The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 3

R >> Richard F. Burton >> The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 3

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32

And when he had ended his reciting he swooned away and did not
recover his senses till the morning, at which time there came to
him one of his father's eunuchs and, standing at his head,
summoned him to the King's presence. So he went with him and his
father, seeing that his pallor had increased, exhorted him to
patience and promised him union with her he loved. Then he
equipped Aziz and the Wazir and supplied them with presents; and
they set out and fared on day and night till they drew near the
Isles of Camphor, where they halted on the banks of a stream, and
the Minister despatched a messenger to acquaint the King of his
arrival. The messenger hurried forwards and had not been gone
more than an hour, before they saw the King's Chamberlains and
Emirs advancing towards them, to meet them at a parasang's
distance from the city and escort them into the royal presence.
They laid their gifts before the King and became his guests for
three days. And on the fourth day the Wazir rose and going in to
the King, stood between his hands and acquainted him with the
object which induced his visit; whereat he was perplexed for an
answer inasmuch as his daughter misliked men and disliked
marriage. So he bowed his head groundwards awhile, then raised
it and calling one of his eunuchs, said to him, "Go to thy
mistress, the Lady Dunya, and repeat to her what thou hast heard
and the purport of this Wazir's coming." So the eunuch went forth
and returning after a time, said to the King, "O King of the Age,
when I went in to the Lady Dunya and told her what I had heard,
she was wroth with exceeding wrath and rose at me with a staff
designing to break my head; so I fled from her, and she said to
me 'If my Father force me to wed him, whomsoever I wed I will
slay.' Then said her sire to the Wazir and Aziz, "Ye have heard,
and now ye know all! So let your King wot of it and give him my
salutations and say that my daughter misliketh men and disliketh
marriage."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.

When it was the One Hundred and Thirty-first Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King
Shahriman thus addressed the Wazir and Aziz, "Salute your King
from me and inform him of what ye have heard, namely that my
daughter misliketh marriage." So they turned away unsuccessful
and ceased not faring on till they rejoined the King and told him
what had passed; whereupon he commanded the chief officers to
summon the troops and get them ready for marching and
campaigning. But the Wazir said to him, "O my liege Lord, do not
thus: the King is not at fault because, when his daughter learnt
our business, she sent a message saying, 'If my father force me
to wed, whomsoever I wed I will slay and myself after him.' So
the refusal cometh from her." When the King heard his Minister's
words he feared for Taj al-Muluk and said, "Verily if I make war
on the King of the Camphor Islands and carry off his daughter,
she will kill herself and it will avail me naught." Then he told
his son how the case stood, who hearing it said, "O my father, I
cannot live without her; so I will go to her and contrive to get
at her, even though I die in the attempt, and this only will I do
and nothing else." Asked his father, "How wilt thou go to her?"
and he answered, "I will go in the guise of a merchant."[FN#11]
Then said the King, "If thou need must go and there is no help
for it, take with thee the Wazir and Aziz." Then he brought out
money from his treasuries and made ready for his son merchandise
to the value of an hundred thousand dinars. The two had settled
upon this action; and when the dark hours came Taj al-Muluk and
Aziz went to Aziz's lodgings and there passed that night, and the
Prince was heart smitten, taking no pleasure in food or in sleep;
for melancholy was heavy upon him and he was agitated with
longing for his beloved. So he besought the Creator that he
would vouch safe to unite him with her and he wept and groaned
and wailed and began versifying,

"Union, this severance ended, shall I see some day? * Then shall
my tears this love lorn lot of me portray.
While night all care forgets I only minded thee, * And thou didst
gar me wake while all forgetful lay."

