HE l@p.I •: 
 
 vy, l' ■ » » . •%•••••. 
 
 THE THOUSAND HISHTS 
 
 AND 
 
 ONE NIGHT: 
 
 From the Ari*hir of tlic JEayptian M.S 
 tts ((/tted by 
 
 T5T 
 
 CALCUTTA^ 
 
 THACKER fc Cr ST ANDREWS LIBRARY. 
 
 >y- H. ALLEN &C'7 LEAOENMALL STnEST. 
 
 1888 ^ ' 
 

 CARPEWTIER 
 
 k. 
 

 THE ASIATIC SOCIETY 
 4* OF BENGAL, 
 
 TRANSLATED BY ONE OF THEIR MEMBERS AND 
 
 PUBLISHED UNDER THEIR 
 
 PATRONAGE, 
 
 IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. 
 
 Simla, July ZUt. 
 
 588G72 
 
^:< 
 
Page, 
 
 Tale of King Shuliur Yar and his Brother ..... 2 
 
 Tale of the Bullock v?ith the Ass 9 
 
 " Merchant and the Jin 13 
 
 First Old Man 17 
 
 Second Old Man 21 
 
 Third Old Man 26 
 
 Fisherman 28 
 
 Vuzeer of the King Yoonan 36 
 
 King Sundubad . 41 
 
 Malicious Vuzeer 43 
 
 Vuzeer of the King Yoonan concluded . . .45 
 
 Fisherman concluded 51 
 
 Pool and of the Colored Fish 53 
 
 Ensorcelled Youth 59 
 
 Porter and of the Three Girls 74 
 
 First Qurundeel . . . ' . • • • 58 
 
 Second Qurundeel 106 
 
 Envied and the Envious . . . . . 117 
 
 Second Qurundeel 121 
 
 Third Qurundeel 134 
 
 First Damsel 158 
 
 Second Damsel 169 
 
 Young Woman cut Piecemeal 183 
 
 Story of the Three Apples ,188 
 
 Tale of Shums ood Deen Muhummud, Vuzeer of Cairo, and of 
 
 Noor ood Deen Ullee, Vuzeer of Bussorah .... 193 
 
11 CONTENTS. 
 
 Page, 
 Story of the Tailor, and the Hunchback, and the Jew, and the 
 
 Shahid, and the Nazarene . 257 
 
 Story of the Merchant Lopped o' the hand . . . . 264 
 The Shahid' s Tale, and it is the Story of the Young Man who 
 
 ate the Pottage 281 
 
 The Jew's Tale, and it is the Story of the Young Man of Mous- 
 
 snl 292 
 
 The Tailor's Tale, and it is the Story of the Young Man with 
 
 the Barber 302 
 
 The Barber's Tale 320 
 
 Story of the Tailor of Bughdad, and he the Barber's first Brother 322 
 
 Second Brother of the Barber 328 
 
 Third ditto 332 
 
 Fourth ditto 336 
 
 Fifth ditto 339 
 
 Sixth ditto 349 
 
 Hunchback 354 
 
 Two Vuzeers to Muhumramud Bin Suleiman ooz 
 Zeinee, and Unees ool Juleis . . . .357 
 
 Story of Noor ood Deen Ullee and the Damsel Unees ool Juleis, 368 
 
 Noor ood Deen Ullee ...... 408 
 
 Ghanim bin Uyoob ....... 409 
 
 The Story of Bukheet 414 
 
 The Tale of Kafoor .415 
 
 Story of Ghanim bin Uyoob, and Qoot ool Quloob . .' . 421 
 'Oorar bin Na'man, and his two sons, Shurkun, and Zoo 
 
 ul Mukan , ^ 445 
 
^vtfatt. 
 
 The M.S. of which it is proposed to give a transla- 
 tion, was brought to this country by the late Major Tur- 
 ner Macan, the Editor of the Shah Namuh, who pur- 
 chased it from the heirs of Mr. Salt, long British Consul 
 in Egypt. After Major Macau's death, it became 
 the property of the publishers of this volume, and the 
 printing an edition from it was undertaken by that 
 firm, the work being edited by Mr. Macnaghten of the 
 Bengal Civil Service. 
 
 This M.S. contains the full number of the 1001 
 Nights, with many tales entirely new to European rea- 
 ders. It is interspersed with poetry, which possesses 
 in the original much merit, and the style in which it is 
 written has been considered by the best Arabic scholars 
 in this country, to be singularly pure and excellent. 
 Judging this copy then to be the most perfect, which 
 has hitherto been found, of a set of tales which have 
 become popular wherever known, I determined to at- 
 tempt a translation of, at any rate, part of them, keeping 
 
11 PREFACE. 
 
 as literally as I could, to the Arabic, and giving a 
 version, such as I was able to give, of all the poetry of 
 the original. I was stimulated to this undertaking, by 
 feeling that even the best English rendering of these tales. 
 Dr. Scott's, was not a translation, but that it professed 
 merely to be occasionally corrected from the Arabic, 
 the ground work being the French of Monsr. Galland. 
 I further reflected that, Messrs. Langles and Coussin 
 de Perseval,* the learned countrymen of that well 
 known scholar, have both the one and the other, ac- 
 knowledged the defects of his translation, as neither 
 verbally literal nor faithful in its picture of manners, 
 and I considered that this faultiness, was not likely to 
 become less glaring in a translated translation. I also 
 bore in mind, that the attempt to give the most pecu- 
 liar and characteristic portion of these tales, the poetic 
 in the form of poetry, had been hitherto eschewed by 
 all professing translators. On these considerations 
 was the work undertaken. 
 
 My original intention went however further than 
 this, for feeling that to place the picture of Oriental 
 life hterally before those wholly unacquainted with it, 
 would be absurd, without an attempt to e?iplain its pe- 
 culiarities, my first idea was to engraft upon these 
 tales, a set of notes upon the habits of the Mussul- 
 mans generally, making them as full and comprehensive 
 
 * Preface aux Voyages de Sinbad le Marin. 
 
PREFACE. Ill 
 
 as I possibly could. Circumstances which removed 
 me to a distance from the means of reference necessary 
 for such a task, prevented the project being carried 
 into effect, and the brief notes appended to this 
 volume, are merely offered, as tending to explain here 
 and there, an historical allusion or a local custom, or an 
 impression general among the professors of Islam. 
 
 For the prose of this translation, and the style in 
 which it is written, I will merely say that it formed it- 
 self without any effort of my own, on the language of 
 the original. Believing that the lighter literature of a 
 people, conveys the best standard of national disposition, 
 and that there is no better clue to character than the 
 turn and spirit of familiar phraseology, I have rendered 
 the Arabic as literally as I could, for my object was, 
 less to give the incident of a tale, than the manners of 
 a people. All the peculiarities of the Arab nationally, 
 and of the Mooslims at large, are I think best display- 
 ed in this style, though I own that with these general 
 advantages, it is yet open to ridicule for its quaintness 
 and to criticism for its servility. But I did not deter- 
 mine upon its adoption, without making trial of one 
 less literal, and without finding it impossible to convey 
 an idea, such as I wished, of passions and affections, 
 without giving also some of the spirit of language. 
 The admiration of beauty inherent in the Arab, his in- 
 nate voluptuousness, and his licence of expression, have 
 obliged me to omit portions of these tales, in which the 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 style of deseription, is more accurate than delicate; 
 while the habit of devotional feehng common to the 
 Mooslims at large, and exhibiting itself in pious 
 ejaculations and prayer on every possible occasion, ren- 
 dered it needful to dispense with a translation of cer- 
 tain words, the constant use of which would appear to 
 European readers rather irreverent than devout. 
 
 As regards the verse, the best defence I can offer for 
 it, is, that it is in general literally rendered, an assertion 
 which I would not venture on, were it not sanctioned by 
 the fiat of infinitely better scholars than myself. I 
 must at the same time say, that the correctness of my 
 readings of the obscurer poetry is by no means insisted 
 on, for just as I have sometimes taken another interpre- 
 tation of a passage than that marked by the pointing 
 of the edition I translate from, so may many a render- 
 ing at variance with mine be discovered by other read- 
 ers. The learned Silvestre De Sacy remarks as follows 
 upon some peculiarity of Arabic poetry in the preface 
 to his Chrestomathise Arabe. ' Or, je ne crains point de 
 le dire, il n'est gu^re de poemes Arabes qui ne presentent 
 des passages obscurs dont I'intelligence exige le secours 
 des commentaires; etcette obscuritene tient pas unique- 
 ment -a. Fimperfection de la connaisance que nous pou- 
 vons avoir de la langue Arabe ; elle tient aussi, du moins 
 en partie, au genre meme de cette poesie, a^ix ecarts de 
 r imagination des poetes Arabes, h la recherche de figures 
 bizarres, d expressions insolites, de transitions subites 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 et inattendues, qui les caracterise ; enfin a Tusage fre- 
 quent et outre des ellipses dont la restitution est sou- 
 vent un peu arbitraire, et a d'autres causes de la meme 
 nature. Aussi voyons nous, que les comnientateurs hesi- 
 tent sou vent autre divers sens dont un meme passage 
 leur parait susceptible, et quelques poetes, Abou'lola, par 
 exemple, ont cru necessaire de commenter eux-memes 
 leurs propres ouvrages.' This opinion of so excellent 
 a scholar will have its weight with those who may com- 
 pare my poetic versions with the original. To other 
 readers it is but rio;ht that I should declare that the 
 very nature of the Arabic language demands a style of 
 paraphrase, rather than translation, in many passages 
 of its best poetry; and that, because the vigor of single 
 words, and the imagery conveyed by a phrase, to the 
 mind of an Arab, cannot be given by single words in 
 another language, nor pictured without transfusing the 
 idea, rather than translating the idiom in which it is 
 expressed. It is to be remembered, moreover, that the 
 poetry of an imaginative people, is necessarily obscure 
 to those, whose fancies are naturally less vivid; and that 
 in a perfect language adapted to convey with metaphy- 
 sical nicety, every shade of feeling, and every mood of 
 the mind, there is a terseness and force, difficult indeed 
 to render into an imperfect tongue without falling into 
 the difFuseness of paraphrase. Again, the richness and 
 the peculiar construction of Arabic, enables the rheto- 
 rician and the poet, to indulge much in a play upon 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 the analogy of words, so ingenious as often to allow 
 of the reading of two meanings to one phrase, whereas 
 the second is dependant on and illustrative of the first. 
 The use of this figure known in rhetoric by the term of 
 tugnees, or analogy, of which there are seven different 
 kinds, has induced a distinguished writer* on Arabic 
 customs to declare, that the usual chief merit of Arabic 
 poetry ' consists in the use of paronomasia and other 
 figures, which render it untranslatable.' Against this 
 opinion, which if quite correct would reduce the cha- 
 racter of Arabic poetry to a most contemptible level, 
 it would be too presumptuous in me, to put forth my 
 own renderings of verse by way of refutation. I am 
 however fortunately able to cite the evidence of a much 
 more competent translator ; Mr. Carlysle, whose Ara- 
 bic Anthology, has rendered popular in a very literal 
 translation, verses, the intrinsic poetic merit of which, 
 has been unhesitatingly acknowledged. In my own 
 translation, I have endeavored to give the force of the 
 double meaning wherever practicable, and where the 
 intricacy of the tugnees, has baffled me, I have ventured 
 to give the essential meaning, which often possesses 
 poetic beauty enough to please by itself, even when di- 
 vested of the adventitious aid of rhetorical ingenuity. 
 
 There is one peculiarity in Arabic literature, instances 
 of which are constant throughout these tales, which I 
 
 * Mr. Lane, author of the Modern Egyptians. 
 
PREFACE. VU 
 
 have not attempted to imitate, the use namely of a 
 species of rhymed prose, much admired by the Arabs. 
 It is far from impossible to compose in English in this 
 style, but the effect of the irregular sentence with the 
 iteration of a jingling rhyme, is not pleasing in our 
 language, and I have therefore no where sought to in- 
 troduce it. This style is, however, very popular with 
 Arabic authors, and the whole of the Qoran is indeed 
 written in it. 
 
 The only other point I need note regarding my trans- 
 lation, is the manner in which I have spelled proper 
 names and titles. The English translator of Mons. 
 Galland, having introduced the French mode of writing 
 Khuleef (KhoXif) 2ind Vuzeer (Vizier) this spelling has 
 been tacitly adopted as correct, although certain sounds 
 are therein applied to certain letters at variance with 
 the rules of English pronounciation. In remedying 
 this anomaly, and endeavouring by an arbitrary use of 
 the letter Q, to express the guttural K, of the Arabs, I 
 trust that I have innovated in so small a matter without 
 offending. 
 
 Considerable progress had been made with this vo- 
 lume before it came to mv kno\vledo;e, that Mr. Lane 
 himself meditated a translation of the One Thousand and 
 One Nights from a M.S. said to be not inferior to that 
 from which this version is rendered. I need hardly say 
 that had I at an earlier date been aware of this intention, 
 I might have hesitated before I undertook the work in 
 
vm rREFAcr.. 
 
 open rivalry to so competent a translator. But having, 
 wlien this reached me, done so much that little remained 
 to do, and observing that Mr. Lane announced as part of 
 his design, the omission of the greater portion of the 
 poetry of the original, I did not oppose the desire 
 of the spirited publishers of this volume that I should 
 complete it, 
 
 H, T. 
 
 Simla, in the HimalayaSy \ 
 July 3l5/, 1838. j 
 
THE 
 
 3Si30& Of tlje ®:5ouMni5f Miiiljt« an^ 0m Mgjt 
 
 PRAISE BE TO THE ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF THE WORLDS, 
 AND THE BLESSING AND PROTECTION OF THE ALMIGHTY 
 BE ON THE CHIEF OF PROPHETS, OUR CHIEF AND MASTER 
 MUHUMMUD, THE BLESSING OF GOD BE ON HIM, EVEN BLESS- 
 ING AND PROTECTION, CONTINUAL AND INHERENT, KEEP 
 HIM UNTIL THE HOLY DAY. 
 
 Now (after this giving of praise to God and the Prophet) of a 
 surety the tradition of men of former days hath become the 
 warning of men of latter times, since the race of man hath 
 seen the example which is manifest in others, and hath been 
 warned, and hath looked to the story of ancient tribes and 
 what befel them, and hath been restrained. Praise be to him 
 
2 TALE OF KING feliu;iUR VAR XN^^J pIS BROTHER. 
 
 who made the tales ef^'qcl^ni; (Mys-f-a 'warning for the tribes 
 of latter times ! Now Yroih among" IKese' tales, for example 
 of life be those which are called, " The Thousand Nights 
 and one Night," and what renowned traditions, and legends 
 be in them. The story goes (and God knows the truth of 
 the thing unseen, for he is powerful and great, and merci- 
 ful, and kind, and pitiful), as to what befel of old, and is 
 past and gone, and occurred in former days, according to 
 the tradition of men, that there was in ancient days, in years 
 and seasons past, a King among Kings, descended of Sussan,^ 
 in the Islands of India and China, a Lord of Armies, having 
 allies, and servants, and retinues ; and there were to him 
 two sons, the one of them the elder and the other the younger, 
 and they were good horsemen, valiant in fight, and the 
 elder was a better horseman than the younger. Now he 
 ruled over the cities, and took order for granting justice to 
 his subjects ; and the people of his towns, and his ter- 
 ritories beloved him, and the name of the King was Shuhur 
 Yar, and the name of his younger brother was King Shah 
 Zuman and he was King of Samarcand, of the barbarians. ^ 
 Now they continued constantly dwelling in their own cities, 
 a|id both the one and the other, each in his own territory, 
 remained the dispenser of justice among his people for the 
 period of ten years, in great happiness and gladness of heart, 
 and they ceased not to do after this fashion. Now about 
 that (time) the elder king yearned to see his younger brother, 
 so he ordered his minister to set out on a journey to his 
 brother, and to bring him to his presence : Then answered 
 the minister, " To hear is to obey ;" and he travelled until 
 he arrived in safety, and entered the presence of the kino-'s 
 brother ; and he saluted him in his brother's name, and 
 informed him that his brother yearned towards him and 
 desired much to see him. Then the younger brother answer- 
 ed "To hear is to comply ;" and made preparation for his 
 journey, and took out his tents, and horses, and mules, and 
 
TALE OF KING SHUHTJR YAR AND HIS BROTHER. S 
 
 his servants, and chief men, and made his minister ruler in 
 his city, and set forth journeying to the city of his brother. 
 Now when the night was half spent, he remembered him 
 of a needful matter he had forgotten in his palace ; and he 
 returned, and entered the building ; then saw he his wife 
 stretched on her bed embraced by a black jiegro slave, one 
 of his slaves. So when he saw this sight the world grew 
 black before his face, and he said in his soul, *' If this mat- 
 ter come to pass on the moment, and 1 not yet distant from 
 the city, what will be the condition of this accursed woman, 
 while I am absent for a length of time with my brother ?" 
 Then the King drew his sword, and smote both,^ so that he 
 slew them on the bed, and he went forth directly, and on the 
 moment, and gave order to set forth, and travelled till he arrived 
 at his brother's city. Now when he drew near to his brother's 
 town he sent the bearers of glad tidings before him to 
 tell of his coming, and his brother came forth to meet 
 him, and saluted him, rejoicing with extreme gladness ; 
 and he decorated the city to receive hin?. Then sat he 
 down with him, in mutual relation of events, opening the 
 heart either to the other ; but the King Shah Zuman thought 
 of what had occurred in the matter of his wife, and his. 
 sorrow became great, and his complexion paled, and his 
 body grew feeble with sorrow. So when his brother 
 saw him in this state he thought in his soul, that this 
 was on account of his brother's being far distant from his 
 own cities, and his country ; so he let him take his own 
 way, and asked him then no question on the matter. Now 
 on a certain day he said to him, ** My brother, I see that thy 
 body hath become weak, and that thy color is pale and 
 yellow :" and his brother replied, " Oh ! my brother, I 
 am sick at heart ;" and yet told him nothing of what he 
 had seen with regard to his wife. Then said Shah Zumau, 
 " I wish that thou would'st go forth with me to hunt game 
 with the net, and with the bow ; perhaps that thy mind may 
 
 B 2 
 
4 TALK OF KING RHUHUR YAR ANI> HIS BROTHER. 
 
 be relieved." But Shah Zuman refused ; so his brother went 
 forth to hunt alone. Now there was in the palace of the 
 King, a latticed window * high above the garden, and Shah 
 Zuman looked from it, and on a sudden a door of the palaee 
 opened, and there came out from it twenty female, and twenty 
 male slaves, and his brother's wife walked in the midst of 
 them, (and she was marvellously fair and beautiful,) until 
 they came to a small tank in the garden « ; and they strip- 
 ped off their clothes, and sat down with the male slaves, 
 and the King's wife called out loudly, " Oh ! Mussood :" 
 And there came to her a black slave, and they embraced 
 one another ; and in like manner did the damsels with the 
 male slaves, making no end of endearments, and swilling 
 wine until the day turned to go down. Now when the King's 
 brother saw all this, he said in his soul " Wallahy ! my 
 wrong is less than the wrong done here ;" And straight- 
 way his shame, and his sorrow, was loosed from him ; 
 for he said, " This is a heavier matter than what befel me ;" 
 so he stinted not eating and drinking until his brother 
 came back from the journey. Then either saluted the other, 
 and Shuhur Yar looked upon his brother Shah Zuman, and 
 saw that his color had returned, and his face was ruddy, and 
 that he ate as was his wont, whereas before he fed but spar- 
 ingly ; so the elder King, his brother, said to him, «* Oh ! my 
 brother, I used to see thee pale in complexion, and wan, and 
 now thy color has returned ; tell me then how is this ?" 
 And he answered, " For how my color altered that can 
 I speak of, but forgive me that I tell thee not plainly, why 
 it returned to me ;'* and his brother replied, " Tell me first as 
 to the altering of thy color, and of thy weakliness, that I may 
 hear it :" Then said he," Oh ! my brother, know that when 
 thou sentest thy minister to bring me to thy presence, I made 
 all ready, and went forth on the plain before my city : Then 
 I bethought me of a certain string of jewels, (that which 
 I brought and gave thee) which was left in my palace ; 
 
TALE OF KING SHTTHUR YAR AND KIS BROtHER. 5 
 
 80 I entered my palace, and I saw my wife, and with her 
 a black negro slave and he sleeping upon my bed ; and 
 I slew them, and came off to thee, and I brooding upon 
 this matter : And this was the cause of the change of my 
 color, and of my illness ; and for how my color returned 
 to me, forgive me that I tell it not." Now when his bro- 
 ther heard these words, he cried, " I swear to thee, by 
 the Almighty, that thou must tell me of the return of 
 thy color ;" and Shah Zuman informed him of all that he 
 had seen. Then said Shuhur Y^r to his brother, " I de- 
 sire to see this with mine own eyes." And he answer- 
 ed, " Feign to set off to hunt and chase game, and conceal 
 thyself with me, and thou shalt be witness of this, and 
 thine own eyes shall verify the truth ;" and the King an- 
 nounced an expedition on the instant, and his armed retinue, 
 and his tents, went forth to the plain outside the city, and 
 he went out himself. Now as he sat in his tent, he told 
 his attendants to let no one enter, and he disguised him- 
 self, and entered unseen, the palace in which his brother 
 was lodged, and sat in the latticed window looking on the 
 garden for some short space of time. So before long the 
 damsels and their mistress entered the garden with the slaves, 
 and did as his brother had described, until the call to afternoon 
 prayer. « (Thus goes the tale.) Now when the King Shuhur 
 Yar, saw this matter, his very senses fled from his head, and 
 he said to his brother, *' Let us arise, and go forth even as we 
 are ; we have no call to rule kingdoms until we see one to 
 whom the same thing has happened as to us ; and if we see 
 none such, let us die, for that is better than to live." (So 
 goes the tale.) Then both of them went out by a postern door 
 of the palace, wandering day and night, until they arrived at a 
 tree standing in the midst of a wide mead by a fountain of water 
 on the shore of the salt sea : so they drank of that fountain, 
 and sat down to rest themselves. Now after an hour of the 
 day was gone, behold I the sea was troubled with waves, and a 
 
6 TALE OF KING SHUHUR YAR AND HIS BROTHER. 
 
 black pillar arose from it reaching up towards the Heavens, 
 coming onwards to that desert shore (so goes the tale.) So 
 when they saw this, the Kings were afraid, and climbed up 
 into a tree, and it was so high, that they could see what the 
 matter was ; and lo ! a Jin,*^ lofty in stature, large headed, 
 broad shouldered, and upon his head a chest ! And he came up 
 to the dry land, and reached the tree, on which they were, and 
 sat down beneath it ; and he opened the chest, and took thence 
 a coffer, and he unclosed it, and there came out thence a young 
 girl, slender in person, beautiful as the bright sun, as the poet 
 Ooteya has said in commendation— 
 
 " She shone forth in the darkness : then beamed out 
 
 The day, and all the foliage glistened o'er her. 
 
 So bright is she, two suns when she appears 
 
 Shoot forth their rays, and the pale moon is shamed. 
 
 Created nature bows as she advances — 
 
 And lifts her veil, and when repellant lightnings 
 
 She flashes from her eyes, the rain drops heavily 
 
 In tears." 
 
 (So goes the story.) Now when the Jin looked upon her, he 
 said to her, " Oh Queen of women ! Oh thou, whom I stole, 
 and carried oif secretly on the night of thy wedding : I wish to 
 slumber for a little." So then the Jin laid his head upon the 
 lap of the young girl, and went to sleep. Now the damsel 
 raised her head towards the tree, and saw the two Kings as 
 they sat above in it ; then she shoved off the head of the Jin, 
 from her lap, (as in disgust,) and rested it on the ground, and 
 stood up before the tree, and said to them by signs, " Come 
 down, and fear not the IJfreet." But the brothers said to her, 
 " As God is with thee, excuse us in this matter ;" Then she 
 answered, " If you two do not come down I will rouse 
 the Ufreet, to slay you after an evil fashion." Then were 
 they afeard, and came down from the tree, and she stood 
 before them, and said, *' Be friendly with me ; and if not, 
 I will awake the Ufreet, and set him on you :" Then in 
 
TALE OF KING SHUHUR YAR AND HIS BROTHER. 7 
 
 fear said Sliuhur Yar to Shah Ziiman, " Oh my brother, 
 do as the woman orders thee ;" but his brother said, *' I 
 will not ;" and they demurred. Then the damsel said, 
 " How is it ; I see you are demurring ? Now I will surely 
 wake the Ufreet ;" So they in their dread of the Jin, 
 both obeyed her. Then took she out before them from 
 her garment fold a purse, and out of it a silken string, on 
 which were five hundred and seventeen rings ; and said to 
 them, "Know ye what these be ?" And they replied, " We 
 know not,'' and she said, " They were all won from their 
 owners by me, upon the horns of this Ufreet, and do you 
 too give me a ring, each of you two brothers." Then they 
 both gave her rings from off their hands, and she said to 
 them, " This Ufreet carried me off secretly on the night of 
 my marriage, and put me into a coffer, and placed the cof- 
 fer in a chest, and put on the chest seven strong locks, and 
 laid me low in the midst of the roaring sea, the ever 
 restless in the dashing of waves ; yet he does not know 
 that when a woman desires aught, there is nothing can 
 prevail against her, as certain poets say." 
 
 " With confidence no women grace, 
 Nor trust an oath that's given by them ; 
 Passion's the source, and resting place, 
 Of anger and of joy with them ; 
 False love they shew with lying face, 
 But 'neath the cloak all's guile with them ; 
 In Yoosoof's story you may trace. 
 Some of the treacheries rife in them ; 
 See ye not Father Adam's case 1 
 He was driven forth by cause of them." 
 
 «» Certain poets too have said," 
 
 " But Alas ! for you, who blame me 
 Fix the blamed one in his fault ! 
 Is the sin with which you shame me, 
 Great and grievous as you call't ? 
 
8 TALE OF KING SHUHUR YAR AND RI8 BROTHER* 
 
 Say, 1 be indeed a lover, 
 Have I done aught greater crima 
 Than in all men you discover, 
 Even from the olden time 1 
 Ne'er at earthly thing I'll wonder. 
 Whatsoe'er the marvel be, 
 Till on one I chance to blunder 
 'Scaped from woman's wile scot free." 
 
 Now when the Kings heard these words, they wondered with 
 exceeding great wonder ; and said either to the other, " Though 
 this fellow be an Ufreet, yet a greater evil has befallen him 
 than us ; and a matter such as this hath hitherto befallen no 
 man." So then they both returned back on the very instant 
 from her, to the city of the King Shuhur Y4r, and entered his 
 palace, and he strangled his wife, and the damsels and the 
 slaves. Then King Shuhur Yar used to marry every night 
 a young maid, and then used to slay her, and this went on for 
 the space of three yearsi So the people cried out, (as men op- 
 pressed,) and fled away with their daughters, and there remain- 
 ed not a single damsel within that city, that was of marriageable 
 years. Now the King ordered his Vuzeer to bring him a dam- 
 sel according to the wont of his custom. And the Vuzeer went 
 forth, and searched and found not a single damsel. Then he 
 set his face to return to his own house, and he was in great 
 sorrow and anxiety of mind, for he feared for his life from 
 the King. (So goes the tale.) Now the Vuzeer had two daugh- 
 ters, the elder named Shuhurzad, and the younger nam- 
 ed Doonyazad, and the elder was well studied in litera- 
 ture, and histories, and the traditions concerning Kings of 
 the olden time, and the stories of men past and gone ; it was 
 said she had a collection of a thousand books, works of his- 
 tory of ancient days, of Kings who were gone, and of poets. 
 Now she said to her father, " Why is it I see thee in sor- 
 row bearing a load of ^rief and of distress ? A certain poet 
 hath said in illustration.'* 
 
TALE or THE BULLOCK WITH THE ASS. \f 
 
 *' Go, say to him borne down by woe^ 
 That not for aye will grief endure ; 
 For like as joy, its end must know, 
 E'en so the end will sorrow cure/' 
 
 (So goesf the tale.) Now when the Vuzeer heard these, the 
 words of his daughter, he told her of what had happened 
 to him with the King, from first to- last. Then said she 
 to him, " Billahy, oh, my father ! marry me to this monarch, 
 and then either I shall live in happiness, or I shall be- 
 come a sacrifice for the daughters of Mooslims and release 
 them from between his hands/' Aird he said to her, ^^ As 
 God is with thee ! think not at all of this." But she re- 
 plied to him, " There i» no help for it ;" then quoth he, 
 *' Truly I fear, lest there happen with thee what happened 
 to the ass and the ox with the master of the farm." And 
 she said to him, " What was it came to pass to them ?" 
 He said, " Know, Oh, my daughter, that there was a 
 certain merchant, that had wealth, and cattle, and he had 
 both wife and children. Now the Almighty had given to 
 him to know the language of beasts, and of birds ; and the 
 dwelling of this merchant was amid cultivated lands, and 
 he had in his yard, an ass and an ox. Now one day the 
 ox came to the stall of the ass, and found him in a place 
 well swept, and watered, and in his manger sifted barley 
 and clean chopped hay, and he was lying down at his ease ; 
 while only from time to time his owner mounted him as 
 occasion required, and the ass soon returned to his wonted 
 condition. Now on a day it happened that the merchant 
 beard the ox say to the ass, "This is a happy state of 
 thine ! I am in suffering, thou at ease, eating sifted barley ; 
 and thou hast people to do thee service ; sometimes, indeed, 
 thou art ridden, but dost soon return home, while I am ever 
 at the plough and at the mill." Then the ass answered, 
 " When thou goest out to the fields, and they lay the yoke 
 upon thy neck, then lie down ; and if they beat thee, do 
 
to TALE OF THE BULLOCK WITH THE ASff. 
 
 Bot stand up, but keep rising up, and tumbling down ; then 
 when they bring thee back, and offer thee dry beans to eat, 
 do not eat them, under semblance of being ill, and keep 
 from eating, and from drinking, for a day or two, or even 
 three, and thou'lt get relief from thy labor, and from thy 
 toil." (So goes the tale.) Now the merchant was listening 
 to the words of these two ; and when the ploughman came 
 to the ox with his evening feed, he ate but very little of it, 
 and when he came at the early dawn to take the ox to the 
 plough, he found him ailing, and he pitied him, and said 
 ** This is the reason why he could not work yesterday.'* 
 So he went to the merchant, and said to him, " Oh, my 
 master, surely the ox is grievously wearied ; he has not eaten 
 his fodder this night, no, nor tasted a bit of it." Now the 
 merchant understood what was the matter, and said, "Go to 
 the ass, and make him draw the plough in place of the ox 
 the live-long day.*^* (So goes the tale.) Now when the 
 end of the day arrived, the ox, thanked the ass, after he 
 had ploughed for the whole day long, for the relief he had 
 given him from labor for that day. Then the ass answered 
 him no answer, and repented him very sorely of what he 
 had done. So when it was the next day the farmer's man 
 eame, and took the ass, and made him work at the plough- 
 up to the end of the day, so that he returned in no other 
 guise, than with a sore neck, dying of weariness. Then 
 the ox perceived him, and thanked him, and praised him 
 for his kindness, but the ass answered him, *' I was sitting 
 at mine ease : my frowardness left me not so." Then 
 said he, " Know that I am kindly disposed towards thee. 
 Now I heard our master saying, "If the ox does not stand 
 up in his stall, then give him -to the butcher, to slay him 
 for food, and cut his hide in stripes ;" and truly I feared 
 for thee, and took pity upon thee ; enough ; God be with 
 thee.*' (So goes the tale.) So when the ox heard the words 
 of the ass, he thanked him, and answered against his wil!, 
 
TALE OF THE BULLOCK WITH THE ASS. 11 
 
 ** I'll go with them, readily." So then the ox ate up his fodder, 
 
 every bit of it, even till he licked the manger, with his 
 
 tongue. All this took place and their master heard what 
 
 these two said. So when the day broke the farmer and 
 
 his wife, went out to the cattle stalls, and sat down, and 
 
 their ploughman came, and took the ox, and went out ; so 
 
 when the bullock saw his master, he lifted liis tail, and shook 
 
 it, and made unseemly gestures, and the merchant laughed 
 
 till his head fell on his shoulder. Then said his wife to 
 
 him " What thing art thou laughing at ?" And he answered, " A 
 
 secret that I saw, and heard, and I have no power to reveal 
 
 it, for then surely I should die :" Then she said to him, 
 
 *' There is no help but that thou tell 'st me this matter, (the 
 
 cause of thy laughing) even though thou wert to die ;*• 
 
 And he answered *' I have no power to disclose it, I cannot, 
 
 for fear of death," And she said " Thou wert not laughing 
 
 save at me,'' So she ceased not whimpering, and worrying 
 
 him, with entreaty, until he was overcome by her, and 
 
 fairly worn out Then he made his children come before 
 
 him, and sent to call the Kazee^, and the witnesses, 
 
 intending to appoint an executor, and tell his secret to his 
 
 wife, and die ; for in truth he loved her with an exceeding 
 
 love, and she was the daughter of his uncle, and the mother of 
 
 his children. Now he had lived a life of a hundred and 
 
 twenty years, and he sent and called the whole of his people 
 
 and the folks of his neighbourhood, and said to them, " A 
 
 strange tale hangs by me, and if I tell my secret to any 
 
 single soul, I must die." Then all who were assembled 
 
 there said to the woman, *' As God is with thee, give up this 
 
 matter, that thy husband the father of thy children, may 
 
 not perish," and she answered them, " I will not turn from 
 
 him until he tell me ; so even let him die :" then they held 
 
 their peace with her. So the merchant stood up amongst 
 
 them, and turned his face towards the cattle sheds and stalls, 
 
 to give it in charge (to his executor,) and then return and tell 
 
 c 2 
 
m TAXE Of THE BtTLLOCK "WITH THE ASS. 
 
 his secret, and die. Now he had a cock, and fifty henai 
 under him, and he had also a dog ; and the merchant heard 
 the dog calling out, and abusing the cock, and saying to him 
 *' You are making merry while our master is on the point, 
 of death." Then the cock said to the dog, *' How is this 
 matter ?" So the dog repeated all the story to the cock, and 
 the cock answered, " AVuUahy, surely now our master is a 
 man of small understanding ! here have I fifty wives, and 
 now I content this one, and make peace with that one, while 
 our master though he has only one snigle wife, yet knows not 
 how to manage matters with her ! What ails him ? Why does 
 he not take a mulberry stick, and take her into his private room, 
 and thrash her till she is half dead, or till she repents, and vows 
 never to ask him another question on any matter ?" (Thus 
 goes the tale.) So the merchant heard, and attended to the 
 words of the cock, as he was addressing the dog. Then said 
 the minister to his daughter Shuhurzad, " I will do with you 
 like as the merchant did to his wife." And sh€ answered, 
 »* And what did he ?" And the minister said, *' He took her 
 into his private chamber after he had broken off a mulberry 
 rod, and hid it there ; then he went in, and said to her, 
 <» Come into the private room that I may speak to thee, and 
 that I may die without any one seeing me." Then she entered 
 with him, and he locked the door of the private room upon 
 her, and fell upon her with blows until she grew faint, and 
 said, " I repent ;" and then kissed his hands, and feet and 
 vowed repentance. Then both he and she went out, and 
 all the assembly were glad, and her people, and they re- 
 mained in great happiness, to the day of their death." (So 
 goes the tale.) Now when the daughter of the minister heard 
 what was said by her father, she answered, " There is no 
 help for it." So the minister prepared his daughter for mar- 
 riage, and took her up to the King Shuhur Yar. But she 
 had instructed her younger sister, and said to her, " When 
 I turn my face to go to the King, I will send to fetch thee ; 
 
TALE OF THE MERCHANT A^'D THE JIN. 13 
 
 SO when thou com'st to me, and see'st the King has had his 
 will with me, say to me, " Oh my sister, tell me a story 
 and talk to me, to pass away the night (watch) and its sleep- 
 lessness ;" then will I tell thee a story, so that, if it be God's 
 will, relief from evil may ensue." Then her father, the 
 minister, took her up to the King, and when the King saw 
 her, he rejoiced, and said, " Art thou come to do me plea- 
 sure ?" And she answered, *' Even so." And the King came 
 to her, but she wept. So the King asked her, " What ails 
 tliee ?" And she answered him, " Surely I have a younger 
 sister, and I desire much to take my leave of her ;^' and the 
 King sent for her, and she came to her sister, and fell on her 
 neck, and sat below the throne. Then the King rose, and 
 went to Shuhurzad, and then they sat together conversing. 
 Then said she to her sister, " Tell me some tale to break in 
 upon the sleeplessnev3 of our night;" and she answered, 
 ** With pleasure and all willingness, if the good King be 
 pleased to order me." Now when the King heard the talk 
 between the sisters, (it chanced he was heavy at heart) he 
 was well pleased to hear the story, so he ordered her to tell 
 it." 
 
 And Shuhurzad said, "It is related, oh, mighty King, 
 that there was among traders, a certain merchant, and he 
 was possessed of much wealth, and had much trafficing 
 in various cities. Now on a day lie mounted his horse, and 
 went forth to recover money, in certain towns, and the 
 heat oppressed him ; so he sat beneath a tree, and put 
 his hand into his wallet, and took thence some fragments 
 of bread, and dry dates, and began to eat them. Now 
 -when he had finished eating the dates, he threw away the 
 «tones, and lo ! an Ufreet appeared, lofty in stature, and in 
 fois hand a drawn sword, and he approached the merchant. 
 
14 TALE OF THE MERCHANT AND THE JIN. 
 
 and he said, " Stand up that I may slay thee, as thou hast 
 slain my son !" So the merchant answered, " How have I 
 slain thy son ?" He said, " When thou wert eating dates, and 
 did'st throw away the stones, they fell upon my son's breast, 
 and slew him, as he was going past, so that he died on the in- 
 stant." Then said the merchant, " Surely from God I 
 came, and to God shall I return. There is no power nor 
 strength save in God, the Great, the Almighty^. If I slew 
 thy son, I slew him by chance medley : I pray thee now 
 pardon me." So said the Jin, *' There is no help, but I 
 must slay thee." Then he seized him, and drew him along, 
 and cast him to the earth, and raised the sword to strike him ; 
 and the merchant wept, and said, "I commit my case to 
 God,'' and began extemporaneously repeating these verses. ^ ^ 
 
 " Our fortune has two seasons, one turbK' and one clear, 
 Our life-time has two portions, one safe, one full of fear ! 
 Go ask of him who jeers us, when fortune does her worst, 
 Whom fortune most opposes, but him she favors first 1 
 See'st not the sweeping tempest, sweep gustily along, 
 Yet roughly blow, above that bough, that stately is, and strong T 
 See'st not th' refluent ocean, bear carrion on its tide 
 While pearls beneath its wavy flow, fixed in the deep abide ? 
 If we, the very plaything of fortune's hands be made. 
 And her excess of anguish, grief 'gainst us have arrayed, 
 We see the orbs of heav'n above, how numberless they are, 
 But sun and moon alone eclips'd, and ne'er a lesser star ! 
 And many a tree on earth we see, some bare, some leafy green. 
 Of them, not one is hurt with stone, save what has fruitful been ! 
 Think'st thou thyself all prosperous, in days which prosp'rous be, 
 Nor fear'st th' impending evil, which comes by Heaven's decree ?" 
 
 So when the merchant ceased repeating his verses, the Jin 
 said to him, *' Cut thy words short, for Wallahy ! surely 
 there is no help but that I must slay thee." And the 
 merchant said, " Know, oh, Ufreet, that I have m^ny debts, 
 due to me, and that I have much wealth, and children 
 
TALE OF THE MERCHANT AND THE JIN. 15 
 
 and a wife, and many pledges in hand : let me go 
 then to my house, and make over to every lawful 
 claimant, his right, and I will return to thee at the head of 
 the year. God be my witness and surety that I will return 
 to thee that thou may'st do with me as thou wilt, and God 
 is witness to what I say."^^ Then the Jin took sure 
 promise from him, and let him go. So the merchant went 
 to his own city, and completed the transaction of all his 
 business, and rendered to all men their due, and informed 
 his wife, and children, of what had happened, and he ap- 
 pointed a guardian, and dwelt with them for the full time of a 
 year. Then he arose, and purified himself before death, and 
 took his shroud under his ann,^^ ^nd took leave of his people, 
 and his neighbours, and of all who were of kin to him, and 
 went forth compelled against his own will. Then his friends 
 began beating their breasts, and wailing : but he travelled, 
 until he arrived at the same grove, and the very day of his 
 arrival was the head of the new year. Now as he sat weeping 
 over the matters which had befallen him, lo ! an ancient man 
 stood before him, and Avith him, a doe antelope bound with a 
 chain : so the old man saluted the merchant, and asked of his 
 welfare, and said to him, " What is the cause of thy sitting 
 in this place, and thou quite alone, and this place too one of 
 evil spirits ?** Then the merchant related to him what came 
 to pass to him with the Jin, and the old man, the owner" 
 of the doe antelope, wondered and said, " Walhhy, oh ! my 
 brother, thy truth is none other than exceeding tnith, and thy 
 story none but a right strange one ; if it were written" 
 with the point of a needle on the corner of the eye, it 
 were an example to whoso might consider it." Then 
 he sat himself by the side of the merchant, and said, 
 *' Wallahy ! my brother, I will not rise from thy side 
 until I see what may come to pass with thee and this 
 Ufreet." So he sat him down by him, and while these 
 two were in conversation, lo ! exceeding grief and fear 
 
I^ TALE OF THE MERCHANT AND THE J1?C. 
 
 and terror, fell swddenly on the merchant, and anxiety 
 of mind increased upon him, and the owner of the doe 
 antelope, was by his side ; and lo! a second old man 
 stood before them, and with him were two dogs, and 
 he saluted them, and the two dogs were black of the 
 dogs of Sulook. ^ 3 Then the old man questioned them 
 after he had saluted them, and asked them of their tid- 
 ings, and said " What is the cause of your sitting in 
 this place, and it a dwelling of evil spirits ?" So they 
 told him the story from the beginning even to the end. 
 And their sitting there had been for no long con- 
 tinuance before a third old man came up to them, aiid 
 with him a mare mule of a bay color ; and he sa- 
 luted them, and asked them why they were seated in 
 that place. So they told him the tale from beginning 
 to end. (And there's occasion, my masters, for iteration.) 
 Then he sat down with them, and lo I a cloud of dust 
 came before them, and a mighty pillar of saad in the 
 midst of that desert! Then the cloud of dust^* openedr 
 and lo ! within it was that Ufreet, and in his hand a drawn 
 sword, and his eyes were shooting sparks of fire. So 
 he came to them, and dragged away the merchant with 
 his hand from among them, and said "Arise that I may 
 slay thee, as thou did'st slay my son, the life-breath of 
 my heart." Then the merchant began to wail, and to 
 weep, and the three old men arose with weeping and 
 wailing, and lamenting. Then the first old man came 
 out from among them, and he was the owner of the 
 doe antelope, and kissed the hand of that Ufreet and 
 said to him, *' Oh, Jin, head of the Kings of the Jins, 
 if I were to tell thee the story of me and this doe an- 
 t-elope, and thou should'st consider it wondrous, would'st 
 thou grant me third part of the blood of this merchant ?" Then 
 said the Jin, " Even so, oh, old man, if thou tell'st me 
 this story, and I consider it a wonderful one, then will 
 
TALE OF THE FIRST OLD MAX. 17 
 
 I give thee a third part of his blood." The old man 
 answered, " Oh, Jin, know that this doe antelope is the 
 daughter of my uncle, my flesh and blood, and I was 
 married to her, when she was young in years, and I 
 lived with her for the period .of thirty years, and I had 
 no child by her. So I took to me a concubine, ^^ and 
 I had by her a male child, with eyes and brows of per- 
 fect beauty, like the moon of fourteen days old ; and he 
 grew stout, and became tall, and was a lad of fifteen years 
 old. Now it became needful that I should journey to 
 certain distant towns, and I travelled with great store of 
 merchandise. Now the daughter of my uncle, this doe 
 antelope, had learned the art of magic, and astrology from 
 her childhood ; so she transformed by magic, that son of 
 mine into a calf, and the damsel his mother, into a heifer, and 
 entrusted them to the herdsman. Now I returned after 
 a long time from my journey, and asked for my son, 
 and his mother. Then she answered me, *' Thy handmaid 
 is dead, and thy son has fled away, and I know not whi- 
 ther he is gone." So I remained for a whole year, my 
 heart in grief, my eyes streaming with tears, until the 
 time came for the festival of ^^ the Almighty, the Great- 
 est. Then sent I a messenger to my herdsman, and or- 
 dered him to bring me a fat heifer ; and he brought me 
 a fat heifer, and she was the damsel whom this doe an- 
 telope had ensorcelled. Then I tucked up all my sleeves, 
 and took a knife in my hand, intending to slay her, but 
 she bellowed, and staggered hither and thither, and shed 
 tears ; and I marvelled at her, and pity came upon me, 
 and I stood fast, and turned from her, and said to the 
 herdsman, " Give me another than her.'* Then the daugh- 
 ter of my uncle called out at this, " Surely we have not 
 a fairer, nor a fatter than her," and I went towards the 
 heifer to cut her throat and she bellowed loudly ; so I 
 refrained, and ordered the herdsman to slay her, and take 
 
 D 
 
18 TALE OF THE FIRST OLD MAN. 
 
 off her hide. Now he slew her, and stripped off the skin, 
 but found on her nothing, fat nor flesh, nought save skin 
 and bone ; and I repented me of having slain her, when 
 my repentance was of no avail, and I gave her to the herds- 
 man and said to him, " Bring me a fat calf," so he brought 
 me mine own son. Now when the calf saw me he broke 
 his tether and ran to me, and laid his head on my shoul- 
 der, and shook himself hither and thither, and shed tears, 
 so that I took pity on him, and said to the herdsman, 
 *' Bring me a heifer, and let this one go." Then the daugh- 
 ter of mine uncle, this doe antelope, called out angrily, 
 ** There is no help, but that you slay this calf on this 
 day, for the day is an holy day, a day of joy ; nothing 
 is slain on this day but what is fair and perfect, and 
 there is not one among our calves fatter, or fairer than this 
 one.'* Then I answered, " See only what was the apparent 
 condition of the heifer, which I slew by thy order ; yet now 
 we turn from her in disappointment, and she was in no way 
 of use to us at all, and I repent me exceedingly of having 
 killed her, so now I will not take thy bidding for the slay- 
 ing of this calf this time.'* Then she, answered me, "By 
 the Lord, The great. The merciful, and The compassionate, 
 there is no help for it ; thou must kill it on this holy day, 
 and if thou dost not kill it, then thou art not my hus- 
 band, nor am I thy wife." Now when I heard these bitter 
 words of her's and knew not her object, I went up to the 
 
 calf, and took the knife in my hand ;" And Shuhurzad 
 
 perceived the morning dawn and ceased speaking the words 
 permitted her. Then said her sister to her, " How beau- 
 tiful is thy story, and how pleasing ! how grateful and 
 how sweet !" And Shuhurzad answered her, " What is 
 this to the story I could tell thee the night to come, if 
 I were to live and the King would spare me." Then said 
 the King in his soul, *' Wallahy ! surely I will refrain from 
 putting her to death, until I have heard the rest of her 
 
TALE OF THE FIRST OLD MAN. 19 
 
 story." So they slept for the rest of that night, until day 
 fully broke. Then the King went forth to his hall of audi- 
 ence, and the minister went up with his daughter's shroud 
 beneath his arm. So the King issued his orders, and appoint- 
 ed officers, and deposed them, until the end of the day; 
 and he told the minister no whit of what had happened. 
 Then the minister wondered with exceeding surprise ; and the 
 court broke up, and the King Shuhur Yar, entered his palace. 
 
 Hotau W3en it tBm tie SeconiDi Mt§|t, 
 
 Said Doonyazad to her sister Shuhurzad " Oh, my sister, 
 finish for us that story of the merchant and the Jin," She an- 
 swered, " With pleasure, and all willingness, if the King order 
 me." Then quoth the King, " On with thy tale." So said 
 Shuhurzad, "It is related. Oh ! mighty monarch, and wise 
 ruler ! that when the merchant desired to slay the calf his 
 heart relented, and he said to the herdsman, *' Keep the 
 calf among my cattle." (All this the old man told the Jin, and 
 the Jin marvelled much at these strange words.) Then said the 
 owner of the doe antelope, '* Oh ! lord of the Kings of the 
 Jins, all this took place, and my uncle's daughter, this doe 
 antelope, looked on, and saw it, and said, '* Slay the calf 
 for surely it is a fat one ;" and yet it was no easy thing for 
 me to slay it ; so I ordered the herdsman to take it away, 
 and he took him, and turned his face homewards with him. 
 Now next day as I was sitting at home, lo ! my herdsman 
 came, and stood before me, and said, " Oh ! my Master, shall 
 I tell thee a thing which will make thee glad, and be good 
 tidings for me ?" I answered, " Even so." Then said 
 he " Oh, merchant, I have a daughter, and she learned magic 
 in her childhood ^from an old woman, who lives with me. 
 Now yesterday when thou gave'st me the calf, I went into 
 the house to her, and my daughter looked upon it and veiled 
 her face, and wept, and shortly afterwards she laughed ; 
 
 D 2 
 
20 TALE OF THE FIRST OLD MAK. 
 
 and she said, * Oh ! my father ! has my reputation become 
 of no value to thee that tliou bring'st in strange men to me V 
 So said I to her, ' But where be these strange men, and why 
 wert thou laughing, and crying V She answered me, < Know 
 that this calf, which is with thee, is the son of thy master, 
 and he is ensorcelled, and that his father's wife bewitched 
 both him, and his mother ; and he is the cause of my laugh- 
 ing : now the reason of my weeping is for his mother, for 
 how his father slew her :' Then marvelled I at this with ex- 
 ceeding marvel, and did not wait to see that day had dawned, 
 before 1 came off to thee to tell thee." Now when I heard, 
 Oh Jin, these, the words of my herdsman, I went out with 
 him, and I was as one drunken, but not with wine, from the 
 excess of joy and gladness which came upon me, until I 
 reached the herdsman's house. Then the daughter of the 
 herdsman welcomed me, and kissed my hand, and forthwith 
 the calf came to me and laid his head on my shoulder. Then 
 said I to the herdsman's daughter, *' Is this true that thou 
 say'st of this calf," And she said, *' Oh ! my master, even 
 so ; he is thy son, the life of thy heart." Then said I to 
 her, '* Oh ! maiden, if thou wilt release him from this shape, 
 then whatever cattle and whatever property of mine are under 
 thy father's charge are thine from me." And she smiled and 
 answered, " Oh ! my master, I have no appetite for wealth, 
 except on two conditions, the first that thou wilt marry me to 
 thy son, and the second, that I may transform by magic, her 
 who transformed him, and imprison her, for otherwise I 
 cannot be safe from her evil practices." Now when 1 heard, 
 Oh Jin,' these the words of the herdsman's daughter, I re- 
 plied, * Besides what thou askest, all the property in thy 
 ather's charge is thine, both cattle and household stuff, and 
 as for my wife, the daughter of my uncle, her blood is 
 permitted thee.' So when she heard my words, she took 
 a bowl, and filled it with water : then she read a spell 
 over it, and sprinkled it over the calf, and said to him, " If 
 
THE TALE OF THE SECOND OLD MAN. 21 
 
 Ihou beest a calf, created so by the Almighty, remain in 
 that shape, and change not, but if thou beest under the power 
 of enchantment, return to thy former shape by command 
 of thy Almighty God !" and lo ! he shook tremblingly, 
 and became a man. Then fell I on his neck, and said to 
 him, " As God is with thee, tell me, what my wife the 
 daughter of my uncle, did to thee, and thy mother ?" And 
 he told me what came to pass to them both. Then said I, 
 * Oh, my son, God sent thee one to restore thee, and thy 
 right is restored thee.' So then. Oh Jin, I married the 
 herdsman's daughter to him, and she transformed my wife 
 by magic into this doe antelope, and said to me, <' This 
 shape is a fair one, let her not have a grisly shape, dis- 
 pleasing to the sight." Now the daughter of the herdsman 
 dwelt with me, night and day, and day and night, until the 
 Almighty took her to him. And when she was dead, my 
 son travelled forth to the cities of India even to the city of 
 this man with whom these things have come to pass with 
 thee, and after that I took the doe antelope, the daughter of 
 mine uncle, and wandered from city to city, seeking tidings 
 of my son, till the will of God caused me to come to this 
 place, and I saw the merchant sitting weeping ; and this is 
 my tale." Then said the Jin, " This story is a strange one, 
 and for it I grant thee the third part of his blood." Upon 
 this the second old man, owner of the two dogs of Sulook, 
 came up, and said to him, " Oh, Jin, if I tell thee the story 
 of what has happened to me with my brothers, these two 
 dogs, and thou see'st that it is a strange tale, and very 
 wondrous, grant me the third part of this man's blood.'' 
 And the Jin said, " If thy story be a strange one, and very 
 wondrous, be this so with thee." Then said the old man, 
 *' Know, oh, lord of the Kings of the Jins, that these two dogs, 
 are my brothers, and I am the third of their family ; and 
 my father died, and left to us three thousand deenars^"^. 
 Then I opened a shop and bought, and sold in it, and in 
 
2^ THE TALE OF THE SECOND OLD MAN. 
 
 like manner did my two brothers, each opened a shop : but 
 no long time had passed before the elder brother, one of 
 these two dogs, sold the plenishing of his shop for a thousand 
 deenars, and bought merchandize and goods for foreign 
 trade, and travelled. So he was absent one whole year. 
 And on a day I was in my shop when one stood before me 
 begging alms, and I said, " The lord has opened another 
 door for you, not mine;" and he answered me, and he 
 wept as he did so, " Have I altered that thou know'st me 
 not ?" Then I took note of him, and lo ! he was my bro- 
 ther. So I rose and bade him welcome, and took him up 
 into my shop and asked him of his condition, and he replied, 
 "Ask me not, for wealth is waste, and state disstated." So 
 I rose up, and made him enter the bath, and dressed him 
 in a change of raiment from among my clothes, and took 
 him up to my house. Then I examined the account of 
 my principal, and the profits of my shop, and I found the 
 labor of my mind had produced a thousand deenars, and 
 the head of my wealth, my principal, was two thousand 
 deenars, and I divided it between my brother and myself, 
 and said to him, " Think that thou'st made no journey, 
 and be not cast down." Then he took the share, and 
 was glad, and opened a shop for himself; and I re- 
 mained thus some days. Now after this, my second 
 brother rose up, and he is the other dog here, and sold 
 what property he had, and the whole of his goods, and pro- 
 posed setting out to travel. So we tried to hinder him, but he 
 would not be hindered, and he bought goods to travel with, 
 and travelled forth with certain travellers, and was absent for 
 one whole year. Then he came back like as my elder bro- 
 ther came back, and I said to him, " Oh ! my brother, gave 
 I not thee good advice that thou should'st -not travel ;" and 
 he wept, and said, " Oh ! my brother, this is God's decree ; 
 and now I am a mere beggar, not master of a single dirhem, 
 naked, not a shirt to my back." Then I took him, Oh, Jin, 
 
THE TALE OF THE SECOND OLD MAN. 23 
 
 and made him go into the bath, and clothed him in clothes of 
 mine, a new suit for ordinary wear, and went with him to my 
 shop, and gave him to eat, and to drink, and after this I said 
 to him, " Oh, my brother, I am wont to take the account of 
 my shop at one time at the head of the year, and that which 
 I shall find surplus is a share between you, and between me." 
 So I arose. Oh ! Ufreet, and took the account of my shop, 
 and saw the surplus was two thousand deenars, and I gave 
 thanks to the Immaculate, that pure and mighty One, and 
 made over to my brother one thousand deenars, and kept 
 myself one thousand. Then my brother rose up, and opened 
 a shop, and we remained thus some few days. Now after 
 a time my two brothers stood before me, and desired that I 
 should travel with them ; and I did not so, but said to them, 
 " What profit got ye by your travel that I should profit by 
 it ?" And I listened not to them ; so we went back each to 
 our own shops, and bought, and sold ; yet they were 
 urging me to travel for one whole year, and I was not content 
 to do so until six years were past and gone. Then agreed 
 I with them to travel, and said to them, " Oh, my brothers, 
 lo ! now I am a fellow traveller of your's : come then, let me 
 see what property you have by you :" and I found not upon 
 them a single thing, for they squandered every thing, as 
 they were both wholly given to eating, and drinking, 
 and sensual pleasures. So they answered me not a word ; 
 nor said I a single thing to them, but rose up, and took an 
 account of my shop, and sold what property I had, and all the 
 merchandise that was by me. Then found I in my possession, 
 six thousand deenars, and I rejoiced, and rose up, and divided 
 the money into halves and said to my brothers, " These 
 three thousand deenars are for you, and for me, that we may 
 trade with it." And I went, and buried the other, three thou- 
 sand deenars, supposing that might come to pass to me, that 
 came to pass to them ; in case I might return, the three 
 thousand deenars would be left for us to open our shops with. 
 
24 THE TALE OF THE SECOND OLD MAN. 
 
 Now they were well satisfied, both of them, and I gave each 
 one a thousand deenars, and there remained to me the like as 
 to them, a thousand deenars. So we got together merchandise 
 such as was fitting, and made ready for our journey, and hired 
 a ship, and removed our necessaries into it, and voyaged the 
 first day, and the second day, even for a whole month. So 
 we arrived at a city, and our merchandise with us, and made 
 a profit on each one deenar of ten deenars ; and we 
 turned to our voyage again. Now we found on the shore 
 of the sea a maiden that had on her worn and ragged 
 clothes, and she kissed my hand, and said, " Oh ! master, 
 is there mercy in thee and charity ? I can make thee a 
 return for these." And I answered, " Even so ; truly I 
 love good works and charity, even though thou makest 
 me no return for them." Then said she, " Take me as 
 thy wife, my master, and carry me to thy city, for I have 
 given my soul to thee ; so do me an act of kindness, and 
 I am of those can practice good works, and charity, and I 
 will make thee a return for these, and do thou take no 
 shame of my present condition." Now when I heard 
 these words my heart yearned towards her, in such sort 
 as the Almighty, merciful and great, willed it ; and I 
 took her, and clothed her, and prepared for her a fair 
 resting place in the ship, and was kind to her. So we 
 voyaged, and my heart became attached to her with exceeding 
 attachment, and I was separated from her, neither night nor 
 day, and paid more attention to her than to my brothers. 
 Then they were estranged from me, and envied me for my 
 wealth, and the quality of merchandise I had, and their eyes 
 were opened enviously upon all my property. So they took 
 counsel to slay me, and take my wealth, and said " Let us 
 slay our brother, and all his property will be our's :" and 
 Satan made this deed seem fair in their sight. Thus when 
 they found me alone, while I was sleeping by my wife's 
 side, they took up both me and my wife, and cast us into 
 
tALE OF THE SECOND OLD MAK, 25 
 
 tlie sea. Then my wife awoke from her sleep, and was 
 astonished. Now she was an Ufreet,!^ and she bore me up, 
 and carried me to an island, and disappeared from me for a 
 little ; but she returned in the morning, and said, " Have I not 
 made thee a recompense ? I, who bore thee up, and pre- 
 served thee from death by command of the Almighty ? Know 
 now that I am a Jineet, and I saw thee, and my heart loved thee, 
 as it was willed by the Almighty, for I am a believer in Him* 
 and his Prophet, the blessing of God be on him. Then came 
 I to thee in the condition in which thou did'st see me, and 
 thou did'st marry me, and now I have saved thee from 
 sinking. But I am angered against thy brothers, and there 
 is no help for it, but I must slay them." Now when I heard 
 this story of her's, I was surprised, and I thanked her for 
 what she had done, and said to her, " But as to thy slaying 
 my brothers, this cannot be.'* Then I told her the tale of 
 what had come to pass to me with them from the beginning 
 of the period to the end ; so when she was informed of it she 
 said, " This night will I fly as a bird over them, and will 
 sink their ship, and their people." Then said I, " As God 
 is with thee, do not this, for the proverb says, * Oh ! thou 
 that doest good to him that doth evil, leave the evil doer to 
 his evil deeds,' and after all they are my brothers,'* and she 
 answered, " Wallahy, there is no help for it ; I must slay 
 them :" and I humbled myself before her for them. Then 
 she bore me away, and flew, and set me down on the roof^* 
 of my house ; so I opened the doors, and took up what I had 
 hidden in the ground, and after I had saluted, and been to see 
 my kindred, I opened my shop, and purchased merchandise. 
 Now when it was some time after sunset, I went to my 
 wife, and there saw I these two dogs tied up in the house, 
 and when they saw me, they rose, and whined, and fawned 
 upon me ; but before I had formed a conjecture as to this, 
 my wife said, " These two dogs be thy brothers." So I 
 answered *' And who has done this thing to them ?" So she 
 
 R 
 
26 TALE Of THE THIRD OLD MAPf. 
 
 said, " I sent a message to my sister, and she did this to 
 them, and these two shall not be released from this shape 
 until after ten years. And now have I arrived on my jour- 
 ney to my wife's sister to procure their release from this 
 state, after their having continued in it ten years." So, as I 
 was going, I saw this man, and informed myself of what had 
 come to pass to him, and determined not to rise hence, 
 until I sliould see what might happen between him and 
 thee ; and this is my tale." Then said the Jin, *' Surely 
 this is a strange tale, and thereon I give thee here, the third 
 portion of his blood, and the fault that he has committed." 
 And the third old man said, he that was the master of the 
 Hiare mule, ** I can tell thee a more wondrous story than 
 these two, and do thou give me the remainder of his blood, 
 and of his crime." So the Jin answered, *' So be it," Then 
 said the old man, ** Oh Sooltan, and leader of the Jins, know 
 that this mule was my wife. Now I went on a journey, 
 and was absent one whole year ; and when I returned from 
 my journey, I came to her by night, and saw a black slave 
 lying on the bed with hor, and they were talking, and laugh- 
 ing, and making use of endearing words, and gestures. Now 
 when she saw me, she made haste, and turned towards me 
 with a bowl of water, and muttered words over it and sprink- 
 led me, and said, "Gome out of that shape into the shape 
 of a dog," and I became on the instant a dog. Then drove 
 she me out of the house, and I ran out of the door, and ceas- 
 ed not nmning until I came to the shop of a butcher, and 
 there I stopped, and began to eat the bones there. So when 
 the owner of the shop saw me, he took me, and entered with 
 me into his house, but when the butcher's daughter saw me, 
 she veiled her face from me, and saidj " Dost thou bring 
 men to me, and dost thou come in with them to me !" So 
 her father answered, ' Where is the man ?" And she replied, 
 "Thisdog^isaman; his wife has ensorcelled him, and I 
 linow how to release him from this spell." Now when her 
 
~N» 
 
 TALE OF THE THIRD OLD MAN. 57 
 
 father heard these words of hef'a, he said, " As God is 
 with thee, oh ! my daughter, release hira :" So she took a 
 vessel of water, and uttered words over it, and sprinkled a 
 little upon me, and said, " Come out of that shape into thy 
 former one," And I returned to my former shape. Then I 
 kissed her hand, and said to her, *'I wish much thou 
 would'st transform my wife in like manner as she transformed 
 me." So she gave me a small quantity of water, and said, 
 " As soon as you see her asleep, sprinkle this water upon 
 her, and say to her what words you will, and then she wiU 
 become whatsoever you desire. Then I took the water, 
 and went to my wife, and found her sleeping, and sprinkled 
 the water upon her, and said, " Come out of that form int© 
 the form of a mare mule." So she became on the instant a 
 jnare mule, and she it is whom thou see'st with thine , eyes, 
 -Oh Sooltan, and Lord of the Kings of the Jins," Then asked 
 the Jin of the mule, " Is this true V* And she nodded her 
 head in assent, and said by signs, * This is the story of my- 
 self and of what has happened to me,' Now when the old 
 man ceased telling his tale, the Jin shrugged in sign of 
 satisfaction, and gave the old man the third of the merchant's 
 blood." — And Shuhurzad perceived the morning light, and 
 -ceased saying tiie words which were permitted her. Then 
 said she to her sister *' Oh ! my sister, how pleasant is thy 
 story^ and how goodi how sweet and how grateful !" So she 
 teplied, ** And what is this to what I could tell thee the 
 night to come, if I live, and the King spare me T' Then said 
 the King, " Wallahy ! I will not slay her until I hear the 
 rest of her story, for truly it is wondrous !" So they rested 
 that night until the dawn ; then went the King forth to his 
 Hall of Rule, and the guard went up, and the Vuzeer, and 
 the court was crowded, and the King gave orders, and rever- 
 sed them, and appointed, and deposed, and did business the 
 rest of that day : then the court broke up, and the King 
 Shuhur Yar entered his palace. 
 
 £ Z 
 
28 TALE OF THE FISHERMAN. 
 
 Doonyazad, her sister, said to her, " Finish for us that story 
 of thine;" and she replied, " With pleasure and all willing- 
 ness. They relate. Oh mighty Monarch, that the third old 
 man told a tale to the Jin more wondrous then the two tales 
 preceding, and the Jin marvelled with exceeding amazement, 
 and shrugged, in sign of satisfaction, and said, *' Lo ! I have 
 given thee the remainder of the merchant's punishment, and 
 for thy sake have I released him." Then the merchant em- 
 braced the old men, and thanked them, and the old men 
 congratulated him that he was freed, and returned each one to 
 his own city. Yet this tale is not more wondrous than the 
 Tale of the Fisherman." So the King said, " What is that V 
 She answered " They relate. Oh ! mighty King, that there 
 was a fisherman, and he was stricken in years, and he had a 
 ■wife, and three children, and he was poor in condition. Now 
 it was his custom to cast his net every day four times, and no 
 more. So on a day, he went forth between mid-day, and four 
 of the afternoon, and came to the sea shore, and laid down 
 his staff that bore his net on the ground, and tucked up his 
 shirt, and plunged into the sea, and made a cast with his net, 
 and waited till it settled in the water. Then he got the cords 
 together, and hauled at it, but found it weighty ; so he drew 
 it towards the dry land, and drove a stake into the ground, 
 and made the net fast to it. Then he stripped himself, and 
 dived into the water, about the net, and left not off working 
 hard, until he had brought the net up. Then he rejoiced, and 
 he drew it on shore, and put on his clothes, and went to the 
 net, and he found in it a dead ass, and the net was torn. 
 Now when he saw it, he was grieved, and said, «' There is no 
 Strength nor power, save in God, the Mighty, the Great'." 
 
TALE OF THE FISHERMAN. 29 
 
 Then quoth the fisherman, " This is strange daily bread," and 
 he began reciting extemporaneously ; — 
 
 *' Oh ! thou, who forth 'mid shades of death do'st fare, 
 
 And toil'st in darkling night, thy bread to gain, 
 
 Cease, cease thy useless labour, and thy care : 
 
 Man gets his living not by might and main. 
 
 Lo ! the wide sea, the hungry fisher there 
 
 Doth 'neath the stars of night his watch maintain, 
 
 Nor heeds the wavy buffets of the sea, 
 
 But on the bellying net still gazes ceaselessly. 
 
 Until perchance some fish become his prey 
 Whose throat the hook of destiny has torn ; 
 Then home to rest he wends his joyful way ; 
 This by some wight is bought, by toil unworn, 
 "Who soft at ease has slept the night away. 
 Thus various lots by various men are borne. 
 E'en as it seems the Mighty Maker's wish. 
 That one should ply the net, another eat the fish." 
 
 Then said he, " Shame to thee ! there is no doubt of thy 
 well doing if the Almighty will it ;" and he commenced 
 •extemporaneously ; — 
 
 " When thou art seized of evil then put on 
 Patience, the noble ; that is truest wisdom. 
 Complain not to God's servants : in tliat case 
 Thou raak'st a plaining to the merciless 
 Against the merciful." 
 
 So then the fisherman, when he had looked at the dead ass, 
 got it free of his net, and wrung out the water, and when he 
 had wrung it he spread it out, and plunged into the sea, and 
 said, " In the name of God," and made a cast with it, and 
 waited until it had sunk deep : then the net grew heavy, and 
 settled to the bottom more firmly than the first time. Now 
 he thought that there were fish in it, and he made the net fast, 
 and took his clothes ofi*, and entered the water, and dived until 
 he had got the net free, and hauled until he drew it up upon 
 
99 TALE OF THE FISHERMAN. 
 
 dry land. Then found he in it a large earthen pitcher, and 
 it was full of sand and mud. Now when he saw this he was 
 greatly vexed, and eommenced saying extemporaneously ; — 
 
 " Hold ! Hold ! Oh ! mutability of Fortune, 
 Or if thou pausest not, spare me at least ! 
 I hied me forth to seek my daily pittance, 
 And lo ! the food was not that I should find* 
 There's many a fool exalted to the Pleiades, 
 And many a wise man hidden in the earth !** 
 
 So then he threw away the jar, and wrung his net, and clean- 
 ed it, and invoked the aid of the Almighty, and returned to 
 the sea a third time, and east his net, and waited for it till 
 it had sunk down. Then he took a pull at it, and found in 
 it bits of glass and broken rubbish and bones. Now he grew 
 very wrath and wept, and began to say extemporaneously ;^ 
 
 *' Nor our means, nor our fortunes, in common we share,'" 
 
 As one lea teams with pasture, another lea's bare. 
 
 For the good will Fate fail though they own not a fault, 
 
 But in fickle injustice the worthless exalt. 
 
 Oh ! how vile e'en to thee. Death, this life must we own, 
 
 When the mallard^o flies high, while the hawk is struck dowa^ 
 
 Is it strange to see wisdom ask alms at the'^gate. 
 
 And within the fool lord it, in insolent state I 
 
 One bird flew the earth round by east and by west. 
 
 While another found all yet, ne'er quitted her nest.'* 
 
 So then the fisherman raised his head towards the heavens, 
 and said, " Oh my God, thou knowest that I do not cast my 
 net each and every day save four times, and lo ! I have 
 thrown it the third time, and have not taken any thing : give 
 me my daily bread now this time, oh! ray God." So then 
 he called on the Almighty, and cast his net in the water, and 
 waited till it sunk down, and took a pull at it, and was not 
 able to move it, for surely it was settled firmly to the bottom. 
 And he said,*' There is neither power, nor strength save in 
 
TALE or THE FISHERMAIf, 3t 
 
 the Almighty/* Thea he eommenced in extemporaneous 
 verse ; — 
 
 " Foul fall thee, World, it should be so ! 
 Naught else but toil and wail and woe, 
 
 Is doled to me. 
 In morning tide though life be bright, 
 Yet man must drain the cup e'er night. 
 
 Of misery. 
 And e'en with me if men asked erst, 
 * Who in the world of joy ranks first]' 
 
 They answered, ' He.' " 
 
 So he stripped^ and dived down to the net, and busied him- 
 self, working about it till he drew it upon dry land. 'I'hen he 
 opened it, and found in it a jar of yellow brass, full of some- 
 thing, and the mouth of the jar closed with tin, stamped with 
 the seal of our Lord Sooleiman, the son of David, upon whom 
 be blessing.. Now when the fisherman saw this, he rejoiced, 
 and said, " If I sell this in the brass market, I shall get in 
 exchange ten deenars of gold." So he shook it, and found it 
 heavy, and found that it was closed ; and he said in his soul, 
 « Come, let me see what is in this jar : I will open it, and 
 look to see what is in it, and afterwards sell it." And be- 
 took ottt a knife, and worked at the tia cover till he had se- 
 parated it from the jar, and he put it down by his side on the 
 groundr Then he shook the jar to tumble out whatever 
 might be in it, and found in it not a thing : so he marvelled 
 with extreme amazement. But presently there came out of 
 the jar a vapour, and it rose up towards the heavens, and 
 reached along the face of the earth, and after this the vapour 
 reached its height, and condensed, and became compact, and 
 waved tremulously, and became an Ufreet, his head in the 
 clouds, and his foot on the soil, his head like a dome,^ his hand 
 like a harrow, his two legs like pillars, his mouth like a pit, 
 and his teeth like large stones, and his nostrils like basins, 
 and his eyes were two lamps, austere, and louring. Now 
 
S2 TALE OF THE FISHERMAN". 
 
 when the fisherman saw that Ufreet, his muscles shivered, and 
 his teeth chattered, and his palate was dried up, and he 
 knew not where he was. So when the Ufreet looked to him, 
 he said, " There is no God but the God, Sooleiman is the 
 prophet of God f ' and then the Ufreet cried, " Oh ! prophet 
 of God, slay me not, for I am not able to oppose thee when 
 thou orderest, nor am one to commit a fault when thou com- 
 mandest." Then replied the fisherman, "Oh! evil spirit, ^i 
 thou speakest to Sooleiman, the prophet of God ; now 
 Sooleiman is dead, the period of a thousand and eight hundred 
 years ago, and we are now at the end of the fulness of time ! 
 Now what is thy story, and what is the account of thee, and 
 what is the cause of thy entering into this jar?'* (Thus goes 
 the tale.) Now when the evil spirit heard the words of the 
 fisherman, he said, " There is no God but the God : be of 
 good cheer, Oh ! fisherman," Then answered the fisherman, 
 " Why biddest thou me be of good cheer ?" So the Ufreet 
 replied, " Because of thy having to die an evil death, even in 
 this very hour." Then said the fisherman, " Thinkest thou 
 me deserving of such greeting, oh ! Chief among Jins, I who 
 undid thy fastening for thee, fool that I am ! for what thing 
 dost thou kill me, and what thing is there for which it is proper 
 I should die ? Lo ! I freed thee from the jar, and took thee from 
 the bottom of the sea, and brought thee up on the dry land.'» 
 Then the Ufreet replied, " Ask of me what manner of death 
 thou wilt die, and by what mode of slaughter I shall slay thee.'* 
 So answered the fisherman, "What is my fault before thee, 
 and what is my debt of retribution?" Now the Ufreet said, 
 "Hear mystery, oh ! fisherman," And he answered, " Say on, 
 and be brief in thy saying, for surely my breath of life hath 
 reached my nostrils (as being about to fly forth)." So said the 
 Jin, " Know, oh ! fisherman, that I am one among the Jins 
 separated from mankind, and I disobeyed Sooleiman, the sore 
 of David, on whom be blessing, I and Sukhur ool Jinee, and 
 he sent his minister, Usuff" Bin Burkheeyx to seize me, and he 
 
TALE OF THE FISHERMAN. 33 
 
 brought2 2 me against my will, and dragged me along, and I was 
 obedient in spite of myself, and he placed me standing before 
 him. Now when Soleiman saw me, he sought protection from 
 me (from the Almighty) and offered me the oath, and acknow- 
 ledgement of submission beneath his order, but I refused to take 
 it ; then he caused me to go into this jar, and shut me up 
 in it, and closed it with tin, and sealed it with the Great 
 Name, and gave orders to the jins that they should carry 
 me off, and cast me into the midst of the sea. So I remained 
 an hundred years, and said in my soul, * Whoso shall 
 release me, I will enrich him for ever.' Then the full hun- 
 dred years elapsed, and no one set me free, and I entered 
 a second century ; and I said, * Whoso shall release me, I 
 will open for him the treasures of the earth ;* and no one set 
 me free, and thus four full centuries passed away. Then 
 said I, * Whoso shall release me, for that man, will I 
 fulfil three of his wishes,' And no one set me free. Then 
 I was enraged with exceeding wrath, and said in my soul 
 * Whoso shall release me from this time forth, I will slay 
 him, and I will give him the choice of how he will die,' And 
 now thou hast set me free, and I give thee thy choice of how 
 thou wilt die." Now when the fisherman heard the words of 
 the Ufreet, he said, *' Ya'l Ullah ! a strange thing ! what have I 
 not come to set thee free save in these days !'* Then said 
 the fisherman to the Ufreet, *'Let me off from my death, that 
 the Almighty may spare thee from thine, and slay me not 
 lest the Almighty appoint one to slay thee." Then replied 
 the evil spirit, " There is no help for it ; die thou must ; 
 so tell me what manner of death thou wilt die." Now when 
 he was assured of that, the fisherman again addressed the 
 Ufreet, and said, " Forgive me this my death for that I set 
 thee free." Then replied the Ufreet, " Surely I would not 
 put thee to death save that because thou did'st release me." 
 Then said the fisherman, '* Oh ! chief of the Ufreets, I do thee 
 
 F 
 
34 TALE OF THE FISHERMAN^, 
 
 good, thou dost recompense me evil ! Now surely the sage told 
 no lie, when he uttered this verse — 
 
 " We did them good, but they its opposites 
 
 Gave in return—^ 
 
 These by my life are deeds of evil men ! 
 
 Who other than the worthy benefits, 
 
 Such meed shall earn 
 
 As the hyena gave his friend^ 3 again." 
 
 Now when the Ufreet heard these the words of the fisherman, 
 he ansv/ered, " Make no words about it,^ for there is no help ; 
 thou must die." So the fisherman said in his soul, " This 
 fellow now is a Jin, and I am a man ; and the Almighty hath 
 given me the perfect use of understanding, so I now shall take 
 counsel to compass his destruction with my cunning, and by 
 my wits, and he took counsel but by his malice and his 
 perfidy." So when the Ufreet said, " There is no help for it 
 thou must he slain," He answered, «' Even so,"^ and said, "In 
 the Great Nante, which is written on the seal of Sooleiman 
 the son of David, on whom be blessing ! may I question thee 
 on a certain thing, and wilt thou give me a true answer ?" And 
 the Ufreet answered, *' Even so." Now when the Ufreet 
 heard the mention of the Great Name, he trembled, and shook, 
 and said, " Ask, and be brief ;" Then said the fisherman 
 *' Did'st thou abide in this jar ? why the jar would not sufl[ice 
 to hold thy head, no, nor thy foot, and how was it large enough 
 to hold the whole of thee ?" So the Ufreet replied, " What ! 
 dost not believe that I was really in it ?" Then said the 
 fisherman, " Nay I will never believe it unless I see it with 
 mine own eyes." — And Shuhurzad perceived the morning 
 dawn, and ceased saying the words permitted her. 
 
 'Mn^ iauljeti it Urn tfte jF^itrtfj Higlit, * 
 
 Her sister said to her, " Finish for us thy story, if thou 'rt not 
 asleep." And she said, *' They relate. Oh ! mighty monarch, 
 that the fisherman said to the Ufreet, *< I will never believe 
 
TALK OF THE FISHERMAN. 35 
 
 it until T see it with mine own eyes ;"^ and lo ! on the instant 
 the Ufreet shook himself, and became a vapour over the sea, 
 and the vapour condensed, and entered the jar, by little and 
 little, until the vapour had completely entered it ; and then 
 the fisherman forthwith made haste, and took the tin cover 
 stamped with the seal, and fixed it over the mouth of the jar, 
 and called out to the Ufreet, and said to him, " CJhoose what 
 death thou'lt die ! Wallahy, I will throw thee into the ^ea 
 here, and I will make a house for myself in this place, and 
 whoso comes here, him will I warn against fishing in this 
 place, and I will tell him an Ufreet dwells here, and whoso 
 brings him on shore, he gives him his choice what death he 
 will die, and which way he will be slain." Now when the 
 Ufreet heard the words of the fisherman, and saw that his soul 
 was ensnared, and desired to get out, yet could not, for that 
 the seal of Sooleiman prevented him, and knew that the fisher- 
 man had played a trick upon him, he said, *' I was only jesting 
 with thee." So the fisherman answered, <' Thou lie'st, thou least 
 of Ufreets, thou dirtiest and most contemptible of Jins !" And 
 the fisherman took off the jar to the sea side, and the Ufreet 
 called out to him, *' Nay, Nay,*' But the fisherman replied, 
 " Yea ! Yea !" And the evil spirit made his words fair and 
 smooth, and humbled himself, and said, *' What dost thou in- 
 tend to do with me. Oh, fisherman 1" And he said, " To throw 
 thee into the sea ; surely thou'st rested in the sea a thousand 
 and eight hundred years, already ; but I now will leave thee to 
 wait there until time stops : did I not say to thee, spare 
 me, and the Almighty will spare thee, and kill me not, lest the 
 Almighty kill thee ? and thou did'st disregard what I said, 
 and had no intent, but to act perfidiously by me, and Ood has 
 delivered thee into my hands, so I will do evil by thee." Then 
 said the Ufreet, " Open the jar for me that I may benefit thee.** 
 Then the fisherman replied, " Thou lie'st, thou accursed one 1 
 and I think my parallel and thine, is that of a Vuzeer of the 
 King Yoonan, and the physician Dooban.'* So said 
 
36 TALE OF THE VUZEEK OF THE KINO YOONAN. 
 
 the Ufreet, " x\nd what was the Vuzeer of the King Yoonan, 
 and the physician Dooban, and what was the story 
 about them ?" Then said the fisherman, " Know, Oh ! 
 Ufreet, that there was in ancient times, and ages past, in a 
 city of Fars, 2* and in the territory Rooman, a king that was 
 called Yoonan, and he was a lord of wealth, and of armies, 
 and of dreaded power, and his allies were of all nations of 
 men ; and he had on his body a leprosy. Now men of 
 science, and physicians, had come to him, and he had drunk 
 medicines, and taken powders, and applied ointments, and no 
 one thing of these did him good, and no single one among 
 the physicians was able to give him ease. So it happened 
 that there arrived at the city of the King Yoonan, a physician, 
 ancient and stricken in years, and they called him the physi- 
 cian Dooban; and he had read books, both Greek,^* and 
 Persian, and books from Constantinople, and Arabia, and 
 Syria ; and works on the science of medicine, and astrology, 
 and he understood the whole power of its remedies, and the 
 rules of its injunctions, and of its means of healing, and of 
 hurting; and he understood the nature of all plants, and 
 shrubs, and herbs, and their power of hurting and of healing ; 
 and he understood philosophy, and had gone through the 
 whole range of the sciences of medicine, and of other sciences 
 belonging to it. Now when the physician entered the city, 
 and had abided there a few days, he heard the news of the 
 King's illness, and of what had happened to him, by means 
 of the leprosy, which evil, God had caused him to endure, 
 and how the physicians, and men of science were unable to 
 heal him with their medicines. Now when the physician 
 heard this, he remained all night thinking of it. So when the 
 morning broke, and the dawn appeared, and it was light, 
 then the physician put on his handsomest apparel, and went 
 in to the King Yoonan, and kissed the earth before him, and 
 prayed for his continual gi-eatness and prosperity, and uttered 
 all he said in fair language, and informed the King of what he 
 
TALE or THE VUZEER OF THE KING YOONAN. 37 
 
 Was, and said, " Oh ! King, they have told me of what has 
 happened to thee by means of that disease which is in thy 
 body ; and how the greatest physicians have not the art' to 
 drive it thence ; and now I can cure thee, oh ! King, and 
 yet will make thee drink no medicine, and will anoint thee 
 with no unguent," So when the King Yoonan heard his 
 words, he was surprised, and said, " How wilt thou do this ? 
 Wallahy ! if thou doest cure me I will enrich thee even 
 to thy son's son, and I will give thee gifts, and whatso- 
 ever thou askest, that shall be thine, and thou shalt be 
 my companion, and my friend.'* So then the King invested 
 the physician with a dress of honor, and treated him kindly, 
 and said to him, " Can'st thou indeed cure me of disease 
 without medicine ?" And he answered, " Even so I will heal 
 thee." And the King marvelled with exceeding marvel, and said 
 to him, " Oh ! physician this that thou speakest of, shall it be 
 in these times, and in these days ! Now be quick, oh ! my son," 
 And he replied, " To hear is to obey ; it shall be to-morrow.'* 
 So he went into the city, and hired a house for himself, 
 and set down in it his books, and his medicines, and his sim- 
 ples. Then he set about taking out drugs, and books, and he 
 made a mallet, and hollowed it, and put a handle to it, and 
 made a ball for it according to his art. Now when he had 
 prepared all these and he had completed them, he went up 
 to the King the next day, and went in to him, and told him to 
 ride forth on the plain, and play at ball and bat, 2 s and there 
 went with him the courtiers, and chambsrlains, and the chief 
 minister, and the lords of state, and he was not yet near the 
 place of exercise, before the physician Dooban came to him, 
 and gave him the bat, and said to him, " Take this bat, and 
 grasp it with this gripe, and use it to drive the ball with on 
 the plain ; so get on thine horse-back, and strike the ball until 
 thy hand is moist, and thy body, and the medicine will sink 
 into thy hand, and will penetrate thy body. Now when thou 
 art done playing, and the medicine has entered thy body, re- 
 
38 TALE OF THE VITZEER OF THE KING YOONAN. 
 
 tire to thy palace, and after that enter the warm bath, and 
 wash, and go to sleep ; then art thou cured. Enough ; God 
 be with thee.'* So the King Yoonan took the bat, from the 
 physician, and grasped it in his hand, and mounted his horse, 
 and threw the ball before him, and followed after until he 
 reached it, and struck it with all his might, and his hand had a 
 tight grasp of the wooden handle of the bat, and he ceased 
 not striking the ball, and driving after it, and hitting it, till 
 his hand grew moist, and all his body also, and he imbibed 
 the medicine from the wood. Then the physician Doobaii 
 knew that the medicine had penetrated his body, and 
 he told him to return to the palace, and get into a 
 warm bath on the instant ; so the King Yoonan returned 
 on the instant, and ordered them to get the bath ready. So 
 they began to prepare it, and the carpet spreaders made great 
 haste, and the slaves ran hurriedly, and got ready a change of 
 apparel for the king. Now he entered the bath, and bathed 
 long, and completely, and put on his clothes, at, the entry 
 room of the bath, 2 7 and went out thence, and went up into 
 his palace, and slept there. Now this is what occurred in the 
 matter of the King Yoonan, but for what happened in the 
 case of the physician Dooban, surely he returned to his house 
 and abode there. So when the morning broke, he rose, and 
 went to the king, and asked his orders : and the king ordered 
 him to enter, and he went in, and kissed the earth before him,- 
 and broke out extemporaneously, and said, 
 
 " Virtue was proud when thou wert called her sire,2 * 
 
 And any else so called the name denies ; 
 
 Oh ! brow that beam'st with intellectual fire, 
 
 Thou smooth'st away dark mists from high emprize ; 
 
 Thy face still radiates in the light of joy, 
 
 And how can then the face of fortune frown ? 
 
 So works on me the grace thou dost employ, 
 
 As works the dewy clouds on barren down ; 
 
 And I the summit of my wishes see, 
 
 So pours thy wealth upon my poverty." 
 
TALE OF THE VUZEER OF THE KING YOONAN. ^9 
 
 So when he ceased repeating this stanza, the King rose quick- 
 ly upon his feet, and fell on his neck, and made him sit by 
 his side, and dressed him in a dress of priceless value ; for 
 it came to pass when the King came out of his bath, that 
 he looked on his body, and saw no trace of leprosy upon it, 
 and his body was clean as virgin silver. So the King rejoiced 
 with exceeding joy, and his breast swelled with delight, and 
 his heart was opened. Now when the morning was dawned, 
 he entered his hall of audience, and sat upon the throne of 
 his state ; his chamberlains stood about, and the great men 
 of his state, and the physician Dooban came unto him. 
 So when he saw him, he stood up to greet him in haste, 
 and seated him by his side, and immediately tables cover- 
 ed with exceeding delicate viands were placed before 
 them, and the physician ate with the King, and ceased not 
 bearing him company during the whole of that day. And 
 when the night approached, he gave the physician Dooban, 
 two thousand deenars besides a dress of honor, and a present, 
 and mounted him on his own steed. So the physician return- 
 ed to his own house, and the King Yoonan was in amazement 
 at what, the physician had effected, and he began to say, 
 ^' This man cured me medicinally, even the whole of my 
 body, and yet anointed me with no ointments ; wallahy ! 
 «urely this is no other than a right strange cure 1 This 
 jnan now is worthy of reward, and distinction, and I intend 
 to constitute him my companion and my friend, during the 
 extent of my life," So the King Yoonan remained in joy 
 of mind, and gladness of heart, on account of the comfort of 
 his body, and his recovery from illness. Now when it was 
 morning the King Yoonan went out, and sat upon his chair, 
 and the lords of state stood about him, and the umeers 
 and ministers sat on his right, and on his left. Then the 
 King asked for the physician, and he came in, and kissed the 
 earth before him. So the King stood up to greet him, and 
 seated liim by his side, and spoke with him, and wished him 
 
46 TALE OF THE VU2EER OF THE KING YOONAy, 
 
 long life, and clothed him in a dress of honor, and gave him 
 gifts, and ceased not conversing with him, until the night 
 approached, then the King ordered him five dresses of honor, 
 and a thousand deenars. So the physician returned to his 
 own house, and was grateful to the King. Now when the 
 morning dawned the King went forth to his hall of audience, 
 and his nobles surrounded him closely, and his chamberlains, 
 and ministers. (Thus goes the tale.) Now the King had a 
 minister, unsightly to be looked upon, a man of ill omen, 
 abject, avaricious, and he was one who cherished ill Avill. So 
 when the minister saw that the King placed the physician near 
 him, and gave him gifts, the minister envied him, and wished 
 him evil in his heart, as has been said in respect of this, 
 « No mortal man 'scapes malice ;' and they say too, * 111 
 will's an ambushed lurker in the heart, power reveals, and 
 weakness keeps it hidden.' So then the minister came before 
 the King, and kissed the earth before him, and said to him, 
 " Oh ! King of the age, and of these times, thou art he by 
 whose power I have flourished as a green tree. Now I have 
 it in my power to shew thee exceeding kindness, and if I 
 conceal it from thee, then were I a bastard, and no true man : 
 so if thou orderest me to disclose it, then will I disclose it to 
 thee." Then the King said, and he became troubled at the 
 words of the minister, " And what is this power of thine ?'* 
 Then answered he, " Oh ! glorious monarch, the men 
 of old have said, * Whoso looketh not behind him, 
 hath not fortune for his friend ;' and lo ! I have seen 
 the King on far other than the right way, and bestowing 
 gifts on his enemy, and on one whose object is the 
 destruction of his kingdom, and to this man he has shewed 
 favor, and treated him kindly, with much kindness, and 
 placed him near himself, even very near, and I fear for the 
 King." So the King replied, and lo ! he was much troubled, 
 and his color changed, " On whom art thou thinking, and 
 whom meanest thou to designate ?" He answered, ** Oh ! 
 
TALE OF THE KING SUNDUBAD. 41 
 
 King thou art asleep ! Awake ! I mean the physician Doo- 
 ban." Then said the King, *' Fie on thee ! this is a true 
 man, and is favored by me above all men, for that he cured 
 me with something which I merely griped in my hand, and 
 was healed from my disease, which baffled all the other phy- 
 sicians, and he is such as one cannot find in these days, and 
 not in the whole world is there like him, neither east nor 
 west, and now thou sayest to me sayings after this manner ! 
 Now this day have I settled on him a daily allowance, and a 
 pension, and intend to grant him every month a thousand 
 deenars, and if I were to divide all my possessions with him, 
 it were but a little for his worth. Now I cannot think that 
 thou sayest this, save enviously, as they relate of the king 
 Sundubad." — And Shurhurzad perceived the morning dawn, 
 and ceased saying the words permitted her. 
 
 So i^fim it ^m tt^e jFiiTtQ 'Nigf^U 
 
 Her sister said " Finish foi* us thy story if thou'rt not asleep.'* 
 So she said, " They relate, oh ' mighty monarch, that the 
 King Yoonan said to his minister, " Thou art one into whom 
 envy has entered. Oh ! Vuzeer, because of this physician, and 
 thou dost long for his being put to death, and after that I 
 should repent me as the king Sundubad for the killing of his 
 hawk.'* Then said the Vuzeer, " Forgive me, oh ! King 
 of the age, and how was that ?" So the King told the story 
 of the king Sundubad. *' It is said, (but God knows the 
 truth of it,) that there was a king among the kings of Fars, 
 and he was fond of sport and exercise, and of hunting and of 
 trapping game. And he had always a certain hawk near" 
 him, which he let not be separated from him, by night, nor 
 by day, and all night long he had it sitting on his hand, and 
 whenever he rose up to hunt he took the bird with him ; and 
 he made for it a cup of gold hung round his neck, to give it 
 drink out of. Now it fell out the king was sitting, and 
 
4S TALE OF THE KING SUNDUBAD-. 
 
 behold ! the chief falconer began to say, * Oh ! king of 
 the age, these are the days for going forth to hunt.' Then 
 the king ordered that they should set forth, and took the 
 hawk on his hand, and they journeyed until they arrived at 
 an open plain, and they struck out the circle of the chase, 2 » 
 and forthwith a doe antelope came within the circle. Then 
 said the king, * Over whose head the antelope shall leap, 
 and get away, that man will I kill/ Then they narrowed 
 the circle of the chase about it, and behold ! the antelope 
 came before the king, and stood firm on its hind legs, 
 and gathered in its fore-feet to its breast, as if about to kiss 
 the earth before the king : so the king bowed his head in 
 acknowledgment to the antelope ; then it bounded over his 
 head, and took the way of the desert. Now it happened that 
 the king saw his attendants winking and pointing at him, so 
 he said, * Oh ! vuzeer, what are my attendants saying ?'* 
 The vuzeer replied, " They say thou didst proclaim that, 
 over the head of whomsoever the antelope should leap, that 
 man shall be put to death.' Then said the king, ' By the 
 life of my head, surely I will follow her up till I reach her.' 
 So the king set off in pursuit of the antelope, and gave not 
 over following her till he reached a hill among the mountains. 
 Then the antelope strove to get to a mountain lair, so the king 
 cast off his hawk at ^ her ; then the bird drove its talons in 
 her eyes, to blind and bewilder her, and the king threw his 
 mace at her, and struck her so as to roll her over. Then he 
 dismounted, and cut her throat, and flayed her, and hung the 
 body, at the pommel of his saddle. Now it was the time for 
 the mid-day sleep, and the plain was parched and dry, nor was 
 water to be met with in it : and the king was thirsty, and his 
 horse also ; so he went about searching for water, and he saw 
 a tree dropping water, as it were melted butter. Now the 
 king wore on his hands, gloves of the hide of a beast of prey, 
 and he took the cup from the hawk's neck, and filled it with 
 that water before the bird, and lo ! the hawk struck the cup 
 
TAIE OF THE MALICIOUS VTJZEER. 43 
 
 with his talons, and overturned it. So the king took the cup 
 a second time, and caught the drops of water, as they were 
 falling, until he filled it ; for he thought the hawk was thirsty.; 
 so he set the cup before it, but she struck it with her talons, 
 and upset it. Then the king was enraged with the hawk, 
 and got up a third time, and filled the cup, and put it before 
 his horse ; but the hawk overturned it with his wings. Then 
 quoth the king, ^* The lord take thee, tliou unluckiest of 
 birds, thou keepest me from drinking, and deprivest thyself, 
 also, and the horse ! So he struck the hawk with his sword, 
 and cut off its wing ; but the bird began lifting its head, and 
 saying by signs, ' Look at that which is beneath thee.* Then 
 the king lifted up his eyes, and saw below the tree (the brood 
 of calamity) a snake, and this (that was dropping from the 
 tree) was its poison. Then the king repented him of having 
 cut off the hawk's wing, and arose, and mounted his horse, 
 and went taking with liim the antelope, until he arrived at his 
 tents within the hour, and he gave the antelope to the cook, 
 and said to him, ' Take, make it ready.' So the king sat 
 down on his chair, and the hawk on his hand, and the bird 
 struggled gaspingly, and died. And the king cried out, 
 wailing and lamenting for having slain the hawk, and it the 
 cause of saving him from death ; and this is what occurred in 
 the story of the king Sundabad." So when the rainistei: 
 heard the words of the King Yoonan, he said to him, " Oh I 
 monarch great in dignity, and what call have I for ill will to 
 him? Surely I have no experience of his evil deeds, and I 
 would not do as I do, save for a service to thee, and if thou 
 dost not take this as true, may I die as a vuzeer died, who 
 acted treacherously to the son of a certain king." So said 
 the monarch, " How was that ?" Then said the minister, 
 " Know, oh ! King, that there was a certain king, who had 
 a son much given to hunting and sports of the field, and 
 he had a vuzeer, whom the king his father ordered to be 
 always with him, whithersoever he might set his face to go. 
 
 G 2 
 
44 TALE OF THE MALICIOUS VXJZEER. 
 
 And so it fell out on a certain day, the youth went out to 
 hunt, and follow his sport, and his father's vuzeer went 
 forth with him, and as they journeyed together they saw a 
 large wild beast ; Then said the vuzeer to the king's son, 
 ♦ See there ! a wild beast for you ! give it chase.' So the 
 king's son followed it until he was out of sight, and the 
 wild animal got away from him in the desert. So he knew 
 not whither to go, nor in what direction to travel ! and lo ! 
 a damsel appeared right on the head of his way, and 
 ghe was weeping ; so the king's son said to her, ' Who art 
 thou V and she said * I am daughter of a king among the 
 kings of Hind, and I was in the desert, and drowsiness over- 
 came me, and I fell from my beast, and I knew not where 
 I was ; thus have I become far separated from my people, 
 much bewildered.' Now when the king's son heard these 
 words, he pitied her condition, and mounted her on his horse- 
 back, and settled her on the crupper, and travelled until he 
 arrived at a ruined house. So said the damsel, < My mas- 
 ter, I wish to go in a while :' So he lifted her off at the 
 ruined house. Now she delayed coming out, and the king's 
 6on thought that she was delaying needlessly ; so he entered 
 the ruin after her, and knew not whither she was, but lo ! 
 she was a Ghoul, ^^ and was saying to her children, 'My 
 children, I have brought you to-day a fine fat youth.' Then 
 they answered, * Bring him to us, oh, mother, that wo 
 may browse upon him our bellies full :' so when the king's 
 son heard their talk, he thought death inevitable, and his very 
 collar bones trembled, and he feared for his life, and went 
 back. Then the Ghoul came out, and saw him as one in 
 fear dreading attack, for he was trembling. Then said she 
 to him, * What art thou afraid of?' and he replied, *I 
 have one who is my enemy, and I am afraid of him ;' and 
 the Ghoul answered, * Dids't not thou say * I am a king's 
 son V And he repUed, ' Even so.* Then said she, * Why dost 
 not give thine enemy something of value, to satisfy him? 
 
TALE OF A VTTZEER OF THE KING YOONAN CONCLUDED. 45 
 
 He answered. * My enemy is nofto be satisfied with mo- 
 ney, but only with my life, and I am in fear of him, and 
 am a man much oppressed.* So she replied, * If thou be 
 so oppressed, as thou pretendest, ask aid, against him from 
 God, and he will surely restrain his evil doing, and the evil 
 of which thou art afraid.' Then the king's son raised 
 his head towards the heavens, and said, * Oh ! thou 
 who givest ear to him who is in necessity when he 
 prays to thee, and removest his distress, Oh, God, give 
 me the victory over mine enemy, and cause him to turn from 
 me, for thou hast power to do what thou wiliest.' ^ 2 ]\ow 
 when the Ghoul heard his prayer, she turned away from him, 
 and the king's son returned to his father, and told him the 
 story of the vuzeer; Then the king called the vuzeer to him, 
 and slew him. And thou, the King, if thou continuest to 
 trust the physician, surely he will make thee die the very 
 worst of deaths, and he whom thou mad'st much of, and cau- 
 sed to come near thee, will work thy destruction : for dost not 
 see, he healed the disease, on the surface of thy body, by 
 something which was grasped in thy hand ? do not then be 
 assured he will not destroy thee by something held in like 
 manner." Then said the King Yoonan, " Thou hast said it. 
 Oh ! Vuzeer ! it will be as thou hast said, oh kindly afFection- 
 ed minister, and surely this physician has come as a spy 
 searching to put me to death ; and if he healed me by some- 
 thing held in my hand, he can hurt me by something given me 
 to smell." 2 3 Sq the King Yoonan said to his minister, " Oh 
 Minister ! what must be done in this ?" Then the minister 
 replied, " Send a messenger after him this very instant, and 
 call for him, and when he comes strike him across the neck, 
 and recompense his evil deeds ; thus wilt thou rid thyself of 
 him, and get the better of him by stratagem before he can 
 deceive thee." Then said the King Yoonan. " Thou hast 
 said true. Oh ! Vuzeer." So then the King sent one to call the 
 physician, and he presented himself, and he was glad in heart, 
 
46 TALE OF A VUZEER OF THE KING YOONAN CONCLUDED, 
 
 and knew not what the Merciful had appointed for him ; as 
 certain poets say in illustration ;— 
 
 " Oh ! thou, who dread'st thy destiny, 
 Be of good cheer, and still confide 
 In Him, who spread so boundlessly 
 The earth from side to side. 
 For whatsoe'er was formed to be 
 Will surely be my friend ; but still 
 Thou hast assurance to be free 
 From what is not His will." 
 
 Now when the physician entered the King's presence he com- 
 menced saying extemporaneously ; — 
 
 " Some little share of what my duty owes, 
 
 If I in thanks essay not to disclose, 
 
 "What but my pearls of verse, my studied prose 
 
 Or ere I asked a gift thou gavest me. 
 
 Bestowed off hand, and as the donor free ! 
 
 How should I best return the praise thy due ? 
 
 Aloud in thought, to thee I'll honor do ; 
 
 See by thy favors, so thou'st graced my state, 
 
 I stand erect though bending 'neath theii' weight." 
 
 And said he further in illustration ;— 
 
 *' Turn thy face away from woe, 
 And confide in what's forecast , 
 Joy in present blessing know, 
 And in it forget the past ; 
 Things abound that cause our ills, 
 Yet the sequel gives us ease ; 
 As the Great doth as he wills, 
 Challenge not what He decrees." 
 
 And further still in illustration ;^ 
 
 " To the Allwise, thine all confide, 
 From whom no secret thing can hide, 
 And set thy heart on all beside, 
 At rest ; 
 
 .} 
 
TALE OF A VUZEER OF THE KING YCONAN CONCLUDED. 47 
 
 And know that matter, will not be 
 According to the fantasy, 
 But as the Lord of Lords shall see 
 Is best." 
 
 And yet again in illustration ; — 
 
 *• Be glad in heart, and glad m mind, 
 
 Forget thy griefs of every kind ; 
 
 The wisdom of the Wise alleviates woes j 
 
 Toil not to plan ; can forethought save, 
 
 Or aught avail a helpless slave ? 
 
 On endless mercy all thy trust repose I" 
 
 Then said the King to the physician, " Knowest thou why 1 
 have called thee here." The physician answered, " I know 
 not what is hidden, God only knows that." " Then" replied 
 the King. " I made thee come here to kill thee, and to extin- 
 guish thy life." Then the physician wondered at this address 
 with exceeding wonder, and exclaimed, " Oh, King, what is 
 this thou sayest to me ?" The King answered, " It has been 
 told me that thou art a spy, and that thou hast come here with 
 intent to slay me, and lo ! now will I put thee to death, before 
 thou dost make me die." So the King called loudly to the 
 sword bearer, and said, " Strike the neck of this deceitful 
 fellow, and free us from his evil practices." Then said the 
 physician to the King, *' Spare me, spare me, for the love of 
 God, and slay me not, or God will slay thee." And then he 
 repeated the same words again and again to him, like as I 
 spoke to thee. Oh ! Ufreet, and yet thou let'st me not go, but 
 wert bent upon killing me. Then said the King Yoonan to 
 the physician Dooban, " I shall not be at ease until I have 
 put thee to death, for as thou did'st heal me by something held 
 in my hand, so am I not assured against thy kiUing me, by 
 something given me to smell, or so-mething else of like sort." 
 So said the physician, ** This then. Oh King, is the return I 
 meet from thee ; thou dost offer evil for good." The King 
 replied, '* There is no help for it ; die thou must without 
 
48 Tale of a vuzeer of the king yoonan concluded. 
 
 delay." Now when the physician was well assured that the 
 King intended to slay him without doubt, he wept, and regret- 
 ted the good which he had done to other than the good ; as one 
 has said in illustration ; 
 
 3 4 << No wisdom doth the giglot grace, 
 Though wise his sire, and wise his race. 
 And no one save by subtlety 
 Can sure^foot tread through wet and dry. " 
 
 And after this the executioner stepped forward, and bound 
 the physician's eyes, and drew his sword, and said " Give 
 the word ;" And the physician wept, and said to the King, 
 «' Spare me, spare me, for the love of God, and kill me not, 
 for God will kill thee," and commenced extemporaneously ; — 
 
 *' I was kindly ; others cruel; they were prosperous; I lost all ; 
 And benevolence hath made me master of a ruined hall. 
 If I live no man I'll profit : if I perish, curse for me 
 All the good when I'm no more with every curse of infamy I 
 
 Then said the physician to the King, *' This is the return t 
 meet from thee ? thou returnest me the reward of the cro- 
 codile." Then said the King, " And what is the tale of 
 the crocodile?" The physician replied " It is not possible 
 for me to tell it, and I in this state ; now as God is with 
 thee, spare me as God will spare thee." So then the phy- 
 sician wept with exceeding weeping, and certain of the 
 King's private attendants arose, and said, *' Oh King, grant 
 us the blood of this physician, for we have not seen him 
 commit one fault towards thee, and we have not seen 
 him save healing thee from thy disease, which baffled all 
 physicians, and learned men of science.'* Then said the 
 King to them, " You know not the cause of my putting ta 
 death this physician, and this it is, that if I spare him, surely 
 I myself am doomed to death without doubt, and by healing 
 me of the disease which I had by something held in the 
 hand, surely it is possible he may slay me by something 
 
TALE OF A VUZEER OF THE KING YOONAN CONCLTIDED^. 49 
 
 given me to smell ; hence I fear lest he kill me, and take a 
 bribe for doing it, since he is a spy, and is come here for 
 no end but to compass my death ; so there is no help for it ; 
 die he must, and after that I shall be assured of my own life." 
 Tlien said the physician, " Spare me, spare me, for the love 
 of God, and kill me not, or God will kill thee.'* Now 
 when the physician. Oh, Ufreet, knew for certain that the 
 King would put him to death, he said unto him, " Oh 1 
 King, if there is no help for it, but that I must die, then 
 grant me a space that I may go down to my house, and appoint 
 my people, and my kindred, where they may bury me ; and 
 that I may relieve my soul from its obligations, and distribute 
 my books of medicine : now I have a book, rarest of the rare, 
 I offer it to thee as an offering ; keep it as a treasure in thy 
 treasury." Then said the King to the physician, " And what 
 is in the book ?" He replied, " Things countless, beyond the 
 power of computation ; and as a small portion of the secrets 
 that are in it, if thou dost directly after thou hast cut off my 
 head, open three leaves of it, and read three lines of the page 
 on thy left hand, then the head will speak with thee, and give 
 thee an answer to every question which thou dost ask it.'* 
 So the King wondered with exceeding wonder, and 
 shrugged with satisfaction, and said, " Oh ! physician, what I 
 directly I cut off thy head, wilt thou speak to me ! " He an- 
 swered, *' Even so, oh. King :" So repUed the King, " This 
 is a strange matter ;" And forthwith sent him away closely 
 guarded by a guard. Now the physician went down to his 
 house, and performed all his obligations on that day, and on 
 the next day he Avent up to the King's hall of audience, and 
 the great men and ministers, and cliamberlains, and deputies 
 in ofhce, and the lords of state went up also, the whole 
 of them, and the presence chamber was as a flower bed of the 
 garden ; and lo ! the physician came up into the presence 
 chamber, and stood before the King, surrounded by guards, 
 and with him he had an old volume, and a bottle for holding 
 Kohl^^ and in it a powder. And he sat down, and said, 
 
50 TALE OF A VUZEER OP THE KING YOONAN C0T^CLF1)EI>. 
 
 *♦ Give me a charger," And they gave him a charger; and 
 he poured the powder upon it, and spread it out, and said, 
 ** Oh ! King ! take this book, and open it not until thou hast 
 cut off my head, and immediately thou hast cut it off, place it 
 upon this charger, and order its being thrown upon that pow- 
 der, and directly thou hast done that the blood will stop 
 flowing ; so then open the book." So the King gave orders 
 for the striking his neck, and took the book, and the swords- 
 man arose, and struck the physician's neck with the sword, 
 and placed the head on the middle of the charger, and threw 
 it upon the powder. Then the blood stopped flowing, and 
 the physician Dooban opened his eyes, and said, " Open 
 the book, oh ! King," So the King opened the book, 
 and found that the leaves stuck together : so he put his 
 finger to his mouth, and moistened it with his tongue, and 
 opened the first leaf, and the second, and the third, and each 
 leaf did not open but with much trouble ; so the Kmg turned 
 open six leaves, and looked upon them, and found nothing 
 written upon them. Then said the King, " Oh ! physician, 
 there is nothing written upon this ?" And the physician re- 
 plied, " Turn over yet more than that ;'* So he turned over 
 three more, and there was but a short space elapsed before the 
 drugs penetrated his system at one time, and on the instant, 
 (for the book was poisoned) and forthwith the King began to 
 be convulsed, and cried out, and said, " The poison has 
 penetrated me !" And the physician Dooban began to repeat 
 extemporaneously ; — . 
 
 ** They issued savage mandates, but no long time 
 Survived they in their cruelty ; for lo ! ye I 
 'T was but a little, and the mandate was not. 
 Had they done justice, justice were done them, 
 But they did ill, and evil was their portion ; 
 And fortune turned against them, strongly armed 
 With acts of woe and trouble ; so they passed hence, 
 And the mute eloquence of their condition 
 Repeated to them, * This is your reward, 
 Blame not the retribution.' " 
 
TALE OF THE PISHERMAN CONCLUDED, 51 
 
 (Thus goes the tale.) So when the head of the physician 
 ceased its words, the King fell down on the instant a dead 
 body. Know then, Oh ! Ufreet, that if the King Yoonan 
 had spared the physician Dooban, God would have spared 
 him, but he refused to do so, and sought to put him to death, 
 so God slew him, and thou. Oh ! Ufreet, if thou had'st 
 spared me, God would not have refused thee." — And then 
 Shuhurzad perceived the morning light, and ceased the words 
 permitted her. 
 
 ^ti^ tofjen it ^m tfie 3ixtl3 'Migf^U 
 
 Her sister Doonyazad said to her, " Finish for us thy 
 story," and she replied, *' If the King order me ;" And he 
 said, " Say on." So she said, " They relate. Oh ! mighty 
 King, that the fisherman said to the Ufreet, " If thou hadst 
 spared me, then would I have spared thee, but thou didst 
 desire naught but my death ; so now I will put an end to thee 
 by confining thee in this jar, and I will cast thee into this 
 ocean," Then the accursed spirit roared loud and cried, 
 " As God is with thee. Oh ! fisherman, do not this, and do 
 thou spare me, and retaliate not upon me for my doings ! and 
 as I am guilty, so be thou merciful, for it is said among the 
 sayings that go current ; * Oh ! thou who dost good to him, 
 who hath done evil, leave over the evil doer to his evil deeds,* 
 and do not as did Oomamuh to Atikuh." So said the fisher- 
 man, '' And what did Oomamuh to Atikuh ?" And the 
 Ufreet replied, " What time is this for stories, and I in this 
 dark cell waiting till thou makes t an end of me ; and after 
 will I tell thee the tale." So the fisherman said, " Leave off 
 these words ; there is no help but that thou must be cast into 
 the sea, and there is no way for thy getting out for evermore. 
 Now for a surety, I spoke humbly to thee, and beseeched 
 thee with weeping, and thou didst seek naught but my death, 
 without a fault deserving this at thy hands, and I had not 
 
 H 2 
 
25 TALE OF THE FISHERMAN CONCLUDED. 
 
 ever done thee an evil act : lo ! now what had I done to thee 
 but good in being thy releaser from that cell of thine ! Now 
 when thou didst to me that thou didst, then worked I base 
 tricks upon thee, and know, that when I have cast thee into 
 the sea, then for the sake of whomsoever may take thee up 
 (for that he may cast thee back a second time) I will tell him 
 what hath befallen me with thee, and I will warn him, and 
 thou shalt abide in this sea here to the end of time, till thou 
 diest." And the Ufreet replied, " Let me go now, for this is 
 the time to shew generosity, and lo ! I make a vow to thee ; 
 that I will do thee no hurt for ever, and I will profit thee in 
 a thing such as shall put thee out of want. (So goes the tale.) 
 So the fisherman took a vow from him for that when he 
 should set him free, he (the Ufreet) should not trouble him, 
 but should do kindly acts to him : So then he made firm the 
 plight with him, and made him swear by the name of the 
 Greatest God. Now the fisherman opened the jar for the Jin, 
 and the smoke rose up until it came forth, and was fully out ; 
 then it became, when collected, an Ufreet. And he kicked 
 the jar till he cast it into the sea ; so when the fisherman saw 
 the casting away of the jar into the sea, he was assured of 
 death and was bitterly afeard, and said, " This is no sign 
 for good :" So then he strengthened his heart, and said. 
 " Oh ! Ufreet, the Almighty hath said, * Fulfil thy vow, if the 
 vow was required of thee :' now thou hast sworn a vow to 
 me, and made oath that thou wilt not be treacherous to 
 me, that the Almighty may not punish thee ^ for of a surety 
 he is jealous ; he giveth a season, but letteth not escape. 
 Now I said to thee like as the physician Uooban said to 
 the King Yoonan, * Spare me that God may spare thee V 
 Now the Ufreet laughed, and walked on before him, and 
 jsaid, " Oh, fisherman, follow me." So the fisherman went 
 on after him, but he was not assured of escaping with his 
 life : and he went on until they came out into the suburbs 
 ©f the £ity^ and went up towards the hills, aaid reached a 
 
TALE OF THE POOL AND OF THE COLORED FISH. 53 
 
 "broad wilderness, and lo ! they arrived at a pool of water, 
 and went into the midst of it, and the Jin said to the fish- 
 erman, " Follow me !" So he followed him into the midst 
 of the pool. Now the Ufreet stood still, and ordered the 
 fisherman that he should throw his net, and take fish. Then 
 the fisherman looked into the pool, and saw in it fish of 
 colors, white and red, and bluish and yellow. So the 
 fisherman marvelled at this. Then took he out his net and 
 cast it, and hauled it, and saw in it four fish, each one of 
 each color. Now when the fisherman saw this, he was 
 glad, and the Ufreet said to him, " Go in with these to the 
 Sooltan, and lay them before him, then will he give thee 
 what will keep thee from want ; I pray thee now accept 
 my excuse, for of a surety at this time I know not any 
 other way to profit thee, for I have been in this sea a period 
 of a thousand, and eight hundred years, and have not seen 
 ihe face of the world save within this hour. But do you 
 not take fish here save once in every day, and then leave it." 
 Then said he to him, *' May ^^ the Almighty afilict me 
 not, when separated from you." Then he struck the earth 
 with his foot, and the earth tore asunder, and swallowed 
 him, and the fisherman went to the city, and he was in 
 great marvel at what had happened to him with the Ufreet, 
 and how it had been. So then he took tlie fish, and entered 
 into his house, and took an earthen dish, and filled it with 
 water, and threw the fish into it, and the fish paddled their 
 fins when they got into the water in the dish, and he car- 
 ried the dish upon his head, and went with it towards the 
 king's palace, even as the Ufreet ordered him. Now when 
 the fisherman came up before the King, and laid the fish 
 before him, then the King wondered with exceeding wonder 
 at those fish, which the fisherman laid before him, and he 
 had not seen in his lifetime any like them in color, nor like 
 them in shape. So the King said, " Give those fish to the 
 handmaiden, she who dresses food -" { So goes the tale.) 
 
54 TALE OF THE POOL AND OF THE COLORED FISH. 
 
 Now the handmaiden was one whom the King ^7 of Roum had 
 given to the King three days before, and he had not made 
 trial of her in dressing meat. So the Vuzeer ordered that 
 she should cook them in a frying pan, and he said to the 
 damsel " Oh ! handmaid of the King ! The King has said to 
 thee, * I put thee not to this trouble. Oh tear of mine eye, 
 save for my great desire to eat of thy dressing ; gladden 
 my heart this day by thy delicate work, and thy savoury 
 cooking ;' now surely one hath given the Sooltan a rarity.'* 
 So the vuzeer went away after that he had instructed her, 
 and the King ordered that he should give the fisherman 
 four hundred deenars. Then the vuzeer gave them him, 
 and he took them in his bosom, and went swift and straight 
 to his house, and as he went he tumbled, and he rose 
 again, and he stumbled along, and thought that this was a 
 dream. Then he bought for his children what was neces- 
 sary for them, and vjrent in to his wife, and was in great joy 
 of heart, much elated. This now was what happened in 
 the matter of the fisherman, but for what befel in the case 
 of the damsel, surely she took the fish, and cleaned them 
 and put on the frying-pan. Then she threw the fish into it, 
 and there was no long time before one side was dressed, and 
 she turned them upon the other side, and lo ! the wall of 
 the kitchen tore asunder, and there came out from it a young 
 girl, fair of stature, of oval countenance, perfect in every 
 attribute, dark eyed with kohl, and she was apparelled in an 
 under garment of silken cloth with scolloped edges, beryl 
 colored, and in both her ears large rings, and on her 
 wrists a pair of bracelets, and her rings with bezels 
 made of jewels of price, and in her hand a long rod of cane. 
 So she pushed down the rod into the frying-pan, and said, 
 " Oh, fish, are you firm to your vow V^ Now when the 
 handmaiden saw this, a swoon came upon her, and the young 
 girl said again that saying a second time, and a third time, and 
 the.fish raised their heads from the frying-pan, and said in 
 
TALE OF THE POOL AND OF THE COLORED FISH. 55 
 
 distinct tongues, " Even so, Even so.*' Then began they at 
 once to say — 
 
 " Turn from your vow, we turn from our's. 
 
 Fulfil it, cur's is too fulfilled. 
 
 Free us, and we are recompensed." 
 So after this the young girl turned over the frying-pan, and 
 went forth by the place which she came by, and the wall 
 returned again as it was. So when the handmaiden recover- 
 ed from her swoon, then saw she the four fishes burned up 
 like black coals. So she said, " My staff is broken even in 
 this my first bout." And she fell on the earth swooning on 
 it. And while she was in this state, lo ! the vuzeer came, so 
 he saw her like an old idiot woman that knows not the Sab- 
 bath from Thursday. Now he lifted her upon her feet, 
 and she recovered and wept, and informed the vuzeer of her 
 story, and that which had happened. So the vuzeer marvelled 
 greatly, and said, " This is no other than a right strange 
 matter." So then he sent after the fisherman, and they 
 brought him : then the vuzeer called harshly to him, and 
 said, "Thou fisherman, bring to us four fish like those which 
 thou brouffhtest before." So the fisherman went forth to the 
 pool, and cast his net : he landed it, and lo ! four fishes in 
 it like to those others. Then he took them, and went off* 
 with them to the vuzeer ; so the vuzeer went in with them to 
 the handmaiden, and said, " Arise, fry these before me, that 
 I may see this rare matter." Then the damsel arose, and 
 cleaned them, and put on the frying-pan, and cast them into 
 it, and the fish were not browned in the pan, before the wall 
 tore asunder, and the young girl appeared, and she was in 
 form and in feature as afore, and in her hand the long slender 
 rod, and she thrust it down into the frying-pan, and said 
 ' Oh ! fish, Oh ! fish, are you firm to your ancient vow !* and 
 lo ! all the fish lifted their heads, and repeated that, their for- 
 mer distich, and it was, — 
 
 *' Turn from your vow, we turn fram our's. 
 
 Fulfil it, our's too is fulfilled. 
 
 Free us, and we are recompensed."" 
 
56 TALE OF THE POOL AND OV THE COLORED FISH. 
 
 And Shuhiirzad perceived the morning dawn, and ceased say- 
 ing the words permitted her. 
 
 S0 W3tn it ^m t!ie SeUentfj Htgfjt, 
 
 She said, " They relate, Oh ! mighty King, that when the 
 fish spoke, and the young girl turned over the frying-pan 
 with the slender long rod, and went forth by the place at which 
 she came, and the wall returned as before, then the vuzeer 
 arose, and said, " This matter is not proper to- be concealed 
 from the King." So forthwith he stood before the King, 
 and informed him of the event, and of what he had witnessed 
 even before himself. So said the King, " There is no help, 
 but that I see this with my own eyes." And he sent after 
 the fisherman, and ordered him that he should bring four fish, 
 like the first ones : So then he sent three men with him as a 
 guard : Then went the fisherman, and brought the fish to him 
 forthwith : and the King ordered that they should give him 
 four hundred deenars. So then the King turned round upon 
 the vuzeer and said " Arise, fry me the fish here before me ?" 
 And the vuzeer replied, " To hear is to obey." So he made 
 them bring in the frying-pan, and they prepared the fish, and 
 lifted the pan upon the fire, and threw the fish upon it ; and lo I 
 the wall tore asunder, and there came out from it a black 
 slave, like as a dark rock from the mountains, or one of the 
 residue of the ^ ^ tribe Aad, and in his hand the top branch of 
 a green tree, and he said in fearful words, " Oh 1 fish, Oh ! fish^ 
 be ye all firm to your ancient vow ?" And the fish lifted 
 their heads from the frying-pan, and said, " Even so, Even so, 
 we be true to our vow, 
 
 Turn from your vow, we turn from our's. 
 
 Fulfil it, our's too is fulfilled. 
 
 Free us, and we are recompensed !" 
 
 And he stood before the frying-pan, and struck it With the 
 bough which was in his hand, and went forth by the place 
 he came in. Then the King, and the vuzeer looked upon 
 
TALE OF THE POOL AND OF THE COLORED FISH. 57 
 
 the fish, and saw they were become like to coal. So the 
 King stood aghast awhile, and said, *' This is a matter 
 as to which silence cannot be kept, and for these fish, surely 
 there is a secret in them." So the King ordered the 
 fisherman to be brought, and when he was present, the 
 King said to him, " Fie on thee ! whence are the fish ?" 
 He answered, " From a pool between four hills beneatli this 
 mountain, which is by the suburbs of the city." Then the 
 King turned upon the fisherman and said, " How many days' 
 journey is it?" He replied, "Oh, our lord the Sooltan, the 
 journey is one of half an hour." So the Sooltan wondered, 
 and ordered his retinue to go forth, and his picked men to 
 mount on the instant, and the fisherman went before hira 
 cursing the Ufreet until they got up the hill, and arrived at a 
 vast desert which they had never seen during the whole of 
 their lifetime, and the Sooltan, and the whole of his retinue 
 marvelled. Then they looked upon the desert, and the pool 
 in the midst of the four mountains, and the fish in it, of four 
 diflerent colours, red, and white, and yellow, and bluish. 
 So the King stood still, and marvelled, and said to his reti- 
 nue, and to those who were present, " Has any one among 
 you ever seen this pool before ?" Then they said, " Never, 
 oh ! King of the age, for the whole of our lifetime." Then 
 they questioned those stricken in years, and they answered, 
 *' Since our lives we have never seen this pool in this place.'* 
 Then said the King, " Wallahy ! I will not enter my city, 
 and I will not sit upon the throne of my kingdom, until 
 1 learn the matter of this pool, and these fish !" So he 
 ordered the people to encamp about these hills, and summon- 
 ed his minister, and he was a minister of experience, wise and 
 attentive, acquainted withaff'airs, and he summoned him before 
 him, and said to him, "I desire to do a certain thing, and I will 
 inform thee of it ; the wish has entered my heart that I should 
 go alone, by myself this night, and root out the matter of this 
 pool, and these fish, and do thou sit at the door of my tent, 
 
 I 
 
58 TALE OF THE POOL AND OF THE COLORED FISH. 
 
 and say to the umeers, and ministers, and chamberlains, and 
 deputies in office, and each one who may ask thee, that the 
 Sooltan is weak with fever, and ill at ease, and that he has or- 
 dered me not to allow any one to go in to him ; and do thou let 
 no one know of my intention." And the vuzeer could not dis- 
 suade him. So then the King altered his outward garb, and 
 hung his sword round his neck, and went up one of the hills, 
 and travelled the rest of the night, until the morning. Then 
 he went on the whole day, and the heat was too much for 
 him on account of his journeying the day and night; and 
 the next night he travelled until the mornings, and there ap- 
 peared something black in the distance. So he rejoiced, and 
 said " Perhaps I may find one who can inform mo of the 
 story of the pool, and of the fish." So he drew nigh, and 
 found a palace built of black stone ; clamped with iron, and 
 the gate with one leaf opened, and one leaf shut. Now the 
 King was glad, and stood before the gate, and tapped lightly, 
 and heard no answer ; so he tapped a second time, and a 
 third time, and heard no answer : so he knocked loudly, 
 and no one answered him. Then said he " No doubt but 
 this is empty." And he made his mind resolute, and entered 
 by the gate of the palace into the vestibule, and called loudly, 
 and said, *' Oh ! people of the palace, I am a stranger, and 
 away-farer; have you aught here^^asthe traveller's vic- 
 tuals ?" And he repeated this a second, and a third time, and 
 heard no answer. So he made his heart stout, and composed 
 his mind, and entered the vestibule in the midst of the palace 
 and found in it nothing, save that it was spread with silken 
 cloth, worked m stars, and there were curtains hung round 
 it, and in the midst of the palace a spacious area, and there 
 were sets of apartments and a raised terrace, and each set 
 opposite to another, and a canopy, and a tank, with four 
 figures of fierce animals made of gold, casting water from 
 their mouths, clear as pearls, and gems of value ; and there 
 were birds within the palace, and a net made of gold hindering 
 them from flying off ; and he saw no one. So the King 
 
TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED YOUTH. 59 
 
 marvelled, and was sad at heart for that he saw no one who 
 could give him news of the wilderness, and of the pool, and 
 of the fish, and of the mountains, and the palace. So then he 
 sat between the doors in thought, and lo ! there was a mourn- 
 ful voice, as from a grieved heart, and it chanted and said ;^ 
 
 " I let none know, yet was it known, 
 All I for thee had undergone, 
 And sleep, that erst mine eyes would bless, 
 Changed into weary'wastefulness , 
 
 Oh ! fortune, hang not thus upon me, \ 
 
 Cast not the dust of mourning on me ! 
 
 Nor care nor trouble have foregone me, 
 Lo ! both beset my mind. 
 
 Chiefs of the tribe are chiefs no more, 
 The wealthy of their race are poor. 
 Yet those thy pity fail to move, 
 Though thus they serve as slaves to love. 
 
 The wanton wind that blew on thee 
 Provoked else while my jealousy, 
 But soon as this my destiny. 
 
 Befell, — mine eyes were blind. 
 
 What can the archer's skill devise. 
 Who when beset in hostile guise. 
 Hath turned his arrow 'gainst the foe, 
 And faithless finds his shivered bow ? 
 
 And even thus with men it fares. 
 Set round, and cramped with growing cares. 
 How can they 'scape what fate prepares. 
 What destiny designed ?'* 
 
 Now when the Sooltan heard the mournful voice, he stood 
 up quickly, and went forward, and approached the sound ; 
 then found he a curtain, hung at the door of a chamber, and 
 he lifted the curtain and saw behind it a young man sit- 
 ting upon a chair raised about a cubit from the ground, 
 and he was a handsome youth, of excellent stature, and 
 
 I 2 
 
60 TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED YOUTH. 
 
 eloquent of speech, and with a shining brow, and ruddy 
 countenance, and a mole^^* upon the broad part of his cheek 
 like to a round spot of amber, as hath said the poet ; — 
 
 " That jetty, hair, that glossy brow, 
 
 My slender waisted youth, of thine, 
 
 Can darkness round creation throw, 
 • Or make it brightly shine. 
 
 The dusky mole that faintly shows 
 
 Upon his cheek, ah ! blame it not ; 
 
 The tulip flower never blows 
 Undarkened by its spot." 
 
 Then the King was glad directly he saw him, and saluted 
 him, but he remained sitting, and he had on a loose robe of 
 silk stuff with the border embroidered with gold of iEgypt, 
 and upon his head a crown set full of jewels, and yet upon 
 his face the trace of sorrow. So the King saluted him, 
 and he returned him a low and graceful salute, and said'*! 
 *' Oh! master, you are greater than I, though you stand and I 
 sit, and I have an excuse for not rismg." Then said the King, 
 " Sure I hold you excused. Oh ! youth : lo ! now I am a 
 wearied man before you, and have come to you on urgent 
 matter for which I am solicitous, desiring that you should 
 inform me of this pool, and of these fish, and of this palace, 
 and of the cause of your sitting solitary in it, and tlie reason 
 of your weeping." Now when the young man heard these 
 words, his tears ran down upon his cheeks, and he wept 
 with exceeding weeping, until his bosom was drenched 
 with tears ; then began he to say ; — 
 
 " Say ye 
 
 To him that lies inert, the days of time 
 
 Shoot forth their arrows on thee. Oh ! how many 
 
 Hath Fortune set upright, — how many hath she 
 
 Cast down! Though thou be sleeping, dull, and heedless, 
 
 Surely the eye of God is ever wakeful. 
 
 To whom hath time brought peace of mind ? — who is there 
 
 The world hath e'er stood fast with ?" 
 
TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED YOUTH. Gl 
 
 Then he breathed a long fetched sigli, and began saying 
 extemporaneously ; — 
 
 " Entrust tliy cares to Him that made mankind 
 Lay by thy grief, cast sorrow from thy mind. 
 Ask not the Past, 'how was it this befell ?', 
 All is His fate. His power, and all is well." 
 
 Then the King marvelled, and said to him " What weep you 
 at, Oh, young man ?" and he replied " How should I not 
 weep, and this my condition !" And he laid his hand on the 
 skirt of his garment, and put it aside, and lo ! he was the 
 lower half of him stone, even to his feet, and from his mid- 
 dle to the hair of his head, man. Now when the King saw 
 the youth in this state he grieved with extreme grief, and 
 ■cried "Alas ! Alas !" and said *' Oh, youth, thou hast 
 added grief to my grief ; I was seeking to know about the 
 fish and their story, and now I am exceeding anxious 
 to enquire both their story and thine : Surely there is no 
 strength nor power save in God the Great, the Mighty ! Tell 
 me speedily. Oh ! youth, the whole bearing of thy story." 
 So he said, " Give me thy hearing, and thy attention." 
 And the King replied, " Surely my hearing and my attention 
 are ready." Then said the yoting man, " Of a surety in re- 
 gard to these fish, and to myself, the matter is a strange one ; 
 if it were written on the corner of the eye with the point of a 
 needle it were a warning to whoso should consider it." So 
 the King said, *' How is that ?" He answered, " Oh, my 
 master, know that my father was the king of this city, and 
 his name was Muhmood, lord of the black islands, and he 
 abode at these four hills, so he remained in power seventy 
 years. Then my father died, and I reigned as sooltan after 
 him, and I took to wife the daughter of my uncle, and she 
 loved me with exceeding love, so that of a surety directly I 
 was absent from her, she ate not, neither drank she until she 
 saw me again near her. So she remained firm in this attachment 
 to me five years, until on a certain day she went forth to the 
 
62 TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED YOUTH. 
 
 baths : So I ordered the cook to make ready something for us 
 speedily, and prepare the evening meal. Then I entered 
 this palace, and slept in the place I used to sleep in, and 
 I ordered two damsels to sit near me, one at my head arid 
 the other at my feet, and I remained thinking upon her ab- 
 sence, and sleep took not hold of me, save that my eyes were 
 winking, and my mind awake. Then heard I the damsel 
 who M'^as sitting near my head say to her at my feet, ' Oh 
 Masooda, wretched is our master, and wretched are the days 
 of his youth, and, oh ! for his deception by our mistress, 
 that accursed unchaste one !' So the other replied, ' Even 
 so ; God curse all women that be deceitful, and adultresses, 
 since the like of our master, and his fair youth, suite th not 
 with that harlot who sleeps abroad every night." Then she 
 who was near my head said, ' Our master is dumb, one 
 who eats and is satisfied, he questions her not !' So the 
 other said, ' Fie on it! our master thinks that ere she retires 
 alone as her fancy leads her, she does him great kindness 
 with the bowl of wine which she gives him to drink every 
 night before the time for sleep, and she puts henbane in it : 
 then he sleeps, and knows not what happens, and is not aware 
 whither she goes, nor whither she sets forth : and after 
 she has made him drink the wine she puts on her clothes, 
 and perfumes h erself, and goes out from near him to be 
 away until the morning ; then she comes to him, and 
 fumigates him with something beneath his nose, and he 
 arouses from his sleep.' Now when I heard the words of 
 the damsels, the light became dark before my face, and I 
 knew not when the night came on. Then the daughter of 
 my uncle returned from the baths, and they set the table with 
 dinner for us, and we ate, and sat for half-an-hour's time 
 bearing one another company as was our custom. Then I 
 called for the wine which I used to drink at the sleeping time, 
 and she reached me the cup, and I cast away the wine, for 
 I made as if I drank it according to my custom, and I let it 
 
TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED YOUTH. 03 
 
 drop into my vest folds, and I went to sleep at once, at the 
 instant, and I was as one would think 1 were sleeping, and lo ! 
 she said, * Sleep out the night ; stir not henceforth ; by the 
 Almighty ! I hate thee, and I hate thy presence, and my soul 
 is wearied with thy companionage, and I care not when the 
 Lord take thy soul.' So she arose, and put on her fairest 
 apparel, and perfumed it, and took my sword, and put it in 
 my belt, and opened the gates of the palace, and went out. 
 Then arose I, and followed her until she went out of the pa- 
 lace, and I threaded the streets of the town until she arrived 
 before the city gate. Then she spoke words which I under- 
 stood not, and the padlocks dropped as broken, and tlie gate 
 opened, and she went forth, and I after her. Now she took 
 notice of naught until she arrived among certain hillocks, 
 and came to a reed hovel with a dome by it, made of mud, 
 and a door to it. Then she entered, and I climbed up upon 
 the roof of the dome, and I stood above those within, and lo ! 
 the daughter of my uncle had gone in to a black slave with 
 one lip like a grouse's bill, and one lip like a felt mattress, 
 a lip which might gather mud from the gravel, and he was 
 sluggish like a lazy leper, and he was lying upon a coarse 
 reed mat, wrapped in a blanket and a tattered sheet. So she 
 kissed the earth before him, and that slave lifted his head to 
 see her, and said, ' Fie on you ! where have you been 
 staying up to this time ! There have been here with me my 
 negro cousins, and they drank wine, and each one had his 
 mistress with him, and I was not content to drink on your 
 account.' Then she replied ' Oh ! my master, my beloved 
 one, light of my eyes, know you not that I am married to 
 ray cousin, and that I hate his very sight and I abhor his 
 love, and if it were not that I feared for your sake, I 
 would not wait till the sun were risen, before his city 
 were desolate, the owl hooting in it, and the raven and 
 the fox making his abode in it, and the wolf, and I would 
 remove its stones behind the mountain Caucasus.' So said 
 the slave, ' You lie, you accursed one, and I swear an oath 
 
64 TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED YOUTH. 
 
 to you, even by the honor of the negroes, and think not our 
 nature is as the nature of tlie whites, from this day forth if 
 you remain away till tliis dark hour, I wilt not be your love, 
 and I will not lay my side to your's : Oh ! accursed woman, 
 do you make child's play with me ! Am I for your convenience 
 you rank wretch, you dog's wife, you worst of the whites !' 
 Thus spoke the youth. » So when I heard his words, 
 and looked upon them, and saw, and heard the matter be- 
 tween these two, the world darkened before my face, and 
 my soul knew not in what place it was, and the daughter 
 of my uncle stood up, weeping and speaking wheedlmgly 
 to him, and she said to the slave, ' Oh, beloved one, and 
 flower of my heart, if you are angry with me who is left 
 to cheer me, and if you throw me off, who will take me in ? 
 oh, my beloved, oh ! light of my eyes.' And^ she ceased 
 not weeping and beseeching him until he was reconciled 
 to her. Then she rejoiced and stood up, and took .off her 
 clothes, and her wrapping garments, and said, 'Oh my 
 master, what have you here ? what shall your handmaiden 
 eat V Then said he to her, * Lift up the caldron, beneath 
 it are the bones of some wasted rats ; eat them and go to 
 that slop jar, in it are some leavings of barley beer." 
 Then she arose, and ate, and drank, and washed her hands 
 and her mouth, and went and lay down with the slave, upon 
 tlie coarse reed mat. Now when I saw these deeds, which 
 did the daughter of my uncle, I was scarce aware of my 
 existence, and I descended from the dome, and took the 
 sword which the daughter of my uncle took with her, and 
 drew it, and made an effort to slay both of them. Then 
 struck I the slave first upon his neck, and I thought that the 
 death decree had fallen on him." — And Shuhurzad perceived 
 the morning light, and ceased the words permitted her. 
 
TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED YOUTH. 65 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty King, that the young 
 man who was spell-bound, said to the King, " When I struck 
 the slave with intent to cut off his head, I divided not the two 
 arteries, but separated the windpipe, and the skin and the fleshy 
 parts ; then thought I that I had slain him ; so he made a noise 
 through the wound, a loud hissing groan, and the daughter of 
 my uncle shook herself and folloAved after me. So I put 
 back the sword into its sheath, and went to the city, and enter- 
 ed the palace, and slept upon my bed till the morning. Then 
 lo ! the daughter of my uncle came, and she wakened me, 
 and lo ! she cut ofl" her hair, and put on mourning garments, 
 and said, * Oh, son of mine uncle, speak not to me on what 
 I do ; surely they report that my mother is dead, and my 
 father is slain in battle, and my brothers, one of them is dead 
 by the bite of a scorpion, and the other is dead by a fall from 
 a high place. Now there is fair reason for me, that I should 
 weep and grieve.' So when I heard her words I was silent 
 with her on that matter, but said, ' Do now what thou wilt ; 
 surely I will not thwart thee.' So she sat down in sorrow, 
 and was grieving, and was mourning, a whole year from the 
 beginning of its circle to the end, and at the end of the year, she 
 said to me, < I wish to build a tomb in your palace in the fa- 
 shion of a dome, and I will set it apart for grief, and I will name 
 it the House of Sorrow.' So I said to her, ' Do now what 
 thou wilt.' So she built for herself a building to mourn in, and 
 made in the midst of it a dome, and a tomb like to a sepulchre. 
 Then she removed the slave and set him down in it, and he 
 continued unable even to show her any evidence of love, but 
 he could only drink liquids, and from the day of his wound 
 he spoke not a word, but his appointed time as yet freed him 
 not from life. So every day my wife was wont to go to him 
 morning and evening, and go down into the tomb, and weep 
 and wail over him, and give him liquids to drink, and strong 
 
 K 
 
66 TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED YOUTH. 
 
 broths both for morning food and evening meal, and left not 
 off doing after this manner a second year. Now I turned 
 away my mind from her, and went not near her, save on a 
 certain day, when I went in to her, when she expected me 
 not. Then found I her weeping, and saying, ' Wherefore 
 art thou lost to me, Oh ! delight of my heart ? talk to me. Oh ! 
 my soul ! Say something to me. Oh I my beloved.* And she 
 began repeating verses extemporaneously ;— 
 
 * Though thou art well my patient heart is worn away 
 
 For love of thee : 
 My whole affections, and my soul have hold and stay 
 
 On only thee ; 
 Take there my spirit, take my bones where'er thy way 
 
 May carry thee ; 
 And where thou restest, deep in earth, my poor corpse lay 
 
 By side of thee ; 
 Then call my name by my cold tomb, and I'll essay 
 
 To answer thee ; 
 A wailing cry shall from my bones sad greeting pay, 
 Sweet voice, to thee.* 
 
 Then she began again repeating, and as she did, she wept ;— • 
 
 * The day that I can get near thee, 
 
 That is my blest, and blissful day. 
 The day of death is that to me, 
 
 On which thou turn'st away. 
 When terrified the livelong night 
 
 The fear of death I scarce endure, 
 It is more sweet with thee to meet, 
 
 Than feel my life secure.* 
 
 Then spoke she and commenced extemporaneously ; — > 
 
 * If I could wake at morning tide 
 With every earthly good supplied. 
 
 If I could rule on Khosroo's throne, 
 And were the universe mine own. 
 Unless mine eyes could daily trace 
 That form of thine, that well loved face. 
 Not these, nor all that they could bring 
 Were worth to me a midge's wing.' 
 
TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED YOUTH. 67 
 
 (So said the teller of the story.) " Now when she made an 
 end of these her words, and her weeping, I said to her, 
 * Oh daughter of mine uncle, restrain thyself from grieving, 
 and glut not thyself with weeping ; no profit shall come of 
 it.' She replied, ' Reason not with me on what I do, and 
 if thou opposest me I will make thy soul perish.' So I held 
 my peace, and I left her at rest in the state she was. Now she 
 refrained not from grieving and shedding tears, and mourning 
 another year, and after the third year I went in on a certain 
 day, and I was angry for a chance matter that thwarted me, and 
 this contrary event had vexed me very exceedingly. Then 
 found I her near the sepulclire within the tomb, and she was 
 saying, * Oh ! my lord, I hear no voice from thee, and thou 
 speakest no word to me, not even one ; Oh ! my lord why 
 dost thou return me ^ no answer ?' Then she began extern- 
 poraneously ; — ■ 
 
 < Oh, sepulchre ! Oh sepulchre ! why is it gone, his comeliness ? 
 Why is thy lustre passed away that was so fair to see ? 
 Nor heaven above, Oh, sepulchre ! nor earth below dost thou appear 
 How then to me seem the bright sun, and silver moon both here I* 
 
 So when I heard her words and her verses, it added fury to 
 my rage, and I said, * Woe to thee thou mistress of sorrow 1* 
 And I commenced saying in verse ; — 
 
 * Oh, sepulchre ! Oh sepulchre ! why is it gone, his frightfulness ? 
 Why is thy lustre passed away that was so foul to see ? 
 Nor cinder pot. Oh sepulchre, nor cesspool drain dost thou appear. 
 How then to me seem the black coal, and slimy swash both here !' 
 
 Now when she heard my words she sprang up, and stood 
 upright, and said, * Fie on thee, thou dog ! thou art he who 
 hast done this deed to me, and wounded the beloved of my 
 heart, and hast caused me affliction, and afflicted the days of 
 this youth, and lo ! three years are past that he is neither 
 dead, nor is he aUve." Then said I to her, * Oh, thou foulest 
 of harlots, and vilest of abandoned women, the doating mis- 
 tress of pimping slaves ! it is even so, I did this.' Then 
 
 K 2 
 
68 TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED YOUTH. 
 
 seized I my sword, and grasped it tight in my hand, and 
 made at her to slay her. So when she heard my words, and 
 saw me resolutely determined on her death, she laughed and 
 said, ' Out with thee, dog ! if alas ! one cannot bring back 
 what is sped, nor put life in the dead, yet surely the Almighty 
 hath given me power, over him who has done this, and lo ! 
 there was in my heart a fire burning against him, not to be 
 extinguished and a fierce indignation not to be quenched.' 
 Then she stood upon hpr feet, and uttered certain words 
 •which I understood not, and said, * Go forth by my chann, 
 one half of thee, stone, and one half of thee, man!' So then 
 I became as you see, and have abode here not able to 
 rise, and not able to sit down, and I was not dead, and yet 
 I was not alive. Now when I became after this manner, she 
 worked a spell upon the city, and whatso yfas in it, either 
 streets, or grassy spots, and our city was one of four races, 
 Mooslims and Nazarenes, and Hebrews, and Fire worshipers. 
 So she transformed them by a charm into fish, the white the 
 Mooslims, and the red the Worshipers of fire, and the bluish 
 colored the Nazarenes, and tlie yellow the Hebrews, and she 
 changed by magic the four islands into four mountains encom- 
 passing the pool. Now surely every day she beats me, and 
 lays on me with a scourge a hundred stripes, until my blood 
 flows, and my shoulders stream with gore. Then she clothes 
 me with a vest made of hair like a dress over the upper half of 
 me, and puts on this handsome robe above it." So then the 
 young man wept and began to repeat in extemporaneous 
 verse ; — 
 
 *' So ! I am patient, Lord, beneath thy will, 
 
 Beneath thy just decree, and constant wait 
 
 Until tliine end it please thee to fulfil. 
 
 They wrong my soul in many a fearful straight, 
 
 They wronged me, and were violent ; but still 
 
 I have a hope my recompense to find 
 
 In Heaven for all my woes, and present ill. 
 
 I trust, amid their acts that vex my mind, 
 
 The Chosen, and 4 2 Approved, the refuge of their kind !" 
 
TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED YOUTH. 69 
 
 (So goes the tale.) Now after this the King turned towards 
 the young man, and said " Oh ! youth, thou hast added 
 grief to my grief, after that my sorrow was beginning to de- 
 part from me ; but now, Oh ! youth, where is she, and 
 where is the tomb in which is the wounded slave ?" So the 
 young man replied, " Surely the slave is in the dome building 
 in the sepulchre lying there, and she is in that dwelling 
 house over against the gate ; she is wont to go forth once 
 every day as soon as the sun is risen, and first when she goes 
 forth she comes to me, and strips me of my clothes, and 
 strikes me with the scourge, even an hundred strokes, and 
 I weep, and cry out, and there is no power of motion in me 
 so that I can keep her off from tormenting my spirit. Now 
 after she has punished me she takes down drinks to the slave, 
 and jellies to give him to drink, and the next day on the mor- 
 row comes again." So the King said, *' Wallahy ! oh ! youth, 
 I will most surely do a worthy deed for thee, which shall 
 be spoken of, and they shall write chronicles of it to the end 
 of time," So the King sat conversing with him until the 
 night came on, and they slept. So the King arose at the 
 time of the false dawn, and took off some of his garments, 
 and drew his sword, and departed for the place in which 
 was the slave ; then was he aware of the lamps and candles, 
 and perfumes and sweet unguents, and he searched after the 
 slave till he came to him, and struck him one stroke so that 
 he slew him, and lifted him on his back, and cast him into a 
 well that was in the palace. Then returned and changed his 
 clothes for those of the slave, and lay down within, the se- 
 pulchre, and the drawn sword with him laid by him length- 
 wise. Now after an hour's time she, the accursed sorceress, 
 arrived, and first when she came in she stripped the son of 
 her uncle of his clothes, and took a scourge, and smote him. 
 So he cried out, " Alas ! spare me : what have I done in 
 this, oh, daughter of mine uncle ? take pity on me, oh my 
 cousin !" and she replied " Did'st thou take pity on me, 
 
70 TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED YOUTH. 
 
 and leave me him I doated on?" And she smote him nntil 
 her hand was wearied, and the blood streamed from his sides. 
 Then she clothed him with the hairy garment, and the silken 
 robe over it. Then went she down to the slave, and had 
 with her a goblet of drink, and a cup filled with strong broth, 
 and descended into the dome building, and wept, and cried, 
 •* Well away !" and said, "Oh! my lord, speak a word to 
 me ! oh ! my master, talk with me !" and began to repeat 
 these couplets ; — 
 
 ** How long will last these thwarting cares, 
 
 How long will my affliction be, 
 
 When shall the torrent cease that wears 
 
 These cheeks so ceaslessly ? 
 Thou dost prolong, oh ! cruel thou ! 
 The term that keeps me from thy side ; 
 If 'tis to give me pain, sure now 
 
 Thou must be satisfied !" 
 
 So then she wept, and said, " Oh ! my lord ; speak a word 
 to me, and talk with me," and the King lowered his voice, 
 and pronounced thickly, and spoke after the speaking of the 
 negroes, and said " Alas, alas, there is no help, nor power 
 save in God, the Great, the Mighty." Now when she heard 
 these words she shrieked for joy, and a swoon came upon her : 
 So after a while her senses returned, and she said, " Oh 
 my Lord, are you sound and well ?'* and the King made his 
 voice faint and said " Oh ! accursed woman, art thou worthy 
 that I speak with and talk to thee !" She replied, " What is 
 the cause that I am not so ?" And he answered, " The 
 cause is that during the livelong day thou tormentest thy 
 husband, and he is calling for aid, and thou makest sleep 
 a stranger to me even from eventide till dawn, and he sup- 
 plicates, and prays Heaven against me, and against thee, and 
 has caused me disquiet, and hath been injurious to me, and 
 if this were not so, then were I in health : this now is it 
 which prevents me from answering thee." So she said 
 
TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED Y0t7TH. 71 
 
 " With thy leave may I free him from what spell is on him ?" 
 Then said the King to her. " Release him, and have pity on 
 me." Then replied she " To hear is to obey ;" and she 
 arose, and went out from the dome building to the palace, and 
 took a cup, and filled it with water, and uttered certain words 
 over it. And the cup bubbled, and gurgled, and boiled up, 
 even as the cauldron bubbles on the fire, and she sprinkled 
 him with it, and said " In right of what I declare and say, if 
 thou hast become after that fashion by my spell, and by my 
 art, go forth out of that form, into thine own former 
 shape." And lo ! the young man was convulsed, and stood 
 up upon his feet, and rejoiced at his deliverance, and said 
 « 43 I witness that there is no God but the God, and I witness 
 that Muhumud is the prophet of God, the blessing of God be 
 on him !" Then said she to him, " Go forth, and return not 
 hither, and if thou dost I will slay thee." And she screamed 
 these words in his face : So he went forth from before her* 
 Then turned she towards the dome building, and went down, 
 and said " Oh ! my lord, come forth to me till I see thy 
 beauteous shape." So the King replied to her in faintly 
 uttered words, " How hast thou done ! thou hast cured the 
 tree top for me, but hast not cured the root." So she said, 
 <' Oh ! my beloved ! Oh ! my dark love ! what is the root ?" 
 He answered, " Shame on thee. Oh ! thou accursed woman ! 
 the people of this city, and the four islands ! every night when 
 the night has reached its middle point the fish lift their heads, 
 and shed tears, and utter prayers against me and against thee ; 
 this now is the cause of the prevention of my being in health : 
 go now, release them speedily, and come to me, take me by 
 the hand, and set me upright : than will health have been re- 
 stored to me." Now when she heard the words of the King, 
 sure she was imagining him the slave, and she was rejoicing. 
 Then said she, " Oh ! my master, on my head and my eyes 
 be it, in the name of God :" So she rose up and stood up- 
 right, and was exulting as she passed on, and went forth to 
 
72 TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED YOUTH. 
 
 the pool, and took a little of its water." — And Shuhurzad 
 perceived the morning dawn and ceased speaking the words 
 permitted her. 
 
 ^0 tBfitn it t^m tie Hmtl 'Mi$Ui> 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty King, that the young 
 girl, the sorceress, when she took of the water of the pool, 
 and uttered certain words over it, which could not be under- 
 stood, the fish frisked about, and lifted their heads and stood 
 upright, on the instant, and the spell on the people of 
 the city was unlocked. And the city became inhabited, and 
 the traders bought, and sold, and each one was occupied with 
 his own calling, and the islands returned as they were. So 
 the young girl, the sorceress, went to the King on the in- 
 stant, and said to him, " Oil ! my beloved, stretch forth thy 
 precious hand to me, and arise," So the King replied in 
 feigned language, " Come near to me." So she approached 
 until she was at his side, and the King drew out his sword 
 in his hand, and smote her on the breast: then the blade 
 went through, so that it glittered from behind her back. Now 
 
 he smote her, — yea he divided her into two halves, and 
 
 he cast her on the earth, part hither, part thither, and went forth. 
 Then found he the young man who had been spell-bound 
 standing in expectation of him ; so he welcomed him with 
 the prayer of peace, and kissed his hand, and thanked him. 
 So the King said to him. " Will you abide in your city, or 
 will you go with me to mine ?" Then said the youth, " Oh I 
 King of the age, do you know what journey there is be- 
 tween you and your city !" And the King answered " One of 
 two days and a half!" Now upon this the youth said to him, 
 *' Oh King, if now you are sleeping, awake ! surely between 
 you and your city the journey is one of a full year for a 
 traveller that travels diligently, and you could not come hither 
 in two days, and a half save that the city were under a spell, 
 and I, oh ! King, will not separate from you even during the 
 
ta'le of the ensorcelled youth. 73 
 
 twinkle of an eye." And the King was glad. Then said 
 he, *' Thanks be to God, who hath conferred on me this 
 benefit in thee, and thou art my son for that during the whole 
 length of my life I have not possessed a son." Then they 
 fell on each other's necks, and rejoiced with exceeding great 
 joy. So they went on till they reached the palace, and the 
 King who had been spell-bound ordered the lords of his state 
 that they should prepare for a journey, and get ready his 
 baggage, and the whole of what was necessary for the occa- 
 sion. Then laboured they at the preparations the space of 
 twenty days, and he (the King) and the Sooltan went forth, 
 and his heart burned yearningly towards his city for now he 
 was departing from it. So then they journied, and fifty armed 
 servants with them, and very precious gifts, and they left not 
 off travelling night and day, for a full year. And the Almighty 
 decreed peace and safety for them until they reached the 
 city, and sent messengers to inform the vuzeer of the Sool- 
 tan's arrival, and of his being safe. Then the vuzeer and 
 all the army came out after they had given up all hope of 
 the King, and his armed retinue came to meet him, and they 
 kissed the earth before him and welcomed him with the pray- 
 er of peace, and he entered, and sat upon his chair, and made 
 the vuzeer come before him, and he informed him of all that 
 had come to pass to the youth. So when the vuzeer heard what 
 had befallen the youth, he congratulated him for his preser- 
 vation, and so the matter was set at rest. Then the King gave 
 gifts to many people, and said to the vuzeer, "Call here the fish- 
 erman who gave us the fish." Then sent he for the fisherman, 
 who was the cause of the release of the people of the city. 
 So he came into his presence, and the Sooltan gave him a 
 dress of honour, and questioned him of his condition, and 
 how many children he had. Then the fisherman gave him 
 to know that he had two daughters, and a son, and the King 
 sent to bring them before him, and took to wife one daughter, 
 and gave the other to the youth, and made the son his treasurer, 
 
 L 
 
74 TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 
 
 Now he gave regal investiture to the vuzeer and sent 
 him to reign over the kingdom of the youth, wliich was 
 that of the Black Islands, and dispatched with him fifty armed 
 servants who accompanied him, and he gave dresses of ho- 
 nor to all the nobles. So the vuzeer kissed his hand and 
 went forth, and travelled on that very time and hour, and 
 the Sooltan and the youth were in peace and quiet. And 
 the fisherman became the richest of the people of his age, 
 and his daughters continued the wives of the Kings, until 
 death came to them.' And yet this is not more wonderous 
 than what happened to the porter. Now there was a certain 
 man among the porters of the city Bughdad, and he was 
 a bachelor : So as it came to pass on a certain day, he stood 
 in the street leaning upon his ^^ hamper, and behold ! 
 there stood before him a woman wrapped in a wrapping 
 dress of silk stuff of Monsul, with socks embroidered with 
 gold, with gold wire worked in the hem of her garment, 
 and a fair purse playing loosely by her side. So she 
 stood still and lifted her short veil, and there appeared be- 
 neath it two eyes, black, with lashes Hke vine tendrils gentle in 
 their earnest look,perfect in all attributes^ So she addressed her- 
 self to the porter, and said in language sweet and excellent, 
 '*Take up your hamper, and follow me." And the porter hardly 
 could credit the words, until he took his hamper, and made 
 haste, and said, " Oh, day of good fortune ! Oh, day of 
 grace !" and followed her until she stopped at the door of a 
 house. Then she tapped at the door, and there came out to 
 her, a man, a Nazarene, and she gave him a deenar, and took 
 from him fermented wine,^* clear as olive oil, and put it 
 down into the hamper, and said» " Lift and follow me." And 
 the porter said. " This, Wallahy ! is a happy day, and a 
 day fortunate for the granting of our wishes." So he lifted 
 the hamper, and followed her ; and she stopped at the shop of 
 a grocer, and bought from him apples of Syria, and Turkish 
 quinces, and mountain peaches, and jasmine, and Syrian 
 
TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 75 
 
 lotus roots, and myrobalans of Uklamon, and hill citrons, and 
 Sooltan oranges, and sweet scented myrtle, and camomile, 
 and anemonies, and violets, and pomegranate flowers, and 
 narcissus blossoms, and put tlie whole down into the porter's 
 hamper ; and she said " Lift ;" so he lifted and followed her. 
 Now she stopped at a butcher's, and said to him, " Cut off 
 for me ten pounds of meat." So he cut it for her : and she 
 paid him the price, and wrapped it in leaves of the plantain, 
 and laid it in the hamper, and said, " Lift, Oh, porter ;" So 
 he lifted, and followed her. And the damsel went on, and 
 stopped at a dry fruit seller's, and took from him the kernels 
 of pistachio nuts, as much as was required for dessert, and 
 raisins from Tuhamut, and almond kernels, and said to the 
 porter, " Lift and follow me.'' So he lifted the hamper, 
 and followed her until she stopped at the shop of a sweetmeat- 
 seller, and she bought an earthen dish, and laid on it of all 
 that was in his shop, either cross barred, or cake sweetmeats, 
 scented with musk, and soapcakes, and lemon drops, and ladies' 
 kisses, and Zeenab's combs, and ladies' fingers, and of the large 
 sweetmeats called the kazee's mouthfuls, and took of all 
 sorts of sweetmeats, on the dish, and put it down in the hamper. 
 Then said the porter to her. " Had you told me, then would 
 I have brought a she camel with me to carry all this market 
 stuff." So she smiled, and slapped him on the neck with her 
 hand, and said to him " Be quick in your going, and leave off 
 talking too much, and, please God, your hire will be forth- 
 coming." So she stopped at a perfumer's, and took from 
 him ten measures of rose-water, and crocus water, and water 
 of violets, and of lavender, and took two loaves of sugar, and a 
 bottle of rose-water scented with musk, and a bit of the male 
 berzoin wood, and wood of aloe and ambergris, and musk, 
 and she took candles of Alexandria, and put the whole into 
 the hamper, and said, " Lift your hamper, and follow me." 
 So he lifted it, and followed her, until she arrived at a fair 
 dwelling house, and before it a grass plot ; a handsome one, 
 
 L 2 
 
76 TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRL». 
 
 lofty in its construction, strengthened with pillars ; its gate 
 had two leaves of ebony, plated with plates of ruddy gold. 
 So the damsel stopped at the gate, and turned round the veil 
 from off '^'^ her face, and gave a light tap, and the porter stood 
 staring at her, and he ceased not to meditate much upon her 
 beauty, and her perfect form, and behold I the door opened, 
 and the two leaves stretched wide apart. Then looked the 
 porter for her who opened the gate to the damsel, and lo I 
 she was in stature just five cubits, of prominent and fleshy 
 figure, a very queen of beauty, and of elegance, of fairness 
 and of perfection, and she had hit the very mean of beauty : 
 Ker forehead glossy, and her face of ruddy hue, and her eyes 
 like to those of the wild cow and the ghuzul and her eye- 
 brows like the bow of the first day's moon of the month 
 Shuban, and her cheeks like anemonies, and her mouth 
 small as the ring of Sooleiman, and her lips red as coral, 
 and her teeth like stringed pearls and the white camomile, 
 and her throat like the antelope's, and her bosom sloping as 
 a penthouse, and her breasts like two unripe pomegranates, 
 and her body decked in damask silk '^'" as the poet has said 
 of her ; — 
 
 *' Behold the sun, and full orbed moon 
 
 That lighten all this place ! 
 How delicate her chiselled brow, 
 
 How cheery bright her face I 
 Your eyes have never yet beheld 
 
 Jet black contrast with white, 
 As when her forehead, and her hair 
 
 In mingled charms unite. 
 A name peculiar must be found 
 
 For loveliness so rare ; 
 Alas for me ! ye roseate cheeks ! 
 
 I have no portion there ! 
 She walked ; and still from side to side 
 
 She swayed her gracefully ; 
 I laughing watched those jutting hips, 
 
 So strangely fair to see I 
 
TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 77 
 
 But gazing on her slender waist 
 
 I wept in very fear 
 To think so delicate a thing 
 
 Should such a burthen bear. 
 
 ( So goes the tale.) Now when the porter looked upon her, 
 his senses and understanding were carried from him, and his 
 hamper went nigh to fall from his head ; but he said, " I have 
 never seen in my life, a day more fortunate than this." So 
 said the damsel who was the portress to her who was pro- 
 visioner, " Come in from the gate ; and let this poor porter 
 go." So she who was provisioner entered, and the portress 
 and the porter followed her, and they went on till they reach- 
 ed a fair *^ courtyard, built by rule of geometry very excel- 
 lently, the essence of composition and proportions, and there 
 was a balcony and awnings to it, and minarets, and private 
 rooms with curtains hung before them, and in the midst of 
 the courtyard a large tank filled with water, and in it a foun- 
 tain, and at the upper end of the courtyard a raised dais of 
 cypress wood set with gems, with a loose* ^ curtain hung 
 about it of red damask silk, the buttons of it pearls as large as 
 nuts, and larger. And there appeared at tlieir entry a damsel 
 of beaming countenance, and gentle cheerful beauty, and 
 tutored manners, with moon-formed shape, and eyes fraught 
 as with Babylonian^ ° witchcraft, and the bows of the 
 eye-brows like the bend of a river, and her stature straight as 
 the letter * ^ Alif, and the odour of her breathing as amber- 
 gris, and her lips cornelian colored, sugar sweet, and her face 
 fit to shame the light of the bright sun, and she was even as 
 one of the constellations from on high, or a dome worked with 
 gold, or a bride dressed for her bridegroom, or an xVrab maiden 
 not twenty years of age, as the poet sung of her when he said ; — 
 
 " Or well strung pearls, or frost white hail, or blossoms of the camomile 
 Are what, for so indeed they seem, she shews us in her smile ; 
 The tressed ringlets of her hair hang down her shoulders dark as night, 
 And the glad radiance of her charms might shame the morning light." 
 
7S TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 
 
 (So goes the tale.) Now the third damsel sprung -from on the 
 dais, and walked easily with a swinging graceful gait until she 
 got to the middle of the courtyard near her sisters, and said, 
 «' What arc you standing here for ? take down the hamper 
 from the head of this poor fellow, the porter." So she who 
 was provisioner went before him, and the portress behind him, 
 and the third damsel helped them, and they lifted down the 
 hamper from the porter's head, and took out what was in it, 
 and put every thing into its place, and gave the porter two 
 deenars, and said to him, '* Turn your face and go, Oh ! 
 porter." Now he gazed on the damsels, and all the share of 
 beauty that was their's, and their beauteous forms, and had 
 never seen fairer than them, and yet no man saw him near 
 them ; and he looked at what they had by them of wines, and 
 fruits, and things of sweet odour, and other matters besides ; 
 so he marvelled with exceeding marvel, and delayed his going 
 forth. Then the damsel said to him, " What ails you ? why 
 go you not ? is the hire you got too little for you." So she 
 turned to her sister and said to her, " Give him another 
 deenar." And the porter answered, *' Wallahy ! the hire, 
 oh ! lady, is not too little for me ; and my real hire is not 
 more than two dirhems ; but in truth my very heart and soul 
 are occupied with you, and as to how you are single by your- 
 selves with not a man near you, and not a soul to bear you 
 company, and you know that the table is not complete save 
 only with four, and you have not a fourth, and women's merri- 
 ment without a man is nothing worth, as the poet hath said ;■— 
 
 " Dost thou not see four things must be, where revels are afoot, 
 The sweet harp, and the dulcimer, the gittern, and the flute ? 
 To them 'tis meet four odours sweet in contrast we oppose, 
 The myrtle flower, and violet, the lily and the rose : 
 Yet even these must fail to please unless four more combine, 
 A garden rare, a mistress fair, hard cash and heady wine !" 
 
 Now you be three, and you require a fourth, and here am I, 
 a man, sensible, a prudent fellow, smart-witted, and one that 
 
TALE OF THE PORTER AXD OF THE THREE GIRLS. 79 
 
 can keep counsel." Now when they heard his words they 
 thought them strange, and laughed at him, and said, " And 
 who is there to assure us of that ? Sure we be girls who 
 fear to trust a secret to one who may not keep it, for we have 
 read in certain chronicles what said Bin oos Sumam the poet ; — • 
 
 " Keep thy secret to thine utmost, tell it not to any one, 
 For whoso shall tell his secret, sure and certain he's undone. 
 Can his breast retain thy secret, his to whom the secret's told, 
 If thine own bosom thine own secret be not large enough to hold ?" 
 
 And Aboonwas too hath spoken of this, and said well, 
 
 " Who so reveals his secret to a soul 
 Deserves the blackest stamp on his brow 1" 
 
 Now the porter when he heard these words replied, " By 
 your lives ! I am a wise fellow, a true man, one that has read 
 books, and studied chronicles, who can distinguish good, and 
 discover evd, and the poet in his sayings hath said" — And 
 he commenced repeating extemporaneously ; — 
 
 " None but the men of worth a secret keep ; 
 
 With worthy men a secret's hidden deep : 
 
 As in a room, so secrets lie with me, 
 
 Whose door is sealed, lock shot, and lost the key. 
 
 Now when the girls heard the verse, and its metre, and how 
 wittily he invented it, they said to him, " Do you know 
 that we have expended on this place all our money ! Now 
 have you got any thing to make provision for us with ! 
 Surely we cannot let you sit with us, and be our companion, 
 and sit and watch our faces so fair, and bright, until you 
 give us some money for an equivalent. Now have you not 
 heard of the proverb master and how he said, * Love without 
 a penny is not worth a bean !' So said the portress to him,* 
 ^ <' Have you any thing with you, my fine fellow ! have you 
 any thing ? What nothing with you ! your soul and naught 
 beside !" But she that was provisioner said " Nay, my 
 sister, keep from teasing him, for surely he has not been idle 
 
80 TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS 
 
 with US to day, and if he were other than he is he could not 
 have kept up his spirit, and since he set so about his work 
 I will give him an equivalent." So the porter rejoiced, and 
 kissed the earth, and thanked her. So said the lady of the 
 dais, " Wallahy ! it is not permitted you to sit with us save 
 on a condition, and this is it, that you ask no questions as to 
 what you understand not, and if you are froward you get 
 beaten." Then answered the porter, " I agree oh ! lady, 
 on my head and my eyes be it, and henceforth I am without 
 a tongue." Then she that was provisioner arose, and tight- 
 ened her girdle, and put the cups and bottles in a row, and 
 strained the wines and put the nosegay in the ^^ flower jar 
 and brought all that they required : then she set down the 
 wine before them, and sat down, she and her sisters, and the 
 porter in the midst of them, and he kept thinking he was 
 in a dream. So she set before them a flaggon of wine, and 
 poured out the first cup, and drank it off*, and a second, 
 and a third ; then she poured out and gave to her younger 
 sister ; then poured she and gave to the porter, and said,^ 
 
 ** Drink in joy, feel the blessings our goblets bestow, 
 For sure liquor like this is the medicine for woe 1" 
 
 So he took the cup in his haod and did her homage, and 
 thanked her, and began in extemporaneous verse ; — 
 
 " Drain not the cup save with a brother, 
 
 One as true as ti'ue can be, 
 
 Purely born from unstained mother, 
 
 Scion of an ancient tree, 
 For wine is like the wind, which meeting 
 
 Sweets does of sweet odours tell, 
 But o'er tainted carrion fleeting 
 Carries poison in its smell." 
 Then said he : — 
 
 ** Let her thou lov*st, that tender fawn, 
 Alone thy cup supply, 
 She feels with thee, as thou with her, 
 One common sympathy." 
 
TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 81 
 
 Now after repeating this extemporaneous verse, he kissed 
 their hands, and drank, and was fuddled, and swayed as he 
 sat, and commenced saying in rhyme ; — 
 
 * 3 ''All blood is unclean save the blood of the vine ; 
 
 Give me, give me to drink then, sweet spirit of mine I 
 But first 5 4 circle the cup round those antelope eyes, 
 Which far more than the wealth of my fathers I prize, 
 And are dearer than riches I've newly possessed ; 
 Make me drink then of this, and thy suitor is blest !" 
 
 Then the damsel poured out a cup, and gave it to her 
 second sister, and she took it from her hand, and thanked 
 her, and drank. Then s-he poured, and gave to the lady 
 of the dais, and fdled another goblet, and gave it to the 
 porter: So he kissed the earth before them, and thanked 
 them, and drank, and began again extemporaneously ; — 
 
 " Here ! here 1 by heaven ! the liquor bear 
 
 In richly mantling chalices, 
 And let one cup fall to my share I 
 
 The water sure of life is this 1" 
 
 Then the porter stood before the lady of the dais, and said, 
 *' Oh lady, lo ! I am your slave, and your bouglit servant, 
 and your household drudge," And he began in verse ; — 
 
 " A slave among thy slaves there stands 
 
 All at thy chamber door, 
 And feels the gifts that from thy hands 
 
 In ceaseless shower pour. 
 Oh beauty's essence I may this slave 
 
 Come in my charms to see ! 
 I, and my love no call can have 
 
 To wander e'er from thee !*' 
 
 So she said to him, " Keep quiet, and drink in peace and 
 joy, and so much as may suit your health." So he took the 
 
 M 
 
82 TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 
 
 cup, and chanted a jingling *^ metre, and began extempora- 
 neously to say ;•— 
 
 ** Pure old wine, red and fine, like her cheeks they set by her, 
 Glistening bright like the light of a night-burning fire ; 
 This she tasted, and tried, and she said with a laugh 
 
 * Do you give folks their own cheeks in beakers to quaff?* 
 
 * Drink,' I said, * for this red wine's my blood which my sighs 
 Warmed for thee m this cup, mixed with tears from these eyes.' '* 
 
 Then repeated she to him in answer a verse ; — 
 
 ** If for my sake, fair sir, thou hast wept thy blood to form this wine, 
 I, by mine eyes and by my head! will drink it all for thine !" 
 
 (So goes the tale.) Then the damsel took the cup, and drank 
 it off, and sat down with her sisters, and they ceased not 
 drinking, and the porter in the midst of them, and they kept 
 on with dance and laugh, and songs and verses, and jingling 
 anagrams, and the porter was going on with them with 
 quips, and kisses, and cranks, and tricks, and pinches, and girls' 
 play, and romping, this one^« giving him a dainty mouth- 
 full, and that one thumping him, and that one slapping his 
 cheeks, and this serving perfumes to him, and he was with 
 them in the height of joy, even as if he were sitting in the 
 * 7 seventh Heaven among the houris of Paradise, and they 
 stayed not doing after this manner, until the wines played 
 in their heads, and in their senses. Now when the wine 
 got the better of them, the portress stood up, and took off 
 some of her upper clothes, and ^he was unveiled, and she 
 let flow a tress about her, as it were a garment, and she threw 
 herself into the tank, and played with the water, and dived, 
 and jumped up, and took the water in her mouth, and spurt- 
 ed it at the porter. So she bathed, and washed herself, and 
 then came out of the water, and sat by the side of the porter, 
 and said, " Now my master, now my fine fellow," And she 
 asked him a riddle. So the porter said this, and that, and 
 
TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 83 
 
 answered impudently, and she said, " Hallo ! are you not 
 ashamed ?" And she seized him by the neck, and beat him 
 heartily. So he said again in like manner, and she struck 
 him another slap on the back of his neck, and cried, " How, 
 how, you wretch ! are you not ashamed ?" So he said it 
 again, and she cried, " Oh you ! have you no shame in your 
 talking ?" So she thumped him with her hand, and beat 
 him. But the porter made a still worse answer, and she set 
 upon him with still greater beating, and said, " No," and he 
 said, *' 'Tis so,"and the porter went on calling what he thought 
 the answer of the riddle, and they beat him the more, and he 
 was in no other plight than with his neck swelled with 
 blows, and they laughed more and more among themselves, 
 until he said, " And what is the answer to the riddle among 
 you women ?" So the damsel said, " The noble basil plant." 
 Then answered the porter, " Thanks be to heaven for deliver- 
 ance ! be thou prosperous ! Oh ! noble basil plant !" So 
 they sent round the cup, and the goblet, and the seccmd dam- 
 sel stood up, and took off some of her upper clothes, and said 
 to the porter " Now light of mine eyes ;" And she asked 
 him the same riddle, and he made a foolish answer, so she 
 said, " So, there is no shame in you !" and she slapped him, 
 and she beat him, till the courtyard sounded with the blows : 
 then said she to him, " How, how, are you not asha- 
 med 1" So he answered " The noble basil plant," And she 
 said, '* No.'* And struck him, and slapped him on the back 
 of the neck, and he kept on calling out all the answers to the 
 riddle, he could think of, and they kept on saying, " No, 
 no." So he said again, " The noble basil plant." And all 
 the three laughed until their heads fell on their shoulders, and 
 laid on slaps on his neck, and said " No ! that is not the an- 
 swer." So he cried, " Oh my sisters, what is it ?" Then 
 replied they, *' The peeled sesame." So then they sat in 
 social fellowship, but the porter kept saying. Oh ! and Oh ! 
 for his neck and shoulders, and the cup passed round and 
 M 2 
 
84 TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRL». 
 
 round for a full hour. So then the fairest of them stood up, 
 and took off some of her upper garments, and the porter 
 touched his neck with his hand, and rubbed it gently, and 
 said, " My neck and my shoulders, are in heaven's way — 
 common goods." So the damsel took off her upper clothes, 
 and cast herself into the tank, and dived, and sported about, 
 and bathed : then looked the porter upon her unveiled, as if 
 she were a fragment of the moon, her face like the moon 
 when at the full, and like the dawn when at the brightest, and 
 he looked on her fair stature, and her shape, and that massive 
 figure that quivered as she went, and she was unveiled, even 
 as when her mother bore her, and he began to address hey 
 extemporaneously ;-— 
 
 " If I thy beauteous form, my fair, 
 Should to the date tree bough compare. 
 Sure envious spite 'gainst charms so rare 
 
 Would o'er my heart prevail ; 
 The date tree bough is fairest seen, 
 Enveloped in its leafy screen, 
 But thou art fairest far I v^reen, 
 
 When seen wi thout a veil. 
 
 Now when the damsel heard his verse, she came up from the 
 tank, and went, and sat by his side, and said, " Now my 
 master," And she asked him again the same riddle. So he 
 answered, " The noble basil plant," said she," Dear ! 
 no." So he cried, " The peeled sesame ;" Said she, " Oh ! 
 no." So he made an answer as before, and she cried, " How ! 
 are you not ashamed," and beat him on the nape of the 
 neck, and he kept on calling out the answer, and said, " 'Tis 
 so ;" She slapped him, and they all cried, " No, no," until 
 he said, " Oh my sister and what is the answer !" And she 
 said, " The ^ ^ j^^an of Aboo Munsoor." So said he, " God 
 be praised for deliverance ! ha ! ha ! khan of Aboo Mun- 
 soor !" Then the cup passed round among them a full hour, 
 until the porter stood up, and went down into the tank, 
 
TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 85 
 
 and they looked at him, swimmmg in the water, and he 
 bathed in like manner as they did. Then he came up and 
 threw himself among them, and said, " Now my mistresses," 
 and asked them a riddle, and they all laughed at his riddle 
 till their heads fell on their shoulders, and one said. This, and 
 the other. That, and he said, " No, no," and took forfeits 
 from each one of them for their foolish answers."-— -And Shu- 
 hurzad perceived the morning light, and ceased speaking the 
 words permitted her. 
 
 So mt^tn it iMm n)t Cetitfj Mgfjt, 
 
 Her sister, Doonyazad said to her, '* Finish for us thy story ;" 
 and she answered, " With pleasure, and all willingness." 
 ** They relate, oh ! mighty King, that the girls ceased not 
 making foolish answers to the porter's riddle, and he was 
 taking forfeits, and playing them tricks until his heart was 
 satisfied and filled with joy by them, and they laughed on till 
 they said, " Oh brother ! what is your riddle ?" So said he 
 '* Know you not ?" They answered, *' No." He said, 
 " The mighty mule, that feeds on the noble basil plant, and 
 eats the peeled sesame, and lives in the khan of Aboo Mun- 
 soor." Then laughed they till their heads fell on their 
 shoulders, and they sat themselves down in social fellowship, 
 and ceased not to be after this fashion until the night approacli- 
 ed. Then said they, " Now, master! in Heaven's name, 
 arise, and put on those old sorry shoes of your's, and turn 
 your face, and show us the breadth of your shoulders." 
 Then said the porter, " Wallahy, the passing forth of my 
 soul would be easier to me than my passing forth from you : 
 sufi'er me now to join night to day, and to-morrow each of us 
 will go forth on our way." So she who was provisioner 
 said, '* As my life is dear to you ! suffer him to remain with 
 us : we will make sport with him : who now will live a life 
 long, and meet with one like him, for now surely he is a 
 gay fellow, a witty one ?" Then said they, " You must 
 
86 TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 
 
 not remain with us save on a condition that you submit to 
 our order, and that whatsoever you see, you ask no questions 
 on it, nor of the cause of it." So said he, " Even so." Then 
 said they, " Arise, and read the writing which is upon the 
 gate." So he rose, and stood by the gate, and found written 
 on i| with gold wash ; " Who speaks of what he under- 
 stands NOT, WILL HEAR WHAT DOTH NOT PLEASE HIM '." So 
 
 the porter said, " Bear witness that I will not speak on what 
 I understand not." Then she that was provisioner arose, 
 and prepared something to eat for them ; so they ate. Then 
 they lighted the lamps and the candles, and stuck ambergris on 
 the lamps, and aloes, and sat at their wine talking of their 
 friends, and they had changed the furniture of that place for 
 other, and set out fresh fruit, and in like manner Avith the 
 liquors, and they ceased not to eat, and drink, nor their social 
 talk, eating dry fruits and laughing, and playing tricks a full 
 hour's time. And lo ! there was one knocked at the gate ; but 
 that broke not up the manner of their sitting. And behold ! 
 one among them went alone to the gate. So she returned 
 and said, " Sure our sport for this night is complete." So 
 they said, " How is that?" She answered, " At the gate be 
 three foreigners, ^ ^ Qurundeels, their beards and their heads 
 shaven, and their eyebrows, and all the three blind of the 
 left eye, and sure this is a strange chance. Now they are 
 as men who have just come off a journey, and the mark of 
 travel is plain upon them, and they have just reached Bughdad, 
 and this is the first time of their entering our city. And as 
 to the cause of their knocking at the gate, surely they cannot 
 find a place to abide in, and they said, * Pray now, master of 
 this house ! give us the key of some stable or old out-house, 
 that we may abide the night in it ;' for sure the evening had 
 surprised them, and they were foreigners, who knew not any 
 one who would provide them with necessaries, and oh ! my 
 sisters, surely each one among them is a figure, and a sight 
 to laugh at !" So she gave not over persuading them until they 
 
TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 87 
 
 said to her, "Let them enter, and make the condition with 
 them that they talk not of what they do not understand, lest 
 they hear what will not please them." So she was glad, 
 and went. Then she returned, and with her the three one- 
 eyed men, shorn of their beards, and whiskers. So they 
 made salutation, and bowed low, and paused afar off. Then 
 the girls stood up to them, and welcomed them, and wished 
 them joy and peace, and made them sit. Then saw the 
 Qurundeels the building, that it was fair, and the place clean, 
 dressed out with flowers, and the lamps burning, and the 
 smoke of perfumes ascending, and the dessert and fruits, and 
 wine, and the three maidens ; so said they together with one 
 another, " Wallaby ! good." Then turned they to the por- 
 ter, and found him as one wdth merry face, but hurt with 
 beating, somewhat drunken. Now when they eyed him, they 
 thought that he was one of them, and said, *' He is a Qurun- 
 deel like us. Is he now a foreigner^ ° or an Arab ?" Now 
 when the porter heard these words, he arose, and turned his 
 eyes, sulkily upon them, and said, " Do you sit here with- 
 out fro ward talking. Have you not read what is on the 
 gate, sure you don't come in to us, as if you were fuqeers ! leave 
 off your talk !" They said, *' We were saying only, * God for- 
 give us ;' oh Fuqeer ! our head is between your hands." Then 
 the girls laughed, and arose, and made peace between the 
 Qurundeels, and the porter, and made the Qurundeels sit 
 down to eat. Now they sat socially together, and the por- 
 tress gave them to drink, and the cup went round among 
 them. So said the porter to the Qurundeels, "And you, 
 brothers, what story or rare tale have you to tell us !" Now 
 the heat of wine crept over them, and they asked for the impli- 
 ments of merriment. So the portress brought out to them a 
 tambourine, and a lute, and a Persian harp, and the Qurundeels 
 arose, and tuned the instruments, and took one of them the 
 drum, and the other the lute, and the other the harp, and 
 struck upon them, and sang, and the girls called out^ ^ until 
 
88 TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 
 
 a shrill echo was heard. Now they were in this wise, and 
 lo ! one knocked at tlie gate. Then tlie portress arose to 
 see what was the matter at the gate." — So said Shuhurzad, 
 " Oh I King, now the cause of the knocking at the gate was 
 ihat, that night the Khuleef Haroon oor Rusheed wen tdown to 
 amuse himself, and to hear what new thing was in the way 
 of events, he^ ^ and Jafur his minister, and Musroor, who hore 
 his sword of punishment. And it was his custom to dis- 
 guise himself in the dress of a merchant. Now when they 
 went down tliat night, and penetrated into the city, their way 
 took them towards that house ; then heard they the instru- 
 ments and singing. So said the Khuleef to Jafur, " I want 
 to enter into that house, and hear those loud songs, and see 
 those who make them." Then said the Jafur, " Oh ! lord 
 of the Faithful, as to this set, surely there is drunkenness 
 among them, and evil may happen to us if we go amongst 
 them." So he replied, " There is no help but that I go in 
 there, and I desire that you make some pretext, so that we may 
 enter among them." So said Jafur, " To hear is to 
 obey." Now Jafur stood before the gate, and knocked 
 at the gate : then came out the .portress, and opened the gate, 
 and Jafur stood before her, and kissed the earth and said, 
 " Oh ! mistress, we be people, merchants from Tubreeh- 
 and it is ten days passed, since we are in Bughdad ; now we 
 sold our merchandize, and we alighted at the merchant's 
 khan, and a certain merchant took us to his house this night ; 
 so we entered liis house, and he set dinner before us, and we 
 ate : then kept we company with him an hour, and he gave 
 us leave to depart : so we have come forth at night, and we 
 be foreigners, and have forgotten the way to the khan, in 
 which we abide. Now therefore of your kindliness let us 
 enter your house this night and abide there, and may you 
 meet your reward !" So the portress looked upon them, and 
 they were completely dressed as merchants, and had a 
 reverent look upon them. So she went in to her sisters, and 
 
TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 89 
 
 told them Jafur's story, and they pitied them, and said to her, 
 ** Let them enter." So she returned, and opened the gate to 
 them : then said they to her, *' With your leave may we 
 enter?" She said, " Enter;" So the Khuleef entered, and 
 Jafur, and Musroon. Now when the girls saw them, they 
 stood up to them, and then sat down, and bowed to them, 
 and said, " Welcome ! and God be with the guests ! Now 
 we have a condition to lay upon you." They said, « And 
 what is it ?" They replied, " Speak not on what you un- 
 derstand not, lest you hear what may not please you." So 
 they answered, "Even so;" Then they sat down to drink 
 wine, and talk sociably. Now the Khuleef looked on the 
 three Qurundeels, and found them blind of the left eye, and 
 he wondered at that, and looked upon the damsels, and what 
 beauty was their's, and fair proportion. Then he was sur- 
 prised, and marvelled, and they began to converse sociably, 
 and to tell tales : and they said to the Khuleef; "Drink;'* 
 But he replied, " I am engaged for the pilgrimage."^ ^ Then 
 the portress stood up, and put before him a fair table-cloth 
 worked with gold, and set upon it a bowl of porcelain, and 
 sprinkled water of lavender in it, and put into it a lump of 
 snow, and a small loaf of sugar. Then the Khuleef thanked 
 her, and said in his heart, " Wallaby ! I will return her to- 
 morrow a recompense for the kind deed she has done." Then 
 were they occupied in their social converse. Now when the 
 wine got the better of them, the lady rose, and saluted them, 
 and took her that Avas provisioner by the hand, and said, 
 *' Oh ! my sister, arise, and perform what is your duty." 
 So her two sisters answered, " Even so," and then the por- 
 tress stood up before them, and that, after she had cleared 
 the place, and thrown away the rubbish, and changed the 
 perfumes, and cleared the middle of the courtyard, and made 
 the Qurundeels get up on one side of the house, and put the 
 Khuleef, and Jafur, and Musroon on the other side of the 
 house in like manner. And she called out to the porter, and 
 
 ■ N 
 
90 TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 
 
 said, ** How small is your courtesy ! you now, you are not a 
 stranger, you are of the people of the house !" So the porter 
 stood up, and tightened his girdle, and said, " What desire 
 you of me !" So she answered, " Stand ready in your place." 
 Then she that was provisioner arose, and set in the midst 
 of the court yard a low chair, and opened an outhouse, and 
 said to the porter, " Come,, help me." Then saw he two 
 black bitches with chains upon their necks ; and she said to 
 the porter, " Bring them." So he took them, and came 
 forth with them, into the middle of the court yard. Then the 
 damsel, the lady of the house, arose, and tucked up her 
 sleeves, and took a scourge, and said to the porter, " Bring 
 forward one of them." So he brought her forward, and 
 pulled her by the chain, and the bitch cried, and shook her 
 head at the damsel ; but the damsel fell upon her with blows 
 on her head, and the bitch howled, and the damsel ceased not 
 beating- her until her arms were tired. Then she cast the 
 scourge from her hand, and snatched the bitch to her bosom, 
 and wiped away her tears with her hands, and kissed her head. 
 Then said she to the porter, *' Take her away, and bring the 
 second." Then went she to her, and did with her like as 
 she did with the first. Now at this the heart of the Khuleef 
 was touched, and his chest tightened with anxiety, and he 
 lost his patience in the wish to learn the matter of these two 
 bitches. So he glanced at Jafur, but Jafur turned towards 
 him, and said by signs, " Be silent." Then turned the 
 damsel to the portress, and said to her, '' Arise, perform 
 what is your duty :" So she answered, " Even so." Then 
 stood she up, and sat upon the dais, and it was of cedar inlaid 
 with plates of gold, and of silver ; and she said to the port- 
 ress, and her that was provisioner, *' Do what you have to 
 do." Now the portress arose, and sat upon a low seat by 
 her side, but she that was provisioner entered a store-room, 
 and came out again, and with her she had a bag of damask 
 silk, with green cords, and two tassell balls of gold to them, 
 
TA-LE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 9^ 
 
 and she stood up before the damsel, the lady of the house, 
 and untied the bag, and took out from it a lute fit to accom- 
 pany singing ; then she tuned the strings, and tightened the 
 pegs, and got it into perfect tune ; then began she to sing 
 these verses : — 
 
 My soul's whole object centred lies 
 
 In thee, beloved one : 
 
 To meet with thee is Paradise, 
 
 But oh ! eternal agonies 
 
 Are mine when thou art gone. 
 
 The madness of my love shall last 
 
 Till all the days of time be past ; 
 
 Ne'er will I shame to say, 
 
 How love the curtain rent apart 
 
 That o'er my maiden face was cast, 
 
 How, when affection warmed my heart 
 
 He tore my veil away. 
 
 When wilder still my longing grew, 
 
 And passion filled my breast, 
 
 'Care round my form her mantle threw. 
 
 And then I pined, and then I knew 
 
 The reason stood confessed. 
 
 When down my cheeks streamed many a tear 
 
 My love was told, my secret clear 
 
 By evidence of these ; 
 
 Oh 1 heal the pangs that I endure I 
 
 In thee the bane, and bliss appease, 
 
 For whoso trusts to thee for cure 
 
 Can never hope for ease. 
 
 Those bright-lashed eyes have caused my pain, 
 And I must yield my breath 
 By the cold edge of absence slain : 
 How many a prince, like simple swain, 
 That blade hais done to death ! 
 N 2 
 
92 TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 
 
 Tet ne'er will I my love forego ; 
 
 Love is the only law I know, 
 
 My hope ! my comfort still I 
 
 Ah ! prosperous day, when on thee first 
 
 These eyes their glances chanced to throw : 
 
 Henceforth my heart in love immersed 
 
 "Was bondswom to his will." 
 
 (So goes the tale.) Now when the damsel heard this ballad 
 elegy, she said " Ah, ah, ah," and tore her garments, and 
 fell to the ground swooning there. Then saw the Khuleef 
 marks of blows on her back, and welts ; so he marvelled 
 with eixceeding wonder. Now the portress arose, and sprink- 
 led water on her, and gave her a change of rich garments, and 
 put them on her. So when they viewed all these matters, 
 their minds were confused, and they had no knowledge of 
 the case, nor the story of it. So after this, the Khuleef said to 
 Jafur, " See'st thou not this damsel, and how it is with her ! 
 Surely now I cannot be at rest till I learn the true tale of her 
 condition, and the story of the maiden and the two black 
 bitches." So Jafur answered, *' Oh ! our lord, surely they 
 have made a compact with us, that we speak not of what we 
 do not understand, lest we hear what may not please us !" 
 Now the damsel said, " As God is with thee, oh ! my sis- 
 ter, complete this for me, and grant my wish." Then re- 
 plied she that was provisioner, " With pleasure and all willing- 
 ness ;" So she took the lute, and leaned it against her bosom, 
 and touched the strings with her fingers, and began to sing ; — 
 
 " Would I describe the ills of absence 
 
 How shall I the plaint essay ? 
 Shoiild I desire to speak my passion 
 
 How, and where to find the way ? 
 If I perchance should through another 
 
 Send the tale of my distress, 
 How could another's tongue my sorrows 
 
 To my best beloved express ? 
 
TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 93 
 
 If I hang back, my love is lost me, 
 
 (Love in absence soon grows weak) 
 Thus naught but sighs, and groans, are left me, 
 
 Grieving heart and streaming cheek : 
 Oh, absent from mine eyes ! thy spirit 
 
 To my mind's eye is present still : 
 Know'st not my truth ? — unlike the river 
 
 Sudden flow, and sudden fill. 
 Hast thou forgot me, pale and weeping, 
 
 Fast in the bond of passion tied ? 
 Could our loves meet, how much, false lover, 
 
 Have I to blame, how long to chide !" 
 
 (So goes the tale.) Now when she heard the second ballad 
 she shrieked, and said, " Wallahy ! good, good," And laid hands 
 on her garments and tore them, as she did the first time : then 
 fell she to the ground swooning there. So she that was provi- 
 sioner arose, and put another change of clothes on her after she 
 had thrown water on her. Then arose she, and sat upright, and 
 said to her sister that was provisioner, " Continue, and fulfil 
 my duty for me ; there remains but this one song." So she 
 that was provisioner brought forward the lute, and began to 
 sing these stanzas ; — 
 
 " How long will last these thwarting cares, 
 How long will my affliction be. 
 When shall the torrent stop that wears 
 These cheeks so ceaselessly ? 
 Thou dost prolong. Oh ! cruel thou, 
 The term that keeps me from thy side ; 
 If 'tis to give me pain, sure now 
 Thou must be satisfied ! 
 If to the mourning heartsick maid 
 Were fickle fortune just, no more 
 Would she in sleepless torment laid 
 Her hapless love deplore ? 
 Oh ! pity me, my love, my lord ; 
 Whom care has tortured to excess ; 
 And can'st thou not e'en now afford 
 Some show of kindliness ? 
 
94 TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 
 
 To whom then, cruel, in the pain 
 
 Of absence shall I make my plaint ? 
 
 Ah, fond despair ! Ah, grief how vain ! 
 
 Ah I hope of ease how faint ! 
 
 While my wild love, aad inward woe 
 
 Each hour a higher phrensy reach, 
 
 My adverse days creep dull, and slow, 
 
 Succeeding each to each. 
 
 Take life for life, ye Mooslim true. 
 
 For one grief slain, whose power to bear 
 
 Lies like a ruin crushed, who knew 
 
 No friend, but wakeful care ! 
 
 Could love's own law thine act approve. 
 
 Thou vainly loved for many a day ? 
 
 What ! bless another with thy love 
 
 When I am far away ! 
 
 Now could I place me by thy side, 
 
 No comfort should I find e'en there, 
 
 For he I love has only tried 
 
 To drive me to despair." 
 
 (So goes the tale.) Now when the damsel heard her third bal- 
 lad, she cried aloud, and laid hands on her garments, and rent 
 them down to the skirt, and fell on the ground swooning there 
 a third time, and the stripes of the scourge appeared on her. 
 Then said the Qurundeels, *' It were better for us not to have 
 entered this house, and to have slept on the hillocks outside 
 the city : for surely our stay here has been troubled with a 
 matter that cuts to the heart." So the Khuleef turned to 
 them, and said to them, " Why is this ?" They replied, " Our 
 thoughts have bean wholly occupied in this matter here." 
 So said the Khuleef, " Are you not of this house ?" They 
 answered, " No ; and indeed we have not seen this place 
 till within this hour." Now the Khuleef marvelled, and said, 
 *' Would now the man who is near you there, know the story 
 of these girls ?" So he signed to the porter with his eye, and 
 ihey asked him of these matters. And the porter replied, 
 " By the Almighty ! love is like with all of us, (we are all 
 
TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 93 
 
 equally well off) for I am grown in Bughdad, and in my life 
 never entered this house till this day, and my getting near 
 them even was an odd matter." So they said, " Wallahy ! we 
 thought you were one of them, and now we see you even in 
 our plight !" So then said the Khuleef, " We be seven 
 men, and they three women, and not a fourth with them : let 
 us now question them of their condition, and if they answer 
 us not willingly, let us get an answer by force." And the 
 most of them agreed to this, but Jafur said, *' This is not my 
 opinion ; leave them alone ; surely we are guests with them, 
 and they have made a condition with us, and we have accept- 
 ed their condition as you know ; so it is better that we be 
 silent on this matter. Now there is but a little of the night 
 remaining, and let all of us depart, each on his own way." 
 Then he signed to the Khuleef with his eye and said to him, 
 ** There is but an hour left, and to-morrow we can bring them 
 into presence before thee, and thou can'st ask them of their 
 story." So the Khuleef lifted his head, and spoke loudly 
 being angered, and said " I have no patience left me for my 
 longing to hear of them ; so let the Qurundeels question 
 them.'' Then answered Jafur, " This is not with my assent." 
 So they jabbered confusedly in their speaking, and the talk 
 on this side and that side grew louder among them as to who 
 should question the women first. They said " The porter." 
 But the damsel asked them, " Oh ! all you : on what matter 
 talk ye so loudly !" Then stood up the porter before the 
 mistress of the house, and said to her, " Oh lady, surely all 
 this party long that you should tell them the matter of the 
 two bitches, and what is their story, and how it is you smite 
 them, and play the lute with weeping, and kiss the animals, 
 and the tale of your sister, and those marks of the lash as if 
 on a man's back^ '* and these are their questions of you : 
 enough ; peace be with you.'* Then said the damsel, the 
 mistress of the place, to the guests, " Is this true that is said 
 on your part ?" Then answered the whole of them, " Even 
 
96 TALE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 
 
 SO," all but Jafur, for sure he was silent. Now when the 
 damsel heard these words, she said, " Wallahy ! truly you 
 have vexed me. Oh ! guests of our's with surpassing vexa- 
 tion, and when you came before us, surely we laid a compact 
 on you that you should speak not of what you did not 
 understand, lest you should hear what might not please 
 you, and what is your recompense? We indeed let you 
 enter our dwelling, and gave you to eat of our best food ; yet 
 the fault is not with you, but with who let you in to us." 
 Then she tucked up her sleeves, and struck on the ground 
 (with her hands) three blows, and said " Be quick;" and lo ! 
 a door of an outhouse opened, and there came out from it 
 seven slaves, and in their hands drawn swords. Then said 
 she, *< Pinion these overmuch talkers, and bind them one 
 by one." So they did so, and said, " Oh I veiled, ^^ and 
 tirtuous one, suffer us now to strike them on the neck ;" But 
 she answered, " Leave them awhile till I question of their 
 condition, before their necks be stricken." So said the por- 
 ter^ " Oh ! God help me I oh lady, slay me not for other's 
 fault ! for all offended, and entered faultily but I ! Wallahy, 
 sure our night might have been a merry one had we escaped 
 those Qurundeels, who if they enter an inhabited city make 
 a waste of it." Then repeated he a stanza ; — 
 
 *' How fairly shows forgiveness in tlie strong, 
 Fairest towards those round whom no succours throng I 
 Oh ! by the oath of friendship ! twixt us two, 
 Make not the first, the last man's folly rue." 
 
 Now when the porter finished his verse the damsel laughed '* 
 And Shuhurzad perceived the morning light, and ceased 
 speakmg the words permitted her. 
 
 Hotaoi ta^teti it ^m tie (illeljeittl} Mg^t, 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty King, that the damsel 
 when she laughed in her anger, came before the party, and 
 said ; " Tell me your stories, and what has happened in your 
 
*AtE OF THE PORTER AND OF THE THREE GIRLS. 97 
 
 lives up to this time, and if ye were not men of rank, and 
 great in your tribes, or men of power, sure you would not 
 be so fro ward.'* Then answered the Khuleef " Shame on 
 thee, oh ! Jafur, let her know regarding us, or we shall be 
 slain in a mistake ! and speak fairly with her before evil be- 
 fall our souls !" Then replied Jafur, «' 'Tis but part of 
 what you sought." So the Khuleef called angrily to him, 
 and said, " A time for wit, and a time for work." This 
 was so, and the damsel fronted the Qunmdeels, and said 
 to them " Be ye brethren?" and they answered " Not so : 
 Wallahy ! we be none but poor fuqeers, and foreigners." 
 Then said she to one among them, " Were you born one 
 eyed ?" He replied, *' No ; Wallahy! sirre a strange tale, and a 
 wondrous riiatter came to pass to me, when my eye was torn 
 out, and mine is a story, if it were written with the point of a 
 needle in the corner of the eye it were a warning to who 
 should consider it." ( So goes the tale.) So she questioned 
 the second, and the third, and they answered like the first, 
 and said, " Wallahy ! oh ! our mistress, each one among us 
 is from a different city, and the son of a king, and the ruler' 
 over towns, and subjects." Then turned the damsel towards 
 them, and said, " Each one among you relate me his story, and 
 what is the cause of your coming near us ; then let him go for 
 good and all, and wend his way." So the first that came forward, 
 was the porter and he said, " Oh ! lady, I am a man that am 
 a porter ; now this housekeeper here made me carry a load, 
 and went with me from the house of a wine-seller to the shop' 
 of a butcher, and from the shop of the butcher to a grocer, 
 and thence to a dry fruit-seller, and from the dry fruit-seller to 
 a sweetmeat man, and a perfumer, and from him hither,- 
 and there happened to me with you what came to pass, and this 
 is my story : enough : peace be with us." Then the dam- 
 sel laughed, and said to him <' Take yourself off, and go." 
 But he replied, *' Wallahy, I will not go till I hear the story 
 of my companions.'' Then came forward the first Qurundeel, 
 
 o 
 
08 TALE OF THE FIRST QURVNDEEL. 
 
 and said to her. '* Oh, Lady, hear the cause of my beard 
 bemg shorn, and my eye torn out. Surely my father was a 
 king, and he had a brother, and his brother was king of 
 another city, and it came to pass that my mother bore me, and 
 my uncle's son was born on one day. And years, and years 
 and days went on, until we grew up, and I used to visit my 
 uncle every little while, and remain with him a few months. 
 Then the son of my uncle was kind to me with exceeding 
 kindness, and slew for me the fat sheep, and strained the 
 wine for me, and we sat together to drink wine. Now when 
 the liquor got the better of us, the son of my uncle said to 
 me^ *- Oh ! my cousin- 1 have very great need of you, and 
 I desire that you should take an oath as to what I wish you 
 to do.' Then answered I him, * With pleasure, and all 
 willingness.' Then took he a pledge of me with mighty 
 oaths, and went out immediately, and on the instant ; so he 
 was absent a short while, and returned, and after him came a 
 woman, apparelled richly, and on her an outer striped robe, 
 such as was worth more than a very great sum. So he 
 turned to me, and the woman after him, and said, * Take 
 this woman, and precede me to such and such a desert spot,' 
 And he described it to me, and I knew the place, and he said 
 to me, * Enter with her into the burial ground ; and wait for 
 me there.' Now the mutual oath left me no power, and I 
 dared not seek a question of him because of the oaths which I 
 swore to him. So I took the woman, and went on until 
 I entered the burial ground, both I and she. Now when 
 we had settled ourselves, sitting there, the son of mine uncle 
 came, and he had with him a pot of water, and a bag of mor- 
 tar, and a large trowel. So he took the trowel, and went into 
 a tomb in the midst of the burial ground, and broke it open, 
 and removed the stones to the comer of the burial ground ; 
 then he dug into the earth with the trowel, and there was re- 
 vealed to us a large slab, the size of a small door, in the earth : 
 so he lifted it, and there appeared below it a winding stair. 
 
TALE OF THE FIRST QURUNDEBL. 99 
 
 Then he turned to the woman and said to her, * Come on 
 with thee, and dost thou not wish this !' So the woman 
 went down by that stair, and he turned to me and said, * Oh 
 son of mine uncle, thy kindness is complete : When I go down 
 into this place, put back the slab and put back the earth upon 
 it as it lay on the slab. And this is the completion of your 
 kindness, that you take this mortar that is in the bag, and 
 this water that is in the pot and mix the mortar with it, and 
 cover the tomb as it was at first with a case of stones, that n© 
 one may see it, and say, * The opening is new but the 
 interior is old ;' for a whole year has passed that I have 
 been at work on this place ; and let none know of it but the 
 Almighty, and this is the need I have of thee.' Then said he 
 to me, * May God not make me desolate in thine absence, 
 oh ! son of my uncle ;' and he went down the stairs. Now 
 when he had disappeared from my eyes I arose, and restored 
 the slab, and did as he ordered me, and the tomb remained as it 
 was before. But I was drowsy eyed, somewhat drunken, and I 
 returned to the palace of ray uncle, and he was away, engaged 
 in hunting and in sport. So I slept that night. Now when the 
 morning dawned I thought upon the past night, and what 
 happened in it to the son of mine uncle, and I repented when 
 repentance was of no use, as to what I did for him, and 
 obeyed him in ; then thought I it was a dream ; so I took to 
 asking for the son of mine uncle, and there was not one 
 to answer me concerning him. Then went I out to the 
 tombs,^Sand the desert, and looked I narrowly for that 
 burial ground, and recognised it not, and ceased not running 
 from burial place to burial place, and tomb to tomb, till 
 the night set in, and I found not the way to it. Then return- 
 ed I to the city, and ate not, and drank not, for my thoughts 
 were all occupisd with the son of mine uncle, for that I 
 knew not what was become of him, and I grieved with ex- 
 ceeding grief; so I laid down to sleep another night, and re- 
 mained in sorrow until the morning Then went I a second 
 o 2 
 
100 TALE OF THE FIRST <iURlTNDEEt. 
 
 time to the desert, and was thinking on what the son of mine 
 tlncle had done, and repented my listening to him, and I had 
 run over all the tombs, but I recognised not that burial ground, 
 and that tomb: so I repented all this, and remained in this 
 state seven days, and knew not the path to them. Then my 
 anxiety increased until I went nigh to be distracted, and I 
 found no way to dispel my grief save that I should travel, 
 and return to my father. So at the time of my arriving at 
 the city of my father there rose up a crowd about the gate of 
 the town, and they pinioned me. Then wondered I with all 
 amazement, and I the son of the sooltan of the city, and they 
 my father's subjects, and my slaves ! So there fell on me a 
 greater fear of them, and I said in my heart, * Oome, let me 
 see what has happened to my father.' And I questioned those 
 that bound me of the cause of this, but they returned me 
 no answer. So after a while one of them said to me, and 
 he was a servant of own house, ' Surely fortune has been 
 false to him, and his troops conspired against him, and 
 his vuzeer slew him, and sat in his place, and we have 
 laid bonds on you by his order.' So they took me, and 
 I was lost to the world on account of these news, that 
 I heard of my father. Now J stood by the vuzeer's order 
 before him, and there was between the vuzeer, and me an 
 ancient grudge, and the cause of this grudge was that I was 
 fond of shooting with the pellet bow, ^" and lo ! on a day I 
 was standing on the roof of the palace, and behold ! a bird 
 lighted on the roof of the vuzeer's mansion, and it stayed 
 there : so I tried to hit the bird, and lo ! the pellet missed, 
 and fell on the vuzeer's eye, and struck it out as fate and 
 destiny decreed ; as has been in certain saws of past time 
 the verses ;— 
 
 * We stepp'd the pace was written, far and fleet j 
 Each steps his pace as written 'tis on high ; 
 And whoso doth his fated death doom meet 
 Oji any land, on no land else could die,' 
 
TAXE OF THE FTRST QjIRTrNDEEI*. . ^01 
 
 ^0 saiid the Quriindeel, ' Now when I struck out the vu- 
 zeer's eye, he could not say a word, for that my father was 
 king of the city. Now this was the reason of the grudge, 
 between him and between me. So when I stood before him, 
 and I pinioned, he gave orders to strike me across the neck, 
 and I sa;id to him, ' For what crime dost thou slay me V 
 And he answered, * What crime is greater than this V And 
 he signed to the eye that was stricken out. Then said I 
 •to him, ' This did I by accident.' He replied, ' If thou 
 did'st so by accident, so will I do by intention,' And he said 
 * Bring him forward,' And they brought me forward before 
 him ; so he thrust his finger at my right eye, and tore it out, 
 so that I became from that time one eyed as you see me. 
 Then he bound me and put me down into a box, and he said 
 lo the executioner, ' Take charge of this fellow, and draw 
 your scymeter, and take him, and go off with him to the 
 wilderness about the city, and slay him, and leave him to 
 the wild beasts, and the birds to eat.' So the swordman went 
 forth with me, and kept on until he got out of the city into 
 the midst of the desert, and he took me out of the box, and 
 I with both my hands pinioned, both my feet fettered, 
 and he sought to bind my eye, and after that slay me ; but I 
 wept with exceeding weeping, until I made him weep, and 
 J)egan repeating extemporaneously these verses ;— 
 * A hauberk strong to ward my foemen's shot 
 I thought thee, but the arrow's point thou art. 
 In straits I trusted thee, when hard my lot, 
 With both hands powerless, weak in every part, ^ 
 
 Leave me to railer's gibes, and aid me not ! 
 Let my foes shoot, and let me bear the smart I 
 No help art thou ! yet thine inaction still 
 Nor acts on them, nor me, save by His will.' 
 And I also said in verse ; — > 
 
 ' I thought my brethren very helps in trouble, 
 And so they were ; — but to mine enemies ! 
 I thought them arrows sure of what they aimed at, 
 Aod so they were ; ^but it was at my heart 1' 
 
Now when the swordman heard my verse, and he was my 
 father's swordman, and I had done him kindness, he said, 
 * Oh ! my master, how can I act, and I a slave under orders V 
 So he said to me, ' Fly with thy life, and return not to this 
 land, or they will slay thee, and slay me with thee, as a cer- 
 tain poet said ;— 
 
 * Fly, fly with thy life if by ill overtaken! 
 Let thy house speak thy death, by its builder forsaken ; 
 For a land else than this land thou may'st reach, my brother, 
 But thy life lost, thou'lt ne'er find in this world another. 
 How ! who'd live with the roof of his wretchedness o'er him. 
 And the great earth of God, broad outspreading before him ! 
 When the theme's life and death, to no agent confide it, 
 For life cares for itself as none else does beside it ; 
 Ne'er could prowl the grown lion with mane roughly sweeping, 
 Did he trust in his need save himself for safe keeping.' 
 
 Then I kissed his hand, and could hardly believe my es- 
 cape, and it was a less matter to me to lose my eye, and get 
 free, than to be slain. So I journeyed till I arrived at the city 
 of mine uncle, and I entered it, and told him of what had 
 happened to my father, and what had befallen me in the 
 loss of my eye. Then wept he with exceeding weep- 
 ing, and said, ' Grief has been added to my grief, and sor- 
 row to my sorrow ; for surely the son of thine uncle has 
 disappeared, and I have not known what has befallen him 
 for many days, and no one can give me news of him.' 
 So he wept till a swoon came on him. Then sorrowed 
 I with him with exceeding sorrow and he ordered to ap- 
 ply certain medicaments to my eye, and he saw that it was 
 become as a walnut with the shell empty. Then said -he, 
 * Oh ! my son, thine eye is gone, yet not thy life.' So said 
 he ; but I was no longer capable of keeping silence as to the 
 ison of mine uncle, for he was his father ; so I informed him 
 of what had happened, the whole of it. Then my uncle was 
 glad at what I told him, with extreme gladness, on hearing 
 
TALE or THB FIRST QURUNDEEt. 103 
 
 news of his son, and he said, » Arise now, show me the 
 burial place,' But I replied, ' Wallahy ! Oh ! mine uncle, I 
 know not the place though I sought it after that many times, 
 and looked carefully for it, yet recognised I not its place.* 
 Now I went, I and my uncle, to the wilderness, and looked ta 
 the right and to the left, and I recognised it. Then I rejoiced^ 
 and mine uncle, with exceeding joy, and entered, both I and 
 he, into the burial place, and raised the earth, and put aside 
 the slab, and went down, I and mine uncle, about fifty steps. 
 Now when we arrived at the end of the stair, lo ! a smoke 
 arose about us, even till our sight was obscured : then repeat- 
 ed my uncle a sentence, the saying which can never shame, 
 it's sayer, * There is no power nor strength save in God, the 
 Great, the Mighty.' Then we proceeded, and lo ! we arrived 
 at a courtyard strewed with flour, and gram, and provisions, 
 and other tilings besides, and we saw in the midst of the 
 courtyard, a curtain hanging about a raised dais. So my uncle 
 looked upon the dais, and found his son, and the woman who 
 had gone down with him, both had become black coal, and 
 they were embracing each other, as if in their love they had 
 been cast into a pit of fire. Now when my uncle saw this he 
 spat on his son's face, and said, ' Thou hast deserved. Oh ! 
 thou swine, this judgment in this world, and there yet re. 
 mains the judgment to come, a harsher and a stronger one.' ' 
 — And Shuhurzad perceived the morning light, and ceased 
 speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 'MM W3m it ^m tie d33e!ftl> Mi§|tt, 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty King, that the Qurun- 
 deel spoke to the damsel, and the rest of them listened, Jafur 
 also, and the Khuleef. Now surely the Qurundeel said, 
 * Then my uncle struck his son with his slipper ® * sole, and 
 he lying there a black coal. But I marvelled at what he did, 
 and grieved for my cousin, and for how he and the damsel 
 were become as black ashes, and I said, ' Wallahy, oh ! 
 
104 'fALE OF THE FIRST QURUNIJEEi:^ 
 
 my uncle, put aside rage from thy heart for surely my sout 
 and my thoughts are occupied with this, and I am in grief for 
 what has befallen thy son, and for how there remains of him- 
 but black ashes, he and the damsel; and is not that enough 
 which has befallen him, that thou smitest him with thy slip- 
 per ?' Then answered he, * Oh ! son of my brother, this, 
 my son, from his infancy was wholly taken with the love of 
 his sister, and I used to bring him before her, and I said, 
 « They are but little ones.' Now when they grew up, and fell- 
 itito evil courses, and I heard of that, I hardly believed it ; 
 but I confined him, and threatened him with surpassing 
 threats, and the faithful servants said to him,. ' Beware of 
 this evil doing which none ever did before thee, nor will do 
 after thee, and thou wilt remain among the kings of the time 
 as a misfortuney and a blemish, even till the end of thy days y 
 and the report of us will be spread abroad by swift couriers ; 
 and, shame to thee, surely thou should'st turn from this evil 
 doing, for know that it will ruin thee and cause thy death.' 
 And I secluded him from her, and put her away from him, 
 but the accursed girl loved him with excessive love, for Satan' 
 had got the mastery of them, and made these deeds fair in 
 their sight. Now when he saw that I separated them, he 
 made this place beneath the earth, and finished it, and remov- 
 ed into it provisions as you see, and evaded me when I had 
 gone out to hunt, and came into this place. Then His God's 
 justice transformed both him, and her, and consumed them, 
 and the last judgment is yet a mightier and a stronger one.' 
 Then he wept, and I wept with him, and he looked on me,^ 
 and said, * Thou art my son in his stead.' And I thought 
 for a while on the world, and its chances, and how the 
 vuzeer slew my father, and sat in his place, and tore out 
 my eye ; and now, there was an end of the son of mine 
 uncle after a strange chance. So I wept, and my uncle wept 
 with me, and then we went up, and restored the slab to its 
 place, and the earth, and made the tomb as it was before, and 
 
TALE or TUB FIRST QURUNDEEL. 105 
 
 returned to our dwelling. Now we were hardly settled sit- 
 ting down ere we heard the deep sound of the great drum, 
 and trumpets, and cymbals, and the rattling lances of the young 
 warriors, and the clamour of men, and the clanking of bits, 
 and the warlike neighing of horses : the world was covered 
 with thick dust, and sandy clouds from the pawing of the 
 steeds ! And our senses were confused, and we knew not 
 what was the news, and we asked the news, and it was told 
 us that the vuzeer who took my fatlier's kingdom made ready 
 his troops, and got together liis soldiery, and took into service 
 Arabs, and came upon us with armies in number like the 
 sands, so that their number could not be told, and no one could 
 prevail against them, and they had attacked the city unawares, 
 and the people of the city had no power to oppose them. 
 Now they made over the city to the vuzeer, and my uncle 
 was lost, and I fled into the desert by the city, and I said, to 
 my soul * Lest I fall into his hands, and he kill thee.' And 
 I was thrown into sorrows, and I pondered upon the mis- 
 fortune which had chanced to my father, and my uncle, and 
 how it fared with them ; then I went by a back way lest the 
 people of the city should recognise me, or the retinue of my 
 father, for they would slay me, and put me to death. Now I 
 found no way, which could conceal me save the cutting off my 
 beard, and my eye-brows ; so I cut them off, and changed my 
 dress, and went forth from the town, and travelled to reach 
 this city ; for since no one could give me refuge save the 
 Lord of the Faithful, and the Khuleef, master of those who 
 know the truth, I travelled hither that I should tell my tale to 
 him, and disclose my history, and what had happened to me. 
 So I reached this city by night, and stood in doubt and trouble 
 as to whither I should go : and lo ! this Qurundeel was standing 
 about : so I saluted him, and said to him ' I am a stranger,* 
 and he answered, * I too am a stranger ; so we are even like 
 to like.' And lo ! our companion, this third one, came to us 
 and saluted us, and said to us * I am a stranger :' and we 
 
 p 
 
106 TALE OF THE SECOND QURUNDEEL. 
 
 answered ' We too be strangers :' So we went on and the dark- 
 ness of night had overtaken us, when fate brought us to your 
 house. This now is the cause of the shaving of my beard, 
 and my eye-brows, and the loss of my eye." Then said 
 the damsel, " Take thyself off and depart." But he replied 
 to her, " I will not go, till I hear the history of the rest." 
 Now they marvelled at his tale, and the Khuleef said to Ja- 
 fur, " Wallahy ! I have not seen, nor have I heard the like 
 of what has happened to this Qurundeel." Now the second 
 Qurundeel came forward, and kissed the earth, and said, 
 " Oh lady, I was not born one-eyed, and mine is a strange story 
 if it were written with the point of a needle on the corner of 
 the eye, it were a warning to who should consider it. And 
 it is, that of a surety I am a king, and the son of a king, 
 and I learned to read the Qoran after the seven styles, ^ ^ and 
 studied books, and made disputations on them with the doc- 
 tors of science, and I studied the science of astrology, and 
 the words of the poets, and I exercised myself in all the 
 sciences, until I surpassed the people of my time, and my 
 skill in writing exceeded all writers, and the mention of me 
 spread abroad into all climes and all cities of all the kings of 
 the time. Now a certain king of Hind heard of me ; so he 
 sent to my father to seek me, and sent to him presents, and 
 rarities such as befitted kings. So my father embarked me 
 and my people on six ships, and we sailed on the sea the 
 space of a full month : then we travelled on dry land, and 
 took out our horses, which were with us in the ships, and 
 loaded ten camels with presents, and went on a little way, 
 and behold ! a sandy cloud mounted up, and was exalted un- 
 til it filled all sides around up, and after an hour of the day 
 was passed the sandy cloud opened, and there appeared be- 
 neath it fifty horsemen, lions of stern aspect, clad in ar- 
 mour ! And we observed them, and lo ! they were Arabs, 
 robbers on the high way. Now when they saw us, and we 
 a small band, atid with us ten camels of presents for the 
 
TALK OF THE SECOND QURUNDEEL. 107 
 
 king of Hind, they came riding in upon us ; and presented 
 their spears right at us. So we signed to them, with our 
 fingers, and said to them, * We be messengers to the great 
 king of Hind, so hurt us not.' Then they answered, * We 
 are not on his land, and are not under his command ;' So they 
 slew some of the servants, and the remainder fled away, and I 
 fled after I had been hurt with a wound, a grievous one, and the 
 attention of the Arabs was diverted from me by the money, and 
 the presents, which were with us. Then travelled I, knowing 
 not whither I went, and as I was mighty so became I 
 mean. Now I journeyed until I came to the crest of a hill, 
 and made my abode in a cave, until the day should rise, 
 and ceased not to do after this manner until I arrived at an 
 inhabited city, fortified with walls, just when winter was 
 turning from it with her frosts, and spring was come to 
 greet it with her flowers, and [the blossoms were springing, 
 and its streams were flowing, and its birds were singing, 
 as the poet said of the city when he described it ; — 
 
 'A city free from every cause of terror 
 To indwellers, for peace presided there. 
 So strange the beauty of the town, it seemed 
 A place expressly decked to glad its people, 
 As 'twere a Paradise. 
 
 Then was I glad of my arrival at it, for sure I was wearied 
 with journeying, and sorrow had risen upon me ; and the 
 sallowness of care ; but now my condition altered, and yet 
 I knew not whither I should go. So I found myself near 
 a 7 <* tailor in a shop, and I saluted him, and he returned me 
 my salutation, and bade me welcome, and he was open with 
 me, and treated me kindly, and asked me of the reason of my 
 poverty. So I told him what^^had happened to me from the 
 first to the last : then grieved he on my account : and said, 
 « Oh ! youth, disclose not what is thy secret for that I fear 
 for thee by reason of the king of this city, for he is a very 
 great enemy to thy father, and has a feud against him.' So 
 
 P 2 
 
108 TALE OF THE SECOND QTJRUNDEEL. 
 
 he brought out for me to eat, and to drink, and he ate, and 
 drank with me, and talked with me until night, and he pre- 
 pared a place by the side of his shop, and gave me what was 
 necessary for it, as to carpets, and coverlids* Thus remained 
 I with him three days : then said he to me, ' Dost not thou 
 know a calling to get thy living by ?' I replied to him. ' I am 
 learned in law, and religion, a man of science, book learned, 
 an accountant, a fair penman.' So he answered, * Thy call- 
 ing is in no esteem in our town, and there is not one in our 
 city who understands any science, or any written book, but 
 only wantonness.' Then said I ' Wullahy ! I know not 
 a thing save what I mention to you.* So he answered, 
 ' Tighten thy girdle and take a hatchet, and a cord, and hew 
 "wood in the wilderness to gain a living by it, so that the Al- 
 mighty may drive sorrow far from thee, and not let tliem 
 that are thine enemies know of thy living that they slay 
 thee.' Now I bought myself a hatchet, and a cord, and he 
 gave me in charge to certain woodcutters, and made them 
 guardians for me. So I went out with them, and hewed wood 
 the whole of my day, and I came in with my bundle on my 
 head, and sold it for half a deenar; and I spent for my eating 
 some of it, and some of it I laid by, and remained after this 
 manner for the time of a year. Now after the year was out I 
 came one day according to my wont to the wilderness, and 
 wandered apart in it : then found I a thicket of trees in a hol- 
 low in which there was much wood, so I entered the thicket, 
 and I found the root of a tree, a very thick one, and I dug 
 under it, and scraped the earth from it ; now my hatchet fell 
 on a brazen ring, and I cleaned away the soil, and behold 1 
 the ring was on a wooden trap door ! and I opened it, and there 
 appeared beneath it a staircase. Now I went down to the 
 bottom of the stair, and saw a door, and I entered, and saw a 
 mansion fair in its structure, massive with pillars, and found 
 in it a damsel, as it were the averting power against anguish, 
 able to counteract in the heart all grief, and woe, and evil ; 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND QTIRUNDEEL. lOQ 
 
 her words able to heal a broken spirit, and to drive the wise 
 man, the prudent one, into error ; — five measures in stature, 
 her bosom firm as a pillar, her cheek a very garden, her 
 color bright, her figure excellent, and her face glanced brilliant- 
 ly through the night of her hanging locks, and the dazzling 
 white of her teeth glanced down to the surface of her bosom, 
 as the poet said of her ;— : 
 
 * The murkiest night, her locks twin-tied, 
 Her hips, the sandhill's cumbrous side, 
 Her middle, fashioned slenderly, 
 Her graceful form, the benzoin tree !' 
 
 And also ; — 
 
 * Four things I cite 
 
 "Which ne'er unite, 
 But that my heart's best blood is shed, 
 
 My very life effaced, 
 
 The forehead's light, 
 
 The tress's night. 
 The rose that lends the cheek her red, 
 
 The graceful slender waist.' 
 
 Now when I looked upon her I blessed him that created her, 
 for that he shaped a new mould of beauty in her, and of per- 
 fection. Then looked she upon me, and said to me, * Art 
 thou in thy being a man or a Jin?' And I answered her, 
 < A man.' She repUed, * Now who caused thee to come 
 to this place, which has seen me pass in it five and twenty 
 years, and I have not yet seen in it a man ever." Then said 
 I, and I found her words sweet, and my heart was taken even 
 in its core by them, » Oh ! my mistress, my coming hither 
 has befallen me for the banishment of my sorrow, and my 
 woe." And I related to her what happened to me from the 
 first to the last, and my condition appeared to her exceeding 
 troublous, and she wept, and said, * I in return will let thee 
 know of my story. Know then, that I am the younger 
 daughter of the King Ufeetanoos, lord of the Ebony Islands, 
 
110 TALE OF THE SECOND QURUNDEEL. 
 
 and he had married me to the son of my uncle, but on the 
 night of my wedding, an Ufreet bore me away, his name 
 Jiirjees the son of Rujmoos, the son of the mother's sister of 
 7 1 Sblees. And he flew with me, and alighted at this place, 
 and set down in it every thing that was necessary, garments, 
 and jewels, and fine linen, and furnishing of all sorts, and 
 provisions and liquors, and other else than these, and every 
 ten days he comes to me, once, to sleep here one night, and 
 then goes forth on his way. For that he took me contrary to 
 the pleasure of his people, and he ordered me directly that 
 need of aught occurred to me by night, or by day, that I should 
 touch with my hand these two lines which be written upon 
 this vault, and my hand cannot be lifted from them before 
 I see him by me ; and the day that is his, is four days past, 
 and there remain six days until become. How then if thou 
 should'st abide with me five days, and turn hence just one 
 day before he comes V So I replied ' Even so ; oh ! excel- 
 lent ! if this dream be true ?' So she was glad, and sprang 
 upon her feet, and seized me by my hand, and made me 
 enter by an arched door way, and led me to a bath, a pleasant 
 one, very beautiful. Now when I saw it I took ofi* my 
 clothes, and she took ofi" her garments, and bathed and went 
 forth, and sat on the seat of state and made me sit by her 
 side, and brought me date wine, "^ ^ scented with musk, and 
 made me drmk it. Then set she before me somewhat to 
 eat, and we ate, and talked together ; so she said to me, 
 * Sleep and take thy rest, for surely thou art wearied.* So 
 I slept, oh ! my lady, and forgot what had happened to 
 me, and gave her thanks. Now when I awoke I found her 
 pressing and comforting my feet : so I blessed her, and 
 we sat for a while talking : then said she, ' Wullahy, I was 
 sad at heart, for I was under the ground alone, and found not 
 one to talk with me, for five and twenty years, and praise 
 be to God ! who has sent thee to me.' Then said she, ' Oh ! 
 youth, what ! wouldst thou drink wine !' And I replied, * Do 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND QURUNDEEL. Ill 
 
 as thou wilt/ So she went to a storehouse, and took out wine, 
 gealed up, and set out the nosegay : then she took old wine, 
 and began extemporaneously to say in verse ; — 
 
 * Had I wist of thy coming thy way had been strewn, 
 With the blood of my heart, and the balls of my sight, 
 And these cheeks as a carpet to greet thee been thrown. 
 That thy feet on mine eyelids might softly alight ! 
 
 Now when she finished her verse, I thanked her, and the love 
 of her had got possession of me, and my grief was gone, and 
 my sorrow, and we sat in social pleasure till the night. Then 
 rested I the night with her ; never saw I like her in my life, 
 and when morning broke on us, delight succeeded delight, 
 even till the middle of the day ; then was I drunken, drunken 
 exceedingly, even till I lost sense of my existence, and I stood 
 up staggermg right and left, and I said to her, * Oh ! fair 
 one, arise ! I will take thee up from under ground, and will 
 deliver thee from this Jin.' So she laughed, and said, * Content 
 thee, and hold thy peace, for of every ten days one is for the 
 Ufreet, and nine for thee.' I replied, and drunkenness had 
 utterly got the better of me, ' I this instant will break down 
 the vault that has the letters written on it, and let the Ufreet 
 come that I slay him, for surely I am used to slay Ufreets. ■ 
 Now when she heard my words, her color paled, and slie 
 said to me, ' Wullahy ! do not this,' And began extempo- 
 raneously ; — 
 
 * If aught there be, may hold thy life in jeopardy, 
 'Tis fit thou guard thy life from it with caution.' 
 
 Then too she broke out spontaneously repeating ; — 
 
 * Hold I stay thy steed of ancient race, 
 Oh ! thou who seek'st to flee a pace, 
 
 And absent rove : 
 For the world's nature is e'en this — 
 Mere faithlessness ; — and absence is 
 
 The end of love.' ^. 
 
113 TALE OF THE SECOND QURtJNDEEL. 
 
 Now by the time she finished her verse, and I attended not 
 to her words, lo ! I had kicked the vault with all my might."* 
 — And Shuhurzad perceived the morning light, and ceased 
 speaking, the words permitted her. 
 
 H0tau l^ieE it tBm t|e WU^tuut'^ 'Migf^tf 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty kmg, that the second 
 Qurundeel said to the damsel, * Oh my mistress, when I 
 kicked the vault with all my might, behold ! it grew dark 
 on all sides, and it thundered, a^d it lightened, and the earth 
 trembled, and earth met the vault of heaven. Then [drunken- 
 ness fled from my head, and I said to her, ' What is the 
 matter ?' she replied, * The Ufreet has come in upon us ! 
 did I not warn thee of this ? WuUahy ! sure thou hast caused 
 me trouble ; hence with thy life, and go up from this place 
 the way thou camest in !' Now in the excess of my fear I 
 forgot my shoes, and my hatchet ; but when I had mounted 
 two steps sure I turned round to look, and lo ! the earth 
 tore asunder, and there arose from it an Ufreet, the lord 
 of all that is detestable to look at, and he said, ' What 
 disturbance is this for which thou hast disturbed me ? What 
 misfortune hath happened to thee V So she answered, 
 ' Naught ill has befallen save that my breast was narrowed 
 with sadness ; so I desired to drink some wine to lighten my 
 heart, and made trial of a little ; then I sought to set myself 
 to some work, but the wine got into my head, and I fell 
 against the vault.' Then said the Ufreet to her, ' Thou 
 liest, oh ! thou adultress ;' And he looked about the mansion 
 to the right and the left ; then saw he my shoes, and my 
 hatchet, and he said to her, * What is this but the trace of 
 the man who has come to thee ?' She replied, * I saw not 
 these till this moment : it is like they have hooked on to 
 you, and been brought here.' Then said the Ufreet, ' These 
 words are naught, squeeze out no lies to me, oh, thou bad 
 woman !' So then he treated her evilly, and stretched her 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND QtJRUNDEEL. 113 
 
 arms and legs out fastened to four tent pegs, and set about 
 torturing her, and trying to make her confess : and it was not 
 in my power, nor was it an easy thing to stand listening to 
 her weeping, so I went by the stair, and I was shaken with 
 fear. Now when I arrived at the top of the place, sure I 
 put back the trap door as it was before, and covered it with 
 the earth, and repented me of what I had done with exceed- 
 ing regret, and pondered on the damsel, and her loveliness, 
 and how this accursed one tortured her, and how five and 
 twenty years ^ad passed over her, and then what happened 
 to her by cause of me. Then thought 1 of m father, and 
 his kingly state, and how I was become a woodcutter, and 
 how after that time had passed serenely, my life changed, 
 being turbid with evil : then I wept, and repeated this 
 couplet ; — 
 
 * Lo ! how Fortune comes upon thee, one day adverse as't may be, 
 And one day thou see'st profusion, and another penury.' 
 
 So I went on till I came to my kind friend, the tailor, and I 
 found him, as they say, in the girdlepan on the fire on my 
 account, and he was in anxious expectation of me. Then 
 said he, ' Of a surety my heart was with thee yesternight, and 
 I feared for thee, for the wild beasts, or other mischances ; 
 Now thanks be to God, for thy safety '/ So I thanked him 
 for his kind friendship towards me, and entered my own pri- 
 vate room, and set myself thinking of what had happened ta 
 me, and I recalled to my recollection the excess of my fro- 
 wardness, and my kicking at that vault, and I was making 
 this reckoning with myself, and behold ! my faithful friend, 
 the tailor, came in to me, and said to me, ' Oh, youth, an 
 old man, a foreigner is kindly seeking thee, and with him thy 
 hatchet, and the shoes of thy feet ; he had gone with them 
 to the working tailors, and said to them, I was going out at 
 the time the mu'uzzin called to prayqr, in the morning, and I 
 
 Q 
 
114 TALE OF THE SECOND QURUNDEEL^ 
 
 chanced upon these, and I know not wliose they are : directs 
 me now to their owner. So the tailors directed him to thee, 
 for they had recognised l3iy hatchet ; now I was sitting in my 
 shop, and I went out to him, and thanked him, and took thy 
 hatchet, and thy shoes.' Now when I heard these words my 
 color paled, and my being altered ; so meanwhile as I was after 
 this manner, lo ! the floor of my own private room tore 
 asunder, and the foreigner rose up from it, and behold ! he was 
 the Ufreet! Now he had been torturing the damsel with ex- 
 ceeding tortures, but she would not confess to Rim aught : so 
 he took the hatchet, and the shoes, and said to her, ' As sure 
 as I am Jurjees of the stock of Iblees, I will get at the owner 
 of this hatchet, and these shoes.* Thus he went with this dis- 
 guise to the tailors, and came in upon me, and he gave me no- 
 respite, — assuredly he seized me under his arm, and flew,* 
 and rose up with me, and I knew not whether I was in life, 
 or not. Then rose on my sight the mansion in which I was 
 before : there saw I the damsel stripped naked, her limbs 
 stretched out, tied to four pegs, and the blood flowing from 
 her sides, and my eyes were brimming with tears. Now the 
 Ufreet took hold of her, and said to her, * Oh ! thou base 
 woman, is not this he that was thy lover V So she looked 
 upon me; and said to him. * I know not this man, and I have 
 never seen him but this moment.' So the Ufreet said to her, 
 'What! this torture! and yet thou dost not confess!' So 
 she replied, * I never saw him in my life, and it is not right 
 in the sight of God to lie in this4 So said the Ufreet to her, 
 *'If indeed thou dost not know him take this sword, and 
 strike his neck :' So she took the sword, and came to 
 Hie, and stood by my head, and I made a sign to her with 
 my brow, and my tears were flowing down my cheeks. 
 Then she understood my signal, and said, * Did'st thou 
 do to me all this ?' but I signed to her that, this was the 
 toe for clemency, and^^ t^g jj^te tongues of my condition 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND QURUNDEEL. 115 
 
 began to say within me ;— 
 
 * Mine eyes speak meaning language ; they 're avised, 
 
 And love explains what's hidden in my breast. 
 
 When last we met, and tears were falling fast, 
 
 Though I was dumb, mine eyes were eloquent. 
 
 She looks, and I interpret what her look says, 
 
 And move my finger tip ; she comprehends me. 
 
 •Our eyebrows e'en can tell our mutual wishes ; 
 
 Love speaks, though we be silent.' 
 
 Thus said he. ' Now when I finished thinking over 
 
 this verse, oh ! my mistress, the damsel cast the sword from 
 her hand, and said, * How can I strike the neck of one I 
 know not, and who has not injured me ? this is not allowed 
 by my religion.' And she delayed thus. Then said the Ufreet, 
 
 * What dost thou not confess to it ! sure after this it is clear 
 none loves and pities mankind, save mankind.' So the 
 Ufreet addressed himself to me, and said, » Oh ! man, and 
 dost thou not know this woman !' And I replied, < And who 
 may be this woman ! sure I have not seen her ever till this 
 instant.' So he said, ' Take the sword and strike her neck, 
 and I will leave thee free to go, and will not deal hardly with 
 thee, and then of a certainty, shall I be well assured that thou 
 hast never known her.' Now I answered, * Even so,' And 
 took the sword and stood forward with readiness, and lifted my 
 hand. Then said she to me with signs from her brow, 
 
 * Ah , what is my fault towards thee ! after this manner is 
 it that thou makest me a return !' Now I understood what she 
 said, and signed to her with m}^ eye, * Surely I will sacrifice 
 my soul for thee.' And the .mute ^eloquence of my condition 
 wrote in our hearts as if it would say ; — 
 
 * Full many a mistress in her speaking gaze 
 
 Tells him she loves 'the story of her heart: 
 My half closed lid an answering sign conveys, 
 
 And speaks ray sense*f what her eyes impart. 
 The meaning looks beam lovely on her face, 
 
 With drowsy flight her warming glances speed; 
 One with her eyelid can a writing trace, 
 
 Which with the eye the other skills to read. 
 
116 TALE OF THE SECOND QURUNDEEL. 
 
 (So goes the tale.) Now my eyes filled to overflowing with 
 tears, aad I cast the sword from my hand, and said ' Oh, 
 mighty Ufreet, and valiant hero, lo ! she is a woman ^4, weak 
 in mind, and in knowledge of what is right, yet she thought 
 it not lawful to strike my neck : — how then is it right that I 
 should smite her neck ? I never saw her in my life, so I can- 
 not do this at any time, even if thou makest me drink the 
 cup of death, and of perdition.* Then said the Ufreet, ' Ye 
 both understand signs which ye make between one another : 
 I saw ye ; I will lay your punishment on ye.' So the Ufreet 
 took the sword, and smote the damsel's hand, and cut it off: 
 then smote he the other hand, and cut it off: and he cut off 
 her four extremities with four strikes, and I was looking on, 
 and made sure of death and she signed to me with her eyes 
 as if bidding me farewell. So the Ufreet said to her. ' Thou 
 playest the adullress with thine eyes.' And he smote her, so 
 that her head flew off. Then turned he to me, and said, ' Oh ! 
 man, we have it on our laws, that when the wife transgresses 
 it is lawful for us to slay her, and this damsel, — sure I bore 
 her off the night of her wedding, and she a girl that had 
 hardly reached her twelve years, and she knew no one but 
 me, and I used to come tO her one night in every ten days, 
 and I was wont to come to her in the likeness of a man from 
 a far country. Now when I was well assured that she 
 had cheated me, I slew her, and now for thee I am not well as- 
 sured that thou hast joined her to cheat me, wherefore there is 
 no help but that I let thee not go in safety : ask now a boon of 
 me.' Then rejoiced I, oh ! my mistress, with exceeding joy, 
 and said ' and what boon shall I ask of thee V He replied * Ask 
 what shape I shall transform thee into, either the shape of a dog, 
 or an ass or a monkey ?' Then said I, ' But I desired that mer- 
 cy should be shown me ! Wallaiiy ! be merciful to me that God 
 be mercifdl to thee for that thou showed'st mercy to a man 
 who is a Moosiim, ^at never injured thee,' And I sup- 
 plicated him with excelling humble supplication, and re- 
 mained standing before him, and I said to him, ' I am sore 
 
TALE OF THE ENVIED AND THE ENVIOUS. IIT 
 
 oppressed.' So he replied, ' Make no long talk to me ; is 
 it not in my power to slay thee, but instead I do thee favor.' 
 So I answered, * Oh ! Ufreet, surely mercy to me is that 
 which becomes thee : be merciful to me therefore as the 
 Hated shewed mercy to the Hater.' So said the Ufreet, 
 'And how was that?' Then said I, 'They tell, oh ! Ufreet, 
 that there were two men in a certain city that dwelt in two 
 houses enclosed within one wall, and the one of them bore 
 malice against the other. Now he looked on him with an 
 ■evil eye, and he endeavoured to bring about injury to him, and 
 at all times was envious to him, and his malice increased more 
 and more until he grew sparing on account of it in his eating 
 and his precious sleep. But he that was envied got nothing 
 but good of it, and the more he prospered, did the other's 
 envy increase, and grow, and prevail. Then the malice of 
 his neighbour became known to him that was envied, and his 
 desire to do him injury. So he departed from his neighbour- 
 hood, and sold his land, and said ' Wallahy ! the earth is 
 large enough for its people,' and he dwelt in another city, 
 and bought himself some land in it, and there was on that land 
 an old well, a very ancient one. Now he made for himself a 
 monastery^* there and purchased for it all that was requisite, 
 and servedthe Almighty there, and abstracted himself in prayer: 
 so all the fuqeers, and poor holy men came to him from every 
 side, and his fame went abroad through that city. Now the 
 news of him reached his neighbour who envied him, of what 
 good had come to pass with him, and how the great ones of 
 that city became his followers. So he entered the house of 
 the holy man ; and he that was envied met his neighbour 
 with welcome, and greeting, and was kind to him with ex- 
 ceeding kindness. Then said the envious man to him, ' I 
 have a word to say to you, and this is the reason of my 
 journey hither, and I wish to tell you good news : arise 
 now, and go with me into your cell.' So he that was 
 envied arose and took the envious man by the hand, and 
 
118 TALE OF THE ENVIED AND THE ENVIOUS. 
 
 they went in to the inner part of the holy house. Then 
 said the envious man, ' Tell the fuqeers to enter their 
 private cells, for surely I cannot speak with you save in 
 secret where no one may hear us.* So he that was en- 
 vied said to the fuqeers, ' Go into your private cells,' 
 And they did as he ordered them, and he walked with him 
 (the envious man) a little, until he reached the old well. Then 
 the envious man shoved him he envied, and caused him to 
 fall into the well, and no one knew of it, and he went forth, 
 and went his way, and thought he had slain him. But the 
 well was inhabited by the Jins, and they let him down by 
 little and litde, and seated him upon a large stone, and some 
 of them said to others, « Know ye who this is ?' They an- 
 swered, ' Nay :* One said, » This man is called among 
 them the Hated who fled from his Hater, and came to dwell 
 in our city, and founded this holy house, and he has made 
 friends of us by his holy chaunts, and his reading the 
 Qoran. Now the envious man journeyed till he met him, 
 and deceived him, so that he cast him among us : but the 
 fame of this man has reached this night the sooltan of this 
 city, and he designs to visit him to-morrow for the sake of his 
 daughter.' So one of them said, * What is it which ails his 
 daughter ?' So one of them said < There is phrensy on her ; 
 for Meemoon, the son of Dumdum, has loved her, and forced 
 this phrensy on her, and if one knew the remedy fit for her, 
 then could he free her, and her cure would be as easy as 
 could be.' So one of them said, * And what is her cure ?' 
 He answered, * The black cat that is here in the holy hoifse 
 has on the end of its tail, a white spot, the size of a dirhem ; 
 let one take from her seven hairs from among those that are 
 white ; then let him fumigate the girl with them ; and the 
 accursed spirit will flee from her head, and not return to her 
 ever, and leave her free for her whole life time.' Oh ! Ufreet, 
 all this came to pass, and the man that was envied listened. 
 Now when the dawn broke, and the morning rose, and it 
 
TALE OF THE ENVIED AND THE ENVIOUS. 119 
 
 was light, the fukeers went to the chief, and found him climb- 
 ing up out of the well ; so he became still greater in their 
 eyes ; (as they thought he had been there for prayer or pe- 
 nance). But naught but the black cat could supply him that was 
 envied with a remedy, so he plucked from the white spot that 
 was upon her tail seven hairs, and took them by him. Now 
 the sun had not risen, ere the king had come with his 
 retinue, and entered the place, he, and the great men 
 of his state, and he ordered his retinue to remain stand- 
 ing outside. Now when the king came in to him that 
 was envied, he bade him welcome, and stood near him, 
 and said to him, '^ Shall I tell thee what for thou 
 hast come ?' The king answered, * Even so.' He said 
 * Surely thou hast come to do me honor, and thy heart would 
 question me of thy daughter.' Then said the king * Even 
 so, Oh ! tliou holy chief.' So said he that was envied, 
 ' Send to bring her, and I will endeavor if it be the will of 
 Almighty God, to set her free this time forth.' Now the king 
 was glad, and sent for his daughter, and they came with her, 
 and she with her arms bound, fettered with chains. Now he 
 that was envied made her sit down, and hung a curtain as a 
 veil before her, and took out the hairs, and fumigated her with 
 them. Then the spirit that was in her head cried out, and 
 went from her, and the girl recovered sense in her soul, and 
 veiled her face, and said, ' What is the matter, and who 
 brought me to this place V So the king rejoiced with joy 
 which nothing could exceed, and kissed her eyes, and the 
 holy chief, he that was envied, kissed his hand. Then turned 
 he to the great men of his state, and said * What say ye ! 
 What has he deserved that hath healed my daughter V They 
 answered * That he be married to her.' He said, ' Ye 
 have said true.' So he married him to her, and he that was 
 envied became the son-in-law of the king. And after a little 
 the vuzeer died, and the king said ' Who can I make vuzeer ?* 
 And they Answered, * Thy son-in-law.' So they made him 
 
12'Q TALE OF THE ENVIED AND THE ENVIOUS, 
 
 that was envied a vuzeer, and after a time the sooltan died, 
 and they said, * Who can we make king V They answered 
 ' The vuzeer.' So they made the vuzeer a sooltan, and he 
 became a very king, a true ruler. Now on a certain day he 
 mounted his horse, and he who envied him (the Hater) was 
 walking on his way, and lo ! he that was envied (the Hated) 
 in the eminence of his kinglihood among his great men, and 
 ministers, and the lords of his state and his eye fell upon the 
 envious man : so he addressed himself to one of his minis- 
 ters, and said, ' Bring hither that man to me and do him 
 no hurt,' So he brought him, the man that envied him, 
 his neighbour : and he said, * Give him a thousand miscals 
 from my treasury, and load him ten camels with goods for trade, 
 and send with him a guard to convey him to his city.' Thus 
 he punished him not for what he had done to him. See now, 
 oh ! Ufreet the mercy of the Hated to the Hater, and how he 
 (the Hater) bore malice against him from the beginning ; then 
 he troubled him and made him travel ; then w^s he violent 
 against him even until he cast him into the well, and sought 
 to slay him, and never met him save that he caused him 
 trouble, yet the Hated dealt evenly with him, and was mer- 
 ciful to him. INow I wept, oh lady, before him with ex- 
 ceeding weeping, than which never, was there greater, and 
 broke out extemporaneously ; — 
 
 * Pass o'er ray fault, for 'tis the wise man's wont 
 Of other's sins to take no harsh account ; 
 And as all crimes have made my breast their site. 
 So thine all shapes of mercy should unite. 
 Who from above would mercy seek to know, 
 Should first be merciful to those below.' 
 
 Then said the Ufreet ' Is it whether I should slay thee, or 
 is it whether I should pardon thee ? surely neither, and there 
 is no help for it but that I cast a spell on thee.' So he sailed 
 up with me from the earth,and flew with me into the firmament 
 until I looked on the earth beneath me as if it were a platter 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND QURUNDEEL. 121 
 
 in the midst of the water. Then set he me down upon a 
 mountain, and took a little of the soil, and mumbled over it, 
 and spoke a charm, and sprinkled me with it, and said, 
 * Come out of that shape into the shape of a monkey,' And 
 on that instant I became a monkey, the son of a century ! 
 Now when I saw myself in this vile shape, 1 wept for my 
 soul, and I took patience for the harshness of fortune, and 
 considered that fortune is not for me alone, and meanwhile 
 I had gone downwards from the top of the mountain to the 
 bottom ; then found I a plain, a broad one, and I travelled for 
 the space of a month and reached in my journey the shore 
 of the salt sea. Now I stood there awhile and lo ! I was 
 aware of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the wind was 
 fair for her and she was making for the dry land : So I hid 
 behind a rock on the side of the dry land, and waited until 
 the ship came near : then leaped I down upon her. Then 
 one of the passengers said, * Throw out this unlucky 
 beast from among us.' Then said the captain, * We'll 
 kill it,' and the other said « Slay it with this sword.* 
 Then I laid hold of the captain's skirt, and wept and 
 my tears poured down. Now the captain took pity on 
 me, and said, * Oh ! merchant this monkey has sought re- 
 fuge with me, and I liave granted him refuge, and he is under 
 my keeping : now let no one do him hurt, and let none harm 
 him.' So thus the captain came to take pity on me, and 
 whatsoever he said I understood it, and ministered to his 
 wants even all of them, and served as a servant in the ship. 
 So he loved me. Now of a surety as to the vessel the wind 
 was fine for her a space of fifty days : so we stopped at a city, 
 a very large one, and in it a great world of people, so that 
 none could tell their number, save the Almighty. Now the 
 moment we arrived, our ship brought up, and lo ! there came 
 to us certain lords on the part of the sooltan of the city, and 
 they got up into the ship, and welcomed the merchants by the 
 wish of peace, and said, * Our king hath welcomed you in 
 
122 TALE OF THE SECOND QTJRTTNDEEL. 
 
 peace, and has sent to you this scroll, a smgle sheet, and each 
 among you must write upon it two lines. For the king 
 had once a minister, a fair penman, and he died, and the king 
 took an oath, and swore holy oaths, solemn ones, tliat he 
 would not make vuzeer save one that could write like his 
 writing/ So the merchants took the scroll, a single sheet, its 
 length five yards to a breadth of one, and each one that knew 
 how to write, wrote, even to the last of them, and I stood up, 
 and I in the shape of a monkey, and snatched the scroll under 
 my arm, out of their hands : then they feared lest I should 
 tear it, so they tried to prevent me ; but I made signs to them 
 that I could write, and the captain said to them, « Let him 
 write, and if he scribbles I will drive him from us, but if he 
 makes fair writing I will take him as my son ; for surely I have 
 never seen a monkey wiser than he/ Now I laid hold of the 
 pen, and stretched out for ink from the inkstandish, and wrote 
 in the character^ ^ Rooqua 'ut, (used for letters) these cou- 
 plets ; — * 
 
 * All heroes' virtues on Time's record be, 
 Save thine ; unwritten yet thy worth, thy sense. 
 Long may mankind unoi-phaned live in thee, 
 Who own'st the parentage of excellence !' 
 
 And I wrote in the character, Reyhan (curved like the ba- 
 sil leaf,) — 
 
 * He has a pen beloved by men of lore, 
 Useful in every clime, and distant lands. 
 Not her black stream can Egypt profit more, 
 Than that flows through thy cities from thy hands.* 
 
 And I wrote in the character, Sools (used for engrossing,) 
 
 * None is there 'mongst fair penmen, but must perish ; 
 Though all Time's chronicle stands sure and fast ; 
 Write nothing then but what thy heart may cherish. 
 When the Great Day shall come and Time be past/ 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND QITRUNDEEL. 123 
 
 And I wrote in the character Nuskh (used by copyists,) — 
 
 * When thoughts of absence, and our memory rose, 
 Absence for us by worldly chance decreed, 
 
 We caused the inkhorn mouth to tell our woes, 
 And tongue her utterance with the speaking reed,' 
 
 And I wrote in the character, Toomar (a running hand,) — 
 < Power lasts with none ; if thou deny'st it say 
 Where be the early monarchs of the earth ? 
 Sow seeds of goodly actions in thy day ; 
 They shall be when thou'rt not, and tell thy worth.' 
 
 And I wrote in the character, Moohuk Kik (the large copy 
 hand,) — 
 
 * When thou the standish seekest to unclose 
 Of prosperous fortune, and high dignity. 
 Let the ingredients that thine ink compose, 
 Be liberal acts, and kindly courtesy. 
 
 Then mark with these in goodly character, 
 WTiile yet thou hast the power, thy lifetime's page ; 
 Like stamp of worth will men on thee confer, 
 And make like mention of thy lineage.' 
 
 Then gave I them the scroll, and they wrote every one two 
 lines : So the officers took it, and brought it up before the 
 king. Now when the king looked upon the scroll, then 
 thought he no writing strangely good, save my writing : So 
 he said to the assembly, * Bring the author of this writing 
 before ray face, and mount him upon a mule, and give him 
 a guard with state drums, and dress him in a dress of honor, 
 and present him to me.' Now when they heard the words 
 of the king, they smiled ; and the king was wrath with them, 
 and said, * Oh ! ye accursed ones, am I to speak and order 
 that you may laugh at me V Then said they, * Oh ! king, 
 if we laugh, there is cause.' So he said, * And what is it ?* 
 And they answered, < Oh king, thou hast ordered us that we 
 present to thee him who wrote that writing, and the fact is 
 that he who wrote it is a monkey, and that he is not of the 
 
 race of Adam, and he is with the captain of the ship.' So 
 
 R 2 
 
124 TALE OF THE SECOND QURUNDEEL. 
 
 said he, * Is this true that you say ?' They replied * Yea ! by 
 the truth of thy glory !' So the king marvelled at their words, 
 and fidgeted with joy, and said, * I desire to buy this monkey 
 of the captain.* So he sent a messenger to the ship, and 
 with him the mule, and the dress, and the guard with the 
 state drums, and he said, ' There is no help but that you 
 clothe him with this dress, and mount him on the mule, and 
 go to him on the ship, and come with him here.' So they 
 went to the ship, and took me from the captain, and clothed 
 me in the dress, and mounted me on the mule. So the whole 
 people were greatly amazed, and the city was turned to con- 
 fusion on account of me, and they came crowding to gaze at 
 me. Now when they brought me up to tlie king, and set me 
 there, I kissed the earth before him three times. So he 
 ordered me to sit down, and I sat in respectful posture on 
 my heels : then all the people who were present marvelled at 
 my manners, and the king was greatly the most surprised of 
 them. Then the king ordered the people to retire, and 
 they retired, and there remained not any save I : so the 
 king called in the eunuchs, and little slaves, and ordered 
 them to bring before me the cloth for eating, and on it was 
 of whatever moves and flies, and couples in nests of the 
 crane kind, and the quail, and all sorts of flying things. Then 
 the king signed that I should eat with him ; so I arose and 
 kissed the earth before him, and sat and ate with him, and 
 when the cloth had been lifted, I washed my hands seven 
 times, and took the inkstandish and the pen ; and wrote, as I 
 would speak these verses ; — 
 
 * On these which once were chicks, 
 
 Your mourning glances fix, 
 Late dwellers in the mansion of the cup, 
 
 Now nearly eaten up I 
 Let tears bedew 
 
 The memory of that stew, 
 
 Thou partridges, once roast, 
 Now lost I 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND QURUNDEEL. 125 
 
 The daughters of the grouse in plaintive strain ; 
 Bemourn, and still bemourn, and moura again I 
 The children of the fry, 
 We lately saw 
 Half smothered in pilau, 
 With buttery mutton fritters smoking by I 
 Alas ! my heart, the fish ! 
 
 Who filled his dish, 
 
 With flaky form in varymg colors spread 
 On the round pasty cake of household bread I 
 
 Heaven sent us that kabob 1 
 For no one could, 
 
 (Save heaven he should rob) 
 Produce a thing so excellently good, 
 
 Or give us roasted meat 
 With basting oil so savourily replete ! 
 
 But, oh ! mine appetite, alas I for thee ! 
 
 Who on that furmeaty 
 So sharpset wast a little while ago— — 
 That furmeaty, which mashed by hands of snow, 
 
 A light reflection bore. 
 Of the bright bracelets that those fair hands wore ; 
 
 Again remembrance glads my sense 
 
 With visions of its excellence ! 
 
 Again I see the cloth unrolled 
 Rich worked in many a varied fold ! 
 Be patient, Oh ! my soul ! they say 
 Fortune rules all that's new and strange, 
 And though she pinches us to day, 
 To-morrow brings full rations, and a change I' 
 
 Then I arose and sat afar off, and the king looked upon what 
 I had written, and read it, and he marvelled, and said, * Oh ! 
 wonderful monkey ! and is he possessed of this clever style, 
 and this power of penmanship ! Wallahy, sure this is a won- 
 der of wonders !' So the king placed before him wine, a 
 goblet of crystal glass, and the king drank ; then gave he to 
 
136 TALE OF THE SECOND aURUNDEELr^^ 
 
 me, and I kissed the earth, and drank and wrote upon it ;— 
 
 • My truth to try. 
 
 And constancy, 
 They cast me in the burning flame, 
 
 But found that still 
 
 Not e'en this ill 
 My patient fortitude o'ercame : 
 
 Hence falls it out 
 • I'm borne about 
 
 Upon their hands with jealous care, 
 
 And get for this 
 
 The frequent kiss 
 From the ripe lips of many a fair !* 
 
 And also ;— 
 
 * Morn heralds her coming ! 
 
 Then give me to drink. 
 Wine, shall make the grave gamesome, 
 
 Nor let him once think I 
 Sure so clear is the liquor. 
 
 The goblet so fine, 
 Who can tell which holds which, 
 
 Is't the glass ? is't the wine ?' 
 
 (So goes tlie tale.) Now the king read the verse, and he sighed 
 and said, ' If this talent were in a man, he would surpass the 
 people of his time, and of his age.' So the king placed be- 
 fore him the chess board, and said, ' Art thou able to play 
 with me V So I signed with my head * Even so,' And 
 went opposite to him, and set the chess-men, and played with 
 him two games, and I got the better of him. Now the king's 
 understanding was all abroad ; so I took the inkstandish, and 
 the pen, and wrote on the board these two stanzas ; — 
 
 ' Two armies fought the whole day long 
 With deeds of desperate might, 
 And every hour their ranks among 
 More deadly grew the fight ; 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND QURUNDEEL, 127 
 
 Till lo ! when night with darkling shade 
 
 ' Gan o'er their files to sweep, 
 Both snugly on one carpet laid, 
 
 Together sank to sleep :' 
 
 (So goes the tale.) So when the king- heard these two short 
 stanzas, he marvelled, and was pleased, and wonder overtook 
 him, and he said to his attendant, * Go to thy mistress, Sitt ool 
 Hussun and say to her. The king desires that thou should^st 
 come, and take pleasure to see this wonderful monkey.' 
 So the eunuch disappeared, and returned, and with him the 
 lady. Now when she looked upon me, she veiled her face^ 
 and said * Oh ! my father, how is it pleasing to thy heart, 
 that thou should'st send for me to take pleasure to see men V 
 So he said, * Oh ! Sitt ool Hussun, who is near me, save 
 this little slave, and the nurse that carried thee, and I tliy 
 father ! So from whom dost thou veil thy face ?' So she an- 
 swered, * Surely this monkey is a young man, the son of a 
 king, and his father's name is Ufeetanoos, lord of the Ebony 
 Island, and he is spell-bound : the Ufreet Jurgees, who is 
 of the stock of Iblees, cast a spell upon him, and slew his wife 
 the daughter of the king Uftamoos, and this, whom thou think- 
 est a monkey, is a man, a learned, a wise man.' Then the 
 king marvelled at his daughter, and looked upon me, and said, 
 ' Is this true, what is said of thee V So I said by a nod of 
 my head ' Even so,' and I wept. Then said the king to her, 
 ' So what way didst thou recognise that he was one under a 
 spell !' And she answered, * Oh, father, now there was about 
 me, and I then a little girl, an old woman, deceitful, a sorcer- 
 ess ; and she taught me magic, and its arts, and I have remem- 
 bered it, and understood it perfectly, and have committed to 
 memory, an hundred and seventy chapters of its modes, even 
 the chapter having power in it to carry the stones of thy city 
 behind the mountain Caucasus, and make it a deep of the 
 ocean, and make its people fishes m the midst of it.' Then 
 said her father, * Oh ! my daughter, by my hfe ! release for us 
 
128 TALE OF THE SECOND QURUNDEEL. 
 
 this youth that I make him my vuzeer, for surely he is an in- 
 telligent youth, deep learned.' Then replied she to him, 
 * With pleasure and all willingness.' So she took in her hand 
 a knife and made a circle." And Shuhurzad perceived the 
 morning dawn, and ceased saying the words permitted her. 
 
 She said, " They relate Oh ! mighty king, that the Qurundeel 
 said to the damsel, ' Oh ! lady, then took the daughter of the king 
 in her hand a knife, inscribed with Hebrew words, and drew 
 with it a circle in the midst of the palace, and wrote in it The 
 Name, and spells besides ; and she muttered a charm, and re- 
 peated words one could understand, and words "one could not un- 
 derstand. Now after a while the world darkened around us, 
 and lo ! the Ufreet approached us in his own likeness, and his 
 very being ; he had a hand like a harrow, and feet like pillars, 
 and his eyes like the gleaming of fire : So we called out for 
 fear of him, but the daughter of the king said, ' No welcome 
 to thee, nor peace.' Then the Ufreet changed in the form 
 of a lion, and said to her, ' Oh ! traitress, thou violatest 
 the compact, and the oath we swore, that neither one of us 
 should oppose the other !' So she answered him ' Oh ! 
 accursed one, could thy like take oaths to him from me V 
 Then said the Ufreet, * Take what has come to' thee.' So the 
 lion opened his mouth, and fell upon the damsel ; then 
 made she haste, and took one hair from among her hair, 
 and swayed in her hand, and muttered with her lips, 
 and the hair became a trenchant sword, and she smote that 
 lion with it, and he became two halves, and his head changed 
 into a scorpion. Then changed the damsel, she became a 
 mighty serpent, and set upon this accursed one, and he in the 
 likeness of a scorpion. So these two fought a mighty fight, 
 but the scorpion changed into an eagle, and the serpent changed 
 into a vulture, and set after the eagle, and hunted him for an 
 hour's time. Then the eagle became a black cat, and the 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND QURUNDEEL* 129 
 
 damsel (^hanged into a striped hyena, and these two battled in 
 the palace an hour's time ; so the cat saw his soul was over- 
 come, and he changed, and became a pomegranate, a red one, 
 exceeding large, and the pomegranate settled in the midst of 
 the tank in the palace ; so the hyena went at it 5 but it rose upon 
 the air, and fell upon the palace pavement, and broke in pieces, 
 and the seeds were scattered about, every single seed of it, 
 and pomegranate seed filled the floor of the palace. Then the 
 hyena shook convulsively, and became a cock, and pecked 
 the seeds, so that it would not leave off until there was not 
 a seed left. Now by the order of God's destiny, a seed rol- 
 led to the edge of the tank, so the cock was crowing and 
 clapping its wings, and signing to us with its beak, and we 
 understood not what it said, and it screeched to us with a 
 loud cry, so that I thought that the palace was falling on us, 
 and it went over the floor of the palace the whole of it, and 
 saw the seed which rolled to the edge of the tank, and rushed 
 eagerly upon it to peck it up, and behold ! the seed slipped 
 into the midst of the water, which was in the tank, and be- 
 came a fish, and dived to the bottom of the water. Then the 
 cock changed into a large fish, and went down after it, and 
 was away for a while, and lo ! we heard loud screeches, and 
 cries of pain, so that we trembled. Now after this arose 
 the Ufreet, and he flaming with fire ; >vhen he opened his 
 mouth there came out from it fire, and from his eyes, 
 and his nose also fire and smoke ; and the damsel came 
 forth, and she was one live coal, a very mighty fire* 
 So these two battled, she, and he, an hour, until their 
 two fires entirely encompassed them, and the smoke closed 
 thickly on the palace. Then panted we for breath, and longed 
 to dive into the water, and feared for our lives by reason of 
 the burning, and chance of destruction. So said the king, 
 * There is no power nor strength save in God, the Great, 
 the Mighty ! we are from God, and to him shall we return ! 
 Oh ! better were it for us that we had not brought trouble 
 
130 TALE OP THE SECOND QtmUNDEEt. 
 
 tipon her in this matter for the release of this monkey, eveir 
 till we have wearied her with this mighty labor in fighting" 
 with this accursed Ufreet, one such as not all the Ufreets that 
 be existing in the world could overcome ! And Oh ! better 
 were it for us we had not known this monkey, God's blessing 
 be not on him, nor on his time ! we strove to do a good deed 
 by him before the face of the Almighty, and sought to release 
 him from the spell ; now have we brought woe upon our 
 heart with trouble ;^ And I, Oh ! lady was tongue-tied not 
 having power to speak a word with him on any matter. Now 
 we were not aware of aught before the Ufreet had yelled 
 from beneath the flames, and was upon us in the palace, and 
 breathed flames upon our faces ; but the damsel overtook him, 
 and breathed blasts of fire in his face, and the sparks of fire from 
 her and from him^ rained upon us ; yet her sparks did us no in- 
 jury, but of his sparks, — surely one reached my eye, and utter- 
 ly destroyed it, and I in the shape of a monkey ; and a spark 
 from the Ufreet reached the king on his face. It burned half 
 his face, and his beard, and the lower part of his whiskers, 
 and caused the row of his lower teeth to fall out ; and another 
 spark fell upon the breast of the eunuch, and consumed it, and 
 he died on the moment, and on the very instant. Now we 
 were sure of death, and despaired of life ; but meanwhile we- 
 were after this fashion, lo ! one repeating the saying, ' God i» 
 greatest ! God is greatest ! victory and conquest, and confusion 
 to the infidels in the religion of Muhummud, the moon of grace ! 
 andlo ! for her, — ^the daughter of the King had consumed the 
 Ufreet, and lo ! for him, — sure he was become a heap of ashes ! 
 Then came the damsel to me, and said ' Reach me a cup of 
 water.' So they brought some to her ; then she spoke over it in 
 words there was no understanding, and sprinkled me with it, 
 and said, * Be freed in right of that is right, and by the name 
 of God the great into thy former shape.* (So goes the tale.) 
 Now I was convulsed, and behold ! I was a man as I was be- 
 fore, save that mine eye was lost. Then said the damsel, * The 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND QURUNPEEL. . 131 
 
 flame, the flame ! Oh ! my father, life remains not in me, and 
 I am not used to contend with Jins ; but had it been a man, I 
 had slain him in a moment, and had sufi"ered no trouble save 
 for an instant! I let the pomegranate escape me, and picked 
 oip its seeds, but passed over the seed in which was the soul of 
 the Jin, and had I picked it up, he had surely died on the mo- 
 ment, but as destiny decreed, and God's command, I did not 
 this ; then lo ! he came, and there passed between him, and 
 me a desperate fight below the earth, and in the water, and in 
 the air, and for every spell I opened on him, he opened a 
 spell on me, until he opened on me the spell of fire, and the 
 spell of fire went near to give him the victory, and he was 
 near escaping by it, but the will of God caused me to pre- 
 vail over him, until I consumed him before me, and I was 
 more powerful than he, through the religion of Islam, yet 
 now even I am as one dead ; may the Almighty protect you 
 in my stead !' Then began she to call for help, and ceased 
 not invoking the Almighty's aid on account of the fire ; and 
 lo ! a darkish spark rose upon her bosom, and mounted to 
 her face. Now when it reached her face, she wept, and said, 
 * I witness that there is no God, but the God, and that Mu- 
 hummud is the prophet of God.' Then looked we upon her, 
 and lo ! she was a heap of ashes by the side of the heap of the 
 Ufreet ! Then mourned we over her, and I made petition to 
 'heaven that I might be in her place, and that that lovely face 
 were not consumed, which in doing this good deed was become 
 ashes, — but the will of God turneth not back* Now when 
 the king saw his daughter become a heap of ashes, he pluck-' 
 ed out what was left of his beard, and beat his face, and rent 
 his garments : then did I as he did, and we mourned over her. 
 So the chamberlain, and the lords of state came, and found the 
 sooltan in a destitute condition, and two heaps of ashes there ; 
 so they marvelled, and got round the king in an instant. Now 
 when he gave them to understand what had befallen with his 
 daughter, and the Ufreet, then was their sorrow very 
 
 s 2 
 
132 • TALE OF THE SECOND (llTRTJNBEEL. 
 
 grievous, and the women shrieked, and the slave girls, and 
 they continued their lamentings seven days. And the king 
 arose and ordered that there should be made over the ashes of 
 his daughter a vast vaulted tomb, and that they should light in 
 it lamps and candles, but for the ashes of the Ufreet that 
 they should scatter them on the winds for the curse of God on 
 them. Then was the king sick of a sickness that nigh 
 prevailed against him even to death, and the period of his 
 sickness was a month, and health returned to him, and his 
 life shot forth anew. Then sent he for me, and said to me, 
 * Oh ! youth, our time had been decreed us in a life happier 
 than that of any who are among the rulers of the age, until 
 thou camest unto us : oh ! better had it been that we had never 
 seen thee, and that we had not seen the day of thy release, 
 that day of evil : for on a sudden we became destitute by 
 cause of thee : first, have I lost my daughter, who equalled 
 in her might an hundred men, and secondly, that befel me 
 which befel me by reason of the fire, and I lost my teeth, 
 and my slave was slain, and both before this and after it we 
 have not seen in thee any thing for good ! the whole is from 
 God, both to thee, and to us, and thanks be to God ! Now 
 thou art he whom ray daughter released, and thou did'st 
 destroy her soul. Go forth now. Oh ! my son, from my 
 city, and forget what has happened by cause of thee, for 
 that was decreed for us, and for thee. Go forth now m 
 safety, and if thou returnest so that I see thee, I will slay 
 thee,' And he roared these words at me. Then went I forth, 
 Oh ! lady, from before him, and I could scarcely believe in my 
 escape, and knew not whither I should turn my face ; so I 
 pondered in my heart what had happened to me, and how 
 they let me go on my way, and of my deliverance from 
 them, and I journeyed a full month. Then entered I into a 
 strange city, and I thought upon the tailor, and I thought upon 
 the damsel beneath the earth, and my escape from the Ufreet, 
 even after he was setting himself to accomplish my death, and 
 
TALE OF THB SECOND QURUNDEEL. 133 
 
 what ray heart took note of from the be^nning to the end. 
 Then I gave thanks to God, and said, ' My eye is gone, 
 yet not my soul.* So I entered a bath before I went forth from 
 the city, and shaved my beard, and put on a coarse black 
 woollen garment, and strewed dust on my head, oh ! lady, 
 and every day I wept, and revolved the sorrows that had 
 befallen me, and the tearing out mine eye, and every while I 
 pondered what had befallen me I wept, and broke out, and 
 •repeated these verses ; — 
 
 ' 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 nearly overcome, 
 
 Yet as endures the thirsty wayfarer 
 
 In the parched sands have ne'er called out for agony — • 
 
 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. 
 
 The wrinkles of my brow bespeak my troubles, 
 
 When in my secret soul, secret of secrets, 
 
 Thy secret thoughts are laid. Oh ! had the mountains 
 
 To bear what I do, they would crumble 'neath it, 
 
 'T would quench, the fire, and stop the rushing winds. 
 
 Whoso hath said, ' The world is full of sweet things,* 
 
 There is no help for it but he must taste 
 
 One day in weary tedium of endurance 
 
 More bitter things than aloes are.' 
 
 Then travelled I through all quarters, and visited the cities, 
 and sought that hold of the True Faith, Bughdad, for that 
 I might take refuge with the Lord of the Faithful, and tell 
 him what had befallen me. Now when I reached Bughdad 
 this very night, then found I my brother, this first Qurundeel, 
 
1^34 TALE OF THE THIRD QURUNDEEL, 
 
 Standing about as one mazed. Then said I, * Peace be 
 with thee,' and I talked with him, and lo ! our brother, 
 this third man here, met us, and said, * Peace be with you, I 
 am a stranger,' And we said, ' And we too be strangers and 
 have arrived here even this blessed night.' So went we, 
 we three, and not among us one that knew the story of the 
 other. Then God's destiny caused us to stop at this door, 
 and we entered here among you. This now is the reason of 
 the shaving of my beard, and my eyebrows, and the tearing out 
 •of mine eye. So she said, * Surely thy tale is a strange one ; 
 take thyself off, and go forth on tliy way.' Then replied 
 he, * I will not go out until I hear the story of my compan- 
 ion.' So the third Qurundeel stood forth, and said, ' Oh ! lovely 
 lady, my story is not like their stories, for surely my story is 
 more wondrous, and more strange, and it is the cause of the 
 shearing of my beard, and the taking out of mine eye ; for 
 these men, surely God's judgment, and His high decree came 
 on them, but I drew down His judgment with mine own 
 hand, and brought sorrow on mine own soul. And so it is, 
 that I of a surety am a king, and the son of a king, and my 
 father died, and I took the sovereignty after him, and I ruled, 
 and I administered justice, and I dealt fairly by my subjects. 
 Now there came to me a fancy to voyage in a ship on the 
 sea, for my city was upon the sea, and the ocean stretched far 
 and wide before it and about us were very many islands, 
 €ven large ones, in the midst of the ocean. Now I had upon 
 the sea fifty vessels of burden for commerce, and fifty smaller 
 vessels for pleasure, and one hundred and fifty sail ready 
 fitted for war at home or battle against the infidels. So 
 I desired to take my pleasure upon the islands, and I went 
 down with my people into ten ships, and took with me 
 provisions for a whole month, and I voyaged to ten days. 
 Now it came to pass on a certain night, a contrary head 
 wind struck us, and the ocean raised her waters against 
 us, even very mighty waves, and the billows buffeted us. 
 
TALE OF THE THIRD QURUNITEEI.. 135 
 
 Then despaired we of our lives, and a thick darkness settled 
 round us, and I said, ' Danger is not to be taken for good ; 
 even though safety come of it.' So we prayed to the 
 Almighty, and supplicated him, yet the wind ceased not to 
 blow counter to us, nor the waves to buffet us until the morn- 
 ing dawned. Then the wind fell, and the sea calmed, and 
 after that the sun shone forth ; so we arrived at an island^ 
 and went up to the dry shore, and cooked something to 
 eat, and we ate. Then took we rest for two days, and 
 voyaged for ten days more but the current ran counter to 
 us, as seemed both to me, and the captain, and the captain 
 was wholly bewildered in this sea, so said we to the look-out 
 man, * Peer out upon the sea, and get up the mast,' So he 
 went up to the mast-head : Then the look-out man, looked 
 about, and cried out to the captain, * Oh ! captain, I see 
 on our larboard as it were a high object on the face 
 of the waters, and I looked upon the midst of the sea, 
 and I saw a darkness in the distance that showed one 
 while dark, and one while bright.' Now when the captain 
 heard the words of the look-out, he dashed his turban on 
 the deck, and plucked the hair from his beard, and said 
 to the people, * Hear the news of our destruction, even 
 of us all, and not one of us can be saved,' And he began 
 to weep, and we the whole of us wept for our souls* 
 Then said I, ' Oh ! captain, tell us now of what the look- 
 out saw ;' So he said, » Oh ! my master, know that we 
 lost our course on the day that the winds raised the sea 
 against us, and the wind fell not until the morning of the 
 next day; and we rested two days, and we lost our course 
 on the sea, and we were wandering from our course * eleven 
 days reckoning from that night, and we have no wind that 
 will take us whither we seek to go. So by the end of the 
 day to-morrow we shall reach a mountain of black stone, 
 and it is named the Magnetic Rock. Now the currents will 
 drive us violently below it. Then will the vessel open, and 
 
136 TALE OF THE THIRD QTJRUNDEEi., 
 
 every nail in the vessel will dart out to the mountain, and will 
 adhere to it, for that surely the Almighty hath imposed on the 
 Magnetic Rock a mysterious power, and this is it, that all that 
 is iron travels toward it ; and on it is much iron, how much 
 no one knows save the Almighty, for that surely there have 
 bursten even from ancient times very many vessels upon this 
 mountain. Now that which shows near the sea is a dome of 
 yellow copper, built upon ten pillars, and beneath the dome 
 is a horseman, and a horse of copper, and in the hand of that 
 horseman a lance of copper, a tablet hanging upon his bosom 
 of lead, engraved with The Name, and with talismans,' Then 
 said he to me, * Oh ! king, none destroyeth man there save 
 the rider on that steed, and there is no escape until this horse- 
 man fall from his horse.' So then, oh ! lady, the captain 
 wept with exceeding weeping, and we made sure that 
 we were doomed to destruction without hope of respite, 
 and every one of us took leave of his friend, and each 
 appointed another his executor, if it were any way possible 
 he might be saved. Now we slumbered not that night, 
 but when the morning came we drew near to that moun- 
 tain, and the currents washed us violently upon it. So 
 when the vessel was below it, she opened, and the nails 
 rose up, and every iron that was in her sought the Mag- 
 netic Rock, and became part of it, and by the end of the 
 day we whirled about the mountain. Now of us some 
 were drowned, and of us some escaped, but the greater 
 part were drowned, and they who were saved knew not any 
 of them where were the rest, for the waves sank them in 
 the deeps, and the winds blew counter. But as for me, oh ! 
 my mistress, sure the Almighty caused me to escape for 
 that he desired I should suffer injury, and evil fortune, and 
 sorrow. So I got me upon a plank of the ship's planks, 
 and the wind took it, and it struck part of the mountains. 
 Then took I a path leading up it, as it were stairs cut in 
 the mountain and I blessed the name of Almighty God." 
 
