COMMENCING WITH THE FIRST NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH 
PART OF THE THIRD. 

THE STORY OF THE MERCHANT AND THE JINNEE. 

It has been related to me, O happy King, said Shahrazad, 
that there was a certain merchant who had great wealth, and 
traded extensively with surrounding countries; and one day he 
mounted his horse, and journeyed to a neighbouring country to 
collect what was due to him, and, the heat oppressing him, he 
sat under a tree, in a garden , 1 and put his hand into his saddle-bag, a 
and ate a morsel of bread and a date which were among his pro¬ 
visions. Having eaten the date, he threw aside the stone , 3 and 
immediately there appeared before him an ’Efreet, of enormous 
height, who, holding a drawn sword in his hand, approached him, 
and said, Rise, that I may kill thee, as thou hast killed my son. 
The merchant asked him, How have I killed thy son? He 

44 

THE STORY OF THE MERCHANT 

answered, When thou atest the date, and threwest aside the stone, 
it struck my son upon the chest , 4 and, as fate had decreed against 
him, he instantly died . 5 

The merchant, on hearing these words , 6 exclaimed, Verily to 
God we belong, and verily to him we must return ! There is 
no strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! If I 
killed him, I did it not intentionally, but without knowing it; and 
I trust in thee that thou wilt pardon me. The Jinnee answered, 
Thy death is indispensable, as thou hast killed my son : and so 
saying, he dragged him, and threw him on the ground, and raised 

AND THE JINNEE. 

45 

his arm to strike him with the sword. The merchant, upon this, 
wept bitterly, and said to the Jinnee, I commit my affair unto God, 
for no one can avoid what He hath decreed: and he continued his 
lamentation, repeating the following verses:— 

Time consists of two days; this, bright; and that, gloomy: and life, of two 
moieties; this, safe; and that, fearful. 

Say to him who hath taunted us on account of misfortunes, Doth fortune 
oppose any hut the eminent ? 

Dost thou not observe that corpses float upon the sea, while the precious 
pearls remain in its furthest depths ? 

When the hands of time play with us, misfortune is imparted to us by its 
protracted kiss. 

In the heaven are stars that cannot be numbered; but none is eclipsed save the 
sun and the moon. 

How many green and dry trees are on the earth; but none is assailed with 
stones save that which beareth fruit! 

Thou thoughtest well of the days when they went well with thee, and fearedst 
not the evil that destiny was bringing. 

—When he had finished reciting these verses, the Jinnee said to 
him, Spare thy words, for thy death is unavoidable. 

Then said the merchant, Know, O ’Efreet, that I have debts to 
pay, and I have much property, and children, and a wife, and I 
have 'pledges also in my possession: let me, therefore, go back 
to my house, and give to every one his due, and then I will return 
to thee: I bind myself by a vow and covenant that I will return to 
thee, and thou shalt do what thou wilt; and God is witness of what 
I say. Upon this, the Jinnee accepted his covenant, and liberated 
him ; granting him a respite until the expiration of the year. 

The merchant, therefore, returned to his town, accomplished all 
that was upon his mind to do, paid every one what he owed him, and 
informed his wife and children of the event which had befallen him; 
upon hearing which, they and all his family and women wept. He 
appointed a guardian over his children, and remained with his 
family until the end of the year; when he took his grave-clothes 
under his arm , 7 bade farewell to his household and neighbours, and 
all his relations, and went forth, in spite of himself; his family 
raising cries of lamentation, and shrieking . 8 

He proceeded until he arrived at the garden before mentioned; 
and it was the first day of the new year; and as he sat, weeping 

for the calamity which he expected soon to befal him, a sheykh , 0 
advanced in years, approached him, leading a gazelle with a chain 
attached to its neck. This sheykh saluted the merchant, wishing 
him a long life, and said to him, What is the reason of thy sitting 
alone in this place, seeing that it is a resort of the Jinn ? The 
merchant therefore informed him of what had befallen him with the 
’Efreet, and of the cause of his sitting there ; at which the sheykh, 
the owner of the gazelle, was astonished, and said, By Allah, O my 
brother, thy faithfulness is great, and thy story is wonderful! if it 
were engraved upon the intellect, it would be a lesson to him who 
would be admonished! And he sat down by his side, and said, 
By Allah, O my brother, I will not quit this place until I see what 
will happen unto thee with this ’Efreet. So he sat down, and 
conversed with him : And the merchant became almost senseless; 
fear entered him, and terror, and violent grief, and excessive 
anxiety. And as the owner of the gazelle sat by his side, lo! a 
second sheykh approached them, with two black hounds, and 
inquired of them, after saluting them, the reason of their sitting in 
that place, seeing that it was a resort of the Jan : 10 and they told 
him the story from beginning to end. And he had hardly sat 
down when there approached them a third sheykh, with a dapple 
mule; and he asked them the same question, which was answered 
in the same manner. 

Immediately after, the dust was agitated, and became an enor¬ 
mous revolving pillar, approaching them from the midst of the 
desert; and this dust subsided, and behold, the Jinnee, with a 
drawn sword in his hand; his eyes castinjf forth sparks of fire. 
He came to them, and dragged from them the merchant, and said 
to him, Rise, that I may kill thee, as thou killedst my son, the 

THE STORY OF THE MERCHANT AND THE JINNEE. 47 

vital spirit of my heart. And the merchant wailed and wept; and 
the three sheykhs also manifested their sorrow by weeping and 
crying aloud and wailing: but the first sheykh, who was the owner 
of the gazelle, recovering his self-possession, kissed the hand of the 
’Efreet, and said to him, O thou Jinnee, and crown of the kings of 
the Jan, if I relate to thee the story of myself and this gazelle, 
and thou find it to be wonderful, and more so than the adventure 
of this merchant, wilt thou give up to me a third of thy claim to 
his blood 1 He answered, Yes, O sheykh; if thou relate to me the 
story, and I find it to be as thou hast said, I will give up to thee a 
third of my claim to his blood. 

( \ 
% t 

THE STORY OF THE FIRST SHEYKH AND THE GAZELLE. 

Then said tlie sheykh, Know, O ’Efreet, that this gazelle is the 
daughter of my paternal uncle," and she is of my flesh and my 
blood. I took her as my wife when she was young, 12 and lived 
with her about thirty years; but I was not blessed with a child 
by her; so I took to me a concubine slave, 13 and by her I was 
blessed with a male child, like the rising full moon, with beautiful 
eyes, and delicately-shaped eye-brows, and perfectly-formed limbs ; 
and he grew up by little and little until he attained the age of 
fifteen years. At this period, I unexpectedly had occasion to 
journey to a certain city, and went thither with a great stock of 
merchandise. 

Now my cousin, 14 this gazelle, had studied enchantment and 
divination from her early years; and during my absence, she trans¬ 
formed the youth above mentioned into a calf; and his mother, 
into a cow ; 15 and committed them to the care of the herdsman : 
and when I returned, after a long time, from my journey, I asked 
after my son and his mother, and she said, Thy slave is dead, and 
thy son hath fled, and I know not whither he is gone. After 
hearing this, I remained for the space of a year with mourning 
heart and weeping eye, until the Festival of the Sacrifice ; 16 when I 
sent to the herdsman, and ordered him to choose for me a fat cow ; 
and he brought me one, and it was my concubine, whom this 
gazelle had enchanted. I tucked up my skirts and sleeves, and 
took the knife" in my hand, and prepared myself to slaughter her ; 
upon which she moaned and cried so violently that I left her, and 

THE STORY OF THE FIRST SIIEYKH, &c. 

49 

ordered the herdsman to kill and skin her: and he did so, but 
found in her neither fat nor flesh, nor anything but skin and bone; 
and I repented of slaughtering her, when repentance was of no 
avail. I therefore gave her to the herdsman, and said to him, 
Bring me a fat calf: and he brought me my son, who was trans¬ 
formed into a calf. And when the calf saw me, he broke his rope, 
and came to me, and fawned upon me, and wailed and cried, so 
that I was moved with pity for him; and I said to the herdsman, 
Bring me a cow, and let this— 

Here Shahrazad perceived the light of morning, and discontinued 
the recitation with which she had been allowed thus far to proceed. 
Her sister said to her, How excellent is thy story ! and how pretty! 
and how pleasant! and how sweet!—but she answered, What is 
this in comparison with that which I will relate to thee in the next 
night, if I live, and the King spare me ! And the King said, 
By Allah, I will not kill her until I hear the remainder of her 
story. Thus they pleasantly passed the night until the morning, 
when the King went forth to his hall of judgment, and the Wezeer 
went thither with the grave-clothes under his arm : and the King 
gave judgment, and invested and displaced, until the close of the 
day, without informing the Wezeer of that which had happened; 
and the minister was greatly astonished. The court was then 
dissolved; and the King returned to the privacy of his palace. 

[On the second and each succeeding night, Shahrazad continued 
so to interest King Shahriyar by her stories as to induce him to 
defer putting her to death, in expectation that her fund of amusing 
tales would soon be exhausted; and as this is expressed in the 
original work in nearly the same words at the close of every night, 
such repetitions will in the present translation be omitted. 18 ] 

When the sheykh, continued Shahrazad, observed the tears of 
the calf, his heart sympathized with him, and he said to the herds¬ 
man, Let this calf remain with the cattle.—Meanwhile, the Jinnee 
wondered at this strange story; and the owner of the gazelle thus 
proceeded. 

O lord of the kings of the Jan, while this happened, my cousin, 
this gazelle, looked on, and said, Slaughter this calf; for he is fat: 
but I could not do it; so I ordered the herdsman to take him back; 
and he took him and went away. And as I was sitting, on the 

VOL. J. 

H 

50 

THE STORY OF THE FIRST SHEYKH 

following day, he came to me, and said, O my master, I have to tell 
thee something that thou wilt be rejoiced to hear; and a reward is 
due to me for bringing good news. 19 I answered, Well: and he 
said, O merchant, I have a daughter who learned enchantment 
in her youth from an old woman in our family ; and yesterday, 
when thou gavest me the calf, I took him to her, and she looked at 
him, and covered her face, and wept, and then laughed, and said, 
O my father, hath my condition become so degraded in thy opinion 
that thou bringest before me strange men ? 20 —Where, said I, are 
any strange men ? and wherefore didst thou weep and laugh ? She 
answered, This calf that is with thee is the son of our master, the 
merchant, and the wife of our master hath enchanted both him and 
his mother; and this wiis the reason of my laughter ; hut as to the 
reason of my weeping, it was on account of his mother, because his 
father had slaughtered her. And I was excessively astonished at 
this; and scarcely was I certain that the light of morning had 
appeared when I hastened to inform thee. 

AND THE GAZELLE. 

51 

When I heard, O Jinnee, the words of the herdsman, I went 
forth with him, intoxicated without wine, from the excessive joy 
and happiness that I received, and arrived at his house, where his 
daughter welcomed me, and kissed my hand; and the calf came to 
me, and fawned upon me. And I said to the herdsman’s daughter, 
Is that true which thou hast said respecting this calf? She 
answered, Yes, O my master; he is verily thy son, and the vital 
spirit of thy heart.—O maiden, said I, if thou wilt restore him, all 
the cattle and other property of mine that thy father hath under 
his care shall be thine. Upon this, she smiled, and said, O my 
master, I have no desire for the property unless on two conditions: 
the first is, that thou shalt marry me to him ; and the second, that 
I shall enchant her who enchanted him, and so restrain her; 
otherwise, I shall not be secure from her artifice. On hearing, O 
Jinnee, these her words, I said, And thou shalt have all the pro¬ 
perty that is under the care of thy father besides; and as to my 
cousin, even her blood shall be lawful to thee. So, when she heard 
this, she took a cup, and filled it with water, and repeated a spell 
over it, and sprinkled with it the calf, saying to him, If God 
created thee a calf, remain in this form, and be not changed ; but 
if thou be enchanted, return to thy original form, by permission of 
God, whose name be exalted!—upon which he shook, and became 
a man; and I threw myself upon him, and said, I conjure thee by 
Allah that thou relate to me all that my cousin did to thee and to 
thy mother. So he related to me all that had happened to them 
both; and I said to him, O my son, God hath given thee one to 
liberate thee, and to avenge thee : and I married to him, O Jinnee, 
the herdsman’s daughter; after which, she transformed my cousin 
into this gazelle. And as I happened to pass this way, I saw this 
merchant, and asked him what had happened to him ; and when he 
had informed me, I sat down to see the result.—This is my story. 
The Jinnee said, This is a wonderful tale ; and I give up to thee 
a third of my claim to his blood. 

The second sheykh, the owner of the two hounds, then advanced, 
and said to the Jinnee, If I relate to thee the story of myself 
and these hounds, and thou find it to be in like manner wonderful, 
wilt thou remit to me, also, a third of thy claim to the blood of this 
merchant ? The Jinnee answered, Yes. 

TIIE STORY OF THE SECOND SIIEYKH AND THE TWO BLACK HOUNDS. 

Then said the sheykh, Know, O lord of the kings of the Jan, 
that these two hounds are my brothers. My father died, and left 
to us three thousand pieces of gold ; 21 and I opened a shop 22 to 
sell and buy. But one of my brothers made a journey, with a 
stock of merchandise, and was absent from us for the space of a 
year with the caravans ; after which, he returned destitute. I said 
to him, Did I not advise thee to abstain from travelling ? But he 
wept, and said, O my brother, God, to whom be ascribed all might 
and glory, decreed this event; and there is no longer any profit in 
these words : I have nothing left. So I took him up into the shop, 
and then went with him to the bath, and clad him in a costly suit 
of my own clothing; after which, we sat down together to eat; 
and I said to him, O my brother, I will calculate the gain of my 
shop during the year, and divide it, exclusive of the principal, 

THE STOltY OF THE SECOND SHEYKH, &c. 

53 

between me and thee. Accordingly, I made the calculation, and 
found my gain to amount to two thousand pieces of gold; and I 
praised God, to whom be ascribed all might and glory, and rejoiced 
exceedingly, and divided the gain in two equal parts between 
myself and him.—My other brother then set forth on a journey; 
and after a year, returned in the like condition; and I did unto 
him as I had done to the former. 

After this, when we had lived together for some time, my 
brothers again wished to travel, and were desirous that I should 
accompany them; but I would not. What, said I, have ye gained 
in your travels, that I should expect to gain ? They importuned 
me ; but I would not comply with their request; and we remained 
selling and buying in our shops a whole year. Still, however, they 
persevered in proposing that we should travel, and I still refused, 
until after the lapse of six entire years, when at last I consented, 
and said to them, O my brothers, let us calculate what property we 
possess. We did so, and found it to be six thousand pieces of 
gold: and I then said to them, We will bury half of it in the 
earth, that it may be of service to us if any misfortune befal us, 
in which case each of us shall take a thousand pieces, with which to 
traffic. 23 Excellent is thy advice, said they. So I took the money 
and divided it into two equal portions, and buried three thousand 
pieces of gold; and of the other half, I gave to each of them a 
thousand pieces. We then prepared merchandise, and hired a ship, 
and embarked our goods, and proceeded on our voyage for the space 
of a whole month, at the expiration of which we arrived at a city, 
where we sold our merchandise ; and for every piece of gold we 
gained ten. 

And when we were about to set sail again, we found, on the 
shore of the sea, a maiden clad in tattered garments, who kissed 

54 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND SHEYKH, &c. 

my hand, and said to me, O my master, art thou possessed of 
charity and kindness ? If so, I will requite thee for them. 1 
answered, Yes, I have those qualities, though thou requite me not. 
Then said she, 0 my master, accept me as thy wife, and take me to 
thy country ; for I give myself to thee: 24 act kindly towards me ; 
for I am one who requires to be treated with kindness and charity, 
and who will requite thee for so doing ; and let not my present con¬ 
dition at all deceive thee. When I heard these words, my heart was 
moved with tenderness towards her, in order to the accomplishment 
of a purpose of God, to whom he ascribed all might and glory; 
and I took her, and clothed her, and furnished for her a place in 
the ship in a handsome manner, and regarded her with kind and 
respectful attention. 

We then set sail; and I became most cordially attached to my 
wife, so that, on her account, I neglected the society of my 
brothers, who, in consequence, became jealous of me, and likewise 
envied me my wealth, and the abundance of my merchandise; 
casting the eyes of covetousness upon the whole of the property. 
They therefore consulted together to kill me, and take my wealth ; 
saying, Let us kill our brother, and all the property shall be 
ours:—and the devil made these actions to seem fair in their eyes ; 
so they came to me while I was sleeping by the side of my wife, 
and took both of us up, and threw us into the sea. But as soon as 
my wife awoke, she shook herself, and became transformed into a 
Jinneeyeh. 25 She immediately bore me away, and placed me upon 
an island, and, for a while, disappeared. In the morning, however, 
she returned, and said to me, I am thy wife, who carried thee, and 
rescued thee from death, by permission of God, whose name be 
exalted. Know that I am a Jinneeyeh : I saw thee, and my heart 
loved thee for the sake of God; for I am a believer in God and 
his Apostle, God favour and preserve him! 26 I came to thee in 
the condition in which thou sawest me, and thou didst marry me; 
and see, I have rescued thee from drowning. But I am incensed 
against thy brothers, and I must kill them.—When I heard her 
tale, I was astonished, and thanked her for what she had done ;— 
But, said I, as to the destruction of my brothers, it is not what 
I desire. I then related to her all that had happened between 
myself and them from first to last; and when she had heard it, she 

said, I will, this next night, fly to them, and sink their ship, and 
destroy them. But I said, I conjure thee by Allah that thou do it 
not; for the author of the proverb saith, O thou benefactor of him 
who hath done evil, the action that he hath done is sufficient for 
him: 27 —besides, they are at all events my brothers. She still, 
however, said, They must be killed ;—and I continued to propitiate 
her towards them: and at last she lifted me up, and soared through 
the air, and placed me on the roof of my house. 28 

Having opened the doors, I dug up what I had hidden in the 
earth; and after I had saluted my neighbours, and bought mer¬ 
chandise, I opened my shop. And in the following night, when I 
entered my house, I found these two dogs tied up in it; and 
as soon as they saw me, they came to me, and wept, and clung 
to me ; but I knew not what had happened until immediately 
my wife appeared before me, and said, These are thy brothers. 
And who, said I, hath done this unto them ? She answered, I sent 
to my sister, and she did it; and they shall not be restored until 

56 

THE STORY OF THE THIRD SHEYKH, &c. 

after the lapse of ten years. And I was now on my way to her, 
that she might restore them, as they have been in this state ten 
years, when I saw this man, and, being informed of what had 
befallen him, I determined not to quit the place until I should have 
seen what would happen between thee and him.—This is my story. 
—Verily, said the Jinnee, it is a wonderful tale; and I give up 
to thee a third of the claim that I had to his blood on account 
of his offence. 

Upon this, the third sheykh, the owner of the mule, said to the 
Jinnee, 29 As to me, break not my heart if I relate to thee nothing 
more than this :— 

THE STORY OF THE THIRD SHEYKH AND THE MUEE. 

The mule that thou seest was my wife: she became enamoured 
of a black slave; and when I discovered her with him, she took a 
mug of water, and, having uttered a spell over it, sprinkled me, 
and transformed me into a dog. In this state, I ran to the shop of 
a butcher, whose daughter saw me, and, being skilled in enchant¬ 
ment, restored me to my original form, and instructed me to 
enchant my wife in the manner thou beholdest.—And now I hope 
that thou wilt remit to me also a third of the merchant’s offence. 
Divinely was he gifted who said, 

Sow good, even on an unworthy soil; for it will not be lost wherever it is sown. 

When the sheykh had thus finished his story, the Jinnee shook 
with delight, and remitted the remaining third of his claim to the 

THE STORY OF THE MERCHANT AND THE JINNEE. 57 

merchant’s blood. The merchant then approached the sheykhs, 
and thanked them, and they congratulated him on his safety ; and 
each went his way. 

But this, said Shahrazad, is not more wonderful than the story 
of the fisherman. The King asked her. And what is the story of 
the fisherman ? And she related it as follows:— 

VOL. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

Note 1. 

The words “ in a garden ” are omitted in my original; but they are required 
by the sequel. I may here remark, that, in future, when I find trifling insertions 
of this kind to be requisite in my translation, I shall not deem it necessary to 
mention them in a note. 

Note 2. 

An Eastern traveller often makes a long journey with no other encumbrance 
than a well-filled pair of saddle-bags : in one bag he puts his provisions ; and 
in the others, such articles of clothing as he may require in addition to those in 
which he sets out, including a spare shirt, and perhaps no other clean linen : 
for he is as indifferent with regard to this comfort as he is careful respecting his 
personal cleanliness. 

Note 3. 

Perhaps no reader of this work will require to be told that the date has not 
a shell. I only make this remark on account of an error in the old translation.— 
As dates are very nutritious, and are preserved by being merely dried in the sun, 
they are an excellent article of provision for travellers. 

Note 4. 

The merchant was culpably careless: before throwing aside the date-stone 
with sufficient force to kill a Jinnee who happened to be near him (though at the 
time invisible), he should have asked permission by the exclamation “ Dcstoor ! ” 
as explained in a note appended to the Introduction. 

Note 5. —On Fate and Destiny. 

The belief in fate and destiny (“ el-kada waTkadar") exercises a most powerful 
influence upon the actions and character of the Muslims; and it is therefore 
highly important that the reader of the present work should be acquainted with 
the notions which these people entertain respecting such matters of faith. I use 
two words (perhaps the best that our language affords) to express corresponding 
Arabic terms, which some persons regard as synonymous, but others distinguish 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

59 

by different shades of meaning. On what I consider the best authority, the word 
which I render “ fate ” respects the decrees of God in a general sense ; while that 
which 1 translate “destiny,” relates to the particular applications of those decrees. 
In such senses these terms are here to be understood when separately employed. 

Many Muslims hold that fate is, in some respects, absolute and unchangeable; 
in others, admitting of alteration ; and almost all of them act, in many of the affairs 
of life, as if this were their belief. In the former case, it is called “ el-kada el- 
Mohkam in the latter, “ el-kada el-Mubram ” (which term, without the expla¬ 
nation here given, might be regarded as exactly synonymous with the former). 
Hence, the Prophet, it is said, prayed to be preserved from the latter, as knowing 
that it might be changed; and in allusion to this changeable fate, God, we are told, 
says, “God will cancel what He pleaseth, and confirm;” * while, on the contrary, 
the fate which is termed “Mohkam” is appointed “destiny” decreed by God.f 

Many doctors have argued, that destiny respects only the final state of a certain 
portion of men (believers and unbelievers); and that, in general, man is endowed 
with free will, which he should exercise according to the laws of God and his ow r n 
conscience and judgment, praying to God for a blessing on his endeavours, or 
imploring the intercession of the Prophet, or of any of the saints, in his favour, 
and propitiating them by offering alms or sacrifices in their names; relying upon 
God for the result, which he may then, and then only, attribute to fate or destiny. 
They hold, therefore, that it is criminal to attempt resistance to the will when its 
dictates are comformable with the laws of God and our natural consciences and 
prudence, and so passively to await the fulfilment of God’s decrees.—The doctrine 
of the Kur-dn and the Traditions respecting the decrees of God, or fate and destiny, 
appears, however, to be, that they are altogether absolute and unchangeable,— 
written, in the beginning of the creation, on the “ Preserved Tablet,” in heaven; 
that God hath predestined every event and action, evil as well as good; at the same 
time commanding and approving good, and forbidding and hating evil; and that 
the “cancelling” mentioned in the preceding paragraph relates (as the context 
seems to shew) to the abrogation of former scriptures, or revelations; not of fate. 
But still it must be held that He hath not predestined the will; though He some¬ 
times inclines it to good, and the Devil sometimes inclines it to evil. It is asked, 
then, If we have the power to will, but not the power to perform otherwise than as 
God hath predetermined, how can we be regarded as responsible beings ? The 
answer to this is, that our actions are judged good or evil according to our 
intentions, if we have faith : good actions or intentions, it should be added, only 
increase, and do not cause, our happiness, if we are believers ; and evil actions or 
intentions only increase our misery if we are unbelievers or irreligious: for the 
Muslim holds that he is to be admitted into heaven only by the mercy of God, on 
account of his faith; and to be rewarded in proportion to his good works. 

The Prophet’s assertions on the subject of God’s decrees are considered of the 
highest importance as explanatory of the Kur-dn.—“ Whatever is in the universe,” 
said he, “ is by the order of God."—“ God hath pre-ordained five things on his 
servants; the duration of life, their actions, their dwelling-places, their travels, and 
their portions.”—“ There is not one among you whose sitting-place is not written 

* Kur-an, ch. xiii. v. 39. 

t " El-Ins4n el.Kamil,” by 'Abd El-Kereem El-Jeelee, quoted by El-Is-hdkee, in his account of 
IbrShecm B4sha el-Maktool. 

60 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

by God, whether in the fire or in paradise.”*—Some of the Companions of the 
Prophet, on hearing the last quoted saying, asked him, “ O Prophet, since God 
hath appointed our places, may we confide in this, and abandon our religious and 
moral duties ?" He answered, “ No : because the happy will do good works, and 
those who are of the miserable will do bad works.”—The following of his sayings 
further illustrate this subject.—“ When God hath ordered a creature to die in 
any particular place, He causeth his wants to direct him to that place. A Com¬ 
panion asked, “ O Prophet of God, inform me respecting charms, and the medicines 
which I swallow, and shields which I make use of for protection, whether they 
prevent any of the orders of God.” Mohammad answered, “These also aie by 
the order of God.” t “ There is a medicine for every pain : then, when the medi¬ 
cine reaches the pain, it is cured by the order of God.”t—When a Muslim, there¬ 
fore, feels an inclination to make use of medicine for the cure of a disease, he 
should do so, in the hope of its being predestined that he shall be so cured. 

On the predestination of diseases, I find the following curious quotation and 
remark in a manuscript work, by Es-Suyootee, in my possession.—“ El-Haleemee 
says, ‘ Communicable or contagious diseases are six: small-pox, measles, itch or 
scah, foul breath or putridity, melancholy, and pestilential maladies ; and diseases 
engendered are also six : leprosy, hectic, epilepsy, gout, elephantiasis, and phthisis. 
But this does not contradict the saying of the Prophet, ‘ There is no transition of 
diseases by contagion or infection, nor any omen that brings evil: ’ for the transi¬ 
tion here meant is one occasioned by the disease itself; whereas the effect is of 
God, who causes pestilence to spread when there is intercourse with the diseased.”? 
—A Bedawee asked the Prophet, “ What is the condition of camels which stay in 
the deserts ? verily, you might say, they are deer, in health and in cleanness of 
skin; then they mix with mangy camels, and they become mangy also.” Mo¬ 
hammad said, “What made the first camel mangy?”|| 

Notwithstanding, however, the arguments which have been here adduced, and 
many others that might be added, declaring or implying the unchangeable nature 
of all God’s decrees, I have found it to be the opinion of my own Muslim friends, 
that God may be induced, by supplication, to change certain of his decrees; at 
least, those regarding degrees of happiness or misery in this world and the next; 
and that such is the general opinion, appears from a form of prayer which is 
repeated in the mosques on the eve of the middle (or fifteenth day) of the month 
of Shaabdn ; when it is believed that such portions of God’s decrees as constitute 
the destinies of all living creatures for the ensuing year, are confirmed and fixed. 
In this prayer it is said, “ O God, if Thou hast recorded me in thy abode, upon ‘ the 
Original of the Book’ [the Preserved Tablet], miserable, or unfortunate, or scanted 
in my sustenance, cancel, O God, of thy goodness, my misery, and misfortune, and 
scanty allowance of sustenance, and confirm me, in thy abode, upon the Original 
of the Book, as happy, and provided for, and directed to good,” &c.1f 

The Arabs in general constantly have recourse both to charms and medicines, 
not only for the cure, but also for the prevention of diseases. They have, indeed, 
a strange passion for medicine, which shews that they do not consider fate as 

* Mishkdt el-Masibeeh, vol. i. pp. 26—34. 

t Ibid. t Idem, vol. II. p. 373. 

§ Nuzhet el-Muta-ammil wa-Murshid el-Muta-ahhil, section 7 . 

|| Mishk&t el-Mas&beeh, vol. ii. p. 381. 

H For a translation of the whole of this prayer, see “ Modern Egyptians,” vol. ii. ch. xii. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

61 

altogether unconditional. Nothing can exceed the earnestness with which they 
often press a European traveller for a dose; and the more violent the remedy, the 
better are they pleased. The following case will serve as an example :—Three 
donkey-drivers, conveying the luggage of two British travellers from -Booldk to 
Cairo, opened a bottle which they observed in a basket, and finding it to contain, 
as they had suspected, brandy, emptied it down their throats : but he who had the 
last, on turning up the bottle, got the tail of a scorpion into his mouth; and, 
looking through the bottle, to his great honor, saw that it contained a number of 
these reptiles, with tarantulas, vipers, and beetles. Thinking that they had poi¬ 
soned themselves, but not liking to rely upon fate, they persuaded a man to come 
to me for medicine. He introduced the subject by saying, “ O Efendee, do an 
act of kindness : there are three men poisoned ; in your mercy give them medicine, 
and save their lives: ” and then he related the whole affair, without concealing 
the theft. I replied, that they did not deserve medicine; but he urged that, by 
giving it, I should obtain an immense reward. “ Yes,” said I; “ ‘he who saveth 
a soul alive, shall be as if he had saved the lives of all mankind.’ ”* I said this 
to try the feeling of the applicant, who, expressing admiration of my knowledge, 
urged me to be quick, lest the men should die; thus showing himself to be no 
unconditional fatalist. I gave him three strong doses of tartar emetic; and he 
soon came back to thank me, saying that the medicine was most admirable, for 
the men had hardly swallowed it, when they almost vomited their hearts and 
livers, and everything else in their bodies. 

From a distrust in fate, some Muslims even shut themselves up during the 
prevalence of plague ; but this practice is generally condemned. A Syrian friend 
of mine, who did so, nearly had his door broken open by his neighbours. Another 
of my friends, one of the most distinguished of the ’Ulama, confessed to me his 
conviction of the lawfulness of quarantine, and argued well in favour of it; but 
said that he dared not openly avow such an opinion. “The Apostle of God,” 
said he, “ God favour and preserve him! hath commanded, that we should not 
enter a city where there is pestilence, nor go out from it. Why did he say, ‘ Enter 
it not? ’—because, by so doing, we should expose ourselves to the disease. Why did 
he say, ‘ Go not out from it ? ’—because, by so doing, we should carry the disease 
to others. The Prophet was tenderly considerate of our welfare : but the present 
Muslims in general are like bulls [brute beasts] ; and they hold the meaning of 
this command to be, Go not into a city where there is pestilence, because this 
would be rashness ; and go not out from it, because this would be distrustiug God's 
power to save you from it.” 

Many of the vulgar and ignorant among modern Muslims, believe that the 
unchangeable destinies of every man are written upon his head, in what are 
termed the sutures of the skull. 

Note 6. 

The paragraph thus commencing, and the verses comprised in it, are translated 
from the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights. 

Note 7. 

It is a common custom for a Muslim, on a military expedition, or during a 

* Kur-in, ch. v. v. 35. 

62 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

long journey, especially in the desert, to carry his grave-linen with him ; for 
he is extremely careful that he may be buried according to the law.* It seems 
to be implied in our tale, that the merchant hoped that the Jinnee, or some 
passing traveller, would wash, shroud, and bury him. 

Note 8. 

It is thus that the Arab women generally do on the occasion of a funeral. 

Note 9.— On the title of Sheykh. 

“ Sheykh” is an appellation which literally signifies “ an elder,” or “ an aged 
person,” and in this sense it is here used; but it is also commonly employed as 
synonymous with our appellation of “ Mister ; ” and particularly applied to a 
learned man, or a reputed saint. In every case, it is a title of respect, and never 
given to any but a Muslim. 

Note 10. 

“ Jdn” is here used as synonymous with “ Jinn.” 

Note 11. 

A cousin (the daughter of a paternal uncle) is often chosen as a wife, on 
account of the tie of blood, which is likely to attach her more strongly to her 
husband; or on account of an affection conceived in early years. The various 
customs relating to marriage, I shall describe on a future occasion. 

Note 12. 

A bride is called young, by the Arabs, when she is about twelve years of age. 
In the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, the wife in this tale is said 
to have been of this age when she was first married. 

Note 13.— On Slaves. 

A slave, among Muslims, is either a person taken captive in war, or carried 
off by force, and being at the time of capture an infidel; or the offspring of a 
female slave by another slave, or by any man who is not her owner, or by her 
owner, if he does not acknowledge himself to be the father: but the offspring of a 
male slave by a free woman is free. A person who embraces the Mohammadan 
faith after having been made a slave, does not by this act become free, unless he 
flies from a foreign infidel master to a Muslim country, and there becomes a 
Mohammadan. A person cannot be a slave to a relation who is within the pro¬ 
hibited degrees of marriage.f—The slaves of the Arabs are mostly from Abyssinia 
and the Negro countries : a few, in the houses of very wealthy individuals, are 
from Georgia and Circassia. 

Slaves have no civil liberty; but are entirely under the authority of their 
owners, whatever may be the religion, sex, or age, of the latter ; and can possess 
no property, unless by the owner’s permission. The owner is entire master, while 
he pleases, of the person and goods of his slave; and of the offspring of his female 
slave, which, if begotten by him, or presumed to be so, he may recognise as his 
own legitimate child, or not: the child, if recognised by him, enjoys the same 
privileges as the offspring of a free wif?; and if not recognised by him, is his 

* See “ Modem Egyptians,’’ vol- ii. ch. xv. 

f These degrees of relationship will be explained when I describe the customs relating to marriage. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST 

63 

slave. The master may even kill his own slave with impunity for any offence; 
and he incurs but a slight punishment (as imprisonment for a period at the 
discretion of the judge) if he kills him wantonly. He may give away or sell his 
slaves, excepting in some cases which will be mentioned; and may marry them 
to whom he will, hut not separate them when married. A slave, however, accord¬ 
ing to most of the doctors, cannot have more than two wives at the same time. 
Unemancipated slaves, at the death of their master, become the property of his 
heirs; and when an emancipated slave dies, leaving no male descendants or 
collateral relations, the former master is the heir; or, if he be dead, his heirs 
inherit the slave’s property. As a slave enjoys less advantages than a free person, 
the law, in some cases, ordains that his punishment for an offence shall be half 
of that to which the free is liable for the same offence, or even less than half: 
if it be a fine, or pecuniary compensation, it must be paid by the owner, to 
the amount, if necessary, of the value of the slave, or the slave must be given in 
compensation. 

The owner, but not the part-owner, may cohabit with any of his female slaves 
who is a Mohammadan, a Christian, or a Jewess, if he has not married her to 
another man; but not with two or more who are sisters, or who are related to 
each other in any of the degrees which would prevent their both being his wives 
at the same time if they were free: after having so lived with one, he must 
entirely relinquish such intercourse with her before he can do the same with 
another who is so related to her. He cannot have this intercourse with a pagan 
slave. A Christian or Jew may have slaves, but not enjoy the privilege above 
mentioned with one who is a Mohammadan. The master must wait a certain 
period (generally from a month to three months) after the acquisition of a female 
slave, before he can have such intercourse with her. If he find any fault in her 
within three days, he is usually allowed to return her. 

When a man, from being the husband, becomes the master, of a slave, the 
marriage is dissolved, and he cannot continue to live with her but as her master, 
enjoying, however, all a master’s privileges ; unless he emancipates her; in which 
case he may again take her as his wife with her consent. In like manner, when a 
woman, from being the wife, becomes the possessor, of a slave, the marriage is 
dissolved, and cannot be renewed unless she emancipates him, and he consents to 
the re-union. 

Cemplete and immediate emancipation is sometimes granted to a slave gratui¬ 
tously, or for a future pecuniary compensation. It is conferred by means of a 
written document, or by a verbal declaration (expressed in the words, “ Thou art 
free," or some similar phrase) in the presence of two witnesses, or by returning 
the certificate of sale obtained from the former owner. Future emancipation is 
sometimes covenanted to be granted on the fulfilment of certain conditions; and 
more frequently, to be conferred on the occasion of the owner’s death. In the 
latter case, the owner cannot sell the slave to whom he has made this promise : 
and, as he cannot alienate by will more than one-third of the whole property that 
he leaves, the law ordains that, if the value of the said slave exceeds that portion, 
the slave must obtain and pay the additional sum. When a female slave has 
borne a child to her master, and he acknowledges the child to be his own, he 
cannot sell this slave, and she becomes free on his death. 

Abyssinian and white female slaves are kept by many men of the middle and 

64 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

higher classes, and often instead of wives, as requiring less expense, and being 
more subservient; but they are generally indulged with the same luxuries as free 
ladies; their vanity is gratified by costly dresses and ornaments, and they rank 
high above free servants; as do also the male slaves. Those called Ahyssinians 
appear to be a mixed race between negroes and whites; and are from the territories 
of the Gallas. They are mostly kidnapped and sold by their own countrymen. 
The negro female slaves, as few of them have considerable personal attractions 
(which is not the case with the Ahyssinians, many of whom are very beautiful), 
are usually employed only in cooking, and other menial offices. The female slaves 
of the higher classes are often instructed in plain needle-work and embroidery, 
and sometimes in music and dancing. Formerly, many of them possessed sufficient 
literary accomplishments to quote largely from esteemed poems, or even to com¬ 
pose extemporary verses, which they would often accompany with the lute. The 
condition of many concubine slaves is happy; and that of many, quite the reverse. 
These, and all other slaves of either sex, are generally treated with kindness; but 
at first they are usually importuned, and not unfrequently used with much harsh¬ 
ness, to induce them to embrace the Mohammadan faith; which almost all of 
them do. Their services are commonly light: the usual office of the male white 
slave, who is called “ memlook,” is that of a page, or a military guard. Eunuchs 
are employed as guardians of the women ; hut only in the houses of men of high 
rank, or of great wealth: on account of the important and confidential office 
which they fill, they are generally treated in public with especial consideration. 
I used to remark, in Cairo, that few persons saluted me with a more dignified and 
consequential air than these pitiable but self-conceited beings. Most of them are 
Ahyssinians or Negroes. Indeed, the slaves in general take too much advantage 
of the countenance of their masters, especially when they belong to men in power. 
The master is bound to afford his slaves proper food and clothing, or to let them 
work for their own support, or to sell, give away, or liberate them. It is, however, 
considered disgraceful for him to sell a slave who has been long in his possession ; 
and it seldom happens that a master emancipates a female slave, without marrying 
her to some man able to support her, or otherwise providing for her. 

The Prophet strongly enjoined the duty of kindness to slaves. “ Feed your 
memlooks,” said he, “ with food of that which ye eat, and clothe them with such 
clothing as ye wear; and command them not to do that which they are unable.”* 
—These precepts are generally attended to, either entirely or in a great degree. 
Some other sayings of the Prophet on this subject well deserve to be mentioned; 
as the following“ He who beats his slave without fault, or slaps him on the 
face, his atonement for this is freeing him.”—“ A man who behaves ill to his slave 
will not enter into paradise.”—“ Whoever is the cause of separation between 
mother and child, by selling or giving, God will separate him from his friends on 
the day of resurrection.”—“ When a slave wishes well to his master, and worships 
God well, for him are double rewards.”!—It is related of ’Othmfin, “that he 
twisted the ear of a memlook belonging to him, on account of disobedience, and 
afterwards, repenting of it, ordered him to twist his ear in like manner: but he 
would not. ’Othmdn urged him, and the memlook advanced, and began to wring it 
by little and little. Hesaidto him, ‘Wring it hard; for I cannot endure the punish- 

* Nuzhet el-Muta-ammil wa-Murshid el-Muta-ahhil, section 9. 

t Mishk&t el-Maalbeeh, vol. ii. pp. 140 and 141, 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

65 

ment of the day of judgment [on account of this act].’ The memlook answered, 
‘O my master, the day that thou fearest, I also fear.’ ”—“ It is related also of 
Zeyn el-’A'bideen, that he had a memlook who seized a sheep, and broke its leg ; 
and he said to him, ‘ Why didst thou this ? ’ He answered, ‘ To provoke thee to 
anger.’ ‘And I,’ said he, ‘ will provoke to anger him who taught thee ; and he is 
Iblees : go, and be free, for the sake of God.’ ”*—Many similar anecdotes might 
be added ; but the general assertions of travellers in the East are more satisfactory 
evidence in favour of the humane conduct of most Muslims to their slaves. 

It sometimes happens, though rarely, that free girls are sold as slaves.f A 
remarkable instance is related in the “ Mir-at ez-Zeman.” J—Fatimeh, surnamed 
Ghareeb, a slave of the Khaleefeh El-Moatasim, the son of Haroon, was a poetess, 
accomplished in singing and calligraphy, and extremely beautiful. Her mother 
was an orphan ; and Jaafar, the famous Wezeer of Htiroon Er-Rasheed, took her 
as his wife; but his father, Yahya, reproached him for marrying a woman whose 
father and mother were unknown, and he therefore removed her from his own 
residence to a neighbouring house, where he frequently visited her ; and she bore 
him a daughter, the above-mentioned Ghareeb, and died. Jaafar committed her 
infant to the cave of a Christian woman, to nurse; and, on the overthrow of his 
family, this woman sold her young charge as a slave. El-Emeen, the successor of 
Er-Rasheed, bought her of a man named Sumbul, but never paid her price ; and 
when he was killed, she returned to her former master; but on the arrival of 
El-Ma-moon at Baghdad, she was described to him, and he compelled Sumbul to 
sell her to him. This Sumbul loved her so passionately, that he died of grief at 
her loss. On the death of El-Ma-moon, his successor, El-Moatasim, bought her 
for a hundred thousand dirhems, and emancipated her. The historian adds, that 
she composed several well-known airs and verses. 

Note 11. 

An Arab who is married to his cousin, generally calls her by this appellation 
rather than that of wife, as the tie of blood is, to him, in every respect, stronger 
than that of matrimony. 

Note 15.— On Magic. 

The Arabs and other Mohammadans enjoy a remarkable advantage over us in 
the composition of works of fiction : in the invention of incidents which ice should 
regard as absurd in the extreme, they cannot be accused by their countrymen of 
exceeding the bounds of probability. A case similar to that here described was 
related to me as a fact, in Cairo. A person in that city, I was told, was suddenly 
surprised by the disappearance of his brother, and by finding, in his place, an ass: 
but this animal increased his astonishment, and that of every person who beheld 
him, by manifesting a sagacity singularly opposed to the proverbial dulness of the 
generality of his species. Yet, strange as it may seem, it was not imagined that 
this brute was the lost man in a transformed state, till, one day, an old woman, 
seeing him, quickly covered her face, and declared the fact. She discovered this 
by her knowledge of magic; and, by her skill in this art, she agreed to restore 
the enchanted person to his proper shape. Having collected a number of herbs, 
she boiled them in a large vessel; and when the decoction had cooled, she took 

* Nuzhet El-Muta-ammil, &c. loco laudato. t Sec f< Modern Egyptians,” vol. i. ch. vii. 

I Events of the Year 227. 

VOL. I. 

K 

G6 

NOT ICS TO CHAPTER FIRST 

the vessel, and, muttering a certain spell, threw its contents over the animal, 
endeavouring to do so in such a manner that every part of it should be wetted. 
Every part of it was wetted, excepting one hind-foot; and, accordingly, it was 
restored to the original human form, with the exception of one foot, which re¬ 
mained like that of an ass. 

An implicit belief in magic is entertained by almost all Muslims; and he, 
among them, who denies its truth, they regard as a freethinker, or an infidel. 
Some are of opinion that it ceased on the mission of Mohammad; but these are 
comparatively few. Many of the most learned Muslims, to the present age, have 
deeply studied it; and a much greater number of persons of inferior education 
(particularly schoolmasters) have, more or less, devoted their time and talents to 
the pursuit of this knowledge. Recourse is had to it for the discovery of hidden 
treasures, for alchymical purposes, for the acquisition of the knowledge of futurity, 
to procure offspring, to obtain the affection of a beloved object, to effect cures, to 
guard against the influence of the evil eye, to afflict or kill an enemy or a rival, 
and to attain various other objects of desire. 

There are two descriptions of magic; one is spiritual, and regarded by all but 
freethinkers as true ; the other, natural, and denounced by the more religious and 
enlightened as deceptive. 

I. Spiritual magic, which is termed “ er-Roohdnee ” (vulgo “Rowhanee”), 
chiefly depends upon the virtues of certain names of God, and passages from the 
Kur-an, and the agency of Angels and Jinn, or Genii. It is of two kinds : High 
and Low (“ ’Ilwee” and “ Suflee”), or Divine and Satanic (“ Rahmanee,” i. e. 
relating to “the Compassionate” [who is God], and “ Sheytdnee”). 

1. Divine magic is regarded as a sublime science, and is studied only by good 
men, and practised only for good purposes. Perfection in this branch of magic 
consists in the knowledge of “ the most great name” of God (“ el-Ism el-Aazam”); 
but this knowledge is imparted to none but the peculiar favourites of Heaven. 
By virtue of this name, which was engraved on his seal-ring, Suleyman (or 
Solomon) subjected to his dominion the Jinn and the birds and the winds, as 
mentioned in a former note. By pronouncing it, his minister A'saf, also, trans¬ 
ported, in an instant, to the presence of his sovereign, in Jerusalem, the throne of 
the Queen of Sheba.* But this was a small miracle to effect by such means ; for, 
by uttering this name, a man may even raise the dead. Other names of the Deity, 
commonly known, are believed to have particular efficacies when uttered or 
written; as also are the names of the Prophet; and Angels and good J inn are 
said to be rendered subservient to the purposes of divine magic by means of certain 
invocations. Of such names and invocations, together with words unintelligible 
to the uninitiated in this science, passages from the Kur-dn, mysterious combina¬ 
tions of numbers, and peculiar diagrams and figures, are chiefly composed written 
charms employed for good purposes. Enchantment, when used for benevolent 
purposes, is regarded by the vulgar as a branch of lawful or divine magic; 
but not so by the learned; and the same remark applies to the science of 
divination. 

2. Satanic magic, as its name implies, is a science depending on the agency of 
the Devil and the inferior evil Jinn, whose services are obtained by means similar 
to those which propitiate, or render subservient, the good Jinn. It is condemned 

* Kur-in, ch. xxvii. v. 40; and Commentary of the Jelaleyn. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

67 

by the Prophet and all good Muslims, and only practised for bad purposes.— 
Enchantment, which is termed “ es-Selir,” is almost universally acknowledged to 
be a branch of Satanic magic ; but some few persons assert (agreeably with several 
tales in this work), that it may be, and by some has been, studied with good 
intentions, and practised by the aid of good Jinn; consequently, that there is such 
a science as good enchantment, which is to be regarded as a branch of divine or 
lawful magic. The metamorphoses are said to be generally effected by means of 
spells, or invocations to Jinn, accompanied by the sprinkling of water or dust, 
&c., on the object to be transformed. Persons are said to be enchanted in various 
ways: some, paralyzed, or even deprived of life; others, affected with irresistible 
passion for certain objects; others, again, rendered demoniacs; and some, trans¬ 
formed into brutes, birds, &c. The evil eye is believed to enchant in a very 
powerful and distressing manner. This was acknowledged even by the Prophet.* 
Diseases and death are often attributed to its influence. Amulets, which are mostly 
written charms, of the kind before described, are worn by many Muslims with the 
view of counteracting, or preserving from, enchantment; and for the same purpose, 
many ridiculous ceremonies are practised.—Divination, which is termed “ el- 
Kihdneh,” is pronounced, on the highest authority, to be a branch of Satanic 
magic ; though not believed to be so by all Muslims. According to an assertion 
of the Prophet, what a fortune-teller says may sometimes be true; because one of 
the Jinn steals away the truth, and carries it to the magician’s ear: for the Angels 
come down to the region next the earth (the lowest heaven), and mention the 
works that have been pre-ordained in heaven; and the Devils (or evil Jinn) listen 
to what the Angels say, and hear the orders predestined in heaven, and carry them 
to the fortune-tellers. It is on such occasions that shooting-stars are hurled at the 
Devils.f It is said that “ the diviner obtains the services of the Sheytdn by magic 
arts, and by names [invoked], and by the burning of perfumes, and he informs 
him of secret things : for the Devils, before the mission of the Apostle of God,” it 
is added, “ used to ascend to heaven, and hear words by stealth.” I That the evil 
Jinn are believed still to ascend sufficiently near to the lowest heaven to hear the 
conversation of the Angels, and so to assist magicians, appears from the former 
quotation, and is asserted by all Muslims. The discovery of hidden treasures, 
before alluded to, is one of the objects for which divination is most studied.—The 
mode of divination called “ Darb el-Mendel ” is by some supposed to be effected 
by the aid of evil Jinn ; but the more enlightened of the Muslims regard it 
as a branch of natural magic. Some curious performances of this kind, by 
means of a fluid mirror of ink, have been described in my “ Account of the 
Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians,” and in No. 117 of the “Quarterly 
Review.” 

There are certain modes of divination which cannot properly be classed under 
the head of spiritual magic, but require a place between the account of this 
science and that of natural magic.—The most important of these branches of 
Kihdneh is Astrology, which is called “Tim en-Nujoom.” This is studied by 
many Muslims in the present day; and its professors are often employed by the 
Arabs to determine a fortunate period for laying the foundation of a building, 
commencing a journey. Sic.; but more frequently by the Persians and Turks. 

* See “ Mishkas el-Maskbeeh,” vol. ii. p. 374. t Idem, vol. ii. pp. 384 et seqq. 

t Account of the early Arabs, in the 11 Mir-lit ez-Zem&n.” 

68 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

Tlie Prophet pronounced astrology to be a branch of magic.*—Another branch of 
Kihdneh is Geomancy, called “ Darb er-Ramla mode of divination from 
certain marks made on sand (whence its appellation), or on paper ; and said to be 
chiefly founded on astrology.—The science called “ ez-Zijr,” or “ el- Ey&feh, is a 
third branch of Kibiineh ; being divination or auguration chiefly from the motions 
and positions, or postures, of birds, or of gazelles and other beasts of the chase. 
Thus, what was termed a “ Saneh,” that is, such an animal standing or passing 
with its right side towards the spectator, was esteemed among the Arabs as of 
good omen; and a “B&reh,” or an animal of this kind with its left side towards 
the spectator, was held as inauspicious.!—“ El-Kiy&feli,” under which term are 
included Chiromancy and its kindred sciences, is a fourth branch of Kih&neh. 

“ Et-Tefa'iil,” or the taking an omen, particularly a good one, from a name or 
words accidentally heard or seen, or chosen from a book, belongs to the same 
science. The taking a “ fal,” or omen, from the Iyur-dn is generally held to be 
lawful.—Various trifling events are considered as ominous. For instance, a 
Sultan quitting his palace with his troops, a standard happened to strike a 
“thureiya” (a cluster of lamps, so called from resembling the Pleiades), and 
broke them: he drew from this an evil omen, and would have relinquished the 
expedition; but one of his chief officers said to him, “ O our Lord, thy standards 
have reached the Pleiades ; ”—and, being relieved by this remark, he proceeded, 
and returned victorious.!—The interpretation of dreams, “ Taabeer el-Men&m&t,” 
must also be classed among the branches of this science. According to the Pro¬ 
phet, it is the only branch of divination worthy of dependance. “ Good dreams,’ 
said he, “ are one of the parts of prophecy,” and “ nothing else of prophecy 
remains.” “Good dreams are from God; and false dreams, from the Devil.” 
“ When any one of you has a bad dream, spit three times over your left shoulder, 
and seek protection with God from the Devil thrice; and turn from the side on 
which the dream was, to the other. ”|| This rule is observed by many Muslims. 
Dreams are generally so fully relied upon by them as to be sometimes the means 
of deciding contested points in history and science. The Bight, in a dream, of 
anything green or white, or of water, is considered auspicious ; anything black or 
red, or fire, inauspicious.—The distinction of fortunate and unfortunate days 
should also here be mentioned. Thursday and Friday, especially the latter, are 
considered fortunate ; Monday and Wednesday, doubtful; Sunday, Tuesday, and 
Saturday, especially the last, unfortunate. It is said that there are seven evil days 
in every [lunar] month; namely, the third, on which K&beel (or Cain) killed H&beel 
(Abel) ; the fifth, on which God cast down Adam from paradise, and afflicted the 
people of Yoonus (Jonas), and on which Yoosuf (or Joseph) was cast into the 
well; the thirteenth, on which God took away the wealth of Eiyoob (or Job), and 
afflicted him, and took away the kingdom from Suleym&n (or Solomon), and on 
which the Jews killed the prophets; the sixteenth, on which God exterminated 
and buried the people of Loot (or Lot), and transformed three hundred Christians 
into swine, and Jews into apes, and on which the Jews sawed asunder Zekereeya 
(or Zachariah) ; the twenty-first, on which Pharaoh was born, and on which he 
was drowned, and on which his nation was afflicted with the plagues ; the twenty- 

* Mishkdt el-Masabeeh, loco laudato . t Mir-&t ez-Zem&n, loco laudato. 

I El-Is h&kee, in his account of the reign of EI-Moatasim, the son of IlAroon. 

|| Mishkat el-Mas&beeh, vol. ii. p. 388. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

69 

fourth, on which Numrood (or Nimrod) killed seventy women, and cast El-Khaleel 
(or Abraham) into the fire, and on which was slaughtered the camel of S&leh; 
and the twenty-fifth, on which the suffocating wind was sent upon the people 
of Hood * 

II. Natural magic, which is called “ es-Seemiya,” is regarded by most persons 
of the more enlightened classes of Muslims as altogether a deceptive art, no more 
worthy of respect than legerdemain; but it seems to be nearly allied to enchant¬ 
ment ; for it is said to effect, in appearance, the most wonderful transformations, 
and to cause the most extraordinary visions ; affecting the senses and imagination 
in a manner similar to opium. This and other drugs are supposed, by some 
persons, to be the chief means by which such illusions are caused; and perfumes, 
which are generally burnt in these performances, may operate in a similar manner. 
As such things are employed in performances of the kind called “ Darb el-Mendel,” 
before mentioned, these feats are regarded by many as effected by natural magic, 
notwithstanding what has been said above respecting the services of evil Jinn 
being procured by means of perfumes.—Alchymy (“ El-Keemiya ”) is a branch 
of natural magic. It is studied by many Muslims of the present day, and by 
some of considerable talents and attainments. 

The most celebrated of the magicians who have gained notoriety in Egypt 
during the course of the last hundred years, was the sheykh Ahmad Sadoomeh, 
who flourished somewhat more than sixty years ago—I write in 1837. Several 
persons of Cairo, men of intelligence and of good education, have related to me 
various most marvellous stories of his performances, on the authority of eye¬ 
witnesses whom they considered veracious; but a more credible account of this 
magician I have found in the work of an excellent historian of Modem Egypt. 
This author mentions the sheykh S&doomeh as an aged man, of venerable appear¬ 
ance, who derived his origin from the town of Semennood, in the Delta, and who 
acquired a very great and extensive celebrity for his attainments in spiritual and 
natural magic, and for holding converse, face to face, with Jinn, and causing them 
to appear to other persons, even to the blind, as men acquainted with him 
informed the historian. His contemporaries, says this writer, entertained various 
opinions respecting him; but, among them, a famous grammarian and general 
scholar, the sheykh Hasan El-Kafr&wee, regarded him as a first-rate saint, who 
performed evident miracles ; this learned man pronouncing as such the effects of 
“his legerdemain and natural magic.” His fame he describes as having increased 
until he was induced to try an unlucky experiment. A Memlook chief, Yoosuf 
Bey, saw some magic characters written on the body of one of his female slaves, 
and, exasperated by jealousy, commanded her, with a threat of instant death, to 
tell him who had done this. She confessed that a woman had taken her to the 
sheykh Sadoomeh, hnd that he had writtten this charm to attract to her the Bey's 
love. Upon hearing this, he instantly sent some attendants to seize the magician, 
and to put him to death, and throw him into the Nile; which was done.f But 
the manner in which the seizure was made, as related to me by one of my friends, 
deserves to be mentioned. Several persons, one after another, endeavoured to 

* El-Is-hdkee, close of his account of the reign of El-Emeen. 

I El-Jabartee’s Modem Egyptian History (MS. in my possession); account of the death of Yoosuf 
Bey, in the year of the Flight 1191; and account of the death of the sheykh Hasan El-Kafr&wee, in 
the year 1202. 

70 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

lay hold upon him; but every arm that was stretched forth for this purpose was 
instantly paralyzed, through a spell muttered by the magician; until a man behind 
him thrust a gag into his mouth, and so stopped his enchantments. 

Of the stories related to me of S&doomeh’s miracles, the following will serve 
as a specimenIn order to give one of his friends a treat, he took him to the 
distance of about half an hour’s walk into the desert on the north of Cairo; here 
they both sat down, upon the pebbly and sandy plain, and, the magician having 
uttered a spell, they suddenly found themselves in the midst of a garden, like one 
of the gardens of paradise, abounding with flowers and fruit-trees of every 
kind, springing up from a soil clothed with verdure brilliant as the emerald, and 
irrigated by numerous streamlets of the clearest water. A repast of the most 
delicious viands and fruits and wines was spread before them by invisible hands ; 
and they both ate to satiety, taking copious draughts of the various wines. At 
length, the magician's guest sank into a deep sleep; and when he awoke, he 
found himself again in the pebbly and sandy plain, with Sadoomeh still by his 
side.—The reader will probably attribute this vision to a dose of opium or some 
similar drug; and such I suppose to have been the means employed; for 1 cannot 
doubt the integrity of the narrator, though he would not admit such an explana¬ 
tion ; regarding the whole as an affair of magic, effected by the operation of Jinn, 
like similar relations in the present work. 

It may be remarked that most of the enchantments described in this work are 
said to be performed by women; and reputed witches appear to have been much 
more numerous in all countries than wizards. This fact the Muslims readily 
explain by a saying of their Prophet:—That women are deficient in sense and 
religion: whence they argue that they are more inclined than men to practise 
what is unlawful. 

Note 16.— On the Two Grand Festivals. 

The Muslims observe two grand ’Eeds, or Festivals, in every year. The first 
of these immediately follows Ramaddn, the month of abstinence, and lasts three 
days: it is called the Minor Festival. The other, which is called the Great 
Festival, commences on the tenth of Zu-l-Hejjeh, the day when the pilgrims, 
halting on their return from Mount ’.Arafat to Mekkeh, in the Valley of Mina 
(vulgarly called Muna), perform their sacrifice : the observance of this festival 
also continues three days, or four. 

Early in the first morning, on each of these festivals, the Muslim is required 
to perform a lustration of his whole person, as on the mornings of Friday; and 
on the first morning of the Minor Festival, he should break his fast with a few 
dates or some other light food; but on the Great Festival, he abstains from food 
until he has acquitted himself of the religious duties now to be mentioned. Soon 
after sunrise, on the first day of each Festival, the men, dressed in new or in 
their best clothes, repair to the mosque, or to a particular place appointed for the 
performance of the prayers of the ’Eed. On going thither, they should repeat, 
frequently, « God is most great! ”—this, on the Minor Festival, they should do 
inaudibly: on the other, aloud. The congregation, having assembled, repeat the 
prayers of two rek’ahs; after which, the Khateeb recites a khutbeh; i. e. an 
exhortation and a prayer. On each of these festivals, in the mosque, or place 
of prayer, and in the street, and at each other's houses, friends congratulate and 
embrace one another; generally paying visits for this purpose ; and the great 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

71 

receive visits from their dependants. The young, on these occasions, kiss the 
right hand of the aged; and servants or dependants do the same to their masters 
or superiors, unless the latter be of high rank, in which case they kiss the end of 
the hanging sleeve, or the skirt of the outer garment. Most of the shops are 
closed, excepting those at which eatables and sweet drinks are sold; but the 
streets are filled with people in their holiday-clothes. 

On the Minor Festival, which, as it terminates an arduous fast, is celebrated 
with more rejoicing than the other;* servants and other dependants receive 
presents of new articles of clothing from their masters or patrons ; and the servant 
receives presents of small sums of money from his master's friends, whom, if 
they do not visit his master, he goes to congratulate ; as well as from any former 
master, to whom he often takes a plateful of kahks. These are sweek cakes, or 
biscuits, of an annular form, composed of flower and butter, with a little ’ajameeyeh 
(which is a thick paste consisting of butter, honey, a little flour, and some spices) 
inside. They are also often sent as presents on this occasion by other people. 
Another custom required of the faithful on this festival is the giving of alms. 

On the Great Festival, after the prayers of the congregation, every one who 
can afford it performs, with his own hand, or by that of a deputy, a sacrifice of a 
ram, he-goat, cow or buffalo, or she-camel; part of the meat of which he eats, 
and part he gives to the poor, or to his friends or dependants. The ram or goat 
should be at least one year old; the cow or buffalo, two years; and the camel, 
five years ; and neither should have any considerable mutilation or infirmity. 
A cow or buffalo, or a camel, is a sufficient sacrifice for seven persons. The 
clothes which were put on new at the fonner festival are generally worn on this 
occasion; and the presents which are given to servants and others are usually 
somewhat less. 

On each of the two festivals it is also customary, especially with the women, 
to visit the tombs of relations. The party generally take with them a palm- 
branch, and place it, broken in several pieces, or merely its leaves, upon the tomb 
or monument; or some, instead of this, place sweet basil or other flowers. They 
also usually provide themselves with sweet cakes, bread, dates, or some other kind 
of food, to distribute to the poor. But their first duty, on arriving at the tomb, is 
to recite the Fatehah (the opening Chapter of the Kur-4n), or to employ a person 
to recite previously a longer chapter; generally the thirty-sixth (or Soorat Y&- 
Seen); or even the whole of the book : or sometimes the visitors recite the 
Fdtehah, and, after having hired a person to perform a longer recitation, go away 
before he commences. The women often stay all the days of the festival in the 
cemeteries, either in tents, or in houses of their own, erected there for their 
reception on these and other occasions. The tent of each party surrounds the 
tomb which is the object of their visit. In the outskirts of the cemeteries, 
swings and whirligigs are erected ; and story-tellers, dancers, and jugglers, amuse 
the populace. 

Note 17.— On the Mode of Slaughtering of Animals for Food. 

In the old translation, the sheykh is described as preparing to slaughter the 
cow with a mallet. This is a mistake of a serious nature; as the flesh of the 

• Hence it has been called, by many travellers, and even by some learned Orientalists, the Great 
Feast; but it is never so called by the Arabs. 

72 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

victim, if so killed, would be legally unclean. The Muslims are required to 
slaughter animals for food in a particular manner. Sheep, goats, cows or bulls, 
and buffaloes, must be killed by cutting the throat, at the part next the head, 
or any other part; dividing the windpipe, gullet, and carotid arteries. The 
camel is to be slaughtered by stabbing the throat at the part next the breast. 
Poultry, also, must be killed by cutting the throat; and so must every tume 
animal of which the flesh is lawful food. The slaughterer, in every case, must be 
a Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew; of either sex. On commencing the operation, 
he must say, “ In the name of God 1 God is most great! ”—or at least, “ In the 
name of God!”—but not add, “the Compassionate, the Merciful”—for an ob¬ 
vious reason. Birds or beasts of the chase may be killed by an arrow, a dog, a 
hawk, & c.; but the name of God must be uttered at the time of discharging the 
arrow, or slipping the dog, &c. When the beast or bird is not killed at once by 
the arrow, &c., it must be slaughtered as soon as possible in the same manner as 
sheep and poultry: the law, as well as humanity, requires this. 

Note 18.— On the Influence of Eloquence and Tales upon the Arabs. 

The main incident upon which this work is founded, the triumph of the 
fascination of the tongue over a cruel and unjust determination which nothing 
else could annul, might be regarded, by persons unacquainted with the character 
and literature of the Arabs, as a contrivance too improbable in its nature; but 
such is not the case. Perhaps there are no other people in the world who are 
such enthusiastic admirers of literature, and so excited by romantic tales, as those 
above named. Eloquence, with them, is lawful magic: it exercises over their 
minds an irresistible influence. “ I swear by God,” said their Prophet, “verily 
abuse of infidels in verse is worse to them that arrows.”* This, of course, alludes 
to Arab unbelievers. 

In the purest, or Heroic Age of Arabic literature, which was anterior to the 
triumph of the Mohammadan religion, the conquest which the love of eloquence 
could achieve over the sanguinary and vindictive feelings of the Arabs was most 
remarkably exemplified in the annual twenty days’ fair of ’Ok&z, or ’Okddh. 
Respecting this fair, I shall here insert a few particulars borrowed from an author 
who is at present devoting talents of the very highest order to the study and 
illustration of the history and literature of the early Arabs, and to whose con¬ 
versation and writings I must acknowledge myself indebted for most valuable 
information, which will often be of great utility to me in this undertaking, as well 
as in every branch of my Arabic studies. 

The fair of ’Okaz “ was not only a great mart opened annually to all the 
tribes of Arabia; but it was also a literary congress, or rather a general concourse 
of virtues, of glory and of poetry, whither the hero-poets resorted to celebrate 
their exploits in rhyming verse, and peacefully to contend for every kind of 
honour. This fair was held in the district of Mekkeh, between Et-Tai'f and 
Nakhleh, and was opened at the new moon of Zu-l-Kaadeh; that is to say, at the 
commencement of a period of three sacred months, during which all war was 
suspended, and homicide interdicted.... How is it possible to conceive that men 
whose wounds were always bleeding, who had always acts of vengeance to 
execute, vengeances to dread, could at a certain epoch impose silence upon their 

* Mishkat el-Mas4beeh, vol. ii. p. 424. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

73 

animosities, so as tranquilly to sit by a mortal enemy ? How could the brave who 
required the blood of a father, a brother, or a son, according to the phraseology of 
the desert and of the Bible,* who long, perhaps, had pursued in vain the mur¬ 
derer,—meet him, accost him peacefully at ’Okaz, and only assault with cadences 
and rhymes him whose presence alone seemed to accuse him of impotence or 
cowardice,—him whom he was bound to slay, under pain of infamy, after the 
expiration of the truce ? In fine, how could he hear a panegyric celebrating a 
glory acquired at his own expense, and sustain the fire of a thousand looks, and 
yet appear unmoved ? Had the Arabs no longer any blood in their veins during 
the continuance of the fair?—These questions, so embarrassing,.... were deter¬ 
mined [to a great degree], during the age of Arab paganism, in a manner the 
most simple and most refined.—At the fair of ’Okaz, the heroes were masked 
[or veiled].—In the recitations and improvisations, the voice of the orator was 
aided by that of a rhapsodist or crier, who was stationed near him, and re¬ 
peated his words. There is a similar office in the public prayers: it is that of 
the muballigh (transmitter), who is employed to repeat in a loud voice what is 
said in a lower tone by the imam. These two facts have been revealed to me by 
the same manuscript which I am translating, and upon which I am commenting. 
The use of the mask [or veil] might, however, be either adopted or dispensed 
with, ad libitum; as is proved by the narratives of a great number of quarrels 
begun and ended at ’Okaz... .It was in this congress of the Arab poets (and 
almost every warriour was a poet at the age which I am considering) that the 
dialects of Arabia became fused into a magic language, the language of the 
Hejaz, which Mohammad made use of to subvert the world; for the triumph of 
Mohammad is nothing else than the triumph of speech.’’!—The Kur-fin is 
regarded by the Arabs as an everlasting miracle, surpassing all others, appealing 
to the understanding of every generation by its inimitable eloquence. A stronger 
proof of the power of language over their minds could hardly be adduced; 
unless it be their being capable of receiving as a credible fact the tradition that 
both genii and men were attracted by the eloquent reading of David, when he 
recited the Psalms ; that the wild beasts and the birds were alike fascinated; and 
that sometimes there were borne out from his assembly as many as four hundred 
corpses of men who died from the excessive delight with which he thus inspired 
them !f It may be added, that the recitation, or chanting, of the Kur-an is a 
favourite means of amusing the guests at modern private festivities. 

In what may be termed the Middle Age of Arabic literature, commencing from 
the triumph of the Mohammadan religion, and extending to the foundation of the 
Empire of Baghdad, the power of eloquence over the educated classes of the 
Arabs probably increased in proportion as it became less familiar to them: for, 
early in this age, they began to simplify their spoken language in consequence of 
their intercourse with strangers, who could not generally acquire the difficult, old 
dialect of their conquerors: this, therefore, then began to be confined to literary 
compositions. That such a change took place at this period appears from several 
anecdotes interspersed in Arabic works. The Khaleefeh El-Weleed (who reigned 
near the close of the first century of the Flight), the son of ’Abd El-Melik, spoke 

• Genesis ix. 5. 

t Lettres 6ur 1’ Histoire des Arabes avant 1’ Islamisnie, par Fulgence Fresnel. Paris, 1836. pp. 31, 
et seqq. t El-Is-h&feee. 

VOL. I. 

L 

74 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

so corrupt a dialect that he often could not make himself understood by the Arab* 
of the desert. A ridiculous instance of the mistakes occasioned by his use of the 
simplified language which is now current is related by Abu-l-Fida. The same 
author adds, that the father and predecessor of this prince was a man of 
eloquence, and that he was grieved by the corrupt speech of his son, which he 
considered as a defect that incapacitated him to be a future ruler of the Arabs, as 
they were still great admirers of purity of speech, though so large a proportion of 
them spoke a corrupt dialect; wherefore, he sent him to a house to be instructed 
by a grammarian; but, after the youth had remained there a long time, he 
returned to his father more ignorant than before. Vulgarisms, however, would 
sometimes escape from the mouth of ’Abd El-Melik himself; yet, so sensible was 
he to eloquence, that, when a learned man, with whom he was conversing, 
elegantly informed him of an error of this kind, he ordered his mouth to be filled 
with jewels. “These,” said his courteous admonisher, “are things to be trea¬ 
sured up; not to be expended:”—and for this delicate hint, he was further 
rewarded with thirty thousand pieces of silver, and several costly articles of 
apparel.*—It may be aptly added, that this Khaleefeh was, in the beginning of 
his reign, an unjust monarch; and as he thus bore some slight resemblance to our 
Shahriyar, so was he reclaimed to a sense of his duty by means somewhat similar. 
Being, one night, unable to sleep, he called for a person to tell him a story for his 
amusement. “O Prince of the Faithful,” said the man thus bidden, “there was 
an owl in El-M6sil, and an owl in El-Basrah; and the owl of El-M6sil demanded 
in marriage, for her son, the daughter of the owl of El-Basrah: but the owl of 
El-Basrah said, ‘ I will not, unless thou give me, as her dowry, a hundred desolate 
farms.’ ‘That I cannot do,’ said the owl of El-M6sil, ‘at present; but if our 
sovereign (may God, whose name be exalted, preserve him!) live one year, I will 
give thee what thou desirest.’ ”—This simple fable sufficed to rouse the prince 
from his apathy, and he thenceforward applied himself to fulfil the duties of 
his station.f 

In the most flourishing age of Arabic poetry and general literature and science, 
commencing from the foundation of the Empire of Baghdad, and extending to the 
conquest of Egypt by the ’Osmanlee Turks, the influence of eloquent and enter¬ 
taining language upon the character of the Arab sovereigns was particularly 
exemplified. A few illustrative anecdotes may here be inserted. 

It is related by El-Asma’ee, that Hdroon Er-Rasheed, at a grand fete which 
he was giving, ordered the poet Abu-l-’Atahiyeh to depict, in verse, the volup¬ 
tuous enjoyments of his sovereign. The poet began thus :— 

“ Live long in safe enjoyment of thy desires, under the shadow of lofty 
palaces! ” 

“Well said!” exclaimed Er-Rasheed : “and what next?” 

“ May thy wishes be abundantly fulfilled, whether at eventide or in the 
morning! ” 

“ Well! ” again said the Khaleefeh : “ then what next,?” 

“ But when the rattling breath struggles in the dark cavity of the chest, 

Then shalt thou know surely that thou hast been only in the midst of 
illusions.” 

* El-Is-hikee. 

t Idem. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

75 

—Er-Rasheed wept; and Fadl, the son of Yahya, said, “The Prince of the 
Faithful sent for thee to divert him, and thou hast plunged him into grief.” 
“ Suffer him,” said the prince; “for he hath beheld us in blindness, and it dis¬ 
pleased him to increase it.” * 

The family of the Barmekees (one of the most brilliant ornaments of which 
was the Wezeer Jaafar, who has been rendered agreeably familiar to us by the 
many scenes in which he is introduced in the present work) earned a noble and 
enduring reputation by tbeir attachment to literature, and the magnificent rewards 
they conferred on learned men. It was peculiarly hard, therefore, that litera¬ 
ture contributed to their melancholy overthrow. Poets were employed by their 
enemies to compose songs artfully pointed against them, to be sung before the 
prince to whom they owed their power. Of one of these songs, the following 
lines formed a part:— 

“ Would that Hind had fulfilled the promises she made us, and healed 
the disease under which we suffer! 

That she had once, at least, acted for herself! for imbecile, indeed, is he 
who doth not so.” 

“Yea! By Allah! Imbecile!” exclaimed the Khaleefeh, on hearing these 
verses: his jealousy was roused; and his vengeance soon after fell heavily upon 
his former favourites.) 

One of the Khaleefehs having invited the poets of his day to his palace, a 
Bedawee, carrying a water-jar to fill at the river, followed them, and entered with 
them. The Khaleefeh, seeing this poor man with the jar on his shoulder, asked 
him what brought him thither. He returned for answer these words :— 

“ Seeing that this company had girded on the saddles 
To repair to thy overflowing river, I came with my jar.” 

The Khaleefeh, delighted with his answer, gave orders to fill his jar with 
gold.I 

In the present declining age of Arabian learning (which may be said to have 
commenced about the period of the conquest of Egypt by the ’Osmfinlees), literary 
recreations still exert a magic influence upon the Arabs. Compositions of a simi¬ 
lar nature to the tales of a Thousand and One Nights (though regarded by the 
learned as idle stories unworthy of being classed with their literature) enable 
numbers of professional story-tellers to attract crowds of delighted listeners to the 
coffee-shops of the East; and now that the original of the present work is printed, 
and to be purchased at a moderate price, it will probably soon, in a great measure, 
supersede the romances of Aboo Zeyd, Ez-Z&hir, and ’Antar. As a proof of the 
powerful fascinations with which the tales of a Thousand and One Nights affect the 
mind of a highly enlightened Muslim, it may be mentioned that the latest native 
historian of Modern Egypt, the sheykh ’Abd Er-Rahmdn El-Jabartee, so delighted 
in their perusal that he took the trouble of refining the language of a copy of 
them which he possessed, expunging or altering whatever was grossly offensive 
to morality without the somewhat redeeming quality of wit, and adding many 

• Fakhr ed-Deen, in De Sacy's Chrefltomathie Arabe, vol. i. p. 3 of the Arabic text: 2nd edition. 

f lbn Khaldoon, ubi supra, vol. i. p. 124 of the Arabic text. 

J Halbet el-Kumeyt (MS. in my possession), chap. vii. 

76 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

facetiae of his own, and of other literati. What has become of this copy, I have 
been unable, though acquainted with several of his friends, to discover. 

Note 19. 

It is a common custom among the Muslims to give a present to a person who 
brings good tidings. The word (bish&rah) which I render “ a reward for bringing 
good news,” literally signifies merely “good news;” but it is often used, as in 
this case, in the former sense. 

Note 20. 

A Mohammadan woman is not allowed to show her face to any men 
excepting certain near relations and others whom the law prohibits her from 
marrying. Who these are will be mentioned in a future note, descriptive of the 
general laws and ceremonies of marriage. Respectable females consider it a great 
disgrace to be seen unveiled by any men but those above alluded to. 

Note 21. —On the Deen&r and Dirbem. 

The standards of gold and silver coin, among the Arabs, were the deen&r 
and the dirhem: therefore, in this work, I call the former “ a piece of gold, 
and the latter “ a piece of silver." Their values have varied considerably at 
different periods; but in the present work, we shall sufficiently approximate to 
the truth, if we understand the average value of the former to be about ten shillings 
or half a guinea; and that of the latter about sixpence. 

Note 22. —Description of Shops. 

In Eastern cities, most of the great thoroughfare-streets, and many others, 
have a row of shops along each side, not communicating with the super¬ 
structures ; which latter are divided into separate lodgings, inhabited by different 
families, and seldom by the persons who rent the shops beneath. These streets 
are called, in Arabic, “Sooks;” and are generally termed by us, “ B&zArs.” A 
whole street of this description, or a portion of such a street, commonly contains 
only or chiefly shops appropriated to a particular trade; and is called the Sook of 
that trade. In general, the shop is a small recess or cell, about six or seven feet 
high, and between three and four feet wide, the floor of which is even with the top 
of a raised seat of stone or brick, called “ mastabah,” between two and three feet 
high, and about the same in breadth; upon which the shop-keeper usually sits. The 
front of the shop is furnished with shutters; which, when closed, at night, are se¬ 
cured by a wooden lock. Several of the engravings in this work will convey a 
better notion of shops of different kinds than a more detailed description. 

Note 23. 

Distrust in his governors and relations and acquaintance often induces an 
Arab to hide his money under the paved floor of a room, or in some other place, 
in his house. 

Note 24. 

These words, “ I give myself to thee,” uttered by a woman to a man, even 
without the presence of witnesses, if they cannot be easily procured, render 
her his lawful wife, if he replies that he accepts her, and gives her a dowry. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST. 

77 

Note 25. 

I have substituted “jinneeyeh” (agreeably with the Calcutta edition of the 
first two hundred nights, and because the context requires it) for “ Efreeteh,” 
which signifies a powerful and evil female genie.—The tale to which this note 
refers may be illustrated by the following anecdote, which wa3 related to me 
by a Persian with whom I was acquainted in Cairo, named Abu-1-Kasim, a native 
of Geeldn, then superintendent of the Basha’s Printing-office at Boolak. 

One of this person’s countrymen, whom he asserted to be a man of indubitable 
veracity, was sitting on the roof of a house which he had hired, overlooking the 
Ganges, and was passing the closing hour of the day, according to his usual 
custom, smoking his Persian pipe, and feasting his eyes by gazing at the beautiful 
forms of Indian maidens bathing in the river, when he beheld among them one 
so lovely that his heart was overpowered with desire to have her for his wife. At 
nightfall she came to him, and told him that she had observed his emotion, and 
would consent to become his wife; but on the condition that he should never admit 
another female to take or share her place, and that she should only be with him 
in the night-time. They took the marriage-vow to each other, with none for their 
witness hut God; and great was his happiness, till, one evening, he saw again, 
among a group of girls in the river, another who excited in him still more powerful 
emotions. To his surprise, this very form stood before him at the approach of night. 
He withstood the temptation, mindful of his marriage-vow: she used every 
allurement; but he was resolute. His fair visiter then told him that she was his 
wife; that she was a jinneeyeh; and that she would always thenceforward visit 
him in the form of any female whom he might chance to prefer. 

Note 26. 

This form of benediction is almost always added when the Prophet is men¬ 
tioned in a book by any of his followers, and often also in conversation. 

Note 27. 

Perhaps it is needless to explain this proverb by the words of the Bible— 
“ Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans, xii. 19.) For the 
honour of the Muslims I must say that this maxim is often observed by them, 
excepting in cases to which the law of retaliation applies. 

Note 28. 

The houses in Arabian countries generally have flat roofs, upon which, in 
the summer, some of the inhabitants often sleep: the interior, therefore, is as ac¬ 
cessible from the roof as from the common entrance. 

Note 29. 

I here steer a middle course between my usual standard copy—which gives 
the story of the third sheykh more fully than I have done—and the Calcutta 
edition of the first two hundred nights, which omits it altogether, as does also the 
copy from which the old translation was made, perhaps on account of its unin¬ 
teresting nature.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE THIRD NIGHT, AND ENDING 
WITH PART OF THE NINTH. 

THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN. 

There was a certain fisherman, advanced in age, who had a 
wife and three children; and though he was in indigent circum¬ 
stances, it was his custom to cast his net, every day, no more than 
four times. One day he went forth at the hour of noon to the 
shore of the sea, and put down his basket, and cast his net, and 
waited until it was motionless in the water, when he drew together 
its strings, and found it to be heavy: he pulled, but could not 
draw it up: so he took the end of the cord, and knocked a stake 
into the shore, and tied the cord to it. He then stripped himself, 
and dived round the net, and continued to pull until he drew it out: 
whereupon he rejoiced, and put on his clothes; but when he came 

THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN. 

79 

to examine the net, he found in it the carcass of an ass. At the 
sight of this he mourned, and exclaimed, There is no strength nor 
power but in God, the High, the Great! This is a strange piece 
of fortune! And he repeated the following verse:— 

O thou who occupiest thyself in the darkness of night, and in peril! Spare thy 
trouble; for the support of Providence is not obtained by toil! 1 

He then disencumbered his net of the dead ass, and wrung it 
out; after which he spread it, and descended into the sea, and— 
exclaiming, In the name of God!—cast it again, and waited till it 
had sunk and was still, when he pulled it, and found it more heavy 
and more difficult to raise than on the former occasion. He there¬ 
fore concluded that it was full of fish: so he tied it, and stripped, 
and plunged and dived, and pulled until he raised it, and drew it 
upon the shore; when he found in it only a large jar, full of sand 
and mud; on seeing which, he was troubled in his heart, and 
repeated the following words of the poet:— 

O angry fate, forbear! or, if thou wilt not forbear, relent! 

Neither favour from fortune do I gain, nor profit from the work of my hands. 

I came forth to seek my sustenance, but have found it to be exhausted. 

How many of the ignorant are in splendour! and how many of the wise, in 
obscurity! 

So saying, he threw aside the jar, and wrung out and cleansed his 
net; and, begging the forgiveness of God for his impatience, 
returned to the sea the third time, and threw the net, and waited 
till it had sunk and was motionless: he then drew it out, and 
found in it a quantity of broken jars and pots. 

Upon this, he raised his head towards heaven, and said, O God, 
thou knowest that I cast not my net more than four times; and I 
have now cast it three times! Then—exclaiming, In the name of 
God!—he cast the net again into the sea, and waited till it was 
still; when he attempted to draw it up, but could not, for it clung 
to the bottom. And he exclaimed, There is no strength nor power 
but in God!—and stripped himself again, and dived round the net, 
and pulled it until he raised it upon the shore; when he opened it, 
and found in it a bottle 2 of brass, filled with something, and having 
its mouth closed with a stopper of lead, bearing the impression of 

80 

THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN. 

the seal of our lord Suleyman . 3 At the sight of this, the fisherman 
was rejoiced, and said, This I will sell in the copper-market; for it 
is worth ten pieces of gold. He then shook it, and found it to be 
heavy, and said, I must open it, and see what is in it, and store it 
in my hag; and then I will sell the bottle in the copper-market. 
So he took out a knife, and picked at the lead until he extracted it 
from the bottle. He then laid the bottle on the ground, and shook 
it, that its contents might pour out; but there came forth from it 
nothing but smoke, which ascended towards the sky, and spread 
over the face of the earth; at which he wondered excessively. 
And after a little while, the smoke collected together, and was 
condensed, and then became agitated, and was converted into an 
’Efreet, whose head was in the clouds, while his feet rested upon 
the ground: * his head was like a dome: his hands were like win¬ 
nowing forks ; 5 and his legs, like masts: his mouth resembled 
a cavern: his teeth were like stones; his nostrils, like trumpets ; 6 
and his eyes, like lamps; and he had dishevelled and dust-coloured 
hair. 

When the fisherman beheld this ’Efreet, the muscles of his sides 
quivered, his teeth were locked together, his spittle dried up, and 
he saw not his way. The ’Efreet, as soon as he perceived him, 
exclaimed, There is no deity but God : Suleyman is the Prophet 
of God. O Prophet of God, slay me not; for I will never again 
oppose thee in word, or rebel against thee in deed!—O Marid , 7 
said the fisherman, dost thou say, Suleyman is the Prophet of 
God ? Suleyman hath been dead a thousand and eight hundred 
years; and we are now in the end of time. What is thy history, 
and what is thy tale, and what was the cause of thy entering this 
bottle ? When the Marid heard these words of the fisherman, he 
said, There is no deity but God ! Receive news, O fisherman!— 
Of what, said the fisherman, dost thou give me news ? He an¬ 
swered, Of thy being instantly put to a most cruel death. The 
fisherman exclaimed, Thou deservest, for this news, O master of the 
’Efreets, the withdrawal of protection from thee, O thou remote ! 8 
Wherefore wouldst thou kill me ? and what requires thy killing 
me, when I have liberated thee from the bottle, and rescued thee 
from the bottom of the sea, and brought thee up upon the dry land ? 
The ’Efreet answered, Choose what kind of death thou wilt die, 

and in what manner thou shalt he killed.—What is my offence, said 
the fisherman, that this should be my recompense from thee ? The 
’Efreet replied, Hear my story, O fisherman.—Tell it then, said 
the fisherman, and be short in thy words; for my soul hath sunk 
down to my feet. 

Know then, said he, that I am one of the heretical Jinn: I 
rebelled against Suleyman the son of Daood; I and Sakhr the 
Jinnee ; 9 and he sent to me his Wezeer, A'saf the son of Barkhiya, 
who came upon me forcibly, and took me to him in bonds, and 
placed me before him: and when Suleyman saw me, he offered up 
a prayer for protection against me, and exhorted me to embrace the 
faith, and to submit to his authority ; but I refused; upon which 

VOL. I. 

M 

82 

THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN. 

he called for this bottle, and confined me in it, and closed it upon 
me with the leaden stopper, which he stamped with the Most Great 
Name: he then gave orders to the Jinn, who carried me away, and 
threw me into the midst of the sea. There I remained a hundred 
years ; and I said in my heart, Whosoever shall liberate me, I will 
enrich him for ever:—but the hundred years passed over me, and 
no one liberated me : and I entered upon another hundred years ; 
and I said, Whosoever shall liberate me, I will open to him the 
treasures of the earth ;—but no one did so: and four hundred years 
more passed over me, and I said, Whosoever shall liberate me, I 
will perform for him three wants :—but still no one liberated me. 
I then fell into a violent rage, and said within myself, Whosoever 
shall liberate me now, I will kill him ; and only suffer him to 
choose in what manner he will die. And, lo! now thou hast 
liberated me, and I have given thee thy choice of the manner in 
which thou wilt die. 

When the fisherman had heard the story of the ’Efreet, he 
exclaimed, O Allah! that I should not have liberated thee but in 
such a time as this ! Then said he to the ’Efreet, Pardon me, and 
kill me not, and so may God pardon thee; and destroy me not, 
lest God give power over thee to one who will destroy thee. The 
Marid answered, I must positively kill thee ; therefore choose by 
what manner of death thou wilt die. The fisherman then felt 
assured of his death; but he again implored the ’Efreet, saying. 
Pardon me by way of gratitude for my liberating thee.—Why, 
answered the ’Efreet, I am not going to kill thee but for that very 
reason, because thou hast liberated me.—O Sheykh of the ’Efreets, 
said the fisherman, do I act kindly towards thee, and dost thou 
recompense me with baseness ? But the proverb lieth not that 
saith,— 

We did good to them, and they returned us the reverse; and such, by my 
life, is the conduct of the wicked. 

Thus he who acteth kindly to the undeserving is recompensed in the same 
manner as the aider of Umm ’A'mir. 10 

The ’Efreet, when he heard these words, answered by saying, 
Covet not life, for thy death is unavoidable. Then said the fisher¬ 
man within himself, This is a Jinnee, and I am a man; and God 

THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN. 

83 

hath given me sound reason; therefore, I will now plot his de¬ 
struction with my art and reason, like as he hath plotted with his 
cunning and perfidy. So he said to the ’Efreet, Hast thou deter¬ 
mined to kill me? He answered, Yes. Then said he,'By the 
Most Great Name engraved upon the seal of Suleyman, I will ask 
thee one question; and wilt thou answer it to me truly ? On 
hearing the mention of the Most Great Name, the ’Efreet was 
agitated, and trembled, and replied, Yes; ask, and be brief. The 
fisherman then said, How wast thou in this bottle ? It will not 
contain thy hand or thy foot; how then can it contain thy whole 
body ?—Dost thou not believe that I was in it ? said the ’Efreet. 
The fisherman answered, I will never believe thee until I see thee 
in it. Upon this, the ’Efreet shook, and became converted again 
into smoke, which rose to the sky, and then became condensed, and 
entered the bottle by little and little, until it was all enclosed; when 
the fisherman hastily snatched the sealed leaden stopper, and, 
having replaced it in the mouth of the bottle, called out to the 
’Efreet, and said, Choose in what manner of death thou wilt die. 

84 

THE STORY OF KING Y'OONA'N 

I will assuredly throw thee here into the sea, and build me a house 
on this spot; and whosoever shall come here, I will prevent his 
fishing in this place, and will say to him, Here is an ’Efreet, who, 
to any person that liberates him, will propose various kinds of 
death, and then give him his choice of one of them. On hearing 
these words of the fisherman, the ’Efreet endeavoured to escape ; 
but could not, finding himself restrained by the impression of the 
seal of Suleyman, and thus imprisoned by the fisherman as the 
vilest and filthiest and least of ’Efreets. The fisherman then took 
the bottle to the brink of the sea. The ’Efreet exclaimed, Nay ! 
nay !—to which the fisherman answered, Yea, without fail! yea, 
without fail! The Marid then addressing him with a soft voice 
and humble manner, said, What dost thou intend to do with me, 
O fisherman ? He answered, I will throw thee into the sea ; and 
if thou hast been there a thousand and eight hundred years, I will 
make thee to remain there until the hour of judgment. Did I not 
say to thee, Spare me, and so may God spare thee ; and destroy 
me not, lest God destroy thee ? But thou didst reject my petition, 
and wouldest nothing but treachery; therefore God hath caused 
thee to fall into my hand, and I have betrayed thee.—Open to me, 
said the ’Efreet, that I may confer benefits upon thee. The fisher¬ 
man replied, Thou best, thou accursed ! I and thou are like the 
Wezeer of King Yoonan 11 and the sage Dooban. 12 —What, said 
the ’Efreet, was the case of the Wezeer of King Yoonan and the 
sage Dooban, and what is their story ? The fisherman answered 
as follows :— 

THE STORY OF KING YOONA'N AND THE SAGE DOOBA'N. 

Know, O’Efreet, that there was, in former times, in the country 
of the Persians , 13 a monarch who was called King Yoonan, possess¬ 
ing great treasures and numerous forces, valiant, and having troops 
of every description; but he was afflicted with leprosy, which the 
physicians and sages had failed to remove; neither their potions, 
nor powders, nor ointments were of any benefit to him ; and none 
of the physicians was able to cure him. At length there arrived 
at the city of this king a great sage, stricken in years, who was 

AND THE SAGE DOOBA'N. 

85 

called the sage Dooban: he was acquainted with ancient Greek, 
Persian, modern Greek, Arabic, and Syrian books, and with medi¬ 
cine and astrology, both with respect to their scientific principles 
and the rules of their practical applications for good and evil; as 
well as the properties of plants, dried and fresh; the injurious and 
the useful: he was versed in the wisdom of the philosophers, and 
embraced a knowledge of all the medical and other sciences. 

After this sage had arrived in the city, and remained in it a 
few days, he heard of the case of the King, of the leprosy with 
which God had afflicted liim, and that the physicians and men of 
science had failed to cure him. In consequence of this information, 
he passed the next night in deep study; and when the morning 
came, and diffused its light, and the sun saluted the Ornament 
of the Good , 14 he attired himself in the richest of his apparel, and 
presented himself before the king. Having kissed the ground 
before him, and offered up a prayer for the continuance of his 
power and happiness, and greeted him in the best manner he was 
able, he informed him who he was, and said, O King, I have heard 
of the disease which hath attacked thy person, and that many of 
the physicians are unacquainted with the means of removing it; 
and I will cure thee without giving thee to drink any potion, or 
anointing thee with ointment. When King Yoonan heard his 
words, he wondered, and said to him. How wilt thou do this ? By 
Allah, if thou cure me, I will enrich thee and thy children’s 
children, and I will heap favours upon thee, and whatever thou 
shalt desire shall be thine, and thou shalt be my companion and 
my friend. He then bestowed upon him a robe of honour , 15 and 
other presents, and said to him. Wilt thou cure me of this disease 
without potion or ointment ? He answered, Yes; I will cure thee 
without any discomfort to thy person. And the King was extremely 
astonished, and said, O Sage, at what time, and on what day, shall 
that which thou hast proposed to me be done ? Hasten it, O my 
Son. He answered, I hear and obey. 

He then went out from the presence of the King, and hired a 
house, in which he deposited his books, and medicines, and drugs. 
Having done this, he selected certain of his medicines and drugs, 
and made a goff-stick, with a hollow handle, into which he intro¬ 
duced them; after which he made a ball for it, skilfully adapted; 

and on the following day, after he had finished these, he went again 
to the King, and kissed the ground before him, and directed him to 
repair to the horse-course, and to play with the ball and golf-stick. 
The King, attended by his Emeers and Chamberlains and Wezeers, 
went thither, and, as soon as he arrived there, the sage Dooban 
presented himself before him, and handed to him the golf-stick, 
saying, Take this golf-stick, and grasp it thus, and ride along the 
horse-course, and strike the ball with it with all thy force, until the 
palm of thy hand and thy whole body becomes moist with per¬ 
spiration, when the medicine will penetrate into thy hand, and 
pervade thy whole body; and when thou hast done this, and the 
medicine remains in thee, return to thy palace, and enter the 
bath , 16 and wash thyself, and sleep: then shalt thou find thyself 
cured: and peace be on thee. So King Yoonan took the golf-stick 
from the sage, and grasped it in his hand, and mounted his horse; 
and the ball was thrown before him, and he urged his horse after it 
until he overtook it, when he struck it with all his force; and when 
he had continued this exercise as long as was necessary, and bathed 
and slept, he looked upon his skin, and not a vestige of the leprosy 
remained: it was clear as white silver. Upon this he rejoiced 
exceedingly; his heart was dilated, and he was full of happiness. 

On the following morning he entered the council-chamber, and 
sat upon his throne; and the chamberlains and great officers of his 
court came before him. The sage Dooban also presented himself, 
and when the King saw him, he rose to him in haste, and seated 
him by his side. Services of food were then spread before them, 

THE STORY OF KING YOONA'N, &c. 

8T 

and the sage ate with the King, and remained as his guest all the 
day ; 17 and when the night approached, the King gave him two 
thousand pieces of gold, besides dresses of honour and other pre¬ 
sents, and mounted him on his own horse, and so the sage returned 
to his house . 18 And the King was astonished at his skill; saying, 
This man hath cured me Jby an external process, without anointing 
me with ointment: by Allah, this is consummate science; and it is 
incumbent on me to bestow favours and honours upon him, and to 
make him my companion and familiar friend as long as I live. He 
passed the night happy and joyful on account of his recovery, and 
when he arose, he went forth again, and sat upon his throne; the 
officers of his court standing before him, and the Emeers and 

88 

THE STORY OF KING YOONA'N, &e. 

Wezeers sitting on his right hand and on his left; and he called for 
the sage Dooban, who came, and kissed the ground before him; 
and the King rose, and seated him by his side, and ate with him, 
and greeted him with compliments: he bestowed upon him again a 
robe of honour and other presents, and, after conversing with him 
till the approach of night, gave orders, that five other robes of 
honour should be given to him, and a thousand pieces of gold; and 
the sage departed, and returned to his house. 

Again, when the next morning came, the King went as usual to 
his council-chamber, and the Emeers and Wezeers and Chamber¬ 
lains surrounded him. Now there was, among his Wezeers, one of 
ill aspect, and of evil star ; 19 sordid, avaricious, and of an envious 
and malicious disposition; and when he saw that the King had 
made the sage Dooban his friend, and bestowed upon him these 
favours, he envied him this distinction, and meditated evil against 
him; agreeably with the adage which saith, There is nobody void 
of envy; 20 —and another, which saith, Tyranny lurketh in the soul: 
power manifesteth it, and weakness concealeth it. So he approached 
the King, and kissed the ground before him, and said, O King of 
the age, thou art he whose goodness extendeth to all men, and 1 
have an important piece of advice to give thee: if I were to conceal 
it from thee, I should be a base-born wretch: therefore, if thou 
order me to impart it, I will do so. The King, disturbed by these 
words of the Wezeer, said, What is thy advice ? He answered, O 
glorious King, it hath been said, by the ancients, He who looketh 
not to results, fortune will not attend him:—now I have seen the 
King in a way that is not right; since he hath bestowed favours 
upon his enemy, and upon him who desireth the downfal of his 
dominion: he hath treated him with kindness, and honoured him 
with the highest honours, and admitted him to the closest intimacy: 
I therefore fear, for the King, the consequence of this conduct.— 
At this the King was troubled, and his countenance changed; and 
he said, Who is he whom thou regardest as mine enemy, and to 
whom I show kindness ? He replied, O King, if thou hast been 
asleep, awake! I allude to the sage Dooban. The King said, He 
is my intimate companion, and the dearest of men in my estimation; 
for he restored me by a thing that I merely held in my hand, and 
cured me of my disease which the physicians were unable to remove, 

THE STORY OF THE HUSBAND AND THE PARROT. 89 

and there is not now to be found one like to him in the whole 
world, from west to east. Wherefore, then, dost thou utter these 
words against him ? I will, from this day, appoint him a regular 
salary and maintenance, and give him every month a thousand 
pieces of gold; and if I gave him a share of my kingdom it were 
but a small thing to do unto him. I do not think that thou hast 
said this from any other motive than that of envy. If I did what 
thou desirest, I should repent after it, as the man repented who 
killed his parrot. 21 

THE STORY OF THE HUSBAND AND THE PARROT. 

There was a certain merchant, of an excessively jealous disposi¬ 
tion, having a wife endowed with perfect beauty, who had prevented 
him from leaving his home; but an event happened which obliged 
him to make a journey; and when he found his doing so to be 
indispensable, he went to the market in which birds were sold, and 
bought a parrot, which he placed in his house to act as a spy, that, 
on his return, she might inform him of what passed during his 
absence; for this parrot was cunning and intelligent, and remem¬ 
bered whatever she heard. 22 So, when he had made his journey, 
and accomplished his business, he returned, and caused the parrot 
to be brought to him, and asked her respecting the conduct of his 
wife. She answered, Thy wife has a lover, who visited her every 

VOL. I. 

90 THE STORY OF THE HUSBAND AND THE PARROT. 

night during thy absence: and when the man heard this, he fell 
into a violent rage, and went to his wife, and gave her a severe 
beating. 

The woman imagined that one of the female slaves had informed 
him of what had passed between her and her paramour during his 
absence: she therefore called them together, and made them swear; 
and they all swore that they had not told their master anything of 
the matter; but confessed that they had heard the parrot relate to 
him what had passed. Having thus established, on the testimony of 
the slaves, the fact of the parrot’s having informed her husband of 
her intrigue, she ordered one of these slaves to grind with a hand- 
mill under the cage, another to sprinkle water from above, and 
a third to move a mirror from side to side, during the next night on 
which her husband was absent; and on the following morning, 
when the man returned from an entertainment at which he had 
been present, and inquired again of the parrot what had passed that 
night during his absence; the bird answered, O my master, I could 
neither see nor hear anything, on account of the excessive darkness, 
and thunder, and lightning, and rain. Now this happened during 
summer: so he said to her, What strange words are these ? It is 
now summer, when nothing of what thou hast described ever 
happens. The parrot, however, swore by Allah the Great that 
what she had said was true; and that it had so happened: upon 
which the man, not understanding the case, nor knowing the plot, 
became violently enraged, and took out the bird from the cage, 
and threw her down upon the ground with such violence that he 
killed her. 

But after some days, one of his female slaves informed him of 
the truth; yet he would not believe it, until he saw his wife’s 
paramour going out from his house ; when he drew his sword, 23 
and slew the traitor by a blow on the back of his neck : so also did 
he to his treacherous wife ; and thus both of them went, laden 
with the sin which they had committed, to the fire; and the 
merchant discovered that the parrot had informed him truly of 
what she had seen ; and he mourned grievously for her loss. 

When the Wezeer heard these words of King Yoonan, he 
said, O King of great dignity, what hath this crafty sage—this 
man from whom nought but mischief proceedeth—done unto me, 

THE STORY OF THE ENVIOUS WEZEER, &c. 

91 

that I should be his enemy, and speak evil of him, and plot with 
thee to destroy him ? I have informed thee respecting him in 
compassion for thee, and in fear of his despoiling thee of thy 
happiness; and if my words be not true, destroy me, as the 
Wezeer of Es-Sindibad was destroyed. The King asked, How 
was that? And the Wezeer thus answered :— 

THE STORY OF THE ENVIOUS WEZEER AND THE PRINCE 
AND THE GHOOLEH. 

The King above-mentioned had a son who was ardently fond 
of the chase ; 24 and he had a Wezeer whom he charged to be 
always with this son wherever he went. One day the son went 
forth to hunt, and his father’s Wezeer was with him ; and as they 
rode together, they saw a great wild beast; upon which the Wezeer 
exclaimed to the Prince, Away after this wild beast! The King’s son 
pursued it until he was out of the sight of his attendants, and the 
beast also escaped from before his eyes in the desert; and while 
the Prince wandered in perplexity, not knowing whither to direct 
his course, he met in his way a damsel, who was weeping. He 
said to her, Who art thou ?—and she answered, I am a daughter 
of one of the kings of India; I was in the desert, and slumber 
overtook me, and I fell from my horse in a state of insensibility, 
and being thus separated from my attendants, I lost my way. The 
Prince, on hearing this, pitied her forlorn state, and placed her 
behind him on his horse ; and as they proceeded, they passed by a 
ruin,” and the damsel said to him, O my master, I would alight 
here for a little while. The Prince therefore lifted her from his 
horse at this ruin ; but she delayed so long to return, that he 
wondered wherefore she had loitered so, and entering after her, 
without her knowledge, perceived that she was a Ghooleh,” and 
heard her say, My children, I have brought you to-day a fat young 
man :—on which they exclaimed, Bring him in to us, 0 mother ! 
that we may fill our stomachs with his flesh. When the Prince 
heard their words, he felt assured of destruction; the muscles of 
his side quivered, and fear overcame him, and he retreated. The 
Ghooleh then came forth, and, seeing that he appeared alarmed and 

fearful, and that he was trembling, said to him, Wherefore dost 
thou fear ? He answered, I have an enemy of whom I am in fear. 
The Ghooleh said, Thou assertest thyself to be the son of the King. 
He replied, Yes.—Then, said she, wherefore dost thou not give 
some money to thine enemy, and so conciliate him 1 He answered, 
He will not be appeased with money, nor with anything but life ; 
and therefore do I fear him : I am an injured man. She then said 
to him, If thou be an injured man, as thou affirmest, beg aid of 
God against thine oppressor, and He will avert from thee his 
mischievous design, and that of every other person whom thou 
fearest. Upon this, therefore, the Prince raised his head towards 
heaven, and said, O Thou who answerest the distressed when he 

THE STORY OF KING YOONA'N, &c. 

93 

prayeth to Thee, and dispellest evil, assist me, and cause mine 
enemy to depart from me; for Thou art able to do whatsoever 
Thou wilt!—and the Ghooleh no sooner heard his prayer, than she 
departed from him. The Prince then returned to his father, and 
informed him of the conduct of the Wezeer ; upon which the King 
gave orders that the minister should be put to death. 

CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF KING YOONA'N AND THE 
SAGE DOOBA'N. 

And thou, O King, continued the Wezeer of King Yoonan, if 
thou trust in this sage, he will kill thee in the foulest manner. If 
thou continue to bestow favours upon him, and to make him thine 
intimate companion, he will plot thy destruction. Dost thou not 
see that he hath cured thee of the disease by external means, by 
a thing that thou heldest in thy hand ? Therefore thou art not 
secure against his killing thee by a thing that thou shalt hold in 
the same manner. King Yoonan answered, Thou hast spoken 
truth: the case is as thou hast said, O faithful Wezeer: it is pro¬ 
bable that this sage came as a spy to accomplish my death; and if 
he cured me by a thing I held in my hand, he may destroy me by 
a thing that I may smell: what then, O Wezeer, shall be done 
respecting him ? The Wezeer answered, Send to him immediately, 
and desire him to come hither; and when he is come, strike off 
his head, and so shalt thou avert from thee his evil design, and be 
secure from him. Betray him before he betray thee.—The King 
said, Thou hast spoken right. 

Immediately, therefore, he sent for the sage, who came, full of 
joy, not knowing what the Compassionate 27 had decreed against 
him, and addressed the King with these words of the poet:— 

If I fail any day to render thee due thanks, tell me for whom I have com¬ 
posed my verse and prose. 

Thou hast loaded me with favours unsolicited, bestowed without delay on thy 
part, or excuse. 

How then should I abstain from praising thee as thou deservest, and lauding 
thee both with my heart and voice ? 

Nay, I will thank thee for thy benefits conferred upon me: they are light 
upon my tongue, though weighty to my back. 

94 

THE STORY OF KING YOON A'N 

Knowest thou, said the King, wherefore I have summoned thee ? 
The sage answered, None knoweth what is secret but God, whose 
name be exalted! Then said the King, I have summoned thee 
that I may take away thy life. The sage, in the utmost astonish¬ 
ment at this announcement, said, O King, wherefore woiddst thou 
kill me, and what offence hath been committed by me ? The King 
answered, It hath been told me that thou art a spy, and that thou 
hast come hither to kill me : but I will prevent thee by killing 
thee first:—and so saying, he called out to the executioner, 
Strike off the head of this traitor, and relieve me from his wicked¬ 
ness.—Spare me, said the sage, and so may God spare thee ; and 
destroy me not, lest God destroy thee. And he repeated these 
words several times, like as I did, O ’Efreet; but thou wouldst not 
let me go, desiring to destroy me. 

King Yoonan then said to the sage Dooban, I shall not be 
secure unless I kill thee; for thou curedst me by a thing that I 
held in my hand, and I have no security against thy killing me by 
a thing that I may smell, or by some other means.—O King, said 
the sage, is this my recompense from thee ? Dost thou return 
evil for good ? The King answered, Thou must be slain without 
delay. When the sage, therefore, was convinced that the King 
intended to put him to death, and that his fate was inevitable, he 
lamented the benefit that he had done to the undeserving. The 
executioner then advanced, and bandaged his eyes, and, having 
drawn his sword, said, Give permission. Upon this the sage wept, 

AND THE SAGE DOOBA'N. 

95 

and said again, Spare me, and so may God spare thee; and destroy 
me not, lest God destroy thee! Wouldst thou return me the 
recompense of the crocodile ?—What, said the King, is the story 
of the crocodile ? The sage answered, I cannot relate it while in 
this condition; 28 hut I conjure thee by Allah to spare me, and so 
may He spare thee. And he wept bitterly. Then one of the chief 
officers of the King arose, and said, O King, give up to me the 
blood of this sage; for we have not seen him commit any offence 
against thee ; nor have we seen him do aught but cure thee of thy 
disease, which wearied the other physicians and sages. The King 
answered, Ye know not the reason wherefore I would kill the 
sage: it is this, that if I suffered him to live, I should myself 
inevitably perish ; for he who cured me of the disease under which 
I suffered by a thing that I held in my hand, may kill me by a 
thing that I may smell; and I fear that he would do so, and would 
receive an appointment on account of it; seeing that it is probable 
he is a spy who hath come hither to kill me ; I must therefore kill 
him, and then shall I feel myself safe.—The sage then said again, 
Spare me, and so may God spare thee ; and destroy me not, lest 
God destroy thee. 

But he now felt certain, O ’Efreet, that the King would put him 
to death, and that there was no escape for him ; so he said, O King, 
if my death is indispensable, grant me some respite, that I may 
return to my house, and acquit myself of my duties, and give direc¬ 
tions to my family and neighbours to bury me, and dispose of my 
medical books; and among my books is one of most especial value, 
which I offer as a present to thee, that thou mayest treasure it in 
thy library. And what, said the King, is this book ? He answered, 
It contains things not to be enumerated; and the smallest of the 
secret virtues that it possesses is this; that, when thou hast cut off 
my head, if thou open this book, and count three leaves, and then 
read three lines on the page to the left, the head will speak to thee, 
and answer whatever thou shalt ask. At this the King was exces¬ 
sively astonished, and shook with delight, and said to him, O Sage, 
when I have cut off thy head will it speak? He answered, Yes, 
O King; and this is a wonderful thing. 

The King then sent him in the custody of guards; and the sage 
descended to his house, and settled all his affairs on that day; and 

96 

THE STORY OF KING YOONA'N, Src. 

on the following day he went up to the court: and the Emeers and 
Wezeers, and Chamberlains and Deputies, and all the great officers 
of the state, went thither also : and the court resembled a flower- 
garden. 29 And when the sage had entered, he presented himself 
before the King, bearing an old book, and a small pot containing 
a powder: and he sat down, and said, Bring me a tray. So they 
brought him one; and he poured out the powder into it, and spread 
it. He then said, 0 King, take this book, and do nothing with it 
until thou hast cut off my head; and when thou hast done so, place 
it upon this tray, and order some one to press it down upon the 
powder; and when this is done, the blood will be stanched: then 
open the book. As soon as the sage had said this, the King gave 
orders to strike off his head; and it was done. The King then 
opened the book, and found that its leaves were stuck together; so 
he put his finger to his mouth, and moistened it with his spittle, 
and opened the first leaf, and the second, and the third; but the 
leaves were not opened without difficulty. He opened six leaves, 
and looked at them; but found upon them no writing. So he said, 
O Sage, there is nothing written in it. The head of the sage 
answered, Turn over more leaves. The King did so; and in a little 
while, the poison penetrated into his system; for the book was 
poisoned; and the King fell back, and cried out, The poison hath 
penetrated into me!—and upon this, the head of the sage Dooban 
repeated these verses :— 

THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN. 

97 

They made use of their power, and used it tyrannically; and soon it became 
as though it never had existed. 

Had they acted equitably, they had experienced equity; hut they oppressed; 

wherefore fortune oppressed them with calamities and trials. 

Then did the case itself announce to them, This is the reward of your conduct, 
and fortune is blameless. 

And when the head of the sage Dooban had uttered these words, 
the King immediately fell down dead. 3 " 

CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN. 

Now, O ’Efreet, continued the fisherman, know that if Kang 
Yoonan had spared the sage Dooban, God had spared him; but he 
refused, and desired his destruction; therefore God destroyed him: 
and thou, O ’Efreet, if thou hadst spared me, God had spared thee, 
and I had spared thee; but thou desiredst my death; therefore will 
I put thee to death imprisoned in this bottle; and will throw thee 
here into the sea. The Marid, upon this, cried out, and said, I 
conjure thee by Allah, O fisherman, that thou do it not: spare me 
in generosity, and be not angry with me for what I did ; but if I 
have done evil, do thou good, according to the proverb,—O thou 
benefactor of him who hath done evil, the action that he hath done 
is sufficient for him :—do not therefore as Umameh did to ’A'tikeh. 
—And what, said the fisherman, was their case ? The ’Efreet 
answered, This is not a time for telling stories, when I am in this 
prison; but when thou liberatest me, I will relate to thee their 
case. 31 The fisherman said, Thou must be thrown into the sea, 
and there shall be no way of escape for thee from it; for I endea¬ 
voured to propitiate thee, and humbled myself before thee, yet thou 
wouldest nothing but my destruction, though I had committed no 
offence to deserve it, and had done no evil to thee whatever, but 
only good, delivering thee from thy confinement; and when thou 
didst thus unto me, I perceived that thou wast radically corrupt: 
and I would have thee know, that my motive for throwing thee 
into this sea, is, that I may acquaint with thy story every one that 
shall take thee out, and caution him against thee, that he may cast 
thee in again : thus shalt thou remain in this sea to the end of time, 

voi,. i. 

O 

98 

THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN. 

and experience varieties of torment. The ’Efreet then said, Liberate 
me, for this is an opportunity for thee to display humanity; and I 
vow to thee that I will never do thee harm ; but, on the contrary, 
will do thee a service that shall enrich thee for ever. 

Upon this the fisherman accepted his covenant that he would 
not hurt him, but that he would do him good; and when he had 
bound him by oaths and vows, and made him swear by the Most 
Great Name of God, he opened to him; and the smoke ascended 
until it had all come forth, and then collected together, and became, 
as before, an ’Efreet of hideous form. The ’Efreet then kicked the 
bottle into the sea. When the fisherman saw him do this, he made 
sure of destruction, and said, This is no sign of good :—but after¬ 
wards he fortified his heart, and said, O ’Efreet, God, whose name 
be exalted, hath said, Perform the covenant, for the covenant shall 
be inquired into: 32 —and thou hast covenanted with me, and sworn 
that thou wilt not act treacherously towards me; therefore, if thou 
so act, God will recompense thee; for He is jealous; He respiteth, 
but suffereth not to escape; and remember that I said to thee as 
said the sage Dooban to King Yoonan, Spare me, and so may God 
spare thee. 

The ’Efreet laughed, and, walking on before him, said, O fisher¬ 
man, follow me. The fisherman did so, not believing in his escape, 
until they had quitted the neighbourhod of the city, and ascended 
a mountain, and descended into a wide desert tract, in the midst of 
which was a lake of water. Here the ’Efreet stopped, and ordered 
the fisherman to cast his net and take some fish; and the fisherman, 

looking into the lake, saw in it fish of different colours, white, and 
red, and blue, and yellow ; at which he was astonished; and he cast 
his net, and drew it in, and found in it four fish, each fish of a 
different colour from the others, at the sight of which he rejoiced. 
The ’Efreet then said to him, Take them to the Sultan, 33 and 
present them to him, and he will give thee what will enrich thee ; 
and for the sake of God accept my excuse, for, at present, I know 
no other way of rewarding thee, having been in the sea a thousand 
and eight hundred years, and not seen the surface of the earth until 
now: but take not fish from the lake more than once each day: 
and now I commend thee to the care of God.—Having thus said, 
he struck the earth with his feet, and it clove asunder, and swal¬ 
lowed him. 

The fisherman then went back to the city, wondering at all that 
had befallen him with the ’Efreet, and carried the fish to his house; 
and he took an earthen bowl, and, having filled it with water, put 
the fish into it; and they struggled in the water: and when he had 
done this, he placed the bowl upon his head, and repaired to the 
King’s palace, as the ’Efreet had commanded him, and, going up 
unto the King, presented to him the fish; and the King was exces¬ 
sively astonished at them, for he had never seen any like them in 
the course of his life; and he said, Give these fish to the slave 
cook-maid. This maid had been sent as a present to him by the 
King of the Greeks, three days before; and he had not yet tried 

100 

THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN. 

her skill. The Wezeer, therefore, ordered her to fry the fish, and 
said to her, O maid, the King saith unto thee, I have not reserved 
my tear but for the time of my difficulty:—to-day, then, gratify us 
by a specimen of thy excellent cookery, for a person hath brought 
these fish as a present to the Sultan. After having thus charged 
her, the Wezeer returned, and the King ordered him to give the 
fisherman four hundred pieces of gold: so the Wezeer gave them 
to him ; and he took them in his lap, and returned to his home and 
his wife, joyful and happy, and bought what was needful for his 
family. 

Such were the events that befel the fisherman: now we must 
relate what happened to the maid.—She took the fish, and cleaned 
them, and arranged them in the frying-pan, and left them until one 
side was cooked, when she turned them upon the other side; and, 
lo! the wall of the kitchen clove asunder, and there came forth 
from it a damsel of tall stature, smooth-cheeked, of perfect form, 
with eyes adorned with kohl, 34 beautiful in countenance, and with 
heavy, swelling hips; wearing a koofeeyeh 35 interwoven with blue 
silk ; with rings in her ears, and bracelets on her wrists, and rings 
set with precious jewels on her fingers ; and in her hand was a rod 
of Indian cane: and she dipped the end of the rod in the frying- 
pan, and said, O fish, are ye remaining faithful to your covenant ? 
At the sight of this, the cook-maid fainted. The damsel then 
repeated the same words a second and a third time; after which the 
fish raised their heads from the frying-pan, and answered, Yes, yes. 
They then repeated the following verse :— 

If thou return, we return; and if thou come, we come; and if thou forsake, 
we verily do the same. 

And upon this the damsel overturned the frying pan, and departed 
by the way she had entered, and the wall of the kitchen closed up 
again. The cook-maid then arose, and beheld the four fish burnt 
like charcoal; and she exclaimed, In his first encounter his staff 
broke !—and as she sat reproaching herself, she beheld the Wezeer 
standing at her head; and he said to her, Bring the fish to the 
Sultan:—and she wept, and informed him of what had happened. 38 

The Wezeer was astonished at her words, and exclaimed, This 
is indeed a wonderful event;—and he sent for the fisherman, and 

when he was brought, he said to him, O fisherman, thou must 
bring to us four fish like those which thou broughtest before. 
The fisherman accordingly went forth to the lake, and threw his 
net, and when he had drawn it in he found in it four fish as before; 
and he took them to the Wezeer, who went with them to the maid, 
and said to her, Rise, and fry them in my presence, that I may 
witness this occurrence. The maid, therefore, prepared the fish, 
and put them in the frying-pan, and they had remained but a little 
while, when the wall clove asunder, and the damsel appeared, clad 
as before, and holding the rod; and she dipped the end of the rod 
in the frying-pan, and said, O fish, O fish, are ye remaining faithful 
to your old covenant ? Upon which they raised their heads, and 
answered as before; and the damsel overturned the frying-pan 
with the rod, and returned by the way she had entered, and the 
wall closed up again. 

102 

THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN. 

The Wezeer then said, This is an event which cannot be con¬ 
cealed from the King:—so he went to him, and informed him 
of what had happened in his presence ; and the King said, I must 
see this with my own eyes. He sent, therefore, to the fisherman, 
and commanded him to bring four fish like the former; granting 
him a delay of three days. And the fisherman repaired to the lake, 
and brought the fish thence to the King, who ordered again that 
four hundred pieces of gold should be given to him; and then, 
turning to the Wezeer, said to him, Cook the fish thyself here 
before me. The Wezeer answered, I hear and obey. He brought 
the frying-pan, and, after he had cleaned the fish, threw them into 
it; and as soon as he had turned them, the wall clove asunder, and 
there came forth from it a negro, in size like a bull, or like one of 
the tribe of ’A'd, 37 having in his hand a branch of a green tree; 
and he said, with a clear but terrifying voice, O fish, O fish, are ye 
remaining faithful to your old covenant ? Upon which they raised 
their heads, and answered as before, Yes, yes : 

If thou return, we return; and if thou come, we come; and if thou forsake, 
we verily do the same. 

The black then approached the frying-pan, and overturned it with 
the branch, and the fish became like charcoal, and he went away as 
he had come. 

When he had thus disappeared from before their eyes, the 
King said, This is an event respecting which it is impossible to 
keep silence, and there must, undoubtedly, be some strange circum¬ 
stance connected with these fish. He then ordered that the 
fisherman should be brought before him, and when he had come, 
he said to him, Whence came these fish ? The fisherman answered, 
From a lake between four mountains behind this mountain which 
is without thy city. The King said to him, How many days’ 
journey 38 distant? He answered, O our lord the Sultan, a 
journey of half-an-hour. And the Sultan was astonished, and 
ordered his troops to go out immediately with him and the fisher¬ 
man, who began to curse the ’Efreet. They proceeded until they 
had ascended the mountain, and descended into a wide desert 
tract which they had never before seen in their whole lives; and 
the Sultan and all the troops wondered at the sight of this desert, 

THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN. 

103 

which was between four mountains, and at the fish, which were of 
four colours, red and white and yellow and blue. The King 
paused in astonishment, and said to the troops, and to the other 
attendants who were with him, Hath any one of you before seen 
this lake in this place ? They all answered. No. Then said the 
King, By Allah, I will not enter my city, nor will I sit upon 
my throne, until I know the true history of this lake, and of its 
fish. And upon this he ordered his people to encamp around 
these mountains; and they did so. He then called for the Wezeer, 
who was a well-informed, sensible, prudent, and learned man; and 
when he had presented himself before him, he said to him, I desire 
to do a thing with which I will acquaint thee; and it is this:— 
I have resolved to depart alone this night, to seek for information 
respecting this lake and its fish: therefore, sit thou at the door of 
my pavilion, and say to the Emeers and Wezeers and Chamber¬ 
lains, The Sultan is sick, and hath commanded me not to allow any 
person to go in unto him:—and acquaint no one with my intention. 

The Wezeer was unable to oppose his design; so the King 
disguised himself, and slung on his sword, and withdrew himself 
from the midst of his troops. He journeyed the whole of the 
night, until the morning, and proceeded until the heat became 
oppressive to him: he then paused to rest; after which he again 
proceeded the remainder of the day and the second night until 
the morning, when there appeared before him, in the distance, 
something black, at the sight of which he rejoiced, and said, 
Perhaps I shall there find some person who will inform me of the 
history of the lake and its fish. And when he approached this 

104 

THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN. 

black object, he found it to be a palace built of black stones, 
and overlaid with iron; and one of the leaves of its door was 
open, and the other shut. The King was glad, and he stood at the 
door, and knocked gently, but heard no answer; he knocked a 
second and a third time, but again heard no answer: then he 
knocked a fourth time, and with violence ; but no one answered. 
So he said, It is doubtless empty :—and he took courage, and 
entered from the door into the passage, and cried out, saying, 
O inhabitants of the palace, I am a stranger and a traveller! have 
ye any provision ? And he repeated these words a second and 
a third time; but heard no answer. And upon this he fortified 
his heart, and emboldened himself, and proceeded from the passage 
into the midst of the palace; but he found no one there, and only 
saw that it was furnished, and that there was, in the centre of it, a 
fountain with four lions of red gold, which poured forth the water 
from their mouths, like pearls and jewels : around this were birds; 
and over the top of the palace was extended a net which prevented 
their flying out. At the sight of these objects he was astonished, 
and he was grieved that he saw no person there whom he could ask 
for information respecting the lake, and the fish, and the moun¬ 
tains, and the palace. He then sat down between the doors, 39 
reflecting upon these things; and as he thus sat, he heard a voice 
of lamentation from a sorrowful heart, chanting these verses :— 

O fortune, thou pitiest me not, nor releasest me! See my heart is straitened 
between affliction and peril! 