And when his improvising came to an end, he wept with sore
weeping and Aziz wept with him, for that he remembered his
cousin; and they both ceased not to shed tears till morning
dawned, whereupon Taj al-Muluk rose and went to farewell his
mother, in travelling dress. She asked him of his case and he
repeated the story to her; so she gave him fifty thousand gold
pieces and bade him adieu; and, as he fared forth, she put up
prayers for his safety and for his union with his lover and his
friends. Then he betook himself to his father and asked his
leave to depart. The King granted him permission and, presenting
him with other fifty thousand dinars, bade set up a tent for him
without the city and they pitched a pavilion wherein the
travellers abode two days. Then all set out on their journey.
Now Taj al-Muluk delighted in the company of Aziz and said to
him, "O my brother, henceforth I can never part from thee."
Replied Aziz, "And I am of like mind and fain would I die under
thy feet: but, O my brother, my heart is concerned for my
mother." "When we shall have won our wish," said the Prince,
"there will be naught save what is well!" Now the Wazir continued
charging Taj al-Muluk to be patient, whilst Aziz entertained him
every evening with talk and recited poetry to him and diverted
him with histories and anecdotes. And so they fared on
diligently night and day for two whole months, till the way
became tedious to Taj al-Muluk and the fire of desire redoubled
on him; and he broke out,

"The road is lonesome; grow my grief and need, * While on my
breast love fires for ever feed:
Goal of my hopes, sole object of my wish! * By him who moulded
man from drop o' seed,
I bear such loads of longing for thy love, * Dearest, as weight
of al Shumm Mounts exceed:
O 'Lady of my World'[FN#12] Love does me die; * No breath of life
is left for life to plead;
But for the union hope that lends me strength, * My weary limbs
were weak this way to speed."

When he had finished his verses, he wept (and Aziz wept with him)
from a wounded heart, till the Minister was moved to pity by
their tears and said, "O my lord, be of good cheer and keep thine
eyes clear of tears; there will be naught save what is well!"
Quoth Taj al-Muluk, "O Wazir, indeed I am weary of the length of
the way. Tell me how far we are yet distant from the city."
Quoth Aziz, "But a little way remaineth to us." Then they
continued their journey, cutting across river vales and plains,
words and stony wastes, till one night, as Taj al-Muluk was
sleeping, he dreamt that his beloved was with him and that he
embraced her and pressed her to his bosom; and he awoke
quivering, shivering with pain, delirious with emotion, and
improvised these verses,

"Dear friend, my tears aye flow these cheeks adown, *
With longsome pain and pine, my sorrow's crown:
I plain like keening woman child bereft, *
And as night falls like widow dove I groan:
An blow the breeze from land where thou cost wone, *
I find o'er sunburnt earth sweet coolness blown.
Peace be wi' thee, my love, while zephyr breathes, *
And cushat flies and turtle makes her moan."

