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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 Nine Hundred and Eighteenth Night,

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 fief 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 Kingship; 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 against[FN#145] 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
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 committed 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 whirlpool[FN#146] 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 was salvation and gave myself over
to concupiscence and 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, "Tomorrow, an thou be well and in good
case,[FN#147] 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-morrowf,
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.[FN#148] 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 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 following 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.

When it was the Nine Hundred and Nineteenth Night,

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 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 someone see thee and work
thee a mischief." He asked, "How then shall I do?", and they
answered, "Sit among the boughs and shake them one by one with
all thy might, so that which is thereon may 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, "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 the 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
climb 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?"; 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 likewise," added the favourite, "thy Wazirs and
Officers of state would sacrifice thee to their interests and do
with thee as did the 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 his
wife in all delight till the morning, when the Grand Wazir 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 accomplished 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 world. 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 forever 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, "Hear, O King the tale of




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 someone 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,[FN#149] saying, "We will not let you go, for ye are
adulterers, and except we have carnal knowledge of the woman, we
will report 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.

When it was the Nine Hundred and Twentieth Night,

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 ears 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.[FN#150] 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 manifest 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, 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, "Show me at once my
remedy and give me thereof." Hereupon he gave him a powder,
wherein was a strong dose of aloes,[FN#151] saying, "Use 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 drug[FN#152] 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." 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 cloth
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 go thou in to him a third time and tell him that
naught hindereth us 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 of the citadel[FN#153]; and if he come forth
to us and do that which we wish, no harm is yet done[FN#154],
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 fumed 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 stir 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 thyself 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
underwater, 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
permitted say.

When it was the Nine Hundred and Twenty-first Night,

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 Jackals[FN#155] 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 of 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 Sirhan,[FN#156] give us our day's
provender,[FN#157]" 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." Moreover 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, he 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[FN#158] and went
with them in quest of the Wolf who, seeing him approach 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
promised 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
herself 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 Frighted 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

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