Will not you [O my wife] have compassion on the mighty whom love hath 
abased, and the wealthy who is reduced to indigence ? 

We were jealous even of the zephyr which passed over you: but when the 
divine decree is issued, the eye becometh blind! 

What resource hath the archer when, in the hour of conflict, he desireth to 
discharge the arrow, but findeth his bow-string broken ? 

And when troubles are multiplied upon the noble-minded, where shall he find 
refuge from fate and from destiny ? 40 

When the Sultan heard this lamentation, he sprang upon his 
feet, and, seeking the direction whence it proceeded, found a 
curtain suspended before the door of a chamber; and he raised it, 
and beheld behind it a young man sitting on a sofa raised to the 
height of a cubit from the floor. He was a handsome youth, well- 

shaped, and of eloquent speech, with shining forehead, and rosy 
cheek, marked with a mole resembling ambergris. The King was 
rejoiced at seeing him, and saluted him; and the young man (who 
remained sitting, and was clad with a vest of silk, embroidered with 
gold, but who exhibited traces of grief) returned his salutation, 
and said to him, O my master, excuse my not rising.—O youth! 
said the King, inform me respecting the lake, and its fish of various 
colours, and respecting this palace, and the reason of thy being 
alone in it, and of thy lamentation. When the young man heard 
these words, tears trickled down his cheeks, and he wept bitterly." 
And the King was astonished, and said to him, What causeth thee 
to weep, O youth ? He answered, How can I refrain from weep¬ 
ing, when this is my state ?—and so saying, he stretched forth his 
hand, and lifted up the skirts of his clothing; and, lo! half of him, 
from his waist to the soles of his feet, was stone; and from his 
waist to the hair of his head, he was like other men. He then 
said, Know, O King, that the story of the fish is extraordinary; 
if it were engraved upon the intellect, it would be a lesson to him 
who would be admonished :—and he related as follows :— 

VOL . 

p 

106 

THE STORY OF THE YOUNG KING 

THE STORY OF THE YOUNG KING OF THE BLACK ISLANDS. 

My father was king of the city which was here situated: his 
name was Mahmood, and he was lord of the Black Islands, and of 
the four mountains. After a reign of seventy years, he died, and 
I succeeded to his throne; whereupon I took as my wife the 
daughter of my uncle; and she loved me excessively, so that when 
I absented myself from her, she would neither eat nor drink till 
she saw me again. She remained under my protection five years. 
After this, she went one day to the bath ; and I had commanded 
the cook to prepare the supper, and entered this palace, and slept 
in my usual place. 12 I had ordered two maids to fan me ; 13 and one 
of them sat at my head, and the other at my feet; but I was 
restless, because my wife was not with me; and I could not sleep. 
My eyes were closed, hut my spirit was awake ; and I heard the 
maid at my head say to her at my feet, O Mes’oodeh, 41 verily our 
lord is unfortunate in his youth, and what a pity is it that it should 
be passed with our depraved, wicked mistress!—Perdition to un¬ 
faithful wives! replied the other: but (added she) such a person 
as our lord, so endowed by Nature, is not suited to this profligate 
woman, who passes every night absent from his bed.—Verily, 
rejoined she at my head, our lord is careless in not making any 
inquiry respecting her.—Wo to thee ! said the other: hath our 

OF THE BLACK ISLANDS. 

10? 

lord any knowledge of her conduct, or doth she leave him to his 
choice ? Nay, on the contrary, she contriveth to defraud him by 
means of the cup of wine 45 which he drinketh every night before 
he sleepeth, putting benj 46 into it; in consequence of which he 
sleepeth so soundly, that he knoweth not what happeneth, nor 
whither she goeth, nor what she doth; for, after she hath given 
him the wine to drink, she dresseth herself, and goeth out from 
him, and is absent until daybreak, when she retumeth to him, and 
bumeth a perfume under his nose, upon which he awaketh from 
his sleep. 

When I heard this conversation of the maids, the light became 
darkness before my face, and I was hardly conscious of the ap¬ 
proach of night, when my cousin returned from the bath. The 
table was prepared, and we ate, and sat awhile drinking our wine 
as usual. I then called for the wine which I was accustomed to 
drink before 1 lay down to sleep, and she handed to me the cup; 
but I turned away, and, pretending to drink it as I was wont to 
do, poured it into my bosom, and immediately lay down: upon 
which she said, Sleep on ; I wish that thou wouldst never wake 
again! By Allah, I abhor thee, and abhor thy person, and my 
soul is weary of thy company!—She then arose, and attired herself 
in the most magnificent of her apparel, and, having perfumed 
herself, and slung on a sword, opened the door of the palace, and 
went out. I got up immediately, and followed her until she had 
quitted the palace, and passed through the streets of the city, and 
arrived at the city-gates, when she pronounced some words that I 
understood not; whereupon the locks fell off, and the gates opened, 
and she went out, I still following her, without her knowledge. 
Thence she proceeded to a space among the mounds, 47 and arrived 
at a strong edifice, in which was a kubbeh 48 constructed of mud, 
with a door, which she entered. I then climbed upon the roof of 
the kubbeh, and, looking down upon her through an aperture, saw 
that she was visiting a black slave, whose large lips, one of which 
overlapped the other, gathered up the sand from the pebbly floor, 
while he lay, in a filthy and wet condition, upon a few stalks of 
sugar-cane. 

She kissed the ground before this slave; and he raised his 
head towards her, and said, Wo to thee! Wherefore hast thou 

108 

THE STORY OF THE YOUNG KING, &c. 

remained away until this hour ? The other blacks have been here 
drinking wine, and each of them has gone away with his mistress; 
and I refused to drink on thy account. She answered, O my 
master, and beloved of my heart, knowest thou not that I am 
married to my cousin, and that I abhor every man who resembles 
him, and hate myself while I am in his company ? If I did not 
fear to displease thee, I would reduce the city to ruins, so that 
the owl and the raven should cry in it, and would transport its 
stones beyond Mount Kaf. 49 —Thou best, thou infamous woman, 
replied the slave; and I swear by the generosity of the blacks (and 
if I speak not truth, may our valour be as the valour of the whites), 
that if thou loiter as thou hast now done till this hour, I will no 
longer give thee my company, nor approach thy person, thou 
faithless one! Dost thou inconvenience me for the sake of thine 
own pleasure, thou filthy wretch, and vilest of the whites ?—When 
I heard (continued the King) their words, and witnessed what 
passed between them, the world became dark before my face, and 
I knew not where I was.—My cousin still stood weeping, and 
abasing herself before him, and said, O my beloved, and treasure 
of my heart, there remaineth to me none but thee for whom I care, 
and if thou cast me off, alas for me! O my beloved! O light of 
mine eye !—Thus she continued to weep, and to humble herself 
before him, until he became pacified towards her; upon which she 
rejoiced, and arose, and, having disrobed herself, said to him, O my 
master, hast thou here anything that thy maid may eat ? He 
answered, Uncover the dough-pan ; it contains some cooked rats’ 
bones : so eat of them, and pick them ; and take this earthen pot 
thou wilt find in it some boozah 51 to drink. So she arose, and 
ate and drank, and washed her hands ; after which she lay down 
by the side of the slave, upon the stalks of sugar-cane, and covered 
herself with his tattered clothes and rags. 

When I saw her do this, I became unconscious of my existence, 
and, descending from the roof of the kubbeh, entered, and took 
the sword from the side of my cousin, with the intention of killing 
them both. I struck the slave upon his neck, and thought that he 
was killed ; but the blow, which I gave with the view of severing 
his head, only cut the gullet and skin and flesh ; and when I 
thought that I had killed him, he uttered a loud snore, upon which 

my cousin started up, and, as soon as I had gone, took the sword, 
and returned it to its scabbard, and came back to the city and to 
the palace, and lay down again in my bed, in which she remained 
until the morning. 

On the following day, I observed that my cousin had cut off 
her hair, and put on the apparel of mourning; “ and she said to 
me, O my cousin, blame me not for what I do ; for I have received 
news that my mother is dead, and that my father hath been slain 
in a holy war, and that one of my two brothers hath died of a 
poisonous sting, and the other by the fall of a house: it is natural, 
therefore, that I should weep and mourn. On hearing these words, 
I abstained from upbraiding her, and said, Do what seemeth fit to 
thee; for I will not oppose thee. Accordingly, she continued 
mourning and weeping and wailing a whole year ; after which she 
said to me, I have a desire to build for myself, in thy palace, a 
tomb, with a kubbeh, that I may repair thither alone to mourn, 

110 

THE STORY OF THE YOUNG KING 

and I will call it tlie House of Lamentations .’ 3 I replied, Do 
what thou seest fit. So she built for herself a house for mourning, 
with a kubbeh in the middle of it, like the tomb of a saint ; 54 after 
which she removed thither the slave, and there she lodged him. 
He was in a state of excessive weakness, and unable to render her 
any service, though he drank wine; and from the day on which I 
had wounded him, he had never spoken; yet he remained alive, 
because the appointed term of his life had not expired. My cousin 
every day visited him in this tomb early and late, to weep and 
mourn over him, and took to him wine to drink, and boiled meats; 
and thus she continued to do, morning and evening, until the 
expiration of the second year, while I patiently suffered her, till, 
one day, I entered her apartment unawares, and found her weep¬ 
ing, and slapping her face, and repeating these verses :— 

I have lost my existence among mankind since your absence; for my heart 
loveth none but you. 

Take my body, then, in mercy, to the place where you are laid; and there 
bury me by your side : 

And if, at my grave, you utter my name, the moaning of my bones shall 
answer to your call. 

As soon as she had finished the recitation of these verses, I said 
to her, holding my drawn sword in my hand, This is the language 
of those faithless women who renounce the ties of affinity, and 
regard not lawful fellowship!—and I was about to strike her with 
the sword, and had lifted up my arm to do so, when she arose—for 
she knew that it was I who had wounded the slave—and, standing 
before me, pronounced some words which I understood not, and 
said, May God, by means of my enchantment, make thee to be 
half of stone, and half of the substance of man!—whereupon I 
became as thou seest, unable to move, neither dead nor alive; 
and when I had been reduced to this state, she enchanted the city 
and its markets and fields. The inhabitants of our city were of four 
classes; Muslims, and Christians, and Jews, and Magians ; and she 
transformed them into fish: the white are the Muslims; the red, 
the Magians ; the blue, the Christians; and the yellow, the Jews . 53 
She transformed, also, the four islands into four mountains, and 
placed them around the lake; and from that time she has continued 
every day to torture me, inflicting upon me a hundred lashes with 

OF THE BLACK ISLANDS. 

Ill 

a leather whip, until the blood flows from my wounds ; after which 
she puts on my upper half a vest of hair-cloth, beneath these 
garments.—Having said thus, the young man wept, and ejaculated 
the following verses:— 

Give me patience, O Allah, to bear what Thou decreest! I will be patient, if 
so I may obtain thine approval. 

I am straitened, indeed, by the calamity that hath befallen me: but the 
Family of the favoured Prophet shall intercede for me ! 56 

Upon this, the Kang, looking towards the young man, said to 
him, O youth, thou hast increased my anxiety. And where (he 
added) is this woman ? The young man answered, She is in the 
tomb where the slave is lying, in the kubbeh; and every day, before 
she visits him, she strips me of my clothing, and inflicts upon me 
a hundred lashes with the whip, while I weep and cry out, unable 
to move so as to repulse her. After thus torturing me, she repairs 
early to the slave, with the wine and boiled meat.—By Allah, O 
youth, said the King, I will do thee an act of kindness for which 
I shall be remembered, and a favour which historians shall record 
in a biography after me. 

He then sat and conversed with him until the approach of night, 
upon which he arose, and waited till the first dawn of day, when he 
took off his clothes, and slung on his sword, and went to the place 
where the slave lay. After remarking the candles and lamps, and 
perfumes and ointments, he approached the slave, and with a blow 
of his sword slew him: he then carried him on his back, and threw 
him into a well which he found in the palace, and, returning to the 
kubbeh, clad himself with the slave’s clothes, and lay down with 
the drawn sword by his side. Soon after, the vile enchantress went 

THE STORY OF THE YOUNG KING 

112 

to her cousin, and, having pulled off his clothes, took the whip, and 
heat him, while he cried, Ah! it is enough for me to be in this 
state ! Have pity on me then!—Didst thou shew pity to me, she 
exclaimed, and didst thou spare my lover ?—She then put on him 
the hair-cloth vest and his outer garments, and repaired to the 
slave with a cup of wine, and a bowl of boiled meat. Entering the 
tomb, she wept and wailed, exclaiming, O my master, answer me! 
O my master, speak to me !—and poured forth her lamentation in 
the words of this verse :— 

How long shall this aversion and harshness continue ? Sufficient is the evil 
which my passion hath brought upon me ! 57 

Then weeping as before, she exclaimed again, O my master, answer 
me, and speak to me! Upon this the King, speaking in a low 
voice, and adapting his tongue to the pronunciation of the blacks, 
ejaculated, Ah! Ah! there is no strength nor power but in God! 
On hearing these words, she screamed with joy, and fell down in a 
swoon; and when she recovered, she exclaimed, Possibly my master 
is restored to health! The King, again lowering his voice, as if 
from weakness, replied, Thou profligate wretch, thou deservest not 
that I should address thee.—Wherefore ? said she. He answered, 
Because all the day long thou tormentest thy husband, while he 
calleth out, and imploreth the aid of God, so that thou hast pre¬ 
vented my sleeping from the commencement of darkness until 
morning : thy husband hath not ceased to humble himself, and to 
imprecate vengeance upon thee, till he hath distracted me; and had 
it not been for this, I had recovered my strength: this it is which 
hath prevented my answering thee.—Then, with thy permission, she 
replied, I will liberate him from his present sufferings.—Liberate 
him, said the King, and give us ease. 

She replied, I hear and obey;—and immediately arose, and 
went out from the kubbeh to the palace, and, taking a cup, filled 
it with water, and pronounced certain words over it, upon which it 
began to boil like a cauldron. She then sprinkled some of it upon 
her cousin, saying, By virtue of what I have uttered, be changed 
from thy present state to that in which thou wast at first!—and in¬ 
stantly he shook, and stood upon his feet, rejoicing in his liberation, 
and exclaimed, I testify that there is no deity but God, and that 

OF THE BLACK ISLANDS. 

113 

Mohammad is God’s Apostle ; God favour and preserve him ! She 
then said to him, Depart, and return not hither, or I will kill thee : 
—and she cried out in his face: so he departed from before her, 
and she returned to the kubbeh, and said, O my master, come forth 
to me that I may behold thee. He replied, with a weak voice, 
What hast thou done ? Thou hast relieved me from the branch, 
but hast not relieved me from the root.—O my beloved, she said, 
and what is the root 1 He answered, The people of this city, and 
of the four islands: every night, at the middle hour, the fish raise 
their heads, and imprecate vengeance upon me and upon thee; and 
this is the cause that prevents the return of vigour to my body; 
therefore, liberate them, and come, and take my hand, and raise 
me ; for vigour hath already in part returned to me. 

On hearing these words of the Kang, whom she imagined to be 
the slave, she said to him with joy, O my master, on my head and 
my eye ! In the name of Allah ! 58 —and she sprang up, full of 
happiness, and hastened to the lake, where, taking a little of its 
water, she pronounced over it some unintelligible words, whereupon 
the fish became agitated, and raised their heads, and immediately 
became converted into men as before. Thus was the enchantment 
removed from the inhabitants of the city, and the city became 
repeopled, and the market-streets re-erected, and every one re- 

VOL. I. 

114 

THE STORY OF THE YOUNG KING 

turned to his occupation: the mountains also became changed into 
islands as they were at the first. The enchantress then returned 
immediately to the King, whom she still imagined to be the slave, 
and said to him, O my beloved, stretch forth thy honoured hand, 
that I may kiss it.—Approach me, said the King in a low voice. 
So she drew near to him ; and he, having his keen-edged sword 
ready in his hand, thrust it into her bosom, and the point protruded 
from her back: he then struck her again, and clove her in twain, 
and went forth. 

He found the young man who had been enchanted waiting his 
return, and congratulated him on his safety; and the young prince 
kissed his hand, and thanked him. The King then said to him, 
Wilt thou remain in thy city, or come with me to my capital ?— 
O King of the age, said the young man, dost thou know the 
distance that is between thee and thy city ? The King answered, 
Two days and a half.—O King, replied the young man, if thou 
hast been asleep, awake: between thee and thy city is a distance 
of a year’s journey to him who travelleth with diligence ; and thou 
earnest in two days and a half only because the city was enchanted: 
but, O King, I will never quit thee for the twinkling of an eye. 
The King rejoiced at his words, and said, Praise be to God, who 
hath in his beneficence given thee to me: thou art my son; for 
during my whole life, I have never been blest with a son:—and 
they embraced each other, and rejoiced exceedingly. They then 
went together into the palace, where the King who had been en¬ 
chanted informed the officers of his court that he was about to 
perform the holy pilgrimage : so they prepared for him everything 
that he required; and he departed with the Sultan; his heart 
burning with reflections upon his city, because he had been de¬ 
prived of the sight of it for the space of a year. 

He set forth, accompanied by fifty memlooks, 59 and provided 
with presents, and they continued their journey night and day for 
a whole year, after which they drew near to the city of the Sultan, 
and the Wezeer and the troops, who had lost all hope of his return, 
came forth to meet him. The troops, approaching him, kissed the 
ground before him, and congratulated him on his safe return; and he 
entered the city, and sat upon the throne. He then acquainted the 
Wezeer with all that had happened to the young King; on hearing 

OF THE BLACK ISLANDS. 

115 

which, the Wezeer congratulated the latter, also, on his safety; and 
when all things were restored to order, the Sultan bestowed pre¬ 
sents upon a number of his subjects, and said to the Wezeer, Bring 
to me the fisherman who presented to me the fish. So he sent to 
this fisherman, who had been the cause of the restoration of the 
inhabitants of the enchanted city, and brought him; and the King 
invested him with a dress of honour, and inquired of him respecting 
his circumstances, and whether he had any children. The fisherman 
informed him that he had a son and two daughters; and the King, 
on hearing this, took as his wife one of the daughters, and the 
young prince married the other. 60 The King also conferred upon 
the son the office of treasurer. He then sent the Wezeer to the 
city of the young prince, the capital of the Black Islands, and 
invested him with its sovereignty, despatching with him the fifty 
memlooks who had accompanied him thence, with numerous robes 
of honour to all the Emeers: and the Wezeer kissed his hands, and 
set forth on his journey; while the Sultan and the young prince 
remained. And as to the fisherman, he became the wealthiest of 
the people of his age; and his daughters continued to be the wives 
of the Kings until they died. 

But this (added Shahrazad) is not more wonderful than what 
happened to the porter. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

Note 1. 

The sentiment expressed in this verse is one which is often heard from the 
mouth of a Muslim; but generally when his toil is ended, and its result seen; 
though not unfrequently as an excuse for indolence. 

Note 2. 

The bottle is here described (by the term “ kumkum”) as of a kind commonly 
used for sprinkling rose-water, &c., having a spherical or wide body, with a long 
and narrow neck. I remember seeing a gilt brass bottle of this kind, of very beau¬ 
tiful workmanship, for which nearly as much as ten pieces of gold was demanded. 

Note 3. 

The seal of Suleymdn, or Solomon, has twice been mentioned in former notes; 
in No. 21 of the notes appended to the introduction, and in No. 15 of those 
to the first chapter. 

Note 4. 

It is necessary to remark, that this and many other descriptions in the 
present work are not designed to be understood in their literal sense. The reader 
will often be required to make some allowance for Oriental hyperbole, and to dis¬ 
tinguish between expressions characterised by this figure, and such as are purely 
accordant with Eastern grandeur and magnificence, or with Muslim superstition. 

Note 5. 

The end of the winnowing-fork bears a rude resemblance to a gigantic hand; 
having several long prongs of wood. 

Note 6. 

Instead of “ ibreek” (a ewer), in the Cairo edition, I read “abwak” (trumpets), 
as in other editions. 

Note 7. 

This appellation has been mentioned in a former note, as signifying an evil 
Jinnee of the most powerful class. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

117 

Note 8. 

It is a rule observed in decent society, by the Arabs, to avoid, as much as 
possible, the mention of opprobrious epithets, lest any person present should 
imagine such epithets to be addressed insidiously to himself. For this reason, 
when any malediction or offensive language is repeated in a story, it is usual with 
them to designate the object of such language by this term, which signifies both 
remote or absent from the person or persons in whose presence the words are 
repeated, and remote from virtue or good. In the present instance, “ remote” is 
an epithet substituted by Shaliraz&d for some other of a gross nature, from respect 
to the king to whom she is relating the story. 

Note 9. 

I read “ Sakhr el-Jinnee” for “ Sakhr el-Jinn.”—Sakhr was an evil Jinnee, and 
a terrible enemy of Solomon. His last act of treachery to that monarch, and his 
fate, are thus related by commentators on the Kur-an.—Solomon having, through 
negligence, suffered one of his women to practise idolatry under his roof, God saw 
fit to punish him. It was the custom of this King, on certain occasions, “ to 
intrust his signet, on which his kingdom depended, with a concubine of his, named 
El-Emeeneh. One day, therefore, when she had the ring in her custody, a devil 
[or evil Jinnee], named Sakhr, came to her in the shape of Solomon, and received 
the ring from her; by virtue of which he became possessed of the kingdom, and 
sat on the throne in the shape which he had borrowed, making what alterations in 
the law he pleased. Solomon, in the meantime, being changed in his outward 
appearance, and known to none of his subjects, was obliged to wander about, and 
beg alms for his subsistence; till at length, after the space of forty days, which 
was the time the image had been worshipped in his house, the devil flew away, 
and threw the signet into the sea. The signet was immediately swallowed by a fish, 
which being taken and given to Solomon, he found the ring in its belly; and 
having by this means recovered the kingdom, took Sakhr, and tying a great stone 
to his neck, threw him into the Lake of Tiberias.”* 

Note 10. 

“ Umm ’A'mir” is an appellation of the hyaena. It is scarcely necessary to 
mention, that the proverb here quoted is said to have originated from the fact of a 
man’s having been devoured by a hyaena whom he had aided against an enemy. 

Note 11. 

In some copies, the personage here mentioned is called “ Melik el-Yoondn,” 
that is, “King of Ancient Greece,” or “— of the Ancient Greeks.” I have 
followed the Cairo edition, and that of the first two hundred nights, printed at 
Calcutta, in which “ Yoon&n” is used as the King’s proper name, and his capital is 
said to have been in Persia. 

Note 12. 

This is the name of the sage in most copies; but in the Cairo edition he is 
called “ Rooyfin.” 

• Sale’s KorAn, note to chap, xxxviii. 

118 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

Note 13. 

In the Calcutta edition, the king is merely said to have reigned “ in the country 
of the Persians,” as in my translation ; but in the Cairo edition, he is said to have 
been “ in the city of the Persians, and the country of Roomdn;” that is, in the 
eastern Roman, or later Greek, empire; an unnecessary contradiction. It is 
obviously more agreeable with the story to regard him as a Persian King. 

Note 14. 

“ The Ornament of the Good," is an appellation of the Arabian prophet, who 
is related to have said, “ The sun never riseth until it hath saluted me.” “ The 
sun’s saluting the Ornament of the Good” is, therefore, a phrase not unfrequently 
used by Muslims merely to signify its rising. 

Note 15. — On the Rewards of Men of Literature and Science. 

It has long been a common custom of Eastern princes to bestow dresses of 
honour upon men of literature and science, as well as upon their great officers and 
other servants. These dresses were of different kinds for persons of different 
classes or professions. The most usual kind was an ample coat. With dresses of 
this description were often given gold-embroidered turbans; and sometimes, to 
Emeers (or great military officers), neck-rings or collars (called t6ks), some of 
which were set with jewels; as also, bracelets, and swords ornamented with 
precious stones, &e.; and to Wezeers, instead of the t6k, a necklace of jewels.*— 
The following striking record will convey an idea of the magnificence of some of 
these dresses of honour; or, in other words, of the liberality of a Muslim 
prince, and, at the same time, of the very precarious nature of his favour. A 
person, chancing to look at a register kept by one of the officers of Hfiroon Er- 
Rasheed, saw in it the following entry:—“ Four hundred thousand pieces of gold, 
the price of a dress of honour for Jaafar, the son of Yahya, the Wezeer.”—A few 
days after, he saw beneath this written,—“ Ten keerats, the price of naphtha and 
reeds, for burning the body of Jaafar, the son of Yahya.”!—The keer&t of 
Baghdad was the twentieth part of a deenfir, or piece of gold. 

Arab princes and other great men have generally been famous for highly 
respecting, and liberally rewarding, men of literature and science, and especially 
poets. El-Ma-moon and many others are well known to us for their patronage of 
the learned. Er-Rasheed carried his condescension to them so far as to pour the 
water on the hands of a blind man, Aboo Mo’dwiyeh, one of the most learned 
persons of his time, previously to his eating with him, to show his respect for 
science.^ An anecdote of a Khaleefeh ordering the mouth of a learned man to 
be filled with jewels, I have related in a former note. To cram the mouth with 
sugar or sweetmeats for a polite or eloquent speech, or piece of poetry, has been 
more commonly done; but the usual presents to learned men were, and are, dresses 
of honour and sums of money. Ibn ’Obeyd El-Bakhteree, an illustrious poet and 
traditionist, who flourished in the reign of El-Musta’een, is said to have received 
so many presents, that, after his death, there were found, among the property 
which he left, a hundred complete suits of dress, two hundred shirts, and five 

* El-Makreezee’a “ Khita$;'’ chapter entitled " Khizanet el-Kiaw&t.” 

t Fakhr ed-Deen, in De Sacy’s Chrestomathie Arabe, vol. i. p. 32 of the Arabic text, 2nd edit, 
t Idem, p. 4 of the Arabic text. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

119 

hundred turbans.* A thousand pieces of gold were often given, and sometimes 
ten, twenty, or thirty thousand, and even more, for a few verses; nay, for a single 
couplet. 

The prodigality of Arab princes to men of learning may be exemplified by the 
following anecdote:—Hamm&d, surnamed Er-Rawiyeh, or the famous reciter, 
having attached himself to the Khaleefeh El-Weleed, the son of ’Abd El-Melik, 
and shewn a contrary feeling towards his brother Hishdm, on the accession of the 
latter fled to El-Koofeh. While there, a letter arrived from Hi sham, commanding 
his presence at Damascus: it was addressed to the governor, who, being ordered 
to treat him with honour, gave him a purse containing a thousand pieces of gold, 
and despatched him with the Khaleefeh’s messenger. On his arrival at Damascus, 
he was conducted before Ilisham, whom he found in a splendid saloon, seated 
under a pavilion of red silk, surmounted by a dome of yellow brocade, attended 
by two female slaves of beauty unsurpassed, each holding a crystal ewer of wine. 
His admission during the presence of members of the King’s hareem, the reader 
will remark as a very unusual and high honour: the mention of the wine may 
also surprise him ; but this is a subject upon which much may be said, and which 
will be considered on a future occasion. After Hammad had given the salutation, 
and the Khaleefeh had returned it, the latter told him that he had sent for him to 
ask respecting a couplet of which he (the Khaleefeh) could only remember that it 
ended with the word “ ibreek,” which signifies “ a ewer.” The reciter reflected 
awhile, and the lines occurred to his mind, and he repeated them. Hishdm cried 
out, in delight, that the lines were those he meant; drank a cup of wine, and 
desired one of the female slaves to hand a cup to HammUd. She did so; and the 
draught, he says, deprived him of one-third of his reason. The Khaleefeh desired 
him to repeat the lines again, and drank a second cup; and Hamm&d was deprived 
of another third of his reason in the same manner; and said, “ O Prince of the 
Faithful, two-thirds of my reason have departed from me.” Hish&m laughed, and 
desired him to ask what he would before the remaining third should have gone; 
and the reciter said, “ One of these two female slaves.” The Khaleefeh laughed 
again, and said, “ Nay, but both of them are thine, and all that is upon them, 
and all that they possess, and, beside them, fifty thousand pieces of gold .”—“ I 
kissed the ground before him,” says Hammad, “ and drank a third cup, and was 
unconscious of what happened after: I did not awake till the close of the night, 
when T found myself in a handsome house, surrounded by lighted candles, and the 
two female slaves were putting in order my clothes and other things: so I took pos¬ 
session of the property, and departed, the happiest of the creatures of God.”f 

A whimsical story (is told of a king, who denied to poets those rewards to 
which usage had almost given them a claim. This king, whose name is not 
recorded, had the faculty of retaining in his memory an ode after having only 
once heard it; and had a memlook who could repeat an ode which he had twice 
heard, and a female slave who could repeat one that she had heard thrice. 
Whenever a poet came to compliment him with a panegyrical ode, the King used 
to promise him that, if he found his verses to be his original composition, he would 
give him a sum of money equal in weight to what they were written upon. The 
poet, consenting, would recite his ode; and the King would say, “ It is not new; 

• D'Herbelot, art. “ Bokhteri.” 

1 Halbet el-Kumeyt, chapter the seventh (MS. in my possession.) 

120 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

for I have known it some years;” and would repeat it as he had heard it; after 
which he would add, “And this memlook also retains it in his memory;” and 
would order the memlook to repeat it; which, having heard it twice, from the 
poet and the king, he would do. The King would then say to the poet, “ I have 
also a female slave who can repeat it;” and ordering her to do so, stationed 
behind the curtains, she would repeat what she had thus thrice heard: so the 
poet would go away empty-handed. The famous poet El-Asma’ee, having heard 
of this proceeding, and guessing the trick, determined upon outwitting the King; 
and accordingly composed an ode made up of very difficult words; but this was 
not his only preparative measure; another will be presently explained; and a 
third was, to assume the dress of a Bedawee, that he might not be known, covering 
his face, the eyes only excepted, with a litham (a piece of drapery) in accordance 
with a custom of Arabs of the desert. Thus disguised, he went to the palace, and 
having asked permission, entered, and saluted the King, who said to him, “ Whence 
art thou, O brother of the Arabs, and what dost thou desire?” The poet answered, 
“ May God increase the power of the King! I am a poet of such a tribe, and 
have composed an ode in praise of our lord the Sultdn.”—“ O brother of the 
Arabs,” said the King, “hast thou heard of our condition?”—“No,” answered 
the poet; “and what is it, O King of the age?”—“It is,” replied the King, 
“ that if the ode be not thine, we give thee no reward ; and if it be thine, we give 
thee the weight in money of what it is written upon.”—“ How,” said El-Asma’ee, 
“ should I assume to myself that which belongs to another, and knowing, too, that 
lying before kings is one of the basest of actions ? But I agree to this condition, 
O our lord the Sult&n.” So he repeated his ode. The King, perplexed, and 
unable to remember any of it, made a sign to the memlook—but he had retained 
nothing; and called to the female slave, but she also was unable to repeat a word. 
“ O brother of the Arabs,” said he, “ thou hast spoken truth, and the ode is thine 
without doubt: I have never heard it before : produce, therefore, what it is written 
upon, and we will give thee its weight in money, as we have promised.”—“ Wilt 
thou,” said the poet, “ send one of the attendants to carry it?”—“ To carry what?” 
asked the King; “ is it not upon a paper here in thy possession ? “ No, O our lord 

the Sultan,” replied the poet; “ at the time I composed it I could not procure 
a piece of paper upon which to write it, and could find nothing but a fragment of 
a marble column left me by my father ; so I engraved it upon this ; and it lies in 
the court of the palace.” He had brought it, wrapped up, on the back of a camel. 
The King, to fulfil his promise, was obliged to exhaust his treasury ; and to prevent 
a repetition of this trick (of which he afterwards discovered El-Asma’ee to have 
been the author), in future rewarded the poets according to the usual custom of 
kings.* 

The following case is also related as an exception to the common custom of 
great men, with regard to the bestowal of rewards on poets:—“A poet praised a 
governor in some verses, and the latter ordered an ass’s barda’ah (or stuffed saddle) 
and girth to be given to him. The poet went away with them on his shoulder; 
and, being asked what he had got, answered, ‘ I have praised our honoured lord 
in the best of my verses, and he hath bestowed on me some of the most magnifi¬ 
cent articles of his apparel.’ ”f 

• Haibet el-Kumeyt, chapter the eighth. 

t Idem, chapter the seventh. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

121 

Note 16. —On the Bath. 

The hamm&m, or bath, is a favourite resort of both men and women of all 
classes among the Muslims who can afford the trifling expense which it requires ; 
and (it is said) not only of human beings, but also of evil genii; on which account, 
as well as on that of decency, several precepts respecting it have been dictated by 
Mohammad. It is frequented for the purpose of performing certain ablutions 
required by the religion, or by a regard for cleanliness, and for its salutary effects, 
and for mere luxury. 

The following description of a public bath will convey a sufficient notion of 
those in private houses, which are on a smaller scale, and generally consist of only 
two or three chambers. The public bath comprises several apartments, with 
mosaic or tesselated pavements, composed of white and black marble, and pieces 
of fine red tile, and sometimes other materials. The inner apartments are covered 
with domes, having a number of small, round, glazed apertures, for the admission 
of light. The first apartment is the meslakh, or disrobing room, which has, in the 
centre, a fountain of cold water, and, next the walls, wide benches or platforms, 
encased with marble. These are furnished with mattresses and cushions for the 
higher and middle classes, and with mats for the poorer sort. The inner division 
of the building, in the more regularly planned baths, occupies nearly a square : the 
central and chief portion of it is the principal apartment, or hardrah, which 
generally has the form of a cross. In its centre is a fountain of hot water, rising 
from a base encased with marble, which serves as a seat. One of the angles of the 
square is occupied by the beyt-owwal, or antechamber of the hardrah : in another, 
is the fire over which is the boiler ; and each of the other two angles is generally 
occupied by two small chambers : in one of these is a tank filled with warm water, 
which pours down from a spout in the dome : in the other, are two taps, side by 
side ; one of hot, and the other of cold water, with a small trough beneath, before 
which is a seat. The inner apartments are heated by the steam which rises from 
the fountain and tanks, and by the contiguity of the fire ; but the beyt-owwal is not 
so hot as the hararah, being separated from it by a door. In cold weather, the 
bather undresses in the former, which has two or three raised seats, like those of 
the meslakh. 

With a pair of wooden clogs to his feet, and having a large napkin round his 
loins, and generally a second wound round his head like a turban, a third over his 
chest, and a fourth covering his back, be enters the hararah, the heat of which 
causes him immediately to perspire profusely. An attendant of the bath removes 
from him all the napkins excepting the first; and proceeds to crack the joints of 
his fingers and toes, &c., and several of the vertebrae of the back and neck; kneads 
his flesh; and rubs the soles of his feet with a coarse earthen rasp, and his limbs 
and body with a woollen bag which covers his hand as a glove; after which, the 
bather, if he please, plunges into one of the tanks. He is then thoroughly washed 
with soap and water, and fibres of the palm-tree, and shaved, if he wish it, in one 
of the small chambers which contain the taps of hot and cold water; and returns 
to the beyt-owwal. Here he generally reclines upon a mattress, and takes some 
light refreshment, while one of the attendants rubs the soles of his feet, and kneads 
the flesh of his body and limbs, previously to his resuming his dress. It is a 
common custom, now, to take a pipe and a cup of coffee during this period of rest. 

The women are especially fond of the bath, and often have entertainments 
voi.. r. * 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

m 

there; taking with them fruits, sweetmeats, &c., and sometimes hiring female 
singers to accompany them. An hour or more is occupied by the process of 
plaiting the hair, and applying the depilatory, &c.; and, generally, an equal time is 
passed in the enjoyment of rest, or recreation, or refreshment. All necessary 
decorum is observed on these occasions by most females; but women of the lower 
orders are often seen in the bath without any covering. Some baths are appropri¬ 
ated solely to men; others, only to women ; and others, again, to men during the 
forenoon, and in the afternoon to women. When the bath is appropriated to 
women, a napkin, or some other piece of drapery, is suspended over the door, to 
warn men from entering. 

Before the time of Mohammad, there were no public baths in Arabia; and he 
was so prejudiced against them, for the reasons already alluded to, that he at first 
forbade both men and women from entering them: afterwards, however, he per¬ 
mitted men to do so, if for the sake of cleanliness, on the condition of their having 
a cloth round the waist; and women also on account of sickness, child-birth, &c., 
provided they had not convenient places for bathing in their houses. But, not¬ 
withstanding this license, it is held to be a characteristic of a virtuous woman, 
not to go to a bath even with her husband’s permission: for the Prophet said, 
“ Whatever woman enters a bath, the devil is with her.” As the bath is a resort 
of the Jinn, prayer should not be performed in it, nor the Kur-dn recited. The 
Prophet said, “All the earth is given to me as a place of prayer, and as pure, 
except the burial-ground and the bath.” Hence also, when a person is about to 
enter a bath, he should offer up an ejaculatory prayer for protection against evil 
spirits; and should place his left foot first over the threshold.—Infidels have often 
been obliged to distinguish themselves in the bath, by hanging a signet to the 
neck, or wearing anklets, &c., lest they should receive those marks of respect 
which should be paid only to believers.* 

Note 17. —On Meals, and the Manner of Eating. 

The King (with the sage as his guest) is here described as eating in the pre¬ 
sence of his court, agreeably with a common custom of eastern princes and other 
great men in the present day; the simple manner in which the meal is served and 
eaten occasioning but a slight interruption. 

The Muslim takes a light breakfast after the morning-prayers, and dinner after 
the noon-prayers; or a single meal instead of these two, before noon. His prin¬ 
cipal meal is supper, which is taken after the prayers of sunset. A man of rank 
or wealth, when he has no guest, generally eats alone; his children eat after him, 
or with his wife or wives. In all his repasts he is moderate with regard to the 
quantity which he eats, however numerous the dishes. 

In the times to which most of the tales in the present work relate, it appears 
that the dishes were sometimes, I believe generally, placed upon a round em¬ 
broidered cloth spread on the floor, and sometimes on a tray, which was either 
laid on the floor or upon a small stand or stool. The last is the mode now always 
followed in the houses of the higher and middle classes of the Arabs. The table 
is usually placed upon a round cloth, spread in the middle of the floor, or in a 
corner, next two of the deewans, or low seats which generally extend along three 
sides of the room. It is composed of a large round tray of silver, or of tinned 

* Nuzhet el-Muta-ammU, &c., section the seventh. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

123 

copper, or of brass, supported by a stool, commonly about fifteen or sixteen inches 
high, made of wood, and generally inlaid with mother-of-pearl, tortoise-shell, &c. 
When there are numerous guests, two or more such tables are prepared. The 
dishes are of silver, or of tinned copper, or of china. Several of these are placed 
upon the tray; and around them are disposed some round, flat cakes of bread, 
with spoons of box-wood, ebony, or other material, and, usually, two or three limes, 
cut in halves, to be squeezed over certain of the dishes. When these preparations 
have been made, each person who is to partake of the repast receives a napkin; 
and a servant pours water over his hands. A basin and ewer of either of the 
metals first mentioned are employed for this purpose; the former has a cover 
with a receptacle for a piece of soap in its centre, and with numerous perforations 
through which the water runs during the act of washing, so that it is not seen 
when the basin is brought from one person to another. It is indispensably requisite 
to wash at least the right hand before eating, with the fingers, anything but dry 
food; and the mouth, also, is often rinsed, the water being taken up into it from 
the right hand. The company sit upon the floor, or upon cushions, or some of 
them on the deewtin, either cross-legged, or with the right knee raised: they retain 
the napkins before mentioned; or a long napkin, sufficient to surround the tray, 
is placed upon their knees; and each person, before he begins to eat, says, “ In 
the name of God,” or, “ In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful." 
The master of the house begins first: if he did not so, some persons would suspect 
that the food was poisoned. The thumb and two fingers of the right hand serve 
instead of knives and forks; and it is the usual custom for a person to help himself 
to a portion of the contents of a dish by drawing it towards the edge, or taking it 
from the edge, with a morsel of bread, which he eats with it: when he takes too 
large a portion for a single mouthful, he generally places it on his cake of bread. 
He takes from any dish that pleases him; and sometimes a host hands a delicate 
morsel with his fingers to one of his guests. It is not allowable to touch food with 
the left hand (as it is used for unclean purposes), excepting in a few cases, when 
both hands are required to divide a joint. 

Among the more common dishes are the following:—lamb or mutton cut into 
small pieces, and stewed with various vegetables, and sometimes with peaches, 
apricots, or jujubes, and sugar; cucumbers or small gourds, or the fruit of the black 
or white egg-plant, stuffed with rice and minced meat, &c.; vine-leaves or pieces 
of lettuce-leaf or cabbage-leaf, enclosing a similar composition; small morsels of 
lamb or mutton, roasted on skewers, and called “ keb&b;” fowls simply roasted or 
boiled, or boned, and stuffed with raisins, pistachio-nuts, crumbled bread, and 
parsley ; and various kinds of pastry, and other sweets. The repast is frequently 
commenced with soup; and is generally ended with boiled rice, mixed with a little 
butter, and seasoned with salt and pepper; or after this, is served a water-melon 
or other fruit, or a bowl of a sweet drink composed of water with raisins, and 
sometimes other kinds of fruit, boiled in it, and then sugar, and with a little rose¬ 
water added to it when cool. The meat, having generally little fat, is cooked with 
clarified butter, and is so thoroughly done that it is easily divided with the fingers. 

A whole lamb, stuffed in the same manner as the fowls above mentioned, is 
not a very uncommon dish; but one more extraordinary, of which ’Abd El-Lateef 
gives an account* as one of the most remarkable that he had seen in Egypt, I am 

• Pp. 180—182, edit. Oxon. 1800. 

124 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

tempted to describe. It was an enormous pie, composed in the following manner : 
—Thirty pounds of fine flour being kneaded with five pounds and a half of oil of 
sesame, and divided into two equal portions, one of these was spread upon a round 
tray of copper, about four spans in diameter. Upon this were placed three lambs, 
stuffed with pounded meat fried with oil of sesame and ground pistachio-nuts, and 
various hot aromatics, such as pepper, ginger, cinnamon, mastic, coriander-seed, 
cumin-seed, cardamom, nut [or nutmeg ?], &c. These were then sprinkled with 
rose-water infused with musk; and upon the lambs, and in the remaining spaces, 
were placed twenty fowls, twenty chickens, and fifty smaller birds ; some of which 
were baked, and stuffed with eggs ; some, stuffed with meat; and some, fried with 
the juice of sour grapes, or that of limes, or some similar acid. To the above were 
added a number of small pies ; some filled with meat, and others with sugar and 
sweetmeats; and sometimes, the meat of another lamb, cut into small pieces, and 
some fried cheese. The whole being piled up in the form of a dome, some rose¬ 
water infused with musk and aloes-wood was sprinkled upon it; and the other half 
of the paste first mentioned was spread over, so as to close the whole: it was then 
baked, wiped with a sponge, and again sprinkled with rose-water infused with 
musk.—A dish still more extraordinary will be described (D. V.) in a note on 
public Royal feasts. 

With respect to clean and unclean meats, the Muslim is subject to nearly the 
same laws as the Jew. Swine’s flesh, and blood, are especially forbidden to him; 
but camel’s flesh is allowed. The latter, however, being of a coarse nature, is never 
eaten when any other meat can be obtained, excepting by persons of the lower 
classes, and by Arabs of the desert. Of fish, almost every kind is eaten (excepting 
shell-fish), usually fried in oil: of game, little ; partly in consequence of frequent 
doubt whether it have been lawfully killed. The diet consists, in a great measure, 
of vegetables, and includes a large variety of pastry. A very common kind of 
pastry is a pancake, which is made very thin, and folded over several times like a 
napkin; it is saturated with butter, and generally sweetened with honey or sugar; 
as is also another common kind, which somewhat resembles vermicelli. 

The usual beverage at meals is water, which is drunk from cooling, porous, 
earthen bottles, or from cups of brass or other metal: but in the houses of the 
wealthy, sherbet is sometimes served instead of this, in covered glass cups, each of 
which contains about three quarters of a pint. The sherbet is composed of water 
made very sweet with sugar, or with a hard conserve of violets or roses or mul¬ 
berries, &c. After every time that a person drinks, he says, “ Praise be to God 
and each person of the company says to him, “ May it benefitto which he 
replies, “ May God benefit thee.” The Arabs drink little or no water during a 
meal, but generally take a large draught immediately after. The repast is quickly 
finished; and each person, as soon as he has done, says, “Praise be to God,” or 
“Praise be to God, the Lord of all creatures.” He then washes, in the same 
manner as before, but more thoroughly; well lathering his beard, and rinsing his 
mouth. 

Note 18. 

This mode of showing honour to a meritorious individual, or distinguished 
guest, which is at least as ancient as the time of Aliasuerus,* is still observed in 
Muslim countries. 

• See Esther vi. 8 and 9. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

125 

Note 19. 

The influence of the stars upon the dispositions and fortunes of mankind is 
firmly believed by the generality of Muslims, and is often a matter of consideration 
previously to the uniting of two persons in marriage; though the absurdity of such 
an opinion is declared in their law. 

Note 20. — On the Distribution of Virtues and Vices among Mankind. 

I have heard Arabs confess that their nation possesses nine-tenths of the envy 
that exists among all mankind collectively; but I have not seen any written 
authority for this. Ibn ’Abbds assigns nine-tenths of the intrigue or artifice that 
exists in the world to the Copts; nine-tenths of the perfidy, to the Jews; nine- 
tenths of the stupidity, to the Maghrabees; nine-tenths of the hardness, to the 
Turks; and nine-tenths of the bravery, to the Arabs. According to Kaab El- 
Ahbar, reason and sedition are most peculiar to Syria; plenty and degradation, to 
Egypt; and misery and health, to the Desert. In another account, faith and 
modesty are said to be most peculiar to El-Yemen; fortitude and sedition, to Syria; 
magnificence, or pride, and hypocrisy, to El-’Erak; wealth and degradation, to 
Egypt; and poverty and misery, to the Desert.—Of women, it is said, by Kaab 
El-Ahbar, that the best in the world (excepting those of the tribe of Kureysh 
mentioned by the Prophet) are those of El-Basrah; and the worst in the world, 
those of Egypt.* 

Note 21. 

In the Cairo edition, King Yoonin is made to say, “ I should repent after it, 
as King Sindibdd repented of killing the falcon ; ’’—and thus is introduced an 
indifferent story in the place of that of the Husband and the Parrot; the former 
story describing a king as having, under an erroneous idea, killed a falcon that had 
prevented his drinking poison. The latter story I insert in preference, according 
to the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, and the edition of Breslau. 

Note 22. — On Miraculously-gifted Birds. 

An Arab historian would make it to appear, that the intelligence and talent 
ascribed to this parrot are not nearly so wonderful as those which some birds have 
been known to display. He mentions a parrot which recited the Soorat Ya-Seen 
(or 36th chapter of the Kur-dn); and a raven which recited the Soorat es-Sijdeh 
(or 32nd chapter), and which, on arriving at the place of prostration (or verse 
which should be recited with prostration), would perform that action, and say, 
“ My body prostrateth itself to Thee, and my heart confideth in Thee.” But these 
are not the most remarkable cases of the kind. He affirms that there was a parrot 
in Cairo which recited the Kur-an from beginning to end. The Basha, he says, 
desiring to ti-y its talent, caused a man to recite a chapter of the Kur-an in its 
presence, and to pass irregularly from one chapter to another, with the view of 
leading the bird into error : but, instead of this being the result, the parrot cor¬ 
rected him! f 

* El-Malfreezee’s “ Khita$,” and El-Is-h6kee. 

f reign of the Khaleefeh El-Musta'een, the son of El-Moata$im. 

126 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

Note 23. 

But a few years ago, it was a common custom for an Arab merchant 01 shop¬ 
keeper of the higher class to wear a sword ; and this not only during a journey, but 
also during his ordinary walks or rides. I have seen many persons of this descrip¬ 
tion so armed, and with a pair of pistols stuck in the girdle; though seldom 
excepting in the former case. A dagger or case-knife is a weapon now more 
commonly worn by such persons, both at home and abroad. 

Note 24. —On Hunting and Hawicing. 

Hunting and hawking, which were common and favourite diversions of the 
Arabs, and especially of their kings and other great men, have now fallen into 
comparative disuse among this people. They are, however, still frequently prac¬ 
tised by the Persians, and in a manner the same as they are generally described in 
the present work. Sir John Malcolm was informed that these sports were no¬ 
where found in greater perfection than in the neighbourhood of Aboo Shahr, where 
he witnessed and partook of them: I shall, therefore, here avail myself of his 
observations on this subject. 

“The huntsmen,” he says, “proceed to a large plain, or rather desert, near 
the sea-side: they have hawks and greyhounds; the former carried in the usual 
manner, on the hand of the huntsman ; the latter led in a leash by a horseman, 
generally the same who carries the hawk. When the antelope is seen, they 
endeavour to get as near as possible; but the animal, the moment it observes 
them, goes off at a rate that seems swifter than the wind: the horsemen are 
instantly at full speed, having slipped the dogs. If it is a single deer, they at the 
same time fly the hawks; but if a herd, they wait till the dogs have fixed on a 
particular antelope. The hawks, skimming along near the ground, soon reach the 
deer, at whose head they pounce in succession, and sometimes with a violence 
that knocks it over. [They are commonly described as picking at the poor 
creature’s eyes until they blind it.] At all events, they confuse the animal so 
much as to stop its speed in such a degree that the dogs can come up with it; and, 
in an instant, men, horses, dogs, and hawks, surround the unfortunate deer, against 
which their united efforts have been combined. The part of the chase that sur¬ 
prised me most, was the extraordinary combination of the hawks and the dogs, 
which throughout seemed to look to each other for aid. This, I was told, was the 
result of long and skilful training.—The antelope is supposed to be the fleetest 
quadruped on earth; and the rapidity of the first burst of the chase I have 
described is astonishing. The run seldom exceeds three or four miles, and often 
is not half so much. A fawn is an easy victory ; the doe often runs a good chase ; 
and the buck is seldom taken. The Arabs are, indeed, afraid to fly their hawks 
at the latter, as these fine birds, in pouncing, frequently impale themselves on its 
sharp horns.—The hawks used in this sport are of a species that I have never seen 
in any other country. This breed, which is called Cherkh, is not large, but of 
great beauty and symmetry. 

“Another mode of running down the antelope is practised here, and still more 
in the interior of Persia. Persons of the highest rank lead their own greyhounds 
in a long silken leash, which passes through the collar, and is ready to slip the 
moment the huntsman chooses. The well-trained dog goes alongside the horse, 
and keeps clear of him when at full speed, and in all kinds of country. When a 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

127 

herd of antelopes is seen, a consultation is held, and the most experienced deter¬ 
mine the point towards which they are to be driven. The field (as an English 
sportsman would term it) then disperse, and, while some drive the herd in the 
desired direction, those with the dogs take their post on the same line, at the 
distance of about a mile from each other; one of the worst dogs is then slipped at 
the herd, and from the moment he singles out an antelope the whole body are in 
motion. The object of the horsemen who have greyhounds is to intercept its 
course, and to slip fresh dogs, in succession, at the fatigued animal. In rare 
instances, the second dog kills. It is generally the third or fourth ; and even these, 
when the deer is strong, and the ground favourable, often fail. This sport, which 
is very exhilarating, was the delight of the late King of Persia, A'gha Mohammad 
Khan, whose taste is inherited by the present sovereign. 

“ The novelty of these amusements interested me, and I was pleased, on 
accompanying a party to a village, about twenty miles from Aboo Shahr, to see a 
species of hawking peculiar, I believe, to the sandy plains of Persia, on which the 
Hobara, a noble species of bustard, is found on almost bare plains, where it has no 
shelter but a small shrub called ‘geetuck.’ When we went in quest of them, we 
had a party of about twenty, all well mounted. Two kinds of hawks are necessary 
for this sport; the first, the Cherkh (the same which is flown at the antelope), 
attacks them on the ground, but will not follow them on the wing ; for this reason, 
the ‘ Bhyree,’ a hawk well known in India, is flown the moment the Hob&ra rises. 
—As we rode along in an extended line, the men who carried the Cherkhs every 
now and then unhooded and held them up, that they might look over the plain. 
The first Hob&ra we found afforded us a proof of the astonishing quickness of sight 
of one of the hawks : he fluttered to be loose, and the man who held him gave him 
a whoop as he threw him off his hand, and set off at full speed. We all did the 
same. At first we only saw our hawk skimming over the plain, but soon per¬ 
ceived, at a distance of more than a mile, the beautiful speckled Hob&ra, with his 
head erect and wings outspread, running forward to meet his adversary. The 
Cherkh made several unsuccessful pounces, which were either evaded or repelled 
by the beak or wings of the Hobara, which at last found an opportunity of rising, 
when a Bhyree was instantly flown, and the whole party were again at full gallop. 
We had a flight of more than a mile, when the Hobara alighted, and was killed 
by another Cherkh, who attacked him on the ground. This bird weighed ten 
pounds. We killed several others, but were not always successful, having seen 
our hawks twice completely beaten, during the two days we followed this fine 
sport.” • 

The hunting of the wild ass is another sport of the Persians and Arabs, but 
one of a more difficult nature. This animal is found in Syria, and in the Nubian 
deserts, as well as in Arabia and Persia. The more common kinds of game 
are gazelles, or antelopes, hares, partridges, the species of grouse called “ kata,” 
quails, wild geese, ducks, &c. Against all of these, the hawk is generally 
employed, but assisted in the capture of gazelles and hares by dogs. The 
usual arms of the sportsmen, in the times to which the present work relates, 
were the bow and arrow, the cross-bow, the spear, the sword, and the 
mace. When the game is struck down, but not killed, by any weapon, its 
throat is immediately cut. If merely stunned, and then left to die, its flesh is 

* Sketches of Persia, vol. i. chap. v. 

128 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

unlawful food. Some other laws respecting the killing of game have been men¬ 
tioned in a former note; but one has been there omitted which is worthy of 
remark, though it is often disregarded; it is, that hunting is allowable only for the 
purpose of procuring food, or to obtain the skin of an animal, or for the sake of 
destroying ferocious and dangerous beasts. Amusement is certainly, in general, 
the main object of the Muslim huntsman; but he does not, with this view, endea¬ 
vour to prolong the chase; on the contrary, he strives to take the game as quickly 
as possible; for this purpose, nets are often employed, and the hunting party, 
forming what is called the circle of the chase (halkat es-seyd), surround the spot 
in which the game is found. 

" On the eastern frontiers of Syria,” says Burckhavdt, “ are several places 
allotted for the hunting of gazelles : these places are called ‘ masiade’ [perhaps 
more properly, 1 masyedehs’]. An open space in the plain, of about one mile and 
a half square, is enclosed on three sides by a wall of loose stones, too high for the 
gazelles to leap over. In different parts of this wall, gaps are purposely left, and 
near each gap a deep ditch is made on the outside. The enclosed space is situated 
near some rivulet or spring to which, in summer, the gazelles resort. When the 
hunting is to begin, many peasants assemble, and watch till they see a herd of 
gazelles advancing from a distance towards the enclosure, into which they drive 
them: the gazelles, frightened by the shouts of these people, and the discharge of 
fire-arms, endeavour to leap over the wall, but can only effect this at the gaps, 
where they fall into the ditch outside, and are easily taken, sometimes by hundreds. 
The chief of the herd always leaps first: the others follow him one by one. The 
gazelles thus taken are immediately killed, and their flesh is sold to the Arabs and 
neighbouring Fellahs.”* 

Note 25. 

In the Cairo edition, the word “jezeereh” (an island) is erroneously put for 
“ kharabeh” (a ruin). 

Note 26. 

“ Ghooleh” is the feminine of “ Ghool.” The Ghool is a fabulous being, of 
which some account has been given in No. 21, of the notes to the Introduction^ 

Note 27. 

This epithet of the Deity appears to be used in preference to others in this 
instance, in order to imply that God always decrees what is best for a virtuous 
man, even when the reverse would seem to us to be the case. He is here described 
as appointing that the sage should die a violent death; but this death, being 
unmerited, raised him, according to Mohammadan notions, to the rank of a 
martyr. 

In the edition from which my translation is chiefly made, four poetical quota¬ 
tions are here inserted on the subject of fate, and the inutility of anxious fore¬ 
bodings. The first of these is as follows:— 

“ O thou who fearest thy fate, he at ease; commit thine affairs unto Him 
who spread out the earth. 

For what i3 predestined cannot be cancelled; and thou art secure from 
every thing that is not predestined.” 

* Notes on the Bedouins and Wahdbys, vol. I. pp. 220 et seq. 8vo. ed. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

129 

Note 28 .—The Fable of the Crocodile. 

Perhaps the reader may desire to know what is the story which the sage 
Doobdn declined to relate ; I will therefore supply the omission as well as my 
memory will allow me. I have heard this fable differently told by different 
persons; and it is sometimes spun out to a considerable length ; but the principal 
points of it are these:—A crocodile, having crawled far from the Nile, over a 
desert tract, found his strength so exhausted by fatigue and thirst, that he despaired 
of being able to return to the river. While he was in this unhappy state, an Arab 
with his camel approached him, proceeding in the desired direction; and he 
appealed to his compassion, entreating that he would bind him on the back of the 
camel, and so convey him to the Nile, and promising that he would afterwards, in 
return for this favour, carry him across to the opposite bank. The Arab answered, 
that he feared the crocodile would, as soon as he was unbound, turn upon him, 
and devour him; but the monster swore so solemnly that he would gratefully 
requite the service he requested, that the man was induced to consent; and, 
making his camel lie down, bound the crocodile firmly upon his back, and brought 
him to the bank of the river. No sooner, however, was the horrid creature libe¬ 
rated, than, in spite of his vows, he opened his hideous jaws to destroy his 
benefactor, who, though he eluded this danger, was unable to rescue his camel. 
At this moment a fox drew near them. The man, accosting this cunning animal, 
related his tale; and the crocodile urged in his own excuse, that the man had 
spitefully bound him on the back of the camel in such a manner that he had 
almost killed him. The fox replied that he could quickly pursue and capture the 
man, but that he must act fairly, and first see the whole transaction repeated 
before him. The crocodile, assenting, and submitting to have a noose thrown 
over his jaws, was again bound on the back of the camel, and taken to the place 
whence he was brought; and as soon as this was done, the man, by the direction 
of the fox, holding with one hand the halter of his camel, with the other cut the 
ropes which secured his burden, and hasted away with his beast, leaving the 
ungrateful and treacherous monster in the same hopeless state in which he had 
found him. 

Note 29. 

This comparison is perfectly just. My first visit to Egypt was not too late 
for me to witness such a scene as that which is here alluded to; but now, 
throughout the Turkish dominions, the officers of government are obliged, more 
or less, to assimilate their style of dress to that which commonly prevails in 
Europe; gaudy colours are out of fashion among them, and silk embroidery is 
generally preferred to gold: in Egypt, however, the dress worn by this class of 
persons has not been so much altered as in Turkey, still retaining an Oriental 
character, though wanting the shawl which was wound round the red cap, and 
formed the turban; while the dress worn by other classes has undergone no 
change. 

Note 30. 

This story of the head speaking after it was cut off is not without^ a parallel 
in the writings of Arab historians. The head of Sa’eed, the son of Jubeyr, is 
said to have uttered the words, “ There is no deity but God,” after it had been 
severed from his body by order of El-Hajjaj, who is related to have killed a 
VOL, i. s 

130 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

hundred and twenty thousand persons of note, besides those whom he slew in 
war. 

Note 31. 

I do not remember to have read or heard the story of Um&meh and ’A'tikeh, 
who, as their names import, were two females. 

Note 32. 

The words here quoted are part of the 36th verse of the 17th chapter of the 
Kur-an. 

Note 33. 

The title of “ Sultan” is higher than that of “ Melik" (or King): a Sultdn, 
properly speaking, being a monarch who has kings or viceroys under his authority. 

Note 34 .—On Kohl, and the mode of applying it. 

Kohl is a black powder, with which most of the Arab, and many other, 
women blacken the edges of the eyelids. The most common kind is the smoke-black 
which is produced by burning a kind of frankincense. An inferior kind is the 
smoke-black produced by burning the shells of almonds. These are believed to be 
beneficial to the eyes; but are generally used merely for the sake of ornament. 
Among other kinds which are particularly employed for their beneficial effect upon 
the eye are several ores of lead, reduced to a fine powder. Antimony is said 
to have been, in former times, the most esteemed kind of kohl. The powder is 
applied by means of a small probe of wood, ivory, or silver, the end of which 
is moistened, and then dipped in the powder, and drawn along the edges of the 
eyelids.* 

Note 35 .—Description of the Head-kerchief called Koofeeyeli. 

The Koofeeyeh is a square kerchief, which is worn on the head, measuring about 
a yard in each direction, and of various colours, generally a dull, brownish red, 
bright green, and yellow, composing broad and narrow stripes, and having a deep 
fringe of strings and tassels along two opposite edges. The most common kind 
is entirely of cotton ; another, of cotton interwoven with silk ; and a third, of 
silk interwoven with gold. It is now chiefly worn by the Wahhdbees and several 
tribes of Bedawees; but the former wear only the first kind, as they hold articles 
of dress composed wholly or partly of silk or gold to be unlawful. In former times 
it was in common use among the inhabitants of the towns. It is mostly worn 
by men, and is doubled diagonally, and placed over the cap in such a manner 
that the two comers which are folded together hang down the back; and the 
other two corners, in front. A piece of woollen rope, or a strip of rag, or a 
turban, is generally wound round it; and the comers, or those only which 
usually hang down in front, are sometimes turned up, and tucked within the 
upper edge of the turban. The inhabitants of the towns usually wear the turban 
over the koofeeyeh. Burckhardt, who calls this head-kerchief, erroneously, 

“ keflie,” mentions, that the Bedawees of Mekkeh and El-Yemen tie over it, 
instead of the woollen rope which is used by the northern Bedawees, “ a circle 

* A more full account of this custom is given in my work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. i. 
chap. 1. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

131 

made of wax, tar, and butter, strongly kneaded together: this,” he adds, “ is 
pressed down to the middle of the head, and looks like the airy crown of a saint. 
It is about the thickness of a finger; and they take it off very frequently to press 
it between their hands, so that its shape may be preserved.”* The better kinds 
of koofeeyeh above-mentioned are worn by some of the Turks, but not in the 
Arab manner; being wound tight round the cap. 

Note 36. —Anecdote of a Miraculous Fish. 

This story of the miraculous fish reminds me of one of a similar kind which 
is related as authentic. A certain just judge of the Israelites, in the time of 
Solomon, had a wife who, every time that she brought him his food, used to 
ejaculate a prayer that disgrace might befal every unfaithful wife. One day, 
this woman having placed before her husband a fried fish, and repeated her usual 
ejaculation, the fish leaped from the dish, and fell upon the floor. This happened 
three times; and, in consequence of a suspicion expressed by a devotee, who 
was consulted respecting the meaning of this strange event, the judge discovered 
that a supposed maid, whom he had purchased as a slave, was a disguised man.f 

Note 37. 

This comparison is not intended to be understood in its literal sense, for the 
smallest of the tribe of ’A'd is said to have been sixty cubits high : the largest, a 
hundred! The tribe of ’A'd were a race of ancient Arabs, who, according to 
the Kur-dn and Arab historians, were destroyed by a suffocating wind, for their 
infidelity, after their rejection of the admonitions of the prophet Hood. 

Note 38. 

The Arabs generally calculate distances by time. The average distance of a 
day’s journey is from twenty to twenty-five miles; the former being the usual rate 
of caravan-travelling. 

Note 39. —On the Privacy of Arab Dwellings. 

In a palace, or large house, there is generally a wide bench of stone, or a 
wooden sofa, within the outer door, for the accommodation of the door-keeper and 
other servants. The entrance-passage leads to an open court, and, for the sake of 
preventing persons at the entrance, or a little within it, from seeing into the court, 
it usually has two turnings. We may, therefore, understand the motive of the 
King in seating himself in the place here described to have been a desire that he 
might not, if discovered, be supposed to be prying impertinently into the interior 
of the palace. Respect for the privacy of another’s house is a point that is deemed 
of so much importance that it is insisted upon in the Kur-an, in these words :— 
“ O ye who have become believers, enter not any houses, besides your own houses, 
until ye shall have asked leave, and saluted their inhabitants ; this will be better 
for you: peradventure ye will be admonished. And if ye find not in them any 
person, enter them not, until leave be granted you; and if it be said unto you, 
Return, then do ye return; this will be more decent for you; and God knoweth 

* Notes on the Bedouins and Wahdbys, vol, i. p. 232, 8vo. ed. 
t Kit&b el-’Onw6n fee Mek&id en-Nisw&n. 

132 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

what ye do. But it shall be no crime in you that ye enter uninhabited houses wherein 
ye may find a convenience.”* When a visitor finds the door open, and no servant 
below, he usually claps his hands as a signal for some person to come to him; strik¬ 
ing the palm of his left hand with the fingers of the right: and even when leave has 
been granted him to enter, it is customary for him, if he has to ascend to an upper 
apartment, to repeat several times some ejaculation, such as “ Permission ! ” or, 
“ O Protector ! ” (that is, “ O protecting God ! ”) as he goes up, in order that any 
female of the family, who may chance to be in the way, may have notice of his 
approach, and either retire or veil herself. Sometimes the servant who precedes 
him does this in his stead. 

Note 40. 

These verses are'translated from the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred 
nights, as more apposite than those which are inserted in their place in the edition 
of Cairo. 

Note 41. 

That the reader may not form wrong conceptions of the characters of many 
persons portrayed in this work, it is necessary to observe, that weeping is not re¬ 
garded by the Arabs as an evidence of an effeminate disposition, or inconsistent 
with even a heroic mind; though the Muslims in general are remarkable for the 
calmness with which they endure the heaviest afflictions. 

Note 42. 

It is, perhaps, unnecessary to mention, that it is a common custom of the 
Orientals, as of other natives of warm climates, to take a nap in the afternoon. 
A tradesman is not unfrequently seen enjoying this luxury in his shop, and seldom, 
excepting in this case, is it considered allowable to wake a person. 

Note 43.— Description of Arab Fans. 

The kind of fan most commonly used by the Arabs has the form of a small 
flag. The flap, which is about six or seven inches in width, and somewhat more 
in length, is composed of split palm-leaves of various colours, or some plain and 
others coloured, neatly plaited or woven together. The handle is a piece of palm- 
stick, about twice the length of the flap. This fan is used by men as well 
as women, and for the double purpose of moderating the heat and repelling 
the flies, which, in warm weather, are excessively annoying. It is more effective 
than the ordinary European fan, and requires less exertion. Arabian fans of the 
kind here described, brought from Mekkeh to Cairo as articles of merchandise, may 
be purchased in the latter city for a sum less than a penny each; they are mostly 
made in the Hejaz. Another kind of fan, generally composed of black ostrich- 
feathers, of large dimensions, and ornamented with a small piece of looking-glass 
on the lower part of the front, is often used by the Arabs. A kind of fly-whisk 
made of palm-leaves is also in very general use. A servant or slave is often 
employed to wave it over the master or mistress during a meal or an afternoon nap. 

* Chap. xxiv. vv. 27 —29. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

133 

Note 44. 

Mes’oodeh is the feminine of Mes'ood, a name before explained, as signifying 
“ happy,” or “ made happy.” 

Note 45. 

The word which I have here rendered “wine” (namely, “sharab”) is applied 
to any drink, and particularly to a sweet beverage ; but, in the present case, the 
context shows that its signification is that which I have given it. The description 
of a carousal in the next chapter will present a more fit occasion for my considering 
at large the custom of drinking wine as existing among the Arabs. 

Note 46.— On the Use of Hemp to induce Intoxication. 

The name of “benj,” or “beng,” is now, and, I believe, generally, given to 
henbane; but El-Kazweenee states that the leaves of the garden hemp (kinneb 
bustanee, or shahdanaj) are the benj, which, when eaten, disorders the reason. 
This is an important confirmation of De Sacy's opinion respecting the derivation 
of the appellation of “Assassins” from Hashsh&sheen (hemp-eaters, or persons 
who intoxicate themselves with hemp), as the sect which we call “ Assasins" are 
expressly said by the Arabs to have made frequent use of benj.* To this subject 
I shall have occasion to revert. I need only add here, that the custom of using 
benj, and other narcotics, for purposes similar to that described in this tale, is said 
to be not very unfrequently practised in the present day; but as many Arab hus¬ 
bands are extremely suspicious of the character of women in general, perhaps 
there is but little ground for this assertion. 

Note 47. 

Most Eastern cities and towns are partly or wholly surrounded by mounds of 
rubbish, close to the walls; and upon these mounds are thrown the carcasses of 
camels, horses, and other beasts, to be devoured by dogs and vultures. Immense 
mounds of this unsightly description entirely surrounded the city of Cairo; but those 
which extended along its western side, and, in a great measure, screened it from the 
view of persons approaching from the Nile, have lately been removed by order of 
the present Bdsha of Egypt. 

Note 48. 

“ Kubbeh” generally signifies either a dome or a cupola, or a building or 
apartment surmounted by a dome. In the present instance it is to be understood 
in the latter sense. It is also applied to a closet, and to a tent. 

Note 49. 

“ Kaf ” is generally to be understood, as it is in the present ease, to signify the 
chain of mountains believed, by the Muslims, to encircle our earth, as mentioned 
in a former note. It is also the name of the chain of Caucasus, and hence it has 
been supposed that the fable respecting the mountains before mentioned, originated 
from an early idea that the chain of Caucasus was the limit of the habitable 

• See "Modern Egyptians," vol. it, dose of chap. ix.—Since this was written, I have found that 
El-Idreesee applies the term “ Hasheesheeyeh," which is exactly synonymous with 11 Hashshisheen,” 
to the " Assassins : ” this, therefore, decides the question. 

134 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

earth; but it is possible that the latter mountains may have derived their name 
from an imaginary resemblance to the former. 

Note 50. 

Rats, though unlawful food to the Muslim, are occasionally eaten by many of 
the peasants of the province of Lower Egypt, called El-Boheyreh, on the west of 
the western branch of the Nile. The extraordinary abundance of these animals, 
and mice, throughout Egypt, gave rise to an absurd fable, which is related by 
Diodorus Siculus * as a matter worthy of serious consideration :—that these crea¬ 
tures are generated from the alluvial soil deposited by the Nile. The inunda¬ 
tion drives many of them from the fields to the houses and deserts, and destroys 
the rest; but soon after the waters have subsided, vast numbers of them are seen 
again, taking refuge in the deep clefts of the parched soil. 

Note 51 .—On the Beverage called Boozah. 

Boozah, or boozeli, is a favourite beverage of the boatmen, and other per¬ 
sons of the lower class, in Egypt; and more especially of the Nubians and 
negroes; as it was, according to Herodotus f and other writers, of the ancient 
Egyptians. It is an intoxicating liquor, a kind of beer, most commonly pre¬ 
pared from barley-bread, crumbled, mixed with water, strained, and left to fer¬ 
ment. It is also prepared from wheat and from millet in the same manner. The 
account of Herodotus has been confirmed by the discovery of large jars contain¬ 
ing the dregs of the barley-beer in ancient tombs at Thebes. 

Note 52. —On the Apparel SfC. of Mourning. 

The wearing of mourning appears to have been a custom of both sexes among 
the Arabs in earlier times, for the black clothing which distinguished the 'Abb&see 
Khaleefehs and their officers was originally assumed in testimony of grief for the 
death of the Imdm Ibraheem Ibn Mohammad. It has, however, ceased to be 
worn by men, as indicating a want of resignation to the decrees of Providence, 
and is only assumed by women on the occasion of the death of a husband or near 
relation, and not for an elderly person. In the former cases they dye their shirts, 
head-veils, face-veils, and handkerchiefs, of a blue or almost black colour, with 
indigo ; and sometimes, with the same dye, stain their hands and arms as high as 
the elbows, and smear the walls of their apartments. They generally abstain from 
wearing any article of dress of a bright colour, leave their hair unbraided, and deck 
themselves with few or no ornaments. They also cease to make use of perfumes, 
kohl and henna, and often turn upside-down the carpets, mats, cushions, and 
coverings of the deewdns. 

Note 53. 

“ Houses of Lamentations,” erected in burial-grounds for the accommodation 
of ladies on the occasions of their visiting the tombs of their relations, have been 
mentioned in a former note respecting the two grand annual festivals. 

Note 54. 

The kind of tomb here alluded to is generally a square building crowned by 
a dome. 

* Lib. i. cap. 10. 

+ Lib. ii. cap. 77. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND. 

135 

Note 55. —On one of the Historical Evidences of the Date of this Work. 

This passage deserves particular notice, as being one of those which assist us 
to form some opinion respecting the period when the present work was composed 
or compiled. Tt is the same in all the copies of the original work that I have 
seen, and bears strong evidence of having been written subsequently to the com¬ 
mencement of the eighth century of the Flight, or fourteenth of our era, at which 
period, it appears, the Christians and Jews were first compelled to distinguish 
themselves by wearing, respectively, blue and yellow turbans, in accordance with 
an order issued by the Sultan of Egypt, Mohammad Ibn Kala-oon.* Thus the 
white turban became peculiar to the Muslims.—An eminent German critic has 
been unfortunate in selecting the incident of the four fish as affording an argument 
in favour of his opinion that the Tales of a Thousand and One Nights are of Indian 
origin, on the mere ground that the same word f varna) is used in Sanscrit to 
signify both “colour” and “caste.” 

Note 56. 

Tire Muslims often implore the intercession of their prophet, and of various 
members of his family and other holy persons, though their ordinary prayers are 
addressed solely to God. The regard which they pay to their reputed saints, both 
living and deceased, as mediators, is one of the heresies which the Wahh&bees 
most vehemently condemn. 

Note 57. 

This verse, translated from my usual prototype, the Cairo edition, is there fol¬ 
lowed by another, which I omit as being inapposite. 

Note 58. 

In the first of the notes to the Introduction, I have mentioned that it is a 
general custom of the Muslims to repeat this phrase, “In the name of God!” on 
commencing every lawful action that is of any importance ; it is, therefore, here 
employed, as it is in many similar cases, to express a readiness to do what is com¬ 
manded or requested; and is equivalent to saying, “ I this instant begin to 
execute thy orders.” 

Note 59. 

The condition and offices of memlooks, who are male white slaves, have been 
mentioned in the thirteenth note to the first chapter. 

Note 60. 

Eastern histories present numerous instances of marriages as unequal as those 
here related; the reader, therefore, must not regard this part of the story as 
inconsistent. 

* El-Makreezee and El-Is-lidkee

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE NINTH NIGHT, AND ENDING 
WITH PART OF THE EIGHTEENTH. 

THE STORY OF THE PORTER AND THE LADIES OF BAGHDA'D, 
AND OF THE THREE ROYAL MENDICANTS, &c. 

There was a man of the city of Baghdad, who was unmarried, 
and he was a porter; and one day, as he sat in the market, reclining 
against his crate , 1 there accosted him a female wrapped in an izar 2 
of the manufacture of El-Mosil, s composed of gold-embroidered 
silk, with a border of gold lace at each end, who raised her face- 
veil, and displayed beneath it a pair of black eyes, with lids bor¬ 
dered by long lashes, exhibiting a tender expression, and features 
of perfect beauty; and she said, with a sweet voice, Bring thy 
crate, and follow me. 

THE STORY OF THE PORTER, &c. 

137 

The porter had scarcely heard her words when he took up his 
crate, and he followed her until she stopped at the door of a house, 
and knocked; whereupon there came down to her a Christian, and 
she gave him a piece of gold, and received for it a quantity of olives, 
and two large vessels of wine, * which she placed in the crate, saying 
to the porter, Take it up, and follow me. The porter exclaimed. 
This is, indeed, a fortunate day!—and he took up the crate, and 
followed her. She next stopped at the shop of a fruiterer, and 
bought of him Syrian apples, and ’Othmanee quinces , 5 and peaches 
of ’Oman, and jasmine of Aleppo, and water-lilies of Damascus, and 
cucumbers of the Nile, and Egyptian limes, and Sultanee citrons, 
and sweet-scented myrtle, and sprigs of the henna-tree, and chamo¬ 
mile, and anemonies, and violets, and pomegranate-flowers, and 
eglantine : all these she put into the porter’s crate, and said to him, 
Take it up. So he took it up, and followed her until she stopped 
at the shop of a butcher, to whom she said, Cut off ten pounds 
of meatand he cut it off for her, and she wrapped it in a 
leaf of a banana-tree, and put it in the crate, and said again, Take 
it up, O porter:—and he did so, and followed her. She next stopped 
at the shop of a seller of dry fruits, and took some of every kind 
of these, and desired the porter to take up his burden. Having 
obeyed, he followed her until she stopped at the shop of a confec¬ 
tioner, where she bought a dish, and filled it with sweets of every 
kind that he had , 6 which she put into the crate ; whereupon the 
porter ventured to say, If thou hadst informed me beforehand, I had 
brought with me a mule to carry all these things. The lady smiled 
at his remark, and next stopped at the shop of a perfumer, of 
whom she bought ten kinds of scented waters; rose-water, and 
orange-flower-water, and willow-flower-water/ &c.; together with 
some sugar, and a sprinkling-bottle 8 of rose-water infused with 
musk, and some frankincense, and aloes-wood, and ambergris, and 
musk, and wax candles; and, placing all these in the crate, she 
said, Take up thy crate, and follow me. He, therefore, took it up, 
and followed her until she came to a handsome house, before which 
was a spacious court. It was a lofty structure, with a door of two 
leaves, composed of ebony, overlaid with plates of red gold . 9 

The young lady stopped at this door, and knocked gently; 
whereupon both its leaves were opened, and the porter, looking to 

VOL. I. 

T 

138 

THE STORY OF THE PORTER, &c. 

see who opened it, found it to be a damsel of tall stature, high- 
bosomed, fair and beautiful, and of elegant form, with a forehead 
like the bright new moon, eyes like those of gazelles, eyebrows 
like the new moon of Ramadan, 10 cheeks resembling anemonies, 
and a mouth like the seal of Suleymanher countenance was 
like the full moon in its splendour, and the forms of her bosom 
resembled two pomegranates of equal size. When the porter 
beheld her, she captivated his reason, the crate nearly fell from his 
head, and he exclaimed, Never in my life have I seen a more 
fortunate day than this! The lady-portress, standing within the 
door, said to the cateress and the porter, Ye are welcome:—and 
they entered, and proceeded to a spacious saloon, 12 decorated with 
various colours, and beautifully constructed, with carved wood¬ 
work, and fountains, and benches of different kinds, and closets 
with curtains hanging before them; there was also in it, at the 
upper end, 19 a sofa of alabaster inlaid with large pearls and jewels, 
with a musquito-curtain of red satin suspended over it, and within 
this was a young lady with eyes possessing the enchantment of 
Babil, 14 and a figure like the letter Alif, 15 with a face that put to 
shame the shining: sun she was like one of the brilliant planets, 
or rather, one of the most high-born of the maidens of Arabia. This 
third lady, 16 rising from the sofa, advanced with a slow and elegant 
gait to the middle of the saloon, where her sisters were standing, and 
said to them, Why stand ye still ? Lift down the burden from the 
head of this poor porter:—whereupon the cateress placed herself 
before him, and the portress behind him, and, the third lady assisting 
them, they lifted it down from his head. They then took out the 
contents of the crate, and, having put every thing in its place, gave 
to the porter two pieces of gold, saying to him, Depart, O porter. 

The porter, however, stood looking at the ladies, and admiring 
their beauty and their agreeable dispositions; for he had never seen 
any more handsome; and when he observed that they had not a 
man among them, and gazed upon the wine, and fruits, and sweet- 
scented flowers, which were there, he was full of astonishment, and 
hesitated to go out; upon which one of the ladies said to him, 
Why dost thou not go ? dost thou deem thy hire too little ? 
Then turning to one of her sisters, she said to her, Give him 
another piece of gold.—By Allah, 0 my mistress, exclaimed the 

porter, my hire is but two half-dirhems, 17 and I thought not what 
ye have given me too little; but my heart and mind were occupied 
with reflections upon you and your state, ye being alone, with no 
man among you, not one to amuse you with his company; for ye 
know that the menareh 18 standeth not firmly but on four walls: 
now ye have not a fourth, and the pleasure of women is not com¬ 
plete without men : ye are three only, and have need of a fourth, 
who should be a man, a person of sense, discreet, acute, and a 
concealer of secrets. We are maidens, they replied; and fear to 
impart our secret to him who will not keep it; for we have read, 
in a certain history, this verse :— 

Guard thy secret from another : intrust it not: for he who intrusteth a secret 
hath lost it. 

By your existence, said the porter, I am a man of sense, and 
trustworthy: I have read various books, and perused histories: 
I make known what is fair, and conceal what is foul, and act in 
accordance with the saying of the poet:—- 

140 

THE STORY OF THE PORTER 

None keepeth a secret but a faithful person: with the best of mankind it 
remaineth concealed. 

A secret is with me as in a house with a lock, whose key is lost, and whose 
door is sealed. 15 

When the ladies heard the verses which he quoted, and the words 
with which he addressed them, they said to him, Thou knowest 
that we have expended here a considerable sum of money: hast 
thou then wherewith to requite us ? We will not suffer thee to 
remain with us unless thou contribute a sum of money ; for thou 
desirest to sit with us, and to be our cup-companion, and to gaze 
upon our beautiful faces.—If friendship is without money, said the 
mistress of the house, it is not equivalent to the weight of a grain:— 
and the portress added, If thou hast nothing, depart with nothing: 
—but the cateress said, O sister, let us suffer him; for, verily, he 
hath not been deficient in his services for us this day: another 
had not been so patient with us : whatever, therefore, falls to his 
share of the expense, I will defray for him.—At this the porter 
rejoiced, and exclaimed, By Allah, I obtained my first and only 
pay this day from none but thee :—and the other ladies said to 
him, Sit down : thou art welcome. 

The cateress then arose, and, having tightened her girdle, 
arranged the bottles, and strained the wine, and prepared the table 
by the pool of the fountain. She made ready all that they required, 
brought the wine, and sat down with her sisters; the porter also 
sitting with them, thinking he was in a dream. And when they 

AND THE LADIES OF BAGHDAD, &c. 

141 

had seated themselves, the cateress took a jar of wine, and filled 
the first cup, and drank it : 20 she then filled another, and handed it 
to one of her sisters; and in like manner she did to her other sister; 
after which she filled again, and handed the cup to the porter, who, 
having taken it from her hand, repeated this verse:— 

I will drink the wine, and enjoy health; for, verily, this beverage is a remedy 
for disease. 

The wine continued to circulate among them, and the porter, 
taking his part in the revels, dancing and singing with them, and 
enjoying the fragrant odours, began to hug and kiss them, while 
one slapped 21 him, and another pulled him, and the third beat him 
with sweet-scented flowers, till, at length, the wine made sport 
with their reason; and they threw off all restraint, indulging their 
merriment with as much freedom as if no man had been present. 22 

Thus they continued until the approach of night, when they 
said to the porter, Depart, and show us the breadth of thy shoul¬ 
ders; 23 —but he replied, Verily the departure of my soul from my 
body were more easy to me than my departure from your company; 
therefore suffer us to join the night to the day, and then each of us 
shall return to his own, or her own, affairs. The cateress, also, 
again interceded for him, saying, By my life I conjure you that ye 
suffer him to pass the night with us, that we may laugh at his 
drolleries, for he is a witty rogue. So they said to him, Thou 
shalt pass the night with us on this condition, that thou submit to 
our authority, and ask not an explanation of anything that thou 
shalt see. He replied, Good.—Rise then, said they, and read 
what is inscribed upon the door. Accordingly, he went to the door, 
and found the following inscription upon it in letters of gold, Speak 
not of that which doth not concern thee, lest thou hear that which 
will not please thee: and he said, Bear witness to my promise that 
I will not speak of that which doth not concern me. 

The cateress then rose, and prepared for them a repast; and, 
after they had eaten a little, they lighted the candles and burned 
some aloes-wood. This done, they sat down again to the table; 
and, while they were eating and drinking, they heard a knocking 
at the door; whereupon, without causing any interruption to their 
meal, one of them went to the door, and, on her return, said, 

Our pleasure this night is now complete, for I have found, at the 
door, three foreigners 24 with shaven chins, and each of them is blind 
of the left eye; it is an extraordinary coincidence. They are 
strangers newly arrived, 25 and each of them has a ridiculous appear¬ 
ance : if they come in, therefore, we shall be amused with laugh¬ 
ing at them.—The lady ceased not with these words, but continued 
to persuade her sisters until they consented, and said, Let them 
enter; but make it a condition with them that they speak not of 
that which doth not concern them, lest they hear that which will 
not please them. Upon this she rejoiced, and, having gone again 
to the door, brought in the three men blind of one eye and with 
shaven chins, and they had thin and twisted mustaches. Being 
mendicants, they saluted and drew back; but the ladies rose to 
them, and seated them; and when these three men looked at the 
porter, they saw that he was intoxicated ; and, observing him nar¬ 
rowly, they thought that he was one of their own class, and said, 

THE STORY OF THE PORTER, &c. 

143 

He is a mendicant like ourselves, and will amuse us by his conver¬ 
sation :—but the porter, bearing what they said, arose, and rolled 
his eyes, and exclaimed to them, Sit quiet, and abstain from 
impertinent remarks. Have ye not read the inscription upon the 
door ?—The ladies, laughing, said to each other, Between the 
mendicants and the porter we shall find matter for amusement. 
They then placed before the former some food, and they ate, and 
then sat to drink. The portress handed to them the wine, and, as the 
cup was circulating among them, the porter said to them, Brothers, 
have ye any tale or strange anecdote wherewith to amuse us ? The 
mendicants, heated by the wine, asked for musical instruments ; 
and the portress brought them a tambourine of the manufacture 
of El-Mosil, with a lute of El-’Erak, and a Persian harp; 26 where¬ 
upon they all arose; and one took the tambourine; another, the 
lute; and the third, the harp: and they played upon these instru¬ 
ments, the ladies accompanying them with loud songs; and while 
they were thus diverting themselves, a person knocked at the door. 
The portress, therefore, went to see who was there ; and the cause 
of the knocking was this. 

The Khaleefeh 27 Haroon Er-Rasheed had gone forth this night 
to see and hear what news he could collect, accompanied by Jaafar 28 

144 

THE STORY OF THE PORTER 

his Wezeer, and Mesroor 29 his executioner. It was his custom to 
disguise himself in the attire of a merchant, and this night, as 
he went through the city, he happened to pass, with his attend¬ 
ants, by the house of these ladies, and, hearing the sounds of the 
musical instruments, he said to Jaafar, I have a desire to enter 
this house, and to see who is giving this concert.—They are a party 
who have become intoxicated, replied Jaafar, and I fear that we 
may experience some ill usage from them;—but the Khaleefeh said, 
We must enter, and I would that thou devise some stratagem by 
which we may obtain admission to the inmates. Jaafar therefore 
answered, I hear and obey:—and he advanced, and knocked at the 
door; and when the portress came and opened the door, he said to 
her, My mistress, we are merchants from Tabareeyeh, 30 and have 
been in Baghdad ten days; we have brought with us merchandise, 
and taken lodgings in a Khan; 31 and a merchant invited us to an 
entertainment this night: accordingly we went to his house, and 
he placed food before us, and we ate, and sat awhile drinking to¬ 
gether, after which he gave us leave to depart; 32 and going out 
in the dark, and being strangers, we missed our way to the Khan : 
we trust, therefore, in your generosity that you will admit us to 
pass the night in your house; by doing which you will obtain a 
reward in heaven.—The portress, looking at them, and observing 
that they were in the garb of merchants, and that they bore an 
appearance of respectability, returned, and consulted her two com¬ 
panions ; and they said to her, Admit them:—so she returned, and 
opened to them the door. They said to her, Shall we enter with 
thy permission ? She answered, Come in. The Khaleefeh, there¬ 
fore, entered, with Jaafar and Mesroor ; and when the ladies saw 
them, they rose to them, and served them, saying, Welcome are 
our guests ; but we have a condition to impose upon you, that ye 
speak not of that which doth not concern you, lest ye hear that 
which will not please you. They answered, Good:—and when 
they had sat down to drink, the Khaleefeh looked at the three men¬ 
dicants, and was surprised at observing that each of them was blind 
of the left eye; and he gazed upon the ladies, and was perplexed 
and amazed at their fairness and beauty. And when the others 
proceeded to drink and converse, the ladies brought wine to the 
Khaleefeh; but he said, I am a pilgrim; 33 —and drew back from 

AND THE LADIES OF BAGHDA'D, &c. 

145 

them. Whereupon the portress spread before him an embroidered 
cloth, and placed upon it a China bottle, into which she poured some 
willow-flower-water, adding to it a lump of ice, and sweetening it 
with sugar, while the Khaleefeh thanked her, and said within him¬ 
self, To-morrow I must reward her for this kind action. 

The party continued their carousal, and, when the wine took 
effect upon them, the mistress of the house arose, and waited upon 
them, and afterwards, taking the hand of the cateress, said, Arise, 
O my sister, that we may fulfil our debt. She replied, Good. 
The portress then rose, and, after she had cleared the middle of 
the saloon, placed the mendicants at the further end, beyond the 
doors; after which, the ladies called to the porter, saying, How 
slight is thy friendship ! thou art not a stranger, but one of the 
family. So the porter arose, and girded himself, and said, What 
would ye ?—to which one of the ladies answered, Stand where thou 
art:—and presently the cateress said to him, Assist me :—and he 
saw two black bitches, with chains attached to their necks, and 
drew them to the middle of the saloon; whereupon the mistress 
of the house arose from her place, and tucked up her sleeve above 
her wrist, and, taking a whip, said to the porter, Bring to me one 
of them. Accordingly he dragged one forward by the chain. The 
bitch whined, and shook her head at the lady ; but the latter fell 
to beating her upon the head, notwithstanding her howling, until 
her arms were tired, when she threw the whip from her hand, and 
pressed the bitch to her bosom, and wiped away her tears, and 
kissed her head; after which she said to the porter, Take her 
back, and bring the other;—and he brought her, and she did to her 
as she had done to the first. At the sight of this, the mind of the 

VOL. I. 

u 

146 

THE STORY OF THE PORTER, &c. 

Khaleefeh was troubled, and his heart was contracted, and he 
winked to Jaafar that he should ask her the reason ; but he replied 
by a sign, Speak not. 

The mistress of the house then looked towards the portress, and 
said to her, Arise to perform what thou hast to do. She replied, 
Good :—and the mistress of the house seated herself upon a sofa 
of alabaster, overlaid with gold and silver, and said to the portress 
and the cateress, Now perform your parts. The portress then 
seated herself upon a sofa by her, and the cateress, having entered 
a closet, brought out from it a bag of satin with green fringes, and, 
placing herself before the lady of the house, shook it, and took 
out from it a lute; and she tuned its strings, and sang to it these 
verses:— 

Restore to my eyelids the sleep which hath been ravished; and inform me 
of my reason, whither it hath fled. 

I discovered, when I took up my abode with love, that slumber had become 
an enemy to my eyes. 

They said, We saw thee to be one of the upright; what, then, hath seduced 
thee ? I answered, Seek the cause from his glance. 

Verily I excuse him for the shedding of my blood, admitting that I urged him 
to the deed by vexation. 

He cast his sun-like image upon the mirror of my mind, and its Reflection 
kindled a flame in my vitals. 3 * 

When the portress 35 had heard this song, she exclaimed, Allah 
approve thee!—and she rent her clothes, and fell upon the floor in 
a swoon ; and when her bosom was thus uncovered, the Khaleefeh 
saw upon her the marks of beating, as if from mikra’ahs 36 and 
whips ; at which he was greatly surprised. The cateress 37 im¬ 
mediately arose, sprinkled water upon her face, and brought her 
another dress, which she put on. The Khaleefeh then said to 
Jaafar, Seest thou not this woman, and the marks of beating upon 
her ? I eannot keep silence respecting this affair, nor be at rest, 
until I know the truth of the history of this damsel, and that of 
these two bitches. But Jaafar replied, O our lord, they have 
made a covenant with us that we shall not speak excepting of that 
which concerneth us, lest we hear that which will not please us.— 
The cateress then took the lute again, and, placing it against her 
bosom, touched the chords with the ends of her fingers, and thus 
sang to it:— 

If of love we complain, what shall we say ? Or consuming through desire, 
how can we escape ? 

Or if we send a messenger to interpret for us, he cannot convey the lover's 
complaint. 

Or if we would he patient, short were our existence after the loss of those we 
love. 

Nought remaineth to us but grief and mourning, and tears streaming down 
our cheeks. 

O you who are absent from my sight, but constantly dwelling within my heart! 

Have you kept your faith to an impassioned lover, who, while time endureth, 
will never change? 

Or, in absence, have you forgotten that lover who, on your account, is wasting 
away? 

When the day of judgment shall bring us together, I will beg of our Lord a 
protractive trial. 38 

On hearing these verses of the cateress, the portress again rent her 
clothes, and cried out, and fell upon the floor in a swoon ; and the 

148 

THE STORY OF THE PORTER 

cateress, as before, put on her another dress, after she had 
sprinkled some water upon her face. 39 

The mendicants, when they witnessed this scene, said, Would 
that we had never entered this house, but rather had passed the 
night upon the mounds ; 40 for our night hath been rendered foul 
by an event that breaketh the back! The Khaleefeh, looking 
towards them, then said, Wherefore is it so with you ? They an¬ 
swered, Our hearts are troubled by this occurrence.—Are ye not, 
he asked, of this house?—No, they answered; nor did we imagine 
that this house belonged to any but the man who is sitting with 
you :—upon which the porter said, Verily, I have never seen this 
place before this night; and I would that I had passed the night 
upon the mounds rather than here. They then observed, one to 
another, We are seven men, and they are but three women; we 
will, therefore, ask them of their history; and if they answer us 
not willingly they shall do it in spite of themselves:—and they 
all agreed to this, excepting Jaafar, who said, This is not a 
right determination; leave them to themselves, for we are their 
guests, and they made a covenant with us which we should fulfil: 
there remaineth but little of the night, and each of us shall soon 
go his way. Then, winking to the Khaleefeh, he said, There 
remaineth but an hour; and to-morrow we will bring them before 
thee, and thou shalt ask them their story. But the Khaleefeh 
refused to do so, and said, I have not patience to wait so long for 
their history.—Words followed words, and at last they said, Who 
shall put the question to them ?—and one answered, The porter. 

The ladies then said to them, O people, of what are ye talking ? 
—whereupon the porter approached the mistress of the house, and 
said to her, O my mistress, I ask thee, and conjure thee by Allah, 
to tell us the story of the two bitches, and for what reason you beat 
them, and then wept, and kissed them, and that thou acquaint us 
with the cause of thy sister’s having been beaten with mikra’ahs : 
this is our question, and peace be on you.—Is this true that he 
saith of you ? inquired the lady, of the other men; and they all 
answered, Yes,—excepting Jaafar, who was silent. When the lady 
heard their answer, she said, Verily, O our guests, ye have 
wronged us excessively ; for we made a covenant with you before¬ 
hand, that he who should speak of that which concerned him not 
should hear that which would not please him. Is it not enough 

AND THE LADIES OF BAGHDA'D, &c. 

149 

that we have admitted you into our house, and fed you with our 
provisions ? But it is not so much your fault as the fault of her 
who introduced you to us.—She then tucked up her sleeve above 
her wrist, and struck the floor three times, saying, Come ye 
quickly!—and immediately the door of a closet opened, and there 
came forth from it seven black slaves, each having in his hand a 
drawn sword. The lady said to them, Tie behind them the hands 
of these men of many words, and bind each of them to another:— 
and they did so, and said, O virtuous lady, dost thou permit us to 
strike off their heads ? She answered, Give them a short respite, 
until I shall have inquired of them their histories, before ye behead 
them.—By Allah, O my mistress, exclaimed the porter, kill me 
not for the offence of others: for they have all transgressed and 
committed an offence, excepting me. Yerily our night had been 
pleasant if we had been preserved from these mendicants, whose 
presence is enough to convert a well-peopled city into a heap of 
ruins!—He then repeated this couplet:— 

How good is it to pardon one able to resist! and how much more so, one who 
is helpless! 

For the sake of the friendship that subsisted between us, destroy not one for 
the crime of another! 

150 THE STORY OF THE FIRST ROYAL MENDICANT. 

On hearing these words of the porter, the lady laughed after her 
anger. Then approaching the men, she said, Acquaint me with 
your histories, for there remaineth of your lives no more than an 
hour. Were ye not persons of honourable and high condition, 
or governors, 41 I would hasten your recompense.—The Khaleefeh 
said to Jaafar, Wo to thee, 0 Jaafar! make known to her who we 
are ; otherwise she will kill us.—It were what we deserve, replied 
he.—Jesting, said the Khaleefeh, is not befitting in a time for 
seriousness : each has its proper occasion.—The lady then ap¬ 
proached the mendicants, and said to them, Are ye brothers? 
They answered, No, indeed; we are only poor foreigners. 42 She 
said then to one of them, Wast thou born blind of one eye ?—No, 
verily, he answered; but a wonderful event happened to me when 
my eye was destroyed, and the story of it, if engraved on the under¬ 
standing, would serve as a lesson to him who would be admonished. 
She asked the second and the third also; and they answered her as 
the first; adding, Each of us is from a different country, and our 
history is wonderful and extraordinary. The lady then looked 
towards them and said, Each of you shall relate his story, and the 
cause of his coming to our abode, and then stroke his head, 43 and 
go his way. 

The first who advanced was the porter, who said, O my mistress, 
I am a porter ; and this cateress loaded me, and brought me hither, 
and what hath happened to me here in your company ye know. 

This is my story; and peace be on you_Stroke thy head, then, 

said she, and go :—but he replied, By Allah, I will not go until I 
shall have heard the story of my companions.—The first mendicant 
then advanced, and related as follows:— 

THE STORY OF THE FIRST ROYAL MENDICANT. 

Know, O my mistress, that the cause of my having shaved my 
beard, and of the loss of my eye was this :—My father was a King, 
and he had a brother who was also a King, and who resided in 
another capital. It happened that my mother gave birth to me 
on the same day on which the son of my uncle was born; and years 
and days passed away until we attained to manhood. Now, it was 
my custom, some years, to visit my uncle, and to remain with him 

THE STORY OF THE FIRST ROYAL MENDICANT. 

151 

several months; and on one of these occasions my cousin paid 
me great honour; he slaughtered sheep for me, and strained the 
wine for me, and we sat down to drink; and when the wine had 
affected us, he said to me, O son of my uncle, I have need of thine 
assistance in an affair of interest to me, and I beg that thou wilt 
not oppose me in that which I desire to do. I replied, I am alto¬ 
gether at thy service:—and he made me swear to him by great 
oaths, and, rising immediately, absented himself for a little while, 
and then returned, followed by a woman decked with ornaments, 
and perfumed, and wearing a dress of extraordinary value. He 
looked towards me, while the woman stood behind him, and said, 
Take this woman, and go before me to the burial-ground which is 
in such a place:—and he described it to me, and I knew it. He 
then added, Enter the burial-ground, and there wait for me. 

I could not oppose him, nor refuse to comply with his request, 
on account of the oaths which I had sworn to him; so I took the 
woman, and went with her to the burial-ground; and when we had 
sat there a short time, my cousin came, bearing a basin of water, 
and a bag containing some plaster, and a small adze. Going to a 
tomb in the midst of the burial-ground, he took the adze, and 
disunited the stones, which he placed on one side; he then dug up 
the earth with the adze, and uncovered a flat stone, of the size of 
a small door, under which there appeared a vaulted staircase. 
Having done this, he made a sign to the woman, and said to her, 
Do according to thy choice:—whereupon she descended the stairs. 
He then looked towards me, and said, O son of my uncle, complete 
thy kindness when I have descended into this place, by replacing 
the trap-door and the earth above it as they were before: then, 
this plaster which is in the bag, and this water which is in the 
basin, do thou knead together, and plaster the stones of the tomb 
as they were, so that no man may know it, and say, This hath been 
lately opened, but its interior is old :—for, during the space of a 
whole year I have been preparing this, and no one knew it but 
God: this is what I would have thee do. He then said to me. 
May God never deprive thy friends of thy presence, O son of my 
uncle!—and, having uttered these words, he descended the stairs. 

When he had disappeared from before my eyes, I replaced the 
trap-door, and busied myself with doing as he had ordered me, 

until the tomb was restored to the state in which it was at first; 
after which I returned to the palace of my uncle, who was then 
absent on a hunting excursion. I slept that night, and when the 
morning came, I reflected upon what had occurred between me 
and my cousin, and repented of what I had done for him, when 
repentance was of no avail. 1 then went out to the burial-ground, 
and searched for the tomb; but could not discover it. I ceased not 
in my search until the approach of night; and, not finding the way 
to it, returned again to the palace; and I neither ate nor drank: 
my heart was troubled respecting my cousin, since I knew not 
what had become of him; and I fell into excessive grief. I passed 
the night sorrowful until the morning, and went again to the burial- 
ground, reflecting upon the action of my cousin, and repenting of 
my compliance with his request; and I searched among all the 
tombs ; but discovered not that for which I looked. Thus I per¬ 
severed in my search seven days wdthout success. 44 

My trouble continued and increased until I was almost mad; 
and I found no relief but in departing, and returning to my father; 

THE STORY OF THE FIRST ROYAL MENDICANT. 

153 

but on my arrival at his capital, a party at the city-gate sprang 
upon me and bound me. I was struck with the utmost astonish¬ 
ment, considering that I was the son of the Sultan of the city, and 
that these were the servants of my father and of myself: excessive 
fear of them overcame me, and I said within myself, What hath 
happened to my father ? I asked, of those who had bound me, the 
cause of this conduct; but they returned me no answer, till after 
a while, when one of them, who had been my servant, said to me, 
Fortune hath betrayed thy father, the troops have been false to 
him, and the Wezeer hath killed him; and we were lying in wait 
to take thee.—They took me, and I was as one dead, by reason of 
this news which I had heard respecting my father; and I stood 
before the Wezeer who had killed my father. 

Now, there was an old enmity subsisting between me and him ; 
and the cause of it was this :—I was fond of shooting with the cross¬ 
bow; and it happened, one day, that as I was standing on the roof 
of my palace, a bird alighted on the roof of the palace of-the Wezeer, 
who was standing there at the time, and I aimed at the bird; but 
the bullet missed it, and struck the eye of the Wezeer, and knocked 
it out, in accordance with the appointment of fate and destiny, as 
the poet hath said:— 

We trod the steps appointed for us: and the man whose steps are appointed 
must tread them. 

He whose death is decreed to take place in one land will not die in any land 
but that. 

When I had thus put out the eye of the Wezeer, he could say 
nothing, because my father was King of the city. This was the 
cause of the enmity between him and me: and when I stood before 
him, with my hands bound behind me, he gave the order to strike 
off my head. I said to him, Wouldst thou kill me for no offence ?— 
What offence, he exclaimed, could be greater than this ?—and he 
pointed to the place of the eye which was put out. I did that, 
said I, unintentionally. He replied, If thou didst it unintentionally, 

I will do the same to thee purposely:—and immediately he said, 
Bring him forward to me:—and, when they had done so, he thrust 
his finger into my left eye, and pulled it out. Thus I became 
deprived of one eye, as ye see me. He then bound me firmly, and 

VOL. I. 

X 

154 THE STORY OF THE FIRST ROYAL MENDICANT. 

placed me in a chest, and said to the executioner, Take this fellow, 
and draw thy sword, and convey him without the city; then put 
him to death, and let the wild beasts devour him. 

Accordingly, he went forth with me from the city, and, having 
taken me out from the chest, bound hand and foot, was about to 
bandage my eye, and kill me; whereupon I wept, and exclaimed,— 

How many brothers have I taken as armour ! and such they were; but to 
guard my enemies. 

I thought they would be as piercing arrows: and such they were; but to 
enter my heart! 

The executioner, who had served my father in the same capacity, 
and to whom I had shown kindnesses, said, on hearing these verses, 
O my master, what can I do, being a slave under command ?—but 
presently he added, Depart with thy life, and return not to this 
country, lest thou perish, and cause me to perish with thee. The 
poet saith,— 

Flee with thy life if thou fearest oppression, and leave the house to tell its 
builder’s fate. 

Thou wilt find, for the land that thou quittest, another : but no soul wilt thou 
find to replace thine own. 

As soon as he had thus said, I kissed his hands, and believed 
not in my safety until I had fled from his presence. The loss of 
my eye appeared light to me when I considered my escape from 
death; and I journeyed to my uncle’s capital, and, presenting 
myself before him, informed him of what had befallen my father, 
and of the manner in which I had lost my eye: upon which he 
wept bitterly, and said, Thou hast added to my trouble and my 
grief; for thy cousin hath been lost for some days, and I know not 
what hath happened to him, nor can any one give me information 
respecting him. Then he wept again, until he became insensible; 
and when he recovered, he said, 0 my son, the loss of thine eye is 
better than the loss of thy life. 

Upon this I could no longer keep silence respecting his son, 
my cousin; so I informed him of all that happened to him; and 
on hearing this news he rejoiced exceedingly, and said, Show me 
the tomb.—By Allah, O my uncle, I replied, I know not where it 
is; for I went afterwards several times to search for it, and could 

THE STORY OF THE FIRST ROYAL MENDICANT. 155 

not recognise its place. We, however, went together to the burial- 
ground, and, looking to the right and left, I discovered it; and 
both I and my uncle rejoiced. I then entered the tomb with him, 
and when we had removed the earth, and lifted up the trap-door, 
we descended fifty steps, and, arriving at the bottom of the stairs, 
there issued forth upon us a smoke which blinded our eyes; where¬ 
upon my uncle pronounced those words which relieve from fear 
him who uttereth them—There is no strength nor power but in 
God, the High, the Great!—After this, we proceeded, and found 
ourselves in a saloon, filled with flour and grain, and various 
eatables; and we saw there a curtain suspended over a couch, upon 
which my uncle looked, and found there his son and the woman 
who had descended with him, lying side by side, and converted into 
black charcoal, as if they had been thrown into a pit of fire. And 
when he beheld this spectacle, he spat in his son’s face, and 
exclaimed, This is what thou deservest, 0 thou wretch! This is 
the punishment of the present world, and there remaineth the 
punishment of the other world, which will be more severe and 
lasting!—and he struck him with his shoes. Astonished at this 
action, and grieved for my cousin, seeing him and the damsel thus 
converted into charcoal, I said, By Allah, O my uncle, moderate 
the trouble of thy heart, for my mind is perplexed by that which 
hath happened to thy son, and by thinking how it hath come to 
pass that he and the damsel are converted into black charcoal. 
Dost thou not deem it enough for him to be in this state, that thou 
beatest him with thy shoes ? 

O son of my brother, he replied, this my son was, from his early 
years, inflamed with love for his foster-sister, 45 and I used to forbid 
him from entertaining this passion for her, and to say within myself, 
They are now children, but when they grow older a base act will 
be committed by them:—and, indeed, I heard that such had been 
the case, but I believed it not. I, however, reprimanded him 
severely, and said to him, Beware of so foul an action, which none 
before thee hath committed, nor will any commit after thee: 
otherwise we shall suffer disgrace and disparagement among the 
Kings until we die, and our history will spread abroad with the 
caravans: have a care ior thyself that such an action proceed not 
from thee; for I should be incensed against thee, and kill thee. 
I then separated him from her, and her from him: but the vile 

156 THE STORY OF THE FIRST ROYAL MENDICANT. 

woman loved him excessively; the Devil got possession of them 
both; and when my son saw that I had separated him, he secretly 
made this place beneath the earth, and, having conveyed hither the 
provisions which thou seest, took advantage of my inadvertence 
when I had gone out to hunt, and came hither: but the Truth 46 
(whose perfection be extolled, and whose name be exalted !) 
was jealously vigilant over them, and consumed them by fire; and 
the punishment of the world to come will be more severe and 
lasting.—He then wept, and I wept with him ; and he said to me, 
Thou art my son in his stead.—I remained awhile reflecting upon 
the world and its vicissitudes, upon the murder of my father by the 
Wezeer, and his usurping his throne, and the loss of my eye, and 
the strange events which had happened to my cousin, and I wept 
again. 

We then ascended, and, having replaced the trap-door and the 
earth above it, and restored the tomb to its former state, returned 
to our abode; but scarcely had we seated ourselves when we heard 
the sounds of drums and trumpets, warriours galloped about, and the 
air was filled with dust raised by the horses’ hoofs. Our minds were 
perplexed, not knowing what had happened, and the King, asking 
the news, was answered, The Wezeer of thy brother hath slain him 
and his soldiers and guards, and come with his army to assault the 
city unawares, and the inhabitants, being unable to withstand, have 
submitted to him:—whereupon I said within myself, If I fall into 
his hand, he will slay me.—Griefs overwhelmed me, and I thought 
of the calamities which had befallen my father and my mother, and 
knew not what to do; for if I appeared, the people of the city 
would know me, and the troops of my father would hasten to kill 
and destroy me. I knew no way of escape but to shave off my 
beard : 17 so I shaved it, and, having changed my clothes, departed 
from the city, and came hither, to this abode of peace, in the hope 
that some person would introduce me to the Prince of the Faithful, 
the Khaleefeh of the Lord of all creatures, that I might relate to 
him my story, and all that had befallen me. I arrived in this city 
this night; and as I stood perplexed, not knowing whither to direct 
my steps, I saw this mendicant, and saluted him, and said, I am 
a stranger. He replied, And I, too, am a stranger :—and while we 
were thus addressing each other, our companion, this third person, 
came up to us, and, saluting us, said, I am a stranger. We replied, 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 157 

And we, also, are strangers. So we walked on together, and darkness 
overtook us, and destiny directed us unto your abode.—This was 
the cause of the shaving of my beard, and of the loss of my eye. 

The lady then said to him, Stroke thy head, and depart:—hut 
he replied, I will not depart until I have heard the stories of the 
others. And they wondered at his tale; and the Khaleefeh said 
to Jaafar, Verily I have never known the like of that which hath 
happened to this mendicant. 

The second mendicant then advanced, and, having kissed the 
ground, said,— 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 

O my mistress, I was not born with only one eye; but my story 
is wonderful, and, if written, would serve as a lesson to him who 
would be admonished. I am a King, and son of a King: I read the 
Kur-an according to the seven traditions, 19 and perused various works 
under the tuition of different learned professors of their subjects: 
I studied the science of the stars, 49 and the writings of the poets, 
and made myself a proficient in all the sciences; so that I surpassed 
the people of my age. My hand-writing 50 was extolled among all 
the scribes, my fame spread among all countries, and my history 
among all Kings; and the King of India, hearing of me, requested 
my father to allow me to visit him, sending him various gifts and 
curious presents, such as were suitable to Kings. My father, there¬ 
fore, prepared for me six ships, and we proceeded by sea for the 

158 THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 

space of a whole month, after which we came to land, and, having 
disembarked some horses which we had with us in the ship, we 
loaded ten camels with presents, and commenced our journey; but 
soon there appeared a cloud of dust, which rose and spread until 
it filled the air before us, and, after a while, cleared a little, and 
discovered to us, in the midst of it, sixty horsemen like fierce lions, 
whom we perceived to be Arab highwaymen; and when they saw 
us, that we were a small company with ten loads of presents for the 
King of India, they galloped towards us, pointing their spears at 
us. We made signs to them with our fingers, and said, We are 
ambassadors to the honoured King of India; therefore do us no 
injury:—but they replied, We are not in his territories, nor under 
his government. They slew certain of the young men, and the 
rest fled. I also fled, after I had received a severe wound; the 
Arabs being employed, without further regard to us, in taking 
possession of the treasure and presents which we had with us. 

I proceeded without knowing whither to direct my course, 
reduced from a mighty to an abject state, and journeyed till I 
arrived at the summit of a mountain, where I took shelter in a 
cavern until the next morning. I then resumed my journey, and 
arrived at a flourishing city: the winter, with its cold, had passed 
away, and the spring had come, with its flowers; and I rejoiced 
at my arrival there, being wearied with my journey, anxious and 
pallid. My condition being thus changed, I knew not whither 
to bend my steps, and, turning to a tailor sitting in his shop, I 
saluted him, and he returned my salutation, and welcomed me, 
and wished me joy, asking me the reason of my having come 
thither. I acquainted him, therefore, with what had befallen me 
from first to last, and he was grieved for me, and said, O young 
man, reveal not thy case, for I fear what the King of this city 
might do to thee, since he is the greatest of thy father’s enemies, 
and hath a debt of blood against him. He then placed some food 
and drink before me, and we ate together, and I conversed with 
him till night, when he lodged me in a place by his shop, and 
brought me a bed and coverlet; and, after I had remained with 
him three days, he said to me, Dost thou not know any trade 
by which to make gain? 51 I answered, I am acquainted with 
the law, a student of sciences, a writer, and an arithmetician. 
—Thy occupation, he said, is profitless in our country: there is 

no one in our city acquainted with science or writing, but only 
with getting money. Verily, I replied, I know nothing but what 
I have told thee.—Gird thyself, then, said he, and take an axe 
and a rope, and cut firewood in the desert, and so obtain thy 
subsistence until God dispel thy affliction; hut acquaint no 
one with thy history, else they will kill thee. He then bought 
for me an axe and a rope, and sent me with a party of wood¬ 
cutters, giving them a charge respecting me. Accordingly, I 
went forth with them, and cut some wood, and brought back 
a load upon my head, and sold it for half a piece of gold, part 
of which I expended in food, laying by the remainder. 

Thus I continued for the space of a year, after which I went 
one day into the desert, according to my custom, to cut fire-wood, 
and, finding there a tract with abundance of wood, I entered it, 
and came to a tree, around which I dug; and as I was removing 
the earth from its roots, the axe struck against a ring of brass; 

160 THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 

and I cleared away the earth from it, and found that it was affixed 
to a trap-door of wood, which I immediately removed. Beneath 
it appeared a staircase, which I descended; and at the bottom of 
this I entered a door, and beheld a palace, strongly constructed, 
where I found a lady, like a pearl of great price, whose aspect 
banished from the heart all anxiety and grief and affliction. At 
the sight of her I prostrated myself in adoration of her Creator 
for the fairness and beauty which He had displayed in her person; 
and she, looking towards me, said, Art thou a man or a Jinnee ? 
I answered her, I am a man.—And who, she asked, hath brought 
thee to this place, in which I have lived five and twenty years 
without ever seeing a human being ?—Her words sounded sweetly 
to me, and I answered her, O my mistress, God hath brought 
me to thy abode, and I hope will put an end to my anxiety and 
grief:—and I related to her my story from beginning to end. 
She was grieved at my case, and wept, and said, I also will 
acquaint thee with my story. Know that I am the daughter of 
the King of the further parts of India, the lord of the Ebony 
Island. My father had married me to the son of my uncle; but 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 161 

on the night of my bridal festivities, an ’Efreet named Jarjarees, 
the son of Rejmoos, the son of Iblees, carried me off, and, soaring 
with me through the air, alighted in this place, to which he 
conveyed all things necessary for me, such as ornaments, and 
garments, and linen, and furniture, and food, and drink; and once 
in every ten days he cometh to me, and spendeth a night here 
and he hath appointed with me, that, in case of my wanting 
any thing by night or day, I should touch with my hand these two 
lines which are inscribed upon the kubbeh , 53 and as soon as I 
remove my hand I see him before me. Four days have now passed 
since he was last with me, and there remain, therefore, six days 
before he will come again; wilt thou then remain with me five 
days, and depart one day before his visit?—I answered, Yes;— 
rejoicing at the proposal; and she arose, and, taking me by the 
hand, conducted me through an arched door to a small and elegant 
bath, where I took off my clothes, while she seated herself upon 
a mattress. After this, she seated me by her side, and brought 
me some sherbet of sugar infused with musk , 54 and handed it to 
me to drink: she then placed some food before me, and after we 
had eaten and conversed together, she said to me, Sleep, and rest 
thyself; for thou art fatigued. 

I slept, O my mistress, and forgot all that had befallen me; 
and when I awoke, I found her rubbing my feet ; 55 upon which I 
called to her, and we sat down again and conversed awhile; and 
she said to me, By Allah, I was straitened in my heart, living here 
alone, without any person to talk with me, five and twenty years. 
Praise be to God who hath sent thee to me.—I thanked her for 
her kind expressions ; and love of her took possession of my heart, 
and my anxiety and grief fled away. We then sat down to drink 
together; and I remained by her side all the night, delighted with 
her company, for I had never seen her like in my whole life; and 
in the morning, when we were both full of joy, I said to her, 
Shall I take thee up from this subterranean place, and release 
thee from the Jinnee ? But she laughed, and replied, Be content, 
and hold thy peace; for, of every ten days, one day shall be for the 
’Efreet, and nine for thee. I persisted, however, being overcome 
with passion; and said, I will this instant demolish this kubbeh 
upon which the inscription is engraved, and let the ’Efreet come, 

VOL. I. 

Y 

162 THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 

that I may slay him : for I am predestined to kill ’Efreets. She 
entreated me to refrain ; but, paying no attention to her words, 
I kicked the kubbeh with violence; upon which she exclaimed, 
The ’Efreet hath arrived! Did I not caution thee against this ? 
Verily thou hast brought a calamity upon me; but save thyself, 
and ascend by the way that thou earnest. 

In the excess of my fear I forgot my sandals and my axe, 
and when I had ascended two steps, turning round to look for 
them, I saw that the ground had opened, and there arose from it 
an ’Efreet of hideous aspect, who said, "Wherefore is this disturb¬ 
ance with which thou hast alarmed me, and what misfortune hath 
befallen thee ? She answered, No misfortune hath happened to 
me, excepting that my heart was contracted, and I desired to drink 
some wine to dilate it, and, rising to perform my purpose, I fell 
against the kubbeh.—Thou liest, vile woman, he exclaimed;—and, 
looking about the palace to the right and left, he saw the sandals 
and axe; and said to her, These are the property of none but a 
man. Who hath visited thee ? I have not seep them, she answered, 
until this instant: probably they caught to thee.—This language, 
said he, is absurd, and will have no effect upon me, thou shameless 
woman !—and, so saying, he stripped her of her clothing, and tied 
her down, with her arms and legs extended, to four stakes, and 
began to beat her, urging her to confess what had happened. 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 163 

For myself, being unable to endure her cries, I ascended the 
stairs, overpowered by fear, and, arriving at the top, replaced 
the trap-door as it was at first, and covered it over with earth. I 
repented bitterly of what I had done, and reflecting upon the 
lady and her beauty, and how this wretch was torturing her after 
she had lived with him five and twenty years, and that he tortured 
her only on my account, and reflecting also upon my father and 
his kingdom, and how I had been reduced to the condition of a 
wood-cutter, I repeated this verse:— 

When fortune bringeth thee affliction, console thyself by remembering that 
one day thou must see prosperity, and another day, difficulty. 

Returning to my companion, the tailor, I found him awaiting my 
return as if he were placed in a pan upon burning coals. I past 
last night, said he, with anxious heart on thy account, fearing 
for thee from some wild beast or other calamity. Praise be to 
God for thy safe return.—I thanked him for his tender concern 
for me, and entered my apartment; and as I sat meditating upon 
that which had befallen me, and blaming myself for having kicked 
the kubbeh, my friend the tailor came in to me, and said, In the 
shop is a foreigner, who asks for thee, and he has thy axe and 
sandals; he came with them to the wood-cutters , 56 and said to 
them, I went out at the time of the call of the Mueddin to 
morning-prayer, and stumbled upon these, and know not to whom 
they belong : can ye guide me to their owner ?—The wood-cutters, 
therefore, directed him to thee: he is sitting in my shop; so go 
out to him and thank him, and take thy axe and thy sandals.— 
On hearing these words, my countenance turned pale, and my 
whole state became changed; and while I was in this condition, 
the floor of my chamber clove asunder, and there arose from it the 
stranger, and lo, he was the ’Efreet; he had tortured the lady with 
the utmost cruelty; but she would confess nothing: so he took 
the axe and the sandals, and said to her, If I am Jarjarees, of the 
descendants of Iblees, I will bring the owner of this axe and these 
sandals. Accordingly he came, with the pretence before mentioned, 
to the wood-cutters, and, having entered my chamber, without 
granting me any delay, seized me, and soared with me through the 
air: he then descended, and dived into the earth, and brought me 
up into the palace where I was before. 

