A plain and literal translation of the Arabian nights entertainments, now entitled The book of the thousand nights and a night

FROM-THE- LIBRARY OF
TR1NITYCOLLEGETORQNTO

"TO THE PURE ALL THINGS ARE PURE"

(Puris omnia pura)

— Arab Proverb.

"Niuna corrotta mente intese mai sanamente parole."

— "Decameron " — conclusion.

•' Erabuit, posuitque meum Lucretia librum

Sed coram Bruto. Brute I recede, leget. "

— Martial.

•• Mieulx est de ris que de larmes escripre,

Pour ce que rire est le propre des hommes. "

— RABELAIS.

"The pleasure we derive from perusing the Thousand-and-One
Stones makes us regret that we possess only a comparatively small
part of these truly enchanting fictions."

— CRICHTON'S "History of Arabia*,

>

f'vf

PLAIN AND LITERAL TRANSLATION OF THE
ARABIAN NIGHTS' ENTERTAINMENTS, NOW
ENTITULED

THE BOOK OF THE

and a

WITH INTRODUCTION EXPLANATORY NOTES ON THE
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF MOSLEM MEN AND A
TERMINAL ESSAY UPON THE HISTORY OF THE

NIGHTS

VOLUME IX.

BY

RICHARD F. BURTON

PRINTED BY THE BURTON CLUB FOR PRIVATE
SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

t:

Shammar Edition

Limited to one thousand numbered sets,
of which this is

PRINTED IN U. S. A,

1 2 872

891)26

TO ALEXANDER BAIRD OF URIE,

MY PEAR BAIRD,

I avail myself of a privilege of authorship, not yet utterly
obsolete, to place your name at the head of this volume, Your long
residence in Egypt and your extensive acquaintance with its "politic,"
private and public, make you a thoroughly competent judge of the merits
and demerits of this volume ; and encourage me to hope that in reading
it you will take something of the pleasure I have had in writing it.

RICHARD F. BURTON.
TANGIER, December $istt 1885.

CONTENTS OF THE NINTH VOLUME.

P.AGH

ALI NUR AL-DIN AND MIRIAM THE GIRDLE-GIRL (Continued) . i

(Lane omits, III. tfz.)

THE MAN OF UPPER EGYPT AND HIS PRANKISH WIFE . . 19

(Lane omits.)

THE RUINED MAN OF BAGHDAD AND HIS SLAVE-GIRL . . 24
(Lane, Anecdote of a Man of Baghdad and His Slave-Girl, III. 572 )

KING JALI'AD OF HIND AND HIS WAZIR SHIMAS : FOLLOWED
BY THE HISTORY OF KING WIRD KHAN, SON OF KING

JALI'AD, WITH HIS WOMEN AND WAZIRS 32

a. THE MOUSE AND THE CAT . . 35

b. THE FAKIR AND His JAR OF BUTTER 40

c. THE FISHTES AND THE CRAB ....... 43

d. THE CROW AND THE SERPENT 46

t. THE WILD Ass AND THE JACKAL 48

/ THE UNJUST KING AND THE PILGRIM PRINCE .... 50

g. THE CROWS AND THE HAWK ....... 53

h. THE SERPENT-CHARMER AND His WIFE 56

«*. THE SPIDER AND THE WIND ....... 59

/ THE Two KINGS , . »• • • » * • • 6$

viii Contents.

k. THE BLIND MAN AND THE CRIPPLE ...... 67

/. THE FOOLISH FISHERMAN 93

m. THE BOY AND THE THIEVES 95

«. THE MAN AND His WIFE 98

o. THE MERCHANT AND THE ROBBERS 100

/. THE JACKALS AND THE WOLF 103

q. THE SHEPHERD AND THE ROGUE 106

r. THE FRANCOLIN AND THE TORTOISES . • * . . .113

CONCLUSION OF THE HISTORY OF KING WIRD KHAN 115

ABU KIR THE DYER AND ABU SIR THE BARBER .... 134
(Lane* III. 580, The Story of Aboo Seer and A boo Keer.)

ABDULLAH THE FISHERMAN AND ABDULLAH THE MERMAN . 165

(Lane, 11 7. 627. The Story of 'Abd Allah of the Land and *Abd Allah of

the Sea).

HARUN AL-RASHID AND ABU HASAN, THE MERCHANT OF

OMAN . 188

IBRAHIM AND JAMILAH 207

ABU AL-HASAN OF KHORASAN 229

KAMAR AL-ZAMAN AND THE JEWELLER'S WIFE .... 246

ABDULLAH BIN FAZIL AND HIS BROTHERS . . . • • 3<>4

The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night.

fofien ft foas tfje Qigftt l^untotr an* (

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Nur al-Din heard the voice singing these verses he said in himself,
" Verily this be the Lady Miriam chanting without hesitation or
doubt or suspicion of one from without.1 Would Heaven I knew
an my thought be true and if it be indeed she herself or other
self! " And regrets redoubled upon him and he bemoaned him-
self and recited these couplets : —

"When my blamer saw me beside my love o Whom I met in a site that lay open

wide,
I spake not at meeting a word of reproach o Though oft it comfort sad heart to

chide ;
Quoth the blamer, " What means this silence that bars o Thy making answer

that hits his pride ? "
And quoth I, " O thou who as fool dost wake, o To misdoubt of

lovers and Love deride j
The sign of lover whose love is true o When he meets his beloved is mum to

bide.

When he had made an end of these verses, the Lady Miriam
fetched inkcase and paper and wrote therein : — " After honour due
to the Basmalali,2 may the peace of Allah be upon thee and His
mercy and blessings be ! I would have thee know that thy slave-
girl Miriam saluteth thee, who longeth sore for thee; and this is
her message to thee. As soon as this letter shall fall into thy
(hands, do thou arise without stay and delay and apply thyself to
that she would have of thee with all diligence and beware with all
wariness of transgressing her commandment and of sleeping.
When the first third of the night is past, (for that hour is of the
most favourable of times) apply thee only to saddling the two
stallions and fare forth with them both to the Sultan's Gate.3 If
any ask thee whither thou wend, answer, I am going to exercise
the steeds, and none will hinder thee ; for the folk of this city trust
to the locking of the gates." Then she folded the letter in a

1 Arab. " Wa la rajma ghaybin : " lit. = without stone-throwing (conjecture) of one
latent.

2 i.e. saying Bismillah, etc. See vol. v. 206.

3 Where he was to await her.

VOL. IX.

8 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

silken kerchief and threw it out of the latticed window to Nur al-
Din, who took it and reading it, knew it for the handwriting of the
Lady Miriam and comprehended all its contents. So he kissed
the letter and laid it between his eyes ; then, calling to mind that
which had betided him with her of the sweets of love-liesse, he
poured forth his tears whilst he recited these couplets : —

Came your writ to me in the dead of the night o And desire for you stirred

heart and sprite ;
And, remembered joys we in union joyed, o Praised the Lord who placed

us in parting plight.

r-

As soon as it was dark Nur al-Din busied himself with making
ready the stallions and patiented till the first watch of the night
was past ; when, without a moment delay, Nur al-Din the lover
full of teen, saddled them with saddles of the goodliest, and leading
them forth of the stable, locked the door after him and repaired
with them to the city-gate, where he sat down to await the coming
of the Princess. Meanwhile, Miriam returned forthright to her
private apartment, where she found the one-eyed Wazir seated,
elbow-propt upon a cushion stuffed with ostrich-down ; but he was
ashamed to put forth his hand to her or to bespeak her. When
she saw him, she appealed to her Lord in heart, saying, " Allah-
umma— O my God — bring him not to his will of me nor to me
defilement decree after purity ! " Then she went up to him and
made a show of fondness for him and sat down by his side and
coaxed him, saying, " O my lord, what is this aversion thou dis-
playest to me ? Is it pride or coquetry on thy part ? But the
current byword saith : — An the salam-salutation be little in demand,
the sitters salute those who stand.1 So if, O my lord, thou come
not to me neither accost me, I will go to thee and accost thee."
Said he, " To thee belong favour and kindness, O Queen of the
earth in its length and breadth ; and what am I but one of thy
slaves and the least of thy servants. Indeed, I was ashamed to
intrude upon thine illustrious presence, O unique pearl, and my
face is on the earth at thy feet." She rejoined, " Leave this talk
and bring us to eat and drink." Accordingly he shouted to his
eunuchs and women an order to serve food, and they set before

1 As a rule, amongst Moslems the rider salutes the man on foot and the latter those
who sit. The saying in the text suggests the Christian byword anent Mohammed and
the Mountain, which is, I need hardly say, utterly unknown to Mahommedans*

AH Nur al-Din and Miriam the Girdle-Girl. 3

them a tray containing birds of every kind that walk and fly and in
nests increase and multiply, such as sand-grouse and quails and
pigeon-poults and lambs and fatted geese and fried poultry and
other dishes of all sorts and colours. The Princess put out her
hand to the tray and began to eat and feed the Wazir with her fair
finger-tips and kiss him on the mouth. They ate till they had
enough and washed their hands, after which the handmaidens
removed the table of food and set on the service of wine. So
Princess Miriam filled the cup and drank and gave the Wazir to
drink and served him with assiduous service, so that he was like to
fly for joy and his breast broadened and he was of the gladdest.
When she saw that the wine had gotten the better of his senses,
she thrust her hand into her bosom and brought out a pastile of
virgin Cretan-Bhang, which she had provided against such an hour,
whereof if an elephant smelt a dirham's weight, he would sleep
from year to year. She distracted his attention and crumbled the
drug into the cup : then, filling it up, handed it to the Wazir, who
could hardly credit his senses for delight. So he took it and
kissing her hand, drank it off, but hardly had it settled in his
stomach when he fell head foremost to the ground. Then she rose
and filling two great pairs of saddle-bags with what was light of
weight and weighty of worth of jewels and jacinths and precious
stones, together with somewhat of meat and drink, donned harness
of war and armed herself for fight. She also took with her for Nur
al-Din what should rejoice him of rich and royal apparel and
splendid arms and armour, and shouldering the bags (for indeed
her strength equalled her valiancy), hastened forth from the new
palace to join her lover. On this wise fared it with the Lady

Miriam ; but as regards Nur al-Din, And Shahrazad perceived

the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

tfoto toljen it tons t&c Sig&t fDun&rett an* Ninetieth

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the Lady Miriam left the new palace, she went straightways to
meet her lover for indeed she was as valiant as she was strong ;
but Nur al-Din the distracted, the full of teen, sat at the city-gate
hending the horses' halters in hand, till Allah (to whom belong
Majesty and Might) sent a sleep upon him and he slept — glory be
to Him who sleepeth not ! Now at that time the Kings of the

4 A If Lay la k wa Laylah.

Islands had spent much treasure in bribing folk to steal the two
steeds or one of them ; and in those days there was a black slave,
who had been reared in the islands skilled in horse-lifting ; where-
fore the Kings of the Franks seduced him with wealth galore to
steal one of the stallions and promised him, if he could avail to lift
the two, that they would give him a whole island and endue him
with a splendid robe of honour. He had long gone about the city of
France in disguise, but succeeded not in taking the horses, whilst
they were with the King ; but, when he gave them in free gift to
the Wazir and the monocular one carried them to his own stable,
the blackamoor thief rejoiced with joy exceeding and made sure
of success, saying in himself, " By the virtue of the Messiah and
the Faith which is no liar, I will certainly steal the twain of them ! *•
Now he had gone out that very night, intending for the stable, to
lift them ; but, as he walked along, behold, he caught sight of
Nur al-Din lying asleep, with the halters in his hands. So he
went up to the horses and loosing the halters from their heads,
was about to mount one of them and drive the other before him,
when suddenly up came the Princess Miriam, carrying on her
shoulders the couple of saddle-bags. She mistook the black for
Nur al-Din and handed him one pair of bags, which he laid on
one of the stallions : after which she gave him the other and he set
It on the second steed, without word said to discover that it was not
her lover. Then they mounted and rode out of the gate 1 in
silence till presently she asked, " O my lord Nur al-Din, what
aileth thee to be silent ? " Whereupon the black turned to her
and cried angrily, " What sayst thou, O damsel ? " When she
heard the slave's barbarous accents, she knew that the speech was
not of Nur al-Din ; so raising her eyes she looked at him and saw
that he was a black chattel, snub-nosed and wide-mouthed, with
nostrils like ewers ; whereupon the light in her eyes became night
and she asked him, " Who art thou, O Shaykh of the sons of Ham
and what among men is thy name ? " He answered, " O daughter
of the base, my name is Mas'ud, the lifter of horses, when folk
slumber and sleep." She made him no reply, but straightway
baring her blade, smote him on the nape and the blade came out

* The story-teller does not remember that " the city-folk trust to the locking of the
gates '* (dccclxxxix.) ; and forgets to tell us that the Princess took the keys from the
"Wazir whom she had hocussed. In a carefully corrected Arabic Edition of The Nights,
a book much wanted, the texts which are now in & mutilated state would be supplied
with these details.

.Alt Nur al-Din and Miriam the Girdle-Ctrl. 5

gleaming from his throat-tendons, whereupon he fell earthwards,
weltering in his blood, and Allah hurried his soul to the Fire and
abiding-place dire. Then she took the other horse by the bridle
and retraced her steps in search of Nur al-Din, whom she found
lying, asleep and snoring, in the place where she had appointed
him to meet her, hending the halters in hand, yet knowing not his
fingers from his feet So she dismounted and gave him a cuff,1
whereupon he awoke in affright and said to her, " O my lady,
praised be Allah for thy safe coming ! " Said she " Rise and
back this steed and hold thy tongue ! " So he rose and mounted
one of the stallions, whilst she bestrode the other, and they went
forth the city and rode on awhile in silence. Then said she to
him, " Did I not bid thee beware of sleeping ? Verily, he pros-
pereth not who sleepeth." He rejoined, " O my lady, I slept not
but because of the cooling of my heart by reason of thy promise.
But what hath happened, O my lady ? " So she told him her
adventure with the black, first and last, and he said, " Praised be
Allah for safety ! " Then they fared on at full speed, committing
their affair to the Subtle, the All-wise and conversing as they
went, till they came to the place where the black lay prostrate in
the dust, as he were an Ifrit, and Miriam said to Nur al-Din,
*' Dismount ; strip him of his' clothes and take his arms/' He
answered, " By Allah, O my lady, I dare not dismount nor ap-
proach him." And indeed he marvelled at the blackamoor's
stature and praised the Princess for her deed, wondering the while
at her valour and stout-heartedness. They fared on lustily and
ceased not so doing all that night and halted not till the day

1 Which probably would not be the last administered to him by the Amazonian young
person, who after her mate feared to approach the dead blackamoor must have known
him to be cowardly as Cairenes generally are. Moreover, he had no shame in his pol-
troonery like the recreant Fellah-soldiers, in the wretched Sawakin campaign against the
noble Sudani negroids, who excused their running away by saying, " We are Egyptians**
*./. too good men and Moslems to lose our lives as becomes you Franks and dog-Chris-
tians. Yet under Mohammed Ali the Great, Fellah-soldiers conquered the " colligated w
Arabs (Pilgrimage iii. 48) of Al-Asir (Ophir) at Bissel and in Wahhabi-land and put the
Turks to flight at the battle of Nazib, and the late General Jochmus assured me that he
saved his command, the Ottoman cavalry in Syria, by always manoeuvring to refuse a
pitched battle. But Mohammed Ali knew his men. He never failed to shoot a run-
away, and all his officers, even the lieutenants, were Turks or Albanians. Sa'id Pasha
was the first to appoint Fellah -officers and under their command the Egyptian soldier,
one of the best in the East, at once became the worst. We have at last found the right
way to make them fight, by officering them with Englishmen, but we must not neglect
the shooting process whenever they dare to turn tail.

6 A If Lay ia h wa Laylah.

broke with its shine and sheen and the sun shone bright upon
plain and height when they came to a wide riverino lea wherein
the gazelles were frisking gracefully. Its surface was clothed
with green and on all sides fruit trees of every kind were seen : its
slopes for flowers like serpents' bellies showed, and birds sang on
boughs aloud and its rills in manifold runnels flowed. And indeed
it was as saith the poet and saith well and accomplished! the
hearer's desire : —

Rosy red Wady hot with summer-glow, o Where twofold tale of common growth
was piled.

In copse we halted wherein bent to us o Branches, as bendeth nurse o'er wean-
ling-child.

And pure cold water quenching thirst we sipped : o To cup-mate sweeter than
old wine and mild :

From every side it shut out sheen of sun e Screen-like, but wooed the breeze
to cool the wild :

And pebbles, sweet as maidens deckt and dight o And soft as threaded pearls,
the touch beguiled.

And as saith another : —

And when birdies o'er warble its lakelet, it gars e Longing ' lover to seek it

where morning glows ;
For likest to Paradise lie its banks « With shade and fruitage and fount that

flows.

Presently Princess Miriam and Nur al-Din alighted to rest in this

Wady And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased

saying her permitted say.

Nofo fojm it foas rtje (JBtgJt f^untrtrtr antr 'Nttutg-first

She said, It hath reached me, Q auspicious King, that when
Princess Miriam and Nur al-Din alighted in that valley, they
ate of its fruits and drank of its streams, after turning the stallions
loose to pasture : then they sat talking and recalling their past
and all that had befallen them and complaining one to other of
the pangs of parting and of the hardships suffered for estrange-
ment and love-longing. As they were thus engaged, behold, there

1 " Al-walhan" (as it should be printed in previous places, instead of Al-walahan) is
certainly not a P.M. in this place-

All Nur al-Din and Miriam the Girdle-Girl. J

arose in the distance a dust-cloud which spread till it walled the
world, and they heard the neighing of horses and clank of arms
and armour. Now the reason of this was, that after the Princess
had been bestowed in wedlock upon the Wazir who had gone in
to her that night, the King went forth at daybreak, to give the
couple good morrow, taking with him, after the custom of Kings
with their daughters, a gift of silken stuffs and scattering gold and
silver among the eunuchs and tire-women, that they might snatch
at and scramble for it. And he fared on escorted by one of his
pages ; but when he came to the new palace, he found the Wazir
prostrate on the carpet, knowing not his head from his heels ; so
he searched the place right and left for his daughter, but found
her not ; whereat he was troubled sore with concern galore and
his wits forlore. Then he bade bring hot water and virgin vinegar
and frankincense * and mingling them together, blew the mixture
into the Wazir's nostrils and shook him, whereupon he cast the
Bhang forth of his stomach, as it were a bit of cheese. He re-
peated the process, whereupon the Minister came to himself and
the King questioned him of his case and that of his daughter.
He replied, " O mighty King, I have no knowledge of her save
that she poured me out a cup of wine with her own hand ; and
from that tide to this I have no recollection of aught nor know I
what is come of her." When the King heard this, the light in
his eyes became night, and he drew his scymitar and smote the
Wazir on the head, that the steel came out gleaming from between
his grinder teeth. Then, without an instant delay, he called the
grooms and syces and demanded of them the two stallions : but
they said, " O King, the two steeds were lost in the night and
together with them our chief, the Master of Horse ; for, when we
awoke in the morning, we found all the doors wide open." Cried
the King, " By "the faith of me and by all wherein my belief is
stablished on certainty, none but my daughter hath taken the
steeds, she and the Moslem captive which used to tend the Church
and which took her aforetime ! Indeed I knew him right well and
none delivered him from my hand save this one-eyed Wazir ; but
now he is requited his deed." Then the King called his three
sons, who were three doughty champions, each of whom could
withstand a thousand horse in the field of strife and the stead

1 Arab. " Kundur," Pers. and Arab, manna, mastich, frankincense, the latter being
here meant.

8 A If Laylah wa Lay la h.

where cut and thrust are rife ; and bade them mount So they
took horse forthwith and the King and the flower of his knights
and nobles and officers mounted with them and followed on the
trail of the fugitives till Miriam saw them, when she mounted her
charger and baldrick'd her blade and took her arms. Then she said
to Nur al-Din, " How is it with thee and how is thy heart for fight
and strife and fray ? " Said he, " Verily, my steadfastness in
battle-van is as the steadfastness of the stake in bran.1" And he
improvised and said : —

0 Miriam thy chiding I pray, forego ; o Nor drive me to death or injurious

blow :

How e'er can I hope to bear fray and fight o Who quake at the croak of the
corby-crow ?

1 who shiver for fear when I see the mouse o And for very funk I bepiss my

clo' !
I love no foin but the poke in bed, o When coynte well knoweth my

prickle's prow ;
This is rightful rede, and none other shows o Righteous as this in my sight, I

trow.

Now when Miriam heard his speech and the verse he made, she
laughed and smilingly said, " O my lord Nur al-Din, abide in thy
place and I will keep thee from their ill grace, though they be as
the sea-sands in number. But mount and ride in rear of me, and
if we be defeated and put to flight, beware of falling, for none can
overtake thy steed." So saying, she turned her lance-head towards
foe in plain and gave her horse the rein, whereupon he darted off
under her, like the stormy gale or like waters that from straitness
of pipes outrail. Now Miriam was the doughtiest of the folk of
her time and the unique pearl of her age and tide; for her father
had taught her, whilst she was yet little, on steeds to ride and dive
deep during the darkness of the night in the battle tide. When
the King saw her charging down upon them, he knew her but too
well and turning to his eldest son, said, " O Bartaut,2 thou who art
surnamed Ras al-Killaut,3 this is assuredly thy sister Miriam who
chargeth upon us, and she seeketh to wage war and fight fray with

— >. 4

1 So Emma takes the lead and hides her lover under her cloak during their flight to the
place where they intended to lie concealed. In both cases the women are the men.

2 Or " Bartut," in which we recognise the German Berthold.

3 i.e. Head of Killaut which makes, from the Muhit, " the name of a son of the sons
of the Jinn and the Satans."

Ali Nur al-Din and Miriam the Girdle- Girl. 9

us. So go thou out to give her battle : and I enjoin thee by the
Messiah and the Faith which is no liar, an thou get the better of
her, kill her not till thou have propounded to her the Nazarene faith.
An she return to her old creed, bring her to me prisoner ; but an
she refuse, do her die by the foulest death and make of her the
vilest of examples, as well as the accursed which is with her."
Quoth Bartaut, " Hearkening and obedience "; and, rushing out
forthright to meet his sister, said to her, " O Miriam, doth not
what hath already befallen us on thine account suffice thee, but
thou must leave the faith of thy fathers and forefathers and follow
after the faith of the Vagrants in the lands, that is to say, the faith
of Al-Islam ? By the virtue of the Messiah and. the Faith which
is no liarjs except thou return to the creed of the Kings thy Fore-
bears and walk therein after the goodliest fashion, I will put thee
to an ill death and make of thee the most shameful of ensamples ! "
But Miriam laughed at his speech and replied, "Well-away! Far
be it that the past should present stay or that he who is dead
should again see day ! I will make thee drink the sourest of
regrets ! By Allah, I will not turn back upon the faith of
Mohammed son of Abdullah, who made salvation general ; for his
is the True Faith ; nor will I leave the right road though I drain

the cup of ruin ! " And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day

and ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo fofjen it foas tfje lEfgJt f^untofc an& <Nuut2=secon& tNTifiJt,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
Miriam exclaimed to her brother, " Well-away ! Heaven forfend
that I turn back from the faith of Mohammed Abdullah-son who
made salvation general ; for his is the Right Road nor will I leave
it although I drain the cup of ruin." When the accursed Bartaut
heard this, the light in his eyes became night, the matter was great
and grievous to him and between them there befel a sore fight. The
twain swayed to and fro battling throughout the length and
breadth of the valley and manfully enduring the stress of combat
singular, whilst all eyes upon them were fixed in admiring sur-
prise : after which they wheeled about^and foined and feinted for
a long bout and as often as Bartaut opened on his sister Miriam
a gate of war,1 she closed it to and put it to naught, of the goodli-

'"'•'••"_• .

1 i*. attacked her after a new fashion : see vol. i. 136..

IO A If Laylah wa Laylak.

ness of her skill and her art in the use of arms and her cunning of
cavalarice. Nor ceased they so doing till the dust overhung their
heads vault-wise and they were hidden from men's eyes ; and she
ceased not to baffle Bartaut and stop the way upon him, till he
was weary and his courage wavered and his resolution was
worsted and his strength weakened ; whereupon she smote him on
the nape, that the sword came out gleaming from his throat
tendons and Allah hurried his soul to the Fire and the abiding-
place which is dire. Then Miriam wheeled about in the battle-
plain and the stead where cut and thrust are fain ; and championed
it and offered battle, crying out and saying, " Who is for fighting ?
Who is for jousting ? Let come forth to me to-day no weakling or
nidering ; ay, let none come forth to me but the champions who
the enemies of The Faith represent, that I may give them to drink
the cup of ignominious punishment, O worshippers of idols, O
miscreants, O rebellious folk, this day verily shall the faces of the
people of the True Faith be whitened and theirs who deny the
Compassionate be blackened ! " Now when the King saw his
eldest son slain, he smote his face and rent his dress and cried out
to his second son, saying, " O Bartus, thou who art surnamed
Khara al-Sus,1 go forth, O my son, in haste and do battle with thy
sister Miriam ; avenge me the death of thy brother Bartaut and
bring her to me a prisoner, abject and humiliated ! " He answered,
4( Hearkening and obedience, O my sire, and charging down drave
at his sister, who met him in mid-career, and they fought, he and
she, a sore fight, yet sorer than the first. Bartus right soon found
himself unable to cope with her might and would have sought
safety in flight, but of the greatness of her prowess could not avail
unto this sleight ; for, as often as he turned to flee, she drave after
him and still clave to him and pressed him hard, till presently she
smote him with the sword in his throat, that it issued gleaming
from his nape, and sent him after his brother. Then she wheeled
about in the mid-field and plain where cut and thrust are dealed,
crying out and saying, " Where be the Knights ? Where be the
Braves ? Where is the one-eyed Wazir, the lameter, of the crooked

1 i.e. Weevil's dung ; hence Suez = Suways the little weevil, or " little Sus " from the
Maroccan town: see The Mines of Midian p. 74 for a note on the name. Near
Gibraltar is a fiumara called Guadalajara i.e. Wady al-Khara, of dung. " Bartus " is
evidently formed "on the weight" of " Bartut;" and his metonym is a caricature, a
chaff fit for Fellahs.

Alt Nur al-Din and Miriam the Girdle-Girl. II

faith1 the worthy believer ? " Thereupon the King her father cried
out with heart in bleeding guise and tear-ulcerated eyes, saying,
" She hath slain my second son, by the virtue of the Messiah and
the Faith which is no liar ! " And he called aloud to his youngest
son, saying, " O Fasyan, surnamed Salh al-Subyan,2 go forth, O my
son, to do battle with thy sister and take of her the blood-wreak
for thy brothers and fall on her, come what may ; and whether
thou gain or thou lose the day3 ; and if thou conquer her, slay her
with foulest slaughter ! " So he drave out to Miriam, who ran
at him with the best of her skill and charged him with the good-
liness of her cleverness and her courage and her cunning in fence
and cavalarice, crying to him, " O accursed, O enemy of Allah
and the Moslems, I will assuredly send thee after thy brothers
and woeful is the abiding-place of the Miscreants ! " So saying,
she unsheathed her sword and smote him and cut off his head
and arms and sent him after his brothers and Allah hurried his
soul to the Fire and the abiding-place dire. Now when the
Knights and the riders who rode with her sire saw his three sons
slain, who were the doughtiest of the folk of their day, there fell
on their hearts terror of the Princess Miriam, awe of her over-
powered them ; they bowed their heads earthwards and they
made sure of ruin and confusion, disgrace and destruction. So
with the flames of hate blazing in heart they turned their backs forth-
right and addressed themselves to flight. When the King saw his
sons slain and on his flying troops cast sight, there fell on him bewil-
derment and affright, whilst his heart also was a-fire for despight.
Then quoth he to himself, "In very sooth Princess Miriam hath
belittled us ; and if I venture myself and go out against her alone,
haply she will gar me succumb and slay me without ruth, even as
she slew her brothers, and make of me the foulest of examples,
for she hath no longer any desire for us nor have we of her
return any hope. Wherefore it were the better rede that I guard
mine honour and return to my capital." So he gave reins to his

1 Arab. "Al-Din al-a'raj," the perverted or falsified Faith, Christianity having been
made obsolete and abolished by the Mission of Mohammed, even as Christianity claims
to have superseded the Mosaic and Noachian dispensations. Moslems are perfectly
logical in their deductions, but logic and truth do not always go together.

2 The "Breaker of Wind" (faswah = a fizzle, a silent crepitus) " son of Children's
dung."

3 Arab. "Amma laka au 'alayk " lit. = either to thee (be the gain) or upon thee
(be the loss). This truly Arabic idiom is varied in many ways.

12 A If Laylak wa Lay la k.

charger and rode back to his city. But when he found himself in
his palace, fire was loosed in his heart for rage and chagrin at the
death of his three gallant sons and the defeat of his troops and
the disgrace to his honour ; nor did he abide half an hour ere he
summoned his Grandees and Officers of state and complained to
them of that his daughter Miriam had done with him of the
slaughter of her brothers and all he suffered therefrom of passion
and chagrin, and sought advice of them. They all counselled
him to write to the Vicar of Allah in His earth, the Commander
of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, and acquaint him with his cir-
cumstance. So he wrote a letter to the Caliph, containing, after
the usual salutations, the following words. " We have a daughter, j
Miriam the Girdle-girl hight, who hath been seduced and
debauched from us by a Moslem captive, named Nur al-Din All,
son of the merchant Taj al-Din of Cairo, and he hath taken her
by night and went forth with her to his own country ; wherefore
I beg of the favour of our lord the Commander of the Faithful
that he write to all the lands of the Moslems to seize her and

send her back to us by a trusty messenger. And Shahrazad

perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.

fofjen it toas tje CBigftt f^unbrtti anfc jRttwtB~t{rir& Nig&t,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
King of France wrote to the Caliph and Prince of True Believers,
Harun al-Rashid, a writ humbling himself by asking for his
daughter Miriam and begging of his favour that he write to all
the Moslems, enjoining her seizure and sending back to him by
a trusty messenger of the servants of his Highness the Commander
of the Faithful ; adding, " And in requital of your help and
aidance in this matter, we will appoint to you half of the city of
Rome the Great, that thou mayst build therein mosques for the
Moslems, and the tribute thereof shall be forwarded to you."
And after writing this writ, by rede of his Grandees and Lords of
the land, he folded the scroll and calling his Wazir, whom he had
appointed in the stead of the monocular Minister, bade him seal
it with the seal of the kingdom, and the Officers of state also set
hands and seals thereto ; after which the King bade the Waz.ir

All Nur al-Din and Miriam the Girdle- Girl. 13

bear the letter to Baghdad,1 the Palace of Peace, and hand it into
the Caliph's own hand, saying, " An thou bring her back, thou
shalt have of me the fiefs of two Emirs and I will bestow on thee
a robe of honour with two-fold fringes of gold." The Wazir set
out with the letter and fared on over hill and dale, till he came
to the city of Baghdad, where he abode three days, till he was
rested from the way, when he sought the Palace of the Commander
of the Faithful and when guided thereto he entered it and craved
audience. The Caliph bade admit him ; so he went in and
kissing ground before him, handed to him the letter of the King
of France, together with rich gifts and rare presents beseeming
the Commander of the Faithful. When the Caliph read the writ
and apprehended its significance, he commanded his Wazir to
write, without stay or delay, despatches to all the lands of the
Moslems, setting out the name and favour of Princess Miriam
and of Nur al-Din, stating how they had eloped and bidding all
who found them lay hands on them and send them to the
Commander of the Faithful, and warning them on no wise in that
matter to use delay or indifference. So the Wazir wrote the
letters and sealing them, despatched them by couriers to the
different Governors, who hastened to obey the Caliph's command-
ment and addressed themselves to make search in all the lands for
persons of such name and favour. On this wise it fared with
the Governors and their subjects ; but as regards Nur al-Din and
Miriam the Girdle-girl, they fared on without delay after defeating
the King of France and his force and the Protector protected
them, till they came to the land of Syria and entered Damascus-
city. Now the couriers of the Caliph had foregone them thither
by a day and the Emir of Damascus knew that he was commanded
to arrest the twain as soon as found, that he might send them to
the Caliph. Accordingly, when they entered the city, the secret
police2 accosted them and asked them their names. They told
them the truth and acquainted them with their adventure and all
that had betided them ; whereupon they knew them for those of

1 In addition to what was noted in vol. Hi. loo and viii. 51, I may observe that in the
" Masnavi " the " Baghdad of Nulliquity " is opposed to the Ubiquity of the World.
The popular derivation is Bagh (the idol-god, the slav " Bog1') and dad a gift, he
gave (Persian). It is also called Al-Zaur£ = a bow, from the bend of the Tigris where
it was built.

* Arab. " Jawasts " plur. of Jasiis lit. the spies.

14 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

whom they were in search and seizing them, carried them before
the Governor of the city. He despatched them to the city of
Baghdad under escort of his officers who, when they came thither,
craved audience of the Caliph which he graciously granted ; so
they came into the presence ; and, kissing ground before him,
said, " O Commander of the Faithful, this is Miriam the Girdle-
girl, daughter of the King of France, and this is the captive Nur
al-Din, son of the merchant Taj al-Din of Cairo, who debauched
her from her sire and stealing her from his kingdom and country
fled with her to Damascus, where we found the twain as they
entered the city, and questioned them. They told us the truth
of their case : so we laid hands on them and brought them
before thee." The Caliph looked at Miriam and saw that she was
slender and shapely of form and stature, the handsomest of
the folk of her tide and the unique pearl of her age and her
time; sweet of speech1 and fluent of tongue, stable of soul
and hearty of heart. Thereupon she kissed the ground between
his hands and wished him permanence of glory and pros-
perity and surcease of evil and enmity. He admired the
beauty of her figure and the sweetness of her voice and the readi-
ness of her replies and said to her, " Art thou Miriam the Girdle-
girl, daughter of the King of France ? " Answered she, " Yes,
O Prince of True Believers and Priest of those who the Unity
of Allah receive and Defender of the Faith and cousin of the
Primate of the Apostles ! " Then the Caliph turned to Nur al-Din
Ali and seeing him to be a shapely youth, as he were the shining
full moon on fourteenth night, said to him, " And thou, art thou
Ali Nur al-Din, son of the merchant Taj al-Din of Cairo ? " Said
he, " Yes, O Commander of the Faithful and stay of those who
for righteousness are care-full ! " The Caliph asked, " How
cometh it that thou hast taken this damsel and fled forth with
her of her father's kingdom ? " So Nur al-Din proceeded to
relate to the Commander of the Faithful all his past, first and
last ; whereat the Caliph was astonied with extreme astonish-
ment and diverted and exclaimed, " How manifold are the

1 The Caliph could not " see " her "sweetness of speech " ; so we must understand
that he addressed her and found out that she was fluent of tongue. But this idiomatic
use of the word «' see " is also found in the languages of Southern Europe : so Caraoens
(Lus. i. ii.), " Ouvi • • • vereis " lit. = " hark, you shall see * which sounds
Hibernian.

All Nur al-Din and Miriam the Girdle-GM. 15

sufferings that men suffer ! " And Shahrazad perceived the

dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo fofjen ft foas tje <£t$t l^utrtrrt an& Ntndp-fouttJ Nigftt,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the Caliph Harun al-Rashid asked Nur al-Din of his adventure
and was told of all that had passed, first and last, he was astonied
with extreme astonishment and exclaimed, " How manifold are
the sufferings that men suffer!" Then he turned to the Princess
and said to her, " Know, O Miriam, that thy father, the King of
France, hath written to me anent thee. What sayst thou ? " She
replied, " O Vicar of Allah on His earth and Executor of the
precepts of His prophet and commands to man's unworth,1 may
He vouchsafe thee eternal prosperity and ward thee from evil and
enmity ! Thou art Viceregent of Allah in His earth and I have
entered thy Faith, for that it is the creed which Truth and
Righteousness inspire ; and I have left the religion of the Mis-
creants who make the Messiah a liar,2 and I am become a True
Believer in Allah the Bountiful and in the revelation of His com-
passionate Apostle. I worship Allah (extolled and exalted be
He !) and acknowledge Him to be the One God and prostrate
myself humbly before Him and glorify Him ; and I say before
the Caliph : — Verily, I testify that there is no god but the God
and I testify that Mohammed is the Messenger of God, whom
He sent with the Guidance and the True Faith, that He might
make it victorious over every other religion, albeit they who assign
partners to God be averse from it.3 Is it therefore in thy com-
petence, O Commander of the Faithful, to comply with the letter
of the King of the heretics and send me back to the land of the
shismatics who deny The Faith and give partners to the All-wise
King, who magnify the Cross and bow down before idols and
believe in the divinity of Jesus, for all he was only a creature ?

1 Here " Farz" (Koranic obligation which it is mortal sin to gainsay) follows whereas
k should precede "Sunnat" (sayings and doings of the Apostle) simply because
" Farz " jingles with " Arz " (earth.)

* Moslems, like modern Agnostics, hold that Jesus of Nazareth would be greatly
scandalized by the claims to Godship advanced for him by his followers.

s Koran ix. 33 : See also v. 85. In the passage above quoted Mr. Rod well makes
the second " He " refer to the deity.

1 6 , A If Laylah wa Laylak.

An thou deal with me thus, O Viceregent of Allah, I will lay
hold upon thy skirts on the Day of Muster before the Lord and
make my complaint of thee to thy cousin the Apostle of Allah
(whom God assain and preserve !) on the Day when wealth
availeth not neither children save one come unto Allah whole-
hearted * ! " Answered the Caliph, " O Miriam, Allah forfend
that I should do this ever! How can I send back a Moslemah
believer in the one God and in His Apostle to that which Allah
hath forbidden and eke His Messenger hath forbidden?" Quoth
she, " I testify that there is no God but the God and that
Mohammed is the Apostle of God ! " Rejoined the Caliph, " O
Miriam, Allah bless and direct thee in the way of righteousness!
Since thou art a Moslemah and a believer in Allah the One, I
owe thee a duty of obligation and it is that I should never trans-
gress against thee nor forsake thee, though be lavished unto me
on thine account the world full of gold and gems. So "be of good
cheer and eyes clear of tear; and be thy breast broadened and
thy case naught save easy. Art thou willing that this youth
Ali of Cairo be to thee man and thou to him wife ? " Replied
Miriam, " O Prince of True Believers, how should I be other
than willing to take him to husband, seeing that he bought me
with his money and hath entreated me with the utmost kindness
and, for crown of his good offices, he hath ventured his life for
my sake many times ?" So the Caliph summoned the Kazi and
the witnesses and married her to him assigning her a dowry and
causing the Grandees of his realm be present and the marriage
day was a notable. Then he turned to the Wazir of the French
King, who was present, and said to him, " Hast thou heard her
words? How can I her send back to her father the Infidel,
seeing that she is a Moslemah and a believer in the Unity?
Belike he will evil entreat her and deal harshly with her, more
by token that she hath slain his sons, and I shall bear blame
for her on Resurrection-day. And indeed quoth the Almighty
* Allah will by no means make a way for the Infidels over the
True Believers.2' So return to thy King and say to him: —
Turn from this thing and hope not to come at thy desire thereof."
Now this Wazir was a Zany : so he said to the Caliph, " O

1 Koran xxvi. 88, 89. For a very indifferent version (and abridgment) of this speech,
see Saturday Review, July 9, 1881,
8 Koran iv. 140.

Nur al-Din and Miriam the Girdle-Girl. 17

Commander of the Faithful, by the virtue of the Messiah and
the Faith which is no liar, were Miriam forty times a Moslemah
and forty times thereto, I may not depart from thee without that
same Miriam ! And if thou send her not back with me of
free will, I will hie me to her sire and cause him despatch thee
an host, wherewith I will come upon you from the landward and
the seaward ; and the van whereof shall be at your capital city
whilst the rear is yet on the Euphrates ' and they shall lay waste
thy realms." When the Caliph heard these words from the
accursed Wazir of the King of France, the light in his face
became night and he was wroth at his speech with exceeding
wrath and said to him, " O damned one, O dog of the Nazarenes,
art thou come to such power that thou durst assail me with the
King of the Franks ? " Then quoth he to his guards, " Take this
accursed and do him die" ; and he repeated this couplet2: —

This be his recompense who will o Oppose and thwart his betters' will.

Then he commanded to cut off the Wazir's head and burn his
body ; but Princess Miriam cried, " O Commander of the Faith-
ful, soil not thy sword with the blood of this accursed." So
saying, she bared her brand and smote him and made his head
fly from his corpse, and he went to the house of ungrace ; his
abode was Gehenna, and evil is the abiding-place. The Caliph
marvelled at the force of her fore-arm and the strength of her
mind, and they carried the dead Wazir forth of the pavilion and
burnt him. Then the Commander of the\Faithful bestowed upon
Nur al-Din a splendid robe of honour and assigned to him and
her a lodging in his palace. Moreover, he appointed them solde
and rations, and commanded to transport to their quarters all
they needed of raiment and furniture and vessels of price. They
sojourned awhile in Baghdad in all delight of life and solace
thereof till Nur al-Din longed for his mother and father. So he

f- * Arab. "Furdt " from the Arab. " Faruta" = being sweet, as applied to water.
Al-Furatani = the two sweet (rivers), are the Tigris and Euphrates. The Greeks, who
in etymology were satisfied with Greek, derived the latter from ev<f>pau'€w (to gladden,
Isetificare, for which .see Pliny and Strabo, although both are correct in explaining
"Tigris") and Selden remarks hereon, "Talibus nugis nugantur Grseculi." But not
only the " Gr#culi " ; e.g. Parkhurst's good old derivations from the Heb. " FarahM
of fero, fructus, Freya (the Goddess), frayer (to spawn), friand, fry (of fish), etc., etc.

* The great Caliph was a poet ; and he spoke verses as did all his contemporaries :
his lament over his slave-girl Haylanah (Helen) is quoted by Al-Suyuti, p. 305.
VOL. IX. B

1 8 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

submitted the matter to the Caliph and sought his leave to revisit
his native land and visit his kinsfolk, and he granted him the
permission he sought and calling Miriam, commended them each
to other. He also loaded them with costly presents and rarities
and bade write letters to the Emirs and Olema and notables of
Cairo the God-guarded, commending Nur al-Din and his wife
and parents to their care and charging them honour them with
the highmost honour. When the news reached Cairo, the
merchant Taj al-Din joyed at the return of his son and Nur
al-Din's mother likewise rejoiced therein with passing joy. The
Emirs and the notables of the city went forth to meet him, in
obedience to the Caliph's injunctions, and indeed it was for them
a right note-worthy day, wherein foregathered the lover and the
beloved and the seeker attained the sought. Moreover, all the
Emirs made them bride-feasts, each on his own day, and joyed in
them with joy exceeding and vied in doing them honour, one the
other succeeding. When Nur al-Din foregathered with his mother
and father, they were gladdened in each other with the utmost
gladness and care and affliction ceased from them, whilst his
parents joyed no less in the Princess Miriam and honoured her
with the highmost honour. Every day, there came to them
presents from all the Emirs and great merchants, and they were
in new delight and gladness exceeding the gladness of festival.
Then they ceased not abiding in solace and pleasance and good
cheer and abounding prosperity, eating and drinking with mirth
and merriment, till there came to them the Destroyer of delights
and Sunderer of societies, Waster of houses and palace-domes
and Peopler of the bellies of the tombs. So they were removed
from worldly stead and became of the number of the dead ; and
glory be to the Living One, who dieth not and in whose hand are
the keys of the Seen and the Unseen ! And a tale was also told
by the Emir Shuja' al-Din,1 Prefect of Cairo anent

"The Brave of the Faith."

The Man of Upper Egypt and his Prankish Wife. 19

THE MAN OF UPPER EGYPT AND HIS PRANKISH

WIFE.

WE lay one night in the house of a man of the Sa'fd or Upper
Egypt, and he entertained us and entreated us hospitably. Now
he was a very old man swart with exceeding swarthiness, and he
had little children, who were white, of a white dashed with red.
So we said to him, " Harkye, such an one, how cometh it that
these thy children are white, whilst thou thyself art passing
swart?" And he said, " Their mother was a Frankish woman,
whom I took prisoner in the days of Al-Malik al-Ndsir Salah
al-D/n,1 after the battle of Hattm,* when I was a young man."
We asked, " And how gottest thou her ? " and he answered, " I
had a rare adventure with her." Quoth we, " Favour us with it ;"
and quoth he : — With all my heart ! You must know that I once
sowed a crop of flax in these parts and pulled it and scutched it
and spent .on it five hundred gold pieces ; after which I would
have sold it, but could get no more than this therefor, and the
folk said to me, " Carry it to Acre : for there thou wilt haply
make good gain by it." Now Acre was then in the hands of the
Franks3; so I carried my flax thither and sold part of it at six
months' credit One day, as I was selling, behold, there came up
a Frankish woman, (now 'tis the custom of the women of the
Franks to go about the market streets with unveiled faces), to
buy flax of me, and I saw of her beauty what dazed my wits.
So I sold her somewhat of flax and was easy with her concerning
the price ; and she took it and went away. Some days after, she

1 i.e. Saladin. See vol. iv. p. 116.

2 Usually called the Horns of Hattin (classically Hittin) North of Tiberias where
Saladin by good strategy and the folly of the Franks annihilated the Latin kingdom of
Jerusalem. For details see the guide-books. In this action (June 23, 1187), after three
bishops were slain in its defence, the last fragment of the True Cross (or rather the
cross verified by Helena) fell into Moslem hands. The Christians begged hard for it,
but Saladin, a conscientious believer, refused to return to them even for ransom "the
object of their iniquitous superstition." His son, however, being of another turn,
would have sold it to the Franks who then lacked money to purchase. It presently
disappeared and I should not be surprised if it were still lying, an unknown and inutile
lignum in some Cairene mosque.

3 'Akkd (Acre) was taken by Saladin on July 29, 1187. The Egyptian states that he
was at Acre in 1184 or three years before the affair of Hattin (Night dcccxcv.).

2O A If Laylah wa Laylah.

returned and bought somewhat more flax of me and I was yet
easier with her about the price ; and she repeated her visits to me.
seeing that I was in love with her. Now she was used to walk in
company of an old woman to whom I said, " I am sore enamoured
of thy mistress. Canst thou contrive for me to enjoy her ? "
Quoth she, " I will contrive this for thee ; but the secret must not
go beyond us three, me, thee and her ; and there is no help but
that thou be lavish with money, to boot." And I answered,
saying, M Though my life were the price of her favours 'twere no

great matter." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased saying her permitted say.

•

Nofo fojm ft toas tfce 3£t$t l^untafc antr Nuutg-fiftj) Nig&t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old
woman said to the man, " However the secret must not go beyond
us three, to wit me, thee and her ; and there is no help but thou
be lavish of thy money to boot." He replied, " Though my life
were the price of her favours 'twere no great matter." So it was
agreed (continued the man of Upper Egypt), that I should pay
her fifty dinars and that she should come to me ; whereupon I
procured the money and gave it to the old woman. She took it
and said, " Make ready a place for her in thy house, and she will
come to thee this night/' Accordingly I went home and made
ready what I could of meat and drink and wax candles and
sweetmeats. Now my house overlooked the sea and 'twas the
season of summer ; so I spread the bed on the terrace roof.
Presently, the Frank woman came and we ate and drank, and the
night fell dark. We lay down under the sky, with the moon
shining on us, and fell to watching the shimmering of the stars in
the sea : and I said to myself, " Art thou not ashamed before
Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty !) and thou a stranger,
under the heavens and in presence of the deep waters, to disobey
Him with a Nazarene woman and merit the torment of Fire ? "
Then said I, " O my God, I call Thee to witness that I abstain
from this Christian woman this night, of shamefastness before
Thee and fear of Thy vengeance ! " So I slept till the morning;
and she arose at peep of day full of anger and went away, I
walked to my shop and sat there ; and behold, presently she
passed, as she were the moon, accompanied by the old woman

The Man of Upper Egypt and his Prankish Wife. 21

who was also angry; whereat my heart sank within me and I
said to myself, " Who art thou that thou shouldst refrain from
yonder damsel ? Art thou Sari al-Sakatf or Bishr Barefoot or
Junayd of Baghdad or Fuzayl bin 'lyaz1? " Then I ran after the
old woman and coming up with her said to her, " Bring her to me
again ; " and said she, " By the virtue of the Messiah, she will not
return to thee but for an hundred ducats ! " Quoth I, " I will
give thee a hundred gold pieces." So I paid her the money and
the damsel came to me a second time ; but no sooner was she
with me than I returned to my whilome way of thinking and
abstained from her and forbore her for the sake of Allah
Almighty. Presently she went away and I walked to my shop,
and shortly after the old woman came up, in a rage. Quoth I
to her, " Bring her to me again ; " and quoth she, " By the virtue
of the Messiah, thou shalt never again enjoy her presence with
thee, except for five hundred ducats, and thou shalt perish in thy
pain ! " At this I trembled and resolved to expend the whole price
of my flax and therewith ransom my life. But, before I could think,
I heard the crier proclaiming and saying, " Ho, all ye Moslems,
the truce which was between us and you is expired, and we give
all of you Mahometans who are here a week from this time to
have done with your business and depart to your own country.11
Thus her visits were cut off from me and I betook myself to*
getting in the price of my flax which men had bought upon,
• credit, and to bartering what remained in rny hands for other
goods. Then I took with me fair merchandise and departed Acre
with a soul full of affection and love-longing for the Prankish
woman, who had taken my heart and my coin. So I journeyed
till I made Damascus, where I sold the stock in trade I had
brought from Acre, at the highest price, because of the, cutting off
of communication by reason of the term of truce having expired ;
and Allah (extolled and exalted be He ! ) vouchsafed me good
gain. Then I fell to trading in captive slave-girls, thinking thus
to ease my heart of its pining for the Prankish woman, and in this
traffic engaged I abode three years, till there befel between Al-
Malik al-Ncisir and the Franks what befel of the action of Hattin
and other encounters and Allah gave him the victory over them,

1 Famous Sufis and ascetics of the second and third centuries A.H. For Bishr
Barefoot, see vol. ii. p. 127. Al-Sakati means." the old-clothes man ; " and the names
of the others are all recorded in D'Herbelot.

22 A If Laylah wa Lay/ah.

so that he took all their Kings prisoners and he opened1 the coast2
cities by His leave. Now it fortuned one day after this, that a
man came to me and sought of me a slave-girl for Al-Malik ai-
Nasir. Having a handsome handmaid I showed her to him and
he bought her of me for an hundred dinars and gave me ninety
thereof, leaving ten still due to me, for that there was no more
found in the royal treasury that day, because he had expended
all his monies in waging war against the Franks. Accordingly
they took counsel with him and he said, " Carry him to the
treasury3 where are the captives' lodging and give him his choice
among the damsels of the Franks, so he may take one of them

for the ten dinars And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day

and ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo foftm it foas t&e <£i$t f^unfcrrti anb Ninetg-sixtft

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
whenas Al-Malik al-Nasir said, " Give him his choice to take one
of the girls for the ten dinars that are due to him ; " they brought me
to the captives' lodging and showed me all who were therein,
and I saw amongst them the Frankish damsel with whom I had
fallen in love at Acre and knew her right well. Now she was the
wife of one of the cavaliers of the Franks. So I said, " Give me
this one," and carrying her to my tent, asked her, " Dost thou
know me?" She answered, " No ;" and I rejoined, "I am thy
friend, the sometime flax-merchant with whom thou hadst to do
at Acre and there befel between us what befel. Thou tookest
money of me and saidest, * Thou shalt never again see me but
for five hundred dinars/ And now thou art become my property
for ten ducats." Quoth she, " This is a mystery. Thy faith is the
True Faith and I testify that there is no god but the God and that
Mohammed is the Messenger of God ! And she made perfect

1 i.e. captured, forced open their gates.

2 Arab. " Al-Sahil" i.e. the seaboard of Syria ; properly Phoenicia or the coast-lands
of Southern Palestine. So the maritime lowlands of continental Zanzibar are called in
the plur. Sawahil = " the shores'* and the people Sawahflf = Shore-men.

3 Arab. " Al-Khizanah " both in Mac. Edit, and Breslau x, 426. Mr. Payne has
translated " tents" and says, " Saladin seems to have been encamped without Damascus
and the slave -merchant had apparently come out and pitched his tent near the camp fo*
the purposes of his trade." But I can find no notice of tents till a few lines below.

The Man of Upper Egypt and his Prankish Wife. 23

profession of Al-Islam. Then said I to myself, " By Allah, I will
not go in unto her till I have set her free and acquainted the
Kazi." So I betook myself to Ibn Shaddad1 and told him what
had passed and he married me to her. Then I lay with her that
night and she conceived ; after which the troops departed and we
returned to Damascus. But within a few days there came an
envoy from the King of the Franks, to seek the captives and the
prisoners, according to the treaty between the Kings. So Al-
Malik al-Nasir restored all the men and women captive, till there
remained but the woman who was with me and the Franks said,
" The wife of such an one the Knight is not here." Then they
asked after her and making strict search for her, found that she
was with me ; whereupon they demanded her of me and I went in
to her sore concerned and with colour changed ', and she said to
me, " What aileth thee and what evil assaileth thee ? " Quoth I,
"A messenger is come from the King to take all the captives, and
they demand thee of me." Quoth she, " Have no fear, bring me
to the King and I know what to say before and to him." I carried
her into the presence of the Sultan Al-Malik al-Nasrr, who was
seated, with the envoy of the King of the Franks on his right
hand, and I said to him, " This is the woman that is with me."
Then quoth the King and the envoy to her, " Wilt thou go to thy
country or to8 thy husband ? For Allah hath loosed thy bonds
and those of thy fellow captives." Quoth she to the Sultan, " I am
become a Moslemah and am great with child, as by my middle ye
may see, and the Franks shall have no more profit of me." The
envoy asked, " Whether is dearer to thee, this Moslem or thy first
husband the knight such an one ? ; " and she answered him even
as she had answered the Sultan. Then said the envoy to the
Franks with him, " Heard ye her words ? " They replied, " Yes."
And he said to me, " Take thy wife and depart with her." So I
took her and went away ; but the envoy sent after me in haste and
cried, " Her mother gave me a charge for her, saying, My daughter
is a captive and naked : and I would have thee carry her this chest
Take it thou and deliver it to her." Accordingly I carried the
chest home and gave it to her. She opened it and found in it alt
her raiment as she had left it and therein I saw the two purses of

1 Baha al-Din ibn Shadddd, then Kazi al-Askar (of the Army) or Judge- Advocate-
General under Saladin.

2 i.*. "abide with " thy second husband, the Egyptian.

24 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

fifty and an hundred dinars which I had given her, untouched and
tied up with my own tying, wherefore I praised Almighty Allah.
These are my children by her and she is alive to this day and 'twas
she dressed you this food. We marvelled at his story and at that
which had befallen him of good fortune, and Allah is All-knowing.
But men also tell a tale anent the

RUINED MAN OF BAGHDAD AND HIS SLAVE-GIRL.

THERE was of old time in Baghdad a man of condition, who had
inherited from his father abounding affluence. He fell in love with
a slave-girl ; so he bought her and she loved him as he loved her ;
and he ceased not to spend upon her, till all his money was gone
and naught remained thereof; whereupon he sought a means of
getting his livelihood, but availed not to find any. Now this young
man had been used, in the days of his affluence, to frequent the
assemblies of those who were versed in the art of singing and had
thus attained to the utmost excellence therein. Presently he took
counsel with one of his intimates, who said to him, " Meseems thou
canst find no better profession than to sing, thou and thy slave-
girl ; for on this wise thou wilt get money in plenty and wilt eat
and drink."" But he misliked this, he and the damsel, and she said
to him, " I have bethought me of a means of relief for thee." He
asked, " What is it ? ; " and she answered, " Do thou sell me ;
thus shall we be delivered of this strait, thou and I, and I shall be
in affluence ; for none will buy the like of me save a man of fortune,
and with this I will contrive for my return to thee." He carried
her to the market and the first who saw her was a Hdshimf1 of
Bassorah, a man of good breeding, fine taste and generosity, who
bought her for fifteen hundred dinars. (Quoth the young man, the
damsel's owner), When I had received the price, I repented me
and wept, I and the damsel ; and I sought to cancel the sale ; but
the purchaser would not consent. So I took the gold in a bag,

1 A descendant of Hashim, the Apostle's great-grandfather from whom the Abbasides
were directly descended. The Ommiades were less directly akin to Mohammed, being
the descendants of Hashim's brother, Abd al-Shams. The Hashim is were famed for
liberality ; and the quality seems to have been inherited. The first Hashim got his
name from crumbling bread into the Sarid or brewis of the Meccan pilgrims during " The
Ignorance." He was buried at Ghazzah (Gaza) but his tomb was soon forgotten.

The Ruined Man of Baghdad and his Slave-Girl. 25

knowing not whither I should wend, now my house was desolate
of her, and buffeted my face and wept and wailed as I had never
done before. Then I entered a mosque and sat shedding tears, till
I was stupefied and losing my senses fell asleep, with the bag of
money under my head by way of pillow. Presently, ere I could be
ware, a man plucked the bag from under my head and ran off with
it at speed : whereupon I started up in alarm and affright and would
have arisen to run after him ; but lo ! my feet were bound with a
rope and I fell on my face. Then I took to weeping and buffeting
myself, saying, "Thou hast parted with thy soul1 and thy wealth

is lost!" And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased saying her permitted say.

fofjcn t't foas tfje IBfg&t f^utrtrrefc anto :tfmetp-SEbentf)

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
young man continued : — So I said to myself, " Thou hast parted
with thy soul and thy wealth is lost." Then, of the excess of my
chagrin, I betook myself to the Tigris and wrapping my face in
my gown, cast myself into the stream. The bystanders -saw me
and cried, " For sure, this is because of some great trouble that
hath betided him." They cast themselves in after me and
bringing me ashore, questioned me of my case. I told them what
misadventure had befallen me and they condoled with me. Then
an old man of them came to me and said, " Thou hast lost thy
money, but why goest thou about to lose thy life and become of
the people of The Fire ? 2 Arise, come with me, that I may see
thy lodging." I went with him to my house and he sat with me
awhile, till I waxed calmer, and becoming tranquil I thanked him
and he went away. When he was gone, I was like to kill myself,
but bethought me of the Future and the Fire ; so I fared forth
my house and fled to one of my friends and told him what had
befallen me. He wept for pity of me and gave me fifty dinars,
saying, " Take my advice and hie thee from Baghdad forthright
and let this provide thee till thy heart be diverted from the love
of her and thou forget her. Thy forbears were Secretaries and
Scribes and thy handwriting is fine and thy breeding right good :

1 *'.#. thy lover.

* i.e. of those destined to hell ; the especial home of Moslem suicides.

26 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

seek out, then, whom thou wilt of the Intendants * and throw
thyself on his bounty ; thus haply Allah shall reunite thee with
thy slave-girl/' I hearkened to his words (and indeed my mind
was strengthened and I was somewhat comforted) and resolved to
betake myself to Wasit,2 where I had kinsfolk. So I went down
to the river-side, where I saw a ship moored and the sailors
embarking goods and goodly stuffs. I asked them to take me
with them and carry me to Wasit ; but they replied, " We cannot
take thee on such wise, for the ship belongeth to a Hashimi."
However I tempted them with promise of passage-money and
they said, " We cannot embark thee on this fashion ;3 but, if it
must be, doff those fine clothes of thine and don sailor's gear and
sit with us as thou wert one of us." I went away and buying
somewhat of sailors' clothes, put them on ; after which I bought
me also somewhat of provisions for the voyage ; and, returning to
the vessel, which was bound for Bassorah, embarked with the
crew. But ere long I saw my slave-girl herself come on board,
attended by two waiting-women ; whereupon what was on me of
chagrin subsided and I said in myself, " Now shall I see her and
hear her singing, till we come to Bassorah." Soon after, up rode
the Hashimi, with a party of people, and they embarked aboard
the ship, which dropped down the river with them. Presently the
Hashimi brought out food and ate with the damsel, whilst the rest
ate amidships. Then said he to her, " How long this abstinence
from singing and permanence in this wailing and weeping ? Thou
art not the first that hath been parted from a beloved ! " Where-
fore I knew what she suffered for love of me. Then he hung a
curtain before her along the gunwale and calling those who ate
apart, sat down with them without the curtain ; and I enquired
concerning them and behold they were his brethren.4 He set
before them what they needed of wine and dessert, and they
ceased not to press the damsel to sing, till she called for the lute
and tuning it, intoned these two couplets :—

1 Arab. " 'Ummal " (plur. of 'Amil) viceroys or governors of provinces.

2 A town of Irak Arabi (Mesopotamia) between Baghdad and Bassorah built upon
the Tigris and founded by Al-Hajjaj : it is so called because the " Middle " or half-way
town between Basrah and Kufah. To this place were applied the famous lines: —

41 In good sooth a right noble race are they ;

Whose men " yea " can't say nor their women " nay."
* i.e. robed as thou art.
4 i.e. his kinsfolk of the Hashimis.

The Ruined Man of Baghdad and his Slave-Girl^ 27

The company left with my love by night, o Nor forbore to fare with my

heart's delight :
And raged, since their camels off paced, a fire o As of Ghazd'-wood in the

lover's sprite.

Then weeping overpowered her and she threw down the lute and
ceased singing ; whereat the folk were troubled and I slipped
down a-swoon. They thought I was possessed 2 and one of them
began reciting exorcisms in my ear ; nor did they cease to comfort
her and beseech her to sing, till she tuned the lute again and
chaunted these couplets twain : —

I stood and bewailed who their loads had bound o And far yode but still in

my heart are found :
I drew near the ruins and asked of them o And the camp was void

and lay waste the ground.

Then she fell down in a fainting-fit and weeping arose amongst
the folk ; and I also cried out and fainted away. The sailors
were startled by me and one of the Hashimi's pages said to them,
" How came ye to take this madman on board ? " So they said
one to other, " As soon as we come to the next village, we will
set him ashore and rid us of him." When I heard this, I was sore
troubled but I heartened and hardened myself, saying in thought,
" Nothing will serve me to deliver myself from their hands, except
I make shift to acquaint her with my presence in the ship, so she
may prevent my being set ashore. Then we sailed when we came
hard by a hamlet 3 and the skipper said, " Come, let us go ashore."
Therewith they all landed, save myself: and as evening fell I rose
and going behind the curtain took the lute and changed its accord,
mode 4 by mode, and tuning it after a fashion of my own,5 that

1 See vol. ii. 24.

3 Arab. " Sur'itu "= I was possessed of a Jinn, the common Eastern explanation of
an epileptic fit long before the days of the Evangel. See vol. iv. 89.

3 Arab. " Zf'ah," village, feof or farm.

« Arab. "Tarikah."

5 " Most of the great Arab musicians had their own peculiar fashion of tuning the
lute, for the purpose of extending its register or facilitating the accompaniment of songs
composed in uncommon keys and rhythms or possibly of increasing its sonority, and it
appears to have been a common test of the skill of a great musician, such as Ishac el-
Mausili or his father Ibrahim, to require him to accompany a difficult song on a lute
purposely untuned. As a (partial) modern instance of the practice referred to in the
text, may be cited Paganini's custom of lowering or raising the G string of the violin in

28 A If Laytah wa Laylah.

she had learnt of me, returned to my place in the ship ; And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

Nofo fo&en ft foa* tfcc lEifi&t ^untrrrtr antr Niiutg-n'gjti)

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
young man continued : — I returned to my place in the ship ; and
presently the whole party came on board again and the moon
shone bright upon river and height. Then said the Hashimi to
the damsel, " Allah upon thee, trouble not our joyous lives ! " So
she took the lute, and touching it with her hand, gave a sob, that
they thought her soul had fled her frame, and said, " By Allah,
my master and teacher is with us in this ship ! " Answered the
Hashimi,- " By Allah, were this so, I would not forbid him our
conversation ! Haply he would lighten thy burthen, so we might
enjoy thy singing : but his being on board is far from possible."
However she said, " I cannot smite lute-string or sing sundry airs
I was wont to sing whilst my lord is with us." Quoth the
Hashimi, " Let us ask the sailors ;" and quoth she, " Do so." He
questioned them, saying, " Have ye carried anyone with you ! ";
and they answered, " No." Then I feared lest the enquiry should
end there ; so I laughed and said, " Yes ; I am her master and
taught her whenas I was her lord." Cried she, " By Allah, that
is my lord's voice ! " Thereupon the pages carried me to the
Hashimi, who knew me at first sight and said to me, " Out on
thee ! What plight is this in which 1 see thee and what hath
brought thee to such condition ? " I related to him all that had
befallen me of my affair, weeping the while, and the damsel made
loud wail from behind the curtain. The Hashimi wept with sore
weeping, he and his brethren, for pity of me, and he said, " By
Allah, I have not drawn near this damsel nor enjoyed her, nor
have I even heard her sing till this day ! I am a man to whom
Allah hath been ample and I came to Baghdad but to hear singing
and seek my allowances of the Commander of the Faithful. I

playing certain of his own compositions. According to the Kitab el-Aghani, Ishac
el-Mausili is said to have familiarized himself, by incessant practice, with the exact
sounds produced by each division of the strings of the four course lute of his day, under
every imaginable circumstance of tuning." It is regrettable that Mr. Payne does not
give us more of such notes.

The Ruined Man of Baghdad and his Slave-Girl± 29

accomplished both my needments and being about to return home,
said to myself, * Let us hear some what of the singing of Baghdad.'
Wherefore I bought this damsel, knowing not that such was the
case with you twain ; and I take Allah to witness that, when I
reach Bassorah I will free her and marry her to thee and assign
you what shall suffice you, and more ; but on condition that, when-
ever I have a mind to hear music, a curtain shall be hung for her
and she shall sing to me from behind it, and thou shalt be of the
number of my brethren and boon-companions." Hereat I rejoiced
and the Hashimi put his head within the curtain and said to her,
" Will that content thee ? " ; whereupon she fell to blessing and
thanking him. Then he called a servant and said to him, " Take
this young man and do off his clothes and robe him in costly
raiment and incense him1 and bring him back to us." So the
servant did with me as his master bade him and brought me back
to him, and served me with wine, even as the rest of the com-
pany. Then the damsel began singing after the goodliest fashion
and chanted these couplets : —

They blamed me for causing my tears to well o When came my beloved to

bid farewell :
They ne'er tasted the bitters of parting nor felt o Fire beneath my ribs that

flames fierce and fell !
None but baffled lover knows aught of Love, * Whose heart is lost where

he wont to dwell.

The folk rejoiced in her song with exceeding joy and my gladness
redoubled, so that I took the lute from the damsel and preluding
after the most melodious fashion, sang these couplets : —

Ask (if needs thou ask) the Compassionate, o And the generous donor of high

estate .
For asking the noble honours man o And asking the churl entails bane and

bate :
When abasement is not to be 'scaped by wight o Meet it asking boons of the

good and great.
Of Grandee to sue ne'er shall vilify man, o But 'tis vile on the vile of mankind

to 'wait.

The company rejoiced in me with joy exceeding and they ceased
not from pleasure and delight, whilst anon I sang and anon the
damsel, till we came to one of the landing-places, where the vessel

1 See vol. vii. 363 for the use of these fumigations.

30 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

moored and all on board disembarked and I with them. Now I
was drunken with wine and squatted on my hams to make water ;
but drowsiness overcame me and I slept, and the passengers re-
turned to the ship which ran down stream without any missing
me, for that they also were drunken, and continued their voyage
till they reached Bassorah. As for me I awoke not till the heat
of the sun aroused me, when I rose and looked about me, but saw
no one. Now I had given my spending-money to the damsel and
had naught left : I had also forgotten to ask the Hashimi his name
and where his house was at Bassorah and his titles ; thus I was
confounded and my joy at meeting the damsel had been but a
dream ; and I abode in perplexity till there came up a great vessel
wherein I embarked and she carried me to Bassorah. Now I knew
none there much less the Hashimi's house, so I accosted a grocer

and taking of him inkcase and paper, And Shahrazad perceived

the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Nofo fojen it foas tftt ISigJt f^untofc anto Nfartg.nfotJ

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Baghdad man who owned the maid entered Bassorah, he was
perplexed for not knowing the Hashimi's house. So I accosted
(said he) a grocer and, taking of him inkcase and paper, sat down
to write. He admired my handwriting and seeing my dress stained
and soiled, questioned me of my case, to which I replied that I
was a stranger and poor. Quoth he, " Wilt thou abide with me
and order the accounts of my shop and I will give thee thy food
and clothing and half a dirham a day for ordering the accompts of
my shop ? " ; and quoth I, " Tis well," and abode with him and
kept his accounts and ordered his income and expenditure for a
month, at the end of which he found his income increased and his
disbursements diminished ; wherefore he thanked me and made
my wage a dirham a day. When the year was out, he proposed
to me to marry his daughter and become his partner in the shop.
I agreed to this and went in to my wife and applied me to the
shop. But I was broken in heart and spirit, and grief was mani-
fest upon me ; and the grocer used to drink and invite me thereto,
but I refrained for melancholy. I abode on this wise two years
till, one day, as I sat in the shop, behold, there passed by a parcel
of people with meat and drink, and I asked the grocer what was

The Ruined Man of Baghdad and his Slave-Girl. 31

the matter. Quoth he, " This is the day of the pleasure-makers,
•when all the musicians and dancers of the town go forth with the
young men of fortune to the banks of the Ubullah river ! and eat
and drink among the trees there." The spirit prompted me to
solace myself with the sight of this thing and I said in my mind,
" Haply among these people I may foregather with her I love."
So I told the grocer that I had a mind to this and he said, " Up
and go with them an thou please." He made me ready meat and
drink and I went till I came to the River of Ubullah, when, behold,
the folk were going away : I also was about to follow, when I
espied the Rais of the bark wherein the Hashimi had been with
the damsel and he was going along the river. I cried out to
him and his company who knew me and took me on board with
them and said to me, " Art thou yet alive ? " ; and they embraced
me and questioned me of my case. I told them my tale and they
said, " Indeed, we thought that drunkenness had gotten the better
of thee and that thou hadst fallen into the water and wast drowned."
Then I asked them of the damsel, and they answered, " When she
came to know of thy loss, she rent her raiment and burnt the lute
and fell to buffeting herself and lamenting and when we returned
with the Hashimi to Bassorah we said to her, " Leave this weeping
and wailing." Quoth she, " I will don black and make me a tomb
beside the house and abide thereby and repent from singing.2
We allowed her so to do and on this wise she abideth to this day."
Then they carried me to the Hashimi's house, where I saw the
damsel as they had said. When she espied me, she cried out a
great cry, methought she had died, and I embraced her with a
long embrace. Then said the Hashimi to me, " Take her ; " and I
said, " 'Tis well : but do thou free her and according to thy
promise marry her to me." Accordingly he did this and gave us
costly goods and store of raiment and furniture and five hundred
dinars, saying, " This is the amount of that which I purpose to

1 In the Mac. Edit. "Aylah" for Ubullah: the latter is one of the innumerable
canals, leading from Bassorah to Ubullah-town a distance of twelve miles. Its banks
are the favourite pleasure-resort of the townsfolk, being built over with villas and pavilions
(now no more) and the orchards seem to form one great garden, all confined by one wall.
See Jaubert's translation of Al-Idrisi, vol. i. pp. 368-69. The Aylah, a tributary of the
Tigris, waters (I have noted) the Gardens of Bassorah.

2 Music having been forbidden by Mohammed who believed with the vulgar that the
Devil has something to do with it. Even Paganini could not escape suspicion in the
nineteenth century.

'32 . A If Laylah wa Laylak.

allow you^every month, but on condition that thou be my cup*
companion and that I hear the girl sing when I will." Further-'
more, he assigned us private quarters and bade transport thither all
our need ; so, when I went to the house, I found it filled full of
furniture and stuffs and carried the damsel thither. Then I betook
me to the grocer and told him all that had betided me, begging
to hold me guiltless for divorcing his daughter, without offence
on her part ; and I paid her her dowry ! and what else behoved
me.2 I abode with the Hashimi in this way two years and
became a man of great wealth and was restored to the former
estate of prosperity wherein I had been at Baghdad, I and the
damsel. And indeed Allah the Bountiful put an end to our
troubles and loaded us with the gifts of good fortune and caused
our patience to result in the attainment of our desire : wherefore
to Him be the praise in this world and the next whereto we are,
ireturning.* And among the tales men tell is_that of

KING JALI 'AD OF HIND AND HIS WAZIR SHIMAS;

FOLLOWED BY THE HISTORY OF KING WIRD

KHAN, SON OF KING JALI'AD, WITH HIS

WOMEN AND WAZIRS.4

THERE was once in days of yore and in ages and times long gone'
before, in the land of Hind; a mighty King, tall of presence and
fair of favour and goodly of parts, noble of nature and generous,
beneficent to the poor and loving to his lieges_and all the people

1 The " Mahr," or Arab dowry consists of two parts, one paid down on consumma-
tion and the other agreed to be paid to the wife, contingently upon her being divorced by
her husband. If she divorce him this portion, which is generally less than the half,
cannot be claimed by her ; and I have related the Persian abomination which compels
the woman to sacrifice her rights. See vol. iii. p. 304.

z t.e. the cost of her maintenance during the four months of single blessedness which
must or ought to elapse before she can legally many again.

8 Lane translates most incompletely, "To Him, then, be praise, first and last! "

4 Lane omits because it is " extremely puerile " this most characteristic tale, one of
the two oldest in The Nights which Al-Mas'udi mentions as belonging to the Haza>
Afsaneh (See Terminal Essay). Von Hammer (Preface in Trebutien's translation p. xxv.)
refers the fables to an Indian (Egyptian ?) origin and remarks, " sous le rapport de leur
antiquit6 et de la morale qu'ils renferment, elles me>itent la plus grande attention, mais
d'un autre c6te elles ne sont rien moins qu' amusantes."

King Jolt ad of Hind and his _Wazir Skimas. 3$

of his realm. His name was Jali'ad and under his hand were two
and-seventy Kings and in his cities three hundred and fifty Kazis.
He had three score and ten Wazirs and over every ten of them he
set a premier. The chiefest of all his ministers was a man called
Shimas1 who was then2 two-and-twenty years old, a statesman
of pleasant presence and noble nature, sweet of speech and ready
in reply ; shrewd in all manner of business, skilful withal and
sagacious, for all his tender age," a man of good counsel and fine
manners versed in all arts and sciences and accomplishments ; and
the King loved him with exceeding love and cherished him byy
reason of his proficiency in eloquence and /hetoric and the art of
government and for that which Allah had given him of compassion
and brooding care 3 with his lieges for he was a King just in his
Kingship and a protector of his peoples, constant in beneficence
to great and small and giving them that which befitted them of
good governance and bounty and protection and security and a
lightener of their loads in taxes and tithes. And indeed he was
loving to them each and every, high and low, entreating them with
kindness and solicitude and governing them in such goodly guise
as none had done before him. But, with all this, Almighty Allah
had not blessed him with a child, and this was grievous to him and
to the people of his reign. It chanced, one night, as Jali'ad4 lay
in his bed, occupied with anxious thought of the issue of the affair
of his Kingdom, that sleep overcame him and he dreamt that he

poured water upon the roots of a tree, And Shahrazad per-/

ceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

foften.ftfoa* t&e^Jime ||un&re&t!) Nt'

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
King saw himself in his vision pouring water upon the roots of a
tree, about which were many other trees ; and lo and behold ! there
came fire out of this tree and burnt up every growth which
encompassed it ; whereupon Jali'ad awoke affrighted and trembl-
ing, and calling one of his pages said to him, " Go fetch the Wazir

1 Lane (iii. 579) writes the word " Shemmas " : the Bresl. Edit', (viii. 4) " Shim**.**

2 i.e. When the tale begins.

3 Arab. "Khafz al-jinah " drooping the wing as a brooding bird. In the Koran
(Ivii. 88) "lowering the wing" = demeaning oneself gently.

* The Bresl. Edit. (viii. 3) writes " Kil'ad '_': Trebutien (iii. I) « le roi Djilia.'rl
VOL. IX ,

34 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Shimas in all haste." So he betook himself to Shimas and said
to him, " The King calleth for thee forthright because he hath
awoke from his sleep in affright and hath sent me to bring thee to
him in haste." When Shimas heard this, he arose without stay or
delay and going to the King, found him seated on his bed. He
prostrated himself before him, wishing him permanence of glory
and prosperity, and said, " May Allah not cause thee grieve, O
King ! What hath troubled thee this night, and what is the cause
of thy seeking me thus in haste ? " The King bade him be seated ;
and, as soon as he sat down, began telling his tale and said to
him, " I have dreamt this night a dream which terrified me, and
'twas, that methought I poured water upon the roots of a tree
where about were many other trees and as I was thus engaged,
lo and behold ! fire issued therefrom and burnt up all the growths
that were around it ; wherefore I was affrighted and fear took me.
Then I awoke and sent to bid thee to me, because of thy know-
ledge and skill in the interpretation of dreams and of that which
I know of the vastness of thy wisdom and the greatness of thine
understanding." At this Shimas the Wazir bowed his head
groundwards awhile and presently raising it, smiled ; so the King
said to him, "What deemest thou, O Shimas ? Tell me the truth
of the matter and hide naught from me." Answered Shimas,
"O King, verily Allah Almighty granteth thee thy wish and
cooleth thine eyes ; for the matter of this dream presageth all
good, to wit, that the Lord will bless thee with a son, who shall
inherit the Kingdom from thee, after thy long life. But there is
somewhat else I desire not to expound at this present, seeing that
the time is not favourable for interpretation." The King rejoiced
in these words with exceeding joy and great was his contentment ;
his trouble departed from him, his mind was at rest and he said,
"If the case be thus of the happy presage of my dream, do thou
complete to me its exposition when the fitting time betideth : for
that which it behoveth not to expound to me now, it behoveth
that thou expound to me when its time cometh, so my joy may
be fulfilled, because I seek naught in this save the approof of
Allah extolled and exalted be He ! " Now when the Wazir Shimas
saw that the King was urgent to have the rest of the exposition,
he put him off with a pretext ; but Jali'ad assembled all the
astrologers and interpreters of dreams of his realm and as soon as
they were in the presence related to them his vision, saying, " I
desire you to tell me the true interpretation of this." Whereupon

The Mouse and the Cat. 35

one of them came forward and craved the King's permission to
speak, which being granted, he said, u Know, O King, that thy
Wazir Shimas is nowise unable to interpret this thy dream ; but
he shrank from troubling thy repose : wherefore he disclosed not
unto thee the whole thereof : but, an thou suffer me to speak I
will expose to thee that which he concealed from thee." The
King replied, " Speak without respect for persons, O interpreter,
and be truthful in thy speech." The interpreter said, " Know then,
O King, that there will be born to thee a boy-child who shall
inherit the Kingship from thee, after thy long life ; but he shall
not order himself towards the lieges after thy fashion ; nay, he shall
transgress thine ordinances and oppress thy subjects, and there
shall befal him what befel the Mouse with the Cat 1 ; and I seek
refuge with Almighty Allah2! " The King asked, "But what is
the story of the Cat and the Mouse ? "; and the interpreter answered
"May Allah prolong the King's life! They tell the following
tale of

THE MOUSE AND THE CAT."

A GRIMALKIN, that is to say, a Cat, went out one night to a
certain garden, in search of what she might devour, but found
nothing and became weak for the excess of cold and rain that
prevailed that night. So she sought for some device whereby to
save herself. As she prowled about in search of prey, she espied
a nest at the foot of a tree, and drawing near unto it, sniffed
thereat and purred till she scented a Mouse within and went round
about it, seeking to enter and seize the inmate. When the Mouse
smelt the Cat, he turned his back to her and scraped up the earth
with his forehand, to stop the nest-door against her ; whereupon
she assumed a weakly voice and said, " Why dost thou thus, O my
brother ? I come to seek refuge with thee, hoping that thou wilt
take pity on me and harbour me in thy nest this night ; for I am
weak because of the greatness of my age and the loss of my
strength, and can hardly move. I have ventured into thy garden

1 As the sequel shows the better title would be, " The Cat and the Mouse" as in the
headings of the Mac. Edit, and " What befel the Cat with the Mouse," as a punishment
for tyranny. But all three Edits, read as in the text and I have not cared to change it.
In our European adaptations the mouse becomes a rat.

2 So that I may not come to grief by thus daring to foretell evil things.

3^ Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

to-night, and how many a time have I called upon death, that I
might be at rest from this pain ! Behold, here am I at thy door,
prostrate for cold and rain and I beseech thee, by Allah, take of
thy charity my hand and bring me in with thee and give me
shelter in the vestibule of thy nest ; for I am a stranger and
wretched and 'tis said : — Whoso sheltereth a stranger and a
wretched one in his home his shelter shall be Paradise on the
Day of Doom. And thou, O my brother, it behoveth thee to
earn eternal reward by^ succouring me and suffering me abide
with thee this night till the morning, when I will wend my way."

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying

her permitted say.

tofim ft toa* tje JJine f^un&relr an& Jptrst

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth
the Cat to the Mouse, " So suffer me to night with thee this night,
after which I will wend my way." Hearing these words the
Mouse replied, " How shall I suffer thee enter my nest seeing
that thou art my natural foe and thy food is of my flesh ? Indeed
I fear lest thou false me, for that is of thy nature and there is no
faith in thee, and the byword saith : — It befitteth not to entrust a
lecher with a fair woman nor a moneyless man with money nor
fire with fuel. Neither doth it behove me to entrust myself to
thee ; and 'tis said : — Enmity of kind, as the enemy himself
groweth weaker groweth stronger." The Cat made answer in the
faintest voice, as she were in most piteous case, saying, " What
thou advancest of admonitory instances is the truth and I deny
not my offences against thee ; but I beseech thee to pardon that
which is past of the enmity of kind between me and thee ; for
'tis said : — Whoso forgiveth a creature like himself, his Creator
will forgive him his sins. 'Tis true that whilome I was thy foe,
but here am I a suitor for thy friendship, and they say, " An thou
wilt have thy foe become thy friend, do with him good. O my
brother, I swear to thee by Allah and make a binding covenant
with thee that I will hurt thee nevermore and for the best of
reasons, to wit, that I have no power thereto ; wherefore place thy
trust in Allah and do good and accept my oath and covenant."
Quoth the Mouse, " How can I accept the covenant of one between

The Mouse and the Cat. 37

whom and me there is a rooted enmity, and whose wont it is to
deal treacherously by me ? Were the feud between us aught but
one of blood, this were light to me ; but it is an enmity of kind
between souls, and it is said : — Whoso trusteth himself to his foe
is as one who thrusteth hand into a serpent's l mouth." Quoth
the Cat, full of wrath, " My breast is strait and my soul is faint :
indeed I am in articulo mortis and ere long I shall die at thy door
and my blood will be on thy head, for that thou hadst it in thy
power to save me in mine extremity : and this is my last word to
thee." Herewith the fear of Allah Almighty overcame the Mouse
and ruth gat hold upon his heart and he said in himself, "Whoso
would have the succour of Allah the Most High against his foe,
let him entreat him with compassion and kindness show. I rely
upon the Almighty in this matter and will deliver this Cat from
this her strait and earn the divine reward for her." So he went
forth and dragged into his nest the Cat, where she abode till she
was rested and somewhat strengthened and restored, when she
began to bewail her weakness and wasted strength and want of
gossips, The Mouse entreated her in friendly guise and comforted
her and busied himself with her service ; but she crept along till
she got command of the issue of the nest, lest the Mouse should
escape. So when the nest-owner would have gone out after his
wont, he drew near the Cat ; whereupon she seized him and taking
him in her claws, began to bite him and shake him and take him
in her mouth and lift him up and cast him down and run after
him and cranch him and torture him.2 The Mouse cried out for
help, beseeching deliverance of Allah and began to upbraid the
Cat, saying, "Where is the covenant thou madest with me and
where are the oaths thou swarest to me ? Is this my reward from

1 Arab. "Af'V pi. Afa'i = 3<£tS) both being derived from 0. Egypt. Hfi, a
worm, snake. Af 'a is applied to many species of the larger ophidia, all supposed to
be venomous, and synonymous with "Sail" (a malignant viper) in Al-Mutalammis*
See Preston's Al-Hariri, p. 101.

2 This apparently needless cruelty of all the feline race is a strong weapon in the
band of the Eastern "Dahri " who holds that the world is God and is governed by its
own laws, in opposition to the religionists believing in a Personal Deity whom, more-
over, they style the Merciful, the Compassionate, etc. Some Christians have opined
that cruelty came into the world with "original Sin;" but how do they account for
the hideous waste of life and the fearful destructiveness of the fishes which certainly
never learned anything from man? The mystery of the cruelty of things can be
explained only by a Law without a Law-giver,

3$ A If Laylah wa Laylah.

thee ? I brought thee into my nest and trusted myself to thee :
but sooth he speaketh that saith : — Whoso relieth on his enemy's
promise desireth not salvation for himself. And again : — Whoso
confideth himself to his foe deserveth his own destruction. Yet
do I put my trust In my Creator, for He will deliver me from
thee." Now as he was in this condition, with the Cat about to
pounce on him and devour him, behold, up came a huntsman,
with hunting dogs trained to the chase. One of the hounds
passed by the mouth of the nest and hearing a great scuffling,
thought that within was a fox tearing somewhat ; so he crept into
the hole, to get at him, and coming upon the Cat, seized on her.
When she found herself in the dog's clutches, she was forced to
take thought anent saving herself and loosed the Mouse alive and
whole without wound. Then the hound brake her neck and
^ragging her forth of the hole, threw her down dead : and thus
was exemplified the truth of the saying, "Who hath compassion
shall at the last be compassionated. Whoso oppresseth shall pre-
sently be oppressed." "This, then, O King," added the inter-
preter, " is what befel the Mouse and the Cat and teacheth that
none should break faith with those who put trust in him ; for who-
ever doth perfidy and treason, there shall befal him the like of
that which befel the Cat. As a man meteth, so shall it be meted
unto him, and he who betaketh himself to good shall gain his
eternal reward. But grieve thou not, neither let this trouble thee,
O King, for that assuredly thy son, after his tyranny and oppres-
sion, shall return to the goodliness of thy policy. And I would
that yon learned man, thy Wazir Shimas, had concealed from thee
naught in that which he expounded unto thee ; and this had been
well-advised of him, for 'tis said : — Those of the folk who most
abound in fear are the amplest of them in knowledge and the
most emulous of good." The King received the interpreter's
speech with submission and gifted him and his fellows with rich
gifts ; then, dismissing them he arose and withdrew to his own
apartments and fell to pondering the issue of his affair. When
night came, he went in to one of his women, who was most in
favour with him and dearest to him of them all, and lay with
her : and ere some four months had passed over her, the child
stirred in her womb, whereat she rejoiced with joy exceeding and
told the King. Quoth he, " My dream said sooth, by Allah the
Helper ! " ; and he lodged her in the goodliest of lodgings and

King Jalfad of Hind and his Wazir Shimas. 39

entreated her with all honour, bestowing on her store of rich gifts
and manifold boons. Then he sent one of his pages to fetch
his Wazir Shimas and as soon as he was in the presence told the
Minister what had betided, rejoicing and saying, " My dream is
come true and I have won my wish. It may be this burthen will
be a man-child and inherit the Kingship after me ; what sayest
thou of this, O Shimas ? " But he was silent and made no reply,
whereupon cried the King, " What aileth thee that thou rejoicest
not in my joy and returnest me no answer ? Doth the thing
mislike thee, O Shimas ? " Hereat the Wazir prostrated himself
before him and said, " O King, may Allah prolong thy life ! What
availeth it to sit under the shade of a tree, if there issue fire there
from, and what is the delight of one who drinketh pure wine, if he
be choked thereby, and what doth it profit to quench one's thirst
with sweet cool water, if one be drowned therein ? I am Allah's
servant and thine, O King ; but there are three things 1 whereof it
besitteth not the understanding to speak, till they be accomplished ;
to wit, the wayfarer, till he return from his way, the man who is in
fight, till he have overcome his foe, and the pregnant woman, till

she have cast her burthen. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn

of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

JLofo tofjen it foas tfje Nine pjuntixtti antr Sfceconfc

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that after
Shimas had enumerated to the King the three things whereof it
besitteth not the understanding to speak save after they are done,
he continued, <% For know, O King, that he, who speaketh of aught
before its accomplishment is like the Fakir who had hung over his
head the jar of clarified butter.2 " " What is the story of the
Fakir," asked the King, " and what happened to him ? " Answered
the Wazir, " O King, they tell this tale anent

1 The three things not to be praised before death in Southern Europe are a horse, a
priest and a woman ; and it has become a popular saying that only fools prophesy
before the event.

* Arab, " Samn " = butter melted and skimmed. See vol. i. 144.

40 A7f Laylah wa Laylah.

THE FAKIR AND HIS JAR OF BUTTER1"

A FAKIR 2 abode once with one of the nobles of a certain town,
who made him a daily allowance of three scones and a little
clarified butter and honey. Now such butter was dear in those
parts and the Devotee laid all that came to him together in a jar
he had, till he filled it and hung it up over his head for safe
keeping. One night, as he sat on his bed staff in hand, he fell a-
musing upon the butter and the greatness of its price and said in
himself: — Needs must I sell all this butter I have by me and buy
with the price an ewe and take to partner therein a Fellah3 fellow
who hath a ram. The first year she will bear a male lamb and a
female and the second a female and a male and these in their turn
will bear other males and other females, nor will they give over
bearing females and males, till they become a great matter. Then
will I take my share and vent thereof what I will. The males I
will sell and buy with them bulls and cows, which will also increase
and multiply and become many; after which I will purchase such
a piece of land and plant a garden therein and build thereon a
mighty fine 4 palace. Moreover, I will get me robes and raiment
and slaves and slave-girls and hold a wedding never was seen the
like thereof. I will slaughter cattle and make rich meats and
sweetmeats and confections and assemble all the musicians and
mimes and mountebanks and player-folk and after providing
flowers and perfumes and all manner sweet herbs I will bid rich
and poor, Fakirs and Olema, captains and lords of the land, and
whoso asketh for aught, I will cause it to be brought him ; and, I

1 This is a mere rechauffe of the Barber's tale of his Fifth Brother (vol. i. 335). In
addition to the authorities there cited I may mention the school reading-lesson in
Addison's Spectator derived from Galland's version of " Alnaschar and his basket of
Glass ;" the Persian version of the Hitopadesa or "Anwar-i-Suhayli (Lights of Canopes)
by Husayn Va'iz; the Foolish Sachali of " Indian Fairy Tales" (Miss Stokes); the
allusion in Rabelais to the fate of the " Shoemaker and his pitcher of milk " and the
"Dialogues of creatures moralised" (1516), whence probably La Fontaine drew his
fable, " La Lailiere et le Pot au lait."

2 Arab. " Nasik," a religious, a man of Allah from Nask, devotion : somewhat like
Salik (Dabistan iii. 251).

3 The well-known Egyptian term for a peasant, a husbandman, extending from the
Nile to beyond Mount Atlas.

* This is again, I note, the slang sense of '"Azim," which in classical Arabic means
simply great.

The Fakir and his Jar of Butter. 41

•will make ready all manner of meat and drink and send out a
crier to cry aloud and say, " Whoso seeketh aught, let him ask and
get it." Lastly I will go in to my bride, after her unveiling and
enjoy her beauty and loveliness ; and I will eat and drink and
make merry and say to myself, " Verily, hast thou won thy wish/'
and will rest from devotion and divine worship. Then in due time
my wife will bear me a boy, and I shall rejoice in him and make
banquets in his honour and rear him daintily and teach him
philosophy and mathematics and polite letters ; l so that I shall
make his name renowned among men and glory in him among the
assemblies of the learned ; and I will bid him do good and he
shall not gainsay me, and I will forbid him from lewdness and
iniquity and exhort him to piety and the practice of righteousness ;
and, I will bestow on him rich and goodly gifts ; and, if I see him
obsequious in obedience, I will redouble my bounties towards him :
but, an I see him incline to disobedience, I will come down on him
with this staff. So saying, he raised his hand, to beat his son
withal but the staff hit the jar of butter which overhung his head,
and brake it ; whereupon the shards fell upon him and the butter
ran down upon his head, his rags and his beard. So his clothes
and bed were spoiled and he became a caution to whoso will be
cautioned. " Wherefore, O King," added the Wazir, " it behoveth
not a man to speak of aught ere it come to pass." Answered the
King, " Thou sayest sooth ! Fair fall thee for a Wazir ! Verily the
truth thou speakest and righteousness thou counsellest. Indeed,
thy rank with me is such as thou couldst wish 2 and thou shalt
never cease to be accepted of me." Thereupon the Wazir pros-
trated himself before the King and wished him permanence of
prosperity, saying," Allah prolong thy days and thy rank upraise!
Know that I conceal from thee naught, nor in private nor in public
aught ; thy pleasure is my pleasure, and thy displeasure my dis-
pleasure. There is no joy for me save in thy joyance and I cannot
sleep o' nights an thou be angered against me, for that Allah the
Most High hath vouchsafed me all good through thy bounties to
me ; wherefore I beseech the Almighty to guard thee with His

1 Arab. " Adab " ; see vol. i. 132. It also implies mental discipline, the culture
which leads to excellence, good manners and good morals ; and it is sometimes synony-
mous with literary skill and scholarship. " Ilm al-Adab," says Haji Khalfah (Lane's
Lex.), "is the science whereby man guards against error in the language of the Arabs
spoken or written."

2 i.e. I esteem thee as thou deservest.

42 A if Laylak wa Laylah.

angels, and to make fair thy reward whenas thou meetest Him."
The King rejoiced in this, whereupon Shimas arose and went out
from before him. In due time the King's wife bare a male child,
and the messengers hastened to bear the glad tidings and to con-
gratulate the Sovran, who rejoiced therein with joy exceeding and
thanked all with abundant thanks, saying, " Alhamdolillah— laud
to the Lord — who hath vouchsafed me a son, after I had despaired,
for He is pitiful and ruthful to His servants." Then he wrote to
all the lieges of his land, acquainting them with the good news
and bidding them to his capital ; and great were the rejoicings and
festivities in all the realm. Accordingly there came Emirs and
Captains, Grandees and Sages, Olema and literati, scientists and
philosophers from every quarter to the palace and all presenting
themselves before the King, company after company, according to
their different degrees, gave him joy, and he bestowed largesse
upon them. Then he signed to the seven chief Wazirs, whose
head was Shimas, to speak, each after the measure of his wisdom,
upon the matter which concerned him the most. So the Grand
Wazir Shimas began and sought leave of the King to speak, which
being granted, he spake as follows.1 " Praised be Allah who
brought us into existence from non-existence and who favoureth
His servants with Kings that observe justice and equity in that
wherewith He hath invested them of rule and dominion, and who
act righteously with that which he appointeth at their hands of
provision for their lieges ; and most especially our Sovereign by
whom He hath quickened the deadness of our land, with that
which He hath conferred upon us of bounties, and hath blessed us
of His protection with ease of life and tranquillity and fair dealing !
What King did ever with his folk that which this King hath done
with us in fulfilling our needs and giving us our dues and doing us
justice, one of other, and in abundant carefulness over us and
redress of our wrongs ? Indeed, it is of the favour of Allah to
the people that their King be assiduous in ordering their affairs
and in defending them from their foes ; for the end of the enemy's
intent is to subdue his enemy and hold him in his hand ; and
many peoples2 bring their sons as servants unto Kings, and they

1 The style is intended to be worthy of th« statesman. In my " Mission to Dahome "
the reader will find many a similar scene.

2 The Bresl. Edit, (vol viii. 22) reads " Turks " or "The Turk " in lieu of " many
peoples."

The Fishes and the Crab. 43

become with them in the stead of slaves, to the intent that they
may repel ill-willers from them.1 As for us, no enemy hath
trodden our soil in the days of this our King, by reason of this
passing good fortune and exceeding happiness, that no describer
may avail to describe, for indeed it is above and beyond all
description. And verily, O King, thou art worthy of this highest
happiness, and we are under thy safeguard and in the shadow of
thy wings, may Allah make fair thy reward and prolong thy life !2
Indeed, we have long been diligent in supplication to Allah
Almighty that He would vouchsafe an answer to our prayers and
continue thee to us and grant thee a virtuous son, to be the coolth
of thine eyes : and now Allah (extolled and exalted be He !) hath

accepted of us and replied to our petition" And Shahrazad

perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Nofo fo&en ft foas tfie Nine f^un&rrtr antr ®?)fai Nfgftt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Shimas
the Wazir said to the King, "And now Almighty Allah hath
accepted of us and answered our petition and brought us speedy
relief, even as He did to the Fishes in the pond of water." The
King asked, " And how was that, and what is the tale ? " ; and
Shimas answered him, " Hear, O King the story of

THE FISHES AND THE CRAB."

IN a certain place there was a piece of water, wherein dwelt a
number of Fishes, and it befel that the pond dwindled away and
shrank and wasted, till there remained barely enough to suffice
them and they were nigh upon death and said, " What will become
of us ? How shall we contrive and of whom shall we seek counsel
for our deliverance ? " Thereupon arose one of them, who was the
chiefest in wit and age, and cried, " There is nothing will serve us

1 i.e. the parents.

2 The humour of this euphuistic Wazirial speech, purposely made somewhat pompous,
is the contrast between the unhappy Minister's praises and the result of his prognostica-
tion. I cannot refrain from complimenting Mr. Payne upon the admirable way in which
he has attacked and mastered all the difficulties of its abstruser passages.

44 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

save that we seek salvation of Allah ; but let us consult the Crab
and ask his advice : so come ye all 1 and hie we himwards and
hear his rede for indeed he is the chiefest and wisest of us all in
coming upon the truth." Each and every approved of the Fish's
advice and betook themselves in a body to the Crab, whom they
found squatted in his hole, without news or knowledge of their
strait. So they saluted him with the salam and said, " O our lord,
doth not our affair concern thee, who art ruler and the head of us?"
The Crab returned their salutation, replying, " And on you be The
Peace ! What aileth you and what d'ye want ? " So they told
him their case and the strait wherein they were by reason of the
wastage of the water, and that, when it should be dried up,
destruction would betide them, adding, " Wherefore we come to
thee, expecting thy counsel and what may bring us deliverance,
for thou art the chiefest and the most experienced of us." The
Crab bowed his head awhile and said, " Doubtless ye lack under-
standing, in that ye despair of the mercy of Allah Almighty and
His care for the provision of His creatures one and all. Know ye
not that Allah (extolled and exalted be He !) provtdeth all His
creatures without account and that He fore-ordained their daily
meat ere He created aught of creation and appointed to each of
His creatures a fixed term of life and an allotted provision, of His
divine All might ? How then shall we burthen ourselves with con-
cern for a thing which in His secret purpose is indite ? Wherefore
it is my rede that ye can do naught better than to seek aid of
Allah Almighty, and it behoveth each of us to clear his conscience
with his Lord, both in public and private, and pray Him to succour
us and deliver us from our difficulties ; for Allah the Most High
disappointeth not the expectation of those who put their trust in
Him and rejecteth not the supplications of those who prefer their
suit to Him. When we have mended our ways, our affairs will be
set up and all will be well with us, and when the winter cometh
and our land is deluged, by means of a just one's prayer, He will
not cast down the good He hath built up. So 'tis my counsel that

1 Arab. "Halummu" plur. of " Halumma " = draw near ! The latter form is used
by some tribes for all three numbers ; others affect a dual and a plural (as in the text).
Preston (Al-Hariri, p. 210) derives it from Heb. dvH but the geographers of Kufah
and Basrah (who were not etymologists) are divided about its origin. He translates
(p. 221) " Halumma Jarran "=being the rest of the tale in continuation with this, i.e.
in accordance with it, like our "and so forth." And in p. 271, he makes Halumma=5
Hayya i.e. hither ! (to prayer, etc).

