradition). But the Mu'atazilites deny with the existence of matter the
corporiety of Allah and hold that he will be seen only with the spiritual eyes,
i.e. of
reason.
8 See Gesta
Romanorum, Tale cviii., "of Constancy in adhering to Promises,"
funded on Damon and Pythias or, perhaps, upon the Arabic.
 The Caliph al-Maantun and the Pyramids of Egypt. 105

THE CALIPH AL-MAAMUN AND THE PYRAMIDS-

OP EGYPT.

IT is Caliph-al-Maamun son of Harun al-Rashid,

told that the
when he entered the God-guarded city of Cairo, was minded to
pull down the Pyramids, that he might
take what was therein ;
but, when he went about to do this, he could not succeed, albeit
his best was done. He expended a mint of money in the attempt,
-- And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to.
say her permitted say.

toljen it teas t&e &m f^un&rrti an*

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Al-Maamun

attempting to pull down the Pyramids, expended mint of his

(noney, but succeeded only in opening up a small tunnel in one of

them, wherein it is said he found treasure to the exact amount of
the monies he had spent in the works, neither more nor less ;

whereat he marvelled and taking what he found there, desisted

from his determination. Now the Pyramids are three, and they
are one of the Wonders of the World nor is there on the face of
;

2
earth aught like them for height and fashion and mysteries for ;

they are built of huge rocks, and the builders proceeded by pierc-
3
ing one block of stone and setting therein upright rods of iron ;
after which they pierced a second block of stone and lowered it
upon the first. Then they poured melted lead upon the clamps
and set the blocks in geometrical order, till the building was
complete. Now the height of each pyramid was an hundred

1
Arab. " Al-Ahram," a word of unknown provenance. It has been suggested that
"
the singular form (Haram), preceded by the Coptic article "Pi (= the) suggested to
the Greeks
" But word sub and
Pyramis." this is still judice every Egyptologist seems
to propose his own derivation. Brugsch (Egypt i.
72) makes it Greek, the Egyptian
being
" "
Abumir," while pir-am-us" = the edge of the
pyramid, the corners running
from base to apex. The great Egyptologist proves also what the Ancients either ignored
or forgot to mention, that each pyramid had its own name.
2
Arab. '
Ahkam," in this matter supporting the " Pyramidologists."
'
All imaginative.
IO6 Alf Laylah wa Laylak.

cubits, of thenormal measure of the day, and it had four faces,

each three hundred cubits long from the base and thence batter-
ing upwards to a point. The ancients say that, in the western
Pyramid, are thirty chambers of parti-coloured syenite, full of
precious gems and treasures galore and rare images and utensils
and costly weapons which are anointed with egromantic unguents,
so that they may not rust till the day of Resurrection. Therein,
1

also, are vessels of glass which bend and break not, containing
various kinds of compound drugs and sympathetic waters. In
the second Pyramid are the records of the priests, written on
tablets of syenite, to each priest his tablet, whereon are engraved
the wonders of his craft and his feats and on the walls are
;

human figures like idols, working with their hands at all manner
of mechanism and seated on stepped thrones. Moreover, to each
Pyramid there is a guardian treasurer who keepeth watch over it
and wardeth it, to all eternity, against the ravages of time and the
shifts of events and indeed the marvels of these Pyramids
;

astound all who have sight and insight. Many are the poems that
describe them, tho shalt thereby profit no small matter, and

among the rest, quoth one of them :

If Kings would see their high emprize preserved, * 'Twill be by tongues of

monuments they laid :
Seest not the Pyramids? These two endure o Despite what change
Time and Chance have made.

And quoth another :

Look on the Pyramids, and hear the twain o Recount their annals of the long-

gone Past :

Could they but speak, high marvels had they told o Of what Time did to man
from first to last.

1
It has always been my opinion founded upon considerations too long to detail, that
the larger Pyramids contain many unopened chambers. Dr. Grant Bey of Cairo proposed
boring through the blocks as Artesian wells are driven. I cannot divine why Lane (li.
592) chose to omit this tale, which is founded on historic facts and interests us by
suggesting a comparison between Mediaeval Moslem superstitions and those of GUI
xixth Century, which to our descendants will appear as wild, if not as picturesque, as
those of The Nights. The "inspired British inch " and the building by Melchisedek
(the Shaykh of some petty Syrian village) will compare not unaptly with the enchanted
swords, flexible glass and guardian spirits. But the Pyramidennarren is a race which
Will not speedily die out: it is based on Nature, the Pyramids themselves.
 The Thief and the Merchant 107

And quoth a third :

My friend I prithee tell me, 'neath the

sky o Is aught with Egypt's Pyramids
can compare ?
Buildings which frighten Time, albe what dwells o On back of earth in fear of
Time must fare :

If on their marvels rest my no more, o Yet these ever shall In

sight I memory
bear.

And quoth a fourth :

Where is the man who built the Pyramids ? o What was his tribe, what day
and where his tomb ?
The monuments survive the men who built Awhile, till overthrown by touch
of Doom.

And men also tell a tale of

THE THIEF AND THE MERCHANT.

THERE was once a thief who repented to Almighty Allah with

sincere penitence so he opened himself a shop for the sale of
;

stuffs, where he continued to trade awhile. It so chanced one day

that he locked his shop and went home, and in the night there
came to the bazar an artful thief disguised in the habit of the
merchant, and pulling out keys from his sleeve, said to the watch-
man of the market, " Light me this wax-candle." The watchman
took the taper and went to light it, And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

tofjcn it foas tlje {JTIjrcc f^untireti antj Xmctn-ntntl)

She hath reached me,

said, It auspicious King, that the watch'O
man took the taper and went to light it, whilst the thief opened
the shop and lit another candle he had by him. When the watch-
man came back, he found him seated in the shop, account-books
in hand, and reckoning with his fingers ; nor did he cease to do
"
thus till point of day, when he said to the man, Fetch me a
camel-driver and his camel, to carry some goods for me." So the
io8 A If Laylak wa Laylak.

man fetched him a camel, and the thief took four bales* of stuffs
and gave them to the cameleer, who loaded them on his beast.
Then he gave the watchman two dirhams and went away after the
camel-driver, leaving the watchman believing him to be the owner
of the shop. Now when the morning dawned and day broke
the merchant came and the watchman began greeting him with
blessings, because of the two dirhams but the shopowner;

wondered at his words as one not knowing what he meant.

When he opened his shop, he saw the droppi-ngs of the wax
and the account book lying on the floor, and looking round,
found four bales of stuffs missing. So he asked the watchman
what had happened and he told him what had passed in the
night and what had been said to the cameleer, whereupon the
merchant bade him fetch the man and asked him, " Whither
didst thou carry the stuffs this morning?" Answered the driver,
"To such a landing-place, and I stowed them on board such a
vessel." Said the merchant, " Come with me thither ;" so the
camel-driver carried him to the landing-place and said to him,
" This
be the barque and this be her owner." Quoth the
merchant to the seaman, " Whither didst thou carry the merchant
and the stuff?" Answered the boat-master, "To such a place,
where he fetched a camel-driver and, setting the bales on the
camel, went his ways I know not whither." "Fetch me the
cameleer who carried the goods," said the merchant; so he
"
fetched him and the merchant said to him, Whither didst thoti
" " To such a
carry the bales of stuffs from the ship ? Khan,"
answered he and the merchant rejoined, " Come thither with
;

me and show it me." So the camel-man went with him to a

place far distant from the shore and showed him the Khan
where he had set down the stuffs, and at the same time the
false merchant's magazine, which he opened and found therein
his four bales bound up as they had been packed. The thief
had laid his cloak over them so the merchant took the cloak
;

as well as the bales and delivered them to the camel-driver, who

laid them on his camel ; after which he locked the magazine and
went away with the cameleer. On the way, behold, he was
confronted by the thief who followed him, till he had shipped
"
the bales, when he said to him, O my brother (Allah have

1
Arab. " Rizm ;" hence, through the Italian Risma our ream (= 20 quires
of paper,

tc.), whicbroui dictionaries derive from <fy0/Ao's (!) See "frail" in Night dcccxxxviii.
 Masrur the Eunuch and Ibn al-Karibi. 109

thee in His holy keeping !), thou hast indeed recovered thy goods
and naught of them is lost so give me back my cloak." The
;

merchant laughed and, giving him back his cloak, let him go
unhindered whereupon both went their ways. And they tell a
;

tale of

MASRUR THE EUNUCH AND IBN AL-KARIBI.

THE Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, was exceed-

ingly restless one night ;Wazir Ja'afar, " I am
so he said to his
sleepless to-night and my breast is straitened and I know not
what to do." Now his castrato Masrur was standing before him,
and he laughed whereupon the Caliph said " At whom laughest
;

thou ? is it to make mock of me or hath madness seized thee ? "

Answered Masrur, " Nay, by Allah, O Commander of the Faithful,
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.

Nofo fo&en ft foas t&e Jpour f^un&re&tj) Ni$t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Harun

"
al-Rashid said to Masrur the Sworder, Dost thou laugh to
"
make mock of me or hath madness seized thee ? Answered
Masrur,
*'
Nay, by Allah, O
Commander of the Faithful, I swear
by thy kinship to the Prince of Apostles, I did it not of my free
will ; but I went out yesterday to walk within sight of the palace

and, coming to the bank of the Tigris, saw there the folk
collected so I stopped and found a man, Ibn al-Kdribf hight,
;

who was making them laugh ;

but just now I recalled what he
said, and laughter got the better of me ; and crave pardon
I

of thee, O Commander of the Faithful!" Quoth the Caliph,

"
Bring him to me forthright ;" so Masrur repaired in all haste
"
to Ibn al-Karibi and said to him, Answer the summons of the
Commander of the Faithful," whereto he replied, " I hear and
obey." "But on condition," added Masrur, "that, if he give
thee aught, thou shalt have a quarter and the rest shall be
mine." Replied the droll, " Nay, thou shalt have half and I
"
half." Rejoined Masrur, Not so, I will have three-quarters."
"
Lastly said Ibn al-Karibi, Thou shalt have two-thirds and I
HO A If Laylah wa Laylah.

the other third ;" to which Masrur agreed, after much

higgling
and haggling, and they returned to the palace together. Now
when Ibn al-Karibi came into the Caliph's presence he saluted
him as men greet the Caliphate, and stood before him where- ;

"
upon said Al-Rashid to him, If thou do not make me laugh,
I will give thee three blows with this bag."
Quoth Ibn al-Karibi
in his mind, "And a small matter were blows with that bag,

seeing that beating with whips hurteth me not ;" for he thought
the bag was empty. Then he began to deal out his drolleries,
such as would make the dismallest jemmy guffaw, and gave vent
to all manner of buffooneries ;
but the Caliph laughed not neither
smiled, whereat Ibn al-Karibi marvelled and was chagrined and
affrighted. Then said the Commander of the Faithful, " Now
hast thou earned the beating," and gave him a blow with the
bag, wherein were four pebbles each two rotols in weight. The
blow on his neck and he gave a great cry, then calling to
fell
"
mind compact with Masrur, said,
his Pardon, O Commander
of the Faithful Hear two words from me." Quoth the Caliph,
!

" "
Say on," and quoth Ibn al-Karibi, Masrur made it a condition
with me and I a covenant with him, that whatsoever largesse
might come to me of the bounties of the Commander of the
Faithful, one-third thereof should be mine and the rest his ;
nor
did he agree to leave me so much as one-third, save after much
higgling and haggling. Now thou hast bestowed on me nothing
but beating I have had my share and here standeth he, ready
;

to receive his portion so pay him the two other blows." Now
;

when the Caliph heard this, he laughed till he fell on his back ;

then calling Masrur, he gave him a blow, whereat he cried out

and said, " O
Commander of the Faithful, the one-third sufficeth
me give him the two-thirds."
: And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

tfofo fo&en it foas t&e Jour f^untireU anfc Jptrst Nigljt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Masrur

"
cried out, O Commander of the Faithful the one-third sufficeth
!

me ;
him the two-thirds." So the Caliph laughed at them
give
and ordered them a thousand dinars each, and they went away,
rejoicing at the largesse. And of the tales they tell is one of
 The Devotee Prince. in

THE DEVOTEE PRINCE.

THE Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, had a son
who, from the time he attained the age of sixteen, renounced the
world and walked in the way of ascetics and devotees. He was
l

wont to go out to the grave-yards and say, " Ye once ruled the
world, but that saved you not from death, and now are ye come to
your sepulchres Would Heaven I knew what ye said and what
!

" 2
is said to you !And he wept as one weepeth who is troubled
with fear and apprehension, and repeated the words of the poet :

Affright me funerals at every time ;

* And wailing women grieve me to the
soul !

Now chanced one day, as he sat among the tombs, according to

it

his custom, his father passed by in all his state, surrounded by his
Wazirs and Lords of the realm and the Officers of his household,
who seeing the Caliph's son with a gown of woollen stuff on his
body and a twist of wool on his head by way of turband, said to
one another, " Verily this youth dishonoureth the Commander of
the Faithful among Kings but, if he reproved him, he would
:

leave his present way of life." The Caliph heard these words ;
so quoth he to his son, O my dear child, of a truth thou dis-
"

gracest me by thy present way of life." The young man looked

at him and made no reply then he beckoned to a bird perched
:

on the battlements of the palace, and said to it, " O thou bird, I
conjure thee by Him who created thee, alight upon my hand."

Arab. "Tarikah" = the path trodden by ascetics and mystics in order to attain
true knowledge (Ma'rifat in Pers. Ddnish).These are extensive subjects: for the
present I must refer readers to the Dabistan, 35 and iii. 29, 36-7.
iii.
"
Alluding to the Fishai or Squeeze of the tomb." This is the Jewish Hibbut
hak-keber which all must endure, save those who lived in the Holy Land or died on the
Sabbath-eve (Friday night). Then comes the questioning by the Angels Munkar and
Nakir (vulgarly called Nakir and Nakfr) for which see Lane (M. E. chapt. xviii.). In
" "
Egypt a Mulakkin (intelligencer) is hired to prompt and instruct the dead. Moslems
are beginning to question these facts of their faith a Persian acquaintance of mine
:

filled his dead father's mouth with flour and finding it in loco on opening the grave,

publicly derided the belief.

But the Mullahs had him on the hip, after the fashion of
reverends, declaring that the answers were made through the whole Mdvi not only by the
mouth. At last the Voltairean had to quit Shiraz.
112 A If Laylak wa Laylah.

Whereupon straightway swooped down ana perched on his

it
"
finger. Then quoth he, Return to thy place ;" and it did so,
"
Presently he said, Alight on the hand of the Commander of the
Faithful ;" but it refused there to perch, and he cried to his father,
It is thou that disgracest me amongst the Holy Ones, by the
** *

love of the world and now I am resolved to part from thee, never
;

to return to thee, save in the world to come." Then he went

down to Bassorah, where he took to working with those which
2
wrought in clay, receiving, as, his day's hire, but a dirham and a
danik 3
and with the danik he fed himself and gave alms of the
;

dirham. (Quoth Abu Amir of Bassorah) There fell down a wall

in my house so I went forth to the station of the artisans to find
:

a man who should repair it for me, and my eyes fell on a handsome
youth of a radiant countenance. So I saluted him and asked him,
"
O my friend, dost thou seek work ? " " Yes," answered he and ;

"
I said, Come with me and build a wall." He replied, " On certain
"
conditions I will make with thee." Quoth I What are they, O
" "
my friend ;
and quoth he, My
? wage must be a dirham and a
danik, and again when the Mu'ezzin calleth to prayer, thou shalt
"
let me go pray with the congregation." It is well," answered I
and carried him to my place, where he fell to work, such work as I
never saw the like of. Presently, I named to him the morning-
" When
meal but he said, No ;" and I knew
;
that he was fasting.
4

"
he heard the call to prayer, he said to me, Thou knowest the
condition?" "Yes," answered I. So he loosed his girdle and,
applying himself to the lesser ablution, made it after a fashion
than which I never saw a fairer 5 then he went to the mosque and ;

1
Arab. " Waif
" =a saint, Santon (Ital. form) also a slave. See in Richardson.

(Dissert, iii.), an illustration of the difference between Wali and Wali as exemplified by
the Caliph al-Kddir and Mahmud of Ghazni.
2
Arab. "Tin" =
the tenacious clay puddled with chaff which serves as mortar for
walls built of Adobe or sundried brick. I made a mistake in my Pilgrimage (i. 10]
Headland of Figs-." It is "
translating .the old Pharos of Alexandria, by
Ras al-Tin
Headland of Clay, so called from the argile there found and which supported an old
pottery.
3
The danik (Pers. Dang) is the sixth of a dirham. Mr. S. L. Poole (The Acad.
April 26, '79) prefers his uncle's translation "a sixth" (what of?) to Mr. Payne's
" The latter at any rate is intelligible.
farthing."
"
* The devotee was " Saim al-dahr i.e. he never ate nor drank from daylight to
dark throughout the year.
5 The ablution of a common man differs from that of an educated Moslem as much as

the eating of a clown and a gentleman. Moreover there are important technical differ-
ences between the Wuzu of the Sunni and the Shi'ah
 The Devotee Prince. 1
1$

prayed with the congregation and returned to his work. He did

thesame upon the call to mid-afternoon prayer, and when I saw
"
him fall to work again thereafterward, I said to him, O my friend,

verily the hours of labour are over a workman's day is but till the
;

time of afternoon-prayer." But he replied, " Praise to the Lord,

my service is till And he ceased not to work till
the night."
nightfall, when gave him I two dirhams whereupon he asked;

"
What is this " and I answered, " By Allah, this is but part of
!
;

thy wage, because of thy diligence in my service." But he threw

them back to me saying, " I will have no more than was agreed
upon between us twain." I urged him to take them, but could
not prevail upon him so I gave him the dirham and the danik,
;

and he went away. And when morning dawned, I went to the

station but found him not so I enquired for him and was told,
;

" He cometh thither

only on Sabbaths." Accordingly, when
Saturday came, I betook me to the market and finding him there,
"
said to him, Bismillah, do me the favour to come and work for
me." Said he, " Upon the conditions thou wottest ;" and I answered
"
Yes " Then carrying him to my house I stood to watch him
!

where he could not see me and he took a handful of puddled clay

;

and laid it on the wall, when, behold, the stones ranged them-
selves one upon other and I said, " On this wise are Allah's
;

holy ones." He worked out his day and did even more than
before ; and when it was night, I gave him his hire, and he too|j
it and walked away. Now when the third Saturday came round,
I went to the place of standing, but found him not so I asked ;

"
after him and they told me, He is sick and lying in the shanty
of such a woman." Now this was an old wife, renowned for piety,
who had a hovel of reeds in the burial-ground. So I fared thither
and found him stretched on the floor which was bare, with a brick
for a pillow and his face beaming like the new moon with light.
I saluted him and he returned my salam and I sat down at his
;

head weeping over his fair young years and absence from home
and submission to the will of his Lord. Then said I to him,
" Hast thou " " "
any need ? Yes," answered he and I said, What ;

" "
is it ? He replied, Come hither to-morrow in the forenoon and
thou wilt find me dead. Wash me and dig my grave and tell none
thereof: but shroud me in this my gown, after thou hast unsewn
it and taken out what thou shalt find in the bosom-pocket, which

keep with thee. Then, when thou hast prayed over me and laid
VOL. V. H
1 '4 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.
me in the dust,
go to Baghdad and watch for the Caliph Harun
al-Rashid, he come forth, when do thou give him what thou
till

shalt find in the breast of my

gown and bear him my salutation."
Then he ejaculated the profession of the Faith and glorified his
God in the most eloquent of words reciting these couplets :

Carry the trust of him whom death awaits ~ To Al-Rashid, and God
reward thy care !

And say, "An exile who desired thy sight * Long loving, from afar sends
greeting fair.
Nor hate nor irk (No!) him from thee withdrew, * Kissing, thy right to Heaven
brought him near.
1

But what estranged his soul, O sire, from thee * Is that thy worldly joys it

would not share " !

Then he betook himself to prayer, asking pardon of Allah

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

Koto fo&en ft foas tfje jFotu ^unturtr anfc

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the youth
then betook himself to asking pardon of Allah and to invoking
prayer and praise upon the Apostle and the Lord of the Just and
repeating verses of the Koran ; after which he recited these
couplets :

O be not deceived by worldly joys

sire, ; * For life must pass, and joy
must learn to mourn ;

When thou art told of folk in evil plight, * Think thou must answer for
all hearts forlorn ;

And when thou bear thy dead toward the tombs, * Know thou wilt likewise on
that way be borne.

(Continued the Basri) Now when the youth had ended

Abu Amir
his charge and his verses I left him and went home. On the
morrow, I returned, at the appointed hour, and found him indeed
dead, the mercy of Allah be upon him So I washed him and, !

unsewing his gown, found in the bosom a ruby worth thousands of

"
gold pieces and said to myself, By Allah, this youth was indeed

'
i.e. by honouring his father.
 The Devotee Prince. ii

leaned from worldly things " After I had buried him, I made !

my way to Baghdad and, going to the Caliph's palace, waited till

he came forth, when I addressed him in one of the streets and
gave him the ruby, which when he saw, he knew and fell down in
a fainting-fit. His attendants laid hands on me, but he revived
and said to them, " Release him and bring him courteously to the
palace." They did his bidding, and when he returned, he sent
"
for me and carrying me into his chamber said to me, How doth
" "
he dead
"
and
the owner of this ruby ? Quoth I, Verily is ;

told him what had passed whereupon he fell a- weeping

;
and said,
" Then he
The son hath gained ;
but the sire hath lost." called
" " and
out, saying, Ho, such an one ; behold, there came out to !

him a lady who, when she saw me, would have withdrawn but he ;

"
cried to her, Come and mind him not." So she entered and
;

saluted, and he threw her the ruby, which when she saw and she
knew, she shrieked a great shriek and fell down in a swoon. As
"
soon as she came to herself, she said, O Commander of the
"
Faithful, what hath Allah done with my son ? ;
and he said to
" "
me, Do thou tell her his case ; (as he could not speak for
weeping). Accordingly, I repeated the story to her, and she began
" How I have
to shed tears and say in a faint and failing voice,

longed for thy sight, O solace of mine eyes Would I might have
l
!

given thee to drink, when thou hadst none to slake thy thirst I
Would I might have cheered thee, whenas thou foundest never a
cheerer!" And she poured forth tears and recited these couplets:

I
weep one whose lot a lonely death befel j
for * Without a friend to
whom he might complain and moan :

And after glory and glad union with his friends, He woke to desola-
and lone
tion, friendless, lorn :

What Fortune hides awhile she soon to men shall show; * Death never spared
a man no, not a single one
;
:

O absent one, my Lord decreed thee strangerhood, * Far from thy nearest
friends and to long exile gone :

Though Death forbid my hope of meeting here again, On Doom - day's

a
morrow we shall meet again, my son !

Quoth I, "O Commander of the Faithful, was he indeed thy

1
This young ra
<
i" t was as selfish and unnatural a annex as Saint Alexius of the Gesu
Romanorom (Tale *v.), to whom my friend, the late Thomas Wright, administered just,

end due punishment.

* The verses are affecting enough, though by no means high poetry.
n6 A If Laylah wa Laylah.
" "
son ?
Quoth he, Yes, and indeed, before I succeeded to this
office, he was wont to visit the learned and company with the
devout but, when I became Caliph, he grew estranged from me
;
1
and withdrew himself apart. Then said I to his mother, Verily
this thy son hath cut the world and devoted his life to Almighty

Allah, and it may be that hard times shall befal him and he be
smitten with trial of evil chance wherefore do thou give him this
;

ruby, which he may find useful in hour of need. So she gave it

him, conjuring him to take it, and he obeyed her bidding. Then
he left to us the things of our world and removed himself from us ;
nor did he cease to be absent from us, till he went to the presence
of Allah (to whom be Honour and Glory !), pious and pure."
Then said he, " Come, show me his grave." So, I travelled with
him to Bassorah and showed him his son's grave and when he ;

saw it, he wept and lamented, till he fell down in a swoon ; after
which he recovered and asked pardon of the Lord, saying, " We
are Allah's and unto Him we are returning " and invoked !
;

blessings on the dead. Then he asked me to become his com-

"
panion, but said to him,I O Commander of the Faithful, verily,
"
in thy son's case is for me the most momentous of admonitions !

And I recited these couplets :

"Tis I am the stranger, visited by none ;

* I am the stranger though in
town my own :

Tis I am the stranger !

lacking kith and son, * And friend to whom I mote for
aidance run.
I house in mosques which are my only home; * My heart there wones and shall
for ever wone :

Then laud ye Allah, Lord of Worlds, as long * As soul and body dwell in
union !

And a famous tale is told of

1
The good young man cut his father for two reasons : secular power (an abomination
to good Moslems) and defective title to the Caliphate. The latter is a trouble to Turkey
in the present day and with time will prove worse.
 The Unwise Schoolmaster who Fell in Love by Report. 117

THE UNWISE SCHOOLMASTER WHO FELL IN LOVE

BY REPORT.

(QUOTH one of the learned) I passed once by a school, wherein a

schoolmaster was teaching children ; so I entered, finding him a
good-looking man and a well-dressed; when he rose to me and
made me sit with him. Then I examined him in the Koran and in
syntax and prosody and lexicography ;
and behold, he was perfect
"
;in all required of him, so I said to him, Allah strengthen thy
purpose! Thou art indeed versed in all that is requisite."
Thereafter frequented him a while, discovering daily some new
I

excellence in him, and quoth I to myself, " This is indeed a wonder

in any dominie ; for the wise are agreed upon a lack of wit in
children's teachers.'* Then I separated myself from him and
sought him and visited him only every few days, till coming to
see him one day as of wont, I found the school shut and made
"
enquiry of his neighbours, who replied, Some one is dead in his
"
house." So I said in my mind, It behoveth me to pay him a
visit of condolence," and going to his house, knocked at the door,

when a slave-girl came out to me and asked, "What dost thou

want?" and I answered, "I want thy master." She replied,
"
He is sitting alone, mourning " and I rejoined, " Tell him that
;

his friend so and so seeketh to console him." She went in and

told him and he said, " Admit him." So she brought me in to
;

him, and I found him seated alone and his head bound with
mourning fillets. So I said to him, "Allah requite thee amply!
this is a path all must perforce tread, and it behoveth thee to take
" " He answered, "
patience adding, But who is dead unto thee ?
;

"
One who was dearest of the folk to me and best beloved." " Per-
haps thy father ?
" "
No " " Thy brother ? " " No " " One of thy
! !

kindred ?
" "
No " Then asked I, " What relation was the dead
!

to thee ?
" and he answered, " My lover." Quoth I to myself
;
" This is the first "
proof to swear by of his lack of wit So I said
to him, "Assuredly there be others than she and fairer;" and he
made answer, " I never saw her, that I might judge whether or no
" This is
there be others fairer than she." Quoth I to myself,
And " how
'another proof positive." Then I said to him, couldst
" He
thou fall in love with one thou hast never seen ? replied
 A If Laylah wa Laylah.
"
Know that I was sitting one day at the window, when lo ! there
passed by a man, singing the following distich :

Umm AmrV thy boons Allah repay ! Give back my heart be't where it may I
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

fo&m tt foas t&e jFour ^un&retr anU

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the school-
master continued, " When I heard the man humming these words
as he passed along the street, I said to myself: Except this
Umm Amru were without equal in the world, the poets had not
celebrated her in ode and canzon. So I fell in love with her ;
but, two days after, the same man passed, singing the following
couplet :

Ass and Umm Amr? went their way ; o Nor she, nor ass returned for aye.

Thereupon I knew that she was dead and mourned for her. This
was three days ago, and I have been mourning ever since." So I
left him and fared forth, having assured myself of the weakness of

the gerund-grinder's wit. And they tell another and a similar

tale of

THE FOOLISH DOMINIE.*

ONCE upon a time, a schoolmaster was visited by a man of letters
who entered a school and, sitting down by the host's side, entered
into discourse with him and found him an accomplished theo-

logian, poet,grammarian, philologist and poet; intelligent, well

bred and pleasant spoken whereat he wondered, saying in him-
;

1
Umm Amri (written Amru and pronounced Ami') a matronymic, " mother of Amru."
This story and its terminal verse is a regular Joe Miller.
8
Abuse and derision of schoolmaster are staple subjects in the East as in the West,
(Quern Dii oderunt psedagogum fecerunt). Anglo-Indians will remember :

Miy4n-ji ti-ti !

Bachchc-ki gand men anguli ki thi !

(Schoolmaster hum !
Who fumbled and fingered the little boy's bum- ?}
 The Illiterate who set up for a Schoolmaster, 1
191

"
self, It cannot be that a man who teacheth children in a school,
should have a perfect wit." Now when he was about to go away,
"
the pedant said to him, ** Thou art my guest to-night
;
and he
consented to receive hospitality and accompanied him to his house,
where he made much of him and set food before him. They ate
and drank and sat talking, till a third part of the night was past
when the host spread his guest a bed and went up to his Harim.
The stranger lay down and addressed himself to sleep, when, behold,
there arose a great clamour in the women's rooms. He asked
what was the matter and they said, " terrible thing hath be-A
"
fallen theShaykh and he is at the last gasp." Said he, Take me
"
up to him so they took him up to the pedagogue whom he
;

found lying insensible, with his blood streaming down. He

sprinkled water on his face and when he revived, he asked him
" What hath betided thee ? When
leftest me, thou wast in
thou
" and he "O
all good cheer and whole of body answered,
; my
brother, after I left thee, I sat meditating on the creative works of
Almighty Allah, and said to myself: In every thing the Lord
hath created for man, there is an use for He (to Whom be glory !)
;

made the hands to seize, the feet to walk, the eyes to see, the ears
to hear and the penis to increase and multiply and so on with all ;

the members of the body, except these two ballocks ; there is no

use in them. So I took a razor I had by me and cut them off;
and there befel me what thou seest." So the guest left him and
went away, saying, " He was in the right who said :
Verily no
schoolmaster who teacheth children can have a perfect wit, though
he know all the sciences." And they tell a pleasant tale of the

ILLITERATE WHO SET UP FOR A SCHOOLMASTER.

THERE was once, among the menials 1

of a certain mosque, a
man who knew not how to write or even to read and who gained

by gulling folk. One day, it occurred to him to open

his bread a
school and teach children so he got together writing-tablets and
;

written papers and hung them up in a high place. Then he

1
Arab. " Mujawiriu
" =
the lower servants, sweepers etc. See Pilgrimage ii. 161
" settlers " at Al-Medinah. Burckhardt (No. 480
where it is also applied to certain
" "
and quotes the saying,
notices another meaning foreigners who attend mosque-lectures
" at Meccah."
"A. pilgrimaged : quoth B.
'
yes ! and for his villainies resideth (Mujawir)
 12O Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

greatened his turband 1 and sat down at the door of the school ;

and when the people, who passed by, saw his huge head-gear and
tablets and scrolls, they thought he must be a
very learned peda-
gogue; so they brought him their children and he would say to ;

this, Write," and to that

"
Read " and thus the little ones
;

taught one another. Now one day, as he sat as of wont, at the

door of the school, behold, up came a woman letter in hand, and
he said in his mind, " This woman doubtless seeketh me, that I
may read her the missive she hath in her hand how shall I do :

with her, seeing I cannot read writing ? " And he would fain have
gone down and fled from her but, before he could do this, she
;

overtook him and said to him, " Whither away ? " Quoth he, " I
"
purpose to pray the noon-prayer and return." Quoth she, Noon
is yet distant, so read me this letter." He took the letter and
turning it upside down, fell to looking at it, now shaking his head
till his turband
quivered, then dancing his eyebrows and anon
showing anger and concern. Now the letter came from the woman's
husband, who was absent ; and when she saw the dominie do on
this wise, she said to herself, " Doubtless my husband is dead, and
this learned doctor of law and religion is ashamed to tell me so."
said to him, "
"
So she O my
lord, if he be dead, tell me ; but he
"
shook his head and held his peace. Then said she, Shall I rend
" "
my raiment ? Rend " replied he. " Shall I beat
! face ?
"
my
" "
asked she and he
;
Beat
answered, she ! the So took letter
from his hand and returning home fell a-weeping, she and her
children. Presently, one of her neighbours heard her sobbing and
"
asking what ailed her, was answered, Of a truth she hath gotten
a letter, telling her that her husband is dead." Quoth the man,
"
This is a falsehood for I had a letter from him but yesterday,
;

advising me that he is whole and in good health and will be with

her after ten days." So he rose forthright and going in to her, said,
"
Where is the letter which came to thee ? " She brought it to him,
and he took it and read it ; and lo it ran as follows, " After the
!

usual salutations, I am well and in good health and whole and will
be with you all after ten days. Meanwhile, I send you a quilt and
an extinguisher." 2 So she took the letter and, returning with it

1
The custom (growing obsolete in Egypt) is preserved in Afghanistan "where the
learned wear turbans equal to the canoe-hats of the Spanish cardinals.
2
Arab. "Makmarah," a metal cover for the usual brasier or pan of charcoal which
acts fire-place. Lane (ii. 600) does not translate the word and seems to think it

means a belt or girdle, thus blunting the point of the dominie's excuse.
 The King and the Virtuous Wife, 121

to the schoolmaster, said to him, " What induced thee to deal thus
"
with me ? And she repeated to him what her neighbour had
told her of her husband's well-being
and of his having sent her a
quilt
O good woman for I was, at the time "
;

ceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her

-
and an extinguisher. Answered he, " Thou art in the right,
And Shahrazad per-
permitted say.

Nofo foljen it teas tfje JFour on* jfourtf) Nig&t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the peda.
gogue replied, "Verily I was at that time fashed and absent-
minded and, seeing the extinguisher wrapped up in the quilt,
I thought that he was dead and
they had shrouded him." The
woman, not smoking the cheat, said, "Thou art excused," and
taking the letter, went her ways. 1 And they relate a story of

THE KING AND THE VIRTUOUS WIFE.

A CERTAIN King once went forth in disguise, to look into the

affairsof his lieges. Presently, he came to a great village which
he entered unattended and being athirst, stopped at the door of a
house and asked for water. There came out to him a fair woman
with a gugglet, which she gave him, and he drank. When he
looked at her, he was ravished with her and besought her favours.
Now she knew him ; so she led him into the house and, making
him "
down, brought out a book and said to him, Look therein
sit

whilst I order my affair and return to thee." So he looked into

the book, and behold, it treated of the Divine prohibition against
advoutry and of the punishments which Allah hath prepared for
those who commit adulterous sin. When he read this, his flesh
quaked and his hair bristled and he repented to Almighty Allah :

then he called the woman and, giving her the book, went away. Now
her husband was absent and when he returned, she told him what
had passed, whereat he was confounded and said in himself, " I fear
lest the King's desire have fallen upon her." And he dared not have

1
This story, a very old Joe Miller, was told to Lane as something new and he
introduced it into his Modern Egyptians, end of chapL. ii.
 122 Alf Laylah wa Laylak.

to do with her and know her carnally after this. When some time
had past, the wife told her kinsfolk of her husband's conduct, and
"
they complained of him to the King, saying, Allah advance the
King This man hired of us a piece of land for tillage, and tilled
!

it awhile then left it fallow and neither tilled it nor forsook it,
;

that we might let it to one who would till it. Indeed, harm is
come to the field, and we fear its corruption, for such land as that,
be not sown, spoileth." Quoth the King to the man, " What
if it
"
hindereth thee from sowing thy land ? Answered he, " Allah
advance the King It reached me that the lion entered the field,
!

wherefor stood in awe of him and dared not draw near it, since
I

knowing that I cannot cope with the lion, I stand in fear of him."

The King understood the parable and rejoined, saying, " O man,
the lion trod and trampled not thy land, and it is good for seed ;

so do thou till it and Allah prosper thee in it, for the lion hath
done it no hurt." Then he bade give the man and his wife a
handsome present and sent them away. And amongst the 1
stories
is that of

ABD AL-RAHMAN THE MAGHRIBI'S STORY OF THE

RUKH. 2

THERE was once a man of the people of West Africa who had
journeyed and wide and traversed many a desert and a tide.
far
He was once cast upon an island, where he abode a long while and,
returning thence to his native country, brought with him the quill
of a wing-feather of a young Rukh, whilst yet in egg and un-
hatched and this quill was big enough to hold a goat-skin's of
;

water, for said that the length of the Rukh-chick's wing, when
it is

he cometh forth of the egg, is a thousand fathoms. The folk mar-

velled at this quill, when they saw it, and the man who was called

1
This tale is a mere abbreviation of " The King and his Wazir's wife," in the
Book of Sindibad or the Malice of Women, Night dcxxviii., which see for anno-
tations.
2
The older " Roc " which " Rukh or " Rukhkh." Colonel "
may be written Yule,
the learned translator of Marco
Polo, has shown that " Roc's " feathers were not
uncommon curiosities in mediaeval ages; and holds that they were mostly fronds of
the palm Raphia vinifera, which has the largest leaf in the vegetable kingdom and
which the Moslems of Zanzibar call " Satan's date-tree." I need hardly quote
*'
Frate Cipolla and the Angel Gabriel's Feather " (Decameron vi. 10.)
 Abd al- Rahman the Maghribts Story of t/ie Rukh. 123

Abd al- Rahman the Moor (and he was known, to boot, as the
Chinaman, for his long sojourn in Cathay), related to them the
following adventure, one of many of his traveller's tales of marvel.
He was on a voyage in the China seas, And Shahrazad per-
ceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

fo&m ft teas t&e jFour J^tintato anfc

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abd al-
Rahman, the Moorman, the Chinaman, was wont to tell wondrous
tales amongst which was the following. He was on a voyage in
the China seas with a company of merchants, when they sighted
an island from afar; so they steered for it and, making fast thereto,
saw that it was large and spacious. The ship's crew went ashore
to get wood and water, taking with them hatchets and ropes and
water-skins (the travellers accompanying them), and presently
espied a great dome, white and gleaming, an hundred cubits
long. So they made towards it and drawing near, found that
it was an egg of the Rukh and fell on it with axes and stones

and sticks till they uncovered the young bird and found the chick
as it were a firm-set hill. So they plucked out one of the wing-
feathers, but could not do so, save by helping one another, for all
the quills were not full grown after which they took what they
;

could carry of the young bird's flesh and cutting the quill away;
from the vane, returned to the ship. Then they set sail and putting
out to sea, voyaged with a fair wind all that night, till the sun
rose and while everything went well, they saw the Rukh come
;

flying after them, as he were a vast cloud,

with a rock in his
talons, like a great heap bigger than the ship. As soon as he
poised himself in air over the vessel, he let fall the rock upon it

but the craft, having great outwent the rock, which

way on her,
fell into the sea with a loud crash and a horrible. So Allah
decreed their deliverance and saved them from doom and they ;

cooked the young bird's flesh and ate it. Now there were amongst
them old white-bearded men and when they awoke on the mor-
;

row, they found that their beards had turned black, nor did any
who had eaten of the young Rukh grow gray ever after. Some
said the cause of the return of youth to them and the ceasing
of hoariness from them was that they had heated the pot with;
124 Alf Laylah wa Laylah,

arrow-wood, whilst others would have it that it came of eating

the Rukh-chick's flesh; and this is indeed a wonder of wonders. 1
And a story is related of

ADI BIN ZAYD AND THE PRINCESS HIND.

AL-NU'UMAN BIN AL-MUNZIR, King of the Arabs of Irak, had

a daughter named Hind, who went out one Pasch, which is a
feast day of the Nazarenes, to the White Church, to take the
sacrament she was eleven years old and was the loveliest woman
;

of her age and time and it so chanced that on the same day
;

came to Hirah 2 a young man called 'Adf bin Zayd 8 with pre-
sents from the Chosroe to Al-Nu'uman, and he also went to
the White Church, to communicate. He was tall of stature and
fair of favour, with handsome eyes and smooth cheeks, and had
with him a company of his people. Now there was with Hind
bint al-Nu'uman a slave-girl named Mdriyah, who was enamoured
of Adi, but had not been able to foregather with him. So, when
"
she saw him in the church, she said to Hind, Look at yonder
"
youth. By Allah, he is handsomer than all thou seest Hind !

asked, "And who is he?" and Mariyah answered, "Adi bin Zayd."
"
Quoth Al-Nu'uman's daughter, I fear lest he know me, if I draw
nearer to look on him." Quoth Mariyah, " How should he know
thee when he hath never seen thee ?
" So she drew near him
and found him jesting with the youths his companions and ;

indeed he surpassed them all, not only in his personal charms

but in the excellence of his speech, the eloquence of his tongue
and the richness of his raiment. When the Princess saw him,
she was ravished with him, her reason was confounded and her
colour changed and Mariyah, seeing her inclination to him, said
;

"
to her, Speak him." So she spoke to him and went away. Now
when he looked upon her and heard her speech, he was captivated
by her and his wit was dazed his heart fluttered, and his colour
;

1
The tale is told in a bald, disjointed
style and will be repeated in Sindbad the
Seaman ; where " Roc." See
I shall again notice the Night dxxxvii., etc.
2 Hirah in
Mesopotamia was a Christian city and principality subject to the Persian
monarchs ; and a rival to the Roman kingdom of Ghassan. It has a long history, for
which see D'Herbelot.
3 A pre-Islamite poet.
 Adi bin Zayd and the Princess Hind. 125

changed, so that his companions suspected him, and he whispered

one of them to follow her and find out who she was. The young
man went after her and returning informed him that she was
Princess Hind, daughter of Al-Nu'uman. So Adi left the church,

knowing not whither he went, for excess of love, and reciting

these two couplets :

O one favour more I pray

friends of me, : o Unto the convents '
find once
more your way :

Turn me that so I face the land of Hind ;

o Then go, and fairest greetings for

me say :

Then he went to his lodging and lay that night, restless and with-
out appetite for the food of sleep. And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

foljni it foas tlje .-jpour |DuntrctJ ant) >utfr

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Adi
ended his verses he went to his lodging and lay that night restless
and without appetite for the food of sleep. Now on the morrow
Mariyah accosted him and he received her kindly, though before
"
he would not incline to her, and said to her, " What is thy will ?
"
"
Quoth she, I have a want of thee and quoth he, " Name it, for ;

"
by Allah, thou shalt not ask me aught, but I will give it thee !

So she told him that she loved him, and her want of him was that
he would grant her a lover's privacy; and he agreed to do her will,
on condition that she would serve him with Hind and devise some
device to bring them together. Then he took her into a vintner's
tavern in one of the by-streets of Hirah, and lay with her after ;

which she returned to Hind and asked her, " Dost thou not long to
" "
see Adi ? She answered, How can this be ? indeed my longing for
him makes me restless, and no repose is left me since yesterday."
"
Quoth Mariyah, I will appoint him to be in such a place, where
"
thou canst look on him from the palace." Quoth Hind, Do
what thou wilt," and agreed with her upon the place. So Adi
came, and the Princess looked out upon him and, when she saw ;

him, she was like to topple down from the palace-top and said,

1
Arab. " Biki'a," alluding to the pilgrimages made to monasteries and here

equivalent to, "Address ye to the road," etc.

126 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

"O Mariyah, except thou bring him in to me this night, I

shall

die." So saying, she fell to the ground in a fainting-fit, and her

serving- women lifted her up and bore
her into the palace; whilst

Mariyah hastened to Al-Nu'uman and discovered the whole

matter to him with perfect truth, telling him that indeed she
was mad for the love of Adi and except he marry her to him,
;

she must be put to shame and die of love for him, which would
"
disgrace her father among the Arabs, adding at the end, There
is no cure for this but wedlock." The King bowed his head
"
awhile in thought and exclaimed again and again, Verily, we
"
are Allah's and unto Him we are returning Then said he, !

" Woe How

to thee !
marriage be brought about,
shall the
"
seeing I mislike to open the matter ? And she said, " He is
yet more ardently in love and yet more desireful of her than
she is of him and I will so order the affair that he shall be
;

unaware of his case being known to thee but do not betray ;

thyself, O King." Then she went to Adi and, after acquainting

him with everything said, " Make a feast and bid the King
thereto; and, when the wine hath gotten the better of him,
ask of him his daughter, for he will not refuse thee." Quoth
"
Adi, I fear lest this enrage him against me and be the cause
of enmity between us." But quoth she, "I came not to thee,
till I had settled the whole affair with him." Then she re-
turned to Al-Nu'uman and said to him, " Seek of Adi that he
"
entertain thee in his house." Replied the King, There is no
"
harm in that ;
and after three days, besought Adi to give him
and his lords the morning-meal in his house. He consented
and the King went to him and when the wine had taken effect
;

on Al-Nu'uman, Adi rose and sought of him his daughter in

wedlock. He consented and married them and brought her to
him after three days ; and they abode at Al-Nu'uman's court,
in all solace of life and its delight And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Nob fof)cn it tons tfjc jpour IQuntjrrtj an* $ebenti) tftgfjt,

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that Adi abode
with Hind bint Al-Nu'uman bin Munzir three years in all solace
of life and its delight, after which time the King was wroth with
Adi and slew him. Hind mourned for him with grievous mourn*
 Di'ibil al-Kkuza'i and Muslim bin al-Walid. 127

ing and built her an hermitage outside the city, whither she
retired and became a religious, weeping and bewailing her husband
till she died. And her hermitage is seen to this day in the
suburbs of Hirah. They also tell a tale of

DI'IBIL AL-KHUZA'I WITH THE LADY AND MUSLIM

BIN AL-WALID.

I was sitting one day at the gate of

1
(QUOTH Di'ibil al-Khuza'i
),
2
Al-Karkh, when a damsel came past, never saw I a fairer faced or
better formed than she, walking with a voluptuous swaying gait
and ravishing all beholders with her lithe and undulating pace.
Now as my eyes fell on her, I was captivated by her and my vitals
trembled and meseemed my heart flew forth of my breast ;
so I
stood before her and I accosted her with this verse :

The tears of these eyes find easy release ;

o But sleep flies these eyelids
without surcease.

Whereon she turned her face and looking at me, straightway made
answer with this distich :

A trifle this an his eyes be sore, o When her eyes say "yes" to his love-
caprice !

I was astounded at the readiness of her reply and the fluency of

her speech and rejoined with this verse :

Say, doth heart of my fair incline to him o Whose tears like a swelling stream
increase ?

And she answered me without hesitation, thus :

If thou crave our love, know that love's a loan ;

o And a debt to be paid by us
twain a-piece.

Never entered my ears aught sweeter than her speech nor ever saw

1
Whose by name was Abu Ali, a poet under the Abbasides (eighth and ninth cen-
turies).
2
A well-known quarter of Baghdad, often mentioned in The Nights.
 128 A If Lay/ah wa Laylah.

I brighter than her face so I changed rhyme and rhythm to try

:

her, in my wonder at her words, and repeated this couplet :

Will Fate with joy of union ever bless our sight, o And one desireful one with
other one unite.

She smiled at this (never saw I fairer than her mouth nor sweeter
than her lips), and answered me, without stay or delay, in the
following distich :

Pray, tell me what hath Fate to do betwixt us twain ? a Thou'rt Fate : so bless
our eyne with union and delight.

At "
sprang up and fell to kissing her hands and cried, I
this, I
had not thought that Fortune would vouchsafe me such occasion.
Do thou follow me, not of bidding or against thy will, but of the
grace of thee and thy favour to me." Then I went on and she
after me. Now at that time I had no lodging I deemed fit for the
like of her ; but Muslim bin al-Wah'd 1 was my fast friend, and he
had a handsome house. So I made for his abode and knocked at
the door, whereupon he came out, and I saluted him, saying, " 'Tis
"
for time like this that friends are treasured up ; and he replied,
" With love arid
gladness Come in you twain." So we entered but
!

found money scarce with him : however, he gave me a kerchief,

"
saying, Carry it to the bazar and sell it and buy food and what
else thou needest." I took the handkerchief, and hastening to the

market, sold it and bought what we required of victuals and other

matters ; but when I returned, I found that Muslim had retired,
with her to an underground chamber. 2 When he heard my step
he hurried out and said to me, " Allah requite thee the kindness
thou hast done me, O Abu AH and reward thee in time to come
"
and reckon it of thy good deeds on the Day of Doom So say- !

ing, he took from me the food and wine and shut the door in my
face. His words enraged me and I knew not what to do but he ;

stood behind the door, shaking for mirth and, when he saw me* ;

" I
thus, he said to me, conjure thee on my life, O Abu AH, tell
who it was composed this couplet ?

I lay in her arms all night, leaving him o To sleep foul-hearted but clean of
staff.

1
Another well-known poet of the time.
2
Arab. "Sardab" noticed before.
:
 Isaac of Mosul and the Merchant. 129

At "
this my rage redoubled, and I replied, He who wrote this
"
other couplet :

One, I wish him in belt a thousand horns, e Exceeding in

mighty height
Manaf.1

Then began to abuse him and reproach him with the foulness of
I
his actionand his lack of honour and he was silent never utter- ;

"
ing a word. But, when I had finished, he smiled and said, Out
on thee, O fool Thou hast entered my house and sold my
!

kerchief and spent my silver so, with whom art thou wroth, O
:

"*
pimp ? Then he left me and went away to her, whilst I said,
'
By Allah, thou art right to twit me as nincompoop and
"
pander ! Then
door and went away in sore concern,
I left his
and I feel its trace in my heart to this
very day for I never had ;

my will of her nor, indeed, ever heard of her more. And amongst
other tales is that about

ISAAC OF MOSUL AND THE MERCHANT.

(QUOTH Ishak bin Ibrahim al-Mausili), It so chanced that, one
day feeling weary of being on duty at the Palace and in
attendance upon the Caliph, I mounted horse and went forth, at
break of dawn, having a mind to ride out in the open country and
take my So I said to my servants, "If there come a
pleasure.
messenger from the Caliph or another, say that I set out at day-
break, upon a pressing business, and that ye know not whither I
am gone." Then I fared forth alone and went round about the
city, till the sun waxed hot, when I halted in a great thoroughfare
known as Al-Haram, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.

fofcen ft foas tfje jpout f^un&rcfc anfc

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ishak bin
Ibrahim the Mausili continued When the sun waxed hot I :

1
A gigantic idol in the Ka'abah, destroyed by Mohammed : it gave name to a tribe.
*
Arab. " Ya Kawwad:" hence the Port, and Span. AJcovitciro.
VOL. V. I
130 A If Laylah wa Laylah*

halted in a great thoroughfare known as Al-Haram, to take

shelter in the shade and found it in a spacious wing of a house
which projected over the street. And I stood there but a little
while before there came up a black slave, leading an ass bestridden
by a damsel ; and under her were housings set with gems and
pearls and upon her were the richest of clothes, richness can go no
farther and I saw that she was elegant of make with languorous
;

look and graceful mien. I asked one of the passers-by who she
"
was, and he said, She is a singer," so I fell in love with her at
first sight: hardly could I keep my seat on horseback. She entered

the house at whose gate I stood and, as I was planning a device

;

to gain access to her, there came up two men young and comely
who asked admission and the housemaster gave them leave to
enter. So they alighted and I also and they entered and I with
them, they supposing that the master of the house had invited
me and we sat awhile, till food was brought and we ate. Then
;

they set wine before us, and the damsel came out, with a lute in
her hand. She sang and we drank, till I rose to obey a call of
nature. Thereupon the host questioned the two others of me,
and they replied that they knew me not whereupon quoth he, ;

"This is a parasite*; but he is a pleasant fellow, so treat him cour-

teously." Then I came back and sat down in my place, whilst the
damsel sang to a pleasing air these two couplets :

Say to the she-gazelle, who's no gazelle, And Kohl'd ariel who's no ariel .

Who with male, and yet no female

lies is,
o Whose gait is female most unlike
the male.

She sang it right well, and the company drank and her song

pleased them. Then she carolled various pieces to rare measures,

and amongst the rest one of mine, which consisted of this dis-
tich :

Bare hills and camp-ground desolate o And friends who all have ganged their
gait.
How severance after union leaves o Me and their homes in saddest state !

"
Tufayli," a term before noticed ; the class was as well known in Baghdad
1
Arab.
and Cairo asin ancient Rome.
2
Arab.
"
Jauzar
"
=
a bubalus (Anlilope defessa), also called
" "
Ayn from the large
black eyes. This bovine antelope is again termed Bakar al-Wahsh (wild cattle) or
" Bos I render
Sylvestris" (mcertt generis, Forsk.). But Jauzar also signifies hart, so
" Ariel" well-known antelope).
it ly (the
 Isaac of Mosul and the Merchant, 131

Her singing this time was even better than the first then she ;

chanted other rare pieces, old and new, and amongst them, another
of mine with the following two couplets :

Say to angry lover who turns away, o And shows thee his side whatso thou
say,
M Thou wroughtest Albe 'twas haply thy sport
all that by thee was wrought,
and play."

I prayed her to repeat the song, that I might correct it for her ;
"
whereupon one of the two men accosted me and said, Never saw
we a more impudent lick-platter than thou. Art thou not content
with spunging, but thou must eke meddle and muddle ? Of very
sooth, in thee is the saying made true, Parasite and pushing
wight." So I hung down my head for shame and made him
no answer, whilst his companion would have withheld him from
me but he would not be restrained. Presently, they rose to pray,
;

but I little and, taking the lute, screwed up the

lagged behind a
sides and brought it into perfect tune. Then I stood up in my
place to pray with the rest and when we had ended praying, the
;

same man fell again to blaming rne and reviling me and persisted
in his rudeness, whilst I held my peace. Thereupon the damsel
took the lute and touching it, knew that it had been altered, and
" " "
said, Who
hath touched my lute ? Quoth they, None of us
hath touched it." Quoth she, "Nay, by Allah, some one hath
touched it, and he is an artist, a past master in the craft for ;

he hath arranged the strings and tuned them like one who is a
"
perfect performer." Said I, It was I tuned it ;" and said she,
" "
Then, Allah upon thee, take it and play on it So I took it ; !

and, playing a piece so difficult and so rare, that it went nigh to

deaden the quick and quicken the dead, I sang thereto these
couplets :

I had a heart, and with it lived my life : o Twas seared with fire and burnt
with loving- lowe :

I never won the blessing of her love ;

o God would not on His slave such boon
bestow :

If what I've tasted be the food of Love, o Must taste it all men who Love-food
would know.

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Koto tofjen ft tons tfje jfour l^utrtitetj arrti Nintf) NtgfH,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ishak of

Mosul thus continued Now when I had finished my verse, there
:

was not one of the company but sprang from his place and sat
down like schoolboys before me, saying, "Allah upon thee, O
our lord, sing us another song." " With pleasure," said I, and
playing another measure in masterly fashion, sang thereto these
couplets :

Ho thou whose heart is melted down by force of Amor's fire, o And griefs from
every side against thy happiness conspire :
Unlawful is that he who pierced my vitals with his shaft, o My blood between
l
my midriff and my breast-bone he desire,
'Twas plain,upon our severance-day, that he had set his mind o On an eternal

parting,moved by tongue of envious liar :

He sheds my blood he ne'er had shed except by wound of love ;

o Will none
demand my blood of him, my wreak of him require ?

When I had made an end of this song, there was not one of them

but rose to his feet and threw himself upon the ground for excess of
"
delight. Then I cast the lute from my hand, but they said, Allah
upon thee, do not on this wise, but let us hear another song, so
" "
Allah Almighty increase thee of His bounty Replied I, O !

folk, I will sing you another song and another and another and
-will tell you who
I am. I am Ishak bin Ibrahim al-Mausili, and

by Allah, bear myself proudly to the Caliph when he seeketh

I

me. Ye have to-day made me hear abuse from an unmannerly

carle such as I loathe and by Allah, I will not speak a word
;

nor sit with you, till ye put yonder quarrelsome churl out from
" "
among you !
Quoth the
companion to him, This is
fellow's
what I warned thee against, fearing for thy good name." So they
hent him by the hand and thrust him out and I took the lute ;

and sang over again the songs of my own composing which the
damsel had sung. Then I whispered the host that she had taken
my heart and that I had no patience to abstain from
"
her. Quoth
"
" She is thine on one condition." I
he, asked, What is that ?
"
and he answered, It is that thou abide with me a month, when

1
Arab. " Taraib
"
plur. of taribah. The allusion is to the heart, and " the little

bim's a her."
 The Three Unfortunate Lovers. 133

the damsel and all belonging to her of raiment and jewellery shall
be thine." I rejoined, " It is well, I will do this." So I tarried
with him a whole month, whilst none knew were I was and the
Caliph sought me everywhere, but could come by no news of me ;
and at the end of this time, the merchant delivered to me the
damsel, together with all that pertained to her of things of price
and an eunuch to attend upon her. So I brought all that to my
lodging, feeling as I were lord of the whole world, for exceeding
delight in her ; then I rode forthright to Al-Maamun. And when
I stood in the presence, he said, " Woe to thee, O Ishak, where
"
hast thou been ? So I acquainted him with the story and he
"
said, Bring me that
at once." man
Thereupon I told him where
he lived and he sent and fetched him and questioned him of the
case ; when he repeated the story and the Caliph said to him,
"
Thou art a man of right generous mind, and it is only fitting
that thou be aided in thy generosity." Then he ordered him an
hundred thousand dirhams and said to me, " O Ishak, bring the
damsel before me." So I brought her to him, and she sang and
delighted him ; and being greatly gladdened by her he said to
"
me, I appoint her turn of service every Thursday, when she
must come and sing to me from behind the curtain." And he
ordered her fifty thousand dirhams, so by Allah, I profited both
myself and others by my ride. And amongst the tales they tell
is one of

THE THREE UNFORTUNATE LOVERS.

) I was sitting one day with

(QUOTH Al-'Utbf,
1
a company of
educated men, telling stories of the folk, when the talk turned
upon legends of lovers and each of us said his say thereanent.
Now there was in our company an old man, who remained silent,
"
till all had spoken and had no more to
say, when quoth he, Shall
"
I tell you a thing, the like of which you never heard no, never ? ;
" "
Yes," quoth we and he said, Know, then, that I had a daugh-
;

ter, who loved a youth, but we knew it not while the youth loved
;

a singing-girl, who in her turn loved my daughter. One day, I

was present at an assembly, wherein were also the youth And

1
A well-known poet of the ninth century (A.D.)
 134 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per
mitted say.

Hofo tofcen it bias t&e ^our f^utrtjrefc anft

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Shaykh
continued One day, I was present at an assembly wherein were
:

also the youth and the singing-girl and she chanted to us these

couplets:

Prove how Love bringeth low o Lover those tears that run ;

Lowering him still the more When pity finds he none.

Cried the youth, " By Allah, thou hast said well, O my mistress f
Dost thou incite me to die?" Answered the girl from behind
the curtain, " Yes, if thou be a true lover." So he laid his head
on a cushion and closed his eyes and when the cup came round
;

to him, we shook him and behold, he was dead. 1 Therewith we

all flocked to him, and our pleasure was troubled and we grieved
and broke up at once. When I came home, my people took in
bad part my returning before the appointed time, and I told them
what had befallen the youth, thinking that thereby I should
greatly surprise them. My daughter heard my words and rising,
went from the sitting-chamber into another, whither I followed
her and found her lying with her head on a cushion, even as I
had told of the young man. So I shook her and lo she was !

dead. Then we laid her out and set forth next morning to bury
her, whilst the friends of the young man set forth in like guise to

bury him. As we were on the way to the burial-place, we met a

third funeral and asking whose it was, were told that it was that
of the singing-girl who, hearing of my daughter's death, had done
even as she did and was dead. So we buried them all three on
one day, and this is the rarest tale that ever was heard of lovers.
And they also tell a tale of

1 for love are a. lieu commun: See sundry of them in the Decameron
These easy deaths
and, in the Heptameron (Nouv. hex.), the widow who lay down and died of
(iv. 7, etc.);
love and sorrow that her passion bad become known. For the fainting of lovers see
Nouvelle xix.
 How Abu Hasan Brake Wind, 13$

HOW ABU HASAN BRAKE WIND.

THEY recount that in the City Kaukaban of Al-Yaman there was

a man of the Fazlf tribe who had left Badawi life, and become
a townsman for many years and was a merchant of the most
opulent merchants. His wife had deceased when both were
young and
;
his friends were instant with him to marry again,
ever quoting to him the words of the poet :

Go, gossip ! re-wed thee, for Prime draweth near :

A wife is an almanac good for the year.

So being weary of contention, Abu Hasan entered into negotia-

tions with the old women who procure matches, and married a
maid Canopus when he hangeth over the seas of Al-Hind.
like
He made high festival therefor, bidding to the wedding-banquet
kith and kin, Olema and Fakirs friends and foes and all his;

acquaintances of that country-side. The whole house was thrown

open to feasting there were rices of five several colours, and
:

sherbets of as many more; and kids stuffed with walnuts and

almonds and pistachios and a camel-colt roasted whole. So they 1

ate and drank and made mirth and merriment and the bride ;

was displayed in her seven dresses and one more, to the women,
who could not take their eyes off her. At last, the bridegroom
was summoned to the chamber where she sat enthroned and he ;

rose slowly and with dignity from his divan but in so doing, for ;

that he was over full of meat and drink, lo and behold he let fly !

a fart, great and terrible. Thereupon each guest turned to his

neighbour and talked aloud and made as though he had heard
nothing, fearing for his life. But a consuming fire was lit in Abu
Hasan's heart so he pretended a call of nature ; and, in lieu of
;

seeking the bride-chamber, he went down to the house-court and

saddled his mare and rode off, weeping bitterly, through the

This ira favourite Badawi dish, but too expensive unless some accident happen to
the animal. Old camel is much like bull-beef, but the young meat is excellent, although
not relished by Europeans because, like strange fish, it has no recognised flavour. I
have noticed " There is an old idea in Europe
it in my First Footsteps" (p. 68, etc.).
that the maniacal vengeance of the Arab is increased by eating this flesh ; the beast is

certainly vindictive enough ; but a furious and frantic vengefulness characterises the
(North American Indian who never saw a camel. Mercy and pardon belong to the
not to the miserables who make up "
elect, humanity."
 A If Laylah wet Laylah.

shadow of the night. In time he reached Lahej where he found

a ship ready to sail for India so he shipped on board and made ;

Calicut of Malabar. Here he met with

1
many Arabs, especially
Hazramfs, who recommended him to the King and this King ;

(who was a Kafir) trusted him and advanced him to the captain-
ship of his body-guard. He remained ten years in all solace and
delight of life at the end of which time he was seized with home-
;

sickness and the longing to behold his native land was that of a
;

lover pining for his beloved and he came near to die of yearning
;

desire. But his appointed day had not dawned so, after taking ;

the first bath of health, he left the King without leave, and in due
course landed at Makalla of Hazramaut. Here he donned the rags
of a religious and, keeping his name and case secret, fared for
;

Kaukaban a-foot enduring a thousand hardships of hunger, thirst

;

and fatigue and braving a thousand dangers from the lion, the
;

snake and the Ghul. But when he drew near his old home, he
looked down upon it from the hills with_brimming eyes, and said
in himself, " Haply they
might know thee so I will wander about ;

the outskirts, and hearken to the folk. Allah grant that my case
be not remembered by them " He listened carefully for seven !

nights and seven days, till it so chanced that, as he was sitting at

the door of a hut, he heard the voice of a young girl saying, " O
my mother, tell me the day when I was born for such an one of ;

my companions is about to take an omen 2 for me." And the

mother answered, Thou was born, O my daughter, on the very
"

night when Abu Hasan farted." Now the listener no sooner heard
these words than he rose up from the bench, and fled away saying
to himself, " Verily thy fart hath become a date, which shall last
for ever and ever even as the poet said
;
:

As long as palms shall shift the flower ; <* As long as palms shall sift the flour. 3

1
i.f., of the Province Hazramaut, the Biblical Hazarmaveth (Gen. x. 26). The
people are the Swiss of Arabia and noted for thrift and hard bargains; hence the
saying, If you meet a serpent and a Hazrami, slay the Hazrami. To prove how ubi-
are it is related that a man, from their reached the uttermost
quitous they flying society,

parts of China where he thought himself safe. But, as he was about to pass the night
in some ruin, he heard a voice hard by him exclaim, O
'Imad al-Din ! (the name of the
patron-saint of Hazramaut). Thereupon he arose and fled and he is, they say, flying still.
2
Arab. " Fal" alluding to the Sortes Coranicse and other silly practices known to
the English servant-girl when curious about her future and her futur.
8 or lands non-Arab (where bread
*'.*., in Arab-land (where they eat dales) and Ajam,

is the staff of life) ; that is, all the world over.

 'Ike Lovers of the Banu Tayy. 137

And he ceased not travelling and voyaging and returned to

India ; and there abode in self-exile till he died and the mercy ;

of Allah be upon him l And

they tell another story of
!

THE LOVERS OF THE BANU TAYY.

KAsiM, son of Adi, was wont to relate that a man of the Banu
Tamfm spake as follows. I went out one day in search of an
estray and, coming to the waters of the Banu Tayy, saw two
companies of people near one another, and behold, those of one
company were disputing among themselves even as the other.
So I watched them and observed, in one of the companies, a
youth wasted with sickness, as he were a worn-out dried-up water-
skin. And as I looked on him, lo he repeated these couplets ! :

What ails the Beauty she returneth not ? o Is't Beauty's irk or grudg-
ing to my lot ?
I sickened and my friends all came to call; o What stayed thee calling
with the friendly knot ?
Hadst thou been sick, I had come running fast o To thee, nor threats had
kept me from the spot :

Mid them I miss thee, and I lie alone ; o Sweetheart, to lose thy
love sad loss I wot !

His words -were heard by a damsel in the other company who

hastened towards him, and when her people followed her, she
fought them off. Then the youth caught sight of her and sprang
up and ran towards her, whilst the people of his party ran after
him and laid hold of him. However he haled and freed himself
from them, and she in like manner loosed herself; and, when
they were free, each ran to other and meeting between the two
parties, embraced and fell dead upon the ground. And Shah-
razad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her per-
mitted say.

1
This story is curious and ethnologically valuable. The Badawi who eructates as a
civility,has a mortal hatred to a crepitus ventris j and were a by-stander to laugh at its
accidental occurrence, he would at once be cut down as a "pundonor." The same is
the custom amongst the Highlanders of Afghanistan, and its artificial nature suggests
direct derivation ; for the two regions are separated by a host of tribes, Persians and

Ealoch, Sindis and Panjabis who utterly ignore the point of honour and behave like
Europeans. The raids of the pre-Islamitic Arabs over the lands lying to the north-east
of them are almost forgotten ; still there are traces, and this may be one of them.
133 A If Laylah wa Laylab

Nofo fofjcn ft foas tfce jfour f^utrtrrrtr an& lEfefonrtj Ni'g&t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the

young man and the maid met between the two parties and em-
braced and both dead upon the ground whereat came there
fell ;

out an old man from one of the tents and stood over them ex-
claiming, "Verily, we are Allah's and unto Him we are return-
" Then "
ing !
weeping sore he said, Allah have ruth on you
both by the Almighty, though you were not united in your lives,
!

I will at least unite you after your deaths." And he bade lay
them out so they washed them and shrouded them in one
:

shroud and dug for them one grave and prayed one prayer over
them both and buried them in one tomb ; nor was there man
or woman in the two parties but I saw weeping over them and
buffeting their faces. Then I questioned the Shaykh of them,
"
and he said, She was my daughter and he my brother's son ;
and love brought them to the pass thou seest." I exclaimed,
" Allah amend thee ! but why didst thou not marry them to each
other
" "
I feared shame * and dishonour ; and now
? Quoth he,
I am fallen into both.'* And they tell a tale of

THE MAD LOVER.

QUOTH Abu 1-Abbas al-Mubarrad,2 I set out one day with a
company to Al-Bdrid on, an occasion and, coming to the mon-
astery of Hirakl,
3
we alighted in its shade. Presently a man

1
Arab. " Al-'A"r."
The Badawi saying is " Al-nar wa la 'l-'ar " (Hell-)fire, but not
jhame. The sentiment is noble. Hasan the Prophet's grandson, a poor creature
demoralised by over-marrying, chose the converse,
" Shame is better than Hell-fire."
An old Arabic poem has :

The Fire and not shame be the Lord of thee

And e'en to The Fire from shame go flee.

Al-HarSri (Ass. of the Badawin) also has :

For rather would I die my death than shame,

On bier be borne than bear a caitiffs name.
2
A grammarian and rhetorician of ninth century.
3
Once existing in Syrian Hamah (the Biblical Hamath) ; and so called because hers
died the Emperor Heraclius called by the Arabs
" Hirakl."
 The Mad Lover. 139

came out to us and said, " There are

monastery, madmen in the 1

and amongst them one who speaketh wisdom if ye saw him, ye ;

would marvel at his speech." So we arose all and went into the
monastery, where we saw a man seated on a skin-mat in one of
the cells, with bare head and eyes intently fixed upon the wall.
We saluted him, and he returned our salam, without looking at
us and one said to us, " Repeat some verses to him ; for, when
;

he heareth verse, he speaketh." So I repeated these two

couplets :

O whom gave Hawwd* boon of birth, o Except for thee the

best of race to
world were neither sweet nor fair !

Thou 'rt he, whose face, by Allah shown to man, o Doth ward off death,
decay and hoary hair.

When he heard from me this praise of the Apostle he turned

towards us and repeated these lines :

Well Allah wotteth I am sorely plagued : o Nor can I show my pain to

human sight.
Two souls have 1 ; one soul is here contained, o While other woneth in another
site
Meseems the absent soul's like present soul, o And that she suffers what to
me is dight.

Then he asked as, Have I said well or said ill ? " And we
**

answered, "Thou hast said the clean contrary of ill, well and
right well." Then he put out his hand to a stone, that was by
him and took it up ; whereupon thinking he would throw it at
us we fled from him but he fell to beating upon- his breast
;
"
therewith violent blows and said to us, Fear not, but dfaw near
and hear somewhat from me and receive it from me." So we
came back, and he repeated these couplets :

1
Till lately it was the custom to confine madmen in Syrian monasteries, hoping a
cure from the patron Saint ; and a terrible time they had of it. Every guide book
relates the healing process as formerly pursued at the Maronite Convent Koshaya not
far from Bayrut. The idiot or maniac was thrust headlong by the monks into a
dismal cavern with a heavy chain round his neck, and was tied up within a span of the
wall to await the arrival of Saint Anthony who especially affects this holy place. In
very few weeks the patient was effectually cured or killed by cold, solitude and
starvation.
*
The Moslem Eve, much nearer the Hebrew " Hawah " =: the
" manifesto; "
because (Gen. iii. 20) she was (to be) the mother of all that live (" Kull hayy ").
140 A If Laylah wet Laylah.

When they made their camels yellow-white kneel down at dawning grey,
They mounted her on crupper and the camel went his way,
Mine eye-balls through the prison-wall beheld them, and I cried o With
streaming eyelids and a heart that burnt in dire dismay,
* O camel-driver turn and
beast that I farewell
thy love <* In
my !
parting
farewelling her I see
day my doomed :

I'm faithful to my vows of love which I have never broke ; o Would Heaven
"
I kenned what they have done with vows that vowed they !

"
Then he looked at me and
Say me, dost thou know what
said,
"* "
they did ? Answered I, Yes, they are dead Almighty Allah ;

have mercy on them

" At this his face
changed and he sprang
!

"
to his feet and cried out, How knowest thou they be dead ? ;"
"
and I replied, Were they alive they had not left thee thus."
"
Quoth he, By Allah, thou art right, and I care not to live after
them." Then his side-muscles quivered and he fell on his face ;

and we ran up to him and shook him and found him dead, the
mercy of the Almighty be on him At this we marvelled and !

mourned for him and, sore mourning, laid him out and buried him.
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.

Jioto fofjen it foas t&e Jpout f^unHrrti an& tlforfftf)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Al-Mubarrad

thus continued : When the man fell we mourned over him with

sore mourning and laid him out and buried him. And when I
returned to Baghdad and went in to the Caliph Al Mutawakkil,
he saw the trace of tears on my face and said to me, " What is
this?" So I told him what had passed and it was grievous to
him and he cried, " What moved thee to deal thus with him ? 8
By Allah, if I thought thou didst not repent it and regret him I
would punish thee therefor " And he mourned for him the rest
!

of the day. And amongst the tales they tell is one of

1
The mad lover says "they" for "she," which would be too familiar in speaking
to strangers.
3
i.e. falsely to report the death/
 The Prior who became a Moslem. 141

THE PRIOR WHO BECAME A MOSLEM.

QUOTH Abu Bakr Mohammed ibn Al-Anbari ': I once left Anbdr
on a journey to 'Amur/yah,2 where there came out to me the
prior of the monastery and superior of the monkery, Abd al-Masi'h
hight, and brought me into the building. There I found forty
religious, who entertained me that night with fair guest-rite, and I

left them after seeing among them such diligence in adoration

and devotion as I never beheld the like of in any others. Next
day I farewelled them and fared forth and, after doing my business
at 'Amuriyah, I returned to my home at Anbar. And next year
Imade pilgrimage to Meccah and as I was circumambulating the
Holy House I saw Abd al-Masih the monk also compassing the
Ka'abah, and with him five of his fellows, the shavelings. Now
when I was sure that it was indeed he, I accosted him, saying,
"Art thou not Abd al-Masih, the Religious?" and he replied, " Nay,
I am Abdallah, the Desirous." 3 Therewith I fell to kissing his grey
hairs and shedding tears ; then, taking him by the hand, I led him
"
aside into a corner of the Temple and said to him, Tell me the
"
cause of thy conversion to Al-Islam ; and he made reply,
"
Verily, 'twas a wonder of wonders, and befel thus. A company
of Moslem devotees came to the village wherein is our convent,
and sent a youth to buy them food. He saw, in the market, a
Christian damsel selling bread, who was of the fairest of women ;
and he was struck at first sight with such love of her, that his
senses failed him and he fell on his face in a fainting-fit. When
he revived, he returned to companions and told them what had
his
"
befallen him, saying, Go ye about your business I may not go ;

with you." They chided him and exhorted him, but he paid no
heed to them ; so they left him whilst he entered the village and

1
A famous grammarian, etc., of the tenth century.
*
The classical Amorium in Phrygia now Anatolia : Anbar is a town (before mentioned)
on the Euphrates ; by the rules of Arabic grammar the word is pronounced (though never
written) Ambar.
* " Art thon not
the slave of the Messiah, the Rahib (monk) ?
" " No ! I am the slave
" A
of Allah, the Righib (desirous of mercy from the Almighty) specimen of
fair

the Saj'a or rhymed prose. Abdallah (properly

" Abdu'llah is a kind of neutral
:")

name, neither Jewish, Moslem nor Christian hence I it i. 20).

; adopted (Pilgrimage
 142 A If Laylak wa Laylah.

seated himself at the door of the woman's booth. 1 She asked

him what he wanted, and he was in love with her,
told her that he
whereupon she turned from him but he abode in his place three ;

days without tasting food, keeping his eyes fixed on her face.
Now whenas she saw that he departed not from her, she went to
her people and acquainted them with his case, and they set on
him the village boys, who stoned him and bruised his ribs and
broke his head but, for all this, he would not budge. Then the
;

villagers took counsel together to slay him but a man of them ;

came to me and told me of his case, and I went out to him and
found him lying prostrate on the ground. So I wiped the blood
from his face and carried him to the convent, and dressed his
wounds and there he abode with me fourteen days. But as soon
;

as he could walk, he left the monastery And Shahrazad per-

ceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

fo&m ft toas tfic Jpour.f^un^retr ant>

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abdallah

the Religious continued So I carried him to the convent and
:

dressed his wounds, and he abode with me fourteen days. But as

soon as he could walk, he left the monastery and returned to the
door of the woman's booth, where he sat gazing on her as before.
When she saw him, she came out to him and said, " By Allah,
thou movest me to pity wilt thou enter my faith that I may
!

"
marry thee ? He cried, " Allah forbid that I should put off the
"2 "
faith of Unity and enter that of Plurality Quoth she, Come !

in with me to my house and take thy will of me and wend thy

"
ways in peace." Quoth he, Not so, I will not waste the worship
of twelve years for the lust of an eye-twinkle." Said she, " Then
" "
depart from me forthwith ; and he said, My heart will not suffer
"
me to do that whereupon she turned her countenance from him.
;

Presently the boys found him out and began to pelt him with
stones and he fell on his face, saying, " Verily, Allah is my pro-
;

tector, who sent down the Book of the Koran ;

and He protecteth

1
Arab. " Hanvit," prop, a tavern where liquors are sold; a term applied contemp-
tuously to shops, inns, etc., kept by Christians.
8 "
Arab. "
Shirk = syntheism of the " Mushrik " (one who makes other Gods partners
"
with God), a word pronounced " Muslim by the Wahhabis and the Badawin.
 Th* Prior who became a Moslem. 143

the Righteous!" 1
At this I. sallied forth and driving away the
"
boys, lifted his head from the ground and heard him say, Allah
"
mine, unite me with her in Paradise Then I carried him to !

the monastery ; but he died, before I could reach it, and I bore
him without the village and I dug for him a grave and buried
him. And next night when half of it was spent, the damsel cried
with a great cry (and she in her bed) so the villagers flocked to ;

her and questioned her of her case. Quoth she, "As I slept,
behold the Moslem man came in to me and taking me by the
hand, carried me to the gate of Paradise ;
but the Guardian
denied me entrance, saying 'Tis forbidden to unbelievers
: So
I embraced Al-Islam at his hands and, entering with him, beheld
therein pavilions and trees, such as I cannot describe to you.
Moreover, he brought me to a pavilion of jewels and said to me,
Of a truth this is my pavilion and thine, nor will I enter it save
with thee but, after five nights thou shalt be with me therein, if
;

it be the will of Allah Almighty. Then he put forth his hand to

a tree which grew at the door of the pavilion and plucked there-
from two apples and gave them to me, saying Eat this and keep :

the other, that the monks may see it. So I ate one of them and
never tasted I aught sweeter. And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

fo&en ft foas tfct .dFour f^unHrrti antr jFourtwntft

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the woman
continued : So he plucked two apples and gave them to me,
"
saying, Eat this and keep the other that the monks may see it."
So I ate one of them and never tasted I aught sweeter. Then he
took my hand and fared forth and carried me back to my house ;

and, when found the taste of the apple in my mouth

I awoke, I

and the other in my hand." So saying she brought out the apple,
and in the darkness of the night it shone as it were a sparkling
star. So they carried her (and the apple with her) to the monas-
tery, where she repeated her vision and showed it to us never saw ;

we its like among all the fruits of the world. Then I took a knife
and cut the apple into pieces according as we were folk in com-

1
Koran vii. 195. The passage declaims against the idols of the Arabs, sun, moon,
tan, etc.
144 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

pany and never knew we aught more delicious than its savour
;

nor more delightsome than its scent but we said; " Haply this
;

was a devil that appeared unto her to seduce her from her faith."
Thereupon her people took her and went away but she abstained ;

from eating and drinking and on the fifth night she rose from her
bed, and going forth the village to the grave of her Moslem lover
threw herself upon it and died, her family not knowing what was
come of her. But, on the morrow, there came to the village two
Moslem elders, clad in hair-cloth, and with them two women in
"
like garb, and said, O people of the village, with you is a woman
Saint, a Waliyah of the friends of Allah, who died a Moslemah ;
and we will take charge of her in lieu of you." So the villagers
sought her and found her dead on the Moslem's grave and they ;

"
said, This was one of us and she died in our faith ;
so we will
take charge of her." Rejoined the two old men, (< Nay, she died
a Moslemah and we claim her." And the dispute waxed to a
"
quarrel between them, till one of the Shaykhs said, Be this the
test of her faith the forty monks of the monastery shall come
:

and try to lift her from the grave. If they succeed, then she died
a Nazarene if not, one of us shall come and lift her up and if she
;

be lifted by him, she died a Moslemah." The villagers agreed to

this and fetched the forty monks, who heartened one another, and
came to her to lift her, but could not. Then we tied a great rope
round her middle and haled at it but the rope broke in sunder,
;

and she stirred not and the villagers came and did the like, but
;

could not move her from her place. 1 At last, when all means
"
failed, we said to one of the two Shaykhs, Come thou and lift
her." So he went up to the grave and, covering her with his
"
mantle, said, In the name of Allah the Compassionating, the
Compassionate, and of the Faith of the Apostle of Allah, on whoni
"
be prayers and peace Then he lifted her and, taking her in his
!

bosom, betook himself with her to a cave hard by, where they laid
her, and the two women came and washed her and shrouded her.
Then the two elders bore her to her Moslem lover's grave and
prayed over her and buried her by his side and went their ways.
Now we were eye-witnesses of all this and, when we were alone ;

1
This minor miracle is commonly reported, and is not, I believe, unknown to
modern "Spiritualism." The dead Wall or Waliyah (Saintess) often impels the bier-
bearers to the spot where he would be buried hence in Cairo the tombs scattered about
:

the city. Lane notices it, Mod. E. chapt. xxviii.

 The Loves of Aau. Jsa and Kurrat al-Ayn. 145

with one another, we said, " In sooth, the truth is most worthy to
'

be followed ;' * and indeed the verity hath been made manifest to us,
nor is there a proof more patent of the truth of Al-Islam than
that we have seen this day with our eyes." So I and all the
monks became Moslems and on like wise did the villagers and ;

we sent to the people of Mesopotamia for a doctor of the law, to

instruct us in the ordinances of Al-Islam and the canons of the
Faith. They sent us a learned man and a
pious, who taught us
the of prayer and the tenets of the faith ; and we are now in
rites
ease abounding so to Allah be the praise and the thanks ! And
;

they also tell a tale of

THE LOVES OF ABU ISA AND KURRAT AL-AYN.