Here I beheld the lady stripped of her clothing, and with blood 
flowing from her sides; and tears trickled from my eyes. The 
’Efreet then took hold of her, and said. Vile woman, this is thy 
lover :—whereupon she looked at me, and replied, I know him not, 
nor have I ever seen him until this instant. The ’Efreet said to her, 
With all this torture wilt thou not confess ? She answered, Never 
in my life have I seen him before, and it is not lawful in the sight 
of God that I should speak falsely against him. sr —Then, said he, 
if thou know him not, take this sword and strike ofF his head. 
She took the sword, and came to me, and stood over my head: 
but I made a sign to her with my eyebrow, while tears ran down 
my cheeks. She replied in a similar manner, Thou art he who 
hath done all this to me:—I made a sign to her, however, that 
this was a time for pardon, conveying my meaning in the manner 
thus described by the poet:**— 

Our signal in love is the glance of our eyes; and every intelligent person 
understands the sign. 

Our eyebrows carry on an intercourse between us : we are silent; but love 
speaketh. 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 165 

And when she understood me, she threw the sword from her hand, 
O my mistress, and the ’Efreet handed it to me, saying, Strike 
off her head, and I will liberate thee, and do thee no harm. I 
replied, Good:—and, quickly approaching her, raised my hand; 
but she made a sign as though she would say, I did no injury to 
thee: — whereupon my eyes poured with tears, and, throwing 
down the sword, I said, O mighty ’Efreet, and valiant hero, if 
a woman, deficient in sense and religion, 59 seeth it not lawful to 
strike off my head, how is it lawful for me to do so to her, and 
especially when I have never seen her before in my life ? I will 
never do it, though I should drink.the cup of death and destruc¬ 
tion.—There is affection between' you, said the ’Efreet, and, 
taking the sword, he struck off one of the hands of the lady; 
then, the other; after this, her right foot; and then, her left foot: 
thus with four blows he cut off her four extremities, while I 
looked on, expecting my own death. She then made a sign to me 
with her eye; and the ’Efreet, observing her, exclaimed, Now 
thou hast been guilty of incontinence with thine eye!—and, with 
a blow of his sword, struck off her head; after which, he turned 
towards me, and said, O man, it is allowed us by our law, if a 
wife be guilty of incontinence, to put her to death. This woman 
1 carried off on her wedding night, when she was twelve years of 
age, and she was acquainted with no man but me; and I used to 
pass one night with her in the course of every ten days in the 
garb of a foreigner; and when I discovered of a certainty that 
she had been unfaithful to me, I killed her: but as for thee, I am 
not convinced that thou hast wronged me with respect to her; 
yet I must not leave thee unpunished: choose, therefore, what 
injury I shall do to thee. 

Upon this, O my mistress, I rejoiced exceedingly, and, eager 
to obtain his pardon, I said to him, What shall I choose from 
thy hands ?—Choose, he answered, into what form I shall change 
thee ; either the form of a dog, or that of an ass, or that of an 
ape. I replied, in my desire of forgiveness, Verily, if thou wilt 
pardon me, God will pardon thee in recompense for thy shewing 
mercy to a Muslim who hath done thee no injury: — and I 
humbled myself in the most abject manner, and said to him, 
Pardon me as the envied man did the envier.—And how was that ? 
said he. I answered as follows :— 60 

THE STORY OF THE ENVIER AND THE ENVIED. 

Know, O my master, that there was a certain man who had 
a neighbour that envied him; and the more this person envied 
him, so much the more did God increase the prosperity of the 
former. Thus it continued a long time ; but when the envied man 
found that his neighbour persisted in troubling him, he removed 
to a place where there was a deserted well; and there he built for 
himself an oratory, and occupied himself in the worship of God. 
Numerous fakeers 61 assembled around him, and he acquired great 
esteem, people repairing to him from every quarter, placing firm 
reliance upon his sanctity; and his fame reached the ears of his 
envious neighbour, who mounted his horse, and went to visit him; 
and when the envied man saw him, he saluted him, and payed him 
the utmost civility. The envier then said to him, I have come 
hither to inform thee of a matter in which thou wilt find advan¬ 
tage, and for which I shall obtain a recompense in heaven. The 
envied man replied, May God requite thee for me with every 
blessing. Then, said the envier, Order the fakeers to retire to 
their cells, for the information that I am about to give thee I 
would have no one overhear. So he ordered them to enter their 
cells; and the envier said to him, Arise, and let us walk together, 
and converse; and they walked on until they came to the deserted 

THE STORY OF THE ENVIER AND THE ENVIED. 167 

well before mentioned, when the envier pushed the envied man 
into this well, without the knowledge of any body, and went his 
way, imagining that he had killed him. 

But this well was inhabited by Jinn, who received him unhurt, 
and seated him upon a large stone; and when they had done this, 
one of them said to the others, Do ye know this man ? They 
answered, We know him not.—This, said he, is the envied man 
who fled from him who envied him, and took up his abode in this 
quarter, in the neighbouring oratory, and who entertaineth us by 
his zikr 62 and his readings; and when his envier heard of him, he 
came hither to him, and, devising a stratagem against him, threw 
him down here. His fame hath this night reached the Sultan of 
this city, who hath purposed to visit him to-morrow, on account 
of the affliction which hath befallen his daughter.—And what, 
said they, hath happened to his daughter ? He answered, Mad¬ 
ness ; for Meymoon, the son of Demdem, hath become inflamed 
with love for her; and her cure is the easiest of things. They 
asked him, What is it ?—and he answered, The black cat that is 
with him in the oratory hath at the end of her tail a white spot, 
of the size of a piece of silver; and from this white spot should 
be taken seven hairs, and with these the damsel should be 
fumigated, and the Marid would depart from over her head, 
and not return to her; so she would be instantly cured. And 
now it is our duty to take him out. 

When the morning came, the fakeers saw the Sheykh rising 
out of the well; and he became magnified in their eyes. And 
when he entered the oratory, he took from the white spot at 
the end of the cat’s tail seven hairs, and placed them in a port¬ 
folio by him; and at sunrise the King came to him, and when the 
Sheykh saw him, he said to him, O King, thou hast come to visit 
ine in order that I may cure thy daughter. The King replied, 
Yes, O virtuous Sheykh.—Then, said the Sheykh, send some 
person to bring her hither; and I trust in God, whose name be 
exalted, that she may be instantly cured. And when the King 
had brought his daughter, the Sheykh beheld her bound, and, 
seating her, suspended a curtain over her, and took out the hairs, 
and fumigated her with them; whereupon the Marid cried out 
from over her head, and left her; and the damsel immediately reco¬ 
vered her reason, and, veiling her face, said to her father, What is 

this, and wherefore didst thou bring me to this place ? He 
answered her, Thou hast nothing to fear;—and rejoiced greatly. 
He kissed the hand of the envied Sheykh, and said to the great 
men of his court who were with him, What shall be the recom¬ 
pense of this Sheykh for that which he hath done? They 
answered, His recompense should be that thou marry him to her. 
—Ye have spoken truly, said the King,—and he gave her in mar¬ 
riage to him, and thus the Sheykh became a connection of the 
King; and after some days the King died, and he was made Kin g 
in his place. 

And it happened one day that this envied King was riding with 
his troops, and he saw his envier approaching; and when this man 
came before him he seated him upon a horse with high distinction 
and honour, and, taking him to his palace, gave him a thousand 
pieces of gold, and a costly dress; after which he sent him back 
from the city, with attendants to escort him to his house, and 
reproached him for nothing.—Consider, then, O ’Efreet, the 
pardon of the envied to the envier, and his kindness to him, not¬ 
withstanding the injuries he had done him. 83 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 169 

CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL 
MENDICANT. 

The ’Efreet, when he had heard this story, replied, Lengthen 
not thy words to me: as to my killing thee, fear it not; and as to 
my pardoning thee, covet it not; but as to my enchanting thee, there 
is no escape from it;—and, so saying, he clove the earth asunder, 
and soared with me through the sky to such a height that I beheld 
the world beneath me as though it were a bowl of water: then, 

VOL. I. 

Z 

no THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 

alighting upon a mountain, he took up a little dust, and, having 
muttered and pronounced certain words over it, sprinkled me with 
it, saying, Quit this form, and take the form of an ape!—where¬ 
upon 1 became like an ape of a hundred years of age. 

When I saw myself changed into this ugly form, I wept for my¬ 
self, but determined to he patient under the tyranny of fortune,- 
knowing it to be constant to no one. I descended from the summit 
of the mountain, and, after having journeyed for the space of a 
month, arrived at the sea-shore; and, when I had stood there a 
short time, I saw a vessel in the midst of the sea, with a favourable 
wind approaching the land; I therefore hid myself behind a rock 
on the beach, and when the ship came close up, I sprang into the 
midst of it. But as soon as the persons on board saw me, one of 
them cried, Turn out this unlucky brute from the ship:—another 
said, Let us kill him:—and a third exclaimed, I will kill him with 
this sword. I, however, caught hold of the end of the sword, 
and tears flowed from my eyes ; at the sight of which the cap¬ 
tain took compassion on me, and said to the passengers, O mer¬ 
chants, this ape hath sought my aid, and I give it him; he is under 
my protection; let no one, therefore, oppose or trouble him. He 
then treated me with kindness, and whatever he said to me I under¬ 
stood, and all that he required to be done I performed as his 
servant. 

We continued our voyage for fifty days with a fair wind, and 
cast anchor under a large city containing a population which no one 
but God, whose name be exalted, could reckon; and when we had 
moored our vessel, there came to us some memlooks from the King 
of the city, who came on board the ship, and complimented the 
merchants on their safe arrival, saying, Our King greeteth you, 
rejoicing in your safety, and hath sent to you this roll of paper, 
desiring that each of you shall write a line upon it; for the King 
had a Wezeer who was an eminent caligraphist, and he is dead, and 
the King hath sworn that he will not appoint any person to his 
office who cannot write equally well. 01 Though in the form of an 
ape, I arose and snatched the paper from their hands; upon which, 
fearing that I would tear it and throw it into the sea, they cried 
out against me, and would have killed me ; but I made signs to 
them that I would write, and the captain said to them, Suffer him 
to write, and if he scribble we will turn him away; but if he write 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 171 

well I will adopt him as my son; for I have never seen a more in¬ 
telligent ape. So I took the pen, and demanded the ink, and wrote 
in an epistolary hand this couplet:— 

Fame hath recorded the virtues of the noble; but no one hath been able to 
reckon thine. 

May God not deprive mankind of such a father; for thou art the parent of 
every excellence. 

Then, in a more formal, large hand, I wrote the following verses:— 

There is no writer that shall not perish; but what his hand hath written shall 
endure. 

Write, therefore, nothing but what will please thee when thou shait see it on 
the day of resurrection. 

Two other specimens I wrote, in- two different and smaller hands, 
and returned the paper to the memlooks, who took it back to the 
King ; and when he saw what was written upon it, the hand of no 
one pleased him excepting mine ; and he said to his attendants, 
Go to the author of this hand-writing, put upon him this dress, and 
mount him upon a mule, and conduct him, with the band of music 
before him, to my presence. On hearing this order, they smiled ; 
and the King was angry with them, and said, How is it that I give 
you an order, and ye laugh at me ? They answered, O King, we 
laugh not at thy words, but because he who wrote this is an ape, 
and not a son of Adam: he is with the captain of the ship newly 
arrived. 

The King was astonished at their words; he shook with de¬ 
light, and said, I would purchase this ape. He then sent some 
messengers to the ship, with the mule and the dress of honour, 
saying to them, Ye must clothe him with this dress, and mount 
him upon the mule, and bring him hither. So they came to the 
ship, and, taking me from the captain, clad me with the dress; and 
the people were astonished, and flocked to amuse themselves with 
the sight of me. And when they brought me to the King, and I 
beheld him, 1 kissed the ground before him three times, and he 
ordered me to sit down : so I sat down upon my knees; 05 and the 
persons present were surprised at my polite manners, and especially 
the King, who presently ordered his people to retire. They, 
therefore, did so; none remaining but the King, and a eunuch, and 

172 THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 

a young memlook, and myself. The King then commanded that a 
repast should be brought; and they placed before him a service of 
viands, such as gratified the appetite and delighted the eye; and 
the King made a sign to me that I should eat; whereupon I arose, 
and, having kissed the ground before him seven times, sat down 
to eat with him; and when the table was removed, I washed my 
hands, and, taking the ink-case, and pen and paper, I wrote these 
two verses:— 

Great is my appetite for thee, O Kunafeh ! ,0 I cannot be happy nor endure 
without thee. 

Be thou every day and night my food; and may drops of honey not be 
wanting to moisten thee. 

Having done this, I arose, and seated myself at a distance; and 
the King, looking at what I had written, read it with astonishment, 
and exclaimed, Can an ape possess such fluency and such skill in 
caligraphy ? This is, indeed, a wonder of wonders!—Afterwards, 
a chess-table was brought to the King, and he said to me, Wilt 
thou play ? By a motion of my head I answered, Yes :—and I 
advanced, and arranged the pieces. 67 I played with him twice, and 
beat him; and the King was perplexed, and said, Were this a 
man, he would surpass all the people of his age. 

He then said to his eunuch, Go to thy mistress, and say to her, 
Answer the summons of the King:—that she may come and gratify 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 

173 

her curiosity by the sight of this wonderful ape. The eunuch, 
therefore, went, and returned with his mistress, the King’s 
daughter, who, as soon as she saw me, veiled her face, and said, 
O my father, how is it that thou art pleased to send for me, and 
suffer strange men to see me ?—O my daughter, answered the 
King, there is no one here hut the young memlook, and the eunuch 
who brought thee up, and this ape, with myself, thy father: from 
whom, then, dost thou veil thy face ?—This ape, said she, is the 
son of a King, and the name of his father is Eymar: 08 he is en¬ 
chanted, and it was the ’Efreet Jarjarees, a descendant of Iblees, 
who transformed him, after having slain his own wife, the daughter 
of King Aknamoos. This, whom thou supposedst to be an ape, 
is a learned and wise man.—The King was amazed at his daughter’s 
words, and, looking towards me, said, Is it true that she saith of 
thee ? I answered, by a motion of my head, Yes:—and wept. 
The King then said to his daughter, By what means didst thou 
discover that he was enchanted ?—O my father, she answered, 
I had with me, in my younger years, an old woman who was a 
cunning enchantress, and she taught me the art of enchantment: I 
have committed its rules to memory, and know it thoroughly, 
being acquainted with a hundred and seventy modes of performing 
it, by the least of which I could transport the stones of thy city 
beyond Mount Kaf, and make its site to be an abyss of the sea, 
and convert its inhabitants into fish in the midst of it.—I conjure 
thee, then, by the name of Allah, said her father, to restore this 
young man, that I may make him my Wezeer. Is it possible that 
thou possessedst this excellence, and I knew it not ? Restore 
him, that I may make him my Wezeer, for he is a polite and 
intelligent youth. 

She replied, With pleasure:—and, taking a knife upon which 
were engraved some Hebrew names, marked with it a circle in the 
midst of the palace. Within this she wrote certain names and 
talismans, and then she pronounced invocations, and uttered 
unintelligible words ; and soon the palace around us became 
immersed in gloom to such a degree, that we thought the whole 
world was overspread; and lo, the ’Efreet appeared before us in a 
most hideous shape, with hands like winnowing-forks, and legs like 
masts, and eyes like burning torches; so that we were terrified at 

THE STORY OK THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 

him. The King’s daugh¬ 
ter exclaimed, No wel¬ 
come to thee !—to which 
the ’Efreet, assuming the 
form of a lion, replied, 
Thou traitress, how is it 
that thou hast broken 
thine oath ? Did we not 
swear that we would not 
oppose one another ? — 
Thou wretch, said she, 
when didst thou receive 
an oath? — The ’Efreet, 
still in the form of a lion, 
then exclaimed. Take 
what awaiteth thee ! — 
and, opening his mouth, 
rushed upon the lady: but 
she instantly plucked a 
hair from her head and muttered with 
her lips, whereupon the hair became con¬ 
verted into a piercing sword, with which 
she struck the lion, and he was cleft in 
twain by the blow; but his head became 
changed into a scorpion. The lady imme¬ 
diately transformed herself into an enor¬ 
mous serpent, and crept after the execrable 
wretch in the shape of a scorpion, and a 
sharp contest ensued between them; after 
which, the scorpion became an eagle, and 
the serpent, changing to a vulture, pursued 
the eagle for a length of time. The latter 
then transformed himself into a black cat, and 
the King’s daughter became a wolf, and they 
fought together long and fiercely, till the 
cat, seeing himself overcome, changed him¬ 
self into a large red pomegranate, which fell 
into a pool; but, the wolf pursuing it, it 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 175 

ascended into the air, and then fell upon the 
pavement of the palace, and broke in pieces, 
its grains becoming scattered, each apart from 
the others, and all spread about the whole 
space of ground enclosed by the palace. The 
wolf, upon this, transformed itself into a cock, 
in order to pick up the grains, and not leave 
one of them; but, according to the decree 
of fate, one grain remained hidden by the 
side of the pool of the fountain. The cock 
began to cry, and flapped its wings, and 
made a sign to us with its beak; but we un¬ 
derstood not what it would say. It then 
uttered at us such a cry, that we thought 
the palace had fallen down upon us; and 
it ran about the whole of the ground, until it 
saw the grain that had lain hid by the side 
of the pool, when it pounced upon it, to pick 
it up; but it fell into the midst of the water, 
and became transformed into a fish, and sank 
into the water; upon which the cock became 
a fish of a larger size, and plunged in after 
the other. For a while it was absent from 
our sight; but, at length, we heard a loud 
cry, and trembled at the sound ; after which, 
the ’Efreet arose as a flame of fire, casting 
fire from his mouth, and fire and smoke from 
his eyes and nostrils : the King’s daughter 
also became as a vast body of fire; and we 
would have plunged into the water from fear 
of our being burnt and destroyed ; but sud¬ 
denly the 'Efreet cried out from within the 
fire, and came towards us upon the leewan, 08 
blowing fire at our faces. The lady, how¬ 
ever, overtook him, and blew fire in like man¬ 
ner in his face; and some sparks struck us 
both from her and from him : her sparks did 
us no harm; but one from him struck me in 

' id? 

176 THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. 

my eye, and destroyed it, I being still in the form of an ape ; and 
a spark from him reached the face of the King, and burned 
the lower half, with his beard and mouth, and struck out his 
lower teeth : another spark also fell upon the breast of the 
eunuch; who was burnt, and died immediately. We expected 
destruction, and gave up all hope of preserving our lives; but 
while we were in this state, a voice exclaimed, God is most 
great! God is most great! He hath conquered and aided, and 
abandoned the denier of the faith of Mohammad, the chief of 
mankind! 70 —The person from whom this voice proceeded was 
the King’s daughter: she had burnt the ’Efreet; and when we 
looked towards him, we perceived that he had become a heap of 
ashes. 

The lady then came to us, and said, Bring me a cup of water: 
—and when it was brought to her, she pronounced over it some 
words which we understood not, and, sprinkling me with it, said, 
Be restored, by virtue of the name of the Truth, and by virtue of 
the most great name of God, to thy original form!—whereupon 
I became a man as I was at first, excepting that my eye was 
destroyed. After this, she cried out, The fire! the fire! O my 
father, I shall no longer live, for I am predestined to be killed. 
Had he been a human being, I had killed him at the first of the 
encounter. I experienced no difficulty till the scattering of the 
grains of the pomegranate, when I picked them up excepting the 
one in which was the. life of the Jinnee: had I picked up that, he 
had instantly died; but I saw it not, as fate and destiny had 
appointed; and suddenly he came upon me, and a fierce contest 
ensued between us under the earth, and in the air, and in the water; 
and every time that he tried against me a new mode, I employed 
against him one more potent, until he tried against me the mode of 
fire; and rarely does one escape against whom the mode of fire is 
employed. Destiny, however, aided me, so that I burned him first; 
but I exhorted him previously to embrace the faith of El-Islam. 
Now I die; and may God supply my place to you.—Having thus 
said, she ceased not to pray for relief from the fire ; and lo, a spark 
ascended to her breast, and thence to her face; and when it reached 
her face, she wept, and exclaimed, I testify that there is no deity 
but God, and I testify that Mohammad is God’s Apostle!—We 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT. ITT 

then looked towards her, and saw that she had become a heap of 
ashes by the side of the ashes of the ’Efreet. 

We were plunged into grief on her account, and I wished that 
I had been in her place rather than have seen that sweet-faced 
creature who had done me this kindness reduced to a heap of ashes: 
hut the decree of God cannot be averted. The King, on beholding 
his daughter in this state, plucked out what remained of his beard, 
and slapped his face, and rent his clothes ; and I also did the same, 
while we both wept for her. Then came the chamberlains and 
other great officers of the court, who, finding the King in a state of 
insensibility, with two heaps of ashes before him, were astonished, 
and remained encompassing him until he recovered from his fit, 
when he informed them of what had befallen his daughter with the 

VOI.. I 

178 THE STORY OF THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT. 

’Efreet; and great was their affliction. The women shrieked, with 
the female slaves, and continued their mourning seven days. After 
this, the King gave orders to build, over the ashes of his daughter, 
a great tomb with a dome, and illuminated it with candles and 
lamps: but the ashes of the ’Efreet they scattered in the wind, 
exposing them to the curse of God. The King then fell sick, and 
was near unto death : his illness lasted a month ; but after this he 
recovered his health, and, summoning me to his presence, said to 
me, O young man, we passed our days in the enjoyment of the 
utmost happiness, secure from the vicissitudes of fortune, until 
thou earnest to us, when troubles overcame us. Would that we 
had never seen thee, nor thy ugly form, on account of which we 
have been reduced to this state of privation; for, in the first place, 
I have lost my daughter, who was worth a hundred men; and, 
secondly, I have suffered this burning, and lost my teeth: my 
eunuch also is dead: but it was not in thy power to prevent these 
afflictions: the decree of God hath been fulfilled on us and on thee; 
and praise be to God that my daughter restored thee, though she 
destroyed herself. Now, however, depart, O my son, from my city. 
It is enough that hath happened on thy account; but as it was 
decreed against us and thee, depart in peace. 

So I departed, O my mistress, from his presence ; but before 
I quitted the city, I entered a public bath, and shaved my beard. 
I traversed various regions, and passed through great cities, and 
bent my course to the Abode of Peace, 71 Baghdad, in the hope of 
obtaining an interview with the Prince of the Faithful, that I might 
relate to him all that had befallen me. 

The third mendicant then advanced, and thus related his story:— 

THE STORY OF THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT. 

O illustrious lady, my story is not like those of my two com¬ 
panions, but more wonderful: the course of fate and destiny brought 
upon them events against which they could not guard; but as to 
myself, the shaving of my beard and the loss of my eye were occa¬ 
sioned by my provoking fate and misfortune; and the cause was 
this:— 

THE STORY OF THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT. 179 

I was a King, and the son of a King; and when my father 
died, I succeeded to his throne, and governed my subjects with 
justice and beneficence. I took pleasure in sea-voyages; and my 
capital was on the shore of an extensive sea, interspersed with for¬ 
tified and garrisoned islands, which I desired, for my amusement, 
to visit; I therefore embarked with a fleet of ten ships, and took 
with me provisions sufficient for a whole month. I proceeded 
twenty days, after which there arose against us a contrary wind > 
but at daybreak it ceased, and the sea became calm, and we arrived 
at an island, where we landed, and cooked some provisions and ate; 
after which we remained there two days. We then continued our 
voyage; and when twenty days more had passed, we found our¬ 
selves in strange waters, unknown to the captain, and desired the 
watch to look out from the mast-head: so he went aloft, and when 
he had come down he said to the captain, I saw, on my right hand, 
fish floating upon the surface of the water; and looking towards 
the midst of the sea, I perceived something looming in the distance, 
sometimes black, and sometimes white. 

When the captain heard this report of the watch, he threw his 
turban on the deck, and plucked his beard, and said to those who 
were with him, Receive warning of our destruction, which will 
befal all of us : not one will escape! So saying, he began to weep; 
and all of us in like manner bewailed our lot. I desired him to 
inform us of that which the watch had seen. O my lord, he 
replied, know that we have wandered from our course since the 
commencement of the contrary wind that was followed in the 
morning by a calm, in consequence of which we remained stationary 
two days : from that period we have deviated from our course for 
twenty-one days, and we have no wind to carry us back from the 
fate which awaits us after this day : to-morrow we shall arrive at a 
mountain of black stone, called loadstone : the current is now 
bearing us violently towards it, and the ships will fall in pieces, and 
every nail in them will fly to the mountain, and adhere to it; for 
God hath given to the loadstone a secret property by virtue of 
which everything of iron is attracted towards it. On that moun¬ 
tain is such a quantity of iron as no one knoweth but God, whose 
name be exalted; for from times of old great numbers of ships have 
been destroyed by the influence of that mountain.” There is, 

upon the summit of the mountain, a cupola of brass supported by 
ten columns, and upon the top of this cupola is a horseman upon a 
horse of brass, having in his hand a brazen spear, and upon his 
breast suspended a tablet of lead, upon which are engraved myste¬ 
rious names and talismans: and as long, O King, as this horseman 
remains upon the horse, so long will every ship that approaches be 
destroyed, with every person on board, and all the iron contained 
in it will cleave to the mountain: no one will be safe until the 
horseman shall have fallen from the horse.—The captain then wept 
bitterly; and we felt assured that our destruction was inevitable, 
and every one of us bade adieu to his friend. 

On the following morning we drew near to the mountain; the 
current carried us towards it with violence, and when the ships 
were almost close to it, they fell asunder, and all the nails, and 
every thing else that was of iron, flew from them towards the 
loadstone. It was near the close of day when the ships fell in 
pieces. Some of us were drowned, and some escaped; but the 
greater number were drowned, and of those who saved their lives 
none knew what became of the others, so stupefied were they by 
the waves and the boisterous wind. As for myself, O my mistress, 
God, whose name be exalted, spared me on account of the trouble 
and torment and affliction that He had predestined to befal me. I 
placed myself upon a plank, and the wind and waves cast it upon 
the mountain; and when I had landed, I found a practicable 

THE STORY OF THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT. 181 

way to the summit, resembling steps cut in the rock: so I 
exclaimed, In the name of God ! — and offered up a prayer, 
and attempted the ascent, holding fast by the notches ; and 
presently God stilled the wind and assisted me in my endea¬ 
vours, so that I arrived in safety at the summit. Rejoicing 
greatly in my escape, I immediately entered the cupola, and per¬ 
formed the prayers of two rek’alis 73 in gratitude to God for my 
preservation ; after which I slept beneath the cupola, and heard a 
voice saying to me, O son of Khaseeb, 71 when thou awakest from 
thy sleep, dig beneath thy feet, and thou wilt find a bow of brass, 
and three arrows of lead, whereon are engraved talismans: then 
take the bow and arrows and shoot at the horseman that is upon 
the top of the cupola, and relieve mankind from this great afflic¬ 
tion ; for when thou hast shot at the horseman he will fall into the 
sea ; the bow will also fall, and do thou bury it in its place; and as 
soon as thou hast done this, the sea will swell and rise until it 
attains the summit of the mountain; and there will appear upon it 
a boat bearing a man, different from him whom thou shalt have 
cast down, and he will come to thee, having an oar in his hand: then 
do thou embark with him; but utter not the name of God; and he 
will convey thee in ten days to a safe sea, where, on thy arrival, 
thou wilt find one who will take thee to thy city. All this shall 
be done if thou utter not the name of God. 

Awaking from my sleep, I sprang up, and did as the voice had 
directed. I shot at the horseman, and he fell into the sea; and 
the bow having fallen from my hand, I buried it: the sea then be¬ 
came troubled, and rose to the summit of the mountain, and when I 
had stood waiting there a little while, I beheld a boat in the midst 
of the sea, approaching me. I praised God, whose name be exalted, 
and when the boat came to me I found in it a man of brass, with a 
tablet of lead upon his breast, engraven with names and talismans. 
Without uttering a word, I embarked in the boat, and the man 
rowed me ten successive days, after which I beheld the islands of 
security, whereupon, in the excess of my joy, I exclaimed, In the 
name of God! There is no deity but God! God is most great!— 
and as soon as I had done this, he cast me out of the boat, and sank 
in the sea. 

Being able to swim, I swam until night, when my arms and 

shoulders were tired, and, in this perilous situation, I repeated the 
profession of the faith, and gave myself up as lost; but the sea rose 
with the violence of the wind, and a wave like a vast castle threw 
me upon the land, in order to the accomplishment of the purpose 
of God. I ascended the shore, and after I had wrung out my 
clothes, and spread them upon the ground to dry, I slept, and in 
the morning I put on my clothes again, and, looking about to see 
which way I should go, I found a tract covered with trees, to which 
I advanced, and when I had walked round it 1 found that I was upon 
a small island in the midst of the sea; upon which I said within my¬ 
self, Every time that I escape from one calamity I fall into another 
that is worse:—but while I was reflecting upon my unfortunate 
case, and wishing for death, I beheld a vessel bearing a number of 
men. I arose immediately, and climbed into a tree; and lo, the 
vessel came to the shore, and there landed from it ten black slaves 
bearing axes. They proceeded to the middle of the island, and, 
digging up the earth, uncovered and lifted up a trap-door, after 
which they returned to the vessel, and brought from it bread and 
flour and clarified butter and honey and sheep and everything that 
the wants of an inhabitant would require, continuing to pass back¬ 
wards and forwards between the vessel and the trap-door, bringing 
loads from the former, and entering the latter, until they had 
removed all the stores from the ship. They then came out of the 

THE STORY OF THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT. 183 

vessel with various clothes of the most beautiful description, and 
in the midst of them was an old sheykh, enfeebled and wasted by 
extreme age, leading by the hand a young man cast in the mould of 
graceful symmetry, and invested with such perfect beauty as de¬ 
served to be a subject for proverbs. He was like afresh and slender 
twig, enchanting and captivating every heart by his elegant form. 
The party proceeded to the trap-door, and, entering it, became con¬ 
cealed from my eyes. 75 

They remained beneath about two hours, or more; after which, 
the sheykh and the slaves came out; but the youth came not with 
them; and they replaced the earth, and embarked and set sail. 
Soon after, 1 descended from the tree, and went to the excavation. 
I removed the earth, and, entering the aperture, saw a flight of 
wooden steps, which I descended; and, at the bottom, I beheld a 
handsome dwelling-place, furnished with a variety of silken carpets; 
and there was the youth, sitting upon a high mattress, with sweet¬ 
smelling flowers and fruits placed before him. On seeing me, his 
countenance became pale; but I saluted him, and said, Let thy 
mind be composed, O my master: thou hast nothing to fear, O 
delight of my eye; for I am a man, and the son of a King, like 
thyself: fate hath impelled me to thee, that I may cheer thee in 
thy solitude. The youth, when he heard me thus address him, 
and was convinced that I was one of his own species, rejoiced 
exceedingly at my arrival, his colour returned, and, desiring me to 
approach him, he said, 0 my brother, my story is wonderful: my 
father is a jeweller: he had slaves who made voyages by his orders, 
for the purposes of commerce, and he had dealings with Kings; 
but he had never been blest with a son; and he dreamt that he 
was soon to have a son, but one whose life would be short; and 
he awoke sorrowful. 76 Shortly after, in accordance with the 
decrees of God, my mother conceived me, and when her time was 
complete, she gave birth to me; and my father was greatly 
rejoiced: the astrologers, however, came to him, and said, Thy 
son will live fifteen years : his fate is intimated by the fact that 
there is, in the sea, a mountain Called the Mountain of Loadstone, 
whereon is a horseman on a horse of brass, on the former of which 
is a tablet of lead suspended to his neck; and when the horseman 
shall be thrown down from his horse, thy son will be slain : the 

184 THE STORY OF THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT. 

person who is to slay him is he who will throw down the horseman, 
and his name is King ’Ajeeb, 77 the son of King Khaseeb. My 
father was greatly afflicted at this announcement; and when he 
had reared me until I had nearly attained the age of fifteen years, 
the astrologers came again, and informed him that the horseman 
had fallen into the sea, and that it had been thrown down by 
King ’Ajeeb, the son of King Khaseeb; on hearing which, he 
prepared for me this dwelling, and here left me to remain until the 
completion of the term, of which there now remain ten days. All 
this he did from fear lest King ’Ajeeb should kill me. 

When I heard this, I was filled with wonder, and said within 
myself, I am King ’Ajeeb, the son of King Khaseeb, and it was I 
who threw down the horseman; but, by Allah, I will neither kill 
him nor do him any injury. Then said I to the youth, Far from 
thee be both destruction and harm, if it be the will of God, whose 
name be exalted: thou hast nothing to fear : I will remain with 
thee to serve thee, and will go forth with thee to thy father, and 
beg of him to send me back to my country, for the which he will 
obtain a reward. The youth rejoiced at my words, and I sat and 
conversed with him until night, when I spread his bed for him, 
and covered him, and slept near to his side. And in the morning 
I brought him water, and he washed his face, and said to me, May 
God requite thee for me with every blessing! If I escape from 
King ’Ajeeb, I will make my father reward thee with abundant 
favours.—Never, I replied, may the day arrive that would bring 
thee misfortune. I then placed before him some refreshments, 
and after we had eaten together, we passed the day conversing with 
the utmost cheerfulness. 

I continued to serve him for nine days; and on the tenth day 
the youth rejoiced at finding himself in safety, and said to me, O 
my brother, I wish that thou wouldest in thy kindness warm for 
me some water, that I may wash myself and change my clothes ; 
for I have smelt the odour of escape from death, in consequence of 
thy assistance.—With pleasure, I replied;—and I arose, and 
warmed the water ; after which, he entered a place concealed from 
my view, and, having washed himself and changed his clothes, laid 
himself upon the mattress to rest after his bath. He then said to 
me, Cut up for me, O my brother, a water-melon, and mix its juice 

with some sugar:—so I arose, and, taking a melon, brought it 
upon a plate, and said to him, Knowest thou, O my master, where 
is the knife ?—See, here it is, he answered, upon the shelf over my 
head. I sprang up hastily, and took it from its sheath, and as I 
was drawing back, my foot slipped, as God had decreed, and I fell 
upon the youth, grasping in my hand the knife, which entered his 
body, and he died instantly. When I perceived that he was dead, 
and that I had killed him, I uttered a loud shriek, and heat my 
face, and rent my clothes, saying, This is, indeed, a calamity! O 
what a calamity! O my Lord, I implore thy pardon, and declare 
to Thee my innocence of his death! Would that I had died before 
him ! How long shall I devour trouble after trouble ! 

With these reflections I ascended the steps, and, having re¬ 
placed the trap-door, returned to my first station, and looked over 
the sea, where I saw the vessel that had come before, approaching, 
and cleaving the waves in its rapid course. Upon this I said 
within myself, Now will the men come forth from the vessel, and 
find the youth slain, and they will slay me also :—so I climbed into 

VOL I. 

U B 

18G THE STORY OF THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT. 

a tree, and, concealing myself among its leaves, sat there till the 
vessel arrived and cast anchor, when the slaves landed with the old 
sheykh, the father of the youth, and went to the place, and removed 
the earth. They were surprised at finding it moist, and, when 
they had descended the steps, discovered the youth lying on his 
back, exhibiting a face beaming with beauty, though dead, and 
clad in white and clean clothing, with the knife remaining in his 
body. They all wept at the sight, and the father fell down in a 
swoon, which lasted so long that the slaves thought he was dead. 
At length, however, he recovered, and came out with the slaves, 
who had wrapped the body of the youth in his clothes. They then 
took back all that was in the subterranean dwelling to the vessel, 
and departed. 

I remained, O my mistress, by day hiding myself in a tree, and 
at night walking about the open part of the island. Thus I con¬ 
tinued for the space of two months; and I perceived that, on the 
western side of the island, the water of the sea every day retired, 
until, after three months, the land that had been beneath it became 
dry. Rejoicing at this, and feeling confident now in my escape, I 
traversed this dry tract, and arrived at an expanse of sand; where¬ 
upon I emboldened myself, and crossed it. I then saw in the 
distance an appearance of fire, and, advancing towards it, found it 
to be a palace, overlaid with plates of copper, which, reflecting 
the rays of the sun, seemed from a distance to be fire: and when 
I drew near to it, reflecting upon this sight, there approached me 
an old sheykh, accompanied by ten young men who were all blind 
of one eye, at which I was extremely surprised. As soon as they 
saw me, they saluted me, and asked me my story, which I re¬ 
lated to them from first to last; and they were filled with wonder. 
They then conducted me into the palace, where I saw ten benches, 
upon each of which was a mattress covered with a blue stuff; 78 
and each of the young men seated himself upon one of these 
benches, while the sheykh took his place upon a smaller one ; 
after which they said to me, Sit down, O young man, and ask no 
question respecting our condition, nor respecting our being blind 
of one eye. Then the sheykh arose, and brought to each of them 
some food, and the same to me also; and next he brought to 
each of us some wine: and after we had eaten, we sat drinking 

THE STORY OF THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT. 187 

together until the time for sleep, when the young men said to the 
sheykh, Bring to us our accustomed supply:—upon which the 
sheykh arose, and entered a closet, from which he brought, upon 
his head, ten covered trays. Placing these upon the floor, he 
lighted ten candles, and stuck one of them upon each tray; and, 
having done this, he removed the covers, and there appeared 
beneath them ashes mixed with pounded charcoal. The young 
men then tucked up their sleeves above the elbow, and blackened 
their faces, and slapped their cheeks, 79 exclaiming, We were 
reposing at our ease, and our impertinent curiosity suffered us 
not to remain so ! Thus they did until the morning, when the 
sheykh brought them some hot water, and they washed their faces, 
and put on other clothes. 

On witnessing this conduct, my reason was confounded, my 
heart was so troubled that I forgot my own misfortunes, and 
I asked them the cause of their strange behaviour; upon which 
they looked towards me, and said, O young man, ask not respecting 
that which doth not concern thee; but be silent; for in silence is 
security from error.—I remained with them a whole month, during 
which, every night they did the same; and at length I said to 
them, I conjure you by Allah to remove this disquiet from my 
mind, and to inform me of the cause of your acting in this manner, 
and of your exclaiming, We were reposing at our ease, and our 
impertinent curiosity suffered us not to remain so!—if ye inform 
me not, I will leave you, and go my way; for the proverb saith, 
When the eye seeth not, the heart doth not grieve.—On hearing 
these words, they replied, We have not concealed this affair from 
thee but in our concern for thy welfare, lest thou shouldst become 
like us, and the same affliction that hath befallen us happen also 
to thee. I said, however, Ye must positively inform me of this 
matter.—We give thee good advice, said they, and do thou receive 
it, and ask us not respecting our case; otherwise thou wilt become 
blind of one eye, like us:—but I still persisted in my request; 
whereupon they said, O young man, if this befall thee, know that 
thou wilt be banished from our company. They then all arose, 
and, taking a ram, slaughtered and skinned it, and said to me, 
Take this knife with thee, and introduce thyself into the skin 
of the ram, and we will sew thee up in it, and go away; whereupon 

188 THE STORY OF THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT. 

a bird called the ruklikh M will come to thee, and taking thee 
up by its talons, will fly away with thee, and set thee down upon a 
mountain: then cut open the skin with this knife, and get out, and 
the bird will fly away. Thou must arise, as soon as it hath gone, 
and journey for half a day, and thou wilt see before thee a 
lofty palace, encased with red gold, set with various precious 
stones, such as emeralds and rubies, &c.; and if thou enter it 
thy case will be as our’s; for our entrance into that palace 
was the cause of our being blind of one eye; and if one of us 
would relate to thee all that hath befallen him, his story would be 
too long for thee to hear. 

They then sewed me up in the skin, and entered their palace; 
and soon after, there came an enormous white bird, which seized 
me, and flew away with me, and set me down upon the mountain; 
whereupon I cut open the skin, and got out; and the bird, as soon 
as it saw me, flew away. I rose up quickly, and proceeded 
towards the palace, which I found to be as they had described 
it to me; and when I had entered it, I beheld, at the upper end 
of a saloon, forty young damsels, beautiful as so many moons, and 
magnificently attired, who, as soon as they saw me, exclaimed, 
Welcome! Welcome! O our master and our lord! We have been 
for a month expecting thee. Praise be to God who hath blessed 
us with one who is worthy of us, and one of whom we are worthy! 
—After having thus greeted me, they seated me upon a mattress, 
and said, Thou art from this day our master and prince, and 
we are thy handmaids, and entirely under thy authority. They 
then brought to me some refreshments, and, when I had eaten 
and drunk, they sat and conversed with me, full of joy and 
happiness. So lovely were these ladies, that even a devotee, if 
he saw them, would gladly consent to be their servant, and to 
comply with all that they would desire. At the approach of night 
they all assembled around me, and placed before me a table of 
fresh and dried fruits, with other delicacies that the tongue cannot 
describe, and wine; and one began to sing, while another played 
upon the lute. The wine-cups circulated among us, and joy 
overcame me to such a degree as to obliterate from my mind 
every earthly care, and make me exclaim, This is indeed a 
delightful life! In this state of happiness I continued till mid- 

THE STORY OF THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT. 189 

night, when the ladies repeated their professions of readiness to 
comply with whatever I should desire, and bade me exercise my 
privileges as their lord; so, availing myself of the right that the 
law allows to a master over his slaves, I passed a night of such 
enjoyment as I had never before experienced. On the morrow I 
entered the hath ; and, after I had washed myself, they brought me 
a suit of the richest clothing, and we again sat down to a repast. 

In this manner I lived with them a whole year; but on the 
first day of the new year, they seated themselves around me, and 
began to weep, and bade me adieu, clinging to my skirts.—What 
calamity hath befallen you? said I. Ye have broken my heart. 
They answered. Would that we had never known thee; for we 
have associated with many men, but have seen none like thee. 
May God, therefore, not deprive us of thy company.—And they 
wept afresh. I said to them, I wish that you would acquaint 
me with the cause of this weeping.—Thou, they replied, art the 
cause ; yet now, if thou wilt attend to what we tell thee, we shall 
never be parted ; but if thou act contrary to it, we are separated 
from this time; and our hearts whisper to us that thou wilt 
not regard our warning.—Inform me, said I, and I will attend 
to your directions:—-and they replied, If then thou wouldst inquire 
respecting our history, know that we are the daughters of Kings: 
for many years it hath been our custom to assemble here, and every 
year we absent ourselves during a period of forty days ; then 
returning, we indulge ourselves for a year in feasting and drinking. 
This is our usual practice; and now we fear that thou wilt dis¬ 
regard our directions when we are absent from thee. We deliver 
to thee the keys of the palace, which are a hundred in number, 
belonging to a hundred closets. Open each of these, and amuse 
thyself, and eat and drink, and refresh thyself, excepting the closet 
that hath a door of red gold; for if thou open this, the conse¬ 
quence will be a separation between us and thee. We conjure 
thee, therefore, to observe our direction, and to be patient during 
this period.—Upon hearing this, I swore to them that I would 
never open the closet to which they alluded; and they departed, 
urging me to he faithful to my promise. 

I remained alone in the palace, and at the approach of evening 
I opened the first closet, and, entering it, found a mansion like 

paradise, with a garden containing green trees loaded with ripe 
fruits, abounding with singing birds, and watered by copious 
streams. My heart was soothed by the sight, and I wandered 
among the trees, scenting the fragrance of the flowers, and listening 
to the warbling of the birds as they sang the praises of the One, 
the Almighty. 81 After admiring the mingled colours of the apple 
resembling the hue upon the cheek of a beloved mistress and the 
sallow countenance of the perplexed and timid lover, the sweet¬ 
smelling quince diffusing an odour like musk and ambergris, and 
the plum shining as the ruby, I retired from this place, and, having 
locked the door, opened that of the next closet, within which I 
beheld a spacious tract planted with numerous palm-trees, and 
watered by a river flowing among rose-trees, and jasmine, and 
marjoram, and eglantine, and narcissus, and gilliflower, the odours 
of which, diffused in every direction by the wind, inspired me with 
the utmost delight. I locked again the door of the second closet, 
and opened that of the third. Within this I found a large saloon, 

THE STORY OF THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT. 191 

paved with marbles of various colours, and with costly minerals 
and precious gems, and containing cages constructed of sandal and 
aloes-wood with singing birds within them, and others upon the 
branches of trees which were planted there. My heart was charmed, 
my trouble was dissipated, and I slept there until the morning. 
I then opened the door of the fourth closet, and within this door 
I found a great building in which were forty closets with open 
doors; and, entering these, I beheld pearls, and rubies, and chry¬ 
solites, and emeralds, and other precious jewels such as the tongue 
cannot describe. I was astonished at the sight, and said, Such 
things as these, I imagine, are not found in the treasury of any 
King. I am now the King of my age, and all these treasures, 
through the goodness of God, are mine, together with forty damsels 
under my authority who have no man to share them with me. 

Thus I continued to amuse myself, passing from one place to 
another, until thirty-nine days had elapsed, and I had opened the 
doors of all the closets excepting that which they had forbidden me 
to open. My heart was then disturbed by curiosity respecting 
this hundredth closet, and the Devil, in order to plunge me into 
misery, induced me to open it. I had not patience to abstain, 
though there remained of the appointed period only one day: so 
I approached the closet, and opened the door; and when I had 
entered, I perceived a fragrant odour, such as I had never before 
smelt, which intoxicated me so that I fell down insensible, and 
remained some time in this state: but at length recovering, I 
fortified my heart, and proceeded. I found the floor overspread with 
saffron, and the place illuminated by golden lamps and by candles, 
which diffused the odours of musk and ambergris; and two large 
perfuming-vessels filled with aloes-wood and ambergris, and a 
perfume compounded with honey, spread fragrance through the 
whole place. I saw also a black horse, of the hue of the darkest 
night, before which was a manger of white crystal filled with 
cleansed sesame, and another, similar to it, containing rose-water 
infused with musk: he was saddled and bridled, and his saddle was 
of red gold. Wondering at the sight of him, I said within myself, 
This must be an animal of extraordinary qualities;—and, seduced 
by the Devil, I led him out, and mounted him; but he moved not 
from his place: I kicked him with my heel; but still he moved 

192 THE STORY OF THE LADIES OF BAGHDA'D, Sic. 

not: so I took a mikra’ah and struck him with it; and as soon as 
he felt the blow he uttered a sound like thunder, and, expanding 
a pair of wings, soared with me to an immense height through the 
air, and then alighted upon the roof of another palace, where he 
threw me from his back, and, by a violent blow with his tail upon 
my face, as I sat on the roof, struck out my eye, and left me. 85 

In this state I descended from the roof, and below I found the 
one-eyed young men before mentioned, who, as soon as they beheld 
me, exclaimed, No welcome to thee!—Receive me, said I, into 
your company:—but they replied, By Allah, thou shalt not remain 
with us:—so I departed from them, with mournful heart and 
weeping eye, and, God having decreed me a safe journey hither, 
I arrived at Baghdad, after I had shaved my beard, and become a 
mendicant. 83 

CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE LADIES OF BAGHDA'D, &c. 

The mistress of the house then looked towards the Khaleefeh 
and Jaafar and Mesroor, and said to them, Acquaint me with your 
histories:—upon which Jaafar advanced towards her, and related 
to her the same story that he had told to the portress before 
they entered; and when she had heard it, she liberated them all. 
They accordingly departed, and when they had gone out into the 
street, the Khaleefeh inquired of the mendicants whither they were 
going. They answered that they knew not whither to go: where¬ 
upon he desired them to accompany his party; and then said to 
Jaafar, Take them home with thee, and bring them before me 
to-morrow, and we will see the result. Jaafar, therefore, did as he 
was commanded, and the Khaleefeh returned to his palace ; but he 
was unable to sleep during the remainder of the night. 

On the following morning he sat upon his throne, and when his 
courtiers had presented themselves before him, and departed, 
excepting Jaafar, he said to him, Bring before me the three ladies 
and the two bitches and the mendicants. So Jaafar arose, and 
brought them, and, placing the ladies behind the curtains, said to 
them, We have forgiven you on account of your previous kindness 
to us, and because ye knew us not: and now I acquaint you that 

THE STORY OF THE FIRST OF THE THREE LADIES, &c. 193 

ye are in the presence of the fifth of the sons of ’Abbas, Haroon 
Er-Rasheed; therefore relate to him nothing but the truth. And 
when the ladies heard the words which Jaafar addressed to them on 
the part of the Khaleefeh, the eldest of them advanced, and thus 
related her story:— 

THE STORY OF THE FIRST OF THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDA'D. 

O Prince of the Faithful, my story is wonderful; for these two 
bitches 84 are my sisters, horn to my father, but of another mother; 
and I am the youngest of the three. After the death of our father, 
who left us five thousand pieces of gold, these my two sisters 
married, and when they had resided some time with their husbands, 
each of the latter prepared a stock of merchandise, and received 
from his wife a thousand pieces of gold, and they all set forth on a 
journey together, leaving me here ; but after they had been absent 
four years, my sisters’ husbands lost all their property, and aban¬ 
doned them in a strange land, and they returned to me in the garb 
of beggars. When I first saw them in this state, I knew them not; 
and, as soon as I recognised them, I exclaimed, How is it that ye are 
in this condition ?—O our sister, they answered, thy inquiry now is 

VOL. I. 

194. 

THE STORY OF THE FIRST OF THE 

of no use: the pen hath written what God hath decreed. 85 —I sent 
them, therefore, to the hath, and having clad them in new apparel, 
said to them, O my sisters, Ye are my elders, and I am young; so 
ye shall be to me in the places of my father and mother. The 
inheritance which I shared with you God hath blessed; partake 
then of its increase, for my affairs are prosperous; and I and ye shall 
fare alike.—I treated them with the utmost kindness, and during 
a whole year they remained with me, and enriched themselves by 
the money that I had given them ; hut after this period they said to 
me, It will be more agreeable to us to marry again, for we can no 
longer abstain from doing so.—O my sisters, I replied, Ye have seen 
no happiness in marriage: a good husband in this age is rarely 
found, and ye have already had experience of the marriage-state. 
They, however, heeded not my words; but married against my 
consent: yet I gave them dowries from my own property, and 
continued to them my protection. They went to their husbands, 
and the latter, after they had resided with them a short time, 
defrauded them of all that they possessed, and, setting forth on a 
journey, left them destitute: so again they returned to me, and, in 
a state of nudity, implored my forgiveness, saying, Be not angry 
with us; for though thou art younger than we thou hast more 
mature sense; and we promise thee that we will never again 
mention the subject of marriage. I replied, Ye are welcome, O my 
sisters; for I have no one dearer to me than yourselves:—and I 
received them, and treated them with every kindness, and we 
remained happily together for the space of a year. 

After this I resolved to fit out a vessel for a mercantile voyage: 86 
accordingly I stocked a large ship with various goods and necessary 
provisions, and said to my sisters, Will ye rather stay at home 
during my voyage, or will ye go with me ?—to which they answered, 
We will accompany thee during the voyage, for we cannot endure 
to be separated from thee. I therefore took them with me, and 
we set sail; hut first I divided my property into two equal 
portions; one of which I took with me, and the other I concealed, 
saying within myself, Perhaps some evil accident may happen to 
the ship, and our lives may he prolonged; in which case, when 
we return we shall find that which will be of service to us.—We 
continued our voyage by day and night, till at length the vessel 

THREE LADIES OF BAGHDA'D. 

195 

p ursued a wrong course, and the captain knew not whither to steer. 
The ship had entered a different sea from that which we wished to 
cross, and for some time we knew it not; but for ten days we had 
a pleasant wind, and after this, a city loomed before us in the 
distance. We asked the captain what was the name of this city; 
and he answered, I know it not; I have never seen it till this day, 
nor have I ever before in the course of my life navigated this sea : 
but as we have come hither in safety, ye have nothing to do but to 
enter this city and land your goods, and, if ye find opportunity, sell 
or exchange there: if not, we will rest there two days, and take in 
fresh provisions. So we entered the port of the city, and the captain 
landed, and after a while returned to us, saying. Arise, and go up 
into the city, and wonder at that which God hath done unto his 
creatures, and pray to be preserved from his anger. And when we 
had entered the city, we found all its inhabitants converted into 
black stones. We were amazed at the sight, and as we walked 
through the market-streets, finding the merchandise and the gold 
and silver remaining in their original state, we rejoiced, and said, 
This must have been occasioned by some wonderful circumstance. 
We then separated in the streets, each of us attracted from his 
companions by the wealth and stuffs in the shops. 

As for myself, I ascended to the citadel, which I found to be 
a building of admirable construction; and, entering the King’s 
palace, I found all the vessels of gold and silver remaining in their 
places, and the King himself seated in the midst of his chamber¬ 
lains and viceroys and wezeers, and clad in apparel of astonishing 
richness. Drawing nearer to him, I perceived that he was sitting 
upon a throne adorned with pearls and jewels, every one of the 
pearls shining like a star: his dress was embroidered with gold, 
and around him stood fifty memlooks, attired in silks of various 
descriptions, and having in their hands drawn swords. Stupefied 
at this spectacle, I proceeded and entered the saloon of the Hareem, 
upon the walls of which were hung silken curtains; and here I 
beheld the Queen, attired in a dress embroidered with fresh pearls, 
and having upon her head a diadem adorned with various jewels, 
and necklaces of different kinds on her neck. All her clothing and 
ornaments remained as they were at first, though she herself was 
converted into black stone. Here also I found an open door, and, 

196 

THE STORY OF THE FIRST OF THE 

entering it, I saw a flight of seven steps, by which I ascended to an 
apartment paved with marble, furnished with gold-embroidered 
carpets, and containing a sofa of alabaster, ornamented with pearls 
and jewels; but my eyes were first attracted by a gleam of light, 
and when I approached the spot whence it proceeded, I found a 
brilliant jewel, of the size of an ostrich’s egg, placed upon a small 
stool, diffusing a light like that of a candle. The coverings of the 
sofa above-mentioned were of various kinds of silk, the richness of 
which would surprise every beholder; and I looked at them with 
wonder. In this apartment I likewise observed some lighted 
candles, and reflected that there must then have been some person 
there to light them. I passed thence to another part of the 
palace, and continued to explore the different apartments, forget¬ 
ting myself in the amazement of my mind at all these strange 
circumstances, and immersed in thoughts respecting what I beheld, 
until the commencement of night, when I would have departed; 
but could not find the door: so I returned to the place in which 
were the lighted candles, and there I laid myself upon the sofa, and, 
covering myself with a quilt, repeated some words of the Kur-an, 
and endeavoured to compose myself to sleep ; but I could not. I con¬ 
tinued restless: and at midnight I heard a recitation of the Kur-an, 
performed by a melodious and soft voice; upon which I arose, 
and, looking about, saw a closet with an open door, and I entered 
it, and found that it was an oratory: lighted lamps were suspended 
in it, and upon a prayer-carpet spread on the floor sat a young man 
of handsome aspect. Wondering that he had escaped the fate of 
the other inhabitants of the city, I saluted him; and he raised his 
eyes, and returned my salutation: and I then said to him, I 
conjure thee by the truth of that which thou art reading in the 
Book of God, that thou answer the question which I am about to 
ask thee: — whereupon he smiled, and replied, Do thou first 
acquaint me with the cause of thine entrance into this place, and 
then I will answer thy question: so I told him my story, and 
inquired of him the history of this city. Wait a little, said he ;— 
and he closed the Kur-an, and, having put it in a bag of satin, 
seated me by his side. As I now beheld him, his countenance 
appeared like the full moon, and his whole person exhibited such 
perfect elegance and loveliness, that a single glance at him drew 

from me a thousand sighs, and kindled a fire in my heart. I 
repeated my request that he would give me an account of the city; 
and, replying, I hear and obey, he thus addressed me. 

Know that this city belonged to my father and his family and 
subjects ; and he is the King whom thou hast seen converted into 
stone; and the Queen whom thou hast seen is my mother. They 
were all Magians, worshipping fire in the place of the Almighty 
King; 87 and they swore by the fire and the light, and the shade 
and the heat, and the revolving orb. My father had no son, till, 
in his declining years, he was blest with me, whom he reared until 
I attained to manhood. But, happily for me, there was, in our 
family, an old woman, far advanced in age, who was a Muslimeh, 
believing in God and his apostle in her heart, though she conformed 
with my family in outward observances; and my father confided in 
her, on account of the faithfulness and modesty that he had 
observed in her character, and shewed her great favour, firmly 
believing that she held the same faith as himself; therefore, when 

198 

THE STORY OF THE FIRST OF THE 

I had passed my infancy, he committed me to her care, saying, 
Take him, and rear him, and instruct him in the ordinances of our 
faith, and educate him and serve him in the best manner. Tire old 
woman accordingly received me, but took care to instruct me in 
the faith of El-Islam, teaching me the laws of purification, and the 
divine ordinances of ablution, together with the forms of prayer; 
after which she made me commit to memory the whole of the 
Kur-an. She then charged me to keep my faith a secret from my 
father, lest he should kill me; and I did so ; and a few days after, 
the old woman died. The inhabitants of the city had now increased 
in their impiety and arrogance, and in their dereliction of the 
truth; and while they were in this state, they heard a crier 
proclaim with a voice like thunder, so as to he audible to both the 
near and distant, O inhabitants of this city, abstain from the 
worship of fire, and worship the Almighty King! — The people 
were struck with consternation, and, flocking to my father, the 
King of the city, said to him, What is this alarming voice which 
hath astounded us by its terrible sound ?—but he answered them, 
Let not the voice terrify you, nor let it turn you from your faith: 
—and their hearts inclined to his words ; so they persevered in the 
worship of fire, and remained obstinate in their impiety during 
another year, until the return of the period at which they had 
heard the voice the first time. It was then heard a second time ; 
and again, in the next year, they heard it a third time; but still 
they persisted in their evil ways, until, drawing down upon them¬ 
selves the abhorrence and indignation of Heaven, one morning, 
shortly after daybreak, they were converted into black stones, 
together with their beasts and all their cattle. Not one of the 
inhabitants of the city escaped, excepting me ; and from the day 
on which this catastrophe happened I have continued occupied as 
thou seest, in prayer, and fasting, and reading the Kur-an : but I 
have become weary of this solitary state, having no one to cheer 
me with his company. 

On hearing these words, I said to him, Wilt thou go with me 
to the city of Baghdad, and visit its learned men and lawyers, and 
increase thy knowledge ? If so, I will be thy handmaid, though 
I am the mistress of my family, and have authority over a house¬ 
hold of men. I have here a ship laden with merchandise, and 

THREE LADIES OF BAGHDA'D. 

199 

destiny hath driven us to this city, in order that we might become 
acquainted with these events: our meeting was predestined.—In 
this manner I continued to persuade him until he gave his consent. 
I slept that night at his feet, unconscious of my state through 
excessive joy; and in the morning we arose, and entering the 
treasuries, took away a quantity of the lighter and most valuable 
of the articles that they contained, and descended from the citadel 
into the city, where we met the slaves and the captain, who 
were searching for me. They were rejoiced at seeing me, and, 
to their questions respecting my absence, I replied by informing 
them of all that I had seen, and related to them the history of 
the young man, and the cause of the transmutation of the people of 
the city, and of all that had befallen them, which filled them 
with wonder. But when my two sisters saw me with the young 
man, they envied me on his account, and malevolently plotted 
against me. 

We embarked again, and I experienced the utmost happiness, 
chiefly owing to the company of the young man ; and after we had 
waited a while till the wind was favourable, we spread our sails, 
and departed. My sisters sat with me and the young man ; and, 
in their conversation with me, said, O our sister, what dost thou 
purpose to do with this handsome youth ? I answered, I desire 
to take him as my husband :—and, turning to him, and approaching 
him, I said, O my master, I wish to make a proposal to thee, and 
do not thou oppose it. He replied, I hear and obey:—and I 
then looked towards my sisters, and said to them, This young man 
is all that I desire, and all the wealth that is here is yours.— 
Excellent, they replied, is thy determination:—yet still they 
designed evil against me.—We continued our voyage with a favour¬ 
able wind, and, quitting the sea of peril, entered the sea of security, 
across which we proceeded for some days, until we drew near to 
the city of El-Basrah, the buildings of which loomed before us at 
the approach of evening; but as soon as we had fallen asleep, my 
sisters took us up in our bed, both myself and the young man, 
and threw us into the sea. The youth, being unable to swim, 
was drowned: God recorded him among the company of the mar¬ 
tyrs ; 88 while I was registered among those whose life was yet to 
be preserved; and accordingly, as soon as I awoke and found 

myself in the sea, the providence of God supplied me with a piece 
of timber, upon which I placed myself, and the waves cast me upon 
the shore of an island. 

During the remainder of the night I walked along this island, 
and in the morning I saw a neck of land, bearing the marks of a 
man’s feet, and uniting with the main land. The sun having now 
risen, I dried my clothes in its rays, and proceeded along the path 
that I had discovered until I drew near to the shore upon which 
stands the city, when I beheld a snake approaching me, and 
followed by a serpent which was endeavouring to destroy it: the 
tongue of the snake was hanging from its mouth in consequence 
of excessive fatigue, and it excited my compassion ; so I took up 
a stone, and threw it at the head of the serpent, which instantly 
died: the snake then extended a pair of wings, and soared aloft 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND OF THE THREE LADIES, &c. 201 

into the sky, leaving me in wonder at the sight. At the time of 
this occurrence I had become so fatigued, that I now laid myself 
down and slept; but I awoke after a little while, and found a 
damsel seated at my feet, and gently rubbing them with her hands; 
upon which I immediately sat up, feeling ashamed that she should 
perform this service for me, and said to her, Who art thou, and 
what dost thou want ?—How soon hast thou forgotten me! she 
exclaimed: I am she to whom thou hast just done a kindness, 
killing my enemy: I am the snake whom thou savedst from the 
serpent; for I am a Jinneeyeh, and the serpent was a Jinnee at 
enmity with me; and none but thou delivered me from him : 
therefore, as soon as thou didst this, I flew to the ship from which 
thy sisters cast thee, and transported all that it contained to thy 
house: I then sunk it; but as to thy sisters, I transformed them 
by enchantment into two black bitches; for I knew all that they 
had done to thee : the young man, however, is drowned.—Having 
thus said, she took me up, and placed me with the two black 
bitches on the roof of my house : and I found all the treasures 
that the ship had contained collected in the midst of my house: 
nothing was lost. She then said to me, I swear by that which 
was engraved upon the seal of Suleyman, that, if thou do not 
inflict three hundred lashes upon each of these bitches every day, 
I will come and transform thee in the like manner:—so I replied, 
I hear and obey:—and have continued ever since to inflict upon 
them these stripes, though pitying them while I do so. 

The Khaleefeh heard this story with astonishment, and then 
said to the second lady, And what occasioned the stripes of which 
thou bearest the marks ? She answered as follows :— 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND OF THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDA'D. 

O Prince of the Faithful, my father, at his death, left con¬ 
siderable property; and soon after that event I married to one of 
the wealthiest men of the age, who, when I had lived with him 
a year, died, and I inherited from him eighty thousand pieces of 
gold, the portion that fell to me according to the law ; 80 with part 
of which I made for myself ten suits of clothing, each of the value 
of a thousand pieces of gold. And as I was sitting one day, 

D D 

VOL. I. 

202 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND OF THE 

there entered my apartment an old woman, disgustingly ugly, 
who saluted me, and said, I have an orphan daughter whose 
marriage I am to celebrate this night, and I would have thee 
obtain a reward and recompense in heaven by thy being present 
at her nuptial fete; for she is broken-hearted, having none, to 
befriend her but God, whose name be exalted. She then wept, 
and kissed my feet; and, being moved with pity and compassion, 
I assented, upon which she desired me to prepare myself, telling 
me that she would come at the hour of nightfall and take me; and 
so saying, she kissed my hand, and departed. 

I arose immediately, and attired myself, and when I had com¬ 
pleted my preparations, the old woman returned, saying, O my 
mistress, the ladies of the city have arrived, and I have informed 
them of thy coming, and they are waiting with joy to receive 
thee:—so I put on my outer garments, and, taking my female 
slaves with me, proceeded until we arrived at a street in which a 
soft wind was delightfully playing, where we saw a gateway over¬ 
arched with a marble vault, admirably constructed, forming the 
entrance to a palace which rose from the earth to the clouds. 00 On 
our arrival here, the old woman knocked at the door, and, when 
it was opened, we entered a carpeted passage, illuminated by 
lamps and candles, and decorated with jewels and precious metals. 91 
Through this passage we passed into a saloon of unequalled mag¬ 
nificence, furnished with mattresses covered with silk, lighted by 
hanging lamps and by candles, and having, at its upper end, a 
couch of alabaster decorated with pearls and jewels, and canopied 
by curtains of satin, from which there came forth a lady beautiful 
as the moon, who exclaimed to me, Most welcome art thou, O my 
sister: thou delightest me by thy company, and refreshest my 
heart. She then sat down again, and said to me, O my sister, I 
have a brother who hath seen thee at a fete : he is a young man, 
more handsome than myself, and, his heart being violently in¬ 
flamed with thy love, he hath bribed this old woman to go to thee, 
and to employ this artifice in order to obtain for me an interview 
with thee. He desiretli to marry thee according to the ordinance 
of God and his Apostle, and in that which is lawful there is no 
disgrace.—When I heard these words, and saw myself thus con¬ 
fined in the house so that I could not escape, I replied, I hear and 

THREE LADIES OF BAGHD'AD. 

203 

obey:—and the lady, rejoicing at my consent, clapped her hands, 
and opened a door, upon which there came out from it a young 
man so surpassingly handsome, that my heart immediately inclined 
to him. No sooner had he sat down than the Kadee and four 
witnesses entered, and saluted us, and proceeded to perform the 
ceremony of the marriage-contract 92 between me and the young 
man; which having done, they departed; and when they had 
retired, the young man looked towards me, and said, May our 
night be blessed. He then informed me that he desired to impose 
a covenant upon me, and, bringing a copy of the Kur-an, said, 
swear that thou wilt not indulge a preference, nor at all incline, 
to any man but me and when I had sworn to this effect, he 
rejoiced exceedingly, and embraced me ; and the love of him took 
entire possession of my heart. 

We lived together in the utmost happiness for the space of a 
month, after which I begged that he would allow me to go to the 
bazar, in order to purchase some stuffs for dress, and, having 
obtained his permission, went thither in company with the old 
woman, and seated myself at the shop of a young merchant 
with whom she was acquainted, and whose father, as she informed 
me, had died, and left him great wealth. She desired him to shew 
me his most costly stuffs; and while he was occupied in doing so, 
she began to utter various flattering expressions in praise of him; 
but I said to her, We have no concern with the praises that thou 
bestowest upon him; we desire only to make our purchase, and to 
return home. Meanwhile he produced to us what we wanted, and 
we handed him the money: he refused, however, to take it, saying, 
It is an offering of hospitality to you for your visit this day:— 
whereupon I said to the old woman, If he will not take the money 
return to him his stuff. But he would not receive it again, and 
exclaimed, By Allah, I will take nothing from you: all this is a 
present from me for a single kiss, which I shall value more than 
the entire contents of my shop.—What will a kiss profit thee? 
asked the old woman. Then turning to me, she said, O my 
daughter, thou hast heard what the youth hath said : no harm will 
befal thee if he give thee a kiss, and thou shalt take what thou 
wantest.—Dost thou not know, said I, that I have taken an oath ? 
She answered, Let him kiss thee then without thy speaking, and so 

it will be of no consequence to thee, and thou shalt take back thy 
money. Thus she continued to palliate the matter until I put my 
head (as it were) into the bag, and consented: so I covered my 
eyes, and held the edge of my veil in such a manner as to prevent 
the passengers from seeing me, whereupon he put his mouth to my 
cheek beneath the veil, but instead of merely kissing me, he lace¬ 
rated my cheek by a violent bite. I fell into a swoon from the 
pain, and the old woman laid me on her lap till I recovered, when 
I found the shop closed, and the old woman uttering expressions of 
grief, and saying, What God hath averted would have been a 
greater calamity; let us return home, and do thou feign to be ill, 
and T will come to thee and apply a remedy that shall cure the 
wound, and thou wilt quickly be restored. 

THE STORY OF THE SECOND OF THE THREE LADIES, &c. 205 

After remaining there some time longer, I arose, and, in a state 
of great uneasiness and fear, returned to the house, and professed 
myself unwell; upon which my husband came in to me, and said, 
What hath befallen thee, O my mistress, during this excursion ? 
I answered, I am not well.—And what is this wound, said he, that 
is upon thy cheek, and in the soft part ? I answered, When I 
asked thy permission, and went out to-day to purchase some stuff 
for dress, a camel loaded with fire-wood drove against me in the 
crowd, and tore my veil, and wounded my cheek, as thou seest, 
for the streets of this city are narrow. 93 —To-morrow, then, he 
exclaimed, I will go to the governor, and make a complaint to him, 
and he shall hang every seller of fire-wood in the city.—By Allah, 
said T, burden not thyself by an injury to any one ; for the truth 
is, that I was riding upon an ass, which took fright with me, and 
I fell upon the ground, and a stick lacerated my cheek.—If it be 
so, then, he replied, I will go to-morrow to Jaafar El-Barmekee, 
and relate the matter to him, and he shall kill every ass-driver in 
this city.—Wilt thou, said I, kill all those men on my account, 
when this which befel me was decreed by God ?—Undoubtedly, he 
answered; and, so saying, he seized me violently, and then sprang 
up, and uttered a loud cry, upon which the door opened, and there 
came forth from it seven black slaves, who dragged me from my 
bed, and threw me down in the middle of the apartment; where¬ 
upon he ordered one of them to hold me by my shoulders and to 
sit upon my head; and another, to sit upon my knees and to hold 
my feet. A third then came, with a sword in his hand, and said, 
O my lord, shall I strike her with the sword, and cleave her in 
twain, that each of these may take a half and throw it into the 
Tigris for the fish to devour ? 94 For such is the punishment of her 
who is unfaithful to her oath and to the laws of love.—My husband 
answered, Strike her, O Saad: 95 —and the slave, with the drawn 
sword in his hand, said, Repeat the profession of the faith, and 
reflect what thou wouldst have to be done, that thou mayest give 
thy testamentary directions, for this is the end of thy life.—Good 
slave, I replied, release me for a while that I may do so:—and I 
raised my head, and, weeping as I spoke, addressed my husband 
with these verses :— 

208 THE STORY OF THE SECOND OF THE THREE LADIES, &c. 

You render me lovelorn, and remain at ease. You make my wounded eyelid 
to be restless, and you sleep. 

Your abode is between my heart and my eyes; and my heart will not 
relinquish you, nor my tears conceal my passion. 

You made a covenant with me that you would remain faithful; but when you 
had got possession of my heart you deceived me. 

Will you not pity my love for you and my moaning 1 Have you yourself 
been secure from misfortunes ? 

I conjure you, by Allah, if I die, that you write upon my tombstone, This was 
a slave of love. 

That, perchance, some mourner who hath felt the same flame may pass by 
the lover’s grave, and pity her. 96 

But on hearing these verses, and witnessing my weeping, he be¬ 
came more incensed, and replied in the words of this couplet;— 

I reject not the beloved of my heart from weariness : her own guilty conduct 
is the cause of her punishment. 

She desired that another should share with me her love; but the faith of my 
heart inclineth not to partnership. 97 

I continued to weep, and to endeavour to excite his compas¬ 
sion, saying within myself, I will humble me before him, and 
address him with soft words, that he may at least refrain from 
killing me, though he take all that I possess;—but he cried out to 
the slave, Cleave her in twain; for she is no longer of any value 
to us.—So the slave approached me, and I now felt assured of my 
death, and committed myself to God; but suddenly the old 
woman came and threw herself at my husband’s feet, and, kissing 
them, exclaimed, O my son, by the care with which I nursed thee, 
I conjure thee to pardon this damsel, for she hath committed no 
offence that deserveth such a punishment: thou art young, and I 
fear the effect of the imprecations that she may utter against thee: 
—and after she had thus addressed him, she wept, and continued 
to importune him, until, at length, he said, I pardon her, but must 
cause her to bear upon her person such marks of her offence as 
shall last for the remainder of her life. So saying, he commanded 
the slaves to strip off my vest, and, taking a stick cut from a 
quince-tree, he beat me upon my back and my sides until I be¬ 
came insensible from the violence of the blows, and despaired of 
my life. He then ordered the slaves to take me away as soon as it 

was night, accompanied by the old woman, and to throw me into 
my house in which I formerly resided. They accordingly executed 
their lord’s commands, and when they had deposited me in my 
house, I applied myself to the healing of my wounds; but, after 
1 had cured myself, my sides still bore the appearance of having 
been beaten with mikra’ahs. I continued to apply remedies for 
four months before I was restored, and then repaired to view the 
house in which this event had happened ; but I found it reduced 
to ruin, and the whole street pulled down; the site of the house I 
found occupied by mounds of rubbish, and I knew not the cause. 

Under these circumstances, I went to reside with this my sister, 
who is of the same father as myself, and I found with her these 
two bitches. Having saluted her, I informed her of all that had 
befallen me; to which she replied, Who is secure from the afflictions 
of fortune ? Praise be to God who terminated the affair with 
safety to thy life !—She then related to me her own story, and that 
of her sisters, and I remained with her, and neither of us ever 
mentioned the subject of marriage. Afterwards we were joined 
by this our other sister, the cateress, who every day goes out to 
purchase for us whatever we happen to want. 

208 

THE STORY OF THE 

CONCLUSION OF THE STORY OF TIIE LADIES OF BAGHDA'D, &e. 

The Khaleefeh was astonished at this story, and ordered it to 
be recorded in a book, as an authentic history, and deposited the 
book in his library. He then said to the first lady, Knowest thou 
where the Jinneeyeh 98 who enchanted thy sister is to be found ? 
She answered, O Prince of the Faithful, she gave me a lock of her 
hair, and said, When thou desirest my presence, burn a few of 
these hairs, and Si will be with thee quickly, though I should be 
beyond Mount Kaf.—Bring then the hair, said the Khaleefeh. 
The lady, therefore, produced it; and the Khaleefeh, taking it, 
burned a portion of it, and, when the odour had diffused itself, 
the palace shook, and they heard a sound of thunder, and lo, the 
Jinneeyeh appeared before them. She was a Muslimeh, and 
therefore greeted the Khaleefeh by saying, Peace be on thee, O 
Khaleefeh of God!—to which he replied, On you be peace, and 
the mercy of God, and his blessings ! 99 —She then said, Know that 
this lady hath conferred on me a benefit for which I am unable to 
requite her ; for she rescued me from death, by killing my enemy; 
and I, having seen what her sisters had done to her, determined to 
take vengeance upon them; therefore I transformed them by en¬ 
chantment into two bitches; and, indeed, I had wished rather to 
kill them, fearing lest they should trouble her; but now, if thou 
desire their restoration, O Prince of the Faithful, I will restore 
them, as a favour to thee and to her; for I am one of the true be¬ 
lievers.—Do so, said the Khaleefeh; and then we will enter upon 
the consideration of the affair of the lady who hath been beaten, 
and examine her case, and if her veracity be established, I will take 
vengeance for her upon him who hath oppressed her. The Jinneeyeh 
replied, O Prince of the Faithful, I will guide thee to the discovery 
of him who acted thus to this lady, and oppressed her, and took 
her property; he is thy nearest relation. She then took a cup of 
water, and, having pronounced a spell over it, sprinkled the faces 
of the two bitches, saying, Be restored to your original human 
forms!—whereupon they became again two young ladies.—Extolled 
be the perfection of their Creator! 100 Having done this, the Jin¬ 
neeyeh said, O Prince of the Faithful, he who beat the lady is thy 

THREE LADIES OF BAGHDA'D. 

209 

son El-Emeen, who had heard of her beauty and loveliness:—and 
she proceeded to relate what had happened. The Khaleefeh was 
astonished, and exclaimed, Praise be to God for the restoration of 
these two bitches which hath been effected through my means !— 
and immediately he summoned before him his son El-Emeen, and 
inquired of him the history of the lady; and he related to him the 
truth. He then sent for Kadees and witnesses, and the first lady 
and her two sisters who had been transformed into bitches he mar¬ 
ried to the three mendicants who had related that they were the 
sons of Kings; and these he made chamberlains of his court, 
appointing them all that they required, and allotting them apart¬ 
ments in the palace of Baghdad. The lady who had been beaten 
he restored to his son El-Emeen, giving her a large property, and 
ordering that the house should be rebuilt in a more handsome style. 
Lastly, the lady-cateress he took as his own wife; he admitted her 
at once to his own apartment, and, on the following day, he ap¬ 
pointed her a separate lodging for herself, with female slaves to 
wait upon her: he also allotted to her a regular income; and after¬ 
wards built for her a palace. 

E E 

VOL. I. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

Note 1 . —On the Uses of Palm-sticks in various Manufactures. 

The kind of crate here mentioned is made of jereeds, or palm-sticks, which 
(being very soft, and easily cut and punched in their fresh state; and very tough, 
difficult to break, and light, when dry) are used in a great variety of manufactures. 
In making crates or baskets, and stools, bed-frames, coops, &c., a number of 
jereeds, being placed an inch or more apart, are fixed by two, three, or more, 
thicker ones, placed transversely. Round holes are punched in the latter, through 
which the former are inserted; and the whole becomes light and strong as soon as 
it is dry. Chests are made with thick jereeds placed close together, and others, 
pared thin, passing transversely through them. 

Note 2. —Description of the Veils of Arab Women. 

The izdr, or eezar (for the word is written in two different ways), is a piece of 
drapery commonly worn by Arab women when they appear in public. It is about 
two yards or more in width (according to the height of the wearer), and three 
yards in length: one edge of it being drawn from behind, over the upper part 
of the head and the forehead, and secured by a band sewed inside, the rest hangs 
down behind and on each side to the ground, or nearly so, and almost entirely 
envelops the person; the two ends being held so as nearly to meet in front. Thus 
it conceals every other part of the dress excepting a small portion of a very loose 
gown (which is another of the articles of walking or riding apparel), and the face- 
veil. It is now generally made of white calico, but a similar covering of black 
silk for the married, and of white silk for the unmarried, is now worn by females 
of the higher and middle classes, and is called a “habarah.” 

It appears that the kind of face-veil mentioned in the same passage (in Arabic, 
“ kinda”) is a piece of muslin, about a yard or more in length, and somewhat 
less in width, a portion of which is placed over the head, beneath the izdr, the rest 
hanging down in front, to the waist, or thereabout, and entirely concealing the 
face. I have often seen Arab women, particularly those of the Wahhdbees, wear¬ 
ing veils of this kind composed of printed muslin, completely concealing their 
features, yet of sufficiently loose fabric to admit of their seeing their way. But the 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

211 

more common kind of Arab face-veil is a long 3trip of white muslin, or of a kind 
of black crape, covering the whole of the face excepting the eyes, and reaching 
nearly to the feet. It is suspended at the top by a narrow band, which passes up 
the forehead, and which is sewed, as are also the two upper comers of the veil, to 
a band that is tied round the head. This veil is called “ burko'.” The black kind 
is often ornamented with gold coins, false pearls, &c., attached to the upper part. 
It is not so genteel as the white veil, unless for a lady in mourning. 

Note 3. 

“ El-M6sil ” is the name of the city which Europeans commonly call “ Mosul, ” 
“ Mosoul,” &c.; a city long famous for its fine stuffs. Hence our word “ muslin,” 
often termed, in Arabic, “ M6silee,” signifying, “of the manufacture of El-M6sil." 

Note 4. 

The wine is mentioned in the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, 
but not in the edition of Cairo. The lady went to a Christian to purchase her 
wine because Muslims are not allowed to sell it. 

Note 5. 

The “ ’Othmanee quinces ’’ I suppose to be a kind so called after some person 
named ’Othman who introduced it, or was famous for its culture. The term “ Sul- 
tanee,” applied to the citrons afterwards mentioned, signifies “ royal.” 

Note 6. 

A list of these sweets is given in my original, but I have thought it better to 
omit the names. 

Note 7. 

The “ willow-flower-water ” is prepared from the sweet-scented flowers of the 
Oriental willow, called “ ban ” and “khil&f” or “ khalAf; ” a twig of which is, 
among the Arabs, a favourite emblem of a graceful female. 

Note 8. —On the Vessels used for Sprinkling and Perfuming. 

The sprinkling-bottle, here called “ mirashsh,” is more commonly called 
“ kumkum,” and has been alluded to in a former note, as having a spherical or 
wide body, and a long and narrow neck. It is generally about eight inches high, 
and of plain or gilt silver, or of fine brass, or china, or glass; and has a cover 
pierced with a small hole. This vessel is used in the houses of the rich to sprinkle 
a guest or visitor, before he rises to take his leave, with rose-water; after which 
ceremony, a page or servant presents to him a kind of censer, called “ mibkharah,” 
which is generally of one or other of the metals above mentioned, and about the 
same height as the kumkum ; and he wafts the smoke which arises from it towards 
his face, beard, &c., with the right hand. The body of the mibkharah, the form 
of which is nearly globular, surmounts a stem rising from the centre of a small 
circular tray ; the upper half is a cover pierced with apertures for the emission of 
the smoke; and the lower half, in which some burning charcoal is placed, is 
lined, or half filled, with gypsum-plaster. Aloes wood, previously moistened, or 
some other odoriferous substance, is placed upon the burning coals; and some¬ 
times, in the houses of very wealthy persons, ambergris is used. 

212 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

Note 9. 

This description of the outer door of a house in Baghdad is an obvious absur¬ 
dity ; but none of the copies of the original to which I have access authorizes 
my substituting “ gilt ” for “ plated with gold; ” all here agreeing in the use of 
words which have the latter sense. 

Note 10. 

In their eagemesss to obtain the earliest possible sight of the new moon which 
marks the period of the commencement of the Ramadan, lest they should not 
begin their fast as soon as the law requires, the Muslims often see the crescent one 
night earlier in this than in any other month. The comparison of an eyebrow to 
the new moon of Ramad&n expresses, therefore, its extreme thinness, as well as 
its arched form. To reduce its natural thickness, and to give it this form, scissors 
are often used. 

Note 11. 

“The seal of Suleym&n ” is a name given by the Arabs to a six-pointed 
star formed by two equilateral triangles intersecting each other, and to the flower 
which we, also, call “Solomon’s seal.” I fear that the reader will not consider 
the comparison very apposite, unless the allusion be to a beautiful red berry which, 
I am informed, is borne by the flower here mentioned. 

Note 12. —Description of Apartments in Arab Houses. 

Most of the descriptions of interior domestic architecture which occur in the pre¬ 
sent work, I may aptly illustrate by availing myself of observations made in Cairo. 
In the houses of persons of the higher and middle classes in this city, the different 
apartments generally resemble each other in several respects, and are similarly 
furnished. The greater portion of the floor is elevated about half a foot, or some¬ 
what more, above the rest. The higher portion is called “ leewkn ” (a corruption 
of “ el-eew&n ”), and the lower, “durka’ah.” When there is but one leew&n, the 
durka’ah occupies the lower end, extending from the door to the opposite wall. 
In a handsome house, it is usually paved with white and black marble, and little 
pieces of red tile, inlaid in tasteful and complicated patterns; and if the room is 
on the ground-floor, and sometimes in other cases, it has, in the centre, a foun¬ 
tain which plays into a small, shallow pool, lined with coloured marbles, &c., like 
the surrounding pavement. The shoes, or slippers, are left upon the durk&’ah 
previously to stepping upon the leewan. The latter is generally paved with com¬ 
mon stone, and covered with a mat in summer, and a carpet over this in winter; 
and a mattress and cushions are placed against each of its three walls, composing 
what is called a “deewan,” or divan. The mattress, which is commonly about 
three feet wide, and three or four inches thick, is placed either on the floor or on 
a raised frame; and the cushions, which are usually of a length equal to the width 
of the mattress, and of a height equal to half that measure, lean against the wall. 
Both mattresses and cushions are stuffed with cotton, and are covered with printed 
calico, cloth, or some more expensive stuff. The dee win which extends along 
the upper end of the leewan is called the “sadr,” and is the most honourable: 
and the chief place on this seat is the corner which is to the right of a person 
facing this end of the room; the other corner is the next in point of honour; and 
the intermediate places on the same deewan are more honourable than those on 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

213 

the two side-deewans. To a superior, and often to an equal, the master or mis¬ 
tress yields the chief place. The comers are often furnished with an additional 
mattress, of a square form, just large enough for one person, placed upon the 
other mattress, and with two additional (but smaller) cushions to recline against. 
The walls are, for the most part, plastered and white-washed, and generally have 
two or more shallow cupboards, the doors of which, as well as those of the apart¬ 
ments, are fancifully constmcted with small panels. The windows, which are 
chiefly composed of curious wooden lattice-work, serving to screen the inhabitants 
from the view of persons without, as also to admit both light and air, commonly 
project outwards, and are furnished with mattresses and cushions. In many 
houses there are, above these, small windows of coloured glass, represent¬ 
ing bunches of flowers, &c. The ceiling is of wood, and certain portions of it, 
which are carved, or otherwise ornamented by fanciful carpentry, are usually 
painted with bright colours, such as red, green, and blue, and sometimes varied 
with gilding; but the greater part of the wood-work is generally left unpainted. 

The word in the original text which I translate “saloon,” is “ka’ah." This term 
is applied to a large and lofty apartment, commonly having two leew&ns, on oppo¬ 
site sides of the durk&’ah. One of these is, in most instances, larger than the 
other, and is held to be the more honourable part. Some kd’ahs, containing three 
leewans, one of these being opposite the entrance, or four leew&ns composing 
the form of a cross with the durk&’ah in the centre, communicate with small 
chambers or closets, or have elevated recesses which are furnished in the same 
manner as the leewdns. That part of the roof which is over the durk&’ah rises 
above the rest, sometimes to nearly twice the height of the latter, and is gene¬ 
rally surmounted by a lantern of wooden lattice-work to admit the air. 

Note 13. 

In the Cairo edition, the sofa is described as being in the midst of the saloon; 
but this is inconsistent with what follows. 

Note 14.— Of Bdbil, and the Angels Hdroot and Mdroot. 

Babil, or Babel, is regarded by the Muslims as the fountain-head of the 
science of magic, which was, and, as most think, still is, taught there to man¬ 
kind by two fallen angels, named Haroot and Mdroot,* who are there suspended 
by the feet in a great pit closed by a mass of rock. According to the account 
of them generally received as correct, these two angels, in consequence of their 
want of compassion for the frailties of mankind, were rendered, by God, suscep¬ 
tible of human passions, and sent down upon the earth to be tempted: they both 
sinned; and, being permitted to choose whether they would be punished in this 
life or in the other, chose the former; but they were sent down not merely to 
experience temptation, being also appointed to tempt others by means of their 
knowledge of magic; though it appears that they were commanded not to teach this 
art to any man “ until they had said, ‘ Verily we are a temptation ; therefore, be 
not an unbeliever.’”!—The celebrated traditionist Muj&hid is related to have 
visited them, under the guidance of a Jew. Having removed the mass of rock 
from the mouth of the pit, or well, they entered. Muj&hid had been previously 
charged by the Jew not to mention the name of God in their presence; but 

* See t£ur-An, chap, ii., v. 06. 

t Ibid. 

214 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

when he beheld them, resembling in size two huge mountains, and suspended 
upside-down, with irons attached to their necks and knees, he could not refrain 
from uttering the forbidden name; whereupon the two angels became so vio¬ 
lently agitated that they almost broke the irons which confined them, and 
Mujahid and his guide fled back in consternation.* 

Note 15. 

The meaning conveyed by this comparison is “ tall and slender.” 

Note 16. 

In the MS. from which the old translation was made, it appears that this 
lady is called Zubeydeh (which was the name of the daughter of Jaafar the son 
of El-Mansoor, and wife of Er-Rasheed) ; the portress, S&fiyeh ; and the cateress, 
A'mineh; but no names are given to them in any of the copies of the original 
to which I have access. 

Note 17. 

Literally, “two nusfs." “Nusf,” vulgarly pronounced by the Egyptians 
“nuss,” and signifying “half,” is the name of a small Egyptian coin made of 
a mixture of silver and copper, and now equivalent to something less than a 
quarter of a farthing; but this name was originally given to the half-dirhems 
which were struck in the reign of the Sult&n El-Mu-eiyad, in the early part of 
the ninth century of the Flight, or of the fifteenth of our era. In the Calcutta 
edition of the first two hundred nights, and in the edition of Breslau, we read 
here “ two dirhems,” instead of “ two nusfs.” 

Note 18. 

The “mendreh” is the tower of a mosque, commonly called by English 
writers “minaret,” which generally rises from a square base. 

Note 19. 

It is a common custom in the East to seal the doors of store-houses with a 
lump of clay, lest the lock should be picked. 

Note 20. 

I here deviate a little from the Cairo edition, in which the cateress is described 
as having drunk three cups of wine successively before she handed any to her 
sisters. My reason for tliis will presently he seen. 

Note 21. 

Thus in two editions. In the Cairo edition, “ tukellimuhu ” is put for 
“ telkumuhu.” 

Note 22.—On Wine, Fruits, Flowers, and Music, in Illustration of Arab 

Carousals. 

I here pass over an extremely objectionable scene, which would convey a very 
erroneous idea of the manners of Arab ladies. Can the same be said with respect 
to the previous carousal? This is a question which cannot be answered in a few 
words. 

El-Kazweenee, account of the well of Babil, in " 1 Ajaib el-Makhlookat." 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

2\5 

Tlie prohibition of wine, or, rather, of fermented and intoxicating liquors, 
being one of the most remarkable and important points of the Mohammadan 
religion, it might be imagined that the frequent stories in this work, describing 
parties of Muslims as habitually indulging in the use of forbidden beverages, are 
scandalous misrepresentations of Arab manners and customs. There are, how¬ 
ever, many similar anecdotes interspersed in the works of Arab historians, which 
(though many of them are probably untrue in their application to particular indi¬ 
viduals) could not have been offered to the public by such writers if they were not 
of a nature consistent with the customs of a considerable class of the Arab nation. 

In investigating this subject, it is necessary, in the first place, to state, that 
there is a kind of wine which Muslims are permitted to drink. It is properly 
called “ nebeedh” (a name which is now given to prohibited kinds of wine), and 
is generally prepared by putting dry grapes, or dry dates, in water, to extract 
their sweetness, and suffering the liquor to ferment slightly, until it acquires a 
little sharpness or pungency. The Prophet himself was in the habit of drinking 
wine of this kind, which was prepared for him in the first part of the night; he 
drank it on the first and second days following; but if any remained on the 
morning of the third day, he either gave it to his servants or ordered it to be 
poured out upon the ground.* Such beverages have, therefore, been drunk by 
the strictest of his followers; and Ibn Khaldoon strongly argues that nebeedh 
thus prepared from dates was the kind of wine used by the Khaleefehs Haroon 
Er-Rasheed and El-Ma-moon, and several other eminent men, who have been 
commonly accused of habitually and publicly indulging in debauches of wine pro¬ 
perly so called ; that is, of inebriating liquors, f 

Nebeedh, prepared from raisins, is commonly sold in Arab towns, under the 
name of “ zebeeb,” which signifies “ raisins.'’ This I have often drunk in Cairo; 
but never could perceive that it was in the slightest degree fermented. Other 
beverages, to which the name of “ nebeedh” has been applied (though, like 
zebeeb, no longer called by that name), are also sold in Arab towns. The most 
common of these is an infusion of licorice, and called by the name of the root, 
“ ’erk-soos.” The nebeedh of dates is sold in Cairo with the dates themselves in 
the liquor; and in like manner is that of figs. Under the same appellation of 
“ nebeedh” have been classed the different kinds of beer now commonly called 
“ boozeh,” which have been mentioned in former pages. Opium, hemp, &c., are 
now more frequently used by the Muslims to induce intoxication or exhilaration. 
The young leaves of the hemp are generally used alone, or mixed with tobacco, 
for smoking; and the capsules, without the seeds, enter into the composition of 
several intoxicating conserves. Some remarks upon this subject have been 
inserted in a former note. 

By my own experience I am but little qualified to pronounce an opinion 
respecting the prevalence of drinking wine among the Arabs; for, never drinking 
it myself, I had little opportunity of observing others do so during my residence 
among Muslims. I judge, therefore, from the conversations and writings of 
Arabs, which justify me in asserting that the practice of drinking wine in private, 
and by select parties, is far from being uncommon among modern Muslims, 
though certainly more so than it was before the introduction of tobacco into the 

* Mishk&t el-Mas6beeh, vol. ii. p. 339. 

t De Sacy, Chrestoniathie Arabe, vol. i. pp. 125—131, Arabic text, 2nd ed. 

216 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

East, in the beginning of the seventeenth century of our era; for this herb, 
being in a slight degree exhilarating, and at the same time soothing, and unat¬ 
tended by the injurious effects that result from wine, is a sufficient luxury to 
many who, without it, would have recourse to intoxicating beverages merely to 
pass away hours of idleness. The use of coffee, too, which became common in 
Egypt, Syria, and other countries besides Arabia, a century earlier than tobacco, 
doubtless tended to render the habit of drinking wine less general. That it was 
adopted as a substitute for wine appears even from its name, “ kahweh,” an old 
Arabic term for wine; whence the Turkish “ kahveh,” the Italian “cafTe,” and 
our “ coffee.” 

There is an Arabic work of some celebrity, and not of small extent, entitled 
“ Halbet el-Kumeyt,”* apparently written shortly before the Arabs were in pos¬ 
session of the first of the above-mentioned substitutes for wine, nearly the whole of 
which consists of anecdotes and verses relating to the pleasures resulting from, or 
attendant upon, the use of wine; a few pages at the end being devoted to the 
condemnation of this practice, or, in other words, to prove the worthlessness of 
all that precedes. Of this work I possess a copy, a quarto volume of 464 pages. 
I have endeavoured to skim its cream; but found it impossible to do so without 
collecting, at the same time, a considerable quantity of most filthy scum; for it is 
characterised by wit and humour plentifully interlarded with the grossest and most 
revolting obscenity; yet it serves to confirm what has been above asserted. The 
mere existence of such a work (and it is not the only one of the kind), written 
by a man of learning, and I believe a K&dee, a judge, or one holding the 
honourable office of a guardian of religion and morality,f-—written, too, evidently 
with pleasure, notwithstanding his assertion to the contrary,—is a strong argument 
in favour of the prevalence of the practice which it paints in the most fascinating 
colours, and then condemns. Its author terminates a chapter (the ninth), in which 
many well-known persons are mentioned as having been addicted to wine, by 
saying, that the Khaleefehs, Emeers, and Wezeers, so addicted, are too numerous 
to name in such a work; and by relating a story of a man who placed his own 
wife in pledge in the hands of a wine-merchant, after having expended in the 
purchase of the forbidden liquor all the property that he possessed. He excuses 
himself (in his preface) for writing this book, by saying that he had been ordered 
to do so by one whom he could not disobey ; thus giving us a pretty strong proof 
that a great man in his time was not ashamed of avowing his fondness for the 
prohibited enjoyment If, then, we admit the respectable authority of Ibn Khal- 
doon, and acquit of the vice of drunkenness those illustrious individuals whose 
characters he vindicates, we must still regard most of the anecdotes relating to the 
carousals of other persons as being not without foundation. 

One of my friends, who enjoys a high reputation, ranking among the most 
distinguished of the ’Ulama of Cairo, is well known to his intimate acquaintances 
as frequently indulging in the use of forbidden beverages with a few select asso¬ 
ciates. I disturbed him and his companions by an evening visit on one of these 
occasions, and was kept waiting within the street-door while the guests quickly 

* That is, a race-course for sallies of wit and eloquence on the subject of wine: the word 
“ kumeyt” being used, in preference to more than a hundred others that might have been employed, 
as signifying “ wine,” because it bears also the meaning of “ a deep bay horse.” 

t His name is not mentioned in my copy; but D’Herbelot states it to have been Shems ed-Deen 
Mohammad, Ibn Bedr ed-Deen Hasan, el-K&dee; and writes his surname “ Naouagi,” or 
“ Naouahi.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

217 

removed everything that would give me any indication of the manner in which 
they had been employed; for the announcement of my (assumed) name, and their 
knowledge of my abstemious character, completely disconcerted them. I found 
them, however, in the best humour. They had contrived, it appeared, to fill with 
wine a china bottle, of the kind used at that season (winter) for water; and when 
any one of them asked the servant for water, this bottle was brought to him; but 
when I made the same demand, my host told me that there was a bottle of water 
on the sill of the window behind that part of the deewan upon which I was seated. 
The evening passed away very pleasantly, and I should not have known how 
unwelcome was my intrusion had not one of the guests with whom I was intimately 
acquainted, in walking part of the way home with me, explained to me the whole 
occurrence. There was with us a third person, who, thinking that my antipathy 
to wine was feigned, asked me to stop at his house on my way, and take a cup of 
“ white coffee,” by which he meant brandy. 

Another of my Muslim acquaintances in Cairo I frequently met at the house 
of a mutual friend, where, though he was in most respects very bigoted, he was 
in the habit of indulging in wine. For some time he refrained from this 
gratification when I was present; hut at length my presence became so irksome 
to him, that he ventured to enter into an argument with me on the subject of 
the prohibition. The only answer I could give to his question, “ Why is wine 
forbidden ?”—was in the words of the Kur-dn, “ Because it is the source of more 
evil than profit.”* This suited his purpose, as I intended it should ; and he asked, 
“What evil results from it?” I answered, “Intoxication and quarrels, &c.”— 
“Then,” said he, “if a man take not enough to intoxicate him there is no harm;” 
—and, finding that I acquiesced by silence, he added, “I am in the habit of 
taking a little; but never enough to intoxicate. Boy, bring me a glass.”—He 
was the only Muslim, however, whom I have heard to argue against the absolute 
interdiction of inebriating liquors. 

Histories tell us that some of the early followers of the Prophet indulged in 
wine, holding the text above referred to as indecisive; and that Mohammad was at 
first doubtful upon this subject appears from another text, in which his followers 
were told not to come to prayer when they were drunk, until they should know 
what they would say; f an injunction nearly similar to one in the Bible: J but when 
frequent and severe contentions resulted from their use of wine, the following 
more decided condemnation of the practice was pronounced :—“ O ye who have 
become believers! verily wine and lots and images and divining-arrows are an 
abomination of the work of the Devil; therefore, avoid them, that ye may 
prosper.Ӥ This law is absolute : its violation in the smallest degree is criminal. 
The punishment ordained by the law for drinking (or, according to most doctors, 
for even tasting) wine or spirits, or inducing intoxication by any other means, 
on ordinary occasions, i3 the infliction of eighty stripes in the case of a free man, 
and forty in that of a slave : but if the crime be openly committed in the course of 
any day of the month of Ramadan, when others are fasting, the punishment 
prescribed is death! 

The prohibition of wine hindered many of the Prophet’s contemporaries from 
embracing his religion. It is said that the famous poet El-Aasha, who was one 

VOL. i. 

* Chap, ii., v. 216. 
t Leviticus, ch. x., v. 9. 

t Chap, iv., v. 46. 

§ Kur-£n, ch. v., v. 92. 

218 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

of them, delayed to join his cause on this account, until death prevented him. A 
person passing by his tomb (at Menfoohah, in El-Yemdmeh), and observing that 
it was moist, asked the reason, and was answered, that the young men of the place, 
considering him still as their cup-companion, drank wine over his grave, and 
poured his cup upon it.* Yet many of the most respectable of the pagan Arabs, 
like certain of the Jews and early Christians, abstained totally from wine, from a 
feeling of its injurious effects upon morals, and, in their climate, upon health; or, 
more especially, from the fear of being led by it into the commission of foolish 
and degrading actions. Thus, Keys, the son of 'A'sim, being one night overcome 
with wine, attempted to grasp the moon, and swore that he would not quit the spot 
where he stood until he had laid hold of it: after leaping several times with the 
view of doing so, he fell flat upon his face ; and when he recovered his senses, and 
was acquainted with the cause of his face being bruised, he made a solemn vow to 
abstain from wine ever after.f A similar feeling operated upon many Muslims 
more than religious principle. The Khaleefeh 'Abd EI-Melik Ibn Marwan took 
pleasure in the company of a slave named Naseeb, and one day desired him to 
drink with him. The slave replied, “ O Prince of the Faithful, I am not related 
to thee, nor have I any authority over thee, and I am of no rank or lineage : I am 
a black slave, and my wit and politeness have drawn me into thy favour: how 
then shall I take that which will plunder me of these two qualities ; and by what 
shall I then propitiate thee?” The Khaleefeh admired and excused him.? 

It was the custom of many Muslim princes, as might be inferred from the above 
anecdote, to admit the meanest of their dependants to participate in their unlawful 
carousals when they could have no better companions; but poets and musicians 
were their more common associates on these occasions; and these two classes, 
and especially the latter, are in the present day the most addicted to intoxicating 
liquors. Few modern Arab musicians are so well contented with extraordinary 
payment and mere sweet sherbet as with a moderate fee and plenty of wine and 
brandy; and many of them deem even wine but a sorry beverage. 

It was usual with the host and guests at wine-parties to wear dresses of bright 
colours, red, yellow, and green ; § and to perfume their beards and mustaches 
with civet, or to have rose-water sprinkled upon them; and ambergris or aloes- 
wood, or some other odoriferous substance, placed upon burning coals in a censer, 
diffused a delicious fragrance throughout the saloon of the revels. 

The wine, it appears, was rather thick; for it was necessary to strain it:|| it 
was probably sweet, and not strong; for it was drunk in large quantities. Fre¬ 
quently, perhaps, it was nebeedh of dry raisins kept longer than the law allows. 
It was usually kept in a large earthen vessel, called “denn,” high, and small at the 
bottom, which was partly imbedded in the earth to keep it upright. The name of 
this vessel is now given to a cask of wood ; but the kind above mentioned was of 
earth; for it was easily broken.—A famous saint, Abu-1-Hoseyn En-Nooree, seeing 
a vessel on the Tigris containing thirty denns belonging to the Khaleefeh El- 
Moatadid, and being told that they contained wine, took a boat-pole, and broke 
them all, excepting one. When brought before the Khaleefeh to answer for this 

* Halbet el Kumeyt, chap. ii. t Idem, khdtimeh, or conclusion, 

t Ibid. § Fakhr ed-Deen, in De Sacy's Chrest. Arabe, vol. i. p. 23, Arabic text, 2nd ed. 

|| “ While tears of blood trickle from the strainer, the ewer beneath it giggles.” (Es-Sadr Ibn 
El-Wekeel, quoted in the Halbet el-Kumeyt, chap, xiii.)—The strainer is called “ rdwook." 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

219 

action, and asked by him, “Who made thee Mohtesib?”* he boldly answered, 
“ He who made thee Khaleefeh !”—and was pardoned, f—Pitch was used by the 
Arabs, as it was by the Greeks and Romans, for the purpose of curing their wine; 
the interior of the denn being coated with it. A smaller kind of earthen jar, or 
amphora,!, and a bottle of leather,? or of glass, || were also used. The wine was 
transferred for the table to glass jugs, or long-spouted ewers.If These and the 
cups were placed upon a round embroidered cloth spread on the floor, or upon a 
round tray. The latter is now in general use, and is supported on a low stool, 
described in a former note, as being used at ordinary meals. The guests sat 
around, reclining against pillows; or they sat upon the deewan, and a page or 
slave handed the cup, having on his right arm a rich embroidered napkin : the 
person after drinking took the end of this to wipe his lips. The cups are often 
described as holding a fluid pound, or little less than an English pint; and this is 
to be understood literally, or nearly so: they were commonly of cut glass; but 
some were of crystal, or silver, or gold.** With these and the ewers or jugs were 
placed several saucers, or small dishes,ft of fresh and dried fruits; !! and fans and 
fly-whisks, of the kinds described on a former occasion, were used by the guests. 

The most common and esteemed fruits in the countries inhabited by the Arabs 
may here be mentioned. 

The date §§ deserves the first place. The Prophet’s favourite fruits were fresh 
dates mi and water-melons; and he ate them both together.^ “Honour,” said he, 
“ your paternal aunt, the date-palm; for she was created of the earth of which 
Adam was formed.”*** It is said that God hath given this tree as a peculiar favour 
to the Muslims; that He hath decreed all the date-palms in the world to them, 
and they have accordingly conquered every country in which these trees are 
found; and all are said to have derived their origin from the HejAz.f-ft The palm- 
tree has several well-known properties that render it an emblem of a human being; 
among which are these ; that if the head be cut off, the tree dies; and if a branch 
be cut off, another does not grow in its place.!!! Dates are preserved in a moist 
state by being merely pressed together in a basket or skin, and thus prepared are 
called “ ’ajweh.” There are many varieties of this fruit. The pith or heart of 
the palm§§§ is esteemed for its delicate flavour. 

The water-melon,mill from what has been said of it above, ought to be ranked 
next; and it really merits this distinction. “ Whoso eateth," said the prophet, 
“ a mouthful of water-melon, God writeth for him a thousand good works, and 
cancelleth a thousand evil works, and raiseth him a thousand degrees ; for it came 
from Paradise;”—and again, “The water-melon is food and drink, acid and alkali, 
and a support of life,” Stc.^I^f The varieties of this fruit are very numerous. 

The banana**** is a delicious fruit. The Prophet pronounced the banana-tree 

• The Mohtesib is inspector of the markets, the weights and measures, and provisions, &c. 
f Mir-fiit e7.Zeni.in, events of the year 295. f In Arabic, “bdtiyeh." 

§ " Battah.” || “ Kinneeneh." H “ Ibreeks." 

•• The cup, when fill], was generally called “kds when empty, “kadah," or “jam." The name 
of “ kds" is now given to a small glass used for brandy and liqueurs, and similar to our liqueur-glass: 
the glass or cup used for wine is called, when so used, “koobeh:" it is the same as that used for 
sherbet; but in the latter case it is called “ Ijulleh.” 

tt “ Nulculdins.” tt“ Nukl.” §§ “ Belah." || || “ Rutab." 

HIT Es-Suyoojee, account of the fruits of Egypt, in his history of that country (MS. in my possession.) 

*** Ibid. ttt Ibid. ttt El-Kazweenee, (MS. in my possession.) 

SSI "Jummdr." |||||| “ Bitfeekh," vulgo "batteekh.” W! El-Kaiweenee. *»**“Mdz.'t 

220 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

to be the only thing on earth that resembles a thing in Paradise; because it bears 
fruit both in winter and summer.* 

The pomegranatef is another celebrated fruit. Every pomegranate, according 
to the Prophet, contains a fecundating seed from Paradise.^ 

The other most common and esteemed fruits are the following;—the apple, 
pear, quince, apricot, peach, fig, sycamore-fig, grape, lote, jujube, plum, walnut, 
almond, hazel nut, pistachio-nut, orange, Seville orange, lime and lemon, citron, 
mulberry, olive, and sugar-cane.§ 

Of a selection of these fruits consists the dessert which accompanies the wine ; 
but the table is not complete without a bunch or two of flowers placed in the 
midst. 

Though the Arabs are far from being remarkable for exhibiting taste in the 
planning of their gardens, they are passionately fond of flowers, and especially of 
the rose.||—The Khaleefeh El-Mntawekkil monopolized roses for his own enjoy¬ 
ment ; saying, “ I am the King of Sult&ns, and the rose is the king of sweet- 
scented flowers; therefore each of us is most worthy of the other for a compa¬ 
nion.” The rose, in his time, was seen no where but in his palace : during the 
season of this flower he wore rose-coloured clothes; and his carpets &c. were 
sprinkled with rose-water.A similar passion for the rose is said to have 
distinguished a weaver, in the reign of El-Ma-moon. He was constantly 
employed at his loom every day of the year, even during the congregational- 
prayers of Friday, excepting in the rose-season, when he abandoned his work, and 
gave himself up to the enjoyment of wine, early in the morning and late in the 
evening, loudly proclaiming his revels by singing,— 

“ The season has become pleasant! The time of the rose is come! Take 
your morning potations, as long as the rose has blossoms and flowers! ” 

When he resumed his work, he made it known by singing aloud,— 

“ If my Lord prolong my life until the rose-season, I will take again my 
morning potations: but if I die before it, alas! for the loss of the rose 
and wine! 

“ I implore the God of the supreme throne, whose glory be extolled, that my 
heart may continually enjoy the evening potations to the day of resur¬ 
rection.” 

—The Khaleefeh was so amused with the humour of this man, that he granted him 
an annual pension of ten thousand dirhems to enable him to enjoy himself amply 
on these occasions.**—Another anecdote may be added to shew the estimation of 
the rose in the mind of an Arab. It is said that Rowh Ibn Hatim, the governor 
of the province of Northern Africa, was sitting one day, with a female slave, in 

* Es-Suyootee, ubi supra. t " Rumman/' t Es Suyootee, ubi supra. 

§ The Arabic names of these fruits are, tuff&h (vulgo, tiffdh), kummetre, safargal, mishmish, 
kh6kh, teen, jummeyz (vulgo, jemmeyz), ’eneb, nabk or sidr, 'onndb (vulgo, 'ann&b), ijj&s or barkoolj, 
j6z, 16z, bunduk, fustuk, burtuk&n, ndrinj, leymoon, utrujj or turunj and kebbdd, toot, zeytoon, and 
ltasab es-sukkar. 

'il “Ward.” 

II Halbet el-Kumeyt, chap. xvii.; and Es-Suyootee, account of the flowers of Egypt, in his history 
of that country. 

** Halbet cl-Kumeyt, ibid. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

22 \ 

an apartment of his palace, when a eunuch brought him a jar full of red and white 
roses, which a man had offered as a present. He ordered the eunuch to fill the 
jar with silver in return; but his concubine said, “ O my lord, thou hast not 
acted equitably towards the man ; for his present to thee is of two colours, red 
and white.” The Emeer replied, “Thou hast said truly;” and gave orders to 
fill the jar for him with silver and gold (dirhems and deenars) intermixed.*—Some 
persons preserve roses during the whole of the year, in the following manner. 
They take a number of rose-buds, and fill with them a new earthen jar, and, 
after closing its mouth with mud, so as to render it impervious to the air, bury it 
in the earth. Whenever they want a few roses, they take out some of these buds, 
which they find unaltered, sprinkle a little water upon them, and leave them for a 
short time in the air, when they open, and appear as if just gathered.f—The rose 
is even a subject of miracles. It is related by Ibn Kuteybeh, that there grows in 
India a kind of rose upon the leaves of which is inscribed, “ There is no deity 
but God.” I But I find a more particular account of this miraculous rose. A 
person, who professed to have seen it, said, “ I went into India, and I saw, at one 
of its towns, a large rose, sweet-scented, upon which was inscribed, in white 
characters, ‘There is no deity but God; Mohammad is God’s apostle: Aboo 
Bekr is the very veracious: ’Omar is the discriminator;’ and I doubted of this, 
whether it had been done by art; so I took one of the blossoms not yet opened, 
and in it was the same inscription ; and there were many of the same kind there. 
The people of that place worshipped stones, and knew not God, to whom be 
ascribed might and glory.”§—Roses are announced for sale in the streets of Cairo 
by the cry of “ The rose was a thorn : from the sweat of the Prophet it blos¬ 
somed !” in allusion to a miracle recorded of Mohammad. “ When I was taken 
up into heaven,” said the Prophet, “ some of my sweat fell upon the earth, and 
from it sprang the rose; and whoever would smell my scent, let him smell the 
rose." In another tradition it is said, “ The white rose was created from my 
sweat on the night of the Mearfij ; || and the red rose, from the sweat of Jebraeel ;1f 
and the yellow rose, from the sweat of El-Bur&k.”** The Persians take especial 
delight in roses; sometimes spreading them as carpets or beds on which to sit or 
recline in their revellings. 

But there is a flower pronounced more excellent than the rose; that of the 
Egyptian privet, or Lawsonia inermis.ft Mohammad said, “The chief of the sweet- 
scented flowers of this world and of the next is the faghiyehand this was his 
favourite flower.JJ I approve of his taste; for this flower, which grows in clusters 
somewhat like those of the lilac, has a most delicious fragrance. But, on account 
of discrepancies in different traditions, a Muslim may, with a clear conscience, 
prefer either of the two flowers next mentioned. 

The Prophet said of the violet,§§ “The excellence of the extract of violets, above 
all other extracts, is as the excellence of me above all the rest of the creation: it 

* Halbet el-Kumeyt, chap. xvii. + Ibid. J Ibid. 

§ Es-Suyootee, ubi supra. || The night of the Ascension. 

IT Gabriel, who accompanied the Prophet. 

** The beast on which he rode from Mekkeh to Jerusalem previously to his ascension. These 
traditions are from Es-Suyootee, ubi supra. 

ft This flower is called “ Wghiyeh," and, more commonly, “ temer el-henna or, according to 
some, the fighiyeh is the flower produced by a slip of temer el-henna planted upside down, and 
superior to the flower of the latter planted in the natural way. 

Jt Es-Suyootee, ubi supra. §§ “ Benefsej.”’ 

222 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

is cold in summer, and hot in winter and, in another tradition, “ The excellence 
of the violet is as the excellence of el-Isl&m above all other religions.”* A deli¬ 
cious sherbet is made of a conserve of sugar and violet-flowers. 

The myrtlef is the rival of the violet “ Adam,” said the Prophet, “ fell down 
from Paradise with three things; the myrtle, which is the chief of sweet-scented 
flowers in this world; an ear of wheat, which is the chief of all kinds of food in 
this world ; and pressed dates, which are the chief of the fruits of this world.”! 

The anemone § was monopolized for his own enjoyment by Noaman Ibn El- 
Mundhir (King of El-Heereh, and contemporary of Mohammad), as the rose 
was afterwards by El-Mutawekkil.|| 

Another flower much admired and celebrated in the East is the gilliflower.^f 
There are three principal kinds; the most esteemed is the yellow, or golden- 
coloured, which has a delicious scent both by night and day ; the next, the purple, 
and other dark kinds, which have a scent only in the night; the least esteemed, 
the white, which has no scent. The yellow gilliflower is an emblem of a neglected 
lover.** 

The narcissusft is very highly esteemed. Galen says, “ He who has two cakes 
of bread, let him dispose of one of them for some flowers of the narcissus; for bread 
is the food of the body, and the narcissus is the food of the soul.” Hippocrates, 
too, gave a similar opinion.!! 

The following flowers complete the list of those celebrated as most appropriate 
to add to the delights of wine :—the jasmine, eglantine, Seville-orange-flower, lily, 
sweet-basil, wild thyme, buphtlialmum, chamomile, nenuphar, lotus, pomegranate- 
flower, poppy, ketmia, crocus or saffron, safflower, flax, the blossoms of different 
kinds of bean, and the almond.§§ 

A sprig of Oriental willow |||| adds much to the charms of a bunch of flowers, 
being the favourite symbol of a graceful female. 

But I have not yet mentioned all that contributes to the pleasures of an Eastern 
carousal. For the juice of the grape is not fully relished without melodious 
sounds. “ Wine is as the body; music, as the soul; and joy is their offspring.”^ 
All the five senses should be gratified. For this reason an Arab toper, who had 
nothing, it appears, but wine to enjoy, exclaimed,— 

“ Ho 1 give me wine to drink; and tell me, ‘ This is wine.’ ” 

for, on drinking, his sight and smell and taste and touch would all be affected; 
but it was desirable that his hearing should also be pleased.*** 

Music was condemned by the Prophet almost as severely as wine. “ Singing 
and hearing songs,” said he, “ cause hypocrisy to grow in the heart, like as water 

* Es-Suyootee. t “ A's,” or “ narseen.’’ t Es-Suyootee. 

§ “ Shak&ik.” The “ adhriyoon,” or “ Adharyoon,” is said to be a variety of the anemone. 

II From the former, or from “ noaman" as signifying “ blood," the anemone was named “ shakAik 
en-noamAn.” 

SI “ Menthoor,” or “ kheeree." *# Halbet el-Kumeyt, chap. xvii. ft “ Narjis." 

tj Halbet el-Kumeyt, ubi supra ; Es-Suyootee, ubi supra; and El-Kazweenee. 

§5 The Arabic names of these flowers are, yAsameen, nisreen, zahr (or zahr itarinj), soosan, 
reehAn (or habak), nemAm, bahar, ukhowAn, neelofar, beshneen, jullanAr or julnAr, khashkhAsh, 
khitmee, zaafaran, ’osfur, kettan, bakilla and leblAb, and ldz. 

1111 “Ban,” and 11 khilai" or “khalAf.” Both these names are applied to the same tree (which, 
according to Forskal, differs slightly from the salix ASgyptiaca of Linnreus) by the author of the Halbet 
el-Kumeyt and by the modern Egyptians. 

fU Halbet el-Kumeyt, chap. xiv. 

*** Idem, chap. xi. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

223 

promoteth the growth of corn —and musical instruments he declared to be 
among the most powerful means by which the Devil seduces man. An instrument 
of music is the Devil’s mueddiu, serving to call men to his worship, as stated in a 
former note. Of the hypocrisy of those attached to music, the following anecdote 
presents an instance :—A drunken young man with a lute in his hand was brought 
one night before the Khaleefeh ’Abd El-Melik, the son of Marw&n, who, pointing 
to the instrument, asked what it was, and what was its use. The youth made no 
answer; so he asked those around him; but they also remained silent, till one, 
more bold than the rest, said, “ O Prince of the Faithful, this is a lute : it is made 
by taking some wood of the pistachio-tree, and cutting it into thin pieces, and 
glueing these together, and then attaching over them these chords, which, when 
a beautiful girl touches them, send forth sounds more pleasant than those of rain 
falling upon a desert land; and my wife is separated from me by a triple divorce 
if every one in this council is not acquainted with it, and doth not know it as well 
as I do, and thou the first of them, O Prince of the Faithful.” The Khaleefeh 
laughed, and ordered that the young man should be discharged.f 

The latter saying of the Prophet, respecting the Devil, suggests to me the 
insertion of another anecdote, related of himself by Ibraheem El-M6silee, the father 
of Is-hak ; both of whom were very celebrated musicians. I give a translation of 
it somewhat abridged.—“ I asked Er-Rasheed,” says Ibraheem, “ to grant me 
permission to spend a day at home with my female slaves and brothers; and he 
gave me two thousand deen&rs, and appointed the next Saturday for this purpose. 
I caused the meats and wine and other necessaries to be prepared, and ordered 
the chamberlain to close the door, and admit no one: but while I was sitting, 
with my attendants standing in the form of a curved line before me, there entered, 
and approached me, a sheykh, reverend and dignified and comely in appearance, 
wearing short khuffs,t and two soft gowns, with a kalensuweh § upon his head, and 
in his hand a silver-headed staff; and sweet odours were diffused from his clothes. 
I was enraged with the chamberlain for admitting him ; but on his saluting me in 
a very courteous manner, I returned his salutation, and desired him to sit down. 
He then began to repeat to me stories, tales of war, and poetry; so that my anger 
was appeased, and it appeared to me that my servants had not presumed to admit 
him until acquainted with his politeness and courteousness; I therefore said to 
him, ‘Hast thou any inclination for meat?’ He answered, ‘I have no want of 
it.’—‘And the wine?’ said I. He replied, ‘Yes.’ So I drank a large cupful, and 
he did the same, and then said to me, ‘ O Ibraheem, wilt thou let us hear some 
specimen of thy art in which thou hast excelled the people of thy profession ?’ 
I was angry at his words; but I made light of the matter, and, having taken the 
lute and tuned it, I played and sang ; whereupon he said, ‘ Thou hast performed 
well, O Ibraheem.’ I became more enraged, and said within myself, ‘ He is not 
content with coming hither without permission, and asking me to sing, but he calls 
me by my name, and proves himself unworthy of my conversation.’ He then said, 
‘ Wilt thou let us hear more ? If so, we will requite thee.’ And I took the lute, 
and sang, using my utmost care, on account of his saying, ‘ we will requite thee.' 

* Mishk&t el-Masabeeh, vol. it. p. 425. t Halbet el-Kumeyt, chap. xiv. 

J Soft boots, worn inside the slippers or shoes. 

} This is so vaguely described by the Arab lexicographers that I cannot obtain a definite notion of 
its form. 

22i 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

He was moved with delight, and said ‘ Thou hast performed well, O my master 
Ibraheem —adding, ‘ Wilt thou permit thy slave to sing?’ I answered, ‘As thou 
pleasest:’—but thinking lightly of his sense to sing after me. He took the lute, 
and tuned it; and, by Allah! I imagined that the lute spoke in his hands with 
an eloquent Arab tongue. He proceeded to sing some verses commencing,— 

‘ My heart is wounded! Who will give me, for it, a heart without a wound?’ ” 

The narrator continues by saying, that he was struck dumb and motionless with 
ecstasy; and that the strange sheykh, after having played and sung again, and 
taught him an enchanting air (with which lie afterwards enraptured his pah-on, 
the Khaleefeh), vanished. Ibraheem, in alarm, seized his sword; and was the 
more amazed when he found that the porter had not seen the stranger enter or 
leave the house; but he heard his voice again, outside, telling him that he was 
Aboo Murrah (the Devil).* * * § —Two other anecdotes of a similar kind are related in 
the work from which the above is taken. 

