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

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"Chide not the mourner for bemourning woe; *
Enough is yearning every Ill to show:
He weeps for stress of sorrow and of pain, *
And these to thee best evidence his lowe:
Happy![FN#323] of whom Love sickness swore that ne'er *
Should cease his eye lids loving tears to flow:
He mourns the loss of fairest, fullest Moon, *
Shining o'er all his peers in glorious glow:
But death made drink a brimming cup, what day *
He fared from natal country fain to go:
His home left he and went from us to grief; *
Nor to his brethren could he say adieu:
Yea, his loss wounded me with parting pangs, *
And separation cost me many a throe:
He fared farewelling, as he fared, our eyes; *
Whenas his Lord vouch-safed him Paradise."

And when King Shahriman had ended his verses, he returned with
the troops to his capital,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Twelfth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King
Shahriman had ended his verses, he returned with the troops to
his capital, giving up his son for lost, and deeming that wild
beasts or banditti had set upon him and torn him to pieces; and
made proclamation that all in the Khalidan Islands should don
black in mourning for him. Moreover, he built, in his memory, a
pavilion, naming it House of Lamentations; and on Mondays and
Thursdays he devoted himself to the business of the state and
ordering the affairs of his levies and lieges; and the rest of
the week he was wont to spend in the House of Lamentations,
mourning for his son and bewailing him with elegiac
verses,[FN#324] of which the following are some:--

"My day of bliss is that when thou appearest; *
My day of bale[FN#325] is that whereon thou farest:
Though through the night I quake in dread of death; *
Union wi' thee is of all bliss the dearest."

And again he said,

"My soul be sacrifice for one, whose going *
Afflicted hearts with sufferings sore and dread:
Let joy her widowed term[FN#326] fulfil, for I *
Divorced joy with the divorce thrice-said."[FN#327]

Such was the case with King Shahriman; but as regards Queen Budur
daughter of King Ghayur, she abode as ruler in the Ebony Islands,
whilst the folk would point to her with their fingers, and say,
"Yonder is the son-in-law of King Armanus." And every night she
lay with Hayat al-Nufus, to whom she lamented her desolate state
and longing for her husband Kamar al-Zaman; weeping and
describing to her his beauty and loveliness, and yearning to
enjoy him though but in a dream: And at times she would repeat,

"Well Allah wots that since my severance from thee, *
I wept till forced to borrow tears at usury:
'Patience!' my blamer cried, 'Heartsease right soon shalt see!' *
Quoth I, 'Say, blamer, where may home of Patience be?'"

This is how it fared with Queen Budur; but as regards Kamar al-
Zaman, he abode with the gardener in the garden for no short
time, weeping night and day and repeating verses bewailing the
past time of enjoyment and delight; whilst the gardener kept
comforting him and assuring him that the ship would set sail for
the land of the Moslems at the end of the year. And in this
condition he continued till one day he saw the folk crowding
together and wondered at this; but the gardener came in to him
and said, "O my son, give over work for this day nor lead water
to the trees; for it is a festival day, whereon folk visit one
another. So take thy rest and only keep shine eye on the garden,
whilst I go look after the ship for thee; for yet but a little
while and I send thee to the land of the Moslems." Upon this, he
went forth from the garden leaving to himself Kamar al-Zaman, who
fell to musing upon his case till his heart was like to break and
the tears streamed from his eyes. So he wept with excessive
weeping till he swooned away and, when he recovered, he rose and
walked about the garden, pondering what Time had done with him
and bewailing the long endurance of his estrangement and
separation from those he loved. As he was thus absorbed in
melancholy thought, his foot stumbled and he fell on his face,
his forehead striking against the projecting root of a tree; and
the blow cut it open and his blood ran down and mingled with his
tears Then he rose and, wiping away the blood, dried his tears
and bound his brow with a piece of rag; then continued his walk
about the garden engrossed by sad reverie. Presently, he looked
up at a tree and saw two birds quarrelling thereon, and one of
them rose up and smote the other with its beak on the neck and
severed from its body its head, wherewith it flew away, whilst
the slain bird fell to the ground before Kamar al-Zaman. As it
lay, behold, two great birds swooped down upon it alighting, one
at the head and the other at the tail, and both drooped their
wings and bowed their bills over it and, extending their necks
towards it, wept. Kamar al-Zaman also wept when seeing the birds
thus bewail their mate, and called to mind his wife and father,
And Shahrazed perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Thirteenth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al-
Zaman wept and lamented his separation from spouse and sire, when
he beheld those two birds weeping over their mate. Then he looked
at the twain and saw them dig a grave and therein bury the slain
bird; after which they flew away far into the firmament and
disappeared for a while; but presently they returned with the
murtherer-bird and, alighting on the grave of the murthered,
stamped on the slayer till they had done him to death. Then they
rent his belly and tearing out his entrails, poured the blood on
the grave of the slain[FN#328]: moreover, they stripped off his
skin and tare his flesh in pieces and, pulling out the rest of
the bowels, scattered them hither and thither. All this while
Kamar al-Zaman was watching them wonderingly; but presently,
chancing to look at the place where the two birds had slain the
third, he saw therein something gleaming. So he drew near to it
and noted that it was the crop of the dead bird. Whereupon he
took it and opened it and found the talisman which had been the
cause of his separation from his wife. But when he saw it and
knew it, he fell to the ground a-fainting for joy; and, when he
revived, he said, "Praised be Allah! This is a foretaste of good
and a presage of reunion with my beloved." Then he examined the
jewel and passed it over his eyes[FN#329]; after which he bound
it to his forearm, rejoicing in coming weal, and walked about
till nightfall awaiting the gardener's return; and when he came
not, he lay down and slept in his wonted place. At daybreak he
rose to his work and, girding his middle with a cord of palm-
fibre, took hatchet and basket and walked down the length of the
garden, till he came to a carob-tree and struck the axe into its
roots. The blow rang and resounded; so he cleared away the soil
from the place and discovered a trap-door and raised it.--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

