KAMAR AL-ZAMAN AND THE JEWELLER'S
WIFE.[FN#375]
There was once, in time of old, a merchant hight Abd al-Rahmán,
whom Allah had blessed with a son and daughter, and for their
much beauty and loveliness, he named the girl Kaubab al-Sabáh and
the boy Kamar al-Zamán.[FN#376] When he saw what Allah had
vouchsafed the twain of beauty and loveliness, brilliancy and
symmetry, he feared for them the evil eyes[FN#377] of the espiers
and the jibing tongues of the jealous and the craft of the crafty
and the wiles of the wicked and shut them up from the folk in a
mansion for the space of fourteen years, during which time none
saw them save their parents and a slave-girl who served them. Now
their father could recite the Koran, even as Allah sent it down,
as also did his wife, wherefore the mother taught her daughter to
read and recite it and the father his son till both had gotten it
by heart. Moreover, the twain learned from their parents writing
and reckoning and all manner of knowledge and polite letters and
needed no master. When Kamar al-Zaman came to years of manhood,
the wife said to her husband, "How long wilt thou keep thy son
Kamar al-Zaman sequestered from the eyes of the folk? Is he a
girl or a boy?" He answered, "A boy." Rejoined she, "An he be a
boy, why dost thou not carry him to the bazar and seat him in thy
shop, that he may know the folk and they know him, to the intent
that it may become notorious among men that he is thy son, and do
thou teach him to sell and to buy. Peradventure somewhat may
befal thee; so shall the folk know him for thy son and he shall
lay his hand on thy leavings. But, an thou die, as the case now
is, and he say to the folk, 'I am the son of the merchant Abd
al-Rahman,' verily they will not believe him, but will cry, 'We
have never seen thee and we knew not that he had a son,'
wherefore the government will seize thy goods and thy son will be
despoiled. In like manner the girl; I mean to make her known
among the folk, so may be some one of her own condition may ask
her in marriage and we will wed her to him and rejoice in her."
Quoth he, "I did thus of my fear for them from the eyes of the
folk,"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the Merchant's wife spake to him in such wise, he replied, "I did
thus of my fear for them from the eyes of the folk and because I
love them both and love is jealous exceedingly and well saith he
who spoke these verses,
'Of my sight I am jealous for thee, of me, * Of thyself, of thy
stead, of thy destiny:
Though I shrined thee in eyes by the craze of me * In such
nearness irk I should never see:
Though thou wert by my side all the days of me * Till Doomsday I
ne'er had enough of thee.'"
Said his wife, "Put thy trust in Allah, for no harm betideth him
whom He protecteth, and carry him with thee this very day to the
shop." Then she clad the boy in the costliest clothes and he
became a seduction to all who on him cast sight and an affliction
to the heart of each lover wight. His father took him and carried
him to the market, whilst all who saw him were ravished with him
and accosted him, kissing his hand and saluting him with the
salam. Quoth one, "Indeed the sun hath risen in such a place and
blazeth in the bazar," and another, "The rising-place of the full
moon is in such a quarter;" and a third, "The new moon of the
Festival[FN#378] hath appeared to the creatures of Allah." And
they went on to allude to the boy in talk and call down blessings
upon him. But his father scolded the folk for following his son
to gaze upon him, because he was abashed at their talk, but he
could not hinder one of them from talking; so he fell to abusing
the boy's mother and cursing her because she had been the cause
of his bringing him out. And as he gazed about he still saw the
folk crowding upon him behind and before. Then he walked on till
he reached his shop and opening it, sat down and seated his son
before him: after which he again looked out and found the
thoroughfare blocked with people for all the passers-by, going
and coming, stopped before the shop to stare at that beautiful
face and could not leave him; and all the men and women crowded
in knots about him, applying to themselves the words of him who
said,
"Thou madest Beauty to spoil man's sprite * And saidst, 'O my
servants, fear My reprove:'
But lovely Thou lovest all loveliness * How, then, shall thy
servants refrain from Love?"
When the merchant Abd al-Rahman saw the folk thus crowding about
him and standing in rows, both women and men, to fix eyes upon
his son, he was sore ashamed and confounded and knew not what to
do; but presently there came up from the end of the bazar a man
of the wandering Dervishes, clad in haircloth, the garb of the
pious servants of Allah and seeing Kamar al-Zaman sitting there
as he were a branch of Bán springing from a mound of saffron,
poured forth copious tears and recited these two couplets,
"A wand uprising from a sandy knoll, * Like full moon shining
brightest sheen, I saw;
And said, 'What is thy name?' Replied he 'Lúlú' * 'What' (asked
I) 'Lily?' and he answered 'Lá, lá!'"[FN#379]
Then the Dervish fell to walking, now drawing near and now moving
away,[FN#380] and wiping his gray hairs with his right hand,
whilst the heart of the crowd was cloven asunder for awe of him.
When he looked upon the boy, his eyes were dazzled and his wit
confounded, and exemplified in him was the saying of the poet,
"While that fair-faced boy abode in the place, * Moon of
breakfast-fęte he lit by his face,[FN#381]
Lo! there came a Shaykh with leisurely pace * A reverend trusting
to Allah's grace,
And ascetic signals his gait display'd.
He had studied Love both by day and night * And had special
knowledge of Wrong and Right;
Both for lad and lass had repined his sprite, * And his form like
toothpick was lean and slight,
And old bones with faded skin were o'erlaid.
In such arts our Shaykh was an Ajamí[FN#382] * With a catamite
ever in company;
In the love of woman, a Platonist he[FN#383] * But in either
versed to the full degree,
And Zaynab to him was the same as Zayd.[FN#384]
Distraught by the Fair he adored the Fair * O'er Spring-camp
wailed, bewept ruins bare.[FN#385]
Dry branch thou hadst deemed him for stress o' care, * Which the
morning breeze swayeth here and there,
For only the stone is all hardness made!
In the lore of Love he was wondrous wise * And wide awake with
all-seeing eyes.
Its rough and its smooth he had tried and tries * And hugged buck
and doe in the self-same guise
And with greybeard and beardless alike he
play'd."[FN#386]
Then he came up to the boy and gave him a root[FN#387] of sweet
basil, whereupon his father put forth his hand to his pouch and
brought out for him some small matter of silver, saying, "Take
thy portion, O Dervish, and wend thy ways." He took the dirhams,
but sat down on the masonry-bench alongside the shop and opposite
the boy and fell to gazing upon him and heaving sigh upon sigh,
whilst his tears flowed like springs founting. The folk began to
look at him and remark upon him, some saying, "All Dervishes are
lewd fellows," and other some, "Verily, this Dervish's heart is
set on fire for love of this lad." Now when Abd al-Rahman saw
this case, he arose and said to the boy, "Come, O my son, let us
lock up the shop and hie us home, for it booteth not to sell and
buy this day; and may Almighty Allah requite thy mother that
which she hath done with us, for she was the cause of all this!"
Then said he, "O Dervish, rise, that I may shut my shop." So the
Dervish rose and the merchant shut his shop and taking his son,
walked away. The Dervish and the folk followed them, till they
reached their place, when the boy went in and his father, turning
to the Dervish, said to him, "What wouldst thou, O Dervish, and
why do I see thee weep?" He replied, "O my lord, I would fain be
thy guest this night, for the guest is the guest of Almighty
Allah." Quoth the merchant, "Welcome to the guest of God: enter,
O Dervish!"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
merchant, the father of Kamar al-Zaman, heard the saying of the
Dervish, "I am Allah's guest," he replied, "Welcome to the guest
of God: enter, O Dervish!" But he said to himself, "An the beggar
be enamoured of the boy and sue him for sin, needs must I slay
him this very night and bury him secretly. But, an there be no
lewdness in him, the guest shall eat his portion." Then he
brought him into a saloon, where he left him with Kamar al-Zaman,
after he had said privily to the lad, "O my son, sit thou beside
the Dervish when I am gone out and sport with him and provoke him
to love-liesse and if he seek of thee lewdness, I who will be
watching you from the window overlooking the saloon will come
down to him and kill him." So, as soon as Kamar al-Zaman was
alone in the room with the Dervish, he sat down by his side and
the old man began to look upon him and sigh and weep. Whenever
the lad bespake him, he answered him kindly, trembling the while
and would turn to him groaning and crying, and thus he did till
supper was brought in, when he fell to eating, with his eyes on
the boy but refrained not from shedding tears. When a fourth part
of the night was past and talk was ended and sleep-tide came, Abd
al-Rahman said to the lad, "O my son, apply thyself to the
service of thine uncle the Dervish and gainsay him not:" and
would have gone out; but the Dervish cried to him, "O my lord,
carry thy son with thee or sleep with us." Answered the merchant,
"Nay, my son shall lie with thee: haply thy soul may desire
somewhat, and he will look to thy want and wait upon thee." Then
he went out leaving them both together, and sat down in an
adjoining room which had a window giving upon the saloon. Such
was the case with the merchant; but as to the lad, as soon as his
sire had left them, he came up to the Dervish and began to
provoke him and offer himself to him, whereupon he waxed wroth
and said, "What talk is this, O my son? I take refuge with Allah
from Satan the Stoned! O my Lord, indeed this is a denial of Thee
which pleaseth Thee not! Avaunt from me, O my son!" So saying,
the Dervish arose and sat down at a distance; but the boy
followed him and threw himself upon him, saying, "Why, O Dervish,
wilt thou deny thyself the joys of my possession, and I with a
heart that loveth thee?" Hereupon the Dervish's anger redoubled
and he said, "An thou refrain not from me, I will summon thy sire
and tell him of thy doings." Quoth the lad, "My father knoweth my
turn for this and it may not be that he will hinder me: so heal
thou my heart. Why dost thou hold off from me? Do I not please
thee?" Answered the Dervish, "By Allah, O my son, I will not do
this, though I be hewn in pieces with sharp-edged swords!"; and
he repeated the saying of the poet,
"Indeed my heart loves all the lovely boys * As girls; nor am I
slow to such delight,
But, though I sight them every night and morn, * I'm neither of
Lot's folk[FN#388] nor wencher-wight."
Then he shed tears and said, "Arise, open the door, that I may
wend my way, for I will lie no longer in this lodging." Therewith
he rose to his feet; but the boy caught hold of him, saying,
"Look at the fairness of my face and the cramoisy of my cheeks
and the softness of my sides and the lusciousness of my lips."
