The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 6

R >> Richard F. Burton >> The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 6

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"O child of Adam, let not hope make mock and flyte at thee, *
Prom all thy hands have treasured, removed thou shalt be;
I see thou covetest the world and fleeting worldly charms, * And
races past and gone have done the same as thou I see.
Lawful and lawless wealth they got; but all their hoarded store,
* Their term accomplished, naught delayed of Destiny's
decree.
Armies they led and puissant men and gained them gold galore; *
Then left their wealth and palaces by Pate compelled to
flee,
To straitness of the grave-yard and humble bed of dust * Whence,
pledged for every word and deed, they never more win free:
As a company of travellers had unloaded in the night * At house
that lacketh food nor is o'erfain of company:
Whose owner saith, 'O folk, there be no lodging here for you;' *
So packed they who had erst unpacked and fared hurriedly:
Misliking much the march, nor the journey nor the halt * Had
aught of pleasant chances or had aught of goodly greet
Then prepare thou good provision for to-morrow's journey stored,
* Naught but righteous honest life shall avail thee with the
Lord!"

And the Emir Musa wept as he read, "By Allah, the fear of the
Lord is the best of all property, the pillar of certainty and the
sole sure stay. Verily, Death is the truth manifest and the sure
behest, and therein, O thou, is the goal and return place
evident. Take warning, therefore, by those who to the dust did
wend and hastened on the way of the predestined end. Seest thou
not that hoary hairs summon thee to the tomb and that the
whiteness of thy locks maketh moan of thy doom? Wherefore be thou
on the wake ready for thy departure and shine account to make. O
son of Adam, what hath hardened thy heart in mode abhorred? What
hath seduced thee from the service of thy Lord? Where be the
peoples of old time? They are a warning to whoso will be warned!
Where be the Kings of al-Sin and the lords of majestic mien?
Where is Shaddad bin Ad and whatso he built and he stablished?
Where is Nimrod who revolted against Allah and defied Him? Where
is Pharaoh who rebelled against God and denied Him? Death
followed hard upon the trail of them all, and laid them low
sparing neither great nor small, male nor female; and the Reaper
of Mankind cut them off, yea, by Him who maketh night to return
upon day! Know, O thou who comest to this place, that she whom
thou seest here was not deluded by the world and its frail
delights, for it is faithless, perfidious, a house of ruin, vain
and treacherous; and salutary to the creature is the remembrance
of his sins; wherefore she feared her Lord and made fair her
dealings and provided herself with provaunt against the appointed
marching day. Whoso cometh to our city and Allah vouchsafeth him
competence to enter it, let him take of the treasure all he can,
but touch not aught that is on my body, for it is the covering of
my shame[FN#150] and the outfit for the last journey; wherefore
let him fear Allah and despoil naught thereof; else will he
destroy his own self. This have I set forth to him for a warning
from me and a solemn trust to be; wherewith, peace be with ye and
I pray Allah to keep you from sickness and calamity." And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

When it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,

She said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Emir Musa read this, he wept with exceeding weeping till he
swooned away and presently coming to himself, wrote down all he
had seen and was admonished by all he had witnessed. Then he said
to his men, "Fetch the camels and load them with these treasures
and vases and jewels." "O Emir," asked Talib, "shall we leave our
damsel with what is upon her, things which have no equal and
whose like is not to be found and more perfect than aught else
thou takest; nor couldst thou find a goodlier offering
wherewithal to propitiate the favour of the Commander of the
Faithful?" But Musa answered, "O man, heardest thou not what the
Lady saith on this tablet? More by token that she giveth it in
trust to us who are no traitors." "And shall we," rejoined the
Wazir Talib, "because of these words, leave all these riches and
jewels, seeing that she is dead? What should she do with these
that are the adornments of the world and the ornament of the
worldling, seeing that one garment of cotton would suffice for
her covering? We have more right to them than she." So saying he
mounted the steps of the couch between the pillars, but when he
came within reach of the two slaves, lo! the mace-bearer smote
him on the back and the other struck him with the sword he held
in his hand and lopped off his head, and he dropped down dead.