When It was the Two Hundred and Fourteenth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Kamar
al-Zaman raised the trap-door, he found a winding stair, which he
descended and came to an ancient vault of the time of Ad and
Thamud,[FN#330] hewn out of the rock. Round the vault stood many
brazen vessels of the bigness of a great oil-jar which he found
full of gleaming red gold: whereupon he said to himself, "Verily
sorrow is gone and solace is come!" Then he mounted from the
souterrain to the garden and, replacing the trap-door as it was
before, busied himself in conducting water to the trees till the
last of the day, when the gardener came back and said to him, "O
my son, rejoice at the good tidings of a speedy return to thy
native land: the merchants are ready equipped for the voyage and
the ship in three days' time will set sail for the City of Ebony,
which is the first of the cities of the Moslems, and after making
it, thou must travel by land a six months' march till thou come
to the Islands of Khalidan, the dominions of King Shahriman." At
this Kamar al-Zaman rejoiced and began repeating,

"Part not from one whose wont is not to part from you; *
Nor with your cruel taunts an innocent mortify:
Another so long parted had ta'en heart from you, *
And had his whole condition changed,--but not so I."

Then he kissed the gardener's hand and said, "O my father, even
as thou hast brought me glad tidings, so I also have great good
news for thee,' and told him anent his discovery of the vault;
whereat the gardener rejoiced and said, "O my son, fourscore
years have I dwelt in this garden and have never hit on aught
whilst thou, who hast not sojourned with me a year, hast
discovered this thing; wherefore it is Heaven's gift to thee,
which shall end thy crosses and aid thee to rejoin thy folk and
foregather with her thou lovest." Quoth Kamar al-Zaman, "There is
no help but it must be shared between me and thee." Then he
carried him to the underground-chamber and showed him the gold,
which was in twenty jars: he took ten and the gardener ten, and
the old man said to him, "O my son, fill thyself leather
bottles[FN#331] with the sparrow-olives[FN#332] which grow in
this garden, for they are not found except in our land; and the
merchants carry them to all parts. Lay the gold in the bottles
and strew it over with olives: then stop them and cover them and
take them with thee in the ship." So Kamar al-Zaman arose without
stay or delay and took fifty leather bottles and stored in each
somewhat of the gold, and closed each one after placing a layer
of olives over the gold; and at the bottom of one of the bottles
he laid the talisman. Then sat he down to talk with the gardener,
confident of speedy reunion with his own people and saying to
himself, "When I come to the Ebony Islands I will journey thence
to my father's country and enquire for my beloved Budur. Would to
Heaven I knew whether she returned to her own land or journeyed
on to my father's country or whether there befel her any accident
by the way." And he began versifying,

