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The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 10

R >> Richard F. Burton >> The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 10




And when he ended his verses, he wept with sore weeping, for
indeed the ways were walled up before his face and death seemed
to him better than dreeing life, and he walked on like a drunken
man for stress of distraction, and stayed not till noontide, when
he came to a little town and saw a plougher hard by, ploughing
with a yoke of bulls. Now hunger was sore upon him; and he went
up to the ploughman and said to him, "Peace be with thee!"; and
he returned his salam and said to him, "Welcome, O my lord! Art
thou one of the Sultan's Mamelukes?" Quoth Ma'aruf, "Yes;" and
the other said "Alight with me for a guest-meal." Whereupon
Ma'aruf knew him to be of the liberal and said to him, "O my
brother, I see with thee naught with which thou mayst feed me:
how is it, then, that thou invitest me?" Answered the husbandman,
"O my lord, weal is well nigh.[FN#62] Dismount thee here: the
town is near hand and I will go and fetch thee dinner and fodder
for thy stallion." Rejoined Ma'aruf, "Since the town is near at
hand, I can go thither as quickly as thou canst and buy me what I
have a mind to in the bazar and eat." The peasant replied, "O my
lord, the place is but a little village[FN#63] and there is no
bazar there, neither selling nor buying. So I conjure thee by
Allah, alight here with me and hearten my heart, and I will run
thither and return to thee in haste." Accordingly lie dismounted
and the Fellah left him and went off to the village, to fetch
dinner for him whilst Ma'aruf sat awaiting him. Presently he said
in himself, "I have taken this poor man away from his work; but I
will arise and plough in his stead, till he come back, to make up
for having hindered him from his work.[FN#64]" Then he took the
plough and starting the bulls, ploughed a little, till the share
struck against something and the beasts stopped. He goaded them
on, but they could not move the plough; so he looked at the share
and finding it caught in a ring of gold, cleared away the soil
and saw that it was set centre-most a slab of alabaster, the size
of the nether millstone. He strave at the stone till he pulled it
from its place, when there appeared beneath it a souterrain with
a stair. Presently he descended the flight of steps and came to a
place like a Hammam, with four daises, the first full of gold,
from floor to roof, the second full of emeralds and pearls and
coral also from ground to ceiling; the third of jacinths and
rubies and turquoises and the fourth of diamonds and all manner
other preciousest stones. At the upper end of the place stood a
coffer of clearest crystal, full of union-gems each the size of a
walnut, and upon the coffer lay a casket of gold, the bigness of
a lemon. When he saw this, he marvelled and rejoiced with joy
exceeding and said to himself, "I wonder what is in this casket?"
So he opened it and found therein a seal-ring of gold, whereon
were graven names and talismans, as they were the tracks of
creeping ants. He rubbed the ring and behold, a voice said,
"Adsum! Here am I, at thy service, O my lord! Ask and it shall be
given unto thee. Wilt thou raise a city or ruin a capital or kill
a king or dig a river-channel or aught of the kind? Whatso thou
seekest, it shall come to pass, by leave of the King of
All-might, Creator of day and night." Ma'aruf asked, "O creature
of my lord, who and what art thou?"; and the other answered, "I
am the slave of this seal-ring standing in the service of him who
possesseth it. Whatsoever he seeketh, that I accomplish for him,
and I have no excuse in neglecting that he biddeth me do; because
I am Sultan over two-and-seventy tribes of the Jinn, each
two-and-seventy thousand in number every one of which thousand
ruleth over a thousand Marids, each Marid over a thousand Ifrits,
each Ifrit over a thousand Satans and each Satan over a thousand
Jinn: and they are all under command of me and may not gainsay
me. As for me, I am spelled to this seal-ring and may not thwart
whoso holdeth it. Lo! thou hast gotten hold of it and I am become
thy slave; so ask what thou wilt, for I hearken to thy word and
obey thy bidding; and if thou have need of me at any time, by
land or by sea rub the signet-ring and thou wilt find me with
thee. But beware of rubbing it twice in succession, or thou wilt
consume me with the fire of the names graven thereon; and thus
wouldst thou lose me and after regret me. Now I have acquainted
thee with my case and--the Peace!"--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Nine Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the Slave of the Signet-ring acquainted Ma'aruf with his case,
the Merchant asked him, "What is thy name?" and the Jinni
answered, "My name is Abu al-Sa'adat.[FN#65]" Quoth Ma'aruf, "O
Abu al-Sa'adat what is this place and who enchanted thee in this
casket?"; and quoth he, "O my lord, this is a treasure called the
Hoard of Shaddad son of Ad, him who the base of 'Many-columned
Iram laid, the like of which in the lands was never made.[FN#66]'
I was his slave in his lifetime and this is his seal-ring, which
he laid up in his treasure; but it hath fallen to thy lot."
