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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When it was the Two Hundred and Fifty-second Night,

Her sister Dunyazad said to her, "Pray continue thy story for us,
as thou be awake and not inclined to sleep." Quoth she:--With
pleasure and goodwill: it hath reached me, O auspicious King,
that the Consul of the merchants promised them a banquet and said
"Be our meeting in the garden." So when morning dawned he
despatched the carpet layer to the saloon of the garden-pavilion
and bade him furnish the two. Moreover, he sent thither all that
was needful for cooking, such as sheep and clarified butter and
so forth, according to the requirements of the case; and spread
two tables, one in the pavilion and another in the saloon. Then
Shams al-Din and his boy girded themselves, and he said to Ala
al-Din "O my son, whenas a greybeard entereth, I will meet him
and seat him at the table in the pavilion; and do thou, in like
manner, receive the beardless youths and seat them at the table
in the saloon." He asked, "O my father, why dost thou spread two
tables, one for men and another for youths?"; and he answered, "O
my son, the beardless is ashamed to eat with the bearded." And
his son thought this his answer full and sufficient. So when the
merchants arrived, Shams al-Din received the men and seated them
in the pavilion, whilst Ala al-Din received the youths and seated
them in the saloon. Then the food was set on and the guests ate
and drank and made merry and sat over their wine, whilst the
attendants perfumed them with the smoke of scented woods, and the
elders fell to conversing of matters of science and traditions of
the Prophet. Now there was amongst them a merchant called Mahmud
of Balkh, a professing Moslem but at heart a Magian, a man of
lewd and mischievous life who loved boys. And when he saw Ala
al-Din from whose father he used to buy stuffs and merchandise,
one sight of his face sent him a thousand sighs and Satan dangled
the jewel before his eyes, so that he was taken with love-longing
and desire and affection and his heart was filled with mad
passion for him. Presently he arose and made for the youths, who
stood up to receive him; and at this moment Ala Al-Din being
taken with an urgent call of Nature, withdrew to make water;
whereupon Mahmud turned to the other youths and said to them, "If
ye will incline Ala al-Din's mind to journeying with me, I will
give each of you a dress worth a power of money." Then he
returned from them to the men's party; and, as the youths were
sitting, Ala al-Din suddenly came back, when all rose to receive
him and seated him in the place of highest honour. Presently, one
of them said to his neighbour, "O my lord Hasan, tell me whence
came to thee the capital--whereon thou trades"." He replied,
"When I grew up and came to man's estate, I said to my sire, 'O
my father, give me merchandise.' Quoth he, 'O my son, I have none
by me; but go thou to some merchant and take of him money and
traffic with it; and so learn to buy and sell, give and take.' So
I went to one of the traders and borrowed of him a thousand
dinars, wherewith I bought stuffs and carrying them to Damascus,
sold them there at a profit of two for one. Then I bought Syrian
stuffs and carrying them to Aleppo, made a similar gain of them;
after which I bought stuffs of Aleppo and repaired with them to
Baghdad, where I sold them with like result, two for one; nor did
I cease trading upon my capital till I was worth nigh ten
thousand ducats." Then each of the others told his friend some
such tale, till it came to Ala al-Din's turn to speak, when they
said to him, "And thou, O my lord Ala al-Din?" Quoth he, "I was
brought up in a chamber underground and came forth from it only
this week; and I do but go to the shop and return home from the
