KING MOHAMMED BIN SABAIK AND THE
MERCHANT HASAN.
There was once, in days of yore and in ages and times long
gone before, a King of the Kings of the Persians, by name
Mohammed bin Sabáik, who ruled over Khorásán-land and used
every year to go on razzia into the countries of the
Miscreants in Hind and Sind and China and the lands of
Máwarannahr beyond the Oxus and other regions of the
barbarians and what not else. He was a just King, a valiant
and a generous, and loved table-talk[FN#349] and tales and
verses and anecdotes and histories and entertaining stories
and legends of the ancients. Whoso knew a rare recital and
related it to him in such fashion as to please him he would
bestow on him a sumptuous robe of honour and clothe him from
head to foot and give him a thousand dinars, and mount him on
a horse saddled and bridled besides other great gifts; and the
man would take all this and wend his way. Now it chanced that
one day there came an old man before him and related to him a
rare story, which pleased the King and made him marvel, so he
ordered him a magnificent present, amongst other things a
thousand dinars of Khorasan and a horse with its housings and
trappings. After this, the bruit of the King's munificence was
blazed abroad in all countries and there heard of him a man,
Hasan the Merchant hight, who was a generous, open-handed and
learned, a scholar and an accomplished poet. Now the King had
an envious Wazir, a multum-in-parvo of ill, loving no man,
rich nor poor, and whoso came before the King and he gave him
aught he envied him and said, "Verily, this fashion
annihilateth wealth and ruineth the land; and such is the
custom of the King." But this was naught save envy and despite
in that Minister. Presently the King heard talk of Hasan the
Merchant and sending for him, said to him as soon as he came
into the presence, "O Merchant Hasan, this Wazir of mine
vexeth and thwarteth me concerning the money I give to poets
and boon-companions and story-tellers and glee-men, and I
would have thee tell me a goodly history and a rare story,
such as I have never before heard. An it please me, I will
give thee lands galore, with their forts, in free tenure, in
addition to thy fiefs and untaxed lands; besides which I will
put my whole kingdom in thy hands and make thee my Chief
Wazir; so shalt thy sit on my right hand and rule my subjects.
But an thou bring me not that which I bid thee, I will take
all that is thy hand and banish thee my realm." Replied Hasan,
"Hearkening and obedience to our lord the King! But thy slave
beseecheth thee to have patience with him a year; then will he
tell thee a tale, such as thou hast never in thy life heard,
neither hath other than thou heard its like, not to say a
better than it." Quoth the King, "I grant thee a whole year's
delay." And he called for a costly robe of honour wherein he
robed Hasan, saying, "Keep thy house and mount not horse,
neither go nor come for a year's time, till thou bring me that
I seek of thee. An thou bring it, especial favour awaiteth
thee and thou mayst count upon that which I have promised
thee; but an thou bring it not, thou art not of us nor are we
of thee."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
King Mohammed son of Sabaik said to Hasan the Merchant, "An
thou bring me that I seek of thee, especial favour awaiteth
thee and thou mayest now rejoice in that which I have promised
thee; but, an thou bring it not, thou art not of us nor are we
of thee." Hasan kissed ground before the King and went out
from the presence. Then he chose five of the best of his
Mamelukes, who could all write and read and were learned,
intelligent, accomplished; and he gave each of them five
thousand dinars, saying, "I reared you not save for the like
of this day; so do ye help me to further the King's desire and
deliver me from his hand." Quoth they, "What wilt thou have us
do? Our lives be thy ransom!" Quoth he, "I wish you to go each
to a different country and seek out diligently the learned and
erudite and literate and the tellers of wondrous stories and
marvellous histories and do your endeavour to procure me the
story of Sayf al-Mulúk. If ye find it with any one, pay him
what price soever he asketh for it although he demand a
thousand dinars; give him what ye may and promise him the rest
and bring me the story; for whoso happeneth on it and bringeth
it to me, I will bestow on him a costly robe of honour and
largesse galore, and there shall be to me none more worshipped
than he." Then said he to one of them, "Hie thou to Al-Hind
and Al-Sind and all their provinces and dependencies." To
another, "Hie thou to the home of the Persians and to China
and her climates." To the third, "Hie thou to the land of
Khorasan with its districts." To the fourth, "Hie thou to
Mauritania and all its regions, districts, provinces and
quarters." And to the fifth, "Hie thou to Syria and Egypt and
their outliers." Moreover, he chose them out an auspicious day
and said to them, "Fare ye forth this day and be diligent in
the accomplishment of my need and be not slothful, though the
case cost you your lives." So they farewelled him and
departed, each taking the direction perscribed to him. Now,
four of them were absent four months, and searched but found
nothing; so they returned and told their master, whose breast
was straitened, that they had ransacked towns and cities and
countries for the thing he sought, but had happened upon
naught thereof. Meanwhile, the fifth servant journeyed till he
came to the land of Syria and entered Damascus, which he found
a pleasant city and a secure, abounding in trees and rills,
leas and fruiteries and birds chanting the praises of Allah
the One, the All-powerful of sway, Creator of Night and Day.
Here he tarried some time, asking for his master's desire, but
non answered him, wherefore he was on the point of departing
thence to another place, when he met a young man running and
stumbling over his skirts. So he asked of him, "Wherefore
runnest thou in such eagerness and whither dost thou press?"
And he answered, "There is an elder here, a man of learning,
who every day at this time taketh his seat on a stool[FN#350]
and relateth tales and stories and delectable anecdotes,
whereof never heard any the like; and I am running to get me a
place near him and fear I shall find no room, because of the
much folk." Quoth the Mameluke, "Take me with thee;" and quoth
the youth, "Make haste in thy walking." So he shut his door
and hastened with him to the place of recitation, where he saw
an old man of bright favour seated on a stool holding forth to
the folk. He sat down near him and addressed himself to hear
his story, till the going down of the sun, when the old man
made an end of his tale and the people, having heard it all,
dispersed from about him; whereupon the Mameluke accosted him
and saluted him, and he returned his salam and greeted him
with the utmost worship and courtesy. Then said the messenger
to him, "O my lord Shaykh, thou art a comely and reverend man,
and thy discourse is goodly; but I would fain ask thee of
somewhat." Replied the old man, "Ask of what thou wilt!" Then
said the Mameluke, "Hast thou the story of Sayf al-Muluk and
Badí'a al-Jamál?" Rejoined the elder, "And who told thee of
this story and informed thee thereof?" Answered the messenger,
"None told me of it, but I am come from a far country, in
quest of this tale, and I will pay thee whatever thou askest
for its price if thou have it and wilt, of thy bounty and
charity, impart it to me and make it an alms to me, of the
generosity of thy nature for, had I my life in my hand and
lavished it upon thee for this thing, yet were it pleasing to
my heart." Replied the old man, "Be of good cheer and keep
thine eye cool and clear: thou shalt have it; but this is no
story that one telleth in the beaten highway, nor do I give it
to every one." Cried the other, "By Allah, O my lord, do not
grudge it me, but ask of me what price thou wilt." And the old
man, "If thou wish for the history give me an hundred dinars
and thou shalt have it; but upon five conditions." Now when
the Mameluke knew that the old man had the story and was
willing to sell it to him, he joyed with exceeding joy and
said, "I will give thee the hundred dinars by way of price and
ten to boot as a gratuity and take it on the conditions of
which thou speakest." Said the old man, "Then go and fetch the
gold pieces, and take that thou seekest." So the messenger
kissed his hands and joyful and happy returned to his lodging,
where he laid an hundred and ten dinars[FN#351] in a purse he
had by him. As soon as morning morrowed, he donned his clothes
and taking the dinars, repaired to the story-teller, whom he
found seated at the door of his house. So he saluted him and
the other returned his salam. Then he gave him the gold and
the old man took it and carrying the messenger into his house
made him sit down in a convenient place, when he set before
him ink-case and reed-pen and paper and giving him a book,
said to him, "Write out what thou seekest of the
night-story[FN#352] of Sayf al-Muluk from this book."
Accordingly the Mameluke fell to work and wrote till he had
made an end of his copy, when he read it to the old man, and
he corrected it and presently said to him, "Know, O my son,
that my five conditions are as follows; firstly, that thou
tell not this story in the beaten high road nor before women
and slave-girls nor to black slaves nor feather-heads; nor
again to boys; but read it only before Kings and Emirs and
Wazirs and men of learning, such as expounders of the Koran
and others." Thereupon the messenger accepted the conditions
and kissing the old man'shand, took leave of him, and fared
forth.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
when the Mameluke of Hasan the Merchant had copied the tale
out of the book belonging to the old man of Damascus, and had
accepted his conditions and farewelled him, he fared forth on
the same day, glad and joyful, and journeyed on diligently, of
the excess of his contentment, for that he had gotten the
story of Sayf al-Muluk, till he came to his own country, when
he despatched his servant to bear the good news to his master
and say to him, "Thy Mameluke is come back in safety and hath
won his will and his aim." (Now of the term appointed between
Hasan and the King there wanted but ten days.) Then, after
taking rest in his own quarters he himself went in to the
Merchant and told him all that had befallen him and gave him
the book containing the story of Sayf al-Muluk and Badi'a
al-Jamal, when Hasan joyed with exceeding joy at the sight and
bestowed on him all the clothes he had on and gave him ten
thoroughbred horses and the like number of camels and mules
and three negro chattels and two white slaves. Then Hasan took
the book and copied out the story plainly in his own hand;
after which he presented himself before the King and said to
him, "O thou auspicious King, I have brought thee a
night-story and a rarely pleasant relation, whose like none
ever heard at all." When these words reached the King's ear,
he sent forthright for all the Emirs, who were men of
understanding, and all the learned doctors and folk of
erudition and culture and poets and wits; and Hasan sat down
and read the history before the King, who marvelled thereat
and approved it, as did all who were present, and they
showered gold and silver and jewels upon the Merchant.
Moreover, the King bestowed on him a costly robe of honour of
the richest of his raiment and gave him a great city with its
castles and outliers; and he appointed him one of his Chief
Wazirs and seated him on his right hand. Then he caused the
scribes write the story in letters of gold and lay it up in
his privy treasures: and whenever his breast was straitened,
he would summon Hasan and he would read him the story,[FN#353]
which was as follows:--
Story of Prince Sayf al-Muluk and the Princess Badi'a al-Jamal.
There was once, in days of old and in ages and times long
told, a King in Egypt called Asim bin Safwán,[FN#354] who was
a liberal and beneficent sovran, venerable and majestic. He
owned many cities and sconces and fortresses and troops and
warriors and had a Wazir named Fáris bin Sálih,[FN#355] and he
and all his subjects worshipped the sun and the fire, instead
of the All-powerful Sire, the Glorious, the Victorious. Now
this King was become a very old man, weakened and wasted with
age and sickness and decrepitude; for he had lived an hundred
and fourscore years and had no child, male or female, by
reason whereof he was ever in cark and care from morning to
night and from night to morn. It so happened that one day of
the days, he was sitting on the throne of his Kingship, with
his Emirs and Wazirs and Captains and Grandees in attendance
on him, according to their custom, in their several stations,
and whenever there came in an Emir, who had with him a son or
two sons, or haply three who stood at the sides of their sires
the King envied him and said in himself, "Every one of these
is happy and rejoiceth in his children, whilst I, I have no
child, and to-morrow I die and leave my reign and throne and
lands and hoards, and strangers will take them and none will
bear me in memory nor will there remain any mention of me in
the world." Then he became drowned in the sea of thought and
for the much thronging of griefs and anxieties upon his hear,
like travellers faring for the well, he shed tears and
descending from his throne, sat down upon the floor,[FN#356]
weeping and humbling himself before the Lord. Now when the
Wazir and notables of the realm and others who were present in
the assembly saw him do thus with his royal person, they
feared for their lives and let the poursuivants cry aloud to
the lieges, saying, "Hie ye to your homes and rest till the
King recover from what aileth him." So they went away, leaving
none in the presence save the Minister who, as soon as the
King came to himself, kissed ground between his hands and
said, "O King of the Age and the Time, wherefore this weeping
and wailing? Tell me who hath transgressed against thee of the
Kings or Castellans or Emirs or Grandees, and inform me who
hath thwarted thee, O my liege lord, that we may all fall on
him and tear his soul from his two sides." But he spake not
neither raised his head; whereupon the Minister kissed ground
before him a second time and said to him, "O Master,[FN#357] I
am even as thy son and thy slave, nay, I have reared thee; yet
know I not the cause of thy cark and chagrin and of this thy
case; and who should know but I who should stand in my stead
between thy hands? Tell me therefore why this weeping and
wherefore thine affliction." Nevertheless, the King neither
opened his mouth nor raised his head, but ceased not to weep
and cry with a loud crying and lament with exceeding
lamentation and ejaculate, "Alas!" The Wazir took patience
with him awhile, after which he said to him, "Except thou tell
me the cause of this thine affliction, I will set this sword
to my heart and will slay myself before thine eyes, rather
than see thee thus distressed." Then King Asim raised his head
and, wiping away his tears, said, "O Minister of good counself
and experience, leave me to my care and my chagrin, for that
which is in my heart of sorrow sufficeth me." But Faris said,
"Tell me, O King, the cause of this thy weeping, haply Allah
will appoint thee relief at my hands."--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
Wazir said to King Asim, "Tell me the cause of this thy
weeping: haply Allah shall appoint thee relief at my hands."