Ibraheem El-M6silee, his son Is-lidk, and Mukhdrik f (a pupil of the former), 
were especially celebrated among the Arab musicians, and among the distin¬ 
guished men of the reign of Haroon Er-Rasheed. Is-h&k El-M6silee relates, of 
his father Ibraheem, that when Er-Rasheed took him into his service, he gave him 
a hundred and fifty thousand dirhems, and allotted him a monthly pension of ten 
thousand dirhems, besides occasional presents [one of which is mentioned as 
amounting to a hundred thousand dirhems for a single song], and the produce of 
his (Ibraheem’s) farms: he had food constantly prepared for him; three sheep 
every day for his kitchen, besides birds ; three thousand dirhems were allowed him 
for fruits, perfumes, &c., every month, and a thousand dirhems for his clothing; 
“and with all this,” says his son, “he died without leaving more than three 
thousand deenars, a sum not equal to his debts, which I paid after his death.”!— 
Ibraheem was of Persian origin, and of a high family. He was commonly called 
the Nedeem (or cup-companion), being Er-Rasheed's favourite companion at the 
wine-table; and his son, who enjoyed the like distinction with El-Ma-moon, 
received the same appellation, as well as that of “ Son of the Nedeem.” Ibraheem 
was the most famous musician of his time, at least till his son attained celebrity.§ 
Is-hdk El-M6silee was especially famous as a musician; but he was also a 
good poet, accomplished in general literature, and endowed with great wit. He 
was honoured above all other persons in the pay of El-Ma-moon, and enjoyed a 
long life; but for many years before his death he was blind.|| 

Mukharik appears to have rivalled his master Ibraheem. The latter, he 
relates, took him to perform before Er-Rasheed, who used to have a curtain 
suspended between him and the musicians. “Others,” he says, “sang, and he 
was unmoved; but when I sang, he came forth from behind the curtain, and 

* Halbet el-Kumeyt, chap. xiv. 

t I am not sure of the orthography of this name, particularly with respect to the first and last 
vowels; having never found it written with the vowel-points. It is sometimes written with h for 
for kh, and f for k. 

t Halbet el-Kumeyt, loco laudato. 

§ He was bom in the year of the Flight 125, and died in 213, or, according to some, 188.—Abulfedte 
Annales, vol. ii. pp. 150 and 675. 

I[ He was bom in the year of the Flight 150, and died in 235.—Idem, adnot. pp. 691 et seq.; and 
Mir .it ez-Zemdn, events of the year 235. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

225 

exclaimed, ‘ Young man, hither!’ and he seated me upon the sereer [a kind of 
sofa], and gave me thirty thousand dirhems.*” The following anecdote (which 
I abridge a little in translation) shews his excellence in the art which he professed, 
and the effect of melody on an Arab :—“After drinking with the Khaleefehf a 
whole night, I asked his permission,” says he, “ to take the air in the Rusdfeh,! 
which he granted ; and while I was walking there, I saw a damsel who appeared 
as if the rising sun beamed from her face. She had a basket, and I followed her. 
She stopped at a fruiterer’s, and bought some fruit; and observing that 1 was 
following her, she looked back and abused me several times; but still I followed 
her until she arrived at a great door, after having filled her basket with fruits and 
flowers and similar things. When she had entered, and the door was closed behind 
her, I sat down opposite to it, deprived of my reason by her beauty; and knew 
that there must be in the house a wine-party. The sun went down upon me while 
I sat there; and at length there came two handsome young men on asses, and 
they knocked at the door, and when they were admitted I entered with them; the 
master of the house thinking that I was their companion, and they imagining that 
I was one of his friends. A repast was brought, and we ate, and washed our 
hands, and were perfumed. The master of the house then said to the two young 
men, ‘Have ye any desire that I should call such a one?’ (mentioning a female 
name). They answered, ‘ If thou wilt grant us the favour, well:’—so he called for 
her, and she came, and lo, she was the maiden whom I had seen before, and who 
had abused me. A servant-maid preceded her, bearing her lute, which she placed 
in her lap. Wine was then brought, and she sang, while we drank, and shook 
with delight. 1 Whose air is that ?’ they asked. She answered, 1 Seedee 
Mukharik’s.’ She then sang another air, which, also, she said was mine; while 
they drank by pints; she looking aside and doubtfully at me until I lost my 
patience, and called out to her to do her best: but in attempting to do so, singing 
a third air, she overstrained her voice, and I said, ‘Thou hast made a mistake :’— 
upon which she threw the lute from her lap, in anger, so that she nearly broke it; 
saying, ‘Take it thyself, and let us hear thee.’ I answered, ' Well;’ and, having 
taken it and tuned it perfectly, sang the first of the airs which she had sung before 
me ; whereupon all of them sprang upon their feet, and kissed my head. I then 
sang the second air, and the third; and their reason almost fled, from ecstasy. 
The master of the house, after asking his guests, and being told by them that they 
knew me not, came to me, and, kissing my hand, said, ‘ By Allah, my master, 
who art thou ?’ I answered, ‘ By Allah, I am the singer Mukh&rik.’—‘ And for 
what purpose,’ said he, kissing both my hands, ‘earnest thou hither?’ I replied, 
‘As a spunger;’—and related what had happened with respect to the maiden: 
whereupon he looked towards his two companions, and said to them, ‘Tell me, 
by Allah, do ye not know that I gave for that girl thirty thousand dirhems, and 
have refused to sell her ?’ They answered, ‘ It is so.’ Then said he, ‘ I take you 
as witnesses that I have given her to him.’—‘And we,’ said the two friends, ‘will 
pay thee two-thirds of her price.’ So he put me in possession of the girl, and in 
the evening, when I departed, he presented me also with rich dresses and other 
gifts, with all of which I went away ; and as I passed the places where the maiden 
had abused me, I said to her, ‘Repeat thy words to me;’ hut she could not, for 

* Mir-6t ez-Zem&n, events of the year 231. He died in this year. 

t I believe this Khaleefeh was El-Ma-moon. J A quarter in Baghdad. 

VOL. I. 

G G 

XOTKS TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

22G 

shame. Holding the girl’s hand, I went with her immediately to the Khaleefeh, 
whom I found in anger at my long absence ; but when I related my story to him 
he was surprised, and laughed, and ordered that the master of the house and his 
two friends should be brought before him, that he might requite them: to the 
former he gave forty thousand dirhems; to each of his two friends, thirty thousand; 
and to me, a hundred thousand; and I kissed his feet, and departed.”* 

It is particularly necessary for the Arab musician, that he have a retentive 
memory, well stocked with choice pieces of poetry, and with facetious or pleasant 
anecdotes, interspersed with songs; and that he have a ready wit, aided by 
dramatic talent, to employ these materials with good effect. If, to such qualifi¬ 
cations, he adds fair attainments in the difficult rules of grammar, a degree of 
eloquence, comic humour, and good temper, and is not surpassed by many in his 
art, he is sure to be a general favourite. Very few Muslims of the higher classes 
have condescended to study music, because they would have been despised by 
their inferiors for doing so; or because they themselves have despised or con¬ 
demned the art. Ibraheem, the son of the Khaleefeh El-Mahdee, and competitor 
of El-Ma-moon, was a remarkable exception : he is said to have been an excellent 
musician, and a good singer. 

In the houses of the wealthy, the vocal and instrumental performers were 
usually (as is the case in many houses in the present age) domestic female slaves, 
well instructed in their art by hired male or female professors. In the work 
before us, these slaves are commonly described as standing or sitting unveiled in 
the presence of male guests; but, from several descriptions of musical entertain¬ 
ments that I have met with in Arabic works, it appears that, according to the 
more approved custom in respectable society, they were concealed on such occa¬ 
sions behind a curtain, which generally closed the front of an elevated recess. 
In all the houses of wealthy Arabs that I have entered, one or each of the larger 
saloons has an elevated closet, the front of which is closed by a screen of wooden 
lattice-work, to serve as an orchestra for the domestic or hired female singers and 
instrumental performers. Of the hired performers, any further mention is not 
here required; but of the slaves and free ladies who supplied their place, a few 
words must he added, as very necessary to illustrate the preceding and many other 
tales in this work. 

To a person acquainted with modem Arabian manners, it must appear incon¬ 
sistent with truth to describe such females as exposing their faces before strange 
men, unless he can discover in sober histories some evidence of their having been 
less strict in this respect than the generality of Arab females at the present period. 
I find, however, a remarkable proof that such was the case in the latter part of 
the ninth century of the Flight, and the beginning of the tenth: that is, about the 
end of the fifteenth century of our era. The famous historian Es-Suyootee, who 
flourished at this period, in his preface to a curious work on wedlock, written to 
correct the corrupt manners of his age, says:—“ Seeing that the women of this 
time deck themselves with the attire of prostitutes, and walk in the sooks (or 
market-streets), like female warriours against the religion, and uncover their faces 
and hands before men, to incline [men’s] hearts to them by evil suggestions, and 
play at feasts with young men, thereby meriting the anger of the Compassionate 

* Halbet cl-Kumeyt, chap. vii. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

227 

[i. c. God], and go forth to the public baths and assemblies, with various kinds of 
ornaments and perfumes, and with conceited gait; for the which they shall be 
congregated in Hell-fire, for opposing the good, and on account of this their 
affected gait, while to their husbands they are disobedient, behaving to them in 
the reverse manner, excepting when they fear to abridge their liberty of going 
abroad by such conduct; for they are like swine and apes in their interior nature, 
though like daughters of Adam in their exterior appearance ; especially the 
women of tins age; not advising their husbands in matters of religion, but the 
latter erring in permitting them to go out to every assembly; sisters of devils 

and demons, &c. &c.I have undertaken the composition of this volume.”* 

A more convincing testimony than this, I think, cannot be required. 

The lute (el-’ood) is the only instrument that is generally described as used at 
the entertainments which we have been considering. Engravings of this and 
other musical instruments are given in my work on the Modern Egyptians. The 
Arab viol (called rabab) was commonly used by inferior performers. 

The Arab music is generally of a soft and plaintive character, and particularly 
that of the most refined description, which is distinguished by a remarkable 
peculiarity, the division of tones into thirds. The singer aims at distinct enun¬ 
ciation of the words, for this is justly admired; and delights in a trilling 
style. The airs of songs are commonly very short and simple, adapted to a single 
verse, or even to a single hemistich; but in the instrumental music there is more 
variety. 

Note 23. 

This is often said to a person whose presence is disagreeable to his companions. 

Note 24.— On the Kalenderees. 

In the old translation, these three strangers are called “Calenders; ” that is, 
“ Kalendereesbut in the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, and 
the edition of Breslau, they are designated as “ Karendelees,” “ miserable or 
ridiculous beggars;" and in that of Cairo, the term applied to them is “ sa’aleek,” 
or, simply, “ paupers,” or “ mendicants.” Some may suppose the right reading to 
be “ Kalenderees;” for it was a custom of this order of Darweeshes to shave 
their beards: they were forbidden to do so in the year of the Flight 761, f by 
the Sul tin of Egypt (El-Melik en-Ndsir El-Hasan) ; but whether they afterwards 
reverted to this habit, I do not know. The order of the Kalenderees, however, 
was not founded until about the commencement of the fifth-century of the Flight, J 
a period long posterior to that to which the tale relates. 

Note 25. 

In the edition of Cairo, they are said to have arrived from Greece. 

Note 26.— On the Persian Harp. 

This instrument is called in Arabic, “junk,” from the Persian “chang.” It 
has almost fallen into disuse, and I have never seen it: I am enabled, however, 
to give two sketches of its form through the kindness of the Right Honourable Sir 

• Nuzliet el-Mutaammil wa-Murahid el-Mutaahliil. 

t El-Makreezee, in De Sacy’s Chrestomathie Arabe, tome i. p. 2435, 2mle ed. 

J Ibid. 

228 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

Gore Ouseley, who has favoured me with drawings of it made from two of the 
most satisfactory representations of it in his rich collection of Oriental MSS.; 
the first, about 350 years old ; the second, 410. The number of strings, he informs 
me, vary from 20 to 27. 

Note 27.— On the Title and Office of Khaleefeh. 

As most of our best authors on Oriental subjects have for some years past 
deviated from our old general mode of writing this title, substituting (for “ Ca¬ 
liph”) “Khalif, ” “ Khalifah,” &c., I have taken the same liberty. It cannot 
be correctly written, at the same time congenially with our language and with its 
orthography in Arabic characters, otherwise than “Khaleefeh” or “ Khaleefah;” 
and of these two modes I adopt the one which agrees with the manner in which 
the title is most generally pronounced by the Arabs. The meaning of this title 
is “ Successor,” or “ Vicar; ” and it was originally given to the universal sovereigns 
of the Muslim Arabs, as signifying “ Successor of the Prophet; ” but afterwards, 
in a more exalted sense, as “ Vicar of God: ” the Khaleefeh being the head of 
the religion as well as the supreme political governor, or at least arrogating to 
himself the right to possess such supremacy, throughout the whole Mpslim world. 

Note 28. 

The stories in which this justly celebrated man is mentioned will, I think, be 
more agreeable to those readers who are unacquainted with his history, of which, 
therefore, I say nothing. 

Note 29. 

Mesroor was a black eunuch, and a favourite servant of Er-Raslieed. The 
name signifies “ happy.” 

Note 30. 

“ Tabareeyeh ” is the modern name of Tiberias. 

Note 31.— Description of Kh4ns, or Wekdlehs. 

A Khan is a building chiefly designed for the accommodation of merchants, 
and for the reception of their goods. In Egypt, a building of this kind is gene¬ 
rally called a Wekdleh. I have described it, in a former work, as surrounding a 
square or oblong court, and having, on the ground-floor, vaulted magazines for 
merchandise, which face the court, and are sometimes used as shops. Above 
these are generally lodgings, which are entered from a gallery extending along 
each of the four sides of the court; or, in the place of these lodgings, there arc 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

229 

other magazines: and in many khdns or wek&lehs which have apartments 
designed as lodgings, these apartments are used as magazines. In general, the 
building has only one common entrance; the door of which is closed at night, 
and kept hy a porter. 

Note 32. 

It is customary for a guest or visitor to ask permission of the host, or master 
of the house, before taking his departure. A common form of speech used on this 
occasion is, “ With your permission, I rise.” 

Note 33. 

Many Muslims perform the pilgrimage with the view of expiating their 
offences, and, at the Kaabeh, or at the tomb of the Prophet, make a vow to 
abstain from any glaring infringement of the law of which they may before have 
been guilty. 

Note 34. 

I learn, from a marginal note in my copy of the original, by the sheykh 
Mohammad Et-Tantawee, that these verses are the composition of Ibn Salil El- 
Ishbeelee. Three concluding verses of the same ode, and a second poetical 
quotation immediately following, I have passed over. 

Note 35. 

In the original there are some errors in this part of the story, which the sequel 
requires me to correct. The cateress is described as having sung three successive 
songs, accompanying them with her lute. After the first song, the mistress of the 
house is said to have been affected in the manner described in the translation, and 
to have exposed to view the marks of beating. The second lady (namely, the 
portress) is represented as similarly excited by the second song; and the third 
lady (the cateress herself), by the third song. The last is also said to have ex¬ 
hibited upon her person those marks which, as the sequel shews, were borne by 
the second. 

Note 36. 

The “mikra’ah,” vulgarly called “ makra’ah,” is a portion of the thicker end 
of a palm-branch stripped of the leaves. It is often used to beat a person in 
sport; but in this case, two or three splits are usually made in the thicker part of 
it, to increase the sound of the blows. 

Note 37. 

In the original, “ the portress.” See Note 35, above. 

Note 38. 

Perhaps it is needless to explain that the wish here expressed, for a protractive 
trial on the day of judgment, is occasioned hy the longing for reunion, and the 
fear of separation after that day. The Muslims usually pray for an easy (and, 
consequently, a short) reckoning. 

Note 39. 

I have omitted the third song of the cateress, and the description of its effects, 
mentioned in Note 35. 

230 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

Note 40. 

See Note 47 to Chapter II. 

Note 41. 

It seems to be implied, that the lady discovered her guests, notwithstanding 
their disguise, to be persons of rank. 

Note 42. 

I read “ fukaraii aajam ” for “ fukar6u-l-hojjdm : ” the former, carelessly 
written (in Arabic characters), might easily be mistaken for the latter. 

Note 43. 

I suppose this expression to allude to the mode of obeisance performed by 
touching the head with the right hand. 

Note 44. 

The burial-grounds of eastern cities are generally so extensive, that, with the 
varied structures which they contain, they may aptly be called “ Cities of the 
dead.” It was with difficulty that I recognised the tomb of the lamented Burck- 
hardt, in the great cemetery on the north of Cairo, even after I had carefully 
noticed its place on a former visit. 

Note 45. 

I have ventured to make a slight alteration here; but it is one which does not 
in the least affect the consistency of the tale. Marriage with a foster-sister is as 
expressly forbidden by the Mohammadan law as that with a natural sister. 

Note 46. 

“ The Truth ” is one of the ninety-nine names or epithets of God. 

Note 47. 

Many an Arab would rather risk the loss of his head than part with his beard; 
for the latter is regarded by almost all Muslims with a superstitious respect; and 
to shave it off, at least after it has been suffered to grow for many days, they 
consider as sinful: this, however, is sometimes done by religious mendicants, as 
it is also by some of those persons who seek, or enjoy, the reputation of sanctity, 
and who are, or pretend to be, insane. 

Note 48. 

By “the seven traditions,” more commonly termed “the seven readings,” we 
are to understand the seven celebrated editions of the Kur-an, which were 
written in early times in accordance with different traditions. These vary in little 
excepting in the divisions and number of the verses : all being said to agree in the 
number of words, and even of letters. 

Note 49. 

Astrology (not astronomy) is here meant. Though a forbidden science, it is 
studied by many Muslims. 

NOTKS TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

2,‘il 

Note 50. 

A misplaced diacritical point occasions a wrong reading here, in the original, 
which 1 have corrected. 

Note 51. 

The Mohammadan law requires that every man be acquainted with some art 
or occupation by which he may, in case of necessity, at least be able to obtain the 
means of supporting himself and such of his family as are dependant upon him, 
and of fulfilling all his religious as well as moral duties. Hence it has been a 
common custom of Muslim princes, in every age, to learn some useful art; and 
many of them have distinguished themselves by displaying exquisite skill in the 
work of their hands, and especially in caligraphy, of which the Orientals in general 
are great admirers. 

Note 52. 

The 'Efreet (as we are told in some editions of the original) had taken this 
lady against the consent of his family, and therefore could not more frequently 
visit her. 

Note 53. 

The term “ kubbeh ” is often applied to a closet or small chamber adjoining a 
saloon; and in this sense it appears to be here used. 

Note 54. — On Sherbets. 

The Arabs have various kinds of sherbets, or sweet drinks ; the most common 
of which is merely sugar and water, made very sweet. The most esteemed kind 
is prepared from a hard conserve of violets, made by pounding violet-flowers, and 
then boiling them with sugar. Other kinds are prepared from conserves of fruits, 
&c. The sherbet is served in covered glass cups, containing from two-thirds to 
three-quarters of an English pint; the same which I have described in a former 
note as used for wine. These are placed on a round tray, and covered with a 
round piece of embroidered silk, or cloth of gold; and on the right arm of the 
person who presents the sherbet, is hung a long napkin with a deep embroidered 
border of gold and coloured silks at each end, which is ostensibly offered for the 
purpose of wiping the lips after drinking, though the lips are seldom or scarcely 
touched with it. 

Note 55. 

The Arabs are very fond of having their feet, and especially the soles, slowly 
rabbed with the hand; and this operation, which is one of the services commonly 
required of a wife or female slave, is a usual mode of waking a person. 

Note 56. 

Here, and again in the same and a subsequent sentence, for “ kheiyateen," 
I read “ hatt&been.” In the Breslau edition, “ khattdbeen ” is put for the latter. 
The right reading is obvious. 

Note 57. 

Falsehood was commended by the Prophet when it tended to reconcile persons 
at enmity with each other, and when practised in order to please one’s wife, or to 

232 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

obtain any advantage in a war with infidels, though strongly reprobated in other 
cases. 

Note 58. 

Four verses here inserted in the original appear to me to be a corruption of 
a couplet which better expresses the same meaning, and which I have therefore 
translated in the place of the former. As the lines to which I allude are parti¬ 
cularly pleasing, I may perhaps be excused if I here introduce the original words, 
which are as follow :— 

“ Ishdratuna fi-l-hobbi remzu ’oyoonina: wa-kullu lebeebin bi-l-ishirati 
yefhamu 

Hawdjibuna tekdi-l-hawfiija beynena: fa-nahnu sukootun wa-l-hawa yete- 
kellemu.” 

Note 59. 

This is not meant to disparage the individual lady here mentioned, but is a 
saying of the Prophet applied to the sex in general. 

Note 60. 

In the edition of Cairo, this story is omitted. I translate it from the Calcutta 
edition of the first two hundred nights, 

Note 61. 

“Fakeer” (which signifies “poor,” and is particularly used in the sense of 
“poor in the sight of God,” or rather, “in need of the mercy of God”) is an 
appellation commonly given to poor persons who especially occupy themselves in 
religious exercises. 

Note 62. 

The performances called “ zikrs ” will he briefly described towards the close of 
the next note. 

Note 63. —On Muslim Saints, or Devotees. 

The tale of the envied sheykh, and several other stories in this work, require 
that the reader should be acquainted with the remarkable opinions which the Arabs 
entertain with respect to the offices and supernatural powers of their saints. Such 
matters form an important part of the mysteries of the Darweeshes, and are but 
imperfectly known to the generality of Muslims. 

The distinguished individuals above mentioned are known by the common 
appellation of “ Welees,” or particular favourites of God. The more eminent 
among them compose a mysterious hierarchical body, whose government respects 
the whole human race, infidels as well as believers; but whose power is often 
exercised in such a manner that the subjects influenced by it know not from what 
person or persons its effects proceed. The general governor or coryphams of 
these holy beings is commonly called the “Kutb,” which literally signifies a 
“pole,” or an “axis,” and is metaphorically used to signify a “chief,” either in 
a civil or political, or in a spiritual sense. The Kutb of the saints is distinguished 
by other appellations: he is called “ Kutb el-Gh6s,” or “- el-Gh6th (the 

NOTES TO CHATTER THIRD. 

233 

Kutb of Invocation for Help), &c.; and simply, “ El-Ghos.” * The orders under 
the rule of this chief are called “ 'Omud (or Owtad), Akhydr, Abddl, Nujaba, 
and Nukaba: I name them according to their precedence.! Perhaps to these 
should be added an inferior order called “ As-hdb ed-Darak,” i. e. “ Watchmen,” 
or “Overseers." The members are not known as such to their inferior, unen¬ 
lightened fellow-creatures; and are often invisible to them. This is more fre¬ 
quently the case with the Kutb, who, though generally stationed at Mekkeh, on 
the roof of the Kaabeh, is never visible there, nor at any of his other favourite 
stations or places of resort; yet his voice is often heal’d at these places. Whenever 
he and the saints under his authority mingle among ordinary men, they are not 
distinguished by a dignified appearance, but are always humbly clad. These, and 
even inferior saints, are said to perform astonishing miracles, such as flying in the 
air, passing unhurt through fire, swallowing fire, glass, &c., walking upon water, 
transporting themselves in a moment of time to immense distances, supplying 
themselves and others with food in desert places. Their supernatural power they 
are supposed to obtain by a life of the most exalted piety, and especially by 
constant self-denial, accompanied with the most implicit reliance upon God, by 
the services of good genii, and, as many believe, by the knowledge and utterance 
of “ the most great name ” of God. A miracle performed by a saint is distin¬ 
guished by the term “karameh” from one performed by a prophet, which is 
called “ moajizeh.” 

El-Khidr and Ily&s (or Elias), of whom I have before had occasion to speak, 
are both believed to have been Kutbs, and the latter is called in the Kur-in an 
apostle; but it is disputed whether the former was a prophet or merely a welee. 
Both are said to have drunk of the Fountain of Life, and to be in consequence still 
living; and Ilyds is commonly believed to invest the successive Kutbs. The 
similarity of the miracles ascribed to the Kutbs, and those performed by Elias or 
Elijah, I have remarked in a former work. Another miracle, reminding us of 
the mantle of Elijah in the hands of his successor, may here be mentioned.—A 
saint who was the Kutb of his time, dying at Toonus (or Tunis), left his clothes 
in trust to his attendant, Mohammad El-Ashwam, a native of the neighbouring 
regency of Tripoli (now called Tardbulus), who desired to sell these relics, but was 
counselled to retain them, and accordingly, though high prices were bidden for 
them, made them his own by purchase. As soon as they became his property, he 
was affected, we are told, with a divine ecstacy, and endowed with miraculous 
powers.^ 

* D’Ohsson (tome i. pp. 815 and 316) asserts the Kutb to be the chief minister of the Gh6s; and 
gives an account somewhat different from that which I offer of the orders under his authority: but 
perhaps the Turkish Darweeshes differ from the Arab in their tenets on this subject. 

t It Is said that H the Nujaba are three hundred; the Nujaba, seventy; the Abd&l, forty; the 
Akhyiir, seven; the ’Omud, four; the Gh6s (as before mentioned], is one. The Nukaba reside in 
El-Gharb [Northern Africa to the west of Egypt]; the Nujaba, in Egypt; the Abdil, in Syria; the 
Akhy&r travel about the earth; the ’Omud, in the corners of the earth; the abode of the Ghds is at 
Mekkeh. In an affair of need, the Nukaba implore relief for the people; then, the Nujaba; then, the 
A lx; a!; then, the Akhyar; then, the 'Omud; and if their prayer be not answered, the Gh6s implores, 
and his prayer is answered.” (El-Is-h41$ ee ’ s History, preface.)—This statement, I find, rests on the 
authority of a famous saint of Baghdad, Aboo Bekr El-KettOnee, who died at Mekkeh, in the year of 
the Flight 322. (Mir-.it ez-Zemkn, events of the year above mentioned.) 

t El-Jabartee's History of Modern Egypt, vol. ii., obituary of the year 1201 (MS. in my pos¬ 
session).—The appellation of “ the four Kutbs" is given in Egypt to the seyyid Ahmad K ifa'ak, the 
seyyid 'Abd El-Kddir El-Geeldnee, the seyyid Ahmad El-Bedawee, and the seyyid Ibraheem Ed- 
Desooljee, the founders of the four orders of darweeshes most celebrated among the Arabs, called 
Riffi’eeyeh, Kadireeyeh, Ahmedeeveh, and Bardhimeh. 

tor., r. 

ri h 

234 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

Innumerable miracles are related to have been performed by Muslim saints, 
and large volumes are filled with the histories of their wonderful lives. The 
author of the work from which the above story is taken, mentions, as a fact to be 
relied on, in an account of one of his ancestors, that, his lamp happening to go 
out one night while he was reading alone in the riw&k of the Jabart (of which he 
was the sheykh), in the great mosque El-Azhar, the forefinger of his right hand 
emitted a light which enabled him to continue his reading until his nakeeb had 
trimmed and lighted another lamp.» 

From many stories of a similar kind that I have read, I select the following 
as a fair specimen : it is related by a very celebrated saint, Ibraheem El-Khowwfis. 
—“ I entered the desert [on pilgrimage to Mekkeh from El-’Er&k], and there 
joined me a man having a belt round his waist, and I said, ‘ Who art thou? ’—He 
answered, ‘A Christian; and I desire thy company.’ We walked together for 
seven days, eating nothing; after which he said to me, ‘ O monk of the Muslims, 
produce what thou hast in the way of refreshment; for we are hungry: ’ so I 
said, ‘ O my God, disgrace me not before this infidel: ’ and lo, a tray, upon which 
were bread and broiled meat and fresh dates and a mug of water. We ate, and 
continued our journey seven days more; and I then said to him, ‘O monk of the 
Christians, produce what thou hast in the way of refreshment; for the turn is 
come to thee: ’ whereupon he leaned upon his staff, and prayed; and lo, two 
trays, containing double that which was on my tray. I was confounded, and 
refused to eat: he urged me, saying, ‘Eat;’ but I did it not. Then said he, 

‘ Be glad; for I give thee two pieces of good news: one of them is, that I testify 
that there is no deity but God, and that Mohammad is God’s Apostle : the other, 
that I said, O God, if there be worth in this servant, supply me with two trays:— 
so this is through thy blessing.’ We ate, and the man put on the dress of pil¬ 
grimage, and so entered Mekkeh, where he remained with me a year as a student; 
after which he died, and I buried him in [the cemetery] El-Maala.” “And 
God,” says the author from whom I take this story, “is all-knowing: ” i.e. He 
alone knoweth whether it be strictly true : but this is often added to the narration 
of traditions resting upon high authority, f—The saint above mentioned was called 
“ El-Khowwis ” (or the maker of palm-leaf baskets, &c.) from the following 
circumstance, related by himself.—“I used,” said he, “to go out of the town 
[Er-Rei] and sit by a river on the banks of which was abundance of palm-leaves; 
and it occurred to my mind to make every day five baskets [kuffehs], and to throw 
them into the river, for my amusement, as if I were obliged to do so. My time 
was so passed for many days: at length, one day, I thought I would walk after 
the baskets, and see whither they had gone: so I proceeded awhile along the 
bank of the river, and found an old woman sitting sorrowful. On that day I had 
made nothing. I said to her, ‘Wherefore do I see thee sorrowful?’ She an¬ 
swered, ‘ I am a widow: my husband died leaving five daughters, and nothing 
to maintain them ; and it is my custom to repair every day to this river, and there 
come to me, upon the surface of the water, five baskets, which I sell, and by 
means of them I procure food; but to-day they have not come, and I know not 
what to do.’ Upon hearing this, I raised my head towards heaved, and said, ‘O 
my God, had I known that I had more than five children to maintain, I had 

* El-Jabartee's History, vol. i., obituary of the year 1188. 
t Mir-At ez-Zem£n, events of the year 291. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

235 

laboured more diligently.’ ” He then took the old woman to his house, and gave 
her money and flour, and said to her, “ Whenever thou wantest anything, come 
hither and take what may suffice you.” * 

An irresistible influence has often been exercised over the minds of princes 
and other great men by reputed saints. Many a Muslim Monarch has thus been 
incited (as the Kings of Christendom were by Peter the Hermit) to undertake 
religious wars, or urged to acts of piety and charity; or restrained from tyranny 
by threats of Divine vengeance to be called down upon his head by the impreca¬ 
tions of a welee. ’Alee, the favourite son of the Khaleefeh El-Ma-moon, was 
induced, for the sake of religion, to flee from the splendour and luxuries of his 
father’s court, and, after the example of a self-denying devotee, to pass his life as 
a porter, in a state of the most abject poverty, at El-Basrah, fasting all the day, 
remaining without sleep at night in a mosque, and walking barefooted, until, 
under an accumulation of severe sufferings, he prematurely ended his days, dying 
on a mat. The honours which he refused to receive in life were paid to him after 
his death : his rank being discovered by a paper which he left, his corpse was 
anointed with camphor and musk and aloes, wrapped in fine linen of Egypt, and 
so sent to his distressed father at Baghdad, f 

Self-denial I have before mentioned as one of the most important means by 
which to attain the dignity of a welee. A very famous saint, Esh-Shiblee, is 
said to have received from his father an inheritance of sixty millions of deendrs 
(a sum incredible, and probably a mistake for sixty thousand, or for sixty million 
dirhems), besides landed property, and to have expended it all in charity: also, 
to have thrown into the Tigris seventy hundred-weight of books, written by his 
own hand during a period of twenty years. J 

Sh&h El-Karmanee, another celebrated saint, had a beautiful daughter, whom 
the Sultan of his country sought in marriage. The holy man required three days 
to consider his sovereign’s proposal, and in the mean time visited several mosques, 
in one of which he saw a young man humbly occupied in prayer. Having waited 
till he had finished, he accosted him, saying, “ My son, hast thou a wife ? ” Being 
answered, “No,” he said, “I have a maiden, a virtuous devotee, who hath 
learned the whole of the Kur-fin, and is amply endowed with beauty. Dost thou 
desire her?”—“Who,” said the young man, “will marry me to such a one as 
thou hast described, when I possess no more than three dirhems ? ”—“ I will 
marry thee to her,” answered the saint: “ she is my daughter, and I am Shfih the 
son of Shuj&a El-Karmanee : give me the dirhems that thou hast, that I may buy 
a dirhem’s worth of bread, and a dirhem’s worth of something savoury, and a 
dirhem’s worth of perfume.” The marriage-contract was performed; but when 
the bride came to the young man, she saw a stale cake of bread placed upon the 
top of his mug; upon which she put on her izdr, and went out. Her husband 
said, “ Now I perceive that the daughter of Sh&h El-Karmanee is displeased 
with my poverty.” She answered, “ I did not withdraw from fear of poverty, 
but on account of the weakness of thy faith, seeing how thou layest by a cake of 
bread for the morrow.” § 

One of my friends in Cairo, Abu-1- K&sim of Geelan, mentioned in a former 
note, entertained me with a long relation of the mortifications and other means 

* Mir-6t ez-ZemAn, events of tlie year 291. 
t Idem, events of the year 334. 

f Same work, events of the year 218. 

§ Nuzliet el-Mutaammil, &c., section 4. 

23 6 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

which he employed to attain the rank of a welee. These were chiefly self-denial 
and a perfect reliance upon Providence. He left his home in a state of voluntary 
destitution and complete nudity, to travel through Persia and the surrounding 
countries, and yet more distant regions if necessary, in search of a spiritual guide. 
For many days he avoided the habitations of men, fasting from daybreak till 
sunset, and then eating nothing but a little grass or a few leaves or wild 
fruits, till by degrees he habituated himself to almost total abstinence from every 
kind of nourishment. His feet, at first blistered, and cut by sharp stones, soon 
became callous; and in proportion to his reduction of food, his frame, contrary to 
the common course of nature, became (according to his own account) more stout 
and lusty. Bronzed by the sun, and with his black hair hanging over his 
shoulders (for he had abjured the use of the razor), he presented, in his nudity, 
a wild and frightful appearance ; and, on his first approaching a town, was sur¬ 
rounded and pelted by a crowd of boys ; he therefore retreated, and, after the 
example of our first parents, made himself a partial covering of leaves; and this 
he always after did on similar occasions; never remaining long enough in a town 
for his leafy apron to wither. The abodes of mankind he always passed at a 
distance, excepting when several days’ fast, while traversing an arid desert, com¬ 
pelled him to obtain a morsel of bread or a cup of water from the hand of some 
charitable fellow-creature. One thing that he particularly dreaded was, to receive 
relief from a sinful man, or from a demon in the human form. In passing over 
a parched and desolate tract, where for three days he had found nothing to eat, 
not even a blade of grass, nor a spring from which to refresh his tongue, he 
became overpowered with thirst, and prayed that God would send him a mes¬ 
senger with a pitcher of water. “ But,” said he, “ let the water be in a green 
Baghdadee pitcher, that I may know it to be from Thee, and not from the Devil; 
and when I ask the bearer to give me to drink, let him pour it over my head, that 
I may not too much gratify my carnal desire."—“ I looked behind me,” he con¬ 
tinued, “ and saw a man bearing a green Baghdadee pitcher of water, and said 
to him, ‘ Give me to drink; ’ and he came up to me, and poured the contents 
over my head, and departed 1 By Allah it was so 1 ”—Rejoicing in this miracle, 
as a proof of his having attained to a degree of wilayeh (or saintship), and re¬ 
freshed by the water, he continued his way over the desert, more firm than ever 
in his course of self-denial, which, though imperfectly followed, had been the 
means of his being thus distinguished. But the burning thirst returned shortly 
after, and he felt himself at the point of sinking under it, when he beheld before 
him a high hill, with a rivulet running by its base. To the summit of this hill 
he determined to ascend, by way of mortification, before he would taste the 
water, and this point, with much difficulty, he reached at the close of day. Here 
standing, he saw approaching, below, a troop of horsemen, who paused at the 
foot of the hill, when their chief, who was foremost, called out to him by name, 
“ O Abu-l-Kasim ! O Geelanee! Come down and drink! ’’—but, persuaded by this 
that he was Iblees with a troop of his sons, the evil Genii, he withstood the 
temptation, and remained stationary until the deceiver with his attendants had 
passed on, and were out of sight. The sun had then set; his thirst had somewhat 
abated; and he only drank a few drops. Continuing his wanderings in the 
desert, he found, upon a pebbly plain, an old man with a long white beard, who 
accosted him, asking of what he was in search. “ I am seeking, he an¬ 
swered, (t a spiritual guide; and my heart tells me that thou art the guide I 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

237 

seek.” “ My son," said the old man, “thou seest yonder a saint's tomb : it is a 
place where prayer is answered: go thither, enter it, and seat thyself; neither 
eat nor drink nor sleep; but occupy thyself solely, day and night, in repeating 
silently, ‘Li ilaha illa-ll&h’ (There is no deity but God); and let not any living 
creature see thy lips move in doing so ; for among the peculiar virtues of these 
words is this, that they may be uttered without any motion of the lips. Go, and 
peace be on thee!”—“Accordingly,” said my friend, “I went thither. It was 
a small square building, crowned by a cupola; and the door was open. I entered, 
and seated myself, facing the niche, and the oblong monument over the grave. It 
was evening, and I commenced my silent professions of the unity, as directed by 
my guide ; and at dusk I saw a white figure seated beside me, as if assisting in 
my devotional task. I stretched forth my hand to touch it; but found that it was 
not a material substance ; yet there it was: I saw it distinctly. Encouraged by 
this vision, I continued my task for three nights and days without intermission, 
neither eating nor drinking, yet increasing in strength both of body and of spirit; 
and on the third day, I saw written upon the whitewashed walls of the tomb, and 
on the ground, and in the air, wherever I turned my eyes, ‘ La ilaha illa-Mh; ’ 
and whenever a fly entered the tomb, it formed these words in its flight. By 
Allah it was so ! My object was now fully attained : I felt myself endowed with 
supernatural knowledge : thoughts of my friends and acquaintances troubled me 
not; but I knew where each one of them was, in Persia, India, Arabia, and 
Turkey, and what each was doing. I experienced an indescribable happiness. 
This state lasted several years; but at length I was insensibly enticed back to 
worldly objects : I came to this country; my fame as a caligraphist drew me into 
the service of the government; and now see what I am, decked with pelisses and 
shawls, and with this thing [a diamond order] on my breast; too old, I fear, to 
undergo again the self-denial necessary to restore me to true happiness, though I 
have almost resolved to make the attempt.”—Soon after this conversation, he was 
deprived of his oflice, and died of the plague. He was well known to have passed 
several years as a wandering devotee; and his sufferings, combined with enthu¬ 
siasm, perhaps disordered his imagination, and made him believe that he really 
saw the strange sights which he described to me ; for there was an appearance of 
earnestness and sincerity in his manner, such as I thought could hardly be 
assumed by a conscious impostor. 

Insanity, however, if not of a very violent and dangerous nature, is commonly 
regarded by Muslims as a quality that entitles the subject of it to be esteemed as 
a saint; being supposed to be the abstraction of the mind from worldly affairs, 
and its total devotion to God. This popular superstition is a fertile source of 
imposture ; for, a reputation for sanctity being so easily obtained and supported, 
there are numbers of persons who lay claim to it from motives of indolence and 
licentiousness, eager to receive alms merely for performing the tricks of madmen, 
and greedy of indulging in pleasures forbidden by the law; such indulgences 
not being considered in their case as transgressions, but rather as indications of 
holy frenzy. From my own observation I should say that lunatics or idiots, or 
impostors, constitute the majority of the persons reputed to be saints among the 
Muslims of the present day; and most of those who are not more than slightly 
tinged with insanity are darweeshes. 

A reputed saint of this description, in Cairo, in whom persons of some 
education put great faith, affected to have a particular regard for me. He severa 

238 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

times accosted me in an abrupt manner, acquainted me with the state of my 
family in England, and uttered incoherent predictions respecting me, all of which 
communications, excepting one which he qualified with an “ in shda-llfih” (or “ if 
it be the will of God,” ) I must confess, proved to be true; but I must also state 
that he was acquainted with two of my friends who might have materially assisted 
him to frame these predictions, though they protested to me that they had not 
done so. The following extract from a journal which I kept in Cairo during my 
last visit to Egypt, will convey some idea of this person, who will serve as a picture 
of many of his fraternity.—To-day (Nov. 6th, 1834), as I was sitting in the shop 
of the Basha’s booksellers, a reputed saint, whom I have often seen here, came and 
seated himself by me, and began, in a series of abrupt sentences, to relate to me 
various matters respecting me, past, present, and to come. He is called the 
sheykh 'Alee el-Leysee. He is a poor man, supported by alms; tall and thin and 
very dark, about thirty years of age, and wears nothing at present but a blue sliirt 
and a girdle, and a padded red cap. “0 Efendee,” he said, “thou has been very 
anxious for some days. There is a grain of anxiety remaining in thee yet. 
Do not fear. There is a letter coming to thee by sea, that will bring thee 
good news.” He then proceeded to tell me of the state of my family, and that 
all were well excepting one, whom he particularized by description, and who 
he stated to be then suffering from an intermittent fever. [This proved to be 
exactly true.] “This affliction," he continued, “may be removed by prayer; 
and the excellences of the next night, the night of [i. e. preceding] the first 
Friday of the month of Regeb, of Regeb, the holy Regeb, are very great. I 
wanted to ask thee for something to-day ; but I feared: I feared greatly. Thou 
must be invested with the wil&yeh [i. e. be made a welee] : the welees love thee ; 
and the Prophet loves thee. Thou must go to the sheykh Mustafa El-Mun&dee, 
and the sheykh El-Bah&ee.* Thou must be a welee.” He then took my right 
hand, in the manner commonly practised in the ceremony which admits a person 
a darweesli, and repeated the Fat’hah;f after which he added, “I have admitted 
thee my darweesli.” Having next told me of several circumstances relating to 
my family—matters of an unusual nature—with singular minuteness and truth, 
he added, “ To-night, if it be the will of God, thou shalt see the Prophet in thy 
sleep, and El-Khidr and the seyyid El-Bedawee. This is Regeb, and I wanted 
to ask thee—but I feared—I wanted to ask of thee four piasters, to buy meat and 
bread and oil and radishes. Regeb! Regeb ! I have great offices to do for thee 
to-night.”—Less than a shilling for all he promised was little enough: I gave it 
him for the trouble he had taken; and he muttered many abrupt prayers for me. 

_j n the following night, however, I saw in my sleep neither Mohammad nor 

El-Khidr nor the seyyid El-Bedawee, unless, like Nebuchadnezzar, I was unable, 
on awaking, to remember my dreams. 

Some reputed saints of the more respectable class, to avoid public notice, wear 
the general dress and manners of their fellow-countrymen, and betray no love of 
ostentation in their acts of piety and self-denial; or live as hermits in desert 
places, depending solely upon Providence for their support, and are objects of 
pious and charitable visits from the inhabitants of near and distant places, and 
from casual travellers. Others distinguish themselves by the habit of a darweesh, 

# These are two very celebrated welees. 

f The opening chapter of the Kur-in. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

239 

or by other peculiarities, such as a long and loose coat (called dilt) composed of 
patches of cloth of various colours, long strings of beads hung upon the neck, 
a ragged turban, and a staff with shreds of cloth of different colours attached to the 
top; or obtain a reputation for miraculous powers by eating glass, fire, serpents, &c. 
Some of those who are insane, and of those who feign to be so, go about, even 
in crowded cities, in a state of perfect nudity, and are allowed to commit, with 
impunity, acts of brutal sensuality which the law, when appealed to, should punish 
with death. Such practices are forbidden by the religion and law even in the 
cases of saints; but common and deeply-rooted superstition prevents their 
punishment. During the occupation of Egypt by the French, the Commander- 
in-chief, Menou, applied to the Sheykhs (or ’Ulama) of the city for their opinion 
“ respecting those persons who were accustomed to go about in the streets in a 
state of nudity, crying out and screaming, and arrogating to themselves the 
dignity of wildyeh, relied upon as saints by the generality of the people, neither 
performing the prayers of the Muslims nor fasting,” asking whether such conduct 
was permitted by the religion, or contrary to the law. He was answered, 
“ Conduct of this description is forbidden, and repugnant to our religion and law 
and to our traditions.” The French General thanked them for this answer, and 
gave orders to prevent such practices in future, and to seize every one seen thus 
offending; if insane, to confine him in the Maristan (or hospital and lunatic 
asylum); and if not insane, to compel him either to relinquish his disgusting 
habits, or to leave the city.*—Of reputed saints of this kind, thus writes an 
enlightened poet, El-Bedree El-Hejazee :— 

“ Would that I had not lived to see every fool esteemed among men as a 
Kutb! 

Their learned men take him as a patron ; nay, even as Lord, in place of 
the Possessor of Heaven’s throne. 

Forgetting God, they say, ‘ Such a one from all mankind can remove 
affliction.’ 

When he dies, they make for him a place of visitation, and strangers and 
Arabs hurry thither in crowds: 

Some of them kiss his tomb, and some kiss the threshold of the door, and 
the very dust. 

Thus do the idolaters act towards their images, hoping so to obtain their 
favour.” 

These lines are quoted by El-Jabartee, in his account of a very celebrated modern 
saint, the seyyid ’Alee El-Bekree (events of RabeeS et-T4nee, 1214). A brief 
history of this person will not be here misplaced, as it will present a good illus¬ 
tration of the general character and actions of those insane individuals who are 
commonly regarded as saints. 

The seyyid ’Alee El-Bekree was a mejzoob (or insane person) who was consi¬ 
dered an eminent welee, and much trusted in : for several years he used to walk 
naked about the streets of Cairo, with a shaven face, bearing a long nebboot (or 
staff), and uttering confused language, which the people attentively listened to, 
and interpreted according to their desires and the exigencies of their states. He 
was a tall, spare man, and sometimes wore a shirt and a cotton skull-cap ; but he 

# El-Jabartee'a History, vol. iii., events of the month of Shaab4n, 1215 (A.D. 1800—1801). 

240 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

was generally barefooted and naked. The respect with which he was treated 
induced a woman, who was called the sheykhah Ammooneh, to imitate his 
example further than decency allowed: she followed him whithersoever he went, 
covered at first with her eezar (or large cotton veil thrown over the head and 
body), and muttering, like him, confused language. Entering private houses with 
him, she used to ascend to the hareems, and gained the faith of the women, who 
presented her with money and clothes, and spread abroad that the sheykh ('Alee) 
had looked upon her, and affected her with religious frenzy, so that she had 
become a weleeyeh, or female saint. Afterwards, becoming more insane and 
intoxicated, she uncovered her face, and put on the clothing of a man ; and thus 
attired she still accompanied the sheykh, and the two wandered about, followed by 
numbers of children and common vagabonds; some of whom also stripped off 
their clothes in imitation of the sheykh, and followed, dancing; their mad actions 
being attributed (like those of the woman) to religious frenzy, induced by his 
look or touch, which converted them into saints. The vulgar and young, who 
daily followed them, consequently increased in numbers; and some of them, in 
passing through the market-streets, snatched away goods from the shops, thus 
exciting great commotion wherever they went. When the sheykh sat down in 
any place, the crowd stopped, and the people pressed to see him and his mad 
companions. On these occasions the woman used to mount upon the mastabah of 
a shop, or ascend a hillock, and utter disgusting language, sometimes in Arabic, 
and sometimes in Turkish, while many persons among her audience would kiss 
her hands to derive a blessing. After having persevered for some time in this 
course, none preventing them, the party entered one day the lane leading from 
the principal street of the city to the house of the Kddee, and were seized by a 
Turkish officer there residing, named Jaafar K&shif, who, having brought them 
into his house, gave the sheykh some food, and drove out the spectators, retaining 
the woman and the mejzoobs: whom he placed in confinement: he then liberated 
the sheykh ’Alee, brought out the woman and the mejzoobs and beat them, sent 
the woman to the Maristdn, and there confined her, and set at large the rest, 
after they had prayed for mercy, and clothed themselves, and recovered from 
their intoxication. The woman remained awhile confined in the M&rist&n, and, 
■when liberated, lived alone as a sheykhah, believed in by men and women, and 
honoured as a saint with visits and festivals. 

The seyyid ’Alee, after he had thus been deprived of his companions and 
imitators, was constrained to lead a different kind of life. He had a cunning 
brother, who,, to turn the folly of this saint to a good account, and fill his own 
purse (seeing how great faith the people placed in him, as the Egyptians are 
prone to do in such a case), confined him in his house, and clothed him, asserting 
that he had his permission to do so, and that he had been invested with the 
dignity of Kutb. Thus he contrived to attract crowds of persons, men an 
women, to visit him. He forbade him to shave his beard, which consequently 
grew to its full size; and his body became fat and stout from abundance of 
food and rest; for, while he went about naked, he was, as before-mentioned, of a 
lean figure. During that period he used generally to pass the night wandering, 
without food, through the streets, in winter and summer. Having now servants 
to wait upon him, whether sleeping or waking, he passed his in idleness 

uttering confused and incoherent words, and sometimes aughing * nd 

scolding; and in the course of his idle loquacity he could not but let fall some 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

241 

words applicable to the affairs of some of his listening visitors, who attributed 
such expressions to his supernatural knowledge of the thoughts of their hearts, 
and interpreted them as warnings or prophecies. Men and women, and particu- 
cularly the wives of the grandees, flocked to him with presents and votive offerings, 
which enriched the coffers of his brother; and the honours which he received 
ceased not with his death. His funeral was attended by multitudes from every 
quarter. His brother buried him in the mosque of Esh-Sharaibee, in the quarter 
of the Ezbekeeyeh, made for him a maksoorah (or railed enclosure) and an 
oblong monument over the grave, and frequently repaired thither with readers of 
the Kur-An, munshids to sing odes in his honour, flag-bearers, and other persons, 
who wailed and screamed, rubbed their faces against the bars of the window 
before his grave, and caught the air of the place in their hands to thrust it 
into their bosoms and pockets. Men and women came crowding together to visit 
his tomb, bringing votive offerings and wax candles, and eatables of various kinds 
to distribute for his sake to the poor.*—The oblong monument over his grave, 
resembling a large chest, was covered, when I was in Cairo, with a black stuff 
ornamented by a line of words from the Kur-An, in white characters, surrounding 
it. A servant who accompanied me during my rides and walks used often to stop 
as we passed this tomb, and touch the wooden bars of the window above-men¬ 
tioned with his right hand, which he then kissed to obtain a blessing. 

In most cases greater honour is paid to a reputed saint after his death 
than he receives in his life. A small, square, whitewashed building, crowned 
with a dome, is generally erected as his tomb, surrounding an oblong monument 
of stone, brick, or wood, which is immediately over the sepulchral vault. At 
least one such building forms a conspicuous object close by, or within, almost every 
Arab village; for the different villages, and different quarters of every town and 
city, have their respective patron saints, whose tombs are frequently visited, and 
are the scenes of periodical festivals, generally celebrated once in every year. 
The tombs of many very eminent saints are mosques; and some of these are 
large and handsome edifices, the monument being under a large and lofty dome 
and surrounded by an enclosure of wooden railings, or of elegantly worked bronze. 
In these buildings also, and in some others, the monument is covered with silk or 
cotton stuff ornamented with words from the Kur-An, which form a band around 
it. Many buildings of the more simple kind erected in honour of saints, and 
some of the larger description, are mere cenotaphs, or cover only some relic of the 
person to whom they are dedicated. The tombs and cenotaphs or shrines of 
saints are visited by numerous persons, and on frequent occasions; most 
commonly on a particular day of the week. The object of the visitor, in general, 
is to perform some meritorious act, such as taking bread, or other food, or money, 
for the poor, or distributing water to the thirsty, on account of the saint, to 
increase his rewards in heaven, and at the same time to draw down a blessing on 
himself; or to perform a sacrifice of a sheep, goat, calf, or other animal, which 
he has vowed to offer, if blessed with some specific object of desire, or to obtain 
general blessings; or to implore the saints’ intercession in some case of need. The 
flesh of the devoted animal is given to the poor. The visitors also often take 
with them palm-branches, or sprigs of myrtle, or roses or other flowers, to lay 

• El-Jabartee’s History, vol. ii., obituary of the year 1207, and events of Rejeb, 1200'; and vol. iii,, 
events of RabeeR et-Tanee, 1214. 

VOL. I. 

242 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

upon the monument, as they do when they visit the tombs of their relations. 
The visitor walks round the monument, or its enclosure, from left to right, or with 
his left side towards it (as the pilgrims do round the Kaabeh), sometimes pausing 
to touch its four angles or corners with his right hand, which he then kisses ; and 
recites the opening chapter of the Kur-dn (the Fdt’hah) standing before one or 
each of its four sides. Some visitors repeat also the chapter of Yd-Seen (the 
36th), or employ a person to recite this, or even the whole of the Kur-dn, for hire. 
The reciter afterwards declares that he transfers the merit of this work to the soul 
of the deceased saint. Any private petition the visitor offers up on his own 
account, imploring a favourable answer for the sake of the saint, or through his 
intercession; holding his hands before his face like an open hook, and then 
drawing them down his face. Many a visitor, on entering the tomb, kisses the 
threshold, or touches it with his right hand, which he then kisses; and, on 
passing by it, persons often touch the window, and kiss the hand thus honoured. 

The great periodical or annual festivals are observed with additional ceremonies, 
and by crowds of visitors. These are called Moolids (more properly Molids); 
and are held on the anniversary of the birth of the saint, or in commemoration of 
that event. Persons are then hired to recite the Kur-dn in and near the tomb, 
during the day; and others, chiefly darweeshes, employ themselves during the 
night in performing zikrs, which consist in repeating the name of God, or the 
profession of his unity, &c., in chorus, accompanying the words by certain motions 
of the head, hands, or whole body; munshids, at intervals, singing religious odes 
or love songs during these performances, to the accompaniment of a ndy, which is 
a kind of flute, or the arghool, which is a double reed-pipe. These moolids are 
scenes of rejoicing and of traffic, which men and boys and girls attend, to eat 
sweetmeats, and drink coffee and sherbets, or to amuse themselves with swinging, 
or toning on a whirligig, or witnessing the feats of conjurers, or the performances % 
of dancers; and to which tradesmen repair to sell or barter their goods. The 
visitors to the great moolids of the seyyid Ahmad El-Bedawee, at Tanta, in the 
Delta of Egypt, which are great fairs as well as religious festivals, are almost as 
numerous as the pilgrims at Mekkeh. During a moolid, the inhabitants of the 
houses in the neighbourhood of the tomb hang lamps before their houses, and 
spend a great part of the night listening to the story-tellers at the coffee-shops, 
or attending the zikrs. 

These latter performances, though so common among the Arabs, are incon¬ 
sistent with the spirit of the Mohammadan religion, and especially with respect 
to music, which was not employed in religious ceremonies until after the second 
century of the Flight. The Imdm Aboo Bekr Et-Toosee, being asked whether it 
were lawful or not to he present with people who assembled in a certain place, 
and read a portion of the Kur-dn; and, after a munshid had recited some poetry', 
would dance, and become excited, and play upon tambourines and pipes,— 
answered, that such practices were vain, ignorant and erroneous, not ordained by 
the Kur-dn or the Traditions of the Prophet, but invented by those Israelites who 
worshipped the Golden Calf; that the Prophet and his companions used to sit 
so quietly that a bird might alight upon the head of any one of them and not be 
disturbed; that it was incumbent on the Sultdn and his vicegerents to prevent 
such persons from entering the mosques and other places for these purposes; and 
that no one who believed in God and the Last Day should be present with them 
or assist them in their vain performances: such, he asserted, was the opinion o 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 243 

the Imams of the Muslims.* Some eminent doctors, however, have contended 
for the lawfulness of these practices.! 

Of the various orders of darweeshes, to which so many of the reputed saints 
belong, it is unnecessary here to say more than that they differ chiefly in unim¬ 
portant regulations and rites, such as particular forms of prayer, and modes of 
zikr; that some distinguish themselves by peculiar dresses ; and that a few pursue 
a wandering life, and subsist on alms. 

Note 64. 

The reason of this strange proceeding is not stated in the Cairo edition, but it 
is in the two other editions which I have before me. 

Note 65. 

Arab etiquette requires that a person should sit upon his knees and feet in the 
presence of one of much higher rank, or of one to whom he would pay especial 
honour. He should also, in these cases, cover his hands with his sleeves. 

Note 66. 

Kun&feh is a kind of pastry resembling vermicelli, made of wheat-flour. It is 
boiled, and sweetened with honey or sugar. 

Note 67. 

Chess is played somewhat differently in different parts of the East. The pieces 
are generally of very simple forms, as the Muslim is forbidden by his religion to 
make an image of any thing that has life. 

Note 68. 

In my original, and in the Breslau edition, the ape is said to have been the 
son of the King of the Ebony Islands ; but this is a mistake; for the latter, as 
before stated, was the father of the lady who was carried off by Jaijarees. 

Note 69. 

The term “ leewan” has been explained in No. 12 of the notes to this chapter. 

Note 70. 

This was, and I believe still is, a common battle-cry of the Arabs, and more 
commonly used on the occasion of a victory. 

Note 71. 

“D&r es-Seldm,” “ the Abode of Peace,” is a name often given to Baghdad, 
as it is also to one of the seven stories or stages of Paradise. 

Note 72. — The Mountain of Loadstone. 

Several Arab writers describe this mountain of loadstone. El-Kazweenee, in 
his account of minerals, says that the mine of loadstone is on the shore of the 
Indian Ocean, and that if the ships which navigate this sea approach the said 

* reign of El-Mutawekiil. 

I Dc Sacy, Chrestomathie Arabe, tome i., pp. 122, 123, 2nde ed. 

244 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

mine, and contain anything of iron, it flies from them like a bird, and adheres 
to the mountain ; for which reason, it is the general custom to make use of no iron 
in the construction of the vessels employed in this navigation.* I think that I 
have met with a similar story in some Latin author. 

Note 73. 

For an explanation of this term, see what I have said on the subject of prayer 
in the first of the notes to the Introduction. 

Note 74. 

, “ Khaseeb” signifies “ endowed with plenty.” 

Note 75. 

The remainder of the story of the Third Royal Mendicant is almost wholly 
omitted in the Cairo edition. I translate it chiefly from the Calcutta edition of 
the first two hundred nights. 

Note 76 .—On Dreams. 

That dreams are regarded by the Muslims as being often true warnings or 
indications of future events I have mentioned in a former note. This belief, 
sanctioned by the Prophet, will be well illustrated by the following anecdote, 
which was related to me in Cairo, shortly after the terrible plague of the year 
1835, by the sheykh Mohammad Et-Tant&wee, who had taken the trouble of 
investigating the fact, and had ascertained its truth. 

A tradesman, living in the quarter of El-Hanafee, in Cairo, dreamt, during the 
plague above mentioned, that eleven persons were carried out from his house to 
be buried, victims of this disease. He awoke in a state of the greatest distress 
and alarm, reflecting that eleven was the total number of the inhabitants of his 
house, including himself, and that it would be vain in him to attempt, by 
adding one or more members to his household, to elude the decree of God, and 
give himself a chance of escape: so, calling together his neighbours, he informed 
them of his dream, and was counselled to submit with resignation to a fate so 
plainly foreshewn, and to be thankful to God for the timely notice with which he 
had been mercifully favoured. On the following day, one of his children died; 
a day or two after, a wife; and the pestilence continued its ravages among his 
family until he remained in his house alone. It was impossible for him now to 
entertain the slightest doubt of the entire accomplishment of the warning: 
immediately, therefore, after the last death that had taken place among his 
household, he repaired to a friend at a neighbouring shop, and, calling to him 
several other persons from the adjoining and opposite shops, he reminded them 
of his dream, acquainted them with its almost complete fulfilment, and expressed 
his conviction that he, the eleventh, should very soon die. “ Perhaps,” said he, 
“ I shall die this next night: I beg of you, therefore, for God’s sake, to come 
to my house early to-morrow morning, and the next morning and the next if 
necessary, and to see if I be dead, and, when dead, that I am properly buried; for 
I have no one with me to wash and shroud me. Fail not to do me this service, 

‘ ’Ajaib el-Makhlook&t/ 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

245 

which will procure you a recompense in heaven. I have bought my grave- 
linen : you will find it in a corner of the room in which I sleep. If you find the 
door of the house latched, and I do not answer to your knocking, break it open.” 

Soon after sunset he laid himself in his lonely bed, though without any 
expectation of closing his eyes in sleep; for his mind was absorbed in reflections 
upon the awful entry into another world, and a review of his past life. As 
the shades of night gathered around him he could almost fancy that he beheld, 
in one faint object or another in his gloomy chamber, the dreadful person of the 
Angel of Death: and at length he actually perceived a figure gliding in at the 
door, and approaching his bed. Starting up in horror, he exclaimed, “ Who art 
thou 1" —and a stem and solemn voice answered, “ Be silent? I am ’Azraeel, the 
Angel of Death!"■—“ Alas !” cried the terrified man ; “ I testify that there is no 
deity but God, and I testify that Mohammad is God’s Apostle! There is no strength 
nor power but in God, the High! the Great! To God we belong, and to Him we 
must return!”—He then covered himself over with his quilt, as if for protection, 
and lay with throbbing heart, expecting every moment to have his soul tom from 
him by the inexorable messenger. But moments passed away, and minutes, and 
hours; yet without his experiencing any hope of escape; for he imagined that 
the Angel was waiting for him to resign himself, or had left him for a while, and 
was occupied in receiving first the souls of the many hundred human beings who 
had attained their predestined term in that same night and in the same city, and 
the souls of the thousands who were doomed to employ him elsewhere. Daybreak 
arrived before his sufferings terminated; and his neighbours, coming according 
to their promise, entered his chamber, and found him still in bed; but observing 
that he was covered up, and motionless as a corpse, they doubted whether he 
were still alive, and called to him. He answered, with a faint voice, “I am not 
yet dead; but the Angel of Death came to me in the dusk of the evening, 
and I expect every moment his return, to take my soul: therefore trouble 
me not; but see me washed and buried.”—“But why,” said his friends, “was 
the street-door left unlatched?”—“I latched it,” he answered, “but the Angel of 
Death may have opened it.”—“And who,” they asked, “is the man in the court?” 
He answered, “ I know of no man in the court: perhaps the Angel who is waiting 
for my soul has made himself visible to you, and been mistaken, in the twilight, 
for a man.”—“ He is a thief,” they said, “ who has gathered together everything in 
the house that he could carry away, and has been struck by the plague while doing 
so, and now lies dead in the court, at the foot of the stairs, grasping in his hand 
a silver candlestick.”—The master of the house, after hearing this, paused for a 
moment, and then, throwing off his quilt, exclaimed, “Praise be to God, the 
Lord of all creatures! That is the eleventh, and I am safe! No doubt it was 
that rascal who came to me and said that he was the Angel of Death. Praise be 
to God! Praise be to God!” 

This man survived the plague, and took pleasure in relating the above story. 
The thief had overheard his conversation with his neighbours, and, coming to his 
house in the dusk, had put his shoulder to the wooden lock, and so raised the door 
and displaced the latch within.—There is nothing wonderful in the dream, nor in 
its accomplishment; the plague of 1835 entirely desolated many houses, and was 
mostly fatal to the young; and all the inhabitants of the house in question were 
young excepting the master. 

246 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

Note 77. 

“ ’Ajeeb” signifies “ a wonder,” or “ anything strange or admirable.” 

Note 78. 

Blue is the colour of mourning, as before mentioned, in No. 52 of the notes to 
the second chapter. 

Note 79. 

Smearing the face and slapping the cheeks are common practices of Arab 
women, especially of the lower orders, on following to the grave the corpse of a 
near relation or a husband. 

Note 80 .—On the Rukhkh. 

This fabulous bird is described by many Arab writers, some of whom assert 
that it can carry a rhinoceros, while others ascribe to it powers still more extra¬ 
ordinary. I shall have occasion to speak of it again in my notes to this work. 

Note 81. 

This is explained by No. 30 of the notes to the Introduction. 

Note 82. 

I here return to the Cairo edition. 

Note 83. 

Some of the incidents described in this story, as the shipwrecks caused by the 
image, and the opening of the forbidden closet, &c., appear to be taken from the 
romance of Seyf Zu-l-Yezen, of which I possess a copy, purchased during my last 
visit to Egypt. This romance, which has become extremely scarce, is filled with 
stories of genii and enchantments of the most extravagant kind. Some of the 
public story-tellers in Cairo used, a few years since, to amuse their audiences by 
recitations from it. I was not able to discover the period at which it was 
composed; but it is said to have been written long before the Tales of a Thousand 
and One Nights. I saw once a portion of a copy of it which appeared, from the 
hand-writing and the paper, to be three or four centuries old. 

Note 84. 

So in the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, and in the edition 
of Breslau. 

Note 85. 

Those decrees which are written with “ the pen” on the “ preserved tablet” 
are believed to be unchangeable. “ The pen” is the title of one of the chapters 
of the Kur-dn, the 68th. 

Note 86. 

In all the copies of the original which I have by me, El-Basrah is said 
to have been the place to which the lady designed to voyage ; but this i3 incon¬ 
sistent with the sequel of the story. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

247 

Note 87. 

In the old version, two strange errors occur in the passage corresponding with 
this: two words in the original, “ nAr” and “ doon," having been mistaken for a 
proper name; and the word “ jebbAr,” which, applied to God, signifies “ almighty,” 
being taken in the sense of “giant,” which it bears in many other cases. 

Note 88. —On Martyrs. 

The Mohammadan law distinguishes several different descriptions of martyrs. 
This honourable title is given to the soldier who dies in fighting for the faith, or 
on his way to do so, or who dies almost immediately after his having been 
wounded when so engaged; to a person who innocently meets with his death 
from the hand of another; to a victim of the plague, who does not flee from the 
disease, or of dysentery; to a person who is drowned; and to one who is killed 
by the falling of a wall or any building. It is said that the souls of martyrs, 
after quitting their bodies, reside, until the day of resurrection, in the crops of 
green birds, which eat of the fruits, and drink of the waters, of Paradise. Such 
we are to consider as the first and lowest state of felicity to which the young 
prince in this tale was introduced as the reward of his virtue. 

Note 89. 

The share inherited, according to the law, by the wife, or by the wives 
conjointly when there are more than one, is one-eighth of what remains of the 
property of the deceased after the discharge of his debts and legacies, if he have 
left issue; and one-fourth, if he have left no issue. 

Note 90. 

The Arabs, fond of hyperbole, often thus describe a lofty building. 

Note 91. —On the Magnificence of Arab Palaces, 8fc. 

After remarking upon the preceding sentence as presenting an instance of 
Oriental hyperbole, it may be necessary to inform the reader that he needs not 
regard this in the same light. The magnificence of the palaces of BaghdAd in 
the times of the Khaleefehs almost exceeds belief. 

In the beginning of the year of the Flight 305 (June, a. d. 917), two am¬ 
bassadors from the Greek Emperor (Constantine IX., Porphyrogenetus) arrived 
in BaghdAd on a mission to the Khaleefeh El-Muktedir, bringing an abundance 
of costly presents. They were first received by the Wezeer, who, at the audience 
which he granted to them in his garden-palace, displayed on this occasion a 
degree of magnificence that had never before been manifested by any of his rank; 
pages, memlooks, and soldiers, crowded the avenues and courts of his mansion, 
the apartments of which were hung with tapestry of the value of thirty thousand 
deenars ; and the Wezeer himself was surrounded by generals and other officers 
on his right and left and behind his seat, when the two ambassadors approached 
him, dazzled by the splendour that surrounded them, to beg for an interview 
with the Khaleefeh. El-Muktedir, having appointed a day on which he would 
receive them, ordered that the courts and passages and avenues of his palace 
should be filled with armed men, and that all the apartments should be furnished 

248 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

with the utmost magnificence. A hundred and sixty thousand armed soldiers 
were arranged in ranks in the approach to the palace; next to these were the 
pages of the closets, and chief eunuchs, clad in silk and with belts set with jewels, 
in number seven thousand ; four thousand white, and three thousand black : there 
were also seven hundred chamberlains; and beautifully ornamented boats of 
various kinds were seen floating upon the Tigris, hard by. The two ambassadors 
passed first by the palace of the chief chamberlain, and, astonished at the 
splendid ornaments and pages and arms which they there beheld, imagined that 
this was the palace of the Khaleefeh; but what they had seen here was eclipsed 
by what they beheld in the latter, where they were amazed by the sight of 
thirty-eight thousand pieces of tapestry of gold-embroidered silk brocade, and 
twenty-two thousand magnificent carpets. Here also were two menageries of 
beasts by nature wild, but tamed by art, and eating from the hands of men : 
among them were a hundred lions ; each lion with its keeper. They then entered 
the Palace of the Tree, enclosing a pond, from which rose the Tree: tliis had 
eighteen branches, with leaves of various colours (being artificial), and with birds 
of gold and silver (or gilt and silvered) of every variety of kind and size, 
perched upon its branches, so constructed that each of them sang. Thence 
they passed into the garden, in which were furniture and utensils not to be 
enumerated : in the passages leading to it were suspended ten thousand gilt coats 
of mail. Being at length conducted before El-Muktedir, they found him seated 
on a sofa of ebony inlaid with gold and silver, to the right of which were hung 
nine necklaces of jewels, and the like to the left, the jewels of which outshone 
the light of day. The two ambassadors paused at the distance of about a 
hundred cubits from the Khaleefeh, with the interpreter. Having left the 
presence, they were conducted through the palace, and were shewn splendidly 
caparisoned elephants, a giraffe, lynxes, and other beasts. They were then clad 
with robes of honour, and to each of them was brought fifty thousand dirhems, 
together with dresses and other presents. It is added, that the ambassadors 
approached the palace through a street called “ the Street of the Mendrehs,” in 
which were a thousand mendrehs, or menarets. It was at the hour of noon; and 
as they passed, the mueddins from all these mendrehs chanted the call to prayer 
at the same time, so that the earth almost quaked at the sound, and the ambas¬ 
sadors were struck with fear.* 

The Orientals well understand how to give the most striking effect to the 
jewels which they display on their dress, &c., on occasions of state. Sir John 
Malcolm, describing his reception by the late King of Persia, says, “ His dress 
baffled all description. The ground of his robes was white; but he was so 
covered with jewels of an extraordinary size, and their splendour, from his being 
seated where the rays of the sun played upon them, was so dazzling, that it was 
impossible to distinguish the minute parts which combined to give such amazing 
brilliancy to his whole figure.” f 

Note 92. 

As this marriage is described as conducted in an irregular manner, I need say 
nothing at present of the ceremonies usually practised on such an occasion. 

* Mir-4t ez-Zem4n, events of the year above mentioned. 

t Sketches of Persia, vol. ii., p. 129. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD. 

249 

Note 93. 

Every person who has visited Eastern cities will bear testimony to the plau¬ 
sibility of this excuse. I have several times been thrown down hy the wide load 
of a camel in the streets of Cairo, and seen loads of fire-wood scraping the houses 
on both sides of a street at the same time. 

Note 94. 

Women suspected of infidelity to their husbands have not unfrequently been 
thus punished in Egypt in modern times, in violation of the law. 

Note 95. 

“ Saad ” signifies “ happiness.” 

Note 96. 

Pity is of more important service to the Muslim after death than during life ; 
for the prayers which it inspires increase his happiness in futurity, or diminish 
his misery. 

Note 97. 

This allusion to religious faith is peculiarly apt in the mouth of a Muslim ; for 
the chief dogma of his creed is the denial of any partnership in the Divine 
essence. He calls persons of all other religions “ mushriks,” or those who 
attribute partners to God. 

Note 98. 

In the original, she is here called an ’Efreeteh, which is an improper term. 

Note 99. 

This salutation and its reply are only to he given by and to Muslims. 

Note 100. 

It is implied by this ejaculation that the two ladies were admirable beauties, 
evidences of the perfection of their Creator. 

Addendum to Note 43.—Since this note was printed, I have found the phrase to which it relates 
used to signify “ Recover thy senses; ” in allusion to a person’s drawing his hand over his head or 
face after sleep or a fit. 

VOL. I. K K

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE EIGHTEENTH NIGHT, AND 
ENDING WITH PART OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH. 

THE STORY OF THE THREE APPLES, &c.» 

One night, after the adventure above described, the Khaleefeh 
Haroon Er-Raslieed said to Jaafar, his Wezeer, We will go down 
to-night into the city, and inquire respecting the affairs of those 
who are at present in authority, and him against whom any one 
shall complain we will displace. Jaafar replied, I hear and obey :— 
and when the Khaleefeh had gone forth with him and Mesroor, and 
they had passed through several of the market-streets, they pro¬ 
ceeded along a lane, and saw there an old man, with a net and 
basket upon his head, and a staff in his hand, walking at his leisure, 
and reciting these verses:— 

THE STORY OF THE THREE APPLES, &c. 

251 

They say to me, Thou shinest among mankind, by thy knowledge, like the 
moonlight night: 

But I answer, Abstain from thus addressing me, since there is no knowledge 
without power: 

For if they would pawn me, and my knowledge with me, and all my papers 
and ink-case too, 

For one day’s food, they would never find the pledge accepted to the day of 
judgment. 

As for the poor, and his condition, and his whole life, how full of trouble ! 

In the summer he fails to earn his food, and in winter he warms himself over 
the fire-pot. 2 

The dogs follow him wherever he goes, and any reviler, and he cannot repel him. 

If he states his case, and proves himself wronged, the judge will not admit 
his plea. 

Such, then, being the poor man’s life, his fittest place is in the burial-ground. 3 

The Khaleefeh, when he heard his recitation, said to Jaafar, 
Observe this poor man, and consider these verses; for they indicate 
his necessity. Then approaching the man, he said to him, O 
sheykh, what is thine occupation ?—O my master, answered the old 
man, I am a fisherman, and have a family to maintain, and I went 
forth from my house at noon, and have remained until now, but 
God hath allotted me nothing wherewith to obtain food for my 
household; therefore I have hated myself, and wished for death.— 
Wilt thou, said the Khaleefeh, return with us to the river, and 
station thyself on the bank of the Tigris, and cast thy net for my 
luck ? If thou wilt do so I will purchase of thee whatever cometh 
up for a hundred pieces of gold.—The fisherman rejoiced when he 
heard these words, and said, On my head be your commands: I 
will return with you.—So he went again to the river, and cast his 
net, and, having waited till it sank, drew the cords, and dragged 
back the net, and there came up in it a chest, locked and heavy. 
When the Khaleefeh saw it, he felt its weight, and found it to be 
heavy ; and he gave a hundred pieces of gold to the fisherman, who 
went away, while Mesroor, assisted by Jaafar, took up the chest, 
and conveyed it, in company with the Khaleefeh, to the palace, 
where they lighted the candles, and placed the chest before the 
Khaleefeh. Jaafar and Mesroor then broke it open, and they 
found in it a basket of palm-leaves sewed up with red worsted; 
and they cut the threads, and saw within it a piece of carpet, and 
lifting up this they found beneath it an izar, * and when they had 

m 

THE STORY OF THE THREE APPLES, &c. 

taken up the izar they discovered under it a damsel like molten 
silver, killed, and cut in pieces. 

When the Khaleefeh beheld this, tears ran down his cheeks, 
and, looking towards Jaafar, he exclaimed, O dog of Wezeers, shall 
people be murdered in my time, and he thrown into the river, and 
become burdens upon my responsibility ? By Allah, I must reta¬ 
liate for this damsel upon him who killed her, and put him to 
death!—Then said he to Jaafar, By the truth of my descent from 
the Khaleefehs of the sons of El-’Abbas, if thou do not bring to 
me him who killed this woman, that I may avenge her upon him, I 
will crucify thee at the gate of my palace, together with forty of 
thy kinsmen ! 5 And the Khaleefeh was enraged. Grant me, said 
Jaafar, a delay of three days.—I grant thee the delay, replied the 
Khaleefeh. Jaafar then went forth from his presence, and took his 
route through the city, sorrowful, and saying within himself, How 
shall I discover him who killed this damsel, that I may take him 
before the Khaleefeh ? And if I take to him any other person, he 
will become a weight upon my conscience. I know not what to do. 
—For three days he remained in his house, and on the fourth day 
the Khaleefeh sent to summons him, and, when he had presented 
himself before him, said to him, Where is the murderer of the 
damsel ?—O Prince of the Faithful, answer Jaafar, am I acquainted 
with things hidden from the senses, that I should know who is her 
murderer ? The Khaleefeh, incensed at this answer, gave orders to 
crucify him at the gate of his palace, and commanded a crier to 
proclaim through the streets of Baghdad, Whosoever desireth to 
amuse himself by seeing the crucifixion of Jaafar El-Barmekee, the 
Wezeer of the Khaleefeh, and the crucifixion of his kinsmen, at 
the gate of the Khaleefeh’s palace, let him come forth and amuse 
himself.—So the people came forth from every quarter to see the 
crucifixion of Jaafar and his kinsmen ; and they knew not the cause 
of this. The Khaleefeh then gave orders to set up the crosses; 
and they did so, and placed the Wezeer and his kinsmen beneath, 
to crucify them, and were awaiting the Khaleefeh’s permission, 
while the people wept for Jaafar and his relatives. 

But while they were thus waiting, a handsome and neatly- 
dressed young man came forward quickly through the crowd, and, 
approaching the Wezeer, said to him. Safety to thee from this pre- 

THE STORY OF THE THREE APPLES, &c. 

253 

dicament, O chief of emeers, and refuge of the poor! It was I 
who killed the woman whom ye found in the chest: kill me there¬ 
fore for her, and retaliate her death upon me.—When Jaafar heard 
these words, he rejoiced for his own deliverance, and grieved for the 
young man: but while he was speaking to him, lo, an old sheykh 
pressed hastily through the crowd to him and the young man, and, 
having saluted them, said, O Wezeer, believe not the words of this 
young man, for no one killed the damsel but myself; therefore 
retaliate her death upon me. The young man, however, said, O 
Wezeer, this is an old man, imbecile through age ; he knoweth not 
what he saith: it was I who killed her; avenge her therefore upon 
me.—O my son, said the sheykh, thou art young, and wilt find 
pleasure in the world; and I am old, and satiated with the world: 
I will be a ransom for thee and for the Wezeer and his kinsmen; 
and no one killed the damsel but myself: by Allah, therefore, hasten 
to retaliate upon me. 

On witnessing this scene, the Wezeer was astonished; and he 
took the young man and the sheykh to the Khaleefeh, and said, O 
Prince of the Faithful, the murderer of the damsel hath come.— 
Where is he ? said the Khaleefeh. This young man, answered 
Jaafar, saith, I am the murderer ;—and this sheykh accuseth him of 
falsehood, and saith, Nay, but I am the murderer. The Khaleefeh, 
looking towards the sheykh and the young man, said, Which of you 
killed this damsel? The young man answered, No one killed her 
but myself:—and the sheykh said also, No one killed her but 
myself. The Khaleefeh therefore said to Jaafar, Take them both 
and crucify them.—If the murderer be one, replied Jaafar, to kill 
the other would be unjust. The young man then said, By Him who 
raised the heavens and spread out the earth, it was I who killed the 
damsel:—and he gave an account of the manner of his killing her, 
and described what the Khaleefeh had found. The Khaleefeh 
therefore was convinced that the young man was he who had killed 
the damsel; and he was astonished, and said, What was the cause 
of thy killing this damsel unjustly, and of thy confessing the murder 
without being beaten , 6 and thy saying, Retaliate her death upon 
me ? The young man answered as follows: 

Know, O Prince of the Faitliful, that this damsel was my wife, 
and the daughter of my uncle: this sheykh was her father, and is 

254 

THE STORY OF THE THREE APPLES, &c. 

my uncle. I married her when she was a virgin, and God blessed 
me with three male children by her; and she loved me and served 
me, and I saw in her no evil. At the commencement of this month 
she was attacked by a severe illness, and I brought to her the phy¬ 
sicians, who attended her until her health returned to her; and I 
desired them to send her to the bath; but she said to me, I want 
something before I enter the bath, for I have a longing for it.— 
What is it ? said I. She answered, I have a longing for an apple, 
to smell it, and take a bite from it. So I went out immediately 
into the city, and searched for the apple, and would have bought it 
had its price been a piece of gold: but I could not find one. I 

THE STORY OF THE THREE APPLES, Sic. 

255 

passed the next night full of thought, and when the morning came 
I quitted my house again and went about to all the gardens, one 
after another; yet I found none in them. There met me, however, 
an old gardener, of whom I inquired for the apple, and he said to 
me, O my son, this is a rare thing, and not to be found here, nor 
any where excepting in the garden of the Prince of the Faithful at 
El-Basrah, and preserved there for the Khaleefeh. I returned 
therefore to my wife, and my love for her so constrained me that I 
prepared myself and journeyed fifteen days, by night and day, in 
going and returning, and brought her three apples which I pur¬ 
chased of the gardener at El-Basrah for three pieces of gold; and, 
going in, I handed them to her ; but she was not pleased by them, 
and left them by her side. She was then suffering from a violent 
fever, and she continued ill during a period of ten days. 

After this she recovered her health, and I went out and repaired 
to my shop, and sat there to sell and buy ; 7 and while I was thus 
occupied, at mid-day there passed by me a black slave, having in 
his hand an apple, with which he was playing: so I said to him, 
Whence didst thou get this apple, for I would procure one like it ? 
—Upon which he laughed, and answered, I got it from my sweet¬ 
heart: I had been absent, and came, and found her ill, and she 
had three apples; and she said to me, My unsuspecting husband 
journeyed to El-Basrah for them, and bought them for three pieces 
of gold:—and I took this apple from her.—When I heard the words 
of the slave, O Prince of the Faithful, the world become black 
before my face, and I shut up my shop, and returned to my house, 
deprived of my reason by excessive rage. I found not the third 
apple, and said to her, Where is the apple ? She answered, I 
know not whither it is gone. I was convinced thus that the slave had 
spoken the truth, and I arose, and took a knife, and, throwing my¬ 
self upon her bosom, plunged the knife into her : I then cut off her 
head and limbs, and put them in the basket in haste, and covered 
them with the izar, over which I laid a piece of carpet: then I put 
the basket in the chest, and, having locked this, conveyed it on my 
mule, and threw it with my own hands into the Tigris . 8 

And now, continued the young man, I conjure thee by Allah, 
O Prince of the Faithful, to hasten my death in retaliation for her 
murder, as I dread, otherwise, her appeal for vengeance upon me 

256 

THE STORY OF THE THREE APPLES, &c. 

on the day of resurrection : 8 for when I had thrown her into the 
Tigris without the knowledge of any body, I returned to my 
house, and found my eldest boy crying, though he knew not what 
I had done to his mother: so I said to him, What maketh thee 
cry ?—and he answered, I took one of the apples that my mother 
had, and went down with it into the street to play with my brothers, 
and a tall black slave snatched it from me, and said to me, Whence 
came this to thee ? I answered him, My father made a journey for 
it, and brought it from El-Basrah, for the sake of my mother; for 
she is sick : he bought three apples for three pieces of gold :—but 
he took it from me and beat me, and went away with it; and I am 
afraid that my mother may beat me on account of the apple.— 
When I heard my son’s story, I discovered that the slave had forged 
a lie against the daughter of my uncle, and found that she had been 
killed unjustly; and as I was weeping bitterly for what I had done, 
this sheykh, my uncle and her father, came to me, and I informed 
him of the event; and he seated himself by me, and wept. We wept 
until midnight, and continued our mourning for her five days, 
ceasing not to the present day to bewail her death. By the honour 
of thine ancestors, therefore, hasten my death, to retaliate her 
murder upon me. 

The Khaleefeh wondered at the young man’s story, and said, By 
Allah, I will not put to death any but the wicked slave; for the 
young man is excusable. Then looking towards Jaafar, he said to 
him, Bring before me this wicked slave who hath been the cause of 
the catastrophe; or, if thou bring him not, thou shalt be put to 
death in his stead. So the Wezeer departed weeping, and saying, 
Whence shall I bring him ? Not every time that the jar is struck 
doth it escape being broken! I have no stratagem to employ in 
this affair : but He who delivered me in the first case may deliver 
me in the second. By Allah, I will not go out from my house for 
three days; and the Truth, whose perfection be extolled, will do 
what He willeth!—So he remained in his house three days, and on 
the fourth day he caused the Kadee to be brought, and made his 
testamentary arrangements ; and as he was bidding farewell to his 
children, and weeping, lo, the messenger of the Khaleefeh came and 
said to him, The Prince of the Faithful is in a most violent rage, 
and hath sent me to thee; and he hath sworn that this day shall 

not pass until thou art put to death if thou do not bring to him the 
slave. 

On hearing this, Jaafar wept, and his children wept with him ; 
and when he had bidden them all farewell excepting his youngest 
daughter, he approached her for the same purpose. He loved her 
more than all his other children; and he pressed.her to his bosom, 
and wept at the thought of his separation from her; but, in doing 
this, he felt something round in her pocket, and said to her, What 
is in thy pocket ? She answered, O my father, it is an apple ; our 
slave Reyhan 10 brought it, and I have had it four days: he would 
not give it me until he had received from me two pieces of gold.— 
At this mention of the slave and the apple, Jaafar rejoiced, and 
exclaimed, O ready Dispeller of trouble ! 11 —and immediately he 
ordered that the slave should be brought before him. He was there¬ 
fore brought in, and he said to him, Whence came this apple ?— 

L L 

VOL. I. 

258 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, 

O my master, he answered, I went out five days ago, and, entering 
one of the by-streets of the city, I saw some children playing, and 
one of them had this apple; and I snatched it from him, and beat him; 
and he cried, and said, That belongs to my mother, and she is sick: 
she wanted my father to bring her an apple, and he made a journey 
to El-Basrah, and brought back for her three apples which he 
bought for three pieces of gold; and I took this to play with it:— 
then he cried again; but, paying no regard to him, I took it away 
and brought it hither; and my little mistress bought it of me for 
two pieces of gold.—When he heard this story, Jaafar was filled with 
wonder at discovering that this distressing event, and the murder of 
the damsel, had been occasioned by his slave; and he took the slave 
and went with him to the Khaleefeh, who ordered that the story 
should he committed to writing, and published. 

Jaafar then said to him, Wonder not, O Prince of the Faithful, 
at this tale, for it is not more extraordinary than the story of the 
Wezeer Noor ed-Deen, and Shems ed-Deen, his brother.—What 
story, said the Khaleefeh, can be more .wonderful than this ?—O 
Prince of the Faithful, replied Jaafar, I will not relate it to thee 
unless on the condition that thou exempt my slave from the punish¬ 
ment of death. The Khaleefeh said, I give thee his blood:—and 
Jaafar, thereupon, commenced the relation of the story as follows. 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, AND OF SHEMS 
ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER. 

Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that there was, in Cairo , 12 
a Sultan , 13 just and beneficent, who had a wise and well-informed 
Wezeer, possessing a knowledge of the affairs of the world, and of 
the art of government. This minister was an aged man, and he had 
two sons, like two moons: the name of the elder was Shems ed- 
Deen, and that of the younger, Noor ed-Deen ; 14 and the latter 
was more distinguished than the former by handsomeness and come¬ 
liness : there was no one in his day more handsome, so that the 
fame of his charms spread through the. neighbouring regions, and 
some of the inhabitants of those parts travelled to his country 
merely to obtain a sight of him. And it came to pass that their 
father died, and the Sultan mourned for him, and, turning his 

AND OF SHEMS ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER. 259 

regards towards the two sons, took them into his favour, invested 
them with rohes of honour, and said to them. Ye two are instated 
in your father’s office:—at which they rejoiced, and kissed the 
ground before him. They observed the ceremonies of mourning 15 
for their father during a period of a whole month, and entered upon 
the office of Wezeers, each of them discharging the duties of this 
station for a week at a time; and whenever the Sultan had a desire 
to go forth on a journey he took one of them with him. 

Now it happened, one night, that the Sultan purposed com¬ 
mencing a journey on the following morning; and it was the turn 
of the elder Wezeer to accompany him; and as the two brothers 
were conversing together that night, the elder said, O my brother, 
it is my wish that we should both marry on one night.—Do, O my 
brother, as thou desirest, answered the younger; and I will comply 
with that which thou shalt say. So they agreed to do this. The 
elder then said to his brother, If God so decree that we obtain the 
betrothal of two maidens, and accomplish our marriage on the same 
night, and they give birth to children on the same day, and God 
will that thy wife have a son, and my wife have a daughter, we 
will marry them to each other, for they will be cousins.—And 
what, O my brother, said Noor ed-Deen, wilt thou require of my 
son as the dowry of thy daughter ? He answered, I will require 
of thy son, as the dowry of my daughter, three thousand pieces 
of gold, and three gardens, and three farms; for if the young man 
make any other contract than this, it will not be proper. But 
when Noor ed-Deen heard this proposal, he exclaimed, What is 
this dowry that thou imposest upon my son ? Dost thou not know 
that we are two brothers, and that we are both Wezeers, of one 
dignity? It were incumbent on thee to offer thy daughter to 
my son as a free gift, without any dowry; for thou knowest that 
the male is more honourable than the female, and my child is 
a male, and by him shall our memory be preserved: not by thy 
daughter.—What sayest thou of her ? asked his brother.—That 
our memory will not be preserved by her among the nobles, 
answered Noor ed-Deen. But thou desirest, added he, to act with 
me according to the opinion of him who saith, If thou desire to 
drive away a person who would buy, demand of him a high price. 
—I see thee, replied Shems ed-Deen, to have committed a fault, 

in making thy son more honourable than my daughter: thou art 
doubtless deficient in judgment, and destitute of good disposition, 
seeing that thou mentionest the partnership in the office of Wezeer, 
when I admitted thee not to share it with me excepting in my pity 
for thee, and that thou mightest assist me : but talk as thou wilt: 
since thou hast said this, by Allah, I will not marry my daughter 
to thy son, though thou offer me her weight in gold.—On hearing 
these words of his brother, Noor ed-Deen was enraged, and said, 
I will not marry my son to thy daughter.—I will not accept him 
as a husband for her, replied Shems ed-Deen; and if I were not 
purposing a journey, I would do to thee deeds that should serve as 
warnings to others: however, when I return, God will do what He 
willeth. . When Noor ed-Deen heard this, he was full of anger, 
and became unconscious of existence: but he concealed his feelings; 
and each of the two brothers passed the night apart from the other; 
and in the morning the Sultan set out on his journey, and, crossing 
over to the island , 16 proceeded towards the Pyramids, accompanied 
by the Wezeer Shems ed-Deen. 

Noor ed-Deen passed that night in a state of the utmost rage ; 
and when the morning came he arose, and, having performed the 
morning-prayers, went to his closet and took out from it a pair 
of small saddle-bags, which he filled with gold; and as he reflected 
upon the words of his brother, and the contempt which he had 
shewn him, and the pride that he had manifested towards him, he 
repeated these verses :— 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, &c. 261 

Travel. Thou wilt find a friend in the place of him thou leavest; and 
fatigue thyself; for by labour are the sweets of life obtained. 

To a man of intelligence and education there is no glory in a constant resi¬ 
dence : therefore quit thy native place, and go abroad. 

I have observed that the stagnation of water corrupteth it: if it floweth, it 
becometh sweet; but otherwise, it doth not. 

If the full moon never set, the eye of the contemplative would not on every 
occasion pay regard to it: 

The lions, if they left not the forest, would capture no prey; and the arrow, 
if it quitted not the bow, would not strike the mark : 

The grains of gold upon their native bed are regarded as mere dust; and 
the aloes-wood, where it groweth, is a kind of fire-wood : 

If exported, it becometh an object of high demand ; hut if not, it attaineth 
no kind of distinction. 

He then ordered one of his young men to saddle for him a dapple 
mule, tall, and of quick pace ; and he did so, placing upon her a 
saddle adorned with gold, with stirrups of Indian steel, and housings 
of the velvet of Ispahan; and she resembled a bride displayed 
before her husband. He ordered him also to place upon her a 
carpet of silk, and a prayer-carpet , 17 and to put the saddle-bags 
beneath the latter; and when this was done, he said to the young 
man and the slaves, I have a desire to take a ride for my amusement 
outside the city, towards the province of Kalyoob, and shall be 
absent three nights ; and let none of you follow me, for my heart 
is contracted. 

Having thus said, he mounted his mule in haste, and, taking 
with him a small supply of food, departed from the city, turning 
his face towards the open country. The hour of noon overtook 
him not until he entered the city of Bilbeys, where he alighted to 
repose himself, and rest his mule, and ate; after which he took 
from this place what he required for himself, and some provender 
for his mule, and, having placed these provisions upon her, went 
forth again into the plain, and before noon on the second following 
day he entered Jerusalem . 18 Here he alighted again, and rested 
himself and his beast, and ate: he then placed his saddle-bags 
under his head, and spread his carpet, and slept, still overcome by 
anger. He passed the night in this place ; and in the morning he 
remounted, and he continued to urge on his mule mi til he arrived 
at Aleppo , 19 where he alighted at a Khan, and remained three days 
to give rest to himself and his mule, and to enjoy the air of the 

place: which having done, he determined to prosecute his journey, 
and mounted his mule, and went forth. He knew not whither to 
direct his course; but travelled on until he arrived at the city of 
El-Basrah; and scarcely was he aware that the night had overtaken 
him, when he alighted there at a Khan, where he took off the 
saddle-bags from the mule, and spread the prayer-carpet, commit¬ 
ting the mule, with its equipage, to the care of the door-keeper, 
and ordering him to walk her about a little. 

The door-keeper did so; and it happened that the Wezeer of 
El-Basrah, sitting at a window of his palace, saw the mule, and, 
observing its costly equipage, thought that it must belong to some 
Wezeer or King; and as he attentively regarded it he was sur¬ 
prised, and said to one of his pages, Bring before me that door- 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, &c. 263 

keeper. So the page went and brought him ; and the door-keeper, 
approaching, kissed the ground before him. The Wezeer, who 
was an aged person, then said to this man, Who is the owner of 
this mule, and what is his appearance ?—O my Lord, answered the 
door-keeper, her owner is a young man of elegant person, of the 
sons of the merchants, and of a dignified and grave aspect. On 
hearing this, the Wezeer arose, and, mounting his horse , 20 went 
to the Khan, and introduced himself to the young man, who, as 
soon as he saw him approaching, rose to meet him, and embraced 
him. The Wezeer, after he had alighted from his horse, saluted 
him and welcomed him, and, seating him by his side, said to him, 
Whence, O my son, hast thou come; and for what purpose ?—O 
my lord, answered Noor ed-Deen, I have come from the city of 
Cairo: my father was Wezeer there; and he hath departed to 
receive the mercy of God;—and he informed him of all that had 
happened to him from first to last, adding, I have determined that 
I will not return until I shall have seen all the cities and countries 
of the world.—O my son, replied the Wezeer, obey not the sug¬ 
gestions of thy mind, lest thou expose thyself to destruction; for 
the countries are waste, and I fear on thine account the issues of 
fortune. So saying, he ordered that the saddle-bags should be 
placed again on the mule, together with the carpet of silk and the 
prayer-carpet, and took Noor ed-Deen with him to his house, 
where he lodged him in an elegant apartment, and treated him with 
honour and kindness; and, conceiving a strong affection for him, 
said to him, O my son, I have become an old man, and I have no 
male child; God, however, hath blessed me with a daughter who 
resembleth thee in comeliness, and I have rejected many persons 
who have been her suitors: hut now, love for thee hath entered my 
heart; wilt thou then take my daughter as thy hand-maid to serve 
thee, and be her husband ? If thou consent to this, I will go 
up to the Sultan of El-Basrah, and will say to him, This is the 
son of my brother;—and I will introduce thee to him, that I may 
make thee Wezeer in my place, and I will remain in my house; 
for I am now aged.—Noor ed-Deen, on hearing this proposal of 
the Wezeer of El-Basrah, hung down his head, and then answered, 
I hear and obey. 

The Wezeer rejoiced at his assent, and ordered his servants to 

264 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, 

prepare for him a repast, and to decorate the great saloon 21 which 
was furnished for the reception of the chiefs of the Emeers. He 
then called together his friends, and invited the great officers of the 
state, and the merchants of El-Basrah; and when they had come 
into his presence, he said to them, I had a brother who was 
Wezeer in the land of Egypt, and God blessed him with two sons; 
and me, as ye know, He hath blessed with a daughter: now my 
brother enjoined me to marry my daughter to one of his sons, and 
I consented to do so ; and when she attained a fit age for marriage, 
he sent to me one of his sons, who is this young man here present. 
As soon, therefore, as he had come, I desired to perform the 
marriage-contract between him and my daughter, and that he 
should introduce himself to her here in my house.—Excellently 
hast thou done ! they replied. They then drank sherbet of sugar, 
and the pages sprinkled rose-water upon them, and they departed: 
after which, the Wezeer ordered his servants to conduct Noor ed- 
Deen to the bath, and gave him a suit of his best clothes , 22 and sent 
to him the napkins and cups and perfuming-vessels, and every¬ 
thing else that he required. So when he came out from the bath, 
he put on the suit of clothes, and appeared like the full moon ; and 
he mounted his mule, and, returning to the palace, alighted and 
presented himself before the Wezeer, and kissed his hand: and the 
Wezeer welcomed him, saying, Arise, and introduce thyself this 
night to thy wife; and to-morrow I will go up with thee to the 
Sultan, and I pray that God may bless thee with every kind of 
happiness. Noor ed-Deen therefore arose, and went to his wife, 
the daughter of the Wezeer.—Thus did it happen to Noor ed- 
Deen. 

AND OF SHEMS ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER. 265 

As to his brother, he continued a while journeying with the 
Sultan, and when he returned, and found not his brother, he 
inquired of the servants respecting him, and they answered, On 
the day of thy departure with the Sultan, he mounted his mule, 
caparisoned as for a procession of state, and said, I am going 
towards the province of Kalyoob, and shall be absent a day or two 
days; for my heart is contracted; therefore let none of you follow 
me:—and from the day on which he went forth, to the present day, 
we have heard no tidings of him. Upon this the heart of Shems 
ed-Deen was troubled at the separation of his brother, and he 
grieved excessively for his loss, saying within himself. The cause of 
this is nothing else than my having spoken harshly to him in my 
conversation on the night before my departure with the Sultan; 
and probably his mind was disturbed, and he went on a journey: 
I must therefore send after him. He then went up and related 
this event to the Sultan, who wrote letters and sent them to his 
vicegerents in all the provinces: but Noor ed-Deen had traversed 
distant regions during the absence of his brother with the Sultan: 
therefore the messengers, when they had gone with the letters, 
returned without having obtained any information respecting him. 
So Shems ed-Deen despaired of his brother, and said, I have 
enraged my brother by what I said to him concerning the marriage 
of the children. Would that I had not done so! This was not 
occasioned but by my want of sense and judgment!—And soon 
after this, he demanded in marriage the daughter of one of the 
merchants of Cairo, and performed the marriage-contract between 
himself and her, and introduced himself to her: and it happened 
that the night when this event took place was the same night on 
which Noor ed-Deen introduced himself to his wife, the daughter 
of the Wezeer of El-Basrah: this being in accordance with the will 
of God, whose name be exalted, that He might execute his decree 
upon his creatures. 

The event was as they both had said: for it came to pass that 
the two wives conceived by them: the wife of Shems ed-Deen, 
the Wezeer of Egypt, gave birth to a daughter, than whom there 
was not seen, in that country, one more beautiful; and the wife of 
Noor ed-Deen gave birth to a son, one more beautiful than whom 
was not seen in his time: as the poet hath said,— 

VOL. I. 

M M 

266 THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, &c. 

If beauty came to be compared with him, it would hang down its head in 
shame : 

Or if it were said, O beauty, hast thou seen the like ?—it would answer, 
The equal of this I have not. 

So they named him Hasan; 23 and on the seventh day after his 
birth, they made entertainments and spread repasts such as were 
fit for the sons of Kings: 2 * after which the Wezeer of El-Basrah 
took w'ith him Noor ed-Deen, and went up with him to the Sultan; 
and when he came into his presence he kissed the ground before 
him; and Noor ed-Deen, being eloquent in tongue, and firm of 
heart, and comely in person and in actions, recited these words of 
the poet: 

This is he whose justice extendeth to all men, and who hath overrun and 
subdued every region. 

Be thankful for his benefits; for they are not mere benefits; but they are 
strings of jewels on the necks of his people : 

And kiss his fingers; for they are not mere fingers; but they are the keys of 
the supplies of Providence. 

The Sultan treated them both with honour, and, having 
thanked Noor ed-Deen for his address, said to his Wezeer, Who 
is this young man ? The Wezeer therefore related to him his story 
from beginning to end, and added, This is the son of my brother. 
—How is it, said the Sultan, that he is the son of thy brother, 
and we have not before heard of him? The Wezeer answered, O 
our lord the Sultan, I had a brother who was Wezeer in the land 
of Egypt, and he died, leaving two sons: the elder succeeded to 
his father’s office, as Wezeer, and this his younger son came to me ; 
and I swore that I would not marry my daughter to any but him: 
so, when he came, I married him to her. He is a young man, and 
I am now aged; my hearing is impaired, and my judgment 
faileth: it is my wish, therefore, that our lord the Sultan would 
instate him in my office, seeing that he is the son of my brother 
and the husband of my daughter, and a person worthy of the 
dignity of Wezeer; for he is endowed with knowledge and judg¬ 
ment.—The Sultan, upon this, looked towards him, and, being 
pleased with him, approved of the advice of the Wezeer that he 
should promote him to that office; so he bestowed it upon him, 
and ordered that a magnificent dress of honour should be given to 

him, and one of the best of the mules upon which he was himself 
accustomed to ride, allotting him also supplies and salaries; and 
Noor ed-Deen kissed the hand of the Sultan, and descended with 
his father-in-law to their house, both in high delight, and saying, 
Verily the birth of this child is fortunate. On the following day 
Noor ed-Deen went again to the King, and kissed the ground, and 
the Sultan ordered him to sit in the place of the Wezeer: so 
be sat, and occupied himself with the affairs of his office, and 
examined the cases of the people, and their suits, according to the 
custom of Wezeers: and the Sultan, observing him, was surprised 
at his conduct, and the acuteness of his understanding, and his 
good judgment. He attentively considered his qualities, and loved 
him, and advanced him in his favour: and when the court was 
dissolved, Noor ed-Deen returned to his house, and related what 
had passed to his father-in-law, who was rejoiced at hearing it. 

The old Wezeer ceased not to superintend the rearing of the 
child, who was named Hasan, for many days, while Noor ed-Deen 
was constantly occupied with the affairs of his office, so that he 
left not the Sultan by day nor by night; and the Kang increased 
his salaries and supplies until his circumstances became ample: he 
had ships which made voyages under his orders with merchandise 
and other things, and he founded numerous estates, and made 
water-wheels ls and gardens. Thus did he until his son Hasan was 
four years of age, when the old Wezeer, the father of his wife, 

268 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, 

died; and he conveyed his corpse with great pomp, and decently 
deposited it in the earth. He then turned his thoughts towards 
the education of his son; and when the child had gained strength, 
he brought him a tutor to teach him in his own house, charging 
him to instruct him and educate him well; and the tutor did so, 
and taught him various useful sciences, after he had passed some 
years in learning the Kur-an. Hasan meanwhile increased in 
loveliness and beauty and elegance of person. The tutor continued 
to educate him in his father’s palace; and from the time that he 
arrived at adolescence he went not out of the Wezeer’s palace, 
until his father took him one day, and, having clad him in one 
of the richest of his dresses, mounted him on one of his best 
mules, and conducted him to the Sultan, and introduced him. 
When the King beheld Hasan Bedr ed-Deen, 26 the son of the 
Wezeer Noor ed-Deen, he was astonished at his beauty; and the 
people, when he passed by them for the first time, going up with 
his father to the King, were amazed at his surpassing beauty and 
loveliness, and elegance of person. The Sultan, as soon as he saw 
him, loved him, and bestowed marks of favour upon him, and said 
to his father, O Wezeer, thou must bring him with thee every day. 
The Wezeer answered, I hear and obey;—and returned with his 
son to his abode ; and he continued every day to go up with him 
to the Sultan until the youth attained the age of fifteen years. 

His father, the Wezeer Noor ed-Deen, then fell sick, and called 
him into his presence, and said to him, O my son, know that this 
world is a perishable abode, and the world to come is an everlasting 
abode. I wish to give thee some precepts, and do thou understand 
what I am about to say to thee, and incline thy heart to it.—And 
he began to counsel him respecting the proper mode of conducting 
himself in society, and the due management of his affairs; and 
when he had done so, he reflected upon his brother and his native 
place and country, and wept at the thought of his separation from 
those he loved; his tears flowing: and he said, O my son, hear 
my words. I have a brother 27 in Cairo, and I quitted him and 
departed against his will.—He then took a piece of paper, 28 and 
wrote upon it all that had happened to him from first to last, 
together with the date of his marriage and introduction to the 
daughter of the Wezeer, and the date of his arrival at El-Basrah 

AND OF SHEMS ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER. 269 

and his interview with its Wezeer ; and, having added some strict 
admonition, he said to his son, Keep this charge, for the paper on 
which it is written containeth an account of thine origin and thy 
rank and lineage; and if any evil accident befal thee, repair to 
Cairo, and inquire for thine uncle, and salute him, and inform him 
that I died in a strange land, ardently desiring that I could see 
him. Therefore Hasan Bedr ed-Deen took the paper, and, having 
folded it, and wrapped it in a piece of waxed cloth, 29 sewed it 
between the lining and the outer cloth of his cap, 30 and wept for 
his father, that he should be parted from him in his youth. 

Noor ed-Deen then said to his son, 31 I charge thee that thou he 
not familiar with any one; for in retirement is security. Divinely 
gifted was the poet who said:— 

There is none in thy time whose friendship thou shouldst covet; nor any 
intimate who, when fortune is treacherous, will be faithful. 

Live then apart, and rely upon no man: I have given thee, in these words, 
good advice, and sufficient. 

Accustom thyself to taciturnity: occupy thyself with thine own 
affairs, and use not many words: for the poet saith:— 

Taciturnity is an ornament, and in silence is security : therefore, when thou 
speakest, be not loquacious: 

For if thou repent once of thy silence, thou wilt assuredly repent many times 
of thy speech. 

Beware of drinking wine; for it is the source of every kind of 
mischief. The poet 32 saith on this subject:— 

I have abandoned wine and those who drink it; and have become the friend 
of such as condemn it. 

Wine leadeth astray from the path of rectitude, and openeth the doors to evil. 

Hate no man, and oppress none; for oppression is base. The poet 
saith:— 

Oppress not if thou hast the power to do so; for oppression will eventually 
bring thee repentance: 

Thine eye will sleep while the oppressed, wakeful, will call for vengeance 
upon thee ; and the eye of God sleepeth not. 

Despise thy wealth, but not thyself: yet bestow not wealth save 
upon him who deserveth it. If thou keep it, it will keep thee; 

270 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, 

but if thou squander it, it will ruin thee; and then wilt thou need 
the assistance of the least of mankind. It hath been said by the 
poet:— 

When my wealth faileth, no friend assisteth me ; but when it aboundetli, all 
men are my friends. 

How many enemies for the sake of wealth have consorted with me! And 
my companion, in the time of want, hath abandoned me ! 

In this manner he continued to admonish his son Hasan Bedr 
ed-Deen until his spirit departed. The house became a scene of 
mourning, and the Sultan and all the Emeers grieved for him ; and 
they buried him. They continued their mourning during a period 
of two months, and the son of Noor ed-Deen rode not out nor went 
to the court nor presented himself before the Sultan ; and the King 
instated one of the chamberlains in his place, and appointed a new 
Wezeer in the place of his father, and ordered this Wezeer to put 
seals upon all the houses of Noor ed-Deen, and upon his wealth 
and all his buildings and other possessions. 33 So the new Wezeer 
went with the chamberlains to the house of the Wezeer Noor ed- 
Deen, to seal its door and to arrest his son Hasan Bedr ed-Deen, 
and bring him before the Sultan, that he might do to him what his 
judgment required. But there was among the troops one of the 
memlooks of the deceased Wezeer Noor ed-Deen; and he could not 
endure that the son of his master should be thus treated: he there¬ 
fore repaired to Hasan Bedr ed-Deen, whom he found with down- 

AND OF SHEMS ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER. 271 

cast head and mourning heart, on account of the death of his father, 
and acquainted him with what had passed. Hasan asked him, 
Will the execution of the order be delayed long enough for me to 
enter my house, 34 and take somewhat of my worldly possessions 
by which to obtain support during my exile ? But the memlook 
answered, Save thyself:—and when Hasan heard these words, he 
covered his head with the skirt of his robe, and, going forth on foot, 
fled out of the city: and he heard the people saying, The Sultan 
hath sent the new Wezeer to the house of the deceased Wezeer, to 
seal his wealth and other possessions, and to arrest his son Hasan 
Bedr ed-Deen, and bring him before him that he may put him to 
death:—and the people were mourning for him on account of his 
beauty and loveliness. So when he heard what they said, he took 
a course that he had not intended, and, not knowing whither to go, 
walked on until destiny urged him to the tomb of his father. 

Entering the burial-ground, he bent his way among the tombs 
until he seated himself at that of his father, where he removed his 
skirt from over his head. And as he was sitting there, a Jew of 
El-Basrah approached, and said to him, Wherefore, O my master, 
do I see thee thus changed? He answered, I was just now sleeping, 
and I beheld my father reproaching me for having failed to visit his 
tomb: wherefore I arose in alarm, fearing that the day would pass 
without my visiting it, and so the occurrence would distress me. 
The Jew then said to him, O my master, thy father despatched some 
vessels with merchandise, and some of them have returned; and 
it is my wish to purchase of thee the cargo of every vessel that 
hath arrived for a thousand pieces of gold ; and so saying, he took 
out a purse filled with gold, and counted out from it a thousand 
pieces, which he paid to Hasan the son of the Wezeer, and said 
to him, Write me a paper, and seal it. So Hasan took a paper, 
and wrote upon it, The writer of this paper, Hasan Bedr ed-Deen, 
the son of the Wezeer Noor ed-Deen, hath sold to the Jew such a 
one the whole cargo of every one of his father’s vessels that hath 
returned from her voyage, for a thousand pieces of gold, and hath 
received the price in advance. And after he had taken a copy 35 of 
it, the Jew went away with the paper ; and Hasan wept, reflecting 
upon his former state of dignity and favour. At length the night 
closed in upon him, and sleep overtook him, and he remained asleep 

212 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, 

at his father’s tomb until the moon rose, when his head rolled from 
the tomb, and he lay and slept on his back, his face shining in the 
moonlight. 

Now the burial-ground was inhabited by believing Jinn; and 
a Jinneeyeh, coming forth, saw the face of Hasan as he lay asleep, 
and, when she beheld him, was surprised at his beauty and love¬ 
liness, and exclaimed, Extolled be Allah’s perfection! This youth 
is like none but the virgins of paradise!—She then soared into the 
air, to perform her accustomed circuits, and saw an ’Efreet on his 
flight. She saluted him, and he returned her salutation; and she 
said to him, "Whence comest thou ? He answered, From Cairo:— 
and she said to him, Wilt thou go with me to behold the beauty 
of the youth who is sleeping in the burial-ground ? He replied, 
Yes. So they went together; and when they had descended into 
the burial-ground, she said to him, Hast thou seen in the course 
of thy life a person like this ?—And the ’Efreet looked upon him, 
and exclaimed, Extolled be the perfection of Him unto whom none 
is to be compared! But, O my sister, he added, if thou desire, 

I will relate to thee what I have seen.—Tell me, she replied: so 
he said, I have seen a person resembling this youth in the land of 
Egypt; and that person is the daughter of the Wezeer. The King 
had heard of her, and demanded her of her father, the Wezeer 
Shems ed-Deen, in marriage; but he answered him, O our lord 
the Sultan, accept my excuse, and pity my grief; for thou knowest 
that my brother Noor ed-Deen departed from us, and we know not 
where he is ; and that he shared with me the office of Wezeer; and 
the cause of his departure was this, that I was sitting conversing 
with him on the subject of marriage, and he was angry with me, 
and in anger went away :—and he related to the King all that had 
passed between them; adding, This was the cause of his indig¬ 
nation, and I have been under an oath that I will not marry my 
daughter to any but the son of my brother from the day that her 
mother gave birth to her; and that was about fifteen years ago: 
and lately I heard that my brother had married the daughter of 
the Wezeer of El-Basrah, and obtained a son by her; and I will 
not marry my daughter to any but him, in honour of my brother. 
After I had heard this, I recorded the date of my marriage, and of 
my wife’s conception, and of the birth of this daughter: she is 

AND OF SHEMS ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER. 273 

intended for the son of her uncle ; and of other maidens there are 
plenty.—But when the Sultan heard these words of the Wezeer, 
he was violently enraged, and said, How is it that such a one as 
myself demandeth in marriage a daughter from one like thee, and 
thou withholdest her from him, and excusest thyself by an absurd 
pretext ? By my head, I will not marry her but to one of less 
consideration than myself, in scorn of thy pride!— And the King 
had a humpbacked groom, with a hump before and a hump behind; 
and he ordered him to be brought, and affianced him to the daughter 
of the Wezeer, commanding that he should introduce himself to 
her this night, and be conducted in pompous procession. I left 
him in the midst of the memlooks of the Sultan, who were sur¬ 
rounding him with lighted candles in their hands, laughing at him 

VOL. I. N N 

274 THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, &c. 

and mocking him, at the door of the bath, while the daughter of 
the Wezeer was sitting weeping in the midst of the dye-women 36 
and tire-women. 37 She resembles more than any other person 
this youth. They have prohibited her father from going to her; 
and I have never seen, O my sister, a more ugly wretch than 
this humpback: but as to the maiden, she is more beautiful than 
this youth. 

To this story of the ’Efreet, the Jinneeyeh answered, Thou 
liest; for this youth is the most beautiful of the people of his age. 
But the ’Efreet replied, By Allah, O my sister, the maiden is more 
beautiful than he: however, none but he is suited to her; for they 
resemble each other, and probably are brother and sister, or cousins; 
and how will she be thrown away upon this humpback! She then 
said to him, O my brother, let us place ourselves beneath him and 
lift him up and take him to the maiden of whom thou speakest, and 
see which of the two is the more beautiful. The ’Efreet answered, 
I hear and obey: this proposal is right, and there can be no better 
determination than this which thou hast chosen; therefore I will 
carry him. So he lifted him up, and soared into the sky, and the 
Jinneeyeh flew by his side until he descended with him in the city 
of Cairo, where he placed him upon a mastabah, 38 and roused him 
from his sleep. 39 

When, therefore, he awoke, and found that he was not at his 
father’s tomb in the land of El-Basrah, he looked to the right and 
left, and perceived that he was in a city that was not El-Basrah, 
and would have cried out; but the ’Efreet winked to him, and, 
lighting him a candle, said to him, Know that I have brought thee 
hither, and I desire to do thee a service for the sake of God: take, 
therefore, this candle, and go with it to yonder bath, and mix with 
the people there, and proceed with them until thou arrivest at the 
saloon of the bride ; then go before, and enter the saloon, and fear 
no one; and when thou hast entered, station thyself on the right 
of the humpbacked bridegroom; and whenever the tire-women 
and singing-women and dye-women come to thee, put thy hand 
into thy pocket: thou wilt find it full of gold, and do thou take it 
by the handful and throw it to them; and imagine not that thou 
wilt put thy hand in and not find it filled with gold: give therefore 
to every one who cometh to thee by the handful, and fear nothing; 

but rely upon Him who created thee; for this will not be through 
thine own strength or power, but through the strength of God, and 
his power. 

On hearing these words of the ’Efreet, Hasan Bedr ed-Deen 
said, What is this event, and what manner of kindness is this ? 
And he went with his candle to the bath, where he found the hump¬ 
back mounted on his horse; and he joined himself to the party, in 
the same garb in which he had arrived, and with the same comely 
appearance; being attired with a tarboosh 40 and turban, and a 
farajeeyeh 41 interwoven with gold. He proceeded with the pompous 
train, and every time that the singing-women stopped for the people 
to give them money, he put his hand into his pocket, and found it 
filled with gold, and took it by the handful and threw it into the 
tambourine, 48 for the singing-women and tire-women, filling the 
tambourine with pieces of gold: and the singing-women were 
amazed, and the people wondered at his beauty and loveliness. 

276 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, 

Thus he continued to do until they arrived at the house of the 
Wezeer, when the chamberlains drove back the people, and pre¬ 
vented their entrance; but the singing-women and tire-women said, 
By Allah, we will not enter unless this youth enter with us, for 
he hath overwhelmed us with his favours, and the bride shall not 
be displayed unless he be present:—and upon this they entered 
with him into the saloon of the festivity, and seated him, in spite 
of the humpbacked bridegroom. All the ladies of the Emeers and 
Wezeers and Chamberlains were arranged in two rows, each lady 
holding a large lighted candle, and having her head-veil drawn across 
the lower part of her face: thus they stood in two rows, to the 
right and left, from the foot of the couch of the bride to the upper 
end of the leewan that adjoined the chamber from which the bride 
was to come forth. And when the ladies beheld Hasan Bedr ed- 
Deen and his beauty and loveliness, his face shining like the 
crescent of the moon, the hearts of all of them inclined to him, 
and the female singers said to all the women who were present, 
Know that this charming youth hath given us nothing but red gold; 
therefore fail not to serve him properly, and obey him in whatever 
he shall say. The women crowded round him to gaze at his charms, 
and their minds were overpowered by astonishment at his beauty, 
and each of them wished that she might be in his bosom for a year 
or a month or an hour: they removed the veils from their faces, 
and their hearts were perplexed, and they said, Joy to the person 
to whom this youth belongeth, or to the person over whom he is 
lord ! Then they imprecated evil upon the humpbacked groom and 
him who was the cause of his marriage to that lovely maiden; and 
every time that they prayed for blessings upon Hasan Bedr ed-Deen, 
they imprecated misfortunes upon the humpback. 

The singing-women then beat the tambourines, and the tire¬ 
women approached with the daughter of the Wezeer in the midst 
of them. They had perfumed her with sweet scents and essences, 
and clad her, and adorned her hair and neck with various ornaments, 
decking her with garments such as were worn by the ancient 
monarchs of Persia. Among these was a loose gown embroidered 
with red gold, presenting the forms of wild beasts and birds, hanging 
down over her other clothes; and round her neck was a necklace 
worth thousands, composed of jewels such as neither a King of El- 

AND OF SHEMS ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER. 

277 

Yemen nor a Caesar ever collected: she was like the moon shining 
in its fourteenth night, and when she approached she resembled a 
Ilooreeyeh. 49 Extolled be the perfection of Him who created her 
so splendid a being! The women encompassed her, and appeared 
like stars ; she, in the midst of them, being as the moon when the 
clouds have withdrawn from before it. Meanwhile, Hasan Bedr 
ed-Deen remained sitting, with the company gazing at him; and as 
the bride approached with a dignified and graceful gait, the hump¬ 
backed groom rose to her, to kiss her; hut she turned aside from 
him, and went and stood before Hasan, the son of her uncle. The 
company laughed at this ; and when they beheld her turn towards 
Hasan Bedr ed-Deen, and saw him put his hand into his pocket 
and take out handfuls of gold and throw it into the tambourine 
of the singing-women, they were delighted, and said, We wish 
that this bride were thine:—and he smiled. All this time the 
humpbacked groom was alone, looking like an ape; and every time 
that they lighted his candle it went out again, and he was con¬ 
founded, and remained sitting in the dark, full of secret indigna¬ 
tion, with all the company surrounding him, while the lighted 
candles presented an appearance of beauty that was most admirable, 
so that every person of reflection was amazed at their splendour. 
But as to the bride, she raised her hands towards heaven, and said, 
O Allah, make this to be my husband, and relieve me from this 
humpbacked groom!—The tire-women then proceeded to display 
the bride in different dresses, to the seventh suit, before Hasan 
Bedr ed-Deen of El-Basrah, the. humpbacked groom remaining 
alone; and when they had finished this ceremony they gave per¬ 
mission to the company to depart: so all who were present at the 
festivity, both women and children, went out, excepting Hasan 
Bedr ed-Deen and the humpbacked groom; after which the tire¬ 
women conducted the bride to an inner chamber, to take off her 
ornaments and outer robes, and to prepare her for the bridegroom’s 
visit. 

Upon this, the humpbacked groom approached Hasan Bedr 
ed-Deen, and said to him, O my master, thou hast made us happy 
by thy company this night, and overwhelmed us with thy favours; 
but now wherefore dost thou not arise and go to thy house without 
thy being ejected? He answered, In the name of Allah;—and 

278 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, 

arose, and went out from the door: but the ’Efreet met him, and 
said unto him, Stay, O Bedr ed-Deen; and when the humpback 
retires into the private closet, enter thou and seat thyself in the 
bride-cliamher; and when the bride cometh, say to her, I am thy 
husband; and the King had not recourse to this stratagem from 
any other motive than his fearing for thee the effect of the eye; 44 
and this whom thou hast seen is one of our grooms: — then 
approach her, and uncover her face, and fear no evil from any one. 

While Bedr ed-Deen was thus conversing with the ’Efreet, lo, 
the groom entered the closet, and seated himself; and immediately 
the ’Efreet rose before him, from the trough of water that was in the 
closet, 45 in the form of a mouse, and cried Zeek!—What brought 
thee here ? said the humpback. The mouse then increased in size, 
and became like a cat; and then increased, 
and became a dog, and cried, ’Owh! ’Owh! 
At the sight of this the groom was terrified, 
and exclaimed, Get away, thou unlucky! 46 
The dog, however, still increased and swelled 
until it became an ass, and brayed in his face, 
crying, Hak! Hak!—upon which the groom, 
in terror, cried out, Come to my aid, O people 
of the house! But lo, the ass increased, and 
became like a buffalo, and, stopping up the 
place before him, spoke with the speech of a 
son of Adam, and said, Wo be to thee, O 
humpback! O filthiest of grooms! —Upon 
this the groom was seized with a colick, and 
seated himself upon the slabs, and his teeth 
knocked together. The ’Efreet then said to 
him, Hath the earth become narrow to thee, 
that thou wouldst marry none hut my mis¬ 
tress? But the groom was silent. Return 
me an answer, said the 
’Efreet, or I will make 
thine abode to he in the 
dust!—By Allah, then an¬ 
swered the groom, I am 
not in fault; for they com- 

AND OF SHEMS ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER. 