"Love in my breast they lit and fared away, *
And far the land wherein my love is pent:
Far lies the camp and those who camp therein; *
Par is her tent-shrine, where I ne'er shall tent.
Patience far deaf me when from me they fled; *
Sleep failed mine eyes, endurance was forspent:
They left and with them left my every joy, *
Wending with them, nor find I peace that went:
They made these eyes roll down love tears in flood, *
And lacking them these eyne with tears are drent.
When my taste spins once again would see them, *
When pine and expectation but augment,
In my heart's core their counterfeits I trace, *
With love and yearning to behold their grace."

Then, while he awaited the end of the term of days, he told the
gardener the tale of the birds and what had passed between them;
whereat the hearer wondered; and they both lay down and slept
till the morning. The gardener awoke sick and abode thus two
days; but on the third day, his sickness increased on him, till
they despaired of his life and Kamar al-Zaman grieved with sore
grief for him. Meanwhile behold, the Master and his crew came and
enquired for the gardener; and, when Kamar al-Zaman told them
that he was sick, they asked, "Where be the youth who is minded
to go with us to the Ebony Islands?" "He is your servent and he
standeth before you!" answered the Prince and bade them carry the
bottles of olives to the ship; so they transported them, saying,
"Make haste, thou, for the wind is fair;" and he replied, "I hear
and obey." Then he carried his provaunt on board and, returning
to bid the gardener farewell, found him in the agonies of death;
so he sat down at his head and closed his eyes, and his soul
departed his body; whereupon he laid him out and committed him to
the earth unto the mercy of Allah Almighty. Then he made for the
ship but found that she had already weighed anchor and set sail;
nor did she cease to cleave the seas till she disappeared from
his sight. So he went back to whence he came heavy-hearted with
whirling head; and neither would he address a soul nor return a
reply; and reaching the garden and sitting down in cark and care
he threw dust on his head and buffeted his cheeks.--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Fifteenth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
ship sped on her course, Kamar al-Zaman returned to the garden in
cark and care; but- anon he rented the place of its owner and
hired a man to help him in irrigating the trees. Moreover, he
repaired the trap-door and he went to the underground chamber and
bringing the rest of the gold to grass, stowed it in other fifty
bottles which he filled up with a layer of olives. Then he
enquired of the ship and they told him that it sailed but once a
year, at which his trouble of mind redoubled and he cried sore
for that which had betided him, above all for the loss of the
Princess Budur's talisman, and spent his nights and days weeping
and repealing verses. Such was his case; but as regards the ship
she sailed with a favouring wind till she reached the Ebony
Islands. Now by decree of destiny, Queen Budur was sitting at a
lattice-window overlooking the sea and saw the galley cast anchor
upon the strand. At this sight, her heart throbbed and she took
horse with the Chamberlains and Nabobs and, riding down to the
shore, halted by the ship, whilst the sailors broke bulk and bore
the bales to the storehouses; after which she called the captain
to her presence and asked what he had with him. He answered "O
King, I have with me in this ship aromatic drugs and cosmetics
and healing powders and ointments and plasters and precious
metals and rich stuffs and rugs of Yemen leather, not to be borne
of mule or camel, and all manner of otters and spices and
perfumes, civet and ambergris and camphor and Sumatra aloes-wood,
and tamerinds[FN#333] and sparrow-olives to boot, such as are
rare to find in this country." When she heard talk of sparrow-
olives her heart longed for them and she said to the ship-master,
"How much of olives hast thou?" He replied, "Fifty bottles full,
but their owner is not with us, so the King shall take what he
will of them." Quoth she, "Bring them ashore, that I may see
them.'' Thereupon he called to the sailors, who brought her the
fifty bottles; and she opened one and, looking at the olives,
said to the captain, "I will take the whole fifty and pay you
their value, whatso it be." He answered, "By Allah, O my lord,
they have no value in our country; moreover their shipper tarried
behind us, and he is a poor man." Asked she, "And what are they
worth here?" and he answered "A thousand dirhams." "I will take
them at a thousand," she said and bade them carry the fifty
bottles to the palace. When it was night, she called for a bottle
of olives and opened it, there being none in the room but herself
and the Princess Hayat al-Nufus. Then, placing a dish before her
she turned into it the contents of the jar, when there fell out
into the dish with the olives a heap of red gold; and she said to
the Lady Hayat al-Nufus, "This is naught but gold!" So she sent
for the rest of the bottles and found them all full of precious
metal and scarce enough olives to fill a single jar. Moreover,
she sought among the gold and found therein the talisman, which
she took and examined and behold, it was that which Kamar al-
Zaman had taken from off the band of her petticoat trousers.
Thereupon she cried out for joy and slipped down in a swoon;--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Sixteenth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King
Budur saw the talisman she cried out for joy and slipped down in
a swoon; and when she recovered she said to herself, "Verily,
this talisman was the cause of my separation from my beloved
Kamar al-Zaman; but now it is an omen of good." Then she showed
it to Hayat al-Nufus and said to her, "This was the cause of
disunion and now, please Allah, it shall be the cause of
reunion." As soon as day dawned she seated herself on the royal
throne and sent for the ship-master, who came into the presence
and kissed the ground before her. Quoth she, "Where didst thou
leave the owner of these olives?" Quoth he, "O King of the age,
we left him in the land of the Magians and he is a gardener
there." She rejoined, "Except thou bring him to me, thou knowest
not the harm which awaiteth thee and thy ship." Then she bade
them seal up the magazines of the merchants and said to them,
"Verily the owner of these olives hath borrowed of me and I have
a claim upon him for debt and, unless ye bring him to me, I will
without fail do you all die and seize your goods." So they went
to the captain and promised him the hire of the ship, if he would
go and return a second time, saying, "Deliver us from this
masterful tyrant." Accordingly the skipper embarked and set sail
and Allah decreed him a prosperous voyage, till he came to the
Island of the Magians and, landing by night, went up to the
garden. Now the night was long upon Kamar al-Zaman, and he sat,
bethinking him of his beloved, and bewailing what had befallen
him and versifying,