TALE OF THE THIRD QURTJNDEEL. 137 
 
 And Shuhurzad perceived the morning light, and ceased 
 speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 Ho^ tpifieti it ^a^ tl3t Jpittunf^ 'NigMf 
 
 She said, " They relate, Oh ! mighty monarch, that the third 
 Qurundeel said to the damsel, and the rest of them that were 
 fast bound, and the slaves standing with swords over their 
 heads, ' Now when I called on the name of the Lord, and 
 prayed to him, and made passionate entreaty to him, and 
 got clinging to the narrow way that was upon the mountain, 
 and I had mounted to its level ground a little, lo I The 
 Almighty ordered that the wind should be at peace on that 
 instant, and thus aided me in the ascent. So was I preserved 
 and ascended the mountain* Now there was no place to rest 
 in for me save the dome and I rejoiced for my preservation 
 with very great joy, and entered the dome, and I washed, and 
 performed two'^^ prostrations, giving thanks to God for my pre- 
 servation : Then slept I beneath the dome. And I heard in 
 my sleep one speaking, who said, ' Oh ! son of Khuzeeb, 
 when thou wakest from thy slumber, dig beneath thy feet ! 
 so wilt thou find a bow of copper, and three arrows of lead, 
 with talismans engraved on them : take then the bow and ar- 
 rows and shoot at the horseman, that is upon the dome, and 
 free mankind from this very grievous evil. Now directly 
 thou hast shot at the horseman he will fall into the sea, and the 
 bow will fall from thy hands : take then the bow, and bury 
 it in its place. So when thou hast done this the sea will be 
 troubled and will rise till it be even with the mountain, and 
 there will come upon it a skiff, and in it a man of copper, 
 other than him thou shootest at, -who will go to thee, and in 
 his hand a paddle. Embark then with him, and call not on 
 the name of the Almighty ; so will he row and voyage with 
 thee the period of ten days, until he cause thee to reach the 
 sea of safety, and when thou reachest thither wilt thou 
 find wlioso will convey thee to thy city. Now all this will be 
 
138 TALE OF THE THIRD QURtTNDEEt. 
 
 fulfilled for thee if thou callest not on the name of the Almighty. 
 Then roused I from my sleep, and rose up briskly, and did 
 according ;to the directions of the guardian spirit ^ s and struck 
 the horseman when I shot at him. So he fell into the sea, 
 and the bow fell from my hands ; then took I the bow, and 
 buried it, and the ocean rose up in surges, and came up until 
 it was even with the mountain, and wetted me. Now there 
 was scarce an instant's delay ere I saw a skiff in the midst 
 of the sea, coming towards me, so I gave thanks to Heaven. 
 But when the skiff arrived then found I a man in it of copper, 
 on his breast a tablet of lead engraved with names and ta- 
 lismans. So I got upon the skiff, but held my peace, and said 
 not a word: and the man rowed the first day, and the second, 
 and the third, even the full ten days. Then looked I, and 
 saw the islands of safety, and I rejoiced with great joy, and 
 in the excess of my gladness, I mentioned the Almighty, and 
 called on his name, and raised my voice, and magnified him. 
 Now when I did that the skiflT cast me out into the sea ; then 
 turned it, and went back into the ocean. But I knew how 
 to swim ; so I swam all that day till the night, and my wrists 
 were tired, and my arms swelled, and I was wearied, even 
 so that I was on the point of dissolution. So I ^^ bore 
 witness to my faith, and made certain of death, but the 
 sea rose in waves by the violence of the winds, and there 
 came a billow, like a rampart in its monstrous size, and bore 
 me up, and threw me a long cast forward, so that as God 
 willed, I was on the dry land. Now I got up upon the shore, 
 and wrung my clothes, and dried therti and spread them out 
 and slept. So when it dawned I put them on and stood up 
 to see whither I should go. Then was I aware of a grove of 
 trees, and I went to it, and wandered round about, and dis- 
 covered the place in which I was to be a small island, and 
 the ocean encircled it : So I said, ' Whatso frees me from 
 one evil throws me into another greater than it.' Now mean- 
 while as I was pondering over my state, and I was longing 
 
TALE OF THE THIRD QURUNDEEL. 139 
 
 for death, when behold ! I saw afar off a vessel with men 
 in it making for the island on which I was. So I got up, 
 and sat upon the tree, and lo ! the vessel had come close to 
 shore, and there came up from her on the dry la:id ten 
 black slaves, and with them they had iron spades, and they 
 went on till they came to the middle of the island, and they 
 digged in the earth, and laid open a slab, and they lifted the 
 slab, and opened a trap door. So then they returned to the 
 vessel, and brought ashore from it bread, and flour and oil, and 
 honey, and sheep, and household stuff, such as is necessary for 
 one who keeps house, and the slaves kept going up and down, 
 to and from the vessel, and they kept returning to the ves- 
 sel, and coming back from her, until they transported all 
 that \^as in the ship to the cavern. Now after this the 
 slaves went up, and brought with them garments as rich 
 as may be, and in the midst of them was a very old man ; 
 there was left of him just what there was, for time had wres- 
 tled hardly with him, and what there remained was as it 
 were a decrepit being, wrapped in a blue rag that the winds 
 might pass through west and east, as the poet said of 
 him; — 
 
 * Time hath shattered all my frame ; 
 Oh ! how Time hath shattered me ! 
 Time with lordly might can tame 
 Manly strength, and vigor free. 
 Time was in my youth that none 
 Sped their way more fleet and fast. ^ 
 
 Time is, and my strength is gone, 
 Youth is sped, and speed is past.' 
 
 And the hand of the old man was in the hand of a young lad, 
 and he was cast in the mould of comeliness, and elegance, 
 and perfection, even so that models might be struck from his 
 beauty, and he was as a fresh branch, able to enchant every 
 heart with his loveliness, and to subdue every soul with 
 his blandishments, even as the poet spoke of him when he 
 
140 TALE OF THE THIRD QTJRUNDEEL. 
 
 said ;— 
 
 * To vie with Beauty when he came, 
 Poor Beauty hung her head for shame ? 
 And when they asked her, * Hast thou seen 
 Fairer than he in shape and mien ?' 
 
 * Have I seen such 1' she cried, * No — none ; — 
 
 * Not e'en myself am such a one., ' 
 
 So then, my mistress, they stinted not their going until they 
 came to the slab, and went down all of them by the slab, and 
 disappeared for an hour, or rather more. Then the slaves 
 and the old man came up, but the young lad came not up 
 with them ; so they restored the entry by the slab, even as it 
 was before, and went down to the ship, and disappeared from 
 my eyes. Now when they turned their faces to go, \ arose, 
 and came down from the tree, and went to the place that 
 was closed up, and scraped away the soil, and removed it, 
 and I continued my active labor, until I lifted out the whole 
 of the earth ; then was the slab discovered, and lo ! it was 
 of wood as broad as the upper stone of a watermill. So 1 
 lifted it up, and there appeared beneath it steps of stone built 
 close together ; and I marvelled at that, and went down the 
 stairs until I reached the bottom. Then found I a fair building 
 spread with various sorts of carpets ; and silk stuff, and the 
 young lad sitting on a high raised seat reclining on a round 
 back-cushion, in his hand a fan, and before him things of 
 sweet scent, and odoriferous ^flowers, and he was alone. 
 Now when he saw me his color paled, but I saluted him, and 
 said to him ' Set thy mind at ease, and subdue thy dread ; there 
 is no evil near thee ; I am a man, even as thou art, the son of a 
 king. The decree of Providence hath sent me to thee to 
 bear thee company in thy loneliness ; what now is thy story, 
 and what tale is thine that thou dwellest beneath the earth 
 alone?' Now when he was assured that I was of his race, 
 he rejoiced, and his color returned, and he made me come 
 near him, and said, ♦ Oh ! my brother, my story is a 
 
TALE or THE THIRD QURUNDEEL. 141 
 
 marvel, and it is this, that my father is a merchant jeweller, 
 who has merchandise, and slaves, and servants who be 
 merchants travelling for him in ships in various traffickings, 
 to the most distant cities, and he had camels, and extensive 
 wealth, but was not enriched with a son, not even one. 
 So he saw in his sleep that he should be enriched with a 
 son, that should be short lived ; so the morning dawned 
 on my father with lamentation, and weeping. Now when 
 it was the next night my mother conceived me. So the date 
 of her pregnancy was noted, and her time was fulfilled 
 and she bore me ; and my father rejoiced, and he called 
 the neighbours, and gave food to the fukeers, and to the poor, 
 for that he obtained me in the latter end of his life. Then as- 
 sembled he the astrologers, ^o and the people who knew 
 the place of the planets, and the learned ones of the time, and 
 the masters of calculation in dates, and nativities. So they ex- 
 amined my nativity, and said to my father, * Thy son shall 
 live fifteen years, and in that year shall he have a hazard ; if 
 he get safe from it he shall live to a great age ; and the cause 
 of his death then would be that in the Sea of Peril is the 
 Magnetic Mountain ; on it is a horseman of copper, and the 
 horseman has on his breast a tablet of lead : if at any time the 
 horseman shall fall from his horse forty days afterwards shall 
 thy son die, and his slayer is he who shall shoot the horse- 
 man, a king, his name Ujeeb, the son of Khuzeeb.' So my 
 father grieved with exceeding grief. But I grew as a thing 
 divine, and my person became more and more fair, until I told 
 my fifteenth year, and ten days ago the news reached my 
 father that the horseman was fallen into the sea, and he that 
 cast him down, his name was Ujeeb, the son of the king 
 Khuzeeb. So fear came before my father of the predicted mur- 
 der, and he transported me to this place, and this is my story, 
 and the reason of my loneliness.' Now when I heard his tale 
 I marvelled, and said in my heart, ' I am he who has done all 
 this, and I, as God is with me, I will not ever slay him.' So 
 
142 TALE OF THE THIRD QURUNDEEL. 
 
 said 1 to him, ' Oh ! my master, I have power over this ill, and 
 this injury, and, please the Almighty, thoushalt not see grief, 
 nor sorrow, nor disquietude, for I will sit near thee, and min- 
 ister to thee, and go forth on my way after I have acted as thy 
 guardian for these days ; thou shalt put me under escort of 
 some of thy servants, so I may travel, with them to my city.* 
 So I sat talking to him till night ; then rose I up, and lighted 
 a large fire, and made ready the candles, and we sat down 
 after we had put down something to eat, and ate, and I arose, 
 and set out sweetmeats. So we enjoyed these sweet things, and 
 sat talking of our various matters, till the greater part of the 
 night was gone : then slept he, and I covered him up, and 
 arose and slept myself also. Now when it was morning I 
 arose, and warmed a little water, and lifted him up gently, 
 so that he woke : then brought I him the warm water, and 
 he washed his face and said, ' Wullahy ! I will return thee 
 good for good, oh ! youth, if I get safe from what I am in 
 risk of, and from him whose name is Ujeeb, the son of 
 Khuzeeb ; I will make my father give thee a return for this, 
 and if I die then be my blessing on thee.' Then answered 
 I, ' There is no day fated for thee in which is evil, and God 
 grant my day of death be before thy day.' Then I set 
 before him some food, and we ate, and I got ready for him 
 perfumes, and he was pleased, and I made up some dessert 
 for him, and I enjoyed myself, and he too ; then ate we 
 sweetmeats, and enjoyed ourselves till night. Then rose I, 
 and lighted the lamps, and set before him somewhat to eat, 
 and sat telling him stories till there remained some little of 
 the night : So he slept, and I covered him up, and slept also. 
 Now this ceased not to be after this fashion, oh ! my mis- 
 tress, day and night, and affection towards him took rest in 
 my heart, and my sorrow was eased. Then said I in my 
 soul, * The astrologers lied ! Wallr.hy, I shall not slay him !' 
 And I ceased not ministering to him, and serving him, and 
 talking with him, for thirty -nine days. Now on the fortieth 
 
TALE OF THE TH1R1> CtURlTNDEEL. 143 
 
 night the young lad rejoiced, and said, ' Oh ! my brother, 
 praise be to God who has preserved me from death, and this 
 has happened by thy good fortune, and the prosperity that 
 attends thy steps, and I pray God, that I may return with 
 thee to thy city : I wish now though, my brother, that thou 
 would'st warm water for me to bathe, and do thou bathe 
 me.' So I repHed, ' With pleasure and all willingness.' 
 Then heated I for him water in plenty, and got into it with 
 him, and washed him all over completely with meal and 
 rubbed him down, and served him, and changed his clothes 
 for him, and spread beneath him a fair carpet ; then went the 
 young lad and rolled upon it and slept from the drowsiness 
 after bathing. Then said he, * Oh ! my brother, cut me up 
 a melon, and mix some sugar with it.' So I went into the 
 store room, and chose an excellent melon, and laid it on a 
 platter : Then I spoke to him, and said * Oh ! my master, 
 have you not a knife ?' And he answered, * Here, this over 
 my head upon this high shelf.' So I got up, and I was wish- 
 ing to make haste ; and I took the knife, and held it by its 
 point, and I stepped backwards ; but my foot slipped, and I 
 fell violently upon the young lad, and the knife in my hand. 
 Then the knife hastened to perform that which was written 
 on the day of decision of destinies, and pierced the heart of 
 the young lad, and he died on the instant. Now when his 
 fate was completed, and I knew that I had slain him, I shriek- 
 ed with an exceeding loud cry, and smote my face, and rent 
 my garments, and said, ' From God I am, and to Him shall 
 I return ! Oh ! Mooslims, there remained for this youth of 
 the hazard which the astrologers, and learned men predicted 
 of him on the fortieth day but one single night, and the pre- 
 destined death of this fair being was laid to my hand ! oh ! 
 better were it for me from the first I had not tried to cut that 
 melon ! what is this dire misfortune, grief even to choking ! 
 and yet God of a certainty decreed the matter, — it was 
 
144 TALE OF THE THIRD QURUNDEEL. 
 
 Disdained." — And Shuhurzad perceived the morning light, and 
 ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 K0^ ti^SeE it Um tljt ,$ixtuntf^ Kt§|t, 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty King, that Ujeeb said 
 to the damsel, ' Now when I was well assured that I had 
 slain him, I arose, and went up by the stair and restored the 
 earth, and gazed with my eyes to the sea. Then saw I the 
 vessel cleaving tli« waters, making for the shore : so I was 
 afeared, and said, ' The instant they come, and find their 
 son done to death. Then will they know that I slew him, and 
 will slay me without a respite.' So I set off to a high tree 
 and climbed up it, and covered myself with its leaves, and I 
 had hardly settled myself upon the tree ere the slaves had 
 come up, and the ancient man, the father of the young lad 
 came up with them. N ow they went to the place, and re- 
 moved the earth, and found the slab, and went down, and 
 found the young lad sleeping, and his face clear washed and 
 shining after the bath, and he clothed in fair garments, and 
 the knife stuck deep in his breast. Then cried they out with 
 wailings, and imprecations, and a swoon came on the old man 
 for a very long time. So the slaves supposed the old man 
 could not live after his son lived not, and they wrapped the 
 young lad in his clothes, and spread over him an outer cover- 
 ing of silken stuff, and went up to the ship, and the old man 
 went up after them. So he gazed on his son stretched out 
 and he fell on the ground, and took dust on his head, and 
 smote his face, and plucked at his beard, and thought upon 
 his son, and his weeping increased and he swooned. So a 
 slave went up from among them, and came with a narrow 
 cloth of silk, and they stretched out the old man upon his car- 
 pet, and sat by his head. All this now took place, and I upon 
 the tree over their heads looking on what came to pass, and 
 my heart whitened or ere my beard was grey, by what hard 
 lot I had endured in distress, and in woes, and I began to say 
 
TALE OF THE THIRD QURUNDEEL» 145 
 
 extemporaneously ; — 
 
 * How many of God's mercies be hid from us, 
 Though slight the veil that hides them from the sense 
 Of the intelligent ! How many matters 
 Seem fraught with sorrow in the morning tide, 
 Which ere 'tis even make us sing with joy I 
 Much ease hath often come after much ill, 
 And from the labouring and o'erburdened heart 
 Hath cleared away all sorrow.' 
 
 Oh ! my mistress, sure the old man ceased not from his sor- 
 rowing till near sunset. Then he recovered, and looked upon 
 his son, and what had happened to him, and how, what he 
 dreaded had befallen him, and he beat his face and his head, 
 and broke out in these verses ;— 
 
 ' The soul is racked when dearest friends must part ; 
 
 This from mine eyes these constant currents drew, 
 
 With them my hopes, my all, I saw depart : 
 
 Ah ! weU-away, can any teach the art 
 
 To win them back, what should I say, what do ? 
 
 'Twere best we ne'er had met, for what resource 
 To mine, now straightened in my w^ay of life ! 
 When fond affection's fire shall madly course, 
 And riot through me, say, what philtres' force 
 Could calm my pangs, and quench the raging strife ? 
 
 Happy were we when 'neath one roof we dwelt, 
 Our lives as one in joy, and blessed content ; 
 Till her fell arrows Absence on us dealt ; 
 Then were we forced apart, and then we felt, 
 None could bear up 'gainst whom her bow was bent. 
 
 First of his age, the loved one of his clan, 
 Strong, beauteous but last eve ; he's fallen to-day I 
 * Oh ! could'st thou scape my son,' — as I began, 
 Nature's still voice, a father's tongue outran, 
 ' Oh ! could he scape,' she said, * his destined day !» 
 V 
 
146 TALE OF THE THIRD QURUNDEEL. 
 
 Well might I call thee Sun — in the far west 
 
 That sets, or pale-eyed Moon, that wanes and dies ! 
 
 Ah ! whither shall I wend to be at rest 
 
 At once with thee ? had'st thou, my son expressed 
 
 The wish, thy father's life were made the sacrifice. 
 
 Oh ! for the chance of days ! for this my wail 
 And mournful well-away is made o'er thee ; 
 Thou'rt now whence none return, — where none avail 
 To give thee aid ! — thy father's senses fail 
 Scorched, and burnt up in longing after thee I 
 
 Why died I not with thee ? Now all my power 
 Is withered up, and narrowed into naught. 
 Sure envious eyes with evil omened lour 
 Have fallen on us this day. — May Heaven shower 
 Like fate on them, with equal evil fraught !' 
 
 So he breathed hard with the death ruckle — his soul separ- 
 ated from his body. Then the slaves shrieked out, and took 
 earth on their heads, and gr ew violent in their wailing, and 
 took up their master upon the vessel by the side of his son, 
 and spread the sails of the vessel ; so they disappeared from 
 mine eyes ; and I went down from the tree, and went down 
 by the slab, and thought upon tlie youth : then saw I some of 
 his clothes and necessaries, and began to repeat this verse 
 extemporaneously ; — 
 
 * The tracks that they have left I trace, 
 And pine for those are far away, 
 And water with my tears the place, 
 Where late they made their stay. 
 And to that power whose mandate stern 
 Has doomed their absence hence, I pray. 
 To make me blessed in their return 
 An't were but for a day. 
 
 Then, oh ! my mistress, I went forth by the entry of the slab, 
 and by day I used to wander round the island and by night 
 I went down to the cavern house. Now when I remained 
 
TALE OF THE THIRD QURUNDEEL. 147 
 
 after this fashion a month, and as I used to look to the 
 side of the island which was to the west, so it was that every- 
 day that passed, the sea was absorbed until the water became 
 shallow towards the west, and its surges were diminished. 
 Now when the month was fully out the sea was quite dried 
 up on that quarter ; so I rejoiced, and made certain of my 
 preservation, and arose, and waded through what was left 
 of the sea, and got up to the main land. There fell I in with 
 a wide hillock of sand, such as that the foot of a camel even 
 would sink in it in going up it : but I made my soul resolute, 
 -and passed through the sand. And behold \ I perceived 
 .a fire which shone from afar, and it was blazing with a burn- 
 ing light, so I made for it in search of assistance, and broke 
 out into verse saying ;— 
 
 * 'Tis a chance that my fortune may yet rein her steed, 
 The world change it's aspect, and aid me at last ; 
 That my hope may be furthered, and favoured my need, 
 And new blessings spring forth, now old evils be past.' 
 
 So surely I made for the fire. Now when I drew near to 
 it, lo ! there was a mansion with its gates of yellow copper, 
 and when the sun shone upon it, it glistened from afar, so 
 that one would see it as a fire. But 1 rejoiced in the sight of 
 it, and set down over aj^ainst the gate, and I was hardly 
 setded down to sit, before there met me ten young men 
 clothed in sumptuous apparel, and with them a very old 
 man, but the youths were blind of the left eye. So I mar- 
 velled at their appearance, and their resemblance as to their 
 being one-eyed. Now when they saw me, they salu- 
 ted me, and asked me of my condition, and my history: 
 So I related to them what had befallen me, and what full 
 measure of misfortune was mine: then marvelled they at 
 my tale, and took me, and brought me into the mansion ; ( and 1/ 
 I saw in the halls of the mansion ten raised seats, and every 
 seat had its carpet ; and its cushion of blue, and in the midst 
 
 of these seats, a little setde, and it was like them, every 
 
 u 2 
 
1 48 TALE OF THE THIRD QURUNDEEL. 
 
 thing on it of blue. So when we entered, each of the young 
 men got upon his seat, and the old man sat upon that little 
 settle, which was in the midst of the seats, and he said, * Oh ! 
 youth, sit ye down in this mansion, and ask not any one of 
 our conditions, nor of the blindness of one of his eyes.' So 
 the old man rose, and set before every one food in a charger, 
 and drink in a large bowl, and set before me too in like 
 manner, and after that they sat questioning me, of all my 
 adventures, and of what had befallen me ; and I kept telling 
 it them until the night was far spent. Then said the young 
 men, * Oh ! thou old man ! wilt not thou set before us the 
 daily lot and portion, for its time is come ?' And he replied, 
 * With pleasure, and all willingness.' So he arose and en- 
 tered an out-office of the mansion ; and disappeared ; then 
 he returned, and on his head ten platters, each one covered 
 with a coverlet of blue, and he set before each youth a 
 platter. Then lighted he ten candles, and set up by each 
 platter a candle, and drew off the coverlets, and there appear- 
 ed beneath them in the platters, ashes and powdered charcoal, 
 and the black soot of the kettle. So the whole of tliem 
 tucked up their sleaves, and wept, and howled, and black- 
 ened their faces, and smeared their clothes and smote their 
 foreheads, and beat their breasts, and continued saying, * As 
 we were sitting at our ease, so left us not our frowardness ;' 
 and they ceased not this until the dawn drew nigh. Then 
 the old man arose, and heated water for them, and they wash- 
 ed their faces, and put on clothes different from the former 
 ones. Now when I saw this, oh ! lady, my senses left me, 
 and my understanding was bewildered, and my head burned, 
 and I forgot what had occurred to me, and I could not keep 
 silent, for that I fain must speak to them, and question them, 
 and I said to them, * How very strange is this after we have 
 been open hearted in joyous confidence, and pleasure. — Now 
 you, be thanks to the Almighty for it, have in you sound 
 and perfect sense, yet actions such as these sure none would 
 
TALE OF THE THIRD QXTRUNDEEL, 149 
 
 do but madmen ! Now I beg of you, by those things are dear- 
 est to you ! why tell you me not your history, and the 
 cause of your losing your eyes, and your blackening your 
 faces with ashes and soot V So they turned to me, and said 
 to me, ^ Ph ! young man, let not thy youth make thee over 
 confident, but be temperate in thy questioning.' Then arose 
 they, and I with them, and the old man brought something 
 to eat ; so after we had eaten, and the cups and plates were 
 ■carried away, they sat talking till the night fell. Then the 
 old man arose, and lighted the candles, and the lamps, and 
 brought us to eat, and to drink ; and when we had finished, 
 we sat in conversation, and in companionage till half the 
 night was gone. Then said the youths to the old man, 
 
 * Bring us our daily lot and portion, for the time for sleep 
 hath come.' And the old man stood up, and brought in the 
 platters, and in them the black ashes, and they did even as 
 they did the former night. Now I abode with them after 
 this fashion the period of a month, and they used every night 
 to blacken their faces with ashes, and after to wash their 
 faces, and change their raiment, and I marvelled the more at 
 that, and my anxiety about it increased, so that of a surety, I 
 made myself forego even food, and drink. So said I to them, 
 
 * Oh I youths, will ye not remove my grief, and tell me of the 
 reason of the blackening your faces V and they said, * 'Tis 
 right we keep our secret.' And I abode bewildered at their 
 doings, and I abstained from eating and drinking. So I said 
 to them, ' There is no help for it : ye must tell me what is the 
 reason of this.' And they replied, ' To do this brings with it 
 evil to thee, for sure thou must then remain even as we.* 
 And I said, ' There is no help for it, and if ye will not, 
 let me then go that I may travel from among you to mine 
 own people, and be relieved from the sight of these matters, 
 for the proverb says, * 'Tis happiest, best for thee, the place 
 to leave, for then nor eye can see, nor heart can grieve.' So 
 then they got them a ram, and slaughtered him, and flayed 
 
150 TALE OF THK THIRD QURUNDEEL. 
 
 him, and said to me, * Take this skin with thee and get into 
 it, and sew it upon thee ; then will there come to you a cer- 
 tain bird, its name the ^ ^ Rookh and it will lift thee up, and 
 set thee down upon a mountain. Then tear the skin, and 
 come from it, and the bird will be seared at you, and will de- 
 part, and leave you free : go on then for half a day, your 
 steps will lead you to a palace, wondrous fair in its appear- 
 ance. Enter it, and you will obtain your wish, for we enter- 
 ed the palace ; that is the cause of the blacking our faces, 
 and the loss of our eyes ; but were we now to tell you the 
 whole story our exposition would be long, for every one of 
 us hath a story of what came to pass to him in the loss of his 
 left eye.' Now I was glad at that, and they did with me as 
 they said, and the bird bore me off, and set me down on the 
 mountain. Then came I forth from the skin, and went on 
 until I entered the palace, and lo ! in it were forty damsels 
 like full moons, so that one could not be satiated with gazing 
 on them. So when they saw -me, they said all of them, 
 * Peace and rest to thee, and glad welcome, oh ! ray lord,— 
 sure we here have been a month in expectation of thee I 
 Praise be now to God, who hath sent us one who is worthy 
 of us, as we are worthy of him.' So they made me sit upon 
 a high seat of state, and said, ' Thou art this day our master, 
 and ruler over us, and we are thy handmaids, and under 
 obedience to thee : order us with what command thou wilt.* 
 Then marvelled I at their manners, and they brought me to 
 eat, and I ate, and they also, and they set before me various 
 drinks, and gathered all around me, and five arose and laid 
 our mat, and spread abroad on it things of sweet odour, and 
 fruits, and a dessert of very many things, and they put ready 
 on it rich old wine. Then sat we down to drink, and they 
 took a lute, and sang to it, and the cup went round, and the 
 goblet among us. So there entered into me such gladness as 
 made me forget the sorrows of the world, even the whole of 
 them, and I said, * This, this is life !' And I ceased not to 
 
TALE OF THE THIRD QURTTNDEEL. 151 
 
 Stay with them till the time came for rest. So they said, 
 * Take to thee her whom thou preferrest among the whole of 
 us ;' And I chose one among them, lovely in countenance, 
 with eyes edged with kohi, her locks long, and dark black, 
 with pouting moist lips, perfect in her shape, her eyebrows 
 joined in one, as if she were some 'limber graceful branchlet, 
 or the slender stalk of a sweet plant, to maze and to bewilder 
 the imagination, — as the poet said of her ; — 
 
 * 'Twas folly sure in me 
 Her erstwhile to compare 
 To the fresh verdure of the date tree bough ; 
 Then let it never be, 
 That I her shape and air 
 With the Ghurzel should seek to liken no\T, 
 For how could the Ghuzel 
 Dare with her to compete 
 In winning graces, and proportions true ; 
 Or her ripe lips excel, 
 Her lips so luscious- sweet, 
 Her lips whence one might sip the honey dew^ 
 Her wide, and piercing eye 
 Hath privilege to slay 
 
 With love, or by a glance him fast to bind, 
 'Gainst whom its arrows fly ; 
 He smitten wastes away 
 In torment dire, and agony of mind, 
 I doated upon her 
 With more than love's excess, 
 Fond e'en to foolishness ; yet who could say 
 That any wonder 'twere 
 The love-sick should love thus, 
 
 When love assails his life, and wears his sense away ?' 
 And I broke out spontaneously to her ; — 
 
 * On other charms mine eyes can never rove, 
 None else but thou a thought from me could gain ; 
 
 My only care, sweet friend, is for thy love, 
 
 In that I'll die, in that I'll rise again.' 
 
152 TALE OF THE THIRD QTJRUNDEEL^ 
 
 So I arose, and went with her ; none fairer than her did I 
 ever see. Now when it was morning, they entered the bath 
 with me, and they bathed me, and clothed me in fairest ap- 
 parel, and they set food before us, and we ate, and we 
 drank, and the cup went round among us until night. Then 
 took I from among them one, fair in every attribute, soft shap- 
 ed in true proportions, as the poet said of her, when he 
 said ;— 
 
 ' Two rounded urns are on her breast, 
 Each with a seal of musk impressed, 
 To keep them sure lest they be pressed, 
 By lover's hand profane ; 
 These with the arrows of her eyes 
 The wards and watches from surprise, 
 Who daring ventures, surely dies 
 By arrowy glances slain.' 
 
 In brief then, my mistress, I remained with them m all the 
 comforts of life the period of a full year, and at the head of the 
 new year they said to me, * It were better for us we had never 
 known thee, yet if thou listenest to us, there is in what we 
 say good counsel for thy present state.' So I marvelled, and 
 said to them, * What is the matter ?' Then replied they. 
 * Surely we be the daughters of a king, and we meet and 
 live together here for a period of two years, then are we ab- 
 sent forty days and remain afterwards here a year eating, and 
 drinkmg, and taking our pleasure, and enjoying delights: 
 then go we away, and this is our custom. Now we fear lest 
 thou shouldst do contrary, after we be gone, to what we shall 
 direct thee. Here now we give in charge to thee the keys 
 of the palace, and in it be forty separate apartments, and thou 
 mayest open these nine and thirty doors, but beware lest thou 
 openest the fortieth door, for then we shall be separated.* 
 So I said to them, * I surely will not open it if it contain the 
 cause of separation from you.* Then one among them stood 
 
TALE OF THE THIRD QURUNDEEL. 152f 
 
 forth and fell on my neck, and wept, and repeated a 
 verse ; — 
 
 * Whene'er the time be near 
 That after absence we shall meet ; 
 Smiles shall on Fortune's brqw appear 
 "Where frowns had late their seat. 
 Then if my longing eyes 
 Be brightened with a sight of thee, 
 All Fortune's former injuries 
 Shall fly my memory.' 
 
 Then broke I out into a siniil^ strain ; — ■ 
 
 * When the parting drew near, and our hearts were nigh broken, 
 In transports of love as our last vows were spoken, 
 A thick shower of pij.re pearls in her weeping she shed, 
 While my tears like cornelians, flowed blood-like, and red ; 
 The two streams trickled down in continuous flow, 
 And hung round her fair bosom a necklace of woe.' 
 
 Now when I saw her weeping, I said, * Wallahy ! f will 
 not open it ever,' And I bade her farewell, and they went 
 forth : then flew they away. So I sat in the palace 
 alone ; ai>d when the evening drew near I opened the first 
 ^partraient, and entered it : then found I in it a dwelling 
 place, even like Paradise ; and in it a garden with its tree? 
 fresh green, ana its fruits scarlet ripe, and its birds warbling, 
 and its waters flowing. So my mind was all astonishe(J 
 with it, and I walked among the trees, and I smelt the airy 
 breathings of the flowers, and heard the song of the birds, 
 and looked on the color of the apples excelling all things 
 of ruddy hue, and all of paler green, as said the poet ; — 
 
 * United in the apple's growth 
 Two different tints appear, — 
 The shining cheeks of my beloved, 
 The hue of dastard fear.' 
 
 And I gazed too upon the quince, and went to smell it's odour 
 which puts to shame the scent of musk, and of umbergris, and 
 
154 TALE or THE THIRD QURUNDEEL. 
 
 it is indeed as the poet has said, and the couplets tell us ;— • 
 
 * The quince hath gathered to herself 
 The best delights of earth, 
 Hence stands she first among all fruits 
 
 In honor and in worth. 
 Her taste is like to luscious wine, 
 Her smell to musk when new, 
 / Round is she as the full horned moon, 
 
 ^ And gold-like in her hue.' 
 
 And I saw there too the apricot striking the eye with admi- 
 ration of her beauty, as if she were a living ruby. Then 
 went I out of that place, and shut the door up of that apart- 
 ment as it was before. So when it was the morrow I opened 
 the second apartment, and entered ; then found I in it a very 
 large open space, and in it very many plants, and a stream of 
 running water, and shrubs of the rose, and the jasmine, and 
 the striped cistus, and the dog rose, and the narcissus, and the 
 violet carpeting the borders, and the wind's breath swept these 
 sweetly breathing plants. So I smelt these pleasant odours 
 right and left, and the fulness of satiety reached me among 
 these delicious joys. Then went I out from that place, and 
 closed the door of the apartment as it was before. Now I 
 opened the door of the third apartment, and saw in it a spa- 
 cious courtyard, paved with various colored marble, and 
 minerals of price, and rare stones, and in it cages of sandal 
 wood, and wood of benzoin ; in these were birds, which 
 made a sweet noise, such as the thousand-voiced nightingale, 
 and the ring-dove, and the grackle, and the turtle-dove, 
 and the warbling bee-catcher : and my heart was filled 
 with pleasure at that, and my gi'ief was dispelled, and I 
 slept in that place until the dawn. Then opened I the door 
 of the fourth apartment, and found in it a very large dwelling 
 house, and in that house forty separate rooms with their doors 
 wide open : so I entered them, and I saw then of the pearl, 
 and the ruby, and the beryl, and the emerald, and of precious 
 
TALE OF THE THIRD QURUNDEEL. 155 
 
 jewels that the tongue of man could not describe : and my 
 sense was mazed at that, and I said, ' These things, sure one 
 would not think could be found in the treasury of a king of 
 kings ;' and my mind was even then open to understand and 
 my sorrow ceased : for I said, * I most certainly am tlie 
 monarch of my age, and this wealth, by God's grace, is mine, 
 and the forty damsels under my hand, and not a single other 
 than I near them.' So I gave not over unclosing place after place, 
 until nine and thirty days were passed, and I had opened the 
 forty apartments, even all of them, except that one which they 
 forbade me to open the door of. So my thoughts, oh ! my mis- 
 tress, continued to be constantly occupied with that apartment 
 which itself was the fortieth, and Satan urged me for my un- 
 doing to open it ; thus I could not keep patience in this, 
 though there remained of the fixed period but one single day. 
 So I stood before the apartment afore mentioned, and opened 
 the door of it, and entered : then found I in it, a strong smell, 
 such as I never smelt the like of, and that odour intoxicated 
 my senses as with wine, and I fell swooning there the full 
 space of an hour. Then made I my heart resolute, and enter- 
 ed the apartment further ; then saw I its floor bespread with 
 saffron, and saw also branched-lights of gold, and perfumes, 
 diffusing the odour of musk, and umbergris mingled with it, 
 and the place was blazing with light. And I saw two censers, 
 very vast ones, each one of them filled full of berzoin, and 
 umbergris, and honied odours, and the whole place was com- 
 pletly scented with the perfume of them ; And I saw oh ! 
 my mistress, a noble steed, dark as m the blackness of night 
 when it is murkiest, and before him a manger of clear crystal, 
 in it was husked sesame, and another trough like it, in it was 
 water of the rose scented with musk, and the steed was ready 
 girt, and bridled, and his saddle of red gold. Now when 
 I saw him, I marvelled at him, and said to my soul, 
 * Surely now this creature, there is no doubt but there 
 
 v 2 
 
156 TALE or Tim third qurundeel. 
 
 he some very wondrous mystery in him,' And Satan led me 
 astray. So I led liim out, and mounted him ; but he did 
 not stir from his place, so I kicked him with my heel, but 
 he moved not ; so I took the whip on the rein and struck 
 him with it. Now when he was touched with the blow, 
 he neighed a loud neigh with a sound like roaring thunder, 
 and there opened two wings on him, and he flew with me, 
 jihd was away out of eye ^ight in the firmament of heaven a 
 full hour. Then he let me down on a terrace, and threw me 
 off, and lashed me with his tail in the face, so that it tore 
 out my left eye, and made it stream out upon my cheek, and 
 he departed from me. Then went I down from the terrace, 
 and found the ten young men, the one-eyed ones, and they 
 said to me, * No wekome to thee, nor no peace.* Then an- 
 swered I to them, * Here have I become one like you, and 
 it is my wish that you bring me a platter of bl ack ashes that 
 I blacken my face with it, and that you receive me to sit 
 with you.' So they repUed, * Wallahy, thou shalt not sit 
 near us, and go forth now hence.' Now when they drove 
 me away, and matters went hard with me, and I thought on 
 ■what destiny was passed upon my forehead, I went forth 
 from among them, with sorrowing heart, with weeping eyes, 
 and I repeated the saw, * As I was sitting at my ease, so left me 
 not my frowardness.' Then shaved I my beard, and my 
 eye brows, and I purposed reaching the cities of God, and 
 the Almighty decreed safety for me until I arrived at Bughdad 
 in the evening of this night, and met these two standing about 
 bewildered. So I saluted them and said, ' I am a poor stran- 
 ger,' And they answered, ' And we likewise be strangers,' 
 And we were like to like, we three Qurundeels, blind of the left 
 eye, and this, oh ! my mistress, is the cause of the shearing 
 ■my beard, and the tearing out of mine eye.' So she said to 
 him, ' Take thyself off, and go,' And he answered, ' Wal- 
 lahy, I will not go until I hear the story of these others.' So 
 
TALE OF THE THIRD QURTTNDEEL. 157 
 
 then the damsel turned towards the Khuleef, and Jafur, and 
 Mussroor, and said to them, ' Tell me your history.' Then Ja- 
 fur stood forth, and told her the tale which he had told to the 
 portress at their entry. Now when she had heard his words, 
 she said, ' I grant you leave to go your several ways.' So 
 they went forth till they were in the street. Then said the 
 Khuleef to the Qurundeels, ' Oh ! you all, whither propose 
 ye now to go, and the morning not yet dawned V So they re- 
 plied, ' Wallahy, our master, we know not whither we shall 
 go.' And the Khuleef said to them, ' Come and abide with us, 
 And he said to Jafur, * Take them, and bring them to my pre- 
 sence to-morrow, that we write a record of what has befallen 
 them.' And Jafur did like as the Khuleef ordered him : but the 
 Khuleef went up into his palace, and sleep gave him no 
 taste of her that night. Now when the morning dawned he 
 sat upon the throne of his sovereignty and addressed him- 
 self to Jafur, after the lords of state were come up, and 
 said, ' Bring me the three damsels, and the two dogs, and 
 the Qurundeels.' So Jafur departed, and brought them 
 into presence before him, and the damsels entered under 
 their veils, and Jafur turned to them and said to them. 
 « We have forgiven you the fair treatment ye lately offered 
 us, for ye knew us not : know now however that ye be in 
 presence of the fifth of the sons of Abassul Haroon oor Rus- 
 heed, brother of Monsa ul Hadee, Bin ul Muhdee Muhum- 
 mud, Bin Uboo Jafur Ul Munsoor, Bin Muhummad, brother 
 of Ul Jafah Bin Muhummud : speak not then before him but 
 what is true.' Now when the damsels heard the words of 
 Jafur, as speaking for the Lord of the Faithful, the eldest stood 
 forth, and said, ' Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, mine is a story, if 
 it were written with the point of a needle in the corner of the 
 eye, it were an example for whoso should consider it, and 
 counsel for whoso should take counsel by it.' " — And Shuhnr- 
 zad perceived the morning light, and ceased speaking the 
 words permitted her. 
 
158 TALE OF THE FIRST DAMSEL. 
 
 She said '* They relate oh ! mighty King, that when she stood 
 forth before the Lord of the Faithful, she said, ' Mine is a 
 strange tale, and this is it, that these two black dogs are my 
 sisters, and we, as it were three, our sisters sprung from one 
 mother, and one father, and these two other girls, the one 
 who has upon her the marks of stripes, and the other she that 
 is provisioner to us are by another mother. Now when my 
 father died each took his own share of the inheritance, and 
 after certain days my mother fulfilled her time, and left to us 
 three thousand deenars ; so each daughter took her inherit- 
 ance, a thousand deenars, and I was younger than them some 
 years. Now my sisters went off, and married each one 
 a man and dwelt thus for a time. Then each of their hus- 
 bands equipped themselves for trade, and took from his wife 
 a thousand deenars, and travelled with other persons, and they 
 threw me off. So they were absent five years, and their 
 wives spent all the money they had, and were ruined, and 
 their husbands abandoned them to the common town. Now 
 after five years the elder came to me in the condition and ap- 
 pearance of an unfortunate beggar, and she had raiment rent, 
 and a wrapping veil old, and dirty ; and truly she was in 
 the filthiest of conditions. Now when I saw her I forgot 
 who she was, and knew her not : but surely when I recog- 
 nised her, I said to her, ' What state is this V So she an- 
 swered, ' Oh ! my sister ! words cannot remedy what's done 
 and the pen of destiny has run through what was ordered.' 
 Then I sent her to the bath, and put a change of raiment on 
 her, and said to her, ' Oh ! my sister, thou art even to me 
 as my father and mother ; and for the inheritance which des- 
 cended to us, God hath sent prosperity upon it, and I have 
 added wealth to it, and my position is affluent, and I and you 
 on equality,' and I treated her fairly even with exceeding 
 
TALE OF THE FIRST DAMSEL. 159 
 
 kindly treatment, and she abode with me the period of a 
 full year, : and our thoughts were wholly occupied with our 
 other sister. Now it was but a little, ere she too came in a 
 dress filthier even than that in which arrived my eldest sis- 
 ter. And I did by her more even than I did by the first, and 
 they had money enough and to spare, of my money. So 
 after a time, these two said to me, ' Our sister, we desire 
 now to marry, for indeed we have not patience to go on 
 biding here without a husband. ^2 And I said to them *0h 
 my eyes, there is no lasting good in marriage, for in these 
 times, the man of the noble nature is rare to find ; and I see 
 not now in what you propose, aught advisable, and ye have 
 already made trial of marriage.' But they acceded not to 
 my words, and married without my consent : so I went off 
 with my money and concealed myself from them. Now they 
 went with their husbands, and abode but a little time and 
 their husbands played them false, and took, whatever 
 they had, and travelled off and abandoned them. Then came 
 they to me, and they were both ashamed, and made excuses, 
 and said, ' Receive us back now, for you are younger than 
 lis in years, but more perfect in understanding, and we have 
 now no intention to speak of marriage henceforth for ever: re- 
 ceive us back now as handmaidens about you that we may eat 
 our mouthful.' So I replied, ' Welcome to you, oh ! my sisters, 
 there are none more dear to me than you,' And I kissed them, 
 and lavished greater kindness on them than before and we 
 ceased not to be after this fashion for a full year. Now I de- 
 sired to fit out a vessel for Bussora ; so I equipped a large ship, 
 and laded merchandise upon it, and goods for traffic, and what- 
 so was needful for the ship, and said, ' Oh ! my sisters, whe- 
 ther chose you to abide in the house while I travel, and go 
 hence, or come with me ;' And they answered, ' We will 
 travel with you, for we cannot bear to be separated from you.' 
 So I took them, and I divided my money into two halves ; 
 and 1 took one half, and the second half I left behind, for I 
 
160 T4LE OF THE FIRST DAMSEL. 
 
 said, ' Perchance some evil fate may happen to the ship, and 
 yet a period of hfe be fated for me.' So behold ! we -went 
 forth striving for somewhat that might profit us, and we voy- 
 aged some days, and nights ; and the ship lost her course 
 with us, and the captain missed the way, and the ship entered 
 a sea, other than the sea we desired to reach, and for a time 
 we knew not this. So the wind blew fair for us twenty days, 
 and softer the twenty, the look-out man got up to §ee about 
 him, and he cried, ' Good news." And came down, and was 
 very glad and said, ' I saw the distant view of a city, and it 
 showed as 'twere a pigeon afar off.' So we rejoiced, and 
 an hour of the day was not passed ere there had appeared 
 plain to us a city in the distance. And we said to the captain, 
 < What is the name of this city, which shews us such noble 
 buildings V So he said, ' WuUahy, I know not, and have 
 never seen it even once before, and never have I threaded this 
 sea in my life, but the matter has ended in safety. So delay 
 not to enter this city, and display your merchandise, and if a 
 sale is of profit to you, sell, and make your market of what is 
 there, and if sale be not profitable to you, we will rest here 
 two days, and take in provisions, and sail on our voyage.' 
 Then entered we the city, and the captain went up into it, and 
 was away awhile, and came to us, and said, * Arise and come 
 up to the city, and marvel at the workings of God in his 
 creation, and seek to flee from his just indignation.' So we 
 went up into the city. Now when I came to the gate of the 
 city, I saw men with staves in their hands at the gate, and I called 
 to them and lo ! they were smitten with God's wrath, and had 
 become stones ! And we entered the city, and found every one 
 in it smitten by a visitation of God into black stone ; there 
 were in it no inhabited houses, nor one to blow the fire. And 
 we were awe-struck at that. So we penetrated the streets, and 
 found the merchandise left out, and gold and silver left out, 
 even as it was and we were surprised, and said, ' Doubtless 
 there is in this some mystery,' And we separated on the high 
 
TALE OF THE FIRST DAMSEL. 161 
 
 way of the city, and every one was occupied away from his 
 companion in getting property, and money, and rich stuffs 
 but I went up to the castle, and found it strongly fortified. 
 So I entered the palace of the king, and found the whole of 
 the furnishings of gold and silver. And in that place I found 
 the king sitting, and near him his chamberlains, and deputies 
 in office, and his ministers, and on him a fashion of raiment 
 such as would impress wondering admiration upon the 
 thoughts. But when I went before the king I found him sit- 
 ting on a throne inlaid with pearls, and jewels, upon him a 
 robe broidered with gold, and on it every sort of jewel lavish- 
 ly displayed even like the stars of heaven, and there stood 
 around him fifty armed slaves clothed in divers sorts of silks, 
 and in their hands drawn swords. Now when I saw all this 
 my senses were awe struck ; then went I and entered a court 
 yard of the Hureem,^^ and found upon its walls hangings of 
 silk stretched upon rods of gold. And I found the queen 
 sleeping, and on her a robe broidered with pearls of fine water, 
 and on her head a diadem ornamented with divers sorts of 
 bezelled jewels, and on her neck collars, and necklaces, and 
 the whole that was on her in raiment, and jeweled work was 
 in its natural state, but she, smitten by God's wrath, a black 
 stone. Then found I an open door, and I made straight for it, 
 and there was there a place with seven steps up to it. And 
 I discovered it to be a room paved with marble, spread with 
 carpets, broidered with gold, and in it a throne of cedar wood, 
 inlaid with pearls, and precious stones, and two pomegranates 
 6f emerald, and in it an alcove hung with curtains bestrung 
 with pearls ; and I saw a light coming out of the entry of the 
 alcove, and I went up to it ; then found I a precious stone the 
 size of the egg of a goose, at the upper end of the alcove 
 upon a little seat, and this was blazing like the sun, and its 
 light shining forth. Now what was spread over that throne 
 was of all kinds of silk stuff enough to amaze the gazer : so 
 when I saw all this, I marvelled, and perceived in that place a 
 
 w 
 
MM TALE OF THK FIRST DAMSE5,. 
 
 candle lighted, and I said, * There is no doubt but that some 
 one here must have lighted this candle.* And I went and en- 
 tered a room other than that in which was the light, and 
 kept searching about all the places, and I forgot my very being 
 in the marvel that fell upon me at these matters, and I was 
 plunged into my meditations until night came on. Then 
 sought I to get out, but could not recognise the door, and lost 
 jny way : so I abode in the alcove in which was the lighted 
 candle, and sat down upon the throne, and wrapped myself in 
 the skirt of the drapery after I had repeated something from 
 the Qoran. Now sought I to sleep, but I was not able, 
 and disquietude fell upon me. Now when night was 
 half spent, I heard a chanting of the Qoran, in a sweet 
 voice, as if of one whose voice was low. I rejoiced, and fol- 
 lowed the voice until I reached a retired apartment, and I saw 
 a door ajar ; and I opened the door and looked into the place ; 
 and lo ! it was an oratory, and there was a pulpit towards 
 heaven and in it hung a branched candle holder, the can- 
 dle lighted, and several lights burning ; in it too was a prayer 
 carpet spread out, and upon it a youth sitting, fair to look 
 upon, and before him a whole copy of the Qoran, and he 
 was reading. So I marvelled how he was preserved without 
 the people of the city, and entered, and saluted him. Then 
 raised he his eyes, and returned my salute, and I said, * I 
 would fain question, thee in right of that thou chantest from 
 the book of God, that thou mayest not refuse to answer my 
 question.* So the youth looked upon me, and smiled and 
 replied, < Oh ! tliou lady, do thou tell me of the reason of 
 thy entering this place, and I will then tell of what hath be- 
 fallen me, and the people of this city, and the reason of my 
 escape,' And I told him my story, and he wondered at that ; 
 and then I questioned him as to the story of the people of 
 this city ; So he answered, * Wait for me awhile, my sister,* 
 ;and he smoothed down and closed the Qoran, and lifted it into 
 a bag of satin, and seated me by his side. Then looked I 
 
TALE OF THE FIRST DAMSEL. 1*63 
 
 upon him, and lo ! he was as the full moon when at the ful- 
 lest, beauteous in his shape, softly moulded in his proportions, 
 fair to look upon, as it were a model of just form, of medi- 
 um height in stature, like as these verses have been spoken 
 of him ; — 
 
 ' As the sage watched the stars, the semblance clear 
 Of a fair youth on's scroll he saw appear. 
 Those jetty locks Canopus o'er him threw, 
 And tinged his temple curls a musky hue ; 
 Mars dyed his ruddy cheek ; and from his eyes 
 The Archer star his glittering arrow flies ; 
 His wit from Hermes came ; and Soha's care, 
 (The half seen star that dimly haunts the Bear, 8 4) 
 Kept off all evil eyes that threaten and ensnare. 
 The sage stood mazed to see such fortunes meet, 
 And Luna kissed the earth beneath his feet. , 
 
 And sure the Almighty had clothed him with the perfection of 
 external form, and had fashioned it after his likeness in loveli- 
 ness, and beauty, as the poet said of him ; — 
 
 ■* By his eyelash tendril curled, by his slender waist I swear, 
 By the dart his witchery feathers, fatal hurtling through the air ; 
 By the just roundness of his shape, by his glances bright and keen, 
 By the swart limning of his locks, and his fair forehead shining sheen ; 
 By his eyebrows which deny that siie who looks on them should sleep, 
 "Which now commanding, now forbidding, o'er me high dominion keep; 
 By the roses of his cheek, his face as fresh as myrtle wreath, 
 His tulip Ups, and those pure pearls that hold the places of his teeth ^ 
 By his noble form, which rises featly turned in even swell 
 To where upon his jutling chest two young pomegranates seem to dwell : 
 Ey his supple moving hips, his taper waist, and silky skin, 
 By all he robbed Perfection of, and holds enchained his form within ; 
 By his tongue of steadfastness, his nature true, and excellent, 
 By the greatness of his rank, his noble birth, and high descent. 
 Musk from my love her savour steals, who musk exhales from every limb 
 And all the aii-s ambergris breathes are but the zephyr's blow o'er him. 
 The sun methinks, the broad bright sun, as low before my love should 
 
 quail 
 As would my love himself transcend the paltry paring of his nail V 
 
 w a 
 
164 TALE or THE FIRST DAMSEL. 
 
 Then 1 cast on him a glance which caused me in return a 
 thousand sighs, and my heart was devoted to his love ; then 
 said I to him, * Oh ! my master, tell me now of what I ques- 
 tioned thee on V And he answered « To hear is to obey ; 
 know oh ! handmaid of God, that this city is the city of my 
 father, and he is the king whom thou sawest on the throne, 
 and he is now black stone, smitten by God's wrath upon him, 
 and moreover the queen, whom thou didst see in the alcove, 
 she is my mother. Now the whole of the people of the city 
 were Magi, servants of fire without knowledge of the Ruler 
 Omnipotent, and they used to swear by the fire, and the light, 
 and the clouds, and the sun's heat, and the sky which sur- 
 rounds us. Now so it was that my father had not a son, but 
 he was presented with me at the latter end of his life ; and 
 they brought me up till I grew in years, and prosperity anti- 
 cipated me in all things ; but there was with us an old woman 
 stricken in years, a Mooslimee, who put her trust in God, and 
 his prophet in secret, and outwardly she assimulated herself to 
 my people ; and my father had put much dependance on her 
 for that he saw trustworthiness in her, and honesty, and used 
 to treat her kindly, and increased continually in his kindness 
 towards her, and used to believe that she was of his religion. 
 Now when I grew bigger my father entrusted me to her, 
 and said, * Take him, educate him, and teach him and treat 
 his nature with kindness, and continue firm in his service.' 
 So the old woman took me, and taught me to know 
 the true religion with the ablutions, and the divine precepts of 
 purification, and the prayers, and caused me to remember the 
 Qoran, and said, * Do not serve save God Almighty.' Now 
 when I had completed the knowledge of that, she said to 
 me, ' Oh ! my son, conceal tliis matter from thy father, and 
 tell him not lest he slay thee.' So I concealed it from him, 
 and ceased not to be after this manner for some few days ; 
 and the old woman had died, and the people of the city grew 
 worse in their infidel practices, and the exceeding frowardness 
 
TALE OF THE FIRST DAMSEL. 165 
 
 of their sinning, and the error of their ways, Now meanwhile 
 they were about what they were at, they heard a crier crying 
 with a loud voice like to roaring thunder so that near and far 
 could hear him say, * Oh people of this city, leave off the 
 worshipping of the fires, and serve God, the merciful ruler.' 
 And terror was abroad among the people of the city, and they 
 gathered together to my father, and he king of the city, and 
 said to him, * What is this rousing voice which we hear, and 
 which hath terrified us with excess of consternation V So he 
 replied to them, ' Let not the voice strike terror into you, and 
 let it not make you afeared, and let it not make you turn back 
 from your religion,' Then their hearts were soothed, at the 
 saying of my father, and they gave not over cleaving to the wor- 
 ship of fire, and grew worse in their reviling of the irue reli- 
 gion for the period of a year from the exact time at which they 
 heard the first voice. Then came it to them a second time, 
 and they heard it, and a third on the third year, in each year 
 once ; but they gave not over being assiduous in what was 
 their wont until the emnity and wrath from Heaven fell upon 
 them after the rising of the dawn. Now they were changed 
 by a visitation of God into black stone, and their cattle, and 
 their herds, and there escaped not of the people of this city 
 other than I ; and from the day this occurrence befel, am I 
 thus in this condition, m prayer and in fasting, and in chanting 
 the Qoran, and my patience has been worn out by reason of 
 my loneliness, and there is not near me one to keep me com- 
 pany.' Now upon that I said to him, and my heart had been 
 won from me, * Oh ! thou youth, what ails thee but that 
 thou should'st go with me to the city Bughdad, and see the 
 learned, and the doctors of law, and religion, and incease in 
 learning, and understanding, and knowledge of the law ; and 
 know that the damsel who is before thee, is the mistress of 
 her tribe, and commands her men, and servants, and slaves ; 
 and I have a vessel well provided with merchandise, and the 
 decree of Providence hath thrown me in this city that it might 
 
IB(5 TALfi OF THE FIRST DAMSEL. 
 
 be the cause of our being informed of these matters, and it was 
 the fated means for our meeting, and I ceased not to make a 
 departure thence, and the sea voyage appear pleasant to him, 
 and I used persuasive arts towards him, until he consented, 
 and acceded to it.' " And Shuhurzad perceived the morning 
 light, and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty King, that the damsel 
 ceased not recommending to the youth to depart with her, 
 until he said to her, ' Yes,' < And I remained that night lying at 
 his feet, and I scarce knew where I was from very joy. Now 
 when the morning dawned we arose, and entered the apart- 
 ments and took whatever we had strength to carry, and its 
 price was countless, and we went down from the castle to the 
 city. Then the slaves, and the captain met us, and they 
 were in anxious search of me ; so when they saw me, they 
 rejoiced, and I told them what I had seen, and related to them 
 the story of the youth, and the reason of the visitation of the 
 city, and of what had happened to its people ; and they mar- 
 velled at that. But when my sisters saw me, these two dogs 
 there, and that youth with me, they envied me him, and 
 were in a fury of anger, and bethought them of a plot ; so 
 we went up into the ship rejoicing, and we were wild with 
 gladness for that wealth we had gotten, but my greatest joy 
 was in the youth. So we waited to see how the wind was, 
 and the wind blew fair for us ; so we spread the sails, and 
 voyaged. Now my sisters were sitting near me, and we be- 
 gan to talk together ; and they both said to me, * Oh ! sister 
 of our's, what will you do with this handsome youth V 
 And I replied to them, ' My intention is to take him as my 
 husband.' Then I turned to him, and kissed him and said, 
 * Oh ! my master, I wish much to speak to thee on a certain 
 matter in which thou must not cross me, and this it is that 
 
TALE OF THE FIRST DAMSEL. 107 
 
 when we arrive at Bughdad, our city, I may lay my life 
 before thee as thy handmaiden after the condition of a wedded 
 wife, and thou shalt be my husband, and I will be an help- 
 mate to thee. And he answered, * To hear is to comply.' 
 And I turned to my sisters, and said to them, * I content my- 
 self with this youth, and whosoever hath got my property 
 for himself, I yield it to him,' So they answered both, 
 * Even so ; be it as you will.' But they imagined mischief 
 against me. Now we ceased not journeying onwards, and 
 the wind was fair for us until we got out of the Sea 
 of Peril, and entered the safe waters, and we sailed 
 but a few days, ere we neared the city of Bussora, and 
 its walls showed clear before us, and we saw the evening set 
 in. Now when we were taking our rest, my two sisters 
 arose, and carried me in my bedding, and threw me into the 
 sea, and this did they with the youth ; and he was ignorant of 
 swimming and he sank, and the Almighty recorded him 
 among the martyrs. But for me, sure better had it been that 
 I were drowned with him, though heaven decreed that I should 
 be among those saved from death. Now when 1 had recover- 
 ed myself in the sea. Heaven put in my way a piece of timber, 
 and I got upon it, and the waves smote me, until they threw 
 me upon the coast of a promontory. Now I ceased not mov- 
 ing about the headland the rest of the night, and when morn- 
 ing dawned, I saw a pathway which went about the breadth of 
 a man's foot leading from the headland to the main shore ; 
 and the sun had risen. So I wrung out my garments in the 
 sun, and ate the fmits of the headland, and drank of its waters-, 
 and went along the pathway, and gave not over walking till 
 I got near the mainland. Now there was remaining between 
 me and the city but two hours ' journey, when behold I I was 
 aware of a serpent making] toward me, and she was about 
 the thickness of a palm tree, labouring on with efforts as if in 
 haste, and she came towards me full in my path, and I saw 
 her twisting to left and right until she arrived close to me. And 
 
Ite TALE OF THE FIRST DAMSEL, 
 
 lo! her tongue was thrust out towards the ground about a spart, 
 and swept away the dust by its length ; and after her came a 
 mighty snake pursuing her, and he was lengthy, and slender, 
 about a spear's length long. Now she was terrified flying from 
 him, and she kept turning right and left, but he had seized her 
 by the tail, and her tears streamed down, and her tongue was 
 thrust out in the agony of terror. But I took pity on her, and 
 made towards a stone, and cast it so that it fell upon the head 
 of the snake and he died on the instant : so then the ser- 
 pent opened two wings, and flew into the sky, until she dis- 
 appeared from before my eyes. Now I sat down marvelling 
 over that, and I was weary, and drowsiness fell upon me, and 
 I slept in my place for a while, and when I waked I found 
 at my feet a damsel, and with her two dogs, and she was 
 humbling herself at my feet, now I was distressed for her, and 
 arose to a sitting posture and said to her, * Oh ! my sister, 
 who art thou V So she answered, * Hast thou forgotten me 
 So soon ? I am she for whom thou did'st a good action and 
 sowed the seed of kindness, and did'st slay mine enemy : 
 surely I am the serpent whom thou did'st release from the 
 snake. Now I am a Jinneeyut, and this snake a Jin, and he 
 was my enemy, and I had no escape from him save through 
 thee. So when thou had'st freed mefrom him I flew on the 
 wind, and went to the ship whence thy sisters threw thee, 
 and I removed the whole of what was in it to thy house, 
 and I sank it. But for thy sisters, I made of them two black 
 dogs : for I knew well the whole of what had passed with 
 them, and thee, but for the youth most surely he is drowned.' 
 So then she bore me away, and the dogs, and set us down on 
 the terrace of my house. Then saw I the whole of what pro- 
 perty was in the ship in the midst of the house, and not a 
 thing of it missing : then said the serpent to me, * Now in 
 right of what is graved on the ^eal of our master Juleiman, on 
 him be blessing, if thou dost not smitd each one of these dogs 
 every day with three hundred stripes, I will come and make 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND DAMSEL. 169 
 
 thee like them.' So I answered, ' To hear is to obey.' Thus 
 have I not ceased, oh ! Lord of the Faithful, to beat them witli 
 that number of stripes, and I pity them, and they know well 
 that their being scourged is no fault of mine, and they accept 
 my excuses. And this is my tale, and my history.' (So quoth 
 the teller of the story.) Now the Khuleef marvelled at all that, 
 and then said to the second damsel, ' And you too, what is the 
 reason of the welts that are upon your body V So she said, 
 * Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, surely now I had a father, but he 
 filled his time and left very great wealth. So I dwelt for a 
 short time after his death, and married a certain man, the 
 most worthy of the people of his time, and I abode with him a 
 year, and he died, and left me heir to eighty thousand deenars 
 of gold, and tliis was my portion according to the law of 
 innerilance. Now I surpassed others in liberality of living, 
 and ray reputation was spread abroad, for I made ten changes 
 of raiment, each, change for a thousand deenars. Now mean- 
 while as I was sitting one day, behold ! there came in to me 
 an old woman with a cheek discolored, and eyebrows worn 
 bare, and bleared eyes, and broken teeth, and a face seamed 
 witli lines, and sight that was very weakly, and a bald head, 
 and hair whitish grey, and loathsome body, her stature cur- 
 ved, and her complexion thick, and her rheum drivelling, as 
 he who spoke the rhyme said of her: — 
 
 * Oh ! ill-omened beldam, let tliis be her meed, 
 That her very first-born have no pity upon her. 
 That no pardon be found for the sin that lies on her 
 
 The day she is dead ! 
 
 For sure she could lead 
 By force of her craft, and pure subtlety. 
 An hundred mules when most restive they be 
 
 With a spider's thread !' 
 
 So when the' old woman entered she saluted me, and kissed 
 the earth before me, and said to me, ' 1 have at my house a 
 daughter, an orphan, and tliis night have I made preparation 
 
 X 
 
170 TALE OF THE SECOND DAMSEL. 
 
 for her wedding, and her bridal night ; now we be poor folks 
 in this city, and know not any one of its people, and our very 
 hearts are broken ;^^ profit now yourself by the attainment 
 of future blessing, and reward for good, by being present at 
 our bridal, that the ladies of this city of our's may hear that 
 you have come ; then will they too be present : thus will you 
 restore comfort to her mind ; for she is broken in spirit, she 
 has none but the Almighty to look to.' And she wept, and 
 kissed my feet, and commenced repeating this verse ; — 
 
 * To have thee present is our pride, 
 
 And well we know thou dost us grace, 
 For wert thou absent who beside 
 
 Could stand for thee, or take thy place ?' 
 
 So pity took hold on me, and compassion, and I said, * To 
 hear is to accede/ And said also to her, * I will, please God, 
 do somewhat for her, and will not let her be presented as a 
 bride save in my ornaments, and my jewellery, and my set- 
 tings.' So the old hag rejoiced, and bowed her head to my 
 feet, and kissed them, and said, < God return it thee in bless- 
 ings, and comfort thy heart, like as thou hast comforted my 
 heart; but yet, my mistress, be not anxious to do me this ser- 
 vice at this time, but let me go till the evening, then I will 
 come to take thee :' and she kissed my hand, and departed. 
 So I set about preparing myself, and my matters and behold ! 
 the old woman stood before me, and said, ' Oh ! my mistress. 
 Id ! the ladies of the city have arrived, and I told them of thy 
 expected coming, and they were glad, and they are even 
 now in expectation, awaiting eagerly thy footsteps, and I am 
 to introduce the guest.' So I arose, and took with me a 
 handmaiden, and went on until we came to a lane clean- 
 ly swept, well watered, a fresh cool breeze blowing in it, 
 and it was pleasant. So we came before a gate, arched over 
 with a dome of marble, a very large one : the walls by the 
 gate of the mansion stood firm on the ground, and touched 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND DAMSEL. 171 
 
 the clouds, and there was written on the gate these verses ; — > 
 
 * I am the dwelling place of joy, 
 Where gay delights that never cloy, 
 Heart-opening pleasures, still employ. 
 
 Time's even rolling tide. 
 'Neath where my structure stateliest shows 
 With limpid gush a fountain flows 
 Can wash away all cankered woes 
 
 That in the heart abide. 
 The safFron-hued anemone, 
 Narcissus, rose, and myrtle tree, 
 And all sweet flowers that freshest be, 
 
 Bloom by that fountain side.' 
 
 Now when we arrived at the gate, the old woman rapped, 
 and it opened to us, and we entered : then found we a hall 
 spread with carpets, and lamps hung up in it, and candles, 
 inlaid with gems, and stones of value. So we went on 
 through the hall till we entered a courtyard, the like to it 
 could not be found, carpeted with foot-clothes of silk stuff, 
 and hung with branched sconces lighted up, and candles set 
 in order, and at the upper end of the courtyard a dais of cy- 
 press wood decked with pearls, and gems, and by it an alcove 
 with plaited curtains of satin. Now we had hardly taken 
 note of this, ere a young girl came out from the alcove, and 
 I looked upon her. Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, and lo ! she was 
 more perfect than the moon when she is fullest, with her 
 face more bright than the dawn when it gleams saffron-hued, 
 even as the poet sang when he said ; — 
 
 * Chaste daughter of Khosroo, that dwellest alone, 
 'Mid the halls of proud mansions a kaisar might own I 
 What witchery of charms on thy fair cheek repose. 
 Than tragacanth ruddier, more fresh than the rose ! 
 The essence of all that is lovely she took, 
 Whence to cull the soft languor that sleeps in her look ; 
 And her tresses hang low on her forehead's pure white, 
 As the evening of gloom shades the morn of delight.' 
 X 2 
 
172 TALE OF THE SECOND DAMSEL. 
 
 So the young girl came down from the alcove, and said to 
 me, * Welcome, and peace and rest to the sister, the well- 
 beloved, the noble, and a thousand welcomes !' and she 
 commenced extemporaneously saying these verses ;— • 
 
 ' Could my house know that thou would' st visit her, 
 The joyful news had made the dull walls stir 
 
 To kiss the place thy footsteps had impressed ; 
 And by occasion rendered eloquent, 
 They'd cried in their rude tongue, * Joy and content 
 
 To her that's great, and good ! and Peace, and Rest !" 
 
 Then sat she down, and said to me, ' Oh ! my sister, truly 
 now I have a brother, and he has seen you at several festivals, 
 and on divers occasions, and he is a youth more beauteous 
 than I am, and his heart has loved you with exceeding affec- 
 tion, for that a bounteous destiny has garnered in you all beau- 
 ty and perfection. Now he has heard that you are noble in 
 your tribe, and he also is noble in his tribe, and he is desirous 
 to cast his lot with your lot, and has contrived this night for 
 the sake of meeting with you, and he wishes to be married to 
 you according to the ordainance of God, and his Prophet, and 
 in what is lawfal sure there is no wrong.' So said she. Now 
 when I heard her words, and saw my person was fairly entrap- 
 ped in the house, I said to the damsel, ' To liear is to accede :' 
 Then was she glad and clapped her hands, and opened a door, 
 and there came out from it a young man\blooming in the prime 
 of life, exquisite in the style of his stature, and in exact pro- 
 portion, and beauty, and perfect shape, and loveliness, and 
 perfection, and gentle in the winning manners, with an eye- 
 brow like a bow when bent with the arrow, and his eyes 
 would captivate all hearts with the sorcery no law forbids, as 
 some one said of him, and the verse describes him ;— 
 
 * His face was as the face of the new moon, 
 And like the glistening stars, so shone upon him 
 The emblems of his high prosperity.' 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND DAMSEL. 173 
 
 And also, Heaven bless the one that said it of him, the 
 verse ; — 
 
 ' Blessed be His power, creative of such beauty, 
 Oh blessed be He that fashioned thee so fair, 
 So faultless ; for all species of perfection 
 Conjoined make up this one ; so the world 
 So witched to doatage by his loveliness, 
 Beauty was written for his destiny, 
 And his birth witnessed none indeed were fair, 
 But he.' 
 
 Now when I looked upon him my heart yearned towards him, 
 and I loved him : so he sat by my side, and talked with me 
 a while, and then the girl clapped her hands, and behold ! a 
 side room opened, and then came out of it the kazee, ^ ^ and 
 four witnesses ; and they saluted us, and sat down, and 
 wrote out the writing for the youth and they retired. TJien 
 the youth turned to me, and said ' Be the night fortunate !' 
 And he said too, ' Oh ! my mistress, I have a compact to 
 agree on with thee,' And I answered, ' Oh ! my master, and 
 what is the compact V Then he arose and presented to me a 
 Qoran, and said, ' Swear to me that thou wilt never look on 
 any one other than I, and that thou wilt not turn to him ;* 
 So I swore to this, and he rejoiced with exceeding joy, and 
 embraced me, and affection for him possessed my entire 
 heart. Now they brought before us the table laid out, and we 
 ate, and drank, until we were satisfied, and he led me to the 
 bride chamber. So matters ceased not to be thus for a full 
 month, and we were in gladness and in joy ; and at the end 
 of the month, I asked him for leave that I might walk ^^ out 
 to the market place, and buy certain silk stuffs, and he gave 
 me leave to go. So I made ready to go out, and took the old 
 woman with me, and a handmaiden, and went down to the 
 market-place. Now there sat in a shop a young man, a 
 merchant, whom the old woman knew, and she said to me, 
 ' This is a young fellow, whose father died, and left him very 
 
174 TALE OF THE SECOND DAMSEL. 
 
 great weilth, and he has by him a vast stock of merchandise, 
 and what you want you will find here, and there is not any 
 one in the market-place has finer stuff than he.' Then said 
 she to him, ' Bring this damsel the dearest silks you have by 
 you,' And he replied, ' To hear is to heed.' And he thanked 
 the old woman for this, but she said, * We have no want of 
 your thanks ; our wish is just to get whatsoever we require, 
 and return to our house.' So he brought us out what we were 
 looking for, and we took out the money for it. But he re- 
 fused to take any thing, and said, * Let it be a free gift this 
 day from me to you.' And the old woman said, ' If you 
 will not take the money, you must take back this stuff.' 
 So he answered, * Wallahy, not a thing will I take from 
 you, and all these are an offering from me for but one 
 single kiss, for she is to me more beautiful than all else that 
 is in my shop.' So the old woman cried, ' What good will 
 the kiss do you ?' And she said to me, * Oh ! my daughter, 
 dost thou heed what this youth says ? what harm now will it 
 do thee, if he get a kiss from thee, and thou get'st 
 what thou'rt looking for?' So I 'replied to her, * Know 
 you not that I have sworn V And she answered, ' Just 
 let him kiss thee, and keep thou quiet, and then there's 
 no fault on thy part, and take back this money.' So 
 she gave not over recommending this to me until evil 
 entered into my head, and I agreed to it. Then I wrap- 
 ped up my eyes, and stretched out the corner of my 
 walking veil between me and the people passing, and he 
 laid his mouth upon my cheek under my outer veil, but 
 when he kissed me, he bit me with a bite so hard, that it took 
 out the flesh from my cheek and faintness came on me : and 
 the old woman took me fondling in her arms. Now when i 
 recovered, I found the shop closed up. And the old woman 
 looking on me sorrowing, and saying, ' God who is greatest 
 avert all ill.' Then said she to me, ' Come up with me to tlie 
 house, and get some strength in thee, lest thou be exposed ; 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND DAMSEL. 175 
 
 now when thou getest to the house, lie up, and make believe 
 to be ill in pretence and throw thy coverlet over thee ; and I 
 will come to thee with a remedy to cure this bite with, and 
 thou wilt get well at the soonest can be.' So after a while I 
 rose from my place, and I was in extreme distress of mind, 
 and fear came at once upon me, and I went on little by little 
 till I reached the house, and I was in a state of much weak- 
 ness. Now when the night came on, behold ! my husband 
 came in, and said, * Wiiat has befallen thee, oh ! my mistress 
 in this expedition of thine V So I answered, ' I am not well ; 
 there is a pain in my head.' Then he looked upon me and 
 lighted a candle, and came near me and said, ' What is this 
 wound on thy clieek, and it on such a tender place V And I 
 replied, ' Surely when thou gavest me leave, and I went out 
 to-day to buy silk stuffs, a camel ^ ^ loaded with wood pressed 
 upon me, and tore my veil, and hurt my cheek, as thou see'st, 
 for surely the way is narrow in this city.' So he answered, 
 ' To-morrow will I go to the^ ^ governor, and ask him to gibbet 
 every camel man in the city ;' And I cried, ' As God is with 
 thee lay not this crime to any one's account, for truly I was 
 mounted on an ass, and he slipped with me and I fell to the 
 o-round, and he trod on me getting up, and scratched my 
 cheek, and wounded it.' So he said, ' To-morrow will I 
 go up to Jafur, the burmukkee, and tell him the story, that he 
 kill every ass that is in this city.' And I replied, ' Thou 
 would'st impoverish every man because of me, and this now 
 was what happened to me by God's will, and his decree.' 
 And he answered, ' There is no help for it ;' And broke 
 off his words short, and rose suddenly on his feet. But I was 
 obstinate with him, and talked thicker and faster to him, until 
 that. Oh I Lord of the Faithful, he knew my real story, and 
 he said, ' Thou hast violated the oath ;' and he cried out with 
 a very loud cry. Then the door opened, and there came up 
 from it seven black slaves, and he gave them an order: then 
 they dragged me from my bed, and threw me into the middle 
 
176 TALE OF THE SECOND DAMSEL. 
 
 of the hall, and he ordered a slave from among them to 
 pinion me by my arms, and sit at my head, and ordered a 
 second to sit at my knee, and bind my feet, and the third 
 came, and in his hand a sword. So he said, ' Oh ! Seedee, 
 smite her with the sword, and divide her in halves, and let 
 each one take a bit of her, and cast it into the river Tigris 
 that the fish may eat her, for this is the retribution for those 
 who violate marriage vows, and the ties of love !' And his 
 wrath broke out, and he burst forth repeating these lines ; — 
 
 * If that there should be one who shared with me 
 In that I love, I would deny my soul 
 All tenderness, e'en if to quell my love 
 Should quell my life ; and I would say to it, 
 * Death were to me a blessing, oh ! my soul 
 For love is nothing good, when it be spent 
 On what gives no return.' 
 
 Then said he to the slave, « Smite here oh ! Seedee.' Now 
 when the slave was sure of the order, (he who was sitting by 
 me,) he said, * Oh! my mistress, repeat to me the ^° confes- 
 sion of faith, and whatsoever needful thing thou hast to care for, 
 tell me it, for surely this is the end of thy life.' So I answer- 
 ed him, ' Oh ! good slave, wait but a little while till I tell 
 thee my last will.' Then lifted I my head, and saw the state I 
 was in, and how I was fallen into misery after enjoying high 
 dignity, and how I drew my punishment on myself; and I 
 wept with exceeding weeping, and he looked on me with eyes 
 of wrath, and commenced saying extemporaneously ; — . 
 
 ' Go, say to her who fain would be 
 
 Your comfort, and your torment too, 
 Who choses for her luxury 
 
 Another paramour than you ; 
 ' Sure I was spurned from forth thy heart, 
 
 Or ever thou wast spurned from mine ; 
 I tear the common bond apart, 
 
 And keep me free from love like thine.' ' 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND DAMSEL. 177 
 
 Now when I heard him, Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, I wept, an4 
 I looked upon him and began repeating these verses ; — 
 
 * You doom my banishment from love, 
 And all unmoved yourself remain ; 
 My weary lids you sleepless make, 
 And slumber on while I complain ; 
 You turn my nights to watchfulness, 
 And coldly mark my altered cheer ; 
 
 Nor yield your heart to melting thoughts. 
 Nor raise your hand to hide a tear. 
 You made me swear by many an oath 
 By plighted troth to hold, and stay, 
 But when you had lorded o'er my heart. 
 You broke your faith, and fled away. 
 I loved you like a foolish child. 
 That wists not well what love may be ; 
 Then slay me not that only am 
 A learner in it's mystery. 
 I pray you as you hope for Heaven 
 To grave for me, when I am dead, 
 
 * She died/or love^ upon the slab 
 Tliat covers in my stony bed ; 
 
 Then one who has learned what passion is. 
 Poor sorrowing wight, by this may know, 
 He treads upon a lover's heart, 
 And pity her that lies below,' 
 
 Now when 1 ceased speaking my verse I wept ; but when he 
 heard the poetry, and looked upon my weeping, fury was add- 
 ed to his fury, and he burst out saying ; — 
 
 ' 'Twas not satiety that bade me leave 
 
 The once loved of my heart, 
 But that her sinning grew, and gathered head. 
 
 And urged me to depart. 
 She sought to let another share our love. 
 
 So sacred once, and pure ; 
 But my true heart had long ere this made oath 
 
 No rival to endure.' 
 
 Y 
 
178 TALE OF THE SECOND DAMSEL. 
 
 So when he stopped reciting his verse, I wept again, and was 
 very humble to him, but I said in my heart, * I will deal 
 cunningly with him in my words, that he may let me escape 
 the pain of slaying, even though he should take from me, 
 the whole of what I am mistress of; then I reproached him 
 with the treatment I met from him, and began to repeat these 
 verses ;— 
 
 * Now by the sense of what is right ! 
 
 If thou wert just thou would'st not kill, 
 
 Nor e'en thy harsh intent fulfil 
 
 To drive me hence ; though 'tis thy will. 
 
 Yet will'st thou what is just ? 
 Strong, and oh ! cruel in thy might, 
 A weight of grief thou mak'st me bear. 
 Poor wretch, that racked by fear and care,. 
 Am crushed by e'en the dress I wear, 
 
 And tremble in the dust ! 
 Why should I marvel at the plight, 
 To which thou hast driven my poor brain,. 
 "When I my very form in vain 
 Attempt to recognise again. 
 
 When from thy side 'tis thrust I' 
 
 Now when 1 ceased my verse, I wept again ; and he looked 
 upon me and chided me, and treated me with contumely, and 
 broke out repeating these lines ;— 
 
 * Thou wast all taken up with other love 
 
 Than mine ; thou did'st bring on (for 'twas not I 
 Would have done so ) the cause of separation, 
 I leave thee, for thou hast abandoned me ; 
 I keep from thee, as thou hast kept thyself 
 From me. 'Tis thus I look on other loves, 
 Because thou hast, — thus when our union's parted, 
 Not mine the deed, but thine.' 
 
 Now when he had left off repeating his verses he roared to 
 the slave and said to him, * Cut her m half, and free us from 
 her ; for we have no good of her.' Now in the midst of 
 this, oh, Lord of the Faithful, when we had done bandying 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND DAMSEL. 179 
 
 verses, one to the other, and I had made sure of death, and 
 despaired of life, and entrusted my all to the Almighty, be- 
 hold ! the old woman came in, and cast her body at the feet 
 of the youth, and she kissed them, and she wept and said, 
 * Oh ! my son, for the sake of my fosterage of thee, and my 
 service to thee, pardon this damsel, for that she hath not 
 committed a sin worthy of this ! now thou art a youth, 
 even very young ; take heed to thyself lest thou be in- 
 volved in her guiltiness : for it has been said, * Whoever 
 slayeth shall be slain.* And as for this filthy thing drive her 
 out from thee, and from thy love, and from thy heart.' Then 
 she wept, and left not off striving with him until he acceded 
 and said, * I pardon her, but there is no help for it but that 
 I make a mark, and it shall lie upon her the rest of her life.' 
 So he gave orders to the slaves and they dragged me on, and 
 stretched me full length, after they had stripped me of my 
 garments, and the slave sat upon me, and a household servant 
 arose, and brought in a rod of the quince tree, and laid on 
 with it upon my body with heavy blows, and gave not over 
 beating me on my back, and my sides, until I lost sense of my 
 existence from the exceeding violence of the blows, and des- 
 paired of my life, Then ordered he the slaves that as soon as 
 night set in they should take me away, and should take the 
 old woman with them to point out the house, and should 
 throw me into my own dwelling, in which I was before. So 
 they did what their lord ordered them, and threw me into my 
 house, and departed, and I ceased not lying in my swoon, till 
 the dawn had appeared. Then I remedied the sore state I 
 was in with plasters, and medicaments, and applied medicines 
 to my person, and my sides remained as if they had been lash- 
 ed with a scourge, even as you see, and I lay weakly, pros- 
 trate on my bed, medicining myself four months, until I was 
 able to rise, and recovered my health. Then went I to the 
 house in which this matter befel me, and found it ruined, and 
 the alley levelled from end to end, and the house was a hillock 
 
 Y 2 
 
180 TALE OF THE SECOND DAMSEL. 
 
 of ruins, and I could learn no news of it. So I went to my 
 sister, this one here who is my father's child, and 1 found with 
 her these two black dogs. So 1 saluted her, and informed her 
 of my tidings, and the whole of my history, and she said to 
 me, * Oh ! my sister thou art one who hast got safe through 
 the calamities of the world ; thanks be to God ! who hath 
 brought the matter to good end.' And she began to say ; — 
 
 * The world is never after other fashion 
 Tlian this ; then bear it patiently, an't be 
 That thou'rt impoverished in loss of wealth, 
 Or grieved in parting with the friend thou lov'st.' 
 
 Then she told me of her tidings, and what happened to her 
 with her sisters, and what had become of them, so I abode 
 there and she also ; we talked not of marriage for the rest of 
 our years. Now our companion, this damsel, she that is pro- 
 visioner, every day used to go out to bring for us what was 
 necessary, as supplies for us for a day, and night, and we con- 
 tinued after this manner up to this night that is passed. For our 
 sister went forth to bring for us things according to the course 
 of our custom, and there befel us what befel in the bringing in 
 the porter, and these three Qurundeels, so we talked with them 
 and let them enter to us, and treated then kindly, and very little 
 of the night had not passed, ere three mer^-liants who had come 
 with a train from Moussul joined our assembly, and told us 
 their story, and we talked with then, so that we agreed on a 
 compact with them, but they did contrary to our agreement, 
 and we treated them as sorted with their breach of compact, 
 and desired them to tell us all that had come to pass with 
 them. So they all told us their stories, and what had befallen 
 them, and we forgave them, and they departed from us, and 
 we were hardly assured that it was day, ere they brought us 
 to thy presence. And this is our tale.' So the Khuleef mar- 
 velled at it, and made of it a record in his record chamber." 
 And Shuhurzad perceived the morning dawn, and ceased 
 speaking the words permitted her. 
 
TALE OF THE SECOND DAMSEL. 181 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty King, that the Khuleef 
 ordered that this history should be written in the State Rolls, 
 and that they should lay it in the royal record chamber. Then 
 said he to the damsel, the first of the sisters, * Hast thou no 
 tidings of the female Ufreet who laid a spell on thy sisters ?' 
 She replied, * Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, of a surety she gave 
 me some of her hair, and said. ' When thou wishest for my 
 presence, burn one hair from among these ; then will I be pre- 
 sent with thee in all haste, even though I were beyond the 
 mountain Caucasus.' Then said the Ktuileef, ' Bring me hi- 
 ther the hair ;' And the damsel brought it before him. And 
 the Khuleef took it and burned it. So when the smoke of it 
 began to appear, the palace was shaken, and they heard a 
 murmur of the wind and a noise as of bird's wings, and lo ! the 
 Jinneet was in presence. Now she was a Mooslim ; so she 
 said, ' Peace be with thee, oh ! Vicar of God !' And he re- 
 plied. * To thee too be peace, and God's mercy, and his 
 bounties,' Then said she, ' Know that this damsel sowed 
 as it were the seed of a good action with me ; and I am no' 
 able to make her sufficient return for it, for even she delivered 
 me from death, and slew my enemy. Now I saw what her 
 sisters did to her, and further saw I no way but that I should 
 take vengeance on them, and I made them by a spell, dogs, 
 after I had desired to put them to death, for I feared that to do 
 so would give her pain, and now if thou desirest their release, 
 oh ! Lord of the Faithful, 1 will release them to pleasure thee 
 and her, for surely I am numbered among the Mooslims.' 
 Then said the Khuleef to her, ' Release them, and after that 
 will we look to the matter ot the damsel, her beaten with 
 stripes, and investigate her condition ; and if the truth of her 
 story be evident to me, I will exact retaliation for her from 
 whoso oppressed her.' Then said the female Ufreet, * Oh ! 
 
183 TALE OF THE SECOND DAMSEL. 
 
 Lord of the Faithful, forthwith will I release them,' and will 
 point out him who did the evil deed by this damsel, and op- 
 pressed her, and took her money, and even he is nearest 
 among men to thee.' So the female Ufreet took a cup of 
 water, and spoke a spell over it, and spoke in words there 
 was no understanding, and sprinkled the face of the two dogs, 
 and said to them, ' Return to your former human shape,' and 
 they returned to their likeness, even as they were before. 
 Then said the female Ufreet, ' Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, of 
 a surety he who scourged the damsel is thy son Umeen, the 
 brother of Mamoon ; for he had heard of her beauty, and 
 her perfections, and played a lover's stratagem with her, and 
 married her according to the law, and he committed the crime, 
 such as it is, of scourging her ; for surely he laid a condition 
 upon her, and swore her by a mighty oath, that she should do 
 no ill thing, but she violated the oath. Then he desired to 
 put her to death, but feared God ; and so scourged her with 
 these stripes, and dismissed her to her own place, and this is 
 the story of the second damsel, and God knows it is so.' 
 Now when the Khuleef heard that in the words of the female 
 Ufreet, and knew who beat the damsel, he marvelled in all 
 astonishment, and said, ' Praise be to God, the High, the 
 Mighty, who hath in this shewed his great mercy towards 
 me, and hath caused the release of the two daughters from 
 sorcery and torture, and hath shewed mercy to me in giving 
 me knowledge of this damsel, and now, Wallahy ! will we 
 do a deed that shall be written after we are no more.' So he 
 called before him his son Umeen, and questioned him on the 
 story of the second damsel, and he told him it according to 
 the face of truth ; so then he called into presence the kazees 
 and the witnesses, and brought in the three Qurundeels, and 
 brought in the' first damsel, and her own sister Who had been 
 ensorceled, and he married the three to the three Qurundeels, 
 who had informed him that they were kings, and he made 
 them chamberlains near his person, and gave them all that 
 
TALE or THE YOUNG WOMAN CUT PIECEMEAL. 183 
 
 tliey required, and allowed fixed stipends to them, and settled 
 them each in palaces of Baghdad. And he restored the 
 damsel, her beaten with stripes, to his son Umeen, and re- 
 newed his marriage contract, and gave her very much wealth, 
 and ordered that the house should be rebuilt fairer than it was 
 before. Now for the Khuleef himself, surely he took to wife 
 her that was provisioner, and lay with her that night. So 
 when it was morning, he set apart a house for her, and hand- 
 maidens for her service, and assigned daily allowances for her, 
 and made for her a house with its private entrances. Then 
 the people marvelled at the kindly bearing of the Khuleef, and 
 the benevolence of his nature, and his wisdom, and the Khu- 
 leef ordered that they should record in history these stories 
 even the whole of them." Quoth Doonyazad to her sister Shu- 
 hurzad, *' Oh ! my sister, WuUahy, this tale is perfect, a 
 very pleasing one, and the like I never heard, not even one 
 like it ; but tell me now another story to pass away what yet 
 remains of the watch time of this our night." She replied 
 " With pleasure and all willingness, if the King order me." 
 Then said the King " Tell on thy tale, and begin quickly." So 
 she said, " They pretend oh ! King of the time and lord of 
 the age, and of these days, that the Khuleef Haroon oor Rus- 
 heed called into presence on a certain night his vuzeer Jafur, 
 and said to him. * I desire to go down into the city, and ques- 
 tion the common folks as to the circumstances of the men in 
 power, entrusted with administration, and every one whom 
 they accuse among them will I depose from office, and whom 
 they speak gratefully of will I exalt ; So Jafur replied, ' To 
 hear is to obey.' Now then the Khuleef went down, and 
 Jafur, and Musroor, and penetrated into the city, and went 
 into the market squares, and streets, and they were going 
 through an alley, and they saw an old man, even very old, on 
 his head a fishing net, and a dry gourd to carry small fish and 
 in his hand a staff, and he, as he was going to his home, 
 
184 TALE OF THE YOUNG WOMAN CUT PIECEMEAL. 
 
 broke out in verse and said ;— . 
 
 ' Like as the moon,' they say, ' showeth by night' 
 
 * So men the light of thy learning espy :' 
 
 * Cease such vain babbling, ys triflers,' I cry, 
 ' None look to science, who see not the light 
 
 Of wealth shiningly.' 
 And I should pain both myself, and my learning, 
 
 All of my books for a single day's diet 
 
 E'en to my inkstands — the broker'd deny it, 
 Or with low jest at the paltry pledge spurning 
 
 Would trouble my quiet. 
 Bankrupt, poor, beggared, no worse fate can offer I 
 He pinched for food must in summer go fast, 
 And scorch by the bath stove while wintry days last r 
 Street curs will bay him, and every low scoffer 
 
 Vile gibes at him cast. 
 Lo ! when he plains to the rich, not a soul 
 Pities, or heeds him, howe'er he may crave : 
 If this be life, and such life we must brave, 
 Sure we might meet with a happier dole 
 
 Down deep in the grave. 
 
 Now when the Khuleef heard his extemporaneous verse, he 
 said to Jafur, * Look upon this poor man, and attend to this 
 verse of his ! Now surely it points to his necessities." So the 
 Khuleef stepped towards him and said to him, * Oh ! old 
 man, what is thy trade V And he answered, * Oh ! master 
 mine, I am a fisherman, and poverty is in my house, and I 
 have been out of my dwelling since day was half spent even 
 till this time ; not a thing, I swear by the Almighty, have I 
 to feed my family, and I have got to hate my life, and long 
 for death.' Then said the Khuleef, ' What think you if you 
 went with us to the river, and stopped on the shore of the 
 Tigris, and cast your net on my luck, and whatsoever comes 
 up I will buy from you for a hundred deenars.' So he re- 
 joiced when he heard these words, and said, ' On my head be 
 it, I will go with you.' So the fisherman went with them to 
 
TALE OF THE YOUNG WOMAN CUT PIECEMEAL. 185 
 
 the river, and cast his net, and waited awliile ; then he drew 
 the cord, and dragged the net to him, and there came up in 
 the net a chest, fastened with a padlock, of heavy weight ; and 
 he o-ave the fisherman an hundred deenars, and turned back, 
 and Musroor carried the chest along with the Khuleef, 
 and they went up with it to the palace, then lighted they 
 candies, and the chest stood before the khuleef, and then 
 Jafur and Musroor, came forward, and broke open the chest. 
 Then found they a basket of palm leaves corded with a string, 
 of red silk ; so they cut open the basket, and saw in it a 
 bundle of carpet stuffs, and they lifted out the bundle, and 
 found in it a woman's wrapper, and in it found they a young 
 girl, fair as if she were a silver ingot, murdered and cut into 
 pieces. Now when the Khuleef looked upon her, he cried 
 * Alas !' And liis tears ran down his cheek, and he turned to 
 Jafur, and said, ' Oh ! dog of Vuzeers, the murderer murders 
 those that are in my charge,andcasteththem into the river, and 
 they will be added to my responsibility at the day of judgment! 
 Wullahy, there is no help for it, but that I do^^ right by the 
 damsel, on whoso murdered her, and surely will we make 
 him die the worst of deaths !' And he said to .Tafur, ' Now 
 by the accession of my lineage to this Khuleefut, this God's 
 Vicarage, from the Sons of Ubas, if thou dost not bring me him 
 who slew this woman that I avenge her on him, I will hang 
 thee at the gate of my palace, and forty of thy uncle's sons 
 with thee !' And the Khuleef was furiously wrath with ex- 
 ceeding anger. So Jafur went forth from before him, and said 
 to hiui, 'Grant me now a delay of three days.' He replied, 
 ' I grant it thee.* And Jafur went down to the city, and he 
 was in sorrow, and said in his heart, ' Whence shall I learn of 
 him who murdered this damsel, so that I may bring him before 
 the Khuleef, and if I bring before him other than that very he, 
 it will be added to my reckoning ; Now I know not what I 
 shall do.' So Jafur sat in his house three days, and on 
 the fourth day, the Khuleef sent after him, certain of the 
 
 z 
 
186 TALE OF THE YOUNG WOMAN CUT PIECEMEAt. 
 
 chamberlains to seek him, and he came np to him. So the 
 Khuleef said to him, * Where is the- murderer of the damsel?' 
 Jafur repUed, * Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, I must be surely- 
 privy to the murder to know the murderer.' So the Khuleef 
 was furious, and gave orders to hang him- below his pa- 
 lace, and ordered the criers to proclaim through the streets of 
 Bughdad ' Whoso desires pleasure to see the hanging of Jafur 
 the Burmukkee Vuzeer of the Khuleef^ and the hanging of 
 forty of the Burmukkee, the sons of his uncle, at the gate of 
 the palace of the Khuleef, let him- come fwth, and> take 
 his pleasure !' Then came forth the people from all the 
 streets, desiring to gratify themselves with the hanging of 
 Jafur, and the sons of his uncle, yet knew they not the reason 
 of the hanging them. And they reare-d the gibbet and set 
 them standing below it ready for the hanging, and they were 
 lt)oking for the command of the Khuleef, and the signal was 
 given, even then, and the populace were weeping over Jafur, 
 and the sons of his uncle. Now in tlie mean time, while 
 they were even thusj lo ! a young, man, handsome in face, 
 elegant in his apparel, his countenance fairer than the moon, 
 and his eyes bright dark blaclc, and his temple whiter than tlie 
 lily, and his cheek, very ruddy, and Iris whole person fresh, 
 and young, and his moles like a round spot of ambergris, 
 and he ceased not making his way through the people until 
 he arrived immediately before Jafur. Then said he to him, 
 * Safety is thine, even by this delay, oh ! chief of nobles, 
 and asylum for the poor ! He who slew the murdered woman, 
 whom you found in the chest, am I ! hang me now for her, 
 and do her right on me.' Now when Jafur heard the words 
 of the youth, and what he disclosed to him in his address 
 he rejoiced for the escape of his life, and sorrowed for the 
 youth. Now meanwhile they were in their talking, behold ! an 
 old man, very ancient, one striken in years, pushing through 
 the people, and thrusting among the populace, until he reach- 
 ed Jafur, and the youth ; so he saluted them, and said, * Oh I 
 
TALE OF THE YOUNG WOMAN CUT PIECEMEAL. 187 
 
 thou Vuzeer, and duef of those lield in honor, believe not 
 true the words of this youth in what he tells you, for of a 
 surety, no one murdered the damsel but I ; do her right now 
 on me, or I will require it of thee before Almighty God, if 
 thou dost not so.' Then said the young man, ' Oh ! Vuzeer, 
 this is an old fellow, a very ancient doting man, that know- 
 eth not what he says, and I am he who murdered her ; do 
 her then right on me.' So the old man said, * Oh ! my son, 
 thou art young ; thou iindest the world sweet, and I a very 
 old man, am surfeited with the world, and I will offer my life 
 a sacrifice for thee, and will be a propitiatory sacrifice for the 
 Vuzeer, and the sons of his uncle, and no one murdered the 
 damsel save I: now therefore as God is with thee, hasten to 
 hang me, for life is not left me, now her's is gone.' Now 
 when the Vuzeer looked upon this strange matter, took lie 
 the youth, and the old man, and went up with them to the 
 Khuleef ; and kissed the earth, and said, * Oh ! Lord of 
 the Faithful, we present thee the murderer of the damsel.' 
 Then said the Khuleef, ' Where is he !' So he answered, 
 * Surely this youth saith, that he is the murderer, and the 
 old man giveth him the lie, and saith that even he is the 
 murderer, and here are these before thee.' So the Khuleef 
 looked upon the old man, and the youth, and said, * Which 
 of you murdered this damsel V And the youtii replied * I.' 
 And the old man answered, * No one slew her save I.» 
 Then said the Khuleef to Jafur, ' Take the two, and hang 
 them.' But Jafur replied, ' Behold ! one of them was tiie 
 murderer, so to hang the other were injustice,' So the youth 
 cried, ' By him who stretched out the firmament, and spread 
 forth the earth, I am he who murderei the damsel, and I 
 can tell the place of lier murder, and describe what the 
 Khuleef found upon her.' Then did it appear abundantly 
 certain to the Khuleef that the youth was him who slew the 
 damsel, and the Khuleef marvelled at their story, and said, 
 > What was the reason of thy putting to death this damsel 
 
 z 2 
 
18d STORY OF THE THREE APPLES. 
 
 without show of right, and wherefore the cause of thy con- 
 fession to the murder without being scourged, and what 
 brought thee here to yield thy life up, and made thee say, 
 * do her right upon me' ? Then the youth answered, ' Know, 
 Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, that this young woman was my 
 wife, and the daughter of mine uncle, and this old man her 
 father, and he mine uncle. Now I was married to her, and 
 she a virgin. So God enriched me by her with three male 
 children, and she loved me, and obeyed me, and I saw not 
 any equal to even her, for I also used to love her with ex- 
 ceeding affection, until the first day of this month. Then she 
 fell ill of a very violent illness, and I brought in physicians 
 to her, and recovery came to her little by litde, and I wish- 
 ed to make her enter the baths ; so she said, < I want a 
 certain thing before going into the bath, for I have an 
 exceeding longing for it :' So replied I, * To hear is to 
 comply ; and what is it V And she answered, ' I wish exceed- 
 ingly for an apple that I may smell it, and take a bite of it.' 
 So I went on the instant into the city, and searched eagerly 
 for the apple, but could not find one, yet if they had been at 
 one for the deenar, surely I had bought them. Then was I 
 troubled at this, and went up to my house, and said to her, 
 * Oh! daughter of mine uncle, WuUahy ! I -have met vv^ith 
 none.' And she was distressed, and she too very weakly, and 
 the weakness increased upon her that night very exceedingly* 
 So I laid down and I was thinking this over. Now when the 
 morning dawned, I went forth out of the house, and went the 
 rounds of the gardens, one by one, and found not an apple in 
 them: but there met me an old steward, and I asked him 
 about the apple, and he replied, ' Oh ! my son, this is an ar- 
 ticle of which you will find but little, for it indeed is very 
 rare, and you will not get it save in the garden of the Lord of 
 the Faithful, which is at Bussorah, and it is under a steward 
 who keeps it sure for the Khuleef.' So I went to my house, 
 and my love for her, my wife, and my regard, so wholly 
 
STORY OF THE THREE APPLES. 189 
 
 overcame me, that I set out to travel, and made myself ready, 
 and journeyed five and twenty days, both day and night, in 
 going and returning, and I brought for her three apples, which 
 I bought from the steward at Bussorah for three deenars, and 
 I came in, and set them before her. So she took no joy to 
 see them, and moved tliem from her side, and her weakness 
 had increased still more upon her, and the fever also, and her 
 weakness diminished not until she had been ill twenty days, 
 and after that she got well. Now I went out of the house, 
 and betook me to my shop, and sat there, at my buying and 
 selling. So meanwhile as I was sitting there about the mid- 
 dle of the day, behold ! a black slave coming running toward 
 me, and in his hand an apple, one of tliose three apples, and 
 he was playing with it. Then said I to him. Oh ! good 
 slave, whence took you that apple, tell me that I may get 
 some like it.' And he laughed, and said, ' I got it from my 
 love, for I now was away for a while, and went to her : then 
 found I her in ill health, and near her three apples : slie said 
 to me, ' Surely my honoured husband travelled for them to 
 Bussorah, and bought them for three deenars : ' So I took this 
 apple from among them.' Now when I heard Oh ! liord of 
 the Faithful, the words of the slave, the world darkened 
 before my face, and I arose, and locked up ray shop, and went 
 to the house, and I was reft of reason by excess of fury, 
 and I looked for the apples ; but I found not all the three, so 
 I said to her, ' Where is the third V And she replied, ' I 
 have no knowledge, and am not aware :' Then was I con- 
 vinced of the true saying of the slave, and I arose, and 
 took a knife, and went in front of her, and said not a word 
 to her ere I got on her breast, and struck it through with the 
 knife, and cut off her head. Then put I her into the basket, 
 in all haste, and wrapped her in the wrapping veil, and corded 
 it up, and put about her a rag of carpet stuff, and set her in 
 the chest, and locked it, and carried her off under my arm, 
 and threw her into the Tigris, with mine own hand. And 
 
190 STORY OF THK THREE APPLET. 
 
 now, as God is with thee, oh ! Lord of the Faithful, make 
 haste to hang rae, for surely I ana in dread that she be re- 
 quired of me at the Day of Judgment ! So when I liad thrown 
 her into the river Tigris, and no one knew aught of her, I 
 went back to the house, and found ray eldest son crying, 
 and yet he could not know of what I had done with his 
 mother. So I said to him, * Why cry'st thou, my boy V And 
 he answered, ' I took an apple from those that were by my 
 mother, and went down into the lane, to play with my bro- 
 thers, and behold ,! a black slave, a tall fellow, snatched it 
 from me and said to me, < This now, whence got you it?' 
 And I answered, ' This my father travelled far for, and went 
 for it to Bussorah for my mother's sake, for she was in ill 
 health, and bouglit three apples for three deenars.' So he 
 [/ took it, and gave it not back to mejand I set myself to ask 
 for it a second, and a third time, and he gave it not back, but 
 he beat me, and went off with it. Then I was afraid of ray 
 mother lest she should beat me for the business of the apple, 
 •so I went away, I and my brothers, for fear of her, outside 
 the city, till the evening closed in upon us, for I was afraid 
 of her ; and now, Billahy, my father, say not anytliing to her 
 that may add ill to her ailment.' Now when I heard the words 
 of my son I knew that the slave was the very he, who had ca- 
 lumniated the daughter of mine uncle, with words that were 
 lies, and was convinced that I had slain her unjustly. So I 
 wept with exceeding weeping, and behold ! this old man 
 and he, mine uncle, her father, had come to meet me. Then 
 told I him of what had happened, and he sat by my side, 
 and wept, and he ceased not weeping till half the night was 
 spent, and we kept up mourning for her five days, till even 
 this day, and we were in deep sorrow for her having 
 been put to death, but all that was under the head of tlie past 
 which could not be recalled. This now is the reason of her 
 murder, so, by the honor of thy ancestors, make haste to slay 
 me.' Now when the Khuleef heard the words of the youth 
 
STORY OF THE THREE APPLES. 191 
 
 he marvelled and said, * Wullahy ! I wiH not han^ save the 
 slave, that man acrcutsed, and surely will I do a deed, that shall 
 console the ill at ease, and be pleasing to the Ruler, He that 
 
 is most glorious.' " -And Shurhurzad perceived themorning 
 
 dawn, and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 H0IU W3tn it tMm t!je Ctpietttietl^ 'Migfitf 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty King, that the Khuleef 
 swore he would not hang save the slave, for surely the youth 
 was held excused. So then he turned to Jafur, and said, 
 * Bring before me this accursed slave, who caused to come to 
 pass this fatal matter, and if thou dost not bring him before 
 me, then art thou his substitute.' Then Jafur went down 
 weeping, and saying, * Two deaths were ready for me, and 
 the pitcher does not scape safe every time. In this matter 
 now th^ere is no skill avails ;^^ yet let Him who preserved me 
 the first time' preserve me even tlie second : WuUahy ! I wiU 
 not go forth from my house for three days, and let the Right 
 do as it wills.' So he stayed in his house three days^ and 
 on the fourth day he called in the kazees, and the legal wit- 
 nesses, and took leave of liis children and was weeping, and 
 lo ! a messenger from the Khuleef came to him, and said to 
 him, * Surely the Lord of the Faithful, is in the most exceed- 
 ing state of anger that can be, and hath sent to seek you, and 
 hath sworn that this day shall certainly not pass by without 
 your being a hanged man.' Now whqn Jafur heard these 
 words he wept, and his children wept, and his slaves also, 
 with all who were in the house. So when he ceased shed- 
 ding tears, he went up to his youngest daughter to take leave 
 of her, and he used to love her much more tlian all his other 
 children : and he drew her to his bosom, and kissed her, and 
 wept at parting from her. And he found in her collar folds 
 something hard, and he said to her, * What is in thy collar 
 pocket V And she replied, ' Oh ! my father, an apple with 
 the name of our Lord the Khuleef,^ ^ written upon it: 
 
192 STORY OF THE THREE APPLES. 
 
 Reeban our slave, came with it to me, and I have had it by 
 mo four days : he did not give it me until he got two deenars 
 from me.' Now when Jafur hoard of that slave and the 
 apple he rejoiced, and put his hand into the collar folds 
 of his daughter, and took out the apple : then he recog- 
 nised it, and said, ' Oh ! near deliverance !' Then ordered 
 he them to bring the slave ; and he came before him, and 
 Jafur said, ' Shame on thee, Reeban, whence gottest thou 
 this apple V So the slave replied, ' Wullahy, oh ! my mas- 
 ter, surely though a lie may get one off, yet may truth get one 
 off, and well off. Now about this apple, I took it not from 
 thy palace, nor from the palace of thy Highness, nor from the 
 garden of the Lord of the Faithful, but in very deed this is 
 it, that five days ago, I was going along, I entered one of the 
 lanes of the city : there saw I some little ones playing, and 
 with one of them this apple. So I snatched it from him, and 
 beat him, and he cried, and said, * Oh ! youth ! this is my 
 mother's, and she is ill, and she told my father she longed 
 for an apple : So he travelled to Bussorah, and bought her 
 three apples for three deenars ; and I stole one of them to play 
 with iU^ So he cried, but I gave it not back to him, but I 
 took it, and brought it here, and my little lady took it of me 
 for two deenars of gold, and this is my tale.' Now when 
 Jafu* heard this story, he marvelled tliat such calamity, and 
 the murder of the damsel should be even by reason of his 
 slave, and he grieved for the conviction of the slave with 
 him, and tejoiced for the release of his own life: then began 
 he to say extemporaneously : — 
 
 * If ill befall thee through thy slave, 
 Make him the scapegoat of thy life ; 
 For servants in this world are rife, 
 But thou can'st never hope to have 
 Save that one life. 
 
 So then he pinioned the slave's hands, and went up with him 
 to the Khuleef, and related to him his history, from the first 
 
TALE OF snVMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, &C. 193 
 
 to the last. And the Khuleef marvelled with all astonishment, 
 and laughed until he fell backwards : and he ordered that his 
 story should be recorded, and made public amon^ the people. 
 So said Jafur, * Marvel not, oh ! Lord of the Faithful, a t 
 this event, for it is not more wondrous than the history of the 
 Vuzeer Noor oodDeen UUee of JEgypt, and Shums ood Deen 
 Mulmmmud his brother/ And the Khuleef said, ' How ! 
 what now can be stranger than this story?' And Jafur answered, 
 * Oh I Lord of the Faithful, I will not tell it thee save on a 
 condition that my slave be spared the pain of death.' And he 
 replied, ' If it be more wondrous, than that has befallen us, 
 I grant you his blood, and if it be not more wondrous, I will 
 put thy slave to death.' So Jafur said, ' Know, Oh ! Lord 
 of the Faithful, that there was in ancient times in the land of 
 iEgypt, a sooltan, a professor of justice and rectitude, who 
 loved the pious poor, and sat constantly with the learned. And 
 he had a vuzeer, a wise man, an experienced one, who had ac- 
 quaintance with events, and the science of policy, and he was 
 an old man, even very old, and he had two sons ; they were as 
 the moon, one could not see the like of them in beauty, and 
 perfection, and the name of the elder was Shums ood Been 
 Muhummud, and the name of the younger Noor ood Deen 
 Ullee, and the younger was superior to the elder, in grace, 
 and beauty, so that generally throughout the cities they named 
 his name and travelled to his city, but for the sake of the sight 
 of his comeliness. Now it came to pass that their father 
 died ; and the sooltan grieved for him, and set the two sons 
 before hnn, and made them approach, and invested them with 
 a dress of honor, and said to them, ' Be ye in the high office 
 of your father, and let not your mind be grieved.' So they 
 rejoiced, and kissed the earth before him, and performed the 
 ceremonial^ •* mourning for their father for a full month. Then 
 they entered the office of minister, and the power was in their 
 hands, as it was in the hands of their father. And so it was 
 
 A A 
 
194 TALE OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 that whenever the sooltan desired to go a journey, then used 
 one of these to go with him. Now it came to pass on a cer- 
 tain night, and it was the elder's turn to journey with the sool- 
 tan, that meanwhile as they were conversing, lo ! the elder 
 said to the younger, * Oh ! my brother, it is my wish that we 
 should marry, I, and you, both on one same night.' So the 
 younger replied, ' Do, oh ! my brother as thou desirest, for 
 surely I am agreed with thee as to what thou sayest.' So they 
 agreed upon that. Then said the elder to his brother, ' If 
 God grant that we marry two damsels, and wed them on the 
 same night, or have a child born to us the same day, or if it 
 be God's will that thy wife bring thee a son, and my wife 
 bring me a daughter, let us wed them either to other, for both 
 will be an uncle's child.' So Noor ood Deen answered, 'Oh ! 
 my brother, what wilt tliou take from my son for the dow- 
 ry^* of thy daughter?' And he replied, * I will take from thy 
 son for my daughter three thousand deenars, and three gar- 
 dens, and three estates, and if the youth should make a con- 
 tract for other than this it were not right.' Now when Noor 
 ood Deen heard these words he said, * This is not the dowry 
 I agree on for my son ; for thou knowest we are brothers, 
 and we both by God's mercy, are vuzeers, and we are in 
 office as one, and it were the proper thing for thee that thou 
 ehould'st match thy daughter to my son without dowry. But 
 if there is no help that she must get a dowry, then settle 
 semething on an understanding for mere show to the world : 
 for thou knowest that the male is more worthy than the fe- 
 male, and my son is a male, and we speak of him in contra- 
 distinction to thy daughter.' And he answered, ' But what of 
 her ?' So he replied, ' We cannot mention her as ranking 
 among the lords of earth : you now are trying to do with 
 me, as did once a certain fellow. It has been said, that a 
 certain man came to a certain other his companion, and desired 
 something of him being in necessity ; So he answered, ' In 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 195 
 
 God's name, I will perform that thou requirest, but to-mor- 
 row ;' And the other broke out in answer with the verse ;— 
 
 * If one a favour ask of thee, defer it till next day, 
 
 For that's the mode a knowing wight, will stave it off for aye.' 
 
 Then said Shums ood Deen, ' I see that you are holding 
 back, and making your son of more account, than my daugh- 
 ter ; there can be no doubt but that you are of mean under- 
 standing, and that you have not talents to take a share in the 
 ministry ; now I did not let you in with me into the ministry, 
 save out of good-nature towards you, and that you should 
 continue merely to help me, and that you should be an assis- 
 tant to me, and I did not try to break your spirit : but since 
 this is the sort of talk you talk to me in, Wullahy ! I will not 
 marry my daughter to your son ! no not if you weighed me 
 out her weight of gold.' Now when Noor ood Deen heard the 
 words of his brother, he grew very angry, and said, * And I 
 too will never marry my son with your daughter !' So 
 Shums ood Deen replied, ' I do not want him as a husband for 
 her, and if it were not that I am about to take a journey, 
 would I surely make an example of you ; yet however when 
 I return from my journey, I hope to show you how I can 
 assert my dignity.' Now, when Noor ood Deen heard these 
 words of his brother's, he was filled with anger, and was lost to 
 the world with rage, and concealed what he felt, and each one 
 of the brothers abode in a quarter apart. Now when the morn- 
 ing dawned the sooltan went forth in state for the journey, and 
 went towards Jeezut, and made for the Pyramids, the ancient 
 ones, and the vuzeer Shums ood Deen, accompanied him. 
 And now for what occurred in the matter of his brother Noor 
 ood Deen, surely he abode that night in the most violent 
 that can be of indignation. Now when the morning dawned, 
 he arose, and said his morning prayer, and betook himself to 
 his treasury ; and he took thence a small sack, and filled it 
 with gold, and he repeated the sayings of his brother, and 
 A A 2 
 
196 TALE OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 thought on the affront he offered him, and commenced reciting 
 these lines ; — 
 
 * Go, mourn not those thou leav'st — thou'lt find fresh substitutes for these, 
 
 Fare forth, for sure the sweet of life's to wander at one's ease. 
 
 No light heart's won in fixed abodes ; naught winn'st thou there but woe, 
 
 Then quit the town, and hie thee out whei-e chance may bid thee go. 
 
 All foul I see those waters be that stagnate, and stand still : 
 
 Sweet's the swift stream ; yet sweet 'tis not, if checked its constant rill. 
 
 If the full moon should never set, would eager longing eyes 
 
 From month to month gaze on, as now, to see the bright orb rise I 
 
 Did not the lion leave his den, he ne'er could take the game ; 
 
 Did not the arrow leave the bow, how fruitless were its aim ! 
 
 A sort of tree is ebony while clinging to its earth, 
 
 And gold while sweltering in the mine, is dust of little worth ; 
 
 Dig this one out, dig that one up, and, wondrous to behold, 
 
 Dust makes its digger rich, and wood more precious is than gold !' 
 
 Now when he ceased repeating his poetry, he told some of his 
 servants, to girth his Nubian mule for him with her stuffed 
 saddle, and she was a mule of a bay color ; she had a back 
 strong as it were a dome, firmly built, her saddle of gold, 
 and her stirrups from Hind : she had trappings would serve 
 Khosroo, and she was even like a bride dressed to be pre- 
 sented to her husband. Now he ordered a servant to put 
 upon her a warm bed carpet, and a prayer carpet. ^^ Then 
 said he to the servants, and the slaves, * It is my inten- 
 tion to go forth out of the city, and I shall travel towards 
 the deserts about Kulyoobeet, and shall remain there three 
 nights ; and let not one among you follow rae, for there 
 is somewhat weighs heavy upon my heart,' And he 
 made haste, and mounted the mule, and took with him some 
 little provision for the journey, and went out from Cairo, 
 and went on the way to the desert. And now mid-day had 
 not come upon him ere he entered the city Bulbees : so 
 he got down from the mule and stopped to rest, and rested the 
 mule, and took some of his provision to eat, and got in Bul- 
 bees what he required for food, and what his mule needed for 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VTJZEER OF BUSSORAH. 197 
 
 forage, and went in the way of the desert. And night had 
 not come upon him ere he entered a town called Saadeeli, 
 and he abode there, and took out and ate somewhat, and 
 laid down the sack under his head, and spread his bed carpet, 
 and slept in a spot of the desert and still anger prevailed over 
 him ; thus halted he in that place. Now when the morning 
 dawned he mounted, and kept urging on the mule until he 
 arrived at the city Hulb. ^^ So he got down at one of tlie 
 khans, and abode three days that he might rest, and the mule 
 rested and snuffed the wind with renewed spirit. Then he 
 betook himself again to travel, and mounted his mule, and 
 went forth journeying on without knowing whither he was go- 
 ing, and he gave not over travelling until he reached the city 
 Bussorah, and he knew not that until he aliglUed at a khan. 
 Then took he down the sack from the mule, and spread the 
 prayer carpet, and gave the mule with her trappings to the 
 porter to take charge of her, and he took her and had charge 
 of her. Now it came to pass that the vuzeer of Bussorah was 
 sitting at the lattice of his palace, and he looked upon the 
 mule : then saw he what trappings of price were upon her, 
 and thought her a choice beast, and that she was fit to be the 
 riding mule of vuzeers, or great chiefs. So he pondered upon 
 that, and his mind was bewildered in conjecture and he said to 
 one of his servants, < Bring to me the porter' : And the servant 
 went and brought the porter to the vuzeer, and the porter stood 
 forth, and kissed the earth. Now the vuzeer was an old man, 
 even very old, and he said to the porter, * Whence is the 
 owner of that mule, and what is his condition V So answer- 
 ed the porter, ' Oh ! my master the owner of this mule is 
 a man in early youth, amiable in dispostion, of dignity and 
 estimation among the sons of those who traffic' Now when 
 the vuzeer heard the words of the porter, he was on the 
 alert and mounted and went to the khan, and went in 
 to the youth. So when Noor ood Deen saw him ad- 
 vancing towards him, he was on the alert and went to meet 
 
198 TALE OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 him, and saluted him. Then the vuzeer bade him welcome, 
 and dismounted from his steed, and embraced the youth, and 
 made him sit down beside him, and said to him, ' Oh ! my 
 son, whence arrivest thou, and what dost thou want ?' Then 
 Noor ood Deen replied, * Oh ! my lord, surely I have come 
 from the city Cairo, and I am the son of the vuzeer of it. Now 
 my father was removed to the mercy of the Almighty.' And 
 he informed him of what happened to him from city to city, 
 and then said, * And I proposed in my heart that surely I 
 would never return until I had gone through the whole of 
 foreign cities and towns.' Now when the vuzeer heard his 
 words, he said to him, ' My son, vex not the heart, for thou 
 wilt throw thyself into perdition. Of a surety towns are evil 
 places, and I dread the casualties of fortune m thy case.' So 
 then he laid his sack upon his mule, and the bed and prayer 
 carpets, and took Noor ood Deen, with him to his own house, 
 and settled him in a fair dwelling place, and was kind to him, 
 and treated him generously and loved him with exceeding 
 love. And he said to him, * Oh, my son, here am I left a very 
 old man, and there has not been given me a male child, but 
 the Almighty hath enriched me with one daughter that equals 
 thee in beauty, and I have rejected very many offers of mar- 
 riao-e for her. Now affection for thee hath quite possessed my 
 heart, — what ails thee then that thou shouldest not take my 
 daughter as a handmaiden to do thee service, and that thou 
 should'st be to her a husband ? Now if thou wilt agree to 
 that, I will take thee up to the sooltan of Bussorah, and tell 
 him that thou art the son of my brother, and I will protect 
 thee as a patron until I make thee his vuzeer in my place, 
 so I may set my house in order, for that I am a very old man.' 
 Now when Noor ood Deen heard the words of the vuzeer of 
 Bussorah he bowed his head, and said * To hear is to obey.' 
 So the vuzeer rejoiced, and ordered his servants that they 
 should prepare a feast, and set in order the great hall of as- 
 sembly in which the marriages of the lords of the family 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD BEEN tJLLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 199 
 
 were concluded. Then lie got together his friends, and in- 
 vited the great ones of the state, and the merchants of Busso- 
 rah : so they came to hira, and he said to them, ' Surely now 
 I had a brother, a vuzeer in the ^Egyptian countries, and the 
 Almighty enriched him with two sons, and for me as you 
 know surely the Almighty hath given me a daughter, and my 
 brother enjoined me to marry my daughter to one of his sons, 
 and I in answer assented to that. So when the marriage was 
 certainly determmed he sent to me one of his sons, and he is 
 this youth present here : now when he came to me, I took 
 order for the concluding his wedding with my daughter, and 
 his making her his wife in my house, for he is preferable to a 
 stranger, and after that as he wills, let him abide with me, or 
 if he desires to travel hence, I can let him go, and his wife 
 to his father.' So they replied all of them, ' Even so ; what 
 you have seen fit is good'. And they looked upon the youth, 
 and when they saw him, he seemed to them admirable. Then 
 the vuzeer brought the legal witnesses, and the kazees, and 
 they wrote the marriage contract, and they opened the per- 
 fumes, and they drank the date wine, and they sprinkled the 
 rose water, and Ihey departed. But for the vuzeer, he or- 
 dered his servants to take Noor ood Deen, and lead him to 
 the baths, and the vuzeer gave him a rich dress from among 
 his own raiment, and sent to him pumice stones to rub the 
 feet, and basons, and censers, for perfumes, and whatso- 
 ever was requisite. Now when he came out, and put on 
 the dress, he was even as the full moon, when at the fullest, 
 on the fourteenth night, and when he went forth from the baths 
 he mounted his mule, and stopped not until he reached the 
 palace of the vuzeer ; then he alighted from the mule, and 
 went in to the vuzeer, and kissed his hand ; so the vuzeer 
 bade him welcome." — And Shuhurzad, perceived the morning 
 dawn, and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
200 TALE OF SHUMS GOD BEEN MUHUMMUD, VXJZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 H0I331 \^%tn it IBM tfi^ W^tnt^=nt%t HtrtUt 
 
 She said, " They relate Oh ! mighty King, that tlie vuzeer 
 stood up to him and bade him welcome, and said to him, 
 * Arise and go in this night to thy wife, and on the morrow I 
 will take thee up to the sooltan, and may God cause all good to 
 light upon thee !' So Noor ood Deen, arose and went in to 
 his wife, the daughter of the vuzeer. This was what befel in 
 the matter of Noor ood Deen, but for what befel in the case of 
 his brother, surely he was absent with the sooltan a long time 
 on the journey, and he returned : then found he not his bro- 
 ther ; and he asked the serving men after him, and tliey re- 
 plied, ' On the day you journeyed with the sooltan he 
 mounted his mule with the choice trappings for riding, and 
 said, 'I am going to the quarter of Kulyoobeet to be absent 
 one day, or two days, for surely my heart is narrowed, and 
 let no one follow me,' ' And from the day of his going forth up 
 to this day, we have not heard tidings of him'. Then Shums 
 ood Deen was troubled at the separation from his brotl^er, and 
 grieved with exceeding sorrow, at being deprived of him and 
 he said in his heart. * It was naught but the. way I upbraided 
 him on that night he took to heart, and went forth wandering 
 on travel: Now there is no help for it but that I send after him,' 
 So he went up and informed the sooltan, and wrote notices on 
 the arches of public buildings and sent running footmen to his 
 deputies in every one of the cities, but Noor ood Deen within 
 the space of twenty days that he was away had passed through 
 a town, at a great distance off, and they made diligent search, 
 and gathered no news of him, so they returned. And Shums 
 ood Deen despaired because of his brother, and said, ' Truly 
 I have been indeed rashly reproachful to my brother, in the 
 words I spoke to him in the marriage of our children ; little 
 truly as this matter was, yet it had not been but by the little- 
 ness of my mind, and my want of caution,' So after some 
 time he addressed the daughter of a man who was one of the 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 201 
 
 Egyptian merchants, and concluded the marriage contract 
 with her. And so it came to pass that the night of the bridal 
 of Shums ood Deen with his wife was the night of the bridal 
 of Noor ood Deen with his wife, the daughter of the vuzeer of 
 Ilussorah, and this was even according to the will of the Al- 
 mighty, that his decree might be fulfilled upon his creatures : 
 for so it was that they two had said, for the women were preg- 
 nant by them, and the wife of Shums ood Deen the vuzeer of 
 ^gyptj bore a daughter to him, one could not see in jEgypt 
 beauty like her's, and the wife of Noor ood Deen, a male 
 child, one could not find a fairer, in the whole world, as the 
 poets said of him in verse ; — 
 
 * Transparently as shine 
 Through his dark hair 
 His brows so fair, 
 Darkness, and light combine 
 To maze the world around. 
 Against the dusky mole 
 That decks his cheek 
 No treason speak ; 
 Mid'st tulips not one sole 
 Without its spot is found.' 
 
 And another also said in verse ; — 
 
 * To vie with Beauty, when he came 
 Poor Beauty, hung her head for shame ; 
 And when they asked her, * Hast thou seen, 
 Fairer than he, in shape and mien ?' 
 
 * Have I seen such ?' she cried, — * no — none— 
 Not e'en myself am such a one." — 
 
 So they called him Budur ood Deen Hussun, and his grand- 
 father, the vuzeer of Bussorah, rejoiced over him, and made 
 a festival, and got for him light child's dresses would be- 
 fit the children of very kings. So then the vuzeer of Busso- 
 rah took with him Noor ood Deen, and went up with him to 
 the sooltan, and when he (Noor ood Deen) came before him, 
 
202 TALE OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 he kissed the earth in front of him ; and he was eloquent in 
 tongue, sound in sense, and master of fair manners and accom- 
 pHshments, and he commenced extemporaneously to say ;— 
 
 * The power to grant abides for age with thee, 
 Oh 1 master mine, and may it still abide there, 
 So long as night and morning shall endure I 
 Oh ! thou art one, whose pleasure when 'tis spoken 
 Makes the world dance and Fortune clap her hands.' 
 
 Then stood up to them the sooltan, and thanked Noor 
 ood Deen for what he said, and said to the vuzeer, * Who 
 is this young man V And the vuzeer told him his history from 
 first to last, and said to him, ' This is the son of my brother.' 
 So the sooltan answered him, * And how is he the son 
 of thy brother, and we have never heard of him V Then re- 
 plied he, ' Oh ! my lord, the sooltan, of a surety I had a 
 brother, a vuzeer in the ^Egyptian countries, and he died, 
 and left two sons. So the eldest sat in the place of his 
 father, and this his younger son came to me, and I swore 
 that I would not marry my daughter save to him. And when 
 he arrived I married him to her, and he now is the youth, and 
 I am here a very old man, and my hearing is lessened, and 
 my power to controul slight, and the end I would obtain from 
 our lord the sooltan is that he should set him in my high 
 office ; for surely he is the son of my brother, and the hus- 
 band of my daughter, and he is fit for the ministry since he is 
 a very master of counsel, and good government. Then looked 
 the sooltan upon him, and he hit his fancy and he assented 
 to grant to him what the vuzeer desired, and he confirmed 
 him in the office of vuzeer, and ordered him a dress of honor, 
 a very noble one ; and the sooltan also ordered him a mule 
 from his private stud, and assigned daily allowances, and 
 salaries of office. Then Noor ood Deen kissed the hand of the 
 sooltan, and they went down, he and his father-in-law to their 
 abode and they were in excess of joy, and said, * This is by the 
 high fortune of the new born child, Hussun.' Now Noor ood 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VTJZEER OF BUSSORAH. 203 
 
 Deen returned, and went the next day to the king, and kissed 
 the earth, and began saying extemporaneously ; — 
 
 * For thee each day good fortunes are renewed, 
 Preventing guile of those that envy thee, 
 The days that cease not to be white with thee^ 8 
 Are days of blackness to thine enemies.* 
 
 Then the sooltan ordered him to sit on the vuzeer's seat of 
 office, and he sat there, and gave orders for his service, and 
 looked among the people into their actions, and their secret 
 deeds, as is the wont of vuzeers. And the sooltan continued 
 watching him, and marvelled at his orders, and his wisdom 
 and his good government, and his expositions : So he loved 
 him, and placed him near to him, and when the public audi- 
 ence was dismissed Noor ood Deen went down to his house, 
 and related what had befallen to his father-in-law, and he re- 
 joiced. And Noor ood Deen ceased not to act thus as vuzeer 
 until the sooltan could not be parted from him, neither by 
 night, nor by day, and he augmented to him salaries, and per- 
 quisites, until his prosperous condition extended to the ut- 
 most, and he had ships to go voyages at his command with 
 merchandise, and he got slaves, and armed servants, and 
 he brought into culture an estate, a very large one, with 
 water® ^ wheels, and gardens. Now the age of his child 
 Hussun was four years, when the old vuzeer departed this 
 life, the father of the wife of Noor ood Deen, and he celebrated 
 for him a sumptuous funeral ceremony, and laid him in the 
 dust. Then was Noor ood Deen fully occupied with the edu- 
 cating this son. Now when the boy grew bigger, and was at 
 the age of seven years, he called in a doctor of law, and re- 
 ligion to him to instruct him at home,^°^ and entrusted the 
 doctor with him for instruction in science, and in manners, and 
 good disposition. So he made the boy read and made him re- 
 tain what is profitable in science, and he studied the Qoran for 
 a period of several years. And his beauty ceased not to aug- 
 ment in perfect growth, and stature, and just proportion as 
 
 B B 2 
 
204 TALE OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 said the poet ; — 
 
 * Amid the heaven of his face 
 The moon shines bright and clear, 
 And in his cheeks like tulips fresh, 
 The sun's bright rays appear ; 
 Beauty he hath so captive made, 
 Absorbed in him alone, 
 That all the fairness of all men 
 Is borrowed from his own.* 
 
 Now the doctor kept him still safe in the palace of his father 
 and from the time of his growth had he never gone forth from 
 the mansion of the ministry. But on a certain day the vuzeer 
 Noor ood Deen took his son, and put on him a change of rai- 
 ment, the richest of that he wore, and mounted him on 
 a mule, one of the best of his mules, and went up with 
 him to the sooltan, and entered in with him. Then looked 
 the king upon Budur ood Deen Hussvm the son of Noor 
 ood Deen, and marvelled at him, and conceived an affection 
 for him. But for the people of the kingdom when he passed 
 before them for the first time, and he going up with his father 
 to the king, surely they were surprised at his beauty, and sat 
 in his way to look for his return among them that they might 
 take pleasure to look on him, and on his loveliness, and his 
 perfect shape, and his stature, and true proportion, as were 
 said of him in these couplets of verse ; — 
 
 * As the sage watched the stars, the semblance clear 
 Of a fair youth on's scroll, he saw appear ! 
 Those jetty locks, Canopus o'er him threw, 
 And tinged his temple locks a musky hue ; 
 Mars dyed his ruddy cheeks, and from his eyes 
 The Archer star, his lightning arrow plies ; 
 His wit from Hermes came ; and Soha's care 
 (The half seen star, that dimly haunts the Bear) 
 Kept off all evil eyes that threaten and ensnare. 
 The sage stood, mazed to see such fortunes meet 
 And Luna kissed the earth beneath his feet.' 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD BEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 205 
 
 Now when the sooltaii saw him he approved of him, and 
 loved him, and said to his father, ' Oh ! vuzeer, it is pro- 
 per, — nay there is no help for it but you bring him continu al- 
 ly into presence with you/ And he replied, ' The hearing 
 is obedience.' And the vuzeer returned with his son to his 
 abode, and ceased not every day going up with him to the 
 sooltan until the boy attained the age of fifteen years. Then 
 his father Noor ood Deen, the vuzeer grew infirm, and called 
 his son to him, and said, * Oh ! my son, know that the world 
 is a house of frailty, and the future world a house of eterni- 
 ty ; I desire now to bequeath to thee certain last behests ; 
 understand therefore what I say to thee, and apply thine at- 
 tention to it.' So then he set to give him his last instruptions as 
 to fair conduct among men, and prudence, and afterwards Noor 
 ood Deen spoke of his brother, and his home, and his native 
 town, then wept he over his separation from those he loved, 
 and wiped away his tears, and began to repeat the verse ;— • 
 
 * Would I describe the ills of absence ^ o i 
 
 How shall I the plaint essay ? — 
 Should I desu*e to speak my passion, 
 
 How and where to find the way ? — 
 If I perchance should thro' another, 
 
 Send the tale of my distress, 
 How could another's tongue my sorrows 
 
 To my best beloved express ? — 
 If I hang back my love is lost me, 
 
 (Love in absence soon grows weak,) 
 Thus nought but sighs and groans are left me 
 
 Grieving heart, and streaming cheek. 
 Oh ! absent from mine eyes ! thy spirit 
 
 To my mind's eye is present still : 
 Know'st not my truth I unlike the river 
 
 I sudden flow, and sudden fill ? 
 Hast thou forgot me, pale and weeping 
 
 Fast in the bond of passion tied ? 
 Could our loves meet, how much, false lover, 
 
 Have I to blame, how long to chide ! — 
 
206 TALE OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MTJHUBIMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 Now when he had concluded his reciting, and his mournings, 
 he addressed his son, and said to him, ' Know before I speak 
 my hist words to thee that thou hast an uncle, and he is 
 vuzeer in Cairo. Now I parted from him, and went forth 
 against his will, and my desire is that thou should'st take a 
 sheet of paper, and write upon it what I say to thee.' So 
 Budur ood Deen took a fair sheet of paper from among the 
 leaves, and set to writing down on it what his father said to 
 him. And he filled it with what had happened to him even 
 from the first to the last, and wrote down for him the date 
 of his marriage and his bridal night with the daughter of the 
 vuzeer, and the date of his arrival at Bussorah, and of his 
 consorting with the vuzeer of the town, and his very life 
 within the forty years from the day of his quarrel. * And 
 this is my writing to him, and may the Almighty after that 
 be to him in my stead.' So then he folded the paper, and 
 sealed it, and said, * Oh ! my son, Hussun, keep now this 
 my last trust to thee, for surely now this missive in it is thy 
 origin, and pedigree, and thy lineage ; and now I impose on 
 thee somewhat by way of injunction : Set out for iEgypt, and 
 ask for thine uncle, and make thyself known to him, and 
 inform him that I died in a strange land, far from my people.' 
 So Budur ood Deen Hussun took the missive, and folded it, 
 and stitched it between the inner lining, and the outer cloth 
 of his garment, and wrapped it in his turban cloth. And he 
 was weeping over his father, and at parting with him, and he 
 but a lad. So Noor ood Deen said to him, * Surely now 
 will I leave thee five last behests : The First, ' Be intimate 
 with no one. Then art thou safe from his malignity, for safe- 
 ty lieth in seclusion,and in not mingling with men, and not 
 learning commerce with them ;' for surely thou hast heard the 
 verse which says ; — 
 
 'In thy whole world there is not one, 
 / Whose friendship thou may'st count upon, 
 
 Nor plighted faith that will stand true, 
 
 When times go hard, and hopes are few . 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VTZEER OF BUSSORAII. 207 
 
 Then live apart, and dwell alone, 
 Nor make a prop of any one. 
 I 've given a gift in that I've said, 
 Will stand thy friend in every stead.' 
 
 The Second, oh ! my son, is, ' Deal hardly with no one 
 lest fortune deal hardly with thee ; for fortune one day is with 
 thee, and another day against tliee ; the worldly good is but 
 a debt to be repaid ;' and sure thou hast heard the verse which 
 says ; — 
 
 * Act on sure grounds, nor hurry fast 
 
 To gain the purpose that thou hast ; 
 
 And be thou kindly to all men, 
 
 So kindly thou'lt be called again. 
 
 For not a deed the hand can try 
 
 Save 'neath the hand of God on high, 
 
 Nor tyrant harsh work tyranny 
 
 Uncrushed by tyrant harsh as he.' 
 
 * The Third Behest, is, ' See the propriety of reserve, and 
 be rather occupied with thine own fault than the faults of others.' 
 For it has been said, ' Who maintains reserve escapes evil,' 
 and thou hast heard the lines that say ; — 
 
 * Reserve's an ornament, and silence safety. 
 "Whene'er thou speakest, prate not in thy talking ; 
 For if perchance it may some once repent thee 
 Of silence kept, be sure thou will repent 
 Of words that thou hast said some thousand times.' 
 
 * The Fourth, oh ! my son, is, * Keep thyself from drink- 
 ing wine ;'io3 for wine is the head of all wickedness, and wine 
 maketh the sense to flee away ; abstain from drinking wine, 
 for surely thou hast heard the verse which sayeth ; — 
 
 * The grape jviice have I set aside. 
 And ceased to quaff its luscious tide. 
 And converse seek with him that knows, 
 How best its evils to expose. 
 Wine causes man to walk astray. 
 And leave the true, and righteous way ; 
 Wine opens wide the door to sin 
 And lets all evil enter in.' 
 
208 TALE OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MUIIUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 * The Fifth, oh ! my son, is, * Guard well thy wealth, and 
 it will well guard thee ; Preserve thy money, and thee it will 
 preserve, and be not careless of thy coin, lest tliou go beg- 
 ging from the least of mankind, keep close the dirhems, for 
 these are the dearest gifts thou hast !' And thou hast heard 
 how one of the poets said ; — 
 
 * If small my means, then poor am I in friends, 
 If great, then all men are my intimates. 
 Most true it is, wealth purveys me companions, 
 That slink away upon that wealth's decline.' 
 
