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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When it was the Six Hundred and Fifth Night

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
merchant had sold his chanders-wood and had taken the money he
quitted that city and returned to his own land. Then the Prince
continued, "But this is not more wondrous than the tale of the
three-year-old child." "What may that be?" asked the King, and
the Prince answered, "I have heard tell this tale of

The Debauchee and the Three-Year-Old Child.

Know, O King that a certain profligate man, who was addicted to
the sex, once heard of a beautiful and lovely woman who dwelt in
a city other than his own. So he journeyed thither, taking with
him a present, and wrote her a note, setting forth all that he
suffered of love-longing and desire for her and how his passion
for her had driven him to forsake his native land and come to
her; and he ended by praying for an assignation. She gave him
leave to visit her and, as he entered her abode, she stood up and
received him with all honour and worship, kissing his hands and
entertaining him with the best entertainment of meat and drink.
Now she had a little son, but three years old, whom she left and
busied herself in cooking rice.[FN#253] Presently the man said to
her, "Come, let us go and lie together;" but she replied, "My son
is sitting looking at us." Quoth the man, "He is a little child,
understanding not neither knowing how to speak." Quoth the woman,
"Thou wouldst not say thus, and thou knew his intelligence." When
the boy saw that the rice was done, he wept with bitter weeping
and his mother said to him, "What gars thee weep, O my son?"
"Ladle me out some rice," answered he, "and put clarified butter
in it." So she ladled him out somewhat of rice and put butter
therein; and the child ate a little, then began to weep again.
Quoth she, "What ails thee now, O my son?"; and quoth he, "O
mother mine, I want some sugar with my rice." At this said the
man, who was an-angered, "Thou art none other than a curst
child." "Curst thyself, by Allah," answered the boy, "seeing thou
weariest thyself and journeyest from city to city, in quest of
adultery. As for me, I wept because I had somewhat in my eye, and
my tears brought it out; and now I have eaten rice with butter
and sugar and am content; so which is the curst of us twain?" The
man was confounded at this rebuke from a little child and
forthright grace entered him and he was reclaimed. Wherefor he
laid not a finger on the woman, but went out from her and
returned to his own country, where he lived a contrite life till
he died. "As for the story of the five-year-old child" (continued
the Prince), "I have heard tell, O King, the following anent

The Stolen Purse.

Four merchants once owned in common a thousand gold pieces; so
they laid them mingled together in one purse and set out to buy
merchandise therewith. They happened as they wended their way on
a beautiful garden; so they left the purse with a woman who had
care of the garden, saying to here, "Mind thee, thou shalt not
give it back save when all four of us in person demand it of
thee." She agreed to this and they entered and strolled awhile
about the garden-walks and ate and drank and made merry, after
which one of them said to the others, "I have with me scented
fuller's-earth; come, let us wash our heads therewith in this
running water." Quoth another, "We lack a comb;" and a third,
"Let us ask the keeper; belike she hath a comb." Thereupon one of
them arose and accosting the care-taker, said to her, "Give me
the purse." Said she, "Not until ye be all present or thy fellows
bid me give it thee." Then he called to his companions (who could
see him but not hear him) saying, "She will not give it me;" and
they said to her, "Give it him," thinking he meant the comb. So
she gave him the purse and he took it and made off as fast as he
could. When the three others were wary of waiting, they went to
the keeper and asked her, "Why wilt thou not give him the comb?"
Answered she, "He demanded naught of me save the purse, and I
gave not that same but with your consent, and he went his way
with it." When they heard her words they buffeted their faces
and, laying hands upon her, said, "We authorized thee only to
give him the comb;" and she rejoined, "He named not a comb to
me." Then they seized her and haled her before the Kazi, to whom
they related their claim and he condemned her to make good the
the purse and bound over sundry of her debtors to answer for her.
---And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Sixth Night