shop." They remarked, "Thou art used to wone at home and wottest
not the joys of travel, for travel is for men only." He replied,
"I reck not of voyaging and wayfaring cloth not tempt me."
Whereupon quoth one to the other, "This one is like the fish:
when he leaveth the water he dieth." Then they said to him, "O
Ala al Din, the glory of the sons of the merchants is not but in
travel for the sake of gain." Their talk angered him; so he left
them weeping-eyed and heavy-hearted and mounting his mule
returned home. Now his mother saw him in tears and in bad temper
and asked him, "What hath made thee weep, O my son?"; and he
answered, "Of a truth, all the sons of the merchants put me to
shame and said, 'Naught is more glorious for a merchant's son
than travel for gain and to get him gold.'"--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Fifty-third Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ala al-Din
said to his mother, "Of a truth all the sons of the merchants put
me to shame and said, 'Naught is more honourable for a merchant's
son than travel for gain.'" "O my son, hast thou a mind to
travel?" "Even so!" "And whither wilt thou go?" "To the city of
Baghdad; for there folk make double the cost price on their
goods." "O my son, thy father is a very rich man and, if he
provide thee not with merchandise, I will supply it out of my own
monies." "The best favour is that which is soonest bestowed; if
this kindness is to be, now is the time." So she called the
slaves and sent them for cloth packers, then, opening a store
house, brought out ten loads of stuffs, which they made up into
bales for him. Such was his case; but as regards his father,
Shams al-Din, he looked about and failed to find Ala al-Din in
the garden and enquiring after him, was told that he had mounted
mule and gone home; so he too mounted and followed him. Now when
he entered the house, he saw the bales ready bound and asked what
they were; whereupon his wife told him what had chanced between
Ala al-Din and the sons of the merchants; and he cried, "O my
son, Allah's malison on travel and stranger-hood! Verily Allah's
Apostle (whom the Lord bless and preserve!) hath said, 'It is of
a man's happy fortune that he eat his daily bread in his own
land', and it was said of the ancients, 'Leave travel, though but
for a mile.'" Then quoth he to his son, "Say, art thou indeed
resolved to travel and wilt thou not turn back from it?" Quoth
the other, "There is no help for it but that I journey to Baghdad
with merchandise, else will I doff clothes and don dervish gear
and fare a-wandering over the world." Shams al-Din rejoined, "I
am no penniless pauper but have great plenty of wealth;" then he
showed him all he owned of monies and stuffs and stock-in-trade
and observed, "With me are stuffs and merchandise befitting every
country in the world." Then he showed him among the rest, forty
bales ready bound, with the price, a thousand dinars, written on
each, and said, "O my son take these forty loads, together with
the ten which thy mother gave thee, and set out under the
safeguard of Almighty Allah. But, O my child, I fear for thee a
certain wood in thy way, called the Lion's Copse,[FN#39] and a
valley highs the Vale of Dogs, for there lives are lost without
mercy." He said, "How so, O my father?"; and he replied, "Because
of a Badawi bandit named Ajlan." Quoth Ala al-Din, "Such is
Allah's luck; if any share of it be mine, no harm shall hap to
me." Then they rode to the cattle bazar, where behold, a
cameleer[FN#40] alighted from his she mule and kissing the
Consul's hand, said to him, "O my lord, it is long, by Allah,
since thou hast employed us in the way of business." He replied,
"Every time hath its fortune and its men,[FN#41] and Allah have
truth on him who said,