The Fishes and the Crab. 45

we take patience and await what Allah shall do with us. An
death come to us, as is wont, we shall be at rest, and if there befat
us aught that calleth for flight, we will flee and depart our land
whither Allah will."1 Answered all the fishes with one voice
" Thou sayst sooth, O our lord : Allah requite thee for us with
weal ! " Then each returned to his stead, and in a few days the
Almighty vouchsafed unto them a violent rain and the place of
the pond was rilled fuller than before. " On like wise, O King,"
continued Shimas, " we despaired of a child being born to thee,
and now that God hath blessed us and thee with this well-omened
son, we implore Him to render him blessed indeed and make him
the coolth of thine eyes and a worthy successor to thee and grant
us of him the like of that which He hath granted us of thee ; for
Almighty Allah disappointeth not those that seek Him and it
behoveth none to cut off hope of the mercy of his God." Then,
rose the second Wazir and saluting the King with the salam spake,
after his greeting was returned, as follows : " Verily, a King is not
called a King save he give presents and do justice and rule with
equity and show munificence and wisely govern his lieges, main-
taining the obligatory laws and apostolic usages established among
them and justifying them, one against other, and sparing their
blood and warding off hurt from them ; and of his qualities should
be that he never abide incurious of the poor and that he succour
the highest and lowest of them and give them each the rights to
them due, so that they all bless him and are obedient to his com-
mand. Without doubt, a King who is after this wise of his lieges
is beloved and gaineth of this world eminence and of the next
honour and favour with the Creator thereof. And we, the body
politic of thy subjects, acknowledge in thee, O King, all the
attributes of kingship I have noted, even as it is said: — The best of
things is that the King of a people be just and equitable, their
physician skilful and their teacher experience-full, acting according
to his knowledge. Now we enjoy this happiness, after we had

1 This is precisely the semi-fatalistic and wholly superstitious address which would find
favour with Moslems of the present day : they still prefer "calling upon Hercules" to
putting their shoulders to the wheel. Mr. Redhouse had done good work in his day but
of late he has devoted himself, especially in the "Mesnevi," to a rapproachement between
Al-Islam and Christianity which both would reject (see supra, vol. vii. p. 135). The
Calvinistic predestination as shown in the term "vessel of wrath," is but a feeble
reflection of Moslem fatalism. On this subject I shall have more to say in a future
volume.

46 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

despaired of the birth of a son to thee, to inherit thy kingship ;
however, Allah (extolled be His name !) hath not disappointed
thine expectation, but hath granted thy petition, by reason of the
goodliness of thy trust in Him and thy submission of thine affairs
to Him, Then fair fall thy hope ! There hath betided thee that
which betided the Crow and the Serpent." Asked the King,
" What was that ?J'; and the Wazir answered, « Hear, O King, the
tale of

THE CROW AND THE SERPENT."

A CROW once dwelt in a tree, he and his wife, in all delight of life,
till they came to the time of the hatching of their young, which
was the midsummer season, when a Serpent issued from its hole
and crawled up the tree wriggling around the branches till it came
to the Crows' nest, where it coiled itself up and there abode all
the days of the summer, whilst the Crow was driven away and
found no opportunity to clear his home nor any place wherein to
lie. When the days of heat were past, the Serpent went away to
its own place and quoth the Crow' to his wife* " Let us thank
Almighty Allah, who hath preserved us and delivered us from
this Serpent, albeit we are forbidden from increase this year. Yet
the Lord will not cut off our hope ; so let us express our gratitude
to Him for having vouchsafed us safety and soundness of body:
indeed, we have none other in whom to confide, and if He will
and we live to see the next year, He shall give us other young in
the stead of those we have missed this year." Next summer when
the hatching-season came round, the Serpent again sallied forth
from its place and made for the Crows' nest : but, as it was coiling
up a branch, a kite swooped down on it and struck claws into its
head and tare it, whereupon it fell to the ground a-swoon, and the
ants came out upon it and ate it." 1 So the Crow and his wife

1 The inhabitants of temperate climates have no idea what ants can do in the tropics.
The Kafirs of South Africa used to stake down their prisoners (among them a poor
friend of mine) upon an ant-hill and they were eaten atom after atom in a few hours.
The death must be the slowest form of torture ; but probably the nervous system soon
becomes insensible. The same has happened to more than one hapless invalid, help-
lessly bedridden, in Western Africa. I have described an invasion of ants in my
" Zanzibar," vol. ii. 169; and have suffered from such attacks in many places between
that and Dahomey.

The Crow and the Serpent. 4%

abode in peace and quiet and bred a numerous brood and thanked1
Allah for their safety and for the young that were born to them.
In like manner, O King, continued the Wazir, " it behoveth us to
thank God for that wherewith He hath favoured thee and us in
vouchsafing us this blessed child of good omen, after despair and
the cutting off of hope. May He make fair thy future reward

and the issue of thine affair!" -And Shahrazad perceived the

dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Jiiofo fo&en it foa* t&* 1$im ^un&teb an* jfourtfi

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, 'that when
the second Wazir had ended with the words, " Allah make fair
thy future reward and the issue of thine affair ! "; the third Wazir
presently rose and said, " Rejoice, O just King, in the assurance
of present prosperity and future felicity ; for him, whom the deni-
zens of Earth love, the denizens of Heaven likewise love ; and
indeed Almighty Allah hath made affection to be thy portion
and hath stablished it in the hearts of the people of thy kingdom ;
wherefore to Him be thanks and praise from us and from thee, so
He may deign increase His bounty unto thee and unto us in thee !
For know, O King, that man can originate naught but by command
of Allah the Most High and that He is the Giver and all good
which befalleth a creature hath its end and issue in Him, He
allotteth His favours to His creatures, as it liketh Him ; to some
he giveth gifts galore while others He doometh barely to win their
daily bread. Some He maketh Lords and Captains, and others
Recluse's, who abstain from the world and aspire but to Him, for
He it is who saith : — I am the Harmer with adversity and the
Healer with prosperity. I make whole and make sick. I enrich
and impoverish, I kill and quicken : in my hand is everything
and unto Me all things do tend. Wherefore it behoveth all men
to praise Him. Now, especially thou, O King, art of the fortunate,
the pious, of whom it is said : — The happiest of the just is he for
whom Allah uniteth the weal of this world and of the next world ;
who is content with that portion which Allah allotteth to him and
who giveth Him thanks for that which He hath stablished. And
indeed he that is rebellious and seeketh other than the dole which
God hath decreed unto him and for him, favoureth the wild Ass

48 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

and the Jackal." 1 The King asked, " And what is the story of
the twain ? "; the Wazir answered, " Hear, O King, the tale of

THE WILD ASS AND THE JACKAL?

rA CERTAIN Jackal was wont every day to leave his lair and fare
forth questing his daily bread. Now one day, as he was in a certain
mountain, behold, the day was done and he set out to return when
he fell in with another Jackal who saw him on the tramp, and each
began to tell his mate of the quarry he had gotten. Quoth one
of them, " The other day I came upon a wild Ass and I was
an-hungred, for it was three days since I had eaten ; so I rejoiced
in this and thanked Almighty Allah for bringing him into my
power. Then I tare out his heart and ate it and was full and
returned to my home. That was three days ago, since which
time I have found nothing to eat, yet am I still full of meat."
When the other Jackal heard his fellow's story, he envied his
fulness and said in himself, " There is no help but that I eat the
heart of a wild Ass." So he left feeding for some days, till he became
emaciated and nigh upon death and bestirred not himself neither
did his endeavour to get food, but lay coiled up in his earth. And
whilst he was thus, behold, one day there came out two hunters
trudging in quest of quarry and started a wild Ass. They followed
on his trail tracking him all day, till at last one of them shot at
him a forked 2 arrow, which pierced his vitals and reached his heart
and killed him in front of the Jackal's hole. Then the hunters
came up and finding him dead, pulled out the shaft from his heart,
but only the wood came away and the forked head abode in the
Ass's belly. So they left him where he lay, expecting that others
of the wild beasts would flock to him ; but, when it was even-tide

1 Arab. " Sa'lab." See vol. iii. 132, where it is a fox. I render it jackal because
that cousin of the fox figures as a carrion-eater in Hindu folk-lore, the Hitopadesa,
Panchopakhyan, etc. This tale, I need hardly say, is a mere translation ; as is shown
by the Kathi s.s. " Both jackal and fox are nicknamed Joseph the Scribe (Talib Yusuf)
in the same principle that lawyers are called landsharks by sailors." (P. 65, Moorish
Lotus Leaves, etc., by George D. Cowan and R. L. N. Johnston, London, Tinsleys,
1883.)

2 Arab. "Sahm mush'ab" not '« barbed " (at the wings) but with double front, much
used for birding and at one time familiar in the West as in the East. And yet " barbed "
would make the fable read much better.

The Wild Ass and the Jackal. 49

and nothing fell to them, they returned to their abiding-places.
The Jackal, hearing the commotion at the mouth of his home, lay
quiet till nightfall, when he came forth of his lair, groaning for
weakness and hunger, and seeing the dead Ass lying at his door,
rejoiced with joy exceeding till he was like to fly for delight and
said, " Praised be Allah who hath won me my wish without toil !
Verily, I had lost hope of coming at a wild Ass or aught else ;
and assuredly ' the Almighty hath sent him to me and drave him
fall to my homestead." Then he sprang on the body and tearing
open its belly, thrust in his head and with his nose rummaged
about its entrails, till he found the heart and tearing a tid-bit
swallowed it : but, as soon as he had so done, the forked head of
the arrow struck deep in his gullet and he could neither get it
down into his belly nor bring it forth of his throttle. So he made
sure of destruction and said, " Of a truth it beseemeth not the
creature to seek for himself aught over and above that which
Allah hath allotted to him. Had I been content with what He
appointed to me, I had not come to destruction." " Wherefore,
O King," added the Wazir, " it becometh man to be content with
whatso Allah hath distributed to him and thank Him for His
bounties to him and cast" not off hope of his Lord. And behold,
O King, because of the purity of thy purpose and the fair intent
)f thy good works, Allah hath blessed thee with a son, after
lespair : wherefore we pray the Almighty to vouchsafe him length
>f days and abiding happiness and make him a blessed successor,
faithful in the observance of thy covenant, after thy long life."
Then arose the fourth Wazir and said, " Verily, an the King be a

man of understanding, a frequenter of the gates of wisdom,"

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

Nofo fo&en ft teas tfje Nine pjun&refc anU dFiW) Nfjjt,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
fourth Wazir arose and said, " Verily an the King be a man of
understanding, a frequenter of the gates of wisdom, versed in
science, government and policy, and eke upright in purpose and
just to his subjects, honouring those to whom honour is due,

1 Arab. " la'lla," usually = haply, belike; but used here and elsewhere = forsure*
certainly.

VOL; ix: ,D

SO A If Laylah wa Laylah.

revering those who are dign of reverence, tempering puissance
with using clemency whenas it behoveth, and protecting both
governors and governed, lightening all burthens for them and
bestowing largesse on them, sparing their blood and covering their
shame and keeping his troth with them. Such a King, I say, is
worthy of felicity both present and future worldly and other-
worldly, and this is of that which protecteth him from ill-will and
helpeth him to the stablishing of his Kingdom and the victory
over his enemies and the winning of his wish, together with in-
crease of Allah's bounty to him and His favouring him for his
praise of Him and the attainment of His protection. But an the
King be the contrary of this, he never ceaseth from misfortunes
and calamities, he and the people of his realm ; for that his op-
pression embraceth both stranger far and kinsman near and there
cometh to pass with him that which befel the unjust King with
the pilgrim Prince." King Jali'ad asked, "And how was that?"
and the Wazir answered, " Hear, O King, the tale of

THE UNJUST KING AND THE PILGRIM PRINCE?

THERE was once in Mauritania-land1 a King who exceeded in his
rule, a tyrant, violent and over severe, who had no respect for the
welfare or protection of his lieges nor of those who entered his
realm ; and from everyone who came within his Kingdom his
officers took four-fifths of his monies, leaving him one-fifth and
no more. Now Allah Almighty decreed that he should have a
son, who was fortunate and God-favoured and seeing the pomps
and vanities of this world to be transient as they are unrighteous,
renounced them in his youth and rejected the world and that
which is therein and fared forth serving the Most High, wandering
pilgrim-wise over wolds and Wastes and bytimes entering towns
and cities. One day, he came to his father's capital and the
guards laid hands on him and searched him but found naught

1 Arab. " Maghrib " (or in full Maghrib al-Aks£) lit. = the Land of the setting sun for
vrhose relation to "Mauritania1* see vol. vii. 220. It is almost synonymous with
"Al-Gharb" = the West whence Portugal borrowed the two Algarves, one being in
Southern Europe and the other over the straits about Tangier-Ceuta ; fronting Spanish
Trafalgar, i.e. Taraf al-Gharb, the edge of the West. I have noted (Pilgrimage i. 9)
the late Captain Peel's mis-translation " Cape of Laurels " (Al-Ghar).

The Unjust King and the Pilgrim Prince. 51

upon him save two gowns, one new and the other old.1 So they
stripped the new one from him and left him the old, after they
had entreated him with contumely and contempt ; whereat he
complained and said, "Woe to you, O ye oppressors! I am a
poor man and a pilgrim,2 and what shall this gown by any means
profit you ? Except ye restore it to me, I will go to the King and
make complaint to him of you." They replied, "We act thus
by the King's command : so do what seemeth good to thee."
Accordingly he betook himself to the King's palace and would
have entered; but the chamberlains denied him admittance, and
he turned away, saying in himself, "There is nothing for me
except to watch till he cometh out and complain to him of my
case and that which hath befallen me." And whilst he waited,
behold, he heard one of the guards announce the King's faring
forth ; whereupon he crept up, little by little, till he stood before
the gate ; and presently when the King came out, he threw him-
self in his way and after blessing him and wishing him weal, he
made his complaint to him informing him how scurvily he had
been entreated by the gatekeepers. Lastly he gave him to know
that he was a man of the people of Allah3 who had rejected the
world seeking acceptance of Allah and who went wandering over
earth and entering every city and hamlet, whilst all the folk he
met gave him alms according to their competence. " I entered
this thy city " (continued he), " hoping that the folk would deal
kindly and graciously with me as with others of my condition4 ;
but thy followers stopped me and stripped me of one of my gowns
and loaded me with blows. Wherefore do thou look into my case
and take me by the hand and get me back my gown and I will
not abide in thy city an hour. Quoth the unjust King, " Who
directed thee to enter this city, unknowing the custom of its
King ? "; and quoth the pilgrim, " Give me back my gown and do
with me what thou wilt." Now when the King heard this, his

1 Even the poorest of Moslem wanderers tries to bear with him a new suit of clothes
for keeping the two festivals and Friday service in the Mosque. See Pilgrimage i. 235 ;
iii. 257, etc.

* Arab. "Sayih" lit. a wanderer, subaudi for religious and ascetic objects; and not
to be confounded with the " pilgrim " proper.

8 i.e. a Religious, a wandering beggar.

* This was the custom of the whole Moslem world and still is where uncorrupted by
Christian uncharity and contempt for all '« men of God " save its own. But the change
in such places as Egypt is complete and irrevocable. Even in 1852 my Dervish's frock
brought me nothing but contempt in Alexandria and Cairo.

$2 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

temper changed for the worse and he said, " O fool,1 we stripped
thee of thy gown, so thou mightest humble thyself to us ; but
since thou makest this clamour I will strip thy soul from thee/'
Then he commanded to cast him into gaol, where he began to
repent of having answered the King and reproached himself for
not having left him the gown and saved his life. When it was the
middle of the night, he rose to His feet and prayed long and
prayerfully, saying, u O Allah, Thou art the Righteous Judge ;
Thou knowest my case and that which hath befallen me with this
tyrannical King, and I, Thine oppressed servant, beseech Thee,
of the abundance of Thy mercy, to deliver me from the hand of
this unjust ruler and send down on him Thy vengeance; for Thou
art not unmindful of the unright of every oppressor. Wherefore,
if Thou know that he hath wronged me, loose on him Thy ven-
geance this night and send down on him Thy punishment ; for
Thy rule is just and Thou art the Helper of every mourner, O
Thou to whom belong the power and the glory to the end of
time ! " When the gaoler heard the prayer of the poor prisoner
he trembled in every limb, and behold, a fire suddenly broke out
in the King's palace and consumed it and all that were therein,
even to the door of the prison,2 and none was spared but the
gaoler and the pilgrim. Now when the gaoler saw this, he knew
that it had not befallen save because of the pilgrim's prayer ; so
he loosed him and fleeing with him forth of the burning, betook
himself, he and the King's son, to another city. So was the
unjust King consumed, he and all his city, by reason of his in-
justice, and he lost the goods both of this world and the next
world. " As for us, O auspicious King" continued the Wazir,
" we neither lie down nor rise up without praying for thee and
thanking Allah the Most High for His grace in giving thee to us,
tranquil in reliance on thy justice and the excellence of thy
governance ; and sore indeed was our care for thy lack of a son
to inherit thy kingdom, fearing lest after thee there betide us a
King unlike thee. But now the Almighty hath bestowed His
favours upon us and done away our concern and brought us glad-
ness in the birth of this blessed child ; wherefore we beseech the

1 Arab " Ya jahil," lit. =O ignorant. The popular word is Ahmak which, however,
in the West means a maniac, a madman, a San ton ; " Bohli " being = a fool.

2 The prison according to the practice of the East being in the palace : so the
Moorish " Kasbah," which lodges the Governor and his guard, always contains the jafl.

The Crows and the Hawk. 53

Lord to make him a worthy successor to thee and endow him
with glory and felicity enduring and good abiding." Then rose

the fifth Wazir and said, "Blessed be the Most High, And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per-
mitted say.

Nofo fofien ft toas t&e Nine ^untafc anfc £>txt|) Xig&t,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
fifth Wazir said, " Blessed be the Most High, Giver of all good
gifts and graces the most precious ! But to continue : we are well
assured that Allah favoureth whoso are thankful to Him and
mindful of His faith ; and thou, O auspicious King, art far-famed
for these illustrious virtues and for justice and equitable dealing
between subject and subject and in that which is acceptable to
Allah Almighty. By reason of this hath the Lord exalted thy
dignity and prospered thy days and bestowed on thee the good
gift of this august child, after despair, wherefrom there hath betided
us gladness abiding and joys which may not be cut off ; for we
before this were in exceeding cark and passing care, because of thy
lack of issue, and full of concern bethinking us of all thy justice
and gentle dealing with us and fearful lest Allah decree death to*
thee and there be none to succeed thee and inherit the kingdoms
after thee, and so we be divided in our counsels and dissensions
arise between us and there befal us what befel the Crows*" Asked
the King, " And what befel the Crows ? "; and the Wazir answered
saying, " Hear O auspicious King, the tale of

THE CROWS AND THE HAWK."

THERE was once, in a certain desert, a spacious Wady, full of rills
and trees and fruits and birds singing the praises of Allah the One
of All-might, Creator of day and night ; and among them was a
troop of Crows, which led the happiest of lives. Now they were
under the sway and government of a Crow who ruled them with
mildness and benignity, so that they were with him in peace and
contentment; and by reason of their wisely ordering their affairs,
none of the other birds could avail against them, Presently it
chanced that there befel their chief the doom irrevocably appointed

54 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

to all creatures and he departed life> ; whereupon the others
mourned for him with sore mourning, and what added to their grief
was that there abided not amongst them like him one who should
fill his place. So they all assembled and took counsel together
concerning whom it befitted for his goodness and piety to set over
them : and a party of them choose one Crow, saying, "It
beseemeth that this be King over us ;" whilst others objected to
him and would none of him ; and thus there arose division and
dissension amidst them and the strife of excitement waxed hot
between them. At last they agreed amongst themselves and con-
sented to sleep the night upon it and that none should go forth at
dawn next day to seek his living, but that all must wait till high
morning, when they should gather together all in one place.
" Then/' said they," we will all take flight at once and whichsoever
shall soar above the rest in his flying, he shall be accepted of us as
ruler and be made King over us." The fancy pleased them ; so
they made covenant together and did as they had agreed and took
flight all, but each of them deemed himself higher than his fellow ;
wherefore quoth this one, -( I am highest," and that, " Nay ; that
am I." Then said the lowest of them, " Look up, all of you, and
whomsoever ye find the highest of you, let him be your chief.'* So
they raised their eyes and seeing the Hawk soaring over them, said
each to other, " We agreed that which bird soever should be the
highest of us we will make king over us, and behold, the Hawk is
the highest of us : what say ye to him ? " And they all cried out,
11 We accept of him." Accordingly they summoned the Hawk and
said to him, " O Father of Good,2 we have chosen thee ruler over
us, that thou mayst look into our affair." The Hawk consented,
saying, " Inshallah, ye shall win of me abounding weal," So they
rejoiced and made him their King. But after awhile, he fell to
taking a company of them every day and betaking himself with
them afar off to one of the caves, where he struck them down and
eating their eyes and brains, threw their bodies into the river.
And he ceased not doing on this wise, it being his intent to destroy
them all till, seeing their number daily diminishing, the Crows,
flocked to him and said, " O our King, we complain to thee because

1 Arab. " Tuwuffiya," lit.= was received (into the grace of God), an euphemistic and
more polite term than «• mata " = he died. The latter term is avoided by the Founder
of Christianity ; and our Spiritualists now say "passed away to a higher life,'* a phrase
embodying a theory which, to say the least, is " not proven.'*

* Arab. " Yd Aba al-Khayr " = our my good lord, sir, fellow, ete.

The Crows and the Hawk. 55

from the date we made thee Sovran and ruler over us, we are in the
sorriest case and every day a company of iis is missing and we
know not the reason of this, more by token that the most part
thereof are the high in rank and of those in attendance on thee.
We must now look after our own safety/' Thereupon the Hawk
waxed wroth with them and said to them, "Verily, ye are the
murtherers, and ye forestall me with accusation ! " So saying, he
pounced upon them and tearing to pieces half a score of their
chiefs in front of the rest, threatened them and drave them out
sorely cuffed and beaten, from before him. Hereat they repented
them of that which they had done and said, " We have known no
good since the death of our first King especially in the deed of this
stranger in kind ; but we deserve our sufferings even had he
destroyed us one by one to the last of us, and there is exemplified
in us the saying of him that saith, " Whoso submitteth him not to
the rule of his own folk, the foe hath dominion over him, of his
folly." And now there is nothing for it but to flee for our lives,
else shall we perish." So they took flight and dispersed to various
places. "And we also, O King," continued the Wazir, "feared
lest the like of this befal us and there become ruler over us a
King other than thyself ; but Allah hath vouchsafed us this boon
and hath sent us this blessed child, and now we are assured of
peace and union and security and prosperity in our Mother-land.
So lauded be Almighty Allah and to Him be praise and thanks
and goodly gratitude ! And may He bless the King and us all his
subjects and vouchsafe unto us and him the acme of felicity and
make his life-tide happy and his endeavour constant ! " Then
arose the sixth Wazir and said, " Allah favour thee with all felicity,
O King, in this world and in the next world ! ' Verily, the ancients
have left us this saying : — Whoso prayeth and fasteth and giveth
parents their due and is just in his rule meeteth his Lord and He
is well pleased with him. Thou hast been set over us and hast
ruled us justly and thine every step in this hath been blessed ;
wherefore we beseech Allah Almighty to make great thy reward
eternal and requite thee thy beneficence. I have heard what this
wise man hath said respecting our fear for the loss of our pros-
perity, by reason of the death of the King or the advent of another
who should not be his parallel, and how after him dissensions would
be rife among us and calamity betide from our division and how it
behoved us therefore to be instant in prayer to Allah the Most
High, so haply He might vouchsafe the King a happy son, to

56" A If Laylah wa Laylah.

inherit the kingship after him. But, after all, the issue of tha£
which man desireth of mundane goods and wherefor he lusteth is
unknown to him and consequently it behoveth a mortal to ask not
of his Lord a thing whose end he wotteth not ; for that haply the
hurt of that thing is nearer to him than its gain and his destruction
may be in that he seeketh and there may befal him what befel the
Serpent-charmer, his wife and children and the folk of his house.
— — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.

Nofo fo&m it foa* tf>e Nine ^un&tt& an* &*bcnt&.

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
sixth Wazir said, " It behoveth not a man to ask of his Lord aught
whereof he ignoreth the issue for that haply the hurt of that thing
may be nearer than its gain, his destruction may be in that he
seeketh and there may befal him what befel the Serpent-charmer,
his children, his wife and his household," the King asked,
" What was that ? " ; and the Wazir answered, '• Hear, O King the
tale of

THE SERPENT-CHARMER AND HIS WIFE*"

THERE was once a man, a Serpent-charmer,1 who used to train
serpents, and this was his trade ; and he had a great basket,2
wherein were three snakes but the people of his house knew this
not. Every day he used to go round with this pannier about the
town gaining his living and that of his family by showing the
snakes, and at eventide he returned to his house and clapped them
back into the basket privily. This lasted a long while ; but it
chanced one day, when he came home, as was his wont, his wife asked

1 Arab. " H£wi " from " Hayyah," a serpent. See vol. iii. 145. Most of the Egyp-
tian snake-charmers are Gypsies, but they do not like to be told of their origin. At
Baroda in Guzerat I took lessons in snake-catching, but found the sport too danger-
ous ; when the animal flies, the tail is caught by the left hand and the right is slipped up
to the neck, a delicate process, as a few inches too far or not far enough would be fol-
lowed by certain death in catching a Cobra. At last certain of my messmates killed one
of the captives and the snake-charmer would have no more to do with me.

2 Arab. " Sallah," also Pers., a basket of wickerwork. This article is everywhere
used for lodging snakes from Egypt to Morocco.

The Serpent Charmer and his Wife. 57

him, saying, " What is in this pannier ? " ; and he replied, " What
wouldest thou with it ? Is not provision plentiful with you ? Be thou
content with that which Allah hath allotted to thee and ask not of
aught else." With this the woman held her peace ; but she said
in herself, " There is no help but that I search this basket and
know what is there." So she egged on her children and enjoined
them to ask him of the pannier and importune him with their
questions, till he should tell them what was therein. They pre-
sently concluded that it contained something to eat and sought
every day of their father that he should show them what was
therein ; and he still put them off with pleasant pretences and
forbade them from asking this. On such wise they abode awhile,
the wife and mother still persisting in her quest till they agreed
with her that they would neither eat meat nor drain drink with
their father, till he granted them their prayer and opened the
basket to them. One night, behold, the Serpent-charmer came
home with great plenty of meat and drink and took his seat
calling them to eat with him : but they refused his company and
showed him anger ; whereupon he began to coax them with fair
words, saying, " Lookye, tell me what you would have, that I may
bring it you, be it meat or drink or raiment." Answered they,
" O our father, we want nothing of thee but that thou open this
pannier that we may see what is therein : else we will slay our-
selves." He rejoined, " O my children, there is nothing good for
you therein and indeed the opening of it will be harmful to you."
Hereat they redoubled in rage for all he could say, which when he
saw, he began to scold them and threaten them with beating,
except they returned from such condition ; but they only increased
in anger and persistence in asking, till at last he waxed wroth and
took a staff to beat them, and they fled from before him within
the house. Now the basket was present and the Serpent-charmer
had not hidden it anywhere ; so his wife left him occupied with
the children and opened the pannier in haste, that she might see
what was therein. Thereupon behold, the serpents came out and
first struck their fangs into her and killed her ; then they hied,
round about the house and slew all, great and small, who were
therein ; except the Serpent-charmer, who left the place and went
his way. " If then, O auspicious King," continued the Wazir,
" thou consider this, thou wilt be convinced that it is not for a
man to desire aught save that which God the Great refuseth not
to him ; nay, he should be content with what He willeth. And

58 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

thou, O King, for the overflowing of thy wisdom and the excellence
of thine understanding, Allah hath cooled thine eyes with the
advent of this thy son, after despair, and hath comforted thy heart ;
wherefore we pray the Almighty to make him of the just succes-
sors acceptable to Himself and to his subjects/' Then rose the
seventh Wazir and said, " O King, I know and certify all that my
brethren, these Ministers wise and learned, have said in the pre-
sence, praising thy justice and the goodness of thy policy and
proving how thou art distinguished in this from all Kings other
than thyself ; wherefore they gave thee the preference over them.
Indeed, this be of that which is incumbent on us, O King, and I
say : — Praised be Allah in that He hath guerdoned thee with His
gifts and vouchsafed thee of His mercy, the welfare of the realm ;
and hath succoured thee and ourselves, on condition that we in-
crease in gratitude to Him ; and all this no otherwise than by
thine existence! What while thou remainest amongst us, we
fear not oppression neither dread unright, nor can any take long-
handed advantage of our weakness ! and indeed it is said, The
greatest good of a people is a just King and their greatest ill an
unjust King ; and again, Better dwell with rending lions than with
a tyrannous Sultan. So praised be Almighty Allah with eternal
praise for that He hath blessed us with thy life and vouchsafed
thee this blessed child, whenas thou wast stricken in years and
hadst despaired of issue ! For the goodliest of the gifts in this
world is a virtuous sire, and it is said, Whoso hath no progeny his
life is without result and he leaveth no memory. As for thee,
because of the righteousness of thy justice and thy pious reliance
on Allah the Most High, thou hast been vouchsafed this happy
son ; yea, this blessed ] child cometh as a gift from the Most High
Lord to us and to thee, for the excellence of thy governance and
the goodliness of thy long-sufferance ; and in this thou hast fared
even as fared the Spider and the Wind." Asked the King,

" And what is the story of the Spider and the Wind ? " And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per-
mitted say.

1 Arab. " Mubirak." It is a favourite name for a slave in Morocco ; the slave-girl
being called Mubarakah ; and the proverb being, " Blessed is the household which hatk
neither M'bark nor M'barkah " (as they contract the word*).

The Spider and the Wind.

Nofo fo&en ft foas (fje Nine f^untoreUi ana ®igf)t!) Kffifjt,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the King asked, "And what is the story of the twain ? " ; the Wazir
answered, " Give ear, O King, to the tale of

THE SPIDER AND THE WIND."

A SPIDER once attached herself to a high gate l and a retired
and span her web there and dwelt therein in peace, giving thanks
to the Almighty, who had made this dwelling-place easy to her
and had set her in safety from noxious reptiles. On this wise she
abode a long while, still giving thanks to Allah for her ease and
regular supply of daily bread, till her Creator bethought Him to
try her and make essay of her gratitude and patience. So he
sent upon her a strong east Wind, which carried her away, web
and all, and cast her into the main. The waves washed her ashore
and she thanked the Lord for safety and began to upbraid the
Wind, saying, " O Wind, why hast thou dealt thus with me and
what good hast thou gotten by bearing me hither from my abiding-
place, where indeed I was in safety, secure in my home on the top
of that gate ? " Replied the Wind, saying, " O Spider, hast thou
not learnt that this world is a house of calamities ; and, say me,
who can boast of lasting happiness that such portion shall be
thine? Wottest thou not that Allah tempteth His creatures in
order to learn by trial what may be their powers of patience ?
How, then, doth it beset thee to upbraid me, thou who hast been
saved by me from the vasty deep ? " " Thy words are true, O
Wind," replied the Spider, " yet not the less do I desire to escape
from this stranger land into which thy violence hath cast me."
The Wind rejoined, " Cease thy blaming ; for right soon I wiM
bear thee back and replace thee in thy place, as thou wast afore-
time." So the Spider waited patiently, till the north-east Wind
left blowing and there arose a south-west Wind, which gently
caught her up and flew with her towards her dwelling-place ; and

1 The Bresl. Edit. (viii. 48) instead of the Gate (Bab) gives a Bddhanj = a Ventila-
tor ; for which latter rendering see vol. i. 257. The spider's web is Koranic (Ixxxi. 40)
•« Verily frailest of all houses is the house of the spider.*'

60 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

when she came to her abode, she knew it and clung to it. " And
we," continued the Wazir, " beseech Allah (who hath rewarded
the King for his singleness of heart and patience and hath taken
pity on his subjects and blessed them with His favour/ and 'hath
vouchsafed the King this son in his old age, after he had despaired
of issue and removed him not from the world, till He had blessed
him with coolth of eyes and bestowed on him what He hath
bestowed of Kingship and Empire !) to vouchsafe unto thy son
that which He hath vouchsafed unto thee of dominion and
Sultanship and glory! Amen." Then said the King, " Praised
be Allah over all praise and thanks be to Him over all thanks !
There is no god but He, the Creator of all things, by the light of
whose signs we know the glory of His greatness and who giveth
kingship and command over his own country to whom He willeth
of His servants ! He chooseth of them whomso He please to
make him His viceroy and viceregent over His creatures and
commandeth him to just and equitable dealing with them and
the maintenance of religious laws and practices and right conduct
and constancy in ordering their affairs to that which is most
acceptable to Him and most grateful to them. Whoso doth thus
and obeyeth the commandment of his Lord, his desire attaineth
and the orders of his God maintaineth ; so Providence preserveth
him from the perils of the present world and maketh ample his
recompense in the future world ; for indeed He neglecteth not the
reward of the righteous. And whoso doth otherwise than as
Allah biddeth him sinneth mortal sin and disobeyeth his Lord,
preferring his mundane to his supra-mundane weal. He hath no
trace in this world and in the next no portion : for Allah spareth
not the unjust and the mischievous, nor doth He neglect any of
His servants. These our Wazirs have set forth how, by reason of
our just dealing with them and our wise governance of affairs,
Allah hath vouchsafed us and them His grace, for which it
behoveth us to thank Him, because of the great abundance of
His mercies : each of them hath also spoken that wherewith the
Almighty inspired Him concerning this matter, and they have
vied one with another in rendering thanks to the Most High Lord
and praising Him for His favours and bounties. I also render
thanks to Allah for that I am but a slave commanded ; my heart
is in His hand and my tongue in His subjection, accepting that
which He adjudgeth to me and to them, come what may thereof.
Each one of them hath said what passed through his mind on the

King Jalfad of Hind and his Wazir Shimas. 6 1

subject of this boy and hath set forth that which was of the
renewal of divine favour to us, after my years had reached the
term when confidence faileth and despair assaileth. So praised
be Allah who hath saved us from disappointment and from the
alternation of rulers, like to the alternation of night and day!
For verily, this was a great boon both to them and to us ; where-
fore we praise Almighty Allah who hath given a ready answer to
our prayer and hath blessed us with this boy and set him in high
place, as the inheritor of the kingship. And we entreat Him, of
His bounty and clemency, to make him, happy in his actions,
prone to pious works, so he may become a King and a Sultan
governing his people with justice and equity, guarding them from
perilous error and frowardness, of His grace, goodness and
generosity ! " When the King had made an end of his speech,
the sages and Olema rose and prostrated themselves before Allah
and thanked the King ; after which they kissed his hands and
departed, each to his own house, whilst Jali'ad withdrew into his
palace, where, he looked upon the new-born and offered up
prayers for him and named him Wird Khdn.1 The boy grew up
till he attained the age of twelve,2 when the King being minded
to have him taught the arts and sciences, bade build him a palace
amiddlemost the city, wherein were three hundred and threescore
rooms,3 and lodged him therein. Then he assigned him three
wise men of the Olema and bade them not be lax in teaching him
day and night and look that there was no kind of learning but
they instruct him therein, so he might become versed in all
knowledge. He also commanded them to sit with him one day
in each of the rooms by turn and write on the door thereof that
which they had taught him therein of various kinds of lore and
report to himself, every seven days, whatso instructions they had
imparted to him. So they went in to the Prince and stinted not
from educating him day nor night, nor withheld from him aught of
that they knew ; and presently there appeared in him readiness to
receive instruction such as none had shown before him. Every
seventh day his governors reported to the King what his son had

1 Prob. from the Persian Wird = a pupil, a disciple.

4 And yet, as the next page shows the youth's education was complete in his twelftfc
year. But as all three texts agree, I do not venture upon changing the number to six
or seven, the age at which royal education outside the Harem usually begins.

3 i.e. One for each day in the Moslem year. For these object-lessons, somewhat in
Kinder-garten style, see the Book of Sindibad or The Malice of Women (vol. vi. 126).

62 A If Laylah wa Lay/ah.

learnt and mastered, whereby Jali'ad became proficient in goodly
learning and fair culture , and the Olema said to him, " Never
saw we one so richly gifted with understanding as is this boy :
Allah bless thee in him and give thee joy of his life ! " When the
Prince had completed his twelfth year, he knew the better part of
every science and excelled ail the Olema and sages of his day:
wherefore his governors brought him to his sire and said to him,
" Allah gladden thine eyes, O King, with this auspicious youth !
We bring him to thee, after he hath learnt all manner knowledge,
and there is not one of the learned men of the time nor a scientist
who hath attained to that whereto he hath attained of science."
The King rejoiced in this with joy exceeding and thanking the
Almighty prostrated himself in gratitude before Allah (to whom
belong Majesty and Might!), saying, "Laud be to the Lord for His
mercies incalculable ! " Then he called his Chief Wazir and said
to him, " Know, O Shimas, that the governors of my son are come
to tell me that he hath mastered every kind of knowledge and
there is nothing but they have instructed him therein, so that he
surpasseth in this all who forewent him. What sayst thou, O
Shimas?" Hereat the Minister prostrated himself before Allah
(to whom belong Might and Majesty !) and kissed the King's
hand, saying, " Loath is the ruby-stone, albe it be bedded in the
hardest rock on hill, to do aught but shine as a lamp, and this thy
son is such a gem ; his tender age hath not hindered him from
becoming a sage and Alhamdolillah — praised be Allah — for that
which He deigned bestow on him ! But to-morrow I will call an
assembly of the flower of the Emirs and men of learning and
examine the Prince and cause him speak forth that which is with

him in their presence, Inshallah ! " And Shahrazad perceived

the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Nofo tofjen it foas ifjc Nine ffcjun&rrti ant) Ninti)

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the King Jali'ad heard the words of his Wazir Shimas, he com-
manded the attendance of the keenest-witted * of the Olema and
most accomplished of the learned and sages of his dominions, and

1 Arab. "Jahabizah " plur. of "Jahbiz "= acute, intelligent (from the Pers. Kahbad
or Kihbad?).

King fatfad of Hind and his Wazir Shintas. 63

they all presented themselves on the morrow at the door of the
palace, whereupon the King bade, admit them. Then entered
Shimas and kissed the hands of the Prince, who rose and
prostrated himself to the Minister : but Shimas said, " It
behoveth not the lion-whelp to prostrate himself to any of the
wild beasts, nor besitteth it that Light prostrate itself to shade/'
Quoth the Prince, " Whenas the lion-whelp seeth the leopard,1 he
riseth up to him and prostrateth himself before" him, because of
his wisdom, and Light prostrateth itself to shade for the purpose
of disclosing that which is therewithin." Quoth Shimas, " True,
O my lord ; but I would have thee answer me anent whatso I shall
ask thee, by leave of His Highness and his lieges." And the
youth said, " And I, with permission of my sire, will answer thee."
So Shimas began and said, " Tell me what is the Eternal, the
Absolute, and what are the two manifestations2 thereof and
whether of the two is the abiding one ? " Answered the Prince,
" Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty ! ) is the Eternal, the
Absolute ; for that He is Alpha, without beginning, and Omega
without end. Now his two manifestations are this world and the
next ? and the abiding one of the two is the world to come."
(<•) " Thou sayst truly and I approve thy reply : but I would have
thee tell me, how knowest thou that one of Allah's manifestations
is this world and the other the world to come ? " — " I know this
because this world was created from nothingness and had not its
being from any existing thing ; wherefore its affair is referable to
the first essence. Moreover, it is a commodity swift of ceasing,
the works whereof call for requital of action and this postulateth
the reproduction 3 of whatso passeth away : so the next world is
the second manifestation/' Q) 'Now inform me how knowest
thou that the world to come is the abiding one of the two
existences ? " — " Because it is the house of requital for deeds done
in this world prepared by the Eternal sans surcease." (<) " Who

1 Arab. "Nimr" in the Bresl. Edit. viii. 58. The Mac. Edit, suggests that the
leopard is the lion's Wazir.

3 Arab. "Kaun" lit. = Being, existence. Tr^butien (iii. 20), has it, " Qu'est-ce que
1'etre (God), ^existence (Creation), 1'etre dans Pexistence (the world), et la duree de
1'etre dans 1'existence (the other world).

3 i.e. for the purpose of requital. All the above is orthodox Moslem doctrine, which
utterly ignores the dictum " ex nihilo nihil fit ; " and which would look upon Creation
by Law (Darwinism) as opposed to Creation by miracle (e.g. the Mosaic cosmogony)
as rank blasphemy. On the other hand the Eternity of Matter and its transcendental
essence are tenets held by a host of Gnostics, philosophers and Eastern Agnostics.

64 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

are the people of this world most to be praised for their practice ? "
— " Those who prefer their weal in the world to come before their
weal in this world." Q) " And who is he that preferreth his
future to his present welfare ? " — " He who knoweth that he
dwelleth in a perishing house, that he was created but to vade
away and that, after vading away, he will be called to account ;
and indeed, were there in this world one living and abiding for
ever, he would not prefer it to the next world." (<) Can the
future life subsist permanently without the present ? " — " He who
hath no present life hath no future life : and indeed I liken this
world and its folk and the goal to which they fare with certain
workmen, for whom an Emir buildeth a narrow house and
lodgeth them therein, commanding each of them to do a certain
task and assigning to him a set term and appointing one to act
as steward over them. Whoso doeth the work appointed unto
him, the steward bringeth him forth of that straitness ; but
whoso doeth it not within the stablished term is punished. After
awhile, behold, they find honey exuding from the chinks of the
house,1 and when they have -eaten thereof and tasted its sweetness
of savour, they slacken in their ordered task and cast it behind
their backs. So they patiently suffer the straitness and distress
wherein they are, with what they know of the future punishment
whereto they are fast wending, and are content with this worthless
and easily won sweetness : and the Steward leaveth not to fetch
every one of them forth of the house, for ill or good, when his
appointed period shall have come. Now we know the world to
be a dwelling wherein all eyes are dazed, and that each of its
folk hath his set term ; and he who findeth the little sweetness
that is in the world and busieth himself therewith is of the number
of the lost, since he preferreth the things of this world to the
things of the next world : but whoso payeth no heed to this poor
sweetness and preferreth the things of the coming world to those
of this world, is of those who are saved." (<) " I have heard
what thou sayest of this world and the next and I accept thine
answer ; but I see they are as two placed in authority over man ;
needs must he content them both, and they are contrary one to
other. So, if the creature set himself to seek his livelihood, it is
harmful to his soul in the future : and if he devote himself to

1 This is a Moslem lieu commun ; usually man is likened to one suspended in a
bottomless well by a thin rope at which a rodent is continually gnawing and who amuse*
himself in licking a few drops of honey left by bees on the revetemenU

The Two Kings. 65

the next world, it is hurtful to his body ; and there Is no way
for him of pleasing these two contraries at once."—" Indeed, the
quest of one's worldly livelihood with pious intent and on lawful
wise is a viaticum for the quest of the goods of the world to come,
if a man spend a part of his days in seeking his livelihood in
this world, for the sustenance of his body, and devote the rest of
his day to seeking the goods of the next world, for the repose of
his soul and the warding off of hurt therefrom ; and indeed I see
this world and the other world as they were two Kings, a just and
an unjust." Asked Shimas, "How so?" and the youth began
the tale of

THE TWO KINGS.

THERE were once two Kings, a just and an unjust ; and this one
had a land abounding in trees and fruits and herbs ; but he let
no merchant pass without robbing him of his monies and his
merchandise, and the traders endured this with patience, by
reason of their profit from the fatness of the earth in the
means of life and its pleasantness, more by token that it was
renowned for its richness in precious stones and gems. Now
the just King, who loved jewels, heard of this land and sent one
of his subjects thither, giving him much specie and bidding him
pass with it into the other's realm and buy jewels therefrom.
So he went thither ; and, it being told to the unjust King that
a merchant was come to his kingdom with much money to buy
jewels withal, he sent for him to the presence and said to him,
" Who art thou and whence comest thou and who brought thee
thither and what is thy errand ? " Quoth the merchant, " I am
of such and such a region, and the King of that land gave me
money and bade me buy therewith jewels from this country ;
so I obeyed his bidding and came." Cried the unjust King,
*' Out on thee ! Knowest thou not my fashion of dealing with
the people of my realm and how each day I take their monies ?
How then comest thou to my country ? And behold, thou hast
been a sojourner here since such a time ! " Answered the trader,
" The money is not mine, not a mite of it ; nay, 'tis a trust in
my hands, till I bring its equivalent to its owner." But the
King said, " I will not let thee take thy livelihood of my land
or go out therefrom, except thou ransom thyself with this money
VOL. IX. E

66 A If Laylah wa Lay la k.

all of it." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo fofjen (t foas tfje Nfn* f^untirft anfo ®nttf) Nffi!)tf

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
unjust Ruler said to the trader who came to buy jewels from
his country, " 'Tis not possible for thee to take thy livelihood of
my land except thou ransom thy life with this money, all of it ;
else shalt thou die." So the man said in himself, " I am fallen
between two Kings, and I know that the oppression of this ruler
embraceth all who abide in his dominions : and if I satisfy him
not, I shall lose both life and money (whereof is no doubt) and
shall fail of my errand ; whilst, on the other hand, if I give him
all the gold, it will most assuredly prove my ruin with its owner,
the other King : wherefore no device will serve me but that I
give this one a trifling part thereof and content him therewith
and avert from myself and from the money perdition. Thus shall
I get my livelihood of the fatness of this land, till I buy that
which I desire of jewels ; and, after satisfying the tyrant with
gifts, I will take my portion of the profit and return to the owner
of the money with his need, trusting in his justice and indulgence,
and unfearing that he will punish me for that which this unjust
King taketh of the treasure, especially if it be but a little." Then
the trader called down blessings on the tyrant and said to him, " O
King, I will ransom myself and this specie with a small portion
thereof, from the time of my entering thy country to that of my
going forth therefrom." The King agreed to this and left him at
peace for a year, till he bought all manner jewels with the rest of
the money and returned therewith to his master, to whom he made
his excuses, confessing to having saved himself from the unjust
King as before related. The just King accepted his excuse and
praised him for his wise device and set him on his right hand in
his divan and appointed him in his kingdom an abiding inherit-
ance and a happy life-tide.1 Now the just King is the similitude
of the future world and the unjust King that of the present world ;
the jewels that be in the tyrant's dominions are good deeds and
pious works. The merchant is man and the money he hath with

1 A curious pendent to the Scriptural parable of the Unjust Steward.

The Blind Man and the Cripple. 6j

him is the provision appointed him of Allah. When I consider
this, I know that it behoveth him who seeketh his livelihood in
this world to leave not a day without seeking the goods of the
world to come, so shall he content this world with that which he
gaineth of the fatness of the earth and satisfy the other world with
that which he spendeth of his life in seeking after it.'* (<) " Are
the spirit J and the body alike in reward and retribution, or is the
body, as the luster of lusts and doer of sinful deeds, and especially
affected with punishment ? " " The inclination to lusts and sins
may be the cause of earning reward by the withholding of the soul
therefrom and the repenting thereof; but the command2 is in the
hand of Him who doth what He will, and things by their contraries
are distinguished. Thus subsistence is necessary to the body, but
there is no body without soul ; and the purification of the spirit is
in making clean the intention in this world and taking thought to
that which shall profit in the world to come. Indeed, soul and
body are like two horses racing for a wager or two foster-brothers
or two partners in business. By the intent are good deeds dis-
tinguished and thus the body and soul are partners in actions and
in reward and retribution, and in this they are like the Blind man
and the Cripple with the Overseer of the garden." Asked Shimas,
" How so ? " ; and the Prince said, " Hear, O Wazir, the tale of

THE BLIND MAN AND THE CKIPPLE."

A BLIND man and a Cripple were travelling-companions and used
to beg alms in company. One day they sought admission into the
garden of some one of the benevolent, and a kind-hearted wight,
hearing their talk, took compassion on them and carried them into
his garden, where he left them after plucking for them some of its
produce and went away, bidding them do no waste nor damage
therein. When the fruits became ripe, the Cripple said to the
Blind man, " Harkye, I see ripe fruits and long for them ; but I
cannot rise to eat thereof; so go thou arise, for thou art sound of
either leg, and fetch us somewhat that we may eat." Replied the

1 Arab. "Ruh " Heb. Ruach: lit. breath (spiritus) which in the animal kingdom is
the surest sign of life. See vol. v. 29. Nothing can be more rigidly materialistic than
the so-called Mosaic law.

2 Arab. " Al-Amr" which may also mean the business, the matter, the affair.

68 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Blind, " Fie upon thee ! I had no thought of them, but now that
thou callest them to my mind, I long to eat of them and I am
impotent unto this, being unable to see them ; so how shall we do
to get at them ?" At this moment, behold, up came the Overseer
of the garden, who was a man of understanding, and the Cripple
said to him, " Harkye, O Overseer ! I long for somewhat of those
fruits ; but we are as thou seest ; I am a cripple and my mate here
is stone-blind : so what shall we do ? y> Replied the Overseer,
" Woe to you ! Have ye forgotten that the master of the garden
stipulated with you that ye should do nothing whereby waste or
damage befal it : so take warning and abstain from this." But
they answered, " Needs must we get our portion of these fruits that
we may eat thereof: so tell us some device whereby we shall con-
trive this." When the Overseer saw that they were not to be
turned from their purpose, he said, " This, then, is my device, O
Cripple, let the Blind bear thee on his back and take thee under
the tree whose fruit pleaseth thee, so thou mayst pluck what thou
canst reach thereof/' Accordingly the Blind man took on his
back the Cripple who guided him, till he brought him under a tree,
and he fell to plucking from it what he would and tearing at its
boughs till he had despoiled it : after which they went roundabout
and throughout the garden and wasted it with their hands and
feet, nor did they cease from this fashion, till they had stripped all
the trees of the garth. Then they returned to their place and
presently up came the master of the garden, who, seeing it in this
plight, was wroth with sore wrath and coming up to them said,
" Woe to you ! What fashion is this ? Did I not stipulate with
you that ye should do no damage in the garden ? " Quoth they,
" Thou knowest that we are powerless to come at any of the fruit,
for that one of us is a cripple and cannot rise and the other is
blind and cannot see that which is before him : so what is our
offence ? " But the master answered, " Think ye I know not how
ye wrought and how ye have gone about to do waste in my garden ?
I know, as if I had been with thee, O Blind, that thou tookest the
Cripple pick-a-back and he showed thee the way till thou borest him
to the trees." Then he punished them with grievous punishment
and thrust them out of the garden. Now the Blind is the simili-
tude of the body which seeth not save by the spirit, and the Cripple
that of the soul, for that it hath no power of motion but by the
body ; the garden is the works, for which the creature is rewarded
or punished, and the Overseer is the reason which biddeth to good

King Jali ad of Hind and his Wazir Shimas. 69

and forbiddeth from evil. Thus the body and the soul are partners
in reward and retribution." (<>) " Which of the learned men is
most worthy of praise, according to thee ? " — " He who is learned
in the knowledge of Allah and whose knowledge profiteth him."
({) " And who is this ? " — " Whoso is intent upon seeking to
please his Lord and avoid His wrath." (<;) " And which of them
is the most excellent ? " — " He who is most learned in the know-
ledge of Allah." ({) "And which is the most experienced of
them?" — "Whoso in doing according to his knowledge is most
constant." (<•) " And which is the purest-hearted of them ? " —
" He who is most assiduous in preparing for death and praising
the Lord and least of them in hope, and indeed he who penetrateth
his soul with the awful ways of death is as one who looketh into a
clear mirror, for that he knoweth the truth, and the mirror still
increaseth in clearness and brilliance." (<) "What are the good-
liest of treasures? "—"The treasures of heaven." (<•) "Which is
the goodliest of the treasures of Heaven ? " — " The praise of Allah
and His magnification." (<) " Which is the most excellent of the
treasures of earth ? " — " The practice of kindness." - And Shah-
razad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.

Nofo fo&tn ft teas tfjc Nine f^unfcretr antr lEIebcntft Ntgf)t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Wazir Shimas asked the King's son, saying, " Which is the most
excellent of the treasures of earth ? " he answered, " The practice
of kindness." So the Minister pursued, " Tell me of three several
and different things, knowledge and judgment and wit, and of that
which uniteth them." — " Knowledge cometh of learning, judgment
of experience and wit of reflection, and they are all stablished and
united in reason. Whoso combineth these three qualities attaineth
perfection and he who addeth thereto the piety and fear of the
Lord is in the right course." (<) " Take the case of a man of
learning and wisdom, endowed with right judgment, luminous
intelligence and a keen wit and excelling, and tell me can desire
and lust change these his qualities ? " — " Yes ; for these two
passions, when they enter into a man, alter his wisdom and under-
standing and judgment and wit, and he is like the Ossifrage !
L . - -. - .

1 Arab " Ukab al-kisir/' lit. = the breaker eagle. .

7O A If Laylah wa Laylah.

which, for precaution against the hunters, abode in the upper air,
of the excess of his subtlety ; but, as he was thus, he saw a fowler
set up his nets and when the toils were firmly staked down bait
them with a bit of meat ; which when he beheld, desire and lust
thereof overcame him and he forgot that which he had seen of
springes and of the sorry plight of all birds that fell into them.
So he swooped down from the welkin and pouncing upon the
piece of meat, was meshed in the same snare and could not win
free. When the fowler came up and saw the Ossifrage taken in
his toils he marvelled with exceeding marvel and said, " I set up
my nets, thinking to take therein pigeons and the like of small
fowl ; how came this Ossifrage to fall into it ? " It is said that
when desire and lust incite a man of understanding to aught, he
considereth the end thereof and refraineth from that which they
make fair and represseth with his reason his lust and his con-
cupiscence ; for, when these passions urge him to aught, it behoveth
him to make his reason like unto a horseman skilled in horseman-
ship who mounting a skittish horse, curbeth him with a sharp bit,1
so that he go aright with him and bear him whither he will. As
for the ignorant man, who hath neither knowledge nor judgment,
while all things are obscure to him and desire and lust lord it over
him, verily he doeth according to his desire and his lust and is of
the number of those that perish ; nor is there among men one in
worse case than he." (<f) " When is knowledge profitable and when
availeth reason to ward off the ill effects of desire and lust ? "
— " When their possessor useth them in quest of the goods of the
next world, for reason and knowledge are altogether profitable ;
but it befitteth not their owner to expend them in the quest of the
goods of this world, save in such measure as may be needful for
gaining his livelihood and defending himself from its mischief; but
to lay them out with a view to futurity." Q) "What is most worthy
that a man should apply himself thereto and occupy his heart
withal ? " — " Good works and pious." (<?) " If a man do this it
diverteth him from gaining his living : how then shall he do for
his daily bread wherewith he may not dispense ? "-— *' A man's day

1 Arab. " Lijam shad id : " the ring-bit of the Arabs is perhaps the severest form
known : it is required by the Eastern practice of pulling up the horse when going at
full speed and it is too well known to require description. As a rule the Arab rides
with a "lady's hand" and the barbarous habit of "hanging on by the curb " is unknown
to him. I never pass by Rotten Row or see a regiment of English Cavalry without
wishing to leave riders nothing but their snaffles.

.King Jalt'ad of Hind and his Wazir Shimas. J\

is four-and-twenty hours, and it behoveth him to employ one-
third thereof in seeking his living", another in prayer and repose
and the other in the pursuits of knowledge j1 for a reasonable man
without knowledge is a barren land, which hath no place for
tillage, tree-planting or grass-growing. Except it be prepared
for tilth and plantation no fruit will profit therein ; but, if it be
tilled and planted, it bringeth forth goodly fruits. So with the
man lacking education ; there is no profit in him till knowledge be
planted in him : then doth he bear fruit." (<i) " What sayst thou of
knowledge without understanding ? " — " It is as the knowledge
of a brute2 beast, which hath learnt the hours of its foddering
and waking, but hath no reason.'* (<f) " Thou hast been brief
in thine answer here anent ; but I accept thy reply. Tell me,
how shall I guard myself against the Sultan ? " — " By giving
him no way to thee." (<j) " And how can I but give him
way to me, seeing that he is set in dominion over me and that
the reins of my affair be in his hand?" — "His dominion over
thee lieth in the duties thou owest him ; wherefore, an thou give
him his due, he hath no farther dominion over thee." (<) " What
are a Wazir's duties to his King?" — " Good counsel and zealous
service both in public and private, right judgment, the keeping
of his secrets and that he conceal from his lord naught of that
whereof he hath a right to be informed, lack of neglect of aught
of his need with the gratifying of which he chargeth him, the
seeking his approval in every guise and the avoidance of his

1 We find this orderly distribution of time (which no one adopts) in many tongues and
many forms. In the Life of Sir W. Jones (vol. i. p. 193, Poetical Works etc.) the
following occurs, *' written in India on a small piece of paper" : —

Sir Edward Coke

" Six hours to sleep, in law's grave study six !
Four spend in prayer,— the rest on Heaven fix!**

Rather :

" Seven hours to law, to soothing slumber seven ;1
Ten to the world allot, and all to Heaven ! "

But this is not practical. I must prefer the Chartist distribution:

Six hours sleep and six hours play :
Six hours work and six shillings a day.

Mr. Froude (Oceana) speaks of New Zealanders having attained that ideal of operative
felicity : —

Eight to work, eight to play ;

Eight to sleep and eight shillings a day.
* Arab. "Bahimah," mostly = black cattle : see vol. iv. 54.

72 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

anger." Q) « How should the Wazir do with the King ? "— ° An
thou be Wazir to the King and wouldst fain become safe from
him, let thy hearing and thy speaking to him surpass his
expectation of thee and be thy seeking of thy want from him
after the measure of thy rank in his esteem, and beware lest thou
advance thyself to a dignity whereof he deemeth thee unworthy,
for this would be like presuming against him. So, if thou take
advantage of his mildness and raise thee to a rank beyond that
which he deemeth thy due, thou wilt be like the hunter, whose
wont it was to trap wild beasts for their pelts and cast away the
flesh. Now a lion used to come to that place and eat of the
carrion ; and in course of time, he made friendship with the hunter,
who would throw meat to him and wipe his hands on his back,
whilst the lion wagged his tail.1 But when the hunter saw his
tameness and gentleness and submissiveness to him, he said to
himself, " Verily this lion humbleth himself to me and I am
master of him, and I see not why I should not mount him and
strip off his hide, as with the other wild beasts." So he took
courage and sprang on the lion's back, presuming on his mildness
and deeming himself sure of him ; which when the lion saw, he
raged with exceeding rage and raising his fore paw, smote the
hunter, that he drove his claws into his vitals ; after which he cast
him under foot and tare him in pieces and devoured him. By
this we may know that it behoveth the Wazir to bear himself
towards the King according to that which he seeth of his condition
and not presume upon the superiority of his own judgment, lest

the King^. become jealous of him." And Shahrazad perceived

the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo fojjen tt foag tfy Nine f^uufcrefc antr 'JJfodftJ Ni'gfit,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
youth, the son of King Jali'ad, said to Shimas the Wazir, " It
behoveth the Minister to bear himself towards the Monarch
according to that which he seeth of his condition, and not to
presume upon the superiority of his own judgment lest the King
wax jealous of him." Quoth Shimas, " How shall the Wazir
grace himself in the King's sight." — " By the performance of the

1 As a rule when the felidae wag their tails, it is a sign of coming anger, the reverse
with the canidse.

d of Hind and his Wazir Skimas. 73

trust committed to him and of loyal counsel and sound judgment
and the execution of his commands." (<•) " As for what thou
sayest of the Wazir's duty to avoid the King's anger and perform
his wishes and apply himself diligently to the doing of that where-
with he chargeth him, such duty is always incumbent on him : but
how, an the King's whole pleasure be tyranny and the practice
of oppression and exorbitant extortion ; and what shall the Wazir
do, if he be afflicted by intercourse with this unjust lord ? An he,
strive to turn him from his lust and his desire, he cannot do this,
and if he follow him in his lusts and flatter him with false counsel,
he assumeth the weight of responsibility herein and becometh an
enemy to the people. What sayst thou of this ? " — " What thou
speakest, O Wazir, of his responsibility and sinfulness ariseth only
in the case of his abetting the King in his wrong-doing ; but it
behoveth the Wazir, when the King taketh counsel with him of
the like of this, to show forth to him the way of justice and equity
and warn him against tyranny and oppression and expound to
him the principles of righteously governing the lieges ; alluring
him with the future reward that pertaineth to this and restraining
him with warning of the punishment he otherwise will incur.
If the King incline to him and hearken unto his words, his end is
gained, and if not, there is nothing for it but that he depart from
him after courteous fashion, because in parting for each of them is
ease." (<;) " What are the duties of the King to his subjects and

what are the obligations of the lieges to their lord ? " " They

shall do whatso he ordereth them with pure intent and obey him
in that which pleaseth him and pleaseth Allah and the Apostle
of Allah. And the lieges can claim of the lord that he protect
their possessions and guard their women,1 even as it is their duty to
hearken unto him and obey him and expend their lives freely in
his defence and give him his lawful due and praise him fairly for
that which he bestoweth upon them of his justice and bounty."
Q) " Have his subjects any claim upon the King other than that

which thou hast said ? " "Yes : the rights of the subjects from

their Sovran are more binding than the liege lord's claim upon his
lieges ; for that the breach of his duty towards them is more
harmful than that of their duty towards him; because the
ruin of the King and the loss of his kingdom and fortune

1 In India it is popularly said that the Rajah can do anything with the Ryots provided
he respects their women and their religion— not their property.

74 A If Laylah wa Laylahi

befal not save by the breach of his devoir to his subjects :
wherefore it behoveth him who is invested with the kingship
to be assiduous in furthering three things, to wit, the fostering
of the faith, the fostering of his subjects and the fostering of
government ; for by the ensuing of these three things, his king-
dom shall endure." (<;) " How doth it behove him to do for his

subjects' weal ? " " By giving them their due and maintaining

their laws and customs1 and employing Olema and learned men
to teach them and justifying them, one of other, and sparing their
blood and defending their goods and lightening their loads and
strengthening their hosts." ( <j ) " What is the Minister's claim

upon the Monarch ? " " None hath a more imperative claim on

the King than hath the Wazir, for three reasons : firstly, because
of that which shall befal him from his liege lord in case of error
in judgment, and because of the general advantage to King and
commons in case of sound judgment : secondly, that folk may
know the goodliness of the degree which the Wazir holdeth
in the King's esteem and therefore look on him with eyes of
veneration and respect and submission2 ; and thirdly, that the
Wazir, seeing this from King and subjects, may ward off from
them that which they hate and fulfil to them that which they
love." (<•) " I have heard all thou hast said of the attributes of
King and Wazir and liege and approve thereof: but now tell me
what is incumbent in keeping the tongue from lying and folly and

slandering good names and excess in speech." " It behoveth a

man to speak naught but good and kindness and to talk not of
that which toucheth him not ; to leave detraction nor carry talk
he hath heard from one man to his enemy, neither seek to harm
his friend nor his foe with his Sultan and reck not of any
(neither of him from whom he hopeth for good nor of him whom
he feareth for mischief) save of Allah Almighty ; for He indeed is
the only one who harmeth or profiteth. Let him not impute
default unto any nor talk ignorantly, lest he incur the weight and
the sin thereof before Allah and earn hate among men ; for know

1 Arab. " Sunan " for which see vol. v. 36, 167. Here it is = Rasm or usage,
equivalent to our precedents, and held valid, especially when dating from olden time, in
all matters which are not expressly provided for by Koranic command. For instance a
Hindi Moslem (who doubtless borrowed the customs from Hindus) will refuse to eat
with the Kafir and when the latter objects that there is no such prohibition in the Koran
will reply, " No : but it is our Rasm." As a rule the Anglo-Indian is very ignorant on
this essential point.

* Lit. " lowering the wings," see supra p. 33.

King Jalf ad of Hind and his Wazir Shimas. 75

thou that speech is like an arrow which once shot none can avail
to recall. Let him also beware of disclosing his secret to one who
shall discover it, lest he fall into mischief by reason of its disclosure,
after confidence on its concealment ; and let him be more careful
to keep his secret from his friend than from his foe ; for the keeping
a secret with all folk is of the performance of faithful trust." (<•)
"Tell me how a man should bear himself with his family and

friends/' " There is no rest for a son of Adam save in righteous

conduct : he should render to his family that which they deserve
and to his brethren whatso is their due/7 (<j) "What should one

render to one's kinsfolk ? " " To parents, submission and soft

speech and affability and honour and reverence. To brethren
good counsel and readiness to expend money for them and
assistance in their undertakings and joyance in their joy and
grieving for their grief and closing of the eyes toward the errors
that they may commit ; for, when they experience this from a man,
they requite him with the best of counsel they can command and
expend their lives in his defence ; wherefore, an thou know thy
brother to be trusty, lavish upon him thy love and help him in all

his affairs." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased saying her permitted say.

jlofo fofjen ft foas tljc jlme ^unfcctfr aito

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
youth, the son and heir of King Jali'ad, when questioned by the
Wazir upon the subjects aforesaid, returned him satisfactory replies ;
when Shimas resumed, " I see that brethren are of two kinds,
brethren of trust and brethren of society.1 As for the first who be
friends, there is due to them that which thou hast set forth ; but
now tell me of the others who be acquaintances." "As few-
brethren of society thou gettest of them pleasance and goodly
usance and fair speech and enjoyable company ; so be thou not
sparing to them of thy delights, but be lavish to them thereof, like
as they are lavish to thee, and render to them that which they
render to thee of affable countenance and an open favour and
sweet speech ; so shall thy life be pleasant and thy words be
accepted of them." (<?) " Tell me now of the provision decreed by

1 i.e. friends and acquaintances.

76 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

the Creator to all creatures. Hath He allotted to men and beasts
each his several provision to the completion of his appointed life-
term ; and if this allotment be thus, what maketh him who seeketh
his livelihood to incur hardships and travail in the quest of that
which he knoweth must come to him, if it be decreed to him,
albeit he incur not the misery of endeavour ; and which, if it be
not decreed to him, he shall not win, though he strive after it with
his uttermost striving ? Shall he therefore stint endeavour and in

his Lord put trust and to his body and his soul give rest ? "

" Indeed, we see clearly that to each and every there is a provision
distributed and a term prescribed ; but to all livelihood are a way
and means, and he who seeketh would get ease of his seeking by
ceasing to seek; withal there is no help but that he seek his
fortune. The seeker is, however, in two cases ; either he gaineth
his fortune or he faileth thereof. In the first case, his pleasure
consisteth in two conditions ; first, in the having gained his fortune,
and secondly, in the laudable1 issue of his quest; and in the other
case, his pleasure consisteth, first, in his readiness to seek his daily
bread, secondly, in his abstaining from being a burthen to the folk,
and thirdly, in his freedom from liability to blame." (<») " What

sayst thou of the means of seeking one's fortune ? " " A man

shall hold lawful that which Allah (to whom belong Might
and Majesty) alloweth, and unlawful whatso He forbiddeth."
Reaching this pass the discourse between them came to an
end, and Shim as and all the Olema present rose and prostrat-
ing themselves before the young Prince, magnified and extolled
him, whilst his father pressed him to his bosom and seating
him on the throne of kingship, said, "Praised be Allah who
hath blessed me with a son to be the coolth of mine eyes in
my lifetime ! " Then said the King's son to Shimas in presence
of all the Olema, "O sage that art versed in spiritual questions,
albeit Allah have vouchsafed to me but scanty knowledge, yet do I
comprehend thine intent in accepting from me what I proffered in
answer concerning that whereof thou hast asked me, whether I hit
or missed the mark therein, and belike thou forgavest my errors ;
but now I am minded to question thee anent a thing, whereof my
judgment faileth and whereto my capacity is insufficient and which
my tongue availeth not to set forth, for that it is obscure to me,
with the obscurity of clear water in a black vessel. Wherefore I

1 Arab. " Hamidah" =r praiseworthy or satisfactory.

King Jatfad of Hind and his Wazir Shimas. 77

would have thee expound it to me so no iota thereof may remain
doubtful to the like of me, to whom its obscurity may present
itself in the future, even as it hath presented itself to me in the
past ; since Allah, even as He hath made life to be in lymph1 and
strength in food and the cure of the sick in the skill of the leach,
so hath He appointed the healing of the fool to be in the learning
of the wise. Give ear, therefore, to my speech." Replied the
Wazir, " O luminous of intelligence and master of casuistical ques-
tions, thou whose excellence all the Olema attest, by reason of the
goodliness of thy discretion of things and thy distribution2 thereof
and the justness of thine answers to the questions I have asked
thee, thou knowest that thou canst enquire of me naught but
thou art better able than I to form a just judgment thereon and
expound it truly : for that Allah hath vouchsafed unto thee such
wisdom as He hath bestowed on none other of men. But inform
me of what thou wouldst question me," Quoth the Prince, " Tell
me from what did the Creator (magnified be His all-might !) create
the world, albeit there was before it naught and there is naught
seen in this world but it is created from something; and the
Divine Creator (extolled and exalted be He !) is able to create
things from nothing,3 yet hath His will decreed, for all the per-
fection of His power and grandeur, that He shall create naught
but from something." The Wazir replied, " As for those, who
fashion vessels of potter's clay,4 and other handicraftsmen, who
cannot originate one thing save from another thing, they are them-
selves only created entities : but, as for the Creator, who hath
wrought the world after this wondrous fashion, an thou wouldst
know His power (extolled and exalted be He !) of calling things
into existence, extend thy thought and consider the various kinds
of created things, and thou wilt find signs and instances, proving
the perfection of His puissance and that He is able to create the
ens from the non-ens : nay, He called things into being, after
absolute non-existence, for the elements which be the matter of

1 Not only alluding to the sperm of man and beast ; but also to the " Neptunist "
doctrine held by the ancient Greeks and Hindus and developed in Europe during the
last century.

2 Arab. " Taksim " dividing into parts, analysis.

8 This is the usual illogical contention of all religions. It is not the question whether
an Almighty Being can do a given thing: the question is whether He has or has
not done it.

4 Upon ihe old simile of the potter I shall have something to say in a. coming volume.,

7% A If Laylah wa Laylak.

created things were sheer nothingness. I will expound this to
thee, so thou mayst be in no scepticism thereof, and the marvel-
signs of the alternation of Night and Day shall make this clear to
thee. When the light goeth and the night cometh, the day is
hidden from us and we know not the place where it abideth ; and
when the night passeth away with its darkness and its terror, the
day cometh and we know not the abiding-place of the night.1 In
like manner, when the sun riseth upon us, we know not where it
hath laid up its light, and when it setteth, we ignore the abiding-
place of its setting : and the examples of this among the works of
the Creator (magnified be His name and glorified be His might ;)
abound in what confoundeth the thought of the keenest-witted of
human beings." Rejoined the Prince, "O sage, thou hast set
before me of the power of the Creator what is incapable of denial ;
but tell me how He called His creatures into existence." Answered
Shimas, " He created them by the sole power of His one Word,2
which existed before time, and wherewith he created all things."
Quoth the Prince, "Then Allah (be His name magnified and His
might glorified !) only willed the existence of created things, before
they came into being?." Replied Shimas, "And of His will, He
created them with His one Word and but for His speech and that

one Word, the creation had not come into existence/' And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

Nofo fo&en ft foas t&e Nine f^unfcrrti an* JfouruentJ Nigftt,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that after
the King's son had asked his sire's Wazir the casuistical questions

1 A fine specimen of a peculiarity in the undeveloped mind of man, the universal con-
fusion between things objective as a dead body and states of things as death. We begin
by giving a name, for facility of intercourse, to phases, phenomena and condiiions of
matter ; and, having created the word we proceed to supply it with a fanciful entity,
t.g. " The Mind (a useful term to express the aggregate action of the brain, nervous
system etc.) of man is immortal." The next step is personification as Time with his
forelock, Death with his skull and Night (the absence of light) with her starry mantle.
For poetry this abuse of language is a sine qua non. but it is deadly foe to all true
philosophy.

2 Christians would naturally understand this *« One Word " to be the Aoyos of the
Platonists, adopted by St. John (comparatively a late writer) and by the Alexandrian
school, Jewish (as Philo Judaeus) and Christian. But here the tale-teller alludes to the
Divine Word 4< Kun " (be !) whereby the worlds came into existence.

King J alt' ad of Hind and his Wazir Shimas. 79

aforesaid, and had received a sufficient answer, Shimas said to
him, " O dear my son,1 there is no man can tell thee other but this
I have said, except he twist the words handed down to us of the
Holy Law and turn the truths thereof from their evident meaning.
And such a perversion is their saying that the Word hath inherent
and positive power and I take refuge with Allah from such a mis-
belief! Nay, the meaning of our saying that Allah (to whom
belong Might and Majesty) created the world with His Word is
that He (exalted be His name !) is One in His essence and His
attributes and not that His Word hath independent power. On
the contrary, power is one of the attributes of Allah, even as speech
and other attributes of perfection are attributes of Allah (exalted
be His dignity and extolled be His empery !) ; wherefore He may
not be conceived without His Word, nor may His Word be con-
ceived without Him ; for, with His Word, Allah (extolled be His
praise!) created all His creatures, and without His Word, the Lord
created naught. Indeed, He created all things but by His Word
of Truth, and by Truth are we created." Quote the Prince, " I
comprehend that which thou hast said on the subject of the Creator
and from thee I accept this with understanding ; but I hear thee
say that He created the world by His Word of Truth. Now Truth
is the opposite of Falsehood ; whence then arose Falsehood with
its opposition unto Truth, and how cometh it to be possible that it
should be confounded therewith and become doubtful to human
beings, so that they need to distinguish between the twain ? And
doth the Creator (to whom belong Might and Majesty) love False-
hood or hate it? An thou say He loveth Truth and by it created
all things and abhorreth Falsehood, how came the False, which the
Creator hateth, to invade the True which He loveth ? " Quoth
Shimas, " Verily Allah the Most High created man all Truth 2,
loving His name and obeying His word, and on this wise man had

1 Arab. *' Ya bunayyi" a dim. form lit. "O my little son !" an affectionate address
frequent in Russian, whose " little father " (under " Bog ") is his Czar.

2 Thus in two texts. Mr. Payne has, "Verily God the Most High created man after
His own image, and likened him to Himself, all of Him truth, without falsehood ; then
He gave him dominion over himself and ordered him and forbade him, and it was man
who ttansgressed His commandment and erred in his obedience and brought falsehood
upon himself of his own will." Here he borrows from the Bresl. Edit. viii. 84 (five
fiist lines). But the doctrine is rather Jewish and Christian than Moslem : Al-Mas'iidi
("• 389) introduces a Copt in the presence of Ibn Tutun saying, "Prince", these people
(designing a Jew) pretend that Allah Almighty created Adam (i.e. mankind) after His
own image" ('Ala Surati-h).

8o A If Laylah wa Laylah.

no need of repentance till Falsehood invaded the Truth whereby
he was created by means of the capability1 which Allah had placed
in him, being the will and the inclination called lust of lucre.2
When the False invaded the True on this wise, right became con-
founded with wrong, by reason of the will of man and his capa-
bility and greed of gain, which is the voluntary side of him
together with the weakness of human nature : wherefore Allah
created penitence for man, to turn away from him Untruth and
stablish him in Truth ; and He created for him also punishment,
if he should abide in the obscurity of Falsehood." Quoth the
Prince, "" Tell me how came Untruth to invade Truth, so as to be
confounded therewith and how became man liable to punishment
and so stood in need of repentance." Replied Shimas, " When
Allah created man with Truth, He made him loving to Himself
and there was for him neither repentance nor punishment ; but he
abode thus till Allah put in him the soul, which is of the per-
Tection of humanity, albeit naturally inclined to lust which is
inherent therein. From this sprang the growth of Untruth and
its confusion with Truth, wherewith man was created and with
the love whereof his nature had been made; and when man came
to this pass, he declined from the Truth with disobedience and
whoso declineth from the Truth falleth into Falsehood." Said the
Prince, " Then Falsehood invaded Truth only by reason of dis-
obedience and transgression ? " Shimas replied, *e Yes : and it is
thus because Allah loveth mankind, and of the abundance of His
love to man He created him having need of Himself, that is to
say, of the very Truth : but oftentimes man lapseth from this by
cause of the inclination of the soul to lusts and turneth to fro-
wardness, wherefore he falleth into Falsehood by the act of dis-
obeying his Lord and thus deserveth punishment; and by putting
away from himself Falsehood with repentance and by the return-
ing to the love of the Truth, he meriteth future reward." Quoth
the Prince, " Tell me the origin of sin, whilst all mankind trace

1 Arab. " Istita'ah "= ableness e.g. "Al-hajj 'inda 'Mstita'ah " = Pilgrimage when
a man is able thereto (by easy circumstances).

2 Arab. "Al-Kasab," which phrenologists would translate "acquisitiveness," The
author is here attempting to reconcile man's moral responsibility, that is Freewill, with
Fate by which all human actions are directed and controlled. I cannot see that he fails
to c< apprehend the knotty point of doctrine involved " ; but I find his inability to make
two contraries agree as pronounced as that of all others, Moslems and Christians, that
preceded him in the same path.

King Jatfad of Hind and his Wazir Shimas. 8 1

their being to Adam, and how cometh it that he, being created
of Allah with truth, drew disobedience on himself; then was his
disobedience coupled with repentance, after the soul had been set
in him, that his issue might be reward or retribution ? Indeed,
we see some men constant in sinfulness, inclining to that which
He loveth not and transgressing in this the original intent and
purpose of their creation, which is the love of the Truth, and
drawing on themselves the wrath of their Lord, whilst we see
others constant in seeking the satisfaction of their Creator and
obeying Him and meriting mercy and future recompense. What
causeth this difference prevailing between them ? " Replied
Shimas, "The origin of disobedience descending upon mankind
is attributable to Iblis, who was the noblest of all that Allah
(magnified be His name!) created of angels1 and men and Jinn,
and the love of the Truth was inherent in him, for he knew naught
but this ; but whenas he saw himself unique in such dignity, there
entered into him pride and conceit, vainglory and arrogance which
revolted from loyalty and obedience to the commandment of His
Creator ; wherefore Allah made him inferior to all creatures and
cast him out from love, making his abiding-place to be in dis-
obedience. So when he knew that Allah (glorified be His name !)
loved not disobedience and saw Adam and the case wherein he
was of truth and love and obedience to his Creator, envy entered
into him and he devised some device to pervert Adam from the
truth, that he might be a partaker with himself in Falsehood ; and
by this, Adam incurred chastisement for his * inclining to dis-
obedience, which his foe made fair to him, and his subjection to
his lusts, whenas he transgressed the charge of his Lord, by reason
of the appearance of Falsehood. When the Creator (magnified
be the praises of Him and hallowed be the names of Him !) saw
the weakness of man and the swiftness of his inclining to his
enemy and leaving the truth, He appointed to him, of His mercy,
repentance, that therewith he might arise from the slough2 of
inclination to disobedience and taking the arms and armour of

1 The order should be, "men, angels and Jinn," for which see vol. i. p. IO. . But
."angels" here takes precedence because Iblis was one of them.

2 Arab. " Wartah " zr precipice, quagmire, quicksand and hence sundry secondary
and metaphorical significations, under which, as in the " Samitic " (Arabic) tongues
generally, the prosaical and material sense of the word is clearly evident. I noted
.this in Pilgrimage iii. 66, and was soundly abused for so saying by a host of
[Sciolists.

VOL. IX- F

82 Alf Laylah wa Lay I ah.

repentance, overcome therewith his foe Iblis and his hosts and
return to the Truth, wherein he was created. When Iblis saw
that Allah (magnified be His praise !) had appointed him a pro-
tracted term,1 he hastened to wage war upon man and to beset
him with wiles, to the intent that he might oust him from the
favour of his Lord and make him a partaker with himself in the
wrath which he and his hosts had incurred ; wherefore Allah
(extolled be His praises !) appointed unto man the capability of
penitence and commanded him to apply himself to the Truth and
persevere therein ; and forbade him from disobedience and froward-
ness and revealed to him that he had on the earth an enemy
warring against him and relaxing not from him night nor day.
Thus hath man a right to future reward, if he adhere to the
Truth, in the love of which his nature was created ; but he be-
cometh liable to punishment, if the flesh master him and incline

him to lusts." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased saying her permitted say.

Noto to&m it toas tty Nine f^utrtrefc an* J^t'tomf) Ntgbt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
young Prince had questioned Shimas touching disputed points of
olden time and had been duly answered, he presently said, " Now
tell me by what power is the creature able to transgress against
his Creator, seeing that His omnipotence is without bounds, even
as thou hast set forth, and that naught can overcome Him or
depart from His will ? Deemest thou not that He is able to turn
His creatures from this disobedience and compel them eternally
to hold the Truth ? " Answered Shimas, " In very sooth Almighty
Allah (honoured be His name !) is just and equitable and loving-
kind to the people of His affection.2 He created His creatures
with justice and equity and of the inspiration of His justice and
the overflowing of His mercy, He gave them kingship over them-
selves, that they should do whatever they might design. He
showeth them the way of righteousness and bestoweth on them
the power and ability of doing what they will of good : and if
they do the opposite thereof, they fall into destruction and dis-

1 i.e. Allowing the Devil to go about the world and seduce mankind until Dooms-
day when "auld Sootie's " occupation will be gone. Surely "Providence" might
have managed better.

* i.e. to those who deserve His love.

King Jatfad of Hind and his Wazir Skimas. 83

obedience." Q) " If the Creator, as thou sayest, have granted to
mankind power and ability1 and they by reason thereof are em-
powered to do whatso they will, why then doth He not come
between them and that which they desire of wrong and turn them
to the right ? "— " This is of the greatness of His mercy and the
goodliness of His wisdom ; for, even as aforetime he showed
wrath to Iblis and had no mercy on him, even so he showed
Adam mercy, by means 2 of repentance, and accepted of him,
after He had been wroth with him." (<<) " He is indeed mere
Truth, for He it is who requiteth every one according to his
works, and there is no Creator save Allah who hath power over
all things. But tell me, hath He created that which He loveth
and that which He loveth not or only that which He loveth ? >% —
" He created all things, but favoureth only that which he loveth."
(<;) "What reckest thou of two things, one whereof is pleasing
to God and earneth future reward for him who practiseth it and
the other offendeth Allah and entaileth lawful punishment upon
the doer ? " — u Expound to me these two things and make me to
apprehend them, that I may speak concerning them." " They are
good and evil, the two things inherent in the body and in the
soul." — " O wise youth, I see that thou knowest good and evil to
be of the works which the soul and the body combine to do. Good
is named good, because it is in favour with God, and evil is termed
ill, for that in it is His ill-will. Indeed, it behoveth thee to know
Allah and to please Him by the practice of good, for that He hath
bidden us to this and forbidden us to do evil/' («;) " I see these
two things, to wit, good and evil, to be wrought only by the five
senses familiarly known in the body of man, which be the sen-
sorium 3 whence proceed speech, hearing, sight, smell and touch.
Now I would have thee tell me whether these five senses were
created altogether for good or for evil." — " Apprehend, O man, the
exposition of that whereof thou askest and it is a manifest proof;
so lay it up in thine innermost thought and take it to thy heart.

1 Here "Istita'ah" would mean capability of action, i.e. freewill, which is a mere
word like "free trade.'*

2 Arab. " Bi al-taubah" which may also mean "for (on account of his) penitence."
The reader will note how the learned Shimas " dodges'* the real question. He is
asked why the "Omnipotent, Omniscient did not prevent (i.e. why He created) sin?"
He answers that He kindly permitted (i.e. created and sanctioned) it that man might
repent. Proh pudor ! If any one thus reasoned of mundane matters he would be
looked upon as the merest fool.

3 Arab. " Mahall al-Zauk," lit. = seat of taste.

84 . A If Laylak wa Laylak.

And this it is that the Creator (extolled and exalted be He!)
created man with Truth and impressed him with the love thereof
and there proceedeth from it no created thing save by the puis-
sance of the Most High, whose trace is in every phenomenon.
He1 (extol we Him and exalt we Him !) is not apt but to the
ordering of justice and equity and beneficence, and He created man
for the love of Him and set in him a soul, wherein the inclination
to lusts was innate and assigned him capability and ableness and
appointed the Five Senses aforesaid to be to him a means of
winning Heaven or Hell." (<) " How so ? " — " In that He created
the Tongue for speech, the Hands for action, the Feet for walking
and the Eyes for seeing and the Ears for hearing, and upon each
bestowed especial power and incited them to exercise and motion,
bidding each of them do naught save that which pleaseth Him.
Now what pleaseth Him in Speech is truthfulness and abstaining
from its opposite, which is falsehood ; and what pleaseth Him in
Sight is turning it unto that which He loveth and leaving the con-
trary, which is turning it unto that which He hateth, such as looking
unto lusts : and what pleaseth Him in Hearing is hearkening to
naught but the True, such as admonition and that which is in
Allah's writ and leaving the contrary, which is listening to that
which incurreth the anger of Allah ; and what pleaseth Him in the
Hands is not hoarding up that which He entrusteth to them, but
expending it in such way as shall please Him and leaving the
contrary, which is avarice or spending in sinfulness that which He
hath committed to them ; and what pleaseth Him in the Feet is
that they be constant in the pursuit of good, such as the quest of
instruction, and leave its contrary, which is the walking in other
than the way of Allah. Now respecting the rest of the lusts which
man practiseth, they proceed from the body by command of the
soul. But the lusts which proceed from the body are of two kinds,
the lust of reproduction and the lust of the belly. As for the
former, that which pleaseth Allah thereof is that it be not other
than lawful2 and He is displeased with it if contrary to His law.

1 Mr. Payne translates " it " i-e. the Truth ; but the formula following the word shows
that Allah is meant.

2 Moslems, who do their best to countermine the ascetic idea inherent in Christianity,
are not ashamed of the sensual appetite ; but rather the reverse. I have heard in Persia
of a Religious, highly esteemed for learning and saintly life who, when lodged by a dis-
ciple at Shiraz, came out of his sleeping room and aroused his host with the word*
'« Shahwat daram ! " equivalent to our " I want a woman." He was at once married K>
one of the slave-girls and able to gratify the demands of the flesh.

King Jalfad of Hind and his Wazir Shimas. 85

As for the lust of the belly, eating and drinking, what pleaseth
Allah thereof is that each take naught save that which the
Almighty hath appointed him be it little or mickle, and praise
the Lord and thank Him : and what angereth Him thereof is that
a man take that which is not his by right. All precepts other than,
these are false, and thou knowest that Allah created every thing
and delighteth only in Good and commandeth each member of the
body to do that which He hath made on it incumbent, for that He
is the All-wise, the All-knowing." (<f) " Was it foreknown unto
Allah Almighty (exalted be His power !) that Adam, by eating of
the tree from which He forbade him and whence befel what befel,
would leave obedience for disobedience ? " — " Yes, O sage youth.
IThis was foreknown unto Allah Almighty ere He created Adam ;
and the proof and manifestation attached thereto is the warning
He gave him against eating of the. tree and His informing him
that, if he ate of the fruit he would be disobedient. And this was
in the way of justice and equity, lest Adam should have an argu-
'ment wherewith he might excuse himself against his Lord. When,
therefore, he fell into error and calamity and when disgrace waxed
sore upon him and reproach, this passed to his posterity after him ;
wherefore Allah sent Prophets and Apostles and gave to them.
Books and they taught us the divine commandments and ex-
pounded to us what was therein of admonitions and precepts andi
made clear to us and manifest the way of righteousness and
explained to us what it behoved us to do and what to leave-
undone. Now we are endowed with Freewill and he who acteth
within these lawful limits winneth his wish and prospereth, while
whoso transgresseth these legal bounds and doeth other than that
which these precepts enjoin, resisteth the Lord and is ruined in
both Abodes. This then is the road of Good and Evil.. Thou
knowest that Allah over all things is Omnipotent and created not
lusts for us but of His pleasure and volunty and He bade us use
them in the way of lawfulness, so they might be to us a good ; but,
when we use them in the way of sinfulness they are to us an evil.
Therefore what of righteous we compass is from Allah Almighty,
and what of wrongous from ourselves ! His creatures, not from the

Creator, exalted be He herefor with highmost exaltation ! "

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

1 Koran iv. 8 1, " Whatever good betideth thee is from God,' and whatever betidelh
thee of evil is from thyself" : rank manichseism is pronounced as any in Christendom^

86 A If Lay I ah wa Lay I ah.

Noto tofccn it foas tfjc Nine J^untefc anfc gbixteenrt)

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the youth, King Jali'ad's son had questioned Shimas concerning
these subtleties and had been duly answered, he pursued, " That
which thou hast expounded to me concerning Allah and His
creatures I understand ; but tell me of one matter, concerning
which my mind is perplexed with extreme wonderment, and that
is that I marvel at the sons of Adam, how careless they are of
the life to come and at their lack of taking thought thereof and
their love to this world, albeit they know that they must needs
leave it and depart from it, whilst they are yet young in years."
— " Yes, verily ; and that which thou seest of its changefulness
and traitorousness with its children is a sign that Fortune to the
fortunate will not endure nor to the afflicted affliction ; for none of
its people is secure from its changefulness and even if one have
power over it and be content therewith, yet there is no help but
that his estate change and removal hasten unto him. Wherefore
man can put no trust therein nor profit by that which he enjoyeth
of its gilding and glitter1; and we knowing this will know that the
sorriest of men in condition are those who are deluded by this
world and are unmindful of the other world ; for that vwhatso of
present ease they enjoy will not even the fear and misery and
horrors which will befal them after their removal therefrom.
Thus are we certified that, if the creature knew that which will
betide him with the coming of death2 and his severance from that
which he enjoyeth of pleasure and delight, he would cast away
the world and that which is therein ; for we are certified that the

1 Arab. "Zukhruf" which Mr. Payne picturesquely renders "painted gawds."

2 It is the innate craving in the "Aryan "(Iranian, not the Turanian) mind, this longing
to know what follows Death, or if nothing follow it, which accounts for the marvellous
diffusion of the so-called Spiritualism which is only Swedenborgianism systematised and
carried out into action, amongst nervous and impressionable races like the Anglo-
American. In England it is the reverse ; the obtuse sensitiveness of a people bred on
beef and beer has made the " Religion of the Nineteenth Century " a manner of harm-
less magic, whose miracles are table-turning and ghost seeing whilst the prodigious
rascality of its prophets (the so-called Mediums) has brought it into universal disrepute.
It has been said that Catholicism must be true to co-exist with the priest and it is the
same with Spiritualism proper, by which I understand the belief in a life beyond the
grave, a mere continuation of this life ; it flourishes (despite the Medium) chiefly because
it has laid before man the only possible and intelligible idea of a future state.

.King Jalfad of Hind and his Wazir Shimas. 87

next life is better for us and more profitable." Said the Prince,
"O sage, thou hast dispelled the darkness that was upon my
heart by the light of thy shining lamp and hast directed me into
the right road I must tread on the track of Truth and hast given
me a lantern whereby I may see." Then rose one of the learned
men who were in the presence and said, " When cometh the
season of Prime, needs must the hare seek the pasture as well as
the elephant ; and indeed I have heard from you twain such
questions and solutions as I never before heard ; but now leave
that and let me ask you of somewhat. Tell me, what is the best
of the goods of the world ? " Replied the Prince, " Health of
body, lawful livelihood and a virtuous son." (<?) "What is the
greater and what is the less ? " — " The greater is that to which a
lesser than itself submitteth and the less that which submitteth to
a greater than itself." (<) " What are the four things wherein
concur all creatures ? " — " Men concur in meat and drink, the
sweet of sleep, the lust of women and the agonies of death."
(<) "What are the three things whose foulness none can do
away ? " — " Folly, meanness of nature, and lying." (<) " What is
the best kind of lie,1 though all kinds are foul ? "—" That which
averteth harm from its utterer and bringeth gain." (<f) " What
kind of truthfulness is foul, though all kinds are fair ? " — " That
of a man glorying in that which he hath and vaunting himself
thereof." (<) What is the foulest of foulnesses ? "— " When a man
boasteth himself of that which he hath not." (<) ''Who is the
most foolish of men ? " — (l He who hath no thought but of what he
shall put in his belly." Then said Shimas, " O King, verily thou
art our King, but we desire that thou assign the kingdom to thy
son after thee, and we will be thy servants and lieges." So the
King exhorted the Olema and others who were in the presence to
remember that which they had heard and do according thereto
and enjoined them to obey his son's commandment, for that he
made him his heir-apparent,2 so he should be the successor of the
King his sire ; and he took an oath of all the people of his empire,

1 See vol. vi. p. 7. The only lie which degrades a man in his own estimation and in
that of others, is that told for fear of telling the truth. Au reste, human society and
civilised intercourse are built upon a system of conventional lying ; and many droll
stories illustrate the consequences of disregarding the dictum, la veritt »? est pas toujours
bonne d dire.

* Arab. " Waif 'ahd " which may mean heir-presumptive (whose heirship is contingent)
or heir-apparent.

88 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

literates and braves and old men and boys, to mention none
other, that they would not oppose him in the succession nor
transgress against his commandment. Now when the Prince was
seventeen years old, the King sickened of a sore sickness and
came nigh to die ; so, being certified that his decease was at hand,
he said to the people of his household, " This is disease of Death
which is upon me ; wherefore do ye summon my son and kith and
kin and gather together the Grandees and Notables of my empire,
so not one of them may remain except he be present." Accordingly
they fared forth and made proclamation to those who were near
and published the summons to those who were afar off, and they
all assembled and went in to the King. Then said they to him,
" How is it with thee, O King, and how deemest thou for thyself
of these thy dolours ? " Quoth Jali'ad, " Verily, this my malady is
mortal and the shaft of death hath executed that which Allah
Almighty decreed against me : this is the last of my days in the
world here and the first of my days in the world hereafter." Then
said he to his son, " Draw near unto me." So the youth drew
near, weeping with weeping so sore, that he well nigh drenched the
bed, whilst the King's eyes welled tears and all who were present
wept. Quoth Jali'ad, " Weep not, O my son ; I am not the first
whom this Inevitable betideth ; nay, it is common to all that Allah
hath created. But fear thou the Almighty and do good deeds
which shall precede thee to the place whither all creatures tend
and wend. Obey not thy lusts, but occupy thy soul with lauding
the Lord in thy standing up and thy sitting down, in thy waking
and in thy sleeping. Make the Truth the aim of thine eyes ; this

is the last of my speech with thee and— The Peace." And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her per-
mitted say.

foften ft foas tfje JJme 2^unfcre& antr jbebenteentf)

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
King Jali'ad charged his son with such injunctions and made him
his heir to succeed him in his reign, the Prince said, " O dear
father mine,1 thou knowest that I have ever been to thee obedient
and thy commandment carrying out, mindful of thine injunctions

1 Arab. " Ya abati " = O my papa (which here would sound absurd).

King J ali' ad of Hind and his Wazir Shimas. 89

and thine approof seeking ; for thou hast been to me the best of
fathers ; how, then, after thy death, shall I depart from that which
contenteth thee ? And now, having fairly ordered my nurture thou
art about to depart from me and I have no power to bring thee
back to me ; but, an I be mindful of thy charge, I shall be blessed
therein and great good fortune shall betide me." Quoth the
King, and indeed he was in the last agony of departing life,
" Dear my son, cleave fast unto ten precepts, which if thou
hold, Allah shall profit thee herewith in this world and the next
world, and they are as follows. Whenas thou art wroth, curb thy
wrath ; when thou art afflicted, be patient ; when thou speakest be
soothfast ; when thou promisest, perform ; when thou judgest, do
justice ; when thou hast power, be merciful ; deal generously by
thy governors and lieutenants ; forgive thy foes ; be lavish of good
offices to thine adversary, and stay thy mischief from him. Ob-
serve also other ten precepts,1 wherewith Allah shall profit thee
among the people of thy realm, to wit, when thou dividest, be just ;
when thou punishest, oppress not ; when thou engagest thyself,
fulfil thine engagement; hearken to those that give thee loyal
counsel ; when offence is offered to thee, neglect it ; abstain from
contention ; enjoin thy subjects to the observance of the divine
laws and of praiseworthy practices ; abate ignorance with a sharp
sword; withhold thy regard from treachery and its untruth ; and,
lastly, do equal justice between the folk, so they may love thee,
great and small, and the wicked and corrupt of them may fear
thee." Then he addressed himself to the Emirs and Olema which
were present when he appointed his son to be his successor, say-
ing, " Beware ye of transgressing the commandment of your King
and neglecting to hearken to your chief, for therein lieth ruin for
your realm and sundering for your society and bane for your
bodies and perdition for your possessions ; and your foe would
exult over you. Well ye wot the covenant ye made with me, and
even thus shall be your covenant with this youth and the troth
which plighted between you and me shall be also between you and
him ; wherefore it behoveth you to give ear unto and obey his
commandment, for that in this is the well-being of your condi-
tions. So be ye constant with him anent that wherein ye were
with me and your estate shall prosper and your affairs be fair ;
for behold, he hath the Kingship over you and is the lord of your

1 All the texts give a decalogue; but Mr. Payne has reduced it to a heptalogue.

90 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

fortune, and — The Peace?" Then the death-agony1 seized him
and his tongue was bridled : so he pressed .his son to him and
kissed him and gave thanks unto Allah ; after which his hour came
and his soul fared forth. All his subjects and the people of his
court mourned and keened over him and they shrouded him and
buried him with pomp and honour and reverence ; after which
they returned with the Prince and clad him in the royal robes and
crowned him with his father's crown and put the seal-ring on his
finger, after seating him on the Throne of Sovranship. The young
King ordered himself towards them, after his father's fashion of
mildness and justice and benevolence, for a little while till the world
waylaid him and entangled him in its lusts, whereupon, its plea-
sures made him their prey and he turned to its gilding and gew-
gaws, forsaking the engagements which his father had imposed
upon him and casting off his obedience to him, neglecting the
affairs of his reign and treading a road wherein was his own de-
struction. The love of women waxed stark in him and came to
such a pass that, whenever he heard tell of a beauty, he would
send for her and take her to wife; and after this wise, he collected
women more in number than ever had Solomon, David-son, King
of the children of Israel. Also he would shut himself up with a
company of them for a month at a time, during which he went
not forth neither enquired of his realm or its rule nor looked into
the grievances of such of his subjects as complained to him ; and
if they wrote to him, he returned them no reply. Now when they
saw this and witnessed his neglect of their affairs and lack of care
for their interests and those of the state, they were assured that
ere long some calamity would betide them and this was grievous
to them. So they met privily one with other and took counsel
together blaming their King, and one of them said to the rest,
" Come, let us go to Shimas, Chief of the Wazirs, and set forth to

1 The Arabs who had a variety of anaesthetics never seem to have studied the subject
of "euthanasia." They preferred seeing a man expire in horrible agonies to relieving
him by means of soporifics and other drugs : so I have heard Christians exult in saying
that the sufferer " kept his senses to the last." Of course superstition is at the bottom
of this barbarity ; the same which a generation ago made the silly accoucheur refuse to
give ether because of the divine (?) saying "In sorrow shalt thoil bring forth children."
(Gen. iii. 16). In the Bosnia-Herzegovina campaign many of the Austrian officers carried
with them doses of poison to be used in case of being taken prisoners by the ferocious
savages against whom they were fighting. As many anecdotes about " Easing off the
poor dear" testify, the Eulhanasia-system is by no means unknown to the lower classes
in England. I shall have more to say on this subject.

King Wird Khan with his Women and Wazirs. 91

him our case and acquaint him with that wherein we are by reason
of this King, so he may admonish him ; else, in a little, calamity
will dawn upon us, for the world hath dazzled the Sovran with its
delights and seduced him with its snares." Accordingly, they re-
paired to Shimas and said to him, " O wise man and prudent, the
world hath dazed the King with its delights and taken him in its
toils, so that he turneth unto vanity and worketh for the undoing
of the state. Now with the disordering of the state the commons
will be corrupted and our affairs will run to ruin. We see him not
for days and months nor cometh there forth from him any com-
mandment to us or to the Wazir or any else. We cannot refer aught
of our need to him and he looketh not to the administration of justice
nor taketh thought to the condition of any of his subjects, in his
disregard of them.1 And behold we are come to acquaint thee with
the truth of things, for that thou art the chiefest and most accom-
plished of us and it behoveth not that calamity befal a land
wherein thou dwellest, seeing that thou art most able of any to
amend this King. Wherefore go thou and speak with him : haply
he will hearken to thy word and return unto the way of Allah."2
So Shimas arose forthright and repairing to the palace, fore-
gathered with the first page he could find and said to him, " Fair
my son, I beseech thee ask leave for me to go in to the King, for I
have an affair, concerning which I would fain see his face and
acquaint him therewith and hear what he shall answer me there-
anent." Answered the page, " O my lord, by Allah, this month
past hath he given none leave to come in to him, nor have I all
this time looked upon his face ; but I will direct thee to one who
shall crave admission for thee. Do thou lay hold of such a blacka-
moor slave who standeth at his head and bringeth him food from
the kitchen. When he cometh forth to go to the kitchen, ask him
what seemeth good to thee ; for he will do for thee that which thou
desirest." So the Wazir repaired to the door of the kitchen and
sat there a little while, till up came the black and would have
entered the kitchen ; but Shimas caught hold of him and said to

1 See vol. iii. p. 253 for the consequences of royal seclusion of which Europe in the
present day can contribute examples. The lesson which it teaches simply is that the
world can get on very well without royalties.