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Kazi
condemned the care-taker to make good the purse and bound over
sundry of her debtors to answer for her. So she went forth,
confounded and knowing not her way out of difficulty. Presently
she met a five-year-old boy who, seeing her troubled, said to
her, "What ails thee, O my mother?" But she gave him no answer,
contemning him because of his tender age, and he repeated his
question a second time and a third time till, at last, she told
him all that had passed,[FN#254] not forgetting the condition
that she was to keep the purse until all four had demanded it of
her. Said the boy, "Give me a dirham to buy sweetmeats withal and
I will tell the how thou mayst acquit thyself." So she gave him a
silver and said to him, "What hast thou to say?" Quoth he,
"Return to the Kazi, and say to him, It was agreed between myself
and them that I should not give them the purse, except all four
of them were present. Let them all four come and I will give them
the purse, as was agreed." So she went back to the Kazi and said
to him as the boy had counselled; and he asked the merchants,
"Was it thus agreed between you and this woman?"; and they
answered, "Yes." Quoth the Kazi, "Then bring me your comrade and
take the purse." So they went in quest of their fellow, whilst
the keeper came off scot-free and went her way without let or
hindrance. And Allah is Omniscient![FN#255] When the King and his
Wazir and those present in the assembly heard the Prince's words
they said to his father, "O our lord the King, in very sooth thy
son is the most accomplished man of his time;" and they called
down blessings upon the King and the Prince. Then the King
strained his son to his bosom and kissed him between the eyes and
questioned him of what had passed between the favourite and
himself; and the Prince sware to him, by Almighty Allah and by
His Holy Prophet that it was she who had required him of love
which he refused, adding, "Moreover, she promised me that she
would give thee poison to drink and kill the, so should the
kingship be mine; whereupon I waxed wroth and signed to her, 'O
accursed one, whenas I can speak I will requite thee!' So she
feared me and did what she did." The King believed his words and
sending for the favourite said to those present, "How shall we
put this damsel to death?" Some counselled him to cut out her
tongue and other some to burn it with fire; but, when she came
before the King, she said to him, "My case with thee is like unto
naught save the tale of the fox and the folk." "How so?" asked
he; and she said, "I have heard, O King, tell a

Story of the Fox and the Folk.[FN#256]

A fox once made his way into a city by the wall and, entering a
currier's store-house, played havoc with all therein and spoiled
the skins for the owner. One day, the currier set a trap for him
and taking him, beat him with the hides, till he fell down
senseless, whereupon the man deeming him to be dead, cast him out
into the road by the city-gate. Presently, an old woman who was
walking by, seeing the fox said, "This is a fox whose eye, hung
about a child's neck, is salutary against weeping." So she pluckt
out his right eye and went away. Then passed a boy, who said,
"What does this tail on this fox?"; and cut off his brush. After
a while, up came a man and saying, "This is a fox whose gall
cleareth away film and dimness from the eyes, if they be anointed
therewith like kohl," took out his knife to slit up the fox's
paunch. But Reynard said in himself, "We bore with the plucking
out of the eye and the cutting off of the tail; but, as for the
slitting of the paunch, there is no putting up with that!" So
saying, he sprang up and made off through the gate of the city,
hardly believing in his escape. Quoth the King, "I excuse her,
and in my son's hands be her doom. If he will, let him torture
her, and if he will, let him kill her." Quoth the Prince, "Pardon
is better than vengeance and mercy is of the quality of the
noble;" and the King repeated, "'Tis for thee to decide, O my
son." So the Prince set her free, saying, "Depart from our
neighbourhood and Alla pardon what is past!" Therewith the King
rose from his throne of estate and seating his son thereon,
crowned him with his crown and bade the Grandees of his realm
swear fealty and commanded them do homage to him. And he said, "O
folk, indeed, I am stricken in years and desire to withdraw apart
and devote myself only to the service of my Lord; and I call you
to witness that I divest myself of the kingly dignity, even as I
have divested myself of my crown and set it on my son's head." So
the troops and officers swore fealty to the Prince, and his
father gave himself up to the worship of his Lord nor stinted
from this, whilst his son abode in his kingship, doing justice
and righteousness; and his power was magnified and his sultanate
strengthened and he abode in all delight and solace of life, till
there came to him the Certainty.

JUDAR[FN#257] AND HIS BRETHREN.