Moreover he discovered to him calves that would shame wine and
cupcarrier[FN#389] and gazed on him with fixed glance that would
baffle enchanter and enchantments; for he was passing of
loveliness and full of blandishment, even as saith of him one of
the poets who sang,
"I can't forget him, since he rose and showed with fair design *
Those calves of legs whose pearly shine make light in
nightly gloom:
Wonder not an my flesh uprise as though 'twere Judgment-day *
When every shank shall bared be and that is Day of
Doom."[FN#390]
Then the boy displayed to him his bosom, saying, "Look at my
breasts which be goodlier than the breasts of maidens and my
lip-dews are sweeter than sugar-candy. So quit scruple and
asceticism and cast off devoutness and abstinence and take thy
fill of my possession and enjoy my loveliness. Fear naught, for
thou art safe from hurt, and leave this hebetude for 'tis a bad
habit." And he went on to discover to him his hidden beauties,
striving to turn the reins of his reason with his bendings in
graceful guise, whilst the Dervish turned away his face and said,
"I seek refuge with Allah! Have some shame, O my son![FN#391]
This is a forbidden thing I deem and I will not do it, no, not
even in dream." The boy pressed upon him, but the Dervish got
free from him and turning towards Meccah addressed himself to his
devotions. Now when the boy saw him praying, he left him till he
had prayed a two-bow prayer and saluted,[FN#392] when he would
have accosted him again; but the Dervish again repeated the
intent[FN#393] and prayed a second two-bow prayer, and thus he
did a third and a fourth and a fifth time. Quoth the lad, "What
prayers are these? Art thou minded to take flight upon the
clouds? Thou lettest slip our delight, whilst thou passest the
whole night in the prayer-niche." So saying, he threw himself
upon the Dervish and kissed him between the eyes; but the Shaykh
said, "O my son, put Satan away from thine estate and take upon
thee obedience of the Compassionate." Quoth the other, "An thou
do not with me that which I desire, I will call my sire and say
to him, The Dervish is minded to do lewdness with me. Whereupon
he will come in to thee and beat thee till thy bones be broken
upon thy flesh." All this while Abd al-Rahman was watching with
his eyes and hearkening with his ears, and he was certified that
there was no frowardness in the Dervish and he said to himself,
"Were he a lewd fellow, he had not stood out against all this
importunity." The boy continued to beguile the Dervish and every
time he expressed purpose of prayer, he interrupted him, till at
last he waxed wroth with passing wrath and was rough with him and
beat him. Kamar al-Zaman wept and his father came in and having
wiped away his tears and comforted him said to the Dervish, "O my
brother, since thou art in such case, why didst thou weep and
sigh when thou sawest my son? Say me, is there a reason for
this?" He replied, "There is;" and Abd al-Rahman pursued, "When I
saw thee weep at his sight, I deemed evil of thee and bade the
boy do with thee thus, that I might try thee, purposing in
myself, if I saw thee sue him for sin, to come in upon thee and
kill thee. But, when I saw what thou didst, I knew thee for one
of those who are virtuous to the end. Now Allah upon thee, tell
me the cause of thy weeping!" The Dervish sighed and said, "O my
lord, chafe not a closed[FN#394] wound." But the merchant said,
"There is no help but thou tell me;" and the other began, "Know
thou that I am a Dervish who wander in the lands and the
countries, and take warning by the display[FN#395] of the Creator
of Night and Day. It chanced that one Friday I entered the city
of Bassorah in the undurn."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
Dervish said to the merchant, "Know, then, that I a wandering
mendicant chanced one Friday to enter the city of Bassorah in the
undurn and saw the shops open and full of all manner of wares and
meat and drink; but the place was deserted and therein was
neither man nor woman nor girl nor boy: nor in the markets and
the main streets was there dog or cat nor sounded sound nor
friend was found. I marvelled at this end and said to myself, 'I
wonder whither the people of the city be gone with their cats and
dogs and what hath Allah done with them?' Now I was anhungred so
I took hot bread from a baker's oven and going into the shop of
an oilman, spread the bread with clarified butter and honey and
ate. Then I entered the shop of a sherbet-seller and drank what I
would; after which, seeing a coffee-shop open, I went in and
found the pots on the fire, full of coffee;[FN#396] but there was
no one there. So I drank my fill and said, 'Verily, this is a
wondrous thing! It seemeth as though Death had stricken the
people of this city and they had all died this very hour, or as
if they had taken fright at something which befel them and fled,
without having time to shut their shops.' Now whilst pondering
this matter, lo! I heard a sound of a band of drums beating;
whereat I was afraid and hid myself for a while: then, looking
out through a crevice, I saw damsels, like moons, come walking
through the market, two by two, with uncovered heads and faces
displayed. They were in forty pairs, thus numbering fourscore and
in their midst a young lady, riding on a horse that could hardly
move his legs for that which was upon it of silvern trappings and
golden and jewelled housings. Her face was wholly unveiled, and
she was adorned with the costliest ornaments and clad in the
richest of raiment and about her neck she wore a collar of gems
and on her bosom were necklaces of gold; her wrists were clasped
with bracelets which sparkled like stars, and her ankles with
bangles of gold set with precious stones. The slave-girls walked
before her and behind and on her right and left and in front of
her was a damsel bearing in baldric a great sword, with grip of
emerald and tassels of jewel-encrusted gold. When that young lady
came to where I lay hid, she pulled up her horse and said, 'O
damsels, I hear a noise of somewhat within yonder shop: so do ye
search it, lest haply there be one hidden there, with intent to
enjoy a look at us, whilst we have our faces unveiled.' So they
searched the shop opposite the coffee-house[FN#397] wherein I lay
hid, whilst I abode in terror; and presently I saw them come
forth with a man and they said to her, 'O our lady, we found a
man there and here he is before thee.' Quoth she to the damsel
with the sword, 'Smite his neck.' So she went up to him and
struck off his head; then, leaving the dead man lying on the
ground, they passed on. When I saw this, I was affrighted; but my
heart was taken with love of the young lady. After an hour or so,
the people reappeared and every one who had a shop entered it;
whilst the folk began to come and go about the bazars and
gathered around the slain man, staring at him as a curiosity.
Then I crept forth from my hiding place by stealth, and none took
note of me, but love of that lady had gotten possession of my
heart, and I began to enquire of her privily. None, however, gave
me news of her; so I left Bassorah, with vitals yearning for her
love; and when I came upon this thy son, I saw him to be the
likest of all creatures to the young lady; wherefore he reminded
me of her and his sight revived the fire of passion in me and
kindled anew in my heart the flames of love-longing and
distraction. And such is the cause of my shedding tears!" Then he
wept with sore weeping till he could no more and said, "O my
lord, I conjure thee by Allah, open the door to me, so I may gang
my gait!" Accordingly Abd al-Rahman opened the door and he went
forth. Thus fared it with him; but as regards Kamar al-Zaman,
when he heard the Dervish's story, his heart was taken with love
of the lady and passion gat the mastery of him and raged in him
longing and distraction; so, on the morrow, he said to his sire,
"All the sons of the merchants wander about the world to attain
their desire, nor is there one of them but his father provideth
for him a stock-in-trade wherewithal he may travel and traffic
for gain. Why, then, O my father, dost thou not outfit me with
merchandise, so I may fare with it and find my luck?" He replied,
"O my son, such merchants lack money; so they send their sons to
foreign parts for the sake of profit and pecuniary gain and
provision of the goods of the world. But I have monies in plenty
nor do I covet more: why then should I exile thee? Indeed, I
cannot brook to be parted from thee an hour, more especially as
thou art unique in beauty and loveliness and perfect grace and I
fear for thee." But Kamar al-Zaman said, "O my father, nothing
will serve but thou must furnish me with merchandise wherewithal
to travel; else will I fly from thee at unawares though without
money or merchandise. So, an thou wish to solace my heart, make
ready for me a stock-in-trade, that I may travel and amuse myself
by viewing the countries of men." Abd al-Rahman, seeing his son
enamoured of travel, acquainted his wife with this, saying,
"Verily thy son would have me provide him with goods, so he may
fare therewith to far regions, albeit Travel is Travail."[FN#398]
Quoth she, "What is there to displease thee in this? Such is the
wont of the sons of the merchants and they all vie one with other
in glorifying globe-trotting and gain." Quoth he, "Most of the
merchants are poor and seek growth of good; but I have wealth
galore." She replied, "More of a good thing hurteth not; and, if
thou comply not with his wish, I will furnish him with goods of
my own monies." Quoth Abd al-Rahman, "I fear strangerhood for
him, inasmuch as travel is the worst of trouble;" but she said,
"There is no harm in strangerhood for him when it leadeth to
gaining good; and, if we consent not, our son will go away and we
shall seek him and not find him and be dishonoured among the
folk." The merchant accepted his wife's counsel and provided his
son with merchandise to the value of ninety thousand gold pieces,
whilst his mother gave him a purse containing forty bezel-stones,
jewels of price, the least of the value of one of which was five
hundred ducats, saying, "O my son, be careful of this jewellery
for 'twill be of service to thee." Thereupon Kamar al-Zaman took
the jewels and set out for Bassorah,--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar
al-Zaman took the jewels and set out for Bassorah after he had
laid them in a belt, which he buckled about his waist; and he
stayed not till there remained aught but a day's journey between
that city and himself; when the Arabs came out upon him and
stripped him naked and slew his men and servants; but he laid
himself down among the slain and wallowed in their blood, so that
the wildlings took him for dead and left him without even turning
him over and made off with their booty. When the Arabs had gone
their ways, Kamar al-Zaman arose, having naught left but the
jewels in his girdle, and fared on nor ceased faring till he came
to Bassorah. It chanced that his entry was on a Friday and the
town was void of folk, even as the Dervish had informed him. He
found the market-streets deserted and the shops wide open and
full of goods; so he ate and drank and looked about him.
Presently, he heard a band of drums beating and hid himself in a
shop, till the slave-girls came up, when he looked at them; and,
seeing the young lady riding amongst them, love and longing
overcame him and desire and distraction overpowered him, so that
he had no force to stand. After awhile, the people reappeared and
the bazars filled. Whereupon he went to the market and repairing
to a jeweller and pulling out one of his forty gems sold it for a
thousand dinars, wherewith he returned to his place and passed
the night there; and when morning morrowed he changed his clothes
and going to the Hamman came forth as he were the full moon. Then
he sold other four stones for four thousand dinars and sauntered
solacing himself about the main streets of Bassorah, clad in the
costliest of clothes; till he came to a market, where he saw a
barber's shop. So he went in to the barber who shaved his head;
and, clapping up an acquaintance with him, said to him, "O my
father, I am a stranger in these parts and yesterday I entered
this city and found it void of folk, nor was there in it any
living soul, man nor Jinni. Then I saw a troop of slave-girls and
amongst them a young lady riding in state:" and he went on to
tell him all he had seen. Said the barber, "O my son, hast thou
told any but me of this?"; and he said, "No." The other rejoined,
"Then, O my son, beware thou mention this before any but me; for
all folk cannot keep a secret and thou art but a little lad and I
fear lest the talk travel from man to man, till it reach those
whom it concerneth and they slay thee. For know, O my son, that
this thou hast seen, none ever kenned nor knew in other than this
city. As for the people of Bassorah they are dying of this annoy;
for every Friday forenoon they shut up the dogs and cats, to
hinder them from going about the market-streets, and all the
people of the city enter the cathedral-mosques, where they lock
the doors on them[FN#399] and not one of them can pass about the
bazar nor even look out of casement; nor knoweth any the cause of
this calamity. But, O my son, to-night I will question my wife
concerning the reason thereof, for she is a midwife and entereth
the houses of the notables and knoweth all the city news. So
Inshallah, do thou come to me to-morrow and I will tell thee what
she shall have told me." With this Kamar al-Zaman pulled out a
handful of gold and said to him, "O my father, take this gold and
give it to thy wife, for she is become my mother." Then he gave
him a second handful, saying, "Take this for thyself." Whereupon
quoth the barber, "O my son, sit thou in thy place, till I go to
my wife and ask her and bring the news of the true state of the
case." So saying, he left him in the shop and going home,
acquainted his wife with the young man's case, saying, "I would
have thee tell me the truth of this city-business, so I may
report it to this young merchant, for he hath set his heart on
weeting the reason why men and beasts are forbidden the
market-streets every Friday forenoon; and methinks he is a lover,
for he is openhanded and liberal, and if we tell him what he
would trow, we shall get great good of him." Quoth she, "Go back
and say to him, 'Come, speak with thy mother, my wife, who
sendeth her salam to thee and saith to thee, Thy wish is won.'"
Accordingly he returned to the shop, where he found Kamar
al-Zaman sitting awaiting him and repeated him the very words
spoken by his spouse. Then he carried him in to her and she
welcomed him and bade him sit down; whereupon he pulled out an
hundred ducats and gave them to her, saying, "O my mother, tell
me who this young lady may be." Said she, "Know, O my son, that
there came a gem to the Sultan of Bassorah from the King of Hind,
and he was minded to have it pierced. So he summoned all the
jewellers in a body and said to them, 'I wish you to drill me
this jewel. Whoso pierceth it, I will give him whatsoever he
shall ask; but if he break it, I will cut off his head.' At this
they were afraid and said, 'O King of the age, a jewel is soon
spoilt and there are few who can pierce them without injury, for
most of them have a flaw. So do not thou impose upon us a task to
which we are unable; for our hands cannot avail to drill this
jewel. However, our Shaykh[FN#400] is more experienced than we.'
Asked the King, 'And who is your Shaykh?'; and they answered,
'Master Obayd: he is more versed than we in this art and hath
wealth galore and of skill great store. Therefore do thou send
for him to the presence and bid him pierce thee this jewel.'