Quoth the Emir, "Allah have no mercy on thy resting-place! Indeed
there was enough in these treasures, and greed of gain assuredly
degradeth a man." Then he bade admit the troops; so they entered
and loaded the camels with those treasures and precious ores;
after which they went forth and the Emir commanded them to shut
the gate as before. They fared on along the sea-shore a whole
month, till they came in sight of a high mountain overlooking the
sea and full of caves, wherein dwelt a tribe of blacks, clad in
hides, with burnooses also of hide and speaking an unknown
tongue. When they saw the troops they were startled like shying
steeds and fled into the caverns, whilst their women and children
stood at the cave doors, looking on the strangers. "O Shaykh Abd
al-Samad," asked the Emir, "what are these folk?" and he
answered, "They are those whom we seek for the Commander of the
Faithful." So they dismounted and setting down their loads,
pitched their tents; whereupon, almost before they had done, down
came the King of the blacks from the mountain and drew near the
camp. Now he understood the Arabic tongue; so, when he came to
the Emir he saluted him with the salam and Musa returned his
greeting and entreated him with honour. Then quoth he to the
Emir, "Are ye men or Jinn?" "Well, we are men," quoth Musa; "but
doubtless ye are Jinn, to judge by your dwelling apart in this
mountain which is cut off from mankind, and by your inordinate
bulk." "Nay," rejoined the black; "we also are children of Adam,
of the lineage of Ham, son of Noah (with whom be peace!), and
this sea is known as Al-Karkar." Asked Musa, "O King, what is
your religion and what worship ye?"; and he answered, saying, "We
worship the God of the heavens and our religion is that of
Mohammed, whom Allah bless and preserve!" "And how came ye by the
knowledge of this," questioned the Emir, "seeing that no prophet
was inspired to visit this country?" "Know, Emir," replied the
King, "that there appeared to us whilere from out the sea a man,
from whom issued a light that illumined the horizons and he cried
out, in a voice which was heard of men far and near, saying, 'O
children of Ham, reverence to Him who seeth and is not seen and
say ye, 'There is no god but the God, and Mohammed is the
messenger of God!' And he added, 'I am Abu al-Abbas al-Khizr.'
Before this we were wont to worship one another, but he summoned
us to the service of the Lord of all creatures; and he taught us
to repeat these words, 'There is no god save the God alone, who
hath for partner none, and His is the kingdom and His is the
praise. He giveth life and death and He over all things is
Almighty.' Nor do we draw near unto Allah (be He exalted and
extolled!) except with these words, for we know none other; but
every eve before Friday[FN#151] we see a light upon the face of
earth and we hear a voice saying, 'Holy and glorious, Lord of the
Angels and the Spirit! What He willeth is, and what He willeth
not, is not. Every boon is of His grace and there is neither
Majesty nor is there Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the
Great!' But ye," quoth the King, "who and what are ye and what
bringeth you to this land?" Quoth Musa, "We are officers of the
Sovereign of Al-Islam, the Commander of the Faithful, Abd al-
Malik bin Marwan, who hath heard tell of the lord Solomon, son of
David (on whom be peace!) and of that which the Most High
bestowed upon him of supreme dominion; how he held sway over Jinn
and beast and bird and was wont when he was wroth with one of the
Marids, to shut him in a cucurbite of brass and, stopping its
mouth on him with lead, whereon he impressed his seal ring, to
cast him into the sea of Al-Karkar. Now we have heard tell that
this sea is nigh your land; so the Commander of the Faithful hath
sent us hither, to bring him some of these cucurbites, that he
may look thereon and solace himself with their sight. Such, then,
is our case and what we seek of thee, O King, and we desire that
thou further us in the accomplishment of our errand commanded by
the Commander of the Faithful." "With love and gladness," replied
the black King, and carrying them to the guest house, entreated
them with the utmost honour and furnished them with all they
needed, feeding them upon fish. They abode thus three days, when