And when he had ended his versifying, the Wazir came to him and
said, "Rejoice; this is a good sign: so be of good cheer and keep
thine eyes cool and clear, for thou shalt surely compass thy
desire." And Aziz also came to him and exhorted him to patience
and applied himself to divert him, talking with him and telling
him tales. So they pressed on, marching day and night, other two
months, till there appeared to them one day at sunrise some white
thing in the distance and Taj al-Muluk said to Aziz, "What is
yonder whiteness?" He replied, "O my lord! yonder is the Castle
of Crystal and that is the city thou seekest." At this the Prince
rejoiced, and they ceased not faring forwards till they drew near
the city and, as they approached it, Taj al-Muluk joyed with
exceeding joy, and his care ceased from him. They entered in
trader guise, the King's son being habited as a merchant of
importance; and repaired to a great Khan, known as the Merchants'
Lodging. Quoth Taj al-Muluk to Aziz, "Is this the resort of the
merchants?"; and quoth he, "Yes; 'tis the Khan wherein I lodged
before." So they alighted there and making their baggage camels
kneel, unloaded them and stored their goods in the
warehouses.[FN#13] They abode four days for rest; when the Wazir
advised that they should hire a large house. To this they
assented and they found them a spacious house, fitted up for
festivities, where they took up their abode, and the Wazir and
Aziz studied to devise some device for Taj al-Muluk, who remained
in a state of perplexity, knowing not what to do. Now the
Minister could think of nothing but that he should set up as a
merchant on 'Change and in the market of fine stuffs; so he
turned to the Prince and his companion and said to them, "Know ye
that if we tarry here on this wise, assuredly we shall not win
our wish nor attain our aim; but a something occurred to me
whereby (if Allah please!) we shall find our advantage." Replied
Taj al-Muluk and Aziz, "Do what seemeth good to thee, indeed
there is a blessing on the grey beard; more specially on those
who, like thyself, are conversant with the conduct of affairs: so
tell us what occurreth to thy mind." Rejoined the Wazir "It is my
counsel that we hire thee a shop in the stuff bazar, where thou
mayst sit to sell and buy. Every one, great and small, hath need
of silken stuffs and other cloths; so if thou patiently abide in
thy shop, thine affairs will prosper, Inshallah! more by token
as thou art comely of aspect. Make, however, Aziz thy factor and
set him within the shop, to hand thee the pieces of cloth and
stuffs." When Taj al-Muluk heard these words, he said, 'This rede
is right and a right pleasant recking." So he took out a handsome
suit of merchant's weed, and, putting it on, set out for the
bazar, followed by his servants, to one of whom he had given a
thousand dinars, wherewith to fit up the shop. They ceased not
walking till they came to the stuff market, and when the
merchants saw Taj al-Muluk's beauty and grace, they were
confounded and went about saying, "Of a truth Rizwan[FN#14] hath
opened the gates of Paradise and left them unguarded, so that
this youth of passing comeliness hath come forth." And others,
"Peradventure this is one of the angels." Now when they went in
among the traders they asked for the shop of the Overseer of the
market and the merchants directed them thereto. So they delayed
not to repair thither and to salute him, and he and those who
were with him rose to them and seated them and made much of them,
because of the Wazir, whom they saw to be a man in years and of
reverend aspect; and viewing the youths Aziz and Taj al-Muluk in
his company, they said to one another, "Doubtless our Shaykh is
the father of these two youths." Then quoth the Wazir, "Who among
you is the Overseer of the market?" "This is he," replied they;
and behold, he came forward and the Wazir observed him narrowly
and saw him to be an old man of grave and dignified carriage,
with eunuchs and servants and black slaves. The Syndic greeted
them with the greeting of friends and was lavish in his
attentions to them: then he seated them by his side and asked
them, "Have ye any business which we[FN#15] may have the
happiness of transacting?" The Minister answered, "Yes; I am an
old man, stricken in years, and have with me these two youths,
with whom I have travelled through every town and country,
entering no great city without tarrying there a full year, that
they might take their pleasure in viewing it and come to know its
citizens. Now I have visited your town intending to sojourn here
for a while; so I want of thee a handsome shop in the best
situation, wherein I may establish them, that they may traffic
and learn to buy and sell and give and take, whilst they divert
themselves with the sight of the place, and be come familiar with
the usages of its people." Quoth the Overseer, "There is no harm
in that;" and, looking at the two youths, he was delighted with
them and affected them with a warm affection. Now he was a great
connoisseur of bewitching glances, preferring the love of boys to
that of girls and inclining to the sour rather than the sweet of
love. So he said to himself, "This, indeed, is fine game. Glory
be to Him who created and fashioned them out of vile
water!"[FN#16] and rising stood before them like a servant to do
them honour. Then he went out and made ready for them a shop
which was in the very midst of the Exchange; nor was there any
larger or better in the bazar, for it was spacious and handsomely
decorated and fitted with shelves of ivory and ebony wood. After
this he delivered the keys to the Wazir, who was dressed as an
old merchant, saying, "Take them, O my lord, and Allah make it a
blessed abiding place to thy two sons!" The Minister took the
keys and the three returning to the Khan where they had alighted,
bade the servants transport to the shop all their goods and
stuffs.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.