 Thus Noor ood Deen ceased not giving last injunctions to 
 Budur ood Deen Hussun, until his soul went upwards. Then 
 sorrow fell upon his house, and the sooltan grieved for him, 
 and all the nobles, and they buried him, and Budur ood Deen 
 ceased not mourning for his father, for a period of two months, 
 and he mounted not his horse, and went not up to the audience 
 hall, and stood not before the sooltan. So the sooltan was 
 angered with him, and established inJiis place one of his 
 chamberlains, and^°^ seated him as vuzeer, and ordered that 
 he should set a seal on the houses of Noor ood Deen, and on 
 liis property, and on liis buildings, and his possessions. So 
 the new vuzeer went down to set a seal upon it, and to seize 
 his son, Budur ood Deen Hussun, and take him up to the 
 sooltan to do with him as his will decreed. Now there was 
 among the retmue, one of the armed servants of the vuzeer that 
 was departed. So when he heard this mandate, he urged his 
 charger, and came in haste to Budur ood Deen Hussun ; then 
 found he him sitting at the gate of his house, and there he 
 was with his head hung down sorrowing, distressed in heart. 
 So the servant came to him on foot, and kissed his hand, and 
 said, * Oh ! my master, and son of my master, haste, haste 
 ere evil light on thee !' And Hussun trembled, and said, 
 
 * What news is there ?' He replied, * The sooltan, is ang- 
 ered with thee, and hath issued warrants against thee, and evil 
 Cometh even in my track upon thee ; flee then with thy life.' 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUS30RAH. 209 
 
 So lie answered him, * What is in the matter to prevent my 
 going into my house to get some such chattels as may stand 
 me in stead during absence V And the servant said, * Arise 
 even now, and leave the door behind thee.' So he departed 
 and said as he went ; — 
 
 ' Fly, fly with thy life, if by ill overtaken 
 Let thy house speak thy death, by its builder forsaken, 
 For a land else than this land, thou may'st reach, my brother, 
 But thy life lost, thou'lt ne'er find, in this world another, 
 How ! who live with the roof of his wretchedness o'er him, 
 And the great Earth of God broad outspreading before him, 
 When the theme's life and death, to no agent confide it. 
 For life cares for itself, as none else does beside it : 
 Ne'er could prowl the grown lion, with mane roughly sweeping 
 Did he trust in his need, save himself for safe keeping.' 
 Now when he heard the words of the servant he covered 
 his head with the skirt of his garment, and went forth 
 hastening on till he was inside of the city, and then heard 
 he the people saying, ' Of a surety tlie sooltan has sent 
 the new vuzeer to the house of the vuzeer that is no more, to 
 set a seal upon his property, and his house, and to seize 
 his son Budur ood Deen llussun, and take him up witli 
 liim to the sooltan to slay him.' Then the people cried, 
 * Alas ! for his beauty, and his loveliness !' 80 when he 
 lieard the words of the people, he lost his head, and knew 
 not whither he was going, and yet gave not over hurrying 
 on until Providence directed him to his father's burial ground, 
 and he entered the cemetery, and passed through the tombs, 
 until he sat down even at his father's tomb. And he strip- 
 ped aside the skirt of the pall from upon the top of it, 105 ^nd 
 it was woven with an embroidered edge of gold, and there 
 were written on it these couplets ; — 
 
 * Oh ! Thou, whose glorious face like the bright East, 
 Tells of the stars, and Heaven, their dwelling place, 
 A constant honor shall thy fortune grace, 
 And dignity for thee be still increased.' 
 CC 
 
210 TALE OF SHUMS OOD BEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 Now meanwhile he was at the burial place of his father, lo ! 
 there came to him a Jew, that was a broker, and with him a 
 small sack, and in it much gold. So the Jew stepped up to 
 Hussun, tlie Bussorite, and said to him, * Oh ! my master, 
 what has happened to thee that I see thee disturbed !' And 
 he replied, ' Surely I was sleeping, but within this very hour, 
 and I saw my father chiding me for that I paid his tomb 
 no visit ; so I woke terrified, and feared lest the day should ex- 
 pire, and I should visit him not, for then would he be angered 
 against me/ Then said the Jew to him, ' Oh ! my master, 
 your father used to send vessels to trade, and some of them 
 are near returning, and my wish is to buy of you the lading 
 of the first vessel that comes in with this thousand deenars of 
 gold.' So the Jew took out a bag filled with gold, and counted 
 out of it a thousand deenars, and gave it to Hussun the son of 
 the vuzeer and the Jew said, ' Write me a letter of sale, and 
 seal it.' So Hussun, the vuzeer's son, took a letter sheet, 
 and wrote on it this writing, ' Hussun, son of tlie vuzeer has 
 sold to Issh4k the Jew, the whole of the lading of the first of 
 his father's ships that may come in for a thousand deenars, 
 and has taken the price by way of advance.' And the Jew 
 took the letter of sale ; but Hussun was weeping,] and pon- 
 dering on the greatness that had been his, and he broke out, 
 and he said ;— 
 
 * The house is now no house to me, 
 Nor neighbours now seen neighbourly, 
 
 Since thou art far away : 
 The mutual friend we used to meet 
 As friend no longer can I greet ; 
 Nor does the very moon appear 
 To shine as fair as when thou'rt here, 
 
 With half so bright a ray. 
 Thy absence cast a murky veil 
 On every side o'er hill and dale, 
 
 The world grew desolate ; 
 Oh ! raven, that with boding cry 
 Foretold our day of parting nigh, 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 211 
 
 May'st thou, when thou would'st take thy rest, 
 Ne'er find a feather for the nest 
 
 Thou buildest for thy mate I 
 My patience waxes less and less, 
 And far from thee in weariness 
 
 My body pines away ; 
 The veil was wont our lives to hide 
 How rudely was that rent aside. 
 
 Upon our parting day I 
 And yet thou once again may'st see 
 Times like times past return, when we 
 
 Could nightly plight our troth : 
 Time may our wonted joys renew, 
 And make the dwellings of the two 
 
 A common home for both.' 
 
 Then wept he with exceeding weeping, and night came 
 in upon him, and he propped his head against his father's 
 grave and sleep overcame him, and he ceased not shimbering 
 until the moon arose. Then his head rolled from off the 
 grave, and he slept on his back and his face shone bright in 
 the moonlight. Now the cemetery was a place inhabited by 
 the Jins who are of the Faithful ; and there came forth a 
 Jinneeyut, and she looked on Hussnn sleeping, and when she 
 saw him, she marvelled at his beauty, and his loveliness, and 
 she said ' Praise be to God ! what is this youth ; sure the 
 sons of Heaveniofi be like him.' Then flew she into the sky 
 to circle it as was her wont, and perceived a certain Ufreet fly- 
 ing ; and she saluted him, and said to him, ' Whence are thou 
 proceeding?' And he replied, 'Even hence.' So said she 
 to him, ' What ails thee that thou should'st not go with me to 
 look upon the beauty of this youth, that sleepeth in the burial 
 place ?' And he replied to her, ' So let it be.' Then on 
 they went, until they lighted at the tomb, and she said * Didst 
 thou ever see in thy life one like this V So the Ufreet looked 
 upon him, and said, ' Praise be to Him that hath no equal ! 
 and yet, oh ! my sister, dost thou desire that I should tell thee 
 what I have seen V And she answered, ' And what is it V 
 c c 'Z 
 
212 TALE OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 And he said, * Of a surety saw I the like of this youth in 
 the region of iEgypt, and she is the daughter of the vuzeer 
 Shums ood Deen, and her age is near about twenty years, 
 and she hath beauty, and loveliness, and fair feature, and per- 
 fect shape, and height, and just proportion. Now when 
 she had attained this age the sooltan of iEgypt heard of 
 her ; so he called the vuzeer her father to him, and said to 
 him, ' Know, oh ! vuzeer, that they tell me that thou hast a 
 daughter, and I wish to ask her in marriage of thee." So 
 the vuzeer replied, * Oh ! our lord the sooltan, accept my 
 excuse, and pity the grief I suffer silently ; for thou know- 
 est surely that my brother Noor ood Deen went out from 
 among us, and we know not where he is. And he was 
 my partner in the ministry, and the true source of his 
 departure was his getting angry with me, for I was sitting 
 and he with me and I conversed with him on the subject 
 of wives, and children, and there was reason for his anger. So 
 1 swore to marry my daughter to the son of my brother on the 
 day her mother gave her birth near upon nineteen years ago. 
 Now at but a recent date I heard that my brotlier had married 
 the daughter of the vuzeer of the tribes of Bussorah, and that 
 there came of her a son, and 1 will not marry my daughter 
 save to him out of affection for my brother. And I took the 
 date of my marriage, and the pregnancy of my wife, and her 
 bearing this girl, and she is set down to the name of the son of 
 her uncle. Now damsels for our lord the sooltan be very 
 many.' So when the sooltan heard the words of the vuzeer, 
 he was angry with exceeding wrath, and he said, ' Shall my 
 like ask a girl in marriage of thy like, that tliou should'st refuse 
 her, and put me off with a cold excuse ? By the life of my 
 head, I will not marry her save to the least of my servants in 
 spite of the nose of thee !' Now there was in the king's house 
 a groom, a very hunchback, with a hunch before and a hunch 
 behind. And the sooltan ordered him to be brought, and 
 wrote his marriage contract with the daughter of the vuzeer 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAU. 213 
 
 by compulsion, and ordered that he should send her on this 
 very night, and that there should be a i° ^marriage proces- 
 sion got up for him. Now when I left him there was he 
 amidst the servants of the sooltan, and they lighting torches 
 about him, and waiting for him at the door of the baths ; but 
 for the daughter of the vuzeer she is sitting crying amidst her 
 nurses, and her tirewomen, and she is fittest among mankind 
 for this youth. Now they have despatched to tell her father, 
 that he should bring her into her husband's presence, and 
 never have I seen an uglier being than this hunchback, but for 
 the damsel, sure she is fairer even than this lad.' " — And Shu- 
 hurzad perceived the morning dawn, and ceased speaking 
 the words permitted her. 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! Mighty Monarch ; that when 
 the Jin narrated to the Jinneeyut how the king caused her 
 wedding contract to be written with the hunchbacked groom, 
 and how slie was in excess of sorrow, and one could not find 
 her like in comeliness save this youth, that the Jinneeyut said to 
 him, * Thou liest, for of a surety this youth is fairest of the 
 people of the age.* And the Ufreet gave her the lie again, 
 and said, * WuUahy ! my sister, surely the damsel is fairer 
 than this youth, yet none could be matched with her but he, 
 for surely they are like as kindred are to one another, and the 
 children of an uncle : Oh ! how is she lost upon this hunch- 
 back !' Then said the Jinneeyut to him, * Let us get under 
 him, and bear him off, and take him to the damsel of whom 
 thou speakest, and let us see which one is the fairer of them.' 
 And the Ufreet replied, * To hear is to accede ; these words 
 are very fitting, and there could not be in this matter a propo- 
 sal fairer than that thou hast said ; I will carry him.' So then he 
 carried him, and flew with him into the sky, and the Jinneeyut 
 kept close by his side, vying Avith him in speed until he 
 alighted with him at the city Bussorah, and he set him down 
 
2 1 4 TALE OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 at the traveller's hostel, and waked him. So he roused himself 
 up from sleep, and found not himself at his father's tomb 
 on the soil of Bussorah. Then looked he right and left, but 
 found not where he was save at a city other than the city 
 Bussorah ; and he sought to cry out, but the Ufreet arrested 
 him. And the Ufreet gave him rich raiment, and clothed him 
 in it, and lighted a torch for him, and said to him, ' Know 
 that I am one that love thee, and I, please God, mean to do 
 something for thee : take now this torch, and go up to these 
 baths, and mingle with the people, and give not over going on 
 with them, until thou reachest the court where is the bridal ; 
 then go in front, and enter the courtyard, and stand in awe of no 
 dne, but just like as when thou camest in. Stand now at the 
 right hand of the bridegroom, the hunchback, and for every 
 one that comes to thee of the tirewomen, and singing girls, 
 and nurses put thy hand in thy breastfold, and thou wilt find 
 it filled with gold. Then take, and throw to them, and take 
 no care, for thou shalt not thrust in thy hand without thou 
 find it filled with gold. So give largesse to every one that 
 comes to thee of a handful, and fear thou for nothing, but 
 leave all to Him that made thee, for this is not of thy compass- 
 ing, but by the order of the Almighty.' Now when Budur 
 ood Deen Hussun heard these words from the Ufreet, he said 
 to himself, ' Now, let's see what like is this damsel, and 
 what is the cause of this kindness to thee.' So he went on, 
 and lighted the torch, and went to the baths, and found there 
 the hunchback mounted on a horse. Thus Budur ood Deen 
 Hussun pushed in amid the people, and he was in that state 
 and style of fair appearance that we have mentioned, with 
 the cap and turban cloth, and an open robe woven with 
 gold ; and he still went forwards in his fine apparel, and every 
 time the singing women stopped, and the people gave largesse 
 he thrust down his hand into his breastfold and found it filled 
 with gold ; then took he, and threw it on the tambour the 
 singing girl had by her, and filled the tambour with deenars. 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BTJSSORAH. 215 
 
 Thus were the senses of the singing girls won over, and 
 the people marvelled at his beauty, and his comeliness, and 
 they ceased not to be after this fashion till they arrived at 
 the house of the vuzeer. Now the chamberlains turned 
 back the people, and forbade their entry, but the singing 
 girls said, ' Wullahy, we will not go in unless this youth 
 go in with us, for he has made us his by his largesse, and we 
 will not make the bridal gay, save he be present.' ^ ° ^ So with 
 that they entered with him into the court of festival, and made 
 him sit under the very eyes of the hunchbacked bridegroom, 
 and all the women of the lords, and ministers sat in a row, and 
 the chamberlains in two lines, and every lady had with her a 
 massy waxen taper lighted, sitting close covered with her 
 wrapping veil, and these were set in rows to the right and left 
 from beneath the high seat for the bride to the upper end of 
 the hall which was destined for the company that went forth 
 with the marriage procession. Now when the women looked 
 on Budur ood Deen Hussun, and all the beauty that was his, 
 and his comeliness, and his face that glistened like the new 
 moon, then the women clustered near him, and the singing 
 girls said to the women that were present, ' Know that this 
 pretty fellow crossed not our hands save with the red gold ; 
 then be not chary to do him service, and grant him all that he 
 may ask.' So said they ; and then grew hotter still the press 
 of women with their tapers, and they looked on him, anddoat- 
 ed on his beauty, and every one among them had been well 
 pleased to pass with him an hour, or a year ; and they even 
 drew aside what hung before their faces, so had they lost 
 their hearts, and they said, ' Happiness were her's that had 
 this youth to herself.' So they called out against the hunch- 
 backed groom, and him that was the cause of his being mar- 
 ried to this fair girl, and ever while they blessed Budur ood 
 Deen Hussun, they cursed that Imnchbacked fellow. Then 
 the singing girls beat their tabrets, and danced together merri- 
 ly, and the tirewomen met them, and the daughter of the 
 
216 TALK OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 vuzeer among them, and tliey had dressed her fairly, and per- 
 fumed her, and adorned her hair, and scented her, and clad her 
 in jewels, and striped rich raiment Ijke the apparel of the 
 Khosroe kings. And over tlie whole of what was on her a 
 robe woven in with red gold, and on it figures of wild beasts, 
 and birds, and it was hung loosely on her over her wearing 
 clothes, and they had twisted a Yemen necklace on her worth 
 thousands, and laid on her of every sort of jewel the like 
 of which the Toobbuh^^^ never could collect, nor Kaisar 
 either. And the bride was as the full moon when- at the fullest 
 on the fourteenth night, and when she came out she was even 
 as a Hooree. Praise be to Him tliat created her in such 
 beauty ! And the women surrounded her, clustering like the 
 stars, and she amidst them like the moon when she emerg- 
 es bright beneath the cloud. Now Budur ood Deen Hus- 
 sun, the Bussorite, was sitting, and the people looking upon 
 him ; and the bride swayed gracefully, and came forward, 
 and walked with undulating steps, and the hunchbacked 
 groom stood up to her, to meet her, but she turned aside 
 from him, and went about until she stood before Ilussun, 
 the son of her uncle ; and tlie people laughed. Now when 
 they saw her walk gracefully near Budur ood Deen Hus- 
 sun, the people clamoured, and the singing women shout- 
 ed ; so he put down his hand into his breastfold, and took a 
 handful, and cast it on the tambours of the singing girls ; and 
 they rejoiced, and said, ' Oh ! how we wish that this bride 
 were for thee !' And upon this all of them smiled, and ga- 
 thered round him like the eye-ball round the pupil, and the 
 hunchbacked groom remained alone, looking like an ape. 
 And every time they lighted torches for him, he could make no 
 return, and the very power to speak remained not by him, so 
 he was sitting in darkness, and looking at nought but himself; 
 but Budur ood Deen Hussun — sure were there before him 
 tapers in the hand of the whole company. Now when Hus- 
 sun looked upon the bridegroom sitting alone in (he dark, 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 217 
 
 and looked upon himself, and all these people crowded close 
 to him, and these lighted tapers, he was bewildered, and he 
 marvelled much. But when Budur ood Deen Hussun looked 
 upon the daughter of his uncle, he rejoiced, and longed to 
 greet her, and gazed intently on her face, resplendent, radi- 
 ant with light, and her pure white forehead ; and on her was 
 that suit of raiment of rich scarlet satin. So the tirewomen 
 •displayed her in the first bridal' dress, and Hussun took a 
 glimpse of her : and she amazed him, and she walked swim- 
 mingly with .captivating grace, and caused the very senses of 
 the women, and the men to forsake them, for she was even as 
 the poet Mifzal, said of her in verse ; — 
 
 ' In kirtle coloured of the grenadine 
 She showed, a sun mid'st branches like her figure, 
 Mid sand hills like her hips. She made me drink 
 The winy dew that mantled on her cheek, 
 And thus my fiercely burning flame was quenched.* 
 
 And they changed that dress, and apparelled her in a robe of 
 blue ; then rose she like the full moon when it shines bright- 
 est, with her coal black hair, and cheeks of the anemone, and 
 teeth still shown in smiles, and bosom firmly rounded, and 
 taper was she of hand and foot and of where the bracelet 
 sits. And they displayed her in the second bridal dress, and 
 she was as the masters of sublime conceptions said of 
 her ; — 
 
 * She came apparelled in a vest of blue. 
 That mocked the skies, and shamed their azure hue : 
 I thought thus clad she burst upon my sight. 
 Like summer moonshine on a wintry night.' 
 
 (So goes the tale.) Then altered they that suit for a suit other 
 than it, and veiled her in the luxuriance of her hair, and drew 
 across her face her forelocks, dark and long ; and their black- 
 ness, and their length made one despise the thickest murkiness 
 
218 TALE OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 of darkest nights, and she shot throug^Ii all hearts with the 
 darts of her bewitching eye, And they displayed her in 
 the third bridal dress, as said of her he that spoke the verse ; — 
 
 * Her cheek concealed, ' Is't thus* said I, 
 
 But half revealed * The morning sky 
 Beneath the coal black hair, In night thou seeks*t to shroud ?' 
 
 Might teem the while * Nay', she repUed, 
 With many a wile, I do but hide, 
 
 But all hid darkling there. The moon behind a cloud.' 
 
 Then displayed they her in the fourth bridal dress, and she 
 came forward like the rising sun, and walked swimmingly 
 with captivating grace, and moved with supple ease like the 
 fawns of the antelope, and smote all hearts with arrows from 
 the corner of her eyelids, as the describer of her graces said of 
 her in verse ;— - 
 
 * The sun of beauty midst man's race 
 In her was seen confessed ; 
 Shame decked those charms with" modest grace 
 To which art gave a zest. 
 And e'en the golden orb of day 
 Curtained by clouds hath hid away. 
 E'er since he saw the sunny ray 
 In which her face is dressed.' 
 
 (So goes the tale.) And she came up in the fifth bridal dress, even 
 like the girl that is our dearest friend ; she was like a rod of 
 the benzoin tree, or an antelope of the thirsty desert, and she 
 let down her snaky locks, and called up her wondrous 
 powers to charm, and made her figure quiver as she went, as 
 was said of her, and as one described her in verse ; — 
 
 * In figure featly formed, with taper waist 
 As on the fourteenth night the full homed moon, 
 Beams she in ripe perfection. 
 A beauty centered in her eye's dark orb 
 Could do mankind to death — the ruby stone 
 Has lent her cheek it's redness. 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OE BUSSORAH. 219 
 
 Below her hip hang down her swart thick locks : 
 
 But ah 1 beware the serpent when thou gazest 
 
 Upon those snake-like tresses : 
 
 For kindness hath she wholly put away, 
 
 And 'neath her seeming softness lies a heart 
 
 More hard than granite boulders. 
 
 From the fringed curtain of her half closed eye 
 
 She speeds the dart that hits, and misses not, 
 
 E'en though it were far distant. 
 
 So 1 when embracing her I seek to circle 
 
 My hand about her neck, her bust repels me 
 
 Firm in its rich redundance. 
 
 Oh ! sure her loveliness outdoes the beauty 
 
 Of every fair ! her graces put to shame 
 
 The waving bough wind-shaken !* 
 
 (So goes the tale.) Then displayed they her in the sixth bridal 
 dress in a dress of green, and she shamed in her straightness 
 the blade of standing wheat, and she surpassed in her love- 
 liness the beauteous of all earth's quarters, and was fairer in 
 the radiance of her face than the bright beams of a full moon, 
 and she obtained of comeliness all she desired in the way of 
 beauty, and she outdid the bending branches in her gentle 
 motion, and her flexile grace, and slie broke men's hearts by 
 the loveliness of her whole appearance, as some one said of 
 her, and eulogised her in the verse ; — 
 
 * A maiden 'twas, the dresser's art had decked with cunning sleight ; 
 The Sim thou'd'st say had robbed her cheek, and shone with borrowed 
 
 light. 
 She came to us apparelled fair in under vest of green, 
 Like as the ripe pomegranate hides beneath it's leafy screen : 
 And when we asked her what might be the name of that she wore, 
 She answered in a quaint reply that double meaning bore : 
 
 * The desert's heart we penetrate in such apparel dressed. 
 
 And Fierce-heart therefore is the name by which we call the vest.' ' 
 
 Then they displayed her in the seventh bridal dress, a color 
 between saffron and dark yellow, as some one said of her, 
 
 D D 2 
 
220 TALE OF »HUM« OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 and praised her ; — 
 
 ' In saffron tint she walked bedight, 
 In sandal red, and yellow bright, 
 
 Pale amber, musky grey : 
 * Up, up in haste !' . the young man cries ; 
 Ah ! slender waist ! she cannot rise, 
 
 Nor skills to get away 
 With heavy hips that say, * Sit still,' 
 And make her linger 'gainst her will. 
 Thus when I would our union press, 
 'Come quickly,' says her loveliness. 
 
 Her coyness mutters, * Nay.' 
 
 But for the bride, surely when she opened her eyes she said, 
 » God help me, ! make this man, my husband, and keep me 
 from this hunchbacked groom.' So they went and displayed 
 the bride in the last of the seven dresses to Budur ood Deen 
 Hussun, the Bussorite, and the hunchbacked groom was sit- 
 ting alone ; and when they made an end of that they signed 
 dismissapi^to the people as a signal for departure ; then went 
 forth every one that was at the festival of the women, and the 
 youths, and there remained not behind any save Budur ood 
 Deen Hussun, and the hunchbacked groom. So the tirewo- 
 men took the bride in, that they might change her jewels, and 
 her garments, and prepare her for the bridegroom. Now up- 
 on this the hunchbacked groom stepped up to Budur ood 
 Deen Hussun, and said, * My master, thou hast been as a 
 friend to us this night, and has overpowered us with thy 
 courtesies : stay not therefore now, but go thy way.' And he 
 answered, * In God's name so let it be,' And he arose and 
 went forth by the gate. Then met him the Ufreet, and 
 said to him, ' Hold, Oh ! Budur ood Deen ; now when the 
 bridegroom has gone out to the house of ease, do thou go in, 
 and loiter not, but seat thyself in the alcove. So when the 
 bride has come before thee, say to her, ' I am thy spouse ; 
 and the king of a surety has devised this artitice fearing for 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 221 
 
 thee the evil eye, ^ ^ ^ and this fellow whom thou sees't, is but 
 a groom among our stablemen :' then go thou to lier, and un- 
 cover her face, for as for us, shame truly hath possessed us at 
 this matter.' Now meanwhile Budur ood Deen Hussun was 
 talking with the Ufreet, behold ! the groom went forth, and 
 entered the house of ease, and sat there. Then came up to 
 him the Ufreet out of the cistern in which the water was, in 
 the lil<.eness of a mouse, and said like a mouse ' Zeek.' Then 
 said the hunchback, ' What ails thee V And the mouse grew 
 larger, till it became a cat, and said like a cat, ' Meea, meea,' 
 and grew larger until it became a dog, and said, » Wow, wow/ 
 Now when the groom saw that, he grew frightened, and said, 
 * Get out, thou unlucky beast !' But the dog grew larger, 
 and swelled until it became an ass, and it brayed, and yelled 
 in his face, ' Uhak, uhak.' So he was much perturbed and 
 said, * Come join me, oh ! people of the house !' And lo ! 
 the ass grew larger, and became even as big as, and like a 
 buffalo, and filled the place before him, and spoke with the 
 words of the race of Adam, and said, * Shame on thee, oh ! 
 hunchback ! oh ! filthiest fellow !' And the groom sat there 
 in a sorry pickle, and his teeth close fast one to the other : 
 then said to him the Ufreet, * The world then is too narrow 
 for thee, and thou findest not one to marry save my mis- 
 tress V And he was silent. So the Ufreet said, ' Return an 
 answer, for if not, I will make thee mould thy dwelling place.' 
 So he replied, • Wullahy, there is no fault of mine, for truly 
 they forced me to it, and I knew not that she had a buflfalo for 
 her lover ; but I ask pardon first of God, then of thee.' So 
 said the Ufreet to him, * I swear to thee, if thou goest 
 forth at this time from this place, or say'st a word 
 before the sun rises, I will slay thee : but when the 
 sun is risen, go forth on what way thou wiliest, and return 
 not to this house ever at all.' Then the Ufreet seized the 
 hunchbacked groom, and set his liead at the opening of the 
 cesspool, and turned it down, and put his feet upwards and 
 
222 TALE OF SHUMS OOD BEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 said to him, ' I leave thee here ; I shall watch thee till the 
 rising of the sun.' Now this was what befel in the story of 
 the hunchback, but for what was as to the story of Budur ood 
 Deen Hussun, the Bussorite, surely he left the hunchbaclv and 
 the Ufreet by themselves jangling, and went into the house, 
 and sat in the midst of the alcove ; and behold ! the bride 
 came to it, and with her an old woman, and she stood at the 
 door of the building and said, ' Oh ! thou father of comely 
 forms, arise, take God's gift to thee.' So the old woman 
 turned away, and the bride entered the inner part of the al- 
 cove, and her name was Sitt ool Hussun. Now her heart 
 was broken, and she said, * Wullahy, I will not give him 
 room by me of mine own accord, even were he to slay my 
 soul.' Now when she entered the inner part of the alcove, 
 she saw Budur ood Deen Hussun, and she said, * My loved 
 one, at this time were I free, surely had I said in my heart, 
 I am thine, yet the hunchbacked groom hath a share in me.' 
 And Budur ood Deen Hussun replied, * What binds the groom 
 to thee, and how happens he to be copartner with me in 
 thee?' And she answered, 'Who is my husband, thou or 
 he V Budur ood Deen said, ' Oh ! Sitt ool Hussun, we have 
 not done this save for mere trickery to laugh at him ; sure 
 now sawest thou the tirewomen, and the singers, and thy 
 people display thee to me, and truly thy father, hired him for 
 ten deenars that he might avert the evil eye from us, and he 
 is already gone.' Now when Sitt ool Hussun heard from 
 Budur ood Deen these words she smiled, and rejoiced, and 
 laughed a sweet laugh and said, ' Wullahy, thou hast quench- 
 ed my fire of anguish, and now, Billahy ! take me to thee, 
 and clasp me to thy bosom.' Now Budur ood Deen arose, 
 and took off his clothes, and the bag of gold which he had 
 taken from the Jew in which were the thousand deenars, he 
 rolled in his trowsers, and laid it beneath the skirt of the 
 clothes put off, and he took off his turban, and laid it upon 
 the settle, and remained in his rich under garment, and the 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 223 
 
 under orarment was laced with orold. — And he laid his liand be- 
 neath her head, and even thus did she, and these two embrac- 
 ing slept each clasping the other, as said of them the poet 
 in these lines ; — 
 
 ' Go, visit her thou lovest, and regard not 
 The words detractors utter ; envious churls 
 Can never favour love. Oh ! sure the merciful 
 Ne'er made a thing more fair to look upon, 
 Than two fond lovers in each others arms. 
 Speaking their passion in a mute embrace. 
 When heart has turned to heart, the fools would part them 
 Strike idly on cold steel. So when thou'st found 
 One purely, wholly thine, accept her true heart, 
 And live for her alone. Oh ! thou that blamest 
 The love-struck for their love, give o'er thy talk. 
 How can'st thou minister to a mind diseased ?' 1 1 2 
 
 This now was what befel in the matter of Budur ood Deen 
 Hussun, and Sitt ool Hussun, the daughter of his uncle, but 
 for what befel in the matter of the Ufreet, surely he said to 
 the female Ufreet, ' Arise, and get in under the youtli, and let 
 us take him back to liis place, for that the dawn may avise us 
 of its coming and sure the time is near,' Upon that the 
 female Ufreet came forward, and crept in under his garment 
 skirt, and he sleeping ; so she took him, and flew with him, 
 and even he as he was in his under garment, and without up- 
 per clothes, and the female Ufreet gave not over flying with 
 him, and the Ufreet vying with her in speed, and the dawn 
 avised them that it Avas come in the middle of the way, and 
 the Moouzzins called aloud the summons to the Asylum 
 of Good. Then the Almighty commanded his angels to cast 
 at the Ufreet a meteor of fire^ i ^ so he was- consumed but the 
 female Ufreet was preserved ; and she descended with Budur 
 ood Deen at the place where the meteor smote the Ufreet, and 
 did not go back with him to Bussorah fearing for his sake. 
 And it so was by the order of God's decree that they arrived at 
 Damascus of Syria, and the female Ufreet laid him down at a 
 
224 TALE OF SIIUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 gate of the city portals, and flew away. Now when the day 
 arose, and the gates of the city opened, and the people came 
 out, then saw they a fair youth in an under garment, and a 
 head band, stripped of all other raiment, and he in the lieaviest 
 of lethargy drowned in sleep. So when the people saw him, 
 they said, ' Oh ! fortune, some one was with this fellow the 
 night long, but oh ! it had been better for him to wait until he 
 put on his needful garments.* And said another, ' Poor 
 wretch ? but within this short time has he gone out of the 
 wine house, for some matter or other of his own, and then 
 drunkenness hath got the better of him, and he has forgotten 
 the place he was making for, even until he reached the gate of 
 the city, and has found himself shut out, and has gone to sleep 
 here.' So the people made guesses about him in their talking, 
 and behold ! the wind blew upon Budur ood Deen, and raised 
 his garment skirt upon his body, and his person appeared 
 from under it, and his wounded hip, and his legs, and tliiglis, 
 like crystal. Then said the people, ' Wullahy ! good V 
 And Budur ood Deen roused himself, and found himself, at 
 a city gate, and people standing at it. So he marvelled, and 
 said, ' Where am I ? oh ! good people all, what now is the 
 reason of your being gathered here, and what have 1 had to do 
 with you V So they replied, * We saw you about the morning 
 call for prayers lying here sleeping, and we know of nought else 
 than this ; where now were you sleeping this night V And 
 Budur ood Deen Hussun answered, ' Wullahy ! good people 
 all, I was sleeping this night in Cairo.' So one said, ' You have 
 been eating the hemp drug.' ^ ^ "* And another of them said, ' Are 
 you a madman ? you go to rest in Cairo, and wake in the morn- 
 ing sleeping at the city Damascus !' So he answered them, 
 * Wullahy, oh ! good people all of ye, I tell ye no lie at all, 
 for I was the best part of yesterday at night in the countries of 
 iEgypt, and in the noon of yesterday was 1 at Bussorah.' And 
 one of them said ' Good indeed,' And another said, ' Tliis 
 youth is mad,' And they clapped at him with their hands ; 
 
AND OP NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 225 
 
 and the people talked one with the other, and said, * 'Ti3 
 pity on his youth, WuUahy ! there is no doubt at all as to his 
 madness.* So then they said to him, ' Settle your thoughts, 
 and return to your senses/ Then replied Budur ood Deen 
 Hussun, ' I was yesterday a bridegroom in the countries of 
 iEgypt,' And they said, * Surely thou hast been dreaming, 
 and hast seen this that thou speakest of in a dream.' And 
 Hussun was perturbed in spirit, and said ' This is not a 
 dream, and I saw it not in the fancyings of sleep, for verily I 
 speak truth, and they showed me the bride before me, and 
 there was a third person, the hunchback, sitting by. WuUahy, 
 my brother, this is no dream, and if it were a dream, where 
 is the bag of gold I had with me, and where is my turban 
 cloth, and my maude, and my raiment V So he arose, and 
 entered the city, antl threaded its squares, and streets, and the 
 people flocked in crowds to him, and jeered him. So he 
 entered a cook's shop : and that cook was a man that had 
 been one who harrassed others, that is a robber : but the 
 Almighty caused him to repent and desist from robbery, and 
 he opened a cook's shop. Now the people of Damascus 
 every one of them stood in fear of him, and of the excess of 
 his evil deeds. Now when the people saw the youth that 
 he had entered the cook's shop, they stood aside, and were 
 afraid of him. And when the cook looked upon Budur ood 
 Deen Hussun, and saw his beauty, and his comeliness, a 
 kindly feeling rose in his heart, and he said, ' Whence art 
 thou, oh ! young man ? Tell me now the story, for surely thou 
 art dearer to me than my soul.' So he told what had passed 
 from the beginning to the end, and the cook said to him, ' Oh ! 
 my master, Budur ood Deen, know that this matter is right 
 wondrous, and ths story strange : yet oh ! my son, conceal 
 what hath befallen thee, until God relieve thee of what ill is 
 thine ; and abide with me in this place. Surely now I have no 
 son, and I mean to take thee as my son.' So Budur ood Deen 
 replied to him, ' Even so ; I consent :' So upon that the cook 
 
 ££ 
 
226 TALE OF SHUMS OOD BEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 went down into the market, and bought for Budnr ood Deen 
 a silken dress of excellent quality, and clothed him in it, and- 
 set his face to go, and he with him to the kazee, and declar- 
 ed in his own person that he was his son,^ i* and Budur ood 
 Deen Hussun was declared in the city Damascus to be the 
 son of the cook, and he sat with him in the shop amassing 
 money, and his way of life was settled after this fashioning 
 the cook's house. This now was what befel in the matter of 
 Budur ood Deen Hussun, and what came to pass with hitn, 
 but for what befel in the matter of Sitt ool Hussun the daugh- 
 ter of his uncle, surely when the morning rose, and sheroused 
 from sleep she found not Budur ood Deen Hussun. So she 
 supposed that he had gone out for a while, and she sat expect- 
 ing to see him in a moment. And behold her father had' 
 come in, and he was all disconsolate at what had come to pass^ 
 Avith him through the sooltan, and how he had treated him 
 harshly, and married his daughter by force with one of his- 
 household servants, and he too a mere groom, a hunchback, 
 and he said in his soul, * I will slay this daughter of mine if 
 she has made room by her for this accursed fellow of her 
 own accord.' So he went on till he reached the alcove, and 
 knocked at the door, and said, * Oh ! Sitt ool Hussun '/ And 
 she answered him, ' Here I am ! oh ! my lord,' And she came 
 out, and she was dancing with joy, and she kissed the earth; 
 and her face was even brighter, and more comely for her hav- 
 ing lain on the neck of that delicate young fellow. Now 
 when her father saw her, and she too in this state, he said to 
 her, ' Gh accursed girl, art thou rejoicing because of this 
 groom V So when Sitt ool Hussun heard the words of her 
 father, she smiled, and said, ' Billahy I enough of what pass-^ 
 ed yesterday, when the people laughed at me, and exposed 
 me to that groom, who is not worth the paring of my hus- 
 band's nail ! "Wullahy ! I have never rested my life long a 
 night so sweet as yesternight ; so do not mock me, and men- 
 tion not that hunchback to me.' Now when her father heard 
 
AND DF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VtJZEER OF BUSSORAH. 227 
 
 her words, he was wholly possessed with fury, and his eye 
 flashed, and he said to her! ' Shame to thee ! are these the 
 words with which thou tellest me that the hunchbacked groom 
 rested with thee !* And she replied, ' As God is with thee, 
 mention him not. Heaven's curse be on him ! and make no 
 jesting with me ; for the groom was but one hired for ten 
 deenars, and he took his wages, and went his way; and I 
 went and entered the alcove, and saw my spouse sitting 
 there, after they had displayed me to him, and he crossed 
 their hand with red gold until the poor folks that were pre- 
 sent sung for joy : and I have rested in the bosom of my 
 buxom husband, the lord of the black eyes, and the eye-brows 
 joined in one.' Now when her father heard these words the 
 light became darkness before his face, and he said to her, 
 * Tliou shameless girl ! What is this that thou tellest me ? 
 where are thy senses V And she answered him, * Oh ! 
 my father, thou hast broken my heart ; let it satisfy thee 
 that thou hast been hard upon me ; for this my husband, 
 he who uncovered my face, has but gone out for a while, 
 and surely wilt thou get information from him.' So her 
 father arose, and he was in much marvel, and he entered 
 the privy house, and there found he the hunchbacked groom 
 with his head turned down, on the cess-pool, and his feet 
 upwards ; then was the vuzeer confounded at seeing him, 
 and he cried, ' This is none other than the very he, the 
 hunchback !' and he said to him, ' Oh hunchback !' And 
 he answered with a grunting noiseii^ * Tughroom, tughy 
 room,^ For the hunchback supposed that no one spoke to 
 him save the Ufreet. So the vuzeer shouted to him, and 
 said, * Speak plain, if not, I will cut thy head off with this 
 sword.' And upon that the hunchback said, ' Wullahy, oh! 
 chief of the Ufreets, ever since thou didst put me in this 
 place, I have not lifted my head ; so as God is with thee 
 treat me kindly.' Now when the vuzeer heard the words 
 of the hunchback, he said to him, * What sayest thou ? I 
 E E 2 
 
228 TALE OF SKUMS OOD DEEN MITIIUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 am the father of the bride, and I am no Ufreet.' And he 
 answered, ' I have enough of thee ! thou hast come to take 
 my life ; go now the way thou wiliest, before he comes to 
 thee who did this thing to me ; for you could not marry me 
 save to the mistress of a buffalo, and the mistress of Ufreets. 
 Now curse upon my marriage with her, and curse him that 
 was the cause of it/ " — And Shuhurzad perceived the morn- 
 ing dawn, and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 She said " Tliey relate ; Oh mighty King, that the hunchback- 
 ed groom was talking with the v.azeer, the father of the bride, 
 and saying ' Heaven curse him was the cause of it !' So said 
 the vuzeer to him, * Arise, and go forth from this place.' And 
 he replied, ' Am I mad that I should go with you without the 
 order of the Ufreet ? for he said to me, ' when the sun has 
 risen, rise, and go the way thou wiliest ;' now is the sun 
 up, or no ? for I cannot get up from my place here, with- 
 out the sun be up.' So upon that the vuzeer said, ' Who 
 brought thee to this place ?' And he answered, ' Surely 
 I came here yesternight and so ! up came a mouse out 
 of the midst of the water, and swelled, and became bigger, 
 till it was as large as a buffalo, and spoke to me in words 
 that entered this ear of mine ; curse on the bride and he 
 who married me to her !' So the vuzeer walked up to him 
 and lifted him out of the cess-pool opening. So he went 
 forth, and he running, and knew not for sure if the sun were 
 indeed risen, ere he went up to the sooltan, and informed him 
 of what had happened to him with the Ufreet. But for the 
 vuzeer, the father of the bride, he truly entered the house, 
 and he was mazed in spirit in the matter of his daughter. 
 So he said, ' Oh my daughter explain the story to me' Then 
 said she, ' Surely the bridegroom to whom they showed 
 me yestereve, rested with me, and is my very husband ; 
 and yet if thou wilt not believe me, this is his turban cloth. 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 229 
 
 twisted on the settle, and his clothes beneath the bed carpet, 
 and something folded in it, and I know not what this is.* 
 Now when her father heard these words he entered the 
 alcove, and found the turban cloth of Budur ood Deen 
 Hussun, his brother's son, and instantly he took it in his 
 hand, and twisted it, and said, ' This is the turban worn by 
 vuzeers, for it is Mousul stuff.' Then looked he, at the 
 packet, which was tied up in his cap, and he took, and unclos- 
 ed it, and he took up the clotlies, and found the bag, in which 
 were the thousand deenars, and opened it : then found he 
 in it a written paper, and he read it, and found it was the 
 sale receipt of the Jew, and the name Budur ood Deen 
 Hussun son of Noor ood Deen Ullee, the Egyptian, and found 
 too the thousand deenars. Now when Shums ood Deen read 
 the paper, he cried with a loud cry, and fell in a swoon upon 
 it. But when he recovered, and understood the gist of the 
 matter, he marvelled, and said * There is no God but the God 
 of the mighty over every thing.' And he said, ' Oh ! niy 
 daughter knowest thou who it was uncovered thy face V She 
 answered ' No,' He said, * Of a surety he is the son of 
 my brother, and even he is son of thine uncle, and this thou- 
 sand deenars is the dowry ; Praise be to God ! it is past my 
 knowledge how this matter came about 1' Then opened he 
 the packet that was tied up, and found in it a written sheet of 
 paper, and there was written on it a record in the hand of his 
 brother Noor ood Deen, the Egyptian, father of Budur ood 
 Deen Hussun. Now when he saw the hand writing of his 
 brother, he broke out, and repeated this verse ; — 
 
 * The tracks that they have left I trace, 
 And pine for those are far away, 
 And water with my tears the place 
 Where late they made their stay. 
 And to that power, whose mandate stem 
 Hath doomed their absence hence I pray- 
 To make me blessed in their return, 
 An 't were but for a day !' 
 
230 TALE OF SHUMS OOD BEEN MUHTTM»nJD, VUZEER OP CAIRO, 
 
 So when he ceased repeating- the verse, he read the packet, 
 and found in it the date of his brother's marriage with the 
 daughter of the vuzeer of Bussorah, and the date of the 
 bridal, and the date of the birth of Budur ood Deen Hussun, 
 and the record of his life even up to his dying day : So he 
 marvelled much, and was agitated with gladsonieness, and 
 compared what had come to pass to his brother with that had 
 come to him, and found it like to like with his own marriage, 
 and the marriage of the other exactly corresponding in date : 
 and the bridals, and the birth of Budur ood Deen Hussun, 
 and his daughter Sitt ool Hussun likewise correspondent. So 
 he took the paper, and went up witli it to the sooltan, and told 
 him what had passed from first to last ; and the king marvelled, 
 and ordered that tliey should record this matter on the instant. 
 Then remained the vuzeer in expectation to see his brother's 
 son that day, and he came not ; and a second day waited 
 he and a third day, to the seventh day, but he fell in with 
 no tidings of him. So he said, ' Wullahy, I will truly do 
 a deed, such as none have ever done before me.' And he 
 took ink, and pen, and drew upon paper a sketch plan of 
 the whole house, to wit, for the outer chamber a separate di- 
 vision, this wise, and for sucli an inner room behind the 
 curtain^i'' a division that wise, and so on for all that was in 
 the building : then he folded up the sketch, and ordered 
 them to lift up Bnrdur ood Deen's garments, and took the 
 turban cloth, and the turban cap, and took the trowsers, and 
 the bag, and lifted them into his apartment, and locked them 
 up with a padlock of iron, and sealed it until the son of 
 his brother should arrive, even Hussun the Bussorite. But 
 for the daughter of the vuzeer, sure her time of months 
 was full, and she bore a son like the full moon, the image of 
 his father in beauty, and perfection, and fair proportion, 
 and comeliness. So they anointed his eyes with khol,i i^ 
 and gave him in charge to the nurses, and named him 
 Ujeebun : and his day was as a month and his month 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DT:15N tLLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 231 
 
 a year. Now when his seventh year was passed, they 
 gave him over to a doctor of law, and religion, and en- 
 trusted the boy to him to form him, and teach him to 
 read, and improve his character. So he abode in the school 
 till four years were passed, and he used to bully thte boys 
 of the school, and revile them, and say to them, ' Who 
 among you is like me ! I am the son of the vuzeer of Cairo !' 
 So the lads arose and came together to complain to the learned 
 doctor, of that hard usage they had from Ujeeb. And the 
 doctor said to them' Against to-morrow when he comes, I 
 wiH tell you of a thing that you may say to him, will make 
 him leave off coming to the school, and this it is : — When 
 he comes to-morrow, sit ye down about him, and say some- 
 one of you, to some other, * Wullahy ! none shall play at 
 this game with us, save he can tell us the name of his mother 
 and his father, for whoso cannot let us know the name of his 
 mother and his father, he truly is a son born unlawfully, andf 
 he shall not play with us.' Now when the morning dawned 
 they came to the school, and Ujeeb was present : So the lads 
 came round him, and said ' We will play at some game, but 
 none shall play with us save he can tell the name of his mo- 
 ther and his father,' And all said, ' Wullahy ! good !' Set 
 said one of them ' My name is Majid, and my mother is Al- 
 weeyah, and my father Izz ood Deen,' And another said like 
 so he had, and another too, in the same until the turn came 
 round to Ujeeb. And he said my name is Ujeeb, and my mo- 
 ther is Sitt ool Ilussun, and my father Shums ood Deen, the 
 vu:^eer of Cairo, and they said to him, ' Wallahy ! the vuzeer 
 truly he is not your father.' Then Ujeeb answered them ' The 
 vuzeer is my father in very deed,' So the lads laughed at him^ 
 and clapped their hands at him, and said, ' He does not know 
 what father he has ! get out from among us, for none shall 
 play with us, save he that knows the name of his fatlier.' And 
 straightway the lads went away from about him and laughed 
 him to scorn: sa his chest tightened and he was nearly 
 
S32 TALE or* SHtfMS dot) DEE]» BtUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 Strangled with crying. Then said the doctor to him, ' Know that 
 the vnzeeris thy grandfather, tlie father of thy mother, Sitt ool 
 Hussun, and not thy father ; but for thy father, neither dost 
 thou know him, nor yet do we; for truly the sooltan married 
 her to the hunchbacked groom, and the Jin came, and slept 
 with her, and thou hast no father that one knows of. Keep not 
 comparing thyself with the little ones of the school until thou 
 knowest that thou hast a father, and save thou dost, so thou 
 must remain a misbegot among them ; for see'st thou not, a 
 son born of wedlock knows his father, and thy grandfather is 
 the vuzeer of Cairo, but for thy father we know him not, 
 and we say indeed that thou hast none : so come to 
 thy senses.' Now when he heard these words from the 
 teacher, and the lads, and the reproach they put on him, he 
 arose on the moment ; and went in to his mother, Sitt ool 
 Hussun, and complained to her, and he was crying, so that 
 his crying choked his speech. Now when his mother 
 heard his words, and his weeping, her heart burned as there 
 were fire in it, and she said, ' What is it makes thee cry ? tell 
 me now thy story.' So Ujeeb related to her that he heard 
 from the lads, and from the teacher saying, * And who is he, 
 Oh ! my mother, that is my father ?' She replied ' Thy 
 father is the vuzeer of Cairo.' But he answered, ' Nay, 
 thou tellest me a lie, for the vuzeer surely is father to thee, 
 and not to me : who now is my father ? if thou dost not tell 
 me the very truth, I will in very deed kill myself with this 
 dagger.' Now when his mother heard a mention of his 
 father, she wept at the mention of the son of her uncle, and 
 she remembered her of her bridal with Budur ood Deen 
 Hussun, the Bussorite, and what came to pass with him, and 
 she broke out repeating these verses ; — 
 
 They grafted in my heart love's worst excess, 
 Then placed wide lands 'twixt me and that I lorved ; 
 And since they bouned to part my wild distress 
 Showed clearer still as less my patience proved. 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN l/LLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 233 
 
 Fast as they fled, so fled my joyousness ; 
 
 Rest they foreswore, and could I rest unmoved ? 
 
 Tears of mine eyes to part but bade ye flow, 
 
 While absence feeds the rivulet of woe I 
 
 How have I longed to see them but once raoreH 
 
 How toiled with grief, and bootless hope o'er wrought ; 
 
 Their form lies pictured in my bosom's core 
 
 With love, desire, and dreamy passion fraught. 
 
 Close as a vest their memory still I wore. 
 
 While love enwrapped me in a robe of thought* 
 
 Long as they linger hence, so lastingly 
 
 Endures our love, past mortal constancy !* 
 
 Then wailed she, and shrieked aloud, and even thus hef sort 
 also, and behold ! the vuzeer came in to them ; so when he 
 saw their lamentation, his heart was consumed, and he said 
 ' What maketh ye weep ?' So she informed him of what had 
 happened to her son with the little ones of the school, and he 
 wept also : for he minded him of his brother, and what hap- 
 pened to him with him, and what befel his daughter, and how 
 he understood not what was hidden in the matter. So on the 
 instant arose the vuzeer, and proceeded till he went up to the 
 hall of audience, and entered in to the king, and told the 
 tale to him, and sought of him permission to travel to the 
 East, and examine thecity Bussorah, and ask after the son of 
 his brother : also sought he of the sooltan that he should write 
 for him mandates to all lands, and all cities that in whatsoever 
 place he should find his brother he might take him. Then 
 wept he before the sooltan, so that his heart was melted, and 
 he wrote mandates for him for all countries, and all towns : 
 so the vuzeer rejoiced at that and prayed for blessings on the 
 sooltan, and took leave of him : and on the instant went 
 down and equipped him for the journey and took whatsoever' 
 was requisite for it, and his daughter and her child Ujeeb and 
 travelled the first day, and the second day, and the third day, 
 until he arrived at the city Damascus ; and he found her rich 
 
 F p 
 
234 TALK OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 in trees, and streams, as said of her the poet ; 
 
 * When I had passed my day, and night 
 Within Damascus boundaries, 
 Old Time 'gan swear that he could ne'er 
 Forget a day, and night like this ! 
 We slept ; while watched night's guardian wing 
 Our lazy hours of deep repose, 
 And infant day in mantle grey 
 With smiling aspect cheerly rose. 
 Like orient pearls upon those boughs 
 Was deftly hung the morning dew, 
 That fell away in tiny spray, 
 Whene'er the gentle zephyr blew. 
 The small birds chaunted songs of praise, 
 Their psalter was the lake's broad tide, 
 The wind each note in ripples wrote, 
 And dappled clouds the points supplied.* 
 
 So the vuzeer alighted on a gravelly plain, and pitched his 
 tent, and said to his servants, ' Take your ease here two days ;' 
 So the servants went into the city to supply their wants, this 
 to buy, and this to sell, and this to go to the baths, and this to 
 go into the mosque of the sons of Umeyah,ii® ^he like of 
 which is not in the world : and Ujeeb went out, he and his 
 own servant, and entered the city to amuse themselves, and 
 the servant went behind Ujeeb, with a thick staff so heavy that 
 if he should strike a camel with it the beast could not rise 
 again. Now when the people of Damascus looked upon 
 Ujeeb, and his stature, and his just proportion, and his fair 
 form, and his comeliness, and he a youth, fresh in his loveli- 
 ness, gentle in his winning graces, pleasanter than the western 
 breeze, and more sweet than limpid waters to the thirsty, and 
 one who by the medicine of his look might heal the sick, a 
 great crowd gathered to see him pass and they gazed on him, 
 and got before to look on him, and sat in his way until he 
 came to them ; and they fixed their eyes on him, until it 
 happened by order of that was decreed that they hit upon the 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 235 
 
 shop of Ujeeb's father Budur ood Deen Hussun. Now so it 
 was his beard had grown, and his wits had come to maturity 
 during the period of twelve years, and the cook^^o ija,d died, 
 and Budur ood Deen Hussun had taken his property, and his 
 shop for that he had acknowledged before the kazees, and 
 bearers of testimony that he was his son. Now it happened 
 that very day that his son and the servant lighted on him, 
 that he gazed on his son Ujeeb ; and found in him excess of 
 beauty : and his heart palpitated, and blood yearned to blood, 
 and his very soul clove to him. Now so it was he had just 
 dressed pomegranate grain^^i in sweet sauce, and Heaven im- 
 planted love impelled him ; so he called to his son Ujeeb, and 
 said, * Oh ! my master ! oh ! thou who art lord of my heart, 
 and my affections, and to whom my heart hath cloven ; what 
 ails thee, that thou should'st not eat in my house, and mend 
 iny broken heart, and eat of my meat.' Then streamed his 
 eyes with tears without his power to stop them for he thought 
 on what had he been, and what he was at that moment. 
 Now when Ujeeb heard the words of his father, his heart 
 yearned to him, and he looked to the servant, and said to him, 
 * Sure now this cook — my heart yearns to him^ and he is as 
 one that has a son far distant from him ; enter then into his 
 house with us to mend his broken heart, and to taste his ban- 
 quet, for perchance for that we do with him, may the Al- 
 mighty unite us with our father.' Now when the servant 
 heard the words of Ujeeb he said * WuUahy ! good indeed ! 
 thou the offspring of the vuzeer, and eat in a cook's shop ! 
 I indeed keep off the people from thee with this staff 
 in fear lest they should even look upon thee ; I cannot then 
 suffer that thou should'st enter this shop at all.' So 
 when Budur ood Deen Hussun heard the words of the ser- 
 vant, he marvelled, and turned to the servant, and his tears 
 poured down his cheeks. Then said Ujeeb to the servant, 
 < Sure my heart loveth him !' But the serving man replied to 
 him, ' Spare us such talk as this, and go not in.' Now upou 
 
 F F 2 
 
236 TALE OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MUHU7JMUD, VUZEEIl OF CMRO, 
 
 that the father of Ujeeb, addressed the serving man, and said 
 to him * Oh ! worthy Sir, how now ;— wilt thou not ease my 
 mind, and come in to me, oh ! thou that art as it were a ches- 
 nut, dark, and yet its heart white ! oh ! thou of whom a cer- 
 tam poet spoke, and whom he praised !' So the servant laugh- 
 ed, and said * How say'st thou ? Come, Billahy ! say and 
 be brief ! Then on the instant Budur ood Deen Hussun broke 
 out extemporaneously, and began to repeat this verse ; — 
 ' If not master of manners, if else than discreet, 
 In the mansions of princes no trust could he take ; 
 And then for the Hureem, oh ! what servant more meet, 
 Whom Heaven's angels needs sei-ve for his mere beauty's sake !* 
 
 Then marvelled the serving man at these words, and he took 
 Ujeebun and went into the cook's shop. Then Budur ood 
 Deen Hussun served up a great bowl of pomegranate grain 
 and it was dressed with almond and sugar. So they ate, both 
 of them. Then said to them Budur ood Deen Hussun, » You 
 have graced me with kindness, eat then with appetite, and 
 good digestion.' Now Ujeebun said to his father * Sit, eat 
 with us, for perchance God may bring us too to meet him we 
 long for.' So Budur ood Deen Hussun replied, ' Oh ! my 
 son, at thine age dost thou suffer at parting from those thou 
 lovest ? ' And Ujeeb answered, * Even so, oh ! mine uncle, 
 ^22 my heart is consumed with separation from him who is 
 dearest to me, and even he is my father : now have I come 
 forth, I and my grandsire to search the cities for him ; Oh : 
 well away ! and how I long to meet him,' And he wept with 
 exceeding weeping, and his father too wept at his separation, 
 and at seeing him weep, and he thought upon the being parted 
 from dear friends, and spoke of his own distance from his 
 father, and his mother : that the servant even pitied him : and 
 they ate all of them till they were satisfied. Now after that 
 they arose, and went out of the shop, of Budur ood Deen 
 Hussun, and, he felt as though his soul was parted from him, 
 mxd was gone with them. And he was not able to wait the 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 237 
 
 twinkling of an eye without them, and he locked up his shop 
 and he followed them, and knew not that even this boy was 
 his son. So he hurried in his walk until he came upon them 
 before they had gone out of the great gate : then the eunuch 
 turned about, and said to him, * What ails thee V And Budur 
 ood Deen Hussun replied, ' When ye went down from my 
 house, I felt as though my soul had gone with ye ; and indeed 
 I had business in the city without the gate, and purposed to ac- 
 company you until ray matter in hand was ordered, and then 
 to go.' Then was the eunuch angered, and said to Ujeeb, 
 * I was afraid of this ; we ate a mouthful tliat though 'twas 
 unlucky food, hath now become sacred, and forsooth tliis fellow 
 follows us from place to place !' So Ujeeb turned about and 
 came upon the cook just behind him ; so he was very angry, 
 and his face reddened ; then said he to the servant *Let him 
 walk the way common alike to all Mooslims but when we go 
 out to our tents, and find that he follows us, we will drive him 
 away.' So he held his head down, and went on, and 
 the servant after him ; but Budur ood Deen Hussun followed 
 them to the open plain, and they approached the tents ; then 
 turned they round and saw him following them ; and Ujeeb 
 was angry, and feared lest the eunuch should let his grand- 
 sire know what had happened, and he was quite possessed 
 with indignation that one should say he had entered a cook's 
 shop, and that the cook followed him. So he turned about, and 
 found the man's eye fixed on his eye, and he too was a body 
 reft of soul : then thought Ujeeb as he looked, that his eye 
 was a treacherous eye, or that he was some lewd fellow : so 
 his ire increased, and he took a stone ; and struck his father 
 with it: then fell Budur ood Deen Hussun thereat, and the 
 blood streamed down his face, and then Ujeeb and the servant 
 made for the tents. But as for Budur ood Deen Hussun, 
 when he came to himself, he wiped off the blood, and rent 
 a rag from his turban cloth, and bound his head, and reproach- 
 ed himself, and said, ' Surely I teased the lad : I shut my 
 
238 TALE OF SKUMS OOD DEEN MIIHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 shop, and followed him until he imagined that I was some 
 evil-minded fellow, So he went to his shop, and sold his 
 meats, and still was longing to see his mother which was in 
 Bussorah, and he wept for her, and broke out repeating ;— 
 
 * Ask not fortune to be just, 
 And then upbraid her as unkind, 
 Spare to blame her, spare to trust 
 She comes not of an honest kind. 
 Take wliate'er for thee's designed, 
 And give unseen thy God his due ; 
 No doubt but there thou'lt truly find, 
 All justice, and all mercy too 1' 
 
 So then Budur bod Deen Hussun set himself steadily to the 
 selling of his meats ; but for the vuzeer his uncle, surely he 
 halted at Damascus three days, and then decamped making for 
 Emessa, and he entered the town, and he made enquiry on 
 his way wheresoever he rested in his travel, until he arrived 
 at Diyar Buke, and Marideen, and Mousul, and left not off 
 journeying on to the city Bussorah, and he entered it. Now 
 when he liad secured an abode in it, he went in to the Sool- 
 tan, and got a meeting with him ; then the Sooltan treated him 
 with honour, and gave him a fair lodging, and questioned him 
 as to the reason of his wayfaring ; so the vuzeer informed 
 him of his history, and asked of his brother, the minister 
 Noor ood Deen Ullee, and the sooltan compassioned him, and 
 said to him, * Oh ! good Sir, he was my vuzeer, and I still 
 loved him exceedingly even for fifteen years, and he died, and 
 left a son behind him, but he abode not here after his father's 
 death save one single month, when he was wholly lost, and 
 we could gain no tidings of him, unless indeed it were his 
 mother that is among us, who was the daughter of mine an- 
 cient minister,' Now when the vuzeer Shums ood Deen heard 
 these words, of the king, and the mother of his brother's son 
 was well, he rejoiced, and said, ' Oh ! king, surely I desire 
 much to meet with her.' So on the instant he gave him leave 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 239 
 
 and he went in to find her in the liouse of his brother Noor 
 ood Deen. Then he cast a glance on all around about it, and 
 kissed the door steps, and thought upon his brother Noor ood 
 Deen Ullee and how he died in a strange land ; then wept he, 
 and broke out saying; — 
 
 * I travelled through the land, my Leila's land, 
 And kissed the mute walls there on every hand. 
 T'was not the land my fond heart loved so well, 
 But her who in that land was wont to dwell.' 
 
 Then he entered through the gate into a very spacious vesti- 
 bule, and a doorway strongly defended, built in with hard 
 squared stone, inlaid with bits of sundry sorts of marble of 
 all colors. Then went he round about the house, and looked 
 upon it, and threw many a glance upon it, and he found the 
 name of his brother Noor ood Deen written upon it in gold 
 wash ; then went he towards the name, and kissed it, and 
 wept, and thought upon his separation, and burst out repeat^ 
 inor these lines ; — 
 
 fa 
 
 ' I prayed the sun to give me tidings of ye 
 Each time he rose, and when the lightning flashed 
 Asked of your whereabouts. 
 I lay me down, and in my restless sleep 
 Love made me turn, and toss, but 'mid my suffering- 
 I plained me not of it. 
 
 Oh ! my beloved 1 if time indeed be tedious. 
 What share of tediousness was doled to me 
 When I am absent from thee ! 
 
 And though thou should'st consent to glad mine eyes 
 With sight of thee, how much more gladsome were it 
 To meet thee face to face ? 
 Think not another could engage my thoughts ; 
 E'en if my heart should try to love another, 
 The effort were in vain.' 
 
 So then he went forward until he came to the apartment of the 
 wife of his brother, mother of Budur ood Deen Hussun, the 
 ./Egyptian ; and she from the time of disappearstfice of her 
 
240 TALE OP SHUMS OOD DEEN MUHtJMMUD, VU2EER OF CAIRO, 
 
 son had been continually employed in weeping and in 
 wailing night and day. Now as years increased with her, 
 she made for her son a tomb of marble in the midst of the 
 courtyard, and used to weep for him night and day, sleeping 
 not save in that tomb. So when the vuzeer arrived at her 
 abiding place, he heard her low moaning, and stood behind 
 the door ; then heard he her address the sepulchre in verse, 
 and say ;— 
 
 * Tell me, by Heaven, thou sepulchre, 
 Why hath his beauty ceased to be. 
 And why is changed his fair aspect, 
 That was so sweet to see ? 
 Thou art not Earth, thou sepulchre. 
 Nor art thou sky that I see here, 
 How then in thee do both bright moon, 
 And fresh green tree appear ? 
 
 Now even while she was after this fashion, behold ! the 
 vuzeer Shums ood Deen had come in to her, and saluted her, 
 and informed her that he was the brother of her husband, then 
 told he her of what had come to pass and laid open the whole 
 story to her, and how her son Budur ood Deen Hussun slept 
 with his daughter a whole night long full ten years ago, and 
 in the morning was sought, and found not, and * How my 
 daughter was pregnant by thy son, and bore a male child, 
 and even he is with me, and surely he is thy son, and the 
 son of thy son, born of my daughter.' Now when she heard 
 the tidings of her son, and that he was living, and saw her 
 brother-iiv-law, thereupon she stood up to him, and fell at his 
 feet, and kissed them, and began reciting extemporaneously 
 the verse ;^ 
 
 I ' Oh ! Heaven ! glad tidings greet me from his footsteps. 
 And he is come with news right sweet to list to I 
 If he were satisfied to take a gift. 
 Token of honour, I would cut in pieces 
 Mj^heai't, and give it him when he departs/ 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN TJLLEE, \1JZEER OF BUSSORAH. 241 
 
 So then the vuzeer sent a messenger after Ujeeb to bring him, 
 and when he was come, his grandmother stood up, and fell 
 on his neck, and wept. Then said to her Shums ood Deen, 
 * This is no time for weeping ; this is the time to make thee 
 ready, to travel with us into the land of iEgypt ; it may be 
 God's will to unite our company, and thine also with tliy 
 child the son of my brother.' And she replied ' To hear is to 
 agree.' So at tlie very time arose she, and got together her 
 baggage, and her treasures and her jewels, and made her 
 ready on the moment ; and the vuzeer Shums ood Deen 
 went to the sooltan of Bussorah, and took leave of him, and 
 tlie king sent wilh liim presents, and rarities, for the sooltan 
 of Cairo, and he journeyed from that very time, till lie arrived 
 at the city Damascus. Then lighted he as before, and pitch- 
 ed the tents, and said to one who was with him. ' We will 
 halt at this city a se'nnight that we may purchase presents, 
 and rare things for the sooltan.' Now Ujeeb too had come 
 out ; so he said to the eunuch, < Oh ! good fellow ! I long for 
 some amusement ; come now with us tliat we may go down 
 the street, and take note of Damascus, and see what has come 
 to pass to that cook, whose meat we ate, and whose head we 
 hurt : for he was then very courteous to us and now we should 
 return the like to him.' And the eunuch answered 'To hear 
 is to obey;' So Ujeebun went forth from the tents, he and 
 the eunuch, and the power of kindred impelled him to his 
 father, and forthwith they entered the city, and gave not over 
 walking both of them until they reached the cook's shop. 
 And they found him standing in ths shop, and the time was 
 about the afternoon, when his business made it fit that he 
 should dress pomegranate grain. Now when these two came 
 near to him, and Ujeeb saw him he went close to him, and 
 perceived the mark of the blow wit'i t'le stone upon his fore- 
 head ; and he said to him, ' Peac3 be to thee. Oh ! man of 
 this house, know that my heart is with thee.' Now when 
 Budur ood Deen looked upon him, his bowels yearned, and 
 
 GG 
 
242 TALE OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 his heart beat fast, and he hung his head towards the ground, 
 and sought to make his tongue give utterance in his mouth, 
 but he could not. Then raised he his liead towards his son 
 humbly, like a suppliant, and began to speak in these 
 verses ;-^ 
 
 ' Though longing for my love I he, 
 Nor o'er my looks when her I see, 
 Nor o'er my tongue, I've mastery, 
 
 My wit's forgot. 
 In awe of her, and very dread 
 I stand abashed, and hang my head. 
 And whatsoe'er I would have said 
 
 I say it not. 
 E'en though whole records I might write 
 Telling the story of my slight, 
 I could not make, when she's in sight, 
 
 One letter dot.' 
 
 And then he said to them ' Mend now my broken heart, and 
 eat of my meat ; WuUahy ! I cannot look upon you save my 
 heart beats faster, and indeed I would not have followed you 
 except I had been out of my mind ;' And Ujeeb answered, 
 *Wullahy ! you are too fond of us ; when we ate in your 
 house a mouthful, you stuck to us after it was done, and you 
 sought to treat us disrespectfully : now we will not eat any 
 eatable with you, save on condition, that you make oath that 
 you will not go out after us, and will not follow us : and if not, 
 we will not come back to you during this time we stay here ; 
 for we shall halt a se*nnight until my grandsire take certain 
 presents for the king,' Then said Budur ood Deen Hussun 
 < Be this to you as you will,' And Ujeeb and the servant en- 
 tered the shop, and he set before them a bowl of pomegranate 
 grain. So Ujeeb said, * Eat with us, for perchance God 
 may for this be kindly to us.' Then Budur ood Deen Hussun 
 rejoiced, and ate with them, and he was gazing fixedly on 
 Ujeeb's face, for his very heart and bowels clove to him. 
 Then said to him Ujeeb, * Have I not said to you that you 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 243 
 
 are a tiresome admirer ? enough then of your long staring at 
 my face.' Now when Budur ood Deen Hussun heard the 
 words of his son he broke out saymg : — 
 
 * Oh ! thou, that hast some art men's hearts to tame, 
 Close veiled, deep hidden, noteless, and unseen, 
 "Whose bright brow puts the lustrous moon to shame, 
 And speaks the radiance of morn's saffron sheen ! 
 Thy beauty is a shrine ^ 2 3 can ne'er decay, 
 In memory rarer still from age to age ; 
 In thy cheek's fire, my heaven, I melt away. 
 And die of thirst thy nectar must assuage.' 
 
 So Budur ood Deen kept serving one time Ujeebun with the 
 dainty, and another time serving the eunuch, and they ate, 
 until they were satisfied. Then rose they, and rose also 
 Hussun, the Bussorite, and poured water on their hands, 
 and untied a napkin of silk from his middle to dry their hands 
 on it, and sprinkled rose water upon it, from a jar was by 
 him, and went forth out of the shop, and returned with a 
 small jug of sherbut flavoured with rose water, scented with 
 musk, and, set it before them, and said, * Complete your 
 kindness to me.' So Ujeeb took, and drank, and the servant 
 took a draught ; and they drank heartily, till their bellies 
 were filled, and they were surfeited with a large meal beyond 
 their wont ; then they turned them about, and made haste in 
 their going until they arrived at their tents ; and Ujeeb went 
 in to his grandam, mother of his father, Budur ood Deen 
 Hussun ; so she kissed him, and thought of her son, Budur 
 ood Deen Hussun, and burst out and wept ; then said she ;— < 
 
 * I still had hoped, I still had hoped 
 That we again might be united : 
 For life was tasteless grown to me, 
 When thou wert gone, and I was slighted. 
 By him, who probes one's secret thought ! 
 By him, who made us as he listed 1 
 I swear an oath, no love but thine, 
 Hath ever in this heart existed i 
 
244 TALE OF SKUMS OOD DEEX MUHU^IMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 Then said she to Ujeeb, ' Oh ! my son, where wast thou V 
 He answered ' In the city Damascus.' So upon that she 
 arose, and set before him a bowl of pomegranate grain, and 
 it was too little sweetened, and she said to the servant, 
 < Sit down with thy master.' Then said tlie servant in 
 his soul, ' Wullahy ; we have no mind to eat ;' And the 
 servant sat down. But as for Ujeeb, sure now when 
 he sat down his belly was filled with what lie had eaten, 
 and drunken, but he took a mouthful of bread, and dipped it 
 in the pomegranate grain, and ate. Then found he it too little 
 sweetened, for indeed he was satiated with meat, and he said, 
 * Fob ! whence comes this coarse-made dish V Then replied 
 his grandam, ' Oh my son, thou findest fault with my cook- 
 ery, for I dressed it, and no one can cook it savourily as I can 
 save thy father, Budur ood Deen Hussun.' And Ujeeb an- 
 swerd, ' Wullahy ! Oh ! lady, surely this your cookery is 
 coarse : we but within this hour saw in the city a cook can 
 dress pomegranate grain, the very smell opens its way to the 
 heart ; and sure for his dish, it makes one long to eat, but for 
 your dish, compared to it, truly it comes not up to it by a 
 little, no, nor by a great deal.' Now when his grandam 
 heard his words, she became wrath with exceeding rage, and 
 she looked to the servant " — And Shuhurzad perceived the 
 jnorning light, and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 She said; 'They relate Oh! mighty King, that Ujeeb's 
 grandam w'hen she heard his words, became MTath, and 
 looked to the servant, and said to him, ' Shame on thee ! 
 thou spoilest my child in that thou goest with him into the 
 victualler's shops !' So the eunuch feared, and denied it, 
 and said, * We did not go into the shop, but passed along on 
 the pathway.' Then said Ujeeb, ' Wullahy ! but we did go 
 in, and ate, and it was better than your dish !' And his 
 grandam arose, and informed her husband's brother, and 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VtJZEER OF BUSSORAH, 245 
 
 incensed him against the servant ; so the servant was brought 
 into presence before tlie vuzeer, and he said to him ' Didst thou 
 go with my child into a victualler's shop V And the servant 
 was afeard, and said, ' We went not in.' But Ujeeb said, 
 ' We did go in, and ate of pomegranate grain till we surfeited, 
 and the cook gave us water to drink, mixed with snow and 
 sugar.' Then the vuzeer waxed more exceeding angry, 
 with the servant, and questioned him ; but he denied ; then 
 said to him the vuzeer, ' If your words be true then sit down 
 and eat before us.' So upon that the servant stepped for- 
 ward, and sought to eat but he could not, and he rejected the 
 mouthful, and said, ' Oh ! my master, surely I am surfeited 
 since yesterday.' Then was the vuzeer well assured that 
 he had eaten at the cook's, and he ordered the slaves to throw 
 him down ; and they cast him down, and laid on him with 
 right sore stripes ; so he roared for help, and said ' Oh ! my 
 master, smite me not, and I will tell thee the truth.' So he 
 stopped the beating him, and said, ' Speak out with the 
 truth ;' And he replied ' Know that we did go into the cook's 
 shop, and he was dressing pomegranate grain ; so he put 
 down of it before us, Wullahy ! never ate I in my life its 
 like, nor tasted coarser than this which is before us.' Then 
 the mother of Budur ood Deen Hussun, grew very angry, 
 and said, ' There is no help but tliat you go to this cook, and 
 bring me a bowl of pomegranate grain from that which is in 
 his shop, and show it to your master, that he may say which 
 of them is most savoury, and best,' And the servant replied, 
 * Even so.' So on the instant she gave him a bowl, and a 
 half deenar, and the servant passed on until he reached the 
 shop, and said to the cook, ' I have pledged myself for a 
 dish of thine, in the house of my master, for they also have 
 there pomegranate grain ; so give us this half deenar's worth 
 and take pains ; for I have eaten a right sore drubbing for 
 your cookery.' And Budur ood Deen Hussun laughed, and 
 said, * VVuUahy ; for this dish there is not one makes it 
 
246 TALE OF SIIUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 well save I, and my mother, and she at this time is in 
 far distant lands.' So he lifted the bowl up to fill it, and 
 then he took it, and^^* sealed it up with musk, and rose 
 water ; and the servant took it, and hastened on with it, 
 tdl he reached them again: Now the mother of Hussun 
 took it, and tasted it, and perceived its fine flavour, and 
 the excellence of its cookery; then knew she who had 
 dressed it, and she screamed, and then fell by it swooning. 
 Then was the vuzeer startled, and he sprinkled on her 
 rose-water, and after a time she recovered ; and said, * If 
 my son be in the world, then none dressed this pome- 
 granate grain but he, and even he is my son Budur ood 
 Deen Hussun, there is no doubt of it, nor yet mistake ; 
 for indeed this dish none other could dress it, than he, save 
 I, for I truly taught him to dress it. * Now when the vuzeer 
 heard her words, he rejoiced with exceeding joy, and said,* 
 Oh ! how I long for a sight of the son of my brother ! See'st 
 thou the days of our being united with him, are now at hand, 
 and we sought not this union, save through God Almighty.' 
 So then the vuzeer arose at that time, and very moment, 
 and went forth to the men who were with him, and said * Go 
 twenty men of you to the cook's shop, and demolish it, and 
 bind him with his turban, and drag him away angrily to me 
 without injury being done to him ;' And they replied « Even 
 so.' So then the vuzeer rode off on the instant to the house 
 of justice, and foregathered with the viceroy 12 5Qf Damascus, 
 and displayed to him the written orders, which he had with 
 him from the sooltan ; so he lifted them to his head, 
 after examining them, and said, * Where, and who is your 
 debtor ?' The vuzeer replied, ' A man that is a cook,' Tlien 
 on the instant he ordered his apparitors that they should go to 
 the shop ; so they went and found it demolished, and every 
 thing in it broken; for indeed when he the vuzeer turned his 
 face to the house of justice, his party did as he ordered them. 
 Then sat they waiting to see, when the vuzeer should leave 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD BEEN ULLEE, UUZEER OF BUSSORAH, 247 
 
 the house of justice, and Budur ood Deen Hussun kept say- 
 ing, ' Come now I what they can see in pomegranate grain, 
 that it should come to this pass !' Now when the vuzeer 
 came to them from the viceroy of Damascus' house, the vice- 
 roy had botli given him leave to take his debtor, and to travel 
 thence Avith him : so when he entered the tents, he asked for 
 the cook. Then brought they him into presence bound with 
 his turban cloth, and when Budur ood Deen Hussun saw his 
 uncle, he wept with exceeding]weeping, and said, ' Oh ! my 
 master ! what is my crime before thee ?' And he answered 
 him * Art thou he that dressed pomegranate grain V He re- 
 plied, * Even so ; and you find in it something that merited 
 a blow on the neck V Then said the vuzeer, ' That is bet- 
 ter, and less than thy recompense,* And he answered, * Oh ! 
 my master, will you not inform me of my fault V And the 
 vuzeer replied, ' Yes, even this instant.' So then the vuzeer 
 shouted to the slave, and said, * Bring the camels,' And 
 they took Budur ood Deen Hussun with them, and made him 
 get into a chest, and put a padlock on it, and they went on, 
 and gave not over journeying till the night. Then set they 
 down the loads, and ate some food, and made Budur ood Deen 
 Hussun come out to make him eat, and put him back into the 
 chest, and gave not over after this fashion until they reached 
 Kumoi*ut. Then made they Budur ood Deen Hussun come 
 out of the box, and the vuzeer said to him, ' Art thou he that 
 dressed pomegranate grain V He replied, ' My master, even so.' 
 And the vuzeer, said ' Fetter him.' So tliey fettered him, and 
 put him back into the cliest, and fared on till they reached 
 ^gypt, and had lighted at Zubdaneeyut. Then the vuzeer 
 gave order to take Budur ood Deen Hussun out of the chest, 
 and then bring before him, a carpenter, and he said to him, 
 * Make for this fellow a gallows of wood.' Then said Budur 
 ood Deen Hussun, ' And what would you make of that V 
 And he replied, ' I will hang thee to it, and lash thee to the 
 gallows ; and then take thee the whole city round.' And 
 
248 TALE OF SIIUMS OOD BEEN MUIIUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 he rejoined, ' For what thing would you do to me after this 
 fashion?' So the vuzeer replied, ' For thy villanous cookery 
 of pomegranate grain — how thou did'st dress it, and it want- 
 ing pepper !' And he said, ' And for that it had too little 
 pepper, you do to me all this ! is not my confinement enough 
 for thee ; and that every day they give me to eat but one 
 meal ? But the vuzeer replied, ' Too little pepper ! too 
 little pepper ; and there is no expiation for this save thy 
 death !' Then Budur ood Deen Hussun marvelled, and 
 mourned for his life ; and the vuzeer said to him ' On what 
 ponderest thou V So he answered him, ' On bald wits, 
 which are even like your wit; for if you had sense in you, 
 you could not do to me this deed.' And the vuzeer said, 
 
 * It is incumbent on me to punish thee, that thou mayest not 
 turn to do its like again.' Then said Budur ood Deen Hus- 
 sun, ' Surely the matter in which my fault lies, is a less 
 crime tlian that thou dost to me ;' But he answered him, 
 
 * There is no help for thy hanging.' All this was so, and 
 the carpenter meanwhile was shaping the wood, and even he 
 Budur ood Deen looking on, and they ceased not after this 
 fashion until the niglit came on : then his uncle took him, 
 and cast him into the chest, and said ' On the morrow shall 
 the matter be,' And he waited for him till he was asleep. 
 Then arose he, and carried the chest, and mounted, and set 
 it before him, and entered the city, and went on until he 
 came unto his own house. Then said he to his dauo-hter 
 Sitt ool Hussun, ' Thanks be to God, who hath united us 
 with the son of thine uncle ! arise now, dispose the house 
 like as its ordering was on the niglit of the bridal,' So they 
 arose, they lit the candles ; and the vuzeer got out the figured 
 sketch, w^hich was drawn by him of the then ordering of the 
 house, and tliey arranged every thing in its place, so that 
 truly the looker on, when he should see this, would have no 
 doubt that this were a night of wedding show by its look. 
 Then the vuzeer gave order that they should set down Budur 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 249 
 
 cod Deeii Hussun's turban in its place, like as if he put it 
 down with his own hand, and in like manner the trowsers, 
 and the bag which was beneath the coverlet. Now the vuz- 
 eer ordered his daughter, that she should 'tire herself like as 
 she did the night of the bridal in the private chamber, and he 
 said to her, ' When the son of thine uncle comes in to thee, 
 say to him, ' I have waited long for thee, whilst thou wentest 
 out ;* and suffer him to lie by thee, and engage in converse 
 with him until day when we will explain to him this history.' 
 So then the vuzeer made them take Budur ood Deen Hussun 
 out of the chest, after tlie fetters were loosed from his feet ; 
 and he stripped off all that was on him save his sleeping 
 shirt, so that he was nearly naked. All this was so, 
 and he sleeping on, without being conscious of aught : 
 then by order of that which was decreed Budur ood Deen 
 Hussun turned him about rousing from sleep, and found him- 
 self in a lighted chamber. So said he to himself, * L am 
 dreaming some confused dream.' And Budur ood Deen Hus- 
 sun arose, and went on a little to a folding door, and he look- 
 ed, and lo ! he was in the house in which the bride was 
 shown to him ! there was the alcove also and the settle,i2s 
 and he saw his turban and his needful garments ! Now when 
 he saw this, he stared wide, and kept stepping out with one 
 foot, and shifting it for the other, and he said, ' Am I sleeping or 
 waking?' And he kept rubbing his eyes, and saying, for indeed 
 he was much astounded, ' WuUahy ! verily this is the place of 
 the bride that was shown me ! where am I then ? for surely I 
 was but now in a chest !' So meanwhile he was talking with 
 himself , lo ! Sitt ool Hussun lifted the curtain of the alcove, 
 and said to him, * Oh my master, wilt thou not come in ? Sure 
 thou hast delayed long.' Now when he heard her words, 
 and looked upon her face, he laughed, and said, ' Indeed, in- 
 deed, I am dreaming some confused dream,' so he went in, and 
 paused, and pondered on what had come to pass to him, and 
 was bewildered in his own matters, and his story became still 
 
 H H 
 
250 TALE OF SHUMS OOD BEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 more obscure to him when he saw his turban cloth, and his 
 trowsers and the bag in which were the thousand deenars, 
 and he said, ' God knows if indeed I be dreaming, a wild 
 dream !' Now upon that, said to him Sitt ool Hussun ' Sir, 
 thou marvellest, and starest strangely/ Then said she, ' So 
 wert thou not the first part of the night :' Then laughed he, 
 and said, * How long is it I have been absent from thee V 
 and she answered him, * Blessing on thee ! God's holy 
 name be with thee ! thou wert but just gone out for something 
 that thou wanted'st and now returned ; what hast thou lost 
 thy wits V Now when Budur ood Deen Hussun heard that, he 
 laughed, and said ' Say'st thou true, but when I went out 
 from thee I forgot myself awhile in the water-house, and 
 dreamed that I was a cook at Damascus, and abode there ten 
 years, and it was as though a little boy came to me, and he 
 was of the sons of the great, and with him a servant:* And 
 then Budur ood Deen Hussun rubbed his hand over his 
 forehead, and perceived the mark of the blow upon it, 
 so he said ' Wullahy ! Oh ! lady, it was very truth, for indeed 
 he smote me on my forehead, and broke my head ; so it was 
 in waking hours.' Then he said, ' Perhaps in the time that 
 thou, and I were sleeping, I saw him in my sleep, and saw 
 too as though I were travelling to Damascus without my 
 turban, and without my trowsers, and made myself a cook 
 there.' Then he stared awhile, and said ' Wullahy ; I indeed 
 see as it were that I dressed pomegranate grain, and the 
 pepper in it was too little ! Wullahy ! it was not as though 
 I slept in the water-house, and saw the whole of this in 
 sleep.' Then said Sitt ool Hussun to him, ' God be with 
 thee, and what sawest thou more than that V And he related 
 all to her; and after that said Budur ood Deen Hussun, 
 *^ Wullahy ! If I- had not waked they would have nailed me 
 to a wooden gallows !' And she asked * For what cause V 
 So he replied * For the too little pepper in pomegranate 
 grain, and of a surety they destroyed my shop, and broke 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD BEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 251 
 
 my property, and put me down into a chest, and brought the 
 carpenter to make a gallows tree for me for they intended to 
 hang me ! Now thanks be to God that all this has come to 
 pass to me in sleep, and that it was not in my waking hours V 
 Then Sitt ool Hussun laughed, and clasped him to her breast, 
 and he clasped her to his. Then he thought awhile ; then 
 said, « Wullahy ! it could not be save while I was awake ! 
 truly I know not what the story is.' So then he slepl^ 
 and all the while he was bewildered in his matter, — 
 whiles would he say, * I was dreaming,' and whiles would 
 he say, ' I was awake,' and gave not over this wise until 
 morning. Then his uncle Shums ood Deen the vuzeer came 
 to him, and saluted him ; but Budur ood Deen Hussun look- 
 ed upon him, and said, * Billahy ! art thou not he who gave 
 orders to bind my hands behind me, and tie me up, and 
 destroy my shop on the argument of pomegranate grain, for 
 that it wanted pepper V So upon that said to him the vuzeer, 
 * Know, oh ! my son, that it showed the truth, and made 
 clear that which was concealed ; thou art the son of my bro- 
 ther, and I should not have done that, save to make sure that 
 thou wert he that went in to my daughter that night, and I 
 had not been sure of that unless thou had'st recognized the 
 house, and recognized the turban, and thy trowsers, and thy 
 gold, and the paper that was in thy writing, and, which thy 
 father my brother wrote : for truly I had never seen thee 
 afore that, and knew thee not, and verily thy mother, I have 
 prevailed on her to come with me from Bussorah.' Then he 
 threw himself upon him, and wept. Now when Budur ood 
 Deen Hussun heard these words from his uncle, he marvelled 
 with exceeding wonder, and fell on his uncle's neck, and cried 
 with excess of joy : then said the vuzeer to him, * Oh ! my 
 son, surely the cause of all this is what passed between me, 
 and between thy father.' And he related to him that which 
 passed between him, and his brother, and the cause of his 
 father's journey to Bussorah, and then the vuzeer sent one 
 
 H H 2 
 
252 TALE OF SHUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 after Ujeeb. Now when his father saw him, he said ' And 
 this is he that smote me with the stone.' And the vuzeer 
 repUed, ' This is thy son/ So upon that he threw himself 
 upon him, and broke out repeating ; — 
 
 ' I long had wept for grief that we were parted, 
 Till tears coursed plenteously down my cheek; 
 And vowed this vow, If I no more were thwarted 
 By Fortune, that my tongue I would restrain. 
 Nor e'er the phrase * To part' would dare to speak. 
 Joys now crowd on me so that with the strain, 
 Of very joy, I weep beneath such pleasant pain I' 
 
 Now when he closed his verse, lo ! his mother met him ; 
 and threw herself upon him, and burst out saying ; — 
 
 'When we meet, myself I'll chide him, 
 Sorely chide him for his wrong : 
 Words of chiding sou nd least fairly 
 Spoken by a stranger tongue.' 
 
 So then his mother related to him what had befallen her after 
 he went, and he told her what had been his fate. Then 
 they thanked the Almighty, for their being united each with 
 the other. Now the vuzeer Shums ood Deen went to the 
 sooltan two days after his arrival, and when he went in to 
 him, he kissed the earth before him, and saluted him, with 
 obeisance due to kings. And the sooltan rejoiced at his 
 coming, and his face brightened, and he placed him near 
 himself: then asked he tidings of what he had seen m 
 his journey and what had come to pass in his way-farings. 
 So the vuzeer told him the story from first to last, and the 
 sooltan said to him, * Thanks be to God for the attainment 
 of thy wish, and for thy return safe to thy people, and 
 thy sons : now there is no help but that I see the son of 
 thy brother Hussun the Bussorite ; so come up with him to 
 the hall of audience to-morrow.' And Shums ood Deen re- 
 plied, ' He shall be in presence before thee to-morrow, if it be 
 God's will.' Then he saluted him, and went forth. Now 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BtTSSORAH. 253 
 
 when he returned to his house Ue informed the son of his 
 brother of the sooltan's fancy for him ; then said Hussun the 
 Bussorite, ' The slave is obedient to the order of his master ;' 
 And the result was, that he went to the presence of the sool- 
 tan with his uncle, Shums ood Deen. So when he came in 
 presence before him he did him reverence, with the most 
 perfect of obeisances, and the deepest, and began to say 
 extemporaneously ; — 
 
 *The first in state shall kiss the earth 
 To thee, and find his end obtained : 
 Thou, Lord of Glory, and of worth I 
 Pourest more blessings freely forth, 
 Than e'er in hope thy client gained !' 
 
 Then the sooltan smiled, and made a sign to him to sit ; so 
 he sat near his uncle, Shums ood Deen ; then the king asked 
 him his name, and he replied, « The least of thy slaves is he 
 who is known as Hussun the Bussorite, who prays for thee 
 night and day.' Now the sooltan marvelled at his words, 
 and desired to test him in what he might show in him some 
 evidence of what he knew, and of his breeding. So he said 
 to him, * Dost thou keep in mind aught in encomium of the 
 mole ?' he answered * Even so,' And he broke out with the 
 verse ;— 
 
 * "Whene'er in thought I bring my love to view 
 ' Affection quickens, and my sorrow flies : 
 
 She has a mole unmatched in shape, and hue, 
 Snare of all hearts, and cynosure of eyes I' 
 
 Then the king praised the couplets for their beauty, and said 
 to him, ' Quote something else ; may Heaven bless thy sire, 
 and thy mouth never tire :' So he began the verse ;— 
 
 * And when forsooth a mole spot dusk 
 They Ukened to a grain of musk. 
 Deem not the fancy strange to be 
 In him that made such simile ; 
 
254 TALE OF SKUMS OOD DEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEER OF CAIRO, 
 
 For strange 'twas to view that face 
 Give beauty's every charm a place, 
 The whole so joined to make it fair 
 Not e'en one grain was wanting there*. 
 
 And the king was moved, being greatly pleased, and said to 
 him, ' Say more for me, God bless thy life !' So he broke 
 out in verse. — 
 
 * Oh ! thou with mole upon thy cheek 
 Like musk spot o'er a ruby stone, 
 Consent to me, and be mine own, 
 Oh ! heart's desire and sustenance ! 
 Nor thus so harshly frown.' 
 
 Then said the king, < Thou speakest most fairly, fair Hussun, 
 and sayest well all goodly things ! tell me clearly how many 
 meanings be there in the dictionary for tlie word mole ?' And 
 he answered ' God keep thee king ! Seven and fifty, and as 
 by some it is said fifty.' ^ ^ 7 go he replied to him, Thou 
 sayest truly' Then quoth he, ' Hast thou knowledge as to 
 the description of beauty?' He answered, * Even so ; loveli- 
 ness in the face, cleanliness in the skin, comeliness in the 
 nose, gentleness in the eyes, shapeliness in the mouth, clever- 
 ness on the tongue, gracefulness in form, seemliness in all 
 attributes ; perfection of beauty is in the hair, and this, even 
 the whole, has Shihab the Hijazee, brought together, in 
 verses of the Rujuz^^s metre, and it is this ; — 
 
 ' Say that the face be lovely, and the skin 
 Be pure, and clear, then gaze on it admiringly, 
 The nose may well be lauded for its beauty, 
 And praise be given to the gentle eye : 
 Yes they did well to mark the shapely mouth, 
 For know 'twas that which robbed me of my rest ; 
 It, and the winning tongue, the graceful stature, 
 And seemly unison of every part ; 
 But Beauty's prime they noted in the hair 
 List to the strain, but be 'mongst those excuse it, 
 Listening forgivingly.' 
 
AND OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE, VUZEER OF BUSSORAH. 255 
 
 So the sooltan was captivated by his words, and desired to 
 maive a friend of him ; so he said to him, * What meaning 
 is there in that they say, ' Shureih cunninger than the fox V 
 And he replied, ' Know, oh king, may the Almighty keep 
 thee ' that ore Shureih went out in the days of pestilence 
 to i2 9]>fuj^^ff. and so it was, when he stood up to say his 
 prayers came there a fox, and stood opposite him, and mock- 
 ed him, so he distracted him from his devotion. Now when 
 that had gone long on with him, he took off one day his 
 shirt, and put it on a staff, and shook out the sleeves, and 
 placed his turban upon it, and held it by the middle, and set 
 it up in his place of prayer. Then came the fox according 
 to his wont, and stood before it ; but Shureih came behind 
 him, and took him ; so was said, that was said, « Shureih 
 cunninger than the fox.' Now when the sooltan heard what 
 Ilussun the Bussorite explained to him, he said to his uncle 
 Shums ood Deen, * Truly this, the son of thy brother, is 
 perfect in the science of courtly breeding, and I think not that 
 his like could be found in iEgypt.' Then arose Hussun, the 
 Bussorite, and kissed the earth before him, and sat as a slave 
 should sit before his master. Now the sooltan when he 
 ascertained with very certainty what acquirement was Hus- 
 sun, the Bussorite's, in the knowledge of earthly breeding, 
 rejoiced with exceeding joy, and invested him with a splendid 
 dress of honour, and gifted him with an office would aid him 
 to make his state in life easy. Then stood up Hussun the 
 Bussorite and kissed the earth before him, and invoked on 
 him continual prosperity, and asked leave of him to go with 
 his uncle the vuzeer Shums ood Deen. So he gave him 
 leave, and he went forth, and came he and his uncle to the 
 house, and food was set before them, and they ate what God 
 had given them : then Hussun the Bussorite after the finishing 
 his meat, went in to the sitting chamber of his wife Sitt ool 
 Hussun, and informed her of what had befallen him in the 
 presence of the sooltan. Then answered she, ' There is no 
 
25(5 TAlE OF SHUMS OOD BEEN MUHUMMUD, VUZEEK OF CAIRO, 
 
 help, but that he make thee a very intimate of his, and give 
 thee largess in excess, and bounties, and thou by God's blessing, 
 like the mighty sun shalt diffuse thy precious rays whenever 
 thou art on shore or sea !' Then said he to her « I wish to 
 speak some sonnet in his praise, that shall increase affection 
 for me in his heart.' She answered him * Thou art right 
 indeed in that thou dost devise ; so ply thine intellect, and 
 make him pleased with that thou sayest, and I shall not see 
 him save at meeting thy wishes with assent.' Then Hussun, 
 the Bussorite, went alone in privacy, and wrote down a set 
 of verses, lightly constructed, elegant of purport, and it was 
 this ; — 
 
 ' Mine is a chief has reached to grandeur's acme 
 He treads the pathway of the good, and great. 
 His justice has done right in every quarter, 
 And 'gainst his froward foes hath closed the gate. 
 Oh ! lion bold ! at once you fain would call him, 
 Angel, and king whom both assimilate ! 
 Who goes poor, leaves him rich ; if you'd extol him, 
 Words are too weak, and speech inadequate, 
 He to the day of peace is the bright morning, 
 But mirky night in warfare's fierce debate. 
 Men's necks bend neath his gifts, and by his good deeds 
 As monarch of the free he takes his state. 
 God send us grace in adding to his lifetime, 
 And long avert his day of evil fate 1' 
 
 Now when he finished writing it, he sent it to the presence 
 of the sooltan in charge of one of the slaves of his uncle, the 
 vuzeer Shums ood Deen : Then the sooltan unfolded it, and 
 his fancy was pleased with it, and he read it to all who were 
 present before him, and they praised it with very great com- 
 mendation : Then the king prayed him to come to his sitting 
 chamber, and he came into presence : so the king said to him, 
 ♦ Thou art from this day forth my companion, and I grant 
 thee for every month a thousand dirhems together with that 
 I bestowed on thee before/ Then arose Hussun the Bussorite 
 
STORY OF THE TAILOR, AND THE HUXCHBACK, &LC. 257 
 
 and kissed the earth before him three times, and prayed 
 for continuance of greatness to him, and length of abiding in 
 life and power. Now verily for Hussun the Bussorite his 
 influence became great, and his fame flew forth in the cities, 
 and he abode in the happiest of states, and he passed his 
 life in all comfort with his uncle and his people until death 
 overtook him." Now when Haroon oor Rusheed heard the 
 history from the tongue of Jafur he marvelled and said, ' It 
 is most manifest that these stories should be written in li- 
 quid gold.' Then he set the slave at liberty, and ordered 
 that there should be appointed for the youth every month 
 what should make his life easy, and he gave him a slave girl 
 from about him, and the youth became among his intimate 
 servants. Yet this is not stranger than a tale of the Tailor, 
 and the Hunchback, and the Jew, and the Shahid,i3o and 
 the Nazarene, and what befel them." The King said, '* And 
 how was that ?" She said " They relate. Oh ! mighty King, 
 that there was in ancient time, and former periods, and seasons 
 in a city of China, a man that was a tailor, open-handed, that 
 loved pleasure, and enjoyment ; and so it was he went forth, 
 he and his wife from time to time to solace themseleves with 
 amusements. So they went out on a day in the first of the day- 
 light, and returned at its close to their abode in the evening ; 
 then found they in their path a man, a Hunchback, the look 
 of him would make the grieved man laugh, and check the 
 mourning of the sorrowful. Now upon that the Tailor, and 
 his wife stepped forth to make sport with him; and they 
 insisted with him that he should go with them to their house 
 to keep them company that night. So he assented, and 
 went with them to the house ; then went the Tailor forth 
 to the market and the night had just set in, and he bought a 
 fish ready fried, and bread, and lemon juice, and dry sweet- 
 meats as zest to it, and came, and set down the fish before 
 the Hunchback, and they ate. Then took the tailor's wife 
 a great morsel of fish, and gave it in a mouthful to the 
 
 I I 
 
258 STORY OF THE TAILOR, AND THE HUNCHBACK, 
 
 Hunchback, and stopped his mouth with her hand, and said 
 * WuUahy ! you shall not eat it, save at once in a single 
 breath, and I will not leave you quiet until you have gulped it.' 
 So he swallowed it, and there was in it a stiff bone, and it 
 stuck in his gullet to the completion of his terra of life, and 
 he died." — And Shuhurzad perceived the morning dawn, and 
 ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 She said, " They relate. Oh ! mighty King, that when the 
 tailor's wife gave a mouthful to the Hunchback of a piece 
 of fish to the ending of his allotted term, he died on the instant. 
 Then said the Tailor, ' There is no power, nor strength 
 save in God ! poor wretch ! his death has come upon him 
 even thus at our hands !' And the woman answered, < And 
 what is this delay ? hast not heard the saying of him that 
 said ; — 
 
 * I had no refuge for my soul in trouble, 
 Until I met a friend to bear my sorrows. 
 How sleep upon a fire, and it not quenched ? 
 XJpon the flames to rest were there perdition.* 
 
 Then said to her, her husband, * And what shall I do with 
 him V She replied, ' Arise and carry him in thy bosom, 
 and fold a napkin of striped silk about him, and I will go out 
 before thee, and thou behind me even this night, and say, 
 this is my son, and this is his mother, we are both going 
 with him to the physician's that he may see him.' Now 
 when the Tailor heard these words, he rose, and bore the 
 Hunchback in his bosom, and his wife kept saying ' Oh ! 
 my son, health to thee ! where is thine ailment, and this 
 tumour on which part of thee is it ? ' And every one that 
 saw them would say, ' There is a child with them.' 
 So they gave not over walking till they both reached 
 the physician's quarter. Then they directed them to thq 
 
AND THE JEW, AND THE SHAHID, AND THE NAZARENE. 259 
 
 house of a physician that was a Jew ; so they knocked at the 
 door, and there came down to them a black slave girl, and 
 opened the door and looked, and behold ! a man bearmg a 
 little one, and a woman with him. And the damsel said, 
 
 * What tidings with you ?' Tlien answered the tailor's wife 
 
 * We have a little one with us ; it is our wish to show him 
 to the physician ; take now these four deenars, and give them 
 to your master, and pray him to come down to see ray 
 child ; for illness hath possessed him.' So the damsel went 
 up, and the tailor's wife entered within the gateway, and said 
 to her husband, ' Leave the Hunchback here, and let us depart, 
 and flee for our lives.' So the Tailor set him upright, and 
 propped him against the wall, and went out, he and his wife; 
 but for the damsel she went in to the Jew, and said to him, 
 
 * Truly at the gate there is a man that has with him one that 
 is ill, and with them, a veiled woman, and they have given 
 me four deenars for thee to go down, and see him, and to 
 supply them with that he requires.' Now when the Jew 
 saw the four deenars he rejoiced, and arose quickly, and 
 went down in the dark ; so the first place he set his foot 
 on he stumbled on the Hunchback, and he a corpse. So 
 he said, * Oh ! Oozeir;i3i Oh! Mousa, and the ten com- 
 mandments ! Oh ! Haroon, and Yooshu, son of Noon ! 
 I have as it were, stumbled upon this infirm person, so 
 that he is fallen down, and so has died ! how now can I 
 take out the slave man from my house !' So he cried, 
 and took him up into the dwelling house and informed 
 his wife of that : then said she to him, ' What sit'st thou still 
 for ? if thou sit'st here until the day rise our lives are gone \ 
 let thou, and I go up with him to the house top, and throw 
 him upon the house of our neighbour, the Mooslim.' Now 
 his neighbour was a man, a Shahid, controller of the sool- 
 tan's kitchen, and he had much oil^^^ by j^ijn ^j^^t used to 
 come to his house, and the cats used to eat it, and the mice, 
 and when dark night favored them the dogs would come 
 
 11 2 
 
260 STORY or THE TAILOR, AND THE HUNCHBACK, 
 
 down from the house top and waste it, and they had damaged 
 very much of all that used to come in to him. So the Jew 
 went up, and his wife and these two were bearing the Hunch- 
 back, and they set him down by his hands and feet on the 
 ground, and left him stuck against the wall, and set him down 
 so, and turned away. And they had hardly done putting down 
 the Hunchback ere the Shahid came to the house, and opened 
 it and went up, and he had with him a candle lighted ; so up 
 he went into the house, and found a son of Adam standing in 
 the corner under the ventilator. ^ ^ ^Then said the Shahid to him, 
 * Wahy ! Wullah ! very good ! forsooth this is he that steals 
 our necessaries, and he is no other than a son of Adam !' 
 Then he turned towards him, and said to him, ' This me^ 
 and this oil, 'tis you take it, and I lay it upon the cats, and the 
 dogs ! and I kill the cats of the neighbourhood, and the dogs 
 too, and undergo the sin of killing them, and 'tis you come 
 down from the house top.' Then he took a very heavy mal- 
 let, and rushed on with it, and set upon him, and smote him 
 on his breast ; then found he him dead. Now he griev- 
 ed for this, and said, ' There is no power, nor strength 
 save in God, the Great, the Mighty !' And he feared for 
 his life, and said, ' Curse the oil, and the cruises ! and 
 now has fate given this man his dismissal at my hand !' 
 Then he looked upon him, and lo ! he was a hunchback ! 
 then he said * Was it not enough for thee to be a hunchback 
 that thou should'st be a thief too, and should'st steal meat and 
 oil ! Oh thou protector, veil me with thy fair curtain of 
 concealment!' So then be bore him upon his shoulders, 
 and went down with him from iiis house at the latter end of 
 the night, and ceased not going on with him to the upper end 
 of the street; Then he set him up upright by side of a shop 
 at the head of a turning, and left him, and went away. Now 
 lo ! came a Nazarene, a broker to the sooltan, and he was 
 drunken; and he went out purposing to go to the baths, 
 for his drunkenness said to him ; * Surely the morning calj 
 
AND THE JEW, AND THE SHAHID, AND THK NAZARENE. 261 
 
 to prayers is nielli.' So he gave not over plodding on, and stag- 
 gering till he got near the Hunchback and he stooped dovi^n 
 for a needful purpose just before him, and he caught a glance 
 of something, and lo ! one standing there ! Now so it was 
 they had stolen the Nazarene^s turban in the first part of the 
 night ; so when he saw the hunchback standing upright, he 
 fancied that he meant to steal his turban, so he clenched his 
 fist, and buflfetted the Hunchback on the neck, and the Hunch- 
 back fell to the ground; and the Nazarene roared for the street- 
 keeper, and set upon the Hunchback in the height of his 
 drunkenness, and kept on belabouring him, and trying to 
 strangle him by throttling. Now the street-keeper came, and 
 found the Nazarene kneeling upon the Mooslin and keeping on 
 thumping him ; So the keeper said to him, * What is this V 
 And the Nazarene repHed, 'This fellow meant to take away my 
 turban.' Then said to him the keeper, ' Stand from him,' And 
 he stood up, and the keeper stepped up to the Hunchback, and 
 found him a corpse. Then said he, ' Wullahy ! good indeed ! 
 a Nazarene slay a MoosUm I' So the keeper bound tlie Naza- 
 rene, and pinioned him, and went with him to the house of the 
 governor, and the Nazarene kept saying in his soul, ' Oh Savi- 
 our! Oh Virgin ! how slew I this fellow, and how quickly 
 died he but of one buffet !' And as drunkenness went off, 
 came dolour. Now the broker, the Nazarene, and the 
 Hunchback abode in the governor's house till the morning, and 
 when it dawned the governor went up, and gave order to 
 hang the murderer, and commanded the executioner^ '"* to 
 make proclamation of it, and set up a gallows tree for the 
 Nazarene, and made him stand beneath it. Then came the 
 linkbearer, and threw the cord on the neck of the Nazarene, 
 and was just about making him hang, when lo ! the Shahid 
 thrust among the people ; then saw he the Nazarene and he 
 going to be hung. So he made way through the people ; 
 and said to the link bearer, ' Hold ! I am he who killed him !' 
 So said the governor to him, ' For what thing did'st thou slay 
 
262 STORY OF THE TAILOR, AND THE HUNCHBACK, 
 
 him?' He replied, ' Surely I went up to my house by 
 night, and saw him come down from the ventilator, and steal 
 my property ; so I smote him with a mallet on the breast and 
 he died ; then I bore him off and came with him to the street, 
 and set him up in such a place at such a turning.' Then said 
 the Shahid, ' Is it not enough for me that I should kill a 
 Mooslim, shall I slay a Nazarene also ? So hang not any other 
 than I.' Now when the governor heard the words of the Shahid 
 he took up the Nazarene the broker, and said to the linkbearer 
 * Hang this man on his own confession.' So he took the cord 
 from the neck of the Nazarene, and fastened it on^^e neck 
 of the Shahid, and made him stand beneath the gallows tree, 
 and was just about to make him hang, when lo ! the Jew the 
 physician, thrust through the people and shouted to the folks 
 and to the linkbearer, and said to him, ' Hold ! none slew 
 him, save I ! This night was 1 in my house and behold ! a man 
 and a woman knocked at the door and with them this Hunch- 
 back sickly ; so they made over to the handmaid four 
 deenars, and she let me know, and gave them to me, but 
 for the man and the woman they put him into the house, and 
 set him upon the stairs and went both away , I came down 
 without seeing him, for I was in the dark, and I stumbled 
 upon him, and he fell down to the bottom of the stair, and 
 died on the moment. So I, and my wife carried him, and 
 went up with him to the house top, and the house of this 
 Shahid is next door to my house ; so we leaned this Hunch- 
 back against the ventilator, and he a corpse. Now when the 
 Shahid went up he found him in his house, and fancied, 
 < Surely he is a thief;' and smote him with a mallet : so he 
 fell to the ground, and the Shahid then fancied he had slain 
 him. Now is it not enough for me that I killed a Mooslim 
 without my knowledge that I should take upon my charge 
 the life of another Mooslim with my knowledge?' Now 
 when the governor heard the words of the Jew, he said to 
 the hnkbearer, * Leave go the Shahid, and hang the Jew.' 
 
AND THE JEW, AND THE SHAHID, AND THE NAZARENE. 2G3 
 
 So the linkbearer took him, and set the cord upon his 
 neck, and lo ! the Tailor thrust among the people, and said 
 to the linkbearer, ' Hold ! none killed him save I ! and this 
 was the fashion of it. — I truly had gone in the day to amuse 
 myself, and supper time came, when I fell in with this 
 Hunchback half tipsy, and a drum with him, and he singing 
 with all his might to it, and I accosted him, and brought him 
 to my house, and bought a fish, and we sat down to eat. 
 So my wife took a bit of fish, and made a mouthful of it, and 
 stuffed it into his gullet, and some of it went the wrong way 
 in his throat, and he died on the instant. So I and ray wife 
 took him, and went with him to the Jew's house, and the 
 handmaid came down, and opened the door to us, and I said 
 to her, * Tell your master that at the door arc a man and a 
 woman, and with them a sick person desirous to see him,' 
 and I gave her four deenars. Then she went up to her 
 master, and I bore the Hunchback to the head of the stair, 
 and propped him up, and went ofi", both I and my wife : 
 So the Jew came down, and stumbled upon him, and thought 
 that he had killed him, ' Then said the Tailor to the Jew, 
 < Is it true V lie replied ' Even so ;' So the Tailor turned 
 to the governor, and said to him ' Leave go the Jew, and 
 hang me.' Now when the governor heard his words, he 
 marvelled at the matter of this Hunchback, and said ' Surely 
 this matter should be recorded in the state writings.' And 
 he said to the linkbearer, — ' Leave go the Jew, and hang 
 the Tailor, on his own confession,' Then the linkbearer brought 
 him forward, and said ' I am weary of this : we bring out 
 this one, and change for this other and there is not one hang- 
 ed V So he put the cord on the neck of the Tailor. Now 
 this is what was in the matter of these folks, but for what 
 was in the matter of the Hunchback, it is indeed said that he 
 was jester to the sooltan and so it was he could not bear 
 being parted from him ; so when the Hunchback got drunk, 
 and was absent from him that night and the next day uutii 
 
204 STORY OF THE MERCHANT LOPPED o' THE HAND. 
 
 half the day was gone, he asked some of those in presence, 
 about him and they replied, ' Oh ! our lord the governor has 
 fallen in with him and he a corpse, and has given order to 
 hang the murderer ; then a second fellow and a third too 
 appeared, and each one owned ' none killed him save I,' and 
 each one mentioned to the governor the reason of his 
 killing him.' Now when the king heard these words he 
 called loudly to the chamberlain and said, * Go down to 
 the governor and bring me them all.' So the chamberlain 
 went down, and found the linkbearer JH^t about to hang the 
 Tailor ; then the chamberlain shouted4o him, and said ' Hold !' 
 and informed the governor of the king's sentence ; So he 
 took him, and took the Hunchback with him borne by men, 
 and the Tailor, and the Jew, and the Nazarene, and the Shahid, 
 and they went up with the whole of them. Now when the 
 governor stood face to face with the king he kissed the earth, 
 and related to him what had come to pass with the whole 
 of them, and there is no occasion for iteration. So when 
 the king heard the story he marvelled, and the fancy took 
 him to be pleased with it, and he gave order to record 
 this tale in liquid gold, and he said to those who were present, 
 * Did ye ever hear of a more wonderous story than this of the 
 hunchback V So upon that the Nazarene stepped forth and 
 said, ' Oh ! kinof of the ao^e ! if thou commandest me I can 
 tell thee of a thing that came to pass with me, and it was 
 more wondrous, and more strange, and more pleasing, than 
 the tale of the Hunchback.' So said the king, * Tell us 
 that thou hast to say.' And he replied ' Oh ! king of the 
 age ! Surely now when I entered these countries I came with 
 merchandize, and God's destiny settled me here with you : 
 but my birth place is originally in iEgypt, and 1 am of her 
 qubt,!^* and was brought up in her, and my father was a 
 broker. Now when I attained man's estate, my father died, 
 and I made myself a broker in his room : so meanwhile, as 
 I on a certain day was sitting, behold ! a youth as handsome 
 
STORY or THE MERCHANT LOPPED o' THE HAND. 265 
 
 as could be came to me and on him very sumptuous raiment, 
 and he mounted on an ass. So when he saw me he saluted 
 me, and I stood up to show him honor : then took he out 
 a kerchief and in it was a quantity of sesame, and he said, 
 < How much is the urdubb^^s worth of this V So I replied 
 * An hundred dirhems.' Then said he to me, ' Take the meters 
 and the weighmen, and make them come to me at the victory 
 gate of the Khan Juwalee, where thou wilt find me.' And he 
 left me, and went off, and delivered to me the sesame with 
 his kerchief, that in which was the sample. So I went round 
 the purchasers, and every urdabb returned an hundred and 
 twenty dirhems, then took I with me four metesmen, and 
 went to him, and found him in expectation of me. Now 
 when he saw me he rose and went to the granary, and set it 
 open, until the store was empty ; then we weighed the grain, 
 and fifty urdubbs went for five thousand dirhems. So the 
 youth said, * Let ten be thine for thy brokerage on every 
 urdubb ; so take the price, and leave for me in deposit 
 with you four thousand and five hundred dirhems, and 
 when I shall make an end of getting m my profits, I 
 will come, and take the sum that is with you.' And I 
 replied * So be it,' And I kissed his hand, and went from 
 him ; and there was a profit to me that day of a tliousand 
 dirhems. So he was absent a month, and then he came, and 
 said to me, ' Where be the dirhems V Then I arose, and sa- 
 luted him, and said to him, * What ails you that you should no^ 
 eat something in my house ?' But he refused and said, ' Bring 
 me here the dirhems, for I shall go, and then come again, 
 and take them from thee,' Then he turned away : so I arose, 
 and brought him the dirhems, and remained in expectation of 
 him ; but he was absent from me a month. Then came he 
 and said to me, ' Where be the dirhems ?' So I arose, and 
 saluted him, and said, * What ails thee that thou should'st not 
 eat something in my house V But he refused and said, < Bring 
 me the dirhems, for I shall go, and then come again and take 
 
 K K 
 
2G6 STORY OF THE MERCHANT LOPPED o' THE HAND. 
 
 them from thee.' Then he turned away ; so I arose, and 
 brought him the dirhems, and remained in expectation of him : 
 then was he away from me a month, and I said, ' This youth 
 is perfect in Uberal conduct.' Now after a month he came 
 mounted on a mule, and on him a suit of sumptuous raiment, 
 and he was as the moon on the night of the full moon in its 
 fullest, and he was as it were ju^out of the baths, and his 
 face like the moon itself, and ho had a ruddy cheek, and a bril- 
 liant forehead, and a mole spot like a pellet of umbergris, as was 
 said upon him ; — 
 
 * In one fair visage with excess of beauty 
 Phoebus, and Luna are commingled, raising 
 Good fortune to it's highest and have displayed 
 The essence of their loveliness in it. 
 Oh ! how that face invites to love, and pleasure— 
 Invites with looks of beauty : for its charms 
 Are all complete ; sense speaks her presence there, 
 And excellence is shown in every feature. 
 Heaven bless the creature formed thus wondrously I 
 As wills the Great Creator with his creatures, 
 So doth He.' 
 
 Now when 1 saw him I kissed his hand, and stood up ta 
 him, and invoked blessings on him, and said to him, ' Oh, my 
 master, wilt thou not take possession of thy dirhems V And 
 he replied ' And whence the hurry, until I shall have made 
 an end of my affairs, and then will I take them from thee,' So 
 he turned away, and I said, * WuUahy when he comes this 
 next time, there is no help, but that I return these to him for 
 I have traded on his dirhems, and I gained by it very large 
 profits.' Now when it was the end of the year he came, and 
 on him a change of garment more sumptuous than the first ; 
 then swore I to him that he must alight at my house, and eat 
 of my banquet. So he replied, ' On condition that what you 
 expend in food for me be of the money of mine is with 
 you.' So I answered ' So be it,' And made him sit, and got 
 in readiness that was needful of meat, and drink, and else 
 
STORY OF THE MERCHANT LOPPED o' THE HAND. 207 
 
 besides, and set it before him, and said, ' In the name of God.' 
 So he stepped forward to the table, and stretched out his left 
 hand,i3" and ate with me ; then marvelled I at him. Now 
 when we had made an end, I washed his hand, and gave him 
 what to wipe his hand with, and we sat down to converse af- 
 ter I had set before him some sweetmeats. Then said I, ' Oh ! 
 my master, relieve me of anxiety ; why eatest thou with thy 
 left hand ? perchance there is somewhat ails thee in thy other 
 hand V So when he heard my words, he broke out repeating 
 the verse ; — 
 
 ' Ask not, my friend, what burning there 
 Disturbs my life — thou mak'st me show 
 
 All mine infirmity : 
 Not Leila I in Sulma's stead 
 Took of myself, — the order sped 
 
 From stem necessity.' 
 
 Then put he out his arm from his sleeve, and lo ! the hand was 
 cut off, a wrist without a fist ! So I marvelled at it. Then said he 
 to me, * Marvel not, and think not in thy heart that I ate with thee 
 with my left hand out of insolence, but for the cutting of the 
 right hand the reason is indeed of the strangest.' So I an- 
 swered * And what was the reason of that?' And he replied, 
 * Know that I am of the sons of Bughdad, and ray father of 
 her great ones. So when I reached man's estate I heard the way- 
 farers, and travellers, and merchants talking of tlie ^Egyptian 
 countries, and this remained in my thoughts until my father 
 died. Then took I very large sums, and furnished myself for 
 trade with stuffs of Bughdad, and Moussul, and all the need- 
 ful retinue, and jpurneyed from Bughdad. And God decreed 
 my safety until I entered this your city.' Then wept he, and 
 broke out repeating ; — 
 
 * The blind hath scaped a gaping pit. 
 In which the broad-eyed see'er hath stumbled ; 
 The dolt hath 'scaped a quirk of wit 
 By which the skilful sage was humbled : 
 K K 2 
 
268 STORY or the merchant lopped o' the hand. 
 
 The faithful pines for daily bread, 
 
 The heathen, and the sot is fed : 
 
 What are man's arts ? what is man's deed ? 
 
 This, that the mighty hath decreed.' 
 
 Now when he had made an end of his verse he said, * So I 
 entered Cairo, and lodged tHestufF in the Mussroor Khan, and 
 took off my loads there, and entered, and gave the servant 
 money with which to buy me to eat, and slept awhile. So 
 when I arose I went among the stately mansions, and returned 
 and rested my night. Now when it was morning I opened a 
 bale of stuff, and said in my soul, « I will rise, and will go 
 through some of the markets, and see the state of things.' So 
 I took some of the stuff, and made a burthen of it for some of 
 my slaves, and fared on till I arrived at the exchange^^^ of 
 Jurjiss : then the brokers came forward to meet me, for they 
 knew of my coming, and took the stuffs from me, and called 
 out for buyers for it ; but it did not return its prime cost, and I 
 was vexed at that. Then said to me the elder of the brokers 
 * Oh ! my master, learn the one thing whence you may make a 
 profit ; do as the merchants do, and sell your merchandize at 
 known months by a clerk, and a witness to the sale, and a ca- 
 shier and take your money every fifth day (Thursday) and se- 
 cond day (Monday). Then will you gain dirhems for every dir- 
 hem, a second, and more than that, so as you may take pleasure 
 in ^gypt, and her Nile.' Then said I,* This is salutary advice.' 
 And I took with me the brokers, and went to the khan. Then 
 took they the stuffs to the exchange, and I sold it, and wrote 
 the price upon them, and gave the note of sale to the cashier, 
 and took a note of it myself, and returned to the khan, and 
 stayed for days, every day breaking my fast with a cup of 
 wine and making my meal on mutton flesh, and sweetmeats 
 for a month. And the month came in, in which I looked of 
 right to the collection of my dues ; so I kept every fifth, and 
 second day entering the exchange, and sitting at the shops of 
 the merchants, and the clerk, and the cashier would go to 
 
STORY OF THE MERCHANT LOPPED o' THE HAND. 269 
 
 recover the monies from the merchants until the afternoon, 
 then would I reckon it, and seal it and take it and return to the 
 khan. Now on a certain day, and it was the second day (Mon- 
 day) I entered the baths, and went forth thence to tlie khan, and 
 went into my own place, and broke my fast with a cup of 
 wine, and slept, and then awoke ; and I ate a chicken, and 
 perfumed myself, and went to the shop of a merchant who 
 was called Budur ood Deen the Boostanee, so when he saw 
 me he came to me, and talked with me awhile until the mar- 
 ket opened and behold ! a woman of stately figure, and she 
 stepped very proudly in her gait, and she came with a hanging 
 head tire, and perfumes of sweet odour, and she raised her 
 outer veil, and I looked upon her black eyes. So she saluted 
 Budur ood Deen, and he returned her salutation and stood up, 
 and talked with her ; now when I heard her words, the love 
 of her overpowered my heart; and she said to Budur ood 
 Deen * Hast thou by thee fine figured lawn stuff?" So he took 
 out a piece of cloth for her from among the cloth he had 
 bought from me, and sold it to her for a thousand and two 
 hundred dirhems. Then said she to the merchant, < I will 
 take the cloth, and go, and send the price of it to thee,' And 
 the merchant replied to her ; ' This is impossible oh ! lady, 
 for this is the owner of the stuff, and he has a demand upon me.' 
 Sa she answered ' Shame on thee, surely an 1 pleased I could 
 take of thee every piece of the stuff wholesale, and give thee 
 profit above that thou lookest for, and send thee the price.' 
 So he said, * Even so ; yet must I fain have the cost this very- 
 day,' Then took she the cloth, and put it into her bosom, and 
 said, ' Your sort of folks estimate no one at their right value,' 
 And she rose turning to go, and drew out my very soul from 
 me that it went with her ; then arose I, and stopped her and 
 said to her, ' Oh ! my mistress, trust me, and turn to me with 
 steps of kindness.' So she turned back and smiled, and said 
 * For your sake I return,' and she sat her at my instance at the 
 shop. Then said I to Budur ood Deen, This cloth now, how 
 
270 STORY OF THE MERCHANT LOPPED o' THE HAND. 
 
 much did they sell it to you at V ' He replied a thousand 
 and one hundred dirhems ;' And I said to him, ' And 
 a hundred dirhems are your profit ? come bring me a sheet 
 of paper, I will write you-^n order for its price on it.' 
 Then took I the cloth from him, and wrote him an order in 
 my own handwriting, and gave her the cloth, aud said to her, 
 *Take — thou art my soul, and if thou wiliest, bring me its price 
 next market day, and if thou wiliest not, it is an offering to 
 thee from me.' And she answered, * God give thee fair re- 
 turn for this,!^^ and grant thee to get the money due from 
 me, and make thee my husband.' Now the Almighty favored 
 her prayer. Then said I to her, ' Oh ! my mistress, make this 
 cloth now thine own, and there is besides more like it ready 
 for thee ; so suffer me to look upon thy face.' Now when I 
 saw her face, the sight bequeathed to me a thousand passion- 
 ate disquietudes, and my heart so clove to the love of her that 
 I became impotent to rule my reason. Then she dropped the 
 outer veil, and took the cloth, and said, ' Oh ! master, God 
 make me not desolate in thy absence,' And she turned, and 
 was gone. So I sate in the exchange until after the afternoon 
 prayer, and I was out of my senses, and love had wholly mas- 
 tered me ; and in the excess of the love that was on me, I rose, 
 and asked the merchant of her : so he replied, ' This woman 
 is mistress of money, and she is the daughter of one that was 
 a noble ; her father died, and left very much wealth.' So I 
 took leave of him, and returned home, and went to the khan, 
 and supper was set before me, but I thought upon her, and 
 ate nothing, and laid down to sleep, but sleep came not to me; 
 so I watched until the morning. Then arose I, and put on a 
 change of raiment other than that was on me, and drunk a 
 cup of wine, and broke my fast on some slight matter, and 
 went to the shop of the merchant. So I saluted him, and sat 
 by him ; then came the damsel according to her wont, and on 
 her a change of dress more sumptuous than the first, and a 
 handmaid with her, and she saluted me without noting 
 
STORY OF THE MERCHANT LOPPED o' THE HAND. 271 
 
 Budur ood Deen, and said in smooth phrased language more 
 dulcet, and more sweet than it I never heard, * Send with me 
 one to take in charge the thousand, and two hundred dirhems, 
 the price of the cloth ;' And I replied to her * Whence the 
 hurry V So she answered, * We'll not impoverish you,' And 
 she handed me the price, and I sat, and talked, and she also. 
 Then signed I to her in dumb show, so that she understood 
 that I wished to know her better, and she arose in haste at 
 that, and fled like a scared creature from me, and my heart 
 clove to her, and I went forth out of the market on her 
 track ; and behold a handmaid came to me, and said, ' Oh \ 
 Sir, come speak with my mistress.' So I marvelled, and 
 said, ' No one here knows me !' But the handmaid answered 
 » Be not so hasty ; hast thou forgotten a lady that was that 
 day at the shop of such a merchant V Then went I with her 
 to the banker's ; so when the lady saw me, she placed me by 
 her side, and said ' Oh ! my loved one, thou art impressed in 
 my thoughts, and love of thee is treasured in my heart, and 
 from the instant that I saw thee, sleep sat not easy on me, 
 nor food, neither drink.' And I replied to her, * The double 
 of that pain is mine, and the state I am in is past the 
 power of plaining over.' Then said she, * Oh ! loved one 
 shall we meet at thy house or at mine ?' And I answered 
 her, ' I am a man, a stranger, and have not a place to take my 
 rest in, save the khan ; So if thou wilt be true, let it be at thy 
 house.' And she replied, * so let it be ; but this might is the 
 night of jum'at (Friday), there can there nought take place 
 until to-morrow after prayers ; say thy prayers, and mount 
 thine ass, and ask for the cheese market, and when thou hast 
 arrived there, ask for the house Birkat ul Nugeed known as 
 Uboo Shamuth, for truly I dwell there, so make no tarrying, 
 for I indeed wait for thee.' Then rejoiced I with still greater 
 joy ; and then we separated, and I went to the khan, in which 
 I dwelt, and passed the night watching. Now I scarcely was 
 assured that the morning dawned, ere I rose, and changed my 
 
272 STORY OF THE MERCHANT LOPPED o' THE HAND, 
 
 apparel, and perfumed myself, and decked myself fairly, and 
 took with me fifty deenars in a kerchief, and went from the 
 Khan Mussroor to the^ate Zuveelut. There mounted Ian ass, 
 1*° and said to its owner, ' Go with me to the cheese market.* 
 So he went there in the twinkling of an eye, and as soon after as 
 could be, stopped at a lane that is called the Hallowed Passage. 
 Then said I to him ' Enter the lane, and ask for the house of 
 ul Nugeeb : and he was absent a little while, and then return- 
 ed and said, ' Alight.' So I replied ' Go thou before me to 
 the house,' And I said to him, * Blessed be my going hither, 
 and my return.' And the man that hired the ass to me replied, 
 * In God's name.' So I gave him four deenars of gold, and 
 he took it, and returned. Then knocked I at the door, and 
 two damsels opened it to me, small bosomed virgins, as it 
 were two moons ; and they said to me ' Enter, our mistress is 
 expecting you ; She has not slept the night long for her joy 
 on your account.' Then I entered a chamber fitted with seven 
 doors, and about it latticed windows looking upon a garden 
 with fruits of blooming colors, and its streamlets flowing, and 
 its birds singing, and it the chamber whitened with stucco 
 royal that a man might see his face in it, and its ceiling inlaid 
 with gold, and its cornices written in sentences with lapis 
 lazuli ; it comprised all the attributes of beauty, and dazzled 
 the beholder ; and its floor laid with marble of varied sorts, and 
 in the midst of it a fountain, and on the pillars of that foun- 
 tain birds made of pearls, and jewels ; it was spread with 
 carpets and silks of colours, and divers pattern. Now when I 
 entered I sat down"' — And Shuhurzad perceived the morning 
 dawn and ceased speaking the words permitted her 
 
 she said. " They relate Oh ! mighty Monarch that the mer- 
 chant youth said to the Nazarene, * When I entered, and sat 
 down, I hardly took note of aught, ere the damsel came in 
 and on her a 141 diadem, ornamented with pearls, and jewels, 
 
STORY OF THE MERCHANT LOPPED o' THE HAND. 273 
 
 worked in figures, set in sentences. So when she saw me, 
 she smiled in my face, and took me to her bosom, and clasped 
 me to her breast, and said, ' Is it true ? Art thou come to me ?' 
 And I rephed, * Here am I even with thee.' Then said she, 
 * Be joy, and welcome to thee ! Wullahy ! from the day I saw 
 thee first, sleep was not sweet to me, nor has food savoured 
 with me,' And I answered, ' And I too was even this wise.' 
 Then sat we down talking together, and 1 kept my head hung 
 down abashed, but she delayed not long ere she set before me 
 a table with most excellent sort of viands of meat in sour paste, 
 and dumpling fried, dipped in the honey of bees, and 
 chicken stuffed. So I ate, and she also, and we were satisfied ; 
 then set they before me the bason, and the ewer, and I wash- 
 ed my hand, and then we refreshed us with rose-water, 
 scented with musk, and sat down to converse ; then broke 
 she out repeating these lines ;— 
 
 * Had we wist of thy coming thy way had been strewn, 
 With the blood of our heart and the balls of our sight, 
 Our cheek as a footcloth to greet thee been thrown, 
 That thy step on our eyelids should softly alight.' 
 
 And she kept plaining of what had befallen her, and 1 of 
 what befel me, and love of her got firm hold of me, and made 
 money seem a thing of naught. So when the night approach- 
 ed, the handmaidens set before us food, and wine, and lo ! it 
 was a perfect banquet ! So we drank until half the night was 
 over and then we slept until the morning, and never in my life 
 saw I a night like that. So when the morning dawned I arose, 
 and threw under the bed-carpet the kerchief in which were the 
 deenars, and took farewell of her, and went out. Then wept 
 she, and said, « Oh ! my lord, when shall I see again that 
 lovely face V And I replied, ' I will be with thee at sunset.' 
 Now when I went out I came upon the owner of the ass who 
 promised the day before to await me at the door ; so I mounted 
 and went with him until I arrived at the Khan Mussroor, and 
 
 L h 
 
274 STORY OF THE MERCHANT LOPPED o' THE HAND. 
 
 I alighted, and gave the owner of the ass half a deenar, 
 and said to him, ' Return at sunset.' He replied, ' so be it,' 
 and I went out seeking to recover the price of the stuffs ; 
 then I returned, and had meanwhile got ready for her, the 
 lady, a lamb roasted, and sweet confit. Then I called a 
 porter, and put this for him on the knot he carried, and 
 gave him his hire, and went back to my employments un- 
 til sunset. Then came to me he that hired out cattle just at 
 sun-down ; and I took fifty deenars, and put them in a ker- 
 chief, and entered her house ; then found I them sweeping the 
 marble floor, and scouring the copper vessels, and getting 
 ready the branch lights, and lighting the lamps, and cutting 
 up the meat, and straining the wine. And when she saw me, 
 she threw her arms about my neck, and said, * Truly thou 
 mad'st me feel desolate.' Then she set the tables before me, 
 and we ate, till we were satisfied, and the handmaids lifted the 
 tables, and set the wine before us, and we gave not over drink- 
 ing till half the night was past ; then arose we and went to the 
 place of sleep, and slept until the morning. So I arose, and 
 set by the fifty deenars, according to wont, and went forth 
 from her, and found the owner of the ass, and rode to the khan, 
 and slept awhile, and then arose, and made ready the evening 
 meal. So I got meats, and almonds, and put peppered rice 
 beneath them, and I got ready sweet potatoes fried, and took 
 fruit, and dry preserves, and scents, and sent them off. Then 
 went I to the house, and took fifty deenars in a kerchief, and 
 went forth, riding with him that owned the ass according to 
 custom to the mansion. And I went in, and ate, and drank, and 
 slept until the morning, and then I arose, and threw the 
 kerchief to her, and then rode to the khan according to wont, 
 and I gave not over doing after that fasliion until I went one 
 night to rest, and woke in the morning, not master of one dir- 
 hem, — no — nor of one deenar. Then said I in my soul, ' All 
 this Cometh of doing Satan's work,' and I broke out extempo- 
 raneously in these lines ; — 
 
STORY OF THE MERCHANT LOPPED O THE HAND, 275 
 
 * The rich grows poor ! his glory fades away, 
 As pale's the bright sun at the close of day ; 
 If distant, all unmarked men let him be, 
 If present, in the tribe no part hath he. 
 He slinking thro' the streets by stealth appears. 
 Or sheds in desert haunts his gushing tears : 
 God knows, a man at his own kinsman's door 
 Is but a stranger, if he be but poor !* 
 
 So I went forth out of the khan, and walked among the pa- 
 laces, and ceased not going towards the gate of Zuweeliit. 
 TIrere found I the people in a throng, and the gateway ob- 
 structed with a multitude of people, and I saw by order of that 
 was decreed an officer, and I pressed against him without in- 
 tending it, and my hand came upon his breast pocket, and I 
 felt it, and found a purse within the pocket on which my hand 
 was. So I perceived my hand close upon that purse, and 
 I took it from his breast pocket. But the soldier felt that his 
 pocket was plucked at ; so he put his hand upon his poc- 
 ket, and found nothing there, and turned about to me, and laid 
 his hand upon his mace, and struck me with it, so that I fell 
 to the ground. Then the people laid hold of us, and held fast 
 the bridle of the soldier's horse, and said to him, ' Strik'st 
 thou this youth a blow like this because of a push!' But the 
 soldier roared out to them, and said, * This is an accursed 
 thief !' Now upon that I came to myself, and saw the people 
 saying, * This is a fair youth he would not take any thing ;' 
 And some of them said, ' This was true,' And some said it 
 was false, and the talk on this side, and that waxed warm, and 
 the people dragged at me, and tried to rescue me from him. 
 So by order of that was decreed, behold ! the governor, and 
 the chief officer, and the watch came in through tlie gate, and 
 they found the people gathered together about me, and the 
 soldier, and the governor said, ' What is the matter ?' Then 
 answered the soldier, ' Wullahy ! oh ! prince, this is a thief 
 for there was in my breast pocket a purse lined with twenty 
 
 L L 2 
 
270 STORY OF THE MERCHANT LOPPED o' THE HAND. 
 
 (leenars and he took it while I was in the crush.' Then said 
 the Governor to the soldier, * Was any one with thee ? 
 And the soldier answered, * Nay.' And the governor 
 shouted to the chief officer, and he pinioned me, and the 
 means of concealment failed me. So he said, * Search 
 him.' Now when they searched me, they found the purse 
 in my clothes ; so when they found the purse the go- 
 vernor took it, and opened it, and counted it out, and found 
 in it twenty deenars even as the soldier said. And the 
 governor was wroth, and summoned the parties concerned 
 in the case. So they brought me forward before him, and lie 
 said to me, ' Now, ray lad, speak the truth : did'st thou steal 
 this purse V So I hung my head to the ground, and said, ' I 
 know if I say I stole it not 'tis false for I did pluck it out, and 
 if I say I stole it, I shall fall into mischief.' Then I lifted my 
 head, and said, * Yea, I took it.' Now when the governor 
 heard these words from me, he marvelled, and summoned the 
 witnesses. Then came they into presence, and bore witness 
 to my confession : all this befel at the gate Zuweelut. So the 
 governor gave the order to the linkbearer, and he cut off my 
 rio-ht hand ; then was the heart of the soldier softened, and he 
 took pity on me, but the governor left me, and went away, 
 and the people remained round about me, and they gave me a 
 cup of wine to drink ; but for the soldier, — truly he gave me 
 the purse, and said, ' Thou art a fair youth, and it is not fit- 
 ting thou should'st be a thief.' So I broke out extemporaneous- 
 ly in verse ; — > 
 
 * Brother, no thief am I in very deed 1 
 No rogue, I sv/ear by Heaven, oh ! best of men ! 
 But fortune cast me down with cruel speed ; 
 Care, grief, and poverty beset me then. 
 'Twas Heaven, not thou the fated arrow sped, 
 And snatched the crown of honour from my head.' 
 
 So the soldier left me, and turned away after he had given me 
 the purse ; and I too turned away, and wrapped ray wrist in 
 
277 
 
 a rag, and thrust it under my robe, and my appearance was 
 altered, and my color had paled with that had come to pass 
 to me ; but I went on to the house, and I was other than 
 composed, and I threw my face down on the carpet. Now 
 the damsel saw that I was altered in complexion; so she 
 said to me, * What is thine ailment, and how is it that I 
 see thine aspect altered V And I replied to her * My head 
 pains me, and I am not well.' So upon that she was 
 vexed, and was troubled on my account, and said to me, 
 * Distress not mine heart. Oh ! my lord, sit, and lift thine 
 head, and tell me that hath happed to thee to-day, for a story 
 is shewn me in thy face.' And I answered, ' Spare me this 
 talk.' So she wept, and said, ' It is like, thine inclination 
 is turned from me, for sure I see thee contrary to thy wont.' 
 But I was silent : And she kept on talking to me, and I gave 
 her no answer, until night came on. Then set she food before 
 me, but I abstained from it, and dreaded lest she should see 
 me eating with my left hand. So 1 said, * I have no wish to 
 eat just now ;' And she replied, * Tell me of that hath happed 
 to thee to-day, and what is in thee that grieves thee, and 
 breaks thy spirit, and thine heart V And I answered, * Wait 
 awhile ; I will tell thee at my leisure.' Now she set before 
 me wine, and said, * Here is for thee ; for this will check thy 
 sorrow, and there is no help, but that thou drink'st, and 
 tell'st me of thy tidings.' And I replied to her, ' So is there 
 no help, but that I tell thee V She answered, ' Even so.' So 
 I said, ' If it be even so, and that there he no help, then give 
 me to drink with thine own hand.' And she fUled the cup, 
 and drank it off, and filled again, and gave it m?, and I took it 
 from her with my left hand, and wiped the tears from my 
 eyelids, and broke out repeating ; — 
 
 * When ere the Lord 'gainst any man, 
 Would fulnimate some harsh decree, 
 And he be wise, and skill'd to hear, 
 And used to see ; 
 
278 STORY OF THE MERCHANT LOPPED o' THE HAND. 
 
 He stops his ears, and blinds his lieart, 
 And from his brain all judgment tears, 
 And makes it bald as * twere a scalp, 
 Reft of it's hairs ; 
 Until the time when the whole man 
 Be pierced by this divine command 
 Then he restores him intellect 
 To understand.' 
 