2 The grim Arab humour in the text is the sudden change for the worse of the good
young man. Easterns do not believe in the Western saw, " Nemo repente fuit turpissi-
mus." The spirited conduct of the subjects finds many parallels in European history,
especially in Portugal : see my Life of Camoens p. 234.

92 A If Laylak wa Laylah.

him, " Dear my son, I would fain stand in presence of the King
and speak with him of somewhat especially concerneth him ; so
prithee, of thy kindness, when he hath ended his undurn-meal and
his temper is at its best, speak for me and get me leave to
approach him, so I may bespeak him of that which shall suit him."
" I hear and obey," answered the black and taking the food carried
it to the King, who ate thereof and his temper was soothed
thereby. Then said the black to him, " Shimas standeth at the
door and craveth admission, so he may acquaint thee with matters
that specially concern thee." At this the King was alarmed and

disquieted and commanded to admit the Minister. And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per-
mitted say.

Nofo fojen it foas tje Jim* f^untrrefc an* ffif

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the King bade the blackamoor admit Shimas, the slave went forth
to him and bade him enter; whereupon he went in and falling
prone before Allah, kissed the King's hands and blessed him.
Then said the King, " What hath betided thee, O Shimas, that
thou seekest admission unto me ? " He answered, " This long while
have I not looked upon the face of my lord the King and indeed I
longed sore for thee ; and now, behold, I have seen thy countenance
and come to thee with a word which I would lief say to thee, O
King stablished in all prosperity ! " Quoth the King, " Say what
seemeth good to thee ;" and quoth Shimas, " I would have thee
bear in mind O King, that Allah Almighty hath endowed thee
with learning and wisdom, for all the tenderness of thy years, such
as He never vouchsafed unto any of the Kings before thee, and
hath fulfilled the measure of his bounties to thee with the King-
ship; and He loveth not that thou depart from that wherewith He
hath endowed thee unto other than it, by means of thy disobedience
to Him ; wherefore it behoveth thee not to levy war against1 Him
with thy hoards but of His injunctions to be mindful and unto
His commandments obedient. Indeed, I have seen thee, this while
past, forget thy sire and his charges and reject his covenant and

1 Arab. " Muharabah" lit. = doing battle; but is sometimes used in the sense of
gainsaying or disobeying.

The Foolish Fisherman. 93

neglect his counsel and words of wisdom and renounce his justice
and good governance, remembering not the bounty of Allah to
thee neither requiting it with gratitude and thanks to Him," The
King asked, " How so ? And what is the manner of this ? ;" and
Shimas answered, " The manner of it is that thou neglectest to
administer the affairs of the state and that which Allah hath com-
mitted unto thee of the interests of thy lieges and surrenderest
thyself to thy lower nature in that which it maketh fair to thee of
the slight lusts of the world. Verily it is said that the welfare of
the state and of the Faith and of the folk is of the things which it
behoveth the King to watch ; wherefore it is my rede, O King,
that thou look fairly to the issue of thine affair, for thus wilt thou
find the manifest road wherein is salvation, and not accept a
trifling pleasure and a transient which leadeth to, the abyss of
destruction, lest there befal thee that which befel the Fisherman."
The King asked, " What was that ? "; and Shimas answered/' There
hath reached me this tale of

THE FOOLISH FISHERMAN?

A FISHERMAN went forth to a river for fishing therein as was his
wont ; and when he came thither and walked upon the bridge, he
saw a great fish and said in himself, " 'Twill not serve me to abide
here, but I will follow yonder fish whitherso it goeth, till I catch it,
for it will relieve me from fishing for days and days." So he did
off his clothes and plunged into the river after the fish. The
current bore him along till he overtook it and laid hold of it, when
he turned and found himself far from the bank. But albeit he saw
what the stream had done with him, he would not loose the fish and
return, but ventured life and gripping it fast with both hands, let
his body float with the flow, which carried him on till it cast him
into a whirlpool1 none might enter and come out therefrom. With
this he fell to crying out and saying, " Save a drowning man ! "
And there came to him folk of the keepers- of the river and said to
him, " What ailed thee to cast thyself into this great peril ? "
Quoth he, " It was I myself who forsook the plain way wherein

1 Arab. "Duwa'mah" (from " duwdm " =: vertigo, giddiness) aho applied to a boy's
whip-top.

94 Alf Laylak wa Laylah.

was salvation and gave myself over to concupiscence am! perdition."
Quoth they, " O fellow, why didst thou leave the way of safety
and cast thyself into this destruction, knowing from of old that
none may enter herein and be saved ? What hindered thee from
throwing away what was in thy hand and saving thyself? So hadst
thou escaped with thy life and not fallen into this perdition, whence
there is no deliverance ; and now not one of us can rescue thee
from this thy ruin." Accordingly the man cut off all his hopes of
life and lost that which was in his hand and for which his flesh had
prompted him to venture himself, and died a miserable death.
" And I tell thee not this parable, O King," added Shimas, " but
that thou mayest leave this contemptible conduct that diverteth
thee from thy duties and look to that which is committed to thee
of the rule of thy folk and the maintenance of the order of thy
realm, so that none may see fault in thee." The King asked,
" What wouldst thou have me do ? " And Shimas answered, " To-
morrow, an thou be well and in good case,1 give the folk leave to
come in to thee and look into their affairs and excuse thyself to
them and promise them of thine own accord good governance and
prosperity." Quoth the King, " O Shimas, thou hast spoken
sensibly and rightly ; and to-morrow, Inshallah, I will do that
which thou counsellest me." So the Wazir went out from him and
told the lieges all he had said to him ; and, when morning-
morrowed, the King came forth of his privacy and bade admit the
people, to whom he excused himself, promising them that thence-
forward he would deal with them as they wished, wherewith they
were content and departed each to his own dwelling.2 Then one
of the King's wives, who was his best-beloved of them and most
in honour with him, visited him and seeing him changed of colour

1 Arab. " Khayr o (wa) Afiyah," a popular phrase much used in salutations, &c.

2 Another instance, and true to life, of the democracy of despotism in which the
express and combined will of the people is the only absolute law. Hence Russian
autocracy is forced into repeated wars for the possession of Constantinople which, in the
present condition of the Empire, would be an unmitigated evil to her and would be only
too glad to see a Principality of Byzantium placed under the united protection of the
European Powers. I have treated of this in my paper on the " Partition of Turkey,"
which first appeared, headed the " Future of Turkey," in the Daily Telegraph, of
March 7, 1880, and subsequently by its own name in the Manchester Examiner, January 3,
1 88 1. The main reason why the project is not carried out appears to be that the
" politicals " would thereby find their occupation gone and they naturally object to
losing so fine a field of action. So Turkey still plays the rdle of the pretty young lady
being courted by a rabble of valets.

The Boy and the Thieves. 95

and thoughtful over his affairs, by reason of that which he had
heard from his chief Wazir, said to him, " O King, how is it that
I see thee troubled in mind ? Hast thou aught to complain of ? "
Answered he, " No : but my pleasures have distracted me from
my duties. What right have I to be thus negligent of my affairs
and those of my subjects ? If I continue on this wise, soon, very
soon, the kingdom will pass out of my hand." She rejoined, " I
see, O King, that thou hast been duped by the Wazirs and
Ministers, who wish but to torment and entrap thee, so thou
mayst have no joyance of this thy kingship neither feel ease nor
taste delight ; nay, they would have thee consume thy life in
warding off trouble from them, till thy days be wasted in travail
and weariness and thou be as one who slayeth himself for the
benefit of another or like the Boy and the Thieves." Asked the
King, " How was that ? " and she answered, " They tell the follow-
ing tale anent

THE BOY AND THE THIEVES."

SEVEN Thieves once went out to steal, according to their custom,
and fell in with a Boy, poor and orphaned to boot, who besought
them for somewhat to eat. One of them asked him, " Wilt go
with us, O Boy, and we will feed thee and give thee drink, clothe
thee and entreat thee kindly ?" And he answered, "Needs must
I go with you whitherso ye will and ye are as my own kith and
kin." So they took him and fared on with him till they came to
a garden, and entering, went round about therein, till they found
a walnut-tree laden with ripe fruit and said to him, " O Boy, wilt
thou enter this garden with us and swarm up this tree and eat of
its walnuts thy sufficiency and throw the rest down to us ? " He

consented and entered with them, And Shahrazad perceived

the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Note fojjen it foas tfje Nine f^un&refc anli Niiuteentf)

She said. It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the Boy consented and entered with the Thieves, one of them
said to other " Look which is the lightest and smallest of us and
make him climb the tree." And they said, " None of us is

^ A If Laylah wa Laylak.

slighter than this Boy." So they sent him up into the tree and
said to him, " O Boy, touch not aught of the fruit, lest some one
see thee and work thee a mischief." He asked, u How then shall
I do ? ", and they answered, * Sit among die boughs and shake
diem one by one with all thy might, so that which is thereon
nay fall, and we will pick it up. Then, when thou hast made an
end of shaking down the fruit, come down and take thy share of
that which we have gathered." Accordingly he began to shake
every branch at which he could come, so that the nuts fell and the
thieves picked them up and ate some and hid other some till all
were full, save the Boy who had eaten naught. As they were
thus engaged, behold, up came the owner of the garden who,
standing to witness the spectacle, enquired of them, a What do
ye with this tree?" They replied "We have taken naught
thereof; but we were passing by and seeing yonder Boy on the
tree, took him for the owner thereof and besought him to give
us to eat of the fruit Thereat he fell to shaking one of die
branches, so that the nuts dropped down, and we are not at
fault" Quoth the master to the Boy, "What sayst thou?";
and quoth he, "These men lie; but I will tell thee the truth.
It is that we all came hither together and they bade me **i«»h
the tree and shake its boughs that the nuts might fall down to
them, and I obeyed their bidding." Said the master, "Thou hast
cast thyself into sore calamity ; but hast thou profited by eating
aught of the fruit?99; and he said, "I have eaten naught thereof."
Rejoined the owner of the garden, " Now know I thy folly and
thine ignorance in that thou hast wrought to ruin thyself and
profit others." Then said he to the Thieves, * I have no resort
against you, so wend your ways!" But he laid hands on the
Boy and punished him. " On like wise," added the favourite, M thy
Wazirs and Officers of state would sacrifice thee to their interests
and do with thee as did die Thieves with the Boy." Answered
the King, "Thou sayst sooth, and speakest truth: I will not go
forth to them nor leave my pleasures." Then he passed the night
with bis wife in all delight till the morning, when the Grand
Wazier arose and, assembling the Officers of state, together with
those of the lieges who were present with them, repaired with
them to the palace-gate, congratulating one another and rejoicing.
But the door opened not nor did the "King come forth unto them
nor give them leave to go in to him. So, when they despaired of
him, they said to Shimas, " O excellent Wazir and

King Wird Khan with his Women and Wazirs. Qf

sage, seest thou not the behaviour of this lad, young of years and
little of wit, how he addeth to his offences falsehood ? See how
he hath broken his promise to us and hath not performed that for
which he engaged unto us, and this sin it behoveth thee join unto
his other sins ; but we beseech thee go in to him yet again and
discover what is the cause of his holding back and refusal to
come forth ; for we doubt not but that the like of this action
cometh of his corrupt nature, and indeed he is now hardened
to the highest degree." Accordingly, Shimas went in to the
King and bespake him, saying, " Peace be with thee, O King !
How cometh it that I see thee give thyself up to these slight
pleasures and neglect the great affair whereto it behoveth thee
sedulously apply thyself? Thou art like unto a man who had a
milch-camel and, coming one day to milk her, the goodness of her
milk made him neglect to hold fast her halter ; which whenas she
felt, she haled herself free and made off into the wold. Thus
the man lost both milk and camel and the loss that betided him
surpassed his gain. Wherefore, O King, do thou look unto that
wherein is thy welfare and the weal of thy subjects; for, even as
it behoveth not a man to sit for ever at the kitchen door, because
of his need unto food, so should he not alway company with
women, by reason of his inclination to them. And as a man
should eat but as much food as will guard him from the pains of
hunger and drink but what will ward off the pangs of thirst, in
like manner it behoveth the sensible man to content himself with
passing two of the four-and-twenty hours of his day with women
and expend the rest in ordering his own affairs and those of his
people. For to be longer than this in company with women is
hurtful both to mind and body, seeing that they bid not unto
good neither direct thereto : wherefore it besitteth not a man to
accept from them or word or deed, for indeed it hath reached me
that many men have come to ruin through their women, and
amongst others a certain man who perished through conversation
with his wife at her command." The King asked, " How was
that ? " and Shimas answered, saying, a Hear, O King the
tale of

A If Laylah wa Laylak.

THE MAN AND HIS WIFE."

THEY relate that a certain man had a wife whom he loved and
honoured, giving ear to her speech and doing according to her
rede. Moreover, he had a garden, which he had newly planted
with his own hand, and was wont to go thither every day, to tend
it and water it. One day his wife asked him, " What hast thou
planted in thy garden ? " ; and he answered, " All thou lovest and
desirest, and I am assiduous in tending and watering it." Quoth
she, " Wilt thou not carry me thither and show it to me, so I may
look upon it and offer thee up a pious prayer for its prosperity,
seeing that my orisons are effectual?" Quoth he, "I will well;
but have patience with me till the morrow, when I will come and
take thee." So early on the ensuing day, he carried her to the
garden which he entered with her. Now two young men saw
them enter from afar and said each to other, " Yonder man is an
adulterer and yonder woman an adulteress, and they have not
entered this garden but to commit adultery." Thereupon they
followed the couple to see what they would do, and hid themselves
in a corner of the garden. The man and his wife after entering
abode awhile therein, and presently he said to her, " Pray me
the prayer thou didst promise me ; " but she replied, saying, " I
will not pray for thee, until thou do away my desire of that
which women seek from men." Cried he, " Out on thee, O
woman ! Hast thou not thy fill of me in the house ? Here I fear
scandal, especially as thou divertest me from my affairs. Fearest
thou not that some one will see us ? " Quoth she, " We need
have no care for that, seeing that we do neither sin nor lewdness ;
and, as for the watering of the garden, that may wait, because
thou canst water it when thou wilt.'' And she would take
neither excuse nor reason from him, but was instant with him in
seeking carnal coition. So he arose and lay with her, which when
the young men aforesaid saw, they ran upon them and seized
them,1 saying, " We will not let you go, for ye are adulterers, and
except we have carnal knowledge of the woman, we will report

1 Good Moslems are bound to abate such scandals ; and in a case of the kind even
neighbours are expected to complain before the Chief of Police. This practice forms
'« Vigilance Committees" all over the Mahommedan East : and we may take a leaf out
of their books if dynamite-outrages continue.

The Man and his Wife. 99

you to the police." Answered the man, " Fie upon you ! This is
my wife and I am the master of the garden." They paid no
heed to him, but fell upon the woman, who cried out to him for
succour, saying, " Suffer them not to defile me ! " Accordingly
he came up to them, calling out for help ; but one of them turned

on him and smote him with his dagger and slew him. And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

fojjEn it foas tje jitne f^untato an& 'STfoentietf)

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that after
slaying the husband the two young men returned to the wife and
ravished her "This I tell thee, O King," continued the Wazir,
" but that thou mayst know that it becometh not men to give ear
unto a woman's talk neither obey her in aught nor accept her
judgment in counsel. Beware, then, lest thou don the dress of
ignorance, after the robe of knowledge and wisdom, and follow
perverse rede, after knowing that which is righteous and profitable.
Wherefore pursue thou not a paltry pleasure, whose trending is to
corruption and whose inclining is unto sore and uttermost perdition/'
When the King heard this from Shimas he said to him, " To-
morrow I will come forth to them, an it be the will of Allah the
Most 'High." So Shimas returned to the Grandees and Notables
who were present and told them what the King had said. But
this came to the cans of the favourite wife ; whereupon she went in
to the King and said to him, " The subjects of a King should be
his slaves ; but I see, O King, thou art become a slave to thy
subjects, because thou standest in awe of them and fearest their
mischief.1 They do but desire to make proof of thine inner man ;
and if they find thee weak, they will disdain thee ; but, if they find
thee stout and brave, they will dread thee. On this wise do ill Wazirs
with their King, for that their wiles are many ; but I will make mani-
fest unto thee the truth of their malice. An thou comply with the
conditions they demand, they will cause thee cease ruling and do
their will ; nor will they leave leading thee on from affair to affair,

1 But a Hadis, attributed to Mohammed, says, " The Prince of a people is their
servant." See Matth. xx. 26-27.

lOOj A If Laylah wa Laylah*

till they cast thee into destruction ; and thy case will be as that of
the Merchant and the Robbers." Asked the King, " How was
that ? " and she answered, " I have heard tell this tale anent

THE MERCHANT AND THE ROBBERS."

THERE was once a wealthy Merchant, who set out for a certain:
city purposing to sell merchandise there, and when he came thither^
he hired him a lodging wherein he took up his abode. Now certain
Robbers saw him, men wont to lie in wait for merchants, that they]
might rob their goods ; so they went to his house and sought some
device whereby to enter in, but could find no way thereto, and
their Captain said, " I'll manage you his matter." Then he went
away and, donning the dress of a leach, threw over his shoulder a
bag containing somewhat of medicines, after which he set out,
crying, " Who lacks a doctor ?" and fared on till he came to the
merchant's lodging and him sitting eating the noon-day dinner.
So he asked him, " Dost thou need thee a physician ? ; " and the
trader answered, " I need naught of the kind ; but sit thee down
and eat with me." The thief sat down facing him and began to
eat. Now this merchant was a belle fourchette ; and the Robber
seeing this, said to himself, " I have found my chance/' Then he
turned to his host and said to him, " 'Tis but right for me to give
thee an admonition ; and after thy kindness to me, I cannot hide it
from thee. I see thee to be a great eater and the cause of this is a
disorder in thy stomach ; wherefore unless thou take speedy
measures for thy cure, thine affair will end in perdition." Quoth
the merchant, " My body is sound and my stomach speedy of
digestion, and though I be a hearty eater, yet is there no disease
in my body, to Allah be the praise and the thanks ! " Quoth the
Robber, " It may appear thus unto thee ; but I know thou hast a
disease incubating in thy vitals and if thou hearken to me, thou'
wilt medicine thyself." The Merchant asked, " And where shall I;
find him who knoweth my remedy ? " ; and the Robber answered]
"Allah is the Healer; but a physician like myself cureth the;
sick to the best of his power." Then the other said, v Show me at
once my remedy and give me thereof.". Hereupon he gave
him a powder, wherein was a strong dose of aloes,1 saying, " Use

1 Easterns are well aware of the value of this drug which has become the base of so
many of our modern medicines*

The Merchant and the Robbers. lOt;

this to-night ; " and he accepted it gratefully. When the night
came, the Merchant tasted somewhat of the powder and found it
nauseous of gust ; nevertheless he misdoubted not of it, but
swallowed it all and therefrom found ease that night. Next night
the thief brought him another powder, wherein was yet more aloes,
and he took it : it purged him that night, but he bore patiently
with this and rejected it not. When the Robber saw that he gave
ear unto his word and put trust in him nor would gainsay him in
aught, he brought him a deadly drug1 and gave it to him. The
Merchant swallowed it and no sooner had he done this than that
which was in his stomach fell down and his bowels were rent in
sunder, and by the morrow he was a dead man ; whereupon the
Robbers came and took all the merchandise and monies that
belonged' to him. " This I tell thee, O King," added the favourite
" but that thou mayst not accept one word from these deluders ;
else will there befal thee that whereby thou wilt destroy thyself."
Cried the King, "Thou sayst sooth ; I will not go forth to them.0
Now when the morning morrowed, the folk assembled together and
repairing to the King's door, sat there the most part of the day,
till they despaired of his coming forth, when they returned to
Shimas and said to him, "O sage philosopher and experienced
master, seest thou not that this ignorant lad doth naught but;
redouble in falsehood to us ? Verily 'twere only reasonable and
right to take the Kingdom from him and give it to another, so
our affairs may be ordered and our estates maintained ; but ga
thou in to him a third time and tell him that naught hindereth usi
from rising against him and taking the Kingship from him but
his father's goodness to us and that which he required from us of
oaths and engagements. However, to-morrow, we will all, to the
last of us, assemble here with our arms and break down the gate

1 The strangest poison is mentioned by Sonnini who, as anile, is a trustworthy writer.
Noticing the malignity of Egyptian women he declares (p. 628, English trans.) that
they prepare a draught containing a quant, suff. of menstruous discharge at certain
phases of the moon, which produces symptoms of scurvy ; the gums decay, the teeth,
beard and hair fall off, the body dries, the limbs lose strength and death follows within
a year. He also asserts that no counterpoison is known and if this be true he confers a
boon upon the Locustae and Brinvilliers of modern Europe. In Morocco "Ta'am"
is the vulgar name for a mixture of dead men's bones, eyes, hair and similar ingredients
made by old wives and supposed to cause a wasting disease for which the pharmacopoeia!
has no cure. Dogs are killed by needles cunningly inserted into meat-balls ; and this]
^process is known throughout the Moslem world.

'TO2 A If Lay tab wa Laylah.

of the citadel1; and if he come forth to us and do that which we
wish, no harm is yet done2; else we will go in to him and slay
him and put the Kingdom in the hand of other than he/' So the
Wazir Shimas went in to him and said, " O King, that grovellest
in thy gusts and thy lusts, what is this thou dost with thyself ?
Would Heaven I wot who seduced thee thereto ! An it, be thou
who sinnest against thyself, there hath ceased from thee that which
we knew in thee aforetime of integrity and wisdom and eloquence.
Could I but learn who hath thus changed thee and turned thee
from wisdom to folly and from fidelity to iniquity and from
mildness to harshness and from acceptation of me to aversion from
me ! How cometh it that I admonish thee thrice and thou acceptest
not mine admonition and that I counsel thee rightfully and still
thou gainsayest my counsel ? Tell me, what is this child's play
and who is it prompteth thee thereunto ? Know that the people
of thy Kingdom have agreed together to come in to thee and
slay thee and give thy Kingdom to another. Art able to cope
with them all and save thyself from their hands or canst quicken thy-
self after being killed ? If, indeed, thou be potent to do all this,
thou art safe and hast no occasion for my rede ; but an thou have
any concern for thy life and thy kingship, return to thy sound
sense and hold fast thy reign and show forth to the folk the power
of thy prowess and persuade the people with thine excuse, for
they are minded to tear away that which is in thy hand and
commit it unto other, being resolved upon revolt and rebellion,
led thereto by that which they know of thy youth and thy self-
submission to love-liesse and lusts; for that stones, albeit they
lie long under water, an thou withdraw them therefrom and smite
one upon other, fire will be struck from them. Now thy lieges
are many folk and they have taken counsel together against thee,
with a design to transfer the Kingship from thee to another and
accomplish upon thee whatso they desire of thy destruction. So

shalt thou fare as did the Jackals with the Wolf," And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her per-
mitted say.

1 Which contained the Palace.

* Arab. "La baas.'* See Night vol. iv. 164.

The Jackals and the Wolf. 103

JFlolo fo&en it tuas tljc Jliiu Hjuntirctr antr £Ttocnty~urst

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
Wazir Shimas concluded with saying, " And they shall accomplish
upon thee whatso they desire of thy destruction : so shalt thou
fare as fared the Jackals with the Wolf." Asked the King, « How
was that ? " and the Wazir answered, " They tell the following
tale of

THE JACKALS AND THE WOLF."

A PACK of Jackals1 went out one day to seek food, and as they
prowled about in quest of this, behold, they happened upon a dead
camel and said in themselves, " Verily we have found wherewithal
we may live a great while ; but we fear lest one of us oppress the
other and the strong bear down the weak with his strength and so
the puny of us perish. Wherefore it behoveth us seek one who
shall judge between us and appoint unto each his part, so the
force-full may not lord it over the feeble." As they consulted
together on such subject, suddenly up came a Wolf, and one of
the Jackals said to the others, " Right is your rede ; let us make
this Wolf judge between us, for he is the strongest of beasts and
his father was Sultan over us aforetime ; so we hope in Allah that
he will do justice between us." Accordingly they accosted the
Wolf and acquainting him with what they had resolved concerning
him said, " We make thee judge between us, so thou mayst allot
unto each of us his day's meat, after the measure of his need, lest
the strong of us bear down the weak and some of us destroy other
of us." The Wolf accepted the governance of their affairs and
allotted to each of them what sufficed him that day ; but on the
morrow he said in his mind, " An I divide this camel amongst
these weaklings, no part thereof will come to me, save the pittance
they will assign to me, and if I eat it alone, they can do me no
harm, seeing that they are a prey to me and to the people of my
house. Who, then, is the one to hinder me from taking it all for
myself? Surely, 'tis Allah who hath bestowed it on me by way o/

1 For Ta' lab (Sa1 lab) see supra, p. 48. In Morocco it is undoubtedly the red or
common fox which, however, is not gregarious as in the text.

104 A If Lay la k wa Lay la k*

provision without any obligation to any of them. It were best
that I keep it for myself, and henceforth I will give them naught."
Accordingly, next morning when the Jackals came to him, as was
their wont, and sought of him their food, saying, " O Abu Sirhdn,1
give us our day's provender,2 " he answered saying, " I have
nothing left to give you." Whereupon they went away in the
sorriest plight, saying, " Verily, Allah hath cast us into grievous
trouble with this foul traitor, who regardeth not Allah nor feareth
'Him ; but we have neither stratagem nor strength on our side.'*
jMoreover one of them said, " Haply 'twas but stress of hunger
that moved him to this ; so let him eat his fill to-day, and to-
morrow we will go to him again/' Accordingly, on the morrow,
they again betook themselves to the Wolf and said to him, " O
Father of Foray, we gave thee authority over us, that thou mightest
apportion unto each of us his day's meat and do the weak justice
against the strong of us, and that, when this provaunt is finished,
thou shouldst do thine endeavour to get us other and so we be
always under thy watch and ward. Now hunger is hard upon us,
for that we have not eaten these two days ; so do thou give us our
day's ration and thou shalt be free to dispose of all that remaineth
as thou wilt." But the Wolf returned them no answer and
redoubled in his hardness of heart and when they strave to turn
him from his purpose he would not be turned. Then said one of
the Jackals to the rest, " Nothing will serve us but that we go to
the Lion and cast ourselves on his protection and assign unto
him the camel. If he vouchsafe us aught thereof, 'twill be of his
favour, and if not, lie is worthier of it than this scurvy rascal."
So they betook themselves to the Lion and acquainted him with
that which had betided them from the Wolf, saying, " We are thy
slaves and come to thee imploring thy protection, so thou mayst
deliver us from this Wolf, and we will be thy thralls." When the
Lion heard their story, he was jealous for Almighty Allah 3 ana
went with them in quest of the Wolf who, seeing him approach

1 See vol. iii. 146.

* Arab. " Muunah" which in Morocco applies to the provisions furnished gratis by
the unfortunate village-people to travellers who have a passport from the Sultan : its
root is Maun — supplying necessaries. " The name is supposed to have its origin in that
of Manna, the miraculous provision bestowed by the bounty of Heaven on the Israelites
while wandering in the deserts of Arabia." Such is the marvellous information we find
in p. 40, " Morocco and the Moors " by John Drummond Hay (Murray, 1861).

3 $.e. He resolved to do them justice and win a reward from Heaven.

The Jackals and the Wolf. 1O$

addressed himself to flight ; but the Lion ran after him and seizing
him, rent him in pieces and restored their prey to the Jackals.
" This showeth," added Shimas, " that it fitteth no King to neglect
the affairs of his subjects ; wherefore do thou hearken to my rede
and give credit to the words which I say to thee." Quoth the King,
" I will hearken to thee and to-morrow, Inshallah, I will go forth
to them." Accordingly Shimas went from him and returning to
the folk, told them that the King had accepted his advice and pro-
mised to come out unto them on the morrow. But, when the
favourite heard this saying reported of Shimas and was certified
that needs must the King go forth to his subjects, she betook her-
self to him in haste and said to him, " How great is my wonder at
thy submissiveness and thine obedience to thy slaves ! Knowest
thou not that these Wazirs are thy thralls ? Why then dost thou
exalt them to this highmost pitch of importance that they imagine
them it was they gave thee this kingship and advanced thee to
this rank and that it is they who confer favours on thee, albeit
they have no power to do thee the least damage ? Indeed, 'tis not
thou who owest submission to them ; but on the contrary they
owe it to thee, and it is their duty to carry out thine orders. How
cometh it then, that thou art so mightily affrighted at them ? It
is said : — Unless thy heart be like iron, thou art not fit to be *a
Sovran. But thy mildness hath deluded these men, so that they
presume upon thee and cast off their allegiance, although it
behoveth that they be constrained unto thy obedience and enforced
to thy submission. Therefore an thou hasten to accept their
words and leave them as they now are and vouchsafe to them the
least thing against thy will, they will, weigh heavily upon thee and
require other concessions of thee, and this will become their habit.
But, an thou hearken to me, thou wilt not advance any one of
them to power neither wilt thou accept his word nor encourage
him to presume upon thee ; else wilt thou fare with them as did
the Shepherd with the Rogue." Asked the King, " How was
that ? " and she answered, " They relate this adventure of

106 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

THE SHEPHERD AND THE ROGUE.*

THERE was once a Shepherd, who fed a flock of sheep in the wold
and kept over them strait watch. One night, there came to him a
Rogue thinking to steal some of his charges and finding him
assiduous in guarding them, sleeping not by night nor neglecting
them by day, prowled about him all the livelong night, but could
plunder nothing from him. So, when he was weary of striving, he
betook himself to another part of the waste and trapping a lion,
skinned him and stuffed his hide with bruised straw2 ; after which
he set it up on a high place in the desert, where the Shepherd
might see it and be assured thereof. Then he accosted the
Shepherd and said to him, <( Yonder lion hath sent me to demand
his supper of these sheep." The Shepherd asked, " Where is the
lion ? " and the Rogue answered, " Lift thine eyes : there he
standeth." So the Shepherd raised his eyes and seeing the
semblance deemed it a very lion and was much affrighted ; --
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

Nofo fo&en it foas tfje jgtne ^unfcrefc anfc tJto0ntp*secotrtr Ntfi&t,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the Shepherd saw the semblance of the lion, he deemed it a very
lion and was affrighted with the sorest fright, trembling for dread ;
so he said to the thief, " O my brother take what thou wilt, I will
not gainsay thee." Accordingly the Rogue took what he would of
the sheep and redoubled in greed by reason of the excess of the
Shepherd's fear. Accordingly, every little while, he would hie to
him and terrify him, saying, " The lion hath need of this and re-
quireth that, and his intent is to do thus and thus," and take his
sufficiency of the sheep ; and he stinted not to do thus with him,
till he had wasted the most part of his flock. " This, O King,"
added the favourite, " I tell thee only that thou suffer not the

1 Arab. " Luss" = thief, robber, rogue, rascal, the Persian " Luti " of popular usage.
This is one of the many "Simpleton stories " in which Eastern folk-lore abounds. I
hear that Mr. Clouston is preparing a collection, and look forward to it with interest.

2 Arab. " Tibn " ; for which see vol. i. 16.

King Wird Khan with his Women and Wazirs. 107

Grandees of thy realm to be deluded by thy mildness and easiness"
of temper and presume on thee ; and, in right rede, their death
were better than that they deal thus with thee." Quoth the King,
*' I accept this thy counsel and will not hearken to their admoni-
tion neither will I go out unto them/' On the morrow the Wazirs
and Officers of State and heads of the people assembled ; and,
taking each with him his weapon, repaired to the palace of the
King, so they might break in upon him and slay him and seat
another in his stead. When they came to the door, they required
the doorkeeper to open to them; but he refused, whereupon they sent
to fetch fire, wherewith to burn down the doors and enter. The door-
keeper, hearing what they said went in to the King in haste and
told him that the folk were gathered together at the gate, adding,
" They required me to open to them, but I refused ; and they have
sent to fetch fire to burn down the doors withal, so they may come
into thee and slay thee. What dost thou bid me do ? " Quoth
the King in himself, " Verily, I am fallen into uttermost perdition."
Then he sent for the favourite ; and, as soon as she came, said to
her, " Indeed, Shimas never told me aught but I found it true, and
now great and small are come purposing to slay me and thee : and
because the doorkeeper would not open to them, they have sent to
fetch fire, to burn the doors withal : so will the house be burnt and
we therein. What dost thou counsel me to do?" She replied,
" No harm shall betide thee, nor let thine affair affright thee. This
is a time when the simple rise against their Kings." Quoth he,
" What dost thou counsel me to do and how shall I act in this
affair ? " Quoth she, " My rede is that thou fillet thy head and
feign thyself sick : then send for the Wazir Shimas, who will come
and see the plight wherein thou art ; and do thou say to him : —
Verily I purposed to go forth to the folk this day ; but this malady
hindered me. So go thou out to them and acquaint them with
my condition and tell them that to-morrow I will fare forth with-
out fail to them and do their need and look into their affairs,
so they may be reassured and their rage may subside. Then do
thou summon ten of thy father's slaves, stalwart men of strength
and prowess, to whom thou canst entrust thyself, hearing to thy
hest and complying with thy commandment, surely keeping thy
secret and lief to thy love ; and charge them on the morrow to
stand at thy head and bid them suffer none of the folk to enter,
save one by one ; and all who enter do thou say :— Seize them and
do them die. An they agree with thee upon this, to-morrow set

io8 Alf Laylak wa Laylah.

up thy throne in the Divan1 and open thy doors. When the folk
see that thou hasfc opened to them their minds will be set at ease
and they will come to thee with a whole heart, and seek admission
to thee. Then do thou admit them, one after one, even as I said
to thee and work with them thy will ; but it behoveth thee begin
by slaying Shimas, their chief and leader ; for "he is the Grand
Wazier and head of the matter. Therefore do him die first and
after put all the rest to death, one after other, and spare none
whom thou knowest to have broken with thee his covenant ; and
in like way slaughter all whose violence thou fearest. An thou
deal thus with them, there will be left them no power to make head
against thee ; so shalt thou be at rest from them with full repose,
and shalt enjoy thy kingship in peace and do whatso thou wilt ;
and know that there is no device that will profit thee more than
this." Quoth the King, "Verily, this thy counsel is just and that
which thou biddest me is to the point and I will assuredly do as
thou directest." So he called for a fillet and bound his head there-
with and shammed sickness. Then he sent for the Grand Wazir
and said to him, " O Shimas, thou knowest that I love thee and
hearken to the counsel of thee and thou art to me as brother and
father both in one ; also thou knowest that I do all thou biddest
me and indeed thou badest me go forth to the lieges and sit to
judge between them. Now I was assured that this was right rede
on thy part, and purposed to go forth to them yesterday ; but this
sickness assailed me and I cannot sit up. It hath reached me that
the folk are incensed at my failure to come forth to them and are
minded of their mischief to do with me that which is unmeet for
that they know not what ailment aileth me. So go thou forth to
them and acquaint them with my case and the condition I am in ;
and excuse me to them, for I am obedient to their bidding and
will do as they desire ; wherefore order this affair and engage thy-
self for me herefor, even as thou hast been a loyal counsellor to me
and to my sire before me, and it is of thy wont to make peace
between the people. To-morrow, Inshallah, I will without fail
come forth to them, and peradventure my sickness will cease from
me this night, by the blessing of the purest intent and the good

1 A fanciful origin of "Divan " (here an audience-chamber) which may mean demons
(plural of Div) is attributed to a King of Persia. He gave a series of difficult documents
and accounts to his scribes and surprised at the quickness and cleverness with which they
were- ordered exclaimed, "These men be Divs ! " Hence a host of secondary
meanings as a book of Odes with distichs rhymed in alphabetical order and so forth.

King Wird Khan with his Women and Wazirs. 109

I purpose them in my heart." So Shimas prostrated himself to
Allah and called down blessings on the King and kissed his hand,
rejoicing at this. Then he went forth to the folk and told them
what he had heard from the King and forbade them from that
which they had a mind to do, acquainting them with what excused
the King for his absence and informing them that he had promised
to come forth to them on the morrow and deal with them accord-
ing to their desires ; whereupon they dispersed and hied them to

their houses. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased to say her permitted say.

foijen ft foa* tije Jltae f^untoetr anto t£foentp«t&tr&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Shimas
went from the presence to the ringleaders of the commons and said
to them, " To-morrow the Sovran will come forth to you and will
deal with you as ye desire." So they hied them to their homes.
On such wise fared it with them ; but as regards the Monarch, he
summoned ten slaves of gigantic stature,1 men of hard heart and
prow of prowess, whom he had chosen from amongst his father's
body-guards ; and said to them, " Ye know the favour, esteem and
high rank ye held with my sire and all the bounties, benefits and
honours he bestowed on you, and I will advance you to yet higher
dignity with me than this. Now I will tell you the reason thereof
and ye are under safeguard of Allah from me. But first I will ask
you somewhat, wherein if ye do my desire, obeying me iri that
which I shall bid you and conceal my secret from all men, ye shall
have of me largesse and favour surpassing expectation. But above
all things obedience ! " The ten thralls answered him with one
mouth and in sequent words, saying, " Whatso thou biddest us, O
our liege, that we will do, nor will we depart in aught from thy
commandment, for thou art our lord and master." Quoth the
King, " Allah allot you weal ! Now will I tell you the reason why
I have chosen you out for increase of honour with me. Ye know
how liberally my father dealt with the folk of his realm and the
oath he took from them on behalf of me and how they promised

1 In both cases the word " Jabdbirah" is used, the plur. of Jabbdr, the potent, espe-
cially applied to the Kings of the Canaanites and giants like the mythical Og of Bashan.
So the Heb. Jabburah is a title of the Queens of Judah.

no Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

him that they would not break faith with me nor gainsay the bid-
ding of me ; and ye saw how they did yesterday, whenas they
gathered all together about me and would have slain me. Now I
am minded to do with them somewhat ; and 'tis this, for that I
have considered their action of yesterday and see that naught will
restrain them from its like save exemplary chastisement : where-
fore I perforce charge you privily to do to death whom I shall
point out to you, to the intent that I may ward off mischief and
calamity from my realm by slaying their leaders and Chiefs ; and
the manner thereof shall be on this wise. To-morrow I will sit on
this seat in this chamber and give them admission to me one by
one, coming in at one door and going out at another ; and do ye,
all ten, stand before me and be attentive to my signs : and whoso
entereth singly, take him and drag him into yonder chamber and
kill him and hide his corpse." The slaves answered, " We hearken
to thy hest and obey thy order " : whereupon he gave them gifts
and dismissed them for the night. On the morrow he summoned
the thralls and bade set up the royal seat : then he donned his
kingly robes and taking the Book of law-cases1 in his hands,
posted the ten slaves before him and commanded to open the
doors. So they opened the doors and the herald proclaimed
aloud, saying, " Whoso hath authority, let him come to the King's
carpet 2 ! " Whereupon up came the Wazirs and Prefects and
Chamberlains and stood, each in his rank. Then the King bade
admit them, one after one, and the first to enter was Shimas,
according to the custom of the Grand Wazir ; but no sooner had
he presented himself before the King, and ere he could beware, the
ten slaves gat about him, and dragging him into the adjoining
chamber, despatched him. On like wise did they with the rest of
the Wazirs and Olema and Notables, slaying them, one after
other, till they made a clean finish.3 Then the King called the

1 Arab. "Kitab al-Kaza" = the Book of Judgments, such as the Kazi would use
when deciding cases in dispute, by legal precedents and the Rasm or custom of the
country.

2 i.e. sit before the King as referee, etc.

3 This massacre of refractory chiefs is one of the grand moyens of Eastern state-craft,
and it is almost always successful because circumstances require it ; popular opinion
approves of it and it is planned and carried out with discretion and secrecy. The two
familiar Instances in our century are the massacre of the Mamelukes by Mohammed AH
Pasha the Great and of the turbulent chiefs of the Omani Arabs by our ancient ally Sayyid
Sa'fd, miscalled the "Imam of Maskat."

King Wird Khan with kis Women and Wazirs* III

Headsmen and bade them ply sword upon all who remained of the
folk of valour and stowre : so they fell on them and left none
whom they knew for a man of mettle but they slew him, sparing
only the proletaires and the refuse of the people. These they
drove away and they returned each to his folk, whilst the King
secluded himself with his pleasures and surrendered his soul to its
lusts, working tyranny, oppression and violence, till he outraced all
the men of evil who had forerun him.1 Now this King's dominion
was a mine of gold and silver and jacinths and jewels and the
neighbouring rulers, one and all, envied him this empire and looked
for calamity to betide him. Moreover, one of them, the King of
Outer Hind, said in himself, " I have gotten my desire of wresting
the realm from the hand of yonder silly lad", by reason of that which
hath betided of his slaughter of the Chiefs of his State and of all
men of valour and mettle that were in his country. This is my
occasion to snatch away that which is in his hand, seeing he is
young in years and hath no knowledge of war nor judgment
thereto, nor is there any left to counsel him aright or succour him.
Wherefore this very day will I open on him the door of mischief
by writing him a writ wherein I will flyte him and reproach him
with that which he hath done and see what he will reply." So he
indited him a letter to the following effect : — " In the name of
Allah the Compassionating, the Compassionate # And after * I
have heard tell of that which thou hast done with thy Wazirs and
Olema and men of valiancy # and that whereinto thou hast cast
thyself of calamity # so that there is neither power nor strength
left in thee to repel whoso shall assail thee, more by token that
thou transgressest and orderest thyself tyrannously and profli-
gately * Now Allah hath assuredly given me the conquering of
thee and the mastery over thee and into my hand hath delivered
thee ; wherefore do thou give ear to my word and obey the com
mandment of me and build me an impregnable castle amiddlemost
the sea * An thou can not do this, depart thy realm and with thy
life go flee * for I will send unto thee, from the farthest ends of
Hind, twelve hordes2 of horse, each twelve thousand fighting-men
strong, who shall enter thy land and spoil thy goods and slay thy
men and carry thy women into captivity * Moreover, I will make

1 The metaphor (Sabaka) is from horse-racing, the Arabs being, I have said, a horsey
people.

2 Arab. « Kurdus " = A body of horse.

112 A If Laylah wa Laylafc

my Wazir, Badf'a captain over them and bid him lay strait siege
to thy capital till the master he be; * and I have bidden the
bearer of this letter that he tarry with thee but days three * So,
an thou do my demand, thou shalt be saved ; else will I send that
which I have said unto thee." Then he sealed the scroll and gave
it to a messenger, who journeyed with it till he came to the
capital of Wird Khan and delivered it to him. When the King
read it, his strength failed him, his breast waxed strait and he
made sure of destruction, having none to whom he might resort
for aid or advice. Presently he rose and went in to his favourite
wife who, seeing him changed of colour, said to him, " What
mattereth thee, O King ? " Quoth he, " This day I am no King,
but slave to the King." And he opened the letter and read it to
her, whereupon she fell to weeping and wailing and rending her
raiment. Then he asked her, " Hast thou aught of rede or resource
in this grievous strait ? " ; but she answered, " Women have no
resource in time of war, nor have women any strength or aught of
counsel. 'Tis men alone who in like of this affair have force and
discourse and resource." When the King heard her words, there
befel him the utmost regret and repentance and remorse for that
he had transgressed against his Wazirs and Officers and Lords of

his land, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased

to say her permitted say.

Nofo fofjm it foaa tfie Nine ^untrrrtr anb STtoenlg.fourtft Nfgftt,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
King Wird Khan heard the words of his favourite wife there befel
him the utmost regret and repentance for having transgressed
against and slain his Wazirs and the chiefs of his state, and he
would that he had died ere there came to him the like of these
shameful tidings. Then he said to his women, " Verily, there hath
betided me from you that which befel the Francolin and the
Tortoises." Asked they, " What was that ? ", and he answered,
tell this tale of

The Francolin and the Tortoises.'

THE FRANCOLIN AND THE TORTOISES?

IT is said that sundry Tortoises dwelt, once in a certain island
abounding in trees and fruiterers and rills, and it fortuned, one
day, that a Francolin, passing over the island, was overcome with
the fiery heat and fatigue and being in grievous suffering stayed
his flight therein. Presently, looking about for a cool place, he
espied the resort of the Tortoises and alighted down near their
home. Now they were then abroad foraging for food, and
when they returned from their feeding-places to their dwelling,
they found the Francolin there. His beauty pleased them and
Allah made him lovely in their eyes, so that they exclaimed
" Subhdna 'llah," extolling their Creator and loved the Francolin
with exceeding love and rejoiced in him, saying one to other,
41 Forsure this is of the goodliest of the birds ; " and all began to
caress him and entreat him with kindness. When he saw that
they looked on him with eyes of affection, he inclined to them and
companioned with them and took up his abode with them, flying
away in the morning whither he would and returning at eventide
to pass the night by side of them. On this wise he continued a
long while until the Tortoises, seeing that his daily absence from
them desolated them and finding that they never saw him save by
night (for at dawn he still took flight in haste and they knew not
\vhat came of him, for all that their love grew to him), said each
to other, " Indeed, we love this Francolin and he is become our
true friend and we cannot bear parting from him, so how shall we
devise some device tending to make him abide with us always ?
For he flieth away at dawn and is absent from us all day and we
see him not save by night." Quoth one of them, "Be easy, O my
sisters : I will bring him not to leave us for the turn of an eye ? "
and quoth the rest, saying, " An thou do this, we will all be thy
thralls." So, when J:he Francolin came back from his feeding-
place and sat clown amongst them, that wily Tortoise drew near
unto him and called down blessings on him, giving him joy of his
safe return and saying, " O my lord, know that Allah hath vouch-
safed thee our love and hath in like manner set in thy heart the
love of us, whereby thou art become to us a familiar friend and a
comrade in this desert. Now the goodliest of times for those
who love one another is when they are united and the sorest of
VOL. IX. H

H4 -A If Laylak wa Laylah.

calamities for them are absence and severance. But thou departest
from us at peep of day and returnest not to us till sundown,
wherefore there betideth us extreme desolation. Indeed this is
exceeding grievous to us and we abide in sore longing for such
reason." The Francolin replied, " Indeed, I love you also and
yearn for you yet more than you can yearn for me, nor is it easy
for me to leave you ; but my hand hath no help for this, seeing that
I am a fowl with wings and may not wone with you always,
because that is not of my nature. For a bird, being a winged
creature, may not remain still, save it be for the sake of sleep
o' nights ; but, as soon as it is day, he flieth away and seeketh his
morning-meal in what place soever pleaseth him." Answered the
Tortoise, " Sooth thou speakest \ Nevertheless he who hath wings
hath no repose at most seasons, for that the good he getteth is not
a fourth part of what ill betideth him, and the highmost aims of
the creature are repose and ease of life. Now Allah hath bred
between us and thee love and fellowship and we fear for thee, lest
some of thine enemies catch thee and thou perish arid we be
denied the sight of thy countenance." Rejoined the Francolin,
" True ! But what rede hast thou or resource for my case ? "
Quoth the Tortoise, " My advice is that thou pluck out thy wing-
feathers, wherewith thou speedest thy flight, and tarry with us in
tranquillity, eating of our meat and drinking of our drink in this
pasturage, that aboundeth rn trees rife with fruits yellow-ripe and
we will sojourn, we and thou, in this fruitful stead and enjoy the
company of one another." The Francolin inclined to her speech,
seeking ease for himself, and plucked out his wing-feathers, one
by one, in accordance with the rede approved of by the Tortoise ;
then he took up his abode with them and contented himself with
the little ease and transient pleasure he enjoyed. Presently up
came a Weasel * and glancing at the Francolin, saw that his wings
were plucked, so that he could not fly, whereat he rejoiced with
joy exceeding and said to himself, " Verily yonder Francolin is fat
of flesh and scant of feather." So he went up to him and seized
him, whereupon the Francolin called out to the Tortoises for
help ; but when they saw the Weasel hend him, they drew apart
from him and huddled together, choked with weeping for him,
for they witnessed how the beast tortured him. Quoth the
Francolin, " Is there aught with you but weeping ? "; and quoth

1 Arab. " Ibn 'Irs." See vol. Hi. 147.

The Francolin and the Tortoises. \ 1 5

they, " O our brother, we have neither force nor resource nor any
course against a Weasel." At this the Francolin was grieved and
cutting off all his hopes of life said to them, " The fault is not
yours, but mine own fault, in that I hearkened to you and plucked
out my wing-feathers wherewith I used to fly. Indeed I deserve
destruction for having obeyed you, and I blame you not in aught."
" On like wise," continued the King, " I do not blame you, O
women ; but I blame and reproach myself for that I remembered
not that ye were the cause of the transgression of our father
Adam, by reason whereof he was cast out from the Garden of
Eden and for that I forgot ye are the root of all evil and hearkened
to you, in mine ignorance, lack of sense and weakness of judgment,
and slew my Wazirs and the Governors of my State, who were
my loyal advisers in all mine actions and my glory and my
strength against whatsoever troubled me. But at this time find
I not one to replace them nor see I any who shall stand me in

their stead ; and I fall into utter perdition. And Shahrazad

perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

tujen (t foas tfje Nine ^unDftefc anto t£foents=fifrt)

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
King blamed himself saying, " 'Twas I that hearkened to you in
mine ignorance and slew my Wazirs so that now I find none to
stand in their stead ; and unless Allah succour me with one of
sound judgment, who shall guide me to that wherein is my
deliverance, I am fallen into utter perdition." Then he arose and
withdrew into his bedchamber, bemoaning his Wazirs and wise
men and saying, " Would Heaven those lions were with me at this
time, though but for an hour ; so I might excuse myself unto
them and look on them and bemoan to them my case and the
travail that hath betided me after them ! " And he abode all his
day sunken in the sea of cark and care neither eating nor drinking.
But as soon as the night fell dark, he arose and changing his
raiment, donned old clothes and disguised himself and went forth
at a venture to walk about the city, so haply he might hear from
any some word of comfort. As he wandered about the main
streets, behold, he chanced upon two boys who had sought a
retired seat by a wall and he observed that they were equal in
age, or about twelve years old. As they talked together he drew

il6 A If Lay I ah wa Lay I ah.

near them whereas he might hear and apprehend what they said,
unseen of them, and heard one say to the other, " Listen, O my
brother, to what my sire told me yesternight of the calamity
which hath betided him in the withering of his crops before their
time, by reason of the rarity of rain and the sore sorrow that is
fallen on this city." Quoth the other, " Wottest thou not the cause
of this affliction ? "; and quoth the first, " No ! and, if thou ken it,
pray tell it me." Rejoined the other, " Yes, I wot it and will tell
it thee. Know that I have heard from one of my father's friends
that our King slew his Wazirs and Grandees, not for aught of
offence done of them, but only by reason of his love for women
and inclination to them ; for that his Ministers forbade him from
this, but he would not be forbidden and commanded to do them
die in obedience to his wives. Thus he slew Shimas my sire, who
was his Wazir and the Wazir of his father before him and the
chief of his council ; but right soon thou shalt see how Allah will
do with him by reason of his sins against them and how He shall
avenge them of him." The other boy asked, " What can Allah do
now that they are dead ? "; and his fellow answered, " Know that
the King of Outer Hind ' maketh light of our monarch, and hath
sent him a letter berating him and saying to him : — Build me a
castle amiddlemost the sea, or I will send unto thee BadPa my
Wazir, with twelve hordes of horse, each, twelve thousand strong,
to seize upon thy kingdom and slay thy men and carry thee and
thy women into captivity. And he hath given him three days'
time to answer after the receipt of that missive. Now thou must
know, O my brother, that this King of Outer Hind is a masterful
tyrant, a man of might and prowess in fight, and in his realm are
much people ; so unless-our King make shift to fend him off from
himself, he will fall into perdition, whilst the King of Hind, after
slaying our Sovran, will seize on our possessions and massacre our
men and make prize of our women." When the King heard this
their talk, his agitation increased and he inclined to the boys,
saying, "-Surely, this boy is a wizard, in that he is acquainted with
this thing without learning it from me ; for the letter is in my
keeping and the -secret also and none hath knowledge of such
matter but myself. How then knoweth this boy of it ? I will

1 Arab. " Al-Hind -al-Aksa." The Sanskrit S'mdhu (lands on the Indus River)
became in Zend " Hendu " and hence in Arabic Sind and Hind, which latter I wish we
had preserved instead of the classical " India " or the poetical " Ind."

King Wird Khan with his Women and Wazirs. 117

resort to him and talk with him and I pray Allah that our
deliverance may be at his hand." Hereupon the King approached
the boy softly and said to him, " O thou dear boy, what is this
thou sayest of our King, that he did ill of the evilest in slaying
his Wazirs and the Chiefs of his State ? Indeed he sinned against
himself and his subjects and thou art right in that which thou
sayest. But tell me, O my son, whence knowest thou that the
King of Outer Hind hath written him a letter, berating him and
bespeaking him with the grievous speech whereof thou tellest ? "(
The boy replied, " O brother, I know this from the sand ' where-
with I take compt of night and day and from the saying of the
ancients : — No mystery from Allah is hidden ; for the sons of
Adam have in them a spiritual virtue which discovereth to them
the darkest secrets." Answered Wird Khan, " True, O my son,
but whence learnedest thou geomancy and thou young of years ? "
Quoth the boy, " My father taught it me;" and quoth the King,
" Is thy father alive or dead ? " " He is dead," replied the boy.
Then Wird Khan asked, "Is there any resource or device for
our King, whereby to ward off from himself and his kingdom this
sore calamity ? " And the boy answered, saying, " It befitteth.
not that I speak with thee of this ; but, an the King send for me
and ask me how he shall do to baffle his foe and get free of his-
snares, I will acquaint him with that wherein, by the power of
Allah Almighty, shall be his salvation." Rejoined Wird Khan,
" But who shall tell the King of this that he may send for thee
and invite thee to him?" The boy retorted, "I hear that he
seeketh men of experience and good counsel, so I will go up with
them to him and tell him that wherein shall be his welfare and
the warding off of this affliction from him ; but, an he neglect the
pressing matter and busy himself with his love-Hesse among his
women and I go to him of my own accord designing to acquaint
him with the means of deliverance, he will assuredly give orders
to slay me, even as he slew those his Wazirs, and my courtesy to
him will be the cause of my destruction. Wherefore the folk will
think slightly of me and belittle my wit and I shall be of those of
whom it is said : — He whose science excelleth his sense perisheth
by his ignorance." When the King heard the boy's words, he
was assured of his sagacity ; and the excellence of his merit was

1 '"•'• by geomancy : see vol. iii, 269 for a note on Al-Raml. The passage is not in
the Mac. Edit.

Il8 A If Laylah wa Lay la h.

manifest and he was certified that deliverance would betide him
and his subjects at the boy's hands. So presently he resumed the
colloquy and asked him, " Whence art thou and where is thy
home ? "; and the boy answered, " This is the wall of our house."
The King took note of the place and farewelling the boy, returned
to his palace in high spirits. There he changed his clothes and
called for meat and wine, forbidding his women from him ; and he
ate and drank and returned thanks .to Allah the Most High and
besought Him of succour and deliverance ; and he craved His
pardon and forgiveness for that which he had done with his Wazirs
and Olema and turned to Him with sincere repentance, imposing
on himself many a prayer and long fasting, by way of discipline-
vow. On the morrow, he called one of his confidential eunuchs
and describing to him the boy's home, bade him repair thither and
bring him to his presence with all gentleness*, Accordingly the
slave sought out the boy and said to him, " The King summoneth
thee, that good may betide thee from him and that he may ask
thee a question ; then shalt thou return safe and sound to thy
dwelling." Asked the boy, " What is the King's need of me that
he biddeth me to him on this wise ? "; and the eunuch answered,
" My lord's occasion with thee is question and answer." " A
thousand times hearkening and a thousand times obeying the
commandment of the King ! " replied the boy and accompanied
the slave to the palace. When he came into the presence, he
prostrated himself before Allah and after salaming, called down
blessings on the King who returned his salutation and bade him

be seated.^ And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased to say her permitted say*

Nofo fo&en ft foa» tjje Nine f^untKefc antr ®foent|^surtj)

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that wher\
the boy appeared before the King and saluted him with the salam,
Wird Khan returned his salutation and bade him be seated. So
he sat down and the King asked him, "Knowest thou who talked
with thee yesternight?" Answered the boy, "Yes;" and the
King said, "And where is he ?" " 'Tis he who speaketh with me
a.t this present," said the boy. Rejoined the King, " Thou sayst
sooth, O friend," and bade set him a chair beside his own, whereon
he made him sit and called for meat and drink. Then they

King Wird Khan with his Women and Wazirs. 119

talked awhile and the King said, " Ho thou the Wazir,1 in our
talk yesternight thou toldest me that thou hadst a device whereby
thou couldst defend us from the malice of the King of Hind.
What is this contrivance and how shall we manoeuvre to ward off
his mischief from us ? Tell me, that I may make thee chief of
those who speak with me in the realm and choose thee to be,
my Grand Wazir and do according to thy judgment in all
thou counsellest me and assign thee a splendid honorarium.!*
Answered the boy, " O King, keep thy honorarium to thyself
and seek counsel and policy of thy women, who directed thee to
slay my father Shimas and the rest of the Wazirs." When the
King heard this, he was ashamed and sighed and said, " O thou
dear boy, was Shimas indeed thy sire?" The boy replied,
" Shimas was indeed my sire, and I am in truth his son,"
Whereupon the King bowed his head, whilst the tears ran from
his eyes, and he craved pardon of Allah. Then said he, " O boy,
indeed .1 did this of my ignorance and by the evil counsel of the
women ; for * Great indeed is their malice **: but I beseech thee to
forgive me and I will set thee in thy father's stead and make thy
rank higher than his rank. Moreover, an thou do away from us
this retribution sent down from Heaven, I will deck thy neck with
a collar of gold and mount thee on the goodliest of steeds and bid
the crier make proclamation before thee, saying : — This is the lief3
boy, the Wazir who sitteth in the second seat after the King !
And touching what thou sayest of the women, I have it in mind
to do vengeance on them at such time as Almighty Allah shall
will it. But tell me now what thou hast with thee of counsel and
contrivance, that my heart may be content." Quoth the boy,
" Swear to me an oath that thou wilt not gainsay me in whatso I

1 This address gave the boy Wazirial rank. In many parts of Europe, England
included, if the Sovereign address a subject with a title not belonging to him, it is a
disputed point if the latter can or cannot claim it.

2 Koran, chapter of Joseph xii. 28, spoken by Potiphar after Joseph's innocence Tiad
been proved by a witness in Potiphar's house or according to the Talmud (Sepher
Hadjascher) by an infant in the cradle. The texts should have printed this as a
quotation (with vowel-points).

3 Arab. "Al-'Aziz," alluding to Joseph the Patriarch entitled in Egypt "Aziz
al-Misr "== Magnifico of Misraim (Koran xii. 54). It is generally believed that Ismail
Pasha, whose unwise deposition has caused the English Government such a host of
troubles and load of obloquy, aspired to be named "'Azfz"by the Porte; but was
compelled to be satisfied with Khadiv (vulg. written Khedive, and pronounced even
" Kedive" "), a Persian title, which simply means prince or Rajah, as Khadiv-i-Hind.

120 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

shall say to thee and that I from that which I fear shall be safe ; "
and quoth the King, " This is the covenant of Allah between me
and thee, that I will not go from thy word and that thou shalt be my
chief counsellor and whatsoever thou biddest me, that will I do ;
and the Almighty Lord is witness betwixt us twain whatso I say."
Therewith the boy's breast waxed broad and the field of speech
was opened to him wide and he said, " O King, my rede to thee is
that thou await the expirati6n of the delay appointed to thee for
answering the courier of the King of Hind ; and when he cometh
before thee seeking the reply, do thou put him off to another day.
With this he will excuse himself to thee, on the ground of his
master having appointed him certain fixed days, and importune
for an answer ; but do thou rebut him and defer him to another day,
without specifying what day it be. Then will he go forth from thee
an-angered and betake himself into the midst of the city and
speak openly among the folk, saying : — O people of the city, I am
a courier of the King of Outer Hind, who is a monarch of great
puissance and of determination such as softeneth iron, He sent
me with a letter to the King of this city appointing to me certain
days, saying : — An thou be not with me by the time appointed,
my vengeance shall fall on thee. Now, behold, I went in to the
King of this city and gave him the missive, which when he had
read, he sought of me a delay of three days, after which he
would return me an answer to the letter and I agreed to this of
courtesy and consideration for him. When the three days were
past, I went to seek the reply of him, but he delayed me to
another day ; and now I have no patience to wait longer ; so I
am about to return to my lord, the King of Outer Hind, and
acquaint him with that which hath befallen me ; and ye, O folk,
are witnesses between me and him. All this will be reported to
thee and do thou send for him and speak him gently and say to
him : — O thou who seekest thine own ruin, what hath moved thee
to blame us among our subjects ? Verily, thou deservest present
death at our hands ; but the ancients say : — Clemency is of the
attributes of nobility. Know that our delay in answering arose not
from helplessness on our part, but from our much business and lack
of leisure to look into thine affair and write a reply to thy King/'
Then call for the scroll and read it again and laugh loud and long
and say to the courier :— Hast thou a letter other than this? If
so, we will write thee an answer to that also. He will say, I have
none other than this letter ; but do thou repeat thy question to

King Wird Khan with his Women and Wazirs. 121

him a second time and a third time, and he will reply, I
have none other at all. Then say to him, Verily, this thy King
is utterly witless in that he writeth us the like of this writ
seeking to arouse our wrath against him, so that we shall go forth
to him with our forces and domineer over his dominions and
capture his kingdom. But we will not punish him this time for
his unmannerly manners as shown Ln this letter, because he is
wanting in wit and feeble of foresight, and it beseemeth our dignity
that we first warn him not to repeat the like of these childish
extravagances ; and if he risk his life by returning to the like of
this, he will deserve speedy destruction. Indeed, methinks this
King of thine who sent thee on such errand must be an ignorant
fool, taking no thought to the issue of things and having no Wazir
of sense and good counsel, with whom he may advise. Were he
a man of mind, he had taken counsel with a Wazir, ere sending
us the like of this laughable letter. But he shall have a reply
similar to his script and surpassing it ; for I will give it to one of
the boys of the school to answer." Then send for me ; and, when
I come to the presence, bid me read the letter and reply thereto."
When the King heard the boy's speech, his breast broadened and
he approved his proposal and his device delighted him. So he
conferred gifts upon him and installing him in his father's office,
sent him away rejoicing. And as soon as expired the three days
of delay which he had appointed, the courier presented himself
and going in to the King, demanded the answer ; but he put him
off to another day ; whereupon he went to the end of the carpet-
room1 and spake with unseemly speech, even as the boy had fore-
said. Then he betook himself to the bazar and cried, " Ho,
peopie of this city, I am a courier of the King of Outer Hind and
came with a message to your monarch who still putteth me off
from a reply. Now the term is past which my master limited to
me and your King hath no excuse, and ye are witnesses unto this."
When these words reached the King, he sent for that courier and
said to him, " O thou that seeketh thine own ruin, art thou not the
bearer of a letter from King to King, between whom are secrets,
and how cometh it that thou goest forth among the fofk and
publishest Kings' secrets to the vulgar ? Verily, thou meritest
retribution from us , but this we will forbare, for the sake of
returning an answer by thee to this fool of a King of thine :

L

1 i.e. The Throne room.

122 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

and it befitteth not that any return to him reply but the least of
the boys of the school/1 Then he sent for the Wazir's son, who
cfame and prostrating himself before Allah, offered up prayers
for the King's lasting glory and long life ; whereupon Wird Khan
threw him the letter, saying, " Read that letter and write me an
acknowledgment thereof in haste/' The boy took the letter and
read it, smiled ; then he laughed ; then he laughed aloud and
asked the King, " Didst thou send for me to answer this letter ? "
M Yes," answered Wird Khan, and the boy said, " O King, me-
thought thou hadst sent for me on some grave occasion ; indeed,
a lesser than I had answered this letter but 'tis thine to command,
O puissant potentate." Quoth the King, " Write the reply forth-
right, on account of the courier, for that he is appointed a term
and we have delayed him another day." Quoth the boy, " With
the readiest hearkening and obedience," and pulling out paper

and inkcase1 wrote as follows : And Shahrazad perceived the

dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say

Nofo fo&en it foaa t&e jifne f^untrtetf atrtr 'Sfoentp^ebcntf) Nigfjt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that whe'n the
boy took the letter and read it, he forthright pulled out inkcase
and paper and wrote as foflows : — "In the name of Allah the
Compassionating, the Compassionate ! Peace be upon him who
hath gotten pardon and deliverance and the mercy of the
Merciful ! But after. O thou who pretendest thyself a mighty
King and art but a King in word and not in deed, we give thee
to know that thy letter hath reached us and we have read it and
have taken note of that which is therein of absurdities and
peregrine extravagances, whereby we are certified of thine ignor-
ance and ill-will to us. Verily, thou hast put out thy hand
to that whereunto thou canst never reach ; and, but that we have
compassion on Allah's creatures and the lieges, we had not held
back from thee. As for thy messenger, he went forth to the
market-streets and published the news of thy letter to great and
small, whereby he merited retaliation from us ; but we spared him

1 For the " Dawit " or wooden inkcase containing reeds see vol. v. 239 and viii. 178.
I may remark that its origin is the Egyptian " Pes," of which there is a specimen in the
British Museum inscribed, " Amasis the good god and Lord of the two Lands."

King Wird Khan with his Women and Wazirs. 123

and remitted his offence, of pity for him, seeing that he is
excusable with thee and not for aught of respect to thyself. As
for that whereof thou makest mention in thy letter of the slaying
of my Wazirs and Olema and Grandees, this is the truth and this
I did for a reason that arose with me, and I slew not one man of
learning but there are with me a thousand of his kind, wiser than
he and cleverer and wittier ; nor is there with me a child but is
filled with knowledge, and I have, in the stead of each of the
slain, of those who surpass in his kind, what is beyond count.
Each man of my troops also carl cope with an horde of thine,
whilst, as for monies I have a manufactory that maketh every
day a thousand pounds of silver, besides gold, and precious stones
are with me as pebbles ; and as for the people of my possessions I
cannot set forth to thee their goodliness and abundance of means.
How darest thou, therefore, presume upon us and say to us, Build
me a castle amiddlemost the main ? Verily, this is a marvellous
thing, and doubtless it ariseth from the slightness of thy wit ; for
hadst thou aught of sense, thou hadst enquired of the beatings of
the billows and the waftings of the winds. But wall it off from
the waves and the surges of the sea and still the winds, and we
will build thee the castle. Now as for thy pretension that thou wilt
vanquish me, Allah forfend that such thing should befal and the
like of thee should lord it over us and conquer our realm ! Nay,
the Almighty hath given me the victory over thee, for that thou
hast transgressed against me and rebelled without due cause.
Know, therefore, that thou hast merited retribution from the Lord
and from me ; but I fear Allah in respect of thee and thy
subjects * and will not take horse against thee except after warning.
Wherefore, an thou also fear Allah, hasten to send me this year's
tribute ; else will I not turn from my design to ride forth against
thee with a thousand thousand 2 and an hundred thousand fighting-
men, all furious giants on elephants, and I will range them round
about my Wazir and bid him besiege thee three years, in lieu of
the three days' delay thou appointedst to thy messenger, and I
will make myself master of thy dominion, except that I will slay

1 i.e. I am governed by the fear of Allah in my dealings to thee and thy subjects.

* Arabic has no single word for million although the Maroccans have adopted
" Milyun " from the Spaniards (seep. loo of the Rudimentos del Arabe vulgar que se
habla en el imperio de Marruccos por El P. Fr. Jose de Lerchundi, Madrid 1872):
This lack of the higher numerals, the reverse of the Hindu languages, makes Arabic
" arithmology " very primitive and almost as cumbrous as the Chinese.

124 A If Laylah wa Lay la ft.

none save thyself alone and take captive therefrom none but
thy Harim." Then the boy drew his own portrait in the margin
of the letter and wrote thereunder the words: " This answer was
written by the least of the boys of the school." After this he
sealed it and handed it to the King, who gave it to the courier, and
the man, after taking it and kissing the King's hands went forth
from him thanking Allah and the Sovran for his royal clemency
to him and marvelling at the boy's intelligence. He arrived
at the court of the King, his master, on the third day after
the expiration of the term appointed to him, and found
that he had called a meeting of his council, by reason of the
failure of the courier to return at the time appointed. So he
went in to the King and prostrating himself before him, gave
him the letter. The King took it and questioned him of the
cause of his tarrying and how it was with King Wird Khan.
So he told him all he had seen with his own eyes and heard
with his own ears ; whereat the King's wit was confounded and
he said, " Out on thee ! What tale is this thou tellest me of the
like of this King?" Answered the courier, "O mighty monarch,
here am I in thy presence,1 but open the letter and read ,it, and
the truth of my speech will be manifest to thee." So the King
opened the letter and read it and seeing the semblance of the boy
who had written it, made sure of the loss of his kingdom and was
perplexed anent the end of his affair. Then, turning to his Wazirs
and Grandees, he acquainted them with what had occurred and
read to them the letter, whereat they were affrighted with the
sorest affright and sought to sooth the King's terror with words
that were only from the tongue, whilst their hearts were torn
piecemeal with palpitations of alarm. But Badi'a (the Chief
Wazir) presently said, " Know, O King, that there is no profit
in that which my brother Wazirs have proffered, and it is my
rede that thou write this King a writ and excuse thyself to him
therein, saying : — I love thee and loved thy father before thee and
sent thee not this letter by the courier except only to prove thee
and try thy constancy and see what was in thee of valiancy and
thy proficiency in matters of practick and theorick and skill in
enigmas and that wherewith thou art endowed of all perfections.
So we pray Almighty Allah to bless thee in thy kingdom and
strengthen the defences of thy capital and add to thy dominion,

1 /.(P. I am thy slave to slay or to pardon.

King Wird Khan with his Women and Wazirs. 125

since thou art mindful of thyself and managest to accomplish
every need of thy subjects. And send it to him by another
courier/' Exclaimed the King, "By Allah of All-might 1 'tis
a marvel of marvels that this man should be a mighty King and
ready for war, after his slaughter of all the wise men of his
kingdom and his counsellors and the captains of his host and
that his realm should be populous and prosper after this and
there should issue therefrom this prodigious power! But the
xnarvelousest of all is that the little ones of its schools should
return the like of this answer for its King. Verily, of the vile-
ness of my greed I have kindled this fire upon myself and lieges,
and I know not how I shall quench it, save by taking the advice
of this my Wazir." Accordingly he gat ready a Costly present,
with eunuchs and slaves manifold, and wrote the following
reply: — "In the name of Allah the Compassionating, the Com-
passionate ! To proceed : O Glorious King Wird Khan, son of
my dear brother, Jali'ad, may the Lord have mercy on thee and
continue thee ! Thine answer to our letter hath reached us and
we have read it and apprehended its contents and see therein that
which gladdeneth us and this is the utmost of that which we
sought of Allah for thee ; so we beseech Him to exalt thy dignity
and stablish the pillars of thy state and give thee the victory over
thy foes and those who purpose thee frowardness. Know, O King,
that thy father was my brother and that there were between us
in his lifetime pacts and covenants, and never saw he from me
aught save weal, nor ever saw I from him other than good ; and
when he deceased and thou tookest seat upon the throne of his
kingship, there betided us the utmost joy and gladness ; but, when
the news reached us of that which thou didst with thy Wazirs and
the Notables of thy State, we feared lest the report of thee should
come to the ears of some King other than ourselves and he should
presume against thee, for that we deemed thee negligent of thine
affairs and of the maintenance of thy defences and neglectful of
the interests of thy kingdom ; so we let write unto thee what
should arouse thy spirit. But, when we saw that thou return-
edest us the like of this reply, our heart was set at ease for thee,
may Allah, give thee enjoyment1 of thy kingdom and stablish
thee in thy dignity ! And so peace be with thee." Then he

1 Arab. " Matta'aka 'llah "= Allah permit thee to enjoy, from the root mata%
whence cometh the Maroccan Mata'i = my, mine, which answers to Bita'i in Egypt.

126 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

despatched the letter and the presents to Wird Khan with an

escort of an hundred horse, And Shahrazad perceived the

dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo tojm tt foas tje Nine f^un&retJ an& tlfoentg.eigfttf)

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
monarch of Outer Hind, after making ready his presents, des-
patched them to King Wird Khan, with an escort of an hundred
horse, who fared on till they came to his court and saluting him,
presented letter and gifts. The King read the writ and lodged
the leader of the escort in a befitting place, entreating him with
honour and accepting the presents he presented. So the news of
this was bruited abroad among the folk and the King rejoiced
therein with joy exceeding. Then he sent for the boy, the son
of Shimas, and the Captain of the hundred horse ; and, entreating
the young Wazir with honour, gave him the letter to read ; whilst
he himself blamed the King's conduct to the Captain who kissed
his hands and made his excuses to him, offering up prayers for the
continuance of his life and the permanence of his prosperity.
The King thanked him for this and bestowed upon him honours
and largesse and gave to all his men what befitted them and made
ready presents to send by them and bade the boy Wazir indite
an answer to their King's letter. So the boy wrote a reply,
wherein, after an address1 beautiful exceedingly, he touched
briefly on the question of reconciliation and praised the good
breeding of the envoy and of his mounted men, and showed it,
when duly finished, to the King who said to him, "Read it, O
thou dear boy, that we may know what is written 2 therein."
So the boy read the letter in the presence of the hundred horse,

1 Arab. "Khitab" =r the exordium of a letter preceding its business-matter and in
which the writer displays all bis art. It ends with " Amma ba'd," lit. « but after,
equivalent to our " To proceed." This " Khitdb " is mostly skipped over by modern
statesmen who will say, *' Now after the nonsense let us come to the sense"; but their
secretaries carefully weigh every word of it, and strongly resent all shortcomings.

2 Strongly suggesting that the King had forgotten how to read and write. So not a
few of the Amirs of Sind were analphabetic and seemed rather proud of it : "a Baloch
cannot write, but he always carries a signet-ring." I heard of an old English lady of
the past generation in Northern Africa who openly declared " A Warri&gton shall never
learn to read or write."

JKing Wird Khan with his Women and Wazirs. 127

and the King and all present marvelled at its ordinance of style
and sense. Then the King sealed the letter and delivering it to
the Captain of the hundred horse, dismissed him with some of
his own troops, to escort him as far as the frontier of his country.
The Captain returned, confounded in mind at that which he had
seen of the boy's knowledge and thanking Allah for the speedy
accomplishment of his errand and the acceptance of peace, to
the King of Outer Hind. Then going in to the presence, he
delivered the presents and handed to him the letter, telling him
-what he had seen and heard, whereat the King rejoiced with joy
exceeding and rendered lauds to his Lord the Most High and
honoured the Captain commending his care and zeal and ad-
vancing him in rank. And from that hour he woned in peace
and tranquillity and all happiness. As for King Wird Khan, he
returned to the paths of righteousness, abandoning his evil ways
and repenting to Allah with sincere penitence ; and he gave up
womanising altogether and applied himself wholly to the ordering
of the affairs of his realm and the governance of his people in the
fear of Allah. Furthermore, he made the son of Shimas Wazir
in his father's stead, and the chief after himself in his realm and
keeper of his secrets and bade decorate his capital for seven days
and likewise the other cities of his kingdom. At this the subjects
rejoiced and fear and alarm ceased from them and they were glad
in the prospect of justice and equity and instant in prayer for
the King and for the Minister who from him and them had done
away this trouble. Then said the King to the Wazir, " What is
thy rede for the assuring of the state and the prospering of the
people and the return of the realm to its aforetime state as regards
Captains and Councillors ? " Answered the boy, " O King of
high estate, in my judgment it behoveth before all, that thou begin
by rending out from thy heart the root of wickedness and leave
thy debauchery and tyranny and addiction to women ; for, an thou
return to the root of transgression, the second backsliding will be
worse than the first." The King asked, " And what is the root
of sinfulness that it behoveth me to root out from my heart ? "J
and was answered by the Wazir, little of years but great of wit,
" O King the root of wickedness is subjection to the desire of
women and inclining to them and following their counsel and
contrivance ; for the love of them changeth the soundest wit and
forrupteth the most upright nature, and manifest proofs bear
witness to my saying, wherein an thou meditate them and follow

128 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

their actions and consequences with eyes intent, thou wilt find a
loyal counsellor against thy own soul and wilt stand in no need
whatever of my rede. Look, then, thou occupy not thy heart with
the thought of womankind and do away the trace of them from
thy mind, for that Allah the Most High hath forbidden excessive
use of them by the mouth of His prophet Moses, so that quoth a
certain wise King to his son : — O my son, when thou succeedest
to the kingdom after me, frequent not women overmuch, lest thy
heart be led astray and thy judgment be corrupted ; for that
overmuch commerce with them leadeth to love of them, and love
of them to corruption of judgment. And the proof of this is what
befel our Lord Solomon, son of David, (peace be upon the twain
of them !) whom Allah specially endowed with knowledge and
wisdom and supreme dominion, nor vouchsafed He to any one
of the Kings his predecessors the like of that which He gave
him ; and women were the cause of his father's offending. The
examples of this are many, O King, and I do but make mention
of Solomon to thee for that thou knowest that to none was given
such dominion as that with which he was invested, so that all the
Kings of the earth obeyed him. Know then, O King, that the
love of women is the root of all evil and none of them hath any
judgment : wherefore it behoveth a man use them according to
his need and not incline to them with utter inclination for that
will cast him into corruption and perdition. An thou hearken to
my words, all thine affairs will prosper ; but, an thou neglect
them thou wilt repent, whenas repentance will not profit thee."
Answered the King, " Verily, I have left my whilome inclination to

women. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased

saying her permitted say.

Nofo fojen it foas tfje Nine f^un&rrtr antr tSfoentg^nintfi tNTigftt,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O mighty monarch, that
King Wird Khan said to his Wazir, " Indeed, I have left my
whilome inclination to women and have altogether renounced my
infatuation for them ; but how shall I do to punish them in retali-
ation of their misdeeds ? For the slaying of thy sire Shifnas was
of their malice and not of my own will, and I know not what
ailed my reason that I consented with their proposal to slay him."
Then he cried, " Ah me ! " and groaned and lamented, saying,
** Well-away and alas for the loss of my Wazir and his just judg-

King Wird Khan with his Women and Wazirs. 12$

ment and admirable administration and for the loss of his like
of the Wazirs and Heads of the State and of the goodliness of
their apt counsels and sagacious ! " " O King/' quoth the boy-
minister, " Know that the fault is not with women alone, for that
they are like unto a pleasing stock in trade, whereto the lusts of
the lookers-on incline. To whosoever lusteth and buyeth, they
sell it, but whoso buyeth not, none forceth him to buy ; so that
the fault is of him who buyeth, especially if he know the harm*
fulness of that merchandise. Now, I warn thee, as did my sire
before me, but thou acceptedest not to his counsel/' Answered
the King, " O Wazir, indeed I have fixed this fault upon myself,
even as thou hast said, and I have no excuse except divine fore-
ordainment." Rejoined the Wazir, " O King, know that Almighty
Allah hath created us and endowed us with capability and appointed
to us freewill and choice ; so, if we will, we do, and if we will,
we do not. The Lord commanded us not to do harm, lest sin
attach to us ; wherefore it befitteth us to take compt of whatso ia
right to do, for that the Almighty biddeth us naught but good in
all cases and forbiddeth us only from evil ; but what we do, we do
of our own design, be it fair or faulty." Quoth the King, " Thou
sayest sooth, and indeed my fault arose from my surrendering
myself to my lusts, albeit often and often my better self warned
tne from this and thy sire Shimas also warned me often and often ;
but my lusts overcame my wits. Hast thou then with thee aught
that may withhold me from again committing this error and
whereby my reason may be victorious over the desires of my
soul ? " Quoth the Wazir, " Yes : I can tell thee what will restrain
thee from relapsing into this fault, and it is that thou doff the
garment of ignorance and don that of understanding, and disobey
thy passions and obey thy Lord and revert to the policy of the
just King thy sire, and fulfil thy duties to Allah the Most High
and to thy people and apply thyself to the defence of thy faith
and the promotion of thy subjects' welfare and rule thyself aright
and forbear the slaughter of thy people ; and look to the end of
things and sever thyself from tyranny and oppression and arrogance
and lewdness, and practise justice, equity and humility and bow-
before the bidding of the Almighty and apply thyself to gentle
dealing with those of His creatures over whom He set thee and be
assiduous as it besitteth thee in fulfilling their prayers unto thee
An thou be constant herein may thy days be serene and may Allah
of His mercy pardon thee and make thee loved and feared of all
VOL. ix.

I JO A If Laylah wa Laylah.

who look on thee ; so shall thy foes be brought to naught, for the
Omnipotent shall rout their hosts and thou shalt have acceptance
with Him and of His creatures be dreaded and to them endeared."
Quoth the King, " Indeed thou hast quickened my vitals and
illumined my heart with thy sweet speech and hast opened the
eyes of my clear-seeing after blindness ; and I am resolved to do
whatso thou hast set forth to me, with the help of the Almighty,
leaving my former case of lust and sinfulness and bringing forth
my soul from durance vile to deliverance and from fear to safety.
So it behoveth thee to be joyful hereat and contented, for that I
am become to thee as a son, maugre my more of age, and thou to
me as a dear father, despite thy tenderness of years, and it hath
become incumbent on me to do mine utmost endeavour in all thou
commandest me. Wherefore I thank the bounty of Allah and
thy bounty because He hath vouchsafed me, by thee, fair fortune
and goodly guidance and just judgment to ward off my cark
and care ; and the security of my lieges hath been brought about
by thy hand, through the excellence of thy knowledge and the
goodliness of thy contrivance. And thou, from this hour, shalt be
the counsellor of my kingdom and equal to myself in all but
sitting upon the throne ; and whatso thou dost shall be law to me
and none shall disobey thy word, young in years though thou be,
for that thou art old in wit and knowledge. So I thank Allah who
deigned grant thee to me, that thou mayst guide me into the way
of salvation and out of the crooked paths of perdition." Quoth
the Wazir, " O auspicious King, know that no merit is due to me
for giving thee loyal counsel ; for that to succour thee by deed and
word is one of the things which is incumbent on me, seeing that I
am but a plant of thy bounty ; and not I alone, but one before me
was overwhelmed with thy beneficence ; so that we are both alike
partakers in thy honours and favours, and how shall we not
acknowledge this ? Moreover thou, O King, art our shepherd and
ruler and he who wardeth off from us our foes, and to whom are
committed our protection and our guardian, constant in endeavour
for our safety. Indeed, though we lavished our lives in thy service,
yet should we not fulfil that which is incumbent on us of gratitude
to thee ; but we supplicate Allah Almighty, who hath set thee over
us and made thee our ruler, and beseech Him vouchsafe thee long
life and success in all thine enterprises and not to make trial of
thee with afflictions in thy time, but bring thee to thy desire and
make thee to be reverenced till the day of thy death and lengthen

King Wird Khan with his Women and Wazirs. 131

thine arms in generosity, so thou mayst have command over every
wise man and subdue every wicked man and all the wise and brave
be found with thee in thy realm and all the ignorant and cowardly
be plucked out from thy reign ; and we pray Him to withhold
from thy people scarcity and calamity and sow among them the
seed of love and friendship and cause them to enjoy of this world
its prosperity and of the next felicity, of His grace and bounty
and hidden mercies. Amen ! l For He is over all things Omni-
potent and there is naught difficult unto Him, to Him all things
tend." When the King heard the Wazir's prayer, he was mightily
rejoiced and inclined to him with his whole heart, saying, " Know,
O Wazir, thou art to me in lieu of brother and son and father, and
naught but death shall divide me from thee. All that my hand
possesseth thou shalt have the disposal of and, if I have no child
to succeed me, thou shalt sit on my throne in my stead ; for thou
art the worthiest of all the folk of my realm, and I will invest thee
with my Kingship in the presence of the Grandees of my state
and appoint thee my heir apparent to inherit the kingdom after

me, Inshallah ! " And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day

and ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo fo&en it foas tje Nine l^untiteb anfc ®i)irttEt&

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King
Wird Khan said to the son of Shimas the whilome Wazir,
" Presently I will name thee my successor and make thee my heir
apparent : and I will call the Grandees of mine Empire to witness
thereto." Then he summoned his Secretary and bade him write
to all the Lords of his land, convoking them at his Court, and
caused proclamation to be made in his city to all the townsfolk
great and small, bidding every one of the Emirs and Governors
and Chamberlains and other officers and dignitaries to his presence
as well as the Olema and Literati learned in the law. He held to
boot a grand Divan and made a banquet, never was its like seen
anywhere and thereto he bade all the folk, high and low. So they
assembled and abode in merry making, eating and drinking a

1 Arab. " Amin," of which the Heb. form is Amen from the root Amn = stability,
constancy. In both tongues it is a particle of affirmation or consent = it is true 1 So
be it ! The Hebrew has also " Amanah " = verily, truly.

*32 A If Laylah wa Laylah<

month's space; after which the King clothed the whole of his
household and the poor of his Kingdom and bestowed on the men
of knowledge abundant largesse. Then he chose out a number of
the Olema and wise men who were known to the son of Shimas,
and caused them go in to him, bidding him choose out of them
six that he might make them Wazirs under commandment of the
boy. Accordingly he selected six of the oldest of them in years
and the best in wits and fullest of lore and the quickest of memory
and judgment, and presented them to the King, who clad them in
Wazirial habit saying, " Ye are become my Ministers, under the
commandment of this my Grand Wazir, the son of Shimas.
Whatsoever he saith to you or biddeth you to do, ye shall never
and in no wise depart from it, albeit he is the youngest of you
in years ; for he is the eldest of you in intellect and intelligence/'
Then he seated them upon chairs, adorned with gold after the
usage of Wazirs, and appointed to them stipends and allowances,
bidding them choose out such of the notables of the kingdom and
officers of the troops present at the banquet as were aptest for the
service of the state, that he might make them Captains of tens
and Captains of hundreds and Captains of thousands and appoint
to them dignities and stipends and assign them provision, after
the manner of Grandees. This they did with entire diligence and
he bade them also handsel all who were present with large gifts
and dismiss them each to his country with honour and renown ;
he also charged his governors to rule the people with justice and
enjoined them to be tender to the poor as well as to the rich and
bade succour them from the treasury, according to their several
degrees. So the Wazirs wished him permanence of glory and
continuance of life, and he commanded to decorate the city three
days, in gratitude to Allah Almighty for mercies vouchsafed to
him. Such was the case with the King and his Wazir, Ibn Shimas,
in the ordinance of his kingdom through his Emirs and Governors;
but as regards the favourite women, wives, concubines and others
who, by their malice and perfidy, had brought about the slaughter
of the Wazirs and had well nigh ruined the realm, as soon as the
Court was dissolved and all the people had departed, each to his
own place, after their affairs had been set in order, the King sum-
moned his boy-Minister, the son of Shimas, and the other six
Wazirs and taking them apart privily, said to them, " Know, O
Wazirs, that I have been a wanderer from the right way, drowned
in ignorance, opposed to admonition, a breaker of facts and

King Wird Khan with his Women and Wazirs. 133

promises and a gainsayer of good counsellors ; and the cause of
all this was my being fooled by these women and the wiles where-
by they beset me and the glozing lure of their speech, whereby
they seduced me to sin and my acceptance of this, for that I
deemed the words of them true and loyal counsel, by reason of
their sweetness and softness ; but lo, and behold ! they were
deadly poison. And now I am certified that they sought but to
ruin and destroy me, wherefore they deserve punishment and
retribution from me, for justice sake, that I may make them a
warning to whoso will be warned. And what say your just judg-
ments anent doing them to die ? " Answered the boy Wazir, " O
mighty King, I have already told thee that women are not alone
to blame, but that the fault is shared between them and the men
who hearken to them. However, they deserve punishment and
requital for two reasons : firstly for the fulfilment of thy word,
because thou art the supreme King ; and secondly, by reason of
their presumption against thee and their seducing thee and their
meddling with that which concerneth them not and whereof it
befitteth them not even to speak. Wherefore they have right well
deserved death; yet let that which hath befallen them suffice them,
and do thou henceforth reduce them to servants' estate. But it is
thine to command in this and in other than this." Then one of
the Wazirs seconded the counsel of Ibn Shimas ; but another of
them prostrated himself before the King and said to him, " Allah
prolong the King's life ! An thou be indeed resolved to do with
them that which shall cause their death, do with them as I shall
say to thee." Asked Wird Khan, " And what is that ? "; and the
Wazir answered, " Twere best that thou bid some of thy female
slaves carry the women who played thee false to the apartment,
wherein befel the slaughter of thy Wazirs and wise men and
imprison them there ; and bid that they be provided with a little
meat and drink, enough to keep life in their bodies. Let them
never be suffered to go forth of that place, and whenever one of
them dies, let her abide among them, as she is, till they die all,
even to the last of them. This is the least of their desert, because
they were the cause of this great avail ; ay, and the origin of all
the troubles and calamities that have befallen in our time ; so shall
there be verified in them the saying of the Sayer : — Whoso diggeth
his brother a pit shall surely himself fall into it, albeit of long
safety he have benefit." The King accepted the Wazir's counsel
and sending for four stalwart female slaves, committed the

134 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

offending women to them, bidding them bear them into the place
of slaughter and imprison them there and allow them every day a
little coarse food and a little troubled water. They did with them
as he bade ; wherefore the women mourned with sore mourning,
repenting them of that which they had done and lamenting with
grievous lamentation. Thus Allah gave them their reward of
abjection in this world and prepared for them torment in the world
to come ; nor did they cease to abide in that murky and noisome
place, whilst every day one or other of them died, till they all
perished, even to the last of them ;f and the report of this event
was bruited abroad in all lands and countries. This is the end of
the story of the King and his Wazirs and subjects, and praise be
to Allah who causeth peoples to pass away, and quickeneth the
bones that rot in decay ; Him who alone is worthy to be glorified
and magnified alway and hallowed for ever and aye ! And amongst
the tales they tell is one of

ABU KIR THE DYER AND ABU SIR THE BARBER.

THERE dwelt once, in Alexandria city, two men, of whom one was
a dyer, by name Abu Kir, and the other a barber Abu Sir ;2 and
they were neighbours in the market-street, where their shops stood
side by side. The dyer was a swindler and a liar, an exceeding
wicked wight, as if indeed his head-temples were hewn out of a
boulder rock or fashioned of the threshold of a Jewish synagogue,
nor was he ashamed of any shameful work he wrought amongst
the folk. It was his wont, when any brought him cloth for
staining, first to require of him payment under pretence of buying
dyestufTs therewith. So the customer would give him the wage in
advance and wend his ways, and the dyer would spend all he

1 To us this seems a case of "hard lines" for the unhappy women ; but Easterns then
believed and still believe in the divinity which doth hedge in a King, in his reigning by
the " grace of God," and in his being the Viceregent of Allah upon earth ; briefly in the
old faith of loyalty which great and successful republics are fast making obsolete in the
West and nowhere faster than in England.

2 Abu Sir is a manifest corruption of the old Egyptian Pousiri, the Busiris of our
classics, and it gives a name to sundry villages in modern Egypt where it is usually pro-
nounced " Busfr." Abu Kir lit. = the Father of Pitch, is also corrupted to Abou Kir
(Bay) ; and the townlet now marks the site of jolly old Canopus, the Chosen Land of
Egyptian debauchery.

Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber. 135

received on meat and drink ; after which he would sell the cloth
itself as soon as ever its owner turned his back and waste its worth
in eating and drinking and what not else, for he ate not but of the
daintiest and most delicate viands nor drank but of the best of.
that which doth away the wit of man. And when the owner of
the cloth came to him, he would say to him, " Return to me
to-morrow before sunrise and thou shalt find thy stuff dyed." So
the customer would go away, saying to himself, " One day is near
another day,'1 and return next day at the appointed time, when the
dyer would say to him, " Come to-morrow ; yesterday I was not at
\vork, for I had with me guests and was occupied with doing what
their wants required till they went : but to-morrow before sunrise
come and take thy cloth dyed." So he would fare forth and
return on the third day, when Abu Kir would say to him, " Indeed
yesterday I was excusable, for my wife was brought to bed in the
night and all day I was busy with manifold matters ; but to-
morrow, without fail, come and take thy cloth dyed." When the
man came again at the appointed time, he would put him off with
some other pretence, it mattered little what, and would swear to

him ; Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying

her permitted say.

Nofo fofjen it foas tjje Nine ^un&refc anfc

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that every time
the owner of an article came to the dyer he would put him off with
any pretext1 and would swear to him ; nor would he cease to
promise and swear to him, as often as he came, till the customer
lost patience and said, " How often wilt thou say to me,
* To-morrow ? ' Give me my stuff : I will not have it dyed."
Whereupon the dyer would make answer, " By Allah, O my
brother, I am abashed at thee ; but I must tell the truth and may
Allah harm all who harm folk in their goods ! " The other would
exclaim, " Tell me what hath happened ;" and Abu Kir would

1 It is interesting to note the superior gusto with which the Eastern, as well as the
Western tale-teller describes his scoundrels and villains whilst his good men and women
are mostly colourless and unpicturesque. So Satan is the true hero of Paradise-Lost
and by his side God and man are very ordinary ; and Mephistopheles is much better
society than Faust and Margaret.

A If Laylah wa Laylah.

reply, "As for thy stuff I dyed that same on matchless wise and
hung it on the drying rope but 'twas stolen and I know not who
stole it." If the owner of the stuff were of the kindly he would
say, " Allah will compensate me ;" and if he were of the ill-condi-
tioned, he would haunt him with exposure and insult, but would
get nothing of him, though he complained of him to the judge.
He ceased not doing thus till his report was noised abroad among
the folk and each used to warn other against Abu Kir who became
a byword amongst them. So they all held aloof from him and
none would be entrapped by him save those who were ignorant of
his character ; but, for all this, he failed not daily to suffer insult
and exposure from Allah's creatures. By reason of this his trade
became slack and he used to go to the shop of his neighbour the
barber Abu Sir and sit there, facing the dyery and with his eyes
on the door. Whenever he espied any one who knew him not
standing at the dyery-door, with a piece of stuff in his hand, he
would leave the barber's booth and go up to him saying, " What
seekest thou, O thou ? "; and the man would reply, " Take and
dye me this thing." So the dyer would ask, " What colour wilt
thou have it ? " For, with all his knavish tricks bis hand was in
all manner of dyes ; but he was never true to any one ; wherefore
poverty had gotten the better of him. Then he would take the
stuff and say, " Give me my wage in advance and come to-morrow
and take the stuff." So the stranger would advance him the
money and wend his way ; whereupon Abu Kir would carry the
cloth to the market-street and sell it and with its price buy meat
and vegetables and tobacco1 and fruit and what not else he needed;
but, whenever he saw any one who had given him stuff to dye
standing at the door of his shop, he would not come forth to him
or even show himself to him. On this wise he abode years and
years, till it fortuned one day that he received cloth to dye from a
man of wrath and sold it and spent the proceeds. The owner
came to him every day, but found him not in his shop ; for, when-
ever he espied any one who had claim against him, he would flee
from him into the shop of the barber Abu Sir. At last, that angry

1 Arab. " Dukhan," lit. = smoke, here tobacco for the Chibouk, "Timbak" or
** Tumbak " being the stronger (Persian and other) variety which must be washed before
smoking in the Shishah or water-pipe. Tobacco is mentioned here only and is evidently
inserted by some scribe : the " wee"d " was not introduced into the East before the end
of the sixteenth century (about a hundred years after coffee), when it radically changed
the manners of society.

Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber. 137

man finding that he was not to be seen and growing weary of such
work, repaired to the Kazi and bringing one of his Serjeants to the
shop, nailed up the door, in presence of a number of Moslems, and
sealed it, for that he saw therein naught save some broken pans of
earthenware to stand him instead of his stuff; after which the
serjeant took the key, saying to the neighbours, " Tell him to bring
back this man's cloth then come to me1 and take his shop key;"
and went his way, he and the man. Then said Abu Sir to Abu
Kir, "What ill business is this?2 Whoever bringeth thee aught
thou losest it for him. What hath become of this angry man's
stuff?" Answered the dyer, "O my neighbour, 'twas stolen from
me." " Prodigious ! " exclaimed the barber. " Whenever any one
giveth thee aught, a thief stealeth it from thee ! Art thou then
the meeting-place of every rogue upon town ? But I doubt me
thou liest: so tell me the truth." Replied Abu Kir, "O my
neighbour, none hath stolen aught from me." Asked Abu Sir,
" What then dost thou with the people's property ? " ; and the
dyer answered, •" Whenever any one giveth me aught to dye, I sell
it and spend the price." Quoth Abu Sir, " Is this permitted thee
of Allah ? " and quoth Abu Kir, " I do this only out of poverty,
because business is slack with me and I .am poor and have
nothing."3 And he went on to complain to him of the dulness
of his trade and his lack of means. Abu Sir in like manner
lamented the little profit of his own calling, saying, "I am a
master of my craft and have not my equal in this city ; but no one
cometh to me to be polled, because I am a pauper ; and I loathe
this art and mystery, O my brother." Abu Kir replied, "And I
also loathe my own -craft, by reason of its slackness ; but, O my
brother, what call is there for our abiding in this town ? Let us
depart from it, I and thou, and solace ourselves in the lands of
mankind, carrying in our hands our crafts which are in demand all
the world over; so shall we breathe the air and rest from this
grievous trouble." And he ceased not to commend travel to

1 Which meant that the serjeant, after the manner of such officials, would make him
pay dearly before giving up the key. Hence a very seVere punishment in the East is to
"call in a policeman " who carefully fleeces all those who do r>ot bribe him to leave
them in freedom.

9 Arab. " Ma Dahiyatak?" lit. "What is thy misfortune?" The phrase is slighting
if not insulting.

3 Amongst Moslems the plea of robbing to keep life and body together would be
accepted by a good man like Abu Sir, who still consorted with a self-confessed thief.

138 A/f Laylah wa Laylah.

Abu Sir, till the barber became wishful to set out ; so they agreed

upon their route, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day

and ceased to say her permitted say.

foben ft foa* tjje Dime ^uniKrelr anto

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abu
Kir ceased not his praises of wayfaring to Abu Sir till the barber
became wishful to depart ; so they agreed upon their route, at
which decision Abu Kir rejoiced and improvised these lines : —

Leave thy home for abroad an wouldst rise on high, o And travel whence

benefits five- fold rise ;
The soothing of sorrow and winning of bread, ft Knowledge, manners and

commerce with good men and wise.
An they say that in travel are travail and care, o And disunion of friends and

much hardship that tries ;
Yet to generous youth death is better than life o In the house of contempt

betwixt haters and spies.

When they agreed to travel together Abu Kir said to Abu Sir, " O
my neighbour, we are become brethren and there is no difference
between us, so it behoveth us to recite the Fatihah ! that he of us
who gets work shall of his gain feed him who is out of work, and
whatever is left, we will lay in a chest ; and when we return to
Alexandria, we will divide it farrly and equally." " So be it,"
replied Abu Sir, and they repeated the Opening Chapter of the
Koran on this understanding. Then Abu Sir locked up his shop
and gave the key to its owner, whilst Abu Kir left his door locked
and sealed and let the key lie with the Kazi's serjeant ; after which
they took their baggage and embarked on the morrow in a galleon 2
upon the salt sea. They set sail the same day and fortune attended
them, for, of Abu Sir's great good luck, there was not a barber in
the ship albeit it carried an hundred and twenty men, besides
captain and crew. So, when they loosed the sails, the barber said
to the dyer, " O my brother, this is the sea and we shall need meat
and drink ; we have but little provaunt with us, and haply the

1 To make their agreement religiously binding. See-vol. iv. 36.

2 Arab. " Ghaliyun " many of our names for craft seem connected with Arabic : I have
already noted "Carrack" — harrak : to which add Uskuf in Marocco pronounced
*Skuff= skiff; Katfrah = a cutter ; Barijah = a barge ; etc.- etc.

Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber. 139

voyage will be long upon us ; wherefore methinks I will shoulder
my budget and pass among the passengers, and may be some one
will say to me : — Come hither, O barber, and shave me, and I will
shave him for a scone or a silver bit or a draught of water : so
shall we profit by this, I and thou too." " There's no harm in
that," replied the dyer and laid down his head and slept, whilst
the barber took his gear and water-tasse l and throwing over his
shoulder a rag, to serve as napkin (because he was poor), passed
among the passengers. Quoth one of them, " Ho, master, come
and shave me." So he shaved him, and the man gave him a half-
dirham;2 whereupon quoth Abu Sir, "O my brother, I have no
use for this bit ; hadst thou given me a scone 'twere more blessed
to me in this sea, for I have a shipmate and we are short of pro-
vision." So he gave him a loaf and a slice of cheese and filled him
the tasse with sweet water. The barber carried all this to Abu
Kir and said, " Eat the bread and cheese and drink the water.'*
Accordingly he ate and drank, whilst Abu Sir again took up his
shaving gear and, tasse in hand and rag on shoulder, went round
about the deck among the passengers. One man he shaved for
two scones and another for a bittock of cheese, and he was in
demand, because there was no other barber on board. Also he
bargained with every one who said to him, " Ho, master, shave
me ! " for two loaves and a half dirham, and they gave him what-
ever he sought, so that, by sundown, he had collected thirty loaves
and thirty silvers with store of cheese and olives and botargoes.*
And besides these he got from the passengers whatever he
asked for and was soon in possession of things galore. Amongst
the rest he shaved the Captain,4 to whom he complained of his
lack of victual for the voyage, and the skipper said to him, " Thou
art welcome to bring thy comrade every night and sup with me
and have no care for that so long as ye sail with us." Then he

1 The patient is usually lathered in a big basin of tinned brass, a " Mambrino's helmet "
with a break in the rim to fit the throat ; but the poorer classes carry only a small cup
with water instead of soap and water ignoring the Italian proverb, " Barba ben saponata
mezza fatta" = well lathered is half shaved. A napkin fringed at either end is usually
thrown over the Figaro's shoulder and used to wipe the razor.

2 Arab. "Nusf." See vol. ii. 37.

3 Arab. *'Batarikh" the roe (sperm or spawn) of the salted Fasikh (fish) and the Burl
(niugil cephalus} a salt-water fish caught in the Nile and considered fair eating. Some
write Butargha from the old Egyptian town Burat, now a ruin between Tinnis and
Damietta (Sonnini).

* AVab. « Kaptdn," see vol. iv. 85,

140 A if Laylah tva Laylah.

returned to the dyer, whom he found asleep ; so he roused him ;
and when Abu Kir awoke, he saw at his head an abundance of
bread and cheese and olives and botargoes and said, "Whence
gottest thou all this ? " " From the bounty of Allah Almighty,"
replied Abu Sir. Then Abu Kir would have fallen to, but the
barber said to him, " Eat not of this, O my brother ; but leave it
to serve us another time ; for know that I shaved the Captain and
complained to him of our lack of victual : whereupon quoth he : —
Welcome to thee ! Bring thy comrade and sup both of ye with me
every night. And this night we sup with him for the first time.",
But Abu Kir replied, " My head goeth round with sea-sickness
and I cannot rise from my stead ; so let me sup off these things
and fare thou alone to the Captain." Abu Sir replied, " There is
no harm in that ; " and sat looking at the other as he ate, and
saw him hew off gobbets, as the quarryman heweth stone from
the hill-quarries and gulp them down with the gulp of an elephant
which hath not eaten.for days, bolting another mouthful ere he
had swallowed the previous one and glaring the while at that
which was before him with the glowering of a Ghul and blowing
as blowing as bloweth the hungry bull over his beans and
bruised straw. Presently up came a sailor and said to the
barber, " O craftsmaster, the Captain biddeth thee come to supper
and bring thy comrade." Quoth the barber to the dyer, " Wilt
thou come with us ? " ; but quoth he, " I cannot walk." So the
barber went by himself and found the Captain sitting before a tray
whereon were a score or more of dishes and all the company were
awaiting him and his mate. When the Captain saw him he
asked, " Where is thy friend ? " ; and Abu Sir answered, " O my
lord, he is sea-sick.'1 Said the skipper, " That will do him no
harm ; his sickness will soon pass off; but do thou carry him his
supper and come back, for we tarry for thee." Then he set apart
a porringer of Kababs and putting therein some of each dish, till
there was enough for ten, gave it to Abu Sir, saying, " Take this
to thy chum." He took it and carried it to the dyer, whom he
found grinding away with his dog-teeth1 at the food which was
before him, as he were a camel, and heaping mouthful on mouth-
ful in his hurry. Quoth Abu Sir, " Did I not say to thee : —

1 Arab. " Anyab," plur. of Nab applied to the grinder teeth but mostly to the
canines or eye teeth, tusks of animals etc. (See vol. vii. p. 339) opp. to Saniyah, dne of
the four central incisors, a camel in the sixth year and horse, cow* sheep and goat in
fourth year*!

Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber. 141

Eat not of this ? Indeed the Captain is a kindly man. See what
he hath sent thee, for that I told him thou wast sea-sick." " Give
it here," cried the dyer. So the barber gave him the platter, and
he snatcked it from him and fell upon his food, ravening for it
and resembling a grinning dog or a raging lion or a Rukh pouncing
on a pigeon or one well-nigh dead for hunger who seeing meat
falls ravenously to eat. Then Abu Sir left him and going back to
the Captain, supped and enjoyed himself and drank coffee1 with
him ; after which he returned .to Abu Kir and found that he had

eaten all that was in the porringer and thrown it aside, empty.

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

jSofo fojnx ft foas tije 4Htne ^unfctelr anfc ^Fj)irt2=tfmti

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Abu Sir returned to Abu Kir he saw that he had eaten all that
was in the porringer and had thrown it aside empty. So he took
it up and gave it to one of the Captain's servants, then went back
to Abu Kir and slept till the morning. On the morrow he
continued to shave, and all he got by way of meat and drink he
gave to his shipmate, who ate and drank and sat still, rising not
save to do what none could do for him, and every night the barber
brought him a full porringer from the Captain's table. They
fared thus twenty days until the galleon cast anchor in the
harbour of a city ; whereupon they took leave of the skipper and
landing, entered the town and hired them a closet in a Khan. Abu
Sir furnished it and buying a cooking pot and a platter and
spoons2 and what else they needed, fetched meat and cobked it ;
but Abu Kir fell asleep the moment he entered the Caravanserai
and awoke not till Abu Sir aroused him and set the tray of food3

1 The coffee (see also vol. viii. 274) like the tobacco is probably due to the scribe ;
but the tale appears to be comparatively modern. In The Nights men eat, drink and
wash their hands but do not smoke and sip coffee like the moderns. See my Terminal
Essay §• 2.

2 Arab. «« Mi'lakah " (Bresl. Edit, x, 456). The fork is modern even in the East and
the Moors borrow their term for it from fourchette. But the spoon, which may have
begun with a cockle-shell, dates from the remotest antiquity.

3 Arab. "Sufrah" pjoperly the cloth or leather upon which food is placed. See
vol. i. 178.

I42 Alf Lay la h wa Lay I ah.

before him. When he awoke, he ate and saying to Abu Sir,
" Blame me not, for I am giddy," fell asleep again. Thus he did
forty days, whilst, every day, the barber took his gear and making
the round of the city, wrought for that which fell to his lot,1 and
returning, found the dyer asleep and aroused him. The moment
he awoke he fell ravenously upon the food, eating as one who
cannot have his fill nor be satisfied ; after which he went asleep
again. On this wise he passed other forty days and whenever the
barber said to him, " Sit up and be comfortable2 and go forth
and take an airing in the city, for 'tis a gay place and' a pleasant
and hath not its equal among the cities," he would reply, " Blame
me not, for I am giddy." Abu Sir cared not to hurt his feelings
nor give him hard words ; but, on the forty-first day, he himself
fell sick and could not go abroad ; so he engaged the porter of
the Khan to serve them both, and he did the needful for them
and brought them meat and drink whilst Abu Kir would do
nothing but eat and sleep. The man ceased not to wait upon
them on this wise for four days, at the end of which time the
barber's malady redoubled on him, till he lost his senses for stress
of sickness; and Abu Kir, feeling the sharp pangs of hunger, arose
and sought in his comrade's clothes, where he found a thousand
silver bits. He took them and, shutting the door of the closet
upon Abu Sir, fared forth without telling any ; and the doorkeeper
was then at market and thus saw him not go out. Presently Abu
Kir betook himself to the bazar and clad himself in costly clothes, at
a price of five hundred half-dirhams ; then he proceeded to walk
about the streets and divert himself by viewing the city which he
found to be one whose like was not among cities ; but he noted
that all its citizens were clad in clothes of white and blue, without
other colour. Presently he came to a dyer's and seeing naught
but blue in his shop, pulled out to him a kerchief and said, "O
master, take this and dye it and win thy wage." Quoth the dyer,
" The cost of dyeing this will be twenty dirhams ; " and quoth Abu
Kir, " In our country we dye it for two." " Then go and dye it in
your own country ! As for me, my. price is twenty dirhams and I
will not bate a little thereof." " What colour wilt thou dye it ? "
" I will dye it blue." " But I want it dyed red." " I know not
how to dye red." " Then dye it green." " I know not how to dye

1 i.e. gaining much one. day and little another.

2 Lit. " Rest thyself" i.e. by changing posture.

Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber. 143

green." " Yellow." " Nor yet yellow." Thereupon .Abu Kir
went on to name the different tints to him, one after other,
till the dyer said, "We are here in this city forty master-
dyers, not one more nor one less ; and when one of us dieth,
we teach his son the craft. If he leave no son, we abide lacking
one, and if he leave two sons, we teach one of them the craft, and
if he die, we teach his brother. This our craft is strictly ordered,
and we know how to dye but blue and no other tint whatsoever."
Then said Abu Kir, " Know that I too am a dyer and wot how to
dye all colours ; and I would have thee take me into thy service
on hire, and I will teach thee everything of my art, so thou mayst
glory therein over all the company of dyers." But the dyer
answered, " We never admit a stranger into our craft." Asked
Abu Kir, " And what if I open a dyery for myself ? "; whereto the
other answered, " We will not suffer thee to do that on any wise ;"
whereupon he left him and going to a second dyer, made him the
like proposal ; but he returned him the same answer as the first ;
and he ceased not to go from one to other, till he had made the
round of the whole forty masters ; but they would not accept him
either to master or apprentice. Then he repaired to the Shaykh
of the Dyers and told him what had passed, and he said, " We
admit no strangers into our craft." Hereupon Abu Kir became
exceeding wroth and going up to the King of that city, made com-
plaint to him, saying, " O King of the age, I am a stranger and a
dyer by trade" ; and he told him whatso had passed between him-
self and the dyers of the town, adding, " I can dye various kinds
of red, such as rose-colour and jujubel-colour and varous kinds of
green, such as grass-green and pistachio-green and olive and
parrot's wing, and various kinds of black, such as coal-black and
Kohl-black, and various shades of yellow, such as orange and
lemon-colour," and went on to name to him the rest of the colours.
Then said he, " O King of the age, all the dyers in thy city can not
turn out of hand any one of these tincts, for they know not how to
dye aught but blue ; yet will they not admit me amongst them,
either to master or apprentice." Answered the King, " Thou sayst
sooth for that matter, but I will open to thee a dyery and give thee
capital and have thou no care anent them ; for whoso ofifereth to
do thee let or hindrance, I will hang him over his shop-door."
Then he sent for builders and said to them, " Go round about the

^ Arab. " 'Vnnft>i " = between dark yellow and led*

144 .Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

city with this master-dyer^ and whatsoever place pleaseth him, be
it shop or Khan or what not, turn out its occupier and build him a
dyery after his wish. Whatsoever he biddeth you, that do ye and
oppose him not in aught." And he clad him in a handsome suit
and gave him two white slaves to serve him, and a horse with
housings of brocade and a thousand dinars, saying, " Expend this
upon thyself against the building be completed." Accordingly
Abu Kir donned the dress and mounting the horse, became as he
were an Emir. Moreover the King assigned him a house and
bade furnish it ; so they furnished it for him. -- And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

fofan it foas t&e Nine l^untrtelr an& Bt&irtp.fotmJ

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
King assigned a house to Abu Kir and bade furnish it and he took
up his abode therein. On the morrow he mounted and rode
through the city, whilst the architects went before him ; and he
looked about him till he saw a place which pleased him and said,
" This stead is seemly ;" whereupon they turned out the owner
and carried him to the King, who gave him as the price of his
holding, what contented him and more. Then the builders fell to
work, whilst Abu Kir said to them, " Build thus and thus and do
this and that," till they built him a dyery that had not its like ;
whereupon he presented himself before the King and informed
him that they had done building the dyery and that there needed
but the price of the dye-stuffs and gear to set it going. Quoth the
King, "Take these four thousand dinars to thy capital and let me
see the first fruits of thy dyery." So he took the money and went
to the market where, finding dye-stuffs1 plentiful and well-nigh
worthless, he bought all he needed of materials for dyeing ; and
the King sent him five hundred pieces of stuff, which he set
himself to dye of all colours and then he spread them before the
door of his dyery. When the folk passed by the shop, they saw

1 Arab. " Nllah " lit. = indigo, but here applied to all the materials for dyeing. The
word is the Sansk. "t^JS and the growth probably came from India although duiing the
Crusaders' occupation of Jerusalem it was cultivated in the valley of the lower Jordan.
I need hardly say that it has nothing to do with the word " Nile" whose origin is still
sub judice. And yet I lately met a sciolist who pompously announced to me this philo-
logical absurdity as a discovery of his owo.

Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber. 145

a wonder-sight whose like they had never in their lives seen ; so
they crowded about the entrance, enjoying the spectacle and ques-
tioning the dyer and saying, " O master, what are the names of
these colours ? " Quoth he, " This is red and that yellow and the
other green " and so on, naming the rest of the colours. And they
fell to bringing him longcloth and saying to him, " Dye it for us
like this and that and take what hire thou seekest." When he
had made an end of dyeing the King's stuffs, he took them and
went up with them to the Divan ; and when the King saw them
he rejoiced in them and bestowed abundant bounty on the dyer.
Furthermore, all the troops brought him stuffs, saying, " Dye for
us thus and thus ;" and he dyed for them to their liking, and they
threw him gold and silver. After this his fame spread abroad and
his shop was called the Sultan's Dyery. Good came in to him at
every door and none of the other dyers could say a word to him,
but they used to come to him kissing his hands and excusing
themselves to him for past affronts they had offered him and
saying, " Take us to thine apprentices." But he would none of
them for he had become the owner of black slaves and handmaids
and had amassed store of wealth. On this wise fared it with Abu
Kir ; but as regards Abu Sir, after the closet door had been locked
on him and his money had been stolen, he abode prostrate and
unconscious for three successive days, at the end of which the
Concierge of the Khan, chancing to look at the door, observed
that it was locked and' bethought himself that he had not seen and^
heard aught of the two companions for some time. So he said in
his mind, " Haply they have made off, without paying rent,1 or
perhaps they are dead, or what is to do with them ?" And he
waited till sunset, when he went up to the door and heard tha
barber groaning within. He saw the key in the lock ; so he
opened the door and entering, found Abu Sir lying, groaning, and
said to him, " No harm to thee : where is thy friend ? " Replied
Abu Sir, " By Allah, I came to my senses only this day and called
out ; but none answered my call. Allah upon thee, O my brother,
look for the purse under my head and take from it five half?
dirhams and buy me somewhat nourishing, for I am sore

1 Still a popular form of " bilking " in the Wakdlahs or Caravanserais of Cairo : but
as a rule the Bawwab (porter or doorkeeper) keeps a sharp eye on those he suspects. The
evil is increased when women are admitted into these places ; so periodical orders for
^their exclusion are given to the police.

VOL. IX. K

A If Lay/ah wa Laylah.

anhungered." The porter put out his hand and taking the purse,
found it empty and said to the barber, " The purse is empty ; there
is nothing in it." Whereupon Abu Sir knew that Abu Kir had
taken that which was therein and had fled and he asked the
porter, " Hast thou not seen my friend ? " Answered the door-
keeper, " I have not seen him these three days ; and indeed
methought you had departed, thou and he." The barber cried,
" Not so ; but he coveted my money and took it and fled seeing
me sick." Then he fell a-weeping and a-wailing but the door-
keeper said to him, " No harm shall befal thee, and Allah will
requite him his deed." So he went away and cooked him some
broth, whereof he ladled out a plateful and brought it to
him ; nor did he cease to tend him and maintain him with
his own monies for two months' space, when the barber
sweated1 and the Almighty made him whole of his sickness.
Then he stood up and said to the porter, " An ever the Most
High Lord enable me, I will surely requite thee thy kindness to
me; but none requiteth save the Lord of His bounty!"
Answered the porter, " Praised be He for thy recovery ! I dealt
not thus with thee but of desire for the face of Allah the Bounti-
ful." Then the barber went forth of the Khan and threaded the
market-streets of the town, till Destiny brought him to the bazar
wherein was Abu Kir's dyery, and he saw the vari-coloured stuffs
dispread before the shop and a jostle of folk crowding to look
upon them. So he questioned one of the townsmen and asked
him, " What place is this and how cometh it that I see the folk
crowding together ? " ; whereto the man answered, saying, " This
is the Sultan's Dyery, which he set up for a foreigner Abu Kir
hight ; and whenever he dyeth new stuff, we all flock to him and
divert ourselves by gazing upon his handiwork, for we have no
dyers in our land who know how to stain with these colours ; and
indeed there befel him with the dyers who are in the city that
which befel."2 And he went on to tell him all that had passed
between Abu Kir and the master-dyers and how he had com-
plained of them to the Sultan who took him by the hand and

1 Natives of Egypt always hold this diaphoresis a sign that the disease has abated and
they regard it rightly in the case of bilious remittents to which they are subject, especially
after the hardships and sufferings of a sea-voyage with its alternations of fasting and
over-eating.

2 Not simply, "such and such events happened to him" (Lane); but, " a curious
chance befel him."

Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber. 147

built him that dyery and gave him this and that : brief, he re-
counted to him all that had occurred. At this the barber rejoiced
and said in himself, " Praised be Allah who hath prospered
him, so that he is become a master of his craft ! And the man is
excusable, for of a surety he hath been diverted from thee by his
work and hath forgotten thee ; but thou actedst kindly by him
and entreatedst him generously, what time he was out of work ;
so, when he seeth thee, he will rejoice in thee and entreat thee
generously, even as thou entreatedst him." According he made
for the door of the dyery and saw Abu Kir seated on a high
mattress spread upon a bench beside the doorway, clad in royal
apparel and attended by four blackamoor slaves and four white
Mamelukes all robed in the richest of raiment. Moreover, he saw
the workmen, ten negro slaves, standing at work ; for, when Abu
Kir bought them, he taught them the craft of dyeing, and he
himself sat amongst his cushions, as he were a Grand Wazir or a
mighty Monarch putting his hand to naught, but only saying to
the men, " Do this and do that." So the barber went up to him
and stood before him, deeming he would rejoice in him when he
saw him and salute him and entreat him with honour and make
much of him ; but, when eye fell upon eye, the dyer said to him,
" O scoundrel, how many a time have I bidden thee stand not at
the door of the workshop ? Hast thou a mind to disgrace me
with the folk, thief ! that thou art ? Seize him." So the black-
amoors ran at him and laid hold of him ; and the dyer rose up
from his seat and said, " Throw him." Accordingly they threw
him down and Abu Kir took a stick and dealt him an hundred
strokes on the back ; after which they turned him over and he beat
him other hundred blows on his belly. Then he said to him, " O
scoundrel, O villain, if ever again I see thee standing at the door
of this dyery, I will forthwith send thee to the King, and he will
commit thee to the Chief of Police, that he may strike thy neck.
Begone, may Allah not bless thee ! " So Abu Sir departed from
him, broken-hearted by reason of the beating and shame that had
betided him ; whilst the bystanders asked Abu Kir, " What hath
this man done ? " He answered, " The fellow is a thief, who

stealeth the stuffs of folk." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn

of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Arab. " Harami," lit. = one who lives on unlawful gains ; popularly a thief.

14$ A If Laflah wa Laylah:

JJofo fofjen it toas tje Nine ^unirafc anfc

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Abu
Kir beat Abu Sir and thrust him forth he said to those present,
" He is a thief who stealeth the stuffs of folk ; he hath robbed me
of cloth, how many a time ! and I still said in myself : — Allah
forgive him ! He is a poor man ; and I cared not to deal roughly
with him ; so I used to give my customers the worth of their
goods and forbid him gently ; but he would not be forbidden :
and if he come again, I will send him to the King, who will
put him to death and rid the people of his mischief." And
the bystanders fell to abusing the barber after his back was turned.
Such was the behaviour of Abu Kir ; but as regards Abu Sir, he
returned to the Khan, where he sat pondering that which the dyer
had done by him and he remained seated till the burning of the
beating subsided, when he went out and walked about the markets
of the city. Presently, he bethought him to go to the Hammam-
bath ; so he said to one of the townsfolk, " O my brother, which is
the way to the Baths ? " Quoth the man, " And what manner of
thing may the Baths be ? " and quoth Abu Sir, " Tis a place
where people wash themselves and do away their dirt and defile-
ments, and it is of the best of the good things of the world."
Replied the townsman, " Get thee to the sea," but the barber
rejoined, " I want the Hammam-baths." Cried the other, "We
know not what manner of thing is the Hammam, for we all resort
to the sea ; even the King, when he would wash, betaketh himself
to the sea." When Abu Sir was assured that there was no bath
in the city and that the folk knew not the Baths nor the fashion
thereof, he betook himself to the King's Divan and kissing ground
between his hands called down blessings on him and said, " I am
a stranger and a Bath-man by trade, and I entered thy city and
thought to go to the Hamrnam ; but found not one therein. How
cometh a city of this comely quality to lack a Hammam, seeing
that the bath is of the highest of the delights of this world ? " Quoth
the King, " What manner of thing is the Hammam ? " So Abu Sir
proceeded to set forth to him the quality of the bath, saying, " Thy
capital will not be a perfect city till there be a Hammam therein."
" Welcome to thee ! " said the King and clad him in a dress
that had not its like and gave him a horse and two blackamoor

Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber. 149

slaves, presently adding four handmaids and as many white
Mamelukes : he also appointed him a furnished house and
honoured him yet more abundantly than he had honoured the
dyer. After this he sent builders with him saying to them,
" Build him a Hammam in what place soever shall please him."
So he took them and went with them through the midst of the
city, till he saw a stead that suited him. He pointed it out to
the builders and they set to work, whilst he directed them, and
they wrought till they builded him a Hammam that had not its like.
Then he bade them paint it, and they painted it rarely, so that it
was a delight to the beholders ; after which Abu Sir went up to
the King and told him that they had made an end of building and
decorating the Hammam, adding, " There lacketh naught save
the furniture." The King gave him ten thousand dinars where-
with he furnished the Bath and ranged the napkins on the ropes ;
and all who passed by the door stared at it and their mind was
confounded at its decorations. So the people crowded to this
spectacle, whose like they had never in their lives seen, and solaced
themselves by staring at it and saying, " What is this thing ? "
To which Abu Sir replied, " This is a Hammam ; " and they
marvelled thereat. Then he heated water and set the bath a-
working,1 and he made a jetting fountain in the great basin, which
ravished the wit of all who saw it of the people of the city..
Furthermore, he sought of the King ten Mamelukes not yet come
to manhood, and he gave him ten boys like moons ; whereuport
Abu Sir proceeded to shampoo them, saying, " Do in this wise,
with the bathers." Then he burnt perfumes and sent out a crier
to cry aloud in the city, saying, " O creatures of Allah, get ye to
the Baths which be called the Sultan's Hammam ! " So the lieges
came thither and Abu Sir bade the slave-boys wash their bodies.
The folk went down into the tank and coming forth, seated them-
selves on the raised pavement, whilst the boys shampooed them,
even as Abu Sir had taught them ; and they continued to enter
the Hammam and do their need therein gratis and go out, without
paying, for the space of three days. On the fourth day the barber
invited the King, who took horse with his Grandees and rode to
the Baths, where he put off his clothes and entered ; then Abu
Sir came in to him and rubbed his body with the bag-gloves,
peeling from his skin dirt-rolls like lamp-wicks and showing them

1 *.f. he turned OB the water, hot and coW.

A If Laylah wa Laylah.

to the King, who rejoiced therein, and clapping his hand upon
his limbs heard them ring again for very smoothness and cleanli-
ness } ; after which thorough washing Abu Sir mingled rose-water
with the water of the tank and the King went down therein.
When he came forth, his body was refreshed and he felt a light-
ness and liveliness such as he had never known in his life. Then
the barber made him sit on the da'fs and the boys proceeded to
shampoo him, whilst the censers fumed with the finest lign-aloes.2
Then said the King, "O master is this the Hammam ?"; and Abu
Sir said, " Yes." Quoth the King, " As my head liveth, my city
is not become a city indeed but by this Bath," presently adding,
" But what pay takest thou for each person ?" Quoth Abu Sir,
" That which thou biddest will I take ; " whereupon the King cried,
" Take a thousand gold pieces for every one who washeth in thy
Hammam." Abu Sir, however, said, " Pardon, O King of the
age ! All men are not alike, but there are amongst them rich
and poor, and if I take of each a thousand dinars, the Hammam
will stand empty, for the poor man cannot pay this price." Asked
the King, " How then wilt thou do for the price ! "; and the barber
answered, " I will leave it to their generosity.3 Each who can
afford aught shall pay that which his soul grudgeth not to give,
and we will take from every man after the measure of his means.
On this wise will the folk come to us and he who is wealthy shall
give according to his station and he who is wealth-less shall give
what he can afford. Under such condition the Hammam will still
be at work and prosper exceedingly ; but a thousand dinars is a
Monarch's gift, and not every man can avail to this." The Lords

1 Men are often seen doing this in the Hammam. The idea is that the skin when
free from sebaceous exudation sounds louder under the clapping. Easterns judge much
by the state of the perspiration, especially in horse-training, which consists of hand-
gallops for many successive miles. The sweat must not taste over salt and when held
between thumb and forefinger and the two are drawn apart must not adhere in filaments.

2 Lit. "Aloes for making Nadd ; " see vol. i. 310. " Eagle-wood " (the Malay
Aigla and Agallochum the Sansk. Agura) gave rise to many corruptions as lignum aloes,
the Portuguese Pao d' Aguila etc. ''Calamba " or " Calambak" was the finest kind.
See Colonel Yule in the " Voyage of Linschoten" (vol. i. 120 and 150). Edited for the
Hackluyt Soc. (1885) by my learned and most amiable friend, the late Arthur Cooke
Burnell.

* The Hammam is one of those unpleasant things which are left " Ala judi-k " =to
thy generosity ; and the higher the bather's rank the more he or she is expected to pay.
See Pilgrimage i. 103. In 1853 I paid at Cairo 3 piastres and twenty paras, something
more than sixpence, but now five shillings would be asked.

Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber. 151

of the Realm confirmed Abu Sir's words, saying, " This is the
truth, O King of the age ! Thinkest thou that all folk are like
unto thee, O glorious King1? " The King replied, "Ye say sooth ;
but this man is a stranger and poor and 'tis incumbent on us to
deal generously with him, for that he hath made in our city this
Hammam whose like we have never in our lives seen and without
which our city were not adorned nor hath gotten importance ;
wherefore, an we favour him with increase of fee 'twill not be
much." But the Grandees said, " An thou wilt guerdon him be
generous with thine own monies, and let the King's bounty be
extended to the poor by means of the low price of the Hammam,
so the lieges may bless thee ; but, as for the thousand dinars, we
are the Lords of thy Land, yet do our souls grudge to pay it ; and
how then should the poor be pleased to afford it ? " Quoth the
King, " O my Grandees, for this time let each of you give him an
hundred dinars and a Mameluke, a slave girl and a blackamoor ; "
and quoth they, " 'Tis well ; we will give it ; but after to-day
whoso entereth shall give him only what he can afford, without
grudging." " No harm in that," said the King ; and they gave
him the thousand gold pieces and three chattels. Now the
number of the Nobles who were washed with the King that day

was four hundred souls ; And Shahrazad perceived the dawn

of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Koto fofjen it foas tfje Jfine J^untiteiJ anb ^Jtrt^sfxtft Nt'gftt,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
number of the Nobles who were washed with the King that day were
four hundred souls ; so that the total of that which they gave him
was forty thousand dinars, besides four hundred Mamelukes and
a like number of negroes and slave-girls.2 Moreover the King
gave him ten thousand dinars, besides ten white slaves and ten
hand-maiderrs and a like number of blackamoors ; whereupon
coming forward Abu Sir kissed the ground before him and said,
" O auspicious Sovereign, lord of justice, what place will contain

1 This is something like the mythical duchess in England who could not believe that
the poor were starving when sponge-cakes were so cheap.

2 This magnificent " Bakhshish " must bring water into the mouths of all the bath-men
in the coffee-house assembly.

152 (Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

aae all these women and slaves ? " Quoth the King, " O weak o*
wit, I bade not my nobles deal thus with thee but that we might
gather together unto thee wealth galore ; for may be thou wilt
bethink thee of thy country and family and repine for them and
be minded to return to thy mother-land ; so shalt thou take from
our country muchel of money to maintain thyself withal, what
while thou livest in thine own country." And quoth Abu Sir,
4< O King of the age, (Allah advance thee !) these white slaves and
women and negroes befit only Kings and hadst thou ordered me
ready money, it were more profitable to me than this army ; for
they must eat and drink and dress, and whatever betideth me of
wealth, it will not suffice for their support." The King laughed
and said, "By Allah thou speakest sooth! They are indeed a
mighty host, and thou hast not the wherewithal to maintain them ;.
but wilt thou sell them to me for an hundred dinars a head ? "
Said Abu Sir, " I sell them to thee at that price." So the King
sent to his treasurer for the coin and he brought it and gave Abu
Sir the whole of the price without abatement ! and in full tale ;
after which the King restored the slaves to their owners, saying,
** Let each of you who knoweth his slaves take them ; for they are
a gift from me to you." So they obeyed his bidding and took
each what belonged to him ; whilst Abu Sir said to the King,
" Allah ease thee, O King of the age, even as thou hast eased me
of these Ghuls, whose bellies none may fill save Allah 2 ! " The
King laughed, and said he spake sooth ; then, taking the Grandees
of his Realm from the Hammam returned to his palace; but the
barber passed the night in counting out his gold and laying it up
in bags and sealing them ; and he had with him twenty black
slaves and a like number of Mamelukes and four slave girls to
serve him. Now when morning morrowed, he opened the
Hammam and sent out a crier to cry, saying, " Whoso entereth the
Baths and washeth shall give that which he can afford and which
his generosity requireth him to give." Then he seated himself
by the pay-chest3 and customers flocked in upon him, each putting

1 i.e. the treasurer did not, as is the custom of such gentry, demand and receive a large
*' Bakhshish" on the occasion.

2 A fair specimen of clever Fellah chaff.

3 In the first room of the Hammam, called the Maslakh ©r stripping-place, the keeper
sits by a large chest in which he deposits the purses and valuables of his customers and
also makes it the caisse for the pay. Something of the kind is now done in the absurdly
called "Turkish Baths" of London.

Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber. 153

••x

down that which was easy to him, nor had eventide evened ere the
chest was full of the good gifts of AHah the Most High. Presently
the Queen desired to go to the Hammam, and when this came to
Abu Sir's knowledge, he divided the day on her account into two
parts, appointing that between dawn and noon to men and that
between midday and sundown to women.1 As soon as the Queen
came, he stationed a handmaid behind the pay-chest ; for he had
taught four slave-girls the service of the Hammam, so that they
were become expert bathwomen and tire-women. When the Queen
entered, this pleased her and her breast waxed broad and she laid
down a thousand dinars. Thus hfs report was noised abroad in
the city, and all who entered the bath he entreated with honour,
were they rich or poor ; good came in upon him at every door and
he made acquaintance with the royal guards and got him friends
and intimates. The King himself used to come to him one day in
every week, leaving with him a thousand dinars and the other days
were for rich and poor alike ; and he was wont to deal courteously
with the folk and use them with the utmost respect. It chanced
that the King's sea-captain came in to him one day in the bath ;
so Abu Sir did off his dress and going in with him, proceeded to
shampoo him and entreated him with exceeding courtesy. When
he came forth, he made him sherbet and coffee ; and when he
would have given him somewhat, he swore that he would not
accept from him aught. So the captain was under obligation to
him, by reason of his exceeding kindness and courtesy and was
perplexed how to requite the bath-man his generous dealing.
Thus fared it. with Abu Sir : but as regards Abu Kir, hearing all
the people recounting wonders of the Baths and saying, " Verily,
this Hammam is the Paradise of this world ! Inshallah, O such an
one, thou shalt go with us to-morrow to this delightful bath," he
said to himself, " Needs must I fare like the rest of the world, and
see this bath that hath taken folk's wits." So he donned his
richest dress and mounting a she-mule and bidding the attendance
of four white slaves and four blacks, walking before and behind
him, he rode to the Hammam. When he alighted at the door, he

1 This is the rule in Egypt and Syria and a clout hung over the door shows that
women are bathing. I have heard, but only heard, that in times and places when
eunuchs went in with the women youths managed by long practice to retract the testicles
so as to pass for castrates. It is hard to say what perseverance may pot effect in thi»
line ; witness Orsini and his abnormal development of hearing, by exercising musclet
which are usually left idle. r~

1 54 Alf Laylah wa Laylak.

smelt the scent of burning aloes- wood and found people going in
and out and the benches full of great and small. So he entered the
vestibule and saw Abu Sir, who rose to him and rejoiced in him :
but the dyer said to him, " Is this the way of well-born men ? I
have opened me a dyery and am become master-dyer of the city
and acquainted with the King and have risen to prosperity and
authority : yet earnest thou not to me nor askest of me nor saidst,
Where's my comrade ? For my part I sought thee in vain and
sent my slaves and servants to make search for thee in all the
Khans and other places ; but they knew not whither thou hadst
gone, nor could any one give me tidings of thee." Said Abu Sir,
" Did I not come to thee and didst thou not make me out a thief
and bastinado me and dishonour me before the world ? " At this
Abu Kir made a show of concern and asked, " What manner of talk
is this ? Was it thou whom I beat ? " : and Abu Sir answered,
" Yes, 'twas I.'* Whereupon Abu Kir swore to him a thousand
oaths that he knew him not and said, " There was a fellow like
thee, who used to come every day and steal the people's stuff, and
I took thee for him."1 And he went on to pretend penitence,
beating hand upon hand and saying, " There is no Majesty and
there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great ? Indeed
we have sinned against thee ; but would that thou hadst discovered
thyself to me and said, I am such an one ! Indeed the fault is
with thee, for that thou madest not thyself known unto me, more
especially seeing that I was distracted for much business."
Replied Abu Sir, " Allah pardon thee,1 O my comrade! This
was foreordained in the Secret Purpose, and reparation is with
Allah. Enter and put off thy clothes and bathe at thine ease."
Said the dyer, " I conjure thee, by Allah, O my brother, forgive
me!"; and said Abu Sir, "Allah acquit thee of blame and forgive
thee! Indeed this thing was decreed to me from all eternity."
Then asked Abu Kir, " Whence gottest thou this high degree ? " ;
and answered Abu Sir, " He who prospered thee prospered me ;
for I went up to the King and described to him the fashion of
the Hammam and he bade me build one." And the dyer said,

" Even as thou art beknown of the King, so also am I ; " And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her per-
mitted say.

1 This reference to Allah shows that Abu Sir did not believe his dyer-friend.

Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber. 155

it foa* t&e Nine ||un&re& an* ®f)tttg=sebwi{) Ntgfit,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Abu Kir and Abu Sir were exchanging reproof and excuse, the
dyer said to him, " Even as thou art beknown of the King, so also
am I ; and, Inshallah, — God willing---! will make him love and
favour thee more than ever, for my sake , he knoweth not that
thou art my comrade, but I will acquaint him of this and commend
thee to him." But Abu Sir said, "There needeth no commenda-
tion ; for He who moveth man's heart to love still liveth ; and
indeed the King and all his court affect me and have given me
this and that." And he told him the whole tale and said to him,
" Put off thy clothes behind the chest and enter the Hammam,.and
I will go in with thee and rub thee down with the glove." So he
doffed his dress and Abu Sk, entering the bath with him, soaped
him and gloved him and then dressed him and busied himself with
his service till he came forth, when he brought him dinner and
sherbets, whilst all the folk marvelled at the honour he did him.
Then Abu Kir would have given him somewhat; but he swore
that he would not accept aught from him and said to him, " Shame
upon such doings ! Thou art my comrade, and there is no differ-
ence between us." Then Abu Kir observed, " By Allah, O my
comrade, this is a mighty fine Hammam of thine, but there lacketh
somewhat in its ordinance." Asked Abu Sir, "And what is
that ? " and Abu Kir answered, " It is the depilatory,1 to wit, the
paste compounded of yellow arsenic and quicklime which removeth
the hair with comfort. Do thou prepare it and next time the King
cometh, present it to him, teaching him how he shall cause the
hair to fall off by such means, and he will love thee with exceeding
love and honour thee." Quoth Abu Sir, " Thou speakest sooth,
and Inshallah, I will at once make it." Then Abu Kir left him
and mounted his mule and going to the King said to him, " I have
a warning to give thee, O King of the age ! " " And what is thy
warning ? " asked the King ; and Abu Kir answered, " I hear that
thou hast built a Hammam." Quoth the King, " Yes : there came
to me a stranger and I builded the Baths for him, even as I builded

1 Arab. "Dawa" (lit. remedy, medicine) the vulgar term: see vol. ir. 256: also
called Rasmah, Nurah and many other names.

1 56 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

the dyery for thee ; and indeed 'tis a mighty fine Hammam and
an ornament to my city ; " and he went on to describe to him the
virtues of the bath. Quoth the dyer, " Hast thou entered there-
in ? " i and quoth the King, " Yes." Thereupon cried Abu Kir,
" Alhamdolillah — praised be God, — who saved thee from the mis-
chief of yonder villain and foe of the Faith, I mean the bath-
keeper ! " The King enquired, " And what of him ? " ; and Abu
Kir replied, " Know, O King of the age that, an thou enter the
Hammam again, after this day, thou wilt surely perish." " How
so ? " said the King ; and the dyer said, This bath-keeper is thy
foe and the foe of the Faith, and he induced thee not to stablish
this Bath but because he designed therein to poison thee. He
hath made for thee somewhat and he will present it to thee when
thou enterest the Hammam, saying : — This is a drug which, if one
apply to his parts below the waist, will remove the hair with
comfort. Now it is no drug, but a drastic dreg and a deadly
poison ; for the Sultan of the Christians hath promised this obscene
fellow to release to him his wife and children, an he will kill thee ;
for they are prisoners in the hands of that Sultan. I myself was
captive with him in their land, but I opened a dyery and dyed for
them various colours, so that they conciliated the King's heart to
me and he bade me ask a boon of him. I sought of him freedom
and he set me at liberty, whereupon I made my way to this city
and seeing yonder man in the Hammam, said to him, " How didst
thou effect thine escape and win free with thy wife and children ? "
Quoth he, " We ceased not to be in captivity, I and my wife and
children, till one day the King of the Nazarenes held a court
whereat I was present, amongst a number of others ; and as I
stood amongst the folk, I heard them open out on the Kings and
name them, one after other, till they came to the name of the
King of this city, whereupon the King of the Christians cried
out Alas ! and said, None vexeth me1 in the world, but the King
of such a city ! 2 Whosoever will contrive me his slaughter I will
give him all he shall ask." So I went up to him and said, " An
I compass for thee his slaughter, wilt thou set me free, me and my

1 Arab. " Ma Kahara-nl " =• or none hath overcome me.

* Bresl. Edit. "The King of Isbaniya/' For the "Ishban" (Spaniards) an ancient
people descended from Japhet son of Noah and who now are no more, see Al-Mas'udi
(Fr.. Transl. i. 361). The " Herodotus of the Arabs " recognises only the " Jalalikah "
or Gallicians, thus bearing witness to the antiquity and importance of the Gallego
raee.

Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber. 157

wife and my children?" The King replied "Yes; and I will
give thee to boot whatso thou shalt desire." So we agreed upon
this and he sent me in a galleon to this city, where I presented
myself to the King and he built me this Hammam. Now, there*
fore, I have nought to do but to slay him and return to the King
of the Nazarenes, that I may redeem my children and my wife
and ask a boon of him." Quoth I :— And how wilt thou go about
to kill him ? ; and quoth he :-— By the simplest of all devices ;
for I have compounded him somewhat wherein is poison ; so, when
he cometh to the bath, I shall say to him : — Take this paste and
anoint therewith thy parts below the waist for it will cause the
hair1 to drop off." So he will take it and apply it to himself and
the poison will work in him a day and a night, till it reacheth his
heart and destroyeth him ; and meanwhile I shall have made
off and none will know that it was I slew him." "When I
heard this," added Abu Kir, " I feared for thee, my benefactor,
wherefore I have told thee of what is doing." As soon as the
King heard the dyer's story, he was wroth with exceeding wrath
and said to him, " Keep this secret." Then he resolved to visit
the Hammam, that he might dispel doubt by supplying certainty ;
and when he entered, Abu Sir doffed his dress and betaking
himself as of wont to the service of the King, proceeded to
glove him ; after which he said to him, " O King of the age, I
have made a drug which assisteth in plucking out the lower
hair." Cried the King, " Bring it to me " : so the barber brought
it to him and the King, finding it nauseous of smell, was assured
that it was poison ; wherefore he was incensed and called out
to his guards, saying, " Seize him ! " Accordingly they seized
him and the King donned his dress and returned to his palace,
boiling with fury, whilst none knew the cause of his indignation ;
for, of the excess of his wrath he had acquainted no one there-
with and none dared ask him. Then he repaired to the audience-
chamber and causing Abu Sir to be brought before him, with his
elbows pinioned, sent for his Sea-captain and said to him, " Take
this villain and set him in a sack with two quintals of
lime unslacked and tie its mouth over his head. Then lay

l Arab. "Sha'r," properly, hair of body, pile, especially the pecten-. See
Burckhardt (Prov. No. 202), " grieving for lack of a cow she made a whip of her bush,*'
said of those who console themselves by building Castles in Spain. _ The " part* bclo^
[the waist "i* the decent Turkish term for the privities.

158 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

him in a cock-boat and row out with him in front of my palace,
where thou wilt see me sitting at the lattice. Do thou say to
me : — Shall I cast him in ? and if I answer, " Cast him ! " throw
the sack into the sea, so the quick-lime may be slaked on him
to the intent that he shall die drowned and burnt."1 " Hearkening
and obeying ; " quoth the Captain and taking Abu Sir from the
presence carried him to an island facing the King's palace, where
he said to him, " Ho thou, I once visited thy Hammam and thou
entreatedst me with honour and accomplishedst all my needs and I
had great pleasure of thee : moreover, thou swarest that thou wouldst
take no pay of me, and I love thee with a great love. So tell me
how the case standeth between thee and the King and what
abominable deed thou hast done with him that he is wroth with thee
and hath commanded me that thou shouldst die this foul death."
Answered Abu Sir, " I have done nothing, nor weet I of any crime

I have committed against him which meriteth this ! " And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say

fojcn ft foas tfa Nine f^un&refc an& ®lml8=etg!)tl) Nfg&t,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the Sea-captain asked Abu Sir the cause of the King's wrath with
him, he replied, " By Allah, O my brother I have committed no
crime against him which meriteth this ! " Rejoined the Captain,
" Verily, thou wast high in rank with the King, such as none ever
won before thee, and all who are prosperous are envied. Haply
some one was jealous of thy good fortune and threw out certain
hints concerning thee to the King, by reason whereof ne is become
enraged against thee with rage so violent : but be of good cheer ;
no harm shall befal thee; for, even as thou entreatedst me
generously, without acquaintanceship between me and thee, so now
I will deliver thee. But, an if I release -thee, thou must abide with
me on this island till some galleon sail from our city to thy native
land, when I will send thee thither therein," Abu Sir kissed his
hand and thanked him for that ; after which the Captain fetched
the quicklime and set it in a sack, together with a great stone, the

The drowning is a martyr's death, the burning is a foretaste of Hell-fire*;

Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber. 159

size of a man, saying, " I put my trust in Allah ! "l Then he gave
the barber a net, saying, " Cast this net into the sea, so haply
thou mayst take somewhat of fish. For I am bound to supply the
King's kitchen with fish every day ; but to-day I have been dis-
tracted from fishing by this calamity which hath befallen thee, and
I fear lest the cook's boys come to me in quest of fish and find
none. So, an thou take aught, they will find it and thou wilt veil
my face,2 whilst I go and play off" my practice in front of the
palace and feign to cast thee into the sea." Answered Abu Sir,
" I will fish the while ; go thou and God help thee ! " So the
Captain set the sack in the boat and paddled till he came under
the palace, where he saw the King seated at the lattice and said
to him, " O King of the age, shall I cast him in ? " " Cast him ! "
cried the King, and signed to him with his hand, when lo and
behold ! ; something flashed like leven and fell into the sea. Now
that which had fallen into the water was the King's seal-ring ;
and the same was enchanted in such way that, when the King
was wroth with any one and was minded to slay him, he had but
to sign to him with his right hand, whereon was the signet-ring,
and therefrom issued a flash of lightning, which smote the object,
and thereupon his head fell from between his shoulders ; and the
troops obeyed him not, nor did he overcome the men of might
save by means of the ring. So, when it dropped from his finger,
he concealed the matter and kept silence, for that he dared not
say, " My ring is fallen into the sea," for fear of the troops, lest
they rise against him and slay him. On this wise it befel the
King ; but as regards Abu Sir, after the Captain had left him on
the island he took the net and casting it into the sea presently
drew it up full of fish ; nor did he cease to throw it and pull it up
full, till there was a great mound of fish before him. So he said
in himself, " By Allah, this long while I have not eaten fish ! ";
and chose himself a large fat fish, saying, "When the Captain
cometh back, I will bid him fry it for me, so I may dine on it."
Then he cut its throat with a knife he had with him ; but the
knife stuck in its gills and there he saw the King's signet-ring ;

1 Meaning that if the trick bad been discovered the Captain would have taken the
barber*s place. We have seen (vol. i. 63) the Prime Minister superintending the royal
kitchen and here the Admiral fishes for the King's table. It is even more naive thaa
the Court of Alcinous.

8 Bresl. Edit. xi. 32 : i.e. save me from disgrace.

160 A If Lay I ah wa Laylak.

for the fish had swallowed it and Destiny had driven it to that
island, where it had fallen into the net. He took the ring and
drew it on his little finger,1 not knowing its peculiar properties.
Presently, up came two of the cook's boys in quest of fish and
seeing Abu Sir, said to him, " O man, whither is the Captain
gone ? " " I know not," said he and signed to them with his
right hand ; when, behold, the heads of both underlings dropped
off from between their shoulders. At this Abu Sir was amazed
and said, " Would I wot who slew them ! " And their case was
grievous to him and he was still pondering it, when the Captain
suddenly returned and seeing the mound of fishes and two men
lying dead and the seal-ring on Abu Sir's finger, said to him, "O
my brother, move not thy hand whereon is the signet-ring ; else
thou wilt kill me." Abu Sir wondered at this speech and kept
his hand motionless ; whereupon the Captain came up to him and
said, " Who slew these two men ? " " By Allah, O my brother I
wot not ! " " Thou sayst sooth ; but tell me whence hadst thou
that ring? " "I found it in this fish's gills." "True," said the
Captain, "for I saw it fall flashing from the King's palace and
disappear in the sea, what time he signed towards thee,2 saying,
Cast him in. So I cast the sack into the watef, and it was then
that the ring slipped from his finger and fell into the sea, where
this fish swallowed it, and Allah drave it to thee, so that thou
madest it thy prey, for this ring was thy lot ; but kennest thou
its property ? " Said Abu Sir, " I knew not that it had any
properties peculiar to it ; " and the Captain said, " Learn, then,
that the King's troops obey him not save for fear of this signet-
ring, because it is spelled, and when he was wroth with any one
and had a mind to kill him, he would sign at him therewith and
his head would drop from between his shoulders ; for there issued
a flash of lightning from the ring and its ray smote the object

1 Arab. " Khinsir" or " Khinsar," the little finger or the middle finger. In Arabic
each has its own name or names which is also that of the corresponding toe e.g. Ibham
(thumb) ; Sabbabah, Musabbah or Da"aah (fore-finger) ; Wasta (medius) ; Binsir
(annularis, ring-finger) and Khinsar (minimus). There are also names for the several
spaces between the fingers. See the English Arabic Dictionary (London, Kegan Paul
and Co., 1881) by the Revd. Dr. Badger, a work of immense labour and research but
which I fear has been to the learned author a labour of love not of profit.

2 Meaning of course that the King signed towards the sack in which he supposed the
victim to be, but the ring fell off before it could take effect. The Eastern story-teller
often balances his multiplicity of words and needless details by a conciseness and an
elliptical style which make his meaning a matter of divination.

/ Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber l6r

of his wrath, who died forthright." At this, Abu Sir rejoiced
with exceeding joy and said to the Captain, " Carry me back to
the city ; " and he said, " That will I, now that I no longer fear
for thee from the King ; for, wert thou to sign at him with thy
hand, purposing to kill him, his head would fall down between
thy hands ; and if thou be minded to slay him and all his host,
thou mayst slaughter them without let or hindrance." So saying,
he embarked him in the boat and bore him back to the city ;
- And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.

Koto fo&en ft foas t&e Nine ffitmtetr antf 3E${rtB-nfnt!)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Captain embarked with Abu Sir he bore him back to the city, so
Abu Sir landed and going up to the palace, entered the council-
chamber, where he found the King seated facing his officers, in
sore cark and care by reason of the seal-ring and daring not tell
any of his folk anent its loss. When he saw Abu Sir, he said to
him, " Did we not cast thee into the sea ? How hast thou con-
trived to come forth of it ? " Abu Sir replied, " O King of the
age, whenas thou badest throw me into the sea, thy Captain
carried me to an island and asked me of the cause of thy wrath
against me, saying: — What hast thou done with the King, that
he should decree thy death ? I answered, By Allah, I know not
that I have wrought him any wrong ! Quoth he : — Thou wast
high in rank with the King, and haply some one envied thee and
threw out certain hints concerning thee to him, so that he is
become incensed against thee. But when I visited thee in thy
Hammam, thou entreatedst me honourably, and I will requite
thee thy hospitality to me by setting thee free and sending thee
back to thine own land. Then he set a great stone in the sack
in my stead and cast it into the sea ; but, when thou signedst to
him to throw me in, thy seal-ring dropped from thy finger into
the main, and a fish swallowed it. Now I was on the island
a-fishing, and this fish came up in the net with others ; where-
upon I took it, intending to broil it ; but, when I opened its belly,
I found the signet-ring therein; so I took it and put it on my
finger. Presently, up came two of the servants of the kitchen,
questing fish, and I signed to them with my hand, knowing not
VOL. IX. L

A If Laylah wa Laylah.

the property of the seal-ring, and their heads fell off. Then the
Captain came back, and seeing the ring on my finger, acquainted
me with its spell ; and behold, I have brought it back to thee,
for that thou dealtest kindly by me aad entreatedst me with the
utmost honour, nor is that which thou hast done me of kindness
lost upon me. Here is thy ring ; take it ! But an I have done
with thee aught deserving of death, tell me my crime and slay
me and thou shalt be absolved of sin in shedding 'my blood." So
saying, he pulled the ring from his finger and gave it to the King
who, seeing Abu Sir's noble conduct, took the ring and put it on
and felt life return to him afresh. Then he rose to his feet and
embracing the barber, said to him, " O man, thou art indeed of
the flower of the well-born ! Blame me not, but forgive me the
wrong I have done thee. Had any but thou gotten hold of this
ring, he had never restored it to me." Answered Abu Sir, " O
King of the age, an thou wouldst have me forgive thee, tell me
what was my fault which drew down thine anger upon me, so
that thou commandedst to do me die." Rejoined the King, " By
Allah, 'tis clear to me that thou art free and guiltless in all things
of offence since thou hast done this good deed ; only the dyer
denounced thee to me in such and such words ; " and he told him
all that Abu Kir had said. Abu Sir replied, " By Allah, O King
of the age, I know no King of the Nazarenes nor during my days
have ever journeyed to a Christian country, nor did it ever come
into my mind to kill thee. But this dyer was my comrade and
neighbour in the city of Alexandria where life was straitened
upon us ; therefore we departed thence, to seek our fortunes, by
reason of the narrowness of our means at home, after we had
recited the Opening Chapter of the Koran together, pledging
ourselves that he who got w6rk should feed him who lacked work ;
and there befel me with him such and such things." Then he
went on to relate to the King all that had betided him with Abu
Kir the dyer ; how he had robbed him of his dirhams and had left
him alone and sick in the Khan-closet and how the door-keeper had
fed him of his own monies till Allah recovered him of his sickness,
when he went forth and walked about the city with his budget, as
•was his wont, till he espied a dyery, about which the folk were
crowding ; so he looked at the door and seeing Abu Kir seated on
a bench there, went in to salute him, whereupon he accused him
of being a thief and beat him a grievous beating ; brief, he told
him his whole tale, from first to last, and added, " O King of the

Abu Kir the Dyer and Abu Sir the Barber: 1 6$

age, 'twas he who counselled me to make the depilatory and
present it to thee, saying : — The Hammam is perfect in all
things but that it lacketh this; and know, O King of the age,
that this drug is harmless and we use it in our land where 'tis one
of the requisites of the bath ; but I had forgotten it : so, when the
dyer visited the Hammam I entreated him with honour and ha,
reminded me of it, and enjoined me to make it forthwith* .But
do thou send after the porter of such a Khan and the workmen
of the dyery and question them all of that which I have told
thee." .Accordingly the King sent for them and questioned them
one and all and they acquainted him with the truth of the matter.
Then he summoned the dyer, saying, " Bring him barefooted,
bareheaded and with elbows pinioned ! " Now he was sitting in
his house, rejoicing in Abu Sir's death ; but ere he could be ware,
the King's guards rushed in upon him and cuffed him on the nape,
after which they bound him and bore him into the presence, where
he saw Abu Sir seated by the King's side and the door-keeper of
the Khan and workmen of the dyery standing before him, Quoth
the door-keeper to him, " Is not this thy comrade whom thou
robbedst of his silvers and leftest^id'flijne sick in the closet doing
such and such by him ? " And tn&ft&o;rkrh~en said to him, " Is not
*his he whom thou badest us sefze^and beat ? " Therewith Abu
Kir's baseness was made manifest to the King and he was certified
that he merited torture yet sorer than the torments of Munkar and
Nakfr.1 So he said .to his guards, "Take him and parade him

about the city and the markets;" And Shahrazad perceived

the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo foften Ct foag tfje Nine ^untrrrt* anti JfortfetS

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the King heard the words spoken by the door-keeper of the.
Caravanserai and the workmen of the dyery, he was certified of
the vileness of Abu Kir ; so he upraided him with flout and fleer
and said to his guards, " Take him and parade him about the city
and the market-streets ; then set him in a sack and cast him into
the sea." Whereupon quoth Abu Sir, " O King of the age, accept

1 See vol. v. iu.

164 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

my intercession for him, for I pardon him all he hath done with
me." But quoth the King, " An thou pardon him all his offences
against thee, I cannot pardon him his offences against me." And
he cried out, saying, " Take him.'* So they took him and paraded
him about the city, after which they set him in a sack with quick-
lime and cast him into the sea, and he died, drowned and burnt.
Then said the King to the barber, " O Abu Sir, ask of me what
thou wilt and it shall be given thee." And he answered, saying,
' I ask of thee to send me back to my own country, for I care no
longer to tarry here." Then the King gifted him great store of
gifts, over and above that which he had whilome bestowed on
him ; and amongst the rest a galleon freighted with goods ; and
the crew of this galleon were Mamelukes ; so he gave him these
also, after offering to make him his Wazir whereto the barber
consented not. Presently he farewelled the King and set sail in
his own ship manned by his own crew ; nor did he cast anchor
till he reached Alexandria and made fast to the shore there.
Then they landed and one of his Mamelukes, seeing a sack on the
beach, said to Abu Sir, " O my lord, there is a great heavy sack
on the sea-shore, with the mouth tied up and I know not what
therein." So Abu Sir came up and opening the sack, found
therein the remains of Abu Kir, which the sea had borne thither.
He took it forth and burying it near Alexandria, built over the
grave a place of visitation and endowed it with mortmain writing
over the door these couplets : —

Man is known among men as his deeds attest ; # Which make noble origin

manifest :
Backbite not, lest other men bite thy back ; * Who saith aught, the same

shall to him be addrest :
Shun immodest words and indecent speech * When thou speakest in

earnest or e'en in jest.1
We bear with the dog which behaves itself * But the lion is chained lest

he prove a pest :
And the desert carcases swim the main * While union-pearls on the

sand-bank rest2:
No sparrow would hustle the sparrow-hawk, * Were it not by folly and

weakness prest :

1 This couplet was quoted to me by my friend the Rev. Dr. Badger when he heard
that I was translating " The Nights ": needless to say that it is utterly inappropriate.
3 For a similar figure see vol. i. 25.

Abdullah the Fisherman ana Abdullah the Merman. 165

A-sky is written on page of air, * " Who doth kindly of kind-

ness shall have the best ! "

'Ware of gathering sugar from bitter gourd :' * Twill prove to hs origin
like in taste.

After this Abu Sir abode awhile, till Allah took him to Himself,
and they buried him hard by the tomb of his comrade Abu Kir ;
wherefore that place was called Abu Kir and Abu Sir \ but it is
now known as Abu Kir only. This, then, is that which hath
reached us of their history, and glory be to Him who endureth
for ever and aye and by whose will interchange the night and the
day. And of the stories they tell is one anent

ABDULLAH2 THE FISHERMAN AND ABDULLAH
THE MERMAN.

THERE was once a Fisherman named Abdullah, who had a large
family, to wit, nine children and their mother, so was he poor,
very poor, owning naught save his net. Every day he used to go
to the sea a-fishing, and if he caught little, he sold it and spent
the price on his children, after the measure of that which Allah
vouchsafed him of provision ; but, if he caught much, he would
cook a good me£s of meat and buy fruit and spend without stint
till nothing was left him, saying to himself. " The daily bread of
to-morrow will come to-morrow." Presently, his wife gave birth to
another child, making a total of ten, and it chanced that day that
he had nothing at all ; so she said to him, " O my master, see arid
get me somewhat wherewithal I may sustain myself." Quoth he,
" I am going (under favour of Almighty Allah) this day seawards
to fish on the luck of this new-born child, that we may see its fair
fortune ;" and quoth she, " Put thy trust in Allah ! " So he took
his net and went down to the sea-shore, where he cast it on the
luck of the little one, saying, " O my God, make his living of e^se

1 Arab. "Hanzal": see vol. v. 19.

9 The tale begins upon the model of " Judar and his Brethren," vi. 213. Its hero's
full name is Alxlu'llahi — Slave of Allah, which vulgar Egyptians pronounce Abdallah
and purer speakers, Badawin and others, Abdullah : either form is therefore admissible.
It is more common among Moslems but not unknown to Christians especially Syrians-
who borrow it from the Syriac Alloh. Mohammed is said to have said, "The names
most approved by Allah are Abdu'llah, Abd al-Rahman (Slave of the Compassionate)
and such like" (Pilgrimage. i. 20).

1 66 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

not of unease, and abundant, not scant ! " Then he waited awhile
and drew in the net, which came up full of rubbish and sand and
pebbles and weeds, and he saw therein no sign of fish neither
muchel nor little. He cast it again and waited, then drew it in,
but found no catch in it, and threw it a third and a fourth and a
fifth time still not a single fish came up. So he removed to
another place beseeching his daily bread of Allah Almighty and
thus he kept working till the end of the day, but caught not so
much as a minnow j1 whereat he fell a-marvelling in himself and
said self-communing, " Hath Allah then created this new born-
child without lot of provision ? This may never, never be. He
who slitteth the corners of the lips hath pledged Himself for its
provision, because Almighty Allah is the Bountiful, the Provider ! "2
So saying, he shouldered his net and turned him homewards,
broken-spirited and heavy at heart about his family, for that he
had left them without food, more by token that his wife was in the
straw. And as he continued trudging along and saying in himself,
" How shall I do and what shall I say to the children to-night ? "
he came to a baker's oven and saw a crowd about it ; for the
season was one of dearth and in those days food was scant with
the folk ; so people were proffering the baker money, but he paid
no heed to any of them, by reason of the dense crowd. The
fisherman stood looking and snuffing the smell of the hot bread
(and indeed his soul longed for it, by reason of his hunger), till the
baker caught sight of him and cried out to him, " Come hither,
O fisherman ! " So he went up to him, and the baker said, " Dost
thou want bread ? " But he was silent. Quoth the baker, " Speak
out and be not ashamed, for Allah is bountiful. An thou have no
silver, I will give thee bread and have patience with thee till weal
betide thee." And quoth the fisherman, "By Allah, O master, I
have indeed no money ! But give me bread enough for my family,
and I will leave thee this net in pawn till the morrow." Rejoined
the baker, " Nay, my poor fellow, this net is thy shop and the door
of thy daily subsistence ; so an thou pawn it, wherewithal wilt

1 Arab. "Sirah" here probably used of the Nile-sprat (Clupea Spratfus Linn.) or
Sardine of which Forsk says, " Sardinn in Al-Yatnan is applied to a Red Sea fish of the
same name." Hasselquist the Swede notes that Egyptians stuff the Sardine with
marjoram and eat it fried even when half putrid.

2 i.e. by declaring in the Koran (Ixvii. 14 ; Ixxiv. 39 ; Ixxviii. 69 ; Ixxxviii. 17), that
each creature hath its appointed term and lot ; especially " Thinketh man that he shall
be left uncared for ? " (xl. 36).

Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman. 167

thou fish ? Tell me how much will suffice thee-? "; and replied the
fisherman, " Ten half-dirhams' worth."1 So he gave him ten Nusfs'
worth of bread and ten in silver saying, " Take these ten Nusfs
and cook thyself a mess of meat therewith ; so wilt thou owe me
twenty, for which bring me fish to-morrow ; but, an thou catch
nothing again, come and take thy bread and thy ten Nusfs, and I

will have patience with thee till better luck betide thee, And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her per-
mitted say.

Koto fofien ft toas t&e Nine J^unlrretr antr

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
baker said to the fisherman, " Take whatso thou needest and I will
have patience with thee till better luck betide thee, after the which
thou shalt bring me fish for all thou owest me." Said the fisher-
man, Almighty Allah reward thee, and requite thee for me with
all good ! " Then he took the bread and the coins and went
away, glad at heart, and buying what he could returned to his wife
whom he found sitting up, soothing the children, who were weeping
for hunger, and saying to them, " At once your father will be here
with what ye may eat." So he set the bread before them and they
ate, whilst he told his wife what had befallen him, and she saidj
" Allah is bountiful."2 On the morrow, he shouldered his net and
went forth of his house, saying, " I beseech thee, O Lord, to
vouchsafe me this day that which shall whiten my face with the
baker ! " 8 When he came to the sea-shore, he proceeded to cast
his net and pull it in ; but there came up no fish therein ; and he
ceased not to toil thus till ended day but he caught nothing.
Then he set out homewards, in great concern, and the way to his
house lay past the baker's oven ; so he said in himself, " How shall
I go home ? But I will hasten my pace that the baker may not
see me." When he reached the shop, he saw a crowd about it and

* Arab. "Nusf," see vol. ii. 37.

8 Arab. "Allah Karfm" (which Turks pronounce Kyerfm) a consecrated formula
used especially when a man would show himself resigned to " small mercies." The
fisherman's wife was evidently pious as she was poor ; and the description of the pauper
household is simple and effective.

3 This is repeated in the Mac. Edit. pp. 496-97 ; an instance amongst many of mo*t
careless editing.

168 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

walked the faster, being ashamed to face his creditor ; but the
baker raised his eyes to him and cried out to him, saying, " Ho,
fisherman ! Come and take thy bread and spending-money.
Meseems thou forgettest." Quoth Abdullah, " By Allah, I had
not forgotten ; but I was ashamed to face thee, because I have
caught no fish this day ;" and quoth the baker, " Be not ashamed.
Said I not to thee, At thy leisure,1 till better luck betide thee ? "
Then he gave him the bread and the ten Nusfs and he returned
and told his wife, who said, " Allah is bountiful. Better luck shall
yet betide thee and thou shalt give the baker his due, Inshallah.'1.
He ceased not doing on this wise forty days, betaking himself
daily to the sea, from the rising of the sun to the going down
thereof, and returning home without fish ; and still he took bread
and spending-money of the baker, who never once named the fish
to him nor neglected him nor kept him waiting like the folk,2 but
gave him the bread and the ten half-dirhams without delay.
Whenever the fisherman said to him, " O my brother, reckon with
me," he would say, " Be off:3' this is no time for reckoning. Wait
till better luck betide thee, and then I will reckon with thee."
And the fisherman would bless him and go away thanking him.
On the one-and-fortieth day, he said to his wife, " I have a mind
to tear up the net and be quit of this life." She asked, " Why-
wilt thou do this ? "; and he answered, u Meseems there is an end
of my getting my daily bread from the waters. How long shall
this last ? By Allah, I burn with shame before the baker and I
will go no more to the sea, so I may not pass by his oven, for I
have none other way home ; and every time I pass he calleth me
and giveth me the bread and the ten silvers. How much longer
shall I run in debt to him ? " The wife replied, " Alhamdolillah—
lauded be the Lord, the Most High, who hath inclined his heart to
thee, so that he giveth thee our daily bread ! What dislikest thou
in this ? "; and the husband rejoined, " I owe him now a mighty
great sum of dirhams, and there is no doubt but that he will
demand his due." " Hath he vexed thee with words ?" " No, on

1 Arab. " Ala mahlak " (vulg.), a popular phrase, often corresponding with our =t
Take it coolly.

2 For «* He did not keep him waiting, as he did the rest of the folk." Lane prefers
" nor neglected him as men generally would have done." But we are told supra that
the baker " paid no heed to the folk by reason of the dense crowd."

3 Arab. " Ruh ! " the most abrupt form, whose sound is coarse and offensive as the
Turkish yell, " Gyel ! " = come here I

Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman. 169

the contrary, he still refuseth to reckon with me, saying : — Wait
till better luck betide thee." " If he press thee, say to him :— Wait
till there come the good luck for which we hope, thou and I."
" And when will the good luck come that we hope for ? " " Allah
is bountiful." " Sooth thou speakest ! " So saying he shouldered
his net and went down to the sea-side, praying, " O Lord provide
thou me, though but with one fish, that I may give it to the
baker ! " And he cast his net into the sea and pulling it in, found
it heavy ; so he tugged at it till he was tired with sore travail.
But when he got it ashore, he found in it a dead donkey swollen
and stinking ; whereat his senses sickened and he freed it from the
net, saying, " There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great ! Indeed, I can no more ! I say to
that wife of mine : — There is no more provision for me in the
waters; let me leave this craft. And she still answereth me: —
Allah is bountiful : good will presently betide thee. Is this dead
ass the good whereof she speaketh ? " And he grieved with the
sorest grief. Then he turned to another place, so he might remove
from the stench of the dead donkey, and cast his net there and
waited a full hour : then he drew it in and found it heavy. There-
upon quoth he, " Good ; we are hauling up all the dead donkeys in
the sea and ridding it of its rubbish.1 " However he gave not over
tugging at the net, till blood came from the palms of his hands,
and when he got it ashore, he saw a man 2 in it and took him for
one of the Ifrits of the lord Solomon, whom he was wont to im-
prison in cucurbits of brass and cast him into the main, believing
that the vessel had burst for length of years and that the I frit had
come forth and fallen into the net ; wherefore he fled from him,
crying out and saying, " Mercy, mercy, O Ifrit of Solomon ! " But
the Adamite called out to him from within the net and said.

1 Bresl Edit. xi. $0-51,

2 Arab. "Adami" = an Adamite, one descended from the mythical and typical Adam
for whom see Philo Judaeus. We are told in one place a few lines further on that the
merman is of humankind ; and in another that he is a kind of fish (Night dccccxlv).
This belief in mermen, possibly originating with the caricatures of the human face in the
intelligent seal and stupid manatee, is universal. Al-Kazwini declares that a waterman
with a tail was dried and exhibited, and that in Syria one of them was married to a woman
and had by her a son " who understood the languages of both his parents." The fable was
refined to perfect beauty by the Greeks : the mer-folk of the Arabs, Hindus and Northeners
(Scandinavians, etc.) are mere grotesques with green hair, etc. Art in its highest
expression never left the shores of the Mediterranean, and. there is no sign that it ever
will.

170 A If Laylak wa Laylak.

" Come hither, O fisherman, and flee not from me ; for I am human
like thyself. Release me, so thou mayst get a recompense for me
of Allah/' Whenas he heard these words, ,the fisherman took
heart and coming up to him, said to him, " Art thou not an Ifrit of
the Jinn ? " ; and replied the other, " No : I am a mortal and a
believer in Allah and His Apostle." Asked the fisherman, " Who
threw thee into the sea ? " ; and the other answered, " I am of the
children of the sea, and was going about therein, when thou castest
the net over me. We are people who obey Allah's commandments
and show loving-kindness unto the creatures of the Almighty, and
but that I fear and dread to be of the disobedient, I had torn thy
net ; but I accept that which the Lord hath decreed unto me ;
wherefore by setting me free thou becomest my owner and I thy
captive. Wilt thou then set me free for the love1 of Almighty
Allah and make a covenant with me and become my comrade ?
I will come to thee every day in this place, and do thou come to
me and bring me a gift of the fruits of the land. For with yOu
are grapes and figs and water-melons and peaches and pome-
granates and so forth, and all thou bringest me will be acceptable
unto me. Moreover, with us are coral and pearls and chrysolites
and emeralds and rubies and other gems, and J will fill thee the
basket, wherein thou bringest me the fruit, with precious stones of
the jewels of the sea.2 What sayst thou to this, O my brother ? "
Quoth the fisherman, " Be the Opening Chapter of the Koran
between thee and me upon this ! " So they recited together the
Fcitihah, and the fisherman loosed the Merman from the net and
asked him, "What is thy name?" He replied, " My name is
Abdullah of the sea ; and if thou come hither and see me not, call
out and say, " Where art thou, O Abdullah, O Merman ? ; and I

\vill be with thee. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day

and ceased to say her permitted say.

1 Here Lane translates "Wajh" lit. "the desire of seeing the face of God," and
explains in a note that a "Muslim holds this to be the greatest happiness that can be
enjoyed in Paradise." But I have noted that the tenet of seeing the countenance <rf
the Creator, except by the eyes of spirit, is a much disputed point amongst Moslems.

3 Artful enough is this contrast between the squalid condition of the starving fisherman
and the gorgeous belongings of the Merman.

Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman. 171

fofjm it foas tip Nine l^unbrefc anfc Jportp-monli

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abdullah
of the sea thus enjoined the other, " An thou come hither and see
me not, call out and say, Where art thou, O Abdullah. O Mer-
man ? and I will be with thee forthwith. But thou, what is thy
name ? " Quoth the fisherman, " My name also is Abdullah ; " and
quoth the other, " Thou art Abdullah of the land and I am Ab-
dullah of the Sea ; but tarry here till I go and fetch thee a present."
And the fisherman repented him of having released him and said
to himself, " How know I that he will come back to me ? Indeed,
he beguiled me, so that I loosed him, and now he will laugh at
me.1 Had I kept him, I might have made a show of him for the
diversion of the city-folk and taken silver from all men and gone
with him to the houses of the great." And he repented him of
having set him free and said, " Thou hast let thy prey from thy
hand away." But, as he was thus bemoaning his folly in releasing
the prisoner, behold, Abdullah the merman returned to him, with
both hands full of pearls and coral and smaragds and rubies and
other gems, and said to him, " Take these, O my brother, and
excuse me ; had I a fish-basket 2 I would have filled it for thee."
Abdullah the fisherman rejoiced and took the jewels from the Mer-
man who said to him, " Every day come hither, before sunrise," and
farewelling him, went down into the sea ; whilst the other returned
to the city, rejoicing, and stayed not walking till he came to the
baker's oven and said to him, " O my brother, good luck is come
to us at last ; so do thou reckon with me." Answered the baker,
" There needeth no reckoning. An thou have aught, give it me :
and if thou have naught, take thy bread and spending-money and
begone, against weal betide thee." Rejoined the fisherman, " O
my friend, indeed weal hath betided me of Allah's bounty, and I
owe thee much money ; but take this." So saying, he took for
him a handful of the pearls and coral and rubies and other jewels
he had with him (the handful being about half of the whole),and gave
them to the baker, saying, " Give me some ready money to spend

1 Lit. " Verily he laughed at me so that I set him free." This is a fair specimen of
obscure conciseness.

2 Arab. "Mishannah," which Lane and Payne translate basket: I have always heard
it used of an old gunny-bag or bag of plaited palm-leaves.

I72 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

this day, till I sell these jewels.1* So the baker gave him all the
money he had in hand and all the bread in his basket ~and rejoiced
in the jewels, saying, ^ I am thy slave and thy servant." Then
he set all the bread on his head and following the fisherman home,
gave it to his wife and children, after which he repaired to the
market and brought meat and greens and all manner fruit. More-
over, he left his oven and abode with Abdullah all that day, busy-
ing himself in his service and fulfilling all his affairs. Said the
fisherman, " O my brother, thou weariest thyself;" and the baker
replied, " This is my duty, for I am become thy servant and thou
hast overwhelmed me with thy boons." Rejoined the fisherman,
"'Tis thou who wast my benefactor in the days of dearth and
distress." And the baker passed that night with him enjoying
good cheer and became a faithful friend to him. Then the fisher-
man told his wife what had befallen him with the Merman, whereat
she rejoiced and said, " Keep thy secret, lest the government come
down upon thee ; " but he said, " Though I keep my secret from
all men, yet will I not hide it from the baker." On the morrow,
he rose betimes and, shouldering a basket which he had filled in
the evening with all manner fruits, repaired before sunrise to the
sea-shore, and setting down the crate on the water-edge called out,
" Where art thou, O Abdullah, O Merman ? " He answered,
" Here am I, at thy service ; " and came forth to him. The
fisherman gave him the fruit and he took it and plunging into the
sea with it, was absent a full hour, after which time he came up,
with the fish-basket full of all kinds of gems and jewels. The
fisherman set it on his head and went away ; and, when he came
to the oven, the baker said to him, <( O my lord, I have baked
thee forty bunns1 and have sent them to thy house ; 'and now I
will bake some firsts and as soon as all is done, I will bring it to
thy house and go and fetch thee greens and meat." Abdullah
handed to him three handsful of jewels out of the fish-basket and
going home, set it down there. Then he took a gem of price of

1 Arab. " Kaff Shurayk " applied to a single bun. The Shurayk is a biwin, an oblong
cake about the size of a man's hand (hence the term " Kaff " = palm) with two long
cuts and sundry oblique crosscuts, made of leavened dough, glazed with egg and Sam n
(clarified butter) and flavoured with spices (cinnamon, curcuma, artemisia and
prunes tnahalab, and with aromatic seeds, (Rihat al-'ajin) of which Lane (iir. 641)
specifies aniseed, nigella, absinthium, (Artemisia arborescens) and Kafurah (A. cam-
phorata Monspeliensis) etc. The Shurayk is given to the poor when visiting the tomha,
and on certain fetes.

Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman. 173

each sort and going to the jewel-bazar, stopped at the Syndic's
shop and said to him, " Buy these precious stones of me." " Show
them to me/' said the Shaykh. So he showed them to him and
the jeweller said, " Hast thou aught beside these ? " ; and
Abdullah replied, " I have a basket-full at home." The Syndic
asked, " And where is thine house ? " and the fisherman answered,
" In such a quarter " ; whereupon the Shaykh took the jewels
from him and said to his followers, " Lay hold of him, for he is
the thief who stole the jewellery of the Queen, the wife of our
Sultan.'1 And he bade beat him. So they bastinadoed him and
pinioned him ; after which the Syndic and all the people of the
jewel-market arose and set out for the palace, saying, " We have
caught the thief." Quoth one, " None robbed such an one but
this villain," and quoth another, u'Twas none but he stole all that
was in such an one's house ; " and some said this and others said
that. All this while he was silent and spake not a word nor
returned a reply, till they brought him before the King, to whom
said the Syndic, " O King of the age, when the Queen's neck-
lace was stolen, thou sentest to acquaint us of the theft, requiring
of us the discovery of the culprit ; wherefore I strove beyond the
rest of the folk and have taken the thief for thee. Here he
standeth before thee, and these be the jewels we have recovered
from him." Thereupon the King said to the chief eunuch, " Carry
these jewels for the Queen to see, and say to her, Are these thy
property thou hast lost ? " So the eunuch took the jewels and
went in with them to the Queen, who seeing their lustre marvelled
at them and sent to the King to say, " I have found my necklace
in my own place and these jewels are not my property ; nay,
they are finer than those of my necklace. So oppress not the

man ; " And Shahrazad. perceived the dawn of day and ceased

saying her permitted say

Nofo fofjm it foas tjje Ntn* J^unttetr anfc JFortB^frU NfgSt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
King's wife sent to the King to say," " These are not my
property ; nay, these gems are finer than those of my necklace.
So oppress not this man ; but, if he will sell them, buy them for
thy daughter Umm al-Su'vid,1 that we may set them in a neck-

•• " Mother of Prosperities."

174 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

lace for her." When the eunuch returned and told the King
what the Queen said, he damned the Syndic of the jewellers,
him and his company, with the damnation of Ad and Thamud,1
and they said to him> " O King of the age, we knew this man for
a poor fisherman and deemed such things too much for him,2 so
we supposed that he had stolen them." Cried the King, " O ye
filthy villains, begrudge ye a True Believer good fortune ? Why
did ye not make due enquiry of him ? Haply Allah Almighty
hath vouchsafed him these things from a source whereupon he
reckoned not. Why did ye make him out a thief and disgrace
him amongst the folk ? Begone, and may Allah never bless you ! "
So they went out affrighted and the King said to Abdullah, " O
man (Allah bless thee in all He hath bestowed on thee !), no harm
shall befal thee ; but tell me truly, whence gottest thou these
jewels ; for I am a King yet have I not the like of them." The
fisherman replied, " O King of the age, I have a fish-basket full
of them at home and the case is thus and thus." Then he told
him of his friendship with the Merman, adding, " We have made
a covenant together that I shall bring him every day a basket
full of fruit and that he shall fill me the basket with these jewels."
Quoth the King, O man this is thy lucky lot ; but wealth needeth
rank,3 I will defend thee for the present against men's domineer-
ing ; but haply I shall be deposed or die and another rule in my
stead, and he shall slay thee because of his love of the goods of
this world and his covetousness. So I am minded to marry thee
to my daughter and make thee my Wazir and bequeath thee the
kingdom after me, so none may hanker for thy riches when I am
gone. Then said he, " Hie with this man to the Hammam." So
they bore him to the Baths and bathed his body and robed him
in royal raiment, after which they brought him back to the King,
and he made him his Wazir and sent to his house couriers and
the soldiers of his guard and all the wives of the notables,
who clad his wife and children in Kingly costume and mounting
the woman in a horse-litter, with the little child in her lap, walked
before her to the palace, escorted by the troops and couriers and
officers. They also brought her elder children in to the King

1 Tribes of pre-historic Arabs who were sent to Hell for bad behaviour to Prophets
Salih and Hud. See v 1. iii. 294.
3 «« Too much for hi to come by lawfully.*'
8 To protect it. The Arab, is " Jdh " == high station, dignity.

Abdullah the FisJierman and Abdullah the Merman. 175

who made much of them, taking them in his lap and seating them
by his side ; for-they were nine children male and the King had
no son and heir nor had he been blessed with any child save this
one daughter, Umm al-Su'ud hight. Meanwhile the Queen
entreated Abdullah's wife with honour and bestowed favours on
her and made her Waziress to her. Then the King bade draw up
the marriage contract between his daughter and Abdullah of the
Land1 who assigned to her, as her dower, all the gems and
precious stones in his possession, and they opened the gates of
festival. The King commanded by proclamation to decorate the
city, in honour of his daughter's wedding. Then Abdullah went
in unto the Princess and abated her maidenhead. Next morning
the King looked out of the lattice and saw Abdullah carrying on
his head a fish-crate full of fruit. So he called to him, " What
hast thou there, O my son-in-law, and whither wendest thou ? "
The fisherman replied, " To my friend Abdullah the Merman ; "
and the King said, " O my son-in-law, this is no time to go to thy
comrade." Quoth Abdullah. <{ Indeed, I fear to break tryst with
him, lest he reckon me a liar and say : — The things of the world
have diverted thee from me ; " and quoth the King, " Thou
speakest sooth : go to thy friend and God help thee ! So he
walked through the city on his way to his companion ; and, as
he went, he heard the folk who knew him say, " There goeth the
King's son-in-law to exchange fruit for gems ; " whilst those who

1 The European reader, especially feminine, will think this a hard fate for the pious
first wife but the idea would not occur to the Moslem mind. After bearing ten children
a woman becomes " Umm al-banati w' al-banin " = a mother of daughters and sons,
and should hold herself unfit for love-disport. The seven ages of womankind are thus
described by the Arabs and I translate the lines after a well-known (Irish) model :—

From ten years to twenty —

Of beauty there's plenty.

From twenty to thirty —

Fat, fair and alert t'ye;

From thirty to forty —

Lads and lasses she bore t'ye.

From forty to fifty —
v. An old 'un and shifty.

From fifty to sixty —
' A sorrow that sticks t'ye.

From sixty to seventy —

A curse of God sent t'ye.

For these ana other sentiments upon the subject of women and marriage see Pilgrimage
ii. 285-87.

176 A If Lay! ah wa Laylah.

knew him not said, " Ho, fellow, how much a pound ? Come, sell
to me." And he answered, saying, " Wait till I come back to
thee," for that he would not hurt the feelings of any man. Then
he fared on till he came to the sea-shore and foregathered with his
friend Abdullah the Merman, to whom he delivered the fruit,
receiving gems in return. He ceased not doing thus till one day,
as he passed by the baker's oven, he found it closed ; and so he
did ten days, during which time the oven remained shut and he
saw nothing of the baker. So he said to himself, " This is a
strange thing ! Would I wot whither the baker went ! " Then
he enquired of his neighbour, saying, " O my brother, where is
thy neighbour the baker and what hath Allah done with him ? " ;
and the other responded, " O my lord, he is sick and cometh not
forth of his house." " Where is his house ? " asked Abdullah ;
and the other answered, " In such a quarter." So he fared thither
and enquired of him ; but, when he knocked at the door, the baker
looked out of window and seeing his friend the fisherman, full
basket on head, came down and opened the door to him. Abdullah
entered and throwing himself on the baker embraced him and wept,
saying, " How dost thou, O my friend ? Every day, I pass by
thine oven and see it unopened ; so I asked thy neighbour, who
told me that thou wast sick ; therefore I enquired for thy house,
that I might see thee." Answered the baker, " Allah requite thee
for me with all good ! Nothing aileth me ; but it reached me that
the King had taken thee, for that certain of the folk had lied
against thee and accused thee of being a robber wherefore I
feared and shut shop and hid myself." "True," said Abdullah
and told him all that had befallen him with the King and the
Shaykh of the jewellers' bazar, adding " Moreover, the King hath
given me his daughter to wife and made me his Wazir ; " and,
after a pause, " So do thou take what is in this fish-basket to thy
share and fear naught." Then he left him, after having done
away from him his affright, and returned with the empty crate to
the King, who said to him, " O my son-in-law, 'twould seem thou
hast not foregathered with thy friend the Merman to-day." Replied
Abdullah, " I went to him but that which he gave me I gave to
my gossip the baker, to whom I owe kindness." " Who may be
this baker ?" asked the King ; and the fisherman answered, " He
is a benevolent man, who did with me thus and thus in the days
of my poverty and never neglected me a single day nor hurt my
feelings." Quoth the King, " What is his name ? " ; and quoth the

Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman. 177

fisherman " His name is Abdullah the Baker ; and my name is
Abdullah of the Land and that of my friend the merman Abdullah
of the Sea." Rejoined the King, " And my name also is Abdullah ;
and the servants of Allah1 are all brethren. So send and fetch thy
friend the baker, that I may make him my Wazir of the left."2
So he sent for the baker who speedily came to the presence, and
the King invested him with the Wazirial uniform and made him
Wazir of the left, making Abdullah of the Land his Wazir of the

right And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased

to say her permitted say*

Noto fo!)en it foas tje ttfme $juntJte* ana jpottg^fouttS Wjj&t,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
King made his son-in-law, Abdullah of the Land, Wazir of the
right and Abdullah the baker Wazir of the left In such condition
the fisherman abode a whole year, every day carrying for the Mer-
man the crate full of fruit and receiving it back, full of jewels ; and
when fruit failed from the gardens, he carried him raisins and
almonds and filberts and walnuts and figs and so forth ; and all
that he brought for him the Merman accepted and returned him
the fish-basket full of jewels according to his custom. Now it
chanced one day that he carried him the crate, full of dry8
fruits as was his wont, and his friend took them from him. Then
they sat down to converse, Abdullah the fisherman on the beach
and Abdullah the Merman in the water near the shore, and dis-
coursed ; and the talk went round between them, till it fell upon
the subject of sepulchres ; whereat quoth the Merman, " O my
brother, they say that the Prophet (whom Allah assain and save !)
is buried with you on the land. Knowest thou his tomb ? "
Abdullah replied, " Yes ; it lieth in a city called Yathrib.4 " Asked

1 Abdullah, as has been said, means "servant or rather slave of Allah."

2 Again the " Come to my arms, my slight acquaintance,'* of the Anti-Jacobin.

3 Arab. <* Nukl," e.g. the quatre mendiants as opposed to "Fakihah" = fresh fruif.
The Persians, a people who delight in gross practical jokes, get the confectioner to coat
with sugar the droppings of sheep and goats and hand them to the bulk of the party.
This pleasant confection is called " Nukl-i-peshkil " — dung-drage"es.

4 The older name of Madinat al-Nabi, the city of the Prophet ; vulg. called Al-
Medinah per excelkntiam. See vol. iv. 114. In the Mac. and Bui. tfexts we have
•« Tayyibah" = the goodly, one of the many titles of that Holy City : see Pilgrimage
ii. 119.

VOL. IX. M

Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

the Merman, " And do the people of the land visit it ?" " Yes/'
answered the fisherman, and the other said, " I give you joy, O
people of the land, of visiting1 that noble Prophet and com-
passionate, which whoso visiteth meriteth his intercession ! Hast
thou made such visitation, O my brother ? " Replied the fisher-
man, " No : for I was poor and had not the necessary sum2 to
spend by the way, nor have I been in easy case but since I knew
thee and thou bestowedst on me this good fortune. But such
visitation behoveth me after I have pilgrimed to the Holy House
of Allah3 and naught withholdeth me therefrom but my love to
thee, because I cannot leave thee for one day." Rejoined the
Merman, " And dost thou set the love of me before the visitation
of the tomb of Mohammed (whom Allah assain and save ! ), who
shall intercede for thee on the Day of Review before Allah and
shall save thee from the Fire and through whose inter-
cession thou shalt enter Paradise? And dost thou, for the
love of the world, neglect to visit the tomb of thy Prophet4
Mohammed, whom God bless and preserve ? " Replied Abdullah,
" No, by Allah, I set the visitation of the Prophet's tomb above
all else, and I crave thy leave to pray before it this year."
The Merman rejoined, " I grant thee leave, on condition that
when thou shalt stand by his sepulchre thou salute him for me
with the Salam. Furthermore I have a trust to give thee ; so come

1 Not " visiting the tomb of * etc. but visiting the Prophet himself, who is said to
have declared that "Ziydrah" (visitation) of his tomb was in religion the equivalent of a
personal call upon himself.

2 Arab. "Nafakah"; for its conditions see Pilgrimage iii. 224. I have again and
again insisted upon the Anglo-Indian Government enforcing the regulations of the Faith
upon pauper Hindi pilgrims who go to the Moslem Holy Land as beggars and die of
hunger in the streets. To an " Empire of Opinion " this is an unmitigated evil
(Pilgrimage iii. 256) ; and now, after some thirty-four years, there are signs that the
suggestions of common sense are to be adopted. England has heard of the extraordinary
recklessness and inconsequence of the British-Indian " fellow subject."

3 Thfe Ka'abah of Meccah.

4 When Moslems apply "Nabi!" to Mohammed it is in the peculiar sense of "prophet"
(irpoffriqrrjs) = one who speaks before the people, not one who predicts, as such
foresight was abjured by the Apostle. Dr. A. Neubauer (The Athenaeum No. 3031) finds
the root of «« Nabi ! " in the Assyrian Nabu and Heb. Noob (occurring in Exod. vii. i.
'« Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet." i.e. orator, speaker before the people), and
holds it to be a Canaanite term which supplanted " Roeh" (the Seer) e.g. I Samuel ix.
9. The learned Hebraist traces the cult of Nebo, a secondary deity in Assyria to
Palestine and Phoenicia, Palmyra, Edessa (in the Nebok of Abgar) and Hierapolis ia
Syria or Mabug (Nabog ?)•

Abdidlah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman. 179

thou with me into the sea, that I may carry thee to my city and
entertain thee in my house and give thee a deposit ; which when
thou takest thy station by the Prophet's tomb, do thou lay thereon,
saying : — O apostle of Allah, Abdullah the Merman saluteth thee
and sendeth thee this present, imploring thine intercession to save
him from the Fire." Said the fisherman, " O my brother,
thou wast created in the water and water is thy abiding-
place and doth thee no hurt, but, if thou shouldst come forth
to the land, would any harm betide thee ? " The Merman
replied, " Yes ; my body would dry up and the breezes of the
land would blow upon me and I should die." Rejoined the
fisherman, f< And I, in like manner, was created on the land and
the land is my abiding-place ; but, an I went down into the sea,
the water would enter my belly and choke me and I should die."
Retorted the other, " Have no fear for that, for I will bring thee an
ointment, wherewith when thou hast anointed thy body, the water
will do thee no hurt, though thou shouldst pass the lave of thy life
going about in the great deep : and thou shalt lie down and rise
up in the sea and naught shall harm thee.'* Quoth the fisherman,
41 An the case be thus, well and good ; but bring me the ointment, so
that I may make trial of it ; " and quoth the Merman, " So be it ; "
then, taking the fish-basket disappeared in the depths. He was
absent awhile, and presently returned with an unguent as it were
the fat of beef, yellow as gold and sweet of savour. Asked the
fisherman, "What is this, O my brother?"; and answered the
Merman, "Tis the liver-fat of a kind of fish called the Dandan,1
which is the biggest of all fishes and the fiercest of our foes. His
bulk is greater than that of any beast of the land, and were he to
meet a camel or an elephant, he would swallow it at a single
mouthful." Abdullah enquired, " O my brother, what doth this
baleful beast ? " ; and the Merman replied, " He eateth of the
beasts of the sea. Hast thou not heard the saying: — Like the
fishes of the sea : forcible eateth feeble ? 2 " " True ; but have you
many of these Dandans in the sea ? " " Yes, there be many of
them with us. None can tell their tale save Almighty Allah."

1 I cannot find "DancUin" even in Lib. Quintus de Aquaticis Animalibus of the learned
Sam. Bochart's " Hierozoicon" (London, 1663) and must conjecture that as " Dandan ' '
in Persian means a tooth (vol. ii. 83) the writer applied it to a sun -fish or some such
well-fanged monster of the deep.

* A favourite proverb with the Fellah, when he alludes to the Pasha and to himself.

,i8o A If Laylah wa Laylah.

"Verily, I fear lest, if I go down with thee into the deep a creature
of this kind fall in with me and devour me." " Have no fear :
when he seeth thee, he will know thee for a son of Adam and will
fear thee and flee. He dreadeth none in the sea as he dreadeth a
son of Adam ; for that an he eateth a man he dieth forthright,
because human fat is a deadly poison to this kind of creature ; nor
do we collect its liver-speck save by means of a man, when he
falleth into the sea and is drowned ; for that his semblance be-
cometh changed and ofttimes his flesh is torn; so the Dandan
eateth him, deeming him the same of the denizens of the deep,
and dieth. Then we light upon our enemy dead and take the
speck of his liver and grease ourselves so that we can over-wander
the main in safety. Also, wherever there is a son of Adam, though
there be in that place an hundred or two hundred or a thousand

or more of these beasts, all die forthright an they but hear him

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

fofjen it foas tf)£ Nine f^un&refc anfc JFortp-ftftfj Nt'gfit,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abdullah
of the Sea said to Abdullah of the Land, " And if a thousand or
more of this kind hear an Adamite cry a single cry, forthright all
die nor hath one of them power to remove from his place ; so,
whenever a son of Adam falleth into the sea, we take him and
anoint him with this fat and go round about the depths with
him, and whenever we see a Dandan or two or three or more, we
bid him cry out and they all die forthright for his once crying."
Quoth the fisherman, " I put my trust in Allah ; " and, doffing his
clothes, buried them in a hole which he dug in the beach ; after
which he rubbed his body from head to heels with that ointment.
Then he descended into the water and diving, opened his eyes and
the brine did him no hurt. So he walked right and left, and if he
would, he rose to the sea-face, and if he would, he sank to the
base. And he beheld the water as it were a tent over his head ;
yet it wrought him no hurt. Then said the Merman to him,
" What seest thou, O my brother ? " ; and said he, " O my brother,
I see naught save weal J ; and indeed thou spakest truth in that

1 An euphemistic answer, unbernfen as the Germans say.

Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman. 181

which thou saidst to me ; for the water doth me no hurt." Quoth
the Merman, " Follow me." So he followed him and they ceased
not faring on from place to place, whilst Abdullah discovered be-
fore him and on his right and left mountains of water and solaced
himself by gazing thereon and on the various sorts of fish, some great
and some small, which disported themselves in the main. Some
of them favoured buffaloes1 others oxen and others dogs and yet
others human beings ; but all to which they drew near fled, whenas
they saw the fisherman, who said to the Merman, " O my brother,
how is it that I see all the fish, to which we draw near, flee 'from
us afar ? " Said the other, " Because they fear thee, for all things
that Allah hath made fear the son of Adam.2 " The fisherman
ceased not to divert himself with the marvels of the deep, till they
came to a high mountain and fared on beside it. Suddenly, he
heard a mighty loud cry and turning, saw some black thing, the
bigness of a camel or bigger, coming down upon him from the
liquid mountain and crying out. So he asked his friend, " What
is this, O my brother ? " ; and the Merman answered, " This is the
Dandan. He cometh in search of me, seeking to devour me ; so
cry out at him, O my brother, ere he reach us ; else he will snatch
me up and devour me." Accordingly Abdullah cried out at the,
beast and behold, it fell down dead ; which when he saw, he said,.
" Glorified be the perfection of God and His praise ! I smote it
not with sword nor knife ; how cometh it that, for all the vastness of
the creature's bulk, it could not bear my cry, but died ? " Replied
the Merman, " Marvel not, for, by Allah, O my brother, were there
a thousand or two thousand of these creatures, yet could they not
endure the cry of a son of Adam." Then they walked on, till

1 It is a temptation to derive this word from bceuf cl Feau, but I fear that the theory
Will not hold water. The " buffaloes '' of Alexandria laughed it to scorn.

2 Here the writer's zoological knowledge is at fault. Animals, which never or very
rarely see man, have no fear of him whatever. This is well-known to those who visit
the Gull-fairs at Ascension Island, Santos and many other isolated rocks ; the hen birds
will peck at the intruder's ankles but they do not rise from off their eggs. For details
concerning the "Gull-fair" of the Summer Islands consult p. 4 "The History of the
Bermudas," edited by Sir J. H. Lefroy for the Hakluyt Society, 1882. I have seen
birds on Fernando Po peak quietly await a second shot ; and herds of antelopes, the most
timid of animals, in the plains of Somali-land only stared but were not startled by the
report of the gun. But Arabs are not the only moralists who write zoological nonsense ;
witness the notable verse,

Birds in their little nests agree,
when the feathered tribes are the most pugnacious of breathing beings.

1 82 A If Laylak wa Laylah.

they made a city, whose inhabitants the fisherman saw to be all
women, there being no male among them ; so he said to his com-
panion, "O my brother, what city is this and what are these
women ? " " This is the city of women ; for its inhabitants are of
the women of the sea." " Are there any males among them ? "
"No!" "Then how do they conceive and bear young, without
males r ? " " The King of the sea banisheth them hither and they
conceive not neither bear children. All the women of the sea, with
whom he is wroth, he sendeth to this city, and they cannot
leave it; for, should one of them come forth therefrom, any of
the beasts of the sea that saw her would eat her. But in
other cities of the main there are both males and females."
Thereupon asked the fisherman, "Are there then other cities
than this in the sea ? " ; and the Merman answered, " There are
many." Quoth the fisherman, " And is there a Sultan over you
in the sea ? " " Yes," quoth the Merman. Then said Abdullah
" O my brother, I have indeed seen many marvels in the main !"
But the Merman said, " And what hast thou seen of its marvels2 ?
Hast thou not heard the saying : — The marvels of the sea are
more manifold than the marvels of the land ? " " True," rejoined
the fisherman and fell to gazing upon those women, whom he saw
with faces like moons and hair like women's hair, but their hands
and feet were in their middle and they had tails like fishes' tails.
Now when the Merman had shown him the people of the city, he
carried him forth therefrom and forewalked him to another city,
which he found full of folk, both males and females, formed like
the women aforesaid and having tails ; but there was neither
selling nor buying amongst them, as with the people of the land,
nor were they clothed, but went all naked and with their shame
uncovered. Said Abdullah "O my brother, I see males and
females alike with their shame exposed3," and the other said,
" This is because the folk of the sea have no clothes." Asked

1 Lane finds these details " silly and tiresome or otherwise objectionable," and omits
them.

2 Meaning, " Thou hast as yet seen little or nothing." In most Eastern tongues a
question often expresses an emphatic assertion. See vol. i. 37.

3 Easterns wear as a rule little clothing but it suffices for the essential purposes of
decency and travellers will live amongst them for years without once seeing an acci-
dental "exposure of the person." In some cases, as with the Nubian thong-apron,
this demand of modesty requires not a little practice of the muscles ; and we all know
the difference in a Scotch kilt worn by a Highlander and a cockney sportsman.

Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman. 183

the fisherman, " And how do they when they marry ? " The
Merman answered, " They do not marry ; but every one who
taketh a liking to a female doth his will of her." Quoth Ab-
dullah, " This is unlawful ! Why doth he not ask her in marriage
and dower her and make her a wedding festival and marry her,
in accordance with that which is pleasing to Allah and His
Apostle ? "; and quoth the other, " We are not all of one religion :
some of us are Moslems, believers in The Unity, others Nazarenes
and what not else ; and each marrieth in accordance with the
ordinances of his creed ; but those of us who marry are mostly
Moslems." The fisherman continued, "Ye are naked and have
neither buying nor selling among you : of what then is your
wives' dowry ? Do ye give them jewels and precious stones ? "
The Merman rejoined, " Gems with us are only stones without
worth : but upon the Moslem who is minded to marry they
impose a dowry of a certain number of fishes of various kinds
that he must catch, a thousand or two thousand, more or less,
according to the agreement between himself and the bride's father.
As soon as he bringeth the amount required, the families of the
bride and bridegroom assemble and eat the marriage-banquet ;
after which they bring him in to his bride, and he catcheth fish
and feedeth her ; or, if he be unable, she catcheth fish and feedeth
him/' Enquired the fisherman, "And how if a woman commit
adultery ? "; and the other replied, " If a woman be convicted of
this case, they banish her to the City of Women ; and if she be
with child by her gallant, they leave her till she be delivered ;
then, if she give birth to a girl, they banish her with her, calling
her adulteress, daughter of adulteress, and she abideth a maid
till she die ; but, if the woman give birth to a male child, they
carry it to the Sultan of the Sea, who putteth it to death."
Abdullah marvelled at this and the Merman carried him to
another city and thence to another and yet another, till he had
diverted him with the sight of eighty cities, and he saw the
people of each city unlike those of every other. Then said he
to the Merman, " O my brother, are there yet other cities in the
main ? "; whereto said the other, " And what hast thou seen of
the cities of the sea and its wondrous spectacles ? By the virtue
of the noble Prophet, the benign, the compassionate, were I to
show thee every day a thousand cities for a thousand years, and
in each city a thousand marvels, I should not have shown thee
one carat of the four-and-twenty carats of the cities of the sea

1 84 A If Laylah wa Laylah*

and its miracles ! I have but shown thee our own province and
country, nothing more." The fisherman thus resumed, " O my
brother, since this is the case, what I have seen sufficeth me, for I
am a-weary of eating fish, and these fourscore days I have been
in thy company, thou hast fed me, morning and night, upon
nothing but raw fish, neither broiled nor boiled." "And what is
broiled and boiled ?" " We broil fish with fire and boil it in water
and dress it in various ways and make many dishes of it." " And
how should we come by fire in the sea ? We know not broiled nor
boiled nor aught else of the kind." " We also fry it in olive-oil
and oil of sesame1." " How should we come by olive-oil and oil
of sesame in the sea ? Verily we know nothing of that thou
namest." " True, but O my brother, thou hast shown me many
cities ; yet hast thou not shown me thine own city." " As for
mine own city, we passed it a long way, for it is near the land
whence we came, and I left it and came with thee hither, thinking
only to divert thee with the sight of the greater cities of the sea."
" That which I have seen of them sufficeth me ; and now I would
have thee show me thine own city." " So be it," answered Abdullah
of the Sea ; and, returning on his traces, carried him back thither
and said to him, " This is my city." Abdullah of the Land looked
and saw a city small by comparison with those he had seen ; then
he entered with his comrade of the deep and they fared on till
they came to a cave. Quoth the Merman, " This is my house and
all the houses in the city are like this, caverns great and small in
the mountains ; as are also those of every other city of the sea.
For whoso is minded to make him a house must repair to the
King and say to him, * I wish to make me a house in such a
place.' Whereupon the King sends with him a band of the fish
called ' Peckers,'3 which have beaks that crumble the hardest rock,
appointing for their wage a certain quantum of fish. They betake
themselves to the mountain chosen by the intended owner and
therein pierce the house, whilst the owner catcheth fish for them
and feedeth them, till the cave is finished, when they wend their

1 Arab. "Shiraj " = oil extracted from rape seed but especially from sesame. The
Persians pronounce it " Siraj " (apparently unaware that it is their own word
41 Shirah " zr juice in Arabic garb) and have coined a participle " Musayrij " e.g., Bu-i-
musayrij, taint of sesame-oil applied especially to the Jews who very wisely prefer,, in
Persia and elsewhere, oil which is wholesome to butter which is not. The Moslems,
however, declare that its immoderate use in cooking taints the exudations of the skin.

2 Arab. "Nakkarun," probably congeners of the redoubtable " Dandan."

Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman, 185

ways and the house-owner taketh up his abode therein. On such
wise do all the people of the sea ; they traffic not one with other
nor serve each other save by means of fish ; and their food is fish
and they themselves are a kmd of fish1." Then he said to him,
"Enter!" So Abdullah entered and the Merman cried out, saying,
" Ho, daughter mine ! " when behold, there came to him a damsel
with a face like the rondure of the moon and hair long, hips
heavy, eyes black-edged and waist slender; but she was naked
and had a tail. When she saw Abdullah of the Land she said to
her sire, "O my father, what is this No2-tail thou hast brought
with thee ? " He replied, " O my daughter this is my friend of the
land, from whom I used to bring thee the fruits of the ground.
Come hither and salute him with the salam." So she came forward
and saluted the fisherman with loquent tongue and eloquent
speech ; and her father said to her, " Bring meat for our guest, by
whose visit a blessing hath betided us3 : " whereupon she brought
him two great fishes, each the bigness of a lamb, and the Merman
said to him, " Eat." So he ate for stress of hunger, despite him-
self; because he was tired of eating fish and they had naught else
save fish. Before long, in came the Merman's wife, who was
beautiful of form and favour and with her two children, each
having in his hand a young fish, which he craunched as a man
would craunch a cucumber. When she saw the fisherman with
her husband, she said, " What is this No-Tail ? " And she and
her sons and their sister came up to him and fell to examining
the back parts of Abdullah of the Land, and saying, "Yea, by
Allah, he is tailless ! "; and they laughed at him. So he said to
the Merman, " O my brother, hast thou brought me hither to
make me a butt and a laughing-stock for thy children and thy

consort ? " And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo tofim ft foas tfte Nme l^untorefc an& Jport^stxtf) Nt'gfit,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
Abdullah of the Land said to Abdullah of the Sea. "O my

1 Bresl. Edit. xi. 78. The Mac. says "They are all fish " (Kullu-hum) and the
Bui. "Their food (aklu-hum) is fish."

2 Arab. " Az'ar," usually = having thin hair. The general term for tailless is
" abtar." See Koran cviii. 3, when it means childless.

* A common formula of politeness.

/86 A If Lay! ah wa Laylah.

brother, hast thou brought me hither to make me a butt and a
laughing-stock for thy children and thy consort ? " Cried the
Merman, " Pardon, O my brother ! Those who have no tails are
rare among us, and whenever one such is found, the Sultan taketh
him, to make fun of him, and he abideth a marvel amongst us,
and all who see him laugh at him. But, O my brother, excuse
these young children and this woman, for they lack wits." Then
he cried out to his family, saying, " Silence ! "; so they were afraid
and held their peace ; whilst he went on to soothe Abdullah's
mind. Presently, as they were talking, behold, in came some ten
Mermen, tall and strong and stout, and said to him, " O Abdullah,
it hath reached the King that thou hast with thee a No-tail of the
No-tails of the earth." Answered the Merman, " Yes ; and this
is he ; but he is not of us nor of the children of the sea. He Is
my friend of the land and hath come to me as a guest and I
purpose to carry him back to the land." Quoth they, "We
cannot depart but with him ; so, an thou have aught to say, arise
and come with him before the King ; and whatso thou wouldst
say to us, say thou that same to the King." Then quoth the
Merman to the fisherman, " O my brother, my excuse is manifest,
and we may not disobey the King: but go thou with me to
him and I will do my best to deliver thee from him, Inshallah !
Fear not, for he deemeth thee of the children of the sea ;
but, when he seeth thee, he will know thee to be of the children
of the land, and he will surely entreat thee honourably and
restore thee to the land." And Abdullah of the Land replied,
" Tis thine to decide, I will trust in Allah and wend with
thee." So he took him and carried him to the King, who, when
he saw him, laughed at him and said, " Welcome to the No-
tail ! " And all who were about the King began to laugh at him
and say, " Yea, by Allah, he is tailless ! " Then Abdullah of the
Sea came forward and acquainted the King with the fisherman's
case, saying, " This man is of the children of the land and he is my
comrade and cannot live amongst us, for that he loveth not the
eating of fish, except it be fried or boiled ; wherefore I desire that
thou give me leave to restore him to the land." Whereto the
King replied, " Since the case is so, and he cannot live among us,
I give thee leave to restore him to his place, after due entertain-
ment," presently adding, " Bring him the guest-meal." So they
brought him fish of various kinds and colours and he ate, in
obedience to the royal behest ; after which the King said to him,

Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman. 187

" Ask a boon of me." Quoth he, " I ask of thee that thou give
me jewels ;" and the King said, "Carry him to the jewel-house
and let him choose that whereof he hath need." So his friend
carried him to the jewel-house and he picked out whatso he
would, after which the Merman brought him back to his own city
and pulling out a purse, said to him, " Take this deposit and lay
it on the tomb of the Prophet, whom Allah save and assain ! "
And he took it, knowing not what was therein. Then the
Merman went forth with him, to bring him back to land, and by
the way he heard singing and merrymaking and saw a table
spread with fish and folk eating and singing and holding mighty
high festival. So Abdullah of the Land said to his friend, " What
aileth these people to rejoice thus ? Is there a wedding among
them?" Replied Abdullah of the Sea, "Nay; one of them is
dead." Asked the fisherman, " Then do ye, when one dieth
amongst you, rejoice for him and sing and feast ? "; and the
Merman answered, " Yes : and ye of the land, what do ye ? "
Quoth Abdullah of the Land, " When one dieth amongst us, we
weep and keen for him and the women beat their faces and rend
the bosoms of their raiment, in token of mourning for the dead."
But Abdullah the Merman stared at him with wide eyes and said
to him, " Give me the deposit ! " So he gave it to him. Then he
set him ashore and said to him, " I have broken off our com-
panionship and our amity ; wherefore from this day forward thou
shalt no more see me, nor I see thee." Cried the fisherman,
"Why sayst thou this?"; and the other said, "Are ye not, O
folk of the land, a deposit of Allah?" "Yes." "Why then,"
asked the Merman, " is it grievous to you that Allah should take
back His deposit and wherefore weep ye over it ? How can I
entrust thee with a deposit for the Prophet (whom Allah save and
assain !), seeing that, when a child is born to you, ye rejoice in it,
albeit the Almighty setteth the soul therein as a deposit ; and yet,
when he taketh it again, it is grievous to you and ye weep and
mourn ? Since it is hard for thee to give up the deposit of Allah,
how shall it be easy to thee to give up the deposit of the
Prophet ? * Wherefore we need not your companionship." Saying

1 Bresl. Edit. xi. 82 ; meaning, "You will probably keep it for yourself." Abdullah
of the Sea is perfectly logical ; but grief is not. We weep over the deaths of friends
mostly for our own sake: theoretically we should rejoice that they are at rest; but
practically we are afflicted by the thought that we shall never again see their pleasant
faces.

1 88 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

thus he left him and disappeared in the sea. Thereupon Abdullah
of the Land donned his dress and taking the jewels, went up to
the King, who met him lovingly and rejoiced at his return saying,
" How dost thou, O my son-in-law, and what is the cause of thine
absence from me this while ? " So he told him his tale and
acquainted him with that which he had seen of marvels in the
sea, whereat the King wondered. Then he told him what
Abdullah the Merman had said1 ; and the King replied, " Indeed
'twas thou wast at fault to tell him this." Nevertheless, he
continued for some time to go down to the shore and call Upon
Abdullah of the Sea, but he answered him not nor came to him ;
so, at last, he gave up all hope of him and abode, he and the
King his father-in-law and the families of them both in the
happiest of case and the practice of righteous ways, till there
came to them the Destroyer of Delights and the Severer of
societies and they died all. Wherefore glory be to the Living,
who dieth not, whose is the empire of the Seen and the Unseen,
who over all things is Omnipotent and is gracious to His servants
and knoweth their every intent! And amongst the tales they
tell is one anent

TALE OF HARUN AL-RASHID AND ABU HASAN,
THE MERCHANT OF OMAN.

THE Caliph Harun Al-Rashid was one night wakeful exceedingly ;
so he called Masrur and said to him as soon as he came, " Fetch
me Ja'afar in haste." Accordingly, he went out and returned
with the Wazir, to whom said the Caliph, " O Ja'afar wakefulness
hath mastered me this night and forbiddeth sleep from me, nor
wot I what shall drive it away from me." Replied Ja'afar, O
Commander of the Faithful, the wise say : — Looking on a mirror,
entering the Hammam-bath and hearkening unto song banish
care and chagrin." He rejoined, " O Ja'afar I have done all this,
but it hath brought me naught of relief, and I swear by my pious
forbears unless thou contrive that which shall abate from me
this insomny,! will smite thy neck." Quoth Ja'afar, " O Com-

1 i.e. about rejoicing over the newborns and mourning over the dead.

Harun Al-Rashid and Abu Hasan. 189

mander of the Faithful, wilt thou do that which I shall counsel
thee ? " whereupon quoth the Caliph, " And what is that thou
counselleth ? " He replied, " It is that thou take boat with us
and drop down Tigris River with the tide to a place called Kara
al-Sirat, so haply we may hear what we never heard or see what
we never saw, for 'tis said : — The solace of care is in one of three
things ; that a man see what he never before saw or hear what
he never yet heard or tread an earth he erst hath never trodden.
It may be this shall be the means of remedying thy restlessness,
O Commander of the Faithful, Inshallah ! There, on either sides
of the river, are windows and balconies one facing other, and it
may be we shall hear or see from one of these somewhat where-
with our hearts may be heartened." Ja'afar's counsel pleased
the Caliph, so he rose from his place and taking with him the
Wazir and his brother Al-Fazl and Isaac l the boon-companion

and Abu Nowas and Abu Dalaf2 and Masrur the Sworder

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

Xofo fo&en it foas tfje Nine l^un&refc anfc JFortjusebent!)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Caliph arose from his seat with Ja'afar and the rest of the party,
all entered the wardrobe, where they donned merchant's gear. Then
they went down to the Tigris and embarking in a gilded boat,
dropped down with the stream, till they came to the place they
sought, when they heard the voice of a damsel singing to the lute
and chanting these couplets : —

To him when the wine cup is near I declare, o While in coppice loud shrilleth

and trilleth Haza>,
* How long this repining from joys and delight ? o Wake up for this life is a

borrowed ware ! "
Take the cup from the hand of the friend who is dear o With languishing eye»!

lids and languorous air.
I sowed on his cheek a fresh rose, which amid o His side-locks the fruit o(

granado-tree bare.

1 ».*. Ishak of Mosul, for whom see vol. iv. 119. The Bresl. Edit, has Faztt for,
Pazl.

1 Abu Dalaf al-Ijili, a well-known soldier equally famed for liberality and culture.

A If Laylak wa Laylah.

Thou wouldst deem that the place where he tare his fair cheek1 o Were ashes,
while cheeks hues incendiary wear.

Quoth the blamer, " Forget him ! But where's my excuse o When his side-
face is growing the downiest hair2 ? "

When the Caliph heard this, he said, " O Ja'afar, how goodly is
that voice ! " ; and the Wazir replied, " O our lord, never smote
my hearing aught sweeter or goodlier than this singing! But,
good my lord, hearing from behind a wall is only half hearing ;
how would it be an we heard it from behind a curtain ? " Quoth
the Caliph, " Come, O Ja'afar, let us play the parasites with the
master of this house ; and haply we shall look upon the song-
stress, face to face ; " and quoth Ja'afar, " I hear and I obey." So
they landed and sought admittance ; when behold, there came out
to them a young man, fair of favour, sweet of speech and fluent
of tongue, who said to them, " Well come and welcome, O lords
that honour me with your presence ! Enter in all comfort and
convenience ! " So they went in (and he with them) to a saloon
with four faces, whose ceiling was decorated with gold and its
walls adorned with ultramarine.3 At its upper end was a dai's,
whereon stood a goodly row of seats4 and thereon sat an hundred
damsels like moons. The house-master cried out to them and
they came down from their seats. Then he turned to Ja'afar and
said to him " O my lord, I know not the honourable of you from
the more honourable : Bismillah ! deign he that is highest in rank
among you favour me by taking the head of the room, and let his
brethren sit each in his several stead." So they sat down, each ac-
cording to his degree, whilst Masrur abode standing before them in
their service ; and the host asked them, " O my guests, with your
leave, shall I set somewhat of food before you ? " and they
answered, "Yes." Hearing this he bade his handmaids bring
food, whereupon four damsels with girded waists placed in front
of them a table, whereon were rare meats of that which flieth

1 Arab. " Takhmish," alluding to the familiar practice of tearing face and hair in grief
for a loss, a death, etc.

2 i.e. When he is in the very prime of life and able to administer JUrs coups de cant/.

For ladies e'en of most uneasy virtue
Prefer a spouse whose age is short of thirty.

Don Juan I. 62.

8 Arab " Lazuward : see vol. iii. 33.

4 Arab. " Sidillah." The Bresl. Edit. (v. 99), has, " a couch of ivory and ebony,
whereon was that which befitted it of mattresses and cushions • * • • and on it five
damsels,"

Harun Al-Rashid and Abu Hasan. 191

and walketh earth and swimmeth seas, sand-grouse and quails
and chickens and pigeons ; and written on the raised edge of the
tray were verses such as sorted with the entertainment. So they
ate till they had enough and washed their hands, after which said
the young man, " O my lords, if you have any want, let us know
it, that we may have the honour of satisfying it." They replied,
" Tis well : we came not to thy dwelling save for the sake of a
voice we heard from behind the wall of thy house, and we would
fain hear it again and know her to whom it belongeth. So, an
thou deem right to vouchsafe us this favour, it will be of the
generosity of thy nature, and after we will return whence we
came." Quoth the host, " Ye are welcome ; " and, turning to a
black slave-girl, said to her, "Fetch me thy mistress such an
one." So she went away and returning with a chair of chinaware,
cushioned with brocade, set it down : then withdrew again and
presently returned with a damsel, as she were the moon on the
night of its full, who sat down on the chair. Then the black girl
gave her a bag of satin wherefrom she brought out a lute, inlaid

with gems and jacinths and furnished with pegs of gold. And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per-
mitted say.

Nofo fofjot ft toa* tfe Nine 2^un&re& an& JFortg=tf$tf) ftft

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the damsel came forward, she took her seat upon the chair and
brought out from its case a lute and behold, it was inlaid with
gems and jacinths and furnished with pegs of gold. Then she
tuned its strings, even as saith the poet of her and her lute in these
lines : —

She sits it in lap like a mother fond o And she strikes the strings that can make

it speak :
And ne'er smiteth her right an injurious touch o But her left repairs of her

right the wreak.1

Then she strained the lute to her bosom, binding over it as mother
bendeth over babe, and swept the strings which complained as

1 i.e. As she untunes the lute by "pinching " the strings over- excitedly with her right,
her other hand retunes it by turning the pegs.

IQ2 A If Laylak wa Laylak,

child to mother complaineth ; after which she played upon it and
began improvising these couplets : —

An Time my lover restore me I'll blame him fain, o Saying, " Pass, O my

dear, the bowl and in passing drain
The wine which hath never mixed with the heart of man o But he passes to joy

from annoy and to pleasure from pain."
Then Zephyr arose to his task of sustaining the cup : o Didst e'er see full

Moon that in hand the star hath ta'en ? '
How oft I talked thro' the night, when its rounded Lune o Shed on darkness of

Tigris 'bank a beamy rain !
And when Luna sank in the West 'twas as though she'd wave o O'er the length

of the watery waste a gilded glaive.

When she had made an end of her verse, she wept with sore weep-
ing and all who were in the place wept aloud till they were well-
nigh dead ; nor was there one of them but took leave of his wits
and rent his raiment and beat his face, for the goodliness of her
singing. Then said Al-Rashid, " This damsel's song verily denoteth
that she is a lover departed from her beloved." Quoth her master,
" She hath lost father and mother ; " but quoth the Caliph, " This
is not the weeping of one who hath lost mother and father,
but the yearning of one who hath lost him she loveth." An$ he
was delighted with her singing and said to Isaac, "By Allah,
never saw I her like ! " ; and Isaac said, " O my lord, indeed I
marvel at her with utterest marvel and am beside myself for
delight." Now Al-Rashid with all this stinted not to look upon
the house-master and note his charms and the daintiness of his
fashion ; but he saw on his face a pallor as he would die ; so he
turned to hfm and said, " Ho, youth ! " and the other said,
" Adsum I — at thy service, O my lord," The Caliph asked,
" Knowest thou who we are ? " ; and he answered, " No." Quoth
Ja'afar, " Wilt thou that I tell thee the names of each of us ? " ;
and quoth the young man " Yes ; " when the Wazir said, " This is
the Commander of the Faithful, descendant of the uncle of the
Prince of the Apostles," and named to him the others of the com-
pany ; after which quoth Al-Rashid, " I wish that thou acquaint
me with the cause of the paleness of thy face, whether it be
acquired or natural from thy birth-tide/' Quoth he, " O Prince of
True Believers, my case is wondrous and my affair marvellous j

1 i.e. The slim cupbearer (Zephyr) and fair-faced girl (Moon) handed round the
bubbling bowl (^siar).

Harun Al-Rashid and Abu Hasan. 193

were it graven with gravers on the eye-corners it were a warner to
whoso will be warned." Said the Caliph, " Tell it to me : haply
thy healing may be at my hand." Said the young man, "O
Commander of the Faithful, lend me thine ears and give me thy
whole mind." And he, " Come ; tell it me, for thou makest me
long to hear it" So the young man began : — Know then, O
Prince of True Believers, that I am a merchant of the merchants
of the sea and come from Oman city, where my sire was a trader
and a very wealthy trader having thirty ships trafficking upon the
main, whose yearly hire was thirty thousand dinars ; and he was a
generous man and had taught me writing and all whereof a wight
hath need. When his last hour drew near, he called me to him
and gave me the customary charge ; then Almighty Allah took
him and admitted him to His mercy and may He continue the
Commander of the Faithful on life ! Now my late father had
partners trading with his coin and voyaging on the ocean. So one
day, as I sat in my house with a company of merchants, a certain
of my servants came in to me and said, " O my lord, there is at
the door a man who craveth admittance to thee ! " I gave leave
and he came in, bearing on his head a something covered. He
set it down and uncovered it, and behold it was a box wherein
were fruits out of season and herbs conserved in salt and fresh,
such as are not found in our land. I thanked him and gifted him
with an hundred dinars, and he went away grateful. Then I
divided these things amongst my friends and guests who were
present and asked them whence they came. Quoth they, "They
come from Bassorah,*' and praised them and went on to portray
the beauties of Bassorah and all agreed that there was naught in
the world goodlier than Baghdad and its people. Then they fell
to describing Baghdad and the fine manners of its folk and the
excellence of its air and the beauty of its ordinance, till my soul
longed for it and all my hopes clave to looking upon it So I arose
and selling my houses and lands, ships and slaves, negroes and hand-
maids, I got together my good, to wit, a thousand thousand dinars,
besides gems and jewels, wherewith I freighted a vessel and setting
out therein with the whole of the property, voyaged awhile. Then
I hired a barque and embarking therein with all my monies sailed
up the river some days till we arrived at Baghdad. I enquired
where the merchants abode and what part was pleasantest for
domicile and was answered, " The Karkh quarter." So I went
thither and hiring a house in a thoroughfare called the Street of
VOL. IX. N

194 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Saffron, transported all my goods to it and took up my lodging
therein for some time. At last one day which was a Friday, I
sallied forth to solace myself taking with me somewhat of coin. I
went first to a cathedral-mosque, called the Mosque of Mansur,
where the Friday service was held, and when we had made an end
of congregational prayers, I fared forth with the folk to a place
hight Karn al-Sirat, where I saw a tall and goodly mansion, with
a balcony overlooking the river-bank and pierced with a lattice-
window. So I betook myself thither with a company of folk and
sighted there an old man sitting, handsomely clad and exhaling
perfumes. His beard forked upon his breast in two waves like
silver-wire, and about him were four damsels and five pages. So I
said to one of the folk, " What is the name of this old man and
what is his business ? " ; and the man said, " His name is Tahir
ibn al-Alaa, and he is a keeper of girls : all who go into him eat and
drink and look upon fair faces." Quoth I, "By Allah, this long
while have I wandered about in search of something like this ! "

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying

her permitted say.

Nofo fojen ft foas dj* Nine f^unbreb anfc Jportp-ntntJ Nfc$t,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
young merchant cried, "By Allah this long while I have gone
about in search of something like this ! So I went up to the
Shaykh, O Commander of the Faithful, and saluting him said to
him, " O my lord, I need somewhat of thee ! " He replied, " What
is thy need ? " and I rejoined, " 'Tis my desire to be thy guest to-
night." He said, " With all my heart ; but, O my son, with me are
many damsels, some whose night is ten dinars, some forty and
others more. Choose which thou wilt have." Quoth I, "I
choose her whose night is ten dinars." And I weighed out to him
three hundred dinars, the price of a month ; whereupon he com-
mitted me to a page, who carried me to a Hammam within the
house and served me with goodly service. When I came out of
the Bath he brought me to a chamber and knocked at the door,
whereupon out came a handmaid, to whom said he, " Take thy
guest I " She met me with welcome and cordiality, laughing and
rejoicing, and brought me into a mighty fine room decorated with
gold. I considered her and saw her like the moon on the night of
its fulness having in attendance on her two damsels as they were

Harun Al-Rashid and Abu Hasan. 195

constellations. She made me sit and seating herself by my side,
signed to her slave-girls who set before us a tray covered with
dishes of various kinds of meats, pullets and quails and sand-
grouse a"nd pigeons. So we ate our sufficiency, and never in my
life ate I aught more delicious than this food. When we had eaten
she bade remove the tray and set on the service of wine and
flowers, sweetmeats and fruits ; and I abode with her a month in
such case. At the end of that time, I repaired to the Bath ; then,
going to the old man, I said to him, " O my lord, I want her whose
night is twenty dinars." " Weigh down the gold," said he. So I
fetched money and weighed out to him six hundred dinars for a
month's hire, whereupon he called a page and said to him, " Take
thy lord here." Accordingly he carried me to the Hammam and
thence to the door of a chamber, whereat he knocked and there
came out a handmaid, to whom quoth he, " Take thy guest ! " She
received me with the goodliest reception and I found in attendance
on her four slave-girls, whom she commanded to bring food. So
they fetched a tray spread with all manner meats, and I ate.
When I had made an end of eating and the tray had been
removed, she took the lute and sang thereto these couplets : —

0 waitings of musk from the Babel-land ! o Bear a message from me

which my longings have planned :
My troth is pledged to that place of yours, o And to friends there 'biding—

a noble band ;
And wherein dwells she whom all lovers love o And would hend, but she

cometh to no man's hand.

1 abode with her a month, after which I returned to the Shaykh
and said to him, " I want the forty dinar one." " Weigh out the
money/' said he. So I weighed out to him twelve hundred dinars,
the mensual hire, and abode with her one month as it were one day,
for what I saw of the comeliness of her semblance and the goodli-
ness of her converse. After this I went to the Shaykh one evening
and heard a great noise and loud voices ; so I asked him, " What
is to do ? " ; and he answered, saying, " This is the night of our
remarkablest nights, when all souls embark on the river and divert
themselves by gazing one upon other. Hast thou a mind to go up
to the roof and solace thyself by looking at the folk ? " " Yes,"
answered I, and went up to the terrace-roof,1 whence I could see a

1 Arab. "Al-Sath" whence the Span. Azotea. The lines that follow are from the
Bresl. Edit. v. no.

Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

gathering of people with flambeaux and cressets, and great mirth
and merriment. Then I went up to the end of the roof and beheld
there, behind a goodly curtain, a little chamber in whose midst
stood a couch of juniper1-wood plated with shimmering gold and
covered with a handsome carpet. On this sat a lovely young lady/
confounding all beholders with her beauty and comeliness and
symmetry and perfect grace, and by her side a youth, whose hand
was on her neck ; and he was kissing her and she kissing himJ
When I saw them, O Prince of True Believers, I could not contain;
myself nor knew where I was, so dazed and dazzled was I by her
beauty : but, when I came down, I questioned the damsel with
whom I was and described the young lady to her. " What wilt
thou with her?" asked she ; and I, "-She hath taken my wit." "O
Abu al-Hasan, hast thou a mind to her?" " Ay, by Allah ! for
she hath captivated my heart and soul." " This is the daughter of
Tahir ibn al-Alaa ; she is our mistress and we are all her hand-
maids ; but knowest thou, O Abu al-Hasan, what be the price of
her night and her day ? " " No ! " " Five hundred dinars, for she
is a regret to the heart of Kings ! "2 " By Allah, I will spend all I
have on this damsel ! " So saying I lay, heartsore for desire,
^through the livelong night till the morning, when I repaired to the
Hammam and presently donned a suit of the richest royal raiment
and betaking myself to Ibn al-Alaa, said to him, " O my lord, I
"Want her whose night is five hundred dinars." Quoth he, " Weigh
down the money." So I weighed out to him fifteen thousand
dinars for a month's hire and he took them and said to the page,
/'Carry him to thy mistress such an one]" Accordingly he took
me and carried me to an apartment, than which my eyes never saw
a goodlier on the earth's face and there I found the young lady
seated. When I saw her, O Commander of the Faithful, my reason
was confounded with her beauty, for she was like the full moon on

its fourteenth night, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of

day and ceased to say her permitted say.

1 This " 'Ar'ar " is probably the Callitris quadrivalvis whose resin (" Sandarac ") is
imported as varnish from African Mogador to England. Also called the Thuja, it is of
cypress shape, slow growing and finely ve.ined in the lower part of the base. Most
travellers are agreed that it is the Citrus-tree of Roman Mauritania, concerning which
Pliny (xiii. 29) gives curious details, a single table costing from a million sesterces (£900)
to 1,400,000. For other details see p. 95. " Morocco and the Moors," by my late
friend Dr. Leared (London : Sampson Low, 1876).

* i.e. Kings might sigh for her in vain.

Harun Al-Rashid and Abu Hasan. 197

Nofo fojen it foas tfje Nine f^untaefc an* Jpiflfetfi

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
young man continued to describe before the Prince of True
Believers the young lady's characteristics, saying :— She was like
the full moon on her fourteenth night, a model of grace and
symmetry and loveliness. Her speech shamed the tones of the
lute, and it was as it were she whom the poet meant in these
verses : —

She cried while played in her side Desire, o And Night o'er hung

her with blackest blee : —
" O Night shall thy murk bring me ne'er a chum o To tumble and futter this

coynte of me ? "
And she smote that part with her palm and sighed o Sore sighs and a weeping

continued she :— -
" As the toothstick beautifies teeth e'en so o Must prickle to coynte

as a toothstick be.

0 Moslems, is never a stand to your tools, o To assist a woman's

necessity ? J>
Thereat rose upstanding beneath its clothes o My yard, as crying, " At

thee ! at thee ! "
And I loosed her trouser-string, startling her : o " Who art thou ? * and I

said, "A reply to thy plea ! "
And began to stroke her with wrist-thick yard, o Hurting hinder cheeks

by its potency :
And she cried as I rose after courses three o " Suit thy gree the

stroke ! " and I— "suit thy gree ! "

And how excellent is the saying of another!1 —

A fair one, to idolaters if she her face should show, They'd leave their idols
and her face for only Lord would know.

If in the Eastward she appeared unto a monk, for sure, He'd cease from turn-
ing to the West and to the East bend low ;

And if into the briny sea one day she chanced to spit, Assuredly the salt sea's
floods straight fresh and sweet would grow.

And that of another : —

1 looked at her one look and that dazed me o Such rarest gifts of mind

and form to see,

When doubt inspired her that I loved her, and o Upon her cheeks the doubt
showed showily.

1 These lines are in vol. viii. 279. I quote Mr, Payne.

198 Alf Laylak wa Laylak.

I saluted her and she said to me, " Well come and welcome, and
fair welcome ! " ; and taking me by the hand, O Prince of True
Believers, made me sit down by her side ; whereupon, of the
excess of my desire, I fell a-weeping for fear of severance and
pouring forth the tears of the eye, recited these two couplets : —

I love the nights of parting though I joy not in the same o Time haply may

exchange them for the boons of Union-day :
And the days that bring Union I unlove for single thought, o Seeing everything

in life lacking steadfastness of stay.

Then she strave to solace me with soft sweet speech, but I was
drowned in the deeps of passion, fearing even in union the pangs
of disunion, for excess of longing and ecstasy of passion ; and I
bethought me of the lowe of absence and estrangement and
repeated these two couplets : —

I thought of estrangement in her embrace o And my eyes rained tears

red as 'Andam-wood.
So I wiped the drops on that long white neck ; o For camphor * is wont to

stay flow of blood.

Then she bade bring food and there came four damsels, high-
bosomed girls and virginal, who set before us food and fruits and
confections and flowers and wine, such as befit none save kings.
So, O Commander of the Faithful, we ate, and sat over our wine,
compassed about with blooms and herbs of sweet savour, in a
chamber suitable only for kings. Presently, one of her maids
brought her a silken bag, which she opened and taking thereout
a lute, laid it in her lap and smote its strings, whereat it com-
plained as child complaineth to mother, and she sang these two
couplets : —

Drink not pure wine except from hand of slender youth » Like wine for

daintiness and like him eke the wine :
For wine no joyance brings to him who drains the cup o Save bring the

cup-boy cheek as fair and fain and fine.

So, I abode with her, O Commander of the Faithful, month after
month in similar guise, till all my money was spent ; wherefore I
began to bethink me of separation as I sat with her one day and

1 A most unsavoury comparison to a Persian who always connects camphor with
the idea of a corpse.

Harun Al-Rashid and Abu Hasan. 199

my tears railed down, upon my cheeks like rills, and I became not
knowing night from light. Quoth she, " Why dost thou weep ? " ;
and quoth I, "O light of mine eyes, I weep because of our
parting." She asked, " And what shall part me and thee, O my
lord ? " ; and I answered, " By Allah, O my lady, from the day I
came to thee, thy father hath taken of me, for every night, five
hundred dinars, and now I have nothing left. Right soothfast is
the saw: — Penury maketh strangerhood at home and money
maketh a home in strangerhood ; and indeed the poet speaks
truth when he saith : —

Lack of good is exile to man at home ; o And money shall house him
where'er he roam."

She replied, " Know that it is my father's custom, whenever a
merchant abideth with him and hath spent all his capital, to
entertain him three days ; then doth he put him out and he may
return to us nevermore. But keep thou thy secret and conceal
thy case and I will so contrive that thou shalt abide with me till
such time as Allah will ; * for, indeed, there is in my heart a great
love for thee. Thou must know that all my father's money is
under my hand and he wotteth not its full tale ; so, every morning,
I will give thee a purse of five hundred dinars which do thou offer
to my sire, saying: — Henceforth, I will pay thee only day by
day. He will hand the sum to me, and I will give it to thee
again, and we will abide thus till such time as may please Allah." !
Thereupon I thanked her and kissed her hand ; and on this wise,
O Prince of True Believers, I abode with her a whole year, till it
chanced on a certain day that she beat one of her handmaids
grievously and the slave-girl said, "By Allah, I will assuredly
torture thy heart, even as thou hast tortured me ! " So she went
to the girl's father and exposed to him all that had passed, first
and last, which when Tahir ibn Alaa heard he arose forthright and
coming in to me, as I sat with his daughter, said, " Ho, such an
one ! " ; and I said, " At thy service." Quoth he, " Tis our wont,
when a merchant grow poor with us, to give him hospitality three
days ; but thou hast had a year with us, eating and drinking and
doing what thou wouldst." Then he turned to his pages and cried
to them, " Pull off his clothes/' They did as he bade them and

Arab. " Ila ma shdV llah" i.e. as long as you like.

2OO A If Laylah wa Laylak.

gave me ten dirhams and an old suit worth five silvers; after
which he said to me, " Go forth ; I will not beat thee nor abuse
thee ; but wend thy ways and if thou tarry in this town, thy blood
be upon thine own head." So I went forth, O Commander of the
Faithful, in my own despite, knowing not whither to hie, for had
fallen on my heart all the trouble in the world and I was occupied
with sad thought and doubt Then I bethought me of the wealth
which I had brought from Oman and said in myself, " I came
hither with a thousand thousand dinars, part price of thirty ships,
and have made away with it all in the house of yonder ill-omened
man, and now I go forth from him, bare and broken-hearted ! But
there is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the
Glorious, the Great!" Then I abode three days in Baghdad,
without tasting meat or drink, and on the fourth day seeing a ship
bound for Bassorah, I took passage in her of the owner^ and when
we reached our port, I landed and went into the bazar, being sore
anhungered. Presently, a man saw me, a grocer, whom I had
known aforetime, and coming up to me, embraced me, for he had
been my friend and my father's friend before me. Then he ques-
tioned me of my case, seeing me clad in those tattered clothes ;
so I told him all that had befallen me, and he said, " By Allah,
this is not the act of a sensible man ! But after this that hath
befallen thee what dost thou purpose to do ? " Quoth I, " I know
not what I shall do," and quoth he, " Wilt thou abide with me
and write my outgo and income and thou shalt have two dirhams
a day, over and above thy food and drink ? " I agreed to this and
abode with him, O Prince of True Believers, selling and buying,
till I had gotten an hundred dinars ; when I hired me an upper
chamber by the river-side, so haply a ship should come, up with
merchandise, that I might buy goods with the dinars and go back
with them to Baghdad. Now it fortuned that one day, there came
ships with merchandise, and all the merchants resorted to them to
buy, and I went with them on board, when behold, there came
two men out of the hold and setting themselves chairs on the
deck, sat down thereon. The merchants addressed themselves to
the twain with intent to buy, and the man said to one of the crew,
«' Bring the carpet." Accordingly he brought the carpet and
spread it, and another came with a pair of saddle-bags, whence
he took a budget and emptied it on the carpet ; and our sights
were dazzled with that which issued therefrom of pearls and corals
and jacinths and carnelians and other jewels of all sorts and

Harun Al-Rashid and Abu Hasan. 201

colours. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased saying her permitted say.

JJofo fofjcn it foas tfje JJine ^untrtcir antr jpiftg*first

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the young
merchant, after recounting to the Caliph the matter of the bag and
its containing jewels of all sorts, continued : — Presently, O Com-
mander of the Faithful, said one of the men on the chairs," O company
of merchants, we will sell but this to-day, by way of spending-
money, for that we are weary." So the merchants fell to bidding
one against other for the jewels and bid till the price reached four
hundred dinars. Then said to me the owner of the bag (for he
was an old acquaintance of mine, and when he saw me, he came
down to me and saluted me), " Why dost thou not speak and bid
like the rest of the merchants ? " I said, " O my lord, by Allah,
the shifts of fortune have run against me and I have lost my
wealth and have only an hundred dinars left in the world."
Quoth he, "O Omdni, after this vast wealth, can only an
hundred dinars remain to thee ? " And I was abashed before
him and my eyes filled with tears ; whereupon he looked
at me and indeed my case was grievous to him. So he said
to the merchants, " Bear witness against me that I have sold
all that is in this bag of various gems and precious stones to
this man for an hundred gold pieces, albeit I know them to be
worth so many thousand dinars, and this is a present from
me to him." Then he gave me the saddle-bag and the carpet,
with all the jewels that were thereon, for which I thanked him, and
each and every of the merchants present praised him. Presently
I carried all this to the jewel-market -and sat there to sell and buy.
Now among the precious stones was a round amulet of the handi-
work of the masters,1 weighing half a pound : it was red of the
brightest, a carnelian on both whose sides were graven characts
and characters, like the tracks of ants ; but I knew not its worth.
I sold and bought a whole year, at the end of which I took the
amulet2 and said, "This hath been with me some while, and I

1 i.e. of gramarye.

2 Arab. "Ta'wiz" = the Arab Tilasm, our Talisman, a charm, an amulet; and in
India mostly a magic square. The subject is complicated and occupies in Herklots som*
sixty pages, 232-284.

202 A If Lay t ah wa Laylah.

know not what it is nor what may be its value." So I gave it to
the broker who took it and went round with it and returned, saying,
" None of the merchants will give me more than ten dirhams for
it." Quoth I, " I will not sell it at that price ; " and he threw it in
my face and went away. Another day I again offered it for sale
and its price reached fifteen dirhams ; whereupon I took it from
the broker in anger and threw it back into the tray. But a few
days after, as I sat in my shop, there came up to me a man, who
bore the traces of travel, and saluting me, said, " By thy leave, I
will turn over what thou hast of wares." Said I, " 'Tis well/' and
indeed, O Commander of the Faithful, I was still wroth by reason
of the lack of demand for the talisman. So the man fell to turning
over my wares, but took nought thereof save the amulet, which
when he saw, he kissed his hand and cried, " Praised be Allah ! "
Then said he to me, " O my lord, wilt thou sell this ? " ; and I
replied, " Yes," being still angry. Quoth he, " What is its price ? "
And I asked, " How much wilt thou give ? " He answered,
"Twenty dinars": so I thought he was making mock of me and
exclaimed, " Wend thy ways." But he resumed, " I will give thee
fifty dinars for it." I made him no answer, and he continued, " A
thousand dinars." But I was silent, declining to reply, whilst he
laughed at my silence and said, " Why dost thou not return me an
answer ? " '* Hie thee home," repeated I and was like to quarrel
with him. But he bid thousand after thousand, and I still made
him no reply, till he said, " Wilt thou sell it for twenty thousand
dinars ? " I still thought he was mocking me ; but the people
gathered about me and all of them said, " Sell to him, and if he
buy not, we will all up and at him and drub him and thrust him
forth the city." So quoth I to him, " Wilt thou buy or dost thou
jest ? " ; and quoth he, " Wilt thou sell or dost thou joke ? " I said,
" I will sell if thou wilt buy ; " then he said, " I will buy it for
thirty thousand dinars ; take them and make the bargain ; " so I
cried to the bystanders, " Bear witness against him," adding to
him, " But on condition that thou acquaint me with the virtues and
profit of this amulet for which thou payest all this money." He
answered, " Close the bargain, and I will tell thee this ; " I rejoined,
" I sell it to thee ; " and he retorted, " Allah be witness of that
which thou sayst and testimony ! " Then he brought out the
gold and giving it to me took the amulet, and set it in his bosom ;
after which he turned to me and asked, €e Art thou content ? "
Answered I, " Yes," and he said to the people, " Bear witness

Harun Al-Raskid and Abu Hasan. 203

against him that he hath closed the bargain and touched the price,
thirty thousand dinars." Then he turned to me and said, " Harkye,
my poor fellow, hadst thou held back from selling, by Allah I
would have bidden thee up to an hundred thousand dinars, nay,
even to a thousand thousand ! " When I heard these words, O
Commander of the Faithful, the blood fled my face, and from that
day there overcame it this pallor thou seest. Then said I to

" Tell me the reason of this and what is the use of this amulet.11;
And he answered, saying, " Know that the King of Hind hath1
a daughter, never was seen a thing fairer than she, and she 13
possessed with a falling sickness.1 So the King summoned the
Scribes and men of science and Divines, but none of them could
relieve her of this. Now I was present in the assembly ; so I said
to him, " O King, I know a man called Sa'adu'llah the Babylonian,
than whom there is not on the face of the earth one more masterly
in these matters, and if thou see fit to send me to him, do so."
Said he, " Go to him ; " and quoth I, " Bring me a piece of
carnelian." Accordingly he gave me a great piece of carnelian
and an hundred thousand dinars and a present, which I took, and
with which I betook myself to the land of Babel. Then I sought
out the Shaykh and when he was shown to me I delivered to him
the money and the present, which he accepted and sending for a
lapidary, bade him fashion the carnelian into this amulet. Then
he abode seven months in observation of the stars, till he chose
out an auspicious time for engraving it, when he graved upon it
these talismanic characters which thou seest,. and I took it and
returned with it to the King. -- -And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

fofjen ft foas tfje Nine l^untofc an& jptftg-seconK

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
young man said to the Commander of the Faithful : — So after the
Shaykh had spoken, I took this talisman and returned with it to
the King. Now the Princess was bound with four chains, and

1 The Bui. and Mac. Edits, give the Princess's malady, in error, as Daa al-Suda*
(megrims), instead of Daa al-Sar* (epilepsy), as in the Bresl. Edit. The latter would
mean that she is possessed by a demon, again the old Scriptural fancy (see vol. v. 28).
The subject is highly fitted for romance but not for a " serious " book which ought to
know better*

2O4 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

every night a slave-girl lay^with her and was found in the morning'
with her throat cut. The King took the amulet and laid it upon
his daughter who was straightway made whole. At this he
rejoiced with exceeding joy and invested me with a vest of honour
and gave alms of much money ; and he caused set the amulet in
the Princess's necklace. It chanced, one day, that she embarked
with her women in a ship and went for a sail on the sea. Presently*
one of her maids put out her hand to her, to sport with her, and
the necklace brake asunder and fell into the waves. From that
hour the possessor * of the Princess returned to her, wherefore
great grief betided the King and he gave me much money, saying,
" Go thou to Shaykh Sa'adu'llah and let him make her another
amulet, in lieu of that which is lost." I journeyed to Babel,
but found the old man dead ; whereupon I returned and told the
King, who sent me and ten others to go round about in all
countries, so haply we might find a remedy for her : and now Allah
hath caused me happen on it with thee." Saying these words, he
took from me the amulet, O Commander of the Faithful, and went
his ways. Such, then, is the cause of the wanness of my com-
plexion. As for me, I repaired to Baghdad, carrying all my wealth
with me, and took up my abode in the lodgings where I lived
whilome. On the morrow, as soon as it was light, I donned my
dress and betook myself to the house of Tahir Ibn al-Alaa, that
haply I might see her whom I loved, for the love of her had never
ceased to increase upon my heart. But when I came to his home,.
I saw the balcony broken down and the lattice builded up ; so I
stood awhile, pondering my case and the shifts of Time, till there
came up a serving-man, and I questioned him, saying, " What hath
God done with Tahir ibn al-Alaa ? " He answered, " O my brother,
he hath repented to Almighty Allah.2 " Quoth I, " What was the
cause of his repentance ? " ; and quoth he, " O my brother, in such
a year there came to him a merchant, by name Abu al- Hasan the
Omani, who abode with his daughter awhile, till his wealth was all
spent, when the old man turned him out, broken-hearted. Now
the girl loved him with exceeding love, and when she was parted
from him, she sickened of a sore sickness and came nigh upon
death. As soon as her father knew how it was with her, he sent
after and sought for Abu al- Hasan through the lands, pledging

1 Arab Al-'Ariz «= the demon who possessed her.
* U. He hath. renounced his infamous traffic.

Harun Al-Raskid and Abu Hasan. 205

himself to bestow upon whoso should produce him an hundred
thousand dinars ; but none could find him nor come on any trace
of him ; and she is now hard upon death." Quoth I, " And how
is it with her sire ? " and quoth the servant, " He hath sold all his
girls, for grief of that which hath befallen him, and hath repented
to Almighty Allah." Then asked I, "What wouldst thou say to
him who should direct thee to Abu al-Hasan the Omani ? " ; and
he answered, " Allah upon thee, O my brother, that thou do this
and quicken my poverty and the poverty of my parents ! ! " I
rejoined, " Go to her father and say to him, Thou owest me the
reward for good news, for that Abu al-Hasan the Omani standeth
at the door." With this he set off trotting, as he were a mule
loosed from the mill, *and presently came back, accompanied by
Shaykh Tahir himself, who no sooner saw me than he returned to
his house and gave the man an hundred thousand dinars which he
took and went away blessing me. Then the old man came up and
embraced me and wept, saying, " O my lord, where hast thou been
absent all this while ? Indeed, my daughter hath been killed by
reason of her separation from thee ; but come with me into the
house." So we entered and he prostrated himself in gratitude to
the Almighty, saying, " Praised be Allah who hath reunited us
with thee ! " Then he went in to his daughter and said to her,
" The Lord hath healed thee of this sickness ; " and said she, " O
my papa, I shall never be whole of my sickness, save I look upon
the face of Abu al-Hasan." Quoth he, " An thou wilt eat a morsel
and go to the Hammam, I will bring thee in company with him."
Asked she, " Is it true that thou sayst ? " ; and he answered, " By
the Great God, 'tis true ! " She rejoined, " By Allah, if I look
upon his face, I shall have no need of eating ! " Then said he to
his page, " Bring in thy lord." Thereupon I entered, and when
she saw me, O Prince of True Believers, she fell down in a swoon,
and presently coming to herself, recited this couplet : —

Yea, Allah hath joined the parted twain, o When no thought they thought e'er
to meet again.

Then she sat upright and said, " By Allah, O my lord, I had not
deemed to see thy face ever more, save it were in a dream ! " So
she embraced me and wept, and said, " O Abu al-Hasan, now will

1 Alluding to the favourite Eastern saying, " The poor man hath no life.**

206 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

I eat and drink." The old man her sire rejoiced to hear these
words and they brought her meat and drink and we ate and drank,
O Commander of the Faithful. After this, I abode with them
awhile, till she was restored to her former beauty, when her father
sent for the Kazi and the witnesses and bade write out the
marriage-contract between her and me and made a mighty great
bride-feast ; and she is my wife to this day and this is my son by
her." So saying he went away and returned with a boy of rare
beauty and symmetry of form and favour to whom said he, '* Kiss
the ground before the Commander of the Faithful.'* He kissed
ground before the Caliph, who marvelled at his beauty and glorified
his Creator ; after which Al-Rashid departed, he and his company,
saying, "OJa afar, verily, this is none other than a marvellous thing,
never saw I nor heard I aught more wondrous." When he was
seated in the palace of the Caliphate, he cried, " O Masrur ! " who
replied, " Here am I, O my lord ! " Then said he, " Bring the
year's tribute of Bassorah and Baghdad and Khorasan, and set it
in this recess.1 " Accordingly he laid the three tributes together
and they were a vast sum of money, whose tale none might tell
save Allah. Then the Caliph bade draw a curtain before the
recess and said to Ja'afar, " Fetch me Abu al-Hasan," Replied
Ja'afar, "I hear and obey," and going forth, returned presently
with the Omani, who kissed ground before the Caliph, fearing lest
he had sent for him because of some fault that he had committed
when he was with him in his house. Then said Al-Rashid,
" Harkye, O Omani ! " and he replied, " Adsum, O Prince of True
Believers ! May Allah ever bestow his favours upon thee ! "
Quoth the Caliph, "Draw back yonder curtain." Thereupon
Abu al-Hasan drew back the curtain from the recess and
was confounded and perplexed at the mass of money he saw
there. Said Al-Rashid, " O Abu al-Hasan, whether is the more,
this money or that thou didst lose by the amulet2?"; and he
answered, " This is many times the greater, O Commander of the
Faithful!" Quoth the Caliph, "Bear witness, all ye who are
present, that I give this money to this young man." So Abu

1 In this and the following lines some change is necessary for the Bresl. and Mac.
texts are very defective. The Arabic word here translated "recess" is "Aywdn,"
prop, a hall, an open saloon.

2 i.e. by selling it for thirty thousand gold pieces, when he might have got a million
for it.

Ibrahim and Jamilah. 207

al-Hasan kissed ground and was abashed and wept before the
Caliph for excess of joy. Now when he wept, the tears ran down
from his eyelids upon his cheeks and the blood returned to its
place and his face became like the moon on the night of its
fulness. Whereupon quoth the Caliph, " There is no god but the
God ! Glory be to Him who decreeth chaage upon change and
is Himself the Everlasting who changeth not ! " Saying these
words, he bade fetch a mirror and showed Abu al-Hasan his face
therein, which when he saw, he prostrated himself, in gratitude to
the Most High Lord. Then the Caliph bade transport the money
to Abu al-Hasan's house and charged the young man not to absent
himself from him, so he might enjoy his company as a cup-com-
panion. Accordingly he paid him frequent visits, till Al-Rashid
departed to the mercy of Almighty Allah ; and glory be to Him
who dieth not the Lord of the Seen and the Unseen ! And among
tales they tell is one touching

IBRAHIM AND JAMILAH.1

AL-KHASlB,2 Wazir of Egypt, had a son named Ibrahfm, than
whom there was none goodlier, and of his fear for him, he suffered
him not to go forth, save to the Friday prayers. One day, as the
youth was returning from the mosque, he came upon an old man,
with whom were many books ; so he lighted down from his horse
and seating himself beside him, began to turn over the tomes and
examine them. In one of them he espied the semblance of a
woman which all but spoke, never was seen on the earth's face one
more beautiful ; and as this captivated his reason and confounded
his wit, he said to the old man, " O Shaykh, sell me this picture."

1 The tale is not in the Bresl. Edit.

8 Al-Khasib (= the fruitful) was the son of 'Abd al-Hamid and intendant of the tribute
of Egypt under Harun al-Rashid, but neither Lord nor Sultan. Lane (iii. 669) quotes
three couplets in his honour by Abu Nowas from p. 119 of " Elmacini (Al-Makin)
Historia Saracenica."

If our camel visit not the land of Al-Khasib, what man after Al-Khasib shall they

visit ?
For generosity is not his neighbour ; nor hath it sojourned near him ; but generosity

goeth wherever he goeth :
He is a man who purchaseth praise with his wealth, and who knowelh that the

periods of Fortune revolve,

208 A If Laytah wa Laylak.

The bookseller kissed ground between his hands and said, " O my
lord, 'tis thine without price.1' Ibrahim gave him an hundred
dinars and taking the book in which was the picture, fell to gazing
upon it and weeping night and day, abstaining from meat and
drink and sleep. Then said he in his mind, " An I ask the book-
seller of the painter of this picture, .haply he will tell me ; and if
the original be living, I will seek access to her ; but, if it be only
a picture, I will leave doting upon it and plague myself no moro

for a thing which hath no real existence." And Shahrazad per*.

ceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

jiofo fojen ft foas tfte Nine f^utrtrretr antt jFifts-t&f A

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
youth Ibrahim said in his mind, " An I ask the bookseller of the
painter of this picture, haply he will tell me ; and, if it be only a
picture, I will leave doting upon it and plague myself no more for
a thing which hath no real existence/' So on the next Friday
he betook himself to the bookseller, who sprang up to receive him,
and said to him, " Oh uncle, tell me who painted this picture."
He replied, " O my lord, a man of the people of Baghdad painted
it, by name Abu al-Kasim al-Sandalani who dwelleth in a quarter
called Al-Karkh ; but I know not of whom it is the portraiture."
So Ibrahim left him without acquainting any of his household with
his case, and returned to the palace, after praying the Friday
prayers. Then he took a bag and rilling it with gold and gems
to the value of thirty thousand dinars, waited till the morning,
when he went out, without telling any, and presently overtook a
caravan. Here he saw a Badawi and asked him, " O uncle, what
distance is between me and Baghdad ? "; and the other answered,
" O my son, where art thou, and where is Baghdad2? Verily,
between thee and it is two months' journey. " Quoth Ibrahim,
" O nuncle, an thou wilt guide me to Baghdad, I will give thee an
hundred dinars and this mare under me that is worth other
thousand gold pieces ; " and quoth the Badawi, " Allah be witness
of what we say ! Thou shalt not lodge this night but with me."

1 The old stoiy " A1& judi-k'* = upon thy generosity, which means at least ten time*
the price.

* i.e. The distance is enormous.

Ibrahim and Jamilah* 209

So Ibrahim agreed to this and passed the night with him. At
break of dawn, the Badawi took him and fared on with him in
haste by a near road, in his greed for the mare and the promised
good ; nor did they leave wayfaring till they came to the walls of
Baghdad, when said the wildling, " Praised be Allah for safety 1
O my lord, this is Baghdad." Whereat Ibrahim rejoiced with
exceeding joy and alighting from the mare, gave her to the Desert-
man, together with the hundred dinars. Then he took the bag
and entering the city walked on, enquiring for the quarter Al-
Karkh and the station of the merchants, till Destiny drave him to
a by-way, wherein were ten houses, five fronting five, and at the
farther end was a two-leaved door with a silver ring. By the gate
stood two benches of marble, spread with the finest carpets, and
on one of them sat a man of handsome aspect and reverend, clad
in sumptuous clothing and attended by five Mamelukes like moons.
When the youth Ibrahim saw the street, he knew it by the de-
scription the bookseller had given him ; so he salamed to the man,
who returned his salutation and bidding him welcome, made him
sit down and asked him of his case. Quoth Ibrahim, " I am a
stranger man and desire of thy favour that thou look me out a
house in this street where I may take up my abode." With this
the other cried out, saying, " Ho, Ghazdlah1 ! "; and there came
forth to him a slave-girl, who said, " At thy service, 0 my lord ! "
Said her master, "Take some servants and fare ye all and every
to such a house and clean it and furnish it with whatso is needful
for this handsome youth." So she went forth and did his bidding ;
whilst the old man took the youth and showed him the house ; and
he said, " O my lord, how much may be the rent of this house ? "
The other answered, " O bright of face, I will take no rent of thee
whilst thou abidest therein." Ibrahim thanked him for this and
the old man called another slave-girl, whereupon there came forth
to him a damsel like the sun, to whom said he, " Bring chess."
So she brought it and one of the servants set the cloth ; * where-
upon said the Shaykh to Ibrahim, " Wilt thou play with me ? "; and
he answered, "Yes/' So they played several games and Ibrahim
beat him, when his adversary exclaimed, " Well done, O youth !

1 A gazelle ; but here the slave-girl's name.

1 See vol. ii. 104. Herklots (PI. vii. fig. 2) illustrates the cloth used in playing the
Indian game, Pachfsi. The " board " is rather European than Oriental, but it has of
late years spread far and wide, especially the backgammon board.

VOL. IX. O

2 1 0 A If L aylah wa L ay I ah .

Thou art indeed perfect in qualities. By Allah, there is not
one in Baghdad can beat me, and yet thou hast beaten me ! H
Now when they had made ready the house and furnished it with
all that was needful, the old man delivered, the keys to Ibrahim
and said to him, " O my lord, wilt thou not enter my place and
eat of my bread ? " He assented and walking in with him, found
it a handsome house and a goodly, decorated with gold and full
of all manner pictures and furniture galore and other things, such
as tongue faileth to set out. The old man welcomed him and
called for food, whereupon they brought a table of the make of
Sana'a of Al-Yaman and spread it with all manner rare viands,
than which there was naught costlier nor more delicious. So
Ibrahim ate his sufficiency, after which he washed his hands and
proceeded to inspect the house and furniture. Presently, he turned
to look for the leather bag, but found it not and said in himself,
" There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the
Glorious, the Great ! I have eaten a morsel worth a dirham or
two and have lost a bag wherein is thirty thousand dinars' worth :
but I seek aid of Allah ! " And he was silent and could not speak

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say

her permitted say.

Jioto tofjm ft toaa tfjt jSme f^untati anfc ^tftg^fourtj jSifl&t,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the youth Ibrahim saw that his bag was lost, he was silent and
could not speak for the greatness of his trouble. Presently his
host brought the chess and said to him, " Wilt thou play with
me ? "; and he said, " Yes." So they played and the old man beat
him. Ibrahim cried, " Well done ! " and left playing and rose :
upon which his host asked him, " What aileth thee, O youth ? "
whereto he answered, " I want the bag/' Thereupon the Shaykh
rose and brought it out to him, saying, " Here it is, O my lord.
Wilt thou now return to playing with ,me ? " " Yes," replied
Ibrahim. Accordingly they played and the young man beat him.
Quoth the Shaykh/" When thy thought was occupied with the
bag, I beat thee : but, now I have brought it back to thee, thou
beatest me. But, tell me, O my son, what countryman art thou : "
Quoth Ibrahim, "I am from Egypt," and quoth the oldster, "And
what is the cause of thy coming to Baghdad ? "; whereupon
Ibrahim brought out the portrait and said to him, " Know, O uncle,

Ibrahim and Jamilah. 2 1 1

that I am the son of Al-Khasib, Wazir of Egypt, and I saw
with a bookseller this picture, which bewildered my wit. I asked
him who painted it and he said, " He who wrought it is a man,
Abu al-Kasim al-Sandalani hight, who dwelleth in a street called
the Street of Saffron in the Karkh quarter of Baghdad." So I
took with me somewhat of money and came hither alone, none
knowing of my case ; and I desire of the fulness of thy favour that
thou direct me to Abu al-Kasim, so I may ask him of the cause
of his painting this picture and whose portrait it is. And whatso-
ever he desireth of me, I will give him that same." Said his host,
" By Allah, O my son, I am Abu al-Kasim al-Sandalani, and this
is a prodigious thing how Fate hath thus driven thee to me ! "
Now when Ibrahim heard these words, he rose to him and
embraced him and kissed his head and hands, saying, "Allah
upon thee, tell me whose portrait it is ! " The other replied, " I
hear and I obey," and rising, opened a closet and brought out a
number of books, wherein he had painted the same picture, Then
said he, " Know, O my son, that the original of this portrait is my
cousin, the daughter of my father's brother, whose name is Abu
al-Lays.1 She dwelleth in Bassorah of which city her father is
governor, and her name is Jamilah — the beautiful. There is not
on the face of the earth a fairer than she ; but she is averse from
men and cannot hear the word ' man ' pronounced in her presence.
Now I once repaired to my uncle, to the intent that he should
marry me to her, and was lavish of wealth to him ; but he would
not consent thereto : and when his daughter knew of this she was
indignant and sent to me to say, amongst other things : — An thou
have wit, tarry not in this town ; else wilt thou perish and thy sin
shall be on thine own neck.2 For she is a virago of viragoes.
Accordingly I left Bassorah, brokenhearted, and limned this like-
ness of her in books and scattered them abroad in various lands,
so haply they might fall into the hands of a comely youth like
thyself and he contrive access to her and peradventure she might
fall in love with him, purposing to take a promise of him that,
when he should have possession of her, he would show her to me,
though I look but for a moment from afar off." When Ibrahim
son of Al-Khasib heard these words, he bowed his head awhile in
thought and Al-Sandalani said to him, " O my son, I have not

1 *>." Father of the Lion."

2 Or as we should say, " Thy blood will be on thine own head."

212 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

seen in Baghdad a fairer than thou, and meseems that, when she
seeth thee, she will love thee. Art thou willing, therefore, in case
thou be united with her and get possession of her, to show her to
me, if I look but for a moment from afar ? " Ibrahim replied,
" Yes ; " and the painter rejoined, " This being so, tarry with me
till thou set out." But the youth retorted, " I cannot tarry
longer ; for my heart with love of her is all afire." " Have
patience three days," said the Shaykh, " till I fit thee out a ship,
wherein thou mayst fare to Bassorah." Accordingly he waited
whilst the old man equipped him a craft and stored therein all
that he needed of meat and drink and so forth. When the three
days were past, he said to Ibrahim, " Make thee ready for the
voyage ; for I have prepared thee a packet-boat furnished with all
thou requirest. The craft is my property and the seamen are of
my servants. In the vessel is what will suffice thee till thy return,
and I have charged the crew to serve thee till thou come back in
safety." Thereupon Ibrahim farewelled his host and embarking,
sailed down the river till he came to Bassorah, where he pulled
out an hundred dinars for the sailors , but they said, " We have
gotten our hire of our lord." However he replied, " Take this by
way of largesse ; and I will not acquaint him therewith." So they
took it and blessed him. Then the youth landed and entering
the town asked, " Where do the merchants lodge ? " and was
answered, " In a Khan called the Khan of Hamaddn."1 So he
walked to the market wherein stood the Khan, and all eyes were
fixed upon him and men's sight was attracted to him by reason
of his exceeding beauty and loveliness. He entered the caravan-
serai, with one of the sailors in his company ; and, asking for the
porter, was directed to an aged man of reverend aspect. He
saluted him and the doorkeeper returned his greeting; after
which Ibrahim said to him, " O uncle, hast thou a nice chamber ? "
He replied, " Yes," and taking him and the sailor, opened to them
a handsome room decorated with gold, and said, " O youth, this
chamber befitteth thee." Ibrahim pulled out two dinars and gave
them to him, saying, "Take these to key-money."2 And the

1 Called after the famous town in Persian Mesopotamia which however is spelt with
the lesser aspirate. See p. 144. The Geographical works of Sadik-i-Ispahani, London;
Oriental Transl. Fund, 1882. Hamdan (with the greater aspirate) and Hamdun mean
only the member masculine, which may be a delicate piece of chaff for the gallery.

2 Arab. " Hulwan al-miftah," for which see vol. vii. 212. Mr. Payne compares it with
the French denier a Dieu, given to the concierge on like occasions.

Ibrahim and Jamilah. 213

porter took them and blessed him. Then the youth Ibrahim sent
the sailor back to the ship and entered the room, where the door-
keeper abode with him and served him, saying, " O my lord, thy
coming hath brought us joy ! " Ibrahim gave him a dinar, and
said, " Buy us herewith bread and meat and sweetmeats and
wine." Accordingly the doorkeeper went to the market ; and,
buying ten dirhams' worth of victual, brought it back to Ibrahim
and gave him the other ten dirhams. But he cried to him, " Spend
them on thyself; " whereat the porter rejoiced with passing joy.
Then he ate a scone with a little kitchen1 and gave the rest to the
concierge, adding, " Carry this to the people of thy household."
The porter carried it to his family and said to them, " Methinketh
there is not on the face of the earth a more generous than the
young man who has come to lodge with us this day, nor yet a
pleasanter than he. An he abide with us, we shall grow rich."
Then he returned to Ibrahim and found him weeping ; so he sat
down and began to rub2 his feet and kiss them, saying, " O my
lord, wherefore weepest thou ? May Allah not make thee weep ! "
Said Ibrahim, " O uncle, I have a mind to drink with thee this
night ; " and the porter replied, " Hearing and obeying ! " So
he gave him five dinars and said, " Buy us fresh fruit and wine ; M
and presently added other five, saying, " With these buy also for
us dessert3 and flowers and five fat fowls and bring me a lute.'v
The doorkeeper went out and, buying what he had ordered, saicl
to his wife, " Strain this wine and cook us this food and look thoit
dress it daintily, for this young man overwhelmeth us with his-
bounties." She did as he bade her, to the utmost of desire ; and
he took the victuals and carried them to Ibrahim son of the
Sultan. -- And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.

fofccn ft foas tfje Hine f^untefc an* Jptftg-fiftJ)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that then they
ate and drank and made merry, and Ibrahim wept and repeated
the following verses : —

1 Arab. 'Udm, a relish, the Scotch " kitchen, ' Lat. Opsonium, Ital. Coropanatico and
our " by-meat." See vol. iv. 128.

3 Arab. " Kabasa " = he shampoo'd. See vol. ii . 17.
3 Arab. " Nukl." See supra p. 177.

214 Alf Laylak wa Laylah.

0 my friend ! an I rendered my life, my sprite, o My wealth and whatever

the world can unite ;

Nay, th* Eternal Garden and Paradise1 o For an hour of Union my

heart would buy't !

Then he sobbed a great sob and fell down a-swoon. The
porter sighed, and when he came to himself, he said to
him, " O my lord, what is it 'gars thee weep and who is she
to whom thou alludest in these verses ? * Indeed, she cannot
be but as dust to thy feet." But Ibrahim arose and
for all reply brought out a parcel of the richest raiment
that women wear and said to him, "Take this to thy Harim."
So he carried it to his wife and she returned with him
to the young man's lodging and behold, she found him
weeping, quoth the doorkeeper to him, " Verily, thou breakest
our hearts ! Tell us what fair one thou desirest, and she shall
be naught save thy handmaid." Quoth he, " O uncle, know, that

1 am the son of Al-Khasib, Wazir of Egypt, and I am enamoured
of Jamilah, daughter of Abu al-Lays the Governor." Exclaimed
the porter's wife, " Allah ! Allah ! O my brother, leave this talk,
lest any hear of us and we perish. Verily there is not on earth's
face a more masterful than she, nor may any name to her the
word * man,' for she is averse from men. Wherefore, O my son,
turn from her to other than her." Now when Ibrahim heard this,
he wept with sore weeping and the doorkeeper safd to him, " I
have nothing save my life ; but that I will risk for thy love and
find thee a means of winning thy will." Then the twain went out
from him, and on the morrow he betook himself to the Hammam
and donned a suit of royal raiment, after which he returned to his
lodging, when behold, the porter and his wife came in to him and
said, " Know, O my lord, that there is a humpbacked tailor here
who seweth for the lady Jamilah. Go thou to him and acquaint
him with thy case ; haply he will show thee the way of attaining
thine aim." So the youth Ibrahim arose and betaking himself
to the shop of the humpbacked tailor, went in to him and found
with him ten Mamelukes as they were moons. He saluted them
with the salam, and they returned his greeting and bade him
welcome and made him sit down; and indeed they rejoiced in
him and were amazed at his charms and loveliness, especially the

1 Arab. Jannat al-Khuld and Firdaus, two of the Heavens repeatedly noticed.

Ibrahim and Jamilah. 2 1 5

hunchback who was confounded at his beauty of form and favour.
Presently he said to the Gobbo, " I desire that thou sew me up my
pocket ; " and the tailor took a needleful of silk and sewed up his
pocket which he had torn purposely; whereupon Ibrahim gave
him five dinars and returned to his lodging. Quoth the tailor,
" What thing have I done for this youth, that he should give me
five gold pieces ? " And he passed the night, pondering his beauty
and generosity. And when morning morrowed Ibrahim repaired
to the shop and saluted the tailor, who returned his salam and
welcomed him and made much of him. Then he sat down and
said to the hunchback, " O uncle, sew up my pocket, for I have
rent it again." Replied the tailor, " On my head and eyes, O my
son," and sewed it up ; whereupon Ibrahim gave him ten ducats
and he took them, amazed at his beauty and generosity. Then
said he, " By Allah, O youth, for this conduct of thine needs must
be a cause, this is no matter of sewing up a pocket. But tell me
the truth of thy case. An thou be in love with one of these
boys,1 by Allah, there is not among them a comlier than thou,
for they are each and every as the dust at thy feet ; and behold,
they are all thy slaves and at thy command. Or if it be other
than this, tell me." Replied Ibrahim, " O uncle, this is no place
for talk, for my case is wondrous and my affair marvellous."
Rejoined the tailor, " An it be so, come with me to a place apart."
So saying, he rose up in haste and took the youth by the hand
and carrying him into a chamber behind the shop, said, " Now
tell me thy tale, O youth ! " Accordingly Ibrahim related his
story first and last to the tailor, who was amazed at his speech
and cried, " O youth, fear Allah for thyself:2 indeed she of whom
thou speakest is a virago and averse from men. Wherefore, O my
brother, do thou guard thy tongue, else thou wilt destroy thyself."
When Ibrahim heard the hunchback's words, he wept with sore
weeping and clinging to the tailor's skirts said, " Help me, O my
uncle, or I am a dead man ; for I have left my kingdom and the
kingdom of my father and grandfather and am become a stranger
in the lands and lonely; nor can I endure without her." When
the tailor saw how it was with him, he pitied him and said, " O my
son, I have but my life and that I will venture for thy love, for
thou makest my heart ache. But by to-morrow I will contrive

1 The naivete is purely Horatian, that is South European versus North European.
8 »'.*. "Have some regard for thy life."

216 A If Laylah wa Laylak*

thee somewhat whereby thy heart shall be solaced." Ibrahim!
blessed him and returning to the khan, told the doorkeeper what
the hunchback had said, and he answered, " Indeed, he hath dealt
kindly with thee." Next morning, the youth donned his richest
dress and taking a purse of gold, repaired to the Gobbo and
saluted him. Then he sat down and said, "O uncle, keep thy
word with me." Quoth the hunchback, " Arise forthright and take
thee three fat fowls and three ounces ! of sugar-candy and two
small jugs which do thou fill with wine ; also a cup. Lay all
these in a budget 2 and to-morrow, after the morning-prayers, take
boat with them, saying to the boatman : — I would have thee row
me down the river below Bassorah. An he say to thee, " I cannot
go farther than a parasang " do thou answer : — As thou wilt ; but,
when he shall have come so far, lure him on with money to carry
thee farther ; and the first flower-garden thou wilt descry after this
will be that of the lady Jamilah. Go up to the gate as soon as
thou espiest it and there thou wilt see two high steps, carpeted
with brocade, and seated thereon a Quasimodo like me. Do thou
complain to him of thy case and crave his favour : belike he will
have compassion on thy condition and bring thee to the sight of
her, though but for a moment from afar. This is all I can do for
thee ; and unless he be moved to pity for thee, we be dead men, I
and thou. This then is my rede and the matter rests with the
Almighty/' Quoth Ibrahim, " I seek aid of Allah; whatso He
willeth becometh ; and there is no Majesty and there is no Might
save in Allah ! " Then he left the hunchback tailor and returned
to his lodging where, taking the things his adviser had named, he
laid them in a bag. On the morrow, as soon as it was day, he
went down to Tigris bank, where he found a boatman asleep ;
so he awoke him and giving him ten sequins, bade him row him
down the river below Bassorah. Quoth the man, " O my lord, it
must be on condition that I go no farther than a parasang ; for if
I pass that distance by a span, I am a lost man, and thou too."'
And quoth Ibrahim, " Be it as thou wilt." Thereupon he took

1 Arab. "Awak" plur. of tlkiyyah a word known throughout the Moslem East.
As an ounce it weighs differently in every country and in Barbary (Mauritania) which
we call Morocco, it is a nominal coin containing twelve Fliis (fuliis) now about = a
penny. It is a direct descendant from the " Uk "or " Wuk " (ounce) of the hieroglyphs
(See Sharpe's Egypt or any other Manual) and first appeared in Europe as the
Creek ovy/a'a.

2 Arab. " Karah" usually a large bag.

Ibrahim and Jamilah. 217

him and dropped down the river with him till he drew near the
flower-garden, when he said to him, " O my son, I can go no
farther; for, if I pass this limit, we are both dead men." Hereat
Ibrahim pulled out other ten dinars and gave them to him, saying,
" Take this spending-money and better thy case therewithal." The
boatman was ashamed to refuse him and fared on with him crying,

" I commit the affair to Allah the Almighty ! " And Shahrazad

perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Koto fofjcn it foas t&e Nine ^untorefc antr dFift

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the youth Ibrahim gave the boatman other ten dinars, the man
took them, saying, " I commit the affair to Allah the Almighty ! "
and fared on with him down stream. When they came to the
flower-garden, the youth sprang out of the boat, in his joy, a spring
of a spear's cast from the land, and cast himself down, whilst the
boatman turned and fled. Then Ibrahim fared forward and found
all as it had been described by the Gobbo : he also saw the garden-
gate open, and in the porch a couch of ivory, whereon sat a hump-
backed man of pleasant presence, clad in gold-laced clothes and
hending in hand a silvern mace plated with gold. So he hastened
up to him and seizing his hand kissed it ; whereupon asked the
hunchback, " Who art thou and whence comest thou and who
brought thee hither, O my son ? " And indeed, when the man saw
Ibrahim Khasib-son, he was amazed at his beauty. He answered,
"O uncle, I am an ignorant lad and a stranger;" and he wept.
The hunchback had pity on him and taking him up on the couch,
wiped away his tears and said to him, " No harm shall come to
thee. An thou be in debt, may Allah settle thy debt : and if thou
be in fear, may Allah appease thy fear ! " Replied Ibrahim, " O
uncle, I am neither in fear nor am I in debt, but have money in
plenty, thanks to Allah." Rejoined the other, " Then, O my son,
what is thy need that thou venturest thyself and thy loveliness to
a place wherein is destruction ?" So he told him his story and
disclosed to him his case, whereupon the man bowed his head
earthwards awhile, then said to him, " Was he who directed thee
to me the humpbacked tailor ? " " Yes," answered Ibrahim, and
the keeper said, " This is my brother, and he is a blessed man 1 "
presently adding, " But, O my son, had not affection for thee sunk

218 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

into my heart, and had I not taken compassion on thee, verily
thou wert lost, thou and my brother and the doorkeeper of the
Khan and his wife. For know that this flower-garden hath not
its like on the face of the earth and that it is called the Garden
of the Wild Heifer,1 nor hath any entered it in all my life long,
save the Sultan and myself and its mistress Jamilah ; and I have
dwelt here twenty years and never yet saw any else attain to this
stead. Every forty days the Lady Jamilah cometh hither in a
bark and landeth in the midst of her women, under a canopy of
satin, whose skirts ten damsels hold up with hooks of gold, whilst
she entereth, and I see nothing of her. Natheless, I have but my
life and I will risk it for the sake of thee." Herewith Ibrahim
kissed his hand and the keeper said to him, " Sit by me, till I
devise somewhat for thee." Then he took him by the hand and
carried him into the flower-garden which, when he saw, he deemed
it Eden, for therein were trees intertwining and palms high tower-
ing and waters welling and birds with various voices carolling.
Presently, the keeper brought him to a domed pavilion and said to
him, " This is where the Lady Jamilah sitteth." So he examined
it and found it of the rarest of pleasances, full of all manner
paintings in gold and lapis lazuli. It had four doors, whereto man
mounted by five steps, and in its centre was a cistern of water, to
which led down steps of gold all set with precious stones.
Amiddlewards the basin was a fountain of gold, with figures, large
and small, and water jetting in gerbes from their mouths ; and
when, by reason of the issuing forth of the water, they attuned
themselves to various tones, it seemed to the hearer as though he
were in Eden. Round the pavilion ran a channel of water, turning
a Persian wheel 2 whose buckets 8 were silvern covered with bro-
cade. To the left of the pavilion 4 was a lattice of silver, giving
upon a green park, wherein were all manner wild cattle and
gazelles and hares, and on the right hand was another lattice,

1 Arab. " Luliiah," which may mean the Union-pearl ; but here used in the sense of
" wild cow," the bubalus antelope, alluding to \hzfarouche nature of Miss Jamilah. We
are also told infra that the park was full of " Wuhush " — wild cattle.

8 Arab. " Sakiyah," the venerable old Persian wheel, for whose music see Pilgrimage
IK 198. But " Sakiyah " is also applied, as here, to the water-channel which turns the
wheel.

3 Arab. "Kawadis," plur. of "Kadus," the pots round the rim of the Persian
wheel : usually they are of coarse pottery.

* In the text "Sakiyah" a manifest error for " Kubbah."

Ibrahim and Jamilak. 219

overlooking a meadow full of birds of all sorts, warbling in various
voices and bewildering the hearers' wits. Seeing all this the youth
was delighted and sat down in the doorway by the gardener, who
said to him, " How seemeth to thee my garden ? " Quoth Ibrahim,
" 'Tis the Paradise of the world ! " Whereat the gardener laughed.
Then he rose and was absent awhile and presently returned with
a tray, full of fowls and quails and other dainties including sweet-
meats of sugar, which he set before Ibrahim, saying, " Eat thy
sufficiency." So he ate his fill, whereat the keeper rejoiced and
cried, " By Allah, this is the fashion of Kings and sons of Kings 1 1"
Then said he, " O Ibrahim, what hast thou in yonder bag ? " Ac-
cordingly he opened it before him and the keeper said, " Carry it
with thee ; 'twill serve thee when the Lady Jamilah cometh ; for
when once she is come, I shall not be able to bring thee food."
Then he rose and taking the youth by the hand, brought him to
a place fronting the pavilion, where he made him an arbour 2 among
the trees and said to him, " Get thee up here, and when she
cometh thou wilt see her and she will not see thee. This is the
best I can do for thee and on Allah be our dependence ! Whenas
she singeth, drink thou to her singing, and whenas she departeth
thou shalt return in safety whence thou earnest, Inshallah ! '
Ibrahim thanked him and would have kissed his hand, but he
forbade him. Then the youth laid the bag in the arbour and
the keeper said to him, " O Ibrahim, walk about and take thy
pleasure in the garth and eat of its fruits, for thy mistress's coming
is appointed to be to-morrow." So he solaced himself in the
garden and ate of its fruits ; after which he nighted with the
keeper. And when morning morrowed and showed its sheen and
shone, he prayed the dawn-prayer and presently the keeper came
to him with a pale face, and said to him, " Rise, O my son, and go
up into the arbour : for the slave-girls are come to order the place,

and she cometh after them ;" And Shahrazad perceived the

dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Xofo fofjm ft foa» tfje Nine f^unUtea an& Jptftg.sebentft Nigf)t,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
keeper came to Ibrahim Khasib-son in the Garden he said to him,

1 Easterns greatly respect a belle fourchette, especially when the eater is a lover.

2 Arab. " 'Arishah," a word of many meanings, tent, nest, vine-trellis, etc.

22O A If Laylah wa Laylah.

" Rise, O my son, and go up into the arbour ; for the slave-girls are
come to order the place and she cometh after them. So beware
lest thou spit or sneeze or blow thy nose '; else we are dead men,
I and thou/' Hereupon Ibrahim rose and went up into his nest,
whilst the keeper fared forth, saying, t( Allah grant thee safety, O
my son ! " Presently behold, up came four slave-girls, whose
like none ever saw, and entering the pavilion, doffed their outer
dresses and washed it. Then they sprinkled it with rose-water
and incensed it with ambergris and aloes-wood and spread it with
brocade. After these came fifty other damsels, with instruments
of music, and amongst them Jamilah, within a canopy of red bro-
cade, whose skirts the handmaidens bore up with hooks of gold, till
she had entered the pavilion, so that Ibrahim saw naught of her nor
of her raiment. So he said to himself, " By Allah, all my travail is
lost ! But needs must I wait to see how the case will be." Then the
damsels brought meat and drink and they ate and drank and washed
their hands, after which they set her a royal chair and she sat down ;
and all played on instruments of music and with ravishing voices
incomparably sang. Presently, out ran an old woman, a duenna,
and clapped hands and danced, whilst the girls pulled her about,,
till the curtain was lifted and forth came Jamilah laughing. Ibra-
him gazed at her and saw that she was clad in costly robes and
ornaments, and on her head was a crown set with pearls and gems.
About her long fair neck she wore a necklace of unions and her
waist was clasped with a girdle of chrysolite bugles, with tassels
of rubies and pearls. The damsels kissed ground before her, and,

1 To spit or blow the nose in good society is "vulgar."' Sneezing (Al-'Atsah) is a
complicated affair. For Talmudic traditions of death by sneezing see Lane (M. E.
chapt. viii). Amongst Hindus sneezing and yawning are caused by evil spirits whom
they drive away by snapping thumb and forefinger as loudly as possible. The pagan
Arabs held sneezing a bad omen, which often stopped their journeys. Moslems believe
that when Allah placed the Soul (life ?) in Adam, the dry clay became flesh and bone
and the First Man, waking to life, sneezed and ejaculated " Alhamdolillah ; " whereto
Gabriel replied, "Allah have mercy upon thee, O Adam ! r> Mohammed, who liked
sneezing because accompanied by lightness of body and openness of pores, said of it, " If
a man sneeze or eructate and say ' Alhamdolillah ' he averts seventy diseases of which
the least is leprosy " (Juzam) ; also, " If one of you sneeze, let him exclaim, ' Alhamdo-
lillah,' and let those around salute him in return with, ' Allah have mercy upon thee ! '
and lastly let him say, * Allah direct you and strengthen your condition.' Moderns
prefer, • ' Allah avert what may joy thy foe ! = (our God bless you !) to which the answer
is " Alhamdolillah ! " Mohammed disliked yawning (Suaba or Thuaba), because net
beneficial as a sneeze and said, " If one of you gape and cover not his mouth, a d«vil
leaps into it.'* This is still a popular superstition from Baghdad to Morocco..

Ibrahim and Jamilak.

" When I considered her n (quoth Ibrahim), " I took leave of
tny senses and wit and I was dazed and my thought was con-
founded for amazement at the sight of loveliness whose like is not
on the face of the earth. So I fell into a swoon and coming to
myself, weeping-eyed, recited these two couplets : —

I see thee and close not mine eyes for fear o Lest their lids prevent me behold-
ing thee :

An I gazed with mine every glance these eyne o Ne'er could sight all the love*
liness moulding thee."

Then said the old Kahramanah ! to the girls, " Let ten of you arise
and dance and sing." And Ibrahim when looking at them said
in himself, " I wish the lady Jamilah would dance." When the
handmaidens had made an end of their pavane, they gathered
round the Princess and said to her, " O my lady, we long for thee
to dance amongst us, so the measure of our joy may be fulfilled,
for never saw we a more delicious day than this/' Quoth Ibrahim
to himself, " Doubtless the gates of Heaven are open 2 and Allah
hath granted my prayer." Then the damsels bussed her feet and
said to her, " By Allah, we never saw thee broadened of breast as
to-day!*' Nor did they cease exciting her, till she doffed her
outer dress and stood in a shift of cloth of gold,3 broidered with
various jewels, showing breasts which stood out like pomegranates
and unveiling a face as it were the moon on the night of fulness.
Then she began to dance, and Ibrahim beheld motions he had
never in his life seen their like, for she showed such wondrous skill
and marvellous invention, that she made men forget the dancing
of bubbles in wine-cups and called to mind the inclining of the,
turbands from head4-tops : even as saith of her the poet 5 : —

A dancer whose form is like branch of Bin ! o Flies my soul well nigh as his

steps I greet :
While he dances no foot stands still and meseems o That the fire of my heart

is beneath his feet.

1 A duenna, nursery governess, etc. See vol. i. 231.

2 For this belief see the tale called "The Night of Power/' vol. vi. 180.

3 The Anglo.Indian "Kincob" (Kimkh'ab) ; brocade, silk flowered with gold or
silver.

4 Lane finds a needless difficulty in this sentence, which is far-fetched only because
Kuus (cups) requires Ruus (head-tops) by way of jingle. It means only " 'Twas merry
in hall when beards wag all."

* The Mac. Edit, gives two couplets which have already occurred from the Bui. EdiU

i _. 540.

222 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

And as quoth another * : —

A dancer whose figure is like a willow-branch : my soul almost quitteth me at

the sight of her movements.
No foot can remain stationary at her dancing, she is as though the fire of my

heart were beneath her feet.

Quoth Ibrahim : — As I gazed upon her, she chanced to look up
and caught sight of me whereupon her face changed and she said
to her women, " Sing ye till I come back to you." Then, taking
up a knife half a cubit long, she made towards me, crying, " There
is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious,
the Great ! " Now when I saw this, I well-nigh lost my wits ;
but, whenas she drew near me and face met face, the knife dropped
from her hand, and she exclaimed, " Glory to Him who changeth
men's hearts ! " Then said she to me, " O youth, be of good cheer,
for thou art safe from what thou dost fear ! " Whereupon I fell to
weeping, and she to wiping away my tears with her hand and
saying, " O youth, tell me who thou art, and what brought thee
hither.'* I kissed the ground before her and seized her skirt ; and
she said, " No harm shall come to thee ; for, by Allah, no male
hath ever filled mine eyes * but thyself! Tell me, then, who thou
art." So I recited to her my story from first to last, whereat she
marvelled and said to me, " O my lord, I conjure thee by Allah, tell
me if thou be Ibrahim bin al-Khasib ? " I replied, " Yes ! " and she
threw herself upon me, saying, O my lord, 'twas thou madest me
averse from men ; for, when I heard that there was in the land of
Egypt a youth than whom there was none more beautiful on earth's
face, I fell in love with thee by report, and my heart became
enamoured of thee, for that which reached me of thy passing come-
liness, so that I was, in respect of thee, even as saith the poet : —

Mine ear forewent mine eye in loving him ; o For ear shall love before the
eye at times.

" So praised be Allah who hath shown thy face ! But, by the Al-
mighty, had it been other than thou, I had crucified the keeper of
the garden and the porter of the Khan and the tailor and him who
had recourse to them ! " And presently she added, " But how

1 The lines are half of four couplets in vol. iv. 192 ; so I quote Lane.

2 i.e. none hath pleased me. I have quoted the popular saying, " The son of the
quarter filleth not the eye." i.e. women prefer stranger faces.

Ibrahim and Jamil ah. 223

shall I contrive for somewhat thou mayst eat, without the know-
ledge of my women ? " Quoth I, ° With me is somewhat we may
eat and drink ;" and I opened the bag before her. She took a
fowl and began to morsel me and I to morsel her ; which when I
saw, it seemed to me that this was a dream. Then I brought out
wine and we drank, what while the damsels sang on ; nor did they
leave to do thus from morn to noon, when she rose and said, " Go
now and get thee a boat and await me in such a place, till I come
to thee : for J have no patience left to brook severance." I replied,
" O my lady, I have with me a ship of my own, whose crew are in
my hire, and they await me." Rejoined she, "This is as we would
have it/' and returning to her women, And Shahrazad per-
ceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

fo&en it foas t&e Nine ^urrtwti anfc

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
when the Lady Jamilah returned to her women, she said to them,
" Come, let us go back to our palace." They replied, " Why should
we return now, seeing that we use to abide here three days ? "
Quoth she, " I feel an exceeding oppression in myself, as though I
were sick, and I fear lest this increase upon me."1 So they
answered, " We hear and obey," and donning their walking-dresses
went down to the river-bank and embarked in a boat ; whereupon
behold, the keeper of the garden came up to Ibrahim and said to
him, knowing not what had happened, " O Ibrahim, thou hast not
had the luck to enjoy the sight of her, and I fear lest she have
seen thee, for 'tis her wont to tarry here three days." Replied
Ibrahim, " She saw me not nor I her ; for she came not forth of
the pavilion."2 Rejoined the keeper, " True, O my son, for, had
she seen thee, we were both dead men : but abide with me till she
come again next week, and thou shalt see her and take thy fill of
looking at her." Replied the Prince, " O my lord, I have with

1 Here after the favourite Oriental fashion, she tells the truth but so enigmatically that
ft is more deceptive than an untruth ; a good Eastern quibble infinitely more dangerous
than an honest downright lie. The consciousness that the falsehood is part fact applies
a salve to conscience and supplies a force lacking in the mere fib. When an Egyptian
Bes to you look straight in his eyes and he will most often betray himself either by

or by a look of injured innocence.

2 Another true lie.

224 A If Laylak wa Laylah.

me money and fear for it : I also left men behind me and I dread
lest they take advantage of my absence."1 He retorted, " O my
son 'tis grievous to me to part with thee ;" and he embraced and
farewelled him. Then Ibrahim returned to the Khan where he
lodged, and foregathering with the doorkeeper, took of him all his
property and the porter said, " Good news, Inshallah ! "2 But
Ibrahim said, " I have found no way to my want, and now I am
minded to return to my people." Whereupon the porter wept ;
then taking up his baggage, he carried them to the ship and abade
him adieu. Ibrahim repaired to the place which Jamilah had
appointed him and awaited her there till it grew dark, when,
behold, she came up, disguised as a bully-boy with rounded beard
and waist bound with a girdle. In one hand she held a bow and
arrows and in the other a bared blade, and she asked him, " Art
thou Ibrahim, son of Al-Khasib, lord of Egypt ? " " He I am,"
answered the Prince ; and she said, " What ne'er-do-well art thou,
who comest to debauch the daughters of Kings ? Come : speak
with the Sultan."3 Therewith (quoth Ibrahim) I fell down in a
swoon and the sailors died4 in their skins for fear ; but, when she
saw what had betided me, she pulled off her beard and throwing
down her sword, ungirdled her waist whereupon I knew her for
the Lady Jamilah and said to her, " By Allah, thou hast rent my
heart in sunder ! "5 adding to the boatmen, " Hasten the vessel's
speed." So they shook out the sail and putting off, fared on with
all diligence ; nor was it many days ere we made Baghdad, where
suddenly we saw a ship lying by the river-bank. When her sailors
saw us, they cried out to our crew, saying, " Ho, such an one and
such an one, we give you joy of your safety ! " Then they drave
their ship against our craft and I looked and in the other boat
beheld Abu al-Kasim al-Sandalani who when he saw us exclaimed,
" This is what I sought : go ye in God's keeping ; as for me, I
have a need to be satisfied ! " Then he turned to me and said,

1 Arab. " Yastaghibuni," lit. = they deem my absence too long.

2 An euphemistic form of questioning after absence: " Is all right with thee?"

3 Arab. " Kallim al-Sultan ! " the formula of summoning which has often occurred in
The Nights.

4 Lane translates " Almost died," Payne " well-nigh died ;'' but the text says " died."
I would suggest to translators

Be bould, be bould and every where be bould !

6 He is the usual poltroon contrasted with the manly and masterful girl, a conjunction
of the lioness and the lamb sometimes seen in real life.

Ibrahim and Jamilah. 225

41 Praised be Allah for safety ! Hast thou accomplished thine
errand ?" I replied, " Yes !" Now Abu al-Kasim had a flambeau
before him ; so he brought it near our boat,1 and when Jamilah
saw him, she was troubled and her colour changed : but, when he
saw her, he said, " Fare ye in Allah's safety. I am bound to
Bassorah, on business for the Sultan ; but the gift is for him who
is present/'2 Then he brought out a box of sweetmeats, wherein
was Bhang and threw it into our boat : whereupon quoth I to
Jamilah, " O coolth of mine eyes, eat of this." But she wept and
said, " O Ibrahim, wottest thou who that is ? " and said I, " Yes,
'tis such an one." Replied she, " He is my first cousin, son of my
father's brother3 who sought me aforetime in marriage of my sire ;
but I would not accept of him. And now he is gone to Bassorah
and most like he will tell my father of us." I rejoined, " O my
lady he will not reach Bassorah, till we are at Mosul." But we
knew not what lurked for us in the Secret Purpose. Then (con-
tinued Ibrahim) I ate of the sweetmeat, but hardly had it reached
my stomach when I smote the ground with my head ; and lay
there till near dawn, when I sneezed and the Bhang issued from
my nostrils. With this, I opened my eyes and found myself naked
and cast out among ruins ; so I buffeted my face and said in
myself, " Doubtless this is a trick Al-Sandalani hath played me."
But I knew not whither I should wend, for I had upon me naught
save my bag-trousers.4 However, I rose and walked on a little,
till I suddenly espied the Chief of Police coming towards me, with
a posse of men with swords and targes ;5 whereat I took fright and
seeing a ruined Hammam hid myself there. Presently, my foot
stumbled upon something ; so I put my hand to it, and it became
befouled with blood. I wiped my hand upon my bag-trousers,
unknowing what had befouled it, and put it out a second time,

1 That he might see Jamilah as Ibrahim had promised.

2 A popular saying, i.e., les absents ont toujours tort.

3 Who had a prior right to marry her, but not against her consent after she was
of age.

4 Arab. " Sirwal." In Al-Hariri it is a singular form (see No. ii. of the twelve
riddles in Ass. xxiv.) ; but Mohammed said to his followers " Tuakhkhizu " (adopt ye)
41 Sarawilat." The latter is regularly declinable but the broken form Sardwfl is imper-
fectly declinable on account of its " heaviness," as are all plurals whose third letter is
an Alif followed by i or I in the next syllable.

15 Arab. "Matarik" from mitrak or mitrakah a small wooden shield coated with
hide. This even in the present day is the policeman's equipment in the outer parts of
the East.

VOL. IX. P

226 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

when it fell upon a corpse whose head came up in my hand. I
threw it down, saying, " There is no Majesty and there is no
Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great ! "; and I took refuge
in one of the corner-cabinets of the Hammam. Presently the
Wali stopped at the bath-door and said, " Enter this place and
search." So ten of them entered with cressets, and I of my fear
retired behind a wall and looking upon the corpse, saw it to be that
of a young lady ' with a face like the full moon ; and her head lay
on one side and her body clad in costly raiment on the other.
When I saw this, my heart fluttered with affright. Then the Chief
of Police entered and said, " Search the corners of the bath." So
they entered the place wherein I was, and one of them seeing me,
came up hending in hand a knife half a cubit long. When he
drew near me, he cried, " Glory be to God, the Creator of this fair
face ! O youth, whence art thou ? " Then he took me by the
Jiand and said, " O youth, why slewest thou this woman ? " Said
I, " By Allah, I slew her not, nor wot I who slew her, and I
entered not this place but in fear of you ! " And I told him my
case, adding, " Allah upon thee, do me no wrong, for I am in
concern for myself \ " Then he took me and carried me to the
Wali who, seeing the marks of blood on my hand said, "This
needeth no proof : strike off his head ! " And Shahrazad per-
ceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Nofo fojm it foa* tfte Nine f^unfcrtfr antr JFiftg=nmti) Ntgftt,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ibrahim
continued : — Then they carried me before the Wali and he, seeing
the bloodstains on my hand, cried, " This needeth no proof: strike
off his head ! " Now hearing these words, I wept with sore
weeping the tears streaming from my eyes and recited these two
couplets2 :—

We trod the steps that for us were writ, o And whose steps are written he

needs must tread ;
And whose death is decreed in one land to be o He ne'er shall perish in other

stead.

1 "Arab. " Sabiyah " for which I prefer Mr. Payne's "young lady" to Lane's
• ' damsel " ; the latter should be confined to Jariyah as both bear the double sense of
girl and slave (or servant) girl, " Bint " again is daughter, maid or simply girl.

2 The sense of them is found in vol. ii. 41.

Ibrahim and Jamilak. 227

Then I sobbed a single sob and fell a-swoon ; and the headsman's
heart was moved to ruth for me and he exclaimed, " By Allah, this
is no murtherer's face ! " But the Chief said, " Smite his neck."
So they seated me on the rug of blood and bound my eyes ; after
which the sworder drew his sword and asking leave of the Wall,
was about to strike off my head, whilst I cried out, "Alas, my
strangerhood ! " when lo and behold ! I heard a noise of horse
coming up and a voice calling aloud, "Leave him! Stay thy
hand, O Sworder ! " Now there was for this a wondrous reason
and a marvellous cause ; and 'twas thus. Al-Khasib, Wazir of
Egypt, had sent his Head Chamberlain to the Caliph Harun al-
Rashid with presents and a letter, saying, "My son hath been
missing this year past, and I hear that he is in Baghdad ; where-
fore I crave of the bounty of the Viceregent of Allah that he
make search for tidings of him and do his endeavour to find him
and send him back to me with the Chamberlain." When the
Caliph read the missive, he commanded the Chief of Police to
search out the truth of the matter, and he ceased not to enquire after
Ibrahim, till it was told him that he was at Bassorah, whereupon
he informed the Caliph, who wrote a letter to the viceroy and
giving it to the Chamberlain of Egypt, bade him repair to Bassorah
and take with him a company of the Wazir's followers. So, of his
eagerness to find the son of his lord, the Chamberlain set out
forthright and happened by the way upon Ibrahim, as he stood
on the rug of blood When the Wali saw the Chamberlain, he
recognised him and alighted to him and as he asked, "What
young man is that and what is his case ? " The Chief told him
how the matter was and the Chamberlain said (and indeed he
knew him not for the son of the Sultan1) " Verily this young man
hath not the face of one who murthereth." And he bade loose his
bonds ; so they loosed him and the Chamberlain said, " Bring him
to me ! " and they brought him, but the officer knew him not his
beauty being all gone for the horrors he had endured. Then the
Chamberlain said to him, " O youth, tell me thy case and how
cometh this slain woman with thee." Ibrahim looked at him and
knowing him, said to him, " Woe to thee ! Dost thou not know

1 Here the text is defective, but I hardly like to supply the omission. Mr. Payne
introduces from below, " for that his charms were wasted and his favour changed by
reason of the much terror and affliction he had suffered." The next lanes also are very
abrupt and unconnected.

228 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

me ? Am I not Ibrahim, son of thy lord ? Haply thou art come
in quest of me." With this the Chamberlain considered him
straitly and knowing him right well, threw himself at his feet ;
which when the Wali saw, his colour changed ; and the Chamber-
lain cried to him, " Fie upon thee, O tyrant ! Was it thine intent
to slay the son of my master Al-Khasib, Wazir of Egypt ? " The
Chief of Police kissed his skirt, saying " O my lord,1 how should
I know him ? We found him in this plight and saw the girl lying
slain by his side." Rejoined the Chamberlain, " Out on thee !
Thou art not fit for the office. This is a lad of fifteen and he hath
not slain a sparrow ; so how should he be a murtherer ? Why
didst thou not have patience with him and question him of his
case ? " Then the Chamberlain and the Wali cried to the men,
" Make search for the young lady's murtherer." So they re-entered
the bath and finding him, brought him to the Chief of Police, who
carried him to the Caliph and acquainted him with that which had
occurred. Al-Rashid bade slay the slayer and sending for Ibrahim,
smiled in his face and said to him, " Tell me thy tale and that
which hath betided thee." So he recounted to him his story from
first to last, and it was grievous to the Caliph, who called Masrur
his Sworder, and said to him, " Go straightway and fall upon the
house of Abu al-Kasim al-Sandalani and bring me him and the
young lady." The eunuch went forth at once and breaking into
the house, found Jamilah bound with her own hair and nigh upon
death ; so he loosed her and taking the painter, carried them both
to the Caliph, who marvelled at Jamilah's beauty. Then he turned
to Al-Sandalani and said, "Take him and cut off his hands, where-
with he beat this young lady; then crucify him and deliver his
monies and possessions to Ibrahim." They did his bidding, and
as they were thus, behold, in came Abu al-Lays governor of
Bassorah, the Lady Jamilah's father, seeking aid of the Caliph
against Ibrahim bin al-Khasib Wazir of Egypt and complaining
to him that the youth had taken his daughter. Quoth Al-Rashid,
" He hath been the means of delivering her from torture and
slaughter." Then he sent for Ibrahim, and when he came, he said

1 Arab. " Yd Maulaya!" the term is still used throughout Moslem lands; but in
Barbary where it is pronounced " Moolaee " Europeans have converted it to " Muley "
as if it had some connection with the mule. Even in Robinson Crusoe we find
"muly" or " Moly Ismael " (chapt. ii.) ; and we hear the high-sounding name
Maula-Mdrfs, the patron saint of the Sunset Land, debased to "Muley Dris."

