THE EBONY HORSE.[FN#1]
There was once in times of yore and ages long gone before, a
great and puissant King, of the Kings of the Persians, Sábúr 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 twelve-
month, those of the Nau-Roz, or New Year, and Mihrgán the
Autumnal Equinox,[FN#2] on which occasions he threw open his
palaces and gave largesse and made proclamation of safety and
security and promoted 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,[FN#3] the second a Roumi or 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 of price and hending in
hand a golden trumpet. When Sabur[FN#4] 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, in 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, O sage, an this thy word be true, I
will grant thee thy wish and thy desire." 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[FN#5] 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 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 whatsoever thou lustest for and will
bring thee to thy desire and thy wish!"[FN#6] Then he entertained
the sages three days, that he might make trial 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 house, 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 stability of Kings may not be
gainsaid." Quoth the King, "I grant you that which you wish and
you desire," and bade summon the Kazi forthright, that he might
marry each of the sages to one of his daughters. Now it fortuned
that the Princesses were behind a curtain, looking on; and when
they heard this, the youngest considered her husband to be and
behold, he was an old man,[FN#7] an hundred years of age, with
hair frosted, forehead drooping, eyebrows mangy, ears slitten,
beard and mustachios stained and dyed; eyes red and goggle;
cheeks bleached and hollow; flabby nose like a brinjall, or egg-
plant[FN#8]; 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 at her full; for amorous fray right
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-Akmár, 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,
"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 provide."
Quoth he, "Tell me what meaneth this talk and what hath
straitened thy breast and troubled thy temper." "O 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 my youngest
sister in marriage, and what is this present which he hath
brought thee, so that thou hast killed[FN#9] 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 mayest 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-pin?" Now he was a man of wit and knowledge and
intelligence; so he fell to feeling all the parts of the horse,
but saw 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 left it and looking at the sinister
shoulder and finding another pin, he wound it up and immediately
the steed's upwards motion slowed and ceased and it began to
descend, little by little, towards the face of the earth, while
the rider became yet more cautious and careful of his life.--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O 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
destruction. 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 the rest, he descried a city ordered
after 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 to decline and the sun drew near to its
downing; and he said in his mind, "Verily I find no goodlier
place to night in 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 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-middlemost 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[FN#10]--he began
to go round 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, "I may not do
better than return to where I left my horse and 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.
When it was the Three Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth the
king's son to himself, "I may not do better than pass the night
by my horse; and as soon as day shall dawn I will mount and 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[FN#11] 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 delivered 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[FN#12] as she were the full moon rising[FN#13] over the
Eastern horizon, with flower-white brow and shining hair-paring
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; whereupon 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 slave and thy lover." Asked she, "And who brought thee
hither?" and he answered, "My Lord and my fortune." Then said
Shams al-Nahár[FN#14] (for such was her name), "Haply thou art he
who 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 throat when 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 moon) the syntheism[FN#15] of love gat hold of her
heart as it were a flaming fire, and they fell to talk and
converse. Suddenly, her 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, by Allah the All-Father, this is
not he who seeketh 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."[FN#16] 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 unluckiest of slaves: how
darest thou even the sons of the royal Chosroes[FN#17] 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
likeness 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 camest 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 disgrace."
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
himself, 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 permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Sixtieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Price saw the King rushing in upon them, drawn sword in hand,
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
possessions?" 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 Kings' sons, who sought
her of me in marriage? And now who shall save thee from my might
and majesty when, if I cried out 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! 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, 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 to that
which I shall counsel thee." Quoth the King, "Let me 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,
beside my own slaves and their followers,[FN#18] who are the like
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.