Ma'aruf enquired, "Canst thou transport that which is in this
hoard to the surface of the earth?"; and the Jinni replied, "Yes!
Nothing were easier." Said Ma'aruf, "Bring it forth and leave
naught." So the Jinni signed with his hand to the ground, which
clave asunder, and he sank and was absent a little while.
Presently, there came forth young boys full of grace, and fair of
face bearing golden baskets filled with gold which they emptied
out and going away, returned with more; nor did they cease to
transport the gold and jewels, till ere an hour had sped they
said, "Naught is left in the hoard." Thereupon out came Abu
al-Sa'adat and said to Ma'aruf, "O my lord, thou seest that we
have brought forth all that was in the hoard." Ma'aruf asked,
"Who be these beautiful boys?" and the Jinni answered, "They are
my sons. This matter merited not that I should muster for it the
Marids, wherefore my sons have done thy desire and are honoured
by such service. So ask what thou wilt beside this." Quoth
Ma'aruf, "Canst thou bring me he-mules and chests and fill the
chests with the treasure and load them on the mules?" Quoth Abu
al-Sa'adat, "Nothing easier," and cried a great cry; whereupon
his sons presented themselves before him, to the number of eight
hundred, and he said to them, "Let some of you take the semblance
of he-mules and others of muleteers and handsome Mamelukes, the
like of the least of whom is not found with any of the Kings; and
others of you be transmewed to muleteers, and the rest to
menials." So seven hundred of them changed themselves into
bat-mules and other hundred took the shape of slaves. Then Abu
al-Sa'adat called upon his Marids, who presented themselves
between his hands and he commanded some of them to assume the
aspect of horses saddled with saddles of gold crusted with
jewels. And when Ma'aruf saw them do as he bade he cried, "Where
be the chests?" They brought them before him and he said, "Pack
the gold and the stones, each sort by itself." So they packed
them and loaded three hundred he-mules with them. Then asked
Ma'aruf, "O Abu al-Sa'adat, canst thou bring me some loads of
costly stuffs?"; and the Jinni answered, "Wilt thou have Egyptian
stuffs or Syrian or Persian or Indian or Greek?" Ma'aruf said,
"Bring me an hundred loads of each kind, on five hundred mules;"
and Abu al-Sa'adat, "O my lord accord me delay that I may dispose
my Marids for this and send a company of them to each country to
fetch an hundred loads of its stuffs and then take the form of
he-mules and return, carrying the stuffs." Ma'aruf enquired,
"What time dost thou want?"; and Abu al-Sa'adat replied, "The
time of the blackness of the night, and day shall not dawn ere
thou have all thou desirest." Said Ma'aruf, "I grant thee this
time," and bade them pitch him a pavilion. So they pitched it and
he sat down therein and they brought him a table of food. Then
said Abu al-Sa'adat to him, "O my lord, tarry thou in this tent
and these my sons shall guard thee: so fear thou nothing; for I
go to muster my Marids and despatch them to do thy desire." So
saying, he departed, leaving Ma'aruf seated in the pavilion, with
the table before him and the Jinni's sons attending upon him, in
the guise of slaves and servants and suite. And while he sat in
this state behold, up came the husband man, with a great
porringer of lentils[FN#67] and a nose-bag full of barley and
seeing the pavilion pitched and the Mamelukes standing, hands
upon breasts, thought that the Sultan was come and had halted on
that stead. So he stood openmouthed and said in himself, "Would I
had killed a couple of chickens and fried them red with clarified
cow-butter for the Sultan!" And he would have turned back to kill
the chickens as a regale for the Sultan; but Ma'aruf saw him and
cried out to him and said to the Mamelukes, "Bring him hither."