 Now when I ceased repeating my verses I took the cup with 
 my left hand, and wept, and she shreiked with an exceeding 
 loud cry, and said ' What is the cause of thy weeping ? 
 Thou do'st wrack my heart, and what makes thee take the 
 cup with thy left hand ?' Then said I to her, ' Truly I have 
 upon my other hand a boil.' JSo she answered, * I will take it 
 out, I will make it discharge.' But I replied, ' It is not time 
 yet for it to discharge :' So do not tease me, for I will not 
 take out my hand from the bandage not now.* Then I 
 drank off the cup, and she gave not over making me drink, 
 until intoxication prevailed over me, and I slept in my 
 place where I sat. Then saw she my wrist without a fist, 
 so she examined me closely, and perceived with me the 
 purse with the gold, and sorrow came upon her such as 
 never came upon any one before, and she ceased not suf- 
 fering grief of mind on ray account until the morning. Now 
 when I woke from sleep, I found she had dressed me a stew, 
 and she put it before me, and behold it was made of four 
 chicken pouts, and she gave me a cup of wine to drink : So 
 I ate and drank, and set down the goblet, and purposed to go 
 forth, and she said to me, * Whither goest thou V And I 
 answered, * To a place I mean to go to.' But she said, 
 
 * Thou must not go ; sit still.' So I sat down, and she said, 
 
 * So thy love hath so overpowered thee that thou hast wasted 
 all thy property, and hast lost thine hand, bear witness now to 
 me, and the Almighty be the witness that I will not separate 
 from thee, and thou shalt indeed see that my saying is true,' 
 Then sent she after witnesses, and they came, and she said to 
 
STORY OF THE MERCHANT LOPPED O* THE HAND. 279 
 
 them, 'Write my contract of marriage with this youth, and 
 witness that I have in possession the dower.' And they 
 wrote my marriage contract with her : then said she, * Wit- 
 ness that the whole of my property that is in this chest, and 
 the whole that I have in slaves, and handmaidens is given 
 to this youth.' So they witnessed it for her, and I took 
 possession in right of marriage, and they departed after they 
 had taken their fee. Then took she me by the hand, and 
 placed me in a strong room, and opened a very large chest, 
 and said to me, * Look at what is in the chest,' and I looked, 
 and behold it was filled with kerchiefs. So she said, ' This 
 is thy property that I took from thee, and every kerchief that 
 thou gavest me in which was fifty deenars, I wrapped it up, and 
 cast it into this chest ; so take thy property for it has returned 
 to thee, and thou art from to-day my very friend, for God's des- 
 tiny has come to pass with thee, so that on my account thou hast 
 lost thy right hand, and I could not return thee an equivalent : 
 for if I gave my soul it were butlitde, and thine were the gi*eat- 
 er sacrifice.' Then said she, < Keep safe thy property ;' So 
 I removed her chest to mine, and added my property to her 
 property that I had given her, and my heart rejoiced, and my 
 sorrow abated. So I stood up, and kissed her, and thanked 
 her ; and she said, ' Thou hast given thy hand for my love ; 
 so now am I able to give thee an equivalent ? Wullahy ! if I 
 were to give my soul for thy love, it were indeed but a 
 little, and I could not then reach that which is thy right claim 
 on me.' So then she made over to me in writing all that she 
 possessed, in her wearing clothes, and her portion, and her 
 chattels for needful uses, and she slept not that night, but as 
 one surely afflicted with grief on my account, until I told her 
 the whole of what befel me. So I abode with her, and we 
 rested thus less than a month, ere weakness gained mastery 
 over her, and illness increased upon her, and she tarried not 
 beyond the fifth day ere she was among the people of the 
 other world. So I laid her out, and spread the earth upon her, 
 
280 STORY OF THE MERCHANT LOPPED o' THE HAND. 
 
 and made pious recitation of the Qoran for her and bestowed 
 tlie lawful alms for her according to the whole of the property, 
 and I turned me from the grave. Then found I that she had 
 wealth in plenty, and chattels, and landed properties, and 
 among the total of these stores, a granary of sesame, of 
 which I sold some to you ; and I had no wish to take count 
 with you at this time, until I had sold the rest of the stock, and 
 the whole of that was in the stores ; and now indeed I will 
 not give up the recovery of the price, but if you had not 
 crossed me in that I spoke of to you, verily I would have eaten 
 your meal and given as a present the price of the sesame, that 
 is by you. This now is the cause of the cutting of my right 
 hand and my eating with my left.' So I said to him, * Thou 
 hast done well, and hence thou hast been kind to me.' 
 And he replied, ' What ails thee that thou should'st not 
 travel with me to my city, for truly I have purchased mer- 
 chandise of iEgypt, and of Alexandria, so what ails thee 
 that thou should'st not accompany me.' And I replied 
 * So let it be,' And I settled to go with him at the head 
 of the month, and I sold the whole of that I owned, and 
 bought other merchandise with it, and travelled, I, and the 
 youth to this city, even the city that is yours. Then the youth 
 sold his merchandise, and bought an exchange mvestment in 
 your city, and went to the ^Egyptian countries. And my fate 
 was that I sat in my place this night, until that happened that 
 happed to me in my wandering, and this, oh ! king of the 
 age is it not more w^ondrous than the story of the hunchback? 
 So the king replied, ' There is no help but that you be hanged 
 every one of you.'" — and Shuhurzad perceived the morning 
 dawn, and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 She said, " They relate, Oh ! mighty King, that when the 
 king of China said, ' There is no help but that you be hanged,' 
 
THE shahid's tale, &c. 281 
 
 Upon that stepped forth the Shahid to the king, and said, 
 ' If thou wilt command me I will tell thee a tale befel me 
 at the time before I found this Hunchback ; and if it be more 
 wondrous than his story then grant us all our lives ;' And 
 the king answered, ' So be it,' And he said, ' Know that I was 
 during the past night at the party where they made a khutmuh, 
 and got together those skilled to recite the Qoran, the fikhees. 
 Now when the readers had read, and concluded, the cloth was 
 spread and amongst that they set before us was pottage. So 
 we set ourselves to eat of the pottage, but one among us did 
 otherwise, and refused to eat of it : so we pressed him, but he 
 swore he would not eat of it, and we remonstrated with him. 
 So he said, * Be not angered with me ; that suffices me, that 
 has already come to pass with me by eating it ;' And he broke 
 out saying ; — 
 
 * Take 'neath your arm what thing you choose, 
 And fare you forth with it ; 
 And for your eyes e'en that kohl use 
 That seems to you most fit.' 
 
 So when he ceased we said to him, ' As God is with you, 
 what is the reason of your refusing to eat pottage V So he 
 replied, ' If so it be, and there is no help, but that I eat of the 
 pottage, surely 1 will not eat of it, save I wash my hand forty 
 times with soap, and forty times with potash, and forty times with 
 galaugale, the total being one hundred, and twenty times.* 
 So upon that the master of the meeting gave order to his 
 servants, and they brought water, and what so he required, 
 and the youth washed his hand as I have mentioned, and he 
 came, and he was as one disgusted, and sat down, and reached 
 out his hand, and he was as one that feared, and he dipped his 
 hand in the pottage, and set to eating, and he was as it were 
 angered, and we were marvelling at him with extreme wonder- 
 ment. Now his hand trembled, and the thumb of his hand 
 turned upwards, and lo ! it was cut off, and he was even 
 eating with the four fingers ! So we said to him, « As God 
 
 M M 
 
is with you ! how is it, witli your thumb that it is thus ? Is it 
 so created or hath^^ome accident injured it V And he answered, 
 * Oh ! my brothers, and not this thumb alone, but my other 
 thumb also, and both my feet ! but wait till you see.' So he 
 displayed the thumb of the other hand, and we found it like 
 the right hand, and in like manner his feet without the great 
 toes. Now when we saw him after this fashion our marvel 
 waxed still greater, and we said to him, * We have scarce pa- 
 tience to wait for your story, and to hear the reason of the 
 cutting off your thumbs, and the cause of the washing your 
 hands one hundred and twenty times.' So he said, * Know 
 that my father was a merchant among the principal merchants, 
 and he was the greatest trader in the city of Bughdad in the 
 days of the Khuleef Haroon oor Rusheed, Now he was 
 addicted to drinking wine, and hearing the harp, and the other 
 instruments of merriment. So when he died he left not a 
 thing behind him, and I laid him out, and made khutmuhs for 
 him, and sorrowed for him certain days, and nights. Then 
 opened I his shop, but found not in it aught left save some 
 little property, and I found demands for debts upon him. So I 
 made the owners of the debts have patience, and set their 
 minds at ease, and began buying, and selling from week to 
 week, and giving to the owners of the debts, and I gave not 
 over this wise for a time until I had paid the debts in full, and 
 added daily to my principal. Now meanwhile, as I was 
 sitting upon a certain day, I had no warning ere a dam- 
 sel, my eye ne'er saw a fairer than her, appeared ; on 
 her was a striped robe, and upper garment, she was riding a 
 mule, and before her a slave, and behind her a slave, so she 
 stopped her mule at the head of the exchange, and entered, 
 and a servant entered after her ; and said, ' Oh ! lady, come 
 forth hence, and let no one recognize you, and let not the fire 
 of blame catch us.' So the serving man waited on her closely, 
 till she saw the shops of the merchants, and found not one had 
 opened his shop save I : so she came on, and the servant after 
 
YOUNG MAN WHO ATE THE POTTAGE. 283 
 
 her, and sat at my shop, and saluted me, and I never heard 
 aught better than her speech, nor sweeter than her words. 
 Then she displayed her face, and I saw it was like the moon, 
 and I saw in her a sight that cast back on me a thousand fond 
 disquietudes, and my heart was all possessed with love of 
 her, and I kept looking again and again upon her face, and 
 burst out repeating the verse ; — 
 
 * Say to the lovely one 
 On the fawn coloured ass, — * Death's sure and certain, 
 My comfort's in thy sweetness ; let me come to thee 
 And it may be that this will give me life 1 
 Thus have I stretched my every hope of comforL 
 Upon thy bounties,'' 
 
 Now when she heard this verse of mine she answered me, 
 and said ;— 
 
 ' Mazed with thy love no more I can feign patience, 
 This heart of mine has held none dear but thee I 
 And if mine eye hath gazed on other's beauty, 
 Ne'er be it joyed again with sight of thee ! 
 I've sworn an oath I'll ne'er forget to love thee, 
 And sad's this breast. that pines to meet with thee I 
 Thou'st made me drink a love-cup full with passion 
 Blest time ! when I may give like draught to thee I 
 Take with thee this my form where'er thou goest, 
 And when thou'rt dead let me be laid near thee 1 
 Call on me in my tomb my bones shall answer, 
 And sigh responses to a call from thee ! 
 
 If it were asked, * What would'stthou Heaven should order?' 
 * His will' I answer, * First, and then what pleases thee.' ' 
 
 Now when she ceased repeating her verse she said ' Oh ! 
 youth, hast thou any fair stuffs by thee V And I replied,' Oh ! 
 lady, thy slave is a poor man, yet have patience until the 
 merchants open their shops, and I will suit thee with what 
 thou wishest.' So then we talked together, I and she, and 
 I was drowned in the sea of her love, bewildered with passion 
 for her, till the merchants opened their shops. Then I arose, 
 
 MM 2 
 
284 THE shahid's tale, and it is the story of the 
 
 and brought all she sought for, and the price of that was five 
 thousand dirhems, and I gave them (the things) to the servant, 
 and he took them, and they went forth by the door of the 
 exchange. Then brought they her the mule, and she mount- 
 ed, and mentioned not to me from whence she came and I 
 blushed to speak to her of that. Now the merchants beset me 
 for the price of the goods, and T acknowledged the debt at five 
 thousand dirliems, and I went home, and I was drunken with 
 her love : Now they set supper before me, and I ate a mouth- 
 ful, and wondered on her beauty, and her loveliness, and 
 sought to sleep, but sleep came not to me. And I ceased not 
 to be after this fashion for a week ; then the merchants requir- 
 ed their monies of me, but I made them have patience 
 for another week. Then who was it but she that met me 
 mounted on a mule, and with her a servant, and two black 
 slaves. Then she saluted me, and said, ' Oh ! master, we 
 have been tardy in bringing you the price of the stuffs ; but 
 bring the cashier and take the price.' So the cashier came, 
 and the servants took out to him the money, and I took pos- 
 session of it. Then were we talking, I and she, until the 
 market opened, and she said to me, ' Get for me such and 
 such goods.' And I got her from the merchants what she 
 desired, aud she took it, and went away, and spoke not to me 
 for the price of it. Now when she was gone, I repented me 
 of that for I had gotten whatso she required to the cost of a 
 thousand deenars. So when she disappeared from mine eyes, 
 I said in my soul, * How has this love treated me ! she has 
 given me five thousand dirhems, and taken goods for a thou- 
 sand deenars. And I dreaded being beggared for the mer- 
 chants' money, for I said, ' Surely the merchants know no 
 one save me ; this woman truly was naught but a swindling 
 harlot, that led me astray with her beauty, and her love- 
 liness, and saw me a mere boy : then laughed she at me, 
 for that I questioned her not of her abiding place : and ceased 
 not to be in distress, and her absence extended longer than 
 
YOUNG MAN WHO ATE THE POTTAGE, 285 
 
 a month. And then the merchants sought their money of 
 me and were hard upon me ; so I brought forward my pro- 
 perty for sale, and wasted away even unto death. Then 
 sat I down, and I was deeply musing, and I had no warn- 
 ing ere who but she alighted at the gate of the market, 
 and came unto me. Now when I looked upon her, my care- 
 ful thoughts gave way, and I forgot how I was placed, and 
 she came forward to talk to me with her sweet converse. 
 Then said she ' Bring the cashier, and weigh the money ;' 
 And she gave me the price of that she took, and more too. 
 So she was free in talk with me, and I went near to die with 
 gladness, and delight, until she said to me, * Hast thou a wife ?' 
 And I answered ' Nay, truly : I know not woman at all,' And 
 I shed tears. So she replied to me, * What weep'st thou for?' 
 And I said, * 'Tis well.' Then took I some of the deenars, 
 and gave them to the servant, and asked him to be go-between 
 in the matter, and he laughed, and said, ' She is in love with 
 you still more than you with her and she has no want of the 
 stuffs she buys of you, but she does this, but for her love for 
 you : so say to her what you will for she will not be averse 
 to what you say.' Then she saw me, and I gave the servant 
 the deenars, and returned, and sat down, and then said to 
 her, ' Deal truly with thy slave, and kindly grant him that he 
 speaks for.' So then I told her what was in my thought, and 
 she responded to my speech, and said to the servant, ' Go upon 
 my message,' And said to me, ' Do as the servant tells thee ;' 
 and she arose, and went away. Now I arose, and paid to the 
 merchants their monies ; and profit upon trade was their 
 gain, but regret was all my gain, for that all tidings of her 
 were lost to me, and I slept not any night long. Now it was 
 but a few days ere her servant came to me, and I welcomed 
 him, and asked him of her, and he replied, ' Truly she is ill 
 at ease ;' And I said to the servant, ' Explain to me her con- 
 dition.' He replied, * This damsel the lady Zoobeiduk ^^^ 
 owns, the wife of Haroon oor Rusheed, and she is one among 
 
286 THE SIIAHID's tale, and it is the story or THE 
 
 her slave girls ; no\v she besought of her mistress the pri- 
 vilege of egress, and ingress, and she went on, till she became 
 the stewardess of the hureem. Now she spoke to her lady of 
 you, and asked her to marry her to you, but the lady answer- 
 ed, ' I will not do so until I see this youth, and if he be like 
 thee, I will marry thee to him.' So we long for the moment 
 to get thee into the house for if thou get'st into the house, 
 she will couple you and her in wedlock, but if your matter be 
 discovered she will strike thee cross the. neck. So now 
 what say you V I answered him, ' I will go with you, and 
 stand the risk of the matter of which you speak.' Then re- 
 plied the servant, ' When the night of this day is come, go 
 to the mosque, and pray in it, and abide in it, and this mos- 
 que is even that the lady Zoobeiduk built by the Tigris.' So 
 I answered, ' With pleasure and all willingness.' Now 
 when it was the evening I went to the mosque, and prayed 
 in it, and abode there : So when it was the time of early 
 dawn, behold ! two servants arrived in a skiff, and wdth them 
 certain empty chests ; so they brought them into the mosque, 
 and turned to go, but one of them lingered, and I looked well 
 at him, and lo ! it was he that was go-between to me and 
 her ! So after awhile the handmaiden, my mistress, came 
 straight upon us ; so when she met me, I arose, and embrac- 
 ed her, and she kissed me and shed tears, and we talked 
 awhile. Then took she me and put me into a chest, and 
 locked it on me, and she met after that with the servant, and 
 he had with him great store of goodly merchandise, and she 
 set to taking, and packing it in these chests, and she locked 
 them one by one until the whole was packed. Then they 
 put them into the boat, and took them off making for the 
 abode of the lady Zoobeiduk. Now anxious thought beset 
 me, and I said in my soul, ' Of a surety wilt thou perish by 
 reason of thy wantonness, and wilt thou get thine end or 
 not ?' And I began to weep, and I in the box, and prayed to 
 the Almighty to release me from that state in which I was. 
 
YOUNG MAN WHO ATE THE POTTAGE. 287 
 
 But they gave not over going on until they arrived with the 
 boxes at the mansion of the Khuleef, and they carried off the 
 box in which I was with the rest of them ; so the troop of 
 servants attached to the hureeni, and the ladies behind the 
 curtain passed along, until they came to an upper servant, 
 and waked him from sleep. So he shouted to the girl, and 
 said to her, ' What is in these chests ?' She answered, 
 ' They are filled with wares for the lady Zoobeiduk.' He 
 replied to her, ' Open them each one by one that I may see 
 what is in them.' So she said, 'And wherefore should'st 
 thou open them V Then he spoke loud, and said to her, ' Be 
 not long about it ; there is no help but that these chests be 
 opened.' And he arose upright, and the first which he began 
 to open was the chest in which I was, and he had laid hands 
 on it, and upon that my sense gave way, and I Ibrgot myself 
 in my terror, and the water ran out from the box. Then 
 said the girl to the head servant, ' Oh ! steward, thou wilt 
 get me killed, and get killed thyself, and wilt damage goods 
 worth ten thousand deenars ! for truly in tliis chest are 
 dresses, and four jars of the water Zum Zum,i44 and here is 
 it unstoppered, and running upon the dresses that are in the 
 chest, and it will at once destroy their color.' So the 
 eunuch answered her, ' Take thy boxes and get thee gone, 
 God's curse be with thee !' And the servants carried on 
 my chest, and made haste, and the other boxes followed close 
 upon mine. Now meanwhile as they were getting on, lo ! 
 there came upon my ear the voice of one saying, * Alas ! 
 alas ! the Khuleef ! the Khuleef !' So when I heard that I 
 shrunk within my skin, and said a saying that ne'er can shame 
 the sayer thereof. ' There is no power, or strength save in 
 God the Great, the Mighty ! this misery have I made for 
 myself !' Then heard I the Khuleef say to the handmaiden, 
 my mistress, ' Fie on thee ! what is in these boxes V And 
 she replied, ' In these boxes be dresses for the lady Zoo- 
 beiduk :' And he said, ' Open them for me.' Now when 
 
288 THE shahid's tale, and it is the story of the 
 
 I heard that I died as 'twere a death outright, and said in my 
 soul, ' WuUahy ! verily this day is the best of my days, in 
 the world ! and if I get safe from this, then truly will I 
 marry her, and no more words about it, and if my matter be 
 discovered my neck is struck across.* And I testified, ' There 
 is no God, but the God, and verily Muhummud is the Mes- 
 senger of God,' " — and ShuhurzaA perceived the morning 
 light, and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 She said " They relate oh ! mighty King ! that the youth 
 when he said, 'I witness that there is no God save the God,' 
 went on to say, ' I heard the handmaid saying, ' These 
 chests now, in them be a charge of property and things be- 
 longing to the dresses of the lady Zoobeiduk, and she desires 
 that no one shall look upon them.' But the Khuleef said, 
 
 * There is no help for it, but that they be opened, and I 
 see what is in them.' So he shouted to the servants, 
 and said, * Bring forward the chests to me.' Then made 
 I sure of death, and no help for it, and was lost to the 
 world ; and the slaves kept bringing them forward one af- 
 ter another, and he kept seeing in them scents, and stuffs, 
 and sumptuous dresses, and they ceased not opening the 
 boxes and he ceased not seeing what was in them, clothes, 
 until there remained not but the box in which I was. 
 And they stretched forth their hands to open it, and the 
 handmaid made haste, and came to the Khulesf, and said, 
 
 * This chest which thou see'st before thee, look at it be- 
 fore the lady Zoobeiduk, and even in it is her secret.' Now 
 when the Khuleef heard her words he gave order to take the 
 chests within : and the servants came, and carried in the chest 
 in which I was, and put me down in the midst of a chamber 
 among the boxes, and my sweat was streaming from me. Then 
 my mistress took me out, and said, ' Have no terror, now nor 
 
YOUNG MAN WHO ATE THE POTTAGE. 289 
 
 « 
 
 fear, but compose yourself, and strengthen your heart, and sit 
 down, till the lady Zoobeiduk cometh, perchance good fortune 
 be thine in winning me.' So I sat awhile, and behold ! ten 
 handmaidens, virgins that were as moons, came before me, 
 and they were in two rows five opposite to five, and behold I 
 twenty other damsels, and they of virgin bosoms, and among 
 them the lady Zoobeiduk and she could scarcely move by 
 reason of the robes, and raiment on her. Now when she 
 came forward the damsels parted from about her, and I came 
 to her, and kissed the earth before her, and she signed to me 
 to sit, and I sat down before her. Then began she to ques- 
 tion me, and she questioned me of my lineage, and I replied 
 to her on whatso she asked of me ; so she was pleased, and 
 said, ' Our nurturing of thee, oh ! maiden ! hath come to no 
 ill end.' Then said she, * Know that this handmaiden is to 
 us in place of a child, and even she is given to thee in trust 
 by the Almighty.' So I kissed the earth before her, and was 
 well pleased with my nuptials ; then gave she order that I 
 should remain with them ten days. So I abode with them 
 this time, and I saw not the maiden, save that certain serving 
 girls brought me the monnng and the evening meal, and af- 
 ter this time the lady Zoobeiduk took advice with the Khuleef 
 on the nuptials of her handmaid, and he gave permisson, and 
 gave an order to her- for ten thousand deenars : then sent the 
 lady Zoobeiduk for witnesses, and the kasee, and they wrote 
 my marriage contract with her ; and after that they made 
 ready sweetmeats, and dainty viands, and divided them among 
 the whole of the king's mansions, and they delayed in this 
 way other ten days. And after the twentieth day, the maiden 
 went into the baths : then set they before me a tray for the 
 wedding feast on which were dainty viands, and among the 
 rest a large beaker of pottage flavoured with sugar, and rose- 
 water musk scented, and in it fillets of pullets tinged redj^^s 
 and other colors, so as to please the senses. Now Wullahy ! 
 I tarried not long ere I bent down over the pottage, and ate of 
 
 N N 
 
290 THE shahid'^s tale, and it is the story of 
 
 it to satiety, and wiped my hands but forgot to wash them, 
 and waited sitting till the darkness should come in. And the 
 candles were lighted, and the singing women came in with the 
 tabrets, and gave not over presenting the bride in various 
 dresses, and getting their hands crossed with gold, until she 
 had gone round the palace, even all of it. And after that they 
 came forward with her, and disarrayed her of what dress she 
 wore. Now when I was alone with her, and embraced her, 
 she smelt the scent of the pottage upon my hands : so when 
 she smelt the odour, she shrieked with an exceeding loud 
 cry, and the handmaidens came in to her on every side, and I 
 trembled, and knew not what the matter was. And the hand- 
 maids said, ' What ails thee oh ! our sister V and she an- 
 swered them ' Take away, this madman from me ! I had 
 conceived that he was wise.' I said to her, ' And what is it 
 has convinced thee of my madness ;' and she replied, ' Thou 
 madman ! why ate'st thou pottage, and did'st not wash thine 
 hand ? Wullahy ! I will make thee a return for thy doings ! 
 Shall thy like consort with my like V Then took she from by 
 her side a twisted scourge, and laid on with it on my back, 
 and then upon my sitting place, until I was lost to the world 
 being insensible from excess of beating. Then said she to 
 the handmaids, « Take him, and go with him to the gover- 
 nor of the city that ^^s he may cut off his hand with which 
 he ate the pottage, and washed it not.' Now when I heard 
 that, I said, ' There is no power, nor strength, save in God ! 
 would'st cut off my hand because of my eating pottage and 
 not washing it!' Then came in to her the maidens, and said 
 to her, * Oh ! our sister, take not notice of him for that he 
 has done this time.' But she answered, ' Wullahy ! there is 
 no help, but that some of his extremities be chopped off.' Then 
 off she went, and was absent ten days, and 1 saw her not ; 
 and after the ten days she came before me, and said to me, 
 * Oh ! black of face, I will teach thee how to eat pottage, 
 and not wash your hands !' So she shouted to the handmaids. 
 
THE YOUTH WHO ATE THE POTTAGE. 291 
 
 and they pinioned me, and she took a razor as bright as might 
 be, and cut off my thumbs, and toes, even as you see ! oh ! 
 fair assembly ! So a swoon fall came on me : then sprinkled 
 she powdered salt upon the wounds, and the blood was 
 staunched and I began to say, * I will not henceforth eat of 
 pottage, until I shall have washed my hand forty times with 
 potash, and forty times with galongale, and forty times with 
 soap.' So she took a written document from me that I 
 would not eat pottage until I should have washed my hand 
 as I mention to you. Now when you offered me this pottage, 
 my color changed, and I said in my soul, < This was the 
 cause of cutting off my thumbs, and toes.' And when you 
 were angered with me, I said, ' There is no help but that I 
 fulfil that I have sworn.' Then said those were present, ' And 
 what was it occurred to you after that ?' He replied * When 
 I swore to her, her heart was kindly towards me, and I slept 
 with her, and we abode there awhile : so after this period she 
 said, ' Truly the mansion of the KImleefs is not a pleasant 
 place for us to abide in, and none other ever entered it save 
 thee, and thou did'st not get in save by the grace of the lady 
 Zoobeiduk : she now has given me fifty thousand deenars, 
 and said to me, < Take this coin, and go forth and buy a fair 
 dwelling-house for us,' So I went forth, and bought an ex- 
 cellent fair dwelling-house, and removed into the house what- 
 ever she possessed of comforts, and made it have no mean 
 appearance with goods, and stuffs, and costly rarities. This 
 now was the cause of tiie cutting of my thumbs, and toes,' — So 
 when we ate, and returned home and after that came that to 
 pass that happened to the Hunchback, and this was the reason 
 of my story. So God be with you !' Then said the king, 
 * This is not more delectable than the story of the Hunch- 
 back ; nay, the story of the Hunchback is more delectable than 
 it and there is no help for the hanging of the whole of you.* 
 Then indeed stepped forth the Jew, and kissed the earth, 
 and said, < Oh ! king of the earth, I will tell thee a tale more 
 
 NN 2 
 
292 THH Jew's tale, and it is the story of 
 
 wondrous than the tale of the Hunchback.' So quoth the 
 king of China * Come out with that thou hast to say.' So he 
 said, ' Most wondrous was what came to pass to me in my 
 youth ! of a truth I was in Damascus of Syria, and I was 
 studying there. Now meanwhile as I was sitting on a cer- 
 tain day behold ! there came to me a servant from the man- 
 sion of the chief of Damascus, and said, ' Speak with my 
 master.' So I went forth to him, and turned my face with 
 him to the abiding place of the chief, and I entered. Then 
 saw I at the upper end of the dais, a couch of cedar, plated 
 with plates of gold, and on it one of the race of Adam lying 
 ill, and he a youth, fairer than he one could not see among 
 young men. So I sat down by his head, and I prayed Heaven 
 for a cure for him ; and he signed to me in acknowledgment 
 with his eyes. Then said I to him, ' Oh ! my master, give 
 me thine hand, grace be with thee !' and he took out his left 
 hand to me. Now I marvelled at that, and said to him ' Ya AUa- 
 hoo, strange ! this youth is fair, comely and of a mighty house, 
 and faulty in manners ; this is indeed a strange thing ! and I 
 felt his pulses, and wrote a prescription for him, and sat to 
 attending him carefully for a period of ten days until he re- 
 covered, and entered the baths, and washed, and came forth. 
 Then gave to me the chief a fair dress of honor, and made me 
 inspector of the infirmary which is in Damascus. Now when 
 I went into the baths with the youth, and the whole bath was 
 kept private for him, and the servants came in to him, and took 
 his clothes on entering of the baths — when he was naked I 
 saw his right hand cut off, but recently, and this was the 
 cause of his weakliness. Now when I saw him I was pos- 
 sessed of wonder, and grieved for him, and looked upon his 
 body, and found upon it marks of stripes of a scourge and I 
 desired to apply unguents because of that : and I was troubled 
 by it, and my trouble appeared in my face. So the youth 
 looked upon me and comprehended what was the matter with 
 j:Be, and said to me < Oh ! physician of the age marvel not in 
 
THE YOUNG MAN OF MOUSSUL. 293 
 
 respect to me, for shortly I will tell you my story after you 
 leave the bath.' So when we went out from the baths, and 
 came to the house, we ate meat and sought rest : and the youth 
 said, ' What ails you that you should not take your plea- 
 sure in the supper hall V And I replied, ' So let it be.' So he 
 gave order to the slave to take the carpet below, and ordered 
 them to grill a lamb, and bring fruit to us ; and the slaves 
 brought fruit to us, and we ate, and he ate with the left 
 hand. Then said I to him, * Tell me thy tale ;' and he said 
 to me, * Oh Physician of the age, hear what came to pass to 
 me. Know that I am of the sons of Moussul, and so it was, 
 my father's father died, and left ten male children. Among 
 them was my father. Oh ! Physician, and he was. the eldest 
 of them. So they grew up all of them, and took wives, and 
 my father was made rich in me, but for his nine brethren, they 
 were not gifted with a child. Now I grew up, and abode 
 among my uncles and they took exceeding pleasure in me. 
 So when I grew up, and reached to men's estate, I was on 
 a certain day in the mosque of Moussul, and it was Fri- 
 day, the day of assemblage, and my father was with me, 
 and we prayed the Friday's prayer i"*^ and the people went 
 forth, all of them ; but my father and my uncles, truly 
 these sat still talking of strange lands, and foreign cities until 
 they mentioned ^gypt. Then said my uncles, * Travellers say 
 that there is not on the face of the earth a place fairer than 
 iEgypt, and her Nile.' So when I heard these words I 
 longed to see iEgypt. Then said my father, ' Who has not 
 seen iEgypt has not seen the world, her soil is gold, and her 
 Nile is wondrous, and her women hoorees, and her houses 
 palaces, and her winds gentle, their scent surpasses frankin- 
 cense, and puts it to shame ; and how should it not be so? 
 for she is herself the world ; now God favor him that said ;— 
 
 ' Could I quit JEgjpt, and her pleasant ways, 
 What place could e'er I covet after it ? 
 Or leave a home all foreign lands admit 
 Most sweet, — whose very perfume speaks her praise. 
 
294 TME Jew's talk, and it is thk story of 
 
 How ! while her loveliness a heaven displays ; 
 With pillowy banks wide spread, and gardens exquisite ; 
 She satiates heart and eye for joys most fit, 
 Are centred there for grave alike or gay, 
 Or brethern true, united n eath His sway. 
 Biding in bowers where all delights conjoin. 
 Oh ! men of Cairo, if I must away 
 Confirm our bonds of love, our ties of union join, 
 But speak not of her to the winds, lest they 
 The odours of her groves for lands like her purloin. 
 Then said my father, ' And if you saw her gardens with the 
 trees, and the cooling shade falling on them, then would you 
 surely bear witness that it was wondrous, and would be 
 satiated in her with pleasure.' So said he, and they took 
 to praising ^gypt, and lier Nile. Now when they ceased, 
 and I heard these praises which were made of ^gypt^'*^ ^^y 
 thought was fixed upon lier ; So when they gave over, each 
 one arose, and turned his face to his home, I lay down to 
 sleep that night, but slept not because of my violent longing 
 for ^gypt, and there was no pleasure left me, either to eat, 
 or to drink. So when it so was, that after a few days my 
 uncles equipped themselves to go to ^gypt, I wept before 
 my father until he made ready merchandise for me, and 
 I went with them. And he said to them, * Let him not 
 enter ^Egypt, but let him sell his wares at Damascus.' So 
 we journeyed, and I took leave of my father, and we went 
 forth from Moussul, and gave not over journeying until we 
 reached Aleppo, and we halted there certain days, then we 
 travelled until we reached Damascus, and we saw her a city, 
 mistress of trees, and streams, and fruits, and birds, as if 
 Paradise were in her with all its fruits. And we alighted 
 at one of the khans, and my uncles tarried to sell, and 
 to buy, and sold also on my account ; and each dirhem turned 
 a profit of five dirhems, and I was pleased at the profits. 
 So my uncles left me alone, and set their faces to ^Egypt ; 
 and I remained behind them, and tarried in a dwelling of 
 fair construction, that would beggar the tongue in its praises. 
 
4 
 
 THE YOUNG MAN OF MOUSSUL. 295 
 
 I hired it for two denars each month. So I stayed eating, and 
 drinking, until I had spent the money I had by me. And on 
 a certain day I was sitting at the gate of the hall, and be- 
 hold ! a damsel came before me, and she was dressed in most 
 cosdy raiment, more sumptuous than that mine eye never be- 
 held, and I beckoned to her, and she did not stop until she 
 was within the gate ; So when she entered, I entered also 
 with her, and shut to the gate upon myself, and her. And 
 she undid her outer veil from her face, and drew off her 
 wrapper : then found I her of marvellous loveliness, and love 
 for her possessed my heart. Then arose I, and brought to 
 her a tray of the best of eatables, and fruit, and whatso befit- 
 ted the occasion, and I came in with it, and we ate, and we 
 disported, and after that we drank until we were intoxicated. 
 Then rose I, and slept out the sweetest of nights until the 
 morning, and I gave her ten denars. But her face loured, and 
 her brows grew stern, and she trembled with anger, and said, 
 ' Fie upon thee ! Oh ! Sweet Companion ! Is it then that thou 
 thinkest that I hungered for thy money ?' Then she took 
 out from the breast fold of her shift sixty deenars, and scattered 
 them before me, and said, ' Wullahy ! if thou wilt not take 
 them I will not return to thee.' So I agreed to take them 
 from her, and she said, ' Oh ! my beloved, expect me three 
 days hence ; between sunset and evening will I be with 
 thee, and do thou prepare for us with these deenars such 
 things as these will purchase.' So she took leave of me, and 
 turned away, and my sense departed with her. Now when 
 the tliird day arrived, she came, and on her stuff weft with 
 gold wire, and robes, and raiment finer than were on her at 
 first, and I had prepared the place for her before she came in ; 
 so we ate, and drank, and slept according to our want, until 
 the morning ; she gave me sixty deenars, and bade me make 
 ready, for after three days she would be with me. So I dress- 
 ed out the place for her, and after some days, she presented 
 herself in silken clothes still finer than the first dress, and the 
 
296 THE Jew's tale, and it is the story of the 
 
 second : then said she, ' Oh ! my master, am I not a lovely 
 woman V So I said, ' Ah ! Wullahy art thou !' And she 
 asked, ' Would'st thou let me bring with me a damsel fairer 
 than I, and younger in years than I am, that she may sport 
 with us, and laugh, and ease her heart, for she is afflicted 
 with sorrow since long, and has begged of me that she may 
 go out with me, and abide abroad with me V Now when I 
 heard her words, I repUed, ' Oh ! Wullahy as thou wiliest '/ 
 So then we intoxicated ourselves, and slept until the morning. 
 Then took she out to me sixty deenars, and said, * Make 
 ready still more for us on account of this damsel who is coming 
 with me.' So she turned her away. Now when it was the 
 fourth day I prepared the house and when it was after sunset, 
 behold ! she came, and with her a woman alone wrapped in 
 a veil : so they entered, and sat down ; and when I saw her, 
 1 burst out repeating the verse ; — 
 * How $weet our day, 
 
 And oh 1 how grateful is our lot, 
 
 When the harsh cynic's far away, 
 
 And heeds us not 1 
 
 When love and joy 
 
 Are ours, and wine with madding sway ; 
 
 Let part of these their power employ, 
 
 Sense needs gives way ! 
 
 When the moon-beam 
 
 Strikes bright upon the sand hill brow ; 
 
 When wantons o'er some shaded stream 
 
 The wavy bough. 
 
 When the red rose 
 
 So mantling freshly on the cheek, 
 
 And as the limber narjess blows 
 
 Our dark eyes speak. 
 
 When I can prove 
 
 The world of pleasure purely sweet. 
 
 And my delights with her I love 
 
 Are all complete !' 
 Then was I glad of heart, and lighted the candles, and turned 
 to meet them in gladness and delight : then arose they, and 
 
 
THE YOUNG MAN OF MOUSSUL. 297 
 
 lightened tliem of the silken clothes were on them, and the 
 new come damsel uncovered her face, and I saw her like 
 the moon at its full, and never saw I fairer than her. Then 
 arose I, and set before them to eat, and to drink, and we 
 feasted, and we drank, and I kept giving mouthfuls to the 
 new come damsel, and filling the cup for her, and drinking 
 with her, and the first damsel grew jealous in her inward 
 soul. So she said, ' Billahy ! this damsel, is not she more 
 elegant than I V And I replied, ' Oh ! WuUahy !' She 
 answered, ' It is my wish that you should rest with 
 her.' I said, ' Upon my head be it and my eyes.' Then 
 she arose, and spread the carpets for us, and I rose, and was 
 with the damsel till the morning time. Then rolled I round, 
 and found myself as it were drenched in some liquid, and I 
 thought that I was sweating ; so I sat up to wake the damsel, 
 and shook her arm, and Jier head rolled down from the 
 pillow. Now my sense flew from me, and I shouted, and 
 said, may the All Powerful Protector cover thee !' And 1 
 found her throat cut ! Then was I intent upon some device 
 to save me, and the world grew black before my eyes, and 
 I looked for mine ancient mistress, and found her not. Tiien 
 knew I that it was she that cut the damsel's throat in her 
 jealousy of her ; so I said, * There is no power, nor strength 
 save in God, the Great, the Mighty ! What shall my plans 
 be V So I pondered a while, and arose, and took off my 
 clothes, and hollowed a grave in the midst of the court, and 
 took the damsel with her ornaments, and put Jier into the 
 grave, and turned back on her the earth, and the flag stone, 
 and washed, and put on clean clothes, and took the remainder 
 of my money, and went forth from the dwelling, and locked 
 it, and went to the owner of the mansion. Then made I 
 my heart bold, and paid to him a year's rent, and said to him, 
 ' I am about to travel to my uncles in iEgypt.' So I journey- 
 ed to ^gypt, and foregathered with my uncles, and they were 
 glad to see me, and I found that they had just concluded 
 
 
 
298 THE Jew's tale, and it is the story of 
 
 selling their merchandise ; so they said to me, ' What is the 
 cause of thy coming V And I answered them, ' I longed for 
 you ;' And I let them not know that I had any money with 
 me. So I abode with them a year, and I used to take my 
 pleasure in iEgypt, and her Nile. And I laid hands on the re \ 
 mainder of my money, and set to squander it, and eat, and 
 drink until the journey of my uncles was nigh at hand. Then 
 fled I forth, for I feared them ; and they made enquiries but 
 heard no tidings of me ; so they said, * He will have return- 
 ed to Damascus.' Now they travelled, and I came forth from 
 my hiding : so I abode in ^gypt three years, until there re- 
 mained not by me any jot of money. Now I every year used 
 to send to the owner of the house at Damascus its rent, and 
 after the thiril year my heart was straightened, and there re- 
 mained not to me save the rent for one year only. So I tra- 
 velled until I reached Damascus, and lighted at the house, and 
 the owner was glad to see me, and I found the inner chamber 
 locked as it was when I left it. Then did I open it, and take 
 the necessaries of mine that were in it, and I found 1k>eneath 
 the carpet on which I was sleeping that night with her that 
 had her throat cut, a neckring of gold ^^^ inlaid with jewels, 
 and I took it, and wiped from it the blood of the damsel, she 
 whose throat was cut, and 1 tarried gazing upon it, and for a 
 while I wept. Then waited I two days, and on the third day, 
 I entered the baths, and changed my clothes, and I had not by 
 me one jot of money. And I went on a day to the market, and 
 Satan whispered evil to me, and for that, that was decreed 
 should be fulfilled. So I took the jewelled collar, and turned 
 my face to the market with it, and gave it to a broker : so he 
 arose, and made me wait till the market opened ; then the 
 broker took it, and proclaimed it for sale quietly, and I was 
 not aware of it. And behold ! the collar being priced 
 gave a value of two thousand deenars ; so the broker 
 came to me, and said, ' This collar is a collar of copper 
 fashioned according to the fashion of the Franks, and its price 
 
THE YOUNG MAN OF MOUSSUL. 299 
 
 has reached a thousand dirhems.' And I answered him, 
 
 * Even so : this now I had made for a certain damsel, and as 
 t'were to put a gibe upon her with it, and ray wife succeeded 
 to it. Now we wished to sell it ; so go take over the thou- 
 sand dirhems.'" — And Shuhurzad perceived the morning 
 dawn, and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 She said, " They relate Oh ! mighty King, that he said to the 
 broker, * Take over the thousand dirhems.' Now when the 
 broker heard that, he knew that it was a doubtful story ; so he 
 went with the collar to the syndic of the market, and gave it 
 to him, and said to him, * Of a truth this collar was stolen from 
 my house, and we have found the thief dressed in the dress 
 such as trader's sons wear.' So I scarce was aware of it ere 
 the night guard laid hands on me, and took me, and set me be- 
 fore the governor. So the governor questioned me of that collar, 
 and I said to him as I said to the broker ; then the governor 
 laughed, and said, ' These words be not the truth.' And I 
 knew not what was doing ere I was stripped of my clothes, 
 and smitten with a scourge upon my sides, and the beating 
 made me smart, and I said, * I did steal it,' For I said in my 
 soul * 'Tis better for thee to say ' I stole it' than to say that 
 
 * Its mistress was murdered in my house,' For then would they 
 slay me for her.' So they decreed that I stole it, and they 
 cut off my hand, and scalded the stump in oil, and a swoon 
 came on me. Then made they me drink wine until I re- 
 covered ; so I took my hand, and went to the house. Then 
 said to me the owner of it, ' What is this hath come to pass with 
 thee ? quit the house, and look out for another place for thy- 
 self, since thou art disgraced for theft.' But I replied to him, 
 « My master, bear with me but two days or three until I can 
 
 00k out a place for myself.' He answered, ' So be it,' And 
 went, and left me. So I remained sitting weeping, and saying 
 « How shall I return to my people, and I lopped of the hand ; 
 00 2 
 
300 THE Jew's tale, and it is the story of 
 
 and they will not know that lam innocent.^ ^^ Yet per- 
 chance the Almighty may even after that order some matter 
 for me.' And I wept with exceeding weeping. Now 
 when the owner of the house went from me, even 
 excessive grief beset me, and I was disquieted for two 
 days, and on the third day, I scarce was conscious ere 
 the owner of the house came to me, and with him some of 
 the guard, and the syndic of the market, and demanded to see 
 me for that I stole the collar. So I went forth to them, and 
 said to them, ' What tidings V But they tarried not ere they 
 pinioned me, and threw a chain upon my neck, and said to 
 me, * The collar which was with thee belongs to the chief of 
 Damascus, and her vuzeer and her ruler.' And they said, 
 
 • Surely this collar has been lost from his house, for a space of 
 three years with his daughter.' Now when I heard tliese 
 words from them, my heart sank, and I said to myself, * Thy 
 soul is gone beyond a doubt, and there is no help, VVullahy ! 
 but that I tell the chief my story : then if he will, let him slay 
 me, and if he will, let him pardon me.' Now when we 
 reached the chief, they made me stand before him, so when 
 he perceived me, he glanced at me with the corner of his eye, 
 and said to those were present, ' Did not ye cut off his hand ? 
 of a surety now this man is to be pitied, and there is no 
 fault in him, and ye have sore oppressed him in your cutting 
 off his hand.' Now when I heard these words, my heart 
 gained strength, and my soul was assured of good, and I said, 
 
 * Wullahy ! oh ! my master, I am not a robber, but they 
 charged me with this exceeding crime, and smote me with the 
 scourge in the body of the market, and ordered me to con- 
 fess; so I lied to my own soul, and confessed to the theft, 
 and I am innocent of it :' So said the chief, ' There is no 
 evil meant to thee.' Then wrote he an order on the syndic of 
 the market, and said to him, ' Give this man a mulct for his 
 hand, and if thou wilt not, I will hang thee, and take all thy 
 property.' So he called loudly to those who stood foremost 
 
THE YOUNG MAN OF MOUSSUL. 301 
 
 and they took liim, and dragged him off, and I remained, and 
 the chief. Then they lifted the chain from my neck by his 
 command, and loosed my arms, and the chief looked upon 
 me, and said, * Oh my son, be true with me, and tell me how 
 this collar came to thee.' And he spoke tlie verse ; — 
 
 * Truth best befits thee, even though that truth 
 Should make thee smoulder on the threatened fire.' 
 
 So I said, < Oh ! my lord, I will tell thee the truth.' So then 
 I related to him what happened to me with the first damsel, 
 and how she came to me with the second, and how she 
 cut her throat owing to jealousy and detailed hun the story to 
 the full. Now when he heard my words, he shook his head, 
 and struck his right hand upon the left, and set his kerchief 
 to his face, and wept awhile, and then burst out repeating ; — 
 
 * I've known the sorrows of the world in all 
 
 Extremity ; 
 By her, poor caitiff ! must I mastered be 
 
 E'en till I die 1 
 Absence on every union 'twixt two friends 
 
 Comes soon, or late, 
 And few are they that have not known the doom 
 
 To separate !' 
 
 Then he turned to me, and said, ' Know then, oh ! my son, 
 that the elder damsel was my daughter, and I used to keep her 
 confined in very close restriction. So when she grew up, I 
 sent her to iEgypt, and married her to the son of her uncle ; 
 but he died ; so she came to me, and she had learned immodesty 
 from the children of iEgypt,^*! and went to tliee four times. 
 Then came she to thee with her younger sister, and they 
 were both sisters germane, and were mutually attached 
 the one to the other. So when that came to pass which 
 happened to the elder, she let oat her secret to her sister ; 
 then sought she to go with her, but she the elder returned 
 alone. So I questioned her of her sister, and found her 
 
302 THE tailor's tale, and it is the story of 
 
 weeping for her, and she told her mother as a secret in my 
 presence as to what passed in the cutting of her sister's throat, 
 and she ceased not weeping, and saying, * Wullahy ! I shall 
 not cease weeping for her till I die,' And the matter was after 
 that fashion. See now, oh my son, what has come to pass ; 
 now I desire of thee not to thwart me in that I offer thee, and 
 this is it, that I could marry thee to my youngest daughter ; 
 for she is not a sister germane to them, and she is a virgin, 
 and I will take no dower of thee, but will make thee a daily 
 allowance in my house, and thou shalt abide with me in the 
 place of my son.' So I answered, * So be it ; and whence 
 is it that I have attained that happiness V Then sent he for 
 the kazee, and the witnesses, and wrote my marriage contract, 
 and I took her to wife, and got from the syndic of the market 
 much money, and I abode with the chief in most esteemed con- 
 dition. So in this year my father died, and the chief sent a 
 courier as from himself, and caused me to get the money which 
 my father left me, and I am on this day in the happiest of 
 prosperity. This now was the reason of the cutting oifmy 
 right hand.* Now I marvelled at him, and abode with him 
 three days, and he gave me much money, and I travelled from 
 his house ; then arrived I at this your city, and the residence 
 suited well with me : then came that to pass which happened 
 to the Hunchback.' Then said the king of China, ' This is 
 not stranger than the tale of the Hunchback, and so indeed 
 there is no help for your being hanged, but yet there remains 
 the Tailor that is the head of all the mischief.' Then said 
 he, ' Oh ! Tailor, if thou can'st relate me any thing more won- 
 drous than the story of the Hunchback, then will I forgive thee 
 the fault.' Now upon that the Tailor stepped forward, and 
 said, * Know, oh ! king of the age, that the matter was very 
 strange that came to pass with me and befel me but yester- 
 day ; I was before I foregathered with the Hunchback in the 
 first part of the day at a marriage feast with one of my com- 
 panions, and these got together in his house we that were 
 
THE YOUNG MAN WITH THE BARBER. 303 
 
 some twenty individuals of the people of this city. And 
 among us were the chiefs of the working tailors, and silk 
 spinners, and carpenters, and else besides. Now when the 
 sun rose food was spread before us that we should eat, and be- 
 hold ! the master of the house entered to us, and with him a 
 youth, a foreigner, well favoured, of the people of Bughdad, 
 and on that youth were clothes as handsome as could be, and 
 comeliness was his, save in that he was lame. So he came in 
 to know, and made salutation, and we stood up to him : then 
 came he, to sit down, when he saw among us a certain man, 
 a barber ; then refused he to sit, and sought to go forth from 
 among us, but we restrained him, and the master of the dwell- 
 ing stopped him too, and swore to him he should not go, and 
 said to him, ' What is the reason of thy entering, and then 
 going forth again V So he replied * Wullahy ! oh ! my lord, 
 hinder me not since indeed the reason of my turning back is, 
 this ill omened barber, who is sitting here.* Now when the 
 master of the meeting heard these words, he marvelled with 
 extreme of wonder, and said, ' How is this youth fromBughdad, 
 and he disgusted with this barber !' Then looked we to him, 
 and said to him, ' Explain to us what the cause is of thine anger 
 against this barber.' Then quoth the youth, Oh ! fair assembly, 
 there came a thing to pass to me with this barber in Bughdad, 
 which IS my city, and even he was the cause of my lameness, 
 and the breaking of my foot, and I swore I would not 
 remain with him in any place, nor even in a town of 
 which he was inhabitant, and I have travelled from Bugh- 
 dad, and migrated from it, and abode in this city, and 
 I have not slept the night here save as a traveller.' Then 
 said we to him, ' As God is with thee, tell us the story,' So 
 the youth replied, and as he spoke the barber's color paled, 
 * Oh ! fair assembly, know that my father was one of the 
 greatest merchants of Bughdad, and God enriched him not 
 with any son but me. So when I grew up, and reached to 
 man's estate, my father was received into the mercy of the 
 
304 THE tailor's tale, and it is the story or 
 
 Almighty, and left me money, and servants, and great eqni. 
 page ; so I used to dress well, and live well, but the Almigh- 
 ty made me hold women in detestation. However on a cer- 
 tain day I was going along a street in Bughdad, and behold ! 
 a party of women coming down towards me in the footway. 
 So I fled, and entered an alley that had no outlet, and rested 
 myself on the extremity of it on a raised terrace. So I had 
 not sat there more than a short while, when behold ! a window 
 looking down upon the place in which I was opened, and there 
 appeared at it a damsel like the full moon at its fullest, I 
 never saw in my life her like ; and she had some flowers that 
 she was watering, and it was on the window, So she looked 
 right and left, and closed the window, and went away ; and 
 fire as 'twere possessed my heart, and my mind was wholly oc- 
 cupied with her, and hatred turned to love. So I ceased not to, 
 sit there until sunset, and I was lost to the world ; and lo ! 
 the kazee of tlie city came riding by, and before him slaves, 
 and behind him servants, and he lighted, and entered tlie house 
 from which appeared the damsel. Then knew I that he was 
 her father, so I went to my own dwelling, and I was weigh- 
 ed down with care, and I cast myself upon the carpet sorrow- 
 ing. Then came in to me handmaids, and sat about me, and 
 knew not what ailed me, and I addressed no speech to them. 
 So they cried over me, and began to wail, then came in an 
 old woman to me, and my condition was not hidden from her. 
 So she sat down by my head, and consoled me, and said, 
 * Oh my son, tell me the tidings, and I will be the means 
 of gaining thee thy end.' So I told her my story, and she 
 answered, ' Oh ! my son, this is the daughter of the kazee 
 of Bughdad, and there is close restriction put upon her, 
 and the place in which thou saw'st her is her apart- 
 ment, the upper floor, and her father has a very large 
 set of rooms, the lower story, and she sits there alone, 
 and I am most accustomed to have entry to them and so thou 
 can'st not reach her save through me: so set thy wits to 
 
THE YOUNG MAN WITH THE BARBER. 305 
 
 work.' Now I invigorated my spirit, when I heard her tale, 
 and my people rejoiced on that day. and I rose in the morning 
 well. So the old woman went away, and returned, and her 
 face was altered with care, and she said, ' Oh ! my son, ask 
 me not what came to pass to me with her, when I tokl her 
 that : for she said to me. * If thou hold'st not thy peace, oh f 
 ill omened beldam,' (with such words as these,) 'most surely 
 will I do to thee as thou deservest,' Yet there is no help but 
 that I return to her a second time.' Now when 1 heard that 
 news from her, illness was added to my ailment; but after cer- 
 tain days the old woman came, and said, ' Oh ! my son, I claim 
 glad welcome of thee !' So when I heard that my soul return- 
 ed to me, and I said to her, ' Ml good be thine.' Then said 
 she, ' When yesterday arrived I went to the damsel, and she 
 looked upon me, and I was broken in spirit shedding tears 
 from mine eyes ; then said she, ' Oh ! mine aunt, what ails 
 the that I see thee so straightened in heart V So when she 
 said that to me, I wept, and said to her ' Oh ! lady, I now 
 come to thee from the house of a youth that loves thee, and 
 he is near to death for sake of thee !' And she repKed, and 
 sure her heart was softened, ' And whence is the youth thou 
 mentionedest V I answered, ' He is my son, and the darling 
 of my heart, and he saw thee at the window on a day thou 
 wentest there, and wert watering thy flower seeds, and he 
 saw thy face : so he melts away with love of it, and when I 
 let him know what happed to me the first time with thee, 
 his illness increased, and he took to the pillow, and he is 
 naught save a dead man, no doubt of it.' Then replied she, and 
 her complexion paled, ' And all this is for my sake ?' I an- 
 swered, * Ah ! Wullahy, and what else would'st thou V She 
 said, * Go to him and greet him from me, and say, that I am 
 still more sick at heart than he is : so when it is the day of as- 
 sembly (Friday) before prayers, let him come to the house, and 
 when he is come, go down and open the door, and bring him 
 up to me, and bring him and me together for a while, and let 
 
 p p 
 
306 THE tailor's tale, and it is thk story of 
 
 him go back before my father comes from prayers.' Now 
 when I lieard the words of the old woman, the anguish I was 
 suffering ceased, and my heart was restored, and I put aside 
 the bed clothes that were on me, an d she turned to go, and 
 said, ' Be glad of heart :' and I replied, * I have not a jot 
 of sorrow left upon me.' And the people of my house, and 
 my intimates greeted me gladly on my recovery, and I ceased 
 not to be thus well until Friday, and behold ! the old woman 
 came in to me, and asked me of my state, and I told her that 
 1 was in health and happiness. Theii put I on my clothes, 
 and perfumed myself, and remained awaiting till the people 
 should g-o into prayers that I might set off to her, and the 
 old woman said, * Thou hast time, and to spare : Now if 
 thou would' St go to the baths, and have thy hair taken off 
 there especially after thine illness, that were but what is 
 right.' And I replied, * That is the proper way, but I will 
 have my head shaved, and after I return will go into the 
 baths.' So then I sent one for a barber^^^ ^q shave my head, 
 and told the servant, * Go to the market, and bring me a bar- 
 ber, a discreet fellow, and not forward, that will not split my 
 head with his excess of talking.' So the servant went, and 
 brought me this fellow, the evil old fellow ! Now when he 
 came in, he saluted me, and I returned him salutation. Then 
 said he, ' Surely I see you thin of body V And I answered 
 him, * T indeed was lately ailing.' So he said, * God make 
 thy grief flee from thee, and thy sorrow, and thine afflictions, 
 and thy distress.' And I replied, ' Heaven grant thy prayer !' 
 Then quoth he, ' All gladness to you, oh ! my master, for 
 health's to come to you ! Do you wish your hair shaved, or 
 will you be let blood, for indeed it was a tradition of Bin 
 Ubass, God be gracious to him ! that he said, ' By cutting 
 the hair on Friday are averted seventy evils :' And it is re- 
 lated of him also that he said, * Shaving on Friday preserves 
 from loss of sight, and most diseases.' So I replied, ' Leave 
 off this talk, and come at once, shave me my head, for I am 
 
THE YOUNG MAN WITH THE BARBER. 307 
 
 one that is but weakly.' So he arose, and stretched 
 out his hand, and took out a towel, and unfolded it, and 
 lo ! there was in it an astrolabe, and it had seven sides 
 mounted with silver. So he took it, and went into the midst 
 of the court of the house, and lifted his head towards the 
 sun's rays, and looked for a long while, and said to me, 
 
 * Know that there has passed, ere this day, which is Friday, 
 and Friday the 10th of the month six hundred and fifty three 
 years since the Prophet's flight, on him that made it be all 
 richest gifts of prayers, and blessings ! and seven thousand, 
 and three hundred and twenty from the date of Alexander, and 
 the ascendant of this day of ours is according to the exactest 
 science of computation from Mars eight degrees, and six 
 minutes, and as it happens that Mercury is his co-ascendant, 
 why that points out that it is good to have the hair cut, and 
 manifests to me that you desire conjunction with a person, 
 and that will be prosperous, but afterwards a matter will fall 
 out of which I will not speak to you.' Then said I to him, 
 « Wullahy ! truly you weary mc, and my life is lessened with 
 your talk, and your augury is other than good, but I did 
 not send for you save to shave my head. So arise, come 
 shave my head, and make no long speeches to me.' But 
 he replied, * Wullahy ! if you could but know what is 
 about to come to pass to you, you would not do on this day 
 any thing, and I can show you that you will do what I can 
 tell you by computation of the stars.' Then I said to him, 
 
 * Wullahy ! never did I see a barber that excelled in the science 
 of astrology besides you ! nevertheless it is my opmion, and 
 I am indeed sure, that you are most prodigal of frivolous talk. 
 I did not call for you save to shave my head, but you come to 
 me with this worthless prattle.' Then said the Barber, ' Do 
 you wish I should do more than this ? truly the Almighty 
 hath bounteously bestowed on you, a barber, an astrologer, 
 who knows the practice of chemistry, and natural magic, and 
 syntax, and grammar, and language, and the science of 
 
 p P 2 
 
308 THE tailor's tale, and it is the story of 
 
 rhetoric and elocution, and the science of logic, and arith- 
 metic, and astronomy, and ge'ometry, and the law,^*^ ^nd 
 the traditions, and commentaries, and who has read books, and 
 taught them, and has had experience of affairs, and has under- 
 stood them, and has kept the sciences in remembrance, and 
 made certain of them, and has learned the arts, and professed 
 them, and followed the study of all things, and mastered 
 them. Now your father used to love me for my want of for- 
 wardness, and for this, my service is yours hereditarily ; and 
 I am indeed wanting in impudence, not as you suppose, and 
 on this account am I called the Silent Man, and the Modest 
 One, and your way should be to thank God, and not oppose 
 me, for I am kindly disposed to you, and benevolently mind- 
 ed towards you, and would that I were in your service a whole 
 year, and that you would abide by my advice, and I would 
 not ask for wages for it !' Now when I heard all this, I said 
 to him, * You'll be the death of me, no doubt of it, this 
 day' " — And Shuhurzad perceived the mornmg dawn and 
 ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 Si5 tBljeE it tMa% tie CfjitttetllJ M§|t, 
 
 She said *' They relate, Oh ! mighty King, that the youth said 
 to him, ' You'll be the death of me, my very murderer this 
 day !' But he replied, * Oh master mine, I am he that am named 
 the Silent Man forthefewness of my words, far other than my 
 six brothers, for the eldest is named Bugboog the prattler, 
 and the second Huzar the chatterer, and the third Fugeeg 
 the crackbrain, and the fourth, his name is the Longnecked 
 Goglet, and the fifth, his name Nushar the tale spreader, and 
 the sixth, his name is Shugashig many clamours, and the 
 seventh, his name is The Silent Man, and he am I V Now when 
 the Barber gave me stdl more talk, I thought my very gall 
 bladder would burst, and I said to the servant, « Give him four 
 deenars, and dismiss him ; let him turn from me to the face of 
 liim that made him, for 1 have no need of having my head 
 
THE YOUNG MAN WITH THE BARBER. 309 
 
 shaved.' Then quoth this barber, when he heard these words 
 of mine to the servant, * How comes this saying, Oh ! my lord ! 
 Wullahy ! I will not take wages of you until I've served 
 you, and there is no help for it, but I do serve you, for 
 to serve, and minister to your wants is a duty to me ; 
 so be not disgusted with me that I do not take money 
 of you, for indeed if you do not know my quality, I know 
 your's, and your father, God's mercy on him ! was used 
 to treat me mighty fairly, for he was truly a kind man : 
 so one day your father sent after me, as it might be this 
 blessed day, and I went unto him, and there was a party of his 
 intimates about him, and quoth he to me ' Let me some 
 blood.' But I took out the astrolabe, and took the sun's altitude, 
 and found the ascendant was unfavourable to him, and to let 
 blood during it was bad : so I let him know that, and he did 
 according to my order, and waited ; then burst I out extem- 
 poraneously in his commendation ;— 
 
 ' 1 went to my patron to let him some blood, 
 But saw that the moment for's health was n't good ; 
 I sat, and discoursed of all sorts of strange matters, 
 And spread widely before him the lore my wit scatters : 
 The audience admired me 1 * You've passed in defiance,' 
 Quoth he, ' E'en wit's bound'ries, your store house of science l*^ 
 * If you didn't,' quoth I, * Give me wit when I want it, I 
 Could'nt, great Sir, possess wit in such quantity ! 
 You're sole author as 'twere, of grace, bounty, and suavity; 
 I treasure the world with wit, wisdom, and gravity !' 
 
 So your father was very much pleased, and shouted to the 
 servant, and said, ' Give him an hundred and three deenars^ 
 and a dress of honor 1' So he gave me all that in so much^ 
 that the prosperous moment came, and I let him blood on it* 
 and he did not oppose me. So after letting him blood I had 
 no power to keep silence till I said, ' As God's with you, oh ! 
 my lord, how opportune was your saying to the servant, give 
 him an hundred and three deenars V And he answered < One 
 
310 TfiE tailor's tale, and it is the story or 
 
 deenar is due to astrology, and one deenar was due to dis- 
 course, and one deenar was due to stirgery, and the hundred 
 deenars, and the dress of honor were due to your commenda- 
 tion of me.' So said I to the Barber, 'God had small pity 
 for my father that let him know your like.' And this Barber 
 laughed, and said, ' There is no God but the God, Muhummud 
 is Messenger of God ? Praise to Him that caused change, and 
 changeth not ! truly I took you not save for a wise man, but 
 you are weakly braiued from illness ; now God has said in 
 his blessed book, * The restrainers of wroth, and the forgivers 
 of man, and so on,'i^'' So you are excused on every head ; yet 
 I cannot conceive the reason of your hastiness ; for you must 
 know that your father, and your grandfather, never did either 
 of them any thing save on my advice, and it has been said, 
 
 * Let the advice be estimated,' And * There is no harm in 
 advice,' And it has been said too in certain proverbs, * Whoso 
 hath not by him an elder than he, will never himself an elder 
 be,' And the poet hath saith ;— 
 
 * Whatever needful thing thou undertakest, 
 First seek advice of one experienced ; 
 And cast not it away/ 
 
 * Now you will not find any one more acquainted with affairs 
 than I, and 1 am aware of future things : I'll serve you 
 and will not be vexed by you, so how can you be vexed with 
 me ! indeed I'll bear patiently with you for the sake of the 
 kindness that your father shewed me.' So I said unto him, 
 
 * WuUahy ! oh ! you tail of a jackass ! here have you been 
 making long speeches to me, and talked still more and more to 
 me, while I wanted you to shave my head, and get away from 
 me !' So then he soaped my head, and said to me, * I have 
 perceived that you have taken a distaste to me, but I will not 
 take it ill of you, because your wit is weak, and you are a 
 boy ; and as you were but yesterday I miglit have carried 
 you on my shoulder, and gone with you to the school.' Then 
 answered I, * Oh ! brother mine, as God's grace is with you. 
 
THE YOUNG MAN WITH THE BARBER. 311 
 
 have patience witli me till my matter is done, and then go 
 forth the way you will !' And I rent my garments. Now 
 when he saw me do this he took the razor, and sharpened it, 
 and gave not over sharpening it, until my sense was nigh 
 leaving me. Then stept he up to my head, and shaved some 
 of it ; then lifted he his hand, and said, ' Oh ! my lord, hasti- 
 ness is of Satan, but patience of the merciful, and then began 
 repeating ;— 
 
 ' Act on sure grounds, nor hurry fast, 
 To gain the purpose that thou hast ; 
 And be thou kindly to all men 
 So kindly thou'lt be called again ; 
 For not a deed the hand can try, 
 Save 'neath the hand of God on high, 
 Nor tyrant harsh work tyranny, 
 Uncrushed by tyrant harsh as he !* 
 
 Then said he, < Oh ! my lord, I do not tliink you are aware 
 of my rank ; surely my hand presses the heads of kings, and 
 men of power, and ministers, and men in command, and learn- 
 ed men, and the poet said on me the verse ; — s 
 
 * Like knots in the way other callings appear, 
 But this fellow's the shaver that pares the path clear 
 Above every craftsman he takes his stand, 
 And the heads of kings are under his hand I* 
 
 Then said I to him, ' Leave talking of what does not concern 
 you, for you've straightened my very heart, and distracted my 
 attention.' And he replied, ' I think you a trusty man :' So 
 1 said unto him, « Yes, yes, yes, I am,' And he answered, 
 * Restrain your spirits, for hastiness is of Satan, and the be- 
 queather of repentance, and disappointment, and he has said, on 
 whom be blessings and peace, * The matter's good on which 
 thou makest delay ;' but I, Wullahy ! have some doubt 
 about your affair : so I should like you to let me know what 
 you are after, for I am much afraid that it is something else 
 than that which is good, and it wants now three hours to 
 
312 THE tailor's tale, and it is the story of 
 
 prayer time.' Then said he, ' I do not wish to be in doubt 
 upon that ; nay, I want to know the time to exactitude, for 
 verily * A word when guessed in doubt, bears liarm about,' 
 and especially from one like me, whose science is noto- 
 rious, and directs mankind at large ; so it does not befit me to 
 talk by conjecture as talks the common sort of astrologers.* 
 So he threw the razor from his hand, and took the astrolobe, 
 and went under the sun, and stood there a very long time, 
 and returned, and said, * There remains still to prayer time 
 three hours, neither more, nor yet less.' Then said I to him, 
 * As God is with you, hold your peace with me, for you have 
 burst my liver,' So he took the razor, and sharpened it as 
 he did at first, and shaved part of my head, and said, ' I am 
 afflicted about your hastiness ; now if you would but let me 
 into the cause of it, it were good for you ; for you must know 
 that your father, and your grandfather did Ti either of them a 
 single thing save by my advice.' Now when I perceived 
 there was no escape for me from him I said to my soul, < The 
 time of prayer is come, and I wish to go before the people 
 come out from prayers ; now if I am delayed an hour, I know 
 not what way to get in to her.' Then said I aloud, * Be 
 brief, and leave this talk, and this impertinence, for I want to 
 go to a party to some of my intimates.' Now when he heard 
 mention of the party, he said, ' Your day is a blessed day for ' 
 me, since it was but yesterday I engaged a party of my 
 acquaintance, and I forgot to provide any thing for them to 
 eat, and this moment I was thinking of it, and shall be dis- 
 graced with them.' So I said to him, ' Do not be distress- 
 ed about this matter after letting you know that I am this day 
 of a party out : so every thing that is in my house of eatable, 
 and drinkable, this is yours, if you will get through your 
 work, and make haste in shaving my head.' And he re- 
 plied, ' God give you fair return ! draw me a list of what is 
 in the house for my entertainment that I may be aware of it.' 
 So I said to him, « Five dishes of meat, and ten chickens 
 
THE YOUNG MAN WITH THE BARBER. 313 
 
 dressed in colors, and a lamb roasted.' And he answered, ' Set 
 them before me that I may see them :' So I had all this set 
 before him. Now when he set eyes on it he said, ' The 
 wine is wanting,' So I answered, ' It is by me.' And he 
 said, * Set it out ;' and I liad it set before him. He said 
 ' God bestow on you what your soul loves best ; but yet the 
 perfumes are wanting, and the sweet scents.' So I had set 
 before him a case of aloes, perfumes and frankmcense, and 
 ambergris, and musk was worth fifty deenars ; and as the 
 time grew short and spare, so my heart was straightened too. 
 Then said I to him, ' Take this, and shave me the whole of 
 my head, by the life of Muhummud, be blessings on him and 
 peace !' But the barber replied, * Wullahy ! I will not take 
 it till I see the whole of what is in it.' So I ordered the ser- 
 vants to open the case, and the barber cast the astrolabe from 
 his hand, and sat on the ground, looking over the scents, and 
 the perfumes, and the frankincense, which was in the case, 
 until my heart was straightened. Then stepped he up, and 
 took the razor, and shaved some little of the left side of my 
 head, and broke out repeating ; — 
 
 * The boy sprouts up just like as was his sire. 
 The Tree most surely shows what root is hers/ 
 
 And he said, » Wullahy' oh ! my son, I scarce know 
 whether I shall thank you, or thank your father, for surely my 
 party this day is all owing to some part of your beneficence, 
 and kindness ; and there is no one of my party worthy of that, 
 but yet have I a set of honourable friends, like as Zuntoot the 
 broker, and Joolee the garlick seller, and Suleet the bean- 
 man, and Wkrushut the grocer, and Humeed the dungdrawer, 
 and Su'eed the camelman, and Soobid the sawyer, and Aboo 
 mukarish the cold bath owner, and Kuseem the watchman, 
 and Kureem the groom, the whole of them, there is not 
 among them a sulky fellow nor quarrelsome in his drink, 
 nor impudent, nor niggardly, and every single one of 
 
314 THE tailor's tale, and it is the story of 
 
 these has a dance that he dances, and a song that he 
 sings, and the best of what's about them is that they 
 are hke your servant, your slave here, that know not 
 what much talking is, nor what is forwardness. Now for in- 
 !/ stance the bath man he sings to the drum some thing that's 
 like magic, and he will stand up and dance, and say,i*^' 1 am 
 going, oh ! my mammy, my best hope, my water pot !' But 
 the garlick seller, — now he indeed comes in with craft still 
 fairer than the rest, and will dance, and will sing ' Oh I 
 morning dance ! Oh ! lady fair, what fault are you guilty 
 of V So that no one's heart can empty itself with laugliing, at 
 him, and the dungdrawer, now he will sing, and make the 
 very birds stand still, and will dance and say, ' The bottle in 
 my wife's house, it lies in a chest.' And he has privilege al- 
 lowed him, and sure he's a wicked rogue, and speaking of his 
 beauty I am wont to say ; — 
 
 ' I am so mad in love with the dungdi'awer, 
 
 That for him I'd give my life away ; 
 
 The gait is so sweet of the dungdrawer, 
 
 It tells of the dancing spray. 
 
 One night it fell out that chance, or fate 
 
 Presented him mine eyes before, 
 
 Quoth I, ' Love makes me grow less and less,' 
 
 Just as it gets more and more. 
 
 With the fire of love inspired by you, 
 
 This heart of mine you've set in a flame. 
 
 * T'is no wonder,' quoth he, ' if a dungdrawer' 
 
 A lamplighter became.' 
 
 And whatso can delight the sense with sport, and merriment, 
 is in perfection in each one of these.' Then said he, ' But 
 there is no telling like seeing ; so indeed make up your mind 
 to come among us, for that will be most pleasant both for you 
 and for us, — and will make you desert your acquaintances, to 
 whom you are partial ; for the mark of illness is on you, and 
 you evidently at times go among sets of men that be mighty 
 talkers, speaking still of what does not concern them ; or 
 
THE YOUNG MAN WITH THE BARBER. 315 
 
 there may be among them some one forward fellow, that 
 splits your head with talk, and you are weak of heart with 
 illness.' So I answered him, ' That was of course on some 
 other than this day,' And I laughed with a heart of rage and 
 said to him,' Finish your work, and I will get me into the 
 Almighty's protection, and do you go to your friends for they 
 are expecting your coming.' Then said he, ' Oh ! my lord, I 
 only seek to make you associate with these sort of merry 
 dogs, the sons of men, in whom is neither impertinence, nor 
 the vice of much talking ; for never since I was born, was 
 I able to associate with one that asked questions on what did 
 not concern him, and I never associated save with one that was 
 like me, of few words. Now you, if you but associated with, 
 and even saw them, but one single while, you would desert 
 the whole of your intimates.' So I replied, ' God make your 
 joys complete with them, and there is no help but that I come 
 among them some day or other :' But he said, * I want that 
 on this very day, for I have wholly set my heart upon your 
 going with me to my friends, and let me go on with what 
 you have so kindly given them ; and if there is no help but 
 that you must go to your friends this day, why I will go with 
 these goodly presents that you have given me, and leave 
 them with my intimates, that they may eat and drink and not 
 wait for me ; then I'll return to you, and go with you to 
 your friends, for there is no ceremony between me, and my 
 friends to prevent me from leaving them, and I will come back 
 to you quickly, and go with you whither soever you set your 
 face.' Then said I, ' There is no power, nor strength save 
 in God the Great, the Mighty ! go you to your friends, and 
 make merry with them, and let me go to my friends, and be 
 with them this day for they are expecting me.' But the Bar- 
 ber said, * I'll not let you go alone.' So I replied, ' Of a 
 surety the place to which I go, none can enter save I.' And 
 lie answered, * I think you are going to day to an appoint- 
 ment with some woman ; now if you were to take me 
 
316 THE tailor's tale, and it is the story of 
 
 with you, truly I am more trustworthy than all other men, and 
 could bring you prosperously to the end you wish ; but in- 
 deed I am afraid you are going after strange women ; then 
 will you destroy your soul ; for this city Bughdad no one can 
 do any thing in the way of these sort of things, especially on 
 this day : for this Governor of Bughdad is a mighty sharp 
 sworder.' So I said, ' Shame on thee ! thou evil old 
 fellow ! be thou annihilated ! to what end is this talk 
 that you meet me with V And he answered me, * Oh ! 
 cold of heart, you say to me what is not true, and you are 
 afraid of me, and I know this, and am certain of it, and surely 
 would I seek to save you this day with my very life.' Now 
 I was fearful lest my people should hear, and my neigh- 
 bours, this talk of the Barber's. So I kept silence for a 
 very long time, and the time of prayer surprised me, and 
 the 1^6 Khutbuh passed by, and he had just finished shaving 
 my head : then said I to him, ' Go to your friends with this 
 meat and drink, and I will wait for you till your return, and 
 then come with me.' And I gave not over smoothing him down, 
 and deceiving this cursed fellow to get him to go from me : so 
 he said to me, « You are deceiving me, and will go out alone, 
 and throw your soul into jeopardy, whence you cannot extri- 
 cate it ; now Allahoo ! AUahoo ! you shall not go till I return 
 to you, and go with you to learn how your affair is concluded.' 
 So I replied ' So be it; be not long from me,' And he took the 
 whole of the meat, and drink, I had given him, and the rest 
 of it, and went out of my house, and the cursed fellow gave 
 it in charge to a porter, and sent him to his house, but con- 
 cealed himself in one of the alleys. So I rose on the instant, 
 and the Moo'uzzinis had called to prayer : and I dressed, 
 and went out alone, and came to the lane, and stood by the 
 house, in which I had seen the damsel. Then found I the 
 old woman standing expecting me, and I went up with her 
 into the upper story in which the damsel was. Now when 
 I entered it, behold ! the master of the house returned to his 
 
THE YOUNG MAN WITH THE BARBER. 317 
 
 home from prayers, and entered the outer court, and tapped 
 at the door ; so I passed from the window, and I saw this 
 Barber, be the curse of God upon him, sitting at the door, 
 and I said 'Whence came this devil on me?' Now it hap- 
 pened that a handmaid of the master of the house had com- 
 mitted a fault ; so he beat her, and she shrieked, and his 
 slave came in to rescue her, and he beat him, and the 
 other roared too ; then thought the Barber, the cursed fel- 
 low, that some one was beating me ; so he shouted, and 
 tore his garments, and scattered earth upon his head, and kept 
 on roaring, and calling for help, and the people about him, 
 and he saying, ' My master's getting murdered in the house 
 of the kazee !' Then went he to my house, and he shouting, 
 and the people after him, and told the folks of my house, and 
 my slaves : and I scarce was aware of it ere they too came on 
 tearing their clothes, and throwing their hair about, and shout- 
 ing, ' Alas our master !' And this Barber before them, 
 with his clothes rent, and he too shouting. (So goes the tale.) 
 And my people gave not over screeching, and he at the head 
 of them screeching also, and they kept saying, 'Alas! he's 
 murdered ! alas ! he's murdered !' And they wailed about 
 the house in which I was. So the master of the house heard 
 the clamour, and the yeUing at his gate, and said to one of his 
 servants, ' See what are the tidings.' So the servant went 
 out, and returned to his master, and said ' Oh ! my master, 
 at the gate there is more than ten thousand souls, what 
 with men, and women, and they are screeching, ' Alas ! 
 he's murdered!' And keep pointing, to our house.' Now 
 when the kazee heard that the matter seemed serious to 
 him, so he was angered, and rose, and came forth, and 
 opened the door: then saw he a very great assemblage : 
 and he was astounded, and said, ' Oh ! people what is the 
 matter V So the servants said to him ' Oh ! cursed one ! 
 oh! dog! oh! hog! is it you that killed our master V So he 
 answered, ' Oh ! people, and what is it your master has done, 
 
318 THE tailor's tale, and it is the story of 
 
 that I should kill him ?' " — And Shuhurzad perceived the morn- 
 ing dawn, and ceased speakmg the words permitted her 
 
 She said " They relate, Oh ! mighty King, that the kazee said 
 to the servants. ' What is it your master has done that I should 
 kill him ? And this is my house before you,' Then said the 
 Barber to him, ' You were beating him within this house with 
 a scourge, and I heard the cracks it made,' And the kazee 
 replied, ' And what was he doing that I should kill him, and 
 who brought him into my house, and whence came he, 
 whither went he?' So the Barber answered him, ' You are an 
 unlucky old fellow truly, and I know the story, and the whole 
 state of the matter : your daughter loves him, and he loves 
 her : so when you knew he had come into your house, you 
 gave orders to your servants, and they beat him : WuUahy ! 
 there shall be no judge between you and us but the khuleef, 
 or else do you bring out our master to us that his folks may 
 take him, before they go in and tear him out from your house, 
 and you be shamed.' Then said the kazee to him, and he was 
 reined in as t'were from speaking and had his month stopped 
 by shame owing to the people, < If you be a true man, do you 
 go in, and take him out.' And the Barber dashed on, and entered 
 the house. Now when I saw the Barber enter, I looked for a 
 way to get out, and flee away, but found none save that I 
 perceived in the upper chamber in which was a great chest ; 
 so I got into it, and pulled back the lid upon me, and held 
 my breath. Now the Barber came into the dwelling, and he 
 was hardly in it ere he turned to look for me, and came up 
 to the place in which I was, and turned him right and left, and 
 stepped up to the chest in which I was, and carried it off on 
 his head ; my senses left me, and he departed hastily. Now 
 when I perceived that he would not leave me, I drew a long 
 breath, and opened the chest, and threw myself on the ground, 
 
THE YOUNG MAN WITH THE BARBER. 319 
 
 and my foot was broken. Now the door was open, and tliere 
 stood a very great crowd of people at the door looking in, and 
 there was in my sleeve a quantity of gold pieces which 1 had 
 intended to use on a day like this, and an occasion such as this 
 was. So I kept scattering the gold to the people that they 
 might be taken up with it ; so they snatched it, and were oc- 
 cupied with it, and kept running down the alleys of Bughdad 
 right and left, and this accursed Barber after me, and whatso 
 place I went into this Barber would go in after me, and he say- 
 ing, ' They wished to deprive me of my master ; Thanks 
 be to God, that brought me as a succour upon them, and re- 
 leased my master from their hands ! You would not give over 
 going by your own evil devices, until you did yourself this evil 
 deed, and had not the Almighty blessed you with me, you 
 could not have got free from this straight, into which you fell ; 
 for they were throwing you into a straight whence you could 
 not ever have got free, and how you were longing for me to 
 be with you that I might get you out ! truly your evil devices 
 have well nigh killed me, and you were wanting to go 
 out alone ! however I will not call you to account for 
 your folly for you are small of sens*e, hasty tempered !* 
 Then said I to him, ' Is not what has come to pass through 
 you enough for you that you should run behind me and talk 
 me talk like this in the market places V And my soul was well 
 nigh torn from me by the excess of my fury at him. So I 
 entered a shop in the midst of the market, and I took shelter 
 with a weaver, and he kept the Barber off from me. So I sat 
 in a back room, and said in my soul ' I do not count that I 
 shall be able to get away from this accursed Barber, and he 
 standing by me night and day, and not a breath space left me 
 that I do not see his person.' So I sent on the instant to fetch 
 legal witnesses, and wrote a will for my people, and disposed 
 of my property, and appointed an overseer for them, and 
 ordered him to sell the house, and the lands, and willed it 
 away to great and small, and went forth travelling from that 
 
320 THE barber's tale. 
 
 time that I might be freed from this rascal. And I came, and 
 dwelt in your town, and I have been a long time in it. Now 
 when you invited me forthwith I came, and saw this accused 
 rascal in your house at the upper end of the place, and how 
 could my heart be glad, and my stay pleasant in your house with 
 this fellow, he that had done this deed by me, and my very 
 foot broken by means of him !' So then the youth refused to 
 sit doAvn. Now when we heard his story with the Barber, we 
 said to the Barber, ' Is this true that this youth says of you V 
 And he replied, ' Wullahy ! I did this by him of my subtlety 
 and my sense, and my humanity, for if 'twere not for me he 
 were surely dead, and there was no cause of his salvation save 
 I ! and he did right fairly who hurt him in his leg, but hurt 
 him not in his life. Now had I been a naughty talker, I should 
 not have acted nobly by him, and even now I'll tell you a story 
 that came to pass to me that you may be well assured that I 
 am of few words, and that there is no forwardness in me, far 
 other than my six brothers ; and this it is — I was in Bugh- 
 dad in 1^^ the time of Ul Mustuusir Bullah Bin ul Mustuzee 
 Bullah, and he was khuleef in that day in Bughdad, and he 
 used to be kindly to the poor, and the wretched, and sit with 
 the learned and the honest. Now it happened to him one day 
 that he was wroth with ten persons. So he ordered the su- 
 perintendent of Bughdad to bring them into presence on the 
 day of the Festival, and they were wearied with pursuing the 
 road. So the Superintendent came out of the city, and took 
 them, and went down with them into a skiff; now I saw them, 
 and I said, * These are not assembled save for a marriage 
 Feast.' And I supposed that they were spending their day 
 in that skiff, with eating, and drinking, and that they had no 
 companion save I. So I arose, oh ! fair assembly, and in the 
 plenitude of my humanity, and soundness of my sense I went 
 down with them in the skiff, and entered into conversation witli 
 them, but they crossed over and sat on the other side. And 
 then came hither a man of the body guard, and many 
 
THE barber's tale. 321 
 
 assistants with chains and they cast them on their necks, .and 
 cast a chain on my neck, with the rest of them, and this, oh ! 
 fair assembly, was it not owmg to my humanity, and the spare- 
 ness of speech that I held my peace, and did not please to 
 speak ? so they took us by the chains, and brought us before 
 Ul Mustuusir Bullah, Lord of the Faithful. So he gave orders 
 to smite the necks of the ten ; and the swordman stepped 
 forth after we were seated before him on the blood leather,^^^ 
 and he drew his sword and smote the neck of one after an- 
 other until he smote tlie neck of the tenth ; and I remained. 
 So the khuleef looked upon me, and said to the swordman, 
 * What ails you that you smote the necks of but nine ? And 
 the swordman replied, ' God forbid I that you should'st give 
 order to smite the necks of ten, and I smite the necks of but 
 nine !' So the khuleef said to him, ' I do not think that 
 you have smitten the necks of more than nine, and this that 
 is before you, even he is the tenth.' And the swordman an- 
 swered ! * By thy graciousness, they are indeed ten.' So 
 he said, ' Count them.' And lo ! they were ten ! Now the 
 khuleef looked upon me, and said, ' What induced you to 
 your silence in a time like this, and how were you with men 
 of blood, and what was the cause of this, and you a very old 
 man, and thy sense but slight ?' Now when I heard the ad- 
 dress of the Lord of the Faithful, I said to him « Know, oh ! 
 Lord of the Faithful, that I am the Silent Elder, and I am 
 possessed of an exceeding share of mvention, but for the 
 soundness of my sense, and the abundance of my wit, and 
 the spareness of my speech, there is no bounds to it, and 
 my trade is that of a barber. So when it was yesterday in 
 the early part of the day, I saw these ten men making for a 
 skiff, and I entered into converse with them, and went down 
 with them, and supposed they were bound for a marriage 
 feast. Now it was not more than an hour ere the assistants 
 were upon them, and put chains upon their necks, and put 
 a chain upon my neck with the rest of them : so from the 
 
 R R 
 
322 STORY OF THE TAILOR OF BUGIIDAD, 
 
 excess of my humanity I held my peace, and spoke not a word, 
 and what was this but humanity ! So they went on with us 
 till they made us stand before thee, and thou gav'st order 
 to smite the necks of the ten, and I remained before the 
 swordman, and let you not know of my being ; now is not 
 this humanity, of the greatest, so that through it I took my 
 share of slaughter with them, yet ever and ever do I this 
 wise act nobly with mankind, and they recompense me with 
 the savagest requital 1' So when the khuleef heard my words, 
 and knew that I was excessivly humane, a man of few words, 
 with no forwardness in me, as this youth supposes, whom I 
 released from frightful dangers, he laughed with excessive 
 laughter, until he fell upon his back. Then said the khuleef 
 to me, ' Oh ! Silent-man, and are your six brothers like you ? 
 is there in them invention, and science, and spareness of 
 speech V I replied, ' They would not be alive, nor would 
 they be extant if they were like me ! but thou dost 
 put reproach on me, oh ! Lord of the Faithful, and it is not 
 proper for you to even my brothers to me, for they from the 
 excess of their talking, and the spareness of their charity, have 
 got every one of them a maim. For of them one is blind of 
 an eye, and one blind altogether, and one is paralytic, and one 
 cropped of the ears, and the nose, and one shorn of botli 
 lips, and one an hunchback ; and do not conceive, oh ! Lord of 
 the Faithful, that I am prodigal of speech ; indeed there is no 
 help but that I explain to you that I have been daily exceed- 
 ing in generosity towards them ; for to every one of them 
 there is a story, that happened to him in so much that he got 
 a maim : — and I'll tell them you. ' Know, oh ! Lord of the 
 l-- Faithful, that the first, and he is thelfiunchback,took tailoring for 
 
 his trade in Bughdad, and he used to sew in a shop that he 
 was fain to hire from a man of much wealth, and this man 
 used to dwell over the shop,^^^ and there was on the lowest 
 part of the man's house a mill. Now meanwhile my brother, 
 the hunchback, was sitting in the shop on a certain day sewing. 
 
AND HE THE BARBER's FIRST BROTHER. 323 
 
 he lifted his head, and saw a woman like the full moon 
 mounted up at a window of the house, and she was looking 
 out at the people. Now when my hrother saw her his heart 
 was possessed with love of her, and he kept his whole day 
 looking upon her ; so my brother neglected his tailoring, until 
 the evening. So when it was the next day in the morning 
 lime he opened his shop, and sat to sew, and every while 
 he stitched a stitch, he kept looking to the window ; and he saw 
 lier in that same way, and his love for her augmented, and his 
 madness for her. And when it was the third day he sat in his 
 place, and he looking at her ; and the woman spied him, and 
 felt that he had become fettered with love of her, and she 
 laughed in his face, and he laughed in her face ; and then she 
 disappeared from him, and sent her handmaid to him, and 
 with her a bundle, in it a piece of flowered scarlet stuff. And 
 the damsel went to him, and said to him, * My lady 
 greets you with the word of peace, and desires you to cut for 
 her with the hand of kindness, a shift from out this piece, and 
 sew it with fair sewing,' And he replied to her, ' To hear is 
 to obey.' So then he shaped for her a garment, and finished 
 its sewing within that day. Now when it was the morrow, in 
 the morning came the handmaid, and said to him, ' My lady 
 sends thee peace, and asks you how you rested yester- 
 night ; for truly she tasted not sleep owing to her heart 
 being taken up with you.' Then she set before him a piece 
 of yellow satin, and said to him, * My lady bids you shape 
 a pair of trowsers for her out of this piece, and sew them this 
 very day.' And he replied to her, ' To hear is to obey ; greet 
 her for me with exceeding humble greeting, and tell her that 
 her slave is obedient to her order, let her give sucli order as 
 she will.' Then began he upon the cutting, and worked 
 hard at the sewing the trowsers, and after an hour she ap- 
 peared to him at the lattice, and saluted him with a sign, and 
 she one while would hide her eyes, and one while would 
 smile in his face, and he began to think that he had surely 
 
 R R 3 
 
324 STORY OF THE TAILOR OF BUGHDAD, 
 
 made a conquest. So then she disappeared from him, and 
 the handmaid came to him, and he made over to her the 
 trowsers, and she took them, and returned; and when the 
 night came on he threw himself on his bed, and lay tossing 
 about till the morning. Now when the morning dawned he 
 rose, and sat in his place, and the damsel came to him, and 
 said to him, ' Truly my master asks for you.' So when he 
 heard that he feared with exceeding fear, and when the hand- 
 maid was aware of his dread, she said to him, ' There is no 
 evil meant thee ; there is nothing herein save good ; for my 
 lady has made a good understanding between you and my 
 master.' And the tailor rejoiced with exceeding joy, and then 
 went with her. So when he came in to her master, the hus- 
 band of her lady, he kissed the earth, and the master returned 
 him the greeting, and then gave over to him a great quantity of 
 stuffs, and said to him, ' Shape me shirts out of this, and sew 
 them.' and my brother answered ' To hear is to obey.' And he 
 gave not over shaping until he had cut out twenty shirts by the 
 evening time, and had not tasted food ; so the master said to 
 him * How much would the wages for this be V And he re- 
 plied, ' Twenty dirhems.' So the husband called out to the 
 handmaid, and said, ' Bring me twenty dirhems,' Then said 
 my brother not a word, but the damsel signed to him meaning 
 that he should not take any thing from him : so my brother 
 said ' WuUahy ! I will take naught from you,' And he took 
 his tailor's geer, and went forth to the wilderness ; for my bro- 
 ther was destitute, even to a mite, and there were three days 
 passed that he had naught to eat nor to drink save the little 
 earned by his handwork in that tailor's job which he was doing 
 for tliem. So the handmaid came to him, and said to him, 
 * What have you done ?' And he replied, ' Tliey are finish- 
 ed,' And he took them, and came with her to them, 
 and made over the clothes to the husband of the damsel, 
 and turned back on the instant. Now the damsel had in- 
 formed her husband of the case of my brother, but my 
 
AND HE THE BARBER's FIRST BROTHER, 325 
 
 brother knew not that ; and slie, and her husband agreed 
 to make my brother work at tailoring for nothing, and 
 they used to laugh at him. So when the morning dawned, he 
 came to his shop, and tlie handmaid came to him, and said to 
 him, ' Speak with my master.' So he went with her; and when 
 he reached him, the master said ' I wish you to cut out for me 
 twenty under vests.' And he shaped them, and took the 
 clothes with him, and turned away. Then sewed he these 
 vests, and went with them to the master, and he praised his 
 sewing, and offered him a purse in which was money, and he 
 reached out his hand, but the damsel signed to him from be- 
 hind her husband that he should take nothing ; then quoth he 
 to the man, * Oh ! my master, be not in haste, for there is 
 time in plenty for me to wait.' And he went forth from liis 
 house ; and he indeed was more meanly meek than a donkey, 
 for five things were at once heaped on him, love, and 
 beggary, and hunger, and nakedness, and toil, and never- 
 theless he strengthened his soul to endure ! Now when 
 my brother had finished all their jobs, they played a 
 trick to him, and married him to tlieir handmaid ; and 
 on the night when he wished to wed her, they said to 
 him ' Rsst the night long in the mill, until the morrow; 
 for it will be lucky.' And my brother fancied this true 
 so he rested in the mill, alone ; and the husband of the 
 damsel went, and set the miller upon him that he should 
 make him go the round in the mill. So the miller came in to 
 him when night was half spent, and began to say, * This bul- 
 lock is worth naught, and stands still, and cannot hold out go- 
 ing the mill round this night, and yet wheat is very plenteous 
 with us.' So he went down to the mill, and filled the hopper 
 with wheat, and made towards my brother, and there was 
 in his hands a cord : so he tied this round his neck and 
 said ' Come up ! round with the wheat ! do you want to do 
 nothing, but eat and drink !' So he took a whip in his hand, 
 and smote him with it, and my brother began to cry, and to 
 
320 STORY OF THE TAILOR OF BUGHDAD, 
 
 roar, and he found no one to help him, and the wheat was 
 ground by close upon the dawn. Then came the master 
 of the house, and saw my brother tethered to the yoke, 
 and he went away. Then the handmaid came to him early in 
 the day, and said to him, ' I and my lady are sad for what has 
 come to pass to you, and we have borne your grief with you.' 
 And he had not as it were a tongue to return her an answer 
 from excess of beating and of labour. So then my brother 
 went to his home, and behold I the doctor of law that had 
 drawn out the marriage deed came, and saluted him, and said 
 to him, * God keep thee ! this face tells of pleasant doings, 
 and of sport, and of dalliance from evening till dawn.' But 
 my brother replied to him, ' Heaven grant the liar no peace ! 
 oh ! you with a thousand horns ; Wullahy ! I went not save to 
 grind in the place of the bullock until morning !' So said he. 
 * Tell me thy tale.' And my brother told what had befallen 
 him, and he answered, ' Your star stands not with her star, and 
 if you will I can alter that contract for you.' And then said he 
 to him, ' Look lest another trick be not in store for you ; And 
 he left him. And he went to his place, looking till some one 
 should come with a job whence he might get some sustenance. 
 And lo ! he was aware of the handmaid that came, and said to 
 him, * Speak with my lady,' But he answered her, ' Begone, 
 oh ! daughter well begot, there are no dealings between me, 
 and between thy lady 1' So the handmaid went away, and 
 informed her mistress of that ; and my brother was scarce 
 aware, ere she too appeared to him at the window and she 
 was crying, and saying, ' Wherefore, oh ! my beloved, are 
 there no dealings 'twixt me and you V But he returned her 
 no answer ; so she swore to him that all which befel him in 
 the mill was not of her free well, and that she was innocent 
 of that matter. Now when my brother looked upon her 
 beauty, and her perfections, and heard her earnest words, 
 that humour which possessed him passed from him, and he 
 accepted her excuse, and rejoiced in the sight of her. Then 
 
AND HE THE BARBEr's FIRST BROTHER. 327 
 
 he saluted her and talked with her, and sat at his tailor's work 
 along while, so after that the handmaid came to him, and 
 said to him, ' My lady greets you, and says to you that her 
 husband has gone out to sleep at the house of some of his 
 friends the night long ; so when he is gone to them do you 
 come to our house, and stay with my lady in fulness of joy 
 until the dawn/ Now her husband had said to her, * How 
 "will the matter be managed to get him away from you ?' 
 And she replied, ' Leave me to baulk him with another 
 trick, and get him made a public show thro' all this city.* 
 And my brother knew naught of the deceit of women. Now 
 when it was the evening the handmaid came to him, and 
 took my brother, and returned to the house with him, and 
 when the mistress saw him, she said to him, * WuUahy ! oh ! 
 my master, I have indeed been longing for thee very much.* 
 So he replied, * Wullahy ! grant me quickly first a kiss 
 before all else.' And he had not finished his speech, ere 
 the husband of tlie damsel came forward from a room hard 
 by, and said to my brother, * Wullahy ! I will not part 
 with you, save at the house of the chief of this city guard !' 
 And my brother supplicated him, but he listened not to 
 him, but carried him off to the governor ; and he smote him 
 with scourges, and mounted him on a camel, and showed 
 him round the city, and the people kept crying out to him, 
 * This is the return for him that violates men's privacy V And 
 he was expelled from the city. Then went he forth, and 
 knew not whither he should make for. 'Twas then I show- 
 ed myself, and went to meet him, and treated him hedtimglf, 
 and restored him, and established him in my house even till 
 the present time.' Now the khuleef laughed at my words, 
 and said, ' Thou didst fairly, oh ! Silent-man, oh ! thou spare 
 of speech !' And he ordered me to take leave, and depart, 
 but I said, * I will accept nothing of you until I tell you 
 what befel the rest of my brothers, and do not conceive that 
 I am prodigal of speech. Know oh ! Lord of the Faithful, 
 
328 STORY OF THE SECOND BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 
 
 that my second brother's name was Bukbakah the prattler, 
 and he was the paralytic. Now it befel him on a certain day 
 that he was going about his business, and lo ! he was aware of 
 an old woman that sought to meet him, and said to him * Oh! 
 man, hold a little, till I propose a certain matter to you, for truly 
 it will make you marvel : so do it for me, and pray God give 
 you good of It !' So my brother stood still, and she said, ' Shall 
 I tell you of a certain thing, and put you in the way of it, 
 and will you not be prodigal of speech?' And my brother re- 
 plied to her, ' On with your talk.' So said she to him, ' AVhat 
 say you ? a noble house, and a fair garden with her waters 
 flowing, and fruit ! and wine, and a beauteous face that you 
 may embrace from evening until dawn ! Now if you will do 
 whatever 1 shall show you, you will see what is good !' — • 
 Now when my brother heard her words, he said to her, * Oh ! 
 mistress, and how set you on me in this matter beyond 
 all other created men, and what is it in me that makes 
 you marvel V But she answered my brother, ' Said I not to 
 you, be not prodigal of speech ? So hold your peace 
 and come with me.' So the old woman took the lead, and 
 my brother followed her hungering after what she described 
 to him until they entered a handsome house, abounding in 
 servants, and the sign of greatness in it from the lowest to the 
 highest ; and he saw there too a mansion choicely finished. 
 So when the people of the house perceived him they said to 
 him, * Who is it brought you hither V Then said the old 
 woman to them, * Hold your peace with him, and tease him 
 not, and thrust him not about, for truly he is a workman, and 
 we are in want of him.' So then she went with him into a 
 hall, one well arranged, the eyes could not behold a fairer than 
 it ; so when they entered the hall, the women rose up, and 
 welcomed him, and seated him by their side, and he tarried 
 not long ere he heard a great clamour, and behold ! came 
 then forward handmaidens, and in the midst of of them a girl 
 like the moon on the night of its fullest. Now my brother 
 
STORY OF THE SECOND BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 329 
 
 Stretched his eyes to look upon her, and rose standing up, and 
 did her homage. Then she welcomed him, and ordered him 
 to sit down : so he sat down, and she sat opposite him, and 
 said to him, * God hold thee dear : is it well with thee ?' 
 And he answered, ' Oh ! my mistress all is quite well with 
 me.' Then she gave order to hring in the meat, and they 
 set before her delicate viands, so she sat down to eat, and 
 with that the damsel could not rest for laughing, and when my 
 brother looked upon her, and she did it hiddenly to her hand 
 maidens as if she were laughing with them, and manifested 
 to my brother all civility ; and she dallied with him, and my 
 brother, the ass, understood nothing of it, and owing to the 
 excess to which passion got the better of him, he fancied 
 that the damsel was in love with him, and that she would 
 let him attain his desire. Now when they finished eat- 
 ing, they set forth the wine ; then came into presence ten 
 maidens like to moons, and in their hands lutes, com* 
 pletely strung, and they began to sing with a full voice, 
 sweet and sad ; and delight overmastered my brother. So 
 the damsel gave him a goblet with her own hand, and he 
 drank it, then stood he up to her, and then the damsel drank 
 a goblet, and my brother said to her, * Health,' and bowed 
 to her. Then gave she liim a goblet to drink, and lie drank, 
 and she slapped him on the neck. Now so soon as my 
 brother saw this done by her, he went out as one deter- 
 mined to go forth : but the old woman followed him, 
 and began to adjure him by her eyes that he should return. 
 So he returned, and the girl ordered him to sit down ; and he 
 sat and uttered not a word. Then she gave him again a slap 
 on the nape of the neck, and that did not suffice her, till she 
 ordered her maidens all of them to slap him, and he kept 
 saying to the old woman, ' I never saw aught pleasanter 
 than this.' And the old woman crying, ' Oh ! and true for 
 you, oh ! lord of mine.' And the maidens slapped him until 
 it hurt him, so my brother stood up to go out on a necessary 
 
330 STORY OF THE SECOND BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 
 
 pretence, and the old woman met him, and said ' Be patient a 
 little, and you will attain what you wish,' But my brother 
 replied to her, ' How long shall I wait ? and the slapping of. 
 hers has hurt me.' So she answered, ' When she is tipsy your 
 end can be attained,' And my brother returned to his place, 
 and sat down. Then the maidens stood up to the last of 
 them, and she ordered them to perfume him, and sprinkle 
 him with rose-water ; and they did that, and the damsel 
 said to him, * Heaven hold you dear, you be come into my 
 house, and have borne with my conditions, and whoso opposes 
 me I turn him back, and whoso is patient attains his desire.* 
 So my brother said to her, ' Oh ! mistress mine, I am thy 
 slave, and in the hollow of thine hand !' Then answered she, 
 * Know that the Almighty has gladdened me with the love of 
 pleasure ; so he who gives me joy, gets what he wishes,* 
 And she ordered her maidens to sing with voices at their 
 highest pitch that the party might be joyful: then said she 
 to some of her maidens, ' Take your master, and do what is 
 needful for him, and bring him back to me instantly.' So 
 the maidens took my brother, and he not knowing what they 
 would do with him ; then met him the old woman, and said 
 to him * Be patient, their remains but a little.' So his face 
 lightened, and my brother stood before the damsel, and the 
 old woman kept saying * Be patient ; you will attain what 
 you wish!' Then said he, 'Inform me what this maiden 
 wants to do with me :' And the old woman answered, ' It will 
 not end save well, as I am your sacrifice : she wants to dye 
 your eyebrows, and pluck out your whiskers.' But my 
 brother said, ' For the dying my eyebrows, why that will 
 come out by washing, but for the plucking out my whiskers, 
 that indeed is what gives a dead loss.' Then quoth the old 
 woman, ' Be cautious how you thwart her, for she has set 
 her heart on you.' So my brother took patience until she 
 dyed his eyebrows, and plucked out his whiskers, and the 
 maiden went to her mistress, and informed her of it. Then 
 
STORY OF THE SECOND BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 331 
 
 said she to her, * There remains yet another thing, and this 
 is it that his beard be shaved that he may become beardless, 
 like a youth,' So the maiden went, and told him of what her 
 mistress ordered for him : then said to her my brother, the 
 blockhead, « And how shall I manage for my disgrace before 
 the people V But the old woman replied, ' Surely she does 
 not want to do that to you save that you may be a smooth 
 faced youth without a beard, and that there may remain 
 nothing on your face to scratch her, for indeed she has in her 
 heart a very extreme love for you ; so be patient and you will 
 attain your end.' So my brother took patience, and did as the 
 maiden ordered, and shaved his beard, and told the damsel of 
 it, and lo ! he was coloured on both brows, plucked of both 
 whiskers, shorn of the beard, reddened in the face ! So she 
 made sport of him, and she laughed until she fell upon her 
 back, then said she, 'Oh ! my master, you have indeed lorded 
 over my heart with this creation of loveliness.' Then she 
 adjured him by her life that he should stand up, and dance, 
 and he arose, and danced, and she left not a pillow in the 
 house that she did not thump him with, and in like manner 
 did the maidens all of them ; they kept even pelting him with 
 the like of oranges, and lemons, and citrons, until he dropped 
 swooning with the pelting, and the slapping on the nape of the 
 neck, and the stones. Then said to him the old woman, 
 •* Now will you attain your wish, and know that there is no 
 more beating in store for you, and there remains for you but 
 •one single thing, and that is, as it is her wont wlien she is 
 tipsy that no one can take possession of her, until she has 
 taken off her clothes ; so she directs you to take off your 
 clothes, and run on, and she will go on before you as if she 
 were flying from you, and do you follow her from place to 
 place until she stands, and looks at you.' Then quoth she 
 to hnu, ' Strip off you clothes,' And he rose, and he was lost in 
 €cstacy, and stripped ofl" all his clothes, and remained' " — And 
 Shuhurzad perceived the morning dawn and ceased speaking 
 the words permitted lier. 
 
 ss tj 
 
332 STORY OF THE THIRD BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 
 
 She said "They relate Oh ! mighty King, that the Barber's bro- 
 ther when the old woman said to him, ' Take off your clothes, 
 stood up, and he was lost in ecstacy, and stripped off his 
 clothes and remained naked.' Then said the maiden to my 
 brother, ' Come now, and nm on, and I will run on also.' 
 And she too was undressed, and said ' If you want any thing 
 then follow me ;' So she ran on before him, and he followed 
 her, and she began to go into quarter after quarter, and to go 
 Out into another, and my brother behind her, and she entered 
 before him into a place that was darkened, and my brother 
 entered also, and he was running behind her, and he trod on 
 a yielding spot, and sank through it, and he was not 
 aware where he was ere he was in the midst of the streets, 
 and he was in the market of the skinners, and they were call- 
 ing out the prices of the hides and were buying and selling. 
 Now when they saw him in that state, and he naked, shorn 
 of his beard, and the whiskers, reddened with paint in the 
 face, they shouted at him, and clapped their hands at him, and 
 set to beating him with the hides, and he naked, until a swoon 
 fell on him, and they mounted him on an ass until they 
 made him over to the governor ; then said the governor to 
 them, * What is this V They said, * He came suddenly up- 
 on us from the house of the vuzeer, and he in this state.' 
 So he smote him an hundred blows of a thong, and then ex- 
 pelled him from Bughdad, and I went out after him, and made 
 him come into the city secretly ; and assigned him daily as 
 much as he could consume. Now if it were not for my hu- 
 manity I could not have taken up the like of him. But now 
 my third brother, his name is Fukeek, and he was blind ; so 
 the mandate and the destiny of Heaven impelled him to a house 
 that was a large one, and he tapped at the door, desiring that 
 the owner should come to speak with him, and then he would 
 ask him for something : then said the master of the house 
 
STORY OF THE THIRD BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 333 
 
 ^ Who is at the door V And no one said a word to him^ and 
 my brother heard him say with a loud voice, * Who is this V 
 But my brother spoke not a word. And he heard him come 
 till he reached tlie door, and opened it and said to him, 
 
 * What want you V So my brother answered, * Something 
 for the Almighty's sake?' And he said, * Are you blind?' 
 My brother answered, ' Even so.' Then quoth he, stretch me 
 out thine hand.' So he gave him his hand, and was fancying 
 that he could give him something ; so the master of the house 
 took him by the hand, and made him enter the house, and 
 gave not over taking him up, from stair to stair until he reach- 
 ed the top, and my brother kept thinking to himself tJiat he 
 would give him something to eat, or make him some present. 
 Now when the master of the house got to the top, he said to 
 my brother, * What want you. Oh ! blind man ? ' He re- 
 pHed, * I want something for the Almighty's sake.' Then 
 said he. » God hath opened some other door for you, not 
 mine.' So said my brother, * Oh ! you, why did you 
 not say so to me before, and I a beggar ?' But he replied, 
 
 * Oh ! beggar, why did you not speak to me at first V So 
 said my brother to him, ' And now what mean you to do for 
 me ?' And he answered, * There is nothing in the house to 
 give you.' He said, * Then take me down the stair ;' But 
 the other replied, ' The way is before you ;' So my brother 
 rose, and went forward, and stopped not going down, till there 
 remained between him and tlie door twenty steps, and his 
 foot slipped, and he fell to the door, and his head was laid 
 open. Then went he forth, and he not knowing whither he 
 should go, and he fell in with some of his companions, blind 
 men, and they said to him, ' What did'st gain to-day ?' So 
 he told them what liad befallen him, and quoth to them, 
 
 * Oh ! my brothers, I mean to take out some of tlie money, 
 wliich is left me, and provide myself with it.' Now the mas- 
 ter of the house was following, and listening to his words, 
 and my brother was not aware of the man, nor were his 
 
334 STORY OF THE THIRD BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 
 
 companions. So my brother went to his abode, and entered it, 
 and the man entered after him, and my brother perceived him 
 not, and my brother sat waiting for his companions. Now 
 when they came in, he said to them, ' Bolt the door, and 
 search the house, lest there be some stranger that has follow- 
 ed us.' So when the man heard my brother's words, he rose, 
 and hung by a cord that was tied to the roof. And they spread 
 through the whole house, and found not any one ; so they 
 went back, and sat by my brother's side, and took out the 
 money that was by them, and counted it, and lo ! it was 
 twelve thousand dirhems, and they had left it in a corner of 
 the house, and every one took what he wanted, and they laid 
 the rest of the money in the earth. Then they set before 
 them something to eat, and sat down eating. Now my brother 
 heard by his side a stranger munching ; then said he to his 
 friends, ' A stranger's with us !' And he stretched forth his 
 hand, and met the hand of the man, the master of the house ; 
 so they fell on him beating him. Now when they were tired of 
 that, they shouted, 'Oh ! Mooslims, a thief has come in among 
 us that means to take our money !' So very many people 
 gathered together to them, and the man came forward, and 
 mixed with them ; and complained against them like as they 
 complained against him, and winked his eyes, until he became 
 like to them no one could doubt of it, and he shouted, ' Oh ! 
 Mooslims, I depend on God, and the sooltan, I depend on 
 God, and the governor for assistance !' And he knew naught 
 of it ere they laid hands on the whole of them, and my brother 
 with them, and drove tliem to the house of the governor. So 
 he brought tliem into presence before him, and said, ' What 
 tidings with you V Then said the man, ' Look and find out, 
 for not a thing will be explained to you, save by torture, and 
 the first you begm with, begin with me, and torture me, and 
 then this fellow, my leader ;' And he pointed with his hand to 
 my brother. So they laid the man at length, and smote him four 
 hundred blows of a stick on his back, and the beating hurt 
 
STORY OF THE THIRD BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 335 
 
 him : So he opened one of his eyes, and when they beat him 
 still more he opened the other. So said the governor to him, 
 
 * What deeds be these, Oh ! cursed fellow !' And he replied, 
 ' Grant me the seal of pardon ! we four have made ourselves 
 seem blind, and appear to the people other than we are, and 
 we enter houses, and look upon the women, and work them 
 injury ; so exceeding profit is gathered together by us, and 
 'tis even ten thousand dirhems. So I said to my company, 
 
 * Give me my due, three thousand,' and they rose, and beat 
 me, and took my money, and I seek refuge with the Almighty 
 and with thee ! And 1 by my oath am speaking truth, and I 
 wish that if you would learn the truth of that I say, you would 
 beat each one of them, even more than that you beat me, for 
 truly each one will open both eyes.' Now upon that the 
 governor gave orders for their torture, and the first with which 
 he began was my brother, and they urged him to confession, 
 and the Governor said to them, ' Oh ! abandoned men, do 
 yo\i abuse the mercy of God, and complain as if you were 
 blind !' Then said my brother, < Ullahoo ! Ullahoo ! AVul- 
 lahy ! there is not one can see among us.' And they beat 
 him, till a swoon fell on him : then said the governor, ' Leave 
 him until he recover, and then give him the beating a second 
 time.' Then gave he order to smite his friends, each one 
 more than three hundred blows of a stick, and he that could 
 see kept saying to them, ' Open your eyes, for if not, you 
 will be beaten afresh.' Then said the man to the governor, 
 « Send with me some one to bring you the money, for verily 
 these fellows will not open their eyes, and are in dread of dis- 
 grace with the people.' So the governor sent to take the 
 money, and gave to the man three thousand dirhems out of it, 
 his share that he pretended to claim of them, and kept the rest, 
 and the governor expelled the three blind men. Now I went 
 forth. Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, and met my brother, and asked 
 him of his condition, and he informed of what I have men- 
 tioned to you, and I made him enter the city secretly, and 
 
336 STORY OF THE FOURTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 
 
 alloM^ed him in secret both to eat, and to drink !* Then the 
 Khuleef laughed at my story, and said, * Give him leave to 
 go, and let him depart.' But I said to him, ' Wullahy ! I 
 will take nothing, until I shall have explained to the Lord of 
 the Faithful what came to pass to my brothers ; for truly I am 
 spare of speech.'' Then said he, ' Now for my fourth brother, 
 Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, and he was blind of an eye ; Now 
 he indeed was a butcher in Bughdad, that used to sell flesh, and 
 keep rams to fatten, and the great men and the wealthy used 
 to apply to him to buy meat of him. So he gained much 
 money by that, and acquired cattle and houses, and abode in 
 that way a long time. Now meanwhile as he on a certain 
 day among days was at his shop, lo ! there stood by him an 
 old man, longo' the beard, and he offered him money, and said, 
 
 * Give me flesh for it ;' And put the money down to him, 
 and he gave him the flesh, and the old man departed. So my 
 brother examined the silver of the old man : and saw that his 
 dirhems were brilliant in their lustre ; so he put them away 
 in a place, alone. And the jold 'man used regularly to re- 
 turn to him for five months, and my brother used to lay 
 up his money in a box alone. Then designed he to 
 lake it out, to buy sheep with it, and he opened the box, and 
 saw all that was in it a sheet of white paper torn in pieces. 
 So he smote his face, and called aloud, and the people 
 gathered to him, and he told them his story ; and they 
 marvelled at it. Now my brother arose according to his wont, 
 and cut the throat of a ram, and hung it up within his shop, 
 and cut off some flesh, and hung it outside the shop, and my 
 brother kept saying, * Yah ! Ullahoo ! would the unlucky old 
 man would come !' And there had not an hour passed ere 
 the old man came forward, and with him the silver ; then 
 arose my brother, and hung upon him, and kept calling out, 
 
 * Oh ! Mooslims come to me, and hear my story with this 
 scoundrel !' Now when the old man heard his words, he said 
 to^him, » Had'st rather let go of me, or shall I disgrace you 
 
STORY OF THE FOURTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 337 
 
 amid'st the people V So said my brother to him, « In what 
 thing can'st thou disgrace me ?' He answered, ' In that thou 
 sellest man's flesh as if it were flesh of sheep.' And my bro- 
 ther said to him, * Thou liest, thou cursed one.' But the old 
 man replied, ' There is none cursed, save he that has a man 
 by him hung up in his shop.' And my brother said to him, 
 * If the matter be as thou say'st, then be my wealth allowed 
 them, and my blood !' Then quoth the old man, ' Oh ! ye 
 congregation of people, if you desire to prove my saying, and 
 my truth, enter his shop V So th^e people rushed to my bro- 
 ther's shop ; then found they that ram become a man, hung 
 up. Now when they saw that they set upon my brother, 
 and shouted to him, ' Ah ! pagan ! ah ! scoundrel 1' And the 
 people were crowding on him to beat him, and to smite him, 
 and kept saying, ' Dost make us eat the flesh of the sons of 
 Adam !' And the old man struck him in his eye, and put it 
 out, and the people bore off that corpse with the throat cut to 
 the chief of the city guard. Then said the old man to him, 
 ' Oh ! mighty Sir, this man cutteth the throats of men, and 
 sells their flesh as if it were the flesh of cattle , and we have 
 brought him to thee. So rise and ^^^ declare the justice of 
 God, the Great, and Mighty, on him.' Now my brother de- 
 fended himself; but he would not hear him, and gave order 
 to smite him five hundred blows of a stick, and they took the 
 whole of his money, and if it had not been for his money, 
 they would have surely killed him. So my brother arose, 
 and went calling curses on his head, until he entered a great 
 town, and it appeared best to him, that he should make him- 
 self a shoe maker ; so he opened a shop, and sat there doing 
 something to support himself. Now he went forth on a certain 
 day on business, and heard the distant sound of cliargers ; 
 so he asked about that, and it was told him that the king 
 was coming forth to sport, and hunt, so my brother set 
 off to look upon the king's grandeur, and the eye of the 
 king fell upon my brother's eye ; so the king hung down 
 
 T T 
 
338 STORY OF THE FOURTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 
 
 his head, and said, ' I seek refuge with God from the 
 evil of this day!' i^^And checked the reins of his steed, 
 and turned back, and all his servants turned also. Then 
 gave he order to the servants ; and they fell upon my brother, 
 and smote him with painful stripes, until he was near dying, 
 and my brother knew not what the cause was : so he returned 
 to his place, and he was in wretched plight. Then went he 
 to a man of the followers of the king, and related to him what 
 had befallen him ; then laughed he, till he nigh fell upon his 
 back, and said to him, ' Oh ! brother mine, know that the 
 king cannot bear to look upon a one-eyed man, especially if 
 he be blind of the right eye, and truly he will not rest without 
 his death.' Now when my brother heard that speech he medi- 
 tated flving from that city ; so he arose, and went forth from 
 it and went about to another quarter, where there was not one 
 that knew him, and he abode there a long time. Now after 
 that my brother took to pondering &adly on his condition ; so 
 he went out one day to amuse himself, then heard he the dis- 
 tant trampling of chargers behind him, and he said, * God's 
 will be done !' And he searched for a place to hide himself, 
 in it, but found none. Then looked he about, and lo ! a door 
 shut to ; so he pushed that door, and it fell back, and he en- 
 tered, and saw a long gallery ; so my brother entered it, and 
 he was scarce aware ere two men had set upon him, and they 
 said to him, * God be thanked that hath put us in possession 
 of you ! oh ! enemy of the Almighty, these three nights we 
 have not been free to sleep, nor to rest, and you have made us 
 taste of death ;' Then said my brother, ' Oh ! people, what 
 is your case?' They answered, ' You change your likeness 
 to us, and desire to disgrace us, and are planning some strata- 
 gem, and want to cut the throat of the master of the house i 
 will it not suffice you that you make him poor, you and your 
 friends ? but bring us out the knife with which you have been 
 threatening us the whole of this night.' ' And they searched 
 him, and found in his middle a knife : then said he, « Oh I 
 
STORY OP THE FIFTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 339 
 
 people, have the fear of God before you in my case, and 
 know my story is right strange !' And they replied, 
 * And what is your story?' So he told them his story, trust- 
 ing that they would let him go ; but they listened not to 
 what my brother said, and attended not to him, and beat 
 him, and tore his garments. Then found they upon him 
 the mark of the stripe of a scourge on his sides : and they 
 said to him,i^2 « Qh ! cursed fellow, this is the mark of the 
 stripe !' So they set my brother before the governor, and lie 
 said in his soul, * I have fallen into the punishment of my 
 fault, and there is none can relieve me save tlie Almighty.' 
 Now the Governor said to my brother, « Oh ! scoundrel, 
 what has brought you into this matter ? would you enter their 
 house to murder V And my brother answered, ' I ask of 
 thee by God, oh ! mighty Sir, hear my words and be not 
 hasty with me !' But the governor said, * Shall we listen to 
 the words of a robber that has impoverished the people, and 
 on him the mark of the stripe on his back ;' And he said to 
 him, ' They could not have done this to you save for some 
 heavy crime ;' So he gave order to strike him an hundred 
 blows of the scourge, and my brother was smitten with an 
 hundred scourge blows, and they put him upon a camel, and 
 shouted about him, * This is the requital,!^^ and too httle to 
 requite him that breaks into men's houses ;' And he gave 
 order to turn him out of the city, and my brother invoked 
 curses on his face. Now when I heard of him, I went out to 
 him, and asked of his tidings, and he informed me of his story, 
 and what had come to pass to him, and I gave not over going 
 about with him, and they calling out until they set him free* 
 Then came I to him, and took him, and made him enter the 
 city secretly, and allowed him what he should eat, and drink. 
 But now my fifth brother he truly was cropped of his two 
 ears, oh ! Lord of the Faithful, and he was a man that was a 
 beggar, and he used to ask of the people at night, and support 
 himself with this by day. Now our father was a very old 
 
 T T 2 
 
340 STORY OF THE FIFTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 
 
 man, stricken in years ; and he sickened, and died, and left 
 us seven hundred dirhems. We took each one of us an hun- 
 dred dirherris : but now my fifth brother of a surety when he 
 t ook his share, he was at a loss, and knew not what to do 
 with it. So meanwhile as he was even thus, behold ! the 
 thought took him that he would get with it glass-ware of 
 all sorts, and turn a profit on its price. Then purchased 
 he glass-ware for an hundred dirhems, and he put it 
 into a large basket, and sat in a place to sell it, and by 
 his side a wall. So he leaned his back against it, and 
 sat thinking in his soul, and said, * Truly the head of 
 my wealth, my principal is in this glass-ware, even an 
 hundred dirhems, and I will sell it for two hundred dir- 
 hems, then will I buy glass-ware with the two hundred, and 
 will sell it for four hundred dirhems, and I will not cease 
 selling, and buying until there be much money by me. Then 
 will I buy with it of all sorts of merchandize, and jewels, 
 and perfumes, and will gain a mighty profit. And after that 
 I will buy a fair house, and Fll buy slaves, and fine horses, 
 and saddles of gold, and will eat and drink, and will not leave 
 a singing man, nor a singing woman in the city, without 
 making her answer the summons, to my house, and I will 
 make, please the Almighty ! my principal one hundred thou- 
 sand dirhems.' All this was he imagining in his soul, and 
 the hamper of the glass-ware set out before him. Then said 
 he, * When my money has become one hundred thousand 
 dirhems, will I send the marriagei^^ brokeresses to address 
 the daughters of the princes and the vuzeers, and I will ad- 
 dress a daughter of the vuzeer. Now they have related to 
 me that she is perfect in beauty, endowed with loveliness, and 
 her dowry at a thousand deenars ? Now if her father be 
 content, so — ^but if her father be not content, then I will take 
 her by force in spite of his nose ! So when she is got into my 
 house I will buy ten little slaves to serve her: and I'll buy 
 for myself a robe of tlie robes of kings, and sooltans, and will 
 
STORY OF THE FIFTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 341 
 
 make for myself a saddle of gold, and set it thick with jewels 
 of price. Then will I mount, and with me the armed slaves, 
 hieing on about me, and before me, and I'll make the round 
 of the city, and the people will be saluting me, and offering 
 prayers for me. And I will go unto the vuzeer, he that 
 is father of the girl, and the slaves behind me and before me, 
 and on my right hand, and on my left hand : So when he 
 sees me, the vuzeer stands up to me, and makes me sit at his 
 place, ^ ^ 9 and sits himself far from me ; for truly I am his son- 
 in-law ; and there'll be with me two servants with two bags, 
 in each bag a thousand deenars. So I give him the thousand, 
 the dower of his daughter, and make him a present of 
 the other thousand that he may learn my generosity, and 
 my kindness, and the greatness of my soul, and with the 
 littleness of the world in my eyes. And when he addresses 
 to me ten words, I'll answer him in two words : then back 
 I go to my house, and when one comes on the part of my 
 wife, I give him money, and bestow on him a dress of 
 honor, and if he comes to me with a present, I will give it 
 back to him, and ^ ^ ^ will not accept it from him, that they 
 may learn that I am great of soul. Then shall I stand before 
 them in the fulness of my state ! Now when they have done 
 that I shall appoint them her we<lding night, and 1 will adorn 
 my house, gloriously ! Showily ! and when the time for dis- 
 playing the bride is come, I put on the finest of my clothes, 
 and sit in a change of raiment of gold edged brocade, leaning 
 on a pillow ! I turn not right, nor left in the greatness of my 
 mind, and the sedateness of my wit, — and there will my wife 
 be standing before me like the full moon, and she in her 
 robes, and raiment, and I looking upon her haughtily, disdain- 
 fully, until all those present begin to say, ' Oh ! our master, 
 thy wife, and thy handmaid is standing before thee ; vouch- 
 safe her then a look, for standing hath much wearied her.' 
 Then kiss they the earth before me many times ; so upon that 
 I lift my head and look upon her with but one glance, and 
 
342 STORY OF THE FIFTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 
 
 then turn down my head towards the ground. So they go off 
 with her to the bed chamber, and I shall arise, and change my 
 silks, and put on fairer than that was on me, and when they 
 come with the bride the second time, I will not look upon her 
 until they beg me many times, and I will glance at her, and then 
 hang down my head to the ground, and I shall not leave off 
 after that fashion, until her displayal is completed.' " — And 
 Shuhurzad perceived the morning dawn and ceased speaking 
 the words permitted her." 
 
 She said, " They relate Oh ! mighty King, that the brother 
 of the barber said, ' Then will I hang down my head, and give 
 not over that, until her displayal is completed. Then will I 
 order one of the servants to throw me a bag with five hun- 
 dred deenars in it : so when she come into presence I 
 shall give it to the tirewomen, and order them to take 
 me in to her. Now when they come in with her, will 
 I not look upon her, nor speak a word to her, des- 
 pising her, for that each may say that I am great of soul : 
 and her mother will come to me and kiss my head, and my 
 hand, and say to me, * Oh ! my master, look upon thine 
 handmaid, for she desires thine approach ; so restore her 
 broken spirit :' Then will I not return her an answer. So 
 when she sees that, she rises, and kisses my feet many times ; 
 then says, ' Oh ! my master, surely my daughter is a lovely 
 damsel, that never has seen a man ; now when she sees in 
 you this backwardness, her very spirit is broken, so step to 
 her, and speak to her.' Then truly she arises, and brings a 
 a cup with wine in it ; then her daughter taki^s the cup, and 
 when she brings it to me, I leave her standing before me, 
 and I leaning on a round stuffed pillow, woven with gold 
 wire, leaning lazily, witliout looking upon her in the greatness 
 of my soul, that she may say of me, that I am indeed a 
 
STORY or THE FIFTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 343 
 
 sooltan, mighty of state. Then will she say to me, * Oh ! 
 my master, as God's grace is with thee, refuse not the cup 
 from the hand of thine handmaid, for surely I am thine hand- 
 maid.' But I will not speak to her. Then will she press me, 
 and say, ' There is no help, but that you drink it,' And will 
 advance it to my mouth ; but I shall shake my hand in her 
 face, and kick her with my foot, and do this wise,' So he kick- 
 ed with his foot, and hit the glass-ware, and the hamper and it 
 was on a high place, and it fell to the ground, and all that was 
 in it was smashed. So my brother called aloud, and said, ' All 
 this is from the greatness of my soul !' Now upon that. 
 Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, my brother smote his face, and rent 
 his garments, and kept crying, and beating himself, and the 
 people looking on at him, and they were going to the Fri- 
 day's prayers : So of them one would look on him, and pity 
 him, and of them one would not think about him, and my 
 brother in that state, his money, and his profit gone. Now 
 he remained awhile weeping, and behold ! a handsome wo- 
 man, and with her a number of servants, and she mounted on 
 a mule with a saddle of gold, the scent of musk streaming 
 from her, and she going to the Friday's prayers. Now when 
 she saw the broken glasses, and the state of my brother, and 
 his weeping, she sorrowed for him, and her heart was soften- 
 ed, and she asked of his condition. Then was it told her 
 that he had with him a basket of glass-ware to gain his living 
 by, and it was broken, * And the ill befel him that you see ;* 
 so she called one of the servants, and said to him, ' Give 
 what you have with you to this poor fellow :' so he gave him 
 a full purse in which he found five hundred deenars. Now 
 when it touched his hand, he was near dying with excess of 
 joy, and my brother offered prayers for her, and returned to his 
 abode singing, and sat down to think. And behold ! one 
 tapped at the door ; so he arose, and opened and lo ! an old 
 woman whom he knew not : so she said to him, ' Oh ! my 
 son, know that prayer time is near, and I have not made 
 
344 STORY or the fifth brother of the barber. 
 
 ablution i^?^ and it were. kind if you would grant me the use 
 of thine house to make ablution.' And he answered, ' To 
 hear is to comply.' So my brother went in, and told her to 
 come in ; so she entered, and he gave her an ewer to make 
 ablution with, and my brother sat down, and he was wild as 
 'twere a bird flying with joy because of the deenars ; then 
 tied he them in his girdle. So when he finished doing this, 
 the old woman also finished making ablution, and came for- 
 ward to the place, in which he my brother was sitting, and 
 prayed two rukas. Then prayed she for my brother an ex- 
 cellent prayer ; so he thanked her for that, and stretched out 
 his hand to the deenars, and gave her two deenars, and said 
 in his soul, ' These be alms given by me.' So when she 
 saw the deenars, she said, ' Yah ! soobhar ullah ! why look 
 you upon one that loves you, as a be ggar ? take your money : 
 I have no need of it, and make use of it for thine own sake : 
 for if you wish to be united with her, that gave you the 
 money, I can unite you with her, and even she is my mis- 
 tress.' Then said my brother, ' Oh ! my mother, by what 
 [/ art can I get to her Vj She answered, ' Oh ! my son, she 
 truly is fond of a man that is wealthy: so take the 
 whole of thy money with thee, and follow me, I will con- 
 duct thee to thy wish. But when you meet her, spare 
 not any sweet sayings, nor fair words, but use them all 
 with her ; for surely will you taste of her beauty, and 
 her wealth all of it as you will.' So my brother took all 
 his gold, and arose, and went with her, and he had not 
 any notion of the truth. Now she gave not over faring 
 on, nor my brother following her, till they reached a massive 
 gate and she tapped at it, and a maiden a ^^^Roomish girl, 
 came forth, and opened the gate, and the old woman entered, 
 and bade my brother enter with her. So he went into a 
 large dwelling house, and a vast sitting hall, its floor spread 
 with wondrous fair carpets, and curtains hung up ; so my 
 brother sat, and put down the gold before him, and put 
 
STORY OF THE FIFTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 345 
 
 his turban on his knee. And he was scarce aware ere a 
 maiden came forward, the beholders could never see fairer than 
 her, and she was dressed in garments of the most sumptuous. 
 So my brother arose upon his feet, and when she saw him, 
 she laughed in his face, and was pleased wiih him, and- 
 signed to him to sit ; then she gave orders for the closing the 
 door, and it was shut to. So she turned to my brother, and 
 took his hands, and they went together until they came to a 
 private chamber, a solitary place. So thoy two entered it, 
 and behold ! it was spread with divers sorts of gold-edo-ed 
 brocade : and my brother sat down, and she sat by his side, 
 and dallied with him awhile. Then she arose, and said to 
 him, ' Do not stir from your place until I come ;' and she 
 disappeared awhile from my brother. So meanwhile as he 
 was this wise, lo ! there came in to him a black slave, large 
 of form, and with him a drawn sword, and he said to him, 
 
 * Fie on thee, and who came with thee into this place, and 
 what is it thou wantest here ?' Now when he saw him my 
 brother was not able to return him an answer, and his tongue 
 was tied so as to hinder him from returning a reply. So 
 the black took him, and stripped him of his clothes, and 
 ceased not smiting him with the sword Tflat wise, until he 
 dropped on the ground, swooning on it from the excess of the 
 blows. And the ill-omened slave fancied that there was an 
 end of him, and my brother heard him say, ' Where is the 
 salt bowl ?* So a handmaid came forward to him, and in her 
 hand a large basket, and in it a quantity of salt, and the slave 
 left not off rubbing my brother's wounds, and he not stirring 
 fearing lest he should learn he was alive, and then kill him out- 
 right and make his soul depart. (So says the teller of the tale.) 
 So then the maiden went, and the slave shouted, and said, 
 
 * Where's she that serves the bath?' And the old woman came 
 to my brother, and dragged him by his legs to a bath house, and 
 threw him in it upon a heap of slain. Now he abode in this 
 place two whole days, and God caused the salt to be the reason 
 
 uu 
 
346 STORY OF THE FIFTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 
 
 of his living; for truly it stopped the blood. Then perceived my 
 brother the power of motion in him, and he arose from the bath 
 house, and opened its trap door, an d he in fear, and went forth 
 upon the dry ground, and God gave him protection. So he 
 went in the dark, and sought to hide in that gallery until the 
 dawn. Now when it was the time of the dawning, that cursed 
 beldam went forth in search of other prey, and my brother 
 went out in her track, and she not knowing it, until he came 
 to his dwelling, and he gave not over medicining himself, 
 until he was whole. And he used to meet with the old 
 woman, and look after her at all times, and she used to take 
 men one by one and dispose of them in that house, and my 
 brother uttered not any thing about it. But when his vigour 
 returned to him, and his strength, he got a rag of cloth, and 
 made a bag of it, and filled it with glass, and fastened it to his 
 middle, and disguised himself, that no one could know him, 
 and put on foreign garments, and took a sword, and put it 
 under his clothes. Now when he saw the old woman he 
 said to her, in a tongue as of one not an Arab, * Oh ! old 
 woman, I am a man a stranger that have arrived this day in 
 this town, and know not any one. Have you now scales to 
 ■weigh eleven hundred deenars, and I will give you somethmg 
 of it?' Then said to him the old woman, ' I have a son that is 
 a money changer, and he has all kinds of weights ; so come 
 with me before he goes forth out of his place, that he may 
 weigh your gold.' And my brother answered, ' Go on before 
 me.' So on she went, and my brother after her, until she 
 came to the door ; so she tapped at it, and the maiden came 
 out to see her, and opened the door. Then the old woman 
 laughed in her face, and the beldam said, ' I have brought you 
 to-day a fat mouthful.' So the maiden took my brother's 
 hand, and made him enter the room, which he had entered 
 the former time, and sat by him awhile, and rose, and said, 
 < Do not stir from your place until I come back to you,' and 
 she went. Now my brother had no warning ere the accursed 
 
r 
 
 STORY OF THE FIFTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 347 
 
 slave came forward, and the drawn sword with him, and said 
 to my brother, ' Up, you cursed one !' So my brother rose, 
 and the slave stepped on before him, and my brother behind 
 him ; and he reached his hand to the sword was beneath his 
 clothes, and smote the slave with it, and cut his head from his 
 body. Then drag;^ed he him by the legs to the bath house, 
 and called out, ' AVhere is the salt bowl ?' So the damsel 
 came, and with her the basket in which was the salt. Now 
 when she saw my brother, and the sword in his hand, she 
 turned to flee, but he followed her, and smote her so as to cut 
 off her head. Then called he, ' Where is the old woman V 
 And she came. Then said he, « Dost know me again, oh ! 
 ill-omened hag !' And she replied, ' Nay, oh ! my lord.' 
 So he answered, ' 1 am the owner of the money, to whom 
 you went, and made ablution in my house, and prayed in it, 
 and then entered here.* And she said, ' Fear God, and re- 
 frain in this my case.' But he attended not to her, and smote 
 her till he cut her into four pieces. Then went he forth to 
 look for the maiden, and when she saw him, her sense fled 
 from her, and she said, ' Mercy 1' So he- pardoned her, and 
 said to her, * What was it made you fall in with this black V 
 And she replied, ' Truly I was the handmaid of a certain 
 merchant, and this old woman used to busy herself for me : 
 so I took a liking to her. So she said to me on a certain day, 
 ' Verily there is in my house a thing to make you merry ; 
 you never saw one its like, and I have a great wish that you 
 should see it.' And I said to her, ' To hear is to comply.' 
 So I arose, and dressed myself in my best dress, and my 
 jewels, and took with me a purse, was in it an hundred 
 deenars, and I went with her until she made me enter this 
 house. Now when I came in I had no warning ere this 
 black took me, and I have been in this state three years by 
 fraud of the accursed old woman.' Then said my brother 
 to her, ' Had he any thing in this house V And she answered, 
 * He had by him a considerable matter, and if you are able 
 
 uu2 
 
348 STORY OF THE FIFTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 
 
 to move it, why take it aAvay, and pray God give yon good of 
 it !* So my brother arose, and went with her, and she open- 
 ed boxes, in them were bags of money, so that my brother re- 
 mained astounded. Then quoth the maiden to him, * Go now 
 and leave me here, and bring some one who can remove the 
 money.' So he went forth, and hired ten men, and came to 
 the gate : then found he it left open, and saw not the maiden, 
 nor the bags save some small matter besides the stuffs were 
 there. And he knew that the maiden had overreached him. 
 So upon that he took the property that remained, and opened 
 the store rooms, and took what was in them, and left nothing 
 in the house, and slept rejoicing. Now when the morning 
 dawned, he found by the gate twenty soldiers that laid hold 
 of him, and said to him, ' The governor looks for you,' And 
 they took him. So my brother pressed them hard to let him 
 return to his house, but they would not tarry so as to let him 
 return to his house ; then gave he them the whole of the 
 money, but they refused it, and bound him with a cord with an 
 exceeding strong tie, and went with him. Now one of his 
 friends joined them on the way, and my brother caught by his 
 skirt, and pressed him that he should stop with him, and be- 
 seeched him to release him from their hands. So the man 
 stopped, and asked them of his story, and they replied to him, 
 * The governor has ordered us that we shall bring him into 
 presence before him, and now are we going with him.' So my 
 brother's friend urged them that they should release him, and 
 wished to give them five hundred deenars; and said to tliem, 
 ■* Wlien ye return to the governor say to him, we fell not in 
 with him.' But they declined to listen to his words, and took 
 my brother trailed along, until they presented him before the 
 governor. Now when the governor looked upon my brother, 
 he said to him, * Whence got'st thou these stuffs, and this 
 money V And my brother answered, ' I beg for mercy.' 
 And he gave him the kerchief of mercy ^ ^ ^, Then my brother 
 told him what came to pass, and what befel him with the old 
 
STORY OF THE SIXTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 349 
 
 woman from first to last, and the flight of the maiden ; tlien 
 said he to the governor, ' And of what I have taken, take of 
 it what you will, and give to me sufficient to support liie.' So 
 the governor took the stuffs, and the money all of it, and 
 feared lest the news should be told the sooltan. So he called 
 my brother into presence, and said to him, ' Go forth from 
 this city, and if not, I will hang thee.' And he replied, < To 
 liear is to obey.* And he went forth to certain towns, and 
 robbers came out upon him, and stripped him naked, and beat 
 him and cut off his ears. Now I heard tidings of him, and 
 went out, and took him clothes and came with him into the 
 city secretly, and made him an allowance of what to eat, and 
 what to drink. — But now my sixth brother, oh ! Lord of the 
 Faithful, he was shorn of both lips. Now he became poor ; 
 so he went forth one day to seek something to keep the gasp 
 of life in him, and meanwhile as he was on a certain road, be- 
 hold ! he saw a fair mansion, and a vestibule to it, broad and 
 lofty, and at the gate servants, and a sound of command, and 
 prohibition. So he enquired of one that was standing there, 
 and he replied * It belongs to a man of the sons of the tribe 
 Burmukee.' Then my brother stepped up to the porters, and 
 asked them for something : and they said, * Enter the gate of 
 the house ; you will get what you wish for from our master.' 
 So he entered the vestibule, and went on in it a while, and ar- 
 rived at a hall built in the extreme of that is fair and elegant, 
 and in the midst of it a flower garden, he never saw its like, 
 and its floor laid with marble, and its curtains hung up. 
 Now my brother remained as one astounded not knowing 
 whither he should make for. So he went towards the upper 
 end of the place, and saw a man, fair of face, and fair of 
 beard. Now when he saw my brother he stood up to 
 him, and welcomed him, and asked of his condition, and he 
 informed him that he was destitute. So when he heard the 
 words of my brother he expressed exceeding grief to him, and 
 reached his hand to his garment, and rent it, and said, ' Was 
 
350 STORY OF THE SIXTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 
 
 I in a town, and you in it fasting I^^^ I have not patience to 
 bear that !' And he promised him all good cheer, but said to 
 him, * There is no help but that you give me time to get it 
 ready.' Then said my brother, * Oh ! my master, I have not 
 patience to wait for surely I am violently hungry :* So he 
 shouted, ' Oh ! slave, bring the basin, and the ewer !' And 
 then said to him, * Oh ! my guest, come forward, and wash 
 your hand.' Then my brother arose to wash his hand, but 
 saw not bason, nor ewer but he, the man, motioned as if he 
 were washing his hand, and shouted, * Bring forward the 
 table !' But my brother perceived nothing. Then quoth he 
 to my brother, ' Be so good as eat of this meat, and be not 
 ashamed, and he motioned with his hand as though he were 
 eating, and the man kept on saying to my brother, * I am 
 marvelling at the smallness of your eating ! do not spare now 
 in your eating, indeed I am assured that you have no appe- 
 tite.' Then began my brother to make motions as though he 
 were eating, and the man kept saying, ' Eat, — and look now 
 at the excellence of this bread, and its whiteness !' And my 
 brother perceived nothing ! so said my brother in his soul, 
 ' This man is fond of mocking folks.' And then said aloud 
 to him, ' Oh ! master mine, in my life never saw I aught 
 more excellent than its whiteness nor sweeter than it.' And 
 he replied, ' This bread a handmaid of mine baked, whom I 
 purchased for five hundred deenars.' Then the master of the 
 house shouted, * Oh ! slave, bring in the pottage as the best 
 meat, and put plenty of fat in it !' And then said to my 
 brother, * Oh ! my guest, as God is with you, saw you ever 
 any thing better than this pottage ? Now by your life eat, 
 and be not abashed.' And he said, ' Oh ! slave, bring us in 
 the sour pasty in which is the quarterof fatted mutton !' Then 
 quoth he to my brother, ' Come eat, oh ! my guest, for truly 
 you are hungry, and in want of that.' So he kept on work- 
 ing his palate, and chewing, and the man persisted in begging 
 him to taste one sort of dish after another, and yet produced 
 
STORY OF THE SIXTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 351 
 
 nothing. Then shouted he, ' Oh ! slave bring us in the chickens 
 stuffed with pistachio nuts !' And said to my brother. * Now 
 by your life, oh ! my guest, I have fattened these chickens 
 with pistachio nuts ; so eat for you have eaten its like at no 
 time hitherto.' Then said to him my brother, « Oh ! my 
 master, this is indeed good !' So he began motioning with his 
 hand to my brother's mouth as though he were giving him a 
 mouthful, and kept reckoning these various sorts of dishes, 
 and describing them to my brother, and he an hungry man. 
 So his hunger became as 'twere still more violent, and he was 
 in desperate longing for a mere cake of barley meal.' Then 
 said he to him, * Did you ever see any thing better than the 
 flavour of these dishes V And my brother answered, ' Never 
 oh ! my master.' So he said ' Eat heartily, and be not 
 ashamed,' But he replied, 'I have had enough of meat.' 
 Then the man shouted, * Take up this, and bring us in the 
 sweet things,' And said to him * Eat of this for it is excellent, 
 and of these honey fritters, by your life I take this fritter be- 
 fore the syrup drops from it.' And my brother answered, 
 ' May such never fail you, my master !' And my brother be- 
 gan to ask him about the great quantity of musk which was 
 in the fritters : so he replied, ' This is my custom : they put 
 me in every honey fritter a miscal of musk, and half a mis- 
 cal of umbergris ' All this was so, and my brother kept 
 moving his head, and his mouth, and playing the corners of 
 his lips ; so quoth he to my brother, ' Eat of this almond 
 confect, and be not abashed,' But my brother replied, * Oh ! 
 my master, I am quite satisfied, and the power is not left me 
 of eating any thing more.' So he said, ' Oh my guest, if you 
 wish to eat, and to make merry' — Then quoth my brother, 
 » Oh ! master mine, he who has eaten all these dishes, how 
 can he be hungry V Allah I.Allah ! shall you not stay fasting !' 
 Then pondered my brother in his soul, and said, ' In very 
 deed will I manage to do somewhat shall make him repent of 
 these pranks.' Now the man said, « Bring forward the wine !' 
 