he bade his divers fetch from out the sea some of the vessels of
Solomon. So they dived and brought up twelve cucurbites, whereat
the Emir and the Shaykh and all the company rejoiced in the
accomplishment of the Caliph's need. Then Musa gave the King of
the blacks many and great gifts; and he, in turn, made him a
present Of the wonders of the deep, being fishes in human
form,[FN#152] saying "Your entertainment these three days hath
been of the meat of these fish." Quoth the Emir, "Needs must we
carry some of these to the Caliph, for the sight of them will
please him more than the cucurbites of Solomon." Then they took
leave of the black King and, setting out on their homeward
journey, travelled till they came to Damascus, where Musa went in
to the Commander of the Faithful and told him all that he had
sighted and heard of verses and legends and instances, together
with the manner of the death of Talib bin Sahl; and the Caliph
said, "Would I had been with you, that I might have seen what you
saw!" Then he took the brazen vessels and opened them, cucurbite
after cucurbite, whereupon the devils came forth of them, saying,
"We repent, O Prophet of Allah! Never again will we return to the
like of this thing; no never!" And the Caliph marvelled at this.
As for the daughters of the deep presented to them by the black
King, they made them cisterns of planks, full of water, and laid
them therein; but they died of the great heat. Then the Caliph
sent for the spoils of the Brazen City and divided them among the
Faithful,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say,

When it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph
marvelled much at the cucurbites and their contents; then he sent
for the spoils and divided them among the Faithful, saying,
"Never gave Allah unto any the like of that which he bestowed
upon Solomon David-son!" Thereupon the Emir Musa sought leave of
him to appoint his son Governor of the Province in his stead,
that he might be take himself to the Holy City of Jerusalem,
there to worship Allah. So the Commander of the Faithful invested
his son Harun with the government and Musa repaired to the
Glorious and Holy City, where he died. This, then, is all that
hath come down to us of the story of the City of Brass, and God
is All-knowing! Now (continued Shahrazad) I have another tale to
tell anent the

CRAFT AND MALICE OF WOMEN,[FN#153] OR THE
TALE OF THE KING, HIS SON, HIS CONCUBINE AND
THE SEVEN WAZIRS.

There was, in days of yore and in ages and times long gone
before, a puissant King among the Kings of China, the crown of
crowned heads, who ruled over many men of war and vassals with
wisdom and justice, might and majesty; equitable to his Ryots,
liberal to his lieges and dearly beloved by the hearts of his
subjects. He was wealthy as he was powerful, but he had grown old
without being blessed with a son, and this caused him sore
affliction. He could only brood over the cutting off of his seed
and the oblivion that would bury his name and the passing of his
realm into the stranger's hands. So he secluded himself in his
palace, never going in and out or rising and taking rest till the
lieges lost all tidings of him and were sore perplexed and began
to talk about their King. Some said, "He's dead"; others said,
"No, he's not"; but all resolved to find a ruler who could reign
over them and carry out the customs of government. At last,
utterly despairing of male issue, he sought the intercession of
the Prophet (whom Allah bless and keep!) with the Most High and
implored Him, by the glory of His Prophets and Saints and Martyrs
and others of the Faithful who were acceptable to Heaven that he
would grant him a son, to be the coolth of his eyes and heir to
the kingdom after him. Then he rose forthright and, withdrawing
to his sitting-saloon, sent for his wife who was the daughter of
his uncle. Now this Queen was of surpassing beauty and
loveliness, the fairest of all his wives and the dearest to him
as she was the nearest: and to boot a woman of excellent wit and
passing judgement. She found the King dejected and sorrowful,
tearful-eyed and heavy-hearted; so she kissed ground between his
hands and said, "O King, may my life ransom thy life! may Time
never prove thy foe, nor the shifts of Fortune prevail over thee;
may Allah grant thee every joy and ward off from thee all annoy!