So they brought him and his porringer of lentils before Ma'aruf,
who said to him, "What is this?" Said the peasant, "This is thy
dinner and thy horse's fodder! Excuse me, for I thought not that
the Sultan would come hither; and, had I known that, I would have
killed a couple of chickens and entertained him in goodly guise."
Quoth Ma'aruf, "The Sultan is not come. I am his son-in-law and I
was vexed with him. However he hath sent his officers to make his
peace with me, and now I am minded to return to city. But thou
hast made me this guest-meal without knowing me, and I accept it
from thee, lentils though it be, and will not eat save of thy
cheer." Accordingly he bade him set the porringer amiddlemost the
table and ate of it his sufficiency, whilst the Fellah filled his
belly with those rich meats. Then Ma'aruf washed his hands and
gave the Mamelukes leave to eat; so they fell upon the remains of
the meal and ate; and, when the porringer was empty, he filled it
with gold and gave it to the peasant, saying, "Carry this to thy
dwelling and come to me in the city, and I will entreat thee with
honour." Thereupon the peasant took the porringer full of gold
and returned to the village, driving the bulls before him and
deeming himself akin to the King. Meanwhile, they brought Ma'aruf
girls of the Brides of the Treasure,[FN#68] who smote on
instruments of music and danced before him, and he passed that
night in joyance and delight, a night not to be reckoned among
lives. Hardly had dawned the day when there arose a great cloud
of dust which presently lifting, discovered seven hundred mules
laden with stuffs and attended by muleteers and baggage-tenders
and cresset-bearers. With them came Abu al-Sa'adat, riding on a
she-mule, in the guise of a caravan-leader, and before him was a
travelling-litter, with four corner-terminals[FN#69] of
glittering red gold, set with gems. When Abu al-Sa'adat came up
to the tent, he dismounted and kissing the earth, said to
Ma'aruf, "O my lord, thy desire hath been done to the uttermost
and in the litter is a treasure-suit which hath not its match
among Kings' raiment: so don it and mount the litter and bid us
do what thou wilt." Quoth Ma'aruf, "O Abu al-Sa'adat, I wish thee
to go to the city of Ikhtiyan al-Khatan and present thyself to my
father-in-law the King; and go thou not in to him but in the
guise of a mortal courier;" and quoth he, "To hear is to obey."
So Ma'aruf wrote a letter to the Sultan and sealed it and Abu
al-Sa'adat took it and set out with it; and when he arrived, he
found the King saying, "O Wazir, indeed my heart is concerned for
my son-in-law and I fear lest the Arabs slay him. Would Heaven I
wot whither he was bound, that I might have followed him with the
troops! Would he had told me his destination!" Said the Wazir,
"Allah be merciful to thee for this thy heedlessness! As thy head
liveth, the wight saw that we were awake to him and feared
dishonour and fled, for he is nothing but an impostor, a liar."