QUOTH Amru Abu Isa, son of Al-Rashfd and
bin Masa'dah :
2

brother to Al-Maamun, was enamoured of one Kurrat al-Ayn, a

slave-girl belonging to Ali bin Hish^m,
3
and she also loved him J

but he concealed his passion, complaining of it to none neither

discovering his secret to anyone, of his pride and magnanimity ;
for he had used his utmost endeavour to purchase her of her

master, but he had failed. At last when his patience was at an

end and his passion was sore on him and he was helpless in the
matter, he went in to Al-Maamun, one day of state after the folk
had retired, and said to him, " O Commander of the Faithful, if
thou wilt this day make trial of thine Alcaydes by taking them
unawares, thou wilt know the generous from the mean and note
each one's place, after the quality of his mind." But, in saying
this he purposed only to sit with Kurrat al-Ayn in her lord's house.
"
Quoth Al-Maamun> Right is thy recking," and bade make ready
a barge, called 'the Flyer/ wherein he embarked with Abu Isa
and a party of his chief officers. The first mansion he visited
unexpectedly was that of Hamfd al-Tawfl of Tus, whom he found
seated And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
_ . i

1
Koran x. 36,speaking of being turned aside from the true worship.
2
One of the Wazirs ofAl-Maamun ; Kurrat al-Ayn =
" coolness
(i.e. delight) of the

Ali bin Hisham surnamed Abu '1- Hasan, was prefect of Baghdad under the
1 '
eyes.
same reign.
3
The Mac. Edit. (ii. 448) reads for Kawaid (plur. of Kdid =
Governors, Span.
" Fawaid "
Alcayde) "; hence Lane (ii. 606) translates try thy heart."

VOL. V. K,
146 A If Laylah wa Laylah*

XTofo tofjen ft toag tfje jpour f^untjreti antj ^fftfteenti) Ntg|)t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Al-Maanum

embarked with his chief officers and fared on till they reached the
mansion of Hamfd al-Tawil of Tus and, unexpectedly entering, ;

they found him seated on a mat and before him singers and players,
with lutes and flageolets and other instruments of music in their
hands. So Al-Maamun sat with him awhile and presently he set
before him dishes of nothing but flesh-meat, with no birds among
them. The Caliph would not taste thereof and Abu Isa said to
"
him, O Commander of the Faithful, we have taken the owner of
this place unawares, and he knew not of thy coming but now let ;

us go to another place which is prepared for thee and fitted for

thee." Thereupon the Caliph arose and betook himself with his
brother Abu Isa and his suite, to the abode of Ali son of Hisham
who, on hearing of their approach, came out and received them
with the goodliest of reception, and kissed the earth before the
King. Then he brought them into his mansion and opened to
them a saloon than which seer never saw a goodlier. Its floors,
pillars and walls were of many-coloured marbles, adorned with
Greek paintings and it was spread with matting of Sind l whereon
:

were carpets and tapestry of Bassorah make, fitted to the length

and breadth of the room. So the Caliph sat awhile, examining
the house and its ceilings and walls, then said, "Give us some-
what to eat." So they brought him forthwith nearly an hundred
dishes of poultry besides other birds and brewises, fritters and
"
cooling marinades. When he had eaten, he said, Give us some-
"
thing to drink, O Ali and the host set before him, in vessels
;

of gold and silver and crystal, raisin-wine boiled down to one

third with fruits and spices and the cupbearers were pages like
;

moons, clad ingarments of Alexandrian stuff interwoven with

gold and bearing on their breasts beakers of crystal, full of
rose-water mingled with musk. So Al-Maamun marvelled with
" Ho
exceeding marvel at all he saw and said, thou, Abu al-
"
Hasan !
Whereupon Ali sprang to the Caliph's carpet and
" "
kissing it, said, At thy service, O Commander of the Faithful !

1
The mats of Sind were famous even in my day, but under English rule native
industries are killed out by Manchester and Birmingham.
 The Loves of Abu ha and Kurrat al-Ayn. 147

and stood before him. Quoth Al-Maamun, " Let us hear some
pleasant and merry song." Replied AH, I hear and obey, O
"

Commander of the Faithful," and said to one of his eunuchs,

"
Fetch the singing-women." So the slave went out and presently
returned, followed by ten castrates, bearing ten stools of gold,
which they set down in due order ;
and after these came ten
damsels, concubines of the master, as they were shining full
moons or gardens full of bloom, clad in black brocade, with
crowns of gold on their heads; and they passed along the room
till
they sat down on the stools, when sang they sundry songs.
Al-Maamun looked at one of them and, being captivated by ;

her elegance and fair favour, asked her, " What is thy name, O
damsel ? "; and she answered, " My name is Sajdhf, O Com- 1

mander of the Faithful," and he said, " Sing to us, O Sajahi " !

So she played a lively measure and sang these couplets :

t walk, for fear of interview, the weakling's walk o Who sees two lion-

whelps the fount draw nigh :

My cloak acts sword, my heart's perplext with fright, o Lest jealous hostile
eyes th' approach descry :

Till sudden hapt I on a delicate maid o Like desert-doe that fails her fawns
to espy.

"
Quoth the Caliph, Thou hast done well, O damsel ! whose are
" " Written
these lines ? She answered, by Amru bin Ma'di
Karib al-Zubaydi,2 and the air is Ma'abid's." 3 Then the Caliph
and Abu Isa and AH drank and the damsels went away and
were succeeded by other ten, all clad in flowered silk of Al-
Yaman, brocaded with gold, who sat down on the chairs and
sang varidus songs. The Caliph looked at one of the concu-
bines, who was like a wild heifer of the waste, and said to her,
" What is "
She replied, " My name is
thy name, O damsel ?
"
Zabiyah, O Commander of the Faithful and he, " Sing to us
4
;

Zabiyah;" so she warbled like a bird with many a trill and

sang these two couplets:

name "
Sajah was the
1
of a famous female impostor, a contemporary of Musaylimah
the Liar."
*
A poet of Mohammed's day.
' A singer and composer of the first century (A.H.)
4 Heb.
Arab.= a a doe ; also the Yoni
roe, (of women, mares and bitches). It is the

Tabitha and the Greek Dorcas.

148 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Houris, and high-born Dames who feel no fear of men ;

o Like Meccan game
forbidden man to slam l :

Their soft sweet voices make you deem them whores, o But bars them from
all whoring Al-Islam.

When she had finished, Al-Maamun " Favoured of Allah

cried,
art thou!"And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.

fofcen ft tea* tfje jpour f^untaeU anU >txteent&

She hath reached me,

said, It O
auspicious King, that when the
" Favoured of Allah
slave-girl finished her song, Al-Maamun cried,
art thou Whose is this verse ?" and she answered, " Jarir's 2 and
!

the air is by Ibn Surayj." Then the Caliph and his company
drank, whilst the girls went away and there came forth yet
other ten, as they were rubies, robed in red brocade inwoven
with gold and purfled with pearls and jewels whilst all their
heads were bare. They sat down on the stools and sang various
airs so the Caliph looked at one of them, who was like the
;

sun of the day, and asked her, "What is thy name, O damsel?";
and she answered, " O Commander of the Faithful, my name is
Sing to us, O Fatin," quoth he whereat she played
"
Fatin." ;

a lively measure and sang these couplets :

Deign grant thy favours' since 'tis time I were engraced ; o Enough of sever-
;

ance hath it been my lot to taste.

Thou'rt he whose face doth every gift and charm unite ; o Yet is my patience
spent for that 'twas sore misplaced :

I've wasted life in loving thee ; and would high Heaven o Grant me one
meeting hour for all this wilful waste,

"
" Well
sung, exclaimed the Caliph " whose verse is
O Fatin !
;

this?" And she answered, "Adi bin Zayd's, and the air is
antique." Then all three drank, whilst the damsels retired and

1
Within the Hudud al-Haram (bounds of the Holy Places), at Al-Medinah as well as
Meccah, all "Muharramat" (forbidden sins) are doubly unlawful, such as drinking
spirits, immoral life,
etc. The Imam Malik forbids slaying animals without, however,
specifying any penalty. The felling of trees is a disputed point and no man can be puf
;

to death except invaders, infidels and desecraters (Pilgrimage ii. 167).

*
A poet of the first century (A.H.)
 The Loves of Abu Isa and Kurrat al-Ayn. 149

were succeeded by other ten maidens, as they were sparkling

stars, clad in flowered silk embroidered with red gold and girt
with jewelled zones. They sat down and sang various motives;
and the Caliph asked one of them, who was like a wand of
"
willow, What is thy name, O damsel ? "; and she answered,
" "
My name is Rashaa , O Commander of the Faithful,"
1
Sing
to us, O Rashaa," quoth he; so she played a lively measure
and sang these couplets:

And wand-like Houri, who can passion heal o Like young gazelle that paceth
o'er the plain :

I drain this wine-cup on the toast, her cheek ; o Each cup disputing till she
bends in twain,
"
Then sleeps the night with me, the while I cry o This is the only gain my Soul
"
would gain !

Said the Caliph, "Well done, O

damsel! Sing us something
more." So she rose and kissing the ground before him, sang
the following distich :

She came out to gaze on the bridal at ease o In a shift that reeked of
ambergris.

The Caliph was highly pleased with this couplet and, when the
slave-girl saw how much it delighted him, she repeated it several
times. Then said Al-Maamun, "Bring up 'the Flyer," being
minded to embark and depart but AH bin Hisham said to him,:

"O Commander of the Faithful, I have a slave-girl, whom I

bought for ten thousand dinars she hath taken my heart in ;

whole and part, and I would fain display her to the Commander
of the Faithful. If she please him and he will accept of her, she
is his and if not, let him hear something from her." Said the
:

" "
Caliph, Bring her to me and forth came a damsel, as she were
;

a branchlet of willow, with seducing eyes and eyebrows set like

twin bows and on her head she wore a crown of red gold crusted
;

with pearls and jewelled, under which was a fillet bearing this
couplet wrought in letters of chrysolite :

A Jinniyah this, with her Jinn, to shove o How to pierce man's heart with a
stringless bow !

1
In Arab. =a fawn beginning to walk ; also the 28th. lunar mansion or station,

usually known
as Batn al-Hut or Whale's belly. These mansions or houses, the con-
stellations through which the moon passes in her course along her orbit, are much used
in Moslem astrology and meteorology.
150 AIf Laylah wa Laylah,

The handmaiden walked, with the gait of a gazelle in flight and

herself. -
fit to damn a devotee, till

saying her permitted say.

And
she came to a chair, whereon she seated
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased

jBofo to&en tt toa tfje jfout f^unfcrefc anU Sbebenteentf)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the hand-
maiden walked with the gait of a gazelle in flight, fit to damn a
devotee, till she came to a chair whereon she seated herself. And
Al-Maamun marvelled at her beauty and loveliness but, when ;

Abu Isa saw her, his heart throbbed with pain, his colour changed
to pale and wan and he was in evil case. Asked the Caliph, " O
"
Abu Isa, what aileth thee to change thus ? and he answered, " O ;

Commander of the Faithful, it is because of a twitch that seizeth

me bytimes." Quoth the Caliph, " Hast thou known yonder
" "
damsel before to-day ? Quoth he, Yes, O Commander of the
"
Faithful, can the moon be concealed ? Then said Al-Maamun
" "
to her,
"
What is thy name, O damsel ? ;
and she replied, My
name is Kurrat al-Ayn, O Commander of the Faithful," and he
" O Kurrat al-Ayn." So she sang these two
rejoined, Sing to us,

couplets :

The loved ones left thee in middle night, o And fared with the pilgrims when
dawn shone bright :

The tents of pride round the domes they pitched, o And with broidered curtains
were veiled fro' sight.

Quoth the Caliph, Favoured of Heaven art thou, O Kurrat al-

"

Ayn Whose song is that ? " whereto she answered " The
! ;

words are by Di'ibil al-Khuza'i, and the air by Zurzur al-Saghir."

Abu Isa looked at her and his tears choked him so that the ;

company marvelled at him. Then she turned to Al-Maamun and

said to him,
"
O Commander of the Faithful, wilt thou give "me
" "
leave to change the words ? Said he, Sing what thou wilt so ;

she played a merry measure and carolled these couplets:

If thou should please a friend who pleaseth thee o Frankly, in public practise
secrecy.
And spurn the slanderer's tale, who seldom 1
seeks o Except the severance of
true love to see.

1
Arab. Kalla-ma = it is seldom (rare) that etc. used in books.
 The Loves of Abu Isa and Kurrat al-Ayn. 151

They say, when lover's near, he tires of love, o And absence is for love best
remedy :

Both cures we tried and yet we are not cured, o Withal we judge that nearness
easier be :

Yet nearness is of no avail when he o Thou lovest lends thee love

unwillingly.

But when she had finished, Abu Isa said, " O Commander of the
Faithful, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.

jfiofo tofjm ft foas t&e jpour ^untJteti an& lEififjtEentf) JK$t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Kurrat al-Ayn had finished her verse, Abu Isa said, " O Com-
mander of the Faithful, though we endure disgrace, we shall be
1 "
at ease. Dost thou give me leave to reply to her ? Quoth the
"
Caliph, Yes, say what thou wilt to her." So he swallowed his
tears and sang these two distichs :

Silent I woned and never owned my love ;

o But from my heart I hid love's
blissful boon ;

Yet, if my eyes should manifest my love, * Tis for my nearness to the

shining moon.

Then Kurrat al-Ayn took the lute and played a lively tune and
rejoined with these couplets :

An what thou claimest were the real truth, o With only Hope content thou
hadst not been ;

Nor couldest patient live without the girl o So rare of inner grace and
outward mien.
But there is nothing in the claim of thee o At all, save tongue and talk
that little mean.

When Abu Isa heard this he fell to weeping and wailing and
evidencing his trouble and anguish. Then he raised his eyes to
her and sighing, repeated these couplets :

Under my raiment a waste body lies, o And in my spirit all-compris-

ing prize.
I have a heart, whose pain shr.ll aye endure, o And tears like torrents pour
these woeful eyes.

4
Dishonoured by his love being made public. So Hafiz, Petrarch and Camoena.
152 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Whene er a wise man spies me, straight he chides o Love, that misleads ma
thus in ways unwise :
O Lord, I lack the power this dole to bear : o Come sudden Death or
joy in bestest guise !

\Vhen he had ended, Ali bin Hisham sprang up and kissing his
"
feet, said, O my lord, Allah hearing thy secret hath answered
thy prayer and consenteth to thy taking her with all she hath of
things rare and fair, so the Commander of the Faithful have no
mind to her." Quoth Al-Maamun, " Had we a mind to her, we
would prefer Abu Isa before ourselves and help him to his desire.'*
So saying, he rose and embarking, went away, whilst Abu Isa
tarried for Kurrat al-Ayn, whom he took and carried to his own
house, his breast swelling with joy. See then the generosity of
Ali son of Hisham And they tell a tale of
!

AL AMIN SON OF AL-RASHID AND HIS UNCLE

IBRAHIM BIN AL-MAHDI.

AL-AMIN 1
, brother of Al-Maamun, once entered the house of his
uncle Ibrahim bin Al-Mahdi, where he saw a slave-girl playing
upon the lute ; and, she being one of the fairest of women, his
heart inclined to her. Ibrahim, seeing how it was with him, sent
the girl to him, with rich raiment and precious ornaments. When
he saw her, he thought that his uncle had lain with her so he ;

was loath to have to do with her, because of that, and accepting

what came with her sent her back to Ibrahim. His uncle learnt
the cause of this from one of Al-Amin's eunuchs ;
so he took a
shift of watered silk and worked upon its skirt, in letters of gold,
these two couplets :

No ! I declare by Him to whom all bow, * Of nothing 'neath her petticoat I

trow :

Nor meddle with her mouth ; nor aught did I * But see and hear her, and it

was enow !

Then he clad her in the shift and, giving her a lute, sent her back

again to his nephew. When she came into Al-Amin's presence,

1
Sixth Abbaside, A.D. 809-813.
 Al-Fath bin Khakan and tJie Caliph Al-Mutawakkil. 153

she kissed ground before him and tuning the lute, sang thereto
these two couplets :

Thy breast thou baredst sending back the gift ; o Showing unlove for me
withouten shift :

An thou bear spite of Past, the Past forgive, o And for the Caliphate cast the
Past adrift.

When she had of her verse, Al-Amin looked at her

made an end
and, seeing what was upon her skirt, could no longer control him-
self, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.

Nofo fofjm it tons tlje jFour ^unlnrrti antr Nituteent!) tft'g&t,

She hath reached me,

said, It O
auspicious King, that when Al-
Amin looked at the damsel and saw what was upon her skirt, he
could no longer control himself, but drew near unto her and kissed
her and appointed her a separate lodging in his palace. Moreover,
he thanked his uncle for this and bestowed on him the government
of Rayy. And a tale is told of

AL PATH BIN KHAKAN AND THE CALIPH

AL-MUTAWAKKIL.
AL-MUTAWAKKIL was 1
once taking medicine, and folk sent him
by way of solace all sorts of presents and rarities and things
costly and precious. Amongst others, Al-Fath bin Khdkan 2
sent him a virgin slave, high-breasted, of the fairest among women
of her time, and with her a vase of crystal, containing ruddy
wine, and a goblet of red gold, whereon were graven in black
these couplets :

1
H. 232-47 (847-61), grandson of Al-Rashid who suc-
Ala'llah, tenth Abbaside, A.
ceeded Al-Wdsik. He
was a fanatic Sunni, much opposed to the Shi'ahs and he
ordered the Christians to wear round their necks the Ghull (collar of wood, iron, or
leather), to dress in yellow head-gear and girdles, use wooden stirrups and place figures
of devils in front of their dwelling-houses. He also gave distinct dresses to their women
and slaves. The Ghull, or collar, was also used for a punishment and vermin gathered
under it when rivetted round the neck: hence Golius calls it "pediculosum
columbar."
*
Wazir of the above, killed by Al-Muntasir Billah A.H. 247 (= 861).
154 Alf Layla k wa Laylah.

Since our Imam came forth from medicine, o Which made him health and
heartiness rewin,
There is no healing draught more sovereign o Than well-boiled wine this

golden goblet in :

Then let him break the seal for him secured ;

o 'Tis best prescription after
medicine. 1

Now when the damsel entered, the physician Yohanna 2 was with
the Caliph, and as he read the couplets, he smiled and said,
"
By Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, Fath is better versed
than I in the art of healing : so let not the Prince of True
Believers gainsay his prescription." Accordingly, the Caliph fol-
lowed the recipe contained in the poetry and was made whole
by the blessing of Allah and won his every wish. And among
tales they tell is one of

THE MAN'S DISPUTE WITH THE LEARNED WOMAN

CONCERNING THE RELATIVE EXCELLENCE
OF MALE AND FEMALE.

QUOTH a certain man of learning, I never saw amongst woman-

kind one wittier, and wiser, better read and by nature more
generously bred ; and in manners and morals more perfected
than a preacher of the people of Baghdad, by name Sitt al-
Masha'ikh. 3 It chanced that she came to Hamah-city in the
year of the Flight hundred and sixty and one4
five and there ;

delivered salutary exhortations to the folk from the professorial

chair. Now there used to visit her house a number of students of
divinity and persons of learning and polite letters, who would dis-
cuss with her questions of theology and dispute with her on con-
troversial points. I went to her one day, with a friend of mine, a

man of years and education and when we had taken our seats,
;

1
Easterns during purgation are most careful and deride the want of precaution io
Europeans. They do not leave the house till all is passed off, and avoid baths, wine and
"
women, which they afterwards resume with double zest. Here breaking the seal" it
taking the girl's maidenhead.
*
Johannes, a Greek favoured by Al-Mutawakkil and other Abbaside Caliphs.
3
Lady of Shaykhs, elders in the faith and men of learning.
r=A.D. 1166.
 The Man's Dispute with, the Learned Woman. 155

she set before us a dish of fruit and seated herself behind a cur-
tain. Now she had a brother, a handsome youth, who stood
behind us, to serve us. And when we had eaten we fell to dis-
puting upon points of divinity, and I propounded to her a theo-
logical question bearing upon a difference between the Imams,
the Founders of the Four Schools. She proceeded to speak in
answer, whilst I listened ; but all the while my friend fell to
looking upon her brother's face and admiring his beauties with-
out paying any heed to what she discoursed. Now as she was
watching him from behind the curtain when she had made an ;

end of her speech, she turned to him and said, " Methinks thou
"
be of those who give men the preference over women He !

" "
replied, Assuredly," and she asked, And why so ? "; whereto
he answered, " For that Allah hath made the masculine worthier
than the feminine ;" And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Koto fo&en it toas tfce jFour f^untorrti anto tEfocntfetfe Kt$t,

She said, It hath reached me, auspicious King, that the Shaykh
" For that Allah hath made the masculine worthier than
replied,
the feminine and I like the excelling and mislike the excelled."
;

She laughed and presently said, " Wilt thou deal fairly with me
"
in debate, if I battle the matter with thee ? and he rejoined,
" "
Yes." Then quoth she, What the evidence of the superiority
is
" "
of the male to the female ? Quoth he, It is of two kinds, tra-
and reasonable. The authoritative part deriveth from the
ditional
Koran and the Traditions of the Apostle. As for the first we
have the very words of Almighty Allah, Men shall have the pre- '

eminence above women because of those advantages wherein Allah

hath caused the one of them to excel the other j' 1 and again, 'If
there be not two men, let there be one man and two women a
'

and again, when treating of *

inheritance, If there be brothers and
sisters let a male have as much as the portion of two females.'3
Thus Allah (extolled and exalted be He !) hath in these places
preferred the male over the female and teacheth that a woman is

1
Koran iv. 38. I have before noted what the advantages are.
1
Koran ii. 282, " of those whom ye shall choose for witnesses."
1
Koran if. 175, " Whereas if there be two sisters, they inherit only two-thirds between
them."
156 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

as the half of a man, for that he is worthier than she As for

the Sunnah-traditions, is it not reported of the Prophet (whom
Allah save and assain !) that he appointed the blood-money for
a woman to be half that of a man : And as for the evidence
of reason, the male is the agent and active and the female the
"
and Rejoined she, Thou hast said well, O my
1
patient passive."
lord, but, by Allah, thou hast proved my contention with thine
own lips and hast advanced evidence which telleth against thee,
and not for thee. And thus it is Allah (extolled and exalted :

be He!) preferred the male above the female solely because ot

the inherent condition and essential quality of masculinity and ;

in this there is no dispute between us. Now this quality of male-

hood is common to the child, the boy, the youth, the adult and
the old man nor is there any distinction between them in this.
;

If, then, the superior excellence of male masculant belong to him

solely by virtue of manhood, it behoveth that thy heart incline

and thy soul delight in the greybeard, equally with the boy;
seeing that there is no distinction between them, in point of male-
hood. But the difference between thee and me turneth upon the
accident of qualities that are sought as constituting the pleasure
of intercourse and its enjoyment and thou hast adduced no proof ;

of the superiority of the youth over the young girl in this matter
of non-essentials." He made answer, " O reverend lady, knowest
thou not that which is peculiar to the youth of limber shape and
rosy cheeks and pleasant smile and sweetness of speech ? Youths
are, in these respects superior to women and the proof of this is ;

what they traditionally report of the Prophet (whom Allah bless

and preserve !) that he said, * Stay not thy gaze upon the beardless,
for in them is a momentary eye-glance at the black-eyed girls of
Paradise.' Nor indeed is the superiority of the lad over the lass
2
hidden to any of mankind, and how well saith Abu Nowas :

The least of him is the being free * From monthly courses and pregnancy.

1
The secondary meaning is
" Fa'il
" = the active sodomite and Mafa'ul= the pas-
sive, a catamite : the former is not an insulting word, the latter is a most injurious
" Novimus et qui te !
"
expression.
3
an unpleasant fact that almost all the poetry of Hafiz is addressed to youths, as
It is

we by the occasional introduction of Arabic (e.g., Afaka'lldh).

see Persian has no

genders properly so called, hence the effect is less striking. Sa'di, the "Persian
" " certain learned man fell in love with a beautiful
A
Moralist begins one of the tales,
ton of a blacksmith," which Gladwin, translating for the general, necessarily changed to
"
daughter."
 The Man's Dispute with the Learned Woman. 157

And the saying of another poet :

Quoth our Imam, Abu Nowas, who was o For mad debauch and waggishness
renowned :

'
O tribe that loves the cheeks of boys, take fill o Of joys in Paradise shall
'
ne'er be found !

So if any one enlarge in praise of a slave-girl and wish to enhance

her value by the mention of her beauties, he likeneth her to a

youth,"
--
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.

fo&m ft foas tfje jpout f^un&reU an*

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Shaykh

said, It
"
continued, So if any one enlarge in praise of a slave-girl and
wish to enhance her value by the mention of her beauties, he
likeneth her to a youth, because of the illustrious qualities that
belong to the male, even as saith the poet :

Boy-like of backside, in the deed of kind, o She sways, as sways the wand-
like boughs a-wind.

An youths, then, were not better and fairer than girls, why should
these be likened to them ? And know also (Almighty Allah pre-
serve thee that a youth is easy to be led, adapting himself to
!)

every rede, pleasant of converse and manners, inclining to assent

rather than dissent, especially when his side-face is newly down'd
and his upper lip is first embrowned, and the purple lights of youth
on his cheeks abound, so that he is like the full moon sound and ;

how goodly is the saying of Abu Tammam 1

:

The slanderers said There's hair upon his cheeks ;

o Quoth I, Exceed not ;

that's no blemish there.

]When he could bear that haling of his hips o And pearl-beads shaded by
2
mustachio-hair ;

And Rose swore solemn, holiest oath that is,

o From that fair cheek she
nevermore would fare,

spoke with eyelids without need of speech, o And they who answered me
I

his eyebrows were.

He's even fairer than thou knewest him, o And cheek-down guards from all
would overdare.

1
The famous author of the Anthology called Al-Hamasah.
' teeth under the
i.e., young mustachio.
158 A If Lay la h wa Laylah.

Brighter and sweeter now are grown his charms, o Since down robes lip an<J
cheek before were bare.
And those who blame me for my love of him, o When him they mention
' '

say of him, Thy Fair !

And quoth Al-Hariri and quoth excellently well

1
:

My censors say, What means this pine for him ? o Seest not the flowing haw
on cheeks a-flowing ?
I say, By Allah, an ye deem I dote, o Look at the truth in those fine eyes

a-showing !

But for the down that veils his cheek and chin, o His brow had dazed all eyes
no sight allowing :

And whoso sojourns in a growthless land, o How shall he move from

land fair growths a-growing ?

And quoth another :

My blamers say of me, '

He is consoled,' And lie I o No consolation comes to
who pine and sigh.
those
I had no solace when Rose bloomed alone on cKeek, o Now Basil blooraf
thereon and now consoled am I.

And again :

Slim-waisted one, whose looks with down of cheek o In slaughtering mankind

each other hurtle :

With the Narcissus-blade he sheddeth blood, o The baldrick of whose

8
sheath is freshest myrtle.

And again :

Not with his must I'm drunk, but verily o Those curls turn manly heads like
newest wine 3 :

Each of his beauties envies each, and all o Would be the silky down on side-
face li'en.

"
1
The " Silk-man and the celebrated author of the Makamat, assemblies or seances,
translated (or attempted) into all the languages of Europe. We have two in English,
the by Theodore Preston, M.A. (London, Madden, 1850) but it contains only
first ;

twenty of the fifty pieces. The second by the late Mr. Chenery (before alluded to)
ends with the twenty-sixth assembly : one volume in fact, the other never having been
finished. English readers, therefore, are driven to the grand edition of the Makamat
in folio by Baron Silvestre de Sacy.
2
The sword of the eye has a Hamail (baldrick worn over right shoulder, Pilgrimage
" Gbimd "
(vulg. Ghamad) or scabbard (of wood or leather)
i.352) to support the
and :

this baldrick is the young whisker.

3
The conceit of " Sulafat " (ptisane, grape juice allowed to drain on the slabs) and
" Sawalif" The newest wine- is the most inebriating,
(tresses, locks) has been explained.
" Vino novo."
(act not much known in England, but familiar to the drinker of
 The Jlfan'f Dispute with the Learned Woman. 159

Such are the excellencies of the youth which women do not own,
and they more than suffice to give those the preference over
these." She replied, " Allah give thee health verily, thou hast !

imposed the debate upon thyself and thou hast spoken and hast
;

not stinted and hast brought proofs to support every assertion.

But, Now is the truth become manifest
' '
so swerve thou not from ;
l

the path thereof; and, if thou be not content with a summary of

evidence, I will set it before thee in fullest detail. Allah upon
thee, where is the youth beside the girl and who shall compare
kid and wild cow ? The girl is soft of speech, fair of form, like
a branchlet of basil, with teeth like chamomile-petals and hair
like halters wlierefrom to hang hearts. Her cheeks are like blood-
red anemones and her face like a pippin she hath lips like wine :

and breasts like pomegranates twain and a shape supple as a

rattan-cane. Her body is well-formed and with sloping shoulders
dight ; she hath a nose like the edge of a sword shining bright and
a forehead brilliant white and eyebrows which unite and eyes
stained by Nature's hand black as night. If she speak, fresh
young pearls are scattered from her mouth forthright and all hearts
are ravished by the daintiness of her sprite ; when she smileth
thou wouldst ween the moon shone out her lips between and when
She eyes thee, sword-blades flash from the babes of her eyes In her
allbeauties to conclusion come, and she is the centre of attraction
to traveller and stay-at-home.
than cream smoother and of
She hath two lips of cramoisy,
taste than honey sweeter,"
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per-
And -
mitted say.

ttfofo iuljrn ft foas tfec Jfour fDun&rcU an& ZTtorntj^scconti

She hath reached me,

said, It auspicious King, that the preacher-
woman thus pursued her theme in the praise of fair maids, " She
hath two lips of cramoisy, than cream smoother and than honey
sweeter
" "
And she hath a bosom, as it were a way two
; adding,
hills between which are a pair of breasts like globes of ivory
sheen likewise, a stomach right smooth, flanks soft as the palm-
;

spathe and creased with folds and dimples which overlap one

by the nobleman's (Potiphar's) wife who addi, "I selected

1
Koran xii. 51, this said
T
him ^*eph) is one of those who speak truth."
'
to lie with me; and >"
i6o Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

another, and liberal thighs, which like columns of pearl arise, and
back parts which billow and beat together like seas of glass or
mountains of glance, and two feet and hands of gracious mould
likeunto ingots of virgin gold. So, O miserable where are !

mortal men
beside the Jinn? Knowest thou not that puissant
princes and potent Kings before women ever humbly bend and on
them for delight
depend Verily, they may say
? We rule over ;

necks and rob hearts. These women how many a rich man have !

they not paupered, how many a powerful man have they not pro*
strated and how many a superior man have they not enslaved In- !

deed, they seduce the sage and send the saint to shame and bring the
wealthy to want and plunge the fortune-favoured into penury. Yet
for all this, the wise but redouble in affection of them and honour ;

nor do they count this oppression or dishonour. How many a

man for them hath offended his Maker and called down on him-
self the wrath of his father and mother And all this because of !

the conquest of their love over hearts. Knowest thou not, O

wretched one, that for them are built pavilions, and slave-girls are
for sale ;
l
that for them them are collected
tear-floods rail and for

jewels of price and ambergris and musk odoriferous and armies are ;

arrayed and pleasaunces made and wealth heaped up and smitten off
indeed he spoke sooth in the words, Whoso
And '
is many a head ?

saith the world meaneth woman.' Now as for thy citation from the

Holy Traditions, it is an argument against thee and not for thee ;

in that the Prophet (whom Allah bless and preserve ) compareth !

the beardless with the black-eyed girls of Paradise. Now, doubt-

less, the subject of comparison is worthier than the object there-
with compared so, unless women be the worthier and the goodlier,
;

wherefore should other than they be likened to them ? As for thy

saying that girls are likened to boys, the case is not so, but the

contrary boys are likened to girls for folk say, Yonder boy is
: ;

like a girl. As for what proof thou quotest from the poets, the
verses were the product of a complexion unnatural in this respect ;
and as for the habitual sodomites and catamites, offenders against
8
in His Holy Book,
religion, Almighty Allah hath condemned them

1
Here we have a specimen of the strained Saj'a or balanced prose: slave-girl*
massed with flowing tears (dam'u on account of the Kafiyah or
fjawari) are jdri)

rhyme.
punished with death according to Moslem law,
3
The detected sodomite is but again

comes the difficulty of proof. At Shiraz I have heard of a pious Moslem publicly ex
euting his son.
 The Man's Dispute with the Learned Woman. 161

wherein He denounceth their filthy practices, saying, Do ye ap-

proach unto the males among mankind and leave your wives
l

which your Lord hath created for you ? Surely ye are a people
who transgress! These it is that liken girls to boys, of their
exceeding profligacy and ungraciousness and inclination to follow
2
the fiend and own lusts, so that they say, She is apt for two tricks;
and these are all wanderers from the way of right and the righ-
teous. Quoth their chief Abu Nowas :

Slim-waist and boyish wits delight o Wencher, as well as Sodomite,*

As for what thou sayest of a youth's first hair on cheek and lips
and how they add to his beauty and loveliness, by Allah, thou
strayest from the straight path of sooth and sayest that which is
other than the truth for whiskers change the charms of the comely
;

into ugliness ; (quoting these couplets) :

That sprouting hair upon his face took wreak o For lovers' vengeance, all did
vainly seek.
I see not on his face a sign full- o genous, except his curls are hue o'
reek.
4
If so his paper mostly be begrimed o Where deemest thou the reed shall
draw a streak ?
If any raise him other fairs above, o This only proves the judge of wits
is weak.

And when she ended her verse she resumed, " Laud be to Allah
Almighty," And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.

1
Koran xx vi. 165 et seq. The Lord speaks to the "people of Lot" (Sodomites).
Mr. Payne renders " Min al-alamlna," " from the four corners of the world."
8 "
Meaning before and behind, a Moslemah Bet Balmanno."
8 Arab. much used in Persian as a buffoon, a debauchee, a
"Luti," (plur. LawiU),
rascal. The orig. sig. is " One of (the people of) Lot." The old English was Ingle
Or Yngle (a bardachio, a catamite, a boy kept for sodomy), which Minsheu says is,
" Vox " Our vulgar modern word
hispanica et significat Latine Inguen (the groin).
like the Italian bugiardo is pop. derived from Fr. Bougre, alias Bulgarus, a Bulgarian,
heretic hence Boulgrin (Rabelais i. chapt. h.) is popularly applied to the Albigeois
:

after A.D. 1200) and the Lutherans.

(Albigenses, whose persecution began shortly
'

" " took its

cannot but think that bougre especial modern signification after the French
became acquainted with the Brazil, where the Huguenots (in A.D. 1555) were founding a
Nouvelle France, alias Equinoctiale, alias Antarctique, and whence the savages wer
"
Their generic name was (properly a tribe i%
'
Carried as curiosities to Paris. Bugre
Southern Brazil, but applied to all the redskins) and they were all born Sodomites.
More of this in the terminal Essay.
4
His paper is the whiteness of his skin. I have quoted the Persian saying of a young
beard : "his cheeks don mourning for his beauty's death."
VOL. V.
162 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Jloto tofien it toaa tt* jp ur f^ttntortJ an* ^foents.tfifrtj Jltflfjt,

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the

said, It
preacher-woman ended her verse she resumed, addressing the man,
"
Laud to Allah Almighty how can it be hid from thee that the
!

perfect pleasure is in women and that abiding blessings are not to

be found but with them, seeing that Allah (extolled and exalted
be He!) hath promised His prophets and saints black-eyed
damsels in Paradise and hath appointed these for a recompense of
their godly works. And had the Almighty known that the joy
supreme was in the possession of other than women, He had
rewarded them therewith and promised it to them. And quoth
he (whom Allah bless and preserve ), The things I hold dearest !

of the things of your world are three women and perfume and :

the solace of my eyes in prayer. Verily Allah hath appointed

boys to serve his prophets and saints in Paradise, because Para-
dise is the abode of joy and delight, which could not be complete
without the service of youths but, as to the use of them for aught
;

but service, it is Hell's putridity and corruption and turpitude.

*

How well saith the poet :

Men's turning unto bums of boys is bumptious ;

o Whoso love noble women
show their own noblesse.
How many goodly wights have slept the night, enjoying o Buttocks of boys,
and woke at morn in foulest mess ;

Their garments stained by safflower, which is yellow merde o Their shame

proclaiming, showing colour of distress.
Who can deny the charge, when so bewrayed are they o That e'en by daylight
shows the dung upon, their dress ?
What contrast wi' the man, who slept a gladsome night o By Houri-maid
for glance a mere enchanteress,
He rises off her borrowing wholesome bonny scent o That fills the house with ;

whiffs of perfumed goodliness.

No boy deserved place by side of her to hold ;
o Canst even aloes-wood with
what fills pool of cess z !

"
Then said she, O folk ye have made me to break the bounds of

1
Arab.
" Khabal," lit. the pus which flows from the bodies of the damned.
a Most characteristic of Egypt is all this scene. Her reverence, it is true, sits behind
a curtain ;
but her virtue uses language which would shame the lowest European
prostitute ; and which is filthy almost as Dean Swift's.
 Abu Suwayd and the Pretty Old Woman. 163

modesty and the circle of free-born women and indulge in idle

talk of chambering and wantonness, which beseemeth not people
of learning. "'But the breasts of free-borns are the sepulchres of
secrets, and such conversations are in confidence.! Moreover,
and I crave pardon of Allah
actions are according to intentions, 1
for myself and you and all Moslems, seeing that He is the Pardoner
and the Compassionate. '^Then she held her peace and thereafter
would answer us of naugKt so we went our way, rejoicing in that
;

we had profited by her contention and yet sorrowing to artjrom

her. And among the tales they tell is one of

ABTJ SUWAYD AND THE PRETTY OLD WOMAN.

(QUOTH Abu Suwayd) I and a company of my friends, entered

a garden one day to buy somewhat of fruit ; and we saw in a

corner an old woman, who was bright of face, but her head-hair
was white, and she was combing it with an ivory comb. We
stopped before her, yet she paid no heed to us neither veiled her
face : so I O old woman,* wert thou to dye thy
said, to her,
"

hair black, thou wouldst be handsomer than a girl what :

hindereth thee from this ?"' She raised her htad towards me
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.

"Noto tofjnt it teas tye ^oiir f^un&rrtf anto ^toentg-foutt^

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abo

said, It

Suwayd continued When I spake these words to the ancient

:

1
Arab. " Niyat :" the Moslem's idea of intentions quite runs with the Christian's.
There must be a "Niyat" or purpose of prayer or the devotion is valueless. Lan
tells a pleasant tale of a thief in the Mosque, saying
"1
purpose (before prayer) to carry
"
off this nice pair of new shoes !

Arab. "
"
* Ya '1-Ajuz" (in Cairo "Agooz" pronounce Ago-o-oz") : the address a
now and would elicit
" The old woman in thine eye
"
insulting (with ringers extended).
"O O
bride, and O O "
In Egypt the polite address
is lady (Sitt), pilgrimess, daughter
" woman O
(although she be the wrong side of fifty). In Arabia you may say (Imraah)"
" The woman shall see Allah cut out thy heart ! *
but in Egypt the reply would be
So in Southern Italy you address " bella K (fail one) <uid cause a quarrel by " vecchi->
"

arella."
 I64 Alf Laylak wa Laylah.
dame she raised her head towards me and, opening wide her eyes,
recited these two couplets :

I dyed what years have dyed, but this my staining o Lasts not, while that of
days is aye remaining :

Days when beclad in gear of youth I fared, o Raked fore and aft by
men with joy unfeigning.

I cried : By Allah, favoured art thou for an old woman ! How

sincere art thou in thine after-pine for forbidden and
pleasures
how false is
thy pretence of repentance from frowardness ! And
another tale is that of

THE EMIR ALI BIN TAHIR AND THE GIRL MUUNIS.

ONCE on a time was displayed for sale to Ali bin Mohammed
bin Abdallah bin Tahir 1 a slave-girl called Muunis who was
superior to her fellows in beauty and breeding, and to boot an
accomplished poetess and he asked her of her name. Replied
;

she, "Allah advance the Emir, my name is Muunis."

2
Now he
knew this before so he bowed his head awhile, then raising his
;

eyes to her, recited this verse :

What sayest of one by a sickness caught o For the love of thy love till he
waxed distraught ?

Answered she,
"
Allah exalt the Emir " and recited this verse
!

in reply:

If we saw a lover who pains as he ought, o Wi' love we would grant him all
favours he sought

She pleased him so he bought her for seventy thousand dirhams

:

and begat on her Obayd' Allah bin Mohammed, afterwards minister

of Police. 8 And we are told by Abu al-Ayna 4 a tale of

1
Governor of Egypt, Kborasan, etc. under Al-Maamun.
2
a companion, a solacer : it is also a man's name (vol. i. xxiv.)
i.e.
8
At Baghdad ; evidently written by a Baghdad or Mosul man.
A blind traditionist of Bassorah (ninth centory).
 The Woman who had a Boy Lover. 165

THE WOMAN WHO HAD A BOY AND THE OTHER

WHO HAD A MAN TO LOVER.

(QUOTH Abu al-Ayna.) There were in our street two women, one
of whom had for lover a man and
the other a beardless youth, and
they foregathered one night on the terrace-roof of a house adjoin-
ing mine, knowing not that I was near. Quoth the boy's lover to
the other, " O my sister, how canst thou bear with patience the
harshness of thy lover's beard as it falleth on thy breast, when
he busseth thee and his mustachios rub thy cheek and lips ?
"

Replied the other, "Silly that thou art, what decketh the tree
save its leaves and the cucumber but its warts ? Didst ever '

see in the world aught uglier than a scald-head bald of his beard ?
Knowest thou not that the beard is to men as the sidelocks to
2
women; and what is the difference between chin and cheek?
Knowest thou not that Allah (extolled and exalted be He!)
hath created an angel in Heaven, who saith Glory be to Him :

who ornamenteth men with beards and women with long hair ?
So, were not the beard even as the tresses in comeliness, it had
not been coupled with them, O silly How shall I spread-eagle
!

myself under a boy, who will emit long before I can go off and
forestall me
limpness of penis and clitoris and leave a man
in ;

who, when he taketh breath clippeth close and when he entereth

goeth leisurely, and when he hath done, repeateth, and when he
"
pusheth poketh hard, and as often as he withdraweth, returneth ?
"
The boy's leman was edified by her speech and said, I forswear
"
my lover by the lord of the Ka'abah And amongst tales !

is one of

1
Arab. "Zaghab" = the chick's down; the warts on the cucumber which some-
times develop into projections.
3
The Persian saying is, A kiss without moustachio is bread without salt.
1 66 AIJ Laylah wa Laylah.

ALI THE CAIRENE AND THE HAUNTED HOUSE

IN BAGHDAD.
THERE lived once, in the city of Cairo, a merchant who had
great store of monies and bullion, gems and jewels, and lands
and houses beyond count, and his name was Hasan the Jeweller,
the Baghdad man. Furthermore Allah had blessed him with
a son of perfect beauty and brilliancy
rosy-cheeked, fair of face
;

and well-figured, whom he named AH of Cairo and had taught

the Koran, and science and elocution and the other branches of
polite education, till he became proficient in all manner of know-
ledge. He was under his father's hand in trade but, after a while,
Hasan
of death
ceived the
fell

;
sick
so he called his son to him,
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
-
and his sickness grew upon him, till he made sure
And Shahrazad per-
say.

ttfofo fofren it foag t&e Jfour ^un&reU anU foentB--fiftf) jtfig&t,

She said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Jeweller, the Baghdadi, fell sick and made sure of death, he called
to him his son, named Ali of Cairo, and said, " my son, verily O
thisworld passeth away ; but the next world endureth for aye-
Every soul shall taste of death
1
and now, O my son, my decease
j

is at hand and
desire to charge thee with a charge, which if
I

thou observe, thou shalt abide in safety and prosperity, till thou
meet Almighty Allah ; but if thou follow it not, there shall befal
thee much weariness and thou wilt repent of having transgressed
"
mine injunctions." Replied Ali, O my father, how shall I do
other than hearken to thy words and act according to thy charge,
seeing that I am bounden by the law of the Faith to obey thee
and give ear to thy command ? " Rejoined his father, " O my son,
I leave thee lands and houses and goods and wealth past count ;

so that wert thou each day to spend thereof five hundred dinars,
thou wouldst miss naught of it. But, O my son, look that thou

1
And We willprove you with evil, and with good, for a trial of you and unto Us
;

shall ye return (Koran xxi. 36). The saying is always in the Moslem's mouth.
 AH the Cairene and the Haunted House in Baghdad. 167

live in the fear ofAllah and follow His Chosen One, Mustafa,
(whom may He and preserve !) in whatso he is reported to
bless
have bidden and forbidden in his traditional law. 1 Be thou con-
stant in alms-deeds and the practice of beneficence and in con-
sorting with men of worth and piety and learning and look that ;

thou have a care for the poor and needy and shun avarice and
meanness and the conversation of the wicked or those of sus-
picious character. Look thou kindly upon thy servants and
family, and also upon thy wife, for she is of the daughters of
the great and is big with child by thee haply Allah will ;

vouchsafe thee virtuous issue by her." And he ceased not to

exhort him thus, weeping and saying, "O my son, I beseech
Allah the Bountiful, the Lord of the glorious Empyrean 2 to
deliver thee from all straits that may encompass thee and grant
thee His ready relief " Thereupon his son wept with sore
!

"
weeping and said, O my father, I am melted by thy words,
for these are as the words of one that saith farewell." Replied
the merchant, " Yes, O my son, I am aware of my condition :
forget thou not my charge." Then he fell to repeating the two
professions of the Faith and to reciting verses of the Koran,
until the appointed hour arrived, when he said, " Draw near unto

me, O my son." So AH drew near and he kissed him then he ;

sighed and his soul departed his body and he went to the mercy
of Almighty Allah. 3 Therewith great grief fell upon Ali the ;

clamour of keening arose in his house and his father's friends

flocked to him. Then he betook himself to preparing the body
for burial and made him a splendid funeral. They bore his
bier to the place of prayer and prayed over him, then to the

1
Arab. "Sunnat," lit. =
a law, especially applied to the habit and practice of the
"
Apostle in religious and semi-religious matters, completing the Hadis," or his spoken
words. Anything unknown is entitled
" Bida'ah
"
=
innovation. Hence the strict
Moslem isa model Conservative whose exemplar of life dates from the seventh century.
This fact may be casuistically explained away ; but is not less an obstacle to all progress
and it one of the principal dangers threatening Al-Islam. Only fair to say
will be
"
that an " innovation introduced by a perfect follower of the Prophet is held equal
theoretically to a Sunnat ; but vulgarly it is said, "The rabble will not take gold which
is not coined."
3
Arab. "Arsh" =
the ninth Heaven, the Throne of the Deity, above the Seven
Heavens of the planets and the Primum Mobile which, in the Ptolemaic system, sets
them all in motion.
3
This description of a good Moslem's death is at once concise, pathetic and
picturesque.
168 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

cemetery, where they buried him and recited over him what
suited of the sublime Koran after which they returned to the
;

house and condoled with the dead man*s son and wended each
his own way. Moreover, Ali prayed the Friday prayer for his
father and had perlections of the Koran every day for the normal
forty, during which time he abode in the house and went not
forth, save to the place of prayer and every Friday he visited
;

his father's tomb. So he ceased not from his praying and reciting
for some time, until his fellows of the sons of the merchants came
" How
in to him one day and saluting him, said, long this thy
mourning and neglecting thy business and the company of thy
friends ? Verily, this ,is a fashion which will bring thee weariness,
and thy body will suffer for it exceedingly." Now when they
came in to him, Iblis the Accursed was with them, prompting
them and they went on to recommend him to accompany them
;

to the bazar, whilst Iblis tempted him to consent to them, till

he yielded, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.

Koto to&en it foas tfje Jour fL^untaeti an) 3Hoetttp;gtxtf) Nt'gftt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
sons of the merchants went in to Ali the Cairene, son of Hasan
the Jeweller, they recommended him to accompany them to the
bazar, he yielded, that the will of Allah (extolled and exalted
till

be He
!) might
be fulfilled and he left the house of mourning with
;
"
them. Presently they said, Mount thy she-mule and ride with
us to such a garden, that we may solace us there and that thy
grief and despondency may depart from thee." So he mounted
and taking his slave, went with them to the garden in question ;
and when they entered one of them went and making ready the
morning-meal, brought it to them there. So they ate and were
merry and sat in talk, till the end of the day, when they mounted
and returned each to his own lodging, where they passed the
night. As soon as the morrow dawned, they again visited Ali
and said, " Come with us." Asked he, " Whither ? "; and they
"
answered, To such a garden for it is finer than the first and
;

more pleasurable." So he went with them to the garden, and

one of them, going away, made ready the morning-meal and
brought it to them, together with strong heady wine; and after
 Ali the Cairene and the Haunted House in BagJidad. 169

"
eating they brought out the wine, when quoth Ali, What is
" "
this ? and quoth they, This is what dispelleth sadness and
brighteneth gladness." And they ceased not to commend it to
him, they prevailed upon him and he drank with them.
till

Then they sat, drinking and talking, till the end of the day,
when each returned home. But as for Ali, the Cairene, he was
giddy with wine and in this plight went in to his wife, who said
to him, " What aileth thee that thou art so
changed said,
"
? He
"We were making merry to-day, when one of my companions
brought us liquor so my friends drank and I with -them, and
;

this giddiness came upon me." And she replied, " O my lord,
say me, hast thou forgotten thy father's injunction and done
that from which he forbade thee, in consorting with doubtful
"
folk Answered he, " These be of the sons of the merchants
?
;

they are no suspicious folk, only lovers of mirth and good

cheer." And he continued to lead this life with his friends, day
after day, going from place to place and feasting with them
and drinking, till they said to him, "Our turns are ended, and
now it is thy turn." "Well come, and welcome and fair cheer!"
cried he; so*on the morrow, he made ready all that the case,
called for ofmeat and drink, two-fold what they had provided,
and taking cooks and tent-pitchers and coffee-makers, 1 repaired
with the others to Al-Rauzah 2 and the Nilometer, where they
abode a whole month, eating and drinking and hearing music
and making merry. At the end of the month, Ali found that
he had spent a great sum of money but Iblis the Accursed ;

"
deluded him and said to him, Though thou shouldst spend
every day a like sum yet wouldst thou not miss aught of it." So
he took no account of money expenses and continued this way of
life for three years, whilst his wife remonstrated with him and

reminded him of his father's charge but he hearkened not to her ;

words, till he had spent all the ready monies he had, when he
fell to selling his jewels and spending their price, until they also

were all gone. Then he sold his houses, fields, farms and gar-
dens, one after other, till they likewise were all gone and he had

1
This is the first mention of coffee, apparently introduced by the scribe : the word
" a Turkish termination
rendered "coffee-makers" is Kahwajiyah"; an Arab. plur. of
" "
(-ji) to an Arab, word Kahwah (before noticed).
2
Picnics are still made to Rauzah (Rodah) island: I have enjoyed many a one, but
the ground is all private property.
17 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

nothing left but the tenement wherein he -So he tore

lived.
out the marble and wood-work and sold and spent of its
it

price, till he had made an end of all this also, when he took
thought with himself and, finding that he had nothing left to
expend, sold the house itself and spent the purchase-money. After
that, the man who had bought the house came to him and said
" Seek out for
thyself a lodging, as I have need of my house."
So he bethought himself and, finding that he had no want of a
house, except for his wife, who had borne him a son and daughter
(he had not a servant left), he hired a large room in one of the
*
mean courts and there took up his abode, after having lived in
honour and luxury, with many eunuchs and much wealth and he ;

soon came to want one day?s bread. Quoth his wife, " Of this I
warned thee and exhorted thee to obey thy father's charge, and
thou wouldst not hearken to me but there is no Majesty and
;

there is no Might, save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great Whence !

shall the little ones eat ? Arise then, go round to thy friends, the
sons of the merchants belike they will give thee somewhat on
:

which we may live this day." So he arose and went to his friends
one by one but they all hid their faces from him and gave him
;

injurious words revolting to hear, but naught else and he re- ;

turned to his wife and said to her, " They have given me nothing."
Thereupon she went forth to beg of her neighbours the where-
withal to keep themselves alive And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Nofo fo&en tt foas tfje Jour |^utrtrre& anto fontg=gebent!)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the wife
of Ali the Cairene, seeing her husband return empty-handed, went
forth to beg of her neighbours the wherewithal to keep themselves*
alive and repaired to a woman, whom she had known in former

days. When she came in to her and she saw her case, she rose
and receiving her kindly, wept and said, " What hath befallen
"
you ? So she told her all that her husband had done, and the
other replied, " Well come and welcome and fair cheer whatever !
;

"
thou needest, seek it of me, without price." Quoth she, Allah

1
Arab. " Hosh," plur. Hishan, the low courts surrounded by uiean lodgings which
in "native" Cairo still contrast so strongly with the "gingerbread " of the new buildings*
 Ali the Cairene and the Haunted House in Baghdad. 171

"
requite thee abundantly
l
Then her friend gave her as much
!

provision as would suffice herself and her family a whole month,

and she took it and returned to her lodging. When her husband
saw her, he wept and asked, " Whence hadst thou that ? " and ;

she answered, " I got it of such a woman ; for, when I told her
what had befallen us, she failed me not in aught, but said, Seek
of me all thou needest" Whereupon her husband rejoined," Since
thou hast this much
betake myself to a place I have in my
I will

mind peradventure
;
Allah Almighty will bring us relief."
2
With
these words he took leave of her and kissed his children and went
out, not knowing whither he should go, and he continued walking
on he came to Buldk, where he saw a ship about to sail for
till

Damietta. 3 Here he met a man, between whom and his father

there had been friendship, and he saluted him and said to him,
" Whither now ? " "
Replied Ali, To Damietta I have friends :

there, whom I would enquire after and visit them and then return."
The man took him home and treated him honourably then, ;

furnishing him with vivers for the voyage and giving him some
gold pieces, embarked him on board the vessel bound for
Damietta. When they reached it, Ali landed, not knowing
whither to go ;
but as he was walking along, a merchant saw him
and had pity on him, and carried him to his house. Here he
abode awhile, after which he said in himself, " How long this
"
sojourning in other folk's homes ? Then he left the merchant's
place and walked to the wharf where, after enquiry, he found a
ship ready to sail for Syria. His hospitable host provided him
with provision and embarked him in the ship and it set sail and ;

Ali reached in due season the Syrian shores where he disembarked

and journeyed till he entered Damascus. As he walked about the
great thoroughfare behold, a kindly man saw him and took him to
his house, where he tarried for a time till, one day, going abroad,
he saw a caravan about to start for Baghdad and bethought himself

1
This is the Moslem equivalent of "thank you." He looks upon the donor as the
channel through which Allah sends him what he wants and prays for more to come.
"
Thus " May your shadow never be less means,_May you increase in prosperity so thai
I may And if a beggar is disposed to be insolent (a very common case),
gain thereby !

he you his mind pretty freely on the subject, and make it evident to you that all
will tell

you have is also his and that La propriet (when not shared) est le vol.
2
I have noticed in my Pilgrimage (i. 51-53) the kindly care with which the stranger

is treated by Moslems, a marvellous contrast to the ways of "civilization."

3
Arab. "Dimyat," vulg. pronounced
"
Dumiyat."
172 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

to jonrney thither with it. Thereupon he returned to his host and

taking leave of him, set out with the Cafilah. Now Allah (extolled
and exalted be He !) inclined to him the heart of one of the
merchants, so that he took him with him, and Ali ate and drank
with him, till they came within one day's journey of Baghdad.
Here, however, a company of highwaymen fell upon the caravan
and took all they had and but few of the merchants escaped.
These made each for a separate place of refuge but as for Ali the
;

Cairene he fared for Baghdad, where he arrived at sundown, as the

"
gatekeepers were about to shut the gates, and said to them, Let
"
me in with you." They admitted him and asked him, Whence
"
come, and whither wending ? and he answered, "I am a man
from Cairo-city and have with me mules laden with merchandise
and slaves and servants. I forewent them, to look me out a place
wherein to deposit my goods but, as I rode along on my she-
:

mule, there upon me a company of banditti, who took my

fell

mule and gear nor did I escape from them but at my last gasp."
;

The gate-guard entreated him honourably and bade him be of

"
good cheer, saying, Abide with us this night, and in the morning
we willlook thee out a place befitting thee." Then he sought in his
breast-pocket and, finding a dinar of those given to him by the mer-
chant at Bulak, handed it one of the gatekeepers, saying, " Take
to
this and change it and bring us something to eat." The man took
it and went to the market, where he changed it, and brought Ali

bread and cooked meat so he ate, he and the gate-guards, and he

:

lay the night with them. Now on the morrow, one of the warders
carried him to a certain of the merchants of Baghdad, to whom he
told the same story, and he believed him, deeming that he was a
merchant and had with him loads of merchandise. Then he took
him up into his shop and entreated him with honour moreover,
;

he sent to his house for a splendid suit of his own apparel for him
and carried him to the Hammam. So, quoth Ali of Cairo : I
went with him to the bath, and when we came out, he took me
and brought me to his house, where he set the morning-meal
before us, and we ate and made merry. Then said he to one of
"
.his black slaves, Ho Mas'ud, take this thy lord show him the
:

two houses standing in such a place, and whichever pleaseth him,

give him the key of it and come back." So I went with the slave,
till we came to a street-road where stood three houses side by side,

newly built and yet shut up. He opened the first and I looked at
it
;
and we did the same to the second after which he said to me
;
 Ali the Cair<,m and the Haunted House in Baghdad, 173

* Of which shall I " "

To whom doth the big
give thee the key ?
house belong ? " "
To us " " that I may view it"
Open it, !

"Thou hast no business there." "Wherefore?" "Because it is

haunted, and none nighteth there but in the morning he is a dead
man nor do we use to open the door, when removing the corpse,
;

but mount the terrace-roof of one of the other two houses and
take it up thence. For this reason my master hath abandoned the
"
house and saith I will never again give it to any one."
:
Open
" " This
it," I cried, that I may view it ;" and I said in my mind,
is what I seek I will pass the night there and in the morning be
;

a dead man and be at peace from this my case." So he opened

it and I entered and found it a splendid house, without its like ;

and I said to the slave, " I will have none other than this house ;

"
give me its key." But he rejoined, I will not give thee this key
till I consult my master," --
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

jlioto to&m (t tons tljc Jpout fDturtircti anb toent--ctc$t!)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the negro
(continued AH of Cairo) rejoined, " I will not give thee its key
The "
tillI consult master," and going to him, reported,
my
Egyptian trader saith I will lodge in none
: but the big house."
Now when the merchant heard this, he rose and coming to AH,
" O my lord,
thou hast no need of this house."
spake thus to him,
But he answered, " I will lodge in none other than this ; for I care
"
naught for this silly saying." Quoth the other, Write me an
acknowledgment that, if aught happen to thee, I am not re-
sponsible." Quoth AH,
"
So be it ; " whereupon the merchant
fetched an assessor from the Kazi's court and, taking the pre-
scribed acknowledgment, delivered to him the key wherewith he
entered the house. The merchant sent him bedding by a blacka-
moor who spread it for him on the built bench behind the door 1
and walked away. Presently AH went about and, seeing in the
inner court a well with a bucket, let this down and drew water,
wherewith he made the lesser ablution and prayed the obligatory
prayers. Then he sat awhile, till the slave brought him the even-
ing meal from his master's house, together with a lamp, a candle

1
Where the door-keepers sit and receive their friends.
174 -A If Laylah wa Laylah.

and candlestick, a basin and ewer and a gugglet after which he 1

;

left him and returned home. Ali lighted the candle, supped at
his ease and prayed the night-prayer and presently he said to ;

"
himself, Come, take the bedding and go upstairs and sleep there ;

'twill be better than here." So he took the bed and carried it

upstairs, where he found a splendid saloon, with gilded ceiling and
floor and walls cased with coloured marbles. He spread his bed
there and sitting down, began to recite somewhat of the Sublime
Koran, when (ere he was ware) he heard one calling to him and
"
asking, O O
son of Hasan, say me, shall I send thee down
Ali,
"
the gold he answered, " Where be the gold thou hast to
? And
"
send ? But hardly had he spoken, when gold pieces began to
rain down on him, like stones from a catapult, nor ceased till the
saloon was full. Then, after the golden shower, said the Voice,
"
Set me free, that I may go my way for I have made an end ;

of my service and have delivered unto thee that which was

"
entrusted to me for thee." Quoth Ali, I adjure thee, by Allah

the Almighty, to tell me the cause of this gold-rain." Replied the

" This is a treasure that was talisman'd to thee of old
Voice, time,
and to every one who entered the house, we used to come and
say : O Ali, O son of Hasan, shall we send thee down the gold ?

Whereat he would be affrighted and cry out, and we would come

down to him and break his neck and go away. But, when thou
earnest and we accosted thee by thy name and that of thy father,

saying, Shall we send thee down the gold ? and thou madest answer
to us, And where be the gold ? we knew thee for the owner of
it and sent it down. Moreover, there is yet another hoard for
thee in the land of Al-Yaman and thou wouldst do well to journey
thither and fetch it. And now I would fain have thee set me free,
"
that may go my way." Said Ali, By Allah, I will not set thee
I

free, till thou bring me hither the treasure from the land of Al-
Yaman " Said the Voice, "An I bring it to thee, wilt thou release
!

me and eke the servant of the other hoard ? " " Yes," replied Ali,
and the Voice cried, " Swear to me." So he swore to him, and he
was about to go away, when Ali said to him, " I have one other
need to ask of thee ;" and he, " What is that ? ? Quoth Ali, I
* "

have a wife and children at Cairo in such a place thou needs ;

must fetch them to me, at their ease and without their unease."

1
This is a traveller's " Kit
"
in the East.
 All the Cairene and the Haunted House in Baghdad. 175

"
Quoth I will bring them to thee in a mule-litter
he, and much '

state, with a train of eunuchs and servants, together with the

treasure from Al-Yaman, Inshallah !" 2 Then he took of him leave
of absence for three days, when all this should be with him, and
vanished. As soon as it was morning AH went round about the
saloon, seeking a place wherein to store the gold, and saw on the edge
of the dais a marble slab with a turning-pin ; so he turned the pin
and the slab sank and showed a door which he opened and enter-
ing, found a great closet, full of bags of coarse stuff carefully sewn.
So he began taking out the bags and fell to filling them with gold
and storing them in the closet, till he had transported thither all
the hoarded gold, whereupon he shut the door and turning the
pin, the slab returned to its place. Then he went down and seated
himself on the bench behind the door ; and presently there came
a knock so he opened and found the merchant's slave who, seeing
--
;

him comfortably sitting, returned in haste to his master And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

to!)cn it toas tfjc Jfour f^unftrtft an) focnn>m'nt& Ntgfjt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
house-owner's black slave returned and knocked at the door, AH
the Cairene, son of the merchant Hasan, opened it to him and the
negro, seeing him comfortably sitting, returned in haste to his
master with the good tidings, saying, " my Lord, the merchant, O
who is lodged in the house inhabited by the Jinn, 3 is alive and
well and sitteth on the bench behind the door." Then the mer-
chant rose joyfully and went to the house, taking breakfast with
him and, when he saw AH, he embraced him and kissed him
;
"
between the eyes, asking, " How hath Allah dealt with thee ? ;
and Ali answered, " Right well, I slept upstairs in the marble
saloon." Quoth the merchant, " Did aught come to thee or didst
thou sec any thing ?" and quoth Ali " No, I recited some little of
the Sublime Koran and slept till morning, when I arose and, after

1 ' " moveable throne."

Arab. Takht-rawan," from Persian meaning
*
The use of the expression proved the speaker to be a Moslem Jinni.
*
The "haunted" house proper, known to the vulgar and to spiritualists becomes, I
have said, amongst Moslems a plac tenanted by Jinns.
176 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

making- the minor ablution and praying, seated myself on the

bench behind the door." " Praised be Allah for safety " ex- !

claimed the merchant, then left him and presently sent him black
slaves and white Mamelukes and handmaidens with household
gear. They swept the house from top to bottom and furnished il;

with magnificent furniture after which three white slaves and

;

three blacks and four slave-girls remained with him, to serve him
while the rest returned to their master's house. Now when the
merchants heard of him, they sent him presents of all manner
things of price, even to food and drink and clothes, and took him
with them to the market, asking, " When will thy baggage arrive ?
"
"
And he answered, After three days it will surely come." When
the term had elapsed, the servant of the first hoard, the gfolden
came to him and " Go forth and meet the treasure I
rain, said,
have brought thee from Al-Yaman together with thy Harim for ;

I bring part of the wealth in the semblance of costly merchandise ;

but the eunuchs and Mamelukes and the mules and horses and
camels are all of the Jann." Now the Jinni, when he betook
himself to Cairo, found Ali's wife and children in sore misery,
naked and hungry so he carried them out of the city in a travel-
;

ling-litter and clad them in sumptuous raiment of the stuffs which

were in the treasure of Al-Yaman. So when Ali heard this, he
"
arose and repairing to the merchants, said to them, Rise and go
forth with us from the city, to meet the caravan bringing my
merchandise, and honour us with the presence of your Harims, to
"
meet my Harim." Hearkening and obedience," answered they
and, sending for their Harims, went forth all together and took
seat in one of the city-gardens ; and as they sat talking, behold, a
dust-cloud arose out of the heart of the desert, and they flocked
forth to see what it was. Presently it lifted and discovered mules
and muleteers, tent-pitchers and linkmen, who came on, singing
and dancing, till they reached the garden, when the chief of the
"
muleteers walked up to Ali and kissing his hand, said to him, O
my master, we have been long on the way, for we purposed enter-
ing yesterday but we were in fear of the bandits, so abode
;
in our

station four days, Almighty Allah rid us of them." There-

till

upon the merchants mounted their mules and rode forward with
the caravan, the Harims waiting behind, till Ali's wife and
children mounted with them; and they all entered in splendid
train. The merchants marvelled at the number of mules laden
with chests, whilst the women of the merchants wondered at the
 Ali the Cairene and the Haunted House in Bagltdad* 177

richness of the apparel of his wife and the fine raiment of her
children ; and kept saying each to other, " Verily, the King of
Baghdad hath no such gear no, nor any other of the kings or
;
"
lords or merchants So they ceased not to fare forwards in
!

high great state, the men with AH of Cairo and the Harims with
his Harim, till they came to the mansion, And Shahrazad per-
ceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

tfoto tuljcn it foas tfjc jpout $3uirt>rrt anfc Sljtrtietlj Kfujljt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that they ceased
not to fa/e forwards in high state, the men with Ali's men and the
women with his wife, till they came to the mansion, where they
alighted and brought the mules and their burdens into the midst
of the courtyard. Then they unloaded them and warehoused the
goods whilst the merchants' wives went up with Ali's family to
the saloon, which they found as it were a luxuriant garden, spread
with magnificent furniture. They sat in mirth and good cheer till
noon, when they brought them up the midday meal, all manner
meats and sweetmeats of the very best ; and they ate and drank
costly sherbets and perfumed themselves thereafter with rose-
water and scented woods. Then they took leave and went home,
men and women and, when the merchants returned to their
;

places, they sent presents to the husband according to their

conditions ; and their wives likewise sent presents to the wife, so
that there came to them great store of handmaids and negroes
and Mamelukes and all kinds of goods, such as grain, sugar and
;

so forth, in abundance beyond account. As for the Baghdad

merchant, the landlord of the house, he abode with AH and
"
quitted him not, but said to him, Let the black slaves and ser-
vants take the mules and the common cattle into one of my other
"
houses, to rest." Quoth AH, They set out again to-night for
such a place." Then he gave them leave to go forth and camp
outside the city, that they might start on their journey at night-
come ; whereupon, hardly believing that they were dismissed, they
took leave of him and departing to the outliers of the city, flew
off through the air to their several abodes. So and his house- AH
owner sat together till a third of the night was past, when their
colloquy ended and the merchant returned to his own house and
AH went up to his wife and children and after saluting them, said,
VOL. V. M
178 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.
u What hath "
So she
you in my absence all this time ?
befallen
told him what they had suffered of hunger and nakedness and
"
travail, and he said, Praised be Allah for safety How did ye
!

come ? " Answered she, " O my lord, I was asleep with my

children yesternight, when suddenly and unexpectedly one raised
us from the ground and flew with us through the firmament with-
out doing us any hurt, nor did he leave flying with us, till he set
us down in a place as it were an Arab camping-ground, where
we saw laden mules and a travelling litter borne upon two great
mules, and around it servants, all boys and men. So I asked them :

Who are ye and what are these loads and where are we ? and ;

they answered We are the servants of the merchant AH of

:

Cairo, son of the merchant-jeweller, who hath sent us to fetch

you to him at Baghdad, Quoth I, Tell me, is it far or near, hence
to Baghdad ? They replied, Near there lieth between us and the
:

city but the darkness of the night. Then they mounted us in the
litter and, when morrow dawned, we found ourselves with thee,
the
without having suffered any hurt whatever." Quoth he, " Who
"
gave you these dresses and quoth she, " The chief of the
;

caravan opened one of the boxes on the mules and taking out
thereof these clothes, clad me and thy children each in a suit ;
after which he locked the case and gave me the key, saying, Take
care of thou give it to thy husband. And here it is safe by
it, till
" Dost thou
me." So saying, she gave him the key, and he said,
know the chest ?
" "
Said she, Yes, I know it." So he took her
down to the magazine and showed her the boxes, when she cried,
" This is the one whence the dresses were taken ;" upon which he

put the key in the lock and opened the chest, wherein he, found
much raiment and the keys of all the other cases. So he took
them and fell to opening them, one after another, and feasting his
eyes upon the gems and precious ores they contained, whose like
was not found with any of the kings ; after which he locked them
again, took the keys, and returned to the saloon, saying to his
"
wife, This is of the bounty of Almighty Allah Then bringing
!

her to the secret slab he turned the pin and opened the door of
the closet, into which he entered with her and showed her the gold
"
he had up therein. Quoth she, Whence came all this to
laid
" "
thee ? It came to me by the grace of my Lord," answered he :
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
tier permitted say.
 Alt the Cairene and the Haunted House in Baghdad. 179

foljcn ft tons tfjc Jpout |Dun&rc& anfc tf)irtB=first Nifl&t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ali*s
wife had looked upon the gold she said to him, " Whence came all
this to thee?" "It came to me by the grace of my Lord,"
answered he " When
I left thee in my trouble, I shipped at
:

Bulak Damietta and met a friend there who forwarded me

for
to Damascus ": in brief he told her all that had befallen him, from
"
first to last. Said she, O my lord, all this cometh by boon of thy
father's blessing and orisons when he prayed for thee, before his

death, saying I beseech Allah to cast thee into no straits except

:

He grant thee ready relief! So praised be Allah Almighty for

that He hath brought thee deliverance and hath requited thee
with more than went from thee But Allah upon thee, O my !

lord, return not tothy practice of associating with doubtful folk ;

but look thou fear Allah (whose name be exalted !) both in private
and in public." And as she went on to admonish him, he said,
" I
accept thine admonition and beg the Almighty to remove the
froward from amongst us and stablish us in His obedience and
in the observance of the law and practice of His Prophet, on
whom be blessings and peace " After that AH and his wife and
!

children were in all solace of life and gladness ; and he opened

him a shop in the merchants' bazar and, stocking it with a some-
what of jewels and bullion, sat therein with his children and white
servants. Presently he became the most considerable of the
merchants of Baghdad, and his report reached the King of that
city, who sent a messenger to command his attendance, saying,
1

" Answer the summons of the King who requireth thee." He

"
I hear and obey," and straightway prepared his present
replied,
and he took four trays of red gold and, filling them with jewels
and precious metals, such as no King possessed, went up to the
palace and presenting himself before the presence, kissed the
ground between his hands and wished him endurance of goods and
glory in the finest language he could command. Said the King,
" O "
and Ali
merchant, thou cheerest our city with thy presence !

" O
rejoined, King of the age, thy slave hath brought thee a

1
Needless to say there never was a Sultan or a King of Baghdad nor a Duke of
Athens. This story would seem not to have been written by the author of "the Emir
bin Tahir," etc. Night ccccxxiv.
t8o A If Laylah wa Laylah.

gift and hopeth from thy favour." Then

for acceptance thereof
he King, who uncovered them and
laid the four trays before the

seeing that they contained gems, whose fellows he possessed not

and whose worth equalled treasuries of money, said, " Thy present
is accepted, O merchant, and Inshallah we will requite thee with
!

its like." And Ali kissed his hands and went away ; whereupon
"
the King called his grandees and said to them, How many of
the Kings have sought " "
my daughter marriage in Many," ?

answered they and he asked, " Hath any of them given me the
;

like of this gift ? "; whereto they replied, " Not one, for that none
of them hath its like " and he said, " I have consulted Allah
;

Almighty by marrying my daughter to this merchant.

lot as to
" "
What say ye ? Be it as thou reckest," answered they. Then
he bade the eunuch carry the four trays into his serraglio and
going in to his wife, laid them before her. She uncovered them
and seeing therein that whose like she possessed not no, nor a ;

"
fraction thereof, said to him, From which
of the Kings hadst
thou these ? perchance of one of the royalties that seek thy
:

"
daughter in marriage ? Said he, " Not so, I had them of an
Egyptian merchant, who is lately come to this our city. Now
when I heard of his coming I sent to command him to us, thinking
to make his acquaintance, so haply we might find with him some-
what of jewels and buy them of him for our daughter's trousseau.
He obeyed our summons and brought us these four trays, as a
present, and I saw him to be a handsome youth of dignified
aspect and intelligent as elegant, almost such as should be the
sons of Kings. Wherefore my heart inclined to him at sight, and
my heart rejoiced in him and I thought good to marry my daugh-
ter to him. So I showed the gift to my grandees, who agreed
with me that none of the Kings hath the like of these and I told
"
them my project. But what sayst thou ? And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

it foas t&e jpout

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the

King of Baghdad, after showing the presents to his wife and
highly praising Ali, the merchant-jeweller, and informing her of
"
the proposed marriage, asked, " But what sayst thou ? She re-
plied,
"
O King of the age, the ordering this affair is in Allah's
 Ali the Cairene and the Haunted House in Baghdad. 181

hand, and thine, and whatso Allah willeth shall come to pass."
"
Rejoined the King, If it be His will, I will marry her to none
other than this young man." He slept on this resolve and on
the morrow, he went out to his Divan and summoned Ali and
the rest of the merchants of Baghdad, and when all came bade
them be " "
seated. Then said he, Bring me the Kazi of the Divan
and they brought him whereupon the King said to him, "
; O
Kazi, write the contract of marriage between my daughter and
"
the merchant Ali the Cairene." But Ali said,Thy pardon, O
our lord the Sultan ! It befitteth not that a trader such as I, be
the King's son-in-law." Quoth the King, " It is my will to bestow
"
this favour upon thee, as well as the Wazirate ; and he invested
him forthwith in the Wazir's office and ministerial robes. Then
Ali sat down in the chair of the Wazirate and said, " O King of
the age, thou hast bestowed on and indeed I am
me this ;

honoured by thy bounties but hear one word I have to say to

;
"
thee He replied, " Say on, and fear not." Quoth Ali, " Since it
!

isthine august resolution to marry thy daughter, thou wouldst do

"
better tomarry her to my son." Quoth the King, Hast thou then
"
a son?"; and Ali replied,- Yes." "
Send for him forthwith," said
the King. Thereupon answered Ali, " Hearkening and obedience!",
and despatched a servant to fetch his son, who came and kissing
the ground before the King, stood in an attitude of respect. The
King looked at him and seeing him to be yet comelier than his
daughter and goodlier than she in stature and proportion and
"
brightness and perfection, said to him, What is thy name, O my
" "
son ? My name is Hasan, O our lord the Sultan," replied the
young man, who was then fourteen years old. Then the Sultan
"
said to the Kazi, Write the contract of marriage between my
daughter Husn al-Wujiid and Hasan, son of the merchant Ali
the Cairene." So he wrote the marriage-contract between them,
and the affair was ended in the goodliest fashion after which all in ;

the Divan went their ways and the merchants followed the Wazir
Ali, escorting him to his house, where they gave him joy of his
advancement and departed. Then he went in to his wife, who
"
seeing him clad in the Wazir's habit, exclaimed, What is this ? ";
when he told her all that had passed from first to last and she
joyed therein with exceeding joy. So sped the night and on the
morrow, he went up to the Divan, where the King received him
with especial favour and seating him close by his side, said, " O
Wazir, we purpose to begin the wedding festivities and bring thy son
1 82
Alf Laylah wa LaylaJt.

"
in to our daughter." Replied Ali, O our lord the Sultan, whatso
thou deemest good is good." So the Sultan gave orders to cele-
brate the festivities, and they decorated the
city and held high
festival for thirty days, in all joy and gladness at the end of which
;

time, Hasan, son of the Wazir Ali, went in to the Princess and
enjoyed her beauty and loveliness. When the Queen saw her
daughter's husband, she conceived a warm affection for him, and
in like manner she rejoiced greatly in his mother. Then the King
bade build for his son-in-law Hasan Ali-son a palace beside his
own so they built him with all speed a splendid palace in which
;

he took up his abode and his mother used to tarry with him some
;

days and then go down to her own house. After awhile the Queen
said to her husband, " O King of the age, Hasan's lady-mother
cannot take up her abode with her son and leave the Wazir ;

neither can she tarry with the Wazir and leave her son." " Thou
sayest sooth," replied the King, and bade edify a third palace
beside that of Hasan, which being done in a few days he caused
remove thither the goods of the Wazir, and the Minister and his
wife took up their abode there. Now the three palaces com-
municated with one another, so that when the King had a mind to
speak with the Wazir by night, he would go to him or send to
fetch and so with Hasan and his father and mother. On
him ;

this wise they dwelt in all solace and in the greatest happiness
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.

to&m it foa* t&t jpour f^unfcrrti an& TOB--t!){r& Nt'g&t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King
and the Wazir and his son ceased not to dwell in all solace and
in the greatest happiness awhile, till the King fell ill and his sick-
ness grew on him. So he summoned the lords of his realm and
"
said to them, There is come upon me a
sore malady, peradven-
ture a mortal have therefore summoned you to consult you
;
and I

respecting a certain matter, on which I would have you counsel me

"
as you deem well." They asked, What is the matter of which
thou wouldst take counsel with us, O King ? "; and he answered,
I am old and sickly and I fear for the realm after me from its
"

enemies would have you all agree upon some one, that I
;
so I

may proclaim him King in my lifetime and so ye may be at ease."

 All the Cairene and the Haunted House in Baghdad. 183

Whereupon quoth they with one We all approve of thy

voice,
"

daughter's husband Hasan, son of the Wazir AH for we have ;

seen his wit and perfect understanding, and he knoweth the place
of all, great and small." Asked the King, " Are ye indeed agreed
" " "
upon this ? and they answered, Yes." Rejoined he Peradven-
ture ye all say this to my face, of respect for me but behind my ;

back ye will say otherwise." However, they all replied, " By Allah,
our word is one and the same in public and in private, and we accept
him frankly and with heartiness of heart and breadth of breast."
"
Quoth he, Since the case is thus, bring the Kazi of the Holy
Law and all the Chamberlains and Viceroys and Officers of state
before me to-morrow, and we will order the affair after the good-
liest fashion." "We hear and we obey," answered they and with-
drawing, notified all the Olema, the doctors of the law and the
1

chief personages among the Emirs. So when the morrow dawned,

they came up to the Divan and having craved and obtained per-
"
mission to enter, they saluted the King, saying, Here are we all
"
in thy presence." Whereto he made reply, O Emirs of Bagh-
dad, whom will ye have to be King over you after me, that I
may inaugurate him during my lifetime, before the presence of
" "
We
you ?all Quoth they with one voice, are agreed upon thy

daughter's husband Hasan, son of the Wazir Ali." Quoth he,

"
If it be so, go all of you and bring him before me." So they all
"
arose and, repairing to Hasan's palace, said to him, Rise, come
" Wherefore ? " asked and
with us to the King.' he, they answered,
" For a
thing that will benefit both us and thee." So he went
in with them to the King and kissed the ground before his
" "
father-in-law who said to him, Be seated, O my son He sat !

" O
down and the King continued, Hasan, all the Emirs have

1
Plur. of Alim = one learned
in the law, a D.D. Mohammed did his best to abolish
the priest and his craft by making each Moslem paterfamilias a pontifex in his own
household and he severely condemned monkery and celibacy. But human nature was
too much for him even before his death ascetic associations began to crop up. Presently
:

the Olema in Al-Islam formed themselves into a kind of clergy ; with the single but
that they must (or ought to) live by some honest secular
highly important difference
calling and not by the
"cure of souls"; hence Mahomet IV. of Turkey was solemnly
deposed. So far and no farther
Mohammed was successful and his success has secured
for him the lively and lasting hatred of the ecclesiastical caste which he so honestly
and
to abate. Even to the present day missionaries have a good word for
wisely attempted
the Guebre and the Buddhist, the Brahmanist and the Confucian, but none for the Mos-
lem Dr. Livingstone, for one instance of many, evidently preferred
:
the Fetichist, whom
he could convert, to the Unitarian Faithful whom he could not.
184 A If Laylah wa Laylaki

approved of thee and agreed to make thee King over them after
me and it is my purpose to proclaim thee, whilst I yet live, and so
;

make an end of the business." But Hasan stood up and, kissing

the ground once more before the King, said to- him, " O our lord
the King, among the Emirs there be many who are older than I
and greater of worth acquit me therefore of this thing." But all
;

the Emirs cried out saying, " We consent not but that thou be
"
King over us." Then said Hasan, My father is older than I, and
I and he are one thing and it befits not to advance me over him."
;

But AH said, " I will consent to nothing save whatso contenteth my

brethren and they have all chosen and agreed upon thee where-
; ;

fore gainsay thou not the King's commandment and that of thy
brethren." And Hasan hung his head abashed before the King and
his father. Then said the to the Emirs, " Do ye all accept of
King
" "
him ? We do, "answered they and recited thereupon seven
Fatihahs. 1 So the King said, " O
Kazi, draw up a legal instrument
testifying of these Emirs that they are agreed to make King over
them my daughter's husband Hasan." The Kazi wrote the act and
made it binding on all men, 2 after they had sworn in a body the
oath of fealty to Hasan." Then the King did likewise and bade
him take his seat on the throne of kingship whereupon they all
;

arose and kissed King Hasan's hands and did homage to him, and
swore lealty to him. And the new King dispensed justice among
the people that day in fashion right royal, and invested the grandees
of the realm in splendid robes of honour. When the Divan broke
up, he went in to and kissed the hands of his father-in-law who
spake thus to him, O my son, look thou rule the lieges in the
"

fear of Allah ;" And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.