How is it I see thee brooding over thy case and tormented by the
displeasures of memory?" He replied, "Thou wottest well that I am
a man now shotten in years, who hath never been blessed with a
son, a sight to cool his eyes; so I know that my kingdom shall
pass away to the stranger in blood and my name and memory will be
blotted out amongst men. 'Tis this causeth me to grieve with
excessive grief." "Allah do away with thy sorrows," quoth she:
"long ere this day a thought struck me; and yearning for issue
arose in my heart even as in thine. One night I dreamed a dream
and a voice said to me, 'The King thy husband pineth for progeny:
if a daughter be vouchsafed to him, she will be the ruin of his
realm; if a son, the youth will undergo much trouble and annoy
but he will pass through it without loss of life. Such a son can
be conceived by thee and thee only and the time of thy conception
is when the moon conjoineth with Gemini!' I woke from my dream,
but after what I heard that voice declare I refrained from
breeding and would not consent to bear children." "There is no
help for it but that I have a son, Inshallah, --God willing!"
cried the King. Thereupon she soothed and consoled him till he
forgot his sorrows and went forth amongst the lieges and sat, as
of wont, upon his throne of estate. All rejoiced to see him once
more and especially the Lords of his realm. Now when the
conjunction of the moon and Gemini took place, the King knew his
wife carnally and, by order of Allah Almighty she became
pregnant. Presently she anounced the glad tidings to her husband
and led her usual life until her nine months of pregnancy were
completed and she bare a male child whose face was as the rondure
of the moon on its fourteenth night. The lieges of the realm
congratulated one another thereanent and the King commanded an
assembly of his Olema and philosophers, astrologers and
horoscopists, whom he thus addressed, "I desire you to forecast
the fortune of my son and to determine his ascendant[FN#154] and
whatever is shown by his nativity." They replied "'Tis well, in
Allah's name, let us do so!" and cast his nativity with all
diligence. After ascertaining his ascendant, they pronounced
judgement in these words, "We see his lot favourable and his life
viable and durable; save that a danger awaiteth his youth." The
father was sorely concerned at this saying, when they added "But,
O King, he shall escape from it nor shall aught of injury accrue
to him!" Hereupon the King cast aside all cark and care and robed
the wizards and dismissed them with splendid honoraria; and he
resigned himself to the will of Heaven and acknowledged that the
decrees of destiny may not be countervailed. He committed his boy
to wet nurses and dry nurses, handmaids and eunuchs, leaving him
to grow and fill out in the Harim till he reached the age of
seven. Then he addressed letters to his Viceroys and Governors in
every clime and by their means gathered together Olema and
philosophers and doctors of law and religion, from all countries,
to a number of three hundred and three score. He held an especial
assembly for them and, when all were in presence, he bade them
draw near him and be at their ease while he sent for the
food-trays and all ate their sufficiency. And when the banquet
ended and the wizards had taken seats in their several degrees,
the King asked them, "Wot ye wherefore I have gathered ye
together?"; whereto all answered, "We wot not, O King!" He
continued, "It is my wish that you select from amongst you fifty
men, and from these fifty ten, and from these ten one, that he
may teach my son omnem rem scibilem; for whenas I see the youth
perfect in all science, I will share my dignity with the Prince
and make him partner with me in my possessions." "Know, O King,"
they replied, "that among us none is more learned or more
excellent than Al-Sindibad,[FN#155] hight the Sage, who woneth in
thy capital under thy protection. If such be thy design, summon
him and bid him do thy will." The King acted upon their advice
and the Sage, standing in the presence, expressed his loyal
sentiments with his salutation, whereupon his Sovereign bade him
draw nigh and thus raised his rank, saying, "I would have thee to
know, O Sage, that I summoned this assembly of the learned and
bade them choose me out a man to teach my son all knowledge; when
they selected thee without dissenting thought or voice. If, then,
thou feel capable of what they claimed for thee, come thou to the
task and understand that a man's son and heir is the very fruit
of his vitals and core of his heart and liver. My desire of thee
is thine instruction of him; and to happy issue Allah guideth!"