352 STORY OF TilE SIXTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 
 
 So they moved their hands in the air as though they had wine 
 before them, and he gave my brotlier a cup, and said, ' 'J'ake 
 this cup, and if it surprises you then let me know.' And he 
 replied, * Truly it is good as to the smell, but I am used to 
 drink old wine, which owns to some twenty years.' And the 
 man said, * Tap here then, for you could not indeed drink any 
 thing better.' And he repUed, * By your kindness,' And my 
 brotlier motioned with his hand as throughhe were drinking it, 
 and then said to him, ' Joy and health.' Then the master of 
 the house motioned, and drank ; so my brother took a second 
 cup, and drank and showed as if he were drunken, and my 
 brother feigned to forget who he was and lifted his hand till 
 the white of his armpit appeared, and slapped hmi on his 
 neck a thump that the place echoed to it, and came again up- 
 on him with a second thump, Then said the man, ' What's 
 this, oh beggar ?' So he replied, ' Oh ! my master thy slave, 
 sure thou wert kind to him, and made him enter thine abode, 
 and gave him to eat the traveller's meal, and made him drink 
 old wine, so got he drunk, and set upon thee, and thou 'rt so 
 noble as to bear with his folly, and excuse his fault.' Now 
 when he heard my brother's words, he laughed a loud laugh, 
 and then said, ' Truly it is a long time that I am wont to 
 mock folks, and play the madcap with my companions, now 
 have I not seen 'mongst them one that had the power, nor the 
 wit to enter with me into all my humours save thee. And now 
 I have indeed forgiven thee, so be mine intimate in very deed, 
 and be not ever separate from me.' So he ordered a number of 
 sorts of viands as aforesaid to be brought out, and both he, 
 and my brother ate until they were satisfied, Then moved 
 they to the drinking room, and lo ! in it were damsels 
 as it were moons, and they sang in all melodies, and to 
 all sorts of instruments. So tliese arose, and drank until 
 drunkenness got the better of them, and the man sought the 
 friendship of my brother, until he became as 'twere his very 
 brother, and loved him with exceeding fondness, and bestowed 
 
STORY OF THE SIXTH BROTHER OF THE BARBER. 353 
 
 a dress on him. Now when the morinng dawned these 
 two returned to what they were at before, eating, and drink- 
 ing, and they ceased not after that wise for a time of twenty 
 years. And then the man died, and tlie sooltan took posses- 
 sion of his wealth, and let not my brother lay hand on it, and 
 the sooltan taxed him until he exhausted him, a poor man that 
 had not credit over aught. And my brother went forth ' flee- 
 ing from his face. Now when he was in the midst of the 
 way, the Arabs came out upon him, and bound him, and went 
 with him to their village ; and he who took him captive used to 
 torment him, and say to him, ' Purchase thy life of me with thy 
 money, and if not, I will slay thee !' So my brother began to 
 weep, and say, Wullahy ! I am not possessed of any thing and 
 I am thy prisoner; so do with me what thou wiliest.' Then 
 the Budwee took out a knife, and cut off my brother's lips, 
 and waxed more urgent in requiring money of him. Now he 
 had a fair wife, and it so was that when the Budwee went 
 out, she would speak with my brother, and run after him, and 
 he used to refrain from her. Now so it was on a certain day 
 she came seeking him, and he rose, and sported with her, and 
 made her sit in his bosom. So meanwhile he was thus, be- 
 hold ! her husband came in to her : so when he perceived my 
 brother, he said to him, ' Shame on thee oh ! accursed one, 
 dost seek to corrupt my wife V And he took out a knife and 
 sorely mutilated him, and fastened him on a camel which he 
 led to a mountain, and there he was abandoned. Now travellers 
 passed by him, and perceived him, and gave him meat and 
 drink, and informed me of his tidings. So went I to him, and 
 bore him off, and entered the city with him, and gave him an 
 allowance such as sufficed him. And now have I got 
 to you. Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, and I feared lest I should 
 have to return before I had told you all, for that were an error, 
 for six brothers be after me, and I am more worthy than 
 they. ' Now when the Lord of the Faithful heard my story, 
 and that which I informed him of concerning my brothers, he 
 
 V v 
 
354 STORY OF THE HUNCHBACK. 
 
 laughed, and said, * Thou say*st truth. Oh ! Silent man, thou 
 art spare of speech, there is no forwardness in thee, but now 
 begone out of this town, and dwell in some other than it.' So 
 he expelled me under an edict, so that I entered other lands 
 and travelled round of all climes, till f heard of his death, and 
 the vicerecrency of another than he. Then came I to the city 
 and found my brothers had died, and I chanced to fill in 
 with this youth, and acted towards him most fairly, and 
 'twere not for me, surely were he murdered. And he has ac- 
 cused me of a fault in which is not in me. For this, oh ! fair 
 assembly, that is reported of me as to impudence is idle. Now 
 I for the sake of this youth have travelled round full many a 
 town until I reached this land, and met him here with you. 
 Now this, oh ! worthy assemblage, is it not out of my hu- 
 manity V Then said the tailor to the king of China, * Now 
 when we heard the tale of the Barber, and his much talking, 
 and saw that the barber pestered this youth, we took him, and 
 made him fast, and gave him into custody. Then sat we at 
 our ease ; so we ate, and drank, and the marriage feast was 
 finished about the call to afternoon prayer. Then went I 
 out, and to my dwelling place ; now my wife looked crossly, 
 and said, ' You are taking your pleasure, and among your 
 friends, and I sit sorrowing. If you do not take me out, and let 
 me have amusement the rest of the day, I will cut the bond 
 that binds us and it shall be the cause of my parting from 
 you.' So I took her, and went forth with her, and we amus- 
 ed ourselves till evening. Then we returned, and fell in with 
 this Hunchback, and he drunken, brimful of drink, and he was 
 bawling out these rhymes ; — 
 
 * Clear's the glass, dear's the wine, 
 Like to like they combine, 
 
 Till the matter becomes a pure puzzle ; 
 Wine we have, 'twould appear, 
 And no bowl, — or else hei-e 
 
 We've a bowl, and no liquor to guzzle !* 
 
STORY OF THE HUNCHBACK. 355 
 
 So I accosted him, and went out to get some fried fish, and 
 we sat down to eat, and then my wife gave him a mouthful of 
 bread, and a bit offish, and stuffed them into his mouth, and 
 choked him, and he died ; and I carried him off", and she sug- 
 gested an artifice, and I threw him into the house of this Phy- 
 sician, the Jew ; and the Physician played a trick, and threw 
 him into the house of the Shahid ; and the Shahid played 
 a trick, and threw him in the way of the Nazarene, the 
 broker ; and this is my story, and it befel but yesterday, 
 and is not it more wondrous than the story of the Hunch- 
 back !' Now when the king of China heard this story he 
 nodded his head being well pleased, and evinced much sur- 
 prise, and said, ' This tale which came to pass with this 
 youth, and the barber, the forward fellow, surely it is most 
 pleasant, and better than the story of the lying Hunchback.' 
 So then the king gave order to some of his chamberlains to 
 go with the Tailor, and bring the Barber from the strong 
 room, ' That I may hear his talk, for he is the cause of your 
 deliverance, you all of you ; and we will bury this Hunch- 
 back.' And Shuhurzad perceived the morning dawn, and 
 ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty King,that the king of China 
 said, ' Bring me the Barber, for he was the cause of your deli- 
 verance ; and we will bury this Hunchback, for that he is since 
 yesterday a corpse, and we will make a raised tomb for 
 him/_J Now it was not but an hour ere the chamberlain, and \^ 
 the tailor went to the strong room, and took the barber out 
 therefrom, and fared on with him until they stood before this 
 king. So when he saw him, and considered him, behold ! he 
 was an ancient man, past the ninetieth year, dark-colored 
 in his face, white of the beard, and eyebrows, bored of both 
 ears, long in the nose, in his person unseemly. So the king 
 laughed at the sight of him, and said to him, » Oh ! Silent 
 
 V V 2 
 
356 STORY OF THE HUNCHBACK. 
 
 man, I wish that you would tell me somewhat of your history.' 
 So quoth the barber, < Oh ! king of the age, and what is the tale 
 of this Nazarene, and this Jew, and this Mooslim, and this 
 Hunchback, the corpse among you here, and what is the reason 
 of this assemblage ?' Then said the king of China to him, 
 ' And why ? what is your question about this V He answered, 
 * My question is of them that the king may learn that of a 
 surety I am not a forward fellow, and that I am innocent of 
 that they lay to my charge of overmuch speaking ; and I am 
 he whose name is the Silent man, and sure I have a title to 
 my name as said the poet ; — 
 
 * Thine eye not oft sees one that owns a nickname 
 "Without his nature be expressed therein, 
 Weigh but the title well.' 
 
 Then said the king, * Explain to the Barber the condition of 
 this Hunchback, and what came to pass to him in the eventide, 
 and what the Nazarene related, and what the Jew related, and 
 what the Shahid related, and what the Tailor related,' And 
 there is no occasion for iteration. Then the Barber wagged 
 his head, and said, ' WuUahy ! sure this marvel is right mar- 
 vellous ! uncover me this Hunchback.' So tliey displayed him 
 to him, and he sat at his head, and took his head upon his 
 breast, and looked in his face, and laughed until he fell upon 
 his back ; and said, ' Tliere is something wondrous in e very- 
 death, but the death of this Hunchback were worthy to be re- 
 corded in gold wash.' So the assembly was astounded at the 
 words of the Barber, and the king marvelled at his words, and 
 said, 'What ails thee oh ! Silent man, tell us?' Then quoth 
 the Barber, ' Oh! king of the age, I swear by thy majesty, 
 that as for this lying Hunchback, the soul is in him !' So then 
 the Barber took out of his girdle a case for private gear, 
 and spread it, and took out of it a vial, in which was 
 oil, and oiled the neck of the Hunchback with it, and wetted it 
 well. Then took he out a pair of pincers of steel, and put 
 them down his throat, and brought up the piece of fish with 
 
STORY OF THE TWO VUZEERS &C. 357 
 
 its bone, and when he brought it up, lo ! it was as if dipped in 
 blood, and the Hunchback sneezed a hearty sneeze, and 
 stretched, and stood up on the alert, and rubbed his face, and 
 said, ' I witness that there is no God, but the God, and I wit- 
 ness that Muhummud is the Messenger of God.' Then mar- 
 velled the king, and those present at what they saw, and saw 
 even with their own eyes, and the king of China lauglied until 
 he fainted, and in like manner those present ; and the sooltan, 
 said * Wullahy ! this story is marvellous ! never saw I stran- 
 ger than it !' Then quoth the sooltan, ' Oh ! Mooslims, oh ! 
 ye as&embled of tlie army, in your lives saw ye ever one die, 
 and then live again ? Now if the Almighty had not favored 
 him in the person of this Barber, for he is the cause of 
 brmging him to life, he would have surely died.' And they 
 replied, * Wullahy ! this miracle is indeed marvellous !' Now 
 the king of China gave order that they should record this tale, 
 and they recorded it, and then placed it in the strong rooms 
 of the king. Then gave he a dress of honor to the Jew, and 
 to the Nazarene, and to the Sliahid, each one a dress of high 
 honor, and ordered them to depart, and they departed. Then 
 turned the sooltan to the Tailor, and gave to him a dress of 
 high distinction, and made him his own Tailor, and assigned 
 him allowances, and made peace between him, and the Hunch- 
 back. And he gave to the Hunchback a fair dress of high dis- 
 tinction, and granted him allowances, and made him his inti- 
 mate, and gave presents to the Barber, and granted him a dress 
 of honor, and settled on him a grant for food and clothing, and 
 made him Barber of state, and his intimate. So they ceased 
 not to live in joy, and pleasure until the destroyer of delights 
 came to them, and the disperser of all unions. — And this is not 
 more wondrous than the tale of the two vuzeers, and Unees ool 
 .Tuleis." Her sister said to her, " And how was this ?" She re- 
 plied " They relate, oh ! mighty King, that there was in Bus- 
 sorah a king among its kings that loved the poor, and the 
 destitute, and cared for the peasants, and gave of his wealth to 
 
358 STORY OF THE TWO VUZEERS TO MUHUMMUD BIN 
 
 whoso believed in Muhummiid, the grace of God be on him 
 and peace ! And he was as one said of him, and praised him 
 in verse; — 
 
 * A king whose troops be famed, 
 So works upon his foe, 
 That he disparts them, half from half, 
 At each and every blow ; 
 That day thou see'st him flag 
 Upon the horsemen's track. 
 He's drawn a cut deep through their breast 
 When in his fierce attack.' 
 
 And so 'twas he was called the King Muhummud Bin Sulei- 
 man ooz Zeiuee, and he had two vuzeers, one of tliem was 
 called Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa, and the other was called Ul 
 Fuzl Bin Khagan ; and Ul Fuzl Bin Khagan was most ge- 
 nerous of the people of his age, excellent of disposition, all 
 hearts would unite in loving him, and the people would unite 
 in praising his humanity, and the whole of them used to pray 
 for his long life, for that truly he was thoroughly good, one 
 that averted evil, and injury. And the vuzeer Mu'een Bin 
 Sawa used to oppress the people, and loved not the right, and 
 was thoroughly evil, as was said of him ; — 
 
 * Hold to noble, nobly bred, for it is sure decreed 
 That nobles, born of noble's blood, beget still noble deed ; 
 And shun the miser, miser bred, for 'tis as true indeed. 
 Right miser acts the miser '11 do that comes of miser bred.' 
 
 (So goes the tale.) And the people were at the utmost of their 
 love for Ul Fuzl Bin Khagan, at the utmost of their hatred for 
 Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa. So by the decree of the Decreer, of a 
 truth the King Muhummud Bin Suleiman ooz Zeinee was on a 
 certain day sitting on the chair of his state, and about him the 
 lords of his dignity, behold ! he called his vuzeer Ul Fuzl Bin 
 Khagan, and said to him, * I wish to have a slave maiden, than 
 whom in her age there shall not be a fairer, she must be perfect 
 in loveliness, superior in just proportions, commendable in dis- 
 position.' Then said the lords of rank, * This damsel may 
 
SULEIMAN OOZ ZEINEE, AND UNEES OOL JULEIS. 359 
 
 not be got save for ten thousand deenars.' So upon that the 
 soohan summoned his treasurer, and said, ' Bear ten thous- 
 and deenars to the house of Ul Fuzl Bin Khagan.' And the 
 treasurer did like as the king ordered him, and the vuzeer 
 went down after the king had charged him that he should re- 
 pair to the market every day, and entrust to brokers the mat- 
 ter which we mentioned. And that they should not purchase 
 a damsel if her price were above ten thousand deenars until 
 she were shown to the vuzeer. So the brokers purchased 
 not a slave maiden, until they had shown her, and every dam- 
 sel that fell into their hands the vuzeer thought naught of. 
 Now on a day among days, behold ! the broker came to the 
 house of the vuzeer Ul Fuzl Bin Khagan, and found him 
 mounted intending to take the way to the king's palace. So 
 he touched his stirrup, and broke out saying ; — 
 
 * Oh ! thou that spread' st the mandates of the king 
 Abroad, thou'rt the vuzeer that still art fortunate ! 
 Thou bring' st to life with graciousness the people 
 Dead with their cares, — thy efforts never cease 
 To be acknowledged in the sight of god !' 
 
 Then said he, ' Oh ! my master, surely that which surpasses 
 the object aimed at by the gracious commission given us is 
 here.' And the vuzeer replied to him, * Here with her to 
 me !' So he disappeared a while, and presented himself, and 
 with him a maiden, elegant of stature, prominent of bosom, 
 with eyes darkened with kohl, and cheeks shapely smooth, 
 and slender waist, and massive hips, and garments fairest of 
 what garments may be, and dewy lips more sweet than syrup, 
 and shape more graceful than the waving branchlet, and words 
 more gentle than the breezes of the morning, as some one said 
 of her, and praised her ; — 
 
 * Strange is the beauty of her brows like Luna's disk that shine, 
 Of sweeter sort, than juicy rob, or crushed fruit of the vine : 
 A seat hath heaven appointed her of high, and glorious state ; 
 And wit, and sense, and wandlike form, as shapely, and as straight. 
 
360 STORY OF THE TWO VUZEERS TO MUHUMMUD BIN 
 
 She in the Heaven of her face the seven chief stars doth bear, 
 That guard her cheeks as satelUtes, 'gainst all with jealous care ; 
 If man should throw a furtive glance, or steal or look afar, 
 The fallen angels i 7 least him out, burned in a falling star.' 
 
 Now when the vuzeer saw her, she made him marvel whh. 
 excess of admiration; then turned he to the broker, and said 
 to him, * How much is the price of this maiden !' And he 
 answered, ' Her cost stands fixed at ten thousand deenars, 
 and her owner swears that the ten thousand deenars, will not 
 cover the cost of the chickens she has eaten nor what she has 
 dranken, nor the extra charge which he has expended on her 
 in instructing her : for she knows how to write, and she knows 
 arithmetic, and tlie commentaries, and the principles of the law, 
 and religion, and medicine, and the calendar, and how to strike 
 the instruments of merriment.' ^^^ Then said the vuzeer, 
 
 * Bring me her master !' So they brought him into presence on 
 the instant, and immediately; and lo ! he was a man of a foreign 
 country, there was left of him what there was, for time had 
 buifetted him sore, and yet he wished to stay : as said the 
 poet ; — 
 
 * Time hath shattered all my frame, 
 Oh ! how Time hath shattered me I 
 Time with lordly might can tame, 
 Manly strength, and vigour free. 
 Time was in my youth, that none 
 Sped their way more fleet, and fast : 
 Time is and my strength is gone, 
 Youth is sped, and speed is past.' 
 
 Then quoth the vuzeer to him, ' Art thou willing to take for 
 the damsel ten thousand deenars from the Sooltan Muhummud 
 Bin Suleiman ooz Zeinee V And the foreigner replied, 
 
 * Wullahy ! had I offered her to the king for nothing it were 
 but what is proper 1 should do.' So upon that the vuzeer 
 gave order to bring the monies, and they were brought, and 
 weighed out to the foreigner. Now the slave dealer stood 
 
SULEIMAN OOZ 2EINEE, AND UNEES OOL JULEIS. 361 
 
 before tlie vuzeer and said, ' If our lord the vuzeer order, 
 I will say somewhat.' And the vuzeer replied, ' On with 
 that thou hast to say.' So he answered, * Truly it is my 
 opinion that you ought not to go up with this damsel to the 
 king this day, for she is just arrived from the journey, 
 and the climate does not suit her, and the travel hath fret- 
 ted her ; but do you keep her quiet in the palace ten days 
 that she may become again as she was : tlien make her 
 go into the baths, and clothe her in handsome clothes and go 
 up with her to the king, and in that, good fortune to the ful- 
 lest will be yours." So the vuzeer pondered upon the words 
 of the slave dealer, and found tliem wise ; and he came with 
 her to his palace, and kept her in close concealment, and al- 
 lowed her every day whatso she required of meat, and drink, 
 and such like, and some time passed this wise in delay. Now 
 the vuzeer Ul Fuzl Bin Khagan had a son like the moon when 
 it is fullest, his face round, and radiant, his cheek ruddy, upon 
 it a mole like a spot of umbergris with mark but freshly made, 
 as said of him tlie poet, and erred not in that he said ; — 
 
 ' A moon that blights you if you dare behold, 
 A branch that cramps you in its graceful fold, 
 Locks of the Negro, and a tint of gold, 
 Sweet gait, and form, that minds one of the spear I 
 Ah ! hard of heart with softly slender waist, 
 Why dost not change this thither and that here ? 
 Were thy form's softness in thy bosom placed, 
 Ne'er to thy lover would'st thou harsh appear. 
 Bear with my love, thou chider ! when disease 
 Lords o'er my frame, say who can give me ease ? 
 Mine eyes err, and my heart, and none but these ; 
 Then spare to blame — leave me to sorrow here.' 
 Now the youth knew not the story of the damsel, and his fa- 
 tlier enjoined her closely, and said to her, * Oh ! my daugh- 
 ter, know that I did not purchase thee save as a concubine for 
 the king Muhummud Bin Suleiman ooz Zeinee : now truly I 
 have a son that leaves not a woman in the neighbourhood 
 
 w w 
 
362 STORY OF THE TWO VUZEERS TO MUHUMMUD BIN 
 
 without he makes up to her ; so be on thy guard against him, 
 and take care lest thou let him see thy face, or let him hear 
 thy speech :' And the maiden replied to him, * To hear is 
 to obey.' And he left her, and departed. Now it happened 
 by order of that was decreed, that the maiden on a certain day 
 went into the baths that were in the dwelling house, and some 
 of the slave girls had bathed her, and she put on sumptuous rai- 
 ment, and her beauty was increased, and her loveliness ; so she 
 went in to the lady, wife of the vuzeer, and kissed her hand, 
 and she said to her, ' Blessings be ihinr , oh ! Unees ool 
 Juleis, be these baths handsome?' Ard she replied, 'Oh! 
 lady, I desired naught save your pres& w in them.' So upon 
 that the lady said to the slave girls.' (ome with us to the 
 baths,' And they answered, * To hear is to obey ;' And has- 
 tened thither, and she the lady among them. Now she had 
 stationed at a door of the private chamber in which was Unees 
 ool Juleis two little slave girls, and said to them, ' Suffer not 
 any one to go in to the damsel.' So these two rephed, * To 
 hear is to obey,' So meanwhile as Unees ool Juleis was 
 sitting in the private chamber, behold ! the son of the vuzeer, 
 who was that very he, Noor ood deen UUee, came in, and 
 asked for his mother, and the women servants, and the two 
 girls replied, ' They are gone into the baths.' Now tlie 
 maiden, Unees ool Juleis, had heard the words of Noor ood 
 deen Ullee, the son of the vuzeer, and she was within the 
 private chamber : then said she in her soul, * Ah ! let 's see 
 what figure has this youth, of whom the vuzeer told me 
 speaking of him, that he let not alone a single woman in the 
 neighbourhood without he makes up to her : Wullahy ! I do 
 indeed wish to have a sight of him !' So she jumped quick- 
 ly on her feet, and she with the freshness of the baths on 
 her, and stepped beside the door of the private chamber, and 
 looked upon Noor ood deen Ullee, and lo ! he was a youth 
 like the moon in its full, and the sight made her inherit a thou- 
 sand soft disquietudes. Now a glimpse of the damsel appeared 
 
SULEIMAN OOZ ZEINEE, AND UNEES OOL JULEIS. 363 
 
 and the youth took a glance at her, that made him heir to a 
 thousand gentle troubles, and each of them fell mutually in 
 love with the other. Then stepped the youth up to the little 
 girls, and shouted angrily at them, and they both fled away 
 from before him, and stood afar off to watch him, and to see 
 what he would do, and behold ! he went up to the door of 
 the private chamber, and opened it, and went in to the 
 maiden, and said to her, ' Art thou she whom my father 
 purchased for me V And she answered him, * Even so.' So 
 the youth went up to her, and he was in a state of intoxica- 
 tion. Now when the two slave girls saw their young master 
 go in to the maiden Unees ool Juleis, they called out, and 
 shrieked, and the youth came out fleeing, and seeking es- 
 cape, and ran off in fear of the consequence of the thing he 
 had done*''^. Now when the lady heard the shrieks of the 
 two slave girls, she made haste, and came out of the baths, and 
 the moisture dripping from her, and said, ' What be these 
 shrieks in the house V And when she came near the two 
 girls whom she had seated at the door of the private chamber, 
 she said to them, * Shame on ye, what is the matter ?' So 
 when they saw her they both said, * Mistress, Noor ood deen 
 came to us, and beat us, and we fled from him ; then went he 
 in to Unees ool Juleis, and embraced her, and we know not 
 what he did after that : so when we screamed to you, he 
 fled.' Then proceeded the lady to Unees ool Juleis, and 
 said to her, ' What tidings ?' And she answered * Oh ! my 
 mistress, I was sitting, and lo ! a handsome youth came in to 
 me, and said to me, ' Art thou she whom my father bought 
 for me ?' And I answered ' Even so : Wullahy ! oh mis- 
 tress mine I imagined his words were true, and upon that he 
 came near me, and embraced me :' Then said the lady to 
 her, ' Spoke he to thee at all for else than that V She an- 
 swered, ' Yes, and he took three kisses of me.' Then quoth 
 the lady, * He left thee not save dishonored !' Then wept 
 she and smote her face, she, and the handmaidens in fear for 
 
 w w 2 
 
364 STORY OF THE TWO VUZEERS TO MUIIUMMUD BIN 
 
 Noor ood deen lest his father should sacrifice him. So mean- 
 while they were this wise, behold ! the vuzeer came in and 
 asked the news : then said to him his wife, * Swear to me 
 that whatso 1 tell you, you will attend to.' He answered, 
 » Even so.' So she repeated to him what his son had done : 
 then sorrowed he, and rent his garments, and smote his face, 
 and plucked his beard. Then said to him his wife, * Vex 
 not thy soul ; I will give thee of my own money ten thou- 
 sand deenars, even her price.' Now upon that he lifted his 
 liead to her, and said to her, ' Shame to thee, I have no need 
 of her purchase money, but my fear is lest both my life go, 
 and my money too.' And she answered him, ' Oli ! my 
 master, and how is that?' He replied, ' Know'st not tliat 
 behind us is this foe who is named Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa, 
 and so soon as he hears of this matter, will he proceed to the 
 sooltan.' "—And Shuhurzad perceived the morning dawn, 
 and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 She said — •' They relate oh ! mighty King, that the vuzeer 
 said to his wife, ' Know'st not that behind us is this foe, that 
 is called Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa, and so soon as he hears of this 
 matter, will he proceed to the sooltan, and say to him, ' Thy 
 minister whom thou did'st trust that he loved thee, has taken 
 of thee ten thousand deenars, and has bought with it a maiden 
 such as no one ever saw the like of. Now when she struck 
 him with admiration, he said to his son, ' Take her, thou'rt 
 more worthy of her than the sooltan.' So he took her, and 
 dishonored her, and now this very damsel is in his house.' 
 Then will the king say, ' Thou liest,' But he will reply to 
 the king, ' If thou desirest I will set upon him, and bring 
 her to thee.' Then will the king give him warranty for 
 that, and he will break into the house, and will take the dam- 
 sel, and will present her to the sooltan : Then will he ques- 
 tion her, and she will not be able to deny, and he mine enemy 
 
SULEIMAN OOZ ZEINEE, AND UNEES OOL JULEIS. 365 
 
 will say to him, ' Oh ! my master, I truly was faithful to 
 thee, but I found not favor with thee:' then will the king 
 make a public scorn of me, and the people will crowd to see, 
 and my life will be lost !' Now quoth his wife to him, ' Do 
 you let no one know, and this matter will be kept a secret, 
 and trust your case to the Ahnighty in this adventure :' So 
 upon that the vuzeer's heart was quieted, and this now was 
 what was in the matter of the vuzeer, but for what befel in the 
 case of his son Noor ood deen^Ullee, truly he dreaded the con- 
 sequence of that was done ; so he abode his day long in the 
 gardens, 1'* and came late at night to his mother, and slept 
 in her apartments, and arose before the dawn, and went to 
 the garden, and ceased not to do this for a month without 
 showing his face to his father. Then said his mother to liis 
 father, * Oh ! my lord, why should we keep the damsel, and 
 the boy apart ? for truly this matter is wearisome to me ; the 
 boy is severed from us.' He replied to her, * And how is 
 the matter to be managed?' She answered him, 'Watch 
 this night, and when he comes, hold him fast ; and you, and 
 he will make peace, and do you give him the damsel ; for 
 she loves him, and he loves her, and I will give you her 
 price.' So the vuzeer waited until night. Now when his 
 son came, he held him fast, and intended as 'twere his sacri- 
 fice ; then appeared his mother suddenly, ar.d said, ' What 
 meanest thou to do with him V And he answered her, ' I 
 will cut his throat I'l"^^ Then said the son to his father, 
 * Is it then so easy to thee ?' And his father twinkled his eyes 
 for the tears were in them, and said to him, ' Oh ! my son, 
 how easy was to thee the wasting of my fortune, and my 
 life ?' Then answered the youth, ' Hear oh ! my father, 
 what the poet hath said ; — 
 
 ' Forgive me, I have sinned : — The man that's vrise 
 
 Ne'er to the offending one his grace denies, 
 
 In full and perfect pardon : may't not be 
 
 Thy foe may sue, when peradventure he , 
 
 Lies i'the lowest abyss, whilst thou'rt of high degree ?' 
 
366 STORY OF THE TWO VUZEERS TO MUHUMMUD BIN 
 
 (So goes the tale.) Now upon that the vuzeer rose from off 
 the breast of his son, and said, * Oh ! my son, I have for- 
 given thee ; so set thy heart at rest.' And the youth rose 
 and kissed his father's hand : then said he, ' Oh my son, if 
 I were sure thou would'st act justly by Unees ool Juleis, I 
 would give her to thee.' Then answered he, ' Oh ! my father, 
 and how should I not treat her justly ?' He replied to him, 
 
 * I enjoin thee, oh ! my son, that thou do not marry anotlier 
 than her, and that thou take no other women to thee beside 
 her, and that thou do not sell her.'^'^ ^ And he said to him, 
 
 * Oh ! my father, I swear to thee, that verily I will not mar- 
 ry another, nor will I sell her.' So he swore to that, and 
 went within to the damsel. Now he abode with her a year, and 
 the Almighty made the king forget the matter of the maiden, 
 and for Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa, though the tiding reach- 
 ed him, yet could he not give him words because of the vu- 
 zeer's high station near the sooltan. So when the year was 
 gone, the vuzeer, Ul Fuzl Bin Khagan passed through the 
 baths and went forth, and he was sweating, and the air struck 
 him. ^ " '^ So that he took to his pillow, and the inability to 
 sleep was long upon him, and the sickness gained on him. 
 So upon that he called for his sf)n, Noor ood deen UUee ; 
 and he came. Then said he, ' Oh ! my son, know that the 
 lot is portioned, and the end inevitable : and there is no help 
 but that every soul must drink of the cup of death.' Then 
 truly began he to say extemporaneously ; — 
 
 * I am a corpse, 
 
 But He alone is great that dieth not, 
 And well I know 
 
 That I in very deed must surely die. 
 There's not a king, 
 
 That dies, and holds his kingdom in his hand, 
 For sovereignty 
 A kingdom is of him that dieth not.' 
 
 Then said he, ' Oh ! my son, I have no charge to leave thee, 
 save that thou put thy strength in God, and look to provision 
 
SULEIMAN OOZ ZEINEE, AND UNEES OOL JULEIS. 367 
 
 for the future, and trust in Unees ool Juleis.' And he re- 
 plied, « Oh ! my father, and who is like to thee, for thou hast 
 been renowned for well doing, and prayers offered for thee in 
 pulpits !' And he answered, ' Oh ! my son, may God Al- 
 mighty grant them acceptance !' Then spake he articulately 
 tlie two testimonies, ^ ^ ^ and was recorded among the peo- 
 ple of salvation. Now upon that the palace was filled with 
 shrieks, and the news reached the king, and the people of the 
 city heard of the death of Ul Fuzl Bin Khagan, and even the 
 children in its schools wept for him. So his son Noor ood 
 deen Ullee arose in haste, and made him ready, and the 
 princes were present, and the ministers, and lords ot dignity, 
 and the people of the city and there was as one present, at 
 the funeral the vuzeer Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa, and some one 
 among them began to chant as the bier went forth from the 
 house ; — 
 * On the fifth day^ ? » I parted from those I loved ; 
 And they washed me on a plank from out the door, 
 They stripped me of the clothes I erst was dressed in ; 
 And clad me in raiment was other than mine own, 
 And they bore me away on four men's necks ; 
 To a place of prayer, and some of the people prayed for me. 
 They prayed for me a prayer in it were no prostrations ; 
 They prayed for me even all those that were my friends. 
 And they accompanied me to a dwelling house was arched in ! 
 Let all mankind perish, yet will my door not open.' 
 Now they put the earth back over him, and the people re- 
 turned, and the friends of him that was gone ; Noor ood deen 
 also returned, and he was sobbing with much weeping, and 
 the mute tongues of his condition repeated these verses ; — 
 * On the fifth day at even tide „ ^, 
 
 Forth on their way they pressed : ^ ^ 
 
 They would soar hence I bade them go 
 They went, and are at rest. 
 But as they turned my soul went too, 
 Thus towards them did I yearn, 
 Return, I cried, but they replied, 
 Say where should we return ? 
 
368 STORY or noor ood deen ullee 
 
 There is no blood, there is no life, 
 
 Our mortal frame within. 
 
 There is nought left, but dry hard bones 
 
 That rattle in the skin. 
 
 Our eyes are blind, they cannot see, 
 
 Dimmed with the frequent tear ; 
 
 Our ears are dull and dead to sense, 
 
 They have no power to hear.' 
 (So goes the tale.) Now he prolonged his sorrowing for his 
 father a very long time, so meanwhile as he on a certain day- 
 was sitting in the house of his father, behold ! one knocking 
 at the door, and Noor ood deen Ullee rose in haste, and open- 
 ed the door. And behold ! a man, one of the intimates of his 
 father, and one of his companions, entered tlie house, and 
 kissed the hand of Noor ood deen, and said, * Oh ! my mas- 
 ter, he that has left your like, is not dead ; and this way 
 went also, the chief of men of old, and of men of latter 
 times ;i8o oh ! my master take license freely, and leave sor- 
 rowing.' So upon that Noor ood deen went quickly to the 
 hall that was used for sitting in, and moved into it whatso was 
 requisite for it to fit it out, and assembled to himself his friends, 
 and took again his handmaid, and got about him ten of the 
 sons of the merchants of Bussorah. Then truly did he eat 
 meat, and drink wine, and renewed party after party, and kept 
 still giving away, and being munificent. Now upon that came 
 to him his steward, and said to him, * Oh ! my master, Noor 
 ood deen, hast not heard what one said, one of them that are 
 wise, he who still expends, and doth not reckon, gets poor 
 and poor, and knows it not, and the poet saith ; — 
 
 * I look well to my money I keep it with care, 
 For in my mind my money's both buckler and brand, 
 On the worst of my foemen no largesse I spare. 
 And truck ill for good luck when I've not command. 
 I both eat it, and drink it, in pleasure and glee. 
 But my cash on no penniless varlet I spend. 
 And still keep my purse close 'gainst who e'er he may be 
 That, a niggard in grain, ne'er can prove a true friend, 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 369 
 
 To a beggarly wight what I love best to say, 
 
 Is ' one dirhem, — give me one, five to-morrow I'll pay' 
 
 Then he turns his face from me and sidles away, 
 
 While with true dog-like spirit I sturdily stay. 
 
 Oh, let men have attainments that shine like the sun 
 
 They're but poor abject fellows, if money they've none ! 
 
 Then quoth the steward, * Oh ! my master, this great expen- 
 diture, and these mighty gifts make away with the money/ 
 So when Noor ood deen Ullee heard these words from the 
 steward, he looked upon him, and said to him, * The whole 
 of that thou'st said will I not heed, not even a word of it, for 
 truly I have heard the poet that says ; — 
 
 * If it should ever chance this hand 
 Had store of money at command, 
 And give it not away ; 
 "Why I should never be secure, 
 That either hand or foot were sure 
 To prop me or to stay ! 
 Come ! bring to me the niggard wight 
 Hath by his paltry miser sleight 
 Won fortune to his side : 
 Or bring to me, and let me see. 
 The man of generous hand, and free, 
 That by his largesse died ! 
 
 And he said * Know, oh ! steward, that I desire, while there 
 is by you more than enough for my breakfast, that you load 
 me not with care for my supper.' So the steward turned from 
 him, and went his way ; and Noor ood deen Ullee betook 
 himself to pleasures living the best of lives, and enjoying 
 whatsoever life affords ; and every one that would say to him 
 of liis intimates, < This thing is beautiful ;' he would reply, 
 * It is a present to you.' And another would say, * Oli my 
 lord, such a house is very fair ;' he would answer, < It is a 
 present to you ;' And Noor ood deen ceased not making for 
 them a party in the early day, and late in the day a party too, 
 until he wasted out a year in this way. And after the year 
 
 XX 
 
370 STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN ITLLEE 
 
 was over, meanwhile as he was sitting, behold ! the damsel 
 Unees ool Juleis broke out, extemporaneously ;— 
 
 ' You reckoned still on good, while days were prosperous, 
 And dreaded not the coming ills of fate, 
 • The nights were fair with thee, and this deceived thee, 
 
 But the fog will come in the clear of night.* 
 
 So when she ceased repeating her verse lo ! one knocked at 
 the gate ; then Noor ood deen arose, and one of those sitting 
 in company, followed without his perceiving him. So when 
 he opened the gate, he found his steward, and Noor ood deen 
 Ullee said to him, * What tidings V And he replied, * Oh ! 
 my master, tliat which I was dreading for you hath befallen !' 
 So quoth he, ' And how's that V He answered, * Know 
 that there remains not in my hands a thing, save one dirhem, 
 and neither more, nor yet less ; and these account books are 
 here produced with the expenditure which 1 have disbursed, 
 and registers of your original property.' Now when Noor 
 ood deen Ullee heard these words, he hung down his head to 
 the ground, and said, * There is neither power, nor strengtli 
 save in God !' So when the man who had followed him 
 secretly went forth to draw out of him what tiie steward told 
 iiim, he returned to his friends, and said to them, ' Look to 
 how you act, for truly Noor ood deen Ullee is without a far- 
 thing.' So when Noor ood deen Ullee returned to them, 
 vexation appeared plain to them on his face ; and upon that, 
 one of the intimates rose suddenly on his feet, and looked to 
 Noor ood deen Ullee, and said to him, « Oh ! my lord, per- 
 haps you will give me permission to retire V And Noor ood 
 deen Ullee answered him, ' And wherefore this retirement to- 
 day V So said he, * Truly my wife is in childbirth, and it 
 is out of my power to be away from her, and I wish much to 
 go to her, and see her ;' And he gave permission. Then 
 rose another quickly, and said to him, * Oh ! my lord Noor 
 ood deen, I want to-day to be present at my brother's, for in- 
 deed he is to circumcise his son :'i ^^ And every one began 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 371 
 
 disking for permission to go on some pretence, and was going 
 on his way until they had departed every one of them, and 
 Noor ood deen UUee remained alone. Now upon that he 
 called his slave girl, and said to her, * Oh ! Unees oolJuleis, 
 do you not see what deserved punishment is mine V And he 
 related to her what the steward said to him. Then said she, 
 » Oh ! my lord, many nights ago was I anxious to speak with 
 you to this intent, but I heard you break out repeating ; — 
 
 ' When fortune's goods be rife with you, then squander 
 At large upon mankind, ere they slip from you. 
 Not lavish gifts will use them, while she's with you, 
 Nor avarice when she turns off, retain them.' 
 
 So when I heard you break out in these verses I lield my 
 peace, and interchanged no words with yftu.* Tlien said to 
 her Noor ood deen UUee, * Oh ! Unees ool Juleis, you 
 well know that I gave not away my wealth save to my friends, 
 and they have left me without any thing, and I think of them 
 that they will not abandon me without aid, and consolation.' 
 And Unees ool Juleis replied to him, ' Wullahy ! they will 
 not profit you with aught of aid.' So quoth Noor ood deen, 
 * Now within this very hour will I arise, and go to tliem, and 
 knock at their doors ; it may be I shall get some thing from 
 them; then will I take my capital in my hand, and trade with 
 it and leave pastime and amusement.' Then indeed he rose 
 quickly at once, and at the very moment, and gave not over 
 faring on till he reached the lane in which his ten friends lived, 
 for they were all of them inhabitants of tliat lane. So he 
 went up to the first door, and knocked at it, and there came 
 out to him a handmaid, and said to him, « Who art thou?* 
 And he answered her, ' Say to thy master, Noor ood deen 
 Ullee is standing at the door, and says to thee, thy slave 
 would kiss thy hand, and is looking for thy good will towards 
 him.' So the handmaid went in to her master, and he called 
 impatiently to her, and said, ' Go back and tell him, ' He is 
 not here :' And the damsel went back to Noor ood deen, and 
 
 X X 2 
 
372 STORY 01- NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE 
 
 said to him * Oh ! Sir, truly my master is not here.' So Noor 
 cod Deen turned his face away, and said in his soul, * If he 
 is, he's a bastard, and he has denied himself to me; but the 
 next to him he indeed is no bastard.' So he stepped up to the 
 second door, and said as he said at first, and this other denied 
 himself to him : and upon that he broke out ; — 
 
 * Those men are gone who when before their gate — 
 You stood would, kindly souls, send you out rashers, 
 And savoury meat.' 
 
 So when he ceased repeating his verse, he said, * WuUahy ! 
 there is no help, but that I make trial of them all, for per- 
 chance theie may be one among them may stand me in the 
 stead of all the rest.' So he went round the ten, and there 
 was not among them one would even open the door nor 
 show himself to him, nor even break a mealcake in his face, 
 and he broke out repeating ; — 
 
 ' Man in his prosperous days is like a tree, 
 Round which men stand while fruit thereon there be, 
 Until, its bearing o'er, away they hie, 
 And leave it in sand and sludge to wither dry ; 
 Foul fate the sons of this world, each and all. 
 For there's in ten not one you true can call !* 
 
 Then indeed returned he to the damsel, and his affliction had 
 increased ; so she said to him * Oh ! my lord, said I not to 
 you that they would not profit you with aught of advantage V 
 and he replied, ' WuUahy I there was not one of them, that 
 showed his face to me, nor one that recognised me !' And she 
 replied, ' Oh ! my lord, sell some of the chattels of the 
 house, and its furniture, until the Almighty aid thee and ex- 
 pend them one by one.' So he sold until he sold the whole 
 of that was in the house, and there remained not aught by 
 him. Upon that he looked to Unees ool Juleis, and said to 
 her, ' What shall we do now ?' And she replied, ' Oh ! my 
 lord, it is my opinion that you should arise forthwith, and go 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 373 
 
 down with me to the market, and sell me, and you well know 
 that your father purchased me for ten thousand deenars, and 
 please God, he may afford you near the same price, and when 
 it be God's will to bring us again together then shall we be 
 united.' Then said he to her ' Oh ! Unees ool Juleis, 
 Wullahy ! it is no easy thing to be separated from you for but 
 one single hour !' And she answered him, ' Oh ! my lord, 
 nor to me neither, save for the dictates of necessity, as says 
 the poet ; — 
 
 * Necessity in actions oft compels one 
 
 To ways propriety could ne'er think decent ; 
 No man can bring himself to try the means , 
 Save for the thing that's sanctioned by the motive.' 
 
 So upon that he arose quickly, and took Unees ool Ju- 
 leis, and the tears were coursing down his cheek like rain. 
 Then burst he out extemporaneously with the tongues of the 
 occasion, and spoke a verse ; — 
 
 * Stay, grant me but one look before we part, 
 And though 'tis like to burst, I'll nerve my heart 
 This trial to sustain : 
 
 But yet if this should make you feel distress, 
 Leave me to perish here of love's excess, 
 Rather than give you pain.' 
 
 Then went he down with her to the market, and entrusted 
 her to the broker, and said to him, ' Oh ! Haju Hussun, de- 
 clare the amount which you will proclaim as her price.' Then 
 quoth the broker, ' Oh ! my master, Noor ood deen, the 
 prices of all I've sold afore are remembered :' And then 
 said, ' Is not this Unees ool Juleis whom your father pur- 
 chased of me for ten thousand deenars ?' He answered, 
 * Even so.' So upon that the broker went up to the mer- 
 chants, and found that they had not assembled all of them ; so 
 he waited until the whole of the merchants were got together, 
 and the market was crammed with all slave girls of all nations, 
 i^^Toorks, and Franks, and Circassians, and Abyssinians, 
 
374 STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN TLLEE 
 
 and Nubians, and Tukroorles, and girls of Turkey, and 
 Tartarians, and Georgians, and others else than these. So 
 when the broker saw that the market was crammed, he came 
 forward, and stood upright, and said, ' Oh ! ye merchants, 
 oh ! you men of money, every thing that is round is not a 
 walnut, nor is every thing long a plantain, nor is every red 
 thing flesh, nor every white thing fat ! oh ! ye merchants I 
 have by me this costly pearl that hath no price ! how much 
 shall I say for her V And one of the traders said, ' Call her 
 at four thousand five hundred deenars.' So the crier opened the 
 business of her sale at four thousand and five hundred deenars ; 
 and he was saying these words, when lo ! the vuzeer Ul Mu- 
 'een Bin Sawa was passing through the market, and he saw 
 Noor ood deen UUee standing at the side of the market. Then 
 said he in his soul, ' What is the son of Khagan about stand- 
 ing here ? remains there aught with this gallows' bird to buy 
 slave girls with V Then looked he on with his own eyes, 
 and heard the crier, and he standing calling out in the market, 
 and the merchants around him. Then said the vuzeer in his 
 soul, * I cannot suppose, but that he is without a farthing, 
 and that he is come down with the girl Unees ool Juleis to 
 sell her.' Then said he to himself, * Oh ! how cool and 
 grateful is she to my heart !' Then called he to the crier, and 
 he came forward, and kissed the earth before him :-then said 
 the vuzeer, ' I want this slave girl whom you are calling out 
 for sale ; and I will allow of no opposition to my bidding.' 
 And he answered liim, ' Oh ! my lord, in God's name so be 
 it.' Then the damsel stepped forward, and he showed her to 
 him, and she struck him with admiration: so said he, ' Oh ! 
 Hussun, how much have you on tliis girl ?' And he replied, 
 * Four thousand, and five hundred deenars to open the matter.' 
 Quoth Ul Mu'een, ' Four thousand and five hundred is my 
 bid.' Now when the merchants heard that, not one of them 
 dared bid a dirhem more, but they held ofif, for that they well 
 knew the oppression of the vuzeer. So Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 375 
 
 looked to the broker, and said to him, ' What halt ye for ? 
 get on, and point me out as buyer for four thousand deenars, 
 and you shall have five hundred for yourself.' Then stepped 
 the broker up to Noor ood deen, and said to him, » Oh ! my 
 master, your slave is going from you for nothing.* And he 
 replied, ' And how so?' He said to him, * We opened the 
 business of her sale at four thousand five hundred deenars ; then 
 came this tyrant Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa, and passed through 
 the market ; so when he looked upon the damsel she struck 
 him with admiration, and he said, ' Call me the buyer at four 
 thousand deenars, and take five hundred for yourself,' and I 
 cannot but suppose that he knows the damsel is your's, and 
 if he would give you within this hour her price it were all 
 well ; but I am aware of his tyranny. Now truly he will 
 write you an order charged upon some of his collectors, and 
 tlien send one after you to tell them to advance nothing 
 upon it: so every time you go in quest of the money from 
 them they will say, ' We'll give it you directly,' and will 
 manage this way with you day after day, and you too of 
 proud spirit : and when they are wearied with your constant 
 quest of them, they'll say, * Let us see the order,' And when 
 they have taken it from you, they will tear it, and the price of 
 the girl will go from you.' So when Noor ood deen heard 
 these words of the broker, he looked at liim,'and said, * And 
 how shall this matter be managed ?' He answered, ' I'll 
 show you good counsel, and if you agree with me it will give 
 you complete satisfaction :' Quoth he, ' And what is it ? 
 He answered, ' Come you this instant near me, and I standing 
 in the midst of the market, and take the girl o,ut of my hands, 
 and slap her, and say to her, « Thou harlot, I have acquitted 
 me of the oath I swore, and come down with thee to the 
 market like as I swore to thee, for there was no help, but 
 that I brought thee out to the market, and the outcry of the 
 broker be made on thee 1' Now if you do that it is most pro- 
 bably that you will pass off the trick upon him, and the people, 
 
376 STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULEE 
 
 and that they will imagine that you came not down with 
 her to the market save for the acquittal of an oath.' So he 
 replied, ' This is indeed good counsel.* Then the broker 
 parted from him, and went into the midst of the market, and 
 held fast the damsel's hand, and made a sign to the vuzeer 
 Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa, and said, ' Oh ! my lord, this owner 
 of her's has come forward.' Then came Noor ood deen 
 UUee to the broker, and snatched the girl from his hand, and 
 slapped her, and said to her, ' Shame on thee, thou harlot! 
 I have come down to the market with thee to acquit me of 
 my oath ; and get thee home, and be not in thy wont of 
 thwarting me, shame on thee ! am I in want of your price 
 that I should sell you ! I — were I to sell the furniture of my 
 house it would come to the amount of your price many times 
 over!' Now when Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa saw Noor ood 
 deen, he said to him, ' Fie on thee, what is there any thing 
 left you to sell or to buy V Then Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa endea- 
 voured to take her from him by violence. So upon that the 
 merchants looked to Noor ood deen, and they all of them 
 loved him, and he said to them, * Here am I before ye, 
 and ye know his tyranny.' Then cried the vuzeer, ' Wul- 
 lahy ? if it were not for you I would surely kill liim.' So they 
 made signs all of them to Noor ood deen with the eye of signifi- 
 cance, that he should get away from him, and said, * There is 
 not one among us that will come in between you, and him.' 
 So upon that Noor ood deen went up to the vuzeer Bin Sawa, 
 and Noor ood Deen was bold, and active, and he dragged the 
 vuzeer from off his saddle, and threw him on the ground ; and 
 there was there a trampled plotch of mud, and the vuzeer fell 
 into the midst of it, and he kept slapping him, and thumping 
 him, and a blow fell full on the vuzeer's teeth, and his beard 
 was dyed with blood. Now there were with the vuzeer ten 
 armed slaves ; so when they saw their master treated after 
 this fashion, they laid their hands upon the hilts of their 
 swords, and made as if to bare their blades, and make assault 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 377 
 
 upon Noor ood deen to cut him down ; and lo ! the people 
 said to the slaves, ' This is a vuzeer, and this the son of a 
 vuzeer, and it is probable they will make it up some other 
 time ; then will you become out of favor with each one of 
 them, and it is likely that if a blow touch him, you will be 
 punished all of you with the worst of deaths ; so it is our opi- 
 nion that you should not go in between them.' ' Now when 
 Noor ood Deen Ullee had done beating the vuzeer, he took 
 his handmaid, and went to his house ; but for the vuzeer he 
 went off at once, and his silken raiment was of three colors, 
 as besides its original hue it was black with mud, and red with 
 blood. Now when he saw himself in this state, he took^^^ a 
 cloth spotted with blood, and put it upon his neck, and took in 
 his hand two knots of it behind him, and went on till he stood 
 below the place in which was the sooltan, and he shouted, ' Oh ! 
 king of the age, a man aggrieved, I am a man aggrieved !' So 
 they presented him before the king and he looked steadfastly 
 at him, and behold the chief vuzeer came to him, and said, 
 * Oh ! vuzeer who did this deed by thee V So he wept, and 
 sobbed, and burst out repeating ; — 
 
 * The world had sore oppressed me, but thou art in it ; 
 Wolves would devour me, but thou art a strong lion j 
 Each thirsty soul drinks freely at thy fountain, 
 I thirst for thy fresh showers, and thou art rain.' 
 
 Then said he, ' Oh ! my lord, every one that loves, and serves 
 thee, the like will come to pass to him !' The sooltan said to 
 him, ' Be quick with thee, and tell me how this came to pass, 
 and who did this deed by thee, even thou that receivest honor 
 of my honor.' And the vuzeer answered, ' Know, oh ! my 
 lord, that I went forth to-day to the market for slave girls that 
 I might buy me a girl, a cookmaid : then saw I in the market a 
 damsel than whom I never saw so fair a one her like, my life 
 long, and I meant to purchase her for our lord the sooltan, 
 so I questioned the broker of her, and of her master ; then an- 
 swered the broker, ' She indeed belongs to a son of Ul Fuzl 
 
 Y Y 
 
378 STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE 
 
 Bill Khagan, for our lord the sooltan gave some time ago to his 
 father ten thousand deenars to buy a fair damsel with it, so he 
 purchased that maiden, and she struck him with admiration ; so 
 that he grudged her to our lord the sooltan, and gave her to his 
 son. Now when his father died, the son sold the whole of that 
 he had, possessions, and gardens, and country seats, until he 
 was without a farthing : then came he down to the market with 
 the damsel, that he might sell her, and made her over to the 
 broker ; so he called her at outcry, and the merchants bid 
 higher, and higher on her, till her price reached four thousand 
 deenars. Then said I in my mind, « I will purchase this 
 damsel for our lord the sooltan, for indeed her price at the 
 first was taken from him.' Then said I, * Oh ! my son, 
 take her price of me even four thousand deenars :' So when 
 he heard my words he looked at me, and said, ' Oh ! thou 
 ill-omened old man, I will sell her to the Jew, and to the Na- 
 zarene, and I will not sell her to thee.' Then said I, ' I do 
 not purchase her for mine own self, for surely I buy her for 
 our lord the sooltan, he that is our chief of grace.' Now 
 "when he heard these my words he became furious, and drag- 
 ged me, and cast me down from my horse, and I a very old 
 man, and smote me with his hands, and tJiumped me until he 
 left me even as thou see'st, and for me surely all this 
 would not have befallen me, but that I went to buy 
 this damsel for thee !' So then the vuzeer cast himself 
 upon the ground, and began to weep, and to shiver; so 
 when the sooltan saw the state he was in, and heard his say- 
 ing, the sweat of rage stood between his eyes. Then turn- 
 ed he to the lords of dignity, and lo ! there were forty men, 
 smiters, skilled to use the sword, standing before him. Then 
 said the sooltan to them, * Go down fortliwith to the house 
 of Ullee son of Khagan, and spoil it, and lay it waste, and 
 bring to me him, and the damsel bound, and drag them 
 along on their faces, and bring them before me.' And they 
 replied, < To hear is to obey.' So they put on suits of armour. 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 379 
 
 and went down, and went along the way to the house of Noor 
 ood deen. Now there was near the king a chamberlain, 
 who was called, Ilm ood deen Sanjur, and he was at first 
 among the armed slaves of Ul Fiizl Bin Khagan, father of 
 Noor ood deen ; then was his rank promoted, until the sooltan 
 made him a chamberlain about him. Now when he heard 
 the mandate of the sooltan, and saw the enemies make them 
 ready to slay the son of his master, it seemed no light matter 
 to him : so he disappeared from before the sooltan, and 
 mounted his horse, and went on until he came to the house of 
 Nood ood deen UUee. Then knocked he at the door, and 
 Noor ood deen came out to him, and when he saw him he 
 knew him : so he said, ' Oh ! my master, this is not the time 
 for greeting, nor for words : listen to what the poet saith' ; — 
 
 * Fly, fly with thy life, if by ill overtaken ! 
 Let thy house speak thy death by its builder forsaken 1 
 For a land else than this land thou may'st reach my brother. 
 But thy life lost thou'lt ne'er find in this world another. 
 How I who'd live with the roof of his wretchedness o'er him, 
 And the great earth of God broad outspreading before him ? 
 When the theme's life and death, to no agent confide it. 
 For life cares for itself, as none else does beside it. 
 Ne'er could prowl the grown lion with mane roughly sweepittg. 
 Did he trust in his need save himself for safe keeping/ 
 
 Then said Noor ood deen, 'Oh! Ilm ood deen what tid- 
 ing V And he replied, ' Rise quickly and fly for thy life, 
 thou, and the damsel ; for truly Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa hath set 
 time as an enemy against your two associates, and so sure as 
 you fall with his hand will he slay you, and the sooltan hath 
 sent against you forty men, smiters with the sword, and my 
 opinion is that you should flee before harm can hurt you.' 
 Then Sunjur stretched forth his hand to his purse, and found 
 in it forty deenars, and he took them, and gave them to Noor 
 ood deen and said to him, ' Oh ! my master, take this, and 
 travel forth with it, and if there were aught more with me 
 
 Y y2 
 
380 STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE 
 
 than that surely would I have given it also to you, but this is 
 not the time to take exceptions.' So upon that Noor ood deen 
 went in to the damsel, and informed her of that, and her 
 hands fell powerless. Then went they two forth on the in- 
 stant to the outside of the city, and the Ahnighty spread over 
 them his mantle of protection, and they two went in to the 
 shore of the sea ; and they found a vessel just ready for the 
 voyage, and the captain standing in the midst of the vessel 
 saying, ' Whoso has yet anything wanting in this provision 
 for the voyage, or whoso would take leave of his people, or 
 whoso has forgotten any needful tiling, let him bring it, for we 
 are setting ourselves to go :' Then all of them replied, * There 
 is notliing left to be done by us, oh ! captain/ So upon that 
 the .captain said to his crew, ' Hallo ! let go, and haul up the 
 anchors !' Then said Noor ood deen Ullee, < Whither goest 
 thou, oh ! captain V And he answered, * To the house of 
 the true faith, Bughdad.' " — And Shuhurzad perceived the 
 morning liglit and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 She said " They relate oh ! mighty King, tliat the captain 
 when he said to Noor ood deen Ullee, * To the house of the 
 true faith, the city Bughdad.' Then went up Noor ood deen 
 Ullee and the damsel went up with him, and they floated free, 
 and they let fall the sails, and the vessel went forth as though 
 she were a bird with her wings ; as said of her one of them, 
 and right fairly ; — 
 
 * Watch some tail ship, — thine eye she'll captivate, 
 The breeze outstripping in her headlong rate ; 
 As if a bird, with pinions spreadhig free, 
 Had left the sky to settle on the sea !' 
 
 So the vessel sailed on with them and the wind was fair for 
 them. This was what came to pass to these, but for what 
 came to pass to the armed slaves, surely they went to the 
 house of Noor ood deen Ullee, and brake the doors, and 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 381 
 
 entered, and went round all the places, but they fell in with no 
 tidings of them, and they ruined the house, and returned, and 
 informed the sooltan. Then said the sooltan, ' Search for 
 them in whatsoever place they two may be.' And they an- 
 swered, ' To hear is to obey.' Now the vuzeer Mu'een Bin 
 Sawa went down to his house, and the sooltan had bestowed a 
 dress of honor on him, and set his heart at rest, and the sool- 
 tan said to him, « None shall take retaliation for you, save I.' 
 And he prayed for him long life and stability. Tlien the sool- 
 tan gave order that one should cry in the city, * Oh ! con- 
 gregation of men, each and all, our lord the sooltan hath 
 given order that whoso discovereth Noor ood deen Ullee Bin 
 Khagan, and comes with him to the Sooltan, he will invest 
 him with a dress of honor, and give him a thousand deenars ; 
 and whoso conceals him, or knows his place of biding, and 
 gives not tidmgs of it, he truly will have well deserved whatso- 
 ever chastisement shall come to pass upon him.' Then began 
 all to search for Noor ood deen Ullee, and there was found no 
 trace of him, nor tidings. This now was what was in the 
 matter of these folk, but for what befel in the matter of Noor 
 ood deen, and his handmaid, of a surety they arrived in 
 safety at Baghdad. Then said the captain, ' This is Bugh- 
 dtid, and she is a city of refuge : winter hath turned from her 
 with his frosts, and the spring season hath come to her with 
 her roses, and her trees are blowing, and her streams be 
 flowing.' So upon that Noor ood deen, and his handmaid 
 went up from the vessel, and gave the captain five deenars, 
 and these two went up from the ship, and went on a little. 
 Now the decrees of fate threw them among the gardens ; so 
 they came to a place, and found it swept, and watered, with 
 raised terraced seats reaching a long way, and water-pots 
 hung up filled with water, ^^^ and an arched roof of reeds 
 over it all along the alley and at the upper end of the alley a 
 garden gate, save indeed that it was locked. Then quoth Noor 
 ood deen to the damsel, * VVuUahy ! this place is a fair one.' 
 
382 STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE 
 
 And she replied, « Oh ! my master, sit with me a while on 
 these raised seats to take breath.' So they went up, and 
 sat both upon the terraced seat, and then washed their faces, 
 and their hands, and the air struck coolly on them ; so they 
 went to sleep, mighty is He that sleepeth not ! Now this gar- 
 den was named the Garden of Delight, and in it was a 
 palace, that was called the Palace of Pleasure, and of the 
 Pictures, and it belonged to the Khuleef Haroon orr Rusheed, 
 and the khuleef was wont when his breast was narrowed with 
 care to come to this garden, and the palace, and sit in it. 
 Now there were fifty latticed windows to the palace, and fifty 
 lamps burning in it, and in tlie midst a candlestick of gold. 
 So when the khuleef used to enter it he would order the hand- 
 maids to open the latticed windows, and bid Ishag Bin Ibra- 
 heem, the jester, and the damsels to sing : then would his 
 breast be opened, and his grief allayed. Now there was a 
 keeper for the garden, a very old man, that was called Shekli 
 Ibraheem ; and it so was that when he went out to acquit 
 himself of any business that he would find on returning fel- 
 lows come on pleasure parties, and loose women with them 
 there ; then would he be angered with exceedmg rage ! so 
 Shekh Ibraheem took patience until on a certain day the 
 khuleef came to his garden, and then he told him that; then 
 said the khuleef ' Whomsoever thou surprisest at the gate of 
 the garden I will deal with him as thou wishest.' Now when 
 it was that day of which the tale tells Sheikh Ibraheem the 
 keeper, went forth to perform some necessary business, 
 which occurred to him, then found he the two sleeping at the 
 gate of the garden enveloped both in one wrapper. Then 
 said he, * Wullahy ! good ! these do not know that the khuleef 
 has given me an order and a mandate ! * whomsoever thou 
 meetest here put him to death ;' but now will I smite these two 
 a wicked blow, so that no one shall henceforth approach the 
 gate of .the garden.' So he cut a green sapling, and went 
 out close to him, and lifted his hand till the white of his arm- 
 
AND THE DAMSEL IJNEES OOL JULEIS. 383 
 
 pit appeared, and intended to smite them : then reflected he 
 in his soul, and said, < Ah ! Ibraheem, how wonld'st thou 
 sinite them, and that without knowing their condition ? for 
 these two may have been strangers, or of the sons of the road, 
 wayfarers, and the decrees of fate may have cast them here ; 
 let's uncover their faces and look upon them,' So he lifted 
 the wrapper from their faces and said, ' These two be hand- 
 some ; it does not seem proper to smite them.' So he cover- 
 ed their faces, and went up to the foot of Noor ood deen 
 Ullee, and began to press it. Then opened he his eyes, and 
 found at his feet a very old man of grave, and reverent appear- 
 ance. Now Noor ood deen was ashamed, and drew in his feet, 
 and sat up on the alert, and took the old man's hand, and kissed 
 it. Then said the old man to him ' Oh ! my son, whence 
 art thou V And he replied, * Oh ! my master, we be stran- 
 gers.' And the tears startled from his eyes. Then said 
 Sheikh Ibraheem ' Oh ! my son, know that the Prophet, on 
 him God's blessing, and peace, enjoined the treating strangers 
 kindly.' Then said he to him, * Oh ! my bon, wilt not use, 
 and pass through the garden, and take thine ease in it, and 
 relieve thy breast of care ?' And Noor ood deen replied, 
 <0h! my master, whose is this garden?' He answered, 
 ♦ My son, this garden I inherited from my people.' And 
 Sheikh Ibraheem had no object in these words save that these 
 two should be at ease, and walk through the garden. Now 
 when Noor ood deen heard these words, he thanked him 
 and arose both he and the damsel, and Sheikh Ibraheem went 
 before them ; then entered they tlie garden, and lo ! it was in- 
 deed a garden, and what a garden ! It was arched over as it were 
 a portico ; in it were vines, and its grapes opposed in color, 
 tlie red as it were a ruby, and the black as it were ebony ; then 
 entered they beneath a trelliced bower, and found in it fruits 
 cultivated, and uncultivated, and the birds upon the bough 
 singing in melodious tones, and the tliousand noted nightingale 
 reiterating the various modes of song, and the turtle dove 
 
284 STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE 
 
 liad filled the place with her voice, and the greckle in its utter- 
 ance as it were a human being, and the ringdove as if one 
 drinking, intoxicated with wine. The trees had given in per- 
 fection, produce of all edible sorts, and of all kinds of fruits 
 in pairs ; the apricot partaking of the camphor tree, and the 
 almond, and the plumb of Khorassan ; and the red plumb as 
 it were the colour of the fan-, and the cherry that humbles 
 the brilliancy of gold, and the fig that parts its red and its 
 white, making two colors ; and the birds as 'twere pearl, and 
 coral, and the rose that opens with its redness like the cheeks 
 of the lovely ones ; and the violet as 'twere a sulphur match 
 to which fire is applied at night, and the myrtle, and the gilli- 
 flower, and the peony with the anemonies, and these leaflets 
 were gleaming with the copious weepings of the clouds, 
 and the white teeth of the camomile laughed gaily, and 
 the narcissus kept gazing on the rose with its black eyes, 
 and the oranges as 'twere round goblets, and the lemon-like 
 rounded balls of gold. The earth was carpeted with flowers 
 of all colors, and the spring advanced, and brightened this 
 place with its gladness ; the stream in murmuring ripple, 
 and the bird confusedly warbling, and the wind with rust- 
 ling gush tempering the world to quiet. Then Sheikh Ibra- 
 heem entered with them the mansion attached to it, and 
 they looked upon the beauty of that mansion, and those lamps 
 above-mentioned which were in those latticed windows, and 
 Noor ood deen remembered him of his parties which were 
 past, and gone, so he said, ' Wullahy ! surely this place is a 
 fair place.' Now the two sat down and Sheikh Ibraheem set 
 before them food, and they ate till they were satisfied, and 
 washed their hands : then went up Noor ood deen to one of 
 those latticed windows, and called eagerly to his handmaid. 
 So she came to him, and they set to gaze upon the trees on 
 which all sorts of fruit were loaded. Then turned Noor ood 
 deen to Sheikh Ibraheem and said to him, * Oh ! Sheikh Ibra- 
 heem, hast thou not by thee any thing to drink, for that people 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 385 
 
 are wont to drink after they have eaten V So Sheikh Ibraheem 
 brought him water sweet, cool, pleasant to drink ; but he 
 said, ' Oh ! Sheikh Ibraheem, this is not the drink I wanted/ 
 And he replied, ' Perchance thou wishest wine V So Noor 
 cod deen answered, ' Even so.' Then said he, < I seek re- 
 fuge from it with God ! verily there be thirteen years I have 
 not done that, for that the Prophet, on him be God's blessing 
 and peace, curseth the drinker of it, and the presser of it, and 
 the seller of it, and him to whom 'tis sold.' So quoth Noor 
 cod deen, ' Hear two words of me.' And he answered him, 
 « Say on.' And he said, ' This cursed ass there, ^^ ^ if he 
 were cursed, would he make you partaker in his curse 
 at all ?' He answered, ' Nay.' Quoth he * Take this deenar, 
 and these two dirhems, and mount that ass that stands there 
 a far of!', and whomsoever you may find buying wine, call 
 to him, and say to him, * Take these two dirhems for your- 
 self, and buy me with this deenar some wine, and load it 
 upon the ass :' Now you will not be he that loads it, neither he 
 that buys it, and you will have no concern with it at all.' 
 Then said Sheikh Ibraheem, when he had laughed at his 
 speech. * Wullahy ! oh ! my son, I never saw one readier 
 witted than tliou, nor aught more taking than thy words.' 
 So then Sheikh Ibraheem did even as Noor ood deen told him. 
 Now Noor ood deen thanked him for it and said to him, 
 * We two have become dependant on you, and you have 
 shown naught but the wish to oblige ; so bring us here what 
 we stand in need of.' Then said Sheikh Ibraheem ' Oh ! 
 my son, this is my strong room before thee, and it is the 
 closet for the plate prepared for the Lord of the Faithful ; 
 so go in, and take of them what thou wiliest, for there is in 
 it over and above what thou dost want,' So Noor ood deen 
 entered the closet, and saw in it vessels of gold, and of silver, 
 and crystal set with all sorts of jewels : and he took them out, 
 and arranged them, and poured the wine into the flaggons, 
 and crystal ewers, and was pleased at what he saw, and greatly 
 
 z z 
 
38t> STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE 
 
 surprised ; and Sheikh Ibraheem came to them with fruity 
 and perfumes. Then went off the old man, and sat at a dis- 
 tance from them, and they both drank, and were merry, and the 
 wine got the mastery of them, and their cheeks became red, 
 and their eyes spoke the language of love, and their locks 
 flowed wavingly, and their complexions altered. TJien said 
 Sheikh Ibraheem to himself, ' What ails me that I sit so 
 far from them, and what ails me that I should not sit near 
 them, and what a moment is it that brings into my presence 
 the like of these two, that are as 'twere two moons !' So 
 then Sheikh Ibraheem stepped forward, and sat at the edge 
 of the raised seat, and Noor ood deen said to him, ' Oh I 
 my master, by my life, come on nearer us.' And Sheikh 
 Ibraheem came forward close to them. Then Noor ood deea 
 filled a goblet, and looked to Sheikh Ibraheem, and -said to 
 him, * Drink that you may try what is its flavour.' But Sheilc 
 Ibraheem replied, ' I seek refuge from it with God ! verily 
 there be thirteen years I have not done a thing of that kind.' 
 So Noor ood deen feigned to forget he was there and drank 
 ofl" the cup, and threw himself on the ground, and showed 
 as if intoxication had overcome him. Now upon that Unees 
 ool Juleis looked upon him, and said, * Oh I Sheikh Ibra- 
 heem, look upon this fellow how he treats me !' And he an- 
 swered, ' Oh ! lady, what ails him V She replied, ' Regu- 
 larly does he treat me after this fashion ! he drinks awhile, 
 and goes to sleep, and I remain alone, there meets me no 
 social friend to bear me company in my cup, nor one to whom 
 I may sing when he drinks his cup. Then quoth to her 
 Sheikh Ibraheem, and his very limbs relaxed, and his soul was 
 melted at her words, such as she spoke then, and said he, 
 « Wullahy ! this is not right !' So then the damsel filled a 
 eup, and looked to Sheikh Ibraheem, and said to him, ' By my 
 life there is no help, but that you take it, and drink it, and do 
 not push it back, but repair my broken heart !' So Sheikh 
 Ibraheem stretched forth his hand, and took the cup, and 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 387 
 
 -drank it, and she filled it for him a second time, and held it to 
 the light, and said to him, * Oh ! master mine, you have this 
 yet.' But he replied, ' Wullahy ! 1 have no power to drink 
 it; that suffices me that I have drunken,' And she rejoined, 
 ■* Wullahy ! there is no help for it.' 80 he took the cup and 
 <]rank it off ; then gave she him the third, and he took it, and 
 just meant to drink it, and lo ! Noor ood deen turned quickly 
 and sat upright.' " — And Shuhurzad perceived the morning 
 dawn, and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty King, that Noor ood deen 
 UUee arose, and sat upright, and said, ' Oh Sheikh Ibraheem, 
 liow's this ? was not I pressing you for an hour, and you re- 
 fused, and said ' what I ! there be thirteen years I have not 
 done it ! !' Then said Sheikh Ibraheem, and lie was abashed, 
 * Wullahy ! 'tis no fault of mine, but she spoke to me.' So 
 Noor ood deen laughed, and they sat down to keep him com- 
 pany. Now the damsel turned round, and said to her master^ 
 as a secret between them, ' Oh ! my master, drink, and do 
 not urge Sheikh Ibraheem that I may amuse you with him.' 
 So the damsel kept filling, and giving her master to drink, and 
 her master kept lilling, and giving her to drink, and they ceas- 
 ed not to do this wise time after time. Now Sheikh Ibraheem 
 looked upon them, and said to them, ' What sort of society is 
 this, a cuTse on whomsoever is boon-fellow in it ! in sending the 
 Clip round will no one give me a drink ? What state of things 
 is this, good fellow V So they two laughed at his words, until 
 they were fain to fall upon their backs ; then drank they, and 
 gave him to drink, and ceased not this their fellowship until 
 the third of the night was gone. Now upon that said the 
 damsel, ' Oh ! Sheikh Ibraheem, if you allow it, may I rise, 
 and light a candle, one of these candles that be set here ?' And 
 he replied, ' Arise, but do not light save one single candle.' 
 Then rose she quickly on her feet, and began with the first 
 
 z z 3 
 
388 Story of noor odd deen ullee 
 
 candle until she had lighted the fifty candles ! Tlien sat she 
 down, and after that said Noor ood deen, ' Oh ! Sheikh 
 Ibraheem, and I now — how stands my lot with you ! will you 
 not let me light a lamp, one of these lamps here V And Sheikh 
 Ibraheem answered, ' Rise, and light but one single lamp ; 
 and do not meddle with the rest :' So he rose, and commen- 
 ced with the first of them until he had lighted the fifty lamps, 
 and upon that the place danced with light. So said then Sheikh 
 Ibraheem, and tipsiness had overcome him, ' Are you two 
 more able than I V So he rose quickly on his feet, and open- 
 ed the lattices all of them ; and he sat down and these two 
 also in social fellowship, and in reciting verses, and tlie very 
 place was in a dust with the noise they made. Now God the 
 •Decreer, decreeth all things, and maketh for every thing a rea- 
 son of its own. Truly the khuleef at that very time was gaz- 
 ing about, and he looked to the lattices at the side facing the Ti- 
 gris in the moon-light. Then saw he the blaze of the candles, 
 and lamps glistening in the river and the khuleef caught 
 a glimpse of it and he saw the Palace of the Garden in a vapoury 
 smoke with those candles, and those lamps. So he cried, 
 * Have here to me Jafur the Burumkkee V And it was hardly 
 said ere he was present before the Lord of the Faithful. Then 
 quoth he to him, ' Oh ! dog, have the ministers taken from 
 me this city Bughdad,^ ^^ and thou not let me know V And 
 Jafur answered him, 'What be these words?' So said he, 'If 
 the city Bughdad were not taken from me, then would not the 
 Palace of the Pictures be lighted with lamps, and candles and 
 ■with Its windows opened ! Fie on thee, who is't could com- 
 pas« doing a deed like this unless thou had'st taken the khu- 
 leefnt from me I' Then replied Jafur, and his members trem- 
 bled as he spoke, ' And who gave the tidings that the Palace 
 of the Pictures was hghted up, and her windows opened ?' 
 And he answered, ' Come forward near me, and see.' So 
 Jafur came forward near the khuleef, and they both looked 
 towards the garden, and Jafur found the palace blazing with 
 
AND THE DAMSEL tJNEES OOL JULEIS. 389 
 
 radiance in the gloom of the darkness. Now Jafur wished to 
 make excuse for Sheikh Ibraheem the keeper, as perhaps 
 th;s matter might be allowed by his permission, for he saw the 
 making some excuse advisable ; so he said, ' Oh ! Lord of the 
 Faithful, Sheikh Ibraheem on the Friday just passed said to me, 
 *0h! my master Jafur, of a surety 1 wish much that I could 
 make my sons merry, durmg the life of the Lord of the Faith- 
 ful and thine. So said I to hira, ' And what stand you in need 
 of?' And he replied, * That you should get a mandate from the 
 khuleef that 1 might hold the circumcision of my sons in the 
 palace.' And 1 answered, ' Go, circumcise them, and I will 
 foregather with the khuleef, and will let him know ; so he 
 went from me to this end, and I forgot to let thee know.' 
 Then said the khuleef, ' Oh ! Jafur thou had'st committed 
 one fault towards me, and that hath become two faults ; for 
 thou hast erred on two counts ; the first count, that thou did'st 
 not let me know of this, and the second count, that thou did'st 
 not help Sheikh Ibraheem to his object ; for surely he did not 
 go to thee, and say these words to thee save seeking an excuse 
 to ask for some small matter of money to help him out ; and 
 thou gavest him nothing, and did'st not inform me.' So Jafur 
 answered, ' Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, I forgot.' Then said the 
 khuleef, * Now by my father, and my grandsire, I wull not 
 finish the rest of this night, save in company with hun ; for 
 truly he is a religious man, that keeps with the elders and the 
 religious mendicants, and is addicted to them ; now they will 
 have got together, and it may be one prayer of theirs will pro- 
 fit us good in this world, and the next ; and in this matter too 
 there is grace to him in my presence at his place, and it will 
 please Sheikh Ibraheem.' Then said Jafur, ' Oh ! Lord of the 
 Faithful, the time for the ceremony was yesterday, and they 
 will be at this time at the conclusion :' So said the khuleef, 
 * There is no help, but that I go to them ;' So Jafur held his 
 peace, and was bewildered, and abode not knowing what he 
 should do. Now the khuleef rose quickly on his feet, and 
 
390 STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE 
 
 Jafur stood still before him, and Musroor the eunuch with 
 them, and the three went out disguised, and went down from 
 the palace of the kliuleef, and kept threading the streets, and 
 they in tlie likeness of merchants, until they arrived at the 
 gate of the garden aforesaid. So the khuleef stepped forward, 
 and found the gate of the garden open : and he marvelled, and 
 said, ' See ! Jafur ! this Sheikh Ibraheem, how he has left the 
 gate opened at this time, and this is not his wont ;' So they 
 went in until they got near the end of the garden, and stood be- 
 neath the palace. Then said the khuleef, * Oh ! Jafur, I 
 wish I could get near them unawares before I showed myself 
 to them that I might see what matter they are at, and look up- 
 on the elders ; for indeed just now I hear not a murmur from 
 them, nor even a fuqeer call upon the Lord,' So the khuleef 
 looked about, and saw a tree of lofty height ; and then said he, 
 * Oh ! Jafur, I mean to get up into this tree, for that her 
 branches are near the lattices, and I can see into them/ So 
 the khuleef got upon the tree, and gave not over climbing 
 from branch to branch, until he got upon the brancli whicii 
 was opposite the widows and he sat upon it, and looked in at a 
 window of the palace. Then saw he a damsel, and a youth 
 as 'twere two moons, praise be to Him who created them, 
 and made their outward semblance ! And he saw too Sheikh 
 Ibraheem sittint)^, and in his hand a cup, and he saying ' Oh ! 
 fair lady, drinking without jollity is no fun ; for surely thou'st 
 heard the poet say ; — 
 
 * Great and small the goblet pass, 
 
 From the haad of moon-faced lass 
 
 Brightly beaming take the glass, 
 
 Send it circling round ! 
 
 Drink ye not save merrily, 
 
 E'en the very horse I see, 
 
 Drinks his liquor cheerily, 
 
 To the whistle's sound !' 18 7 
 Now when the khuleef saw these deeds done by Sheikh Ibra- 
 heem, the sweat of wrath stood between his eyes, and he 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 391 
 
 came down, and said ' Oh ! Jafur, I never saw the righteous in 
 this guise before ! so do you now get up this tree, and look 
 tiiat the deeds of the holy ^ ^ ^ may not be lost on you.' Now 
 when Jafur heard the words of the Lord of the Faithful, he 
 became confounded, and mounted to the top of the tree and 
 lo ! he looked, and saw Noor ood deen, and Sheikh Ibraheem, 
 and the damsel, and Slieikh Ibraheem had in his hand a cup. 
 So when Jafur beheld with his eyes the state of things he 
 made sure of death, and went down, and stood before the Lord 
 of the Faithful ; and the khuleef said to him, * Ah ! Jafur, 
 thanks be to God that hath made us followers of the sem- 
 blance of the law !' Now Jafur could not speak a word 
 from excess of confusion. So the khuleef looked to Jafur, 
 and said, ' Let's see now who let these get to this place and let 
 them enter my palace. Now auglit like to the beauty of this 
 youth, and this damsel hath mine eye never beheld !' Then re- 
 plied Jafur, and he sought to pleasure the Khuleef Ilarooii 
 cor Rusheed.' Thou sayest truly oh ! our Lord of the Sool- 
 tan r So quoth he, ' Oh Jafur come up with me to the branch 
 that is opposite to them, that we may amuse ourselves 
 with them.' So the two went up into the tree, and looked at 
 them, and thoy heard Sheikh Ibraheem saying, ' Oh ! my 
 mistress, gravity is abandoned in drinking wine, and that is 
 not sweet save with the soft sounds of the lute strings :' So 
 Unees ool Juleis replied to him, » Oh ! Sheikh Ibraheem, 
 WuUahy ! if we had by us any thing like the instruments of 
 merriment, then were our pleasure complete.' Now when 
 Sheikh Ibraheem, heard the words of the damsel he rose 
 up quickly on his feet, and the khuleef said to Jafur, 
 < See'st thou what he is going to do V And Jafur an- 
 swered, ' I know not :' So Sheikh Ibraheem disappear- 
 ed and returned, and with him had he a lute ; and the 
 khuleef took note of it and lo ! it was the lute of Father Ijhag 
 the jester. Then said the khuleef, * Wullahy ! if this damsel 
 sing vilely, will I surely hang the whole of you. And if shq 
 
u- 
 
 392 STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULEB 
 
 sings fairly will I forgive them, and hang you only :* Then 
 said Jafur, ' God make her sing vilely !' So «aid the khu- 
 leef, ' For why V And he answered, ' Because if thou dost 
 hang us, all of us, we can each keep each other company :' So 
 the khuleef laughed at his words. Then took the damsel the 
 lute, and examined it, and tuned its strings, and struck one 
 chord, and made all hearts yearn to her ; then broke she out, 
 and began to sing ; — 
 
 * Ye that might aid the wretch that loves ! 
 
 Passion consumes, and triumphs o'er me, 
 
 Tho' what you've done, I've well deserved, 
 
 I sought your help, exult not o'er me. 
 
 True, I am base, and weak, and low : 
 
 Do as you will, I will not shun you ; 
 
 What is my death, e'en at your hands ? 
 
 My fear's the crime, they'll charge upon you/ 
 Then said the khuleef, ' Wullahy ! good ! oh ! Jafur, in 
 my life never heard I a voice musical like this !' And Jafur 
 replied, ' Perchance then the wrath that was in the khuleef hath 
 departed ?' He answered, * Even so 'tis gone.' Now he 
 went down from the tree, both he, and Jafur, and he turned to 
 Jafur, and said, ' I want to go up, and sit with them, and hear 
 the damsel sing before me :' So he replied, * Oh ! Lord of 
 the Faithful, when thou goest up to them, it is probable they 
 will be disturbed, and Sheikh Ibraheem will die of fear ;* 
 But the khuleef answered, ' Oh ! Jafur, there is no help, 
 but that you teach me how I may get cunningly at them by 
 an artifice, and go in to them without they be aware of who 
 I am.' So the khuleef and Jafur both went to the side of the 
 Tigris, and they were pondering upon this matter ; and be- 
 hold ! a fisherman standing fishing beneath the windows of 
 the palace ! Now the khuleef had formerly summoned Sheikh 
 Ibraheem, and said to him, ' What is this murmuring that I 
 hear below the windows of the palace V And he replied, 
 * The voice of men catching fish :' So said he, ' Go down, 
 and forbid them this place ;' and he forbad the fisherman that 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIs. 393 
 
 place accordingly : but when it was that night of which it is 
 spoken, there came a tisherman whose name was Kureem, 
 and saw the gate of the garden opened, and he said in his 
 Soul, ' This is a time of carelessness ; now Fll poach a little 
 fishing. So he took his net, and cast it in the river, and be- 
 hold ! the khuleef, alone standing at his head ; now the 
 khuleef recognized him, and said to him, * Ho ! Kureem.' 
 And the fisherman turned towards him, when he heard himself 
 named by his name. Now when he saw the khuleef his mus- 
 cles trembled, and he said, ' VVullahy ! oh ! Lord of the Faith- 
 ful, I did not do it as wishing to mock the mandate, but po- 
 verty and need have caused me to do what thou seest !* Theii 
 quoth the khuleef * Make a cast in my name:' So the fisher- 
 man came forward, and vV-as glad, and threw his net, and wait- 
 ed till it took its fall stretch and settled firm, and quiet ; then 
 he took a haul at it, and brought up in it various sorts of fish. 
 Now the khuleef was pleased at that, and he said, * Oh ! 
 Kureem strip off thy clothes.' So he stripped off his clothes. 
 Now in the upper coat he had, there were an hundred patches 
 of coarse woollen staff : and vermin In it of the most trouble- 
 some, and he took from oflf his head a turban, and it was three 
 years he had not untwisted it, but every rag he'd chance to 
 see he'd served upon it. Now he took the coat off, and the 
 turban, and the khuleef stripped from off his person rai- 
 ment of Alexandria and Heliopolis, of silk, and an upper robe, 
 and 6pen doublet. Then said he to the fisherman, ' Take 
 them, put them ori,' And the khuleef put on the fisherman's 
 coat, and his turban, and tied a chin cloth ^ ^ ^ before his face. 
 Then said he to the fisherman, ' Get thee about thy business.' 
 And the man came before the khuleef, and thanked him, and 
 began to say a verse ; — 
 
 * All the grace thou hast shewn me, my thanks shall declare ; 
 With all richly endowed, tliou'st made fulness my share ; 
 While living I'll thank thee, — when death is my doom 
 My hones still shall thank thee, when laid in their tomb.' 
 A 3 
 
394 STORY OF NOOR COD DEEN ULLEE 
 
 Now the fisherman had not got to the end of his verse, ere 
 the vermin began to crawl upon the khuleefs skin, and he set 
 to clawing with his riffht hand and his left at his neck, and 
 throwing them off: then quoth he, ' Oh ! fisherman! fie on 
 thee ! be not these vermin very plenteous on this coat V and 
 he replied, ' Oh ! my lord, just now indeed they hurt you, 
 but when a week is past and gone, you'll not perceive it, nor 
 think of it.' So the khuleef laughed, and said to him, ' Fie 
 on thee: shall I leave this coat of thine upon me so long !' 
 Then quoth the fisherman, * I wish to say one word to you,' 
 and he replied, ' Say what thou hast to say ;' and he answer- 
 ed, * Think of my counsel, oh ! Lord of the Faithful, when 
 you wish to learn to hunt ; for that you have not a trade to 
 your hand to profit yourself by, this coat will put you in the 
 ■way of it.' So the khuleef laughed at the speech of the fish- 
 erman, and the fisherman turned off, and went his way. Now 
 the khuleef took a twig basket to hold the fish, and put over 
 it a little grass, and went with it to Jafur, and stood before 
 him : so Jafur imagined that he was Kureem the fisherman, 
 and he feared lest ill should befall him, and said to him, 
 Ho ! Kureem, what hath brought thee here ? quick hence 
 for thy life for the khuleef is this night in the garden, and so 
 sure as he sees thee, thy neck is gone.' Now when the 
 khuleef heard the words of Jafur, he laughed, and when 
 he laughed, Jafur recognized him, and said to him^ * Can 
 it be thou, our Lord the Sooltan !' And the khuleef replied, 
 * Even so, oh ! Jafur, and thou'rt my vuzeer, and came here 
 thou and I together, and yet thou knowest me not ! how 
 then shall Sheikh Ibraheem know me, and he drunk ? stay 
 here in thy place till I return to thee.' And Jafur answered, 
 ' To hear is to obey,' Then stepped the khuleef forward to 
 the gate of the palace, and knocked a gentle knock, then 
 quoth Noor ood deen, ' Oh ! Sheikh Ibraheem, one taps at 
 the door of the palace,' And Sheikh Ibraheem said, * Who is 
 at the door ?' So the khuleef answered, » I, oh ! Sheikh 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 395 
 
 Ibraheem !' and he replied, • Who are you V quoth he ' I am 
 Kureem the fisherman ; for I heard you had a feast at your 
 house, and have come to you with some fish, and sure 'tis 
 fresh.* Now when Noor ood deen heard mention of fish, 
 he was well pleased, he and the damsel, and they said, ' Oh ! 
 master, open to him, and let him come in to us with the fish 
 he has with him.* So Sheikh Ibraheem opened the door, 
 and the khuleef came in, and he in the semblance of a fisher- 
 man, and he began by saluting them : then said Sheikh Ibra- 
 heem to him, * Blessings on the thief, the robber, the cheat ! 
 up with thee, let's see the fish thou hast !' So he showed 
 them It, and when they looked at it, behold ! the fish was 
 still jumping. Then said the damsel, * WuUahy ! oh ! my 
 master, truly this is a fine fish ! liow much better 'twould 
 be fried !' and Sheikh Ibraheem replied, < Wullahy ! oh » 
 lady thou sayest true !' So said he to the khuleef, < Ho ! 
 fisherman, why didst not come with the fish fried ? up now, 
 and fry it for us, and bring it us.' And the khuleef answer- 
 ed, ' I am ready, I'll fry it for you, and come with it :' so they 
 cried, * Bravo :' to him. Now the khuleef arose, and ran 
 until he reached Jafur, and he said to him, ' Ho ! Jafur !' and 
 he answered, ' Even so, oh ! Lord of the Faithful ; is all 
 well ?' He said to him, ' They require the fish of me fried :» 
 so Jafur answered, ' Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, give it me, 
 and I'll fry it for them ;* but quoth the khuleef, ' By the 
 tomb of my fathers, and my grandsires, none shall fry it save 
 1 with mine own hand !' So then the khuleef came to the 
 keeper's cottage, and searched in it, and found all that he re- 
 quired, so far as salt, and saffron, and savory and else be- 
 sides : then went he to the fire place,^^^ and put on the fry- 
 ing pan, and dressed an excellent fry of it. Now when it was 
 enough done, he laid it on a plantain leaf, and took wind- 
 fallen fruits, and lemons from the garden, and went up with 
 the fish, and set it before them ; and the youth, and the 
 damsel, and Sheikh Ibraheem came forward, and ate. Now 
 
 A 3 2 
 
38d. STORY OF NOOR OOP BEEN ULLEE 
 
 when they finished eating they washed^ their hands, and said 
 Noor ood deen, * Wullahy ! Oh ! fisherman, thou'st done us a 
 right acceptable favour this night V Then put he his hand 
 into his pocket, and took out thence three deenars of tfie 
 deenars which Su^jnr had given him at, the time of his going 
 forth on the journey, and said to him. ' Oh ! fisherman, ex- 
 cuse me that it is so httle, but, Wullahy ! if thou had'st known 
 me afore time, when wealth was mine, surely I had driven 
 the bitterness of poverty from before thee ; yet take this as a 
 hansel for future fortune.' Then threw he them to the khu- 
 leef, and the khuleef took them, and kissed them, and lifted 
 them up ; but the intent of the khuleef was not on this, but 
 on hearing the damsel when she should sing : So said the 
 khuleef to him, ' Thou'st done fairly, and hast been liberal, 
 but my desire is of the perfection of your kindness that this 
 damsel should sing to us a strain, that I may hear her ;' So 
 quoth Noor ood deen Ullee ' Oh ! Unees ool Juleis !' And she 
 answered, ' Well !' Said he to her, ' By my life, sing us 
 something for the sake of this fisherman for indeed he wishes 
 to hear thee.' So when the damsel heard the words of her 
 master, she took the lute, and made it vibrate after she had 
 tuned its strings^ and broke out singing — 
 
 ' A fair neck'd maiden took the lute . 
 Grasp' d in her fingers small, 
 And by a touch she drew to her 
 Men's souls, e'en one and all. 
 She sang ; and lo ! the deaf man heard, 
 Scarce was her song begun ! 
 He that was dumb now found his tongue, 
 And cried amain, * Well done !' 
 
 Then struck she a chord so wondrous, that she wrapt the 
 senses in oblivion, and burst out singing these couplets, 
 
 ' Proud do we stand, when in our laud 
 It pleases you alight, 
 Your beams make less, the murkiness 
 Of e'en the blackest night. 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 397 
 
 My house for you, as is but due, 
 A musky odour knows, 
 With camphor sweet, I've readied it, 
 And water of the rose.' 
 
 Now upon that the khuleef was exceedingly delighted, and 
 ecstacy overpowered him, and he could not command himself 
 for the excess of pleasure. So that he said, ' Wullahy, good ! 
 WuUahy, good ! Wullahy, good !' Then quoth Noor ood 
 deen, ' Oh ! fisherman, does the damsel strike thee with much 
 admiration V And the khuleef answered, * Wah ! does she 
 not, Wullahy !' Then said Noor ood deen, ' She is a gift 
 to thee from me, a free gift that shall not turn back in its dona- 
 tion, nor in its giving be restored!' ^^^ So then Noor ood 
 d6en rose upright on his feet, and he took an upper robe, and 
 threw it to the fisherman, and ordered him to go forth, and de- 
 part with the damsel. Now the damsel looked upon him, 
 and said to him, * Oh ! my master, art thou going " without 
 taking leave ? if it must be, and there is no help for it, then 
 hold till I bid thee farewell, and explain my state.' Then 
 broke she forth, and began repeating these verses ; — 
 
 ' When love, distress, and fond regret are mine, 
 Must not this form in such excess of ill 
 Become a shadow ? say not, my beloved, 
 ' I've healed you,' when the state bespeaks the straight, 
 And all the injury shews in the ailment. 
 If e'er't could be a mortal in his tears, 
 Should swim, I surely were the first to do it ! 
 Ob ! thou that hast infused my heart with love. 
 Like as wine mingled in the water cup, 
 Oh ! thou whose love sports in my very vitals, 
 This was the thing I feared, this separation ! 
 Oh ! Bin Khagan ! my all that I desu-e ! 
 Oh ! my best hope ! oh 1 thou the leaving whom. 
 Is the sole torment that afflicts my heart ! 
 For my sake to my master and my lord, 
 Hast thou done ill; hence hast thou wandered forth 
 
308 STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE 
 
 Far distant from thine home ! God will not make 
 My lord disconsolate deprived of me, 
 And thou hast given me to a noble being, 
 Kureem praiseworthy ever,' 
 
 So when she finished her verse Noor ood deen answered her, 
 and he said ; — 
 
 * She bade farewell upon our parting day, 
 And in love's anguish shed full many a tear ; 
 
 * What wilt thou do,' she cried, * When I am away ?' 
 
 * Ask them,' I said, * Could live, and thou not here.* ' 
 
 Now when the khuleef heard her saying in her poesy, ' And 
 thou hast given me to a noble being,' his partiality for lier 
 increased still more, and the feeling between them seemed to 
 him a hard matter, and it vexed him, so said he to the youth, 
 * Oh ! master mine ! truly this damsel hath mentioned in her 
 verse that you have acted ill towards her master and he who 
 owns her ; now do you let me know whom you did act ill 
 towards, and who 'tis has a demand upon you ? Then an- 
 swered Noor ood deen, * Wullahy ! Oh|! fisherman, there hath 
 come to pass to me and this damsel a wondrous tale, and 
 a strange matter ; if it were written in the corner of the eye 
 with the point of a needle it were a warning for whoso 
 should consider it.' Then said the khuleef, ' Will you not tell 
 ns what came to pass in your tale, and inform us of your 
 tidings ; haply relief may thus come to you, for surely 
 God's aid is ever near.' So said Noor ood deen, ' Oh ! 
 fisherman, how wilt hear our tale, in verse, or prose ?' and 
 the khuleef replied, * Prose is but words, but verse a string 
 of pearls.' So upon that Noor ood deen hung his head 
 towards the ground, and broke out extemporaneously into 
 these verses ;— 
 
 * Reft of my sleep, no rest can I command, 
 And my griefs doubled, friend, in a far land.' 
 A son I had, a kinder none could have. 
 
 He passed from me, and laid him in the grave. 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 399 
 
 When he was gone, a course of things ensued, 
 
 Whereby my heart was crushed, and I subdued : 
 
 A slave he bought for me, a sweet young maid ; — 
 
 That shamed in grace the branchlet zephyr swayed. 
 
 All mine inheritance on her I spent, 
 
 And gav't away in bounteous lavishment. 
 
 Forced to her sale, I felt the height of ill, 
 
 And sore the parting was against my will : 
 
 Soon as the crier had named her at a price. 
 
 An old man bid, one rife of guile and vice, 
 
 At that I raved, with fury past command. 
 
 And snatched her struggling from the hireling's hand. 
 
 The miser angered, smote me in his might, 
 
 Then rained retributive, the fire of fight I 
 
 Blows right and left, upon the wretch I spent, 
 
 Till I had thrashed him, to my heart's content. 
 
 Then to my house away, in dread fled I, 
 
 And hid in fear of spiteful enmity : 
 
 My seizure scarcely could the king proclaim, 
 
 E're a kind hearted chamberlain there came. 
 
 To give me warning 'gainst the fell surprise, 
 
 Bidding me flee, and foil mine enemies. 
 
 Beneath night's wing, forth from the house we pressed 
 
 And in Bughdad, we safety sought, and rest. 
 
 Naught have I now, from all my riches driven. 
 
 To give thee, fisherman, save what I have given. 
 
 My bosom's loved one ; when with her I part. 
 
 Then be thou sure, I've given away my heart!' 
 Now when he finished his verse, the khuleef said to him, 
 » Oh ! master Noor ood deen, explain your affairs to me :' 
 So Noor ood deen told him his story from the beginning to the 
 end : so when the khuleef understood this state of things, he 
 said to him, ' Whither dost purpose to go at this time?' And 
 he replied, ' God's cities be capacious.' Tlien quoth the 
 khuleef, ' If 1 should write a letter for you, wouJd'st thou de- 
 liver it to Sooltan Muhummud Bin Suleiman ooz Zeinee ? 
 Now when he reads it he will not injure you in any thing, nor 
 do thee mischief.' " — And Shuhurzad perceived the morning 
 dawn, and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
400 STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty King, that when thekhu- 
 leef said to Noor ood deen Ullee ' I will write a letter for 
 you that yon shall deliver to the Sooltan Muhummiul Bin 
 Suleiman ooz Zeiiiee and when he reads it he shall not hurt 
 thee in any thing.' Said Noor ood deen Ullee to him, ' And 
 how in the world can a fisherman write letters to kings ! veri- 
 ly this thing could never be !' And the khuleef replied, * You 
 say true, but yet I will tell you a reason for it; know that 
 I and he both read in one school M^th one teacher,* ^2 and 
 that I know him well : now after that greatness came sudden- 
 ly upon him, and he became a sooltan, and I — the Lord re- 
 moved me, and made me a fisherman. Now I never send to 
 him in any necessity without he attends to it, and if I were to 
 send to him every day on a thousand occasions, he would 
 surely attend to them.* Now when Noor ood deen heard his 
 words he said to him, * Good ; write that I may see.' So he 
 took a standish, and a pen, and wrote after ' In the name of 
 God.' And after the usual formula. This was that was writ- 
 en by Haroon oor Rushed Bin 00m Mahdeen to His Highness 
 Muhummud Bin Suleiman ooz Zeinee. * To him refreshed 
 by my grace whom have I made viceroy under me in part of 
 ray dominions. When this writing in keeping of Noor ood 
 deen Ullee Bin Khagan, son of the vuzeer, shall reach thee-, 
 on the moment of his arrival at thy place, depose thyself froni 
 the sovereignty, and exalt him to it ; so oppose not mine or- 
 der, and God be with thee.' — Then gave he the writing to 
 Noor ood deen Ullee Bin Khagan and Noor ood deen looked 
 on the writing and kissed it, and put it in his turban cloth, and 
 went down forthwith travelling. This now was what came 
 to pass to him, but for what was in the matter of the khuleef, 
 surely Sheikh Ibraheem stared at him, and he in the garb fish- 
 ermen use, and said to him, ' Oh ! thou beast of the fishers^ 
 thou'st come here to us with two fishes that have been wortli 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 401 
 
 to thee tlie twenty lialves ! thou'st taken three deenars ! 
 And now thou'dst fain take the damsel besides !' So 
 when the khuleef heard his words, he called loudly to him, 
 and signed to Musroor ; and he showed himself, and rushed in 
 to him. Now Jafur had sent a man of the Arab youth's 
 to the doorkeepers of the palace to get of them a 
 change of clothes for the king : so the man went, and 
 came up with the change of raiment, and kissed the 
 earth before the khuleef. Now the khuleef gave him as 
 a gift of honor what he had about him, and put on that 
 apparel ; and Sheikh Ibraheem was sitting upon a chair 
 and the khuleef standing to see what would iiappen. So, 
 at that time Sheikh Ibraheem was fuddled, and he remained 
 all abroad, and he was biting his fingers, and saying. * Ho ! 
 can'st see, am I asleep or awake V Now the khuleef looked 
 to him, and said, « Ho ! Sheikh Ibraheem, what state is this 
 thou'rt in ?' So upon that he recovered from his drunken- 
 ness, and threw himself upon the ground, and burst out say- 
 ing extemporaneously, 
 
 * Forgive the sin 'neath which my limbs are trembling, 
 For the slave seeks for mercy from his master ; 
 I've done a fault, which calls for free confession, 
 Where shall it call for mercy, and forgiveness ?' 
 
 Now then the khuleef forgave him, and gave order for the 
 damsel's being carried to the palace ; so when she arrived at 
 the palace the khuleef set apart for her, an abode, singly for 
 herself, and deputed to her those that should serve her, and 
 said to her, ' Know that I have sent thy master as sooltan to 
 Bussorah, and if it be the wish of the Almighty we will send 
 him a dress of investiture, ^ ° -^ and send thee to him.' This now 
 was what came to pass with these, but for what happened 
 to Noor ood deen Ullee Bin Khagan, surely he ceased not 
 travelling until he came up to Bussorah, and to the palace of 
 the king. Then shouted he a loud shout, and the sooltan heard 
 him, and sent for him. Now when he was present before him, 
 
 B 3 
 
402 STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE 
 
 he kissed the earth between his hands : then took he out the 
 written paper, and presented it to him. So when he saw the 
 signature of the writing in the hand of the Lord of the Faith- 
 ful, he rose, and stood upon his feet, and kissed it three times ; 
 and said, ' To hear is to obey, towards the Ahuighty, and 
 the Lord of the Faithful.' Then called he into presence the 
 four kazees, and the lords of rank, and intended to divest 
 himself of the sovereignty ; and lo ! the vuzeer, even he, Ul 
 Mu'een Bin Sawa, presented himself, and the sooltan gave him 
 the written sheet. Now when he read it, he tore it from end 
 to end, and took it in his mouth, and chewed it, and threw it 
 away ; then said the sooltan to him, and he was angered, 
 * Fie on thee, what is't hath borne thee on to such a deed ?' 
 So he replied, * Now by thy life ! oh ! our Lord the Sool- 
 tan, this is not put together by the khuleef, nor by his vuzeer, 
 but forsooth this limb of Satan, knave that he is, hath fallen 
 in with a written paper in the hand of the khuleef, an idle 
 scroll, and he hath made his own end out of it ; for surely 
 the khuleef never sent him to take the sovereignty from thee, 
 and he hath not with him the letter patent, and authoritative, 
 and he never came from the khuleef, no, never, never, ne- 
 ver ! And if this matter had fallen out, surely he would have 
 sent with him a chamberlain, and a minister, but he has come 
 alone !' Then said the sooltan to him, ' And how shall it be 
 managed?' He replied, 'Send this youth with me, and I 
 will take him, and put him safely away from thee, and send 
 him in charge of a chamberlain to the city Bughdad : then if 
 that he says be true, he will come to us with letters patent, and 
 authoritative ; but if he does not come with it, then have I 
 taken my due out of my debtor.' This was so. Now when 
 the sooltan heard the words of the vuzeer, Ul Mu'een Bin 
 Sawa, he said to him, ' Hence with you and him too :' So 
 the vuzeer look trust of him from the sooltan, and went down 
 with him to his house, and summoned his armed slaves ; and 
 they laid him out, and beat him until a faint came on him. 
 
{ ^ 
 
 ^ ^ ViU^. 
 
 7f 
 
 ^J^^f'^ 
 
 /<9^ S^ 
 
o 
 
 AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 403 
 
 and he put upon his feet a heavy shackle, and went with him to 
 the prison, and summoned the jailor. Now when he came before 
 him he kissed the earth before him, and this jailor was called 
 Quteet. Then said the vuzeer to him, ' Oh, Quteet, I wish thee 
 to take this fellow, and cast him into a cell among the dungeons 
 thou hast here in the prison, and torture him night and day :' 
 And the jailor answered, ' To hear is to obey.' Now the 
 jailor made Noor ood deen enter the prison, and locked the 
 door upon him : then gave he orders to sweep a raised seat 
 behind the door, and spread it with something to sit upon, and 
 a leather table cloth, and made Noor ood deen sit thereon, and 
 loosed his shackle, and treated him kindly. So the vuzeer 
 used to send everyday to enjoin the jailor to beat him, and the 
 jailor continued to keep off from doing so to him for forty 
 days. Now when it was the forty first day, there came a pre- 
 sent from the khuleef ; so when the sooltan saw this it sur- 
 prised him, and he sent for the ministers on the matter of it. 
 Then said some of then, ' Perchance this present was for the 
 new sooltan.' So quoth the vuzeer Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa, 
 * Of a surety it would have been fitting to have killed him on 
 his coming.' Then said the sooltan * Wullahy ! thou hast 
 reminded me of him ; go down, bring him, and strike him 
 across the neck ;' And the vuzeer replied, ' To hear is to 
 obey.' Then stood he up, and said, ' Truly it is my wish' to 
 proclaim in the city, Whoso wishes to indulge himself with 
 seeing Noor ood deen Bin Khagan struck across the neck, 
 let him come to the palace ! then will come both the fol- 
 lower and the followed to amuse ahemselves in seeing 
 him; then shall I comfort mine own heart, and afflict 
 mine enemies.' So the sooltan said to him, ' Do as 
 thou wiliest ;' And the vuzeer went down, and he was 
 rejoicing, greatly pleased, and he met the chief magis- 
 trate, and ordered him to proclaim that we have mention- 
 ed. Now when the people heard thd crier, they sorrow* 
 ed, and they wept all of them, even to the little ones in 
 
 B 3 2 
 
404 STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE 
 
 the schools, and the market folks in the shops ; and the people 
 ran one before the other to take places to see the sight from 
 them, and some of the people went to the prison that they 
 might go along with him, and the vuzeer came down, and 
 ten armed slaves with him to the prison. Then said Quteet 
 the jailor, ' Whom seekest thou, our lord the vuzeer?' And 
 he replied, ' Bring me that gallows' bird;' Then said the 
 jailor * He is in a piteous state owing to the extent to which 
 I have beaten him :' And the jailor went in, and found him re- 
 peating these verses ; — 
 
 * When fails the cure, as fresher cares arise 
 Who shall uphold me in my miseries ? 
 Fortune converts my firm allies to foes, 
 
 And absence, soul and sense, alike o'erthrows ; 
 Oh ! men 1 will not one true friend 'mongst you all, 
 Wail o'er my state, and answer to my call ? 
 The sweets of life, I've e'en in hope foregone, 
 And death is near me, with her rattling groan ; 
 Oh ! Thou who did'st create the chosen He, 
 The Guide, chief Intercessor, mighty Sea 
 Of Love, the charged with the glad ministry, 
 Oh ! free me, I beseech my fault forego, 
 And drive far hence, mine evil, and my woe !' 
 
 Kow upon that the jailor stripped off him the clean apparel 
 and dressed him with filthy raiments, and went down with 
 him to the vuzeer. So Noor ood deen looked upon him, 
 and lo ! it was even his foe, he that sought to compass his 
 death ! and when he saw him he wept, and said, * Hast thou 
 so trusted to fortune ? hast not heard the saying of the 
 poet ; — 
 
 * The giant monarchs of a former day, 
 
 Stored heaps of wealth, — nor is it left, nor they !' 
 
 Then said he to him, ' Oh ! vuzeer, know that God, on 
 whom be praise, the Mighty, even He will do the deeds He 
 desijeth !' Then answered he him, « Ho ! UUee, thinkest 
 thou to frighten me with these words ? Now I this very day 
 
 } 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 405 
 
 will smite thy neck in spite of the nose of the people of Bus- 
 sorah, and I shall take no thought ; so leave the days of time 
 to do what they will, and I turn me not to thy counsel, but I 
 turn me to the saying of the poet ; — 
 
 'Leave thou the course of days to do their will, 
 And make thee strong to hear whatso's decreed.' 
 
 And how excellent is the other saying ; — 
 
 * Whoso hath lived after his enemy 
 
 One day, hath gained the summit of his wish !' 
 
 So then the vuzeer ordered his slaves to put him upon a 
 mule's back ; and the slaves said to Noor ood deen, for it 
 was irksome to them, ' Suffer us to stone him, and cut him 
 down, even though our lives should go for it.' But Noor ood 
 deen Ullee said to them, ' Do not that at all. Have ye not 
 heard the saying of the poet ? — 
 
 * There is no help, but I endure, 
 A space decreed by destiny ; 
 
 And when its day be passed away, 
 
 I die. 
 E'en tho' within the lion's den, 
 By him I shall not be o'ercome 
 Unless the date, fixed for my fate 
 
 Be come ! 
 
 Then they proclaimed upon Noor ood deen, ' This is the 
 least retribution on him, who puts down kings by vam pre- 
 tence.' And they ceased not going round with him about 
 Bussorah, until they made him stand below the lattice of the 
 palace, and set him upon the leather of blood, and the sword- 
 man stepped forward to him, and said to him, ' Oh ! my 
 master, I am a slave, constrained by order in this matter : if 
 thou hast any want, then tell me of it that I may fulfil it, for 
 there remains not of thy life save so much as may be ere the 
 sooltan put forth his face from the lattice.' Now upon that 
 he looked right and left, and backwards, and forwards, and 
 
406 STORY OF NOOR OOD DEEN ULLEE 
 
 broke out extemporaneously ; — 
 
 ' The sword I see, the swordman too, 
 The hide of blood is spread for me ; 
 I cry, how great my evil fate 
 And out alas ! how weak I be ! 
 Can I perceive no loving friend, 
 To lend me aid or ere I die ? 
 , What ! is none here ? I speak to all, 
 And will none grant me a reply ? 
 The time is past, that formed my life, 
 The period of my death is nigh, 
 And is there then, no kindly soul 
 Will help me lay this raiment by ? 
 Will look with pity on my state, 
 And with a drink of water come, 
 To solace this mine agony ! 
 And rase my pain of martyrdom !' 
 
 So the people wept over him, and the swordman arose, and 
 took a drink of water, and offered it to him ; but the vuzeer 
 came quickly from his place, and smote the jug of water with 
 his hand and broke it : and he shouted to the swordman, and 
 ordered him to smite his neck ; so upon that he bound the 
 eyes of Noor ood deen, and the people clamoured at the 
 vuzeer, and wailings arose, and much questionmg of one man 
 to another. Now meanwhile they were after this fashion 
 behold ! a dust rose up, and a thick dusty cloud filling the 
 air, and the whole desert ; so when the sooltan saw it, and 
 he sittmg in the palace, he said to him, ' See what tidings :' 
 Then replied the vuzeer, ' Or ere we first smite the neck of 
 this fellow V And the sooltan said to him, ' Wait ye until 
 the we see the news.' Now that dust was the dust of Jafur, 
 Burmukkee, vuzeer of the khuleef, and those who were with 
 him ; and the cause of their coming was that truly the khu- 
 leef delayed thirty days without remembering the matter of 
 Ullee Bin Khagan, and no one reminded him of it, until he 
 went on a certain night towards the private chamber of Unees 
 ool Juleis, and he heard her weeping, and she burst out with 
 
AND THE DAMSEL UNEES OOL JULEIS. 407 
 
 a sweet clear voice in the saying of the poet;— 
 
 * Or far or near, I think alone of thee, 
 Thy mention's never absent from my tongue.' 
 
 Then her weeping increased, and lo ! the khuleef had opened 
 the door, and entered the private chamber ; then saw he 
 Unees ool Juleis, and she weeping. Now when she saw 
 the khuleef she fell to the ground, and kissed his feet three 
 times ; then brake she out repeating ; — 
 
 * Oh ! thou of fertile root and fairest produce, 
 Whose ample clusters, and whose fruits red ripe 
 Cumber the bough, I mind thee of the promise 
 Thou freely gav'st, if thy most noble qualities 
 And thy great grace, thou could' st indeed forget !* 
 
 So said the khuleef, < Who art thou ! And she replied, 
 * I am a present of Ullee Bin Khagan to thee, and I wish im- 
 mediately to have the leave to depart that thou gav'st me say- 
 ing thou would'st send me to him with a robe of investment. 
 And now there be thirty days that the taste of sleep hath not 
 approached me.' Now upon that the khuleef sent for Jafur, 
 the Burmukkee and said to him, ' Oh ! Jafur, for these thirty- 
 days past have I heard no news of Ullee Bin Khagan, and I 
 cannot but suppose the sooltan hath slain him ; but, by the life 
 of my head, and the tomb of my sires, and my grand sires, if 
 aught of foul play hath befallen him I will most surely kill 
 whoso was the cause of it, even if he were most esteemed of 
 the men about me ! and I desire that thou set forth within 
 this hour for Bussorah, and bring me news of what the king 
 Muhummud Bin Suleilman ooz Zeinee hath done with Ullee 
 Bin Khagan :' And he said too to him, ' If thou art away 
 longer than suffices to go the distance of the road, I will 
 smite thee across the neck. Now thou knowest, thou son of 
 mine uncle, 1 ^ * the story of Noor ood deen Ullee Bin Kha- 
 gan, and that indeed I sent him with my written order, and if 
 thou findest, oh ! son of mine uncle, that the king has done 
 contrary to the order I sent him by Noor ood deen ; then 
 
40S STORY OF NOOR COD DEEN ULLEF. 
 
 bare him off, arid bring off the vuzeer, Ul Mu'eeii Bin Sawa, 
 in the guise thou find'st them in, and be not any longer than 
 it takes to go the distance of the road.' Now Jafur said, ' To 
 hear is to obey ;' And he did make him ready on the in- 
 stant, and travelled till he arrived at Bussorah, and the news 
 of the presence of Jafur, the Burmukkee, had preceded him to 
 the king Muhummud Bin Suleiman ooz Zeinee. So when 
 Jafur came forward, and saw that press, and crush of men, and 
 that concourse, said he, even Jafur, the vuzeer, ' What means 
 this mighty crowd V Then told they him what they were 
 about in the matter of Noor ood deen Ullee Bin Khagan. Now 
 when he heard these words he made haste to go up to the 
 sooltan, and saluted him, and informed him of what he came 
 for, and that surely if there had any foul play befallen Ullee 
 Bin Khagan, the Sooltan Haroon would put to death whoso 
 hath been the cause of it. — Then took he into custody the 
 sooltan, and the vuzeer Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa, and put them 
 inward, and gave order for the release of Noor ood deen Ul- 
 lee Bin Khagan, and seated him as sooltan in place of the 
 Sooltan Muhummud Bin Suleiman ooz Zeinee, and abode 
 three days in Bussorah, the period ^^^ of hospitality. Now 
 when it was morning on the fourth day, Ullee Bin Khagan 
 turned to Jafur, and said to him, ' Truly I am very anxious 
 for a sight of the Lord of the Faithful.' So said Jafur to 
 the king Muhummud Bin Suleiman ooz Zeinee, * Make 
 ready to travel, for truly we say our prayers to-morrow, and 
 mount for Bughdad,' and he replied, ' To hear is to obey.' 
 Then said they prayers in the morning, and mounted all of 
 them, and with them the vuzeer, Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa and 
 he was sorely repenting for what he had done, but Noor ood 
 deen Ullee surely he was riding by the side of Jafur. Now 
 they stinted not faring on till they arrived at Bughdad, that hold 
 of he true faith, and after that they went in to the khuleef. Now 
 when they came in to him they related the story of Noor owl 
 deen, and how they fomid him, threatened with immediate death. 
 
STORY OF GHANIM BIN ITYOOB. 409 
 
 So upon that, the khuleef went up to Ullee Bm Khagan, 
 and said to him, * Take this sword, and smite with it the 
 neck of thine enemy.' Then took he it, and stepped up 
 to Ul Mu'een Bin Sawa, and he Bin Sawa looked upon him, 
 and said, ' I did ^^^ according to my mother's milk, do thou 
 according to thine.* Then cast he away the sword from his 
 hand, and looked to the khuleef, and said, ' Oh ! Lord of the 
 Faithful, surely he hath overcome me by his words,' And he 
 "broke out saying ;— 
 
 * By subtlety I snared him when he came, 
 A few fair words will trap the noble game.' 
 Then quoth the khuleef, ' Do thou leave him alone.' And 
 he said to Musroor, ' Ho ! Musroor, arise thou, and smite 
 his neck." And Musroor arose, and cut his neck through. 
 Now upon that said the khuleef to Ullee Bin Khagan, ' Ask 
 freely aught of me.' And he replied, ' Oh ! my lord I have 
 no want of the kingdom of Bussorah, and only desire that I 
 may be exalted in thy service, and still see thy countenance.' 
 So said the khuleef, * With pleasure and all willingness.' Then 
 called he for the damsel, and she came into presence before 
 them, and the khuleef showed them favor, and gave them a 
 palace, one of the palaces of Bughdad, and assigned them al- 
 lowances, and made him one of his intimates. So he ceased 
 not to be established near about him in the pleasantest of lives, 
 until death surprised him. — And this is not more wondrous 
 than the story of the merchant, and his children." Said he, 
 *' And how was that ?" She answered, « They relate oh I 
 mighty King, that there was in ancient times, and seasons, and 
 ages past, a trader among merchants, that had wealth, and that 
 had a son like the moon in the night of her fulness, eloquent 
 of tongue, that was named Ghanim Bin TJyoob Ul Mutuyyin 
 Ul Musloob the captivated, the enthralled ; and he had a sis, 
 ter, and her name Fitnuh, singular in her beauty, and her love- 
 liness. Now their father died, and left them property,' " 
 
 And Shuhurzad perceived the morning dawn, and ceased speak- 
 ing the words permitted her. 
 
 c 3 
 
410 STORY OF GHANIM BIN UYOOB. 
 
 She said, " They relate oh ! mighty King, that that merchant 
 left them wealth in plenty, and amongst the mass of it an hun- 
 dred loads of silk stuffs, and brocade, and pods of musk, and 
 there was written on the bales, * Tliis is of that is made up for 
 despatch to Bughdad.' And it was his purpose to have taken a 
 journey to Bughdad. Now when the Almighty took him to 
 himself, and some time was past, his son took the bales, and 
 travelled with them to Bughdad, and this was in the time of the 
 khuleef Haroon oor Rusheed. Now he took leave of his mo- 
 ther, and his kindred, and the people of his town before his 
 travel, and went forth putting his trust in God the Almighty 
 and He decreed safety to him until he arrived at Bughdad, 
 and there was with him a company of other merchants. So 
 he hired for himself a fair dwelling house, and spread it 
 "with carpets, and with cushions, and hung up curtains in it, 
 and took down into it those bales, and mules and the camels, 
 and sat quiet, seeking to rest himself, and the traders, and 
 the great men of Bughdad came to salute him. Then took he 
 a light box in which were ten pieces of very fine silk stuff with 
 the price written on them, and he went down with it to the mar- 
 ket of the traders. So they met him with the word of wel- 
 come, a d saluted him, and were civil to him, and made him 
 come, and sit down at the shop of the syndic of the market. 
 Then gave he him the box, and he opened it, and took out a 
 piece of stuff from it, and the syndic of the market sold the 
 piece for him, and he got a profit on each deenar of two 
 deenars like it. Now Ghanim was pleased, and kept selling 
 the silks, and the pieces, one after another, and ceased not to 
 do this wise for a period of a full year. So on the first day of 
 the next year, he went to the exchange which was in the mar- 
 ket, but saw its door locked : and he asked the reason of that : 
 so it was told him, that one of the merchants was dead, and 
 that the merchants had gone, all of them accompanying his 
 
STORY OF GHANIM BIN IJYOOB. 411 
 
 bier, « And what ails you that should not earn a meed of good 
 works, and accompany them V He replied, * So let it be,' 
 Then asked he for the quarter where was the funeral, and one 
 kindly showed him the quarter, and he purified himself. Then 
 went he with the merchants till they arrived at the place of 
 prayer, and prayed for the dead, and the merchants went on 
 the whole of them before the bier to the place of the tombs, 
 and Ghanim followed them, and they went forth with the bier 
 from Bughdad out beyond the city, and passed through the 
 tombs until they reached the grave, and they found the peo- 
 ple of him that was dead had pitched a tent at the tomb,i^'' 
 and tliey brought lamps and candles. Then buried they the 
 corpse, and the reader sat reading the Qoran at that tomb, and 
 those merchants sat there, and Ghanim Bin Uyoob sat with 
 them, and he with shame getting the better of him, for he said 
 in his soul, * I cannot separate from them till I return with 
 them.' So they sat listening to the Qoran, until the evening 
 time ; then set they the evening meal before them, and sweet- 
 meats, and they ate till they were satisfied, and washed their 
 hands ; then sat they in their places, but Ghanim's mind was 
 occupied with his warehouse, and his merchandize, and he 
 was afraid of robbers. So said he in his soul, ' I am a man that 
 am a stranger, and suspected of having money : now if I rest 
 the night far distant from mine abode, the thieves will steal 
 the money that is in it, and the bales too.' And he feared for 
 his goods. Then arose he and went forth among the assem- 
 bly, and begged them to allow him to go, as he had some ne- 
 cessary matter to fulfil, and he faced about and kept following 
 the tracts of the way, until he came to the gate of the city, 
 and the time then was midnight, and he found the gate of the 
 city locked, and found no one either going out for the morning, 
 or coming home at even, and heard not a voice, save the dogs 
 barking, and the wolves howling. So he turned back, and said, 
 * There is no power nor strength save in God ! I was apprehen- 
 sive for my property, and came here on account of it, and I 
 
 c3 2 
 
412 STORY OF GHANIM BIN UYOOB. 
 
 have found the gate locked and now abide in apprehension of 
 my life !' Now he turned behind and looked out for a place 
 where he could sleep until the morning, and he found a bury- 
 ing place walled in with four walls, and a date tree in it, and 
 a gate to it of stone opened ; so he entered, and essayed to 
 sleep in it, but sleep came not to him, and great terror beset 
 him, and a sense of desolation, and he among the tombs. 
 Then rose he standing upon his feet, and opened the gate of 
 the place, and looked, and lo ! he was aware of a light afar 
 off towards the gate of the city. And he went on a little, and 
 saw the light in the way whereby he had reached the burial 
 place in which he was : So Ghanim feared for his life, and made 
 haste to shut to the door, and fasten it, that he might get up on 
 the date tree, and he clung close to the heart of it. Now the light 
 kept approaching the burial ground until it came close to it ; 
 and then the light stopped, and he saw three slaves, two bearing 
 a chest, and one with a lanthorn, and a mattock in his hand. 
 Now when they got near the burial place, said one of the slaves 
 that was carrying the chest.' What ails thee, oh ! Suwab V 
 And quoth the other of them, 'What ails thee oh! Kafoor V 
 So he replied, * Were we not here in the evening, and left the 
 door open V He answered * Even so, these words be true :' 
 Quoth he, ' Now it is shut, fast closed :' Then said the third, and 
 he was the bearer of the mattock, and the light, and his name 
 was Bukheet, ' How little is your sense ! see you not that 
 the men of the deserts have come out here from Buglidad, and 
 have been pasturing their flocks here ; so when the evening 
 has closed on them, they have gone in here, and locked the 
 door upon them in fear lest blacks like us should take them 
 and roast them, and eat them V Then said they to him, 
 * Thou sayest true forsooth ! Wullahy ! there's not among 
 us one of smaller wit than thou.' And quoth he, ' Surely 
 then ye do not trust to my opinion, that we should go into the 
 tomb, and that we shall find no one there ; for I am thinking, 
 that he in the tomb when he saw the light behind us must 
 
STORY OF GHANIM BIN TJYOOB. 413 
 
 have fled away upon the date tree in fear of us.' Now when 
 Ghanim heard the words of the slave, he said in his soul, 
 * Oh ! the curse on the slave ! God have thee not in his keep- 
 ing, neither for this wit, nor this subtlety, altogether ! There is 
 no power nor strength save in God, the Great, the Mighty ! what 
 is there left now to get me free of these slaves ?' Then they 
 who were carrying the chest said to him who had the mattock 
 with him, ' Climb up the wall and open the gate for us, oh 1 
 Bukheet, for we are wearied with bearing the chest upon our 
 necks ; and when thou'st opened the gate for us, get us one 
 of those we catch there and we will fry him for thee after a 
 new fashion, so that there shall not a drop of his fat be lost.» 
 So Bukheet answered, ' 1 am afraid of one thing ; so I have 
 of my small wit devised a plan, 'gainst it, and this is that 
 we forsooth, should throw the chest behind the gate to con- 
 ceal our treasure.' So both replied to him, ' If we throw 
 it 'twill break.' But he answered them, ' I am afraid lest 
 there be within the tomb robbers that murder folks, and steal 
 their goods, for lo ! indeed evening is their time for entering 
 places like these, and dividing whatsoever they have with 
 tliem.' Then both the bearers of the chest replied, ' Oh ! thou 
 small o'wit, how could theyeven dare to enter here !' And 
 both carried forward the chest, and climbed the wall, and got 
 down, and opened the gate, and the third slave he that was 
 called Bukheet, was standing by them with the lanthorn, and the 
 mattock, and the osier basket, in which there was some 
 mortar. Now they sat down, and locked the gate ; and then 
 quoth one of them ' Oh ! brothers, we be wearied with the 
 going, and the lifting, and the sitting down, and openingthe gate, 
 and locking it, and the time is now midnight, and we have not 
 spirit left to open the tomb, and bury the chest, and more- 
 over ere we can close it 'twill be three hours' work : so come 
 let us take the rest we need, and let each one of us tell the 
 cause of his being made a slave such as we are, and the whole 
 of what befel him from first to last for the sake of passing 
 
414 AND THE TALE OF BUKHEET. 
 
 away this night, and we will take our rest,' Then quoth the 
 first, that bore the lanthorn, and whose name was Bukheet.' 
 < I'll tell you my story.* So they said to him ' Speak out : 
 Quoth he to them, ' Oh ! my brothers, know that when I was 
 a little boy, the slave driver took me from my country, and my 
 age was five years, and he sold me to a certain Chaoos^ ^^^^nd 
 he had a daughter that was three years old. Now I was brought 
 up with her and they used to laugh at me, and I used to play with 
 the girl, and dance for her and sing for her, until my age was 
 twelve, and she a girl of ten years old, and they did not forbid 
 me seeing her.^ ^^ Now on a certain day I went in to her, and 
 she was sitting in a private place, and she just as if she were out 
 of the bath that was in the house ; truly she was scented, and 
 perfumed, and her face like the circle of the moon on her four- 
 teenth night. Then came her mother in, and I fled away to cer- 
 tain of my friends ; but when she found that I had been there 
 in the hureem she was lost to the world with horror. But she 
 managed her matter advisedly, and concealed it from her fa- 
 ther, and kept him in ignorance, and waited for two months, all 
 this was so, and they used to call for me, and treat me gracious- 
 ly until they took me from the place in which I was, and men- 
 tioned not aught of this matter to her father owing to their 
 good will to me. Now then her mother contracted her to a 
 youth, a barber, that used to shave her father, and gave her a 
 dowry from her own property, and got all this ready for her 
 and her father knew not about the girl's disgrace, and they 
 were making speed to get together her outfit. Now they seized 
 me unawares, and mutilated me cruelly, and when they led her to 
 the bridegroom, they made me her eunuch to gobefore her where- 
 ever she went, whether her going might be to the bath, or to her 
 father's house. Now I abode in her house a very long time 
 until her husband died, and she also, and her mother, and her 
 father ; then took they me to the Royal Treasury as being 
 property of an intestate, and I got into this place, and made 
 friends with you, and this, oh ! brothers, is the cause of my 
 
AND THE TALE OF KAFOOR. 415 
 
 being an eunuch slave, and God be with you.' Now the 
 second slave said, ' Know, oh ! brothers, that I was in the 
 beginning of my time, and I a boy of eight years, used to tell a 
 lie to the slave dealers every year until they found me out in 
 one of them. Then the slave dealer was troubled with me, and 
 too me down to the broker, and ordered him to cry, « Who 
 will buy this slave with his blemish V Then was it said to 
 him, ' And what is his blemish V He replied, ' He tells 
 every year one single lie.' Now there came forward a man 
 that was a merchant to the broker, and said to him, ' How do 
 they allow in the price for him for his blemish ?' He answered 
 * They allow three hundred dirhems,' Quoth he, * And twen- 
 ty dirhems for you :' So he arranged between him, and the 
 slave dealer, and took the money of him : and the broker con- 
 veyed me to the abode of that merchant, and took his brokage, 
 and departed. Now this merchant, equipped me with what- 
 soever clothes were proper for me, and I kept serving him for 
 the rest of my years, until the second year began in prosperity. 
 And it was a year of good fortune, rich in harvests, and the 
 merchants used every day to make a feast, and that every 
 day at the house of one among them, until the feast came 
 round to my master in the open sand country outside the 
 town. So he went, and the merchants, to the garden, and 
 they took with them all they required for eating and else be- 
 sides, and they sat eating, and drinking, and in social fel- 
 lowship until the time of mid-day ; and then my master 
 was in want of some matter from the house : so he said 
 to me, ' Oh ! slave, mount the mule, and go to the house, 
 and bring from thy mistress such a thing that is requir- 
 ed, and return in haste.' Now I did even like as he or- 
 dered, and went to the house. So when I got near I roared, 
 and shed tears, and the people of the street, great, and small, 
 got about me ; and the wife of my master, and his daughters 
 heard my distant noise, and they opened the door, and asked 
 me the news. Then said I to them, * Truly my master was 
 
416 AND THE TALE OF KAFOOR. 
 
 sitting beneath an old wall, he, and his friends, and it fell up- 
 on them. Now when I saw what had come to pass to them, 
 I mounted the mule, and came in haste to tell you.' Now 
 when his daughters, and his wife heard that they screamed, 
 and rent their raiment, and smote their faces, and the neigh- 
 bours came to them. But for the wife of my master — surely 
 she turned over the furniture of the house one thing over ano- 
 ther, and spoiled its arched mouldings, and broke its niches, 
 and its lattices, and smeared its walls with mud,2oo ^nd blue, 
 and said to me, ' Fie on thee, oh ! Kafoor ! come up, help me, 
 and spoil these water wheels, and break those vessels, and this 
 Chinaware, and the rest of it !' So I went to her, and broke 
 down with her the shelves of the house with all that was in 
 it, and went round to the roofs, and to every quarter to spoil 
 it, and got all that was in the house of Chinaware, and else 
 like it that she might waste the whole, and 'I was roaring. 
 