1
i./.
they recited seven times (an unusual number), for greater solemnity, the opening
Chapter of the Koran which does general duty on such occasions as making covenants
and swearing fealty. This proclaiming a King by acclamation suggests the origin of the
old and venerable Portuguese institution.
2
By affixing his own seal and that of the King. This in later times was supplanted
"
by the Tughra," the imperial cypher or counter-mark (much like a writing master's
flourish), with which Europe has now been made familiar through the agency of Turkish
tobacco.
 All the Catrene and the Haunted House in Baghdad. 185

ttofo foijcn it foas tfce jpour ^untaU an* WrtB-fourt!)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when

King Hasan was quit of the Divan, he went in to and kissed the
hands of his wife's father, who spake thus to him, " O my son,
look thou rule the lieges in the fear of Allah ;" whereto he replied,
"
O my father, through thy prayers for me, the grace and guidance
of Allah will come to me." Then he entered his own palace and
was met by his wife and her mother and their attendants, who
kissed his hands and gave him joy of his advancement, saying,
"
Be this day blessed " Next he went in to his father and
!

mother, who joyed with exceeding joy in that which Allah had
vouchsafed him of his advancement to the kingship, and his
father charged him to fear Allah and to deal mercifully with his
subjects. He passed the night in glee and gladness, and on the
morrow, having prayed the obligatory prayers ending with the
usual short chapters *
of the Koran, he went up to the Divan,
whither came all his officers and dignitaries. He passed the day
in dispensing justice among the folk, bidding to graciousness and

forbidding ungraciousness and appointing to place and displacing,

till day-end, when the Divan broke
up, after the goodliest fashion,
and all the troops withdrew and each went his own way. Then
he arose and repaired to the palace, where he found his father-
in-law's sickness grown heavy upon him and said to him, " May
no ill befal thee " At this the old King opened his eyes and
!

said,
"
O Hasan " and he replied, " At thy service, O my lord."
!

"
Quoth the old King, Mine appointed hour is at hand be thou :

careful of thy wife and her mother, and look thou fear Allah and
honour thy parents and bide in awe of the majesty of the
;

Requiting King and bear in mind that He commandeth justice

and good works." And King Hasan replied, " I hear and obey."
Now after this the old King lingered three days and then de-
parted into the mercy of Almighty Allah. So they laid him
out and shrouded and buried him and held over him readings
and perlections of the Koran, to the end of the customary forty

1
Arab. " Wird
" =
the twenty-five last chapters of the Koran which are repeated,
"
one or more at a time, after the end of the Farz," or obligatory prayers and ad libitum
<ith the Sunnat or customary, and the NafUah or supererogatory.
1 86 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

days. And King Hasan, son of the Wazir, reigned in his stead,
and his subjects joyed in him and all his days were gladness ;

moreover, his father ceased not to be his chief Wazir on his right
hand, and he took to himself another Wazir, to be at his left
hand. His reign was a prosperous and well ordered, and he lived
a long life as King of Baghdad and Allah blessed him, by the old
;

King's daughter, with three sons who inherited the kingdom after
him ;
and they abode in the solace of life and its pleasures till
there came to them the Destroyer of delights and the Severer of
societies. And glory be to Him who is eternal and in whose
hand are annulling and confirming' And of the tales they tell

is one of

THE PILGRIM MAN AND THE OLD WOMAN.

A MAN of the pilgrims once slept a long sleep and awaking, found
no trace of the caravan. So he <rose up and walked on, but lost
his way and presently came to a tent, where he saw an old
woman standing at the entrance and by her side a dog asleep.
He went up to the tent and, saluting the old woman, sought of
" Go to
her food, when she replied, yonder Wady and catch thy
sufficiency of serpents, that I may broil of them for thee and give
"
thee to eat." Rejoined the pilgrim, I dare not catch serpents
"
nor did I ever eat them." Quoth the old woman, I will go with
thee and catch some ; fear not." So she went with him, followed
by the dog, to the valley and, catching a sufficient number of
serpents, proceeded to broil them. He saw nothing for it (saith
the story teller) but to eat, in fear of hunger and exhaustion ; so
he ate of the serpents. 1 Then he was athirst and asked for water
to drink; and she answered," Go to the spring and drink." Accord-
ingly, he went to the spring and found the water thereof bitter ;
yet needs must he drink of it despite its bitterness, because of
the violence of his thirst. Presently he returned to the old woman
"
and said to her, I marvel, O ancient dame, at thy choosing to

1
The sensible creed of Al-Islam freely allows anthropophagy when it saves life ; a
contrast to the sentimentalism of the West which brings a "charge of cannibalism"
against unfortunate expeditionists. I particularly allude to the scandalous pulings of
the English Press over the gallant and unfortunate Greely voyage (The Academy,

Sept. 25, 1884).

 Th* Pilgrim Man and the Old Woman. 187

sojourn in this place

-
And Shahrazad perceived the
day and ceased saying her permitted say.
dawn of

fofon tt foas t&e J^our f^untfrcfc anb

She said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
palmer-man drank the bitter draught for stress of thirst, he
returned and said " I marvel, O ancient dame, at thy choosing
to sojourn in this place and thy putting up with such meat and
"
drink ! She asked, " And how is it then in thy country ? ";
whereto he answered, " In my country are houses wide and
spacious and fruits ripe and delicious and waters sweet and
viands savorous and of goodly use and meats fat and full of
juice and flocks innumerous and all things pleasant and all the
goods of life, the like whereof are not, save in the Paradise which
Allah the Omnipotent hath promised to His servants pious."
Replied she, "All this have I heard: but tell me, have ye a
Sultan who ruleth over you and is tyrannical in his rule and
under whose hand you are one who, if any of you commit an
;

offence, taketh his goods and ruineth him and who, whenas he
will, turneth you out of house and home and uprooteth you, stock
and branch ? " Replied the man, " Indeed that may be ;" and she
"
rejoined, If so, by Allah, these your delicious food and life of

daintyhood and gifts however good, with tyranny and oppression,

are but a searching poison, while our coarse meat which in
freedom and safety we eat is a healthful medicine. Hast thou
not heard that the best of boons, after Al-Islam, the true Faith,
are sanity and security?" 1 Now such boons (quoth he who
telleth the tale) may be by the just rule of the Sultan, Vice-

regent of Allah on His earth, and the goodness of his polity.

The Sultan of time past needed but little awfulness, for when
the lieges saw him, they feared him but the Sultan of these
;

days hath need of the most accomplished polity and the utmost
majesty, because men are not as men of by-gone time and this
our age is one of folk opprobrious, and is greatly calamitous,
noted for folly and hardness of heart and inclined to hate and

1
The story is mere ^Esopic : tb " Two dogs contains it all. One of Mohammad's
"
"
sensible sayings is recorded and deserves repetition : Empire endureth with infidelity
"
(idolatry, etc.). but not with tyranny-
1 88 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

enmity. If, therefore, the Sultan (which Almighty Allah fof-

fend !) be weak or wanting in polity and majesty, this will be the
"
assured cause of his country's ruin. Quoth the proverb, An
hundred years of the Sultan's tyranny, but not one year of the
people's tyranny one over other." When the lieges oppress one
another, Allah setteth over them a tyrannical Sultan and a terrible
King. Thus it is told in history that one day there was sent to
"
Al-Hajjdj bin Yiisuf a slip of paper, whereon was written, Fear
Allah and oppress not His servants with all manner of oppres-
sion." When he read this, he mounted the pulpit (for he was
eloquent and ever ready of speech), and said, "O folk, Allah
Almighty hath made me ruler over you, by reason of your
frowardness ;" And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.

fo&m a teas tfje jpour ^untfrrti anfc TOtrtfi-slxt^ Nt$t,

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hajjaj

said, It
"
Yusuf-son read the paper he mounted the pulpit and said, O
folk, Allah Almighty hath made me ruler over you by reason of

your frowardness; and indeed, though I die yet will ye not be

delivered from oppression, with these your ill deeds; for the
Almighty hath created like unto me many an one. If it be not
'twill be one more mischievous than I and a mightier in
I,

oppression and a more merciless in his majesty; even as

saith

the poet :*

For not a deed the hand can try

Save 'neath the hand of God on high,
Nor tyrant harsh work tyranny
Uncrushed by tyrant harsh as he.

Tyranny is feared : but justice is the best of all things. We beg

Allah to better our case !" And among tales is that of

1
This couplet occurs in Night xxi. (vol. i. 207) ; so I give Torrens (p. 207) by way
of variety.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 189

ABU AL-HUSN AND HIS SLAVE-GIRL TAWADDUD. 1

THERE was once in Baghdad a man of consequence and rich in

monies and immoveables, who was one of the chiefs of the
merchants; and Allah had largely endowed him with worldly
goods, but had not vouchsafed him what he longed for of
offspring and there passed over him a long space of time,
;

without his being blessed with iss'ue, male or female. His years
waxed great his bones became wasted and his back bent
; ;

weakness and weariness grew upon him, and he feared the loss
of his wealth and possessions, seeing he had no child whom he
might make his heir and by whom his name should be remem-
bered. So he betook himself with supplication to Almighty
Allah, fasting by day and praying through the night. More-
over, he vowed many vows to the Living, the Eternal and ;

visited the pious and was constant in supplication to the Most

Highest, till He gave ear to him and accepted his prayer and
took pity on his straining and complaining so that, before
;

many days were past, he knew carnally one of his women and she
conceived by him the same night. In due time she finished her
months and, casting her burden, bore a male child as he were
a slice of the moon whereupon the merchant fulfilled his vows
;

in his gratitude to Allah, (to whom be honour and glory!) and

gave alms and clothed the widow and the orphan. On the
seventh night after the boy's birth, he named him Abu al-Husn,*
and the wet-nurses suckled him and the dry-nurses dandled
him and the servants and the slaves carried him and handled
him, till he shot up and grew tall and throve greatly and learnt
the Sublime Koran and the ordinances of Al-Islam and the
canons of the True Faith and calligraphy and poetry and
;

mathematics and archery. On this wise he became the union-

pearl of his age and the goodliest of the folk of his time and
his day ;
fair of face and of tongue fluent, carrying himself with

1
Lane (ii. 636) omits this tale, "as it would not only require a volume of com-
mentary, but be extremely tiresome to most readers." Quite true j but it is valuable
to Oriental Students who are beginning their studies, as an excellent compendium of
doctrine and practice according to the Shafr'i School.
*
Pronounce Aboo'1-Husn =Father of Beauty, a fancy name.
 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

a light and graceful gait and glorying in his stature proportionate

and amorous graces which were to many a bait and his cheeks :

were red and flower-white was his forehead and his side face
waxed brown with tender down, even as saith one, describing
him :

The spring of the down on cheeks right clearly shows : o And how when the
Spring is gone shall last the rose ?
Dost thou not see that the growth upon his cheek o Is violet-bloom that
from its leaves outgrows.

He abode awhile in ease and happiness with his father, who

rejoiced and delighted in him, till he came to man's estate,
when the merchant one day made him sit down before him and
"
said, O my son, the appointed term draweth near my hour of ;

death is at hand and it remaineth but to meet Allah (to whom

belong Majesty and Might !). 1 leave thee what shall suffice thee,
even to thy son's son, of monies and mansions, farms and gardens ;

wherefore, fear thou Almighty Allah, my son, in dealing with O

that which I bequeath to thee and follow none but those who will
help thee to the Divine favour." Not long after, he sickened and
died so his son ordered his funeral, after the goodliest wise, and
;
1

burying him, returned to his house and sat mourning for him
many days and nights. But behold, certain of his friends came
"
in to him and said to him, Whoso leaveth a son like thee is not
dead indeed, what is past is past and fled and mourning be-
;

seemeth none but the young maid and the wife cloistered." And
they ceased not from him till they wrought on him to enter the
Hammam and break off his mourning. And Shahrazad per- --
ceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

fo&en ft foas rtje jfour f^un&nft an& WttB=scbent&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Abu
al-Husn was visited by his friends and taken to the Hammam

1
As in most hot climates so in Egypt the dead are buried at once despite the risk of
vivisepulture. This seems an instinct with the Semitic ^Arabian) race teste Abraham, as
with the Gypsy. Hence the Moslems have invoked religious aid. The Mishkat al-
Masabih (i. 387) makes Mohammed say, "When any one of you dieth you may not
" Be
keep him in the house but bear him quickly to his grave "; and again, quick in
raising up the bier for if the dead
: have been a good man, it is good to bear him. grave-

wards without delay and if bad, it is frowardness ye put from your necks."
;
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 191

and persuaded to break off his mourning, he presently forgot his

father's charge, and his head was turned by his riches ; he thought
fortune would always wone with him as it was, and that wealth
would ever wax and never wane. So he ate and drank and made
merry and took his pleasure and gave gifts of gear and coin and
was profuse with gold and addrest himself up to eating fowls and
breaking the seals of wine-flasks and listening to the giggle of the
daughter of the vine, as she gurgled from the flagon and enjoying
the jingle of the singing-girls nor did he give over this
; way of
life, till his wealth was wasted and the case worsened and all his

goods went from him and he bit hands 1 in bitter penitence.

his
For of a truth he had nothing left, which he had squan-
after that

dered, but a concubine, a slave-girl whom his father had bequeathed

to him with the rest of his estate and she had no equal in beauty
:

and loveliness and brightness and liveliness and symmetric stature

and perfect grace. She was past mistress in every manner of arts
and accomplishments and endowed with many excellences, sur-
passing all the folk of her age and time. She was grown more
notorious than a way-mark, 2 for her seductive genius, and outdid
the fair both in theory and practice, and she was noted for her
swimming gait, flexile and delicate, albeit she was full five feet
in height and by all the boons of fortune deckt and dight, with
strait arched brows twain, as they were the crescent moon of
3
Sha'aban, and eyes like gazelles' eyne and nose like the edge ;

of scymitar fine and cheeks like anemones of blood-red shine ;

and mouth like Solomon's seal and sign and teeth like necklaces
of pearls in line and navel holding an ounce of oil of benzoin
;

and waist more slender than his body whom love hath wasted
and whom concealment hath made sick with pine and hind parts
heavier than two hills of sand; briefly she was a volume of charms
after his saying who saith :

1
This biting of the hand in Al- Hariri expresses bitterness of repentance and he uses
" Sukita fi
more than once the Koranic phrase (chapter vii., 148) aydihim," lit. where it
was fallen their hands i.e. when it repented them ;
" sukita "
(the biting) upon ;
being
here not a passive verb as it appears, but an impersonal form uncommon in Arabic.
The action is instinctive, a survival of the days when man was a snarling and snapping
animal (physically) armed only with claws and teeth.
3
Arab. " 'Alam," applied to many things, an
" old man " of stones
(Kakur), a sign
post with a rag on the top, etc.
3
The moon of Ramazan was noticed in Night ix. That of Sha'aban (eighth month)
begins the fighting month after the conclusion of the Treuga Dei in Rajab. See

Night scclxxviii.
192 Alf Laylah wa Laylalt.

Her fair shape ravisheth, if face to face she did

appear, o And if she torn, for
severance from her she slayeth sheer.
Sun- like, full-moon-like, sapling-like, unto her character o Estrangement no
wise appertains nor cruelty austere.
Under the bosom of her shift the garths of Eden are o And the full-moon
upon her neck-rings' sphere.
1
Eevolveth still

She seemed a full moon rising and a gazelle browsing, a girl of

nine plus five 2
shaming the moon and sun, even as saith of her
the sayer eloquent and ingenious :

Semblance of full-moon Heaven bore, o When five and five are conjoined
by four ;
'Tis not my sin if she made of me o Its like when it riseth horizon o'er.^

Clean of skin, odoriferous of breath, it seemed as if she were of

firefashioned and of crystal moulded rose-red was the cheek of ;

her and perfect the shape and form of her ; even, as one saith of
her, describing her :

Scented with sandal* and musk, right proudly doth she go, o With gold and
and rose and saffron-colour aglow.
silver
A flower a garden she is, a pearl in an ouch of gold o Or an image in
in
5
chapel set for worship of high and low.
Slender and shapely she is vivacity bids her arise, o But the weight of her
;
"
hips says, Sit, or softly and slowly go."
Whenas her favours I seek and sue for my heart's desire, o " Be gracious," her
"
beauty says but her coquetry answers, No."
;

Glory to Him who made beauty her portion, and that o Of her lover to be the
6
prate of the censurers, heigho !

She captivated all who saw her, with the excellence of her beauty

1
These lines have occurred in Night cccxix. I give Mr. Payne's version for variety.
2
i.e. in her prime, at fourteen to fifteen.
3 i.e. pale and yellow.
4 wood made by on
The word means the ; but it alludes to a preparation levigating it
" Sandlasa." The
a stone called in India applied with the right hand
gruel-like stuff is

to ihe right side of the neck, drawing the open fingers from behind forwards so as to leave
four distinct streaks, then down to the left side, and so on to other parts of the body.
Arab. Haykal, the Heb. b>3M, which included the Porch, the Holy and the Holy
5

of The word is used as vaos in a wider sense by Josephus A.J. v. v. 3.

Holies.
In Moslem writings it is applied to a Christian Church generally, on account of its
images.
6 here quote Mr. Payne.
These lines having occured before, I
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 193

and the sweetness of her smile, and shot them down with the
1

shafts she launched from her eyes and withal she was eloquent
;

of speech and excellently skilled in verse. Now when Abu al-

Husn had squandered all his gold, and his ill-plight all could
behold, and there remained to him naught save this slave-girl, he
abode three days without tasting meat or taking rest in sleep, and
the handmaid said to him, " O my lord, carry me to the Com-
mander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid," And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Noto tofjen ft teas tfjt ;jfaur f^un&retr an& !n'rtg={($t& Ntfi&t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth the
slave-girl to her master, "O my lord, carry me to Harun al-Rashid,
fifth of the sons^of Abbas, and seek of him to my price ten
thousand dinars/ If he deem me dear, say to him O Prince of :

True Believers, my handmaid is worth more than this do but :

prove her, and her value will be magnified in thine eyes ; for this
slave-girl hath not her equal, and she were unfit to any but thou."
And she added, " Beware, O my lord, of selling me at less than
the sum I have named indeed 'tis but little for the like of me."
;

Now her owner knew not her worth nor that she had no equal in
her day ; but he carried her to the Caliph and set her in the pre-
sence and repeated what she had bidden him say. The Caliph
"
asked her, "What is thy name?"; to which she answered, My
"
name is Tawaddud." 2 He then enquired, O Tawaddud, in what
"
branches of knowledge dost thou excel ? "; and she replied, O
my lord, I am versed in syntax and poetry and jurisprudence and
exegesis and philosophy and I am skilled in music and the
;

knowledge of the Divine ordinances and in arithmetic and

I know
geodesy and geometry and the fables of the ancients.
the Sublime Koran by heart and have read it according to the
seven, the ten and the fourteen modes. I know the number of

1
Arab writers often mention the smile of beauty, but rarely, after European fashion,
the laugh, which they look upon as undignified. A Moslem will say " Don't guffaw
(Kahkahah) in that way ; leave giggling and grinning to monkeys and Christians." The

Spaniards, a grave people, remark that Christ never laughed. I would draw the reader'*
attention to a theory of mine that the open-hearted laugh has the sound of the vowels
and o ; while e, i, and u belong to what may be roughly classed as the rogue order.
2
i>. gaining the love of another, love.

VOL. V. N
194 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

itschapters and versets and sections and words ; and its halves and
fourths and eighths and tenths ; the number of
prostrations which
occur in it and the sum total of its letters ; and I know what there
is in of abrogating and abrogated 1 -; also what parts of it were
it

revealed at Al-Medinah and what at Meccah and the cause of the

different revelations. I know the Holy Traditions of the Apostle's
sayings, historical and legendary, the established and those whose
ascription is doubtful and I have studied the exact sciences,
;

geometry and philosophy and medicine and logic and rhetoric and
composition and I have learnt many things by rote and am pas-
;

sionately fond of poetry. I can play the lute and know its gamut
and notes and notation and the crescendo and diminuendo. If I
.sing and dance, I seduce, and if I dress and scent myself, I slay.
In fine, I have reached a pitch of perfection such as can be esti-
mated only by those of them who are firmly rooted in know-
ledge."
2
Now when the Caliph heard these words spoken by one
so young, he wondered at her eloquence, and turning to Abu al-
"
Husn, said, I will summon those who shall discuss with her all
she claimeth to know if she answer correctly, I will give thee the
;

price thou askest for her and more ; and if not, thou art fitter to
have her than I." " With gladness and goodly gree, O Commander
of the Faithful," replied Abu al-Husn. So the Caliph wrote to
the Viceroy of Bassorah, to send him Ibrahim bin Siyydr the
prosodist, who was the first man of his day in argument and elo-
quence and poetry and logic, and bade him bring with him readers
of the Koran and learned doctors of the law and physicians and
astrologers and scientists and mathematicians and philosophers ;
and Ibrahim was more learned than all. In a little while they
arrived at the palace of the Caliphate, knowing not what was to
do, and the Caliph sent for them to his sitting-chamber and ordered
them to be seated. So they sat down and he bade bring the damsel
Tawaddud, who came and unveiling, showed herself, as she were
a sparkling star.3 The Caliph set her a stool of gold and she ;

1
i.e. the abrogated passages and those by which they are abrogated. This division is
" But the
necessary for inspired volumes," which always abound in contradictions.
" " " revelation "
charge of opportunism brought against the Koran is truly absurd ;
as if

could possibly be aught save opportune.

8 Koran iv. 160, the chapter
" Women."
' She unveiled being slave-girl and for sale.
a If a free woman show her face to a
Moslem, he breaks out into violent abuse, because the act is intended to let him know
that he is looked upon as a -small boy or an eunuch or a Christian in fact not a man.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 195

saluted, and speaking with an eloquent tongue, said, " O Com-

mander of the Faithful, bid the Olema and the doctors of law and
leaches and astrologers and scientists and mathematicians and all
here present contend with me in argument." So he said to them,
"
I desire of you that ye dispute with this damsel on the things of
"
her faith, and stultify her argument in all she advanceth and ;

they answered, saying,

"
We hear and we obey Allah and thee, O
Commander of the Faithful." Upon this Tawaddud bowed her
"
head and said, Which of you
the doctor of the law, the scholar,
is
"
versed in the readings of the Koran and in the Traditions ?
"
Quoth one of them, I am the man thou seekest." Quoth she,
" Then
ask me of what thou wilt." Said the doctor, " Hast thou
read the precious book of Allah and dost thou know its cancelling
and cancelled parts and hast thou meditated its versets and
" " " " I will
its letters ? Yes," answered she. Then," said he,
proceed to question thee of the obligations and the immutable
ordinances so tell me of these, O damsel, and who is thy Lord,
:

who thy prophet, who thy Guide, what is thy point of fronting in
prayer, and who be thy brethren ? Also what thy spiritual path
and what thy highway ? " Whereto she replied, " Allah is my
Lord, and Mohammed (whom Allah save and assain !) my prophet,
and the Koran is my guide and the Ka'abah my fronting and ;

the True-believers are my brethren. The practice of good is my

path and the Sunnah my highway." The
Caliph again marvelled
at her words so eloquently spoken by one so young and the ;

doctor pursued, " O damsel, with what do we know Almighty

" Said "
With the understanding." Said he, " And
Allah ? she,
what is the understanding?" Quoth she, " It is of two kinds,
natural and acquired." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Note fofien it foas tfje Jpour ^un&re& anfc

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the damsel
" The understanding is of two kinds, natural and
continued,
acquired. The natural is that which Allah (to whom be honour
and glory !) created for the right direction of His servants after
His will ; and the acquired is that which men accomplish by dint
of study and fair knowledge." He rejoined, " Thou hast answered
well. (<) Where is the seat of the understanding?" Allah
196 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

casteth it whence its

in the heart lustrous beams ascend to the
brain and there become fixed, " How knowest thou the
(<)

Prophet of Allah ? "By

the reading of Allah's Holy Book and
"
by signs and proofs and portents and miracles (<) What are !

"
the obligations and the immutable ordinances ? The obligations
are five, (i) Testification that there is no ilah but Allah, no god l

but the God alone and One, which for partner hath none, and
that Mohammed servant and His apostle.
is His (2) The

standing in
prayers. (3) The 2
payment of the poor-rate. (4)

Fasting Ramazan. (5) The Pilgrimage to Allah's Holy House

for all to whom the journey is possible. The immutable ordi-
nances are four to wit, night and day and sun and moon, the
;

which build up life and hope nor any son of Adam wotteth if
;
"
they will be destroyed on the Day of Judgment. (<:) What are
"
the obligatory observances of the Faith ? They are five, prayer,
almsgiving, fasting, pilgrimage, fighting for the Faith and absti-
nence from the forbidden. Q) " Why dost thou stand up to
"
pray ? Toexpress the devout intent of the slave acknowledging
"
the Deity. (<) What are the obligatory conditions which pre-
"
cede standing in prayer ? Purification, covering the shame,
avoidance of soiled clothes, standing on a clean place, fronting the
3
Ka'abah, an upright posture, the intent and the pronouncing
" Allaho Akbar " of 4 " With what shouldest thou
prohibition. (<)
"
go forth from thy house to pray ? With the intent of worship
mentally pronounced. (i) "With what intent shouldest thou
" With an intent of service. "
enter the mosque ? (<) Why do we
5
front the Kiblah ?" In obedience to three Divine orders and one

1
Ilah =
Heb. El, a most difficult root, meaning strength, interposition, God (Numen)
"the" (article) "don't" (do not), etc. etc.
8
As far as I know Christians are the only worshippers who kneel as if their lower
legs were cut off and who "join hands" like the captive offering his wrists to be bound
(dare manus). The posture, however, is not so ignoble as that of the Moslem " Sijdah "

(prostration) which made certain North African tribes reject Al-Islam, saying, " These
men show their hind parts to heaven."
i.e. saying "I intend (purpose) to pray (for instance) the two-bow prayer (ruka'tayn)
3

of the day-break," etc.

4
So called because it prohibits speaking with others till the prayer is ended.
6 Lit. "
"any thing opposite ; here used for the Ka'abah towards which men turn in
prayer ; as Guebres face the sun or fire and idolaters their images. " Al-Kiblatayn "
(= the two Kiblahs) means Meccah and Jerusalem, which was faced by Moslems as well
as Jews and Christians till Mohammed changed the direction. For the occasion of the
Change see my Pilgrimage, ii.
320.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 197

"
Traditional ordinance. (<) What are the beginning, the consecra-
tion and the end of prayer ? " Purification beginneth prayer,
saying the Allaho Akbar of prohibition consecrateth, and the
salutation endeth prayer. "What deserveth he who neglecteth
(<)
"
prayer ? It is reported, among the authentic Traditions of the
Prophet, that he said, "Whoso neglecteth prayer wilfully and
purposely hath no part in Al-Islam." And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

fofjra (t foas tlje Jpout fLJun&ittTanu- jpotttctl) Nicrfjt,

She said, It auspicious King, that after the

hath reached me, O
damsel had repeated the words of that Holy Tradition the doctor
" "
cried, Thou hast replied aright now say me, what is prayer ? :

Prayer is communion between the slave and his lord, and in it

are ten virtues ; (i) it illumineth the heart ; (2) it maketh the face
shine (3) it pleaseth the Compassionate One ; (4) it angereth
;

Satan (5) it conjureth calamity ; (6) it wardeth off the mischief

;

of enemies (7) it multiplieth mercy (8) it forfendeth vengeance

; ;

and punishment (9) it bringeth the slave nigh unto his lord and
; ;

(10) it restraineth from lewdness and frowardness. Hence it is

one of the absolute requisites and obligatory ordinances and the
" "
pillar of the Faith. (<)
What is the key of prayer ? Wuzu or
" '*
the lesser
ablution.^jQ)
What is the key to the lesser ablution ?
"
Intention and naming the Almighty. (<) What is the key of

naming the Almighty?" Assured faith. (,j)

"What is the key
"
of faith ? "Trust in the Lord. (<) What is the key of trust in
" "
the Lord Hope.^ (<) What is the
? key of hope ? "Obedience.
" "
(1) What is the key^f obedience ? The confession of the Unity
"
and the acknowledgment of the divinity of Allah. (<) What are
the Divine ordinances of Wuzu, the minor ablution ? "They are
six,according to the canon of the Imam al-Shdfi'f Mohammed bin
Idris (ofwhom Allah accept!) ; (i) intent while washing the face ;
(2) washing the face (3) washing the hands and forearms
; (4) ;

wiping part of the head; (5) washing the feet and heels; and

Which includes Tayammum or washing with sand. This is a very cleanly practice in
1

S.hot dryland and was adopted long before Mohammed. Cedrenus tells of baptism
with sand being administered to a dying traveller in the African desert.
198 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

(6) observing due order.

1
And the traditional statutes are ten,
(2) and washing the hands before putting
(i) nomination ;
thorn
2
into the water- pot (3) and
; mouth-rinsing; (4) and snuffing;
(5) and wiping the whole head (6) and wetting the ears
;
within
and without with fresh water ; (7) and separating a thick beard ;

3
(8) and separating the fingers and toes; (9) and washing the right
foot before the left and (10) doing each of these thrice and all in
unbroken order. When the minor ablution is ended, the worshipper
should say, I testify that there is no god but the God, the One, which
for partner hath none, and I testify that Mohammed is His servant
and His apostle. O my Allah, make me of those who repent and
in purity are permanent Glory to Thee, O my God, and in Thy
!

praise I bear witness, that there is no god save Thou I crave !

of Thee and I to Thee For it is reported, in the

pardon repent !

Holy Traditions, that the Prophet (whom Allah bless and pre-
serve !) said of this prayer
: Whoso endeth every ablution with
this prayer, the eight gates of Paradise are open to him he shall ;

" When a man

enter at which he pleaseth. (i) purposeth ablution,
what betideth him from the angels and the devils ?" When a man
prepareth for ablution, the angels come and stand on his right and
the devils on his left hand. 4 If he name Almighty Allah at the
beginning of the ablution, the devils flee from him and the angels
hover over him with a pavilion of light, having four ropes, to each

1
The Koranic order for Wuzii is concise and as usual obscure, giving rise to a host of

disputes and casuistical questions. Its text runs (chapt. v.), "O
true believers, when

you prepare wash (Ghusl) your faces, and your hands unto the elbows ; and rub
to pray,

(Mas-h) your hands and your feet unto the ankles and if ye be unclean by having lain
;

with a woman, wash (Ghusl) yourselves all over." The purifications and ceremonious
ablutions of the Jews originated this command and the early Christians did very
;

" Let us
unwisely in not making the bath obligatory. St. Paul (Heb. xi. 22) says,
draw near with a true heart .
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience
. .

and our bodies washed with clean (or pure) water." But this did not suffice. Hence the
Eastern Christian, in hot climates where cleanliness should rank before godliness, is
and he
distinguished by his dirt which as a holy or reverend man he makes still dirtier,
offers an ugly comparison with the Moslem and especially the Hindu. The neglect of
commands to wash and prohibitions to drink strong waters are the two grand physical

objections of the Christian code of morality.

2
Arab. " Istinshak " =snuffing up water from the palm of the right
hand so as to
clean thoroughly the nostrils. This " function
" is
unreasonably neglected in Europe, to
the detriment of the mucous membrane and the olfactory nerves.
3
So as to wash between them. The thick beard is combed out with the fingers.
* Poor human nature ! How sad to compare its pretensions with its actualities.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 199

an angel glorifying Allah and craving pardon for him, so long as

he remaineth silent or calleth upon the name of Allah. But if he
omit to begin washing with naming Allah (to whom belong might
and majesty !), neither remain silent, the devils take command of
him and the angels depart from him and Satan whispereth evil
;

thoughts unto him, till he fall into doubt and come short in his
ablution. For (quoth he on whom be blessing and peace !) : A
perfect ablution driveth away Satan and assureth against the
tyranny of the Sultan and again quoth he ;
If calamity befal :

one who is not pure by ablution verily and assuredly let him
;

blame none but himself, (i) " What should a man do when he
"
awaketh from sleep ? He should wash his hands thrice, before
"
putting them into the water vessel. (<) What are the Koranic
"
and traditional orders anent Ghusl, the complete ablution x ?
'
2
The divine ordinances are intent and crowning the whole body '

with water, that the liquid shall come at every part of the hair
is,

and skin. Now the traditional ordinances are the minor ablution
as preliminary ; rubbing the body ; separating the hair and de-
3
ferring in words the washing of the feet till the end of the
ablution. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.

Hofo tofjen it teas tfje jFour f^unfcvrtr anfc jportp--first Nig&t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
damsel had recounted to the doctor what were the divine and tra-
"
ditional orders anent Ghusl or total ablution, quoth he, Thou
hast replied aright now tell me what are the occasions for Tayam-
:

mum,or making the ablution with sand and dust; and what are the
"
ordinances thereof, divine and human ? The reasons are seven,
viz., want of water; fear lest water lack need thereto going astray
; ;

on a march sickness having broken bones in splints and having

; ;

1
Complete ablution is rendered necessary chiefly by the emission of semen either in
copulation or in nocturnal pollution. The water must be pure and not less than a
certain quantity, and it must touch every part of the skin beginning with the right half
of the person and ending with the left. Hence a plunge-bath is generally preferred.
2
Arab. Ta'mim, lit. crowning with turband, or tiara, here =
covering, i.e. wetting.
8
This practice (saying "I puroose to defer the washing of the feet," etc.) is now
somewhat obsolete.
200 Atf Laylah wa Laylah.

open wounds.
1
As for its ordinances, the divine number four, viz.,
intent, dust, clapping and clapping itupon the hands;
it to the face
and the human number two, nomination and preferring the right
"
before the left hand. (<) What are the conditions, the pillars or
essentials, and the traditional statutes of prayer?" The conditions
are five, (i) purification of the members; (2) covering of the privy

parts; (3) observing the proper hours, either of certainty or to the

best of one's belief; (4) fronting the Kiblah ; and (5) standing on
a clean place. The pillars or essentials number twelve, (i) intent ;
(2) the Takbfr or magnification of prohibition (3) standing when ;

able to stand 2 (4) repeating the Fatihah or opening chapter of

;

the Koran and saying, In the name of Allah, the Compassionating

the Compassionate f with a verse thereof according to the canon
of the Imam Al-ShafVi (5) bowing the body and keeping it
;

bowed ; (6) returning to the upright posture and so remaining

for the time requisite; (7) prostration and permanence therein ;

(8) sitting between two prostrations and permanence therein (9) ;

repeating the latter profession of the Faith and sitting up there*

for (10) invoking benediction on the Prophet (whom Allah bless
;

and preserve!) (11) the first Salutation, 3 and (12) the intent of
;

making an end of prayer expressed in words. But the traditional

statutes are the call to prayer ; the standing posture ; raising the
hands (to either side of the face) whilst pronouncing the prohi-
bition ; magnification before reciting the Fatihah ;
uttering the
4
seeking refuge with Allah saying, 'Amen'; repeating the chapter;

of the Koran after the Fatihah, repeating the magnifications

during change of posture saying, May Allah hear him who ;

praiseth Him and our ! O

Lord, to Thee be the praise ; pray- !

ing aloud in the proper place and praying under the breath 5

prayers so prescribed the first profession of unity and sitting

;

up thereto ; blessing the Prophet therein ; blessing his family in

Arabs have a prejudice against the hydropathic treatment of wounds, holding that
1

water poisons them : and, as the native produce usually contains salt, soda and mag-

nesia, they are justified by many cases. 1 once tried water-bandages in Arabia and

failed dismally.
8 The man
sick says his prayers lying in bed, etc., and as he best can.
8 " And us and on the worshippers of Allah which be
i.e. saying, peace be on
pious."
* " I seek
i.e. saying refuge with Allah from Satan the Stoned."
* Certain
parts should be recited aloud (jahr) and others sotto voce (with mussitation
=z Khafi). No mistake must be made in this matter where a Moslem cannot err.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 20 1

"
the latter profession and the second Salutation. (<) On what
"
is the Zakdt or obligatory poor-rate taxable ? On gold and
silver and camels and oxen and sheep and wheat and barley
and holcus and millet and beans and vetches and rice and raisins
"
and dates. (<) " What is the Zakat or poor-rate on gold ?
Below twenty miskals or dinars, nothing but on that amount ;

"
half a dinar for every score and so on proportionally. (<) On 1

"
silver ? Under two hundred dirhams nothing, then five dirhams
on every two hundred and so forth. (<) " On camels ? " For every
an ewe, or for every twenty-five a pregnant camel, (d) " On
five,
"
sheep ? An ewe for every forty head. (<|) " What are the ordi-
"
nances of the Ramazan Fast ? The Koranic are intent absti- ;

nence from eating, drinking and carnal copulation, and the stop-
page of vomiting. incumbent on all who submit to the Law,
It is
save women and forty days after childbirth and
in their courses ;

it becomes
obligatory on sight of the new moon or on news of its
appearance, brought by a trustworthy person and commending
itself as truth to the hearer's heart and among its requisites is
;

that the intent be pronounced at nightfall. The traditional ordi-

nances of fasting are, hastening to break the fast at sundown ;

2
deferring the fore dawn meal, and abstaining from speech, save
for good works and for calling on the name of Allah and reciting
"
the Koran. Q) " What things vitiate not the fast ? The use of
unguents and eye-powders and the dust of the road and the unde-
signed swallowing of saliva and the emission of seed in nocturnal
pollution or at the sight of a strange woman and blooding and
"
cupping none of these things vitiates the fast. (<) What are
;
"
the prayers of the two great annual Festivals ? Two one-bow
prayers, which be a traditional ordinance, without call to prayer or

standing up to pronounce the call; but let the Moslem say, Prayer
3

4
is a collector of all folk! and pronounce 'Allaho^kbar' seven times

1
Hence an interest of two-and-a-half per cent, is not held to be " Riba" " or unlawful
gain of money by money, usury.
2
The meal must be finished before
the faster can plainly distinguish the white thread
from the black thread (Koran ii. 183) some understand this literally, others apply it
;

to the dark and silvery streak of zodiacal light which appears over the Eastern horizon
an hour or so before sunrise. The fast then begins and ends with the disappearance
of the sun. I have noticed its pains and penalties in my Pilgrimage, i. no, etc.
3
For the " Azn " or call to prayer see Lane, M. E., chapt. *viii. The chant,
however, differs in every country, and a practical ear will know the land by its call.
*
Arab. " Hadls" or saying of the Apostle.
2O2 Alf Laylah iva Laylak.

in the first prayer, besides the Takbir of prohibition ; and, in the

second, five times, besides the magnification of rising up (accord-
ing to the doctrine of the Imam Al-Shafi'i, on whom Allah have
mercy and make the profession of the Faith.
!) And Shahrazad --
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

JElofo fo&en ft foas t&e Jour f^untrrrtr an* jports--sccontr

She said, It hath reached me, auspicious King, that when O

the damsel had answered the doctor anent the Festival-prayers,
"
quoth he, Thou
hast replied aright now tell me what are the
:

prayers prescribed on the occasion of an eclipse of the sun or

moon ? " Two one-bow prayers without call to prayer or stand-
ing thereto by the worshipper, who shall make in each two-bow
prayer double standing up and double inclinations and two-fold
prostrations, then sit and testify and salute. (<;) " What is the
"
ritual of prayer for rain ? Two one-bow prayers without call to

prayer or standing thereto ;

then shall the Moslem make the pro-
fession and salute. Moreover the Imam shall deliver an exhorta-
tion and ask pardon of Allah, in place of the magnification, as
in the two sermons of the Festivals and turn his mantle upper
"
edge downwards and pray and supplicate. Q) What are the
the additional or occasional " The least is a
Witr, ?
prayers
one-bow prayer and the most eleven. (<f) " What is the forenoon
prayer?" At least, two one-bow prayers and at most, twelve.
(i)
"
What hast thou to say of the I'itikaf or retreat * ? is a "It
matter of traditional ordinance. (<) "What are its conditions ?"
(i) intent; (2) not leaving the mosque save of necessity; (3)
not having to do with a woman abstaining
; (4) fasting and
; (5)
"
from speech. fj) Under what conditions is the Hajj or Pilgrim-
"
2
age obligatory ? Manhood, and understanding and being a
Moslem and practicability ;
in which case it is obligatory on

1 " Al-I'itikaf" resembles the Christian "retreat;" but the worshipper generally
retires to a mosque especially in Meccah. The Apostle practised it on Jabal Hira and
other places.
2
The word is the Heb. JH Hagg whose primary meaning is circularity of form or
movement. Hence it applied to religious festivals in which dancing round the idol
played aprime part ; and Lucian of " saltation"says, dancing was from the beginning
and coeval with the ancient god, Love. But man danced with joy before he worshipped,
and, when he invented a systematic saltation, he made it represent two things, and
only two things, love and war, in most primitive form, courtship and fighting.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 203

"
all, once before death. (<) What are the Koranic statutes of
the Pilgrimage?" (i) The Ihrdm or pilgrim's habit; (2) the
standing at Arafat (3) circumambulating the
;
Ka'abah (4) ;

running between Safa and Marwah '; and (5) shaving or clipping
the hair. (<j) " What are the Koranic statutes of the 'Umrah 2
or lesser
pilgrimage?" Assuming the pilgrim's habit and
"
compassing and running. (<j)
What are the Koranic ordi-
"
nances of the assumption of the pilgrim's habit ? 3 Doffing
sewn garments, forswearing perfume and ceasing to shave
the head or pare the nails, and avoiding the killing of game,
and eschewing carnal copulation. (<;) " What are the traditional
"
statutes of the pilgrimage?" (i) The crying out Labbay'ka,
Adsum, Here am I, O our Lord, here am I!"; 4 (2) the
5
Ka'abah-circuitings of arrival and departure; (3) the passing
the night at the Mosque of Muzdalifah and in the valley of
6
Mina, and (4) the lapidation. (<;)"What is the Jihdd or Holy
War and its essentials?" Its essentials are (i) the descent of the
Infidelsupon us ; (2) the presence of the Imam (3) a state of
>

preparation and (4) firmness in meeting the foe. Its traditional

ordinance is incital to battle, in that the Most High hath said,
" "
"
O thou my
Prophet, incite the faithful to fight
7
(<) What !

"
are the ordinances of buying and selling ? The Koranic are
(i) and acceptance and (2) if the thing sold be a white
offer

slave, by whom one profiteth, all possible endeavour to convert

him to Al-Islam and (3) to abstain from usury the traditional
;
:

1
Two adjoining ground-waves in Meccah. For these and for the places subsequently
mentioned the curious will consult my Pilgrimage, iii. 226, etc.
*
The 'Umrah or lesser Pilgrimage, I have noted, is the ceremony performed ia
Meccah at any time out of the pilgrim-season proper, i.e. between the eighth and tenth

days of the twelfth lunar month Zu '1-Hijjah. It does not entitle the Moslem to be
called Hajj (pilgrim) or Haji as Persians and Indians corrupt the word.
8
I need hardly note that Mohammed borrowed his pilgrimage-practices from the

pagan Arabs who, centuries before his day, danced around the Meccan Ka'abah. Nor
can he be blamed for having perpetuated a Gentile rite, if indeed it be true that the
Ka'abah contained relics of Abraham and Ishmael.
On first See Night xci.
sighting Meccah.
8 Arab. Tawaf : called Mataf and the guide Mutawwif (Pilgrimage, iii.
the place is

193, 205). The seven courses are termed Ashwa't.

6 " the Stoned "
Stoning the Devil at Mina. Pilgrimage, iii. 282. Hence Satan's title
(lapidated not castrated).
7 and
Koran viii. 66; in the chapter entitled "Spoil," relating mainly to the "day
of Al-Bedr."
2O4 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

are making void and option before not

1
after separating, according
to his saying (whom Allah bless and preserve !), " The parties
to a sale shall have the option of cancelling or altering terms
"
whilst they are yet unseparated." (,;) What is it forbidden to
"
sell for what ? On
this point I mind me of an authentic
2
tradition, reported by Naf'i of the Apostle of Allah, that he
forbade the barter of dried dates for fresh and fresh figs for dry
and jerked meat and cream for clarified butter in fine,
for fresh ;

all eatables of one and the same kind, it is unlawful to buy or

barter some for other some. 3 Now when the doctor of law heard
her words and knew that she was wit-keen, penetrative, ingenious
and learned in jurisprudence and the Traditions and the inter-
pretation of the Koran and what not else, he said in his mind,
"
Needs must I manoeuvre with her, that I may overcome her in
the assembly of the Commander of the Faithful." So he said
to her, "O damsel, what is the lexicographical meaning of
"
Wuzu ? And she answered, " Philologically it signifieth cleanli-
"
ness and freedom from impurities." (<;) " And of Salat or prayer ?
"
An invocation of good. (<[) And of Ghusl ? " Purifi-
" " "
cation. (<) And of Saum
or fasting ? Abstention. (<) And
of Zakdt?" Increase. (<) "And of Hajj or pilgrimage?"
Visitation.
doctor's
(<) "And

arguments were cut off,

of Jihad ?"
And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Repelling.
-
With this the

Nofo to&en tt foas tfte jpout ^unfcretr an& Jortg.tfjtrb Nig&t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
doctor's arguments were cut off, he rose to his feet and said, "Bear
witness against me, O Commander of the Faithful, that this
damsel is more learned in the Law than I am." Quoth she,
"
ask thee somewhat, which do thou answer me spaedily,
I will

an thou be indeed a learned man." Quoth he, " Say on ;" and
" "
she said, What are the arrows of the Faith ? Answered he,
"
They number ten, (i) Testification, that is, religion ; (2) Prayer,

1
Arab. Al-Ikalah cancelling =Mr. Payne uses the technical term " resiliatjon."
:

2
Freedman of Abdallah, son of the Caliph Omar and noted as a traditionist.
3
i.e. at a profit the exchange must be equal
: an ordinance intended to protect the

poor. Arabs have strange prejudices in these matters for instance it disgraces a Badawi
;

to take money for milk.

 Abu al-Husn and his Slave- Girl Tawaddud 205

that is, the covenant is, purification

; (3) Alms, that
(4) Fasting, ;

that is, Pilgrimage, that is, the Law (6)

defensive armour ; (5) ;

Fighting for the Faith, that is, a general duty; (7) Bidding to
beneficence and (8) Forbidding from frowartfness, both of which
are a man's honour; (9) Commune, 1 that is, sociableness of the
Faithful and (10) Seeking knowledge, that is, the praiseworthy
;

path." She rejoined, "Thou hast replied aright and now

remaineth but one question, What be the roots or fundamentals of
"
Al-Islam ? He said, " They are four, sincerity of belief, truth of
intent, observance of the lawful limit and keeping the covenant."
"
Then said she, I have one more question to ask thee, which if

thou answer, it is well else, I will take thy clothes." Quoth he,
;

" "
Speak, O damsel and she said, " What are the branches or
;

"
superstructure of Al-Islam ? But he was silent awhile and made
" Doff
no reply so she :
cried, thy clothes and I will expound them
"
to thee." Quoth the Caliph Expound them, and I will make
him put off his clothes for thee." She said, " There are two-and-
twenty branches (i) holding fast to the Book of Allah the Most
;

Highest ; (2) taking example by His Apostle (whom Allah bless

and preserve !) (3) abstaining from evil doing (4) eating what is
; ;

lawful and (5) avoiding what is unlawful (6) restitution of things ;

wrongfully taken (7) repentance (8) knowledge of the Law (9)

; ; ;

love of the Friend, 2 (10) and of the followers of the true Revela-
tion (i i) belief in the apostles of Al-Islam
; (12) fear of apostacy ; ;

(13) preparation for departing this life; (14) force of conviction;

(15) mercy on all possible occasions; (16) strength in time of

weakness; (17) patience under trials; (18) knowledge of Allah
Almighty and (19) of what His Prophet hath made known to us;
(20) thwarting Iblis the accursed (21) striving earnestly against ;

the lusts of the soul and warring them down, and (22) devotion to

2 Arab. Jama'ahj which in theology means the Heb. Edah (my] and the Greek
"
fKK\fjarLa, our Church," the congregation of the Faithful under a lawful head. Hence
"
the Sunnis call themselves People of the Sunnat and Jama'at." In the text it is
" " or
explained as Ulfat intimacy.
2
Arab. Al-Khalil, i.e. of Allah =
Abraham. Mohammed, following Jewish tradition,
made Abraham rank second amongst the Prophets, inferior only to himself and superior
to Hazrat Isa = Jesus. I have noted that Ishmael the elder son succeeded his father.

He married Da'alah bint Muzaz bin Omar, a Jurhamite, and his progeny abandoning
Hebrew began to speak Arabic (ta'arraba) ; hence called Muta'arribah or Arabised Arabs
(Pilgrimage Hi. 190). He died at Meccah and was buried with his mother in the space
North of the Ka'abah called Al-Hijr which our writers continue to confuse with the
city Al-Hijr (Ibid. 165-66).
206 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

the one God." Now when the Commander of the Faithful heard
her words, he bade the professor put off his clothes and hooded
turband and so did that doctor and went forth, beaten and con-
;

founded, from the Caliph's presence. Thereupon another man.

"
stood up and said to her, O damsel, hear a few questions from
" " and he "
me." Quoth she, Say on asked, What are the con-
;
" "
ditions of purchase by advance ? whereto she answered, That
the price be fixed, the kind be fixed and the period of delivery be
fixed and known." Q)
" What are the Koranic and the traditional
"
canons of eating ? The confession that Allah Almighty pro-
videth the eater and giveth him meat and drink, with thanksgiving
to Him Q) "What is thanksgiving?" The use by the
therefor.
creature of that which the Creator vouchsafeth to him, according
" What
as it was created for the creature. (<>)
are the traditional
"
canons of eating ? The Bismillah and washing both hands 1
;

sitting on the left of the hind part eating with three fingers, and
;

eating of that which hath been duly masticated.

2
(<j)
"What are
"
good manners in eating ? Taking small mouthfuls and looking
little at one's table-companion. And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Note fofim ft foas t&e $our $^unfctrt an* Jportg-fouttf)

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the

said, It
damsel had answered concerning good manners in eating, the
doctor who was trying her, rejoined, "Thou hast replied aright.
"3
Now tell me what are the stays of the heart and their supports ?

The stays and supports both number three; (i) holding fast to
the Faith, the support whereof is the shunning of infidelity ; (2)
holding fast to the Traditional Law, and its support the shunning
of innovation and (3) holding fast to obedience, and its support
;

(<) "What
the shunning of disobedience. are the conditions of
Wuzu ?" (i) being a Moslem (2) discernment of good and evil ;
;

" "
have noted, equivalent to
"
1
This ejaculation, In the name of Allah is, I saying
If neglected a sin and entails a curse.
it is
grace."
a not tailor-fashion and
The ceremonious posture is sitting upon the shin-bones, ;

"
"bolting food is a sign of boorishness.
3
Arab. "Zidd," the word is a fair specimen of Arabic ambiguity meaning primarily

to vice), secondarily an enemy or a friend (as being

opposite or contrary (as virtue
opposite to an enemy).
 Abu at-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawadaud. 207

(3) purity of the water, and (4) absence of material or religious

impediments. (<i) "What is belief?" It is divided into nine
parts, (i) belief in the One worshipped ; (2) belief in the condition
of slavery of the worshipper (3) belief in the personality of the ;

Deity (4) belief in the Two Handfuls

1
; (5) belief in Providence j

which allotteth to man his lot ; (6) belief in the Abrogating and
(7) in the Abrogated ; (8) belief in Allah, His angels and apostles ;

and (9) in fore-ordained Fate, general and individual, its good and
ill, its sweet and bitter. (<) " What three things do away other
three ? "It is told of 2
Sufyan al-Saur{ that he said,
"
Three things
do away with other three. Making light of the pious doth away
the future life, making light of Kings doth away this life, and,
making light of expenditure doth away wealth." (<) "What are
"
the keys of the heavens, and how many gates have they ?
"
Quoth Almighty Allah, And the heaven shall be opened and
"3
be full of portals ;
and quoth he whom Allah bless and pre-
"
serve !
,
None knoweth the number of the gates of heavens, save
He who created the heavens, and there is no son of Adam but
hath two gates allotted to him in the heavens, one whereby his
daily bread descendeth and another wherethrough his works
ascend. The first gate is not closed, save when his term of life
cometh to an end, nor the gate of works, good and evil, till his
" Tell me of a
soul ascend for judgment." (<) thing and a half
thing and a no-thing." The thing is the Moslem the half thing ;

the hypocrite,4 and the no-thing the miscreant." (<) " Tell me of
various kinds of hearts." There is the whole heart, the sick heart,
the contrite heart, the vowed heart and the enlightened heart.
Now the whole heart is that of Abraham, the Friend of Allah ;
the sick heart is that of the Unbeliever in Al-Islam ;
the contrite
heart is that of the pious who fear the Lord ;
the vowed heart is

that of our Lord Mohammed (whom

Allah bless and keep !) and
the illuminated heart is that of his followers. Furthermore, the
hearts of learned Olema are of three kinds, the heart which is

1" The whole earth

(shall be) but His handful on the Resurrection day and in His

right hand shall the Heaven be rolled up (or folded together)." Koran xxxix. 67.
2
See Night Ixxxi.
3
Koran Ixxviii. 19.
4
Arab. Al-Munafik, technically meaning one who outwardly professes Al-Islam while
inwardly hating it. Thus the word is by no means synonymous with our "hypocrite,"
hypocrisy being the homage vice pays to virtue ; a homage, I may observe, nowhere
rendered more fulsomely than among the so-called Anglo-Saxon uicc.
208 A If Laylah wa Layiah.

in love with this world

the heart which loveth the next world,
;

and the heart which loveth its Lord and it is said that hearts
;

are three, the suspended, that of the infidel the non-existent, ;

that of the hypocrite; and the constant, that of the True-believer.

Moreover, it is said that the firm heart is of three kinds, viz., the
heart dilated with light and faith, the heart wounded with fear of
estrangement and the heart which feareth to be forsaken of its
Supreme Friend. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say.

fofrm ft foas t&e ^our f^un&retr anfc jpoctB--fiftf)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
second doctor declared, " Thou hast said well," quoth she to the
"
Caliph, O Commander of the Faithful, he hath questioned me.
till he is weary, and now I will ask of him two If
questions.
he answer them both, it is well and if not, I will take his clothes
;

and he shall wend in peace." Quoth the doctor, "Ask me what

"
thou wilt," and she said, " What sayest thou religion is ? An-
"
swered he, Religion is confession of Faith with the tongue and
conviction with the heart and correspondent action with the
members. He (upon whom be blessings and peace!) hath said:
The believer is not perfect in belief, except he perfect himself in
five qualities, namely, trust in Allah, 1 committal of his affair to

Allah, submission to the commands of Allah, acquiescence in the

decrees of Allah ; and that all he doth be done for sake of Allah ;
so he of those who are acceptable to the Deity, and who give
is

to Him and withhold for Him and such man is perfect in belief."
;

Then said she, " What is the Divine ordinance of ordinances and
the ordinance which is the initiator of all ordinances and that of
which all others stand in need and that which comprehendeth all
others; and what is the traditional ordinance that entereth into
the Koranic, and the prophetic practice whereby the Divine is
"
completed ? But he was silent and made no reply whereupon ;

the Caliph bade her expound and ordered him to doff his clothes
"
and give them to her. Said she, O doctor, the Koranic ordi-

1
Arab. "Tawakkul ala 'llah
" : in the imperative the phrase is
vulgarly used ="B
Off!"
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 209

nance of ordinances is the knowledge of Almighty Allah ; that,

which is the initiative of all others, is the testifying there is no
god but the God and Mohammed is the Apostle of God that, of ;

which all others have need, is the Wuzu-ablution that, which ;

!
compriseth all others, is the Ghusl-ablution from defilement the :

Traditional ordinance that entereth into the Koranic, is the

2
separation of the fingers and the thick beard ;
and that, where-
with all Koranic ordinances are completed, is circumcision."*
Therewith was made manifest the defeat of the doctor, who rose
to his feet and said, " I call Allah to witness, O Commander of
the Faithful, that this damsel is more learned than I in theology
and what pertaineth to the Law." So saying, he put off his
clothes and went away ignominiously worsted. Then she turned
to the rest of the learned men present and said, "O masters,
which of you is the Koranist, the reader and reciter of the
Koran, versed in the seven readings and in syntax and in lexi-
cography?" Thereupon a professor arose and, seating himself
before her, said, " Hast thou read the Book of Almighty Allah
and made thyself thoroughly acquainted with its signs, that is its

1
i.e. ceremonial impurity which is sui generis, a very different thing from general
dirtiness.
2
A thick beard is one which does not show the skin; otherwise the wearer is a
4< " in Pers. " Kiiseh." See vol.
Kausaj ; iii., 246.
3 Arab. " Al-Khutnah." Nowhere commanded in the Koran and
being only a
practice of the Prophet, the rite is not indispensable for converts, especially the aged and
the sick. Our ideas upon the subject are very hazy for modem " niceness " allows a
V Feast of the Circumcision," but no discussion thereon. Moses (alias Osarsiph) bor-
rowed the rite from the Egyptian hierophants who were all thus "purified"; the object
" "
being to counteract the over-sensibility of the sixth sense and to harden the glans
against abrasions and infection by exposure to air and friction against the dress. Almost
all African tribes practise it but the modes vary and some are exceedingly curious : I
shall notice a peculiarly barbarous fashion called Al-Salkh (the flaying) still practised in
the Arabian province Al-Asir (Pilgrimage iii. 80). There is a difference too between
the Hebrew and the Moslem rite. The Jewish operator, after snipping off the fore-
skin, rips his sharp thumb-nails so that the external cutis does not
up the prepuce with
retract farfrom the internal; and the wound, when healed, shows a narrow ring of
cicatrice. This ripping is not done by Moslems. They use a stick as a probe passed
round between glans and prepuce to ascertain the extent of the frenum and that there
is no abnormal adhesion. The foreskin is then drawn forward and fixed by the
forceps, a fork of two bamboo splints, five or six inches long by a quarter thick, or in
some cases an iron like our compasses. This is tied tightly over the foreskin so as to
exclude about an inch and a half of the prepuce above and three quarters below. A
single stroke of the razor drawn directly downwards removes the skin. The slight
bleeding is stopped by burnt rags or ashes and healed with cerates, pledgets and fumi*
gations. Thus Moslem circumcision docs not prevent the skin retracting.

VOL. V. O
2IO A If Laylah wa Laylah.

verses, and its abrogating parts and abrogated portions, its un-
equivocal commands and
ambiguous and the difference of its
its ;

revelations, Meccan and Medinan ? Dost thou understand its

interpretation and hast thou studied it, according to the various
" "
traditions and origins ? Yes," answered she and he said, ;

44
What then is chapters, how many are the
the number of its

decades and versets, how many words and how many letters and
how many acts of prostration and how many prophets and how
many chapters are Medinan and how many are Meccan and how
" "
many birds are mentioned in it ? Replied she, O my lord, its
chapters are an hundred and fourteen, whereof seventy were
revealed at Meccah and forty-four at Al-Medinah and it con- ;

taineth six hundred and twenty-one decades ;

six thousand three
hundred and thirty-six versets 1 seventy-nine thousand four hun-
;

dred and thirty-nine words and three hundred and twenty-three

thousand and six hundred and seventy letters ; and to the reader
thereof, for every letter, are given ten benefits.
tration it compriseth are fourteen."
the dawn of day and ceased
-
The acts of pros-
And Shahrazad perceived
to say her permitted say.

Koto tofcn it foaa tfje jpour f^un&refc an& S

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
said, It
professor of Koranic exegesis questioned the damsel, she con-
"
tinued, As regards the Prophets named in the Book there be
five-and-twenty, to wit, Adam, Noah, 2 Abraham,
Ishmael, Isaac,
3 4
Jacob, Joseph, Lot, Elisha, Jonah, Salih, or Heber, Hud, Shua'yb
5
or Jethro, David, Solomon, Zu'1-kafl or Joshua, Idn's, Elias,
Yahyd or John the Baptist, Zacharias, Job, Moses, Aaron, Jesus and
Mohammed,6 the peace of Allah and His blessing be on them
all! Moreover, nine flying things are mentioned in the Koran,
namely, the gnat, the bee, the fly, the ant, the hoopoe, the crow,

1
Of these 6336 versets only some 200 treat on law, civil and ceremonial, fiscal and
political,
devotional and ceremonial, canonical and ecclesiastical.
* The learned young woman omitted Ukhnukh = Enoch, because not in Koran ; and
if she denoted him by "Idris," the latter is much out of place.
say grandson of Shem (Koran vii. 71).
3 Some

Koran vii. 63, etc.

* Father-in-law of Moses (Koran vii. 83).
Who is the last and greatest of the twenty-five.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 21 1

the locust, the swallow and the bird of Jesus 1 (on whom be
"
peace !), to wit, the bat." (<) Which is the most excellent chap-
ter of the Koran ? "That of The Cow. 2 "
Which is the most
(<)

magnificent verse?" That of The Throne; it hath fifty words,

bearing in each fifty blessings. (,j)"What sign or verse hath
"
in it nine signs or wonders ? That in which quoth Allah
"
Almighty, Verily, in the creation of the Heaven and the
Earth ;

and in the vicissitude of night, and day and in the ship which ;

saileth through the sea laden with what is profitable for mankind ;

and in the rain-water which God sendeth down from Heaven,

quickening thereby the dead ground and replenishing the same
with all sorts of cattle; and in the change of winds and in the
clouds that are compelled to do service between the Heaven and
the Earth 3 are signs to people of understanding." (^) " Which
;

verse is the most just?" That in which Allah saith, "Verily,

Allah enjoineth justice and the doing of good, and the giving
unto kindred what shall be necessary and He forbiddeth wicked- ;

ness and iniquity and oppression." 4 Q) "Which is the most

That in which quoth Allah, " Is it that every man of
"
greedy ?
them greedeth to enter the Garden of Delight?" 5 (<) "Which
is the most hopeful ?
" That in which
quoth Almighty Allah,
"
Say O my servants who have transgressed against your own
'
:

souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah seeing, that Allah for- ;

6
giveth all sins; aye Gracious, Merciful is He.'" (<)"By what
"
school of intonation dost thou read ? By that of the people
oij
"
Paradise, to wit, the version of NaTi. (<) In which verse doth
Allah make prophets lie?" 7 In that wherein He saith,
"Theyj /

1
See Night ccccxxxviii.
2
ii., whose 256th Ayah is the far-famed and sublime Throne-verse which begins
Koran
*'
Allah there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal One, whom nor slumber nor
!

sleep seizeth on!" The trivial name is taken from the last line, "His throne over-
stretcheth Heaven and Earth and to Him their preservation is no burden for He is
the most Highest, the Supreme." The lines are often repeated in prayers and engraved
on agates, etc., as portable talismans.
8
Koran ii.
159.
*
Koran The verset ends with,
" He wameth
xvi. 92. you, so haply ye may be
mindful."
5
Koran Ixx. 38.
6
Koran xxxix. 54.
7
The Sunnis hold that the
"
Anbiya" ( = prophets, or rather announcers of Allah's
judgments) were not sinless. Butthis dogma is branded as most irreverent and sinful
" followers of Ali," who make
by the Shi'ahs or Persian capital out of this blasphemy
nd declare that if any prophet sinned he sinned only against himself.
212 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

(the brothers of Joseph) brought his inner garment stained with

false blood." > ft) "In which doth He make unbelievers speak
the truth?" In that wherein He saith, "The Jews say, 'The
Christians are grounded on nothing,' and the Christians say, ' The
Jews are grounded on nothing '; and yet they both read the Scrip-
2
tures;" and, so saying, all say sooth. Q) "In which doth God
"
speak in his own person ? In that in which he saith, " I have
not created Genii and men for any other end than that they
should serve me." 3 Q) " In which verse do the angels speak ? "
In that which saith, "But we celebrate Thy praise and extol
" 4
Thy Q) What sayest thou of the formula
holiness." I seek :

refuge with Allah from Satan the Stoned?" It is obligatory

by commandment of Allah on all before reading the Koran, as

appeareth by His saying, "When thou readest the Koran, seek
5
refuge with Allah from Satan the Stoned." ft) "What signify
6
the words 'seeking refuge' and what are the variants of the
"
formula ? Some say, " I take refuge with Allah the All-hearing
and All-knowing," and others, " With Allah the Strong " but the ;

best is that whereof the Sublime Koran speaketh and the Tradi-
tions perpetuate. And he (whom Allah bless and keep !) was used
to ejaculate, "I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the Stoned."
And quoth a Tradition, reported by Naf'i on the authority of his
"
adopted father, The apostle of Allah, was wont when he rose in
the night to pray, to say aloud, Allaho Akbar God is Most Great, ;

with all Majesty Praise be to Allah abundantly Glory to Allah

! !

morn and even be " Then would he say, " I seek refuge with
!

Allah from Satan the Stoned and from the delusions of the Devils
and their evil suggestions." And it is told of Ibn Abbas 7 (of
whom Allah accept !) that he said, " The first time Gabriel came
down to the Prophet with revelation he taught him the seeking '

refuge,' saying O Mohammed, say, I seek refuge with Allah the

:

l
. Koran xii. 18.
*
Koran ii. 107.
* Koran li. He (Allah) does not use the plurale majestatis.
57.
4 Koran ii. 28.
* Koran xvi. 100. Satan is stoned in the Mind or Muna basin (Night ccccxlii.)
because he tempted Abraham to disobey the command of Allah by refusing to sacrifice
Ishmael (Pilgrimage iii.
248).
6
It may also mean " have recourse to God."
7
Abdallah ibn Abbas, before noticed, first cousin of Mohammed and the most learned,

of the Companions. See D'Herbelot.

 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 213

All-hearing and All-knowing ; then say : In the name of Allah

the Compassionating, the Compassionate Read, in the name of !

thy Lord who created created man of blood-clots." l

;
Now
when the Koranist heard her words he marvelled at her expres-
sions, her eloquence, her learning, her excellence, and said,
"
O
"
damsel, what sayst thou of the verse In the name of Allah, the
Compassionating, the Compassionate ? Is it one of the verses of
"
the Koran ? Yes ;
it is a verset of " The Ant" 2
occurring also
at the head of the first and between every two following chapters ;

and there is much difference of opinion, respecting this, among the

learned. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.

Hofo fo&en it foas t$e jpour f^untrrrtr anfc ;ffor.tB=stbent&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
damsel had told the professor concerning the difference of opinion
"
among the learned touching the Basmalah,' he said, Thou hast
'

replied aright now tell me why is not the formula written at the
:

head of the chapter of Immunity3 ? " and she answered, " When ;

this chapter was revealed from on high for the dissolution of the
alliance between the Prophet and the idolaters, He (whom Allah
bless and preserve !) sent AH 4 ibn Abf Talib (whose face Allah
honour !) therewith, and he read the chapter to them, but did not
"
read the Basmalah." 5 (<|) What of the excellence of the formula
and its blessing?" of the Prophet that he said, " Never is
It is told

the Basmalah pronounced over aught, but there is a blessing in it ;'*

1
Koran xcvi., " Blood-clots," I and 2. " Read " may mean " peruse the revelation '*
was the first Koranic chapter communicated to Mohammed), or
"
(it recite, preach."
9
Koran, xxvii. 30. Mr. Rodwell (p. l) holds to the old idea that the "Tasmalah"
is of Jewish origin, taught to the Kuraysh by Omayyah, of Taif, the poet and Hanif

(convert).
8 Koran ix. : this was the last chapter revealed and the only one revealed entire
except verse 1 10.
4 AH was
despatched from Al-Medinah to Meccah by the Prophet on his own slit-eared
camel to promulgate this chapter ; and meeting the assembly at Al-'Akabah he also
acquainted them with four things ; (l) No Infidel may approach the Meccah temple ;
(2) naked men must no longer circuit the Ka'abah ; (3) only Moslems
enter Paradise,
and (4) public faith must be kept.
Dictionaries give the word
" Basmalah "
( = saying Bismillah); but the common
pronunciation is "Bismalah."
214 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

and it reported, on authority of Him

is (whom Allah bless and
preserve !) that the Lord of Glory swore by His glory that never*
should the Basmalah be pronounced over a sick person, but he
should be healed of his sickness. Moreover, it is said that, when
Allah created the empyrean, it was agitated with an exceeding
agitation ; but He wrote on it, Bismillah
*'
and its agitation sub-
sided. When the formula first descended from heaven to the
" I am safe from
Prophet, he said, three things, earthquake and
"
metamorphosis and drowning and indeed its boons are great
;

and its blessings too many to enumerate. It is told of Allah's

"
Apostle that he said, There will be brought on the Judgment-day
a man with whom He shall reckon and finding no good deed to
his account, shall order him to the Fire but the man will cry
;
:

O my God, Thou hast not dealt justly by me Then shall Allah !

(to whom be honour and glory !) say, How so ? and the man shall
answer, O Lord, for that Thou callest Thyself the Compassionat-
ing, the Compassionate, yet wilt Thou punish me with the Fire !
And Allah (magnified be His Majesty !) shall reply, I did indeed
name myself the Compassionating, the Compassionate. Carry My
servant to Paradise, of My mercy, for I am the most Merciful of
" "
the mercifuls (<) ! What was the origin of the use of the
"
Basmalah ? When Allah sent down from Heaven the Koran,
" "
they wrote, In Thy name, O my God when Allah revealed the
!
;

words," Say: Call upon Allah, or call upon the Compassionating, what
days ye pray, for hath He the most excellent names," they wrote,
1

" In the name of Allah, the Compassionating, the Compassionate;"

and, when He revealed the words, " Your God is one God, there is
no God but He, the Compassionating, the Compassionate," 2 they
"
wrote, In the name of Allah, the Compassionating, the Compas-
sionate
" Now when the Koranist heard her he down
!
reply, hung
his head and said to himself, "
This be a marvel of marvels ! How
hath expounded the origin of the Basmalah ? But,
this slave-girl

by Allah, needs must I go about with her and haply defeat her."

So he asked, " Did Allah reveal the Koran all at once or at times

1
Koranxvii. no, a passage revealed because the Infidels, hearing Mohammed

callingupon The Compassionate, imagined that Al -Rahman was other deity but Allah.
The "names" have two grand divisions, Asmd Jalalf, the fiery or terrible attributes,
and the Asmd Jamali (airy, watery, earthy or) amiable. Together they form the Asma"
al-Husna or glorious attributes, and do not include the Ism al-A'azam, the ineffable
name which is known only to a few.
2
Koran ii. 158.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave- Girl Tawaddud. 21$

manifold ?
"
She answered, " Gabriel the Faithful (on whom be
peace !) descended with it from the Lord of the Worlds upon
His
Prophet Mohammed, Prince of the Apostles and Seal of the

Prophets, by detached versets bidding and forbidding, covenanting ;

and comminating, and containing advices and instances in the

course of twenty years as occasion called for it." (<) "Which
"
chapter was first revealed ? According to Ibn Abbas, that enti-
2
tuled Congealed Blood :' and, according to Jabir bin Abdillah,
that called
'
The Covered which preceded
'
all others.
3
(<[)
"Which
" 4
verset was the last revealed ? That of Usury, and it is also said,
5
the verse,
'
When
there cometh Allah's succour and victory."
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.

Nofo fofan ft foas tjje jpour anto JportjHtQ&tf)

She said, It hath reached me, auspicious King, that when O

the damsel told the Koranist which was the last verse he said,
"
Thou hast replied aright now tell me the names of the Com- ;

panions who collected the Koran, in the lifetime of the Apostle of

"
Allah." And she answered, were ibn
They four, Ubay Ka'ab,
Zayd ibn Sabit, Abu Obaydah 'Aamir bin Jarrdh, and Othman bin
" "
Affan, (Allah accept of them one and all !) (<j)
Who are the
"
readers, from whom the accepted reading of the Koran is taken ?

They number four, Abdallah bin Mas'iid, Ubay bin Ka'ab,

Ma'az bin Jabal and Salim bin Abdillah. Q) "What sayest thou
of the words of the Most High, 'That which is sacrificed to
" 7
stones ? The stones are idols, which are set up and worshipped,
'

1
Koran xcvi. before noticed.
1
A man of Al-Medinah, one of the first of Mohammed's disciples.

supposed to have been addressed by Gabriel to Mohammed

3
Koran Ixxiv. i, etc.,

when in the cave of Hira or Jabal Niir. He returned to his wife Khadijah in sore terror
at the vision of one sitting on a throne between heaven and earth, and bade her cover
him up. Whereupon the Archangel descended with this text, supposed to be the first
revealed. Mr. Rodwell (p. 3) renders it, "O
thou enwrapped in thy mantle I" and
makes it No. ii. after a Fatrah or silent interval of six months to three years.
4
There are several versets on this subject (chapts. ii. and xxx).
*
Koran ex. I.
6
The third Caliph the " Writer of the Koran."
;
7
Koran, v. 4. Sale translates "idols." Mr. Rodwell, "On the blocks (or shafts)
of stone," rude altars set by the pagan Arabs before their dwellings.
 216 Alf Laylah w& Laylak.

instead of Allah the Most High, and from this we seek refuge with
Allah. (<f)
"What
sayest thou of the words of the Most High,
Thou knowest what is in my soul, and I know not what is in Thy
soul"? 1 They mean, "Thou knowest the truth of me and what is
in me, I know not what is in Thee
and and the proof of this are ;

His words, 2 'Thou art He who wottest the hidden things "; and it
'

"
is said, also, Thou knowest my essence, but I know not Thine
"
essence." Q) What sayst thou of the words of the Most High,
'
O true believers, forbid not yourselves the good things which Allah
"3
Shaykh (on whom Allah have mercy !)
'
hath allowed you ?
My
told me Companion Al-Zahhdk related
that the There was a :

" We our members

people of the True-believers who said, will dock
masculine and don sackcloth;" whereupon this verse was revealed.
But Al-Kutadah declareth that it was revealed on account of
sundry Companions of the Apostle of Allah, namely, AH ibn Abf
Teilib and Othmdn bin Musa'ab and others, who said, "We will

geld ourselves and don hair cloth and make us monks." (<)
"What sayest thou of the words of the Most Highest, 'And Allah
took Abraham for His friend"'? 4 The friend of Allah is the needy,
the poor, and (according to another saying) he is the lover, he who
is detached from the world in the love of Allah Almighty and

in whose attachment there is no falling away. Now when the

Koranist 5 saw her pass on in speech with the passage of the clouds
and that she stayed not in reply, he rose to his feet and said, " I take
Allah to witness, O Commander of the Faithful, that this damsel
is more learned than Koranic exegesis and what pertaineth
I in
"
thereto." Then said she, I will ask thee one question, which if
thou answer it is well but if thou answer not, I will strip off thy
;

"
clothes." Quoth the Commander of the Faithful, Ask on," and
she enquired, " Which verset of the Koran hath in it three-and-
twenty Kdfs, which sixteen Mims, which an hundred and forty

*
Koran, v. 116. The words are put into Che mouth of Jesus; k

*
The end of the same verse.

Supposed to have been revealed when certain Moslems purposed to

* v. 89.
Koran,
fasting, watching, abstaining from women
Christian asceticism, and sleeping on
practise
hard beds. I have said Mohammed would have " no monkery in Al-Islam," but human
nature willed otherwise. Mr. Rodwell prefers " Interdict the healthful viands."
4 iv.
Koran, 124.
6 Arab. " Mukri." " Kari " is one who reads the Koran to pupils the Mukri correct*
;

them. " With the passage of the clouds

"
= without a moment's hesitation.,
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 217

'Ayns and which section lacketh the formula, 'To Whom belong
1 2

glory and glorification and majesty ?"' The Koranist could not
8

"
reply, and she said to him, Put off thy clothes." So he doffed
them, and she continued, "O Commander of the Faithful, the
verset of the sixteen Mims is in the chapter Hud and is the saying
of the Most High, It was said, O Noah, go down in peace from us,
and blessing upon thee '; 4 that of the three-and-twenty Kafs is the
!

verse called of the Faith, in the chapter of The Cow ; that of the
hundred and forty Ayns is in the chapter of Al-A'araf, 5 where the
Lord saith, 'And Moses chose seventy men of his tribe to attend
our appointed time ;
6
to each man a pair of eyes.' 7 And the lesson,
which lacketh the formula, *
To Whom be glory and glorification,'
is that which comprises the chapters, The Hour draweth nigh and

the Moon shall be cloven in twain 8 ; The Compassionate and The

Event." 9 Thereupon the professor departed in confusion. And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her per-
mitted say.

1
The twenty-first, twenty-fourth and eighteenth Arabic letters.
*
Arab. " Hizb." The Koran is divided into sixty portions, answering to
" Lessons"
for convenience of public worship.
3
Arab. " Jalalah," =
saying Jalla Jalalu-hu = magnified be His Majesty !
, or glorified
be His Glory.
* xi. 50.
Koran,
6 The between Heaven and Hell which others call Al-'Urf (in the sing,
partition-wall
from the verb meaning he separated or parted). The Jeus borrowed from the Guebres
the idea of a partition between Heaven and Hell and made it so thin that the blessed and
damned can speak together. There is much dispute about the population of Al-A'araf,
the general idea being that they are men who do not deserve reward in Heaven or

punishment in Hell. But it is not a "Purgatory" or place of expiating sins.

* vii. 154.
Koran,
7
A
play on the word ayn, which means "eye" or the eighteenth letter which in olden
times had the form of a circle.
9
misreading these words comes the absurd popular belief of the moon passing
From
up and down Mohammed's sleeves. George B. Airy (The Athenaeum, Nov. 29, 1884)
" and translates
justly objects to Sale's translation "The hour of judgment approacheth
" The moon hath been dichotomised " a well-known astronomical term when the
light

portion of the moon is defined in a strait line : in other words when it is really a half-
moon at the first and third quarters of each lunation. Others understand, The moon
shall be split on the Last Day, the preterite for the future in prophetic style. "Koran
Moslems" of course understand it
literally.
* and Ivi.
w Chapters liv., Iv.
 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

fo&en (t foas t&e Jfour ^unfcrrtr antr JFortg-nint!)

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the

said, It
damsel defeated the Koranist and took off his clothes and sent
him away confused, then came forward the skilled physician and
said to her, "We are free of theology and come now to physiology.
Tell me, therefore, how is man made how many veins, bones and ;

vertebrae are there in his bodyand chief vein

;
which is the first

and why Adam was named Adam ? "

"
Adam was She replied,
called Adam, because of his udmah> that is, the wheaten colour of
his complexion and also (it is said) because he was created of the
adim of the earth, that is to say, of the surface-soil. His breast
was made of the earth of the Ka'abah, his head of earth from the
East and his legs of earth from the West. There were created for
him seven doors in his head, viz., the eyes, the ears, the nostrils
and the mouth, and two passages, before and behind. The eyes
were made the seat of the sight-sense, the ears the seat of the
hearing-sense, the nostrils the seat of the smell-sense, the mouth
the seat of the taste-sense and the tongue to utter what is in the
heart of man. 1 Now Adam was made of a compound of the four
elements, which be water, earth, fire and air. The yellow bile is
the humour of fire, being hot-dry the black bile that of earth, ;

being cold-dry the phlegm that of water, being cold-moist, and

;

the blood that of air, being hot-moist.

2
There were made in man
three hundred and sixty veins, two hundred and forty-nine bones,
and three souls 3 or spirits, the animal, the rational and the natural,
to each of which is allotted its proper function. Moreover, Allah
made him a heart and spleen and lungs and six intestines and a
liver and two kidneys and buttocks and brain and bones and skin
and five hearing, seeing, smell, taste, touch.
senses ;
The heart
He set on the left side of the breast and made the stomach the

guide and governor thereof. He

appointed the lungs for a fan
to the heart and stablished the liver on the right side, opposite
thereto. Moreover, He made, besides this, the diaphragm and
the viscera and set up the bones of the breast and latticed them

1
We should say, not to utter, etc.
" humours of
Hippocrates," which reappear in the form of
2
These well-known
temperaments of European phrenology, are still the base of Eastern therapeutics.
*
The doctrine of the three souls will be intelligible to Spiritualists.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 219

with the ribs." (<) " How many ventricles are there in a man's
"
head ? Three, which contain five faculties, styled the intrinsic
senses, to wit, common sense, imagination, the thinking faculty,
"
perception and memory. (<) Describe to me the configuration
of the bones." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo to&tn ft foas tf)t jfout f^unUrefc anto Jpiftietf) jtfig&t,

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the

said, It
"
physicist said to her, Describe to me the configuration of the
"
bones," she replied, Man's frame consists of two hundred and forty
bones, which are divided into three parts, the head, the trunk and
the extremities. The head is divided into calvarium and face. The
skull constructed of eight bones, and to it are attached the four
is

osselets of the ear. The face is furnished with an upper jaw of

eleven bones and a lower jaw of one and to these are added the
;

teeth two-and-thirty in number, and the os hyoides. 1 The trunk is

divided into spinal column, breast and basin. The spinal column is
made up of four-and-twenty bones, called Fikdr or vertebrae ; the
breast, of the breastbone and the ribs, which are four-and-twenty in
8
number, twelve on each side and the basin of the hips, the sacrum
;

and the os coccygis. The extremities are divided into upper and
lower, arms and legs. The arms are again divided firstly into
shoulder, comprising shoulder blades and collar bone secondly ;

into the upper arm which is one bone thirdly into fore-arm, com-
;

posed of two bones, the radius and the ulna, and fourthly into the
hand, consisting of the wrist, the metacarpus of five and the fingers,
which number five, of three bones each, called the phalanges,
except the thumb, which hath but two. The lower extremities
are divided, firstly into thigh, which is one bone secondly into
leg, composed of three bones, the tibia, the fibula and the patella,

1
Arab. " Al-lami
" = the 1-shaped, curved, forked.
1
Arab. " Usus," our os sacrum because, being incorruptible, the body will be built

up thereon for Resurrection-time. Hence Hudibras sings (iii. 2).

The learned Rabbis of the Jews
Write there's a bone which they call kuz,
I' the rump of man, etc.
called
" El
It is the Heb. "Uz," whence older scholars derived os. Sale (sect, iv.) it

Ajb, os coccygis or rump-bone."