Ibrahim and Jamilak. 229

to Abu al-Lays, " Wilt thou not accept of this young man, son of
the Soldan of Egypt, as husband to thy daughter ? " Replied Abu
al-Lays, "I hear and I obey Allah and thee, O Commander of the
Faithful;" whereupon the Caliph summoned the Kazi and the
witnesses and married the young lady to Ibrahim. Furthermore,
he gave him all Al-Sandalani's wealth and equipped him for his
return to his own country, where he abode with Jamilah in the
utmost of bliss and the most perfect of happiness, till there came
to them the Destroyer of delights and the Sunderer of societies ;
and glory be to the Living who dieth not ! They also relate, O
auspicious King, a tale anent

ABU AL-HASAN OF KHORASAN.'

THE Caliph Al-Mu' tazid Bi 'llah* was a high-spirited Prince and
a noble-minded lord ; he had in Baghdad six hundred Wazirs
and of the affairs of the folk naught was hidden from him. He
went forth one day, he and Ibn Hamdun,3 to divert himself with
observing his lieges and hearing the latest news of the people ;
and, being overtaken with the heats of noonday, they turned
aside from the main thoroughfare into a little by-street, at the
upper end whereof they saw a handsome and high-builded
mansion, discoursing of its owner with the tongue of praise.
They sat down at the gate to take rest, and presently out came
two eunuchs as they were moons on their fourteenth night. Quoth
one of them to his fellow, " Would Heaven some guest would seek
admission this day ! My master will not eat but with guests and

1 Lane omits this tate because-" it is very similar, but inferior in interest, to the
Story told by the Sultan's Steward." See vol. i. 278.

2 Sixteenth Abbaside A.H. 279-289 (=A.D. 891-902). "He was comely, intrepid,
of grave exterior, majestic in presence, of considerable intellectual power and the
fiercest of the Caliphs of the House of Abbas. He once had the courage to attack a
lion " (Al-Siyuti). I may add that he was a good soldier and an excellent administrator,
who was called Saffah the Second because he refounded the House of Abbas. He was
exceedingly fanatic and died of sensuality, having first kicked his doctor to death,
and he spent his last moments in versifying.

3 Hamdun bin Isma'il, called the Kdtib or Scribe, was the first of his family who
followed the profession of a Nadim or Cup-companion. His son Ahmad (who is in
the text) was an oral transmitter of poetry and history. Al-Siyuti (p. 390) and De
Slane I. Khali (ii. 304) notice him.

230 A If Laylah wa L&ytah.

we are come to this hour and I have not yet seen a soul." The
Caliph marvelled at their speech and said, " This is a proof of the
house-master's liberality: there is no help but that we go in to
him and note his generosity, and this shall be a means of favour
betiding him from us." So he said to the eunuch, " Ask leave of
thy lord for the admission of a company1 of strangers.0 For in
those days it was the Caliph's wont, whenas he was minded to
observe his subjects, to disguise himself in merchant's garb. The
eunuch went in and told his master, who rejoiced and rising,
came out to them in person. He was fair of favour and fine of
form and he appeared clad in a tunic of Nfshapur 2 silk and a gold
laced mantle ; and he dripped with scented waters and wore on
his hand a signet ring of rubies. When he saw them, he said to
them, " Well come and welcome to the lords who favour us with
the utmost of favour by their coming ! " So they entered the
house and found it such as would make a man forget family and

fatherland for it was like a piece of Paradise." And Shahrazad

perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo fofien it foas tjje Nine l^untrtetr an&

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the Caliph entered the mansion, he and the man with him, they
saw it to be such as would make one forget family and fatherland,
for it was like a piece of Paradise. Within it was a flower-garden,
full of all kinds of trees, confounding sight and its dwelling-places
were furnished with costly furniture. They sat down and the
Caliph fell to gazing at the house and the household gear.
(Quoth Ibn Hamdun), I looked at the Caliph and saw his
countenance change, and being wont to know from his face

1 Probably the Caliph had attendants, but the text afterwards speaks of them as two.
Mac. Edit. iv. p. 558, line 2 ; and a few lines below, «' the Caliph and the man with
him."

2 Arab. " Naysabur," the famous town in Khorasan where Omar-i- Khayyam (whom
our people will call Omar Khayy£m) was buried and where his tomb is still a place
of pious visitation. A sketch of it has lately appeared in the illustrated papers. For
an affecting tale concerning the astronomer-poet's tomb, borrowed from the Nigaristan
see the Preface by the late Mr. Fitzgerald whose admirable excerpts from the Rubaiyat
(101 out of 820 quatrains) have made the poem popular among all the English-speaking
races.

Abu A I- Has an of K/torasan. 231

whether he was amused or anangered, said to myself, " I wonder
what hath vexed him." Then they brought a golden basin and
we washed our hands, after which they spread a silken cloth and
set thereon a table of rattan. When the covers were taken off
the dishes, we saw therein meats rare as the blooms of Prime in
the season of their utmost scarcity, twofold and single, and the
host said, " Bismillah, O my lords! By Allah, hunger pricketh
me ; so favour me by eating of this food, as is the fashion of the!
noble." Thereupon he began tearing fowls apart and laying them
before us, laughing the while and repeating verses and telling
stories and talking gaily with pleasant sayings such as sorted with
the entertainment. We ate and drank, then removed to another
room, which confounded beholders with its beauty and which
reeked with exquisite perfumes. Here they brought us a tray
of fruits freshly-gathered and sweetmeats the finest flavoured,
whereat our joys, increased and our cares ceased. But withal the
Caliph (continued Ibn Hamdun) ceased not to wear a frowning
face and smiled not at that which gladdened all souls, albeit it
was his wont to love mirth and merriment and the putting away
of cares, and I knew that he was no envious wight and oppressor.
So I said to myself, " Would Heaven I knew what is the cause
of his moroseness and why we cannot dissipate his ill-humour ! "
Presently they brought the tray of wine which friends doth conjoin
and clarified draughts in flagons of gold and crystal and silver,
and th'e host smote with a rattan-wand on the door of an inner
chamber, whereupon behold, it opened and out came three damsels,
high-bosomed virginity with faces like the sun at the fourth hour
of the day, one a lutist, another a harpist and the third a dancer-
artiste. Then he set before us dried fruits and confections and
drew between us and the damsels a curtain of brocade, with tassels
of silk and rings of gold. The Caliph paid no heed to all this,
but said to the host, who knew not who was in his company, " Art
thou noble ? " * Said he, " No, my lord ; I am but a man of the
sons of the merchants and am known among the folk as Abti
al-Hasan Ali, son of Ahmad of Khorasan." Quoth the Caliph,
"Dost thou know me, O man?"; and quoth he, " By Allah, O
my lord, I have no knowledge of either of your honours ? " Then
said I to him, " O man, this is the Commander of the Faithful,

1 Arab. '« A-Sharif anta?" (with the Hamzah-sign of interrogation) = Art thou a
Sharif (or descendant of the Apostle) ?

232 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Al-Mu'tazid Bi'llah grandson of Al-Mutawakkil ala'llah."1 Where--
upon he rose and kissed the ground before the Caliph, trembling
for fear of him, and said, " O Prince of True Believers, I conjure
thee, by the virtue of thy pious forbears, an thou have seen in me
any shortcomings or lack of good manners in thy presence, do
thou forgive me ! " Replied the Caliph, " As for that which thou
hast done with us of honouring and hospitality nothing could have
exceeded it ; and as for that wherewith I have to reproach thee
here, an thou tell me the truth respecting it and it commend itself
to my sense, thou shalt be saved from me ; but, an thou tell me
not the truth, I will take thee with manifest proof and punish thee
with such punishment as never yet punished any.1' Quoth the
man, " Allah forbid that I tell thee a lie ! .. But what is it that !
thou reproachest to me, O Commander of the Faithful ? " Quoth
the Caliph, " Since I entered thy mansion and looked upon its
grandeur, I have noted the furniture and vessels therein, nay,
even to thy clothes, and behold, on all of them is the name of
my grandfather Al-Mutawakkil ala'llah."2 Answered Abu al-
Hasan, "Yes, O Commander of the Faithful (the Almighty
protect thee), truth is thine inner garb and sincerity is thine
outer garment and none may speak otherwise than truly im
thy presence." The Caliph bade him be seated and said, " Tell
us." So he began, " Know, O Commander of the Faithful,
that my father belonged ,to the markets of the money-changers!
and druggists and linendrapers and had in each bazar a shop and
an agent and all kinds of goods. Moreover, behind the money-1
changer's shop he had an apartment, where he might be private,
appointing the shop for buying and selling. His wealth was:

1 Tenth Abbaside (A.M. 234-247 = 848-861), grandson of Al-Rashid and born of
a slave-concubine. He was famous for his hatred of the Alides (he destroyed the tomb
of Al-Husayn) and claimed the pardon of Allah for having revised orthodox traditionary
doctrines. He compelled the Christians to wear collars of wood or leather and was
assassinated by five Turks.

2 His father was Al-Mu' tasim bi'llah (A.H. 218-227 = 833-842) the son of Al-Rashid
by Maridah a slave-concubine of foreign origin. He was brave and of high spirit,
but destitute nf education ; and his personal strength was such that he could break a
man's elbow between his ringers. He imitated the apparatus of Persian kings ; and he
was called the " Octonary " because he was the 8th Abbaside ; the 8th in descent from
Abbas; the 8th son of Al-Rashid ; he began his reign in A.H. 218; lived 48 years;
was born under Scorpio (8th Zodiacal sign) ; was victorious in 8 expeditions ; slew
8 important foes and left 8 male and 8 female children. For his introducing Turks see,

iirol. iii. 8 1

Abu A I- Hasan of Khorasan. 233

beyond count and to his riches there was none amount ; but he
had no child other than myself, and he loved me and was tenderly
fain of me. When his last hour was at hand, he called me to him
and commended my mother to my care and charged me to fear
Almighty Allah. Then he died, may Allah have mercy upon him
and continue the Prince of True Believers on life ! And I gave
myself up to pleasure and eating and drinking and took to myself
comrades and intimates. My mother used to forbid me from this
and to blame me for it, but I would not hear a word from her,
till my money was all gone, when I sold my lands and houses and
naught was left me save the mansion wherein I now dwell, and it
was a goodly stead, O Commander of the Faithful. So I said to
my mother, " I wish to sell the house ;" but she said, " O my son,
an thou sell it, thou wilt be dishonoured and wilt have no place
wherein to take shelter." Quoth I, " 'Tis worth five thousand
dinars, and with one thousand of its price I will buy me another,
nouse and trade with the rest." Quoth she, " Wilt thou sell it to,
me at that price ? "; and I replied, " Yes." Whereupon she went'
to a coffer and opening it, took out a porcelain vessel, wherein
were five thousand dinars. When I saw this meseemed the house
was all of gold and she said to me, " O my son, think not that this is
of thy father's good. By Allah, O my son, it was of my own father's
money and I have treasured it up against a time of need ; for, in
thy father's day I was a wealthy woman and had no need of it."
I took the money from her, O Prince of True Believers, and fell
again to feasting and carousing and merrymaking with my friends,
unheeding my mother's words and admonitions, till the five
thousand dinars came to an end, when I said to her, " I wish to
sell the house." Said she, " O my son, I forbade thee from selling
it before, of my knowledge that thou hadst need of it ; so how
wilt thou sell it a second time ? " Quoth I, " Be not longsome of
speech with me, for I must and will sell it ;" and quoth she,
'• Then sell it to me for fifteen thousand dinars, on condition that
I take charge of .thine affairs." So I sold her the house at that
price and gave up my affairs into her charge, whereupon she
sought out the agents of my father and gave each of them a
thousand dinars, keeping the rest in her own hands and ordering
the outgo and the income. Moreover she gave me money to
trade withal and said to me, " Sit thou in thy father's shop." So
I did her bidding, O Commander of the Faithful, and took up my
abode ia the chamber behind the shop in the market of the money*

234 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

changers, and my friends came and bought of me and I sold to
them ; whereby I made good cheape and my wealth increased.
When my mother saw me in this fair way, she discovered to me
that which she had treasured up of jewels and precious stones,
pearls, and gold, and I bought back my houses and lands that I
had squandered and my wealth became great as before. I abode
thus for some time, and the factors of my father came to me and
I gave them stock-in-trade, and I built me a second chamber
behind the shop. One day, as I sat there, according to my
custom, O Prince of True Believers, there came up to me a damsel,
never saw eyes a fairer than she of favour, and said, " Is this the
private shop of Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Ahmad al-Khorasani ? '*
Answered I, " Yes," and she asked, " Where is he ? " " He am I,"
said I, and indeed my wit was dazed at the excess of her loveliness.
She sat down and said to me, " Bid thy page weigh me out three
hundred dinars." Accordingly I bade him give her that sum and
he weighed it out to her and she took it and went away, leaving
me stupefied. Quoth my man to me, " Dost thou know her ? ";
and quoth I, " No, by Allah ! " He asked, " Then why didst thou
bid me give her the money?"; and I answered, "By Allah, I
knew not what I said, of my amazement at her beauty and love-
liness ! " Then he rose and followed her, without my knowledge,
but presently returned, weeping and with the mark of a blow on
his face. I enquired of him what ailed him, and he replied, " I
followed the damsel, to see whither she went ; but, when she was
aware of me, she turned and dealt me this blow and all but knocked
out my eye. After this, a month passed, without her coming, O
Commander of the Faithful, and I abode bewildered for love of
her ; but, at the end of this time, she suddenly appeared again
and saluted me, whereat I was like to fly for joy. She asked me
'how I did and said to me, " Haply thou saidst to thyself, What
^manner of trickstress is this, who hath taken my money and made
off ? " Answered I, " By Allah, O my lady, my money and my
life are all thy very own ! " With this she unveiled herself and sat
down to rest, with the trinkets and ornaments playing over her
face and bosom. Presently, she said to me, " Weigh me out three
hundred dinars." " Hearkening and obedience," answered I and
weighed out to her the money. She took it and went away and 1
said to my servant, " Follow her." So he followed her, but
returned dumbstruck, and some time passed without my seeing
her. But, as I was sitting one day, behold, she came up to me

Abu A I- Hasan of Khorasan. 235

and after talking awhile, said to me, " Weigh me out five hundred
dinars, for 1 have need of them." I would have said to her, " Why
should I give thee my money ? "; but my love immense hindered
me from utterance; for, O Prince of True Believers, whenever I
saw her, I trembled in every joint and my colour paled and I
forgot what I would have said and became even as saith the
pcet:-

* Tis naught but this ! When a-sudden I see her o Mumchance I bide nor a
word can say her."

So I^weighed out for her the five hundred ducats, and she took
them and went away ; whereupon I arose and followed her myself,
till she came to the jewel-bazar, where she stopped at a man's
shop and took of him a necklace. Then she turned and seeing
me, said, " Pay him five hundred dinars for me." When the
jeweller saw me, he rose to me and made much of me, and I said
to him, " Give her the necklace and set down the price to me."
He replied, " I hear and obey," .and she took it and went away ;

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying

her permitted say.

Nofo fojtfn it foa* tije Nine f^untrrefc anfc §bixt8*first

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abu
Hasan the Khorasani thus pursued his tale : — So I said to the
jeweller, " Give her the necklace and set down the price to me."
Then she took it and went away ; but I followed her, till she came
to the Tigris and boarded a boat there, whereupon I signed with
my hand to the ground, as who should say, " I kiss it before thee."
She went off laughing, and I stood watching her, till I saw her
land and enter a palace, which when I considered, I knew it for
the palace of the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil. So I turned back, O
Commander of the Faithful, with all the cares in the world fallen
on my heart, for she had of me three thousand dinars, and I said
to myself, " She hath taken my wealth and ravished my wit, and
peradventure I shall lose my life for her love/' Then I returned
home and told my mother all that had befallen me, and she said,
" O my son, beware how thou have to do with her after this, or
thou art lost" When I went to my shop, my factor in the drug-

236 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

market, who was a very old man, came to me and said, "O my
lord, how is it that I see thee changed in case and showing marks
of chagrin ? Tell me what aileth thee." So I told him all that
had befallen me with her and he said, " O my son, this is indeed
one of the handmaidens of the palace of the Commander of the
Faithful and haply she is the Caliph's favourite concubine : so do
thou reckon the money as spent for the sake of Almighty Allah1
and occupy thyself no more with her. An she come again, beware
lest she have to do with thee and tell me of this, that I may
devise thee some device lest perdition betide thee/' Then he
fared forth and left me with a flame of fire in my heart. At the
end of the month behold, she came again and I rejoiced in her
with exceeding joy. Quoth she, " What ailed thee to follow me?";'
and quoth I, " Excess of passion that is in my heart urged me to
this," and I wept before" her. She wept for ruth of me and said,
" By Allah, there is not in thy heart aught of love-longing but in
my heart is more- ! Yet how shall I do ? By Allah, I have no
resource save to see thee thus once a month." Then she gave me
a bill saying, " Carry this to such an one of such a trade who is
my agent and take of him what is named therein." But I replied,
" I have no need of money ; be my wealth and my life thy
sacrifice ! " Quoth she, " I will right soon contrive thee a means of
access to me, whatever trouble it cost me." Then she farewelled me
and fared forth, whilst I repaired to the old druggist and told him
what had passed. He went with -me to the palace of Al-Muta-
wakkil which I knew for that which the damsel had entered ; but
the Shaykh was at a loss for a device. Presently he espied a
tailor sitting with his prentices at work in his shop, opposite the
lattice giving upon the river bank and said to me, " Yonder, is one
by whom thou shalt win thy wish ; but first tear thy pocket and
go to him and bid him sew it up. When he hath done this, give
him ten dinars." " I hear and obey," answered I and taking with
me two pieces2 of Greek brocade, went to the tailor and bade him
make of them four suits, two with long-sleeved coats and two
without. When he had finished cutting them out and sewing
them, I gave him to his hire much more than of wont, and he put

1 f.*. as if it were given away in charity.

3 Arab. " Shukkah," a word much used in the Zanzibar trade where it means a piece
t>f long-cloth one fathom long. See my "Lake Regions of Central Africa," vol. L
147, etc.

Abu Al- Hasan of Khorasan. 237

out his hand to me with the clothes ; but I said, " Take them for
thyself and for those who are with thee." And I fell to sitting
with him and sitting long : I also bespoke of him other clothes
and said to him, " Hang them out in front of thy shop, so the folk
may see them and buy them." He did as I bade him, and whoso
came forth of the Caliph's palace and aught of the clothes pleased
him, I made him a present thereof, even to the doorkeeper. One
day of the days the tailor said to me, " O my son, I would have
thee tell me the truth of thy case; for thou hast bespoken of me
an hundred costly suits, each worth a mint of money, and hast
given the most of them to the folk. This is no merchant's
fashion, for a merchant calleth an account for every dirham, and
what can be the sum of thy capital that thou givest these gifts
and what thy gain every year ? Tell me the truth of thy case,
that I may assist thee to thy desire ; " presently adding, " I
conjure thee by Allah, tell me, art thou not in love?" "Yes,"
replied I ; and he said, " With whom ? " Quoth I, " With one of
the handmaids of the Caliph's palace ; " and quoth he, " Allah put
them to shame ! How long shall they seduce the folk ? Knowest
thou her name ? " Said I, " No ; " and said he, " Describe her to
me." So I described her to him and he cried, " Out on it ! This
is the lutanist of the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil and his pet concubine.
But she hath a Mameluke1 and do thou make friends with him ; it
may be he shall become the means of thy having access to her."
Now as we were talking, behold, out walked the servant in
question from the palace, as he were a moon on the fourteenth
night ; and, seeing that I had before me the clothes which the
tailor had made me, and they were of brocade of all colours, he
began to look at them and examine them. Then he came up to
me and I rose and saluted him. He asked, " Who art thou ? "
and I answered, "I am a man of the merchants." Quoth he,
"Wilt thou sell these clothes?"; and quoth I, "Yes." So he
chose out five of them and said to me, " How much these five ?";
Said I, " They are a present to thee from me in earnest of friend-
ship between me and thee." At this he rejoiced and I went
home and fetching a suit embroidered with jewels and jacinths,
worth three thousand dinars, returned therewith and gave it to
him. He accepted it and carrying me into a room within the
palace, said to me, "What is thy name among the merchants?"

I He is afterwards called in two places " Khadim"=: eunuch-

238 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Said I, "I am a man of them.1" He continued, "Verily I mis-
doubt me of thine affair." I asked, " Why so ? " and he answered,
" Because thou hast bestowed on me a costly gift and won my
heart therewith, and I make certain that thou art Abu al-Hasan of
Khorasan the Shroff." With this I fell aweeping, O Prince of
True Believers ; and he said to me, " Why dost thou weep ? By
Allah, she for whom thou weepest is yet more longingly in love
with thee than thou with her ! And indeed her case with thee is
notorious among all the palace women. But what wouldst thou
have ? " Quoth I, " I would have thee succour me in my
calamity." So he appointed me for the morrow and I returned
home. As soon as I rose next morning, I betook myself to him
and waited in his chamber till he came in and said to me, " Know
that yesternight when, after having made an end of her service by
the Caliph, she returned to her apartment, I related to her all
that had passed between me and thee and she is minded to fore-
gather with thee. So stay with me till the end of the day."
Accordingly I stayed with him till dark, when the Mameluke
brought me a shirt of gold-inwoven stuff and a suit of the Caliph's
apparel and clothing me therein, incensed me2 and I became like
the Commander of the Faithful. Then he brought me to a
gallery with rows of rooms on either side and said to me, " These
are the lodgings of the Chief of the slave-girls ; and when thou
passest along the gallery, do thou lay at each door a bean, for 'tis
the custom of the Caliph to do this every night -- And Shah-
razad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.

fofien it foa* tjc Nine $^untefc anfc §b{xtg=secon& Nfofit,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
Mameluke said to Abu Hasan, "When thou passest along the
gallery set down at each door a bean for 'tis the custom of the
Caliph so to do, till thou come to the second passage on thy right
hand, when thou wilt see a door with a marble threshold 3 Touch

1 A courteous way of saying, "Never mind my name : I wish to keep it hidden."
The formula is still popular.

2 Arab. " Bakhkharani" i.e. fumigated me with burning aloes-wood, Calumba or
similar material.

3 In sign of honour. The threshold is important amongst Moslems : in one of the
Mameluke Soldans' sepulchres near Cairo I found a granite slab bearing the ' < cartouche "
(shield) of Khufu (Cheops) with the four hieroglyphs hardly effaced.

Abu Al-Hasan of Khorasan. 239

it with thy hand or, an thou wilt, count the doors which are so
many, and enter the one whose marks are thus and thus. There
thy mistress will see thee and take thee in with her. As for thy
coming forth, verily Allah will make it easy to me, though I carry
thee out in a chest." Then he left me and returned, whilst I went
on, counting the doors and laying at each a bean. When I had
reached the middle of the gallery, I heard a great clatter and saw
the light of flambeaux coming towards me. As the light drew
near me, I looked at it and behold, the Caliph himself, came sur-
rounded by the slave-girls carrying waxen lights, and I heard one
of the women1 say to another, " O my sister, have we two Caliphs?
Verily, the Caliph whose perfumes- and essences I smelt, hath
already passed by my room and he hath laid the bean at my door,
as his wont ; and now I see the light of his flambeaux, and here
he cometh with them." Replied the other, '" Indeed this is a
wondrous thing, for disguise himself in the Caliph's habit none
would dare." Then the light drew near me, whilst I trembled in
every limb ; and up came an eunuch, crying out to the concubines
and saying, " Hither ! " Whereupon they turned aside to one of
the chambers and entered. Then they came out again and walked
on till they came to the chamber of my mistress and I heard the
Caliph say, " Whose chamber is this ? " They answered, " This is
the chamber of Shajarat al-Durr." And he said, " Call her." So
they called her and she came out and kissed the feet of the Caliph,
who said to her, " Wilt thou drink to-night ? " Quoth she, " But
for thy presence and the looking on thine auspicious countenance,
I would not drink, for I incline not to wine this night." Then
quoth the Commander of the Faithful to the eunuch, " Bid the
treasurer give her such necklace ; " and he commanded to enter
her chamber. So the waxen lights entered before him and he
followed them into the apartment. At the same moment, behold,
there came up a damsel, the lustre of whose face outshone that of
the flambeau in her hand, and drawing near she said, " Who is
this ? " Then she laid hold of me and carrying me into one of the
chambers, said to me, " Who art thou ? " I kissed the ground
before her saying, " I implore thee by Allah, O my lady, spare my
blood and have ruth on me and commend thyself unto Allah by-
saving my life ! "; and I wept for fear of death. Quoth she,

1 i.e. Ope of the concubines by whose door he had passed.

240 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

" Doubtless, thou art a robber ; " and quoth I, " No, by Allah, I
am no robber. Seest thou on me the signs of thieves ? " Said she,
" Tell me the truth of thy case and I will put thee in safety." So
I said, " I am a silly lover and an ignorant, whom passion and my
folly have moved to do as thou seest, so that I am fallen into this
slough of despond." Thereat cried she, " Abide here till I come
back to thee ; " and going forth she presently returned with some
of her handmaid's clothes wherein she clad me and bade me follow
her ; so I followed her till she came to her apartment and com-
manded me to enter. I went in and she led me to a couch, where-
on was a mighty fine carpet, and said, " Sit down here : no harm
shall befal thee. Art thou not Abu al-Hasan Ali the Khorasani,
the Shroff?" I answered, " Yes," and she rejoined, "Allah spare
thy blood given thou speak truth ! An thou be a robber, thou art
lost, more by token that thou art dressed in the Caliph's habit and
incensed with his scents. But, an thou be indeed Abu al-Hasan,
thou art safe and no hurt shall happen to thee, for that thou art
the friend of Shajarat al-Durr, who is my sister and ceaseth never
to name thee and tell us how she took of thee money, yet wast
thou not chagrined, and how thou didst follow her to the river
bank and madest sign as thou wouldst kiss the earth in her honour ;
and her heart is yet more aflame for thee than is thine for her.
But how earnest thou hither ? Was it by her order or without it ?
She hath indeed imperilled thy life1. But what seekest thou in
this assignation with her ? " I replied, " By Allah, O my lady, 'tis
I who have imperilled my own life, and my aim in foregathering
with her is but to look on her and hear her pretty speech." She
said, " Thou hast spoken well ; " and I added, " O my hidy, Allah
is my witness when I declare that my soul prompteth me to no
offence against her honour." Cried she, " In this intent may Allah
deliver thee ! Indeed compassion for thee hath gotten hold upon
my heart." Then she called her handmaid and said to her, " Go
to Shajarat al-Durr and say to her : — Thy sister saluteth thee and
biddeth thee to her ; so favour her by coming to her this night,
according to thy custom, for her breast is straitened." The slave-
girl went out and presently returning, told her mistress that
Shajarat al-Durr said, "May Allah bless me with thy long life and
make me thy ransom ! By Allah, hadst thou bidden me to other

1 Epistasis without the prostasis, "An she ordered thee so to do:" the situation
Justifies the rhetorical figure.

Abu A I- Hasan of Khorasan* 241

'than this, I had not hesitated ; but the Caliph's migraine con-
straineth me and thou knowest my rank with him." But the other
said to her damsel, " Return to her and say : — Needs must thou
come to my mistress upon a private matter between thee and her ! "
So the girl went out again and presently returned with the damsel,
whose face shone like the full moon. Her sister met her and
embraced her ; then said she, " Ho, Abu al-Hasan, come forth to
her and kiss her hands ! " Now I was in a closet within the apart-
ment ; so I walked out, O Commander of the Faithful, and when
my mistress saw me, she threw herself upon me and strained me
to her bosom, saying, " How earnest thou in the Caliph's clothes
and his ornaments and perfumes ? Tell me what hath befallen
thee." So I related to her all that had befallen me and what I
had suffered for affright and so forth ; and she said, " Grievous to
me is what thou hast endured for my sake and praised be Allah who
hath caused the issue to be safety, and the fulfilment of safety is
in thy entering my lodging and that of my sister." Then she
carried me to her own apartment, saying to her sister, " I have
covenanted with him that I will not be united to him unlawfully ;
but, as he hath risked himself and incurred these perils, I will be

earth for his treading and dust to his sandals ! " And Shahrazad

perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

J^ofo foljen it foas tje Nine f^untolr an* gbfxtg-tfnrti 13tg!)t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth the
damsel to her sister, " I have covenanted with him that I will not
be united to him unlawfully ; but, as he hath risked himself and
incurred these perils, I will be earth for his treading and dust to
his sandals ! " Replied her sister, " In this intent may Allah deliver
him ! "; and my mistress rejoined, " Soon shalt thou see how I will
do, so I may lawfully foregather with him and there is no help but
that I lavish my heart's blood to devise this." Now as we were
in talk, behold, we heard a great noise and turning, saw the Caliph
making for her chamber, so engrossed was he by the thought of her ;
whereupon she took me, O Prince of True Believers and hid me
in a souterrain 1 and shut down the trap-door upon me. Then she

1 Arab. "Sardab" see vol. i, 34*
VOL. IX.

242 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

went out to meet the Caliph, who entered and sat down, whilst
she stood between his hands to serve him, and commanded to
bring wine. Now the Caliph loved a damsel by name Banjah,
who was the mother of Al-Mu'tazz bi 'llah ' ; but they had fallen
out and parted ; and in the pride of her beauty and loveliness she
would not make peace with him, nor would Al-Mutawakkil, for
the dignity of the Caliphate and the kingship, make peace with
her neither humble himself to her, albeit his heart was aflame
with passion for her, but sought to solace his mind from her with
her mates among the slave-girls and with going in to them in their
chambers. Now he loved Shajarat al-Durr's singing : so he bade
her sing, when she took the lute and tuning the strings sang these
verses : —

The world-tricks I admire betwixt me and her ; o How, us parted, the

World would to me incline :
I shunned thee till said they, " He knows not Love ; " o I sought thee till said

they, " No patience is mine ! "
Then, O Love of her, add to my longing each night o And, O Solace, thy

comforts for Doomsday assign !
Soft as silk is her touch and her low sweet voice o Twixt o'er much and

o'er little aye draweth the line :
And eyne whereof Allah said " Be ye ! " and they o Became to man's wit

like the working of wine.

When the Caliph heard these verses, he was pleasured with
exceeding pleasure, and I also, O Commander of the Faithful,
was pleasured in my hiding-place, and but for the bounty of
Almighty Allah, I had cried out and we had been disgraced.
Then she sang also these couplets: —

I embrace him, yet after him yearns my soul o For his love, but can aught

than embrace be nigher ?
I kiss his lips to assuage my lowe ; o But each kiss gars it glow

with more flaming fire ;
'Tis as though my vitals aye thirst unquencht o Till L see two souls mixt in

one entire.

The Caliph was delighted and said, " O Shajarat al-Durr, ask a

1 Thirteenth Abbaside A.H. 252-255 (= 866-869). His mother was a Greek slave
called Kabihah (Al-Ma&'udi and Al-Siyuti) ; for which "Banjah" is probably a clerical
error. He was exceedingly beautiful and was the first to ride out with ornaments of
gold. But he was impotent in the hands of the Turks who caused the mob to depose
him and kill him — his death being related in various ways.

Abu A I- Hasan of Khorasan. 243

boon of me." She replied, " O Commander of the Faithful, I ask
of thee my freedom, for the sake of the reward thou wilt obtain
therein.1 " Quoth he, " Thou art free for the love of Allah ; "
whereupon she kissed ground before him. He resumed, " Take
the lute and sing me somewhat on the subject of my slave-girl,
of whom I am enamoured with warmest love : the folk seek my
pleasure and I seek hers." So she took the lute and sang these
two couplets: —

My charmer who spellest my piety2 o On all accounts I'll have thee,

have thee,
Or by humble suit which besitteth Love o Or by force more fitting my sov-

ranty.

The Caliph admired these verses and said, " Now, take up thy lute
and sing me a song setting out my case with three damsels, whp
hold the reins of my heart and make rest depart ; and they are
thyself and that wilful one and another I will not name, who hath
not her like.3 So she took the lute and playing a lively measure,
sang these couplets : —

Three lovely girls hold my bridle-rein 9 And in highest stead

my heart overreign.

I have none to obey amid all mankind o But obeying them I

but win disdain :

This is done through the Kingship of Love, whereby o The best of my king-
ship they made their gain.

The Caliph marvelled with exceeding marvel at the aptness of
these verses to his case and his delight inclined him to reconcilia-
tion with the recalcitrant damsel. So he went forth and made for
her chamber whither a slave-girl preceded him and announced to
her the coming of the Caliph. She advanced to meet him and
kissed the ground before him ; then she kissed his feet and he
was reconciled to her and she was reconciled to him. Such was
the case with the Caliph; but as regards Shajarat al-Durr, she
came to me rejoicing and said, " I am become a free woman by
thy blessed coming ! Surely Allah will help me in that which I
shall contrive, so I may foregather with thee in lawful way." And

1 i.e. The reward from Allah for thy good deed.

* Arab. " Nusk " abstinence from women, a part of the Zahid's asceticism.

3 Arab. " Munazirah " the verbal noun of which, " Munazarah," may also mean
"dispute." The student will distinguish between " Munazarah " and Munafarah = a
contention for precedence in presence of an umpire.

244 A If Lay I ah wa Laylak.

I said, " Alhamdolillah ! " Now as we were talking, behold her
Mameluke-eunuch entered and we related to him that which had
passed, when he said, " Praised be Allah who hath made the affair
to end well, and we implore the Almighty to crown His favours
with thy safe faring forth the palace ! " Presently appeared my
mistress's sister, whose name was Fatir, and Shajarat al-Durr said
to her, " O my sister, how shall we do to bring him out of the
palace in safety ; for indeed Allah hath vouchsafed me manu-
mission and, by the blessing of his coming, I am become a free
woman." Quoth Fatir, " I see nothing for it but to dress him in
woman's gear." So she brought me a suit of women's clothes
and clad me therein ; and I went out forthwith, O Commander of
the Faithful ; but, when I came to the midst of the palace, behold,
I found the Caliph seated there, with the eunuchs in attendance
upon him. When he saw me, he misdoubted of me with exceeding
doubt, and said to his suite, " Hasten and bring me yonder hand-
maiden who is faring forth." So they brought me back to him
and raised the veil from my face, which when he saw, he knew
me and questioned me of my case. I told him the whole truth,
hiding naught, and when he heard my story, he pondered my case
awhile, without stay or delay, and going into Shajarat al-Durr 's
chamber, said to her, " How couldst thou prefer before me one of
the sons of the merchants ? " She kissed ground between his
hands and told him her tale from first to last, in accordance with
the truth; and he hearing it had compassion upon her and his
heart relented to her and he excused her by reason of love and
its circumstances. Then he went away and her eunuch came in
to her and said, " Be of good cheer ; for, when thy lover was set
before the Caliph, he questioned him and he told him that which
thou toldest him, word by word." Presently the Caliph returned
and calling me before him, said to me, "What made thee dare to
violate the palace of the Caliphate ? " I replied, " O Commander
of the Faithful, 'twas my ignorance and passion and my con-
fidence in thy clemency and generosity that drave me to this."
And I wept and kissed the ground before him. Then said he,
" 1 pardon you both," and bade me be seated. So I sat down and
he sent for the Kazi Ahmad ibn Abi Duwad J and married me to

1 The Mac. Edit, gives by mistake " Abu Daiid " : the Bui correctly " Abu Duwad."
He was Kazi al-Kuzat (High Chancellor) under Al-Mu'tasim, Al-Wasik bi 'ttah (Vathek)

and Al-Mutawakkil.

Abu Al-Hasan of Khorasan. 245

her. Then he commanded to make over all that was hers to me
and they displayed her to me * in her lodging. After three days,
I went forth and transported all her goods and gear to my own
house ; so every thing thou hast seen, O Commander of the
Faithful, in my house and whereof thou misdoubtest, is of her
marriage-equipage. After this, she said to me one day, " Know
that Al-Mutawakkil is a generous man and I fear lest he remember
us with ill mind, or that some one of the envious remind him of
us ; wherefore I purpose to do somewhat that may ensure us
against this." Quoth I, " And what is that ?;" and quoth she, " I
mean to ask his leave to go the pilgrimage and repent2 of singing."
1 1. replied, " Right is this rede thou redest ;" but, as we were talking,
[behold, in came a messenger from the Caliph to seek her, for that
iAl-Mutawakkil loved her singing. So she went with the officer
and did her service to the Caliph, who said to her, " Sever not
thyself from us ;"3 and she answered, " I hear and I obey." Now it
chanced one day, after this, she went to him, he having sent for
her, as was his wont ; but, before I knew, she came back, with her
raiment rent and her eyes full of tears. At this I was alarmed,
misdoubting me that he had commanded to seize upon us, and
said, " Verily we are Allah's and unto Him shall we return ! Is
Al-Mutawakkil wroth with us ? " She replied, " Where is
' Al-Mutawakkil? Indeed Al-Mutawakkil's rule is ended and his
trace is blotted out!" Cried I, "Tell me what has happened ;"
and she, " He was seated behind the curtain, drinking, with-
Al-Fath bin Khdkdn4 and Sadakah bin Sadakah, when his son:
Al-Muntasir fell upon him, with a company of the Turks,5 and slew
him ; and merriment was turned to misery and joy to weeping and!
wailing for annoy. So I fled, I and the slave-girl, and Allah saved
us." When I heard this, O Commander of the Faithful, I arose
forthright and went down stream to Bassorah, where the news

1 Arab. " Zaflu = they led the bride to the bridegroom's house ; but here used in the
rsense of displaying her as both were in the palace.

2 i.e. renounce the craft which though not sinful (haram) is makruh or religiously
unpraiseworthy ; Mohammed having objected to music and indeed to the arts in
general.

3 Arab. " La tankati'f ;" do not be too often absent from us. I have noticed the
whimsical resemblance of " Kat' " and our " cut"; and here the metaphorical sense is
almost identical.

4 See Ibn Khallikan ii. 455.

5 The Turkish body-guard. See vol. iii. 8l.

246 A If Lay [ah wa Laylah.

reached me of the falling out of war between Al-Muntasir and
Al-Musta'm bi' llah j1 wherefore I was affrighted and transported
my wife and all my wealth to Bassorah. This, then, is my tale, O
Prince of True Believers, nor have I added to or taken from it a
single syllable. So all that thou seest in my house, bearing the
name of thy grandfather Al-Mutawakkil, is of his bounty to us,
and the fount of our fortune is from thy noble sources f for indeed
ye are people of munificence and a mine of beneficence." The
Caliph marvelled at his story and rejoiced therein with joy
exceeding : and Abu al-Hasan brought forth to him the lady and
the children she had borne him, and they kissed ground before the
Caliph, who wondered at their beauty. Then he called for inkcase
and paper and wrote Abu al-Hasan a patent of exemption from
taxes on his lands and houses for twenty years. Moreover, he
rejoiced in him and made him his cup-companion, till the world
parted them and they took up their abode in the tombs, after
having dwelt under palace-domes ; and glory be to Allah, the
King Merciful of doom. And they also tell a tale concerning

i

KAMAR AL-ZAMAN AND THE JEWELLER'S WIFE.3

THERE was once, in time of old, a merchant hight Abd al-Rahman,
whom Allah had blessed with a son and daughter, and for their

1 Twelfth Abbaside (A.H. 248—252=862—866) the son of a slave-concubine Mukharik.
He was virtuous and accomplished, comely, fair-skinned, pock-marked and famed for
defective pronunciation ; and he first set the fashion of shortening men's capes and
widening the sleeves. After many troubks with the Turks, who were now the Praetorian
guard of Baghdad, he was murdered at the instigation of Al-Mu' tazz, who succeeded
him, by his Chamberlain Sa'id bin Sah'h.

2 Arab. " Usul," his forbears, his ancestors.

3 Lane rejects this tale because it is " extremely objectionable ; far more so than the
title might lead me to expect." But he quotes the following marginal note by his
Shaykh : — "Many persons (women) reckon marrying a second time amongst the most
disgraceful of actions. This opinion is commonest in the country-towns and villages ;
and my mother's relations are thus distinguished ; so that a woman of them, when her
husband dieth or divorceth her while she is young, passeth in widowhood her life, how-
ever long it may be, and disdaineth to marry a second time." I fear that this state of
things belongs to the good old days now utterly gone by ; and the loose rule of the
stranger, especially the English, in Egypt will renew the scenes which characterised
Sind when Sir Charles Napier hanged every husband who cut down an adulterous wife.
I have elsewhere noticed the ignorant idea that Moslems deny to women souls and seats
in Paradise, whilst Mohammed canonised two women in his own family. The theory

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 247

much beauty and loveliness, he named the girl Kaubab al-Sabdh
and the boy Kamar al-Zaman.1 When he saw what Allah had
vouchsafed the twain of beauty and loveliness, brilliancy and
symmetry, he feared for them the evil eyes2 of the espiers and the
jibing tongues of the jealous and the craft of the crafty and the
wiles of the wicked and shut them up from the folk in a mansion
for the space of fourteen years, during which time none saw them

arose with the " Fathers " of the Christian Church who simply exaggerated the misogyny
of St. Paul. St. Ambrose commenting on Corinthians i. ii., boldly says : — 4t Feminas ad
imaginem Dei factas non esse." St. Thomas Aquinas and his school adopted the
Aristotelian view, " Mulier est erratum naturae, et mas occasionatus, et per accidens
generatur ; atque ideo est monstrum." For other instances see Bayle s. v. Gediacus
(Revd. Simon of Brandebourg) who in 1695 published a " Defensio Sexusmuliebris," a
refutation of an anti-Socinian satire or squib, " Disputatio perjucunda, Mulieres homines
non esse," Parisiis, 1693. But when Islam arose in the seventh century, the Christian
learned cleverly affixed the stigma of their own misogyny upon the Moslems ad captandas
fceminas and in Southern Europe the calumny still bears fruit. Mohammed (Koran,
chapt, xxiv.) commands for the first time, in the sixth year of his mission, the veiling and,
by inference, the seclusion of women, which was apparently unknown to the Badawin
and, if practised in the cities was probably of the laxest. Nor can one but confess that
such modified separation of the sexes, which it would be impossible to introduce into
European manners, has great and notable advantages. It promotes the freest inter-
course between man and man, and thus civilises what we call the "lower orders" : in
no Moslem land, from Morocco to China, do we find the brutals without manners or
morals which are bred by European and especially by English civilisation. For the same
reason it enables women to enjoy fullest intimacy and friendship with one another, and
we know that the best of both sexes are those who prefer the society of their own as
opposed to " quite the lady's man " and tf quite the gentleman's woman.*' It also adds
an important item to social decorum by abolishing e.g. such indecenctes as the " ball-
room flirtation " — a word which must be borrowed from us, not translated by foreigners.
And especially it gives to religious meetings, a tone which the presence of women
modifies and not for the better. Perhaps, the best form is that semi-seclusion of the sex,
which prevailed in the heroic ages of Greece, Rome, and India (before the Moslem
invasion), and which is perpetuated in Christian Armenia and in modern Hellas. It is
a something between the conventual strictness of Al-Islam and the liberty, or rather
licence, of the «' Anglo-Saxon " and the «' Anglo-American." And when England shall
have cast off that peculiar insularity which makes her differ from all civilised peoples, she
will probably abolish three gross abuses, time-honoured scandals, which bear very
heavily on women and children. The first is the Briton's right to will property away
from his wife and offspring. The second is the action for " breach of promise," salving
the broken heart with pounds, shillings, and pence : it should be treated simply as an
exaggerated breach of contract. The third is the procedure popularly called "Crim.
Con.," and this is the most scandalous of all: the offence is against the rights of
property, like robbery or burglary, and it ought to be treated criminally with fine,
imprisonment and in cases with corporal punishment after the sensible procedure of
Moslem law

1 " Moon of the age," a name which has before occurred.

3 The Malocchio or gettatura, so often noticed.

248 A If Lay I ah wa Lay I ah.

save their parents and a slave-girl who served them. Now their
father could recite the Koran, even as Allah sent it down, as also
'did his wife, wherefore the mother taught her daughter to read
and recite it and the father his son till both had gotten it by
heart. Moreover, the twain learned from their parents writing
and reckoning and all manner of knowledge and polite letters and
needed no master. When Kamar al-Zaman came to years of
manhood, the wife said to her husband, " How long wilt thou keep
thy son Kamar al-Zaman sequestered from the eyes of the folk ?
Is he a girl or a boy ? " He answered, " A boy/' Rejoined she,
" An he be a boy, why dost thou not carry him to the bazar and
seat him in thy shop, that he may know the folk and they know
him, to the intent that it may become notorious among men that
he is thy son, and do thou teach him to sell and to buy. Perad-
venture somewhat may befal thee ; so shall the folk know him for
thy son and he shall lay his hand on thy leavings. But, an thou
die, as the case now is, and he say to the folk : — I am the son of
the merchant Abd al-Rahman, Verily they will not believe him,
but will cry, We have never seen thee and we knew not that he
had a son, wherefore the government will seize thy goods and thy
son will be despoiled. In like manner the girl ; I mean to make
her known among the folk, so may be some one of her own condition
may ask her in marriage and we will wed her to him and rejoice
in her." Quoth he, " I did thus of my fear for them from the eyes of

the folk And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased

to say her permitted say.

Nofo fofjcn ft foas tfie ttfine l^untolr antr Sctxt^fourtl)

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the Merchant's wife spake to him in such wise, he replied, " I did
thus of my fear for them from the eyes of the folk and because I
love them both and love is jealous exceedingly and well saith he
•who spoke these verses : —

lOf my sight I am jealous for thee, of me, o Of thyself, of thy stead, of thy

destiny :
Though I shrined thee in eyes by the craze of me o In such nearness irk I

should never see :
Though thou wert by my side all the days of me o Till Doomsday I ne'er had

enough of thee.

• . . - • • . • •.,. -./; . -.•

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 249

Said his wife, " Put thy trust in Allah; for no harm betideth him
whom He protecteth, and carry him with thee this very day to the
shop." Then she clad the boy in the costliest clothes and he be-
came a seduction to all who on him cast sight and an affliction to
the heart of each lover wight. His father took him and carried
him to the market, whilst all who saw him were ravished with him
and accosted him, kissing his hand and saluting him with the
salam. Quoth one, " Indeed the sun hath risen in such a place
and blazeth in the bazar," and another, " The rising-place of the
full moon is in such a quarter ;" and a third, " The new moon of
the Festival1 hath appeared to the creatures of Allah." And
they went on to allude to the boy in talk and call down blessings
upon him. But his father scolded the folk for following his son
to gaze upon him, because he was abashed at their talk, but he
could not hinder one of them from talking ; so he fell to abusing
the boy's mother and cursing her because she had been the cause
of his bringing him out. And as he gazed about he still saw the
folk crowding upon him behind and before. Then he walked on
till he reached his shop and opening it, sat down and seated his
son before him : after which he again looked out and found the
thoroughfare blocked with people for all the passers-by, going and
coming, stopped before the shop to stare at that beautiful face and
could not leave him ; and all the men and women crowded in
knots about him, applying to themselves the words of him who
said : —

Thou madest Beauty to spoil man's sprite o And saidst, " O my servants, fear

My reprove : "
But lovely Thou lovest all loveliness o How, then, shall thy servants refrain

from Love ?

When the merchant Abd al-Rahman saw the folk thus crowding
about him and standing in rows, both women and men, to fix eyes
upon his son, he was sore ashamed and confounded and knew not
what to do ; but presently there came up from the end of the bazar
a man of the wandering Dervishes, clad in haircloth, the garb of the
pious servants of Allah and seeing Kamar al-Zaman sitting there
as he were a branch of Ban springing from a mound of saffron,
poured forth copious tears and recited these two couplets : —

1 The crescent of the month Zu '1-Ka'dah when the Ramazan-fast is broken. This

allusion is common. Comp. vol. i. 84.

250 A If Lay la k wa Laylah.

A wand uprising from a sandy knoll, o Like full moon shining brightest sheen,

I saw;
And said, " What is thy name?" Replied lie "Lulu" o " What (asked I)

" Lily ? » and he answered " La\ la ! " '

Then the Dervish fell to walking, now drawing near and now
moving away,2 and wiping his gray hairs with his right hand, whilst
the heart of the crowd was cloven asunder for awe of him. When
he looked upon the boy, his eyes were dazzled and his wit con*
founded, and exemplified in him was the saying of the poet :~-

While that fair-faced boy abode in the place, o Moon of breakfast-fe^e he lit by

his face,3
Lo ! there came a Shaykh with leisurely pace o A reverend trusting to Allah's

grace,

And ascetic signals his gait displayed.
He had studied Love both by day and night o And had special knowledge of

Wrong and Right ;
Both for lad and lass had repined his sprite, o And his form like toothpick was

lean and slight,

And old bones with faded skin were o'erlaid.

In such arts our Shaykh was an Ajamf4 o With a catamite ever in com-
pany;
In the love of woman, a Platonist he* o But in either versed to the full

degree,

And Zaynab to him was the same as Zayd.$
Distraught by the Fair he adored the Fair o O'er Spring-camp wailed, bewept

ruins bare.7

1 This line contains one of the Yes, Yes and No, No trifles alluded to in vol. ii. 60.
Captain Lockett (M. A. 103) renders it " I saw a fawn upon a hillock whose beauty
eclipsed the full moon. I said, What is thy name ? she answered Deer. What my Dear
said 1, but she replied, not no ! " To preserve the sound I have sacrificed sense : Lulu is
a pearl Li ? li ? (= for me, for me ?) and La ! La ! = no ! no ! See vol. i. 217. I should
have explained a line which has puzzled some readers,

" A sun (face) on wand (neck) in knoll of sand (hips) she showed " etc.

2 Arab. " Al-huwayna"," a rare term.

8 Bright in the eyes of the famishing who is allowed to break his fast.

4 Mr. Payne reads " Maghrabi" = a Mauritanian, Marocean, the Moors (not the
Moorish Jews or Arabs) being a race of Sodomites from highest to lowest. But the Mac.
and Bui. Edit, have " Ajami."

6 For "Ishk uzri "= platonic love see vol. i. 232 ; ii. 104.

* Zaynab (Zenobia) and Zayd are generic names for women and men.

7 i.e. He wrote "Kasfdahs (= odes, elegies) after the fashion of the "Suspended
Poems " which mostly open with the lover gazing upon the traces of the camp where his
beloved had dwelt. The exaggerated conventionalism of such exordium shows that these
early poems had been preceded by a host of earlier pieces which had been adopted as
canons of poetry.

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 251

Dry branch thou hadst deemed him for stress o' care, o Which the morning
breeze swayeth here and there,

For only the stone is all hardness made !
In the lore of Love he was wondrous wise o And wide awake with all-seeing

eyes.

Its rough and its smooth he had tried and tries o And hugged buck and doe in
the self-same guise

And with greybeard and beardless alike he play'd.1

Then he came up to the boy and gave him a root2 of sweet basil,
whereupon his father put forth his hand to his pouch and brought
out for him some small matter of silver, saying, " Take thy portion,
O Dervish, and wend thy ways." He took the dirhams, but sat
down on the masonry-bench alongside the shop and opposite the
boy and fell to gazing upon him and heaving sigh upon sigh,
whilst his tears flowed like springs founting. The folk began to
look at him and remark upon him, some saying, " All Dervishes
are lewd fellows," and other some, "Verily, this Dervish's heart. is
set on fire for love of this lad." Now when Abd al-Rahman saw
this case, he arose and said to the boy, " Come, O my son, let us
lock up the shop and hie us home, for it booteth not to sell and
buy this day ; and may Almighty Allah requite thy mother that
which she hath done with us, for she was the cause of all this ! "
Then said he, " O Dervish, rise, that I may shut my shop." So the
Dervish rose and the merchant shut his shop and taking his son,
walked away. The Dervish and the folk followed them, till they
reached their place, when the boy went in and his father, turning
to the Dervish, said to him, " What wouldst thou, O Dervish, and
why do I see thee weep ? " He replied, " O my lord, I would fain
be thy guest this night, for the guest is the guest of Almighty
Allah." Quoth the merchant, " Welcome to the guest of God :

enter, O Dervish ! " And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day

and ceased saying her permitted say.

1 The verses are very mal-a-propos, like many occurring in The Nights, for the
maligned Shaykh is proof against all the seductions of the pretty boy and falls in
love with a woman after the fashion of Don Quixote. Mr. Payne complains of the
obscurity of the original owing to . abuse of the figure enallage; but I find them explicit
enough, referring to some debauched elder after the type of Abu Nowas.

2 Arab. " 'Irk " = a root which must here mean a sprig, a twig. The basil grows to a
comparatively large size in the East.

252 Alf Laylak wa Laylak.

Woto fojm it foas t&e Nine f^untafc antr gbfttg.fiftf)

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the merchant, the father of Kamar al-Zaman, heard the saying of the
Dervish, " I am Allah's guest," he replied, " Welcome to the guest
of God : enter, O Dervish ! " But he said to himself, " An the
beggar be enamoured of the boy and sue him for sin, needs must
I slay him this very night and bury him secretly. But, an there
be no lewdness in him, the guest shall eat his portion." Then he
brought him into a saloon, where he left him with Kamar al-Zaman,,
after he had said privily to the lad, " O my son, sit thou beside the
Dervish when I am gone out and sport with him and provoke him
to love-liesse and if he seek of thee lewdness, I who will be watching
you from the window overlooking the saloon will come down to
him and kill him." So, as soon as Kamar al-Zaman was alone in
the room with the Dervish, he sat down by his side and the old
man began to look upon him and sigh and weep. Whenever the
lad bespake him, he answered him kindly, trembling the while and
would turn to him groaning and crying, and thus he did till supper
was brought in, when he fell to eating, with his eyes on the boy
but refrained not from shedding tears. When a fourth part of the
night was past and talk was ended and sleep-tide came, Abd
al-Rahman said to the lad, " O my son, apply thyself to the service
of thine uncle the Dervish and gainsay him not : " and would have
gone out ; but the Dervish cried to him, " O my lord, carry thy
son with thee or sleep with us." Answered the merchant, " Nay,
my son shall lie with thee : haply thy soul may desire somewhat,
and he will look to thy want and wait upon thee/* Then he went
out leaving them both together, and sat down in an adjoining
room which had a window giving upon the saloon. Such was the
case with the merchant ; but as to the lad, as soon as his sire had
left them, he came up to the Dervish and began to provoke him
and offer himself to him, whereupon he waxed wroth and said,
" What talk is this, O my son ? I take refuge with Allah from
Satan the Stoned ! O my Lord> indeed this is a denial of Thee
which pleaseth Thee not ! Avaunt from me, O my son ! >T So
saying, the Dervish arose and sat down at a distance ; but the boy
followed him and threw himself upon him, saying, " Why, O
Dervish, wilt thou deny thyself the joys of my possession, and I
with a heart that loveth thee?" Hereupon the Dervish's anger

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. ,253

redoubled and he said, "An thou refrain not from me, I will
summon thy sire and tell him of thy doings." Quoth the lad,
" My father knoweth my turn for this and it may not be that he
will hinder me : so heal thou my heart. Why dost thou hold off
from me? Do I not please thee?" Answered the Dervish, "By
Allah, O my son, I will not do this, though I be hewn in pieces
with sharp-edged swords!"; and he repeated the saying of the
poet : —

Indeed my heart loves all the lovely boys o As girls ; nor am I slow to

such delight,
But, though I sight them every night and morn, o I'm neither of Lot's folk1

nor wencher-wighL

Then he shed tears and said, " Arise, open the door, that I may
wend my way, for I will lie no longer in this lodging." Therewith
he rose to his feet ; but the boy caught hold of him, saying, " Look
at the fairness of my face and the cramoisy of my cheeks and the
softness of my sides and the lusciousness of my lips." Moreover
he discovered to him calves that would shame wine and cup-
carrier2 and gazed on him with fixed glance that would baffle
enchanter and enchantments ; for he was passing of loveliness
and full of blandishment, even as saith of him one of the poets
who sang: —

I can't forget him, since he rose and showed with fair design o Those calves of

legs whose pearly shine make light in nightly gloom :
Wonder not an my flesh uprise as though 'twere Judgment-day o When every

shank shall bared be and that is Day of Dpom.3

Then the boy displayed to him his bosom, saying, "Look at my
breasts which be goodlier than the breasts of maidens and my
lip-dews are sweeter than sugar-candy. So quit scruple and
asceticism and cast off devoutness and abstinence and take thy

1 Arab. " Lait" = one connected with the tribe of Lot, see vol. v. 161.

2 For the play upon " Saki " (oblique case of sale, leg-calf) and Saki a cupbearer see
vol. ii. 327.

3 " On a certain day the leg shall be bared and men shall be called upon to bow in
adoration, but they shall not be able" (Koran, Ixviii. 42). " Baring the leg" implies
a grievous calamity, probably borrowed from the notion of tucking up the skirts and
stripping for flight. On the dangerous San Francisco River one of the rapids is called
" Tira-calcoens " = take off your trousers (Highlands of the Brazil, ii. 35). -But here

Lthe allusion is simply ludicrous and to a Moslem blasphemous.

254 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.*

fill of my possession and enjoy my loveliness. Fear naught, for
thou art safe from hurt, and leave this hebetude for 'tis a bad
habit." And he went on to discover to him his hidden beauties,
striving to turn the reins of his reason with his bendings in grace-
ful guise, whilst the Dervish turned away his face and said, " I
seek refuge with Allah ! Have some shame, O my son ! ! This
is a forbidden thing I deem and I will not do it, no, not even in
dream." The boy pressed upon him, but the Dervish got free from
him and turning towards Meccah addressed himself to his devo-
tions. Now when the boy saw him praying, he left him till he
had prayed a two-bow prayer and saluted,2 when he would have
accosted him again ; but the Dervish again repeated the intent $
and prayed a second two-bow prayer, and thus he did a third and
a fourth and a fifth time. Quoth the lad, " What prayers are
these ? Art thou minded to take flight upon the clouds ? Thou
lettest slip our delight, Whilst thou passest the whole night in the
prayer-niche." So saying, he threw himself upon the Dervish and
kissed him between the eyes ; but the Shaykh said, O my son, put
Satan away from thine estate and take upon thee obedience of
the Compassionate." Quoth the other, " An thou do not with me
that which I desire, I will call my sire and say to him, The
Dervish is minded to do lewdness with me. Whereupon he will
come in to thee and beat thee till thy bones be broken upon thy
flesh." All this while Abd al-Rahman was watching with his
eyes and hearkening with his ears, and he was certified that there
was no frowardness in the Dervish and he said to himself, " Were he
a lewd fellow, he had not stood out against all this importunity."
The boy continued, to beguile the Dervish and every time he
expressed purpose of prayer, he interrupted him, till at last he
waxed wroth with passing wrath and was rough with him and
beat him. Kamar al-Zaman wept and his father came in and
having wiped away his tears and comforted him said to the

1 Arab. " Istahi," a word of every day use in reproof. So the Hindost. " Kuchh
sharm nahfn?" hast thou no shame? Shame is a passion with Orientals and very little
known to the West.

2 i.e. Angels and men saying, "The Peace (of God) be on us and on all righteous
servants of Allah ! " This ends every prayer.

3 Arab. " Al-Niyah," the ceremonial purpose or intent to pray, without which prayer
is null and void. See vol. v. 163. The words would be " I purpose to pray a two-bow
prayer in this hour of deadly danger to my soul." Concerning such prayer see
vol. i. 142.

Kamar Al-Kaman and the Jeweller's Wife, 255

Dervish, " O my brother, since thou art in such case, why didst
thou weep and sigh when thou sawest my son ? Say me, is there
a reason for this ? " He replied, " There is ;" and Abd al-Rahman
pursued, " When I saw thee weep at his sight, I deemed evil of
thee and bade the boy do with thee thus, that I might try thee.
purposing in myself, if I saw thee sue him for sin, to come in upon
thee and kill thee. But, when I saw what thou dids£ I knew
thee for one of those who are virtuous to the end. Now Allah
upon thee, tell me the cause of thy weeping ! " The Dervish
sighed and said, " O my lord, chafe not a closed J wound." But
the merchant said, " There is no help but thou tell me ;" and the
other began : — Know thou, that I am a Dervish who wander in
the lands. and the countries, and take warning by the display2 of
the Creator of Night and Day. It chanced that one Friday I

entered the city of Bassorah in the undurn. And Shahrazad

perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Nofo fofccn ft foas tfie Nine ^unireB an& Sbtxt^sixtj) Nt'gfn,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
Dervish said to the merchant : — Know, then, that I a wandering
mendicant chanced one Friday to enter the city of Bassorah in the
undurn and saw the shops open and full of all manner of wares and
meat and drink ; but the place was deserted and therein was
neither man nor woman nor girl nor boy : nor in the markets and
the main streets was there dog or cat nor sounded sound nor
friend was found. I marvelled at this and said to myself, " I
wonder whither the people of the city be gone with their cats and
dogs and what hath Allah done with them ? " Now I was
anhungred so I took hot bread from a baker's oven and going into
the shop of an oilman, spread the bread with clarified butter and
honey and ate. Then I entered the shop of a sherbet-seller and
drank what I would ; after which, seeing a coffee-shop open, I
went in and found the pots on the fire, full of coffee ;3 but there
was no one there. So I drank my fill and said, •' Verily, this is a

1 Arab. " Sakin " = quiescent, Let a sleeping hound lie.
* Arab. " Asar" lit. traces i.e. the works, the mighty signs and marvels.
8 The mention of coffee now frequently occurs in this tale and in that which follows ;
the familiar use of it showing a comparatively late date, and not suggesting the copyist's

25°* A If Laylak wa Laylak.

wondrous thing ! It seemeth as though Death had stricken the
people of this city and they had all died this very hour, or as if they
had taken fright at something which befel them and fled, without
having time to shut their shops." Now whilst pondering this
matter, lo ! I heard a sound of a band of drums beating ; whereat
I was afraid and hid myself for a while : then, looking out through
a crevice, I saw damsels, like moons, come walking through the
market, two by two, with uncovered heads and faces displayed.
They were in forty pairs, thus numbering fourscore and in their
midst a young lady, riding on a horse that could hardly move his
legs for that which was upon it of silvern trappings and golden and
jewelled housings. Her face was wholly unveiled, and she was
adorned with the costliest ornaments and clad in the richest of
raiment and about her neck she wore a collar of gems and on her
bosom were necklaces of gold ; her wrists were clasped with
bracelets which sparkled like stars, and her ankles With bangles of
gold set with precious stones. The slave-girls walked before her
and behind and on her right and left and in front of her was a
damsel bearing in baldric a great sword, with grip of emerald and
tassels of jewel-encrusted gold. When that young lady came to
where I lay hid, she pulled up her horse and said, " O damsels, I
hear a noise of somewhat within yonder shop : so do ye search it,
lest haply there be one hidden there, with intent to enjoy a look
at us, whilst we have our faces unveiled." So they searched the
shop opposite the coffee-house * wherein I lay hid, whilst I abode
in terror ; and presently I saw them come forth with a man and
they said to her, " O our lady, we found a man there and here he
is before thee." Quoth she to the damsel with the sword, " Smite
his neck." So she went up to him and struck off his head ; then,
leaving the dead man lying on the ground, they passed on. When
I saw this, I was affrighted ; but my heart was taken with love of
the young lady. After an hour or so, the people reappeared and
every one who had a shop entered it ; whilst the folk began to
come and go about the bazars a'nd gathered around the slain man,
staring at him as a curiosity. Then I crept forth from my hiding
place by stealth, and none took note of me, but love of that lady
had gotten possession of my heart> and I began to enquire of her
privily. None, however, gave me news of Her ; so I left Bassorah,

1 Arab. "Al-Kahwah," the place being called from its produce. See Pilgrimage
317-18.

Kamar Al-Zantan and the Jeweller's Wife. 257

ivith vitals yearning for her love ; and when I came upon this thy
son, I saw him to be the likest of all creatures to the young Jady ;
wherefore he reminded me of her and his sight revived the fire of
passion in me and kindled anew in my heart the flames of love-
longing and distraction. And such is the cause of my shedding
tears ! " Then he wept with sore weeping till he could no more
and said, " O my lord, I conjure thee by Allah, open the door to me,
so I may gang my gate ! " Accordingly Abd al-Rahman opened
the door and he went forth. Thus fared it with him ; but as
regards Kamar al-Zaman, when he heard the Dervish's story, his
heart was taken with love of the lady and passion gat the mastery
of him and raged in him longing and distraction ; so, on the
morrow, he said to his sire, " All the sons of the merchants wander
about the world to attain their desire, nor is there one of them but
his father provideth for him a stock-in-trade wherewithal he may
travel and traffic for gain. Why, then, O my father, dost thou
not outfit me with merchandise, so I may fare with it and find
my luck ? " He replied, " O my son, such merchants lack money ;
so they send their sons to foreign parts for the sake of profit and
pecuniary gain and provision of the goods of the world. But I
have monies in plenty nor do I covet more : why then should I
exile thee ? Indeed, I cannot brook to be parted from thee an
hour, more especially as thou art unique in beauty and loveliness
and perfect grace and I fear for thee." But Kamar al-Zajnan
said, " O my father, nothing will serve but thou must furnish me
with merchandise wherewithal to travel ; else will I fly from thee
at unawares though without money or merchandise. So, an thou
wish to solace my heart, make ready for me a stock-in-trade, that
I may travel and amuse myself by viewing the countries of men."
Abd al-Rahman, seeing his son enamoured of travel, acquainted
his wife with this, saying, "Verily thy son would have me provide
him with goods, so he may fare therewith to far regions, albeit
Travel is Travail.1 " Quoth she, " What is there to displease thee
in this ? Such is the wont of the sons of the merchants and they
all vie one with other in glorifying globe-trotting and gain."
Quoth he, " Most of the merchants are poor and seek growth of
good ; but I have wealth galore." She replied, " More of a good

1 Arab. «« Al-Ghurbah Kurbah : " the translation in the text is taken from my late
friend Edward Eastwick, translator of the Gulistan and author of a host of works which
show him to have been a ripe Oriental scholar.

VOL. IX. R

258 A If Lay la k wa Lay I ah.

thing hurteth not ; and, if thou comply not with his wish, I will
furnish him with goods of my own monies." Quoth Abd al-Rah<
man, "I fear strangerhood for him, inasmuch as travel is the
worst of trouble ; " but she said, " There is no harm in stranger-
hood for him when it leadeth to gaining good ; and, if we consent
not, our son will go away and we shall seek him and not find him
and be dishonoured among the folk." The merchant accepted his
wife's counsel and provided his son with merchandise to the value
of ninety thousand gold pieces, whilst his mother gave him a
purse containing forty bezel-stones, jewels of price, the least of
the value of one of which was five hundred ducats, saying, u O
my son, be careful of this jewellery for 'twill be of service to
thee." Thereupon Kamar al-Zaman took the jewels and set out

for Bassorah, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased saying her permitted say.

Nofo fo&en ft foas tfie UCinc J^unfcrefc anlr §bfxtg=scbentf) Ntg&t,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar
al-Zaman took the jewels and set out for Bassorah after he had
laid them in a belt, which he buckled about his waist ; and he
stayed not till there remained aught but a day's journey between
that city and himself ; when the Arabs came out upon him and
stripped him naked and slew his men and servants ; but he lay
himself down among the slain and wallowed in their blood, so that
the wildlings took him for dead and left him without even turning
him over and made off with their booty. When the Arabs had
gone their ways, Kamar al-Zaman arose, having naught left but
the jewels in his girdle, and fared on nor ceased faring till he came
to Bassorah. It chanced that his entry was on a Friday and the
town was void of folk, even as the Dervish had informed him.
He found the market-streets deserted and the shops wide open
and full of goods ; so he ate and drank and looked about him.
Presently, he heard a band of drums beating and hid himself in
a shop, .till the slave-girls came up, when he looked at them ; and,
seeing the young lady riding amongst them, love and longing
overcame him and desire and distraction overpowered him, so that
he had no force to stand. After awhile, the people reappeared
and the bazars filled. Whereupon he went to the market and
repairing to a jeweller and pulling out one of his forty gems sold

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jewellers Wife. 259

ft for a thousand dinars, wherewith he returned to his place and
passed the night there ; and when morning morrowed he changed
his clothes and going to the Hammam came forth as he were
the full moon. Then he sold other four stones for four thousand
dinars and sauntered solacing himself about the main streets of
Bassorah, clad in the costliest of clothes ; till he came to a
market, where he saw a barber's shop. So he went in to the
barber who shaved his head ; and, clapping up an acquaintance
with him, said to him, " O my father, I am a stranger in these
parts and yesterday I entered this city and found it void of folk,
nor was there in it any living soul, man nor Jinni. Then I saw a
troop of slave-girls and amongst them a young lady riding in
state : " and he went on to tell him all he had seen. Said the
barber, " O my son, hast thou told any but me of this ? " ; and he
said/" No." The other rejoined, " Then, O my son, beware thou
mention this before any but me ; for all folk cannot keep a secret
and thou art but a little lad and I fear lest the talk travel from
man to man, till it reach those whom it concerneth and they slay
thee. For know, O my son, that this thou hast seen, none ever
kenned nor knew in other than this city. As for the people of
Bassorah they are dying of this annoy ; for every Friday forenoon
they shut up the dogs and cats, to hinder them from going about
the market-streets, and all the people of the city enter the
cathedral-mosques, where they lock the doors on them,1 and not
one of them can pass about the bazar nor even look out of case-
ment ; nor knoweth any the cause of this calamity. But, O my
son, to-night I will question my wife concerning the reason
thereof, for she is a midwife and entereth the houses of the
notables and knoweth all the city news. So Inshallah, do thou
come to me to-morrow and I will tell thee what she shall have
told me." With this Kamar al-Zaman pulled out a handful of
gold and said to him, " O my father, take this gold and give it to
thy wife, for she is become my mother." Then he gave him a
second handful, saying, "Take this for thyself." Whereupon
quoth the barber, " O my son, sit thou in thy place, till I go to

1 The fiction may have been suggested by the fact that in all Moslem cities from
India to Barbary the inner and outer gates are carefully shut during the noontide devo-
tions, not * because Friday is the day on which creation was finished and Mohammed
entered Al-Medinah ; " but because there is a popular idea that in times now approach-
ing the Christians will rise up against the Moslems during prayers and will repeat the
"Sicilian Vespers."

260 Alf Ltylak wa Laylak.

my wife and ask her and bring thee news of the true state of
the case." So saying, he left him in the shop and going home,
acquainted his wife with the young man's case, saying, "I would
have thee tell me the truth of this city-business, so I may report
it to this young merchant, for he hath set his heart on weeting the
reason why men and beasts are forbidden the market-streets every
Friday forenoon ; and methinks he is a lover, for he is open-
handed and liberal, and if we tell him what he would trow, we
shall get great good of him." Quoth she, " Go back and say to
him:— Come, speak with thy mother, my wife, who sendeth her
salam to thee and saith to thee, Thy wish is won." Accordingly
he returned to the shop, where he found Kamar al-Zaman sitting
awaiting him and repeated him the very words spoken by his
spouse, Then he carried him in to her and she welcomed him
'and bade him sit down-; whereupon he pulled out an hundred
ducats and gave them to her, saying, " O my mother, tell me who
this young lady may be." Said she, "Know, O my son, that
there came a gem to the Sultan of Bassorah from the King of
Hind, and he was minded to have it pierced. So he summoned
all the jewellers in a body and said to them, I wish you to drill
me this jewel, Whoso pierceth it, I will give him whatsoever he
shall ask ; but if he break it, I will cut off his head. At this
they were afraid and said, O King of the age, a jewel is soon
spoilt and there are few who can pierce them without injury, for
most of them have a flaw. So do not thou impose upon us a
task to which we are unable ; for our hands cannot avail to drill
this jewel. However, our Shaykh * is more experienced than we."
Asked the King, "And who is your Shaykh ? "; and they answered,
" Master Obayd : he is more versed than we in this art and hath
wealth galore and of skill great store. Therefore do thou send
for him to the presence and bid him pierce thee this jewel."
Accordingly the King sent for Obayd and bade him pierce the
jewel, imposing on him the condition aforesaid. He took it and
pierced it to the liking of the King, who said to him, " Ask a boon
of me, O master!"; and said he, " O King of the age, allow me delay
till to-morrow." Now the reason of this was that he wished to take
counsel with his wife, who is the young lady thou sawest riding
in procession ; for he loveth her with exceeding love, and of the
greatness of his affection for her, he doth naught without con-

1 i.f. the syndic of the Guild of Jewellers.

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 261

suiting her ; wherefore he put off asking till the morrow. When
he went home, he said to her : — I have pierced the King a jewel
and he hath granted me a boon which I deferred asking till
to-morrow, that I might consult thee. Now what dost thou wish,
that I may ask it ? " Quoth she, We have riches such as fires
may not consume ; but, an thou love me, ask of the King to make
proclamation in the streets of Bassorah that all the townsfolk
shall every Friday enter the mosques, two hours before the hour of
prayer, so none may abide in the town at all great or small except
they be in the mosques or in the houses and the doors be locked
upon them, and that every shop of the town be left open. Then
will I ride with my slave-women through the heart of the city and
none shall look on me from window or lattice ; and every one
whom I find abroad I will kill." * So he went in to the King
and begged of him this boon, which he granted him and caused

proclamation to be made amongst the Bassorites And Shah-

razad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.

Koto fojen ft foas tfie Nine ^unimfc atrtr Sb&tg-efjjtft Nfe&t,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the Jeweller begged his boon, the King bade proclamation be
made amongst the Bassorites to the effect aforesaid, but the people
objected that they feared for their goods from the cats and dogs ;
wherefore he commanded to shut the animals up till the folk
should come forth from the Friday prayers. So the jeweller's
wife fell to sallying forth every Friday, two hours before the time
of congregational prayer, and riding in state through the city with
her women ; during which time none da'reth pass through the
market-place nor look out of casement or lattice. This, then, is
what thou wouldest know and I have told thee who she is; but,
O my son, was it thy desire only to have news of her or hast thou
a mind to meet her ? " Answered he, " O my mother, 'tis my
wish to foregather with her." Quoth she, " Tell me what valu-
ables thou hast with thee " ; and quoth he, " O my mother, I have
with me precious stones of four sorts, the first worth five hundred
dinars each, the second seven hundred, the third eight hundred

This is an Arab Lady Godiva of the wrong sort.

£62 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

and the fourth a thousand ducats." She asked, " Art thou willing
to spend four of these ? " ; and he answered, " I am ready to spend
all of them." She rejoined, " Then, arise, O my son, and go
straight to thy lodging and take a bezel-gem of those worth five
hundred sequins, with which do thou repair to the jewel market
and ask for the shop of Master Obayd, the Shaykh of the Jewel-
lers. Go thither and thou wilt find him seated in his shop, clad
in rich clothes, with workmen under his hand. Salute him and
sit down on the front shelf of his shop ;l then pull out the jewel
and give it to him, saying, " O master, take this stone and fashion
it into a seal-ring for me with gold. Make it not large, a Miskal J
in weight and no more ; but let the fashion of it be thy fairest."
Then give him twenty dinars and to each of his prentices a dinar.
Sit with him awhile and talk with him and if a beggar approach
thee, show thy generosity by giving him a dinar, to the intent
that he may affect thee, and after this, leave him and return to thy
place. Pass the night there, and next morning, take an hundred
dinars and bring them and give them to thy father the barber,
for he is poor." Quoth Kamar al-Zaman, " Be it so/' and returning
to his caravanserai, took a jewel worth five hundred gold pieces
and went with it to the jewel-bazar. There he enquired for the
shop of Master Obayd, Shaykh of the Jewellers, and they directed
him thereto. So he went thither and saw the Shaykh, a man of
austere aspect and robed in sumptuous raiment with four journey-
men under his hand. He addressed him with " Peace be upon
you ! " and the jeweller returned his greeting and welcoming him,
made him sit down. Then he brought out the jewel and said,
" O master, I wish thee to make me this jewel into a seal-ring
with gold. Let it be the weight of a Miskal and no more, but
fashion it excellently." Then he pulled out twenty dinars and
gave them to him, saying, " This is the fee for chasing and the
price of the ring shall remain." 3 And he gave each of the
apprentices a gold piece, wherefore they loved him, and so did
Master Obayd. Then he sat talking with the jeweller and when-
ever a beggar came up to him, he gave him a gold piece and they
all marvelled at his generosity. Now Master Obayd had tools

1 This is explained in my Pilgrimage i. 99 et seq.

2 About three pennyweights. It varies, however, everywhere and in Morocco the
" Mezkal" as they call it is an imaginary value, no such coin existing.

* i.e. over and above the value of the gold, etc.

Kamar Al-Zaman and the. Jewellers Wife. 26$

at home, like those he had in the shop, and whenever he was
minded to do any unusual piece of work, it was his custom to
carry it home and do it there, that his journeymen might not learn
the secrets of his wonderful workmanship.1 His wife used to .sit
before him, and when she was sitting thus and he looking upon
her, 2 he would fashion all manner of marvellously wroughten
trinkets, such as were fit for none but kings. So he went home
and sat down to mould the ring with admirable workmanship.
When his wife saw him thus engaged, she asked him, " What wilt
thou do with this bezel-gem ? " ; and he answered, " I mean to
make it into a ring with gold, for 'tis worth five hundred dinars,"
She enquired, " For whom ? " ; and he answered, " For a young
merchant, who is fair of face, with eyes that wound with desire,
and cheeks that strike fire and mouth like the seal of Sulayman
and cheeks like the bloom of Nu'man and lips red as coralline and
neck like the antelope's long and fine. His complexion is white
dashed with red and he is well-bred, pleasant and generous and
doth thus and thus." And he went on to describe to her now his
beauty and loveliness and then his perfection and bounty and
ceased not to vaunt his charms and the generosity of his dis-
position, till he had made her in love with him ; for there is no
sillier cuckold than he who vaunteth to his wife another man's
handsome looks and unusual liberality in money matters. So,
when desire rose high in her, she said to him, " Is aught of my
charms found in him ? " Said he, " He hath all thy beauties ;
and he is thy counterpart in qualities. Meseemeth his age is even
as thine and but that I fear to hurt thy feelings, I would say that
he is a thousand times handsomer than thou art." She was silent,
yet the fire of fondness was kindled in her heart. And the jeweller
ceased not to talk with her and to set out Kamar al-Zaman's
charms before her till he had made an end of moulding the ring ;
when he gave it to her and she put it on her finger, which it
fitted exactly. Quoth she, " O my lord, my heart loveth this
ring and I long for it to be mine and will not take it from my

1 This was the custom of contemporary Europe and more than one master cutler has
put to death an apprentice playing Peeping Tom to detect the secret of sword -making.

2 Among Moslems husbands are divided into three species; (i) of "Bahr" who is
married for love; (2) of " Dahr," for defence against the world, and (3) of "Mahr"
for marriage-settlements (money). Master Obayd was an unhappy compound of the
two latter ; but he did not cease to be a man of honour.

264 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

finger. " Quoth he, " Have patience ! The owner of it is generous;
and I will seek to buy it of him, and if he will sell it, I will bring
it to thee. Or if he have another such stone, I will buy it and
fashion it for thee into a ring like this." And Shahrazad per-
ceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

TXTofco fof)w ft foas tfje Nine ^un&teB anti Sfefxtjunmti)

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
jeweller said to his wife, " Have patience ! The owner of it is
generous and I will seek to buy it of him; and, if he will sell it,
I will bring it to thee ; or, if he have another such stone I will
buy it and fashion it for thee into a ring like this." On this wise
it fared with the jeweller and his wife ; but as regards Kamar
al-Zaman, he passed the night in his lodging and on the morrow
he took an hundred dinars and carried them to the old woman,
the barber's wife, saying to her, "Accept these gold pieces," and
she replied, "Give them to thy father." So he gave them to the
barber and she asked, " Hast thou done as I bade thee ? " He
answered, "Yes," and she said, "Go now to the Shaykh, the
jeweller, and if he give thee the ring, put it on the tip of thy
finger and pull it off in haste and say to him, O master, thou hast
made a mistake ; the ring is too tight. He will say, O merchant,
shall I break it and mould it again larger? And do thou say, It
booteth not to break it and fashion it anew. Take it and give it
to one of thy slave-women." Then pull out another stone worth
seven hundred dinars and say to him, Take this stone and set it
for me, for 'tis handsomer than the other. Give him thirty dinars
and to each of the prentices two, saying, These gold pieces are
for the chasing and the price of the ring shall remain. Then
return to thy lodging for the night and on the morrow bring me two
hundred ducats, and I will complete thee the rest of the device."
So the youth went to the jeweller, who welcomed him and made
him sit down in his shop ; and he asked him, " Hast thou done
my need ? " " Yes," answered Obayd and brought out to him the
seal-ring ; whereupon he set it on his finger-tip and pulling it off
in haste, cried, " Thou hast made a mistake, O master ; " and
threw it to him, saying, " 'Tis too strait for my finger." Asked
the jeweller, " O merchant, shall J make it larger?" But he
answered, " Not so ; take it as a gift and give it to one of thy,

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 265

slave-girls. Its worth is trifling, some five hundred dinars ; so it
booteth not to fashion it over again." Then he brought out to
him another stone worth seven hundred sequins and said to him,
" Set this for me : 'tis a finer gem." Moreover he gave him thirty
dinars and to each of his workmen two. Quoth Obayd, " O my
lord we will take the price of the ring when we have made it."1
But Kamar al-Zaman said, " This is for the chasing, and the price
of the ring remains over." So saying, he went away home, leaving
the jeweller and his men amazed at the excess of his generosity.
Presently the jeweller returned to his wife and said, <: O Halfmah,2
never did I set eyes on a more generous than this young man, and
as for thee, thy luck is good, for he hath given me the ring without
price, saying, " Give it to one of thy slave-women." And he told
her what had passed, adding, "Methinks this youth is none of the,
sons of the merchants, but that he is of the sons of the Kings
and Sultans.'* Now the more he praised him, the more she waxed
in love-longing, passion and distraction for him. So she took the
ring and put it on her finger, whilst the jeweller made another
one, a little larger than the first. When he had finished moulding1
it, she put it on her finger, under the first, and said, " Look, O my
lord, how well the two rings show on my finger ! I wish they were
both mine." Said he, " Patience ! It may be I shall buy thee this
second one." Then he lay that night and on the morrow he took
the ring and went to his shop. As for Kamar al-Zaman, as soon
as it was day, he repaired to the barber's wife and gave her two
hundred dinars. Quoth she, " Go to the jeweller and when he
giveth thee the ring, put it on thy finger and pull it off again in
haste, saying :— Thou hast made a mistake, O master ! This
ring is too large. A master like thee, when the like of me
cometh to him with a piece of work, it behoveth him to take
right measure ; and if thou hadst measured my finger, thou hadst
not erred. Then pull out another stone worth a thousand dinars
and say to him : — Take this and set it, and give this ring to one
of thy slave-women. Give him forty ducats and to each of his
journeyman three, saying, This is for the chasing, and for the cost,

1 The Mac. Edit, here is a mass of blunders and misprints.

2 The Mac. Edit, everywhere calls her ." Sabiyah " = the young lady and does not'
mention her name Halimah — the Mild, the Gentle till the cmlxxivth Night. I follow
Mr. Payne's example by introducing it earlier into the story, as it avoids vagueness and
repetition of the indefinite.

266 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

of the ring, that shall remain. And see what he will say. Then
bring three hundred dinars and give them to thy father the barber,
that he may mend his fortune withal, for he is a poor man."
Answered Kamar al-Zaman, " I hear and obey," and betook him-
self to the jeweller, who welcomed him and making him sit down,
gave him the ring. He took it and put it on his finger ; then
pulled it off in haste and said, " It behoveth a master like thee*
when the like of me bringeth him a piece of work, to take his
measure. Hadst thou measured my finger, thou hadst not erred ;
but take it and give it to one of thy slave-women." Then he
brought out to him a stone worth a thousand sequins and said to
him, " Take this and set it in a signet-ring for me after the measure
of my ringer." Quoth Obayd, " Thou hast spoken sooth and art
in the right ; " and took his measure, whereupon he pulled out
forty gold pieces and gave them to him, saying, " Take these for
the chasing and the price of the ring shall remain." Cried the
jeweller, " O my lord, how much hire have we taken of thee !
Verily, thy bounty to us is great!" "No harm," replied Kamar
al-Zaman and sat talking with him awhile and giving a dinar to
every beggar who passed by the shop. Then he left him and went
away, whilst the jeweller returned home and said to his wife,
" How generous is this young merchant ! Never did I set eyes on
a more open-handed or a comelier than he, no, nor a sweeter of
speech." And he went on to recount to her his charms and
generosity and was loud in his praise. Cried she, " O thou lack-
tact,1 since thou notest these qualities in him, and indeed he hath
given thee two seal-rings of price, it behoveth thee to invite him
and make him an entertainment and entreat him lovingly. When
he seest that thou affectest him and cometh to our place, we shall
surely get great good of him ; and if thou grudge him the banquet
do thou bid him and I will entertain him of my monies." Quoth
lie, " Dost thou know me to be niggardly, that thou sayest this
Say?"; and quoth she, "Thou art no niggard, but thou lackest
tact. Invite him this very night and come not without him. An
he refuse, conjure him by the divorce oath and be persistent with
him." " On my head and eyes," answered he and moulded the
ring till he had finished it, after which he passed the night and

1-! .1 • — — ' ' '

1 Arab. ** Adfm al-Zauk," = without savour, applied to an insipid mannerless man as
*'barid" (cold) is to a fool. " Ahl Zauk" is a man of pleasure, a voluptuary, a
hedonist

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 267

went forth on the morrow to his shop and sat there. On this
wise it was with him ; but as for Kamar al-Zaman, he took three
hundred dinars and carrying them to the old wife, gave them to
her for the barber, her husband. Said she, " Most like he will
invite thee to his house this day ; and if he do this and thou pass
the night there, tell me in the morning what befalleth thee and
bring with thee four hundred dinars and give them to thy father."
Answered he, " Hearing and obeying ; " and as often as he ran
out of money, he would sell some of his stones. So he repaired to
the jeweller, who rose to him and received him with open arms,
greeted him heartily and clapped up companionship with him.
Then he gave him the ring, and he found it after the measure of
his finger and said to the jeweller, " Allah bless thee, O prince
of artists ? The setting is conformable but the stone is not to my

liking." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased to say her permitted say.

fo&nx it foa* fte Nine f^untaefc anfc Stfbentfet!)

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
Kamar al-Zaman said to the jeweller, " The setting is conform-
able to my wishes, but the stone is not to my liking. I have a
handsomer than this : so take the seal-ring and give it to one of
thy slave-women." Then he gave him a fourth stone and an
hundred dinars, saying, <c Take thy hire and excuse the trouble
we have given thee." Obayd replied, " O merchant, all the
trouble thou hast given us thou hast requited us and hast over-
whelmed us with thy great bounties : and indeed my heart is taken
with love of thee and I cannot brook parting from thee. So, Allah
upon thee, be thou my guest this night and heal my heart" He
rejoined, " So be it ; but needs must I go to my Khan, that I may
give a charge to my domestics and tell them that I shall sleep
abroad to-night, so they may not expect me." " Where dost thoti
lodge ? " asked the jeweller ; and he answered, " In such a
Khan." Quoth Obayd, " I will come for thee there ; " and
quoth the other " Tis well." So the jeweller repaired to the
Khan before sundown, fearing lest his wife should be anangered
with him, if he returned home without his guest ; and, carrying
Kamar al-Zaman to his house, seated him in a saloon that had
not its match. Halimah saw him, as he entered, and was

268 Atf Laylah wa Laylah.

ravished with him. They talked till supper was served when the/
ate and drank ; after which appeared coffee and sherbets, and the
jeweller ceased not to entertain him with talk till eventide, when
they prayed the obligatory prayers. Then entered a handmaid
with two cups * of night drink, which when they had drunk,
drowsiness overcame them and they slept. Presently in came the
jeweller's wife and seeing them asleep, looked upon Kamar al-
Zaman's face "and her wit was confounded at his beauty. Said she,
" How can he sleep who loveth the fair ? " and, turning him over
on his back, sat astraddle upon his breast. Then, in the mania
of her passion for him, she rained down kisses on his cheeks, till
she left a mark upon them and they became exceeding red and
his cheek bones shone ; and, she sucked his lips, till the blood
ran out into her mouth ; but with all this, her fire was not quenched
nor her thirst assuaged. She ceased not to kiss and clip him and
twine leg with leg, till the forebrow of Morn grew white and the
dawn broke forth in light ; when she put in his pocket four
cockals \ and went away. Then she sent her maid with something
like snuff, which she applied to their nostrils and they sneezed and
awoke, when the slave-girl said, " O my lords, prayer is a duty ;
so- rise ye and pray the dawn-prayer." And she brought them
basin and ewer.3 Quoth Kaman al-Zamar " O master, 'tis late and
we have overslept ourselves ; " and quoth the jeweller, " O my
friend verily the air of this room is heavy ; for, whenever I sleep
in it, this happens to me.'^ Rejoined Kamar al-Zaman, " True,"
and proceeded to make the Wuzu ablution ; but, when he put the
water to his face, his cheeks and lips burned him. Cried he,
11 Prodigious ! If the air of the room be heavy and we have been
drowned in sleep, what aileth my cheeks and lips' that they burn.

1 Arab. " Finjan " the egg-shell cups from which the Easterns still drink coffee.

8 Arab. " Awashik" a rare word, which Dozy translates " osselet" (or osselle) and
Mr. Payne, " hucklebones," concerning which he has obliged me with this note.
Chambaud renders osselet by " petit os avec lequel les enfants jouent." Hucklebone is
the hip-bone but in the plural it applies to our cockals or cockles : Latham gives
*' hucklebone," (or cockal), one of the small vertebrae of the coccygis, and Littleton
translates M Talus," a hucklebone, a bone to play with like a dye, a play called cockal.
{So also in Ride*). Hucklebones and knucklebones are syn. : but the latter is modern
and liable to give a false idea, besides being tautological. It has nothing to do with the
knuckles and derives from the German " Knochel " (dialetically Knochelein) a bonelet.

8 For ablution after sleep and before prayer. The address of the slave-girl is perfectly
aafural : in a Moslem house we should hear it this day nor does it show the least siga
tof "frowardness.."

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jewellers Wife. 269

me ? " And he said to the jeweller, " O master, my cheeks and lips
burn me." The other replied, " I guess this cometh of the
mosquito-bites." " Strange ! " said Kamar al-Zaman. " Hath this
thing happened to thee ? " Replied Obayd, " No ! But whenever
I have by me a guest like thee, he complaineth in the morning of
the mosquito-bites, and this happeneth only when he is like thee
beardless. If he be bearded the mosquitoes sting him not, and
naught hindereth them from me but my beard. It seems mosquitoes
love not bearded men."1 Rejoined Kamar al-Zaman, "True."
Then the maid brought them early breakfast and they broke their
fast and went out. Kamar al-Zaman betook himself to the old
woman, who exclaimed, when she saw him, " I see the marks of
joyance on thy face : tell me what thou hast seen." Said he, " I
have seen nothing. Only I supped with the house-master in a
saloon and prayed the night-prayer, after which we fell asleep and
woke not till morning." She laughed and said, " What be those
marks on thy cheeks and lips ? " He answered, " 'Twas the
mosquitoes of the saloon that did this with me ;" and she rejoined,
" 'Tis well. But did the same thing betide the house master ? "
He retorted, " Nay ; but he told me that the mosquitoes of that
saloon molest not bearded men, but s'ting those only who have no
hair on face, and that whenever he hath for guest one who is beard-
less, the stranger awaketh complaining of the mosquito-bites ;
whereas an he have a beard, there befalleth him naught of this."
Said she, " Sooth thou speakest : but say me, sawest thou aught
save this ? " And he answered, " I found four cockals in my
pocket." Quoth she, " Show them to me." So he gave them to
her and she laughed and said, " Thy mistress laid these in thy
pocket." He asked, " How so ? " And she answered, " Tis as if
she said to thee, in the language of signs :2— An thou wert in love,
thou wouldst not sleep, for a lover sleepeth not : but thou has not
ceased to be a child and fit for nothing but to play with these
cockals. So what drave thee to fall in love with the fair ?" Now
she came to thee by night and finding thee asleep, scored thy
cheeks with her kisses and left thee this sign. But that will not
suffice her of thee and she will certainly send her husband to
invite thee again to-night ; so, when thou goest home with him,
hasten not to fall asleep, and on the morrow bring me five

1 The perfect stupidity of the old wittol is told with the driest Arab humour.

2 This is a rechauffe of the Language of Signs in " Aziz and Azizah " vol. ii. 302.

270 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

hundred dinars and come and acquaint me with what hath
passed, and I will perfect for thee the device." Answered he,
" I hear and obey," and went back to the Khan. Thus it befel
him ; but as regards the jeweller's wife, she said to her husband,
" Is the guest gone?" Answered he, " Yes, but, O Halimah,1 the
mosquitoes plagued him last night and scarified his cheeks and
lips, and indeed I was abashed before him." She rejoined, " This
is the wont of the mosquitoes of our saloon ; for they love none
save the beardless. But do thou invite him again to-night." So
he repaired to the Khan where the youth abode, and bidding him,
carried him to his house, where they ate and drank and prayed
the night-prayer in the saloon, after which the slave-girl entered

and gave each of them a cup of night-drink, And Shahrazad

perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Woto tofen it foas tje Ntw f^unfcttti an& Sbtf>entg=fim

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the slave-
girl went in to the twain and gave each of them a cup of night-
drink, and they drank and fell asleep. Presently, in came Halimah
and said, " O good-for-nothing, how canst thou sleep and call thy-
self a lover ? A lover sleepeth not ! " Then she mounted on his
breast and ceased not to come down upon him with kisses and
caresses, biting and sucking his lips and so forth, till the morning,
when she put in his pocket a knife and sent her handmaid to
arouse them. And when the youth awoke, his cheeks were on
fire, for excess of redness, and his lips like coral, for dint of suck-
ing and kissing. Quoth the jeweller, " Did the mosquitoes plague
thee last night ? " ; and quoth the other, " Nay ! " ; for he now
knew the conceit and left complaining, Then he felt the knife in
his pocket and was silent ; but when he had broken his fast and
drunk coffee, he left the jeweller and going to the Khan ; took
five hundred dinars of gold and carried them to the old woman, to
whom he related what had passed, saying, " I slept despite myself,
and when I woke at dawn I found nothing but a knife in my pocket."
Exclaimed the old trot, " May Allah protect thee from her this
next night ! For she saith to thee by this sign, An thou sleep
again, I will cut thy throat. Thou wilt once more be bidden to

1 In the Mac. Edit. " Ya Pulanah " = O certain person.

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jewellers Wife. 271

the jeweller's house to-night,1 and if thou sleep, she will slay thee."
Said he, " What is to be done ? " ; and said she, " Tell me what
thou atest and drankest before sleeping." Quoth he, " We supped as
was our wont and prayed the night-prayer, after which there came in
to us a maid, who gave each of us a cup of night-drink, which when
I had drunk, I fell asleep and awoke not till the morning." Quoth the
old woman, " The mischief is in the cup : so, when the maid giveth
it to thee, take it from her, but drink not and wait till the master
of the house have drunken and fallen asleep ; then say to her, Give
me a draught of water, and she will go to fetch thee the gugglet.
Then do thou empty the cup behind the pillow and lie down and
feign sleep. So when she cometh back with the gugglet, she will
deem that thou hast fallen asleep, after having drunk off the cup,
and will leave thee ; and presently the case will appear to thee ;
but beware of disobeying my bidding." Answered he, " I hear
and I obey," and returned to the Khan. Meanwhile the jeweller's
wife said to her husband, " A guest's due honour is three nights'
entertainment : so do thou invite him a third time " ; Whereupon
he betook himself to the youth and inviting him, carried him home
and sat down with him in the saloon. When they had supped
and prayed the night-prayer, behold, in came the handmaid and
gave each of them a cup. Her master drank and fell asleep ; but
Kamar al-Zaman forbore to drink, whereupon quoth the maid,
" Wilt thou not drink, O my lord ? " Answered he, " I am athirst,
bring me the gugglet." Accordingly she went to fetch it, and he
emptied the cup behind the pillow and lay down. When the slave
girl returned, she saw him lying down and going to her mistress
said, " He hath drunk off the cup and fallen asleep ; " whereupon
quoth Halimah to herself, " Verily, his death is better than his
life." Then, taking a sharp knife, she went in to him, saying,
" Three times, and thou notedst not the sign, O fool ! 2 So now I
will rip up thy maw." When he saw her making for him knife in
hand, he opened his eyes and rose, laughing ; whereupon said she,
" 'Twas not of thine own wit, that thou earnest at the meaning of
the sign, but by the help of some wily cheat ; so tell me whence
thou hadst this knowkdge." " From an old woman," replied he,
" between whom and me befel such and such ; " and he told her

1 Arab. " Laylat al-Kabilah," lit = the coming night, our to-night; for which see
vol. iii. 349.

2 Arab. " Ya Ahmak ! "which in Marocco means a madman, a maniac, a Santon.

272 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

all that had passed. Quoth she, " To-morrow go thou forth from
us and seek her and say, Hast thou any further device in store ?
And if she answer, I have, do thou rejoin, Then do thy best that
I may enjoy her publicly. But, if she say, I have no means of
doing that, and this is the last of my devices, put her away from
thy thought, and to-morrow night my husband will come to thee
and invite thee. Do thou come with him and tell me and I will
consider what remaineth to be done," Answered he, " There is no
harm in that ! " Then he spent the rest of the night with her in
embracing and clipping, plying the particle of copulation in concert1
and joining the conjunctive with the conjoined,2 whilst her husband
was as a cast-out nunnation of construction.3 And they ceased
not to be thus till morning, when she said to him, " Tis
not a night of thee that will content me, nor a day ; no,
nor yet a month nor a year; but it's my intent to abide
with thee the rest of my life. Wait, however, till I play
my husband a trick which would baffle the keenest-witted and
win for us our wishes. I will cause doubt to enter into him, so
that he shall divorce me, whereupon I will marry thee and go
with thee to thine own country ; I will also transport all his monies
and hoards to thy lodging and will contrive thee the ruin of his
dwelling-place and the blotting out of his traces. But do thou
hearken to my speech and obey me in that I shall say to thee and
gainsay me not." He replied, "I hear and I obey : in me there
is none opposition." Then said she, " Go to the Khan and, when

1 The whole passage has a grammatical double entendre whose application is palpable.
Harf al-Jarr = a particle governing the noun in the genitive or a mode of thrusting and.
tumbling.

2 Arab. Al-Silah = conjunctive (sentence), also coition ; Al-Mausul =r the conjoined,
a grammatical term for relative pronoun or particle.

3 Arab. " Tanwin al-Izafah ma'zul = the nunnation in construction cast out.
"Tanwfn (nunnation) is pronouncing the vowels of the case-endings of a noun with
n — un for u (nominative) — in for i (genitive) and— an for a (accusative). This nunnation
expresses indefiniteness, e.g. tf Malikun" =a king, any king. When the noun is made
definite by the Ma'rifah or article (al), the Tanwfn must be dropped, e.g. AI-Maliku
= the King ; Al-Malikun being a grammatical absurdity. In construction or regimen
(izafah) the nunnation must also disappear, as Maliku '1-Hindi = the King of Hind
(a King of Hind would be Malikun min Mulviki '1-Hindi = a King from amongst the
Kings of Hind), 'Thus whilst the wife and the lover were conjoined as much as might
be, the hocussed and sleeping husband was dismissed (ma'zul = degraded) like a
nunnation dropped in construction. I may add that the terminal syllables are
invariably dropped in popular parlance and none but Mr. G. Palgrave (who afterwards
ignored his own assertion) ever found an Arab tribe actually using them in conversatioa
although they are always pronounced when reading the Koran and poetry.