Accordingly the King sent for Obayd and bade him pierce the
jewel, imposing on him the condition aforesaid. He took it and
pierced it to the liking of the King who said to him, 'Ask a boon
of me, O master'; and said he, 'O King of the age, allow me delay
till to-morrow.' Now the reason of this was that he wished to
take counsel with his wife, who is the young lady thou sawest
riding in procession; for he loveth her with exceeding love, and
of the greatness of his affection for her, he doth naught without
consulting her; wherefore he put off asking till the morrow. When
he went home, he said to her, 'I have pierced the King a jewel
and he hath granted me a boon which I deferred asking till
to-morrow, that I might consult thee. Now what dost thou wish,
that I may ask it?' Quoth she, 'We have riches such as fires may
not consume; but, an thou love me, ask of the King to make
proclamation in the streets of Bassorah that all the townsfolk
shall every Friday enter the mosques, two hours before the hour
of prayer, so none may abide in the town at all great or small
except they be in the mosques or in the houses and the doors be
locked upon them, and that every shop of the town be left open.
Then will I ride with my slave-women through the heart of the
city and none shall look on me from window or lattice; and every
one whom I find abroad I will kill.'[FN#401] So he went in to the
King and begged of him this boon, which he granted him and caused
proclamation to be made amongst the Bassorites,"--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When is was the Nine Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
barber's wife said, "When the Jeweller begged his boon, the King
bade proclamation be made amongst the Bassorites, but the people
objected that they feared for their goods from the cats and dogs;
wherefore he commanded to shut the animals up till the folk
should come forth from the Friday prayers. So the jeweller's wife
fell to sallying forth every Friday, two hours before the time of
congregational prayer, and riding in state through the city with
her women; during which time none dareth pass through the
market-place nor look out of casement or lattice. This, then, is
what thou wouldest know and I have told thee who she is; but, O
my son, was it thy desire only to have news of her or hast thou a
mind to meet her?" Answered he, "O my mother, 'tis my wish to
foregather with her." Quoth she, "Tell me what valuables thou
hast with thee"; and quoth he, "O my mother, I have with me
precious stones of four sorts, the first worth five hundred
dinars each, the second seven hundred, the third eight hundred
and the fourth a thousand ducats." She asked, "Art thou willing
to spend four of these?"; and he answered, "I am ready to spend
all of them." She rejoined, "Then, arise, O my son, and go
straight to thy lodging and take a bezel-gem of those worth five
hundred sequins, with which do thou repair to the jewel market
and ask for the shop of Master Obayd, the Shaykh of the
Jewellers. Go thither and thou wilt find him seated in his shop,
clad in rich clothes, with workmen under his hand. Salute him and
sit down on the front shelf of his shop;[FN#402] then pull out
the jewel and give it to him, saying, 'O master, take this stone
and fashion it into a seal-ring for me with gold. Make it not
large, a Miskál[FN#403] in weight and no more; but let the
fashion of it be thy fairest.' Then give him twenty dinars and to
each of his prentices a dinar. Sit with him awhile and talk with
him and if a beggar approach thee, show thy generosity by giving
him a dinar, to the intent that he may affect thee, and after
this, leave him and return to thy place. Pass the night there,
and next morning, take an hundred dinars and bring them and give
them to thy father the barber, for he is poor." Quoth Kamar
al-Zaman, "Be it so," and returning to his caravanserai, took a
jewel worth five hundred gold pieces and went with it to the
jewel-bazar. There he enquired for the shop of Master Obayd,
Shaykh of the Jewellers, and they directed him thereto. So he
went thither and saw the Shaykh, a man of austere aspect and
robed in sumptuous raiment with four journeymen under his hand.
He addressed him with "Peace be upon you!" and the jeweller
returned his greeting and welcoming him, made him sit down. Then
he brought out the jewel and said, "O master, I wish thee to make
me this jewel into a seal-ring with gold. Let it be the weight of
a Miskal and no more, but fashion it excellently." Then he pulled
out twenty dinars and gave them to him, saying, "This is the fee
for chasing and the price of the ring shall remain."[FN#404] And
he gave each of the apprentices a gold piece, wherefore they
loved him, and so did Master Obayd. Then he sat talking with the
jeweller and whenever a beggar came up to him, he gave him a gold
piece and they all marvelled at his generosity. Now Master Obayd
had tools at home, like those he had in the shop, and whenever he
was minded to do any unusual piece of work, it was his custom to
carry it home and do it there, that his journeymen might not
learn the secrets of his wonderful workmanship.[FN#405] His wife
used to sit before him, and when she was sitting thus and he
looking upon her,[FN#406] he would fashion all manner of
marvellously wroughten trinkets, such as were fit for none but
kings. So he went home and sat down to mould the ring with
admirable workmanship. When his wife saw him thus engaged, she
asked him, "What wilt thou do with this bezel-gem?"; and he
answered, "I mean to make it into a ring with gold, for 'tis
worth five hundred dinars." She enquired, "For whom?"; and he
answered, "For a young merchant, who is fair of face, with eyes
that wound with desire, and cheeks that strike fire and mouth
like the seal of Sulaymán and cheeks like the bloom of Nu'mán and
lips red as coralline and neck like the antelope's long and fine.
His complexion is white dashed with red and he is well-bred,
pleasant and generous and doth thus and thus." And he went on to
describe to her now his beauty and loveliness and then his
perfection and bounty and ceased not to vaunt his charms and the
generosity of his disposition, till he had made her in love with
him; for there is no sillier cuckold than he who vaunteth to his
wife another man's handsome looks and unusual liberality in money
matters. So, when desire rose high in her, she said to him, "Is
aught of my charms found in him?" Said he, "He hath all thy
beauties; and he is thy counterpart in qualities. Meseemeth his
age is even as thine and but that I fear to hurt thy feelings, I
would say that he is a thousand times handsomer than thou art."
She was silent, yet the fire of fondness was kindled in her
heart. And the jeweller ceased not to talk with her and to set
out Kamar al-Zaman's charms before her till he had made an end of
moulding the ring; when he gave it to her and she put it on her
finger, which it fitted exactly. Quoth she, "O my lord, my heart
loveth this ring and I long for it to be mine and will not take
it from my finger." Quoth he, "Have patience! The owner of it is
generous, and I will seek to buy it of him, and if he will sell
it, I will bring it to thee. Or if he have another such stone, I
will buy it and fashion it for thee into a ring like this."--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
jeweller said to his wife, "Have patience! The owner of it is
generous and I will seek to buy it of him; and, if he will sell
it, I will bring it to thee; or, if he have another such stone I
will buy it and fashion it for thee into a ring like this." On
this wise it fared with the jeweller and his wife; but as regards
Kamar al-Zaman, he passed the night in his lodging and on the
morrow he took an hundred dinars and carried them to the old
woman, the barber's wife, saying to her, "Accept these gold
pieces," and she replied, "Give them to thy father." So he gave
them to the barber and she asked, "Hast thou done as I bade
thee?" He answered, "Yes," and she said, "Go now to the Shaykh,
the jeweller, and if he give thee the ring, put it on the tip of
thy finger and pull it off in haste and say to him, 'O master,
thou hast made a mistake; the ring is too tight.' He will say, 'O
merchant, shall I break it and mould it again larger?' And do
thou say, 'It booteth not to break it and fashion it anew. Take
it and give it to one of thy slave-women.' Then pull out another
stone worth seven hundred dinars and say to him, 'Take this stone
and set it for me, for 'tis handsomer than the other.' Give him
thirty dinars and to each of the prentices two, saying, 'These
gold pieces are for the chasing and the price of the ring shall
remain.' Then return to thy lodging for the night and on the
morrow bring me two hundred ducats, and I will complete thee the
rest of the device." So the youth went to the jeweller, who
welcomed him and made him sit down in his shop; and he asked him,
"Hast thou done my need?" "Yes," answered Obayd and brought out
to him the seal-ring; whereupon he set it on his finger-tip and
pulling it off in haste, cried, "Thou hast made a mistake, O
master;" and threw it to him, saying, "'Tis too strait for my
finger." Asked the jeweller, "O merchant, shall I make it
larger?" But he answered, "Not so; take it as a gift and give it
to one of thy slave-girls. Its worth is trifling, some five
hundred dinars; so it booteth not to fashion it over again." Then
he brought out to him another stone worth seven hundred sequins
and said to him, "Set this for me: 'tis a finer gem." Moreover he
gave him thirty dinars and to each of his workmen two. Quoth
Obayd, "O my lord we will take the price of the ring when we have
made it."[FN#407] But Kamar al-Zaman said, "This is for the
chasing, and the price of the ring remains over." So saying, he
went away home, leaving the jeweller and his men amazed at the
excess of his generosity. Presently the jeweller returned to his
wife and said, "O Halimah,[FN#408] never did I set eyes on a more
generous than this young man, and as for thee, thy luck is good,
for he hath given me the ring without price, saying, 'Give it to
one of thy slave-women.'" And he told her what had passed,
adding, "Methinks this youth is none of the sons of the
merchants, but that he is of the sons of the Kings and Sultans."
Now the more he praised him, the more she waxed in love-longing,
passion and distraction for him. So she took the ring and put it
on her finger, whilst the jeweller made another one, a little
larger than the first. When he had finished moulding it, she put
it on her finger, under the first, and said, "Look, O my lord,
how well the two rings show on my finger! I wish they were both
mine." Said he, "Patience! It may be I shall buy thee this second
one." Then he lay that night and on the morrow he took the ring
and went to his shop. As for Kamar al-Zaman, as soon as it was
day, he repaired to the barber's wife and gave her two hundred
dinars. Quoth she, "Go to the jeweller and when he giveth thee
the ring, put it on thy finger and pull it off again in haste,
saying, 'Thou hast made a mistake, O master! This ring is too
large. A master like thee, when the like of me cometh to him with
a piece of work, it behoveth him to take right measure; and if
thou hadst measured my finger, thou hadst not erred.' Then pull
out another stone worth a thousand dinars and say to him, 'Take
this and set it, and give this ring to one of thy slave-women.'
Give him forty ducats and to each of his journeymen three,
saying, "This is for the chasing, and for the cost of the ring,
that shall remain.' And see what he will say. Then bring three
hundred diners and give them to thy father the barber that he may
mend his fortune withal, for he is a poor man." Answered Kamar
al-Zaman, "I hear and obey," and betook himself to the jeweller,
who welcomed him and making him sit down, gave him the ring. He
took it and put it on his finger; then pulled it off in haste and
said, "It behoveth a master like thee, when the like of me
bringeth him a piece of work, to take his measure. Hadst thou
measured my finger, thou hadst not erred but take it and give it
to one of thy slave women." Then he brought out to him a stone
worth a thousand sequins and said to him, "Take this and set it
in a signet-ring for me after the measure of my finger." Quoth
Obayd, "Thou hast spoken sooth and art in the right;" and took
his measure, whereupon he pulled out forty gold pieces and gave
them to him, saying, "Take these for the chasing and the price of
the ring shall remain." Cried the jeweller, "O my lord, how much
hire have we taken of thee' Verily, thy bounty to us is great!"
"No harm," replied Kamar al-Zaman and sat talking with him awhile
and giving a diner to every beggar who passed by the shop. Then
he left him and went away, whilst the jeweller returned home and
said to his wife, 'How generous is this young merchant! Never did
I set eyes on a more open handed or a comelier than he, no, nor a
sweeter of speech. And he went on to recount to her his charms
and generosity and was loud in his praise. Cried she, "O thou
lack tact,[FN#409] since thou notest these qualities in him, and
indeed he hath given thee two seal rings of price, it behoveth
thee to invite him and make him an entertainment and entreat him
lovingly. When he seest that thou affectest him and cometh to our
place, we shall surely get great good of him; and if thou grudge
him the banquet do thou bid him and I will entertain him of my
monies." Quoth he, "Dost thou know me to be niggardly, that thou
sayest this Say?; and quoth she, "Thou art no niggard, but thou
lackest tact. Invite him this very night and come not without
him. An he refuse, conjure him by the divorce oath and be
persistent with him "On my head and eyes," answered he and
moulded the ring till he had finished it, after which he passed
the night and went forth on the morrow to his shop and sat there.
