The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4

R >> Richard F. Burton >> The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4

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'Thy shape with willow branch I dare compare, * And hold thy
figure as my fortunes fair:
I wake each morn distraught, and follow thee, * And from the
rival's eye in fear I fare.'

It is for the like of me that amourists run mad and that those
who desire me wax distracted. If my lover would draw me to him, I
am drawn to him; and if he would have me incline to him, I
incline to him and not against him. But now, as for thee, O fat
of body, thine eating is the feeding of an elephant, and neither
much nor little filleth thee. When thou liest with a man who is
lean, he hath no ease of thee; nor can he anyways take his
pleasure of thee; for the bigness of thy belly holdeth him off
from going in unto thee and the fatness of thy thighs hindereth
him from coming at thy slit. What goodness is there in thy
grossness, and what courtesy or pleasantness in thy coarseness?
Fat flesh is fit for naught but the flasher, nor is there one
point therein that pleadeth for praise. If one joke with thee,
thou art angry; if one sport with thee, thou art sulky; if thou
sleep, thou snorest if thou walk, thou lollest out thy tongue! if
thou eat, thou art never filled. Thou art heavier than mountains
and fouler than corruption and crime. Thou hast in thee nor
agility nor benedicite nor thinkest thou of aught save meat and
sleep. When thou pissest thou swishes"; if thou turd thou
gruntest like a bursten wine skin or an elephant transmogrified.
If thou go to the water closet, thou needest one to wash thy gap
and pluck out the hairs which overgrow it; and this is the
extreme of sluggish ness and the sign, outward and visible, of
stupidity[FN#376] In short, there is no good thing about thee,
and indeed the poet Title of thee,

'Heavy and swollen like an urine-bladder blown, * With hips and
thighs like mountain propping piles of stone;
Whene'er she walks in Western hemisphere, her tread * Makes the
far Eastern world with weight to moan and groan.'

Quoth her master, 'Sit thee down, this sufficeth;' so she sat
down and he signed to the yellow girl, who rose to her feet and
praised Allah Almighty and magnified His name, calling down peace
and blessing on Mohammed the best of His creatures; after which
she pointed her finger at the brunette and said to her," And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

When it was the Three Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that "the
yellow girl stood up and praised Almighty Allah and magnified His
name; after which she pointed her finger at the brown girl and
said to her: 'I am the one praised in the Koran, and the
Compassionate hath described my complexion and its excellence
over all other hues in His manifest Book, where Allah saith, 'A
yellow, pure yellow, whose colour gladdeneth the
beholders.'[FN#377] Wherefore my colour is a sign and portent and
my grace is supreme and my beauty a term extreme; for that my
tint is the tint of a ducat and the colour of the planets and
moons and the hue of ripe apples. My fashion is the fashion of
the fair, and the dye of saffron outvieth all other dyes; so my
semblance is wondrous and my colour marvellous. I am soft of body
and of high price, comprising all qualities of beauty. My colour
is essentially precious as virgin gold, and how many boasts and
glories cloth it not unfold! Of the like of me quoth the poet,

'Her golden yellow is the sheeny sun's; * And like gold sequins
she delights the sight:
Saffron small portion of her glance can show; * Nay,[FN#378] she
outvies the moon when brightest bright.'

And I shall at once begin in thy dispraise, O berry-brown girl!
Thy tincture is that of the buffalo, and all souls shudder at thy
sight. If thy colour be in any created thing, it is blamed; if it
be in food, it is poisoned; for thy hue is the hue of the dung-
fly; it is a mark of ugliness even in dogs; and among the colours
it is one which strikes with amazement and is of the signs of
mourning. Never heard I of brown gold or brown pearls or brown
gems. If thou enter the privy, thy colour changeth, and when thou
comest out, thou addest ugliness to ugliness. Thou art a non-
descript; neither black, that thou mayst be recognised, nor
white, that thou mayst be described; and in thee there is no good
quality, even as saith the poet,

'The hue of dusty motes is hers; that dull brown hue of hers * Is
mouldy like the dust and mud by Cossid's foot
upthrown:[FN#379]
I never look upon her brow, e'en for eye-twinkling's space, *
But in brown study fall I and my thoughts take browner
tone.'