Replied the King, "O Wazir, I weep not for monies nor horses
nor kingdoms nor aught else, but that I am become an old man,
yea, very old, nigh upon an hundred and fourscore years of
age, and I have not been blessed with a child, male or female;
so, when I die, they will bury me and my trace will be effaced
and my name cut off; the stranger will take my throne and
reign and none will ever make mention of my being." Rejoined
the Minister Faris, "O King of the Age, I am older than thou
by an hundred years yet have I never been blest with boon of
child and cease not day and night from cark and care and
concern; so how shall we do, I and thou?" Quoth Asim, "O
Wazir, hast thou no device or shift in this matter?" and quoth
the Minister, "Know, O King that I have heard of a Sovran in
the land of Sabá[FN#358] by name Solomon David-son (upon the
twain be the Peace!),[FN#359] who pretendeth to prophetship
and avoucheth that he hath a mighty Lord who can do all things
and whose kingdom is in the Heavens and who hath dominion over
all mankind and birds and beasts and over the wind and the
Jinn. Moreover, he kenneth the speech of birds and the
language of every other created thing; and withal, he calleth
all creatures to the worship of his Lord and discourseth to
them of their service. So let us send him a messenger in the
King's name and seek of him our need, beseeching him to put up
prayer to his Lord, that He vouchsafe each of us boon of
issue. If his Faith be soothfast and his Lord Omnipotent, He
will assuredly bless each of us with a child male or female,
and if the thing thus fall out, we will enter his faith and
worship his Lord; else will we take patience and devise us
another device." The King cried, "This is well seen, and my
breast is braodened by this thy speech; but where shall we
find a messenger befitting this grave matter, for that this
Solomon is no Kinglet and the approaching him is no light
affair? Indeed, I will send him none, on the like of this
matter, save thyself; for thou art ancient and versed in all
manner affairs and the like of thee is the like of myself;
wherefore I desire that thou weary thyself and journey to him
and occupy thyself sedulously with accomplishing this matter,
so haply solace may be at thy hand." The Minister said, "I
hear and I obey; but rise thou forthwith and seat thee upon
the throne, so the Emirs and Lords of the realm and officers
and the lieges may enter applying themselves to thy service,
according to their custom; for they all went away from thee,
troubled at heart on thine account. Then will I go out and set
forth on the Sovran's errand." So the King arose forthright
and sat down on the throne of his kingship, whilst the Wazir
went out and said to the Chamberlain, "Bid the folk proceed to
their service, as of their wont." Accordingly the troops and
Captains and Lords of the land entered, after they had spread
the tables and ate and drank and withdrew as was their wont,
after which the Wazir Faris went forth from King Asim and,
repairing to his own house, equipped himself for travel and
returned to the King, who opened to him the treasuries and
provided him with rarities and things of price and rich stuffs
and gear without compare, such as nor Emir nor Wazir hath
power to possess. Moreover, King Asim charged him to accost
Solomon with reverence, foregoing him with the salam, but not
exceeding in speech; "and (continued he) then do thou ask of
him thy need, and if he say 'tis granted, return to us in
haste, for I shall be awaiting thee." Accordingly, the
Minister kissed hands and took the presents and setting out,
fared on night and day, till he came within fifteen days'
journey of Saba. Meanwhile Allah (extolled and exalted be He!)
inspired Solomon the son of David (the Peace be upon both!)
and said to him, "O Solomon, the King of Egypt sendeth unto
thee his Chief Wazir, with a present of rarities and such and
such things of price; so do thou also despatch thy Counsellor
Asaf bin Barkhiyá to meet him with honour and with victual at
the halting-places; and when he cometh to thy presence, say
unto him, 'Verily, thy King hath sent thee in quest of this
and that and thy business is thus and thus.' Then do thou
propound to him The Saving Faith."[FN#360] Whereupon Solomon
bade his Wazir make ready a company of his retainers and go
forth to meet the Minister of Egypt with honour and sumptuous
provision at the halting-places. So Asaf made ready all that
was needed for their entertainment and setting out, fared on
till he fell in with Faris and accosted him with the salam,
honouring him and his company with exceeding honour. Moreover,
he brought them provaunt and provender at the halting-places
and said to them, "Well come and welcome and fair welcome to
the coming guests! Rejoice in the certain winning of your
wish! Be your souls of good cheer and your eyes cool and clear
and your breasts be broadened!" Quoth Faris in himself, "Who
acquainted him with this?"; and he said to Asaf,[FN#361] "O my
lord, and who gave thee to know of us and our need?" "It was
Solomon son of David (on whom be the Peace!), told us of
this!" "And who told our lord Solomon?" "The Lord of the
heaven and the earth told him, the God of all creatures!"
"This is none other than a mighty God!" "And do ye not worship
him?" "We worship the Sun, and prostrate ourselves thereto."
"O Wazir Faris, the sun is but a star of the stars created by
Allah (extolled and exalted be He!), and Allah forbid that it
should be a Lord! Because whiles it riseth and whiles it
setteth, but our Lord is ever present and never absent and He
over all things is Omnipotent!" Then they journeyed on a
little while till they came to the land Saba and drew near the
throne of Solomon David-son, (upon the twain be peace!), who
commanded his hosts of men and Jinn and others[FN#362] to form
line on their road. So the beasts of the sea and the elephants
and leopards and lynxes and all beasts of the land ranged
themselves in espalier on either side of the way, after their
several kinds, and similarly the Jinn drew out in two ranks,
appearing all to mortal eyes without concealment, in divers
forms grisly and gruesome. So they lined the road on either
hand, and the birds bespread their wings over the host of
creatures to shade them, warbling one to other in all manner
of voices and tongues. Now when the people of Egypt came to
this terrible array, they dreaded it and durst not proceed;
but Asaf said to them, "Pass on amidst them and walk forward
and fear them not: for they are slaves of Solomon son of
David, and none of them will harm you." So saying, he entered
between the ranks, followed by all the folk and amongst them
the Wazir of Egypt and his company, fearful: and they ceased
not faring forwards till they reached the city, where they
lodged the embassy in the guest-house and for the space of
three days entertained them sumptuously, entreating them with
the utmost honour. Then they carried them before Solomon,
prophet of Allah (on whom be the Peace!), and when entering
they would have kissed the earth before him; but he forbade
them, saying, "It befitteth not a man prostrate himself to
earth save before Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty!),
Creator of Earth and Heaven and all other things; wherefore,
whosoever of you hath a mint to sit let him be seated in my
service, or to stand, let him stand, but let none stand to do
me worship." So they obeyed him and the Wazir Faris and some
of his intimates sat down, whilst certain of the lesser sort
remained afoot to wait on him. When they had sat awhile, the
servants spread the tables and they all, men and beasts, ate
their sufficiency.[FN#363] Then Solomon bade Faris expound his
errand, that it might be accomplished, saying, "Speak and hide
naught of that wherefor thou art come; for I know why ye come
and what is your errand, which is thus and thus. The King of
Egypt who despatched thee, Asim hight, hath become a very old
man, infirm, decrepit; and Allah (whose name be exalted!) hath
not blessed him with offspring, male or female. So he abode in
cark and care and chagrin from morn to night and from night to
morn. It so happened that one day of the days as he sat upon
the throne of his kingship with his Emirs and Wazirs, and
Captains and Grandees in attendance on him, he saw some of
them with two sons, others with one, and others even three,
who came with their sires to do him service. So he said in
himself, of the excess of his sorrow, 'Who shall get my
kingdom after my death? Will any save a stranger take it? And
thus shall I pass out of being as though I had never been!' On
this account he became drowned in the sea of thought, until
his eyes were flooded with tears and he covered his face with
his kerchief and wept with sore weeping. Then he rose from off
his throne and sat down upon the floor wailing and lamenting
and none knew what was in heart as he grovelled in the ground
save Allah Almighty."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Sixtieth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
Solomon David-son (upon both of whom be peace!) after
disclosing to the Wazir Faris that which had passed between
himself and his master, King Asim, said to him, "Is this that
I have told thee the truth, O Wazir?" Replied Faris, "O
prophet of Allah, this thou hast said is indeed sooth and
verity; but when we discoursed of this matter, none was with
the King and myself, nor was any ware of our case; who, then
told thee of all these things?" Answered Solomon, "They were
told to me by my Lord who knoweth whatso is concealed[FN#364]
from the eye and what is hidden in the breasts." Quoth Faris,
"O Prophet of Allah, verily this is none other than a mighty
Lord and an omnipotent God!" And he Islamized with all his
many. Then said Solomon to him, "Thou hast with thee such and
such presents and rarities;" and Faris replied "Yes." The
prophet continued, "I accept them all and give them in free
gift unto thee. So do ye rest, thou and thy company, in the
place where you have been lodging, till the fatigue of the
journey shall cease from you; and to-morrow, Inshallah! thine
errand shall be accomplished to the uttermost, if it be the
will of Allah the Most High, Lord of heaven and earth and the
light which followeth the gloom; Creator of all creatures." So
Faris returned to his quarters and passed the night in deep
thought. But when morning morrowed he presented himself before
the Lord Solomon, who said to him, "When thou returnest to
King Asim bin Safwan and you twain are re-united, do ye both
go forth some day armed with bow, bolts and brand, and fare to
such a place, where ye shall find a certain tree. Mount upon
it and sit silent until the midhour between noon-prayer and
that of mid-afternoon, when the noontide heat hath cooled;
then descend and look at the foot of the tree, whence ye will
see two serpents come forth, one with a head like an ape's and
the other with a head like an Ifrit's. Shoot them ye twain
with bolts and kill them both; then cut off a span's length
from their heads and the like from their tails and throw it
away. The rest of the flesh cook and cook well and give it to
your wives to eat: then lie with them that night and, by
Allah's leave, they shall conceive and bear male children."
Moreover, he gave him a seal-ring, a sword, and a wrapper
containing two tunics[FN#365] embroidered with gold and
jewels, saying, "O Wazir Faris, when your sons grow up to
man's estate, give to each of them one of these tunics." Then
said he, "In the name of Allah! May the Almighty accomplish
your desire! And now nothing remaineth for thee but to depart,
relying on the blessing of the Lord the Most High, for the
King looketh for thy return night and day and his eye is ever
gazing on the road." So the Wazir advanced to the prophet
Solomon son of David (upon both of whom be the Peace!) and
farewelled him and fared forth from him after kissing his
hands. Rejoicing in the accomplishment of his errand he
travelled on with all diligence night and day, and ceased not
wayfaring till he drew near to Cairo, when he despatched one
of his servants to acquaint King Asim with his approach and
the successful issue of his journey; which when the King heard
he joyed with exceeding joy, he and his Grandees and Officers
and troops especially in the Wazir's safe return. When they
met, the Minister dismounted and, kissing ground before the
King, gave him the glad news anent the winning of his wish in
fullest fashion; after which he expounded the True Faith to
him, and the King and all his people embraced Al-Islam with
much joy and gladness. Then said Asim to his Wazir, "Go home
and rest this night and a week to boot; then go to the
Hammambath and come to me, that I may inform thee of what we
shall have to consider." So Faris kissed ground and withdrew,
with his suite, pages and eunuchs, to his house, where he
rested eight days; after which he repaired to the King and
related to him all that had passed between Solomon and
himself, adding, "Do thou rise and go forth with me alone."