279 

pelled me, and I knew not that she had a 
lover among the buffaloes; hut now I repent 
before Allah and before thee. Then the 
’Efreet said, I swear by Ajiah that if thou 
depart now from this place, or utter a word 
before the sun hath risen, I will slay thee: 
and when the sun hath risen go thy way, and 
never return to this house. And he seized 
the humpbacked groom, and, placing his head 
upside down upon the slabs, and his feet up¬ 
wards, said to him. Remain here, and I will 
watch thee until sunrise.—Thus did it happen 

to the humpback. 

Now, as to Hasan Bedr ed-Deen of El- 
Basrah, he left the humpback and the ’Efreet 
contending together, and, entering the house, 
seated himself in the bride-chamber; and lo, 
the bride approached, accompanied by an 
old woman, who stopped at the door of the 
chamber, and said, O Aboo Shihab, 4 ' arise, 
and take thy bride; and I commend thee to 
the care of Allah. Then the old woman went 
away, and the bride, whose name was Sitt 
el-Hosn, 48 advanced to the upper end of the 
chamber. Her heart was broken, and she 
said within herself, By Allah, I will not suffer 
him to caress me though my spirit depart 
from me! But when she had proceeded to 
the upper end of the chamber, she beheld 
Bedr ed-Deen, and said, My beloved, until 
this hour art thou remaining ? I had said 
within myself, perhaps thou and the hump¬ 
backed groom are to share me between you. 
—What, said he, should give the groom 
access to thee, and wherefore should he be 
my partner in the possession of thee ?—Who, 
then, she asked, is my husband ? Thou or he ? 
—O my mistress, answered Bedr ed-Deen, 

280 THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, &c. 

we did not this for any other purpose than to make a jest of 
him, and that we might laugh at him; for when the tire-women 
and the singing-women and thy family beheld thine admirable 
beauty, they feared for us the effect of the eye, and thy father 
hired him for ten pieces of gold, in order that he might divert from 
us the eye; and now he hath departed. When Sitt el-Hosn heard 
these words of Bedr ed-Deen, she smiled, and uttered a gentle 
laugh, and said, By Allah, thou hast extinguished my fire! Take 
me then, I conjure thee, and press me to thy bosom.—And they 
embraced each other. 

Not long after this, the ’Efreet said to the Jinneeyeh, Arise, 
and place thyself beneath the youth, and let us convey him back, 
lest the morning overtake us; for the time is near. So she 
advanced towards him, and, placing herself beneath his skirt, as 
he lay asleep, took him up, and flew away with him, in the state 
in which she found him, clad only in his shirt, and pursued her 
flight with the ’Efreet by her side. But God gave permission to 
some angels to cast at the Efreet a shootin'g-star of fire, and he 
was burnt. The Jinneeyeh, however, escaped unhurt, and depo¬ 
sited Bedr ed-Deen in the place over which the shooting-star had 
burnt the ’Efreet. She would not pass beyond it, fearing for his 
safety; and as destiny had appointed, this place was Damascus: so 
she placed him by one of the gates of this city, and flew away. 

When daylight therefore came, and the gates were opened, 
the people, coming forth, beheld a beautiful youth clad in his shirt, 
and with a cotton skull-cap without a turban. In consequence of 
his having been so long wakeful, he was now immersed in sleep ; 
and when the people saw him, some said, Would that he had 
waited till he had put on his clothes!—another said, Objects of pity 
are the children of men of condition! Probably this youth hath 
just come forth from his drinking-place, on account of some 
business, and intoxication hath overcome him, and he hath 
wandered from the place to which he would go until he arrived at 
the gate of the city, and, finding it locked, hath slept here.—They 
had expressed various opinions respecting him, and were wondering 
at his case, when Bedr ed-Deen awoke. Perceiving that he was 
at the gate of a city, and surrounded by men, he was astonished, 
and said. Where am I, O good people; and what is the cause of 

your assembling around me, and what hath befallen me among 
you? They answered, We saw thee at the call to morning-prayer 
lying at this gate asleep ; and we know nothing more of thy case. 
Where wast thou sleeping this last night ?—By Allah, O people, 
he replied, I was sleeping this last night in Cairo. On hearing 
this, one of them said, Dost thou eat hasheesh ? 43 Another said, 
Thou art mad. How couldst thou be passing the night in Cairo, 
and be sleeping in the morning at the city of Damascus ?—He said 
to them, By Allah, 0 good people, I will tell you no falsehood: I 
was last night in the land of Egypt, and the day before I was at 
El-Basrah. One of them said, This is a wonderful tiling! Ano¬ 
ther said, This youth is mad. And they clapped their hands at 
him, and, conversing together, said, Alas! for his youth! By 
Allah, there is no denying his madness!—They then said to him, 
Return to thy reason. But he replied, I was yesterday a bride¬ 
groom in the land of Egypt.—Probably thou hast dreamt, said 
they, and hast seen this of which thou speakest-in thy sleep. And 

VOI. I. 

0 o 

282 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON ; 

Hasan was confounded, and said, By Allah, this was not a dream: 
and where is the humpbacked groom who was sitting with us, and 
the purse of gold that I had ? And where are my clothes and my 
drawers ?—He then arose, and entered the city, and proceeded 
through its great thoroughfare-streets and market-streets; and the 
people crowded round him and paraded him: so he entered the 
shop of a cook. Now this cook was a robber, 50 whom God had 
caused to repent of his unlawful actions, and he had opened a 
cook’s shop; and all the people of Damascus feared him on 
account of his boldness ; therefore, when they saw that the youth 
had entered this shop, they left him, being afraid. 

When the cook beheld Hasan Bedr ed-Deen, and observed his 
beauty and comeliness, love for him entered liis heart, and he said 
to him, Whence art thou, O young man ? Relate to me thy story; 
for thou art become dearer to me than my soul.—So he related to 
him all that had happened, from beginning to end: and the cook 
said to him, O my master Bedr ed-Deen, know that this is a 
wonderful event and an extraordinary story; but, O my son, 
conceal thy case until God dispel thy trouble, and remain with 
me in this place; and as I have not a son, I will adopt thee as 
such. Bedr ed-Deen replied, Let it be as thou desirest, O uncle. 
And immediately the cook went out to the mart, and bought for 
Bedr ed-Deen costly clothes, and put them on him: he then went 
to the Kadee, and made a declaration that he was his adopted son: 51 
so Hasan Bedr ed-Deen became known throughout the city of 
Damascus as the son of the cook; and he sat with him in the shop 
to receive the money, and in this situation he remained. 

Now to return to Sitt el-Hosn.—When daybreak came and she 
awoke, she found not Hasan Bedr ed-Deen remaining with her, 
and, imagining that he would soon return, she sat a while expecting 
him ; and lo, her father came in to her, troubled at that which had 
befallen him from the Sultan, and at his having married his daughter 
by force to one of his servants, the humpbacked groom; and he 
said within himself, I will kill this girl if she have suffered the 
wretch to caress her. So he advanced to the bride-chamber, and, 
stopping at the door, said, O Sitt el-Hosn! She answered, Well, 
O my master !—and came forth to him, walking with a vacillating 
gait, through joy, and kissed the ground before him; and her 

AND OF SHEMS ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER. 

283 

countenance beamed with increased splendour in consequence of 
her union with that gazelle. When her father, therefore, saw her 
in this state, he exclaimed to her, O thou base creature! art thou 
delighted with this groom ? On hearing these words of her father, 
Sitt el-Hosn smiled, and replied, By Allah, it is enough that thou 
hast done, and that the people laugh at me, and put me on an 
equality with this groom, who is not, in my estimation, of the value 
of a paring of one of my finger-nails ; but as to my husband—by 
Allah, I never in the course of my life passed a night more delight¬ 
ful than that which I have just passed in his company: therefore 
jest not with me by mentioning that humpback. When her father 
heard what she said he was filled with rage; his eyes glared so that 
little appeared of them but the white, and he said to her. Wo to 
thee! What are these words that thou sayest ? Verily the hump¬ 
backed groom hath passed the night with thee!—I conjure thee by 
Allah, she rejoined, that thou mention him not. May Allah reject 
him, and reject his father! Continue not then to mock me by 
mentioning him; for the groom was only hired for ten pieces of 
gold, and he took his hire and departed; and I came and entered 
the bride-chamber, and beheld my husband seated, after the 
singing-women had displayed me before him; and he threw them 
red gold until he had enriched the poor who were present. I have 
reclined upon the bosom of my gentle-hearted husband, with the 
black eyes and the joined eyebrows.—When her father heard this, 
the light became darkness before his face, and he exclaimed to her, 
O thou abandoned one; What is this that thou sayest ? Where is 
thy reason ?—O my father, she replied, thou hast broken my heart 
to pieces! Wherefore dost thou pay no attention ? This of whom 
I spake is my husband, and he hath retired to his private closet. 

So her father went thither, in a state of astonishment, and, 
entering the closet, found the humpbacked groom with his head 
upon the slabs and his feet turned upwards; and the Wezeer was 
confounded at the sight, and said, Is not this the humpback ?—and 
he spoke to him; but the humpback returned no answer, thinking 
that it was the Efreet who addressed him. The Wezeer, therefore, 
cried out at him with a loud voice, and said to him, Speak, or I 
will cut off thy head with this sword ! Upon which the humpback 
exclaimed, By Allah, O slieykh of the Efreets, from the time that 

284 THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, &c. 

thou placedst me here I have not raised my head: I conjure thee 
therefore that thou shew favour to me ! The Wezeer, on hearing 
the humpback thus address him, said to him, What sayest thou ? 
I am the father of the bride, and I am not an ’Efreet. Then said 
the humpback, My life is not in thy hand, nor art thou able to take 
my soul; so go thy way before he come to thee who hath treated 
me in this manner. Ye would not marry me to any but the mistress 
of buffaloes and the mistress of ’Efreets ! May Allah, then, con¬ 
found him who married me to her, and confound him who was the 
cause of it!—Then did the humpbacked groom address the Wezeer, 
the father of the bride, again, saying, Allah, confound him who was 
the cause of this!—Arise, said the Wezeer, and depart from this 
place.—Am I mad, he replied, that I should go with thee without 
the permission of the ’Efreet ? For he said to me, When the sun 
shall have risen go thy way.—Hath the sun then risen or not? 
For I cannot depart from my place until the sun hath risen.—Upon 
this the Wezeer said to him, Who brought thee to this place ? He 
answered, I came hither yesterday, and a dust arose from the midst 
of the water, and cried out, and increased in bulk until it became 
of the size of a buffalo, and said to me words that entered my ear. 
Leave me, therefore, and go. Allah, confound the bride and him 
who married me to her!—The Wezeer then approached him, and 
dragged him forth, and he went out running, doubting whether 
the sun had risen, and went up to the Sultan, and informed him of 
that which had happened to him with the ’Efreet. 

But as to the Wezeer, the father of the bride, he returned with 
his reason perplexed respecting the case of his daughter, and said 
to her, O my daughter, reveal to me thy story. She replied, The 
elegant person before whom I was displayed remained with me; 
and if thou believe me not, see this is his turban, twisted just as it 
was, upon the chair, 32 and his drawers are under the bed, and in 
them is something wrapped up: I know not what it is. So, when 
her father heard this, he entered the bride-chamber, and found the 
turban of Hasan Bedr ed-Deen, the son of his brother; and taking 
it up, he turned it over, and said, This is such a turban as is worn 
by Wezeers, excepting that it is of the Mosilee 63 kind. He then 
observed an amulet sewed in his red cloth cap; and he unsewed it; 
and he took the drawers, and found the purse containing the thou- 

sand pieces of gold, and, opening this, he discovered in it a paper, 
which, when he had read it, he saw to he a copy of the Jew’s 
contract, with the name of Hasan Bedr ed-Deen, the son of Noor 
ed-Deen of Cairo; and he found also the thousand pieces of gold. 
But when he read the paper he cried aloud and fell down in a 
swoon; and as soon as he recovered and understood the case he was 
astonished, and exclaimed, There is no deity hut God, who is able 
to do whatsoever He will! Then said he, O my daughter, knowest 
thou who hath become thy husband? She answered, No.— He is 
the son of my brother, said he, and the son of thine uncle; and 
these thousand pieces of gold are thy dowry. Extolled be the 
perfection of God! Would that I knew how this event hath hap¬ 
pened !—Then he opened the amulet that was sewed up, and found 
in it a paper written by the hand of his brother Noor ed-Deen of 
Cairo, the father of Hasan Bedr ed-Deen: and when he beheld the 
hand-writing of his brother he repeated this couplet— 

I behold their footsteps, and melt with desire, and pour forth my tears upon 
the places they have trodden, 

Begging of Him who hath afflicted me by their separation, that He will bless 
me some day by a reunion. 

So saying, he read the paper, and found in it the date of his marriage 
to the daughter of the Wezeer of El-Basrah, and that of his first 
introduction to her, and a record of his age at the time of his death, 
and the date of the birth of his son Hasan Bedr ed-Deen; and he 

286 THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, &c. 

wondered, and shook with delight; and, comparing what had hap¬ 
pened to his brother with the events that had happened to himself, 
he found that they corresponded exactly: his marriage and the 
marriage of his brother agreed in date, and their first visits to their 
respective wives in like manner; as also the birth of Bedr ed-Deen, 
the son of his brother, and the birth of his daughter Sitt el-Hosn. 
He took the two papers, and going up with them to the Sultan, he 
acquainted him with all that had happened from the first of the 
case to the last; and the King was astonished, and ordered that the 
case should be immediately recorded. The Wezeer then remained 
in expectation of the son of his brother; but he met with no tidings 
of him: so he said, By Allah, I will do a deed that none hath 
done before me:—and he took an ink-case and a pen, and wrote 
an inventory of the furniture of the house, describing the money- 
chest as having been in such a place, and a certain curtain in such 
another place, and everything in the house in like manner; and he 
folded up the paper, and ordered that all the furniture should be 
stored up; and he took the turban with its tarboosh, and also the 
farajeeyeh and the purse, and kept them himself. 

After this, in due time, the daughter of the Wezeer gave birth 
to a son like the moon, resembling his father in beauty and sym¬ 
metry and splendour and loveliness. They received him from his 
mother, and blackened the edges of his eyes with kohl, 54 and de¬ 
livered him to the nurses, and named him ’Ajeeb. 63 His day was 
as a month; and his month, as a year ; 56 and when seven years had 
passed over him, his grandfather committed him to a schoolmaster, 
whom he charged to educate him with great care. He continued 
at the school four years, and used to fight with his schoolfellows, 
and abuse them, saying to them, Who among you is like me ? I 
am the son of the Wezeer of Cairo.—So the boys went together to 
complain to the monitor of that which they suffered from ’Ajeeb; 
and the monitor said to them, I will teach you something to say to 
him when he cometh, and he shall repent of his coming to the 
school; and it is this : to-morrow, when he is come, seat yourselves 
around him, and say one to another, By Allah, none shall play 
with us at this game excepting him who shall tell us the name of 
his mother and that of his father; and he who knoweth not the 
name of his mother and that of his father is illegitimate; therefore 

he shall not play with us. Accordingly, on the following morning 
they came to the school, and ’Ajeeb was there ; and the boys sur¬ 
rounded him, and said as the monitor had directed them, and they 
all agreed to the proposal; and one said, My name is Majid, and 
my mother is ’Alawee; and my father is ’Ezz ed-Deen:—then 
another said after the same manner, and another, and so on, until 
the turn came to ’Ajeeb; and he said to them, My name is ’Ajeeb, 
and my mother is Sitt el-Hosn, and my father is Shems ed-Deen, 
the Wezeer of Cairo:—and they said to him, By Allah, the 
Wezeer is not thy father. ’Ajeeb replied, the Wezeer is my 
father indeed :—and upon this the boys laughed at him, and clapped 
their hands at him, saying, Thou knowest not who is thy father: 
get away from us, therefore; for none shall play with us excepting 
him who knoweth the name of his father:—and immediately the 
boys dispersed from around him, and made a jest of him. In con¬ 
sequence of this treatment his heart became contracted, and he 
was almost choked with crying ; and the monitor said to him, Dost 
thou really consider as thy father him who is thy grandfather, the 
Wezeer, the father of thy mother Sitt el-Hosn. Thy father thou 
knowest not, nor do we know him; for the Sultan married her to 
the humpbacked groom, and the Jinn came and prevented him : so, 
if thou know not thy father, they will regard thee among them as 
illegitimate. Dost thou not see that the son of the woman who is 
coveted as a wife knoweth his father ? The Wezeer of Cairo is 

288 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND IIIS SON, 

thy grandfather; and as to thy father, we know him not, nor dost 
thou: return therefore to thy reason. 

Upon this, ’Ajeeb went immediately to his mother, Sitt el-Hosn, 
and complained to her, and wept; and his weeping prevented his 
speaking: and when his mother heard his complaint and his 
crying, her heart was inflamed for him, and she said to him, O my 
son, what maketh thee weep 1 Tell me thy story.—So he told her 
what he had heard from the boys and from the monitor, and said 
to her, O my mother, who is my father ? She answered him. Thy 
father is the Wezeer of Cairo. But he said, He is not my father: 
tell me not, therefore, what is false; for the Wezeer is thy father; 
not mine: who then is my father ? If thou do not tell me truly, 
I will kill myself with this dagger.—And when his mother heard 
the mention of his father, she wept at the allusion to the son of 
her uncle, and, remembering the amiable qualities of Hasan Bedr 
ed-Deen of El Basrah, and what had happened to herself and him, 
she recited an ode commencing thus :— 

They excited love in my heart, and departed; and far distant hath their abode 
become! 

Reason forsook me when they withdrew, and sleep and patience abandoned 
me. 

And she wept and cried out, and her son did the same ; and lo, the 
Wezeer entered. His heart burned within him when he beheld 
their state, and he said to them, What causeth you to weep ? She 
acquainted him therefore with the treatment that her son had ex¬ 
perienced from the other boys of the school; and he, also, wept, 
and called to mind what had happened to his brother and himself 
and his daughter, and he knew not the mystery of the case. Then 
suddenly he arose, and, going up to the council-chamber, presented 
himself before the King, and related to him the story, begging his 
permission to travel eastwards to the city of El-Basrah, that he 
might make inquiries respecting the son of his brother; and re¬ 
questing also of the Sultan that he would write letters for him to 
all the countries through which he might pass, that, if he found the 
son of his brother in any place, he might take him away. And he 
wept before the Sultan, and the heart of the King was moved with 
compassion for him, and he wrote for him letters to all the regions 
and countries; upon which the Wezeer rejoiced, and, having 
offered up a prayer for the Sultan, took leave of him. 

AND OF SHEMS ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER. 

289 

He descended immediately and prepared for the journey, and, 
taking with him all that he required, together with his daughter 
and her son ’Ajeeb, travelled the first day and the second and the 
third, and proceeded until he arrived at the city of Damascus, and 
beheld it with its trees and streams celebrated by the poets. He 
alighted in the open space called Meydan el-Hasba; and when he 
had pitched his tents, said to his servants, We will take rest here 
two days. So the servants entered the city to gratify their various 
desires ; one to sell, another to buy, a third to enter the bath, and 
a fourth to visit the mosque of the Benee Umeiyeh, which hath 
not in the world its equal. 'Ajeeb also entered the city, accom¬ 
panied by his eunuch, in order to amuse themselves; and the 
eunuch walked behind 'Ajeeb, having in his hand a whip that 
would strike down a camel. And when the people of Damascus 
beheld 'Ajeeb, and his elegance of form and perfect beauty, and 
observed him to be endowed with admirable loveliness, and with 
kindness of manner, more bland than the northern zephyr, sweeter 
than limpid water to the thirsty, and more pleasant than health to 
the diseased, they followed him, running after him in crowds; and 
some sat waiting in the streets to see him pass. Thus did they 
until the slave, as destiny had ordained, stopped before the shop of 
'Ajeeb’s father, Hasan Bedr ed-Deen, in which the cook who had 
acknowledged him as his adopted son in the presence of the Kadees 
and witnesses had established him; and this cook had died, and left 
him all his property, together with his shop." 

When the slave stopped there on this day, the servants also 
stopped with him; and Hasan Bedr ed-Deen beheld his son, and 
was charmed with him, observing his extreme beauty: his soul 
yearned towards him with natural sympathy, and his heart clung 
to him. He had just prepared a conserve of pomegranate-grains, 
sweetened with sugar; and the affection divinely inspired increased 
in him ; so he called out in ecstacy, and said, O my master, O thou 
who hast captivated my heart and soul, and to whom my affections 
are drawn by sympathy ! wilt thou come in to me and refresh my 
heart and eat of my food ? And when he had said this, his eyes 
overflowed with involuntary tears, and he reflected upon his past 
experience and his condition at the present time. When 'Ajeeb 
heard the address of his father, his heart was in like manner drawn 

r F 

VOL. I. 

290 THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, Sic. 

towards him by sympathy, and he looked towards the eunuch, and 
said to him, Verily my heart is moved with sympathy for this cook : 
he seemeth to have parted with a son: come in with us, therefore, 
that we may refresh his heart and eat his offering of hospitality: 
perhaps God, through our so doing, may accomplish our union 
with our father. But the eunuch replied, By Allah, O my master, 
it is not proper. How should we, who are of the family of the 
Wezeer, eat in the shop of a cook? I will, however, drive away 
the people from thee, lest they see thee: otherwise it will be 
impossible for thee to enter the shop.—On hearing the reply of the 
eunuch, Bedr ed-Deen was surprised, and, looking towards him, 
while his tears flowed down his cheeks, said to him, Verily my 
heart loveth him.—Let us hear no more of these words, said the 
eunuch:—and he desired the youth not to enter : but the father 
of ’Ajeeb cast his eyes upon the eunuch, and said, Great sir, 
wherefore wilt thou not refresh my heart and come in to me ? O 
thou who resemblest black dust, but whose heart is white ! O thou 
who hast been described in such and such terms of praise!—so that 
the eunuch laughed, and said, What wouldst thou say ? Speak, 
and be brief. And Bedr ed-Deen recited this couplet:— 

Were it not for his accomplishments and admirable faithfulness, he had not 
been invested with authority in the abode of Kings. 

What an excellent guardian for the liareem is he! On account of his beauty 
the angels of heaven wait upon him! 

This address pleased the eunuch so much that he took the hand of 
’Ajeeb, and entered the cook’s shop ; and Bedr ed-Deen ladled out 
a saucerful of conserve of pomegranate-grains prepared with almonds 
and sugar, and the slave and the youth ate together; Bedr ed-Deen 
saying to them, Ye have delighted me by your company : eat, 
and may it benefit you! ’Ajeeb then said to his father, Sit down 
and eat with us; and perhaps God will unite us to him whom we 
desire. And Bedr ed-Deen said, O my son, hast thou been 
afflicted in thy tender years by the separation of those whom thou 
lovest ?—Yes, O uncle, answered ’Ajeeb : my heart is inflamed by 
the absence of one of those who are dear to me: the friend who 
hath withdrawn himself from me is my father, and I and my 

grandfather have come abroad to search for him through the world; 
and how do I sigh for my union with him !—And he wept bitterly ; 
and his father, moved by his tears, wept with him, reflecting upon 
his own desolate state, separated from those he loved, deprived of 
his father, and far removed from his mother; and the eunuch was 
moved with compassion for him. 

They all ate together until they were satisfied; after which, the 
youth and the slave arose, and quitted the shop of Bedr ed-Deen, 
who felt as if his soul had departed from his body and gone with 
them. He could not endure their absence for the twinkling of an 
eye; so he shut up his shop and followed them, though ignorant 
that the youth was his son, and walked quickly until he came up 
to them before they had gone out from the great gate ; whereupon 
the eunuch, looking back at him, said, What dost thou want, O 
cook ? Bedr ed-Deen answered, When ye departed from me I felt 
as if my soul had quitted my body, and, having some business in 
the suburb, I was desirous of accompanying you to transact my 
business, and, after that, to return. But the eunuch was angry, 
and said to ’Ajeeb, Verily this repast was unlucky: respectful 
treatment hath become incumbent on us; and see, he is following 
us from plaee to place. ’Ajeeb therefore looked round, and, seeing 
the cook, was enraged, and his face became red; but he said to 

292 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, 

the eunuch, Suffer him to walk in the public road of the Muslims; 
but when we shall have turned from it to our tents, if he do the 
same, and we know that he is following us, we will drive him back. 
And he hung down his head and went on, with the eunuch behind 
him. Bedr ed-Deen, however, followed them to the Meydan el- 
Hasba, and when they had drawn near to the tents they looked 
back and saw him behind them; and ’Ajeeb was angry, fearing that 
the eunuch might inform his grandfather, and lest it should be said 
that he had entered the cook’s shop, and that the cook had fol¬ 
lowed him. He looked at him till his eyes met the eye of his 
father, who had become as a body without a soul; and he fancied 
that his eye bore an expression of deceit, and that he was perhaps 
a knave : so his anger increased, and he took up a stone and threw 
it at his father, and the stone struck him on the forehead, and 
wounded him, and he fell down in a swoon, the blood flowing over 
his face. ’Ajeeb went on with the eunuch to the tents; and Hasan 
Bedr ed-Deen, when he recovered his senses, wiped off the blood, 
and, having cut off a piece of linen from his turban, bound up his 
head with it, blaming himself, and saying, I wronged the youth 
when I shut up my shop and followed him, so he thought I was a 
deceiver. He then returned to his shop, and occupied himself with 
the sale of his meats ; and he yearned with desire for his mother, 
who was at El-Basrah. 

The Wezeer, his uncle, remained at Damascus three days, and 
then departed to Hems, and, having entered this town, proceeded 
thence, inquiring at every place where he halted in his journey 
until he had arrived at Marideen and El-Mosil and Diyar Bekr. 
He continued his journey until he arrived at the city of El-Basrah, 
and when he had entered it and taken up his quarters, he went and 
presented himself before the Sultan, who received him with respect 
and honour, and inquired the reason of his coming : so he 
acquainted him with his story, and informed him that the 
Wezeer ’Alee Noor ed-Deen was his brother. The Sultan ejacu¬ 
lated, God have mercy upon him ! 58 —and said, O Saheb, 59 he was 
my Wezeer, and I loved him much: he died twelve years 60 ago, 
and left a son; but we have lost him, and have heard no tidings of 
him: his mother, however, is with us, for she is the daughter of 

AND OF SHEMS ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER. 

293 

my old Wezeer. On hearing from the King that the mother of his 
nephew was alive, the Wezeer Shems ed-Deen rejoiced, and said, I 
am desirous of having an interview with her. And the King gave 
him immediate permission to visit her at his brother’s house: so 
he went thither, and kissed the threshold, and, entering an open 
court, found a door over-arched with hard stone inlaid with various 
kinds of marble of every colour ; and he walked along by the walls 
of the house, and as he cast his eyes around upon them he observed 
the name of his brother Noor ed-Deen inscribed on them in charac¬ 
ters of gold; and he went to the name and kissed it and wept. 
He then advanced to the saloon of his brother’s wife, the mother 
of Hasan Bedr ed-Deen of El-Basrah. During the absence of her 
son she had given herself up to weeping and wailing night and 
day; and after she had long suffered from his separation she made 
for her son a tomb of marble in the midst of the saloon, where she 
wept for him night and day, sleeping nowhere but by this tomb. 
And when Shems ed-Deen arrived at her apartment he heard her 
voice apostrophizing the tomb ; and while she was thus occupied 
he entered and saluted her, and informed her that he was her hus- 

294 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, 

band’s brother, acquainting her with what had passed, and revealing 
to her the particulars of the story. He told her that her son 
Hasan Bedr ed-Deen had passed a whole night with his daughter, 
and disappeared in the morning, and that his daughter had borne 
him a son, whom he had brought with him: and when she heard 
this news of her son, and that he was perhaps still living, and be¬ 
held her husband’s brother, she fell at his feet and kissed them, 
addressing him with this couplet:— 

Divinely is he inspired who acquainteth me with their approach ; for he hath 
brought information most delightful to be heard. 

If he would be satisfied with that which is cast off , 61 I would give him a 
heart rent in pieces at the hour of valediction. 

The Wezeer then sent to bring’Ajeeb; and when he came, his 
grandmother rose to him, and embraced him, and wept; but Shems 
ed-Deen said to her, This is not a time for weeping, but rather 
a time for preparing thyself to accompany us on our return to 
the land of Egypt: and perhaps God may unite us with thy son, 
my nephew. She replied, I hear and obey:—and, arising imme¬ 
diately, collected all her property and treasures, and her female 
slaves, and forthwith prepared herself: after which the Wezeer, 
Shems ed-Deen, went up again to the Sultan of El-Basrah, and 
took leave of him; and the King sent with him presents and 
rarities for the Sultan of Egypt. 

The Wezeer departed without delay, accompanied by his 
brother’s wife, and continued his journey until he arrived at the 
city of Damascus, where he alighted again, and encamped, and 
said to his attendants, We will remain at Damascus a week, to 
buy, for the Sultan, presents and rarities. ’Ajeeb then said to the 
eunuch, Boy, 62 I long for a little diversion: arise, therefore, and 
let us go to the market of Damascus, and see what is going on 
there, and what hath happened to that cook whose confection we 
ate and whose head we broke, notwithstanding he had treated us 
with kindness: we acted ill towards him. The eunuch replied, I 
hear and obey:—and ’Ajeeb went forth with him from the tents, 
the tie of blood exciting him to visit his father, and they entered 
the city, and proceeded to the shop of the cook, whom they found 

AND OF SHEMS ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER. 295 

standing there. It was then near the time of afternoon-prayers; 
and it happened that he had again just prepared a confection of 
pomegranate-grains; and when they drew near to him, the heart 
of Ajeeb yearned towards him when he saw him, and he perceived 
the scar occasioned by the stone that he had thrown. He said to 
him, Peace be on thee! Know that my heart is with thee.—And 
when Bedr ed-Deen beheld him, his affections were engrossed by 
him, and his heart throbbed with emotion towards him, and he hung 
down his head, desiring to adapt his tongue to speech, and unable 
to do so : but presently he raised his head, and, looking towards the 
youth in an humble and abject manner, recited these verses:— 

I wished for my beloved; but when I beheld him I was confounded, and 
possessed neither tongue nor eye. 

I hung down my head in honour and reverence, and would have hidden 
what I felt; but it would not be concealed. 

I had prepared a volume of expostulation; but when we met I remembered 
not a word. 

He then said to them, Refresh ye my heart, and eat of my 
food; for, by Allah, as soon as I beheld thee, my heart yearned 
towards thee, and I had not followed thee unless I had been 
deprived of my reason. — By Allah, replied ’Ajeeb, thou dost 
indeed love us, and we ate a morsel with thee; but after it 
thou keptest close behind us and wouldst have disgraced us: we 
will not eat again with thee, therefore, but on the condition of 
thy swearing that thou wilt not follow us; and otherwise we will 
not come to thee again henceforth; for we are staying at this city 
a week, in order that my grandfather may procure presents for the 
King.—I bind myself, said Bedr ed-Deen, to do as ye desire. So 
’Ajeeb entered the shop with the eunuch, and Bedr ed-Deen placed 
before them a saucer filled with the confection of pomegranate- 
grains; upon which’Ajeeb said to him, Eat with us; and may 
God dispel our affliction:—and Bedr ed-Deen was delighted, and 
he ate with them; but he turned not his eyes from the youth ; for 
his heart and all his faculties were captivated by him. ’Ajeeb, 
observing this, said to him, Knowest thou not that I told thee thou 
wast a rude doter ? Enough of this: continue not to gaze at my 
face. Bedr ed-Deen, therefore, apologized to him, and began to 

put morsels into the mouth of ’Ajeeb, and then did the same to 
the eunuch. Afterwards he poured the water upon their hands, 
and when they had washed he loosed a napkin of silk from his 
waist and wiped them with it. He next sprinkled rose-water upon 
them from a bottle that was in his shop, and went out, and 
returned with two cups of sherbet prepared with rose-water infused 
with musk, and, placing these before them, he said, Complete 
your kindness. So ’Ajeeb took a cup and drank; and Bedr ed- 
Deen handed the other to the eunuch; and both drank until their 
stomachs were full, and gratified their appetites to a degree beyond 
their usual habit. 

They then departed, and hastened back to the tents, and 
’Ajeeb went in to his grandmother, the mother of his father Hasan 
Bedr ed-Deen; and she kissed him, and said, Where hast thou 
been ? He answered, In the city. And she arose, and brought 
him a saucer of confection of pomegranate-grains, which happened 
to be somewhat deficient in sweetness ; and she said to the eunuch, 
Sit down with thy master. The eunuch said within himself. By 
Allah, we have no appetite. He, however, seated himself, and 
’Ajeeb did the same, though satiated with what he had eaten and 
drunk, and dipped a morsel of bread in the confection, and ate it; 
but it seemed to him insipid, on account of his being thus cloyed, 
and he loathed it, and said. What is this nasty dish ?—O my child, 
said his grandmother, Dost thou find fault with my cookery ? It 
was I who prepared it; and, excepting thy father, Hasan Bedr ed- 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, &c. 297 

Deen, there is none who can cook it as well as myself.—By Allah, 
O my mistress, replied ’Ajeeb, This thy dish is not well prepared: 
we have just now seen in the city a cook who had prepared a 
confection of pomegranate-grains, but its odour was such as to dilate 
the heart, and the confection itself, such as to excite appetite in 
one already satiated: as to thine, in comparison with his, it is good 
for nothing. 

His grandmother, on hearing this, fell into a violent rage, and, 
turning towards the eunuch, said to him, Wo to thee! Hast thou 
corrupted my child ? Thou hast taken him into the shops of the 
cooks!—The eunuch feared, and denied, saying, We did not enter 
the shop, but only passed by it:—but ’Ajeeb said, By Allah, we 
entered and ate, and what we ate was better than this mess of thine. 
And upon this his grandmother arose, and informed her husband’s 
brother, and incensed him against the eunuch. The slave was 
therefore brought before the Wezeer, and he said to him, Wherefore 
didst thou take my child into the cook’s shop ? The eunuch, fearing, 
said again, We did not enter.—Nay, said ’Ajeeb, we did enter, and 
ate of a confection of pomegranate-grains until we were satiated, 
and the cook gave us to drink sherbet with ice and sugar. The 
Wezeer’s anger with the eunuch now increased, and he asked him 
again; but still he denied. Then said the Wezeer, If thine assertion 
be true, sit down and eat before us. The eunuch therefore ad¬ 
vanced, and would have eaten; but he could not; and he threw 
down the morsel that was in his hand, and said, O my master, I am 
satiated since yesterday. And by this the Wezeer knew that he 
had eaten in the shop of the cook: so he ordered the female slaves 
to throw him down upon the ground, and they did so, and he gave 
him a severe beating, while the slave cried for mercy, but still 
saying, I am satiated since yesterday! The Wezeer then inter¬ 
rupted the beating, and said to him, Declare the truth. And at 
length the eunuch said, Know that we did enter the shop of the 
cook while he was cooking pomegranate-grains, and he ladled out 
for us some of the confection, and, by Allah, I never in my life ate 
any like it, or any more detestable than this which is before us. 

The mother of Bedr ed-Deen, enraged at this, said, Thou shalt 
go to this cook and bring us a saucerful of his confection and shew 
it to thy master, that he may say which of the two is the better and 

VOL. I. 

Q Q 

298 THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, 

the more delicious.—Very well, replied the eunuch: and imme¬ 
diately she gave him a saucer, and half a piece of gold; and he 
went to the shop, and said to the cook, We have laid a wager 
respecting thy confection at the tent of our master; for there is 
a mess of pomegranate-grains cooked by the family: give us, there¬ 
fore, for this half piece of gold, and apply thyself to prepare it 
perfectly; for we have received an excruciating beating on account 
of thy cookery. Laughing at these words, Bedr ed-Deen replied, 
By Allah, none excelleth in the preparation of this confection 
excepting myself and my mother, and she is now in a distant 
country. And he ladled out as much as filled the saucer, and 
perfected it by the addition of some musk and rose-water. The 
eunuch then hastened back with it to the family; and the mother 
of Hasan took it, and, tasting its delicious savour, immediately 
knew who had prepared it, and shrieked, and fell down in a swoon. 
The Wezeer was amazed at the event; and they sprinkled some 
rose-water upon her, and when she recovered she said, If my son 
be yet in the world, no one but he cooked this confection: he is 
my son Hasan Bedr ed-Deen without doubt: for none but he can 
prepare this, excepting myself, and it was I who taught him to do it. 

When the Wezeer heard these words, he rejoiced exceedingly, 
and exclaimed, Oh, how I long to behold my brother’s son ! Will 
fortune, indeed, unite us with him ? But I look not for our union 
from any but God, whose name be exalted!—And he instantly 
arose, and called out to his male attendants, saying, Let twenty 
men of you go to the shop of the cook, and demolish it, and bind 
his hands behind him with his turban, and drag him hither by force, 
but without any injury to his person. They replied, Well. The 
Wezeer then rode immediately to the palace, and, presenting 
himself before the Viceroy of Damascus, shewed him the contents 
of the letters which he had brought from the Sultan; and the 
Viceroy, after kissing them, put them to his head, and said, Who 
is thine offender ? He answered, A man who is by trade a cook. 
And instantly the Viceroy ordered his chamberlains to repair to 
his shop; and they went thither; but found it demolished, and 
everything that had been in it broken ; for when the Wezeer went 
to the palace, his servants did as he had commanded them. They 
were then waiting his return from the palace ; and Bedr ed-Deen 

was saying within himself, What can they have discovered in the 
confection, that such an event as this should have befallen me ? 
And when the Wezeer returned from the Viceroy, and had received 
his permission to take his offender and to depart with him, he 
entered the encampment, and called for the cook. They brought 
him, therefore, with his hands bound behind him with his turban; 
and when he saw his uncle he wept bitterly, and said, O my master, 
what crime have ye found in me? The Wezeer said to him, Art 
thou he who cooked the confection of pomegranate-grains? He 
answered, Yes: and have ye found in it anything that requires 
one’s head to be struck off? This, replied the Wezeer, is the 
smallest part of thy recompense.—Wilt thou not, said Bedr ed- 
Deen, acquaint me with my crime ? The Wezeer answered, Yea, 
immediately. And forthwith he called out to the young men, 
saying, Bring the camels ! 

They then took Bedr ed-Deen, and put him in a chest, and, 
having locked him up in it, commenced their journey, and con¬ 
tinued on their way till the approach of night, when they halted 
and ate, and, taking out Bedr ed-Deen, fed him; after which they 
put him again into the chest, and in like manner proceeded to 
another station. Here also they took him out; and the Wezeer 
said to him, Art thou he who cooked the confection of pome¬ 
granate-grains ? He answered, Yes, 0 my master. And the 

300 THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, &c. 

Wezeer said, Shackle his feet. And they did so, and restored 
him to the chest. They then continued their journey to Cairo; 
and when they arrived at the quarter called Er-Reydaneeyeh, 63 the 
Wezeer commanded to take out Bedr ed-Deen again from the 
chest, and to bring a carpenter, to whom he said, Make, for this 
man, a cross. 64 —What, said Bedr ed-Deen, dost thou mean to do 
with it? The Wezeer answered, I will crucify thee upon it, and 
nail thee to it, and then parade thee about the city.—Wherefore, 
demanded Bedr ed-Deen, wilt thou treat me thus ? The Wezeer 
replied, For thy faulty preparation of the confection of pomegra¬ 
nate-grains, because thou madest it deficient in pepper.—Because 
of its deficiency in pepper, exclaimed Bedr ed-Deen, wilt thou do 
all this to me ? Art thou not satisfied with having thus imprisoned 
me, and fed me every day with only one meal ?—The Wezeer 
answered, For its deficiency in pepper, thy recompense shall be 
nothing less than death. And Bedr ed-Deen was amazed, and 
bewailed his lot, and remained a while absorbed in reflection. The 
Wezeer, therefore, said to him, Of what art thou thinking ? He 
answered, Of imbecile minds, such as thine; for if thou wert a 
man of sense thou wouldst not have treated me in this manner on 
account of the deficiency of pepper.—It is incumbent on us, replied 
the Wezeer, to punish thee, that thou mayest not do the like 
again:—to which Bedr ed-Deen rejoined, The least of the things 
thou hast done to me were a sufficient punishment. The Wezeer, 
however, said, Thy death is unavoidable.—All this conversation 
took place while the carpenter was preparing the cross ; and Bedr 
ed-Deen was looking on. 

Thus they both continued until the approach of night, when 
Bedr ed-Deen’s uncle took him and put him again into the chest, 
saying, To-morrow shall be thy crucifixion. He then waited until 
he perceived that he was asleep; upon which he remounted, and, 
with the chest borne before him, entered the city, and repaired to 
his house: and when he had arrived there he said to his daughter 
Sitt el-Hosn, Praise be to God who hath restored to thee the son 
of thine uncle! Arise, and furnish the house as it was on the night 
of the bridal display.—She therefore ordered her female slaves to do 
so; and they arose, and lighted the candles; and the Wezeer brought 
out the paper upon which he had written his inventory of the 

AND OF SHEMS ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER. 301 

furniture of the house, and read it, and ordered them to put every 
thing in its place, so that the beholder would not doubt that this 
was the very night of the bridal display. He directed them to put 
Bedr ed-Deen’s turban in the place where its owner had deposited 
it, and in like manner the trousers, and the purse which was beneath 
the mattress, and ordered his daughter to adorn herself as she was 
on the bridal night, and to enter the bride-chamber; saying to her, 
When the son of thine uncle comes into thy chamber, say to him, 
Thou hast loitered since thou withdrewest from me this night:— 
and request him to return and converse with thee till day.—Having 
thus arranged everything, the Wezeer took out Bedr ed-Deen from 
the chest, removed the shackles from his feet, and stripped him of 
his outer clothes, leaving him in his shirt. 

All this was done while he was asleep, unconscious of what was 
passing; and when he awoke, and found himself in an illuminated 
vestibule, he said within himself, Am I bewildered by dreams, or 
am I awake ? Then arising, he advanced a little way to an inner 
door, and looked, and lo, he was in the house in which the bride 
had been displayed, and he beheld the bride-chamber and the 
couch and his turban and clothes. Confounded at the sight of 
these things, he took one step forwards and another backwards, 

302 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, 

thinking, Am I asleep or awake ? And he began to wipe his fore¬ 
head, and exclaimed in his astonishment, By Allah, this is the 
dwelling of the bride who was here displayed before me: and yet I 
was just now in a chest. And while he was addressing himself, 
behold Sitt el-Hosn lifted up the corner of the musquito-curtain, 
and said, O my master, wilt thou not come in? for thou hast 
loitered since thou withdrewest from me this night. "When he 
heard these words he looked at her face and laughed, and said, 
Verily, these appearances are bewildering illusions of a dream! 
Then entering, he sighed; and as he reflected upon what had hap¬ 
pened to him, he was perplexed at his situation, and his case 
seemed involved in obscurity. Looking at his turban and trousers, 
and the purse containing the thousand pieces of gold, he exclaimed, 
Allah is all-knowing!—but it seemeth to me that I am bewildered 
by dreams! And he was confounded in the excess of his astonish¬ 
ment. Upon this, therefore, Sitt el-Hosn said to him, Wherefore 
do I behold thee thus astonished and perplexed ? Thou wast not 
so in the commencement of the night.—And he laughed, and asked 
her, How many years have I been absent from thee ?—Allah pre¬ 
serve thee ! she exclaimed. The name of Allah encompass thee! 65 
Thou hast only withdrawn to yonder apartment. What hath 
passed in thy mind ?—On hearing this he smiled, and replied, Thou 
hast spoken truth; but when I withdrew from thee, sleep over¬ 
came me, and I dreamt that I was a cook in Damascus, and that I 
lived there twelve years ; 8a and I thought that a youth of the sons 
of the great came to me, accompanied by a eunuch,—and he pro¬ 
ceeded to relate what had happened to him in consequence of this 
youth’s visit: then drawing his hand over his forehead, he felt the 
scar occasioned by the blow, and exclaimed, By Allah, O my 
mistress, it seemeth as though it were true; for he struck me with 
a stone upon my forehead, and cut it open : it seemeth, therefore, 
as though this had really happened when I was awake: but pro¬ 
bably this dream occurred when we were both asleep. I imagined 
in my dream that I was transported to Damascus, without tarboosh 
or turban or trousers, and that I followed the occupation of a cook. 
—And again, for a while, he remained utterly confounded. He 
then said, By Allah, I imagined that I made a confection of pome¬ 
granate-grains containing but little pepper. Verily I must have 

AND OF SHEMS ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER. 303 

been asleep, and in my sleep have seen all this.—I conjure thee by 
Allah, said Sitt el-Hosn, tell me what more thou sawest ? And he 
related to her the whole; and added, If I had not awaked, they 
would have crucified me upon a wooden cross.—On account of 
what? said she. He answered, On account of the deficiency of 
pepper in the confection of pomegranate-grains; and I imagined 
that they demolished my shop, and broke all my vessels, and put 
me in a chest, and brought the carpenter to make a cross of wood; 
for they intended to crucify me upon it. Praise be to (rod, there¬ 
fore, who caused all this to occur to me in sleep, and caused it not 
to happen to me when I was awake!—Sitt el-Hosn, laughing at his 
words, pressed him to her hosom, and he in like manner embraced 
her. Then reflecting again, he said, By Allah, it seems as if it had 
happened when I was awake; and I knew not the reason, nor the 
truth of the case.—And he composed himself to sleep, perplexed 
with his case, and sometimes saying, I saw it in my sleep,—and at 
other times, I experienced it awake. 

Thus he continued until the morning, when his uncle, the 
Wezeer Shems ed-Deen, came in to him, and saluted him; and 
Bedr ed-Deen, as soon as he beheld him, exclaimed, I conjure thee 
by Allah, tell me art not thou he who gave orders to bind my 
hands behind me, and to nail up my shop, on account of the con¬ 
fection of pomegranate-grains, because it was deficient in pepper ? 
The Wezeer answered, Know, O my son, that the truth hath 
appeared, and what was hidden hath been manifested. Thou art 
the son of my brother; and I did not this but to know if thou 
wert he who visited my daughter on that night. I was not con¬ 
vinced of this until I saw that thou knewest the house, and thy 
turban and trousers and gold, and the two papers; namely, the 
one which thou wrotest, and that which thy father, my brother, 
wrote: for I had never seen thee before, and therefore knew thee 
not; and as to thy mother, I have brought her with me from El- 
Basrah.—Having thus said, he threw himself upon him, and wept; 
and Bedr ed-Deen, full of astonishment at his uncle’s words, em¬ 
braced him, and in like manner wept from excess of joy. The 
Wezeer then said to him, O my son, the cause of all this was what 
passed between me and thy father. And he related to him the 
circumstances of their case, and the cause of his father’s departure 

304 THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, & c. 

to El-Basrah ; after which he sent for ’Ajeeb ; and when the father 
of the youth saw him, he exclaimed, This is he who threw the 
stone at me.—This, said the Wezeer, is thy son. And Bedr ed- 
Deen cast himself upon him, and recited the following verses :— 

Long have I wept on account of our disunion; the tears overflowing from my 
eyelids; 

And I vowed that if Providence should bring us together, I would never 
again mention our separation. 

Joy hath overcome me to such a degree that by its excess it hath made me 
weep. 

O eye, thou hast become so accustomed to tears that thou weepest from hap¬ 
piness as from grief . 67 

And when he had uttered these words, his mother, beholding him, 
threw herself upon him, and repeated this couplet:— 

Fortune made a vow to torment me incessantly; but thine oath hath proved 
false, O Fortune; therefore expiate it. 68 

Happiness hath arrived, and the beloved is come to my relief: repair then 
to the messenger of festivity, and hasten. 

She afterwards related to him everything that had happened to 
her ; and he also acquainted her with all that he had suffered; and 
they offered up thanks to God for their union. The Wezeer then 
went up to the Sultan, and informed him of these occurrences; 
and the King was astonished, and ordered that a statement of them 
should be inserted in the records, to be preserved to future ages. 
And the Wezeer resided with his brother’s son, and his own 
daughter and her son, and with the wife of his brother ; and all of 
them passed their lives in the enjoyment of the utmost happiness 
until they were visited by the terminator of delights, and the 
separator of companions. 

Such, O Prince of the Faithful, said Jaafar, were the events 
that happened to the Wezeer Shems ed-Deen and his brother 
Noor ed-Deen.—By Allah, exclaimed the Khaleefeh Haroon Er- 
Rasheed, this story is wonderful! And he gave one of his own 
concubines to the young man who had killed his wife, and ap¬ 
pointed him a regular maintenance; and the young man became 
one of his companions at the table. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

Note 1. 

From the close of Chapter iii., the order of the tales in this translation (agreeably 
with the Cairo edition) differs from that which is followed in the old version. 

Note 2. 

This alludes to the poor man’s want of sufficient clothing; for, in the climate 
of Baghdad, a person who is not very scantily clad is in little need of a fire to 
warm himself. 

Note 3. 

My sheykh has remarked, in a marginal note, that these verse3 would be 
appropriate only from the mouth of a learned man complaining of the unprofita¬ 
bleness of his science with respect to procuring him money; but perhaps, in 
writing this, he was actuated by a somewhat over-zealous regard for the honour 
of his own profession; for, when a poor man has acquired a little knowledge, his 
neighbours are apt to flatter him. 

Note 4. 

The “ iz&r” has been described in the second note to chapter iii. 

Note 5. 

Literally, “ the sons of thine unclebut the meaning is, “ thy kinsmen.” 

Note 6 .—On Bastinading. 

In Arabian, and some other Eastern, countries, it is a common custom, when 
a person is accused of a crime before a magistrate, and denies his guilt, to basti¬ 
nade him, in order to induce him to confess; and even witnesses, sometimes, 
are treated in the same manner. The beating is usually inflicted with a kurbaj (a 
thong or whip of hippopotamus’ hide hammered into a round form) or with a stick, 
and generally on the soles of the feet. For this purpose the feet are confined by 
a chain or rope attached at each end to a staff, which is turned round to tighten 

R R 

VOL. I. 

306 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

it. This is called a “ falakah.” Two persons (one on each side) strike alter¬ 
nately ; and the punishment is often continued until the sufferer becomes insensible, 
and even longer. 

Note 7.—Of Sales by Auction. 

In many of the sooks (market-streets, or bazdrs) in Arabian cities, auctions 
are held on stated days, once or more frequently in every week. They are con¬ 
ducted by brokers (dellals), hired either by private persons or by shopkeepers. 
These brokers carry the goods up and down the street, announcing the sums 
bidden, with cries of “ haraj,” &c.; and the shopkeepers, as well as others, pur¬ 
chase of them. 

Note 8. 

I have before mentioned, that this horrid mode of punishing a woman sus¬ 
pected of incontinence is not unfrequently practised among the Arabs. Many 
similar cases have been mentioned to me in Egypt as having occurred in that 
country in the present age; and often the murder is committed by the father 
or a brother of the woman, as her relations are considered as more disgraced than 
the husband by her crime. The present tale is probably founded on some par¬ 
ticular occurrence of this kind. One is related as having happened in the reign 
of the Khaleefeh El-Moatadid. In this case, some limbs of the murdered 
woman, in two leather bags, were brought up from the bed of the Tigris in the 
net of a fisherman.* 

Note 9. —Of the Retaliation of Injuries on the Day of Resurrection. 

The “ examination being past, and every one’s works weighed in a just balance, 
that mutual retaliation will follow according to which every creature will take 
vengeance one of another, or have satisfaction made to him for the injuries which 
he hath suffered. And since there will then be no other way of returning like 
for like, the manner of giving this satisfaction will be, by taking away a propor¬ 
tionable part of the good works of him who offered the injury, and adding it to 
those of him who suffered it. Which being done, if the angels (by whose ministry 
this is to be performed) say, 1 Lord, we have given to every one his due, and 
there remaineth of this person’s good works so much a3 equalleth the weight of 
an ant,’ God will of his mercy cause it to be doubled unto him, that he may be 
admitted into Paradise ; but if on the contrary his good works be exhausted, and 
there remain evil works only, and there be any who have not yet received satis¬ 
faction from him, God will order that an equal weight of their sins be added 
unto his, that he may be punished for them in their stead, and he will be sent to 
hell laden with both.”) 

Note 10. 

“ Revhan,” is a common proper name of men ; and the name of the sweet 
basil in particular (also called “ reehan”) and of sweet-smelling plants in general 
It also signifies “ any favour of God," “ the supplies necessary for subsistence,” 
a son,” &c. 

♦ Mir-6t ez-Zemkn, events of the year 289. 

t Sale’s Preliminary Discourse, sect. iv. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

307 

Note 11. 

This ejaculation is addressed to God. 

Note 12. 

In the original, “ Misr,” vulgo, " Masr.” This is the name which the Arabs 
give to Egypt, and which they have also given to its successive capitals, or seats 
of government, Memphis, Egyptian Babylon, El-Fustat, and El-Kdhireh, or Cairo. 
It is here applied to Cairo, as will be shewn by the following note, and by the 
sequel of the tale, though this city was not founded until long after the reign 
of Haroon Er-Rasheed. I may here remark, that I have not found the name of 
“ Misr” applied to Cairo in any Arabic work anterior to the conquest of Egypt 
by the ’Osmdnlee Turks, which happened in the year of the Flight 923 (a. d. 1517). 
El-Fust&t retained this appellation in the time of Es-Suyootee, who died in the 
year of the Flight 911, but it ceased to do so before the time of El-Is-htikee, who 
brought down his history to the month of Ramadan, 1032 (a. d. 1623). It is 
probable, therefore, that the name of “ Misr" was transferred to Cairo on the 
occasion of the conquest by the Turks. I must not assert, that this observation 
alone enables us to form a decided judgment as to the period when this work was 
composed, as it may be objected that copyists have perhaps substituted “ Misr ” 
for “ El-Kdhireli; ” but I pursue the inquiry in the next note. 

Note 13. —On teveral Evidences of the Period when this Work was composed. 

The tale here presents another remarkable anachronism. The title of “ Sultan” 
was first borne by Mahmood Ibn Sabuktekeen, in the year of the Flight 393, just 
two hundred years after the death of H&roon Er-Rasheed ; and there was no Sultdn 
of Egypt until the year of the Flight 567; the first being the famous Saldh ed- 
Deen, or Saladin. It appears, then, that there must have been a long series of 
Sult&ns in Egypt before the period of the composition of this work; for otherwise 
the author could not have supposed that there was one contemporary with Er. 
Rasheed. 

I have now given several data upon which to found a reasonable opinion as to 
the age when these tales were composed. First, in Note 55 to Chapter ii., I have 
shewn that a fiction in one of the tales is framed in accordance with the distinction 
of Muslims, Christians, and Jews, by the colours of their turbans, which mode of 
distinction originated in the beginning of the eighth century of the Flight. 
Secondly, in the present note, I have given a strong reason for concluding that 
there must have been a long series of Sultans in Egypt before the age of the 
author. In the third place, I must remark, that all the events described in this 
work are said to have happened in ages which, with respect to that of the author, 
were ancient, being related to an ancient king ; from which I think we may infer 
the author's age to have been at least two centuries posterior to the period mentioned 
in the first of these data. Fourthly, in Note 22 to Chapter iii., I have shewn that 
the state of manners and morals described in many of these tales agrees, in a 
most important point of view, with the manners and morals of the Arabs at 
the commencement of the tenth century of the Flight. This I regard as an 
argument of great weight, and especially satisfactory as agreeing with the 
inference just before drawn. Fifthly, from what I have stated in the note imme¬ 
diately preceding, I incline to the opinion that few copies of this work, if any, 

308 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

were written until after the conquest of Egypt by the Turks: in other words, 
that the work was perhaps composed shortly before the year 1517 of our era; but 
more probably, within ten or twenty years after. This opinion, it should be 
remarked, respects especially the early portion of the work, which is the least 
likely to have been interpolated, as later parts evidently have been. At the last- 
mentioned period, a native of Cairo (and such I believe to have been the author 
of the principal portion of the work, if not of the whole) might, if about forty 
years of age, retain a sufficient recollection of the later Memlook Sultdns and of 
their ministers to describe his kings and courts without the necessity of consulting 
the writings of historians, which, probably, he was unable to do; for, from his 
ignorance of chronology, it appears that his knowledge of former times was not 
derived from the perusal of any regular record, but only from traditions or from 
works like the present. As I proceed with my translation I shall frequently have 
occasion to revert to this subject, and may perhaps be enabled to form a more 
precise opinion than the one which I have here expressed. I should have delayed 
the insertion of the foregoing remarks, had I not considered it a point of some 
importance to suggest to the reader, as early as possible, that the manners and 
customs, and in general even the dresses and dwellings, described in most of the 
present tales, are those of a very late period. The lax state of morals which 
appears to have prevailed among the Arabs in the time of our author, probably 
continued at least until the period when coffee became a common beverage, about 
the middle of the tenth century of the Flight (or near the middle of the sixteenth 
century of our era), and perhaps considerably later, until some years after the 
introduction of tobacco into the East. 

Note 14. 

“Shems ed-Deen" signifies “the Sun of the Religion;” and “Noor ed-Deen,” 
“ the Light of the Religion.” 

Note 15 .—Customs observed after a Death. 

Though the men, in Arabian countries, make no change in their dress in 
indication of mourning, they observe other customs after the death of a relation. 
By the term here used in the original for “ mourning” (“ ’azd,” the original 
signification of which is “consolation” or “condolence”), an allusion is made to 
receiving the visits of condoling friends. On the night immediately following the 
burial, several persons are employed to perform recitations of portions of the 
Kur-an, &c. The most remarkable of these ceremonies consists in repeating thrice 
one thousand times, “ There is no deity but Godone of the performers having 
a string of a thousand large beads by means of which to count these repetitions. 
Some persons are also hired to perform a recitation of the whole of the Kur-fin in 
the afternoon or evening of the first Thursday after the funeral, and often on other 
days; and the merit of these and the former religious acts is transferred to the 
soul of the deceased.—These customs I have fully described in my work on the 
Modern Egyptians, vol. ii., chap. xv. 

Note lfi. 

The island here alluded to is that called “ Er-R6dah,” or “The Garden." 

■NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

309 

Note 17. 

The prayer-carpet, which resembles a wide hearth-rug, is seldom used as 
a covering for the saddle excepting when the rider is a person of the learned 
profession. It is probably mentioned here to shew that Noor ed-Eeen was an 
officer of the pen, which was generally the case with the Wezeers of the Sultans 
of Egypt. 

Note 18. 

Jerusalem is called in the original, and by the modern Arabs, “ El-Kuds," 
which signifies “Holiness.” 

Note 19. 

The Arabic name of Aleppo is “Halab.” 

Note 20. 

An Arab of rank is seldom seen on foot outside the threshold of his own house, 
unless it be merely to cross the street. 

Note 21. 

The decoration here alluded to consists in furnishing the apartment with costly 
carpets, handsome cushions, rich coverings for the deew&ns, and coloured lamps, &c. 

Note 22. 

This, to some readers, may appear odd: it should therefore be explained that 
most articles of Arab clothing are equally suitable to young and old, thin and stout. 

Note 23. 

“ Hasan” signifies “ Beautiful" or “ Handsome." 

Note 24. — On Infancy and Education. 

I may avoid an unnecessary multiplication of notes on the same or nearly the 
same subject, by availing myself of this occasion to insert here the following 
illustrations of numerous passages, in the preceding and subsequent tales, relating 
to infancy and education. 

In few cases are the Mohammadans so much fettered by the directions of their 
Prophet and other religious institutors as in the rearing and educating of their 
children. In matters of the most trivial nature, religious precedents direct their 
management of the young. One of the first duties is, to wrap the new-born child in 
clean white linen, or in linen of some other colour; but not yellow. After this, some 
person [not a female] should pronounce the adan* in the ear of the infant, because 
the Prophet did so in the ear of El-Hasan when Fatimeli gave birth to him; or 
he should pronounce the adan in the right ear, and the ikameh (which is nearly 
the same) in the left.f 

It was formerly a custom of many of the Arabs, and perhaps is still among 

* The call to prayer, which is chanted from the m&d’nehs (or menarets) of the mosques. It is 
as follows :—“ God is most great!” (four times.) “ I testify that there is no deity but God !” (twice.) 
“1 testify that Mohammad is God's Apostle 1” (twice.) “Come to prayer 1” (twice.) “Come to 
security 1” (twice.) “God is most great!“ (twice). “ There is no deity but God l” 

t Nuzhet el-Mutaiimmil wa-Murshid el-Mutaahhil, section 9. 

310 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

some, for the father to give a feast to his friends on seven successive days after the 
birth of a son; but that of a daughter was observed with less rejoicing. The 
general modem custom is, to give an entertainment only on the seventh day, 
which is called “ Yom es-Subooa.” On this occasion, the mother, having left 
her bed, receives her guests; the child is exhibited to them; and they give 
presents of gold or silver coins, which are generally used to decorate the infant's 
head-dress. The father entertains his friends in the evening. 

On this day, or on the fourteenth, twenty-first, twenty-eighth, or thirty-fifth 
day after the birth, several religious ceremonies are required to be performed; but 
they are most approved if observed on the seventh day. One of these is the 
naming. I believe, however, that it is a more common custom to give the name 
almost immediately after the birth, or about three hours after. Astrologers were 
often consulted on this occasion; but the following directions are given on higher 
authority, and are generally observed.—“ The father should give his son a good 
name,.... not a name of self-praise, as Rasheed [Orthodox], Emeen [Faithful], 

&c.The Prophet said, ‘The names most approved by God are ’Abd Allah 

[Servant of God] and 'Abd Er-Rahmdn [Servant of the Compassionate], and such 
like.’ He also said, ‘ Give my name, but do not distinguish by my surname of 
relationship:’ but this precept, they say, respects his own life-time,..because he 
was addressed, ‘O Abu-1-KAsim!’ and now it is not disapproved; but some disap¬ 
prove of uniting the name and surname, so as to call a person Mohammad and 
Abu-1-Kasim. And if a son be called by the name of a prophet it is not allowable 
to abuse or vilify him, unless the person so named be facing his reproacher, who 
should say, 1 Thou’ [without mentioning his name] : and a child named Mohammad 

or Ahmad should be [especially] honoured.The Prophet said, ‘ There is 

no people holding a consultation at which there is present one whose name is 
Mohammad or Ahmad, but God blesseth all that assembly:’ and again he said, 

‘ Whoever nameth his child by my name, or by that of any of my children or my 
companions, from affection to me or to them, God (whose name be exalted) will 
give him in Paradise what eye hath not seen nor ear heard.’ And a son should 
not be named King of kings, or Lord of lords; nor should a man take a surname 
of relationship from the name of the eldest of his children ; nor take any such 
surname before a child is born to him.”*—The custom of naming children after 
prophets, or after relations or companions of Mohammad, is very common. No 
ceremony is observed on account of the naming. 

On the same day, however, two practices which I am about to mention are 
prescribed to be observed ; though, as far as my observations and inquiries allow 
me to judge, they are generally neglected by the modern Muslims. The first of 
these is a sacrifice. The victim is called ’akeekah. It should be a ram or goat; 
or two such animals should be sacrificed for a son, and one for a daughter. This 
rite is regarded by Ibn Hambal as absolutely obligatory: he said, “ If a father 
sacrifice not for his son, and he [the son] die, that son will not intercede for him 
on the day of judgment.” The founders of the three other principal sects regard 
it in different and less important lights, though Mohammad slew an ’akeekah 
for himself after his prophetic mission. The person should say, on slaying the 
victim, “ O God, verily this ’akeekah is a ransom for my son such a one; its 
blood for his blood, and its flesh for his flesh, and its bone for his bone, and its 

Nuzhet el-Mutaammil wa-Murshid el-Mutaahhil, section 9 . 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

311 

skin for his skin, and its hair for his hair. O God, make it a ransom for my son 
from Hell fire.” A bone of the victim should not be broken.* The midwife 
should receive a leg of it. It should be cooked without previously cutting off 
any portion of it; and part of it should be given in alms.—After this should be 
performed the other ceremony above alluded to, which is this. It is a sunneh 
ordinance, incumbent on the father, to shave, or cause to be shaved, the head of 
his child, and to give, in alms to the poor, the weight of the hair in gold or silver. 
This should also be done for a proselyte.) On the subsequent occasions of shaving 
the head of a male child (for the head of the male is frequently shaven), a tuft 
of hair is generally left on the crown, and commonly, for several years, another 
also over the forehead. 

Circumcision is most approved if performed on the same day:J but the 
observance of this rite is generally delayed until the child has attained the age 
of five or six years, and sometimes several years later. I shall therefore delay 
mentioning the ceremonies with which it is celebrated. 

The Muslims rightly regard a child as a trust committed by God to its parents, 
who, they hold, are responsible for the manner in which they bring it up, and 
will be examined on this subject on the day of judgment. But they further 
venture to say, that “ the first who will lay hold of a man on the day of judgment 
will be his wife and children, who [if he have been deficient in his duty to them] 
will present themselves before God, and say, ‘ O our Lord, take for us our due 
from him; for he taught us not that of which we were ignorant, and he fed us 
with forbidden food, and we knew not:’ and their due will be taken from him.”§ 
By this is meant, that a certain proportion of the good works which the man may 
have done, and his children and wife neglected, will be set down to their account; 
or that a similar proportion of their evil works will be transferred to his account. 

The mother is enjoined by the law to give suck to her child two full years, 
unless she have her husband’s consent to shorten the period, or to employ another 
nurse. “ For suckling the child, a virtuous woman, who eateth only what is 
lawful, should be chosen; for the unlawful [food] will manifest its evil in the 
child: as the Prophet... .said, ‘Giving suck altereth the tempers.’ But it is 
recommended by the sunneh that the mother herself suckle the child; for it is 
said in a tradition, ‘There is nothing better for a child than its mother’s milk.’ 
‘If thou wouldst try,’ it is added, ‘whether a child be of an ingenuous disposition 
in its infancy, or not, order a woman who is not its mother to suckle it after its 
mother has done so; and if it drink of the milk of the woman who is not its 
mother, it is not of an ingenuous disposition.’ ”|| 

Children, being regarded by Muslim parents as enviable blessings, are, to 
them, objects of the most anxious solicitude. To guard them from the supposed 
influence of the envious or evil eye, they have recourse to various expedients. 
When they are taken abroad, they are usually clad in a most slovenly manner, 
and left unwashed, or even purposely smeared with dirt; and as a further precaution, 
a fantastic cap is often put upon the child’s head, or its head-dress is decorated 
with one or more coins, a feather, a gay tassel, or a written charm or two sewed 
up in leather or encased in gold or silver, or some other appendage to attract the 

* Compare Exodus xiii. 13; and xii. 46. 

t Nuzhet el-Mutaammil, &c., section 9; and Mishk&t el-Masdbeeh, vol. ii. pp. 315, 316. 

1 Nuzhet el-Mutaammil, &c., loco laudato. § lt>id. || Ibid. 

312 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

eye, that so the infant itself may pass unnoticed. If a person express his 
admiration of another’s child otherwise than by some pious ejaculation, as, for 
instance, by praising its Creator (with the exclamation of “ Subh4na-114h! ” or, 
“ Ma shaa-Mh ! ” &c.) or invoking a blessing on the Prophet, he fills the mind of 
the parent with apprehension ; and recourse is had to some superstitious ceremony 
to counteract the dreaded influence of his envious glance. The children of the 
poor are less exposed to this imaginary danger from their unattractive appearance: 
they generally have little clothing, or none whatever, and are extremely dirty. 
It is partly with the view of protecting them from the evil eye, that those of the 
rich are so long confined to the hareem: there they are petted and pampered 
for several years; at least until they are of age to go to school; but most of them 
are instructed at home. 

The children of the Muslims are taught to shew to their fathers a degree 
of respect which might be deemed incompatible with the existence of a tender 
mutual affection; but I believe that this is not the case. The child greets the 
father in the morning by kissing his hand, and then usually stands before him in 
a respectful attitude, with the left hand covered by the right, to receive any order 
or to await his permission to depart; but after the respectful kiss, is often taken 
on the lap. After the period of infancy, the well-bred son seldom sits in the 
presence of his father; but during that period he is generally allowed much 
familiarity. A Syrian merchant, who was one of my near neighbours in Cairo, 
had a child of exquisite beauty, commonly supposed to be his daughter, whom, 
though he was a most bigoted Muslim, he daily took with him from his private 
house to his shop. The child followed him, seated upon an ass, before a black 
slave; and, until about six years old, was dressed like most young ladies, but 
without a face-veil. The father then thinking that the appearance of taking about 
with him a daughter of that age was scandalous, dressed his pet as a boy, and 
told his friends that the female attire had been employed as a protection against 
the evil eye ; girls being less coveted than hoys. This indeed is sometimes done; 
and it is possible that such might have been the casein this instance; but I was led 
to believe that it was not so. A year after, I left Cairo : while I remained there, 

I continued to see the child pass my house as before; hut always in boy’s clothing. 

It is not surprising that the natives of Arabian countries, where a very trifling 
expense is required to rear the young, should be generally desirous of a numerous 
offspring. A motive of self-interest conduces forcibly to cherish this feeling in a 
wife; for she is commonly esteemed by her husband in proportion to her fruit¬ 
fulness ; and a man is seldom willing to divorce a wife, or to sell a slave, who has 
borne him a child. A similar feeling also induces in both parents a desire to 
obtain offspring, and renders them at the same time resigned to the loss of such 
of their children as die in tender age. This feeling arises from their belief of 
certain services, of greater moment than the richest blessings this world can 
bestow, which children who die in infancy are to render to their parents. The 
Prophet is related to have said, “ The infant children [of the Muslims] shall 
assemble at the scene of judgment on the day of the general resurrection, when 
all creatures shall appear for the reckoning, and it will be said to the angels, ‘ Go 
ye with these into Paradiseand they will halt at the gate of Paradise, and it 
will he said to them, ‘ Welcome to the offspring of the Muslims! enter ye Para¬ 
dise : there is no reckoning to be made with you and they will reply, ‘ Yea, 
and our fathers and our mothers :' hut the guardians of Paradise will say, ‘ Verily 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

313 

your fathers and your mothers are not with you because they have committed 
faults and sins for which they must be reckoned with and inquired of. Then 
they will shriek and cry at the gate of Paradise with a great cry ; and God (whose 
name be exalted, and who is all-knowing respecting them) will say, ‘ What is this 
cry ? ’ It will be answered, ‘ O our Lord, the children of the Muslims say, We 
will not enter Paradise but with our fathers and our mothers.’ Whereupon God 
(whose name be exalted) will say, ‘ Pass among them all, and take the hands of 
your parents, and introduce them into Paradise.’ ” The children who are to 
have this power are such as are born of believers, and die without having attained 
to the knowledge of sin; and according to one tradition, one such child will 
introduce his parents into Paradise. [Such infants only are to enter Paradise; for, 
of the children who die in infancy, those of believers alone are they who would 
believe if they grew to years of discretion.] On the same authority it is said, 
“ When a child of the servant [of God] dies, God (whose name be exalted) saith 
to the angels, ‘ Have ye taken the child of my servant?’ They answer, ‘Yea. 
He saith, ‘ Have ye taken the child of his heart?’ They reply, ‘ Yea. He 
asketh them, ‘ What did my servant say ? ’ They answer, ‘ He praised thee, and 
said, Verily to God we belong, and verily unto Him we return ! ’ Then God will 
say, 1 Build for my servant a house in Paradise, and name it the House of 
Praise.’ ” To these traditions, which I find related as proofs of the advantages 
of marriage, the following anecdote, which is of a similar nature, is added. A 
certain man who would not take a wife, awoke one day from his sleep, and 
demanded to be married, saying, as his reason, “ I dreamt that the resurrection 
had taken place, and that I was among the beings collected at the scene of judg¬ 
ment, but was suffering a thirst that stopped up the passage of my stomach; and 
lo, there were youths passing through the assembly, having in their hands 
ewers of silver, and cups of gold, and giving drink to one person after another; 
so I stretched forth my hand to one of them, and said, 1 Give me to drink; 
for thirst overpowereth me : ’ but they answered, ‘ Thou hast no child among us: 
we give drink only to our fathers.’ I asked them, ‘ Who are ye ?’ They replied, 

‘ We are the deceased infant children of the Muslims.’”* Especial rewards in 
heaven are promised to mothers. “ When a woman conceives by her husband,” 
said the Prophet, “ she is called in heaven a martyr [i. e. she is ranked as 
a martyr in dignity] ; and her labour in child-bed, and her care for her children, 
protect her from hell fire.”t 

“When the child begins to speak, the father should teach him first the 
kelimeh [or profession of faith], ‘ There is no deity but God: [Mohammad is 
God’s apostle]'—he should dictate this to him seven times. Then he should 
instruct him to say, ‘ Wherefore, exalted be God, the King, the Truth! There 
is no deity but He, the Lord of the honourable throne.”!: He should teach him 
also the Throne-verse, § and the closing words of the Hashr, ‘ He is God, beside 
whom there is no deity, the King, the Holy,’” &c.|| 

As soon as a son is old enough, his father should teach him the most 
important rules of decent behaviour : placing some food before him, he should 
order him to take it with the right hand (the left being employed for unclean 

• Nuzhet el-Mutaammil, S:c. section 2. t Idem, section 7. t Kur-dn, cli xxiii. v. 117. 

§ “ God I there is no deity but He,” frc. to the words, “ He is the High, the Great."—Idem, 
chap. ii. v. 256. 

II Nuzhet el-Mutaammil, &c. section 9. 

VOL. I. 

s s 

314 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

purposes), and to say, on commencing, “ In the name of God; ” to eat what is 
next to him, and not to hurry, nor spill any of the food upon his person or dress. 
He should teach him that it is disgusting to eat much. He should particularly 
condemn to him the love of gold and silver, and caution him against covetousness 
as he would against serpents and scorpions; and forbid his spitting in an assembly, 
and committing any similar breach of good manners, talking much, turning his 
back upon another, standing in an indolent attitude, and speaking ill of any 
person to another. He should keep him from bad companions, teach him the 
Kur-an and all requisite divine and prophetic ordinances, and instruct him in the 
arts of swimming and archery, and in some virtuous trade; for trade is a security 
from poverty. He should also command him to endure patiently the chastise¬ 
ments of his teacher. In one tradition it is said, “ When a boy attains the age 
of six years he should be disciplined; and when he attains to nine years he 
should be put in a separate bed; and when he attains to ten years he should be 
beaten for [neglecting] prayer:” in another tradition, “Order your children to 
pray at seven [years], and beat them for [neglecting] it at ten, and put them in 
separate beds.”* 

Circumcision, which has before been mentioned, is generally performed before 
the boy is submitted to the instruction of the schoolmaster.! Previously to the 
performance of this rite, he is, if belonging to the higher or middle rank of 
society, usually paraded about the neighbourhood of his parents’ dwelling, gaily 
attired, chiefly with female habits and ornaments, hut with a boy’s turban on his 
head, mounted on a horse, preceded by musicians, and followed by a group of 
his female relations and friends. This ceremony is observed by the great with 
much pomp and with sumptuous feasts. El-Jabartee mentions a fete celebrated 
on the occasion of the circumcision of a son of the K&dee of Cairo, in the year of 
the Flight 1179 (a. d. 1766), when the grandees and chief merchants and 'ulama 
of the city sent him such abundance of presents that the magazines of his mansion 
were filled with rice and butter and honey and sugar ; the great hall, with coffee; 
and the middle of the court, with fire-wood: the public were amused for many 
days by players and performers of various kinds; and when the youth was 
paraded through the streets he was attended by numerous memlooks with their 
richly caparisoned horses and splendid arms and armour and military band, and 
by a number of other youths who, from compliment to him, were circumcised 
afterwards with him. This latter custom is usual on such occasions ; and so also 
is the sending of presents, such as those above mentioned, by friends, acquaint¬ 
ances, and tradespeople. At a fete of this kind, when the Khaleefeh El-Muktedir 
circumcised five of his sons, the money that was scattered in presents amounted 
to six hundred thousand pieces of gold, or about £300,000. Many orphans were 
also circumcised on the same day, and were presented with clothes and pieces of 
gold.J The Khaleefeh above mentioned was famous for his magnificence, a proof 
of which I have given in a former note. At the more approved entertainments 
which are given in celebration of a circumcision, a recital of the whole of the 
Kur-an, or a zikr, is performed: at some others, male or female public dancers 
perform in the court of the house, or in the street before the door. 

* Nuzhet el-Mutaammil, &c. section 9. 

t A similar custom is mentioned in a note appended to the account of circumcision in voL i. chap. ii. 
of my work on the Modem Egyptians. 

t Mir-At ez-Zemdn, events of the year 302. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

315 

Few of the children of the Arabs receive much instruction in literature, and 
still fewer are taught even the rudiments of any of the higher sciences; but there 
are numerous schools in their towns, and one at least in almost every moderately 
large village. The former are mostly attached to mosques and other public 
buildings, and, together with those buildings, endowed by princes or other men of 
rank, or wealthy tradesmen. In these, the children are instructed either gratis or 
for a very trifling weekly payment, which all parents, excepting those in indigent 
circumstances can easily afford. The schoolmaster generally teaches nothing 
more than to read, and to recite by heart the whole of the Kur-an. After 
committing to memory the first chapter of the sacred volume, the boy learns the 
rest in the inverse order of their arrangement, as they generally decrease in length. 
Writing and arithmetic are usually taught by another master; and grammar, 
rhetoric, versification, logic, the interpretation of the Kur-tm, and the whole 
system of religion and law, with all other knowledge deemed useful, which seldom 
includes the mere elements of mathematics, are attained by studying at a collegiate 
mosque, and at no expense; for the professors receive no pay either from the 
students, who are mostly of the poorer classes, or from the funds of the mosque. 

The wealthy often employ for their sons a private tutor; and, when he has 
taught them to read, and to recite the Kur-dn, engage for them a writing-master, 
and then send them to the college. But among this class, polite literature is more 
considered than any other branch of knowledge, after religion. Such an acquaint¬ 
ance with the works of some of their favourite poets as enables a man to quote 
them occasionally in society, is regarded by the Arabs as essential to a son who 
is to mix in genteel company; and to this acquirement is often added some skill 
in the art of versification, which is rendered peculiarly easy by the copiousness of 
the Arabic language, and by its system of inflexion. These characteristics of 
their noble tongue (which are remarkably exhibited by the custom, common 
among the Arabs, of preserving the same rhyme throughout a whole poem), 
while on the one hand they have given an admirable freedom to the compositions 
of men of true poetic genius, have on the other hand mainly contributed to the 
degradation of Arabic poetry. To an Arab of some little learning it is almost 
as easy to speak in verse as in prose; and hence he often intersperses his prose 
writings, and not unfrequently his conversation, with indifferent verses, of which 
the chief merit often consists in puns, or in an ingenious use of several words 
nearly the same in sound, but differing in sense. To a reader unacquainted with 
the Arabic language it is necessary to explain this custom; otherwise he would 
imagine that the author of the present work is merely indulging in a dramatic 
licence inconsistent with a true delineation of manners, when he makes a person 
suddenly change the style of his speech from prose to verse, and then revert to 
the former. 

One more duty of a father to a son I should here mention: it is, to procure 
for him a wife as soon as he has arrived at a proper age. This age is decided by 
some to be twenty years; though many young men marry at an earlier period. 
It is said, “ When a son has attained the age of twenty years, his father, if able, 
should marry him, and then take his hand, and say, ‘ I have disciplined thee, and 
taught thee, and married thee : I now seek refuge with God from thy mischief 
in the present world and the next.’” To enforce this duty, the following tradition 
is urged: “ When a son attains to the age of puberty, and his father does not 
marry him, and yet is able to do so, if the youth commit an improper act in 

316 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

consequence, the sin of it is between the two”—or, as in another report,—“ on 
the father."* The same is held to be the case with respect to a daughter who 
has attained the age of twelve years.f 

The female children of the Arabs are seldom taught even to read. Though 
they are admissible at the daily schools in which the boys are instructed, very few 
.parents allow them the benefit of this privilege; preferring, if they give them 
any instruction of a literary kind, to employ a sheykhah (or learned woman) to 
teach them at home. She instructs them in the forms of prayer, and teaches 
them to repeat by heart a few chapters of the Kur-dn; very rarely the whole 
book. Parents are indeed recommended to withhold from their daughters some 
portions of the Kur-dn; to “ teach them the Soorat en-Noor [or 24th chapter], 
and keep from them the Soorat Yoosuf [12th chapter] ; on account of the story 
of Zeleekha and Yoosuf in the latter, and the prohibitions and threats and men¬ 
tion of punishments contained in the former.”! 

Needle-work is not so rarely, but yet not generally, taught to Arab girls: the 
spindle frequently employs those of the poorer classes ; and some of them learn 
to weave. The daughters of persons of the middle and higher ranks are often 
instructed in the art of embroidery, and in other ornamental work, which are 
taught in schools and in private houses. Singing, and playing upon the lute, 
which were formerly not uncommon female accomplishments among the wealthy 
Arabs, are now almost exclusively confined, like dancing, to professional per¬ 
formers and a few of the slaves in the hareems of the great: it is very seldom 
now that any musical instrument is seen in the hand of an Arab lady, excepting 
a kind of drum called darabukkeh, and a tdr (or tambourine), which are found in 
many hareems, and are beaten with the fingers.? Some care, however, is bestowed 
by the ladies in teaching their daughters what they consider an elegant gait and 
carriage, as well as various alluring and voluptuous arts with which to increase 
the attachment of their future husbands. 

Note 25.— Water-wheels. 

The water-wheels here mentioned are machines commonly used for the 
purpose of irrigating fields and gardens. They are generally turned by a pair of 
cows or bulls. They raise the water from a river or well in a series of earthen 
pots attached to cords which pass over a vertical wheel, and pour it into a 
trough, from which it flows in narrow channels through the space of ground to be 
irrigated. A cogged, vertical wheel is attached to the same axis as the former; 
and this, and consequently the other also, are turned by means of a larger, hori¬ 
zontal, cogged wheel. The ground is divided into hollow squares, or furrows, 
into each of which in succession the water is admitted. 

Note 26. 

“ Bedr ed-Deen” signifies “ the Full moon of the Religion.” 

Note 27. 

I have here omitted the name of Shems ed-Deen, and his office; as Hasan’s 
knowledge of them would render the sequel of the story too improbable even to 
an Arab. 

* Nuzhet el-Mutaammil, &c. section 9; and Mishkdt el-Masabeeh, vol. ii. p. 8I>. 

t Mishkdt el-Masdbeeh, ibid. * Nuzhet el-Mutaammil, &c. section 6. 

5 See my work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. ii. chap, v. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

317 

Note 28. 

In the original, this paper is here said to have been written by Hasan in 
accordance with the dictation of his father; but afterwards it is said to have been 
written by the latter; and this is more consistent with the rest of the tale. 

Note 29. 

Papers of importance are often wrapped in waxed cloth to preserve them 
from wet, which would efface the writing, as the Arab ink is chiefly composed of 
smoke-black and gum and water. 

Note 30. 

In the original, the cap is not here mentioned; but it is afterwards. 

Note 31. 

This paragraph and the verses interspersed in it are translated from the 
Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights. 

Note 32. 

The poet here alluded to is El-Mutanebbee. 

Note 33. 

It is a common custom of Eastern kings and governors to avail themselves of 
any pretext for seizing upon the property of a deceased officer who has accumu¬ 
lated much wealth. 

Note 34. 

It is implied that he was sitting at the door, or in the court of his house. 

Note 35. 

His taking a copy is mentioned afterwards in the original; but not in this 
place. 

Note 36. 

I have designated by the appellation of “ dye-women” (from want of a better) 
those females who are employed to apply the henna, which imparts a deep orange- 
red dye, to the nails or tips of the fingers, the palms of the hands, the soles of 
the feet, &c. Some Arab ladies, especially on such an occasion as that here 
described, are ornamented with this dye in a more fanciful manner. The woman 
who applies it is called in Arabic “ munakkisheh.” 

Note 37. 

The chief office of the tire-woman (in Arabic, “ m&shitah,”) is to comb and 
plait the hair. She attends the ladies in the bath; and hence is also called 
“ bell&neh.” 

Note 38. 

A “ mastabah ” is a bench of stone or brick, generally between two and three 
feet in height, and about the same in width, built against the front of a shop, and 
sometimes along the front of a private house. 

318 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

Note 39.— On Marriage. 

Previously to the perusal of the first description of a nuptial fete that occurs in 
this -work, the reader may perhaps desire some introductory information, which I 
shall here endeavour to convey in such a manner as to make the present note 
serve to illustrate many future allusions in these pages, and not merely the fore¬ 
going tale. 

Marriage is regarded by the Muslims in general as a positive duty; and to 
neglect it, without a sufficient excuse, subjects a man to severe reproach. “ When 
a servant [of God],” said the Prophet, “ marries, verily he perfects half his reli¬ 
gion.”* He once asked a man, “ Art thou married?” The man answered, “No.” 
“And art thou?” said he, “sound and healthy?” The answer was, “Yes.” 
“ Then,” said Mohammad, “ thou art one of the brothers of the devils; for the 
most wicked among you are the unmarried; and the most vile among your dead 
are the unmarried; moreover the married are those who are acquitted of filthy 
conversation ; and by Him in whose hand is my soul, the devil hath not a weapon 
more effective against the virtuous, both men and women, than the neglect of 
marriage." f Some remarks on this subject, and on the advantages of marriage, 
have been made in a preceding note on infancy and education. 

The number of wives whom a Muslim may have at the same time is four. He 
may marry free women, or take concubine slaves, or have of both these classes. 
It is the opinion of most persons, I believe, among the more strictly religious, 
that a man may not have more than four women, whether they be wives alone, or 
concubine slaves alone, or of both classes together; but the practice of some of 
the Companions of the Prophet, who cannot be accused of violating his precepts, 
affords a strong argument to the contrary. ’Alee, it is said, “ was the most 
devout of the Companions; but he had four wives and seventeen concubines 
besides, and married, after Fdtimeh (may God be well pleased with her!), among 
all that he married and divorced, more than two hundred women : and sometimes 
he included four wives in one contract, and sometimes divorced four at one time, 
taking other four in their stead.” t This may perhaps bean exaggerated state¬ 
ment : but it is certain that the custom of keeping an unlimited number of 
concubines was common among wealthy Muslims in the first century of the 
Mohammadan era, and has so continued. The famous author of the work 
above quoted urges the example of Solomon to prove that the possession of nume¬ 
rous concubines is riot inconsistent with piety and good morals; not considering 
that God in the beginning made one male and but one female. 

It has been mentioned in the first of the notes to this work, that a Muslim 
may divorce his wife twice, and each time take her back. This he may do, even 
against her wish, during a fixed period, which cannot extend beyond three months, 
unless she be enceinte, in which latter case 3he must wait until the birth of her 
child before she will be at liberty to contract a new marriage. During this period 
the husband is obliged to maintain her. If he divorce her a third time, or by a 
triple sentence, he cannnot take her again unless with her own consent, and by a 
new contract, and after another marriage has been consummated between her and 
another husband, and this husband also has divorced her. 

It is not a common custom, especially among the middle ranks, for an Arab 

* Mishkat el-Mas&beeh, vol. ii. p. 79. t Nuzhet el-Mutaammil, Sc. section !. t Ibid. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

319 

to have more than one wife at the same time; but there are few of middle age 
who have not had several different wives at different periods, tempted to change 
by the facility of divorce. The case of 'Alee has been mentioned above. 
Mugheyreh Ibn Sheabeh married eighty women in the course of his life; * and 
several more remarkable instances of the love of change are recorded by Arab 
writers: the most extraordinary case of this kind that I have met with was that 
of Mohammad Ibn Et-Teiyib, the dyer, of Baghdad, who died in the year of 
the Flight 423, aged eighty-five years; of whom it is related, on most respectable 
authority, that he married more than nine hundred women! f—Supposing, there¬ 
fore, that he married his first wife when he was fifteen years of age, he must have 
had, on the average, nearly thirteen wives per annum. The women, in general, 
cannot of course marry so many successive husbands, not only because a woman 
cannot have more than one husband at a time, but also because she cannot divorce 
her husband. There have been, however, many instances of Arab women who 
have married a surprising number of men in rapid succession. Among these 
may be mentioned Umm KMrijeh, who gave occasion to a proverb on this 
subject. This woman, who was of the tribe of Bejeeleh, in El-Yemen, married 
upwards of forty husbands; and her son Kh&rijeh knew not who was his father. 
She used to contract a marriage in the quickest possible manner: a man saying to 
her, “ Khitbun” (betrothal), she replied, “ Nik-hun” (marriage), and thus became 
his lawful wife. She had a very numerous progeny; several tribes originating 
from her. | 

For the choice of a wife, a man generally relie3 on his mother, or some other 
near female relation, or a professional female betrother (who is called “ khatibeh”) ; 
for there are many women who perform this office for hire. The law allows him 
to see the face of the female whom he proposes to marry, previously to his making 
the contract; but in the present day this liberty is seldom obtained, excepting 
among the lower orders. Unless in this case, a man is not allowed to see 
unveiled any woman but his own wife or slave, and those women to whom the 
law prohibits his uniting himself in marriage: nay, according to some, he is not 
allowed to “ see” his own niece unveiled, though he may not marry her. It should 
be added, that a slave may lawfully see the face of his own mistress; but this 
privilege is seldom granted in the present day to any slave but a eunuch. An 
infringement of the law above mentioned is held to be extremely sinful in both 
parties: “ The curse of God,” said the Prophet, “ is on the seer and the seen 
yet it is very often disregarded in the case of women of the lower orders. 

A man is forbidden, by the Kur-an § and the Sunneh, to marry his mother, 
or other ascendant; daughter, or other descendant; his sister, or half sister; the 
sister of his father or mother or other ascendant; his niece, or any of her 
descendants; his foster-mother who has suckled him five times in the course 
of the first two years, or a woman related to him by milk in any of the degrees 
which would preclude his marriage with her if she were similarly related to him 
by consanguinity; the mother of his wife, even if he has not consummated his 
marriage with this wife; the daughter of his wife, if he has consummated his 
marriage with the latter (but if he has not done so, and this wife is divorced 
from him, or dead, he may marry her daughter) ; his father’s wife, and his son’s 

• Nuzhet el-Mulaammil, &c. section 1. 

t Mir-At ez-ZemAn, events of the year above mentioned. 

t Idem, Proverb* of the Arabs ; and I^Amoos, voce “ kharaja." § Chapter iv. w. 26 27. 

320 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

wife; and to have at the same time two wives who are sisters, or aunt and niece : 
he is forbidden also to marry his unemancipated slave, or another man's slave if 
he has already a free wife; and to marry any woman but one of his own faith, or 
a Christian, or a Jewess. A Mohammadan woman, however, may only marry 
a woman of her own faith. An unlawful intercourse with any woman prevents 
a man from marrying any of her relations who would be forbidden to him if she 
were his wife. 

The reader has already seen that a cousin (the daughter of a paternal uncle) 
is often chosen as a wife, on account of the tie of blood, which is likely to attach 
her more strongly to her husband, or on account of an affection conceived in early 
years. Parity of rank is generally much regarded; and a man is often unable to 
obtain as his wife the daughter of one of a different profession or trade; or a 
younger daughter when an elder remains unmarried. A girl is often married at 
the age of twelve years, and sometimes at ten, or even nine: the usual period is 
between twelve and sixteen years. At the age of thirteen or fourteen she may 
be a mother. The young men marry a few years later. 

The most important requisite in a wife is religion. The Prophet said, “ A 
virtuous wife is better than the world and all that it contains.” “ A virtuous wife,” 
said Lukman, “ is like a crown on the head of a king; and a wicked wife is like 
a heavy burden on the back of an old man.” Among the other chief requisites 
are agreeableness of temper, and beauty of form (undiminislied by any defect or 
irregularity of features or members), moderation in the amount of dowry required, 
and good birth. It is said, “ If thou marry not a virgin [which is most desirable] 
marry a divorced woman, and not a widow; for the divorced woman will respect 
thy words when thou sayest, ‘ If there were any good in thee thou hadst not been 
divorced;’ whereas the widow will say, ‘ May God have mercy on such a one ! he 
hath left me to one unsuited to me.’ ” But according to another selfish maxim, 
the woman most to be avoided is she who is divorced from a man by whom she 
has had a child; for her heart is with him, and she is an enemy to the man who 
marries her after.*—Modesty is a requisite upon which too much stress cannot be 
laid; but this, to an English reader, requires some explanation. ’Alee asked his 
wife F&timeh, “ Who is the best of women ?” She answered, “ She who sees not 
men, and whom they see not.”] Modesty, therefore, in the opinion of the Mus¬ 
lims, is most eminently shewn by a woman’s concealing her person, and restraining 
her eyes, from men. “ The best rank of men [in a mosque],’’ said the Prophet, 

“ is the front; and the best rank of women is the rear :”J that is, those most 
distant from the men : but better than even these are the women who pray at 
home.§—Fruitfulness is also a desirable qualification to be considered in the choice 
of a wife : “ it may be known in maidens,” saith the Prophet, “ from their rela¬ 
tions; because, generally speaking, kindred are similar in disposition, &c.”|| 
Lastly, contentment is to be enumerated among the requisites. It is said, on the 
same authority, “ Verily the best of women are those that are most content with 
little.To obtain a contented and submissive wife, many men make their selec¬ 
tion from among the classes inferior to them in rank. Others, with a similar view, 
prefer a concubine slave in the place of a wife. 

The consent of a girl not arrived at the age of puberty is not required: her 

* Nuzhet el-Mutaammil, &c. section 4. t Idem, section 0. 

t Mishk&t el-Mas&beeh, vol. i. p. 229. § Idem, vol. i. p. 223. 

II Idem, vol. ii. p. 78. S Idem, vol. ii. p. 79. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

321 

father, or, if he is dead, her nearest adult male relation, or a guardian appointed 
hy will or by the Kddee, acts as her wekeel, or deputy, to effect the marriage-con¬ 
tract for her. If of age, she appoints her own deputy. A dowry is required to 
legalize the marriage; and the least dowry allowed by the law is ten dirhems, 01 
drams of silver; about five shillings of our money. Mohammad married certain 
of his wives for a dowry of ten dirhems and the household necessaries, which were 
a hand-mill to grind the corn, a water-jar, and a pillow of skin or leather stuffed 
with the fibres of the palm-tree, which are called “ leef:” but some he married for 
a dowry of five hundred dirhems.* With the increase of wealth and luxury, 
dowries have increased in amount; but, to our ideas, they are still trifling; a sum 
equivalent to about twenty pounds sterling being a common dowry among Arabs 
of the middle classes for a virgin, and half or a third or quarter of that sum for a 
divorced woman or a widow. Two thirds of the sum is usually paid before making 
the contract, and the remaining portion held in reserve to be paid to the woman 
in case of her divorce or in case of the husband’s death. The father or guardian 
of a girl under age receives the former portion of her dowry ; but it is considered 
as her property, and he generally expends it, with an additional sum from bis own 
purse, in the purchase of necessary furniture, dress, &c., for her, which the hus¬ 
band can never take from her against her own wish. 

The marriage-contract is generally, in the present day, merely verbal; but 
sometimes a certificate is written, and sealed by the K&dee. The most approved or 
propitious period for this act is the month of Showwkl: the most unpropitious, 
Moharram. The only persons whose presence is required to perform it are the 
bridegroom (or his deputy), the bride’s deputy (who is the betrother), two male 
witnesses, if such can be easily procured, and the Kiidee or a schoolmaster or some 
other person to recite a khutbeh, which consists of a few words in praise of God, a 
form of blessing on the Prophet, and some passages of the Kur-an, respecting 
marriage. They all recite the Fdt'hah (or opening chapter of the Kur-in), after 
which the bridegroom pays the money. The latter and the bride’s deputy then 
seat themselves on the ground, face to face, and grasp each other’s right hand, 
raising the thumbs, and pressing them against each other. Previously to the 
khutbeh, the person who recites this formula places a handkerchief over the two 
joined hands; and after the khutbeh he dictates to the two contracting parties 
what they are to say. The betrother generally uses the following or a similar 
form of words: “ I betroth to thee my daughter [or her for whom I act as 
deputy] such a one [naming the bride], the virgin [or the adult virgin, &c.], for a 
dowry of such an amount.” The bridegroom answers, “I accept from thee her 
betrothal to myself.” This is all that is absolutely necessary; but the address and 
reply are usually repeated a second and third time, and are often expressed in 
fuller forms of words. The contract is concluded with the recital of the Fdt’hah 
by all persons present. 

This betrothal, or marriage-contract, is often performed several years before 
the consummation, when the two parties are yet children, or during the infancy of 
the girl; but generally not more than about eight or ten days before that event. 
The household furniture and dress prepared for the bride are sent hy her family to 
the bridegroom's house, usually conveyed by a train of camels, two or three or more 
days before she is conducted thither. 

• Nuzhct el-Mutaammil, &c M section 4. 

voi„ i. 

T T 

322 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

The feasts and processions which are now to be mentioned are only observed 
in the case of a virgin-bride; a widow or divorced woman being remarried in a 
private manner. I describe them chiefly in accordance with the usages of Cairo, 
which appear to me most agreeable, in general, with the descriptions and allusions 
in the present work.—The period most commonly approved for the consummation 
of marriage is the eve of Friday, or that of Monday. Previously to this event, the 
bridegroom once or twice or more frequently gives a feast to his friends; and for 
several nights, his house and the houses of his near neighbours are usually illumi¬ 
nated by numerous clusters of lamps, or by lanterns, suspended in front of them ; 
some, to cords drawn across the street. To these or other cords are also suspended 
small flags, or square pieces of silk, each of two different colours, generally red 
and green. Some say that the feast or feasts should be given on the occasion of 
the contract; others, on the consummation ; others, again, on both these occasions.* 
The usual custom of the people of Cairo is to give a feast on the night immediately 
preceding that of the consummation, and another on the latter night; but some 
commence their feasts earlier. Respecting marriage-feasts, the Prophet said, 
“ The first day’s feast is an incumbent duty; and the second day’s, a sunneh ordi¬ 
nance ; and the third day’s, for ostentation and notoriety and he forbade eating 
at the feast of the ostentatious.f It is a positive duty to accept an invitation to a 
marriage-feast or other lawful entertainment; but the guest is not obliged to eat.J 
The persons invited, and all intimate friends, generally send presents of provisions 
of some kind a day or two before. The Prophet taught that marriage-feasts should 
be frugal: the best that he gave was with one goat.§ He approved of demonstra¬ 
tions of joy at the celebration of a marriage with songs, and, according to one 
tradition, by the beating of deffs (or tambourines) ; but in another tradition the 
latter practice is condemned.|| The preferable mode of entertaining the guests is 
by the performance of a zikr. 

The bride is conducted to the bridegroom’s house in the afternoon immediately 
preceding the night of consummation. On the day next preceding that on which 
she is conducted thither, she goes to the public bath, accompanied by a number of 
her female relations and friends. The procession generally pursues a circuitous 
route, for the sake of greater display; and on leaving the house, turns to the right. 
In Cairo, the bride walks under a canopy of silk borne by four men, with one of 
her near female relations on each side of her. Young unmarried girls walk before 
her; these are preceded by the married ladies; and the procession is headed and 
closed by a few musicians with drums and hautboys. The bride wears a kind of 
pasteboard crown, or cap ; and is completely veiled from the view of spectators by 
a Kashmeer shawl placed over her crown and whole person; but some handsome 
ornaments of the head are attached externally. The other women are drest in the 
best of their walking-attire. In the case, however, of a bride of high rank, or of 
wealth, the ladies ride upon high-saddled asses, without music or canopy ; and the 
bride is only distinguished by a Kashmeer shawl instead of the usual black silk 
covering ; one or more eunuchs sometimes riding at the head. In the bath, after 
the ordinary operations of washing, &c., a feast is made, and the party are often 
entertained by female singers. Having returned in the same manner to her home, 
the bride’s friends there partake of a similar entertainment with her. Her hands 

* Nuzhet el-Mutaammil, &c., section 8. t Ibid. 

X Ibid.; and Mishkdt el-Ma$4beeh, vol. ii., p. 105. § Mishkdt el-Masibeeh, vol. ii. p. 104. 

]| Nuzhet el-Mutaammil, &c. loco laudato; and Mishkdt el-Mas&beeh, vol. ii. p. 89. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

323 

and feet are then stained witli henna, and her eyes ornamented with kohl; and 
her friends give her small pvesents of money, and take their leave. “ It is a sun- 
neh ordinance that the bride wash her feet in a clean vessel, and sprinkle the 
water in the corners of the chamber, that a blessing may result from this. She 
should also brighten her face, and put on the best of her apparel, and adorn her 
eyes with kohl, and stain [her hands and feet] with henna [as above mentioned]; 
and she should abstain, during the first week, from eating anything that contains 
mustard, and from vinegar, and sour apples.”* 

The bride is conducted to the house of the bridegroom (on the following day) in 
the same manner as to the bath, or with more pomp. In Cairo, the bridal proces¬ 
sions of persons of very high rank are conducted with singular display. The train 
is usually headed by buffoons and musicians, and a water-carrier loaded with a 
goat’s-skin filled with sand and water, of very great weight, which is often borne for 
many hours before, as well as during, the procession, merely to amuse the spectators 
by this feat of strength. Then follow (interrupted by groups of male or female 
dancers, jugglers, &c.) numerous decorated open waggons, or cars, each of which 
contains several members of some particular trade or art engaged in their ordinary 
occupations, or one such person with attendants: in one, for instance, a kahwejee, 
with his assistants and pots and cups and fire, making coffee for the spectators : in 
a second, makers of sweetmeats: in a third, makers of pancakes (fateerehs): in a 
fourth, silk-lace manufacturers: in a fifth, a silk-weaver, with his loom: in a sixth, 
tinners of copper vessels, at their work : in a seventh, white-washers, whitening 
over and over again a wall: in short, almost every manufacture, &c., has its repre¬ 
sentatives in a different waggon. El-Jabartee describes a procession of this kind 
in which there were upwards of seventy parties of different trades and arts, each 
party in a separate waggon, besides buffoons, wrestlers, dancers, and others; 
followed by various officers, the eunuchs of the bride’s family, ladies of the hareem 
with their attendants, then the bride, in a European carriage, a troop of memlooks 
clad in armour, and a Turkish band of music. It was a procession of which the 
like had not before been seen.f 

The bride and her party, having arrived at the house, sit down to a repast. The 
bridegroom does not yet see her. He hus already been to the bath, and at nightfall 
he goes in procession with a number of his friends to a mosque, to perform the 
night-prayers; he is accompanied by musicians and singers, or by chanters of lyric 
odes in praise of the Prophet; and by men bearing poles with cylindrical frames 
of iron at the top filled with flaming wood; and on his return, most of his other 
attendants bear lighted wax candles, and bunches of flowers. 

Returned to his house, he leaves his friends in a lower apartment, and goes up 
to the bride, whom he finds seated, with a shawl thrown over her head, so as to con¬ 
ceal her face completely, and attended by one or two females. The latter he 
induces to retire, by means of a small present. He then gives a present of money 
to the bride, as “the price of uncovering the face,” and having removed the cover¬ 
ing (saying, as he does so, “ In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful), 
he beholds her, generally, for the first time. On the occasion of this first visit, 
which is called the “dukhool,” or “dukldeh,” he is recommended “to perfume 
himself, and to sprinkle some sugar and almonds on the head of the bride and on 

* Nuxhet el-Mutaammil, &c., loco laudato. 

t Account of the Emeer Mohammad A/jha El-Biroodec, obituary, year 1203. 

324 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

that of each woman with her; this practice being established by existing usage 
and by traditions: also, when he approaches her, he should perform the prayers of 
two rek’ahs ; and she should do the same if able : then he should take hold of the 
hair over her forehead, and say, ‘ O God, bless me in my wife, and bless my wife 
in me! O God, bestow upon me [offspring] by her, and bestow upon her [offspring] 
by me! O God, unite us, as Thou hast united, happily; and separate us, when 
Thou separatest, happily ! ’ ”* 

Note 40. 

The tarboosh is a woollen skull-cap, of a deep blood-red colour, having a tassel 
of dark blue silk attached to the crown. It is now worn by most Arabs of the 
higher and middle classes, and by many others, excepting in Arabia, where it is not 
so common. Round it is wound the muslin or shawl which forms the turban. 
Within it is worn a cotton cap. 

Note 41. 

T’he farajeeyeh is a loose robe or coat, now generally made of cloth, with full and 
long sleeves extending a little beyond the extremities of the fingers and without any 
slit. It is worn chiefly by persons of the learned professions. 

Note 42. 

This is the usual mode in which money is collected for the singing-women in the 
present day. 

Note 43. 

“ Hooreeyeh” is the appellation commonly given by the Arabs to a virgin of 
Paradise, corrupted by French and English writers into “ Houri,” which term con¬ 
verts a female into a male. 

Note 44 _ On the Evil Eye. 

Some remarks on the “ evil eye” have been made in a former note (No. 24 in the 
present series), with respect to children, and the means of counteracting its sup¬ 
posed influence; but I mention this subject again partly with the view of suggesting 
to the reader the necessity of bearing it in mind, as it explains many usages described, 
or alluded to, in this work, which would otherwise appear unaccountable; He may 
remember a well-known line of Virgil— 

“Nescio quis teneros oculus mihi fascinat agnos,” 

which, like many other allusions in works of ancient authors, shews how long and 
how extensively this superstition has been entertained. How deeply it is rooted in 
the minds of Arabs, even the most religious and learned, may be inferred from this 
saying of their prophet: “The eye has a complete influence; because verily, if 
there were a thing to overcome fate, it most certainly would be a malignant eye.”t 
Hence he permitted charms (which he disallowed in almost every other case) to be 
employed for the purpose of counteracting its influence.): The following observa¬ 
tion, selected from several of a similar nature in my work on the Modem Egyptians, 

* Nuzhet el-Mutaammil, &c., section 8. ‘ Miohkat el-Masabeeh, vol. ii. p. 37 7. t Ibid. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

325 

aptly Illustrates the passage to which this note immediately refers. “ It is a custom 
among the higher and middle classes in Cairo, on the occasion of a marriage, to 
hang chandeliers in the street before the bridegroom’s house; and it often happens 
that a crowd is collected to see a very large and handsome chandelier suspended : 
in this case, it is a common practice to divert the attention of the spectators by 
throwing down and breaking a large jar, or by some other artifice, lest an envious 
eye should cause the chandelier to fall.” 

Note 45. 

The closet here alluded to, being one in which ablution is performed, always 
contains a small trough of water, or a ewer. 

Note 46. 

This epithet, “unlucky,” is often applied to an ’Efreet. I have frequently heard 
it thus used by Arabs. 

Note 47. 

“ Aboo Shih&b” (literally, Father of a Shooting Star) is a nickname often given 
to a devil, and is so employed because devils, or evil jinnees, are sometimes destroyed 
by shooting stars hurled at them by angels; an instance of which occurs in the tale 
under consideration. 

Note 48. 

“ Sitt el-Hosn” signifies “ the Lady of Beauty.” 

Note 49. 

“ Hasheesh” is the intoxicating hemp, which has been mentioned in former 
notes. 

Note 50. 

Thus in the Breslau edition, and in the Calcutta edition of the first two 
hundred nights; but in the edition of Cairo, the cook is merely termed a prodigal. 

Note 51. — On Adoption. 

The Mohammadan law allows the adoption of sons, provided that the person 
to be adopted consents to the act, if of age to judge for himself; also, that he has 
been deprived of his parents by death or other means ; and that there be such a 
difference of age between the two parties as might subsist between a natural 
father and his son. The adopted son enjoys the same right of inheritance as the 
natural son ; but the adoptive father is not prevented by this act from marrying 
any relation of his adopted son. 

Note 52. 

In the houses of Arabs of the more wealthy classes, there is usually a chair 
upon which the turban is placed at night. It is of a large size, but slight make j 
the bottom and back being generally of cane-work; and sometimes it has a kind of 
canopy constructed over it. The turban, when placed upon it, is covered with 
a kerchief of thick silk stuff; often embroidered or interwoven with gold thread. 

326 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

Note 53. 

“ Mosilee" may be understood as meaning either “ of the fashion of El-M6sil,” 
or “ of muslin:” but the former, according to my sheykh, is the signification here 
intended. I think there is nothing peculiar in the common modem turban of 
El-Mosil. 

Note 54. 

This is done under the idea that it strengthens the infant’s eyes. 

Note 55. 

“ ’Ajeeb” signifies “ Wonderftil.” 

Note 56. 

The meaning of this is, that he grew in a day as other children in a month ; 
and in a month, as others in a year. 

Note 57. 

The death of the cook is mentioned in the edition of Breslau ; hut not in that 
of Cairo. 

Note 58. 

This ejaculation is generally uttered at the mention of a deceased Muslim. 

Note 59. 

“ S&heb” is a title given to Wezeers, as mentioned in Note 8 to the In¬ 
troduction. 

Note 60. 

In the original, fifteen. The age of ’Ajeeb has been shewn to have been little 
more than eleven at this period; therefore I have substituted twelve for fifteen. 
In page 272 I have made a similar correction, substituting fifteen for eighteen. 

Note 61. 

This alludes to a custom common in the East—that of giving a present of a 
dress, or some article of clothing, to a person who has brought good news. 

Note 62. 

The term “ boy ” is not used here to imply that the eunuch was a youth; 
but in the sense in which it is often employed by us; as synonymous with 
“ servant.” 

Note 63. 

“ Er-Reydaneeyeh” is the name of a tract on the north of Cairo, where 
travellers arriving from Syria generally halted. In the original, by errors in the 
diacritical points, this name is converted into “ Ez-Zebedaneeyeh.” 

Note 64. 

The word which I translate “a cross,” literally signifies “an effigy;” but I 
suppose this term to be employed merely because a cross bears a rude resemblance 
to a man with extended arms. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH. 

327 

Note 65. 

“ The name of Allah encompass thee!” (or, literally, “—be around thee !”) 
is an ejaculation often used, especially by women, agreeing exactly with the 
expression in the first verse of the twentieth Psalm —“ The name of the God of 
Jacob defend thee!”—the “ name” of God here signifying His power. “The 
name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” 
(Proverbs xviii. 10.) 

Note 66. 

Here, for a reason given above, I have substituted “ twelve” for “ ten.” 

Note 67. 

In the original, the last of these verses is here omitted, but my sheykh has 
supplied it in the margin of my copy, and it occurs afterwards, in the 75th night, 
in which the preceding verses, with some slight variations, are repeated. 

Note 68. — On the Expiation of Oaths. 

The law clearly allows expiation for an inconsiderate oath, and, according 
to vulgar opinion, for the violation of a deliberate oath.* The expiation consists 
in once feeding or clothing ten poor men, liberating a Muslim slave or captive, or 
fasting three days. An unintentional oath requires no expiation ; but the swearing 
to a falsehood can only be expiated by deep repentance. 

• Kur-dn, ch. v. ( v. 9.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH NIGHT, AND 
ENDING WITH PART OF THE THIRTY-SECOND. 

THE STORY OF THE HUMPBACK. 

There was, in ancient times, in the city of El-Basrah , 1 a tailor 
who enjoyed an ample income, and was fond of sport and merriment. 
He was in the habit of going out occasionally with his wife, that 
they might amuse themselves with strange and diverting scenes; 
and one day they went forth in the afternoon , 2 and, returning home 
in the evening, met a humpbacked man, whose aspect was such as 
to excite laughter in the angry, and to dispel anxiety and grief: so 
they approached him to enjoy the pleasure of gazing at him, and 
invited him to return with them to their house, and to join with 
them in a carousal that night. 

THE STORY OF THE HUMPBACK. 

329 

He assented to their proposal; and after he had gone with them 
to the house, the tailor went out to the market; night having then 
approached. He bought some fried fish, and bread and limes and 
sweetmeat, and, returning with them, placed the fish before the 
humpback; and they sat down to eat; and the tailor’s wife took a 
large piece of fish, and crammed the humpback with it, and, closing 
his mouth with her hand, said, By Allah, thou shalt not swallow it 
but by gulping it at once, and I will not give thee time to chew it. 
He therefore swallowed it ; but it contained a large and sharp bone, 
which stuck across in his throat, his destiny having so determined, 
and he expired. The tailor exclaimed, There is no strength nor 
power but in God, the High, the Great! Alas, that this poor 
creature should not have died but in this manner by our hands ! 
—Wherefore this idling ? exclaimed the woman.—And what can I 
do ? asked her husband.—Arise, she answered, and take him in thy 
bosom, and cover him with a silk napkin: I will go out first, and 
do thou follow me, this very night, and say, This is my son, and 
this is his mother; and we are going to convey him to the physi¬ 
cian, that he may give him some medicine. 

No sooner had the tailor heard these words than he arose, and 
took the humpback in his bosom. His wife, accompanying him, 
exclaimed, O my child! may Allah preserve thee! Where is the 
part in which thou feelest pain ; and where hath this small-pox 
attacked thee ?—So every one who saw them said, They are con¬ 
veying a child smitten with the small-pox. Thus they proceeded, 
inquiring, as they went, for the abode of the physician ; and the 
people directed them to the house of a physician who was a Jew; 
and they knocked at the door, and there came down to them a black 
slave-girl, who opened the door, and beheld a man carrying (as she 
imagined) a child, and attended by its mother ; and she said, What 
is your business ?—We have a child here, answered the tailor’s wife, 
and we want the physician to see him : take, then, this quarter of 
a piece of gold, and give it to thy master, and let him come down 
and see my son; for he is ill. The girl, therefore, went up, and 
the tailor’s wife, entering the vestibule, said to her husband, Leave 
the humpback here, and let us take ourselves away. And the tailor, 
accordingly, set him up against the wall, and went out with his 
wife. 

VOL. I. 

u u 

330 

THE STORY OF THE HUMPBACK. 

The slave-girl, meanwhile, went in to the Jew, and said to him. 
Below, in the house, is a sick person, with a woman and a man : 
and they have given me a quarter of a piece of gold for thee, that 
thou mayest prescribe for them what may suit his case. And when 
the Jew saw the quarter of a piece of gold, he rejoiced, and, 
arising in haste, went down in the dark ; and in doing so, his foot 
struck against the lifeless humpback. O Ezra ! he exclaimed—O 
heavens and the ten commandments! O Aaron, and Joshua son of 
Nun ! It seemeth that I have stumbled against this sick person, 
and he hath fallen down the stairs and died! And how shall I go 
forth with one killed from my house ? O Ezra’s ass ! 3 —He then 
raised him, and took him up from the court of the house to his 
wife, and acquainted her with the accident.—And why sittest thou 
here idle ? said she ; for if thou remain thus until daybreak our lives 
will be lost: let me and thee, then, take him up to the terrace, and 
throw him into the house of our neighbour the Muslim ; for he is 
the steward of the Sultan’s kitchen, and often do the cats come to 
his house, and eat of the food which they find there ; 4 as do the 
mice too : and if he remain there for a night, the dogs will come 
down to him from the terraces and eat him up entirely . 5 So the 
Jew and his wife went up, carrying the humpback, and let him down 
by his hands and feet to the pavement; placing him against the 
wall; which having done, they descended. 

Not long had the humpback been thus deposited when the 
steward returned to his house, and opened the door, and, going up 
with a lighted candle in his hand, found a son of Adam standing in 
the comer next the kitchen; upon which he exclaimed, What is 
this ? By Allah, the thief that hath stolen our goods is none other 
than a son of Adam, who taketh what he findeth of flesh or grease, 
even though I keep it concealed from the cats and the dogs ; and if 
I killed all the cats and dogs of the quarter it would be of no use ; 
for he cometh down from the terraces !—And so saying, he took up 
a great mallet, and struck him with it, and then, drawing close to 
him, gave him a second blow with it upon the chest, when the 
humpback fell down, and he found that he was dead; whereupon 
he grieved, and said, There is no strength nor power but in God ! 
And he feared for himself, and exclaimed, Curse upon the grease 
and the flesh, and upon this night, in which the destiny of this man 

THE STORY OF THE HUMPBACK. 

331 

hath been accomplished by my hand! Then, looking upon him, 
and perceiving that he was a humpback, he said, Is it not enough 
that thou art humpbacked, but must thou also be a robber, and 
steal the flesh and the grease ? O Protector, cover me with thy 
gracious shelter !—And he lifted him upon his shoulders, and 
descended, and went forth from his house, towards the close of the 
night, and stopped not until he had conveyed him to the commence¬ 
ment of the market-street, where he placed him upon his feet by 
the side of a shop at the entrance of a lane, and there left him and 
retired. 

Soon after, there came a Christian, the Sultan’s broker, who, 
in a state of intoxication, had come forth to visit the bath ; and he 
advanced, staggering, until he drew near to the humpback, when 
he turned his eyes, and beheld one standing by him. Now some 
persons had snatched off his turban early in the night , 6 and when 
he saw the humpback standing there, he concluded that he intended 
to do the same ; so he clenched his fist, and struck him on the neck. 
Down fell the humpback upon the ground, and the Christian called 
out to the watchman of the market , 7 while still in the excess of his 
intoxication, he continued beating the humpback, and attempting to 
throttle him. As he was thus employed, the watchman came, and, 
finding the Christian kneeling upon the Muslim 8 and beating him, 
said, Arise, and quit him! He arose, therefore, and the watch¬ 
man, approaching the humpback, saw that he was dead, and 
exclaimed, How is it that the Christian dareth to kill the Muslim ? 
Then seizing the Christian, he bound his hands behind him, and 
took him to the house of the Walee ; 9 the Christian saying within 
himself, O heavens ! O Virgin! how have I killed this man ? And 
how quickly did he die from a blow of the hand!—Intoxication had 
departed, and reflection had come. 

The humpback and the Christian passed the remainder of the night 
in the house of the Walee, and the Walee ordered the executioner 
to proclaim the Christian’s crime, and set up a gallows, and stationed 
him beneath it. The executioner then came, and threw the rope round 
his neck, and was about to hang him, when the Sultan’s steward 
pushed through the crowd, seeing the Christian standing beneath the 
gallows, and the people made way for him, and he said to the exe¬ 
cutioner, Do it not; for it was I who killed him.—Wherefore didst 

332 

THE STORY OF THE HUMPBACK. 

thou kill him? said the Walee. He answered, I went into my 
house last night, and saw that he had descended from the terrace 
and stolen my goods ; so I struck him with a mallet upon his chest, 
and he died, and I carried him out, and conveyed him to the market- 
street, where 1 set him up in such a place, at the entrance of such 
a lane. Is it not enough for me to have killed a Muslim, that a 
Christian should be killed on my account ? Hang, then, none but 
me.—The Walee, therefore, when he heard these words, liberated 
the Christian broker, and said to the executioner, Hang this man, 
on the ground of his confession. And he took off the rope from 
the neck of the Christian, and put it round the neck of the steward, 
and, having stationed him beneath the gallows, was about to hang 
him, when the Jewish physician pushed through the crowd, and 
called out to the excutioner, saying to him, Do it not; for none 
killed him but I; and the case was this : he came to my house to 
be cured of a disease, and as I descended to him I struck against 
him with my foot, and he died : kill not the steward, therefore; but 
kill me. So the Walee gave orders to hang the Jewish physician ; 
and the executioner took off the rope from the steward’s neck, and 
put it round the neck of the Jew. But, lo, the tailor came, and, 
forcing his way among the people, said to the executioner, Do it 
not; for none killed him but I; and it happened thus : I was out 
amusing myself during the day, and as I was returning at the com¬ 
mencement of the night, I met this humpback in a state of intoxi¬ 
cation, with a tambourine, and singing merrily; and I stopped to 
divert myself by looking at him, and took him to my house. I then 
bought some fish, and we sat down to eat, and my wife took a piece 
of fish and a morsel of bread, and crammed them into his mouth, 
and he was choked, and instantly died. Then I and my wife took 
him to the house of the Jew, and the girl came down and opened 
the door, and while she went up to her master, I set up the hump¬ 
back by the stairs, and went away with my wife : so, when the Jew 
came down and stumbled against him, he thought that he had killed 
him.—And he said to the Jew, Is this true? He answered, Yes. 
The tailor, then, looking towards the Walee, said to him, Liberate 
the Jew, and hang me. And when the Walee heard this he was 
astonished at the case of the humpback, and said, Verily this is an 
event that should be recorded in books ! And he said to the execu- 

THE STORY OF THE HUMPBACK. ' 

333 

tioner, Liberate the Jew, and hang the tailor on account of his own 
confession. So the executioner led him forward, saying, Dost thou 
put forward this and take hack that; and shall we not hang one ? 
And he put the rope round the neck of the tailor. 

Now the humpback was the Sultan’s buffoon, and the Sultan 
could not bear him to be out of his sight; and when the humpback 
had got drunk, and been absent that night and the next day until 
noon, the King inquired respecting him of some of his attendants, 
and they answered him, O our lord, the Walee hath taken him 
forth dead, and gave orders to hang the person who killed him, and 
there came a second and a third person, each saying, None killed 
him but I—and describing to the Walee the cause of his killing 
him. When the King, therefore, heard this, he called out to the 
chamberlain, and said to him, Go down to the Walee, and bring 
them all hither before me. So the chamberlain went down, and 
found that the executioner had almost put to death the tailor, and 
he called out to him, saying, Do it not—and informed the Walee 
that the case had been reported to the King. And he took him, 
and the humpback borne with him, and the tailor and the Jew and 
the Christian and the steward, and went up with them all to the 
King; and when the Walee came into the presence of the King, 
he kissed the ground, and related to him all that had happened. 
And the King was astonished, and was moved with merriment, at 
hearing this tale; and he commanded that it should be written in 
letters of gold. He then said to those who were present, Have ye 
ever heard anything like the story of this humpback ? And upon 
this the Christian advanced, and said, O King of the age, if thou 
permit me I will relate to thee an event that hath occurred to me 
more wonderful and strange and exciting than the story of the 
humpback.—Tell us then thy story, said the King. And the 
Christian related as follows:— 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN BROKER. 