"A night whose stars refused to run their course, *
A night of those which never seem outworn:
Like Resurrection-day, of longsome length[FN#334] *
To him that watched and waited for the morn."

Now at this moment, the captain knocked at the garden-gate, and
Kamar al-Zaman opened and went out to him, whereupon the crew
seized him and went down with him on board the ship and set sail
forthright; and they ceased not voyaging days and nights, whilst
Kamar al-Zaman knew not why they dealt thus with him; but when he
questioned them they replied, "Thou hast offended against the
Lord of the Ebony Islands, the son-in-law of King Armanus, and
thou hast stolen his monies, miserable that thou art!" Said he,
"By Allah! I never entered that country nor do I know where it
is!" However, they fared on with him, till they made the Ebony
Islands and landing, carried him up to the Lady Budur, who knew
him at sight and said, "Leave him with the eunuchs, that they may
take him to the bath." Then she relieved the merchants of the
embargo and gave the captain a robe of honour worth ten thousand
pieces of gold; and, after returning to the palace, she went in
that night to the Princess Hayat al-Nufus and told her what had
passed, saying, "Keep thou my counsel, till I accomplish my
purpose, and do a deed which shall be recorded and shall be read
by Kings and commoners after we be dead and gone." And when she
gave orders that they bear Kamar al-Zaman to the bath, they did
so and clad him in a royal habit so that, when he came forth, he
resembled a willow-bough or a star which shamed the greater and
lesser light[FN#335] and its glow, and his life and soul returned
to his frame. Then he repaired to the palace and went in to the
Princess Budur; and when she saw him she schooled her heart to
patience, till she should have accomplished her purpose; and she
bestowed on him Mamelukes and eunuchs, camels and mules.
Moreover, she gave him a treasury of money and she ceased not
advancing him from dignity to dignity, till she made him Lord
High Treasurer and committed to his charge all the treasures of
the state; and she admitted him to familiar favour and acquainted
the Emirs with his rank and dignity. And all loved him, for Queen
Budur did not cease day by day to increase his allowances. As for
Kamar al-Zaman, he was at a loss anent the reason of her thus
honouring him; and he gave gifts and largesse out of the
abundance of the wealth; and he devoted himself to the service of
King Armanus; so that the King and all the Emirs and people,
great and small, adored him and were wont to swear by his life.
Nevertheless, he ever marvelled at the honour and favour shown
him by Queen Budur and said to himself, "By Allah, there needs
must be a reason for this affection! Peradventure, this King
favoureth me not with these immoderate favours save for some ill
purpose and, therefore, there is no help but that I crave leave
of him to depart his realm." So he went in to Queen Budur and
said to her, "O King, thou hast overwhelmed me with favours, but
it will fulfil the measure of thy bounties if thou take from me
all thou hast been pleased to bestow upon me, and permit me to
depart." She smiled and asked, "What maketh thee seek to depart
and plunge into new perils, whenas thou art in the enjoyment of
the highest favour and greatest prosperity?" Answered Kamar al-
Zaman, "O King, verily this favour, if there be no reason for it,
is indeed a wonder of wonders, more by token that thou hast
advanced me to dignities such as befit men of age and experience,
albeit I am as it were a young child." And Queen Budur rejoined,
"The reason is that I love thee for shine exceeding loveliness
and thy surpassing beauty; and if thou wilt but grant me my
desire of thy body, I will advance thee yet farther in honour and
favour and largesse; and I will make thee Wazir, for all thy
tender age even as the folk made me Sultan over them and I no
older than thou; so that nowadays there is nothing strange when
children take the head and by Allah, he was a gifted man who
said,