There was once a man and a merchant named Omar and he had for
issue three sons, the eldest called Salim, the youngest Judar and
the cadet Salim. He reared them all till they came to man's
estate, but the youngest he loved more than his brothers, who
seeing this, waxed jealous of Judar and hated him. Now when their
father, who was a man shotten in years, saw that his two eldest
sons hated their brother, he feared lest after his death trouble
should befall him from them. So he assembled a company of his
kinsfolk, together with divers men of learning and property
distributors of the Kazi's court, and bidding bring all his
monies and cloth, said to them, "O folk, divide ye this money and
stuff into four portions according to the law." They did so, and
he gave one part to each of his sons and kept the fourth himself,
saying, "This was my good and I have divided it among them in my
lifetime; and this that I have kept shall be for my wife, their
mother, wherewithal to provide for her subsistence whenas she
shall be a widow."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Seventh Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
merchant had divided his money and stuff into four portions he
said, "This share shall be for my wife, their mother, wherewithal
to provide for her subsistence whenas she shall be a widow." A
little while after this he died, and neither of the two elder
brothers was content with his share,[FN#258] but sought more of
Judar, saying, "Our father's wealth is in thy hands." So he
appealed to the judges; and the Moslems who had been present at
the partition came and bore witness of that which they knew,
wherefore the judge forbade them from one another; but Judar and
his brothers wasted much money in bribes to him. After this, the
twain left him awhile; presently, however, they began again to
plot against him and he appealed a second time to the magistrate,
who once more decided in his favour; but all three lost much
money which went to the judges. Nevertheless Salim and Salim
forbore not to seek his hurt and to carry the case from court to
court,[FN#259] he and they losing till they had given all their
good for food to the oppressors and they became poor, all three.
Then the two elder brothers went to their mother and flouted her
and beat her, and seizing her money crave her away. So she betook
herself to her son Judar and told him how his brothers had dealt
with her and fell to cursing the twain. Said he, "O my mother, do
not curse them, for Allah will requite each of them according to
his deed. But, O mother mine, see, I am become poor, and so are
my brethren, for strife occasioneth loss ruin rife, and we have
striven amain, and fought, I and they, before the judges, and it
hath profited us naught: nay, we have wasted all our father left
us and are disgraced among the folk by reason of our testimony
one against other. Shall I then con tend with them anew on thine
account and shall we appeal to the judges? This may not be!
Rather do thou take up thine abode with me, and the scone I eat I
will share with thee. Do thou pray for me and Allah will give me
the means of thine alimony. Leave them to receive of the Almighty
the recompense of their deed, and console thyself with the saying
of the poet who said,

'If a fool oppress thee bear patiently; * And from Time expect
thy revenge to see:
Shun tyranny; for if mount oppressed * A mount, 'twould be
shattered by tyranny.' "