'And the old man crept o'er the worldly ways * So bowed, his
beard o'er his knees down flow'th:
Quoth I, 'What gars thee so doubled go?' * Quoth he (as to me his
hands he show'th)
'My youth is lost, in the dust it lieth; * And see, I bend me to
find my youth.'"[FN#42]

Now when he had ended his verses, he said, "O chief of the
caravan, it is not I who am minded to travel, but this my son."
Quoth the cameleer, "Allah save him for thee." Then the Consul
made a contract between Ala al-Din and the man, appointing that
the youth should be to him as a son, and gave him into his
charge, saying, "Take these hundred gold pieces for thy people."
More-over he bought his son threescore mules and a lamp and a
tomb-covering for the Sayyid Abd al-Kadir of Gilan[FN#43] and
said to him, "O my son, while I am absent, this is thy sire in my
stead: whatsoever he biddeth thee, do thou obey him." So saying,
he returned home with the mules and servants and that night they
made a Khitmah or perfection of the Koran and held a festival--in
honour of the Shaykh Abd al-Kadir al-Jilani. And when the morrow
dawned, the Consul gave his son ten thousand dinars, saying, "O
my son, when thou comest to Baghdad, if thou find stuffs easy of
sale, sell them; but if they be dull, spend of these dinars."
Then they loaded the mules and, taking leave of one another, all
the wayfarers setting out on their journey, marched forth from
the city. Now Mahmud of Balkh had made ready his own venture for
Baghdad and had moved his bales and set up his tents without the
walls, saying to himself, "Thou shalt not enjoy this youth but in
the desert, where there is neither spy nor marplot to trouble
thee." It chanced that he had in hand a thousand dinars which he
owed to the youth's father, the balance of a business-transaction
between them; so he went and bade farewell to the Consul, who
charged him, "Give the thousand dinars to my son Ala al-Din;" and
commended the lad to his care, saying, "He is as it were thy
son." Accordingly, Ala al-Din joined company with Mahmud of
Balkh.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ala al-Din
joined company with Mahmud of Balkh who, before beginning the
march, charged the youth's cook to dress nothing for him, but
himself provided him and his company with meat and drink. Now he
had four houses, one in Cairo, another in Damascus, a third in
Aleppo and a fourth in Baghdad. So they set out and ceased not
journeying over waste and wold till they drew near Damascus when
Mahmud sent his slave to Ala al-Din, whom he found sitting and
reading. He went up to him and kissed his hands, and Ala al-Din
having asked him what he wanted, he answered, "My master saluteth
thee and craveth thy company to a banquet at his place." Quoth
the youth, "Not till I consult my father Kamal al-Din, the
captain of the caravan." So he asked advice of the
Makaddam,[FN#44] who said, "Do not go." Then they left Damascus
and journeyed on till they came to Aleppo, where Mahmud made a
second entertainment and sent to invite Ala al-Din; but he
consulted the Chief Cameleer who again forbade him. Then they
marched from Aleppo and fared on, till there remained between
them and Baghdad only a single stage. Here Mahmud prepared a
third feast and sent to bid Ala al-Din to it: Kamal-al-Din once
more forbade his accepting it, but he said, "I must needs go." So
he rose and, slinging a sword over his shoulder, under his
clothes, repaired to the tent of Mahmud of Balkh, who came to
meet him and saluted him. Then he set before him a sumptuous
repast and they ate and drank and washed hands. At last Mahmud
bent towards Ala al-Din to snatch a kiss from him, but the youth
received the kiss on the palm of his hand and said to him, "What
wouldest thou be at?" Quoth Mahmud, "In very sooth I brought thee
hither that I might take my pleasure with thee in this jousting
ground, and we will comment upon the words of him who saith,

'Say, canst not come to us one momentling, * Like milk of ewekin
or aught glistening
And eat what liketh thee of dainty cake, * And take thy due of
fee in silverling,
And bear whatso thou wilt, without mislike, * Of spanling,
fistling or a span long thing?'"

Then Mahmud of Balkh would have laid hands on Ala al-Din to
ravish him; but he rose and baring his brand, said to him, "Shame
on thy gray hairs! Hast thou no fear of Allah, and He of
exceeding awe?[FN#45] May He have mercy on him who saith,

'Preserve thy hoary hairs from soil and stain, * For whitest
colours are the easiest stained!'"