When it was the One Hundred and Thirty-second Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Wazir took the shop keys, he went accompanied by Taj al-Muluk and
Aziz to the Khan, and they bade the servants transport to the
shop all their goods and stuffs and valuables of which they had
great store worth treasures of money. And when all this was duly
done, they went to the shop and ordered their stock in trade and
slept there that night. As soon as morning morrowed the Wazir
took the two young men to the Hammam bath where they washed them
clean; and they donned rich dresses and scented themselves with
essences and enjoyed themselves to the utmost. Now each of the
youths was passing fair to look upon, and in the bath they were
even as saith the poet,

"Luck to the Rubber, whose deft hand o'erdies *
A frame begotten twixt the lymph and light:[FN#17]
He shows the thaumaturgy of his craft, *
And gathers musk in form of camphor dight."[FN#18]

After bathing they left; and, when the Overseer heard that they
had gone to the Hammam, he sat down to await the twain, and
presently they came up to him like two gazelles; their cheeks
were reddened by the bath and their eyes were darker than ever;
their faces shone and they were as two lustrous moons or two
branches fruit laden. Now when he saw them he rose forthright
and said to them, "O my sons, may your bath profit you
always!"[FN#19] Where upon Taj al-Muluk replied, with the
sweetest of speech, "Allah be bountiful to thee, O my father; why
didst thou not come with us and bathe in our company?" Then they
both bent over his right hand and kissed it and walked before him
to the shop, to entreat him honourably and show their respect for
him, for that he was Chief of the Merchants and the market, and
he had done them kindness in giving them the shop. When he saw
their hips quivering as they moved, desire and longing redoubled
on him; and he puffed and snorted and he devoured them with his
eyes, for he could not contain himself, repeating the while these
two couplets,

"Here the heart reads a chapter of devotion pure; *
Nor reads dispute if Heaven in worship partner take:
No wonder 'tis he trembles walking 'neath such weight! *
How much of movement that revolving sphere must
make.[FN#20]"

Furthermore he said,

"I saw two charmers treading humble earth. *
Two I must love an tread they on mine eyes."

When they heard this, they conjured him to enter the bath with
them a second time. He could hardly believe his ears and
hastening thither, went in with them. The Wazir had not yet left
the bath; so when he heard of the Overseer's coming, he came out
and meeting him in the middle of the bath hall invited him to
enter. He refused, whereupon Taj al-Muluk taking him by the hand
walked on one side and Aziz by the other, and carried him into a
cabinet; and that impure old man submitted to them, whilst his
emotion increased on him. He would have refused, albeit this was
what he desired; but the Minister said to him, "They are thy
sons; let them wash thee and cleanse thee." "Allah preserve them
to thee!" exclaimed the Overseer, "By Allah your coming and the
coming of those with you bring down blessing and good luck upon
our city!" And he repeated these two couplets,

"Thou camest and green grew the hills anew; *
And sweetest bloom to the bridegroom threw,
While aloud cried Earth and her earth-borns too *
'Hail and welcome who comest with grace to endue.'"

They thanked him for this, and Taj al-Muluk ceased not to wash
him and to pour water over him and he thought his soul in
Paradise. When they had made an end of his service, he blessed
them and sat by the side of the Wazir, talking but gazing the
while on the youths. Presently, the servants brought them
towels, and they dried themselves and donned their dress. Then
they went out, and the Minister turned to the Syndic and said to
him, "O my lord! verily the bath is the Paradise[FN#21] of this
world." Replied the Overseer, "Allah vouchsafe to thee such
Paradise, and health to thy sons and guard them from the evil
eye! Do ye remember aught that the eloquent have said in praise
of the bath.?" Quoth Taj al-Muluk, "I will repeat for thee a pair
of couplets;" and he recited,

The life of the bath is the joy of man's life,[FN#22] *
Save that time is short for us there to bide:
A Heaven where irksome it were to stay; *
A Hell, delightful at entering-tide."

When he ended his recital, quoth Aziz, "And I also remember two
couplets in praise of the bath." The Overseer said, "Let me hear
them," so he repeated the following,

"A house where flowers from stones of granite grow, *
Seen at its best when hot with living lows:
Thou deem'st it Hell but here, forsooth, is Heaven, *
And some like suns and moons within it show."

And when he had ended his recital, his verses pleased the
Overseer and he wondered at his words and savoured their grace
and fecundity and said to them, "By Allah, ye possess both beauty
and eloquence. But now listen to me, you twain!" And he began
chanting, and recited in song the following verses,

"O joy of Hell and Heaven! whose tormentry *
Enquickens frame and soul with lively gree:
I marvel so delightsome house to view, *
And most when 'neath it kindled fires I see:
Sojourn of bliss to visitors, withal *
Pools on them pour down tears unceasingly."