And he soothed and comforted her till she consented and took up
her dwelling with him. Then he get him a net and went a fishing
every day in the river or the banks about Bulak and old Cairo or
some other place in which there was water; and one day he would
earn ten coppers,[FN#260] another twenty and another thirty,
which he spent upon his mother and himself, and they ate well and
drank well. But, as for his brothers, they plied no craft and
neither sold nor bought; misery and ruin and overwhelming
calamity entered their houses and they wasted that which they had
taken from their mother and became of the wretched naked beggars.
So at times they would come to their mother, humbling themselves
before her exceedingly and complaining to her of hunger; and she
(a mother's heart being pitiful) would give them some mouldy,
sour smelling bread or, if there were any meat cooked the day
before, she would say to them, "Eat it quick and go ere your
brother come; for 'twould be grievous to him and he would harden
his heart against me, and ye would disgrace me with him." So they
would eat in haste and go. One day among days they came in to
their mother, and she set cooked meat and bread before them. As
they were eating, behold, in came their brother Judar, at whose
sight the parent was put to shame and confusion, fearing lest he
should be wroth with her; and she bowed her face earthwards
abashed before her son. But he smiled in their faces, saying,
"Welcome, O my brothers! A blessed day![FN#261] How comes it that
ye visit me this blessed day?" Then he embraced them both and
entreated them lovingly, saying to them, "I thought not that ye
would have left me desolate by your absence nor that ye would
have forborne to come and visit me and your mother." Said they,
"By Allah, O our brother, we longed sore for thee and naught
withheld us but abashment because of what befell between us and
thee; but indeed we have repented much. 'Twas Satan's doing, the
curse of Allah the Most High be upon him! And now we have no
blessing but thyself and our mother."--And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Eighth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Judar
entered his place and saw his brothers, he welcomed them both,
saying, "And I have no blessing but you twain." And his mother
exclaimed, "Allah whiten thy face, and increase thy prosperity,
for thou art the most generous of us all, O my son!" Then he said
"Welcome to you both! Abide with me; for the Lord is bountiful
and good aboundeth with me." So he made peace with them, and they
supped and righted with him; and next morning, after they had
broken their fast, Judar shouldered his net and went out,
trusting in The Opener[FN#262] whilst the two others also went
forth and were absent till midday, when they returned and their
mother set the noon meal before them. At nightfall Judar came
home, bearing meat and greens, and they abode on this wise a
month's space, Judar catching fish and selling it and spending
their price on his mother and his brothers, and these eating and
frolicking till, one day, it chanced he went down to the river
bank and throwing his net, brought it up empty. He cast it a
second time, but again it came up empty and he said in himself,
"No fish in this place!" So he removed to another and threw the
net there, but without avail. And he ceased not to remove from
place to place till night fall, but caught not a single
sprat[FN#263] and said to himself, "Wonderful! Hath the fish fled
the river or what?" Then he shouldered the net and made for home,
chagrined, concerned, feeling for his mother and brothers and
knowing not how he should feed them that night. Presently, he
came to a baker's oven and saw the folk crowding for bread, with
silver in their hands, whilst the baker took no note of them. So
he stood there sighing, and the baker said to him, "Welcome to
thee, O Judar! Dost thou want bread?" But he was silent and the
baker continued, "An thou have no dirhams, take thy sufficiency
and thou shalt get credit." So Judar said, "Give me ten coppers'
worth of bread and take this net in pledge." Rejoined the baker,
"Nay, my poor fellow, the net is thy gate of earning thy
livelihood, and if I take it from thee, I shall close up against
thee the door of thy subsistence. Take thee ten Nusfs' worth of
bread and take these other ten, and to morrow bring me fish for
the twenty." "On my head and eyes be it!" quoth Judar and took
the bread and money saying, "To morrow the Lord will dispel the
trouble of my case and will provide me the means of acquittance."
Then he bought meat and vegetables and carried them home to his
mother, who cooked them and they supped and went to bed. Next
morning he arose at daybreak and took the net, and his mother
said to him, "Sit down and break thy fast." But he said, "Do thou
and my brothers break fast," and went down to the river about
Bulak where he ceased not to cast once, twice, thrice; and to
shift about all day, without aught falling to him, till the hour
of mid afternoon prayer, when he shouldered his net and went away
sore dejected. His way led him perforce by the booth of the baker
who, when he saw him counted out to him the loaves and the money,
saying, "Come, take it and go; an it be not today, 'twill be
tomorrow." Judar would have excused himself, but the baker said
to him, "Go! There needeth no excuse; an thou had netted aught,
it would be with thee; so seeing thee empty handed, I knew thou
hadst gotten naught; and if tomorrow thou have no better luck,
come and take bread and be not abashed, for I will give thee
credit." So Judar took the bread and money and went home. On the
third day also he sallied forth and fished from tank to tank
until the time of afternoon prayer, but caught nothing; so he
went to the baker and took the bread and silver as usual. On this
wise he did seven days running, till he became disheartened and
said in himself, "To day I go to the Lake Karun."[FN#264] So he
went thither and was about to cast his net, when there came up to
him unawares a Maghrabi, a Moor, clad in splendid attire and
riding a she mule with a pair of gold embroidered saddle bags on
her back and all her trappings also orfrayed. The Moor alighted
and said to him, "Peace be upon thee, O Judar, O son of Omar!"
"And on thee likewise be peace, O my lord the pilgrim!" replied
the fisherman. Quoth the Maghrabi, "O Judar, I have need of thee
and, given thou obey me, thou shalt get great good and shalt be
my companion and manage my affairs for me." Quoth Judar, "O my
lord, tell me what is in thy mind and I will obey thee, without
demur." Said the Moor, "Repeat the Fatihah, the Opening Chapter
of the Koran."[FN#265] So he recited it with him and the Moor
bringing out a silken cord, said to Judar, "Pinion my elbows