On this wise it was with him, but as for Kamar al-Zaman, he took
three hundred diners and carrying them to the old wife, gave them
to her for the barber, her husband. Said she, "Most like he will
invite thee to his house this day; and if he do this and thou
pass the night there, tell me in the morning what befalleth thee
and bring with thee four hundred diners and give them to thy
father." Answered he, "Hearing and obeying;" and as often as he
ran out of money, he would sell some of his stones. So he
repaired to the jeweller, who rose to him and received him with
open arms, greeted him heartily and clapped up companionship with
him. Then he gave him the ring, and he found it after the measure
of his finger and said to the jeweller, "Allah bless thee, O
prince of artists! The setting is conformable but the stone is
not to my liking." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say,
When it was the Nine Hundred and Seventieth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar
al-Zaman said to the jeweller, "The setting is conformable to my
wishes, but the stone is not to my liking. I have a handsomer
than this: so take the seal-ring and give it to one of thy slave
women." Then he gave him a fourth stone and an hundred diners,
saying, "Take thy hire and excuse the trouble we have given
thee." Obayd replied, "O merchant, all the trouble thou hast
given us thou hast requited us and hast over whelmed us with thy
great bounties: and indeed my heart is taken with love of thee
and I cannot brook parting from thee. So, Allah upon thee, be
thou my guest this night and heal my heart." He rejoined, "So be
it; but needs must I go to my Khan, that I may give a charge to
my domestics and tell them that I shall sleep abroad to night, so
they may not expect me." "Where dost thou lodge?" asked the
jeweller; and he answered, "In such a Khan." Quoth Obayd, "I will
come for thee there;" and quoth the other "'Tis well." So the
jeweller repaired to the Khan before sundown, fearing lest his
wife should be anangered with him, if he returned home without
his guest; and, carrying Kamar al-Zaman to his house, seated him
in a saloon that had not its match, Halimah saw him, as he
entered, and was ravished with him. They talked till supper was
served when they ate and drank; after which appeared coffee and
sherbets, and the jeweller ceased not to entertain him with talk
till eventide, when they prayed the obligatory prayers. Then
entered a handmaid with two cups[FN#410] of night drink, which
when they had drunk, drowsiness overcame them and they slept.
Presently in came the jeweller's wife and seeing them asleep,
looked upon Kamar al-Zaman's face and her wit was confounded at
his beauty. Said she, "How can he sleep who loveth the fair?"
and, turning him over on his back, sat astraddle upon his breast.
Then, in the mania of her passion for him, she rained down kisses
on his cheeks, till she left a mark upon them and they became
exceeding red and his cheek bones shone; and, she sucked his
lips, till the blood ran out into her mouth; but with all this,
her fire was not quenched nor her thirst assuaged. She ceased not
to kiss and clip him and twine leg with leg, till the forebrow of
Morn grew white and the dawn broke forth in light; when she put
in his pocket four cockals[FN#411] and went away. Then she sent
her maid with something like snuff, which she applied to their
nostrils and they sneezed and awoke, when the slave-girl said, "O
my lords, prayer is a duty; so rise ye and pray the dawn-prayer."
And she brought them basin and ewer.[FN#412] Quoth Kaman al-Zamar
"O master, 'tis late and we have overslept ourselves;" and quoth
the jeweller, "O my friend verily the air of this room is heavy;
for, whenever I sleep in it, this happens to me." Rejoined Kamar
al-Zaman, "True," and proceeded to make the Wuzu ablution; but,
when he put the water to his face, his cheeks and lips burned
him. Cried he, "Prodigious! If the air of the room be heavy and
we have been drowned in sleep, what aileth my cheeks and lips
that they burn me?" And he said to the jeweller, "O master, my
cheeks and lips burn me." The other replied, "I guess this cometh
of the mosquito bites." "Strange!" said Kamar al-Zaman. "Hath
this thing happened to thee?" Replied Obayd, "No! But whenever I
have by me a guest like thee, he complaineth in the morning of
the mosquito bites, and this happeneth only when he is like thee
beardless. If he be bearded the mosquitoes sting him not, and
naught hindereth them from me but my beard. It seems mosquitoes
love not bearded men."[FN#413] Rejoined Kamar al-Zaman, "True."
Then the maid brought them early breakfast and they broke their
fast and went out. Kamar al-Zaman betook himself to the old
woman, who exclaimed, when she saw him, "I see the marks of
joyance on thy face: tell me what thou hast seen." Said he, "I
have seen nothing. Only I supped with the house master in a
saloon and prayed the night prayer, after which we fell asleep
and woke not till morning." She laughed and said, "What be those
marks on thy cheeks and lips?" He answered, "'Twas the mosquitoes
of the saloon that did this with me;" and she rejoined, "'Tis
well. But did the same thing betide the house master?" He
retorted, "Nay; but he told me that the mosquitoes of that saloon
molest not bearded men, but sting those only who have no hair on
face, and that whenever he hath for guest one who is beard less,
the stranger awaketh complaining of the mosquito bites; whereas
an he have a beard, there befalleth him naught of this." Said
she, "Sooth thou speakest: but say me, sawest thou aught save
this?" And he answered, "I found four cockals in my pocket."
Quoth she, "Show them to me." So he gave them to her and she
laughed and said, "Thy mistress laid these in thy pocket." He
asked, "How so?" And she answered, " 'Tis as if she said to thee,
in the language of signs,[FN#414] 'An thou wert in love, thou
wouldst not sleep, for a lover sleepeth not: but thou hast not
ceased to be a child and fit for nothing but to play with these
cockals. So what crave thee to fall in love with the fair?' Now
she came to thee by night and finding thee asleep, scored thy
cheeks with her kisses and left thee this sign. But that will not
suffice her of thee and she will certainly send her husband to
invite thee again to night; so, when thou goest home with him,
hasten not to fall asleep, and on the morrow bring me five
hundred diners and come and acquaint me with what hath passed,
and I will perfect for thee the device." Answered he, "I hear and
obey," and went back to the Khan. Thus it befel him; but as
regards the jeweller's wife, she said to her husband, "Is the
guest gone?" Answered he, "Yes, but, O Halimah,[FN#415]the
mosquitoes plagued him last night and scarified his cheeks and
lips, and indeed I was abashed before him." She rejoined, "This
is the wont of the mosquitoes of our saloon; for they love none
save the beardless. But do thou invite him again to night." So he
repaired to the Khan where the youth abode, and bidding him,
carried him to his house, where they ate and drank and prayed the
night prayer in the saloon, after which the slave-girl entered
and gave each of them a cup of night drink, And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Seventy first Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the slave-
girl went in to the twain and gave each of them a cup of night
drink, and they drank and fell asleep. Presently, in came Halimah
and said, "O good for nothing, how canst thou sleep and call thy
self a lover? A lover sleepeth not!" Then she mounted on his
breast and ceased not to come down upon him with kisses and
caresses, biting and sucking his lips and so forth, till the
morning. when she put in his pocket a knife and sent her handmaid
to arouse them. And when the youth awoke, his cheeks were on
fire, for excess of redness, and his lips like coral, for dint of
sucking and kissing. Quoth the jeweller, "Did the mosquitoes
plague thee last night?"; and quoth the other, "Nay!"; for he now
knew the conceit and left complaining. Then he felt the knife in
his pocket and was silent; but when he had broken his fast and
drunk coffee, he left the jeweller and going to the Khan; took
five hundred diners of gold and carried them to the old woman, to
whom he related what had passed, saying, "I slept despite myself,
and when I woke at dawn I found nothing but a knife in my
pocket." Exclaimed the old trot, "May Allah protect thee from her
this next night! For she saith to thee by this sign, 'An thou
sleep again, I will cut thy throat.' Thou wilt once more be
bidden to the jeweller's house to night,[FN#416] and if thou
sleep, she will slay thee." Said he, "What is to be done?"; and
said she, "Tell me what thou atest and drankest before sleeping."
Quoth he, "We supped as was our wont and prayed the night prayer,
after which there came in to us a maid, who gave each of us a cup
of night drink, which when I had drunk, I fell asleep and awoke
not till the morning." Quoth the old woman, "The mischief is in
the cup: so, when the maid giveth it to thee, take it from her,
but drink not and wait till the master of the house have drunken
and fallen asleep; then say to her, 'Give me a draught of water,'
and she will go to fetch thee the gugglet. Then do thou empty the
cup behind the pillow and lie down and feign sleep. So when she
cometh back with the gugglet, she will deem that thou hast fallen
asleep, after having drunk off the cup, and will leave thee; and
presently the case will appear to thee; but beware of disobeying
my bidding." Answered he, "I hear and I obey," and returned to
the Khan. Meanwhile the jeweller's wife said to her husband, "A
guest's due honour is three nights' entertainment: so do thou
invite him a third time." Whereupon he betook himself to the
youth and inviting him, carried him home and sat down with him in
the saloon. When they had supped and prayed the night prayer,
behold, in came the handmaid and gave each of them a cup. Her
master drank and fell asleep; but Kamar al-Zaman forbore to
drink, whereupon quoth the maid, "Wilt thou not drink, O my
lord?" Answered he, "I am athirst, bring me the gugglet."
Accordingly she went to fetch it, and he emptied the cup behind
the pillow and lay down. When the slave-girl returned, she saw
him lying down and going to her mistress said, "He hath drunk off
the cup and fallen asleep;" whereupon quoth Halimah to herself,
"Verily, his death is better than his life." Then, taking a sharp
knife, she went in to him, saying, "Three times, and thou notedst
not the sign, O fool![FN#417] So now I will rip up thy maw." When
he saw her making for him knife in hand, he opened his eyes and
rose, laughing; whereupon said she, "'Twas not of thine own wit,
that thou camest at the meaning of the sign, but by the help of
some wily cheat; so tell me whence thou hadst this knowledge."
"From an old woman," replied he, "between whom and me befel such
and such;" and he told her all that had passed. Quoth she, "To
morrow go thou forth from us and seek her and say, 'Hast thou any
further device in store?' And if she answer, 'I have,' do thou
rejoin, 'Then do thy best that I may enjoy her publicly.' But, if
she say, 'I have no means of doing that, and this is the last of
my devices,' put her away from thy thought, and to morrow night
my husband will come to thee and invite thee. Do thou come with
him and tell me and I will consider what remaineth to be done."
Answered he, "There is no harm in that!" Then he spent the rest
of the night with her in embracing and clipping, plying the
particle of copulation in concert[FN#418] and joining the
conjunctive with the conjoined,[FN#419] whilst her husband was as
a cast-out nunnation of construction.[FN#420] And they ceased not
to be thus till morning, when she said to him, "'Tis not a night
of thee that will content me, nor a day; no, nor yet a month nor
a year; but it's my intent to abide with thee the rest of my
life. Wait, however, till I play my husband a trick which would
baffle the keenest witted and win for us our wishes. I will cause
doubt to enter into him, so that he shall divorce me, whereupon I
will marry thee and go with thee to thine own country; I will
also transport all his monies and hoards to thy lodging and will
contrive thee the ruin of his dwelling place and the blotting out
of his traces. But do thou hearken to my speech and obey me in
that I shall say to thee and gainsay me not." He replied, "I hear
and I obey: in me there is none opposition." Then said she, "Go
to the Khan and, when my husband cometh to thee and inviteth
thee, say to him, 'O my brother, a son of Adam is apt to be
burdensome, and when his visits grow over frequent, both generous
and niggard loathe him.[FN#421] How then shall I go with thee
every night and lie I and thee, on the saloon? An thou wax not
chagrined with me, thy Harim will bear me grudge, for that I
hinder thee from thine. Therefore if thou have a mind to my
company, take me a house beside thine own and we will abide thus,
now I sitting with thee till the time of sleep, and now with me
thou. Then I will go to my place and thou to thy Harim and this
will be a better rede than that I hinder thee from thy Harim
every night.' Then will he come to me and take counsel with me,
and I will advise him to turn out our neighbour, for the house
wherein he liveth is our house and he renteth it of us; and once
thou art in the house, Allah will make easy to us the rest of our
scheme." And presently she added, "Go now and do as I bid thee."
Answered he, "I hear and obey;" whereupon she left him and went
away, whilst he lay down and feigned to be asleep. Presently, the
handmaid came and aroused them; and when the jeweller awoke, he
said to his guest, "O merchant have the mosquitoes worried thee?"