When it was the Three Hundred and Sixty-first Night,
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 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 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. Thereupon he called the eunuch and bade
him go to his Wazir without stay and delay and command him to
assemble the whole of the 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 straightaway 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 wilt," replied the King. Then
the two repaired to 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 undertaken 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 on thee! 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 the 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 young Prince's words, saying one to other, "How can a horse
come down the steps from the roof? Verily this is a thing whose
like we never heard." In the meantime the King's messenger
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,
saying, "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."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Sixty-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
high officials looked upon the horse, they laughed one to other
and said, "Was it of the like of his 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 this thy horse?" 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 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 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
Viceroys said 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 redouble 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 soother her, love-longing only increased on
her.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Sixty-third Night,
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
concerning the King and Princess Shams al-Nahár; but as regards
Prince Kamar al-Akmar, when he had risen high in air, he turned
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 his daughter; and men had told him that it was the city
of Sana'á.[FN#19] 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, though 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 passed from first to last, and his father
said to him, "Praised be Allah for thy safety, O coolth of my
eyes and core of my heart!" Then the King bade hold high
festival, and the glad tidings flew through the city. So 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 disappearance."
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 will not
to go near the horse henceforth and more especially not to mount
it after this day; for thou knowest not its properties, and
belike thou art in error about it." Not the Prince had told his
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."[FN#20]
When the Prince heard these verses, the fires of longing flamed
up in his heart and pine and passion redoubled upon him. Grief
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 it
flew 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 repented in
all penitence that he had not taken the horse and 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 bewailing himself.--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King
again fell to weeping and bewailing himself for 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-[FN#21]chamber and stopped to listen; when lo! he heard
her shedding plenteous tears and reciting verses, whilst her
women slept round her. Presently, overhearing 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, 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,[FN#22] touched her with his hand; 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 by thee all this
long time!" But she replied, "'Tis thou who hast desolated me;
and hadst thou tarried longer, I 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 conversing 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 whereso thou wendest and make me not taste anew the
bittergourd[FN#23] 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 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, "O
King's son, I conjure 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.
When it was the Three Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,
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.
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
straightaway 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 hoards and made a
rare display of wealth and splendour: moreover he got ready for
the Princess 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 pavilion 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; 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 it was indeed he that
had taken away the maiden,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Prince heard their answer, he was certified that the Sage had
taken 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, scenting 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 gladness, for he had bemourned its
loss much since it had gone out of his hand: 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 he 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 splendor. 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-favour of my face and the
foulness of my form deceive thee. 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.
When it was the Three Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,
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
ride?" He replied, "O my lady, thou shalt ride the horse thou
camest 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-Nahir 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! 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 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, "Ah, well-away! I have not won my beloved and I have lost
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[FN#24] and alighted in a
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 new 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 enquire concerning the twain as he went,--
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King's
son made for the land of the Greeks, continuing to enquire
concerning 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 sat down 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 district
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 pretended 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
surcease 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 was 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
impossible to go in to the King or take counsel with him
respecting 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 his beauty and loveliness, they could not find it
in their hearts 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 Fars," answered he, "the land of the Chosroës." When
they heard this they laughed and one of them said, "O
Chosroan,[FN#25] 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 Chosroan 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." Asked the Prince. "What have
ye seen of his 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 treasure 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.
When it was the Three Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
warders had recounted the case of the Persian egromancer they
held in prison and his weeping and wailing, the Prince at once
devised a device whereby he might compass his desire; and
presently 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 weeping 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 called in
Persian Harjah;[FN#26] as to my country I come from the land of
Fars; 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 whenever I see a patient I
heal him and this is my craft."[FN#27] Now when the King heard
this, he rejoiced with exceeding joy and said, "O 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, "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 camest 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-chambers,"
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
delivering 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, "No 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 thought this was
epilepsy[FN#28] 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 contrivance
to make shift for our delivery from the tyrannical King. My first
move will be now to go out to him and tell him that thou 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 in to thee, do thou speak him
smooth words, that he may think I have cured thee, and all 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
thee. 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
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Seventieth Night,
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
in to her and when she saw him, she rose and 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 increase
to us the benefit of thy healing breath!"[FN#29] The Prince
replied, "O King, for the completion of her cure it behoveth that
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 afflict her at the head
of every 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; whereupon 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 villian, 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 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 themselves 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
in joy 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 filled 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.
When it was the Three Hundred and Seventy-first Night,
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. But his father brake the ebony horse in pieces and destroyed
its 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 handsomely. 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 enjoyment of all
satisfaction and solace of life, till there came to them the
Destroyer of deligights and Sunderer of societies; the Plunderer
of palaces, the Caterer for cemeteries and the Garnerer 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 invisible!
Moreover I have heard tell the tale of