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife^ 273

my husband cometh to thee and inviteth thee, say to him : — O my
brother, a son of Adam is apt to be . burdensome, and when his
visits grow over frequent, both generous and niggard loathe him.1
How then shall I go with thee every night and lie I and thee, on
the saloon? An thou wax not chagrined with me, thy Harim
will bear me grudge, for that I hinder thee from thine. Therefore
if thou have a miad to my company, take me a house beside thine
own and we will abide thus, now I sitting with thee till the time
of sleep, and now with me thou. Then I will go to my place and
thou to thy Harim and this will be a better rede than that I hinder
thee from thy Harim every night. Then will he come to me and
take counsel with me, and I will advise him to turn out our
neighbour, for the house wherein he liveth is our house and he
renteth it of us ; and once thou art in the house, Allah will make
easy to us the rest of our scheme." And presently she added, " Go
now and do as I bid thee." Answered he, "I hear and obey;"
whereupon, she left him and went away, whilst he lay down and
feigned to be asleep. Presently, the handmaid came and aroused
them ; and when the jeweller awoke, he said to his guest, " O
merchant have the mosquitoes worried thee ? " He replied, " No,"*
and Obayd said, " Belike thou art grown used to them." Then
they broke their fast and drank coffee, a/ter which they fared forth
to their affairs, and Kamar al-Zaman 'betook himself to the old
cfc-ne, and related to her what had passed, -- And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.

!NToto fojeit ft toas ijje jStne ^un&tcfc anfc §bebemn^econ&

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Kamar al-Zaman betook himself to the old crone, he related to

1 This was a saying of Mohammed about overfrequency of visits, " Zur ghibban,
tazid hubban "'rr call rarely that friendship last fairly. So the verse of Al-Mutanabbi,

" How oft familiarity breeds dislike."

Preston quotes Jesus ben Sirach, ^ ^TTLTTTC Iva /4 cVoxr^s, /ecu ^T/ paKpav d^urrw
iva /AT) cTTiXtrja-Ofj* Also Al-Hariri (Ass. xv. of " The Legal w ; De Sacy p. 478 1. 2.)
" Visit not your friend more than one day in a month, nor stop longer than that with
liim !"- Also Ass. xvi. 487, 8. " Multiply not visits to thy friend." None so disliked
as. one visiting too often (Preston p. 352). In the Cent nouvelles (52) Nouvelles (No. ISi.)
the dying father says to his son : — Jamais ne vous hantez tant en 1'ostel de votre voisin
que 1'on vous y serve de pain bis. In these matters Moslems follow the preaching and
practice of the Apostle, who was about as hearty and genial as the "Great Washington."
But the Arab had a fund of dry humour which the Anglo-American lacked altogether.
VOL, IX. S

274 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

her what had passed, saying, " She spake to me this and that, and
I answered her thus and thus. Now say me, hast thou any farther
device for bringing me to enjoy her publicly ? " Quoth she, " O
my son, here endeth my contrivance, and now I am at the term of
my devices." Upon this he left her and returned to the Khan
where, as eventide evened, the jeweller came to him and invited
him. He said, " I cannot go with thee." Asked the merchant,
" Why so ? I love thee and cannot brook separation from thee.
Allah upon thee come with me ! " The other replied, " An it be
thy wish to continue our comradeship and keep up the friendship
betwixt thee and me, take me a house by the side of thine own,
and when thou wilt, thou shalt pass the evening with me and I
with thee ; but, as soon as the time of sleep cometh, each of us
shall hie him to his own home and lie there." Quoth Obayd, " I
have a house adjoining mine, which is my own property : so go
thou with me to-night and to-morrow I will have the house un-
tenanted for thee." Accordingly he went with him and they
supped and prayed the night-prayer, after which the jeweller drank
the cup of drugged ' liquor and fell asleep : but in Kamar al-
Zaman's cup there was no trick ; so he drank it and slept not.
Then came the jeweller's wife and sat chatting with him through
the dark hours, whilst her husband lay like a corpse. When he
awoke in the morning as of wont, he sent for his tenant and said
to him, " O man, quit me the house, for I have need of it." " On
my head and eyes," answered the other and voided the house to
him, whereupon Kamar al-Zaman took up his abode therein and
transported thither all his baggage. The jeweller passed that
evening with him, then went to his own house. On the next day,
his wife sent for a cunning builder and bribed him with money
to make her an underground-way * from her chamber to Kamar
al-Zaman's house, with a trap-door under the earth. So, before
the youth was ware, she came in to him with two bags of money
and he said to her, " Whence comest thou ? " She showed him
the tunnel and said to him, " Take these two bags of his money."

1 Arab. <0Amal":= action, operation. In Hindostani it is used (often with an
Alif for an Ayn) as intoxication e.g. Amal pan! strong waters and applied to Sharab
(wine), Bozah (Beer), Tadi (toddy or the fermented juice of the Tad, Borassus flabelli-
formis), Naryali (juice of the cocoa-nut tree) Saynddi (of the wild date, Elate Sylvestris),
Afyiin (opium and its preparations as post = poppy seeds) and various forms of Cannabis
Sativa, as Ganja, Charas, Madad, Sabzi etc. for which see Herklots' Glossary.

* Arab. '• Sardab," mostly an underground room (vol. i. 340) but here a tunnel.

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 275

Then she sat with him, the twain toying and tumbling together
till the morning, when she said, " Wait for me, till I go to him and
wake him, so he may go to his shop, and I return to thee." He
sat expecting her, whilst she went away and awoke her husband,
who made the Wuzu-ablution and prayed and went to his shop.
As soon as he was gone, she took four bags and, carrying them
through the Souterrain to Kamar al-Zaman, said to him, " Store
these up ; " then she sat with him awhile, after which she retired
to her home and he betook himself to the bazar. When he
returned at sundown, he found in his house ten purses and jewels
and much besides. Presently the jeweller came to him and carried
him to his own house, where they passed the evening in the saloon,
till the handmaid came in according to custom, and brought them
the drink. Her master drank and fell asleep, whilst naught
betided Kamar al-Zaman for that his cup was wholesome and
there was no trick therein. Then came Halimah who sat down
atoying with him, whilst the slave-girl transported the jeweller's
goods to Kamar al-Zaman's house by the secret passage. Thus
they did till morning, when the handmaid awoke her lord and
gave them to drink coffee, after which they went each his own way.
On the third day the wife brought out to him a knife of her
husband's, which he had chased and wrought with his own hand,
and which he priced at five hundred dinars. But there was no
knife like it and because of the eagerness with which folk sought
it of him, he had laid it up in a chest and could not bring himself
to sell it to any one in creation. Quoth she, " Take this knife and
set it in thy waist-shawl and go to my husband and sit with him.
Then pull out the knife and say to him, " O master, look at this
knife I bought to-day and tell me if I have the worst or the best
of the bargain. He will know it, but will be ashamed to say to
thee, This is my knife ; so he will ask thee, Whence didst thou buy
it and for how much ? ; and do thou make answer : — I saw two
Levantines * disputing and one said to the other, Where hast thou
been ? Quoth his companion, I have been with my mistress, and
whenever I foregather with her, she giveth me ten dirhams ; but
this day she said to me, My hand is empty of silver for thee to-day,
but take this knife of my husband's. So I took it and intend to

1 Arab. " Al-Lawandiyah " ; this and the frequent mention of coffee and presently of
a watch (sa'ah) show that the tale in its present state, cannot be older than the end of
the sixteenth century.

276 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

sell it. The knife pleased me and hearing his tale I said to him,
Wilt thou sell it to me ? when he replied, Buy. So I got it of
him for three hundred gold pieces and I wonder whether it was
cheap or dear. And note what he will say to thee. Then talk
with him awhile and rise and come back to me in haste. Thou
wilt find me awaiting thee at the tunnel-mouth, and do thou give
me the knife/' Replied Kamar al-Zaman, " I hear and I obey,"
and taking the knife set it in his waist-shawl. Then he went to
the shop of the jeweller, who saluted him with the salam and
welcomed him and made him sit down. He spied the knife in his
waist-shawl, at which he wondered and said to himself, " That is
my knife : who can have conveyed it to this merchant ? " And he
fell a-musing and saying in his mind, " I wonder an it be my knife
or a knife like it ! " Presently Kamar al-Zaman pulled it out and
said to him, " Harkye, master; take this knife and look at it."
Obayd took it and knew it right well, but was ashamed to say,

" This is my knife ; " And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of

day and ceased saying her permitted say,

fojcn ft foas tfje jdt'ne ^utrtiretr anfc §bebentg-tiw& Nig&t,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the jeweller took the knife from Kamar al-Zaman, he knew it, but
was ashamed to say, " This is my knife." So he asked, " Where
didst thou buy it ? " Kamar al-Zaman answered as Halimah had
charged him, and the jeweller said, " The knife was cheap at that
price, for it is worth five hundred dinars/' But fire flamed in his
heart and his hands were tied from working at his craft. Kamar
al-Zaman continued to talk with him, whilst he was drowned in the
sea of solicitudes, and for fifty words wherewith the youth bespoke
him, he answered him but one ; for his heart ached and his frame
was racked and his thoughts were troubled and he was even as
saith the poet : —

I have no words though folk would have me talk o And who bespeak me find

me thought-waylaid :
I Plunged in the Care-sea's undiscovered depths, o Nor aught of difference see

'twixt man and maid !

When Kamar al-Zaman saw his case thus changed, he said to him,
" Belike thou art busy at this present," and leaving him, returned

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 277

in hottest haste to his own house, where he found Halimah standing
at the passage-door awaiting him. Quoth she " Hast thou done
as I bade thee ? " ; and quoth he, " Yes." She asked, « What said
he to thee ? " ; and he answered, " He told me that the knife was
cheap at that price, for that it was worth five hundred dinars : but
I could see that he was troubled ; so I left him and know not what
befel him after that." Cried she, " Give me the knife and reck
thou not of him." Then she took the knife and restoring it to its
place, sat down. Now after Kamar al-Zaman's departure fire
flamed in the jeweller's heart and suspicion was sore upon him and
he said to himself, " Needs must I get up and go look for the
knife and cut down doubt with certainty." So he rose and
repaired to his house and went in to his wife, snorting like a
dragon ; r and she said to him, " What mattereth thee, Ofny lord ? "
He asked, " Where is my knife ? " and she answered, " In the
chest," and smote hand upon breast, saying, " O my grief! Belike
thou hast fallen out with some one and art come to fetch the knife
to smite him withal." Said he, " Give me the knife. Let me see
it." But said she, " Not till thou swear to me that thou wilt not
smite any one therewith." So he swore this to her and she opened
the chest and brought out to him the knife and he fell to turning;
it over, saying, " Verily, this is a wondrous thing ! " Then quoth
he to her, " Take it and lay it back in its place ; " and she, " Tell
me the meaning of all this." He answered, " I saw with our
friend a knife like this," and told her all that had passed between
himself and the youth, adding, " But, when I saw it in the chest,
my suspicion ended in certainty." Said she, " Haply thou mis-
doubtedst of me and deemedst that I was the Levantine's mistress
and had given him the knife." He replied, " Yes ; I had my
doubts of this ; but, when I saw the knife, suspicion was lifted
from my heart." Rejoined she, " O man, there is now no good in
thee ! " And he fell to excusing himself to her, till he appeased
her ; after which he fared forth and returned to his shop. Next
day, she gave Kamar al-Zaman her husband's watch, which he
had made with his own hand and whereof none had the like,
saying, " Go to his shop and sit by his side and say to him : — I
saw again to-day him whom I saw yesterday. He had a watch in
his hand and said to me, Wilt thou buy this watch ? Quoth I,
Whence hadst thou it ? ; and quoth he, I was with my mistress

1 Arab. " Su'ban," vol. i. 172^

278 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

and she gave me this watch. So I bought it of him for eight-and-
fifty gold pieces. Look at it : is it cheap at that price or dear ?
Note what he shall say to thee ; then return to me in haste and
give me the watch." So Kamar al-Zaman repaired to the jeweller
and did with him as she had charged him. When Obayd saw the
watch, he said, " This is worth seven hundred ducats ; " and
suspicion entered into him. Then the youth left him and
returning to the wife, gave her back the watch. Presently, her
husband suddenly came in snorting, and said to her, " Where is
my watch ? " Said she, " Here it is ; " and he cried, " Give it to
me." So she brought it to him and he exclaimed, " There is no
Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the
Great ! "; and she too exclaimed, " O man, there is something the
matter with thee. Tell me what it is." He replied, " What shall
I say ? Verily, I am bewildered by these chances ! " And he
recited these couplets1: —

Although the Merciful be doubtless with me,
Yet am I sore bewildered, for new griefs
Have compassed me about, or ere I knew it,
I have endured till Patience self became
Impatient of my patience. — I have endured
Waiting till Heaven fulfil my destiny. —
I have endured till e'en endurance owned
How I bore up with her ; (a thing more bitter
Than bitter aloes) yet though a bitterer thing
Is not, than is that drug, it were more bitter
To me should Patience leave me unsustained.

Then said he to his wife, " O woman, I saw with the merchant
our friend, first my knife, which I knew, for that its fashion was a
device of my own wit, nor doth its like exist ; and he told me of
it a story that troubled the heart : so I came back and found it at
home. Again to-day I see him with the watch, whose fashion
also is of my own device, nor is there the fellow of it in Bassorah,

1 The lines have occurred in vol. i. 238 ; where I have noted the punning '* Sabr "
= patience or aloes. I quote Torrens : the Templar, however, utterly abolishes the
pun in the last couplet : —

The case is not at my command ; but in fair Patience hand * I'm set by Him who
order'th all and doth such case command.

11 Amr " here = case (circumstance) or command (order) with a suspicion of reference to
Murr = myrrh, bitterness. The reader will note the resignation to Fate's decrees which
here and in host of places elevates the tone of the book.

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 279

and of this also he told me a story that saddened my heart.
Wherefore I am bewildered in my wit and know not what is to
come to me." Quoth she, "The purport of thy speech is that
thou suspectedst me of being the friend of that merchant and his
leman, and eke of giving him thy good ; so thou earnest to question
me and make proof of my perfidy ; and, had I not shown thee the
knife and the watch, thou hadst been certified of my treason.
But since, O man, thou deemest me this ill deme, henceforth I
will never again break with thee bread nor drain with thee drink,
for I loathe thee with the loathing of prohibition.1" So he gentled
her and excused himself till he had appeased her and returned,
repenting him of having bespoken her thus, to his shop, where he

sat And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to

say her permitted say.

Nob fofjen it toas tfje Nine l£JuntJteU an& Sbebentg-foutti) Nt'gijt,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the jeweller quitted his wife, he repented having bespoken her
thus and, returning to his shop, he sat there in disquiet sore and
anxiety galore, between belief and unbelief. About eventide he
went home alone, not bringing Kamar alrZaman with him :'
whereupon quoth his wife, " Where is the merchant ? "; and quoth
he, " In his lodgings." She asked, " Is the friendship between
thee and him grown cold ? " and he answered, " By Allah, I have
taken a dislike to him, because of that which hath betided me
from him." 2 Quoth she, " Go fetch him, to please me." So he
arose and went in to Kamar al-Zaman in his house ; where he
saw his own goods strewn about and knew them. At this
sight, fire was kindled in his heart and he fell asighing. Quoth
the youth, " How is it that I see thee melancholy ? " Obayd was
ashamed to say, " Here are my goods in thy house : who brought
them hither?"; so he replied only, "A vexation hath betided
me ; but come thou with me to my house, that we may solace
ourselves there." The other rejoined, " Let me be in my place :
I will not go with thee." But the jeweller conjured him to come

1 i.e. as one loathes that which is prohibited, and with a loathing which makes it
unlawful for me to cohabit with thee.

8 This is quite natural to the sensitive Eastern.

J8o ^lf Laylah wa Laylah.

and took him to his house, where they supped and passed the1
evening together, Kamar al-Zaman talking with the jeweller, who
•was drowned in the sea of solicitude and for a hundred words,
wherewith the guest bespoke him, answered him only one word.
Presently, the handmaid brought them two cups of drink, as
usual, and they drank ; whereupon the jeweller fell asleep, but
the youth abode on wake, because his cup was not drugged.
Then came Halimah and said to her lover, " How deemest thou
of yonder cornuted, who is drunken in his heedlessness and
weeteth not the wiles of women ? There is no help for it but
that I cozen him into divorcing me. To-morrow, I will disguise
myself as a slave-girl and walk after thee to his shop, where do
thou say to him, O master, I went to-day into the Khan of Al-
Yasirjfyah, where I saw this damsel and bought her for a thousand
dinars. Look at her for me and tell me whether she was cheap at that
price or dear. Then uncover to him my face and breasts and show
all of me to him ; after which do thou carry me back to thy house,
whence I will go to my chamber by the secret passage, so I may
see the issue of our affair with him." Then the twain passed the
night in mirth and merriment, converse and good cheer, dalliance
and delight till dawn, when she returned to her own place and
sent the handmaid to arouse her lawful lord and her lover.^
Accordingly they arose and prayed the dawn-prayer and brake
their fast and drank coffee, after which Obayd repaired to his shop
and Kamar al-Zaman betook himself to his own house. Presently,
in came Halimah to him by the tunnel, in the guise of a slave-girl,
and indeed she was by birth a slave-girl.1 Then he went out and
she walked behind him, till he came to the jeweller's shop and
saluting him, sat down and said, " O master, I went into the Khan
of Al-Yasirjiyah to-day, to look about me, and saw this damsel in
the broker's hands. She pleased me ; so I bought her for a
thousand dinars and I would have thee look upon her and see
if she be cheap at that price or no." So saying, he uncovered her
face and the jeweller saw her to be his own wife, clad in her

1 Hence, according to Moslem and Eastern theory generally her lewd and treasonable
conduct. But in Egypt not a few freeborn women and those too of the noblest, would
beat her hollow at her o\vn little game. See for instance the booklet attributed to
Jalal al-Siyuti and entitled Kitab al-Izah (Book of Explanation) fi 'Ilm al-Nikah (in
the Science of Carnal Copulation). There is a copy of it in the British Museum ; and a
friend kindly supplied me with a lithograph from Cairo ; warning me that there are
doubts about the authorship.

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 281

costliest clothes, tricked out in her finest trinkets and kohl'd and
henna'd, even as she was wont to adorn herself before him in the
house. He knew with full knowledge her face and dress and
trinkets, for those he had wrought with his own hand, and he saw
on her fingers the seal-rings he had newly made for Kamar al-
Zaman, whereby he was certified with entire assurance that she
was indeed his very wife. So he asked her, " What is thy name,
O slave-girl ? " ; and she answered, " Halimah," naming to him her
own name ; whereat he was amazed and said to the youth, " For
how much didst thou buy her?" He replied, "For a thousand
dinars " ; and the jeweller rejoined, " Thou hast gotten her gratis ;
for her rings and clothes and trinkets are worth more than that."
Said Kamar al-Zaman, " May Allah rejoice thee with good news !
Since she pleaseth thee, I will carry her to my house ; " and Obayd
said, " Do thy will." So he took her off to his house, whence she
passed through the secret passage to her own apartment and sat
there. Meanwhile, fire flamed in the jeweller's heart and he said
to himself, " I will go see my wife. If she be at home, this slave-girl
must be her counterpart, and glory be to Him who alone hath no
counterpart ! But, if she be not at home, 'tis she herself without a
doubt." Then he set off running, and coming to his house, found
his wife sitting in the same clothes and ornaments he had seen
upon her in the shop ; whereupon he beat hand upon hand, saying,
" There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the
Glorious, the Great ! " " O man," asked she, " art thou mad or
what aileth thee'? JTis not thy wont to do thus, and needs must
it be that something hath befallen thee." Answered he, " If thou
wilt have me tell thee be not vexed." Quoth she, " Say on " ;
so he said, " Our friend the merchant hath bought a slave-girl,
whose shape is as thy shape and her height as thy height ; more-
over, her name is even as thy name and her apparel is the like of
thine apparel. Brief, she resembleth thee in all her attributes, and
on her fingers are seal-rings like thy seal-rings and her trinkets are
as thy trinkets. So, when he displayed her to me, methought
it was thyself and I was perplexed concerning my case. Would
we had never seen this merchant nor companied with him ; and
would he had never left his own country and we had not known
him, for he hath troubled my life which before was serene, causing
ill-feeling to succeed good faith and making doubt to enter into
my heart." Said she, " Look in my face, belike I am she who was
with him and he is my lover and I disguised myself as a slave-girl

282 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

and agreed with him that he should display me to thee, so he
might lay a snare for thee." He replied, " What words are these ?
Indeed, I never suspected that thou wouldst do the like of this
deed." Now this jeweller was unversed in the wiles of women and
knew not how they deal with men, nor had he heard the saying of
him who said : —

A heart bore thee off in chase of the fair, o As fled Youth and came Age wi'

his hoary hair r
Layla troubles me and love-joys are far ; o And rival and risks brings us cark

and care.
An would'st ask me of woman, behold I am o In physic of womankind wise and

ware :
When grizzleth man's head and his monies fail, o His lot in their love is a

poor affair.

Nor that of another :* —

Gainsay women ; he obeyeth Allah best, who saith them nay And he prospers

not who giveth them his bridle-rein to sway ;
For they '11 hinder him from winning to perfection in his gifts, Though a

thousand years he study, seeking after wisdom's way.

And a third : —

Women Satans are, made for woe of man : » To Allah I fly from such

Satanesses !
Whom they lure by their love he to grief shall come * And lose bliss of world

and the Faith that blesses.

Said she, " Here am I sitting in my chamber ; so go thou to him
forthright and knock at the door and contrive to go in to him
quickly. An thou see the damsel with him 'tis a slave-girl of his
who resembleth me (and Glory be to Him who hath no resem-
blance!2) But, an thou see no slave-girl with him, then am I
myself she whom thou sawest with him in the shop, and thine iU
thought of me will be stablished." " True," answered Obayd, and
went out leaving her, whereupon she passed through the hidden
passage and seating herself by Kamar al-Zaman, told him what
had passed, saying, " Open the door quickly and show me to him."

1 These lines have occurred in vol. iii. 214: I quote Mr. Payne.

^ 3 This ejaculation, as the waw shows, is parenthetic ; spoken either by Halimah, by
Shahrazad or by the writer.

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 283

Now, as they were talking, behold, there came a knocking at the
door. Quoth Kamar al-Zaman, "Who is at the door?"; and
quoth the jeweller, " I, thy friend ; thou displayedst to me thy
slave-girl in the bazar, and I rejoiced for thee in her, but my joy
in her was not completed ; so open the door and let me look at
her again." Rejoined he, " So be it," and opened the door to him,
whereupon he saw his wife sitting by him. She rose and kissed
their hands ; and he looked at her ; then she talked with him
awhile and he saw her not to be distinguished from his wife in
aught and said, " Allah createth whatso He will." Then he went
away more disheartened than before and returned to his own house
where he saw his wife sitting, for she had foregone him thither by

the souterrain. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased saying her permitted say.

Jiofo fo&en ft foas tjje nine ^un&refc anfc S>ebemg~«t!)

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the young
lady forewent her spouse by the souterrain as he fared through the
door and sat down in her upper chamber ;* so as soon as he entered
she asked him, " What hast thou seen ? " and he answered, " I
found her with her master ; and she resembleth thee/' Then said
she, " Off to thy shop and let this suffice thee of ignoble suspicion
and never again deem ill of me." Said he, " So be it : accord me
pardon for what is past." And she, " Allah grant thee grace ! ";2
whereupon he kissed her right and left and went back to his shop.
Then she again betook herself to Kamar al-Zaman through the
underground passage, with four bags of money, and said to him,
" Equip thyself at once for the road and be ready to carry off the
money without delay, against I devise for thee the device I have in
mind." So he went out and purchased mules and loaded them and
made ready a travelling litter, he also bought Mamelukes and
eunuchs and sending, without let or hindrance, the whole without
the city, returned to Halimah and said to her, " I have made an
end of my affairs." Quoth she, " And I on my side am ready ; for
I have transported to thy house all the rest of his monies and
treasures and have left him nor little nor much, whereof he may

1 Arab. " Kasr" here meaning an upper room.

2 To avoid saying, I pardon thee.

284 A If Laylak wa Lay! ah.

avail himself. All this is of my love for thee, O dearling of my
heart, for I would sacrifice my husband to thee a thousand times.
But now it behoveth, thou go to him and farewell him, saying : —
I purpose to depart after three days and am come to bid thee
adieu : so do thou reckon what I owe thee for the hire of the house,
that I may send it to thee and acquit my conscience. Note his
reply and return to me and tell me ; for I can no more : I have
done my best, by cozening him, to anger him with me and oause
him to put me away, but I find him none the less infatuated with
me. So nothing will serve us but to depart to thine own country."
And quoth he, " O rare ! an but swevens prove true ! "* Then he
went to the jeweller's shop and sitting down by him, said to him,
" O master, I set out for home in three days' time, and am come to
farewell thee. So I would have thee reckon what I owe thee for
the hire of the house, that I may pay it to thee and acquit my
conscience." Answered Obayd, " What talk is this ? Verily, 'tis
J who am indebted to thee. By Allah, I will take nothing from
thee for the rent of the house, for thou hast brought down bless-
ings upon us! However, thou desolatest me by thy departure,
and but that it is forbidden to me, I would certainly oppose thee
and hinder thee from returning to thy country and kinsfolk."
Then he -took leave of him, whilst they both wept with sore
weeping and the jeweller went with him, and when they entered
Kamar al-Zaman's house, there they found Halimah who stood
before them and served them ; but when Obayd returned home,
he found her sitting there; nor did he cease to see her thus in
each house in turn, for the space of three days, when she said to
Kamar al-Zaman, " Now have I transported to thee all that he
hath of monies and hoards and carpets and things of price, and
there remaineth with him naught save the slave-girl, who used to
come in to you with the night-drink : but I cannot part with her,
for that she is my kinswoman and she is dear to me as a con-
fidante. So I will beat her and be wroth with her and when my
^pouse cometh home, I will say to him : — I can no longer put up
with this slave-girl nor stay in the house with her ; so take her and
sell her. Accordingly he will sell her and do thoir buy her, that
we may carry her with us." Answered he, " No harm in that."
So she beat the girl and when the jeweller came in, he found her

4 A proverbial saying which here means I could only dream of such good luck.

.Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jewellers Wife. 285

weeping and asked her why she wept. Quoth she, " My mistress
hath beaten me." He then went in to his' wife and said to her,
" What hath that accursed girl done, that thou hast beaten her ? "
She replied, " O man, I have but one word to say to thee, and 'tis
that I can no longer bear the sight of this girl ; so take her and
sell her, or else divorce me." Quoth he, "I will sell her that I
may not cross thee in aught ; " and when he went out to go to the
shop he took her and passed with her by Kamar al Zaman. No
sooner had he gone out than his wife slipped through the under-
ground passage to Kamar al-Zaman, who placed her in the litter,
before the Shaykh her husband reached him. When the jeweller
came up and the lover saw the slave-girl with him, he asked him,
" What girl is this ? " ; and the other answered, " 'Tis my slave-
girl who used to serve us with the night-drink; she hath disobeyed
her mistress who is wroth with her and hath bidden me sell her."
Quoth the youth, " An her mistress have taken an aversion to her,
there is for her no abiding with her ; but sell her to me, that I
may smell your scent in her, and I will make her handmaid to my
slave Halimah." " Good," answered Obayd : " take her." Asked
Kamar al-Zaman, " What is her price ? " ; but the jeweller said,
" I will take nothing from thee, for thou hast been bountiful to
us." So he accepted her from him and said to Halimah, *' Kiss
thy lord's hand." Accordingly, she came out from the litter and
kissing Obayd's hand, remounted, whilst he looked hard at her.
Then said Kamar al-Zaman, " I commend thee to Allah, O Master
Obayd ! Acquit my conscience of responsibility.1 " Answered
the jeweller, " Allah acquit thee ! and carry thee safe to thy
family ! " Then he bade him farewell and went to his shop
weeping, and indeed it was grievous to him to part from Kamar
al-Zaman, for that he had been his friend and friendship hath its
debtorship ; yet he rejoiced in the dispelling of the doubts which
had befallen him anent his wife, since the young man was now
gone and his suspicions had not been stablished. Such was his
case ; but as regards Kamar al-Zaman, the young lady said to
him, " An thou wish for safety, travel with me by other than the

wonted way." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased to say her permitted say.

1 A good old custom amongst Moslems wno have had business transactions with each
'other : such acquittance of all possible claims will be quoted on " Judgment-Day /*
iwhen debts will be severely enquired into.

286 A If Lay la h wa Laylah.

Nofo fo&en it foas tfte Nine fountain an& &>etentB -sixty

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Halimah said to Kamar al-Zaman, "An thou wish for safety,
travel with me by other than the wonted way," he replied,
"Hearing and obeying;" and, taking a road other than that
used by folk, fared on without ceasing from region to region till
he reached the confines of Egypt-land * and sent his sire a letter
by a runner. Now his father the merchant Abd al-Rahman was
sitting in the market among the merchants, with a heart on fire
for separation from his son, because no news of the youth had
reached him since the day of his departure ; and while he was in
such case the runner came up and cried, " O my lords, which of
you is called the merchant Abd al-Rahman ? " They said, " What
would st thou of him ? " ; and he said, " I have a letter for him
from his son Kamar al-Zaman, whom I left at Al-Arfsh.2" At
this Abd al-Rahman rejoiced and his breast was broadened and
the merchants rejoiced for him and gave him joy of his son's
safety. Then he opened the letter and read as follows : — " From
Kamar al-Zaman to the merchant Abd al-Rahman. And after
Peace be upon thee and upon all the merchants ! An ye ask
concerning us, to Allah be the praise and the thanks. Indeed
we have sold and bought and gained and are come back in health,
wealth and weal." Whereupon Abd al-Rahman opened the door*

1 Arab. " Kutr (tract or quarter) Misr," vulgarly pronounced " Masr." I may remind
the reader that the Assyrians called the Nile - valley " Musur" whence probably the
Heb. Misraim a dual form denoting Upper and Lower Egypt which are still dis-
tinguished by the Arabs into Sa'id and Misr. The hieroglyphic term is Ta-merarz;
Land of the Flood ; and the Greek Aigyptos is probably derived from Kahi-Ptah
(region of the great God Ptah) or Ma Ka Ptah (House of the soul of Ptah). The
word " Copt " or " Kopt," in Egyptian " Kubti " and pronounced " Gubti," contains
the same consonants.

* Now an unimportant frontier fort and village dividing Syria- Palestine from Egypt
and famed for the French battle with the Mamelukes (Feb. 19, 1799) and the con-
vention for evacuating Egypt. In the old times it was an important site built upon the
"River of Egypt" now a dried up Wady ; and it was the chief port of the then
populous Najab or South Country. According to Abulfeda it derived its name (the
"boothy," the nest) from a liut built there by the brothers of Joseph when stopped
at the frontier by the guards of Pharaoh. But this is usual Jewish infection of history.

3 Arab. -"Bab.** which may also = "Chapter" or category. See vol. L, 136 and
elsewhere (index). In Egypt "Bab" sometimes means a sepulchral cave -hewn ia
a rock (plur. Bibdn) from the Coptic " Bib."

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 287

of rejoicing and made banquets and gave feasts and entertain-
ments galore, sending for instruments of music and addressing
himself to festivities after rarest fashion. When Kamar al-Zaman
came to Al-Salihiyah,1 his father and all the merchants went forth
to meet him, and Abd al-Rahman embraced him and strained him
to his bosom and sobbed till he swooned away. When he came
to himself he said, " Oh, 'tis a boon day O my son, whereon the
Omnipotent Protector hath reunited us with thee ! " And he
repeated the words of the bard : —

The return of the friend is the best of all boons, o And the joy-cup circles o'

morns and noons :
So well come, welcome, fair welcome to thee, o The light of the time and

the moon o' full moons.

Then, for excess of joy, he poured forth a flood of tears from his
eyes and he recited also these two couplets : —

The Moon o' the Time,2 shows unveiled light ; o And, his journey done, at

our door doth alight :
His locks as the nights of his absence are black o And the sun upstands from

his collar's3 white.

Then the merchants came up to him and saluting him, saw with
him many loads and servants and a travelling litter enclosed in a
spacious circle.4 So they took him and carried him home ; and
when Halimah came forth from the litter, his father held her a
seduction to all who beheld her. So they opened her an upper
chamber, as it were a treasure from which the talismans had been
loosed ;5 and when his mother saw her, she was ravished with her

1 i.e. " The Holy," a town some three marches (60 miles) N. East of Cairo; thus show-
ing the honour done to our unheroic hero. There is also a Sdlihiyah quarter or suburb of
Damascus famous for its cemetery of holy men ; but the facetious Cits change the name
to Zalliniyah = causing to stray ; in allusion to its Kurdish population. Baron von
Hammer reads " le faubourg Adelieh " built by Al-Malik Al-Adil and founded a
chronological argument on a clerical error.

* Kamar al-Zaman ; the normal pun -on the name ; a practice as popular in the East
as in the West, and worthy only of a pickpocket in either place.

3 Arab. " Azrar " plur. of " Zirr " and lit. = " buttons," i.e. df his robe collar from
which his white neck and face appear shining as the sun.

4 Arab. "Dairah": the usual inclosure of Kanats or tent-flaps pitched for privacy
during the halt.

5 i.e. it was so richly ornamented that it resembled an enchanted hoard whose spells,
hiding it from sight, had been broken by some happy treasure seeker.

288 A If Lay la h wa Laylak,

and deemed her a Queen of the wives of the Kings. So she
rejoiced in her and questioned her ; and she answered, " I am wife
to thy son ; " and the mother rejoined, " Since he is wedded to thee
we must make thee a splendid marriage-feast, that we may rejoice
in thee and in my son." On this wise it befel her ; but as regards
the merchant Abd al-Rahman, when the folk had dispersed and
each had wended his way, he foregathered with his son and said
to him, " O my son, what is this slave-girl thou hast brought with
thee and for how much didst thou buy her l ? " Kamar al-Zaman
said' " O my father, she is no slave-girl ; but 'tis she who was the
cause of my going abroad." Asked his sire, (< How so ? "; and
he answered, " 'Tis she whom the Dervish described to us the
night he lay with us ; for indeed my hopes clave to her from that
moment and I sought not to travel save on account of her The
Arabs came out upon me by the way and stripped me and took
my money and goods, so that I entered Bassorah alone and there
befel me there such and such things ; " and he went on to relate to
his parent all that had befallen him from commencement to
conclusion. Now when he had made an end of his story, his father
said to him, " O my son, and after all this didst thou marry her ? "
" No ; but I have promised her marriage." " Is it thine intent to
marry her ? " " An thou bid me marry her, I will do so ; otherwise
I will not marry her." Thereupon quoth his father, " An thou
marry her, I am quit of thee in this world and in the next, and I
shall be incensed against thee with sore indignation. How canst
thou wed her, seeing that she hath dealt thus with her husband ?
For, even as she did with her spouse for thy sake, so will she do
the like with thee for another's sake, because she is a traitress and
in a traitor there is no trusting. Wherefore an thou disobey me,
I shall be wroth with thee ; but, an thou give ear to. .my word, I
•will seek thee out a girl handsomer than she, who shall be pure
and pious, and marry thee to her, though I spend all my substance
upon her ; and I will make thee a wedding without equal and will
glory in thee and in her ; for 'tis better that folk should say, Such
an one hath married such an one's daughter, than that they say, He
hath wedded a slave-girl sans birth or worth." And he went on
to persuade his son to give up marrying Jier, by citing in support

> The merchant who is a "stern parient" and exceedingly ticklish on the Pundonor
saw at first sight her servile origin which had escaped the mother. Usually it is the
other way.

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 289

of his say, proofs, stones, examples, verses and moral instances,
till Kamar al-Zaman exclaimed, " O my father, since the case is
thus, 'tis not right and proper that I marry her." And when his
father heard him speak on such wise, he kissed him between the
eyes, saying, " Thou art my very son, and as I live, O my son, I
will assuredly marry thee to a girl who hath not her equal!"
Then the merchant set Obayd's wife and her handmaid in a
chamber high up in the house and, before locking the door upon
the twain, he appointed a black slave-girl to carry them their
meat and drink and he said to Halimah, "Ye shall abide im-
prisoned in this chamber, thou and thy maid, till I find one who
will buy you, when I will sell you to him. An ye resist, I will
slay ye both, for thou art a traitress, and there is no good in
thee." Answered she, " Do thy will : I deserve all thou canst do
with me." Then he locked the door upon them and gave his
Harim a charge respecting them, saying, " Let none go up to them
nor speak with them, save the black slave-girl who shall give them
their meat and drink through the casement of the upper chamber."
So she abode with her maid, weeping and repenting her of that
which she had done with her spouse. Meanwhile Abd al-Rahman
sent out the marriage-brokers to look out a maid of birth and
worth for his son, and the women ceased not to make search, and
as often as they saw one girl, they heard of a fairer than she, till
they came to the house of the Shaykh al-Islam1 and saw his
daughter. In her they found a virgin whose equal was not in
Cairo for beauty and loveliness, symmetry and perfect grace, and
she was a thousand-fold handsomer than the wife of Obayd. So
they told Abd al-Rahman of her and he and the notables repaired
to her father and sought her in wedlock of him. Then they wrote
out the marriage contract and made her a splendid wedding ; after
which Abd al-Rahman gave bride-feasts and held open house forty
days. On the first day, he invited the doctors of the law and they
held a splendid nativity2 : and on the morrow, he invited ail the

1 Not the head of the Church, or Chief Pontiff, but the Chief of the Olema and
Fukaha (Fakihs or D.D.'s.) men learned in the Law (divinity). The order is peculiarly
Moslem, in fact the succedaneum for the Christian " hierarchy," an institution never
contemplated by the Founder of Christianity. This title shows the modern date of the
tale.

2 Arab. " Maulid," prop, applied to the Birth-feast of Mohammed which begins on
the 3rd day of Rabi al-Awwal (third Moslem month) and lasts a week or ten days (ac-
cording to local custom), usually ending on the rath and celebrated with salutes of
cannon, circumcision-feasts, marriage banquets, Zikr-litanies, perlections of the Koraa

VOL, IX. T

290 A If Laylah wa Lay la h.

merchants, and so on during the rest of the forty days, making a
banquet every day to one or other class of folk, till he had bidden
all the Olema and Emirs and Antients1 and Magistrates, whilst the
kettle-drums were drummed and the pipes were piped and the
merchant sat to greet the guests, with his son by his side, that he
might solace himself by gazing on the folk, as they ate from the
trays. Each night Abd al-Rahman illuminated the street and the
quarter with lamps and there came every one of the mimes and
jugglers and mountebanks and played all manner play ; and indeed
it was a peerless wedding. On the last day he invited the Fakirs,
the poor and the needy, far and near, and they flocked in troops
and ate, whilst the merchant sat, with his son by his side.2 And
among the paupers, behold, entered Shaykh Obayd the jeweller
and he was naked and weary and bare on his face the marks of
wayfare. When Kamar al-Zaman saw him, he knew him and said
to his sire, " Look, O my father, at yonder poor man who is but
now come in by the door." So he looked and saw him clad in
worn clothes and on him a patched gown3 worth two dirhams : his
face was yellow and he was covered with dust and was as he were
an offcast of the pilgrims.4 He was groaning as groaneth a sick
man in need, walking with a tottering gait and swaying now to the
right and then to the left, and in him was realized his saying who
said5 :—

Lack-gold abaseth man and doth his worth away, Even as the setting sun that

pales with ended day.
He -passeth 'mongst the folk and fain would hide his head ; And when alone,

he weeps with tears that never stay.
Absent, none taketh heed to him or his concerns ; Present, he hath no part in

life or pleasance aye.
By Allah, whenas men with poverty are cursed, But strangers midst their

kin and countrymen are they !

and all manner of solemn festivities including the "powder-play" (Lab al-Banit) in the
wilder corners of AMslam. It is also applied to the birth-festivals of great Santons (as
Ahmad ai-Badawi) for which see Lane M. E. chapt. xxiv. In the text it. is used like the
Span. " Funcion " or the Hind «' Taraasba," any great occasion of merry-making.

1 Arab. " Sanajik " Plur. of Sanjak (Turk.) = a banner, also applied to the bearer
(ensign or cornet) and to a military rank mostly corresponding with Bey or Colonel.

2 I have followed Mr Payne's ordering of the text which, both in the Mac. and Bui.
Edits., is wholly inconsequent and has not the excuse of rhyme.

3 Arab. Jilbab," a long coarse veil or gown which in Barbary becomes a " Jallabiyah,1*
a striped and hooded cloak of woollen stuff.

4 i.e. a broken down pilgrim left to die on the road.

* These lines have occurred in vol. i. 272. I quote Mr. Payne*

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 29*

And the saying of another : —

The poor man fares by everything opposed: o On him to shut the door Earth

ne'er shall fail :
Thou seest men abhor him sans a sin, And foes he finds tho' none the

cause can tell :
The very dogs, when sighting wealthy man, o Fawn at his feet and wag the

flattering tail ;
Yet, an some day a pauper loon they sight, o All at him bark and, gnashing

fangs, assail.

And how well quoth a third : —

If generous youth be blessed with luck and wealth, o Displeasures fly his path

and perils fleet :
His enviers pimp for him and par'site-wise o E'en without tryst his

mistress hastes to meet .
When loud he farts they say " How well he sings ! " o And when he fizzles1 cry

they, * Oh, how sweet ! "

-- And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.

Nofo fo&en ft teas tje Nine

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
his son said to Abd al-Rahman, " Look at yonder pauper ! " he
asked, " O my son, who is this ?" And Kamar al-Zaman answered,
" This is Master Obayd the jeweller, husband of the woman who is
imprisoned with us." Quoth Abd al-Rahman, " Is this he of
whom thou toldest me ? " ; and quoth his son, " Yes ; and indeed I
wot him right well." Now the manner of Obayd's coming thither
was on this wise. When he had farewelled Kamar al-Zaman, he
went to his shop and thence going home, laid his hand on the door,
whereupon it opened and he entered and found neither his wife
nor the slave-girl, but saw the house in sorriest plight, quoting in
mute speech his saying who said2 : —

1 Note the difference between " Zirt," the loud crepitus and " Faswah " the susurrus
which Captain Grose in his quaint " Lexicum Balatronicum," calls a "fice" or a
*' foyse " (from the Arabic Fas, faswah ?)

2 These lines have occurred in Night dcxix, vol. vi. 246 : where the pun on Khaliyah
is explained. I quote Lane.

292 A If Laylah wa Lay la k.

The chambers were like a bee-hive well stocked : when their bees quitted it,
they became empty,

When he saw the house void, he turned right and left and presently
went round about the place, like a madman, but came upon no one.
Then he opened the door of his treasure-closet, but found therein
naught of his money nor his hoards ; whereupon he recovered
from the intoxication of fancy and shook off his infatuation and
knew that it was his wife herself who had turned the tables upon
him and outwitted him with her wiles. He wept for that which
had befallen him, but kept his affair secret, so none of his foes
might exult over him nor any of his friends be troubled, knowing
that, if he disclosed his secret, it would bring him naught but dis-
honour and contumely from the folk ; wherefore he said in himself,
" O Obayd, hide that which hath betid ed thee of affliction and
ruination ; it behoveth thee to do in accordance with his saying
who said : —

If a man's breast with bane he hides be straitened, o The breast that tells its
hidden bale is straiter still.

Then he locked up his house and, making for his shop, gave it in
charge of one of his apprentices to whom said he, " My friend
the young merchant hath invited me to accompany him to Cairo,
for solacing ourselves with the sight of the city, and sweareth
that he will not march except he carry us with him, me and my
wife. So, O my son, I make thee my steward in the shop, and if
the King ask for me, say thou to him : — He is gone with his Harim
to the Holy House of Allah1." Then he sold some of his effects
and bought camels and mules and Mamelukes, together with a
slave-girl2, and placing her in a litter, set out from Bassorah after
ten days, His friends farewelled him and none doubted but that
he had taken his wife and gone on the Pilgrimage, and the folk
rejoiced in this, for that Allah had delivered them from being shut
up in the mosques and houses every Friday. Quoth some of
them, " Allah grant he may never return to Bassorah, so we
may no more be boxed up in the mosques and houses

1 The usual pretext of " God bizness,"as the Comoro men call it. For the title of the
Ka'abah see my Pilgrimage vol. iii. 149.

3 This was in order to travel as a respectable man ; he could also send the girl as a spy
into the different Harims to learn news of the lady who had eloped.

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wfie. 293

every Friday ! " ; for that this usage had caused the people of
Bassorah exceeding vexation. Quoth another, " Methinks he will
not return from this journey, by reason of the much-praying of the
people of Bassorah against him1/' And yet another, "An he
return, 'twill not be but in reversed case V So the folk rejoiced
with exceeding joy in the jeweller's departure, after they had been
in mighty great chagrin, and even their cats and dogs were com-
forted. When Friday came round, however, the crier proclaimed
as usual that the people should repair to the mosques two hours
before prayer-time or else hide themselves in their houses, together
with their cats and dogs ; whereat their breasts were straitened and
they assembled in general assembly and betaking themselves to
the King's divan, stood between his hands and said, " O King of
the age, the jeweller hath taken his Harim and departed on the
pilgrimage to the Holy House of Allah : so the cause of our re-
strakit hath ceased to be, and why therefore are we now shut up ?"
Quoth the King, " How came this traitor to depart without telling
me ? But, when he cometh back from his journey, all will not be
save well 3 : so go ye to your shops and sell and buy, for this
vexation is removed from you." Thus far concerning the King
and the Bassorites ; but as for the jeweller, he fared on ten days'
journey, and as he drew near Baghdad, there befel him that which
had befallen Kamar al-Zaman, before his entering Bassorah ; for
the Arabs 4 came out upon him and stripped him and took all he
had and he escaped only by feigning himself dead. As soon as
they were gone, he rose and fared on, naked as he was, till he came
to a village, where Allah inclined to him the hearts of certain
kindly folk, who covered his shame with some old clothes ; and he
asked his way, begging from town to town, till he reached the city
of Cairo the God-guarded. There, burning with hunger, he went
about alms-seeking in the market-streets, till one of the townsfolk
said to him, (l O poor man, off with thee to the house of the
wedding-festival and eat and drink ; for to-day there is open table

1 A polite form of alluding to their cursing him.

8 i.e. on account of the King taking offence at his unceremonious departure.

* i.e. It will be the worse for him.

• I would here remind the reader that " 'Arabiyyun" pi. 'Urb is a man of pure
Arab race, whether of the Ahl al-Madar (= people of mortar, i.e. citizens) or Ahl al-Wabar
(== tents of goat or camel's hair) ; whereas " A'rslbiyyun " pi. A'rab is one who dwells
in the Desert whether Arab or not. Hence the verse : —

They name us Al-A'rdb but Al-'Urb is our name.

294 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

for paupers and strangers." Quoth he, " I know not the way
thither " : and quoth the other, " Follow me and I will show it to
thee." He followed him, till he brought him to the house of Abd
al-Rahman and said to him, " This is the house of the wedding ;
enter and fear not, for there is no doorkeeper at the door of the festi*
val." Accordingly he entered and Kamar al-Zaman knew him and
told his sire who said, " O my son, leave him at this present : belike
he is anhungered : so let him eat his sufficiency and recover him-
self and after we will send for him." So they waited till Obayd
had eaten his fill and washed his hands and drunk coffee and
sherbets of sugar flavoured with musk and ambergris and was
about to go out, when Abd al-Rahman sent after him a page who
said to him, " Come, O stranger, and speak with the merchant
Abd al-Rahman." "Who is he?" asked Obayd; and the man
answered, " He is the master of the feast." Thereupon the jeweller
turned back, thinking that he meant to give him a gift, and coming
up to Abd al-Rahman, saw his friend Kamar al-Zaman and went
nigh to lose his senses for shame before him. But Kamar al-
Zaman rose to him and embracing him, saluted him with true
salam, and they both wept with sore weeping. Then he seated
him by his side and Abd al-Rahman said to his son, " O destitute
of good taste, this is no way to receive friends ! Send him first to
the Hammam and despatch after him a suit of clothes of the
choicest, worth a thousand dinars1." Accordingly they carried
him to the bath, where they washed his body and clad him in a
costly suit, and he became as he were Consul of the Merchants.
Meanwhile the bystanders questioned Kamar al-Zaman of him,
saying, who is this and whence knowest thou him ? " Quoth he,

1 I would remind the reader that the Dinar is the golden denarius (or solidus) of
Eastern Rome while the Dirham is the silver denarius, whence denier, danaro, dinheiro,
etc., etc. The oldest dinars date from A. H. 91-92 (== 714-15) and we find the following
description of one struck in A. H. 96 by Al-Walid the VI. Ommiade : —

There is no ilah but Allah : He is one : He hath no partner."
Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah who hath sent him with the true
g ( Guidance and Religion that he manifest it above all other Creeds."

| I Area. " Allah is one : Allah is Eternal ; He begetteth not, nor is He begot"

£ j Circle. " Bismillah : This Dinar was struck anno 96."

& \

See "'llam-en-Nas'' (warnings for Folk) a pleasant little volume by Mr. Godfrey Clarke
(London, King and Co., 1873), mostly consisting of the minor tales from The Nights,
especially this group between Nights ccxlvii. and cdlxi. ; but rendered valuable by the
annotations of my old friend, the late Frederick Ayrton,

& (Area. "1
£ 1 Circle. "
g ( Guid;

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 295

" This is my friend, who lodged me in his house and to whom I am
indebted for favours without number, for that he entreated me
with exceeding kindness. He is a man of competence and con-
dition and by trade a jeweller, in which craft he hath no equal.
The King of Bassorah loveth him dearly and holdeth him in high
honour and his word is law with him." And he went on to enlarge
before them on his praises, saying, " Verily, he did with me thus
and thus and I have shame of him and know not how to requite
him his generous dealing with me." Nor did he leave to extol
him, till his worth was magnified to the bystanders and he became
venerable in their eyes ; so they said, " We will all do him his due
and honour him for thy sake. But we would fain know the reason
why he hath departed his native land and the cause of his coming
hither and what Allah hath done with him, that he is reduced to
this plight ? " Replied Kamar al-Zaman, " O folk, marvel not, for
a son of Adam is still subject to Fate and Fortune, and what while
he abideth in this world, he is not safe from calamities. Indeed he
spake truly who said these couplets : —

The world tears man to shreds, so be thou not o Of those whom lure of rank

and title draws :
Nay ; 'ware of slips and turn from sin aside o And ken that bane and bale

are worldly laws :
How oft high Fortune falls by least mishap o And all things bear inbred

of change a cause !

Know that I entered Bassorah in yet iller case and worse distress
than this man, for that he entered Cairo with his shame hidden by
rags ; but I indeed came into his town with my nakedness un-
covered, one hand behind and another before ; and none availed
me but Allah and this dear man. Now the reason of this was that
the Arabs stripped me and took my camels and mules and loads
and slaughtered my pages and serving-men ; but I lay down among
the slain and they thought that I was dead, so they went away
and left me. Then I arose and walked on, mother-naked, till I
came to Bassorah where this man met me and clothed me and
lodged me in his house ; he also furnished me with money, and all
I have brought back with me I owe to none save to Allah's good-
ness and his goodness. When I departed, he gave me great store
of wealth and I returned to the city of my birth with a heart at
ease. I left him in competence and condition, and haply there
hath befallen him some bale of the banes of Time, that hath

296 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

forced him to quit his kinsfolk and country, and there happened
to him by the way the like of what happened to me. There is
nothing strange in this ; but now it behoveth me to requite
him his noble dealing with me and do according to the saying
of him who saith : —

O who praisest Time with the fairest appraise, o Knowest thou what Time-hath

made and unmade ?
What thou dost at least be it kindly done,1 o For with pay he pays shall man

be repaid.

As they were talking and telling the tale, behold, up came Obayd
as he were Consul2 of the Merchants ; whereupon they all rose to
salute him and seated him in the place of honour. Then said
Kamar al-Zaman to him, " O my friend, verily, thy day 3 is blessed
and fortunate ! There is no need to relate to me a thing that befel
me before thee. If the Arabs have stripped thee and robbed thee
of thy wealth, verily our money is the ransom of our bodies, so let
not thy soul be troubled ; for I entered thy city naked and thou
clothedst me and entreatedst me generously, and I owe thee many

a kindness. But I will requite thee. And Shahrazad perceived

the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Jiofo fofjen it foa* tje jlme ^un&iefc antr

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar
al-Zaman said to Master Obayd the jeweller, " Verily I entered
thy city naked and thou clothedst me and I owe thee many a
kindness. But I will requite thee and do with thee even as thou
didst with me ; nay, more : so be of good cheer and eyes clear of
tear." And he went on to soothe him and hinder him from speech,
lest he should name his wife and what she had done with him ;
nor did he cease to ply him with saws and moral instances and
verses and conceits and stories and legends and console him, till
the jeweller saw his drift and took the hint and kept silence con-
cerning the past, diverting himself with the tales and rare
anecdotes he heard and repeating in himself these lines : —

1 The reader will note the persistency with which the duty of universal benevolence
is preached.

8 Arab, from Pers. " Shah-bandar" : see vol. iv. 29.
$ i.e. of thy coming, a popular compliment.

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 297

On the brcfw of the World is a writ ; an thereon thou look, o Its contents will

compel thine eyes tears of blood to rain :
For the World never handed to humans a cup with its right, o But with left it

compelled them a beaker of ruin to drain.

Then Kamar al-Zaman and his father took Obayd and carrying
him into the saloon of the Harim, shut themselves up with him ;
and Abd al-Rahman said to him, " We did not hinder thee from
speaking before the folk, but for fear of dishonour to thee and to
us: but now we' are private ; so tell me ,all that hath passed between
thee and thy wife and my son." So he told him all, from beginning
to end, and when he had made an end of his story, Abd al-Rahman
asked him, " Was the fault with my son or with thy wife ? " He
answered, " By Allah, thy son was not to blame, for men must
needs lust after women, and 'tis the bounden duty of women to
defend themselves from men. So the sin lieth with my wife, who
played me false and did with me these deeds1." Then Abd al-
Rahman arose and taking his son aside, said to him, " O my son,
we have proved his wife and know her to be a traitress ; and now
I mean to prove him and see if he be a man of honour and manli-
ness, or a wittol.? " " How so ? " asked Kamar al-Zaman ; and
Abd al-Rahman answered, " I mean to urge him to make peace
with his wife, and if he consent thereto and forgive her, I will
smite him with a sword and slay him and kill her after, her and
her maid, for there is no good in the life of a cuckold and a
quean 8 ; but, if he turn from her with aversion I will marry him to
thy sister and give him more of wealth than that thou tookest from
him.'* Then he went back to Obayd and said to him, " O master,
verily, the commerce of women requireth patience and magnan-
imity and whoso loveth them hath need of fortitude, for that they
order themselves viper-wise towards men and evilly entreat them,
by reason of their superiority over them in beauty and loveliness :

* This is the doctrine of the universal East ; and it is true concerning wives and
widows, not girls when innocent or rather ignorant. According to Western ideas Kamar
al-Zaman was a young scoundrel of the darkest dye whose only excuse were his age, his
Inexperience and his passions.

2 Arab. " Dayyus" prop. =ra man who pimps for his own wife and in this sense con-
rstantly occurring in conversation.

3 This is taking the law into one's own hands with a witness ; yet amongst races who
Jffeserve the Pundonor in full and pristine force, e.g. the Afghans and the Persian Iliydt,
the killing so far from being considered murder or even justifiable homicide would be
highly commended by public opinion.

298 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

wherefore they magnify themselves and belittle men. This fs
notably the case when their husbands show them affection ; for
then they requite them with hauteur and coquetry and harsh
dealing of all kinds. But, if a man be wroth whenever he seeth in
his wife aught that offendeth him, there can be no fellowship
between them ; nor can any hit it off with them who is not mag-
nanimous and long-suffering ; and unless a man bear with his wife
and requite her foul doing with forgiveness, he shall get no good
of her conversation. Indeed, it hath been said of them : — Were
they in the sky, the necks of men would incline themwards ; and
he who hath the power and pardoneth, his reward is with Allah.
Now this woman is thy wife and thy companion and she hath long
consorted with thee ; wherefore it behoveth that thou entreat her
with indulgence which in fellowship is of the essentials of success.
Furthermore, women fail in wit and Faith,1 and if she have sinned,
she repenteth and Inshallah she will not again return tp that
which she whilome did. So 'tis my rede that thou make
peace with her and I will restore thee more than the good
she took ; and if it please thee to abide with me, thou art
welcome, thou and she, and ye shall see naught but what shall joy
you both ; but, an thou seek to return to thine own land. For that
which falleth out between a man and his wife is manifold, and
it behoveth thee to be indulgent and not take the way of the
violent." Said the jeweller, " O my lord, and where is my wife ? "
and said Abd al-Rahman, " She is in that upper chamber, go up
to her and be easy with her, for my sake, and trouble her not ;
for, when my son brought her hither, he would have married her,
but I forbade him from her and shut her up in yonder room, and
locked the door upon her saying in myself : — Haply her husband
will come and I will hand her over to him safe ; for she is fair
of favour, and when a woman is like unto this one, it may not be
that her husband will let her go. What I counted on is come
about and praised be Allah Almighty for thy reunion with thy
wife ! As for my son, I have sought him another woman in

1 Arab. " Ndkisdtu 'akjin wa dm " : the words are attributed to the Prophet whom we
find saying, " Verily in your wives and children ye have an enemy, wherefore beware of
them " (Koran Ixiv. 14) : compare I Cor. vii. 28, 32. But Maitre Jehan de Meung
went farther,

Tontes etez, serez ou futes,
De faict ou de volonte", putes.

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 299

marriage and have married him to her : these banquets and
rejoicings are for his wedding, and to-night I bring him to his
bride. So here is the key of the chamber where thy wife is : take
it and open the door and go in to her and her handmaid and be
buxom with her. There shall be brought you meat and drink
and thou shalt not come down from her till thou have had thy fill
of her." Cried Obayd, " May Allah requite thee for me with all
good, O my lord ! " and taking the key, went up, rejoicing. The
other thought his words had pleased him and that he consented
thereto ; so he took the sword and following him unseen, stood to
espy what should happen between him and his wife. This is how
it fared with the merchant Abd al-Rahman ; but as for the jeweller,
when he came to the chamber-door, he heard his wife weeping
with sore weeping for that Kamar al-Zaman had married another
than her, and the handmaid saying to her, " O my lady, how often
have I warned thee and said, Thou wilt get no good of this youth :
so do thou leave his company. But thou heededst not my words
and spoiledst thy husband of all his goods and gavest them to him.
After the which thou forsookest thy place, of thine fondness and
infatuation for him, and earnest with him to this country. And
now he hath cast thee out from his thought and married another
and hath made the issue of thy foolish fancy for him to be durance
vile." Cried Halimah, "Be silent, O accursed! Though he be
married to another, yet some day needs must I occur to his
thought. I cannot forget the nights I have spent in his company
and in any case I console myself with his saying who said : —

O my lords, shall he to your mind occur * Who recurs to you only sans

other mate ?
Grant Heaven you ne'er shall forget his state # Who for state of you forgot own

estate !

It cannot be but he will bethink him of my affect and converse
and ask for me, wherefore I will not turn from loving him nor
change from passion for him, though I perish in prison ; for he is
my love and my leach 1 and my reliance is on him that he will yet
return to me and deal fondly with me." When the jeweller heard
his wife's words, he went in to her and said to her, " O traitress,

Arab. Habibf wa tabibf, the common jingle.

A If Laylah wa Laylah.

thy hope in him is as the hope of Iblis 1 in Heaven. All these
vices were in thee and I knew not thereof; for, had I been ware of
one single vice, I had not kept thee with me an hour. But now
I am certified of this in thee, it behoveth me to do thee die,
although they put me to death for thee, O traitress!" and he
clutched her with both hands and repeated these two couplets : —

O fair ones forth ye cast my faithful love » With sin, nor had ye aught regard

for right :
How long I fondly clung to you, but now * My love is loathing and I hate

your sight.

Then he pressed hardly upon her windpipe and brake her neck,
whereupon her handmaid cried out " Alas, my mistress ! " Said
he, " O harlot, 'tis thou who art to blame for all this, for that thou
knewest this evil inclination to be in her and toldest me not.2 "
Then he seized upon her and strangled her. All this happened
while Abd al-Rahman stood, brand in hand, behind the door espying
with his eyes and hearing with his ears. Now when Obayd the
jeweller had done this, apprehension came upon him and he feared
the issue of his affair and said to himself, " As soon as the
merchant learneth that I have killed them in his house, he will
surely slay me ; yet I beseech Allah that He appoint the taking of
my life to be while I am in the True Belief ! " And he abode
bewildered about his case and knew not what to do ; but, as he
was thus behold, in came Abd al-Rahman from his lurking-place
without the door and said to him, " No harm shall befal thee, for
indeed thou deservest safety. See this sword in my hand. 'Twas
in my mind to slay thee, hadst thou made peace with her and

1 Iblis and his connection with Diabolos has been noticed in vol. i. 13. The word
is foreign as well as a P.N. and therefore is imperfectly declined, although some
authorities deduce it from " ablasa " = he despaired (of Allah's mercy). Others call
him Al-Haris (the Lion) hence Eve's first-born was named in his honour Abd al-Haris.
His angelic name was Azdzfl before he sinned by refusing to prostrate himself to Adam,
as Allah had commanded the heavenly host for a trial of faith, not to worship the first
man, but to make him a Keblah or direction of prayer addressed to the Almighty*
Hence he was ejected from Heaven and became the arch-enemy of mankind (Koran xviii.
48). He was an angel but related to the Jinn : Al-Bayzdwi, however (on Koran ii. 82),
opines that angelic by nature he became a Jinn by act. Ibn Abbas held that he belonged
to an order of angels who are called Jinn and begot issue as do the nasnas, the Ghul
and the Kutrub which, however, are male and female, like the pre-Adamite manwoman
of Genesis, the "bi-une" of our modern days. For this subject see Terminal Essay.

* As usual in the East and in the West the husband was the last to hear of his wife's.
ill conduct. Bat even Othello did not kill Emilia.

Kamar Al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife. 301

restored her to favour, and I would also have slain her and the
maid. But since thou hast done this deed, welcome to thee and
again welcome ! And I will reward thee by marrying thee to my
daughter, Kamar al-Zaman's sister." Then he carried him down
and sent for the woman who washed the dead : whereupon it was
bruited abroad that Kamar al-Zaman had brought with him two
slave-girls from Bassorah and that both had deceased. So the
people began to condole with him saying, " May thy head live ! "
and " May Allah compensate thee ! " And they washed and
shrouded them and buried them, and none knew the truth of the
matter. Then Abd al-Rahman sent for the Shykh al-Islam and
all the notables and said, " O Shaykh, draw up the contract of
marriage between my daughter Kaukab al-Saldh1 and Master
Obayd the jeweller and set down that her dowry hath been paid
to me in full." So he wrote out the contract and Abd al-Rahman
gave the company to drink of sherbets, and they made one
wedding festival for the two brides the daughter of the Shaykh al-
Islam and Kamar al-Zaman's sister ; and paraded them in one
litter on one and the same, night ; after which they carried Kamar
al-Zaman and Obayd in procession together and brought them
in to their brides.2 When the jeweller went in to Abd al-Rahman's
daughter, he found her handsomer than Halimah and a thousand-
fold lovelier. So he took her maidenhead and on the morrow, he
went to the Hammam with Kamar al-Zaman. Then he abode
with them awhile in pleasance and joyance, after which he began
to yearn for his native land : so he went in to Abd al-Rahman
and said to him, " O uncle, I long for my own country, for I have
there estates and effects, which I left in charge of one of my
prentices ; and I am minded to journey thither that I may sell my
properties and return to thee. So wilt thou give me leave to go to
my country for that purpose ? " Answered the merchant, " O my
son, I give thee leave to do this and there be no fault in thee or
blame to thee for these words, for ' Love of mother-land is a part
of Religion ' ; and he who hath not good in his own country hath
none in other folks' country. But, haply, an thou depart without

1 i.e. Star of the Morning : the first word occurs in Bar Cokba Barchocheba rzSon
of the Star, *.*., which was to come out of Jacob (Numbers xxiv, 17). The root, which
does not occur in Heb., is Kaukab to shine. This Rabbi Akilah was also called Bar
Cozla = Son of the Lie.

2 Here some excision has been judged advisable as the names of the bridegrooms and
the brides recur with damnable iteration.

3O2 A If Laylak wa Laylah.

thy wife, when thou art once come to thy native place, it may seem
good to thee to settle there, and thou wilt be perplexed between
returning to thy wife and sojourning in thine own home ; so it
were the righter rede that thou carry thy wife with thee ; and
after, an thou desire to return to us, return and welcome to you
both ; for we are folk who know not divorce and no woman of u$
marrieth twice, nor do we lightly discard a man." ! Quoth
Obayd, " uncle, I fear me thy daughter will not consent to journey
with me to my own country." Replied Abd al-Rahman, " O
my son, we have no women amongst us who gainsay their spouses,
nor know we a wife who is wroth with her man." The jeweller
cried, " Allah bless you and your women ! " and going in to his
wife, said to her, " I am minded to go to my country : what sayst
thou ? " Quoth she, " Indeed, my sire had the ordering of me,
whilst I was a maid, and when I married, the ordering all passed
fnto the hands of my lord and master, nor will I gainsay him."
Quoth Obayd, " Allah bless thee and thy father, and have mercy
on the womb that bare thee and the loins that begat thee ! " Then
he cut his thongs 2 and applied himself to making ready for his
journey. His father-in-law gave him much good and they took
leave each of other, after which the jeweller and his wife journeyed
on without ceasing, till they reached Bassorah where his kinsmen
and comrades came out to meet him, doubting not but that he
had been in Al-Hijdz. Some rejoiced at his return, whilst others
were vexed, and the folk said one to another, " Now will he
straiten us again every Friday, as before, and we shall be shut up
in the mosques and houses, even to our cats and our dogs." On
such wise it fared with him ; but as regards the King of
Bassorah, when he heard of his return, he was wroth with him ;
and sending for him, upbraided him and said to him, "Why
didst thou depart, without letting me know of thy departure ?
Was I unable to give thee somewhat wherewith thou mightest
have succoured thyself in thy pilgrimage to the Holy House of
Allah ? " Replied the jeweller, « Pardon, O my lord ! By Allah,
I went not on the pilgrimage ! but there have befallen me such
and such things." Then he told him all that had befallen him

1 See the note by Lane's Shaykh at the beginning of the tale. The contrast between
the vicious wife of servile origin and the virtuous wife of noble birth is fondly dwelt
upon but not exaggerated.

2 i.e. those of his water skins for the journey, which as usual required patching and
supplying with fresh handles after long lying- dry.

Kamar Al-Zaman and tJte Jeweller's Wife. 303

with his wife and with Abd al- Rahman of Cairo and how the
merchant had given him his daughter to wife, ending with these
words, " And I have brought her to Bassorah." Said the King,
" By the Lord, did I not fear Allah the Most High, I would slay
thee and marry this noble lady after thy death, though I spent
on her mints of money, because she befitteth none but Kings.
But Allah hath appointed her of thy portion and may He bless
thee in her ! So look thou use her well." Then he bestowed
largesse on the jeweller, who went out from before him and
abode with his wife five years, after which he was admitted to
the mercy of the Almighty. Presently the King sought his
widow in wedlock ; but she refused, saying, " O King, never
among my kindred was a woman who married again after her
husband's death ; wherefore I will never take another husband,
nor will I marry thee, no, though thou kill me." Then he sent
to her one who said, " Dost thou seek to go to thy native land ? "
And she answered, "An thou do good, thou shalt be requited
therewith." So he collected for her all the jeweller's wealth and
added unto her of his own, after the measure of his degree.
Lastly he sent with her one of his Wazirs, a man famous for
goodness and piety, and an escort of five hundred horse, who
journeyed with her, till they brought her to her father ; and in
his home she abode, without marrying again, till she died and
they died all. So, if this woman would not consent to replace
her dead husband with a Sultan, how shall she be compared
with one who replaced her husband, whilst he was yet alive, with
a youth of unknown extraction and condition, and especially
when this was in lewd carriage and not by way of lawful
marriage ? So he who deemeth all women alike,1 there is no remedy

1 A popular saying also applied to men. It is usually accompanied with showing the
open hand and a reference to the size of the fingers. I find this story most interesting
from an anthropological point of view ; suggesting how differently various races regard
the subject of adultery. In Northern Europe the burden is thrown most unjustly upon
the man, the woman who tempts him being a secondary consideration ; and in England
he is absurdly termed " a seducer." In former times he was " paraded "or "called out,"
now he is called up for damages, a truly ignoble and shopkeeper-like mode of treating
a high offence against private property and public morality. In Anglo-America, where
English feeling is exaggerated, the lover is revolver'd and the woman is left unpunished.
On the other hand, amongst Eastern and especially Moslem peoples, the woman is cut
down and scant reckoning is taken from the man. This more sensible procedure has
struck firm root amongst the nations of Southern Europe where the husband kills the
lover only when he still loves his wife and lover-like is furious at her affection being
alienated.

3°4 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

for the disease of his insanity. And glory be to Him to whom
belongeth the empire of the Seen and the Unseen and
He is the Living, who dieth not ! And among the tales they
tell, O auspicious King, is one of

ABDULLAH BIN FAZIL AND HIS BROTHERS.*

THE Caliph Harun al-Rashid was one day examining the tributes
of his various provinces and viceroyalties, when he observed that
the contributions of all the countries and regions had come into
the treasury, except that of Bassorah which had not arrived that
year. So he held a Divan because of this and said, " Hither to me
with the Wazir Ja'afar ; " and when they brought him into the
presence he thus bespoke him, " The tributes of all the provinces
have come into the treasury, save that of Bassorah, no part whereof
hath arrived/' Ja'afar replied, " O Commander of the Faithful,
belike there hath befallen the governor of Bassorah something that
hath diverted him from sending the tribute/' Quoth the Caliph,
* The time of the coming of the tribute was twenty days ago ;
what then, can be his excuse for that, in this time, he hath neither
sent it nor sent to show cause for not doing so ? " And quoth the
Minister, " O Commander of the Faithful, if it please thee, we will
send him a messenger." Rejoined the Caliph, " Send him Abu
Ishak al-Mausili,2 the boon companion, and Ja'afar, " Hearkening

Practically throughout the civilised world there are only two ways of treating women.
Moslems keep them close, defend them from all kinds of temptations and if they go
wrong kill them. Christians place them upon a pedestal, the observed of all observers,
expose them to every danger and if they fall, accuse and abuse them instead of them-
selves. And England is so grandly logical that her law, under certain circumstances,
holds that Mrs. A. has committed adultery with Mr. B. but Mr. B. has not committed
adultery with Mrs. A. Can any absurdity be more absurd ? Only "summum jus,
summa injuria." See my Terminal Essay. I shall have more to say upon this curious
subject, the treatment of women who can be thoroughly guarded only by two things,
firstly their hearts and secondly by the " Spanish Padlock."

1 Lane owns that this is "one of the most entertaining tales in the work/' but he
omits it " because its chief and best portion is essentially the same as " The story of the
First of the Three Ladies of Baghdad.*' The truth is he was straightened for space by
his publisher and thus compelled to cut out some of the best stories in The Nights.

2 i.e. Ibrahim of Mosul, the musician poet often mentioned in The Nights. I must
again warn the reader that the name is pronounced Is-hak (like Isaac with a central
aspirate) not Ishak. This is not unnecessary when we hear Tait-shill for Tail's hill aad

.« Frederick-shall " for Friedrich, shali

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 305

and obedience to Allah and to thee, O Prince of True Believers ! "
Then he returned to his house and summoning Abu Ishak, wrote
him a royal writ and said to him, " Go to Abdullah bin Fazil,
Viceroy of Bassorah, and see what hath diverted him from sending
the tribute. If it be ready, do thou receive it from him ih full and
bring it to me in haste, for the Caliph hath examined the tributes
of the provinces and findeth that they are all come in, except that
of Bassorah : but an thou see that it is not ready and he make an
excuse to thee, bring him back with thee, that he may report his
excuse to the Caliph with his own tongue." Answered Abu Ishak.
" I hear and I obey ;*' and taking with him five thousand horse of
Ja'afar's host set out for Bassorah. Now when Abdullah bin
Fazil heard of his approach, he went out to meet him with his
troops, and led him into the city and carried him to his palace,
whilst the escort encamped without the city walls, where he
appointed to them all whereof they stood in need. So Abu
Ishak entered the audience-chamber and sitting down on the
throne, seated the governor beside himself, whilst the notables sat
round him, according to their several degrees. After salutation
with the salam Abdullah bin Fazil said to him, " O my lord, is
there for thy coming to us any cause ? ;" and said Abu Ishak, " Yes,
I come to seek the tribute ; for the Caliph enquireth of it and the
time of its coming is gone by." Rejoined Abdullah bin Fazil, u O
my lord, would Heaven thou hadst not wearied thyself nor taken
upon thyself the hardships of the journey ! For the tribute is ready
in full tale and complete, and I purpose to despatch it to-morrow.
But, since thou art come, I will entrust it to thee, after I have
entertained thee three days ; and on the fourth day I will set the
tribute between thine hands. But it behoveth us now to offer thee
a present in part requital of thy kindness and the goodness of the
Commander of the Faithful." There is no harm in that," said
Abu Ishak. So Abdullah bin Fazil dismissed the Divan and
carrying him into a saloon that had not its match, bade set a tray
of food before him and his companions. They ate and drank and
made merry and enjoyed themselves; after which the tray was
removed and there came coffee and sherbets. They sat conversing
till a third part of the night was past, when they spread for Abu
Ishak bedding on an ivory couch inlaid with gold glittering sheeny.
So he lay down and the viceroy lay down beside him on another
couch ; but wakefulness possessed Abu Ishak and he fell to
meditating on the metres of prosody and poetical composition, for
VOL. IX. U

306 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

that he was one of the primest of the Caliph's boon-companions
and he had a mighty fine fore-arm1 in producing verses and
pleasant stories ; nor did he leave to lie awake improvising poetry
till half the night was past. Presently, behold, Abdullah bin
Fazil arose, and girding his middle, opened a locker,2 whence he
brought out a whip ; then, taking a lighted waxen taper, he went

forth by the door of the saloon. And Shahrazad perceived the

•dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Jiofo foiwt it foa* tje Nine f^un&refc an& Scbentp-nintft

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Abdullah bin Fazil went forth by the door of the saloon deeming
Abu Ishak asleep, the Caliph's cup-companion, seeing this,
marvelled and said in himself, " Whither wendeth Abdullah bin
Fazil with that whip ? Perhaps he is minded to punish some body.
But needs must I follow him and see what he will do this night."
So he arose and went out after him softly, very softly, that he
might not be seen and presently saw him open a closet and take
thence a tray containing four dishes of meat and bread and a
gugglet of water. Then he went on, carrying the tray and secretly
followed by Abu Ishak, till he came to another saloon and entered,
whilst the cup-companion stood behind the door and, looking
through the chink, saw a spacious saloon, furnished with the
richest furniture and having in its midst a couch of ivory plated
with gold glittering sheeny, to which two dogs were made fast
with chains of gold. Then Abdullah set down the tray in a
corner and tucking up his sleeves, loosed the first dog, which
began to struggle in his hands and put its muzzle to the floor, as
it would kiss the ground before him, whining the while in a weak
voice. Abdullah tied its paws behind its back and throwing it on
the ground, drew forth the whip and beat it with a painful beating
and a pitiless. The dog struggled, but could not get free, and
Abdullah ceased not to beat it with the same whip till it left
groaning and lay without consciousness. Then he took it and
tied it up in its place, and unbinding the second dog, did with
him as he had done with the first ; after which he pulled out a

1 i.e. He was a proficient, an adept.

2 Arab, from Pers. Dulab = a walerwheel, a buttery, a cupboard;

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 307

kerchief and fell to wiping away their tears and comforting them,
saying, " Bear me not malice ; for by Allah, this is not of my will,
nor is it easy to me ! But it may be Allah will grant you relief
from this strait and issue from your affliction." And he prayed
for the twain what while Abu Ishak the cup-companion stood
hearkening with his ears and espying with his eyes, and indeed he
marvelled at his case. Then Abdullah brought the dogs the tray
of food and fell to morselling them with his own hand, till they
had enough, when he wiped their muzzles and lifting up the
gugglet, gave them to drink ; after which he took up the tray,
gugglet and candle and made for the door. But Abu Ishak
forewent him and making his way back to his couch, lay down ;
so that he saw him not, neither knew that he had walked behind
him and watched him. Then the governor replaced the tray and
the gugglet in the closet and returning to the saloon, opened the
locker and laid the whip in its place ; after which he doffed his
clothes and lay down. But Abu Ishak passed the rest of that
night pondering this affair neither did sleep visit him for excess of
wonderment, and he ceased not to say in himself, " I wonder what
can be the meaning of this ! " Nor did he leave wondering till
day break, when they arose and prayed the dawn-prayer. Then
they set the breakfast x before them and they ate and drank coffee,
after which they went out to the divan, Now Abu Ishak's
thought was occupied with this mystery all day long but he
concealed the matter and questioned not Abdullah thereof. Next
night, he again followed the governor and saw him do with the
two dogs as on the previous night, first beating them and then
making his peace with them and giving them to eat and to drink ;
and so also he did the third night. On the fourth day he brought
the tribute to Abu Ishak who took it and departed, without
opening the matter to him. He fared on, without ceasing, till he
came to Baghdad, where he delivered the tribute to the Caliph,
who questioned him of the cause of its delay. Replied he, " O
Commander of the Faithful, I found that the governor of Bassorah
had made ready the tribute and was about to despatch it ; and

1 Arab. " Futur," the chhoti haziri of Anglo-India or breakfast proper, eaten by
Moslems immediately after the dawn-prayer except in Ramazan. Amongst sensible
people it is a substantial meal of bread and boiled beans, eggs, cheese, curded milk and
the pastry called fatirah, followed by coffee and a pipe. See Lane M. E. chapt. v. and
my Pilgrimage ii. 48.

308 A If Laylah iva Lay la k.

had I delayed a day, it would have met me on the road. But, O
Prince of True Believers, I had a wondrous adventure with
Abdullah bin Fazil ; never in my life saw I its like." " And
what was it, O Abu- Ishak?" asked the Caliph. So he replied,
" I saw such and such ; " and, brief, acquainted him with that
which the governor had done with the two dogs, adding, " After
such fashion, I saw him do three successive nights, first beating
the dogs, then making his peace with them and comforting them
and giving them to eat and drink, I watching him, and he seeing
me not." Asked the Caliph, " Didst thou question him of the
cause of this ? "; and the other answered, " No, as thy head liveth,

0 Commander of the Faithful." Then said Al-Rashid, " O Abu
Ishak, I command thee to return to Bassorah and bring me
Abdullah bin Fazil and the two dogs." Quoth he, "O Com-
mander of the Faithful, excuse me from this ; for indeed Abdullah
entertained me with exceedingly hospitable entertainment and I
became ware of this case with chance undesigned and acquainted
thee therewith. So how can I go back to him and bring him to
thee? Verily, if I return to him, I shall find me no face for
shame of him ; wherefore 'twere meet that thou send him another
than myself, with a letter under thine own hand, and he shall
bring him to thee, him and the two dogs." But quoth the Caliph,
" If I send him other than thyself, peradventure he will deny the
whole affair and say, I've no dogs. But if I send thee and thou
cay to him, I saw them with mine own eyes, he will not be able
to deny that. Wherefore nothing will serve but that thou go and
fetch him and the two dogs ; otherwise I will surely slay thee."1— j
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her|
(permitted say.

Nofo fo&en ft foa* tfje j§,me ^uirtreb an& lEfgJtietJ tf tfifjt,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
the Caliph Harun al-Rashid said to Abu Ishak, " Nothing will
5erve but that thou go and fetch him and the two dogs ; otherwise

1 will surely slay thee." Abu Ishak replied, " Hearing and obey-

1 This " off-with-his-head " style must not be understood literally. As I have noted,
lit is intended by the writer to show the Kingship and the majesty of the " Vicar of
lAllah."

Abdullah bin Fazil artd kis Brothers. 309

ing, O Commander of the Faithful : Allah is our aidance and
good is the Agent. He spake sooth who said, " Man's wrong is
from the tongue ; * and 'tis I who sinned against myself in telling
thee. But write me a royal rescript 2 and I will go to him and
bring him back to thee." So the Caliph gave him an autograph
and he took it and repaired to Bassorah, Seeing him come in
the governor said, "Allah forfend us from the mischief of thy
return, O Abu Ishak ! How cometh it I see thee return in haste ?
Peradventure the tribute is deficient and the Caliph will not
accept it ? " Answered Abu Ishak, " O Emir Abdullah, my return
is not on account of the deficiency of the tribute, for 'tis full
measure and the Caliph accepteth it ; but I hope that thou wilt
excuse me, for that I have failed in my duty as thy guest and
indeed this lapse of mine was decreed of Allah Almighty."
Abdullah enquired, " And what may be the lapse ? " and he re-
plied, " Know that when I was with thee, I followed thee three
following nights and saw thee rise at midnight and beat the dogs
and return ; whereat I marvelled, but was ashamed to question
thee thereof. When I came back to Baghdad, I told the Caliph
of thine affair, casually and without design, whereupon he charged
me to return to thee, and here is a letter under his hand. Had I
known that the affair would lead to this, I had not told him, but
Destiny foreordained thus." And he went on to excuse himself
to him ; whereupon said Abdullah, " Since thou hast told him.
this, I will bear out thy report with him, lest he deem thee a liar,,
for thou art my friend, Were it other than thou, I had denied
the affair and given him the lie. But now I will go with thee
and carry the two dogs with me, though this be to me ruin-rife
and the ending of my term of life." Rejoined the other, " Allah
will veil 3 thee, even as thou hast veiled my face with the Caliph ! "
Then Abdullah took a present beseeming the Commander of the
Faithful and mounting the dogs with him, each on a camel, bound
with chains4 of gold, journeyed with Abu Ishak to Baghdad,
where he went in to the Caliph and kissed ground before him.
He deigned bid him sit ; so he sat down and brought the two
dogs before Al-Rashid, who said to him "What be these dogs,

1 Lit. "the calamity of man (insan) is from the tongue" (lisa"n)»
8 For Khatt Sharif, lit. = a noble letter, see vol. ii. 39*

3 Arab. " Allah yastura-k " = protect thee by hiding what had better be hidden.

4 Arab. "Janazir" = chains, an Arabised plural of the Pers. Zanjfr with the
metathesis or transposition of letters peculiar to the yulgar ; " Janazf r " ibr "Zanajfr."

3*° Alf Laylah wa Laylak.

O Emir Abdullah?" Whereupon they fell to kissing the floor
between his hands and wagging their tails and weeping, as if
complaining to him. The Caliph marvelled at this and said to
the governor, "Tell me the history of these two dogs and the
reason of thy beating them and after entreating them with
honour." He replied, " O Vicar of Allah, these be no dogs, but
two young men, endowed with beauty and seemlinesS) symmetry
and shapeliness, and they are my brothers and the sons of my
father and mother." Asked the Caliph, " How is it that they
were men and are become dogs ? " ; and he answered, " An thou
give me leave, O Prince of True Believers, I will acquaint thee
with the truth of the circumstance." Said Al-Rashid, " Tell me
and 'ware of leasing, for 'tis of the fashion of the hypocrites, and
look thou tell truth, for that is the Ark * of safety and the mark
of virtuous men." Rejoined Abdullah, " Know then', O vice-regent
of Allah, when I tell thee the story of these dogs, they will both
bear witness against me : an I speak sooth they will certify it and
if I lie they will give me the lie." Cried the Caliph, " These are of
the dogs ; they cannot speak nor answer ; so how can they testify
for thee or against thee ? " But Abdullah said to them, " O my
brothers, if I speak a lying word, do ye lift your heads and stare
with your eyes ; but, if I say sooth hang down your heads and
lower your eyes." Then said he to the Caliph : — Know, O Com-
mander of the Faithful, that we are three brothers by one mother
and the same father. Our sire's name was Fazil and he was so
named because his mother bare two sons at one birth, one of
whom died forthright and the other twin remained alive, where-
fore his sire named him Fazil — the Remainder. His father
brought him up and reared him well, till he grew to manhood
when he married him to our mother and died. Our mother con-
ceived a first time and bare this my first brother, whom our sire
named Mansur ; then she conceived again and bare this my
second brother, whom he named Ndsir2; after which she con-
ceived a third time and bare me, whom he named Abdullah. My

1 Arab. "Safinah" = (Noah's) Ark, a myth derived from the Baris of Egypt with
subsequent embellishments from the Babylonian deluge-legends: the latter may have
been survivals of the days when the waters of the Persian Gulf extended to the mountains
of Eastern Syria. Hence I would explain the existence of extinct volcanoes within
sight of Damascus (see Unexplored Syria i. p. 159) visited, I believe, for the first time
by my late friend Charles F. Tyrwhitt-Drake and myself in May, 1871.

2 Mansur and Nasir are passive and active participles from the same root, Nasr =
victory ; the former means triumphant and the latter triumphing.

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 311

father reared us all three till we came to man's estate, when he
died, leaving us a house and a shop full of coloured stuffs of all
kinds, Indian and Greek and Khorasani and what not, besides
sixty thousand dinars. We washed him and buried him to the
ruth of his Lord, after which we built him a splendid monument
and let pray for him prayers for the deliverance of his soul from
the fire and held perfections of the Koran and gave alms on his
behalf, till the forty days * were past ; when I called together the
merchants and nobles of the folk and made them a sumptuous
entertainment. As soon as they had eaten, I said to them, " O
merchants, verily this world is ephemeral, but the next world is
eternal, and extolled be the perfection of Him who endureth
always after His creatures have passed away ! Know ye why I
have called you together this blessed day ? " And they answered,
" Extolled be Allah sole Scient of the hidden things.2 " Quoth
I, " My father died, leaving much of money, and I fear lest any
have a claim against him for a debt or a pledge 3 or what not else,
and I desire to discharge my father's obligations towards the folk.
So whoso hath any demand on him, let him say :^-He oweth me
so and so, and I will satisfy it to him, that I may acquit the
responsibility of my sire.4 " The merchants replied, " O Abdullah,
verily the goods of this world stand not in stead of those of the
world to come, and we are no fraudful folk, but all of us know
the lawful from the unlawful and fear Almighty Allah and abstain
from devouring the substance of the orphan. We know that thy
father (Allah have mercy on him !) still let his money lie with the
folk,5 nor did he suffer any man's claim on him to go unquitted,

1 The normal term of Moslem mourning, which Mohammed greatly reduced dis-
liking the abuse of it by the Jews who even in the present day are the strictest in its
observance.

2 An euphuistic and euphemistic style of saying, " No, we don't know."
8 Arab. " Rahan," an article placed with him in pawn.

4 A Moslem is bound, not only by honour but by religion, to discharge the debts of
his dead father and mother and so save them from punishment on Judgment-day.
Mohammed who enjoined mercy to debtors while in the flesh (chapt. ii. 280, etc.) said
" Allah covereth all faults except debt; that is to say, there will be punishment
therefor." Also " A martyr shall be pardoned every fault but debt." On one occasion
he refused to pray for a Moslem who died insolvent. Such harshness is a curious con-
trast with the leniency which advised the creditor to remit debts by way of alms. And
practically this mild view of indebtedness renders it highly unadvisable to oblige a
Moslem friend with a loan.

5 i.e. he did not press them for payment ; and, it must be remembered, he received
no interest upon his monies, this being forbidden in the Koran.

3 12 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

and we have ever heard him declare: — I am fearful of the people's
substance. He used always to say in his prayers, O my God,
Thou art my stay and my hope ! Let me not die while in debt.
And it was of his wont that, if he owed any one aught, he would
pay it to him, without being pressed, and if any owed him aught
he would not dun him, but would say to him, At thy leisure. If
his debtor were poor, he would release him from his liability and
acquit him of responsibility ; and if he were not poor and died in
his debt, he would say, Allah forgive him what he owed me ! And
we all testify that he owed no man aught." Quoth I, " May Allah
bless you ! " Then I turned to these my brothers and said, " Our
father owed no man aught and hath left us much money and stuffs,
besides the house and the shop. Now we are three and each of us
is entitled to one third part. So shall we agree to waive division
and wone copartners in our wealth and eat together and drink
together, or shall we apportion the stuffs and the money and take
each his part ? " Said they, " We will divide them and take each
his share/' (Then Abdullah turned to the two dogs and said to
them, " Did it happen thus, O my brothers ? "; and they bowed
their heads and lowered their eyes, as to say, " Yes.") Abdullah
continued : — I called in a departitor from the Kazi's court, O
Prince of True Believers, and he distributed amongst us the money
and the stuffs and all our father had left, allotting the house and
shop to me in exchange for a part of the coin and clothes to which
I was entitled. We were content with this ; so the house and shop
fell to my share, whilst my brothers took their portion in money
and stuffs. I opened the shop and stocking it with my stuffs
bought others with the money apportioned to me, over and above
the house and shop, till the place was full, and I sat selling and
buying. As for my brothers, they purchased stuffs and hiring a
ship, set out on a voyage to the far abodes of folk. Quoth I,
" Allah aid them both ! As for me, my livelihood is ready to my
hand and peace is priceless." I abode thus a whole year, during
which time Allah opened the door of fortune to me and I gained
great gains, till I became possessed of the like of that which
our father had left us. One day, as I sat in my shop, with
two fur pelisses on me, one of sable and the other of meniver.1 for

1 Al-Mas'iidi (chap, xvii.) alludes to furs of Sable (Sarrmr), hermelline (Al-Farwah)
and Bortas (Turkish) furs of black and red foxes. For Samur see vol. iv. 57. Sinjab
is Persian for the skin of the grey squirrel (Mus temmus, the lemming), the meniver,

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 313

ft was the season of winter and the time of the excessive cold,
behold, there came up to me my two brothers, each clad in a
ragged shirt and nothing more, and their lips were white with cold,
and they were shivering. When I saw them in this plight, it was
grievous to me and I mourned for them - And Shahrazad per-
ceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Jlofo to&tn it toas tfjc JThu f^un&trti attir lEigfn^fitst tf t'g&t,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abdullah
bin Fazil continued to the Caliph: — When I saw them in this
plight, it was grievous to me and I mourned for them and my
reason -fled my head. So I rose and embraced them and wept over
their condition : then I put on one of them the pelisse of sable
and on the other the fur coat of meniver and, carrying them to the
Hammam, sent thither for each of them a suit of apparel such as
befitted a merohant worth a thousand.1 When they had washed and
donned each his suit, I carried them to my house where, seeing
them well nigh famished, I set a tray of food before them and ate
with them, caressing them and comforting them. (Then he again
turned to the two dogs and said to them, " Was this so, O my
brothers ? "; and they bent their heads and lowered their eyes.)
So Abdullah continued :— When they had eaten, O Vicar of Allah,
quoth I to them, " What hath befallen you and where are your
goods ? "; and quoth they, " We fared up the river,2 till we came to
a city called Cufa, where we sold for ten dinars the piece of stuff
that had cost half a ducat and that which cost us a ducat for
twenty. So we profited greatly and bought Persian stuffs at the rate
of ten sequins per piece of silk worth forty in Bassorah. Thence
we removed to a city called Al-Karkh3 where we sold and bought

erroneously miniver, (menu varir) as opposed to the ermine = (Mus Armeniiisy or mustda
ermtnia.) I never visit England without being surprised at the vile furs worn by the rich,
and the folly of the poor in not adopting the sheepskin with the wool inside and the
leather well tanned which keeps the peasant warm and comfortable between Croatia and
Afghanistan.

1 Arab. " Tajir Alfi " which may mean a thousand dinars (£500) or a thousand purses
(=* /S.ooo). "Alfi "is not an uncommon P. N., meaning that the bearer (Pasha of
pauper) had been bought for a thousand left indeEnite.

2 Tigris-Euphrates.

* Possibly the quarter of Baghdad so called and mentioned in The Nights more than
once.

3 '4 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

and made gain galore and amassed of wealth great store." And
they went on to set forth to me the places and the profits. So I
said to them, " Since ye had such good luck and lot, how cometh
it that I see you return naked ? " They sighed and answered, " O
our brother, some one must have evileyed us, and in travel there is
no trusting. When we had gotten together these monies and
goods, we freighted a ship therewith and set sail, intending for
Bassorah. We fared on three days and on the fourth day we saw
the sea rise and fall and roar and foam and swell and dash, whilst
the waves clashed together with a crash, striking out sparks like
fire1 in the darks. The winds blew contrary for us and our craft
struck upon the point of a bill-projected rock, where it brake up
and plunged us into the river, and all we had with us was lost in
the waters. We abode struggling on the surface a day and a night,
.till Allah sent us another ship, whose crew picked us up and we
begged our way from town to town, suffering mighty sore hardships
and selling our body-clothes piecemeal, to buy us food, till we drew
near Bassorah ; nor did we make the city till we had drained the
draught of a thousand miseries. But, had we come safely off with
that which was by us, we had brought back riches that might be
evened with those of the King : but this was fore ordained to us
of Allah." I said, " O my brothers, let not your hearts be grieved,
for wealth is the ransom of bodies and safety is property. Since
Allah hath written you of the saved, this is the end of desire, for
want and wealth are but as it were illusions of dreams and God-
gifted is he who said : —

If a man from destruction can save his head « Let him hold his wealth as a
slice of nail.

I continued, " O my brothers we will suppose that our sire died
to-day and left us all this wealth that is with me, for I am right
willing to share it with you equally." So I fetched a departitor
from the Kazi's court and brought out to him all my money, which
he distributed into three equal parts, and we each took one. Then
said I to them, " O my brothers, Allah blesseth a man in his daily
bread, if he be in his own country : so let each of you open him a
shop and sit therein to get his living ; and he to whom aught is
ordained in the Secret Purpose,2 needs must he get it." Accordingly,

1 For this fiery sea see Sind Revisited i. 19.

8 Arab. " Al-Ghayb M which may also mean " in the future " (unknown to man).

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 315

I helped each of them to open a shop and filled it for him with
goods, saying to them, " Sell and buy and keep your monies and
spend naught thereof ; for all ye need of meat and drink and so
forth I will furnish to you." I continued to entreat them generously,
and they fell to selling and buying by day and returning at even-
tide to my house where they lay the night ; nor would I suffer
them to expend aught of their own substance. But, whenever I
sat talking with them, they would praise travel and proclaim its
pleasures and vaunt the gains they had made therein ; and they
ceased not to urge me to accompany them in travelling over
foreign parts. (Then he said to the dogs, "Was this so, O my
brothers ? " and they again bowed their heads and lowered their
eyes in confirmation of his words). He continued : — On such
wise, O Vicar of Allah, they continued to urge me and tempt me
to travel by vaunting the great gains and profit to be obtained
thereby till I said to them, " Needs must I fare with you for your
sake ! " Then I entered into a contract of partnership with them
and we chartered a ship and packing up all manner of precious
stuffs and merchandise of every kind, freighted it therewith ; after
which we embarked in it all we needed and, setting sail from Bas-
sorah, launched out into the dashing sea, swollen with clashing
surge whereinto whoso entereth is lone and lorn and whence
whoso cometh forth is as a babe new-born. We ceased not sailing
on till we came to a city of the cities, where we sold and bought
and made great cheape. Thence we went on to another place,
and we ceased not to pass from land to land and port to port,
selling and buying and profiting, till we had gotten us great wealth
and much advantage. Presently, we came to a mountain,1 where
the captain cast anchor and said to us, " O passengers, go ye
ashore ; ye shall be saved from this day,2 and make search ; it
may be ye shall find water." So all landed I amongst the crowd,
and dispersed about the island in search of water. As for me, I
climbed to the top of the mountain, and whilst I went along, lo
and behold ! I saw a white snake fleeing and followed by a black
dragon, foul of favour and frightful of form, hotly pursuing her.
Presently he overtook her and clipping her, seized her by the head
and wound his tail about her tail, whereupon she cried out and I

1 Arab. " Jabal " ; here a mountainous island : see vol. i. 140.

2 i.e. ye shall be spared this day's miseries. See my Pilgrimage vol. i. 314, and the
delight with which we glided into Marsk Damghah.

316 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

knew that he purposed to rape her. So I was moved to ruth for
her and taking up a lump of granite,1 five pounds or more in
weight, hurled it at the dragon. It smote him on the head and
crushed it, and ere I knew, the white snake changed and became
a young girl bright with beauty and loveliness and brilliancy and
perfect grace, as she were the shining full moon, who came up to
me and kissing my hands, said to me, " Allah veil thee with two-
fold veils, one from shame in this world and the other from the
flame in the world to come on the day of the Great Upstanding,
the day when neither wealth nor children shall avail save to him
who shall come to Allah with a sound heart 1 " 2 And presently
she continued, " O mortal, thou hast saved my honour and I am
indebted to thee for kindness, wherefore it behoveth me to requite
thee." So saying, she signed with her hand to the earth, which
opened and she descended thereinto : then it closed up again over
her and by this I knew that she was of the Jinn. As for the
dragon, fire was kindled in him and consumed him and he became
ashes. I marvelled at this and returned to my comrades, whom I
acquainted with whatso I had seen, and we passed the night in the
island. On the morrow the Captain weighed anchor and spread
the sails and coiled the ropes and we sailed till the shore faded
from our gaze. We fared on twenty days, without seeing or land
or bird, till our water came to an end and quoth the Rais to us,
" O folk, our fresh water is spent.'* Quoth we, " Let us make for
land ; haply we shall find water." But he exclaimed, " By Allah,
I have lost my way and I know not what course will bring me to
the seaboard." Thereupon betided us sore chagrin and we wept
and besought Almighty Allah to guide us into the right course.
We passed that night in the sorriest case : but God-gifted is he
who said : —

How many a night have I spent in woes o That would grizzle the suckling-babe
with fear :

1 Arab. "Siiwan" = «« Syenite" (-granite) also used for flint and other hard stones.
See vol. i. 238.

2 Koran xxiv. Male children are to the Arab as much prized an object of possession
as riches, since without them wealth is of no value to him. Mohammed, therefore,
couples wealth with children as the two things wherewith one wards off the ills of this
world, though they are powerless against those of the world to come.

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 317

But morrowed not morn ere to me there came o ' Aidance from Allah and victory
near.' *

But when the day arose in its sheen and shone, we caught sight of
a high mountain and rejoiced therein. When we came to its
skirts, the Captain said to us, " O folk, go ashore and seek for
water." So we all landed and sought water but found none,
whereat we were sore afflicted because we were suffering for
want of it. As . for me, I climbed up to the mountain-top
and on the other side thereof I saw a spacious circle 2 distant
from us an hour's journey or more. Presently I called my com-
panions and as soon as they all rejoined me, said to them " Look
at yonder basin behind this mountain ; for I see therein a city
high of base and a strong-cornered place girt with sconce and
rampartry, pasturage and lea and doubtless it wanteth not water
and good things. So hie we thither and fetch drink therefrom
and buy what we need of provisions, meat and fruit, and return "
But they said, " We fear lest the city-folk be Kafirs ascribing to
Allah partners and enemies of The Faith and lay hand on us and
take us captive or else slay us ; so should we cause the loss of our
own lives, having cast ourselves into destruction and evil emprise.
Indeed, the proud and presumptuous are never praiseworthy, for
that they ever fare in danger of calamities, even as saith of such
an one a certain poet : —

Long as earth is earth, long as sky is sky, o The o'erproud is blamed tho' from
risk he fly!

So we will not expose ourselves to peril." I replied, " O folk, I
have no authority over you ; so I will take my brothers and go to
yonder city." But my brothers said to me, " We also fear this
thing and will not go with thee." Quoth I, " As for me, I am
resolved to go thither, and I put my trust in Allah and accept
whatsoever He shall decree to me. Do ye therefore await me,

whilst I wend thither and return to you twain." And Shahrazad

perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

1 An exclamation derived from the Surat Nasr (ex. i) one of the most affecting in the
Koran. It gave Mohammed warning of his death and caused Al-Abbas to shed tears ;
the Prophet sings a song of victory in the ixth year of the Hijrah (he died on the xth)
and implores the pardon of his Lord.