The King then sent for his son and committed him to Al-Sindibad
conditioning the Sage to finish his education in three years. He
did accordingly but, at the end of that time, the young Prince
had learned nothing, his mind being wholly occupied with play and
disport; and when summoned and examined by his sire, behold, his
knowledge was as nil. Thereupon the King turned his attention to
the learned once more and bade them elect a tutor for his youth;
so they asked, "And what hath his governor, Al-Sindibad, been
doing?" and when the King answered, "He hath taught my son
naught;" the Olema and philosophers and high officers summoned
the instructor and said to him, "O Sage, what prevented thee from
teaching the King's son during this length of days?" "O wise
men," he replied, "the Prince's mind is wholly occupied with
disport and play; yet, an the King will make with me three
conditions and keep to them, I will teach him in seven months
what he would not learn (nor indeed could any other lesson him)
within seven years." "I hearken to thee," quoth the King, "and I
submit myself to thy conditions;" and quoth Al-Sindibad, "Hear
from me, Sire, and bear in mind these three sayings, whereof the
first is, 'Do not to others what thou wouldest not they do unto
thee';[FN#156] and second, 'Do naught hastily without consulting
the experienced'; and thirdly, 'Where thou hast power show
pity.'[FN#157] In teaching this lad I require no more of thee but
to accept these three dictes and adhere thereto." Cried the King,
"Bear ye witness against me, O all ye here assembled, that I
stand firm by these conditions!"; and caused a proces verbal to
be drawn up with his personal security and the testimony of his
courtiers. Thereupon the Sage, taking the Prince's hand, led him
to his place, and the King sent them all requisites of provaunt
and kitchen-batteries, carpets and other furniture. Moreover the
tutor bade build a house whose walls he lined with the whitest
stucco painted over with ceruse,[FN#158] and, lastly, he
delineated thereon all the objects concerning which he proposed
to lecture his pupil. When the place was duly furnished, he took
the lad's hand and installed him in the apartment which was amply
furnished with belly-timber; and, after stablishing him therein,
went forth and fastened the door with seven padlocks. Nor did he
visit the Prince save every third day when he lessoned him on the
knowledge to be extracted from the wall-pictures and renewed his
provision of meat and drink, after which he left him again to
solitude. So whenever the youth was straitened in breast by the
tedium and ennui of loneliness, he applied himself diligently to
his object-lessons and mastered all the deductions therefrom. His
governor seeing this turned his mind into other channel and
taught him the inner meanings of the external objects; and in a
little time the pupil mastered every requisite. Then the Sage
took him from the house and taught him cavalarice and Jerid play
and archery. When the pupil had thoroughly mastered these arts,
the tutor sent to the King informing him that the Prince was
perfect and complete in all things required to figure favourably
amongst his peers. Hereat the King rejoiced; and, summoning his
Wazirs and Lords of estate to be present at the examination,
commanded the Sage to send his son into the presence. Thereupon
Al-Sindibad consulted his pupil's horoscope and found it barred
by an inauspicious conjunction which would last seven days; so,
in sore affright for the youth's life, he said, "Look into thy
nativity-scheme." The Prince did so and, recognising the portent,
feared for himself and presently asked the Sage, saying, "What
dost thou bid me do?" "I bid thee," he answered, "remain silent
and speak not a word during this se'nnight; even though thy sire
slay thee with scourging. An thou pass safely through this
period, thou shalt win to high rank and succeed to thy sire's
reign; but an things go otherwise then the behest is with Allah
from the beginning to the end thereof." Quoth the pupil, "Thou
art in fault, O preceptor, and thou hast shown undue haste in
sending that message to the King before looking into my
horoscope. Hadst thou delayed till the week had passed all had