Quoth her master, 'Sit thee down; this much sufficeth;' so she
sat down and he signed to the brunette. Now she was a model of
beauty and loveliness and symmetry and perfect grace; soft of
skin, slim of shape, of stature rare, and coal-black hair; with
cheeks rosy-pink, eyes black rimmed by nature's hand, face fair,
and eloquent tongue; moreover slender-waisted and heavy-hipped.
So she rose and said: 'Praise be to Allah who hath created me
neither leper-white nor bile-yellow nor charcoal-black, but hath
made my colour to be beloved of men of wit and wisdom, for all
the poets extol berry-brown maids in every tongue and exalt their
colour over all other colours. To 'brown of hue (they say) praise
is due;' and Allah bless him who singeth,

'And in brunettes is mystery, could'st" thou but read it right, *
Thy sight would never dwell on others, be they red or white:
Free-flowing conversation, amorous coquettishness * Would teach
Harut himself a mightier spell of magic might.'

And saith another,

'Give me brunettes, so limber, lissom, lithe of sway, * Brunettes
tall, slender straight like Samhar's nut-brown
lance;[FN#380]
Languid of eyelids and with silky down on either cheek, * Who
fixed in lover's heart work to his life mischance.'

And yet another,

'Now, by my life, brown hue hath point of comeliness * Leaves
whiteness nowhere and high o'er the Moon takes place;
But an of whiteness aught it borrowed self to deck, * 'Twould
change its graces and would pale for its disgrace:
Not with his must[FN#381] I'm drunken, but his locks of musk *
Are wine inebriating all of human race.
His charms are jealous each of each, and all desire * To be the
down that creepeth up his lovely face.'

And again another,

'Why not incline me to that show of silky down, * On cheeks of
dark brunette, like bamboo spiring brown?
Whenas high rank in beauty poets sing, they say * Brown ant-like
specklet worn by nenuphar in crown.
And see I sundry lovers tear out others' eyne * For the brown
mole beneath that jetty pupil shown,
Then why do censors blame me for one all a mole? * Allah I pray
demolish each molesting clown!'[FN#382]

My form is all grace and my shape is built on heavy base; Kings
desire my colour which all adore, rich and poor. I am pleasant,
active, handsome, elegant, soft of skin and prized for price: eke
I am perfect in seemlibead and breeding and eloquence; my aspect
is comely and my tongue witty; my temper is bright and my play a
pretty sight. As for thee, thou art like unto a mallow growing
about the Luk Gate;[FN#383] in hue sallow and streaked-yellow and
made all of sulphur. Aroynt thee, O copper-worth of jaundiced
sorrel, O rust of brass-pot, O face of owl in gloom, and fruit of
the Hell-tree Zakkum;[FN#384] whose bedfellow, for heart-break,
is buried in the tomb. And there is no good thing in thee, even
as saith the poet of the like of thee,

'Yellowness, tincturing her tho' nowise sick or sorry, *
Straitens my hapless heart and makes my head sore ache;
An thou repent not, Soul! I'll punish thee with kissing[FN#385] *
Her lower face that shall mine every grinder break!'

And when she ended her lines, quoth her master, 'Sit thee down,
this much sufficeth!'"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Three Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that "when the
yellow girl ended her recitation, quoth her master, 'Sit thee
down; this much sufficeth!' Then he made peace between them and
clad them all in sumptuous robes of honour and hanselled them
with precious jewels of land and sea. And never have I seen, O
Commander of the Faithful, any when or any where, aught fairer
than these six damsels fair." Now when Al-Maamun heard this story
from Mohammed of Bassorah, he turned to him and said, "O
Mohammed, knowest thou the abiding-place of these damsels and
their master, and canst thou contrive to buy them of him for us?"
He answered, "O Commander of the Faithful, indeed I have heard
that their lord is wrapped up in them and cannot bear to be
parted from them." Rejoined the Caliph, "Take thee ten thousand
gold pieces for each girl, that is sixty thousand for the whole
purchase; and carry the coin to his house and buy them of him."
So Mohammed of Bassorah took the money and, betaking himself to
the Man of Al-Yaman, acquainted him with the wish of the Prince
of True Believers. He consented to part with them at that price
to pleasure the Caliph; and despatched them to Al-Maamun, who
assigned them an elegant abode and therein used to sit with them
as cup-companions; marvelling at their beauty and loveliness, at
their varied colours and at the excellence of their conversation.
Thus matters stood for many a day; but, after awhile, when their
former owner could no longer bear to be parted from them, he sent
a letter to the Commander of the Faithful complaining to him of
his own ardent love-longing for them and containing, amongst
other contents, these couplets,

"Captured me six, all bright with youthful blee; * Then on all
six be best salams from me!
They are my hearing, seeing, very life; * My meat, my drink, my
joy, my jollity:
I'll ne'er forget the favours erst so charmed * Whose loss hath
turned my sleep to insomny:
Alack, O longsome pining and O tears! * Would I had farewelled
all humanity:
Those eyes, with bowed and well arched eyebrows[FN#386] dight, *
Like bows have struck me with their archery."