 * Wa ! alas ! our master !' Then went forth my mistress her 
 face bare, with a wrapper on her head naught else, and her 
 daughters went forth with her, and the children, and said, 
 
 * Oh ! Kafoor, go before us, and show us the place where thy 
 master, and those with him are beneath the wall corpses^ that 
 we may take him out from below the ruin, and bear him on a 
 bier, and go with him to the house ; then will we take him 
 forth in a right fair procession.' So I went on before them 
 and I kept roaring ^ Wa ! alas ! our master!' And they be' 
 hmd me with their faces bared, and their heads, shriekino- 
 *Awahy! Awahy ! for the man !'2oi Now there remaine'd 
 not one in the streets, neither of the men, nor of the matrons 
 nor of the girls, nor of the old women, that did not go with us' 
 and they kept all of them smiting their faces with us at once' 
 and they m excess of weeping, and I took them through the 
 city. Then the people enquired the tidings, and they told 
 them what they heard from me, and the people said ' There 
 IS neither power, nor strength save in God !' So said some 
 of the people, ' He was no other than a great man ; let one go 
 
AND THE TALE OF KAFOOR. 417 
 
 to the governor, and we will tell him/ Now when they 
 reached the governor, and told him.' " — And Shuhurzad per- 
 ceived the morning dawn, and ceased speaking the words 
 permitted her. 
 
 She said, *' They relate, oh ! mighty King ! that when they 
 reached the governor, and told him, tlie governor arose, and 
 mounted, and took with him labourers with shovels, and 
 pickaxes, and went on following my track, and with them 
 very many of the people, and I before them beating my face, 
 and howling, and my mistress, and her children after me 
 shrieking. Now I ran on before them, and preceded them, 
 and I kept liowling, and casting dust on my head, and beating 
 my face. So when I entered the garden, and my master saw 
 me, and I smiting my face, and saying, * VVa ! alas, my mis- 
 tress ! Awahy ! Awahy ! Awahy ! there is none left to cherish 
 me after my mistress ! Better were it for me I were a sacrifice 
 for her r And when my master saw me he stood aghast, ^nd 
 his color paled, and he said, ' What ails thee, oh ! "Ka- 
 foor r and what be the tidmgs !' And I replied, ' Truly 
 when thou sent'st me to the house, and I entered, I saw the 
 Avail whicli is in the house had f\iUen, and 'whelmed all of it 
 upon my mistress, and the children !' So said he to me, « And 
 what of thy mistress ? 'scaped she not V And I answered, 
 ' Nay, WuUahy, oh my master, not one among them 'scaped ; 
 the first that died among them w^as my mistress, thy eldest 
 dauo-hter.' And he said, 'And did not my younger daughter 
 'scape V And said I, ' Nay.' Then quoth he, ' And what 
 came of the mule which I used to ride, is she safe V And I 
 answered him, • Nay, Wullahy ! oh ! my master ! for surely 
 the two walls of the house, and both w^alls of the stable 
 whelmed all that was in the house, even to the sheep, and the 
 geese, and the chickens, and they are all become a heap of 
 flesh, and the dogs are eating them, and there is not left of 
 
 d3 
 
418 AND THE TALE OF KAFOOR. 
 
 them one.' And he said to me, * And hath not thy master, 
 my elder son 'scaped?' Andl replied, < Nay, Wullahy ! there 
 is not left of them a single one ! and at this time there 
 is not left, house nor hold, nor is there left even a sign of 
 them, and for the sheep, and the geese, and the chickens, the 
 dogs are eating them, and the cats.' Now when my master 
 heard these words of mine, the light became darkness before 
 his face, and he was not able to command his soul, nor his 
 sense, and he was not able to stand firm upon his feet, but 
 impotence came on him, and his back was like to break. 
 So he rent his raiment, and plucked his beard, and threw 
 his turban from off his head, and gave not over smiting his 
 face, until the blood sprang, and he cried aloud, ' Ah ! wa ! 
 the children ! Ah ! wa ! the wife ! Ah ! wa ! the calamity ! 
 to whom hath there come to pass like that hath come to 
 pass to me !' Then the merchants, and his friends cried 
 aloud at his crying, and wept with him, and pitied his con- 
 dition, and tore their garments. Then went my master forth 
 from that garden, and he smiting his face at the extremi- 
 ty that had come to pass to him, and with the excess of 
 the smiting his face, he became as 'twere he were drunken. 
 Now meanwhile he, and the merchants were coming forth at 
 the gate of the gardens, lo ! they were aware of a very great 
 dust, and cries, and shrieks ! so they looked on those were 
 meeting them, and behold ! it was the governor, and the 
 chief men, and the folks, and the world of people who were 
 coming out to see, and the people of the merchant's family be- 
 hind them screaming, and crying aloud, and they were in ex- 
 ceeding weeping, greater than before : now the first that my 
 master met was his wife, and the children : so when he saw 
 them he was confounded, and laughed, and made sure of its 
 being them, and said to them, ' What is your state all of you, 
 and what's got to you in the house, and what hath come to 
 pass to you V Now when they saw him, they said, ' Thanks 
 to God for thy preservation !' And threw themselves upon 
 
AND THE TALE OF KAFOOR. 419 
 
 him, and his children hung about him, and cried out, ' Oh ! 
 our father ! Thanks to God for thy preservation, oh ! our 
 father !' And his wife said to him, ' Art well ? Thanks to 
 God, who hath shewn us thy face in safety !' So she had been in 
 trouble, and her senses flew from her, when she saw him : 
 and she said to him, ' Oh ! my master, how wer't thou pre- 
 served, thou, and thy friends the merchants V So quoth he 
 to her, ' And how was your condition in the house ?' And 
 they answered, * We were well, whole and healthy, and no 
 jot of evil befel our house, save that Kafoor, near thee there, 
 came to us, and he with head uncovered, and garments torn, 
 and he howling, ' Wa ! the master ! wa ! the master !' Then 
 said we to him, ' What tidings, oh ! Kafoor !' And he answer- 
 ed, verily my master, and his friends, the merchants, there 
 is fallen on them a wall of the garden, and they be dead all 
 of them !' Then quoth the merchant to them, ' Wullahy ! 
 of a surety came he to me within this hour, and he howling, 
 ' Wa I th-e mistress ! wa ! the children of the mistress !' and 
 said, 'Verily my mistress, andherchihlren bedeadallof them V 
 Now he looked at his side, and saw me, and my turban rent in 
 rags upon my head, and I howling, and weeping with exceed- 
 ing weeping, and throwing dust upon my head : then called 
 he loudly to me, and I came before him, and he said to me, 
 * Shame to thee ! oh ! thou ill-omened slave ! oh ! son of ini- 
 quity ! oh ! accursed kind ! what be these events that thou 
 hast compassed ? Now, Wullahy ! will I most surely flog thy 
 skin from thy flesh, and hew thy flesh from thy bones !' Then 
 said I to him, ' Wullahy ! thou can'st do naught with me, for 
 truly thou did'st buy me with my blemish on this condition, 
 and there be witnesses bore witness to thee when thou bought- 
 est me with my blemish ! and knowest thou not how it is ? It is 
 even that I tell in every year one single lie, and this but a lialf lie ; 
 but when that year is complete I shall tell its other h:ilf, then 
 will the lie stand perfect.' So he yell'd at me, ' Oh ! dog, son 
 of a dog, oh ! curse of slaves, is this all of it but a half lie ? 
 
 D 3 2 
 
420 AND THE TALE OF KAFOOR. 
 
 Now surely even it is a whole misfortune ! get thee from me 
 thou'rt free in the face of God V Then said T, * Wullahy ! 
 if thou set me free 1 won't free thee until the year is complete, 
 and I lie the half lie that is left, and after I have fulfilled it, 
 then go down with me to the market, and sell me for what 
 thou boughtest me at with my blemish, and thou may'st not 
 set me free, for I have not a trade to gain a living by ; and this 
 precept which I make mention of to thee is a matter of law, 
 that the doctors make mention of in the Chapter of Manumis- 
 sion. '202 go meanwhile we were at these words, behold ! 
 the mass of men, and the people, and the folks of the street, 
 both men and women, had come to make condolence, and the 
 governor came, and his party, and my master's and the mer- 
 chant saw the governor, and informed him of the adven- 
 ture, and how truly this was a half lie. Now when they 
 heard this they inclined to think that lie a mighty one, 
 and marvelled with exceeding astonishment. Then they curs- 
 ed me, and reviled me, and I remained standing, and laugh- 
 ing, and saying, ' How wilt slay me, oh ! master mine, thou 
 that hast bought me with this blemish?' Now when my 
 master went on to the house he found it spoiled, and that it 
 was I had spoiled it, the main part and indeed the most of it ; 
 and had broken in it what was worth a large sum of money, 
 and his wife had done in like manner. Then said his wife 
 to him, ' Truly Kafoor is he that hath broken the utensils, and 
 the Chinaware ;' And his fury encreased, and he struck hand 
 upon hand, and said, ' Wullahy ! in my life never saw I a 
 bastard like this slave ! and he says that it is but a half lie ! 
 how then if it M^ere a whole lie, he would ruin a whole 
 city, aye, or even two.' Then in the excess of his fury 
 went he to the governor, and they gave me to eat some 
 sweetpreparedcondiment,2 3 and I was lost to the world, 
 and a trance came on me, and they left me in my trance, 
 and gave me to the barber, and he mutilated me, and when 
 I woke I found myself an eunuch. And my master said 
 
STOIRY OF GIIANI3I BIN UYOOB, &LZ. 421 
 
 to me, ' Like as thou dkl'st consume my heart in that I 
 held dearest, so have 1 bound thine.' And he took me, and 
 sold me for a higher price, for that 1 was become an eunuch. 
 And I ceased not bringing misfortunes on whatever ])1aces I 
 was sold into, and I was sliifted from lord to lord and from 
 great man to great man, being sold and being bought until I 
 entered the palace of the Lord of the Faithful, and my spirit 
 was broken. So thus my tricks were lost me, and my man- 
 hood too.' Now when the two slaves heard liis words, they 
 both laughed at him, and said to him, ' Truly thou art true 
 dunghill, and dunghilFs son ! thou liest an odious lie.' And 
 then said they to the third slave, ' Tell us thy tale :' Quotli he, 
 * Oh ! sons of mineuncle, all this have you told at length. Now 
 should I tell you the cause of my being as I am, it were rightl 
 should say still more than that, for I did to death my mistress, 
 and the son of my master ; now the story about me is a long 
 affair, and this not the time to tell it ; for truly the dawn, oh ! 
 sons of mine uncle, is near, and it is probable the dawn will 
 rise upon us, and the chest yet by us : so we shall be shewn up 
 and our very souls will go for it. Now away with you, open the 
 gate, and when we have opened it, we will go to our palace; then 
 I'll tell you the cause of my mishap.' Then climbed he up, 
 and came down from the wall, and opened the gate, and they 
 entered, and set down the candle, and dug a grave, as long as 
 the chest, and as broad between four tombs. And Kafoor kept 
 digging, and Suwab removing the earth with the shovel, until 
 they dug half height deep. Then put they down the chest 
 in the grave, and rested the earth upon it, and went forth from 
 the burial ground, and shut to the door, and disappeared 
 from the eyes of Ghanim Bin Uyoob. Now when it was 
 quiet, and the place was left free to Ghanim, and he knew 
 that he was alone, he occupied himself with conjecture as 
 to what was in the chest, and he said in his soul, ' Come 
 let me see what was in the chest.' So he waited till the morn- 
 ing gleamed, and shone, and its rays* showed, then came he 
 
423 STORY OF GHANIM BIN UYOOB, 
 
 down from on the date tree, and put aside the earth with his 
 hand until he laid bare the chest, and brought it out. So he 
 took a large stone, and smote the lock with it, and broke 
 it, and took off the lid and looked into it, and behold ! a 
 young girl sleeping a3 one drugged, and her person swelling 
 and sinking. So surely she was a very mistress of beauty, 
 and perfection, and rich garments on her, and jewels of 
 gold, and necklaces of precious stones, were the country 
 of the sooltan evened with them it would not give money 
 enough for their price. Now when Ghanim Bin Uyoob saw 
 her he knew that they had played her false, and drugged her 
 with henbane ; and when he was certain of that, he tried 
 with her until he got her out of the chest, and laid her rest- 
 ing upon the nape of her neck. Now when she began 
 to smell the breeze, and the an' entered her nostrils, and her 
 vital organs, she sneezed : then choked she, and coughed, and 
 there fell from her throat a pellet 2 o 4 Qf i]^q henbane of Crete ; 
 were the elephant to smell it he would sleep from niglit to 
 night. Then open'd she her eyes, and turned her glances 
 round, and said in words, sweet and elegant, ' Fie on t]iee ! 
 Oh ! wind, there is not in thee aught to quench the thirsty, 
 nor aught to gratify whose thirst is quenched ! Where is Zuhur 
 ul Bostan V And there answered her not any one. So she 
 turned her, and said * Oh ! Soobeeluck, Shujrut oqd deen ! 
 * Nowr ul hooda ! Nujmutoos Soobh ! be he here ? Noozhuh 
 Hoolvvah, Zureefuh ! Speak !' And there answered her not 
 any one. So she glanced on either said, and side, ' Woe's 
 me ! have ye entombed me in the cenotaphs ? Oh ! Thou, who 
 knowest what is in men's breasts, and who wilt give me my 
 due on the day of summons and resurrection, who hath taken 
 me from amid hanging screens, and veiling curtains, and put 
 me down amid four tombs V All this was so, and Ghanim 
 standing attentive ; then said he to her, ' Oh I lady, there be no 
 hanging screens, nor no palaces here, nor yet no tombes, naught 
 is here save thy slave, the enthualled, Ghanim Bin Uyoob ! 
 
AND QOOT OOL QULOOB. 423 
 
 Now the signs of things hidden here compelled him towards 
 thee, that he might cause thine escape from these sorrows, and 
 put thee in possession of the utmost of thy wants :' And he 
 held his peace. Now when she became well assured of the 
 matter, she said, ' I witness that there is no God, but the God, 
 and I witness that Muhummud is the messenger of God !' 
 Then turned she to Ghanim, and she put her hands to her 
 face, and said to him in sweet language, « Oh ! blessed youth, 
 who brought me to this place ? for, see, I am just awake.' 
 And he replied, ' Oh ! lady, three slaves, eunuchs, came, 
 and they were bearing this chest :' And then he related to her 
 the whole of what had come to pass to him, and how the 
 evening closed upon him, so that it was the cause of her pre- 
 servation, and if not she had died by being smothered. Then 
 asked he her of her story, and her tidings, and she replied to 
 him, ' Oh ! youth ! thanks be to God that hath cast me into 
 the hands of one like thee ! arise now, and put me into the 
 chest, and go forth upon the road, and when thou findest a 
 camel driver or a mule man, then hire him to carry this chest, 
 and bring me to thy house : so when I am settled in thine abode 
 it will be well, and I will relate to thee my story, and tell thee 
 my tale, and good will be thy gain by means of me.' Now he 
 rejoiced, and went forth to the outside of the burial ground, 
 and the day was high, and the light shone with its rays, and 
 the people had come forth, and went about. So he hired a man 
 with a mule, and came with him to the burial ground, and 
 lifted up the chest after he had put the damsel into it ; and 
 love of her fell in his heart, and he fared on with her, and he 
 rejoicing for that she was a damsel worth ten thousand deenars 
 and on her robes, and raiment of the value of much money, 
 and he could scarce think it true till he arrived at his house, 
 and took down the chest, and opened it." — And Shuhurzad 
 perceived the morning dawn and ceased speaking the words 
 permitted her. 
 
424 STORY OF GIIANIM BIN UYOOB, 
 
 So tnj^m it ^a^ tSe iFi5tti=tlr0t Mglt, 
 
 She said, " They relate Oh ! mighty King, that Ghanim Bin 
 Uyoob wlien he arrived with the chest at his house, open- 
 ed it, and took the damsel out from it, and she look- 
 ed, and saw the place a fair quarter, spread with silk car- 
 pets and cheerful colors, and other else than that ; and 
 she saw stuffs piled up, and packed up in bales, and other 
 else than that, and she knew that he was a great merchant 
 master of much wealth. Then uncovered she her face, and 
 looked upon him, and lo ! he was a fair youth. Now when 
 she saw him, she loved him, and said to him, ' Oh ! my 
 master, bring me something to eat.' And Ghanim answered 
 her, ' On my head be it, and mine eyes,' Then went he 
 down to the market, and bought a roasted lamb, and a dish 
 of sweetmeat, and took with it dry fruits, and caudles, and 
 took with it date wine, and whatsoever the case required of ap- 
 paratus for drinking, and sweet scents, and came witli it to the 
 house and came in with these necessaries. Now when 
 the damsel saw him she laughed ; and kissed him, and 
 clasped his neck and took to jesting with him. So made 
 she love increase in him, and wholly occupied his heart. 
 Then truly ate they, and drank until the night came on- 
 and each of them had conceived affection for his companion, 
 for surely they two were one in age and one in love- 
 liness. Now when the night approached Ghanim Bin 
 Uyoob Ul Mutuyum Ul Musloob arose, and lighted the 
 candles, and the lamps, and set the place in order, and pro- 
 duced the equipage of wine. Then set he out the nose- 
 gay, and sat down, both he and she also, and he kept filling, 
 and giving her to drink, and she kept filling and giving him 
 to drink, and they both were jesting, and laughing, and break- 
 ing out with verse; and joy increased upon them, and they 
 clove in love one to the other. Praise be to him that maketh 
 hearts associate ! Now they ceased not to be after that fashion 
 
AND QOOT OOL QULOOB. 425 
 
 until near the dawn ; then sleep overcame them, and they 
 slept each one of them m their own place, until the morning 
 dawned. Then arose Ghanim Bin Uyoob, and went forth to 
 the market, and bought whatsoever he required of eatables, 
 and drinkables, and vegetables, and meat and wine, and else 
 besides, and came with it to the house and sat down, he, and 
 she also, to eat ; so they ate till they were satisfied, and after 
 that produced the wine, -and they both drank, and jested each 
 with the other, until their faces reddened, and their eyes grew 
 dark, and the very soul of Ghanim Bin Uyoob longed to kiss 
 the damsel, and he said to her, ' Oh ! lady, grant one kiss of 
 thy lips : perchance 'twill cool the fire of my heart.' And 
 she replied, ' Oh ! Ghanim, wait yet till I be tipsy, and 
 forget myself ; then take a kiss of me secretly where thou 
 can'st: surely I cannot let thee kiss me.' Then stood she 
 on her feet, and took off some of her upper dress, and sat in 
 a looped under vest, and woven robe of silk. So upon that 
 passion moved Glianim, and he said to her, ' Oh ! lady ! now 
 will you not grant me what I spoke to you of?' And she 
 replied, ' VVullahy ! that will not avail you, for there is written 
 in the border of my dress a right severe sentence.' So the 
 mind of Ghanim Bin Uyoob was broken with disappointment, 
 and passion grew as that it sought evaded it : and he repeated 
 a verse : — 
 
 *■ I asked the author of mine ills, 
 To heal my anguish with a kiss ; 
 
 * No, never, no,' she cried, but still 
 I softly whispering answered ' Yes.' 
 
 ' Then take it' quoth she ' By my leave 
 'When a kind smile, shall speak consent;* 
 
 * By force?' I cried, * Nay,' she replied 
 
 * But gently kiss when I'm content.' 
 Then ask me not, of what there passed, 
 But say thy prayers, and take thy rest ; 
 Or else, as envious sneers still cast 
 O'er happy love a sweeter zest. 
 
 E 3 
 
426 STORY OF GHANIM BIN UYOOB. 
 
 Think of us even as you will ! 
 For after this, 'tis nought to me 
 Whether I know an open foe, 
 Or dread a hidden enemy.' 
 
 Now his love increased, and its fires coursed through his 
 spirits. This was so, and she still kept him off, and yet they 
 two ceasod not, their love-talk, and their companionage, and 
 Ghanim Bin Uyoob was drowned in the sea of longing, and 
 for her, she truly grew more cruel, and more coy, until the 
 night came on in darkness, and the pall of sleep dropped on 
 them. Then arose Ghanim, and lighted the candles, and the 
 lamps, and refreshed the place, and the nosegay : then took 
 he her feet, and kissed them, and he found them like virgin 
 silver ; so he bent his face down upon them, and said, « Oh ! 
 lady, pity one fettered in thy love, and one slain by thine 
 eyes, and I were heartwhole, but for thee ;' And he wept 
 somewhat. Then said she to him, < Oh ! my master, and 
 light of my eyes, I,Wullahy ! love thee, but I know I cannot 
 be thine.' And he replied, * And what is that forbids it V 
 So she answered, * This night will I tell thee my story, so 
 that thou may'st accept my excuse.' Now they ceased not to 
 be thus a whole month, and love had taken firm hold in the 
 heart of each, one for the other, until on a certain night he 
 was lying down to sleep, and she also, and Ghanim came, 
 and sat by her side, and she said to him, * What would'st 
 thou V And he replied, * My wish is that thou should'st be 
 mine.' Now upon that she said to him, * I now will declare 
 to thee my story, that thou may'st know my quality, and then 
 may be my secret disclosed to thee, and a plain showing of 
 my excuse.' Then said he, ' So be it !' And she upon that 
 tore up the skirt of her under vest, and laid her hand upon 
 the (h-awer band of her clothes, and said to him, ' Oh ! my 
 master, read what is on the side of this drawer band :' So 
 Ghanim took it in his hand, and looked upon it, and found 
 broidered on it in gold, * I am thine, and thou art mine, oh ! 
 
AND QOOT OOL QULOOB. 427 
 
 son of the uncle of the prophet l^'^^si^ow when he read it, he 
 snatched his hand away, and said to her, « Explain to me thy 
 story.' And she replied, ' So be it : know that truly I am 
 betrothed to the Lord of the Faithful, and my name is 
 Qoot ool Quloob. Now indeed the Lord of the Faithful, 
 when they educated me in his palace, and I grew up, and 
 the khuleef looked upon me, and what share of beauty 
 and of loveliness my Creator had given me, — he loved me 
 with exceeding love, and took me, and made me dwell in 
 a separate department, and made over to me ten handmaidens 
 to serve me. Then gave he me these jewels which thou hast 
 seen with me. Now on a certain day, the khuleef travelled 
 away to some city, and the lady Zoobeiduk came to one of the 
 handmaids, who were in my service, and said to her, * I have 
 need of thee.' So she replied, < And what need is it, oh ! 
 lady ?' She answered, * When thy mistress, Qoot ool Quloob 
 sleeps, then drop this morsel of henbane into her nostrils, 
 or into what she drinks, and thou shalt have of me as much 
 money as will satisfy thee.' So the handmaid said to her, 
 * With pleasure and all willingness :' And she took the hen- 
 bane from her, and she, a glad woman because of the money, 
 and indeed formerly she was Zoobeiduk's slave girl. Now she 
 came to me, and put the drug in that I drank, and when it was 
 night, I drank. Now when the drug was once within me, I 
 fell to the ground, and my head was at my feet : and f was 
 not aware of my existence save that I was as in another world. 
 So truly, she, when her device was fulfilled, put me down into 
 that chest, and brought in the slaves secretly, and bribed them, 
 and the door-keepers in like manner, and sent me with the 
 slaves on the night on which thou wert sleeping upon the date 
 tree then did they with me as thou sawest, and my escape was 
 at thy hands. Then earnest thou with me to this house, and 
 treated me kindly with exceeding kindness, and this is my 
 story and tale. Now I know not what hath come to pass to 
 the khuleef upon my absence. Now know my quality, and 
 
 E 3 2 
 
428 STORY OF GHANIM BIN UYOOB. 
 
 do not divulge my story.' Now when Ghanim Bin Uyoob 
 heard the words of Qoot ool Qiiloob, and was assured that she 
 was the betrothed of the kiiuleef, he turned him round, and awe 
 of the viceregal power beset him, and he sat alone in a dis- 
 tant part of the outsidrts of the place, reproaching himself, and 
 thinking upon his state, and trying to give his heart patience ; 
 and he abode bewildered in a love wherein he had no power 
 to succeed. So he wept in the excess of his longing, and he 
 plained him of the injuries of the world, and the adversities that 
 are in it. Praise be to Him, who caused hearts to be occupied 
 with affection, and a beloved object ! And he began repeat- 
 ing;— 
 
 ' The lover's heart is racked for his beloved, 
 The rare in beauty steals his sense away ; 
 'Twas said * What is love's taste' ? and I replied, 
 The taste is sweet, but torment's in that sweetness.' 
 
 Now upon that Qoot ool Quloob arose, and came to him, and 
 his love was firm fixed in her heart, and she disclosed to him 
 her secret thought, and all the love she felt, and circled Gha- 
 nim"s neck with her hands, and kissed him, and he forbidding 
 her in awe of the khuleef : so they talked together an hour of 
 time, and they drowned in the sea of their affection, until the 
 day arose. Then rose up Ghanim, and put on his clothes, and 
 went forth to the market, as was his wont, and took all that 
 the occasion required, and went to the house, and he found 
 Qoot ool Quloob weeping. Now when she saw him she 
 checked her idle tears, and smiled, and said to him, ' My 
 heart was desolate, oh ! my beloved ! Wullahy ! this hour 
 that thou wert away from me was like a year by reason of 
 thine absence ; and now have J explained to thee my con- 
 dition in the excess of my eager love for tliee ; so come now 
 near me,' and he mterrupted her, and said I seek refuge with 
 the Almighty ! this thing, how may it be I Shall the dog sit 
 in the place of the lion ! Now what is for the lord, even that 
 is to the slave forbidden !' So he tore himself from her, and 
 
AND QOOT OOL QULOOB. 429 
 
 sat in a distant quarter on the mat, but her love for him in- 
 creased by his forbearance, and she sat by his side, and kept 
 him company, and jested with him. Then were they two 
 flushed with wine, and she sang, and broke out saying ; — 
 
 ' Till when, till when, oh ! say 
 Wilt thou these coy denials make, 
 E'en while my heart is like to break, 
 Which love doth captive lay ? 
 Oh ! thou that turn'st away, 
 And careless dost my love refuse, 
 E'en thus the timid ghuzuls use, 2 o 6 
 That for no man will stay ! 
 Throughout the tedious day 
 Still absence, distance and disdain ? 
 All these ? what girl could ere sustain 
 A load so harsh as they ?' 
 
 Now Ghanim Bin Uyoob wept, and she wept also at his 
 weeping, and they gave not over drinking until night. Then 
 arose Ghanim, and prepared two resting places each in its 
 own place ; then said she, * And why is this V So he an- 
 swered her, ' This is for me, and the other for thee, and from 
 this night forth shall it be- after this manner ; for all that owns 
 the master, even that is to the slave forbidden.' Then said she 
 to him, ' Oh ! my master, have done with this, for every 
 thing comes to pass by mandate and decree.' But he denied 
 it, and prevailed over her, and slept alone until the morning. 
 Now love, and longing waxed still more with her, and ecstacy, 
 and eager thirst of love, and they two abode after this fashion 
 three long months, and every time she approached him, still 
 would he say, ' Whatsoever owns the master, even that is to 
 the slave forbidden.' Now when the length of time seemed 
 long indeed to her with Ghanim Bin Uyoob, Ul Muttuyum, 
 Ul MuSloob, and anguish, and distresses grew upon her, she 
 burst out from her oppressed heart, saying these lines ; — 
 
 * How great rare beauty is this wrong thou doest, 
 And who was't, made thee fain to turn from me ? 
 
430 STORY OF GHANIM BIS UYOOB. 
 
 Thou, that conjoin' st all attributes of grace, 
 
 And dost comprise each species of fair feature I , 
 
 That passion hast infused in every heart, 
 
 And hast deputed sleeplessness to lie 
 
 On every lid. — I erst thought branches plucked 
 
 Gave fruit, — but thou, I see, oh ! cassia branch ! 
 
 Pluck' st sensitive, thy fruitless self away. 
 
 The wild roe, erst I'd chase — how is't, fair hart, 
 
 I see thee chase, the masters of the shield ? 
 
 And wondrous 'tis, I evermore should tell thee 
 
 That I am trapped, and thou should' st know it not. t 
 
 Grant not my wish, — for if I jealously 
 
 Grudge thee thyself, how much more, myself, thee ! 
 
 And ne'er while life lasts, will I more repeat, 
 
 ' How great rare beauty is the wrong thou doest.* 
 
 Now they abode in this state a long time. This was 
 what was in the matter of Ghanim Bin Uyoob the cap- 
 tivated, the enthralled, but for what was in the matter of 
 lady Zoobeiduk, truly she in the absence of the khuleef when 
 she had done this deed by Qoot ool Qiiloob remahied bewil- 
 dered, saying in her soul, ' What shall I tell the khuleef when 
 he comes, and asks for her ? indeed 1 have not mine answer 
 for him.' So she called an old woman that was about her, and 
 she admitted her to knowledge of her secret, and said to her, 
 * How shall I act, and Qoot ool Quloob having died untimely by 
 an untimely death V Then said to her the old woman, when she 
 understood the state of the matter, 'Know, oh! my lady, 
 that the return of the khuleef is near ; yet do thou send to a 
 carpenter, and order him to make thee a figure of a corpse of 
 wood, and dig a grave for it in the midst of the palace, and 
 we will bury her in it. Then do thou make a separate place 
 for it, and light candles, and lamps in it, and order every one 
 in the palace to dress in black, 207 and order thy handmaids, 
 and thy servants when they know that the khuleef is come 
 back from the journey, to strew rushes in the vestibules. So 
 when the khuleef hath entered, and asks the news, let them 
 tell him that Qoot ool Quloob is dead, and the Almighty 20s 
 
AND QOOT OOL QULOOB. 431 
 
 make great thy reward through her, and that from her high 
 esteem with our mistress she hath buried her in lier own 
 tomb !' Now when he hears this, he will weep, and it will 
 vex him : then will he cause recitations to be made for 
 her, and will watch at her tomb. So if he say in his soul, 
 * What if the daughter of mine uncle Zoobeiduk out of 
 her jeolousy hath taken occasion for the death of Qoot ool 
 Quloob, or what if the passionate thirst of love overcame 
 her?' He then will order to take her out of her tomb, and do 
 thou not be terrified at that. Now when they have dug down, 
 and have brought up that image which is as in the shape of a 
 child of Adam, then will he see it, and it wrapped in shrouds 
 of costly stuff: and shouhl the khuleef wish to take the wind- 
 ing sheet off her to look upon her, then do thou forbid him 
 that, or let some other forbid him, and say to him, ' The 
 sight of her exposed is forbidden.'^ o^ Now he will then, and 
 there take it for true that she is dead, and will restore her to 
 her place, and thank thee for thy doings, and thou wilt be 
 released, please God Almighty, from this imminent peril.' 
 Now when the lady Zoobeiduk heard her words, she saw that 
 it was good, and gave her a present, and ordered her to do all 
 that after she had given her a sum of money. So the old wo- 
 man set about it forthwith, and ordered the carpenter to make 
 a figure for her as we have mentioned, and after the completing 
 the figure, she went with it to the lady Zoobeiduk : So they 
 wrapped it in the shrouds, and buried it, and lighted candles, 
 and lamps, and spread the pall about the tomb, and put on 
 black, and ordered the handmaids that they should dress in 
 black, and spread about the matter in the palace, that Qoot ool 
 Quloob is dead. Now after a time the khuleef came in from 
 his absence, and went up to the palace, but he had no 
 thought occupying him save of Qoot ool Quloob : and he saw 
 the armed slaves, and the servants, and the handmaids all of 
 them dressed in black, and the heart of the khuleef shook 
 with extreme tremor. And when he entered the palace to 
 
432 STORY OF GHANIM BIN UYOOB. 
 
 the lady Zoobeiduk, he saw her too dressed in black, and the 
 khuleef asked of that, and they gave him tidings of the death 
 of Qoot ool Quloob, and thereon he fell down swooning. So 
 when he recovered, he asked for her tomb, and the lady Zoo- 
 beiduk said to him, ' Know oh ! Lord of the Faithful, that I 
 truly out of my esteem for her have buried her in my palace.* 
 And the khuleef entered in his raiment of travel into the tomb, 
 of Qoot ool Quloob to wail over her, and he found the pall spread 
 and the lamps, and candles lighted. Now when he saw that, 
 he thanked her for her doings, and abode bewildered at his 
 hap, and he halting between thinking it true or false ; and 
 when affliction overcame him, he gave order to dig up 
 the grave, and take her out from it, and when he saw the 
 shroud, and desired to take it off from her to look upon her, 
 he feared the Almighty. Then quoth the woman, ' Put 
 her back into her place.' So the khuleef gave order forthwith 
 to bring the doctors, and readers ol the Qoran, and caused re- 
 citations to be made at her tomb, and he sat by side of tlie 
 tomb, weeping until he swooned, and he gave not over sitting 
 at her tomb a whole month." — And Shuhurzad perceived the 
 morning light, and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 H0IB fallen it tBm tijt jF0tttg=^ec0EiDf Ntgljtt 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty King, that the khuleef 
 ceased not to return .constantly to her tomb for the period of a 
 month. Now it so happened that the khuleef entered the 
 hureem after the departure of the lords, and ministers to their 
 own houses, and he slept awhile. Now there sat at his head 
 a handmaid fanning him with a fan, and at his feet a handmaid 
 pressing them. So when he slept, and waked, and opened his 
 eyes, and winked them, then heard he the handmaid who was 
 at his head saying to her that was at his feet, ' Fie on thee ! oh, 
 Kheizran !' And she answered her, ' Is it so, oh ! Quzeeb 
 Ul Bin ?' Said she, ' Truly our lord hath no knowledge of 
 what has come to pass, and he watching at the tomb, that there 
 
AND QOOT OOL QrXOOB. 433 
 
 is naught in it save a log carved by tlie art of the carpenter. 
 Then quoth the other, * And Qoot ool Quloob, what thing has 
 befallen her?' So she replied, * Know that the lady Zoobeiduk 
 sent by a slave girl a pellet of henbane and she drugged her. So 
 when the drug overpowered her she put her into a chest, and 
 sent her with Suwab, and Kafoor and ordered them to throw 
 her into the burial ground.' Then said Kheizran, ' Fie on thee ! 
 oh Quzeeb Ul Bin, is not the lady Qoot ool Quloob dead V She 
 repUed, ' Nay, Wullahy ! her youth is preserved from death, 
 and indeed I have heard the lady Zoobeiduk say that Qoot ool 
 Quloob is in the house of a youth, a merchant, his name 
 Ghanim Bin Uyoob the Dumuscene ; and that she has been 
 with him up to this day four months, and thus our lord is 
 weeping and watching by night at a tomb in which there is 
 no corpse.' And they two kept conversing with this sort of 
 talk, and the khulcef hearing their words. Now when the 
 two handmaids ceased their talk, and he knew the whole 
 story, and that tliis tomb was an artifice, and a fraud, and that 
 Qoot ool Quloob had been in the house of Ghanim Bin Uyoob 
 for four months back, he was angered with exceeding wrath, 
 and rose, and went unto the lords of his state. Now upon that 
 the vuzeer Jafur the Burmukkee came forward, and kissed the 
 earth before him : then said the khuleef to him in fury, ' Go 
 down, oh ! Jafur ! with a party, and ask for the house of 
 Ghanim Bin Uyoob, and spoil his house, and bring me my 
 slave girl Qoot ool Quloob, and there is no help but that I tor- 
 ture him.' Then Jafur answered him with, * To hear is to 
 obey ;' And upon that he went down even Jafur, and much 
 people, and a world of men, and the prefect in company with 
 him, and they stinted not going till they came to the house of 
 Ghanim. Now Ghanim Bin Uyoob had about that time gone 
 forth, and come back with a pan of dressed meat, and he was 
 about to stretch forth his hand to eat of it, he and Qoot ool 
 Quloob, when perception of somewhat flashed upon her, and 
 she found evil beset the house on every side, and the vuzeer, 
 
 F 3 
 
434 STORY OF GHANIM BIN UYOOB. 
 
 and the prefect, and the ni^ht guard, and the armed slaves with 
 swords drawn, and bared, and they had surrounded it as the 
 white of the eye surrounds the black. Now upon that she 
 knew that tidings of her had reached the khuleef, her lord: 
 then made she sure of death, and her color paled, and her fair 
 features altered. So she looked to Glianim, and said to him, 
 
 * Oh ! my beloved, fly for thy life !' And he replied, ' How 
 shall I manage, and whither shall I go, and my money, and 
 my means of maintenance in this house V But she said, 
 
 * Delay not or haply thou wilt be slain, and thy wealth go 
 also.' So he replied to her, ' Oh ! my loved one, and light of 
 mine eyes, how shall I do to get out, and they have beset the 
 house V And she said, ' Fear not,' And stripped him of 
 his clothes, and dressed him in old garments, and came with 
 the pan in which was the meat, and put it upon his head, and 
 set round it a quantity of bread, and broken meat, and put 
 them in an osier basket, and said to Jiim, * Go forth with this 
 device, and death is not for thee ; but I know well what thing 
 is in my hand from the khuleef.' Now when Ghanim heard 
 tiie words of Qoot ool Quloob, and whatso she pointed out to 
 him, he went forth from her presence, and he bearing the bas- 
 ket with what is in it, and the Protector guarded him, and he 
 escaped from capture, and from damage by the blessing of his 
 intention. So when the vuzeer Jafur arrived at a certain dis- 
 tance from the house, he straightened his siege of it, and en- 
 tered .the building, and looked upon Qoot ool Quloob. Now 
 she had adorned herself, and made preparations, and packed a 
 box with the gold, and the ornaments, and the jewels, and the 
 rare things that were light to carry, anil dear of price. So 
 when Jafur came in to her, and saw her, she stood upon her 
 feet and kissed the earth before him, and said, * Oh ! my 
 master, the pen has written from of old, that which God hath 
 ordered.' And when Jafur saw that, he said to her, 'Wullahy ! 
 oh ! lady, they have sent me not save to seize Ghanim Bin 
 XJyoob.' And she replied, ' My master, truly he hatii prepared 
 
AND QOOT OOL QULOOB. 435 
 
 merchandize, and gone with it to Damascus, and I have 
 no knowledge of his tidings, but I wish thou would' st take 
 charge of this chest for me, and bear it away until thou canst 
 make it over to me in the palace of the Lord of the Faithful :' 
 And Jafur answered, * To hear is to comply.' Then took he the 
 cliest and gave order to bear it, away, and Qoot ool Quloob 
 with them to the mansion of the khuleef, and she was treated 
 kindly as one in high esteem, and this after they had spoil- 
 ed Ghanim's house. So they turned them to go to the 
 khuleef, and Jafur related to him the wiiole of what had pas- 
 sed. So the khuleef ordered Qoot ool Quloob to a darkened 
 room, and lodged her in it, and attached to her an old woman 
 to supply her wants, for indeed he supposed that she 
 had ffiven herself to Ghanim. Then wrote he a mandate 
 to the Lord Muhum mud Bin Suleiman ooz Zeinee, and he 
 was deputy in Damascus, and its gist was, ' That the in- 
 stant thou shalt receive the mandate, seize upon Ghanim 
 Bin Uyoob, and send him to me.' Now when the mandate 
 reached him, he kissed it, and put it to his head, and pro- 
 claimed in the markets, < Whosoever desires to plunder, away 
 with him to the house of Ghanim Bin Uyoob.' Then went 
 they to the house, and found the mother of Ghanim, and his 
 sister that had made a tomb for him in the midst of the 
 house, and were both sitting by it weeping for him. And they 
 seized them, and plundered the house, and these two knew 
 not what was the matter. Now when they produced them to 
 the sooltan, he questioned them as to Ghanim, their son, and 
 they both replied, ' For a year's time or more we have not 
 fallen in with tidings of him :' So they restored them to their 
 place. This was what was in the matter of them, but truly 
 for what was in the case of Ghanim Bin Uyoob Ul Mutty- 
 um Ul Musloob, when forsooth his wealth was spoiled, and 
 he looked upon his state, then wept he over himself, until his 
 heart was rent, and he was disgusted with himself, and he 
 fared on till the end of the day, and hunger increased upon him, 
 
 F 3 2 
 
436 STORY OF GHANIM BIN UYOOB, 
 
 and the travelling sore fatigued him. So Avhen he arrived at a 
 town, he entered it, and went to a mosque, and sat irpon a 
 coarse mat, and leaned his back against the wall of the mosque, 
 and sank down, and he was in the extreme of hunger and 
 weariness, and he left not abiding there till the dawn; and 
 his heart was palpitating with hunger, and the vermin crept 
 up upon his skin owing to the filtli, and his breath was 
 drawn wheezingly, and his whole condition was altered. 
 Now the people of that town came to pray in the morning, 
 and they found him dejected, ailing, attenuated with hunger, 
 and the signs of rank evident upon him. So when they had 
 prayed they came to him, and found him half naked, fasting, 
 and they gave him an old coat, whose sleeves were torn off, 
 and said to him, ' Oh ! stranger ! whence art thou, and what 
 is the cause of thy weakliness ?' And he opened his eyes 
 on them and wept, and returned them not an answer. Now 
 one of them went, and he had perceived that he was famish- 
 ed, and he brought him a platter of honey, and two barley 
 cakes, and he ate a little ; so they sat about him till the sun 
 rose, and they departed to their employments, and he ceased 
 not to be in this state a month, and he was among them, and 
 weakliness, and sickness increased upon him. Now they 
 wept over him, and yearned towards him, and took counsel 
 with one among them upon his matter ; so they settled among 
 them that they should take him to the lazar house, wliich is 
 at Bughdad. Now meanwhile they were after this fashion, 
 behold two women wretched beggars came in to him, and 
 these were his mother, and his sister. So when he saw them, 
 he gave them the bread which was by his head, and they 
 slept that night near him, and he knew them not: now 
 when it was tlie next day the people of the village came 
 to him, and brought a camel to him, and said to th^'e camel 
 man, ' Load this sick man upon thy camel, and when thou 
 hast reached Bughdad, then do thou put him down at the 
 gate of the lazar house ; haply he will get medicined, and 
 
AND QOOT OOL QULOOB. 437 
 
 receive aid. And he said to them, 'To hear is to comply.' And 
 upon that they brought out Ghanim Bin Uyoob from the 
 mosque, and loaded him on the camel with the coarse mat 
 on it upon which he used to sleep, and his mother, and his 
 sister came to gaze among the crowd of people upon him, and 
 they neither knew him ; so ihey looked upon him, and con- 
 sidered him, and said both, ' Surely he is very like to Gha- 
 nim, our son ! come, let us see whether he is this sick man, 
 or not V But truly he could not recover his sense till he was 
 loaded upon the camel bound on with a cord, and he wept, 
 and complained, and the people of the village were looking 
 upon his mother, and his sister, weeping over him, and they 
 knew him not. Then his mother and his sister travelled 
 until they reached Bughdad, but for the camel man, sure- 
 ly he stinted not faring on till he put him down at the 
 gate of the lazar liouse, and he took liis camel, and went 
 away. Now Ghanim stayed still lying there until the dawn, 
 and as the people came gradually into the road, they looked 
 upon him, and he had become thin as a toothpick, and 
 the people were standing gazing upon him. Then came 
 the syndic of the market, and put away the people from him, 
 and he said, ' I will gain Heaven by an act of charity with 
 this poor creature ; for truly they if once they take him into 
 the lazar house, it will kill him in one single day:' So he 
 ordered his young men to carry him, and they bore him to his 
 house, and spread a new bed for him, and put down for him 
 a new pillow, and he said to his wife, ' Serve him for chari- 
 ty.' And she replied, ' Good, on my head be it.' So she went 
 hastily, and warmed water, and warmed his hands, and his 
 feet, and his person, and dressed him in a garment of that 
 worn by her slave girls, and made him drink a cup of wine, 
 and sprinkled rose-water upon him; then he revived, and 
 complained of his ills, and bethought him of his beloved Qoot 
 col Quloob, and his griefs increased upon him. ■ Now this 
 was what was in the matter of him, but for what was in the 
 
438 STORY OF GHANIM BIN UYOOB, 
 
 case of Qoot ool Quloob, of a surety when the kliuleef was 
 angered against her :" — And Shuhurzad perceived the morning 
 light, and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty King, as to Qoot ool Qu- 
 loob when the khuleef was angered with her, and lodged her 
 in a darkened chamber, and she had completed in that condi- 
 tion eighty days, that it happened that the khuleef passed on 
 a certain day by that place, and heard Qoot ool Quloob re- 
 pealing poetry. Now when she ceased repeating her verse, she 
 said, ' Oh! Ghanim, how excellent art thou and how forbear- 
 ing is thy soul ! thou didst do well by one did evil to 
 thee, and preserved the honour of him that destroyed thine, 
 and kept that which was his sacred, and he led captive that 
 which was thine, and dishonored thy people ! Now there is no 
 help, but that thou be placed, thou, and the Lord of the Faith- 
 ful before a just judge, and that thou be justified upon him on 
 the day on which the Lord, Great and Glorious, shall be as 
 judge, and their witnesses, the angels of heaven !' Now when 
 the khuleef heard her words, and understood her complaint, he 
 knew that she was oppressed. So he entered his palace, and 
 sent Musroor the eunuch for her. So when she stood in pre- 
 sence before him, she hung down her head, and she, with 
 weeping eyes, and grieved heart : then said he, ' Oh ! Qoot 
 ool Qaloob, I see thou hast been oppressed by me, and that 
 thou comparest me to the oppressors, and dost attribute to me 
 the doing ill to one that did well by me : who now is he that 
 kept that sacred, which was mine, and whose honor I vio- 
 lated ? and who protected my hureem, and whose hureem I 
 drove forth as wanderers ?' And she replied, * Even he is 
 Ghanim Bin Uyoob, for surely he never approached me in ill 
 sort, and he did no evil, and acted justly towards thine hon- 
 or, oh ! Lord of the Faithful !' Then said the khuleef, 
 * There is no strength, nor power, save in God ! oh ! Qoot 
 
AND QOOT OOL QULOOB. 430 
 
 ool Quloob, require of me what thou would'st have.' And 
 she answered, < Oh Lord of the Faithful, I ask of thee my be- 
 loved Ghanim Bin Uyoob.' Now upon that he did like even 
 as her desire was, and she said, ' Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, if 
 I present him to thee, thou wilt give me to him V And he 
 answered, ' If he come into presence, I will give to him a 
 free gift that shall turn back in its donation.' So said slie, 
 * Oh ! Lord of the Faithful, suffer me that I may go about after 
 him ; haply the Almighty may unite me to him :' And he 
 replied, * Do even as is in thy heart to do.' Now she re- 
 joiced, and went out, and took with her a thousand deenars of 
 gold, and she visited the elders of the mosques,2io and she 
 gave alms of it : then went she up next day to the marliet of the 
 merchants, and she informed the syndic of the market of her 
 object, and gave him money, and said to him, ' Give alms ta 
 the poor of it,' And she went away. Then next Friday she 
 came to the market, and a thousand deenars with her, and she 
 entered the market of the goldsmiths, and the market of the 
 jewellers, and called for the head man; so he came, and she 
 entrusted to him a thousand deenars, and said, « Give alms 
 of it to the poor.' The head man looked upon her, and even 
 he was syndic of the market, and said to her, ' Oh ! lady, 
 what ails thee that thou shouldst not go to my house, and see 
 this youth, the stranger, how I have treated him kindly, and 
 how I have done all for him :' Now even he was Ghanim 
 Bin Uyoob, Ul Muttuyum, Ul Musloob, but the head man 
 had no knowledge of him, and he still supposed that he was 
 some poor man, a debtor, whose wealth was spent, or a lover, 
 separated from her he loved. Now when she heard his words, 
 her heart fluttered, and her bowels yearned, and she said, 
 » Send with me one who can take me to thy house,' And he 
 sent with her a little lad, and he brought her to the house in 
 which was the head man's stranger, and slie thanked him for 
 it. Now when she reached the house, and entered, and saluted 
 the wife of the head man, the head man's wife arose, and 
 
440 STORY OF GHANIM BIN UYOOB, 
 
 kissed the earth before her, for indeed she recognized her. 
 Then quoth Qoot ool Qiiloob to her, * Where is the sick 
 man, that is in thy house ?' So she wept, and rephed, * Here 
 is he, oh ! lady, Wullahy ! he is the son of men of dignity, 
 and there be on him the signs of rank, and that is he on the 
 bed.' So she turned to him, and looked upon him ; then saw 
 she him in very deed, and she saw that he had dwindled, and 
 his thinness was extreme, and his leanness until he was be- 
 come as 'twere a tootlipick, and his state seemed miserable to 
 her. So she was not certain that it was him, yet sympathy 
 with him possessed her, and she wept, and said, ' Surely the 
 poor are wretched, even though there be great ones in their 
 cities.' And she dwelt attentively upon him, and yet she 
 knew not that it was Ghanim. Then indeed was her heart af- 
 flicted for him, and she supplied him wine, and medicine, and 
 she sat awhile by his head, and then mounted, and went up 
 to her palace, and kept going up every street for the sake of 
 searching for Ghanim. Now the head man brought her his 
 mother, and his sister Fitnuh, and went in with them to Qoot 
 ool Quloob, and said, ' Oh 1 lady of great excellences, there 
 came in to our city this day, a woman, and her daughter, and 
 their faces are fair, and there are signs of rank about them, 
 and dignity is apparent in them, but they be dressed in hair 
 cloth, and each one of them hath a wallet hung about her 
 neck, and their eyes are tearful, and their hearts are grieved. 
 Now I have brought them to thee here that thou may'st receive 
 them hospitably, and preserve them from beggary, for truly 
 they are not people meant for beggary; and we indeed, 
 if it please God, shall gain Heaven by charity to them.' 
 Then answered she, ' Wullahy ! oh ! my master, thou hast 
 made me long for them, and where be they V And she said 
 to the head man, ' Here with them to me.' So he ordered 
 the servant to make them come in to Qoot ool Quloob, and 
 upon that Fitnuh entered, and her mother. Now when Qoot 
 ool Quloob saw them, and they both mistresses of beauty, she 
 
AND QOOT OOL QULOOB. 441 
 
 wept over them, and said, ' Wullahy ! truly these be daugh- 
 ters of rank, and there are plain on them signs of former 
 wealth." Then said the wife of the head man, ' Oh ! lady, 
 we love the poor, and the wretched for the sake of good, and 
 as to these it is probable that oppression hath done hardly 
 with them, and dissipated their property, and destroyed their 
 houses.' So they both of them wept with exceeding v/eep- 
 ing, and thought upon the alHuence they had been in, and 
 the poverty in which they were now, and the sorrow, and 
 thought upon Ghanim Bin Uyoob Ul Mutuyum Ul Mus- 
 loob. Now when they two wept, Qoot ool Quloob wept also 
 at their weeping, and they said, ' We ask of the Almighty 
 that we may be united with him we seek, and he is my son, 
 his name Ghanim Bin Uyoob.' So when Qoot ool Quloob 
 heard these words, she knew that this woman was the mother 
 of her lover, and the other his sister ; so she cried till a faint 
 came on her ; and when she recovered she kissed them, and 
 said to them, ' Let no care be on you, for this day is the first 
 of your greatness, and the last of your misery, so grieve not :* 
 — And Shuhurzad perceived the morning light and ceased 
 speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! worthy King, that Qoot ool Qu- 
 loob when she said to them, * Sorrow not,' ordered the head 
 man to take them to his house, and charge his wife to make 
 them enter the baths, and dress them in good clotlies, and 
 charged him to treat them kindly with extreme kindliness and 
 she gave him a sum of money. jSow the next day she 
 mounted, and went to the house of the head man, and went in 
 to his wife ; and so she rose, and kissed her hands, and thank- 
 ed her for her goodness. Then saw she the mother and sister 
 of Ghanim, and the head man's wife had made them enter the 
 bath, and changed the garments were on them, and the marks 
 of rank were manifest upon them, and she sat talking with 
 
 G 3 
 
443 STORY OF GIIANIM BIN UYOOB. 
 
 them awhile. Then asked she the wife of the head man for 
 the sick man, who was in her house, and she replied, ' He 
 is in his usual state :' And she said, * Arise, come with us to 
 him, and we will restore him.' So she arose, she and the 
 head man's wife, and the mother of Ghanim, and his sister, 
 and went in to him, and sat near him. Now when Ghanim 
 Bin Uyoob, the captivated, the enthralled, heard them men- 
 tioning Qoot ool Qaloob, even although his body w^as at- 
 tenuated, and his bones withered, his soul returned to him, 
 and he lifted his head from the pillow, and called, * Oh ! 
 Qoot ool Quloob !' And she looked upon him and made 
 certain it was he and knew him, and shrieked in her 
 speaking, ' Yes, oh ! my beloved f Then said he to her, 
 
 * Gome near me ;' And she replied, « Haply thou art Gha- 
 nim Bin Uyoob Ul Muttuyum Ul Musloob !' And he answer- 
 ed her, ' 'Tis so, I am even he,' And upon that a swoon 
 fell upon her. Now when his sister Fitnuh, and his mother 
 heard his words, they both rejoiced, and faintness fell upon 
 them also, and after that they both recovered ; and Qoot ool 
 Quloob said to him, ' Praise be to God who hath brought 
 us together to thee, and thy mother, and thy sister !' And she 
 went towards him, and related to him the whole of what 
 had come to pass to her, with the khuleef, and said to him, 
 *' Truly I made the truth manifest to the Lord of the Faithful, 
 and he believed my words, and he was pleased with thee, and 
 he even now is desirous to see thee.' Then she informed him, 
 
 * That he has given me to thee.' So he rejoiced at that with 
 extreme joy. So quoth she to them, Qoot ool Quloob, * Go 
 not away, until I come again.' So she arose forthwith, and 
 on the instant, and betook herself to her palace, and loaded 
 upon porters the chest which she took from his house, and 
 took out thence deenars, and gave them even herself to the 
 head man, and said to him, * Take this money, and buy for 
 each person of them four changes of raiment, complete, of the 
 finest silks, and twenty kerchiefs, and else beside of whatsoever 
 
AND QOOT OOL QULOOB. 443 
 
 they require.' Then went she with them, and with Ghanim 
 to the baths, and made them be bathed, and managed to get 
 them broths, and water of galangale, and apple-water after 
 they came out of the baths. Then dressed she them in the 
 new raiment, and abode with them three days, and she kept 
 feeding them with chicken meat, and broths, and making them 
 drink sherbut of sugarcandy. Now after three days their 
 spirits returned to them, and she made them enter the baths 
 again, and they came out, and she changed their garments, 
 and left them in the house of the head man, and went to the 
 palace, and desired permission to see the khuleef ; and he 
 ordered her to come, so she entered, and kissed the earth be- 
 fore him, and informed him of the story, and that her Master 
 Ghanim Bin (Jyoob Ul Muttuyum Ul Musloob was pre- 
 sent, and that his mother and bis sister were present also. 
 Now when the khuleef heard the words of Qoot ool Quloob 
 he said to the servant, * Here with Ghanim to me.' So Jafur 
 went down to him and Qoot ool Quloob had preceded him, 
 and went in to Ghanim and told him, ' That the khuleef hath 
 sent to fetch thee, before him.' And she charged him to mind 
 his eloquence of tongue and his firmness of heart, and sweet- 
 ness of language; and clothed him in a sumptuous robe, and 
 gave him deenars in plenty, and said to him, ' Be excessive 
 in largesse to the followers of the khuleef and thou wilt get in 
 to him,' And lo ! Jafur had come to meet him, and he upou 
 a Nubian mule ; so Ghanim stood up, and went to receive 
 him, and was ashamed, and kissed the earth before him, and 
 the star of his ascendant was manifest, and shone brightly. 
 And Jafur took him, and they gave not over going on, he and 
 Jafur, until they two went in to the Lord of the Faithful. Now 
 when he was in presence before him, he looked upon the min- 
 isters, and the lords, and the chamberlains, and the deputies 
 in office, and the lords of the state' and the men of valour ; so 
 upon that Ghanim made his language sweet, and his elo- 
 quence, and looked to the khuleef and bowed his head to the 
 
 g3 2 
 
444 STORY OF GHANIM BIN UYOOB, «fec. 
 
 ground, and broke out repeating these verses ; — 
 
 ' As king of mighty state thou'rt greeted, 
 That largesse lavishest on all ; 
 Kaisar, none else than him they call,^ 1 1 
 And Fomider of the princely Hall, 
 Here in his place of honor seated. 
 Kings dim the gems of many a crown, 
 Low at his threshhold in the soil ; 
 They at his very glance recoil, 
 (For e'en his very glance can foil) 
 And panic stricken, cast them down : 
 Yet highest rank, and royal grace. 
 Honors and glads them even there ; 
 Earth's plains are for thy troops too spare. 
 Then pitch thy tents in fields more fair. 
 Where the Seventh Heaven gives verge, and space. 
 The king of kings still hold thee dear ! 
 Be counsel thine, and steadfast worth 
 Till through the wide outspreading earth 
 Thy righteous dealing blazoned forth, 
 On all fall equal, far or near.' 
 
 Now when he ceased his verse, the khuleef was pleased, and 
 marvelled at the eloquence of his tongue, and the sweetness 
 of his delivery" — And Shuhurzad perceived the morning 
 dawn, and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 She said, " They relate Oh ! mighty King as to Ghanim 
 Bin Uyoob that when the khuleef marvelled at his eloquence 
 and his measured verse, and the sweetness of his delivery, he 
 said to him, ' Approach me.' And he approached. Then 
 said he to him, ' Explain to me thy story, and set forth to me 
 thy tale.' And he sat, and related to the khuleef all what had 
 happened to him in Bughdad, and of his sleeping in tlie burial 
 ground, and taking the chest from the slaves, and after they 
 had buried it, and informed him of what came to pass to him 
 
STORY OF 'OOMR BIN NA'mAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, &;c. 445 
 
 from the beginning to the conclusion ; and there is no oc- 
 casion for iteration. Now when the khuleef was convinced 
 that he was a true man, he invested him with a dress of hon- 
 or, and placed him near himself, and said to him, * Pardon 
 that for which I am accountable.' And he pardoned him and 
 he said to him, ' Oh ! our lord the sooltan, thy slave, and that 
 which liis two hands own is for his master ;' And the khuleef 
 was pleased at that ; then gave he order to set apart a mansion 
 for him, and he gave him an allowance what with perquisites, 
 and salaries, and donations, something immense. So he remov- 
 ed him thither, and he removed his sister, and his mother, and 
 the khuleef heard of his sister Fitnuh that she was in beauty a 
 Fitnuh indeed, a very seduction, and he sought her of Ghanini 
 in marriage, and Ghanim replied, ' She is thine handmaid, as 
 I am thy slave.' Now the khuleef thanked him, and gave 
 him an hundred thousand deenars, and brought in the wit- 
 nesses, and the kazee, and they wrote the two contracts on 
 one day, and it was the contract of the khuleef to Fitnuh and 
 the contract of Ghanim Bin Uyoob to Qoot ool Quioob, and 
 he, and Ghanim wedded the one same night. Now when it 
 Was morning, the khuleef gave order to record what had come 
 to pass to Ghanim in his story from first to last, and that it 
 should be laid up in tlie record room that whosoever came after 
 him might read it, and marvel at the vicissitudes of things de- 
 creed, and attribute all things to the Creator of Night and of 
 Day. — And this is not more wondrous than the tale of the 
 king 'Oomr Bin Na'man, and his son Shurkun, and his son 
 Zoo'ul Mukan, and what came to pass to them of things won- 
 drous, and strange." Said the King, " And what was their 
 story ?" She replied, " They relate, oh ! mighty King, 
 that there was in the city of safety, Bughdad, before the 
 khuleefiit of TJ-'bdool Mulik Bin Murwan,2i2 ^ king who 
 was called 'Oomr Bin Na'man, and he was of the tyrants, 
 the mighty ones, and he had subdued the kings of the 
 Kosroos, and the Kaisars, and, so he was, that there was no 
 
446 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN NA'MAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 bringing fire near him — his heart extinguished it, nor could any 
 one surpass him in the battle field : and when he was angered 
 there came forth from his nostrils sparks of fire, and he had 
 made himself king over all quarters, and the Lord had given 
 him all his servants, and his command had penetrated into all 
 cities and his armies had reached the most distant lands, and 
 the East, and the West had entered into his rule, and whatso- 
 ever was comprised in India, and Sind, and China, and the 
 land of Hijaz, and the country of TunMui, and ths islands of In- 
 dia, and China, and the country of the north, and Diyar Bukr, 
 and the land of the Negroes, and the islands of the seas, and 
 whatso is in the earth from the rising of the day like as Silioon, 
 -and Jihoon, and Nile, and Euphrates, and he sent his mes- 
 sengers to cities most remote to bring him the truth of men's 
 report, and condition. Then returned they to him, and told 
 him of justice, and obedience, and honesty, and of prayers for 
 the Sultan 'Oomr Bin Na'man. This was so, and 'Oomr Bin 
 Na'man, oh ! king of the age, of noble race was he ! they 
 used to bear him presents, and rarities, and sums to expend 
 from every place. Now he had a son whose name was Shur- 
 kun, and he was likest of men to him, and had arisen a mis- 
 fortune among the calamities of the time, and subdued the 
 brave, and excelled his contemporaries. So his father loved 
 him with exceeding love, there could no greater be, and des- 
 tined him heir to the kingdom after himself. Now Shurkun 
 grew until he reached to man's estate, and his age became 
 twenty years : then God gave him all his servants as a pos- 
 session, for the excess of boldness was his, and cruelty. Now 
 his father 'Oomr Bin Na'man had four wives by contract, 
 and by law, but he was not enriched by them with a son save 
 Shurkun, and he was by one of them, and the rest were child- 
 less ; he got not a son by one of them. And with these had he 
 three hundred and sixty concubines for the number of the 
 days of the year of the Copts, and these concubines were of 
 all nations, and he had built for every one of them a private 
 
SIIURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 447 
 
 chamber, and these chambers were within the palace, for he 
 had built twelve mansions to the number of the months of the 
 year, and made in every mansion thirty private chambers ; 
 thus the sum of the private chambers was three hundred and 
 sixty, and he lodged these handmaids in them, and appointed 
 a night for each damsel, and came not again to her for a full 
 year, and he abode thus a long period of time. Now his son 
 Shurkun was renowned in all quarters, and his father rejoiced 
 in liim, and his might increased ; so he grew violent, and 
 masterful, and conquered fortresses, and towns. Now so it 
 was by order of that was decreed that a damsel among the 
 handmaids of 'Oomr Bin Na'man became pregnant, and her 
 pregnancy was announced, and the king was informed of 
 that ; so he rejoiced with exceeding joy, and said, ' Per- 
 chance my offspring, and my generation may be all of them 
 males !' So iie dated the day of her pregnancy, and kept 
 treating her with distinction. Now Shurkun learned that, 
 and the matter seemed to him a heavy one, and a mighty one, 
 and he said, ' One hath come to tear the sovereignty from 
 me :' And he said in his soul, « If this damsel bear a male 
 child I will slay him.' And he concealed that intention in 
 his heart. This now was what was in the matter of Shurkun, 
 but for what happened in the matter of the damsel, truly she 
 was a Roumish girl, and the king of Ruom, and lord of 
 Cccsarea, had sent her as a present, and despatched with her 
 great store of rarities, and her nam.e was Sufeeh and she 
 was loveliest of the damsels, and she was the handsomest 
 salaried, and the most esteemed, and she was mistress of 
 sense, and wisdom, and loveliness even most excellent. Now 
 she had waited on the king the night he rested with her, and 
 said to him, ' Oh ! king, I desire of Heaven this night that 
 truly he enrich thee with a male child by me, that I may 
 bring him up fairly, and bring him to man's estate in know- 
 ledge of Him, and in His keeping.' And the king was pleased, 
 and marvelled at that speech. Now it ceased not to be after 
 
448 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN NA'MAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 that fashion, till her months were completed, and slie sat up- 
 on the chairof childbirth, 2 1 3 and she in the time of her prej^- 
 nancy at prayers, would arise and make fair orisons, and pray 
 the Almighty that he would grant her a perfect mule child, and 
 make her child-birth easy to her, and the Almighty acceded 
 to her prayers. Now the king had deputed an eunuch with 
 her to bring him tiding of what slie should bring forth whether 
 a male infant, or a female, and in like way did also his son 
 Shurkun send one to let him know that. Now when Sufeeh 
 brought forth that which was born, the wise women examined 
 it, and they found it a daughter with face more beauteous than 
 the moon. So they informed those were present of it, and 
 the messenger of the king returned, and gave him the tidings, 
 and in like manner did the messenger of Shurkun take him 
 that same news ; and he rejoiced with exceeding joy. Now 
 when the eunuch departed, said Sufeeh to the wise women, 
 ' Wait awhile for me, for truly 'tis as if there were somewhat 
 else yet ;' And she cried out, and the pains of child — birth 
 came upon her, and the Lord made it easy to her, and she bore 
 a second birth. So the wise women looked at it, and found 
 it a male child, even like the full moon with forehead flowery 
 white, and cheek ruddy, rose-tinted, and the damsel was glad 
 by reason of him, and the eunuch, and the whole train of ser- 
 vants, and every one that was present. So Sufeeh was freed 
 of her burden, and they sent forth the cry of joy^i^ in the 
 palace, and the rest of the damsels heard that, and they en- 
 vied her, and the tidings reached 'Oomr Bin Na'man. Now 
 he rejoiced, and asked for gratulation, and arose, and went 
 forth, and kissed her head, and looked at the child was born : 
 then bent he over him, and kissed him, and the damsels struck 
 the tabors, and played on the instruments of music, and the 
 king gave order that they should name the child that was born 
 Zoo'ool Mukan and his sister Nuzhut ooz Zuman. Now 
 they did like as the king ordered, and answered, ' To hear is 
 to obey.' And the king set apart for them those should serve 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 449 
 
 them, and eunuchs, and a train of domestics, and nurses, and 
 assigned allowances for them of sugar, and diet drinks, and 
 oils, and else beside of whatsoever is eatable beyond the power 
 of tongue to rehearse it. Now the people of Bughdad heard of 
 how the Almighty had enriched the king with offspring, and 
 then decked out the city, and the bearers of glad tidings knock- 
 ed at the doors, and the great men, and the ministers, and the 
 lords of the state came forward and gave the king joy even 
 'Oomr Bin Na'man of his son Zoo'ool Mukan, and hi& dauo-h- 
 ter Nuzhut 'ul Zuman. So the king thanked them for that 
 and gave them dresses of honor, and showed much kindness 
 to them in gifts and treated all that were present fairly both 
 private men and public, and gave not over after this fashion 
 till four days were passed. Now after every little space of 
 the year would he ask after Sufeeh, and her children, and at the 
 end of four years he gave order to take to her jewels, anc} 
 robes, and raiments, and money even a very great matter, and 
 he entrusted her with their education, and their good instruc- 
 tion. All this was so, and the son of the king, even Shurkun^ 
 knew not that his father 'Oomr Bin Na'man had got a male 
 child, and knew not that he had got any save Nuzhut Ul Zu- 
 man and they concealed from him the tidings of Zoo 'ool Mu- 
 kan until days and years were passed, and he was occupied 
 in engaging the bold, and sallying against the horsemen. Now 
 meanwhile as the king 'Oomr Bin Na'man was sitting on a 
 day among days, lo ! the chamberlains came in to him, and 
 kissed the earth before him, and said, ' Oh ! king, there hath 
 reached us messengers from the king of Roum, Lord of Con>- 
 stantmople, the Great, and they desire entry to thee, and to take 
 orders before thee : so even as the king shall order for their 
 entry, either we will let them in, or not, for there is no disput- 
 ing his command.' Now upon that he allowed them to 
 enter, and when they came in, he stepped to them, and embra- 
 ced them, and asked them of their condition, and what was 
 the cause of their coming. So they kissed the earth before 
 
 H 3 
 
450 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN Na'mAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 liim, and said, ' Oh ! king, the glorious lord of lofty honor, 
 know that he that sent us to thee is the king Furee- 
 doon. Lord of the cities of Greece, and the armies of Christen- 
 dom, he that is established in the sovereignty of Constan- 
 tinople, to let thee know that he is indeed now waging fierce 
 war with an obstinate tyrant, and he is Lord of Caesarea, and 
 the reason for that is that it fell out one of the Arab kings in 
 ancient time met with in one of his conquests a hoard of the 
 age of Alexander. ^ i « So he removed therefrom wealth past 
 computing, and in the mass of that he found in it were three 
 jewels of rounded shape of the size of ostrich eggs, and they 
 are from a mine of jewels unsullied, such as one could not find 
 the like to look on, and each pearl is graven in the Greek 
 character with matters that are mysteries, and they have vir- 
 tues and properties even in great number. Now among their 
 properties is that whatsoever child that is born shall have one 
 of these jewels hung upon him then shall no evil befal him so 
 long as the jewel remain attached to him, and he shall not 
 cry, nor shall fever ail him. Now when he laid hands upon 
 them, and fell in with them, and knew what were their mys- 
 teries, he sent an offering to the king Fureedoon of certain 
 rarities and money, and among the sum of them the three 
 jewels, and he equipped two vessels, the one had in it valu- 
 ables, and the other even to guard that present from whoso- 
 ever should interrupt it on the sea. Now the king was well 
 assured in his soul that there was not one able to detain his 
 vessel, especially as he was king of the Arabs, and the course 
 of the ship in which were the presents was in the sea which 
 was under the sovereignty of the king of Constantinople, and 
 she was bound to him : and there were on the shores of that 
 sea none save the subjects of the king that is greatest, 
 Fureedoon. Now when the two ships were equipped they 
 voyaged until they neared our cities ; then came forth upon 
 them certain pirate ships from that land, and in them troops 
 from about the Lord of Caesarea. So he the pirate took and 
 
SHTJRKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 451 
 
 got together whatsoever was in the two ships of rarities, and 
 money, and the stores, and the three jewels, and they slew 
 the men. Now that news came up to the king, and he sent 
 against them an army, and they routed it ; and he sent 
 against them a second army, stronger than the first, and they 
 put it to flight also. So upon that the king was angered, and 
 swore that he would not go forth against them save in his 
 own person with the whole of his army, and that he would 
 surely not turn from them, till he should leave Csesarea of 
 Armenia ruined, and leave her land and all the towns over 
 which her king ruled, wasted ; and his desire of the Lord 
 of the Age, and of these times, 'Oomr Bin Na'man, king of 
 Bughdad, and of Khorassan, is that he should aid with an 
 army from about him, that glory may become his. And he, 
 our king, hath sent to thee with us something in the sort of 
 presents, and he requests of the king's grace their acceptance, 
 and the kindly grant to him of aid.' Then the messengers 
 kissed the earth before him." — And Shuhurzad perceived the 
 morning dawn, and ceased speaking the words permitted her. 
 
 MotiB ^lieE it \Mm t\3t ;ip0tt^mxtf^ 'Nig^tf 
 
 She said, " They relate, oh ! mighty King that the armed 
 retinue, and the envoys from the king of Constantinople, 
 when they kissed the earth before the king 'Oomr Bin Na'- 
 man, after that they made their recital to him took out the 
 presents, and the offering was fifty damsels from the no- 
 bles of the town of Roum, and fifty slaves with robes on them 
 of brocade, edged with gold and silver, and every slave had 
 in his ear a hoop of gold in which were pearls, worth a thous- 
 and miscals of gold, and jewels in like sort, and on them were 
 silk stuffs were worth immense wealth. Now when the kmg 
 saw them he accepted them, and was pleased with them, and 
 gave order to treat the envoys well, and turned to his min- 
 isters, and sought to know of them what he should do. Then 
 H 3 2 
 
452 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN Na'mAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 rose up from among them a vuzeer, and he was an an- 
 cient man that was called Dinidan, and he kissed the earth be- 
 fore the king 'Oomr Bin Na'man. and said, ' Oh I king, there 
 is naught better to do in the matter than that thou shouldst 
 equip a numerous vaUant army, and set over them tliy son 
 Shurkun ; and we are thy slaves between thine hands, and 
 this opinion is to my mind best on two coimts ; the first, be- 
 cause the king of Roum liath sought thee as a superior, ^ i e and 
 sent to thee an offering, and thou hast accepted it ; and the 
 second count, because the foe will not venture upon our 
 countries for when thine army hath defended the king of 
 Roum, and resisted his enemy this matter will be laid to thee, 
 and that will spread into all quarters, and all countries, and 
 especially when the tidings reach the islands of the sea, and 
 the people of the west hear it ; then will they lade ships with 
 offerings to thee, and rare things, and money.* Now when the 
 king lieard this, the words of this vuzeer pleased him, and he 
 thought him right, and gave him a dress of honor, and said 
 to him, ' Thy like is he should counsel kings, and it seems 
 manifest to me that thou shouldst be in the van of the army, 
 and my son Shurkun over the main body of the army !' Then 
 the king gave order to call his son Shurkun into presence, 
 and when he presented himself, he kissed the earth before 
 his father, and sat down. Then the king told him the tale, 
 and informed him of what the envoys said, and of what said 
 the vuzeer Dundan, and he charged him to take munitions of 
 war, and equipment for the march, and that he should not 
 contravene the vuzeer Dundan in whatsoever he should do, 
 and ordered him to pick out of his army ten thousand horse- 
 men, full to the complement, able to sustain the onset, and the 
 stress of war. Now Shurkun did hke as his father 'Oomr 
 Bin Na'man told him, and arose on tlie instant, and chose 
 from his army ten thousand horsemen : then entered he his 
 palace, and mustered his army, and distributed money to 
 them, and said to them, < Ye have three days' halt.' And they 
 
SHITRKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 453 
 
 kissed the earth before him, obedient to his order, and went 
 from him, and took to laying in munitions, and things 
 needful for the occasion. Then went Shurkun into the 
 stores of arms, and took whatsoever he required of armour 
 and of arms : then entered he the stable, and chose there 
 from the war horses, that were highly priced, and other 
 else than they, and after that they rested three days. 'I'hen 
 went the army forth outside the city Bughdad, and 'Oomr Bin 
 Na'man went out to take leave of his son Shurkun. So Shurkun 
 kissed the earth before him, and the king gave him seven 
 storesof money, 1 i^and turned to the vuzeer Dundan, and gave 
 him charge of the army of his son, Shurkun ; and the vuzeer 
 kissed the earth before him, and answered him with, * To 
 hear is to obey.' Then turned the king to his son Shurkun 
 and charged him that he should advise with the vuzeer upon 
 all his matters ; so he consented to that, and his father return- 
 ed, till he entered the city. Now Shurkun ordered the lead- 
 ers to make the muster, and they mustered the army, and 
 their number was ten thousand horsemen, besides those that 
 followed them. Then the whole body loaded their baggage, 
 and the war drum beat,^ ^ ^and the clarions brayed, and the ban- 
 nerols were displayed, and the standards, and Shurkun the son 
 of the king mounted, and his vuzeer Dundan at his side, and 
 the pennons fluttering over their heads ; and they stinted not 
 faring on, and the messengers preceded them until tlie day 
 turned back, and the night approached. Then alighted they 
 and sought rest and halted that night. Now when the Al- 
 mighty caused the morning to dawn, they mounted, and fared 
 on, and gave not over renewing the march, and the envoys 
 showing them the way, for a period of twenty days. So 
 they on the twenty-first day came upon a valley, ample of ex- 
 tent, abounding in trees, and grasses, pleasant in its borders, 
 and their arrival at this valley was by night. Now Shurkun 
 ordered them to alight, and commanded a halt there for three 
 days. So the army alighted, and pitched the tents, and the 
 
454 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN Na'MAN, AND hIs TWO SONS, 
 
 troops parted on the right, and on the left, and the vuzeer 
 Dundan alighted, and along with him the envoys of king Fu- 
 reedoon, Lord of Constantinople, in the midst of that valley. 
 But as to the king Shurkun truly he was at the time of the 
 arrival of the army holding behind them for awhile until the 
 whole of them were alighted, and were separated at the sides 
 of the valley. Then slacked he the reins of his steed, and 
 desired to explore that valley, and undertake the watching in 
 his own person, because of the ciiarge of his father to him, 
 for truly they were in the first part of the territories of 
 Roum, and in an enemy's land. So he fared on his horse- 
 back after he had ordered his armed slaves, and his no- 
 bles to light near the vuzeer Dundan. Then went he on his 
 horseback along the side of the valley until the fourth of the 
 night was past : and he was overtoiled, and sleep overcame 
 him, and he became so that he could not urge his steed with 
 the heel. Now it was his custom to sleep on horseback ; 
 so when sleep overpowered him he slept so, and his steed 
 ceased not going on with him, till half the night was spent, and 
 he entered with him in to one of the wildernesses, and that wil- 
 derness abundant in trees ; but Shurkun was not aroused until his 
 steed stumbled with his hoof upon the ground : then waked 
 he and found himself among the trees. Now the moon rose 
 for him, and shone brightly on the two horizons, the east and the 
 west, and Shurkun was appalled when he found himself in 
 that place, and said a sentence that never shamed its sayer, 
 * There is no power nor strength save in God, the Great, the 
 Mighty r So while he was this wise, and he afraid of the 
 wild beasts, lo ! the moon spread her glad light over a mea- 
 dow as if 'twere of the meads of Paradise, and he heard a 
 pleasant talking, and a loud murmur, and a laughing fit to 
 captivate men's senses. And the king Shurkun alighted from 
 his war horse, and tied him among the trees, and went on 
 until he came upon a stream of water flowing, and heard the 
 talk of a woman talking in Arabic, and she was saying, 
 
SHU^KIIN, AND ZOO TJL MIJKAN. 455 
 
 « Now by the Musseeh, this is not well of you ! now whoso- 
 ever utters a sentence I will throw her down, and pinion her 
 with her girdle-cord !' All this was so, and Shurkun kept 
 going on towards the direction of the sound until he reached 
 a side of the place, and he looked, and behold ! it had a 
 stream gushing, and birds sporting about, and antelopes run- 
 ning at large, and wild animals pasturing freely, and the birds 
 in the diversity of their language shewirig forth the expression 
 of gladness, and that place was carpeted with various sorts 
 of grasses, as one said of it, and praised it, in these verses ; — 
 
 * How beauteous is the earth in her fresh budding, 
 With water coursing o'er her, freely flowing ! 
 
 The all-powerful He hath made this, greatly glorious, 
 Giver of all gifts, Giver of all good !' 
 
 Now Shurkun looked upon that place, and saw in it a convent 
 of Christians, and within the convent a fort high raised in the 
 air in the light of the moon, and from the midst of it a stream, 
 the water (lowing from it to those gardens ; and there was the 
 woman with before her ten handmaids like to moons, and on 
 them various sorts of robes, and raiment that might astound 
 the looker on, and all of them were virgins, as were said of 
 them in these verses ; — 
 
 * The mead is bright with those are on it, 
 Gleesome maidens, fresh and fair, 
 
 Its beauty and its charms are doubled 
 With rare ones that be there. 
 Each treacherous is, and each deceitful, 
 Skilled to lure with glance and shape ; 
 They bid their locks sway loose about them 
 As the tendril round the grape. 
 Darters are they with their bright eyes, 
 Shooting arrows far and wide ; 
 Piercing thro' and all o'erpowering 
 E'en the heroes in their pride.* 
 
456 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN Na'maN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 So Shurkun gazed upon these ten maidens, and he found 
 among them a damsel as if she were the moon at her fullest, 
 with hair that curled, and forehead brightly shining, and eyes 
 wondrous wide, and black, and temple locks like twisted 
 snakes, perfect in nature and in style, as the poet said of her 
 in these lines; — 
 
 * He glistened upon me with rare twinkling eyes, 
 And her shape shamed the javelin, so straight doth it rise : 
 She burst on my sight — her cheeks tinged with the rose 
 Every species of charm in their brightness disclose, 
 For the locks o'er her broad brow fit likeness is this — 
 They're the night looming dark o'er a day -break of bliss !' 
 
 Now Shurkun heard her, and she was saying to the hand- 
 maids, ' Come on that I may wrestle with, and throw you 
 before the moon disappears, and the dawn come.' So each 
 one of them came forward to her, and she threw her imme- 
 diately, and bound her with her girdlecord,^!^ and she ceas- 
 ed not standing firm, and throwing them until she threw the 
 whole ! Then there addressed the damsel an old woman that 
 was before her, and the beldam said to her, and she was as 
 red hot with rage at her, ' Oh ! vile one, thou art pleased 
 with thy throwing the girls ? now here am I, an old woman, 
 and though thou hast thrown them forty times, how canst thou 
 marvel at thyself ? But if thou hast the strength to wrestle 
 with me, then do wrestle with me, that I may stand up 
 against thee, and make thy head lie between thy feet !' So 
 the damsel smiled outwardly, and within she was filled with 
 rage, and she arose, and said to her, < Oh ! lady, Zat ood 
 dowahee ! by the Musseeh^zo ^jit wrestle with me in very 
 deed, or dost jest with me ?' And she replied to her, « Yes.' — 
 And Shuhurzad perceived the morning dawn, and ceased 
 speaking the words permitted her. 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO VL MUKAN. 457 
 
 'Nb^ ^fltn it ^m tfne Jrott^'^eiietiilfj 1^t§!|t, 
 
 She said, '« They relate, oh ! mighty King, that when the dam- 
 sel said to Zat ood dowahee ' By the Musseeh ! wilt wrestle 
 with me indeed or dost jest with me V She answered her, 
 ' Yea, I will wrestle with thee in very deed.' And Shurkun 
 kept looking at them. Then said she, ' Arise for the strug- 
 gle, if thou hast strength for it.' Now when the old woman 
 heard that of her she raged with exceeding fury, and the hair 
 upon her body stood up as 'twere the bristles of a hedgehog : 
 then stood she determinedly, and the damsel stood up to her. 
 Then said the old woman, ' Now by the Musseeh, I will not 
 wrestle with thee save I be stripped, thou vile one 1' So the 
 old woman took a silk kerchief, and loosed her clothes, and 
 put her hand beneath them, and drew them from on her, and 
 gathered up the kerchief, and girt it on her middle, and she 
 became as 'twere a female Ufreet, tall of stature, or a spotted 
 serpent. And she bent her towards the damsel, and said to 
 her, ' Do thou as I have done.' All this was so, and Shurkun 
 kept gazing at them, and Shurkun kept considering the loath- 
 liness of the appearance of the beldam, and laughing. So 
 when the old woman had done that, the damsel arose leisurely, 
 and took a striped scarf of Yumun, and doubled it twice 
 round her, and slacked her trousers, and displayed her limbs 
 of marble, and her full form of crystal, softly undulating, and a 
 figure that breathed musk, from its creased fulness as 'twere 
 set round with anemones, and her bosom like the pomegranate 
 fruit. Now the old woman leant towards her, and the two 
 laid hold either of each, and Shurkun lifted his head to the 
 heavens, and prayed that the damsel might overcome the 
 beldam. So the damsel got beneath the old woman, and put 
 her left hand on her waist cloth, and her right hand on her 
 neck so as to circle it, and lifted her on her two hands : And 
 the old woman tried to free herself with her hands, and endea. 
 vored at escape ; then fell she on her back, and kicked up her 
 
 I 3 
 
458 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN Na'mAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 legs above her, and Shurkun laughed at her till he fell upon 
 the ground. Then arose he, and drew his brand, and looked 
 right, and left, and saw no one save the old woman thrown 
 over on her back : and quoth Shurkun to himself, ' He lied 
 not that called thee Zat ood dowahee (mistress of misfortune) 
 for thou hast learned her strength by thy jealousy. 
 Then drew he near to them to hear what should pass 
 between them. Now the damsel came forward, and cast 
 a wrapper of costly silk upon her, and put on her own clothes, 
 and excused herself to her, and said to her, ' Oh ! lady, Zat 
 ood dowahee, I did not intend thine overthrow with all the 
 disgrace thou'st got, but thou tried'st to free thee from my 
 hands ; but praised be heaven for deliverance !' So she re- 
 turned her not an answer, but arose, and went off in her con- 
 fusion, and ceased not going till she disappeared from sight. 
 Now the handmaids remained bound, cast o' the ground, and 
 the damsel standing alone ; then said Shurkun in his soul, 
 « For all luck there is a reason ; and sleep did not fall upon 
 me, nor the horse wend with me to this place save for my good 
 fortune, and perchance this damsel, and whatsoever is with 
 her may become a booty to me.' Then made he towards his 
 steed, and mounted him and urged him on, and he sped with 
 him like the arrow when it speeds from the bow, and in his 
 hand his brand bared of its sheath, and he shouted, * God is 
 greatest.'22i Now when the damsel saw him, she rose 
 quickly up, and set her feet at the brink of the stream, 
 and its breadth was six ells at the ell measure of the trades, 
 and she leaped, and got to the other side ; and she stood 
 on the alert, and called with a shrill voice, ' Who art 
 thou, oh ! thou fellow here ? thou'st broken in upon our 
 privacy, and why hast bared thy brand like as if thou wert 
 rushing on an army ? Whence art thou, and whither dost 
 thou purpose ? Speak true now in thy saying, for truth will 
 stand thee in good stead, and lie not, for the lie comes of the 
 miser's breed : and there is no doubt but thou hast wandered 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 459 
 
 this night from the way, until thou hast come to this place, thy 
 escape in which is of the greatest of mercies, for thou'rt now 
 in a plain in which if we were to shout one single shout there 
 would come to us four thousand knights.222 So tell us what 
 thou wantest for if thou wishest us to set thee right on the 
 road, we'll set thee right and if thou wishest aid we'll aid 
 thee.' Now when Shurkun heard her words, he said to her, 
 
 * I am a man, a foreigner of the Mooslims, and I fared forth 
 this night singly by myself seeking a spoil ; and I could not 
 find a spoil better than these ten maidens in this moonlight 
 night, so I shall take them, and shall go with them to join my 
 comrades.' So the damsel answered him, ' Know that for the 
 booty thou hast not reached it, and the handmaids, WuUahy ! 
 they will not be thy spoil ! have I not said to thee that the lie 
 is mean V And he replied to her, ' The wise man is he that 
 takes warning by others than himself.' Then quoth she, 
 ' Now by the Musseeh ! if 'twere not I feared that thy death 
 should lie at my hands I would shout a shout should fill the 
 mead for thee with war steeds, and with men ; but I take pity 
 upon the stranger, and if thou seekest a prey then will I ask 
 of thee to light from thy steed and swear to me by thy religion 
 that thou wilt not advance against me aught like arms, and 
 then I'll wrestle, and tlioualso. Now if thouthrowestme, then 
 put me on thy steed, and take us all of us as a spoil, and if I throw 
 thee I shall have mastery over thee. Swear to me as to that, for 
 I fear thy treachery, for it has been recorded in the chronicles 
 
 * When perfidy is natural, then is honesty but small in every 
 man.' Now if thou'lt swear to me, I'll go back to thee, 
 and come to thee, and join thee.' Then answered Shur- 
 kun, — and he was longing to take her, and said in his 
 soul, * Truly she does not know that I am stout among 
 the stalwart,' — and called to her, and said, * Make me 
 swear by what thou wilt, and by what thou hast trust in, 
 truly I will not approach thee with aught till thou hast 
 taken thy preparations, and sayest to me, ' Come near 
 
 I 3 2 
 
460 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN NA'MAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 me, that I may wrestle with thee ;' then indeed will I ap- 
 proach thee, and if thou throwest me, truly have I money to 
 ransom myself with, but if 1 throw thee, then this is the 
 mighty spoil!' And the damsel answered, *Iam content 
 with it.' But Shurkun was astounded at that, and said, ' And 
 by the Prophet, on him be blessing and peace, I too am content 
 on the other part !' Then quoth she, * Swear to me now by 
 Him that implanteth the soul in the body, and giveth laws 
 to rule mankind, that thou wilt not oppose me with any vio- 
 lence save in wrestling, else may'st tiiou die without the pale 
 of the religion of Islam.' And Shurkun replied, ' Wullahy ! 
 were a kazee to swear me even though he were kazee of the 
 lvazees,2^3 jie would not swear me by this oath 1' Then swore 
 he to her by all she mentioned, and he tied his horse among 
 the trees, and he was drowned in the sea of thought, and said, 
 
 * Praise be to him that formed her !' So then Shurkun girt 
 himself, and made his preparations for wrestling, and said to 
 the damsel, * Pass the stream, and cross over.' But she re- 
 plied, * I have no need to come over to thee : if thou wishest 
 it, then come thyself here to me.' And Shurkun said to her, 
 
 * lam not able to do that.'224 Then quoth the damsel, ' Oh ! 
 youth, I'll come to thee :' And she tucked up her skirts, and 
 leaped, and got to the other side of the stream. So he ap- 
 proached her, and leaned forwards, and clapped his hands, 
 and he was confounded at her beauty, and her loveliness ; for 
 he saw her shape how the hand of power had moulded her in 
 the beauty of the Jins, and the hand of favor had created 
 her and given her blessed faculties, and how the breezes of 
 
 good fortune blew upon her and how at her birth, a fortunate 
 ascendant greeted her. So then the damsel came, and called 
 to him, ' Oh ! Mooslira, come on to the wrestling before the 
 morning rise.' And she tucked up her slave from an arm as 
 t'were fresh cheese ; that the place even glistened with it. 
 This was so, and Shurkun was quite bewildered, and he lean- 
 ed forward, and clapped his hands and she also clapped her 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 4G1 
 
 hands,2 2 5 ^nd caught hold of him, and he caught hold of her, 
 and the two grappled, and griped and strove together. Then 
 put he his hand upon her slender waist, and his fingers sank 
 into the soft folds of her form, and his limbs became relaxed, 
 and began to tremble like as the Persian cane in the violent 
 wind; so she raised him up, and threw hiai on tlieearih, and 
 sat upon his breast as t'were a hill of sand sitting on him, and 
 his soul had no mastery over a single sense. Then said slie to 
 him, < Oh ! Mooslim, you people now the slaying Nazarenes 
 is permitted with you ? what now hast to say on thy being 
 slain thyself ?' And he answered, 'Oh! mistress, now dost 
 thou speak as to my slaying thee ? that truly is not other than 
 forbidden : for our prophet, Muhuminud, God's blessings be 
 on him, and peace ! prohibited the slaughter of women, and 
 boys, and old men, and Christian monks. '22 6 ^^id she re- 
 plied, * As your prophet iiad that revealed to him, it is proper 
 we give him the equivalent, arise then ! I have given thee thy 
 life, for there should no harm be done with noble beings.' 
 Then rose she, from Shurkun's breast and he stood shaking 
 the dust from his head against the mistresses of the curved 
 rib, even women ;2 2 7 and she did naught but walk away, and 
 say, ' Be not abashed, but whosoever enters the countries of 
 Roum desiring booty, and assisting kings against kings, how 
 should there not be strength in him, so as to be able to defend 
 himself from a mistress of the curved rib, a woman ?' And 
 he answered her, * This was not owing to the yielding of 
 my strength, nor didst thou throw me by thy might, but thy 
 loveliness, this was that threw me. Now truly if thou would- 
 est grant me another trial, it were of thy exceeding courtesy.* 
 Then she laughed, and said, ' I agree to that for thee, excep- 
 ing as to the handmaids : this pinioning has been long for 
 them, and their arms are wearied, and their sides and siioul- 
 ders : I indeed will free them for 'lis probable the wrestling 
 for this fall, will be long with thee.' So she turned to the ' 
 handmaids,^ and set free their bonds, and said to them in the 
 
462 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN Na'mAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 tongue of Roum, < Go ye to some place, where ye can hold 
 yourselves in safety, till the longing of this Mooslim be avert- 
 ed from ye.' So the handmaids went off, and Shurkun kept 
 gazing on them, and they kept turning to look on these two. 
 Now each of them approached the other, and he set his body 
 against hers. Now when he was even thus, and the damsel 
 was aware of that, she raised him with her hands suddenly, 
 with the suddenness of the lightning flash, and threw him to 
 the ground, and he fell upon his back. Then said she to 
 him, ' Rise up, for verily, I give thee thy life a second time ; 
 for in the first count, I was kind to thee because of the Pro- 
 phet, for that he did not permit the murder of women ; and on 
 the second count, I'll be merciful because of thy weakliness, 
 ?ind the greenness of thine years, and thy being a foreigner ; 
 but yet I charge thee, if there be in the army of the Moos- 
 lims who have come from 'Oomr Bin Na'man, whom he sent 
 because of the king of Constantinople, a stronger than thee, 
 then send him to me, and tell him of me : for in wrestling 
 there be varieties, and degrees, and falls, many even as the 
 imagination can conceive, and among them the over-gripe 
 and the stoop, and the catch of the feet, and the thigh-gripe, 
 and the jostle, and the lock-twist.' Then quoth Shurkun, 
 and his rage increased against her, * Wullahy ! oh my mis- 
 tress, when Ul Qeem oos Sufudee,2 2 8 and Ul Qeem Muhum- 
 mud Qumal or Bin oos Sudee, was in his age there was no 
 note kept of these tricks that thou makest mention of to me ! 
 Yet, oh ! mistress mine, Wullahy ! thou'st not thrown me by 
 thy might, but by thy blandishments, for we people of Irak ad- 
 mire a full-formed figure ! thus there was not left me sense nor 
 power to see. But if thou wilt, thou shalt wrestle with me 
 again, and I with my wits about me, for there is not left me 
 but this one fjill more by rule of the art of wrestling : surely 
 my spirit hath now returned to me.' Now when she heard 
 his words, she said to him, * What want'st thou with this 
 wrestling, oh ! thou beaten man ? come up, and learn that 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 463 
 
 this fall is enough.' Then she leaned forward, and challeng- 
 ed him to wrestle, and Shurkun leaned forward to her, and 
 took to it with pains, and the two strove awhile : so the damsel 
 found a strength which she had not observed in him before, 
 and she said to him, ' Oh ! Mooslim, takest thou now care 
 of thyself ?' And he replied, ' Even so ; for thou know'st 
 that there is not left me save this one fall, and after that each 
 of us may go his way.' Now she laughed, and the other, 
 even he, laughed in her face : so as that fell out she over- 
 reached at his thigh, and took firm hold of him at unawares, 
 and made him greet the ground, and he fell on his back. So 
 she laughed at him, and said, ' Dost thou eat dates '.229 nay, 
 thou'rt as 'twere a lanky Buduwee boy that falls in very 
 weakness, or else the father of the winds, that falls with a pufF 
 of air ! Shame to thee ! oh ! unfortunate !' Then quoth she to 
 him, ' Get thee to the army of the Mooslims, and send us some 
 else than thou, for thou art slight of vigor, and proclaim for us 
 among the Arabs, and the Persians, and the Toorks, and the 
 Deylumees, ' Whosoever has might in him let him come to us.' 
 So she skipped, and was at the other side of the stream, and 
 said to Shurkun, and she laughing, * It's hard to me to part with 
 thee, oh ! my lord : get thee to thy comrades before the dawn ; 
 perchance the chivalry may come on thee, and take thee at 
 the spear's point, and thou hast not strength in thee to keep 
 off the women, — how then wilt thou repel the men, the horse- 
 men V Now Shurkun was confounded in his soul, and said 
 to her, as she had turned from him, inclining and making 
 towards the convent, ' Oh ! my mistress, dost thou go hence 
 away and abandon the captive, the stranger, the wretch, the 
 broken in heart?' So she turned to him, and she kept laugh- 
 ing, and then said to him, * What is thy want ? for truly I 
 will answer thy prayer.' And he said, ' How shall I pass 
 from thy land, I that am treated with the sweetness of thy 
 courtesy, shall I return without tasting of the traveller's por- 
 tion, and thy hospitality, I that have become one of thy 
 
464 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN Na'mAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 servants V So she replied, < None refuse kindliness, save the 
 miser ! come on kindly in God's name, on my head and eyes 
 be it ! Mount thy steed, and go on by the brink of the stream 
 over against me, for thou art received in my hospitaliiy.' 
 Now Shurkun was glad, and rushed to his steed, and mounted 
 him, and stinted not going on opposite to her, and she kept 
 faring on even with him until he arrived at a bridge built of 
 beams of the white poplar, and to it puUies with chains of 
 steel, and to them fastenings by means of hooks. So Shur- 
 kun looked at that bridge, and behold ! the handmaids 
 that were with her at the wrestling standing awaiting her. 
 Now when she came up to them, she said to them in the 
 Roumish tongue, ' Arise mow, and lay hold of the reins of his 
 steed, and bring him across to the convent.' And Shurkun 
 went on, and she before him until he crossed the bridge, and 
 his sense was perturbed with what he saw, and he said in liis 
 soul, ' Oh! how much better were my chance, if the vuzeer 
 Dundan were with me in this place, and his eyes could behold 
 these fair faces.' So he turned him to the damsel, and said to 
 her, ' Oh ! rare of loveliness, now have 1 had of thee two 
 honors, the honor of coming in thy company, and the other of 
 my travelling to thy home, and the receiving thy hospitality, 
 and I am become e'en at thy orders, and thy guidance. Now 
 if thou would'st be so gracious to me as to journey with me 
 to the cities of the pure faith, and go to see each lord, the 
 lion warriors, and could'st know who I am !' Now when she 
 heard his words, she was angered with him, and said, 'Now, 
 by the Musseeh ! thou'st been with me a man of mighty cun- 
 ning, yet now I've reached what mischiefs in thy heart, and 
 how easy it seems to thee to utter a speech that points to 
 treacherous intent ! how shall I do this, and I that know so 
 surely as I get to that king of your's 'Oomr Bin Na'man, T 
 shall get not away from him ! for truly there is not within his 
 city walls, nor yet in his palaces the Uke of me, even though 
 he be lord of Bughdad, and Khorassan, that hath for himself 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 465 
 
 twelve palaces, in every palace a handmaid to the number 
 of the days of the year, and palaces to the number of the 
 year's months ! For if I got to him, there were no escape for 
 me, as truly it is your belief I were a gift for you to 
 give, even as it is sai(i in your scripture, * Whatsoever thy 
 right hand gains is a gift,' how then dost utter these words to 
 me ? And as to thy saying, 'And thou shalt visit the brave of 
 the Mooslims' — Now by the Musseeli, thou sayest a saying that 
 is not true, for truly I have seen your army when it was 
 about to reach our land, and our cities, even within these two 
 days. Now when ye came on I saw not your ordering as the 
 ordering of kings, for in very deed I saw in you but a con- 
 fused rabble of men ! and as to thy saying, « Thou shalt 
 know who I am,' why I have not done well by thee because 
 of thy dignity, but verily I have done it but for pride sake ; 
 and thy like should not say in this sort to my like, even 
 though thou wert Shurkun, son of the king 'Oomr Bin 
 Na'man, who is notorious in this age !' And he replied to 
 her, ' Knowest thou Shurkun ?' She answered, ' Even so, 
 and I knew of his coming with the army, and their num- 
 ber, ten thousand horsemen, and that also, that his father 
 'Oomr Bin Na'man sent with him this force to the aid 
 of the king of Constantinople.' Then said Shurkun, ' Oh ! 
 my mistress, I adjure thee by that thou believest in thy 
 religion, tell me of the cause of that, that the truth ap- 
 pear clear to me from the falsehood, and whose will be 
 the defeat in it V And she replied, ' Now by thy religion 
 if 'twere not I feared lest news of me be blown abroad as I 
 am indeed of the daughters of Roum, surely I would peril my 
 very self and draw out ten thousand horsemen, and slay their 
 leader, the Vuzeer Dundan, and vanquish their champion Shur- 
 kun, and there were no shame to me in that ; but 1 have read 
 books and learned sciences in the language of the^ 3 o Arabs. 
 And have I not manifested to thee myself in the prowess with 
 the signal deed thou sawest in me, and the actions, and the 
 
 K 3 
 
466 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN Na'mAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 might in wrestling, and the pre-eminence ? Now if Shurkurr 
 were present in thy place this night and it were said to him, 
 * Hie cross this stream,' he were not able to do it, and I long 
 that the Musseeh would throw him into my hands in tliis 
 convent that I might make him cease to be as men are, and 
 imprison him, and put him in fetters.' " — AndShuhurzad per- 
 ceived the morning dawn, and ceased speaking the words per- 
 mitted her. 
 
 She said, " They relate, Oh ! mighty King that when the 
 Christian damsel said these words to Shurkun, and he kept lis- 
 tening to them, ' Surely if Shurkun should fall into my hands, 
 truly would I make him cease to be as men are, and lay him in 
 ward and in fetters, after pulling him down from the saddle of 
 his war steed.' Now when he heard this speech pride pos- 
 sessed Shurkun, and indignation, and all a warrior's jealousy, 
 and he longed to declare himself to her, and to rush upon her, 
 but her loveliness restrained him, and he burst out repeat- 
 ing ;— 
 
 * An't be the fair commit one single fault, 
 
 Her charms bring up a thousand intercessors.' 
 
 Then went she up, and he in her track, and Shurkun looked 
 upon the maiden's back, and saw her hips that undulated like 
 the waves in the troubled sea, and he broke out repeating 
 these verses ; — 
 
 * An advocate wins in her face, 
 Who from the tablet of man's heart 
 Her every error can erase, 
 
 Strong in his intercession. 
 When I the beauteous one espied, 
 Mazed at the wondrous spectacle, 
 
 * The full horned moon is risen,' I cried, 
 
 * The night her orb is perfect !' 
 
SIIURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 467 
 
 Though 'gainst her with his utmost might 
 Strive the Ufreet of Queen Bulqees,^ 3 i 
 Herself with all surpassing sleight, 
 At once could overthrow him ! 
 
 And they two ceased not going on until they reached an arch- 
 ed door, and its archway was of marble. Now the damsel 
 opened the gate, and entered, and Shurkun with her, and 
 they went on to a lengthy vestibule, raised in ten well knit 
 arches, and in each arch a lamp of crystal, and it glistened 
 like sparks of fire. And the handmaids met them at the end of 
 the vestibule with perfumed candles, and tiaras on their heads 
 set round with bezels which were of all sorts of gems. So she 
 went on, and they before her, and Shurkun behind her until 
 they reached the convent. Then found he around that con- 
 vent^ ^^ raised thrones each opposite to each, and cur- 
 tains to them embroidered with gold, and the floor of 
 the convent paved with all sorts of marble, and diced 
 squares, and in the midst of it a tank of water that had 
 to it four-and-twenty fountains of gold, and the water 
 rushing out from it like silver, and he saw at the upper end 
 a dais spread with regal silks. So the damsel said to him, 
 * Go up, oh ! my lord to this dais,' And Shurkun went up 
 upon it, and the damsel departed, and for some time disap- 
 peared. Then Shurkun asked of her from one of the ser- 
 vants, and they replied to him, * Truly she is gone to her 
 place of rest, and we are thy servants, even as she ordered.' 
 So they set before him rare varieties of food and he ate till 
 he was satisfied ; then set they before him a bason of gold, 
 and an ewer of silver, and he washed his hands, and his 
 thoughts were with his army, for that he knew not what had 
 come to pass to them after his going, and he remembered also 
 how he forgot his father's charge to him : thus became he be- 
 wildered in his position, repenting of what he had done until 
 the morning rose, and the day appeared, and he was vexed at 
 that he had done, and he was drowned in a sea of thought, 
 K 3 2 
 
468 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN Na'MAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 and he reppeated extemporaneously ; — 
 
 < I've not forgone my sense — yet in this matter 
 I'm all bewildered — what art can avail me ? 
 Would any lighten me from ails of love, 
 By mine own effort my own strength should free me, 
 But oh ! my heart is lost, and passion-troubled, 
 And in my stress I trust alone in Heaven l' 
 
 Now when he ceased repeating his verse, lo ! there began a 
 mighty murmur, and he looked, and behold ! he was aware of 
 twenty maidens like to moons about that damsel, and she 
 among them like the full moon among the constellations tliat 
 were guarding that maiden round ; and on her were brocades 
 befitting kings, and she had girt upon her middle a girdle wo- 
 ven, set with all sorts of jewels, and her waist was narrowed 
 in, and her hips jutted that the two were as a massy hill of 
 crystal below a shaft of silver, and her bosom like the pome- 
 granate fruit. Now when Shurkun saw that his senses went 
 nigh to flee from him with pleasure, and he forgot his army, 
 and his vuzeer, and gazed on her fair head. Then saw he 
 upon it a net work of pearls spread over with divers sorts of 
 gems, and the handmaids at her right, and her left, lifting the 
 fikirts of her dress, and walking with graceful gait right won- 
 drously. Now upon that Shurkun sprung up when he saw 
 her beauty, and her loveliness, and shouted, ' Beware ! be- 
 ware of this girdle so fair V and then broke out into these 
 verses ; — 
 
 * With heavy hips, and bosom delicate, 
 And limber form that sways with graceful gait, 
 She deftly skills her passion to conceal. 
 But oh ! in vain I'd hide the love I feel ! 
 Her handmaids follow her with careless art. 
 Like stringed pearls, now clustered, now apart.' 
 
 Now the damsel took to gazing upon him for a long time, and 
 fixed her look upon him, until she was certain of him, and re- 
 cognized him : then quoth she to him, after she had come 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 469 
 
 up to him, ' The place is honored, and enliglitened by thee, 
 oh ! Shurkim ! how passed thy night, oh ! mighty hero, 
 after we went away, and left thee ?' Then said she to 
 him, ' Verily the lie in kings is a vile thing, and a dis- 
 honor, especially in mighty kings ! and thou art Shurkun, son 
 of the king 'Oomr Bin Na'man ; so try not to conceal thy 
 secret, and thy condition, and let me not hear after that 
 aught excepting the trutli ; for truly the lie makes inheritance 
 of hatred, and of enmity, as the arrow of destiny hath pierced 
 thee, so be thine, resignation, and content.' Now when she 
 said that, artifice availed him naught, and he acknowledged the 
 truth of that to her, and said, ' I am Shurkun, son of 'Oomr 
 Bin Na'man ! he that troubles the world, and loose me in this 
 place, then whatsoever thou wiliest do it even now !' So 
 she hung her head to the ground a long time ; then turned 
 to him, and said, ' Gladden thine heart and calm thine eye, 
 for verily thou art my guest, and bread and salt is between me, 
 and between thee ;2 3 3 thus art thou in my charge and in my 
 surety ; so be thou confident, for by the Musseeh ! if the peo- 
 ple of the entire earth would seek to do thee hurt surely should 
 they not reach thee, save my life were spent for sake of thee, 
 for thou art in the protection of the Musseeh, and under my 
 protection.' And she sat her by his side, and took to jesting 
 with him until all the dread was in him ceased, and he per- 
 ceived that indeed if she had any ill intent to murder him 
 she surely had done it during the past night. Then spoke, 
 she to a handmaid in the Roumish tongue, and she dis- 
 appeared for a while, and came to her, and with her a bowl 
 and a tray of meat ; So Shurkun delayed to eat, and said in 
 his soul, * 'Tis like she hath put something into this food.' 
 Now she perceived what was in his mind ; so she turned to 
 him, and said, ' By the Musseeh ! the matter is not this 
 wise, and for this meat there is not aught in it such as thou 
 imaginest, and if my mind were set on murdering thee, surely 
 I could slay thee at this very moment.' Then turhed she to 
 
470 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN NA'mAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 the tray, and ate of every dish a mouthful. Now upon that 
 Shurkun ate too, and the damsel was pleased, and ate with 
 him till the two were satisfied and washed their hands ; and 
 after washing their hands she rose, and ordered a handmaid 
 to bring sweet herbs, and the apparatus for drinking with ves- 
 sels of gold, and silver, and crystal, and that the liquor should 
 be of all varieties of opposite kinds, and species. So she 
 brought her all that she sought, and then the damsel filled 
 first a goblet, and drank it off before him as she did with 
 the meat ; then filled she a second and gave it to him also ; 
 and he drank. So she said to him ' Oh ! Mooslim ! see 
 how thou be'st here in the sweetest of life and delight !' And 
 she gave not over drinking with him, and making him drink, 
 until he deviated from the path of rectitude." — And Shuhurzad 
 perceived the morning dawn, and ceased speaking the words 
 permitted her. 
 
 M0lau W3tn it ^m tljt jp0tt^=mnU) 'Migf^tf 
 
 She said, " They relate, Oh ! mighty King, that the damsel 
 gave not over drinking and making Shurkun drunk until he 
 deviated from the path of rectitude with the wine, and with 
 the intoxication of the love of her. Then said she to a 
 handmaid, ' Oh ! Murjanah bring to us some of the instru- 
 ments of merriment.* And she replied, ' To hear is to obey,' 
 and disappeared for the twinkling of an eye, and came with a 
 lute and a Persian harp, and a Tartar pipe, and an E<rypiian 
 dulcimer. So the damsel took the lute, and set it to rights, 
 and tightened its strings, and sang to them in a low gentle 
 voice, more soft than the zephyr, and more sweet than waters 
 of Paradise, and burst out repeating these verses ; — 
 
 ' Heaven pardon the much blood thy glances have shed 
 The shafts they have notched and the arrows they've sped. 
 When the loved scorns her lover, 'tis well to my mind — 
 'Tis forbid her to pity, 'tis wrong to be kind. 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 471 
 
 Happy dole to the poor eye lies sleepless for thee ! 
 Heaven help the poor heart that thy captive may be ! 
 Thou hast doomed me to death — thou'rt my monarch indeed, 
 And my life is the stake when ray chief's is the need. 
 
 Then arose each one of the maidens, and her instrument with 
 her breaking out into song in the Roumish tongue, and Shur- 
 kun was delighted ; then sang the damsel, their mistress also, 
 and said to him, ' Oh ! Mooslim, dost understand what I 
 say V He answered, ' Nay, but I am delighted even by the 
 beauty of thy fingers.' So she laughed, and said to him, ' If 
 I were to sing to thee in Arabic, then what would'st do ?' 
 And quoth he, ' I should not be master of my senses !' Then 
 took she the instrument of joy, and altered the rhyme, and 
 broke out saying ; — 
 
 * Parting's a bitter thing to me, — 
 How then to bear it patiently ? 
 I, wlio'm beset by evils three, 
 By distance, and by cruelty, 
 
 And absence's painful smart ! 
 The fair whose bondage I confess 
 Hath thralled me with her loveliness, 
 And bitter 'tis to part.' 
 
 Now when she ceased her verse, she looked upon Shurkun 
 and found him lost to existence, and he was for a while lying 
 prone among them stretched at length.234 Then recovered 
 he, and remembered the songs and became again merry. 
 Then took he to the wine, and ceased not jest, and joke, until 
 the day declined in sunset, and night dropped her wing upon 
 them. Then rose she for her sleeping chamber and Shurkun 
 asked after her, and they answered, ' Truly she is gone to 
 her sleeping chamber.' And he replied, ' Under God's guid- 
 ance be she, and His keeping !' Now when the morning 
 dawned, the handmaid came, and said to him, ' Truly my 
 mistress prays thee come to her.' So he arose with her and 
 went on behind her. And when he drew nidi the damsel's 
 
472 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN Na'maN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 place the maidens led him along with tabrets, and with greet- 
 ings of welcome, until he reached a mighty gate, and it was 
 of ivory studded with pearls, and jewels ; and they entered 
 with him and found a large mansion like the other, and in 
 the upper end of it a wide raised seat spread with all sorts of 
 silks, and all about this raised space lattices that were opened, 
 below tliem were trees and streams, and in the house fitriires 
 carved in shapes through which the wind came in, and it 
 caused machines to move with their belly that it might give 
 an idea to the beholder that they were speaking ;2 3 5 ^nd the 
 damsel was sitting looking for them. Now when the damsel 
 saw him she sprang up, and took his hand, and made him sit 
 by her side, and asked him of how he rested, and he blessed 
 her, and the two sat talking. Then said she to him, ' Know- 
 est thou aught that applies to the case of lovers, and they cap- 
 tivated with love?' And he replied, * Even so ; I know 
 something in verse.' And she said, ' Let me hear it ;' So 
 he began repeatmg ; — 
 
 ' Sweet dole be thine, and pleasant cheer, 
 Izzuh, no ill frequent thee, 
 That mak'st free with my name, and fame ; 
 Will it alone content thee 1 
 By Heaven, if I would near her side 
 Away far off she flies me ; 
 The greater is the love I show, 
 The less she seems to prize me, 
 My doting upon Izzuh dates 
 What time that she bereft me 
 Of joys were erst between us two ; 
 What time my Izzuh left me. 
 As one that hopes to find a shade 
 I 'neath the cloud was seated, 
 But scarce the noontide sleep essayed, 
 Ere lo I the shadow fleeted !' 
 
 Now when she heard that from him, she said, * Kutheer was 
 notorious for eloquence, a cautious poet, and yet he was 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 473 
 
 superlative in the description of Izzuk,' And she said ;— • 
 
 ' The umpire v^'^ould for her decide, 
 Should Izzuh dare the sun's bright pride 
 In beauty to outstrip her. 
 The girls who'd ill of Izzuk speak 
 To me, — Heaven make those maidens' cheek 
 The soling of her slipper !' 
 
 Then said she, ' And 'twas said that the girl was of exceed- 
 ing beauty, and great loveliness.' Quoth she, * Oh ! son of 
 the king, if thou knowest aught of the words of Jumeel and 
 Bootheenuh, repeat to us of them.' And he replied, ' Yes, 
 I know each one of them,' and he began repeating from the 
 verse of Jumeel ; — 
 
 2 36 * * Fight i' the holy war, Jumeel !' they say — • 
 
 What war save for the fair should I essay 
 
 For each tradition speaks with them delight, 
 
 And each man slain dies martyred in that fight. 
 ' Love works my death, Bootheenuh,' when I cried, 
 ' Still shalt be so and more,' the fair replied, 
 ' Give back some scantUng of my wit,' I prayed, 
 * For worldly wants' — ' Far be'tfrom thee !' she said. 
 
 Thou seek.'st my death, naught else thine intents be, 
 
 And my sole object lies in seeking thee !' 
 
 Now when slie heard that she said to him, * Thou'st said 
 well. Oh ! son of the king, and well said Jumeel too ! 
 what meant Bootheenuh to do with Jumeel when he said, 
 * Thou seek'st my death naught else thine intents be ?' 
 Then said to her Shurkun, ' Oh ! my mistress, she then 
 desio-ned with him what thou dost desitrn with me, and 
 even that wi41 not satisfy thee.' Now she laughed when 
 Shurkun said these words to her, and the two ceased not 
 drinking until day declined, and night came on in clouds of 
 darkness. Then arose the damsel, and went to her sleeping 
 chamber and slept; and Shurkun slept in his place until the 
 morning dawned. So when he woke, the maidens came to 
 L 3 
 
474 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN Na'mAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 meet him with tabrets, and with instruments until he went 
 forth from that mansion and entered, one other than it, and 
 that was larger than the former house, and in it were like- 
 nesses of various things, and figures of birds, and wild ani- 
 mals such as there is no describing : and Shurkun marvelled 
 at what he saw in the construction of that place, and broke 
 out extemporaneously saying ; — 
 
 * He from her neck, my rival bold, 
 Plucked pearls alternate set with gold, 
 Fruits of the collar's twisted fold. 
 Water o'er silver ingot shed 
 Her eyeballs are, and roses spread 
 O'er face of chrysolite their red. 
 The violet's hue will best supply, 
 The liquid azure of her eye, 
 Mixed with the unguent's mineral dye. 2 3 7 
 
 Now when the damsel saw Shurkun she stood up to him, and 
 took him by his hand, and made him sit by her side, and said 
 to him, ' Can'st do aught, oh ! son of the king 'Oomr Bin 
 Na'man, at the game of chess ?' He answered, ' Even so, 
 but be not with me as said the poet ; — 
 
 * Love's ecstacy, I said, now binds me fast, 
 And naught will quench my thirst 
 But drinking of love's ichor from her lips. 
 I sate to chess with her I loved ; — we played 
 With white 'gainst black, but naught the game amused me, 
 For 'twas as if king stood where castle should do, 
 And strove to make a move but through the Queen's 
 And if I sought the intent of her looks. 
 Oh ! men, those blandished glances straight repelled me.' 
 
 Then set she the chess board before him, and she played with 
 him, but Shurkun kept every while he meant to look at her 
 move looking at her face, and putting the horseman in place of 
 the elephant,* ^^ and putting the elephant in place of the 
 horseman. So she laughed, and said to him, ' If thy play is 
 to be after this fashion then know'st thou naught.' And he 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 475 
 
 replied, ' This is the first trial, judge not by it.' Now when 
 she beat him, he restored the pieces, and set them in order, 
 and played with her : so she beat him a second time, and a 
 third, and a fourth and a fifth. Then turned she to him, and 
 said, ' Thou'rt a beaten man in every thing, my master.* 
 But he replied, ' Oh ! my mistress, to one that plays like 
 thee, how should there not be victory V And she gave orders 
 to bring the meat, and they both ate, and washed their hands, 
 and they set the wine before them, and they both drank. So 
 after that she took the dulcimer, and she broke out repeating 
 these verses ; — 
 
 * 'Twixt closely tied, 
 And open wide, 
 No medium fortune knoweth ; 
 Now fresh and fair 
 Now dry, and bare, 
 'Tis thus her likeness showeth. 
 Then pledge the wine. 
 And make her thine, 
 When thou dost smiling find her ! 
 That she ne'er may, 
 Face full away. 
 And leave thee quite behind her.' 
 
 Then truly gave they not over this wise until th« night came 
 in, and that day was even pleasanter than the former day. 
 Now when the night came on the damsel bounded her to her 
 sleeping chamber ; and there remained with him none save 
 the handmaids, and he laid himself upon the ground,^^^ and 
 slept until the dawn. Then the maidens came to meet him 
 according to their wont with tabrets and instruments of joy ; 
 and when he saw them, he roused him hastily, and sat up, 
 and 4hey took him, and went with him until they came to the 
 damsel. So when she perceived him, she sprang up, and took 
 him by his hand, and made him sit by her side, and asked 
 how his rest had been and he offered prayer in answer for 
 length of life for her. Then took she the lute, and broke out 
 
 l3 3 
 
476 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN NA'MAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 extemporaneously saying ; — - 
 
 * Never hanker for absence, — it bitters the taste 
 Of all joys that life gives to the heart, 
 E'en the sun at the time of his setting grows pale 
 For mere grief that he too must depart. 
 
 So meanwhile they were after this fashion, lo ! they were 
 aware of a confused shouting, and of men closely jammed to- 
 gether, and of knights, in their hands drawn swords that glit- 
 tered, and they saying in the Roumish tongue, ' Thou'st fal- 
 len among us, oh ! Shurkun ! so make thou sure of death !' 
 Now when Shurkun heard these words, he said in his soul, 
 * VVuUahy ! this damsel hath played me the trick, and hatli 
 made me linger till the men came, and even they, the chivalry 
 with whom she was trying to awe me ; but yet 'tis I have 
 thrust my soul into this death !' Then turned he to the dam- 
 sel to reproach her, and lo ! he found her face all altered with 
 growing pallor. So she rose stately on her feet, and said to 
 them, * Who be you V Then answered the knight, tlie lea- 
 der of them, ' Oh ! thou, the gracious queen, and priceless 
 union-pearl ! knowest thou who is that's by thee ?' And slie 
 replied, * I know him not ; who may this be ? Then quoth 
 he « This is the waster of towns and lord of horsemen ! this 
 is Shurkun, son of the king 'Oomr Bin Na'man ! this is he 
 that conquereth the forts and mastereth every hold of defence ! 
 Now tidings of him reached the king Hurdoob, thy father, 
 through the ancient dame Zat ood Dowahee, and thy father 
 our king made sure of tnat by report from the ancient dame, 
 and now hast thou holpen the army of Roum by taking of this 
 ill-omened lion.' Now when she heard the words of the 
 k ii'iht. she looked upon him, and said to him, ' What is thy 
 name ?' He rephed, * My name is Masoorut son of thy ?lave 
 Moosoorut, son of Kashudah a knight among the chivalry.* 
 Then said she, < And how get'st thou in to me without my 
 order V And he answered, * Oh ! lady mine, verily when 
 I arrived at the gate there was none forbade me, neither 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 477 
 
 chamberlain, nor door-keepers, but all the porters and 
 those that open the gates let us in as the custom still 
 is with them : surely when, any other than us comes they 
 would leave him stanchng at the gate until they asked 
 orders about him as to his entrance : and this was not a 
 time for long tallying when the king is looking for our 
 return to him with this prince, even he here tlie pride of the 
 army of Islam, that he may slay him and then drive back ids 
 army to the place from which they came without trouble be- 
 ing ours in engaging them.' Now when the damsel heard 
 this speech of him, quoth she to him, ' Truly these words be 
 other than is right. But the lady Zat ood Dowahee hath lied 
 for surely she hath talked mere idle words, and doth not know 
 the whole truth as to him, and I, by the Musseeh ! know that 
 lie who is by me is not Shurkun, nor is he a captive, but he 
 is a maj^ that came to us, and stood before us and sought hos- 
 pitality, so we treated him hospitably. Now if we were sure 
 that he were Shurkun in vd-y deed in his very person, and it 
 were proved to us that it is he beyond a doubt, then were't not 
 suiting with my humanity that I should give you power over one 
 that hath entered under my protection. So make me not be 
 treacherous to my guest and bring me not into disrepute 
 among mankind, but do you return to the king, my father, and 
 kiss the earth before him, and bring him tidings of the matter 
 contrariwise to that the lady said, even Zat ood Dowahee.' 
 Then replied Masoorut the knight, * Oh ! Ubreszuh, I am 
 not able to go back to the king save with his debtor Shurkuii.' 
 But she answered him, and she had become very wroth, 
 * Shame on thee ! give him a just answer, and there is no 
 blame for thee.' So said Masoorut to her, ' I will not go 
 back save with him." Now h^r color altered, and she said to 
 him, ' Be not prodigal of talk, and of vain babble, for verily 
 this man did not come in to us, but as ensured of his life : 
 truly he would bear up alone against an hundred horsemen, 
 and if I were to say to him, ' Thou art Shurkun, son of the 
 
478 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN NA'mAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 king 'Oomr Bin Na'man he would say, ' Yea.' But I will 
 not let you set yourselves on him, for if you should beset him, 
 there would not one of you return without he slew ye all that 
 be in this place. And here is he by me, and here am I will 
 bring him before you, and his sword and his leather buckler 
 with him !' Then answered her Masoorut the knight, ' I, 
 while I could get safe from thy wrath am not safe from the 
 wrath of thy father, and surely when I find him I shall sign 
 to the knights, and they will take him captive, and we will go 
 to the king with him in sorry sort.' Now when she heard 
 this speech from him she said to him, ' This were not the 
 way, for surely 'tis a mode of folly. Sure this is but one 
 man, but ye an hundred knights ! if now you want to meet 
 him in fight, then rush upon him one by one to show the 
 king who among ye is the valiant.' " — And Shuhurzad per- 
 ceived the morning dawn, and ceased speaking the woids per- 
 mitted her. 
 
 M0I331 M3tn it Ua% tie JFtftotfi Milit^t 
 
 She said, " They relate. Oh ! mighty King, that the Queen 
 Ubreezuh said to the knight, ' This is but one man, and ye 
 an hundred ; now if ye want to meet him in fight then sliow 
 yourselves to him one by one to show the king who lie is 
 among ye that is the valiant.' Then said Masoorut the 
 knight, * By the Musseeh and thou hast said the truth, but 
 let no one go forth to him first except I.' And the damsel 
 answered, ' Have patience till I go to him, and inform him of 
 the proposal and see what answer he has by him : so if he 
 agrees, then 'tis well, and if he refuses, still will there be no 
 way for ye to get to him, as even I, and whosoever is in the 
 convent, and the handmaids are his sacrifice.' Then went she 
 to Shurkun and told him the tidings ; so he smiled and knew 
 that she had not told one of the king's lords, but that news of 
 him had blazed abroad until it reached the king himself with- 
 out her intent. So he betook him again to reproach himself, 
 
SHURKUN, AND 200 UL MUKAN. 479 
 
 and said, ' How cast I my life away in the land of Ronm I'^^o 
 Now when he heard the words of the damsel he said to her, 
 ' Truly their onset on me one by one will serve to shield 
 them ; why not attack me ten by ten V So the damsel said 
 to him, ' This struggle is overhard ; one is a match for one.* 
 Now when he heard these words he stood determinedly on 
 his feet, and walked on till he met them, and with him he had 
 a sword, a weapon of strife. So upon that the knight stood 
 stoutly up to him, and bore down on him : but Shurkun ad- 
 vanced to.meet him as he were a lion, and smote him with the 
 sword on the sinews of the neck, and the sword shone glitter- 
 ing from his back, and from his bowels. Now when the dam- 
 sel beheld that, the might of Shurkun seemed mighty to her, 
 and she was convinced that when she threw him in wrestling 
 she threw him not by her strength, but by her be auty and her 
 loveliness : then went the damsel before the chivalry, and 
 said to them, * Take vengeance for your comrade.' So then 
 came forth to him the brother of the slain, and he was a giant, 
 a fierce warrior, and he bore down upon Shurkun ; but Shur- 
 kun let him not wait ere he smote him with the sword on the 
 nerves of his neck, and the sword came forth glittering from 
 his entrails. So upon that the damsel called aloud, ' Oh ! 
 ye servants of the Musseeh ! take vengeance for your com- 
 rade.' And the)^ ceased not attacking him one by one, and 
 Shurkun playing with his sword upon them until fifty knights 
 had come forward to him, and the damsel looking at them. 
 But the Almighty had infused panic in the hearts of those of 
 them were left, and they delayed in their onset ; then ventur- 
 ed they not on the attack upon him but bore down on him 
 with the body of them, and he assailed them with heart more 
 stout than stone until he had bruised them like corn i'the 
 thrashing, and expelled their very senses and their souls 
 from them. Then shouted the damsel to her handmaids, and 
 said to them, ' Who is left in the convent ?' And they 
 replied to her, ' There is none left save the gate keepers.' 
 
480 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN NA'mAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 Then the damsel met him, and took him to her bosom, and 
 Shurkun went up with her to the palace after his getting quit 
 of the battle. Now so 'twas there remained yet some few of 
 them hidden from him in corners of the convent. So when 
 the damsel saw that remnant, she arose from by Shur- 
 kun, and then came back to him, and on her a mail coat 
 narrowed^-*! i'the meshes, and in her hand a faulchion of 
 hind, and she said, ' Now by the Musseeh ! I will not 
 spare my life for my guest, and will not leave him e'en 
 though for cause of that there were desolation in the land 
 of Roum I' So she took reckoning of the knights and found 
 that he had slain eighty of them, and there were fled twenty. 
 Now when she saw what work he had made with the troop, 
 she said to him, ' Thy like may boast thee over the horse- 
 men ! God bless thee, oh ! Shurkun !' And he rose after that 
 to wipe his sword from the blood of slaughter, and broke forth 
 extemporaneously in these verses ;— 
 
 * How oft in fierce battle I've cleft the array, 
 And left the mailed warrior to wild beasts a prey ! 
 All mankind from my fury to hide them have sought 
 On the day of wild strife when dismounted I fought ; 
 I've left in the onset their lions o'erthrown 
 On the bare scorching sand that these bleak regions own.* 
 
 Now when he ceased his verse, the damsel turned her to him 
 smiUngly, and kissed his hand, and took off the mail coat that 
 she had on her, and he said to her, ' Oh ! lady mine wherefore 
 didst thou put on that coat of mail, and bare thy brand V She 
 answered, ' As a guard to thee '-gainst these caitiffs.' Then the 
 damsel summoned the gate keepers, and said to them, * How 
 let ye the king's knights enter my abode without the leave 
 of me ?' And they replied to her, « Oh ! thou, the queen, 
 the custom doth not run that we have any need to ask for 
 leave of thee for the king's messengers, especially the chief 
 knight.' Then quoth she to them, ' I think of ye that ye 
 wished not save my disgrace, and the murder of my guest.' 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. ' 481 
 
 And she ordered Shurkun to smite their necks, and told the 
 remainder of her servants that they deserved even more than 
 that. Then turned she to Shurkun and said to him, * Now will 
 I explain to thee what was concealed for even now will I in- 
 form thee of my history. Know that I am a daughter of the 
 king of Roum, Hurdoob, and ray name is Ubreezuh and the 
 ancient dame whose name is Z*at ood Dowahee is my gran- 
 dam, mother of my sire, and 'tis even she who told my father 
 of thee, and there is no help but she compass a sleight for 
 my death, more specially as thou hast slain my father's chival- 
 ry, and it is blazoned that I have separated myself and am 
 polluted with the Mooslims, Now the proper plan is thati 
 should abandon the dwelling here while Ziit ood Dowahee 
 keeps after me ; but now I require of thee, like fair deed as I 
 have done to thee, so should'stthou do for me ; for truly enmity 
 hath now fallen out between me and my sire on thy account ; 
 so do not neglect aught of the words I speak since all this 
 hath fallen out by reason of thee.' Now when Shurkun heard 
 these words his sense soared with gladness, and his breast 
 expanded, and swelled joyously, and he said, * WuUahy ! 
 there's none shall do thee hurt while life holds in my bosom ; 
 but yet hast thou patience to endure separation from thy pa- 
 rent, and thy people ?' And she answered, * Even so :' then 
 Shurkun swore to her, and the two plighted their troth upon 
 that. And she said, * Now make thy heart stout, for there 
 remains yet another condition for thee.' And he replied, 
 * And which is it V So she said to him, * That thou 
 should'st return with thine army to thine own countries :' 
 And quoth he, * Oh ! lady mine, truly my father 'Oomr Bin 
 Na'man sent me to slay thy sire by reason of the wealth he 
 took away, and amid the sum of it three mighty jewels, great 
 givers of good fortune.' So she answered, * Compose thy 
 heart and calm thine eye, for now will I relate thee the story 
 of it, and the reason of our conflict with the king of Constan- 
 tinople ; and this is it, that we have a festival that is called 
 ' The Feast of the Convent,'2 42 every year in which kings are 
 M 3 
 
482 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN Na'mAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 wont to meet from all quarters, and daughters of the great, and 
 merchants and their wives, and they are wont to bide at it 
 seven days and I among them. Now when strife fell out be- 
 tween us, my father forbade my being present at that festival 
 for seven years. So it chanced on a certain year that the 
 daughters of the great of all sorts came from their abodes to 
 the convent for that festival according to wont, and among the 
 sum of those that came to it a daughter of the king of Constan- 
 tinople, and she a lovely girl, that was called Sufeeh. Now 
 they abode at the fair seven days, and on the seventh day the 
 people departed : Then said Sufeeh, ' I will not return to 
 Constantinople save by sea :' So they equipped a vessel for 
 her, and she went down into it, she and her private followers. 
 Now when they loosed the sails, and set out, meanwhile they 
 were voyaging, lo ! a wind came on contrary to them, and 
 drove the vessel out of her course. Now there was there by 
 destiny and decree, a Nazarene vessel from the island of the 
 infidels, and in it, five hundred Franks^^s i^ arms, and 'twas 
 a long time they had been at sea. Now when the sail of the 
 vessel in which was Sufeeh, and the girls that were with lier, 
 loomed in their sight, they made for her with all speed, and 
 'twas not an hour ere they readied that vessel and laid the grap- 
 pling irons aboard her, and took her in tow, and hoisted their 
 sails, antl made for their island. So they were but a little way 
 distant when the wind turned against them, and when the wind 
 turned contrary to them, it drove them to wreck, and rent 
 their sails, and hurried them violently down upon us. Then 
 went we .forth to them for we saw a spoil was ready set for 
 us ; so we took them, and slew them, and we found the 
 money and the rarities and forty maidens, and among them 
 Sufeeh, daughter of the king. So we took them and set the 
 maidens before my father, and we knew not that among them 
 was a daughter of the king Fureedoon king of Constan- 
 tinople. Now my father selected from them ten maidens, 
 and among them the daughter of the king, and parted the 
 remainder among his dependants. And he put aside five 
 
SIIURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 483 
 
 maiden?, among them the daughter of the king, and sent them 
 to thy father 'Oomr Bin Na'man, with some clothes, and 
 dresses of woollen and silk stuffs of Roum, and thy father ac- 
 cepted it : And he selected among the five damsels Sufeeh, 
 daughter of tlie king Fureedoon. Now when it was the be- 
 ginning of this year, her father wrote a writing to my sire in 
 words of which there is no making mention, and he anathe- 
 matized him, and rebuked him, and said to him, « You have 
 gotten from us a ship within these few years, and it was in 
 the hands of pirates belonging to a party of Prankish thieves, 
 and in it was my daughter Sufeeh, and with her other maid- 
 ens. And ye informed me not, and ye sent no messenger to 
 tell me tidings of that, and I could not proclaim the news in 
 fear lest it should be a reproach upon me among kings by rea- 
 son of the disgrace of my daughter. So I concealed my case 
 until this year: then wrote I to certain of the Prankish 
 thieves, and asked them for tidings of my daughter as to what 
 king among their islands she might be. So they replied, 
 ♦ Wullahy ! we took not her from out thy countries, but we 
 did hear of her that tlie king Hurdoob took her out of the hands 
 of certain of the pirates ;' and they told him the story. Then 
 said he in the writing which he wrote to ray father, ' If your 
 wish be not to war with me^ nor your object my disgrace, and 
 the dishonor of my daughter, then the instant my letters 
 arrive with you, send me my daughter from among you ; but if 
 ye slight my letter and disregard ray case, then there is no 
 help but I make you full return for your vile deeds and evil 
 practices.' Now when these writings reached my father, and 
 he read them and understood what was in them that matter 
 vexed him and he repented for that he knew not that Sufcjeh, 
 a daughter of the king Pureedoon, was among those dam- 
 sels that he might have restored her to her father. So he was 
 bewildered in his position and there was not left him power 
 after this so long a time to send to the king 'Oomr Bin Na'- 
 man, to get her back from him, especially as we had heard 
 M 3 2 
 
484 STORY OF *OOMR BIN Na'mAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 some long time afore, that he had gotten from his handmaid, 
 which was called Sufeeli, daughter of the king Fureedoon, 
 certain children. Now when we were well assured of that, 
 we knew that this letter was no other than a very great calam- 
 ity ; for my father had no device, save he should write an 
 answer to the king Fufreedoon to make excuse to him and to 
 swear to him by oaths that he knew not his daughter was 
 among the bevy of damsels which were in that vessel. Then 
 that he should declare to him that he had sent her to the king 
 'Oomr Bin Na'man, and that he had gotten children by her. 
 Now when my father's mission reached Fureedoon, king of 
 Constantinople, he rose up and sat down, and wailed for his 
 child bitterly, and foamed at the mouth, and said, « How 
 should he take captive my daughter, and she become even as 
 the slave girls, and bandy her from hand to hand, and then 
 make her over to the kings and they wed her without a mar- 
 riage tie ?' Then said he, * Now by the Musseeh ! oh ! true 
 men all, I will not stay at rest from this time, till I take 
 vengeance and do away disgrace ! And truly will I do a 
 deed that the chroniclers shall tell of after me !' So he ceased 
 not biding his time till he had arranged a device and planned 
 miglity artifices, and sent a messenger to thy father 'Oomr 
 Bin Na'man, and mentioned to him what thou hast heard in 
 these sayings, so that thy father equipped the army which is 
 with thee on her account, and made thee travel to him in such 
 sort that he may get hold of thee, and of whosoever is with thee 
 in thy army. But for the three jewels of which he told thy 
 father in asking aid of him, there was not truth in that. For 
 surely they were with Sufeeh his daughter, and my father 
 took them from her when he got possession of her, both her 
 and the maidens which were with her, and he gave them to 
 me, and even they are now by me. So do thou go off to 
 thine army, and turn them back before they be entangled and 
 penetrate far into the countries of the Franks, and of Roum ; 
 for surely when ye penetrate into their countries, they will 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 485 
 
 close in upon the ways, so that ye will not find means of re- 
 treat from their hands even until the day of retribution, 
 and of retaliation. Now I know that tlie troops are stationed 
 in their places, for indeed I issued a mandate to them to stand 
 fast three days with intent that they should miss you during that 
 period, and they know not what 'tis they should do.' Now 
 when Shurkun heard these words he was absent awhile, and he 
 ■was engaged in thought : then kissed he the hand of the queen 
 Ubreezuh, and said, * Thanks to God, who hath blessed me 
 in thee, and make thee the cause of my preservation, and the 
 salvation of whosoever is with me, but yet 'tis hard to me the 
 parting with thee, and I know not what may come to pass to 
 thee after I am gone.' So she replied to him, ' Do thou go off 
 now to thine army, and turn them back, and if the envoys be 
 with them, then keep them fast until the knowledge where 
 you are be clear to you, and ye be near your own cities ; then 
 three days after will I be with you, and you will not enter 
 Bughdad, save we be all together.' Then truly when he 
 purposed departure, she said to him, ' Now the corapac' 
 which is between me, and between thee, thou must not forget 
 it.' And she sprang up to him for the purpose of bidding fare- 
 well, and embracing, and quenching the fire of affection, and 
 she bid him farewell, and she embraced him and wept with 
 exceeding weping, and broke out extemporaneously saying ; — 
 
 ♦ I bade farewell — my riglit hand wiped 
 The tears away, 
 
 And locked round her in close embrace 
 My left hand lay. 
 