Know, O King of the age, that I came to this country with 
merchandise, and destiny stayed me among your people. I was 
born in Cairo, and am one of its Copts, and there I was brought 
up. My father was a broker; and when I had attained to man¬ 
hood, he died, and I succeeded to his business; and as I was sitting 
one day, lo, a young man of most handsome aspect, and clad in a 
dress of the richest description, came to me, riding upon an ass, 
and, when he saw me, saluted me; whereupon I rose to him, 
to pay him honour, and he produced a handkerchief containing 
some sesame, and said, What is the value of an ardebb 10 of this ? 
I answered him, A hundred pieces of silver. And he said to me, 
Take the carriers and the measurers, and repair to the Khan of 
El-Jawalee 11 in the district of Bab en-Nasr: 12 there wilt thou find 
me. And he left me and went his way, after having given me the 
handkerchief with the sample of the sesame. So I went about to 
the purchasers; and the price of each ardebb amounted to a 
hundred and twenty pieces of silver; and I took with me four 
carriers, and went to him. I found him waiting my arrival; and 
when he saw me he rose and opened a magazine, and we measured 
its contents, and the whole amounted to fifty ardebbs. The young 
man then said, Thou shalt have, for every ardebb, ten pieces of 
silver as brokerage; and do thou receive the price and keep it in 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN BROKER. 

335 

thy care: the whole sum will be five thousand; and thy share of it, 
five hundred: so there will remain for me four thousand and five 
hundred; and when I shall have finished the sale of the goods 
contained in my store-rooms, I will come to thee and receive it. 
I replied, It shall be as thou desirest. And I kissed his hand, and 
left him. Thus there accrued to me, on that day, a thousand 
pieces of silver, besides my brokerage . 13 

He was absent from me a month, at the expiration of which he 
came and said to me, Where is the money ? I answered, Here it 
is, ready. And he said, Keep it until I come to thee to receive it. 
And I remained expecting him ; but he was absent from me 
another month; after which he came again, and said, Where is 
the money ? Whereupon I arose and saluted him, and said to him, 
Wilt thou eat something with us ? He, however, declined, and 
said, Keep the money until I shall have gone and returned to 
receive it from thee. He then departed; and I arose, and prepared 
for him the money, and sat expecting him; but again he absented 
himself from me for a month, and then came and said, After this 
day I will receive it from thee. And he departed, and I made 
ready the money for him as before, and sat waiting his return. 
Again, however, he remained a month absent from me, and I said 
within myself, Yerily this young man is endowed with consummate 
liberality! After the month he came, attired in rich clothing, and 
resembling the full moon, appearing as if he had just come out of 
the bath, with red cheek and fair forehead, and a mole like a 
globule of ambergris. When I beheld him I kissed his hand, and 
invoked a blessing upon him, and said to him, O my master, wilt 
thou not take thy money ?—Have patience with me, he answered, 
until I shall have transacted all my affairs, after which I will receive 
it from thee. And so saying, he departed; and I said within myself, 
By Allah, when he cometh I will entertain him as a guest, on 
account of the profit which I have derived from his money; for 
great wealth hath accrued to me from it. 

At the close of the year he returned, clad in a dress richer than 
the former; and I swore to him that he should alight to be my 
guest.—On the condition, he replied, that thou expend nothing 
of my money that is in thy possession. I said, Well:—and, having 
seated him, prepared what was requisite of meats and drinks and 

336 THE STORY TOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN BROKER. 

other provisions, and placed them before him, saying, In the name 
of Allah! And he drew near to the table, and put forth his left 
hand, and thus ate with me: so I was surprised at him ; 14 and 
when we had finished he washed his hand, and I gave him a napkin 
with which to wipe it. We then sat down to converse, and I said, 
O my master, dispel a trouble from my mind. Wherefore didst 
thou eat with thy left hand? Probably something paineth thee 
in thy right hand?—On hearing these words, he stretched forth 
his arm from his sleeve , 15 and behold, it was maimed—an arm 
without a hand! And I wondered at this; but he said to me, 
Wonder not; nor say in thy heart that I ate with thee with my 
left hand from a motive of self-conceit; for rather to be wondered at 
is the cause of the cutting off of my right hand. And what, said I, 
was the cause of it ? He answered thus :— 

Know that I am from Baghdad : my father was one of the chief 
people of that city ; and when I had attained the age of manhood, I 
heard the wanderers and travellers and merchants conversing re¬ 
specting the land of Egypt, and their words remained in my heart 
until my father died, when I took large sums of money, and prepared 
merchandise consisting of the stuffs of Baghdad and of El-Mosil, and 
similar precious goods, and, having packed them up, journeyed from 
Baghdad; and God decreed me safety until I entered this your city. 
And so saying, he wept, and repeated these verses :— 

The blear-eyed escapeth a pit into which the clear-sighted falleth; 

And the ignorant, an expression by which the shrewd sage is ruined. 

The believer can scarce earn his food, while the impious infidel is favoured. 

What art or act can a man devise? It is what the Almighty appointeth! 

I entered Cairo, continued the young man, and deposited the 
stuffs in the Khan of Mesroor , 16 and, having unbound my packages 
and put them in the magazines, gave to the servant some money to 
buy for us something to eat, after which I slept a little ; and when I 
arose, I went to Beyn el-Kasreyn . 17 I then returned, and passed 
the night; and in the morning following, I opened a bale of stuff, 
and said within myself, I will arise and go through some of the 
market-streets, and see the state of the mart. So I took some stuff, 
and made some of my servants carry it, and proceeded until I arrived 
at the Keysareeyeh of Jaharkas , 18 where the brokers came to me, 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN BROKER. 

337 

having heard of my arrival, and took from me the stuff, and cried it 
about for sale; but the price bidden amounted not to the prime 
cost. And upon this the sheykh of the brokers said to me, O my 
master, I know a plan by which thou mayest profit; and it is this : 
that thou do as other merchants, and sell thy merchandise upon 
credit for a certain period, employing a scrivener and a witness and 
a money-changer, and receive a portion of the profits every Thursday 
and Monday ; so shalt thou make of every piece of silver two ; and 
besides that, thou wilt be able to enjoy the amusements afforded by 
Egypt and its Nile.—The advice is judicious, I replied: and accord¬ 
ingly I took the brokers with me to the Khan, and they conveyed 
the stuffs to the Keysareeyeh, where I sold it to the merchants, 
writing a bond in their names, which I committed to the money¬ 
changer, and taking from him a corresponding bond. I then returned 
to the Khan, and remained there some days; and every day I took 
for my breakfast a cup of wine, and had mutton and sweetmeats 
prepared for me, until the month in which I became entitled to the 
receipt of the profits, when I seated myself every Thursday and 
Monday at the shops of the merchants, and the money-changer went 
with the scrivener and brought me the money. 

Thus did I until one day I went to the bath and returned to the 
Khan, and entering my lodging, took for my breakfast a cup of wine, 
and then slept; and when I awoke I ate a fowl, 1S and perfumed myself 
with essence, and repaired to the shop of a merchant named Bedr 
ed-Deen the Gardener , 20 who, when he saw me, welcomed me, and 
conversed with me a while in his shop; and as we were thus engaged, 

vol. r. x x 

338 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN BROKER. 

lo, a female came and seated herself by my side. She wore a head- 
kerchief inclined on one side, and the odours of sweet perfumes were 
diffused from her, and she captivated my reason by her beauty and 
loveliness as she raised her izar and I beheld her black eyes. She 
saluted Bedr ed-Deen, and he returned her salutation, and stood 
conversing with her ; and when I heard her speech, love for her took 
entire possession of my heart. She then said to Bedr ed-Deen, Hast 
thou a piece of stuff woven with pure gold thread ? And he produced 
to her a piece; and she said, May I take it and go, and then send 
thee the price ? But he answered, It is impossible, O my mistress; 
for this is the owner of the stuff, and I owe him a portion of the 
profit.—Wo to thee ! said she : it is my custom to take of thee each 
piece of stuff for a considerable sum of money, giving thee a gain 
beyond thy wish, and then to send thee the price.—Yes, he rejoined; 
but I am in absolute want of the price this day. And upon this she 
took the piece and threw it back to him upon his breast, saying, 
Verily your class knows not how to respect any person’s rank! And 
she arose, and turned away. I felt then as if my soul went with her, 
and, rising upon my feet, I said to her, O my mistress, kindly bestow 
a look upon me, and retrace thine honoured steps. And she returned, 
and smiled and said, For thy sake I return. And she sat opposite 
me upon the seat of the shop ; and I said to Bedr ed-Deen, What 
is the price that thou hast agreed to give for this piece. He 
answered, Eleven hundred pieces of silver. And I said to him, Thy 
profit shall he a hundred pieces of silver : give me then a paper, and 
I will write for thee the price upon it. I then took the piece of 
stuff from him, and wrote him the paper with my own hand, and 
gave the piece of stuff to the lady, saying to her, Take it and go; 
and if thou wilt, bring the price to me in the market; or, if thou 
wilt, it shall be my present to thee. She replied, God recompense 
thee, and bless thee with my property, and make thee my husband ; 
and may God accept this prayer!—0 my mistress, said I, let this 
piece of stuff be thine, and another like it, and permit me to see thy 
face. And upon this she raised her veil; and when I beheld her 
face, the sight drew from me a thousand sighs, and my heart was 
entangled by her love, so that I no longer remained master of my 
reason. She then lowered the veil again, and took the piece of stuff, 
saying, O my master, leave me not desolate. So she departed, 
while I continued sitting in the market-street until past the hour of 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN BROKER. 339 

afternoon-prayer, with wandering mind, overpowered by love. In 
the excess of my passion, before I rose I asked the merchant respect¬ 
ing her; and he answered me, She is a rich lady, the daughter of a 
deceased Emeer, who left her great property. 

I then took leave of him, and returned to the Khan, and the 
supper was placed before me; but, reflecting upon her, I could eat 
nothing. I laid myself down to rest; hut sleep came not to me, and 
I remained awake until the morning, when I arose and put on a 
suit of clothing different from that which I had worn the day before; 
and, having drunk a cup of wine, and eaten a few morsels as my 
breakfast, repaired again to the shop of the merchant, and saluted 
him, and sat down with him. The lady soon came, wearing a dress 
more rich than the former, and attended by a slave-girl; and she 
seated herself, and saluted me instead of Bedr ed-Deen, and said, 
with an eloquent tongue which I had never heard surpassed in soft¬ 
ness or sweetness, Send with me some one to receive the twelve 
hundred pieces of silver, the price of the piece of stuff.—Wherefore, 
said I, this haste ? She replied, May we never lose thee ! And she 
handed to me the price; and I sat conversing with her, and made a 
sign to her, which she understood, intimating my wish to visit her: 
whereupon she arose in haste, expressing displeasure at my hint. 
My heart clung to her, and I followed in the direction of her steps 
through the market-street; and lo, a slave-girl came to me, and said, 
O my master, answer the summons of my mistress. Wondering at 
this, I said, No one here knoweth me.—How soon, she rejoined, 
hast thou forgotten her ! My mistress is she who was to-day at the 
shop of the merchant Bedr ed-Deen.—So I went with her until we 
arrived at the money-changer’s; 21 and when her mistress, who was 
there, beheld me, she drew me to her side, and said, O my beloved, 
thou hast wounded my heart, and love of thee hath taken posses¬ 
sion of it; and from the time that I first saw thee, neither sleep nor 
food nor drink hath been pleasant to me. I replied, and more than 
that do I feel; and the state in which I am needs no complaint to 
testify it.—Then shall I visit thee, O my beloved, she asked, or wilt 
thou come to me ? For our marriage must be a secret. 22 —I am a 
stranger, I answered, and have no place of reception but the Khan ; 
therefore, if thou wilt kindly permit me to go to thine abode the 
pleasure will be perfect.—Well, she replied ; but to-night is the eve 
of Friday, and let nothing be done till to-morrow, when, after thou 

340 THE STORY TOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN BROKER. 

hast joined in the prayers, do thou mount thine ass, and inquire for 
the Habbaneeyeh; 23 and when thou hast arrived there, ask for the 
house called the Ka ah 24 of Barakat the Nakeeb, 25 known by the 
surname of Aboo Shameh; for there do I reside; and delay not; 
for I shall be anxiously expecting thee. 

On hearing this I rejoiced exceedingly, and we parted; and I 
returned to the Khan in which I lodged. I passed the whole 
night sleepless, and was scarcely sure that the daybreak had 
appeared when I rose and changed my clothes, and, having per¬ 
fumed myself with essences and sweet scents, took with me 
fifty pieces of gold in a handkerchief, and walked from the Khan 
of Mesroor to Bab Zuweyleh, 20 where I mounted an ass, and said 
to its owner, Go with me to the Habbaneeyeh. And in less than 
the twinkling of an eye he set off, and soon he stopped at a by¬ 
street called Darb El-Munakkiree, when I said to him, Enter 
the street, and inquire for the Ka ah of the Nakeeb. He was 
absent but a little while, and, returning, said, Alight.—Walk on 
before me, said I, to the Ka ah. And he went on until he had 
led me to the house; whereupon I said to him, To-morrow come 
to me hither to convey me back.—In the name of Allah, he replied: 
and I handed to him a quarter of a piece of gold, and he took it 
and departed. I then knocked at the door, and there came forth 
to me two young virgins in whom the forms of womanhood had 
just developed themselves, resembling two moons, and they said, 
Enter ; for our mistress is expecting thee, and she hath not slept 
last night from her excessive love for thee. I entered an upper 
saloon with seven doors : around it were latticed windows looking 
upon a garden in which were fruits of every kind, and running 
streams and singing birds: it was plastered with royal gypsum, 
in which a man might see his face reflected: 27 its roof was orna¬ 
mented with gilding, and surrounded by inscriptions in letters of 
gold upon a ground of ultramarine: it comprised a variety of 
beauties, and shone in the eyes of beholders: the pavement 
was of coloured marbles, having in the midst of it a fountain, 
with four snakes of red gold casting forth water from their mouths 
like pearls and jewels at the corners of the pool; 28 and it was 
furnished with carpets of coloured silk, and mattresses. 

Having entered, I seated myself; and scarcely had I done so 
when the lady approached me. She wore a crown set with pearls 

and jewels; 29 and her hands and feet were stained with henna; and 
her bosom ornamented with gold. As soon as she beheld me she 
smiled in my face, and embraced me, saying, Is it true that thou 
hast come to me, or is this a dream ?—I am thy slave, I answered; 
and she said, Thou art welcome. Verily, from the time when I first 
saw thee, neither sleep hath been sweet to me nor hath food been 
pleasant! — In such case have I been, I replied ; — and we sat 
down to converse; but I hung down my head towards the ground, 
in bashfulness; and not long had I thus remained when a repast 
was placed before me, consisting of the most exquisite dishes, as 
fricandoes and hashes and stuffed fowls. I ate with her until 
we were satisfied; when they brought the basin and ewer, and I 
washed my hands; after which we perfumed ourselves with rose¬ 
water infused with musk, and sat down again to converse; ex¬ 
pressing to each other our mutual passion; and her love took such 
possession of me that all the wealth I possessed seemed worthless 
in comparison. In this manner we continued to enjoy ourselves 
until, night approaching, the female slaves brought supper and 
wine, a complete service; and we drank until midnight. Never 
in my life had I passed such a night. And when morning came, 
I arose, and, having thrown to her the handkerchief containing 
the pieces of gold, 30 I took leave of her and went out; but as I 
did so she wept, and said, 0 my master, when shall I see again 
this lovely face ? I answered her, I will be with thee at the 
commencement of the night. And when I went forth, I found 
the owner of the ass, who had brought me the day before, waiting 
for me at the door; and I mounted, and returned with him to 

342 THE STORY TOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN BROKER. 

the Khan of Mesroor, where I alighted, and gave to him half a 
piece of gold, saying to him, Come hither at sunset. He replied, 
On the head be thy command. 

I entered the Khan, and ate my breakfast, and then went forth 
to collect the price of my stuffs; after which I returned. I had 
prepared for my wife a roasted lamb, and purchased some sweet¬ 
meat ; and I now called the porter, described to him the house, 
and gave him his hire. Having done this, I occupied myself 
again with my business until sunset, when the owner of the ass 
came, and I took fifty pieces of gold, and put them into a 
handkerchief. Entering the house, I found that they had wiped 
the marble and polished the vessels of copper and brass, and filled 
the lamps and lighted the candles, and dished the supper and 
strained the wine ; and when my wife saw me, she threw her arms 
around my neck, and said, Thou hast made me desolate by thine 
absence ! The tables were then placed before us, and we ate until 
we were satisfied, and the slave-girls took away the first table, and 
placed before us the wine ; and we sat drinking, and eating of the 
dried fruits, and making merry, until midnight. We then slept 
until morning, when I arose and handed her the fifty pieces of gold 
as before, and left her. 

Thus I continued to do for a long time, until I passed the night 
and awoke possessing not a piece of silver nor one of gold; and I 
said within myself, This is of the work of the Devil! And I 
repeated these verses :— 

Poverty causeth the lustre of a man to grow dim, like the yellowness of 
the setting sun. 

When absent, he is not remembered among mankind; and when present, 
he shareth not their pleasures. 

In the market-streets he shunneth notice; and in desert places he poureth 
forth his tears. 

By Allah! a man, among his own relations, when afflicted with poverty, is 
as a stranger! 

With these reflections I walked forth into Beyn el-Kasreyn, 
and proceeded thence to Bab Zuweyleh, where I found the people 
crowding together, so that the gate was stopped up by their 
number; and, as destiny willed, I saw there a trooper, and, unin¬ 
tentionally pressing against him, my hand came in contact with his 
pocket, and I felt it, and found that it contained a purse; and I 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN BROKER. 343 

caught hold of the purse, and took it from his pocket. But the 
trooper felt that his pocket was lightened, and, putting his hand 
into it, found nothing; upon which he looked aside at me, and 
raised his hand with the mace, 31 and struck me upon my head. I 
fell to the ground, and the people surrounded us and seized the 
bridle of the trooper’s horse, saying, On account of the crowd 
dost thou strike this young man such a blow ? But he called out 
to them and said, This is a robber ! On hearing this I feared. 
The people around me said, This is a comely young man, and hath 
taken nothing. While some, however, believed this, others dis¬ 
believed ; and after many words, the people dragged me along, 
desiring to liberate me : but, as it was predestined, there came at 
this moment the Walee and other magistrates entering the gate, 
and, seeing the people surrounding me and the trooper, the Walee 
said, What is the news ? The trooper answered, By Allah, O 
Emeer, this is a robber : I had in my pocket a blue purse contain¬ 
ing twenty pieces of gold; and he took it while I was pressed by 
the crowd.—Was any one with thee? asked the Walee. The 
trooper answered, No. And the Walee called out to the chief of 
his servants, saying, Seize him and search him. So he seized me; 
and protection was withdrawn from me; and the Walee said to 
him, Strip him of all that is upon him. And when he did so, they 
found the purse in my clothes : and the Walee, taking it, counted 
the money, and found it to be twenty pieces of gold as the trooper 
had said; whereupon he was enraged, and called out to his attend¬ 
ants, saying, Bring him forward. They, therefore, brought me 
before him, and he said to me, O young man, tell the truth, Didst 
thou steal this purse ?—And I hung down my head towards the 
ground, saying within myself, If I answer that I did not steal it, 
it will be useless, for he hath produced it from my clothes ; and if 
I say, I stole it, I fall into trouble. I then raised my head, and 
said, Yes, I took it. And when the Walee heard these words, 
he wondered, and called witnesses, who presented themselves, and 
gave their testimony to my confession.—All this took place at 
Bab Zuweyleh.—The Walee then ordered the executioner to cut 
off my hand; and he cut off my right hand; 32 but the heart of 
the trooper was moved with compassion for me, and he interceded 
for me that I should not be killed: 33 so the Walee left me and 
departed. The people however continued around me, and gave me 

i , 5 

to drink a cup of wine ; and the trooper gave me the purse, saying, 
Thou art a comely youth, and it is not fit that thou shouldst he a 
thief. And I took it from him, and addressed him with these 
verses:— 

By Allah ! good sir, I was not a robber; nor was I a thief, O best of mankind! 

But fortune’s vicissitudes overthrew me suddenly, and anxiety and trouble 
and poverty overpowered me. 

I cast it not; but it was the Deity who cast an arrow that threw down 
the kingly diadem from my head . 34 

The trooper then left me and departed, after having given me 
the purse, and I went my way; hut first I wrapped my hand in a 
piece of rag, 35 and put it in my bosom. My condition thus altered, 
and my countenance pallid in consequence of my sufferings, I walked 
to the Ka’ah, and, in a disordered state of mind, threw myself upon 
the bed. My wife, seeing my complexion thus changed, said to me, 
What hath pained thee, and wherefore do I see thee thus altered ? 
I answered her, My head acheth, and I am not well. And on hear¬ 
ing this she was vexed, and became ill on my account, and said. 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN BROKER. 

345 

Bum not my heart, 0 my master! Sit up, and raise thy head, and 
tell me what hath happened to thee this day; for I read a tale in 
thy face.—Abstain from speaking to me, I replied. And she wept, 
and said, It seemeth that thou art tired of us; for I see thee to be 
conducting thyself in a manner contrary to thy usual habit. Then 
she wept again, and continued addressing me, though I made her no 
reply, until the approach of night, when she placed some food before 
me; but I abstained from it, fearing that she should see me eat with 
my left hand, and said, I have no desire to eat at present. She then 
said again, Tell me what hath happened to thee this day, and where¬ 
fore I see thee anxious and broken-hearted. I answered, I will 
presently tell thee at my leisure. And she put the wine towards 
me, saying, Take it; for it will dispel thine anxiety; and thou must 
drink, and tell me thy story. I replied, therefore, If it must be so, 
give me to drink with thy hand. And she filled a cup and drank 
it; and then filled it again and handed it to me, and I took it from 
her with my left hand, and, while tears ran from my eyes, I repeated 
these verses:— 

When God willeth an event to befal a man who is endowed with reason and 
hearing and sight, 

He deafeneth his ears, and blindeth his heart, and draweth his reason from him 
as a hair . 36 

Till, having fulfilled His purpose against him, He restoreth him his reason that 
he may be admonished . 37 

Having thus said, I wept again; and when she saw me do so, 
she uttered a loud cry, and said, What is the reason of thy weeping? 
Thou hast burned my heart! And wherefore didst thou take the cup 
with thy left hand ?—I answered her, I have a boil upon my right 
hand.—Then put it forth, said she, that I may open it for thee.—It 
is not yet, I replied, the proper time for opening it; and continue 
not to ask me; for I will not put it forth at present. I then drank 
the contents of the cup, and she continued to hand me the wine 
until intoxication overcame me, and I fell asleep in the place where 
I was sitting; upon which she discovered that my right arm was 
without a hand, and, searching me, saw the purse containing the 
gold. 

Grief, such as none else experienceth, overcame her at the sight; 
and she suffered incessant torment on my account until the morning, 

VOL. I. 

Y Y 

34B 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN BROKER. 

when I awoke, and found that she had prepared for me a dish com¬ 
posed of four boiled fowls, which she placed before me. She then 
gave me to drink a cup of wine; and I ate and drank, and put down 
the purse, and was about to depart; but she said, Whither wouldst 
thou go ? I answered, To such a place, to dispel somewhat of the 
anxiety which oppresseth my heart.—Go not, said she; but rather 
sit down again. So I sat down, and she said to me, Hath thy love 
of me become so excessive that thou hast expended all thy wealth 
upon me, and lost thy hand ? I take thee, then, as witness against 
me, and God also is witness, that I will never desert thee; and thou 
shalt see the truth of my words.—Immediately, therefore, she sent 
for witnesses, who came; and she said to them, Write my contract 
of marriage to this young man, and bear witness that I have received 
the dowry. And they did as she desired them; after which she said, 
Bear witness that all my property which is in this chest, and all my 
memlooks and female slaves, belong to this young man. Accord¬ 
ingly) they declared themselves witnesses of her declaration, and I 
accepted the property, and they departed after they had received 
their fees. She then took me by my hand, and, having led me to a 
closet, opened a large chest, and said to me, See what is contained 
in this chest. I looked, therefore; and lo, it was full of handker¬ 
chiefs; and she said, This is thy property, which I have received 
from thee: for every time that thou gavest me a handkerchief con¬ 
taining fifty pieces of gold, I wrapped it up, and threw it into this 
chest: take, then, thy property; for God hath restored it to thee, 
and thou art now of high estate. Fate hath afflicted thee on my 
account so that thou hast lost thy right hand, and I am unable to 
compensate thee : if I should sacrifice my life, it would be but a 
small thing, and thy generosity would still have surpassed mine.— 
She then added, Now take possession of thy property. So I 
received it; and she transferred the contents of her chest to mine, 
adding her property to mine which I had given her. My heart 
rejoiced, my anxiety ceased, and I approached and kissed her, and 
made myself merry by drinking with her ; after which she said again, 
Thou hast sacrificed all thy wealth and thy hand through love of me, 
and how can I compensate thee ? By Allah, if I gave my life for 
love of thee, it were but a small thing, and I should not do justice 
to thy claims upon me.—She then wrote a deed of gift transferring 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN BROKER. 

347 

to me all her apparel, and her ornaments of gold and jewels, and her 
houses and other possessions; and she passed that night in grief on 
my account, having heard my relation of the accident that had 
befallen me. 

Thus we remained less than a month, during which time she 
became more and more infirm and disordered; and she endured no 
more than fifty days before she was numbered among the people of 
the other world. So I prepared her funeral, and deposited her 
body in the earth, and having caused recitations of the Kur-an to 
be performed for her, and given a considerable sum of money in alms 
for her sake, returned from the tomb. I found that she had pos¬ 
sessed abundant wealth, and houses and lands, and among her pro¬ 
perty were the store-rooms of sesame of which I sold to thee the 
contents of one; and I was not prevented from settling with thee 
during this period but by my being busied in selling the remainder, 
the price of which I have not yet entirely received. Now I desire 
of thee that thou wilt not oppose me in that which I am about to 
say to thee; since I have eaten of thy food: I give thee the price of 
the sesame, which is in thy hands.—This which I have told thee 
was the cause of my eating with my left hand. 

I replied, Thou hast treated me with kindness and generosity :— 
and he then said. Thou must travel with me to my country; for I 
have bought merchandise of Cairo and Alexandria. Wilt thou 
accompany me ?—I answered, Yes :—and promised him that I would 
be ready by the first day of the following month. So I sold all that 
I possessed, and, having bought merchandise with the produce, 
travelled with the young man to this thy country, where he sold his 
merchandise and bought other in its stead, after which he returned 
to the land of Egypt: but it was my lot to remain here, and to 
experience that which hath befallen me this night during my absence 
from my native country.—Now is not this, O King of the age, more 
wonderful than the story of the humpback ? 

The King replied, Ye must be hanged, all of you!—And upon 
this, the Sultan’s steward advanced towards the King, and said, If 
thou permit me, I will relate to thee a story that I happened to 
hear just before I found this humpback; and if it be more won¬ 
derful than the events relating to him, wilt thou grant us our lives ? 
—The King answered, Tell thy story :—and he began thus :— 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE SULTA'n’s STEWARD. 

I was last night with a party who celebrated a recitation of the 
Kur-an, 38 for which purpose they had assembled the professors of 
religion and law; and when these reciters had accomplished their 
task, the servants spread a repast, comprising among other dishes 
a zirbajeh. 39 We approached, therefore, to eat of the zirbajeh; 
but one of the company drew back, and refused to partake of it: 
we conjured him ; yet he swore that he would not eat of it: and 
we pressed him again ; but he said, Press me not; for I have 
suffered enough from eating of this dish. And when we had 
finished, we said to him, By Allah, tell us the reason of thine 
abstaining from eating of this zirbajeh. He replied, Because I 
cannot eat of it unless I wash my hands forty times with kali, and 
forty times with cyperus, and forty times with soap ; altogether, a 
hundred and twenty times. And upon this, the giver of the 
entertainment ordered his servants, and they brought water and 
the other things which this man required : so he washed his hands 
as he had described, and advanced, though with. disgust, and, 
having seated himself, stretched forth his hand as one in fear, and 
put it into the zirbajeh, and began to eat, while we regarded him 
with the utmost wonder. His hand trembled, and when he put it 
forth, we saw that his thumb was cut off, and he ate with his four 
fingers : we therefore said to him, We conjure thee, by Allah, to 
tell us how was thy thumb maimed : was it thus created by God, 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE SULTA'N’S STEWARD. 349 

or hath some accident happened to it?—O my brothers, he 
answered, not only have I lost this thumb, hut also the thumb of 
the other hand; and each of my feet is in like manner deprived 
of the great toe: but see ye :—and, so saying, he uncovered the 
stump of the thumb of his other hand, and we found it like the 
right; and so also his feet, destitute of the great toes. At the 
sight of this, our wonder increased, and we said to him, We are 
impatient to hear thy story, and thine account of the cause of the 
amputation of thy thumbs and great toes, and the reason of thy 
washing thy hands a hundred and twenty times. So he said,— 

Know that my father was a great merchant, the chief of the 
merchants of the city of Baghdad in the time of the Khaleefeh 
Haroon Er-Rasheed ; but he was ardently addicted to the drinking 
of wine, and hearing the lute ; and when he died, he left nothing. 
I buried him, and caused recitations of the Kur-an to be performed 
for him, and, after I had mourned for him days and nights, I 
opened his shop, and found that he had left in it but few goods, 
and that his debts were many: however, I induced his creditors 
to wait, and calmed their minds, and betook myself to selling and 
buying from week to week, and so paying the creditors. 40 

Thus I continued to do for a considerable period, until I had 
discharged all the debts and increased my capital; and as I was 
sitting one day, I beheld a young lady, than whom my eye had 
never beheld any more beautiful, decked with magnificent orna¬ 
ments and apparel, riding on a mule, with a slave before her and a 
slave behind her, and she stopped the mule at the entrance of the 
market-street, and entered, followed by a eunuch, who said to her, 
O my mistress, enter, but inform no one who thou art, lest thou 
open the fire of indignation upon us. The eunuch then further 
cautioned her; and when she looked at the shops of the mer¬ 
chants, she found none more handsome than mine; so, when 
she arrived before me, with the eunuch following her, she sat 
down upon the seat of my shop, and saluted me ; and I never heard 
speech more charming than hers, or words more sweet. She then 
drew aside the veil from her face, and I directed at her a glance 
which drew from me a sigh ; my heart was captivated by her love, 
and I continued repeatedly gazing at her face, and recited these 
two verses :— 

350 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE SULTA'N’S STEWARD. 

Say to the beauty in the dove-coloured veil, Death would indeed be 
welcome to relieve me from thy torment. 

Favour me with a visit, that so I_ may live. See, I stretch forth my hand 
to accept thy liberality. 

And when she had heard my recitation of them, she answered 
thus:— 

May I lose my heart if it cease to love you! For verily my heart loveth 
none but you. 

If my eye regard any charms but yours, may the sight of you never rejoice 
it after absence! 

She then said to me, O youth, hast thou any handsome stuffs ?— 
O my mistress, I answered, thy slave is a poor man; but wait 
until the other merchants open their shops, and then I will bring 
thee what thou desirest. So I conversed with her, drowned in the 
sea of her love, and bewildered by my passion for her, until the 
merchants had opened their shops, when I arose, and procured all 
that she wanted, and the price of these stuffs was five thousand 
pieces of silver: and she handed them all to the eunuch, who took 
them; after which, they both went out from the market-street, and 
the slaves brought to her the mule, and she mounted, without 
telling me whence she was, and I was ashamed to mention the 
subject to her: consequently, I became answerable for the price 
to the merchants, incurring a debt of five thousand pieces of silver. 

I went home, intoxicated with her love, and they placed before 
me the supper, and I ate a morsel; but reflections upon her beauty 
and loveliness prevented my eating more. I desired to sleep, but 
sleep came not to me; and in this condition I remained for a week. 
The merchants demanded of me their money; but I prevailed 
upon them to wait another week; and after this week, the lady 
came again, riding upon a mule, and attended by a eunuch and two 
other slaves; and, having saluted me, said, O my master, we have 
been tardy in bringing to thee the price of the stuffs: bring now 
the money-changer, and receive it. 41 So the money-changer came, 
and the eunuch gave him the money, and I took it, and sat 
conversing with her until the market was replenished, and the 
merchants opened their shops, when she said to me, Procure for 
me such and such tilings. Accordingly, I procured for her what 

she desired of the merchants, and she took the goods and departed 
without saying anything to me respecting the price. When she 
had gone, therefore, I repented of what I had done; for I had 
procured for her what she demanded for the price of a thousand 
pieces of gold; and as soon as she had disappeared from my sight, 
I said within myself, What kind of love is this ? She hath brought 
me five thousand pieces of silver, and taken goods for a thou¬ 
sand pieces of gold! — I feared that the result would be my 
bankruptcy and the loss of the property of others, and said. The 
merchants know none but me, and this woman is no other than a 
cheat, who hath imposed upon me by her beauty and loveliness: 
seeing me to be young, she hath laughed at me, and I asked her 
not where was her residence. 

I remained in a state of perplexity, and her absence was 
prolonged more than a month. Meanwhile the merchants de¬ 
manded of me their money, and so pressed me that I offered my 
possessions for sale, and was on the brink of ruin; but as I was 
sitting absorbed in reflection, suddenly she alighted at the gate of 
the market-street, and came in to me. As soon as I beheld her, 
my solicitude ceased, and I forgot the trouble which I had suffered. 
She approached, and addressed me with her agreeable conversation. 

352 THE STORY TOLD BY THE SULTA'N'S STEWARD. 

and said, Produce the scales, and weigh thy money :—and she gave 
me the price of the goods which she had taken, with a surplus; 
after which, she amused herself by talking with me, and I almost 
died with joy and 'happiness. She then said to me, Hast thou a 
wife ? I answered, No: for I am not acquainted with any woman: 
—and wept. So she asked me, What causeth thee to weep ? And 
I answered, A thought that hath come into my mind: — and, 
taking some pieces of gold, gave them to the eunuch, requesting 
him to grant me his mediation in the affair; upon which he 
laughed, and said, She is in love with thee more than thou art 
with her, and hath no want of the stuffs, but hath done this only 
from her love of thee: propose to her, therefore, what thou wilt; 
for she will not oppose thee in that which thou wilt say. Now 
she observed me giving the pieces of gold to the eunuch, and 
returned, and resumed her seat; and 1 said to her, Shew favour 
to thy slave, and pardon me for that which I am about to say. 
I then acquainted her with the feelings of my heart, and my 
declaration pleased her, and she consented to my proposal, saying, 
This eunuch will come with my letter; and do thou what he shall 
tell thee ;—and she arose, and departed. 

I went to the merchants, and delivered to them their money, 
and all profited excepting myself; for when she left me I mourned 
for the interruption of our intercourse, and I slept not during the 
whole of the next night: hut a few days after, her eunuch came to 
me, and I received him with honour, and asked him respecting his 
mistress. He answered, She is sick:—and I said to him, Disclose 
to me her history. He replied, The lady Zubeydeh, the wife of 
Haroon Er-Rasheed, brought up this damsel, and she is one of her 
slaves: she had desired of her mistress to be allowed the liberty of 
going out and returning at pleasure, and the latter gave her permis¬ 
sion: she continued, therefore, to do so until she became a chief 
confident; after which, she spoke of thee to her mistress, and 
begged that she would marry her to thee : but her mistress said, I 
wifi not do it until I see this young man, and if he have a desire 
for thee, I will marry thee to him. We therefore wish to introduce 
thee immediately into the palace; and if thou enter without any one’s 
having knowledge of thy presence, thou wilt succeed in accomplish¬ 
ing thy marriage with her; but if thy plot be discovered, thy head 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE SULTA'N’S STEWARD. 353 

will be struck off. What, then, sayest thou ?—I answered, Good: 
I will go with thee, and await the event that shall befal me there.— 
As soon, then, as this next night shall have closed in, said the 
eunuch, repair to the mosque which the lady Zubeydeh hath built 
on the bank of the Tigris, and there say thy prayers, and pass the 
night. **■—Most willingly, I replied. 

Accordingly, when the time of nightfall arrived, I went to the 
mosque, and said my prayers there, and passed the night; and as 
soon as the morning began to dawn, I saw two eunuchs approach¬ 
ing in a small boat, conveying some empty chests, which they 
brought into the mosque. One of them then departed, and the 
other remained; and I looked attentively at him, and lo, it was he 
who had been our intermediary: and soon after, the damsel, my 
companion, came up to us. I rose to her when she approached, and 
embraced her; and she kissed me, and wept: and after we had con¬ 
versed together for a little while, she took me and placed me in a 
chest, and locked it upon me. 43 The slaves then brought a quantity 
of stuffs, and filled with them the other chests, which they locked, 
and conveyed, together with the chest in which I was enclosed, to 
the boat, accompanied by the damsel; and having embarked them, 
they plied the oars, and proceeded to the palace of the honoured 
lady Zubeydeh. The intoxication of love now ceased in me, and 
reflection came in its place: I repented of what I had done, and 
prayed God to deliver me from my dangerous predicament. 

Meanwhile, they arrived at the gate of the Khaleefeh, where 
they landed, and took out all the chests, and conveyed them into the 

VOL. I. Z Z 

354 THE STORY TOLD BY THE SULTA'N’S STEWARD. 

palace : but the chief of the door-keepers, who had been asleep when 
they arrived, was awoke by the sounds of their voices, and cried out 
to the damsel, saying, The chests must be opened, that I may see 
what is in them :—and he arose, and placed his hand upon the chest 
in which I was hidden. My reason abandoned me, my heart almost 
burst from my body, and my limbs trembled; but the damsel said, 
These are the chests of the lady Zubeydeh, and if thou open them 
and turn them over, she will be incensed against thee, and we shall 
all perish. They contain nothing but clothes dyed of various colours, 
excepting this chest upon which thou hast put thy hand, in which 
there are also some bottles filled with the water of Zemzem, 44 and 
if any of the water run out upon the clothes it will spoil their 
colours. Now I have advised thee, and it is for thee to decide: so 
do what thou wilt.—When he heard, therefore, these words, he said 
to her, Take the chests, and pass on :—and the eunuchs immediately 
took them up, and, with the damsel, conveyed them into the palace: 
but in an instant, I heard a person crying out, and saying, The 
Khaleefeh! The Khaleefeh! 

I was bereft of my reason, and seized with a colick from excessive 
fear; I almost died, and my limbs were affected with a violent 
■shaking. The Khaleefeh cried out to the damsel, saying to her, 
What are these chests ? She answered, O my lord (may God exalt 
thy dominion!), these chests contain clothes of my mistress 
Zubeydeh.—Open them, said the Khaleefeh, that I may see the 
clothes.—When I heard this, I felt sure of my destruction. The 
damsel could not disobey his command ; but she replied, O Prince 
of the Faithful, there is nothing in these chests but clothes of the 
lady Zubeydeh, and she hath commanded me not to open them to 
any one. The Khaleefeh, however, said, The chests must be opened, 
all of them, that I may see their contents:—and immediately he 
called out to the eunuchs to bring them before him. I therefore 
felt certain that I was on the point of destruction. They then 
brought before him chest after chest, and opened each to him, and 
he examined the contents; and when they brought forward the 
chest in which I was enclosed, I bade adieu to life, and prepared 
myself for death; but as the eunuchs were about to open it, the 
damsel said, 0 Prince of the Faithful, verily this chest containeth 
things especially appertaining to women; and it is proper, there- 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE SULTA'N’S STEWARD. 355 

fore, that it should be opened before the lady Zubeydeh:—and 
when the Khaleefeh heard her words, he ordered the eunuchs to 
convey all the chests into the interior of the palace. The damsel 
then hastened, and ordered two eunuchs to carry away the chest in 
which I was hidden, and they took it to an inner chamber, and 
went their way: whereupon she quickly opened it, and made a sign 
to me to come out: so I did as she desired, and entered a closet 
that was before me, and she locked the door upon me, and closed 
the chest: and when the eunuchs had brought in all the chests, and 
had gone back, she opened the door of the closet, and said, Thou 
hast nothing to fear! May God refresh thine eye! Come forth now, 
and go up with me, that thou mayest have the happiness of kissing 
the ground before the lady Zubeydeh. 

I therefore went with her, and beheld twenty other female slaves, 
high-bosomed virgins, and among them was the lady Zubeydeh, who 
was scarcely able to walk from the weight of the robes and orna¬ 
ments with which she was decked. As she approached, the female 
slaves dispersed from around her, and I advanced to her, and kissed 
the ground before her. She made a sign to me to sit down: so I 
seated myself before her; and she began to ask m6 questions respect¬ 
ing my condition and lineage; to all of which I gave such answers 
that she was pleased, and said, By Allah, the care which we have 
bestowed on the education of this damsel hath not been in vain. 
She then said to me, Know that this damsel is esteemed by us as 
though she were really our child, and she is a trust committed to 
thy care by God. Upon this, therefore, I again kissed the ground 
before her, well pleased to marry the damsel; after which, she com¬ 
manded me to remain with them ten days. Accordingly, I continued 
with them during this period; but I knew nothing meanwhile of 
the damsel; certain of the maids only bringing me my dinner and 
supper, as my servants. After this, however, the lady Zubeydeh 
asked permission of her husband, the Prince of the Faithful, to marry 
her maid, and he granted her request, and ordered that ten thousand 
pieces of gold should be given to her. 

The lady Zubeydeh, therefore, sent for the Kadee and witnesses, 
and they wrote my contract of marriage to the damsel; and the 
maids then prepared sweetmeats and exquisite dishes, and distri¬ 
buted them in all the apartments. Thus they continued to do for a 

period of ten more days; and after the twenty days had passed, 
they conducted the damsel into the bath, preparatively to my being 
introduced to her as her husband. They then brought to me a 
repast comprising a basin of zirbajeh sweetened with sugar, perfumed 
with rose-water infused with musk, and containing different kinds of 
fricandoed fowls and a variety of other ingredients, such as asto¬ 
nished the mind; and, by Allah, when this repast was brought, I 
instantly commenced upon the zirbajeh, and ate of it as much as 
satisfied me, and wiped my hand, but forgot to wash it. I remained 
sitting until it became dark; when the maids lighted the candles, 
and the singing-girls approached with the tambourines, and they 
continued to display the bride, and to give presents of gold, until 
she had perambulated the whole of the palace; after which, they 
brought her to me, and disrobed her; and as soon as I was left alone 
with her, I threw my arms around her neck, scarcely believing in 
our union : but as I did so, she perceived the smell of the zirbajeh 
from my hand, and immediately uttered a loud cry : whereupon the 
female slaves ran in to her from every quarter. 

I was violently agitated, not knowing what was the matter ; and 
the slaves who had come in said to her, What hath happened 
to thee, O our sister?—Take away from me, she exclaimed to 
them, this madman, whom I imagined to be a man of sense !— 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE SULTA'N’S STEWARD. 

357 

What indication of my insanity hath appeared to thee ? I asked. 
Thou madman, said she, Wherefore hast thou eaten of the zir¬ 
bajeh, and not washed thy hand? By Allah, I will not accept thee 
for thy want of sense, and thy disgusting conduct!—And so saying, 
she took from her side a whip, 45 and beat me with it upon my back 
until I became insensible from the number of the stripes. She then 
said to the other maids, Take him to the magistrate of the city police, 
that he may cut off his hand with which he ate the zirbajeh 
without washing it afterwards. On hearing this, I exclaimed. 
There is no strength nor power but in God! Wilt thou cut off 
my hand on account of my eating a zirbajeh and neglecting to 
wash it ?—And the maids who were present entreated her, saying, 
to her, O our sister, be not angry with him for what he hath done 
this time. But she replied, By Allah, I must cut off something 
from his extremities ! And immediately she departed, and was 
absent from me ten days: after which, she came again, and said to 
me, O thou black-faced! am I not worthy of thee ? How didst 
thou dare to eat the zirbajeh and not wash thy hand?—And she 
called to the maids, who bound my hands behind me, and she took 
a sharp razor, and cut off both my thumbs and both my great toes, 
as ye see, O companions ; and I swooned away. She then sprinkled 
upon my wounds some powder, by means of which the blood was 
stanched ; and I said, I will not eat of a zirbajeh as long as I live 
unless I wash my hands forty times with kali and forty times with 
cyperus and forty times with soap—and she exacted of me an 
oath that I would not eat of this dish unless I washed my hands 
as I have described to you. Therefore, when this zirbajeh was 
brought, my colour changed, and I said within myself, This was 
the cause of the cutting off of my thumbs and great toes:—so, 
when ye compelled me, I said, I must fulfil the oath which I have 
sworn. 

I then said to him (continued the Sultan’s steward), And what 
happened to thee after that? He answered, When I had thus 
sworn to her, she was appeased, and I was admitted into her favour; 
and we lived happily together for a considerable time; after which 
she said, The people of the Khaleefeh’s palace know not that thou 
hast resided here with me, and no strange man excepting thee hath 
entered it; nor didst thou enter but through the assistance of the 

358 THE STORY TOLD BY THE SULTA'N’S STEWARD. 

lady Zubeydeh. She then gave me fifty thousand pieces of gold, 
and said to me, Take these pieces of gold, and go forth and buy 
for us a spacious house. So I went forth, and purchased a hand¬ 
some and spacious house, and removed thither all the riches that 
she possessed, and all that she had treasured up, and her dresses 
and rarities.—This was the cause of the amputation of my thumbs 
and great toes.—So we ate (said the Sultan’s steward), and departed ; 
and after this, the accident with the humpback happened to me : 
this is all my story; and peace be on thee. 

The King said, This is not more pleasant than the story of the 
humpback: nay, the story of the humpback is more pleasant than 
this; and ye must all of you be crucified.—The Jew, however, 
then came forward, and, having kissed the ground, said, O King of 
the age, I will relate to thee a story more wonderful than that of 
the humpback: —and the King said, Relate thy story. So he 
commenced thus:— 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN. 

The most wonderful of the events that happened to me in my 
younger days was this : — I was residing in Damascus, where I 
learnt and practised my art; and while I was thus occupied, one 
day there came to me a memlook from the house of the governor 
of the city: so I went forth with him, and accompanied him to the 
abode of the governor. I entered, and beheld, at the upper end 
of a saloon, a sofa of alabaster overlaid with plates of gold, upon 
which was reclining a sick man: he was young; and a person more 
comely had not been seen in his age. Seating myself at his head, 
I ejaculated a prayer for his restoration ; 46 and he made a sign to 
me with his eye. I then said to him, O my master, stretch forth 
to me thy hand:—whereupon he put forth to me his left hand; and 
I was surprised at this, and said within myself, What self-conceit! 
I felt his pulse, however, and wrote a prescription for him, and 
continued to visit him for a period of ten days, until he recovered 
his strength; when he entered the hath, and washed himself, and 
came forth: and the governor conferred upon me a handsome dress 
of honour, and appointed me superintendent of the hospital of 
Damascus . 47 But when I went with him into the bath, which they 
had cleared of all other visitors for us alone, and the servants had 
brought the clothes, and taken away those which he had pulled off 

360 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN. 

within, I perceived that his right hand had been cruelly amputated; 
at the sight of which I wondered, and grieved for him; and looking 
at his skin, I observed upon him marks of beating with mikra’ahs, 
which caused me to wonder more. The young man then turned 
towards me, and said, O doctor of the age, wonder not at my case; 
for I will relate to thee my story when we have gone out from 
the bath :—and when we had gone forth, and arrived at the house, 
and had eaten some food, and rested, he said to me, Hast thou a 
desire to divert thyself in the supper-room ? I answered, Yes:— 
and immediately he ordered the slaves to take up thither the 
furniture, and to roast a lamb and bring us some fruit. So the 
slaves did as he commanded them: they brought the fruit, and 
when we had eaten, I said to him, Relate to me thy story:—and he 
replied, O doctor of the age, listen to the relation of the events 
which have befallen me. 

Know that I am. of the children of El-M6sil. My paternal 
grandfather died leaving ten male children, one of whom was my 
father: he was the eldest of them ; and they all grew up and 
married; and my father was blest with me; but none of his nine 
brothers was blessed with children. So I grew up among my 
uncles, who delighted in me exceedingly ; and when I had attained 
to manhood, I was one day with my father in the chief mosque of 
El-Mosil. The day was Friday; and we performed the congrega¬ 
tional prayers, and all the people went out, excepting my father 
and my uncles, who sat conversing together respecting the wonders 
of various countries, and the strange sights of different cities, until 
they mentioned Egypt; when one of my uncles said, The travellers 
assert, that there is not on the face of the earth a more agreeable 
country than Egypt with its Nile: 48 —and my father added, He 
who hath not seen Cairo hath not seen the world: its soil is gold ; 
its Nile is a wonder; its women are like the black-eyed virgins of 
Paradise; its houses are palaces; and its air is temperate; its 
odour surpassing that of aloes-wood, and cheering the heart: and 
how can Cairo be otherwise when it is the metropolis of the world ? 49 
Did ye see its gardens in the evening (he continued), with the shade 
obliquely extending over them, ye would behold a wonder, and 
yield with ecstacy to their attractions. s9 

When I heard these descriptions of Egypt, my mind became wholly 

engaged by reflections upon that country; and after they had departed 
to their homes, I passed the night sleepless from my excessive longing 
towards it, and neither food nor drink was pleasant to me. A few days 
after, my uncles prepared to journey thither, and I wept before my 
father that I might go with them, so that he prepared a stock of mer¬ 
chandise for me, and I departed in their company; but he said to them. 
Suffer him not to enter Egypt, but leave him at Damascus, that he 
may there sell his merchandise. 

I took leave of my father, and we set forth from El-Mosil, and 
continued our journey until we arrived at Aleppo, where we re¬ 
mained some days; after which we proceeded thence until we came 
to Damascus; and we beheld it to be a city with trees and rivers 
and fruits and birds, as though it were a paradise, containing fruits 
of every kind. We took lodgings in one of the Khans, and my 
uncles remained there until they had sold and bought; and they 
also sold my merchandise, gaining, for every piece of silver, five, so 
that I rejoiced at my profit. My uncles then left me, and repaired 
to Egypt, and I remained, and took up my abode in a handsome 
Ka’ah, such as the tongue cannot describe; the monthly rent of 
which was two pieces of gold.*' 

Here I indulged myself with eating and drinking, squandering 

3 A 

VOL. I. 

362 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN. 

away the money that was in my possession; and as I was sitting one 
day at the door of the Ka’ah a damsel approached me, attired in 
clothing of the richest description, such as I had never seen surpassed 
in costliness, and I invited her to come in; whereupon, without 
hesitation, she entered; and I was delighted at her compliance, and 
closed the door upon us both. She then uncovered her face, and 
took off her izar, and I found her to be so surprisingly beautiful 
that love for her took possession of my heart: so I went and brought 
a repast consisting of the most delicious viands and fruit and every¬ 
thing else that was requisite for her entertainment, and we ate and 
sported together; after which, we drank till we were intoxicated, 
and fell asleep, and so we remained until the morning, when I handed 
her ten pieces of gold; but she swore that she would not accept 
them from me, and said, Expect me again, O my beloved, after 
three days: at the hour of sunset I will be with thee: and do thou 
prepare for us, with these pieces of gold, a repast similar to this 
which we have just enjoyed. She then gave me ten pieces of gold, 
and took leave of me, and departed, taking my reason with her. 
And after the three days had expired, she came again, decked with 
embroidered stuffs and ornaments and other attire more magnificent 
than those which she wore on the former occasion. I had prepared 
for her what was required previously to her arrival; so we now ate 
and drank and fell asleep as before; and in the morning she gave 
me again ten pieces of gold, promising to return to me after three 
more days. I therefore made ready what was requisite, and after 
the three days she came attired in a dress still more magnificent than 
the first and second, and said to me, O my master, am I beautiful ? 
—Yea, verily, I answered.—Wilt thou give me leave, she rejoined, 
to bring with me a damsel more beautiful than myself, and younger 
than I, that she may sport with us, and we may make merry with 
her? For she hath requested that she may accompany me, and pass 
the night in frolicking with us.—And so saying, she gave me twenty 
pieces of gold, desiring me to prepare a more plentiful repast, on 
account of the lady who was to come with her; after which, she 
bade me adieu, and departed. 

Accordingly, on the fourth day, I procured what was requisite, 
as usual, and soon after sunset she came, accompanied by a female 
wrapped in an izar, and they entered, and seated themselves. I was 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN. 

363 

rejoiced, and I lighted the candles, and welcomed them with joy and 
Exultation. They then took off their outer garments, and when the 
new damsel uncovered her face, I perceived that she was like the 
full moon: I had never beheld a person more beautiful. I arose 
immediately, and placed before them the food and drink, and we 
ate and drank, while I continued caressing the new damsel, and 
filling the wine-cup for her, and drinking with her: but the first 
lady was affected with a secret jealousy.—By Allah, she said, verily 
this girl is beautiful! Is she not more charming than I?—Yea, 
indeed, I answered.—Soon after this, I fell asleep, and when I awoke 
in the morning, I found my hand defiled with blood, and, opening 
my eyes, perceived that the sun had risen; so I attempted to rouse 
the damsel, my new companion, whereupon her head rolled from 
her body. The other damsel was gone, and I concluded, therefore, 
that she had done this from her jealousy; and after reflecting a 
while, I arose, and took off my clothes, and dug a hole in the Ka’ah, 
in which I deposited the murdered damsel, afterwards covering her 
remains with earth, and replacing the marble pavement as it was 
before. I then dressed myself again, and taking the remainder of 
my money, went forth, and repaired to the owner of the Ka’ah, and 
paid him a year’s rent, saying to him, I am about to journey to my 
uncles in Egypt. 

So I departed to Egypt, where I met with my uncles, and they 
were rejoiced to see me. I found that they had concluded the sale 
of their merchandise, and they said to me, What is the cause of thy 
coming ? I answered, I had a longing desire to be with you, and 
feared that my money would not suffice me.—For a year I remained 
with them, enjoying the pleasures of Egypt and its Nile; and I 
dipped my hand into the residue of my money, and expended it 
prodigally in eating and drinking until the time approached of my 
uncles’ departure, when I fled from them: so they said, Probably 
he hath gone before us and returned to Damascus :—and they 
departed. I then came forth from my concealment, and remained 
in Cairo three years, squandering away my money until scarcely any 
of it remained: but meanwhile I sent every year the rent of the 
Ka’ah at Damascus to its owner: and after the three years my 
heart became contracted, for nothing remainded in my possession 
but the rent for the year. 

364 THE STORY TOLD BY THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN. 

I therefore journeyed back to Damascus, and alighted at the 
Ka’ah. The owner was rejoiced to see me, and I entered it, and 
cleansed it of the blood of the murdered damsel, and removing a 
cushion, I found, beneath this, the necklace that she had worn that 
night. I took it up and examined it, and wept a while. After this 
I remained in the house two days, and on the third day I entered 
the bath, and changed my clothes. I now had no money left; and 
I went one day to the market, where (the Devil suggesting it to me, 
in order to accomplish the purpose of destiny) I handed the neck¬ 
lace of jewels to a broker; and he rose to me, and seated me by his 
side: then having waited until the market was replenished, he took 
it, and announced it for sale secretly, without my knowledge. The 
price bidden for it amounted to two thousand pieces of gold; but he 
came to me and said, This necklace is of brass, of the counterfeit 
manufacture of the Franks, and its price hath amounted to a 
thousand pieces of silver. I answered him, Yes : we had made 
it for a woman, merely to laugh at her, and my wife has 
inherited it, and we desire to sell it: go, therefore, and receive 
the thousand pieces of silver. Now when the broker heard this, 
he perceived that the affair was suspicious, and went and gave 
the necklace to the chief of the market, who took it to the Walee, 
and said to him, This necklace was stolen from me, and we have 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN. 365 

found the thief, clad in the dress of the sons of the merchants. And 
before I knew what had happened, the officers had surrounded me, 
and they took me to the Walee, who questioned me respecting the 
necklace. I told him, therefore, the same story that I had told to 
the broker ; but he laughed, and said, This is not the truth:—and 
instantly his people stripped me of my outer clothing, and beat me 
with mikra’ahs all over my body, until, through the torture that I 
suffered from the blows, I said, I stole it;—reflecting that it was 
better I should say I stole it, than confess that its owner was 
murdered in my abode; for then they would kill me to avenge her: 
and as soon as I had said so, they cut off my hand, and scalded the 
stump with boiling oil/ 2 and I swooned away. They then gave me 
to drink some wine, by swallowing which I recovered my senses; 
and I took my amputated hand, and returned to the Ka’ah; but its 
owner said to me, Since this hath happened to thee, leave the Ka’ah, 
and look for another abode; for thou art accused of an unlawful 
act.—O my master, I replied, give me two or three days’ delay that 
I may seek for a lodging:—and he assented to this, and departed 
and left me. So I remained alone, and sat weeping, and saying. 
How can I return to my family with my hand cut off? He who cut 
it off knoweth not that I am innocent : perhaps, then, God will 
bring about some event for my relief. 

I sat weeping violently; and when the owner of the Ka’ah 
had departed from me, excessive grief overcame me, and I was 
sick for two days; and on the third day, suddenly the owner of 
the Ka’ah came to me, with some officers of the police, and the 
chief of the market, and accused me again of stealing the 
necklace. So I went out to them, and said, What is the news ?— 
whereupon, without granting me a moment’s delay, they bound my 
arms behind me, and put a chain around my neck, saying to me, 
The necklace which was in tliy possession hath proved to be the 
property of the governor of Damascus, its Wezeer and its Ruler: 
it hath been lost from the governor’s house for a period of three 
years, and with it was his daughter. When I heard these words 
from them, my limbs trembled, and I said within myself, They 
will kill me ! My death is inevitable ! By Allah, I must relate 
my story to the governor; and if he please he will kill me, or if he 
please he will pardon me.—And when we arrived at the governor’s 

366 THE STORY TOLD BY THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN. 

abode, and they had placed me before him, and he beheld me, he 
said, Is this he who stole the necklace and went out to sell it ? 
Verily ye have cut off his hand wrongfully.—He then ordered that 
the chief of the market should be imprisoned, and said to him, 
Give to this person the compensatory fine for his hand, 53 or I will 
hang thee and seize all thy property. And he called out to his 
attendants, who took him and dragged him away. 

I was now left with the governor alone, after they had, by his 
permission, loosed the chain from my neck, and untied the cords 
which hound my arms; and the governor, looking towards me, 
said to me, O my son, tell me thy story, and speak truth. How 
did this necklace come into thy possession ?—So I replied, O my 
lord, I will tell thee the truth :—and I related to him all that had 
happened to me with the first damsel, and how she had brought to 
me the second, and murdered her from jealousy ; on hearing which, 
he shook his head, and covered his face with his handkerchief, and 
wept. Then looking towards me, he said, Know, O my son, that 
the elder damsel was my daughter: I kept her closely; and when 
she had attained a fit age for marriage, I sent her to the son of her 
uncle in Cairo ; but he died, and she returned to me, having learnt 
habits of profligacy from the inhabitants of that city:" so she 
visited thee four times; and on the fourth occasion, she brought 
to thee her younger sister. They were sisters by the same 
mother, and much attached to each other; and when the event 
which thou hast related occurred to the elder, she imparted her 
secret to her sister, who asked my permission to go out with her; 
after which the elder returned alone; and when I questioned her 
respecting her sister, I found her weeping for her, and she answered, 
I know no tidings of her: — but she afterwards informed her 
mother, secretly, of the murder which she had committed ; and her 
mother privately related the affair to me; and she continued to 
weep for her incessantly, saying, By Allah, I will not cease to 
weep for her until I die. Thy account, O my son, is true; for I 
knew the affair before thou toldest it me. See then, O my son, 
what hath happened: and now I request of thee that thou wilt not 
oppose me in that which I am about to say; and it is this :—I 
desire to marry thee to my youngest daughter; for she is not 
of the same mother as they were: 53 she is a virgin, and I will receive 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN. 

367 

from thee no dowry, but will assign to you both an allowance ; 
and thou shalt be to me as an own son.—I replied, Let it be as 
thou desirest, O my master. How could I expect to attain unto 
such happiness ?—The governor then sent immediately a courier to 
bring the property which my father had left me (for he had died 
since my departure from him), and now I am living in the utmost 
affluence. 

I wondered, said the Jew, at his history; and after I had 
remained with him three days, he gave me a large sum of money; 
and I left him, to set forth on a journey; and, arriving in this your 
country, my residence here pleased me, and I experienced this 
which hath happened to me with the humpback. 

The King, when he had heard this story, said, This is not more 
wonderful than the story of the humpback, and ye must all of 
you be hanged, and especially the tailor, who is the source of all 
the mischief. But he afterwards added, O tailor, if thou tell me 
a story more wonderful than that of the humpback, I will forgive 
you your offences. So the tailor advanced, and said:— 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR. 

Know, O King of the age, that what hath happened to me is 
more wonderful than the events which have happened to all the 
others. Before I met the humpback, I was, early in the morning, 
at an entertainment given to certain tradesmen of my acquaintance, 
consisting of tailors and linen-drapers and carpenters and others; 
and when the sun had risen, the repast was brought for us to eat; 
and lo, the master of the house came in to us, accompanied by a 
strange and handsome young man, of the inhabitants of Baghdad. 
He was attired in clothes of the handsomest description, and was 
a most comely person, excepting that he was lame; and as soon as 
he had entered and saluted us, we rose to him; but when he was 
about to seat himself, he observed among us a man who was a 
barber, whereupon he refused to sit down, and desired to depart 
from us. We and the master of the house, however, prevented 
him, and urged him to seat himself; and the host conjured him, 
saying, What is the reason of thy entering, and then immediately 
departing ? — By Allah, O my master, replied he, offer me no 
opposition; for the cause of my departure is this barber, who is 
sitting with you. And when the host heard this, he was exceed- 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR. 

369 

ingly surprised, and said, How is it that the heart of this young 
man, who is from Baghdad, is troubled by the presence of this 
barber? We then looked towards him, and said, Relate to us the 
cause of thy displeasure against this barber; and the young man 
replied, O company, a surprising adventure happened to me with 
this barber in Baghdad, my city; and he was the cause of my 
lameness, and of the breaking of my leg; and I have sworn that I 
will not sit in any place where he is present, nor dwell in any town 
where he resides: I quitted Baghdad and took up my abode in this 
city, and I will not pass the next night without departing from it.— 
Upon this, we said to him, We conjure thee, by Allah, to relate 
to us thy adventure with him:—and the countenance of the barber 
turned pale when he heard us make this request. The young man 
then said,— 

Know, O good people, that my father was one of the chief 
merchants of Baghdad; and God, whose name be exalted, blessed 
him with no son but myself; and when I grew up, and had attained 
to manhood, my father was admitted to the mercy of God, leaving 
me wealth and servants and other dependants; whereupon I began 
to attire myself in clothes of the handsomest description, and to 
feed upon the most delicious meats. Now God, whose perfection 
be extolled, made me to be a hater of women; and so I continued, 
until, one day, I was walking through the streets of Baghdad, 
when a party of them stopped my way: I therefore fled from them, 
and, entering a by-street which was not a thoroughfare, I reclined 
upon a mastabah at its further extremity. Here I had been seated 
but a short time when, lo, a window opposite the place where I 
sat was opened, and there looked out from it a damsel like the full 
moon, such as I had never in my life beheld. She had some 
flowers, which she was watering, beneath the window; and she 
looked to the fight and left, and then shut the window, and disap¬ 
peared from before me. Fire had been shot into my heart, and my 
mind was absorbed by her; my hatred of women was turned into 
love, and I continued sitting in the same place until sunset, in 
a state of distraction from the violence of my passion, when lo, the 
Kadee of the city came riding along, with slaves before him and 
servants behind him, and alighted, and entered the house from 
which the damsel had looked out: so I knew that he must be her 
father. 

3 B 

VOL I. 

I then returned to my house, sorrowful; and fell upon my bed, 
full of anxious thoughts; and my female slaves came in to me, and 
seated themselves around me, not knowing what was the matter 
with me; and I acquainted them not with my case, nor returned 
any answers to their questions ; and my disorder increased. The 
neighbours, therefore, came to cheer me with their visits; and 
among those who visited me was an old woman, who, as soon as 
she saw me, discovered my state; whereupon she seated herself at 
my head, and addressing me in a kind manner, said, O my son, tell 
me what hath happened to thee ? So I related to her my story, and 
she said, O my son, this is the daughter of the Kadee of Baghdad, 
and she is kept in close confinement: the place where thou sawest 
her is her apartment, and her father occupies a large saloon below, 
leaving her alone; and often do I visit her: thou canst obtain an 
interview with her only through me: so brace up thy nerves. 
When I heard, therefore, what she said, I took courage, and 
fortified my heart; and my family rejoiced that day. I rose up 
firm in limb, and hoping for complete restoration; and the old 
woman departed; but she returned with her countenance changed, 
and said, O my son, ask not what she did when I told her of thy 
case; for she said, If thou abstain not, O ill-omened old woman, 
from this discourse, I will treat thee as thou deservest:—but I 
must go to her a second time. 

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371 

On hearing this, my disorder increased: after some days, how- 
ever, the old woman came again, and said, O my son, I desire of 
thee a reward for good tidings. My soul returned to my body at 
these words, and I replied, Thou shaft receive from me everything 
that thou canst wish. She then said, I went yesterday to the 
damsel, and when she beheld me with broken heart and weeping 
eye, she said to me, 0 my aunt, wherefore do I see thee with con¬ 
tracted heart ?—and when she had thus said, I wept, and answered, 
O my daughter and mistress, I came to thee yesterday from visiting 
a youth who loveth thee, and he is at the point of death on thy 
account:—and, her heart being moved with compassion, she asked. 
Who is this youth of whom thou speakest ? I answered, He is my 
son, and the child that is dear to my soul: he saw thee at the 
window some days ago, while thou wast watering thy flowers; and 
when he beheld thy face, he became distracted with love for thee: I 
informed him of the conversation that I had with thee the first time; 
upon which his disorder increased, and he took to his pillow: he is 
now dying, and there is no doubt of his fate.—And upon this, her 
countenance became pale, and she said, Is this all on my account?—- 
Yea, by Allah, I answered; and what dost thou order me to do ?— 
Go to him, said she ; convey to him my salutation, and tell him that 
my love is greater than his ; and on Friday next, before the congre¬ 
gational prayers, let him come hither: I will give orders to open 
the door to him, and to bring him up to me, and I will have a short 
interview with him, and he shall return before my father comes back 
from the prayers. 

When I heard these words of the old woman, the anguish which 
I had suffered ceased; my heart was set at rest, and I gave her the 
suit of clothes which I was then wearing, and she departed, saying 
to me, Cheer up thy heart. I replied, I have no longer any pain. 
The people of my house, and my friends, communicated, one to 
another, the good news of my restoration to health, and I remained 
thus until the Friday, when the old woman came in to me, and 
asked me respecting my state: so I informed her that I was happy 
and well. I then dressed and perfumed myself, and sat waiting 
for the people to go to prayers, that I might repair to the damsel; 
but the old woman said to me, Thou hast yet more than ample 
time, and if thou go to the bath and shave, especially for the sake 

372 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR. 

of obliterating the traces of thy disorder, it will be more becoming. 
—It is a judicious piece of advice, replied I; but I will shave my 
head first, and then go into the bath. 

So I sent for a barber to shave my head, saying to the boy, Go 
to the market, and bring me a barber, one who is a man of sense, 
little inclined to impertinence, that he may not make my head ache 
by his chattering. And the boy went, and brought this sheykh, 
who, on entering, saluted me; and when I had returned his saluta¬ 
tion, he said to me, May God dispel thy grief and thine anxiety, 
and misfortunes and sorrows ! I responded, may God accept thy 
prayer! He then said, Be cheerful, O my master; for health hath 
returned to thee. Dost thou desire to be shaved or to be bled ?— 
for it hath been handed down, on the authority of Ibn ’Abbas, “ 
that the Prophet said, Whoso shorteneth his hair on Friday, God 
will avert from him seventy diseases;—and it hath been handed 
down also, on the same authority, that the Prophet said, Whoso 
is cupped on Friday will not be secure from the loss of sight 
and from frequent disease. —Abstain, said I, from this useless 
discourse, and come immediately, shave my head, for I am weak. 
And he arose, and, stretching forth his hand, took out a handker¬ 
chief, and opened it; and lo, there was in it an astrolabe, consisting 
of seven plates; 57 and he took it, and went into the middle of the 
court, where he raised his head towards the sun, and looked for a 
considerable time; after which he said to me. Know that there 
have passed, of this our day,—which is Friday, and which is the 
tenth of Safar, 58 of the year 263 60 of the Flight of the Prophet,— 
upon whom be the most excellent of blessings and peace!—and the 
ascendant star of which, according to the required rules of the science 
of computation, is the planet Mars,—seven degrees 60 and six minutes; 
and it happeneth that Mercury hath come in conjunction with that 
planet; and this indicateth that the shaving of hair is now a most 
excellent operation: and it hath indicated to me, also, that thou 
desirest to confer a benefit upon a person: and fortunate is he !—but 
after that, there is an announcement that presenteth itself to me 
respecting a matter which I will not mention to thee. 

By Allah, I exclaimed, thou hast wearied me, and dissipated my 
mind,, and augured against me, when I required thee only to shave 
my head: arise, then, and shave it; and prolong not thy discourse 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR. 

373 

to me. But he replied, By Allah, if thou knewest the truth of the 
case, thou wouldst demand of me a further explication; and I 
counsel thee to do this day as I direct thee, according to the calcu¬ 
lations deduced from the stars: it is thy duty to praise God, and 
not to oppose me; for I am one who giveth thee good advice, and 
who regardeth thee with compassion: I would that I were in thy 
service for a whole year, that thou mightest do me justice; and I 
desire not any pay from thee for so doing.—When I heard this, I 
said to him, Verily thou art killing me this day, and there is no 
escape for me.—O my master, he replied, I am he whom the people 
call Es-Samit, 1,1 on account of the paucity of my speech, by which I 
am distinguished above my brothers: for my eldest brother is named 
El-Bakbook; 62 and the second, El-Heddar: and the third, Bakbak; 
and the fourth is named El-Kooz el-Aswanee; and the fifth, El- 
’Ashshar; and the sixth is named Shakalik; and the seventh brother 
is named Es-Samit; and he is myself. 

Now when this barber thus overwhelmed me with his talk, I 
felt as if my gall-bladder had burst, and said to the boy, Give him 
a quarter of a piece of gold, and let him depart from me for the 
sake of Allah: for I have no need to shave my head. But the 
barber on hearing what I said to the boy, exclaimed, What is this 
that thou hast said, O my lord? By Allah, I will accept from thee 
no pay unless I serve thee; and serve thee I must; for to do so is 
incumbent on me, and to perform what thou requirest; and I care 
not if I receive from thee no money. If thou knowest not my 
worth, I know thine; and thy father—may Allah have mercy upon 
him!—treated us with beneficence; for he was a man of generosity. 
By Allah, thy father sent for me one day, like this blessed day, and 
when I went to him, he had a number of his friends with him, and 
he said to me, Take some blood from me. So I took the astrolabe, 
and observed the altitude for him, and found the ascendant of the 
hour to be of evil omen, and that the letting of blood would be 
attended with trouble : I therefore acquainted him with this, and 
he conformed to my wish, and waited until the arrival of the 
approved hour, when I took the blood from him. He did not oppose 
me; but, on the contrary, thanked me; and in like manner all the 
company present thanked me; and thy father gave me a hundred 
pieces of gold for services similar to the letting of blood.—May God, 

said I, shew no mercy to my father for knowing such a man as thou! 
—and the barber laughed, and exclaimed, There is no deity hut 
God! Mohammad is God’s Apostle! Extolled be the perfection of 
Him who changeth others, but is not changed! I did not imagine 
thee to be otherwise than a man of sense; but thou hast talked non¬ 
sense in consequence of thine illness. God hath mentioned, in his 
Excellent Book, those who restrain their anger, and who forgive 
men: 63 —but thou art excused in every case. I am unacquainted, 
however, with the cause of thy haste ; and thou knowest that thy 
father used to do nothing without consulting me; and it hath been 
said, that the person to whom one applies for advice should be trusted: 
now thou wilt find no one better acquainted with the affairs "of the 
world than myself, and I am standing on my feet to serve thee. I 
am not displeased with thee, and how then art thou displeased with 
me ? But I will have patience with thee on account of the favours 
which I have received from thy father.—By Allah, said I, thou hast 
wearied me with thy discourse, and overcome me with thy speech !. 
I desire that thou shave my head and depart from me. 

I gave vent to my rage; and would have arisen, even if he had 
wetted my head, when he said, I knew that displeasure with me had. 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR. 

375 

overcome thee; but I will not be angry with thee, for thy sense is 
weak, and thou art a youth; a short time ago I used to carry thee 
on my shoulder, '* and take thee to the school.—Upon this, I said to 
him, O my brother, I conjure thee by the requisitions of Allah, 
depart from me that I may perform my business, and go thou thy 
way. Then I rent my clothes; and when he saw me do this, he 
took the razor, and sharpened it, and continued to do so until my 
soul almost parted from my body; then advancing to my head, he 
shaved a small portion of it; after which he raised his hand, and 
said, O my lord, haste is from the Devil;—and he repeated this 
couplet:— 

Deliberate, and haste not to accomplish thy desire; and be merciful, so shalt 
thou meet with one merciful r 

For there is no hand but’God's hand is above it; ® 5 nor oppressor that shall not 
meet with an oppressor. 

O my lord (he then continued), I do not imagine that thou knowest 
my condition in society; for my hand lighteth upon the heads of 
kings and emeers and wezeers and sages and learned men; and of such 
a one as myself hath the poet said:— 

The trades altogether are like a necklace, and this barber is the chief pearl of 
the strings. 

He excelleth all that are endowed with skill, and under bis hands are the 
heads of Kings. 

,—Leave, said I, that which doth not concern thee! Thou hast con¬ 
tracted my heart, and troubled my mind.—I fancy that thou art in 
haste, he rejoined. I replied, Yes! Yes! Yes!—Proceed slowly, 
said he; for verily haste is from the Devil, and it giveth occasion to 
repentance and disappointment; and he upon whom be blessing and 
peace 1,6 hath said, The best of affairs is that which is commenced 
with deliberation:—and, by Allah, I am in doubt as to thine affair: 
I wish, therefore, that thou wouldst make known to me what thou 
art hasting to do; and may it be good; for I fear it is otherwise. 

There now remained, to the appointed time, three hours; and 
he threw the razor from his hand in anger, and taking the astrolabe, 
went again to observe the sun; then after he had waited a long 
time, he returned, saying, There remain, to the hour of prayer, 
three hours, neither more nor less.—For the sake of Allah, said I, 
be silent; for thou hast crumbled my liver!—and thereupon, he 

376 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR. 

took the razor, and sharpened it as he had done the first time, and 
shaved another portion of my head. Then stopping again, he said, 
I am in anxiety on account of thy hurry: if thou wouldst acquaint 
me with the cause of it, it would be better for thee; for thou 
knowest that by father used to do nothing without consulting me. 

I perceived now that I could not avoid his importunity, and said 
within myself, The time of prayer is almost come, and I desire to 
go before the people come out from the service: if I delay a little 
longer, I know not how to gain admission to her. I therefore said 
to him, Be quick, and cease from this chattering and impertinence; 
for I desire to repair to an entertainment with my friends. But 
when he heard the mention of the entertainment, he exclaimed, 
The day is a blessed day for me! I yesterday conjured a party of 
my intimate friends to come and feast with me, and forgot to pre¬ 
pare for them any thing to eat; and now I have remembered it. 
Alas for the disgrace that I shall experience from them!—So I said 
to him, Be in no anxiety on this account, since thou hast been told 
that I am going to-day to an entertainment; for all the food and 
drink that is in my house shall be thine if thou use expedition in 
my affair, and quickly finish shaving my head.—May God recom¬ 
pense thee with every blessing! he replied: describe to me what 
thou hast for my guests, that I may know it.—I have, said I, five 
dishes of meat, and ten fowls fricandoed, and a roasted lamb.— 
Cause them to be brought before me, he said, that I may see them. 
So I had them brought to him, and he exclaimed, Divinely art thou 
gifted! How generous is thy soul! But the incense and perfumes 
are wanting.—-I brought him, therefore, a box containing nedd 67 
and aloes-wood and ambergris and musk, worth fifty pieces of gold. 
—The time had now become contracted, like my own heart; so I 
said to him, Receive this, and shave the whole of my head, by the 
existence of Mohammad, God favour and preserve him! But he 
replied, By Allah, I will not take it until I see all that it contains. 

I therefore ordered the boy, and he opened the box to him ; where¬ 
upon the barber threw down the astrolabe from his hand, and, seat¬ 
ing himself upon the ground, turned over the perfumes and incense 
and aloes-wood in the box until my soul almost quitted my body. 

He then advanced, and took the razor, and shaved another small 
portion of my head; after which he said, By Allah, O my son, I 

know not whether I should thank thee or thank thy father; for my 
entertainment to-day is entirely derived from thy bounty and kind¬ 
ness, and I have no one among my visitors deserving of it; for my 
guests are Zeytoon the bath-keeper, and Saleea the wheat-seller, 
and ’Owkal the bean-seller, and ’Akresheh the grocer, and Homeyd 
the dustman, and ’Akarish the milk-seller, and each of these hath a 
peculiar dance which he performeth, and peculiar verses which he 
reciteth; and the best of their qualities is, that they are like thy 
servant, the memlook who is before thee; and I, thy slave, know 
neither loquacity nor impertinence. As to the bath-keeper, he saith, 
If I go not to the feast, it cometh to my house !—and as to the dust¬ 
man, he is witty, and full of frolick: often doth he dance, and say. 
News, with my wife, is not kept in a chest!—and each of my friends 
hath jests that another hath not: but the description is not like the 
actual observation. If thou choose, therefore, to come to us, it will 
be more pleasant both to thee and to us : relinquish, then, thy visit 
to thy friends of whom thou hast told us that thou desirest to go to 
them; for the traces of disease are yet upon thee, and probably thou 
art going to a people of many words, who will talk of that which 
concerneth them not; or probably there will be among them one 
impertinent person ; and thy soul is already disquieted by disease.— 
I replied, If it be the will of God, that shall be on some other day-:— 
but he said, It will be more proper that thou first join my party of 
friends, that thou mayest enjoy their conviviality, and delight thyself 
with their salt. Act in accordance with the saying of the poet:— 

Defer not a pleasure when it can be had; for fortune often destroyeth our plans. 

Upon this I laughed from a heart laden with anger, and said to 

VOL. I. 3 c 

378 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR. 

him, Do what I require, that I may go in the care of God, whose 
name be exalted, and do thou go to thy friends, for they are waiting 
thine arrival. He replied, I desire nothing hut to introduce thee 
into the society of these people ; for verily they are of the sons of 
that class among which is no impertinent person ; and if thou didst 
but behold them once, thou wouldst leave all thine own companions. 
—May God, said I, give thee abundant joy with them, and I must 
bring them together here some day.—If that be thy wish, he rejoined, 
and thou wilt first attend the entertainment of thy friends this day, 
wait until I take this present with which thou hast honoured me, 
and place it before my friends, that they may eat and drink without 
waiting for me, and then I will return to thee, and go with thee to 
thy companions ; for there is no false delicacy between me and my 
companions that should prevent my leaving them : so I will return 
to thee quickly, and repair with thee whithersoever thou goest.— 
Upon this I exclaimed, There is no strength nor power but in God, 
the High, the Great! Go thou to thy companions, and delight thy 
heart with them, and leave me to repair to mine, and to remain with 
them this day, for they are waiting my arrival.—But he said, I will 
not leave thee to go alone.—The place to which I am going, said I, 
none can enter except myself.—I suppose then, he rejoined, that 
thou hast an appointment to-day with some female : otherwise, thou 
wouldst take me with thee ; for I am more deserving than all other 
men, and will assist thee to attain what thou desirest. I fear that 
thou art going to visit some strange woman, and that thy life will 
be lost; for in this city of Baghdad no one can do any thing of this 
kind, especially on such a day as this; seeing that the Walee of 
Baghdad is a terrible, sharp sword.—Wo to thee, O wicked old man! 

I exclaimed, What are these words with which thou addressest me ? 
—And upon this, he kept a long silence. 

The time of prayer had now arrived, and the time of the 
Khutbeh 68 was near, when he had finished shaving my head : so I 
said to him, Go with this food and drink to thy friends, and I will 
wait for thee until thou return, and thou shalt accompany me:—and 
I continued my endeavours to deceive him, that he might go away; 
but he said to me. Verily thou art deceiving me, and wilt go alone, 
and precipitate thyself into a calamity from which there will be no 
escape for thee: by Allah ! by Allah ! then, quit not this spot until 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR. 

379 

I return to thee and accompany thee, that I may know what will be 
the result of thine affair.—I replied, Well: prolong not thine ab¬ 
sence from me. And he took the food and drink and other things 
which I had given him, but intrusted them to a porter to convey 
them to his abode, and concealed himself in one of the by-streets. 
I then immediately arose. The mueddins on the menarehs had 
chanted the Selam of Friday;" and I put on my clothes, and went 
forth alone, and, arriving at the by-street, stopped at the door of 
the house where I had seen the damsel: and lo, the barber was be¬ 
hind me, and I knew it not. I found the door open, and entered; 
and immediately the master of the house returned from the prayers, 
and entered the saloon, and closed the door ; and I said within my¬ 
self, How did this devil discover me ? 

Now it happened, just at this time, for the fulfilment of God’s 
purpose to rend the veil of protection before me, that a female slave 
belonging to the master of the house committed some offence, in 
consequence of which he beat her, and she cried out; whereupon a 
male slave came in to him to liberate her ; but he beat him also, and 
he likewise cried out; and the barber concluded that he was beating 
me; so he cried, and rent his clothes, and sprinkled dust upon his 
head, shrieking, and calling for assistance. He was surrounded by 
people, and said to them, My master hath been killed in the house 
of the Kadee ! Then running to my house, crying out all the while, 
and with a crowd behind him, he gave the news to my family; and 
I knew not what he had done when they approached, crying, Alas 
for our master!—The barber all the while being before them, with 
his clothes rent, and a number of the people of the city with them. 
They continued shrieking, the barber shrieking at their head, and 
all of them exclaiming, Alas for our slain !—Thus they advanced to 
the house in which I was confined; and when the Kadee heard of 
this occurrence, the event troubled him, and he arose, and opened 
the door, and seeing a great crowd, he was confounded, and said, O 
people, what is the news ? The servants replied, Thou hast killed 
our master.—O people, rejoined he, what hath your master done 
unto me that I should kill him; and wherefore do I see this barber 
before you ?—Thou hast just now beaten him with mikra’ahs, said 
the barber ; and I heard his cries.—What hath he done that I should 
kill him ? repeated the Kadee. And whence, he added, came he; 

and whither would he go ?—Be not an old man of malevolence, ex¬ 
claimed the barber; for I know the story, and the reason of his 
entering thy house, and the truth of the whole affair : thy daughter 
is in love with him, and he is in love with her ; and thou hast dis¬ 
covered that he had entered thy house, and hast ordered thy young 
men, and they have beaten him. By Allah, none shall decide 
between us and thee excepting the Khaleefeh ; or thou shalt bring 
forth to us our master that his family may take him ; and oblige me 
not to enter and take him forth from you: haste then thyself to 
produce him. 

Upon this, the Kadee was withheld from speaking, and became 
utterly abashed before the people: but presently he said to the 
barber, If thou speak truth, enter thyself, and bring him forth. 
So the barber advanced, and entered the house; and when I saw 
him do so, I sought for a way to escape ; but I found no place of 
refuge excepting a large chest which I observed in the same apart¬ 
ment in which I then was: I therefore entered this, and shut down 
the lid, and held in my breath. Immediately after, the barber ran 
into the saloon, and, without looking in any other direction than 
that in which I had concealed myself, came thither: then turning 
his eyes to the right and left, and seeing nothing but the chest, he 
raised it upon his head; whereupon my reason forsook me. He 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR. 

381 

quickly descended with it; and I, being now certain that he would 
not quit me, opened the chest, and threw myself upon the ground. 
My leg was broken by the fall; and when I came to the door of 
the house, I found a multitude of people: I had never seen such 
a crowd as was there collected on that day; so I began to scatter 
gold among them, to divert them; and while they were busied in 
picking it up, I ran through the by-streets of Baghdad, followed 
by this barber; and wherever I entered, he entered after me, 
crying, They would have plunged me into affliction on account of 
my master! Praise be to God who aided me against them, and 
delivered my master from their hands! Thou continuedst, O my 
master, to be excited by haste for the accomplishment of thine evil 
design until thou broughtest upon thyself this event; and if God 
had not blessed thee with me, thou hadst not escaped from this 
calamity into which thou hast fallen; and they might have involved 
thee in a calamity from which thou wouldst never have escaped. 
Beg, therefore, of God, that I may live for thy sake, to liberate 
thee in future. By Allah, thou hast almost destroyed me by thine 
evil design, desiring to go alone: but we will not be angry with 
thee for thine ignorance, for thou art endowed with little sense, and 
of a hasty disposition.—Art thou not satisfied, replied I, with that 
which thou hast done, but wilt thou rim after me through the 
market-streets ? And I desired for death to liberate me from him; 
but found it not; and in the excess of my rage I ran from him, and, 
entering a shop in the midst of the market, implored the protection 
of its owner; and he drove away the barber from me. 

I then seated myself in a magazine belonging to him, and said 
within myself, I cannot now rid myself of this barber; but he will 
be with me night and day, and I cannot endure the sight of his face. 
So I immediately summoned witnesses, and wrote a document, 
dividing my property among my family, and appointing a guardian 
over them, and ordered him to sell the house and all the immove¬ 
able possessions, charging him with the care of the old and young, 
and set forth at once on a journey in order to escape from this 
rascal. I then arrived in your country, where I took up my abode, 
and have remained a considerable time ; and when ye invited me, 
and I came unto you, I saw this vile rascal among you, seated at 
the upper end of the room. How, then, can my heart be at ease, 

382 

THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR. 

or my sitting in your company be pleasant to me, with this fellow, 
who hath brought these events upon me, and been the cause of the 
breaking of my leg ? 

The young man still persevered in his refusal to remain with us ; 
and when we had heard his story, we said to the barber, Is this true 
which this young man hath said of thee ?—By Allah, he answered, 
it was through my intelligence that I acted thus towards him ; and 
had I not done so, he had perished : myself only was the cause of 
his escape ; and it was through the goodness of God, by my means, 
that he was afflicted by the breaking of his leg instead of being 
punished by the loss of his life. Were I a person of many words, 
I had not done him this kindness ; and now I will relate to you an 
event that happened to me, that ye may believe me to be a man of 
few words, and less of an impertinent than my brothers ; and it was 
this :— 

THE BARBER’S STORY OF HIMSELF. 

I was living in Baghdad, in the reign of the Prince of the Faith¬ 
ful El-Muntasir bi-llah, 70 who loved the poor and indigent, and asso¬ 
ciated with the learned and virtuous ; and it happened, one day, that 
he was incensed against ten persons, in consequence of which, he 
ordered the chief magistrate of Baghdad to bring them to him in a 
boat. I saw them, and I said within myself, these persons have 
assembled for nothing but an entertainment, and, I suppose, will pass 
their day in this boat eating and drinking ; and none shall be their 
companion but myself: 71 —so I embarked, and mixed myself among 
them ; and when they had landed on the opposite bank, the guards 
of the Walee came with chains, and put them upon their necks, and 
put a chain upon my neck also.—Now this, O people, is it not a 
proof of my generosity, and of my paucity of speech ? For I de¬ 
termined not to speak.—They took us, therefore, all together, in 
chains, and placed us before El-Muntasir bi-llah, the Prince of the 
Faithful; whereupon he gave orders to strike off the heads of the 
ten; and the executioner struck off the heads of the ten, and I 
remained. The Khaleefeh then turning his eyes, and beholding me, 
said to the executioner, Wherefore dost thou not strike off the 
heads of all the ten ? He answered, I have beheaded every one of 
the ten.—I do not think, rejoined the Khaleefeh, that thou hast be¬ 
headed more than nine ; and this who is before me is the tenth. But 
the executioner replied, By thy beneficence, they are ten.— Count 
them, said the Khaleefeh. And they counted them ; and lo, they 
were ten. The Khaleefeh then looked towards me, and said, What 

384 

THE BARBER'S STORY OF HIMSELF. 

hath induced thee to he silent on this occasion ; and how hast thou 
become included among the men of blood ?—And when I heard the 
address of the Prince of the Faithful, I said to him, Know, O Prince 
of the Faithful, that I am the sheykh Es-Samit (the Silent), I pos¬ 
sess, of science, a large stock; and as to the gravity of my under¬ 
standing, and the quickness of my apprehension, and the paucity of 
my speech, they are unbounded: my trade is that of a barber ; and 
yesterday, early in the morning, I saw these ten men proceeding to 
the boat; whereupon I mixed myself with them, and embarked 
with them, thinking that they had met together for an entertain¬ 
ment ; but soon it appeared that they were criminals; and the 
guards came to them, and put chains upon their necks, and upon 
my neck also they put a chain ; and from the excess of my gene¬ 
rosity I was silent, and spoke not: my speech was not heard on that 
occasion, on account of the excess of my generosity ; and they 
proceeded with us until they stationed us before thee, and thou 
gavest the order to strike off the heads of the ten, and I remained 
before the executioner, and acquainted you not with my case. Was 
not this great generosity which compelled me to accompany them 
to slaughter ? But throughout my life I have acted in this excel¬ 
lent manner. 

When the Khaleefeh heard my words, and knew that I was of a 
very generous character, and of few words, and not inclined to 
impertinence as this young man, whom I delivered from horrors, 
asserteth, he said, Hast thou brothers ? I answered. Yes : six.—And 
are thy six brothers, said he, like thyself, distinguished by science 
and knowledge, and paucity of speech ? I answered, they lived not 
so as to he like me : thou hast disparaged me by thy supposition, O 
Prince of the Faithful, and it is not proper that thou shouldst 
compare my brothers to me; for through the abundance of their 
speech, and the smallness of their generous qualities, each of them 
experienced a defect: the first was lame; the second, deprived of many 
of his teeth; the third, blind; the fourth, one-eyed; the fifth, cropped 
of his ears ; 7J and the sixth had both his lips cut offand think not, 
O Prince of the Faithful, that I am a man of many words : nay, I 
must prove to thee that I am of a more generous character than 
they; and each of them met with a particular adventure, in conse¬ 
quence of which he experienced a defect: if thou please, I will 
relate their stories to thee. 

THE barber’s STORY OF HIS FIRST BROTHER. 

Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that the first (who was named 
El-Bakbook) was the lame one. He practised the art of a tailor 
in Baghdad, and used to sew in a shop which he hired of a man 
possessing great wealth, who lived over the shop, and who had, in 
the lower part of his house, a mill. And as my lame brother was 
sitting in his shop one day, sewing, he raised his head, and saw a 
woman like the rising full moon, at a projecting window of the 
house, looking at the people passing by ; and as soon as he beheld 
her, his heart was entangled by her love. He passed that day 
gazing at her, and neglecting his occupation, until the evening ; and 
on the following morning he opened his shop, and sat down to 
sew ; but every time that he sewed a stitch, he looked towards the 
window; and in this state he continued, sewing nothing sufficient 
to earn a piece of silver . 73 

On the third day he seated himself again in his place, looking 
towards the woman ; and she saw him, and, perceiving that he had 
become enslaved by her love, laughed in his face, and he, in like 
manner, laughed in her face. She then disappeared from before 
him, and sent to him her slave-girl, with a wrapper containing a 
piece of red flowered silk; and the girl, coming to him, said to 
him, My mistress saluteth thee, and desireth thee to cut out for 
her, with the hand of skill, a shirt of this piece, and to sew it 
beautifully. So he answered, I hear and obey:—and he cut out for 

3 D 

VOI., I, 

THE BARBER’S STORY OF HIS FIRST BROTHER. 

U8G 

her the shirt, and finished the sewing of it on that day ; and on the 
following day the slave-girl came to him again, and said to him, My 
mistress saluteth thee, and saith to thee, How didst thou pass last 
night ?—for she tasted not sleep, from her passion for thee.—She 
then placed before him a piece of yellow satin, and said to him, 
My mistress desireth thee to cut out for her, of this piece, two 
pairs of trousers, and to make them this day. He replied, I hear 
and obey. Salute her with abundant salutations, and say to her. Thy 
slave is submissive to thine order, and command him whatsoever 
thou wilt.—He then busied himself with the cutting out, and used 
all diligence in sewing the two pairs of trousers ; and presently the 
woman looked out at him from the window, and saluted him by a 
sign, now casting down her eyes, and now smiling in his face, so 
that he imagined he should soon obtain possession of her. After 
this, she disappeared from before him, and the slave-girl came to 
him ; so he delivered to her the two pairs of trousers, and she took 
them and departed : and when the night came, he threw himself 
upon his bed, and remained turning himself over in restlessness 
until the morning. 

On the following day, the master of the house came to my brother, 
bringing some linen, and said to him. Cut out and make this into 
shirts for me. He replied, I hear and obey:—and ceased not from 
his work until he had cut out twenty shirts by the time of nightfall, 
without having tasted food. The man then said to him, How much 
is thy hire for this ?—but my brother answered not; and the 
damsel made a sign to him that he should receive nothing, though 
he was absolutely in want of a single copper coin. For three days 
he continued scarcely eating or drinking anything, in his diligence 
to accomplish his work, and when he had finished it, he went to 
deliver the shirts. 

Now the young woman had acquainted her husband with the 
state of my brother’s mind, but my brother knew not this ; and she 
planned with her husband to employ him in sewing without remu¬ 
neration, and moreover to amuse themselves by laughing at him: 
so, when he had finished all the work that they gave him, they 
contrived a plot against him, and married him to their slave-girl; 
and on the night when he desired to introduce himself to her, they 
said to him, Pass this night in the mill, and to-morrow thou shalt 

THE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS FIRST BROTHER. 

387 

enjoy happiness. My brother, therefore, thinking that their inten¬ 
tion was good, passed the night in the mill alone. Meanwhile, the 
husband of the young woman went to the miller, and instigated him 
by signs to make my brother turn the mill. The miller, accord¬ 
ingly, went in to him at midnight, and began to exclaim. Verily 
this bull is lazy, while there is a great quantity of wheat, and the 
owners of the flour are demanding it: I will therefore yoke him in 
the mill, that he may finish the grinding of the flour :—and so 
saying, he yoked my brother, and thus he kept him until near 
morning, when the owner of the house came, and saw him yoked 
in the mill, and the miller flogging him with the whip ; and he left 
him, and retired. After this, the slave-girl to whom he had been 
contracted in marriage came to him early in the morning, and, 
having unbound him from the mill, said to him, Both I and my 
mistress have been distressed by this which hath befallen thee, and 
we have participated in the burden of thy sorrow. But he had no 
tongue wherewith to answer her, by reason of the severity of the 
flogging. He then returned to his house; and lo, the sheykh who 
had performed the marriage-contract came and saluted him, saying, 
May Allah prolong thy life ! May thy marriage be blessed !—May 
God not preserve the liar ! returned my brother : thou thousand¬ 
fold villain ! By Allah, I went only to turn the mill in the place of 
the bull until the morning.—Tell me thy story, said the sheykh:— 
and my brother told him what had happened to him: upon which 
the sheykh said, Thy star agreeth not with hers : but if thou desire 
that I should change for thee the mode of the contract, I will 
change it for another better than it, that thy star may agree with 
hers. 74 —See then, replied my brother, if thou hast any other con¬ 
trivance to employ. 

My brother then left him, and repaired again to his shop, 
hoping that somebody might give him some work, with the profit of 
which he might obtain his food; and lo, the slave-girl came to him. 
She had conspired with her mistress to play him this trick, and said 
to him, Verily, my mistress is longing for thee, and she hath gone up 
to look at thy face from the window. And my brother had scarcely 
heard these words when she looked out at him from the window, 
and, weeping, said, Wherefore hast thou cut short the intercourse 
between us and thee ? But he returned her no answer: so she 
swore to him that all that had happened to him in the mill was not 

388 

THE BARBERS STORY OF HIS FIRST BROTHER. 

with her consent; and when my brother beheld her beauty and 
loveliness, the troubles that had befallen him became effaced from 
his memory, and he accepted her excuse, and rejoiced at the sight 
of her. He saluted her, therefore, and conversed with her, and 
then sat a while at his work ; after which the slave-girl came to him, 
and said, My mistress saluteth thee, and informeth thee that her 
husband hath determined to pass this next night in the house of 
one of his intimate friends; wherefore, when he hath gone thither; 
do thou come to her.—Now the husband of the young woman had 
said to her, How shall we contrive when he cometh to thee that 
1 may take him and drag him before the Walee ? She replied, 
Let me then play him a trick, and involve him in a disgrace 
for which he shall be paraded throughout this city as an example to 
others:—and my brother knew nothing of the craftiness of women. 
Accordingly, at the approach of evening, the slave-girl came to him, 
and, taking him by the hand, returned with him to her mistress, 
who said to him, Verily, O my master, I have been longing for 
thee.—Hasten then, said he, to give me a kiss, first of all. And 
his words were not finished when the young woman’s husband came 
in from his neighbour's house, and, seizing my brother, exclaimed 
to him, By Allah I will not loose thee but in the presence of the 
chief magistrate of the police. My brother humbled himself before 
him; but, without listening to him, he took him to the house of 
the Walee, who flogged him with whips, and mounted him upon a 
camel, and conveyed him through the streets of the city, the people 
crying out, This is the recompense of him who breaketh into the 
hareems of others !—and he fell from the camel, and his leg broke : 
so he became lame. The Walee then banished him from the city; 
and he went forth, not knowing whither to turn his steps: but I, 
though enraged, overtook him, and brought him back; and I have 
taken upon myself to provide him with meat and drink unto the 
present day. 

The Khaleefeh laughed at my story, and exclaimed, Thou hast 
spoken well:—but I replied, I will not accept this honour until 
thou hast listened to me while I relate to thee what happened to 
the rest of my brothers ; and think me not a man of many words. 
—Tell me, said the Khaleefeh, what happened to all thy brothers, 
and grace my ears with these nice particulars : I beg thee to employ 
exuberance of diction in thy relation of these pleasant tales. 

THE BARBER’S STORY OF HIS SECOND BROTHER. 

So 1 said, Know, 0 Prince of the Faithful, that my second 
brother, whose name was El-Heddar, 7S was going one day to 
transact some business, when an old woman met him, and said to 
him, O man, stop a little, that I may propose to thee a thing which, 
if it please thee, thou shalt do for me. My brother, therefore, 
stopped; and she said to him, I will guide thee to a thing, and 
rightly direct thee to it, on the condition that thy words be not 
many. So he said, Communicate what thou hast to tell me and 
she proceeded thus:—What sayest thou of a handsome house, with 
running water, and fruit and wine, and a beautiful face to behold, 
and a smooth cheek to kiss, and an elegant form to embrace; and 
to enjoy all these pleasures without interruption ? Now, if thou 
wilt act agreeably with the condition that I have imposed upon 
thee, thou wilt see prosperity.—When my brother had heard her 
words, he said to her, O my mistress, how is it that thou hast 
sought me out in preference to all the rest of the creation for this 
affair; and what is there in me that hath pleased thee? She 
replied, Did I not say to thee that thou must not be a person of 
many words ? Be silent then, and come with me. 

The old woman then went her way, my brother following her, 
eager to enjoy the pleasures which she had described to him, until 
they had entered a spacious house, when she went up with him to 
an upper story, and my brother perceived that he was in a beautiful 
palace, in which he beheld four damsels, than whom none more 
lovely had ever been seen, singing with voices that would charm a 

390 THE BARBERS STORY OF HIS SECOND BROTHER. 

heart as insensible as stone. One of these damsels drank a cup of 
wine; and my brother said to her, May it be attended with health 
and vigour!—and advanced to wait upon her; but she prevented 
his doing so, giving him to drink a cup of wine; and as soon as he 
had drunk it, she slapped him on his neck. When he found that 
she treated him thus, he went out from the chamber in anger, and 
with many words; but the old woman, following him, made a sign 
to him with her eye that he should return: so he returned, and 
seated himself, without speaking; and upon this, the damsel slapped 
him again upon the hack of his neck until he became senseless ; 
after which, recovering, he withdrew. The old woman, however, 
overtook him, and said to him, Wait a little, and thou shalt attain 
thy wish.—How many times, said he, shall I wait a little before I 
attain it ? The old woman answered, WTien she hath become exhi¬ 
larated with wine thou shalt obtain her favour. He therefore 
returned to his place, and resumed his seat. All the four damsels 
then arose, and the old woman directed them to divest my brother 
of his outer clothes, and to sprinkle some rose-water upon his 
face; and when they had done so, the most beautiful one among 
them said to him, May Allah exalt thee to honour! Thou hast 
entered my abode, and if thou have patience to submit to my requi¬ 
sitions, thou wilt attain thy wish.—O my mistress, he replied, I 
am thy slave, and under thy authority.—Know then, said she, that 
I am devotedly fond of frolic, and he who complieth with my de¬ 
mands will obtain my favour. Then she ordered the other damsels 
to sing; and they sang so that their hearers were in an ecstasy; 
after which the chief lady said to one of the other damsels, Take 
thy master, and do what is required, and bring him back to me 
immediately. 

Accordingly, she took him away, ignorant of that which she 
was about to do; and the old woman came to him, and said, Be 
patient; for there remaineth but little to do. He then turned 
towards the damsel, and the old woman said to him, Be patient: 
thou hast almost succeeded, and there remaineth but one thing, 
which is, to shave thy beard.—How, said he, shall I do that which 
will disgrace me among the public ? The old woman answered, 
She desireth this only to make thee like a beardless youth, that 
there may he nothing on thy face to prick her; for her heait is 
affected with a violent love for thee. Be patient, therefore, and thou 

THE BARBER S STORY OF HIS SECOND BROTHER. 391 

shalt attain thy desire.—So my brother patiently submitted to the 
damsel’s directions : his beard was shaven, and he was shorn also of 
his eyebrows and mustaches, and his face was painted red, before 
the damsel took him back to the chief lady, who, when she saw him, 
was at first frightened at him, and then laughed until she fell back¬ 
wards, and exclaimed, 0 my master, thou hast gained me by these 
proofs of thine amiable manners ! She then conjured him by her 
life to arise and dance; and he did so ; and there was not a single 
cushion in the chamber that she did not throw at him. In like 
manner also the other damsels threw at him various things, such as 
oranges, and limes, and citrons, until he fell down senseless from 
the pelting, while they slapped him incessantly upon the back of his 
neck, and cast things in his face. But at length the old woman 
said to him. Now thou hast attained thy wish. Know that there 
remaineth to thee no more beating, nor doth there remain for thee 
to do more than one thing, namely, this : it is her custom, when 
she is under the influence of wine, to suffer no one to come near 
her until she hath taken off her outer clothes : thou, being prepared 
in the like manner, must run after her, and she will run before thee 
as though she were flying from thee ; but cease not to follow her 
from place to place until thou overtake her. He arose, therefore, 
and did so : the lady ran before, and as he followed her, she 
passed from chamber to chamber, and he still ran after her. At 
last lie heard her utter a slight sound as she ran before him, and, 
continuing his pursuit, he suddenly found himself in the midst of 
the street. 

This street was in the market of the leather-sellers, who were 
then crying skins for sale ; and when the people there collected saw 
him in this condition, almost naked, with shaven beard and eye¬ 
brows and mustaches, and with his face painted red, they shouted 
at him, and raised a loud laugh, and some of them beat him with 
the skins until he became insensible. They then placed him upon 
an ass, and conducted him to the Walee, who exclaimed. What is 
this ?—They answered, This descended upon us from the house of 
the Wezeer, in this condition. And the Walee inflicted upon him 
a hundred lashes, and banished him from the city : but I went out 
after him, and brought him back privately into the city, and allotted 
him a maintenance. Had it not been for my generous disposition, 
I had not borne with such a person. 

THE BARBER’S STORY OF HIS THIRD BROTHER. 

As to my third brother (the blind man, Bakbak), who was also 
sumamed Kuffeh/ 6 fate and destiny impelled him one day to a large 
house, and he knocked at the door, hoping that its master would 
answer him, and that he might beg of him a trifle. The owner 
called out, Who is at the door ?—but my brother answered not; 
and then heard him call with a loud voice, Who is this ? Still, 
however, he returned him no answer ; and he heard the sounds of 
his footsteps approaching until he came to the door and opened it, 
when he said to him, What dost thou desire ? My brother 
answered, Something for the sake of God, whose name be exalted!— 
Art thou blind ? said the man ; and my brother answered, Yes.— 
Then give me thy hand, rejoined the master of the house ;—so my 
brother stretched forth to him his hand, and the man took him into 
the house, and led him up from stair-case to stair-case until he had 
ascended to the highest platform of the roof: my brother thinking 
that he was going to give him some food or money : and when he 
had arrived at this highest terrace of his house, the owner said, 
What dost thou desire, 0 blind man ?—I desire something, he an¬ 
swered again, for the sake of God, whose name be exalted!—May 
God, replied the man, open to thee some other way!—What is 
this ! exclaimed my brother: couldst thou not tell me so when I 
was below ?—Thou vilest of the vile ! retorted the other: why didst 
thou not ask of me something for the sake of God when thou 

THIS BARBER’S STORY OF HIS THIRD BROTHER. 393 

heardest my voice the first time, when thou wast knocking at the 
door ?—What then, said my brother, dost thou mean to do to me ? 
—The man of the house answered, I have nothing to give thee.— 
Then take me down the stairs, said my brother. The man replied, 
The way is before thee. So my brother made his way to the stairs, 
and continued descending until there remained, between him and 
the door, twenty steps, when his foot slipped and he fell, and, roll¬ 
ing down, broke his head. 77 

He went forth, not knowing whither to direct his steps, and 
presently there met him two blind men, his companions, who said 
to him, What hath happened to thee this day ? My brother, 
therefore, related to them the event that had just befallen him; 
and then said to them, O my brothers, I desire to take a portion of 
the money now in our possession, to expend it upon myself.—Now 
the owner of the house which he had just before entered had 
followed him to acquaint himself with his proceedings, and without 
my brother’s knowledge he walked behind him until the latter 
entered his abode; when he went in after him, still unknown. 
My brother then sat waiting for his companions; and when they 
came in to him, he said to them, Shut the door, and search the 
room, lest any stranger have followed us. When the intruder, 
therefore, heard what he said, he arose, and clung to a rope that 
was attached to the ceiling ; and the blind men went feeling about 
the whole of the chamber, and, finding no one, returned and 
seated themselves by my brother, and brought forth their money, 
and counted it; and lo, it was more than ten thousand pieces of 
silver. Having done this, they laid it in a corner of the room, and 
each of them took of the surplus of that sum as much as he 
wanted, and they buried the ten thousand pieces of silver in the 
earth ; after which, they placed before themselves some food, and 
sat eating; but my brother heard the sound of a stranger by his 
side, and said to his friends, Is there a stranger among us ? Then 
stretching forth his hand, it grasped the hand of the intruder; 
whereupon he cried out to his companions, saying, Here is a 
stranger!—and they fell upon him with blows until they were 
tired, when they shouted out, 0 Muslims ! 78 a thief hath come in 
upon us, and desireth to take our property!—and immediately a 
number of persons collected around them. 

3 E 

vor.. i. 

394 THE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS THIRD BROTHER. 

Upon this, the stranger whom they accused of being a thief 
shut his eyes, feigning to be blind like themselves, so that no one 
who saw him doubted him to be so; and shouted, O Muslims! I 
demand protection of Allah and the Sultan! I demand protection 
of Allah and the Walee! I demand protection of Allah and 
the Emeer! for I have important information to give to the 
Emeer! — and before they could collect their thoughts, the offi¬ 
cers of the Walee surrounded them and took them all, including 
my brother, and conducted them before their master. The Walee 
said, What is your story ?—and the stranger replied, Hear my 
words, 0 Walee; the truth of our case will not become known to 
thee but by means of beating ; n and if thou wilt, begin by beating 
me before my companions. The Walee therefore said, Throw 
down this man, and flog him with whips:—and accordingly they 
threw him down and flogged him; and when the stripes tortured 
him, he opened one of his eyes; and after they had continued the 
flogging a little longer, he opened his other eye; upon which the 
Walee exclaimed, What meaneth this conduct, 0 thou villain?— 
Grant me indemnity, replied the man, and I will acquaint thee:— 
and the Walee having granted his request, he said, We four 
pretend that we are blind, and, intruding among other people, enter 
their houses, and see their women, and employ stratagems to 
corrupt them, and to obtain money from them. We have acquired, 
by this means, vast gain, amounting to ten thousand pieces of 
silver; and I said to my companions, Give me my due, two 
thousand and five hundred, and they arose against me and beat me, 
and took my property. I beg protection, therefore, of Allah and 
of thee; and thou art more deserving of my share than they. If 
thou desire to know the truth of that which I have said, flog each 
of them more than thou hast flogged me, and he will open his eyes. 

So the Walee immediately gave orders to flog them ; and the 
first of them who suffered was my brother. They continued 
beating him until he almost died; when the Walee said to them, 
O ye scoundrels! do ye deny the gracious gift of God, feigning 
yourselves to be blind ? My brother exclaimed, Allah! Allah! 
Allah ! there is none among us who seetli!—They then threw 
him down again, and ceased not to beat him until he became 
insensible, when the Walee said, Leave him until he shall have 

THE BARBER S STORY OF HIS THIRD BROTHER. 395 

recovered, and then give him a third flogging:—and in the mean¬ 
time, he gave orders to flog his companions, to give each of them 
more than three hundred stripes; while the seeing man said to 
them, Open your eyes, or they will flog you again after this time. 
Then addressing himself to the Walee, he said, Send with me 
some person to bring thee the property; for these men will not 
open their eyes, fearing to be disgraced before the spectators. And 
the Walee sent with him a man, who brought him the money; and 
he took it, and gave to the informer, out of it, two thousand and 
five hundred pieces of silver, according to the share which he 
claimed, in spite of the others (retaining the rest), and banished 
from the city my brother and the two other men ; but I went forth, 
O Prince of the Faithful, and, having overtaken my brother, 
asked him respecting his sufferings; and he acquainted me with 
that which I have related unto thee. I then brought him back 
secretly into the city, and allotted him a supply of food and drink 
as long as he lived. 

The Khaleefeh laughed at my story, and said, Give him a 
present, and let him go:—but I replied, I will receive nothing 
until I have declared to the Prince of the Faithful what happened 
to the rest of my brothers, and made it manifest to him that I am 
a man of few words:—whereupon the Khaleefeh said, Crack our 
ears, then, with thy ridiculous stories, and continue to us thy 
disclosure of vices and misdeeds. So I proceeded thus:— 

THE BARBER’S STORY OF HIS FOURTH BROTHER. 

My fourth brother, O Prince of the Faithful, was the one- 
eyed (named El-Kooz el-Aswanee): he was a butcher in Baghdad, 
and both sold meat and reared lambs; and the great and the rich 
had recourse to him to purchase of him their meat, so that he 
amassed great wealth, and became possessor of cattle and houses. 
Thus he continued to prosper for a long time; and as he was in 
his shop, one day, there accosted him an old man with a long 
beard, who handed to him some money, saying, Give me some 
meat for it. So he took the money, and gave him the meat; and 
when the old man had gone away, my brother looked at the money 
which he had payed him, and, seeing that it was of a brilliant 
whiteness, put it aside by itself. This old man continued to repair 
to him during a period of five months, and my brother always 
threw his money into a chest by itself; after which period he 
desired to take it out for the purpose of buying some sheep; but 
on opening the chest, he found all the contents converted into 
white paper, clipped round; and he slapped his face, and cried 
out; whereupon a number of people collected around him, and 
he related to them his story, at which they were astonished. 

He then went again, as usual, into his shop, and, having 
killed a ram, and hung it up within the shop, he cut off some of 
the meat, and suspended it outside, saying within himself, Perhaps 
now this old man will come again, and if so, I will seize him:— 

THE BARBER’S STORY OF HIS FOURTH BROTHER. 397 

and very soon after, the old man approached with his money ; upon 
which my brother arose, and, laying hold upon him, began to cry 
out, O Muslims, come to my aid, and hear what this scoundrel 
hath done unto me! But when the old man heard his words, he 
said to him, Which will be more agreeable to thee—that thou 
abstain from disgracing me, or that I disgrace thee before the 
public ?—For what wilt thou disgrace me ? said my brother. The 
old man answered, For thy selling human flesh for mutton.—Thou 
liest, thou accursed! exclaimed my brother.—None is accursed, 
rejoined the old man, but he who hath a man suspended in his 
shop. My brother said, If it he as thou hast asserted, my property 
and blood shall be lawful to thee :—and immediately the old man 
exclaimed, O ye people here assembled! verily this butcher 
slaughtereth human beings, and selleth their flesh for mutton; and 
if ye desire to know the truth of my assertion, enter his shop! So 
the people rushed upon his shop, and beheld the ram converted 
into a man, hung up; and they laid hold upon my brother, crying 
out against him, Thou infidel! Thou scoundrel!—and those who 
had been his dearest friends turned upon him and heat him; and 
the old man gave him a blow upon his eye, and knocked it out. 
The people then carried the carcass, and took with them my 
brother, to the chief magistrate of the police; and the old man 
said to him, O Emeer, this man slaughtereth human beings, and 
selleth their flesh for mutton; and we have therefore brought him 
to thee: arise, then, and perform the requisition of God, whose 
might and glory he extolled! Upon this, the magistrate thrust 
back my brother from him, and, refusing to listen to what he 
would have said, ordered that five hundred blows of a staff should 
be inflicted upon him, and took all his property. Had it not been 
for the great amount of his wealth, he had put him to death. 80 He 
then banished him from the city. 

My brother, therefore, went forth in a state of distraction, not 
knowing what course to pursue; but he journeyed onwards until he 
arrived at a great city, where he thought fit to settle as a shoe¬ 
maker: so he opened a shop, and sat there working for his sub¬ 
sistence. And one day he went forth on some business, and, 
hearing the neighing of horses, he inquired respecting the cause, 
and was told that the King was going forth to hunt; whereupon 

398 THE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS FOURTH BROTHER. 

he went to amuse himself with the sight of the procession: but 
the King happening to look on one side, his eye met that of my 
brother, and immediately he hung down his head, and exclaimed, I 
seek refuge with God from the evil of this day! He then toned 
aside the bridle of his horse, and rode back, and all his troops 
returned with him; after which, he ordered his pages to run after 
my brother, and to beat him ; and they did so; giving him so 
severe a beating that he almost died ; and he knew not the cause. 
He returned to his abode in a miserable plight, and afterwards 
went and related his misfortune to one of the King’s attendants, 
who laughed at the recital until he fell backwards, and said to him, 
O my brother, the King cannot endure the sight of a one-eyed 
person, and especially when the defect is that of the left eye ; el for 
in this case, he faileth not to put the person to death. 

When my brother heard these words, he determined to fly 
from that city; and forthwith departed from it, and repaired to 
another city, where there was no King. Here he remained a long 
time ; and after this, as he was meditating upon his adventure in 
the former city, he went out one day to amuse himself, and heard 
again the neighing of horses behind him; upon which he exclaimed, 
The decree of God hath come to pass!—and ran away, seeking for 
a place in which to conceal himself; but he found none, until, 
continuing his search, he saw a door set up as a barricade: so he 
pushed this, and it fell down ; and, entering the doorway, he beheld 
a long passage, into which he advanced. Suddenly, however, two 
men laid hold upon him, and exclaimed, Praise be to God who 
hath enabled us to take thee, O thou enemy of God ! For these 
three nights thou hast suffered us to enjoy neither quiet nor sleep, 
and we have found no repose: nay, thou hast given us a foretaste 
of death !—O men, said my brother, what hath happened unto you ? 
They answered, Thou keepest a watch upon us, and desirest to 
disgrace us, and to disgrace the master of the house! Is it not 
enough for thee that thou hast reduced him to poverty, thou 
and thy companions ? Produce now the knife wherewith thou 
threatenest us every night.—And so saying, they searched him, and 
found upon his waist the knife with which he cut the shoe-leather. 
—O men, he exclaimed, fear God in your treatment of me, and 
know that my story is wonderful. They said, What then is thy 

THE BARBER’S STORY OF HIS FOURTH BROTHER. 399 

story ? So he related it to them, in the hope that they would 
liberate him: but they believed not what he said; and, instead of 
shewing him any regard, they beat him, and tore his clothes; 
whereupon, his body becoming exposed to their view, they dis¬ 
covered upon his sides the marks of beating with mikra’ahs, and 
exclaimed, O wretch! these scars bear testimony to thy guilt. 
They then conducted him before the Walee, while he said within 
himself, I am undone for my transgressions, and none can deliver 
me but God, whose name be exalted! And when he was brought 
before the Walee, the magistrate said to him, O thou scoundrel! 
nothing but a heinous crime hath occasioned thy having been 
beaten with mikra’ahs:—and he caused a hundred lashes to be 
inflicted upon him; after which they mounted him upon a camel, 
and proclaimed before him, This is the recompense of him who 
breaketh into men’s houses!—But I had already heard of his mis¬ 
fortunes, and gone forth, and found him; and I accompanied him 
about the city while they were making this proclamation, until 
they left him; when I took him, and brought him back secretly 
into Baghdad, and apportioned him a daily allowance of food and 
drink. 

THE BARBER’S STORY OF HIS FIFTH BROTHER . 88 

My fifth brother (El-’Ashshar, also called En-Neshshar 83 ) was 
cropped of his ears, O Prince of the Faithful. He was a pauper, 
who begged alms by night, and subsisted upon what he thus 
acquired by day: and our father was a very old man, and he fell 
sick and died, leaving to us seven hundred pieces of silver, of which 
each of us took his portion; namely, a hundred pieces. Now my 
fifth brother, when he had received his share, was perplexed, not 
knowing what to do with it; hut while he was in this state, it 
occurred to his mind to buy with it all kinds of articles of glass, 
and to sell them and make profit: so he bought glass with his 
hundred pieces of silver, and put it in a large tray, and sat upon an 
elevated place, to sell it, leaning his back against a wall. And as 
he sat, he meditated, and said within himself, Verily my whole 
stock consisteth of this glass: I will sell it for two hundred pieces 
of silver ; and with the two hundred I will buy other glass, which I 
will sell for four hundred; and thus I will continue buying and 
selling until I have acquired great wealth. Then with this I will 
purchase all kinds of merchandise and essences and jewels, and so 
obtain vast gain. After that, I will buy a handsome house, and 
memlooks, and horses, and gilded saddles; and I will eat and 
drink; and I will not leave in the city a single female singer hut I 
will have her brought to my house that I may hear her songs.—All 
this he calculated with the tray of glass lying before him.—Then, 
said he, I will send all the female betrothers to seek in marriage 

THE BARBER’S STORY OF HIS FIFTH BROTHER. 401 

for me the daughters of Kings and Wezeers; and I will demand as 
my wife the daughter of the chief Wezeer ;* 4 for I have heard that 
she is endowed with perfect beauty and surprising loveliness ; and 
I will give as her dowry a thousand pieces of gold. If her father 
consent, my wish is attained; and if he consent not, I will take 
her by force, in spite of him: and when I have come back to my 
house, I will buy ten young eunuchs, and I will purchase the 

apparel of Kings and Sultans, and cause to 
be made for me a saddle of gold set with 
jewels; after which I will ride every day upon 
a horse, with slaves behind me and before me, 85 
and go about through the streets and mar¬ 
kets to amuse myself, while the people will 
3 p 

VOL* I. 

402 

THE BARBER’S STORY OF HIS FIFTH BROTHER. 

salute me and pray for me. 85 Then I 
will pay a visit to the Wezeer, who is 
the father of the maiden, with mem- 
looks behind me and before me, and on 
my right hand and on my left; and 
when he seeth me, he will rise to me, 
in humility, and seat me in his own place; 
and he himself will sit down below me, 87 
because I am his son-in-law. I will then order 
one of the servants to bring a purse containing the 
pieces of gold which compose the dowry ; and he 
will place it before the Wezeer; and I will add 
to it another purse, that he may know my manly 
spirit and excessive generosity, and that the world 
is contemptible in my eye: and when he ad- 
dresseth me with ten words, I will answer him 
with two. And I will return to my house; and 
when any person cometh to me from the house of 
the Wezeer, I will clothe him with a rich dress: 
but if any come with a present, I will return it: 

I will certainly not accept it. 88 Then, on the 
night of the bridal display, I will attire myself in 
the most magnificent of my dresses, and sit upon a 
mattress covered with silk; and when my wife 
cometh to me, like the full moon, decked with her 
ornaments and apparel, I will command her to 
stand before me as stands the timid and the abject; 
and I will not look at her, on account of the 
haughtiness of my spirit and the gravity of my 
wisdom; so that the maids will say, O our 
master and our lord, may we be thy sacrifice! / : mK/J 

w-i \ t r 

*i < f .n 

MW 

This thy wife, or rather thy 
handmaid, awaiteth thy kind 
regard, and is standing before 
thee: then graciously bestow 
on her one glance; for the 
posture hath become painful 
to her. 89 —Upon this, I will 

m &4 vii 

THE BARBER’S STORY OF HIS FIFTH BROTHER. 