Now when the letter came to the hands of Al-Maamun, he robed the
six damsels in rich raiment; and, giving them threescore thousand
dinars, sent them back to their lord who joyed in them with
exceeding joy[FN#387] (more especially for the monies they
brought him), and abode with them in all the comfort and
pleasance of life, till there came to them the Destroyer of
delights and the Severer of societies. And men also recount the
tale of

HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE DAMSEL AND ABU
NOWAS.

The Caliph, Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, being one
night exceedingly restless and thoughtful with sad thought, rose
from his couch and walked about the by-ways of his palace, till
he came to a chamber, over whose doorway hung a curtain. He
raised that curtain and saw, at the upper end of the room, a
bedstead whereon lay something black, as it were a man asleep,
with a wax taper on his right hand and another on his left; and
as the Caliph stood wondering at the sight, behold, he remarked a
flagon full of old wine whose mouth was covered by the cup. The
Caliph wondered even more at this, saying, "How came this black
by such wine-service?" Then, drawing near the bedstead, he found
that it was a girl lying asleep there, curtained by her hair; so
he uncovered her face and saw that it was like the moon, on the
night of his fulness.[FN#388] So the Caliph filled himself a cup
of wine and drank it to the roses of her cheeks; and, feeling
inclined to enjoy her, kissed a mole on her face, whereupon she
started up from sleep, and cried out, "O Trusted of
Allah,[FN#389] what may this be?" Replied he, "A guest who
knocketh at thy door, hoping that thou wilt give him hospitality
till the dawn;" and she answered; "Even so! I will serve him with
my hearing and my sight." So she brought forward the wine and
they drank together, after which she took the lute and tuning the
strings, preluded in one-and-twenty modes, then returning to the
first, played a lively measure and sang these couplets,

"The tongue of love from heart bespeaks my sprite, * Telling I
love thee with love infinite:
I have an eye bears witness to my pain, * And fluttering heart
sore hurt by parting-plight.
I cannot hide the love that harms my life; * Tears ever roll and
growth of pine I sight:
I knew not what love was ere loving thee; * But Allah's destiny
to all is dight."

And when her verses were ended she said, "O Commander of the
Faithful, I have been wronged!"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Three Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the damsel
cried, "O Commander of the Faithful, I have been wronged!" Quoth
he, "How so, and who hath wronged thee?" Quoth she "Thy son
bought me awhile ago, for ten thousand dirhams, meaning to give
me to thee; but thy wife, the daughter of thine uncle, sent him
the said price and bade him shut me up from thee in this
chamber." Whereupon said the Caliph, "Ask a boon of me," and she,
"I ask thee to lie with me to-morrow night." Replied the Caliph,
"Inshallah!" and leaving her, went away. Now as soon as it was
morning, he repaired to his sitting-room and called for Abu
Nowas, but found him not and sent his chamberlain to ask after
him. The chamberlain found him in a tavern, pawned and pledged
for a score of a thousand dirhams, which he had spent on a
certain beardless youth, and questioned him of his case. So he
told him what had betided him with the comely boy and how he had
spent upon him a thousand silver pieces; whereupon quoth the
chamberlain, "Show him to me; and if he be worth this, thou art
excused." He answered, "Patience, and thou shalt see him
presently.' As they were talking together, up came the lad, clad
in a white tunic, under which was another of red and under this
yet another black. Now when Abu Nowas saw him, he sighed a loud
sigh and improvised these couplets,

"He showed himself in shirt of white, * With eyes and eyelids
languor-digit.
Quoth I, 'Doss pass and greet me not? * Though were thy greeting
a delight?
Blest He who clothed in rose thy cheeks, * Creates what wills He
by His might!'
Quoth he, 'Leave prate, forsure my Lord * Of works is wondrous
infinite:
My garment's like my face and luck; * All three are white on
white on white.'"

When the beardless one heard these words, he doffed the white
tunic and appeared in the red; and when Abu Nowas saw him he
redoubled in expressions of admiration and repeated these
couplets,

"He showed in garb anemone-red, * A foeman 'friend' entituled:
Quoth I in marvel, 'Thou'rt full moon * Whose weed shames rose
however red:
Hath thy cheek stained it red, or hast * Dyed it in blood by
lovers bled?'
Quoth he, 'Sol gave me this for shirt * When hasting down the
West to bed
So garb and wine and hue of cheek * All three are red on red on
red.'"

And when the verses came to an end, the beardless one doffed the
red tunic and stood in the black; and, when Abu Nowas saw him, he
redoubled in attention to him and versified in these couplets,

"He came in sable-hued sacque * And shone in dark men's heart to
rack:
Quoth I, 'Doss pass and greet me not? * Joying the hateful
envious pack?
Thy garment's like thy locks and like * My lot, three blacks on
black on black.'"