Then the King and the Minister took two bows and two bolts and
repairing to the tree indicated by Solomon, clomb up into it
and there sat in silence till the mid-day heat had passed away
and it was near upon the hour of mid-afternoon prayer, when
they descended and looking about them saw a
serpent-couple[FN#366] issue from the roots of the tree. The
King gazed at them, marvelling to see them ringed with collars
of gold about their necks, and said to Faris, "O Wazir, verily
these snakes have golden torques! By Allah, this is forsooth a
rare thing! Let us catch them and set them in a cage and keep
them to look upon." But the Minister said, "These hath Allah
created for profitable use;[FN#367] so do thou shoot one and I
will shoot the other with these our shafts." Accordingly they
shot at them with arrows and slew them; after which they cut
off a span's length of their heads and tails and threw it
away. Then they carried the rest to the King's palace, where
they called the kitchener and giving him the flesh said,
"Dress this meat daintily, with onion-sauce[FN#368] and
spices, and ladle it out into two saucers and bring them
hither at such an hour, without delay!"--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-first Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
King and the Wazir gave the serpents' flesh to the kitchener,
saying, "Cook it and ladle it out into two saucers and bring
them hither without delay!"; the cook took the meat and went
with it to the kitchen, where he cooked it and dressed it in
skilful fashion with a mighty fine onion-sauce and hot spices;
after which he ladled it out into two saucers and set them
before the King and the Wazir, who took each a dish and gave
their wives to eat of the meat. Then they went in that night
unto them and knew them carnally, and by the good pleasure of
Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) and His all-might and
furtherance, they both conceived on one and the same night.
The King abode three months, troubled in mind and saying in
himself, "I wonder whether this thing will prove true or
untrue"; till one day, as the lady his Queen was sitting, the
child stirred in her womb and she felt a pain and her colour
changed. So she knew that she was with child and calling the
chief of her eunuchs, gave him this command, "Go to the King,
wherever he may be and congratulate him saying, 'O King of the
Age, I bring thee the glad tidings that our lady's pregnancy
is become manifest, for the child stirreth in her womb'." So
the eunuch went out in haste, rejoicing, and finding the King
alone, with cheek on palm, pondering this thing, kissed ground
between his hands and acquainted him with his wife's
pregnancy. When the King heard his words, he sprang to his
feet and in the excess of his joy, he kissed[FN#369] the
eunuch's hands and head and doffing the clothes he had on,
gave them to him. Moreover, he said to those who were present
in his assembly, "Whoso loveth me, let him bestow largesse
upon this man."[FN#370] And they gave him of coin and jewels
and jacinths and horses and mules and estates and gardens what
was beyond count or calculation. At that moment in came the
Wazir Faris and said to Asim, "O my master, but now I was
sitting alone at home and absorbed in thought, pondering the
matter of the pregnancy and saying to myself, 'Would I wot an
this thing be true and whether my wife Khátún[FN#371] have
conceived or not!' when, behold, an eunuch came in to me and
brought me the glad tidings that his lady was indeed pregnant,
for that her colour was changed and the child stirred in her
womb; whereupon, in my joy, I doffed all the clothes I had on
and gave them to him, together with a thousand dinars, and
made him Chief of the Eunuchs." Rejoined the King, "O
Minister, Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) hath, of His
grace and bounty and goodness, and beneficence, made gift to
us of the True Faith and brought us out of night into light,
and hath been bountiful to us, of His favour and benevolence;
wherefore I am minded to solace the folk and cause them to
rejoice." Quoth Faris, "Do what thou wilt,[FN#372]" and quoth
the King, "O Wazir, go down without stay or delay and set free
all who are in the prisons, both criminals and debtors, and
whoso transgresseth after this, we will requite as he
deserveth even to the striking off of his head. Moreover, we
forgive the people three years' taxes, and do thou set up
kitchens all around about the city walls[FN#373] and bid the
kitcheners hang over the fire all kinds of cooking pots and
cook all manner of meats, continuing their cooking night and
day, and let all comers, both of our citizens and of the
neighbouring countries, far and near, eat and drink and carry
to their houses. And do thou command the people to make
holiday and decorate the city seven days and shut not the
taverns night nor day[FN#374]; and if thou delay I will behead
thee[FN#375]!" So he did as the King bade him and the folk
decorated the city and citadel and bulwarks after the
goodliest fashion and, donning their richest attire, passed
their time in feasting and sporting and making merry, till the
days of the Queen's pregnancy were accomplished and she was
taken, one night, with labour pains hard before dawn. Then the
King bade summon all the Olema and astronomers, mathematicians
and men of learning, astrologers, scientists and scribes in
the city, and they assembled and sat awaiting the throwing of
a bead into the cup[FN#376] which was to be the signal to the
Astrophils, as well as to the nurses and attendants, that the
child was born. Presently, as they sat in expectation, the
Queen gave birth to a boy like a slice of the moon when
fullest and the astrologers fell to calculating and noted his
star and nativity and drew his horoscope. Then, on being
summoned they rose and, kissing the earth before the King,
gave him the glad tidings, saying, "In very sooth the new-born
child is of happy augury and born under an auspicious aspect,
but" they added, "in the first of his life there will befall
him a thing which we fear to name before the King." Quoth
Asim, "Speak and fear not;" so quoth they, "O King, this boy
will fare forth from this land and journey in strangerhood and
suffer shipwreck and hardship and prisonment and distress, and
indeed he hath before him the sorest of sufferings; but he
shall free him of them in the end, and win to his wish and
live the happiest of lives the rest of his days, ruling over
subjects with a strong hand and having dominion in the land,
despite enemies and enviers." Now when the King heard the
astrologers' words, he said, "The matter is a mystery; but all
that Allah Almighty hath written for the creature of good and
bad cometh to pass and needs must betide him from this day to
that a thousand solaces." So he paid no heed to their words or
attention to their speeches but bestowed on them robes of
honour, as well upon all who were present, and dismissed them;
when, behold, in came Faris the Wazir and kissed the earth
before the King in huge joy, saying, "Good tidings, O King! My
wife hath but now given birth to a son, as he were a slice of
the moon." Replied Asim, "O Wazir, go, bring thy wife and
child hither, that she may abide with my wife in my palace,
and they shall bring up the two boys together." So Faris
fetched his wife and son and they committed the two children
to the nurses wet and dry. And after seven days had passed
over them, they brought them before the King and said to him,
"What wilt thou name the twain?" Quoth he, "Do ye name them;"
but quoth they, "None nameth the son save his sire." So he
said, "Name my son Sayf al-Muluk, after my grandfather, and
the Minister's son Sa'id[FN#377] Then he bestowed robes of
honour on the nurses wet and dry and said to them, "Be ye
ruthful over them and rear them after the goodliest fashion."
So they brought up the two boys diligently till they reached
the age of five, when the King committed them to a doctor of
Sciences[FN#378] who taught them to read the Koran and write.
When they were ten years old, King Asim gave them in charge to
masters, who instructed them in cavalarice and shooting with
shafts and lunging with lance and play of Polo and the like
till, by the time they were fifteen years old, they were
clever in all manner of martial exercises, nor was there one
to view with them in horsemanship, for each of them would do
battle with a thousand men and make head against them single
handed. So when they came to years of discretion, whenever
King Asim looked on them he joyed in them with exceeding joy;
and when they attained their twenty-fifth year, he took Faris
his Minister apart one day and said to him, "O Wazir, I am
minded to consult with thee concerning a thing I desire to
do." Replied he, "Whatever thou hast a mind to do, do it; for
thy judgment is blessed." Quoth the King, "O Wazir, I am
become a very old and decrepit man, sore stricken in years,
and I desire to take up my abode in an oratory, that I may
worship Allah Almighty and give my kingdom and Sultanate to my
son Sayf al-Muluk for that he is grown a goodly youth, perfect
in knightly exercises and intellectual attainments, polite
letters and gravity, dignity and the art of government. What
sayst thou, O Minister, of this project?" And quoth the
counsellor, "Right indeed is thy rede: the idea is a blessed
and a fortunate, and if thou do this, I will do the like and
my son Sa'id shall be the Prince's Wazir, for he is a comely
young man and complete in knowledge and judgment. Thus will
the two youths be together, and we will order their affair and
neglect not their case, but guide them to goodness and in the
way that is straight." Quoth the King, "Write letters and send
them by couriers to all the countries and cities and sconces
and fortresses that be under our hands, bidding their chiefs
be present on such a day at the Horse-course of the
Elephant."[FN#379] So the Wazir went out without stay or delay
and despatched letters of this purport to all the deputies and
governors of fortresses and others under King Asim; and he
commanded also that all in the city should be present, far and
near, high and low. When the appointed time drew nigh, King
Asim bade the tent-pitchers plant pavilions in the midst of
the Champ-de-Mars and decorate them after the most sumptuous
fashion and set up the great throne whereon he sat not but on
festivals. And they at once did his bidding. Then he and all
his Nabobs and Chamberlains and Emirs sallied forth, and he
commanded proclamation be made to the people, saying, "In the
name of Allah, come forth to the Maydán!" So all the Emirs and
Wazirs and Governors of provinces and Feudatories[FN#380] came
forth to the place of assembly and, entering the royal
pavilion, addressed themselves to the service of the King as
was their wont, and abode in their several stations, some
sitting and others standing, till all the people were gathered
together, when the King bade spread the tables and they ate
and drank and prayed for him. Then he commanded the
Chamberlains[FN#381] to proclaim to the people that they
should not depart: so they made proclamation to them, saying,
"Let none of you fare hence till he have heard the King's
words!" So they withdrew the curtains of the royal pavilion
and the King said, "Whoso loveth me, let him remain till he
have heard my speech!" Whereupon all the folk sat down in mind
tranquil after they had been fearful, saying, "Wherefore have
we been summoned by the King?" Then the Sovran rose to his
feet, and making them swear that none would stir from his
stead, said to them, "O ye Emirs and Wazirs and Lords of the
land; the great and the small of you, and all ye who are
present of the people; say me, wot ye not that this kingdom
was an inheritance to me from my fathers and forefathers?"
Answered they, "Yes, O King we all know that." And he
continued, "I and you, we all worshipped the sun and moon,
till Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) vouchsafed us the
knowledge of the True Faith and brought us out of darkness
unto light, and directed us to the religion of Al-Islam. Know
that I am become a very old man, feeble and decrepit, and I
desire to take up my abode in a hermitage[FN#382] there to
worship Allah Almighty and crave His pardon for past offenses
and make this my son Sayf al-Muluk ruler. Ye know full well
that he is a comely youth, eloquent, liberal, learned, versed
in affairs, intelligent, equitable; wherefore I am minded
presently to resign to him my realm and to make him ruler over
you and seat him as Sultan in my stead, whilst I give myself
to solitude and to the worship of Allah in an oratory, and my
son and heir shall judge between you. What say ye then, all of
you?" Thereupon they all rose and kissing ground before him,
made answer with "Hearing and obedience," saying, "O our King
and our defender an thou should set over us one of thy
blackamoor slaves we would obey him and hearken to thy word
and accept thy command: how much more then with thy son Sayf
al-Muluk? Indeed, we accept of him and approve him on our eyes
and heads!" So King Asim bin Safwan arose and came down from
his seat and seating his son on the great throne,[FN#383] took
the crown from his own head and set it on the head of Sayf
al-Muluk and girt his middle with the royal girdle.[FN#384]
Then he sat down beside his son on the throne of his kingship,
whilst the Emirs and Wazirs and Lords of the land and all the
rest of the folk rose and kissed ground before him, saying,
"Indeed, he is worthy of the kingship and hath better right to
it than any other." Then the Chamberlains made proclamation
crying, "Amán! Amán! Safety! Safety!" and offered up prayers
for his victory and prosperity. And Sayf al-Muluk scattered
gold and silver on the heads of the lieges one and all.--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
King Asim seated his son, Sayf al-Muluk, upon the throne and
all the people prayed for his victory and prosperity, the
youth scattered gold and silver on the heads of the lieges,
one and all, and conferred robes of honour and gave gifts and
largesse. Then, after a moment, the Wazir Faris arose and
kissing ground said, "O Emirs, O Grandees, ye ken that I am
Wazir and that my Wazirate dateth from old, before the
accession of King Asim bin Safwan, who hath now divested
himself of the Kingship and made his son King in his stead?"