'It seems as though of Lot's tribe were our days, *
And crave with love to advance the young in years.'"[FN#336]

When Kamar al-Zaman heard these words, he was abashed and his
cheeks flushed till they seemed a-flame; and he said, "I need not
these favours which lead to the commission of sin; I will live
poor in wealth but wealthy in virtue and honour." Quoth she, "I
am not to be duped by thy scruples, arising from prudery and
coquettish ways; and Allah bless him who saith,

'To him I spake of coupling, but he said to me, *
How long this noyous long persistency?'
But when gold piece I showed him, he cried, *
'Who from the Almighty Sovereign e'er shall flee?'"

Now when Kamar al-Zaman, heard these words and understood her
verses and their import, he said, "O King, I have not the habit
of these doings, nor have I strength to bear these heavy burthens
for which elder than I have proved unable; then how will it be
with my tender age?" But she smiled at his speech and retorted,
"Indeed, it is a matter right marvellous how error springeth from
the disorder of man's intendiment!! Since thou art a boy, why
standest thou in fear of sin or the doing of things forbidden,
seeing that thou art not yet come to years of canonical
responsibility; and the offences of a child incur neither
punishment nor reproof? Verily, thou hast committed thyself to a
quibble for the sake of contention, and it is thy duty to bow
before a proposal of fruition, so henceforward cease from denial
and coyness, for the commandment of Allah is a decree
foreordained:[FN#337] indeed, I have more reason than thou to
fear falling and by sin to be misled; and well inspired was he
who said,

'My prickle is big and the little one said, *
'Thrust boldly in vitals with lion-like stroke!
Then I, ' 'Tis a sin!; and he, 'No sin to me! *
So I had him at once with a counterfeit poke."[FN#338]

When Kamar al-Zaman heard these words, the light became darkness
in his sight and he said, "O King, thou hast in thy household
fair women and female slaves, who have not their like in this
age: shall not these suffice thee without me? Do thy will with
them and let me go!" She replied, "Thou sayest sooth, but it is
not with them that one who loveth thee can heal himself of
torment and can abate his fever; for, when tastes and
inclinations are corrupted by vice, they hear and obey other than
good advice. So leave arguing and listen to what the poet saith,

'Seest not the bazar with its fruit in rows? *
These men are for figs and for sycamore[FN#339] those!'

And what another saith,

'Many whose anklet rings are dumb have tinkling belts, *
And this hath all content while that for want must wail:
Thou bidd'st me be a fool and quit thee for her charms; *
Allah forfend I leave The Faith, turn Infidel!
Nay, by thy rights of side-beard mocking all her curls, *
Nor mott nor maid[FN#340] from thee my heart shall spell.'

And yet another,

'O beauty's Union! love for thee's my creed, *
Free choice of Faith and eke my best desire:
Women I have forsworn for thee; so may *
Deem me all men this day a shaveling friar.'[FN#341]

And yet another,

'Even not beardless one with girl, nor heed *
The spy who saith to thee ''Tis an amiss!'
Far different is the girl whose feet one kisses *
And that gazelle whose feet the earth must kiss.'

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