And when he ended his verses he said to Mahmud of Balkh, "Verily
this merchandise[FN#46] is a trust from Allah and may not be
sold. If I sold this property to other than thee for gold, I
would sell it to thee for silver; but by Allah, O filthy villain,
I will never again company with thee; no, never!" Then he
returned to Kamal-Al-Din the guide and said to him, "Yonder man
is a lewd fellow, and I will no longer consort with him nor
suffer his company by the way." He replied, "O my son, did I not
say to thee, 'Go not near him'? But if we part company with him,
I fear destruction for ourselves; so let us still make one
caravan." But Ala al-Din cried, "It may not be that I ever again
travel with him." So he loaded his beasts and journeyed onwards,
he and his company, till they came to a valley, where Ala al-Din
would have halted, but the Cameleer said to him, "Do not halt
here; rather let us fare forwards and press our pace, so haply we
make Baghdad before the gates are closed, for they open and shut
them with the sun, in fear lest the Rejectors[FN#47] should take
the city and throw the books of religious learning into the
Tigris." But Ala al Din replied to him, "O my father, I came not
forth from home with this merchandise, or travelled hither for
the sake of traffic, but to divert myself with the sight of
foreign lands and folks;" and he rejoined, "O my son, we fear for
thee and for thy goods from the wild Arabs." Whereupon the youth
answered "Harkye, fellow, art thou master or man? I will not
enter Baghdad till the morning, that the sons of the city may see
my merchandise and know me." "Do as thou wilt," said the other "I
have given thee the wisest advice, but thou art the best judge of
thine own case." Then Ala al-Din bade them unload the mule; and
pitch the tent; so they did his bidding and abode there till the
middle of the night, when he went out to obey a call of nature
and suddenly saw something gleaming afar off. So he said to
Kamal-al-Din, "O captain, what is yonder glittering?" The
Cameleer sat up and, considering it straitly, knew it for the
glint of spear heads and the steel of Badawi weapons and swords.
And lo and behold! this was a troop of wild Arabs under a chief
called Ajlan Abu Naib, Shaykh of the Arabs, and when they neared
the camp and saw the bales and baggage, they said one to another,
"O night of loot!" Now when Kamal-al-Din heard these their words
he cried, "Avaunt, O vilest of Arabs!" But Abu Naib so smote him
with his throw spear in the breast, that the point came out
gleaming from his back, and he fell down dead at the tent door.
Then cried the water carrier,[FN#48] "Avaunt, O foulest of
Arabs!" and one of them smote him with a sword upon the shoulder,
that it issued shining from the tendons of the throat, and he
also fell down dead. (And all this while Ala Al-Din stood looking
on.) Then the Badawin surrounded and charged the caravan from
every side and slew all Ala al-Din's company without sparing a
man: after which they loaded the mules with the spoil and made
off. Quoth Ala al-Din to himself, "Nothing will slay thee save
thy mule and thy dress!"; so he arose and put off his gown and
threw it over the back of a mule, remaining in his shirt and bag
trousers only; after which he looked towards the tent door and,
seeing there a pool of gore flowing from the slaughtered,
wallowed in it with his remaining clothes till he was as a slain
man drowned in his own blood. Thus it fared with him; but as
regards the Shaykh of the wild Arabs, Ajlan, he said to his
banditti, "O Arabs, was this caravan bound from Egypt for Baghdad
or from Baghdad for Egypt?"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Badawi asked his banditti, "O Arabs, was this caravan bound from
Egypt for Baghdad or from Baghdad for Egypt?"; they answered,
"'Twas bound from Egypt for Baghdad;" and he said, "Return ye to
the slain, for methinks the owner of this caravan is not dead."
So they turned back to the slain and fell to prodding and
slashing them with lance and sword till they came to Ala al-Din,
who had thrown himself down among the corpses. And when they came
to him, quoth they, "Thou dost but feign thyself dead, but we
will make an end of thee," and one of the Badawin levelled his
javelin and would have plunged it into his breast when he cried
out, "Save me, O my lord Abd al-Kadir, O Saint of Gilan!" and
behold, he saw a hand turn the lance away from his breast to that
of Kamal-al-Din the cameleer, so that it pierced him and spared
himself.[FN#49] Then the Arabs made off; and, when Ala al-Din saw
that the birds were flown with their god send, he sat up and
finding no one, rose and set off running; but, behold! Abu Naib
the Badawi looked back and said to his troop, "I see somewhat
moving afar off, O Arabs!" So one of the bandits turned back and,
spying Ala al-Din running, called out to him, saying, "Flight
shall not forward thee and we after thee;" and he smote his mare
with his heel and she hastened after him. Then Ala al-Din seeing
before him a watering tank and a cistern beside it, climbed up
into a niche in the cistern and, stretching himself at full
length, feigned to be asleep and said, "O gracious Protector,
cover me with the veil of Thy protection which may not be torn
away!" And lo! the Badawi came up to the cistern and, standing in
his stirrup irons put out his hand to lay hold of Ala al-Din; but
he said, "O my lady Nafisah[FN#50]! Now is thy time!" And behold,
a scorpion stung the Badawi in the palm and he cried out, saying,
"Help, O Arabs! I am stung;" and he alighted from his mare's
back. So his comrades came up to him and mounted him again,
asking, "What hath befallen thee?" whereto he answered, "A young
scorpion[FN#51] stung me." So they departed, with the caravan.
Such was their case; but as regards Ala al-Din, he tarried in the
niche, and Mahmud of Balkh bade load his beasts and fared
forwards till he came to the Lion's Copse where he found Ala
al-Din's attendants all lying slain. At this he rejoiced and went
on till he reached the cistern and the reservoir. Now his mule
was athirst and turned aside to drink, but she saw Ala al-Din's
shadow in the water and shied and started; whereupon Mahmud
raised his eyes and, seeing Ala al-Din lying in the niche,
stripped to his shirt and bag trousers, said to him, "What man
this deed to thee hath dight and left thee in this evil plight?"
Answered Ala alDin, "The Arabs," and Mahmud said, "O my son, the
mules and the baggage were thy ransom; so do thou comfort thyself
with his saying who said,