Answered they, "Yes, we know that thy Wazirate is from sire
after grandsire." He continued, "And now in my turn I divest
myself of office and invest this my son Sa'id, for he is
intelligent, quick-witted, sagacious. What say ye all?" And
they replied, "None is worthy to be Wazir to King Sayf
al-Muluk but thy son, Sa'id, and they befit each other." With
this Faris arose and taking off his Wazirial turband, set it
on his son's head and eke laid his ink-case of office before
him, whilst the Chamberlains and the Emirs said, "Indeed, he
is deserving of the Wazirship" and the Heralds cried aloud,
"Mubárak! Mubarak!--Felix sit et faustus!" After this, King
Asim and Faris the Minister arose and, opening the royal
treasuries, conferred magnificent robes of honour on all the
Viceroys and Emirs and Wazirs and Lords of the land and other
folk and gave salaries and benefactions and wrote them new
mandates and diplomas with the signatures of King Sayf
al-Muluk and his Wazir Sa'id. Moreover, he made distribution
of money to the men-at-arms and gave guerdons, and the
provincials abode in the city a full week ere they departed
each to his own country and place. Then King Asim carried his
son and his Wazir Sa'id back to the palace which was in the
city and bade the treasurer bring the seal-ring and
signet,[FN#385] sword and wrapper; which being done, he said
to the two young men, "O my sons, come hither and let each of
you choose two of these things and take them." The first to
make choice was Sayf al-Muluk, who put out his hand and took
the ring and the wrapper, whilst Sa'id took the sword and the
signet; after which they both kissed the King's hands and went
away to their lodging. Now Sayf al-Muluk opened not the
wrapper to see what was therein, but threw it on the couch
where he and Sa'id slept by night, for it was their habit to
lie together. Presently they spread them the bed and the two
lay down with a pair of wax candles burning over them and
slept till midnight, when Sayf al-Muluk awoke and, seeing the
bundle at his head, said in his mind, "I wonder what thing of
price is in this wrapper my father gave me!" So he took it
together with a candle and descended from the couch leaving
Sa'id sleeping and carried the bundle into a closet, where he
opened it and found within a tunic of the fabric of the Jann.
He spread it out and saw on the lining[FN#386] of the back,
the portraiture wroughten in gold of a girl and marvellous was
her loveliness; and no sooner had he set eyes on the figure
than his reason fled his head and he became Jinn-mad for love
thereof, so that he fell down in a swoon and presently
recovering, began to weep and lament, beating his face and
breast and kissing her. And he recited these verses,
"Love, at the first, is a spurt of spray[FN#387] * Which Doom
disposes and Fates display;
Till, when deep diveth youth in passion-sea * Unbearable
sorrows his soul waylay."
And also these two couplets,
"Had I known of Love in what fashion he * Robbeth heart and
soul I had guarded me:
But of malice prepense I threw self away * Unwitting of Love
what his nature be."
And Sayf al-Muluk ceased not to weep and wail and beat face
and breast, till Sa'id awoke and missing him from the bed and
seeing but a single candle, said to himself, "Whither is Sayf
al-Muluk gone?" Then he took the other candle and went round
about the palace, till he came upon the closet where he saw
the Prince lying at full length, weeping with sore weeping and
lamenting aloud. So he said to him, "O my brother, for what
cause are these tears and what hath befallen thee? Speak to me
and tell me the reason thereof." But Sayf al-Muluk spoke not
neither raised his head and continued to weep and wail and
beat hand on breast. Seeing him in this case quoth Sa'id, "I
am thy Wazir and thy brother, and we were reared together, I
and thou; so an thou do not unburden thy breast and discover
thy secret to me, to whom shalt thou reveal it and disclose
its cause?" And he went on to humble himself and kiss the
ground before him a full hour, whilst Sayf al-Muluk paid no
heed to him nor answered him a word, but gave not over to
weeping. At last, being affrighted at his case and weary of
striving with him, he went out and fetched a sword, with which
he returned to the closet, and setting the point to his own
breast, said to the Prince, "Rouse thee, O my brother! An thou
tell me not what aileth thee, I will slay myself and see thee
no longer in this case." Whereupon Sayf al-Muluk raised his
head towards the Wazir and answered him, "O my brother, I am
ashamed to tell thee what hath betided me;" but Sa'id said, "I
conjure thee by Allah, Lord of Lords, Liberator of
Necks,[FN#388] Causer of causes, the One, the Ruthful, the
Gift-full, the Bountiful, that thou tell me what aileth thee
and be not abashed at me, for I am thy slave and thy Minister
and counsellor in all thine affairs!" Quoth Sayf al-Muluk,
"Come and look at this likeness." So Sa'id looked at it awhile
and considering it straitly, behold, he saw written, as a
crown over its head, in letters of pearl, these words, "This
is the counterfeit presentment of Badi'a al-Jamal, daughter of
Shahyál bin Shárukh, a King of the Kings of the true-believing
Jann who have taken up their abode in the city of Babel and
sojourn in the garden of Iram, Son of 'Ad the
Greater.'"[FN#389]--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-third Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
when Sa'id, son of the Wazir Faris, had read to Sayf al-Muluk,
son of King Asim, the writ on the tunic, which showed the
portraiture of Badi'a al-Jamal, daughter of Shahyal bin
Sharukh, a King of the Kings of the Moslem Jinns dwelling in
Babel-city and in the Garden of Iram, son of 'Ad the Greater,
he cried, "O my brother, knowest thou of what woman this is
the presentment, that we may seek for her?" Sayf al-Muluk
replied, "No, by Allah, O my brother, I know her not!" and
Sa'id rejoined, "Come, read this writing on the crown." So
Sayf al-Muluk read it and cried out from his heart's core and
very vitals, saying, "Alas! Alas! Alas!" Quoth Sa'id, "O my
brother, an the original of the portrait exist and her name be
Badi'a al-Jamal, and she abide in the world, I will hasten to
seek her, that thou mayst win thy will without delay. But,
Allah upon thee, O my brother, leave this weeping and ascend
thy throne, that the Officers of the State may come in to do
their service to thee, and in the undurn, do thou summon the
merchants and fakirs and travellers and pilgrims and paupers
and ask of them concerning this city and the garden of Iram;
haply by the help and blessing of Allah (extolled and exalted
be He!), some one of them shall direct us thither." So, when
it was day, Sayf al-Muluk went forth and mounted the throne,
clasping the tunic in his arms, for he could neither stand nor
sit without it, nor would sleep visit him save it were with
him; and the Emirs and Wazirs and Lords and Officers came in
to him. When the Divan was complete all being assembled in
their places he said to his Minister, "Go forth to them and
tell them that the King hath been suddenly struck by sickness
and he, by Allah, hath passed the night in ill case." So Sa'id
fared forth and told the folk what he said; which when old
King Asim heard, he was concerned for his son and, summoning
the physicians and astrologers, carried them in to Sayf
al-Muluk. They looked at him and prescribed him ptisanes and
diet-drinks, simples and medicinal waters and wrote him
characts and incensed him with Nadd and aloes-wood and
ambergris three days' space; but his malady persisted three
months, till King Asim was wroth with the leaches and said to
them, "Woe to you, O dogs! What? Are all of you impotent to
cure my son? Except ye heal him forthright, I will put the
whole of you to death." The Archiater replied, "O King of the
Age, in very sooth we know that this is thy son and thou
wottest that we fail not of diligence in tending a stranger;
so how much more with medicining thy son? But thy son is
afflicted with a malady hard to heal, which, if thou desire to
know, we will discover it to thee." Quoth Asim, "What then
find ye to be the malady of my son?"; and quoth the leach, "O
King of the Age, thy son is in love and he loveth one to whose
enjoyment he hath no way of access." At this the King was
wroth and asked, "How know ye that my son is in love and how
came love to him?"; they answered, "Enquire of his Wazir and
brother Sa'id for he knoweth his case." The King rose and
repaired to his private closet and summoning Sa'id said to
him, "Tell me the truth of thy brother's malady." But Sa'id
replied, "I know it not." So King Asim said to the Sworder,
"Take Sa'id and bind his eyes and strike his neck." Whereupon
Sa'id feared for himself and cried, "O King of the Age, grant
me immunity." Replied the King, "Speak and thou shalt have
it." "Thy son is in love." "With whom is he in love?" "With a
King's daughter of the Jann." "And where could he have espied
a daughter of the Jinns?" "Her portrait is wroughten on the
tunic that was in the bundle given thee by Solomon, prophet of
Allah!" When the King heard this, he rose, and going in to
Sayf al-Muluk, said to him, "O my son, what hath afflicted
thee? What is this portrait whereof thou art enamoured? And
why didst thou not tell me." He replied, "O my sire, I was
ashamed to name this to thee and could not bring myself to
discover aught thereof to any one at all; but now thou knowest
my case, look how thou mayest do to cure me." Rejoined his
father, "What is to be done? Were this one of the daughters of
men we might devise a device for coming at her; but she is a
King's daughter of the Jinns and who can woo and win her, save
it be Solomon David-son, and hardly he?[FN#390] However, O my
son, do thou arise forthright and hearten thy heart and take
horse and ride out a-hunting or to weapon-play in the Maydan.
Divert thyself with eating and drinking and put away cark and
care from thy heart, and I will bring thee an hundred maids of
the daughters of Kings; for thou hast no need to the daughters
of the Jann, over whom we lack controul and of kind other than
ours." But he said, "I cannot renounce her nor will I seek
other than her." Asked King Asim, "How then shall we do, O my
son?"; and Sayf al-Muluk answered, "Bring us all the merchants
and travellers and wanderers in the city, that we may question
them thereof. Peradventure, Allah will lead us to the city of
Babel and the garden of Iram." So King Asim bade summon all
the merchants in the city and strangers and seacaptains and,
as each came, enquired of him anent the city of Babel and its
peninsula[FN#391] and the garden of Iram; but none of them
knew these places nor could any give him tidings thereof.