And behold, at this moment in came the courier and kissing ground
before the King, wished him permanent glory and prosperity and
length of life. Asked the King, "Who art thou and what is thy
business?" "I am a courier," answered the Jinni, "and thy
son-in-law who is come with the baggage sendeth me to thee with a
letter, and here it is!" So he took the letter and read therein
these words, "After salutations galore to our uncle[FN#70] the
glorious King! Know that I am at hand with the baggage-train: so
come thou forth to meet me with the troops." Cried the King,
"Allah blacken thy brow, O Wazir! How often wilt thou defame my
son-in-law's name and call him liar and impostor? Behold, he is
come with the baggage-train and thou art naught but a traitor."
The Minister hung his head ground-wards in shame and confusion
and replied, "O King of the age, I said not this save because of
the long delay of the baggage and because I feared the loss of
the wealth he hath wasted." The King exclaimed, "O traitor, what
are my riches! Now that his baggage is come he will give me great
plenty in their stead." Then he bade decorate the city and going
in to his daughter, said to her, "Good news for thee! Thy husband
will be here anon with his baggage; for he hath sent me a letter
to that effect and here am I now going forth to meet him." The
Princess Dunya marvelled at this and said in herself, "This is a
wondrous thing! Was he laughing at me and making mock of me, or
had he a mind to try me, when he told me that he was a pauper?
But Alhamdolillah, Glory to God, for that I failed not of my duty
to him!" On this wise fared it in the palace; but as regards
Merchant Ali, the Cairene, when he saw the decoration of the city
and asked the cause thereof, they said to him, "The baggage-train
of Merchant Ma'aruf, the King's son-in-law, is come." Said he,
"Allah is Almighty! What a calamity is this man![FN#71] He came
to me, fleeing from his wife, and he was a poor man. Whence then
should he get a baggage-train? But haply this is a device which
the King's daughter hath contrived for him, fearing his disgrace,
and Kings are not unable to do anything. May Allah the Most High
veil his fame and not bring him to public shame!"--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Nine Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Merchant Ali asked the cause of the decorations, they told him
the truth of the case; so he blessed Merchant Ma'aruf and cried,
"May Allah Almighty veil his fame and not bring him to public
shame!" And all the merchants rejoiced and were glad for that
they would get their monies. Then the King assembled his troops
and rode forth, whilst Abu al-Sa'adat returned to Ma'aruf and
acquainted him with the delivering of the letter. Quoth Ma'aruf,
"Bind on the loads;" and when they had done so, he donned the
treasure-suit and mounting the litter became a thousand times
greater and more majestic than the King. Then he set forward;
but, when he had gone half-way, behold, the King met him with the
troops, and seeing him riding in the Takhtrawan and clad in the
dress aforesaid, threw himself upon him and saluted him, and
giving him joy of his safety, greeted him with the greeting of
peace. Then all the Lords of the land saluted him and it was made
manifest that he had spoken the truth and that in him there was
no lie. Presently he entered the city in such state procession as
would have caused the gall-bladder of the lion to burst[FN#72]
for envy and the traders pressed up to him and kissed his hands,
whilst Merchant Ali said to him, "Thou hast played off this trick
and it hath prospered to thy hand, O Shaykh of Impostors! But
thou deservest it and may Allah the Most High increase thee of
His bounty!"; whereupon Ma'aruf laughed. Then he entered the
palace and sitting down on the throne said, "Carry the loads of
gold into the treasury of my uncle the King and bring me the
bales of cloth." So they brought them to him and opened them
before him, bale after bale, till they had unpacked the seven
hundred loads, whereof he chose out the best and said, "Bear
these to Princess Dunya that she may distribute them among her
slavegirls; and carry her also this coffer of jewels, that she
may divide them among her handmaids and eunuchs." Then he
proceeded to make over to the merchants in whose debt he was
stuffs by way of payment for their arrears, giving him whose due
was a thousand, stuffs worth two thousand or more; after which he
fell to distributing to the poor and needy, whilst the King
looked on with greedy eyes and could not hinder him; nor did he
cease largesse till he had made an end of the seven hundred
loads, when he turned to the troops and proceeded to apportion
amongst them emeralds and rubies and pearls and coral and other
jewels by handsful, without count, till the King said to him,
"Enough of this giving, O my son! There is but little left of the
baggage." But he said, "I have plenty." Then indeed, his good
faith was become manifest and none could give him the lie; and he
had come to reck not of giving, for that the Slave of the
Seal-ring brought him whatsoever he sought. Presently, the
treasurer came in to the King and said, "O King of the age, the
treasury is full indeed and will not hold the rest of the loads.