2 Arab. " Dairah," a basin surrounded by hills. The words wbich follow may
" An hour's journey or more in breadth.**

3 1 8 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

to&en itJnas tfe Nine unUretf an&

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
Abdullah said, " Do ye twain await me whilst I wend thither and
return to you." So I left them and walked on till I came to the
gate of the place and saw it a city of building wondrous and pro-
jection marvellous, with boulevards high-towering and towers
strong-builded and palaces high-soaring. Its portals were of
Chinese iron, rarely gilded and graven on such wise as confounded
the wit. I entered the gateway and saw there a stone bench,
whereon sat a man bearing on his forearm a chain of brass, whereto
hung fourteen keys ; so I knew him to be the porter of the city
and that it had fourteen gates, I drew near him and said to
him, <fc Peace be with thee ! "; but he returned not my salam and
I saluted him a second and a third time ; but he made me no
reply. Then I laid my hand on his shoulder and said to him,
" Ho thou, why dost thou not return my salam ? Art thou asleep
or deaf or other than a Moslem, that thou refrainest from ex-
changing the salutation ? " But he answered me not neither
stirred ; so I considered him and saw that he was stone. Quoth
I, " Verily an admirable matter ! This is a stone wroughten in
the semblance of a son of Adam and wanting in naught save
speech ! " Then I left him and entering the city, beheld a man
standing in the road : so I went up to him and scrutinised him
and found him stone. Presently, as I walked adown the broad-
ways, and saw that this was every where the case, I met an old
woman bearing on her head a bundle of clothes ready for washing ;
so I went up to her and examining her, saw that she was stone,
and the bundle of clothes on her head was stone also.1 Then I
fared for the market, where I saw an oilman with his scales set
up and fronted by various kinds of wares such as cheese and so
forth, all of stone. Moreover, I saw all manner of tradesmen
seated in their shops and men and women and children, some
standing and some sitting ; but they were all stone ; and the stuffs
were like spiders' webs. I amused myself with looking upon
them, and as often as I laid hold upon a piece of stuff, it powdered
in my hands like dust dispread. Presently I saw some chests and

These petrified folk hare occurred in the "Eldest Lady's Tale" (vol. i. 165), where
they are of " black stone."

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers.

opening one of them, found it full of gold in bags ; so I laid hold
upon the bags, but they crumbled away in my grasp, whilst the
gold abode unchanged. I carried off of it what I could carry
and said to myself, " Were my brothers with me, they might take
of this gold their fill and possess themselves of these hoards which
have no owner." Then I entered another shop and found therein'
more than this, but could bear away no more than I had borne.
I left this market and went on to another and thence to another
and another, much enjoying the sight of all manner of creatures
of various kinds, all several stones, even to the dogs and the cats>
till I came to the goldsmiths' bazar, where I saw men sitting in
their shops, with their stock-in-trade about them, some in their
hands and others in crates of wicker-work. When I saw this, O
Commander of the Faithful, I threw down the gold and loaded
myself with goldsmiths' ware, as much as I could carry. Then I.
went on to the jewel-market and saw there the jewellers seated in
their shops, each with a tray before him, full of all sorts of precious
stones, jacinths and diamonds and emeralds and balass rubies and
so forth : but all the shop-keepers were stones ; whereupon I threw
away the goldsmiths' ware and carried off as many jewels as I
could carry, regretting that my brothers were not with me, so they
might take what they would of those costly gems. Then I left
the jewel-market and went on till I came to a great door, quaintly
gilded and decorated after the fairest fashion, within which were
wooden benches and in the porch sat eunuchs, and body-guards ;
horsemen, and footmen and officers of police each and every robed
in the richest of raiment ; but they were all stones. I touched one
of them and his clothes crumbled away from his body like cob-
webs. Then I passed through the door and saw a palace without
equal for its building and the goodliness of the works that were
therein. Here I found an audience-chamber, full of Grandees and
Wazirs and Officers and Emirs, seated upon chairs and every one
of them stone. Moreover, I saw a throne of red gold, crusted with
pearls and gems, and seated thereon a son of Adam arrayed in
the most sumptuous raiment and bearing oh his head a Chosroan l
crown, diademed with the finest stones that shed a light like the
light of day ; but, when I came up to him, I found him stone.
Then I went on to the gate of the Harim and entering, found

myself in the Queen's presence-chamber, wherein I saw a throne

' _**± •

s"~ \

1 Arab. " Taj Kisrawi," such as was worn by the Chosroes Kings. See vol. i. 75.

32O tAlf Laylah wa Laylak.

of red gold, inlaid with pearls and gems, and the Queen seated
thereon. On her head she wore a crown diademed with finest
jewels, and round about her were women like moons, seated upon
chairs and clad in the most sumptuous clothing of all colours.
There also the eunuchry, with their hands upon their breasts,1
were standing in the attitude of service, and indeed this hall
confounded the beholder's wits with what was therein of quaint
gilding and rare painting and curious carving and fine furniture.
There hung the most brilliant lustres 2 of limpid crystal, and in
every globe 3 of the crystal was an unique jewel, whose price
money might not fulfil. So I threw down that which was with
me, O Prince of True Believers, and fell to taking of these jewels
what I could carry, bewildered as to what I should bear away
and what I should leave ; for indeed I saw the place as it were
a treasure of the treasures of the cities. Presently I espied a
wicket 4 standing open and within it a staircase : so I entered
and mounting forty steps, heard a human voice reciting the
Koran in a low tone. I walked towards that sound till I came
to the main door hung with a silken curtain, laced with wires of
gold whereon were strung pearls and coral and rubies and cut
emeralds which gave forth a light like the light of stars. The
voice came from behind the curtain : so I raised it and discovered
a gilded door, whose beauty amazed the mind. I passed through
the door and found myself in a saloon as it were a hoard upon
earth's surface5 and therein a girl as she were the sun shining
fullest sheen in the zenith of a sky serene. She was robed in the
costliest of raiment and decked with ornaments the most precious
that could be and withal she was of passing beauty and love-

,* The familiar and far-famed Napoleonic pose, with the arms crossed over the breast,
Is throughout the East the attitude assumed by slave and servant in presence of his
master. Those who send statues to Anglo-India should remember this.

2 Arab. " Ta* alfk " = hanging lamps, often in lantern shape with coloured glass and
profuse ornamentation ; the Maroccan are now familiar to England.

» Arab. " Kidrah," lit. = a pot, kettle : it can hardly mean " an interval."

* The wicket or small doorway, especially by the side of a gate or porfal, is called
" the eye of the needle " and explains Matt. xix. 24, and Koran vii. 38. In the
Rabbinic form of the proverb the camel becomes an elephant. Some have preferred to
change the Koranic Jamal (camel) for Habl (cable) and much ingenuity has been wasted
by Christian commentators on Mark x. 25, and Luke xviii. 25.

5 i.e. A *' Kanz " (enchanted treasury) usually hidden underground but opened by a
counter-spell aud transferred to earth's face. The reader will note the gorgeousness of
the picture.

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 321

liness, a model of symmetry and seemliness, of elegance and
perfect grace, with waist slender and hips heavy and dewy lips
such as heal the sick and eyelids lovely in their langour, as it were
she of whom the sayer spake when he said : —

My best salam to what that robe enrobes of symmetry, o And what that

blooming garth of cheek enguards of rosy blee :
It seems as though the Pleiades depend upon her brow ; o And other lights of

Night in knots upon her breast we see :
Did she but don a garment weft of Rose's softest leaf, o The leaf of Rose'

would draw her blood l when pluckt that fruit from tree :
And did she crache in Ocean's face, next Morn would see a change o To

sweeter than the honeycomb of what was briny sea :
And did she deign her favours grant to grey-beard staff-enpropped o He'd

wake and rend the lion's limbs for might and valiancy.

1 Oriental writers, Indian and Persian, as well as Arab, lay great stress upon the
extreme delicacy of the skin of the fair ones celebrated in their works, constantly
attributing to their heroines bodies so sensitive as to brook with difficulty the contact
of the finest shift. Several instances of this will be found in the present collection and
we may fairly assume that the skin of an Eastern beauty, under the influence of constant
seclusion and the unremitting use of cosmetics and the bath, would in time attain a
pitch of delicacy and sensitiveness such as would in some measure justify the seemingly
extravagant statements of their poetical admirers, of which the following anecdote
(quoted by Ibn Khellikan from the historian Et Teberi) is a fair specimen. Ardeshir
ibn Babek (Artaxerxes I.), the first Sassanian King of Persia (A.D. 226-242), having
long unsuccessfully besieged El Hedr, a strong city of Mesopotamia belonging to the
petty King Es Satiroun, at last obtained possession of it by the treachery of the owner's
daughter Nezireh and married the latter, this having been the price stipulated by her
for the betrayal to him of the place. " It happened afterwards that, one night, as she
was unable to sleep and turned from side to side in the bed, Ardeshir asked her what
prevented her from sleeping. She replied, « I never yet slept on a rougher bed than
this ; I feel something irk me.' He ordered the bed to be changed, but she was still
unable to sleep. Next morning, she complained of her side, and on examination, a
myrtle-leaf was found adhering to a fold of the skin, from which it had drawn blood.
Astonished at this circumstance, Ardeshir asked her if it was this that had kept her
awake and she replied in the affirmative. ' How then,' asked he, ' did your father bring
you up ? ' She answered, ' He spread me a bed of satin and clad me in silk and fed me
with marrow and cream and the honey of virgin bees and gave me pure wine to drink.'
Quoth Ardeshir, * The same return which you made your father for his kindness would
be made much more readily to me ' ; and bade bind her by the hair to the tail of a horse,
which galloped off with her and killed her." It will be remembered that the true
princess, in the well-known German popular tale, is discovered by a similar incident to
that of the myrtle-leaf. I quote this excellent note from Mr. Payne (ix. 148), only
regretting that annotation did not enter into his plan of producing The Nights.
Amongst Hindu story-tellers a phenomenal softness of the skin is a lieu commun : see
Vikram and the Vampire (p. 285, " Of the marvellous delicacy of their Queens '•) ; and
the Tale of the Sybarite might be referred to in the lines given above.

VOL. IX. £

322 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

Then Abdullah continued : — O Prince of True Believers, as soon
as I saw that, girl I fell passionately in love with her and going
straight up to her, found her seated on a high couch, reciting by
heart and in grateful memory the Book of Allah, to whom belong
honour and glory ! Her voice was like the harmony of the gates
of Heaven, when Rizwan openeth them, and the words came from
her lips like a shower of gems ; whilst her face was with beauty
dight, bright and blossom-white, even as saith the poet of a similar,
sight :—

0 thou who gladdenest man by speech and rarest quality ; c Grow longing and'

repine for thee and grow beyond degree !

;lnthee two things consume and melt the votaries of Love ; o The dulcet song
of David joined with Joseph's brilliancy.

When I heard her voice of melody reciting the sublime Koran, my
heart quoted from her killing glances, ' Peace, a word from a com-
passionating Lord ;n but I stammered2 in my speech and could not
say the salam-salutation aright, for my mind and sight were
confounded and I was become as saith the bard : —

Love-longing urged me not except to trip in speech o'er free ; * Nor, save to
shed my blood I passed the campment's boundary :

1 ne'er will hear a word from those who love to rail, but I o Will testify

to love of him with every word of me.

Then I hardened myself against the horrors of repine and said to
her, " Peace be with thee, O noble Lady, and treasured jewel !
Allah grant endurance "to the foundation of thy fortune fair and
upraise the pillars of thy glory rare ! " Said she, " And on thee

1 " (55) Indeed joyous on that day are the people of Paradise in their employ ; (56) In
shades, on bridal couches reclining they and their wives : (57) Fruits have they therein
and whatso they desire. (58) * Peace ! ' shall be a word from a compassionating Lord."
Koran xxxvi. 55-58, the famous Chapt. "Yd Sin;" which most educated Moslems
learn by heart. See vol. iii. 19. In addition to the proofs there offered that the Moslem
Paradise is not wholly sensual I may quote, " No soul wotteth what coolth of the eyes
is reserved (for the good) in recompense of their works " (Koran Ixx. 17). The
Paradise of eatiqg, drinking, and copulating which Mr. Palgrave (Arabia, i. 368) calls
•' an everlasting brothel between forty celestial concubines" was preached solely to the
baser sort of humanity which can understand and appreciate only the pleasures of the
flesh. To talk of spiritual joys before the Badawin would have been a non-senst even as
k would be to the roughs of our great cities.

2 Arab. " Lajlaj " lit. = rolling anything round the mouth when eating; hence
speaking inarticulately, being tongue-tied, stuttering, etc.

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 323

from me be peace and salutation and high honour, O Abdullah, O
son of Fazil ! Well come and welcome and fair welcome to thee,
O dearling mine and coolth of mine eyne ! " Rejoined I, " O my
lady, whence wottest thou my name and who art thou and what
case befel the people of this city, that they are become stones ? I
would have thee tell me the truth of the matter, for indeed I am
admiring at this city and its citizens and that I have found none
alive therein save thyself. So, Allah upon thee, tell me the cause
of all this, according to the truth ! " Quoth she, " Sit, O Abdullah,
and Inshallah, I will talk with thee and acquaint thee in full with
the facts of my case and of this place and its people ; and there is
no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the
Great ! " So I sat me down by her side and she said to me, " Know>
O Abdullah, (may Allah have mercy on thee!) that I am the
daughter of the King of this city and that it is my sire whom thou
sawest seated on the high stead in the Divan, and those who are
round about him were the Lords of his land and the Guards of his
empery. He was a King of exceeding prowess and had under his
hand a thousand thousand and sixty thousand troopers. The
number of the Emirs of his Empire was four-and-twenty thousand,
all of them Governors and Dignitaries. He was obeyed by a
thousand cities, besides towns, hamlets and villages ; and sconces
and citadels, and the Emirs1 of the wild Arabs under his hand were
a thousand in number, each commanding twenty thousand horse.
Moreover, he had monies and treasures and precious stones and
jewels and things of price, such as eye never saw nor of which ear

ever heard. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased saying her permitted say.

Koto fo&en ft foa* t&e Wne f^untoefc an&

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Princess,
daughter to the King of the Stone-city, thus continued : — Verily,
O Abdullah my father had monies and hoards, such as eye never
saw and of which ear never heard. He used to debel Kings and
do to death champions and braves in battle and in the field of
fight, so that the Conquerors feared him and the Chosroes2 humbled

1 The classical " Phylarchs," who had charge of the Badawin.

* " The Jababirah " (giant-rulers of Syria) and the " Akasirah " (Chosroes- Kings of
Persia).

324 Alf Laylah wa Laylahl

themselves to him. For all this, he was a miscreant in creed
ascribing to Allah partnership and adoring idols, instead of the
Lord of worship ; and all his troops were of images fain in lieu of
the All-knowing Sovereign. One day of the days as he sat on
the throne of his Kingship, compassed about with the Grandees of
his realm, suddenly there came in to him a Personage, whose face
illumined the whole Divan with its light. My father looked at him
and saw him clad in a garb of green,1 tall of stature and with
hands that reached beneath his knees. He was of reverend aspect
and awesome and the light2 shone from his face. Said he to my
sire, " O rebel, O idolater, how long wilt thou take pride in wor-
shipping idols and abandoning the service of the All-knowing
King ? Say : — I testify that there is no god but the God and that
Mohammed is His servant and His messenger. And embrace
Al-Islam, thou and thy tribe ; and put away from you the worship
of idols, for they neither suffice man's need nor intercede. None
is worshipful save Allah alone, who raised up the heavens without
columns and spread out the earths like carpets in mercy to His
creatures."3 Quoth my father, " Who art thou, O man who
rejectest the worship of idols, that thou sayst thus ? Fearest thou
not that the idols will be wroth with thee ?" He replied, "The
idols are stones ; their anger cannot prejudice me nor their favour
profit me. So do thou set in my presence thine idol which thou
adorest and bid all thy folk bring each his image : and when they
are all presenr, do ye pray them to be wroth with me and I will
pray my Lord to be wroth with them, and ye shall descry the
difference between the anger of the creature and that of the Creator.
For your idols, ye fashioned them yourselves and the Satans clad
themselves therewith as with clothing, and they it is who spake to
you from within the bellies of the images,4 for your idols are
made and the maker is my God to whom naught is impossible.
An the True appear to you, do ye follow it, and if the False appear
to you do ye leave it." Cried they, " Give us a proof of thy god,

1 This shows (and we are presently told) that thfi intruder was Al-Khizr, the "Green
Prophet," for whom see vol. iv. 175.

2 i.e. of salvation supposed to radiate from all Prophets, esp. from Mohammed.

3 This formula which has occurred from the beginning (vol. i. i) is essentially Koranic :
See Chapt. li. 18-19 and passim.

4 This trick of the priest hidden within the image may date from the days of the vocal
Memnon, and was a favourite in India eps. at the shrine of Somnauth (Soma-nath), the
Moon -god, Atergatis Aphrodite, etc.

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 325

that we may see it ; " and quoth he, " Give me proof of your
gods." So the King bade every one who worshipped his Lord in
image-form to bring it, and all the armies brought their idols to
the Divan. Thus fared it with them ; but as for me, I was sitting
behind a curtain, whence I could look upon my father's Divan, and
I had an idol of emerald whose bigness was as the bigness of a
son of Adam. My father demanded it, so I sent it to the Divan»
where they set it down beside that of my sire, which was of
jacinth, whilst the Wazir's idol was of diamond.1 As for those of
the Grandees and Notables, some were of balass-ruby and some
of carnelian, others of coral or Comorin aloes-wood and yet others
of ebony or silver or gold ; and each had his own idol, after the
measure of his competence ; whilst the idols of the common
soldiers and of the people were some of granite, some of wood,
some of pottery and some of mud ; and all were of various hues
yellow and red ; green, black and white. Then said the Personage
to my sire, " Pray your idol and these idols to be wroth with me.'1
So they aligned the idols in a Divan,2 setting my father's idol
on a chair of gold at the upper end, with mine by its side, and
ranking the others each according to the condition of him who
owned it and worshipped it. Then my father arose and prostrat-
ing himself to his own idol, said to it, " O my god, thou art the
Bountiful Lord, nor is there among the idols a greater than
thyself. Thou knowest that this person cometh to me, attacking
thy divinity and making mock of thee ; yea, he avoucheth that
he hath a god stronger than thou and ordereth us leave adoring
thee and adore his god. So be thou wrath with him, O my god ! "i
And he went on to supplicate the idol ; but the idol returned him
no reply neither bespoke him with aught of speech ; whereupon
quoth he, " O my god, this is not of thy wont, for thou usedst to
answer me, when I addressed thee. How cometh it that I see

1 Arab. "AlmaV «= Gr. Adamas. In opposition to the learned ex-Professor
Maskelyne I hold that the cutting of the diamond is of very ancient date, Mr. W. M.
Flinders Patrie (The Pyramids and Temples of Gizah, London: Field and Tuer, 1884)
whose studies have thoroughly demolished the freaks and unfacts, the fads and fancies of
the " Pyramidists," and who may be said to have raised measurement to the rank of a
fine art, believes that the Euritic statues of old Egypt such as that of Khufu (Cheops) in
the Bulak Museum were drilled by means of diamonds. Athenaeus tells us (lib. v.) that
the Indians brought pearls and diamonds to the procession of Ptolemy Philadelphus ; and
this suggests cutting, as nothing can be less ornamental than the uncut stone.

2 it. as if they were holding a " Durbar"; the King's idol in the Sadr or place of
honour and the others ranged about it in their several ranks.

3-6 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

thee silent and speaking not ? Art thou unheeding or asleep ? '
Awake ; succour me and speak to me ! " And he shook it with
his hand ; but it spake not neither stirred from its stead. There-
upon quoth the Personage, " What aileth thine idol that it speaketh
not ?"; and quoth the King, " Methinks he is absent-minded or
asleep." Exclaimed the other, " O enemy of Allah, how canst
thou worship a god that speaketh not nor availeth unto aught
and not worship my God, who to prayers deigns assent and who is
ever present and never absent, neither unheeding nor sleeping,
whom conjecture may not ween, who seeth and is not seen and
who over all things terrene is omnipotent ? Thy god is powerless
and cannot guard itself from harm ; and indeed a stoned Satan
had clothed himself therewith as with a coat that he might debauch
thee and delude thee. But now hath its devil departed ; so do
thou worship Allah and testify that there is no god but He and
that none is worshipful nor worshipworth but Himself; neither is
there any good but His good. As for this thy god, it cannot
ward off hurt from it ; so how shall it ward off harm from thee ?
See with thine own eyes its impotence." So saying, he went up
to the idol and dealt it a cuff on the neck, that it fell to the ground ;
whereupon the King waxed wroth and cried to the bystanders,
"This froward atheist hath smitten my god Slay him!" So
they would have arisen to smite him, but none of them could stir
from his place. Then he propounded to them Al-Islam ; but they
refused to become Moslems and he said, " I will show you the wroth
of my Lord." Quoth they, " Let us see it ! " So he spread out
his hands and said, " O my God and my Lord, Thou art my stay
and my hope ; answer Thou my prayer against these lewd folk,
who eat of Thy good and worship other gods. O Thou the Truth,
O Thou of All-might, O Creator of Day and Night, I beseech Thee
to turn these people into stones, for Thou art the Puissant nor is
aught impossible to Thee, and Thou over all things are omni-
potent.! " And Allah transformed the people of this city into
stones ; but, as for me, when I saw the manifest proof of His deity,

1 These words are probably borrowed from the taunts of Elijah to the priests of Baal
(t Kings xviii. 27), Both Jews and Moslems wilfully ignored the proper use of the
image or idol which was to serve as a Keblah or direction of prayer and an object upon
which to concentrate thought and looked only to the abuse of the ignobile vulgus who
believe in its intrinsic powers. Christendom has perpetuated the dispute : Romanism
affects statues and pictures ! Greek orthodoxy pictures and not statues and the so-called
Protestantism ousts both.

•BJHBB

-

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 327

I submitted myself to Him and was saved from that which befel
the rest. Then the Personage drew near me and said " Felicity f
was fore-ordained of Allah to thee and in this a purpose had He."
And he went on to instruct me and I took unto him the oath and
covenant.2 I was then seven years of age and am now thirty
years old. Then said I to him, " O my lord, all that is in the
city and all its citizens are become stones by thine effectual prayer,
and I am saved, for that I embraced Al-Islam at thy hands.
Wherefore thou art become my Shaykh ; so do thou tell me thy
name and succour me with thy security and provide me with
provision whereon I may subsist." Quoth he, " My name is Abu
al-'Abbas al-Khizr "; and he planted me a pomegranate-tree,
which forthright grew up and foliaged, flowered and fruited, and
bare one pomegranate ; whereupon quoth he, " Eat of that where-
with Allah the Almighty provideth thee and worship Him with the
worship which is His due." Then he taught me the tenets of Al-
Islam and the canons of prayer and the way of worship, together
with the recital of the Koran, and I have now worshipped Allah
in this place three-and-twenty years. Each day the tree yieldeth
me a pomegranate which I eat and it sustaineth me from tide to
tide ; and every Friday, Al-Khizr (on whom be peace !) cometh
to me and 'tis he who acquainted me with thy name and gave me
the glad tidings of thy soon coming hither, saying to me, " When
he shall come to thee, entreat him with honour and obey his
bidding and gainsay him not ; but be thou to him wife and he shall
be to thee man, and wend with him whitherso he will." So, when
I saw thee, I knew thee and such is the story of this city and of
its people, and the Peace ! " Then she showed me the pomegranate-
tree, whereon was one granado, which she took and eating one-
half thereof herself, gave me the other to eat, and never did I taste
aught sweeter or more savoury or more satisfying than, that
pomegranate. After this, I said to her, " Art thou content, even
as the Shaykh Al-Khizr charged thee, to be my wife and take me
to mate ; and art thou ready to go with me to my own country
and abide with me in the city of Bassorah ? " She replied, " Yes,
Inshallah : an it please Almighty Allah. I hearken to thy word

1 Arab. "Sa'adah" = worldly prosperity and future happiness.

2 Arab. « AU'Ahd wa al-Misak" the troth pledged between the Murld or appren-
tice-Darwaysh and the Shaykh or Master-Darwaysh binding the former to implicit
obedience etc.

328 A If Laylah wa Laylah. •

and obey thy hest without gainsaying/' Then I made a binding
covenant with her and she carried me into her father's treasury,
whence we took what we could carry and going forth that city,
walked on till we came to my brothers, whom I found searching
for me. They asked, " Where hast thou been ? Indeed thou hast
tarried long from us, and our hearts were troubled for thee." And
the captain of the ship said to me, " O merchant Abdullah, the
wind hath been fair for us this great while, and thou hast hindered
us from setting sail." And I answered, " There is no harm in
that : ofttimes slow ' is sure and my absence hath wrought us naught
but advantage , for indeed, there hath betided me therein the
attainment of our hopes and God-gifted is he who said : —

I weet not, whenas to a land I fare o In quest of good, what I shall there

obtain ;
Or gain I fare with sole desire to seek; o Or loss that seeketh me when seek I

gain

Then said I to them, " See what hath fallen to me in this mine
absence ;" and displayed to them all that was with me of treasures
and told them what I had beheld in the City of Stone, adding,
" Had ye hearkened to me and gone with me, ye had gotten of

these things great gain." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn

of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Note fofien it teas tje Kme ^un&tefc anfr lEfgJtg-fourtfi ttf t'g&t,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
Abdullah bin Fazil said to his shipmates and to his two brothers,
" Had ye gone with me, ye had gotten of these things great gain.1'
But they said, " By Allah, had we gone, we had not dared to go
in to the King of the city!" Then I said to my brothers,
" No harm shall befal you ; for that which I have will suffice us
all and this is our lot.2 " So I divided my booty into four parts
according to our number and gave one to each of my brothers and
to the Captain, taking the fourth for myself, setting aside some-
what for the servants and sailors, who rejoiced and blessed me :

1 Arab. "Taakhfr." lit. postponement and meaning acting with deliberation as;
opposed to " Ajal" (haste), precipitate action condemned in the Koran Ixv. 38.

2 i.e. I have been lucky enough to get this and we will share it amongst us.

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 329

and all were content with what I gave them, save my brothers
who changed countenance and rolled their eyes. I perceived
that lust of lucre had gotten hold of them both ; so I said to them,
" O my brothers, methinketh what I have given you doth not
satisfy you ; but we are brothers and there is no difference between
us. My good and yours are one and the same thing, and if I die
none will inherit of me but you." And I went on to soothe them.
Then I bore the Princess on board the galleon and lodged her in
the cabin, where I sent her somewhat to eat and we sat talking, I
and my brothers. Said they, " O our brother, what wilt thou do
with that damsel of surpassing beauty ? " And I replied, " I mean
to contract marriage with her, as soon as I reach Bassorah and
make a splendid wedding and go in to her there." Exclaimed
one of them, " O my brother, verily, this young lady excelleth in
beauty and loveliness and the love of her is fallen on my heart ;
wherefore I desire that thou give her to me and I will espouse
her." And the other cried, " I too desire this : give her to me,
that I may espouse her." " O my brothers," answered I, " indeed
she took of me an oath and a covenant that I would marry her
myself ; so, if I give her to one of you, I shall be false to my oath
and to the covenant between me and her, and haply she will be
broken-hearted, for she came not with me but on condition that I
marry her. So how can I wed her to other than myself? As for
your both loving her, I love her more than you twain, for she is
my treasure-trove, and as for my giving her to one of you, that is
a thing which may not be. But, if we reach Bassorah in safety, I
will look you out two girls of the best of the damsels of Bassorah
and demand them for you in marriage and pay the dower of my
own monies and make one wedding and we will all three go into
our brides on the same night. But leave ye this damsel, for she is
of my portion." They held their peace, and I thought they were
content with that which I had said. Then we fared onwards for
Bassorah, and every day I sent her meat and drink ; but she came
not forth of the cabin, whilst I slept between my brothers on deck.
We sailed thus forty days, till we sighted Bassorah city and
rejoiced that we were come near it. Now I trusted in my brothers
and was at my ease with them, for none knoweth the hidden future
save Allah the Most High ; so I lay down to sleep that night ; but,
as I abode drowned in slumber, I suddenly found myself caught
up by these my brothers, one seizing me by the legs and the other
by the arms, for they had taken counsel together to drown me in

33° A If Laylah wa Laylah.

the sea for the sake of the damsel. When I saw myself in their
hands, I said to them, " O my brothers, why do ye this with me ? "
And they replied, "Ill-bred that thou art, wilt thou barter our
affection for a girl ? : we will cast thee into the sea, because of
this." So saying, they threw me overboard. (Here Abdullah
turned to the dogs and said to them, " Is this that I have said true
O my brothers or not ? " ; and they bowed their heads and fell a-
whining, as if confirming his speech ; whereat the Caliph wondered).
Then Abdullah resumed ; — O Commander of the Faithful, when
they threw me into the sea, I sank to the bottom ; but the water
bore me up again to the surface, and before I could think, behold
a great bird, the bigness of a man, swooped down upon me and
snatching me up, flew up with me into upper air. I fainted and
when I opened my eyes, I found myself in a strong-pillared place,
a high-builded palace, adorned with magnificent paintings and pen-
dants of gems of all shapes and hues. Therein were damsels
standing with their hands crossed over their breasts and, behold in
their midst was a lady seated on a throne of red gold, set with
pearls and gems, and clad in apparel whereon no mortal might
open his eyes, for the lustre of the jewels wherewith they were
decked. About her waist she wore a girdle of jewels no money
could pay their worth and on her head a three-fold tiara dazing
thought and wit and dazzling heart and sight. Then the bird
which had carried me thither shook and became a young lady
bright as sun raying light. I fixed my eyes on her and behold, it
was she whom I had seen in snake form on the mountain and had
rescued from the dragon which had wound his tail around her.
Then said to her the lady who sat upon the throne, " Why hast
thou brought hither this mortal ? " ; and she replied, " O my
mother, this is he who was the means of veiling my honour1 among
the maidens of the Jinn." Then quoth she to me, " Knowest thou
who I am ? " ; and quoth I, " No." Said she, I am she who was
on such a mountain, where the black dragon strave with me and
would have forced my honour, but thou slewest him." And I
said, " I saw but a white snake with the dragon." She rejoined,
" 'Tis I who was the white snake ; but I am the daughter of the
Red King, Sovran of the Jann and my name is Sa'idah.2 She who

1 i.e. of saving me from being ravished.

2 Sa'idah = the auspicious (fern.) : Mubarakah, = the blessed ; both names showing
that the bearers were Moslcmahs.

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 331

sitteth there is my mother and her name is Mubarakah, wife of the
Red King. The black dragon who attacked me and would have
done away my honour was Wazir to the Black King, Darfil by
name, and he was foul of favour. It chanced that he saw me and
fell in love with me ; so he sought me in marriage of my sire, who
sent to him to say, " Who art thou, O scum of Wazirs, that
thou shouldst wed with Kings' daughters?" Whereupon he
was wroth and sware an oath that he would assuredly do away
my honour, to spite my father. Then he fell to tracking my
steps and following me whithersoever I went, designing to
ravish me ; wherefore there befel between him and my parent
mighty fierce wars and bloody jars, but my sire could not prevail
against him, for that he was fierce as fraudful and as often a&
my father pressed hard upon him and seemed like to conquer
he would escape from him, till my sire was at his wits' end.
Every day I was forced to take new form and hue ; for, as often as
I assumed a shape, he would assume its contrary, and to whatso-
ever land I fled he would snuff my fragrance and follow me
thither, so that I suffered sore affliction of him. At last I took
the form of a snake and betook myself to the mountain where
thou sawest me ; whereupon he changed himself to a dragon and
pursued me, till I fell into his hands, when he strove with me and
I struggled with him, till he wearied me and mounted me, meaning
to have his lustful will of me : but thou earnest and smotest him
with the stone and slewest him. Then' I returned to my own
shape and showed myself to thee, saying : — I am indebted to thee
for a service such as is not lost save with the son of adultery.1 So,
when I saw thy brothers do with thee this treachery and throw
thee into the sea, I hastened to thee and saved thee from destruc-
tion, and now honour is due to thee from my mother and my
father." Then she said to the Queen, ** O my mother, do thou
honour him as deserveth he who saved my virtue." So the
Queen said to me, " Welcome, O mortal ! Indeed thou hast done
us a kindly deed which meriteth honour." Presently she ordered
me a treasure-suit,2 worth a mint of money, and store of gems and
precious stones, and said, " Take him and carry him in to the
King." Accordingly, they carried me into the King in his Divan,

1 i.e. the base-born from whom base deeds may be expected.

2 Arab. " Badlat Kunuziyah "= such a dress as would be found in enchanted hoard*
(Kunuz) : eg. Prince Esterhazy's diamond jacket.

332 Alf Lay I ah wa Laylah.

where I found him seated on his throne, with his Marids and
guards before him ; and when I saw him my sight was blent for
that which was upon him of jewels ; but when he saw me, he rose
to his feet and all his officers rose also, to do him worship. Then
he saluted me and welcomed me and entreated me with the
utmost honour, and gave me of that which was with him of good
things ; after which he said to some of his followers, " Take him
and carry him back to my daughter, that she may restore him to
the place whence she brought him." So they carried me. back to
the Lady Sa'idah, who took me up and flew away with me and
my treasures. On this wise fared it with me and the Princess ;
but as regards the Captain of the galleon, he was aroused by the
splash of my fall, when my brothers cast me into the sea, and
said, " What is that which hath fallen overboard ? " Whereupon
my brothers fell to weeping and beating of breasts and replied,
" Alas, for our brother's loss ! He thought to do his need over
the ship's side1 and fell into the water ! " Then they laid their
hands on my good, but there befel dispute between them because
of the damsel, each saying, " None shall have her but I." And
they abode jangling and wrangling each with other and re-
membered not their brother nor his drowning and their mourning
for him ceased. As they were thus, behold Sa'idah alighted with

me in the midst of the galleon And Shahrazad perceived the

dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Nofo fojen ft teas ijt Nine pjuntatr an* lEig&tgzfifti) Nigjjt,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
Abdullah bin Fazil continued, "As they were thus, behold,
Sa'idah alighted with me in the midst of the galleon and when
my brothers saw me, they embraced me and rejoiced in me,
saying, " O our brother, how hast thou fared in that which befel
thee ? Indeed our hearts have been occupied with thee." Quoth
Sa'idah, " Had ye any heart-yearnings for him or had ye loved
him, ye had not cast him into the sea ; but choose ye now what
death ye will die." Then she seized on them and would have slain

1 The lieu tfaisance in Eastern crafts is usually a wooden cage or framework fastened
outside the gunwale, very cleanly but in foul weather very uncomfortable and even
dangerous.

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 333

them ; but they cried out, saying, " In thy safeguard, O our
brother ! " Thereupon I interceded and said to her, " I claim of
thine honour not to kill my brothers." Quoth she, " There is no
help but that I slay them, for they are traitors." But I ceased not
to speak her fair and conciliate her till she said, " To content thee,
I will not kill them, but I will enchant them." So saying, she
brought out a cup and filling it with sea-water, pronounced over it
words that might not be understood ; then saying, " Quit this
human shape for the shape of a dog ; " she sprinkled them with
the water, and immediately they were transmewed into dogs, as
thou seest them, O Vicar of Allah." Whereupon he turned to the
dogs and said to them," Have I spoken the truth, O my brothers?"
And they bowed their heads, as they would say, " Thou hast
spoken sooth." At this he continued, " Then she said to those
who were in the galleon :— Know ye that Abdullah bin Fazil here
present is become my brother and I shall visit him once or twice
every day : so, whoso of you crosseth him or gainsayeth his
bidding or doth him hurt with hand or tongue, I will do with him
even as I have done with these two traitors and bespell him to a
dog, and he shall end his days in that form, nor shall he find
deliverance." And they all said to her, " O our lady, we are his
slaves and his servants every one of us and will not disobey him
in aught." Moreover, she said to me, " When thou comest to
Bassorah, examine all thy property and if there lack aught thereof,
tell me and I will bring it to thee, in whose hands and in what
place soever it may be, and will change him who took it into a
dog. When thou hast magazined thy goods, clap a collar1 of
wood on the neck of each of these two traitors and tie them to the
leg of a couch and shut them up by themselves. Moreover, every
night, at midnight, do thou go down to them and beat each of
them a bout till he swoon away ; and if thou suffer a single night
to pass without beating them, I will come to thee and drub thee a
sound drubbing, after which I will drub them." And I answered,
"To hear is to obey." Then said she, "Tie them up with ropes

1 Arab. "Ghull," a collar of iron or other metal, sometimes made to resemble the
Chinese Kza or Cangue, a kind of ambulant pillory, serving like the old stocks which
still show in England the veteris vestigia ruris. See Davis, "The Chinese," i. 241.
According to Al-Siyuti (p. 362) the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil ordered the Christians to
wear these Ghulls round the neck, yellow head-gear and girdks, to use wooden stirrups
and to place figures of devils before their houses. The writer of The Nights presently
changes Ghull to "chains and " fetters of iron."

334 A If Laylah wa Laylak.

r.%

till thou come to Bassorah." So I tied a rope about each dog's
neck and lashed them to the mast, and she went her way. On
the morrow we entered Bassorah and the merchants came out to
meet me and saluted me, and no one of them enquired of my
brothers. But they looked at the dogs and said to me, " Ho,
such and such,1 what wilt thou do with these two dogs thou hast
brought with thee ? " Quoth I, " I reared them on this voyage
and have brought them home with me." And they laughed at
them, knowing not that they were my brothers. When I reached
my house, I put the twain in a closet and busied myself all that
night with the unpacking and disposition of the bales of stuffs and
jewels. Moreover, the merchants were with me being minded to
offer me the salam ; wherefore I was occupied with them and
forgot to beat the dogs or chain them up. Then without doing
them aught of hurt, I lay down to sleep, but suddenly and un-
expectedly there came to me the Red King's daughter Sa'idah
and said to me, " Did I not bid thee clap chains on their necks and
give each of them a bout of beating ? " So saying, she seized me
and pulling out a whip, flogged me till I fainted away, after which
she went to the place where my brothers were and with the same
scourge beat them both till they came nigh upon death. Then
said she to me, " Beat each of them a like bout every night, and
if thou let a night pass without doing this, I will beat thee ; " and
I replied, " O my lady, to-morrow I will put chains on their necks,
and next night I will beat them nor will I leave them one night
unbeaten." And she charged me strictly to beat them and dis-
appeared. When the morning morrowed it being no light matter
for me to put fetters of iron on their necks, I went to a goldsmith
and bade him make them collars and chains of gold. He did this
and I put the collars on their necks and chained them up, as she
bade me ; and next night I beat them both in mine own despite.
This befel in the Caliphate of Al-Mahdi,2 third of the sons of
Al-Abbas, and I commended myself to him by sending him

1 Arab. " Ya" fulan/' O certain person ! See vol. iii. 191.

2 Father of Harun al-Rashid A.H. 158-169 (= 775-785) third Abbaside who both in
the Mac. and the Bui. Edits, is called " the fifth of the sons of Al-Abbas." He was a
good poet and a man of letters, also a fierce persecutor of the "Zindiks" (Al-Siyuti
278), a term especially applied to those who read the Zend books and adhered to
Zoroastrianism, although afterwards applied to any heretic or atheist. He made many
changes at Meccah and was the first who had a train of camels laden with snow for his
refreshment along a measured road of 700 miles (Gibbon, chapt. Hi.). He died of an

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers* 335

presents, so he invested me with the government and made me
viceroy of Bassorah. On this wise I abode some time and after a
while I said to myself, " Haply her wrath is grown cool ; " and
left them a night unbeaten, whereupon she came to me and beat
me a bout whose burning I shall never forget long as I live. So,
from that time to this, I have never left them a single night
unbeaten during the reign of Al-Mahdi ; and when he deceased
and thou earnest to the succession, thou sentest to me, confirming
me in the government of Bassorah. These twelve years past have
I beaten them every night, in mine own despite, and after I have
beaten them, I excuse myself to them and comfort them and give
them to eat and drink ; and they have remained shut up, nor did
any of the creatures of Allah know of them, till thou sentest to me
Abu Ishak the boon-companion, on account of the tribute, and he
discovered my secret and returning to thee, acquainted thee
therewith. Then thou sentest him back to fetch me and them ;
so I answered with ' Hearkening and obedience/ and brought
them before thee, whereupon thou questionedst me and I told
thee the truth of the case ; and this is my history." The Caliph
marvelled at the case of the two dogs and said to Abdullah,
" Hast thou at this present forgiven thy two brothers the wrong
they did thee, yea or nay ? " He replied, " O my lord, may Allah
forgive them and acquit them of responsibility in this world and
the next ! Indeed, 'tis I who stand in need of their forgiveness,
for that these twelve years past I have beaten them a grievous
bout every night ! " Rejoined the Caliph, " O Abdullah, Inshallah,
t will endeavour for their release and that they may become men
again, as they were before, and I will make peace between thee
and them ; so shall you live the rest of your lives as brothers
loving one another ; and like as thou hast forgiven them, so shall
they forgive thee. But now take them and go down with them to
thy lodging and this night beat them not, and to-morrow there
shall be naught save weal." Quoth Abdullah, "O my lord, as
thy head liveth, if J leave them one night unbeaten, Sa'idah will
come to me and beat me, and I have no body to brook beating."

accident when hunting : others say he was poisoned after leaving his throne to bis son*
Musa al-Hadi and Harun al-Rashid. The name means " Heaven-directed " and must
not be confounded with the title of the twelfth Shi'ah Imdm Mohammed Abu al-Kasim
born at Sarramanrai A.H. 255 whom Sale (sect, iv.) calls "Mahdi or Director" and
whose expected return has caused and will cause so much trouble in Al- Islam.

A If Laylah wa Laylah.

| Quoth the Caliph, "Fear not, for I will give thee a writing under
my hand.1 An she come to thee, do thou give her the paper and
if, when she has read it, she spare thee, the favour will be hers ;
but, if she obey not my bidding, commit thy business to Allah and
let her beat thee a bout and suppose that thou hast forgotten to
beat them for one night and that she beateth thee because of that :
and if it fall out thus and she thwart me, as sure as I am Com-
mander of the Faithful, I will be even with her." Then he wrote
her a letter on a piece of paper, two fingers broad, and sealing it
with his signet-ring, gave it to Abdullah, saying, " O Abdullah, if
Sa'idah come, say to her: — The Caliph, King of mankind, hath
commanded me to leave beating them and hath written me this
letter for thee ; and he saluteth thee with the salam. Then give
her the warrant and fear no harm." After which he exacted of
him an oath and a solemn pledge that he would not beat them.
So Abdullah took the dogs and carried them to his lodging,
saying to himself, " I wonder what the Caliph will do with the
daughter of the Sovran of the Jinn, if she cross him and trounce
me to-night ! But I will bear with a bout of beating for once and
leave my brothers at rest this night, though for their sake I suffer
torture." Then he bethought himself awhile, and his reason said
to him, " Did not the Caliph rely on some great support, he had
never forbidden me from beating them." So he entered his
lodging and doffed the collars from the dogs' necks, saying, " I
put my trust in Allah," and fell to comforting them and saying,
" No harm shall befal you ; for the Caliph, fifth2 of the sons of
Al-Abbas, hath pledged himself for your deliverance and I have
forgiven you. An it please Allah the Most High, the time is
come and ye shall be delivered this blessed night; so rejoice ye in
the prospect of peace and gladness." When they heard these

words, they fell to whining with the whining of dogs, And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

v This speciosum miraculum must not be held a proof that the tale was written many
years after the days of Al-Rashid. Miracles grow apace in the East and a few years
suffice to mature them. The invasion of Abraha the Abyssinia took place during the
year of Mohammed's birth ; and yet in an early chapter of the Koran (No. cv.) written
perhaps forty-five years afterwards, the small-pox is turned into a puerile and extrava-
gant miracle. I myself became the subject of a miracle in Sind which is duly chronicled
in the family-annals of a certain Pir or religious teacher. See History of Sindh (p. 230)
[and Sind Revisited (i. 156).

* In the texts, '« Sixth."

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers.- 337

fofien it foas tfie Nine 3gun&re& anfc 1Eigf)tB=sixtJ Nfgbt,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
Abdullah bin Fazil said to his brothers, "Rejoice ye in the
prospect of comfort and gladness." And when they heard his
words they fell to whining with the whining of dogs, and rubbed
their jowls against his feet, as if blessing him and humbling them-
selves before him. He mourned over them and took to stroking
their backs till supper time ; and when they set on the trays he
bade the dogs sit. So they sat down and ate with him from the
tray, whilst his officers stood gaping and marvelling at his eating
with dogs and all said, " Is he mad or are his wits gone wrong ?
How can the Viceroy of Bassorah city, he who is greater than a
Wazir, eat with dogs ? Knoweth he not that the dog is unclean1? "
And they stared at the dogs, as they ate with him as servants eat
with their lords,2 knowing not that they were his brothers ; nor did
they cease staring at them, till they had made an end of eating,
when Abdullah washed his hands and the dogs also put out their
paws and washed ; whereupon all who were present began to laugh
at them and to marvel, saying, one to other, " Never in our lives
saw we dogs eat and wash their paws after eating ! " Then the
dogs sat down on the divans beside Abdullah, nor dared any ask
him of this ; and thus the case lasted till midnight, when he dis-
missed the attendants and lay down to sleep and the dogs with
him, each on a couch ; whereupon the servants said one to other,
41 Verily, he hath lain down to sleep and the two dogs are lying
with him." Quoth another, " Since he hath eaten with the dogs
from the same tray, there is no harm in their sleeping with him ;
and this is naught save the fashion of madmen." Moreover, they
ate not anything of the food which remained in the tray, saying,
" 'Tis unclean." Such was their case ; but as for Abdullah, ere he
could think, the earth clave asunder and out rose Sa'idah, who said
to him, " O Abdullah, why hast thou not beaten them this night
and why hast thou undone the collars from their necks ? Hast thou

1 Arab. "Najis "= ceremonially impure especially the dog's mouth like the cow's
mouth amongst the Hindus ; and requiring after contact the Wuzu-ablution before the
Moslem can pray.

2 Arab. "Akl al-hashamah" (hashamah = retinue ; hishmah = reverence, bashfulness)
which may also mean "decorously and respectfully," according to the" vowel-points.

VOL. IX. Y

338 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

acted on this wise perversely and in mockery of my command-
ment ? But I will at once beat thee and spell thee into a dog like
them/' He replied, " O my lady, I conjure thee by the graving
upon the seal-ring of Solomon David-son (on the twain be peace !)
have patience with me till I tell thee my cause and after do with
me what thou wilt." Quoth she, " Say on," and quoth he, " The
reason of my not punishing them is only this. The King of man-
kind, the Commander of the Faithful, the Caliph Harun al-Rashid,
ordered me not to beat them this night and took of me oaths and
covenants to that effect ; and he saluteth thee with the salam and
hath committed to me a mandate under his own hand, which he
bade me give thee. So I obeyed his order for to obey the Com-
mander of the Faithful is obligatory ; and here is the mandate.
Take it and read it and after work thy will." She replied, " Hither
with it ! " So he gave her the letter and she opened it and read as
follows, " In the name of Allah, the Compassionating, the Com-
passionate ! From the King of mankind, Harun al-Rashid, to the
daughter of the Red King, Sa'idah ! But, after. Verily, this man
hath forgiven his brothers and hath waived his claim against them,
and we have enjoined them to reconciliation. Now, when recon-
ciliation ruleth, retribution is remitted, and if you of the Jinn
contradict us in our commandments, we will contrary you in yours
and traverse your ordinances ; but, an ye obey our bidding and
further our orders, we will indeed do the like with yours. Where-
fore I bid thee hurt them no hurt, and if thou believe in Allah
and in His Apostle, it behoveth thee to obey and us to com-
mand.1 So an thou spare them, I will requite thee with that
whereto my Lord shall enable me ; and the token of obedience is
that thou remove thine enchantment from these two men, so they
may come before me to-morrow, free. But an thou release them
not, I will release them in thy despite, by the aid of Almighty
Allah." When she had read the letter, she said, " O Abdullah, I
will do nought till I go to my sire and show him the mandate of
the monarch of mankind and return to thee with the answer in
haste." So saying, she signed with her hand to the earth, which
clave open and she disappeared therein, whilst Abdullah's heart
was like to fly for joy and he said, "Allah advance the Com-
mander of the Faithful ! " As for Sa'idah, she went in to her
father ; and, acquainting him with that which had passed, gave

1 i.t. as the Vice-regent of Allah and Vicar of the Prophet.

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 339

him the Caliph's letter, which he kissed and laid on his head.
Then he read it and understanding its contents said, " O my
daughter, verily, the ordinance of the monarch of mankind
obligeth us and his commandments are effectual over us, nor
can we disobey him : so go thou and release the two men forth-
with and say to them : — Ye are freed by the intercession of the
monarch of mankind. For, should he be wroth with us, he would
destroy us to the last of us ; so do not thou impose on us that
which we are unable." Quoth she, " O my father, if the monarch
of mankind were wroth with us, what could he do with us ? "; and
quoth her sire, " He hath power over us for several reasons. In
the first place, he is a man and hath thus pre-eminence over us1 ;
secondly he is the Vicar of Allah ; and thirdly, he is constant in
praying the dawn-prayer of two bows2; therefore were all the
tribes of the Jinn assembled together against him from the Seven
Worlds they could do him no hurt But he, should he be wroth
with us Would pray the dawn-prayer of two bows and cry out
upon us one cry, when we should all present ourselves before him
obediently and be before him as sheep before the butcher. If he
would, he could command us to quit our abiding-places for a
desert country wherein we might not endure to sojourn ; and if he
desired to destroy us, he would bid us destroy ourselves, where-
upon we should destroy one another. Wherefore we may not dis-
obey his bidding for, if we did this, he would consume us with
fire nor could we flee from before him to any asylum. Thus is it
with every True Believer who is persistent in praying the dawn-
prayer of two bows ; his commandment is effectual over us : so
be not thou the means of our destruction, because of two mortals,
but go forthright and release them, ere the anger of the Com-
mander of the Faithful fall upon us." So she returned to Ab-
dullah and acquainted him with her father's words, saying, " Kiss
for us the hands of the Prince of True Believers and seek his
approval for us." Then she brought out the tasse and filling it
with water, conjured over it and uttered words which might not
be understood ; after which she sprinkled the dogs with the water
saying, " Quit the form of dogs and return to the shape of
men ! Whereupon they became men as before and the spell of the
enchantment was loosed from them. Quoth they, " I testify that

1 For the superiority of mankind to the Jinn see vol. viii. 5 ; 44.

2 According to Al-Siyuti, Harun Al-Rashid prayed every day a hundred bows.

340 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

there is no god but the God and I testify that Mohammed is the
Apostle of God ! " Then they fell on their brother's feet and
hands, kissing them and beseeching his forgiveness : but he said,
"Do ye forgive me;" and they both repented with sincere re-
pentance, saying, " Verily, the damned Devil lured us and covetise
deluded us : but our Lord hath requited us after our deserts, and
forgiveness is of the signs of the noble." And they went on to
supplicate their brother and weep and profess repentance for that
which had befallen him from them1. Then quoth he to them,
" What did ye with my wife whom I brought from the City of
Stone?" Quoth they, "When Satan tempted us and we cast
thee into the sea, there arose strife between us, each saying, I
will have her to wife. Now when she heard these words and
beheld our contention, she knew that we had thrown thee into the
sea ; so she came up from the cabin and said to Us : — Contend not
because of me, for I will not belong to either of you. My husband
is gone into the sea and I will. follow him. So saying, she cast
herself overboard and died." Exclaimed Abdullah, " In very sooth
she died a martyr2! But there is no Majesty and there is no
Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great ! " Then he wept for
her with sore weeping and said to his brothers, " It was not well
of you to do this deed and bereave me of my wife.0 They
answered, " Indeed, we have sinned, but our Lord hath requited
us our misdeed and this was a thing which Allah decreed unto us,
ere He created us." And he accepted their excuse ; but Sa'idah
said to him, " Have they done all these things to thee and wilt
thou forgive them ? " He replied, " O my sister, whoso hath power3
and spareth, for Allah's reward he prepareth." Then said she,
"Be on thy guard against them, for they are traitors ;" and fare-
welled him and fared forth. And Shahrazad perceived the

dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

,Nofo to&en it foas rtje Nine l^un&reb antr lEt'gjjtg-sebent!) Nigfit,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abdullah,
when Sa'idah warned him and blessed him and went her ways,

1 As the sad end of his betrothed was still to be accounted for.

2 For the martyrdom of the drowned see vol. i, 171, to quote no other places.

8 i.e. if he have the power to revenge himself. The sentiment is Christian rather
'than Moslem.

' Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 341

passecT the rest of the night with his brothers and on the morrow,
he sent them to the Hammam and clad each of them, on his
coming forth, in a suit worth a hoard of money. Then he called
for the tray of food and they set it before him and he ate, he and
his brothers. When his attendants saw the twain and knew them
for his brothers they saluted them and said to him, " O our lord,
Allah give thee joy of thy reunion with thy dear brothers!
Where have they been this while ? " He replied, " It was they
whom ye saw in the guise of dogs ; praise be to Allah who hath
delivered them from prison and grievous torment ! " Then he
carried them to the Divan of the Caliph and kissing ground before
Al-Rashid wished him continuance of honour and fortune and
surcease of evil and enmity." Quoth the Caliph, " Welcome, O
Emir Abdullah ! Tell me what hath befallen thee." And quoth
he, " O Commander of the Faithful (whose power Allah increase !)
when I carried my brothers home to my lodging, my heart was at
rest concerning them, because thou hadst pledged thyself to their
release and I said in myself, " Kings fail not to attain aught for
which they strain, inasmuch as the divine favour aideth them." So
I took off the collars from their necks, putting my trust in Allah,
and ate with them from the same tray, which when my suite saw,
they made light of my wit and said each to other, " He is surely
mad ! How can the governor of Bassorah who is greater than the
Wazir, eat with dogs ? " Then they threw away what was in the
tray, saying, " We will not eat the dogs' orts." And they went ore
befool my reason, whilst I heard their words, but returned thenV
no reply because of their unknowing that the dogs were my.
brothers. When the hour of sleep came, I sent them away and
addressed myself to sleep ; but, ere I was ware, the earth clave in
sunder and out came Sa'idah, the Red King's daughter, enraged
against me, with eyes like fire." And he went on to relate to the
Caliph all what had passed between him and her and her father
and how she had transmewed his brothers from canine to human
form, adding, " And here they are before thee, O Commander of
the Faithful ! " The Caliph looked at them and seeing two young
men like moons, said, " Allah requite thee for me with good, O
Abdullah, for that thou hast acquainted me with an advantage1 I

1 i.e. the power acquired (as we afterwards learn) by the regular praying of the dawn-
prayer. It is not often that The Nights condescend to point a moral or inculcate a
lesson as here ; and we are truly thankful for the immunity.

342 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

knew not ! Henceforth, Inshallah, I will never leave to pray
these two-bow orisons, before the breaking of the dawn, what while
I live." Then he reproved Abdullah's brothers for their past
transgressions against him and they excused themselves before
the Caliph, who said, " Join hands1 and forgive one another and
Allah pardon what is past ! " Upon which he turned to Abdullah
and said to him, " O Abdullah, make thy brothers thine assistants
and be careful of them." Then he charged them to be obedient
to their brother and bade them return to Bassorah after he had
bestowed on them abundant largesse. So they went down from
the Caliph's Divan whilst he rejoiced in this advantage he had
obtained by the action aforesaid, to wit, persistence in praying two
inclinations before dawn, and exclaimed, He spake truth who
said, " The misfortune of one tribe fortuneth another tribe." 2
On this wise befel it to them from the Caliph ; but as regards
Abdullah, he left Baghdad carrying with him his brothers in all
honour and dignity and increase of quality, and fared on till they
drew near Bassorah, when the notables and chief men of the place
came out to meet them and after decorating the city brought
them thereinto with a procession which had not its match and all
the folk shouted out blessings on Abdullah as he scattered
amongst them silver and gold. None, however, took heed to his
brothers ; wherefore jealousy and envy entered their hearts, for all
he entreated them tenderly as one tenders an ophthalmic eye ; but
the more he cherished them, the more they redoubled in hatred
and envy of him : and indeed it is said on the subject : —

I'd win good will of every one, but whoso envies me $ Will not be won on

any wise and makes mine office hard :
How gain the gree of envious wight who coveteth my good, * When naught will

satisfy him save to see my good go marr'd ?

Then he gave each a concubine that had not her like, and eunuchs
and servants and slaves white and black, of each kind forty. He
also gave each of them fifty steeds all thoroughbreds and they got
them guards and followers ; and he assigned to them revenues and
appointed them solde and stipends and made them his assistants,

1 Arab. " Musdfahah " which, I have said, serves for our shaking hands : and extends
over wide regions. They apply the palms of the right hands flat to each other without
squeezing the fingers and then raise the latter to the forehead. Pilgrimage ii. 332, has
also been quoted.

2 Equivalent to our saying about an ill wind, etc.

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 343

saying to them, " O my brothers, I and you are equal and there

is no distinction between me and you twain, And Shah-

razad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.

fo&en ft foas t&e Nine f^un&refc anU ISt'g&tB-eigfjtf) Ntgftt,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
Abdullah assigned stipends to his brothers and made them his
assistants, saying, " O my brothers, I and you are equal and there
is no distinction between me and you twain, and after Allah and
the Caliph, the commandment is mine and yours. So rule you at
Bassorah in my absence and in my presence, and your command-
ments shall be effectual ; but look that ye fear Allah in your
ordinances and beware of oppression, which if it endure depopu-
lateth ; and apply yourselves to justice, for justice, if it be prolonged,
peopleth a land. Oppress not the True Believers, or they will
curse you and ill report of you will reach the Caliph, wherefore
dishonour will betide both me and you. Go not therefore about
to violence any, but whatso ye greed for of the goods of the folk,
take it from my goods, over and above that whereof ye have
need ; for 'tis not unknown to you what is handed down in the
Koran of prohibition versets on the subject of oppression and
Allah-gifted is he who said these couplets : —

Oppression ambusheth in sprite of man o Whom naught withholdeth

save the lack of might :
The sage shall ne'er apply his wits to aught o Until befitting time direct his

sight :
The tongue of Wisdom woneth in the heart ; o And in his mouth the tongue

of foolish wight.
Who at occasion's call lacks power to rise o Is slain by feeblest who would

glut his spite.
A man may hide his blood and breed, but aye o His deeds on darkest hiddens

cast a light,
Wights of ill strain with ancestry as vile o Have lips which never spake

one word aright :
And who committeth case to hands of fool o In folly proveth self as fond

and light ;
And who his secret tells to folk at large o Shall rouse his foes to work

him worst despight.
Suffice the generous what regards his lot o Nor meddles he with aught

regards him not.

344 Alf Laylah wa Laylah.

And he went on to admonish his brothers and bid them to equity
and forbid them from tyranny, doubting not but they would love
him the better for his boon of good counsel 1 and he relied upon
them and honoured them with the utmost honour ; but notwith-
standing all his generosity to them, they only waxed in envy
and hatred of him, till, one day, the two being together alone,
quoth Nasir to Mansur, " O my brother, how long shall we be
mere subjects of our brother Abdullah, and he in this estate of
lordship and worship ? After being a merchant, he is become an
Emir, and from being little, he is grown great : but we, we grow
not great nor is there aught of respect or degree left us ; for, be-
hold, he laugheth at us and maketh us his assistants ! What is the
meaning of this ? Is it not that we are his servants and under his
subjection ? But, long as he abideth in good case, our rank will
never be raised nor shall we be aught of repute ; wherefore we
shall not fulfil our wish, except we slay him and win to his wealth,
nor will it be possible to get his gear save after his death. So,
when we have slain him, we shall become lords and will take all
that is in his treasuries of gems and things of price and divide
them between us. Then will we send the Caliph a present and
demand of him the government of Cufah, and thou shalt be
governor of Cufah and I of Bassorah. Thus each of us shall have
formal estate and condition, but we shall never effect this, except
we put him out of the world ! " Answered Mansur, " Thou sayest
sooth, but how shall we do to kill him ? Quoth Nasir, " We will make
an entertainment in the house of one of us and invite him thereto
and serve him with the uttermost service. Then will we sit through
the night with him in talk and tell him tales and jests and rare
stories till his heart melteth with sitting up when we will spread
him a bed, that he may lie down to sleep. When he is asleep,
we will kneel upon him and throttle him and throw him into the
river ; and on the morrow, we will say : — His sister the Jinniyah
came to him, as he sat chatting with us, and said to him : — O
thou scum of mankind, who art thou that thou shouldst complain
of me to the Commander of the Faithful ? Deemest thou that we
dread him ? As he is a King, so we too are Kings, and if he mend
not his manners in our regard we will do him die by the foulest of
deaths. But meantime I will slay thee, that we may see what the
hand of the Prince of True Believers availeth to do. So saying,

1 A proof of his extreme simplicity and bonhomie.

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 345

she caught him up and clave the earth and disappeared with him
which when we saw, we swooned away. Then we revived and we
reck not what is become of him. And saying this we will send to
the Caliph and tell him the case and he will invest us with the
government in his room. After awhile, we will send him a sump-
tuous present and seek of him the government of Cufah, and one
ofus shall abide in Bassorah and the other in Cufah. So shall
the land be pleasant to us and we will be down upon the True
Believers and win our wishes." And quoth Mansur, " Thou coun-
sellest well, O my brother," and they agreed upon the murther.
So Nasir made an entertainment and said to Abdullah, " O my
brother, verily I am thy brother, and I would have thee hearten
my heart thou and my brother Mansur and eat of my banquet in
my house, so I may boast of thee and that it may be said, The
Emir Abdullah hath eaten of his brother Nasir's guest meal ;
when my heart will be solaced by this best of boons." Abdullah
replied, " So be it, O my brother ; there is no distinction between
me and thee and thy house is my house ; but since thou invitest
me, none refuseth hospitality save the churl." Then he turned to
Mansur and said to him, " Wilt thou go with me to thy brother
Nasir's house and we will eat of his feast and heal his heart ? "
Replied Mansur, " As thy head liveth, O my brother, I will not
go with thee, unless thou swear to me that, after thou comest
forth of brother* Nasir's house, thou wilt enter my house and eat
of my banquet ! Is Nasir thy brother and am not I thy brother ?
So, even as thou heartenest his heart, do thou hearten mine."
Answered Abdullah, " There is no harm in that : with love and
gladly gree ! When I come out from Nasir's house, I will enter
thine, for thou art my brother even as he." So he kissed his
hand and going forth of the Divan, made ready his feast. On the
morrow, Abdullah took horse and repaired, with his brother
Mansur and a company of his officers, to Nasir's house, where
they sat down, he and Mansur and his many. Then Nasir set
the trays before them and welcomed them'; so they ate and drank
and sat in mirth and merriment ; after which the trays and the
platters were removed and they washed their hands. They passed
the day in feasting and wine-drinking and diversion and delight
till night-fall, when they supped and prayed the sundown prayers,
and the night orisons ; after which they sat conversing and ca-
rousing, and Nasir and Mansur fell to telling stories whilst Ab-
dullah hearkened. Now they three were alone in the pavilion,

346 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

the rest of the company being in another place, and they ceased
not to tell quips and tales and rare adventures and anecdotes, till
Abdullah's heart was dissolved within him for watching and sleep

overcame him. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased saying her permitted say.

Nofo fofjen it foas tje jit'ne f^uirtrrefc an& lEtc$tg~mnt!) Nt'gftt,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Abdullah was a-wearied with watching and wanted to sleep, they
also lay beside him on another couch and waited till he was
drowned in slumber and when they were certified thereof they
arose and knelt upon him : whereupon he awoke and seeing them
kneeling on his breast, said to them, " What is this, O my
brothers ? " Cried they, " We are no brothers of thine, nor do
we know thee unmannerly that thou art ! Thy death is become
better than thy life." Then they gripped him by the throat and
throttled him, till he lost his senses and abode without motion ; so
that they deemed him dead. Now the pavilion wherein they were
overlooked the river ; so they cast him into the water ; but, when
he fell, Allah sent to his aid a dolphin1 who was accustomed to
come under that pavilion because the kitchen had a window that
gave upon the stream ; and, as often as they slaughtered any
beast there, it was their wont to throw the refuse into the river
and the dolphin came and picked it up from the surface of the
water ; wherefore he ever resorted to the place. That day they
had cast out much offal by reason of the banquet ; so the dolphin
ate more than of wont and gained strength. Hearing the splash
of Abdullah's fall, he hastened to the spot, where he saw a son of
Adam and Allah guided him so that he took the man on his back
and crossing the current made with him for the other bank, where
he cast his burthen ashore. Now the place where the dolphin
cast up Abdullah was a well- beaten highway, and presently up
came a caravan and finding him lying on the river bank, said,
J< Here is a drowned man, whom the river hath cast up ; " and the
travellers gathered around to gaze at the corpse. The Shaykh of
the caravan was a man of worth, skilled in all sciences and versed

1 Arab. < ' Darfil " =: the Gr. SeA^t's later Se\<£iV> suggesting that the writer had read
of Arion in Herodotus i. 23,

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 347

in the mystery of medicine and, withal, sound of judgment : so ;
he said to them, " O folk, what is the news ? " They answered,
" Here is a drowned man ; " whereupon he went up to Abdullah
and examining him, said to them, O folk, there is life yet in this"
young man, who is a person of condition and of the sons of
the great, bred in honour and fortune, and Inshallah there is
still hope of him." Then he took him and clothing him in dry
clothes warmed him before the fire ; after which he nursed him
and tended him three days' march till he revived ; but he was
passing feeble by reason of the shock, and the chief of the caravan
proceeded to medicine him with such simples as he knew, what
while they ceased not faring on till they had travelled thirty days'
journey from Bassorah and came to a city in the land of the
Persians, by name 'Auj.1 Here they alighted at a Khan and
spread Abdullah a bed, where he lay groaning all night and
troubling the folk with his groans. And when morning morrowed
the concierge of the Khan came to the chief of the caravan and
said to him, " What is this sick man thou hast with thee ? Verily,
he disturbeth us," Quoth the chief, " I found him by the way, on
the river-bank and well nrgh drowned ; and I have tended him,
but to no effect, for he recovereth not." Said the porter, " Show
him to the Shaykhah2 R^jihah." "Who is this Religious?"
asked the chief of the caravan, and the door-keeper answered,
" There is with us a holy woman, a clean maid and a comely,
called Rajihah, to whom they present whoso hath any ailment j
and he passeth a single night in her house and awaketh on the
morrow, whole and ailing nothing/* Quoth the chief, " Direct me
to her ; " and quoth the porter, " Take up thy sick man." So he
took up Abdullah and the doorkeeper forewent him, till he came
to a hermitage, where he saw folk entering with many an ex voto
offering and other folk coming forth, rejoicing. The porter went
in, till he came to the curtain,3 and said, " Permission, O Shaykhah

1 'Auj ; I can only suggest, with due diffidence, that this is intended for Kuch the
well-known Baloch city in Persian Carmania (Kirman) and meant by Richardson's
" Koch u buloch." But as the writer borrows so much from Al-Mas'udi it may possibly
be Auk in Sistan where stood the heretical city «' Shadrak," chapt. cxxii.

2 i.e. The excellent (or surpassing) Religious. Shaykhah, the fern, of Shaykh, is a
she-chief, even the head of the dancing-girls will be entitled " Shaykhah."

3 The curtain would screen her from the sight of men-invalids and probably hung
across the single room of the " Zawiyah " or hermit's cell. The curtain is noticed in the
tales of two other reverend women ; vols, iv. 15$ and v. 257.

34-8 A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Rajihah ! Take this sick man." Said she, " Bring him within
the curtain ; " and the porter said to Abdullah, " Enter." So he
entered and looking upon the holy woman, saw her to be his wife
whom he had brought from the City of Stone. And when he
knew her she also knew him and saluted him and he returned her
salam. Then said he, " Who brought thee hither ? "; and she
answered, " When I saw that thy brothers had cast thee away and
were contending concerning me, I threw myself into the sea ; but
my Shaykh Al-Khizr Abu al-'Abbds took me up and brought me
to this hermitage, where he gave me leave to heal the sick and
bade cry in the city : — Whoso hath any ailment, let him repair to
the Shaykhah Rajihah ; and he also said to me : — Tarry in this
hermitage till the time betide, and thy husband shall come to thee
here. So all the sick used to flock to me and I rubbed them and
shampoo'd them and they awoke on the morrow whole and
sound ; whereby the report of me became noised abroad among
the folk, and they brought me votive gifts, so that I have with me
abundant wealth. And now I live here in high honour and
(worship, and all the people of these parts seek my prayers."
Then she rubbed him and by the ordinance of Allah the Most
High, he became whole. Now Al-Khizr used to come to her
every Friday night, and it chanced that the day of Abdullah's
coming was a Thursday.1 Accordingly, when the night darkened
he and she sat, after a supper of the richest meats, awaiting the
coming of Al-Khizr, who made his appearance anon and carrying
them forth of the hermitage, set them down in Abdullah's palace
at Bassorah, where he left them and went his -way. As soon as it
was day, Abdullah examined the palace and knew it for his own ;
then, hearing the folk clamouring without, he looked forth of the
lattice and saw his brothers crucified, each on his own cross.
Now the reason of this was as ensueth. When they had thrown
him into the Tigris, the twain arose on the morrow, weeping and
saying, " Our brother ! the Jinniyah hath carried off our brother ! "
Then they made ready a present and sent it to the Caliph,
acquainting him with these, tidings and suing from him the
government of Bassorah. He sent for them and questioned them
and they told him the false tale we have recounted, whereupon he

1 Abdullah met his wife on Thursday, the night of which would amongst Moslems be
Friday night, .

Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. 349

was exceeding wroth.1 So that night he prayed a two-bow
prayer before daybreak, as of his wont, and called upon the tribes'
of the Jinn, who came before him subject-wise, and he questioned
them of Abdullah : when they sware to him that none of them had
done him aught of hurt and said, " We know not what is become
of him." Then came Sa'idah, daughter of the Red King, and
acquainted the Caliph with the truth of Abdullah's case, and he
dismissed the Jinn. On the morrow, he subjected Nasir and
Mansur to the bastinado till they confessed, one against other :
whereupon the Caliph was enraged with them and cried, " Carry
them to Bassorah and crucify them there before Abdullah's
palace." Such was their case ; but as regards Abdullah, when he
saw his brothers crucified, he commanded to bury them, then took
horse and repairing to Baghdad, acquainted the Caliph with that
which his brothers had done with him, from first to last and told
him how he had recovered his wife ; whereat Al-Rashid marvelled
and summoning the Kazi and the witnesses, bade draw up the
marriage-contract between Abdullah and the damsel whom he had
brought from the City of Stone. So he went in to her and woned
with her at Bassorah till there came to them the Destroyer of
Delights and the Severer of societies ; and extolled be the perfec-
tion of the Living, who dieth not ! Moreover, O auspicious King,
I have heard a tale anent

*.*. with Sa'idah.

END OF VOL. IX,

INDEX.

PAGE

ABA AL-KHAYR =r my good sir, etc. 54
Abu al-Lays (Pr. N.)= Father of

the Lion . . . .211
Abu Dalafal-Ijili(a soldier famed for

liberality and culture) . . 189
Abu Kfr:= Father of the Pitch (Abou

Kir) 134

Abu Sir (corruption of Pousiri =

Busiris 134

Abn Sirhdn = wolf . . . . 104
Acquittance of all possible claims ajfter

business transactions . . 285

Ad and Thairmd (pre-historic tribes) 174
Adab = scholarship . . .41
Adamf — an Adamite (opposed to

Jinn) 169

Adlm al-Zauk = lack-tact . . 206

Admiral (fishing for the King's table) 159

Adultery (son of = base born) . . 331

Af a = o0i? (a snake) 37
Ahd (A1-) wa al-Misak = oath and

covenant .... 327
Ahmad bin Abi Duwad (High Chan-
cellor to the Abbasides . . 244
" Aidance from Allah and victory are

near" 317

Akasirah = Chosroes-Kings . . 323

Akl al-Hishmah = eating decorously 337

,Akka •=. Acre ... . 19
Ala judi-k =: to thy generosity . 150 ; 208

Ala mahlak= at thy leisure . . 168
All will not be save well = it will be

the worse for him . . . 293
Allah (will make no way for the Infi-
dels over the True Believers) . 16

PAGE
Allah (I seek refuge with) . . 35

(he was jealous for Almighty) . 104

(I fear Him in respect of = I

am governed by Him in my
dealings with) . . .123

(pardon thee, showing that the

speaker does not believe in ano-
ther's tale) 154

(the Provider) . . . .166

— — (for the love of) . . .170

(Karim = God is bountiful) . 167

(grant thee grace = pardon

thee) .... .283

(yasturak = will veil thee) . 309

(sole Scient of the hidden things

be extolled) . . . .311
— (raised the heavens without

columns) 324

Almas •=. Gr. Adamas . . 325

Aloes (well appreciated in Eastern

medicine) ..... 100

(the finest used for making

Nadd) 150

'Amal ~ action, operation (applied
to drugs etc.) .... 2)54

Amm (Amen) = So it be ! . . TJl

Am ma laka au 'alayka = either to
thee (the gain) or upon thee (the
loss) il

Amr (Al ) = command, matter,

affair 67

Analphabetic Amirs . . .126

Angels (taking precedence in the

older of created beings) . • 81

Animals (have no fear of man) . . 181

352

A If Laylah wa Lay I ah.

Ants (a destructive power in tropic

climates) ..... 46

Anydb (pi. of Ndb) = grinder teeth . 140

A' rabrn dwellers in the Desert . 293
'Arish (AI-) frontier town between

Egypt and Palestine . . • 286
'Arfshah = arbour, etc. . . . 219
Arithmology (cumbrous in Arabic
for the lack of the higher nume-
rals) 123

Asarn: traces 255

A- Sharif anta = art thou a noble ? , 231

'Atsah rr sneezing . . . * 220

» Auj = Persian town Kiich (?) . , 347

Awak = pi. of Ukiyyah q.v. . . 216

'Awashik = hucklebones, cockles • 268

Az'ar shaving thin hair; tail-less . 18$
Azim (in the slang sense of " mighty

fine") 40

Aziz (A1-) al-Mizr = Magnifico of

Misraim . . . • .119

BAB=gate, etc. (sometimes for a

sepulchral cave) .... 286

Badlah Kunuziyah = treasure-suit . 331
Baghdad of Nullity (opposed to the

Ubiquity of the World) . . 13
Baha al-Dfn ibn Shadddd (Judge

Advocate General under Saladin) 23

Bahimah = black cattle . . 71

Bakhkharani = he incensed me . 238
Bakhshish (to make a bath-man's

mouth water) . . • 'IS1

Bartaut = Berthold .... 8

Basmalah= saying, Bismillah . . I

Batarikh = roe, spawn . . • 139
Bath (setting it a-working= turning

on the water) . . . . 149

Belle fourchette (greatly respected) . 219

Bilking (popular form of) . . 145
Bishr Barefoot (Sufi ascetic) . .21

Breslau edition quoted 33 ; 42 ; 59 ; 63 ;

156; 159; 169; 185; 187.
Brethren (for kinsfolk) ... 26
. (of trust and brethren of
society = friends and acquaint-
ances) .... r 75
Bunn = kind of cake » , 72
Buffalo = bceuf a 1'eau (?) . ? 181
Bulak ed. quoted ». . . , 185
Burning (a foretaste of Hell-fire) , 158

CALIPHS :—

Mu'tazid (At-) . 229

Mutawakkil (A1-) • « , 232

Mu'tasim (A1-) .... #.

Carelessness of the story-teller . . 4

Carpet (let him come to the King's

:rz before the King as referee) • I IO
Carpet-room == Thrcne-room . . 17,1
Citadel (contains the Palace) . , 102
"Cloth" (not "board" for playing

chess) 209

Clothing and decency . . ,182
Clout (hung over the door of a bath

shows that women are bathing) . 153
Coffee (mention of probably due to

the scribe) 141

(its mention shows a compara-
tively late date) .... 255
"Come to my arms, my slight

acquaintance" . . . .177
Conciseness (verging on obscurity) . 171
Confusion (universal in the unde-
veloped mind of man). . . 78
Contrast (artful, between squalor and

gorgeousness) . . . .170
Cousin (has a prior right to marry a

cousin) ..... 225
Cowardice of the Fellah (how to be

cured) 5

Craft (many names for, connected

with Arabic) . . . .138
Creation from nothing , . 77
Crescent of the breakfast-fSte . . 2$o
Cruelty (the mystery of explained
only by a Law without a Law-
giver) 37

Curtain (screens a reverend woman

from the sight of men-invalids) . 347

DAIRAH = circle, inclosure . . 287

(for a basin surrounded by

hills) 317

Dandan (monstrous fish) . .179
Darfil == dolphin '. 346
Dawa = medicine (for a depilatory) 155
Dawa"t = wooden ink-case with reed-
pens 122

Day (when wealth availeth not) . 1 6
— — (ye shall be saved from its

misery) 215

Dayyus =: pimp, wittol . « . 297

Index-.

353

Debts (of dead parents sacred to the

children) 311

Delicacy of the female skin . .321
Democracy of despotism ... 94
Devil (allowed to go about the world

and seduce mankind) ... 82
Diamond (its cutting of very ancient

date) 325

Diaphoresis (a sign of the abatement

of a disease) .... 146
Din al-a'raj = the perverted faith . n
Dinar = denarius (description of one) 294
Diwan (fanciful origin of the word) . 108
Don Juan quoted . . . .190
Drowning (a martyr's death) . .158
Dukhdn =: smoke (meaning tobacco

for the Chibouk) . . .156
Duldb = waterwheel ; buttery j cup-
board 306

Durbar of idols • . . . 325
Duwdmah == whirlpool ... 93

EGYPT (derivation of the name) . 286
Elliptical style of the Eastern story-
teller 160

Emirs (of the wild Arabs = Phylarchs) 322
Emma (hides her lover under her

cloak) 8

Epistasis without prostasis . . 240
Euphemistic speech . . 1805224

Euphuistio speech .... 43

Euthanasia and anaesthetics . . 90
"Eye of the needle" (for wicket -

door) . . . . . , 320
Eyes (no male has ever filled mine =

none has pleased me) . . . 222

FAK! R (the, and his jar of butter ;

congeners of the tale) ... 40
Farz (mentioned after Sunnah be-
cause jingling with Arz) . . 15
Faswan Salh al-Sibydn (Pr. N.) ==

Fizzler, Dung of Children . . 1 1
Faswah — susurrus . . . .291
Fatalism and predestination . . 45
Fate and Freewill . . .80

Fath (A1-) bin Khakan (boon com.

panion) ..... 245
Fatihah (pronounced to make an

agreement binding) * • .138
Fellah = peasant, husbandman » 40
VOL. IX*

Fellah chaff . . % . .152
Fingers (names of) , . . . 160
Finjan = egg-shell cup for coffee . 268
Firdaus = Paradise . . .214
Fire = Hell (home of suicides) . 25
' ' Forcible eateth feeble" . .179
Fore-arm (for proficiency) . . 306
Freedom (granted to a slave for the

sake of reward from Allah) . . 243
Fumigations (to exorcise demons,

etc.) 29

Furdt = Euphrates (derivation of the

name) 17

Futur = breakfast .... 307
Fuzayl bin 'lyjiz (Sufi ascetic) . . 21

GATE (of war opened) ... 9
Gates (of Heaven are open) . .221

(shut during Friday devotion) . 259

Ghalyun = galleon . . . .138
Ghazalah = gazelle (a slave-girl's

name) 209

Ghayb (A1-) = secret purpose j future 314
Ghaza-wood ..... 27
Ghull = iron collar . . . . 333
Ghuls (whose bellies none may fill

but Allah) 152

Ghurbah (A1-) Kurbah = " Travel is

Travail" 257

Gift (is foi him who. is present) . 225
Godiva (an Arabic of the wrong sort) 261
Good news, Inshallah = is all right

with thee ? . . . . • 224
Gourd (Ar. Hanzal) . . .165
Grammatical double entendre . . 272
Green garb (distinguishing mark of

Al-Khizr) 324

Guadalajara = Wady al-Khar (of

dung) .10

265

44
212

76
165

147

WA TABfsf == my love and
leach ......

Half mah = the mild, the gentle (fern.)
Halummu = draw near (plur.)
Hamadan (town in Persian Ir£k)
Hamld (fern. Hamidah) = praise

worthy, satisfactory ..

Hanzal = gourd . . .

Hardmi r= one who lives on unlawful

gains. » » * * ,

354

A If Laylah wa Laylak.

Harf al-Jarr == particle governing the
oblique case, mode of thrusting,

tumbling 272

Hark, you shall see . 14

Harun al-Rashid (as a poet) . . 17

!• (said to have prayed

every day a hundred bows) . . 339

Hashimi = descendant of Hashim . 24
Hattfn (battle of) . . . .19

Hawi = Serpent-charmer . . 56

Hazar Afsaneh (tales from the). . 32
Hind (A1-) al-Aksa" = Outer Hind

or India Il6

Honey (simile for the delights -of the

World) 64

House (the Holy of Allah = Ka'abah) 178

Hulwan al-miftah = denier a Dieu . 212
Huwayna (A1-) = now drawing near

and now moving away . . 250

iBLfs = diabolus ....
Ibn Hamdun (transmitter of poetry

and history) ....
Ibn 'Irs = weasel .
Ibrahim of Mosul ....
Irk = root, also sprig, twig .
Ishk 'uzri (in the sense of platonic

love)

Istahi 1= have some shame

Istita'ah rr ableness

( = freewill) . ,

den

300

229
114

3°4
251

250

255
80

83

JABABIRAH (pi. of Jabbar = giants . 109

( = conquerors) . . 323

Jabal = mountain (for mountainous

island) 315

Jah = high station, dignity . . 1 74
Jahabiz (pi. of Jahbaz) = acute, in-
telligent) 62

Jalalikah = Gallicians . . .156

Jandzir (for Zanajir) = chains . . 309
Jannat al-Khuld = the Eternal Gar-

214

Jawdsls (pi. of Jasiis) r= spies (for

secret police) . . . .13
Jilbab = gown . . . .290
Junayd al- Baghdad! (Sufi ascetic)

21

KABASA = he shampoo'd • . 213
Kddus (pi. Kawadis) = pot of a
•water- wheel . . ; . ,21

Kaff Shurayk = a single ' ' Bunn ' ' q.v. 1 72
Kahramanah = duenna etc. . .221
Kahwah (A1-) = coffee-house . . 256
Kallim al-Sultan (formula of sum-
moning) 224

Kamar al-Zamdn =r Moon of the

Age 247

Kanz = enchanted treasure « .320
Kaptdn = Captain . . , .139
Karah =. budget, large bag . * 216
Karkh (A1-), quarter of Baghdad . 313
Kasab (A1-) = acquisitiveness • . 80
Kasidahs (their conventionalism) . 250
Kasr = upper room . . . 283
Kaukab al-Salah = Star of the

morning 301

Kaun = being, existence . . 63
Khadim :=: eunuch .... 237

Khadiv (not Kedive), Prince . .119
Khafz al-Jinah = lowering trie wing

(demeaning oneself gently) . . 33
Khaliyah (pun on) . . . .291

Khara al-Sus = Weevil's dung . 10
Khatt Sharif = noble letter . . 309
Khayr wa'Afiyah = well and in good
ease ...... 94

Khinsir = little (or middle) finger . 160
Khitab = exordium . . .126
Khizanah (A1-) = treasury . . 22
Kidrah == pot, kettle, lamp-globe . 320
Killing (of an unfaithful wife com-
mended by public opinion) . . 297
Kimkhab =. brocade . . .221
Kitab al-Kaza = book of law-cases . 1 10
Koran quoted (ix. 33) . . . 15

(xxvi. 88, 89 ; iv. 140) . 16

(Ivii. 88) . . . -33

• Ixxxi. 40) . . . -59

(xii. 28) . . . .119

(xh 36 ; Ixvii. 14 ; Ixxiv. 39 ;

Ixxviii. 69; Ixxxviii. 17) . . 166

(cviii. 3) . . , 185

(xxiv.) . . . -316

(ex. I) . 317

(xxxvi. 55-58) ; '. . 322

(li. 18-19} . ". '1 . 324

Kundur = frankincense . • • J|
Kurdus = body of horse . . .in
Kutr Misr .= tract of Egypt , . 286

LA'ALLA = haply, belike ; forsure;

certainly . . . 49

Index.

355

1.4 baas = no harm is (yet) done . 102
La* rajma ghaybin n:- without stone-
throwing of secrecy ... I
L£ tankati'f = sever not thyself from

«s 245

Lait = one acting like the tribe of

Lot, sodomite .... 253
Lajlaj = rolling in the mouth, stam-
mering ..... 322
Lane quoted, 32 j 33 ; 146 ; 168 ; 170 ;
171 ; 182 ; 221 ; 222 ; 224 ; 226 ; 229 ;
^246; 291; 304; 307
Lavandiyah (A1-) •=. Levantines . 275
Laylat al-Kabilah = to-night . .271
Lazuward = Ultramarine . . 190
Legs (shall be bared on a certain day) 253
Lie (only degrading if told for fear of

telling the truth) ... 87

— (simulating truth) . . . 223

Lieu d'aisance (in Eastern crafts) . 332
Light (of salvation shining from the

face of Prophets) . . . 324

Lijam shadid = sharp bit . , 70

Loathing of prohibition . . . 279
Lot (this is ours = I have been

lucky and will share with you) . 328

Luluah = Union-pearl ; wild cow . 218
Luss = thief, robber . . .106
Lymph (alluding to the "Neptunist "

doctrine) 77

MA DAHIYATAK = What is thy mis-
fortune? . . . . . 137
Mahdi (A1-), Caliph . . .334
Ma kaharanf = none vexeth (or has

overcome) me .... 156
Maghrib (al-Aksa) = the land of the

setting sun .... 50

Mahall al-Zauk = seat of taste, sen-

sorium 83

Mahr •=. dowry (mode of its payment) 32
Maintenance (of a divorced woman

during 'Iddah) .... 32
Male children (as much praised as

riches) ..... 316
Malik (A1-) al-Nasir (Sultan Saladin) 19
Malocchio or Gettatura (evil eye) . 247
Man (created after God's likeness) . 79
— (I am one of them = never

mind my name) .... 238

(of the people of Allah = a

Religious) . . . • .. 51

Man (his wrong is from the tongue) 309

Mankind (superior to the Jinn) . . 339

Mansiir (Pr. N.) = triumphant . 310

Ma'rifah = article .... 272

Martyrdom of the drowned . . 340
Massacre (the grand moyen of Eastern

state-craft) i ro

Matarik (pi. of Mitrak) •=. targes . 225
Matta'aka 'llah = Allah permit thee

to enjoy -. 125

Maulid =, nativity .... 289
Mausul (A1-) =: the conjoined (for

relative pronoun or particle) . 272

Meniver z= menu vair (Mus lemmus) 312
Menstruous discharge (made use of!

as a poison) .... 101
Mer-folk (refined with the Greeks,

grotesques with other nations) . 169

Messiah (made a liar by miscreants) . 15
Mi'lakah = spoon . . . .141

Miracles (growing apace in the East). 336

Mishannah n: old gunny-bag . . 171

Miskal = about three penny weights 262
Mohammed (sent with the guidance

and True Faith) . . • 1$
Money (let lying with the folk = not

dunned for) . • . .311
Moon (taking in hand the star — girl

handing round the cups) . . 192
Moslem (on a journey, tries to bear

with him a new suit of clothes for

the festivals and Friday service). 51
• (bound to discharge the debts

of his dead parents) . . .311
— — (doctripe ignores the dictum

"ex nihilo nihil") ... 63
Moslems (deal kindly with religious

mendicants) . . . 51

(not ashamed of sensual

appetite) 84

- (bound to abate scandals
amongst neighbours) ... 98

(husbands among them divided

into three classes) . . . 263
Mourning (normal term of forty days) 311
Mubarak = blessed (a favourite slave-
name) 58

Mubarakah =r the blessed (fern.) . 330

Muharabah = doing battle . . 92

Mundzarah =: dispute . . . 243

Munazirah = like (fem.) • » ib.

Munkar and Nakir . ., ^ • 163

356

A If Laylah wa Laylah.

Musafahah =r joining hands . . 342

Music (forbidden by Mohammed) . 31

Musta'fn bi 'llah (Caliph) . . 246

Mu'tasim (Al-)bi' llah (Caliph) . 232

Mu'tawakkil (A1-) 'ala 'llah (Caliph) ib

Mu'tazid (A1-) bi Mlah (Caliph). . 229

Mu'tazz (A1-) bi 'llah (Caliph) . .242

Muunah — provender . « . 104

NAB! = prophet . * . .178
Nafakah = sum necessary for the ex-
penses of pilgrimage . . .178
Naivete (of the Horatian kind) . 215
Najis = ceremonially impure . « 337
Nakisa"tu 'aklin wa din = failing in

wit and faith • . • • 298
Nakkar = Pecker (a fabulous fish) . 184
Names (approved by Allah) . .165
Napoleonic pose (attitude assumed by

a slave) . . . . 320

Nasik ;= a devotee .... 40
Nasir (Pr. N.) = triumphing . .310
Naysabur (town in Khorasan) . . 230
Nemo repente fuit turpissimus (not

believed in by Easterns) . 91

Nilah = indigo, dye-stuff . . 144
Hew moon of the Festival = Crescent

of the breakfast . . 249 J 250

Nimr = leopard .... 63
Nfyah (A1-) = ceremonial intention

of prayer 254

Nukl = quatre mendiants, dessert 177; 213
Nusf = half-dirham . . 139 ; 167
Nusk = piety, abstinence from women 243

"OFF-WITH-HIS-HEAD" style (not

to be taken literally) . . .308
Omar-i-Khayyam (astronomer-poet) 230
Othello (even he does not kill Emilia) 300

PARADISE (of the Moslem not wholly

sensual) ..... 322
Parent (ticklish on the Pundonor) . 288
Pay-chest (of a Hamma'm-bath) . 152
Payne quoted, 22 ; 28 ; 79 ; 84 ; 86 ; 89 ;

171; 212; 224, 226; 227; 250; 251 ;

265 ; 268 ; 282 ; 290

Pearls (resting on the sand-bank) . 164
People of His affection = those who

deserve His love. . * . 82

Persians (delighting in practical

jokes) ..... 177
Petrified folk ..... 318
Pilgrimage quoted

- (i. 9) • • • • • 50

- (i. 235) .... 51

- (iii. 66) . . . .81

- (i. 20) ..... 165

- (ii. 285-287) ... 175

- (iii. 224, 256) . , .178

- (i. 99) ..... 262

- (ii.48) .... 307

Pilgrims (offcast of the =? a broken

down pilgrim left to die on the

road) ......

Poisons in the East ....

Policeman (called in, a severe punish-

ment in the East) . . .
Poltroon (contrasted with a female

tiger lamb) .....
Potter (simile of the) ...
Power (whoso has it and spareth for

Allah's reward he prepareth) .
Praying against (polite form of curs-

ing) ......

Presence (I am in thy = thy slave to

slay or pardon) . . . .
Price (without abatement =: without

abstra'cting a large bakhshish) .
— — - (shall remain) ....
Priest hidden within an image (may

date from the days of Memnon) .
Prince (of a people is their servant) .
Prison (in the King's Palace) . .

290
101

137

224
77

340
293
124

152
262

324
99
52

Pun . . , . . 278; 287

QUESTION (expressing emphatic as-
sertion) . . . . » 182

RAHAN =r pledge . . . .311
Rank (thine is with me such as them
couldst wish = I esteem thee as
thou deservest) . • . 41
(conferred by a Sovereign's ad-
dressing a person with a title) . 119
Ras al-Killaut = head of Killaut (a

son of the sons of the Jinn) . 8
Ridding the sea of its rubbish . » 169
River (the, = Tigris-Euphrates) v, 313

Index.

357

Robbing (to keep life *nd body to-

gether an acceptable plea) . .13?

Rtih = spirit, breath of life . . 67

. . . .168

327
1 1 1
226
278
310
22

330

SA'ADAH = worldly prosperity and
future happiness ....

Sabaka =. he outraced . . .

Sabiyah •=. young lady . . .

Sabr = patience ; aloes (pun on) •

Safinah — (Noah's) Ark . . '.

Sahil (A1-) = the coast (Phoenicia) .

Sahm mush'ab = forked (not barbed)
arrow . . * . .

Sa'idah = the auspicious (fem) .

Saki and Sakf ..... 253
Sakin = quiescent (applied to a

closing wound) . . -255

Sakiyah = water-wheel . . .218
Sa'lab = fox . . . .48; 103
Salihiyah = the Holy (name of a

town) ..... 287
Sallah = basket of wickerwork . 56
Salutation (from a rider to a man on

foot and from the latter to one

sitting) ..... I
Saluting after prayer . V ; 254
Samn = clarified butter ... 39
Sanajik = banners, ensigns, &c. . 290
Sand (knowing from the=geomancy) 117
Sarawfl = bag-trousers (plural or

singular). , 225

Sardab = souterrain . . .241
— - — (tunnel) . . . .274
Sari al-Sakatf (Sufi ascetic) . . 21
Sawahili = shore-men . . -22
Sayih = wanderer (not " pilgrim ") . 51
Scoundrels (described with superior

glee) . ..... 135

Sea (striking out sparks) . . . 314
Seclusion (royal, and its conse-

quences) . . . . «9i
Secrets of workmanship (withheld

from Apprentices) . . . 263
Seeing sweetness of speech = finding

it out in converse ... 14
Sha'r = hair of the body, pile . 157

Shaving (process of) . . . 139
Shaykh (after the type of Abu Nowas) 25 1

- (for syndic of a Guild) . . 260

- (al- Islam r= chief of the
Oleraa) ^ . . .289

Shaykhah Rajihah = the excellent

Religious ..... 347

Shiraj = sesame oi) ... 184

Shop (front-shelf of, a seat for visitors) 262
Shuja' al-Din (Pr. N.) = the Brave

of the Faith) . . . .18

Shukkah = piece of cloth . , 236
Sidillah — seats, furniture . .190

Signs (language of ) . . . . 269

Silah = conjunctive sentence ; coition 272

Sin (permitted that man might repent) 83

(thy shall be on thine own neck) 211

Singing (not haram = sinful, but

makruh = objectionable) . . 245

Sirah = minnow, sprat . . . 166
Skin (free from exudation sounds

louder under the clapping of the

hand) 150

(extreme delicacy of the female) 321

Slave-girl (free, not forward in her

address) 268

(lewd and treacherous by birth) 280

(to be sent as a spy into the

Hartms) ..... 292

Sneezing (etiquette of) . . . 220

Sons (brought as servants unto Kings) 43

" Soul " (for lover) .... 25
Spider-web frailest of houses

(Koranic) $9

Spiritualism (the religion of the nine-
teenth century) .... 86
Spoon (Ar. Mi'lakah) . . .141
Steward (pendent to the parable of

the unjust) ..... 66
Style (intended to be worthy of a

statesman) 42

Su'ban = dragon t . 277
Submission (Ar. Khafz al-Jinah =

lowering the wings) ... 74
Sufrah ==: cloth or leather upon which

food is placed . . . .141

Sunan (used for Rasm = usage, customs) 74

Suri'tu — I was possessed of a Jinn . 27
Suwan = Syenite . * . .316
Suways (Suez) = little weevil, or

" little Sus" .... 10

Swevens (an they but prove true) . 284

TAAKH! R = acting with deliberation 328

Ta'alik = hanging lamps . . 320
Tail (wagging of, a sign of anger with

felidae) •_ • 72

358

A If Laylah wa Laylak.

Taj Kisrawf r= Chosroan crown , 319
Tajir Alfl = a merchant worth a

thousand (left indefinite) . .313
Takhmish = tearing the face in grief 190
Taksfm = distribution, analysis . 77
Tanwi'n al-IzaYah = the nunnation

in construction .... 272

Tarikah = musical mode, modula-
tion ...... 27

Taubah (Bi al-) = by means or on

account of penitence ... 83
Thongs (of the waterskins cut, prepa-
ratory to departure) . . . 302
Three hundred and three score rooms
= one for each day of the Mos-
lem year ..... 61

Three things (not to be praised before

death) 39

Threshold (marble one in sign of

honour) ..... 238
Tibn = bruised straw . . . 1 06
Timbak (Tumbak) = stronger variety

of Tobacco) . . . .136
Time (distribution of ) . . 71

Title (used by a Sovereign in ad-
dressing a person confers the

rank) 119

Tobacco (its mention inserted by

some scribe) .... 136
Too much for him (to come by law-
fully) 174

Torrens quoted . ... 278

Toutes putes 298

Trafalgar =r Taraf al-Gharb (edge of

the West) 50

Translators (should be "bould") . 224
Treasure (resembling one from which

the talismans have been loosed) . 287
Trebutien quoted ... 33, 63

Tribe (the misfortune of one fortuneth

another) ..... 342
Truth (told so as to be more deceptive

than a lie) 223

Tuning (peculiar fashion of Arab

musicians with regard to it) . . 27
Turbands (inclining from the head-
tops) 221

Turkey (Future of ) . . . 94

Turks (forming the body-guard of the

Abbasides ..... 245
Tuwuffiya = he was received (into

the grace of God) , . . 54

UBULLAH (canal leading from Bas-

sorah to Ubullah-town) . , 31
Udm=" kitchen". . . .213
Uka"b al-Kdsir = the breaker eagle . 69
tJkiyyah (pi. Awdk) = ounce . .216
Umm al-banat wa'1-banfn = mother

of daughters and sons . . . 1 75
Umm al-Su'ud (Pr. N.) = Mother of

Prosperities .... 173
'Umma"! (pi. of 'Amil = governor) . 26

"Unbernfen" 180

'Unndbi = between dark yellow and

red (jujube-colour) . . . 143
' Urb = Arabs of pure race . . 293
Usul = forbears, ancestors . . 246

VEILING her honour = saving her

from being ravished . . . 330

" Vigilance Committees " (for abating

scandals) 98

Visit (confers a blessing in polite

parlance) 185

Visits (should not be over-frequent) . 273

WA = and (introducing a parenthetic

speech) . . . . . 282

Walhan (A1-), noPr.N. . . . 6

Wall 'ahd =: heir presumptive . 87

Wartah =r precipice, quagmire, etc. . 81
Wdsit = middle .(town of Irak

'Arabi) 26

Weal (I see naught but) . . .180
Weeping (over dead friends) . .187
Wicket (small doorway at the side of

a gate) 320

Wife (contrast between vicious servile

and virtuous of noble birth) . 302

Wird (Pers.) = pupil, disciple . 61
Wittol (pictured with driest Arab

humour) ..... 269

Women (to be respected by the King) 73

("great is their malice ") . 119

(a case of hard lines for

them) 134

— (their marrying a second

time reckoned disgraceful) . . 246

(the sin lieth with them) . 297

(fail in wit and faith) . 298

(practically only two ways

of treating them) . . . 303
(delicacy of their skin) . 321

Index.

Womankind (seven ages of) . .175

Word (the creative "Kun") , . 78

YA ABATI = O dear father mine ! . 88

— ahmak =. O fool ! . . .271

— bunayyf r= O dear my son ! . 79

— fulan zr O certain person ! . 324

— fulanah = O certain person! (fem.) 270

— j6hil =: O ignorant ! . . 52

— maulaya rr O my lord f . . 228
Yastaghibiinf = they take advantage

of my absence . 224

Yathrib (old name of AI-Medinah) . 177

Yes, Yes and No, No 'jrifles . . 250

ZAFFfj = they conducted her (in the

sense of " they displayed her ") . 245
Zaura (A1-) r= the bow (name of

Baghdad) . . . . . IJ
Zaynab and Zayd (generic names for

women and men) . » . 250
Zi'ah = village, hamlet, farm , 27

Zirt = crepitus ventris . . . 291
Ziyarah = visiting the Prophet

('s tomb) 178

Zukhruf = glitter, tinsel ... 86
Zur ghibban tazid hubban = call

rarely that friendship last fairly . 273

om II

Trinity Collet
Toront'o

Irculation and Reference Sendees
978-5851

DEC 1 0 1997
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