However, when the séance broke up, one of them said, "O King
of the Age, an thou be minded to ken this thing, up and hie
thee to the land of China; for it hath a vast city[FN#392] and
a safe, wherein are store of rarities and things of price and
folk of all kinds; and thou shalt not come to the knowledge of
this city and garden but from its folk; it may be one of them
will direct thee to that thou seekest." Whereupon quoth Sayf
al-Muluk, "O my sire, equip me a ship, that I may fare to the
China-land; and do thou rule the reign in my stead." Replied
the old King, "O my son, abide thou on the throne of thy
kingship and govern thy commons, and I myself will make the
voyage to China and ask for thee of the city of Babel and the
garden of Iram." But Sayf al-Muluk rejoined, "O my sire, in
very sooth this affair concerneth me and none can search after
it like myself: so, come what will, an thou give me leave to
make the voyage, I will depart and wander awhile. If I find
trace or tidings of her, my wish will be won, and if not,
belike the voyage will broaden my breast and recruit my
courage; and haply by foreign travel my case will be made easy
to me, and if I live, I shall return to thee safe and
sound."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sayf
al-Muluk said to his sire King Asim, "Equip me a ship that I
may fare therein to the China-land and search for the object
of my desire. If I live I shall return to thee safe and
sound." The old King looked at his son and saw nothing for it
but to do what he desired; so he gave him the leave he wanted
and fitted him forty ships, manned with twenty thousand armed
Mamelukes, besides servants, and presented him with great
plenty of money and necessaries and warlike gear, as much as
he required. When the ships were laden with water and victual,
weapons and troops, Sayf al-Muluk's father and mother
farewelled him and King Asim said, "Depart, O my son, and
travel in weal and health and safety. I commend thee to Him
with Whom deposits are not lost."[FN#393] So the Prince bade
adieu to his parents and embarked, with his brother Sa'id and
they weighed anchor and sailed till they came to the City of
China. When the Chinamen heard of the coming of forty ships,
full of armed men and stores, weapons and hoards, they made
sure that these were enemies come to battle with them and
seige them; so they bolted the gates of the town and made
ready the mangonels.[FN#394] But Sayf al-Muluk, hearing of
this, sent two of his Chief Mamelukes to the King of China,
bidding them say to him, "This is Sayf al-Muluk, son of King
Asim of Egypt, who is come to thy city as a guest, to divert
himself by viewing thy country awhile, and not for conquest or
contention; wherefore, an thou wilt receive him, he will come
ashore to thee; and if not he will return and will not
disquiet thee nor the people of thy capital." They presented
themselves at the city gates and said, "We are messengers from
King Sayf al-Muluk." Whereupon the townsfolk opened the gates
and carried them to their King, whose name was Faghfúr[FN#395]
Shah and between whom and King Asim there had erst been
acquaintance. So, when he heard that the new-comer Prince was
the son of King Asim, he bestowed robes of honour on the
messengers and, bidding open the gates, made ready guest-gifts
and went forth in person with the chief officers of his realm,
to meet Sayf al-Muluk, and the two Kings embraced. Then
Faghfur said to his guest, "Well come and welcome and fair
cheer to him who cometh to us! I am thy slave and the slave of
thy sire: my city is between thy hands to command and whatso
thou seekest shall be brought before thee." Then he presented
him with the guest-gifts and victual for the folk at their
stations; and they took horse, with the Wazir Sa'id and the
chiefs of their officers and the rest of their troops, and
rode from the sea-shore to the city, which they entered with
cymbals clashing and drums beating in token of rejoicing.
There they abode in the enjoyment of fair entertainment for
forty days, at the end of which quoth the King of China to
Sayf al-Muluk, "O son of my brother, how is thy case[FN#396]?
Doth my country please thee?"; and quoth Sayf al-Muluk, "May
Allah Almighty long honour it with thee, O King!" Said
Faghfur, "Naught hath brought thee hither save some need which
hath occurred to thee; and whatso thou desirest of my country
I will accomplish it to the." Replied Sayf al-Muluk, "O King,
my case is a wondrous, "and told him how he had fallen in love
with the portrait of Badi'a al-Jamal, and wept bitter tears.
When the King of China heard his story, he wept for pity and
solicitude for him and cried, "And what wouldst thou have now,
O Sayf al-Muluk?"; and he rejoined, "I would have thee bring
me all the wanderers and travellers, the seafarers and
sea-captains, that I may question them of the original of this
portrait; perhaps one of them may give me tidings of her." So
Faghfur Shah sent out his Nabobs and Chamberlains and
body-guards to fetch all the wanderers and travellers in the
land, and they brought them before the two Kings, and they
were a numerous company. Then Sayf al-Muluk questioned them of
the City of Babel and the Garden of Iram, but none of them
returned him a reply, whereupon he was bewildered and wist not
what to do; but one of the sea-captains said to him, "O
auspicious King, an thou wouldst know of this city and that
garden, up and hie thee to the Islands of the Indian
realm."[FN#397] Thereupon Sayf al-Muluk bade bring the ships;
which being done, they freighted them with vivers and water
and all that they needed, and the Prince and his Wazir
re-embarked, with all their men, after they had farewelled
King Faghfur Shah. They sailed the seas four months with a
fair wind, in safety and satisfaction till it chanced tha tone
day of the days there came out upon them a wind and the
billows buffeted them from all quarters. The rain and
hail[FN#398] descended on them and during twenty days the sea
was troubled for the violence of the wind; wherefor the ships
drave one against other and brake up, as did the
carracks[FN#399] and all on board were drowned, except Sayf
al-Muluk and some of his servants, who saved themselves in a
little cock-boat. Then the wind fell by the decree of Allah
Almighty and the sun shone out; whereupon Sayf al-Muluk opened
his eyes and seeing no sign of the ships nor aught, but sky
and sea, said to the Mamelukes who were with him, "Where are
the carracks and cock-boats and where is my brother Sa'id?"
They replied, "O King of the Age, there remain nor ships nor
boats nor those who were therein; for they are all drowned and
become food for fishes." Now when he heard this, he cried
aloud and repeated the saying which whoso saith shall not be
confounded, and it is, "There is no Majesty and there is no
Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!" Then he fell to
buffeting his face and would have cast himself into the sea,
but his Mamelukes withheld him, saying "O King, what will this
profit thee? Thou hast brought all this on thyself; for, hadst
thou hearkened to thy father's words, naught thereof had
betided thee. But this was written from all eternity by the
will of the Creator of Souls."--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,
She resume, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Sayf al-Muluk would have cast himself into the main, his
Mamelukes withheld him saying, "What will this profit thee?
Thou hast done this deed by thyself, yet was it written from
all eternity by the will of the Creator of Souls, that the
creature might accomplish that which Allah hath decreed unto
him. And indeed, at the time of thy birth, the astrologers
assured thy sire that all manner troubles should befal thee.
So there is naught for it but patience till Allah deliver us
from this our strait." Replied the Prince, "There is no
Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the
Great! Neither is there refuge nor fleeing from that which He
decreeth!" And he sighed and recited these couplets,
"By the Compassionate, I'm dazed about my case for lo! *
Troubles and griefs beset me sore; I know not whence they
grow.
I will be patient, so the folk, that I against a thing *
Bitt'rer than very aloes' self,[FN#400] endurèd have, may
know.
Less bitter than my patience is the taste of aloes-juice; *
I've borne with patience what's more hot than coals with
fire aglow.
In this my trouble what resource have I, save to commit * My
case to Him who orders all that is, for weal or woe?"
Then he became drowned in the depth of thoughts and his tears
ran down upon his cheeks like torrent-rain; and he slept a
while of the day, after which he awoke and sought of food
somewhat. So they set meat before him and he ate his
sufficiency, till they removed the food from before him,
whilst the boat drove on with them they knew not whither it
was wandering. It drifted with them at the will of the winds
and the waves, night and day a great while, till their victual
was spent and they saw themselves shent and were reduced to
extreme hunger and thirst and exhaustion, when behold,
suddenly they sighted an island from afar and the breezes
wafted them on, till they came thither. Then, making the
cock-boat fast to the coast and leaving one therein to guard
it, they fared on into the island, where they found abundance
of fruits of all colours and ate of them till they were
satisfied. Presently, they saw a person sitting among those
trees and he was long-faced, of strange favour and white of
beard and body. He called to one of the Mamelukes by his name,
saying, "Eat not of these fruits, for they are unripe; but
come hither to me, that I may give thee to eat of the best and
the ripest." The slave looked at him and thought that he was
one of the shipwrecked, who had made his way to that island;
so he joyed with exceeding joy at sight of him and went close
up to him, knowing not what was decreed to him in the Secret
Purpose nor what was writ upon his brow. But, when he drew
near, the stranger in human shape leapt upon him, for he was a
Marid,[FN#401] and riding upon his shoulderblades and twisting
one of his legs about his neck, let the other hang down upon
his back, saying, "Walk on, fellow; for there is no escape for
thee from me and thou art become mine ass." Thereupon the
Mameluke fell a-weeping and cried out to his comrades, "Alas,
my lord! Flee ye forth of this wood and save yourselves, for
one of the dwellers therein hath mounted on my shoulders, and
the rest seek you, desiring to ride you like me."When they
heard these words, all fled down to the boat and pushed off to
sea; whilst the islanders followed them into the water,
saying, "Whither wend ye? Come, tarry with us and we will
mount on your backs and give you meat and drink, and you shall
be our donkeys." Hearing this they hastened the more seawards
till they left them in the distance and fared on, trusting in
Allah Almighty; nor did they leave faring for a month, till
another island rose before them and thereon they landed. Here
they found fruits of various kinds and busied themselves with
eating of them, when behold, they saw from afar, somewhat
lying in the road, a hideous creature as it were a column of
silver. So they went up to it and one of the men gave it a
kick, when lo! it was a thing of human semblance, long of eyes
and cloven of head and hidden under one of his ears, for he
was wont, whenas he lay down to sleep, to spread on ear under
his head, and cover his face with the other ear.[FN#402] He
snatched up the Mameluke who had kicked him and carried him
off into the middle of the island, and behold, it was all full
of Ghuls who eat the sons of Adam. The man cried out to his
fellows, "Save yourselves, for this is the island of the
man-eating Ghuls, and they mean to tear me to bits and devour
me." When they heard these words they fled back to the boat,
without gathering any store of the fruits and putting out to
sea, fared on some days till it so happened that they came to
another island, where they found a high mountain. So they
climbed to the top and there saw a thick copse. Now they were
sore anhungered; so they took to eating of the fruits; but,
before they were aware, there came upon them from among the
trees black men of terrible aspect, each fifty cubits high
with eye-teeth[FN#403] protruding from their mouths like
elephants' tusks; and, laying hands on Sayf al-Muluk and his
company, carried them to their King, whom they found seated on
a piece of black felt laid on a rock, and about him a great
company of Zanzibar-blacks, standing in his service. The
blackamoors who had captured the Prince and his Mamelukes set
them before the King and said to him, "We found these birds
amoung the trees"; and the King was sharp-set; so he took two
of the servants and cut their throats and ate them;--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
Zanzibar-blacks took Sayf al-Muluk and his Mamelukes and set
them before the King, saying, "O King, we came upon these
birds among the trees." Thereupon the King seized two of the
Mamelukes and cut their throats and ate them; which, when Sayf
al-Muluk saw, he feared for himself and wept and repeated
these verses,
"Familiar with my heart are woes and with them I * Who shunned
them; for familiar are great hearts and high.
The woes I suffer are not all of single kind. * I have, thank
Allah, varied thousands to aby!"
Then he signed and repeated these also,
"The World hath shot me with its sorrows till * My heart is
covered with shafts galore;
And now, when strike me other shafts, must break * Against th'
old points the points that latest pour."
When the King heard his weeping and wailing, he said, "Verily
these birds have sweet voices and their song pleaseth me: put
them in cages." So they set them each in his own cage and hung
them up at the King's head that he might listen to their
warbling. On this wise Sayf al-Muluk and his Mamelukes abode
and the blackamoors gave them to eat and drink: and now they
wept and now laughed, now spake and now were hushed, whilst
the King of the blacks delighted in the sound of their voices.