 22O Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

and thirdly into the foot, divided, like the hand, into tarsus,
metatarsus and toes and is composed of seven bones, ranged
;

in two rows, two in one and five in the other and the meta- ;

tarsus is composed of five bones and the toes number five, each
of three phalanges except the big toe which hath only two."
(<[)
"
Which is the root of the veins ? " The aorta, from which
they ramify, and they are many, none knoweth the tale of them
save He who them
created but I repeat, it is said that they
;

number three hundred and sixty. Moreover, Allah hath appointed

1

the tongue as interpreter for the thought, the eyes to serve as

lanterns, the nostrils to smell with, and the hands for prehensors.
The the seat of pity, the spleen of laughter 2 and the
liver is

kidneys of craft ; the lungs are ventilators, the stomach the store-
house and the heart the prop and pillar of the body. When the
heart sound, the whole body is sound, and when the heart is
is

corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Q) " What are the outward
signs and symptoms evidencing disease in the members of the
body, both external and internal ?
"
physician, who is a man of A
understanding, looketh into the state of the body and is guided by
the of the hands,3 according as they are firm or flabby, hot or
feel

cool, moist or dry. Internal disorders are also indicated by external

symptoms, such as yellowness of the white of the eyes, which
denoteth jaundice, and bending of the back, which denoteth disease
of the lungs. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.

Nofo fofjen it to&s ify J^ur f^tm&rcfc an& Jptftg^fitst

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
damsel had described to the doctor the outer signs and symptoms
"
quoth he, Thou hast replied aright now what are the internal !

1
Arab " "
and usually practised
physiologists had difficulties in procuring subjects ;

dissection on the simiads. Their illustrated books are droll ;

the figures have been
till they have lost all resemblance to the originals.
copied and recopied
2 Hence the couplet
The liver and spleen are held to be congealed blood.
:

We are allowed two carrions (i.e. with throats uncut) and two bloods,
The fish and the locust, the liver and the spleen.

iii. 92.)
(Pilgrimage
3
This is perfectly true and yet little known to the general*
 Aim al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 221

"
symptoms of disease ? The science of the diagnosis of disease by
internal symptoms is founded upon six canons, (i) the patient's
actions (2) what is evacuated from his body ; (3) the nature of
;

the pain and (4) the site thereof (5) swelling and (6) the effluvia
;

" "
given off his person. (<|) How cometh hurt to the head ? By
the ingestion of food upon food, before the first be digested, and
by fullness upon fullness this it is that wasteth peoples. He who
;

would live long, let him be early with the morning-meal and not
late with the evening-meal let him be sparing of commerce with
;

women and chary of such depletory measures as cupping and

blood-letting and let him make of his belly three parts, one for
;

food, one for drink and the third for air for that a man's intestines
;

are eighteen spans in length and it befitteth that he appoint six

for meat, six for drink, and six for breath. If he walk, let him go
gently ;
be wholesomer for him and better for his body and
it will
more in accordance with the saying of the Almighty, "Walk not
"
proudly on the earth."
1
(<) What are the symptoms of yellow
"
bile and what is to be feared therefrom ? The symptoms are
sallow complexion and bitter taste in the mouth with dryness ;

failure of the appetite, venereal and other, and rapid pulse and the ;

patient hath to fear high fever and delirium and eruptions and
jaundice and tumour and ulcers of the bowels and excessive thirst.
"
(<) What are the symptoms of black bile and what hath the
patient to fear from it, an it get the mastery of the body ?" The
symptoms are false appetite and great mental disquiet and cark
and care and it behoveth that it be evacuated, else it will generate
;

melancholia 2 and leprosy and cancer and disease of the spleen and
"
ulceration of the bowels. (<) Into how many branches is the art
of medicine divided ? "Into two
the art of diagnosing diseases
:

"
and that of restoring the diseased body to health, (<>) When
"
is the drinking of medicine more efficacious than otherwhen ?

When the sap runs in the wood and the grape thickens in the

1
Koran xvii. 39.
8
Arab. " Al-malikhulfya," proving that the Greeks then pronounced the penultimate
vowel according to the acute accent fa ; not as We slur it over. In old Hebrew we
have the transliteration of four Greek words ; in the languages of Hindostan many
scores includingnames of places ; and in Latin and Arabic as many hundreds. By a
scholar-like comparison of these remains we should find little difficulty in establishing the
true Greek pronunciation since the days of Alexander the Great and we shall prove that
;

it was to accent and emphatically not quantity. In the next

pronounced according
Greek as the Greeks do.
century I presume English boys will be taught to pronounce
222 A If Layla h wa Laylak.

cluster and the two auspicious planets, Jupiter and Venus, are in
the ascendant then setteth in the proper season for drinking of
;

"
drugs and doing away of disease. (<) What time is it, when, if a
man drink water from a new vessel, the drink is sweeter and lighter
or more digestible to him than at another time, and there ascendeth
to him a pleasant fragrance and a penetrating?" When he
waiteth awhile after eating, as quoth the poet :

Drink not upon thy food in haste but wait awhile ;

o Else thou with halter
shalt thy frame to sickness lead :

And patient bear a little thirst from food, then drink ; o And thus, O brother,
1
haply thou shalt win thy need.

(<;)"What food is it that giveth not rise to ailments?" That which

is not eaten but after hunger, and when it is eaten, the ribs are not
filled with it, even as saith Jalmus or Galen the physician," Whoso

will take in food, let him go slowly and he shall not go wrongly."
And to conclude with His saying (on whom be blessing and
" The stomach is the house of
peace !), disease, and diet is the
head of healing for the origin of all sickness is indigestion, that
;

"
isto say, corruption of the meat And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Sfofo tufjm ft foas tty Jpotu f^unlrr& anjB Ji'ftnsseconfc

She continued, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that when
"
the damsel said to the doctor, The stomach is the house of
disease and diet is the head of healing for the origin of all sick-
;

ness is indigestion, that is to say, corruption of the meat in the

stomach " he rejoined,

;
"
Thou hast replied aright what sayest
!

thou of the Hammam?" Let not the full man enter it. Quoth
"
the Prophet, The bath is the blessing of the house, for that it
"
clcanseth the body and calleth to mind the Fire." (<;) What
Hammams are best for bathing in?" Those whose waters are
sweet and whose space is ample and which are kept well aired ;

'-

Educated Arabs can quote many a verse bearing upon domestic medicine and
reminding us of the line? bequeathed to Europe by the School of Salerno. Such e.g
are:
After the noon-meal, sleep, although for moments twain j
After the night-meal, walk, though but two steps be ta'ent
And after sv/iving stale, though but two drops thou dram .
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 223

their atmosphere representing the four seasons autumn and sum-

"
mer and winter and spring. ft) What kind of food is the most
"
profitable ? That which women make and which hath not cost
overmuch trouble and which is readily digested. The most
excellent of food is brewis or bread sopped in broth 1
according ;

"
to the saying of the Prophet, Brewis excelleth other food, even
"
as Ayishah excelleth other women." ft) What kind of kitchen,
Flesh meat " (quoth the
" "
or seasoning, is most profitable ?
"
Prophet) is the most excellent of kitchen for that it is the ;

delight of this world and the next world." ft) " What kind of
"
meat is the most profitable ? Mutton but jerked meat is to be ;

" "
avoided, for there is no profit in it. (i) What of fruits ? Eat
them in. their prime and quit them when their season is past.
(<j)
"What sayest thou of drinking water ?" Drink it not irt large
quantities nor swallow it by gulps, or it will give thee head-ache
and cause divers kinds of harm neither drink it immediately after
;

leaving the Hammam

nor after carnal copulation or eating (except
it be after the lapse of fifteen minutes for a young man and forty
"
for an old man), nor after waking from sleep. (<) What of drink-
"
ing fermented liquors ? Doth not the prohibition suffice thee ia
"
the Book of Almighty Allah, where He saith, Verily, wine and
lots and images, and the divining arrows are an abomination, of
"
Satan's work ;
therefore avoid them, that ye may prosper ?
2
And
" '

again, They will ask thee concerning wine and

In lots :
Answer,
both there is great sin and also some things of use unto men:
"
but their sinfulness is greater than their use.' 3 Hence quoth the
poet :

1
Arab. Saridah (Tharldah), also called "ghaut "=
crumbled bread and hashed meat
in broth or bread, milk and meat. The Saridah of Ghassan, cooked with eggs and
;

marrow, was held a dainty dish : hence the Prophet's dictum.

2
Koran v. 92.
" Lots " = games of chance and " images " = statues.
3
Koran ii. 216. The word "Maysar" whichhave rendered "gambling" or
I

"gaming" (for such is the modern application of the word), originally meant what St.
Jerome calls BcAo/iaiTia and explains thereby the verse (Ezek. xxi. 22), "The King held
"
in his hand the lot of Jerusalem i.e. the arrow whereon the
city-name was written.
The Arabs use it for casting lots with ten azlam or headless arrows (for dice) three
" Zarib"
being blanks and the rest notched from one to seven. They were thrown by a
or punter and the stake was generally a camel. Amongst so excitable a people as
the Arabs, this game caused quarrels and bloodshed, hence its prohibition and the :

theologians, who everywhere and at all times delight in burdening human nature, have
extended the command, which is rather admonitory than prohibitive, to all games of
chance. Tarafah is supposed to allude to this practice in his Mu'allakah.
 24 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.
O bibber of liquor, art not ashamed o To drink what Allah forbade thee
drain ?

Put it far from thee and approach it not ;

o It holds what Allah forbade as
bane.

And quoth another to the same purport :

I drank the sin till my reason fled : o III drink that reason to loss misled !

As for the advantages that be therein, disperseth stone and

it

gravel from the kidneys and strengthened the viscera and

banisheth care, and moveth to generosity and preserveth health
and digestion it conserveth the body, expelleth disease from the
;

frame of corrupt humours, engendereth cheer-

joints, purifieth the
fulness, gladdeneth the heart ofman and keepeth up the natural
heat it contracteth the bladder, enforceth the liver and removeth
:

obstructions, reddeneth the cheeks, cleareth away maggots from

the brain and deferreth grey hairs. In short, had not Allah (to
whom be honour and glory !) forbidden it, 1 there were not on the
face of the earth aught fit to stand in its stead. As for gambling
by lots, it is a game of hazard such as diceing not of skill.

"What wine is best?" That which

(<[)
is pressed from white
grapes and kept eighty days or more after fermentation it :

resembleth not water and indeed there is nothing on the surface

of the earth like unto it. (<<) " What sayest thou of cupping?"
It is forhim who is over full of blood and who hath no defect
therein and whoso would be cupped, let it be during the wane of
;

the moon, on a day without cloud, wind or rain and on the

seventeenth of the month. If it fall on a Tuesday, it will be the
more efficacious, and nothing is more salutary for the brain and
eyes and for clearing the intellect than cupping. And Shah-
razad perceived the dawn of day and" ceased saying her permitted
say.

^Tofo fo&ra ft foas tfce jpout 3$un&te& anfc jpiftp-t|)trtr Xi'g&t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
damsel enumerated the benefits of cupping, quoth the doctor,

1
Liberal Moslems observe that the Koranic prohibition is not absolute, with threat of
Hell for infraction. Yet Mohammed doubtless forbade all inebriatives and the occasion
of his so doing is well known (Pilgrimage ii. 322).
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 225

" " '

What the best time for cupping ?
is One should be cupped on
the spittle/ that is, in the morning before eating, for this fortifieth
the wit and the memory. reported of the Prophet that, when
It is

anyone complained to him of a pain in the head or legs, he would

bid him be cupped and after cupping not eat salt food fasting,
1
for engendereth scurvy; neither eat sour things as curded milk
it
" "
immediately after cupping. (<) When is cupping to be avoided ?
On Sabbaths or Saturdays and Wednesdays, and let him who is
cupped on these days blame none but himself. Moreover, one
should not be cupped in very hot weather nor in very cold
weather; and the best season for cupping is springtide. Quoth
the doctor, "Now tell me of carnal copulation." Hereupon
Tawaddud hung her head, for shame and confusion before the
Caliph's majesty; then said, "By Allah, O Commander of the
Faithful, it is not that I am at fault, but that I am ashamed ;
though, indeed, the answer is on the edge of my tongue." Said
"
the Caliph " Speak, O damsel," whereupon said she, Copulation
;

hath in it many and exceeding virtues and praiseworthy qualities,

amongst which are, that it lighteneth a body full of black bile and
calmeth the heat of love and induceth affection and dilateth the
heart and dispelleth the sadness of solitude ;
and the excess of
it is more harmful in summer and autumn than in spring and
" "
winter." (<) What
good effects ? It banisheth trouble
are its

and disquiet, calmeth love and wrath and is good for ulcers,
especially in a cold and dry humour on the other hand excess ;

of it weakeneth the sight and engendereth pains in the legs and

head and back and beware, beware of carnal connection with old
:

Quoth the Imam AH (whose face

2
women, for they are deadly.
"
Allah honour !), Four things kill and ruin the body entering the :

Hammam on a full stomach eating salt food copulation on a ; ;

plethora of blood and lying with an ailing woman for she will ;

weaken thy strength and infect thy frame with sickness and an ;

"
old woman is deadly poison." And quoth one of them, Beware
of taking an old woman to wife, though she be richer in hoards
"
than Karun." s (<) What is the best copulation ? the woman "If

1
I have noticed this soured milk in Pilgrimage i. 362.
2 " " Mohammed.
He does not say the Caliph or successor of his uncle
8
The Jewish Korah (Numbers xvi.) fabledby the Koran (xxviii. 76), following a
Talmudic tradition, to have been a man of immense wealth. The notion that lying with
an old woman, after the menses have ceased, is unwholesome, dates from great antiquity ;

VOL. V. p
226 -A If Laylah wa Laylah.

be tender of years, comely of shape, fair of face, swelling of breast

and of noble race, she will add to thee strength and health of body ;

and let her be even as saith a certain poet describing her :

Seeing thy looks wots she what thou desir'st, o By inspiration; wants nor word
nor sign ;
And, when thou dost beheld her rarest grace, o The charms of every garden
canst decline.

(<;)
"At what time iscopulation good ?" If by night, after food
"
digested and if by day, after the morning meal. (<) What are
" "
the most excellent fruits ? Pomegranate and citron. (<)
Which
" " Which of
is the most excellent of vegetables ? Endive. 1
Q)
sweet-scented flowers?" Rose and Violet. (<)" How is the
"
seed of man secreted ? There is in man a vein which feedeth
all the other veins. Now water is collected from.the three hundred
and sixty veins and, in the form of red blood, entereth the left
testicle, where it is decocted, by the heat of temperament inherent
in the son of Adam, into a thick, white liquid, whose odour is as
"
that of the palm-spathe. Q) What flying thing is it that emit-
teth seed and menstruateth ?" The flitter-mouse, 2 that is the bat.
" What is that
(<) which, when confined and shut out from the
"
air liveth, and when let out to smell the air dieth ? The fish.
" What " 3
(<) serpent layeth eggs ? The Su'ban or dragon. With
this the physician waxed weary with much questioning, and held
"
his peace, when Tawaddud said to the Caliph, O Commander of
the Faithful, he hath questioned me till he is tired out and now
I will ask him one question, which if he answer not, I will take his
clothes as lawful prize." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of

day and ceased to say her permitted say.

and the benefits of the reverse process were well known to good King David. The
faces of children who
sleep with their grandparents (a bad practice now waxing obsolete
in England), of a young wife married to an old man and of a young man married to an
old woman, show a peculiar wizened appearance, a look of age overlaying youth which
cannot be mistaken.
*
Arab. " Hindibd "
=> the modern term is Shakuriyah >= chicoree. I
( endubium) :

believe be very hurtful to the eyes.

it to
Arab. " Khufiash
"
and "Watwat": in Egypt a woman is called " Watwatiyah
2 "

when the hair of her privities has been removed by applying bats' blood. I have often
beard of this; bnt cannot understand how such an application can act depilatory.
1
Dictionaries render the word by "dragon, cockatrice." The Badawin apply it to a
variety of serpents mostly large and all considered venomous.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 227

fojjcn ft foas tf)e Jour f^un&rcfc anfc ^iftg-fourty Jifg&t,

She continued, It hath reached me, auspicious King, that when O

the damsel said to the Commander of the Faithful, " Verily he hath
questioned me till he is tired out, and now I will ask him one
question, which if he answer not I will take his clothes as lawful
" Ask
prize," the Caliph cried, on." So quoth she to the physician,
"What that thing which resembleth the earth in roundness, whose
is

resting-place and whose spine are hidden from men's eyes little ;

of price and estimation narrow of chest and shackled as to throat

;

though it be nor runaway slave nor pestilent thief thrust through ;

and through, though not in fray, and wounded, though not in fight :

time eateth its vigour and water wasteth it away now it is beaten ;

without blemish, and then made to serve without stint united ;

after separation ; submissive, but not to him who caresseth it ;

pregnant without child in belly ; drooping, yet not leaning on its

side ; itself
becoming dirty yet purifying cleaving to its fere, ;

yet changing copulating without a yard, wrestling without arms :

;

resting and taking its ease ; bitten, yet not crying out now more :

complaisant than a cup-companion and then more troublesome

than summer-heat ; leaving its mate by night and embracing her
by day and having abode in the corners of the mansions of the
its
" The
noble ?
physician was silent awhile in perplexity and his
colour changed and he bowed his head and made no reply where- ;

"
upon she said to him, Ho, sir doctor, speak or doff thy dress."
At he rose and " O Commander of the bear
this, said, Faithful,
witness against me that this damsel is more learned than I in
medicine and what and that I cannot cope with her." And
else,
he put off his clothes and fled forth. Quoth the Caliph to Tawad-
" Ree us "
dud, thy riddle," and she replied, O Commander of
"
the Faithful, it is the button and the button-loop. Then she 1

"
undertook the astronomers and said, Let him of you who is an
astronomer rise and come forward." So the astronomer advanced
and sat down before her and, when she saw him, she laughed and
;

said,
"
Art thou the astronomer, the mathematician, the scribe ? "

1
Arab. " Zarr wa 'urwah," lit. * handle. The button-hole, I have said, is a modern
Invention ; Urwah is also applied to the loopshaped handle of the water-skin, foi
attachment of the Allakah or suspensory thong.
228 Alf Laylah wa Laylak.
" "
Yes," answered he. Quoth she, Ask of what thou wilt ; success
"
resteth with Allah," So he said, Tell me of the sun and its rising
and ?
"
And she replied Know that the sun risetfy
setting :

from the shadows in the Eastern hemisphere and setteth in the

shadows of the Western, and each hemisphere compriseth one
hundred and eighty degrees. Quoth Allah Almighty, I swear by '

the Lord of the East and of the West.' * And again, He it is '

who hath ordained the sun to shine by day, and the moon for a
light by night and hath appointed her station that ye might
;

know the number of years and the computation of time' 2 The

moon is Sultan of the night and the sun Sultan of the day, and
they vie with each other in their courses and follow without over-
'
taking each other. Quoth Almighty Allah, It is not expedient
that the sun overtake the moon in her course neither doth the ;

night outstrip the day, but each of these luminaries moveth in

a peculiar orbit.' 3 (<|) " When the day cometh, what becometh of
the night and what of the day, when the night cometh ?
" He '
;

causeth the night to enter in upon the day, and He causeth the
"
upon the night.' (<<) Enumerate to me the man-
4
day to enter in
sions of the moon?'* 5 They number eight-and- twenty, to wit,
Sharatdn, Butayn, Surayd, Dabaran, Hak'ah, Han'ah, Zira'a,
Nasrah, Tarf, Jabhah, Zubrah, Sarfah, 'Awwa, Simak, Ghafaf,
Zubanf, Ikli'l, Kalb, Shaulah, Na'am, Baldah, Sa'ad al-Zabih,
Sa'ad al-Bul'a, Sa'ad al-Su'ud, Sa'ad al-Akhbiyah, Fargh the
Former and Fargh the Latter ;
and Rishaa. They are disposed
in the order of the letters of the Abjad-hawwaz or older alpha-

1
Koran Ixx. 40 see also the chapter following, v. 16.
;

2 "
Koran x. 5 the " her refers to the sun.
;

3
Koran xxxvi. 40.
*
Koran xxii. 60.
5
Arab. "Manazil :" these are the Hindu Nakshatra ; extensively used in meteorology
even by Europeans unconsciously thus they will speak of the Elephantina-storm
:

without knowing anything of the lunar mansion so called. The names in the text are
successively Sharatan =
two horns of the Ram ; (2) the Ram's belly (3) the Pleiades ; ;

(4) Aldebaran ; (5)

three stars in Orion's head ; '(6) ditto in Orion's shoulder ; (7) two
stars above the Twins ; (8) Lion's nose and first summer station (9) Lion's eye (10) ; ;

Lion's forehead (n) Lion's mane ; (12) Lion's heart (13) the Dog, two stars in Virgo ;
; ;

t and * in foot of
(14) Spica Virginis; (15) <> Virgo (16) horns of Scorpio
; (17) ;

the Crown; (18) heart of Scorpio; (19) of Scorpio; (20) stars in Pegasus; (21)
tail

where no constellation appears ; (22) the Slaughterer's luck ; (23) Glutton's luck ;

(24) Lxick
of Lucks, stars in Aquarius ; (25) Luck of Tents, stars in Aquarius ; (26)
the fore-lip or spout of Urn ; (27) hind lip of Urn ; and (28) in navel of Fish's belly
(Batn al-Hut) ; of thes^ 28 to each of the four seasons 7 are allotted.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud* 229

according to their numerical power, and in them are secret

1
bet,
virtues which none knoweth save Allah (extolled and exalted
be He !) and the stablished in science. They are divided among
the twelve Signs of the Zodiac, two mansions and a third of a
mansion to each Sign. Thus Sharatan, Butayn and one-third
of Surdyd, belong to Aries, the other two-thirds of Suraya,
Dabaran and two-thirds of Hak'ah to Taurus, the other third of
Hak'ah, Han'ah and Zira'a to Gemini Nasrah, Tarf and a third;

of Jabhah to Cancer, the other two-thirds of Jabhah, Zubrah and

two-thirds of Sarfah to Leo; the other third of Sarfah, 'Aww4
and Simak to Virgo Ghafar, Zubani and one-third of Iklfl to
;

Libra ;
the other two-thirds of Iklil, Kalb and two-thirds of
Shaulah to Scorpio the other third of Shaulah, Na'dim and
;

Baldah to Sagittarius Sa'ad al-Zabih, Sa'ad al-Bul'a and one-

;

third of Sa'ad al-Su'ud to Capricorn, the other two-thirds of

Sa'ad al-Su'iid, Sa'ad al-Akhbiyah and two-thirds of Fargh the
Former to Aquarius, the other third of Fargh the Former, Fargh
the Latter and Rishda to Pisces. And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Note to&m (t teas tfje Jpour f^uttofc anfc Jpftg-fift!) Nt<j!)t,

She said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
damsel enumerated the Mansions and distributed them into their
Signs, the astronomer said, "Thou hast replied aright; now tell
me of the planets and their natures, also of their sojourn in the
Zodiacal Signs, their aspects, auspicious and sinister, their houses,
ascendants and descendants." She answered, " The sitting is
narrow for so large a matter, but I will say as much as I can.
Now the planets number seven which are, the Sun, the Moon,
;

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. The Sun, hot-dry, sinister

in conjunction, favourable in opposition, abideth thirty days in
each Sign. The Moon, cold-moist and favourable of aspect,
tarrieth ineach Sign two days and a third of another day.
Mercury of a mixed nature, favourable in conjunction with
is

the favourable, and sinister in conjunction with the sinister

1
The Hebrew absey, still used by .Moslems in chronograms. For mnemonic
purposes the 28 letters are distributed into eight words of which the first and second
are Abjad and Hawwaz. The last six letters in two words (Thakhiz and Zuzigh) are
Arabian, unknown to the Jews and not found in Syriac
230 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

aspects, and abideth

each sign seventeen days and a half
in

day. Venus, temperate and favourable, abideth in each sign

five-and-twenty days. Mars is sinister and woneth in each sign
ten months. Jupiter is auspicious and abideth in each sign a
year. Saturn, cold-dry and sinister, tarrieth in each sign thirty
months. The house of the Sun is Leo, her ascendant is Aries,
and her descendant Aquarius The Moon's house is Cancer,
his Taurus, his descendant Scorpio and his sinister
ascendant
aspect Saturn's house is Capricorn-Aquarius, his
Capricorn.
ascendant Libra, his descendant Aries and his sinister aspects
Cancer and Leo. Jupiter's house is Pisces-Sagittarius, his ascend-
ant Cancer, his descendant Capricorn and his sinister aspects
Gemini and Leo Venus's house is Taurus, her ascendant Pisces,
her descendant Libra, and her sinister aspects Aries and Scorpio.
Mercury's house is Gemini-Virgo, his ascendant Virgo, his
descendant Pisces, and his sinister aspect Taurus. Mars's house
is Aries-Scorpio, his" ascendant Capricorn, his descendant
Cancer and his sinister aspect Libra." Now when the astrono-
mer saw her "acuteness' and ^comprehensive learning and heard
her fair answers, he bethought him for a sleight to confound her
" O
before the Commander
of the Faithful, and said to her,
damsel, tell me, will rain fall this month ?" At this she bowed her
head and pondered so long, that the Caliph thought her at a loss
for an answer and the astronomer said to her, "Why dost thou
not speak ?" Quoth she, "I will not speak except the Commander
of the Faithful give me leave." So the Caliph laughed and said^
" How so ?" Cried she, " I would have thee give me a sword, that
I may strike off his head, for he is an an Agnostic, an
Infidel,
"
Atheist. 1
At this, loud laughed the Caliph and those about him
"
laughed, and she continued, O astronomer, there are five things
that none knoweth save Allah Almighty ;" and she repeated the
verset Aye Allah
;
'
with Him is the knowledge of the hour
1 !

and He causeth the rain to descend at His own appointed time

and He knoweth what is in the wombs of females but no
soul knoweth what it shall have gotten on the morrow neither ;

1
Arab. " Zindik ;" properly, one who believes in two gods (the old Persian dualism);
in books an atheist, i.e. one who does not believe in a god or gods and, popularly, a free-
;

thinker who Supreme Being, rejects revelation for the laws of

denies the existence of a
Nature imprinted on the heart of man and for humanity in its widest sense. Hence he
is accused of permitting incestuous marriages and other abominations. We should now
call him (for want of something better) an Agnostic.
 Abu al-IIusn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud.

wotteth any soul in what land it shall die: Verily Allah is knowing,
' ' "
informed of all Quoth the astronomer, Thou hast said well,
"
and by Allah, thought only to try thee." Rejoined she, Know
I,

that the almanack-makers have certain signs and tokens, referring

to the planets and constellations relative to the coming in of the
"
year and folk have learned something by experience." (<) What
;

be that ?" Each day hath a planet that ruleth it : so if the first

day in the year fall on

Day (Sunday) that day is the Sun's
First
and this portendeth (though Allah alone is All-knowing !) oppres-
sion of kings and sultans and governors and much miasma and
lack of rain; and that people will be in great tumult and the grain-
crop be good, except lentils, which will perish, and the vines
will
will rot and flax will be dear and wheat cheap from the beginning
of Tubah to the end of Barmahat. 2 And, in this year there will
be much fighting among kings, and there shall be great plenty of
good in this year, but Allah is All-knowing (<;) "What if the first !

day fall on Second Day (Monday) ?" That day belongeth to the
Moon and portendeth righteousness in administrators and officials ;
and that it will be a year of much rain and grain-crops will be
good, but linseed will decay and wheat will be cheap in the month
3
Kiyahk ; rage and the sheep and goats
also the plague will
will die, grapes willbe plentiful and honey scarce and cotton
cheap and Allah is omniscient
; And Shahrazad perceived !

the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

fofcn (t foas t&e jpout f^untwfc an& jpiftg-gixtf)

She said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
damsel ended her notice of Second Day the astronomer said to

1
Koran xxxi. 34. The words may still be applied to meteorologists especially of the
scientific school. Even the experienced (as the followers of the late Mathieu de la
Drome) reckon far more failures than successes. The Koranic passage enumerates five
things to Allah ; Judgment-day ; rain ; sex of child in womb ; what shall
known only
happen to-morrow and where a man shall die.
a
The fifth and seventh months (January and March) of the Coptic year which, being
solar, is still used by Arab and Egyptian meteorologists. Much information thereon will
"
be found in the Egyptian Calendar' by Mr. Mitchell, Alexandria 1876. It bears the
" Anni certus modus
appropriate motto apud solos semper ^Egyptios fuiL" (Macrobius).
See also Lane M.E., chapt. ix.
8
Vulg. Kiyak ; the fourth month, beginning 9th loth December. The first month
is Tut, commencing loth nth September.
232 Aif Laylah wa Laylah.

her " Now tell me what

will occur if New Year's day fall on Third

Day (Tuesday)." She replied, That is Mars' day and portendeth

death of great men and much destruction and deluge of blood
and dearness of grain lack of rain and scarcity of fish, which will
;

anon be in excess and anon fail. Lentils and honey in this year
will be cheap and linseed dear and only barley will thrive, to the

exception of all other cereals great will be the fighting among

:

kings and death will be in the blood and there will be much mor-
" "
tality among asses. (<<)
What on Fourth Day ?
if it fall That
is Mercury's day and portendeth
great tumult among the folk and
much enmity and, though rains be moderate, rotting of some of
the green crops also that there will be sore mortality among
;

cattle and young children and much fighting by sea that wheat ;

will be dear from Barmudah to Misra 1 and other grains cheap ;

thunder and lightning will abound and honey will be dear, palm-
trees will thrive and bear abundantly and flax and cotton will be

plentiful, while radishes and onions will be dear but Allah is ;

Day ? "That is
"
All-knowing! Q) What if it fall on Fifth
Jupiter's day and portendeth equity in Wazirs and righteousness
in Kazis and Fakirs and the Ministers of religion and that good ;

will be plentiful rains and fruit and trees and grain will abound,
:

and flax, cotton, honey, grapes and fish be cheap; and Allah is
Omniscient Q)
!
"
What if it fall on Meeting Day or Friday ? "
That day appertaineth to Venus and portendeth oppression in the
chiefs of the Jinn and talk of forgery and back-biting there will ;

be much dew; the autumn crops will be good in the land and there
will be cheapness in one town and not in another ungraciousness :

will be rife by land and sea linseed will be dear, also wheat, in
;

Hatur, but cheap in Amshir honey will be dear and grapes and
;

"
water-melons will rot and Allah is Omniscient
; Q) What if it!

"
fall on the Sabbath
(Saturday) ? That is Saturn's day and por-
tendeth the preferment of slaves and Greeks and those in whom
there is no good, neither in their neighbourhood there will be ;

great drought and dearth clouds will abound and death will be
;

rife among the sons of Adam and woe to the people of Egypt and

Syria from the oppression of the Sultan and failure of blessing

upon the green crops and rotting of grain and Allah is All- ;

1
The 8th and I2th months partly corresponding with April and August : Hatur is the
Jrd (November) and Amshir the 6th (February).
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 233

"
knowing Now with this, the astronomer hung his head very
!
l

"
low, and she said to nim, O astronomer, I will ask thee one
"
question, which if thou answer not, I will take thy clothes. Ask,"
"
replied he. Quoth she, Where is Saturn's dwelling-place ? "; and
he answered, " In the seventh heaven." (<)
"
And that of Jupi-
ter ?" In the sixth heaven. (<)
"
And that of "In the
Mars ?

fifth heaven. (<)

"
And that of the Sun ? "In the fourth heaven.
(i) "And that of Venus ? "In
the third heaven. (<) "And that of
"
Mercury ?" In the second heaven. (<) " And that of the Moon ?
In the first heaven. " Well answered but I have one
Quoth she, ;

" " "

more question to ask thee ;
and quoth he, Ask !
Accordingly
she said, "Now concerning the stars, into how many
tell me
parts are they divided." But he was silent and answered nothing ;

and she cried to him, " Put off thy clothes." So he doffed them
"
and she took them after which the Caliph said to her, Tell us
;

the answer to thy question." She replied O Commander of the :

Faithful, the stars are divided into three parts, whereof one-third
2
is hung sky of the earth, as it were lamps, to give light to
in the
the earth, and a part is used to shoot the demons withal, when
they draw near by stealth to listen to the talk in heaven. Quoth
Allah Almighty, ' Verily, we have dight the sky of the earth with
the adornment of the stars and have appointed them for projec-
;

tiles against every rebellious Satan.'

3
And the third part is hung
in air to illuminate the seas and give light to what is therein.
"
Quoth the astronomer, I have one more question to ask, which if

1
Moslems have been compelled to adopt infidel names for the months because Mo-
hammed' s Koranic rejection of Nasy or intercalation makes their lunar months describe
the whole circle of the seasons in a cycle of about thirty-three and a half years. Yet they
have retained the terms which contain the original motive of the denomination. The
first month is Muharram.the "Holy," because war was forbidden ; it was also known as

Safar No. I. The second r= "Emptiness," because during the heats citizens left
Safar
the towns and retired to Taif and other cool sites. Rabfa (first and second) alluded to
"
the spring-pasturages ; Jumada (first and second) to the hardening" of the dry ground
and, according to some, to the solidification, freezing, of the water in the highlands.
Rajab (No. 7) = " worshipping," especially by sacrifice, is also known as Al-Asamm
the deaf; because being sacred, the rattle of arms was unheard. Sha'aban == "collect-
ing," dispersing, ruining, because the tribal
wars recommenced : Ramazan (intensely
derives from Shaul (elevating) when the
hot) has been explained and Shawwal (No. 10.)
he-camels raise their tails in rut. Zu'1-Ka'adah, the sedentary, is the rest time of the
year, when fighting is forbidden and Zu'1-Hijjah explains
itself as the pilgrimage-

month.
*
The lowest of the seven.
8
Koran xxxviu 5.
234 Alf Laylah iva Laylah.

she answer, avow myself beaten." " Say on," answered she,
I will

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying

her permitted say.

tfoto fofim it teas tfje Jour f^un&refc antir

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the

"
astronomer said, Now tell me what four contraries are based
" "
upon other four contraries ? Replied she, The four qualities
of Caloric and Frigoric, Humidity and Siccity; for of heat Allah
created fire, whose nature te hot-dry of dryness, earth, which is
;

cold-dry ; of cold, water which is cold-wet of moisture, air, which ;

is hot-wet. Moreover, He created twelve Signs of the Zodiac,

Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio,
Sagittarius, Capricorn, and appointed them
Aquarius and Pisces ;

of the four humours three fiery, Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius three
; ;

earthy, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn three airy, Gemini, Libra ;

and Aquarius and three watery, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces."

;

"
Hereupon the astronomer rose, and saying, Bear witness against
me that she is more learned than I," away he went beaten. Then
" "
quoth the Caliph, Where is the philosopher ? at which one !
;

rose hastily and came forward and said to Tawaddud, " What is
Time and what be its limits, and its days, and what things bringeth
" "
it ? Replied she, Time is a term applied to the hours of the
night and day, which are but the measures of the courses of the
sun and moon in their several heavens, even as Allah Almighty
telleth us when he saith, A sign to them also is the Night, from
*

which we strip off the day, and lo they are plunged in darkness,
!

and the Sun runneth to her place 'of rest this is the ordinance ;

"
of the Sublime, the All-knowing.' 2 (<) " How cometh unbelief to
"
the son of Adam ? It is reported of the Apostle (whom Allah
bless and preserve !) that he said, Unbelief in a man runneth as
'

the blood runneth in his veins, when he revileth the world and
Time and night and the Hour.' And again, Let none of you '

* Arab.
"Faylasuf," an evident corruption from the Greek. Amongst the vulgar it
denotes a sceptic, an atheist; much the same a "Frammasun" or Freemason. The
Curious reader will consult the Dabistan, vol. iii. chapt. xi. p. 138 et seq.
" On the
"
Religion of the Wise (philosophi), and, Beaconsfield's theft from Shaft esbury.
a
Koran xxxvi. 37-38.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 235

revile Time, for Time is God neither revile the world, for she
;

saith, MayAllah not aid him who revileth me neither revile the !

l
hour, for, 'The Hour is surely coming, there is no doubt thereof ;

neither revile the earth, for it is a portent, according to the saying

of the Most High, * Out of the ground have we created you, and
into the same will we cause you to return, and we will bring you
"
forth yet thence another time.' 2
(,j)
What are the five that ate
"
and drank, yet came not out of loins nor womb ? Adam and
Simeon 3 and Salih's she-camel 4 and Ishmael's ram and the bird
that Abu Bakr the Truth-teller saw in the cave.5 Q) " Tell me of
five that are in Paradise and are neither humans, Jinns nor

angels ?" Jacob's wolf and the Seven Sleepers' dog and Esdras's
ass and Salih's camel and Duldul the mule of the Prophet (upon
whom be blessings and peace !). Q) " What man prayed a prayer
"
neither on earth nor in heaven ? Solomon, when he prayed on
his carpet, borne by the wind. Q)
" Ree me this riddle A man :

once looked at a handmaid during dawn-prayer, and she was un-

lawful to him but, at noonday she became lawful to him by
;
:

mid-afternoon, she was again unlawful, but at sundown, she was

lawful to him at supper time she was a third time unlawful, but
:

by daybreak, she became once more lawful to him." This was a

man who looked at another's slave-girl in the morning, and she

1
Koran xxii. 7. The Hour i.e. of Judgment.
8 Koran xx. 58. The Midrasch Tanchumah on Exod. vii. gives a similar dialogue
between Pharaoh and Moses (Rodwell, in loco)~:
8
Arab. ''Sham'un" or "Shim'un," usually applied to Simon Peter (as in Acts
xv. 14). But the text alludes to Saint Simeon (Luke ii. 25-35). See Gospel of Infancy
(ii. 8) and especially the Gospel of Nicodemus (xii. 3)
which makes him a High-priest.
1
Salih the Patriarch's she-camel, miraculously produced from the rock in order to
convert the Thamud-tribe (Koran vii).
6
When Abu Bakr was hiding with Mohammed in a cave on the Hill Al-Saur (Thauf
or Thiir, Pilgrimage ii. 131) South of Meccah, which must not be confounded with the
cave on Jabal Hira now called Jabal Nur on the way to Arafat (Pilgrimage iii. 246), the

fugitives were protected by a bird which built her nest at the entrance (according to
another legend it was curtained by a spider's web), whilst another bird (the crow of whom

I shall presently speak) tried to betray them. The first bird is popularly supposed to
have been a pigeon, and is referred to by Hudibras :

Th' apostles of this fierce religion

Like Mahomet, were .ass and widgeon.

The ass Ipresume alludes to the marvellous beast Al-Burik which the Greeks called
Bpax&iv from Bpa^ (Euthymius in Pocock, Spec. A.H. p. 144) and which Indian Mos
lems picture with human face, ass's ears, equine body and peacock's wings and tail.
The "widgeon " I presume to be a mistake or a misprint for pigeon.
236 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

was then unlawful to him but at midday he bought her, and she
;

became lawful to him at mid-afternoon he freed her, and she

:

became unlawful to him but at sundown he married her and she

;

was again lawful to him. At nightfall he divorced her and

she was then a third time unlawful to him but, next morning ;

at daybreak, he took her back, and she became once more lawful
"
to him. Q) Tell me what tomb went about with him that lay
"
buried therein ? Jonah's whale, when it had swallowed him.
"
Q) What spot of lowland is it, upon which the sun shone once,
but will never again shine till Judgment-Day?" The bottom of
the Red Sea, when Moses smote it with his staff, and the sea
clave asunder in twelve places, according to the number of the
tribes;
!
then the sun shone on the bottom and will do so never-
more until
Judgment-Day. Arid Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Jour !^utto& ana

:
Jtofo fo&en ft foas tfje JJ tftB=tQf)t& Jitg!n,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the

philosopher then addressed the damsel saying, "What was the
"
first skirt that trailed over the face of the earth ? She replied,
"
That of Hagar, out of shame before Sarah and it became a ;

"
custom among the Arabs." (<;) What is that which breatheth
without life?" Quoth Almighty Allah, 'By the morning when
it breatheth !
'

(d)
"
2
Ree me this riddle A number of pigeons :

came to a high tree and lighted, some on the tree and others
under Said those on the tree to those on the ground
it. If one :

of you come up to us, ye will be a third part of us all in number ;

and if one of us descend to you, we shall be like unto you in

"
number. How many pigeons were there in all ? Twelve seven :

alighted on the tree and five beneath ; and, if one go up, those
above would be eight to four; and, if one go down, both would be
3
six and Allah is all-knowing." With this the philosopher put

1
The Arabs are not satisfied with the comparative moderation of the Hebrew miracle,
and have added all manner of absurdities (Pilgrimage ii. 288).
2
Koran Ixxxi. 18. Sale translates "by the morning when it appeareth;" and the
"
word (tanaffus) will bear this meaning. Mr. Rod well prefers, By the dawn when it
clearsaway the darkness by its breath."
3 a rule Moslems are absurdly ignorant of arithmetic and apparently cannot
As
master it. Hence in Egypt they used Copts for calculating-machines and further East
Hindus. The mildest numerical puzzle, like the above, is sure of success.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 237

off his clothes and

whereupon the next contest took place,
fled :

"
for she turned to the present and said, Which of you is
Olema
"
the rhetorician that can discourse of all arts and sciences ?
There came forward a sage hight Ibrahim bin Siyyar and said
" "
to her, Think me not like the rest." Quoth she, It is the more
assured to me that thou wilt be beaten, for that thou art a boaster ;

and Allah will help me to victory over thee, that I may strip thee
of thy clothes. So, if thou sentest one to fetch thee where-
withal to cover thyself, 'twould be well for thee." Cried he, " By
Allah, I will assuredly conquer thee and make thee a byword
"
among the peoples, generation after generation !
Rejoined she,
"Do penance in advance for thy broken oath." Then he asked,
" "
What five things did Allah create before he made man ? and ;

she answered, " Water and earth and light and darkness and the
(<) "What did Allah create with the hand
fruits of the earth."
of omnipotence ? " The 'Arsh, throne of God or the empyreal
heaven and the tree Tubd and Adam and the garden of Eden
*
;

these Allah created with the hand of His omnipotence but to all ;

other created things He said, " Be," and they were. (<) " Who is
"
thy father in Al-Islam ? Mohammed, whom Allah bless and
preserve ! was the father
Q) Who in Al-Islam of Mohammed ? "
the Friend of God. " What is the Faith of Al-
Abraham, (<)
"
Islam The
professing that there is no
? God but the God and
that Mohammed is the apostle of God. Q)"What is thy first
and thy last?" My first is man's seed in the shape of foul
water and my last filthy carrion the first of me is dust and the :

last of me is dust. Quoth the poet :

Of dust was I created, and man did I become, o In question ever ready and
aye fluent in reply,

Then, I unto the dust return'd, became of it again, o For that, in very deed,
of dust at first create was I.

"
He continued, What thing was it, whose first state was wood and

The paradiseal tree which supplied every want. Mohammed borrowed it from the
1

Christians (Rev. xxi. 10-21 and xxii. 1-2) who placed in their
paradise the Tree of Life
which bears twelve sorts of fruits and leaves of healing virtue. (See also the 3rd book
of Hernias, his Similitudes.) The Hebrews borrowed it from the Persians. Amongst
the Hindus " "
it
appears as Kalpavriksha amongst the Scandinavians as Yggdrasii.
;

The curious reader will consult Mr. James Fergusson's learned work, "Tree and Serpent
Worship," etc. London, 1873.
238 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

"
its last life ? Moses* staff,
1
when he cast it on the valley-ground
and it became, by permission of
Allah, a writhing serpent.
"
(<) What is the meaning of the word of the Lord, 'And I have
2 "
other occasion for He, Moses, was wont to plant his staff
it ?'

in the ground, and it would flower and fruit and shade him from
the heat and from the cold. Moreover, it would carry him when
he was weary, and whilst he slept guard his sheep from lions and
"
wild beasts. Q) What woman was born of a man alone and
what man of a woman alone?" Eve of Adam and Jesus of
"
Q) Tell me of the four fires, what fire eateth and
3
Mary.
drinketh what fire eateth but drinketh not; what fire drinketh
;

"
but eateth not and what other neither eateth nor drinketh ?
The fire of the world eateth but drinketh not the fire which ;

eateth and drinketh is Hell-fire the fire of the sun drinketh but ;

eateth not, and the fire of the moon neither eateth nor drinketh.
(<)
"
Which is the open door and which the shut ? " The Tradi-
tional Ordinances are the open door, the Koranic the shut door.
"
(<) Of what doth the poet speak, when he saith :

And dweller in the tomb whose food is at his head, o When he eateth of that
meat, of words he waxeth fain :

1
Aaron's Rod becomes amongst Moslems (Koran vii. 1 10) Moses' Staff ;
the size being
that of a top-mast (Pilgrimage i. 300, 301). In Koran xx. 18, 19, we find a notice of
its uses ; and during the Middle Ages it reappeared in the Staff of Wamba the Goth

(A.D. 672-680) : the witch's broomstick was its latest development.

3 had only one nature the divine so he was crucified in
Christ, say the Eutychians, ;

effigy.
8
Jesus is compared with Adam in the Koran (chapt. iii.) : his titles are Kalamu 'llah

(word of God) because engendered without a father, and Riihu 'llah (breath of God)
because conceived by Gabriel in the shape of a beautiful youth breathing into the
Virgin's vulva. Hence Moslems believe in a "miraculous conception" and con-
sequently determine that one so conceived was, like Elias and Khizr, not subject to
" "
death ; they also hold him born free from original sin (a most sinful superstition), a
veil being placed before the Virgin and Child against the Evil One who could not touch
them. He spoke when a babe in cradle ; he performed miracles of physic ; he was
taken up to Heaven he will appear as the forerunner of Mohammed on the White
;

Tower of Damascus, and finally he will be buried at Al-Medinah. The Jews on the
other hand speak of him as "that man :" they hold that he was begotten by Joseph
during the menstrual period and therefore a born magician. Moreover
he learned the
Sham ha-maphrash or Nomen tetragrammaton, wrote it on parchment and placed it in
an which closed up on the Name being mentioned (Buxtorf, Lex
incision in his thigh,
Talmud Other details are given in the Toldoth Jesu (Historia Joshuse Nazareni).
25-41).
This note should be read by the eminent English litterateur who discovered a fact, well
"
known to Locke and Carlyle, that Mohammedans are Christians." So they are and
something more.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 239

He and he walketh and he talketh without tongue o And returneth to

riseth ;

tomb where his kith and kin are lain.

the
No living wight is he, yet in honour he abides ; o Nor dead yet he deserveth
that Allah him assain."

She "The Quoth he "What doth the poet

1
replied, reed-pen."
refer to in these verses :

Two vests in one ; blood flowing easiest wise ; o Rosy red ears and mouth
wide open lies ;

It hath a cock-like form, its belly pecks o And, if you price it, half a dirham
buys."

" "
She replied, The ink-case." Quoth he, And in these :

Ho say to men of wisdom, wit and lore o To sapient, reverend, clever coun-
sellor :

Tell me what was't you saw that bird bring forth o When wandering Arab-land
and Ajam o'er ?
No flesh it beareth and it hath no blood, o Nor down nor any feathers e'er it
wore.
'Tis eaten cooked and eke 'tis eaten cold ;
o Tis eaten buried 'neath the flames
that roar :

It showeth twofold colours, silver white o And yellow brighter than pure
golden ore :

Tis not seen living or we count it dead : o So ree my riddle rich in marvel-
store !
"

She replied, "Thou makcst longsome the questioning anent an

"
egg worth a mite." And this ? :

I waved to and fro and he waved to and fro, o With a motion so pleasant,
now fast and now slow ;

And at last he sunk down on my bosom of snow ;

o " Your lover friend ? "

" "
No
friend, my fan;"* said she. Q) How many words did
Allah speak to Moses?" It is related of the Apostle that he
"
said, God spoke to Moses fifteen hundred and fifteen words."
"
Q) Tell me of fourteen things that speak to the Lord of the
"
Worlds ? The seven heavens and the seven earths, when they
say, 'We come obedient to Thy command.'
3
And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

1
In the Kalamdan, or pen-case, is a little inkstand of metal occupying the top of the
long, narrow box.
s
A fair "
specimen of the riddle known as the surprise.
*
Koran xli. 10.
240 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

ttfofo fo&en ft foas tfje $om $|un&w& an& jpiftg-nin^

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
damsel made the answer, the philosopher continued, " Tell me of
Adam and how he was first created ? " and she said, " Allah
created Adam of clay the clay He made of foam and the foam
:

of the sea, the sea of darkness, darkness of light, light of a fish,

the fish of a rock, the rock of a ruby, the ruby of water, and
the water He created by His Omnipotence according to His
saying (exalted be His name!), 'His commandment when He
willeth aught, is but to say, BE, and IT IS.' " (<)
"
What is
meant by the poet in these verses :

And eater lacking mouth and even maw ;

o Yet trees and beasts to it are daily
bread :

Well fed it thrives and shows a lively life, o But give it water and you do
it dead?"

" " " "

This," quoth she, is Fire." And in these ; he asked :

"Two lovers barred from every joy and bliss, o Who through the livelong
night embracing lie :

They guard the folk from all calamities, o But with the rising sun apart they
fly?"

She answered, " The leaves of a door." Quoth he, " Tell me of
" "
the gates of Gehenna ? Quoth she, They are seven in number
and their names are comprised in these two couplets :

Jahannam, next Laz, and third Hati'm ;

o Then count Sa'fr and Sakar eke,
five-fold,
Sixth comes Jahfm and Hdwiyah the seventh ;
o Here are seven Hells in four
'lines briefly told."

" when he
Quoth he To what doth the poet refer saith :

She wears a pair of ringlets long let down o Behind her, as she comes and
goes at speed,
And eye that never tastes of sleep nor sheds o A tear, for ne'er a drop it hath
need ;
at
That never all its life wore stitch of clothes ;
o Yet robes mankind in every
mode of weed ?"

1
Koran xxxvi. 82.
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 241

Quoth she, "A needle." (<) "What is the length and what the
"
breadth of the bridge Al-Sirdt ? Its length is three thousand

years' journey, a thousand in descent and a thousand in ascent

and a thousand level it is sharper than a sword and finer than a
:

hair. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased

to say her permitted say.

Xofo fo&en (t foas t&e Jpour f^unbrefc anto Sbfxtfetfr

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
damsel had described to him Al-Sirat, the philosopher said,
"
Inform me how many intercessions with Allah hath the Pro-

(<)"Was Abu Bakr the first

l
phet for each soul ?" Three.
who embraced Al-Islam?" Yes. (,;)"Yet Ali became a Moslem
"
before him ? Ali came to the Prophet, when he was a boy of
seven years old, for Allah vouchsafed him knowledge of the way
of salvation in his tender youth, so that he never prostrated him-
self to idols. " Tell me which the more
Quoth he, is excellent,
"
Ali or Abbas ? Now she knew that, in propounding this question,
Ibrahim was laying a trap for her "
for if she said, Ali is more ;

excellent than Abbas," she would lack excuse with the Caliph for
undervaluing his ancestor so she bowed her head awhile, now
;

"
reddening, then paling, and lastly said, Thou askest me of two
excellent men, each having his own excellence. Let us return to
what we were about." When the Caliph Harun al-Rashid heard
"
up and said, Thou hast spoken well, by the Lord of
her, he stood
" Then
the Ka'abah, O Tawaddud quoth Ibrahim the rhetorician,
!

"
What meaneth the poet when he saith :

Slim-wasted one, whose taste is sweetest-sweet, o Likest a lance whereon no

head we scan :

And all the lieges find it work them weal, o Eaten of afternooa in Ramazan."

She answered, "

The sugar-cane " and he ; said,
"
Tell me of many

1
Here we enter upon a series of disputed points. The Wahhdbis deny the interces-
sion of the Apostle (Pilgrimage ii. 76-77). The Shiahs place Ali next in dignity to
Mohammed and there is a sect (Ali-Ilahi) which believes him to be an Avatar or incar
nation of the Deity. For the latter the curious reader will consult the " Dabistan," ii.

451. The Koran by its many contradictions seems to show that Mohammed never could
make up his own mind on the times an intercessor and then
subject, thinking himself at
sharply denying all intercession.

VOL. V. Q
242 A If Laylak wa Laylah.

things." Asked she, "What are they?" and he said, "What is

sweeter than honey ; what is sharper than the sword what is ;

swifter than poison what is the delight of a moment and what

;

the contentment of three days what is the pleasantest of days ;

;

what the joy of a week what is that debt the worst debtor
is ;

denieth not what is the prison of the tomb

; what is the joy of ;

the heart what is the snare of the soul

; what is death-in-life ; ;

what is
may not be healed what is the shame
the disease that ;

that may not be wiped off ;

what is the beast that woneth not in
cultivated fields, but lodgeth in waste places and hateth the sons
of Adam and hath in him somewhat of the make of seven strong
" "
and violent beasts Quoth she, ? Hear what I shall say in
"
reply then
; put off thy clothes, that I may explain to thee ;

and the Caliph said, " Expound, and he shall doff his clothes." So
she said, " Now that, which is sweeter than honey, is the love of
pious children to their two parents that, which is sharper than ;

the sword, is the tongue that, which is swifter than poison, is the
;

Envier's eye the delight of a moment is carnal copulation and

;

the contentment of three days is the depilatory for women ; the

pleasantest of days is that of profit on merchandise the joy of a ;

week is the bride the debt, which the worst debtor denieth not, is
;

death ;
the prison of the tomb is a bad son ;
the joy of the heart
is a woman obedient to her husband (and it issaid also that, when
fleshmeat descendeth upon the heart, it rejoiceth therein) the ;

snare of the soul is a disobedient slave; death-in-life is poverty ;

the disease that may not be healed is an ill-nature, and the shame
that may not be wiped away is an ill daughter ; lastly, the beast
that woneth not waste places
in cultivated fields, but lodgeth in
and hateth the sons of Adam and hath in him somewhat of the
make of seven strong and violent beasts, is the locust, whose head
is as the head of a horse, its neck as the neck of the bull, its wings

as the wings of the vulture, its feet as the feet of the camel, its tail
as the tail of the serpent, its belly as the belly of the scorpion and
its horns as the horns of the gazelle." The Caliph was astounded
at her quickness and understanding, and said to the rhetorician,
" "
Doff thy clothes." So he rose up and cried, I call all who are
learned than
present in this assembly to witness that she is more
I and every other learned man." And he put off his clothes and
"
gave them to her, saying, Take them and may Allah not bless
"
them to thee So the Caliph ordered him fresh clothes and said,
!

"
O Tawaddud, there is one thing left of that for which thou didst
 Abu al-Hnsn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 243

engage, namely, chess." And he sent for experts of chess and

cards and trictrac. The chess-player sat down before her, and
1

they set the pieces, and he moved and she moved but, every move ;

he made she speedily countered, And Shahrazad perceived the

dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

fofjen it teas tfje jpour f^untoU anto &ixtg=first Nicjfrt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
damsel was playing chess with the expert in presence of the Com-
mander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, whatever move he made
was speedily countered by her, till she beat him and he found him-
"
self checkmated. Quoth he, I did but lead thee on, that thou
mightest think thyself skilful but set up again, and thou shalt :

see." So they placed the pieces a second time, when he said in

"
himself, Open thine eyes or she will beat thee." And he fell to
moving no and ceased not to play, till
piece, save after calculation,
"
she said, Thy King dead Checkmate." When he saw this
is !

he was confounded at her quickness and understanding but she ;

"
laughed and said, O professor, I will make a wager with thee on
this third game. I will give thee the queen and the right-hand

castle and the left-hand knight if thou beat me, take my clothes, ;

and if I beat thee, I will take thy clothes." Replied he, " I agree
"
to this and they replaced the pieces, she removing queen, castle
;

and knight. 2 Then said she, " Move, O master." So he moved,

"
saying to himself, I cannot but beat her, with such odds," and
planned a combination but, behold, she moved on, little by little,
;

3
till she made one of her pawns a queen and pushing up to him

1
Arab. " Kanjifah" =: a pack of cards "
; corrupted from the Persian Ganjffah."
We know concerning the date or origin of this game in the East, where the packs
little

are quite unlike ours.

2
It is interesting to compare this account with the pseudo Ovid and with Tale clxvi.

in Gesta "Of the game of Schaci." Its Schacarium is the chess-board. Rochus
(roccus, etc.) is not from the Germ. Rock (a coat) but from Rukh (Pers. a hero, a
knight-errant) Alphinus (Ital. Alfino) is Al-Firzan (Pers. science, wise).
3
Arab. " Baydak
" or " " = a
"Bayzak"; a corruption of the Persian Piyadah
footman, peon, pawn ; and proving whence the Arabs derived the game. The Persians
are the readiest backgammon-players known to me, better even than the Greeks ; they
throw the dice from the hand and continue foully abusing the fathers and mothers of
the "bones" whilst the game lasts. It is often played in the intervals of dinner by the
higher classes in Persi?.
244 A If Layla ft iva Laylah.

pawns and other pieces, to take off his attention, set one in his way
and tempted him to take it. Accordingly, he took it and she
said him, "The measure is meted and the loads equally
to
balanced. 1 Eat till thou art over-full naught shall be thy ruin, ;

O son of Adam, save thy greed. Knowest thou not that I did but
tempt thee, that I might check-mate !"
finesse thee ? See : this is
" "
adding, So doff off thy Quoth Leave me my bag-
clothes." he,
"
trousers, so Allah repay thee and he swore by Allah that he
;

would contend with none, so long as Tawaddud abode in the realm

of Baghdad. Then he stripped off his clothes and gave them to
her and went away. Thereupon came the backgammon-player,
and she said to him, " If I beat thee, this day, what wilt thou give
me ? " Quoth he, " I will give thee ten suits of brocade of Con-
stantinople, figured with gold, and ten suits of velvet and a
thousand gold pieces and if I beat thee, I ask nothing but that
;

thou write me an acknowledgment of my victory." Quoth she,

"
To it, then, and do thy best." So they played, and he lost and
went away, chattering in Prankish jargon and saying, " By the
bounty of the Commander of the Faithful, there is not her like
"
in all the regions of the world Then the Caliph summoned !

"
players on instruments of music and asked her, Dost thou know
aught of music?*'; when she answered, "Even so!" He bade
bring a worn lute, polished by use, whose owner forlorn and lone
was by parting trodden down and of which quoth one, describing
;

it:

Allah watered a land, and upsprang a tree o Struck root deep down, and
raised head a-sky :

The birds o'ersang it when green its wood ;

And the Fair o'ersing now the
wood is dry.

So they brought the lute a bag of red satin, with tassels of

in
saffron-coloured silk : and she opened the bag, and took it out and
behold on it was graven :

Oft hath a tender bough made lute for maid, * Whose swift sweet lays at feast
men's hearts invade :

The Bulbuls taught her the

'
She sings it follows on her song,
; as though * all

modes she played.

" eat" a
Metaphor from loading camels and mules. To
1
piece is to take it.
1
Arab. "Bilabil"; a plural of "Bulbul" with a double entendre balabil (plur,
of ballalah) =
heart's troubles, and
"
bala, bul a calamity, nay, etc. =
 Abu al-Husn and his Slave-Girl Tawaddud. 24$

She and with bosom inclining over it, bent

laid her lute in her lap
to with the bending of a mother who suckleth her child then
it
;

she preluded in twelve different modes, till the whole assembly

was agitated with delight, like a waving sea, and she sang the
following :

Cut short this strangeness, leave unruth of you ;

* My heart shall love you aye,
by youth of you !

Have ruth on one who sighs and weeps and moans, * Pining and yearning for
the troth of you.

The Caliph was ravished and exclaimed, "Allah bless thee and
be merciful to him who taught thee " whereupon she rose and
! :

kissed the ground before him. Then he sent for money and
paid her master Abu al-Husn an hundred thousand gold pieces
to her price ; after which he said to her, " O Tawaddud, ask a
boon of me " Replied she, " I ask of thee that thou restore*
!

me to my lord who sold me." " 'Tis well," answered the Caliph
and restored her and gave her five thousand dinars
to her master
for herself.Moreover, he appointed Abu al-Husn one of his cup-
companions for a permanence, And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

fofjcn ft fcms tfce jpour l^un&rrtJ atrtr Sbtxtg-swonfc tf ig&t,

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph

said, It
gave the damsel five thousand dinars for herself and restored
her to her master whom he appointed one of his cup-companions
for a permanence and assigned him a monthly stipend of a
thousand dinars so long as he should live ; and he abode with
the damsel Tawaddud in all solace and delight of life. Marvel
then, O King, at the eloquence of this damsel and the hugeness of
her learning and understanding and her perfect excellence in all
branches of art and science and consider the generosity of the
;

Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, in that he gave her

" "
master this money and said to her, Ask a boon of me ; and she
besought him to restore her to her lord. So he restored her to
him and gave her five thousand dinars for herself and made him
one of his boon-companions. Where is such generosity to be
found after the Abbaside Caliphs ? May Allah Almighty have
mercy upon them, one and all And they tell a tale of
!
246 A If Laylah wa Laylak*

THE ANGEL OF DEATH WITH THE PROUD KING

AND THE DEVOUT MAN.
IT is related, O auspicious King, that one of the olden monarchs
was once minded to ride out in state with the officers of his realm
and the Grandees of his retinue and display to the folk the marvels
of his magnificence. So he ordered his Lords and Emirs equip
them therefor and commanded his keeper of the wardrobe to
bring him of the richest of raiment, such as befitted the King in
his state and he bade them bring his steeds l of the finest breeds
;

1
The popular English
idea of the Arab horse is founded upon utter unfact. Book
book " There are
after tells us, three distinct breeds of Arabians the Attechi, a very
superior breed ; the Kadishi, mixed with these and of little value ; and the Kochlani,
" Attechi "
highly prized and very difficult to procure." may be At-Tazi (the Arab horse,
or hound) or some confusion with " At (Turk.) a horse. " Radish " (Gadish or Kidish)
"
is a nag ; a gelding, a hackney, a " pacer
" " Rahwan " Kochlani "
(generally called ")
is
" the because the skin round the orbits is dark as if
evidently Kohlani," Kohl-eyed,
This is the true blue blood ; and the bluest of all is
" Kohlani
powdered. al-Ajuz" (of
the old woman) a name thus accounted for. An Arab mare dropped a filly when in

flight ;her rider perforce gallopped on and presently saw the foal appear in camp, when
it was given to an old woman for nursing and grew up to be famous. The home of the
Arab horse is the vast plateau of Al-Najd : the Tahamah or lower maritime regions of

Arabia, like Malabar, will not breed good beasts. The pure blood all descends from five
collateral lines called Al-Khamsah (the Cinque). Literary and pedantic Arabs derive
them from the mares of Mohammed a native of the dry and rocky region, Al-Hijaz,
whither horses are all imported. Others go back (with the Koran, chapt. xxviii.) to
Solomon, possibly Salman, a patriarch fourth in descent from Ishmael and some 600
years older than the Hebrew King. The Badawi derive the five from Rabi'at al-Faras
(R. of the mare) fourth in descent from Adnan, the fount of Arab genealogy. But they
differ about the names those generally given are Kahilan (Kohaylat), Saklawi (which
:

the Badawin pronounce Saglawi), Abayan, and Hamdani ; others substitute Manakhi (the
long-maned), Tanfs and Jalfun. These require no certificate amongst Arabs for ;

strangers a simple statement is considered enough. The Badawin despise all half-breeds
(Arab sires and country mares), Syrian, Turkish, Kurdish and Egyptian. They call these
" sons of horses " as
(first mentioned in the reign of Ahmes, B.C. 1600) the opposed to;

" sons of or Nor do believe in animals. I

mares," thorough-breds. they city-bred
have great doubts concerning our old English sires, such as the Darley Arabian which
looks like a Kurdish half-bred, the descendant of those Cappadocians so much prized by
the Romans : in Syria I rode a " Harfushf
"
(Kurd) the very image of it. There is no
buying Arab stallions except the price. Of course the tribe does not like to
difficulty in

part with what may benefit the members generally ; but offers of 500 to 1,000 would
overcome men's scruples. It is different with mares, which are almost always the joint
property of several owners. The people too dislike to see a hat on a thorough-bred
 The Angel of Death and the Proud King. 247

and pedigrees every man heeds ; which being done, he chose out
of the raiment what rejoiced him most and of the horses that which
he deemed best ; and, donning the clothes, together with a collar
set with margarites and rubies and all manner jewels, mounted and

making his destrier prance and curvet among his

set forth in state,

troops and glorying in his pride and despotic power. And Iblis
came to him and, laying his hand upon his nose, blew into his
nostrils the breath of hauteur and conceit, so that he magnified
and glorified himself and said in his heart, " Who among men is
like unto me ?
"
And he became so puffed up with arrogance and
self-sufficiency, and so taken up with the thought of his own
splendour and magnificence, that he would not vouchsafe a glance
to any man. Presently, there stood before him one clad in
tattered clothes and saluted him, but he returned not his salam ;
" Lift
whereupon the stranger laid hold of his horse's bridle. thy
"
hand," cried the King, thou knowest not whose bridle-rein it is
whereof thou takest hold." Quoth the other, " I have a need of
"
thee." Quoth the King, Wait till I alight and then name thy
need." "
Rejoined the stranger, It is a secret and I will not tell
it but in thine ear." So the King bowed his head to him and he
" I am the
said, Angel of Death and I purpose to take thy soul."
"
Replied the King, Have patience with me a little, whilst I return
to my house and take leave of my people and children and neigh-
bours and wife." " By no means so," answered the Angel ; " thou
shalt never return nor look on them again, for the fated term of

thy life is So saying, he took the soul of the King (who

past."
fell back dead) and departed thence. Presently the
off his horse's
Death Angel met a devout man, of whom Almighty Allah had
accepted, and saluted him. He returned the salute, and the Angel
"
said to him, O pious man, I have a need of thee which must be
"
kept secret." Tell it in my ear," quoth the devotee and quoth ;

" "
the other, I am the Angel of Death." Replied the man, Welcome
to thee ! and praised be Allah for thy coming ! I am aweary of
awaiting thine arrival for indeed long hath been thine absence
;

"
from the lover which longeth for thee." Said the Angel, If thou
"
have any business, make an end of it but the other answered, ;

mare: "What hast thou done that thou art ridden by that ill-omened Kafir?" the
Badawin used to mutter when they saw a highly respectable missionary at Damascus
mounting a fine Ruwali mare. The feeling easily explains the many wars about horse*
occurring in Arab annals, e.g. about Dahis and Ghabra. (C. de Perceval, ssatj vol. ii.)
248 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

" There
saying, nothing so urgent to me as the meeting with
is

my Lord, to be honour and glory " And the Angel said

whom !

"
How wouldst thou fain have me take thy soul ? I am bidden to
take it as thou wiliest and choosest." He replied, " Tarry till J
make the Wuzu-ablution and pray ; and, when I prostrate myself,
then take my soul while my body is on the ground." * Quoth the
"
Angel, Verily, my Lord (be He extolled and exalted ) com- !

manded me not to take thy soul but with thy consent and as thou
shouldst wish ; so I will do thy will." Then the devout man made
the minor ablution 2 and prayed and the Angel of Death took his
:

soul in the act of prostration and Almighty Allah transported it

to the place of mercy and acceptance and forgiveness. And they
tell another tale of

THE ANGEL OF DEATH AND THE RICH KING.

A CERTAIN King had heaped up coin beyond count and gathered

store of all precious things, which Allah the Most Highest hath
created. So, in order that he might take his pleasure whenas he
should find leisure to enjoy all this abounding wealth he had
collected, he built him a palace wide and lofty such as besitteth
and beseemeth Kings and set thereto strong doors and appointed,
;

for its service and its guard, servants and soldiers and doorkeepers to
watch and ward. One day, he bade the cooks dress him somewhat
of the goodliest of food and assembled his household and retainers
and boon-companions and servants to eat with him, and partake
of his bounty. Then he sat down .upon the sofa of his kingship
and dominion and, propping his elbow upon the cushion, addressed
;

1
The kind of Eastern Jew prefers to die on the floor not in bed, as was the
stricter

case with the late Mr.Emmanuel Deutsch, who in his well-known article on the Talmud
had the courage to speak of " Our Saviour." But as a rule the Israelite, though he
mostly appears as a Deist, a Unitarian, has a fund of fanatical feelings which crop up in
old age and near death. The "converts" in Syria and elsewhere, whose Judaism is
intensifiedby "conversion," when offers are made to them by the missionaries repair to
the Khakham (scribe) and, after abundant wrangling determine upon a modus vivendi.
They are to pay a proportion of their wages, to keep careful watch in the cause of Israel
and to die orthodox. In Istria there is a legend of a Jew Prior in a convent who was
not discovered till he announced himself most unpleasantly on his death-bed. For a
contrary reason to Jewish humility the Roman Emperors preferred to die standing.
2
He wished to die in a state of ceremonial purity ; as has before been mentioned.
 The Angel of Death and the Rich King. 249
"
himself, saying, O soul, thou
hast gathered together all the wealth
of the world now
take thy leisure therein and eat of this good
;
so
at thine ease, in long life and prosperity ever rife
"
And Shah- !
--
razad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.

Jlofo fo&m it foas t&* Jour 2tm&tt& an&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that hardly had
the King made an end of saying to himself, " Eat of this weal at
thine ease, in long life and prosperity ever rife " when a man !

clad in tattered raiment, with an asker's wallet hanging at his

neck, as he were one who came to beg food, knocked with the
door-ring a knock so loud and terrible that the whole palace shook
as with quake of earth and the King's throne trembled. The
servants were affrighted and rushed to the door, and when they
saw the man who had knocked they cried out at him, saying,
" Woe to thee what manner of unmannerly fashion be this ?
!

Wait till King eateth and we will then give thee of what is
the
"
left." Quoth he, Tell your lord to come out and speak with me,
for I have of him a pressing need and a matter to heed." They
cried, "Away, fool ! who art thou that we should bid our lord come
" "
forth to thee ? But he said, Tell him of this." So they went in
" Did who
and told the King, ye not rebuke him and draw
said,
"
upon him and threaten him Now as he spoke, behold, there
!

came another knock at the gate, louder than the first knock,
whereupon the servants sprang at the stranger with staves and
weapons, to fall upon him and slay him but he shouted at them, ;

" Bide in
saying, your steads, for I am the Angel of Death."
Hereat their hearts quaked and their wits forsook them their ;

understandings were in confusion, their side-muscles quivered in

perturbation and their limbs lost the power of motion. Then said
" *
the King to them, Tell him to take a substitute in my place
and one to relieve me in this case." But the Angel answered,
"
saying, I will take no substitute, and I come not but on thine

account, to cause separation between thee and the goods thou hast
gathered together and the riches thou hast heaped up and entrea-

1
Arab. "Badal
" in Sind
(not to speak of other places) it was customary to hire &
:

" badal " to be

pauper hanged in stead of a rich man. Sir Charles Napier signed many
9. death-warrant before he ever heard of the practice.
250 Alf Laylak wa Laylah.

sured." When the King heard this, he wept and groaned, saying,
"Allah curse the treasure which hath deluded and undone me
and diverted me from the service of my Lord I deemed it would
!

profit me, but to-day it is a regret for me and a calamity to me,

and behold, I go forth, empty-handed of it, and leave it to my
foes." Thereupon Allah caused the Treasure to speak out and
" Wherefore cursest thou me ? l Curse
it said,
thyself, for Allah
created both me and eke thyself of the dust and appointed me
to be in thine hand, that thou mightest provide thee with me a
viaticum for the next world and give alms with me to the poor
and the needy and the sick and build mosques and hospices and
;

bridges and aqueducts, so might I be an aidance unto thee in the

world to come. But thou didst garner me and hoard me up and
on thine own vanities bestowedst me, neither gavest thou thanks
for me, as was due, but wast ungrateful to me and now thou must ;

leave me to thy foes and thou hast naught save thy regretting and
thy repenting. But what is my sin, that thou shouldest revile me ?"
Then the Angel of Death took the King's soul as he sat on his
throne before he ate of the food, and he fell down dead. Quoth
Allah Almighty, " While they were rejoicing for that which had
been given them, we suddenly laid hold on them and, behold, ;

they were seized with despair."

2
And they tell another tale of

THE ANGEL OF DEATH AND THE KING OF THE

CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.
THERE was a puissant despot among the Kings of the Banu Isrdfl,
who sat one day upon the throne of his kingship, when he saw
come in to him, by the gate of the hall, a man of forbidding aspect
and horrible presence. The King was affrighted at his sudden

1
Arab. " La'an
" =
curse. The word is in every mouth though strongly forbidden
" Ila'an Yezfd wa la
by religion. Even of the enemies of Al-Islam the learned say,
tazid
"
= curse Yezid but do not exceed (i.e. refrain from cursing the others). This,
however, is in the Shafi'i school and the Hanafis do not allow it (Pilgrimage i. 198).
Hence the Moslem when scrupulous uses na'al (shoe) for la' an (curse) as Ina'al abiik (for
Ila'an abu'-k) or, drat (instead of damn) your father. Men must hold Supreme Intel-
ligence to be of feeble kind if put off by such miserable pretences.
2
Koran vi. 44, speaking of the Infidels. It is a most unamiable chapter, with such

assertions as
" Allah leadeth into error whom He pleasetb," etc.
 The Angel of Death and the King of Israel. 251

intrusion and his look terrified him ;

so he sprang up before him
"
and said, Who art thou, O man ? Who gave thee leave to come
"
in to me and who invited thee to enter my house
Quoth the ?
"
stranger, Verily the Lord of the House sent me to thee, nor can
any doorkeeper exclude me, nor need I leave to come in to Kings ;
for I reck not of a Sultan's majesty neither of the multitude of his
I am he from whom no tyrant is at rest, nor can
guards. any man
escape from my grasp I am the :
Destroyer of delights and the
Sunderer of societies." Now when the King heard this a palsy crept
over him x and he fell on his face in a swoon but presently coming ;

to himself, he asked, " Art thou then the Angel of Death ? "; and
the stranger answered, " Yes." " I conjure thee, by Allah," quoth
the King, "grant me one single day's respite, that I may pray
pardon of my sins and ask absolution of my Lord and restore to
their rightful owners the monies which are in my treasures, so I
may not be burdened with the woe of a reckoning nor with the

well-away this may be in no way."

the
!

dawn of day and ceased

"

-
misery of punishment therefor." Replied the Angel, Well-away!
And Shahrazad perceived
to say her permitted say.

Note toftm it foas t&e Jour ^unfcrrti nn& &fxtB=fourtl)

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that quoth
the Death-messenger to the King, " Well-away, well-away this !

may be in no way. How can I grant thee a reprieve when the

days of thy are counted and thy breaths numbered and thy
life

moments and written ?" " Grant me an hour," asked the

fixed
"
King ; but the Angel answered saying, The hour was in the
account and hath sped, and thou unheeding aught and hath fled, ;

and thou taking no thought and now thy breathings are accom-
:

plished, and there remaineth to thee but one breath." Quoth the
"
King, Who will be with me when I am transported to my
tomb?" Quoth the Angel, "Naught will be with thee but thy
works good or evil." " I have no works," said the King and the ;

"
Angel, Doubtless thy long home will be in hell-fire and thy doom
the wrath of the Almighty." Then he seized the soul of the King,
and he fell off his throne and dropped on the earth dead. And
there arose a mighty weeping and wailing and clamour of keening

1 " formication" which

Alluding to the accompanies a stroke of paralysis.
252 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

for him among the people of his court, and had they known that
to which he went of the wrath of his Lord, their weeping for him
had been sorer and their wailing louder and more abounding.
And a story is told of

ISKANDAR ZU AL-KARNAYN' AND A CERTAIN

TRIBE OF POOR FOLK.

IT is Zu al-Karnayn 2 once came, in

related that Iskandar his

journeyings, upon a tribe of small folk, who owned naught of the

weals of the world and who dug their graves over against the
doors of their houses and were wont at all times to visit them and
sweep the earth from them and keep them clean and pray at them

1
Pronounce Zool Karnayn-
2
the Koranic and our mediaeval Alexander, Lord of the two Horns (East and
i.e.
" "
West) much Matagrobolized and very different from him of Macedon. The title is
variously explained, from two protuberances on his head or helm, from two long lock$
and, possibly, from the ram-horns of Jupiter Ammon. The anecdote in the text
seems suggested by the famous interview (probably a canard) with Diogenes: see
in the Gesta, Tale cxlvi. "The answer of Diomedes the Pirate to Alexander."
Iskandar was originally called Marzban (Lord of the Marches), son of Marzabah ;
and, though descended from Yunin, son of Japhet, the eponymus of the Greeks,
was born obscure, the son of an old woman. According to the Persians he was the
son of the Elder Darab (Darius Codomannus of the Kayanian or Second dynasty),
by a daughter of Philip of Macedon ; and was brought up by his grandfather. When
Abraham and Isaac had rebuilt the Ka'abah they foregathered with him and Allah
sent him forth against the four quarters of the earth to convert men to the faith of
the Friend or to cut their throats thus he became one of the four world-conquerors
;

with Nimrod, Solomon, Bukht al-Nasr (Nabochodonosor) ; and he lived down two
generations of men. His Wazir was Aristu (the Greek Aristotle) and he carried a
couple of flags, white and black, which made day and night for him and facilitated
his conquests. At the end of Persia, where he was invited by the people, on
account of the cruelty of his half brother Darab II., he came upon two huge moun-
tains on the same line, behind which dwelt a host of abominable pygmies, two spans

high, with curious eyes, ears which served as mattresses and coverlets, huge fanged
mouths, lions' claws and hairy hind quarters. They ate men, destroyed everything,
copulated in public and had swarms of children. These were Yajuj and Majuj (Gog
and Magog) descendants of Japhet. Sikandar built against them the famous wall
with stones cemented and riveted by iron and copper. The "Great Wall" of China,
the famous bulwark against the Tartars dates from B.C. 320; (Alexander of Macedon
died B.C. 324) and as the Arabs knew Canton well before Mohammed's day, they
may have built their romance upon it. The Guebres consigned Sikandar to hell fof
burning the Nusks or sections of the Zendavesta.
 Iskandar Zu al-Karnayn. 253

and worship Almighty Allah at them and they had no meat save
;

grasses and the growth of the ground. So Iskandar sent a man

to summon their King, but he refused to come, saying, " I have no
"
need of him." Thereupon Iskandar went to him and said, How
is it with you and what manner of men are
ye ? for I see with ;

j'ou forsooth naught of gold or silver, nor find I with you aught
"
of the weals of the world." Answered the King, None hath his
fill of the weals of the world." Iskandar then asked " Why do
you dig your graves before your house-doors ?" and the King ;

"
answered, That they may be the prospective of our eye-glances ;
so we may look on them and ever renew talk and thought- of
death, neither forget the world to come and on this wise the love
;

of the world be banished from our hearts and we be not thereby

distracted from the service of our Lord, the Almighty." Quoth
"
Iskandar, do ye eat grasses ?" ; and the other replied,
Why
"Because we abhor to make our bellies the tombs of animals
and because the pleasure of eating outstrippeth not the gullet."
Then putting forth his hand he brought out a skull of a son
"
of Adam
and, laying it before Iskandar, said, Zu al-Karnayn,O
Lord of the Two Horns, knowest thou who owned this skull ?"
" and the "
He who owned this
Quoth he, Nay ;" quoth other,
was a King of the Kings of the
skull world, who dealt tyrannously
with his subjects, specially wronging the weak and wasting his
time in heaping up the rubbish of this world, till Allah took his
sprite and made the fire his abiding-site and this is his head."
;

He then put forth his hand and produced another skull and, laying
it before Iskandar, said to him,
"
Knowest thou this ?" " No,"
<c
answered the conqueror ; and the other rejoined, This is the
skull of another King, who dealt justly by his lieges and was
kindly solicitous for the folk of his realm and his dominions, till
Allah took his soul and lodged him in His Garden and made high
his degree in Heaven." Then laying his hands on Iskandar's
head he said, "Would I knew which of these two art thou."

Whereupon Iskandar wept with sore weeping and straining the

"
King to his bosom cried, If thou be minded to company with me,
I will commit Wazir the government of my affairs and
to thee as
"
share with thee my kingdom." Cried the other, Well-away,
well-away! I have no mind to this."
"And why so?" asked
"Because all men are thy
Iskandar, and the King answered,
foes by reason of the wealth and the worlds thou hast won:
 254 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

while all men are my true friends, because of my contentment

and pauperdom, for that I possess nothing, neither covet
aught
of the goods of have no desire to them nor wish for
life ;
I

them, neither reck I aught save contentment." So Iskandar

pressed him to his breast and kissed him between the eyes and
went his way. 1 And among the tales they tell is one con-
cerning

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF KING ANUSHIRWAN. 8

IT is told of Anushirwan, the just King, that once upon a time

he feigned himself sick, and bade his stewards and intendants
go round about the provinces of his empire and the quarters of
his dominion and seek him out a mud-brick thrown away from
some ruined village, that he might use it as medicine, informing
his intimates that the leaches had prescribed this to him. So
they went the round of the provinces of his reign and of all the
lands under his sway and said to him on return, " In all the realm
we have found nor ruined site nor castaway mud-brick." At this
Anushirwan rejoiced and rendered thanks to the Lord, saying, " I
was but minded to try my kingdom and prove mine empire, that I
might know if any place therein remained ruined and deserted, so
J might rebuild and repeople it but, since there be no place in it
;

but is inhabited, the affairs of the reign are best-conditioned and

1
These terrific preachments to Eastern despots (who utterly ignore them) are a staple
produce of Oriental tale-literature and form the chiaro-oscuro as it were, of a picture
whose lights are brilliant touches of profanity and indelicate humour. It certainly has
the charm of contrast.Much of the above is taken from the Sikandar-nameh (Alexander
Book) of the great Persian poet, Nizami, who flourished A.H. 515 597, between the
aays of Firdausi (ob. A.D. 1021) and Sa'adi (ob. A.D. 1291). In that romance
Sikandar builds, "where the sun goes down," a castle of glittering stone which kill*
men by causing excessive laughter and surrounds it with yellow earth like gold. Hence
the City of Brass. He also converts, instead of being converted by, the savages of the
text. He finds a stone of special excellence which he calls Almas (diamond) ; and he
obtains it from the Valley of Serpents by throwing down flesh to the eagles. Lastly he
" " "
isaccompanied by Bilinas or Bilinus," who is apparently Apollonius of Tyana.
2
I have explained the beautiful name in Night cclxxxix: He is still famous for having
introduced into Persia the fables of Pilpay (Bidyapati, the lord of lore) and a game which
the genius of Pen' developed into chess.
 The Righteousness of King Anushirwan. 255

its ordinance is excellent ; and its populousness

l
hath reached the
pitch of perfection." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
"
high officials returned and reported, We have found in the empire
nor ruined site nor rotten brick," the Just King thanked his God
"
and Verily the affairs of the realm are best-conditioned and
said,
its ordinance is excellent and its populousness hath reached the
pink of perfection." And ken thou, O King, continued Shahrazad,
that these olden Kings strave not and toiled not for the peopling
of their possessions, but because they knew that the more populous
a country is, the more abundant is that which is desired therein ;

and because they wist the saying of the wise and the learned to be
true without other view, namely, " Religion dependeth on the King,
the King on the troops, the troops on the treasury, the treasury on
the populousness of the country and its prosperity on the justice
done to the lieges." Wherefore they upheld ao one in tyranny or
oppression neither suffered their dependants and suite to work
;

injustice,knowing that kingdoms are not established upon tyranny,

but that cities and places fall into ruin when oppressors are set as
rulers over them, and their inhabitants disperse and flee to other

governments whereby ruin falleth upon the realm, the imports

;

fail, become empty and the pleasant lives of the

the treasuries
subjects are perturbed for that they love not a tyrant and cease
;

not to offer up successive prayers against him so that the King ;

hath no ease of his kingdom, and the vicissitudes of fortune

speedily bring him to destruction. And they tell a tale con-
cerning

1
Here we find an eternal truth, of which Malthusians ever want reminding that the
;

power of a nation simply consists in its numbers of fighting

men and in their brute bodily
force. The conquering race is that which raises most foot-pounds: hence the North
conquers the South in the Northern hemisphere and vite versd.
 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

THE JEWISH KAZI AND HIS PIOUS WIFE.