Then his eye-sight roamed and browsed on the gardens of their
beauty and he repeated these two couplets,

"I went to the house of the keeper-man; *
He was out, but others to smile began:
I entered his Heaven[FN#23] and then his Hell;[FN#24] *
And I said 'Bless Malik[FN#25] and bless Rizwan.' "[FN#26]

When they heard these verses they were charmed, and the Over seer
invited them to his house; but they declined and returned to
their own place, to rest from the great heat of the bath. So
they took their ease there and ate and drank and passed that
night in perfect solace and satisfaction, till morning dawned,
when they arose from sleep and making their lesser ablution,
prayed the dawn- prayer and drank the morning draught.[FN#27] As
soon as the sun had risen and the shops and markets opened, they
arose and going forth from their place to the bazar opened their
shop, which their servants had already furnished, after the
handsomest fashion, and had spread with prayer rugs and silken
carpets and had placed on the divans a pair of mattresses, each
worth an hundred dinars. On every mattress they had disposed a
rug of skin fit for a King and edged with a fringe of gold; and
a-middlemost the shop stood a third seat still richer, even as
the place required. Then Taj al-Muluk sat down on one divan, and
Aziz on another, whilst the Wazir seated himself on that in the
centre, and the servants stood before them. The city people soon
heard of them and crowded about them, so that they sold some of
their goods and not a few of their stuffs; for Taj al-Muluk's
beauty and loveliness had become the talk of the town. Thus they
passed a trifle of time, and every day the people flocked to them
and pressed upon them more and more, till the Wazir, after
exhorting Taj al-Muluk to keep his secret, commended him to the
care of Aziz and went home, that he might commune with himself
alone and cast about for some contrivance which might profit
them. Meanwhile, the two young men sat talking and Taj al-Muluk
said to Aziz, "Haply some one will come from the Lady Dunya." So
he ceased not expecting this chance days and nights, but his
heart was troubled and he knew neither sleep nor rest; for desire
had got the mastery of him, and love and longing were sore upon
him, so that he renounced the solace of sleep and abstained from
meat and drink; yet ceased he not to be like the moon on the
night of fullness. Now one day as he sat in the shop, behold,
there came up an ancient woman.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the One Hundred and Thirty-third Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir
Dandan continued to Zau al-Makan: Now one day as Taj al-Muluk sat
in his shop, behold, there appeared an ancient woman, who came up
to him followed by two slave girls. She ceased not advancing
till she stood before the shop of Taj al-Muluk and, observing his
symmetry and beauty and loveliness, marvelled at his charms and
sweated in her petticoat trousers, exclaiming, "Glory to Him who
created thee out of vile water, and made thee a temptation to all
beholders!" And she fixed her eyes on him and said, "This is not
a mortal, he is none other than an angel deserving the highest
respect."[FN#28] Then she drew near and saluted him, whereupon he
returned her salute and rose to his feet to receive her and
smiled in her face (all this by a hint from Aziz); after which he
made her sit down by his side and fanned her with a fan, till she
was rested and refreshed. Then she turned to Taj al-Muluk and
said, "O my son! O thou who art perfect in bodily gifts and
spiritual graces; say me, art thou of this country?" He replied,
in voice the sweetest and in tone the pleasantest, "By Allah, O
my mistress, I was never in this land during my life till this
time, nor do I abide here save by way of diversion." Rejoined
she, "May the Granter grant thee all honour and prosperity! And
what stuffs hast thou brought with thee? Show me something
passing fine; for the beauteous should bring nothing but what is
beautiful." When he heard her words, his heart fluttered and he
knew not their inner meaning; but Aziz made a sign to him and he
replied, "I have everything thou canst desire and especially I
have goods that besit none but Kings and King's daughters; so
tell me what stuff thou wantest and for whom, that I may show
thee what will be fitting for him." This he said, that he might