And so they continued for a long time. Now this King had a
daughter married in another island who, hearing that her
father had birds with sweet voices, sent a messenger to him
seeking of him some of them. So he sent her, by her
Cossid,[FN#404] Sayf al-Muluk and three of his men in four
cages; and, when she saw them, they pleased her and she bade
hang them up in a place over her head. The Prince fell to
marvelling at that which had befallen him and calling to mind
his former high and honourable estate and weeping for himself;
and the three servants wept for themselves; and the King's
daughter deemed that they sang. Now it was her wont, whenever
any one from the land of Egypt or elsewhere fell into her
hands and he pleased her, to advance him to great favour with
her; and by the decree of Allah Almighty it befel that, when
she saw Sayf al-Muluk she was charmed by his beauty and
loveliness and symmetry and perfect grace, and she commanded
to entreat him and his companions with honour and to loose
them from their cages. Now one day she took the Prince apart
and would have him enjoy her; but he refused, saying, "O my
lady, I am a banisht wight and with passion for a beloved one
in piteous plight, nor with other will I consent to
love-delight." Then she coaxed him and importuned him, but he
held aloof from her, and she could not approach him nor get
her desire of him by any ways and means. At last, when she was
weary of courting him in vain, she waxed wroth with him and
his Mamelukes, and commanded that they should serve her and
fetch her wood and water. In such condition they abode four
years till Sayf al-Muluk became weary of his life and sent to
intercede with the Princess, so haply she might release them
and let them wend their ways and be at rest from that their
hard labour. So she sent for him and said to him, "If thou
wilt do my desire, I will free thee from this thy durance vile
and thou shalt go to thy country, safe and sound." And she
wept and ceased not to humble herself to him and wheedle him,
but he would not hearken to her words; whereupon she turned
from him, in anger, and he and his companions abode on the
island in the same plight. The islanders knew them for "The
Princess's birds" and durst not work them any wrong; and her
heart was at ease concerning them, being assured that they
could not escape from the island. So they used to absent
themselves from her two and three days at a time and go round
about the desert parts in al directions, gathering firewood,
which they brought to the Princess's kitchen; and thus they
abode five[FN#405] years. Now one day it so chanced that the
Prince and his men were sitting on the sea-shore, devising of
what had befallen, and Sayf al-Muluk, seeing himself and his
men in such case, bethought him of his mother and father and
his brother Sa'id and, calling to mind what high degree he had
been in, fell a-weeping and lamenting passing sore, whilst his
slaves wept likewise. Then said they to him, "O King of the
Age, how long shall we weep? Weeping availeth not; for this
thing was written on our brows by the ordinance of Allah, to
whom belong Might and Majesty. Indeed, the Pen runneth with
that He decreeth and nought will serve us but patience: haply
Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) who hath saddened us shall
gladden us!" Quoth he, "O my brothers, how shall we win free
from this accursed woman? I see no way of escape for us, save
Allah of his grace deliver us from her; but methinks we may
flee and be at rest from this hard labour." And quoth they, "O
King of the Age, whither shall we flee? For the whole island
is full of Ghuls which devour the Sons of Adam, and
whithersoever we go, they will find us there and either eat us
or capture and carry us back to that accursed, the King's
daughter, who will be wroth with us." Sayf al-Muluk rejoined,
"I will contrive you somewhat, whereby peradventure Allah
Almighty shall deliver us and help us to escape from this
island." They asked, "And how wilt thou do?"; and he answered,
"Let us cut some of these long pieces of wood, and twist ropes
of their bark and bind them one with another, and make of them
a raft[FN#406] which we will launch and load with these
fruits: then we will fashion us paddles and embark on the raft
after breaking our bonds with the axe. It may be that Almighty
Allah will make it the means of our deliverance from this
accursed woman and vouchsafe us a fair wind to bring us to the
land of Hind, for He over all things is Almighty!" Said they,
"Right is thy rede," and rejoiced thereat with exceeding joy.
So they arose without stay or delay and cut with their axes
wood for the raft and twisted ropes to bind the logs and at
this they worked a whole month. Every day about evening they
gathered somewhat of fuel and bore it to the Princess's
kitchen, and employed the rest of the twenty-four hours
working at the raft.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
Sayf al-Muluk and his Mamelukes, having cut the wood and
twisted the ropes for their raft, made an end of it and
launched it upon the sea; then, after breaking their bonds
with the axe, and loading the craft with fruits plucked from
the island-trees, they embarked at close of day; nor did any
wot of their intent. They put out to sea in their raft and
paddled on four months, knowing not whither the craft carried
them, till their provaunt failed them and they were suffering
the severest extreme of hunger and thirst, when behold, the
sea waxed troubled and foamed and rose in high waves, and
there came forth upon them a frightful crocodile,[FN#407]
which put out its claw and catching up one of the Mamelukes
swallowed him. At the sight of this horror Sayf al-Muluk wept
bitterly and he and the two men[FN#408] that remained to him
pushed off from the place where they had seen the crocodile,
sore affrighted. After this they continued drifting on till
one day they espied a mountain terrible tall and spiring high
in air, whereat they rejoiced, when presently an island
appeared. They made towards it with all their might
congratulating one another on the prospect of making land; but
hardly had they sighted the island on which was the mountain,
when the sea changed face and boiled and rose in big waves and
a second crocodile raised its head and putting out its claw
caught up the two remaining Mamelukes and swallowed them. So
Sayf al-Muluk abode alone, and making his way to the island,
toiled till he reached the mountain-top, where he looked about
and found a copse, and walking among the trees feel to eating
of the fruits. Presently, he saw among the branches more than
twenty great apes, each bigger than a he-mule, whereat he was
seized with exceeding fear. The apes came down and surrounded
him;[FN#409] then forewent him, signing to him to follow them,
and walked on, and he too, till he came to a castle, tall of
base and strong of build whose ordinance was one brick of gold
and one of silver. The apes entered and he after them, and he
saw in the castle all manner of rarities, jewels and precious
metals such as tongue faileth to describe. Here also he found
a young man, passing tall of stature with no hair on his
cheeks, and Sayf al-Muluk was cheered by the sight for there
was no human being but he in the castle. The stranger
marvelled exceedingly at sight of the Prince and asked him,
"What is thy name and of what land art thou and how camest
thou hither? Tell me thy tale and hide from me naught
thereof." Answered the Prince, "By Allah, I came not hither of
my own consent nor is this place of my intent; yet I cannot
but go from place to place till I win my wish." Quoth the
youth, "And what is thy object?"; and quoth the other, "I am
of the land of Egypt and my name is Sayf al-Muluk son of King
Asim bin Safwan"; and told him all that had passed with him,
from first to last. Whereupon the youth arose and stood in his
service, saying, "O King of the Age, I was erst in Egypt and
heard that thou hadst gone to the land of China; but where is
this land and where lies China-land?[FN#410] Verily, this is a
wondrous thing and marvellous matter!" Answered the Prince,
"Sooth thou speakest but, when I left China-land, I set out,
intending for the land of Hind and a stormy wind arose and the
sea boiled and broke all my ships"; brief, he told him all
that had befallen him till he came thither; whereupon quoth
the other, "O King's son, thou hast had enough of strangerhood
and its sufferings; Alhamdolillah,--praised be Allah who hath
brought thee hither! So now do thou abide with me, that I may
enjoy thy company till I die, when thou shalt become King over
this island, to which no bound is known, and these apes thou
seest are indeed skilled in all manner of crafts; and whatso
thou seekest here shalt thou find." Replied Sayf al-Muluk, "O
my brother I may not tarry in any place till my wish be won,
albeit I compass the whole world in pursuit thereof and make
quest of every one so peradventure Allah may bring me to my
desire or my course lead me to the place wherein is the
appointed term of my days, and I shall die my death." Then the
youth turned with a sign to one of the apes, and he went out
and was absent awhile, after which he returned with other apes
girt with silken zones.[FN#411] They brought the trays and set
on near[FN#412] an hundred chargers of gold and saucers of
silver, containing all manner of meats. Then they stood, after
the manner of servants between the hands of Kings, till the
youth signalled to the Chamberlains, who sat down, and he
whose wont it was to serve stood, whilst the two Princes ate
their sufficiency. Then the apes cleared the table and brought
basins and ewers of gold, and they washed their hands in rose
water; after which they set on fine sugar and nigh forty
flagons, in each a different kind of wine, and they drank and
took their pleasure and made merry and had a fine time. And
all the apes danced and gambolled before them, what while the
eaters sat at meat; which when Sayf al-Muluk saw, he marvelled
at them and forgot that which had befallen him of
sufferings.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Sayf al-Muluk saw the gestures and gambols of the apes, he
marvelled thereat and forgot that which had betided him of
strangerhood and its sufferings. At nightfall they lighted
waxen candles in candlesticks of gold studded with gems and
set on dishes of confections and fruits of sugar-candy. So
they ate; and when the hour of rest was come, the apes spread
them bedding and they slept. And when morning morrowed, the
young man arose, as was his wont, before sunrise and waking
Sayf al-Muluk said to him, "Put thy head forth of this lattice
and see what standeth beneath it." So he put out his head and
saw the wide waste and all the wold filled with apes, whose
number none knew save Allah Almighty. Quoth he, "Here be great
plenty of apes, for they cover the whole country: but why are
they assembled at this hour?" Quoth the youth, "This is their
custom. Every Sabbath,[FN#413] all the apes in the island come
hither, some from two and three days' distance, and stand here
till I awake from sleep and put forth my head from this
lattice, when they kiss ground before me and go about their
business." So saying, he put his head out of the window; and
when the apes saw him, they kissed the earth before him and
went their way. Sayf al-Muluk abode with the young man a whole
month when he farewelled him and departed, escorted by a party
of nigh a hundred apes, which the young man bade escort him.
They journeyed with him seven days, till they came to the
limits of their islands,[FN#414] when they took leave of him
and returned to their places, while Sayf al-Muluk fared on
alone over mount and hill, desert and plain, four months'
journey, one day anhungered and the next satiated, now eating
of the herbs of the earth and then of the fruits of the trees,
till he repented him of the harm he had done himself by
leaving the young man; and he was about to retrace his steps
to him, when he saw something black afar off and said to
himself, "Is this a city or trees? But I will not turn back
till I see what it is." So he made towards it and when he drew
near, he saw that it was a palace tall of base. Now he who
built it was Japhet son of Noah (on whom be peace!) and it is
of this palace that God the Most High speaketh in His precious
Book, whenas He saith, "And an abandoned well and a
high-builded palace."[FN#415] Sayf al-Muluk sat down at the
gate and said in his mind, "Would I knew what is within yonder
palace and what King dwelleth there and who shall acquaint me
whether its folk are men or Jinn? Who will tell me the truth
of the case?" He sat considering awhile, but, seeing none go
in or come out, he rose and committing himself to Allah
Almighty entered the palace and walked on, till he had counted
seven vestibules; yet saw no one. Presently looking to his
right he beheld three doors, while before him was a fourth,
over which hung a curtain. So he went up to this and raising
the curtain, found himself in a great hall[FN#416] spread with
silken carpets. At the upper end rose a throne of gold whereon
sat a damsel, whose face was like the moon, arrayed in royal
raiment and beautified as she were a bride on the night of her
displaying; and at the foot of the throne was a table of forty
trays spread with golden and silvern dishes full of dainty
viands. The Prince went up and saluted her, and she returned
his salam, saying, "Art thou of mankind or of the Jinn?"
Replied he, "I am a man of the best of mankind;[FN#417] for I
am a King, son of a King." She rejoined, "What seekest thou?
Up with thee and eat of yonder food, and after tell me thy
past from first to last and how thou camest hither." So he sat
down at the table and removing the cover from a tray of meats
(he being hungry), ate till he was full; then washed his right
hand and going up to the throne, sat down by the damsel who
asked him, "Who art thou and what is thy name and whence
comest thou and who brought thee hither?" He answered, "Indeed
my story is a long but do thou first tell me who and what and
whence thou art and why thou dwellest in this place alone."
She rejoined, "My name is Daulat Khátun[FN#418] and I am the
daughter of the King of Hind. My father dwelleth in the
Capital-city of Sarandíb and hath a great and goodly garden,
there is no goodlier in all the land of Hind or its
dependencies; and in this garden is a great tank. One day, I
went out into the garden with my slave-women and I stripped me
naked and they likewise and, entering the tank, fell to
sporting and solacing ourselves therein. Presently, before I
could be ware, a something as it were a cloud swooped down on
me and snatching me up from amongst my handmaids, soared aloft
with me betwixt heaven and earth, saying, 'Fear not, O Daulat
Khatun, but be of good heart.' Then he flew on with me a
little while, after which he set me down in this palace and
straightway without stay or delay became a handsome young man
daintily apparelled, who said to me, 'Now dost thou know me?'
Replied I, 'No, O my lord'; and he said, 'I am the Blue King,
Sovran of the Jann; my father dwelleth in the Castle
Al-Kulzum[FN#419] hight, and hath under his hand six hundred
thousand Jinn, flyers and divers. It chanced that while
passing on my way I saw thee and fell in love with thee for
thy lovely form: so I swooped down on thee and snatched thee
up from among the slave-girls and brought thee to this the
High-builded Castle, which is my dwelling-place. None may fare
hither be he man or be he Jinni, and from Hind hither is a
journey of an hundred and twenty years: wherefore do thou hold
that thou wilt never again behold the land of thy father and
thy mother; so abide with me here, in contentment of heart and
peace, and I will bring to thy hands whatso thou seekest.'