AMONG the Children of Israel one of the Kazis had a wife of

surpassing beauty, constant in fasting and abounding in patience
and long-suffering; and he, being minded to make the pilgrimage
to Jerusalem, appointed his own brother Kazi in his stead, during
his absence, and commended his wife to his charge. this Now
brother had heard of her beauty and loveliness and had taken a
fancy to her. So no sooner was his brother gone than he went to
her and sought her love-favours ; but she denied him and held fast
to her chastity. The more she repelled him, the more he pressed
his suit upon her ; till, despairing of her and fearing lest she should

acquaint his brother with his misconduct whenas he should return,

he suborned false witnesses to testify against her of adultery ;

and and carried her before the King of the time who
cited her

adjudged her to be stoned. So they dug a pit, and seating her

therein stoned her, till she was covered with stones, and the
man said, " Be this hole her grave " But when it was dark a
!

passer-by, making neighbouring hamlet, heard her groaning

for a
in sore pain and, pulling her out of the pit, carried her home to
;

his wife, whom he bade dress her wounds. The peasant woman
till she recovered and presently gave her her child to be
tended her
nursed and;
she used to lodge with the child in another house by
night. Now a certain thief saw her and lusted after her. So he
sent to her seeking her love-favours, but she denied herself to
him wherefore he resolved to slay her and, making his way into
;

her lodging by night (and she sleeping), thought to strike at her

with a knife ;
but it smote the little one and killed it. Now when he
knew his misdeed, fear overtook him and he went forth the house
and Allah preserved from him her chastity. But as she awoke in
the morning, she found the child by her side with throat cut and ;

presently the mother came and seeing her boy dead, said to the
nurse, "'Twas thou didst murther him."
Therewith she beat her
a grievous beating and purposed to put her to death but her ;

husband interposed and delivered the woman, saying, " By Allah,

thou shalt not do on this wise." So the woman, who had somewhat
of money with her, fled forth for her life, knowing not whither she
should wend. Presently, she came to a village, where she saw a
 The Jewish Kazi and his Pious Wife* .57

crowd of people about a man crucified to a tree-stump, but still in

" "
the chains of life. What
hath he done ? she asked, and they
"
answered, He hath committed a crime, which nothing can expiate
but death or the payment of such a fine by way of alms." So she
" "
said to them, Take the money and let him go and, when they
;

did so, he repented at her hands and vowed to serve her, for the
love of Almighty Allah till death should release him. Then he
built her a cell and lodged her therein after which he betook
;

himself to woodcutting and brought her daily her bread. As for

her, she was constant in worship, so that there came no sick man
or demoniac to her, but she prayed for him and he was straightway
healed. --
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.

it foas tfce Jour f^un&rrtj anfc Sbixts*auctf)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
woman's cell was visited by folk (and she constant in worship), it

befel by decree of the Almighty that He sent down upon her

husband's brother (the same who had caused her to be stoned), a
cancer in the face, and smote the villager's wife (the same who had
beaten her) with leprosy, and afflicted the thief (the same who had
murthered the child) with palsy. Now
when the Kazi returned from
his pilgrimage, he asked his brother of his wife, and he told him that
she was dead, whereat he mourned sore and accounted her with her
Maker. After awhile, very many folk heard of the pious recluse
and flocked to her cell from all parts of the length and breadth of
whereupon said the Kazi to his brother, O my brother,
"
the earth ;

wilt thou not seek out yonder pious woman ? Haply Allah shall
"
decree thee healing at her hands and he replied, " O my brother,
!

carry me to her." Moreover, the husband of the leprous woman

heard of the pious devotee and carried his wife to her, as did also
the people of the paralytic thief and they all met at the door of
;

the hermitage. Now she had a place wherefrom she could look out
upon those who came to her, without their seeing her and they ;

waited till her servant came, when they begged admittance and
obtained permission. Presently she saw them all and recognized
them so she veiled and cloaked face and body and went out and
;

stood in the door, looking at her husband and his brother and the
thief and the peasant-woman but they could not recognise her.
;

VOL. V. R
258 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

"
Ho folk, ye
Then said she to them, shall not be relieved of what
is with you till ye confess your sins ; for, when the creature con-
fesseth his sins the Creator relenteth towards him and granteth
him that wherefore he resorteth to Him." Quoth the Kazi to his
"
brother, O
my brother, repent to Allah and persist not in thy
frowardness, for it will be more helpful to thy relief." And the
tongue of the case spake this speech :

This day oppressor and oppressed meet, o And Allah sheweth secrets we
secrete :

This is a place where sinners low are brought ; o And Allah raiseth saint to

highest seat.
Our Lord and Master shows the truth right clear, o Though sinner froward be
or own defeat :

Alas '
for those who rouse the Lord to wrath, o As though of Allah's wrath they
nothing weet !

O whoso seekest honours, know they are o From Allah, and His fear with love
entreat.

"
(Saith the relator), Then quoth the brother, Now I will tell the
"
truth I did thus and thus with thy wife
: and he confessed the ;

whole matter, adding, offence." "And

Quoth the this is my
"
leprous woman, As for me, I had a woman with me and imputed
to her that of which I knew her to be guiltless, and beat her
grievously and this is my offence." And quoth the paralytic,
;

" And I went in to a woman to kill

her, after I had tempted her to
commit adultery and she had refused and I slew a child that lay ;

by her side ;
and Then said the pious woman,
this is my offence."
" O my Thou hast made them feel the misery of
God, even as
revolt, so show them now the excellence of submission, for Thou
"
over all things art Omnipotent belong ! And Allah (to whom
Majesty and Might !) made them whole. Then the Kazi fell to
looking on her and considering her straitly, till she asked him why
he looked so hard and he said, " I had a wife and were she not
dead, I had said thou art she." Hereupon, she made herself
known to him and both began praising Allah (to whom belong
Majesty and Might !) for that which He had vouchsafed them of
the reunion of their loves but the brother and the thief and the
;

villager's wife joined in imploring her forgiveness. So she forgave

Arab. " Wayha," not so strong as "

1
Woe to," etc. Al-Hariri often uses it as

formula of affectionate remonstrance.

 The Shipwrecked Woman and her Child. 259

them one and all, and they worshipped Allah in that place and

rendered her due service, till Death parted them. And one of the
1
Sayyids hath related this tale of

THE SHIPWRECKED WOMAN AND HER CHILD.

I WAS Ka'abah one dark night, when I heard a

circuiting the
plaintive voice, speaking from a contrite heart and saying, " O
Bountiful One, Thy past boon Indeed, by my heart shall Thy
!

covenant never be undone." Hearing this voice, my heart fluttered

so that I was like to die but I followed the sound and behold, it
;

came from a woman, to whom I said, " Peace be with thee, O

handmaid of Allah " whereto she replied, " And with
;
thee be
peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings " Quoth I, " I !

conjure thee, by Allah the Most Great, tell me what is the covenant
to which thy heart is constant." " But that thou
Quoth she,
adjurest me by the Omnipotent, I would not tell thee my secrets.
See what is before me." So I looked and lo there was a child !

lying asleep before her and breathing heavily in his slumber. Said
"
she, Know, that I set forth, being big with this boy, to make
the pilgrimage to this House and took passage in a ship but the ;

waves rose against us and the winds blew contrary and the vessel
broke up. I saved myself on a plank and, on that bit of wood, I ;

gave birth to this child and while he lay on my bosom and the
;

waves beating upon me," And Shahrazad perceived the dawn

of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Note fo&cn it teas tfje Jpout pJun&rrtJ anto &uctg=s*bent!)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the woman
" Now while the boy lay on my bosom and the waves
continued,

1
Asa rule (much disputed) the Sayyid is a descendant from Mohammed through his
grandchild Hasan, and is a man of the pen ; whereas the Sharif derives from Husayn and
is a man of the sword. The Najib al-taraf is the son of a common Moslemah
by a Sayyid,
as opposed to the " Najib al-tarafayn," when both parents are of Apostolic blood. The
" Modern
is not noticed in Lane's
distinction Egyptians." The Shaiif is a fanatic and
often dangerous, as I have instanced in Pilgrimage iii.
139
 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

beat upon me, there swam up to me one of the sailors, who climbed
on the plank and said By Allah, I desired thee whilst thou wast
:

yet in the ship, and now I have come at thee so yield thy body :

to me, or I will throw thee into the sea. Said I Out on thee : !

hast thou no memory of that which thou hast seen and is it no

iwarning to thee ? Quoth he I have seen the like of this
:
many
a time and come off safe and care not. Quoth I O fellow, we :

are now in a calamity, whence we hope to be delivered by obe-

dience to Allah and not by disobedience. But he persisted with
me, and I feared him and thought to put him off; so I said to
him Wait till this babe shall sleep but he took the child off
:
;

my lap and threw him into the sea. Now when I saw this despe-
rate deed, my heart sank and sorrow was sore upon me so I ;

raised my eyes heavenwards and said O Thou that interposest :

between a man and his heart, intervene between me and this

leonine brute Thou over all things art Omnipotent
;
for And by !

Allah, hardly had I spoken when a beast rose out of the sea and
snatched him off the plank. When I saw myself alone my sorrows
redoubled and my grief and longing formy child, and I recited :

My coolth of eyes, the darling child of me o Is lost, and racked my heart with
agony ;

My body wrecked, and red-hot coals of love o Burning my liver with sore

pangs, I see.

In this my sorrow shows no gleam of joy j o Save Thy high grace and my ex-

pectancy :

Hast seen, O Lord, what unto me befel ;

e My son aye lost and parting pangs
I dree :

Take ruth on us and make us meet again ;

o For now my stay and only hope's
in Thee !

I abode a day and a night ; and, when morning

in this condition

dawned, I caught sight of the sails of a vessel shining afar off, nor
did the waves cease to drive me and the winds to waft me on, till
I reached the ship, whose sails I had sighted. The sailors took
me up and I looked and behold, my babe was amongst them so :

I threw myself upon him and said O folk, this is my child how : :

and whence came ye by him ? Quoth they Whilst we were :

sailing along the seas the ship suddenly stood still and
lo that !

which stayed us was a beast, as it were a great city, and this babe
on its back, sucking his thumbs. So we took him up. Now
when I heard this, I told them my tale and all that had betided
me and returned thanks to my Lord for His goodness, and vowed
 The Pious Black Stave. 261

to Him that never, whilst I lived, would I stir from His House nor
swerve from His service and sfnce then I have never asked of
;

Him aught but He hath given it me." Now when she had made
an end of her story (quoth the Sayyid), I put my hand to my
alms-pouch and would have given to her, but she exclaimed,
"
Away from me, thou idle man Have I not told thee of His
!

mercies and the graciousness of His dealings and shall I take an

alms from other than His hand ? " And I could not prevail with
her to accept aught of me so I left her and went away, reciting
:

these couplets :

How many boons conceals the Deity, o Eluding human sight in mystery :

How many graces come on heels of stresses, o And the burning heart fill with
jubilee :

How many a sorrow in the morn appears, o And turns at night-tide into
gladdest gree :

If things go hard with thee some day, yet trust o Th' Eterne, th' Almighty
God of Unity :
And pray the Prophet that he intercede ; o Through intercession every wish
shalt see.

And she left not the service of her Lord, cleaving unto His House,
till death came to her. And a tale is also .told, by Malik bin
Dinar * (Allah have mercy on him !) of

THE PIOUS BLACK SLAVE.

WE were once afflicted with drought at Bassorah and went forth
sundry times to pray for rain, but saw no sign of our prayers being
accepted. So I went, I and 'Itaa al-Salamf and Sdbit al-Banani
and Naja al-Bakaa and Mohammed bin Wasi'a and Ayyub al-
Sukhtiyani and Habfb al-Farsi and Hassan bin Abi Sinan and
2
'Otbah al-Ghulam and Salih al-Muzani, till we reached the
oratory, when the boys came out of the schools and we prayed for
3

rain, but saw no sign of acceptance. So about mid-day the people

went away and I and Sabit al-Banani tarried in the place of

1
A theologian of Bassorah (eighth century) :surnamed Abu Yabyi. The prayer for
mercy denotes that he was dead when the tale was written.
1 A theologian of Bassorah (eighth century).
*
Arab. " Musalla " '
"; lit. a place of prayer ; an oratory, a chapel, opp. to Jami'
x= a (cathedral) mosque.
262 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

prayer till nightfall, when we saw a black of comely face, slender

of shank l and big of belly, approach us, clad in a pair of woollen
drawers if all he wore had been priced, it would not have fetched
;

a couple of dirhams. He brought water and made the minor

ablution, then, going up to the prayer-niche, prayed two inclina*
tions deftly, his standing and bowing and prostration being

exactly similar in both. Then he raised his glance heavenwards,

and said, " O my God and my Lord and Master, how long wilt
Thou reject Thy servants in that which ofifereth no hurt to Thy
sovereignty ? Is that which is with Thee wasted or are the treasuries
of Thy Kingdom annihilated ? I conjure Thee, by Thy love to me
forthwith to pour out upon us Thy rain-clouds of grace !" He
spake and hardly had he made an end of speaking, when the
heavens clouded over and there came a rain, as if the mouths of
waterskins had been opened and when we left the oratory, we
;

were knee-deep in water, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn

of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Note fofjeit ft foas rtje jfout f^un&ufc anfc &ixtg=etgf)ti)

She said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that hardly

had he spoken when the heavens clouded over and there came
a rain, as if the mouths of waterskins had been opened. And
when we left the oratory we were knee-deep in water, and we
were lost in wonder at the black. So I accosted him and said
to him, " Woe to thee, O black, art thou not ashamed of what
thou saidst ?"' He me and asked, " What said I ?"
turned to ;

and I, "Thy saying to Allah: By Thy love of me; and what

giveth thee to know that He loveth thee ?" Replied he, " Away
from me, O thou distracted by the world from the care of thine
own soul. Where was I, when He gave me strength to profess
the unity of the Godhead and vouchsafed unto me the know-
ledge of Him ? How deemest thou that He aided me thus
"
except of His love to me ?" adding, Verily, His love to me is
after the measure of my love to Him." Quoth I, "Tarry awhile

According to all races familiar with the negro, a calf like a shut fist planted close
1

"
under the ham is, like the "cucumber shin and "lark heel," a good sign in a slave.
calves and well made legs denote the idle and the ne'er-do-well. I have often
Shapely
found this true although the rule is utterly empirical. Possibly it was suggested by the
contrast of the nervous and lymphatic temperaments.
 The Pious Black Slave. 263

with me, so may Allah have mercy on thee !" But he said, " I
am a chattel and the Book enjoineth me to obey my lesser
master." So we followed him afar off, till we saw him enter
the house of a slave-broker. Now the first half of the night
was past and the last half was longsome upon us, so we went
away but next morning, we repaired to the slave-dealer and said
;

"
to him, Hast thou a lad to sell us for service ?" He answered,
"Yes, I have an hundred lads or so and they are all for sale."
Then he showed us slave after slave, till he had shown us some
seventy but my friend was not amongst them, and the dealer
;

"
.said, These are all I have." But, as we were going out from him
we saw a ruinous hut behind his house and going in behold, we
found the black standing there. I cried, " 'Tis he, by the Lord
of the Ka'abah !" and turning to the dealer, said to him, " Sell me
"
yonder slave."
Replied he, O Abu Yahya, this is a pestilent
unprofitable fellow, who hath no concern by night but weeping
and by day but repentance." I rejoined, " It is for that I want
him." So the dealer called him, and he came out, showing drow-
"
siness. Quoth his master, Take him at thine own price, so thou
hold me free of all his faults." I bought him for twenty dinars
and asked What is his name ? " and the dealer answered.
"

"
Maymun, the monkey ;" and I took him by the hand and
went out with him, intending to go home but he turned to me ;

and said, " O my lesser lord, why and wherefore didst thou buy
me ? By Allah, I am not fit for the service of God's creatures !"
"
Replied I,bought thee that I might serve thee myself and
I ;

on my head be it." Asked he, " Why so ?" and I answered,

" Wast thou not in company with us yesterday in the place of
" " And
prayer ? Quoth he, didst thou hear me ?" and
; quoth I,
*'
It accosted thee yesterday and spoke with thee." There-
was I

he advanced till we came to a mosque, where he entered and

upon
" O
prayed a two-bow prayer ; after which he said, my God and
my Lord and Master, the secret that was between me and Thee
Thou hast discovered unto Thy creatures and hast brought me
to shame before the worldling. How then shall life be sweet
to me, now that other than Thou hath happened upon that which
is between Thee and me ? I conjure Thee to take my soul to Thee
forthright."
1
So saying, he prostrated himself, and I awaited
"""""" ""
)"" T"~
These devotees address Allah as a lover would his beloved. The curious reader
1
will
consult for instances fne Dabistan on Tasawwuf (ii. 221 ; i., iii. end, and passim.)
264 A If Laylak wa Laylah.

awhile without seeing him raise his head ; so I shook him and
behold, he was indeed dead, the mercy of Almighty Allah be upon
him I laid him out stretching his arms and legs and looked at
!

him, and lo he was smiling. Moreover, whiteness had got the

!

better of blackness on his brow, and his face was radiant with
light like a young moon. As we wondered at his case, the door
and a man came in to us and said,
"
opened young Peace be with
you May Allah make great our reward and yours for our brother
!

Maymun Here is his shroud wrap him in it." So saying, he

! :

gave us two robes, never had we seen the like of them, and we
shrouded him therein. And now his tomb is a place whither men
resort to pray for rain and ask their requirements of Allah (be He
extolled and exalted !) and how excellently well saith the poet
;

on this theme :

The heart of Gnostic 1 homed in heavenly Garth o Heaven "decks, and Allah's
porters aid afford.
Lo ! here they drink old wine 2
commingled with o Tasnim, the wine of union
with the Lord.
Safe is the secret 'twixt the Friend and them ; o Safe from all hearts but from
that Heart adored

And they recount another anecdote of

THE DEVOUT TRAY-MAKER AND HIS WIFE.

THERE was once, among the Children of Israel, a man of the

worthiest, who was strenuous in the service of his Lord and
abstained from things worldly and drave them away from his
heart He had
a wife who was a helpmate meet for him and
who was at all times obedient to him. They earned their living
3
by making trays and fans, whereat they wrought all through the

1
Arab. " Ma'rifat," Pers. Danish ; the knowledge of the Truth. The seven steps
are (l) Shari'at, external law like night ; (2) Tarlkat, religious rule like the stars ; (3)
Hakikat, reality, truth like the moon ; (4) Ma'arifat like the sun (5) Kurbat, proximity ;

to Allah j (6) Wasilat, union with Allah, and (7) Suknat, dwelling in Allah (Dabistan
iii.
29.)
2
Name of a fountain of Paradise : See Night xlix., vol. ii., p. IOO.
3
Arab. "Atbak" j these trays are made of rushes, and the fans of palm-leaves or
tail-feathers.
 The Devout Tray -maker and his Wife. 265

light hours and, at nightfall, the man went out into the streets
;

and highways seeking a buyer for what they had made. They
were wont to fast continually by day 1 and one morning they
arose, fasting, and worked at their craft till the light failed them,
when the man went forth, according to custom, to find purchasers
for his wares, and fared on till he came to the door of the house
of a certain man of wealth, one of the sons of this world, high
in rank and dignity. Now the tray-maker was fair of face and
comely of form, and the wife of the master of the house saw him
and fell in love with him and her heart inclined to him with ex-
ceeding inclination ; so, her husband being absent, she called her
handmaid and said to her, " Contrive to bring yonder man to us."
Accordingly the maid went out to him and called him and
stopped him as though she would buy what he held in hand.
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.

jtfofo fo&m it teas tfte ^our $|un&tt& an* SDtxtB--ntm|)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the maid-
servant went out to the man and asked him, " Come in ; my lady
hath a mind to buy some of thy wares, after she hath tried them
and looked at them." The man thought she spoke truly and,
seeing no harm in this, entered and sat down as she bade him ;
and she shut the door upon him. Whereupon her mistress came
out of her room and, taking him by the gaberdine,2 drew him
"
within and said, How long shall I seek union of thee ? Verily
my patience is at an end on thine account. See now, the place is
perfumed and provision prepared and the householder is absent
this night, and I give to thee my person without reserve, I whose
favours kings and captains and men of fortune have sought this
long while, but I have regarded none of them." And she went

Except on the two great Festivals when fasting is forbidden. The only religion
1

which has shown common sense in this matter is that of the Guebres or Farsis they :

consider fasting neither meritorious nor lawful ; and they honour Hormuzd by good
" because it
living keeps the soul stronger." Yet even they have their food supersti-
" Beware of sin
tions, e.g. in Gate No. xxiv. :
specially on the day thou eatest flesh, for
flesh is the diet of Ahriman." And in India the Guebres have copied the Hindus in not
slaughtering horned cattle for the table.
2
Arab. " Jallabiyah," a large-sleeved robe of coarse stuff worn by the poor
266 A If Laylah iva Laylak.

on talking thus to him, whilst he raised not his eyes from the
ground, for shame before Allah Almighty and fear of the pains
and penalties of His punishment ; even as saith the poet :

'Twixt me and riding many a noble dame, o Was naught but shame which kept
me chaste and pure :

My shame was cure to her ; but haply were o Shame to depart, she ne'er had
known a cure.

The man strove to free himself from her, but could not ;
so he
said to her, " I want one thing of thee." She asked, " What is
" "
that ? : and he answered, I wish for pure water and that I may
carry it to the highest place of thy house and do somewhat there-
with and cleanse myself of an impurity, which I may not disclose
"
to thee." Quoth she, The house is large and hath closets and
"
corners and privies at command." But he replied, I want
nothing but to be at a height." So she said to her slave-girl,
"Carry him up to the belvedere on the house-terrace." Ac-
cordingly the maid took him up to the very top and, giving
him a vessel of water, went down and left him. Then he made
the ablution and prayed a two-bow prayer ;
after which he looked
at the ground, thinking to throw himself down, but seeing it afar

off, feared to be dashed to pieces by the fall.

1
Then he bethought
him of his disobedience to Allah, and the consequences of his sin ;

so it became a light matter to him to offer up his life and shed his
"
blood and he said, O my God and my Lord, Thou seest that
;

which is fallen on me; neither is my case hidden from Thee.

Thou indeed over all things art Omnipotent and the tongue of
my case reciteth and saith :

I show my heart and thoughts to Thee, and Thou o Alone my secret's secrecy
canst know.
If I address Thee fain I cry aloud ;
o Or, if I'm mute, my signs for speech I

show.
Thou to whom no second be conjoined ! o A wretched lover seeks Thee in
his woe.
1 have a hope my thoughts as true confirm ;
o And heart that fainteth as right
well canst trow.
To lavish life is hardest thing that be, o Yet easy an Thou bid me life

forego ;

But, an it be Thy will to save from stowre, o Thou, my Hope, to work thia
work hast power !

1
His fear was that his body might be mutilated by the fall.
 The Devout Tray-maker and his Wife. 267

Then the man cast himself down from the belvedere ;

but Allah
sent an angel who bore him up on his wings and brought him
down to the ground, whole and without hurt or harm. Now when
he found himself safe on the ground, he thanked and praised
Allah (to whom belong Majesty and Might!) for His merciful
protection of his person and his chastity and he went straight to ;

his wife who had long expected him, and he empty-handed. Then

seeing him, she asked him why he had tarried and what was come
of that he had taken with him and why he returned empty-
handed; whereupon he told her of the temptation which had
befallen him, and she said, " Alhamdolillah praised be God for
delivering thee from seduction and intervening between thee and
"
such calamity Then she added, " O man, the neighbours use to
!

see us light our oven every night and, if they see us fireless this
;

night, they will know that we are destitute. Now it behoveth in

gratitude to Allah, that we hide our destitution and conjoin the
fast of this night to that of the past and continue it for the sake of
"
Allah Almighty So she rose and, filling the oven with wood,
lighted it, to baffle the curiosity of her women-neighbours, reciting
these couplets :

Now I indeed will hide desire and all repine ;

o And light up this my fire that
neighbours see no sign :

Accept I what befals by order of my Lord ;

o*
Haply He too accept this humble
act of mine.

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to

say her permitted say.

llofo fo&cn it teas tfje Jpour f^un&rrtf an& Sbcbentfetf) Jligfjt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that after the
goodwife had lit the fire women-
to baffle the curiosity of her

neighbours, she and her husband made the Wuzu-ablution and

stood up to pray, when behold, one of the neighbours' wives came
"
and asked leave to take a fire-brand from the oven. Do what
thou wilt with the oven," answered they, but, when she came to
"
the fire, she cried out, saying, Ho, such an one (to the tray-
'

maker's wife) take up thy bread ere it burn Quoth the wife to !

" "
her husband,
"
Hearest thou what she saith ? Quoth he, Go
268 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

and look." So she went up to the oven, and behold, it was full of
finebread and white. She took up the scones and carried them
to her husband, thanking Allah (to whom belong Majesty and
Might !) for His abounding good and great bounty and they ate ;

of the bread and drank water and praised the Almighty. Then
said the woman to her husband, " Come let us pray to Allah the
Most Highest, so haply He may vouchsafe us what shall enable us
to dispense with the weariness of working for daily bread and
devote ourselves wholly to worshipping and obeying Him." The
man rose in assent and prayed, whilst his wife said, " Amen," to
his prayer, when the roof clove in sunder and
a ruby, down fell

which lit the house with its light. Hereat, they redoubled in
praise and thanksgiving to Allah praying what the Almighty
willed,
1
and rejoiced at the ruby with great joy. And the night
being far spent, they lay down to sleep and the woman dreamt
that she entered Paradise and saw therein many chairs ranged and
stools set in rows. She asked what the seats were and it was
"
answered her, These are the chairs of the prophets and those are
the stools of the righteous and the pious." Quoth she, " Which is
the stool of my husband such an one ?"; and it was said to her,.
"
It is this." So she looked and seeing a hole in its side asked,
" "
What may be this hole ? "; and the reply came,
the place It is
of the ruby that dropped upon you from your house-roof." There-
upon she awoke, weeping and bemoaning the defect in her
husband's stool among the seats of the Righteous ; so she told
"
him the dream and Pray Allah, O man, that this
said to him,

ruby return to its place for endurance of hunger and poverty

;

during our few days here were easier than a hole in thy chair
2
among the just in Paradise." Accordingly, he prayed to his Lord,

1
The "
phrase means offering up many and many a prayer."
9
A saying of Mohammed is recorded "Al-fakru fakhri " (poverty is my pride!), intelli-
gible in a man for anything. Here he is diametrically opposed to Ali who
who never wanted
honestly abused poverty and the Prophet seems to have borrowed from Christendom,
;

whose " Lazarus and Dives" shows a man sent to Hell because he enjoyed a very
modified Heaven in this life and which suggested that one of the man's greatest miseries
"
is an ecclesiastical virtue Holy Poverty" represented in the Church as a bride young
"
and lovely. If "rich man can hardly enter the kingdom what must it be with a poor
a
man whose conditions more unfavourable ? Going to the other extreme we may say
are far
that Poverty is the root of and the more so as it curtails man's power of benefiting
all evil

Practically I observe that those who preach and praise it the most, practise
it
others.
the least the
: ecclesiastic has always some special reasons, a church or a school
willingly
 Al-Hajjaj and the Pious Man. 269

and lo ! the ruby flew up to the roof and away whilst they looked
at it. And they ceased not from their poverty and their piety, till
they went to the presence of Allah, to whom be Honour and
Glory And they also tell a tale of
!

AL-HAJJAJ AND THE PIOUS MAN.

AL-HAJJAJ BIN YUSUF AL-SAKAFI had been long in pursuit of

a certain man of the notables, and when at last he was brought
"
before him, he said, O enemy of Allah, He hath delivered thee
" and "
over to me cried, Hale him to prison and lay him by the
;

heels in heavy fetters and build a closet over him, that he may not
come forth of it nor any go into him." So they bore him to jail and
summoned the blacksmith with the irons and every time the ;

smith gave a stroke with his hammer, the prisoner raised his eyes
"
to heaven and said, Is not the whole Creation and the Empire
1
thereof His?" Then the gaolers built the cage 2 over him and
left him therein, lorn and lone, whereupon longing and con-
sternation entered into him and the tongue of his case recited in
extempore verse :

O .Wish of wistful men, for Thee I yearn ;

e My heart seeks grace of one no
heart shall spurn.
Unhidden from thy sight is this my case e And ; for one glance of thee I

pine and burn.

They jailed and tortured me with sorest pains :o Alas for lone one can no aid
discern '

is wanted ; but not the less he wishes for more money. In Syria this Holv Poverty leads
to strange abuses. At Bayrut I recognised in most impudent beggars well-to-do peasants
from the Kasrawdn district, and presently found out that whilst their fields were under
snow they came down to the coast, enjoyed a genial climate and lived on alms. When I
asked them if they were not ashamed to beg, they asked me if I was ashamed of following
in the footsteps of the Saviour and Apostles. How much wiser was Zoroaster who found
"
in the Supreme Paradise (Minuwan-minu) many persons, rich in gold and silver who
had worshipped the Lord and had been grateful to Him." (Dabistan i. 265.)
1
Koran vii. 52.
*
Arab. " "=
the house. The Arabs had probably learned this pleasant mode
Al-bayt
of confinement from the Chinese whose fCea or Cangue is well known. The Arabian
form of it is
" Ghull," or portable pillory, which reprobates will wear ou Judgment
Day,
270 Alf Laylah tva Laylak.

But, albe lone, I find Thy name befriends o And cheers, though sleep to
eyes shall ne'er return :

An thou accept of me, I care for naught ;

o And only Thou what's in my
heart canst learn !

Now when nightdark, the gaoler left his watchmen to guard

fell

him and went to his house ; and on the morrow, when he came to
the prison, he found the fetters lying on the ground and the
prisoner gone whereat he was affrighted and made sure of death.
;

So he returned to his place and bade his family farewell, after

which he took in his sleeve his shroud and the sweet herbs for his
corpse, and went in to Al-Hajjaj. And as he stood before the
"
presence, the Governor smelt the perfumes and asked, What is
"
that ? when the gaoler answered, " my lord, O it is I who have
" And what moved thee to that "
brought it." enquired the ?

Governor; whereupon he told him his case, And Shahrazad

perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

EToto fo&en it teas tfje Jour f^un&rftr antr ^ebtntg^first

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
"
gaoler told his case to Al-Hajjaj, the Governor cried, Woe to
"
thee ! Didst thou hear him say aught ? Answered the gaoler,
M Yes ! whilst the blacksmith was hammering his irons, he ceased
not to look up heavenwards and say Is not the whole Creation :

and the Empire thereof His ?" Rejoined Al-Hajjaj, "Dost thou
not know that He, on whom he called in thy presence, delivered
him in thine absence ? " And the tongue of the case recited on
this theme :

O how many a grief from me hast driven

Lord, o Nor can I sit or stand with-
out
Thy hold :

How many many things I cannot count, Thou sa^st from many
many and manifold !

And they also tell a tale of

 The Blacksmith who could Handle Fire. 271

THE BLACKSMITH WHO COULD HANDLE FIRE

WITHOUT HURT.
IT reached the ears of a certain pious man that there abode in
such a town a blacksmith, who could put his hand into the fire and
pull out the iron red-hot, without the flames doing him aught of
hurt. 1 So he set out for the town in question and asked for the
blacksmith and, when the man was shown to him, he watched
;

him work and saw him do as had been reported to him. He

at
waited till he had made an end of his day's work then, going up ;

to him, saluted him with the salam and said, " I would be thy
"
guest this night." Replied the smith, With gladness and goodly
"
gree and carried him to his place, where they supped together
!

and lay down to sleep. The guest watched, but saw no sign in
his host of praying through the night or of special devoutness and
said in his mind, a Haply he hideth himself from me." So he
lodged with him a second and a third night, but found that he did
not exceed the devotions prescribed by the law and custom of the
Prophet and rose but little in the dark hours to pray. At last he
said to him, " O my brother, I
have heard of the gift with which
Allah hath favoured thee and have seen the truth of it with mine
eyes. Moreover, I have taken note of thine assiduity in religious
exercises, but find in thee no such piety as distinguished those
"
who work whence, then, cometh this to thee ?
saintly miracles :

" I will tell thee," answered the smith Know that I was once
:

passionately enamoured of a slave-girl and ofttimes sued her for

love-liesse, but could not prevail upon her, because she still held fast
by her chastity. Presently there came a year of drought and hunger
and hardship food
;
failed and there befel a sore famine. As I
was sitting one day at home, somebody knocked at the door ; so
I went out and behold, she was standing there and she said to
;

me, O my brother, I am sorely an-hungered and I lift mine eyes

"
"
to thee, beseeching thee to feed me for Allah's sake Quoth I, !

" Wottest thou not how I love thee and what I have suffered for

thy sake ? Now I will not give thee one bittock of bread except

1
This commonest conjuring trick in the West becomes a miracle in the credulous
272 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

thou yield thy person to me." Quoth she, " Death, but not dis-
"
obedience to the Lord ! Then she went away and returned after
two days with the same prayer for food as before. I made her a
like answer, and she entered and sat down in my house being nigh

upon death. I set food before her, whereupon her eyes brimmed

with tears and she cried, " Give me meat for the love of Allah, to
whom belong Honour and Glory " But I answered, " Not so, by
!

" Better
Allah, except thou yield thyself to me." Quoth she, is
death to me than the wrath and wreak of Allah the Most Highest ;"
and she rose and left the food untouched And Shahrazad per-
ceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Noto fo&m (t teas tit ^our f^untrrrtr antr &tbentB=secon& Nt'g&t,'

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
man "
set food before her, the woman said, Give me meat for the
"
love of Allah, to whom be Honour and Glory But I answered, !

"
Not so, by Allah, except thou yield to me thy person." Quoth
" "
she, Better is death than the wrath and wreak of Allah ; and she
rose and left the food untouched and went away repeating these
couplets :

Thou, the One, whose grace doth all the world embrace * Thine ears have ;

heard, Thine eyes have seen my case !

Privation and distress have dealt me heavy blows ; * The woes that weary
me no utterance can trace.
1 am like one athirst who eyes the landscape's eye, Yet may not drink a
draught of streams that rail and race.
My flesh would tempt me by the sight of savoury food Whose joys shall pass
away and pangs maintain their place.

She then disappeared for two days, when she again came and
knocked at the door ; so I went out to her, and lo hunger had !

"
taken away her voice but, after a rest she said, O my brother, I
;

am worn out with want and know not what to do, for I cannot
show my face to any man but to thee. Say, wilt thou feed me for
" "
the love of Allah Almighty ? But I answered, Not so, except
thou yield to me thy person." And she entered my house and sat
down. Now I had no food ready ; but, when the meat was dressed
and I laid it in a saucer, behold, the grace of Almighty Allah
"
entered into me and I said to myself, Out on thee ! This woman
weak of wit and faith, hath refrained from food till she can no
 The Blacksmith who could Handle Fire. 273

hunger ; and, while she refuseth time after time,

longer, for stress of
"
thou canst not forbear from disobedience to the Lord And I !

said, "O my God, I repent to Thee of that which my flesh

"
purposed Then I took the food and carrying it to her, said,
!

41
Eat, for no harm shall betide thee : this is for the love of Allah,
whom " Then she raised her
to belong Honour and Glory eyes !

to heaven and said, O my God, if this man say sooth, I pray Thee
"

forbid fire to harm him in this world and the next, for Thou over
allthings art Omnipotent and Prevalent in answering the prayer
"
of the penitent Then I left her and went to put out the fire in
!

the brasier. 1 Now the season was winter and the weather cold,
and a on my body but by the decree of Allah (to
live coal fell :

whom be Honour and Glory !) I felt no pain and it became my

conviction that her prayer had been answered. So I took the coal
in my hand, and it burnt me not; and going in to her, I said,
"
41
Be of good cheer, for Allah hath granted thy prayer ! And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn _pf day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

JBoto tofjen ft teas tfje dfour 2Uun&re& an& bcbentn=tfjtr&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the black-
smith continued So I went in to her and said, " Be of good cheer,
:

for Allah hath granted thy prayer

" Then she
dropped the morsel !

"
from her hand and said, O my God, now that Thou hast shown
me my desire of him and hast granted me my prayer for him,
"
take Thou my soul, for Thou over all things art Almighty And !

straightway He took her soul to Him, the mercy of Allah be upon

her And the tongue of the case extemporised and spake on this
1

theme :

She prayed : the Lord of grace her prayer obeyed ;

And spared the sinner,
who for sin had prayed :

He showed her all she prayed Him to grant ;

* And Death (as prayed she)
her portion made :

1
Arab. " Kinun " ; the usual term Mankal (pron Manga!) a pan of copper or
is

brass. Some of -these " "

stand four feet high and are works of art.
chaBng-dishes
Lane (M. E. chapt. iv ) gives an illustration of the simpler kind, together with the
41
Aziki," a smaller pan for heating coffee. See Night dxxxviii.
VOL. V. S
274 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Unto his door she came and prayed for food, And sued his ruth for what hei
misery made :

He leant to error following his lusts, * And hoped to enjoy her as her wants
persuade ;

But he knew little of what Allah willed ;

* Nor was Repentance, though
unsought, denayed.
Fate comes to him who flies from Fate, O Lord, And lot and daily bread by
Thee are weighed.

And they also tell of

THE DEVOTEE TO WHOM ALLAH GAVE A CLOUD

FOR SERVICE AND THE DEVOUT KING.

THERE was once, among the children of Israel, a man of the

devout, for piety acclaimed and for continence and asceticism
enfamed, whose prayers were ever granted and who by supplica-
tion obtained whatso he wanted and he was a wanderer in the ;

mountains and was used to pass the night in worship Now

Almighty Allah had subjected to him a cloud which travelled
with him wherever he went, and poured on him its water-
treasures in abundance that he might make his ablutions and
drink. After a long time when things were thus, his fervour some-
what abated, whereupon Allah took the cloud away from him and
ceased to answer his prayers. On this account, great was his grief
and long was his woe, and he ceased not to regret the time of grace
and the miracle vouchsafed to him and to lament and bewail and
bemoan himself, till he saw in a dream one who said to him, " An
thou wouldest have Allah restore to thee thy cloud, seek out a
certain King, in such a town, and beg him to pray for thee so :

will Allah (be He extolled and exalted !) give thee back thy cloud
and bespread it over thee by virtue of his pious prayers." And he
began repeating these couplets :

Wend to that pious prayerful Emir, o Who can with gladness thy con-
dition cheer ;

An he pray Allah, thou shall win thy wish ; And heavy rain shall drop from
welkin clear.
He stands all Kings above in potent worth ; o Nor to compare with him doth
aught appear :
 Devotee to whom Allah gave a Cloud for Service. 275

Near him thou soon shah hap upon thy want, And see all joy and gladness
draw thee near :

Then cut the wolds and wilds unfounted till The goal thou goest for anigh
shalt speer !

So the hermit set out for the town named to him in the dream ;

and, coming thither after long travel, enquired for the King's
palace which was duly shown to him. And behold, at the gate
he found a slave-officer sitting on a great chair and clad in gor-
geous gear; so he stood to him and saluted him; and he returned
his salam and asked him, " What is thy business ?
"
Answered
"
the devotee, I am a wronged man, and come to submit my case
"
to the King." Quoth the officer, Thou hast no access to him
this day he hath appointed unto petitioners and enquirers one
;
for
" "
day in every seven (naming the day), on which they may go in
to him so wend thy ways in welfare till then." The hermit was
;

vexed with the King for thus veiling himself from the folk and said
in thought, " How shall this man be a saint of the saints of Allah

(to whom belong Majesty and Might!) and he on this wise?"

Then he went away and awaited the appointed day. Now (quoth
he) when it came, I repaired to the palace, where I found a great
number of folk at the gate, expecting admission and I stood with ;

them, till there came out a Wazir robed in gorgeous raiment and
attended by guards and slaves, who said, " Let those, who have
petitions to present, enter." So I entered with the rest and found
the King seated facing his officers and grandees who were ranged
according to their several ranks and degrees. The Wazir took up
his post and brought forward the petitioners, one by one, till it
came to my turn, when the King looked on me and said, " Wel-
'
come to the *
Lord of the Cloud Sit thee down till I make
!

leisure for thee." I was confounded at his words and confessed

his dignity and superiority and, when the King had answered
;

the petitioners and had made an end with them, he rose and dis-
missed his Wazirs and Grandees then, taking my hand he led
;

me to the door of the private palace, where we found a black slave,

splendidly arrayed, with helm on head, and on his right hand and
his left, bows and coats of mail. He rose to the King and, ;

hastening to obey his orders and forestall his wishes, opened the
door. We went in, hand in hand, till we came to a low wicket,
which the King himself opened and led me into a ruinous place of
frightful desolation and thence passed into a chamber, wherein was
naught but a prayer-carpet, an ewer for ablution and some mats of
276 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

palm-leaves. Here the King dotted his royal robes and donned a
coarse gown of white wool and a conical bonnet of felt. Then he
sat down and making me sit, called out to his wife, " Ho, such
an one " and she answered from within
!
" Here am I."
saying,
" Knowest thou who our guest to-day
"
Quoth he, is
Replied ?
"
she,
"
Yes, it is the Lord of the Cloud.' The King said, " Come
forth : it mattereth not for him." And behold, there entered a
woman, as she were a vision, with a face that beamed like the new
moon and she wore a gown and veil of wool.
; And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo farfjtn it foas (&* jpour ^un&refc an& Sbebent^fouttf)

She said, It hath reached me, auspicious King, that when the
King called to his wife, she came forth from the inner room ;
and
her face beamed like the new moon and she wore a gown ; and a
"
veil of wool. Then
said the King, O my
brother, dost thou desire
to hear our story or that we should pray for thee and dismiss thee ?"
Answered the hermit " Nay, I wish to hear the tale of you twain,
;

"
for that to me were preferable." Said the King, forefathers My
handed down the throne, one to the other, and it descended from
great one to great one, in unbroken succession, till the last died
and it came to me. Now Allah had made this hateful to me, for I
would fain have gone awandering over earth and left the folk to
their own affairs ;
but I feared lest they should fall into confusion
and anarchy and misgovernment so as to swerve from divine law,
and the union of the Faith be broken up. Wherefore, abandoning
my own plans, I took the kingship and appointed to every head of
them a regular stipend and donned the royal robes and posted
; ;

slave-officers at the doors, as a terror to the dishonest and for the

defence of honest folk and the maintenance of law and limitations.
Now when free of this, I entered this place and, doffing my royal
habit, donned these clothes thou seest and this my cousin, the ;

daughter of my father's brother, hath agreed with me to renounce

the world and helpeth me to serve the Lord. So we are wont to
weave these palm-leaves and earn, during the day, a wherewithal
to break our fast at nightfall and we have lived on this wise nigh
;

upon forty years. Abide thou with us (so Allah have mercy on
thee !) till we sell our mats and thou shalt sup and sleep with us
;

this night and on the morrow wend thy ways with that thou wishest,
 The Moslem Champion and the Christian Damsel 277
"
Inshallah ! So he tarried with them till the end of the day, when
there came a boy five years old who took the mats they had made
and carrying them to the market, sold them for a carat * and with ;

this bought bread and beans and returned with them to the King.
The hermit broke his fast and lay down to sleep with them but ;

in the middle of the night, they both arose and fell to praying and
" O
weeping. When daybreak was near, the King said, my God,
this Thy servant beseecheth Thee to return him his cloud and to ;

do this Thou art able so, O my God, let him see his prayer granted
;

and restore him his cloud." The Queen amen'd to his orisons and
behold, the cloud grew up in the sky whereupon the King gave
;

the hermit joy and the man took leave of them and went away, the
cloud companying him as of old. And whatsover he required of
Allah after this, in the names of the pious King and Queen, He
granted it without fail and the man made thereon these couplets :

My Lord hath servants fain of piety; o Hearts in the Wisdom-garden

ranging free :

Their bodies' lusts at peace, and motionless o For breasts that bide in purest
secresy.
Thou seest all silent, awesome of their Lord, o For hidden things unseen and
seen they see.

And they tell a tale of

THE MOSLEM CHAMPION AND THE CHRISTIAN

DAMSEL.

THE Commander of the Faithful, Omar bin al-Khattdb (whom

Allah accept!), once levied for holy war an army of Moslems, to
encounter the foe before Damascus, and they laid close siege to
one of the Christians' strongholds. Now there were amongst the
Moslems two men, brothers, whom Allah had gifted with fire and
bold daring against the enemy ;
so that the commander of the

1
See vol. iii., p. 239. The system is that of the Roman As and Unciae. Here it would
be the twenty-fourth part of a dinar or miskal ; something under $d. I have already
noted that all Moslem rulers are religiously bound to some handicraft, if it be only
making toothpicks. Mohammed abolished kingship proper as well as priestcraft.
2/8 Alf Laylak wa Laylah.
"
besieged fortress said to his chiefs and braves, Were but yonder
two Moslems ta'en or slain, I would warrant you against the rest
of their strain." Wherefore they left not to set for them all
manner of and snares and ceased not to manoeuvre and lie
toils
in wait and ambush for them, till they took one of them prisoner
and slew the other who died a martyr. They carried the captive
to the Captain of the fort, who looked at him and said, " Verily,
to kill this man were indeed a pity but his return to the Moslem ;

would be a calamity." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day

and ceased saying her permitted say.

Nofo foljen it foa tfje Jpour $$unbrc& antr &ebentg*fifti) Xioljt,

She said, It O auspicious King, that when the

hath reached me,
enemy Moslem
carried their captive before the Captain of the fort,
the Christian looked at him and said, " Verily to kill this man
were a pity indeed; but his return to the Moslem would be a
calamity. Oh that he might be brought to embrace the Nazarene
"
Faith and be to us an aid and an arm Quoth one of his !

Patrician Knights, " O

tempt him to abjure his faith
Emir, I will

and on this wise we know that the Arabs are much addicted to
:

women, and I have a daughter, a perfect beauty, whom when he

sees, he will be seduced by her." Quoth the Captain, "I give him
into thy charge." So he carried him to his place and clad his
daughter in raiment, such as added to her beauty and loveliness.
Then he brought the Moslem into the room and set before him
food and made the fair girl stand in his presence, as she were a
handmaid obedient to her lord and awaiting his orders that she
might do his bidding. When the Moslem saw the evil sent down
upon him, he commended himself Almighty and closing to Allah
his eyes, applied himself to worship and to reciting the Koran.
Now he had a pleasant voice and a piercing wit and the Nazarene ;

damsel presently loved him with passionate love and pined for
him with extreme repine. This lasted seven days, at the end of
"
which she said to herself, Would to Heaven he would admit me
"
into the Faith of Al-Islam ! And the tongue of her case recited
these couplets :

Wilt turn thy face from heart that 's all thine own, o This heart thy ransom and
this soul thy wonc ?
 The Moslem Champion and the Christian Damsel. 279

I 'm ready home and kin to quit for aye, e And every Faith for that of sword
'

disown :

I testify that Allah hath no mate : This proof is stablished and this truth is
known.
Haply shall deign He union grant with one o Averse, and hearten heart love-
overthrown ;
For ofttimes door erst shut, is opened wide, o And after evil case all good is

shown.

At last her patience failed her and her breast was straitened and
she threw herself on the ground before him, saying," I conjure thee
" "
by thy Faith, that thou give ear to my words ! Asked he, What
" "
are they? and she answered, Expound unto me Al-Islam." So
he expounded to her the tenets of the Faith, and she became a
2
Moslemah, after which she was circumcised and he taught her to

1
Al-Islam, where salvation is found under the shade of the swords.
*
Moslems and others) hold the clitoris (Zambiir) to be the
like the Classics (Aristotle
sedes et scaturigo veneris which, says Sonnini, is mere profanity. In the babe it pro-
trudes beyond the labiae and snipping off the head forms female circumcision. This rite
is supposed by Moslems to have been invented by Sarah who so mutilated Hagar for

jealousy and was afterwards ordered by Allah to have herself circumcised at the same
time as Abraham. It is now (or should be) universal in Al-Islam and no Arab would
marry a girl "unpurified" by it. Son of an "uncircumcised" mother (Ibn al-bazra) is
a sore insult. As regards the popular idea that Jewish women were circumcised till the
days of Rabbi Gershom (A.D. 1000) who denounced it as a scandal to the Gentiles, the
learned Prof. H. Graetz informs me, with some indignation, that the rite was never
practised and that the great Rabbi contended only against polygamy. Female circum-
cision, however, is I believe the rule amongst some outlying tribes of Jews. The rite is
the proper complement of male circumcision, evening the sensitiveness of the genitories
by reducing it equally in both sexes : an uncircumcised woman has the venereal orgasm
much sooner and oftener than a circumcised man, and frequent coitus would injure her
health ; hence I believe, despite the learned historian, that it is practised by some
Eastern Jews. "Excision" is universal amongst the negroids of the Upper Nile
(Weme), the Somal and other adjacent tribes. The operator, an old woman, takes
up the instrument, a knife or razor-blade fixed into a wooden handle, and with three
sweeps cuts off the labia and the head of the clitoris. The parts are then sewn up with
a packneedle and a thread of sheepskin ; and in Dar-For a tin tube is inserted for the

passage of urine. Before marriage the bridegroom trains himself for a month on beef,
honey and milk ; and, if he can open his bride with the natural weapon, he is a sworder
to whom no woman in the tribe can deny herself. If he fail, he tries penetration with

his fingers and by way of last resort whips out his whittle and cuts the parts open. The
sufferings of the first few nights must be severe. The few Somali prostitutes who
practised at Aden always had the labiae and clitoris excised and the skin showing the
scars of coarse sewing. The moral effect of female circumcision is peculiar. While it
diminishes the heat of passion it increases licentiousness, and breeds a debauchery of
mind far worse than bodily unchastity, because accompanied by a peculiar cold cruelty
and a "
taste for artificial stimulants to It is the sexlessness of a spayed canine
luxury."
imitated by the suggestive brain of humanity.
280 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

"
pray. Then
said she to him, O my
brother, I did but embrace
Al-Islam for thy sake and to win thy favours." Quoth he, "The
law of Al-Islam forbiddeth sexual commerce save after a marriage
before two legal witnesses, and a dowry and a guardian are also
requisite. Now I know not where to find witnesses or friend or
parapherne an thou can contrive to bring us out of this
; but,
place, may hope to make the land of Al-Islam, and pledge
I

myself to thee that none other than thou in all Al-Islam shall be
"
wife to me." Answered she, I will manage that "; and, calling her
father and mother, said to them, " Indeed this Moslem's heart is
softened and he longeth to enter the faith, so I will grant him that
which he desireth of my person but he saith It befitteth me not
;
:

to do this in a town where my brother was slain. Could I but get

outside it my heart would be solaced and I would do that which
is wanted of me. Now there is no harm in letting me go forth
with him to another town, and I will be a surety to you both and
to the Emir for that which ye wish of him." Therefore her father
went to their Captain and told him this, whereat he joyed with
exceeding joy and bade him carry them forth to a village that she
named. So they went out and made the village where they abode
the rest of their day, and when night fell, they got ready for the
march and went their way, even as saith the poet :

"The time of parting," cry they, "draweth nigh": o "How oft this parting-

threat?" I but reply:

I've naught to do but cross the wild and wold o And, mile by mile, o'er fount-
less wastes to fly,
If the beloved seek another land o Sons of the road, whereso they wend,
wend I.

I make desire direct me to their side, o The guide to show me where the way
doth lie.

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her

permitted say.

toijen it teas tfje Jpour f^un&r& an* Sb*bntp-sfxt&

She said, It hath reached me, King, that the O auspicious

prisoner and the lady abode of their day
in the village the rest

and, when night fell, made ready for the march and went upon
their way ; and travelled all night without stay or delay. The
 The Moslem Champion and the Christian Damsel. 281

young Moslem, mounting a swift blood-horse and taking up the

maiden behind him, ceased not devouring the ground till it was
bright morning, when he turned aside with her from the highway
and, alighting, they made the Wuzu-ablution and prayed the dawn-
prayer. Now as they were thus engaged behold, they heard the
clank of swords and clink of bridles and men's voices and tramp
"
of horse ; whereupon he said to Ho, such an one, the her,
Nazarenes are after us What shall we do ? the horse is so jaded
! :

and broken down that he cannot stir another step." Exclaimed

she,
"
Woe to thee art thou then afraid and affrighted ?" " Yes,"
!

answered he and she said, " What didst thou tell me of the
;

power of thy Lord and His readiness to succour those who succour
seek ? Come, let us humble ourselves before Him and beseech
Him haply He shall grant us His succour and endue us with His
:

"
grace, extolled and exalted be He !" Quoth he, By Allah, thou
sayst well So they began humbling themselves and supplicating
!"

Almighty Allah and he recited these couplets :

Indeed I hourly need thy choicest aid, * And should, though crown were
placed upon my head :

Thou art my and if my hand * Won what it wisheth, all my

chiefest want,
wants were sped.
Thou hast not anything withholdest Thou; Like pouring rain Thy grace rs
showered :

I'm shut therefrom by sins of me, yet Thou, * O Clement, deignest pardon-light
to shed.
O Care-Dispeller, deign dispel my grief ! None can, save Thou, dispel a grief
so dread.

"
Whilst he was praying and she was saying, Amen," and the
thunder of horse-tramp nearing them, lo the brave heard the !

voice of his dead brother, the martyr, speaking and saying, "O my
brother, fear not, nor grieve for the host whose approach thou
!

nearest is the host of Allah and his Angels, whom He hath sent
to serve as witnesses to your marriage. Of a truth Allah hath
made His Angels glorify you and He bestoweth on you the meed
of the meritorious and the martyrs ; and He hath rolled up the
earth for you as it were a rug so that, by morning, you will be in
the mountains of Al-Medinah. And thou, when thou foregatherest
with Omar bin al-Khattab (of whom Allah accept !) give him my
salutation and say to him : Allah abundantly requite thee for Al-
Islam, because thou hast counselled faithfully and hast striven dili-
gently." Thereupon the Angels lifted up their voices in salutation
282 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

"
to him and his bride, saying, Verily, Almighty Allah appointed
her in marriage to thee two thousand years before the creation of
your father Adam (with whom be peace evermore !)." Then joy
and gladness and peace and happiness came upon the twain con- ;

fidence was confirmed and established was the guidance of the

pious pair.So when dawn appeared, they prayed the accustomed

prayer and fared forward. Now it was the wont of Omar son
of Al-Khattab (Allah accept him !) to rise for morning-prayer
in the darkness before dawn and at times he would stand in the

prayer-niche with two men behind him, and begin reciting the
" "l
Chapter entitled Cattle or that entitled Women ? whereupon
the sleeper awoke and he who was making his Wuzu-ablution
accomplished it and he who was afar came to prayer nor had he ;

made an end of the first bow, ere the mosque was full of folk ;

then he would pray his second bow quickly, repeating a short

chapter. But, on that morning he hurried over both first and
second inclinations, repeating in each a short chapter then, after ;

the concluding salutation, turning to his companions, he said to

"
them, Come, let us fare forth to meet the bride and bridegroom ";
at which they wondered, not understanding his words. But he
went out and they followed him, till they came to the gate of the
city, where they met the young Moslem who, when the day broke
and the standards of Al-Medinah appeared to him, had pushed
forward for the gate closely followed by his bride. There he was
met by Omar who bade make a marriage-feast and the Moslems ;

came and ate. Then the young Moslem went in unto his bride
and Almighty Allah vouchsafed him children, And Shahrazad, --
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Noto to&cn it foas t&e jffout f^unlm& auto

She said, It O auspicious King, that Omar (on

hath reached me,
whom be peace
!) bade make a marriage-feast and the Moslems ;

came and ate. Then the young Moslem went in unto his bride
and Almighty Allah vouchsafed him children, who fought in the
Lord's way and preserved genealogies, for they gloried therein.
And how excellent is what is said on such theme :

1
Koran vi. so called because certain superstitions about Cattle are therein mentioned.
8 Koran iv. So called because it treats of marriages, divorces, etc.
 The Christian Kings Daughter and the Moslem. 283

I saw thee weep before the gates and 'plain, Whilst only curious wight
reply would deign :

Hath eye bewitcht thee, or hath evil lot o Twixt thee and door of
friend set bar of bane ?
Wake up this day, O wretch, persist in prayer, o Repent as wont repent de-
parted men.
Haply shall wash thy sins Forgiveness-showers; o And on thine erring head
some ruth shall rain :

And prisoner shall escape despite his bonds o And slave from thraldom
;

freedom shall attain.

And they ceased not to be in all solace and delight of life, till

there came tothem the Destroyer of delights and the Sunderer of

societies. And a tale is told by Si'di Ibrahim bin Al-Khawwas 1

(on whom be the mercy of Allah !) concerning himself and

THE CHRISTIAN KING'S DAUGHTER AND

THE MOSLEM.
MY urged me, once upon a time, to go forth into the
spirit
country of the Infidels ; and I strove with it and struggled
to put away from me this inclination ; but it would not be re-

jected. So I fared forth and journeyed about the land of the

Unbelievers and traversed it in all its parts; for divine grace
enveloped me and heavenly protection encompassed me, so that
I met not a single Nazarene but he turned away his eyes and
drew off from me, till I came to a certain great city at whose
gate I found a gathering of black slaves, clad in armour and
bearing iron maces in their hands. When they saw me, they
rose to their feet and asked me, " Art thou a leach ?" ; and I
" "
answered, Yes." Quoth they, Come speak to our King," and
carried me
before their ruler, who was a handsome personage of
majestic presence. When I stood before him, he looked at me and
" "
said, Art a physician, thou ?" Yes," quoth I and quoth he to his ;

"
officers, Carry him to her, and acquaint him with the condition

1
Sldi (contracted from Sayyidf = my lord) is a title still applied to holy men in

Marocco and the Maghrib on the East African coast it

;
is assumed by negro and negroid
" "
is the Anglo-Indian term for a
Moslems, e.g. Sidi Mubarak Bombay ; and Seedy boy
Zanzibar-man. " Khawwas" is one who weaves
palm-leaves (Khos) into baskets, mats,
etc. :
here, however, it may be an inherited name.
284 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

before he enter." So they took me out and said to me, " Know that
the King hath a daughter, and she is stricken with a sore disease,
which no doctor hath been able to cure and no leach goeth in to :

her and treateth, without healing her, but the King putteth him to
death. So bethink thee what thou seest fitting to do." I replied,
" The
King drove me to her ; so carry me to her." Thereupon
they brought me to her door and knocked and behold, I heard ;

"
her cry out from within, saying, Admit to me the physician, lord
of the wondrous secret !" And she began reciting :

Open the door ! the leach now draweth near ;

o And in my soul a wondrous
secret speer :
How many of the near far distant are !' o How many distant far are nearest
near!
I was
in strangerhood amidst you all o But willed the Truth8 my solace
:

should appear.
Joined us the potent bonds of Faith and Creed ; o We met as dearest fere
greets dearest fere :

He sued for interview whenas pursued o The spy, and blamed us envy's jibe
and jeer :

Then leave your chiding and from blame desist, o For fie upon you ! not a
word I'll hear.

I care for naught that disappears and fleets ; o My care's for Things nor fleet

nor disappear.

And a Shaykh, a very old man, opened the door in haste and
lo !

"
said to me, Enter." So I entered and found myself in a chamber
strewn with sweet-scented herbs and with a curtain drawn across
one corner, from behind which came a sound of groaning and
grame, weak as from an emaciated frame. I sat down before the
curtain and was about to offer my salam when I bethought me of
hiswords (whom Allah save and assain !), " Accost not a Jew nor a
Christian with the salam salutation ; 3 and, when ye meet them in

" " Monckton Milnes, Lord

1
i.e. in spirit; the strangers yet of poor dear Richard

Houghton.
2
Al-Hakk = the Truth, one of the ninety-nine names of Allah.
3
The Moslemis still unwilling to address Salam (Peace be with you) to the Christian,

as obligatory (Farz) to a Moslem (Koran, chapt. iv. and Ixviii.).

it is He usually evades
the difficulty by saluting the nearest Moslem or by a change of words Allah Yahdi-k
" Peace be
(Allah direct thee to the right way) or upon us and the righteous worshippers
of Allah
"
(not you) or Al-Samm (for Salam) alayka
=
poison to thee. The idea is old t
Alexander of Alexandria in his circular letter describes the Arian heretics as "men whom
it is not lawful to salute or to bid God -speed."
 The Christian King's Daughter and the Moslem. 285

the way, constrain them to the straitest part thereof." So I with-

held my salutation, but she cried out from behind the curtain,
saying,
" Where is the salutation of
Unity and Indivisibility, O
Khawwds?" I was astonished at her speech and asked, "How
knowest thou me ? "; whereto she answered, " When the heart and
thoughts are whole, the tongue speaketh eloquently from the secret
recesses of the soul. I begged Him yesterday to send me one of

His saints, at might have deliverance, and behold, it

whose hands I

was cried to me from the dark places of my house: Grieve not for ;

we soon will send thee Ibrahim the Basket-maker." Then I asked

" What of thee ? " and she "
It is now four years
her, answered,
since there appeared to me the Manifest Truth, and He is the
Relator and the Ally, and the Uniter and the Sitter-by; whereupon
my folk looked askance upon me with an evil eye and taxed me
with insanity and suspected me of depravity, and there came not
in to me doctor but terrified me, nor visitor but confounded me."
"
Quoth I, And who led thee to the knowledge of what thou
" "
wottest ? Quoth she, The manifest signs and visible portents of
Allah; and, when the path is patent to thee, thou espiest with thine
own eyes both proof and prove/." Now whilst we were talking,
behold, in came the old man appointed to guard her and said,
"
What doth thy doctor ?"; and she replied, " He knoweth the hurt
and hath hit upon the healing." And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

fo&en it foas tfje jfout |DunUrct an& Sbebentg.efg&tf) tftgftt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
"
Shaykh, her guardian, went in to her he said, What doth thy
"
doctor ? "; and she replied, He knoweth the hurt and hath hit
upon the healing." Hereupon he manifested joy and gladness and
accosted me with a cheerful countenance, then went and told the
King, who enjoined to treat me with all honour and regard. So I
visited her daily for seven days, at the end of which time she said
"
to me, O Abu Ishak, when shall be our flight to the land of
" *'
Al-Islam ? How canst thou go forth," replied I, " and who
" "
would dare to aid thee ? Rejoined she, He who sent thee to
"
me, driving thee as it were and I observed, " Thou sayest sooth."
;

So when the morrow dawned, we fared forth by the city-gate and

all eyes were veiled from us. by commandment of Him who when
286 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

"
He desireth aught, saith to becometh ! so that I
it, Be," and it ;

journeyed with her in safety to Meccah, where she made a home

hard by the Holy House of Allah and lived seven years till the ;

appointed day of her death. The earth of Meccah was her tomb,
and never saw I any more steadfast in prayer and fasting than
she, Allah send down upon her His mercies and have compassion
on him who saith :

When they to me had brought the leach (and surely showed The signs of
flowing tears and pining malady),
The face-veil he withdrew from me, and 'neath it naught * Save breath of on<

unsouled, unbodied, could he see.

"
Quoth he, This be a sickness Love alone shall care ; Love hath a secret
from guess of man wide free."
all
" An folk
Quoth they, ignore what here there be with him Nature of ill and
eke its symptomology ,
How then shall medicine work a cure ? At this I
" Leave me alon
quoth ;

I have no guessing specialty."

And they tell a tale of

A CERTAIN Prophet 2 made

his home for worship on a lofty moun-

tain, at whose foot was a spring of running water, and he was wont
to sit by day on the summit, that no man might see him, calling
upon the name of Allah the Most Highest and watching those who
frequented the spring. One day, as he sat looking upon the foun-
tain, behold, he espied a horseman who came up and dismounted
thereby and taking a bag from his neck, set it down beside him,
after which he drank of the water and rested awhile, then he rode

away, leaving behind him the bag which contained gold pieces.
Presently up came another man to drink of the spring, who saw

1
Koran xxxvi. 82. I have before noted that this famous phrase was borrowed from
the Hebrews, who borrowed
from the Egyptians.
it

2 See Koran chapt. xviii. 64

The story of Moses and Khizr has been noticed before.
et seq. Lane (ii. 642), by Al-Kazwini in the Ajaib al-Makhlukat.
It is also related, says
" The "
This must be Angel and the Hermit in the Gesta Romanorum, Tale Ixxx. which
possibly gave rise to ParneH's Hermit and Tale cxxvii. " Of Justice and Equity.'" The
;

Editor says it "contains a beautiful lesson:" I can find only excellent excuses for
" evil that good may come of it"
doing
 The Prophet and the Justice of Providence. 287

the bag and finding it full of money took it up; then, after satisfy-
ing his thirst, he made off with it in safety. little after came a A
wood-cutter wight with a heavy load of fuel on his back, and sat
down by the spring to drink, when
back came the first horse- lo !

"
man in great trouble Where is the bag which was
and asked him,
"
here ? and when he answered, " I know nothing of it," the rider
drew his sword and smote him and slew him. Then he searched
his clothes, but found naught ;
so he left him and wended his ways.
Now when the Prophet saw this, he said, " O Lord, one man hath
taken a thousand dinars and another man hath been slain un-
"
justly." But Allah answered him, saying, Busy thyself with thy
devotions, for the ordinance of the universe is none of thine affair.
The father of this horseman had violently d-espoiled of a thousand
dinars the father of the second horseman gave the son pos- ;
so I

session of his sire'smoney. As

he had slainfor the woodcutter,
the horseman's father, wherefore I enabled the son to obtain retri-
bution for himself." Then cried the Prophet, " There is none other
god than Thou Glory be to Thee only
!
Verily, Thou art the !

Knower of Secrets." --
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
l

day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Nofo fofjcn ft foas tfje Jpour f^untortti anto ^cbcnty-nmtl)

She said, It auspicious King that when the

hath reached me, O
Prophet was bidden by inspiration of Allah to busy himself with
his devotions and learned the truth of the case, he cried, "There is
none other god but Thou Glory be to Thee only Verily, Thou
! !

and Thou alone wottest hidden things." Furthermore, one of the

poets hath made these verses on the matter :

The Prophet saw whatever eyes could see, o And fain of other things en-

quired he ;

"
And, when his eyes saw things misunderstood, o Quoth he, O Lord, this slain
from sin was free.
This one hath won him wealth withouten work o Albe appeared he garbed in ;

penury.
And that in joy of life was slain, although O man's Creator free of sin
he be."
God answered "Twas his father's good thou saw's! o Him take; byheirship
not by roguery ;

1
Koran cliapi. v. log.
288 A If Laylah wa Laylaft.
Yon woodman too that horseman's sire had slain ; o Whose son avenged him
with just victory :
Put off, O slave of Me, this thought for I o In men have set mysterious
secrecy !

Bow to Our Law and humble thee, and learn o For good and evil issues Our
1
decree."
t

And a certain pious man hath told us the tale of

THE FERRYMAN OF THE NILE AND THE HERMIT.

I WAS once a ferryman on the Nile and used to ply between the
eastern and the western banks. Now one day, as I sat in my
boat, there came up to me
an old man of a bright and beaming
countenance, who saluted me and I returned his greeting and ;

he said to me, "Wilt thou ferry me over for the love of Allah
Almighty?" I answered, "Yes," and he continued, "Wilt thou
moreover give me food for Allah's sake ? " to which again I ;

"
answered, With all my heart." So he entered the boat and I
rowed him over to the eastern side, remarking that he was clad
in a patched gown and carried a gourd-bottle and a staff. When
he was about to land, he said to me, " I desire to lay on thee a
" " "
heavy trust." Quoth I, What is it ? Quoth he, It hath been
revealed to me that my end is nearhand and that to-morrow about
noon thou wilt come and find me dead under yonder tree. Wash
me and wrap me in the shroud thou wilt see under my head and
after thou hast prayed over me, bury me in this sandy ground and
take my gown and gourd and staff, which do thou deliver to one
who shall come and demand them of thee." I marvelled at his
words, and I slept there. On the morrow I awaited till noon, the
event he had announced, and then I forgot what he had said till
near the hour of afternoon-prayer, when I remembered it and
hastening to the appointed place, found him under the tree, dead,
with a new shroud under his head, exhaling a fragrance of musk.
So I washed him and shrouded him and prayed over him, then-
dug a hole in the sand and buried him, after I had taken his
ragged gown and bottle and staff, with which I crossed the Nile

1
The doggrel is phenomenal.
 The Ferryman of the Nile and the Hermit. 289

to the western side and there nighted. As soon as morning

dawned and the city gate opened, sighted a young man known to I

me as a loose fellow, clad in fine clothes and his hands stained

" Art thou not such an one ? "
with Henna, who
said to me,
"
"
Yes," answered I ;
and he said, Give me the trust." Quoth I,

"What is that?" Quoth he, "The gown, the gourd and the
staff." I asked him, "Who told thee of them ?" and he answered,
" I know nothing I spent yesternight at the wedding of
save that
one of my and carousing till daylight, when I lay me
friends singing
down to sleep and take my rest and behold, there stood by me a ;

"
personage who said, Verily Allah Almighty hath taken such a
saint to Himself and hath appointed thee to fill his place so go ;

thou to a certain person (naming the ferryman), and take of him

the dead man's gown and bottle and staff, for he left them with
him for thee." So I brought them out and gave them to him;
whereupon he doffed his clothes and, donning the gown, went his
way and left me. 1 And when the glooms closed around me, I fell
a-weeping but, that night, while sleeping I saw the Lord of Holi-
;

"O
ness (glorified and exalted be He !) in a dream saying, my
servant, is it grievous to thee that I have granted to one of My
servants to return to Me ? Indeed, this is of My bounty, that I
vouchsafe to whom I will, for I over all things am Almighty." So
I repeated these couplets :

Lover with loved * loseth will and aim ;

e All choice (an couldst thou know)
were sinful shame.
Or grant He favour and with union grace, o Or from thee turn away, He hath
no blame.
An from such turning thou no joy enjoy e Depart the place for thee no place !

became.
Or canst His near discern not from His far? e Then Love's in vain and thou'rt
a-rear and lame.
If pine for Thee afflict my sprite, or men o Hale me to death, the rein Thy
hand shall claim !

1
He went in wonder and softened heart to see the miracle of saintly affection.
3
In Sufistical parlance, the creature and the Creator the Beloved : worldly
is the lover
existence Disunion, parting, severance; and the life to come is Reunion. The basis
is

of the idea is the human soul being a divinse particula aurae, a disjoined molecule
from the Great Spirit, imprisoned in a jail of flesh ; and it is so far valuable that it
has produced a grand and pathetic poetry ; but Common Sense asks, Where is the
proof? And Reason wants to know, What does it all mean 7
VOL. V. T
290 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

So turn Thee to or fro, to me 'tis one ;

o What Thou ordainest none shall dare
defame :

My love hath naught of aim but Thine approof o And if Thou say we part I say
the same.

And of the tales they tell is one concerning

THE ISLAND KING AND THE PIOUS ISRAELITE.

THERE was Israel, a man of
once a notable of the Children of
wealth a pious and blessed son. When his last hour
who had
drew nigh, his son sat down at his head and said to him, " O my
"
lord, give me an injunction." Quoth the father, O dear son, I
charge thee, swear not by Allah or truly or falsely." Then he died
and certain lewd fellows of the Children of Israel heard of the
charge he had laid on his son and began coming to the latter and
"
saying, Thy father had such and such monies of mine, and thou
knowest ;
so give me what was entrusted to him or else make
it

oath that there was no trust." The good son would not disobey
his sire's injunction, so gave them
and they all they claimed ;

ceased not to deal thus with him, was spent and till his wealth
he fell into straitest predicament. Now the young man had a
pious and blessed wife, who had borne him two little sons so he ;

"
said to her, The folk have multiplied their demands on me and,
while I had the wherewithal to free myself of debt, I rendered it
freely but naught is now left us, and if others make demands
;

upon me, we shall be in absolute distress, I and thou our best ;

way were to save ourselves by fleeing to some place, where none

knoweth and earn our bread among the lower of the folk."
us,

Accordingly, he took ship with her and his two children, knowing
"
not whither he should wend but, When Allah judgeth, there is
;

none to reverse His judgment;" and quoth the tongue of the

1

case :

O flierfrom thy home when foes affright ! * Whom led to weal and happi-
ness such flight,
Grudge not this exile when he flees abroad Where he on wealth and wel-
fare may alight.
An pearls for ever did abide
in shell, * The kingly crown they ne'er
had deckt and dight.

1
Koran xiii. 41.
 1 he Island King and tfe Pious Israelite. 291

The ship was wrecked, yet the man saved himself on a plank and
his wife and children also saved themselves, but on other planks.
The waves separated them and the wife was cast up in one country
and one of the boys in another. The second son was picked up
by a ship, and the surges threw the father on a desert island, where

prayer-call
-
he landed and made the Wuzu-ablution. Then he called the
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo fo&en it teas tjje j^our ^un&rrtr an& lEtgfttfct!)

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when th

said, It
man landed upon the island, he made the Wuzu-ablution to free
himself from the impurities of the sea and called the call to prayer
and stood up to his devotions, when, behold, there came forth of
the sea creatures of various kinds and prayed with him. When he
had he went up to a tree and stayed his hunger with its
finished,
fruits ; which he found a spring of water and drank thereof
after
and praised Allah, to whom be honour and glory He abode thus !

three days and whenever he stood up to pray, the sea-creatures

came out and prayed in the same manner as he prayed. Now
after the third day, he heard a voice crying aloud and saying, " O
thou just man, and pious, who didst so honour thy father and
revere the decrees of thy Lord, grieve not,, for Allah (be He extolled
and exalted !) shall restore to thee all which left thy hand. In this
isle are hoards and monies and things of price which the Almighty

willeth thou shalt inherit, and they are in such a part of this place.
So bring thou them to light and verily, we will send ships unto
;

thee ;
and do thou bestow charity on the folk and bid them to
thee." So he sought out that place, and the Lord discovered to
him the treasures in question. Then ships began resorting to him,
and he gave abundant largesse to the crews, saying to them, " Be
sure ye direct the folk unto me and I will give them such and
such a thing and appoint to them this and that." Accordingly,
there came folk from all parts and places, nor had ten years passed
over him ere the island was peopled and the man became its King. 1
No one came to him but he entreated him with munificence, and

1
Robinson Crusoe, with a touch of Arab prayerfulue^s. Also the story of UM Koigbt
Placid ur in the Ge&U (ex.). Boccaccio, etc.
29* Alf Laylah wa Laylak.

his name was noised abroad, throughout the length and breadth of
the earth. Now his elder son had fallen into the hands of a man
who him and taught him polite accomplishments and,
reared ;

in likemanner, the younger was adopted by one who gave him a

good education and brought him up in the ways of merchants.
The wife also happened upon a trader who entrusted to her his
property and made a covenant with her that he would not deal
dishonestly by would aid her to obey Allah (to whom
her, but
belong Majesty and Might !) and he used to make her the com-
;

panion of his voyages and his travels. Now the elder son heard
the report of the King and resolved to visit him, without knowing
what he was so he went to him and was well received by the King,
;

who made him his secretary. Presently the other son heard of the
King's piety and justice and was also taken into his service as a
steward. Then the brothers abode awhile, neither knowing the
other, till it chanced that the merchant, in whose home was their

mother, also hearing of the King's righteous and generous dealing

with the lieges, freighted a ship with rich stuffs and other excellent
produce of the land, and taking the woman with him, set sail for
the island. He made it in due course and landing, presented
himself with his gift before the King who rejoiced therein with
;

exceeding joy and ordered him a splendid return-present. Now,

there were, among the gifts, certain aromatic roots of which he
would have the merchant acquaint him with the names and uses ;

"
so he said to him, Abide with us this night." And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Jtoto tofjen it toas tfje dfour f^imfcrrtf an& lEtgfjtB^first Jiiflf)t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Abide with us this night," the merchant replied, We
" "
King said,
have in the ship one to whom I have promised to entrust the care
of her to none save myself and the same is a holy woman whose
;

prayers have brought me weal and I have felt

the blessing of her
" some trusty men,
counsels." Rejoined the King, I will send her
who shall pass the night in the shipand guard.her and all that is
with her." The merchant agreed to this and abode with the
"
King, who called his secretary and steward and said to them, Go
"
and pass the night in this man's ship and keep it safe, Inshallah !

So they went up into the ship and seating themselves, this on the
 The Island King and the Pious Israelite. 293

poop and that on the bow, passed a part of the night in repeating
the names of Allah (to whom belong Majesty and Might !). Then
" The King bade us
quoth one to the other, Ho, such an one !

keep watch and I fear lest sleep overtake us so, come, let us dis- ;

course of stones of fortune and of the good we have seen and the
"
trials of life." Quoth the other, O my brother, as for my trials
Fate parted me from my mother and a brother of mine, whose
name was even as thine and the cause of our parting was this.
;

My father took ship with us from such a place, and the winds rose
against us and were contrary, so that the ship was wrecked and
Allah broke our fair, companionship." Hearing this the first asked,
"What was name of thy mother, O my brother?"; and the
the
second answered, "So and so." Said the elder, "And of thy father?";
"
said the younger, So and so." Thereat brother threw himself
" "
upon brother saying, By Allah, thou art my very brother And !

each fell to telling the other what had befallen him

in his youth,

whilst the mother heard they said, but held her peace and in
all

patience possessed her soul. Now when it was morning, one said to
" "
the other, Come, brother, let us go to my lodging and talk there ;

" 'Tis
and the other said, well." So they went away and presently,
the merchant came back and finding the woman in great trouble,
" "
said to her, What hath befallen thee and why this concern ?
"
Quoth she, Thou sentest to me yesternight men who tempted me
toevil, and I have been annoy with in sore them." At this, he was
wroth and, repairing to the King, reported the conduct of his two
trusty wights. The King summoned
the twain forthwith, as he loved
them for their fidelity and piety; and, sending for the woman, that
he might hear from her own lips what she had to say against them,
"
thus bespake her, O
woman, what hath betided thee from these two
" "
men in whom I trust ? She
King, I conjure thee by
replied, O
the Almighty, the Bountiful One, the Lord of the Empyrean, bid
them repeat the words they spoke yesternight." So he said to them,
"
Say what ye said and conceal naught thereof." Accordingly, they
repeated their talk, and lo the King rising from his throne, gave
!

a great cry and threw himself upon them, embracing them and
" "
saying, By Allah, ye are my very sons ! Therewith the woman
" am
unveiled her face and said, And by Allah, I their very mother."
So they were united and abode in all solace of life and its delight till
death parted them and so glory be to Him who delivereth His
;

servant when he resorteth to Him, and disnppointeth not his hope

in Him and his trust ! And how well saith the poet on the subject :
294 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Each thing of things hath his appointed tide o When 'tis, O brother, granted
or denied.
Repine not an affliction hit thee hard ;
o For woe and welfare aye conjoint
abide :

How oft shall woman see all griefs surround o Yet feel a joyance thrill what
lies inside !

How many a wretch, on whom the eyes of folk o Look down, shall grace exalt

pomp and pride

to !

This man is one long suffering grief and woe ;

o Whom change and chance of
Time hath sorely tried :

The World divided from what held he dearest, o After long union scattered far
and wide ;

But deigned his Lord unite them all again, o And in the Lord is every good
descried.
Glory to Him whose Providence rules all o Living, as surest proofs for us
decide.
Near is the Near One ; but no wisdom clearer o Shows him, nor distant way-
fare brings Him nearer.

And this tale is told of

ABU AL-HASAN AND ABU JA'AFAR THE LEPER.*

I HAD been many times to Meccah (Allah increase its honour !)

and the folk used to follow me for my knowledge of the road and
remembrance of the water-stations. It happened one year that I
was minded to make the pilgrimage to the Holy House and visi-
tation of the tomb of His Prophet (on whom be blessing and peace!),
and I said in myself, " I well know the way and will fare alone."
So I set out and journeyed till 1 came to Al-Kadisi'yah 2 and*

1
Arabs note two kinds of leprosy, " Bahak " or " Baras " the common or white, and
"Juzam" the black leprosy ; the leprosy of the joints, mal rouge. Both are attributed
to undue and drinking milk and both are treated with tonics, especially
diet as eating fish ;

arsenic. regarded by Moslems as a Scriptural malady on account of its pre

Leprosy is

valence amongst the Israelites who, as Manetho tells us, were expelled from Egypt
because they infected and polluted the population. In mediaeval Christendom an idea
" morbus sacer "; the honours
prevailed that the Saviour was a leper; hence the term
paid to the sufferers by certain Saints and the Papal address (Clement III. AD. 1189)
dilectis filiis leprosis. (Farrar's Life of Christ, i. 149.) For the " disgusting and im-
" caused by leprosy, see Sonnini (p. 560) who visited the lepers at Canea in
petuous lust
Candia. He is one of many who describes this symptom ; but in the Brazil, where the
foul malady still prevails, I never heard of it.
2
A city in Irak ; famous for the three days' battle which caused the death of
Yezdegird, last Sassanian king.
 Abu al-Hasan and Abu Jctafar the Leper. 295

entering the mosque there, saw a man suffering from black leprosy
"
seated in the prayer-niche. Quoth he on seeing me, O Abu al-
"
Hasan, I crave thy company to Meccah." Quoth I to myself, I
fled from all my companions, and how shall I company with lepers ?"
So I said to him, " I will bear no man company"; and he was
silent at my words. Next day I walked on alone, till I came to
Al-Akabah,
1
where I entered the mosque and found the leper
seated in the prayer-niche. So I said to myself, " Glory be to
"
Allah how hath this fellow preceded me hither ?
! But he raised
"
his head to me and said with a smile, O Abu al-Hasan, He doth
for the weak
that which surpriseth the strong!" I passed that

night confounded at what I had seen ; and, as soon as morning

2
dawned, set out again by myself ; but when I came to Arafat and
entered the mosque, behold, there was the leper seated in the niche 1

"
So I threw myself upon him and kissinghis feet O said, my lord,
"
I crave thy company." But he answered, This may in no way
be." Then I began weeping and wailing at the loss of his con-
verse, when he said, " Spare thy tears which will avail thee naught !"
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.