'If thereby man can save his head from death, * His good is worth
him but a slice of nail!'

But now, O my son, come down and fear no hurt." Thereupon he
descended from the cistern-niche and Mahmud mounted him on a
mule, and they fared on till they reached Baghdad, where he
brought him to his own house and carried him to the bath, saying
to him, "The goods and money were the ransom of thy life, O my
son; but, if thou wilt hearken to me, I will give thee the worth
of that thou hast lost, twice told." When he came out of the
bath, Mahmud carried him into a saloon decorated with gold with
four raised floors, and bade them bring a tray with all manner of
meats. So they ate and drank and Mahmud bent towards Ala al-Din
to snatch a kiss from him; but he received it upon the palm of
his hand and said, "What, dost thou persist in thy evil designs
upon me? Did I not tell thee that, were I wont to sell this
merchandise to other than thee for gold, I would sell it thee for
silver?" Quoth Mahmud, "I will give thee neither merchandise nor
mule nor clothes save at this price; for I am gone mad for love
of thee, and bless him who said,

'Told us, ascribing to his Shaykhs, our Shaykh * Abu Bilal, these
words they wont to utter:[FN#52]
Unhealed the lover wones of love desire, * By kiss and clip, his
only cure's to futter!'"

Ala al-Din replied, "Of a truth this may never be, take back thy
dress and thy mule and open the door that I may go out." So he
opened the door, and Ala al-Din fared forth and walked on, with
the dogs barking at his heels, and he went forwards through the
dark when behold, he saw the door of a mosque standing open and,
entering the vestibule, there took shelter and concealment; and
suddenly a light approached him and on examining it he saw that
it came from a pair of lanthorns borne by two slaves before two
merchants. Now one was an old man of comely face and the other a
youth; and he heard the younger say to the elder, "O my uncle,, I
conjure thee by Allah, give me back my cousin!" The old man
replied, "Did I not forbid thee, many a time, when the oath of
divorce was always in thy mouth, as it were Holy Writ?" Then he
turned to his right and, seeing Ala al-Din as he were a slice of
the full moon, said to him, "Peace be with thee! who art thou, O
my son?" Quoth he, returning the salutation of peace, "I am Ala
al-Din, son of Shams al-Din, Consul of the merchants for Egypt. I
besought my father for merchandise; so he packed me fifty loads
of stuffs and goods."--And Shahrazed perceived the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ala al-Din
continued, "So he packed me fifty loads of goods and gave me ten
thousand dinars, wherewith I set out for Baghdad; but when I
reached the Lion's Copse, the wild Arabs came out against me and
took all my goods and monies. So I entered the city knowing not
where to pass the night and, seeing this place, I took shelter
here." Quoth the old man, "O my son, what sayest thou to my
giving thee a thousand dinars and a suit of clothes and a mule
worth other two thousand?" Ala al-Din asked, "To what end wilt
thou give me these things, O my uncle?" and the other answered,
'This young man who accompanieth me is the son of my brother and
an only son; and I have a daughter called Zubaydah[FN#53] the
lutist, an only child who is a model of beauty and loveliness, so
I married her to him. Now he loveth her, but she loatheth him;
and when he chanced to take an oath of triple divorcement and
broke it, forthright she left him. Whereupon he egged on all the
folk to intercede with me to restore her to him; but I told him