He replied, "No," and Obayd said, "Belike thou art grown used to
them." Then they broke their fast and drank coffee, after which
they fared forth to their affairs, and Kamar al-Zaman betook
himself to the old crone, and related to her what had passed, And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Seventy-second Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Kamar al-Zaman betook himself to the old crone, he related to her
what had passed, saying, "She spake to me this and that, and I
answered her thus and thus. Now say me, hast thou any farther
device for bringing me to enjoy her publicly?" Quoth she, "O my
son, here endeth my contrivance, and now I am at the term of my
devices." Upon this he left her and returned to the Khan where,
as eventide evened, the jeweller came to him and invited him. He
said, "I cannot go with thee." Asked the merchant, "Why so? I
love thee and cannot brook separation from thee. Allah upon thee
come with me!" The other replied, "An it be thy wish to continue
our comradeship and keep up the friendship betwixt thee and me,
take me a house by the side of thine own and when thou wilt, thou
shalt pass the evening with me and I with thee; but, as soon as
the time of sleep cometh, each of us shall hie him to his own
home and lie there." Quoth Obayd, "I have a house adjoining mine,
which is my own property: so go thou with me to night and to-
morrow I will have the house untenanted for thee." Accordingly he
went with him and they supped and prayed the night prayer, after
which the jeweller drank the cup of drugged[FN#422] liquor and
fell asleep: but in Kamar al-Zaman's cup there was no trick; so
he drank it and slept not. Then came the jeweller's wife and sat
chatting with him through the dark hours, whilst her husband lay
like a corpse. When he awoke in the morning as of wont, he sent
for his tenant and said to him, "O man, quit me the house, for I
have need of it." "On my head and eyes," answered the other and
voided the house to him, whereupon Kamar al-Zaman took up his
abode therein and transported thither all his baggage. The
jeweller passed that evening with him, then went to his own
house. On the next day, his wife sent for a cunning builder and
bribed him with money to make her an underground-way[FN#423] from
her chamber to Kamar al-Zaman's house, with a trap-door under the
earth. So, before the youth was ware, she came in to him with two
bags of money and he said to her, "Whence comest thou?" She
showed him the tunnel and said to him, "Take these two bags of
his money." Then she sat with him, the twain toying and tumbling
together till the morning, when she said, "Wait for me, till I go
to him and wake him, so he may go to his shop, and I return to
thee." He sat expecting her, whilst she went away and awoke her
husband, who made the Wuzu ablution and prayed and went to his
shop. As soon as he was gone, she took four bags and, carrying
them through the Souterrain to Kamar al-Zaman, said to him,
"Store these up;" then she sat with him awhile, after which she
retired to her home and he betook himself to the bazar. When he
returned at sundown, he found in his house ten purses and jewels
and much besides. Presently the jeweller came to him and carried
him to his own house, where they passed the evening in the
saloon, till the handmaid came in according to custom, and
brought them the drink. Her master drank and fell asleep, whilst
naught betided Kamar al-Zaman for that his cup was wholesome and
there was no trick therein. Then came Halimah who sat down
atoying with him, whilst the slave-girl transported the
jeweller's goods to Kamar al-Zaman's house by the secret passage.
Thus they did till morning, when the handmaid awoke her lord and
gave them to drink coffee, after which they went each his own
way. On the third day the wife brought out to him a knife of her
husband's, which he had chased and wrought with his own hand, and
which he priced at five hundred diners. But there was no knife
like it and because of the eagerness with which folk sought it of
him, he had laid it up in a chest and could not bring himself to
sell it to any one in creation. Quoth she, "Take this knife and
set it in thy waist shawl and go to my husband and sit with him.
Then pull out the knife and say to him, 'O master, look at this
knife I bought to day and tell me if I have the worst or the best
of the bargain.' He will know it, but will be ashamed to say to
thee, 'This is my knife;' so he will ask thee, 'Whence didst thou
buy it and for how much?'; and do thou make answer, 'I saw two
Levantines[FN#424] disputing and one said to the other, 'Where
hast thou been?' Quoth his companion, 'I have been with my
mistress, and whenever I foregather with her, she giveth me ten
dirhams; but this day she said to me, 'My hand is empty of silver
for thee to day, but take this knife of my husband's.' So I took
it and intend to sell it.' The knife pleased me and hearing his
tale I said to him, 'Wilt thou sell it to me?' when he replied,
'Buy.' So I got it of him for three hundred gold pieces and I
wonder whether it was cheap or dear.' And note what he will say
to thee. Then talk with him awhile and rise and come back to me
in haste. Thou wilt find me awaiting thee at the tunnel mouth,
and do thou give me the knife." Replied Kamar al-Zaman, "I hear
and I obey," and taking the knife set it in his waist-shawl. Then
he went to the shop of the jeweller, who saluted him with the
salam and welcomed him and made him sit down. He spied the knife
in his waist shawl, at which he wondered and said to himself,
"That is my knife: who can have conveyed it to this merchant?"
And he fell a musing and saying in his mind, "I wonder an it be
my knife or a knife like it!" Presently Kamar al-Zaman pulled it
out and said to him, "Harkye, master; take this knife and look at
it." Obayd took it and knew it right well, but was ashamed to
say, "This is my knife;" And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Seventy-third Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
jeweller took the knife from Kamar al-Zaman, he knew it, but was
ashamed to say, "This is my knife." So he asked, "Where didst
thou buy it?" Kamar al-Zaman answered as Halimah had charged him,
and the jeweller said, "The knife was cheap at that price, for it
is worth five hundred diners." But fire flamed in his heart and
his hands were tied from working at his craft. Kamar al-Zaman
continued to talk with him, whilst he was drowned in the sea of
solicitudes, and for fifty words wherewith the youth bespoke him,
he answered him but one; for his heart ached and his frame was
racked and his thoughts were troubled and he was even as saith
the poet,
"I have no words though folk would have me talk * And who bespeak
me find me thought waylaid:
Plunged in the Care-sea's undiscovered depths, * Nor aught of
difference see 'twixt man and maid!"
When Kamar al-Zaman saw his case thus changed, he said to him
"Belike thou art busy at this present," and leaving him, returned
in hottest haste to his own house, where he found Halimah
standing at the passage door awaiting him. Quoth she "Hast thou
done as I bade thee?"; and quoth he, "Yes." She asked, "What said
he to thee?"; and he answered, "He told me that the knife was
cheap at that price, for that it was worth five hundred diners:
but I could see that he was troubled; so I left him and know not
what befel him after that." Cried she, "Give me the knife and
reck thou not of him." Then she took the knife and restoring it
to its place, sat down. Now after Kamar al-Zaman's departure fire
flamed in the jeweller's heart and suspicion was sore upon him
and he said to himself, "Needs must I get up and go look for the
knife and cut down doubt with certainty." So he rose and repaired
to his house and went in to his wife, snorting like a
dragon;[FN#425] and she said to him, "What mattereth thee, O my
lord?" He asked, "Where is my knife?" and she answered, "In the
chest," and smote hand upon breast, saying, "O my grief! Belike
thou hast fallen out with some one and art come to fetch the
knife to smite him withal." Said he, "Give me the knife. Let me
see it." But said she, "Not till thou swear to me that thou wilt
not smite any one therewith." So he swore this to her and she
opened the chest and brought out to him the knife and he fell to
turning it over, saying, "Verily, this is a wondrous thing!" Then
quoth he to her, "Take it and lay it back in its place;" and she,
"Tell me the meaning of all this." He answered, "I saw with our
friend a knife like this," and told her all that had passed
between himself and the youth, adding, "But, when I saw it in the
chest, my suspicion ended in certainty." Said she, "Haply thou
misdoubtedest of me and deemedst that I was the Levantine's
mistress and had given him the knife." He replied, "Yes, I had my
doubts of this; but, when I saw the knife, suspicion was lifted
from my heart." Rejoined she, "O man, there is now no good in
thee!" And he fell to excusing himself to her, till he appeased
her; after which he fared forth and returned to his shop. Next
day, she gave Kamar al-Zaman her husband's watch, which he had
made with his own hand and whereof none had the like, saying, "Go
to his shop and sit by his side and say to him, 'I saw again to-
day him whom I saw yesterday. He had a watch in his hand and said
to me, 'Wilt thou buy this watch?' Quoth I, 'Whence hadst thou
it?'; and quoth he, 'I was with my mistress and she gave me this
watch.' So I bought it of him for eight-and-fifty gold pieces.
Look at it: is it cheap at that price or dear?' Note what he
shall say to thee; then return to me in haste and give me the
watch." So Kamar al-Zaman repaired to the jeweller and did with
him as she had charged him. When Obayd saw the watch, he said,
"This is worth seven hundred ducats;" and suspicion entered into
him. Then the youth left him and returning to the wife, gave her
back the watch. Presently, her husband suddenly came in snorting,
and said to her, "Where is my watch?" Said she, "Here it is;" and
he cried, "Give it to me." So she brought it to him and he
exclaimed, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great!"; and she too exclaimed, "O man,
there is something the matter with thee. Tell me what it is." He
replied, "What shall I say? Verily, I am bewildered by these
chances!" And he recited these couplets,[FN#426]
"Although the Merciful be doubtless with me,
Yet am I sore bewildered, for new griefs
Have compassed me about, or ere I knew it
I have endured till Patience self became
Impatient of my patience.--I have endured
Waiting till Heaven fulfil my destiny.--
I have endured till e'en endurance owned
How I bore up with her; (a thing more bitter
Than bitter aloes) yet though a bitterer thing
Is not, than is that drug it were more bitter
To me should Patience leave me unsustained."
Then said he to his wife, "O woman, I saw with the merchant our
friend, first my knife, which I knew, for that its fashion was a
device of my own wit, nor cloth its like exist; and he told me of
it a story that troubled the heart: so I came back and found it
at home. Again to day I see him with the watch, whose fashion
also is of my own device, nor is there the fellow of it in
Bassorah, and of this also he told me a story that saddened my
heart. Wherefore I am bewildered in my wit and know not what is
to come to me." Quoth she, "The purport of thy speech is that
thou suspectedst me of being the friend of that merchant and his
leman, and eke of giving him thy good; so thou camest to question
me and make proof of my perfidy; and, had I not shown thee the
knife and the watch, thou hadst been certified of my treason. But
since, O man, thou deemest me this ill deme, henceforth I will
never again break with thee bread nor drain with thee drink, for
I loathe thee with the loathing of prohibition.[FN#427]" So he
gentled her and excused himself till he had appeased her and
returned, repenting him of having bespoken her thus, to his shop,
where he sat, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
jeweller quitted his wife, he repented having bespoken her thus
and, returning to his shop, he sat there in disquiet sore and
anxiety galore, between belief and unbelief. About eventide he
went home alone, not bringing Kamar al-Zaman with him: whereupon
quoth his wife, "Where is the merchant?"; and quoth he, "In his
lodgings." She asked, "Is the friendship between thee and him
grown cold?" and he answered, "By Allah, I have taken a dislike
to him, because of that which hath betided me from him."[FN#428]
Quoth she, "Go fetch him, to please me." So he arose and went in
to Kamar al-Zaman in his house; where he saw his own goods strewn
about and knew them. At this sight, fire was kindled in his heart
and he fell asighing. Quoth the youth, "How is it that I see thee
melancholy?" Obayd was ashamed to say, "Here are my goods in thy
house: who brought them hither?"; so he replied only, "A vexation
hath betided me; but come thou with me to my house, that we may
solace ourselves there." The other rejoined, "Let me be in my
place: I will not go with thee." But the jeweller conjured him to
come and took him to his house, where they supped and passed the
evening together, Kamar al-Zaman talking with the jeweller, who
was drowned in the sea of solicitude and for a hundred words,
wherewith the guest bespoke him, answered him only one word.