Note tofjen it foas t&e Jpour ^untirtft anfc lsig&ti)=seam& Xtgfjt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abu al-
Hasan continued Now when saw the leper-man seated in the
: I
"
prayer-niche, I threw myself upon him and said, O my lord, I
crave thy company;" and fell to kissing his feet. But he answered,
"
II
This may in no way be Then I began weeping and wailing
!

"
at the loss of his company when he said, Spare thy tears which
"
will avail thee naught and he recited these couplets
!
;
:

Why dost thou weep when I depart and thou didst parting claim o And cravest ;

union when we ne'er shall reunite the same ?

Thou lookedest on nothing save my weakness and disease ; And saidst " Nor
goes nor comes, or night or day, this sickly frame."

Meccah famous for the " First Fealty of the Steep (Pilgrim-
"
1
A mountain pass near
age ii. 126). The mosque was built to commemorate the event.
3 " Mesnevi " "
To my surprise I read in Mr. Redhouse's (Triibner, 1881), Arafat, the
mount where the victims are slaughtered by the pilgrims" (p. 60). This ignorance U
phenomenal. Did Mr. Redhouse never read Burckhardt or Burton ?
296 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

Seest not how Allah (glorified His glory ever be !) o Deigneth to grant His
slave's petition wherewithal he came.
If I, to eyes of men be that and only that they see, * And this my body show
so full of grief and grame,
itself
And have I naught of food that shall supply me to the place o Where crowds
unto my Lord resort impelled
by single aim,
I have a high Creating Lord whose mercies aye are hid ; o a Lord who hath

none equal and no fear is known to Him.

So fare thee safe and leave me lone in strangerhood to wone o For He, the
only One, consoles my loneliness so lone.

Accordingly, I left him ; but every station I came to, I found he had
foregone me, till I reached Al-Medinah, where I lost sight of him and
could hear no tidings of him. Here I met Abu Yazfd al-Bustami
and Abu Bakr al-Shibli and a number of other Shaykhs and learned
men, to whom with many complaints, I told my case and they said,
" Heaven forbid that thou shouldst
gain his company after this !

He was Abu Ja'afar the leper, in whose name folk at all times pray
for rain and by whose blessing-prayers their end attain." When
I heard their words, my desire for his company redoubled and I

implored the Almighty to reunite Whilst I was me with him.

standing on Arafat, one pulled me 1
from behind, so I turned and
behold, it was my man. At this sight I cried out with a loud cry
and fell down in a fainting fit but, when I came to myself he had
;

disappeared from my sight. This increased my yearning for him

and the ceremonies were tedious to me and I prayed Almighty
Allah to give me sight -of him nor was it but a few days after, ;

when lo one pulled me from behind, and I turned and it was he

!

again. Thereupon he said, "Come, I conjure thee and ask thy

want of me." So I begged him to pray for me three prayers first, ;

that Allah would make me love poverty secondly, that I might ;

never lie down at night upon provision assured to me and thirdly, ;

that He would vouchsafe me to look upon His bountiful Face. So

he prayed for me as I wished, and departed from me. And
indeed Allah hath granted me what the devotee asked in prayer :

to begin with He hath made me

so love poverty that, by the
Almighty there is naught
! in the world dearer to me than it, and
secondly since such a year, I have never lain down to sleep upon
assured provision ; withal hath He never let me lack aught. As
for the third prayer, I trust that He will vouchsafe me that also,

1
i.e.
listening to the sermon.
 Abu al- Hasan and Abu Ja' afar the Leper. 297

even as He hath granted the two precedent for right Bountiful and
Beneficent isHis Godhead, and Allah have mercy on him who
said :'

Garb of Fakir, renouncement, lowliness ;

His robe of tatters and of rags his dress ;

And pallor ornamenting brow as though

Twere wanness such as waning crescents show.
Wasted him prayer a-through the long-lived night,
And flooding tears ne'er cease to dim his sight.
Memory of Him shall cheer his lonely room :

Th' Almighty nearest is in nightly gloom.

The Refuge helpeth such Fakir in need ;

Help e'en the cattle and the winged breed :

Allah for sake of him of wrath is fain,

And for the grace of him shall fall the rain ;

And if he pray one day for plague to stay,

Twill and 'bate man's wrong and tyrants
stay, slay.

While folk are sad, afflicted one and each,

He in his mercy's rich, the generous leach :

Bright shines his brow ; an thou regard his face

Thy heart illumined shines by light of grace.
O thou who shunnest souls of worth innate,
Departs thee (woe to thee !) of sins the weight.
Thou thinkest to overtake them, while thou bearest
Follies, which slay thee whatso way thou farest.

Didst wot their worth thou hadst all honour showed,

And tears in streamlets from thine eyes had flowed

To catarrh-troubled men flowers lack their smell ;

And brokers ken for how much clothes can sell ;

So haste and with thy Lord reunion sue,

And haply Fate shall lend thee aidance due,

Rest from rejection and estrangement-stress,

And Joy thy wish and will shall choicely bless.

His court wide open for the suer is dight :

One, very God, the Lord, th' Almighty might.

And they also tell a tale of

1
It is sad doggrel.
 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

THE QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS.

THERE was once, in days of yore and in ages and times long gone
before, a Grecian sage called Daniel, who had
disciples and scholars ;

and the wise men of Greece were obedient to his bidding and
relied upon his learning. Withal had Allah denied him a man-
child. One night, as he lay musing and weeping over the lack of a
son who might inherit his lore, he bethought him that Allah (ex-
tolled and exalted be He !) heareth the prayer of those who resort
to Him and that there is no doorkeeper at the door of His bounties
and that He favoureth whom He will without compt and sendeth
no supplicant empty away nay He filleth their hands with favours
;

and benefits. So he besought the Almighty, the Bountiful, to

vouchsafe him a son to succeed him, and to endow him abundantly
with His beneficence. Then he returned home and carnally knew
his wife who conceived by him the same night. And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

jfioto tofjen it toaa tye jpour f^untae* anfc

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Grecian
sage returned home and knew his wife who conceived by him the
same night. A
few days after this he took ship for a certain place,
but the ship was wrecked and he saved himself on one of her
planks, while only five leaves remained to him of all the books he
had. When he returned home, he laid the five leaves in a box and
locking it, gave the key to his wife (who then showed big with

child),and said to her, " Know that my decease is at hand and!

that the time draweth nigh for my translation from this abode tem-
poral to the home which is eternal. Now thou art with child and
after my death wilt haply bear a son : if this be so, name him
2
Hasib Karfm al-Dm and rear him with the best of rearing.
When the boy shall grow up and shall say to thee : What inherit-

1
This long story, containing sundry episodes and occupying fifty-three Nights, is wholly
" it is a
omitted by Lane (ii. 643) because compound of the most extravagant absurdities."
He should have enabled his readers to form their own judgment.
2
Called Jamasp (brother and minister of the ancient Persian King Gushtasp) in th*.

translations of Trcbutien and others from Von Hammer.

 The Queen of the Serpents. 299

ance did my father leave me ? give him these five leaves, which
when he shall have read and understood, he will be the most
learned man of his time." Then he farewelled her and heaving
one sigh, departed the world and all that is therein the mercy of
Allah the Most Highest be upon Him His family and friends wept
!

over him and washed him and bore him forth in great state and
buried him ; after which they wended their ways home. But few
days passed ere his widow bare a handsome boy and named him
Hasib Karim al-Din, as her husband charged her and immediately ;

after his birth she summoned the astrologers, who calculated his
ascendants and drawing his horoscope, said to her, " Know, O
woman that this birth will live many a year but that will be
!
;

after a great peril in the early part of his life, wherefrom an he

escape, he will be given the knowledge of all the exact sciences."

So saying they went their ways. She suckled him two years, 1
then weaned him, and when he was five years old, she placed him
in a school to learn his book, but he would read nothing. So she
took him from school and set him to learn a trade but he would ;

not master any craft and there came no work from his hands. The
mother wept over this and the folk said to her, " Marry him haply :

he will take heart for his wife and learn him a trade." So she
sought out a girl and married him to her but, despite marriage ;

and the lapse of time, he remained idle as before, and would do

nothing. One day, some neighbours of hers, who were woodcutters,
came to her and said, " Buy thy son an ass and cords and an axe
and let him go with us to the mountain and we will all of us cut
wood for fuel. The price of the wood shall be his and ours, and he
shall provide thee and his wife with his share." When she heard
this, she joyed with exceeding joy and bought her son an ass
and cords and hatchet then, carrying him to the woodcutters,
;

delivered him into their hands and solemnly committed him to

their care. Said they, " Have no concern for the boy, our Lord

1
The usual term of lactation in the East, prolonged to two years and a-half, which is
considered the rule laid down by the Shara' or precepts of the Prophet. But it is not
unusual to see children of three and even four years hanging to their mothers' breasts.
During this period the mother does not cohabit with her husband ; the separation
beginning with her pregnancy. Such is the habit, not only of the " lower animals," but
of all ancient peoples, the Egyptians (from whom the Hebrews borrowed it), the Assyrians
and the Chinese. I have discussedbearing upon pregnancy in my "City of the
its

Saints": the Mormons insist law of purity being observed; and the beauty
upon this

strength and good health of the younger generation are proofs of their wisdom.
3OO A If Laylah iva Laylak.

will provide him : he

the son of our Shaykh." So they carried
is

him to the mountain, where they cut firewood and loaded their
asses therewith then returned to the city and, selling what they
;

had monies on their families. This they did on the

cut, spent the
next day and the third and ceased not for some time, till it
chanced one day, a violent storm of rain broke over them, and
they took refuge in a great cave till the downfall should pass away.
Now Hasib Karim al-Din went apart from the rest into a corner
of the cavern and sitting down, fell to smiting the floor with his
axe. Presently he noted that the ground sounded hollow under
the hatchet so he dug there awhile and came to a round flagstone
;

with a ring in it. When he saw this, he was glad and called his
comrades the woodcutters, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo fo&en it foas t&e jpour f^un&rcfc an& lEigjbtg.fourt^ Nf

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasib
Karim al-Din saw the flagstone with the ring, he was glad and
called his comrades the woodcutters, who came to him and,

finding it was fact, soon pulled up the stone and discovered under
it a trap-door, which, being opened, showed a cistern full of bees'

honey.
1
Then said they to one another, " This is a large store and
we have nothing for it but to return to the city and fetch vessels
wherein to carry away the honey, and sell it and divide the price,
whilst one of us stands by the cistern, to guard it from outsiders."
"
Quo.th Hasib, and keep watch over it till you bring
I will stay

your pots and pans." So they left him on guard there and,
repairing to the city, fetched vessels, which they filled with honey
and loading their asses therewith, carried them to the streets and
sold the contents. They returned on the morrow and thus they
did several days in succession, sleeping in the town by night and
drawing off the stuff by day, whilst Hasib abode on guard by it
"
till but little remained, when they said one to other, It was Hasib

Karim al-Din found the honey, and to-morrow he will come down
to the city and complain against us and claim the price of it,
saying, 'Twas I found it nor is there escape for us but that we
;

v
Thus distinguishing it from " Asal-kasab," cane honey or sugar. See vol. i., 2/1.
 The Queen of the Serpents. 301

lethim down into the cistern, to bale out the rest of the
honey,
and leave him there so he die of hunger, and none shall know
;
will
of him." They all fell in with this plot as they were making for
"
the place and, when they reached it, one said to him, O Hasib,
;

go down into the pit and bale out for us the rest of the honey." So
he went down and passed up to them what remained of the honey,
"
after which he said to them, Draw me up, for there is nothing
left." They made him no answer but, loading their asses,
;

went off to the city and left him alone in the cistern. Thereupon
he fell to weeping and crying, " There is no Majesty and there is
"
no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great Such was his !

case but as regards his comrades, when they reached the city and
;

sold the honey, they repaired to Hasib's mother, weeping, and said
"
to her, " May thy head outlive thy son Hasib She asked, !

"
they answered, We were
" What about his death ? and "
brought
cutting wood on the mountain-top, when there fell on us a heavy
downfall of rain and we took shelter from it in a cavern and ;

suddenly thy son's ass broke loose and fled into the valley, and he
ran after it, to turn it back, when there came out upon them a
great wolf, who tore thy son in pieces and ravined the ass." When
the mother heard this, she beat her face and strewed dust on her
head and fell to mourning for her son and she kept life and soul
;

together only by the meat and drink which they brought her every
day. As for the woodcutters they opened them shops and became
merchants and spent their lives in eating and drinking and laugh-
ing and frolicking. Meanwhile Hasib Karim al-Din, who ceased
not to weep and call for help, sat down upon the cistern-edge
when behold, a great scorpion fell down on him so he rose and ;

killed it. Then he took thought and said, " The cistern was full
"
of honey ;
how came Accordingly he got up
this scorpion here ?

and examined the well right and left, till he found a crevice from
which the scorpion had fallen and saw the light of day shining
through it. So he took out his woodman's knife and enlarged the
hole, till it was big as a window, when he crept through it and,
after walking for some time, came to a vast gallery, which led him
to a huge door of black iron bearing a padlock of silver wherein
was a key of gold. He stole up to the door and, looking through
the chink, saw a great light shining within so he took the key ;

and, opening the door, went on for some time, till he came to a
large artificial lake, wherein he caught sight of something that
shimmered like silver. He walked up to it and at last he saw,
302 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

hard by a hillock of green jasper and on the hill-top, a golden

throne studded with all manner gems, And Shahrazad per-
ceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

fofjen ft foas tfje jpout f^untorefc anlr lEtgfjtg-fiftb

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasib

said, It
reached the hillock he found it of green jasper surmounted by a
golden throne studded with all manner gems, round which were
set many stools, some of gold, some of silver and others of leek-
green emerald. He clomb the hillock and, counting the stools,
found them twelve thousand in number; then he mounted the
throne which was set on the centre and, seating himself thereon,
fell to wondering at the lake and the stools, and he marvelled till

drowsiness overcame him and he dropt asleep. Presently, he was

aroused by a loud snorting and hissing and rustling, so he opened
his eyes and, sitting up, saw each stool occupied by a huge
;

serpent, an hundred cubits in length. At this sight, great fear gat

hold of him his spittle dried up for the excess of his dread and
;

he despaired of life, as all their eyes were blazing like live coals.
Then he turned towards the lake and saw that what he had taken
for shimmering water was a multitude of small snakes, none
knoweth their compt save Allah the Most High. After awhile,
there came up to him a serpent as big as a mule, bearing on its
back a tray of gold, wherein lay another serpent which shone like
crystal and whose face was as that of a woman and who spake
1

with human speech. And as soon as she was brought up to

Hasib, she saluted him and he returned the salutation. There-
upon, one of the serpents seated on the stools came up and,
lifting her off the tray, set her on one of the seats and she
cried out to the other serpents in their language, whereupon
they all fell down from their stools and did her homage. But
she signed to them to sit and they did so. Then she addressed

1
The student of Hinduism will remember the Naga-Kings and Queens (Melusines
and Echidnae) who guard the earth-treasures in Naga-land. The first appearance of the
snake in literature is in Egyptian hieroglyphs, where he forms the letters f and t, and acts
as a determinative in the shape of a Cobra di Capello (Coluber Naja) with expanded
hood.
 The Queen of the Serpents. 303
"
Hasib, saying, Have no fear of us, O youth for I am the ;

Queen of the Serpents and their Sultanah." When he heard

her speak on this wise, he took heart and she bade the serpents
bring him somewhat of food.'So they brought apples and grapes
and pomegranates and pistachio-nuts and filberts and walnuts
and almonds and bananas and set them before him, and the
Queen-serpent said, "Welcome, O youth! What is thy name?"
Answered he, " Hasib Karim al-Din " and she rejoined, " O ;

Hasib, eat of these fruits, for we have no other meat and fear
thou nothing from us at all." Hearing this, he ate his fill and
praised Allah Almighty and presently they took away the trays
;

from before him, and the Queen said, " Tell me, O Hasib, whence
thou art and how earnest thou hither and what hath befallen thee."
So hetold her his story from first to last, the death of his father ;
his birth his being sent to school where he learnt nothing ; his
;

becoming wood-cutter; his finding the honey-cistern his being

a ;

abandoned therein his killing the scorpion ; his widening the

;

crevice ; his finding the iron door and his coming upon the Queen,
and he ended his long tale with saying, " These be adventures my
from beginning to end and only Allah wotteth what will betide
me after all this !" Quoth the Queen, after listening to his words,
" "
Nothing save good shall betide thee And Shahrazad per-
:

ceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo tofcen it teas tfjc Jfour f^unimtt ant) Gtgfjtt^sixtf) Xigljt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
"
Serpent-queen had heard his story she said, Nothing save good
shall betide thee but I would have thee, O Hasib, abide with me
:

some time, that I may tell thee my history and acquaint thee with
"
the wondrous adventures which have happened to me. I hear

and obey thy hest," answered he ; and she began to tell in these
words,

1
In token that be was safe.
304 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

THE ADVENTURES OF BULUKIYA.

KNOW O
Hasib, there was once in the city of Cairo a King
thou,
of the Banu a wise and a pious, who was bent double by
Isra'fl,

poring over books of learning, and he had a son named Bulukiya.

When he grew old and weak and was nigh upon death, his
Grandees and Officers of state came up to salute him, and he said
to them, " O folk, know that at hand is the hour of my march
from this world to the next, and I have no charge to lay on you,
save to commend
to your care son Bulukiya." Then said he,
my
"I
testify that there is no god save the God ;" and, heaving one
sigh, departed the world the mercy of Allah be upon him They !

laid him out and washed him and buried him with a procession of
great state. Then they made his son Bulukiya Sultan in his
stead and he ruled the kingdom justly and the people had peace
;

in his time. Now

it befel one day that he entered his father's

treasuries, to lookabout him, and coming upon an inner compart-

ment and finding the semblance of a door opened it and passed
in. And lo! he found himself in a little closet, wherein stood
a column of white marble, on the top of which was a casket of
ebony he opened this also and saw therein another casket of
;

gold, containing a book. He read the book and found in it an

account of our lord Mohammed (whom Allah bless and preserve !)
and how he should be sent in the latter days and be the lord of 1

the first Prophets and the last. On seeing the personal descrip-
tion Bulukiya's heart was taken with love of him, so he at once
assembled all the notables of the Children of Israel, the Cohens
Or diviners, the scribes and the priests, and acquainted them with
"
the book, reading portions of it to them and, adding, O folk,
needs must I bring my father out of his grave and burn him."

1 " Akhir al-Zaman." As old men praise past times, so prophets prefer to represent
themselves as the last. The early Christians caused much scandal amongst the orderly
law-loving Romans by their wild and mistaken predictions of the end of the world being
at hand. The catastrophe is a fact for each man under the form of death ; but the world
has endured for untold ages and there is no apparent cause why it should not endure as
" " "
many more. The latter days," as the religious dicta of most revelations assure us, will
be richer in sinners than in sanctity : hence " End of Time" is a facetious Arab title for
a one thus distinguished in
villain of superior quality. My Somali escort applied it to :

1875, I heard at Aden that he ended life by the spear as we had all predicted.
 The Adventures of Bulukiya. 305
"
The Why wilt thou burn him ? "; and he answered,
lieges asked,
"Because he hid this book from me and imparted it not to me."
Now the old King had excerpted it from the Torah or Pentateuch
and the Books of Abraham ; and had set it in one of his treasu-
"
ries and concealed it from all living. Rejoined they, O King, thy
father is dead his body is in the dust and his affair is in the
;

hands of his Lord thou shalt not take him forth of his tomb."
;

So he knew that they would not suffer him to do this thing by his
sire and leaving them he repaired to his mother, to whom said he,
" O
my mother, I have found, in one .of my father's treasuries,
a book containing a description of Mohammed (whom Allah bless
and keep!), a prophet who shall be sent in the latter days; and
my heart is captivated with love of him. Wherefore am I resolved
to wander over the earth, till I foregather with him ; else I shall
die of longing for his love." Then he doffed his clothes and
donned an Aba-gown of goat's hair and coarse sandals, saying,
"O
my mother, forget me not in thy prayers." She wept over
him and said, "What will become of us after thee?"; but Bulukiya
"
answered, I can endure no longer, and I commit my affair and
thine to Allah who is Almighty." Then he set out on foot Syria-
wards without the knowledge of any of his folk, and coming to the
sea-board found a vessel whereon he shipped as one of the crew.
They sailed till he made an island, where Bulukiya landed with
the crew, but straying away from the rest he sat down under a tree
and sleep got the better of him. When he awoke, he sought the
ship but found that she had set sail without him, and in that island
he saw serpents as big as camels and palm-trees, which repeated
the names of Allah (be He extolled and exalted !) and blessed
Mohammed (whom the Lord assain and save !), proclaiming the
Unity and glorifying the Glorious; whereat he wondered
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
-
her permitted say.

Kofo fo&en ft foag tfje Jpout ^uttimfc an&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when

Bulukiya saw the serpents glorifying God and proclaiming the
Unity, he wondered with extreme wonder. When they saw him,
" Who and
they flocked to him and one of them said to him,
whence art thou, and whither goest thou, and what is thy name ?"
VOL. V. U
306 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.
" name am
Quoth he, My is Bulukiya ;
I of the Children of Israel
and, being distracted for love of Mohammed (whom Allah bless
and keep !), I come in quest of him. But who are ye, noble O
creatures?" Answered they, "We are of the dwellers in the Jahan-
nam-hell and Almighty Allah created us for the punishment
;

"
of Kafirs." And how came ye hither ?" asked he, and the
Serpents answered, Know, O Bulukiya, that Hell of the great-
" 1

ness of her boiling, breatheth twice a year, expiring in the summer

and inspiring in the winter, and hence the summer-heat and winter-
cold. When
she exhaleth, she casteth us forth of her maw, and
we are drawn in again with her inhaled breath." Quoth Bulukiya,
"
Say me, are there greater serpents than you in Hell ?" ; and they
"
said, Of a truth we are cast out with the expired breath but by
reason of our smallness; for in Hell every serpent is so great,
that were the biggest of us to pass over its nose it would not feel
2 "
us. Asked Bulukiya, " Ye sing the praises of Allah and invoke
blessings on Mohammed, whom the Almighty assain and save f
Whence wot ye of Mohammed ?"; and they answered, "O Bulukiya,
verily his name written on the gates of Paradise ; and, but for
is

him, Allah had not created the worlds 3 nor Paradise, nor heaven
nor hell nor earth, for He made all things that be, solely on his
account, and hath conjoined his name with His own in every
place ;
wherefore we love Mohammed, whom Allah bless and

1
Jahannam and the other six Hells are personified as feminine ; and (woman-like)
they are somewhat addicted to prolix speechification.
2
These puerile exaggerations are fondly intended to act as nurses frighten naughty
children.
3
Alluding to an oft-quoted saying "Laula-ka, etc. Without thee (O Mohammed)
We " Before
(Allah) had not created the spheres," which may have been suggested by
Abraham was, am" (John viii. 58); and by Gate xci. of Zoroastrianism "O Zardusht,
I

for thy sake I have created the world" (Dabistan i. 344). The sentiment is by no
means " Shi' ah," as my learned friend Prof. Aloys Springer supposes. In his
Mohammed (p. 220) we find an extract from a sectarian poet, " For thee we dispread
the earth ; for thee we caused the waters to flow ;
for thee we vaulted the heavens." As
Baron Alfred von Kremer, another learned and experienced Orientalist, reminds me the
"Shi'ahs" have always shown a decided tendency to this kind of apotheosis and have
deified or quasi-deified Ali and the Imams. But the formula is first found in the highly
orthodox Burdah-poem of AI-Busiri :

" But him (Lau had never come out of nothingness."

for la-hu) the world

Hence it has been widely diffused. See Les Aventures de Kamrup (pp. 146-7) and
Lee CEuvres de Wali (pp. 51-52), by M. Garcin de Tassy and the Dabistan (vol. i.
pp. 2-3).
 The Adventures of Bulukiya. 307

"
preserve ! NOW hearing the serpents' converse did but inflame
Bulukiya's love for Mohammed and yearning for his sight ;
so he
took leave of them ; and, making his way to the sea-shore, found
there a ship made fast to the beach; he embarked therein as a
seaman and sailed nor ceased sailing till he came to another
island. Here he landed and walking about awhile found serpents
great and small, none knoweth their number save Almighty
Allah, and amongst them a white Serpent, clearer than crystal,
seated in a golden tray borne on the back of another serpent as
big as an elephant. Now this, O Hasib, was the Serpent-queen,
none other than myself. Quoth Hasib, " And what answer didst
" "
thou make him ? Quoth she, Know, O Hasib, that when I saw
Bulukiya, I saluted him with the salam, and he returned my salu-
" Who and what art thou and what is
tation, and I said to him,
"
thine errand and whence comest thou and whither goest thou ?
"
Answered he, I am of the Children of Israel my name is ;

Bulukiya, and I am a wanderer for the love of Mohammed,

whose description I have read in the revealed scriptures, and of
whom I go in search. But what art thou and what are these
"
Quoth I, O Bulukiya, I am the Queen
"
serpents about thee ?
of the Serpents; and when thou shalt foregather with Moham-
med (whom Allah assain and save !) bear him my salutation."
Then Bulukiya took leave of me and journeyed till he came to
the Holy City which is Jerusalem. Now there was in that stead
a man who was deeply versed in all sciences, more especially in
geometry and astronomy and mathematics, as well as in white
magic and Spiritualism; and he had studied the Pentateuch and
1

the Evangel and the Psalms and the Books of Abraham. His
name was Affan and he had ;
found in certain of his books, that
whoso should wear the seal-ring of our lord Solomon, men and
Jinn and birds and beasts and all created things would be bound to
obey him. Moreover, he had discovered that our lord Solomon
had been buried in a coffin which was miraculously transported
beyond the Seven Seas to the place of burial And Shahrazad ;

perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Arab. " Simiya

"
1
from the Pers., a word apparently built on the model of
"
Kimiya"
" = alchemy, and applied, I have said, to fascination, minor miracles
and white magic generally Hindu " Indrajal."
like the The common term for

Alchemy is Ilm al-Kaf (the K-science) because it is not safe to speak of it

openly
as alchemy.
308 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

J&oto fojjen it foaa tfje jpour f^tm&trtJ anfc ?5ig!)tB*eig&t!)

She said, Ithath reached me, O auspicious King, that Affan had
found books that none, mortal or spirit, could pluck the
in certain

seal-ring from the lord Solomon's ringer and that no navigator ;

could sail his ship upon the Seven Seas over which the coffin had
been carried. Moreover, he had found out by reading that there
was a herb of herbs and that if one express its juice and anoint
therewith his feet, he should walk upon the surface of any sea
that Allah Almighty had created without wetting his soles but ;

none could obtain this herb, without he had with him the Ser-
pent-queen. When Bulukiya arrived at the Holy City, he at once
sat down to do his devotions and worship the Lord and, whilst ;

he was so doing, Affan came up and saluted him as a True Be-

liever. Then seeing him reading the Pentateuch and adoring the
"
Almighty, he accosted him saying, What is thy name, O man ;
and whence comest thou and whither goest thou ?" He answered,
"
My name is Bulukiya I am from the city of Cairo and am
;

come forth wandering in quest of Mohammed, whom Allah bless

" "
and preserve !
Quoth Affan, Come with me to my lodging that
"
I may entertain thee." To hear is to obey," replied Bulukiya.
So him by the hand and carried him to his
the devotee took
house where he entreated him with the utmost honour and pre-
"
sently said to him, Tell me thy history, my brother, and how O
thou earnest by the knowledge of Mohammed (whom Allah assain
and save !) that thy heart hath been taken with love of him and
compelled thee to fare forth and seek him and lastly tell me ;

who it was directed thee in this road/' So he related to him his

tale in its entirety ; whereupon Affan, who well-nigh lost his wits
"
for wonder, said to him, tryst for me Make Queen of the with the
Serpents and I will bring thee in company with Mohammed, albeit
the date of his mission is yet far distant. have only to prevail We
upon the Queen and carry her in a cage to a certain mountain
where the herbs grow and, as long as she is with us, the plants as
;

we pass them will parley with human speech and discover their
virtues by the ordinance of Allah the Most High. For I have
found in my books that there is a certain herb and all who express
its juice and anoint therewith their feet shall walk upon whatsoever,

sea Almighty Allah hath made, without wetting sole. When we

 The Adventures cf Bulukiya* 309

have found the magical herb, we will let her go her way and then ;

will we anoint our feet with the juice and cross the Seven Seas,
till we come to the burial-place of our lord Solomon. Then we
will take the ring off his finger
and rule even as he ruled and win
all our wishes ; we will enter the Main of Murks 1 and drink of
the Water of Life, and so the Almighty will let us tarry till the
End of Time and we shall foregather with Mohammed, whom
Allah bless and preserve!" Hearing these words Bulukiya
"
replied, O Affan, I will make tryst for thee with the Serpent-
queen and at So Affan made
once show thee her abiding place."
him a cage of iron and, providing himself with two bowls, one full
;

of wine and the other of milk, took ship with Bulukiya and sailed
till they came to the island, where they landed and walked upon

it. Then Affan set up the cage, in which he laid a noose and
withdrew after placing in it the two bowls when he and Bulukiya ;

concealed themselves afar off. Presently, up came the Queen of

the Serpents (that is, myself) and examined the cage. When she
{that is I) smelt the savour of the milk, she came down from the
back of the snake which bore her tray and, entering the cage,
drank up the milk. Then she went to the bowl of wine and drank
of it, whereupon her head became giddy and she slept. When
Affan saw this, he ran up and locking the cage upon her, set it on
his head and made for the ship, he and Bulukiya. After awhile
she awoke and finding herself in a cage of iron on a man's head
and seeing Bulukiya walking beside the bearer, said to him, " This
is the reward of those who do no hurt to the sons of Adam."

Answered he, " O Queen, have no fear of us, for we will do thee
no hurt at all. We wish thee only to show us the herb which,
when pounded and squeezed yieldeth a juice, and this rubbed upon
the feet conferreth the power of walking dryshod upon what sea
soever Almighty Allah hath created; and when we have found
that we will return thee to thy place and let thee wend thy way."
Then Affan and Bulukiya fared on for the hills where grew the
herbs and, as they went about with the Queen, each plant they
;

passed began to speak and avouch its virtues by permission of

Allah the Most High. As they were thus doing and the herbs
"
speaking right and left behold, a plant spoke out and said, I am
the herb ye seek, and all who gather and crush me and anoint

1
Mare Tenebrarum = Sea of Darknesses ; usually applied to the
" mournful and
011517
Atlantic."
 Alf Laylah wa Laylak*

their feet with my juice, shall fare over what sea soever Allah
Almighty hath created and yet ne'er wet sole." When Affan
heard this, he down
the cage from his head and, gathering
set
what might suffice them of the herb, crushed it and filling
two vials with the juice kept them for future use ; and with
what was left they anointed their feet. Then they took up the
Serpent-queen's cage and journeyed days and nights, till they
reached the island, where they opened the cage and let out her,
that is me. When I found myself at liberty, I asked them what
use they would make of the juice and they answered, " We
;

design to anoint our feet and to cross the Seven Seas to the
burial-place of our lord Solomon and take the seal-ring from his
*

"
finger." Quoth I, from your power to possess your-
Far, far is it
"" "
selves of ring the They enquired,
! Wherefore ? and I
"
replied, Because Almighty Allah vouchsafed unto our lord
Solomon the gift of this ring and distinguished him thereby, for
that he said to Him O Lord, give me a kingdom which may
:

not be obtained after me for Thou verily art the Giver of

;

kingdoms.
8
So that ring is not for you." And I added, " Had
ye twain taken the herb, whereof all who eat shall not die until
the First Blast, 3 it had better availed you than this ye have gotten ;

forye nowise come at your desire thereby." Now when they

shall
heard this, they repented them with exceeding penitence and
went their ways. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say.

Jiofo fo&w it toas t!) Jour Kuntrtelr an& lEfg&tssnfotf)

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Bu-

said, It
lukiya and Affan heard these words, they repented them with

1
Some Moslems hold that in Jerusalem ; others on
Solomon and David were buried
the shore of Lake Tiberias. according to the history of Al-Tabari (p. 56,
Mohammed,
"
vol. i. Duleux's Chronique de Tabari ") declares that the Jinni bore Solomon's corpse
to a palace hewn in the rock upon an island surrounded by a branch of the "Great
"
Sea and set him on a throne, with his ring still on his finger, under a guard of twelve
Jinns. "None hath looked upon the tomb save only two, Affan who took Bulukiya
as his companion : with extreme pains they arrived at the spot, and Affan was about
to carry off the ring when a thunderbolt consumed him. So Bulukiya returned."
2 xxxviii. 34 ; or, "art the liberal giver."
Koran
3
of the last trumpet blown by the Archangel Israfil an idea borrowed from the
i.e. :

Christians. Hence the title of certain churches ad Tubam*

 The Adventures of Bulukiya. 3 1 1

exceeding penitence and went their ways. Such was their case ;

but as regards myself (continued the Serpent-queen) I went in

quest of my host and found it fallen in piteous case, the stronger
of them having grown weak in my absence and the weaker having
died. When they saw me, they rejoiced and flocking about me,
"
asked, What hath befallen thee, and where hast thou been ?" So
I told them what had passed, after which I gathered my forces

together and repaired with them to the mountain Kaf, where I

wont to winter, summer-freshing in the place where thou now seest
me, O Hasib Karim al-Din. This, then, is my story and what
befel me. Thereupon Hasib marvelled at her words and said to
"
her, I beseech thee, of thy favour, bid one of thy guards bear me

forth to the surface of the earth, that I may go to people." She

my
"
replied, O
Hasib, thou shalt not have leave to depart from us till
winter come, and needs must thou go with us to the Mountain Kaf
and solace thyself with the sight of the hills and sands and trees
and birds magnifying the One God, the Victorious and look upon ;

Marids and and Jinn, whose number none knoweth save

Ifrits

Almighty Allah." When Hasib heard this, he was sore chafed

and chagrined: then he said to her, "Tell me of Aflfan and Bu-
lukiya; when they departed from thee and went their way, did
they cross the Seven Seas and reach the burial-place of our lord
Solomon or not and if they did had they power to take the ring
;

" Answered "

or not ? she, Know, that when they left me, they
anointed their feet with the juice and, walking over the water,
;

fared on from sea to sea, diverting themselves with the wonders of

the deep, nor ceased they faring till they had traversed the Seven
Seas and came in sight of a mountain, soaring high in air, whose
stones were emeralds and whose dust was musk ; and in it was a
stream of running water. When they made it they rejoiced, saying
each to other Verily we have won our wish and they entered
:
;

the passes of the mountain and walked on, till they saw from afar
a cavern surmounted by a great dome, shining with light. So the>
made for the cavern, and entering it beheld therein a throne of
gold studded with all manner jewels, and about it stools whose
number none knoweth save Allah Almighty. And they saw lying
at full lengthupon the throne our lord Solomon, clad in robes of
green silk inwoven with gold and broidered with jewels and pre-
cious minerals his right hand was passed over his breast and on
:

the middle finger was the seal-ring whose lustre outshone that of
all other gems in the place. Then Affan taught Bulukiya adjura-
312 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

tions and conjurations galore and said to him Repeat these :

conjurations and cease not repeating until I take the ring. Then,
he went up to the throne but, as he drew near unto it lo a
; !

mighty serpent came forth from beneath it and cried out at him
with so terrible a cry that the whole place trembled and sparks
flew from its mouth, saying, Begone, or thou art a dead man I

But A ffan busied himself with his incantations and suffered him-
self not to be startled thereby. Then the serpent blew such a fiery
blast at him, that the place was like to be set on fire, and said to
him, Woe to thee! Except thou turn back, I will consume thee!
Hearing these words Bulukiya left the cave, but Affan, who
suffered himself not to be troubled, went up to the Prophet : then
he put out his hand to the ring and touched it and strove to draw
it off the lord Solomon's finger ; and behold, the serpent blew on
him once more and he became a heap of ashes. Such was his
case but as regards Bulukiya he fell down in a swoon."
; And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per*
-
mitted say.

Nofo foDm it foas $e Jpour ^unfcrrtJ antr Jtitutfetl)

She said, It O auspicious King, that the Queen

hath reached me,
continued : When
Bulukiya saw Affan burnt up by the fire and
become a heap of ashes, he fell down in a swoon. Thereupon the
Lord (magnified be His Majesty!) bade Gabriel descend earth-
wards and save him ere the serpent should blow on him. So
Gabriel descended without delay and, finding Affan reduced to
ashes and Bulukiya in a fit, aroused him from his trance and salut-
" "
ing him, asked, How earnest thou .hither ? Bulukiya related to
"
him his history from first to last, adding, Know that I came not
hither but for the love of Mohammed (whom Allah assain and
save !), of whom Affan informed me that his mission would take
place at the End of Time moreover that none should foregather
;

with him but those who endured to the latter days by drinking
of the Water of Life through means of Solomon's seal. So I com-
panied him hither and there befel him what befel but I escaped ;

the fire and now it is my desire that thou inform me where Mo-

hammed is to be found." Quoth Gabriel, " O Bulukiya, go thy

ways, for the time of Mohammed's coming is yet far distant."
Then he ascended up to heaven forthright, and Bulukiya wept
 The Adventures of Bulukiya. 313

with sore weeping and repented of that which he had done, call-
"
ing to mind my words, whenas I said to them, Far is it from
man's power to possess himself of the ring." Then he descended
from the mountain and returned in exceeding confusion to the
sea-shore and passed the night there, marvelling at the mountains
and seas and islands around him. When morning dawned, he
anointed his feet with the herb-juice and descending to the water,
set out and fared on over the surface of the seas days and nights,
astonied at the terrors of the main and the marvels and wonders of
the deep,till he came to an island were the Garden of Eden.
as it

So he landed and, finding himself and pleasant island,

in a great

paced about it and saw with admiration that its dust was saffron

and its gravel carnelian and precious minerals its hedges were of
;

jessamine, its vegetation was of the goodliest of trees and of the

brightest of odoriferous shrubs its brushwood was of Comorin and
;

Sumatran aloes-wood and its reeds were sugar-canes. Round about

it were roses and narcissus and amaranths and gilly-flowers and

chamomiles and white lilies and violets, and other flowers of all
kinds and colours. Of a truth the island was the goodliest place,
abounding in space, rich in grace, a compendium of beauty mate-
rial and spiritual. The birds warbled on the boughs with tones
far sweeter than chaunt of Koran and their notes would console a
lover whom longings unman. And therein the gazelle frisked free
and fain and wild cattle roamed about the plain. Its trees were of
tallest height its streams flowed bright ; its springs welled with
;

waters sweet and light and all therein was a delight to sight and
;

sprite. Bulukiya marvelled at the charms of the island but knew

that he had strayed from the way he had first taken in company
with Affan. He wandered about the place and solaced him with
various spectacles until njghtfall, when he climbed into a tree to
sleep but as he sat there, musing over the beauty of the site,
;

behold, the sea became troubled and there rose up to the surface a
great beast, which cried out with a cry so terrible that every living
thing upon the isle trembled. As Bulukiya gazed upon him from
the tree and marvelled at the bigness of his bulk, he was presently
followed unexpectedly by a multitude of other sea-beasts in kind
manifold, each holding in his fore-paw a jewel which shone like a
lamp, so that the whole island became as light as day for the lustre
of the gems. After awhile, there appeared, from the heart of the
island, wild beasts of the land, none knoweth their number save
Allah the Most High ; amongst which Bulukiya noted lions and
 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

panthers and lynxes and other ferals and these land-beasts ;

flocked down to the shore and, foregathering with the sea-beasts,

;

conversed with them till daybreak, when they separated and. each
went own way. Thereupon Bulukiya, terrified by what he had
his

seen, came down from the tree and, making the sea-shore, anointed
his feet with the magical juice, and set out once more upon the
surface of the water. He fared on days and nights over the
Second Sea, till he came to a great mountain skirting which ran a

Wady without end, the stones whereof were magnetic iron and its
beasts lions and hares and panthers. He landed on the mountain-
foot and wandered from place to place till nightfall, when he sat
down sheltered by one of the base-hills on the sea-side, to eat of
the dried fish thrown up by the sea. Presently, he turned from
his meal and behold, a huge panther was creeping up to rend
and ravin him so he anointed his feet in haste with the juice
;

and, descending to the surface of the water, fled walking over the
Third Sea, in the darkness for the night was black and the wind
;

blew stark. Nor

did he stay his course till he reached another
island, whereon he landed and found there trees bearing fruits both
fresh and dry. So he took of these fruits and ate and praised
1

Allah Almighty; after which he walked for solace about the island
till eventide. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.

fofjm ft foas tfce Jour f^untirefc antr Jimetg=first jiigljt,

She hath reached me,

said, It O
auspicious King, that Bulukiya
(continued the Queen) walked for solace about the island till even-
tide, when he lay down to sleep. As soon as day brake, he began
to explore the place and ceased not for ten days, after which he
again made the shore and anointed his feet and, setting out over
the Fourth Sea, walked upon it many nights and days, till he came
to a third island of fine white sand without sign of trees or grass.
He walked about it awhile but, finding its only inhabitants sakers
which nested in the sand, he again anointed his feet and trudged
over the Fifth Sea, walking night and day till he came to a little
island, whose soil and hills were like crystal. Therein were the

1
This may mean that the fruits were fresh and dried like dates or tamarinds (a notable

wonder), or soft and hard of skin like grapes and pomegranates.

 The Adventures of Bnlukiya. 315

veins wherefrom gold is worked and therein also were marvellous

;

trees whose like he had never seen in his wanderings, for their
blossoms were in hue as gold. He landed and walked about for
diversion till it was
nightfall, when the flowers began to shine
through the gloom like stars. Seeing this sight, he marvelled
"
and said, Assuredly, the flowers of this island are of those which
wither under the sun and fall to the earth, where the winds smite
them and they gather under the rocks and become the Elixir, which 1

the folk collect and thereof make gold." He slept there all that
night and at sunrise he again anointed his feet and, descending to
the shore, fared on over the Sixth Sea nights and days, till he came
to a fifth island. Here he landed and found, after walking an hour
or so, two mountains covered with a multitude of trees, whose
fruits were as men's heads hanging by the hair, and others whose
fruits were green birds hanging by the feet also a third kind, ;

whose fruits were like aloes, if a drop of the juice fell on a man it
burnt like fire and others, whose fruits wept and laughed, besides
;

many other marvels which he saw there. Then he returned to the

sea-shore and, finding there a tall tree, sat down beneath it till
supper-time when he climbed up into the branches to sleep. As
he sat considering the wonderful works of Allah behold, the waters
became troubled, and there rose therefrom the daughters of the sea,
each mermaid holding in her hand a jewel which shone like the
morning. They came ashore and, foregathering under the trees,
sat down and danced and sported and made merry whilst Bulukiya
amused himself with watching and wondering at their gambols,
which were prolonged till the morning, when they returned to the
sea and disappeared. Then he came down and, anointing his feet,
set out on the surface of the Seventh Sea, over which he journeyed
two whole months, without getting sight of highland or island or
broadland or lowland or shoreland, till he came to the end thereof.
And so doing he suffered exceeding hunger, so that he was forced
to snatch up fishes from the surface of the sea and deyour them
raw, for stress of famine. In such case he pushed on till in early
forenoon he came to the sixth island, with trees a-growing and rills
a-flowing, where he landed and walked about, looking right and left,
till he came to an apple-tree and put forth his hand to pluck of
"
the fruit, when lo one cried out to him from the tree, saying, An
!

1
Arab. " Al-Iksir
" lit. an essence also the phi'.^ipher's sfr
meaning ;
316 Alf Laylak wa Laylah,

thou draw near to this tree and cut of it aught, I will cut thee in
twain." So he looked and saw a giant forty cubits high, being the
cubit of the people of that day; whereat he feared with sore fear and
refrained from that tree. Then said he to the giant, "
Why dost
thou forbid me to eat of this tree ? " Replied the other, " Because
thou art a son of Adam and thy father Adam forgot the covenant
of Allah and sinned against Him and ate of the tree." Quoth
Bulukiya," What thing art thou and to whom belongeth this island,
with its trees, and how art thou named?" Quoth the tall one,
"
My name is Sharahiyd and trees and island belong to King
Sakhr; I am one of his guards and in charge of his dominion,"
1

"
presently adding, But who art thou and whence comest thou
hither?" Bulukiya told him his story from beginning to end
and Sharahiya said, " Be of good cheer," and brought him to eat.
So he ate his fill and, taking leave of the giant, set out again and
ceased not faring on over the mountains and sandy deserts for ten
days ; at the end of which time he saw, in the distance, a dust-
cloud hanging like a canopy in air and, making towards it, he
;

heard a mighty clamour, cries and blows and sounds of mellay.

Presently he reached a great Wady, two months' journey long ;

and, looking whence the shouts came, he saw a multitude of horse-

men engaged in fierce fight and the blood running from them till
it railed like a river. Their voices were thunderous and they were
armed with lance and sword and iron mace and bow and arrow,
and all fought with the utmost fury. At this sight he felt sore
affright And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.

Note fo&m tt foas t&e jpotir f^un&rt& an& Ninetg^settmo' Ntgfn,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Queen con-
tinued : When Bulukiya saw the host in fight, he felt sore affright
and was perplexed about his case but whilst he hesitated, behold,
;

they caught sight of him and held their hands one from other and
left fighting. Then a troop of them came up to him, wonder*
"
ing at his make, and one of the horsemen said to him, What art
thou and whence earnest thou hither and whither art wending ;
and who showed thee the way that thou hast come to oar

1
Name of the Jinni whom Solomon imprisoned in Lake Tiberias (See vol. L, 41).
 The Adventures of Bulukiya. 317

"
country?" Quoth he, I am Adam and am come
of the sons of
out, distracted for the love of Mohammed (whom Allah bless and
preserve !
)but I have wandered from my way." Quoth the
;
"
Never saw we a son of Adam till now, nor did any
horseman,
ever come to this land." And all marvelled at him and at his
speech. "But what are ye, O creatures?" asked Bulukiya; and
the rider replied, " We are of the Jann." So he said, O Knight, '

what is the cause of the fighting amongst you and where is your
"
abiding-place and what is the name of this valley and this land ?
He replied, "Our abiding- place is the White Country and, every ;

year, Allah Almighty commandeth us to come hither and wage war

upon the unbelieving Jann." Asked Bulukiya, "And where is the
White Country? " and the horseman answered, " It is behind the
mountain Kaf, and distant seventy-five years journey from this
place which is termed the Land of Shadddd son of 'Ad we :

are here for Holy War and we have no other business, when we
;

are not doing battle, than to glorify God and hallow him. More-
over, we have a ruler, King Sakhr hight, and needs must thou go
with us to him, that he may look upon thee for his especial de-
light." Then they fared on (and he with them) till they came to
their abiding place ; where he saw a multitude of magnificent
tents of green silk, none knoweth their number save Allah the
Most High, and in their midst a pavilion of red satin, some thou-
sand cubits compass, with cords of blue silk and pegs of gold
in
and silver. Bulukiya marvelled at the sight and accompanied them
as they fared on and behold, this was the royal pavilion. So they
carried him into the presence of King Sakhr, whom he found
seated upon a splendid throne of red gold, set with pearls and
studded with gems the Kings and Princes of the Jann being on
;

his right hand, and on his left his Councillors and Emirs and
Officers of state, and a multitude of others. The King seeing him
bade introduce him, which they did ; and Bulukiya went up to
him and saluted him after kissing the ground before him. The
" "
King returned his salute and said, Draw near me, O mortal !

and Bulukiya went close up to him. Hereupon the King, com-

manding a chair to be set for him by his royal side, bade him sit
down and asked him " Who art thou ? " and Bulukiya answered, ;
"
I am a man, and one of the Children of Israel." "
Tell me thy
story," cried King Sakhr, "and acquaint me with all that hath
befallen thee and how thou earnest to this land." So Bulu- my
kiya related to him all that had occurred in his wanderings from
318 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

beginning to end And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day

and ceased saying her permitted say.

ttfofo fo&en it foas tfje jpour ^untirrt anto NinttlHfjirti

She saJd, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Queen
continued: When
Bulukiya related to Sakhr what befel him in
his wanderings, he marvelled thereat. Then he bade the servants
bring food and they spread the tables and set on one thousand and
five hundred platters of red gold and silver and copper, some con-
taining twenty and some fifty boiled camels, and others some fifty
head of sheep at which Bulukiya marvelled with exceeding
;

marvel. Then they ate and he ate with them, till he was satisfied
and returned thanks to Allah Almighty after which they cleared
;

the tables and set on fruits, and they ate thereof, glorifying the
name of God and invoking blessings on His prophet Mohammed
(whom Allah bless and preserve !) When Bulukiya heard them
make mention of Mohammed, he wondered and said to King
Sakhr, "I am minded to ask thee some questions." Rejoined the
" "
King, Ask what thou wilt," and Bulukiya said, O King, what
are ye and what is your origin and how came ye to know of
Mohammed (whom Allah assain and save !) that ye draw near
" "
to him and love him ? King Sakhr answered, O Bulukiya, of
very sooth Allah created the fire in seven stages, one above the
other, and each distant a thousand years' journey from its neigh-
bour. The first stage he named Jahannam ! and appointed the
same punishment of the transgressors of the True-believers,
for the
who die unrepentant the second he named Laza and appointed
;

for Unbelievers the name of the third is Jahi'm and is appointed

:

for Gog and Magog. 2 The fourth is called Sa'i'r and is appointed

Vulgarly pronounced "Jahannum." The second hell is usually assigned to Chris-

1

tians. As there are seven Heavens (the planetary orbits) so, to satisfy Moslem love of
symmetry, there must be as many earths and hells under the earth. The Egyptians
invented these grim abodes, and the marvellous Persian fancy worked them into poem.
2
Arab. "Yajuj and Majuj," first named in Gen. x. 2, which gives the ethnology
of Asia Minor, circ. B.C. 800.
" Comer " is the Gimri or " "
Cymmerians, Magog the
" " the Ionian Greeks " Meshesh the "
original Magi, a division of the Medes ; Javan ;

Moschi ; and " "

Tiras the Turusha, or primitive Cymmerians. In subsequent times,
" "
Magog was applied to the Scythians, and modern Moslems determine from the Koran
and xxi.) that Yajuj and Majuj are the Russians,
(chapt. xviii. whom they call Moska or
Moskoff from the Moskwa River.
 The Adventures of Bulukiya. 319

for the host of Iblis. The fifth is called Sakar and is prepared
for those who neglect prayer. The sixth is called Hatamah and

isappointed for Jews and Christians. The seventh is named

Hdwiyah and is prepared for hypocrites. Such be the seven
"
stages." Quoth Bulukiya, Haply Jahannam hath least of tor-
" "
ture for that it is the uppermost." Yes," quoth King Sakhr, the
most endurable of them all is Jahannam natheless in it are ;

a thousand mountains of fire, in each mountain seventy thousand

cities of fire, in each city seventy thousand castles of fire, in each

castle seventy thousand houses of fire, in each house seventy thou-

sand couches of fire and in each couch seventy thousand manners
of torment. As for the other hells, O Bulukiya, none knoweth
the number of kinds of torment that be therein save Allah
Most Highest." When Bulukiya heard this, he fell down in a
fainting-fit, and when he came to himself,
he wept and said, " O
King what will be my case?" Quoth Sakhr, "Fear not, and
know thou that whoso loveth Mohammed (whom Allah bless and
keep ) the fire shall not burn him, for he is made free there-
!

from for his sake and whoso belongeth to his Faith the fire shall
;

fly him. As for us, the Almighty Maker created us of the fire ;

for the first that he made in Jahannam were two of His host,
whom he called Khali't and MaHt. Now Khalit was fashioned in
the likeness of a lion, with a tail like a tortoise twenty years'

journey length and

in ending in a member masculine while Malft ;

was like a pied wolf whose tail was furnished with a member femi-
nine. Then Almighty Allah commanded the tails to couple and
copulate and do the deed of kind, and of them were born serpents
and scorpions, whose dwelling is in the fire, that Allah may there-
with torment those whom He casteth therein ; and these increased
and multiplied. Then Allah commanded the tails of Khalit and
Malit to couple and copulate a second time, and the tail of Malit
conceived by the tail of Khalit and bore fourteen children, seven
male and seven female, who grew up and intermarried one with
other. All were obedient to their sire, save one who disobeyed
him and was changed into a worm which is Iblis (the curse of
Allah be upon him !). Now Iblis was one of the Cherubim, for he
had served Allah till he was raised to the heavens and cherished 1
by the especial favour of the Merciful One, who made him chief

1 " Mukarrabin "

I attempt to preserve the original pun ; (those near Allah) being tbt
Cherubim, and the Creator causing Iblis to draw near Him (karraba).
32O A If Laylah wa Laylah.

of the Cherubim." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day

and ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo fo&n it foas tfre .Jour f^unUreU antJ Nmetg-foutt!)

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Queen

said, It
continued: Iblis served God and became chief of Cherubim.

When, however, the Lord created Adam (with whom be peace !),
He commanded Iblis to prostrate himself to him, but he drew
bake so Allah Almighty expelled him from heaven and cursed
;

him. 1 This Iblis had issue and of his lineage are the devils and as ;

for the other six males, who were his elders, they are the ancestors
of the true-believing Jann, and we are their descendants. Such, O
2
Bulukiya is our provenance. Bulukiya marvelled at the King's
words and said, O King, I pray thee bid one of thy guards bear
"

me back to my native land." " Naught of this may we do,"

answered Sakhr, "save by commandment of Allah Almighty;
however, an thou desire to leave us and return home, I will mount
thee on one of my mares and cause her carry thee to the farthest
frontiers of my dominions, where thou wilt meet with the troops
of another King, Barakhiya hight, who will recognize the mare at
sight and take thee off her and send her back to us and this is ;

all we can do and no more." When Bulukiya heard these

for thee,
words he wept and said, " Do whatso thou wilt." So King Sakhr
caused bring the mare and., setting Bulukiya on her back, said to
"
him, Beware lest thou alight from her or strike her or cry out in
her face ; for if thou do so she will slay thee but abide quietly;

riding on her back till she stop with thee; then dismount and
wend thy ways." Quoth Bulukiya, " I hear and I obey ;" he then
mounted and setting out, rode on a long while between the rows
of tents and stinted not riding till he came to the royal kitchens
;

where he saw the great cauldrons, each holding fifty camels, hung
up over the fires which blazed fiercely under them. So he stopped

1
A vulgar version of the Koran (chapt. vii.), which seems to have borrowed from the.

Gospel of Barnabas. Hence Adam becomes a manner of God-man.

2
These wildfables are caricatures of Rabbinical legends which began with
"
Lilith,'*
the Spirit-wife of Adam : Nature and her counterpart, Physis and Antiphysis, supply
a solid basis for folk-lore. Amongst the Hindus we have Brahma (the Creator) and
Viswakarma, the anti-Creator: the former makes a horse and a bull and the latter
them with an ass and a buffalo, and so forth.
caricatures
 The Adventures of Bulukiya, 321

there and gazed with a marvel ever increasing till King Sakhr
thinking him to be anhungered, bade bring him two roasted
camels and they carried them to him and bound them behind
;

him on the mare's crupper. Then he took leave of them and fared
on, till he came to the end of King Sakhr's dominions, where the
mare stood still and Bulukiya dismounted and began to shake the
dust of the journey from his raiment. And behold, there accosted
him a party of men who, recognising the mare, carried her and
Bulukiya before their King Barakhiya. So he saluted him, and
the King returned his greeting and seated him beside himself in
a splendid pavilion, in the midst of his troops and champions
and vassal Princes of the Jann ranged to right and left after ;

which he called for food and they ate their fill and pronounced
the Alhamdolillah. Then they set on fruits, and when they
had eaten thereof, King Barakhiya, whose estate was like that
"
of King Sakhr, asked his guest, When didst thou leave King
Sakhr?" And Bulukiya answered, "Two days ago." Quoth
"
Barakhiya, Dost thou know, how many days' journey thou hast
come in these two days ? " Quoth he, " No," and the King
" Thou hast come a
rejoined, journey of threescore and ten
months." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.

Xofo fofjfn ft teas $e jpout f^un&ttfr art Nfnctn--fiftf)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Queen
"
continued Barakhiya said to Bulukiya, In
: two days thou hast
come a journey of threescore and ten months ; moreover when thou
mountedst the mare, she was affrighted at thee, knowing thee
for a son of Adam, and would have thrown thee so they bound ;

on her back these two camels by way of weight to steady her."

When Bulukiya heard this, he marvelled and thanked Allah
"
Almighty for safety. Then
King, Tell me thy
said the
adventures and what brought thee to this our land." So he
told him his story from first to last, and the King marvelled at
his words, and kept Bulukiya with him two months. Upon this
Hasib Karim al-Din after he had marvelled at her story, again
"
besought the Serpent-queen saying, I pray thee of thy goodness
and graciousness command one of thy subjects conduct me to the
surface of the earth, that I may return to my family ;" but she
VOL. V. X
322 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

"
answered, O Hasib, I know that the first thing thou wilt do,
after seeing the face of the earth will be to greet thy family and
then repair to the Hammam-bath and bathe and the moment ;

thou endest thine ablutions will see the last of me, for it will be
the cause of my death." Quoth Hasib, " I swear that I will never
again enter the Hammam-bath so long as I live, but when
washing is incumbent on me, I will wash at home." Rejoined
the Queen, " I would not trust thee though thou shouldst swear
to me an hundred oaths for such abstaining is not possible
;
and ;

I know thee to be a son of Adam for whom no oath is sacred.

Thy father Adam made a covenant with Allah the most High,
who kneaded the clay whereof He fashioned him forty mornings
and made His angels prostrate themselves to him yet after all ;

his promise did he forget and his oath violate, disobeying the
commandment of his Lord." When Hasib heard this, he held
his peace and burst into tears nor did he leave weeping for the
;

space of ten days, at the end of which time he said to the Queen,
" Prithee me with the rest of adventures,"
acquaint Bulukiya's
Accordingly, she began again as follows Know, O Hasib, that :

Bulukiya, after abiding two months with King Barakhiya, fare-

welled him and fared on over wastes and deserts nights and days,
tillhe came to a high mountain which he ascended. On the
summit he beheld seated a great Angel glorifying the names
of God and invoking blessings on Mohammed. Before him lay
1
a tablet covered with characters, these white and those black,
whereon his eyes were fixed, and his two wings were outspread to
the full, one to the western and the other to the eastern horizon.
Bulukiya approached and saluted the Angel, who returned his
salam adding, " Who art thou and whence comest thou and
"
whither wendest thou and what is thy story ? Accordingly, he
repeated to him his history, from first to last, and the Angel
"
marvelled mightily thereat, whereupon Bulukiya said to him, I
pray thee in return acquaint me with the meaning of this table
and what is writ thereon and what may be thine occupation
;

and thy name." Replied the Angel, " My name is Michael, and
I am charged with the shifts of night and day and this is my ;

occupation till the Day of Doom." Bulukiya wondered at his

1
This lthe "Lauh al-Mahfuz," the Preserved Tablet, upon which are written all
Allah's decrees and the actions of mankind good (white) and evil (black). This is th
"
'
perspicuous Book of the Koran, chapt. vi. 59. The idea again is Guebre.
 The Adventures of Bulukiya. 323

words and at his aspect and the vastness of his stature and,

taking leave of him, fared onwards, night and day, till he came
to a vast meadow over which he walked observing that it was
traversed by seven streams and abounded in trees. He was
struck by its beauty and in one corner thereof he saw a great
tree and under it four Angels. So he drew near to them and
found the the likeness of a man, the second in the likeness
first in

of a wild beast, the third in the likeness of a bird and the fourth
in the likeness of a bull, engaged in glorifying Almighty Allah,
and saying, "O my God and my Master and my Lord, I conjure
Thee, by Thy truth and by the degree of Thy Prophet Mohammed
(on whom be blessings and peace !) to vouchsafe Thy mercy and
grant Thy forgiveness to all things created in my likeness ;
for
"
Thou over all things art
Almighty Bulukiya marvelled at
!

what he heard but continued his journey till he came to another

mountain and ascending it, found there a great Angel seated on
the summit, glorifying God and hallowing Him and invoking
blessings on Mohammed (whom Allah assain and save!);
and he saw that Angel continually opening and shutting his
hands and bending and extending his fingers. He accosted
him and saluted him whereupon the Angel returned his salam
;

and enquired who he was and how he came thither. So Bulukiya

acquainted him with his adventures including his having lost the
way and besought him to tell him, in turn, who he was and
;

what was his function and what mountain was that. Quoth the
"
Angel, Know, O Bulukiya, that this is the mountain Kaf, which
encompasseth the world and all the countries the Creator hath
;

made are in my grasp. When the Almighty is minded to visit

any land with earthquake or famine or plenty or slaughter or
prosperity, He biddeth me carry out His commands and I carry
them out without stirring from my place for know thou that ;

my hands lay hold upon the roots of the earth," And Shah*
razad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.

ttfofo fofcen tt teas t&e jTout f^unfcrrtr anto :Miutj)=stxt&

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that the Queen con-
tinued: When the angel said," And know thou that my hands
lay
hold upon the roots of the earth," he asked, "And hath Allah created
324 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

other worlds than this within the mountain Kaf ?" The Angel
"
answered, Yes, He hath made a world white as silver, whose vast-
ness none knoweth save Himself, and hath peopled it with Angels,
whose meat and drink are His praise and hallowing and continual
blessings upon His Prophet Mohammed (whom Allah bless and
keep !),- Every Thursday night they repair to this mountain and
l

worship in congregation Allah until the morning, and they assign

the future recompense of their lauds and litanies to the sinners of
the Faith of Mohammed (whom Allah assain and save !) and to
all who make the Ghusl-ablution of Friday and this is their ;

function until theDay Asked Bulukiya, " And

of Resurrection."
hath Allah created other mountains behind the mountain Kaf?";
whereto he answered, "Yes, behind this mountain is a range of
mountains five hundred years' journey long, of snow and ice, and this
it is that wardeth off the heat of Jahannam from the world, which

verily would else be consumed thereby. Moreover, behind the

mountain Kaf are forty worlds, each one the bigness of this world
forty times told, some of gold and some of silver and others of
carnelian. Each of these worlds hath its own colour, and Allah
hath peopled them with angels, that know not Eve nor Adam nor
might nor day, and have no other business than to celebrate His
praises and hallow Him and make profession of His Unity and
proclaim His Omnipotence and supplicate Him on behalf of the
followers of Mohammed (whom Allah bless and keep !). And
know, also, O Bulukiya, that the earths were made in seven stages,
one upon another, and that Allah hath created one of His Angels,
whose stature and attributes none knoweth but Himself and who
beareth the seven stages upon his shoulders. Under this Angel
Almighty Allah hath created a great rock, and under the rock a
bull, and under the bull a huge fish, and under the fish a mighty
ocean. 2 God once told Isa (with whom be peace !)
of this fish, and
"
lie said, O Lord show me the fish, that I may look upon it." So
f
he Almighty commanded an angel to take Isa and show him the
'fish. Accordingly, he took him up and carried him (with whom
be peace !) to the sea, wherein the fish dwelt, and said, " Look, O
,Isa, upon the fish." He looked but at first saw nothing, when,
suddenly, the fish darted past like lightning. At this sight Isa

1
t.e. the night before Friday which in Moslem parlance would be Friday night.
* "
Again Persian Gaw-i-Zamin
"
=
the Bull of the Earth. " The cosmogony of the

world," etc., as we read in the Vicar of Wakefield.

 The Adventures of Bulukiya. 325

fell down aswoon, and when he came to himself, Allah

spake to
him by inspiration, saying, " O Isa, hast thou seen the fish and
"
comprehended its length and its breadth ? He replied, " By Thy
honour and glory, O Lord, I saw no fish but there passed me by ;

a great bull, whose length was three days' journey, and I know
not what manner of thing this bull is." Quoth Allah, " O Isa, this
that thou sawest and which was three days in passing by thee, was
but the head of the fish and know that every day I create forty
j
1

fishes like unto this." And Isa hearing this marvelled at the
"
power of Allah the Almighty. Asked Bulukiya, What hath Allah
made beneath this sea which containeth the fish ? ": and the Angel
O *
"
answered, Under the sea the Lord created a vast abyss of air,
under the air fire, and under the fire a mighty, serpent, by name
Falak and were it not for fear of the Most Highest, this serpent
;

would assuredly swallow up all that is above it, air and fire and
the Angel and his burden, without sensing it." And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

BTofo fofcm it foas t&e jFour f^untrrrtu anfc

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that the angel
"
said to Bulukiya when describing the serpent, And were it not
lor fear of the Most Highest, this serpent would assuredly swallow
tip all that is above it, air, fire, and the Angel and his burden,
and
without sensing it. When Allah created this serpent He said to
it by inspiration I : will give thee somewhat to keep for me, so

open thy mouth. The serpent replied Do whatso Thou wilt ; :

find opened his mouth and God placed Hell into his maw, saying
:

Keep it until the Day of Resurrection. When that time comes,

the Almighty will send His angels with chains to bring Hell and
bind it until the Day when all men shall meet ; and the Lord will
order Hell to go open its gates and there will issue therefrom
sparks bigger than the mountains." When Bulukiya heard these
things he wept with sore weeping and, taking leave of the Angel,
fared on westwards, till he came in sight of two creatures sitting

before a great shut gate. As he drew near, he saw that one of

the gatekeepers had the semblance of a lion and the other that of
a bull; so he saluted them and they returned his salam and enquired

" boIL"
614, here reads by a clerical error
1
The Calc. Edit. ii.
326 Alf Laylah wa Laylak.

who and whence he was and whither he was bound. Quoth he, " I
am of the sons of Adam, a wanderer for the love of Mohammed
(whom Allah assain and save !) and I have strayed from my
way." Then he asked them what they were and what was the
" We
gate before which they sat, and they answered, are the
guardians of this gate thou seest and we have no other business
than the praise and hallowing of Allah and the invocation of
blessingson Mohammed (whom may He bless and keep !)." Bu-
lukiya wondered and asked them, " What is within the gate ? ";
and they answered, "We wot not." Then quoth he, "I conjure
you, by the truth of your glorious Lord, open to me the gate,
that I may see that which is therein." Quoth they, " cannot, We
and none may open this gate, of all created beings save Gabriel,
the Faithful One, with whom be peace !" Then Bulukiya lifted up
"
his voice in supplication to Allah, saying, O
Lord, send me thy
messenger Gabriel, the Faithful One, to open for me this gate that
"
I may see what be therein and the Almighty gave ear unto his
;

prayer and commanded the Archangel to descend to earth and

open to him the gate of the Meeting-place of the Two Seas. So
Gabriel descended and, saluting Bulukiya, opened the gate to him,
"
saying, Enter this door, for Allah commandeth me to open to
thee." So he entered and Gabriel locked the gate behind him
and flew back to heaven. When Bulukiya found himself within
the gate, he looked and beheld a vast ocean, half salt and half
fresh, bounded on every side by mountain-ranges of red ruby
whereon he saw angels singing the praises of the Lord and hal-
lowing Him. So he went up to them and saluted them and
having received a return of his salam, questioned them of the sea
and the mountains. Replied they, " This place is situate under
the Arsh or empyreal heaven and this Ocean causeth the flux
;

and flow of all the seas of the world and we are appointed to
;

distribute them and drive them to the various parts of the earth,
1
the salt to the salt and the fresh to the fresh, and this is our
employ until the Day of Doom. As for the mountain-ranges
they serve to limit and to contain the waters. But thou, whence
"
comest thou and whither art thou bound ? So he told them his
story and asked them of the road. They bade him traverse the
surface of the ocean which lay before him so he anointed his :

feet with the juice of the herb he had with him, and taking leave

1
if. lakes and rivers.
 Tlie Adventures of Bulukiya. 327

of the angels, set out upon the face of the sea and sped on over
the water nights and days and as he was faring, behold, he met a
;

handsome youth journeying along like himself, whereupon he

greeted him and he returned his greeting. After they parted he
espied four great Angels wayfaring over the face of the sea, and
their going was like the blinding lightning; so he stationed
himself in their road, and when they came up to him, he saluted
them and said to them, " I ask you by the Almighty, the Glorious,
to tell me your names and whither are ye bound ?
"
Replied the
"
first Angel,
My name is Gabriel and these my companions are
called Israfi'l and Mika'i'l and Azra'il. There hath appeared in
the East a mighty dragon, which hath laid waste a thousand
cities and devoured their inhabitants wherefore Allah Almighty ;

hath commanded us to go to him and seize him and cast him

into Jahannam." Bulukiya marvelled at the vastness of their
stature and fared on, as before, days and nights, till he came to an
island where he landed and walked about for a while, And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

Note fofren ft tons t&e .Jour f^untorett anb Ninetg.eigfitt)

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Bulukiya

said, It
landed on the island and walked about for a while, till he saw a
comely young man with light shining from his visage, sitting
weeping and lamenting between two built tombs. So he saluted
him and he returned his salutation, and Bulukiya said to him.
"Who art thou and what are these two built tombs between
which thou sittest, and wherefore this wailing?" He looked at
him and wept with sore weeping, till he drenched his clothes
with his tears then said, " Know thou, O my brother, mine is a
;

marvellous story and a wondrous but I would have thee sit ;

by me and first tell me thy name and thine adventures and who
thou art and what brought thee hither ;
after which I will, in
turn, relate to thee my history." So Bulukiya sat down by him
and related to him all that had befallen him from his father's
1 "
death, adding, Such is my history, the whole of it, and Allah

1
Here some abridgement is necessary, for we have another recital of what has been
told more than once.
 Alf Laylah wa Laylah,

alone knoweth what will happen to me after this." When the

youth heard his story, he sighed and said,
"
O thou unhappy !

How few things thou hast seen in thy life compared with mine !

Know, O Bulukiya, that unlike thyself I have looked upon our

lord Solomon, in his life, and have seen things past count or

reckoning. Indeed, my story is strange and my case out of

range, and I would have thee abide with me, till I tell thee my
history and acquaint thee how I come to be sitting here."
Hearing this much Hasib again interrupted the Queen of the
"
Serpents and said to her, Allah upon thee, O Queen, release
me and command one of thy servants carry me forth to the
surface of the earth, and I will swear an oath to thee that I
will never enter the Hammam-bath as long as I live." But she
said, "This is a thing which may not be nor will I believe thee

upon thine oath." When he heard this, he wept and all the
serpents wept on his account and took to interceding for him
with their Queen, saying, " We
beseech thee, bid one of us carry
him forth to the surface of the earth, and he will swear thee an
oath never to enter the bath his life long." Now when Yamlaykha
(for such was the Queen's name) heard their appeal, she turned to
Hasib and made him swear to her an oath ; after which she bade
a serpent carry him forth to the surface of the earth. The serpent
made ready, but as she was about to go away with him, he turned
and " I would fain have thee tell me
to Queen Yamlaykha said,
the history of the youth whom Bulukiya saw sitting between two
tombs." So she said Know, O Hasib, that when Bulukiya sat
:

down by the youth and told him his tale, from first to last, in
order that the other might also recount his adventures and
explain the cause of his sitting between the two tombs And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

ttfofo fo&m a foas t&e Jfour f^un&rrtJ an& Ntiwtg-m'nt!) Nt'g&t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Queen
continued : When Bulukiya ended his recount, the youth said,
"
How few things of marvel hast thou seen in thy life, O unhappy !

Now I have looked upon our lord Solomon while he was yet living
and I have witnessed wonders beyond compt and conception."
And he began to relate
 The Story of Janshah 329

THE STORY OF JANSHAH*

KNOW, O my brother, that my sire was a King called Teghmvis,
who reigned over the land of Kabul and the Banu Shahlan, ten
thousand warlike chiefs, each ruling over an hundred walled cities
and a hundred and he was suzerain also over seven
citadels ;

vassal princes, was brought to him from the broad

and tribute
lands between East and West. He was just and equitable in
nis rule and Allah Almighty had given him all this and had
oestowed on him such mighty empire, yet had He not vouchsafed
him a son (though this was his dearest wish) to inherit the
kingdom after his decease. So one day it befel that he sum-
moned the Olema and astrologers, the mathematicians and
"
almanac-makers, and said, Draw me my horoscope and look
ifAllah will grant me a son to succeed me." Accordingly, they
consulted their books and calculated his dominant star and the
"
aspects thereof ; after which they said to him, Know, King, O
that thou shalt be blessed with a son, but by none other than the
daughter of the King of Khorasan." Hearing this Teghmus joyed
v;ith exceeding joy and, bestowing on the astrologers and wizards
treasure beyond numbering or reckoning, dismissed them. His
chief Wazir was a renowned warrior, by name 'Ayn Zar, who was

equal to a thousand cavaliers in battle so him he summoned ;

and, repeating to him what the astrologers had predicted, he

"
said, O Wazir, it is my will that thou equip thee for a march;
to Khorasan and demand for me the hand of its King Bahrwan's
daughter." Receiving these orders the Wazir at once proceeded
to get ready for the journey and encamped without the town
with his troops and braves and retinue, whilst King Teghmus
made ready as presents for the King of Khorasan fifteen hundred
loads of silks and precious stones, pearls and rubies and other
gems, besides gold and silver ; and he also prepared a prodigious
quantity of all that goeth to the equipment of a bride then, ;

loading them upon camels and mules, delivered them to Ayn Zar,
"
with a letter to the following purport. After invoking the
blessing o<" Heaven, King Teghmus to King Bahrwan, greeting.

1
This name, "King of Life
"
is Persian " "
or " "
means a scymitar and
:
Tegh Tigh
" a mistake for "
Bahrwan," is, I conceive, Bihrun," the Persian name of. Alexander
the Great
33O A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Know that we have taken counsel with the astrologers and sage*
and mathematicians, and they tell us that we shall have boon of
a boy-child, and that by none other than thy daughter. Where-
fore I have despatched unto thee my Wazir Ayn Zar, with great
store of bridal gear, and I have appointed him to stand in m^
stead and to enter into the marriage-contract in my name.
Furthermore I desire that of thy favour thou wilt grant him his
request without stay or delay for it is my own, and all gracious-
;

ness thou showest him, I take for myself but beware of crossing
;

me in this, for know, O King Bahrwan, that Allah hath bestowed

upon me the Kingdom of Kabul, and hath given me dominion
over the Banu Shahlan and vouchsafed me a mighty empire and ;

if I marry thy daughter, we will be, I and thou, as one thing in

kingship and I will send thee every year as much treasure as will
;

suffice thee. And this is of thee." Then King Teghmus

my desire
sealed the letter with his own ring and gave it to the Wazir, who
departed with a great company and journeyed till he drew near
the capital of Khorasan. When King Bahrwan heard of his
approach, he despatched his principal Emirs to meet him, with
1

a convoy of food and drink and other requisites, including forage

for the steeds. So they fared forth with the train till they met the
Wazir then, alighting without the city, they exchanged saluta-
;

tions and abode there, eating and drinking, ten days at the end ;

of which time they mounted and rode on into the town, where
they were met by King Bahrwan, who came out to greet the
Wazir of King Teghmus and alighting, embraced him and car-
ried him to his citadel. Then Ayn Zar brought out the presents
and laid them before King Bahrwan, together with the letter of
King Teghmus, which when the King read and understood, he
joyed with joy exceeding and welcomed the Wazir, saying,
"
Rejoice in winning thy wish and know that if King Teghmus
;

sought of me my life, verily I would give it to him." Then he

went in forthright to his daughter and her mother and his kins-
folk, and acquainting them with the King of Kabul's demand,
"
sought counsel of them, and they said, Do what seemeth good to
thee." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.