Where shall we lay that which is left of the gold and jewels?"
And he assigned to him another place. As for the Princess Dunya
when she saw this, her joy redoubled and she marvelled and said
in herself, "Would I wot how came he by all this wealth!" In like
manner the traders rejoiced in that which he had given them and
blessed him; whilst Merchant Ali marvelled and said to himself,
"I wonder how he hath lied and swindled, that he hath gotten him
all these treasures[FN#73]? Had they come from the King's
daughter, he had not wasted them on this wise! But how excellent
is his saying who said:--

When the Kings' King giveth, in reverence pause * And venture not
to enquire the cause:
Allah gives His gifts unto whom He will, * So respect and abide
by His Holy Laws!"

So far concerning him; but as regards the King, he also marvelled
with passing marvel at that which he saw of Ma'aruf's generosity
and open-handedness in the largesse of wealth. Then the Merchant
went in to his wife, who met him, smiling and laughing-lipped and
kissed his hand, saying, "Didst thou mock me or hadst thou a mind
to prove me with thy saying:--I am a poor man and a fugitive from
my wife? Praised be Allah for that I failed not of my duty to
thee! For thou art my beloved and there is none dearer to me than
thou, whether thou be rich or poor. But I would have thee tell me
what didst thou design by these words." Said Ma'aruf, "I wished
to prove thee and see whether thy love were sincere or for the
sake of wealth and the greed of worldly good. But now 'tis become
manifest to me that thine affection is sincere and as thou art a
true woman, so welcome to thee! I know thy worth." Then he went
apart into a place by himself and rubbed the seal-ring, whereupon
Abu al-Sa'adat presented himself and said to him, "Adsum, at thy
service! Ask what thou wilt." Quoth Ma'aruf, "I want a
treasure-suit and treasure-trinkets for my wife, including a
necklace of forty unique jewels." Quoth the Jinni, "To hear is to
obey," and brought him what he sought, whereupon Ma'aruf
dismissed him and carrying the dress and ornaments in to his
wife, laid them before her and said, "Take these and put them on
and welcome!" When she saw this, her wits fled for joy, and she
found among the ornaments a pair of anklets of gold set with
jewels of the handiwork of the magicians, and bracelets and
earrings and a belt[FN#74] such as no money could buy. So she
donned the dress and ornaments and said to Ma'aruf, "O my lord, I
will treasure these up for holidays and festivals." But he
answered, "Wear them always, for I have others in plenty." And
when she put them on and her women beheld her, they rejoiced and
bussed his hands. Then he left them and going apart by himself,
rubbed the seal-ring whereupon its slave appeared and he said to
him, "Bring me an hundred suits of apparel, with their ornaments
of gold." "Hearing and obeying," answered Abu al-Sa'adat and
brought him the hundred suits, each with its ornaments wrapped up
within it. Ma'aruf took them and called aloud to the slave-girls,
who came to him and he gave them each a suit: so they donned them
and became like the black-eyed girls of Paradise, whilst the
Princess Dunya shone amongst them as the moon among the stars.