Presently, the handmaid brought them two cups of drink, as usual,
and they drank; whereupon the jeweller fell asleep, but the youth
abode on wake, because his cup was not drugged. Then came Halimah
and said to her lover, "How deemest thou of yonder cornuted, who
is drunken in his heedlessness and weeteth not the wiles of
women? There is no help for it but that I cozen him into
divorcing me. To-morrow, I will disguise myself as a slave-girl
and walk after thee to his shop, where do thou say to him, 'O
master, I went to-day into the Khan of Al-Yasirjiyah, where I saw
this damsel and bought her for a thousand diners. Look at her for
me and tell me whether she was cheap at that price or dear.' Then
uncover to him my face and breasts and show all of me to him;
after which do thou carry me back to thy house, whence I will go
to my chamber by the secret passage, so I may see the issue of
our affair with him." Then the twain passed the night in mirth
and merriment, converse and good cheer, dalliance and delight
till dawn, when she returned to her own place and sent the
handmaid to arouse her lawful lord and her lover. Accordingly
they arose and prayed the dawn-prayer and brake their fast and
drank coffee, after which Obayd repaired to his shop and Kamar
al-Zaman betook himself to his own house. Presently, in came
Halimah to him by the tunnel, in the guise of a slave-girl, and
indeed she was by birth a slave-girl.[FN#429] Then he went out
and she walked behind him, till he came to the jeweller's shop
and saluting him, sat down and said, "O master, I went into the
Khan of Al-Yasirjiyah to-day, to look about me, and saw this
damsel in the broker's hands. She pleased me; so I bought her for
a thousand diners and I would have thee look upon her and see if
she be cheap at that price or no." So saying, he uncovered her
face and the jeweller saw her to be his own wife. clad in her
costliest clothes, tricked out in her finest trinkets and kohl'd
and henna'd, even as she was wont to adorn herself before him in
the house. He knew with full knowledge her face and dress and
trinkets, for those he had wrought with his own hand, and he saw
on her fingers the seal rings he had newly made for Kamar al-
Zaman, whereby he was certified with entire assurance that she
was indeed his very wife. So he asked her, "What is thy name, O
slave-girl?"; and she answered, "Halimah," naming to him her own
name; whereat he was amazed and said to the youth, "For how much
didst thou buy her?" He replied, "For a thousand diners"; and the
jeweller rejoined, "Thou hast gotten her gratis; for her rings
and clothes and trinkets are worth more than that." Said Kamar
al-Zaman, "May Allah rejoice thee with good news! Since she
pleaseth thee, I will carry her to my house;" and Obayd said, "Do
thy will." So he took her off to his house, whence she passed
through the secret passage to her own apartment and sat there.
Meanwhile, fire flamed in the jeweller's heart and he said to
himself, "I will go see my wife. If she be at home, this slave-
girl must be her counterpart, and glory be to Him who alone hath
no counterpart! But, if she be not at home, 'tis she herself
without a doubt." Then he set off running, and coming to his
house, found his wife sitting in the same clothes and ornaments
he had seen upon her in the shop; whereupon he beat hand upon
hand, saying, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great!" "O man," asked she, "art thou
mad or what aileth thee? 'Tis not thy wont to do thus, and needs
must it be that something hath befallen thee." Answered he, "If
thou wilt have me tell thee be not vexed." Quoth she, "Say on";
so he said, "Our friend the merchant hath bought a slave-girl,
whose shape is as thy shape and her height as thy height; more-
over, her name is even as thy name and her apparel is the like of
thine apparel. Brief, she resembleth thee in all her attributes,
and on her fingers are seal rings like thy seal rings and her
trinkets are as thy trinkets. So, when he displayed her to me,
methought it was thyself and I was perplexed concerning my case.
Would we had never seen this merchant nor companied with him; and
would he had never left his own country and we had not known him,
for he hath troubled my life which before was serene, causing ill
feeling to succeed good faith and making doubt to enter into my
heart." Said she, "Look in my face, belike I am she who was with
him and he is my lover and I disguised myself as a slave-girl and
agreed with him that he should display me to thee, so he might
lay a snare for thee." He replied, "What words are these? Indeed,
I never suspected that thou wouldst do the like of this deed."
Now this jeweller was unversed in the wiles of women and knew not
how they deal with men, nor had he heard the saying of him who
said,
"A heart bore thee off in chase of the fair, * As fled Youth and
came Age wi' his hoary hair:
Laylá troubles me and love joys are far; * And rival and risks
brings us cark and care.
An would'st ask me of woman, behold I am * In physic of womankind
wise and ware:
When grizzleth man's head and his monies fail, * His lot in their
love is a poor affair."
Nor that of another,[FN#430]
"Gainsay women; he obeyeth Allah best, who saith them nay And he
prospers not who giveth them his bridle rein to sway
For they'll hinder him from winning to perfection in his gifts,
Though a thousand years he study, seeking after wisdom's
way."
And a third,
"Women Satans are, made for woe of man: * To Allah I fly from
such Satanesses!
Whom they lure by their love he to grief shall come * And lose
bliss of world and the Faith that blesses."
Said she, "Here am I sitting in my chamber; so go thou to him
forthright and knock at the door and contrive to go in to him
quickly. An thou see the damsel with him 'tis a slave-girl of his
who resembleth me (and Glory be to Him who hath no
resemblance[FN#431]) But, an thou see no slave-girl with him,
then am I myself she whom thou sawest with him in the shop, and
thine ill thought of me will be stablished." "True," answered
Obayd, and went out leaving her, whereupon she passed through the
hidden passage and seating herself by Kamar al-Zaman, told him
what had passed, saying, "Open the door quickly and show me to
him." Now, as they were talking, behold, there came a knocking at
the door. Quoth Kamar al-Zaman, "Who is at the door?"; and quoth
the jeweller, "I, thy friend; thou displayedst to me thy slave-
girl in the bazar, and I rejoiced for thee in her, but my joy in
her was not completed; so open the door and let me look at her
again." Rejoined he, "So be it," and opened the door to him,
whereupon he saw his wife sitting by him. She rose and kissed
their hands; and he looked at her; then she talked with him
awhile and he saw her not to be distinguished from his wife in
aught and said, "Allah createth whatso He will." Then he went
away more disheartened than before and returned to his own house
where he saw his wife sitting, for she had foregone him thither
by the souterrain. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the young
lady forewent her spouse by the souterrain as he fared through
the door and sat down in her upper chamber;[FN#432] so as soon as
he entered she asked him, "What hast thou seen?" and he answered,
"I found her with her master; and she resembleth thee." Then said
she, "Off to thy shop and let this suffice thee of ignoble
suspicion and never again deem ill of me." Said he, "So be it:
accord me pardon for what is past." And she, "Allah grant thee
grace!"[FN#433] whereupon he kissed her right and left and went
back to his shop. Then she again betook herself to Kamar al-Zaman
through the underground passage, with four bags of money, and
said to him, "Equip thyself at once for the road and be ready to
carry off the money without delay, against I devise for thee the
device I have in mind." So he went out and purchased mules and
loaded them and made ready a travelling litter, he also bought
Mamelukes and eunuchs and sending, without let or hindrance, the
whole without the city, returned to Halimah and said to her, "I
have made an end of my affairs." Quoth she, "And I on my side am
ready; for I have transported to thy house all the rest of his
monies and treasures and have left him nor little nor much,
whereof he may avail himself. All this is of my love for thee, O
dearling of my heart, for I would sacrifice my husband to thee a
thousand times. But now it behoveth, thou go to him and farewell
him, saying, 'I purpose to depart after three days and am come to
bid thee adieu; so do thou reckon what I owe thee for the hire of
the house that I may send it to thee and acquit my conscience.'
Note his reply and return to me and tell me; for I can no more; I
have done my best, by cozening him, to anger him with me and
cause him to put me away, but I find him none the less infatuated
with me. So nothing will serve us but to depart to thine own
country." And quoth he, "O rare! an but swevens prove
true!"[FN#434] Then he went to the jeweller's shop and sitting
down by him, said to him, "O master, I set out for home in three
days' time, and am come to farewell thee. So I would have thee
reckon what I owe thee for the hire of the house, that I may pay
it to thee and acquit my conscience." Answered Obayd, "What talk
is this? Verily, 'tis I who am indebted to thee. By Allah, I will
take nothing from thee for the rent of the house, for thou hast
brought down blessings upon us! However, thou desolatest me by
thy departure, and but that it is forbidden to me, I would
certainly oppose thee and hinder thee from returning to thy
country and kinsfolk." Then he took leave of him, whilst they
both wept with sore weeping and the jeweller went with him, and
when they entered Kamar al-Zaman's house, there they found
Halimah who stood before them and served them; but when Obayd
returned home, he found her sitting there; nor did he cease to
see her thus in each house in turn, for the space of three days,
when she said to Kamar al-Zaman, "Now have I transported to thee
all that he hath of monies and hoards and carpets and things of
price, and there remaineth with him naught save the slave-girl,
who used to come in to you with the night drink: but I cannot
part with her, for that she is my kinswoman and she is dear to me
as a confidante. So I will beat her and be wroth with her and
when my spouse cometh home, I will say to him, 'I can no longer
put up with this slave-girl nor stay in the house with her; so
take her and sell her.' Accordingly he will sell her and do thou
buy her, that we may carry her with us." Answered he, "No harm in
that." So she beat the girl and when the jeweller came in, he
found her weeping and asked her why she wept. Quoth she, "My
mistress hath beaten me." He then went in to his wife and said to
her, "What hath that accursed girl done, that thou hast beaten
her?" She replied, "O man, I have but one word to say to thee,
and 'tis that I can no longer bear the sight of this girl; so
take her and sell her, or else divorce me." Quoth he, "I will
sell her that I may not cross thee in aught;" and when he went
out to go to the shop he took her and passed with her by Kamar
al-Zaman. No sooner had he gone out than his wife slipped through
the under ground passage to Kamar al-Zaman, who placed her in the
litter, before the Shaykh her husband reached him. When the
jeweller came up and the lover saw the slave-girl with him, he
asked him, "What girl is this?"; and the other answered, "'Tis my
slave-girl who used to serve us with the night drink; she hath
disobeyed her mistress who is wroth with her and hath bidden me
sell her." Quoth the youth, "An her mistress have taken an
aversion to her, there is for her no abiding with her; but sell
her to me, that I may smell your scent in her, and I will make
her handmaid to my slave Halimah." "Good," answered Obayd: "take
her." Asked Kamar al-Zaman, "What is her price?"; but the
jeweller said, "I will take nothing from thee, for thou hast been
bountiful to us." So he accepted her from him and said to
Halimah, "Kiss thy lord's hand." Accordingly, she came out from
the litter and kissing Obayd's hand, remounted, whilst he looked
hard at her. Then said Kamar al-Zaman, "I commend thee to Allah,
O Master Obayd! Acquit my conscience of responsibility.[FN#435]"
Answered the jeweller, "Allah acquit thee! and carry thee safe to
thy family!" Then he bade him farewell and went to his shop
weeping, and indeed it was grievous to him to part from Kamar al-
Zaman, for that he had been friend and friendship hath its
debtorship; yet he rejoiced in the dispelling of the doubts which
had befallen him anent his wife, since the young man was now gone
and his suspicions had not been stablished. Such was his case;
but as regards Kamar al-Zaman, the young lady said to him, "An
thou wish for safety, travel with me by other than the wonted
way." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Halimah said to Kamar al-Zaman, "An thou wish for safety travel
with me by other than the wonted way," he replied, "Hearing and
obeying;" and, taking a road other than that used by folk, fared
on without ceasing from region to region till he reached the
confines of Egypt-land[FN#436] and sent his sire a letter by a
runner. Now his father the merchant Abd al-Rahman was sitting in
the market among the merchants, with a heart on fire for
separation from his son, because no news of the youth had reached
him since the day of his departure; and while he was in such case
the runner came up and cried, "O my lords, which of you is called
the merchant Abd al-Rahman?" They said, "What wouldst thou of
him?"; and he said, "I have a letter for him from his son Kamar
al-Zaman, whom I left at Al-Arísh."[FN#437] At this Abd al-Rahman
rejoiced and his breast was broadened and the merchants rejoiced
for him and gave him joy of his son's safety. Then he opened the
letter and read as follows, "From Kamar al-Zaman to the merchant
Abd al-Rahman. And after Peace be upon thee and upon all the
merchants! An ye ask concerning us, to Allah be the praise and
the thanks. Indeed we have sold and bought and gained and are
come back in health, wealth and weal." Whereupon Abd al-Rahman
opened the door[FN#438] of rejoicing and made banquets and gave
feasts and entertainments galore, sending for instruments of
music and addressing himself to festivities after rarest fashion.