1
Arab. "
Mulakat" or meeting the guest which, I have said, is an essential part of
Eastern ceremony ; the distance from the divan, room, house or town being pro*
portioned to his rank or consideration.
 The Story of Janshah. 331

Nofo tobtn it teas t&e jFibe ^un&rc&tt) Xtgtt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King

Bahrwan consulted his daughter and her mother and his kins-
folk and they said, "Do what seemeth good to thee." So he
returned straightway to the Minister Ayn Zar and notified to
him that his desire had been fulfilled and the Wazir abode
;

with him two months, at the end of which time he said to him,
" We beseech thee to bestow upon us that wherefore we came, so
we may depart to our own land." " I hear and obey," answered
the King. Then he prepared all the gear wanted for the wedding ;

and when this was done he assembled his Wazirs and all his
Emirs and the Grandees of his realm and the monks and priests
who tied the knot of marriage between his daughter and King
Teghmus by proxy. And King Bahrwan bade decorate the city
after the goodliest fashion and spread the streets with carpets.
Then he equipped his daughter for the journey and gave her all
manner of presents and rarities and precious metals, such as none
may describe ;
and Ayn Zar departed with the Princess to his own
country. Whenthe news of their approach reached King Teghmus,.
he bade celebrate the wedding festivities and adorn the city after ;

which he went in unto the Princess and abated her maidenhead ;

nor was it long before she conceived by him and, accomplishing her
months, bare a man-child like the moon on the night of its full.
When King Teghmus knew that his wife had given birth to a
goodly son, he rejoiced with exceeding joy and, summoning the
"
sages and astrologers and mathematicians, said to them, I

would that ye draw the horoscope of the new-born child with

his ascendant and its aspects and acquaint me what shall befal
"
him in his lifetime So they made their calculations and found
them favourable but, that he would, in his fifteenth year, be
;

exposed to perils and hardships, and that if he survived, he

would be happy and fortunate and become a greater king than
his father and a more powerful. The King rejoiced greatly in
this prediction and named the boy Janshah. Then he delivered
him to the nurses, wet and dry, who reared him excellently well
till he reached hisfifth year, when his father taught him to read

the Evangel and instructed him in the art of arms and lunge of
lance and sway of sword, so that in less than seven years he was
wont to ride a-hunting, and a-chasing; he became a doughty cham-
$3 2 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

pion, perfect in all the science of the cavalarice and his father
was delighted to hear of his knightly prowess. It chanced one
day that King Teghmus and his son accompanied by the troops
rode out for sport into the wolds and wilds and hunted till mid-
afternoon of the third day, when the Prince started a gazelle of a
rare colour, which fled before him. So he gave chase to it, fol-
lowed by seven of King Teghmus's white slaves all mounted on
swift steeds,and rode at speed after the gazelle, which fled before
them she brought them to the sea-shore. They all ran at her
till

to take her as their quarry, but she escaped from them and, throw-

ing herself into the waves, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Noto fofjen it teas tfje Jptte f^un&rtfr anfc jpfrst Nfg&t,

She said, Ithath reached me, O auspicious King, that when

Janshah and the Mamelukes ran at the gazelle, to take her as
their quarry, she escaped from them and, throwing herself into
the waves, swam out to a fishing bark, that was moored near the
shore, and sprang on board. Janshah and his followers dismounted
and, boarding the boat, made prize of the gazelle and were minded
to return to shore with her, when the Prince espied a great island
"
in the offing and said to his merry men, I have a longing to visit
yonder island." They answered, We hear and obey," and sailed
"

on till they came to the island, where they landed and amused
themselves with exploring the place. Then they again embarked
and taking with them the gazelle, set out to return homeward, but
the murk of evening overtook them and they missed their way on
the main. Moreover a strong wind arose and drave the boat into,
mid-ocean, so that when they awoke in the morning, they found
themselves lost at sea. Such was their case; but as regards
King Teghmus, when he missed his son, he commanded his
troops to make search for him in separate bodies
so they dis- ;

on all sides and a company of them, coming to the sea-

persed
shore, found there the Prince's white slave whom
he had left in
charge of the horses. They asked him what was come of his
master and the other six, and he told them what had passed ;

whereupon they took him with them and returned to the King and
acquainted him with what they had learnt. When Teghmus
heard
their report, he wept with sore weeping and cast the crown from his
 The Story of Janshah. 333

head, biting his hands for vexation. Then he rose forthright and
wrote and despatched them to all the islands of the seaj
letters
Moreover he got together an hundred ships and filling them with.
troops, sent them to sail about in quest of Janshah, while he him-
self withdrew with his troops to his capital, where he abode in)
sore concern, As for Janshah's mother, when she heard of his loss
she buffeted her face and began the mourning ceremonies for her
son making sure that he was dead. Meanwhile, Janshah and his
men ceased not driving before the wind and those in search of
them cruised about for ten days till, finding no trace they returned
and reported failure to the King. But a stiff gale caught the
Prince's craft which went spooning till they made a second island,
where they landed and walked about. Presently they came upon
a spring of running water in the midst of the island and saw from
afar a man sitting hard by it. So they went up to him and
saluted him, and he returned their salam, speaking in a voice like
the whistle 1 of birds. Whilst Janshah stood marvelling at the
man's speech he looked right and left and suddenly split himself
in twain, and each half went a different way. 2 Then there came
down from the hills a multitude of men of all kinds, beyond count
and reckoning ; and they no sooner reached the spring, than each
one divided into two halves and rushed on Janshah and his
Mamelukes to eat them. When the voyagers saw this, they turned
and fled seawards but the cannibals pursued them and caught
;

and ate three of the slaves, leaving only three slaves who with
Janshah reached the boat in safety then launching her made for
;

the water and sailed nights and days without knowing whither
their ship went. They killed the gazelle and lived on her flesh,
till the winds drove them to a third island which was full of trees

and waters and flower-gardens and orchards laden with all fashion
of fruits and streams strayed under the tree-shade
: brief, the :

place was a Garden of Eden. The island pleased the Prince and
he said to his companions, " Which of you will land and explore."
Then said one of the slaves, " That will I do "; but he replied,

1
Arab. "Sifr" :
whistling is held by the Badawi to be the speech of devils; and
the excellent explorer Burckhardt got a bad name by the ugly habit.
The Arabs call " Shikk " (split man) and the Persians
" Nfmchahrah "
(half-face) a
kind of demon like a man divided longitudinally : this gruesome creature runs with
amazing speed and is very cruel and dangerous. For the celebrated soothsayers Shikk
and Sitih see Chenery's Al-Hariri, p. 371.
334 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.
"
This thing may not be you must all land and explore the
;

place while I abide in the boat." So he set them ashore, And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

Note fo&en tt foag tfje Jffot f^un&refc anlr Sfceconfc Nigjjt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Prince
set them ashore, and they searched the island, East and West, but
found no one then they fared on inland to the heart thereof, till
;

they came to a Castle compassed about with ramparts of white

marble, within which was a palace of the clearest crystal and, set in
its centre a garden containing all manner fruits beyond descrip-

tion, both fresh and dry, and flowers of grateful odour and trees
and birds singing upon the boughs. Amiddlemost the garden was
a vast basin of water, and beside it a great open hall with a raised
dais whereon stood a number of stools surrounding a throne of
red gold, studded with all kinds of jewels and especially rubies.
Seeing the beauty of the Castle and of the Garden they entered
and explored in all directions, but found no one there, so after
rummaging the Castle they returned to Janshah and told him what
"
they had seen. When he heard their report, he cried, Needs
must I solace myself with a sight of it ;" so he landed and
accompanied them to the palace, which he entered marvelling at
the goodliness of the place, They then visited every part of the
gardens and ate of the fruits and continued walking till it waxed
dark, when they returned to the estrade and sat down, Janshah on
the throne in the centre and the three others on the stools ranged
to the right and left. Then the Prince, there seated, called to mind
his separation from his father's throne-city 1 and country and friends
and kinsfolk ; and fell a-weeping and lamenting over their loss,
whilst his men wept around him. And as they were thus sorrow-
ing behold, they heard a mighty clamour, that came from seaward,
and looking in the direction of the clamour saw a multitude of
apes, as they were swarming locusts. Now the castle and the
island belonged to these apes, who, finding the strangers' boat
moored to the strand, had scuttled it and after repaired to the

1
Arab. " Takht" (Persian) = a throne or a capital*
 The Story of Janshah. 335

palace,where they came upon Janshah and his men seated. Here
the Serpent-queen again broke off her recital saying, " All this, O
Hasib, was told to Bulukiya by the young man sitting between the
two tombs." Quoth Hasib, "And what did Janshah with the
apes?"; so the Queen resumed her tale: He and his men were
sore affrighted at the appearance of the apes, but a company of
them came up to the throne whereon he sat and, kissing the earth
before him, stood awhile in his presence with their paws upon their
breasts in posture of respect. Then another troop brought to the
castle gazelles which they slaughtered and skinned and roasting
;

pieces of the flesh till fit for food they laid them on platters of
gold and silver and spreading the table, made signs to Janshah
and his men to eat. The Prince and his followers came down from
their seats and and the apefcv^te with them, till they were
ate,
satisfied, when away the meat and set on fruits of
the apes took
which they partook and praised Allah the most Highest. Then
Janshah asked the apes by signs what they were and to whom the
"
palace belonged, and they answered him by signals, Know ye that
this island belonged of yore to our lord Solomon son of David

(on both of whom be peace !), and he used to come hither once
every year for his solace, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Note fo&tn it foa tfte jpfbr ^un&rrt nnfc *Tiw& Xigfjt,

She said,It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when

Janshah asked the apes by signs to whom the palace belonged,

"
they answered him by signals, Of a truth this place belonged of
yore to our lord Solomon son of David (on both of whom be
peace !), who used to come hither once every year for his solace,
and then wend his ways." Presently the apes continued, "And
know, O
King, that thou art become our Sultan and we are thy
servants so eat and drink, and whatso thou ever bid us, that will
;

we do." So saying, they severally kissed the earth between the

hands of Janshah and all took their departure. The Prince slept
that night on the throne and his men on the stools about him, and
on the morrow, at daybreak, the four Wazirs or Captains of the
apes presented themselves before him, attended by their troops,
who ranged themselves about him, rank after rank, until the place
was crowded. Then the Wazirs approached and exhorted him by
33" A If Laylah wa Laylah.

signs todo justice amongst them and rule them righteously after ;

which the apes cried out to one another and went away, all save
a small party which remained in presence to serve him. After
awhile, there came up a company of apes with huge dogs in the
semblance of horses, each wearing about his head a massive
chain and signed to Janshah and his three followers to mount
;

and go with them. So they mounted, marvelling at the greatness

of the dogs, and rode forth, attended by the four Wazrrs and a
host of apes like swarming locusts, some riding on dogs and
others afoot till they came to the sea-shore. Janshah looked for
the boat which brought him and finding it scuttled turned to the
Wazirs and asked how this had happened to it whereto they ;

"
answered, Know, O
King, that, when thou earnest to our island,
we kenned that thou wouldst be Sultan over us and we feared lest
ye all flee from us, in our absence and embark in the boat so
; ;

we sank it." When Janshah heard this, he turned to his Mame-

lukes and said to them, " We have no means of escaping from
these apes, and we must patiently await the ordinance of the
Almighty." Then they
fared on inland and ceased not faring till
they came banks of a river, on whose other side rose a high
to the

mountain, whereon Janshah saw a multitude of Ghuls. So he

turned to the apes and asked them," What are these Ghuls ?" and
they answered, Know, O King, that these Ghuls are our mortal
"

foes and we come hither to do battle with them." Janshah

marvelled to see them riding horses, and was startled at the vast-
ness of their bulk and the strangeness of their semblance for ;

some of them had heads like bulls and others like camels. As soon
as the Ghuls espied the army of the apes, they charged down to
the river-bank and standing there, fell to pelting them with stones
as big as maces and between them there befel a sore fight.
;

Presently, Janshah, seeing that the Ghuls were getting the better
"
of the apes, cried out to his men, saying, Uncase your bows and
arrows and shoot at them your best shafts and keep them off
from us." They did so and slew of the Ghuls much people, when
there fell upon them sore dismay and they turned to flee but the ;

apes, seeing Janshah's prowess, forded the river and headed by

their Sultan chased the Ghuls, killing many of them in the

pursuit, they
till reached the high mountain where they dis-
appeared. And while exploring the said mountain Janshah
" O thou who
found a tablet of alabaster, whereon was written,
enterest this land, know that thou wilt become Sultan over
 The Story of Janshah. 337

apes and that from them there is no escape for thee, except by
the passes that run east and west through the mountains. If
thou take the eastern pass, thou wilt fare through a country
swarming with Ghuls and wild beasts, Marids and Ifrits, and thou
wilt come, after three months' journeying, to the ocean which

encompasseth the earth but, if thou travel by the western pass,

;

it will bring thee, after four months' journeying, to the head of

the Wady of Emmets. 1 When thou hast followed the road, that
leads through this mountain, ten days," And Shahrazad per-
ceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

fo&en ft foaa tfje jpibe f^untotefc anto ^ourtf) Nt'

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Janshah

read this much upon the tablet and found, at the end of the
"
inscription, Then thou wilt come to a great river, whose current
is so swift that it blindeth the eyes. Now this river drieth up
8
every Sabbath, and on the opposite bank lies a city wholly in-
habited by Jews, who the faith of Mohammed refuse there is not ;

a Moslem among the band nor isthere other than this city in the
land. Better therefore lord it over the apes, for so long as thou
shalt tarry amongst them they will be victorious over the Ghuls,
And know also that he who wrote this tablet was the lord
Solomon, son of David (on both be peace!)." When Janshah
read these words, he wept sore and repeated them to his men.
Then they mounted again and, surrounded by the army of the
apes who were rejoicing in their victory, returned to the castle.
Here Janshah abode, Sultaning over them, for a year and a half.
And at the end of this time, he one day commanded the ape-army
to mount and go forth a-hunting with him, and they rode out into
the wolds and wilds, and fared on from place to place, till
they
approached the of Emmets, which Janshah knew by the
Wady
description of upon the alabaster tablet. Here he bade them
it

dismount and they all abode there, eating and drinking a space of

1
Arab. Wady al Naml ; a reminiscence of the Koranic Wady (chapt. xxvii.), which
some place in Syria and others in Taif.
a
This is the old, old fable of the River Sabbation which Pliny (xxxi. 18) reports at
"diying up every Sabbath-day" (Saturday) and which Josephus reports as breaking
:

the Sabbath by flowing only on the Day of Rest.

VOL. V. Y
338 Alf Laylah wa Laylah,

ten days, after which Janshah took his men apart one night and
"
I purpose we free through the
said, Valley of Emmets and make
for the town of the Jews ; it may be Allah will deliver us from
these apes and we will go God's ways." They replied, " We hear
and we obey " so he waited till some little of the night was spent,
:

then, donning his armour and girding his sword and dagger and
such like weapons, and his men doing likewise, they set out and
fared on westwards till morning. When the apes awoke and
missed Janshah and his men, they knew that they had fled. So
they mounted and pursued them, some taking the eastern pass
and others that which led to the Wady of Emmets, nor was it
long before the apes came in sight of the fugitives, as they were
about to enter the valley, and hastened after them. When Janshah
and his men saw them, they fled into the Emmet-valley but the ;

apes soon overtook them and would have slain them, when behold,
there rose out of the earth a multitude of ants like swarming
locusts, as big as dogs, and charged home upon the apes. They
devoured many of their foes, and these also slew many of the ants ;
but help came to the emmets now an ant would go up to an ape
:

and smite him and cut him in twain, whilst ten apes could hardly
master one ant and bear him away and tear him in sunder. The
till the evening but the emmets were victorious.
sore battle lasted
In the gloaming Janshah and his men took to flight and fled along
the sole of the Wady And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.

tofjen it toas t&* Jftbe f^utrtrrefc airt jpi'ftf)

Ni

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that in the
gloaming Janshah and his men took
to flight and fled along the
sole of the Wady till the morning. With the break of day, the
apes were up and at them, which when the Prince saw, he shouted
" So they bared their
to his men, Smite with your swords."
blades and laid on load right and left, till there ran at them an

ape, with tusks like an elephant, and smote one of the Mame-
lukes and cut him in sunder. Then the apes redoubled upon
of the
Janshah and he fled with his followers into the lower levels
side a mighty many of
valley, where he saw a vast river and by its
ants. When the emmets espied Janshah they pushed on and
surrounded him, and one of the slaves fell to smiting them with
 The Story of Janshak. 339

his sword and cutting them in twain whereupon the whole host
;

set upon him and slew him. At this pass, behold, up came the
apes from over the mountain and fell in numbers upon Janshah ;

but he tore off his clothes and, plunging into the river, with his
remaining servant, struck out for the middle of the stream. Pre-
sently, he caught sight of a tree on the other bank so he swam
;

up to it and laying hold of one of its branches, hung to it and

swung himself ashore, but as for the last Mameluke the current
carried him away and dashed him to pieces against the mountain.

Thereupon Janshah fell to wringing his clothes and spreading them

in the sun to dry, what while there befel a fierce fight between the

apes and the ants, until the apes gave up the pursuit and returned
to their own land. Meanwhile, Janshah, who abode alone on the
river-bank, could do naught but shed tears till nightfall, when he
took refuge in a cavern and there passed the dark hours, in great
fear and feeling desolate for the loss of his slaves. At daybreak
awaking from his sleep he set out again and fared on nights
and days, eating of the herbs of the earth, till he came to the
mountain which burnt like fire, and thence he made the river
which dried up every Sabbath. Now it was a mighty stream
and on the opposite bank stood a great city, which was the
capital of the Jews mentioned in the tablet Here he abode till
the next Sabbath, when the river dried up and he walked over
to the other side and entered the Jew city, but saw none in the
streets. So he wandered about till he came to the door of a
homestead, which he opened and entering, espied within the people
of the house sitting in silence and speaking not a syllable.
"
Quoth he, I am a stranger and anhungered ;" and they signed
"
to him, as to say, Eat and drink, but speak not"
*
So he ate
and drank and slept that night and, when morning dawned, the
master of the house greeted him and bade him welcome and asked
" "
him, Whence comest thou and whither art thou bound ? At
these words Janshah wept sore and told him all that had befallen
him and how his father was King of Kabul whereat the Jew ;

marvelled and said, " Never heard we of that city, but we have
heard from the merchants of the caravans that in that direction
"
lieth a land called Al-Yaman." How far is that land from this

They were keeping the Sabbath. When lodging with my friends a

1 Israelite

Tiberias and Safet, I mad* a point of never speaking to them (after the morning
alutatioa) till the Saturday was over.
34O A If Laylah wa Laylah.
"
place ? asked Janshah, and the Jew answered, " The Cafilah mer-
chants pretend that it is a two years and three months' march from
"
their land hither." Quoth Janshah, And when doth the caravan
come ?
"
Quoth the Jew, Next year 'twill come."
V, And Shah- --
razad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.

Nofo foljcn (t foag tljc J^'be IDuntiutJ antu ^txtlj Xtgljt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Jew was questioned anent the coming of the caravan, he replied,
"
Next year 'twill come." At these words the Prince wept sore
and fell a-sorrowing for himself and his Mamelukes and lament- ;

ing his separation from his mother and father and all which had
befallen him in his wanderings. Then said the Jew, " O
young
man, do not weep, but sojourn with us till the caravan shall come,
when we will send thee with it to thine own country." So he
tarried with the Jew two whole months and every day he went out
walking in the streets for his solace and diversion. Now it chanced
one day, whilst he paced about the main thoroughfares, as of wont,
and was bending his steps right and left, he heard a crier crying
aloud and saying, " Who will earn a thousand gold pieces and a
slave-girl of surpassing beauty and loveliness by working for me
"
between morning and noontide ? But no one answered him and
"
Janshah said in his mind, Were not this work dangerous and

difficult, he would not offer a thousand dinars and a fair girl for
"
half a day's labour." Then he accosted the crier and said, I will

do the work ;" so the man carried him to a lofty mansion where
they found one who was a Jew and a merchant, seated on an ebony
whom quoth the crier, standing respectfully before him, "O
chair, to
merchant, I have cried every day these three months, and none
hath answered, save this young man." Hearing his speech the Jew
welcomed Janshah, led him into a magnificent sitting-room and
So the servants spread the table and set
signalled to bring food.
thereon manner meats, of which the merchant and Janshah ate,
all

and washed their hands. Then wine was served up and they
drank after which the Jew rose and bringing Janshah a purse
;

of a thousand dinars and a slave-girl of rare beauty, said to him,

"Take maid and money to thy hire." Janshah took them and
"
seated the girl by his side when the trader resumed, To-morrow
 The Story of Janshah. 341

'to the work and so saying he withdrew and Janshah slept with
!
";
the damsel that night. As soon as it was morning, the merchant
bade his slaves clothe him in a costly suit of silk whenas he came
out of the Hammam-bath. So they did as he bade them and
brought him back to the house, whereupon the merchant called
for harp and lute and wine and they drank and played and made

merry till the half of the night was past, when the Jew retired to
his Harim and Janshah lay with his slave-girl till the dawn. Then
he went to the bath and on his return, the merchant came to him
and said, " Now I wish thee to do the work for me." " I hear and
obey," replied Janshah. So the merchant bade his slaves bring
two she-mules and set Janshah on one, mounting the other him-
self. Then they rode forth from the city and fared on from morn
till noon, when they made a lofty mountain, to whose height was

no limit. Here the Jew dismounted, ordering Janshah to do the

same; and when he obeyed the merchant gave him a knife and
a cord, saying, " I desire that thou slaughter this mule." So
Janshah tucked up his sleeves and skirts and going up to the
mule, bound her legs with the cord, then threw her and cut her
throat ; after which he skinned her and lopped off her head and
legs and she became a mere heap of flesh. Then said the Jew,
" Slit
open the mule's belly and enter it and I will sew it up on
thee. There must thou abide awhile and whatsoever thou seest
in her belly, acquaint me therewith." So Janshah slit the mule's
belly and crept into it, whereupon the merchant
sewed it up on
him and withdrew to a distance, And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Note fo&en it foas t&e Jpibe f$uirtitE& anfc S&fant&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the mer-
chant sewed up the mule's belly on Janshah and, withdrawing to
a distance, hid himself in the skirts of the mountain. After a
while a huge bird swooped down on the dead mule and snatching
it up, flew up with it to the top of the mountain, where it set down

the quarry and would have eaten it; but Janshah, feeling the bird
begin to feed, slit the mule's belly and came forth When the .

bird saw him, it took fright at him and flew right away ; where-
upon he stood up and looking right and left, saw nothing but the
carcasses of dead men, mummied by the sun, and exclaimed,
 342 A If Laylah wa Laylak.
"
There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the
"
Glorious, the Great Then he looked down the precipice and
!

espied the merchant standing at the mountain-foot, looking for

him. As soon as the Jew caught sight of him, he called out to
"
him, Throw me down of the stones which are about thee, that
Imay direct thee to a way whereby thou mayst descend." So
Janshah threw him down some two hundred of the stones, which
were all rubies, 1 chrysolites and other gems of price after which ;

he called out to him, saying, " Show me the way down and I will
throw thee as many more." But the Jew gathered up the stones
and, binding them on the back of the mule, went his way without
answering a word and left Janshah alone on the mountain-top.
When the Prince found himself deserted, he began to weep and
implore help of Heaven, and thus he abode three days after ;

1
Arab. " La'al " and " Ydkiit," the latter also applied to the garnet and to a variety of
inferior stones. The supposed by Moslems to be a common mineral thoroughly
ruby is

"cooked "by the sun, and produced only on the summits of mountains inaccessible
even to Alpinists. The idea may have originated from exaggerated legends of the
Badakhshan country (supposed to be the home of the ruby) and its terrors of break-neck
foot-paths, jagged peaksand horrid ravines: hence our " 6a/ass-r\iby " through the
" Balaxe." who died
Spanish corruption Epiphanius, archbishop of Salamis in Cyprus,
A.D. 403, gives, in a (De duodecim gemmis rationalis summi sacerdotis
little treatise

Hebrseorum Liber, opera Fogginii, Romse, 1743, p. 30), a precisely similar description
of the mode of finding jacinths in Scythia. " In a wilderness in the interior of Great
" there is a
Scythia," he writes, valley begirt with stony mountains as with walls. It is
inaccessible to man, and so excessively deep that the bottom of the valley is in-
visiblefrom the top of the surrounding mountains. So great is the darkness
that has the effect of a kind of chaos. To this place certain criminals are
it

condemned, whose task it is to throw down into the valley slaughtered lambs, from
which the skin has been first taken off. The little stones adhere to these pieces of
flesh. Thereupon the eagles, which live on the summits of the mountains, fly down
to
following the scent of the flesh, and carry away the lambs with the stones adhering
them. They, then, who are condemned to this place, watch until the eagles have
finished their meal, and run and take away the stones." Epiphanius, who wrote this, is

spoken of in terms of great respect by many ecclesiastical writers, and St. Jerome styles
the treatise here quoted, "Egregium volumen, quod si legere volueris, plenissimam
scientiam consequeris ;" and, indeed, it is by no means improbable that it was from the
account of Epiphanius that this story was first translated into Arabic. A similar account
1

is given by Marco Polo and by Nicol6 de Conti, as of a usage which they had heard was

practised in India, and the position ascribed to the mountain by Conti, namely, fifteen
it highly probable that Golconda was alluded
days' journey north of Vijanagar, renders
to. He calls the mountain Albenigaras, and says that it was infested with serpents.
Marco Polo also speaks of these serpents, and while his account agrees with that of
are devoured
Sindbad, inasmuch as the serpents, which are the prey of Sindbad's Rukh,
the Venetian's that of Conti makes the vultures and eagles fly away with the
by eagles,
meat to places where they may be safe from the serpents. (Introd. p. xlii., India in the
Jifteenth Century, etc., R. H. Major, London, Hakluyt Soc. MDCCCLV1I.)
 The Story of Janshah. 343

which he rose and fared on over the mountainous ground two

month's space, feeding upon hill-herbs and he ceased not faring
;

till he came to its skirts and espied afar off a Wady full of fruitful

trees and birds harmonious singing the praises of Allah, the One,
the Victorious. At this sight he joyed with great joy and stayed
not his steps till, after an hour or so, he came to a ravine in the
rocks, through which the rain-torrents fell into the valley. He
made his way down the cleft till he reached the Wady which he
had seen from the mountain-top and walked on therein, gazing
right and left, nor ceased so doing until he came in sight of a
great castle, towering high in air. As he drew near the gates
he saw an old man of comely aspect and face shining with light
standing thereat with a staff of carnelian in his hand, and going
up to him, saluted him. The Shaykh returned his salam and
bade him welcome, saying, "Sit down, O my son." So he sat
down at the door of the castle and the old man said to him,
*'
How earnest thou to this land, untrodden by son of Adam
"
before thee, and whither art thou bound ? When Janshah
heard his words he wqpt bitterly at the thought of all the hard-
ships he had suffered and his tears choked his speech. Quoth
the Shaykh, O my son, leave weeping for indeed thou makest
"
;

my heart ache." So saying, he rose and set somewhat of food

before him and said to him, "Eat." He ate and praised Allah
" O
Almighty ;
which the old man besought him saying,
after

my son, I would have thee tell me thy tale and acquaint me

with thine adventures." So Janshah related to him all that had
befallen him, from first to last, whereat the Shaykh marvelled
"
with exceeding marvel. Then said the Prince, Prithee inform
me who is the lord of this valley and to whom doth this great
"
castle belong ? Answered the old man, " Know, O my son,
this valley and all that is therein and this castle with all it
containeth belong to the lord Solomon, son of David (on both
be peace !). As for me, my name is Shaykh Nasr, King of the
1
.

Birds; for thou must know that the lord Solomon committed
this castle to my charge," And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

1
Elder Victory :
" Nasr " is a favourite name with Moslems.
344 A If Lalah wa Laylak.

ttfofo fofjen it teas tfje jptbe l^un&rrti an& lEtgfjtf)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Shaykh

Nasr pursued, " Thou must know that the lord Solomon com-
mitted this castle to my charge and taught me the language of
birds and made me ruler over all the fowls which be in the world ;
wherefore each and every come hither once in the twelvemonth,
and I pass them in review then they depart ; and this is why
:

I dwell here." When Janshah heard this, he wept sore and said
"
to the Shaykh, O my father, how shall I do to get back to my
" "
native land ? Replied the old man, Know, O my son, that
thou art near to the mountain Kaf, and there is no departing
for thee from this place till the birds come, when I will give thee
in charge to one of them, and he will bear thee to thy native
country. Meanwhile tarry with me here and eat and drink and
divert thyself with viewing the apartments of this castle." So
Janshah abode with Shaykh Nasr, taking his pleasure in the
Wady and eating of its fruits and laughing and making merry
with the old man, and leading a right joyous life till the day
appointed for the birds to pay their annual visit to their Governor.
"
Thereupon the Shaykh said to him, O Janshah, take the keys of
the castle and solace thyself with exploring all its apartments and
viewing whatever be therein, but as regards such a room, beware
and again beware of opening its door and if thou gainsay me
;

and open it and enter therethrough nevermore shalt thou know

fair fortune." He repeated this charge again and again with muchi
instance then he went forth to meet the birds, which came up,
;

kind by kind, and kissed his hands. Such was his case but as ;

regards Janshah, he went round about the castle, opening the

various doors and viewing the apartments into which they led,
till he came to the room which Shaykh Nasr had warned him

not to open or enter. He looked at the door and its fashion.

pleased him, for it had on it a padlock of gold,
and he said to
" others would
himself, This room must be goodlier than all the ;

Heaven I wist what is within it, that Shaykh Nasr should forbid
me to open its door There is no help but that I enter and see
!

what is in this apartment for whatso is decreed unto the creature

;

his hand and unlocked

perforce he must fulfil." So he put out
the door and entering, found himself before a great basin ; and
 The Story of Janshak. 345

hard by it stood a
little pavilion, builded all of
gold and silver
and crystal, with lattice-windows of jacinth. The floor was paved
with green beryl and balass rubies and emeralds and other jewels,
set in theground-work mosaic-fashion, and in the midmost of the
pavilion was a jetting fountain in a golden basin, full of water
and girt about with figures of beasts and birds, cunningly wrought
of gold and silver and casting water from their mouths. When
the zephyr blew on them, it entered their ears and therewith the
figuressang out with birdlike song, each in its own tongue. Beside
the fountain was a great open saloon with a high dais whereon
stood a vast throne of carnelian, inlaid with pearls and jewels,
over which" was spread a tent of green silk fifty cubits in width
and embroidered with gems fit for seal-rings and purfled with
precious metals. Within^this (tent was a closet containing the
v
carpet of the lord ^Soloqiqn (ori' whom be peace !) and the pavilion
'
;

was compassed ^abo'u^Xy^ith a vast garden full of fruit-trees and

streams while nearitHe^palace were beds of roses and basil and
;

eglantine and all mamier sweet-smelling herbs and flowers. And

the trees bore on the same boughs fruits fresh and dry and the
branches swayed gracefully to the wooing of the wind. All this
was in that one apartment and Janshah wondered thereat till he
was weary of wonderment and he set out to solace himself in the
;

palace and the garden and to divert himself with the quaint and
curious things they contained. And first looking at the basin
he saw that the gravels of its bed were gems and jewels and
noble metals ; and many other strange things were in that apart-
ment. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.

fo&en ft teas tfje jpfbe 3un&re& an& Nfotf)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Janshah

saw many strange things and admirable in tht apartment. Then
he entered the pavilion and mounting the throne, fell asleep under
the tent set up thereover. He slept for a time and, presently
awaking, walked forth and sat down on a stool before the door.
As he marvelling at the goodliness of that place, there flew
sat,

up from mid-sky three birds, in dove-form but big as eagles, and

lighted on the brink of the basin, where they sported awhile,
 346 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

Then they put and became three maidens, 1 as

off their feathers

they were moons, that had not their like in the whole world. They
plunged into the basin and swam about and disported themselves
and laughed, while Janshah marvelled at their beauty and loveli-
ness and the grace and symmetry of their shapes. Presently, they
came up out of the water and began walking about and taking
their solace in the garden; and Janshah seeing them land was
like to lose his wits He rose and followed them, and when he
overtook them, he saluted them and they returned his salam ;
"
after which quoth he, Who are ye, O illustrious Princesses, and
"
Replied the youngest damsel, We are from
"
whence come ye ?
the invisible world of Almighty Allah and we come hither to
divert ourselves." He marvelled at their beauty and said to the
" on me and deign kindness to me and take
youngest, Have ruth
pity on my case and on all that hath befallen me in my life."
"
Rejoined she, Leave this talk and wend thy ways"; whereat the
tears streamed from his eyes, and he sighed heavily and repeated
these couplets :

She shone out in the garden in garments all of green, o With open vet
and collars and flowing hair beseen :

" What is
thy name ?" I asked her, and she replied/' I'm she o Who roasts the
hearts of lovers on coals of love and teen.''
Of passion and its anguish to her I made my moan o " Upon a rock/'
;

she answered, " thy plaints are wasted clean."

*'
Eves if thy heart," I told her, " be rock in very deed, o Yet hath God
1
made fair water well from the rock, I ween."

When the maidens heard his verses, they laughed and played and
sang and made merry. Then he brought them somewhat of fruit,
and they ate and drank and slept with him till the morning, when
they donned their feather-suits, and resuming dove shape flew off
and went their way. But as he saw them disappearing from sight,
his reason well-nigh fled with them, and he gave a great cry and
fell down in a fainting fit and lay a-swooning all that day. While

These are the " Swan-maidens of

"
1
whom Europe in late years has heard more than
enough. It appears to me thatwe go much too far for an explanation of the legend a ;

high-bred girl is so like a swan in many points that the idea readily suggests itself.
And it is also aided by the old
Egyptian (and Platonic) belief in pre-existence and by
the Rabbinic and Buddhistic doctrine of ante-natal sin, to say nothing of metempsy-
chosis (Joseph Ant. xvii. 153).
*
The lines have occurred before- I quote Mr. Payne for variety
 The Story of Janshah. 347

he was in this case Shaykh Nasr returned from the Parliament of

the Fowls and sought for Janshah, that he might send him with
them to his native land, but found him not and knew that he had
entered the forbidden room. Now he had already said to the birds,
" With me is a
young man, a mere youth, whom destiny brought
hither from a distant land and I desire of you that ye take him
;

up and carry him to his own country." And all answered, " We
hear and we obey." So he ceased not searching for Janshah till
he came to the forbidden door and seeing it open he entered and
found the Prince lying a-swoon under a tree. He fetched scented
waters and sprinkled them on his face, whereupon he revived and
turned And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.

foljen t't foas t&e Jptte ^unfcret) an* 2Fentl)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when

Shaykh Nasr saw Janshah lying a-swoon under the tree he fetched
him somewhat of scented waters and sprinkled them on his face.
Thereupon he revived and turned right and left, but seeing
none by him save the Shaykh, sighed heavily and repeated these
couplets :

" Like moon she shines on

fullest happiest night, o Soft-sided fair, with slendci
shape bedight.
Her eye-babes charm the world with gramarye ;
e Her lips remind of rose and
ruby light.
Her jetty locks make night upon her hips ; Ware, lovers, ware ye of
that curl's despight !
Yea, soft her sides are, but in love her heart o Outhardens flint, surpasses
syenite :

And bows of eyebrows shower glancey shafts o Despite the distance never
fail to smite.
Then, ah, her beauty ! all the fair it passes ;
o Nor any rival her who see
the light."

When Shaykh Nasr heard these verses, he said, " O my son, did
I not warn thee not to open that door and enter that room ? But
now, O my son, tell me what thou sawest therein and acquaint
me with all that betided thee." So Janshah related to him all
that had passed between him and the three maidens, and Shaykh
Nasr, who sat listening in silence said,
"
Know, O my son, that
348 A If Laylak wa Laylah.

these three maidens are of the daughters of the Jann and come
hither every year for a day, to divert themselves and make merry
until mid-afternoon, when they return to their own country."
"
Janshah asked, And where is their country ? "; and the old man
" "
answered, By Allah, son, O my I
presently adding, wot not :

" but
now take heart and put away this love from thee and come
with me, that I may send thee to thine own land with the birds."
When Janshah heard he gave a great cry and fell down in a
this,
to himself, and said, O my father,
"
trance ; and presently he came
indeed I care not to return to my native land all I want is to :

foregather with these maidens and know, O my father, that I will

never again name my people, though I die before thee." Then he
"
wept and cried, Enough for me that I look upon the face of her
I love, although it be only once in the year
" And he
sighed !

deeply and repeated these couplets :

Would Heaven the Phantom spared the friend at night * And would this love'
1

for man were ever dight !

Were not my heart afire for love of you, * Tears ne'er had stained my cheeks'
nor dimmed my sight
By night and day, I bid my heart to bear * Its griefs, while fires of love my
body blight

Then he fell at feet and kissed them and wept sore,

Shaykh Nasr's
"
crying, Have
pity on me, so Allah take pity on thee and aid me
" "
in my strait so Allah aid thee Replied the old man, By Allah,
!

O my son, I know nothing of these maidens nor where may be

their country but, O my son, if thy heart be indeed set on one of
;

them, tarry with me till this time next year for they will assuredly
reappear and, when the day of their coming draweth near, hide
;

thyself under a tree in the garden. As soon as they have alighted

and doffed their feather-robes and plunged into the lake and are
swimming about at a distance from their clothes, seize the vest of
her whom thy soul desireth. When they see thee, they will come
a-bank and she, whose coat thou hast taken, will accost thee and
say to thee with the sweetest of speech and the most witching of
"
smiles, Give me my dress, O my brother, that I may don it and
veil my nakedness withal." But if thou yield to her prayer and

" "
,' Arab. Al-Khayal" : it is a synonym of "al-Tayf and the nearest approach to
our " ghost," as has been explained. In poetry it is the figure of the beloved
when dreaming*
 The Story of Janshah. 349

give her back the vest thou wilt never win thy wish nay, she will :

don it and fly away to her folk and thou wilt nevermore see her

again. Now when thou hast gained the vest, clap it under thine
armpit and hold it fast, till I return from the Parliament of the
Fowls, when I will make accord between thee and her and send
thee back to thy native land, and the maiden with thee. And
this, O my son, is all I can do for thee, nothing more." And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

Note fofcen it foas t&e anfc

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth

"
Shaykh Nasr to Janshah, Hold fast the feather-robe of her thy
soul desireth and give it not back to her till I return from the
Parlrament of the Fowls. And this, O my son, is all I can do for
thee, nothing more." When Janshah heard this, his heart was
solaced and he abode with Shaykh Nasr yet another year,
counting the days as they passed until the day of the coming of
the birds. And when at last the appointed time arrived the old
man said to him, "
Do as I enjoined thee and charged thee with
the maidens in the matter of the feather-dress, for I go to meet
" "
the birds ;
and Janshah replied, I hear and I obey, O my
father." Then the Shaykh departed whilst the Prince walked
into the garden and hid himself under a tree, where none could
see him. Here he abode a first day and a second and a third, but
the maidens came not
whereat he was sore troubled and wept
;

and sighed from a heart hard tried and he ceased not weeping
;

and wailing till he fainted away. When he came to himself, he

fell to looking now at the basin and now at the welkin, and anon

at the earth and anon at the open country, whilst his heart

grieved for stress of love-longing. As he was in this case,

behold, the three doves appeared in the firmament, eagle-sized as
before, and flew till they reached the garden and lighted down
beside the basin. They turned right and left but saw no one ;
f

man or Jann so they doffed their feather-suits and became three

;

maidens. Then they plunged into the basin and swam about,
laughing and frolicking; and all were mother-naked and fair as
bars of virgin silver. Quoth the eldest, 'O my sister, I fear
lest there be some one lying ambushed for us in the pavilion."
3 SO A If Laflah wa Laylah.

Answered the second, " O sister, since the days of King Solomon,
"
none hath entered the pavilion, be he man or Jann and the ;

"
youngest added, laughing, By Allah, O my sisters, if there be
any hidden there, he will assuredly take none but me." Then
they continued sporting and laughing and Janshah's heart kept
fluttering for stress of passion but he hid behind the tree so
:

that he saw without being seen. Presently they swam out to the
middle of the basin leaving their clothes on the bank. Here-
upon he sprang to his feet, and running like the darting leven to
the basin's brink, snatched up the feather-vest of the youngest
damsel, her on whom his heart was set and whose name was
Shamsah the Sun-maiden. At this the girls turned and seeing
him, were affrighted and veiled their shame from him in the water.
Then they swam near shore and looking on his favour saw that
he was bright faced as the moon on the night of fullness and
and asked him, " Who art thou and how earnest thou hither and
"
why hast thou taken the clothes of the lady Shamsah ? and he ;

"
answered, Come hither to me and I will tell you my tale."
"
Quoth Shamsah, What deed is this, and why hast thou taken
"
my clothes, rather than those of my sisters ?
"
Quoth he, O
light of mine eyes, come forth of the water, and I will recount thee
my case and acquaint thee why I chose thee out." Quoth she,
"
O my lord and coolth of my eyes and fruit of my heart, give me
my clothes, that I may put them on and cover my nakedness
withal ;
then will I come forth to thee." But he replied, " O
Princess of beautiful ones, how can I give thee back thy clothes
and slay myself for love-longing ? Verily, I will not give them
to thee, till Shaykh Nasr, the king of the birds, shall return."
"
Quoth she, If thou wilt not give me my clothes withdraw a little
apart from us, that my sisters may land and dress themselves and
" I hear
lend me somewhat wherewithal to cover my shame."
and obey," answered he, and walked away from them into the
pavilion, whereupon the three Princesses came out
and the two
elder, donning their dress, gave Shamsah somewhat thereof, not
enough to fly withal, and she put it on and came forth of the
water, and stood before him, as she were the rising full-moon or a

browsing gazelle Then Shamsah entered the pavilion, where

Janshah was still sitting on the throne so she saluted him ;
and
"
taking seat near him, said, O fair of face, thou hast undone
thyself and me but tell us thy adventures that
;
we may ken how
it is with thee." At these words he wept till he drenched his
 Tlie Story of Janshah. 351

dress with his tears ; and when she saw that he was distracted
for love of her, she rose and taking him by the hand, made him
sit by her side and wiped away the drops with her sleeve; and said
"
she, O fair of face, leave this weeping and tell us
thy tale." So
he related to her all that had befallen him and described to her all
he had seen, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo fo&m ft bras t&e jptbe f^untoU anto t!Tfodft&

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the

" "
lady Shamsah said to Janshah, Tell us thy tale so he related
;

to her all that had befallen him ; and, after she had lent attentive
ear she sighed and said, " O my lord, since thou art so fondly in
love with me, give me my dress, that I may fly to my folk, I and
my sisters, and them what affection thou hast conceived for
tell

me, and after I will come baok to thee and carry thee to thine
own country." When he heard this, he wept sore and replied,
"Is it lawful to thee before Allah to slay me wrongfully ?" She
" "
asked, O my lord, why should I do such wrongous deed ? and ;

"
be answered, If I give thee thy gear thou wilt fly away from
me, and I shall die forthright." Princess Shamsah laughed at
this and so did her sisters then said she to him, " Be of good
;

cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear, for I must needs marry
thee." So saying, she bent down to him and embraced him and
pressing him to her breast kissed him between the eyes and on
his cheeks. They clipped and clasped each other awhile, after
which they drew apart and sat down on the throne. Then the
eldest Princess went out into the garden and, plucking somewhat
of fruits and flowers, brought them into the pavilion and they ate ;

and drank and laughed and sported and made merry. Now
Janshah was singular in beauty and loveliness and slender shape
and symmetry and grace, and the Princess Shamsah said to him,
"O my beloved, by Allah, I love thee with exceeding love and
"
will never leave thee When he heard her words, his breast
!

broadened and he laughed for joy till he showed his teeth ; and
they abode thus awhile in mirth and gladness and frolic. And
when they were at the height of their pleasure and joyance,
behold, Shaykh Nasr returned from the Parliament of the Fowls
and came in to them ; whereupon they all rose to him and saluted
35* Alf Laytuk wa Laylah.

him and kissed his hands. He gave them welcome and bade them
be seated. So they sat down and he said to Princess Shamsah,
"Verily this youth loveth thee with exceeding love ;
Allah upon
thee, deal kindly with him, for he is of the great ones of mankind
and of the sons of the kings, and his father ruleth over the land of
Kabul and his reign compasseth a mighty empire." Quoth she, " I
hear and I obey thy behest "; and, kissing the Shaykh's hands,
stood before him in respect. Quoth he, " If thou say sooth, swear
to me by Allah that thou wilt never betray him, what while thoa
abidest in the bonds of life." So she swore a great oath that she
would never betray Janshah, but would assuredly marry him, and
*
added, Know, O Shaykh Nasr, that I never will forsake him."
The Shaykh believed in her oath and said to Janshah, " Thanks
be to Allah, who hath made you arrive at this understanding " !

Hereupon the Prince rejoiced with exceeding joy, and he and

toying and making merry. -

Shamsah abode three months with Shaykh Nasr, feasting and
And Shahrazad perceived the datrn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Note to&m ft foas t&e jpibe ^uirtrcefc an* Sftecntf) Ef

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that, Janshah

and the lady Shamsah abode three months with Shaykh Nasr,
feasting and toying and making merry. And at the end of that
time she said to Janshah, " I wish to go with thee to thy mother-
"
land, where thou shalt marry me and we will abide there." To
hear is to obey,'* answered he and took counsel with Shaykh Nasr,
who said to him, " Go thou home, I commend her to thy care."
"
Then said she, O
Shaykh Nasr, bid him render me my feather-
suit." So Shaykh bade Janshah give it to her, and he went
the
straightways into the pavilion and brought it out for her. There-
"
upon she donned it and said to him, Mount my back and shot
thine eyes and stop thine ears, so thou mayst not hear the roar of
the revolving sphere and keep fast hold of my feathers, lest thou
;

fall off." He did as she bade him and, as she stretched her wings
"
to fly, Shaykh Nasr said, Wait a while till I describe to thee the
land Kabul, lest you twain miss your way." So she delayed till
he had said his say and had bidden them farewell, commending
the Prince to her care. She took leave of her sisters and bade
them return to her folk and tell them what had befallen her with
Janshah ; then, rising into the air without stay or delay she flew
 Tkt Story of Janshah. 353

off, like the wafts of the

wind or the lamping leven. Her sisters
also took flightand returning home delivered her message to their
people. And she stayed not her course from the forenoon till the
hour of mid-afternoon prayer (Janshah being still on her back),
when she espied afar off a Wady abounding in trees and streams
ann she said to Janshah, " I am thinking to alight in this valley,
that we may solace ourselves amongst its trees and
herbage and
here rest for the night." Quoth he, " Do what seemeth meet to
thee !" So she swooped down from the lift and alighted in the
Wady, when Janshah dismounted and kissing her between the
1
eyes, sat with her awhile on the bank of a river there ; then they
rose and wandered about the valley, taking their pleasure therein
and eating of the fruits of the trees, until nightfall, when they
lay down under a tree and slept till the morning dawned. As
soon as it was day, the Princess arose and, bidding Janshah mount,
flew on with him till noon, when she perceived by the appear-
ance of the buildings which Shaykh Nasr had described to her,
that they were nearing the city Kabul. So she swooped down from
the welkin and alighted in a wide plain, a blooming champaign,
wherein were gazelles straying and springs playing and rivers
flowing and ripe fruits growing. So Janshah dismounted and
kissed her between the eyes and she asked him, " O my beloved
;

and coolth of mine eyes, knowest thou how many days' journey
we have come since yesterday ?" and he answered, " No," when
;

she said, "We

have come thirty months' journey." Quoth he,
"
Praised be Allah for safety !" Then they sat down side by side
and ate and drank and toyed and laughed. And whilst they were
thus pleasantly engaged, behold, there came up to them two of the
King's Mamelukes of those who had been of the Prince's com-
pany one of them was he whom he had left with the horses, when
;

he embarked in the fishing-boat and the other had been of his

escort in the chase. soon as they saw Janshah, both knew him
As
and saluted him then said they, " With thy leave, we will go to
;

thy sire and bear him the glad tidings of thy coming." Replied
the Prince, " Go ye to my father and acquaint him with my case, and
fetch us tents, for we will tarry here seven days to rest ourselves
till he make ready his retinue to meet us, that we may enter ir

stateliest state." And Shahrazad perceived he dawn of da>

and ceased to say her permitted say.

1
He docs not kiss her mouth because he intends to marry her.

VOL. v. a
354 Alf Laylah wa Laylak.

Wofo fo&m ft tons t&e Jpfce f^untartr antr jfourteentf)

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Jan-

shah said to the two Mamelukes, " Go ye to my sire and acquaint
him with my case and fetch us tents, for we will abide here seven
days to rest ourselves, till he make ready his retinue to meet us,
that we may enter in the stateliest state." So the officers hastened
back to King Teghmus and said to him, " Good news, O King of
"
the age ! Asked he, " What good tidings bring ye is my son :

"
Janshah come back ?"; and they answered, Yes, thy son Jamshah
hath returned from his strangerhood and is now near at hand in
the Kirdnf mead." Now when the King heard this, he joyed with
great joy and fell down in a swoon for excess of gladness then, ;

coming to himself, he bade his Wazir give each of the Mamelukes

a splendid suit of honour and a sum of mo-zey. The minister
" I hear and
replied, obey," and forthright Jd his bidding and
" Take this in turn for the good tidings ye bring,
said to them,
whether ye lie or say sooth." They replied, " Indeed we lie not,
for but now we sat with him and saluted him and kissed his hands
and he bade us fetch him tents, for that he would sojourn in the
meadow seven days, till such time as the Wazirs and Emirs and
Grandees should come out to meet him." Quoth the King, " How
"
is it with my son ? and quoth they, " He hath with him a Houri,
as he had brought her out of Paradise." At this, King Teghmus
bade beat the kettledrums and sound the trumpets for gladness,
and despatched messengers to announce the good news to Jan-
shah's mother and to the wives of the Emirs and Wazirs and
Lords of the realm so the criers spread themselves about the
:

cityand acquainted the people with the coming of Prince Janshah.

Then the King made ready, and, setting out for the Kirani meadow
with his horsemen and footmen, came upon Janshah who was
sitting at rest with the lady Shamsah beside him and, behold, all
suddenly drew in sight. The Prince rose to his feet and walked
forward to meet them and the troops knew him and dismounted,
;

to salute him and kiss his hands after which he set out preceded
:

by the men in single file till he came to his sire, who, at sight of
his son threw himself from his horse's back and clasped him to his
bosom and wept flooding tears of joy. Then they took horse again
with the retinue riding to the right and left and fared forward till
they came to the river-banks ;
when the troops alighted and pitched
 The Story of Janshah. 355

their tents and pavilions and standards to the blare of trump and
the piping of fife and the dub-a-dub of drum and tom-tom.
Moreover the King bade the tent-pitchers set up a pavilion of red
silk for the Princess Shamsah, who put off her scanty raiment of
feathers for fine robes and, entering the pavilion, there took seat
And as she sat in her beauty, behold, the King and his son Jan-
shah came in to her, and when she saw Teghmus, she rose and
kissed ground before him. The King sat down and seating Jan-
shah on his right hand and Princess Shamsah on his left, bade her
"
welcome and said to his son, Tell me all that hath befallen thee
in thisthy long strangerhood." So Janshah related to him the
whole of his adventures from first to last, whereat he marvelled with
exceeding marvel and turning to the Princess, said," Laud to Allah
for that He hath caused thee to reunite me with my son
'
Verily !

this is of His exceeding bounty!'" And Shahrazad perceived

l

the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

to&en ft toas t&e Jptbe anto Jpiftwtti)

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King

said to the lady Shamsah,
" Laud to Allah for that He
Teghmus
hath caused thee to reunite me with Verily this is of
my son !
'

His exceeding bounty.' And now I would have thee ask of me

what thou wilt, that I may do it in thine honour." Quoth she, " I
ask of thee that thou build me a palace in the midst of a flower-
garden, with water running under it." And the King answered,
" I hear and And behold, up came Janshah's mother,
obey."
attended by all the wives of the Wazirs and Emirs and nobles and
city notables. When her son had sight of her, he rose and leaving
the tent, went forth to meet her and they embraced a long while,
whilst the Queen wept for excess of joy and with tears trickling
from her eyes repeated the following verses :

Joy so o'ercometh me, for stress of joy In that which gladdeneth me

I fain shed tears :

Tears are become your nature, O my eyes, o Who weep for joyance as for
griefs and fears.

And they complained to each other of all their hearts had suffered
from the long separation. Then the King departed to his pavilioa

"
should be " manifest excellence (Koran xxvii. 16).
4
It
 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

and Janshah carried his mother to his own tent, where they sat
talking till came up some of the lady Shamsah's attendants
there
who said, " The Princess is now walking hither in order to salute
thee." When the Queen heard this, she rose and
going to meet
Shamsah, saluted her and seated her awhile by her side. Presently
the Queen and her retinue of noble women, the spouses of the
Emirs and Grandees, returned with Princess Shamsah to the tent
occupied by her daughter-in-law and sat there. Meanwhile, King
Teghmus gave great largesse to his levies and lieges and rejoiced
in his son with exceeding joy, and
they tarried there ten days,
feasting and merry-making and living a most joyous life. At the
end of this time, the King commanded a march and they all
returned to the capital, so he took horse surrounded by all the
troops with the Wazirs and Chamberlains to his right and left:
nor ceased they faring till they entered the city, which was deco-
rated after the goodliest fashion for the folk had adorned the
;

houses with precious stuffs and jewellery and spread costly bro-
cades under the hoofs of the horses. The drums beat for glad
tidings and the Grandees of the kingdom rejoiced and brought
rich gifts and the lookers on were filled with amazement. Fur-
thermore, they fed the mendicants and Fakirs and held high
festival for the space of ten days, and the lady Shamsah joyed
with exceeding joy whenas she saw this. Then King Teghmus
summoned architects and builders and men of art and bade them
build a palace in that garden. So they straightway proceeded to
do his bidding and, when Janshah knew of his sire's command,
;

he caused the artificers to fetch a block of white marble and carve

it and hollow it in the semblance of a chest which being done,
;

he took the feather-vest of Princess Shamsah wherewith she had

flown with him through the air: then, sealing the cover with
melted lead, he ordered them to bury the box in the foundations
and build over it the arches whereon the palace was to rest. They
did as he bade them, nor was it long before the palace was finished:
then they furnished it and it was a magnificent edifice, standing
under its walls. 1
in the midst of the garden, with streams flowing

Upon this the King caused Janshah's wedding to be celebrated

with the greatest splendour and they brought the bride to the

phrase is Koranic used to describe Paradise, and Damascus is

1
The a familiar speci-
men of a city under which a river, the Baradah, passes, distributed into a multitude of
canals.
 The Story of Janshah. 3 $7

castle in state procession and went their ways. When the lady
Shamsah entered, she smelt the scent of her feather-gear And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per-
mitted say.

fo&en it foaa if)c jpt'be f^unfcrrti anfc Sbixtccnt&

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the

said, It

lady Shamsah entered the new palace, she smelt the scent of her
flying feather-gear and knew where it was and determined to take
it. So she waited till midnight, when Janshah was drowned in
sleep; then she rose and going straight to the place where the
marble-coffer was buried under the arches she hollowed the ground
alongside till she came upon it when she removed the lead where-
;

with it was soldered and, taking out the feather-suit, put it on.
Then she flew high in air and perching on the pinnacle of the
palace, cried out to those who were therein, saying, " I pray you
fetch me Janshah, that I may bid him farewell." So they told
him and he came out and, seeing her on the terrace-roof of the
"
palace, clad in her feather-raiment, asked her, Why hast thou
"
done this deed ? "; and she answered O my beloved and coolth
of mine eyes and fruit of my heart, by Allah, I love thee passing
dear and I rejoice with exceeding joy in that I have restored thee
to thy friends and country and thou hast seen thy mother and
father. And now, if thou love me as love thee, come to me at
I

Taknf, the Castle of Jewels." So saying, she flew away forth-

right to find her family and friends, and Janshah fell down
fainting, being well-nigh dead for despair. They carried the
news to King Teghmus, who mounted at once and riding ta the
palace, found his son lying senseless on the ground whereat he ;

wept knowing that the swoon was caused by the loss of his love,
and sprinkled rose-water on his face. 1 When the Prince came
to himself and saw his sire sitting at his head, he wept at the

thought of losing his wife and the King asked what had befallen
"
him. So he replied, Know, O my father, that the lady Shamsah
"
is of the daughters of the Jann and she hath done such and such

1
It maybe noted that rose-water is sprinkled on the faces of the "nobility and
gentry," common water being good enough for the commonalty. I have had to drink
tea made in compliment with rose-water and did not enjoy it.
 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

(telling him all that had happened) and the King said, "O my ;

son, be not troubled and thus concerned, for I will assemble all
the merchants and wayfarers in the land and enquire of them
anent that castle If we can find out where it is, we will journey
thither and demand the Princess Shamsah of her people and we ;

hope in Allah the Almighty that He will give her back to thee
and thou shalt consummate thy marriage." Then he went out
and, calling his four Wazirs without stay or delay, bade them
assemble all the merchants and voyagers in the city and question
them of Takni, the Castle of Jewels, adding, " Whoso knoweth it
and can guide us thither, I will surely give him fifty thousand
gold pieces. The Wazirs accordingly went forth at once and-
did as the King bade them, but neither trader nor traveller
could give them news of Takni, the Castle of Jewels so they ;

returned and told the King. Thereupon he bade bring beautiful

slave-girlsand concubines and singers and players upon instru-
ments of music, whose like are not found but with the Kings :

and sent them to Janshah, so haply they might divert him from
the love of the lady Shamsah. Moreover, he despatched couriers
and spies to all the lands and islands and climes, to enquire for
Takni, the Castle of Jewels, and they made quest for it two
months long, but none could give them news thereof. So they
returned and told the King, whereupon he wept bitter tears
and going in to his son found Janshah sitting amidst the con-
cubines and singers and players on harp and zither and so forth,
not one of whom could console him for the lady Shamsah. Quoth
Teghmus, "O my son, I can find none who knoweth this Castle
of Jewels; but I will bring thee a fairer than she." When
Janshah heard this, his eyes ran over with tears and he recited
these two couplets :

Patience hath fled, but passion fareth not ;

o And all my frame with
pine is fever-hot :

When will the days my lot with Shamsah join? o Lo, all my bones with
passion-lowe go rot !

Now was a deadly feud between King Teghmus and a

there
certainKing of Hind, by name Kafi'd, who had great plenty of
troops and warriors and champions and under his hand were ;

a thousand puissant chieftains, each ruling over a thousand tribes

whereof every one could muster four thousand cavaliers. He
reigned over a thousand cities each guarded by a thousand forts
 The Story of Janshah. 359

and he had four Wazirs and under him ruled Emirs, Princes and
Sovereigns ;
and indeed he was a King of great might and
prowess whose armies filled the whole earth. Now King Teghmus
had made war upon him and ravaged his reign and slain his men
and of his treasures had made gain. But when it came to King
Kafid's knowledge that King Teghmus was occupied with the
love of his son, so that he neglected the affairs of the state and
his troops were grown few and weak by reason of his care and
concern for his son's state, he summoned his Wazirs and Emirs
and said to them, "Ye all know that whilom King Teghmus
invaded our dominions and plundered our possessions and slew
my father and brethren, nor indeed is there one of you, but he
hath harried his lands and carried off his goods and made prize
of his wives and slain some kinsmen of his. Now I have heard
this day that he is absorbed in the love of his son Janshah, and
that his troops are grown few and weak and this is the time
;

to take our blood-revenge on him. So make ready for the march

and don ye your harness of battle and let nothing stay or delay
;

you, and we will go to him and fall upon him and slay him and
his son, and possess ourselves of his reign." And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Wofo fo&en (t foas t&e Jpte pjunfcrrtj antj

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that

Kafid, King of Hind, commanded his troops and armies to mount
and make for the dominions of King Teghmus, saying, " Get ye
ready for the march and don ye your harness of war and let;

nothing stay or delay you so we will go to him and fall upon

;

him and slay him and his son and possess ourselves of his reign."
"
They all answered with one voice, saying, We hear and obey,"
and fell at once to equipping themselves and levying troops ;

and they ceased not their preparations for three months and,
when all was in readiness, they beat the drums and sounded the
trumps and flew the flags and banners then King Kafid set out
:

at the head of his host and they fared on till they reached the
frontiers of the land of Kabul, the dominions of King Teghmus,
where they began to harry the land and do havoc among the folk,
slaughtering the old and taking the young prisoners. When the
news reached King Teghmus. he was wroth with exceeding wrath
360 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

and assembling his Grandees and officers of state, said to them,

"
Know that Kafid hath come to our land and hath entered the
realm we command and is resolved to fight us hand to hand and ;

he leadeth troops and champions and warriors, whose number

none knoweth save Allah Almighty; what deme deem ye?"
"
Replied they, O King of the age, let us go out to him and give
him battle and drive him forth of our country and thus deem ;

we." So he bade them prepare for battle and brought forth to

them hauberks and cuirasses and helmets and swords and all
manner of warlike gear, such as lay low warriors and do to death
the champions of mankind. So the troops and braves and
champions flocked together and they set up the standards and
beat the drums and sounded the trumpets and clashed the
cymbals and piped on the pipes and King Teghmus marched;

out at the head of his army, to meet the hosts of Hind. And
when he drew near the foe, he called a halt, and encamping with
his host in the Zahran Valley, hard by the frontier of Kabul des-
1

"
patched to King Kafid by messenger the following letter Know :

that what thou hast done is of the doings of the villain rabble and
wert thou indeed a King, the son of a King, thou hadst not done
thus, nor hadst thou invaded my kingdom and slain my subjects
and plundered their property and wrought unright upon them.
Knowest thou not that all this is the fashion of a tyrant ?
Verily, had I known that thou durst harry my dominions, I had
come to thee before thy coming and had prevented thee this long
while since. Yet, even now, if thou wilt retire and leave mischief
between us and thee, well and good but if thou return not, meet;

me in the listed field and measure thyself with me in cut and

thrust" Lastly he sealed his letter and committed to an officer
of his army and sent with him spies to spy him out news. The
messenger fared forth with the missive and, drawing near the
enemy's camp, he descried a multitude of tents of silk and satin, with
pennons of blue sendal, and amongst them a great pavilion of red
satin, surrounded by a host of guards. He ceased not to advance
till he made this tent and found on asking that it was that of

King Kafid whom he saw seated on a chair set with jewels, in the
midst of his Wazirs and Emirs and Grandees. So he brought out
the letter and straightway there came up to him a company of

4 The Valley Flowery Zahran name of a Al.M edinah.

: is the place near
 The Story of Janshah. 36!

guards, who took it from him and carried it to the King and ;

Kafid read it and wrote a reply to this purport " After the usual :

invocations, We
let King Teghmus know that we mean to take

our blood-revenge on thee and wash out our stain and waste thy
reign and rend the curtain in twain and slay the old men and
enslave the young men. But to-morrow, come thou forth to
combat open plain, and to show thee thrust and fight will
in the
I deign." Then he sealed the letter and delivered it to the
messenger, who carried it to King Teghmus And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Ifrofo fo&en tt foas tfce Jpibc f^unfcrett anb (Sigfjtccntlj /Lfgfjt,

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that King Kafid
delivered the answering letter to the messenger who carried it to
King Teghmus and delivered it, after kissing the ground between
"
his hands. Then he reported all that he had seen, saying, King O
of the age, I espied warriors and horsemen and footmen beyond
count nor can I assist thee to the amount." When Teghmus read
the reply and comprehended its contents, he was with furious rage
enraged and bade his Wazir Ayn Zar take horse and fall upon the
army of Kafid with a thousand cavaliers, in the middle watch of
the night when they would easily ride home and slay all before
" I hear and I
them. Ayn Zar replied, obey," and at once went
forth to do his bidding. Now King Kafid
had a Wazir, Ghatrafan 1
by name, whom he bade take five thousand horse and attack the
host of King Teghmus in like manner. So Ghatrafan did his bid-
ding and set out on his enterprise marching till midnight. Thus
the two parties met halfway and the Wazir Ghatrafan fell upon
the Wazir Ayn Zar. Then man cried out against man and there
befel sore battle between them till break of day, when Kafid's
men were routed and fled back to their King in confusion. As
Kafid saw this, he was wroth beyond measure and said to the
"
fugitives, Woe to you What hath befallen you, that ye have
!

" "
O King of the age, as the
lostyour captains ? and they
replied,
Wazir Ghatrafan rode forth to fall upon King Teghmus, there
appeared to us halfway and when night was half over, the Wazir
Ayn Zar, with cavaliers and champions, and we met on the slopes

1
The Proud or Petulant.
 Alf Laylah wa Laylak.

of Wady but ere we were ware we found ourselves in the

Zahran ;

enemy's midst, eye meeting eye and we fought a fierce fight with
;

them from midnight till morning, many on either side being slain.
Then the Wazir and men fell to shouting and smiting the
his

elephants on the face they took fright at their furious blows,

till

and turning tail to flee, trampled down the horsemen, whilst none
could see other for the clouds of dust. The blood ran like a rain-
torrent and had we not fled, we had all been cut off to the last
man." When King Kafid heard this, he exclaimed, " May the
sun not bless you and may he be wroth with you and sore be his
"
wrath ! Meanwhile Ayn Zar, the Wazir, returned to King'
Teghmus and told him what had happened. The King gave him
joy of his safety and rejoiced greatly and bade beat the drums and
sound the trumpets, in honour of the victory after which he called
;

the of his troops and behold, two hundred of his stoutest

roll

champions had fallen. Then King Kafid marched his army into
the field and drew them out ordered for battle in fifteen lines of
ten thousand horse each, under the command of three hundred
captains, mounted on elephants and chosen from amongst the
doughtiest of his warriors and his champions. So he set up his
standards and banners and beat the drums and blew the trumpets
whilst the braves sallied forth, offering battle. As for King
Teghmus, he drew out his troops line after line and lo there !

were ten of ten thousand horse each, and with him were an
hundred champions, riding on his right hand and on his left.
Then fared forward to the fight each renowned knight, and the
hosts clashed together in their might, whilst the earth for all its
wideness was straitened because of the multitude of the cavaliers
and ears were deafened by drums and cymbals beating and pipes
and hautboys sounding and trumpets blaring and by the thunder
of horse-tramp and the shouting of men. The dust arched in
canopy over their heads and they fought a sore fight from the
first of the day till the fall of darkness, when they separated and

each army drew off to its own camp. --

And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

jtfofo fo&m it foas tfje Jpftie f|utrtjr.&

anfc ETmetemtf) Nt'

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that each army
drew off to its own camp. Then King Kafid called the rol' of his
 The Story of Janshah. 363

troops and, finding that he had lost five thousand men, raged
with great rage ; and King Teghmus mustered his men and seeing
that of them were slain three thousand riders, the bravest of his
braves, was wroth with exceeding wrath. On the morrow King
Kafid again pushed into the plain and did duty as before, while
each man strave his best to snatch victory for himself; and Kafid
cried out to his men, saying, " Is there any of you will sally forth
"
into the field and open us the chapter of fray and fight ? And
behold came out from the ranks a warrior named Barkayk, a
mighty man of war who, when he reached the King, alighted from
his elephant and kissing the earth before him, sought of him leave
to challenge the foe to combat singular. Then he mounted his
"
elephant and driving into mid-field, cried out, Who is for
"
who is for derring-do, who is
duello, for knightly devoir ? When
"
King Teghmus heard this, he said to his troops, Which of
you
"
will do single battle with this sworder ? And behold, a cavalier
came out from the ranks, mounted on a charger, mighty of make,
and driving up to the King kissed the earth before him and craved
his permission to engage Barkayk. Then he mounted again and
"
charged at Barkayk, who said to him, Who art thou and what art
thou called, that thou makest mock of me by coming out against
me and challenging me, alone ? " " My name is Ghazanfar son of '

"
Kamkhfl," replied the Kabul champion and the other, I have ;

heard tell of thee in my own country so up and do battle between

;
"
the ranks of the braves !
Hearing these words Ghazanfar drew
a mace of iron from under his thigh and Barkayk took his good
sword in hand, and they laid on load till Barkayk smote Ghazanfar
on the head with his blade, but the morion turned the blow and
no hurt befel him therefrom whereupon Ghazanfar, in his turn,
;

dealt Barkayk so terrible a stroke on the head with his mace, that
he levelled him down to his elephant's back and slew him. With
"
this out sallied another and crying to Ghazanfar, Who be thou
that thou shouidst slay my brother ? "; hurled a javelin at him with
such force that it pierced his thigh and nailed his coat of mail to
his flesh. Then Ghazanfar, feeling his hurt, hent his sword in hand
and smote at Barkayk's brother and cut him in sunder, and he fell
to the earth, wallowing in his life-blood ; whilst the challenger of
Kabul gallopped back to King Teghmus. Now when Kafid saw
the death of his champions, he cried out to his troops, saying,

1
1.*. Li^u, Son of (?).
 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

*'
Down with you to the plain and strike with might and main!*
as also did King Teghmus, and the two armies fought the fiercest
of fights. Horse neighed against horse and man cried out upon
man and brands were bared, whilst the drums beat and the
trumpets blared ; and horseman charged upon horseman and
every brave of renown pushed forward, whilst the faint-heart
fled from the lunge of lance and men heard nought but slogan*

cry and the clash and clang of armoury. Slain were the war-
riors that were slain l and they stayed not from the mellay till
the decline of the sun in the heavenly dome, when the Kings
drew off their armies and returned each to its own camp.2
Then King Teghmus took tally of his men and found that he
had thousand, and four standards had been broken to
lost five

bits, whereat he was sore an-angered ; whilst King Kafid in like

manner counted his troops and found that he had lost six
hundred, the bravest of his braves, and nine standards were
wanting to the full tale. The two armies ceased joining battle
and rested on their arms three days' space, after which Kafid
wrote a letter and sent it by messenger to a King called Fakun
al-Kalb (with whom he claimed kinship by the spindle side) :

and this kinsman forthwith mustered his men and marched to

meet the King of Hind. --
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo fo&en ft foas rtje Jpt'be ^utrtmtt an* tonttfetf) Nt$t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Fakun
mustered his men and marched to meet the King of Hind and :

whileas King Teghmus was sitting at his pleasance, there came

one in to him and said, " I see from afar a cloud of dust spireing
high in air and overspreading the lift." So he commanded a com-
"
pany to fare forth and learn the meaning of this and, crying, To ;

hear is to obey," they sallied out and presently returned and said
"O
to him, King, when we drew near the cloud of dust, the wind
rent it and it lifted and showed seven standards and under each
standard three thousand horse, making for King Kafid's camp."

1
i.e. Many were slain.
9
I venture to draw attention to this battle-picture which is at once simple and highly
effective.
 The Story of Janshah. 36$

Then King Fakun joined himself to the King of Hind and

"
saluting him, asked, How is it with thee, and what be this war
in which thou warrest ? "; and Kafid answered, " Knowest thou
not that King Teghmus is my enemy and the murtherer of my
father and brothers? Wherefore I am come forth to do battle
with him and take my blood-wreak on him." Quoth Fakun,
" The "
blessing of the sun be upon thee and the King of! ;

Hind carried King Fakun al-Kalb and rejoiced in

to his tent
him with exceeding joy. Such was the case of the two hostile
Kings but as regards King Janshah, he abode two months
;

shut up in his palace, without seeing his father or allowing one

of the damsels in his service to come in to him at the end of ;

which time he grew troubled and restless and said to his

attendants, "What aileth my father that he cometh not to visit
me ? " They told him that he had gone forth to do battle with
"
King Kafid, whereupon quoth Janshah, Bring me my steed, that
"
I may go to my sire." They replied, We
hear and obey," and
"
brought his horse ; but he said in himself, I am taken up with
the thought of myself and my love and I deem well to mount
and ride for the city of the Jews, where haply Allah shall grant
me the boon to meet the merchant who hired me for the ruby-
business and may be he will deal with me as he dealt before,
for none knoweth whence good cometh." So he took with him
a thousand horse and set out, the folk saying*, " At last Janshah
hath fared forth to join his father in the field, and to fight by
his side ;" and they stinted not pushing on till dusk, when they
halted for the night in a vast meadow. As soon as he knew that
all his men were asleep, the Prince rose privily and girding his

waist, mounted his horse and rode away intending to make

Baghdad, because he had heard from the Jews that a caravan
came thence to their city once in every two years and he made
up his mind to journey thither with the next Cafilah. When his
men awoke and missed the Prince and his horse, they mounted
and sought him right and left but, finding no trace of him, re-
joined his fatherand told him what his son had done; whereat
he was wroth beyond measure and cast the crown from his head,
whilst the sparks were like to fly from his mouth, and he said
" There is no
Majesty and there is no Might but in Allah Verily !

I have lost
my son, and the enemy is still before me." But his
Wazirs and vassals said to him, " Patience, O King of the age !
Patience briugeth weal in wake." Meanwhile Janshah, parted
366 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

from his lover and pained for his father, was in sore sorrow and
dismay, with heart seared and eyes tear-bleared and unable to
sleep night or day. But when his father heard the loss his host
had endured, he declined battle, and fled before King Kafid and, ;

retiring to his city, closed the gates and strengthened the walls.
Thereupon King Kafid followed him and sat down before the town,

offering battle seven nights and eight days, after which he with-
drew to his tents, to tend his wounded while the citizens defended
themselves as they best could, fortifying the place and setting up
mangonels and other engines on the walls. Such was the con-
dition of the two Kings, and war raged between them for a

space of seven years. And Shahrazad perceived the, dawn of

day and ceased saying her permitted say,

Jioto fofjm it foas ifte Jibe pjun&rtfc atft 2Ttotntg>first J2tc$t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kings

Teghmus and Kafid continued in this condition for seven years ;

but, as regards Janshah, he rode through wild and wold and when-
ever he came to a town he asked anent Takni, the Castle of
"
Jewels, but none knew of it and all answered, Of a truth we
never heard of such place, not even by name." At last he
happened to enquire concerning the city of the Jews from a
merchant who told him that it was situate in the extreme Orient,
adding, "A caravan will start this very month for the city of
Mizrakdn in Hind whither do thou accompany us and we will
;

fare on to Khorasan and thence to the city of Shima'un and

Khwdrazm, from which latter place the City of the Jews is distant
a year and three months' journey/' So Janshah waited till the
departure of the caravan, when he joined himself thereto and
journeyed, till he reached the city of Mizrakan whence, after
vainly asking for Takni, the Castle of Jewels, he set out and
enduring on the way great hardships and perils galore and the
extreme of hunger and thirst, he arrived at the town of Shima'un.
Here he made enquiry for the City of the Jews, and they directed
him to the road thither. So he fared forth and journeyed days and
nights till he came to the place where he had given the apes
the

slip, and continued his journey thence to

the river, on the opposite
bank of which stood the City of the Jews. He sat down on the
shore and waited till the Sabbath came round and the river dried
 The Story of Janshah. 367

up by decree of Allah Almighty, when he crossed over to the

opposite bank and, entering the city, betook himself to the house
wherein he had lodged on his former journey. The Jew and his
family saluted him and rejoiced in his return and, setting meat
and drink before him, asked, " Where hast thou been during thine
absence ? and he answered, " In the kingdom of Almighty
";
Allah !
"* He lay with them that night and on the morrow he
went out to solace himself with a walk about the city and
"
presently heard a crier crying aloud and saying, O folk, who will
earn a thousand gold pieces and a fair slave-girl and do half a
" I
day's work for us ?" So Janshah went up to him and said,
"
will do this work." 2 Quoth the crier, Follow me," and carrying
him to the house of the Jew merchant, where he had been afore-
"
time, said, This young man will do thy need." The merchant
not recognising him gave him welcome and carried him into the
Harim, where he set meat and drink before him, and he ate and
drank. Then he brought him the money and formally made over
to him the handsome slave-girl with whom he lay that night. As
soon as morning dawned, he took the dinars and the damsel and,
committing them to his Jew host with whom he had lodged afore-
time, returned to the merchant, who mounted and rode out with
him, till they came to the foot of the tall and towering mountain,
where the merchant, bringing out a knife and cords, said to
"
Janshah, Throw the mare." So he threw her and bound her four
legs with the cords and slaughtered her and cut off her head and
four limbs and slit her belly, as ordered by the Jew whereupon ;

"
quoth he, Enter her belly, till I sew it up on thee and whatso- ;

ever thou seest therein, tell me of it, for this is the work whose
wage thou hast taken." So Janshah entered the mare's belly and
the merchant sewed it up on him then, withdrawing to a fair
;

distance, hid himself. And after an hour a great bird swooped

down from the lift and, snatching up the carcass in his pounces
soared high toward the sky. Then he perched upon the mountain-
peak and would have eaten the prey, but Janshah sensing his
intent took out his knife and slit the mare's belly and came forth.
The bird was scared at his sight and flew away, and Janshah went
up to a place whence he could see below, and looking down,
espied the merchant standing at the foot of the mountain, as he

1
Anglice a quibble, evidently evasive.
8
Jn text " Ana A'amil," etc., a true Egypto-Syrian vulgarism-
368 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

were a sparrow. So he cried out to him, " What is thy will,

merchant ? " Replied the Jew, " Throw me down of the stones
that lie about thee, that I may direct thee in the way down."
"
Quoth Janshah, Thou art he who didst with me thus and thus
five years ago, and through thee I suffered hunger and thirst and
sore toil and much trouble ; and now thou hast brought me hither
once more and thinkest to destroy me. By Allah, I will not
throw thee aught " So saying, he turned from him and set out
!

for where lived Shaykh Nasr, the King of the Birds. And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

Jlofo fofjen it toas $e Jabe--fDun(jtetr antf ^toentr- -second

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Janshah

took the way for where lived Shaykh Nasr, the King of the Birds.
And he ceased not faring on many days and nights, tearful-eyed
and heavy-hearted eating, when he was anhungered, of the growth
;

of the ground and drinking, when he thirsted, of its streams, till he

came in sight of the Castle of the lord Solomon and saw Shaykh
Nasr sitting at the gate. So he hastened up to him and kissed
his hands and the Shaykh saluted him and bade him welcome
;

and said to him, " O my son, what aileth thee that thou returnest
to this place, after I sent thee home with the Princess Shamsah,
cool of eyes and broad of breast ?'* Janshah wept and told him
all that had befallen him and how she had flown away from him,

saying, "An thou love me, come to me in Takni, the Castle of

"
Jewels ;" at which the old man marvelled and said, By Allah, O
my son, I know it not , nor, by the virtue of our lord Solomon,
have I ever in my life heard its name " Quoth Janshah, " What
!

shall I do ? I am dying of love and longing." Quoth Shaykh

"
Nasr, patience until the coming of the birds, when we will
Take
enquire at them of Takni, the Castle of Jewels haply one of them;

shall wot thereof." So Janshah's heart was comforted and, enter-

ing the Palace, he went straight to the chamber which gave upon
the Lake in which he had seen the three maidens. After this
he abode with Shaykh Nasr for a while and, one day as he was
sitting with him, the Shaykh said, "O my son, rejoice for thqj
time of the birds' coming draweth nigh." Janshah gladdened to
hear the news ; and after a few days the birds began to come and
 The Story of janshak. 369

" O my names and 1

Shaykh Nasr said to him, son, learn these
address thyself with me to meet the birds." Presently, the fowls
came flying up and saluted Shaykh Nasr, kind after kind, and he
asked them of Takni, the Castle of Jewels, but they all made answer,
" Never
heard we of such a place." At these words Janshah wept
and lamented till he swooned away whereupon Shaykh Nasr
;

called a huge volatile and said to him, " Carry this youth to the land
of Kabul," and described to him the country and the way thither.
Then he set Janshah on the bird's back, saying, " Be careful to sit
straight and beware of leaning to either side, else thou wilt be
torn to pieces in the air and stop thine ears from the wind, lest
;

thou be dazed by the noise of the revolving sphere and the roaring
of the seas." Janshah resolved to do his bidding and the bird took
flight high in sky and flew with him a day and a night, till he set
him down by the King of the Beasts, whose name was Shah Badrf,
and said to his rider, " We have gone astray from the way directed
by Shaykh Nasr." And he would have taken him up again and
flown on with him but Janshah said, " Go thy ways and leave me
;

here till I die on this spot or I find Takni, the Castle of Jewels,
;

1 will not return to my

country." So the fowl left him with Shah
Badri, King of the Beasts and flew away. The King thereupon
said to him, " O my son, who art thou and whence comest thou
with yonder great bird ? " So Janshah told him his story from
"
beginning to end, whereat Shah Badri marvelled and said, By
the virtue of the lord Solomon, I know not of this castle but if ;

any one of the beasts my subjects know it, we will reward him
bountifully and send thee by him thither." Hereat Janshah wept
bitterly but presently he took patience and abode with Shah
Badri, and after a short time the King of the Beasts said to him,
"
O my son, take these tablets and commit to memory that which
istherein ; and when the beasts come, we will question them of
the Castle of Jewels." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Iloto fo&en ft foas tfjc jftbc fi^unttrrt anfc 2rfocmn

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the

"
King of the Beasts said to Janshah, Commit to memory what is

1
i.e.
magical formulae. The context is purposely left vague.
VOL. v. AA
37O Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

in these tablets and whenas the beasts come, we will ask them
;

anent that castle." HP did as the King bade him, and before
long, up came the beasts, kind after kind, and saluted Shah Badri,
who questioned them of Takni, the Castle of Jewels but they all ;

replied,
"
We know not this castle, nor ever heard we of it." At
this Janshah wept and lamented for that he had not gone with the
bird that brought him from Shaykh Nasr's castle ; but Shah Badri
said to him, "Grieve not, O
my son, for I have a brother, King
Shimdkh hight, who is older than I he was once a prisoner to;

King Solomon, for that he rebelled against him ; nor is there

among the Jinn one elder than he and Shaykh Nasr. Belike he
knoweth of any rate he ruleth over all the Jinn in
this castle; at
this country side." So saying he set Janshah on the back of a
beast and gave him a letter to his brother, commending him to
his care. The beast set off with the Prince forthwith and fared on
days and nights, till it came to King Shimakh's abiding place.
And when it caught sight of the King it stood still afar off;
whereupon Janshah alighted and walked on, till he found himself
in the presence. Then he kissed hands and presented his brother's
letter. The King
read the missive and, having mastered the
meaning, welcomed the Prince, saying, By Allah, O my son, in
"
"
all my bora days I never saw nor heard of this castle adding !

" but tell me

(as Janshah burst into tears), thy story and who antl
whence thou art and whither thou art bound." So Janshah related
to him his history from beginning to end, at which Shimakh mar-
"
velled and said, O my son, I do not believe that even the lord
Solomon ever saw this castle or heard thereof but O my son, I ;
1

know a monk in the mountains, who is exceeding old and whom

all birds and beasts and Jann obey for he ceased not his conjura<
;

tions against the Kings of the Jann, till they submitted themselves
to him in their own despite, by reason of the might of his oaths
and his magic and now all the birds and the beasts are his ser-
;

vants. I myself once rebelled against King Solomon and he sent

against me this monk, the only being who could overcome me with
his craft and his conjurations and his gramarye then he imprisoned ;

me, and since that time I have been his vassal. He hath travelled
in all countries and quarters and knoweth all ways and regions
and places and castles and cities nor do I think there is any
;

1
The repetition is a condescension, a token of kindness.
 The Story of Janshah. 371

place hidden from his ken. So needs must I send thee to him ,

haply he may direct thee to the Castle of Jewels and, if he cannot ;

do this, none can for all things obey him, birds and beasts and
;

the very mountains and come at his beck and call,by reason of
his skill in magic. Moreover, by the might of his egromancy he
hath made a three pieces, and this he planteth in the
staff, in
earth and conjureth over it whereupon flesh and blood issue from
;

the first piece, sweet milk from the second and wheat and barley
from the third then he withdraweth the staff and returneth to
;

his place which is hight the Hermitage of Diamonds. And this

magical monk is a cunning inventor and artificer of all manner

strange works and he is a crafty warlock full of guiles and wiles,
;

an arch-deceiver of wondrous wickedness, who hath mastered

every kind of magic and witchcraft. His name is Yaghmus and
to him I must needs send thee on the back of a big bird with four
"
wings And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.

(t teas t&* Jib* f^unimfc antr ^toentgsfourti) Nt'jj&t,

She pursued, hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Shimakh

It
said to Janshah, " I must needs send thee to the monk Yaghmus
on the back of a big bird with four wings, each measuring thirty
1
Hashimi cubits in length ;. and it hath feet like those of an ele-
phant, but it flieth And there was with King
only twice a year."
Shimakh an officer, by name Timshun, who used every day to
carry off two Bactrian camels from the land of Irak and cut them
2

up for the bird that it might eat them. So King Shimakh bade
the fowl take up Janshah and bear him to the cell of the hermit
Yaghmus; and it rose into the air and flew on days and nights,
till it came to the Mountain of the Citadels and the Hermitage of

Diamonds ; where Janshah alighted and going up to the hermitage,

found Yaghmus the Monk at his devotions* So he entered the
chapel and, kissing the ground stood respectfully before the hermit.
When Yaghmus saw him, he said, " Welcome, O my son, parted O
from thy home and garred ferforth to roam Tell me the cause !