been well." Quoth the tutor, "O my son, what was to be was; and
the sole defaulter therein was my delight in thy scholarship. But
now be firm in thy resolve; rely upon Allah Almighty and
determine not to utter a single word." Thereupon the Prince fared
for the presence and was met by the Wazirs who led him to his
father. The King accosted him and addressed him but he answered
not; and sought speech of him but he spake not. Whereupon the
courtiers were astounded and the monarch, sore concerned for his
son, summoned Al-Sindibad. But the tutor so hid himself that none
could hit upon his trace nor gain tidings of him; and folk said,
"He was ashamed to appear before the King's majesty and the
courtiers." Under these conditions the Sovereign heard some of
those present saying, "Send the lad to the Serraglio where he
will talk with the women and soon set aside this bashfulness;"
and, approving their counsel, gave orders accordingly. So the
Prince was led into the palace, which was compassed about by a
running stream whose banks were planted with all manner of
fruit-trees and sweet-smelling flowers. Moreover, in this palace
were forty chambers and in every chamber ten slave-girls, each
skilled in some instrument of music, so that whenever one of them
played, the palace danced to her melodious strains. Here the
Prince passed one night; but, on the following morning, the
King's favourite concubine happened to cast eyes upon his beauty
and loveliness, his symmetrical stature, his brilliancy and his
perfect grace, and love gat hold of her heart and she was
ravished with his charms.[FN#159] So she went up to him and threw
herself upon him, but he made her no response; whereupon, being
dazed by his beauty, she cried out to him and required him of
himself and importuned him; then she again threw herself upon him
and clasped him to her bosom kissing him and saying, "O King's
son, grant me thy favours and I will set thee in thy father's
stead; I will give him to drink of poison, so he may die and thou
shalt enjoy his realm and wealth." When the Prince heard these
words, he was sore enraged against her and said to her by signs,
"O accursed one, so it please Almighty Allah, I will assuredly
requite thee this thy deed, whenas I can speak; for I will go
forth to my father and will tell him, and he shall kill thee." So
signing, he arose in rage, and went out from her chamber; whereat
she feared for herself. Thereupon she buffeted her face and rent
her raiment and tare her hair and bared her head, then went in to
the King and cast herself at his feet, weeping and wailing. When
he saw her in this plight, he was sore concerned and asked her,
"What aileth thee, O damsel? How is it with thy lord, my son? Is
he not well?"; and she answered, "O King, this thy son, whom thy
courtiers avouch to be dumb, required me of myself and I repelled
him, whereupon he did with me as thou seest and would have slain
me; so I fled from him, nor will I ever return to him, nor to the
palace again, no, never again!" When the King heard this, he was
wroth with exceeding wrath and, calling his seven Wazirs, bade
them put the Prince to death. However, they said one to other,
"If we do the King's commandment, he will surely repent of having
ordered his son's death, for he is passing dear to him and this
child came not to him save after despair; and he will round upon
us and blame us, saying, 'Why did ye not contrive to dissuade me
from slaying him?'" So they took counsel together, to turn him
from his purpose, and the chief Wazir said, "I will warrant you
from the King's mischief this day." Then he went in to the
presence and prostrating himself craved leave to speak. The King
gave him permission, and he said, "O King, though thou hadst a
thousand sons, yet were it no light matter to thee to put one of
them to death, on the report of a woman, be she true or be she
false; and belike this is a lie and a trick of her against thy
son; for indeed, O King, I have heard tell great plenty of
stories of the malice, the craft and perfidy of women." Quoth the
King, "Tell me somewhat of that which hath come to thy knowledge
thereof." And the Wazir answered, saying, 'Yes, there hath
reached me, O King, a tale entituled

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