403 

raise my head, and look at her with one 
glance, and again incline my head down¬ 
wards ; and thus I will do until the cere¬ 
mony of displaying her is finished; where- / 
upon they will conduct her to the sleeping- 
chamber ; and I will rise from my place, 
and go to another apartment, and put on ~ 
my night-dress, and go to the chamber in 
which she is sitting, where I will seat myself 
upon the deewan ; but I will not look towards 
her. The tire-woman will urge me to ap¬ 
proach her; but I will not hear their words, 
and will order some of the attendants to 
bring a purse containing five hundred pieces 
of gold for them, and command them to retire 
from the chamber. 90 And when they have 
gone, I will seat myself by the side of the 
bride; but with averted countenance, that 
she may say, Verily this is a man of a 
haughty spirit. Then her mother will come 
to me, and will kiss my hands, and say to me, 
0 my master, look upon thy handmaid with 
the eye of mercy; for she is submissively 
standing before thee. But I will return her 
no answer. And she will kiss my feet, again 
and again, and will say, O my master, my 
daughter is young, and hath seen no man but 
thee; and if she experience from thee re¬ 
pugnance, her heart will break: incline to 
her, therefore, and speak to her, and calm 
her mind. And upon this I will look at 
her through the corner of my eye, and 
command her to. remain standing before 
me, that she may taste the savour of hu¬ 
miliation, and know that I am the Sultan 
of the age. Then her mother will say to 
me, O my master, this is thy handmaid: 
have compassion upon her, and be gracious 

r\ 

y 

fiv' 

404 the barbers story of his fifth brother. 

to her:—and she will order her to fill a cup 
with wine, and to put it to my mouth. So 
her daughter will say, O my lord, I conjure 
thee by the requisitions of God, that thou 
reject not the cup from thy slave; for verily 
I am thy slave. But I will make her no 
reply; and she will urge me to take’ it, and 
will say, It must be drunk :—and will put it 
to my mouth: and upon this, I will shake 
my hand in her face, and spurn her with my 
foot, and do thus.—So saying, he kicked the 
tray of glass, which, being upon a place ele¬ 
vated above the ground, fell, and all that was 
in it broke: there escaped nothing: and he 
cried out and said, All this is the result of 
my pride! And he slapped his face, and tore 
his clothes; the passengers gazing at him, 
while he wept, and exclaimed, Ah! O my 
grief! 

'C: ■ 

THE BARBER’S STORY OF HIS FIFTH BROTHER. 405 

The people were now repairing to perform the Friday-prayers; 
and some merely cast their eyes at him, while others noticed him 
not: but while he was in this state, deprived of his whole property, 
and weeping without intermission, a female approached him, on 
her way to attend the Friday-prayers: she was of admirable love¬ 
liness ; the odour of musk was diffused from her; under her was a 
mule with a stuffed saddle covered with gold-embroidered silk; and 
with her was a number of servants; and when she saw the broken 
glass, and my brother’s state and his tears, she was moved with 
pity for him, and asked respecting his case. She was answered, 
He had a tray of glass, by the sale of which to obtain his subsist¬ 
ence, and it is broken, and he is afflicted as thou seest: — and 
upon this, she called to one of the servants, saying, Give what 
thou hast with thee to this poor man. So he gave him a purse, 
and he took it, and when he had opened it, he found in it five 
hundred pieces of gold, whereupon he almost died from excessive 
joy, and offered up prayers for his benefactress. 

He returned to his house a rich man, and sat reflecting, and 
lo, a person knocked at the door: he arose, therefore, and opened 
it; and beheld an old woman whom he knew not, and she said to 
him, 0 my son, know that the time of prayer hath almost expired, 
and I am not prepared by ablution ; wherefore I beg that thou wilt 
admit me into thy house, that I may perform it. He replied, I 
hear and obey ;—and, retiring within, gave her permission to enter; 
his mind still wandering from joy on account of the gold; and 
when she had finished the ablution, she approached the spot where 
he was sitting, and there performed the prayers of two rek’ahs. 
She then offered up a supplication for my brother ; and he thanked 
her, and offered her two pieces of gold; but when she. saw this, 
she exclaimed, Extolled be God’s perfection! Verily I wonder at 
the person who fell in love with thee in thy beggarly condition! 
Take back thy money from me, and if thou want it not, return it 
to her who gave it thee when thy glass broke.—O my mother, said 
he, how can I contrive to obtain access to her ? She answered, O 
my son, she hath an affection for thee ; but she is the wife of an 
affluent man: take then with thee all thy money, and when thou art 
with her be not deficient in courteousness and agreeable words; so 
shalt thou obtain of her favours and her wealth whatever thou shalt 

406 

THE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS FIFTH BROTHER. 

desire. My brother, therefore, took all the gold, and arose and 
went with the old woman, hardly believing what she had told him; 
and she proceeded, and my brother behind her, until they arrived 
at a great door, at which she knocked; whereupon a Greek 
damsel came and opened the door, and the old woman entered, 
ordering my brother to do the same. He did so, and found him¬ 
self in a large house, where he beheld a great furnished chamber, 
with curtains hung in it; and, seating himself there, he put down 
the gold before him, and placed his turban on his knees; “ and 
scarcely had he done so, when there came to him a damsel, the 
like of whom had never been seen, attired in most magnificent 
apparel. My brother stood up at her approach; and when she 
beheld him, she laughed in his face, and rejoiced at his visit: then 
going to the door, she locked it; after which she returned to my 
brother, and took his hand, and both of them went together into a 
private chamber, carpeted with various kinds of silk, where my 
brother sat down, and she seated herself by his side, and toyed 
with him for a considerable time. She then arose, saying to him, 
Move not from this place until I return to thee;—and was absent 
from him for a short period; and as my brother was waiting for 
her, there came in to him a black slave, of gigantic stature, with 
a drawn sword, the brightness of which dazzled the sight; and he 
exclaimed to my brother, Wo to thee ! Who brought thee to this 
place ? Thou vilest of men! Thou misbegotten wretch, and 
nursling of impurity!—My brother was unable to make any reply j 
his tongue was instantly tied; and the slave laid hold upon him, 
and stripped him, and struck him more than eighty blows with the 
flat of his sword, until he fell sprawling upon the floor; when he 
retired from him, concluding that he was dead, and uttered a great 
cry, so that the earth trembled, and the place resounded at his 
voice, saying, Where is El-Meleehah ? 92 —upon which a girl came 
to him, holding a handsome tray containing salt; and with this 
she forthwith stuffed the flesh-wounds with which my brother’s 
skin was gashed until they gaped open; but he moved not, fearing 
the slave would discover that he was alive, and kill him. The girl 
then went away, and the slave uttered another cry, like the first, 
whereupon the old woman came to my brother, and, dragging him 
by the feet to a deep and dark vault, threw him into it upon a heap 

of slain. 53 In this place he remained for two whole days; and 
God (whose perfection be extolled !) made the salt to he the means 
of preserving his life, by stanching the flow of blood from his 
veins; so, when he found that he had strength sufficient to move, 
he arose, and, opening a shutter in the wall, emerged from the 
place of the slain; and God (to whom be ascribed all might and 
glory !) granted him his protection: he therefore proceeded in the 
darkness, and concealed himself in the passage until the morning, 
when the old woman went forth to seek another victim, and my 
brother, going out after her, without her knowledge, returned to 
his house. 

He now occupied himself with the treatment of his wounds 
until he was restored; and continued to watch for the old woman, 
and constantly saw her taking men, one after another, and con¬ 
ducting them to the same house. But he uttered not a word on 
the subject; and when his health returned, and his strength was 
completely renewed, he took a piece of rag, and made of it a 
purse, which he filled with pieces of glass: he then tied it to his 
waist, and disguised himself so that no one would know him, in 
the dress of a foreigner ; and, taking a sword, placed it within his 
clothes; and as soon as he saw the old woman, he said to her, in 

408 THE BARBERS' STORY OF HIS FIFTH BROTHER. 

the dialect of a foreigner, Old woman, hast thou a pair of scales 
fit for weighing nine hundred pieces of gold? The old woman 
answered, I have a young son, a money-changer, and he hath all 
kinds of scales; therefore accompany me to him before he go forth 
from his abode, that he may weigh for thee thy gold. So my 
brother said, Walk on before me:—and she went, and my brother 
followed her until she arrived at the door, and knocked; upon 
which the girl came out, and laughed in his face; and the old 
woman said to her, I have brought you to-day some fat meat. The 
girl then took my brother’s hand, and conducted him into the 
house (the same which he had entered before), and after she had 
sat with him a short time, she arose, saying to him, Quit not this 
place until I return to thee:—and she retired; and my brother 
had remained not long after when the slave came to him with the 
drawn sword, and said to him, Rise, thou unlucky ! So my brother 
arose, and, as the slave walked before him, he put his hand to the 
sword which was concealed beneath his clothes, and struck the slave 
with it, and cut off his head; after which he dragged him by his 
feet to the vault, and called out, Where is El-Meleehah? The 
slave-girl, therefore, came, having in her hand the tray containing 
the salt; but when she saw my brother with the sword in his 
hand, she turned back and fled: my brother, however, overtook 
her, and struck off her head. He next called out. Where is the 
old woman ?—and she came; and he said to her, Dost thou know 
me, O malevolent hag ? She answered, No, O my lord.—lam, 
said he, the man who had the pieces of gold, and in whose house 
thou performedst the ablution, and prayedst; after which, devising 
a stratagem against me, thou betrayedst me into this place.—The 
old woman exclaimed, Fear God in thy treatment of me!—but my 
brother, turning towards her, struck her with the sword, and clove 
her in twain. He then went to search for the chief damsel, and 
when she saw him, her reason fled, and she implored his pardon; 
whereupon he granted her his pardon, and said to her, What occa¬ 
sioned thy falling into the hands of this black ? She answered, I 
was a slave to one of the merchants, and this old woman used to 
visit me ; and one day she said to me, We are celebrating a festi¬ 
vity, the like of which no one hath seen, and I have a desire that 
thou shouldst witness it. I replied, I hear and obey:—and arose, 

THE BARBER S STORY OF HIS FIFTH BROTHER. 409 

and clad myself in the best of my attire, and, taking with me a 
purse containing a hundred pieces of gold, 94 proceeded with her 
until she entered this house, when suddenly this black took me j 
and I have continued with him in this state three years, through 
the stratagem of the old witch.—My brother then said to her, Is 
there any property of his in the house ?—Abundance, she answered; 
and if thou canst remove it, do so:—and upon this, he arose and 
went with her, when she opened to him chests filled with purses, at 
the sight of which he was confounded; and she said to him. Go 
now, and leave me here, and bring some person to remove the 
property. So he went out, and, having hired ten men, returned; 
but on his arrival at the door, he found it open, and saw neither 
the damsel nor the purses; he found, however, some little money 
remaining, and the stuffs. He discovered, therefore, that she had 
eluded him; and he took the money that remained, and, opening 
the closets, took all the stuffs which they contained, leaving nothing 
in the house. 

He passed the next night full of happiness; but when the 
morning came, he found at the door twenty soldiers, and on his 
going forth to them, they laid hold upon him, saying, the Walee 
summoneth thee. So they took him, and conducted him to the 
Walee, who, when he saw him, said to him, Whence obtainedst 
thou these stuffs ?—Grant me indemnity, said my brother:—and 
the Walee gave him the handkerchief of indemnity; 95 and my 
brother related to him all that had befallen him with the old woman 
from first to last, and the flight of the damsel; adding,—and of 
that which I have taken, take thou what thou wilt; but leave me 
wherewith to procure my food. The Walee thereupon demanded 
the whole of the money and the stuffs; but fearing that the 
Sultan 96 might become acquainted with the matter, he retained a 
portion only, and gave the rest to my brother, saying to him, Quit 
this city, or I will hang thee. My brother replied, I hear and 
obey:—and went forth to one of the surrounding cities. Some 
robbers, however, came upon him, and stripped and beat him, and 
cut off his ears; and I, having heard of his situation, went forth to 
him, taking to him some clothes; and brought him back privily 
into the city, and supplied him with daily food and drink. 

3 G 

VOL. I. 

THE BARBERS STORY OF HIS SIXTH BROTHER. 

My sixth brother (Shakalik), O Prince of the Faithful, had his 
lips cut off. He was in a state of extreme poverty, possessing 
nothing of the goods of this perishable world; and he went forth 
one day to seek for something with which to stay his departing 
spirit, and on his way he beheld a handsome house, with a wide 
and lofty vestibule, at the door of which were servants, commanding 
and forbidding; whereupon he inquired of one of the persons 
standing there, who answered, This house belongeth to a man of 
the sons of the Barmekees . 87 My brother, therefore, advanced to 
the door-keepers, and begged them to give him something; and 
they said, Enter the door of the house, and thou wilt obtain what 
thou desirest of its master. So he entered the vestibule, and 
proceeded through it a while until he arrived at a mansion of the 
utmost beauty and elegance, having a garden in the midst of it, 
unsurpassed in beauty by anything that had ever been seen: its 
floors were paved with marble, and its curtains were hanging 
around. He knew not in which direction to go; but advanced to 
the upper extremity; and there he beheld a man of handsome 
countenance and beard, who, on seeing my brother, rose to him, 
and welcomed him, inquiring respecting his circumstances. He 
accordingly informed him that he was in want; and when the master 
of the house heard his words, he manifested excessive grief, and, 

THE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS SIXTH BROTHER. 411 

taking hold of his own clothes, rent them, and exclaimed, Am I in 
the city, and thou in it hungry ? It is a thing that I cannot endure ! 
—Then promising him every kind of happiness, he said, Thou must 
stay and partake of my salt. But my brother replied, O my master, 
I have not patience to Wait; for I am in a state of extreme hunger. 

Upon this, the master of the house called out, Boy, bring the 
basin and ewer!—and he said, O my guest, advance, and wash thy 
hand. He then performed the same motions as if he were washing 
his hand; and called to his attendants to bring the-table; whereupon 
they began to come and go as though they were preparing it; after 
which the master of the house took my brother, and sat down with 
him at this imaginary table, and proceeded to move his hands and 
lips as if he were eating; saying to my brother, Eat, and be not 
ashamed, for thou art hungry, and I know how thou art suffering 
from the violence of thy hunger. My brother, therefore, made 
the same motions, as if he also were eating, while his host said to 
him, Eat, and observe this bread and its whiteness. To this, my 
brother at first made no reply; but observed in his own mind, 
Verily this is a man who loveth to jest with others:—so he said to 
him, O my master, in my life I have never seen bread more beau¬ 
tifully white than this, or any of sweeter tasteon which the host 
rejoined, This was made by a female slave of mine whom I purchased 
for five hundred pieces of gold. He then called out, Boy, bring to 
us the sikbaj , 98 the like of which is not found among the dishes of 
Kings!—and, addressing my brother, he said. Eat, O my guest; 
for thou art hungry, vehemently so, and in absolute want of food. 
So my brother began to twist about his mouth, and to chew, as in 
eating. The master of the house now proceeded to demand different 
kinds of viands, one after another; and, though nothing was 
brought, he continued ordering my brother to eat. Next he called 
out, Boy, place before us the chickens stuffed with pistachio-nuts : 
—and said to his guest, Eat that of which thou hast never tasted 
the like—O my master, replied my brother, verily this dish hath 
not its equal in sweetness of flavour:—and the host, thereupon, 
began to put his hand to my brother s mouth as though he were 
feeding him with morsels ; and proceeded to enumerate to him the 
various different kinds of viands, and to describe their several excel¬ 
lencies ; while his hunger so increased that he longed for a cake of 

412 THE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS SIXTH BROTHER. 

barley-bread. The master of the house then said to him, Hast 
thou tasted anything more delicious than the spices in these dishes ? 
—No, O my master, answered my brother.—Eat more then, resumed 
the host; and be not ashamed.—I have eaten enough of the meats, 
replied the guest. So the man of the house called to his attendants 
to bring the sweets; and they moved their hands about in the air 
as if they were bringing them; whereupon the host said to my 
brother, Eat of this dish ; for it is excellent; and of these kata'if , 99 
by my life! and take this one before the sirop runs from it.—May 
I never be deprived of thee, O my master! exclaimed my brother, 
proceeding to inquire of him respecting the abundance of musk in the 
kata'if.—This, answered the host, is my usual custom in my house : 
they always put for me, in each of the kata'if, a mithkal 100 of musk, 
and half a mithkal of ambergris.—All this time my brother was 
moving his head and mouth, and rolling about his tongue between 
his cheeks, as if he were enjoying the sweets. After this, the 
master of the house called out to his attendants, Bring the dried 
fruits!—and again they moved about their hands in the air as though 
they were doing what he ordered; when he said to my brother, Eat 
of these almonds, and of these walnuts, and of these raisins ;—and 
so on; enumerating the various kinds of dried fruits ; and added 
again, Eat and be not ashamed.—O my master, replied my brother, 
I have had enough, and have not power to eat anything more:— 
but the host rejoined, If thou desire, O my guest, to eat more, and 
to delight thyself with extraordinary dainties, by Allah! by Allah! 
remain not hungry. 

My brother now reflected upon his situation, and upon the 
manner in which this man was jesting with him, and said within 
himself, By Allah, I will do to him a deed that shall make him 
repent before God of these actions! The man of the house next 
said to his attendants, Bring us the wine:—and, as before, they 
made the same motions with their hands in the air as if they were 
doing what he commanded; after which he pretended to hand to 
my brother a cup, saying, Take this cup, for it will delight thee:— 
and his guest replied, O my master, this is of thy bounty:—and he 
acted with his hand as though he were drinking it.—Hath it 
pleased thee ? said the host.—O my master, answered my brother, 
I have never seen anything more delicious than this wine.—Drink 

THE BARBER’S STORY OF HIS SIXTH BROTHER. 413 

then, rejoined the master of the house, and may it be attended 
with benefit and health:—and he himself pretended to drink, and 
to hand a second cup to my brother, who, after he had affected to 
drink it, feigned himself intoxicated, and, taking his host unawares, 
raised his hand until the whiteness of his arm-pit appeared, and 
struck him such a slap upon his neck that the chamber rang at the 
blow; and this he followed by a second blow; whereupon the man 
exclaimed, What is this, thou vilest of the creation ?—O my master, 
answered my brother, I am thy slave, w'hom thou hast graciously 
admitted into thine abode, and thou hast fed him with thy provi¬ 
sions, and treated him with old wine, and he hath become intoxi¬ 
cated, and committed an outrage upon thee; but thou art of too 
exalted dignity to be angry with him for his ignorance. 

When the master of the house heard these words of my brother, 
he uttered a loud laugh, and said to him, Verily for a long time 
have I made game of men, and jested with all persons accustomed 
to joking and rudeness, but I have not seen among them any who 
could endure this trick, nor any who had sagacity to conform to 
all my actions, excepting thee: now, therefore, I pardon thee; and 
be thou my companion in reality, and never relinquish me. He 
then gave orders to bring a number of the dishes above mentioned, 
and he and my brother ate together to satisfaction; after which 
they removed to the drinking-chamber, where female slaves like so 
many moons sang all kinds of melodies, and played on all kinds of 
musical instruments. There they drank until intoxication over¬ 
came them: the master of the house treated my brother as a 
familiar friend, became greatly attached to him, and clad him with 
a costly dress; and on the following morning they resumed their 
feasting and drinking. Thus they continued to live for a period of 
twenty years: the man then died, and the Sultan 101 seized upon 
his property, and took possession of it. 

My brother, upon this, went forth from the city, a fugitive; 
and upon his way, a party of Arabs 101 came upon him. They made 
him a captive; and the man who captured him tortured him with 
beating, and said to him, By Allah, purchase thyself of me by 
Wealth, or I will kill thee:—but my brother, weeping, replied. By 
Allah, I possess nothing, O sheykh of the Arabs; nor do I know 
the means of obtaining any property: I am thy captive; I have 

fallen into thy hands, and do with me what thou wilt. And imme¬ 
diately the tyrannical Bedawee drew forth from his girdle a broad- 
bladed knife (such as, if plunged into the neck of a camel, would 
cut it across from one jugular vein to the other), and, taking it in 
his right hand, approached my poor brother, and cut off with it his 
lips; still urging his demand.—Now this Bedawee had a handsome 
wife, who, when he was absent, used to manifest a strong affection 
for my brother; though he observed a proper decorum towards her, 
fearing God (whose name be exalted!); and it happened, one day, 
that she had called him, and seated him with her; but while- they 
were together, lo, her husband came in upon them; and when he 
beheld my brother, he exclaimed, Wo to thee, thou base wretch! 
Dost thou desire now to corrupt my wife?—Then drawing his 
knife, he inflicted upon him another cruel wound; after which he 
mounted him upon a camel, and, having cast him upon a mountain, 
left him there, and went his way. Some travellers, however, passed 
by him, and when they discovered him, they gave him food and 
drink, and acquainted me with his case: so I went forth to him, 
and conveyed him back into the city, and allotted him a sufficient 
maintenance. 

Now I have come unto thee, O Prince of the Faithful, continued 
the barber, and feared to return to my house without relating to 
thee these facts; for to neglect doing so had been an error. Thus 
thou hast seen that, although having six brothers, I am of a more 

CONTINUATION OF THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR. 415 

upright character than they.—But when the Prince of the Faithful 
had heard my story, and all that I had related to him respecting my 
brothers, he laughed, and said, Thou hast spoken truth, O Samit 
(O silent man); thou art a person of few words, and devoid of 
impertinence; now, however, depart from this city, and take up 
thine abode in another. So he banished me from Baghdad; and I 
journeyed through various countries, and traversed many regions, 
until I heard of his death, and of the succession of another 
Khaleefeh; when, returning to my city, I met with this young 
man, unto whom I did the best of deeds, and who, had it not been 
for me, had been slain: yet he hath accused me of that which 
is not in my character; for all that he hath related of me, with 
respect to impertinence, and loquacity, and dulness, and want of 
taste, is false, O people. 

CONTINUATION OF THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR. 

The tailor then proceeded thus:—When we heard the story of 
the barber, and were convinced of his impertinence and loquacity, 
and that the young man had been treated unjustly by him, we 
seized hold upon him, and put him in confinement, and, seating 
ourselves to keep watch over him, ate and drank; and the feast 
was finished in the most agreeable manner. We remained sitting 
together until the call to afternoon-prayers, when I went forth, 
and returned to my house; but my wife looked angrily at me, and 
said, Thou hast been all the day enjoying thy pleasure while I have 
been sitting at home sorrowful; now if thou go not forth with me 
and amuse me for the remainder of the day, thy refusal will be the 
cause of my separation from thee. So I took her and went out with 
her, and we amused ourselves until nightfall, when, returning home, 
we met this humpback, full of drink, and repeating verses; upon 
which I invited him to come home with us, and he consented. I 
then went forth to buy some fried fish, and having bought it and 
returned, we sat down to eat; and my wife took a morsel of bread 
and a piece of fish, and put them into his mouth, and choked him, 
so that he died; whereupon I took him up, and contrived to throw 
him into the house of this physician, and he contrived to throw 
him into the house of the steward, and the steward contrived to 

416 CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE HUMPBACK. 

throw him in the way of the broker.—This is the story of what 
happened to me yesterday. Is it not more wonderful than that of 
the humpback ? 

CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE HUMPBACK. 

When the King had heard this story, he ordered certain of his 
chamberlains to go with the tailor, and to bring the barber; 
saying to them, His presence is indispensable, that I may hear his 
talk, and it may be the cause of the deliverance of you all: then 
we will bury this humpback decently in the earth, for he hath been 
dead since yesterday; and we will make him a monument round 
his grave, since he hath been the occasion of our acquaintance with 
these wonderful stories. 

The chamberlains and the tailor soon came back, after having 
gone to the place of confinement and brought the barber, whom 
they placed before the King; and when the King beheld him, he 
saw him to be an old man, passed his ninetieth year, of dark coun¬ 
tenance, and white beard and eyebrows, with small ears, and long 
nose, and a haughty aspect. The King laughed at the sight of 
him, and said to him, O silent man, I desire that thou relate to me 
somewhat of thy stories.—O King of the age, replied the barber, 
what is the occasion of the presence of this Christian and this Jew 
and this Muslim, and this humpback lying dead among you; and 
what is the reason of this assembly ?—Wherefore dost thou ask 
this ? said the King. The barber answered, I ask it in order that 
the King may know me to be no impertinent person, nor one who 
meddleth with that which doth not concern him, and that I am free 
from the loquacity of which they accuse me: for I am fortunate 
in my characteristic appellation, since they have surnamed me Es- 
Samit; and, as the poet hath said,— 

Seldom hast thou seen a person honoured with a surname, but thou wilt find, 
if thou search, that his character is expressed by it. 

The King therefore said, Explain to the barber the case of this 
humpback, and what happened to him yesterday evening, and 
explain to him also what the Christian hath related, and the Jew 
and the steward and the tailor. So they repeated to him the stories 
of all these persons. 

CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE HUMPBACK. 417 

The barber, thereupon, shook his head, saying, By Allah, this 
is a wonderful thing! Uncover this humpback, that I may examine 
him.—And they did so. He then seated himself at his head, and, 
taking it up, placed it upon his lap, and looked at his face, and 
laughed so violently that he fell backwards, exclaiming, For every 
death there is a cause; and the death of this humpback is most 
wonderful: it is worthy of being registered in the records, that 
posterity may be instructed by this event!—The King, astonished 
at his words, said, O Samit, explain to us the reason of thy saying 
this.—O King, replied the barber, by thy beneficence, life is yet in 
the humpback ! He then drew forth from his bosom a pot contain¬ 
ing some ointment, and with this he anointed the neck of the hump¬ 
back ; after which he covered it up until it perspired; when he 
took forth an iron forceps, and put it down his throat, and extracted 
the piece of fish with its bone, and all the people saw them. The 
humpback now sprang upon his feet, and sneezed, and, recovering 
his consciousness, drew his hands over his face, and exclaimed, 
There is no deity but God! Mohammad is God’s Apostle! God 
favour and preserve him !—and all who were present were astonished 
at the sight, and the King laughed until he became insensible; as 
did also the other spectators. The King exclaimed, By Allah, 
this accident is wonderful! I have never witnessed anything more 
strange !—and added, O Muslims ! 0 assembly of soldiers ! have ye 
ever in the course of your lives seen any one die and after that 
come to life ? But had not God blessed him with this barber, the 
humpback had been to-day numbered among the people of the 
other world; for the barber hath been the means of restoring him 
to life.—They replied, This is indeed a wonderful thing! 

The King then gave orders to record this event; and when 
they had done so, he placed the record in the royal library; after 
which, he bestowed dresses of honour upon the Jew and the 
Christian and the steward; upon each of them, a costly dress : the 
tailor he appointed to be his 'own tailor, granting him regular 
allowances, and reconciling him and the humpback with each other: 
the humpback he honoured with a rich and beautiful dress, and 
with similar allowances, and appointed him his cup-companion; 
and upon the barber also he conferred the like favours, rewarding 
him with a costly dress of honour, regular allowances, and a fixed 

3 H 

VOL. I. 

4-18 CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE HUMPBACK. 

salary, and appointing him state-barber, and his own cup-companion: 
so they all lived in the utmost happiness and comfort until they 
were visited by the terminator of delights and the separator of 
friends. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

Note 1. 

As the story of the Humpback is one of the best in this collection, and purely 
Arab, I have been glad to find, in the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred 
nights, authority for deviating here from my usual standard copy, by substituting 
“ El Basrah” for a city of China. The Breslau edition, in the opening of the 
story, lays the scene at “ El-Basrah and Kajkfir.” By the latter, I suppose 
Kdshghar to be meant. 

Note 2. 

In my original, they are said to have gone out early in the morning; but this 
is contradicted by the sequel. 

Note 3. 

The appeal to Ezra’s ass, which alludes to a tradition believed by the Muslims, 
as it is mentioned in the Kur-fin, is omitted in the Cairo edition. The story is 
this:—’Ozeyr, or Ezra, “ riding on an ass by the ruins of Jerusalem, after it had 
been destroyed by the Chaldeans, doubted in his mind by what means God could 
raise the city and its inhabitants again; whereupon God caused him to die, and 
he remained in that condition a hundred years; at the end of which, God restored 
him to life, and he found a basket of figs and a cruise of wine he had with him, not 
in the least spoiled or corrupted; but his ass was dead, the bones only remaining; 
and these, while the Prophet looked on, were raised and clothed with flesh, 
becoming an ass again, which, being inspired with life, began immediately to 
bray.”* 

Note 4. 

Most Arab cities abound with cats, which are much favoured by the inhabit¬ 
ants. These animals are often seen leaping across from the terrace of one house 
to that of another on the opposite side of a narrow street; and often has my 
kitchen in Cairo been robbed by them. They are said to contribute greatly to the 
spreading of the plague. 

* Sale’s Kur-an; note near the close of Chap. ii. 

420 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

Note 5. 

Occurrences of this kind are said to have often happened in Arab towns, where 
dogs, though esteemed unclean by the Muslims, are, like cats, generally very 
numerous. Few of them have masters; but they compose distinct tribes; those 
of each tribe confining themselves to a particular quarter or district of the town, 
and suffering no strange dog to intrude among them and share with them in the 
offal thrown out from the butchers’ shops and from private houses; or prowling 
about the mounds of rubbish in the environs, and, like the vultures, feeding upon 
the carcasses of camels, asses, and other beasts, thrown out by the inhabitants. I 
was once told that the master of an English merchant-vessel, having fallen asleep 
in a state of intoxication on the shore of the harbour of Alexandria, at night, was 
devoured by dogs. 

Note 6. 

The snatching of turbans by night is still a frequent practice of Arab rogues, 
and one which is often very lucrative; many a turban being composed of a costly 
Kashmeer shawl wound round a tarboosh, which latter alone is worth eight or nine 
shillings, and some also having money or other valuables secreted in them. 

Note 7. 

Watchmen are generally employed to guard by night the sooks, or market- 
streets, and other districts, in Arab towns. Those in Cairo carry a nebboot, or 
long staff, but no lantern. Their usual cries are of a religious nature; as, “I extol 
the perfection of the Living King, who sleepeth not nor dieth! ” When they see 
a passenger approaching, they call out to him, “ Attest the unity of God 1 ” or 
merely, “ Attest the unity! ” and the reply is, “ There is no deity but God! ” It 
is supposed that a person bound on any unlawful undertaking would not dare to 
utter these words. 

Note 8. 

At the period when this work was composed, the Christians were distinguished 
from the Muslims by a black or blue turban, and this was wound in a peculiar 
manner. 

Note 9.— On the Title and Office of W&lee. 

“ W&Iee” is the title given to the chief magistrate of the police, and was so 
employed in the time of El-Makreezee, instead of the older appellation of “ S&heb 
esh-Shurtah.” The same officer was also called “ Mutawellee.” It was the duty 
of this magistrate to perambulate the streets at night, attended by a body of his 
officers, including an executioner; for he often inflicted capital punishment on 
criminals immediately after their detection. He was invested with a degree of 
despotic power, and often put to death persons accused of capital crimes without 
the formalities required by the law. It was also his duty to superintend the 
infliction of the punishments of criminals legally condemned. An officer was 
employed to perform the nightly rounds in El-Medeeneh in the reign of Aboo Bekr; 
but it appears that the first regular guard for this purpose was appointed in the 
reign of ’Othmdn.”* 

* See De Sacy, Relation fie i’Egypte par Abd-allatif, pp. 381 et seq.; and Quatrem&re, Histoire des 
Sultans Mamlouks, tome i. pp. 109 et seq., a work of very great value, especially for the notes. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

421 

Note 10. 

The ardebb varies in different places. In Cairo it is very nearly equivalent to 
five English bushels. 

Note 11. 

In the original, this building is called the Khan of El-Jawalee; but it evidently 

should be-of El-J4walee; and the error is to be attributed to a copyist. The 

Khan of El-Jawalee is mentioned by El-Makreezee,* as being situated at a short 
distance within the present gate called Bib en-Nasr, and by the site of the older 
gate so called; and as existing in his time, in the early part of the ninth century 
of the Flight. 

Note 12. 

Bab en-Nasr (the Gate of Victory, or-of Aid) is the name of the eastern¬ 

most of the northern gates of Cairo. It was built in the reign of the Khaleefeh 
El-Mustansir, in the year of the Flight 480 (a. d. 1087-8). 

Note 13. 

The words “ besides my brokerage,” I have inserted as necessary to make the 
account correct. 

Note 14. 

It has been shewn in a former note that the Arabs consider it indecorous to eat 
with the left hand. 

Note 15. 

As it is held unpolite to shew the hands, unless unavoidably, in the presence 
of a person of rank, the sleeve of the cloth coat, or that of the silk vest which is 
worn beneath it, is made sufficiently long to extend a little beyond the ends of the 
fingers; and so also, in general, is the sleeve of the shirt worn by persons of the 
lower orders. 

Note 16. 

This building is first called, in the Cairo edition, the Khan of Suroor; and 

afterwards,-of Mesroor: the latter is the appellation given to it in the edition 

of Breslau; and is the correct name. The Khan of Mesroor is mentioned by 
El-Makreezee,f as situated at the southern extremity of Beyn el-Kasreyn (respect¬ 
ing which see the next note), adjacent to the site of the Great Palace of the 
Khaleefehs. There were two Khans of this name, near each other. El-Makreezee 
says, that, in his earlier days, the greater of these, which appears to be that here 
alluded to, was one of the finest and largest Kh&ns in Cairo, in a most flourishing 
state, the resort of the chief Syrian merchants, and the d£pot of their goods; hut 
that latterly it had declined, and some portions of it were ruined. This happening 
early in the ninth century of the Flight may perhaps induce a supposition that the 
present work was composed somewhat before the period which I have mentioned 

• In his “ Khitat;” description of the principal street of Cairo, and its branches (MS. in my 
possession). 

t Idem; description of the principal street of Cairo, and its branches; and account of the Khans 

422 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

as, in my opinion, the most probable; but I think we need not hence draw such 
an inference, as this Khan was perhaps afterwards repaired; and if not, it was 
doubtless long remembered as having been a great resort of foreign merchants. 
The story too, we should remark, relates to what the author calls “ ancient times.” 
Another note to this story will be found to strengthen my opinion respecting 
the period when this work was composed. 

Note 17. 

Beyn el-Kasreyn (which signifies “ Between the Two Palaces ”) is the name 
still applied to that part of the principal street of Cairo which intervenes between 
the sites of the two famous palaces of the Khaleefehs. 

Note 18. 

A Keysareeyeh is a superior kind of sook, consisting of ranges of shops facing 
each other. That which is here mentioned (called in the Cairo edition, the 
Keysereeyeh of Jirjis; in the edition of Breslau, the Keysdreeyeh of Jarkash; 
and in the old English version, erroneously, the Circassian bezestein) is the 
Keysareeyeh of Jahdrkas, which, as I learn from El-Makreezee,* was situated 
near the centre of what constituted the old city, on the east of the principal street. 
It existed in his time, and was built by the Emeer Fakhr ed-Deen Jaharkas, in 
the year of the Flight 502 (a. d. 1108-9). Ibn Khallikdn,f as quoted by El- 
Makreezee, says of it, “ I have seen a number of merchants who have traversed 
various countries, and who say, ‘We have not seen in any country its equal in 
beauty and greatness, and compactness of construction.’ ” He explains also the 
orthography of the name of “ Jahdrkas,” and states that it is Persian (Chah&r-kas), 
and signifies “ four persons.” 

Note 19. 

The Egyptian fowls are much smaller than those of our country, and one is 
not too much for one man’s breakfast. The eggs are usually hatched in ovens. 

Note 20. 

The appellation of “ the Gardener” is here to be understood as a mere surname 
derived from the occupation of some ancestor of the merchant; it being a common 
custom of the Arabs to retain an appellation of this kind, however humble. 

Note 21. 

El-Makreezee J mentions a “ sook of the money-changers” as near to the Khdn 
of Mesroor; and it seems to be the place here alluded to: the word “ sook ” being 
often omitted. 

* In his “ Khitataccount of the Keysdreeyehs; and description of the principal street of Cairo, 
and its branches. 

t The orthography of this celebrated name is disputed; and I may therefore mention that I have 
found it written Khall’kdn in an Arabic MS. of the year of the Flight 843; and in many MSS. in which 
the reduplication of the 1 is not marked, the vowel a is given to the first syllable. According to the 
genera] opinion of the learned in Cairo, it is Khillikdn. 

1 In his *■ Khitatdescription of the principal street of Cairo. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

423 

Note 22. 

The lady having offered up a prayer that the young merchant might be her 
husband, I have taken the liberty of inserting here a slight interpolation, which 
does not detract from the probability or consistency of the story; but rather the 
reverse. 

Note 23. — On one of the Passages in this Work indicating a very late Date. 

The Habbdneeyeh is the name now applied to a portion of a main street, a 
little to the west of the lake called Birket el-Feel, in the southern part of Cairo. 
It is evidently thus applied in the passage to which this note relates; hut El- 
Makreezee, writing in the early part of the ninth century of the Flight,* says, 
“ In this our time, bordering upon it [the Birket el-Feel] is a garden called by the 
name of the Habbaneeyeh, who were a family of Darma the son of ’Amr the son 
of ’Owf the son of Thaalebeh the son of Baal the son of ’Amr the son of El-Gh6th 
the son of Teiyi: so Darma was a minor family of [the tribe of] Teiyi, and the 
Habb&neeyoon [or Habbdneeyeh—for the terms are synonymous] were a family 
of Darma: and the people have made a road between the garden of the Habbi- 
neeyeh and the lake.” He proceeds to say, that on the east of the Birket el-Feel 
there were gardens; hut that houses and streets had been built there. —Now, in the 
work before us, the tract which was a garden about the year of the Flight 825f is 
mentioned as occupied by houses and streets. Many years must have elapsed 
since that period before such could have been the case; and surely at least a 
century before the houses could have presented such an appearance as would lead 
an author to imagine them of “ ancient times.” It may be objected against an 
argument drawn from this passage, that it is perhaps an interpolation of a copyist; 
but it agrees with many evidences of a late date, and occurs in at least one other 
copy (that from which the Breslau edition is printed), with only this slight differ¬ 
ence—that “ Habb&neeyeh, ” by the erroneous addition of a point beneath the first 
letter, i3 converted into “Jebb&neeyeh:” and it should he remarked that the latter 
copy varies considerably in other points from that of Cairo. It would imply 
that Cairo was almost as extensive a city at the time when this work was composed 
as it is at present; and would account for its being here called Misr, or Masr; a 
name which was retained by El-Fustdt at least as late as the commencement of 
the tenth century of the Flight, and probably until the year 1517 of our era or a 
little later; as I have remarked in a former note.—I speak of the composition of 
this work without considering at present its probable basis, or archetype ; for I 
neither believe it to be a mere compilation, nor do I, on the other hand, regard it 
as the first work of its kind. 

Note 24. 

“ K&'ah ” is a term generally signifying “ a lofty saloon; ” but also often 
applied to an elegant house. 

Note 25. 

“ Nakeeb" signifies “a chief,” “a leader,” &c., and has various applications. 

* In his " Khit.ildescription of the suburbs or environs (dawdhee) of Cairo, 
t This is the latest date that I have found in El-Malsreezee’s work, as written by himself: it occurs 
in his chronicle of tile Sulthna. 

424 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

In the present instance, the office which it designates is doubtful, but is evidently 
of high dignity, as Nakeeb of the Shereefs, the Chief, or Syndic, of the Descendants 
of the Prophet. 

Note 26. 

Bdb Zuweyleh (the Gate of Zuweyleh, or, more properly, of Zaweeleh, which 
is the name of a tribe) is a gate that was built at the same period as the Bab en- 
Nasr, before mentioned. It marked the southern limit of Cairo; but is now in 
the heart of the metropolis. With two round-fronted towers, each surmounted by 
a lofty and elegant mad’neh, or menaret, pertaining to the great adjoining mosque 
of El-Mu-eiyad, it presents a very noble appearance. 

Note 27. 

“Royal gypsum” is a name given to the best kind of plaster used in Cairo. 
I have often admired the smoothness of its surface upon the walls of chambers in 
some of the older houses in that city; but, I need hardly say, never saw any that 
reflected like a mirror. 

Note 28. 

In the Cairo edition, “with pearls and jewels at its corners.” The deficiency 
I have supplied from the edition of Breslau : but I may here remark, that it would 
have been more proper to describe the snakes as gilt. 

Note 29. —On the Crowns worn by Arab Ladies. 

From Eastern drawings and descriptions, it appears that the kind of crown 
here mentioned was generally a circle of jewelled gold (the lower edge of which 
was straight; and the upper, fancifully heightened to four or more points) sur¬ 
rounding the lower part of a dome-shaped cap with a jewel or some other ornament 
at the summit. This crown was worn by many Arab ladies of high rank or great 
wealth, probably until about two centuries ago. Another kind of crown is now 
more generally worn, called a “ kurs.” This is a round, convex ornament, gene¬ 
rally about five inches in diameter, composed of gold set with a profusion of 
diamonds, of open work, representing roses, leaves, &c. It is sewed upon the top 
of the tarboosh; and is worn by most of the ladies of Cairo, at least in full dress. 
An engraving of a crown of this description, and another of one of a more common 
kind, may be seen in my work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. ii. Appendix A. 

Note 30. 

It is a common custom of the Arabs to give a present of money tied up in a 
corner of an embroidered handkerchief. 

Note 31. 

The mace is a weapon still used in the East; but not so commonly as it was in 
former times. There was a petty governor in Upper Egypt during my first visit 
to that country, who, in his daily rides, indulged a frequent habit of striking 
persons with a weapon of this kind, a tolerably heavy steel mace; but he did it 
with a happy knack, so as never, I believe, to inflict a dangerous wound, unless 
intentionally. Maces, like other arms of steel, are often tastefully inlaid with 
arabesque ornaments and inscriptions in gold. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

425 

Note 32.— On the Punishment of Theft. 

The Mohammadan law ordains that a person who is adult and of sound mind, 
if he steals an article of the value of a quarter of a deendr (or piece of gold) from 
a place to which he has not ordinary or free access, shall lose his right hand; but 
this punishment is not to be inflicted for stealing a free child, or anything which, 
in the eye of the law, is of no pecuniary value; as wine, or a musical instrument; 
and there are some other cases in which the thief is not to be so punished. For 
the second offence, the left foot is to be cut off; and for the third and subsequent 
offences, according to the Hanafee code, the culprit is to be punished by a long 
imprisonment; or, by the Slidfe’ee law, for the third offence, he is to lose his left 
hand; for the fourth, his right foot; and for further offences, he is to be flogged or 
beaten. The punishment is the same for a woman as for a man.—This law induced 
a freethinking Muslim to ask, “ If the hand is worth five hundred deenars [this 
being the fine for depriving a man of that member], why should it be cut off for a 
quarter of a deendr ? ” He was answered, “An honest hand is of great value; 
but not so is the hand that hath stolen.”—Amputation for theft is now seldom 
practised: beating, or some other punishment, is usually inflicted in its stead for 
the first, second, and third offence; and frequently, death for the fourth. 

Note 33. 

Capital punishment in this case would be contrary to the law; but it is often 
inflicted upon highway-robbers. 

Note 34. 

The meaning is, that the doer is God. An allusion is here conveyed to a verse 
(the 17th) in the Soorat el-Anfal (the eighth chapter of the Kur-dn)—“Thou didst 
not cast [the gravel into their eyes] when thou didst [seem to] cast [it]; but God 
cast [it].”* 

Note 35. 

The honour that is due to the human body requires that any portion disunited 
from it be decently deposited in the earth. 

Note 36. 

As a hair, for instance, is drawn from paste.f 

Note 37. 

These verses are founded on a tradition of the Prophet.;) 

Note 38. — On Khatmehs, or Recitations of the whole of the Kur-dn, at Private 

Festivities. 

The most approved and common mode of entertaining guests at modern private 
festivities among the Arabs is by a Khatmeh, which is the recitation of the whole 
of the Kur-dn. Three or more persons of the inferior class of the professors of 
religion and law, who are called fakeehs (vulgarly, fikees) are usually hired for 

• Marginal note, in my copy of the original, by the sheykli Mohammad 'Eiydd. 

t Idem. t Idem. 

3 i 

VOL 1. 

426 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

this purpose. Schoolmasters, and students of the collegiate mosques who devote 
themselves to religion and law, are the persons most commonly thus employed. 
Their mode of recitation is a peculiar kind of chanting,* which, when well executed, 
I found very agreeable, at least for an hour or so: hut the guests seldom have to 
listen to the chanting of the whole of the Kur-dn: the reciters usually accomplish the 
greater portion of their task, in a somewhat hurried manner, before the guests have 
assembled, each of them chanting, in turn, a certain portion, as a thirtieth part of 
the whole (called a “juz”), or half of one of these sections (a “hezb”), or, more 
commonly, a quarter (ruba). Afterwards they chant more leisurely, and in a more 
musical manner; but still by turns.—These recitations of the whole of the Kur-dn 
are performed on various festive occasions, hut are most usual after a death; the 
merit of the performance being transferred to the soul of the deceased. 

Note 39. 

The mess termed “zirbdjeh," by some called “zurbdjeh,” from the Persian 
“ zeerbaj,” is a kind of spoon-meat. Some of its ingredients are described in the 
sequel of the present story. 

Note 40.— On Atonements and other Services for the Dead. 

As filial piety is a general characteristic of the Arabs, and various services are 
believed by them to atone for the minor sins of the deceased, and thus to diminish 
his misery, or to increase his happiness, it is natural, and not uncommon, for a 
son to act in the manner here related. Recitations of the Kur-dn are performed 
for the dead, to whom the merit of these works is transferred, and a sacrifice is 
often offered at the tomb after the burial; the flesh of the victim being distributed 
to the poor. But a more important service for the deceased is the payment of his 
debts ; for it is affirmed by the Prophet, that even martyrdom will not atone for a 
debt unpaid. 

Note 41. 

A money-changer is very frequently employed to examine the money which a 
purchaser offers; and if it be old, to weigh it. The money-changers are mostly 
Jews and Christians. 

Note 42. 

Some mosques (as the Azhar, for instance, the principal mosque of Cairo) 
remain open all night; and many houseless persons sleep in them, upon the matting 
which covers the paved floor. Men are also often seen, at other times, but not at 
the hours of prayer, lounging, eating, or working, in the mosques; such practices 
not being deemed inconsistent with the high respect which the Muslims pay to 
these buildings. 

Note 43. 

The remainder of this paragraph, and the whole of the next two, being omitted 
in the edition of Cairo, I translate from the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred 
nights, and the edition of Breslau; but almost entirely from the former. 

* A specimen of this mode of chanting Is given in my wort on the Modern Egyptians, vol. ii. 
end of chap. v. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

487 

Note 44. 

The water of the well of Zemzem, in the Temple of Mekkeh, is believed to 
possess miraculous virtues, and is therefore brought away in bottles or flasks by 
many of the pilgrims, to be used when occasion may require as medicine, or to be 
sprinkled on grave-linen. A bottle of it is a common and acceptable present from 
a pilgrim, and a guest is sometimes treated with a sip of this holy water. 

Note 45. 

A whip is sometimes used in the liareem of a great man; and its being attached 
to the waist of the damsel here mentioned marks her authority. It is generally 
formed of a strip of hippopotamus’ hide, hammered into a round shape; and this 
kind is called a “kurbaj.” I believe it i3 seldom used in the liareem with severity; 
but usually for intimidation. 

Note 46. 

It is an universal custom of the Arabs, on visiting the sick, to say, “ May our 
Lord restore thee! ” or, “ No evil befall thee! ” &c. 

Note 47. 

The first hospital built by a Muslim was that of Damascus, founded by 
El-Weleed the son of ’Abd El-Melik, in the eighty-eighth year of the Flight 
(a. d. 706-7). The Arabs would deprive St. Ephrem Syrus of the honour of 
having been the author of the first institution of this kind; one of their historians 
ascribing it to an early Pharoah, named Menakiyoosh ; another, to Hippocrates.* 

- Note 48. 

The remainder of the paragraph is translated from the Calcutta edition of the 
first two hundred nights. 

Note 49. 

“ The metropolis of the world," or literally, “ the mother of the world ” (“ umm 
ed-dunya”), is a title given to several cities as well as Cairo by their respective 
inhabitants. This passage, therefore, and others of a similar kind, in which even 
foreigners are made to rank Egypt and Cairo as superior to every other country 
and city, strongly favour the opinion that our author was an Egyptian. 

Note 50. 

A more ample eulogium upon Egypt and the Nile, but abounding with such 
gross errors that I could not confidently offer a translation, is found in the Breslau 
edition. It agrees better with the old translation; which, however, in this place, 
presents considerable unauthorized amplifications, and some misconceptions: 
“Birket el-Habash” (for instance), the name of a lake on the south of Cairo, 
being mistaken for Ethiopia. 

Note 51. 

For this monthly rent (or about a guinea of our money), a large and handsome 
house may be hired at the present day in Cairo. 

El-Maijreezce’a " Khitataccount of the hospitals. 

428 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

Note 52. 

After the amputation of the hand for theft, the stump is usually plunged in 
boiling pitch or tar, or oil, to stanch the blood. 

Note 53. —On Retaliation and Fines for Wounds and Mutilations. 

Retaliation for intentional wounds and mutilations i3 allowed by the Moham- 
madan law, like as for murder; “eye for eye,” &c.:* but a fine may be accepted 
instead, which the law allows also for unintentional injuries. The fine for a 
member that is single (as the nose) is the whole price of blood, as for homicide; 
namely a thousand deenars (about 500/.) from him who possesses gold; or, from 
him who possesses silver, twelve thousand dirhems (about 300/.) ; for a member of 
which there are two, and not more (as a hand), half the price of blood; for one 
of which there are ten (a finger or toe), a tenth of the price of blood: but the 
fine of a man for maiming or wounding a woman is half of that for the same 
injury to a man; and that of a free person for injuring a slave varies according to 
the value of the slave. The fine for depriving a man of any of his five senses, or 
dangerously wounding him, or grievously disfiguring him for life, is the whole 
price of blood. 

Note 54. 

See No. 20 of the notes to Chapter ii.—“ The women of Egypt have the cha¬ 
racter of being the most licentious in their feelings of all females who lay any 
claim to be considered as members of a civilized nation; and this character is 
freely bestowed upon them by their countrymen, even in conversation with 
foreigners.”!—In the work from which the above passage is quoted, I have expa¬ 
tiated upon this subject more than I need do in the present case. 

Note 55. 

The Arabs are generally of opinion that the innate dispositions of a child are 
inherited more from the mother than from the father. They believe that a 
daughter commonly resembles, in good or evil qualities, her mother; and a son, 
his maternal uncle. Hence they often address a man, “Ya teiyib el-khal! 

“ O thou who hast a good maternal uncle! ” 

Note 56. 

’Abd Allah Ibn 'Abbds was one of the most learned of the companions of his 
cousin Mohammad, and one of the most celebrated of the relaters of his sayings 
and actions. He has received the titles of “ Interpreter of the Kur-4n ” and 
“ Sultan of Commentators.” He died in the year of the Flight 68. His father, 
’Abbas, the son of ’Abd El-Muttalib, was paternal uncle of Mohammad, and 
ancestor of the 'Abbasee Khaleefehs. 

Note 57. —On the Astrolabe. 

The astrolabe is more commonly used by the Arabs than any other instrument 
for astronomical observations. It is generally between four and six inches in 
diameter. It consists of a circular plate with a graduated rim, within which fit 
several thinner plates, and of a limb, moving on a pivot in the centre, with two 

♦ Kur 4n cliap. v., t. 40. 

t “ Modern Egyptians,” vol. i. chap. xiii. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

429 

sights. The plates are engraved with complicated diagrams &c., for various calcu¬ 
lations. Ihe instrument is held by a ring, or by a loop of cord attached to the 
ring, during an observation; and thus its own weight answers the same purpose 
as the plumb-line of the quadrant (which the Arabs sometimes use in its stead); 
the position of the moveable limb with the sights marking the required altitude. 

Note 58. 

Safar is the second month of the Mohammadan year. 

Note 59. 

As different copies vary here as to the date, I have taken the liberty of putting 
263 instead of 763 or 653, in order to avoid a glaring anachronism. It is pro¬ 
bable, however, that the last of these is the author’s date, as it is found both in 
the old translation, and in the Breslau edition. The date in the Cairo edition 
is 763. 

Note 60. 

A degree is four minutes; it would have been more proper, therefore, to have 
said, eight degrees and two minutes, than seven degrees and six minutes. 

Note 61. 

“Es-Sdmit” signifies “the Silent.” 

Note 62. 

This and the following names, or rather, surnames, convey the same meaning. 
Bakbook, Heddar, and Bakbak (here, in my original, erroneously written Yakyak), 

signify “ Chatterer.” “ El-Kooz el-Aswanee ” (not to be mistaken for “- 

Asw&nee,” with a soft s) seems to imply that the person thus named was always 
like a mug, with open mouth, and insensible as flint to rebuke. The two remain¬ 
ing names are different in different copies: “ ’Ashshdr ” is a “ Collector of Tithes,” 
a person whose tongue has constant employment; and “Shakdlik” is perhaps put 
erroneously for some other word, as “ Slukdk,” “ Discord." 

Note 63. 

Kur-dn, chap. iii. v. 128. 

Note 64. 

The Arabs generally carry their young children in this manner, seated astride 
upon the shoulder. 

Note 65. 

This expression is borrowed from the Kur-fin, chap, xlviii. v. 10. The meaning 
is, “ there is no power of man, but God’s power is superior to it.” 

Note 66. 

The Prophet (Mohammad) is always alluded to when this form of benediction 
is used and the name of the person to whom it is applied is not mentioned. 

430 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

Note 67. 

“Nedd” is a perfume composed of ambergris, musk, and aloes-wood; or simply 
ambergris. 

Note 68. 

Two khutbehs are recited on the occasion of the congregational Friday-prayers. 
It is the first of these which is here alluded to. See the next note. 

Note 69 .—On the Congregational Friday-prayers. 

The Sel&m (or Salutation) of Friday is a form of blessing on the Prophet and 
his family and companions, which is chanted by the mueddins from the mfid’nehs 
(or towers) of the congregational mosques half an hour before noon. The worship¬ 
pers begin to assemble in the mosque as soon as they hear it, and, arranging them¬ 
selves in rows parallel to, and facing, that side in which is the niche, that marks 
the direction of Mekkeh, each performs, by himself, the prayers of two rek’ahs, 
which are supererogatory, and then sits in his place while a reader recites part or 
the whole of the 18th chapter of the Kur-dn. At the call of nocn, they all stand 
up, and each again performs, separately, the prayers of two rek’ahs, ordained by 
the Prophet. A minister, standing at the foot of the pulpit-stairs, then proposes to 
bless the Prophet: and accordingly, a second Seldm is chanted by one or more 
other ministers stationed on an elevated platform. After this, the former minister, 
and the latter after him, repeat the call of noon (which the mueddins have before 
chanted from the mdd’nehs); and the former enjoins silence. The chief minister 
(Khateeb, or Im&m) has already seated himself on the top step or platform of the 
pulpit. He now rises, and recites a khutbeh of praise to God and exhortation to 
the congregation; and if in a country or town acquired by arms from unbelievers, 
he holds a wooden sword, resting its point on the ground. Each of the congrega¬ 
tion next offers up some private supplication; after which, the Khateeb recites a 
second khutbeh, which is always the same, or nearly so; part, of a similar nature 
to the first, but chiefly, prayer for the Prophet and his family, &c., and for the 
general welfare of the Muslims. This finished, the Khateeb or Im&m descends 
from the pulpit, and, stationed before the niche, after a form of words* differing 
slightly from the call to prayer has been chanted by the ministers on the elevated 
platform before-mentioned, recites the divinely-ordained prayers of Friday (two 
rek’ahs), while the people do the same silently, keeping time with him exactly in 
the various postures. Thus are completed the Friday-prayers; but some of the 
congregation remain, and perform the ordinary divinely-ordained prayers of noon.f 

Note 70. 

So in the Cairo edition. El-Muntasir bi-lldh was the great grandson of H&roon 
Er-Rasheed, and acceded to the throne in the year of the Flight 247 (a. d. 861). 
A slight anachronism, therefore, is here presented, uidess we suppose that the hero 
of the story told by the Sultan’s steward was an old man at the period of the mis¬ 
fortune of the humpback. The reign of El-Muntasir was somewhat less than six 
months. The copy from which the old translation was made, and the edition of 
Breslau, date the adventure of the barber, here related, more than three centuries 
and a half later, in the reign of El-Mustansir bi-ll&h. 

• The ikdmeh : see Note 24 to Chap. iv. 

t For a more full account of the Friday-prayers, see my work on the Modern Egyptians, vol i. chap. iii. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

431 

Note 71. 

The practice of spunging, or the intrusion of strangers at entertainments, has 
long been very prevalent in Arab towns. An instance has been given towards the 
close of Note 22 to Chapter iii. 

Note 72. 

I have altered the order in which the brothers are described, and omitted two 
particulars, to agree with the sequel.—The reference to this note is misplaced : it 
should be substituted for 73 in the same line. 

Note 73. 

The next paragraph is translated from the Calcutta edition of the first two 
hundred nights; being omitted in the Cairo edition. An equal portion, later, is 
wanting in the old translation. 

Note 74 .—On Augurations with respect to Marriage. 

This passage alludes to an astrological calculation made with the view of deter¬ 
mining by what sign of the zodiac the two persons are influenced who contemplate 
becoming man and wife, and thence ascertaining whether they will agree. This is 
often done in the present day by adding together the numerical values of the letters 
composing his or her name and that of the mother, and, if I remember right, sub¬ 
tracting from 12 the whole sum if this is less than 12, or what remains after 
subtracting, or dividing by, 12. Thus is obtained the number of the sign. The 
twelve signs, commencing with Aries, correspond respectively with the elements of 
fire, earth, air, water, fire, earth, and so on; and if the signs of the two parties 
indicate the same element, it is inferred that they will agree; but if they indicate 
different elements, the inference is, that the one will be affected by the other in 
the same manner as the element of the one is by that of the other: thus, if the 
element of the man is fire, and that of the woman, water, he will be subject to her 
ride. 

Among other calculations of the same kind is the following, which my sheykh 
has mentioned in a marginal note on this passage, in the copy from which I trans¬ 
late.—The numerical values of the letters composing the name of each of the two 
parties are added together, and one of these two sums is subtracted from the other: 
if the remainder is an uneven number, the inference is unfavourable; but if even, 
the reverse. 

In the present instance, the dupe, knowing that there are various modes of 
divining whether he will be happy with his wife, is made to believe that his fortune 
depends upon the mode, instead of the result, of the calculation. 

Note 75. 

Here, in my original, “ Bakbak ; ” but this, as before mentioned, was the name 
of the third brother. 

Note 76. 

“ Kuffeh,” signifying “ a basket of palm-leaves,” and “a dry gourd,” seems to 
be here equivalent to “ empty-head.” 

432 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

Note 77. 

The blind in Egypt are notorious for their impudence.—It is related that 
Moses, while bathing one day in the Nile, saw a blind man pass by, and, being 
moved with pity, prayed that God would restore his sight. His prayer was 
answered; but as soon as the eyes of the blind man were opened he seized the 
clothes of his benefactor which were lying on the bank, and protested that they 
were his own. Moses, therefore, now prayed that the thief might be struck blind 
again; and God, answering his prayer, said, O Moses, know that I am wiser than 
thou with respect to my creatures.'—This tradition was related to me in Cairo. 

Note 78. 

It is generally thus that an injured Muslim calls others to his aid. 

Note 79. 

Like the natives of Egypt in the period of the Roman domination,* its modern 
inhabitants, and the Arabs of other countries (though, I believe, in a less degree), 
are notorious for their obstinacy in refusing to pay their taxes until they have been 
severely beaten. They well know that, the more readily they pay, the more will 
be exacted from them; and are often heard to boast of the number of stripes which 
they have received before yielding their money. The same obstinacy is generally 
displayed by an Arab accused of any offence; and often, even by a witness: in 
either case the man fears that, should he tell at once all he can, the judge will try 
whether the stick or the kurbaj f will elicit a further confession. 

Note 80.— On the general Corruptness of Muslim Judges. 

Khidr Bey (whether he was a judge I do not know), conversing one day with 
his friends on the difficulties experienced in the exercise of judicature, one of the 
company remarked, “ In my opinion, the greatest difficulty that is met with is, 
when one of the parties is rich, and the other, poor.” “ In that case,” replied 
Khidr Bey, “ I find none; for it is clear that the rich will gain his cause, and the 
poor will lose : but the great difficulty is, when the two parties are equally rich and 
powerful. If thou, he continued, being a poor man, have a suit against one who 
is rich and powerful, beware of applying to the Kadee; for he will not fail to 
condemn thee r my advice is, that thou desist altogether from thy suit, and rather 
throw thyself at the feet of thine adversary; for thou wilt obtain more justice 
from him than from the K&dee.”J—For a justification of the opinion here expressed, 
see my work on the Modem Egyptians, vol. i. chap. 4. 

Note 81.— On good and evil Omens. 

Of omens I have already treated, in Note 15 to Chapter i: but a few words on 
this subject must be here added.—It is common to draw a lucky or unlucky omen 
from the first object seen on going out in the morning ; and according as that ob¬ 
ject is pleasant or the reverse, the person says, “my morning is good,” or “- 

bad.” A one-eyed man is regarded as of evil omen; and especially one who is 
blind of the left eye. Many a person is related to have suffered for having an un¬ 
lucky countenance. 

* Vide Ammianus Marcellinus, lib. xxii. f See Note 6 to Chap. iv. 

I D’Herbelot, Bibl. Or., article “ Cadhi.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

433 

Note fl2. 

The portion of this story comprised in the first paragraph having been the sub¬ 
ject of a specimen of the present publication, translated from the Calcutta edition 
of the first two hundred nights, and printed and distributed when I had not in my 
possession the copy of the original which I have taken as my general standard, it 
is here given nearly in the same words : I have only made a few slight additions 
and alterations derived from a comparison of the two editions. Some of the notes 
inserted in the specimen I omit in this place, as they relate to matters already 
explained. 

Note 83. 

It appears that, in most copies of the original, the barber’s fifth brother is sur- 
named “ En-Neslish&r,” or “ the Sawyer,” in allusion to his incessant loquacity. 

Note 84. 

There is nothing very extravagant in this hope of the barber’s brother; for in 
the East, persons frequently rise from very low to very high stations; and it is 
remarkable that, notwithstanding their usual pride, they generally retain the appel¬ 
lation of the trade or craft which they or their fathers pursued, however ignoble, 
before their elevation. It is common for a great man to distinguish himself by 
adding to his name the appellation of “ the druggist or perfumer,” or “ the grocer,” 
&c.; and he is not a whit the less respected on this account. 

Note 85. 

The Eastern grandee rides not at the head or rear of his attendants, but in the 
midst of them. 

Note 86. 

Persons distinguished by rank or wealth or learning are saluted by many of 
the shopkeepers and passengers as they pass through the streets of Eastern cities, 
and often greeted with a short ejaculatory prayer for the continuance of their life 
and happiness. When a very great man rides through the streets, most of the 
shopmen rise to him, and pay their respect to him by inclining the head, and 
touching the lips and forehead or turban with the fingers of the right hand. 

Note 87. 

See Note 12 to Chapter iii. 

Note 88. 

He could scarcely shew his pride more strongly; for it is an affront to reject a 
present. 

Note 89. 

An Arab lady of high rank seldom makes use of her feet but to move from one 
chamber to another; when she goes abroad, she always rides: to stand for many 
minutes together is, therefore, fatiguing to her. 

Note 90. 

See the close of Note 39 to Chapter iv. 

3 K 

VOL 

434 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

Note 91. 

This is said either to shew his vulgarity or that the weather was sultry. 

Note 92. 

“El-Meleehah” signifies “ the Beautifulit is derived from “ milh” (salt, &c.). 

Note 93. 

An occurrence of a similar nature, which happened a few years ago in Cairo, 
was related to me by one of my friends there.—An old woman frequented the tomb 
of a saint in that city, near the western gate called Bab El-Mahrook, to which many 
women afflicted with disease or barrenness often resorted to offer up prayers, believing 
their petitions would be effectual through the saint’s intercession; and she was in 
the habit of enticing ladies from this tomb to the house of her husband, which was 
near by, under pretence of his serving them with medicines or with charms. The 
unsuspecting victim, being desired to go thither alone, was conducted by the old 
woman to an upper room, at the end of which the man was seated; and in walking 
over the matted floor to approach him, suddenly fell through a trap-door into a 
place so deep that the fall rendered her senseless. In this state, she was put to 
death; and as ladies in Cairo always wear valuable ornaments and costly clothes, 
the murderers were sure of obtaining considerable spoil. 

Note 94. 

This money, we are to understand, was prepared for the purpose of giving those 
presents which are customary from a guest at a marriage-festivity; but the mention 
of a smaller sum would have been more proper. It is given to the singing-women 
and tire-women who, in great houses, parade the bride through the different apart¬ 
ments, and display her in different rich suits of attire before the bridegroom. 

Note 95. — On the Handkerchief, and Signet, of Indemnity, 

Sometimes, the handkerchief, and sometimes, the signet, or seal-ring, is given 
as a pledge of indemnity.—It was a frequent custom of many a chief of the Mem- 
looks of Egypt (there, commonly called “theGhuzz”), to bastinade men in the 
court of bis mansion (when he desired to make a show of strict justice), in order 
that one of the women of the family, hearing the cries, might drop a handkerchief 
from a window, and so the punishment might soon cease, in respect for the hareem, 
whose protection is often appealed to by offenders. 

Note 96. 

The title of “ Sultan" is here, and afterwards, given to the Khaleefeh ; and it 
has been so employed by a celebrated Historian, El-Makreezee.® 

Note 97. 

So, apparently, in most copies ; but in the Cairo edition, “ of the sons of the 
Kings.” It is said to have been a custom of some of the Barmekees (the family so 
renowned for their generosity) to keep open house during the hours of meals, and to 
allow no one who applied at such times for admission to be repulsed. 

* See De Sacy, Chrest. Aiabe, tome ii. pp. 99 and 120, 2nde ed. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH. 

435 

Note 98. 

“ Sikbaj” is a dish composed of meat, wheat-flour, and vinegar. 

Note 99. 

“ Kataif ” are cakes composed of fine flour, treacle or honey, and sesame oil. 
The sirop mentioned in the same sentence is (as my sheykh states in a marginal 
note) treacle thickened over the fire.—The proper singular of katiif, namely 
“kateefeh,” is seldom used; one of these cakes being generally called “ fard 
katciif.” Sometimes, it appears, they were perfumed with musk. 

Note 100. 

The “ mithk&l” is the weight of a deenar, or a dirhem and a half,—in Cairo, 
about 7T' or 72 English grains. 

Note 101. 

See above, Note 96. 

Note 102. 

By “ Arabs,” we are here to understand Bedawees, or Arabs of the Desert, who 
are termed, by the older writers, “ Aar4b,” or “ Aarabeesbut in my original, as 
in other late works, “ ’Arab,” which was the old appellation of the townspeople and 
villagers.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE THIRTY-SECOND NIGHT, AND 
ENDING WITH PART OF THE THIRTY-SIXTH. 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN AND ENEES EL-JELEES.' 

There was, in El-Basrah, a certain King who loved the poor and 
indigent, and regarded his subjects with benevolence; he bestowed 
of his wealth upon him who believed in Mohammad (God favour 
and preserve him!) and was such as one of the poets who have 
written of him hath thus described: — 

He used his lances as pens; and the hearts of his enemies, as paper; their 
blood being his ink : 

And hence, I imagine, our forefathers applied to the lance the term 
Khatteeyeh . 2 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN, &c. 

437 

The name of this King was Mohammad the son of Suleyman 
Ez-Zeynee; and he had two Wezeers; one of whom was named 
El-Mo’een 3 the son of Sawee; and the other, El-Fadl 4 the son 
of Khakan. El-Fadl the son of Khakan was the most generous 
of the people of his age, upright in conduct, so that all hearts agreed 
in loving him, and the wise complied with his counsel, and all the 
people supplicated for him length of life; for he was a person of 
auspicious aspect , 5 a preventer of evil and mischief: but the Wezeer 
El-Mo’een the son of Sawee hated others, and loved not good; he 
was a man of inauspicious aspect; and in the same degree that the 
people loved Fadl ed-Deen the son of Khakan, so did they abhor 
El-Mo’een the son of Sawee, in accordance with the decree of the 
Almighty. 

Now the King Mohammad the son of Suleyman Ez-Zeynee was 
sitting one day upon his throne, surrounded by the officers of his 
court, and he called to his Wezeer El-Fadl the son of Khakan, and 
said to him, I desire a female slave unsurpassed in beauty by any in 
her age, of perfect loveliness, and exquisite symmetry, and endowed 
with all praiseworthy qualities. —Such as this, replied his courtiers, 
is not to be found for less than ten thousand pieces of gold. And 
the Sultan thereupon called out to the treasurer, saying, Carry ten 
thousand pieces of gold to the house of El-Fadl the son of Khakan. 
So the treasurer did as he commanded, and the Wezeer departed, 
after the Sultan had ordered him to repair every day to the market, 
and to commission the brokers to procure what he had described, 
and had commanded also that no female slave of a greater price than 
one thousand pieces of gold should be sold without having been 
shewn to the Wezeer. 

The brokers, therefore, sold no female slave without shewing 
her to him, and he complied with the King’s command, and thus he 
continued to do for a considerable time, no slave pleasing him : but 
on a certain day, one of the brokers came to the mansion of the 
Wezeer El-Fadl, and found that he had mounted to repair to the 
palace of the King; and he laid hold upon his stirrup, and repeated 
these two verses : — 

O thou who hast reanimated what was rotten in the state! Thou art the 
Wezeer ever aided by Heaven. 

438 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

Thou hast revived the noble qualities that were extinct among men. May 
thy conduct never cease to be approved by God ! 

He then said, O my master, the female slave for the procuring of 
whom the noble mandate was issued hath arrived. The Wezeer 
replied, Bring her hither to me. So the man returned, and, after a 
short absence, came again, accompanied by a damsel of elegant 
stature, high-bosomed, with black eyelashes, and smooth cheek, and 
slender waist, and large hips, clad in the handsomest apparel; the 
moisture of her lips was sweeter than sirop; her figure put to shame 
the branches of the Oriental willow; and her speech was more soft 
than the zephyr passing over the flowers of the garden, as one of her 
describers hath thus expressed: — 

Her skin is like silk, and her speech is soft, neither redundant nor deficient: 

Her eyes, God said to them, Be —and they were, affecting men’s hearts with 
the potency of wine. 

May my love for her grow more warm each night, and cease not until the 
day of judgment! 

The locks on her brow are dark as night, while her forehead shines like the 
gleam of morning. 

When the Wezeer beheld her, she pleased him extremely, and 
he looked towards the broker, and said to him, What is the price of 
this damsel ? The broker answered, The price bidden for her hath 
amounted to ten thousand pieces of gold, and her owner hath sworn 
that this sum doth not equal the cost of the chickens which she hath 
eaten, nor the cost of the dresses which she hath bestowed upon her 
teachers; for she hath learnt writing and grammar and lexicography, 
and the interpretation of the Kur-an, and the fundamentals of law 
and religion, and medicine, and the computation of the calendar, and 
the art of playing upon musical instruments. The Wezeer then 
said, Bring to me her master: — and the broker immediately brought 
him; and lo, he was a foreigner, who had lived so long that time had 
reduced him to bones and skin, as the poet hath said,— 

How hath time made me to tremble 1 For time is powerful and severe. 

I used to walk without being weary; but now I am weary and do not walk. 

And the Wezeer said to him, Art thou content to receive for 
this damsel ten thousand pieces of gold from the Sultan Mohammad 
the son of Suleyman El-Zeynee ? The foreigner answered, As she 
is for the Sultan, it is incumbent on me to give her as a present 

AND ENEES EL-JELEES. 

439 

to him, without price . 6 So the Wezeer, upon this, ordered that the 
money should he brought, and then weighed the pieces of gold for 
the foreigner ; after which, the slave-broker addressed the Wezeer, 
and said, With the permission of our lord the Wezeer, I will speak. 
— Impart what thou hast to say, replied the Wezeer.— It is my 
opinion then, said the broker, that thou shouldst not take up this 
damsel to the Sultan to-day; for she hath just arrived from her 
journey, and the change of air hath affected her, and the journey 
hath fatigued her; but rather let her remain with thee in thy 
palace ten days, that she may take rest, and her beauty will improve: 
then cause her to be taken into the bath, and attire her in clothes of 
the handsomest description, and go up with her to the Sultan: so 
shalt thou experience more abundant good fortune. The Wezeer 
considered the advice of the slave-broker, and approved of it. He 
therefore took her into his palace, and gave her a private apartment 
to herself, allotting her every day what she required of food and 
drink and other supplies, and she continued a while in this state of 
enjoyment. 

Now the Wezeer El-Fadl had a son like the shining full moon, 
with brilliant countenance, and red cheek, marked with a mole like a 
globule of ambergris, and with grey down. The youth knew not of 
this damsel, and his father had charged her, saying, Know that I have 
purchased thee for the King Mohammad the son of Suleyman 
Ez-Zeynee, and that I have a son who hath not left a girl in the 
quarter without making love to her: therefore keep thyself concealed 
from him, and beware of shewing him thy face, or suffering him to 
hear thy voice. The damsel replied, I hear and obey:—and he left 
her and departed. And it happened, as fate had ordained, that she 
went one day into the bath which was in the house, and, after 
certain of the female slaves had bathed her, she attired herself in 
rich apparel, and her beauty and loveliness increased in consequence. 
She then went in to the Wezeer’s wife, and kissed her hand, and she 
said to her, May it be favourable , 7 O Enees el-Jelees! How didst 
thou find this bath?—-O my mistress, she answered, I wanted 
nothing but thy presence there. And upon this, the mistress of the 
house said to the female slaves, Arise, and let us go into the bath. 
And they complied with her command, and went, accompanied by 
their mistress, who first charged two young slave-girls to keep the 

440 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

door of the private apartment in which was Enees el-Jelees, saying 
to them, Suffer no one to go in to the damsel: — and they replied, 
We hear and obey. But while Enees el-Jelees was sitting in her 
chamber, lo, the Wezeer’s son, whose name was ’Alee Noor ed-Deen, 
came in, and asked after his mother and the family. The two girls 
answered, They are gone into the bath. Now the damsel Enees 
el-Jelees heard the speech of ’Alee Noor ed-Deen as she sat in her 
chamber, and she said within herself, I wonder what this youth is 
like, of whom the Wezeer hath told me that he hath not left a girl in 
the quarter without making love to her: by Allah, I have a desire to 
see him! She then rose upon her feet, fresh as she was from the 
bath, and, approaching the door of the chamber, looked at ’Alee 
Noor ed-Deen, and beheld him to be a youth like the full moon. 
The sight of him occasioned her a thousand sighs; and a look from 
the youth, at her, affected him also in the same manner. Each was 
caught in the snare of the other’s love, and the youth approached the 
two slave-girls, and cried out at them; whereupon they fled from 
before him, and stopped at a distance, looking to see what he would 

AND ENEES EL-JELEES. 

441 

do. He then advanced to the door of the chamber, and, opening it, 
went in, and said to the damsel, Art thou she whom my father hath 
purchased for me ? She answered, Yes. And upon this, the youth, 
who was in a state of intoxication, went up to her, and embraced her, 
while she, in like manner, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed 
him. But the two slave-girls, having seen their young master 
enter the chamber of the damsel Enees el-Jelees, cried out. The 
youth, therefore, soon ran forth, and fled for safety, fearing the 
consequence of his intrusion ; and when the mistress of the house 
heard the cry of the two slave-girls, she came out dripping from the 
bath, saying, What is the cause of this cry in the house ? And 
when she drew near to the two slave-girls whom she had placed at 
the door of the private chamber, she said to them, Wo to you! 
What is the matter?—They answered, as soon as they beheld her, 
Our master 'Alee Noor ed-Deen came to us and beat us, and we fled 
from him, and he went into the chamber of Enees el-Jelees, and 
when we cried out to thee he fled. The mistress of the house then 
went to Enees el-Jelees, and said to her, What is the news ?—O my 
mistress, she answered, as I was sitting here, a youth of handsome 
person came in to me, and said to me, Art thou she whom my father 
hath purchased for me?—And I answered, Yes.— By Allah, 0 my 
mistress, I believed that what he said was true; and lie came up to 
me and embraced me, and kissed me three times, and left me 
overcome by his love. 

Upon this, the mistress of the house wept, and slapped her 
face, and her female slaves did the like, fearing for ’Alee Noor 
ed-Deen, lest his father should slay him; and while they were 
in this state, lo, the Wezeer came in, and inquired what had 
happened. His wife said to him, Swear that thou wilt listen to that 
which I shall say. He replied. Well. So she told him what his son 
had done; and he mourned, and rent his clothes, and slapped his 
face, and plucked his beard. His wife then said to him, Kill not 
thyself. I will give thee, of my own property, ten thousand pieces 
of gold, her price.— But upon this, he raised his head towards her, 
and said to her, Wo to thee ! I want not her price ; but I fear the 
loss of my life and my property.— Wherefore, O my master ? she 
asked. — Knowest thou not, said he, that we have this enemy 
El-Mo’een the son of Sawee ? When he heareth of this event, he 

VOL. I. 

3 L 

442 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

will repair to the Sultan, and say to him, Thy Wezeer whom thou 
imaginest that he loveth thee hath received from thee ten thousand 
pieces of gold, and purchased therewith a female slave such as no one 
hath seen equalled, and when she pleased him, he said to his son, 
Take her ; for thou art more worthy of her than the Sultan: —and 
he took her ; and the damsel is now with him.—Then the King will 
say, Thou liest. And he will say to the King, With thy permission, I 
will break in upon him suddenly, and bring her to thee. And he will 
give him permission to do so: he will therefore make a sudden attack 
upon the house, and take the damsel, and conduct her into the pre¬ 
sence of the Sultan, and he will question her, and she will not be able 
to deny : he will then say, O my lord, I give thee good counsel, but 
I am not in favour with you :— and the Sultan will make an exam¬ 
ple of me, and all the people will make me a gazing-stock, and my 

life will be lost_His wife, however, replied, Acquaint no one ; for 

this thing hath happened privily: commit, therefore, thine affair unto 
God, in this extremity. And upon this, the heart of the Wezeer 
was quieted, and his mind was relieved. 

Such was the case of the Wezeer.—Now as to Noor ed-Deen, 
he feared the result of his conduct, and so passed each day in the 
gardens, not returning to his mother until towards the close of the 
night: he then slept in her apartment, and arose before morning 
without being seen by any one else. Thus he continued to do for 
the space of a month, not seeing the face of his father ; and at 
length his mother said to his father, O my master, wilt thou lose the 
damsel and lose the child ? For if it long continue thus with 
the youth, he will flee his country.—And what is to be done ? said 
he. She answered, Sit up this night, and when he cometh, lay hold 
upon him, and he reconciled to him, and give him the damsel; for 
she loveth him, and he loveth her; and I will give thee her price. 
So the Wezeer sat up the whole night, and when his son came, he 
laid hold upon him, and would have cut his throat; 8 but his mother 
came to his succour, and said to her husband, What dost thou desire 
to do unto him ? He answered her, I desire to slay him. The 
youth then said to his father, Am I of so small account in thy 
estimation ? And upon this, the eyes of his father filled with tears, 
and he said to him, O my son, is the loss of my property and my 
life of small account with thee ?— Listen, O my father, rejoined the 

AND ENEES EL-JELEES. 

443 

youth:—and he implored his forgiveness. So the Wezeer arose 
from the breast of his son, and was moved with compassion for him; 
and the youth arose, and kissed his father’s hand; and the Wezeer 
said, O my son, if I knew that thou wouldst act equitably to Enees 
el-Jelees, I would give her to thee.—O my father, replied the youth, 
wherefore should I not act equitably towards her ? And his father 
said, I charge thee, O my son, that thou take not a wife to share her 
place, and that thou do her no injury, nor sell her. He replied, 
O my father, I swear to thee that I will neither take a wife to share 
her plane, nor sell her :— and he promised him by oaths to act as he 
had said, and took up his abode with the damsel, and remained with 
her a year ; and God (whose name be exalted !) caused the King to 
forget the affair of the female slave; but the matter became known 
to El-Mo’een the son of Sawee ; yet he could not speak of it, on 
account of the high estimation in which the other Wezeer was held 
by the Sultan. 

After this year had expired, the Wezeer Fadl ed-Deen the son 
of Khakan entered the bath, and came out in a state of excessive 
perspiration, in consequence of which the external air smote him, 
so that he became confined to his bed, and long remained sleepless; 
and his malady continued unremittingly ; so he called, thereupon, 
his son ’Alee Noor ed-Deen, and when he came before him, said to 
him, O my son, verily the means of life are apportioned, and its 
period is decreed, and every soul must drink the cup of death. 
I have nothing with which to charge thee but the fear of God, and 
forethought with regard to the results of thine actions, and that 
thou conduct thyself kindly to the damsel Enees el-Jelees.—O my 
father, said the youth, who is like unto thee ? Thou hast been 
celebrated for virtuous actions, and the praying of the preachers for 
thee on the pulpits.— O my son, rejoined the Wezeer, I hope for 
the approbation of God, whose name be exalted! And then he 
pronounced the two professions of the faith, 9 and uttered a sigh, and 
was recorded among the company of the blest. And upon this, the 
palace was filled with shrieking, and the news reached the ears 
of the Sultan, and the people of the city heard of the death of 
El-Fadl the son of Khakan, and even the boys in the schools wept 
for him. 10 His son 'Alee Noor ed-Deen arose and prepared his 

444 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

funeral, and the Emeers and Wezeers 
and other officers of the state at- ,■ 
tended it, and among them was the 
Wezeer El-Mo’eenthe son of Sawee; and 
as the procession passed out from the 
mansion, one of the mourners recited 
these verses:— 

I said to the man who was appointed to wash 
him,—Would that he had yielded obedience 
to my counsel— 

Put away from him the water, and wash him 
with the tears of honour, shed in lamentation 
for him: 

And remove these fragrant substances collected 
for his corpse, and perfume him rather with 
the odours of his praise: 

And order the noble angels to carry him, in 
honour. Dost thou not behold them at¬ 
tending him? 

Cause not men’s necks to be strained by bearing 
him: enough are they laden already by his 
benefits. 11 

’Alee Noor ed-Deen for a long time 
remained in a state of violent grief for the 
loss of his father; hut as he was sitting one 
day in his father’s house, a person knocked 
at the door, and he rose up and opened 
it, and lo, there was a man who was one of 
his father’s intimate companions, and he 
kissed the hand of Noor ed-Deen, and 
said to him, O my master, he who hath 
left a son like thee hath not died. This is 
the destination of the lord of the first and 
the last among mankind. 13 O my master, 
cheer up thy heart, and give over mourning. 
—And upon this, ’Alee Noor ed-Deen arose, 
and went to the guest-chamber, and 
removed thither all that he required, 
and his companions came together to V i 
him, and he took again his slave. Ten >1 
of the sons of the merchants became 

if 

fl 

AND ENEES EL-JELEES. 

445 

his associates, and he gave entertainment after entertainment, and 
began to be lavish with presents. His steward, therefore, came 
in to him, and said to him, 0 my master Noor ed-Deen, hast thou 
not heard the saying, He who expendeth and doth not calculate 
is reduced to poverty ? This profuse expenditure, and these mag¬ 
nificent presents, will annihilate the property.—But when ’Alee 
Noor ed-Deen heard these words of his steward, he looked at him, 
and replied, Of all that thou hast said to me, I will not attend to 
one word. How excellent is the saying of the poet:— 

Tf I be possessed of wealth and be not liberal, may my hand never be extended, 
nor my foot raised! 

Shew me the avaricious who hath attained glory by his avarice, and the muni¬ 
ficent who hath died through his munificence. 13 

Know, O steward, he continued, that if there remain in thy 
hands what will suffice for my dinner, thou shalt not burden me 
with anxiety respecting my supper.—So the steward left him, and 
went his way; and ’Alee Noor ed-Deen resumed his habits of 
extravagant generosity: whenever any one of his companions said, 
Verily this thing is beautiful!—he would reply, It is a present 
to thee:— and if any said, 0 my master, verily such a house is 
delightful!— he would reply, It is a present to thee. 

He ceased not to give entertainments to his companions from the 
commencement of day, one after another, until he had passed 
in this manner a whole year; after which, as he was sitting with 
them, he heard the slave-girl recite these two verses:— 

Thou thoughtest well of the days when they went well with thee, and fearedst 
not the evil that destiny was bringing. 

Thy nights were peaceful, and thou wast deceived by them: in the midst 
of their brightness there cometh gloom. 

And immediately after, a person knocked at the door: so Noor 
ed-Deen arose, and one of his companions followed him without his 
knowledge; and when he opened the door, he beheld his steward, 
and said to him, What is the news ?— O my master, answered 
the steward, that which I feared on thy account hath happened 
to thee.—How is that? asked Noor ed-Deen. The steward answered, 
Know that there remaineth not of thy property in my hands, any¬ 
thing equivalent to a piece of silver, or less than a piece of silver; 
and these are the accounts of thy expenses, and of thy original 

446 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

property. When ’Alee Noor ed-Deen heard these words, he hung 
down his head towards the ground, and exclaimed, There is no 
strength nor power but in God! And the man who had followed 
him secretly to pry into his case, as soon as he heard what the 
steward told him, returned to his companions, and said to them, See 
what ye will do; for ’Alee Noor ed-Deen hath become a bankrupt. 
So when Noor ed-Deen returned to them, grief appeared to them in 
his countenance, and immediately one of them rose, and, looking 
towards him, said to him, O my master, I desire that thou wouldst 

permit me to depart_Why thus depart to-day ? said Noor ed-Deen. 

His guest answered, My wife is to give birth to a child this night, and 
it is impossible for me to be absent from her: I desire, therefore, to 
go and see her. And he gave him leave. Then another arose, and 
said to him, O my master Noor ed-Deen, I desire to-day to visit my 
brother; for he celebrateth the circumcision of his son. Thus each 
of them asked leave of him deceitfully, and went his way, until all 
had departed. 

So ’Alee Noor ed-Deen remained alone; and he called his slave- 
girl, and said to her, O Enees el-J elees, seest thou not what hath 
befallen me? And he related to her what the steward had told him. 
She replied, O my master, for some nights past, I have been anxious 
to speak to thee of this affair; but I heard thee reciting these two 
verses:— 

When fortune is liberal to thee, be thou liberal to all others before she escape 
from thee: 

For liberality will not annihilate thy wealth when she is favourable; nor avarice 
preserve it when she deserteth thee. 

And when I heard thee repeat these words, I was silent, and 
would not make any remark to thee.—O Enees el-Jelees, he rejoined, 
thou knowest that I have not expended my wealth but on my 
companions; and I do not think that they will abandon me without 
relief.—By Allah, said she, they will be of no use to thee. But he 
said, I will immediately arise and go to them, and knock at their 
doors: perhaps I shall obtain from them something which I will 
employ as a capital wherewith to trade, and I will cease from 
diversion and sport. So he arose instantly, and proceeded without 
stopping until he arrived at the by-street in which his ten companions 
resided; for they all lived in that same street: and he advanced to 

AND ENEES EL-JELEES. 

447 

the first door, and knocked; and there came forth to him a slave- 
girl, who said to him, Who art thou? He answered, Say to thy 
master,—’Alee Noor ed-Deen is standing at the door, and saith 
to thee, Thy slave kisseth thy hands, looking for a favour from thee. 
—And the girl entered, and acquainted her master; but he called 
out to her, saying, Return, and tell him. He is not here.—The girl, 
therefore, returned to Noor ed-Deen, and said to him, My master, 
Sir, is not here. And he went on, saying within himself, If this is 
a knave, and hath denied himself, another is not. He then 
advanced to the next door, and said as he had before; and the 
second also denied himself; and Noor ed-Deen exclaimed,— 

They are gone, who, if thou stoodest at their door, would bestow upon thee the 
bounty thou desirest. 

By Allah, he added, I must try all of them : perchance one of 
them may stand me in the place of all the others. And he went 
round to all the ten; but found not that one of them would open 
the door, or shew himself, or even order him a cake of bread; and 
he recited the following verses:— 

A man in prosperity resembleth a tree, which people flock round as long as it 
hath fruit; 

But as soon as it hath dropped all that it bore, they disperse from beneath it, 
and seek another. 

Perdition to all the people of this age! for I find not one man of integrity 
among ten. 

He then returned to his slave: his anxiety had increased, and 
she said to him, O my master, said I not unto thee that they would 
not profit thee ?—By Allah, he replied, not one of them shewed me 
his face.—O my master, rejoined she, sell of the moveables of the 
house a little at a time, and expend the produce. And he did so 
until he had sold all that was in the house, and there remained 
nothing in his possession; and upon this he looked towards Enees 
el-Jelees, and said to her, What shall we do now?—It is my advice, 
O my master, she answered, that thou arise immediately, and take 
me to the market, and sell me; for thou knowest that thy father 
purchased me for ten thousand pieces of gold, and perhaps God may 
open to thee away to obtain a part of this price; and if God have 
decreed our reunion, we shall meet again. But he replied, 0 Enees 
el-Jelees, it is not easy for me to endure thy separation for one hour.— 

448 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

Nor is the like easy to me, said she: but necessity is imperious. 
And upon this, he took Enees el-Jelees, his tears flowing down his 
cheeks, and went and delivered her to the broker, saying to liim, 
Know the value of that which thou art to cry for sale,—O my master 
Noor ed-Deen, replied the broker, noble qualities are held in 
remembrance. Is she not Enees el-Jelees, whom thy father pur¬ 
chased of me for ten thousand pieces of gold?—He answered, Yes. 
And the broker thereupon went to the merchants; but he found 
that they had not all yet assembled; so he waited till the rest had 
come, and the market was filled with all varieties of female slaves, 
Turkish and Greek and Circassian and Georgian and Abyssinian; 
and when he beheld its crowded state, he arose and exclaimed, O 
merchants! O possessors of wealth! every thing that is round is not 
a nut; nor is every thing long, a banana; nor is every tiling that is 
red, meat; nor is every thing white, fat; nor is every thing that is 
ruddy, wine; nor is everything tawny, a date! O merchants! this 
precious pearl, whose value no money can equal, with what sum 
will ye open the bidding for her?—And one of the merchants 
answered, With four thousand and five hundred pieces of gold. 14 

But lo, the Wezeer El-Mo’een the son of Sawee was in the 
market, and, seeing ’Alee Noor ed-Deen standing there, he said 
within himself, What doth he want here, having nothing left where¬ 
with to purchase female slaves? Then casting his eyes around, and 
hearing the broker as he stood crying in the market with the mer¬ 
chants around him, he said within himself, I do not imagine any¬ 
thing else than that he hath become a bankrupt, and come forth 
with the slave-girl to sell her; and if this be the case, how pleasant 
to my heart! He then called the crier, who approached him, and 
kissed the ground before him; 15 and the Wezeer said to him, I 
desire this female slave whom thou art crying for sale. The broker, 
therefore, being unable to oppose his wish, brought the slave and 
placed her before him; and when he beheld her, and considered 
her charms, her elegant figure and her soft speech, he was delighted 
with her, and said to the broker, To what has the bidding for her 
amounted? The broker answered, Four thousand and five hundred 
pieces of gold. And as soon as the merchants heard this, not 
one of them could bid another piece of silver or of gold; but all of 
them receded, knowing the tyrannical conduct of that Wezeer. 

El-Mo’een the son of Sawee then looked towards the broker, and 
said to him, Why standest thou still ? Take away the slave-girl for 
me at the price of four thousand and five hundred pieces of gold, 
and thou wilt have five hundred for thyself.—So the broker went to 
’Alee Noor ed-Deen, and said to him, O my master, the slave-girl is 
lost to thee without price.—How so? said Noor ed-Deen. The 
broker answered, We opened the bidding for her at four thousand 
and five hundred pieces of gold; but this tyrant El-Mo’een the son 
of Sawee came into the market, and when he beheld the damsel she 
pleased him, and he said to me, Ask her owner if he will agree for 
four thousand pieces of gold, and five hundred for thee:—and 1 
doubt not but he knoweth that the slave belongeth to thee; and if 
he give thee her price immediately, it will be through the goodness 
of God ; but I know, from his injustice, that he will write thee an 
order upon one of his agents for the money, and then send to them 
and desire them to give thee nothing; and every time that thou 

3 M 

VOL. I. 

450 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

shalt go to demand it of them, they will say to thee, To-morrow we 
will pay thee :—and they will not cease to promise thee, and to 
defer from day to day, notwithstanding thy pride; and when they 
are overcome by thy importunity they will say, Give us the written 
order:—and as soon as they have received the paper from thee they 
will tear it in pieces : so thou wilt lose the price of the slave. 

When Noor ed-Deen, therefore, heard these words of the 
broker, he said to him, What is to be done? The broker answered, 

I will give thee a piece of advice, and if thou receive it from me, 
thou wilt have better fortune.—What is it? asked Noor ed-Deen.— 
That thou come to me immediately, answered the broker, while I 
am standing in the midst of the market, and take the slave-girl from 
me, and give her a blow with thy hand, and say to her, Wo to thee! 

I have expiated my oath that I swore, and brought thee to the 
market, because I swore to thee that thou shouldst be exposed in 
the market, and that the broker should cry thee for sale.—If thou do 
this, perhaps the trick will deceive him and the people, and they 
will believe that thou tookest her not to the market but to expiate 
the oath.—This, replied Noor ed-Deen, is the right counsel. So the 
broker returned into the midst of the market, and, taking hold of 
the hand of the slave-girl, made a sign to the Wezeer El-Mo’een the 
son of Sawee, saying, O my lord, this is her owner who hath just 
come. Then ’Alee Noor ed-Deen advanced to the broker, and tore 
the damsel from him, and struck her with his hand, saying to her, 
Wo to thee! I have brought thee to the market for the sake of 
expiating my oath. Go home, and disobey me not again. I want 
not thy price, that I should sell thee; and if I sold the furniture of 
the house and everything else of the kind over and over again, their 
produce would not amount to thy price.—But when El-Mo’een the 
son of Sawee beheld Noor ed-Deen, he said to him, Wo to thee! 
Hast thou anything left to be sold or bought ? —And he would have 
laid violent hands upon him. The merchants then looked towards 
Noor ed-Deen (and they all loved him), and he said to them, Here 
am I before you, and ye have all known his tyranny.—By Allah, 
exclaimed the Wezeer, were it not for you, I had killed him! Then 
all of them made signs, one to another, with the eye, and said, Not 
one of us will interfere between thee and him. And upon this, 
’Alee Noor ed-Deen went up to the Wezeer, the son of Sawee 

AND ENEES EL-JELEES. 

451 

(and Noor ed-Deen was a man of courage), and he dragged the 
Wezeer from his saddle, and threw him upon the ground. There 
was at that spot a kneading-place for mud, 18 and the Wezeer fell 
into the midst of it, and Noor ed-Deen beat him with his fist, and a 
blow fell upon his teeth, by which his beard became dyed with his 
blood. Now there were with the Wezeer ten memlooks, and when 
they saw Noor ed-Deen treat their master in this manner, they put 
their hands upon the hilts of their swords, and would have fallen 
upon him and cut him in pieces; but the people said to them, This 
is a Wezeer, and this is the son of a Wezeer, and perhaps they 
may make peace with each other, and ye will incur the anger of both 
of them; or perhaps a blow may fall upon your master, and ye will 
all of you die the most ignominous of deaths: it is advisable, there¬ 
fore, that ye interfere not between them.—And when ’Alee Noor 
ed-Deen had ceased from beating the Wezeer, he took his slave-girl, 
and returned to his house. 

The Wezeer, the son of Sawee, then immediately arose, and his 
dress, which before was white, was now dyed with three colours, the 
colour of mud, and the colour of blood, and the colour of ashes; 17 
and when he beheld himself in this condition, he took a round 

452 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

mat, w and hung it to his neclt, and took in his hand two bundles of 
coarse grass, 19 and went and stood beneath the palace of the Sultan, 
and cried out, O King of the age! I am oppressed!—So they brought 
him before the King, who looked at him attentively, and saw that he 
was his Wezeer, El-Mo’een the son of Sawee. He said, therefore. 
Who hath done thus unto thee?—and the Wezeer cried and 
moaned, and repeated these two verses:— 

Shall fortune oppress me while thou existest; and the dogs devour me when 
thou art a lion? 

Shall all else who are dry drink freely from thy tanks, and I thirst in thy 
asylum when thou art as rain ? 

—O my lord, he continued, thus is every one who loveth thee and 
serveth thee : these afflictions always befal him.—And who, said the 
King again, hath done thus unto thee ?—Know, answered the Wezeer, 
that I went forth to-day to the market of the female slaves with the 
idea of buying a cook-maid, and saw in the market a slave-girl the 
like of whom I had never in my life beheld, and the broker said that 
she belonged to ’Alee Noor ed-Deen. Now our lord the Sultan had 
given his father ten thousand pieces of gold to buy for him with it a 
beautiful female slave, and he bought that girl, and she pleased him; 
so he gave her to his son ; and when his father died, the son pursued 
the path of prodigality, until he sold all his houses and gardens and 
utensils; and when he had become a bankrupt, nothing else remain¬ 
ing in his possession, he took the slave-girl to the market to sell her, 
and delivered her to the broker: so he cried her for sale, and the 
merchants continued bidding for her until her price amounted to 
four thousand pieces of gold; whereupon I said to myself, I will 
buy this for our lord the Sultan; for her original price was 
from him. I therefore said, O my son, receive her price, four 
thousand pieces of gold. But when he heard my words, he looked 
at me and replied, O ill-omened old man! I will sell her to the Jews 
and the Christians rather than to thee.—I then said to him, I would 
not buy her for myself, but for our lord the Sultan, who is our 
benefactor. As soon, however, as he had heard these words from me, 
he was filled with rage, and dragged me and threw me down from the 
horse, notwithstanding my advanced age, and beat me, and ceased 
not to do so until he left me in the state in which thou seest me. 
Nothing exposed me to all this ill treatment but my coming to 

AND ENEES EL-JELEES. 

453 

purchase this slave-girl for your majesty.—The Wezeer then threw 
himself upon the ground, and lay weeping and trembling. 

Now when the Sultan beheld his condition, and had heard 
his speech, the vein of anger swelled between his eyes, and he 
looked towards the members of his court who were attending him; 
whereupon forty swordsmen stood before him, and he said to them, 
Descend immediately to the house of ’Alee the son of El-Fadl the 
son of Khakan, and plunder it and demolish it, and bring hither him 
and the slave-girl with their hands bound behind them: drag them 
along upon their faces, and so bring them before me. They replied, 
We hear and obey:— and went forth to repair to the house of’Alee 
Noor ed-Deen. But there was in the court of the Sultan a cham¬ 
berlain named ’Alam ed-Deen Senjer, who had been one of the 
memlooks of El-Fadl the son of Khakan, the father of ’Alee Noor 
ed-Deen; and when he heard the order of the Sultan, and saw the 
enemies prepared to slay his master’s son, it was insupportable 
to him; so he mounted his horse, and proceeded to the house 
of ’Alee Noor ed-Deen, and knocked at the door. Noor ed-Deen 
came forth to him, and, when he saw him, knew him, and would 
have saluted him; but he said, O my master, this is not a time for 
salutation, nor for talking. Noor ed-Deen said, O ’Alam ed-Deen, 
what is the news ? He replied, Save thyself by flight, thou and the 
slave-girl; for El-Mo’een the son of Sawee hath set up a snare for 
you, and if ye fall into his hands he will slay you: the Sultan hath 
sent to you forty swordsmen, and it is my advice that ye fly before 
the evil fall upon you. Then Senjer stretched forth his hand to 
Noor ed-Deen with some pieces of gold, and he counted them, and 
found them to be forty pieces, and he said, O my master, receive 
these, and if I had with me more, I would give it thee: but this is 
not a time for expostulating. And upon this, Noor ed-Deen went 
in to the damsel, and acquainted her with the occurrence, and she 
was confounded. 

The two then went forth immediately from the city, and God let 
down the veil of his protection upon them, and they proceeded to 
the bank of the river, where they found a vessel ready to sail: the 
master was standing in the midst of it, and saying, He who hath any 
thing to do, whether leave-taking or procuring provisions, or who 
hath forgotten aught, let him do what he desireth and return; for 

454 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN, &c. 

we are going. And they all replied, We have nothing remaining to 
do, O master. So, upon this, the master said to his crew, Quick! 
Loose the rope’s end, and pull up the stake. 20 —And ’Alee Noor ed- 
Deen exclaimed, Whither, O master ? He answered, To the Abode 
of Peace, Baghdad. And Noor ed-Deen embarked, and the damsel 
with him, and they set the vessel afloat, and spread the sails, and it 
shot along like a bird with its pair of wings, carrying them forward 
with a favourable wind. 

Meanwhile, the forty men whom the Sultan had sent came to the 
house of ’Alee Noor ed-Deen, and broke open the doors and entered, 
and searched all the chambers, but without success: so they demo¬ 
lished the house, and returned, and acquainted the Sultan, who said, 
Search for them in every place where they may be:—and they 
replied, We hear and obey. The Wezeer El-Mo’een the son of 
Sawee then descended to his house, after the Sultan had invested him 
with a robe of honour, and had said to him, None shall take 
vengeance for thee but myself. And he greeted the King with 
a prayer for long life, and his heart was set at ease : and the Sultan 
gave orders to proclaim throughout the city, O all ye people! our 
lord the Sultan hath commanded that whoever shall meet with 
’Alee Noor ed-Deen, and bring him to the Sultan, shall be invested 
with a robe of honour, and he will give him a thousand pieces 
of gold; and he who shall conceal him, or know where he is, 
and not give information thereof, will merit the exemplary punish¬ 
ment that shall befal him ! So all the people began to search for him; 
but could not trace him.—Such was the case with these people. 

Now as to ’Alee Noor ed-Deen and his slave, they arrived 
in safety at Baghdad, and the master of the vessel said to them, 
This is Baghdad, and it is a city of security: winter with its cold 
hath departed from it, and the spring-quarter hath come with its 
roses, and its trees are in blossom, and its waters are flowing. And 
upon this, ’Alee Noor ed-Deen landed with his slave-girl, and gave 
the master five pieces of gold. They then walked a little way, and 
destiny cast them among the gardens, and they came to a place 
which they found swept and sprinkled, with long mastabahs, and pots 
suspended filled with water, and over it was a covering of trellis-work 
of canes extending along the whole length of a lane, at the upper 
end of which was the gate of a garden; but this was shut. And 

Noor ed-Deen said to the damsel, By Allah, this is a pleasant place! 
—and she replied, O my master, let us sit down a while upon one 
of these mastabahs. So they mounted and seated themselves there, 
and they washed their faces and hands, and enjoyed the current of 
the zephyr, and slept.—Glory be to Him who sleepeth not! 

This garden was called the Garden of Delight, and in it was a 
palace called the Palace of Diversion, and it belonged to the Khaleefeli 
Haroon Er-Rasheed, who, when his heart was contracted, used to 
come to this garden, and enter the palace above mentioned, and there 
sit. The palace had eighty latticed windows, and eighty lamps were 
suspended in it, and in the midst of it was a great candlestick of 
gold; and when the Khaleefeh entered it, he commanded the female 
slaves to open the windows, and ordered Is-hak the cup-companion 
to sing with them: so his heart became dilated, and his anxiety 
ceased. There was a superintendent to the garden, an old man, 

456 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN, &c. 

named the sheykh Ibraheem; and it happened that he went forth 
once to transact some business, and found there persons diverting 
themselves with women of suspicious character, whereupon he was 
violently enraged, and having waited until the Khaleefeh came 
thither some days after, he acquainted him with this occurrence, 
and the Khaleefeh said, Whomsoever thou shalt find at the gate of 
the garden, do with him what thou wilt. Now on this day the 
sheykh Ibraheem went out to transact an afifair of business, and 
found the two sleeping at the garden-gate, covered with a single 
izar; and he said, Do not these two persons know that the 
Khaleefeh hath given me permission to kill every one whom I find 
here ? But I will only give these two a slight beating, that no one 
may again approach the gate of the garden. He then cut a green 
palm-stick, and went forth to them, and raised his hand until the 
whiteness of his arm-pit appeared, and was about to beat them ; 
but he reflected in his mind, and said, O Ibraheem, how shouldst 
thou beat them when thou knowest not their case ? They may be 
two strangers, or of the children of the road, 21 whom destiny hath 
cast here. I will therefore uncover their faces, and look at them.— 
So he lifted up the izar from their faces, and said, These are two 
handsome persons, and it is not proper that I should beat them. 
And he covered their faces again, and, approaching the foot of ’Alee 
Noor ed-Deen, began to rub it gently; 22 whereupon Noor ed-Deen 
opened his eyes, and saw that he was an old man; and he blushed, 
and drew in his feet, and, sitting up, took the hand of the sheykh 
Ibraheem and kissed it; and the sheykh said to him, O my son, 
whence are ye ?—O my master, he answered, we are strangers ?— 
and a tear gushed from his eye. The sheykh Ibraheem then said 
to him, O my son, know that the Prophet (God favour and preserve 
him!) hath enjoined generosity to the stranger. Wilt thou not 
arise, O my son, and enter the garden, and divert thyself in it, that 
thy heart may be dilated ?—O my master, said Noor ed-Deen, to 
whom doth this garden belong ? The sheykh answered, O my son, 
this garden I inherited from my family. And his design in saying 
this was only that they might feel themselves at ease, and enter the 
garden. And when Noor ed-Deen heard his words, he thanked 
him, and arose, together with his slave, and, the sheykh Ibraheem 
preceding them, they entered the garden. 

The gate was arched, and over it were vines with grapes of 
different colours; the red, like rubies; and the black, like ebony. 
They entered a bower, and found within it fruits growing in 
clusters and singly, and the birds were warbling their various notes 
upon the branches: the nightingale was pouring forth its melodious 
sounds; and the turtle-dove tilled the place with its cooing; and 
the blackbird, in its singing, resembled a human being; and the 
ring-dove, a person exhilarated by wine. The fruits upon the 
trees, comprising every description that was good to eat, had 
ripened; and there were two of each kind: there were the camphor- 
apricot, and the almond-apricot, and the apricot of Khurasan; the 
plum of a colour like the complexion of beauties; the cherry 
delighting the sense of every man; the red, the white, and the 
green fig, of the most beautiful colours; and flowers like pearls and 
coral; the rose, whose redness put to shame the cheeks of the 
lovely; the violet, like sulphur in contact with fire; the myrtle, 

3 N 

VOL. I. 

458 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

the gilliflower, the lavender, and the anemone; and their leaves 
were bespangled with the tears of the clouds; the chamomile smiled, 
displaying its teeth, and the narcissus looked at the rose with its 
negroes’ eyes; the citrons resembled round cups; the limes were 
like bullets of gold ; the ground was carpeted with flowers of every 
colour, and the place beamed with the charms of spring; the river 
murmured by while the birds sang, and the wind whistled among 
the trees; the season was temperate, and the zephyr was languishing. 

The sheykh Ibraheem conducted them into the elevated saloon,” 
and they were charmed with its beauty and the extraordinary 
elegances which it displayed, and seated themselves in one of the 
windows; and Noor ed-Deen, reflecting upon his past entertain¬ 
ments, exclaimed, By Allah, this place is most delightful! It hath 
reminded me of past events, and quenched in me an anguish like 
the fire of the ghada. ”—The sheykh Ibraheem then brought to 
them some food, and they ate to satisfaction, and washed their 
hands, and Noor ed-Deen, seating himself again in one of the 
windows, called to his slave, and she came to him; and they sat 
gazing at the trees laden with all kinds of fruits; after which, Noor 
ed-Deen looked towards the sheykh, and said to him, O sheykh 
Ibraheem, hast thou not any beverage ? For people drink after 
eating.—So the sheykh brought him some sweet and cold water: 
but Noor ed-Deen said, This is not the beverage I desire.—Dost 
thou want wine ? asked the sheykh.—Yes, answered Noor ed-Deen. 
The sheykh exclaimed, I seek refuge with Allah from it! Verily, 
for thirteen years I have done nothing of that kind; for the Prophet 
(God favour and preserve him!) cursed its drinker and its presser 
and its carrier.—Hear from me two words, said Noor ed-Deen. 
The sheykh replied, Say what thou wilt. So he said, If thou be 
neither the presser of the wine, nor its drinker, nor its carrier, will 
aught of the curse fall upon thee ? The sheykh answered, No.— 
Then take this piece of gold, rejoined Noor ed-Deen, and these two 
pieces of silver, and mount the ass, and halt at a distance from the 
place, and whatsoever man thou findest to buy it, call to him, and 
say to him, take these two pieces of silver, and with this piece of 
gold buy some wine, and place it upon the ass:—so, in this case, 
thou wilt be neither the carrier nor the presser nor the buyer; and 
nothing will befal thee of that which befalleth the rest. 

AND ENEES EL-JELEES. 

459 

The sheykh Ibraheem, after laughing at his words, replied, By 
Allah, I have never seen one more witty than thou, nor heard 
speech more sweet. And Noor ed-Deen said to him, We have 
become dependant upon thee, and thou hast nothing to do but to 
comply with our wishes : bring, us, therefore, all that we require.— 
O my son, said the sheykh, my buttery here is before thee (and it 
was the store-room furnished for the Prince of the Faithful): enter 
it then, and take from it what thou wilt; for it containeth more 
than thou desirest. So Noor ed-Deen entered the store-room, and 
beheld in it vessels of gold and silver and crystal, adorned with a 
variety of jewels; and he took out such of them as he desired, and 
poured the wine into the vessels of earthenware and bottles of 
glass; and he and the damsel began to drink, astonished at the 
beauty of the things which they beheld. The sheykh Ibraheem 
then brought to them sweet-scented flowers, and seated himself at 
a distance from them; and they continued drinking, in a state of 
the utmost delight, until the wine took effect upon them, and their 
cheeks reddened, and their eyes wantoned like those of the gazelle, 
and their hair hung down: 25 whereupon the sheykh Ibraheem said, 
What aileth me that I am sitting at a distance from them ? Why 
should I not sit by them ? And when shall I be in the company of 
such as these two, who are like two moons ?—He then advanced, 
and seated himself at the edge of the raised portion of the floor; 
and Noor ed-Deen said to him, O my master, by my life I conjure 
thee to approach and join us. So he went to them; and Noor 
ed-Deen filled a cup, and, looking at the sheykh, said to him, 
Drink, that thou mayest know how delicious is its flavour. But the 
sheykh Ibraheem exclaimed, I seek refuge with Allah! Verily, for 
thirteen years I have done nothing of that kind.—And Noor ed- 
Deen, feigning to pay no attention to him, drank the cup, and 
threw himself upon the ground, pretending that intoxication had 
overcome him. 

Upon this, Enees el-Jelees looked towards the sheykh, and said 
to him, O sheykh Ibraheem, see how this man hath treated me.— 
0 my mistress, said he, what aileth him ? She rejoined, Always 
doth he treat me thus: he drinketh a while, and then sleepeth, and 
I remain alone, and find no one to keep me company over my cup. 
If I drink, who will serve me ? And if I sing, who will hear me ? 

4B0 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

—The sheykh, moved with tenderness and affection for her by her 
words, replied, It is not proper that a cup-companion be thus. The 
damsel then filled a cup, and, looking at the sheykh Ibraheem, said 
to him, I conjure thee by my life that thou take it and drink it; 
reject it not, but accept it, and refresh my heart. So he stretched 
forth his hand, and took the cup, and drank it; and she filled for 
him a second time, and handed it to him, saying, O my master, this 
remaineth for thee. He replied, By Allah, I cannot drink it: that 
which I have drunk is enough for me. But she said, By Allah, 
it is indispensable:—and he took the cup, and drank it. She then 
gave him the third; and he took it, and was about to drink it, 
when, lo, Noor ed-Deen raised himself, and said to him, O sheykh 
Ibraheem, what is this ? Did I not conjure thee a while ago, and 
thou refusedst, and saidst, Verily, for thirteen years I have not 
done it?—The sheykh Ibraheem, touched with shame, replied, 
By Allah, I am not in fault; for she pressed me. And Noor ed- 
Deen laughed, and they resumed their carousal, and the damsel, 
turning her eyes towards her master, said to him, O my master, 
drink thou, and do not urge the sheykh Ibraheem; that I may 
divert thee with the sight of him. So she began to fill and to hand 
to her master, and her master filled and gave to her, and thus they 
continued to do, time after time; till at length the sheykh Ibraheem 
looked towards them and said, What meaneth this ? And what 
sort of carousal is this ? Wherefore do ye not give me to drink, 
since I have become your cup-companion ?—At this they both 
laughed until they became almost senseless; and then drank, and 
gave him to drink; and they continued thus until the expiration 
of a third of the night, when the damsel said, O sheykh Ibraheem, 

AND ENEES EL-JELEES. 

m 

with thy permission shall I arise and light one of the candles which 
are arranged here ?—Rise, he answered; but light not more than 
one candle. But she sprang upon her feet, and, beginning with 
the first candle, proceeded until she had lighted eighty. She then 
sat down again ; and presently Noor ed-Deen said, O sheykh Ibra- 
heem, in what favour am I held with thee ? Wilt thou not allow 
me to light one of these lamps ?—The sheykh answered, Arise, and 
light one lamp, and be not thou also troublesome. So he arose, 
and, beginning with the first lamp, lighted all the eighty; and the 
saloon seemed to dance. And after this, the sheykh Ibraheem, 
overcome by intoxication, said to them, Ye are more frolicksome 
than I:—and he sprang upon his feet, and opened all the windows, 
and sat down again with them, and they continued carousing and 
reciting verses ; and the place rang with their merriment. 

Now God, the all-seeing and all-knowing, who hath appointed 
a cause to every event, had decreed that the Khaleefeh should be 
sitting that night at one of the windows looking towards the Tigris, 
by moonlight j and he looked in that direction, and saw the light of 
lamps and candles reflected in the river, and turning his eyes up 
towards the palace in the garden, he beheld it beaming with those 
candles and lamps, and exclaimed, Bring hither to me Jaafar El-Bar- 
mekee! In the twinkling of an eye, Jaafar stood before the Prince 
of the Faithful; and the Khaleefeh said to him, O dog of Wezeers, 
dost thou serve me and not acquaint me with what happeneth in 
the city of Baghdad ?—What, asked Jaafar, is the occasion of these 
words ? The Khaleefeh answered, If the city of Baghdad were not 
taken from me, the Palace of Diversion were not enlivened with 
the light of the lamps and candles, and its windows were not 
opened. Wo to thee! Who could do these things unless the 
office of Khaleefeh were taken from me ?—Who, said Jaafar (the 
muscles of his side quivering from fear), informed thee that the 
lamps and candles were lighted in the Palace of Diversion, and that 
its windows were opened ? The Khaleefeh replied, Advance hither 
to me, and look. So Jaafar approached the Khaleefeh, and, looking 
towards the garden, beheld the palace as it were a flame of fire, 
its light surpassing that of the moon. He desired, therefore, to 
make an excuse for the sheykh Ibraheem, the superintendent, 
thinking, from what he beheld, that the event might have occurred 

462 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN, &c. 

through his permission: and accordingly he said, O Prince of the 
Faithful, the sheykh Ibraheem last week said to me, O my master 
Jaafar, I am desirous of entertaining my children during my life 
and the life of the Prince of the Faithful.—And what, said I, is 
thy design in saying this ? He answered, It is my wish that thou 
wouldst obtain for me permission from the Khaleefeh that I may 
celebrate the circumcision of my sons in the palace. So I said, 
Do what thou wilt with respect to the entertainment of thy sons, 
and, if God will, I shall have an interview with the Khaleefeh, and 
will acquaint him with it. And he left me thus; and I forgot to 
acquaint thee.—0 Jaafar, said the Khaleefeh, thou wast guilty of 
one offence against me, and then thine offence became tw'o: for 
thou hast erred in two points: the first, thy not acquainting me 
with this affair; and the second, thy not accomplishing the desire of 
the sheykh Ibraheem ; for he did not come to thee and address thee 
with these words but to hint a demand for some money by the aid 
of which to effect his design, and thou neither gavest him anything 
nor acquaintedst me that I might give him.—O Prince of the 
Faithful, replied Jaafar, I forgot. 

The Khaleefeh then said, By my forefathers, I will not pass the 
remainder of my night but with him, for he is a just man, who 
frequenteth the sheykhs, 20 and attendeth to the poor, and favoureth 
the indigent; and I imagine all his acquaintances are with him this 
night: so I must repair to him : perhaps one of them may offer up 
for us a prayer productive of good to us in this world and the next; 
and probably some advantage may accrue to him from my presence, 
and he will receive pleasure from this, together with his friends.— 
O Prince of the Faithful, replied Jaafar, the greater part of the 
night hath passed, and they are now about to disperse. But the 
Khaleefeh said, We must go to them. And Jaafar was silent, and 
was perplexed in his mind, not knowing what to do. So the Kha. 
leefeh rose upon his feet, and Jaafar arose and preceded him, and 
Mesroor the eunuch went with them. The three walked on 
reflecting, and, departing from the palace, proceeded through the 
streets, in the attire of merchants, until they arrived at the gate of 
the garden above mentioned; and the Khaleefeh, approaching it, 
found it open; and he was surprised, and said, See, O Jaafar, how 
the sheykh Ibraheem hath left the gate open until this hour, 

which is not his usual custom. They then entered, and came to 
the end of the garden, where they stopped beneath the palace ; and 
the Khaleefeh said, 0 Jaafar, I desire to take a view of them secretly 
before I go up to them, that I may see how the sheykhs are 
occupied in the dispensing of their blessings and the employment 
of their miraculous powers; for they have qualities which distin¬ 
guish them both in their private retirements and in their public 
exercises; and now we hear not their voices, nor discover any 
indication of their presence. Having thus said, he looked around, 
and, seeing a tall walnut-tree, he said, O J aafar, 1 would climb this 
tree; for its branches are near to the windows; and look at them. 
And accordingly he ascended the tree, and climbed from branch to 
branch until he came to that which was opposite to one of the 
windows, and there he sat, and, looking in through this window of 
the palace, beheld a damsel and a young man, like two moons 

464 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

(extolled be the perfection of Him who created them !); and he saw 
the sheykh Ibraheem sitting with a cup in his hand, and saying, 
O mistress of beauties, drinking unaccompanied by merry sounds is 
not pleasant. Hast thou not heard the saying of the poet ?— 

Circulate it in the large cup, and in the small; and receive it from the hand 
of the shining moon : 27 

And drink not without merry sounds; for I have observed that horses drink 
to the sound of whistling. 

When the Khaleefeh witnessed this conduct of the sheykh 
Ibraheem, the vein of anger swelled between his eyes, and he 
descended, and said, O Jaafar, I have never seen anything of the 
miraculous performances of the just such as I have beheld this 
night: ascend, therefore, thyself also, into this tree, and look, lest 
the blessings of the just escape thee. 28 —On hearing the words of 
the Prince of the Faithful, Jaafar was perplexed at his situation; 
and he climbed up into the tree, and looked, and saw Noor ed-Deen 
and the sheykh Ibraheem and the damsel, and the sheykh Ibraheem 
had the cup in his hand. As soon as he beheld this, he made sure 
of destruction; and he descended, and stood before the Prince of 
the Faithful, and the Khaleefeh said, O Jaafar, praise be to God 
who hath made us to be of the number of those who follow the 
external ordinances of the holy law, and averted from us the sin of 
disguising ourselves by the practice of hypocrisy! But Jaafar was 
unable to reply, from his excessive confusion. The Khaleefeh then 
looked towards him, and said, Who can have brought these persons 
hither, and admitted them into my palace ? But the like of this 
young man and this damsel, in beauty and lovelines and symmetry 
of form, mine eye hath never beheld.—Jaafar, now conceiving a 
hope that the Khaleefeh might be propitiated, replied, Thou hast 
spoken truly, O Prince of the Faithful. And the Khaleefeh said, 
O Jaafar, climb up with us upon this branch which is opposite 
them, that we may amuse ourselves by observing them. So they 
both climbed up into the tree, and, looking at them, heard the 
sheykh Ibraheem say, O my mistress, I have relinquished decorum 
by the drinking of wine; but the pleasure of this is not complete 
without the melodious sounds of stringed instruments.—0 sheykh 
Ibraheem, replied Enees el-Jelees, by Allah, if we had any musical 

AND ENEES EL-JELEES. 