Seeing this state of things and understanding the case of Abu
Nowas and his love-longing, the Chamberlain returned to the
Caliph and acquainted him therewith; so he bade him pouch a
thousand dirhams and go and take him out of pawn. Thereupon the
Chamberlain returned to Abu Nowas and, paying his score, carried
him to the Caliph, who said, "Make me some verses containing the
words, O Trusted of Allah, what may this be?" Answered he, "I
hear and I obey, O Commander of the Faithful."--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Three Hundred and Fortieth Night,

She said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abu Nowas
answered, "I hear and I obey, O Commander of the Faithful!" and
forthwith he improvised these couplets,

"Long was my night for sleepless misery; * Weary of body and of
thought ne'er free:
I rose and in my palace walked awhile, * Then wandered thro' the
halls of Haremry:
Till chanced I on a blackness, which I found * A white girl hid
in hair for napery:
Here to her for a moon of brightest sheen! * Like willow-wand and
veiled in pudency:
I quaffed a cup to her; then drew I near, * And kissed the
beauty-spot on cheek had she:
She woke astart, and in her sleep's amaze, * Swayed as the
swaying branch in rain we see;
Then rose and said to me, 'O Trusted One * Of Allah, O Amin, what
may this be?
Quoth I, 'A guest that cometh to thy tents * And craves till morn
thy hospitality.'
She answered, 'Gladly I, my lord, will grace * And honour such a
guest with ear and eye.'"

Cried the Caliph, "Allah strike thee dead! it is as if thou hadst
been present with us.''[FN#390] Then he took him by the hand and
carried him to the damsel and, when Abu Nowas saw her clad in a
dress and veil of blue, he expressed abundant admiration and
improvised these couplets,

"Say to the pretty one in veil of blue, * 'By Allah, O my life,
have ruth on dole!
For, when the fair entreats her lover foul, * Sighs rend his
bosom and bespeak his soul
By charms of thee and whitest cheek I swear thee, * Pity a heart
for love lost all control
Bend to him, be his stay 'gainst stress of love, * Nor aught
accept what saith the ribald fool.'"

Now when he ended his verse, the damsel set wine before the
Caliph; and, taking the lute, played a lively measure and sang
these couplets,

"Wilt thou be just to others in thy love, and do * Unright, and
put me off, and take new friend in lieu?
Had lovers Kazi unto whom I might complain * Of thee, he'd
peradventure grant the due I sue:
If thou forbid me pass your door, yet I afar * Will stand, and
viewing you waft my salams to you!"

The Caliph bade her ply Abu Nowas with wine, till he lost his
right senses, thereupon he gave him a full cup, and he drank a
draught of it and held the cup in his hand till he slept. Then
the Commander of the Faithful bade the girl take the cup from his
grasp and hide it; so she took it and set it between her thighs,
moreover he drew his scymitar and, standing at the head of Abu
Nowas, pricked him with the point; whereupon he awoke and saw the
drawn sword and the Caliph standing over him. At this sight the
fumes of the wine fled from his head and the Caliph said to him,
"Make me some verses and tell me therein what is become of thy
cup; or I will cut off thy head." So he improvised these
couplets,

"My tale, indeed, is tale unlief; * 'Twas yonder fawn who play'd
the thief!
She stole my cup of wine, before * The sips and sups had dealt
relief,
And hid it in a certain place, * My heart's desire and longing
grief.
I name it not, for dread of him * Who hath of it command-in-
chief."

Quoth the Caliph, "Allah strike thee dead![FN#391] How knewest
thou that? But we accept what thou sayst." Then he ordered him a
dress of honour and a thousand dinars, and he went away
rejoicing. And among tales they tell is one of

THE MAN WHO STOLE THE DISH OF GOLD WHEREIN
THE DOG ATE.

Sometime erst there was a man, who had accumulated debts, and his
case was straitened upon him, so that he left his people and
family and went forth in distraction; and he ceased not wandering
on at random till he came after a time to a city tall of walls
and firm of foundations. He entered it in a state of despondency
and despair, harried by hunger and worn with the weariness of his
way. As he passed through one of the main streets, he saw a
company of the great going along; so he followed them till they
reached a house like to a royal-palace. He entered with them, and
they stayed not faring forwards till they came in presence of a
person seated at the upper end of a saloon, a man of the most
dignified and majestic aspect, surrounded by pages and eunuchs,
as he were of the sons of the Wazirs.When he saw the visitors, he
rose to greet them and received them with honour; but the poor
man aforesaid was confounded at his own boldness, when
beholding----And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.