One of the handmaids told the King of this and he came in to his
daughter and saw her and her women dazzling all who beheld them;
whereat he wondered with passing wonderment. Then he went out and
calling his Wazir, said to him, "O Wazir, such and such things
have happened; what sayst thou now of this affair?" Said he, "O
King of the age, this be no merchant's fashion; for a merchant
keepeth a piece of linen by him for years and selleth it not but
at a profit. How should a merchant have generosity such as this
generosity, and whence should he get the like of these monies and
jewels, of which but a slight matter is found with the Kings? So
how should loads thereof be found with merchants? Needs must
there be a cause for this; but, an thou wilt hearken to me, I
will make the truth of the case manifest to thee." Answered the
King, "O Wazir, I will do thy bidding." Rejoined the Minister,
"Do thou foregather with thy son-in-law and make a show of affect
to him and talk with him and say:--O my son-in-law, I have a mind
to go, I and thou and the Wazir but no more, to a flower-garden
that we may take our pleasure there. When we come to the garden,
we will set on the table wine, and I will ply him therewith and
compel him to drink; for, when he shall have drunken, he will
lose his reason and his judgment will forsake him. Then we will
question him of the truth of his case and he will discover to us
his secrets, for wine is a traitor and Allah-gifted is he who
said:--

When we drank the wine, and it crept its way * To the place of
Secrets, I cried, "O stay!"
In my fear lest its influence stint my wits * And my friends spy
matters that hidden lay.

When he hath told us the truth we shall ken his case and may deal
with him as we will; because I fear for thee the consequences of
this his present fashion: haply he will covet the kingship and
win over the troops by generosity and lavishing money and so
depose thee and take the kingdom from thee." "True," answered the
King.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.

When it was the Nine Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Wazir devised this device the King said to him, "Thou hast spoken
sooth!"; and they passed the night on this agreement. And when
morning morrowed the King went forth and sat in the
guest-chamber, when lo, and behold! the grooms and serving-men
came in to him in dismay. Quoth he, "What hath befallen you?";
and quoth they, "O King of the age, the Syces curried the horses
and foddered them and the he-mules which brought the baggage;
but, when we arose in the morning, we found that thy son-in-law's
Mamelukes had stolen the horses and mules. We searched the
stables, but found neither horse nor mule; so we entered the
lodging of the Mamelukes and found none there, nor know we how
they fled." The King marvelled at this, unknowing that the horses
and Mamelukes were all Ifrits, the subjects of the Slave of the
Spell, and asked the grooms, "O accursed how could a thousand
beasts and five hundred slaves and servants flee without your
knowledge?" Answered they, "We know not how it happened," and he
cried, "Go, and when your lord cometh forth of the Harim, tell
him the case." So they went out from before the King and sat down
bewildered, till Ma'aruf came out and, seeing them chagrined
enquired of them, "What may be the matter?" They told him all
that had happened and he said, "What is their worth that ye
should be concerned for them? Wend your ways." And he sat
laughing and was neither angry nor grieved concerning the case;
whereupon the King looked in the Wazir's face and said to him,
"What manner of man is this, with whom wealth is of no worth?
Needs must there be a reason for this?" Then they talked with him
awhile and the King said to him, "O my son-in-law, I have a mind
to go, I, thou and the Wazir, to a garden, where we may divert
ourselves." "No harm in that," said Ma'aruf. So they went forth
to a flower-garden, wherein every sort of fruit was of kinds
twain and its waters were flowing and its trees towering and its
birds carolling. There they entered a pavilion, whose sight did
away sorrow from the soul, and sat talking, whilst the Minister
entertained them with rare tales and quoted merry quips and
mirth-provoking sayings and Ma'aruf attentively listened, till
the time of dinner came, when they set on a tray of meats and a
flagon of wine. When they had eaten and washed hands, the Wazir
filled the cup and gave it to the King, who drank it off; then he
filled a second and handed it to Ma'aruf, saying, "Take the cup
of the drink to which Reason boweth neck in reverence." Quoth
Ma'aruf, "What is this, O Wazir?"; and quoth he, "This is the
grizzled[FN#75] virgin and the old maid long kept at home,[FN#76]
the giver of joy to hearts, whereof saith the poet:--

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