that this could not lawfully be save by an intermediate marriage,
and we have agreed to make some stranger the intermediary[FN#54]
in order that none may taunt and shame him with this affair. So,
as thou art a stranger, come with us and we will marry thee to
her; thou shalt lie with her to-night and on the morrow divorce
her and we will give thee what I said." Quoth Ala al-Din to
himself, "By Allah, to bide the night with a bride on a bed in a
house is far better than sleeping in the streets and vestibules!"
So he went with them to the Kazi whose heart, as soon as he saw
Ala al-Din, was moved to love him, and who said to the old man,
"What is your will?" He replied, "We wish to make this young man
an intermediary husband for my daughter; but we will write a bond
against him binding him to pay down by way of marriage-settlement
ten thousand gold pieces. Now if after passing the night with her
he divorce her in the morning, we will give him a mule and dress
each worth a thousand dinars, and a third thousand of ready
money; but if he divorce her not, he shall pay down the ten
thousand dinars according to contract." So they agreed to the
agreement and the father of the bride-to-be received his bond for
the marriage-settlement. Then he took Ala al-Din and, clothing
him anew, carried him to his daughter's house and there he left
him standing at the door, whilst he himself went in to the young
lady and said, "Take the bond of thy marriage-settlement, for I
have wedded thee to a handsome youth by name Ala al-Din Abu
al-Shamat: so do thou use him with the best of usage." Then he
put the bond into her hands and left her and went to his own
lodging. Now the lady's cousin had an old duenna who used to
visit Zubaydah, and he had done many a kindness to this woman, so
he said to her, "O my mother, if my cousin Zubaydah see this
handsome young man, she will never after accept my offer; so I
would fain have thee contrive some trick to keep her and him
apart." She answered, "By the life of thy youth,[FN#55] I will
not suffer him to approach her!" Then she went to Ala al-Din and
said to him, "O my son, I have a word of advice to give thee, for
the love of Almighty Allah and do thou accept my counsel, as I
fear for thee from this young woman: better thou let her lie
alone and feel not her person nor draw thee near to her." He
asked, "Why so?"; and she answered, "Because her body is full of
leprosy and I dread lest she infect thy fair and seemly youth."
Quoth he, "I have no need of her." Thereupon she went to the lady
and said the like to her of Ala al-Din, and she replied, "I have
no need of him, but will let him lie alone, and on the morrow he
shall gang his gait." Then she called a slave-girl and said to
her, "Take the tray of food and set it before him that he may
sup." So the handmaid carried him the tray of food and set it
before him and he ate his fill: after which he sat down and
raised his charming voice and fell to reciting the chapter called
Y. S.[FN#56] The lady listened to him and found his voice as
melodious as the psalms of David sung by David himself,[FN#57]
which when she heard, she exclaimed, "Allah disappoint the old
hag who told me that he was affected with leprosy! Surely this is
not the voice of one who hath such a disease; and all was a lie
against him."[FN#58] Then she took a lute of India-land
workmanship and, tuning the strings, sang to it in a voice so
sweet its music would stay the birds in the heart of heaven; and
began these two couplets,

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