When it was the Three Hundred and Forty-first Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the poor
man aforesaid was confounded at his own boldness, when beholding
the goodliness of the place and the crowd of servants and
attendants; so drawing back, in perplexity and fear for his life
sat down apart in a place afar off. where none should see him.
Now it chanced that whilst he was sitting, behold, in came a man
with four sporting-dogs, whereon were various kinds of raw silk
and brocade[FN#392] and wearing round their necks collars of gold
with chains of silver, and tied up each dog in a place set privy
for him; after which he went out and presently returned with four
dishes of gold, full of rich meats, which he set severally before
the dogs, one for each. Then he went away and left them, whilst
the poor man began to eye the food, for stress of hunger, and
longed to go up to one of the dogs and eat with him, but fear of
them withheld him. Presently, one of the dogs looked at him and
Allah Almighty inspired the dog with a knowledge of his case; so
he drew back from the platter and signed to the man, who came and
ate till he was filled. Then he would have withdrawn, but the dog
again signed to him to take for himself the dish and what food
was left in it, and pushed it towards him with his fore-paw. So
the man took the dish and leaving the house, went his way, and
none followed him. Then he journeyed to another city where he
sold the dish and buying with the price a stock-in-trade,
returned to his own town. There he sold his goods and paid his
debts; and he throve and became affluent and rose to perfect
prosperity. He abode in his own land; but after some years had
passed he said to himself, "Needs must I repair to the city of
the owner of the dish, and, carry him a fit and handsome present
and pay him the money-value of that which his dog bestowed upon
me." So he took the price of the dish and a suitable gift; and,
setting out, journeyed day and night, till he came to that city;
he entered it and sought the place where the man lived; but he
found there naught save ruins mouldering in row and croak of
crow, and house and home desolate and all conditions in changed
state. At this, his heart and soul were troubled, and he repeated
the saying of him who saith,

"Void are the private rooms of treasury: * As void were hearts of
fear and piety:
Changed is the Wady nor are its gazelles * Those fawns, nor sand-
hills those I wont to see."

And that of another,

"In sleep came Su'ada's[FN#393] shade and wakened me * Near dawn,
when comrades all a-sleeping lay:
But waking found I that the shade was fled, * And saw air empty
and shrine far away."

Now when the man saw these mouldering ruins and witnessed what
the hand of time had manifestly done with the place, leaving but
traces of the substantial-things that erewhiles had been, a
little reflection made it needless for him to enquire of the
case; so he turned away. Presently, seeing a wretched man, in a
plight which made him shudder and feel goose-skin, and which
would have moved the very rock to rush, he said to him, "Ho thou!
What have time and fortune done with the lord of this place?
Where are his lovely faces, his shining full moons and splendid
stars; and what is the cause of the ruin that is come upon his
abode, so that nothing save the walls thereof remain?" Quoth the
other, "He is the miserable thou seest mourning that which hath
left him naked. But knowest thou not the words of the Apostle
(whom Allah bless and keep!), wherein is a lesson to him who will
learn by it and a warning to whoso will be warned thereby and
guided in the right way, 'Verily it is the way of Allah Almighty
to raise up nothing of this world, except He cast it down
again?'[FN#394] If thou question of the cause of this accident,
indeed it is no wonder, considering the chances and changes of
Fortune. I was the lord of this place and I builded it and
founded it and owned it; and I was the proud possessor of its
full moons lucent and its circumstance resplendent and its
damsels radiant and its garniture magnificent, but Time turned
and did away from me wealth and servants and took from me what it
had lent (not given); and brought upon me calamities which it
held in store hidden. But there must needs be some reason for
this thy question: so tell it me and leave wondering." Thereupon,
the man who had waxed wealthy being sore concerned, told him the
whole story, and added, "I have brought thee a present, such as
souls desire, and the price of thy dish of gold which I took; for
it was the cause of my affluence after poverty, and of the
replenishment of my dwelling-place, after desolation, and of the
dispersion of my trouble and straitness." But the man shook his
head, and weeping and groaning and complaining of his lot
answered, "Ho thou! methinks thou art mad; for this is not the
way of a man of sense. How should a dog of mine make generous
gift to thee of a dish of gold and I meanly take back the price
of what a dog gave? This were indeed a strange thing! Were I in
extremest unease and misery, by Allah, I would not accept of thee
aught; no, not the worth of a nail-paring! So return whence thou
camest in health and safety."[FN#395] Whereupon the merchant
kissed his feet and taking leave of him, returned whence he came,
praising him and reciting this couplet,

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