learn the meaning of her words; and she rejoined, "I want a stuff
fit for the Princess Dunya, daughter of King Shahriman." Now when
the Prince heard the name of his beloved, he joyed with great joy
and said to Aziz, "Give me such a parcel." So Aziz brought it and
opened it before Taj al-Muluk who said to the old woman, "Select
what will suit her; for these goods are to be found only with
me." She chose stuffs worth a thousand dinars and asked, "How
much is this?"; and she ceased not the while to talk with him and
rub what was inside her thighs with the palm of her hand.
Answered Taj al-Muluk, "Shall I haggle with the like of thee
about this paltry price? Praised be Allah who hath acquainted me
with thee!" The old woman rejoined, "Allah's name be upon thee!
I commend thy beautiful face to the protection of the Lord of the
Daybreak.[FN#29] Beautiful face and eloquent speech! Happy she
who lieth in thy bosom and claspeth thy waist in her arms and
enjoyeth thy youth, especially if she be beautiful and lovely
like thyself!" At this, Taj al-Muluk laughed till he fell on his
back and said to himself, "O Thou who fulfillest desires human by
means of pimping old women! They are the true fulfillers of
desires!" Then she asked, "O my son, what is thy name?" and he
answered, "My name is Taj al-Muluk, the Crown of Kings." Quoth
she, "This is indeed a name of Kings and King's sons and thou art
clad in merchant's clothes." Quoth Aziz, "for the love his
parents and family bore him and for the value they set on him,
they named him thus." Replied the old woman, "Thou sayest sooth,
Allah guard you both from the evil eye and the envious, though
hearts be broken by your charms!" Then she took the stuffs and
went her way; but she was amazed at his beauty and stature and
symmetry, and she ceased not going till she found the Lady Dunya
and said to her, "O my mistress! I have brought thee some
handsome stuffs." Quoth the Princess, "Show me that same"; and
the old woman, "O apple of my eye, here it is, turn it over and
examine it." Now when the Princess looked at it she was amazed
and said, "O my nurse, this is indeed handsome stuff: I have
never seen its like in our city." "O my lady," replied the old
nurse, "he who sold it me is handsomer still. It would seem as
if Rizwan had left the gates of Paradise open in his
carelessness, and as if the youth who sold me this stuff had come
bodily out of Heaven. I would he might sleep this night with
thee and might lie between thy breasts.[FN#30] He hath come to
thy city with these precious stuffs for amusement's sake, and he
is a temptation to all who set eyes on him." The Princess laughed
at her words and said, "Allah afflict thee, O pernicious old hag!
Thou dotest and there is no sense left in thee." Presently, she
resumed, "Give me the stuff that I may look at it anew." So she
gave it her and she took it again and saw that its size was small
and its value great. It pleased her, for she had never in her
life seen its like, and she exclaimed, "By Allah, this is a
handsome stuff!" Answered the old woman, "O my lady, by Allah!
if thou sawest its owner thou wouldst know him for the handsomest
man on the face of the earth." Quoth the Lady Dunya, "Didst thou
ask him if he had any need, that he might tell us and we might
satisfy it?" But the nurse shook her head and said, "The Lord
keep thy sagacity! By Allah, he hath a want, may thy skill not
fail thee. What! is any man free from wants?" Rejoined the
Princess, "Go back to him and salute him and say to him, 'Our
land and town are honoured by thy visit and, if thou have any
need, we will fulfil it to thee, on our head and eyes.' " So the
old woman at once returned to Taj al-Muluk, and when he saw her
his heart jumped for joy and gladness and he rose to his feet
before her and, taking her hand, seated her by his side. As soon
as she was rested, she told him what Princess Dunya had said; and
he on hearing it joyed with exceeding joy; his breast dilated to
the full; gladness entered his heart and he said to himself,
"Verily, I have my need." Then he asked the old woman, "Haply
thou wilt take her a message from me and bring me her answer?";
and she answered, "I hear and I obey." So he said to Aziz, "Bring
me ink-case and paper and a brazen pen." And when Aziz brought
him what he sought, he hent the pen in hand and wrote these lines
of poetry,

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32