 ' Fear' St not' she said, * The shame of this ?' 
 I answered. ' Nay,' 
 Lovers perforce are shamed upon 
 Their parting day.' 
 
 Then Shurkun parted from her, and went down from the con- 
 vent, and brought his steed before him ; so he mounted and 
 went forth seeking the bridge, and he reached it, and crossed 
 
486 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN NA'MAN, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 over upon it, and entered in among those trees. Now when 
 he got free of those trees and bounded him through the 
 mead, lo ! lie was aware of three horsemen. And he took 
 prudent oare of himself against them, and bared his sword, 
 and came down on them. Now when they approached him, 
 and either of them looked upon the other, they recognized 
 him, and he looked at them, and lo ! the one of them was the 
 vuzeer Dundan, and with him two lords. So when they saw 
 him, and knew him they advanced on foot to him,2 44 ^^d sa- 
 luted him, and the vuzeer asked him of the reason of his ab- 
 sence. So he told them of the whole of that had passed with 
 the queen Ubreezuh from first to last, and the vuzeer thanked 
 God for it. Then quoth Shurkun, * Set forth with me from these 
 countries lest the envoys that have come with us have travelled 
 on to inform their king of our approaching : tlien is it probable 
 they will come quickly on us and seize us.' So Shurkun shouted 
 to his party to saddle and set off and they set off all of them, and 
 gave not over journeying, persevering in the progress until they 
 reached tlie border of the valley. Now the envoys had set 
 their faces to go to their king, and had told him of Shurkun's 
 approach ; so he equipped an army to lay hold of him, and 
 Avhosoever was with him. This was what was in the matter of 
 the envoys, and their king, but for what was in the matter of 
 Shurkun and the vuzeer Dundan, and the two chiefs, surely 
 the four of them had made good their way to their army, and 
 shouted, ' Saddle ! Saddle !' So they set off on the instant, 
 and fared on the first day, and the second day, and the third 
 day, and they stinted not wending on for five days, and then 
 lighted at a valley abundant in trees, and sought to rest them 
 in it. And after that they set forth, and stayed not going for 
 five and twenty days, until they got to the frontiers of their 
 countries. Now when they arrived thither they thought their 
 souls were safe, and they lighted to take rest ; and the people 
 of those countries came out with hospitable offerings, and 
 provender for the cattle, and invitation to rest. So they abode 
 
SIIURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 487 
 
 two days, and set off making each for their own houses ; but 
 Shurkun kept back after them an hundred horsemen, and put 
 the vuzeer Dundan in command, and he went on, and the 
 army with him. Now when 'twas one day after their depar- 
 ing Shurkun called to horse for the journey and he mounted, 
 and the hundred horsemen mounted, and fared on many 
 leagues until they arrived at a place narrowed in between two 
 mountains, and lo ! before them a dust, and a dark cloud of 
 sand. So they checked their steeds from the progress many 
 an hour until the dust opened, and there appeared beneath it 
 an hundred horsemen, lions, grim-visaged, and cased in plate^ 
 and mail ! Now when they got near Shurkun and tliose were 
 with him, they shouted to them and said, * Now by Johanna, 
 and Miriam, we have attained what we aimed at, for we have 
 followed you, persevering on the journey night and day, until 
 we overtook you at this place ; so come down from your 
 horses, and give us your arms and trust yourselves to us, that 
 we may give you your lives.' Now when Shurkun heard 
 this, his eyes stood in the crown of his head glaring open, and 
 his cheeks grew red, and he said, ' Wherefore, oh ! Nazarene 
 doo-s, have ye ventured, and have ye come to our countries, and 
 have you wended to our land ! and is not this enough for ye that 
 ye endanger your souls, and address such speech as this to us ? 
 Think ye that ye will 'scape from our hands, and will return 
 to your cities ? Then shouted he to the hundred horsemen, that 
 were with him, and said to them, ' On with ye ! and as for 
 these dogs, surely they are just of your number !' And he 
 bared his sword, and bore down on them, and the hundred 
 horsemen bore down with him. Now the Franks stood to 
 meet them with hearts stouter than rocks, and men clashed 
 against men and the valiant fell upon the valiant, and the slay- 
 er inflicted wounds, and the fight waxed hot, and the terrors 
 of battle were mighty, and prate or parley was vain, and they 
 stinted not in onset, norin fight hand to hand,nor in smiting with 
 the weapons of war, until the day turned back, and the night 
 
488 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN Na'hAX, AND HIS TWO SONS, 
 
 came on with clouds" of darkness. Then parted they either 
 from the others, and Shnrkun got together his comrades, and 
 there was not found one stricken among them save four 
 souls that had gotten wounds. Then said he to them 
 Shurkun * Wullahy ! my life long have I waded in the sea of 
 clamourous onsets, and of manslaying, but never have I met any 
 enduring the attack with swords, and clashing of men, like to 
 these valiant ones !' Then said they to him * Know oh ! king, 
 that there is among them a Prankish horseman, and he is leader 
 over them, he indeed hath valour and skill to make spear 
 thrusts that would pass through his opponents ; Wullahy ! he 
 swept us away great and small, and every one that came be- 
 fore him, he passed him by, and slew him not ; for Wullahy ! 
 had he intended our slaughter, he might have slain us, even 
 all of us.' Now Shurkun was astounded when he saw what he 
 had done, and heard this report of him, and he said, * At early 
 dawn to-morrow will we draw up, and rush upon hiixf, and 
 here be we an hundred, and they an hundred and I will seek 
 aid against them from the Creator of the Heavens.' So they 
 rested that night in that intent ; but for the Franks surely they 
 got together to their leader and said to him, ' Truly we did 
 not get the better to-day over these Arabs.' And he replied 
 to them, 'At early dawn to-morrow will we draw up, and 
 we'll attack them one by one :' So they rested in that intent, 
 and both separate sides kept guard until the Almighty granted 
 light in the dawn of day. Then mounted the king Shur- 
 kun, and his hundred horsemen mounted with him, and went to 
 the battle-field all of them ; then found they the Franks had 
 drawn up for battle ; Then said Shurkun to his comrades, 
 * Truly our foes had purposed what they intend ; so away 
 with ye and let the assault be on them.' Then xjalled there a 
 crier among the Franks, * Let not our battle be this day save 
 in succession, so as a champion of yours shall attack a cham- 
 pion of ours." Now upon that dashed out a horsemen from 
 among the comrades of Shurkun, and he passed in between 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUKAN. 489 
 
 the two ranks and said, ' Where's he will make the as- 
 sault?'-'** where is he will prepare for fight ? will not there one 
 assault me to-day, cowards, nor put me down ?' And he had 
 not finished his speech, ere there assailed him a horseman of 
 the Franks, 2-* 6 enveloped in his armour, and his surcoat of 
 gold stuff and he was mounted on a white steed, and that 
 Frank had no budding hair upon his countenance. So he 
 urged on his steed until he stood in the midst of the battle 
 field, and the Arab set to with him at blows and thrusts, and 
 it was not but a little while, ere the Frank thrust him with the 
 lance, and toppled him from his steed, and took him prisoner, 
 and led him off subdued. Now his party rejoiced in him, and 
 forbade his going forth to the field of fight, and they sent forth 
 another, than he. Then came there forth to him another of 
 the Mooslims, and even he was brother to the captive, and 
 stood with him in the field, and the two bore down either 
 against the other some little while. Then rushed the Frank 
 upon the Mooslim, and shook him in his seat, and thrust him 
 with the butt of the lance, and toppled him from his steed, 
 and took him prisoner. So the Mooslim ceased not going out 
 one by one, nor the Franks taking them captive until the day 
 turned to go, and the night came on with clouds of darkness, 
 and they had taken prisoner of the MoosUms twenty horse-men. 
 Now when Shurkun beheld that, he esteemed it a serious 
 matter and gathered together his comrades, and said to them, 
 * What is this thing that hath befallen us ? I will go forth at 
 dawn to-morrow to the battle field, and try an onset with he 
 that leads them, and see what is the reason of his entering 
 our countries, and I will caution him from doing battle with 
 us : then if he refuses, will we slay him, and if he is reason- 
 able, will we treat him well.' So they abode in this way un- 
 til the Almighty caused the morn to dawn. Then mounted the 
 two bands, and either side drew out in order ; and Shurkun 
 meant to go forth to the field, and behold ! the Franks had 
 come down on foot more than one-half of them before a 
 
 N 3 
 
horse-man, one of them, and they went on before him until they 
 reached the midst of the battle field. Now Shurkun took note 
 of that horseman, and lo ! the horseman was their leader, clad 
 in a blue surcoat of satin, and his face as 'twere the moon were 
 there when it rises, and upon him a mail shirt narrow in the 
 links, and on his hand a sword worked in hind ; and he was 
 mounted on a sorrel steed, on his face a white spot like a dir- 
 hem? and that Frank had no budding hair upon his counten- 
 ance. Now he pressed his steed with his heel, anil went on 
 to the middle of the field, and signed to the Mooslims, and he 
 kept saying in the Arabic tongue, well spoken, * Ho ! Shur- 
 kun ! Ho ! son of 'Oomr Bin Na'man ! Ho! thou that lordest 
 over the fortresses, and wastest the cities ! away with tliee 
 for the assault, and the fight, and attack one hath halved 
 the battle field with thee ! For thou art chief of thy party, and 
 I am chief of my party ; so whosoever of us overcomes his 
 fellow, let his fellows' party stay beneath his sway.' Now he 
 had not done his speech, ere Shurkun attacked him, and his 
 heart was full of fury, and he urged his steed until he neared 
 the Frank on the field, and closed on him like the raging lion. 
 And the Frank encountered him in the field with wariness and 
 steadfastness, and met him with a meeting as warriors use. 
 So the two took to thrusts and blows and stinted not of onset, 
 nor retreat, nor rally, nor retiring, as 'twere two mountains 
 clashed, or two oceans dashing, together ; and they ceased 
 not the fight until the day turned to set, and the night came on 
 with clouds of darkness. Then each of them parted from 
 his fellow, and returned to his party. Now when Shurkun 
 foregathered with his comrades, he said to them, ' I have not 
 seen like to this horseman ever ! truly I see an excellent trick 
 in him I have not seen in any except him ; and this is it that 
 though a deadly weapon shows about his foes, he reverses his 
 own lance, and smites him with its butt end ! But truly I 
 know not what will be the issue 'twixt him and me ; and 'tis 
 my wish that there were his like in our army, and the like of 
 
SHURKUN, AND ZOO UL MUXAN. 491 
 
 his comrades.' So Shurkun went to rest. Now when the 
 morning dawned, the Frank came forth to him, and came down 
 into the midst of the field, and Shurkun met him. So the two 
 took to the fight and were prodigal of attack, and of prowess ; 
 and men's necks were thrust forth to S33 them, and they stint- 
 ed not in onset, and in strife, and thrusting with the lance until 
 the day turned back, and the night came on in clouds of dark- 
 ness. Then parted the twain, and returned to their troop, and 
 each of them was relating to his comrades what befel him 
 with his fellow. Then said the Frank to his comrades, * To- 
 morrow will be the decision of the strife;' And they rested that 
 night till the dawn. So the twain mounted, and each bore 
 down on the other, and stinted not the onset till half the day 
 was past : then after that the Frank contrived an artifice, and 
 he urged his steed with the heel ; then checked him with the 
 rein, so that he stumbled with him and fell with him. Then 
 Shurkun threw himself on him, and meant to smite him with 
 the sword in dread lest the strife should be prolonged, and the 
 •Frank shouted to him, and said, ' Oh ! Shurkun, the knights 
 use not after this fashion, for this is the deed of the vanquished 
 by women.' Now when Shurkun heard the words of that 
 horseman he turned his eye upon him, and fixed his gaze on 
 him : then found he him the Queen Ubreezuh with whom that 
 had befallen him which befel him in the convent. So when he 
 recognized her he cast the sword from his hand, and kissed 
 the earth before her, and said to her, < Whatever was it car- 
 ried thee to deeds like these ?' And she replied to him, * I 
 desired to make acquaintance with thy prowess in the field, and 
 look upon thy constancy in fight, and in the jousting, and these 
 that be with me are my handmaids, even all of them, and all 
 be girls, .virgins, and they have vanquished thy knights in the 
 throng of the battle field, and if 'twere not that my steed stum- 
 bled with me, thou would'st have seen my might, and very 
 fierce valor.' So Shurkun smiled at her saying, and answered 
 her, * Thanks be to God for preservation, and for my meeting 
 
492 STORY OF 'OOMR BIN Na'maN, AND HIS TWO SONS, &C. 
 
 with thee, oh ! queen of the Roiimish !' Then shouted the 
 Queen Ubreezuh to her damsels, and gave them order to alight 
 on foot after they had released the twenty captives whom 
 they had taken from the troop ofShurkun. Then did the dam- 
 sels like as she ordered, and then kissed they the earth be- 
 fore Shurkun and Ubreezuh : so said he to them, ' Your like 
 do men keep close about kings for the day of need.' Then 
 signed lie to his comrades to salute them, and they alighted 
 on foot all of them, and kissed the earth before the Queen 
 Ubreezuh, for they had learned the story. Then mounted the 
 two hundred riders on horses, and fared on night and day for 
 six days, and after that they arrived at the lands of Shurkun ; 
 and he bade the Queen Ubreezuh, and her handmaids leave off 
 the Prankish raiment that was upon them.' " — And Shuhurzad 
 perceived the morning dawn, and ceased speaking the words 
 permitted her. 
 
 END OF VOL. r. 
 
(Bt tifie ^^mtiage umtt tge Mmt Ufinlut^. 
 
 Makrizi^ mentions Omar's coinage A. H. 18. A. D. 638 
 
 on the Persian model, and Abdallah Benzobeirs (who op- 
 posed the succession of Yezid and assumed at Medina and 
 Mecca the title of khuleef ) the first of round dirhems circ. 
 A. H. 61 (680). 
 
 Almahin, Locuti, Ibn Kataiba and others say the earliest 
 Mussulman coinage was A. H. 76 (695) through the agency 
 of Al Hejaj. The latter more probable because Makriza 
 says that Abd al Malek's^ coins were impressed with human 
 figures, which they were not, whatever the prior coins may 
 have been (?) (Makrizi may allude to a class of equivocal (?) 
 copper coins with Mussulman inscriptions and Christian em- 
 blems.) Abd al Malek's coinage may be considered the most 
 ancient till others of greater antiquity are discovered. 
 
 Al Hejaj has the merit of originating this improvement, but 
 the earliest Cuffic coin has Damascus on it, A. H. 79, whence 
 we must conclude that he, by his influence at court, establish- 
 ed there the first Mint. 
 
 In 75 he was appointed Governor of Irah, where he built 
 Wasit, so celebrated for its coinage in 83. The dies seem all 
 
 1 Tukee ood Deen Ulimud of Mukreez, bom A. H. 769, died, A. H. 
 840, author of various historical works on -^gypt and her Mooslim 
 Governors. 
 
 2 A friend of mine who is deeply studied in Oriental numismatology 
 has pointed out this. As Abd al Malek became khuleef A. H. 65, and the 
 first Mussulman coinage occuri-ed A. H. 76, there is every reason to 
 believe that he, up to that year, continued the practice of his predecessors, 
 and coined Sassanian coins with a human bust on one side, and the 
 fire altar with two human figures on the other, merely adding the ^ Bis- 
 millah'' in Arabic. 
 
to have been engraved by the same hand (a Jew named Lo- 
 inair) whence the dirhems have been called Lomairite. The 
 gold coin is inferior, though of the same mint. 
 
 The cause of the coinage seems to have been the conduct 
 of the Roman Emperor, who, irritated with the Mussulman for- 
 mulary sentence which always prefaced the khuleef's letters, 
 threatened to retaliate by introducing offensive words on his 
 coinage. Tlie pious Mussulmans were offended with Hejaj's 
 coinage because the name of God became defiled by their 
 fingers. 
 
 The latter Mahomedan authors seem to have known very 
 little of the early coinage, as they mis-quote the inscriptions, 
 and insist much on the baseness of the coin, which, however, 
 is, in reality, much better than their own. 
 
 The medium value of the deenar appears to have been about 
 10s. 8d. of the dirhem a little under six pence. 
 
 The above short note is abridged from the introduction to 
 Macodin's Numismata Orientalia with a view simply of giving 
 a brief account of the coins mentioned in these tales. They 
 have been long replaced by a more modern currency. 
 
'N ntt%. 
 
 ^ * In the Name of God.' — This formula is constantly used by Moos- 
 lims in entering upon any undertaking, and is the ordinary opening of 
 every book on any subject whatsoever. Their devotional feeling induces 
 them to inscribe the word Hoo (He) at the top of every written page. 
 The above invocation Sale (Prel. Disc.) believes their Prophet to have 
 borrowed from the Persian Magi. Both Jews, and Eastern Christians, 
 used before Muhummud a similar invocation on like occasions. 
 
 ^ * Descended of Sussan in the Islands of India, and China.' — The 
 Sussanian dynasty, founded by Ardusheer, or Artaxerxes, A. D. 229, 
 was the fourth dynasty of the Persian Empire, and continued in an unin- 
 terrupted series of thirty one kings, to the era of Muhummud. Mons. De 
 Schlegel has upon this expression ' descended of Sussan,' founded in 
 part his hypothesis of the composition of the Thousand Nights and One 
 Night before the introduction of Islam and of their un- Arabic origin. He 
 has read the phrase ' A King of the Kings of Sussan.' As the Arab con- 
 queror intermarried with the females of the Sussanians, when converted, 
 the descent might be lineal, and the descendant not less a Mooslim. The 
 seat of the kingdom of the kings * in the Islands of India and China,' 
 is of course a fanciful location, 
 
 ^ * Samarcand, of the barbarians.' — This term Ul Ujim, is used by 
 the Arabs like the Mlecha of the Hindoos and the Barbacos of the 
 Greeks, to express any nation save their own. It is ordinarily, however, 
 applied to designate the Persians. 
 
 ^ ' Smote both, so that he slew them.' — The Mussulman law, which 
 is singularly chary in admitting testimony to female incontinence, 
 allows even one unconnected with the erring party to execute summary 
 justice, when the proof is present, and unequivocal. 
 
 * * A latticed window high above the garden. ' — The windows in the 
 Mussulman dwellings throughout the east, are small, high from the 
 
11 NOTES. 
 
 ground ; and in Egypt and Arabia provided with turned wooden lattice 
 work — * which is so close that it admits much of the light and sun, and 
 screens the inmates of the house from the view of persons without, while 
 at the same time it admits the air.' (Lane's Egypt.) I have seen such 
 lattice work in Hindoostan neatly done in earthenware, or cut in hard 
 red stone, or even white marble in old houses. The tank and fountain is 
 the invariable accompaniment to the garden of a wealthy Mooslim. 
 
 * * The call to afternoon prayer.' — This is the fifth of the daily prayers 
 of the Mussulmans, and it occurs between noon and nightfall. The first, 
 is a little after sunset, the second after dark, the third at sunrise, the 
 fourth about noon. 
 
 "^ ' And lo 1 a Jin.' — The Mussulmans believe in the existence of crea- 
 tures neither angels nor devils, nor of human kind, but created of fire, 
 possessed like the angels of supernatural power, yet mortal in their 
 nature, and subject to human wants and passions. These are the Jins 
 or Ufreets, of whom I shall take occasion to make more mention in other 
 places. 
 
 ^ 'And sent for the kazee, and the witnesses.' — The kazee, judge in 
 civil and criminal matters and referee in points of religion, is an officer 
 much respected by Mussulmans, though inferior as doctrinary authority 
 to the mooftee. His attendance was desired by the merchant, for the 
 legal attestation of his will, as was that of the witnesses, to give their 
 testimony of his having pronounced the Profession of Faith, and having 
 died a true Mooslim. 
 
 ^ * There is no Power.' — This pious ejaculation, is constantly used by 
 Mussulmans on all occasions, even on those not very apposite to the 
 solemnity of the sentence. It is supposed to partake of the nature of an 
 invocation as well as assertion, and testifies the speaker's total reliance 
 upon his might, when used in difficulties or distress. 
 
 1 * And began extemporaneously.' — The words thus translated, mean 
 * breaking out' or * bursting forth,' or * uttering extemporaneously,' 
 and may thus be applied either where the poetry is quoted, or composed 
 on the instant. I have in the preface, said something of the poetic tem • 
 perament of the Arab, and of the powers of expression, which his admir- 
 able language supplies him with. It is not surprising that with an 
 
NOTES. Ill 
 
 untrammelled vigorous mind, with violent passions, and vivid imagination, 
 he should at once be an ardent admirer of poetry, and an adept in its 
 composition. ' Poetry,' says Sale, speaking of the times before 
 Muhummud, * was in so great esteem among them that it was a great 
 accomplishment and a proof of ingenuous extraction to be able to ex- 
 press one's self in verse with ease and elegance. On any extraordinary 
 occasion, and even in their common discourse, they made frequent appli- 
 cations of the celebrated passages of their famous poets.' Such is the 
 Arab to this hour, and such indeed the educated Mussulman throughout 
 the East, passionate lovers of poetry, and no mean professors of the 
 art, though not in styles to suit an European taste. The constant use 
 of quotation, and of even extemporaneous verse, may appear at first 
 sight unnatural to an Englishman, especially when the spontaneous 
 poetic flow, and the apposite citation is attributed to persons of low 
 birth and mechanical pursuits. There is much however to account for 
 this. Early education even among the lowest classes in Mussulman 
 countries, puts children in possession of some of the best pieces of their 
 favorite poets, and with strong feeling and a plastic language, there is 
 no reason why this poetic bias, should not in after life under exciting 
 causes, make the nervous Arab improvise as readily as the encroote 
 Italian. Within these few years, Venetian boatmen recited Tasso's 
 ' Gierusalemme,' and why should not a merchant or a fisherman under 
 the Khuleefut quote from the MoouUegat ? I have heard the angry 
 vehemence of the lower orders of my countrymen, called * poetic' 
 Had the excited Irishman been an Arab, he would, thanks to his lan- 
 guage, have delivered himself in ' rhymed prose,'' or downright poetry. 
 I have ventured on these few observations, in anticipation of objections 
 to the unnatural frequency of verse throughout these tales, in the mouths 
 of people, who have not by birth and (supposed) education a patent for 
 the poetical. 
 
 1 1 ' God is my witness what I say'. — This apparent extreme of trust, 
 on the one hand, and truth on the other, shewing the noblest trait of 
 Arab character, has authority in actual history. Ul Nooman, King of 
 Hira, having condemned an Arab of the tribe of Tay to death, gave 
 him a year's respite on condition of his furnishing a surety to suffer 
 death in his place if he returned not. On the last day of the year, the 
 man came back. He was a Christian ; and Ul Nooman, a Pagan Arab, 
 delighted with the principles of truth whichhis rehgion taught, was bap- 
 tized himself and his subjects. 
 
IV NOTES. 
 
 1 2 < Then he arose and purified himself.' — On the approach of death, 
 the ceremony of purifying by the ordinary ablutions (of which hereafter) is 
 not unusual. The practice (noticed by Mr. Lane) of taking the shroud 
 * on a military expedition or a long journey,' is common with Moos- 
 lims, throughout the East. A desire for burial after death is as strong 
 with them, as was the Roman superstition on the same subject : — 
 
 * At tu nauta, vagse ne parce malignus arense 
 Ossibus et capiti inhumato 
 Particulam dare.' Hor. Ode xxviii. 
 
 ^3 < Of the dogs of Sulook.' — Herr Fleisher of Leipsic in his disserta- 
 tion on Habielet's Arabic text of the Thousand Nights and One Night, 
 has a long note on the word * Sulook,' which he concludes to mean 
 Seleucia in Syria. 
 
 1 4 < Then the cloud of dust'. — The superstition that the cloud of dust 
 raised by a whirlwind, is the conveyance of an Ufreet, is common with all 
 Mooslims. 
 
 15 * So I took to me a concubine.' — The longing for offspring is to 
 this hour as rife in the East as it was in the days of the Patriarchs. 
 The taking of a concubine, like as in the case of Hagar, is perfectly law- 
 ful under such circumstances, and by some authorities an unlimited 
 number of these women are allowed in addition to four wives. Four 
 females of any description are all however that the law permits, * Take 
 in marriage of such other women as please you, two or three, or four, 
 but not more.' (Qoran, Chapter 4, called * Women.^) 
 
 16 'For the festival of the Almighty' .—This feast is attended, or should 
 be attended by a sacrifice in commemoration of the offering of Isaac by 
 Abraham. It is called the great feast C Eed Ulkuheer'j or in some 
 places (Russell's Aleppo) the feast of the sacrifice C Eed Ulgoorbdn'J. 
 In Hindoostan, the ceremony is perfoi-med by Mussubnan princes with 
 much state and observance. It is held on the tenth of the last month 
 of the year; and lasts three days. 
 
 1 7 * And left us three thousand deenars.' — There is no right of primo- 
 geniture by the Mussulman law in successions to property. The sons 
 share equally, and each daughter has half a son's share. 
 
NOTES. V 
 
 1 8 ' Now she was an Ufreet.' — The belief in the human nature of 
 Ufreets has been akeady noted. I have frequently heard in Hindoo- 
 stan stories gravely told of persons known to the narrators, who were 
 said to have married Ufreets. The Hindoos have a similar fancy, but 
 believe that one day in every eight, the superhuman creature betrays 
 herself by a peculiar ofFensiveness. 
 
 1 ^ * On the roof of my house.' — Houses throughout the East, even 
 within the tropical lines, are built flat roofed and the terrace so formed 
 affords the natives of very hot climates a cool place to take the air, and 
 sleep upon. In towns the parapet walls are frequently raised several 
 feet, to screen from sight the women who sit upon the house tops, and 
 vehement disputes arise on a neighbour's opening a new window com- 
 manding a point of view hitherto uncommanded. 
 
 2 ' When the mallard.' — The wildduck is a favorite quarry for the 
 Eastern hawker ; the metaphor here is obvious. 
 
 2 1 'Then replied the fisherman, ' Oh evil spirits." — The race of Jins 
 and Ufreets is believed to be composed of Believing Spirits, who are 
 Mooslims, and of Spirits accursed. These are they who refused obe- 
 dience to Suleiman ; all are pre-adamites. 
 
 2 2 < And brought me against my will.' — The power of Soloman over 
 the world of spirits, is much insisted on and strangely vaunted in the 
 Qoran and those books which profess to chronicle the acts of the wise 
 king. Of these there are many in Turkish and Persian, the best known 
 being the Suleiman Namuh of Ferdoussie. Muhummud, though he says, 
 (Chap. 38, Qoran) * and we also put the devils in subjection to him,* 
 jS very careful in other places to vindicate Solomon from the imputation 
 of being himself a magician. The best accounts of the various supersti- 
 tions regarding the king, is under D'Herbelot's article Soliman. I in- 
 cline to believe on the testimony of Josephus, who says that he saw 
 one Eleagar a Jew, perform exorcism successfully and repeatedly in the 
 presence of Vespasian * by Solomon's rules,' that there may have been 
 some grounds for the strange assertion of the Mussulmans regarding 
 his alleged power over the devils. Whiston states that some of the 
 works on exorcism are still extant in fragments, and plausibly supposes 
 these to have been the work of his dotage, when, besotted by his idola- 
 trous wives, he fell into the abominable superstitions of the Canaanites, 
 their false worship and divinations. 
 
Vl NOTES. 
 
 2 3 « As the hyena.' — Tliis fable has a similar moral, and the same 
 turn with that of Esop's * Viper and Wood-cutter.* 
 
 2 4 * In a city of Fars.' — This province is Persia proper, lying on the 
 shores of the Persian Gulph and bordered, E. by Kurman, W. by Khu- 
 gistan, and N. by the deserts of Khorassan. It is so called, say the 
 Arabs, from Fars, son of Agad, son of Shem, son of Noah. 
 
 2 5 < And he had read books.' — The studies of the Arab physicians 
 under the Khuleefut were persevering, and their works voluminous. 
 Their research was eager and unremitting into the works of Greek medi- 
 cal writers, whose system (that of Galen) they servilely followed and 
 which is to this day in use in the East among Mussulmans. The first 
 innovation on the old system was that now so successfully carried on by 
 Clot Bey in Egypt. An attempt of the kind has been made in Cal- 
 cutta, but not under circumstances likely to attract many Mooslim 
 students. The best compendious accounts of Arabic medical writers is 
 contained in the Appendix to Dr. Russell's Aleppo. 
 
 2 6 < And play at ball and bat.' — This was (for I believe it is almost 
 extinct) a favorite game in Ai-aby and Persia, and was played on horse- 
 back. It seems to have been something between the Scotch game of 
 Golf, and the English schoolboy's Hockey and must have required 
 much activity and exertion. 
 
 2 7 < At the entry room of the baths.' — * The first apartment is called 
 the meslukh. It generally has two, three, or four leewans, similar to 
 mustabahSy or considerably wider, cased with marble, and a fountain of 
 cold water, which rises from an octagonal basement constructed of stone 
 cased with marble &c. similar to that in the inner apartment represented 
 in a section accompanying this description, in the centre. (Lane's 
 Egypt) — The leewan is a dais, and the mustabah, a wide raised seat, 
 ike a little terrace. 
 
 2 8 < Virtue was proud when thou wert called her sire.' — This was 
 Ubool Fugl, as shewn by the play on the word. It is a common name 
 among Arabs. 
 
 2 9 ' And they struck out the circle of the chase.'— Tliis is the Scot- 
 tish tynchel, by which the word should be translated. The tynchel 
 of Eastern monarchs of the olden time (Vide Baber's memoirs, 
 
NOTES. vii 
 
 Tavernier's Travels, &c.) was made by whole armies, driving the game to 
 bay within a particular spot. It is still practised to a considerable extent 
 in India. 
 
 3 < So the king cast off his hawk.' — The hawking antelope is usually 
 practised with hounds, when the bird is merely expected to retard and 
 confuse the animal so as to allow of its being overtaken. Hasselquist 
 (Voyage in the Levant) gives an account of hunting the antelope with 
 the hawk alone, which he witnessed near Nagareth. It is I believe 
 peculiarly an Arab sport. Sir J. Malcolm (Sketches of Persia) mentions 
 hawking the hare in Persia, but makes no mention of the antelope, nor 
 have I in India ever heard of the practice though antelopes abound 
 and hawks are in common use. 
 
 3 1 * But lo ! she was a ghoul.' * The existence of ghouls likewise 
 obtains almost universal credence among the modern Egyptians in 
 common with several other Eastern nations. These beings are said to 
 appear in the forms of various animals, and in many monstrous shapes ; 
 to haunt burial grounds and other sequestered spots ; to feed upon dead 
 bodies ; and to kill and devour every human creature who has the mis- 
 fortune to fall in their way. Hence the term * ghoul' is applied in 
 general to any cannibal.' (Lane's Egypt) I have never met with a strict 
 Mussulman, even the most intelligent, who did not believe in the existence 
 of such creatures. 
 
 3 2 < For thou hast power to do.' — This beautiful prayer is from the 
 Qoran. 
 
 3 3 * By something given me to smell.' — This mode of poisoning is 
 said to have been very common in the East. It was practised in France 
 so late as Louis the Fourteenth by the infamous Brinvilliers. 
 
 3 4 * No wisdom doth the giglot grace.' — I am compelled to publish 
 this translation without I own being able to discover the drift of the 
 application. I have consulted many excellent Arabic scholars Native 
 and European, who have all agreed as to the rendering of the words, 
 but the allusion to the circumstances of the stoiy is obscure. 
 
 3 5 < And a bottle for holding kohl.' — The use of various descriptions 
 of dark pigment round the eyelids, is a very common Eastern custom ; 
 it is supposed to increase their lustre and to strengthen the sight, and is 
 looked upon as a great embellishment to the countenance. 
 
Viii NOTES. 
 
 3 6 < May the Almighty afflict me not.' — A conventional form of ex- 
 pression on taking leave, constantly used by the Arabs. 
 
 s "^ ' Whom the King of Roum.' — Roum is a word now ordinarily 
 applied to the Turkish Empire. By some Arabic Geographers itis applied 
 to the whole of Europe, or the land of the Franks. I shall have 
 occasion to mention it hereafter. 
 
 3 8 < One of the residue of the tribe Aad.' — This was one of the an- 
 cient Arab tribes, who worshipped four deities or intelligencies, and to 
 whom the Prophet Hud (supposed to be Heber) was sent for their con- 
 version. (Qoran, Chap. 7.) They refused to hear him, and were des- 
 troyed by a poisonous wind. The city of their last king Shudad, is 
 still supposed by the Arabs, to exist in the deserts and to be occasion- 
 ally seen. Some commentators on the Qoran represent these people as 
 having been 100 cubits high. (v. Sale. Prel. Disc.) 
 
 3 9 * The traveller's victuals.' — A meal for the traveller is supposed to 
 be always ready in the house of the hospitable Arab. ' Shew kindness, 
 unto your neighbour who is a stranger and your familiar companion and 
 the traveller.' (Qoran, Chap. 4.) An Arab entertains his guest as a 
 point of honor three days if he chooses to remain so long. Natives of 
 Hindoostan who have performed the pilgrimage to Mecca, and travelled 
 unfriended through the desert, have related to me many instances of the 
 extreme hospitality of the modern Arab. 
 
 '*o ' And a mole upon the broad part of his cheek.' The Arabs es- 
 teem a mole to be a singular beauty. 
 
 4 1 ' And said, * Oh ! Master !' — The rules of good breeding would 
 have obliged him to rise to an equal, but being unable he says * Thou 
 art greater, though I remain seated.' The rules of etiquette are carried 
 by some of the Mooslim nations to an excess of strictness. The Per- 
 sians call them, * the science of sitting and rising.' The manners of a 
 high bred Mussulman gentleman ai'e perfect. 
 
 4 2 < The chosen and approved.' — Mustufah, and Murtuzuh, i. e. 
 Muhummud and Alee. 
 
 4 3 < And said, ' I witness.' — I have taken this occasion to speak 
 once for all on the subject of magic and incantation, the mention of 
 
NOTES, IX 
 
 ■which in these stories, has induced many persons to look upon thera 
 simply as a sort of fairy tales. The belief in necromancy, countenanced 
 by the Qoran, is a part of the religious creed of all strict Mooslims, 
 although when questioned on the subject they are unusually averse to 
 admit the extent of their faith in it. Mr. Lane has in his account of 
 Egypt described the admirable deceptions practised by the sorcei'ers of 
 that country. I should doubt, however, whether the vulgar belief iu 
 magic is stronger in Egypt than among other Mussulman nations. In 
 India, where the Mooslims of the lower order have adopted many of the 
 superstitions of the Hindoos and other idolaters of the country, the 
 belief in sorcery is most gross and implicit. The usual cases in which 
 incantation is applied are where misfortune or death are desired to be 
 imprecated on an enemy, and where favor is sought, or love. For the first 
 end, the ordinary charm of a wax figure, is that in most common use, 
 the image being prepared with certain formula, and melted little by 
 little, when it is supposed, the individual represented by it, will dwindle 
 in like manner. Where a regular incantation is to be performed, the 
 persons usually applied to, are a race called * kungars,' a sort of gypsy 
 tribe who are numerous in upper India, and who exact large sums for 
 the sorceries they perform. The most singular instance of Mussulman 
 belief in magic of which I ever had personal experience was the attempt 
 by the most respectable Mussulman Vukeels or pleaders in the Civil Court 
 of a large district in which I was officiating as Magistrate, to influence the 
 mind of the judge, a gentleman high in the Indian Civil Service, favora- 
 bly towards them. Having quarrelled with the kungars in whose house 
 the incantation was performed, a riot took place and the police brought 
 the parties to the Magistrate's Court. The following is the charm written 
 by the kungars on that occasion, after the sacrifice of a hog by way of 
 propitiatory offering to the daemons invoked. The original is in Hindee. 
 * By the strength of the influence of Baha Beer, be Evuz Ullee put back! 
 By the strength of the influence of Muhumda Beer, he Evuz Ullee, as a 
 stock, as a stick ! By the strength of the influence of Saburee Nittur 
 
 may the Judge, remain a dependant of Vilayut Ullee ! By the 
 
 strength of the influence of Nar Singh the sivayer of liking, be ■ 
 
 ever at the ivill of Vilayut Ullee .' By the strength of magic be Evuz 
 
 Ullee put back ! By the strength of magic be ever in the paw ~ 
 
 er of Vilayut Ullee ." 
 
 Vilayut Ullee who got this charm written, was at the time officiating as 
 Government pleader, and the others concerned were intelligent men in 
 good practice. It is currently believed in India that the influence exer- 
 
X NOTES. 
 
 cised over Ghazee ood Deen Hydur, father of the late King of Luclcnow, 
 by his minister Aga Meer, was purely magical. These are among 
 many proofs of the extent of Mussulman superstitions of which 
 I could cite ample modern instances. It is but a very short time ago 
 that I saw an official application from a Mussulman gentleman of 
 high rank, (having an income of forty thousand a year) who affects 
 the society of Europeans, and has mixed much with them, for protection 
 against an individual who was pursuing a course of incantation against 
 him. It is enough to say, that the Mooslim belief in magic, is as rife 
 now, as when these tales were written. The formula * I witness' &c. 
 containing the two great principles of the Islam or True Faith, is con- 
 stantly repeated by believers, on the occasion of any remarkable occur- 
 rence displaying the power of the Almighty. 
 
 ^^ ' Leaning upon his hamper.' — The porters in the East usually 
 carry a hamper or basket in place of a knot 
 
 ■* s * Fermented wine.' — Wine is, as every one knows, forbidden by the 
 Qoran, the word used there, including all sorts of intoxicating liquors. 
 It appears, however, from the period of the grandeur of the Khuleefut 
 to a comparatively late date, to have been extensively drunk by the 
 higher classes of Mooslims in all countries, in short, until the introduc- 
 tion of coffee and tobacco supplied its place, by stimulants more whole- 
 some for a hot climate, and to the use of which attaches no scandal. 
 Some Mussulman historians have been at much pains to prove that the 
 ancient Arabs drank no wine, an opinion which Sale (Prel. Disc.) 
 adopts. But Mons. de Sacy (Chrest. Arab.) has proved by reference 
 to the modem Arab poems, that the contrary was the case, * On y voit 
 des heros mettre au nombre de leurs belles qualites, I'usage immodere 
 du vin, et leur penchant a sacrifier leur fortune a des parties de de- 
 bauche, comme leur intrepidite, leur liberalite et leur patriotisme.* 
 The strict prohibition of the Prophet woald have been useless, had the 
 excess not been common. That this prohibition was ineffectual may be 
 seen by the violent edicts occasionally issued against the use of wine, 
 (as by Hakim Umr Illah, third of the Fathemiti Khuleefs ; A. H. 386 ;) 
 by the nature of the praises lavished on coffee by its encomaists (De 
 Sacy, Chrest. Arab 1.440) as * causing men to hate wine,' — and by what 
 record we have of the private life of the great throughout Islam, among 
 •which the Emperor Baber's Memoirs are perhaps the most curious, and 
 give the most faithful picture of the general neglect of the law in this 
 
NOTES. xi 
 
 respect. I have slightly touched on this subject, merely to prove from 
 acknowledged sources of authority, the faithfulness of the picture of 
 ancient Mooslim manners given in the Thousand Nights and One Night. 
 
 4 6 * And turned round the veil from her face.' — The veil here meant 
 is along strip of white cloth, hung by a band over the forehead, and 
 concealing all the face save the eyes. It is in this attire, with a long 
 loose robe and a silken drapery fastened over the head, resembling the 
 old English wimple, that Arab women of respectability walk abroad in 
 towns. * It fails,' says Mr. Lane, ' in accomplishing its main purpose, 
 displaying the eyes, which are always most beautiful, making them 
 appear still more so by concealing the other features, and often causing 
 a stranger to imagine a defective face, perfectly charming.' — I have seen 
 (though rarely) a much more perfect disguise used by Mussulman women 
 in Dehli, Lucknow, and Benares, a very full dress of thick white cotton 
 cloth, covering the whole person, from the crown of the head to the feet. 
 It is shghtly gathered in at the neck, and the piece of course stuff before 
 the face is cut out, and replaced by thinner cloth, through which the 
 wearer can see her way. The appearance is strange and spectral, and 
 the concealment of every part perfect. 
 
 4 7 < And her breasts.' — The passionate admiration of the Arabs for 
 female beauty, is too well known to need comment. They do not, 
 however, allow any figure but a very full one to possess charms. Constant 
 allusion will be found to this beauty in the Thousand Nights and One 
 Night ; one of the quaintest that I have met with, being the sentence to 
 which this note is appended. It alludes to the extreme size of the person. 
 The affected gait assumed to set off the figure is frequently mentioned. 
 The word Ghoonj is applied generally to this sort of blandishment, and 
 says Burkhardt * the women of Cairo, flatter themselves that their 
 Ghoonj is superior to that of all other females in the Levant.' 
 
 4 8 « A fair court yard.' — It is excessively difficult to translate the 
 names of the various apartments of an eastern dwelling house, so as to 
 convey an adequate idea of the thing meant. The minute descriptions 
 of Dr. Russel and Mr. Lane accompanied by sketches, will alone convey 
 a conception of them to the European reader, to whom the ^a'a^,partak- 
 ing, 'as in the case of the apartment described in the tale, of the character 
 gf both court and saloon, would be otherwise inexplicable. 
 
Xll NOTES. 
 
 *9 A raised dais. — The greater portion of the room is elevated in 
 its floor about one foot above the pavement, on which in summer fine 
 mats, and in winter carpets are spread. On the three sides along the 
 walls, sofas are placed even with the floor and having numerous cushions. 
 The sofas and divan in the front of the step or at the bottom of the 
 j.oom, is called ' el sader^ or the breast. The sofas on both sides are 
 called * ojoub,^ or the side. The place of honor is this sader, and espe- 
 cially the corner which is on the right of a person advancing towards the 
 sader, wherein the great man of the company, invariably takes his seat, 
 reclining upon cushions, while the rest, according to their rank, are rang- 
 ed along the sides, and sit upon their hams without reclining, upon the 
 cushions behind them. — (Burkhardt's Arabic Pi'overbs.) 
 
 5 « With Babylonian witchcraft.' — This alludes to the Mussulman 
 fables of Nimrod's supposed power, of his chariot in which he attempted 
 to fly to Heaven from the top of the tower of Babel, drawn by monstrous 
 birds, &c. 
 
 SI « Straight as the letter Alif.'—Tliis, the first letter in the Arabic 
 alphabet, is formed by a perpendicular line. 
 
 5 2 < The nosegay in the flower jar.' — A drinking party never appears 
 to have been complete without the addition of the jde a sure of smell to that 
 of taste : — The orientals generally are excessively fond of powerful per- 
 fumes, suchas musk, the Indian jasmine, oil of sandal, uttar of I'oses, &c. &c. 
 
 s 3 ' AH blood is uncle an.' — * Verily he hath forbidden you to eat that 
 which dieth of itself, and blood.' — (Qoran, chapter 2.) 
 
 ^■4 'But first circle the cup.' — This has reference to some custom 
 similar to the tvave offering of the Jews, the wine first offered to the eyes 
 of the mistress being supposed the sweetest tasted to the loves. 
 
 s 5 < And chanted a jingling metre.' — The rules of Arabic prosody are 
 very exact, and every species of metre and their use are defined with 
 minute accuracy. I have attempted a sort of imitation occasionally in my 
 translation, but am unable to convey any fit idea of the originals. 
 
 5 6 * Giving him a dainty mouthful.' — The giving a mouthful is a mai'k 
 of attention, and among intimates, a sort of caress. 
 
NOTES. Xlli 
 
 5 7 • Among the Houris of Paradise.' — The sensual delights of the 
 Mussulman Paradise are well known, and the Houris, girls created not of 
 clay but of pure musk, dwelling in houses of hollow pearls, inhabitants of 
 the Seventh Heaven, are to be principal contributors to the pleasures of the 
 true believer. It is not however generally known that Muhummud has 
 promised to the trulypious, moral enjoyments, in comparison with which, 
 these grosser pleasures will be as nothing. 
 
 * 8 < The Khan of Aboo Munsoor.' — The public edifices next in impor- 
 tance are the Khanes , or as they are sometimes called, caravansaries. 
 Of those, there are about twenty which may be reckoned considerable 
 besides a number of less note dispersed in the city. The Khanes are 
 spacious solid stone buildings, constructed in a quadrangular form, and one 
 story high ; of which the ground floor on each side, is divided into 
 apartments, arched above, and lighted only by a window in front, and the 
 door. The story above instead of windows presents an open gallery, or 
 piazza, from which is a range of rooms like the back rooms below. 
 The stair cases leading to the first story are on each side of the gateway, 
 and the roof, as in most other buildings, is flat and terraced. The ground 
 floor serves for warehouses, counting houses, lodgings, and sometimes 
 for stables, the other floor is chiefly for the reception of travellers, who 
 find lodging, there, at a very moderate expence, — most of these apart- 
 ments are still worse liglited than the ground rooms, there seldom being 
 windows backward. Mats are all the furniture provided by the Khane ; 
 travellers bring the rest with their baggage, — (Russell's Hist. Aleppo. 
 Tol. 1. p. 18.) 
 
 5 9 ' Three foreigners, Qurundeels.' — These people, whose name is also 
 written Qurundalee, are a sect of religious mendicants best described by 
 Mugreezee in his chapter on the history and topography of Egypt thus 
 translated by Mons. de Sacy (Chrest Arab.) ' Les kalanderis sont une 
 classe d'homraes, qui appartiennent a I'ordre des Sofis ; ils se donnent 
 quelquefois le nom de * melanetis.^ — Dans la realite, les kalanderis, sont 
 des hommes qui ont pris le parti de secouer lejoug de toutes les regies 
 de politesse, qu'on observe communement dans la societe et la conver- 
 sation ; ils ne pratiquent gucre en fait de jeunes et de pricres, que ce 
 qui ce qui est d'etroite obligation. lis ne font point de difficult;; d'user des 
 plaisirs licites ; ils se bornent a observer ce qui est indispensable pour 
 ne point etre en faute, et ne se mettent point en peine d'entrer dans 
 I'esprit des ordonnances legales, — lis se sont fait une loi de ne rien 
 jaaettre en reserve, et de n'amasser ni accumuler aucun des biens de ce 
 
XIV NOTES. 
 
 monde ; mais ils ne s'assujetissent ni a un exterieur grossier, ni a aucuti 
 genre de mortification, on de pratiques de devotion, disant qu'el leur 
 Buffit que leurs coeurs soient en paix avec Dieu.' 
 
 6 * A foreigner, or an Arab.' — The distinction has been pointed out 
 in note 3. 
 
 6 1 * And the girls called out.' — Music and singing though forbidden 
 by the religion of Muhummud, are nevertheless very favorite diversions 
 with all but the strictest Mooslims in every country. — ' The style of 
 oriental music, is usually uninteresting to Europeans, but there are 
 many beautiful airs, current in the East, which any person with an ear 
 for music, cannot help acknowledging the sweetness of. (Lane's 
 Egypt vol. 11. 59.) The effect produced by music upon the people of 
 the East is often very powerful. When under no restraint they give 
 way to the excitement of the moment and like the girls in the story 
 vent their feelings in shrill cries and exclamations. I have been fre- 
 quently told in Hindoostan of men being completely overcome, falling 
 senseless, and fainting under the influence of music. (See 49th Night in 
 this Volume), and I have often seen the lower classes, as it were intoxi- 
 cated with the noise of their own singing to the drum. 
 
 6 2 < He and Jafur, and Musroor.' — Haroon, the fifth khuleef of the sons 
 of Abbas, began to reign A. H. 170. (A. D. 786), and is celebrated as 
 one of the most enlightened and powerful of Mussulman potentates. — • 
 Jafur his vuzeer was long his favorite minister, but was ultimately dis- 
 graced, with the whole family of the kummukkees. — Musroor appears 
 to have been the sword-bearer of the khuleef. The constant mention 
 of the personal vigilance of Haroon, in watching the police of his city, 
 and the private life of his subjects, as traditionarily reported in these 
 tales, rests on fact, and it is far from unlikely that the stories themselves 
 may have some foundation in truth. Dr. Russell reports in his 
 Natural History of Aleppo, that this was the ordinary practice of the 
 Bashas in his time, and he represents the effect produced by this prac- 
 tice, to be wonderful in repressing disorder. 
 
 6 3 < Engaged for the pilgrimage.' — The important duty of the pilgrim- 
 age to Mukkuh, which every Mussulman shoul donee in his life acquit 
 himself of, induces, when a man is vowed to its performance, a peculiar 
 degree of care to observe the injunctions of Islam. Hence the khuleef 
 
NOTES. XV 
 
 excuses himself from infringement of the law under this plea without 
 giving offence to his companions. 
 
 6 4 ' As if on a man's back.' — There is some confusion in the Arabic 
 as to the person on whom the stripes appeared on her garments being 
 torn. The sequel shows this. 
 
 6 5 < Oh veiled and virtuous one.' — A usual form of address to a 
 modest woman of rank. 
 
 6 6 * To the tombs and the desert.' — The tombs of a Mussulman city 
 are placed in waste lands on the skirts of the town. If the population 
 of the place be large, the burial ground is of course extensive, and is 
 usually a desolate and melancholy spot, many of the large Mausolea 
 being in ruins, which adds to the dreariness of the effect. 
 
 6 7 * Shooting with apellet bow.' — This is a slight bow, with a double 
 string, the cords being kept separate by a small bit of stick near the 
 upper horn of the bow, and connected with a little strip of net work to 
 receive the pellet, which is a ball of dried clay, the size of a large marble. 
 Some dexterity is required to use it, but a skillful shot will throw the 
 pellet a long distance with great nicety of aim. 
 
 6 3 « Struck his son with his slipper sole.' — The greatest insult ac- 
 cording to eastern notions which can be offered. 
 
 6 9 'To read the Qoran according to the seven styles.' — The absence 
 of letters to express vocal sounds in Arabic was the cause of the intro- 
 duction of various readings and much confusion until the time of Uboo 
 Kakur, who corrected the evil prevailing and in wh^se time the various 
 modes of reading were reduced to seven. — These are 1. Humza 2. Ibn 
 Rutheer, 3. Yacoob, 4. Ibn Amir, 5. Hufs. 6. Kissall, 7. Asim. The 
 style Hufs is that most generally used, at least by the sect of the 
 Huneefites, the most numerous of the Irannee Mooslims. 
 
 7 < I found myself near a tailor in a shop.' — Artificers of all kinds in 
 the East, pursue their callings in shops open to the streets, and eacU 
 trade has frequently its own quarters. 
 
XVI NOTES, 
 
 7 1 ' Iblees.' — ThiswordjD'Herbelot supposes a corruption of diabolus. 
 It is applied to the chief of the apostate angels, who refused, say the 
 Mooslims, to adore Adam, because they were of lire, but he of c'ay. 
 
 7 2 < Date wine, scented with musk.' — This drink prepared by steep- 
 ing dates in water, and allowing the mixture to ferment, is not according 
 to some doctors of the law forbidden. (De Sacy. Chrest. Ar. vol. 1.403.) 
 
 7 3 < The mute tongues of my condition.' — This idea is highly 
 poetical ; it is frequently alluded to in these tales. * The tongue of the 
 condition' beautifully expresses the involuntary train of reflection into 
 which the mind is led by the influence of peculiar circumstances and 
 which speaks as it were, inwardly to the senses. 
 
 7 4 < A woman weak in mind.' — The contemptible opinion of woman 
 entertained by Mussulmans is, I think, attributable to the slight notice 
 taken of them by the Prophet in connection with the future state. — 
 Himself a mere sensualist regarding them, he created for the paradise he 
 promised his followers, a higher order of females, and although the woman 
 of this earth are admitted there, restored to youth and beauty, yet there 
 is small question of their enjoyment either sensual or spiritual. 
 
 7 5 < He made for himself a monastery.' — A cell or abode for religi- 
 ous retirement. Muhummud sternly repressed among his followers, all 
 ascetic observances or practices, which should assimilate them to the 
 Christian monks. How the precepts of the Prophet have been dis- 
 obeyed in this point, is notorious. His religion has not been more 
 free than any other from the follies of fanatics, nor the craft of impos- 
 tors. The superior sanctity and supernatural powers of religious re - 
 cluses, is acknowledged with superstitious veneration by Mooslims in aU 
 parts of the East, to this day. 
 
 7 6 < And wrote in the character Roqua'at.' — ^The art of penmanship 
 is held in very high estimation among Mussulmans, and the Arabic and 
 Persian character aff'ord great scope for variety and skilful exercise of 
 the pen. 
 
 7 7 < And performed two prostrations.' — The prayers of the Mussul- 
 mans (the periods of which have been noted) consist of a repetition of the 
 phrases * I declare the absolute glory of God — may God hear him who 
 
NOTES. XVU 
 
 praisetli him — Lord, praise to thee — God is most great.' These sen- 
 tences are uttered a certain number of times, with various prostrations 
 of the body, and constitute the set prayers. That the mode of devotion 
 should not degenerate with many, into a mere form, mechanically gone 
 through, is impossible. Yet the worship of the heart is strictly enjoined 
 by Muhummud, and prayer without it, is declared worthless. There is 
 something sublime and affecting in the public devotion of the Mooslims, 
 .as has been often observed, and I am fortunate enough ta know many, 
 of the real devotion of whose prayers, I have no doubt. ' In dark ages, 
 says Lord Kaimss, * there is a great shew of religion with little heart- 
 worship ; in ages of philosophy, warm heart worship with little shew/ 
 The Mussulmans continue to be unphilosophical and devout. 
 
 7 8 ' The guardian spirit.' — The Mooslims believe in the existence of a 
 sort of sylph, or guardian spirit, of whom there is one attached to every 
 human being. The straight into which the third Qurundeel represents 
 himself as having fallen, the magnetic rock &c., are borrowed from the 
 books of Arabic geographers, of whom Monsr. Renardot, whose work 
 I have not by me to refer to, has given either a precis or a translation. 
 The idea of the existence of the magnetic rocks or islands prevailed 
 among the geographers of Europe till after the time of Columbus, and 
 in the chart supposed to have been used by the great voyager taken 
 from the globe of Martin Bohem of Nuremberg, made A. D. 1492, it is 
 said of the Manillas " no ship with iron can sail among them, on ac- 
 count of the loadstone with which they abound.' 
 
 7 9 'I bore witness to my faith.' — The invariable preparation for 
 death by a good Mooslim. 
 
 8 < Assembled he the astrologers,' &c.— The early Mooslims believed, 
 on the assertion of the Prophet, that there were among his -more imme- 
 diate disciples men able to foretell events. He perhaps encouraged this 
 belief to prevent their recurring to the old habits of divination by ar- 
 rows, &c., &c., from which he had recovered them. After the first age 
 of Islam, however, when the works of the Greeks and Syrians became 
 known to the Arabs, they followed eagerly the study of judicial astrology, 
 guiding as many of them do to this hour, all their important actions by 
 the conjunctions of the planets. 
 
XVlll NOTES. 
 
 8 1 * Its name, the RuoJch.' — This fabled bird of which (vide Mons. 
 Langle's Voyage de Sinbad) Marco Polo, aud P. Martini both speak, 
 was, or is, in the habit of carrying off, both the rhinoceros and elephant, 
 when entangled in fight ! It is an ancient Persian superstition. 
 
 8 2 * Abiding here without a husband.' — Marriages, among the Arabs 
 of Egypt, are easily contracted, and still more easily dissolved. The 
 saying thrice, * Thou art divorced', constitutes, according to Mussulman 
 law a legal separation, and even after the absence of a husband for a 
 certain period the wife is absolved and may marry another man. 
 
 8 3 * A court of the Hureem.' — The Hureem is well known as the 
 apartment sacred to the women of the family. The stoiy of this city of 
 the dead, is taken from the ti'aditional account of the destruction of the 
 tribe of Thamood who (like as O^ad^ neglected the words of * Hud') 
 refused to listen to the Prophet Selah, and -were punished nearly 
 as related in the tale. The existencs of the ruins of deserted cities 
 in Arabia, as Palmyra, has given additional currency, (vide. Travels 
 of Captains Irby and Mangles) to the tales of towns, in which the 
 men are turned to stone &c., among a people ever prone to the poet- 
 ical and the marvellous. The superstition of the Magi, the Sabeean 
 worship of the host of Heaven, and their intelligences, the Manichean 
 heresy which mingled Christian tenets (vide Pocock. Hist. Arabum, notae 
 p. 134. Vtet.Ed.) with it, theBosilideans(vide Tenison's Idolatry) with their 
 mystical Abraxas, and a myriad of other sects, were crushed in Arabia, 
 and the adjoining countries by the irresistible zeal of the Mussulmans, 
 who confused all together, as worshippers of more than one God, or 
 adorers of Fire, and in their traditions condemn them alike, to such pun- 
 ishment, as the unbelievers endure in this tale. The damsel sleeping 
 at the feet of the young man brings to muid Ruth at the threshing floor 
 ef Boaz, 
 
 8 4 < Thehalf seen star that dimly &c.' — This line is interpolated to ex- 
 plain the position and nature of the star about which the Sanscrit astro- 
 logers as well as the Arabs, have some singular superstitions. The 
 Arabs believe this star to be an averter of evil ; the Sanscrit astrologers 
 assert that a man sees it but once in his lifetime, and that on that occa- 
 sion it is a prognostic of his death. 
 
 8 5 ' Profit now yourself.' — The anxiety for a full attendance of honor- 
 able guests at a wedding, appears to be great among the Arabs, with a 
 
NOTES. XIX 
 
 view to profit (vide Note 107) as well as to honor, with the poorer classes • 
 The lady here is adjured by the hope of the reward, inseparable from a 
 work of charity, to attend. 
 
 8 6 * And there came out of it the kazee.' — According to law a contract 
 with the kazee's license endorsed, is necessar^ to complete a marriage. 
 The following form is copied from one of the notes to Russell's Aleppo. 
 p. 43. 
 
 ' Our Lord and legal Judge, Seid Hussein, grants permission to Aisby, the 
 daughter of Abdalkadar, dwelling in the district named Al Sheih Araby at 
 Aleppo, having been betrothed in the presence of legal witnesses, to marry 
 Seid Abdalkadar the son of Seid Yaheia. Supposing always that there be 
 no lawful impediment to their union. This 10th day of June, in the year 
 1178.' 
 
 The execution of this contract in most Mussulman countries, is I be- 
 lieve confined now to towns, cities, and populous neighbourhoods. A 
 simple declaration in presence of witnesses, is considered sufficient to 
 legalize a marriage. 
 
 8 ^ 'That I might walk out to the market place.' — The practice of women 
 going abroad has been already noted. — In Cairo they are allowed much 
 liberty in that respect (vide Burckhctrdt and Lane). When going abroad 
 however, few who can aiford it, omit to hire an ass to ride upon, which 
 is saddled with a peculiar high pillow, raised far above the animal's back- 
 
 ♦ Persons of high rank in Egypt' (as throughout the East) says Burckhardt 
 
 • hold walking in great horror.' ' Riding on a beetle' says the Arab 
 proverb, * rather than walking on carpets.' 
 
 8 8 < A camel loaded with wood pressed on me.' — The streets of most 
 oriental towns being very narrow, the excuse is plausible. 
 
 8 9 'Will I go to the Governor.' — I have so translated the word walee. ; 
 the office was a powerful one, being that of chief of the police, and censor 
 moram of the women, allowing a great latitude of authority. The circum- 
 stance of applying to the walee, to enforce such arbitrary orders is ac . 
 counted for at the close of the tale by the applicants being son of the 
 khuleef. 
 
 9 ' Repeat the confession of faith.' — Vide Note 8, 
 
XX NOTES. 
 
 9 1 * I do riglit by the damsel.'— In this * doing right,' the principle 
 of the old law of blood for blood, ' an eye for an eye, a tooth for a 
 tooth,' which is acknowledged in the Mooslim's code, is here implied. 
 It was the khuleefs duty as God's vicar on earth to avenge wrongs as well 
 as redress them. 
 
 9 2 * In the matter no skill avails,' — Tlie conduct of Jafur on this 
 occasion is in exact consonance with the fatalist doctrines of a bigotted 
 Mussulman. The moi'e liberal admit the justice of the *aide-toi, et le ciel 
 t'aidera,' principle, and with it temper their fatalism. 
 
 9 3 < Khuleef written upon it.' — I have frequently seen rare fruit, such 
 as mangoes of fine quality, sent as presents, with the name of the grower 
 and the garden written upon them. The blunt reed pen and thick ink, 
 renders this feasible. Such was, I suppose, the case with these apples. 
 
 94 < And performed the ceremonial mourning.' This period extends 
 to forty days daring which the males of the family of the deceased, 
 make no strong outward demonstration of grief, nor (in most Mussul- 
 man countries) alter their dress so as to assume the appearance of 
 mourning. Recitations of certain chapters of the Qoran are performed 
 on the days immediately succeeding the decease by persons, fiche'es or 
 readers by profession, who in Egypt (vide Lane) go through the repetition 
 of certain formulae, asserting the unity and power of the Almighty, the 
 merit of which is transfused to the departed. The women dye their 
 clothes nearly black, or wear old and tattered raiment in token of 
 mourning, and are vociferous in lamentation, visiting the tomb of the 
 deceased at stated periods during the appointed forty days. The men 
 also perform the ceremony of visitation. All violent expressions of grief 
 are however by the strict Mussulman law forbidden. There is reason 
 to believe, that custom has varied considerably among Mussulmans of 
 different countries during the course of years, in the mode and degree of 
 the external of mourning. 
 
 9 5 ' For the dowry of thy daughter.' — The payment of a dowry among 
 the Mooslims is indispensable, and hence arises the idea so generally en- 
 tertained by Europeans, that the Mussulmans purchase their wives. The 
 amount of the dowry is of course estimated by the circumstances of the 
 bridegroom and the rank ef the bride. 
 
NOTES. XXI 
 
 ^ s * A prayer carpet.' — An oblong carpet or rug is used by Moosliras 
 (?f the higher classes to perform their prostrations on ; it is worked with a 
 pattern terminating at one extremity in a point which is turned toward^ 
 Mukkah. In Hindoostan the chudda or white cotton wrapper is used by 
 the poorer classes instead of a carpet. 
 
 9 7 'The city Hulb.' — Which we term after the Italian corruption of 
 *he word, Aleppo. 
 
 9 8 <That cease not to be white with thee.' — The belief in fortunate 
 and unfortunate days is of course strong with all Mooslims, as must be 
 the case with all people, who are generally such implicit believers in plan- 
 etary influence. 
 
 5 9 ' "Water wheels and gardens.' — The waterwheel a machine, ordina- 
 rily used for irrigation in the east, when the water is not far below the 
 surface, and consists of a clumsy wheel of wood (turned by oxen usually) 
 which has pots or jars fixed round it, each bringing up and emptying its 
 quantum of water, with the rotation of the wheel. The delight which 
 all eastern nations take in gardens cannot be well appreciated by those 
 who have not in a burning climate learned to value the blessings of shade, 
 of verdure, and of water. A garden, is the first luxury of most Mussul- 
 mans on becoming possessed of any thing like affluence, and the object 
 of the owner is ordinarily attained if he can wall it into perfect privacy 
 plant it thickly with umbrageous shrubs, and fruit trees, and build him- 
 self some sort of pavilion in the centi-e of it. The gardens of great men 
 are very splendid and spacious abounding in fountains, tanks, and valuable 
 fruit trees. 
 
 100 < Instruct him at home.'—' In the houses of the wealthy ; the 
 child whether boy or girl, remains almost constantly confined in the hu- 
 reem (or women's apartments) or at least in the house : sometimes the 
 boy thus continues an effeminate prisoner until a master, hired to instruct 
 him daily has taught him to read and write.' (vide Lane, vol. 1. p. 59.) 
 
 10 1 < Would I describe, &c.' — This piece of verse has already appear- 
 ed as the lament of a woman in the absence of her lover. The violent 
 aff'ections of the Arabs do not render the expressions extravagant as appli- 
 ed in this case to the attachment of brothers, and their love verses being 
 also addressed to the object in the masculine gender facilitates the license 
 of quotation to a great degree. 
 
XXU NOTES. 
 
 102 < In his turban cloth.' — This important article of dress, so much 
 respected by the Mooslims, has an infinite variety of form and compo- 
 sition, which are all characterstic but indescribable to a person unused 
 to live among their wearers. The turban here alluded to is the Egyptian 
 Umamuk, composed of a long piece of stuff, wound round one or more 
 caps, put on each over the other. A writing which is required to be pre- 
 served with care is often wrapped, particularly by the poorer classes of 
 Mooslims in the turban cloth. 
 
 10 3 * Keep from drinking wine.' — The sin of wine drinking is 
 classed with that of divination or ' lots,' as it is translated by Sale (vide 
 Pocock. Sortes-Ul-Meisur). * Satan sought to cause hatred and enmity 
 among you through wine and lots, and turn you from the praise of God 
 and prayer.' (Qoran chap. 5. Vide also chap. 2.) Wine, it is to be remem- 
 bered, has a much more exciting effect upon the inhabitants of eastern 
 nations, particularly the Arabs, than upon Europeans, and as the object 
 of wine drinking in the East, is intoxication rather than a temperate 
 merriment, the repeated injunctions of Muhummud for its total disuse 
 are fully justified. (Vide Pocock. Hist. Arabum notse. p. 136. V. E.) 
 
 104 < One of his chamberlains.' — The original office of chamber- 
 lain was little above that of a common door-keeper in eastern courts, but 
 in later periods, the duties of the chamberlain were of a much higher 
 character, and he was in particular charged with the important employ- 
 ment of enforcing the decrees of the prince. (VideDe. Sacy. Chrest. Arab, 
 vol- II.) — The arbitrary confiscation of property at the will of the 
 sovereign, has always been part of the prerogative of an eastern prince, 
 and still continues to be acted up to. 
 
 10 5 t stripped aside the skirt of the pall, &c.'— I have so translated 
 the word signifying a cover of stuff laid over the tomb within the mauso- 
 leum. The tombs of saints and people of rank have this distinction almost 
 always accorded. The ceremony of visitation of the tomb has been already 
 noted. 'The men,' says Russell, * merely visit the tombs, and then do 
 
 no more than sit pensively silent, or breathe a short ejaculation.' Such 
 
 is the usual practice in all Mussulman countries. 
 
 106 < Sons of Heaven.' — The angels, who are believed * to have 
 pure and subtile bodies created of fire,' and to be employed in rehearsing 
 
NOTES. x;xiii 
 
 the praises of God, writing down men's actions, carrying the throne of 
 Heaven. 
 
 '07 I X marriage procession.' — The processions on the occasion of 
 a marriage are 1, — That of the bride with her friends to the bath. 
 2, — That of the bride to the bridegroom's house. 3, — That of the bride- 
 groom to the bath and to the mosque on the night of the bridal. The 
 procession of the bride, is with persons of wealth, accompanied with 
 much splendour. In Hiudoostan the Mooslims carry their ostentation 
 on the occasion of a marriage to a ridiculous and even ruinous extent. — ■ 
 For a minute account of the ceremonies of a marriage, the mode of 
 giving presents to the bride, &c. &c., I must refer to Burckhardt, Russell, 
 Lane, Niebuhr, and the Travels in Africa of Prince Puckler Muskau, un- 
 der the name of Semilasso. His book contains a good account of the dis- 
 playal of the bride, noted in the tale. 
 
 10 8 < ^^Tq -^iu not make the bridal gay, &c.' — Much of the merriment 
 of a wedding in Egypt and Syria depends upon the singing women. The 
 proverb used to express the failure of the entertainment at a wedding says, 
 * The night was short and the women singers repented ; they being usual- 
 ly women of loose character. (Burckhardt's Proverbs.) The largesse given 
 by Budur ood Deen was in accordance with the custom which obliges all 
 guests to give money to the singers, and he that gives most, is most hon- 
 ored. * Singing without smart money, is a corpse without perfumes,* 
 says the proverb. 
 
 10 9 < The Toohhuh never could collect.' — This is the title of the an- 
 cient kings of Yemen whose capitals were Saba and Sumaa, and whom 
 ^he Arab historians declare to have founded Samarcand. This title was 
 given like as Ko^sroo to the Sassanians. (D'Herbelot B. O.) 
 
 110 ' They signed dismissal.' — A party does not break up, nor a visi- 
 tor take leave without the signal of the entertainer, or the person visited* 
 
 111 * Fearing for thee the evil eye.' — The superstition regarding the 
 evil eye is widely diffused throughout the East, and the talismans, charms^ 
 and precautionary exclamations against it, are very many. Some persons 
 will even affect to feel themselves sti'uck by it, and perhaps of all Mussul- 
 man superstitions, it is the most general and the most absurd. I have 
 known Europeans who have lived much with Mooslims give into this folly. 
 
XXIV NOTES. 
 
 ^^ ^ * How can'st thou minister to a mind diseased ?' — Literal. 
 
 ^ ^ 3 * To cast at the Ufreet a meteor of fire.' — The meteors called 
 falling stars are believed by all good Mooslims to be caused by the de- 
 struction of an accursed or disbelieving spirit. In this instance the 
 Ufreet was struck, because abroad after the call to morning prayer. 
 
 n ^ * Eating the hemp drug.' — The hemp plant yields a drug not less 
 pernicious than opium, and of which many persons throughout the East 
 make use to excess. The intoxicating properties were discovered in India 
 whence the use of the plant was gradually introduced into Yumen, Egypt, 
 and Syria. Mons. de Sacy has collected (Chrest. Arab.) several curious 
 papers upon the use of the drug by the Arabs including various pieces of 
 poetry in which frequent mention is made of the superiority of the hu- 
 sheesh, over wine, and exhortations are offered to all persons, to leave off 
 wine (another proof of how common was its use among Mussulmans of 
 former days) for the delicious drug. — ' She hath made us more drunken 
 than wine, and we have gained through her the not fearing those punish- 
 ments which the use of the forbidden wine entails.' Various preparations 
 of hemp are used in India to excess under the names or Churrus and 
 Gunja, particularly by the more dissolute of the Hindoo Fuqeers. 
 
 ^ 1 ^ * To the kazee, and declared in his own person that he was his 
 son.' — He formally adopted him and declared him his heir, that no one 
 might dispute the property after the cook's death. 
 
 116 < Tughoom ; Tughoom.' — Fleisher, the Leipsic professor, has 
 (Diss. Crit. de Glossis Habichtioni's) a somewhat elaborate note upon the 
 word, Ghumghuma, which he calls ' vox onoma-toportica' comparing it, 
 very learnedly with Dumdiima and Humbuma, and deciding finally on the 
 authority of the Bisalut Ibn Zeidoon, that it is said ' of an incomplete 
 and obscure murmur, of a sentence as 'twere lingering between the teeth 
 and lips and therefore difficult to be understood.' Tughoom is of this 
 family of words. 
 
 '' 1 7 * Inner room behind the curtain.' — This is a term generally ap- 
 plied to the apartments of the hureem. A woman of respectability is 
 termed in Persian, * A sitter behind the curtain.' 
 
 118 ' Anointed his eyes with khol.' — ' The khol is applied with a 
 small probe, of wood, or silver tapering towards the end, but blunt ; this 
 
NOTES. XXV 
 
 is moistened sometimes witli rose-water, then dipped in tlie powder, and 
 drawn along the edges of the eyelids.' (Vide Lane, vol. II, p. 42.) This 
 powder is prepared with smoke-black of frankincense, and from other 
 materials, some of which, as antimony, are supposed to benefit the eye, 
 as well as beautify it. It is used by women throughout the East. 
 
 ^ 1 ^ * Mosque of the sons of Omeyah.' — This building was before 
 the Mussulman conquest, a church dedicated to St. John. 
 
 12 i ^nd the cook had died.' — The keeping a cookshop, is in Mus- 
 sulman towns a profitable calling, as persons in the middle classes of life 
 are much in the habit of sending for dishes from such places, particularly 
 when detained at their shops, and unable to go home for their ordinary 
 meal. Hence Budur ood Deen's heritage was, for a wanderer like him- 
 self, no mean one. 
 
 12 1 « Pomegranate grain.' — This is the literal translation of the 
 name of this dish, which Mons. Galland and his translators have given 
 as a ' cream tart peppered.' ' The grains of the pomegranate, fresh as 
 well as dried, make,' says Dr. Russell, ' a considerable ingredient in 
 cookeiy,' and ha mentions a dish of * minced meat with pomegranate 
 grains, spread on thin cakes and baked on an iron plate' (the proper 
 name of which is Suhoom Ageen). The di^h mentioned in the tale is 
 probably ;jome preparation of this kind. 
 
 ^22 < Oh ! mine uncle.' — This term is frequently made use of by the 
 young to their elders in civility or respect. 
 
 12 3 < Thy beauty is a shrine.' — The metaphor alludes to the practice 
 of pilgrimage to the shrines of saints, to which Mooslims in all coun- 
 tries are much given. 
 
 12 4 < Sealed it up with musk and rose-water.' — The dishes sent out 
 from a cook's shop to the houses of the higher classes, are neatly covered, 
 and the cover sealed or luted, so as to prevent its being opened on the 
 way. The meaning here appears to be, that he luted it down with some- 
 thing perfumed with musk, and moistened with rose-water. 
 
 125 < The viceroy of Damascus.' — The word is literally Deputy, 
 and is or was, used as the title of persons holding the Government of 
 
XXVi NOTES. 
 
 large provinces under a Mussulman king. The plural of the word Nowdb 
 being ordinarily used for the greater dignity as the title of Indian 
 viceroys under the empire of Dehli became corrupted into the term so 
 often applied to Anglo-Indians in England, 
 
 126 < And the settle.' — In the houses of the more wealthy classes, 
 there is usually a chair on which the turban is placed at night. This is 
 often sent with the furniture of the bride. This kind of chair is never 
 used for any other purpose. — (Vide Lane's Egypt Vol. I. P. 40.) 
 
 12 7 < And he answered * Seven and fifty.' ' — \.n accurate knowledge 
 of the force, and power of their own language is much esteemed among 
 Arabs, and no man can pass for well educated in any Mooslim country, 
 who has not some knowledge of the noble tongue in which his Scripture 
 is written. The Mussulmans connect the idea of religion inseparably 
 •with the study of the Arabic of the Qoran, a purer dialect than the mo- 
 dern language, and he who would wish to win their affection and respect, 
 should in the first instance respect their feelings with regard to their li- 
 terature. In Hindoostan the Persian language is almost equally esteem- 
 ed, being that in which, with the Arabic, the whole of the Mooslim clas- 
 sics are written. Pocock has a learned note which I will not injure by 
 garbling, on Arabic and its dialects. (Hist. Arab. P. 150. v. ed.) 
 
 1 2 s « The Rujuz metre.' — This is the seventh metre of the sixteea 
 which compose the system of Arabic prosody, and is reckoned the easi- 
 est of all, in consequence of the license it allows in its rythm. It is 
 called (De Sacy., Pros. Ar.) ' the poet's ass' owing to its patient 
 facility, and is the ordinary metre used for didactic forms. I have 
 already observed that any attempt to imitate the versification of the 
 Arabic, is in English next to impossible. This metre is particularly 
 noted because being mentioned in the tale, it gives an opportunity of 
 showing the extent of arrangement and system which obtains throughout 
 the language and its uses. 
 
 12 9 ' To Nujuff.'— The place in which is the tomb of Ullee, the 
 companion and vuzeer of the Prophet, the most illustrious and zealous 
 of his early followers, whose zeal and devotion were but ill rewarded by 
 his brother Mooslims. 
 
 130 * The Shahid.' — I am unable to discover why this term should 
 be given to a person, whose office should be evidently by the context 
 
NOTES. xxvii 
 
 tliat of a purveyor or broker, — it is usually understood to apply to a 
 sort of inferior officers in Civil Courts. 
 
 13 1 < Oozeir.' — Oozeir, called by us Esdras ; the other names are 
 easily distinguishable. 
 
 13 2 . T]^g cats used to eat it.' — The clarified butter and oil, of whith 
 so much use is made in the East, is usually kept in a sort of leathern bot- 
 tle of large size, which is easily damaged by vermin. The number of cats 
 and dogs, which roam ownerless through Eastern cities, has often been 
 remarked upon by travellers. The flat roofs of the houses enable these 
 animals which are seldom hurt or molested, to make their way at night 
 whither they please with little difficulty. 
 
 13 3 < The ventilator.' — I have so translated a word, the literaj 
 meaning of which is the wind-house. It is a penthouse of board imme- 
 diately above an opening in the roof, which being slanted towards the 
 quarter v/hence the cool winds blow during the heats of the year, catches 
 the breeze, and sends it down to the apartments beneath. 
 
 134 « The executioner.' — ^The word so translated, means literally the 
 iorch-hearer. But^De Sacy Chrest. Arab vol. iii. p. 2 o i) it ig used arbitra- 
 rily in the sense given. Mr. Lane mentions that the Zalit, or chief of the 
 police of Cairo, used to parade the streets by night with the executioner 
 and a man bearing a peculiar link or torch ; which only blazed up, when 
 waved through the air, answering the purpose of a dark lanthorn. It is 
 not improbable that the name of torch-bearer, attached itself to the exe- 
 cutioner from some confusion of duties, or by a conventional vulgarism. 
 
 135 < Of her Qubt or Copt.' — This singular people, supposed to be 
 descendants of the ancient Egyptians, are Christians ; bigotted to their 
 own sectarian opinions ; they are most of them tradesmen and artificers, 
 and many are accountants or secretaries, (vide Lane's Egypt, vol. II.) 
 This author has described them with his usual minuteness. 
 
 13 6 'The Urdubb.'— About five bushels English. 
 
 137 < His left hand.' — The use of the left hand in eating is consi- 
 dered by the Mussulmans and many other Eastern nations, a solecism 
 in good manners of the most serious nature. The rules of good breed- 
 ing are particularly observed by the Arabs (vide Burckhardt) and the 
 
XXVlll NOTES. 
 
 Orientals generally, at meals, and no gentleman would be guilty of in- 
 fringing them, save under circumstances of a very pressing nature. 
 
 13 8 « The exchange.'— Kaisareei/uh is the word which I have inade- 
 quately rendered thus in the tale. Dr. Russell describes the Kaisaree- 
 yuh at Aleppo, as a collection of mean houses round an open area, 
 which are inhabited usually by strangers of the lower orders. He also 
 speaks of some employed as khans. Here, Ortholing Fleischer states 
 on the authority of Coussin, that it is a court or close surrounded by 
 stalls for artificers. Mons. de Sacy, calls it a public building for 
 traffic and the accommodation of tradespeople and I think, especially 
 with the context of the story to back it, that my translation might be 
 considered a fair one. 
 
 13 9 I Make thee my husband.' — This is evidently meant to be said 
 in jest. 
 
 140 < Mounted T an ass.' — Of these animals there are always plenty 
 in populous towns of Egypt and Syria for hire. The owner accompanies 
 th3 rider running behind, and easily keeping up with him. 
 
 141 < A diadem, ornamented.' — The different description of jewels 
 ■worn by Arab women, are very various, they in common with the 
 Mooslim women of all classes in all countries, being excessively fond 
 of ornaments, which constitute with them, an essential part of dress, 
 rather than a mere decoration. The jewels described as worn by the 
 damsel in the tale are of a description, used only by persons of high 
 rank. 
 
 142 < Pious recitation.' — Much merit is attributed by the Mooslims 
 to recitations of the Qoran. On occasions of festivals, persons are 
 hired to repeat either the whole or the principal chapters of it. These 
 zxeficJcees, a term usually applied to a school-master by modern Arabs, 
 but signifying a person learned in the law. They know by heart, either 
 the whole or particular parts of the Qoran, which each in turn recites. 
 These recitations are introduced among the Egyptians as an entertain- 
 ment at parties. The lawful alms to which allusion is made in the tale, 
 consist by right of a fortieth of a man's property, yearly bestowed 
 from, 1. His cattle, 2. His money, 3. His corn, 4. His fruits, 5, 
 His wares sold. 
 
NOTES. XXIX 
 
 '^^ * Zoobeiduk.' — The celebrated wife of Haroon oor Rusheed, 
 daughter of Jafur Bia Munsoor. She is stated to have had recitations 
 of the whole Qoran daily performed in her palace by certain female 
 slaves, an hundred of whom she had, who knew the Holy Book by 
 heart, (v. d'Herbelot). Kuhurman means, a sort of stewardess of the 
 hureem. 
 
 144 « The water Zum Zum.' — The water of Zum Zum, is drawn 
 from that well according to Mussulman belief which relieved at the 
 divine command, the thirst of Hagar and her child in the wilderness. 
 The water of this fountain, brackish and disagreeable to the taste, was 
 declared by Muhummud to be of singular efficiency in restoring health, 
 and even washing away sin. It is much prized by pious Mooslims in, 
 consequence. 
 
 145 ' Fillets of pullets tinged red.' — The strange habit of coloring 
 meats and dishes among the Mussulman, is not altogether unknown in 
 modern European cookery. In Hindostan the dish is frequently, not 
 only tinged of various colors, the rice of pilau being ordinarily subjected 
 to the process, but covered with, gold and silver leaf, when set before, 
 or sent to an honored guest. 
 
 145 <■ That he may cut off his hand.' — The mutilation of the hand, is 
 the ordinary punishment for theft. ' If a man or woman steal, cut off 
 their hands in retribution of that they have committed.' (Qoran chap. 5.) 
 In case of repeated theft, the foot also is to be amputated, the right 
 hand being taken for the first offence, the left foot for the second, then 
 the left hand, and last, the right foot. These cruel punishments have 
 been adopted by most Eastern nations in addition to amputation of the 
 nose and ears. The cutting off the hand is frequently followed by the 
 death of the victim from loss of blood. Wedded to these savage modes 
 of retribution, the native Mussulmans of India, look with contempt 
 upon the milder punishments of the English, who have even abolished 
 corporal punishment for theft, to the no little encrease of their prison 
 population. 
 
 147 < Prayed the Friday's prayer.' — The chief reasons for fixing 
 upon Friday as the Muhummuddan Sabbath, were, it is said, because 
 Adam was created on that day, and died on the same day of the week, 
 and because the general resurrection was prophesied to happen on that 
 
XXX Notes. 
 
 day ; whence, particularly, Friday was named, the day 'of the assembly. 
 The Mooslim does not abstain from worldly business on Friday except- 
 ing during the time of prayer, according to the precept of the Qoran 
 Ch. XII. V. 9 and 10.' (Vide Lane, vol. i. p. 93.) 
 
 14 8 < Praises which were made of Egj^pt.' — The fertility and the beauty 
 of Egypt is striking in the eyes of Arabs, to whom, nursed for the most 
 part in a sandy, arid soil, the sight of water and of verdure so luxuriant 
 as that on the banks of the Nile, conveys the idea of a sort of Paradise. 
 
 149 <A neck-ring of gold.'— This is a favorite ornament with 
 Egyptian women, and consists of a hoop of 'gold or other metal, with 
 a catch or hook by which the ends are fastened. 
 
 150 'Yet perchance the Almighty.' — This is from the Qoran. 
 The process of scourging a thief till he confesses is still common in 
 Mussulman countries. 
 
 15 1 ' Immodesty from the children of Egypt.' — The immorality of 
 the people of Egypt, is excessive as compared with that of the Mussul- 
 mans of other countries, and it would appear as if the land entailed upon 
 its inhabitants that looseness of life which from old has ever distin- 
 guished it. From the time of Tacitus, who (Hist. Lib. 1.) speaks of 
 the ' provincia superstitione et lascivia discors et mobilis' to the present 
 day, the character of its indwellers seems to be the same. Burckhardt 
 says that the profession of vice is a poor one in Egypt, so general is its 
 practice. * To estimate the condition of the Arab women at Cairo, by 
 that reported to exist at Constantinople, and in the large Turkish towns, 
 would be erroneous. Females probably enjoy more freedom here at 
 Cairo, than in any part of the Turkish empire, the deserts excepted ; 
 and whether for that reason or from some accessory causes they are of 
 less reserved manners and more addicted to debauchery than the women 
 of the neighbouring countries Syria and Hedjag.' (Vide p. 118.) 
 
 15 2 'A barber.' — The barber is looked on by most Mussulman na- 
 tions as a person of considerable importance, arising from his duties of 
 operator in the rite of circumcision and the charge (as boasted by the 
 barber in the tale,) which he has of the head, the most noble part of 
 even the most noble. The sketch given by the barber in the tale of his 
 connection with, and influence over, the family of the relator, may not 
 
NOTES. XXXi 
 
 perhaps be true to the present state of Arab manners ; among other 
 Mooslim nations however, the picture would not be exaggerated, as a 
 sketch of present customs. The Mussulmans of Hindostan have bor- 
 rowed many Hindoo customs regarding the barbers in addition to their 
 own. 
 
 15 3 < The law, and the traditions.' — In addition to the precepts of 
 the Qoran, the great body of Mussulmans regard with little less venera- 
 tion the Soonna, or collection of moral traditions of the sayings and 
 actions of the Prophet, * which,' says Sale, * is a supplement tothe Qoran, 
 directing the observance of several things omitted in that book, and iu 
 name as well as design, answering to the Mishna of the Jews.' The 
 more orthodox of the Mooslims are Soonees, or followers of the tradition, 
 of whom there are four sects, that of Aboo Huneefat being the most 
 numerous. 
 
 15 4 < The restrainers of wroth, and forgivers of men.' — From the 
 Qoran. The rest of the text omitted in quotation runs (* are blessed') 
 * and God loveth the virtuous.' I have not a copy of the Mooslim 
 scripture, and take these words from the recitation of a Muss\ilman gen- 
 tlemen. The disinclination which all good Mooslims have, to give a 
 copy of the Qoran to an unbeliever has been noted minutely by Mr. 
 Lane. This feeling, I have found is not less strong in Hindoostan than 
 in Egypt. 
 
 15 5 * I am going, oh ! my mammy, &c.' — The description which the 
 barber gives of his friends and the snatches of the songs they sing, are of 
 course couched in slang terms of which I have made the most I could, 
 and given a translation which has appeared correct to others than myself. 
 The drum called Durhurlah, mentioned as that the bathman used, is one 
 of the endless tribes of tabor-like instruments in use in the East. They 
 are in high esteem with the lower orders as accompaniments to the voice, 
 and are beaten with the fingers, so as to mark the time very accurately. 
 The point of the barber's verses about the scavenger, seems to rest upon 
 the use of the dung of animals as fuel, common throughout the East 
 It will be seen that I have given the barber's extemporaneous effusions in 
 a gingling doggrel befitting his poetical pretensions. 
 
 15 6 'The Khutbuk.'— The prayer here meant is for the reigning 
 sovereign, the having which repeated is together with the striking coirs 
 
XXXll NOTES. 
 
 in his name, the first assertion of royal state by a Mooslim king. This 
 Khutbnk precedes the ordinary Friday's devotional exercise, which con- 
 sist of a regular service with, generally, a sermon. 
 
 1-5 7 < Ul Mustunsir Eillah.' — A khuleef of the house of Abbas. 
 
 15 8 'The blood leather.' — Abide on which the criminal is placed 
 for execution. 
 
 15 3 ' Dwell over the shop.' — The lower story of houses in many 
 Eastern towns, is occupied with shops which have no connection with the 
 dwelling house above. The following is Mr. Lane's description of shops 
 in Cairo : — ' The shop is a square recess or cell, generally about six or 
 seven feet high ; and between three or four feet in width. Its floor is 
 even with the top of a mui^tuh''ah or raised seat of stone or brick, built 
 against the front. This is usually about two feet and a half or three feet 
 in height, and about the same in breadth. The front of the shop is fur- 
 nished with folding shutters, commonly consisting of three leaves, one 
 above the other : the uppermost of these is turned up in front — the 
 two other leaves, sometimes folded together, are turned down upon the 
 mus^tuWah, and from an even seat upon which is spread a mat orcarpet with 
 perhaps a cushion or two. Some shops have folding doors, instead of the 
 shutters above described.' — Shops in the East are generally of the same 
 character save that there is a sort of warehouse with a small door at the 
 back of the shop itself, in which the trader's stock is kept. 
 
 16 < Declare the justice of God.' — That is, become the minister for 
 retaliating upon the criminals for their evil deeds, according to the law of 
 the Almighty. 
 
 16 1 < I seek refuge with God from the evil of this day.' — This is a fur- 
 ther instance in the belief in omens and in the influence of the evil eye, the 
 effects of which may be averted by committing the person to the care of the 
 Almighty, and desisting, as did our Saxon ancestors under the like cir- 
 cumstances from the matter in hand. I witnessed very lately an incident 
 almost similar to that mentioned in the tale, in which the stroke of the 
 evil eye was declared by a chief of Hindoostaii passing along with a very 
 large retinue, to have proceeded from an old woman, one of many beg- 
 ging by the road side. 
 
NOTES. xxxia 
 
 16 2 * The mark of the stripe, &c.' — ^This scourge, like the rattan 
 formerly used to punish offenders in India, leaves indelible marks when 
 laid on heavily. The recognizing an old offender by the mark on his 
 back is consequently easy. 
 
 16 3 < This is the requital.' — This punishment is called tusheer^ 
 and is common in all Mussulman countries. In Hindoostan the culprit 
 is placed on an ass, with his face to the tail, and blackened, and with 
 shoes hung round his neck, drums being beaten before him. 
 
 15 4 < The marriage brokeresses.' — These are women who make a pro- 
 fession of going from house to house as agents for matrimonial connections, 
 praising the beauty of maidens, and extolling the wealth and character 
 of men. They are not without their use in lands, where females live 
 much secluded, but their services among the better orders, are by no 
 means generally required, the whole management for betrothal, &c. &c.^ 
 being made by the heads of families or some of their kin or dependants. 
 
 16 5 *And sits himself far from me.' — In token of extreme respect 
 and awe, he places himself like an inferior, far from the sudur, or upper 
 end of the apartment. 
 
 16 6 < And will not accept it from him.' — ^The refusal of an offering 
 made by an inferior is the greatest shew of contempt or of displeasure, 
 which can be offered in the East. I have known Europeans under the 
 idea that they were conferring a favor by the interdiction of the receipt 
 of presents, inflict in their mistaken kindness the greatest insult. 
 
 16 7 < Made ablution.' — The ablution with water, or in the desert 
 with sand before prayer, is a tedious operation accompanied with many 
 invocations, but which most Mooslims compress into a very short 
 ceremony. If conscious of having intermediately contracted no im- 
 purity, the ablution may be dispensed with. 
 
 16 8 < A Roumish girl.' — The vague use of the word Roum, has been 
 already noted, and its usual application. 
 
 16 9 < The kerchief of mercy.' — The giving of the kerchief of mercy 
 or pardon, is not to my knowledge an Arab custom in this day. It 
 is, however, kept up in some Mussulman states in Hindoostan, the ker- 
 chief being usually replaced by a turban, or shawl, or any other arti- 
 cle of dress. 
 
XXXIV NOTES. 
 
 17 < And you in it fasting.' — The beneficence and urbjjnity of 
 the great family or tribe of the Burmukkees was renowned among 
 their countrymen. The disgrace of the vuzeer Jafur, and of this noble 
 race of which he was the chief, appears to have arisen, though there are 
 various stories told of the real cause, (v. D'Herbelot B. O.) from the 
 jealousy excited in the mind of Haroon oor Rusheed by the popularity 
 and power to which their own character and Jafur's favor had raised them. 
 The brotherly kindness of good Mooslims, renders it not a matter of 
 special wonder, that the beggar should be invited to join the repast of the 
 wealthy Burmukkee. This feeling of kindliness is mingled with some 
 ostentation with many Mussulmans, and there is an Arab proverb record- 
 ed by Burckhardt, signifying that ' those who feed the folks without, while 
 those within are fasting, should sit off the road to eat.' This alludes to a 
 practice of sitting at meals out of doors by the way side, and inviting all 
 passers-by, to join in them. The term * a blow on the neck,' used in 
 this tale, is the equivalent of our English * box o^the ear J* * A blow with 
 profit does not hurt the neck.' — (Burckhardt's Pvoverbs.) 
 
 17 1 < The fallen angels.' — The superstition metaphorically applied 
 here, has been already noted. 
 
 172 'The instruments of merriment.' — The description of musi- 
 cal instruments used in the East would induce the necessity of a longer 
 note than is compatible with the nature of this work. I may take oc- 
 casion to mention here that music is not among the slender list of the 
 accomplishments of Mooslim women in modern times. They are, bow- 
 er, very fond of it, but rarely do more as performers than use the tab ret 
 or some easy instrument on festive occasions. 
 
 17 3 < The consequence of the thing he had done.' — The young man 
 had in this instance violated his father's hureem, and thus committed 
 an offence, punishable in a high degree. 
 
 17 4 ' In the gardens.' — I have alreatly observed that the garden of 
 a great man in the East, is a retired spot, where the convenience of a 
 pavilion, &c. &c., renders a stay for a few days to people who live so 
 much as the orientals, in the open air, a matter of no trouble or annoy- 
 ance. 
 
 175 < I will cut his throat.' — The patriarchal power of life and 
 death of the father over the son is so far countenanced in that the 
 
NOTES. XXXV 
 
 parent does not by Mooslim law forfeit his life for that of his child, 
 although he is punishable by confiscation of his goods. 
 
 17 9 * Marry another than her, &c.' — The practice of polygamy is, 
 as may he imagined, the source of nothing beyond mere sensual gratifi- 
 cation, and is accompanied by many inconveniencies. The quarrels and 
 bitter enmity among rival wives, where the husband has not tact nor 
 power to manage them, I have heard quoted as embittering exist- 
 ance. The vuzeer enjoins his son for the girl's sake that he take no 
 other into his hureem lest he neglect its first inmate. Polygamy itself 
 being found inconvenient, the dissolute Egyptians enjoy its license by 
 abusing to excess the right of divorce, while the Sheeyuh sect of the 
 Mooslims can lawfully marry a woman for an hour, and then put her 
 away. 
 
 17 7 < The air struck him.' — Encountering the external air while 
 still heated with the bath, where as is well known the temperature is 
 kept very high, may be easily supposed to endanger life, by suddenly 
 checking the action of the skin. 
 
 17 8 < The two testimonies.' — These proofs of true belief, should be 
 spoken in order to have their merit, on the suggestion of no person, nor 
 should they be prompted, but spoken freely. 
 
 17 9 • On the fifth day.' — I need add little to the description givea 
 in the tale, of the Mussulman funeral rites, which are simple and decent ; 
 the verses I have pointed off by their lines in the manner of the psalms, 
 as arranged for the chaunt of the Cathedral service. The washing 
 * on a plank from out the door,' would in a country where wood 
 is scarce, and there was no regular washer of the dead, (who pro- 
 vides a board for the purpose) perhaps be inconvenient, but here it 
 is a natural proceeding. I cannot find that it is a part of any 
 rite or superstition. A formula of prayer accompanied by the pe- 
 culiarity, noted in the chaunt, is performed over the corpse in the mosque, 
 certain chapters of the Qoran being chaunted before the bier on its 
 way thither. The most singular custom attending an Arab funeral, is 
 the instructing the dead, after the corpse is laid in the tomb. I take Mr. 
 Lane's translation — 'O servant of God ! O ! son of a handmaid of God I 
 know that, at this time, there will come down to thee two angels, com- 
 missioned respecting thee, and the like of thee ! When they say to thee 
 * Who is thy Lord ?' — answer them, * God is my Lord,' in truth, and 
 when they ask thee concerning thy prophet, or the man who hath been 
 
XXXVl NOTES. 
 
 sent unto you, say to them, * Muhummud is the Apostle of God' with 
 veracity ; and when they ask thee concerning thy religion, say to them, 
 * El. Islam is my religion ;' and when they ask thee concerning thy 
 book of religion, say to them, * The Qoran is my hook of direction, and 
 the Mooslims are my brothers ;* and when they ask thee concerning thy 
 Ckib'bh, say to them, " The Ka'aheh is my Ckib'bh ; and I have lived 
 and died in the assertion that there is no deity but God, and Muhum- 
 mud is God's Apostle ;' and they will say, * Sleep, O ! servant of God 
 in the protection of God.' The soul is believed to remove with the 
 body during the first night after the burial, and on this night to be visit- 
 ed and examined, and perhaps the body tortured, by the two angels men- 
 tioned.' (Vide Lane, vol. II. p. 302.) 
 
 180 <The chief of men of old, &c.' — Muhummud ; this is one of 
 the most usual of the many laudatory titles which the Mooslims give their 
 prophet, 
 
 18 1 t Circumcise his son.' — The usual age for the performance of 
 this rite observed by the Arabs, long before the time of Muhummud, is, 
 when the child is five or six years old. There is however no fixed time 
 with Mooslims for the operation, and it may be said to vary from infan- 
 cy up to eleven or twelve years of age, according to local custom. The 
 occasion is always one of festivity and rejoicing ; and the child is gener- 
 ally taken about in procession, with music, and dressed in the best 
 clothes procurable. Among the poorer classes in Hindoostan, the period 
 of circumcision varies, as the parents can get money together, to meet 
 the attendant expenses. Burckhardt cites a proverb, * A wedding, and by 
 its side, a circumcision feast,' as meaning a superabundance of rejoicing. 
 The Egyptians frequently celebrating these two festivals together as a 
 saving of expense. 
 
 18 2 * Girls of all nations.'— -I need add no remark, to the animated 
 sketch of a slave market in the tale, especially as no Eastern traveller 
 has omitted noting the traffic of human beings, nor the mode in which 
 it is conducted. It may be observed, that slaves according to the strict 
 Mooslim law, can be only prisoners taken in war against infidels, or their 
 descendants. Slaves, in most Mussulman nations are treated kindly. 
 The practice of selling children is very general, in the East, particularly on 
 occasions of famine, where poor parents part with their offspring, to 
 save at once the child's life, and their own. The country of Toork, noted 
 in the story, is identified with Timbuctoo. (De. Sacy. Chrest. Ar. II. 81). 
 
NOTES. XXXVll 
 
 18 3 < A cloth spotted with blood.' — The words so translated signifying 
 ' something spotted' gave me much trouble. I believe the custom here 
 described asresorted to by a suppliant, to be an ancient Eastern usage, still 
 practised in Mooslim states' in Hindoostan. When great oppression has 
 been committed, or justice hardly obtainable, the sufferer covers his head 
 and shoulders with a cloth spotted with what is supposed to be blood, and 
 holding a link in his hand, he goes in broad day, calling aloud * Und- 
 hair, Und-hair !' meaning in Hind'ee, dark, dark ! to the gates of the pa- 
 lace of the king or governor. 
 
 18 4 < Water pots hung up filled with water.' — To supply passers by, 
 with the means of slaking their thirst or performing their ablutions. This 
 is in the East a meritorious action, where to plant a grove or sink a well 
 is in many countries, to confer a blessing. 
 
 18 5 < This cursed ass.' — A strange superstition prevails among 
 Mussulmans, that the ass is cursed before God, and that in his braying 
 he is calling to Satan. 
 
 186 ' Hav6 the ministers taken from me this city Bijgh dad.' — This 
 seems to me, to be a special allusion, to Haroon's jealousy of the 
 Burmiikkees, persons of which family (vide D'Herbelot) filled every post 
 of trust and power about the khuleef, before Jafur's disgrace. 
 
 187 < To the whistle's sound.' — The horse is ordinarily encouraged 
 to drink by a hissing sound, such as made by English grooms in rub- 
 bing down. 
 
 18 5 < The deeds of the holy may not be lost on you.' — The perform- 
 ance of the peculiar religious rite termed, Zik'r, in which the khuleef 
 would appear to have supposed Sheekh Ibrahim and his friends to be 
 engaged, is a favorite amusement with the Egyptian Arabs to this day. It 
 consists of a chaunt asserting in the usual formula, the unity of God, in- 
 terspersed with devotional songs. The performers frequently become 
 violently excited during the course of the Zik'r. It is not I believe, 
 common in other Mooslim countries at the present day. (Vide Lane, 
 vol. II). 
 
 18 9,' Tied a chin cloth before his face.'— The Budwee Arabs have a 
 mode of drawing an end of their turban before the lower part of the 
 
XXXVlil NOTES. 
 
 face, when they do not desire to be known, and throughout the East 
 the custom of tying up the chin by a cloth passed over the crown of 
 the head, is not unusual, chiefly, however, among military classes. 
 
 190 * To the fire-place.' — The fire-place, of Eastern nations is in 
 houses of the better classes confined to the kitchen , where an iron 
 trough on feet filled with charcoal, is the most artificial arrangement 
 attempted. The fire is rarely lighted but for culinary purposes. A 
 clay, or brick fire-place is often constructed covered in, with the excep- 
 tion of a hole for the cooking pot to be placed over. 
 
 191 * She is a gift to thee.' — The character of Noor ood Deen 
 is represented as being that of a lavish giver, and he is, it must be re- 
 membered, not sober at the moment. Still, however, the act is not in- 
 consistent with the often ostentatious liberality of the Arabs, for which 
 they have been, in all ages so notorious. The instance mentioned by 
 Sale (Prel. Disc.) of the trial made by three men of the degrees of 
 liberaUty of the three most liberal of the Mooslims of their day, the 
 third of whom, a blind man, who while going to the mosque, gave away 
 the two slaves on whom he was leaning when applied to for money 
 which he had not, sufficiently proves the generosity of the people. (Vide 
 also D'Herbelot, Art. Hassan, Fadhel, Ibn Yubia.) A good deal of 
 Noor ood Deen's singular liberality may be laid to his wine, for * wine,' 
 •according to an Eastern saying, * makes men generous, while opium 
 makes them miserly.' 
 
 19 2 < In one school with one teacher.' — The vicissitudes of life, infinite- 
 ly more marked and frequent in oriental society than in that of Modern 
 Europe, would readily account for the youthful companionage of the 
 viceroy and the fisherman. There are however other causes which might 
 have brought them together, schools in Mussulman countries being fre- 
 quently endowed institutions, in which the sons of the poorest receive edu- 
 cation almost gratis. There are several Mooslim countries, in which the 
 funds so applied are now diverted from their proper object. The pre- 
 sent Pasha of Egypt, as well as other more enlightened Eastern govern- 
 ments have done much in the way of this spoliation. 
 
 19 3 < A. dress of investiture.' The grant of a dress, as a mark of 
 the favor of a superior is general throughout most part of the East. There 
 are different grades of this distinction accurately defined, the highest 
 
NOTES. XXXix 
 
 order of. which includes the presentation of jewels, stuffs, a horse, and 
 in India an elephant and palanquin, in addition to the mere dress itself. 
 The accession of a dependant prince to his throne, or the installation of 
 a viceroy is always acknowledged by this species of investiture. 
 
 194 ' Thou son of mine uncle.' — The term ' cousin' is among the 
 Arabs familiar and endearing, and used by the khuleef, was a mark of 
 special favor. 
 
 ^ ^^ * The period of hospitality.'— Three days during which travel- 
 lers may claim entertainment and which the host for his credit would 
 insist on their availing themselves of, in this instance. 
 
 ^96 * I did according to my mother's milk.' — Several passages in 
 these tales will have shewn how much the Arabs conceive a noble mind 
 to be peculiar to the nobly born and nobly bred. The vuzeer here as 
 the climax of his baseness, traduces his mother to save his life ! He did 
 according to his mother's milk, being base born, but he adjures Noor 
 cod Deen to shew himself nobly born by doing nobly. 
 
 19'' 'Pitched a tent at the tomb.' — This is very usual. Distri- 
 bution of food to the poor at the tomb, the performance of recitation 
 and entertainment of those who have assisted at the funeral form part 
 of the ceremonial at the obsequies of a wealthy Mooslim. The sums 
 spent in Hindoostan on these occasions are usually far beyond the means 
 of the expender and the death of a parent, like the marriage of a child is 
 the ordinai-y occasion for the dissipation of ready money, or the incur- 
 ring of debt. 
 
 19 8 < Chaoos.' — This is a Turkish word and is applied to an inferior 
 officer of state, a sort of apparator or meaner description of pursui- 
 vant. He carries a silver stick as the emblem of his office and answers 
 perhaps to the chobdar or stave -bearer in Hindoostan. 
 
 199 < Did not forbid my seeing her.' — The separation of the sexes 
 is usual in the East at an early age, and the precaution is found very 
 necessary. The following are the precepts of the Qoran as to the se- 
 clusion of women : — * And speak to the believing women that they res- 
 train their eyes and preserve their modesty, and discover not their or- 
 naments, except what necessarily appeareth thereof ; and let them throw 
 their veils over their bosoms, and not shew their ornaments, unless to 
 
Xl NOTES. 
 
 their husbands or their fathers, or their husband's fathers, or their sons, 
 or their husband's sons, or their brother's sons, or their sister's sons, or 
 their women, or the captives which their right hands shall possess, or 
 unto such men as attend them and have no need of women, or unto 
 children, who distinguish not the nakedness of women. And let thera 
 not make a noise with their feet, lest the ornaments which they hide, may 
 thereby be discovered.' (Sale's Qoran, vol. II. p. 192.) The tinkling 
 of the Anclet is here alluded- to, which is reproved by Isaiah, as pre- 
 valent among the Jewish women. 
 
 2 < Smeared its walls with mud.' — Tliis spoiling of the house in 
 sign of mourning, is not now customary with the Arabs, nor do I believe 
 with any Eastern nation. Mr. Lane however mentions a practice some- 
 times resorted to by the women of a family of turning the cushions and 
 pillows upside down in token of sorrow, which evidently is a vestige of 
 • the older custom. 
 
 2 1 * Awahy ! Awahy ! for the man.' — This is the cry of sorrow raised 
 by the women on the occasion of a death in the family. The violent exhi- 
 bitions of grief on the part of a bereaved wife, is or was not unusual in 
 some Mooslira countries within these few years nearly as described in the 
 tale. (Vide Russell's Aleppo, vol. 1. p. 308. 
 
 20 2 < In the Chapter of Manumission.' — The Mussulman law is 
 very explicit indeed upon the subject of manumission, but I have looked 
 in vain for any authority (vide Hamilton's Hedaya, vol. IV.) which 
 obliges the master to retain the slave, if he have not a calling to earn 
 his living. The simple declaration of the master that the slave is free, 
 constitutes his manumission. Slavery, as I have before noted, does 
 not usually entail that wretchedness among the Mooslims which Euro- 
 peans are apt to attach to their idea of the state. By far the greater 
 number of Mussulman slaves are females, who perform menial offices 
 in the hureem. A male slave, as in the tale, is not always a profitable 
 possession. ' The buying of the slave, but not the training of him,' 
 says the Arab proverb. ' The Eastern people,' observes Burckhardt, 
 * know well, how difficult a task it is to educate a slave, and break his 
 stubborn temper.' 
 
 2 3 < Some sweet prepared condiment.'— This was one of the many 
 intoxicating mixtures which are in use in the East. 
 
NOTES. Xli 
 
 2 <> -* 'A pellet of the henbane of Crete.' — This drug prepared in vari- 
 ous shapes, with opium, the hemp leaf, and aromatics of different sorts, is 
 used to produce an agreeable intoxication. Preparations of this kind are 
 called majoovi and serve to supply the want of wine, to those who need a 
 stimulant and would fain adhere to the letter of the law. The recourse had 
 by a repentant drinker, from wine to the majoon is very amusingly des- 
 cribed by the Emperor Baber (vide his Memoirs) who for many years of his 
 life was a shameless consumer of the forbidden liquor. 
 
 2 05 < Son of the uncle of the prophet.' — -The race of the Abbasside 
 khuleefs of whom Haroon oor Rusheed was the fifth, was established A. 
 H. 100, being descended from Abbas, the uncle of Muhummud. They were 
 also termed, sons of Hushem, the name of the family whence the prophet 
 was descended. 
 
 20& * E'en thus the timid ghuzuls use.' — The antelope is very shy 
 when once alarmed, and has a custom of looking behind from time 
 to time, with a mingled air of apprehension and curiosity. 
 
 2 7 « To dress in black.' — The use of a mourning dress is not usual 
 with the Soonnee, or orthodox Mooslims, but the sect of the Sheeyuh or 
 followers of Ullee, have this custom, particularly when engaged in the 
 Mohurrum, in their annual mourning for Hoossein and Hussun the grand- 
 sons of the prophet by his daughter, the wife of Ullee. 
 
 2 8 « The Almighty make great thy reward through her.' — Charitable 
 deeds have great merit according to the Mooslims, ' and if it be a good 
 action, he (the Almighty) will double it, and will recompense it in his sight 
 with great reward.' — (Qoran, Chap. 4.) 
 
 2 9 < The sight of her exposed is forbidden.'^ — Here is a singular 
 instance of the punctilious delicacy of the Mooslims. The deceased be- 
 ing only betrothed to the khuleef, the seeing her unveiled, even afte? 
 death, was unlawful. 
 
 2 10^ < The elders of the mosques.' — The Ima'm, and others attached 
 to the service of the mosque. (Vide Russell's Aleppo, vol. I. p. 208.) 
 
 211 « Founder of the princely Hall.'— A title of Noushirwan first 
 of the Khoosroo dynasty of Persia, who built the celebrated palace at 
 
Xlii NOTES. 
 
 Madain, (said to be the ancient Ctesuphon) which was pillaged A. H. 16, 
 by the Mooslims (vide Gibbon, Chap. LI.) The justice of Noushirwan is 
 to this hour a by-word in the East, and not an applicant for redress but de- 
 clares the person to whom he appeals, to be the * Noushirwan of the 
 age.' 
 
 2 12 < Ubdool Mulik Bin Murwan.'— The fifth khuleef of the race 
 of Omueeyah, who commenced his reign A. H. 65 (A. D. 685) and ex- 
 tended the Mooslim power to Spain, and to the confines of Hindoostan. 
 The monarch in the tale is of course an imaginary personage, but the 
 story itself, now for the first time translated, is curious as entering upon 
 details of the wars between the Mooslims and the Christians. The author 
 has jumbled together, the exploits of the early Mooslims against the 
 Syrian Christians, with the wars of the Crusades, and has bestowed upon 
 the Emperor of Constantinople the name of an ancient Persian Monarch, 
 Fureedoon the conqueror of Zohak. The detail of the peculiar armour 
 of the Christians with the surcoat over it, and the mention of * Frankish 
 pirates,' a probable allusion to the Normans, give some clue to the period 
 about which the tale was written. 
 
 2 13 ' The chair of cliildbirth.' — A chair of a peculiar form, used on 
 such occasions. (Vide Lane's Egypt, vol. II. p. 274.) I believe this cus- 
 tom to be peculiar to the Arabs ; it is alluded to, as observed by Mr. 
 Lane, in the 1st Chap. Exodus 16 verse, 'When ye do the office of a 
 midwife with the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stool.' There is 
 also an allusion to this custom in Drayton's extravagant poem of * The 
 Moon-calf.^ 
 
 Bring forth the hirth-stool — no, let it alone — 
 
 She is so far beyond all compass grown, 
 
 Some other new device us needs must stead, 
 
 Or else she never can be brought to bed. 
 
 2 1* 'The cry of joy.' — A peculiar, shrill tremulous cry, raised by 
 women on festive occasions among the Arabs, the Zughareeb, or as 
 Russell gives it, the Ziraleet. 
 
 215 * A hoard of the age of Alexander.' — The Mussulmans acknow- 
 ledge two heroes of that name, Alexander the two-horned, and Alexander 
 the Great, whom they call Roumee. The epithet of the first was given 
 (vide D'Herbelot B. A.) because of his overcoming the two horns of the 
 world i. e. East and West. The name is I think more likely to allude 
 
NOTES. xliii 
 
 to the horn as a symbol of aljsolute power ; ' and Astarte put on her 
 head as a mark of sovereignty, a bull's head !' (Cumberland's Transla- 
 tion of Eusebius, Sanchoniatho) 'and Zedekiah made him horns of 
 iron,' I. Kings XXII. Chap, v, 11— Also Bruce's notice of the Abyssinian 
 custom of using the horn as a symbol of power. The treasures of 
 the former Alexander are supposed to have been buried in immense 
 amount. 
 
 2 16 i Sought thee as a superior, &c.'— The declaration of fealty or 
 dependence is expressed in the East to this day, by offering presents, the 
 distinctions of relation between different states, being expressed by the 
 quality of the offering and the return. 
 
 2 18 < The war drum beat.' — The kettle drum or naker is beaten 
 before the commander of an army and its sound is the signal for the 
 march. These drums are also ensigns of authority and I have seen 
 them used in Hindoostan of enormous size, slung across an elephant, 
 
 2 19 * Bound her with girdle cord.' — The khuleef Mootawukkil 
 Billah, tenth of the race of Abbas, commanded, A. H. 235, (A. D. 856) 
 that all Christians and Jews, should wear a peculiar girdle to distinguish 
 them from the Mooslims. The wearing this girdle, {Zunnar) the author 
 of the tale, may have conceived to be a custom of the Christians, and noj 
 an obligation imposed on those residing within the khuleefat, by a for- 
 mer Mooslim ruler. Hence in describing Christians of an independent 
 state, hs introduces it as a characteristic. 
 
 2 2 ' By the Musseeh !' — * The Christian women,' says Russell, ' in 
 common discourse, do not so wantonly introduce the name of God ;' but 
 a Mooslim author has not considered this peculiarity, though, it may be 
 the Christians of his day were as prodigal of adjurations as the Mussul- 
 mans themselves. 
 
 3 2 1 < God is greatest.' — ^The war cry of the early Mooslims. 
 
 2 2 2 i Knights— ^M^reeg.'— The word Butreeq is explained in the 
 Qamoos {or ocean) the celebrated dictionary of Muhummud Bin Yacoob, 
 (Ferozabadee) to mean ' the commander of 10,000 horse in the army of 
 Roum.' Richardson conceives the word to be a corruption of patricius 
 which when Greecised would necessarily have the C. expressed by a K. 
 I have given the translation which appears most natural to the word as 
 used in the tale. 
 
Xliv NOTES. 
 
 '23 I Kazee of the kazees.' — This officer exercises authority over ail 
 kazees, ' II est proprement,' says D'Herbelot, * celui que nous appelons 
 le chancelier.' The office is said to have been established in the 
 time of Haroon oor Rusheed. It exists in most Mooslim countries, 
 where there is a settled government. 
 
 22 4 'Not able to do that.' — The Arabs never take their horses at 
 a leap, and Shurkan being encumbered with arms, was unequal to the 
 effort on foot. 
 
 2 2 J < And she also clapped her hands.'— This is a sort of challenge 
 among wrestlers in the East. 
 
 22 6 < Prohibited the slaughter of women, &c.' — Women are to be 
 made captives, but by the letter of the Qoran (Chap. 47) the men taken 
 in arms are to be treated with little mercy. This law, the followers of 
 Huneefuh, in their commentaries declare abrogated, but some sects of 
 the Mooslims, as the Sheeyahs hold that all men taken in battle and 
 not embracing Islam should be slain, which doctrine they apply even 
 to Mooslims of other sects. Of this, I could cite very modern instances. 
 
 2 2 7 t Mistress of the curved rib, &c.' — ^This rendering is literal — I 
 i>elieve it to be an allusion to the creation of woman kind ; at least, 
 J see no other meaning that the words will bear. 
 
 22 8 < ui Qeem oos Sufudee.' — These are, I conclude, the namess of 
 celebrated wrestlers. 
 
 2 2 9 < Dost thou eat dates ?' — ^The nourishing and strengthening qua- 
 lities of the date are the theme of eternal praise with the Arabs. Hence 
 the taunt of Ubreezah. I extract Mons. De. Sacy's translation of the 
 descriptions of the date tree by Quzweenee, an Arabic natural historian. 
 * Le prophete a dit, en parlant du dattier, ' Honorez le palmier, qui est 
 voire tante paternelle ;' et il lui a donne cette denomination parce qu'il 
 a ete forme du reste du limon dont Adam fut cree. Le dattier a une 
 ressemblance frappante avec I'homme, par la beaute de sa taile, droite et 
 elancee, sa division en deux sexes distincts, male et femeile, et la propri- 
 ete qui lui est particuliere d'etre feconde par une sorte d'accomplement. Si 
 quelque accident arrive a la substance moelleuse qui termine son sommet, 
 le palmier perit comme nous voyons mourirs I'homme, lorsque sa cervelle 
 xecoit quelque attejnte facheuse semblables aux membres de I'homme les 
 
NOTE S 
 
 xlv 
 
 rameaux que I'on en detache, ne repoussent jamais ; et I'assemblage des 
 filamens dont cet arhre est revetu, peut encore offrirs un rapport avec les 
 polls qui garnissentle corps humain.' (Chrest. Arab. V. III. p. 395). The 
 peculiar style of beauty admired by the Arabs, has been so often alluded 
 to in these tales that I need hardly now with reference to Shurkan's dis- 
 comfiture recur to the subject. Orthobius Fleischer (Diss. Crit de Goss. 
 Hab.) declares that the * soft and milky plumpness (lactea puellae pin- 
 guedo) of a damsel Such as the orientals admire, is compared to balls of 
 sheep's tails fat,smothered in sour milk, in no ways,' says the worthy Ger- 
 man, * suited to our palates, but excellently adapted to an Arabic one. Mr. 
 Lane (vol. II. p. 275) notes a practice of the Egyptian women, of mashing 
 beetles in butter, as part of the ingredients in a dish called moofetuc- 
 kah in order to produce the lactea pinguedo above alluded to. The habit 
 of using particular dishes to induce corpulency, has been frequently noted 
 by travellers in the East. 
 
 2 3 i Read books and learned sciences in the language of the Arabs.' 
 — This is to account for her not going forth herself openly to battle, as 
 having in part adopted the feelings of Arab women. 
 
 2 3 1 < The Ufreet of queen Bulqees.' — Queen Bulqees, is the queen 
 of Sheba, or Saba, who came to visit Solomon. (Qoran, Chap. 27.) This 
 Ufreet was the one that offered to bring her throne before Solomon, when 
 he said, ' Oh, nobles I which of you wUl bring me her throne V 
 
 2 3 2 < Then found he around that convent.' — The word ' dair,' they 
 translated signifies a habitation in its extended sense, but is usually ap- 
 plied to a monastery or convent of Christians. The monasteries of East- 
 ern Christians are, as is well known, often extensive buildings situated in 
 inaccessible and very defensible positions. I conceive the meaning of the 
 author here to be a Christian stronghold, rather than a convent, using the 
 word in its more general acceptation. But I have rendered it literally. 
 
 2 3 3 « Bread and salt is between me, and between thee.' — The sacred 
 tie which binds the host and guest among Arabs is too well known to 
 require special notice here. 
 
 2 3 4 < pi-one among them, &c.' I have in a former note remarked upon 
 the singular power which music possesses over natives of the East. The 
 effect produced, or said to be produced upon the Swiss by their national- 
 
NOTES. 
 
 music heard in a strange land, is not unanalogous to this passionate affec- 
 tion among the orientals. 
 
 2 35 « That they were speaking.'— The description of this chamber, 
 and of another mentioned further on, is not unlike Mr. Hughes' account 
 •of the pavilion of Ullee Pasha of Epirus. ' Its interior is divided into 
 eight compartments, or deep recesses diverging out of the great area, in 
 the middle of which stands a curious jet d'eau — this consists of a small 
 castle : on the parapet stood figures of parrots, lions, and other birds and 
 beasts who spout water out of their mouths ; the motion of the water 
 gives voice to a small organ attached to a pillar in the apartment.' The 
 pageant in the tale, was perhaps taken from some tradition of the magni- 
 ficence of the decorations at the Christian court of Byzantium. Any 
 carved figures of living things are an abomination to the Mussulmans. 
 
 2 3 6 ' Fight i' the holy war.'— (Vide Sale, vol, I. p, 18S.) * Under the 
 head of civil laws may be comprehended the injunction of warring against 
 infidels which is repeated in several passages of the Qoran, and declared 
 to be of high merit in the sight of God, those who are slain fighting in 
 the defence of the faith being reckoned martyrs and promised immediate 
 admission into Paradise. Hence this duty is greatly magnified by the 
 Muhumedan divines who call the sword, the key of heaven and hell, 
 and persuade their people that the least drop of blood, spilled in the way 
 of God as it is called, is most acceptable unto him.' — The epithet ghazee 
 or victorious over infidels is the proudest title which a Mooslim prince 
 can assume. It is now more frequently assumed than earned. 
 
 2 37 < Mixed with the unguents mineral dye.' — A preparation of an- 
 timony as kohl. 
 
 2 3 8 ' Putting the horseman in place of the elephant.' — The elephant 
 stands for the piece called the bishop, in the English nomenclature of the 
 chessmen, the horseman is of course for the knight. 
 
 2 3 9 < Laid himself upon the ground, and slept until the dawn.' — The 
 habit of sleeping in their clothes, and being content with a carpet or a 
 mat by way of bedding, enables the people of the East to rest in comfort, 
 with much less luxury than they are usually believed by Europeans to in- 
 dulge in. 
 
 2 4 * In the land of Roum.' — I have already observed that this 
 term is very vaguely used. D'Herbelot defines it as ' applicable to the 
 
NOTES. xlvii 
 
 countries which the Romans, and afterwards the Greeks, and Turks sub- 
 dued under their dominations.' It is however applied by some geogra- 
 phers to all Europe, including Thrace and Greece, and by others to merely 
 a small section of Asia Minor about Mount Taurus. The term here, 
 seems to point at Syria. 
 
 2 41 * On her a mail coat narrowed.' — The martial character of Queen 
 XJbreezuh is not without countenance in the positive history of the middle 
 ages, and the author of this tale seenis like Pulci, Boiardo, Ariosto, and 
 the whole length catalogue of romance poets fromRobert Wace downwards, 
 to have drawn on fact for his fiction, Aban revenging the death of her 
 husband Araron before the walls of Damascus (Gibbon, Chap. LI.) would 
 not be the only instance by very many whom he might have selected as 
 evidence of female heroism among the Arabs, while the crusades are 
 said to have given birth to many a woman warrior, &c. The golden footed 
 dame, * who accompanied Conrade with her troop of women in arms,' 2. 
 Crus. A. D. 1147, &c. 
 
 2 42 t "j^g Feast of the Convent.' — This appears to be an imaginary 
 festival. 
 
 2 4 3 < Yive hundred Franks.' — The piratical excursion of the early 
 Scandanavions carried them to the Levant and their descendants.the Nor- 
 mans of Apulia and SicUy, carried on depredations on the Saracens in 
 the same seas. 
 
 2 4 4 < Advanced on foot to him.' — A mark of respect to superior rank 
 and a sign of submission exacted until of late years in many Mussulman 
 countries, from Christian residents. 
 
 2 4 5 < Where's he will make the assault.' — This species of combat by 
 successive duels is well known as prevalent among the ancient Arabs. Mr. 
 Hamilton's translations of Antar have given graphically the customs of 
 the wa rlike tribes while engaged in actual hostiUties. 
 
 2 46 * Enveloped in his armour.' — The words are literally, 'drown- 
 ed in his armour' bearing evident allusion to the garb of the steel-clad 
 crusader, to whom alone such a phrase could be properly applied. 
 
 2 47 < Stumbled with him and fell with him.' — The trick here des- 
 cribed is introduced in the account of an engagement between a Saracea 
 
Xlviii NOTES. 
 
 and a Christian warrior in Boiardo's (Refaciamento da Bemi) Orlando 
 Innamorato in one of the last cantos ; I quote from memory, but think 
 it is the 42d. This combat with all its incidents has been taken by Sir 
 Walter Scott as the model of the skirmish between Saladin and the knight 
 of the Scopard in the novel of * The Crusaders.' It is singular to find 
 romance writers, both of Arabia and Europe, unite in describing the same 
 stratagem ; owing to the different mode of armament and of tactics in the 
 opponents, this manoeuvre was,. it is not unlikely, often put in practice irii 
 actual warfare. 
 

 
 mttata* 
 
 30 . . 
 
 Une 
 
 17 . . 
 
 for 
 
 lea's read, lies. 
 
 — . 
 
 
 18 . 
 
 
 fail read, foil. 
 
 43 . . 
 
 
 12 . 
 
 
 thee read, the tree. 
 
 46 . 
 
 
 15 . 
 
 
 but read, boot. 
 
 48 . . 
 
 
 6 . . 
 
 
 his read, her. 
 
 59 . 
 
 
 9 . 
 
 
 wastefulness read, watchfulness 
 
 64 . . 
 
 
 21 , . 
 
 
 wasted read, roasted. 
 
 65 . 
 
 
 17. 
 
 
 there read, then. 
 
 67 . . 
 
 
 32 . . 
 
 
 this read, his. 
 
 75 . 
 
 
 20 . 
 
 
 kazee read, qazee (et passim.) 
 
 81 . . 
 
 
 28 . 
 
 
 my read, thy. 
 
 91 . 
 
 
 27 . 
 
 
 a2)pease read, appear. 
 
 100 . . 
 
 
 32 . 
 
 
 fai' and fleet read, for our feet. 
 
 110 . 
 
 
 4 . 
 
 
 Sblees read, Iblees. 
 
 116 . . 
 
 
 13 . 
 
 
 strikes read, strokes. 
 
 123 . 
 
 
 2. 
 
 
 and our read, on our. 
 
 124 . 
 
 
 35 . 
 
 
 thou read, those. 
 
 125 . 
 
 18 *& 20 . 
 
 
 furmeaty read, furmenty. 
 
 141 . 
 
 
 12 . 
 
 
 fukcers read, fuqeers. 
 
 146 . 
 
 
 5 . 
 
 
 the read, thy. 
 
 151 . 
 
 14 & 
 
 15 . 
 
 
 Ghurgel read, Ghugul. 
 
 155 . 
 
 
 25 . 
 
 
 berzoin read, benzoin. 
 
 
 
 
 28 . 
 
 
 in read, is. 
 
 158 .' 
 
 
 5 . 
 
 
 our read, own. 
 
 159 . 
 
 
 31 . 
 
 
 chose read, choose. 
 
 163 . 
 
 
 11 . 
 
 
 flies read, plies. 
 
 — . 
 
 
 29 . 
 
 
 jutting read, jutting. 
 
 165 . 
 
 
 30. 
 
 
 incease read, increase. 
 
 167 . 
 
 
 6 . 
 
 
 my read, any. 
 
 168 . 
 
 
 33. 
 
 
 Juleiman read, Sooleiman, 
 
 171 . 
 
 
 5 . 
 
 
 even read, ever. 
 
 172 . 
 
 
 20. 
 
 
 ordainance read, ordinance. 
 
 172 . 
 
 
 28 . 
 
 
 in the read, in. 
 
 173 . 
 
 
 7. 
 
 
 so read, is. 
 
 175 . 
 
 
 1 . 
 
 
 getest read, gettest. 
 
 182 . 
 
 
 34. 
 
 
 sister read, sisters. 
 
 184 . 
 
 
 6 . 
 
 
 shiningly read, shining by. 
 
 , 
 
 
 7. 
 
 
 pain read, pawn. 
 
 186 . 
 
 
 21 . 
 
 
 temple read, temples. 
 
 , 
 
 
 33 . 
 
 
 striken read, stricken. 
 
 189 .. 
 
 , 
 
 10 . 
 
 , 
 
 honoured read, horn mad. 
 
e 194 . . 
 
 line 
 
 25 . 
 
 for that read, but that. 
 
 196 . . 
 
 
 5 . 
 
 . . hearVs won read, heart wonff. 
 
 201 . 
 
 
 7. 
 
 . that read, as. 
 
 202 . . 
 
 
 4 . 
 
 . . age read, aye. 
 
 211 . 
 
 
 7. 
 
 . lives read, loves. 
 
 221 . . 
 
 
 25 . 
 
 , . thee read, the. 
 
 224 . 
 
 
 17. 
 
 . wounded read, rounded. 
 
 229 . . 
 
 
 6 . 
 
 . . twisted read, untwisted. 
 
 — . 
 
 
 18 . 
 
 . of the mighty read, the mighty. 
 
 231 . . 
 
 
 25 . 
 
 . . so read is, and for in the same 
 read, in the same maoiier. 
 
 237 . 
 
 
 26. 
 
 . was read, as. 
 
 238 . . 
 
 
 18 . 
 
 . . Buke read, Bukur. 
 
 254 . 
 
 
 1 . 
 
 , strange read, stranger. 
 
 256 . . 
 
 
 3 . 
 
 . . whenever read, wherever. 
 
 — . 
 
 
 22. 
 
 . mirky read, murky. 
 
 258 . . 
 
 
 20 . 
 
 there read, sheer. 
 
 259 . 
 
 
 26. 
 
 . slave read, dead. 
 
 267 . . 
 
 
 11 . 
 
 . , there read, throes. 
 
 274 . 
 
 
 5 . 
 
 . confit read, confect. 
 
 277 . . 
 
 
 34 . 
 
 . fulnimate read, fulminate. 
 
 278 . 
 
 
 17 . 
 
 . not now read, now. 
 
 285 . . 
 
 
 35 . 
 
 , . Zoobeiduk read, Zoobeiduh 
 (et passim.) 
 
 296 . 
 
 
 30 . 
 
 . so read. is. 
 
 303 , , 
 
 
 9 . , 
 
 . know read, us. 
 
 308 . 
 
 
 25 . 
 
 . Bugboog read, Buqbooq. 
 
 — . . 
 
 
 26 . . 
 
 . Fageeg read, Fuqeeq. 
 
 — . 
 
 
 29 . 
 
 . Shugashig read, Shuqashiq. 
 
 311 . . 
 
 
 27 . . 
 
 . trusty read, hasty. 
 
 313 . 
 
 
 31 . 
 
 . W'Krushut read, U'Krushuh. 
 
 314 . . 
 
 
 10 . 
 
 . . dance read, dawn. 
 
 316 . . • 
 
 
 30 . . 
 
 . Moo^uzzinis read, Moo'uzzins. 
 
 320 . . 
 
 19 & 20 . . 
 
 . Mustuusir read, Mustunsir. 
 
 
 
 — . 
 
 . Bullah read, Billah. 
 
 321 '. . 
 
 
 6 . . 
 
 . (Idem.) 
 
 328 . 
 
 
 1 . 
 
 . Bukbakak read, Buqbooq. 
 
 332 . . 
 
 
 30 . . 
 
 , Fukeek read, Fuqeeq. 
 
 344 . 
 
 
 14. 
 
 . Soobhar read, Soobhan. 
 
 357 . . 
 
 
 33 . . 
 
 . Juleis read, Julees (et passim.) 
 
 358 . 
 
 
 4 . 
 
 . famed read, formed. 
 
 — . . 
 
 
 15 . . 
 
 . Khagan read, Khaqan (et passim.) 
 
 — . 
 
 
 23 . 
 
 . to noble read, to the noble. 
 
 360 . . 
 
 
 11 . , 
 
 . dranken read, drunken. 
 
 368 . 
 
 
 32. 
 
 . not read, it at. 
 
 369 . . 
 
 
 15 . . 
 
 . give read, gave. 
 
 372 . 
 
 
 21 . 
 
 . fate read, face. 
 
 380 . . 
 
 
 9 . . 
 
 . this read, his. 
 
 382 . 
 
 
 14 . 
 
 . Jshag read, Isshaq. 
 
 384 . . 
 
 
 9 . . 
 
 . birds read, buds. 
 
 388 . 
 
 
 21 . 
 
 . Burumkkee read, Burmukkee. 
 
 391 . . 
 
 
 33 . . 
 
 . Jjhag read, Isshaq. 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 Ill 
 
 Page 393 . . line 23 . 
 
 . for served read, sewed. 
 
 398 . . 
 
 . 4 . 
 
 . . Kureem read, (Kureem.) 
 
 — . , 
 
 . 35 . 
 
 . son read, sire. 
 
 399 . . 
 
 . 14 . 
 
 . . rained read, raged. 
 
 406 . 
 
 . 17 . 
 
 . rase read, ease. 
 
 409 . . 
 
 . 31 . 
 
 . yin read, yum. 
 
 419 . 
 
 34. 
 
 . that year read, in that year. 
 
 421 , . 
 
 2 . 
 
 . bound read, bunied. 
 
 422 . 
 
 25 . 
 
 . he read, ye. 
 
 — . . 
 
 35 . . 
 
 . enthualled read, enthralled. 
 
 432 . 
 
 33. 
 
 . Bin read. Ban (et passim.) 
 
 445 . . 
 
 27 . . 
 
 . Shurkun read, Shurkan (et passim .) 
 
 455 . 
 
 26 . 
 
 . with rare read, with the rare. 
 
 456 . . 
 
 7 . 
 
 . He read. She. 
 
 466 . 
 
 26 . 
 
 . wim read, wons. 
 
 473 . . 
 
 1 . . 
 
 . Izzuk read, Igzuh. 
 
 476 . 30 
 
 & 31 . 
 
 . Masoorut read, Massoorah 
 (et passim.) 
 
 Note 3 . .for 
 
 Barbacos re 
 
 ad, ^ag /3agos. 
 
 10 . . 2 
 
 \looullegdt 
 
 read, Moonlleqat. 
 
 30 . . . : 
 
 rhe haivkin 
 
 g antelope read, hawking the antelope. 
 
 47 . . 
 
 one, to jjers 
 
 on, omit. 
 
 48 . 
 
 Za'ah read, 
 
 Qa'ah. 
 
 62 . . J 
 
 CummukJcei 
 
 ' read, Burmukkee. 
 
 69 . .J 
 
 '^rannee reac 
 
 1, Soonnee. 
 
 89 . . J 
 
 loram read 
 
 , Morum. 
 
 102 . . I 
 
 Umdmuk re 
 
 ad, Umamuh, ^ 
 
 116 . . t 
 
 oportica ret 
 
 id, topoetica. 
 
 — . . - 
 
 Bisabut reac 
 
 J, Risabut. 
 
 125 . . J 
 
 Vou-db read 
 
 , Naib, i. e. Nuwab. 
 
 138 , . Ort holing read, Orthobms. 
 
 143 . . 2 
 
 ^oobeiduk r 
 
 3ad, Zoobeiduh. 
 
 153 . . 1 
 
 iuneefat re 
 
 ad, Huneefuh. 
 
 156 . . 1 
 
 Chuthuk re£ 
 
 id, Khutbuh. 
 
 179 . . c 
 
 mit the wo 
 
 rds * inconvenient, but here it is.* 
 
 182 . . 2 
 
 ^oork read, 
 
 Tukrooree. 
 
 "We are very sorry that so long a list of errors should appear at the 
 end of this volume ; but the absence, from Calcutta, of the Translator, 
 and the difficulty of decyphering much of the ' copy ' or manuscript, 
 added to the ignorance of native compositors, and other causes, render 
 the multitude of mistakes rather a matter of regret than wonder. 
 
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