When Kamar al-Zaman came to Al-Sálihiyah,[FN#439] his father and
all the merchants went forth to meet him, and Abd al-Rahman
embraced him and strained him to his bosom and sobbed till he
swooned away. When he came to himself he said, "Oh, 'tis a boon
day O my son, whereon the Omnipotent Protector hath reunited us
with thee!" And he repeated the words of the bard,
"The return of the friend is the best of all boons, * And the joy
cup circles o' morns and noons:
So well come, welcome, fair welcome to thee, * The light of the
time and the moon o' full moons."
Then, for excess of joy, he poured forth a flood of tears from
his eyes and he recited also these two couplets,
"The Moon o' the Time,[FN#440] shows unveilčd light; * And, his
journey done, at our door cloth alight:
His locks as the nights of his absence are black * And the sun
upstands from his collar's[FN#441] white."
Then the merchants came up to him and saluting him, saw with him
many loads and servants and a travelling litter enclosed in a
spacious circle.[FN#442] So they took him and carried him home;
and when Halimah came forth from the litter, his father held her
a seduction to all who beheld her. So they opened her an upper
chamber, as it were a treasure from which the talismans had been
loosed;[FN#443] and when his mother saw her, she was ravished
with her and deemed her a Queen of the wives of the Kings. So she
rejoiced in her and questioned her; and she answered, "I am wife
to thy son;" and the mother rejoined, "Since he is wedded to thee
we must make thee a splendid marriage feast, that we may rejoice
in thee and in my son." On this wise it befel her; but as regards
the merchant Abd al-Rahman, when the folk had dispersed and each
had wended his way, he foregathered with his son and said to him,
"O my son, what is this slave-girl thou hast brought with thee
and for how much didst thou buy her?"[FN#444] Kamar al-Zaman
said, "O my father, she is no slave-girl; but 'tis she who was
the cause of my going abroad." Asked his sire, "How so?"; and he
answered, "'Tis she whom the Dervish described to us the night he
lay with us; for indeed my hopes crave to her from that moment
and I sought not to travel save on account of her. The Arabs came
out upon me by the way and stripped me and took my money and
goods, so that I entered Bassorah alone and there befel me there
such and such things;" and he went on to relate to his parent all
that had befallen him from commencement to conclusion. Now when
he had made an end of his story, his father said to him, "O my
son, and after all this didst thou marry her?" "No; but I have
promised her marriage." "Is it thine intent to marry her?" "An
thou bid me marry her, I will do so; otherwise I will not marry
her." Thereupon quoth his father, "An thou marry her, I am quit
of thee in this world and in the next, and I shall be incensed
against thee with sore indignation. How canst thou wed her,
seeing that she hath dealt thus with her husband? For, even as
she did with her spouse for thy sake, so will she do the like
with thee for another's sake, because she is a traitress and in a
traitor there is no trusting. Wherefore an thou disobey me, I
shall be wroth with thee; but, an thou give ear to my word, I
will seek thee out a girl handsomer than she, who shall be pure
and pious, and marry thee to her, though I spend all my substance
upon her; and I will make thee a wedding without equal and will
glory in thee and in her; for 'tis better that folk should say,
Such an one hath married such an one's daughter, than that they
say, He hath wedded a slave-girl sans birth or worth." And he
went on to persuade his son to give up marrying her, by citing in
support of his say, proofs, stories, examples, verses and moral
instances, till Kamar al-Zaman exclaimed, "O my father, since the
case is thus, 'tis not right and proper that I marry her." And
when his father heard him speak on such wise, he kissed him
between the eyes, saying, "Thou art my very son, and as I live, O
my son, I will assuredly marry thee to a girl who hath not her
equal!" Then the merchant set Obayd's wife and her handmaid in a
chamber high up in the house and, before locking the door upon
the twain, he appointed a black slave-girl to carry them their
meat and drink and he said to Halimah, "Ye shall abide imprisoned
in this chamber, thou and thy maid, till I find one who will buy
you, when I will sell you to him. An ye resist, I will slay ye
both, for thou art a traitress, and there is no good in thee."
Answered she, "Do thy will: I deserve all thou canst do with me."
Then he locked the door upon them and gave his Harim a charge
respecting them, saying, "Let none go up to them nor speak with
them, save the black slave-girl who shall give them their meat
and drink through the casement of the upper chamber." So she
abode with her maid, weeping and repenting her of that which she
had done with her spouse. Meanwhile Abd al-Rahman sent out the
marriage brokers to look out a maid of birth and worth for his
son, and the women ceased not to make search, and as often as
they saw one girl, they heard of a fairer than she, till they
came to the house of the Shaykh al-Islam[FN#445] and saw his
daughter. In her they found a virgin whose equal was not in Cairo
for beauty and loveliness, symmetry and perfect grace, and she
was a thousand fold handsomer than the wife of Obayd. So they
told Abd al-Rahman of her and he and the notables repaired to her
father and sought her in wedlock of him. Then they wrote out the
marriage contract and made her a splendid wedding; after which
Abd al-Rahman gave bride feasts and held open house forty days.
On the first day, he invited the doctors of the law and they held
a splendid nativity[FN#446]: and on the morrow, he invited all
the merchants, and so on during the rest of the forty days,
making a banquet every day to one or other class of folk, till he
had bidden all the Olema and Emirs and Antients[FN#447] and
Magistrates, whilst the kettle drums were drummed and the pipes
were piped and the merchant sat to greet the guests, with his son
by his side, that he might solace himself by gazing on the folk,
as they ate from the trays. Each night Abd al-Rahman illuminated
the street and the quarter with lamps and there came every one of
the mimes and jugglers and mountebanks and played all manner
play; and indeed it was a peerless wedding. On the last day he
invited the Fakirs, the poor and the needy, far and near, and
they flocked in troops and ate, whilst the merchant sat, with his
son by his side.[FN#448] And among the paupers, behold, entered
Shaykh Obayd the jeweller and he was naked and weary and bare on
his face the marks of wayfare. When Kamar al-Zaman saw him, he
knew him and said to his sire, "Look, O my father, at yonder poor
man who is but now come in by the door." So he looked and saw him
clad in worn clothes and on him a patched gown[FN#449] worth two
dirhams: his face was yellow and he was covered with dust and was
as he were an offcast of the pilgrims.[FN#450] He was groaning as
groaneth a sick man in need, walking with a tottering gait and
swaying now to the right and then to the left, and in him was
realized his saying who said,[FN#451]
"Lack-gold abaseth man and cloth his worth away, Even as the
setting sun that pales with ended day.
He passeth 'mongst the folk and fain would hide his head; And
when alone, he weeps with tears that never stay.
Absent, none taketh heed to him or his concerns; Present, he hath
no part in life or pleasance aye.
By Allah, whenas men with poverty are cursed, But strangers midst
their kin and countrymen are they!"
And the saying of another,
"The poor man fares by everything opposed: * On him to shut the
door Earth ne'er shall fail:
Thou seest men abhor him sans a sin, * And foes he finds tho none
the cause can tell:
The very dogs, when sighting wealthy man, * Fawn at his feet and
wag the flattering tail;
Yet, an some day a pauper loon they sight, * All at him bark and,
gnashing fangs, assail."
And how well quoth a third,
"If generous youth be blessed with luck and wealth, *
Displeasures fly his path and perils fleet:
His enviers pimp for him and par'site-wise * E'en without tryst
his mistress hastes to meet.
When loud he farts they say 'How well he sings!' * And when he
fizzles[FN#452] cry they, 'Oh, how sweet!'"
--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when his
son said to Abd al-Rahman, "Look at yonder pauper!" he asked, "O
my son, who is this?" And Kamar al-Zaman answered, "This is
Master Obayd the jeweller, husband of the woman who is imprisoned
with us." Quoth Abd al-Rahman, "Is this he of whom thou toldest
me?"; and quoth his son, "Yes; and indeed I wot him right well."
Now the manner of Obayd's coming thither was on this wise. When
he had farewelled Kamar al-Zaman, he went to his shop and thence
going home, laid his hand on the door whereupon it opened and he
entered and found neither his wife nor the slave-girl, but saw
the house in sorriest plight, quoting in mute speech his saying
who said,[FN#453]
"The chambers were like a bee hive well stocked: * When their
bees quitted it, they became empty."
When he saw the house void, he turned right and left and
presently went round about the place, like a madman, but came
upon no one. Then he opened the door of his treasure closet, but
found therein naught of his money nor his hoards; whereupon he
recovered from the intoxication of fancy and shook off his
infatuation and knew that it was his wife herself who had turned
the tables upon him and outwitted him with her wiles. He wept for
that which had befallen him, but kept his affair secret, so none
of his foes might exult over him nor any of his friends be
troubled, knowing that, if he disclosed his secret, it would
bring him naught but dishonour and contumely from the folk;
wherefore he said in him self, "O Obayd, hide that which hath
betided thee of affliction and ruination; it behoveth thee to do
in accordance with his saying who said,
'If a man's breast with bane he hides be straitenčd, * The breast
that tells its hidden bale is straiter still.' "
Then he locked up his house and, making for his shop, gave it in
charge of one of his apprentices to whom said he, "My friend the
young merchant hath invited me to accompany him to Cairo, for
solacing ourselves with the sight of the city, and sweareth that
he will not march except he carry us with him, me and my wife.
So, O my son, I make thee my steward in the shop, and if the King
ask for me, say thou to him, 'He is gone with his Harim to the
Holy House of Allah.'"[FN#454] Then he sold some of his effects
and bought camels and mules and Mamelukes, together with a slave-
girl,[FN#455] and placing her in a litter, set out from Bassorah
after ten days. His friends farewelled him and none doubted but
that he had taken his wife and gone on the Pilgrimage, and the
folk rejoiced in this, for that Allah had delivered them from
being shut up in the mosques and houses every Friday. Quoth some
of them, "Allah grant he may never return to Bassorah, so we may
no more be boxed up in the mosques and houses every Friday!"; for
that this usage had caused the people of Bassorah exceeding
vexation. Quoth another, "Methinks he will not return from this
journey, by reason of the much praying of the people of Bassorah
against him."[FN#456] And yet another, "An he return, 'twill not
be but in reversed case."[FN#457] So the folk rejoiced with
exceeding joy in the jeweller's departure, after they had been in
mighty great chagrin, and even their cats and dogs were
comforted. When Friday came round, however, the crier proclaimed
as usual that the people should repair to the mosques two hours
before prayer time or else hide themselves in their houses,
together with their cats and dogs; whereat their breasts were
straitened and they assembled in general assembly and betaking
themselves to the King's divan, stood between his hands and said,
"O King of the age, the jeweller hath taken his Harim and
departed on the pilgrimage to the Holy House of Allah: so the
cause of our restrains hath ceased to be, and why therefore are
we now shut up?" Quoth the King, "How came this traitor to depart
without telling me? But, when he cometh back from his journey,
all will not be save well[FN#458]: so go ye to your shops and
sell and buy, for this vexation is removed from you." Thus far
concerning the King and the Bassorites; but as for the jeweller,
he fared on ten days' journey, and as he drew near Baghdad, there
befel him that which had befallen Kamar al-Zaman, before his
entering Bassorah; for the Arabs[FN#459] came out upon him and
stripped him and took all he had and he escaped only by feigning
himself dead. As soon as they were gone, he rose and fared on,
naked as he was, till he came to a village, where Allah inclined
to him the hearts of certain kindly folk, who covered his shame
with some old clothes; and he asked his way, begging from town to
town, till he reached the city of Cairo the God guarded. There,
burning with hunger, he went about alms seeking in the market
streets, till one of the townsfolk said to him, "O poor man, off
with thee to the house of the wedding festival and eat and drink;
for to day there is open table for paupers and strangers." Quoth
he, "I know not the way thither": and quoth the other, "Follow me
and I will show it to thee." He followed him, till he brought him
to the house of Abd al-Rahman and said to him, "This is the house
of the wedding; enter and fear not, for there is no doorkeeper at
the door of the festival." Accordingly he entered and Kamar al-
Zaman knew him and told his sire who said, "O my son, leave him
at this present: belike he is anhungered: so let him eat his
sufficiency and recover himself and after we will send for him."