behind me with this cord, as fast as fast can be, and cast me
into the lake; then wait a little while; and, if thou see me put
forth my hands above the water, raising them high ere my body
show, cast thy net over me and drag me out in haste; but if thou
see me come up feet foremost, then know that I am dead; in which
case do thou leave me and take the mule and saddle bags and carry
them to the merchants' bazaar, where thou wilt find a Jew by name
Shamayah. Give him the mule and he will give thee an hundred
dinars, which do thou take and go thy ways and keep the matter
secret with all secrecy." So Judar tied his arms tightly behind
his back and he kept saying, "Tie tighter." Then said he "Push me
till I fall into the lake:" so he pushed him in and he sank.
Judar stood waiting some time till, behold, the Moor's feet
appeared above the water, whereupon he knew that he was dead. So
he left him and drove the mule to the bazaar, where seated on a
stool at the door of his storehouse he saw the Jew who spying the
mule, cried, "In very sooth the man hath perished," adding, "and
naught undid him but covetise." Then he took the mule from Judar
and gave him an hundred dinars, charging him to keep the matter
secret. So Judar went and bought what bread he needed, saying to
the baker, "Take this gold piece!"; and the man summed up what
was due to him and said, "I still owe thee two days' bread"--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Ninth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar,
when the baker after summing up what was due to him said, "I
still owe thee two days' bread," replied, "Good," and went on to
the butcher, to whom he gave a gold piece and took meat, saying,
"Keep the rest of the dinar on account." Then he bought
vegetables and going home, found his brothers importuning their
mother for victual, whilst she cried, "Have patience till your
brother come home, for I have naught." So he went in to them and
said, "Take and eat;" and they fell on the food like cannibals.
Then he gave his mother the rest of his gold saying, "If my
brothers come to thee, give them wherewithal to buy food and eat
in my absence." He slept well that night and next morning he took
his net and going down to Lake Karun stood there and was about to
cast his net, when behold, there came up to him a second
Maghribi, riding on a she mule more handsomely accoutred than he
of the day before and having with him a pair of saddle bags of
which each pocket contained a casket. "Peace be with thee, O
Judar!" said the Moor: "And with thee be peace, O my lord, the
pilgrim!" replied Judar. Asked the Moor, "Did there come to thee
yesterday a Moor riding on a mule like this of mine?" Hereat
Judar was alarmed and answered, "I saw none," fearing lest the
other say, "Whither went he?" and if he replied, "He was drowned
in the lake," that haply he should charge him with having drowned
him; wherefore he could not but deny. Rejoined the Moor, "Hark
ye, O unhappy![FN#266] this was my brother, who is gone before
me." Judar persisted, "I know naught of him." Then the Moor
enquired, "Didst thou not bind his arms behind him and throw him
into the lake, and did he not say to thee, 'If my hands appear
above the water first, cast thy net over me and drag me out in
haste; but, if my feet show first, know that I am dead and carry
the mule to the Jew Shamayah, who shall give thee an hundred
dinars?'" Quoth Judar, "Since thou knowest all this why and
wherefore dost thou question me?"; and quoth the Moor, "I would
have thee do with me as thou didst with my brother." Then he gave
him a silken cord, saying, "Bind my hands behind me and throw me
in, and if I fare as did my brother, take the mule to the Jew and
he will give thee other hundred dinars." Said Judar, "Come on;"
so he came and he bound him and pushed him into the lake, where
he sank. Then Judar sat watching and after awhile, his feet
appeared above the water and the fisher said, "He is dead and
damned! Inshallah, may Maghribis come to me every day, and I will
pinion them and push them in and they shall die; and I will
content me with an hundred dinars for each dead man." Then he
took the mule to the Jew, who seeing him asked, "The other is
dead?" Answered Judar, "May thy head live!"; and the Jew said,
"This is the reward of the covetous!" Then he took the mule and
gave Judar an hundred dinars, with which he returned to his
mother. "O my son," said she, "whence hast thou this?" So he told
her, and she said, "Go not again to Lake Karun, indeed I fear for
thee from the Moors." Said he, "O my mother, I do but cast them
in by their own wish, and what am I to do? This craft bringeth me
an hundred dinars a day and I return speedily; wherefore, by
Allah, I will not leave going to Lake Karun, till the race of the
Magharibah[FN#267] is cut off and not one of them is left." So,
on the morrow which was the third day, he went down to the lake
and stood there, till there came up a third Moor, riding on a
mule with saddle bags and still more richly accoutred than the
first two, who said to him, "Peace be with thee, O Judar, O son
of Omar!" And the fisherman saying in himself, "How comes it that
they all know me?" returned his salute. Asked the Maghribi, "Have
any Moors passed by here?" "Two," answered Judar. "Whither went
they?" enquired the Moor, and Judar replied, "I pinioned their
hands behind them and cast them into the lake, where they were
drowned, and the same fate is in store for thee." The Moor
laughed and rejoined, saying, "O unhappy! Every life hath its
term appointed." Then he alighted and gave the fisherman the
silken cord, saying, "Do with me, O Judar, as thou didst with
them." Said Judar, "Put thy hands behind thy back, that I may
pinion thee, for I am in haste, and time flies." So he put his
hands behind him and Judar tied him up and cast him in. Then he
waited awhile; presently the Moor thrust both hands forth of the
water and called out to him, saying, "Ho, good fellow, cast out
thy net!" So Judar threw the net over him and drew him ashore,
and lo! in each hand he held a fish as red as coral. Quoth the
Moor, "Bring me the two caskets that are in the saddle bags." So
Judar brought them and opened them to him, and he laid in each
casket a fish and shut them up. Then he pressed Judar to his
bosom and kissed him on the right cheek and the left, saying,
"Allah save thee from all stress! By the Almighty, hadst thou not
cast the net over me and pulled me out, I should have kept hold
of these two fishes till I sank and was drowned, for I could not
get ashore of myself." Quoth Judar, "O my lord the pilgrim, Allah
upon thee, tell me the true history of the two drowned men and
the truth anent these two fishes and the Jew."--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

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