1
This is the common cubit of 18 inches : the modern vary from 22 to 26.
a
have noticed the two-humped Bactrian camel which the Syrians and Egyptians
I

Compare with an elephant. See p. 221 (the neo-Syrian) Book of Kalilah and Dimnah.
37* A If Laylah wa Laylak.

of thy coming hither." So Janshah wept and acquainted him

with all that had befallen him from beginning to end and that
he was in quest of the Castle of Jewels. The Monk marvelled
"
greatly at his story and said, By Allah, O my son, never in my
life heard I of this castle, nor ever saw I one who had heard of it

or had seen it, for all I was alive in thedays of Noah, Allah's
Prophet (on whom be peace i), and I have ruled the birds and
1

beasts and Jinn ever since his time; nor do I believe that Solomon
David-son himself knew of it. But wait till the birds and beasts
and chiefs of the Jann come to do their homage to me and I will
question them of it peradventure, some one of them may be able
;

to give us news of it and Allah Almighty shall make all things

easy to thee." So Janshah homed with the hermit, until the day
of the assembly, when all the birds and beasts and Jann came to
swear fealty and Yaghmus and his guest questioned them anent
;

Takni, the Castle of Jewels; but they all replied, "We never saw
or heard of such a place." At this, Janshah fell a-weeping and
lamenting and humbled himself before the Most High but, as ;

he was thus engaged, behold, there flew down from the heights
of air another bird, big of bulk and black of blee, which had
tarried behind the rest, and kissed the hermit's hands. Yaghmus
asked it of Takni, the Castle of Jewels, and it answered, saying,
"
O Monk, when I and my brothers were small chicks we abode
behind the Mountain Kaf on a hill of crystal, in the midst of a
great desert; and our father and mother
used to set out for it

every morning and in the evening come back with our food.
went out one and were absent from us a se'nnight
They early day,
and hunger was sore upon us but on the eighth day they re-
;

turned, both weeping, and we asked them the reason of their

absence. Quoth they A Marid swooped down on us and carried
:

us off in his claws to Takni, the Castle of Jewels, and brought us

before King Shahlan, who would have slain us but we told him ;

that we had left behind us a brood of fledgelings so he spared ;

our lives and let us And were my parents yet in the bonds
go.
of the castle." When Janshah
of they would give thee news
life
"
heard this, he wept bitter tears and said to the hermit, Prithee
bid the bird carry me to his father and mother's nest on the

Islam or true religion revealed to

dispensation revived the
first
1
The Noachian
Adam, and was Itself revived and reformed by Moses.
 The Story of Janshaft. 373

crystal hill, behind the Mountain Kaf." So the hermit said,

"
O bird, I desire thee to obey this youth in whatsoever he may
"
command hear and obey thy bidding," replied the fowl ;
thee." I

and, taking Janshah on its back, flew with him days and night*
without ceasing till it set him down on the Hill of Crystal and
there alighted. And
having delayed there a resting while, it
again set him on back and flew off and ceased not flying for
its

two whole days till it reached the spot where the nest was.
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.

fo&en it foas t&t ^tbe f^un&rrti anU fo*ntsfiftf)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the fowl
ceased not flying with Janshah two full days till it reached the ;

spot where the nest was, and set him down there and said,
"
O
Janshah, this is where our nest was." He wept sore and replied,
"I pray thee bear me farther on to where thy parents used to
forage for food." The bird consented so it took him up again
;

and flew on with him seven nights and eight days, till it set him
down on the top of a high hill Karmus hight and left him there
"
saying, I know of no land behind this hill." Then it flew away
and Janshah sat down on the hill-top and fell asleep When he
awoke, he saw a something gleaming afar off as it were lightning
and filling the firmament with its flashings; and he wondered
what this sheen could be without wotting that it was the Castle
he sought. So he descended the mountain and made towards
the light, which came from Takni, the Castle of Jewels, distant
two months' journey from Karmus, the hill whereon he had alit
and its foundations were fashioned of red rubies and its buildings
of yellow gold. Moreover, it had a thousand turrets builded of
precious metals, and stones of price studded and set in the minerals
brought from the Main of Murks, and on this account it was
named the Castle of Jewels, Takni. It was a vast great castle
and the name of its king was King Shahlan, the father of the
lady Shamsah and her sisters. Such was the case with Janshah ;

but as regards Princess Shamsah, when she fled from Janshah,

she made straight for the Castle of Jewels and told her father
and mother all that had passed between the Prince and herself;
how he had wandered the world and seen its marvels and wonders
374 ^4/ Laylah wa LayIan.

and how fondly he loved her and how dearly she loved him.
"
Quoth they, Thou hast not dealt righteously with him, as Allah
would have thee deal." Moreover King Shahlan repeated the
story to his guards and officers of the Marids of the Jinn and
bade them bring him every mortal they should see. For the
"
lady Shamsah had said to her parents, Janshah loveth me with
passionate love and forsure he will follow me for when flying ;

from his father's roof I cried to him An thou love me, seek:

"
me at Takni, the Castle of Jewels ! Now when Janshah beheld
that sheen and shine, he made straight for it wishing to find out
what it might be. And as chance would have it, Shamsah had
that very day despatched a Marid on an occasion in the direc-
tion of the hill Karmus, and on his way thither he caught sight
of a man, a mortal so he hastened up to him and saluted him
;

Janshah was terrified at his sight, but returned his salam, and
the Marid asked,
"
What is thy name ? " and he answered, " My
name is Janshah, and I have fallen madly in love with a Jinniyah
known Shamsah, who captivated me by her beauty
as Princess
and but
loveliness
; despite my dear love she fled from the palace
wherein I placed her and behold, I am here in quest of her."
Herewith he wept with bitter weeping. The Marid looked at
him and his heart burned with pity on hearing the sad tale, and
"
he said,Weep not, for surely thou art come to thy desire. Know
that she loveth thee fondly and hath told her parents of thy love
for her, and all in yonder castle love thee for her sake ;
so be of

good cheer and keep thine eyes cool of tear." Then he took
him on his shoulders and made off with him to the Castle of
Jewels, Takni Thereupon the bearers of fair tidings hastened
to report his coming and when the news reached Shamsah and
her father and mother, they all rejoiced with exceeding joy, and
King Shahlan took horse and rode out, commanding all his guards
and Ifrits and Marids honourably to meet the Prince. And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per-
mitted say.

Nofo foljen a teas tf)e Jpfoe f^untacU anti ^foEntg--st'xt& Xigtt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King

Shahlan commanded all and Marids to
his guards and Ifrits

meet the Prince and, as soon as

;
he came up with him, he
 The Story of Janshak. 375

dismounted and embraced him, and Janshah kissed his hand.

Then Shahlan bade put on him a robe of honour of many-coloured
silk, laced with gold and set with jewels, and a coronet such as
man never saw and, mounting him on a splendid mare of the
,

steeds of the Kings of the Jinn, took horse himself and, with an
immense retinue riding on the right hand and the
left, brought
him in great state to the Castle. Janshah marvelled at the splen-
dour of this edifice, with its walls buildcd of rubies and other
jewels and its pavement of crystal and jasper and emerald, and
fell a-weeping at the memory of his
past miseries but the King
;

and Queen, Shamsah's mother, wiped away his tears and said,
" Now
no more weeping and be of good cheer, for thou hast won
to thy will." Then Shahlan carried him into the inner court of
the Castle, where he was received by a multitude of beautiful
damsels and pages and black Jinn-slaves, who seated him in the
place of honour and stood to do him service, whilst he was lost in
amazement at the goodliness of the place, and its walls all edified
of precious metals and jewels of price. Presently King Shahlan
repaired to his hall of audience, where he sat down on his throne
and, bidding the slave-girls and the pages introduce the Prince,
rose to receive him and seated him by his side on the throne.
Then he ordered the tables to be spread and they ate and drank
and washed their hands after which in came the Queen Shamsah's
;

mother, and saluting Janshah, bade him welcome in these words,

" Thou hast come to
thy desire after weariness and thine eyes shall
"
now sleep after watching so praised be Allah for thy safety!
;

Thus saying, she went away and forthwith returned with the Prin-
cess Shamsah, who saluted Janshah and kissed his hands, hanging
her head in shame and confusion before him and her parents after ;

which as many of her sisters as were in the palace came up to him

and greeted him in like manner. Then quoth the Queen to him,
"
Welcome, O my
son, our daughter Shamsah hath indeed sinned
against thee, but do thou pardon her misdeed for our sakes."
When Janshah heard this, he cried out and fell down fainting,
whereat the King marvelled and they sprinkled on his face rose-
water mingled with musk and civet, till he came to himself and,
"
looking at Princess Shamsah, said, Praised be Allah who hath
"
brought me tomy desire and hath quenched the fire of my heart !

" but now tell

Replied she, May He preserve thee from the Fire !
;

me, O Janshah, what hath befallen thee since our parting and
how thou madest thy way to this place; seeing that few even of
 A If Laylah wa Lay Ink.

the Jann ever heard of Takni, the Castle of Jewels and we are ;

independent of all the Kings nor any wotteth the road hither.
Thereupon he related to her every adventure and peril and hard-
ship he had suffered and how he had left his father at war with
"
King Kafid, ending with these words, And all for thy sake, my
" "
lady Shamsah Quoth the Queen, Now hast thou thy heart's
!

is thy handmaid, and we give her

desire, for the Princess free gift m
to thee." Janshah joyed exceedingly at these words and the Queen
"
added, Next month, if it be the will of Almighty Allah, we will
have a brave wedding and celebrate the marriage festival and after
the knot is tied we will send you both back to thy native land,
with an escort of a thousand Marids of our body-guard, the least
of whom, an thou bid him slay King Kafid and his folk, would
surely destroy them to the last man in the twinkling of an eye.
Furthermore if it please thee we will send thee, year after year, a
company of which each and every can so do with all thy foes.'*
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.

Note foijcn it toas tfte jptbe 3untirrti anli

She continued, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that the
"
lady Shamsah's mother ended with saying, And if it so please thee
we will send thee, year after year, a company of which each and
every can destroy thy foes to the last man." Then King Shahlan
sat down on his throne and, summoning his grandees and officers
of state, bade them make ready for the marriage-festivities and
decorate the city seven days and nights. " We hear and we obey,"
answered they and busied themselves two months in the prepara-
tions, after which they celebrated the marriage of the Prince and
Princess and held a mighty festival, never was there its like. Then
they brought Janshah in to his bride and he abode with her in all
solace of life and delight for two years, at the end of which time
he said to her, " Thy father promised to send us to my native land,
1

that we might pass one year there and the next here.' Answered
" I hear and
she, obey," and going in to King Shahlan at nightfall
"
told him what the Prince had said. Quoth he, I consent but ;

have patience with me till the first of the month, that I may make
ready for your departure." She repeated these words to her hus-
band and they waited till the appointed time, when the King bade
 The Story of Janshah. 377

his Marids bring out to them a great litter of red gold, set with
pearls and jewels and covered with a canopy of green silk, purfled
in a profusion of colours and embroidered with precious stones,

dazzling with its goodliness the eyes of every beholder He chose

out four of his Marids to carry the litter in whichever of the four
quarters the riders might choose. Moreover, he gave his daughter
three hundred beautiful damsels to wait upon her and bestowed on

Janshah the like number of white slaves of the sons of the Jinn.
Then the lady Shamsah took formal leave of her mother and
sisters and all her kith and kin and her father fared forth with
;

them. So the four Marids took each by one corner,

up the litter,

and rising under it onward

like birds in
air, with it between
flew
earth and heaven till mid-day, when the King bade them set it
down and all alighted. Then they took leave of one another and
King Shahlan commended Shamsah to the Prince's care, and
of
giving them in charge to the Marids, returned to the Castle
whilst the Prince and Princess remounted the litter, and
Jewels,
the Marids taking it up, flew on for ten whole days, in each of
which they accomplished thirty months' journey, till they sighted
the capital of King Teghmus. Now one of them knew the land
of Kabul so when he saw the city, he bade the others let down
;

the litter at that populous place which was the capital. And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per-
mitted say.

Koto fofjnt ft foas tfje Jfibt

an& &to*ntg=etfli)t&

O the Marid-
She said, It auspicious King, that
hath reached me,
guards let down the litter at the capital
of King Teghmus who
had been routed and had fled from his foes into the city, where he
was in sore Kafid laid close siege to him. He
straits, King having
with the King of Hind,
sought to save himself by making peace
with-
but his enemy would give him no quarter so seeing himself ;

himself
out resource or means of relief, he determined to strangle
and and be at rest from this trouble and misery. Accord-
to die

ingly he bade his Wazirs

and Emirs farewell and entered his house
to take leave of his Harim and the whole realm
;
was full of weeping
and woe. And whilst this rout and
and wailing and lamentation
the Marids descended with t
hurly-burly was enacting, behold,
litter upon the palace that was in the citadel, and Janshah bade
378 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

them set it down in the midst of the Divan. They did his bidding
and he alighted with his company of handmaids and Mamelukes ;

and, seeing all the folk of the city in straits and desolation and
sore distress, said to the Princess, " O love of my heart and coolth
of mine eyes, look in what a piteous plight is my sire " There- !

upon she bade the Marid-guard fall upon the beleaguering host
and slay them, saying, " Kill ye all, even to the last man ;" and
Janshah commanded one of them, by name Karatash, who was
1

exceeding strong and valiant, to bring King Kafid to him in

chains. So they set down the litter and covered it with the
canopy then, having waited till midnight, they attacked the
;

enemy's camp one of them being a match for ten or at least for ;

eight. And while these smote the foes with iron maces, those
mounted their magical elephants and soared high in the lift, and
then swooping down and snatching up their opponents, tare them
to pieces in mid-air. But Karatash made straight for Kafid's
tent where he found him lying in a couch so he took him up, ;

shrieking for fear, and flew with him to Janshah, who bade the
four Marids bind him on the litter and hang him high in the air
over his camp, that he might witness the slaughter of his men.
They did as the Prince commanded them and left Kafid, who
had swooned for fear, hanging between earth and air and buffet-
ting his face for grief. As for King Teghmus, when he saw his
son, he well-nigh died for excess of joy and, crying with a loud
cry, fell -down in a swoon. They sprinkled rose-water on his
face, till he came to himself, when he and his son embraced and
wept with sore weeping; for he knew not that the Jinn-guard
were battling with King Kafid's men. Then Princess Shamsah
"
accosted the King and kissing his hand, said to him, Sire, be

pleased to go up with me to the palace-roof and witness the

slaughter of thy foes by my father's Marids." So he went up

to the terrace-roof and sitting down there with his daughter-in-
law, enjoyed watching the Marids do havoc among the besiegers
and break a way through the length and breadth of them. For
one of them smote with his iron mace upon the elephants and
their riders and pounded them till man was not to be distin-

guished from beast ;

whilst another shouted in the faces of those
who fled, so that they fell down dead ;
and the third caught up

1
Probably a corruption of the Turkish
" Kara Tash "
= black stone, in Arab.
" "
Hajar Jahannam (hell-stone), lava, basalt.
 The Story of Janshah.
379
a score of horsemen, beasts and all and, towering with them
;

high them down on earth, so that they were torn in

in air, cast

pieces. And this was high enjoyment for Janshah and his father
and the lady Shamsah. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

Nofo fofcm tt foas \\i jpibe ^unfrrefc an*

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious

King, that King
Teghmus and his son and daughter-in-law went
up to the terrace-
roof and enjoyed a prospect of the
Jinn-guards battling with the
beleaguering host. And King Kafid (still hanging between heaven
and earth) also saw the slaughter of his troops and
wept sore and
buffetted his face ;
nor did the carnage cease among the army
of Hind two whole days, till they were cut off even to the
for
last man. Then Janshah commanded a Marid, by name Shimwal,
chain up King Kafid with manacles and fetters, and
imprison him
in a tower called the Black Bulwark. And when his bidding was
done, King Teghmus bade beat the drums and despatched mes-
sengers to announce the glad news to Janshah's mother, informing
her of his approach whereupon she mounted in great joy and
;

she no sooner espied her son than she clasped him in her arms
and swooned away for stress of gladness. They sprinkled rose-
water on her face, till she came to herself, when she embraced him
again and again wept for excess of joy. And when the lady
Shamsah knew of her coming, she came to her and saluted her ;

and they embraced each other and after remaining embraced for
an hour sat down to converse. Then King Teghmus threw open
the city-gates and despatched couriers to all parts of the kingdom,
to spread the tidings of his happy deliverance ; whereupon all his

princely Vassals and Emirs and the Grandees of the realm flocked
to salute him and give him joy of his victory and of the safe
return of his son and they brought him great store of rich
;

offerings and curious presents. The visits and oblations con-

tinued for some time, after which the King made a second and
a more splendid bride-feast for the Princess Shamsah and bade
decorate the city and held high festival. Lastly they unveiled
and paraded the bride before Janshah, with apparel and orna-
ments of the utmost magnificence, and when her bridegroom went
in to her he presented her with an hundred beautiful slave-girls
380 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

to wait upon her. Some days after this, the Princess repaired
"
to the King and interceded with him for Kafid, saying, Suffer
him return to his own land, and if henceforward he be minded to
do thee a hurt, I will bid one of the Jinn-guard snatch him up and
"
bring him to thee." Replied Teghmus, I hear and I obey,"

and bade Shimwal bring him the prisoner, who came manacled
and fettered and kissed earth between his hands. Then he com-
manded to strike off his chains and, mounting him on a lame
mare, said to him, "Verily Princess Shamsah hath interceded
for thee: so begone to thy kingdom, but if thou fall again to
thine old tricks, she will send one of the Marids to seize thee
and bring thee hither." Thereupon King Kafid set off home-
wards, in the sorriest of plights, And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

foj)m it toas t&e jptbe f^untrrrti an&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King

Kafid set off homewards in the sorriest of plights, whilst Janshah
and his wife abode in all solace and delight of life, making the
most of its joyance and happiness. All this recounted the youth
"
sitting between the tombs unto Bulukiya, ending with, And
behold, I am Janshah who witnessed all these things, O my
"
brother, O Bulukiya Then Bulukiya who was wandering the
!

world in his love for Mohammed (whom Allah bless and keep !)
asked Janshah, "O my brother, what be these two sepulchres
and why sittest thou between them and what causeth thy weep-
"
ing ? He answered, " Know, O Bulukiya, that we abode in all
solace and delight of life, passing one year at home and the next
at Takni, the Castle of Jewels, whither we betook not ourselves but
in the litter borne by the Marids and flying between heaven and^
"
earth." Quoth Bulukiya, O my brother, O Janshah, "
what was
the distance between the Castle and thy home ? Quoth he,
"
Every day we accomplished a journey of thirty months and
the time we took was ten days. We abode on this wise a many
of years till, one year we set out for the Castle of Jewels, as was
our wont, and on the way thither alighted from the litter in this
island to rest and take our pleasure therein. We sat down on the
river-bank and ate and drank after which the Lady Shamsah,
;

having a mind to bathe, put off her clothes and plunged into the
 The Story of Janskak. 381

water. Her women did likewise and they swam about awhile,
whilst I walked on along the bank of the stream leaving them
to swim about and play with one another. And behold, a huge
shark of the monsters of the deep seized the Princess by the leg,
without touching any of the girls; and she cried out and died
forthright, whilst the damsels fled out of the river to the pavilion,
to escape from the shark. But after awhile they returned and
taking up her corpse carried her to the litter. Now when I saw
her dead, down fainting and they sprinkled water on my
I fell

face, recovered
till I and wept over her. Then I despatched the
Jinn-guards to her parents and family, announcing what had
befallen her and in the shortest time they came to the spot
;

and washed her and shrouded her after which they buried her ;

by the river-side and made mourning for her. They would have
carried me with them to their own country but I said to King ;

"
Shahlan, I beseech thee to dig me a grave beside her tomb,
that, when I die, I may be buried by her side in that grave."

Accordingly, the King commanded one of his Marids to do as I

wished, after which they departed and left me here to weep and
mourn for her till I die. And this is my story and the cause of
my sojourn between these two tombs." And he repeated these
two couplets :
!

" now no home me

The house, sweet heart, is to o Since thou art gone, nor
neighbour neighbourly.
The friend whilome I took to heart, no more o Is friend, and brightest
lights lose brilliancy."

But when Bulukiya heard out Janshah's tale he marvelled

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

Nofo fofjcn it tons tfje jp(b JQunUrttJ anfc

She said, It King, that when

hath reached me, O auspicious
Bulukiya heard out Janshah's tale he wondered and exclaimed,
"
By Allah, methought I had indeed wandered over the world and
compassed it about ; but now I forget all I have seen after listen-

1
A variant of lines in Night xx., vol. i., 21 1.
382 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

"
ing to these adventures of thine He was silent a while and
!

then resumed, " I beg thee, of thy favour and courtesy, to direct
me in the way of safety" So Janshah directed him into the right
road, and Bulukiya farewelled him and went his ways All this
the Serpent-queen related to Hasib Karim al-Din, and he asked
"
her, But how knowest thou of these things ? "; and she answered,
"
O Hasib, thou must ken that I had occasion, some five-and-
twenty years ago, to send one of my largest serpents to Egypt
and gave her a Bulukiya, saluting him. So she went
letter for
there willingly for she had a daughter in the land called Bint
Shumukh 1 ; and after asking anent Bulukiya she found him and
gave him my missive. He read it and replied to the messenger
snake, "Thou comest from Queen of the Serpents whom J am
the
minded to visit for I have an occasion to her." She replied, " I
hear and obey." Then she bore him to her daughter of whom
she took leave and said to her companion, "Close thine eyes."
So he closed them and opening them again, behold, he found him-
self on the mountain where I now am. Then his guide carried
him to a great serpent, whom he saluted whereupon quoth she, ;

" Didst thou deliver the missive to

Bulukiya ? "; and she replied,
"
Even so ;
and he hath accompanied me and here he standeth."
Presently Bulukiya asked after me, the Serpent-queen, and the great
"
serpent answered, She hath gone to the mountain Kaf with all
her host, as is her wont in winter ;
but next summer she will come
hither again. As often as she goeth thither, she appointeth me to

reign in her room, during her absence and thou have any occa- ;
if
"
sion to her, I will accomplish it for thee." Said he, I beg thee
to bring me the herb, which whoso crusheth and drinketh the juice
" will
thereof, sickeneth not neither groweth grey nor dieth." I
" till thou tell me what befel thee
not bring it," said the serpent,
since thou leftest the Queen of the Serpents, to go with Affan in

quest of King Solomon's tomb." So he related to her

all his

travels and adventures, together with the history of Janshah, and

" mine
said at last, Grant me my request, that I may return to
" the virtue of the lord
own country." Replied the serpent, By
Solomon, I know not where is to be found the herb whereof thou

speakest." Then she bade the serpent which had brought him
thither, carry him back to Egypt so the messenger obeyed her
:

1
i.t. Daughter of Pride : the proud
 The Adventures of Bulukiya. 383

"
and said to him, Shut thine eyes!" He did so and, opening
them again, found himself on the mountain Mukattam. "When 1

" "
I returned from the mountain Kaf (added the Queen) the ser-

pent, my deputy, informed me of Bulukiya's visit and gave me his

salutations and repeated to me his story and his meeting with
Janshah. And this, O Hasib, is how I came to know the adven-
tures of Bulukiya and the history of Janshah." Thereupon Hasib
"
said to her, O
Queen, deign recount to me what befel Bulukiya
as regards his return to Egypt." She replied, " Know, Hasib, O
that when he parted from Janshah he fared on nights and days
till he came to a great sea so he anointed his feet with the juice
;

of the magical herb and, walking over the face of the waters, sped
onwards till he came to an island abounding in trees and springs
and fruits, as were the Garden of Eden. He landed and
it

walked about, till he saw an immense tree, with leaves as big

as the sails of a ship. So he went up to the tree and found
under it a table spread with all manner meats, whilst on a
branch of the branches sat a great bird, whose body was of
pearls and leek-green emeralds, its feet of silver, its
beak of red
carnelian and of and it was en-
its plumery precious metals;
gaged in singing the praises of Allah the Most High and bless-
"
ing Mohammed (on whom be benediction and peace !) And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

Nofo tofjen it teas tfce ^ibe f^unfcrrtr anto TOrtBsstconti ttffg&t,

She It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when

said,

Bulukiya landed and walked about the island he found therein

many marvels, especially a bird whose body was of pearls and
leek-green emeralds and its plumery of precious metals and it ;

was engaged Allah the Most High and

in singing the praises of

blessing Mohammed (upon whom be benediction and peace !).

Seeing this he said,
"
Who and what art thou ? " Quoth the
"
bird, I am one of the birds of Eden and followed Adam when

Allah Almighty cast him out thence. And know, O my brother,

1
In the Calc. Edit, by misprint " Malctab." Mukattam is the old sea-cliff
Jabal
where the Mediterranean once beat and upon whose North Western slopes Cairo is

built.
 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

that Allah also cast out with him four leaves of the trees of the

garden, to cover his nakedness withal, and they fell to the ground
after awhile. One of them was eaten by a worm, and of it came
silk the gazelles ate the second and thence proceeded musk the
:
;

third was eaten by bees and gave rise to honey, whilst the fourth
fell in the land of Hind and from it sprang all manner of spices.

As for me, I wandered over the face of earth till Allah deigned give
me this island for a dwelling-place, and I took up my abode here.
And every Friday from night till morning the Saints and Princes 1
of the Faith flock to this place and make pious visitation and eat
from this table spread by Allah Almighty and after they have ;

eaten, the table is taken up again to Heaven nor doth the :

food ever waste or corrupt." So Bulukiya ate his fill of the meats
and praised the Great Creator. And presently, behold, there came
up Al-Khizr (with whom be peace !), at sight of whom Bulukiya
2

rose and saluting him, was about to withdraw, when the bird said
to him, Sit, O Bulukiya, in the presence of Al-Khizr, on whom
"

be peace
"
So he sat down again, and Al-Khizr said to him, " Let
!

me know who thou art and tell me thy tale." Thereupon Bulu-
kiya related to him all his adventures from beginning to end and
" " "
asked, O my lord, how far is it hence to Cairo ? Five-and-
ninety years' journey," replied the Prophet whereupon Bulukiya ;

burst into tears then, falling at Al-Khizr's feet, kissed them and
;

"
said to him, I beseech thee deliver me from this strangerhood

and thy reward be with Allah, for that I am nigh upon death and
know not what to do." Quoth Al-Khizr, " Pray to Allah Almighty
that He permit me to carry thee to Cairo, ere thou perish." So

Bulukiya wept and humbled himself before Allah who granted his
prayer, and by inspiration bade Al-Khizr bear him to
his people.
"
Then said the Prophet, Lift thy head, for Allah hath heard thy
prayer and hath inspired me to do what thou desirest ; so take
fasthold of me with both thy hands and shut thine eyes." The
Prince did as he was bidden- and Al-Khizr stepped a single step

1
Arab. " Kutb "; lit. an axle, a pole ; next a prince ; a high order or doyen in
Sainthood ; especially amongst the Sufi-gnostics.
2
"The Green" (Prophet), a mysterious personage confounded with
Lit. Elijah, St.

George and others. He was a Moslem, i.e. a true believer in the Islam of his day
and Wazir to Kaykobad, founder of the Kayanian dynasty, sixth century B.C. We
have before seen him as a contemporary of Moses. My learned friend Ch. Clermont-
Ganneau traces him back, with a multitude of his similars (Proteus, Perseus, etc.), to
the son of Osiris (p. 45, Horus et Saint Georges).
 Tlte Adventures of Bulukiya. 385
" "
forwards, then said to him, Open thine eyes So Bulukiya !

opened his eyes and found himself at the door of his palace at
Cairo. He turned, to take leave of Al-Khizr, but found no trace
of him And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.

Koto to&cn it foas tfa jpibe |imlitt& an& $tfrtB.ti)ti&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Bu-
lukiya, standing at the gate of his palace, turned to take leave of
Al-Khizr, he found no trace of him and entered the palace. When
his mother saw him, she cried with a loud cry and swooned away
for excess of joy, and they sprinkled water upon her face. After
awhile she came to herself and embraced her son and wept with
sore weeping, whilst Bulukiya wept and laughed by turns. Then
all his friends and kindred came and gave him joy of his safe

return, and the news was noised abroad in the land and there
came to him presents from all parts. Moreover, they beat the
drums and blew the flutes and rejoiced mightily. Then Bulukiya
related to them his adventures ending with recounting how Al-
Khizr had set him down at his palace-door, whereat they marvelled
exceedingly and wept, till all were a-weary of weeping. Hasib won*
dered at the Queen's tale and shed many tears over it then he ;

again besought her to let him return to his family ; but she said,
'"
I fear me, O
Hasib, that when thou gettest back to thy country
thou wilt fail of thy promise and prove traitor to thine oath and
enter the Hammam." But he swore to her another solemn oath
that he would never again enter the baths as long as he lived ;
whereupon she called a serpent and bade her carry him up to the
surface of the earth. So the serpent took him and led him from

place to place, till she brought him out on the platform-edge of

an abandoned cistern and there left him. Upon this he walked to
the city and, coming to his house by the last of the day, at the
yellowing of the sun, knocked at the door. His mother opened
It and seeing her son screamed out and threw herself upon him
and wept for excess of joy. His wife heard her mother-in-law
weeping so she came out.to her and seeing her husband, saluted
;

him and kissed his hands and each rejoicecj in other with ex-
;

ceeding joy of all three. Then they entered the house and sat
down to converse ; and presently Hasib asked his mother of the
VOL. V. BB
386 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

woodcutters,who had left him to perish in the cistern. Quoth she,

"
They came and told me that a wolf had eaten thee in the Wady,
As for them, they are become merchants and own houses and
shops, and the world is grown wide for them. But every day they
bring me meat and drink, and thus have they done until the
present time." Quoth Hasib, "To-morrow do thou go to them
and say: My son Hasib Karim al-Din hath returned from his
travels ;
so come ye to meet him and salute him." Accordingly,
when morning dawned, she repaired to the woodcutters' houses
and delivered to them her son's message, which when they heard,
they changed colour, and saying, We hear and. obey," gave her
"

each a suit of silk, embroidered with gold, adding, " Present this
to thy good son 1 and tell him that we will be with him to-morrow."
She assented and returning to Hasib gave him their presents
and message. Meanwhile, the woodcutters called together a number
of merchants and, acquainting them with all that had passed be-
tween themselves and Hasib, took counsel with them what they
should do. Quoth the merchants, " It behoveth each one of you
to give him half his monies and Mamelukes." And they all agreed
to do this so on the next day, each of them took half his wealth
;

and, going in to Hasib, saluted him and kissed his hands. Then
"
they laid before him what they had brought, saying, This is of
thy bounties, and we are in thy hands." He accepted their peace-
"
offering and said, What is past is past that which befel us was
:

decreed of Allah, and destiny doeth away with dexterity." Quoth

"
they, Come, let us walk about and take our solace in the city and
"
visit the Hammam." Quoth he, Not so I have taken an oath
:

never again to enter the baths, so long as I live." Rejoined they,

" At least come to our homes that we
may entertain thee." He
agreed to this, and went to their houses and each of them enter-
tained him for a night and a day; nor did they cease to do
thus for a whole se'nnight, being seven in number. And now
Hasib was master of monies and houses and shops, and the
merchants of the city foregathered with him and he told them
all that had befallen him. He became one of the chiefs of
the guild and abode on this wise awhile, till it happened one
day, as he was walking about the streets, that he passed
the

1
Arab. Walad," more ceremonious than "ibn." It is, by the by, the origin of
our "valet" in its sense of boy or servant who is popularly addressed Y waiad.
"
Hence I have seen in a French book of travels ua petit Ia*elet."
 The Queen of the Serpents. 387

door of a Hammam, whose keeper was one of his companions.

When the bathman, who was standing without, caught his eye
he ran up to him and saluted him and embraced him, saying,
"
Favour me by entering the bath and there wash and be rubbed
that I may show thee hospitality." Hasib refused, alleging that
he had taken a solemn oath never again to enter the Hammam ;

but the bathman was instant with him, saying, " Be my three wives
" When Hasib
triply divorced, an thou enter not and be washed !

heard him thus conjure him, he was confounded and replied, "O
my brother, hast thou a mind to ruin my house and make my
children orphans and lay a load of sin upon my neck ?
"
But his
friend threw himself at his feet and kissed them, saying, "My

happiness dependeth upon thy entering, and be the sin on the

neck of me " Then all the servants of the bath set upon Hasib
!

and dragging him in pulled off his clothes. But hardly had he
satdown against the wall and begun to pour water on his head
when a score of men accosted him, saying, " Rise, O man, and
come with us to the Sultan, for thou art his debtor." Then they
despatched one of them as messenger to the Sultan's Minister,
who straightway took horse and rode, attended by threescore
Mamelukes, to the baths, where he alighted and going in to
" "
Hasib, saluted him and said, Welcome to thee ! Then he gave
the bathman an hundred dinars and, mounting Hasib on a horse
he had brought with him, returned with him and all his men to
the Sultan's palace. Here he bade them aid Hasib to dismount
and, after seating him comfortably, set food before him and when ;

they had eaten and drunken and washed their hands, the Wazir
clad him in two dresses of honour each worth five thousand dinars
and said to him, " Know that Allah hath been merciful to us in
sending thee for the Sultan is nigh upon death by leprosy, and
;

the books tell us that his life is in thy hands. Then, accompanied
by a host of Grandees, he took him wondering withal and carried
him through the seven doorways of the palace, till they came to
the King's chamber. Now the name of this King was Karazddn,
King of Persia and of the Seven Countries, and under his sway
were an hundred sovereign princes sitting on chairs of red gold,
and ten thousand valiant captains, under each one's hand an
hundred deputies and as many headsmen armed with sword and
axe. They found the King lying on his bed with his face swathed
in a napkin, and groaning for excess of pain. When Hasib saw
this ordinance, his wit was dazed for awe of the King; so he
388 A if Laylah wa Lay la k.

kissed the ground before him, and prayed a blessing on him.

Then the Grand Wazir, whose name was Shamhiir, rose and

hand ;
-
welcoming Hasib, seated him on a high chair at the King's right
And
to say her permitted say.
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased

Koto fo&m it foas tf)e Jftbe antr TOrtg-fourtl)

She said, It hath reached me, O

auspicious King, that the Wazir
Shamhur rose to Hasib and seated him on a chair at the right
hand of King Karazdan after which he called for food and the
;

tables were laid.And when they had eaten and drunken and
washed their hands, Shamhur stood up (while all present also
stood to do him honour) and, approaching Hasib said to him,
"We are all thy servants and will give thee whatsoever thou
askest, even one half the kingdom, so thou wilt but cure
were it

the King." Saying this, he led him by the hand to the royal
couch, and Hasib, uncovering the King's face, saw that he was at
last fatal stage of the disease so he wondered at their hoping for
;

a cure. But the Wazir kissed his hand and repeated his offers and
"
ended with saying, All we want of thee is to heal our King:" so
he said to the Wazir, " True that I am the son of Allah's prophet,
Daniel, but I know nothing of his art for they put me thirty :

days in the school of medicine and I learnt nothing of the craft.

I would well I knew somewhat thereof and might heal the King."
"
Hearing this, the Grand Wazir said, Do not multiply words upon
us for though we should gather together to us physicians from
;

the East and from the West, none could cure the King save thou."
"
Answered Hasib, How can I make him
whole, seeing I know-
" "
neither his case nor its cure ? Quoth the Minister, His healing
is in thy hands," and quoth Hasib,
" If I knew the remedy of his

sickness, I Thereupon the Wazir rejoined,

would heal him."
" Thou kennest a the remedy of his sickness is
cure right well ;

the Queen of the Serpents, and thou knowest her abiding-place

and hast been with her." When Hasib heard this, he knew that
all this came of his entering the Baths, and repented whenas
"
repentance availed him naught then said he, What is the Queen
;

of the Serpents ? I know her not nor ever in all my life heard I
"
of this name." Retorted the Wazir, Deny not the knowledge of
her, for I have proof that thou knowest her and hast passed two
 The Queen of the Serpents. 389

"
years with her." Repeated Hasib, Verily, I never saw her nor
even heard of her till this moment "
upon which Shamhur opened
;

a book and, after making sundry calculations, raised his head

and spake as follows. "The Queen of the Serpents shall fore-
gather with a man who shall abide with her two years then ;

shall he return from her and come forth to the surface of the

earth, and when he entereth the Hammam-bath his belly will

become black." Then said he, " Look at thy belly." So Hasib
looked at his own belly and behold, it was black but he per- :

"
sisted in his denial and said, My belly was black from the day
my mother bare me." Said the Wazir, " I had stationed three
Mamelukes at the door of every Hammam, bidding them note
all who entered and me know when they found one whose
let

belly was black :

so, when thou enteredst, they looked at thy
belly and, finding it black, sent and told me, after we had well-

nigh lost hope of coming upon thee. All we want of thee is to

show us the place whence thou earnest out and after go thy ways ;
for we have those with us who will take the Queen of the Serpents
and fetch her to us." Then all the other Wazirs and Emirs and
Grandees flocked about Hasib who sorely repented of his mis-
deed and they conjured him, till they were weary, to show them
;

"
the abode of the Queen but he ceased not saying, I never saw
;

nor heard of the matter." Then the Grand Wazir called the
hangman and bade him strip Hasib and beat him a sore beating;
and so they did till he saw death face to face, for excess of pain,
and the Wazir said, " We have proof that thou knowest the
abiding-place of the Queen of the Serpents :
why wilt thou

persist in denial ? Show us the place whence thou earnest out

and go from us ;
we have with us one who will take her, and no
harm Then he raised him and bade give him
shall befal thee."
a dress of honour of cloth of red gold, embroidered with jewels,
and spoke him Hasib yielded and said, " I will show you
fair till
the place." At this the Wazir rejoiced with great joy and took
horse with all his many and rode, guided by Hasib, and never
drew rein till they came to the mountain containing the cavern
wherein he had found the cistern full of honey. There all dis-
mounted and followed him as he entered, sighing and weeping,
and showed them the well whence he had issued whereupon ;

the Wazir sat down thereby and, sprinkling perfumes upon a

chafing-dish, began to mutter charms and conjurations; for he
was a crafty magician and diviner and skilled in spiritual arts.
 39 Alf Laylah iva Laylah.

He repeated three several formulas of conjuration and between

each threw fresh incense upon the fire, crying out and saying,
*'Come forth, O Queen of the Serpents!;" when behold, the
water of the well sank down and a great door opened in the
side, from which came a mighty noise of crying like unto
,
thunder, so terrible that they thought the well had caved in
and all present fell down fainting nay, some even died for
;

fright. Presently, there issued from the well a serpent as big

as an elephant, casting out sparks, like red hot coals, from its
eyes and mouth and bearing on its back a charger of red gold,
set with pearls and jewels, in the midst whereof lay a serpent
from whose body issued such splendour that the place was
illumined thereby and her face was fair and young and she
;

spoke with most eloquent tongue. The Serpent-queen turned

right and left, till her eyes fell upon Hasib, to whom said she,
"Where is the covenant thou madest with me, and the oath

thou swarest to me, that thou wouldst never again enter the
Hammam-bath ? But there is no fighting against Fate nor hath
any ever fled from that which is written on his forehead. Allah
hath appointed the end of my life for thy hand to hend, and it
is His will that slain I be and King Karazdan be healed of his

malady." So saying, she wept with sore weeping and Hasib

wept to see her weep. As for the abominable Wazir Shamhur ;

he put out his hand to lay hold of her; but she said to him,
" Hold
thy hand, O accursed, or I will blow upon thee and
reduce thee to a heap of black ashes." Then she cried out to
"
Hasib, saying, Draw near me and take me in thine hand and
lay me in the dish that is with you: then set it on thy head;
for my death was fore-ordained, from Eternity without begin-

ning, to be at thy hand, and thou hast no power to avert it"

1

So he took her and laid her in the dish, and put it on his head,
when the well returned to its former state. Then they set out
on their return to the city, Hasib carrying the dish on his head,
and when they were half-way behold, the Queen of the Serpents
said to him privily, " Hearken, O Hasib, to my friendly counsel,
for all thou hast broken faith with me and been false to thine
oath, and hast done this misdeed, but it was fore-ordained from

1
Arab, " Azal " = Eternity (without beginning) ;
" Abad " = Infinity (eternity
without end).
 The Queen of the Serpents. 391

all eternity." He replied "To hear is to obey," and she con-

" when thou 'comest to the Wazir's house, he
tinued, It is this :

will bid thee behead me and cut me in three ; but do thou refuse,
1

saying : Iknow not how to slaughter and leave him to do it

with his own hand and to work his wicked will. When he hath
cut my throat and divided
my body into three pieces there will
come him
a messenger, to bid.to the King, so he will lay my flesh
in a cauldron of brass and set it upon a brasier before going to the

presence and he will say to thee Keep up the fire under the :

cauldron till the scum rise then skim it off and pour it into a
;

phial to cool. Wait till it cool and then drink it, so shall naught
of malady or pain be thy body. When the second
left in all

scum riseth, skim it off and pour

into a phial against my return it

from the King, that I may drink it for an ailment I have in my

loins. Then will he give thee the phials and go to the King,
and when he is gone, do thou light the fire and wait till the first
scum rise and set it in a phial keep it by thee but beware of ;

drinking it, or no good will befal thee. When the second scum
riseth, skim it off and put it in asecond phial and drink it down
as soon as it cools. When the Wazir returneth and asketh thee
for the second phial, give him the first and. note what shall befal

him ;" And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.

ttfofo foljen it foas t&e .fffoe ^utrtrrti an*

She hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Serpent-

said, It

queen charged Hasib not to drink of the first scum and care-
"
fully to keep the second, saying, When the Wazir returneth from
the King and asketh second phial, give him the first and
for the
note what shall befal him then drink the contents of the second
;

phial and thy heart will become the home

of wisdom. After this
take up the flesh and, laying it in a brazen platter, carry it to the
King and give him to eat thereof. When he hath eaten it and it
hath settled in his stomach, veil his face with a kerchief and wait
by him till noontide, when he will have digested the meat. Then

1
The Moslem ritual for slaughtering (by cutting the throat) is not so strict as that of
the Jews ;
but itrequires some practice ;
and any failure in the conditions renders the meat
impure, mere carrion (falls).
392 Alf Laylah wa Laylak.

give him somewhat of wine to drink and, by the decree of Allah

Almighty, he will be healed of his unhealth and be made whole
as he was. And give thou ear to the charge wherewith I charge
thee and keep it in thy memory with carefullest keeping."
;

They ceased not faring till they came to the Wazir's house, and he
said to Hasib, " Come in with me " So he went in and the !

troops dispersed and fared each his own way whereupon Hasib ;

set down the platter and the Wazir bade him slay the Queen
of the Serpents but he said, " I know not how to slaughter and
;

never in my born days killed I aught. An thou wilt have her

throat cut, do it with thine own hand." So the Minister Shamhur
took the Queen from the platter and slew her, seeing which Hasib
" O weak
wept bitter tears and the Wazir laughed at him, saying,
"
of wits, how canst thou weep for the killing of a worm ? Then
he cut her in three and, laying" the pieces in a brass cauldron, set it
on the fire and sat down to await the cooking of the flesh. And
whilst he was sitting, lo there came a slave from the King, who
!

said to him, " The King calls for thee without stay or delay ;" and
he answered saying, " I hear and I obey." So he gave Hasib two
phials and bade him drink the first scum and keep the second
against his return, even as the Queen of the Serpents had fore-
told ; after which he went away with repeated charges and injunc-
tions ;
and Hasib tended the fire under the cauldron till the first

scum rose, when he skimmed it off and, setting it in one of the

phials, kept by him. He then fed the fire till the second scum
it

rose then he skimmed it off and, putting it in the other phial,

;

kept it for himself. And when the meat was done, he took the
cauldron off the fire and sat awaiting the Wazir who asked him on
" "
return, What hast thou done ? ;" and answered Hasib, I did thy

bidding to the last word." Quoth the Wazir, "What hast thou
"
done with the first phial ?" I drank its contents but now,"
" feeleth it no
replied Hasib, and Shamhur asfced, Thy body
"
change ?"; whereto Hasib answered, Verily, I feel as I were on
fire from front to foot" The villain Wazir made no reply hiding
" me the second phial, that I may drink
the truth but said, Hand
what is therein, so haply I may be made whole of this ailing in
my loins." So Hasib brought him the and he drank it
first phial
off, thinking it contained the second scum; but hardly had he

The Wazir but "in iteration there is no

repeats all the words spoken bj the Queen
1

recreation."
 The Queen of the Serpents. 393

done drinking when the phial fell from his hand and he swelled up
and dropped down dead and thus was exemplified in him the
;

" Whoso he shall be the

saying ;
for his brother diggeth a pit, first

to fall into it." Now when Hasib saw this, he wondered and
feared to drink of the second phial ;
but he remembered the
Serpent-queen's injunction and bethought him that the Wazir
would not have reserved the second scum for himself, had there
been aught of hurt therein. So he said, " I put my trust in
Allah," and drank off the contents of the phial.
1
No sooner had
he done so, than the Most Highest made the waters of wisdom to
well up in his heart and opened to him the fountains of know-
ledge, and joy and gladness overcame him. Then he took the
serpent's flesh from the cauldron and, laying it on a platter of
brass, went forth from the Wazir's house. On his way to the
palace he raised his eyes and saw the seven Heavens and all that
therein is, even to the Lote-tree, beyond which there is no passing,8
and the manner of the revolution of the spheres. Moreover,
Allah discovered to him the ordinance of the planets and the
scheme of their movements and the fixed stars and he saw the ;

contour of the land and sea, whereby he became informed with

geometry, astrology and astronomy and mathematics and all that
hangeth thereby and he understood the causes and consequences
;

of eclipses of the sun and moon. Then he looked at the earth

and saw all minerals and vegetables that are therein and thereon ;

and he learned their properties, and their virtues, so that he

became in an instant versed in medicine and chemistry and
natural magic and the art of making gold and silver. And he
ceased not carrying the flesh till he came to the palace, when
he went in to King Karazdan, and kissing the ground before
" "
him, said, May thy head survive thy Wazir Shamhur The !

King was mightily angered at the news of the Grand Wazir's

death and wept for him, whilst his Emirs and his Grandees and
officers also wept. Then said Karazdan, " He was with me but
now, in all health, and went away to fetch me the flesh of the
Queen of the Serpents, if it should be cooked what befel him ;

"
1
A phrase always ID the Moslem's mouth : the slang meaning of we put our trust in
" " let's cut our stick."
Allah is
"
Koran liii. 14. This " Sidrat al-Muntaha (Zityphus lotus) stands in the seventh
heaven on th right hand of Allah's throne and even the angels may not past
:

it.
beyond
394 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

"
that he is now
dead, and what accident hath betided him ? So
Hasib told him the whole truth how the Minister had drunk the
contents of the phial and had forthwith swelled out and died.
The King mourned for his loss with mourning sore and said to
" "
Hasib, What shall I do without Shamhur ? and Hasib answered
"
Grieve not, O King of the age ; for I will cure thee within three

days and leave no whit of disease in thy body." At this the

"
King's breast waxed broad and he said, I wish to be made

whole of this affliction, though after a long term of years." So

Hasib set the platter before the King and made him eat a slice
of the flesh of the Serpent-queen. Then he covered him up and,
spreading a kerchief over his face, bade him sleep and sat down
by his side. He slept from noonday till sundown, while his
stomach digested the piece of flesh, and presently he awoke.
Hasib gave him somewhat of wine to drink and bade him sleep
again ;
so he slept till the morning and when dawn appeared^
Hasib repeated the treatment making him eat another piece of
the flesh and thus he did with him three days following, till
;

he had eaten the whole, when his skin began to shrink and
scale off and he perspired, so that the sweat ran down from his
head to his heels. Therewith he became whole and there abode
in him no trace of the disease, which when Hasib saw, he said,
"There is no help for it but thou go to the Hammam." So
he carried him to the bath and washed his body and when ;

he came forth, it was like a wand of silver and he was restored

to health, nay, sounder than he was before he fell ill. Thereupon
he donned his richest robes and, seating himself on his throne,
deigned make Hasib sit beside him. Then he bade the tables
be spread and they ate and washed their hands after which he;

called for the service of wine and both drank their fill. Upon
this all his Wazirs and Emirs and Captains and the Grandees
of his realm and the notables of the lieges came in to him and
gave him joy of his recovery and they beat the drums and
;

adorned the city in token of rejoicing. Then said the King

"
to the assembly, O
Wazirs and Emirs and Grandees, this is
Hasib Karim al-Din, who hath healed me of my sickness, and
know all here present that I make him my Chief Wazir in the
stead of the Wazir Shamhur." And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
 The Queen of tfie Serpents. 395

tfofo fot)cn ft tons t&e jptbe ^untartr an*

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth

King Karazdan to his Ministers and' high lords, " He who healed
me of my sickness is none other than Hasib Karim al-Din here
present. Therefore I make him my Chief Wazir in the stead of
the Wazir Shamhur and whoso loveth him loveth me, and whoso
;

honoureth him honoureth me, and he who obeyeth him obeyeth

me." " Hearkening and obedience/' answered they and all rising
flocked to kiss Hasib's hand and salute him and give him joy
of the Wazirate. Then the King bestowed on him a splendid
dress of gold brocade, set with pearls and gems, the least of
which was worth five thousand gold pieces. Moreover, he pre-
sented to him three hundred male white slaves and the like
number of concubines, in loveliness like moons, and three hundred
l
Abyssinian beside five hundred mules laden with
slave-girls,
treasure and sheep and oxen and buffaloes and bulls and other
cattle beyond count ; and he commanded all his Wazirs and
Emirs and Grandees and Notables and Mamelukes and his subjects
in general to bring him gifts. Presently Hasib took horse and rode,
followed by the Wazirs and Emirs and lords and all the troops,
to the house which the King had set apart for him, where he sat
down on a chair and the Wazirs and Emirs came up to him and
;

kissed hands and gave him joy of his Ministership, vying with one
another in suit and service. -When his mother and his household
knew what had happened, -they rejoiced with exceeding joy and
congratulated him on his good fortune and his quondam com-
;

rades the woodcutters also came and gave him joy. Then he
mounted again and, riding to the house of the late Wazir
Shamhur, laid hands on all that was therein and transported it
to his own abode. On did Hasib, from a dunsical
this wise

know-nothing, unskilled to read writing, become, by the decree

of Allah Almighty, an adept in every science and versed in all
manner of knowledge, so that the fame of his learning was blazed
abroad over the land and he became renowned as an ocean of

1
Arab. "Habash": the word means more than "Abyssinia" as it includes the
Dankali Country and the sea-board, a fact unknown to the late Lord Stratford de
Redcliffe when he disputed with the Porte. I ventured to set him right and suffered

accordingly.
396 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

lore and medicine and astronomy and geometry and

skill in

astrology and alchemy and natural magic and the Cabbala and
Spiritualism and all other arts and sciences. One day, he said
"
to his mother, My father Daniel was exceeding wise and
"
learned tell me what he left by way
;
of books or what not !

So mother brought him the chest and, taking out the five
his
leaves which had been saved when the library was lost, gave
them to him saying, "These five scrolls are all thy father left
thee." So he read them and said to her, " O my mother, these
leaves are part of a book : where is the rest ? " Quoth she,
"
Thy
father made a voyage taking with him all his library and, when
he was shipwrecked, every book was lost save only these five
leaves. And when he was returned to me by Almighty Allah
he found me with child and said to me Haply thou wilt bear :

a boy so take these scrolls and keep them by thee and whenas
;

thy son shall grow up and ask what his father left him, give
these leaves to him and say, Thy father left these as thine only
heritance. And lo here they are." And Hasib, now the most
!

learned of his age, abode in all pleasure and solace and delight
of life, till there came to him the Destroyer of delights and the
Severer of societies. 1 And yet, O King, is not this tale of
Bulukiya and Janshah more wondrous than the adventures of

1
Here ends vol. ii. of the Mac. Edit.

END OF VOLUME V.
 INDEX.

PACE PAG*
A*ARA> (AL-) = partition-wall (chap- Adulteress (none without an adulterer) 90
ter of the Koran) . . .217 Ahram (A1-) = the Pyramids . .
105
Aaron's
Moses*
A'amash
Staff) ....
Rod (becomes with Moslems

(A1-), traditionist . .
238
81
Akabah (mountain pass near Meccah)
Akasirah
rocs
= sons of the royal Chos-
29$

10
A'araj (A1-), traditionist . . ib. Akhfr al-Zaman r= the latter days .
304
Abdallah (a neutral name) . . 141 Alam =. way-mark, etc. . .
.191
Abdallah bin Mas'ud (traditionist) . 81 Alcove (corruption of al-Kubbah) 1 8
Abdallah bin Salim (traditionist) . ib.
Aleppo (noted for
debauchery) . .
64
Abjad (Hebrew- Arabic alphabet) .
229 Ali bin Mohammed bin Abdallah bin
Ablution (difference of fashion in per- Tahir (Governor) . .
.163
forming it) . . . .112 Ali ibn Abl Talib . . .
213 ; 225
Abraham (the friend of God) . .
205 Alish takish (acting woman and man
Abrogating and abrogated (versets) . 194 alternately) 65
Abu al-Abbas al-Mubarrad (gram- Allah (desire unto) . . . .164
marian) 138 (corporeality of?) . . . ib.
Abu al-Abbas al-Rakashi (poet) .
77 requite you abundantly
Abu al-Ayna 164 "thank you" . . .171
Abu al-Husn = Father of Beauty
fancy name) ....
Abu Ali, see Di'ibil al-Khuza'i.
(a
189
(seeking refuge with)
(names of)
Allaho Akbar of prohibition .
.... 214
.196
. . 200

Abu Bakr (Caliph)

(grammarian)
.

Abu Bakr Mohammed al-Anbdri

.

....
. .235

141
the evil eye)
Alma =
....
AllamdolUlah (pronounced to avert

brown- (not "damask-")

7

Abu Haris =
Father of spoils (lion) 40 lipped 66
Abu Horayrah (uncle of Mohammed) 81 Ambiguity 44
Abu Tammam (poet) . .157 . Amfn (A1-), Caliph . . . 93; 152
Abu Zanad (traditionist) . . .81 Amru bin Ma'adi Karib (poet) . . 147
Abu Zarr (Companion of the Apostle) 102 Amru bin Masa'dah (Pr. N.) . .
14$
Adi bin Zayd (poet) . .
.124 'Amuriyah = the classical Amorium 141
Adil (AI-) =the Just (Caliph Omar) 103
" Ana "
(from Night ccclxxxi.
Adrian (Arab genealogy begins with) IOO ccccxxiv.) 64
Adultery (etc. to be proved by four Ana a'amil = I will do it (Egypto-
witnesses) 97 Syrian vulgarism) . . .
367
 398 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.
Ant (chapter ix. of the Koran) .
213 BE ! and IT BECOMETH . .
240 ; 286
Anthropophagy (allowed when it Beard combed by the fingers in the
saves life) . . . . .186 Wuzu 198 ; 209
Anushirwan r= Amishfnrawan = = Innovation
Sweet of Soul
'Ar (A1-) =
shame . .
.... 87
.138
Bida'ah
Bika'a = convents (pilgrimages
Bint Shumiikh
.167

N. = daughter of
(Pr.
125
. .

to)

Arab al-Arba =
Arab of pure and pride 382
genuine blood . . . . 101 Bird (created by Jesus) . . .211
/Arab horses (breeds of) . . . 246 (seen by Abu Bakr in the cave) 235
Arab-land and Ajam = all the world Birds (songs and cries of) 50
over 136 Bismillah =
in the name of Allah . 206
Arafat (mount where the victims are Biza'at = capital, business-concern . 8l
not slaughtered) . . .
295 Blast (of the last trumpet) .
.310
Arithmetic (not mastered by Mos- Brain (fans veneris in man) . ;
46
lems) 236 Brasier (Kaniin, Mankal). . . 273
Arsh =
the ninth
Ashab al-Suffah
Atbak =: trays
Heaven .

....
.
167
102
264
Breast-bone (Taraib)
Breath (healing by the)
Bridal couch (attitudinising thereon)
...
. . .
132
29
75

Ayn
of Abu Bakr
= eye, helper for
....
Ayishah bint Talhah (granddaughter

... 79
60
Brotherhood (sworn
mighty)
Bulbul (departed with
in

Tommy Moore.
Allah Al-
43

of the 140) "

Ayns (verset . .
.217 Englished by nightingale ") . 48
Azal = eternity without beginning Bull (of the Earth = Gaw-i-Zamfn) 324
(opposed Abad =
to infinity) .
390
Azan = to prayer
call . . .201 CALIPHATE 116
(defective title to)
Camel (-colts roasted whole) .

BA'ALBAK = on and
Bactrian camel
~ substitute
Ba'al's-city . .
51
371 ness) ...
(feeding
...
....
vindictive-

135
Badal , 249 (Bactrian) 37
Badawi (truth-telling and blunt in Carat =& of a dinar or miskal

speech) . . . .
.98 something under 5d. .
277!
= Solanum Chess
Badinjan
S.
Bahak
Melongena
=white leprosy .
.... pomiferum, or

. .
4
294
Circumcision (how practised)
(female)
.
243
209
279
Bahr al-Kunuz =
Sea of Treasures .
37 Cities (two-mosqued for large and
Bahrwan (Pr. N. for Bihrun?). consequently vicious ones) . 66
.
329
and
balbalah
Baldrick (Hamail)
(grief) ....
Baldbil, pi. of bulbul (nightingale)

. . .
and

.158
244
Clitoris (Zambtir)
Coffee (first .mention of)
Coloquintida (Hanzal)
its excision
.

. . .
279
169
19
Banii Ozrah (tribe renowned as lovers) 70 Commune (Jama'at) 205
Baras = white leprosy . . .
294 Covered (the, chapter of the Koran) 215
Barmahat (seventh Coptic month) .
231
Cow (chapter ii. of the Koran) 211
Barmudah (eighth Coptic month)
fBasmalah
Bismillah
= pronouncing the formula
.
232

206
His?). .....
Creation (is it and its Empire not

Crepitus ventris and Ethnology

266
137

(commonly pronounced "Bis- Cubit (the Hashimi= 18 inches) .

371
malah") 213
Bat (has seed like a man's) . .
85 DAMON AND PYTHIAS . IO4
(Arab. Khaffdsh, Watwat) . 226 Dani wa gharib =
friend and foe 42
Baydak = pawn in chess . .
^43 Danik =
sixth part of a dirham 112
Bayt (A1-) = the house (cage) .
269 Dead (buried at once) . . 100
 Index. 399

Death (from love) .

134 Fire (handled without injury, a
(every soul shall taste of it) 166 common conjuring trick) . 271
a good Moslem)
(of . .167 Fire-sticks (Zind, Zindah) .
52
Devil (stoned at Mina) . .
203, 212 Fishar =
squeeze of the tomb . .Ill
Devotees (address Allah as a lover
would his beloved)
Di'ibil al-Khuza'i (poet)
.

.
.

.
.

.127
263
Fisherman

"
English)
Forbid not
....
(Arab contrasted

yourselves the good

with
51

Dimyat (vulg. Dumlyat) = Damietta 171 things which Allah hath allowed
Dissection (practised on Simiads) . 220 you". . . . 216
Diyar-i-Bakr = maid-land . 66 Formication (accompanying a para-
Doggrel (royal) 55 lytic stroke) . .
251
(phenomenal) . 288 Fruits (fresh and dry) . .
314
(sad) 297
Door (behind
seat) ... it the door-keeper's
.
173
GARDEN (with rivers flowing under
Koranic phrase)
it, . .
356
Dreams (lovers meet in) . . .
47 Gaw-i-Zamfn =
the Bull of the Earth 324
Genealogy (Arab, begins with Adnan) 100
=
EATABLES
equal)
Eating (how
(their
....
should be done)
it
exchange must be

.
204
206
Ghatafan (Pr. N.

Ghazanfar ibn Kamkhfl

proud, petulant)
Ghaut == S a rid ah, q.v.. .

= Lion, son
361
223

Empire (endureth with infidelity but of(?) 363

not with tyranny) . . .187 Ghilman (counterpart of the Houris) 64
Eunuchs (and their wives) . .
46 Ghimd (Gbamad) = scabbard . .
158
-
(avoid allusion to their mis- Ghoonj (Ghunj) = of moving
art in

fortune) . . . 47 coition 80
Eve (Arab. Hawwa). . . .139 Ghusl = complete ablution .199 .

Exaggerations ...... 306 G irl (of nine plus = her prime) 92

five in 1

Eye (likened to
brow to Nun)
(Ayn, for helper)
....the letter Sad, the

... 34
60
Greetings before the world

=
. .
34

HABJfSH Abyssinia and something

more 395
FA'IL= agent, active (Sodomite) .
156 Habba-za ! =
good this ! . .
52
Fakir = religious mendicant . .
39 Hadi (A1-), Caliph . .
93
Fakru (A1-) fakhrf = poverty is my Hadis =: saying of the Apostle, tradi-
268 tion 201
pride (saying of Mohammed) .

= omen = hell-stone,
Fal
Fars = Persia
Fart (in return for chaff)
....
...
126
26
99
Hajar Jahannam
basalt.

Hajj = pilgrimage
.

....
.
lava,
378
2O2
" Hakim
(and Badawi pundonor ") .
137 (A1-) bi-Amri ll'ah (Caliph,
Fast (and its break) . . , .201 not to be confounded with the
Fatimite . . 86
(when forbidden) . .
265
Fatihah (position of the hands in Hakk (Al-)= the Truth 284
...
.
(Allah)
.80 = the Aleppine a
1
reciting it)

(recited seven times for

Halabi Shelebi
fellow fine
= baldrick
. ... is

64
greater solemnity)
Fay laysuf= philosopher
.

. .
. .

.
134
234
Hamail
Hamdm = wood-pigeon
,

" culver of the

....158
.

49
Fealty of the Steep . . .
.295 (al-Ayk) =:
Fi'l -Khawafik = among the flags, etc. 61 copse ") . . . **

Fingers and toes (separated to wash Hammiim (hired for private parties)
.
63
between them) . .198 Handfuls (the two) ... 207
" Fire (of Hell) but not shame " Hands (their feel guides
the physichm) 220
.
138
400 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Hands (how held in reciting the Ilm al-Kif K-scicnce for Al-
Fatihah . 80 chemy 307

Hanut
(bitten in repentance)
= tavern, booth,
Hanzal = coloquintida
etc.
. .

.
191
142
Images
- statues ....
(of living beings forbidden)
=
J
223

Hariri (A1-) = the silk-man (poet)

Harjdh = man
.

158
'9
dirtiness)
=
.....
Impurity (ceremonial different from
209
(a any place
Hasib Karfm al-Din (Pr. N.).
Ha'shimf cubit = 8 inches
of)

1
?

.
298
371
27 Imsak
veneris)
In'dsh = raising
....
retention (prolongatio

from the bier (a

76

" Haunted " = inhabited 1 .67

by Jinns 75 "pick-me-up") t
.

Hawwa=:Eve . . .
139 Indrajal =
white magic . . . 307
Haykal = temple, chapel .
192 Innovation (Arab. Bida'ah) . . 167
= (lhe bird
Hazar
(songs) ....a of) thousand
48
Intention (of prayer, Niyat)
Intercession (disputed doctrine)
.
163, 196
.
241
Hazramaut
veth) .
(the Biblical
. . .
Hazarma-
.

=
.136
Iskandar Zu al-Karnayn
Matagrabolized .... Alexander
252
Heart (from
spite of himself)
Hindi= Indian Moslem
a, full

.... of wrath

opposed to
in
68
IsrafU (blows the last trumpet)
Istikharah =
praying
by omens,
for
etc
.

direction
310

44
Hindu I Istinshak = snuffing water through
Hindiba = Endive . . . .226 the nostrils . . .198
Hf rah (Christian city in Mesopotamia) 1 24
Hirakl (monastery of) .
.138 JA'AFAR BIN MusA AL-HADI
Hisham ibn Orwah (traditionist) 81
(Caliph) 93
Hizb =section of the Koran .
.217 Jabal Mukattam (sea-cliffupon which
Moham-
Honayn
med's
(scene of one of
battles) .... 66
Cairo is built) .
Jabal Nur .....
=
.
.383
215
Honey
cane honey)
"Honey-moon"
....
(bees', as distinguished

a week)
from

62
Jabal al-Sakla (Thakla) mount of
the women bereft of children .

Mo-
37
Jabir bin Abdallah (disciple of
(lasts .

Horses (Arab breeds) . . . 246 hammed) *I$

Hosh =mean courts at Cairo .
.170 Jahannam Hell = . . .
306; 318
Hour (of Judgment). . . .
235 Jalalah = saying
"
Jaldlu-hu"
Jalla
House (haunted = inhabited by = magnified be His Majesty . 217
Jinns) 175 = gaberdine
Jallabiyat
. . . 265
Hudud al-Haram Jama' = community
bounds of the at .
20$
.148 Jami' = cathedral mosque
Holy Places . . . . . 6i

Jami'an = two cathedrals

Humours (of Hippocrates) . . 218 . . 66
Jamm = ocean
Hydropathic treatment of wounds
held dangerous .... . . .
2OO
207
Janshdh N. = King of Life
(Pr.
.

.
93
326
14^
Hypocrite (Munafik) Jarir (poet)
Jauzar = Bubalus antelope) 130
.
(Ariel
iBtfs (Cherubim cherished by Allah) 319 Jawari = rhyming with
slave-girls,

(cursed and expelled) . . 320 dam' a jari = flowing tears . . 160

Ibn Abbas (Companion) . . .212 Jesus (bird of) . . .211

I'itikaf (A1-) = retreat . . .202 (crucified in effigy)
. . 238
Ikdlat (A1-) == cancelling, "resilia- (compared with Adam) . . #
not
tion" 204 Jew (prefers dying on the floor,

= an essence 248
Iksir (A1-)

pher's
" stone
").
(the philoso-
. . -315
in bed)

Judgment (hour of)

=
... 235
Ilah = God 196 Juzdm black leprosy . . 294
 Index. 401

KADIS(YAH (Ai.-), cfcy in Irak 294

Kdfs (verset of the three-and-twenty) 217
Kahwajiyah = coffee-makers . . 169
Kalamdan r= pen-case . . 239
Kalla-ma = seldom it is . . 150
= pack of cards
Kanjifah
Kanun = brasier
Kari = Koran-reader
.... .
.

.
. 243
272
216
Karkh quarter of Baghdad
(Al-) . 127
\arun = Korah of the Bible . . 225
Kawaid of Kid = governor)
(pi. .
145
Khabal = pus flowing from the
damned 162
Khalil = the
(Al*) friend, i.e. of
Allah == Abraham . . .

= phantom,
Khayal

Khaysamah
(A1-)
dream-visitor

(traditionist)
.... .
"ghost,"

. .
348
81
Khawwas (A1-) = basket-maker 283
Khilal r= tooth-pick
emaciation)
Khizr (A1-), the Green Prophet
....(emblem of
44
384
Khuffash = Bat 226
Khunsa = hermaphrodite (also cata-
mite) 91
Khusrau Parwiz and Shirin . . ib.

(his wealth) . ib.

Khutnah = circumcision . . 209

Kiblah (turning towards it in mortal

danger) 39
(anything opposite)
to the Ka'abah

Kiblatayn = the
....
two
applied

Kiblahs
196

(Meccah and Jerusalem) it.

Killed= Hibernice " kilt

" .
5
King and the Virtuous Wife)
(the, . 122
Kisra = the Chosroe (applied
Anushirwan) ....
to

87
Kiss (without moustachio
without salt) ....
Kit (of the traveller in the East)
bread
I6S
74
Kiyahk (fourth Coptic month) .
831
Kneeling (in prayer exclusively Chris-
tian) 196
Kohl-needle in the Kohl-case = res
in re
Korah (Karun)
Koran quoted (xxvi.
....
5, 6) .
97
225
78
(xxxiii. 48) . . . 101
(xxxviii. 2)

(vii. 195) ....

. . . . 102
143
VOL. V.
402 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

261
Kutb = pole; hence prince,
axle,
Malik bin Dinar (theologian)
=
.

221
3^4 Malikhuliya (A1-) melancholy .

doyen in sainthood .

Man (advantages of, above woman) .

155
= two women's)
LA'AL = ruby ...
.... 34 2
(one's evidence
(one's portion = two women's).
ib.

ib.

La'an = curse 250

(created of congealed blood)
.

Labbay'ka = here I am (pronounced

- Manaf (idol) 129

on sighting Meccah) . . 203 228
Manazil (Stations of the Moon)
Lactation (term of) . 299 Marwah (ground-wave in Meccah) . 203
(no cohabitation during)
. ib.
Mataf = place of the Tawaf, q. v. . 203
Lami (A1-) =
the 1-shaped, forked
Matting (of Sind famous) . 146

Maysir = game of arrows

. 2I 9
(oshyoides) . 223
64
Lane quoted 32 ; 33 ; 37 ; 44 45 ; J
Medicine (rules and verses bearing
120; 121 ; 145? l8 9'> 222
104; 112; on domestic) .

201 286 298 tricks 84

Metempsychosis and sharpers'
; ;

= =
-
Lauh tablet used as slate
al-Mahfuz
Tablet (of Allah's decrees)
= the
.

Preserved
73

322
Mihrgan Sun -fete, degraded into
Michaelmas ....
= cover for a
Mikmarah (Makmarah)
=
Lau la-ka

Leprosy
sake ......
but for thee, for thy

=
(white bahak or baras,
306
brasier, extinguisher
Milk (soured)
Mims (verset of
the sixteen)
.

.
1

225
217
2O

black = juzam) . 294 Mina (and the stoning of the Devil) .

203
Lif= fibre of palm- fronds 45 Miracle (minor, known to Spiritual-
Lion (beguiled by flattery) 40 144
Liver and spleen (held to be con-
ism)
=

-
Mirzah Abdullah-i-Hfchmakani
220
gealed blood)
.
Master Abdullah of Nowhere . 27
Lady = she
60 232
Lord for Misra (twelfth Coptic month) .

East and West) 228 162

.
(of the Modesty (behind a curtain)

passing) .....
Lote-tree (beyond which there

= games of chance
is no
393
223
Mohammed (mentioned
al-Amin (Caliph)
in the Koran)
.
2IO
93
Lots Monasteries (best wine made in) 65
.

-
Love

-
(strange chances of)
(deaths from)
... 134
(Arab. Bika'a)
(places of
confinement for
125

- 139
.
(made public, disgraces) madmen)
Lovers (buried together) . Months (of peace) 54
.

an 221; 232
(model ones, becoming (Coptic names of).
233
ordinary married couple) 92 .
(Arabic names explained)
= 8
Luti (of the people of Lot
Sodomite) ....
modem form of
161
Moon (simile for
(shall be
female beauty)
cloven in twain).
stations) .
217
228
Lynch-law (the (its
103 from idolatrous
Jus talionis) Mosul (exempted
.
64
worship)
to a kiss) 165
Moustachio (salt
MA'ABID (singer and composer) 147
Mufawwak = well-notched (arrow) 33 .

=
Mafa'ul
mite) ......
patient,

Magic Horse (history of the fable)

passive (Cata-

.
156
Muharramat
Mukarrabin
= unlawful things
= those near Allah
= lower servants, sweep-
148

= Mujawirun
drawn. attracted (Sufi term
.... 119
'

Majzub ers, etc.

Mukri =
216

-
Malik
.
for an ecstatic)

(traditionist)

palace) .....
.

al-Khuza'i (intendant of the

.
57
81

95
Koranist

proaching guest
....
Mulakat = going to meet
an ap-
330
 Index. 403

Munafik= hypocrite . . 8O7 Paper (Ws = the whiteness of his

skin)
.161
Munkar and Nakir (the questioning
made obli-
Angels)
ni
103
Parapets (on terrace-roofs
gatory by Moses)
....13 7*
Murder (to be punished by
Mus'ab bin al-Zubayr ...
the family)
79
Parasite (Tufayli) . . .

112 161
Musalla = place of prayer, oratory . 261 Payne quoted 44 ; 49 ; 65 ;

192; 204; 346

; ;

66
Musk (sherbet flavoured with) .

128 Pearls shaded by hair = teeth under

Muslim bin al-Walld (poet) . .

moustachio . . *57
Mutalammis
fatal letter. ....
(A1-), the poet

Mutawakkil (A1-), ala 'Hah (Caliph)

and his

74
153
Persian
now")
(
" I am a, but not lying
26

=
Mutawwif leader in the Tawdf, g.v. 203 (poets mostly addressing
1
S&
Muunis (Pr. 'N. =
Companion) . 164 youths)
on the sim
Physiologists (practise
220
= iads)
NAFAHAT breathings,
Naf (traditionist)
i ....
Hinduism)
benefits .
Physis and Antiphysis
Picnics (on the Rauzah island)
320
169
Naga-kings
Najib (al-taraf
(of
= son of a common
Moslemab by a Sayyid, q .v.)
Pilgrimage quoted
(ii. 287)
(i.

.... 22) . 39
44
49
218)
- = whose parents
(al-tarafayn
(iii.

(i. 16). . . 97
are both of Apostolic blood) 100
(ii. 344)
Names (of God) .
(i. 10) . . . . 112
.
(= magical formulae) .
(ii. 161) 119
Nation (its power consists in its num- I S8
(i- 352)

Nay
Nazih
bers of fighting men)
= reed-pipe
= travelled
....
far
.

and wide
. .
(ii.

(i.
320)
no)
196
201

(iii. 193, 205, 226, 282) 203

promise spread with
butter 212
Night (its
(iii. 248) . . .

that melteth with day-rise) . .

22O
92)
Nfmchahrah =
half-face (Pers. a kind
(iii.

(ii. 322) 224

of demon) 225
(i.362)
Niyat = intention, purpose of prayer
(ii. 288)
2 36
Noachian dispensation (revived al-
Plaisirs de la petite oie (practised by
Islam) eunuchs) 46
Nun (simile for the
eyebrow) . Pleasure prolonged (en pensant a sa
Nu'uman (A1-) bin Munzir (tyrant of
pauvre mere, etc.)
Hfrah) Polo("Goff")
Poverty (Holy) ....
.

Arab.
269
OBAYD' ALLAH
Ocean (Jamm)
(Pr.
....
N.) .
Prayer
Niyat
(without
is valueless)
intention,

(offered standing or prostra-

163
(of darkness)
Old age (graphically described) ting) 196
OH woman (polite equivalents for)
.
(of a sick person said as he
best can) 200
(intonations of the voice in)
. ib.

Azan) . . ! 301
(call to,
a collector of all folk) *. ib.
(is

Preachments (to Eastern despots) .

254
Prolongatio veneris (Imsak) 76
2IO
Prophets (named in the Koran)
PALSY Providence (and Justice) 286
(creeps over him) 25' .
 404 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

Purgation
during)
(Easterns most careful

154
Sa|ih (his she-camel)
Sdlih al-Mazani (theologian) .261
... .
235

.105 Salli ala '1-Nabi =r bless the prophet

Pyramids (Al-AhrSm) . .

(containing unopened chain* (imposing silence) ... 65

bers?)
Pyramidennarren ....106
id.
Salutation (the first)

(Salam, unwillingly
dressed to a Christian) .
. .

ad-
.

.
200

284
Sana'a (Capital of Al-Yaman) . . 16
QUIBBLING away a truly diplomatic
Sandal (scented with) . . . 192
art 86
Sandali (eunuch deprived of penis

RAJAB
month)
= worshipping (7th Arab
54
Sar'a
Sardab
and testes)

falling sickness
= underground chamber
.

....46
.

.
28
128
Kaki (distilled from raisins) . . 65 Saridah (Tharidah) brewis . . 223
Ras al-Tin = Headland of Clay (not Sawa"lif= tresses, locks . . .158
112
Figs) Sayhun and Jayhun=Jaxartes and
Rashaarr fawn beginning to walk . 149 Oxus 4'
Rauzah (A1-), at Cairo . .169 Mohammed
Sayyid (descendant from
.

Ream (Ital. risma, Arab, riyam) . 108 through Al-Hasan) . .

.259
Red Sea
Reed-pipe (Nay) ....
(cleaves in twelve places) .
236
50
Scabbard (Ar. Ghimd)
Schoolmaster (derided in East and
. . .158

of kindness)
Riba =
usury
....
Repetition (of an address in token

..... 201
370
West)
Seal (affixed to make an
the =
act binding)
the
118
184
(breaking taking
Riddle " surprise " (specimen of) .
239 .154
maidenhead) . . .

Riy am =
bales (ream) . .108 .
Seas (fresh =
lakes and rivers). .
326
Robinson Crusoe (with a touch of Secrets (instances and sayings with
Arab .
291 regard to their keeping)
.
prayerfulness) . .
83 .

Rose-water " and

(for nobility Seeking refuge with Allah . . 200
gentry even in tea) . . .
357 Sha'aban (moon of) . .
.191
=
Ruby
Rukh
(La'al,Yakut)
(Roc) and
. .
" Roc's " feathers .
.342
122
Shah-pur King's
2a/3wp, Sapor) .... son (Sdbur.
2

Shakuriyah = chicore'e . . . 226

=
SABBATH
Sabbation (River)
Sad
....
(kept in silence) . .
339
337
Shams al-Nahar
the Day) ....
(Pr. N. Sun of
9
100
(Letter, simile for the eye) . . .
.
34 Shaybin (Arab tribe)
Safa (ground-wave in Meccah) .
203 Shaykh Nasr (Pr. N. = Elder of
Sahib (Wazirial title) . .
.71 victory 343
= man kind of demon)
Sa'id bin
Sa'id bin
Zayd (traditionist)
Salim (governor
. .

of
81 Shikk split
Shinf = gunny-bag
(a
.

of love
... 333
45
Khorasan) 94 Shirk (= syntheism) . .
9
Saim al-dahr perennial faster . 112 of the Mushrik . . .142
Saint, Santon (Wali) . . . ib. Shroud (joined in one = shrouded
Saint and Sinner . . . 115 together?) 7'

Saj'a = balanced prose (instance) . 160 Shu'ayb = Jethro . . . .31

Sajah (false prophetess) . . .
147 Sidi (from Sayyidi = my lord) . 283
Sakhr (Jinni imprisoned by Solomon)
Sakka == water-carrier
= ancestry
... 316
89
fdi

Sifr
Ibrahim bin al-Khawwas
= whistling
Sinai (convent famous for Rakf)
.... (Pr. N.)

.
283
333
65
Salaf (A1-)
Mohammed)
Salih (grandson of
....
Shem ?)
(referring

.
to

.
90
210
Sind (matting of)
Sitt al-Mashaikh
.

= Lady of Shaykhs
. .145
1 54
 Index. 405

Slain were those who were slain = Ta'mlm = crowning with turband
many were slain . . .
364 or tiara ; covering, wetting . .
199
Slate (Lauh) 73 Taraib =. bieast-bone . . .
132
Slaughtering (ritual for) . \ .
391 Tarikat = (mystic) path to know-

of their own) ....

Slaves (their ambition to have slaves

.... 12
8
ledge
Tasnfm
Tawaf =
(fountain in Paradise) . .
ill
264
203
Sleeping (naked) Ka'abah-circuiting . .

(with head and body covered Tawakkul ala 'Hah =

trust in Allah . 208
by a sheet). . 18 Tayammum = washing with sand .
197
Smile (and laughter)
Sodomite (Luti) .

(punished
.

detected)
.
. .

.
193
161
160
Teeth

" Thank
you
(their cleansing

Mohammed)
"
(Moslem
....
enjoined by

equivalent
44

Solomon and David (their burial* for) 171

"They "for "She"
place)
Sortes Virgilianae
Soul (Thou knowest what
.... is in mine
310
44 Throne-verse
Thursday night (in Moslem parlance
. .
41 ; 140
211

and I know not what is in Thine) 21 6 = Friday night) . . .

324
(doctrine of the three) . .218 Tin = clay puddled with chaff . 112
Squeeze of the tomb (Fjshar) . .Ill Tongue (made to utter (?) what is in
Moon
Stations of the
Stones (precious) ....(Manazil) . 228
342
the heart of

Tooth-pick (Khildl)
Torrens quoted
man)
.
. . .

.
218
44
88
Stoning (of the devil at Mina) .
203 . . .
96 ;
1

Strangers (treated with kindly care) . 171 Tree of Paradise (Tuba") . . .

237
"Strangers yet" (Lord Houghton Tricks (two before and behind) . 161

quoted) 284 Truth (most worthy to be followed) .

145
Sufis (stages of their Journey) . . 264 (is become manifest) . . 159
(address Allah as a lover would Tuba (tree of Paradise) . . .
237
his beloved) . . .
263, 298
Sufrah (provision-bag and table-cloth)
Sufyan (traditionist)
8
81
Tubah (fifth Coptic month)
Tufayli =r parasite
Tughra" =: imperial cypher
.... .

.
.231

.
130
184
Sukat (pi. of Saki =
cup-bearer) . 66 Turbands (worn large by the/earned) 120
Sukita fl aydihim =
it repented them 191 Turks (fair boy-slaves, abounding in
Sulifat =. must, new wine . .
158 Baghdad) 6C
Sultan (anachronistic use of the

title) 88, 179

UHNUKH =
Enoch (Id ris?) . . 210

and night) .....

Sun and Moon (Luminaries for day
228
Umm Amrf (mother of Arm') and
the ass 118

Sundus = brocade
(do not outstrip each other) it.
'Umrah =
lesser Pilgrimage . .
205
.
57 =
Sunnat = practice
etc
of the Prophet,
36, 167
Uns al Wujvid (Pr. N.
existing things)
Urwah
....
Delight of

= handle, button-hole . .
33
227

form ......
Susannah and the Elders in Moslem
97
Usury (Riba)
.... 201

Swan -maidens . . . .
346
Usus
(verset of)
= os sacrum
'Utbi (A1-), poet
....
. . . .133
215
219

TABLET (Lauh) .
-37
Takht
Takht-rawan
(the preserved)
= throne, capital
.

moving throne (mule-

.

.
.

.
322
334
VERSETS (number
Virgil {a magician)
Visits in dreamland
ot

....-47
.
the Koranic)

.
. 1 10
44

litter) 175 Visvakarma = anti -creator . . 320

4-0(5 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

WADY AL-NAML = Women (instructed in " motitations

Wddy
Emmets
Zahran
.....
=
Valley of the

Valley Flowery .
337
360
(apt for two tricks)

(old, polite equivalents for)

.
')

.
80
161
163
Walad = son (more ceremonious than (in their prime at fourteen to
'

"ibn") 386 fifteen) . . . . 192

Wali = Santon
saint, .112 . . (inferior to man) . . '. 155
Wa" rahmatah = Alas, the pity of 42 it. (unveiling to a man, if not
N. =
Ward
Rose
fi'1-Akmam
(A1-)

Water (had no
in Hood) .... (Pr.
32
slaves, insult
Wuzii (Koranic order
him)
for)

(angels and devils at the side

. .
194
198

Watwat
(carrier,
= Bat
taste in his

Sakka)
.
...
.
mouth)

.
.

.
39
89
226
of a man who prepares for it) ib.

Wayha = Alas! . . .
.258 YA = O old woman (now in-
Where is and where? = what a
'Aju?
sulting) 163
difference is there between, etc. .
65
Yajiij and Majuj . . .
.318
Whistling, (held to be the devil's Ya Kawwad = O pimp .
.129
speech) 333 Ya Kisrawf, r O subject of the
Wine (its prohibition not held abso- Kisra 26
lute) 224 Yakut =
Ruby, garnet,' etc. . .
342
Wird =the twenty-five last chapters Ya Sdki'al-Dakan =
O frosty-beard 99
of the Koran . . .
,-185 Yuhannd (Greek Physician) .
.154
Witnesses (one man = two women) .
155
Women (sleep naked in hot weather) 8
(making the first advances) .
34 ZABIYAH (Pr. N. = doe) 147
roe, . .

(and secrets) .
35 J 83 Zaghab = the chick's down .'165 .

(wives of eunuchs) . . 46 Zambur = clitoris

(the shutter) .

(visiting their lovers in a Zarr wa 'urwah = button and button*

dream 47 hole 227
(thought to be Jinn or Ghiil) 51 Zaura = the crooked, woman for . 66
(called Zaura*. the crooked) . 66 Zidd = opposite, contrary . . 206
(allowed to absent themselves Zind and Zindah = fire-sticks . .
52
from the house of father or hus- Zindir = Agnostic, atheist . . .230
band) 96 Zuhri (A1-), traditionist 8l
BURTON, tr. _PJ
7715
Arabian nights, v. 5 ,B8
1885
89022
DATE ISSUED TO

77 I

BS
Jim