Then he embraced me and kissed me,"--And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
damsel said to Sayf al-Muluk, "Then the King of the Jann,
after he had acquainted me with his case, embraced me and
kissed me, saying, 'Abide here and fear nothing'; whereupon he
went away from me for an hour and presently returned with
these tables and carpets and furniture. He comes to me every
Third[FN#420] and abideth with me three days and on Friday, at
the time of mid-afternoon prayer, he departeth and is absent
till the following Third. When he is here, he eateth and
drinketh and kisseth and huggeth me, but doth naught else with
me, and I am a pure virgin, even as Allah Almighty created me.
My father's name is Táj al-Mulúk, and he wotteth not what is
come of me nor hath he hit upon any trace of me. This is my
story: now tell me thy tale." Answered the Prince, "My story
is a long and I fear lest while I am telling it to thee the
Ifrit come." Quoth she "He went out from me but an hour before
thy entering and will not return till Third: so sit thee down
and take thine ease and hearten thy heart and tell me what
hath betided thee, from beginning to end." And quoth he, "I
hear and I obey." So he fell to telling her all that had
befallen him from commencement to conclusion but, when she
heard speak of Badi'a al-Jamal, her eyes ran over with railing
tears and she cried, "O Badi'a al-Jamal, I had not thought
this of thee! Alack for our luck! O Badi'a al-Jamal, dost thou
not remember me nor say, 'My sister Daulat Khatun whither is
she gone?'" And her weeping redoubled, lamenting for that
Badi'a al-Jamal had forgotten her.[FN#421] Then said Sayf
al-Muluk, "O Daulat Khatun, thou art a mortal and she is a
Jinniyah: how then can she be thy sister?" Replied the
Princess, "She is my sister by fosterage and this is how it
came about. My mother went out to solace herself in the
garden, when labour-pangs seized her and she bare me. Now the
mother of Badi'a al-Jamal chanced to be passing with her
guards, when she also was taken with travail-pains; so she
alighted in a side of the garden and there brought forth
Badi'a al-Jamal. She despatched one of her women to seek food
and childbirth-gear of my mother, who sent her what she sought
and invited her to visit her. So she came to her with Badi'a
al-Jamal and my mother suckled the child, who with her mother
tarried with us in the garden two months. And before wending
her ways the mother of Badi'a al-Jamal gave my mother
somewhat,[FN#422] saying, 'When thou hast need of me, I will
come to thee a middlemost the garden,' and departed to her own
land; but she and her daughter used to visit us every year and
abide with us awhile before returning home. Wherefore an I
were with my mother, O Sayf al-Muluk, and if thou wert with me
in my own country and Badi'a al-Jamal and I were together as
of wont, I would devise some device with her to bring thee to
thy desire of her: but I am here and they know naught of me;
for that an they kenned what is become of me, they have power
to deliver me from this place; however, the matter is in
Allah's hands (extolled and exalteth be He!) and what can I
do?" Quoth Sayf al-Muluk, "Rise and let us flee and go whither
the Almighty willeth;" but, quoth she, "We cannot do that:
for, by Allah, though we fled hence a year's journey that
accursed would overtake us in an hour and slaughter us." Then
said the Prince, "I will hide myself in his way, and when he
passeth by I will smite him with the sword and slay him."
Daulat Khatun replied, "Thou canst not succeed in slaying him
save thou his soul." Asked he, "And where is his soul?"; and
she answered, "Many a time have I questioned him thereof but
he would not tell me, till one day I pressed him and he waxed
wroth with me and said to me, 'How often wilt thou ask me of
my soul? What hast thou to do with my soul?' I rejoined, 'O
Hátim,[FN#423] there remaineth none to me but thou, except
Allah; and my life dependeth on thy life and whilst thou
livest, all is well for me; so, except I care for thy soul and
set it in the apple of this mine eye, how shall I live in
thine absence? An I knew where thy soul abideth, I would never
cease whilst I live, to hold it in mine embrace and would keep
it as my right eye.' Whereupon said he to me, 'What time I was
born, the astrologers predicted that I should lose my soul at
the hands of the son of a king of mankind. So I took it and
set it in the crop of a sparrow, and shut up the bird in a
box. The box I set in a casket, and enclosing this in seven
other caskets and seven chests, laid the whole in a
alabastrine coffer,[FN#424] which I buried within the marge of
yon earth-circling sea; for that these parts are far from the
world of men and none of them can win hither. So now see I
have told thee what thou wouldst know, and do thou tell none
thereof, for it is a secret between me and thee.'"--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Seventieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Daulat Khatun acquainted Sayf al-Muluk with the whereabouts of
the soul of the Jinni who had carried her off and repeated to
him his speech ending with, "And this is a secret between me
and thee!" "I rejoined," quoth she, "'To whom should I tell
it, seeing that none but thou cometh hither with whom I may
talk thereof?' adding, 'By Allah, thou hast indeed set thy
soul in the strongest of strongholds to which none may gain
access! How should a man win to it, unless the impossible be
fore-ordained and Allah decree like as the astrologers
predicted?' Thereupon the Jinni, 'Peradventure one may come,
having on his finger the seal-ring of Solomon son of David (on
the twain be peace!) and lay his hand with the ring on the
face of the water, saying, 'By the virtue of the names
engraven upon this ring, let the soul of such an one come
forth!' Whereupon the coffer will rise to the surface and he
will break it open and do the like with the chests and
caskets, till he come to the little box, when he will take out
the sparrow and strangle it, and I shall die.'" Then said Sayf
al-Muluk, "I am the King's son of whom he spake, and this is
the ring of Solomon David-son on my finger: so rise, let us go
down to the sea-shore and see if his words be leal or
leasing!" Thereupon the two walked down to the sea-shore and
the Princess stood on the beach, whilst the Prince waded into
the water to his waist and laying his hand with the ring on
the surface of the sea, said, "By the virtue of the names and
talismans engraven on this ring, and by the might of Sulayman
bid Dáúd (on whom be the Peace!), let the soul of Hatim the
Jinni, son of the Blue King, come forth!" Whereat the sea
boiled in billows and the coffer of alabaster rose to the
surface. Sayf al-Muluk took it and shattered it against the
rock and broke open the chests and caskets, till he came to
the little box and drew thereout the sparrow. Then the twain
returned to the castle and sat down on the throne; but hardly
had they done this, when lo and behold! there arose a
dust-cloud terrifying and some huge thing came flying and
crying, "Spare me, O King's son, and slay me not; but make me
thy freedman, and I will bring thee to thy desire!" Quoth
Daulat Khatun, "The Jinni cometh; slay the sparrow, lest this
accursed enter the palace and take it from thee and slaughter
me and slaughter thee after me." So the Prince wrung the
sparrow's neck and it died, whereupon the Jinni fell down at
the palace-door and became a heap of black ashes. Then said
Daulat Khatun, "We are delivered from the hand of yonder
accursed; what shall we do now?"; and Sayf al-Muluk replied,
"It behoveth us to ask aid of Allah Almighty who hath
afflicted us; belike He will direct us and help us to escape
from this our strait." So saying, he arose and pulling
up[FN#425] half a score of the doors of the palace, which were
of sandal-wood and lign-aloes with nails of gold and silver,
bound them together with ropes of silk and floss[FN#426]-silk
and fine linen and wrought of them a raft, which he and the
Princess aided each other to hale down to the sea-shore. They
launched it upon the water till it floated and, making it fast
to the beach, returned to the palace, whence they removed all
the chargers of gold and saucers of silver and jewels and
precious stones and metals and what else was light of load and
weighty of worth and freighted the raft therewith. Then they
embarked after fashioning two pieces of wood into the likeness
of paddles and casting off the rope-moorings, let the raft
drift out to sea with them, committing themselves to Allah the
Most High, who contenteth those that put their trust in Him
and disappointeth not them who rely upon Him. They ceased not
faring on thus four months until their victual was exhausted
and their sufferings waxed severe and their souls were
straitened; so they prayed Allah to vouchsafe them deliverance
from that danger. But all this time when they lay down to
sleep, Sayf al-Muluk set Daulat Khatun behind him and laid a
naked brand at his back, so that, when he turned in sleep the
sword was between them.[FN#427] At last it chanced one night,
when Sayf al-Muluk was asleep and Daulat Khatun awake, that
behold, the raft drifted landwards and entered a port wherein
were ships. The Princess saw the ships and heard a man, he
being the chief and head of the captains, talking with the
sailors; whereby she knew that this was the port of some city
and that they were come to an inhabited country. So she joyed
with exceeding joy and waking the Prince said to him, "Ask the
captain the name of the city and harbour." Thereupon Sayf
al-Muluk arose and said to the captain, "O my brother, how is
this harbour hight and what be the names of yonder city and
its King?" Replied the Captain, "O false face![FN#428] O
frosty beard! an thou knew not the name of this port and city,
how camest thou hither?" Quoth Sayf al-Muluk, "I am a stranger
and had taken passage in a merchant ship which was wrecked and
sank with all on board; but I saved myself on a plank and made
my way hither; wherefore I asked thee the name of the place,
and in asking is no offence." Then said the captain, "This is
the city of 'Amáriyah and this harbour is called Kamín
al-Bahrayn."[FN#429] When the Princess heard this she rejoiced
with exceeding joy and said, "Praised be Allah!" He asked,
"What is to do?"; and she answered, "O Sayf al-Muluk, rejoice
in succour near hand; for the King of this city is my uncle,
my father's brother."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-first Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
Daulat Khatun said to Sayf al-Muluk, "Rejoice in safety near
hand; for the King of this city is my uncle, my father's
brother and his name is 'Ali al-Mulúk,"[FN#430] adding, "Say
thou then to the captain, 'Is the Sultan of the city, Ali
al-Muluk, well?'" He asked but the captain was wroth with him
and cried, "Thou sayest, 'I am a stranger and never in my life
came hither.' Who then told thee the name of the lord of the
city?" When Daulat Khatun heard this, she rejoiced and knew
him for Mu'ín al-Dín,[FN#431] one of her father's captains.
Now he had fared forth in search of her, after she was lost
and finding her not, he never ceased cruising till he came to
her uncle's city. Then she bade Sayf al-Muluk say to him, "O
Captain Mu'in al-Din, come and speak with thy mistress!" So he
called out to him as she bade, whereat he was wroth with
exceeding wrath and answered, "O dog, O thief, O spy, who art
thou and how knowest thou me?" Then he said to one of the
sailors, "Give me an ash[FN#432]-stave, that I may go to
yonder plaguing Arab and break his head." So he tookt he stick
and made for Sayf al-Muluk, but, when he came to the raft, he
saw a something, wondrous, beauteous, which confounded his
wits and considering it straitly he made sure that it was
Daulat Khatun sitting there, as she were a slice of the moon;
whereat he said to the Prince, "Who is that with thee?"