So they waited till Obayd had eaten his fill and washed his hands
and drunk coffee and sherbets of sugar flavoured with musk and
ambergris and was about to go out, when Abd al-Rahman sent after
him a page who said to him, "Come, O stranger, and speak with the
merchant Abd al-Rahman." "Who is he?" asked Obayd; and the man
answered, "He is the master of the feast." Thereupon the jeweller
turned back, thinking that he meant to give him a gift, and
coming up to Abd al-Rahman, saw his friend Kamar al-Zaman and
went nigh to lose his senses for shame before him. But Kamar al-
Zaman rose to him and embracing him, saluted him with the salam,
and they both wept with sore weeping. Then he seated him by his
side and Abd al-Rahman said to his son, "O destitute of good
taste, this is no way to receive friends! Send him first to the
Hammam and despatch after him a suit of clothes of the choicest,
worth a thousand dinars."[FN#460] Accordingly they carried him to
the bath, where they washed his body and clad him in a costly
suit, and he became as he were Consul of the Merchants. Meanwhile
the bystanders questioned Kamar al-Zaman of him, saying, "Who is
this and whence knowest thou him?" Quoth he, "This is my friend,
who lodged me in his house and to whom I am indebted for favours
without number, for that he entreated me with exceeding kindness.
He is a man of competence and condition and by trade a jeweller,
in which craft he hath no equal. The King of Bassorah loveth him
dearly and holdeth him in high honour and his word is law with
him." And he went on to enlarge before them on his praises,
saying, "Verily, he did with me thus and thus and I have shame of
him and know not how to requite him his generous dealing with
me." Nor did he leave to extol him, till his worth was magnified
to the bystanders and he became venerable in their eyes; so they
said, "We will all do him his due and honour him for thy sake.
But we would fain know the reason why he hath departed his native
land and the cause of his coming hither and what Allah hath done
with him, that he is reduced to this plight?" Replied Kamar al-
Zaman, "O folk, marvel not, for a son of Adam is still subject to
Fate and Fortune, and what while he abideth in this world, he is
not safe from calamities. Indeed he spake truly who said these
couplets,
The world tears man to shreds, so be thou not * Of those whom
lure of rank and title draws:
Nay; 'ware of slips and turn from sin aside * And ken that bane
and bale are worldly laws:
How oft high Fortune falls by least mishap * And all things bear
inbred of change a cause!'
Know that I entered Bassorah in yet iller case and worse distress
than this man, for that he entered Cairo with his shame hidden by
rags; but I indeed came into his town with my nakedness
uncovered, one hand behind and another before; and none availed
me but Allah and this dear man. Now the reason of this was that
the Arabs stripped me and took my camels and mules and loads and
slaughtered my pages and serving men; but I lay down among the
slain and they thought that I was dead, so they went away and
left me. Then I arose and walked on, mother naked, till I came to
Bassorah where this man met me and clothed me and lodged me in
his house, he also furnished me with money, and all I have
brought back with me I owe to none save to Allah's goodness and
his goodness. When I departed, he gave me great store of wealth
and I returned to the city of my birth with a heart at ease. I
left him in competence and condition, and haply there hath
befallen him some bale of the banes of Time, that hath forced him
to quit his kinsfolk and country, and there happened to him by
the way the like of what happened to me. There is nothing strange
in this; but now it behoveth me to requite him his noble dealing
with me and do according to the saying of him who saith,
'O who praises" Time with the fairest appraise, * Knowest thou
what Time hath made and unmade?
What thou dost at least be it kindly done,[FN#461] * For with pay
he pays shall man be repaid.'"
As they were talking and telling the tale, behold, up came Obayd
as he were Consul[FN#462] of the Merchants; whereupon they all
rose to salute him and seated him in the place of honour. Then
said Kamar al-Zaman to him, "O my friend, verily, thy day[FN#463]
is blessed and fortunate! There is no need to relate to me a
thing that befel me before thee. If the Arabs have stripped thee
and robbed thee of thy wealth, verily our money is the ransom of
our bodies, so let not thy soul be troubled; for I entered thy
city naked and thou clothedst me and entreatedst me generously,
and I owe thee many a kindness. But I will requite thee."--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say,
When it was the Nine Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar
al-Zaman said to Master Obayd the jeweller, "Verily I entered thy
city naked and thou clothedst me and I owe thee many a kindness.
But I will requite thee and do with thee even as thou didst with
me; nay, more: so be of good cheer and eyes clear of tear." And
he went on to soothe him and hinder him from speech, lest he
should name his wife and what she had done with him nor did he
cease to ply him with saws and moral instances and verses and
conceits and stories and legends and console him, till the
jeweller saw his drift and took the hint and kept silence
concerning the past, diverting himself with the tales and rare
anecdotes he heard and repeating in himself these lines,
"On the brow of the World is a writ; an thereon thou look, * Its
contents will compel thine eyes tears of blood to rain:
For the World never handed to humans a cup with its right, * But
with left it compelled them a beaker of ruin to drain."
Then Kamar al-Zaman and his father took Obayd and carrying him
into the saloon of the Harim, shut themselves up with him; and
Abd al-Rahman said to him, "We did not hinder thee from speaking
before the folk, but for fear of dishonour to thee and to us: but
now we are private; so tell me all that hath passed between thee
and thy wife and my son." So he told him all, from beginning to
end, and when he had made an end of his story, Abd al-Rahman
asked him, "Was the fault with my son or with thy wife?" He
answered, "By Allah, thy son was not to blame, for men must needs
lust after women, and 'tis the bounder duty of women to defend
themselves from men. So the sin lieth with my wife, who played me
false and did with me these deeds."[FN#464] Then Abd al-Rahman
arose and taking his son aside, said to him, "O my son, we have
proved his wife and know her to be a traitress; and now I mean to
prove him and see if he be a man of honour and manliness, or a
wittol."[FN#465] "How so?" asked Kamar al-Zaman; and Abd al-
Rahman answered, "I mean to urge him to make peace with his wife,
and if he consent thereto and forgive her, I will smite him with
a sword and slay him and kill her after, her and her maid, for
there is no good in the life of a cuckold and a queen;[FN#466]
but, if he turn from her with aversion I will marry him to thy
sister and give him more of wealth than that thou tookest from
him." Then he went back to Obayd and said to him, "O master,
verily, the commerce of women requireth patience and magnanimity
and whoso loveth them hath need of fortitude, for that they order
themselves viper wise towards men and evilly entreat them, by
reason of their superiority over them in beauty and loveliness:
wherefore they magnify themselves and belittle men. This is
notably the case when their husbands show them affection; for
then they requite them with hauteur and coquetry and harsh
dealing of all kinds. But, if a man be wroth whenever he seeth in
his wife aught that offendeth him, there can be no fellowship
between them; nor can any hit it off with them who is not
magnanimous and long suffering; and unless a man bear with his
wife and requite her foul doing with forgiveness, he shall get no
good of her conversation. Indeed, it hath been said of them,
'Were they in the sky, the necks of men would incline themwards';
and he who hath the power and pardoneth, his reward is with
Allah. Now this woman is thy wife and thy companion and she hath
long consorted with thee; wherefore it behoveth that thou entreat
her with indulgence which in fellowship is of the essentials of
success. Furthermore, women fail in wit and Faith,[FN#467] and if
she have sinned, she repenteth and Inshallah she will not again
return to that which she whilome did. So 'tis my rede that thou
make peace with her and I will restore thee more than the good
she took; and if it please thee to abide with me, thou art
welcome, thou and she, and ye shall see naught but what shall joy
you both; but, an thou seek to, return to thine own land. For
that which falleth out between a man and his wife is manifold,
and it behoveth thee to be indulgent and not take the way of the
violent." Said the jeweller, "O my lord, and where is my wife?"
and said Abd al-Rahman, "She is in that upper chamber, go up to
her and be easy with her, for my sake, and trouble her not; for,
when my son brought her hither, he would have married her, but I
forbade him from her and shut her up in yonder room, and locked
the door upon her saying in myself, 'Haply her husband will come
and I will hand her over to him safe; for she is fair of favour,
and when a woman is like unto this one, it may not be that her
husband will let her go.' What I counted on is come about and
praised be Allah Almighty for thy reunion with thy wife! As for
my son, I have sought him another woman in marriage and have
married him to her: these banquets and rejoicings are for his
wedding, and to-night I bring him to his bride. So here is the
key of the chamber where thy wife is: take it and open the door
and go in to her and her handmaid and be buxom with her. There
shall be brought you meat and drink and thou shalt not come down
from her till thou have had thy fill of her." Cried Obayd, "May
Allah requite thee for me with all good, O my lord!" and taking
the key, went up, rejoicing. The other thought his words had
pleased him and that he consented thereto; so he took the sword
and following him unseen, stood to espy what should happen
between him and his wife. This is how it fared with the merchant
Abd al-Rahman; but as for the jeweller, when he came to the
chamber door, he heard his wife weeping with sore weeping for
that Kamar al-Zaman had married another than her, and the
handmaid saying to her, "O my lady, how often have I warned thee
and said, 'Thou wilt get no good of this youth: so do thou leave
his company.' But thou heededst not my words and spoiledst thy
husband of all his goods and gayest them to him. After the which
thou forsookest thy place, of thine fondness and infatuation for
him, and camest with him to this country. And now he hath cast
thee out from his thought and married another and hath made the
issue of thy foolish fancy for him to be durance vile." Cried
Halimah, "Be silent, O accursed! Though he be married to another,
yet some day needs must I occur to his thought. I cannot forget
the nights I have spent in his company and in any case I console
myself with his saying who said,
'O my lords, shall he to your mind occur * Who recurs to you only
sans other mate?
Grant Heaven you ne'er shall forget his state * Who for state of
you forgot own estate!'
It cannot be but he will bethink him of my affect and converse
and ask for me, wherefore I will not turn from loving him nor
change from passion for him, though I perish in prison; for he is
my love and my leach[FN#468] and my reliance is on him that he
will yet return to me and deal fondly with me." When the jeweller
heard his wife's words, he went in to her and said to her, "O
traitress, thy hope in him is as the hope of Iblis[FN#469] in
Heaven. All these vices were in thee and I knew not thereof; for,
had I been ware of one single vice, I had not kept thee with me
an hour. But now I am certified of this in thee, it behoveth me
to do thee die although they put me to death for thee, O
traitress!" and he clutched her with both hands and repeated
these two couplets,
"O fair ones forth ye cast my faithful love * With sin, nor had
ye aught regard for right:
How long I fondly clung to you, but now * My love is loathing and
I hate your sight."
Then he pressed hardly upon her windpipe and brake her neck,
whereupon her handmaid cried out "Alas, my mistress!" Said he, "O
harlot, 'tis thou who art to blame for all this, for that thou
knewest this evil inclination to be in her and toldest me
not."[FN#470] Then he seized upon her and strangled her. All this
happened while Abd al-Rahman stood, brand in hand, behind the
door espying with his eyes and hearing with his ears. Now when
Obayd the ]eweller had done this, apprehension came upon him and
he feared the issue of his affair and said to himself, "As soon
as the merchant learneth that I have killed them in his house, he
will surely slay me; yet I beseech Allah that He appoint the
taking of my life to be while I am in the True Belief!" And he
abode bewildered about his case and knew not what to do, but, as
he was thus behold, in came Abd al-Rahman from his lurking place
without the door and said to him, "No harm shall befal thee, for
indeed thou deserves" safety. See this sword in my hand. 'Twas in
my mind to slay thee, hadst thou made peace with her and restored
her to favour, and I would also have slain her and the maid. But
since thou hast done this deed, welcome to thee and again
welcome! And I will reward thee by marrying thee to my daughter,
Kamar al-Zaman's sister." Then he carried him down and sent for
the woman who washed the dead: whereupon it was bruited abroad
that Kamar al-Zaman had brought with him two slave-girls from
Bassorah and that both had deceased. So the people began to
condole with him saying, "May thy head live!" and "May Allah
compensate thee!" And they washed and shrouded them and buried
them, and none knew the truth of the matter. Then Abd al-Rahman
sent for the Shaykh al-Islam and all the notables and said, "O
Shaykh, draw up the contract of marriage between my daughter
Kaukab al-Salah[FN#471] and Master Obayd the jeweller and set
down that her dowry hath been paid to me in full." So h
