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The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 9

R >> Richard F. Burton >> The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 9




When it was the Eight Hundred and Ninety-third Night,

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 Wazir bear the
letter to Baghdad,[FN#17] 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 commandment 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 police[FN#18]
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 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
speech[FN#19] 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 prosperity and surcease of
evil and enmity. He admired the beauty of her figure and the
sweetness of her voice and the readiness 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 astonishment and diverted and exclaimed, "How manifold
are the sufferings that men suffer!"--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Eight Hundred and Ninety-fourth Night,

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,[FN#20] 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
Miscreants who make the Messiah a liar,[FN#21] and I am become a
True Believer in Allah the Bountiful and in the revelation of His
compassionate 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.'[FN#22] Is it therefore in thy competence, 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 schismatics
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? 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 wholehearted!"[FN#23] 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 transgress 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 witneses 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.'[FN#24] 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 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[FN#25] 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
couplet,[FN#26]

"This be his recompense who will * 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 Faithful, soil not
thy sword with the blood of this accursed." So saying, she barred
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 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, alit he 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,[FN#27] Prefect of Cairo anent




THE MAN OF UPPER EGYPT AND HIS FRANKISH
WIFE.


We lay one night in the house of a man of the Sa'id or Upper
Egypt, and he entertained us and entreated us hospitably. Now he
was a very old man 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-Nasir Salah al-Din,[FN#28] after the
battle of Hattin,[FN#29] 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 Franks; [FN#30] 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 with 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 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, '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.

When it was the Eight Hundred and Ninety-Fifth Night,

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 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 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-Sakati or Bishr Barefoot or
Junayd of Baghdad or Fuzayl bin 'Iyaz?'[FN#31] 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 spend 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.' Thus her visits were
cut off from me and I betook myself to getting in the price of
the flax which men had bought upon credit, and to bartering what
remained in my 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 Frankish woman, who had taken my heart and
my coin. So I journeyed until 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
Frankish woman, and in this traffic engaged I abode three years,
till there befel between Al-Malik al-Nasir and the Franks what
befel of the action of Hattin and other encounters and Allah gave
him the victory over them, so that he took all their Kings
prisoners and he opened [FN#32] the coast [FN#33] 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 al-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 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 treasury[FN#34] 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.

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

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 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
Shaddad[FN#35] 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-
Nasir, 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 to[FN#36] 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 and 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 all
her raiment as she had left it and therein I saw the two purses
of fifty and an hundred dinars which I had given her, untouched
and tied up with my own tying, wherefore I praised Almighty
Allah. There 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 Hashimi[FN#37] 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, 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 found with a rope and I fell on
my face. Then I took to weeping and buffeting myself, saying,
'Thou hast parted with thy soul[FN#38] and thy wealth is lost!'"-
- And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

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