Replied he, "A damsel by name Daulat Khatun." When the captain
heard the Princess's name and knew that she was his mistress
and the daughter of his King, he fell down in a fainting-fit,
and when he came to himself, he left the raft and whatso was
thereon and riding up to the palace, craved an audience of the
King; whereupon the chamberlain went in to the presence and
said, "Captain Mu'in al-Din is come to bring thee good news;
so bid he be brought in." The King bade admit him; accordingly
he entered and kissing ground[FN#433] said to him, "O King,
thou owest me a gift for glad tidings; for thy brother's
daughter Daulat Khatun hath reached our city safe and sound,
and is now on a raft in the harbour, in company with a young
man like the moon on the night of its full." When the King
heard this, he rejoiced and conferred a costly robe of honour
on the captain. Then he straightway bade decorate the city in
honour of the safe return of his brother's daughter, and
sending for her and Sayf al-Muluk, saluted the twain and gave
them joy of their safety; after which he despatched a
messenger to his brother, to let him know that his daughter
was found and was with him. As soon as the news reached Taj
al-Muluk he gat him ready and assembling his troops set out
for his brother's capital, where he found his daughter and
they rejoiced with exceeding joy. He sojourned with his
brother a week, after which he took his daughter and Sayf
al-Muluk and returned to Sarandib, where the Princess
foregathered with her mother and they rejoiced at her safe
return; and held high festival and that day was a great day,
never was seen its like. As for Sayf al-Muluk, the King
entreated him with honour and said to him, "O Sayf al-Muluk,
thou hast done me and my daughter all this good for which I
cannot requite thee nor can any requite thee, save the Lord of
the three Worlds; but I wish thee to sit upon the throne in my
stead and rule the land of Hind, for I offer thee of my throne
and kingdom and treasures and servants, all this in free gift
to thee." Whereupon Sayf al-Muluk rose and kissing the ground
before the King, thanked him and answered, "O King of the Age,
I accept all thou givest me and return it to thee in freest
gift; for I, O King of the Age, covet not sovranty nor
sultanate nor desire aught but that Allah the Most High bring
me to my desire." Rejoined the King, "O Sayf al-Muluk these my
treasures are at thy disposal: take of them what thou wilt,
without consulting me, and Allah requite thee for me with all
weal!" Quoth the Prince, "Allah advance the King! There is no
delight for me in money or in dominion till I win my wish: but
now I have a mind to solace myself in the city and view its
thoroughfares and market-streets." So the King bade bring him
a mare of the thoroughbreds, saddled and bridled; and Sayf
al-Muluk mounted her and rode through the streets and markets
of the city. As he looked about him right and left, lo! his
eyes fell on a young man, who was carrying a tunic and crying
it for sale at fifteen dinars: so he considered him and saw
him to be like his brother Sa'id; and indeed it was his very
self, but he was wan of blee and changed for long strangerhood
and the travails of travel, so that he knew him not. However,
he said to his attendants, "Take yonder youth and carry him to
the palace where I lodge, and keep him with you till my return
from the ride when I will question him." But they understood
him to say, "Carry him to the prison," and said in themselves
"Haply this is some runaway Mameluke of his." So they took him
and bore him to the bridewell, where they laid him in irons
and left him seated in solitude, unremembered by any.
Presently Sayf al-Muluk returned to the palace, but he forgot
his brother Sa'id, and none made mention of him. So he abode
in prison, and when they brought out the prisoners, to cut
ashlar from the quarries they took Sa'id with them, and he
wrought with the rest. He abode a month's space, in this
squalor and sore sorrow, pondering his case and saying in
himself, "What is the cause of my imprisonment?"; while Sayf
al-Muluk's mind was diverted from him by rejoicing and other
things; but one day, as he sat, he bethought him of Sa'id and
said to his Mamelukes, "Where is the white slave I gave into
your charge on such a day?" Quoth they, "Didst thou not bid us
bear him to the bridewell?"; and quoth he, "Nay, I said not
so; I bade you carry him to my palace after the ride." Then he
sent his Chamberlains and Emirs for Sa'id and they fetched him
in fetters, and loosing him from his irons set him before the
Prince, who asked him, "O young man, what countryman art
thou?"; and he answered, "I am from Egypt and my name is
Sa'id, son of Faris the Wazir." Now hearing these words Sayf
al-Muluk sprang to his feet and throwing himself off the
throne and upon his friend, hung on his neck, weeping aloud
for very joy and saying, "O my brother, O Sa'id, praise be
Allah for King Asim." Then they embraced and shed tears
together and all who were present marvelled at them. After
this Sayf al-Muluk bade his people bear Sa'id to the
Hammam-bath: and they did so. When he came out, they clad him
in costly clothing and carried him back to Sayf al-Muluk who
seated him on the throne beside himself. When King Taj
al-Muluk heard of the reunion of Sayf al-Muluk and his brother
Sa'id, he joyed with you exceeding and came to them, and the
three sat devising of all that had befallen them in the past
from first to last. Then said Sa'id, "O my brother, O Sayf
al-Muluk, when the ship sank with all on board I saved myself
on a plank with a company of Mamelukes and it drifted with us
a whole month, when the wind cast us, by the ordinance of
Allah Almighty, upon an island. So we landed and entering
among the trees took to eating of the fruits, for we were
anhungred. Whilst we were busy eating, there fell on us
unawares, folk like Ifrits[FN#434] and springing on our
shoulders rode us[FN#435] and said to us, 'Go on with us; for
ye are become our asses.' So I said to him who had mounted me,
'What art thou and why mountest thou me?' At this he twisted
one of his legs about my neck, till I was all but dead, and
beat upon my back the while with the other leg, till I thought
he had broken my backbone. So I fell to the ground on my face,
having no strength left in me for famine and thirst. From my
fall he knew that I was hungry and taking me by the hand, led
me to a tree laden with fruit which was a pear-tree[FN#436]
and said to me, 'Eat thy fill of this tree.' So I ate till I
had enough and rose to walk against my will; but, ere I had
fared afar the creature turned and leaping on my shoulders
again drove me on, now walking, now running and now trotting,
and he the while mounted on me, laughing and saying, 'Never in
my life saw I a donkey like unto thee!' We abode thus for
years till, one day of the days, it chanced that we saw there
great plenty of vines, covered with ripe fruit; so we gathered
a quantity of grape-bunches and throwing them into a pit, trod
them with our feet, till the pit became a great water-pool.
Then we waited awhile and presently returning thither, found
that the sun had wroughten on the grape-juice and it was
become wine. So we used to drink it till we were drunken and
our faces flushed and we fell to singing and dancing and
running about in the merriment of drunkenness;[FN#437]
whereupon our masters said to us, 'What is it that reddeneth
your faces and maketh you dance and sing?' We replied, 'Ask us
not, what is your quest in questioning us hereof?' But they
insisted, saying, 'You must tell us so that we may know the
truth of the case,' till we told them how we had pressed
grapes and made wine. Quoth they, 'Give us to drink thereof';
but quoth we, 'The grapes are spent.' So they brought us to a
Wady, whose length we knew not from its breadth nor its
beginning from its end wherein were vines each bunch of grapes
on them weighing twenty pounds[FN#438] by the scale and all
within easy reach, and they said, 'Gather of these.' So we
gathered a mighty great store of grapes and finding there a
big trench bigger than the great tank in the King's garden we
filled it full of fruit. This we trod with our feet and did
with the juice as before till it became strong wine, which it
did after a month; whereupon we said to them, ''Tis come to
perfection; but in what will ye drink it?' And they replied,
'We had asses like unto you; but we ate them and kept their
heads: so give us to drink in their skulls.' We went to their
caves which we found full of heads and bones of the Sons of
Adam, and we gave them to drink, when they became drunken and
lay down, nigh two hundred of them. Then we said to one
another, 'Is it not enough that they should ride us, but they
must eat us also? There is no Majesty and there is no Might
save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! But we will ply them
with wine, till they are overcome by drunkenness, when we will
slay them and be at rest from them.' Accordingly, we awoke
them and fell to filling the skulls and gave them to drink,
but they said, 'This is bitter.' We replied, 'Why say ye 'tis
bitter? Whoso saith thus, except he drink of it ten times, he
dieth the same day.' When they heard this, they feared death
and cried to us, 'Give us to drink the whole ten times.' So we
gave them to drink, and when they swallowed the rest of the
ten draughts they waxed drunken exceedingly and their strength
failed them and they availed not to mount us. Thereupon we
dragged them together by their hands and laying them one upon
another, collected great plenty of dry vine-stalks and
branches and heaped it about and upon them: then we set fire
to the pile and stood afar off, to see what became of
them."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-second Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sa'id
continued, "When we set fire to the pile wherein were the
Ghuls, I with the Mamelukes stood afar off to see what became
of them; and, as soon the fire was burnt out, we came back and
found them a heap of ashes, wherefore we praised Allah
Almighty who had delivered us from them. Then we went forth
about the island and sought the sea-shore, where we parted and
I and two of the Mamelukes fared on till we came to a thick
copse full of fruit and there busied ourselves with eating,
and behold, presently up came a man tall of stature, long of
beard and lengthy of ear, with eyes like cressets, driving
before him and feeding a great flock of sheep.[FN#439] When he
saw us he rejoiced and said to us, 'Well come, and fair
welcome to you! Draw near me that I may slaughter you an ewe
of these sheep and roast it and give you to eat.' Quoth we,
'Where is thine abode?' And quoth he, 'Hard by yonder
mountain; go on towards it till ye come to a cave and enter
therein, for you will see many guests like yourselves; and do
ye sit with them, whilst we make ready for you the
guest-meal.' We believed him so fared on, as he bade us, till
we came to the cavern, where we found many guests, Sons of
Adam like ourselves, but they were all blinded;[FN#440] and
when we entered, one said, 'I'm sick'; and another, 'I'm
weak.' So we cried to them, 'What is this you say and what is
the cauase of your sickness and weakness?' They asked, 'Who
are ye?'; and we answered, 'We are guests.' Then said they,
'What hath made you fall into the hands of yonder accursed?
But there is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah,
the Glorious, the Great! This is a Ghul who devoureth the Sons
of Adam and he hath blinded us and meaneth to eat us.' Said
we, 'And how did he blind you?' and they replied, 'Even as he
will blind yourselves anon.' Quoth we, 'And how so?' And quoth
they, 'He will bring you bowls of soured milk[FN#441] and will
say to you, 'Ye are weary with wayfare: take this milk and
drink it.' And when ye have drunken thereof, ye will become
blind like us.' Said I to myself, 'There is no escape for us
but by contrivance.' So I dug a hole in the ground and sat
over it. After an hour or so in came the accursed Ghul with
bowls of milk, whereof he gave to each of us, saying, 'Ye come
from the desert and are athirst: so take this milk and drink
it, whilst I roast you the flesh.' I took the cup and carried
it to my mouth but emptied it into the hole; then I cried out,
'Alas! my sight is gone and I am blind!' and clapping my hand
to my eyes, fell a-weeping and a-wailing, whilst the accursed
laughed and said, 'Fear not, thou art now become like mine
other guests.' But, as for my two comrades, they drank the
milk and became blind. Thereupon the Ghul arose and stopping
up the mouth of the cavern came to me and felt my ribs, but
found me lean and with no flesh on my bones: so he tried
another and finding him fat, rejoiced. Then he slaughtered
three sheep and skinned them and fetching iron spits, spitted
the flesh thereon and set them over the fire to roast. When
the meat was done, he placed it before my comrades who ate and
he with them; after which he brought a leather-bag full of
wine and drank thereof and lay down prone and snored. Said I
to myself, 'He's drowned in sleep: how shall I slay him?' Then
I bethought me of the spits and thrusting two of them into the
fire, waited till they were as red-hot coals: whereupon I
arose and girded myself and taking a spit in each hand went up
to the accursed Ghul and thrust them into his eyes, pressing
upon them with all my might. He sprang to his feet for sweet
life and would have laid hold of me; but he was blind. So I
fled from him into the inner cavern, whilst he ran after me;
but I found no place of refuge from him nor whence I might
escape into the open country, for the cave was stopped up with
stones; wherefore I was bewildered and said to the blind men,
'How shall I do with this accursed?' Replied one of them, 'O
Sa'id, with a run and a spring mount up to yonder
niche[FN#442] and thou wilt find there a sharpened scymitar of
copper: bring it to me and I will tell thee what to do.' So I
clombed to the niche and taking the blade, returned to the
blind man, who said to me, 'Smite him with the sword in his
middle, and he will die forthright.' So I rushed after the
Ghul, who was weary with running after me and felt for the
blind men that he might kill them and, coming up to him smote
him with the sword a single stroke across his waist and he
fell in twain. then he screamed and cried out to me, 'O man,
an thou desire to slay me, strike me a second stroke.'
Accordingly, I was about to smite him another cut; but he who
had directed me to the niche and the scymitar said, 'Smite him
not a second time, for then he will not die, but will live and
destroy us.'"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-third Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sa'id
continued, "Now when I struck the Ghul with the sword he cried
out to me, 'O man, an thou desire to slay me, strike me a
se