4G5 

instrument, our happiness were perfect. And when the sheykh 
Ibraheem heard her words, he rose upon his feet.—The Klia- 
leefeh said to Jaafar, What can he be going to do ? Jaafar replied, 
I know not. And the sheykh Ibraheem went away, and returned 
with a lute; and the Khaleefeh, looking attentively at it, saw that 
it was the lute of Is-hak the cup-companion; and said, By Allah, if 
this damsel sing not well, I will crucify you all; but if she sing well, 
I will pardon them, and crucify thee. So Jaafar said, O Allah, let 
her not sing well!—Why ? asked the Khaleefeh.—That thou mayest 
crucify all of us, answered Jaafar; and then we shall cheer one 
another by conversation. And the Khaleefeh laughed: and the 
damsel took the lute, and tuned its strings, and played upon it in a 
manner that would melt iron, and inspire an idiot with intellect; 
after which she sang with such sweetness that the Khaleefeh 
exclaimed, O Jaafar, never in my life have I heard so enchanting a 
voice as this!—Perhaps, said J aafar, the anger of the Khaleefeh 
hath departed from him?—Yea, he answered; it hath departed. 
He then descended with Jaafar from the tree, and, looking towards 
him, said, I am desirous of going up to them, to sit with them, and 
to hear the damsel sing before me.—O Prince of the Faithful, 
replied Jaafar, if thou go up to them, probably they will be troubled 
by thy presence; and as to the sheykh Ibraheem, he will assuredly 
die of fear. The Khaleefeh therefore said, O Jaafar, thou must 
acquaint me with some stratagem by means of which I may learn 
the truth of the affair without their knowing that I have discovered 
them. And he and J aafar walked towards the Tigris, reflecting 
upon this matter; and lo, a fisherman stood beneath the windows 
of the palace, and he threw his net, hoping to catch something by 
means of which to obtain his subsistence.—Now the Khaleefeh had, 
on a former occasion, called to the sheykh Ibraheem, and said to 
him, What was that noise that I heard beneath the windows of the 
palace ?—and he answered, The voices of the fishermen, who are 
fishing :—so he said, Go down and forbid them from coming to this 
place. They were therefore forbidden to come thither; but. this 
night there came a fisherman named Kereem, and, seeing the garden- 
gate open, he said within himself, This is a time of inadvertence, 
and perhaps I may catch some fish on this occasion :—so he took his 
net, and threw it into the river, and then recited some verses, con- 

3 o 

VOL. I. 

466 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

trasting the condition of the poor fisherman, toiling throughout the 
night, with that of the lord of the palace, who, awaking from a 
pleasant slumber, findeth the fawn in his possession; and as soon as 
he had finished his recitation, lo, the Khaleefeh, unattended, stood 
at his head. The Khaleefeh knew him, and exclaimed, O Kereem! 
— and the fisherman, hearing him call him by his name, turned 
towards him; and when he beheld the Khaleefeh, the muscles of 
his side quivered, and he said, By Allah, O Prince of the Faithful, 
I did not this in mockery of the mandate; but poverty and the 
wants of my family impelled me to the act of which thou art wit¬ 
ness. The Khaleefeh replied, Throw thy net for my luck. And 
the fisherman advanced, rejoicing exceedingly, and cast the net, and, 
having waited until it had attained its limit and become steady at 
the bottom, drew it in again, and there came up in it a variety of 
fish that could not be numbered. 

The Khaleefeh was delighted at this, and said, O Kereem, strip 
off thy clothes:—and he did so. He was clad in a jubbeh 29 in 
which were a hundred patches of coarse woollen stuff, containing 

AND ENEES EL-JELEES. 

467 

vermin of the most abominable kind, and among them fleas in such 
numbers that he might almost have been transported by their means 
over the face of the earth; and he took from his head a turban 
which for three years he had never unwound; but when he hap¬ 
pened to find a piece of rag he twisted it around it: and when he 
had taken off the jubbeh and turban, the Khaleefeh pulled off from 
his own person two vests of silk of Alexandria and Baalabekk, and 
a melwatah 80 and a farajeeyeh, 31 and said to the fisherman, Take 
these, and put them on. The Khaleefeh then put on himself the 
fisherman’s jubbeh and turban, and, having drawn a litham” over 
his face, said to the fisherman, Go about thy business;—and he 
kissed the feet of the Khaleefeh, and thanked him, reciting these 
two verses:— 

Thou hast granted me favours beyond my power to acknowledge, and com¬ 
pletely satisfied all my wants. 

I will thank thee, therefore, as long as I live; and when I die, my bones will 
thank thee in their grave. 33 

But scarcely had he finished his verses, when the vermin overran 
the person of the Khaleefeh, and he began to seize them with his 
right hand and his left from his neck, and to throw them down; 
and he exclaimed, O fisherman, wo to thee! What are these 
abundant vermin in this jubbeh?—O my lord, he answered, at 
present they torment thee; but when a week shall have passed over 
thee, thou wilt not feel them, nor think of them. The Khaleefeh 
laughed, and said to him, How can I suffer this jubbeh to remain 
upon me ? The fisherman replied, I wish to tell thee something; 
but I am ashamed, through my awe for the Khaleefeh.—Impart, 
said the Khaleefeh, what thou hast to tell me. So he said to him, 
It hath occurred to my mind, O Prince of the Faithful, that thou 
desirest to learn the art of fishing, in order that thou mayest be 
master of a trade that may profit thee; and if such be thy desire, 
this jubbeh is suitable to thee. And the Khaleefeh laughed at his 
words. 

The fisherman then went his way, and the Khaleefeh took the 
basket of fish, and, having put upon it a little grass, went with it 
to Jaafar, and stood before him; and Jaafar, thinking that he was 
Kereem the fisherman, feared for him, and said, O Kereem, what 

468 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

brought thee hither? Save thyself by flight; for the Khaleefeh 
is here this night.—And when the Khaleefeh heard the words of 
Jaafar, he laughed until he fell down upon his back. So Jaafar 
said, Perhaps thou art our lord the Prince of the Faithful ?—Yes, 
O Jaafar, answered the Khaleefeh, and thou art my Wezeer, and 
I came with thee hither, and thou knowest me not. How then 
should the sheykh Ibraheem know me when he is drunk ? Remain 
where thou art until I return to thee.—Jaafar replied, I hear and 
obey:—and the Khaleefeh advanced to the door of the palace, and 
knocked. The sheykh Ibraheem arose, therefore, and said, Who 
is at the door ? He answered, I, O sheykh Ibraheem. The 
sheykh said, Who art thou ?—and the Khaleefeh answered, I am 
Kereem the fisherman: I heard that there were guests with thee, 
and have therefore brought thee some fish; for it is excellent.— 
Now Noor ed-Deen and the damsel were both fond of fish, and 
when they heard the mention of it they rejoiced exceedingly, and 
said, O my master, open to him, and let him come in to us with 
the fish which he hath brought. So the sheykh Ibraheem opened 
the door, and the Khaleefeh, in his fisherman’s disguise, entered, 
and began by salutation; and the sheykh Ibraheem said to him. 
Welcome to the robber, the thief, the gambler! Come hither, 
and shew us the fish which thou hast brought.—He therefore 
shewed it to them; and lo, it was alive, and moving; and the 
damsel exclaimed, By Allah, O my master, this fish is excellent! 
I wish it were fried!—By Allah, said the sheykh Ibraheem, thou 
hast spoken truth. Then addressing the Khaleefeh, he said, O 
fisherman, I wish thou hadst brought this fish fried. Arise, and fry 
it for us, and bring it.—On the head be thy commands, replied the 
Khaleefeh: I will fry it, and bring it.—Be quick, said they, in 
doing it. 

The Khaleefeh therefore arose and ran back to J aafar, and said, 
O Jaafar, they want the fish fried.—O Prince of the Faithful, replied 
he, give it me, and I will fry it. But the Khaleefeh said, By the 
tombs of my ancestors, none shall fry it but myself: with my own 
hand will I do it! He then repaired to the hut of the superin¬ 
tendent, and, searching there, found in it everything that he 
required, the frying-pan, and even the salt, and wild marjoram, 
&c. So he approached the fire-place, and put on the frying-pan, 

AND ENEES EL-JELEES. 

469 

and fried it nicely; and when it was done, he put it upon a banana- 
leaf, and, having taken from the garden some limes, he went up 
with the fish> and placed it before them. The young man, there¬ 
fore, and the damsel and the sheykh Ibraheem advanced and ate ; 
and when they had finished, they washed their hands, and Noor 
ed-Deen said, By Allah, 0 fisherman, thou hast done us a kindness 
this night. Then putting his hand into his pocket, he took forth 
for him three pieces of gold, of those which Senjer had presented 
to him when he was setting forth on his journey, and said, O fish¬ 
erman, excuse me; for, by Allah, if I had known thee before the 
events that have lately happened to me, I would have extracted the 
bitterness of poverty from thy heart: but take this as accordant 
with my present circumstances. So saying, he threw the pieces of 
gold to the Khaleefeh, who took them, and kissed them, 34 and put 
them in his pocket. The object of the Khaleefeh in doing this 
was only that he might hear the damsel sing: so he said to him, 
Thou hast treated me with beneficence, and abundantly recom¬ 
pensed me; but I beg of thy unbounded indulgence that this 
damsel may sing an air, that I may hear her. Noor ed-Deen 
therefore said, O Enees el-Jelees! She replied, Yes.—By my life, 
said he, sing to us something for the gratification of this fisherman; 
for he desireth to hear thee. And when she had heard what her 
master said, she took the lute, and tried it with her fingers, after 
she had twisted its pegs, and sang to it these two verses:— 

The fingers of many a fawn-like damsel have played upon the lute, and the 
soul hath been ravished by the touch. 

She hath made the deaf to hear her songs; and the dumb hath exclaimed, 
Thou hast excelled in thy singing! 

Then she played again, in an extraordinary manner, so as to charm 
the minds of her hearers, and sang the following couplet:— 

We are honoured by your visiting our abode, and your splendour hath dis¬ 
pelled the darkness of the moonless night: 

It is therefore incumbent upon me to perfume my dwelling with musk and 
rose-water and camphor. 

Upon this, the Khaleefeh was affected with violent emotion, 
and overcome by ecstacy, so that he was no longer master of himself 

from excessive delight; and he began to exclaim, Allah approve 
thee! Allah approve thee! Allah approve thee! So Noor ed- 
Deen said to him, O fisherman, have the damsel and her art in 
striking the chords pleased thee?—Yea, by Allah! exclaimed the 
Khaleefeh. And Noor ed-Deen immediately said, She is bestowed 
upon thee as a present from me, the present of a generous man 
who will not revoke his gift. And he arose upon his feet, and 
took a melwatah, and threw it upon the Khaleefeh in the fisherman’s 
disguise, ordering him to depart with the damsel. But she looked 
towards him, and said, O my master, wilt thou part from me without 
bidding me farewell ? If we must he separated, pause while I take 
leave of thee.—And she recited the following couplet:— 

If you depart from me, still your abode will be in my heart, in the recess of 
my bosom. 

I implore the Compassionate to grant our reunion; and a boon such as this, 
God will grant to whom He pleaseth. 

And when she had finished, Noor ed-Deen thus replied to her:— 

She bade me farewell on the day of separation, saying, while she wept from 
the pain that it occasioned, 

What wilt thou do after my departure ?—Say this, I replied, unto him who 
will survive it. 

The Khaleefeh, when he heard this, was distressed at the idea 
of separating them, and, looking towards the young man, he said 
to him, O my master, art thou in fear on account of any crime, or 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN, &c. 

471 

art thou in debt to any one ? Noor ed-Deen answered, By Allah, 
O fisherman, a wonderful event, and an extraordinary adventure, 
happened to me and this damsel: if it were engraved on the under¬ 
standing, it would be a lesson to him who would be admonished.— 
Wilt thou not, rejoined the Khaleefeh, relate to us thy story, and 
acquaint us with thy case ? Perhaps thy doing so may be pro¬ 
ductive of relief; for the relief of God is near.—So Noor ed-Deen 
said, Wilt thou hear our story in poetry or in prose?—Prose, 
answered the Khaleefeh, is mere talk; and verse, words put toge¬ 
ther like pearls. And Noor ed-Deen hung down his head towards 
the ground, and then related his story in a series of verses: but 
when he had finished, the Khaleefeh begged him to explain his 
case more fully. He therefore acquainted him with the whole of 
his circumstances from beginning to end ; and when the Khaleefeh 
understood the affair, he said to him, Whither wouldst thou now 
repair ? He answered, God’s earth is wide. The Khaleefeh then 
said to him, I will write for thee a letter which thou shalt convey 
to the Sultan Mohammad the son of Suleyman Ez-Zeynee, and 
when he shall have read it, he will do thee no injury.—Is there in 
the world, said Noor ed-Deen, a fisherman who correspondeth with 
Kings ? Verily this is a thing that can never be.—Thou hast spoken 
truly, rejoined the Khaleefeh; but I will acquaint thee with the 
cause. Know that I read in the same school with him, under a 
master, and I was his monitor; and after that, prosperity was his 
lot, and he became a Sultan, while God made me to be a fisherman: 
yet I have never sent to request anything of him, but he hath 
performed my wish; and if I sent to him every day to request a 
thousand things of him, he would do what I asked. When Noor 
ed-Deen, therefore, heard his words, he said to him, Write, that I 
may see. And he took an ink-case and a pen, and wrote (after the 
phrase, In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful)— 
To proceed.—This letter is from Haroon Er-Rasheed the son of 
El-Mahdee, to his highness Mohammad the son of Suleyman Ez- 
Zeynee, who hath been encompassed by my beneficence, and whom 
I constituted my viceroy of a portion of my dominions. I acquaint 
thee that the bearer of this letter is Noor ed-Deen the son of El- 
Eadl the son of Khakan the Wezeer, and on his arrival in thy 
presence thou shalt divest thyself of the regal authority, and seat 

472 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

him in thy place; for I have appointed him to the office to which 
I formerly appointed thee: so disobey not my commands: and 
peace be on thee.—He then gave the letter to ’Alee Noor ed-Deen, 
who took it and kissed it and put it in his turban, and immediately 
set forth on his journey. 

The sheykh Ibraheem now looked towards the Khaleefeh in his 
fisherman’s disguise, and said to him, O most contemptible of fisher¬ 
men, thou hast brought us two fish worth twenty half-dirhems, 3S 
and received three pieces of gold, and desirest to take the slave 
also. But when the Khaleefeh heard these words, he cried out at 
him, and made a sign to Mesroor, who immediately discovered him¬ 
self, and rushed in upon him. Jaafar, meanwhile, had sent one of 
the attendants of the garden to the porter of the palace to demand 
a suit of clothing of him for the Prince of the Faithful; and the 
man went, and brought the dress, and kissed the ground before the 
Khaleefeh, who took off and gave to him that with which he was 
then clad, and put on this suit. The sheykh Ibraheem was sitting 
on a chair: the Khaleefeh paused to see the result: and the sheykh 
was astounded, and began to bite the ends of his fingers through his 
confusion; saying, Am I asleep or awake? The Khaleefeh then 
looked at him, and said, O sheykh Ibraheem, what is this predica¬ 
ment in which thou art placed ? And upon this, the sheykh reco¬ 
vered from his intoxication, and, throwing himself upon the ground, 
implored forgiveness: and the Khaleefeh pardoned him; after which 
he gave orders that the damsel should be conveyed to the palace 
where he resided; and when she had arrived there, he appropriated 
to her a separate lodging, and appointed persons to wait upon her, 
and said to her, Know that I have sent thy master as Sultan of 
El-Basrah, and, if God please, I will despatch to him a dress of 
honour, and send thee also to him with it. 

As to Noor ed-Deen, he continued his journey until he entered 
El-Basrah, and went up to the palace of the Sultan, when he uttered 
a loud cry, whereupon the Sultan desired him to approach; and 
when he came into the presence of the King, he kissed the ground 
before him, and produced the letter, and-handed it to him. And as 
soon as the Sultan saw the superscription in the handwriting of the 
Prince of the Faithful, he rose upon his feet, and, having kissed it 
three times, said, I hear and pay obedience to God (whose name be 

AND ENEES EL-JELEES. 

473 

exalted!) and to the Prince of the Faithful. He then summoned 
before him the four Kadees, 36 and the Emeers, and was about to 
divest himself of the regal office: but lo, the Wezeer El-Mo’een 
the son of Sawee was before him, and the Sultan gave him the 
letter of the Prince of the Faithful, and when he saw it, he rent it 
in pieces, and put it into his mouth, and chewed it, and threw it 
down. The Sultan, enraged, cried, Wo to thee! What hath 
induced thee to act thus ?—He answered, This man hath had no 
interview with the Khaleefeh nor with his Wezeer; but is a young 
wretch, an artful devil, who, having met with a paper containing 
the handwriting of the Khaleefeh, hath counterfeited it, arid written 
what he desired: wherefore then shouldst thou abdicate the sove¬ 
reignty, when the Khaleefeh hath not sent to thee an envoy with a 
royal autographical mandate; for if this affair were true, he had 
sent with him a Chamberlain or a Wezeer; but he came alone.— 
What then is to be done? said the Sultan. The Wezeer answered, 
Send away this young man with me, and I will take charge of him, 
and despatch him in company with a Chamberlain to the city of 
Baghdad; and if his words be true, he will bring us a royal auto¬ 
graphical mandate and diploma of investiture; and if not true, they 
will send him back to us with the Chamberlain, and I will take 
my revenge upon my offender. 

When the Sultan heard what the Wezeer said, it pleased him; 
and the Wezeer took him away, 37 and cried out to the pages, who 
threw down Noor ed-Deen, and beat him until he became insen¬ 
sible. He then ordered to put a chain upon his feet, and called to 
the jailer; and when he came, he kissed the ground before him. 
This jailer was named Kuteyt; 39 and the Wezeer said to him, O 
Kuteyt, I desire that thou take this person, and cast him into one 
of the subterranean cells which are in thy prison, and torture him 
night and day. The jailer replied, I hear and obey: and he put 
Noor ed-Deen into the prison, and locked the door upon him; but 
after having done this, he gave orders to sweep a mastabah within 
the door, and furnished it with a prayer-carpet and a pillow, and 
seated Noor ed-Deen upon it, and loosed his chain, and treated him 
with kindness. The Wezeer every day sent to him, commanding 
him to beat him; and the jailer pretended that he tortured him, 
while, on the contrary, he treated him with benignity. 

3 r 

VOL. I. 

474 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN 

Thus he continued to do for forty days; and on the forty-first 
day, there came a present from the Khaleefeh, and when the Sultan 
saw it, it pleased him, and he conferred with the Wezeers upon the 
subject; but one said, Perhaps this present was designed for the 
new Sultan. Upon this, the Wezeer El-Mo’een the son of Sawee 
remarked, It were proper to have slain him on his arrival:—and the 
Sultan exclaimed, Now thou hast reminded me of him, go down 
and bring him, and I will strike off his head. The Wezeer replied, 
I hear and obey:—and arose, saying, I desire to proclaim through¬ 
out the city, He who wisheth to witness the decapitation of Noor 
ed-Deen ’Alee the son of El-Fadl the son of Khakan, let him come 
to the palace:—so that all the people may come to behold it, and 
I may gratify my heart, and mortify my enviers. The Sultan said, 
Do what thou wilt. So the Wezeer descended, full of joy and 
happiness, and went to the Walee, and ordered him to make this 
proclamation; and when the people heard the crier, they all grieved 
and wept, even the boys in the schools, and the tradesmen in their 
shops; and numbers of the people strove together to take for them¬ 
selves places where they might behold the spectacle, while others 
repaired to the prison, to accompany him thence. The Wezeer 
then went forth, attended by ten memlooks, to the prison: and 
Kuteyt the jailer said to him. What dost thou desire, O our lord 
the Wezeer?—Bring forth to me, said the Wezeer, this young 
wretch. The jailer replied, He is in a most miserable state from 
the excessive beating which I have inflicted upon him. And he 
entered, and found him reciting some verses, commencing thus:— 

Who is there to aid me in my affliction? For my pain hath become intense, 
and my remedy is scarce procurable ! 

And the jailer pulled off from him his clean clothes, and, having 
clad him in two dirty garments, brought him out to the Wezeer. 
Noor ed-Deen then looked at him, and saw that he was his enemy 
who had incessantly desired his destruction; and when he beheld 
him, he wept, and said to him, Art thou secure from misfortune ? 
Hast thou not heard the saying of the poet ?— 

They made use of their power, and used it tyrannically; and soon it became 
as though it never had existed. 

AND ENEES EL-JELEES. 

475 

O Wezeer, know that God (whose perfection be extolled, and 
whose name be exalted!) is the doer of whatsoever He willeth.— 
O ’Alee, replied the Wezeer, wouldst thou frighten me by these 
words ? I am now going to strike off thy head, in spite of the people 
of El-Basrah; and I will pay no regard to thy counsel; but I will 
rather attend to the saying of the poet:— 

Let fortune do whatever it willeth, and bear with cheerful mind the effects of 
fate. 

How excellent also is the saying of another poet 

He who liveth after his enemy a single day, hath attained his desire. 

The Wezeer then ordered his pages to convey him on the back 
of a mule; whereupon they said to him (being distressed to obey), 
Suffer us to stone him and cut him in pieces, though our lives 
should be sacrificed in consequence. But he replied, Never do it. 
Have ye not heard what the poet hath said:— 

A decreed term is my inevitable lot; and as soon as its days have expired, 
I die. 

If the lions dragged me into their forest, they could not close it while aught of 
it remained. 

So they proceeded to proclaim before Noor ed-Deen, This is the 
smallest recompense of him who forgeth a letter from the Khaleefeh 
to the Sultan. And they continued to parade him throughout 
El-Basrah until they stationed him beneath the window of the 
palace, and in the place of blood, 39 when the executioner approached 
him, and said to him, I am a slave under command; and if thou 
hast any want, acquaint me with it, that I may perform it for thee; 
for there remaineth not of thy life any more than the period until 
the Sultan shall put forth his face from the window. And upon 
this, Noor ed-Deen looked to the right and left, and recited these 
verses:— 

Is there among you a merciful friend, who will aid me 7 I conjure you by 
Allah to answer me! 

My life hath passed, and my death is at hand! Is there any who will pity 
me, to obtain my recompense, 40 

And consider my state, and relieve my anguish, by a draught of water that 
my torment may be lightened ? 

176 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN, Src. 

And the people were excited to tears for him; and the executioner 
took some water to hand it to him ; but the Wezeer arose from 
his place, and struck the kulleh 41 of water with his hand, and broke 
it, and called to the executioner, commanding him to strike off his 
head; whereupon he bound Noor ed-Deen’s eyes. The people, 
however, called out against the Wezeer, and raised a tumultuous 
cry against him, and many words passed between them; and while 
they were in this state, lo, a dust arose, and filled the sky and the 
open tracts ; and when the Sultan beheld it, as he sat in the palace, 
he said to his attendants, See what is the news. The Wezeer said, 
After thou shalt first have beheaded this man. But the Sultan 
replied, Wait thou until we see what is the news. 

Now this dust was the dust of Jaafar, the Weezer of the 
Khaleefeh, and of his attendants; and the cause of their coming 
was this.—The Khaleefeh had passed thirty days without remem¬ 
bering the affair of ’Alee the son of El-Fadl the son of Khakan, and 
no one mentioned it to him, until he came one night to the private 
apartment of Enees el-Jelees, and heard her lamenting, as she 
recited, with a soft voice, the saying of the poet:— 

Thine image [is before me] whether distant or near, and my tongue never 
ceaseth to mention thee. 

Her lamentation increased, and lo, the Khaleefeh opened the door, 
and entered the chamber, and saw Enees el-Jelees weeping. On 
beholding the Khaleefeh, she fell at liis feet, and, having kissed 
them three times, recited these two verses:— 

O tliou of pure origin, and of excellent birth; of ripe-fruitful branch, and of 
unsullied race! 

I remind thee of the promise thy beneficence granted, and far be it from thee 
that thou shouldst forget it. 

The Khaleefeh said to her, Who art thou? She answered, I am 
the present given to thee by ’Alee the son of El-Fadl the son of 
Khakan; and I request the fulfilment of the promise which thou 
gavest me, that thou wouldst send me to him with the honorary 
gift; for I have now been here thirty days, and have not tasted 
sleep. And upon this, the Khaleefeh summoned Jaafar El-Bar- 
mekee, and said to him, For thirty days I have heard no news of 
’Alee the son of El-Fadl the son of Khakan, and I imagine nothing 

less than that the Sultan hath killed him: but, by my head! by 
the tombs of my ancestors! if any evil event have happened to him, 
I will destroy him who hath been the cause of it, though he be the 
dearest of men in my estimation! I desire, therefore, that thou 
journey immediately to El-Basrah, and bring me an account of the 
conduct of the King Mohammad the son of Suleyman Ez-Zeynee 
to ’Alee the son of El-Fadl the son of Khakan. 

So Jaafar obeyed his commands, and set forth on his journey, 
and when he approached, and saw this tumult and crowd, he said, 
What is the occasion of this crowd ? They related to him, therefore, 
the situation in which they were with regard to Noor ed-Deen; and 
when he heard their words, he hastened to go up to the Sultan, 
and, having saluted him, acquainted him with the cause of his 
coming, and told him, that if any evil event had happened to ’Alee 
Noor ed-Deen, the Khaleefeh would destroy him who was the cause 
of it. He then arrested the Sultan, and the Wezeer El-Mo’een the 
son of Sawee, and gave orders to liberate ’Alee Noor ed-Deen, and 
enthroned him as Sultan in the place of the Sultan Mohammad the 

478 

THE STORY OF NOOR ED-DEEN, &c. 

son of Suleyman Ez-Zeyuee; after which he remained in El-Basrah 
three days, the usual period of entertainment; and on the morning 
of the fourth day, ’Alee Noor ed-Deen said to Jaafar, I have a 
longing desire to see the Prince of the Faithful. So Jaafar said 
to the King Mohammad the son of Suleyman, Prepare thyself for 
travelling; for we will perform the morning-prayers, and depart to 
Baghdad. He replied, I hear and obey:—and they performed the 
morning-prayers, and mounted all together, with the Wezeer El- 
Mo’een the son of Sawee, who now repented of what he had done. 
As to ’Alee Noor ed-Deen, he rode by the side of Jaafar: and they 
continued their journey until they arrived at Baghdad, the Abode 
of Peace. 

They then presented themselves before the Khaleefeh, and 
related to him the case of Noor ed-Deen; whereupon the Khaleefeh 
addressed him, saying, Take this sword, and strike off with it the 
head of thine enemy. And he took it, and approached El-Mo’een 
the son of Sawee; but he looked at him, and said to him, I did 
according to my nature, and do thou according to thine. And 
Noor ed-Deen threw down the sword from his hand, and, looking 
towards the Khaleefeh, said, O Prince of the Faithful, he hath 
beguiled me. So the Khaleefeh said, Do thou leave him :—and he 
said to Mesroor, O Mesroor, advance thou, and strike off his head. 
Mesroor, therefore, did so: and upon this, the Khaleefeh said to 
’Alee the son of El-Fadl the son of Khakan, Request of me what 
thou wilt. He replied, O my lord, I have no want of the sove¬ 
reignty of El-Basrah, and desire nothing but to have the honour 
of serving thee.—Most willingly I assent, said the Khaleefeh:— 
and he summoned the damsel, and when she had come before him, 
he bestowed favours upon them both; he gave to them one of the 
palaces of Baghdad, and assigned to them regular allowances, and 
made Noor ed-Deen one of his companions at the table; and he 
remained with him until death overtook him. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTH. 

Note 1. 

In the old Version the person here named Enees el-Jelees is called “ The Fair 
Persianbut I do not find her so described in any copy of the original. The 
name here given to her may be rendered “ The Companion's Cheerer;” “ Enees” 
being a term applied to any person or thing serving as an agreeable, cheering 
companion; and “ Jelees” signifying “a companion,” or “one in the habit of 
silting with another.” 

Note 2. 

“ Khatteeyeli” is derived from “ khatt,” which signifies “ writing,” but which 
is also the name of a place (Khatt Hejer) in the province of El-Bahreyn, a famous 
mart for spears. Of the figure of speech employed in the couplet in which this 
word occurs (considered by the Arabs an elegant mode of aetiology, and called by 
them “ hosn et-taaleel") my sheykli gives the following example in a marginal 
note:— 

“ And the rain fell not hut for the purpose of kissing the ground before 
thee.” 

Note 3. 

“ El-Mo’een” signifies “ the Aider,” or “ the Assistant." 

Note 4. 

“ El-Fadl,” signifying “ the Excellence,” is here, as a proper name, an abbre¬ 
viation of “ Fadl ed-Deen,” “ the Excellence of the Religion.” 

Note 5. 

This phrase (a person of auspicious aspect*) is often used by the modern 
Arabs and the Turks, and signifies “ a virtuous or beneficent man. 

In Arabic, " maMani kheyrin" (vutgn, " mahijar kheyr”); in Turkish, “ neek mahjar." 

480 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTH. 

Note 6. 

This answer is not to be understood in its literal sense; it has become a 
common form of speech which an Arab often uses for the purpose of obtaining 
something more than he would venture to demand. 

Note 7. 

“ May it be favourable,” or “- beneficial,” is a compliment usually 

addressed to a person who has just been to the bath, and to a man who has just 
had his head shaved. The reply is, “ May God bestow favours upon thee." 

Note 8 .—On the Law respecting Murder and unintentional Homicide. 

The Kur-in ordains that murder shall be punished with death; or, rather, that 
the free shall die for the free, the slave for the slave, and a woman for a woman ; 
or that the perpetrator of the crime shall pay, to the heirs of the person whom he 
has killed, if they will allow it, a fine, which is to be divided according to the laws 
of inheritance.* It also ordains, that unintentional homicide shall be expiated by 
freeing a believer from slavery, and paying, to the family of the person killed, 
a fine, unless they remit it.f But these laws are amplified and explained by the 
same book and by the ImSms.—A fine is not to be accepted for murder unless the 
crime has been attended by some palliating circumstance. This fine, the price of 
blood, is a hundred camels; or a thousand deen&rs (about £500) from him who 
possesses gold; or, from him who possesses silver, twelve thousand dirhems! (about 
£300). This is for killing a free man ; for a woman, half that sum ; for a slave, 
his or her value, but that must fall short of the price of blood for the free. A 
person unable to free a believer must fast two months as in Ramadan. The 
accomplices of a murderer are liable to the punishment of death. By the Sunneh 
also, a man is obnoxious to capital punishment for the murder of a woman; and 
by the Hanafee law, for the murder of another man’s slave. But he is exempted 
from this punishment who kills his own child or other descendant, or his own 
slave, or his son’s slave, or a slave of whom he is part-owner: so also are his 
accomplices : and according to Esh-Sh&fe'ee, a Muslim, though a slave, is not to 
be put to death for killing an infidel, though the latter be free. A man who kills 
another in self-defence, or to defend his property from a robber, is exempt from 
all punishment. The price of blood is a debt incumbent on the family, tribe, or 
association, of which the homicide is a member. It is also incumbent on the 
inhabitants of an enclosed quarter, or the proprietor or proprietors of a field, 
in which the body of a person killed by an unknown hand is found; unless the 
person has been found killed in his own house. 

Hence it appears, that the punishment with which the Wezeer El-Fadl 
threatened his son is not to be regarded as a criminal act; especially when we 
consider the grave nature of the son’s offence. Many of the characters depicted 
in the present work would seem incongruous in the extreme, if judged according 
to European notions of justice and other moral qualities. 

Note 9. 

“ The two professions of the faith,” “ There is no deity but God,” and 
“ Mohammad is God’s Apostle,” are generally repeated by a dying Muslim. 

Chapter ii. v. 173. 

* Chap. iv. v. 34. 

t Or, according to some, ten thousand dirhems. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTH. 

481 

Note 10. 

This is said to imply (as my sheykh has remarked in a marginal note) that 
El-Fadl was a charitable person who bestowed pensions upon the professors of the 
Kur-An and of science. There are many among the modem Muslims who do so, 
and numbers also who found and endow public schools. 

Note 11. —On the Washing, Shrouding, and Burial of the Bead, 

The ceremonies attendant upon death and burial are nearly the same in the 
cases of men and women. The head of the dying person is turned towards the 
direction of Mekkeh. When the spirit is departing, the eyes are closed; and 
then, or immediately after, the women of the house commence a loud lamentation, 
in which many of the females of the neighbourhood generally come to join. 
Hired female mourners are also usually employed; each of whom accompanies her 
exclamations of “ Alas for him ! ” &c. by heating a tambourine. If possible, the 
corpse is buried on the day of the death; but when this cannot be done, the 
lamentation of the women is continued during the ensuing night; and a recitation 
of several chapters, or of the whole, of the Kur-un is performed by one or more 
men hired for the purpose. 

The washing consists, first, in the performance of the ordinary ablution which 
is preparatory to prayer, with the exception of the cleansing of the mouth and 
nose, and secondly, in an ablution of the whole body with warm water and soap, or 
with water in which some leaves of the lote-tree have been boiled. The jaw is 
bound up, the eyes are closed, and the nostrils &c. are stuffed with cotton; and 
the corpse is sprinkled with a mixture of water, pounded camphor, dried and 
pounded leaves of the lote-tree, and sometimes other dried and pulverized leaves, 
&c., and with rose-water. The ankles are bound together; and the hands placed 
upon the breast. 

The grave-clothing of a poor man consists of a piece or two of cotton, or a 
kind of bag; but the corpse of a man of wealth is generally wrapped first in 
muslin; then, in cotton cloth of a thicker texture; next, in a piece of striped 
stuff of silk and cotton intermixed, or in a kaftAn (a long vest) of similar stuff, 
merely stitched together; and over these is wrapped a Kashmeer shawl. The 
colours most approved for the grave-clothes are white and green. The body thus 
shrouded is placed in a bier, which is usually covered with a Kashmeer shawl, and 
home on the shoulders of three or four men, generally friends of the deceased. 

There are some slight differences in the funeral ceremonies observed in 
different Arab countries; but a sufficient notion of them will be conveyed by 
briefly describing those which prevail in Cairo. The procession to the tomb is 
generally headed by a number of poor men, mostly blind, who, walking two and 
two, or three and three together, chant, in a melancholy tone, the profession (or 
two professions) of the faith, mentioned above (in Note 9), or sometimes other 
words. They are usually followed by some male relations and friends of 
the deceased; and these, by a group of schoolboys, chanting in a higher tone, 
and one of them bearing a copy of the Kur-An, or of one of its thirty sections, 
placed upon a kind of desk formed of palm-sticks, and covered with an 
embroidered kerchief. Then follows the bier, borne head-foremost. Friends of 
the deceased relieve one another in the office of carrying it; and casual passengers 
often take part in this service, which is esteemed highly meritorious. Behind the 

3 o 

VOL. I. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTH. 

482 

bier walk the female mourners, composing a numerous group, often more than a 
dozen; or, if of a wealthy family, they ride. Each of those who belong to the 
family of the deceased has a strip of cotton stuff or muslin, generally blue, bound 
round her head, over the head-veil, and carries a handkerchief, usually dyed blue 
(the colour of mourning), which she sometimes holds over her shoulders, and at 
other times twirls with both hands over her head or before her face, while she 
cries and shrieks almost incessantly; and the hired female mourners, accom¬ 
panying the group, often celebrate the praises of the deceased in the manner 
described in the preceding tale, though this was forbidden by the Prophet.—The 
funeral procession of a man of wealth is sometimes preceded by several camels, 
bearing bread and water to give to the poor at the tomb; and closed by the led 
horses of some of the attendants, and by a buffalo or other animal to be sacrificed 
at the tomb, where its flesh is distributed to the poor, to atone for some of the 
minor sins of the deceased. 

The bier used for conveying the corpse of a boy or a female has a cover of 
wood, over which a shawl is spread; and at the head is an upright piece of wood : 
upon the upper part of this, in the case of a boy, is fixed a turban, with several 
ornaments of female head-dress ; and in the case of a female, it is similarly decked ; 
but without the turban. 

A short prayer is recited over the dead either in a mosque or in a place 
particularly dedicated to this service in or adjacent to the burial-ground. The 
body is then conveyed, in the same manner as before, to the tomb. This is a 
hollow, oblong vault, one side of which faces the direction of Mekkeh, generally 
large enough to contain four or more bodies, and having an oblong monument 
of stone or brick constructed over it, with a stela at the bead and foot. Upon 
the former of these two stelae (which is often inscribed with a text from the 
Kur-dn, and the name of the deceased, with the date of his death), a turban, cap, or 
other head-dress, is sometimes carved, shewing the rank or class of the person or 
persons buried beneath; and in many cases, a cupola supported by four walls, or 
by columns, &c., is constructed over the smaller monument. The body is laid on 
its right side, or inclined by means of a few crude bricks, so that the face is 
turned towards Mekkeh; and a person is generally employed to dictate to the 
deceased the answers which he should give when he is examined by the two 
angels Munkar and Nekeer, whom I have mentioned in Number 21 of the Notes to 
the Introduction. If the funeral be that of a person of rank or wealth, the 
bread and water &c. before-mentioned are then distributed to the poor.* 

The principal ceremonies observed after the funeral have been described in 
Note 15 to Chapter iv. 

Note 12. 

“ The lord (or chief) of the first and the last among mankind” is one of the 
many appellations of honour given by the Muslims to their Prophet. 

Note 13. 

My sheykh remarks, that this is said merely to excite men to generosity; for 
literally it is not true, as shewn by the memorable example of Kaab the son of 

* If the reader desire more detailed information on the subject of this note, I refer him to my 
work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. ii. chap. xv. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTH. 

4-8:5 

Mameli, who preferred giving the water with which lie was provided to another, 
and in consequence himself died of thirst. 

Note 14. 

We aie not to understand that such a slave as Enees el-Jelees was exposed to 
the public gaze in a market to which all persons indiscriminately were admitted 
(for this would be at variance with Eastern usages); but in a special mart to 
which none were allowed access but persons of wealth who expressed a desire to 
purchase. 

Note lf >.—On Kissing the Ground , as a Mode of Obeisance. 

This and several other passages in the present work shew that we are often 
to understand the expression “kissing the ground before a person” as signifying 
“ touching the ground, and then the lips and forehead, or turban, with the right 
hand; ’ and I believe this expression should always be so understood. When I 
wrote the fourteenth note to the Introduction, I inclined to a contrary opinion, 
chiefly from recollecting to have read the following translation of a passage of 
El-Makreezee, by the learned De Sacy:—“Ce khalife [El-Hakim] ordonna qua 
I’avenir on ne baiseroit plus la terre devant lui; que personne, en le saluant 
dans les marches publiques, ne baiseroit sa main ou son etrier, parce que cette 
coutume de se prosterner devant une creature 6toit une invention des Grecs.”* 
But on referring to the original, I find that the words which he renders “ cette 
coutume de se prosterner” signify literally “ the bending towards the ground.” 
I suppose, therefore, that his deviating from the literal sense in one case was 
owing to his adhering to it in another; and not meeting with the proof which I 
had fancied to exist of his being right, I venture to differ from him in this instance, 
without fear of being suspected of arrogance, as the kind of obeisance above 
described i3 now called “ kissing the ground" both by the Arabs and the Persians. 
I should add that, excepting in the house, I do not remember to have ever seen 
the ground actually touched, hut nearly so, in making this obeisance, which is still 
called “ kissing the ground” when thus imperfectly performed. 

Note 16. 

By this is meant, a place where mud was kneaded to be employed in building. 
The mortar generally used in the construction of Arab houses is composed of mud 
in the proportion of one-half, with a fourth part of lime, and the remaining part 
of the ashes of straw and rubbish. 

Note 17. 

See the note immediately preceding. 

Note 18. 

In Arabic, “ bursh.” This kind of mat, composed of palm-leaves (and some¬ 
times, I believe, of the coarse grass mentioned in the next note), is used by the 
poor to sit upon. 

Note 19. 

This kind, of grass, called in Arabic “ halfeh,” and more properly “ halfa” (by 

Chrcstomatliic Arabe, tome i. p. 106 ; 2ndc ed. 

484 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTH. 

botanists, poa multiflora, and poa cyrtosyro'ides), and the “ Yikool” (or hedysarum 
alhagi), overspread spontaneously most of the alluvial tracts in Egypt which are 
above the reach of the inundation, and in consequence left uncultivated. The 
former is used in the manufacture of coarse mats, and the latter serves as pasture 
for camels. The Wezeer, by taking the round mat and the two bundles of halfa, 
seems to indicate that he is degraded to a condition as low as that of a maker of 
coarse mat3. 

Note 20. 

The boats used by the Arabs in the navigation of rivers are generally moored 
by means of a rope attached to a stake which is driven into the bank. 

Note 21. 

By “children of the road” are meant “travellers.” 

Note 22. 

See Note 55 to Chapter iii. 

Note 23. 

The word which I render elevated (mo’allakah) is applied to a structure raised 
upon columns or pillars, &c. 

Note 24. 

The “ghada” is a tree of a very inflammable nature, which, in burning, gives 
out a fierce heat It grows chiefly in sandy tracts, and is described as resembling 
the “ athl” (or tamarisk), but as being smaller than this tree. 

Note 25 .—On Shaving the Head. 

I do not know when the custom of shaving the head became general among 
the Arabs; but from a remark of Es-Suyootee, I think it was not so common about 
the commencement of the tenth century of Flight (that is, nearly at the period 
when I suppose this work to have been composed) as it is at present, when it is 
almost universal among all classes of this people; for in his time, its legality was 
doubted. He writes thus:—“ The ImAm El-Ghazdlee hath said, ‘ There is no 
harm in it in the case of him whose object is cleanliness:’ and the apparent sense 
of his words is, that it is improper in him who desireth to beautify himself for any 
worldly purpose, as is done by people of bad disposition.”* It is added in a mar¬ 
ginal note in the copy from which I translate this, “ Persons differ respecting the 
shaving of the head. The opinion generally prevailing is, that it is improper to 
him who wears not a turban, and allowable to him who does wear one, since he 
has a substitute:”—“that it is also lawful, unquestionably, in the case of any 
disease of the head :”—and “that the hanging of the rosary to the neck, and the 
shaving of the head without a legal necessity, are innovations.”—Haroon Er- 
Rasheed generally wore the hair of his head sufficiently long to reach below his 
ears; but shaved it when he performed the pilgrimage ;f and many other Muslims 
in early times did the same. Those who shave the head generally leave a small 
tuft upon the crown; hut most persons of the literary and religious professions 
disapprove of this tuft. 

* Nuzhet el-Mutaammil wa-Murshid el-Mutaahhil, section the seventh, 
t Elmacini Historia Saracenica, page 120. 

notes to chapter sixth. 

4S5 

Note 26. 

By the term “ sheykhs” we are here to understand “ persons of sanctity and of 
learning. See Note 9 to Chap. i. 

Note 27. 

By “ the shining moon” is meant “ the beautiful cup-bearer, whose face is like 
the shining moon,” 

Note 28. 

The Muslims believe that a blessing is derived from witnessing and hearing 
the devout exercises, recitations, &c., of holy men. 

Note 29. 

The “jubbeh” is a long, outer vest, with sleeves which reach nearly to the 
wrist. It is now generally made of cloth, and is worn by most tradesmen and 
other persons of the middle and higher classes. 

Note 30. 

The “ melwatah” is a garment no longer in use, and I was unable to obtain a 
description of it until I inquired of my friend Mr. Salame, who informed me that it 
was the name of a large outer garment which used to be worn over the farajeeyeh.* 

Note 31. 

See Note 41 to Chap. iv. 

Note 32. 

The “ lith&m” is a piece of drapery with which a Bedawee often covers the 
lower part of his face. It frequently prevents his being recognised by another 
Arab who might make him a victim of blood-revenge ; and is a means of 
disguise seldom employed but by Arabs of the desert. 

Note 33. 

The meaning is, that the act would speak for itself, and be long remembered; 
that the grave of the fisherman would be pointed out as that of one to whom the 
Khaleefeh had shewn signal favours. 

Note 34. 

It is a common custom of Arabs of the lower orders to put the money which 
they receive, especially when it is the first of the day’s gains, to the lips and 
forehead before depositing it in the pocket; and the same is sometimes done by 
persons of the middle class. 

Note 35. 

Literally, “ twenty nusfs." See Note 17 to Chap. iii. 

* Since this was written, I have found it stated in one of the marginal notes to a later tale, that 
the tenn above mentioned is now pronounced “ mellootah,” and is applied in the present day to an article 
of dress of cloth or other costly material; particularly to a jubbeh; but that it is also employed, in 
allusion to a jubbeh, &c., in a contemptuous sense, or, as I infer, ironically. 

486 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTH. 

Note 36. 

These are the Kadees of the four great sects of the Sunnee Muslims. See 
Note 1 to the Introduction. 

Note 37. 

The words “and the Wezeer took him away,”are omitted in the Cairo edition. 

Note 38. 

“ Kuteyt” is the diminutive of “ kitt,” vulgo “ kutt,” a “ cat," and properly a 
“ lie-cat.” 

Note 39. 

The words which I translate “ the place of blood” literally signify “ the place 
of the stagnation of blood;” and are applied to the usual place of decapitation, 
because the blood is left there to soak into the ground. 

Note 40. 

The recompense here alluded to is one to be received at the final retribution; 
not in the present life. 

Note 41. 

This kind of “ kulleh” is a small, porous, earthen bottle, with a wide mouth. 
Some specimens of it are figured beneath.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE THIRTY-SIXTH NIGHT, AND 
ENDING WITH PART OF THE FORTY-FOURTH. 

THE STORY OF GHA'NIM THE SON OF EIYOOB, THE DISTRACTED 
SLAVE OF LOVE. 

It hath been told me, O happy King, said Shahrazad, that 
there was, in ancient times, a certain merchant of Damascus , 1 pos¬ 
sessed of wealth, who had a son like the moon at the full, of elo¬ 
quent tongue, called Ghanim the son of Eiyoob , 2 the Distracted 
Slave of Love ; and this son had a sister, named Fitneh , 3 on account 
of her excessive beauty and loveliness. Their father died, leaving 
them large property, among which were a hundred loads 4 of silk 
and brocade, and bags 5 of musk, and upon these loads was written, 
This is intended for Baghdad:—it having been his desire to jour¬ 
ney to that city. 

488 

THE STORY OF GHA'NIM THE SON OF EIYOOB, 

So, when God (whose name be exalted!) had taken his soul, 
and some time had elapsed, his son took these loads, and jour¬ 
neyed with them to Baghdad.—This was in the time of Haroon Er- 
Rasheed.—He took leave of his mother and relations and towns¬ 
people before his departure, and went forth, placing his depend- 
ance upon God (whose name be exalted!), and God decreed 
him safety, so that he arrived at Baghdad, whither there travelled 
in his company a party of merchants. He hired for himself a 
handsome house, and furnished it with carpets and cushions, and 
suspended curtains in it; and there he deposited those loads, toge¬ 
ther with the mules and camels, and remained until he had rested 
himself; and the merchants of Baghdad, and its great men, came 
and saluted him. He then took a wrapper containing ten pieces 
of costly stuff, with the prices written upon them, and went forth 
with them to the market of the merchants, who met him and 
saluted him, treated him with honour and welcomed him, and seated 
him at the shop of the sheykh of the market; and he sold the 
pieces, gaining, for every piece of gold, two. So Ghanim rejoiced, 
and he proceeded to sell the stuffs by little and little ; and continued 
to do so for a whole year. 

After this, on the first day of the following year, he came to 
the same market, hut found its gate shut, and, inquiring the cause 
of this, he was answered, One of the merchants hath died, and all 
the rest of them have gone to walk in his funeral-procession. Wilt 
thou then, added his informant, gain a recompense 6 by walking with 
them?—He replied, Yes;—and he asked respecting the place of 
the funeral. So they guided him thither; and he performed the 
ablution , 1 and walked with the other merchants until they arrived 
at the place of prayer, where they prayed over the dead. The 
merchants then walked all together before the corpse to the burial- 
ground, Ghanim following them, until the procession arrived at the 
burial-ground outside the city, and they proceeded among the 
tombs until they came to that in which the corpse was to be depo¬ 
sited. They found that the family of the deceased had pitched a 
tent over the tomb, and placed there the candles and lamps; and 
they buried the dead, and the readers sat reciting the Kur-an at 
the tomb. The merchants sat with them; and so also did Ghanim 
the son of Eiyoob; but he was overcome by bashfulness, saying 

THE DISTRACTED SLAVE OF LOVE. 

489 

within himself, I cannot quit them until I have departed with them. 
They sat listening to the recitation of the Kur-an until the period 
of nightfall, when the servants placed before them the supper and 
sweetmeats, and they ate till they were satisfied, and washed their 
hands, and resumed their seats. 

The heart of Ghanim was now troubled with reflections upon 
his merchandize, and he was fearful of the thieves, and said within 
himself, I am a stranger, and suspected of possessing wealth, and if 
I pass the night far away from my abode, the thieves will steal the 
money and the loads. So, fearing for his property, he arose and 
went forth from among the company, asking, their leave to depart 
on account of some business that he had to transact, and followed 
the beaten track until he came to the gate of the city : hut it was 
then midnight, and he found the gate of the city shut, and saw no 
one coming or going, and heard not a sound save the harking of the 
dogs, and the howling of the wolves; whereupon he exclaimed, 
There is no strength nor power but in God! I was in fear for my 
property, and came hither on account of it, and have found the gate 
shut, and now I have become in fear for my life!—He then 
returned to seek for himself a place in which to sleep until the 
morning; and, finding a private burial-place enclosed by four 
walls, with a palm-tree within it, and a gate-way of hard stone, 
open, he entered it, and desired to sleep; but sleep came not to 
him. 

Tremor and gloom overcame him, thus lying among the tombs, 
and he rose upon his feet, and, opening the door, looked out, and 
beheld a light gleaming in the distance in the direction of the city- 
gate. He advanced a few steps, and saw the light approaching in 
the way which led to the burial-place in which he was taking 
refuge ; whereupon Ghanim feared for himself, and hastily closed 
the door, and climbed up into the palm-tree, and concealed him¬ 
self in the midst of its branches. The light continued to approach 
the tomb by little and little until it came very near; and as he 
looked attentively at it, he perceived three black slaves, two of 
whom were bearing a chest, the other having in his hand an adze 
and a lantern; and as they drew near, one of the two slaves 
who were bearing the chest said, What aileth thee, O Sawab ? 8 
—to which the other of the two replied, What aileth thee, 0 

3 R 

VOL I. 

Kafoor V The former rejoined, Were we not here at the hour of 
nightfall, and did we not leave the door open ?—Yes, answered the 
other: what thou sayest is true.—See then, resumed the first 
speaker, it is shut and barred.—Upon this, the third, who was 
carrying the adze and light, and whose name was Bakheet, 10 said, 
How small is your sense! Know ye not that the owners of the 
gardens go forth from Baghdad and repair hither, and, evening 
overtaking them, enter this place, and shut the door upon them¬ 
selves, through fear, lest the blacks, like ourselves, should take 
them and roast them and eat them ? 11 —Thou hast spoken truth, 
they answered; but there is none among us of less sense than 
thyself.—Verily, he replied, ye will not believe me until we enter 
the burial-place and find some one in it: and I imagine that, if any 
one be in it, and have seen the light, he hath betaken himself to 
the top of the palm-tree. 

When Ghanim heard these words of the slave, he said within 
himself, How cunning is this slave! May Allah disgrace the 

THE STORY OF THE SLAVE KA'FOOR. 

491 

blacks for their malice and villainy ! There is no strength nor power 
but in God, the High, the Great! What will deliver me from this 
difficulty ?—The two who were bearing the chest then said to him 
who had the adze, Climb over the wall, and open to us the door, O 
Bakheet; for we are fatigued with carrying the chest upon our 
necks: and if thou open to us the door, we will give thee one of 
the persons whom we take, and we will fry him for thee excellently, 
so that not a drop of his fat shall be lost. But he replied, I am 
afraid of a thing which my little sense hath suggested to me : let 
us throw over the chest behind the door; for it is our deposite. 

They said to him, If we throw it, it will break_I am afraid, he 

rejoined, that there may be, within the tomb, robbers who slay 
men and steal their property; for when evening overtaketh them 
they enter these places to divide what they have taken.—O thou of 
little sense, exclaimed the two others; can they enter here ?—They 
then put down the chest, and climbed up the wall, and descended, 
and opened the door, while the third slave, Bakheet, stood waiting 
for them with the light, and a basket containing some plaster: after 
which they seated themselves, having closed the door; and one of 
them said, O my brother, we are tired with walking and taking up 
and putting down, and opening the door and shutting it, and it is 
now midnight, and we have not strength remaining to open the 
tomb and to bury the chest; wherefore we will sit here three 
hours to rest ourselves, and then arise and accomplish our business: 
but each of us shall in the mean time tell his story, and relate all 
that hath happened to him from beginning to end. So the first, 
who carried the light, told his story ; but it was of a nature unfit 
to be here repeated; 12 after which, another of the slaves thus 
began. 

THE STORY OF THE SLAVE KA'FOOR . 13 

Know, O my brothers, that I was, at the commencement of my 
career, a boy of eight years, and I used to tell one lie to the slave- 
merchants every year, so that they fell out with each other in con¬ 
sequence, and the slave-merchant my master, becoming impatient 
of me, committed me to the broker, desiring him to cry. Who will 
buy this slave with his fault ? He was therefore asked, What is 

492 

THE STORY OF THE SLAVE KA'FOOR. 

his fault ?—and answered, He telleth one lie every year. And a 
merchant approached the broker, and said to him, How much have 
they bidden for this slave with his fault ? He answered, They have 
bidden six hundred pieces of silver.—Then thou shalt have twenty 
for thyself, replied the merchant. So the broker introduced him 
to the slave-merchant, who received from him the money, and the 
broker conveyed me to the dwelling of the merchant, and took his 
brokerage. 

The merchant clad me in a dress suitable to my condition, and 
I continued with him for the remainder of the year, until the new 
year commenced with prosperity. It was a blessed year, plenteous 
in the produce of the earth, and the merchants began to give 
entertainments, every day one taking his turn to do so, until it was 
my master’s turn to give an entertainment in a garden within the 
city. So he went, and the other merchants also, and he took for 
them what they required of food and other provisions, and they sat 
eating and drinking and carousing till noon, when my master 
wanted something from the house, and said, O slave, mount the 
mule, and go to the house, and bring, from thy mistress, such a 
thing, and return quickly. 

I obeyed, therefore, and went to the house; but when I ap¬ 
proached it, I shrieked out, and shed tears ; whereupon the people 
of the quarter assembled together, old and young, and my master’s 
wife and daughters, hearing my cry, opened the door, and asked 
me what was the matter. I answered them, My master was sitting 
beneath an old wall, he and his friends, and it fell upon them ; and 
when I beheld what happened to them, I mounted the mule, and 
came in haste to inform you. And when his children and wife heard 
these words, they shrieked, and tore their clothes, and slapped their 
faces, and the neighbours came to them. Then my master’s wife 
overturned the furniture of the house, one thing upon another, and 
pulled down its shelves, and broke its shutters and its windows, 
and smeared its walls with mud and indigo, and said to me, Wo to 
thee, O Kafoor! Come hither and help me, and demolish these cup¬ 
boards, and smash these vessels and this China-ware.—So I went to 
her, and destroyed with her the shelves of the house and all that 
was upon them, and its cupboards and what they contained, and 
went about over the terraces and through every place until I had 

THE STORY OF THE SLAVE KA'FOOR. 

493 

laid waste the whole, crying all the while. Oh my master ! My 
mistress then went forth, with her face uncovered, and only with 
her head-veil, and the girls and boys went with her, saying to me, 
O Kafoor, walk on before us, and shew us the place where thy 
master lieth dead beneath the wall, that we may take him forth 
from under the ruins, and carry him in a bier, and bring him to the 
house, and convey his corpse in a handsome manner to the burial. 
So I walked before them, crying, Oh my master!—and they fol¬ 
lowed me with their faces and heads uncovered, 14 crying, Oh our 
misfortune! Oh our calamity!—and there was none among the 
men, nor among the women, nor among the children, nor a maiden, 
nor an old woman [in the quarter,] who did not accompany us ; and 
all of them slapped themselves in the excess of their lamentation. 
Thus I went with them through the city; and the people asking 
the news, they informed them of that which they had heard from 
me; and the people exclaimed, There is no strength nor power but 
in God, the High, the Great! We will go to the Walee, and 
acquaint him.—And when they arrived before the Walee, they 
informed him; and he mounted, and took with him labourers with 
axes and baskets, and they followed my footsteps, accompanied by a 
crowd of people. 

I preceded them, weeping and crying out, and throwing dust 
upon my head, and slapping my face; and when I came to the 
party in the garden, and my master beheld me, I slapped my face, 
and exclaimed, Oh my mistress! who will have pity upon me after 
my mistress? Would that I had been her sacrifice!—When my 
master, therefore, saw me, he was confounded, his countenance 
became pale, and he said, What aileth thee, O Kafoor, and what is 
this predicament, and what is the news ? I answered him, When 
thou sentest me to the house to bring thee what thou wantedst, I 
went thither and entered the house, and found that the wall of the 
saloon had fallen, and that the whole saloon had tumbled down upon 
my mistress and her children.—And did not thy mistress, said he, 
escape? I answered, No: not one of them escaped; and the first 
of them that died was my mistress the elder.—But did my youngest 
daughter escape ? he asked. I answered, No.—And what, said he, 
hath become of the mule that I ride : is she safe?—No, O my master, 
I answered: for the walls of the house and the walls of the stable 

494 

THE STORY OF THE SLAVE KA'FOOR. 

tumbled down upon all that was in the house ; even upon the sheep 
and the geese and the hens, and all of them became a mass of flesh 
beneath the ruins ; not one of them escaped. He then said to me, 
And thy master the elder ? I answered, No: not one escaped; and 
now there remain neither house nor inhabitants, nor any trace of 
them; and as to the sheep and the geese and the hens, the cats and 
dogs have now eaten them.—And when my master heard my words, 
the light became darkness before his face, and he was no longer 
master of his senses nor of his reason, and was unable to stand upon 
his feet: he was paralyzed, and the strength of his back failed him, 
and he rent his clothes and plucked his beard and slapped his face 
and threw his turban from his head, and ceased not to slap his face 
until the blood flowed from it; and he began to cry, Ah! Oh my 
children! Ah! Oh my wife! Ah ! Oh my misfortune ! Unto 
whom hath happened the like of that which hath happened to me!— 
The merchants, also, his companions, joined with him in cries and 
lamentations, and were moved with pity for his case, and rent their 
clothes; and my master went forth from the garden, heating him¬ 
self for the calamity that had [as he supposed] befallen him, and 
redoubled the blows upon his face, seeming as though he were 
drunk. 

And as the party thus went out from the gate of the garden, 
they beheld a great dust, and heard tumultuous cries, and, looking 
in that direction, saw the crowd approaching them. This crowd 
was the Walee and his attendants, and a concourse of people who 
had come to gratify their curiosity, with the merchant’s family 
behind them; shrieking and crying with violent lamentation and 
excessive grief; and the first who accosted my master were his wife 
and children. On beholding these, he was confounded, and laughed, 
and said to them, How are ye; and what hath happened to you in 
the house, and what hath befallen you ? And when they saw him, 
they exclaimed, Praise be to God for thy safety! And they threw 
themselves upon him, and his children clung to him, crying out, 
Oh our father ! Praise be to God for thy safety, O our father!— 
and his wife said to him, Praise be to God who hath shewn us thy 
face in safety!—and she was stupified, and her reason fled from her 
at that which she beheld. She then said to him, How didst thou 

escape with thy friends ?—And how, said he, were ye in the house ? 
—We were all well, they answered, in prosperity and health, and no 
evil hath befallen our house, save that thy slave Kafoor came to us 
with his head uncovered and his clothes rent, crying out, Oh my 
master! Oh my master!—and we said to him, What is the matter, 
O Kafoor ?—and he answered, My master was sitting under a wall 
in the garden, and it fell upon him, and he died.—By Allah, replied 
my master, he came to me just now, crying, Oh my mistress! Oh 
the children of my mistress!—and said, My mistress and her children 
are all dead! 

He then looked aside, and seeing me with my turban falling from 
my head, while I still cried out and wept violently and threw dust 
upon my head, he called out to me: so I approached him, and he 
said to me, Wo to thee! O malevolent slave! O misbegotten wretch! 
O thou of accursed race! What events hast thou brought about! 
But, by Allah, I will strip off thy skin from thy flesh, and cut thy 
flesh from thy bones!—By Allah, replied I, thou canst not do to 
me anything; for thou boughtest me with my fault, on this con¬ 
dition, the witnesses testifying that thou boughtest me with my 
fault, thou knowing it, and it was, that I was accustomed to tell one 
lie every year; and this is but half a lie, and when the year is com¬ 
plete I will tell the other half of it; so it will he an entire lie. But 
upon this, he cried out at me, O most accursed of slaves! is this but 
half a lie ? Nay, it is an exceeding calamity! Depart from me ; for 
thou art free! 15 —By Allah, I replied, if thou liberate me, I will not 

496 

THE STORY OF GHA'NIM THE SON OF EIYOOB, 

liberate thee until the year he complete, and I tell the remaining half 
of the lie; and when I have completed it, then take me to the 
market, and sell me as thou boughtest me with my fault; and 
liberate me not; for I have no trade by means of which to procure 
my subsistence: this is a legal proposition that I have stated to thee, 
laid down by the lawyers in the chapter of emancipation. 18 —While 
we were thus talking, the crowd approached, with the people of the 
quarter, women and men, come to mourn, and the Walee with his 
attendants; and my master and the other merchants went to the 
Walee, and acquainted him with the case, and that this was but 
half a lie ; and when the people who were present heard this, they 
were astonished at this lie, and struck with the utmost wonder; and 
they cursed and reviled me; while I stood laughing, and saying, 
How can my master kill me when he bought me with this fault ? 

So when my master went to the house, he found it in a state of 
ruin (and it was I who destroyed the greater part, and broke in it 
things worth a large sum of money); and his wife said to him, It 
was Kafoor who broke the vessels and the China-ware. Upon this, 
his rage increased, and he exclaimed, By Allah! in my life I have 
never seen such a misbegotten wretch as this slave ; yet he calleth 
it half a lie! What then would have been the result had it been 
a whole lie! In that case, he had destroyed a city, or two cities!— 
Then, in the excess of his rage, he went to the Walee, who inflicted 
upon me a severe beating, so that I became insensible, and swooned 
away; after which, my master contrived means of obtaining for me 
a high price, and I ceased not to excite disturbances in the places 
into which I was sold, and was transferred from emeer to emeer 
and from grandee to grandee, by sale and purchase, until I entered 
the palace of the Prince of the Faithful, and now my spirit is 
broken, and my strength hath failed. 

CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF GHA'NIM THE SON OF EIYOOB, 
THE DISTRACTED SLAVE OF LOVE. 

When the other slaves had heard his story, they laughed at it, 
and said to him, Verily thou art a villain, the son of a villain: thou 
hast told an abominable lie. The first and second then said to the 

THE DISTRACTED SLAVE OF LOVE. 

497 

third slave, Relate to us thy story.—O sons of my uncle, he replied. 
All that hath just been related is nonsense : but my story is long, 
and this is not a time to tell it; for the morning, O sons of my 
uncle, is near, and perhaps it may overtake us with this chest still 
before us, and we shall be disgraced among the public, and our 
lives be lost: haste then to work, and when we have finished, and 
returned home, I will relate to you my story. So they put down 
the light, and dug a trench of the size of the chest between four 
tombs; Kafoor digging, and Sawab removing the earth in baskets, 
until they had dug to the depth of half a fathom, when they put 
the chest into the trench, and replaced the earth over it, and went 
forth from the enclosure, and, having closed the gate, disappeared 
from before the eyes of Ghanim the son of Eiyoob. 

When, therefore, they had left the place vacant unto Ghanim, 
and he knew that he was alone, his mind became busied respecting 
the contents of the chest, and he said within himself, What can this 
chest contain ? He waited until daybreak gleamed and shone forth, 
and then descended from the palm-tree, and removed the earth with 
his hand until he had uncovered the chest and disengaged it, when 
he took a stone, and struck with it the lock, and broke it; and 
lifting up the cover, he looked in, and beheld a damsel asleep, 
stupified with benj," but still breathing: she was of a beautiful 
and lovely person, and decked with ornaments of gold and neck¬ 
laces of jewels worth a kingdom, and of a value that no money 
would equal. When Ghanim the son of Eiyoob beheld her, he 
knew that she had been the object of a plot, and, being convinced 
of this, he pulled her up until he had lifted her out of the chest, and 
laid her upon her back ; and as soon as she scented the breeze, and 
the air entered her nostrils and her mouth and throat, she sneezed, 
and then was choked, and coughed, whereupon there fell from her 
throat a round piece of benj, of such potency that if an elephant 
smelt it he would sleep from one night to another. She then opened 
her eyes, and, looking round, said, with an eloquent voice, Wo to 
thee, O wind! Thou neither satisfiest the thirsty, nor cheerest by 
thy presence the satisfied with drink! Where is Zahr el-Bustan ?— 
But no one answered her. Then looking aside, she exclaimed, 
Sabeehah! Shejeret ed-Durr! Noorel-Huda! Nejmet es-Subh ! 
Art thou awake ? '* Nuzheh ! Hulweh! Zareefeh! Speak ye!—But 

3 9 

VOL. I. 

no one answered her. And she looked round about her, and ex¬ 
claimed, Alas for me, that I am transported to the tombs! O Thou 
who knowest the secrets of the breasts, and recompenseth on the 
day of resurrection! who hath brought me from among the curtains 
and the veils, and placed me amid four tombs ? 

While she was saying all this, Ghanim stood still; but he now 
said to her, O my mistress, there are neither veils nor palaces nor 
tombs for thee here : this is none other than thy slave Ghanim the 
son of Eiyoob, whom the King who is omniscient with respect to 
hidden things hath impelled hither that he may deliver thee from 
these troubles, and that the utmost of thy desires may be accom¬ 
plished unto thee.—And he was silent; and when she became con¬ 
vinced of the truth of the case, she exclaimed, I testify that there 
is no deity but God, and I testify that Mohammad is God’s Apostle! 
Then looking towards Ghanim, with her hands placed upon her 
breast, she said to him, with a sweet voice, O auspicious youth! who 
brought me unto this place ? For now I have recovered my senses. 
-—O my mistress, he answered, three eunuchs came bearing this 

THE STORY OF GHA’NIM, THE SON OF EIYOOB, See. 499 

chest:—and he related to her all that had happened, and how the 
evening had overtaken him, so that he became the means of her 
preservation, and that otherwise she had died of suffocation; and 
he inquired of her respecting her history.—O youth, she replied, 
praise be to God who hath cast me into the hands of one like thee! 
Rise therefore now, and put me into the chest, and go forth to the 
road, and as soon as thou shalt find any one who lets out asses or 
other beasts, or a muleteer, hire him to transport this chest, and 
convey me to thy house ; and when I am in thy abode it will be 
well, and I will relate to thee my story, and acquaint thee with my 
tale, and good fortune will accrue to thee through my means.—So 
Ghanim rejoiced, and he went forth into the desert tract. 

The day had begun to gleam, the sun rose in splendour, and the 
people came walking forth; and Ghanim hired a man with a mule, 
and brought him to the burial-place. He then lifted the chest, 
after he had put the damsel into it, and, with his heart smitten by 
love for her, proceeded with her, full of joy, for she was a damsel 
worth ten thousand pieces of gold, and was decked with ornaments 
and apparel of enormous value. Scarcely had he found himself at 
his house when he put down the chest, and opened it, and took 
forth from it the damsel, who looked, and saw that the place was 
a handsome dwelling furnished with variegated carpets, and she 
observed the gay colours and various embellishments, and beheld 
stuffs packed up, and loads of goods, and other property: so she 
knew that he was a great merchant, and a man of wealth. She then 
uncovered her face, and looked at him, and observed him to be a 
handsome young man, and loved him ; and she said to him, Bring 
us something to eat. He answered her, On the head and the eye 
be thy commands :—and went to the market, and bought a roasted 
lamb, and a dish of sweetmeat, and procured some dried fruits, and 
candles and wine and the requisite apparatus for perfumes. Then 
returning to the house, he took in the things, and when the damsel 
saw him, she laughed, and kissed him, and embraced him, and began 
to caress him, so that the love which he felt increased, and took 
entire possession of his heart. They then ate and drank until the 
approach of night, and their love was mutual; for they were both 
of the same age, and both equal in comeliness; and when the night 
approached, the Distracted Slave of Love, Ghanim the son of Eiyoob, 

500 THE STORY OF GHA'NIM THE SON OF EIYOOB, 

arose and lighted the candles and lamps, and the chamber glistened: 
he then brought forth the wine-service, and prepared the table, and 
sat down with her; he filling and handing to her, and she filling and 
handing to him, while they both toyed and laughed and recited 
verses: their gaiety increased, and they were engrossed by mutual 
love.—Extolled be the perfection of the Uniter of Hearts !— 
Thus they continued until it was near morning, when sleep over¬ 
came them, and each of them slept apart from the other till 
morning came. 

Ghanim the son of Eiyoob then arose, and went forth to the 
market, and bought what was requisite of vegetables and meat and 
wine and other provisions, and brought them to the house; and he 
again sat with her to eat, and they ate until they were satisfied; 
after which he brought the wine, and they drank and toyed toge¬ 
ther till their cheeks reddened and their eyes became more intensely 
black; 18 and Ghanim said, O my mistress, have compassion on the 
captive of thy love, and him whom thine eyes have slain! I had 
remained sound of heart but for thee!—Then he wept a while ; 
and she replied, O my master, and light of mine eye, By Allah, I 
love thee and confide in thee; but I know that thou canst not be 
united to me.—And what hindereth ? said he. She answered, I 
will this night relate to thee my story, that thou mayest accept my 
excuse. But they continued thus a whole month; and after this, 
one night, when Ghanim was complaining to her of his passion, 
she said to him, I will now explain to thee my case, that thou 
mayest know my dignity, and my secret be revealed to thee, and 
my excuse become manifest to thee. He replied, Well. And she 
took hold of a band which confined a part of her dress, and said 
to him, O my master, read what is on this border. So he took 
the border in his hand, and looked at it, and found worked upon 
it in gold, I am thine, and thou art mine, O descendant of the 
Prophet’s Uncle. 80 And when he had read this, he let fall his 
hand, and said to her, Reveal to me thy history. She answered, 
Well:—and thus began. 

Know that I am a favourite slave of the Prince of the Faithful, 
and my name is Koot el-Kuloob. 81 The Prince of the Faithful, 
after he had reared me in his palace, and I had grown up, observed 
my qualities, and the beauty and loveliness with] which my Lord 

THE DISTRACTED SLAVE OF LOVE. 

501 

had endowed me, and loved me excessively: he took me and lodged 
me in a private apartment, and appointed me ten female slaves to 
serve me, and then gave me those ornaments which thou seest with 
me. After this, the Khaleefeh went forth one day on a journey to 
one of the surrounding provinces, and the lady Zubeydeh came to 
one of the female slaves who were in my service, and said, When 
thy mistress Koot el-Kuloob sleepeth, put this piece of benj into 
her nose and her drink, and thou shalt receive from me a sum of 
money that will satisfy thee. The slave replied, Most willingly:— 
and she received the benj from her, rejoicing on account of the 
money, and because she had been originally Zubeydeh’s slave ; and 
she insinuated the benj into me, whereupon I fell upon the floor, 
with my head bent down to my feet, and seemed to be in another 
world ; and when she could devise no other stratagem, she put me 
into that chest, and privily summoned the black slaves, and, after 
having given presents to them and to the door-keepers, sent me 
with the black slaves on the night when thou wast reposing at the 
top of the palm-tree: and they did with me as thou sawest, and my 
deliverance was effected through thy means : then thou broughtest 
me unto this place, where thou hast treated me with the utmost 
kindness. This is my story; and I know not what hath happened 
to the Khaleefeh during my absence. Know, therefore, my dignity; 
and divulge not my case. 

When Ghanim the son of Eiyoob heard these words of Koot 
el-Kuloob, and discovered that she was the favourite of the Kha¬ 
leefeh, he drew back, in his awe for the Khaleefeh, and sat alone at 
one side of the chamber, blaming himself, and reflecting upon his 
situation, perplexed by love of her to whom he could not be united; 
and he wept from the violence of his desire, and the fierceness of 
his passion and distraction, and began to complain of fortune and 
its injustice.—Extolled be the perfection of Him who causeth the 
hearts of the generous to be troubled with love, and endueth not 
the mean with so much of it as equalleth the weight of a grain!— 
And upon this, Koot el-Kuloob rose to him, and embraced and 
kissed him, and, her heart being entirely captivated by his love, 
she revealed what she had hidden of the extent of her passion, 
and encircled lp s neck with her arms, and kissed him again; but 
he withdrew from her embrace, in his fear for the Khaleefeh. 

502 THE STORY OF GHA'NIM THE SON OF EIYOOB, 

They then conversed a while, drowned in the sea of mutual love, 
and so remained until day, when Ghanim arose, and went forth to 
the market as usual, and procured what was requisite, and, returning 
to the house, found Koot el-Kuloob weeping: but as soon as she 
beheld him, she ceased from her tears, and smiled, and said to him, 
Thou hast made me desolate by thine absence, O beloved of my 
heart! By Allah, this hour during which thou hast been away from 
me hath appeared as a year; for I cannot endure thy separation; 
and see, I have thus shewn thee my state, through the violence of my 
passion. Arise therefore now, and mind not what hath happened, 
but take me as thy wife.—But he replied, I seek refuge with 
Allah! This is a thing that cannot be. How should the dog sit 
in the place of the lion ? What belongeth to my lord is forbidden 
me to approach.—He then tore himself from her, and sat apart; 
and she increased in love through his refusal.—In this manner they 
passed three long months; and whenever she made any advances 
to him he withdrew from her, and said, Whatever belongeth to the 
master is forbidden to the slave.—Such was the case of the Dis¬ 
tracted Slave of Love, Ghanim the son of Eiyoob. 

Meanwhile, Zubeydeh, during the absence of the Khaleefeh, 
having acted thus with Koot el-Kuloob, became perplexed, saying 
within herself, What shall I say to the Khaleefeh when he cometh 
and inquireth respecting her; and what shall be my answer to 
him ? She then called for an old woman who resided with her, and 
acquainted her with her secret, and said to her, What shall I do, 
now that Koot el-Kuloob is no more ? The old woman answered, 
when she understood the affair, Know, O my mistress, that the 
return of the Khaleefeh is near; but I will send to a carpenter, 
and desire him to make a wooden image of a corpse, and they shall 
dig for it a grave, and thou shalt light candles and lamps around it, 
and command every one who is in the palace to wear black , 13 and 
order thy female slaves and eunuchs, as soon as they know of the 
Khaleefeh’s return from his journey, to raise lamentations in the 
vestibules, and when he enters and asks the news, they shall answer 
him, Koot el-Kuloob is dead; and may God abundantly compensate 
thee for the loss of her 1—and from the esteem with which she was 
regarded by our mistress, she hath buried her in her own palace. So 
when he heareth this, he will weep, and the event will distress him. 

THE DISTRACTED SLAVE OF LOVE. 

503 

Then he will cause the readers to sit up by night at her tomb to 
perform recitations of the Kur-an; and if he say within himself, 
Surely the daughter of my uncle, through her jealousy, hath been 
led to destroy Koot el-Kuloob,—or the distraction of love overpower 
him, and he give orders to take her forth from the tomb, fear not 
from that; for if they dig down to the image in the form of a 
human being, and take it forth, shrouded in costly grave-clothes, 
and the Khaleefeh desire to remove the grave-clothes from it, to 
behold her, do thou prevent him, and the fear of the world to come 
will withhold him; and do thou say to him, To behold her corpse 
uncovered is unlawful. Then he will believe her death, and will 
return her image to its place, and thank thee for thy conduct, and 
thou shalt escape, please God, from this difficulty.—When the 
lady Zubeydeh, therefore, heard what she said, she approved of it, 
and bestowed upon her a dress of honour, and commanded her to 
do this, having given her a sum of money. So the old woman set 
about the business immediately, and ordered the carpenter to make 
for her an image as above described, and when it was finished she 
brought it to the lady Zubeydeh, and she shrouded it, and lighted 
the candles and lamps, and spread the carpets around the tomb, and 
clad herself in black, ordering the female slaves to do the same; 
and the news was spread through the palace, that Koot el-Kuloob 
had died. 

Some time after this, the Khaleefeh returned from his journey, 
and went up to his palace; but his mind was occupied only with 
Koot el-Kuloob ; and seeing the pages and eunuchs and female 
slaves all clad in black, his heart was agitated; and when he 
entered the palace of the lady Zubeydeh, and beheld her also clad 
in black, he inquired the reason of it, and they informed him of the 
death of Koot el-Kuloob. Upon hearing this, he fell down in a 
swoon; and when he recovered, he asked where was her tomb ; and 
the lady Zubeydeh answered, Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that, 
on account of the esteem in which she was held by me, I buried 
her in my palace. So the Khaleefeh, entering the palace in his 
travelling-dress, proceeded to visit the tomb of Koot el-Kuloob, 
and found the carpets spread, and the candles and lamps lighted; 
and when he beheld this, he thanked her for what she had done. 
But afterwards he became perplexed, and wavered for some time 

between belief and disbelief, until suspicion overcame him, and he 
gave orders to open the tomb and to take her out: when, however, 
he saw the grave-clothes, and was about to remove them that he 
might behold her, he feared God (whose name be exalted!), and 
the old woman said, Restore her to her place. Then immediately 
the Khaleefeh commanded to bring the professors of religion and 
law, and the readers, and they performed recitations of the whole 
of the Kur-an at her tomb, while he sat by the side of it weeping 
until he became insensible. 

He continued to frequent the tomb for the space of a month; 
after which it happened that he entered the Hareem, after the 
Emeers and Wezeers had dispersed from before him to their 
houses, and he slept a while, and a female slave sat at his head, and 
another at his feet; and after sleep had overcome him he awoke, 

THE STORY OF GHA'NIM THE SON OF EIYOOB, &c. 505 

and opened his eyes, and heard the damsel who was at his head say 
to her who was at his feet, Wo to thee, O Kheyzuran !—Wherefore, 
O Kadeeb V 3 said the other.—Our lord, rejoined the first, is igno¬ 
rant of what hath happened; so he sitteth up by night at a tomb 
in which there is nothing but a carved image, the work of the car¬ 
penter.—And what then, asked the other damsel, hath befallen 
Koot el-Kuloob ? Her companion answered, Know that our mis¬ 
tress Zubeydeh sent some benj by a female slave, and she stupi- 
fied her with it, and when the benj had taken effect upon her, she 
put her in a chest, and sent her away with Sawab and Kafoor, com¬ 
manding them to throw her into the tomb. Upon this, Kheyzuran 
said, Wo to thee, O Kadeeb! Is not the lady Koot el-Kuloob 
dead ?—Heaven preserve her youth from death ! answered Kadeeb : 
I heard the lady Zubeydeh say that Koot el-Kuloob was with a 
young merchant named Ghanim of Damascus, and that she had 
been with him, including this day, four months ; and our lord here 
weepeth and passeth sleepless nights at a tomb in which there is no 
corpse.—Thus they conversed together, while the Khalefeeh heard 
their words ; and when they had finished their conversation, and he 
had become acquainted with the event, that this tomb was a false 
one, and that Koot el-Kuloob had been with Ghanim the son of 
Eiyoob for the space of four months, he was violently incensed, and 
arose, and summoned the Emeers of his court; whereupon the 
Wezeer Jaafar El-Barmekee presented himself and kissed the 
ground before him, and the Khaleefeh said to him, in anger, De¬ 
scend, O Jaafar, with a body of men, and inquire for the house of 
Ghanim the son of Eiyoob, and assault it suddenly, and bring him 
hither with my female slave Koot el-Kuloob ; and I will assuredly 
torture him. 

Jaafar replied, I hear and obey;—and he went forth with his 
attendants, the Walee also accompanying him, and they proceeded 
until they arrived at Ghanim’s house. Ghanim had just before 
gone out and brought a pot of meat, and was about to stretch forth 
his hand to eat of it with Koot el-Kuloob, when she looked out, and 
found that the house was beset on all sides, and the Wezeer and 
the Walee and the officers of violence and the memlooks with drawn 
swords were surrounding it as the black surrounds the pupil of the 
eye; and upon this she knew that tidings of her situation had 

3 T 

VOL. I 

506 

THE STORY OF GHA'NIM THE SON OF EIYOOB, 

reached the ears of the Khaleefeh her lord, and she made sure of 
destruction; her countenance became pale, and her beauty changed, 
and, looking towards Ghanim, she said to him, O my beloved, save 
thyself!—How shall I do, said he, and whither shall I flee, when 
my wealth and means of subsistence are in this house ? But she 
answered, Delay not, lest thou perish and thy wealth also be lost. 
—O my mistress, and light of mine eye, rejoined he, how can I con¬ 
trive to go forth when they are surrounding the house ?—Fear not, 
she answered:—and she pulled oflf his clothes, and clad him in 
worn-out, ragged garments, and, taking the pot that had contained 
the meat, placed it upon his head, and put in it a little bread and a 
saucer of meat, and said to him, Go forth by the help of this stra¬ 
tagem, and thou hast nothing to fear with respect to me, for I know 
what I am able to do with the Khaleefeh. When Ghanim, there¬ 
fore, heard the words of Koot el-Kuloob, and the advice which she 
gave him, he went forth through the midst of them, bearing the 
pot, and Providence protected him so that he escaped from the 
snares and injuries which menaced him, by the blessing of his good 
conscience. 

And when the Wezeer Jaafar arrived at the house he dis¬ 
mounted from his horse, and entered, and looked at Koot el-Kuloob, 
who had adorned herself, and filled a chest with gold and ornaments 
and jewels and rarities, such as were light to carry and of great 
value ; and when Jaafar came in to her, she rose upon her feet, and 
kissed the ground before him, saying to him, O my master, the Pen 
hath written what God hath decreed. 24 But Jaafar, when he beheld 
her situation, replied, by Allah, O my mistress, he gave me no order 
but to arrest Ghanim the son of Eiyoob. And she said, Know that 
he hath packed up some bales of merchandise, and gone with them 
to Damascus, and I know nothing more than this; and I request 
thee to take care of this chest for me, and to convey it to the palace 
of the Prince of the Faithful. So Jaafar answered, I hear and 
obey:—and he" took the chest, and gave orders that it should be 
conveyed, together with Koot el-Kuloob, to the palace of the Kha¬ 
leefeh, treating her with honour and respect. This took place after 
they had plundered the house of Ghanim; and they went to the 
Khaleefeh; and Jaafar related to him all that had happened; 
whereupon the Khaleefeh appointed to Koot el-Kuloob a dark 

THE DISTRACTED SLAVE OF LOVE. 

507 

chamber, and there lodged her, commissioning an old woman to 
serve her; for he imagined that Ghanim had acted dishonestly 
towards her. 

He then wrote a letter to the Emeer Mohammad the son of 
Suleyman Ez-Zeynee, who was viceroy of Damascus, containing as 
follows :—As soon as this letter cometh to thy hands, thou shalt 
arrest Ghanim the son of Eiyoob, and send him unto me. So 
when the mandate was brought to him, he kissed it, and put it 
upon his head, and caused it to be proclaimed through the market- 
street, Whosoever desireth to plunder, let him repair to the house 
of Ghanim the son of Eiyoob. And they came to the house, and 
found that the mother of Ghanim, and his sister, had made for 
them a tomb, and sat by it weeping; and they laid hold upon them, 
and plundered the house, and the mother and sister knew not the 
cause: and when they brought them before the Sultan, 25 he in¬ 
quired of them respecting Ghanim the son of Eiyoob; and they 
answered him, For the space of a year we have obtained no tidings 
of him.—And they restored them to their place. 20 

In the mean time, Ghanim the son of Eiyoob, the Distracted 
Slave of Love, when his wealth had been seized, was perplexed, and 
began to weep for himself so as to. break his heart. He walked on, 
and ceased not on his way to the close of day, suffering from exces¬ 
sive hunger and fatigue, until he arrived at a village, where he 
entered a mosque, and seated himself upon a round mat, 22 and he 
leaned his back against one of the walls of the building, and then 
threw himself down, under the influence of extreme hunger and 
weariness. There he remained until the morning, his heart palpi¬ 
tating from want of food; vermin attacked his body, his breath 
became fetid, and he was altogether changed; and the people of 
that village, coming to perform the morning-prayers, found him 
lying there sick through want of food, yet exhibiting evident traces 
of former affluence ; and when they approached him, they found 
him cold and hungry. They clad him, therefore, with an old gar¬ 
ment having ragged sleeves, and said to him, Whence art thou, O 
stranger, and what is the cause of thine infirmity ? And Ghanim 
opened his eyes and looked at them and wept; but he returned 
them no answer. Then one of them, knowing the violence of his 
hunger, went and brought him a saucer of honey and two cakes of 

bread, and he ate, while they sat around him until the sun rose, 
when they departed to their several occupations.—In this state he 
remained among them for a month, and his infirmity and disease 
increased; so the people, commiserating him, consulted together 
respecting his case, and agreed to transport him to the hospital at 
Baghdad. 

While they were thus conversing, lo, two women, beggars, 
came in to him, and they were his mother and sister; and when he 
beheld them, he gave them the bread that was at his head, and 
they slept by him the next night; but he knew them not. And 
on the following day, the people of the village came to him, 
bringing a camel, and said to its owner, Convey this sick person 
on the camel, and when thou hast arrived at Baghdad, put him 
down at the door of the hospital: perhaps he may recover his 
health, and thou wilt receive a recompense. He answered them, 

THE STORY OF GHA'NIM THE SON OF EIYOOB, &c. 509 

I hear and obey. So they brought forth Ghanim the son of Eiyoob 
from the mosque, and placed him, with the round mat upon which 
he was sleeping, on the camel; and his mother and sister came to 
look at him among the other people; but they knew him not. Then 
observing him attentively, they said, Verily he resembleth our 
Ghanim! Can he be this sick person or not ?—But as to Ghanim, 
he awoke not until he was mounted on the camel, and he began to 
weep and moan; and the people of the village saw his mother and 
sister weeping for him, though they did not know him. Then his 
mother and sister journeyed onwards to Baghdad, while the camel- 
driver also proceeded without stopping until he had deposited 
Ghanim at the door of the hospital, when he took his camel, and 
returned. 

Ghanim remained lying there until the morning, and when the 
people began to pass along the street, they beheld him. He had 
become so emaciated that his form resembled that of a toothpick, 
and the people ceased not to gaze at him until the sheykh of the 
market came and repelled them from him, and said, I will gain 
Paradise by means of this poor person; for if they take him into 
the hospital they will kill him in one day. He then ordered his 
young men to carry him, and they conveyed him to his house, 
where he spread for him a new bed, and put for him a new 
cushion, and said to his wife, Serve him faithfully. She replied. 
On the head:—and she tucked up her sleeves, and, having heated 
for him some water, washed his hands and feet and body, and 
clothed him in a vest of one of her female slaves. She then gave 
him to drink a cup of wine, and sprinkled rose-water upon him: so 
he recovered his senses ; and he remembered his beloved, Koot el- 
Kuloob, and his anguish increased. — Thus did it happen to 
Ghanim. 

Now as to Koot el-Kuloob,—when the Khaleefeh, incensed 
against her, had lodged her in the dark chamber, she remained 
there in the same state for eighty days; and it happened that the 
Khaleefeh passed one day by that place, and heard her reciting 
verses; and when she had finished her recitation of them, she 
exclaimed, O my beloved! O Ghanim ! How kind art thou, and 
how chaste is thy disposition! Thou hast acted with kindness unto 
him who hath injured thee, and hast guarded the honour of him 

510 THE STORY OF GHA'NIM THE SON OF EIYOOB, 

who hath violated thine, and hast protected his hareem and he 
hath enslaved both thee and thy family; but thou wilt assuredly 
stand, and the Prince of the Faithful, before a Just Judge, and 
thou wilt obtain justice against him on the day when the judge 
shall be God; and the witnesses, the angels! — And when the 
Khaleefeh heard her words, and understood her complaint, he 
knew that she was injured; and he entered his palace, and sent 
the eunuch to her, and when she came before him she hung down 
her head, with weeping eye, and sorrowful heart; and he said to 
her, O Koot el-Kuloob, I see that thou complainest of my 
oppression, and accusest me of tyranny, and thinkest that I have 
injured him who hath acted kindly unto me. Who then is he who 
hath guarded my honour and I have violated his; and who hath 
protected my hareem and I have enslaved his ? a8 —She answered 
him, Ghanim the son of Eiyoob; for he hath not attempted any 
dishonest action towards me, by thy beneficence, O Prince of the 
Faithful! — Upon this the Khaleefeh exclaimed, There is no 
strength nor power but in God!—and then added, O Koot el- 
Kuloob, desire of me what thou wilt, and I will grant thy wish. 
So she replied, I desire of thee my beloved, Ghanim the son 
of Eiyoob. And when he heard her words, he said, I will cause 
him to be brought hither, if it be the will of God, in honour. —0 
Prince of the Faithful, she rejoined, when thou shalt have caused 
him to be brought wilt thou present me to him ? He answered, 
When I have had him brought I will present thee to him, the 
present of a generous man who will not revoke his gift. So she 
said, O Prince of the Faithful, permit me to search about for him: 
perhaps God may unite me with him. And he replied, Do as 
thou wilt. 

Upon this she rejoiced, and went forth, taking with her a 
thousand pieces of gold, and visited the sheykhs, and gave alms 
for the sake of Ghanim : 22 and on the following day she went to 
the market of the merchants, and gave to the chief of the market 
some money, saying to him, Bestow it in alms upon the strangers. 
Then again, in the following week, she went forth, taking with her 
a thousand pieces of gold, and, entering the market of the gold¬ 
smiths and jewellers, summoned the chief of the market, and he 
came, and she gave him the thousand pieces of gold, and said to 

:the distracted slave of love. 

511 

him, Bestow it in alms upon the strangers:—whereupon the chief, 
who was the sheykh of the market before mentioned, looked at 
her, and said to her, Wilt thou go with me to my house, to look at 
a young stranger there, and see how elegant he is, and how 
perfectly charming ? For it is probable that he is Ghanim the 
son of Eiyooh, the Distracted Slave of Love.—But the chief had no 
knowledge of him, and imagined that he was a poor person involved 
in debt, whose wealth had been taken from him, or a lover parted 
from his beloved. And when she heard his words, her heart beat, 
and her affections were engrossed by him, and she answered, Send 
with me some one to conduct me to thy house. So he sent 
with her a young boy, who conducted her to the house where the 
stranger was lodged, and she thanked him for doing so; and when 
she entered the house, and saluted the chief’s wife, the latter 
arose, and kissed the ground before her; for she knew her. Then 
Root el-Kuloob said to her, Where is the sick person who is with 
you ? And she wept, and answered, Here he is, O my mistress: 
but he is of a respectable family, and exliibiteth traces of former 
affluence. And Koot el-Kuloob looked towards the bed upon 
which he was lying, and, regarding him narrowly, beheld him as 
though he were Ghanim himself; but his condition was changed, 
and he had become so emaciated that he resembled a toothpick, 
and the truth of his case was disguised from her, so that she 
did not discover him to be the person whom she sought; but she 
was moved with compassion for him, and she wept, and exclaimed, 
Verily, strangers are objects of pity, though they be Emeers in 
their own countries ! She then ordered for him supplies of wine 
and medicines, and sat at his head a while, and mounted, and 
returned to her palace; and she continued to go forth to every 
market for the purpose of searching for Ghanim. 

Soon after, the chief of the market brought the mother of 
Ghanim, and his sister Fitneh, and went with them to Koot el- 
Kuloob, and said to her, O most charitable lady, there have entered 
our city this day a woman and a girl of respectable origin, bearing 
evident traces of former affluence, but they are clad in garments 
of hair-cloth, and each of them hath a wallet hung to her neck, 
and their eyes are weeping, and their hearts sorrowful: so I have 
brought them unto thee, that thou mayest give them refuge, and 

preserve them from the disgrace of beggary; for they are not 
persons suited to ask alms of the sordid; and, please God, we 
shall enter Paradise by their means.—By Allah, O my master, she 
replied, thou hast made me long to behold them! Where are 
they ? Order them to come in.—So, upon this, Fitneh and her 
mother came in to Koot el-Kuloob, who, when she saw them, and 
observed that they were both distinguished by beauty, wept for 
them, and said, By Allah, they are persons of an affluent family, 
and traces of wealth are conspicuous in their appearance.—0 my 
mistress, replied the chief of the market, we love the poor and 
indigent for the sake of future recompense; 30 and probably the 
extortioners have oppressed these two persons, and plundered them 
of their wealth, and ruined their houses. Then these two females 
wept violently, and, remembering Ghanim the son of Eiyoob, the 
Distracted Slave of Love, their wailing increased, and Koot el- 
Kuloob wept with them; and the mother of Ghanim exclaimed, 
We pray God to unite us with him whom we seek, and he is my 
son Ghanim the son of Eiyoob. When Koot el-Kuloob, therefore, 
heard these words, she knew that this woman was the mother of 

THE STORY OF GHA'NIM THE SON OF EIYOOB, &c. 513 

her beloved, and that the other was his sister, and she wept until 
she fell down in a swoon ; and when she recovered, she approached 
them, and said to them, Ye have nothing to fear; for this day 
is the first of your prosperity, and the last of your adversity: 
therefore grieve not. She then ordered the chief of the market 
to take them to his house, and to let his wife conduct them 
into the bath, and attire them in handsome clothing, and take care 
of them, and treat them with the utmost honour; and she gave 
him a sum of money. 

Then, on the following day, Koot el-Kuloob mounted and went 
again to the house of the chief of the market, and went in to visit 
his wife, who rose to her, and kissed the ground before her, and 
thanked her for her charity; and she saw that the wife had con¬ 
ducted the mother of Ghanim, and his sister, to the bath, and taken 
off their former clothes, and that the traces of their original affluence 
had become more conspicuous in consequence ; and she sat a while 
conversing with them ; after which she asked the wife of the chief 
of the market respecting the sick person who was with her. She 
answered, He is in the same state. And Koot el-Kuloob said, 
Arise, and let us look at him and visit him. So they both arose, 
with Ghanim’s mother and sister, and went in to him, and seated 
themselves by him; and when Ghanim the son of Eiyoob, the Dis¬ 
tracted Slave of Love, heard one of them mention Koot el-Kuloob, 
emaciated as he was in body and limbs, his soul returned to him, 
and he raised his head from the pillow, and called out, O Koot el- 
Kuloob ! She looked at him, therefore, and knew him, and cried, 
saying, Yes, O my beloved! He then said to her, Draw near to 
me. And she asked him, Art thou Ghanim the son of Eiyoob, the 
Distracted Slave of Love ? He answered her, Yes: I am he. And 
upon this, she fell down in a swoon; and when his sister and his 
mother heard their words, they cried out, Oh our joy!—and in like 
manner fainted. And when they recovered, Koot el-Kuloob said 
to Ghanim, Praise be to God who hath united us with thee and 
with thy mother and sister! Then approaching him, she related 
to him all that had happened to her with the Khaleefeh, adding, I 
said to him, I have declared to thee the truth, O Prince of the 
Faithfuland he believed my words, and approved thee ; and he 
is now desiring to see thee. And she said to him, The Khaleefeh 

3 u 

VOL. I. 

514 THE STORY OF GHA'NIM THE SON OF EtYOOB, 

hath given me to thee :—whereupon he was filled with the utmost 
joy : and Koot el-Kuloob said to them all, Quit not this place until 
I come again. 

She then arose immediately, and departed to her palace, and 
removed thence the chest that she had brought from Ghanim’s 
house, and took forth from it some pieces of gold, which she gave 
to the chief of the market, saying to him, Take these pieces of 
gold, and buy for each of them four complete suits of dress of the 
best kinds of stuff, and twenty handkerchiefs, and whatever else 
they require. And after this, she conducted them to the bath, and 
gave orders to wash them, and prepared for them boiled meats, 
and infusion of galangal, and juice of apples, after they had come 
forth from the bath and dressed themselves. For three days she 
remained with them, feeding them with fowls and with boiled meats, 
and giving them sherbet of refined sugar to drink; and after the 
three days their spirits returned to them. Then she conducted 
them again to the bath, and they came forth, and she changed their 
clothes, and, leaving them in the house of the chief of the market, 
went to the Khaleefeh, and kissed the ground before him, and 
related to him the story, telling him that her master, Ghanim the 
son of Eiyoob, the Distracted Slave of Love, had come, and his 
mother and sister also had arrived. When the Khaleefeh, therefore, 
heard these words of Koot el-Kuloob, he said to the eunuchs, 
Bring hither to me Ghanim. And Jaafar went down with them to 
bring him : but Koot el-Kuloob had gone before him, and went in 
unto Ghanim, and said to him, The Khaleefeh hath sent to thee 
to bring thee before him : have a care then to display eloquence of 
tongue, and firmness of heart, and sweetness of speech. And she 
attired him in a magnificent dress, and gave him pieces of gold in 
abundance, saying to him, Bestow plentifully upon the domestics 
of the Khaleefeh as thou goest in to him. And lo, Jaafar ap¬ 
proached him, mounted upon his mule, and Ghanim advanced to 
meet him, and greeted him with a prayer for long life, kissing the 
ground before him. 

The planet of his prosperity had appeared, and the star of his 
glory had risen aloft, and Jaafar took him, and they proceeded until 
they entered into the presence of the Prince of the Faithful; and 
when Ghanim came before him, he looked towards the Wezeers and 

THE DISTRACTED SLAVE OF LOVE. 

515 

Emeers and Chamberlains and Lieutenants and the other officers 
of the court and the warriours, and, being eloquent of tongue, 
firm of heart, delicate in the style of his language, and pleasing in 
the allusions it conveyed, hung down his head towards the ground, 
and then looked towards the Khaleefeh, and addressed him in a 
series of complimentary verses. And when he had finished his 
recitation, the Khaleefeh was delighted with the graces of his 
person, and pleased with the eloquence of his tongue and the sweet¬ 
ness of his speech; and he said to him, Approach me. He there¬ 
fore approached him, and the Khaleefeh said to him, Explain to me 
thy tale, and acquaint me with the truth of thy history. So 
Ghanim sat and related to the Khaleefeh all that had happened to 
him from beginning to end; and when the Khaleefeh knew that 
he spoke truth, he bestowed upon him a dress of honour, and 
admitted him into his favour, and said to him, Acquit me of respon¬ 
sibility. 31 And he did so, and said to him, O Prince of the Faithful, 
the slave and all that his hands possess belong to his master:— 
and the Khaleefeh rejoiced. He then gave orders to appropriate a 
palace to him exclusively, and appointed him abundant pensions 
and allowances, and removed to him his mother and his sister. 
And the Khaleefeh, hearing that his sister Fitneh was, in beauty 
(as her name imported), a temptation, demanded her of him in mar¬ 
riage. Ghanim therefore replied, She is thy handmaid, 33 and I am 
thy memlook. And the Khaleefeh thanked him, and gave him a 
hundred thousand pieces of gold, 33 and summoned the Kadee and 
witnesses, and they performed the marriage-contract. Then he and 
Ghanim visited their wives on the same day, the Khaleefeh going 
to Fitneh, and Ghanim the son of Eiyoob to Koot el-Kuloob ; and 
on the following morning the Khaleefeh ordered that all that had 
happened to Ghanim, from first to last, should be committed to 
writing and inserted in the records, that his posterity might con¬ 
sider it, and wonder at the disposals of destiny, and commit their 
affairs unto the Creator of the night and the day . 34 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SEVENTH. 

Note 1. 

Damascus is afterwards mentioned in the original as the abode of this mer¬ 
chant’s family ; but not here. 

Note 2. 

“Ghanim" signifies “a taker of spoil,” “ a fortunate acquirer of anything;” 
and “Eiyoob ” is the name which we call “Job.” 

Note 3. 

“Fitneh” signifies “temptation,” “seduction,” “disturbance,” &c. 

Note 4. 

By the term “ loads” we are always to understand “ camel-loads,” unless it is 
otherwise expressed. A camel-load is generally about three hundred-weights. 

Note 5. 

Or bladders of musk. In the original, “ naw&feh” is put up for “ naw&fij.” 

Note 6. 

A great recompense in the world to come is to be the lot of him who takes 
part in a funeral procession. 

Note 7. 

The ablution was necessary to qualify Ghanim for joining in the prayer over 
the dead. 

Note 8. 

“Saw&b” signifies “rectitude.” 

Note 9. 

“Kifoor” is the Arabic for “camphor.” Instances of antiphrasis in the 
names given to black slaves are very common. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SEVENTH. 

517 

Note 10. 

“Bakheet” signifies “fortunate,” from “bakht” (“fortune”), a word bor¬ 
rowed from the Persian. 

Note 11. 

1 am not sure that this is to be understood as a jest; for I have been assured, 
by a slave-dealer and other persons in Cairo, that sometimes slaves brought to that 
city are found to be cannibals; and that a proof lately occurred there; an infant 
having been eaten by its black nurse, I was also told that these cannibals are 
generally distinguished by an elongation of the os coccygis; or, in other words, 
that they have tails! 

Note 12. 

The story here alluded to is inserted in the original; but, being extremely 
objectionable, and too short and simple to be abridged, I have been compelled to 
omit it altogether. 

Note 13. 

This story is not in the old version ; but I think the reader will consider it 
worthy of insertion in the present series, as an amusing illustration of the cus¬ 
toms which are often observed by the Arabs on the occasion of the death of the 
master of a family. I can bear testimony to the general correctness of the picture 
which it presents; or rather state, that the greatest of the extravagancies which 
it describes are not unfrequently practised in the present day. 

Note 14. 

As the Arab women are much more reluctant to uncover the upper and back 
part of the head than they are to shew the face, before strange men, such a scene 
as that which is here described is very seldom witnessed ; but I have seen not so 
unfrequently a woman with her face uncovered, and besmeared with mud, on her 
receiving the news of the sudden death of a near relation. 

Note 15. 

This, to some readers, may require explanation. To free a slave who has no 
means of providing for himself, and not to grant him any means to do so, is 
almost the heaviest punishment that can be inflicted upon him; and to do this 
unless for a heinous crime, is considered disgraceful. 

Note 16. 

This is not just; for as soon as the slave is emancipated he is legally free, 
without doubt: but it is inserted in the tale as a jest.* 

Note 17. 

See Note 46 to Chapter ii.—This mode of disposing of a rival in the hareem is 
said to have been not very unfrequently adopted. 

Note 18. 

I suspect that the original presents here an error, which I have endeavoured 
to correct.—The names which the lady ejaculates are to be understood as those of 

• Marginal note by my sheykh. 

518 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SEVENTH. 

female slaves, her attendants. “Zahrel Bust&n ” signifies “Flower of the Garden;" 
“Sabeehah,” “Beautiful;” “Shejeret ed-Durr," “Tree of Pearls” (this was the 
name of the wife of the SultAn Es-SAleh Nejm ed-Deen, afterwards Queen of 
Egypt); “ Noor el-Huda,” “Light of Day,” or “Light of Guidance;” “ Nejmet 
es-Subh,” “ Star of the Morning;” “Nuzheh,” “Delight;” Hulweh,” “Sweet;” 
and “Zareefeh,” “Elegant.” 

Note 19. 

From this point, to the relation of the stratagem employed by Zubeydeh, I 
omit much that is unsuitable for insertion in the translation, as approaching to 
licentiousness. 

Note 20. 

Perhaps it is unnecessary to mention, that “ the Prophet’s Uncle ” here alluded 
to was ’Abbas; and that the “ descendant” was HAroon Er-Rasheed. 

Note 21. 

“ Root el-Kuloob” signifies “Food (or sustenance) of Hearts.” 

Note 22. 

As black, which was the distinguishing colour of the banners and dress of 
the ’Abbasee Khaleefehs, was originally assumed in token of mourning for such 
of their relations as were victims of the Umawees, it may have continued for a 
long time to be used for a similar purpose : but the modem colour of mourning 
among the Arabs is blue; and it is remarkable that the term which properly sig¬ 
nifies “black” is commonly applied by them to dark blue.—On the subject of 
mourning, see Note 52 to Chapter ii. 

Note 23. 

“ KheyzurAn ” and “Kadeeb” signify, respectively, “a Cane” (particularly 
“Indian Cane”), and “a Rod,” or “a long and slender Branch.” 

Note 24. 

See Note 85 to Chapter iii. 

Note 25. 

By “the SultAn” is meant the Viceroy of Damascus, though the title is 
improperly used in this sense. 

Note 26. 

The account of the disgusting treatment of GhAnim's mother and sister, 
which follows in this place in the old version, is not in either of the copies of the 
original which I possess, containing this tale. Hence, and as it is extremely in¬ 
consistent with Arab customs and feelings, I have little doubt of its being an inter¬ 
polation by some ignorant copyist. 

Note 27. 

See Note 18 to Chapter vi. 

Note 28. 

By Ghanim's liareem, we are here to understand his mother and sister; the 
term “hareem” being often used to signify a man’s female relations residing in 
his house. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SEVENTH. 

519 

Note 29. 

It is implied that she visited the sheykhs (by which are here meant the 
devotees) to request the aid of their prayers; and gave alms for the sake (or in 
the name) of Ghdnim in order to propitiate Providence in his favour. 

Note 30. —On the Charitable Disposition of the Arabs. 

Some remarks which I have made on this subject with reference to the Egyp¬ 
tians, in a former work, are equally applicable to the Arabs in general. “ Bene¬ 
volence and charity to the poor are virtues which the Egyptians possess in an 
eminent degree, and which are instilled into their hearts by religion ; but from 
their own profession it appears that they are as much excited to the giving of alms 
by the expectation of enjoying corresponding rewards in heaven, as by pity for the 
distresses of their fellow-creatures, or a disinterested wish to do the will of God. 
It may be attributed, in some measure, to the charitable disposition of the inha¬ 
bitants, that beggars are so numerous in Cairo. The many handsome Sebeels, 
or public fountains (buildings erected and endowed for the gratuitous supply of 
water to passengers), which are seen in this city, and the more humble structures 
of the same kind in the villages and fields, are monuments of the same virtue.”* 
So also the numerous Khans for the reception of travellers, in countries occupied 
by the Arabs, bear testimony to the charity of this people. 

Note 31. 

This is often said by an Arab to a person against whom he knows or fears him¬ 
self to have committed an offence. The most urgent reason for doing so may be 
seen by reverting to No. 9 of the notes to Chapter iv. 

Note 32. 

This compliment has occasioned, in the old version, an error of the most serious 
kind, by its having been understood in its literal sense. Ghanim is made to pro¬ 
pose that the Khaleefeh should take his sister as one of his favourites (i. e. concu¬ 
bines); which, as she was a free woman, would be a crime of the foulest nature. 

Note 33. 

We are to understand this sum of money as being Fitneh's dowry.—Here it 
may be mentioned, that the Khaleefeh, by marrying Fitneh, severely punished 
Zubeydeh : for he thus gave her a wife, instead of a concubine, as a rival. 

Note 34. —On the Passion of Love among the Arabs. 

A few remarks on this subject may be inserted to justify the picture of love 
presented in the foregoing tale. That sensual passion is most prevalent among the 
Arabs cannot be doubted; but I think it unjust to suppose them generally inca¬ 
pable of a purer feeling, worthy, if constancy be a sufficient test, of being termed 
true love. That they are not so, appears evident to almost every person who 
mixes with them in familiar society ; for such a person must have opportunities of 
being acquainted with many Arabs sincerely attached to wives whose personal 
charms have long vanished, and who have neither wealth nor influence of their 
own, nor wealthy or influential relations, to induce their husbands to refrain from 

Modern Egyptians, vol. i. chap. xiii. 

520 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SEVENTH. 

divorcing them. It very often happens, too, that an Arab is sincerely attached to 
a wife possessed, even in the best portion of her age, of few charms; and that 
the lasting favourite among two or more wives is not the most handsome. This 
opinion, I am sorry to observe, is at variance, as far as the Arabs of the towns are 
concerned, with that entertained by one of the most intelligent and experienced of 
modem travellers who long resided among this people,—the justly celebrated 
Burckhardt: * but it is confirmed by numerous facts related by respectable Arab 
authors (and therefore not regarded by them as of an incredible nature), as well 
as by cases which have fallen under my own observation. The tale of Leyla 
and Mejnoon, “the Juliet and Romeo of Arabia,” is too well known to be here 
repeated; but among many other anecdotes of strong and constant love, the 
following may be inserted. 

The Khaleefeh Yezeed the son of ’Abd El-Melik had two female slaves; one 
of whom was named Habbdbeh; and the other, Sel&meh; to the former of whom 
he was most ardently attached: he had purchased her for a hundred thousand 
dirhems; and the other, for ten thousand. In the company of these two females 
he sometimes shut himself up for three months together, utterly neglecting the 
affairs of his people. At length, being reproved for this conduct by his brother 
Meslemeh, he promised to return to his duty: but the two slaves diverted him 
from his purpose; and on the following morning, excited by their songs and 
caresses, and by wine, he became frantic with pleasure, and danced and sang like 
a madman, till a fatal accident put a stop to his joy: IIabbabeh, eating a pome¬ 
granate, was choked by one of the grains, and immediately died. The grief of 
Yezeed was so poignant that he would not quit the corpse, but continued to kiss 
and fondle it, until it became putrid. Being then admonished by his attendants 
that proper respect required its burial, he consented to commit it to the earth: after 
five days, however, his desire again to behold the object of his love induced him to 
open the grave, and though the corpse had become hideous, he declared that it was 
lovely as ever in his eyes. At the earnest request of Meslemeh, he ordered the 
grave to be closed again; but he was unable to exist when deprived of the sight of 
the remains of her who was at the same time his slave and his mistress: he threw 
himself upon his hed, speechless; and after lingering seventeen nights, expired, 
and was buried by the side of Habbabeh. “May God,” says the narrator, ‘Giave 
mercy on them both !”f 

In the same work from which the above is taken, it is related that H&roon Er- 
Rasheed, visiting Suleyman the son of Aboo Jaafar, one of his chief officers, saw 

* I may Buffer in public estimation for my differing in opinion from this accomplished traveller and 
most estimable man; but I cannot, on that account, abstain from the expression of my dissent. Our 
difference, I think, may be thus explained. He conformed, in a great degree, to the habits of the Arabs; 
but not to such an extent as I consider necessary to obtain from them that confidence in his sympathy 
which would induce them to lay open to him their character; and when a man is often treated with 
coldness and reserve, I doubt whether the people from whom he experiences such treatment can be 
judged by him with strict impartiality. To he received on terms of equality by Arabs of the more 
polished classes, an undeviating observance of their code of etiquette is absolutely indispensable: but 
Burckhardt, I have been assured, often violated this code, by practices harmless enough to our notions, 
and probably in the opinion of the Arabs of the Desert, but extremely offensive to the people who 
enjoyed the least share of his esteem : his most intimate acquaintances in Cairo generally refused, in 
speaking of him, to designate him by the title of “ sheykh " which he had adopted; and yet the heaviest 
charge that I heard brought against him was his frequent habit of whistling /— 1 This fact has been men¬ 
tioned, as corroborating an observation of the same kind, by Mr. Urquhart (“ Spirit of the East,” vol. i. 
pp. 417 and 418), all of whose opinions relating to the East, and especially those regarding the charac¬ 
teristics of the Eastern mind, are entitled to the highest respect. 

t Kitib el-’Onwin fee Mekiid en-Nisw&n (MS. in my possession). 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SEVENTH. 

521 

with him a female slave, named Da’eefeh, of excessive beauty, and, being smitten 
by her charms, demanded her as a present. His request was granted; but Suley¬ 
man, from grief at the loss of his mistress, fell sick ; and during his illness was 
heard to exclaim,— 

“ I appeal unto God against the affliction which He hath sent upon me 
through the Khaleefeh. 

The world heareth of his justice; but he is a tyrant in the affair of 
Da’eefeh.* 

Love of her is fixed in my heart as ink upon the surface of paper.” 

Er-Rasheed, being informed of his complaint, restored to him his mistress, and, 
with her, his peace of mind.—This anecdote is given as a proof of strong love ; 
but perhaps may not be thought much to the purpose. The following, from the 
same work, is more apt. 

During the hottest hour of an excessively sultry day, the Khaleefeh Mo’awiyeh 
the son of Aboo Sufyan was sitting in a chamber which was open on each side 
to allow free passage to the air, when he beheld a barefooted Bedawee approaching 
him. Wondering what could induce this man to brave the scorching heat, he de¬ 
clared to his attendants that, if he were come to demand of him any favour or aid or 
act of justice, his request should he granted. The Bedawee addressed him, in verse, 
with a pathetic appeal for justice against the tyranny of Marw&n the son of El- 
Hakam (afterwards Khaleefeh, Mo’dwiyeh’s fourth successor), by whom he had 
been forcibly deprived of his beloved wife, named Soada. The Khaleefeh requir¬ 
ing a more particular account of his case, he related the following facts. He had 
a wife, the daughter of his paternal uncle, excessively beloved by him, and pos¬ 
sessed a number of camels, which enabled him to live in comfort; but a year of 
terrible drought deprived him of his property, and reduced him to utter want: his 
friends deserted him, and his wife was taken away from him by her father. To 
seek redress, he repaired to Marwdn, the Governor of his district, at El-Medeeneh, 
who, having summoned the father of his wife, and herself, was so smitten by the 
beauty of the woman that he determined to obtain her for himself in marriage ; to 
accomplish which, he threw the husband into prison, and offered the father of the 
woman a thousand deen&rs and ten thousand dirhems for his consent to his mar¬ 
riage with her, promising to compel her actual husband to divorce her; and this 
latter object, having obtained the father’s approval, he gained by severely torturing 
the unfortunate Bedawee. It would have been vain for the woman to attempt 
' resistance; and so she became the wife of Marwan.—The oppressed Bedawee, 
having related these circumstances, fell down in a swoon, and lay on the floor 
senseless, coiled up like a dead snake. As soon as he recovered, the Khaleefeh 
wrote a poetical epistle to Marw&n, severely reproaching him for his baseness, and 
commanding him, on pain of death, to divorce the woman and send her with his 
messenger. She was accordingly divorced and sent, with an answer composed in 
the same measure and rhyme, assuring the Khaleefeh that the sight of Soada would 
convince him that her charms were irresistible; and this proved too true. Mo’awiyeh 
himself no sooner saw her than he coveted the possession of her, and offered to 
give the Bedawee, if he would resign her to him, three virgins from among his 

v * This wmtl slightly varied (changed to da’eefih) bears another meaning ; namely, “his weak one ” 
the final vowel being suppressed by the rule of wakf. 

3 x 

VOL I. 

522 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SEVENTH- 

female slaves, together with a thousand deenSrs, and an ample annual pension. 
The Bedawee shrieked with dismay, as though he had received his death-blow ; and 
indignantly rejected the offer. The Khaleefeh then said to him, “ Thou confessest 
that thou hast divorced her, and Marwan has married her and acknowledged that 
he has divorced her : we will therefore give her her choice : if she desire any other 
than thee as her husband we will marry her to him, and if she prefer thee we will 
restore her to thee.” She however preferred the destitute Bedawee, and the Kha¬ 
leefeh gave her up to him, with a present of ten thousand dirhems. 

Numerous instances of unreasonable love are recorded in the writings of Arabs. 
It is related that a man fell in love with a female from seeing the impression of 
her hand upon a wall; and, being unable to obtain possession of her, died. Many 
men are said to have conceived a violent passion for females seen in dreams: 
others, again, to have been affected thus merely by the ear. An author relates his 
having been acquainted with an accomplished schoolmaster who lost his heart from 
hearing a man sing the praises of a woman named Umm ’Amr, and two days after, 
shut himself up in his house to mourn for her death, in consequence of his hearing 
the same man sing,— 

“ The ass went away with Umm ’Amr ; and she returned not, nor did the ass 
return.”* 

But anecdotes may he considered as rare exceptions to a general rule; and 
indeed I think that stronger evidences of the existence of true love among all 
classes of the Arabs are afforded by their numerous tales of fiction descriptive of 
this passion. 

• KiUbel-’Onw&n, &c.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH NIGHT , 1 
AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE HUNDRED AND 
THIRTY-SEVENTH. 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK AND THE LADY DUNYA. 

There was, in former times, a city behind the mountains of 
Ispahan, called El-Medeeneh El-Khadra, 8 and in it resided a King 
called the King Suleyman. He was a person of liberality and 
beneficence, and justice and integrity, and of a generous and 
obliging disposition : travellers repaired to him from every quarter, 
and his fame spread throughout all the regions and countries; and 
he reigned a long time in glory and security ; but. he was destitute 
of children and of wives. 

524 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOE 

He had a Wezeer who nearly resembled him in his qualities ; in 
liberality and other endowments ; and it came to pass that he sent 
to this Wezeer one day, and having summoned him into his presence, 
said to him, 0 Wezeer, my heart is contracted, and my patience 
is overcome, and my strength is impaired, because I have neither a 
wife nor child: this is not the usual way of Kings who rule over 
lords and paupers ; for they rejoice in leaving children, and multi¬ 
plying by them the number of their posterity; and the Prophet 
(God favour and preserve him!) hath said, Intermarry, and beget 
offspring, that ye may increase in number ; for I shall contend for 
your superiority with the other nations on the day of resurrection:— 
what then is thy counsel, O Wezeer? Point out to me what is 
advisable.—But when the Wezeer heard these words, tears poured 
from his eyes, and he replied, Far be it from me, O King of the 
age, that I should speak of that which belongeth unto the Compas¬ 
sionate to decide! 3 Dost thou desire that I should enter the fire of 
Hell, through the anger of the Almighty King ?—Know, O Wezeer, 
rejoined his sovereign, that, if the King purchase a female slave 
whose rank and lineage are unknown, he will not be acquainted 
with her ignoble origin that he may abstain from her, or the nobility 
of her extraction that he may make her his companion : so, if he do 
this, she may perhaps bear him a son who may be a hypocrite, a 
tyrant, a shedder of blood; and she may resemble a marshy land, 
whose produce is wortldess, and attaineth no excellence: her child 
may be obnoxious to the indignation of his Lord, not doing what 
He commandeth him, nor refraining from that which He forbiddeth 
him to do. I will never, therefore, be the means of such an event 
by purchasing a female slave. I desire, rather, that thou demand 
in marriage for me one of the daughters of the Kings, whose lineage 
is known, and whose loveliness is celebrated. If, then, thou wilt 
point out to me one of good birth and of religion among the 
daughters of the Muslim Kings, I will demand her as my wife, 
and marry her in the presence of witnesses, that I may thereby 
obtain the approval of the Lord of mankind.—The Wezeer replied, 
Verily God hath accomplished thy want and given thee thy desire.— 
How so ? asked the King.—Know, O King, answered the Wezeer, 
that it hath been told me that the King Zahr Shah, the sovereign 
of El-Ard El-Beyda,* hath a daughter of astonishing loveliness, 
whom words cannot describe, whose equal existeth not in this age, 

AND THE LADY DUNYA. 

525 

for she is endowed with the most perfect beauty and symmetry, 
with black eye, and long hair, and slender waist, and large hips ; 
when she approacheth she seduceth, and when she turneth her back 
she killeth, ravishing the heart and the eye. It is my opinion, 
therefore, O King, that thou shouldst send to her father an intel¬ 
ligent messenger, well informed, and experienced in the course of 
events, that he may courteously ask her in marriage for thee of her 
father; for she hath no equal in the distant parts of the earth, nor 
in the near ; so shalt thou enjoy her lovely face, and the Glorious 
King shall approve thy conduct; since it hath been handed down 
from the Prophet (God favour and preserve him!) that he said, 
There is no monkery in El-Islam. 

Upon this, the King was perfectly delighted, his bosom expanded 
with joy, and anxiety and grief departed from him, and, addressing 
his Wezeer, he said to him, Know, O Wezeer, that no one shall go 
on this business but thou, on account of thy consummate wisdom 
and politeness: depart, therefore, to thy house, and accomplish what 
thou hast to do, and prepare thyself by the morrow, and demand 
for me in marriage this damsel with whom thou hast caused my 
heart to be engrossed, and return not to me without her. The 
Wezeer replied, I hear and obey :—and he went to his house, and 
gave orders to bring presents suitable to Kings, consisting of costly 
jewels and precious rarities, such as were light to carry and of great 
value, together with Arab horses, and Davidean coats of mail, 5 and 
chests of wealth such as language would fail to describe. These 
they placed upon the mules and camels, and the Wezeer departed, 
accompanied by a hundred memlooks and a hundred male black 
slaves and a hundred female slaves, and the flags and banners were 
unfurled over his head. The King charged him to return soon; 
and after his departure, the King Suleyman Shah burned with 
desire, and became engrossed with love of the damsel night and 
day. Meanwhile, the Wezeer, by night and by day, traversed the 
deserts and wastes until there remained between him and the city 
to which he was repairing one day’s journey, when he alighted at 
the bank of a river, and, having summoned one of his chief officers, 
ordered him to go quickly to the King Zahr Shah, and to acquaint 
him with his approach. He answered, I hear and obey:—and went 
quickly to the city; and when he arrived there, it happened that 
the King Zahr Shah was sitting in one of the places of recreation 

526 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK, &c. 

before the gate of the city, and, seeing him as he entered, knew him 
to he a stranger, and summoned him before him. So when the 
messenger came to him, he informed him of the approach of the 
Wezeer of the supreme King Suleyman Shah, the King of El-Ard 
El-Khadra and of the mountains of Ispahan; and the King Zahr 
Shah rejoiced, and welcomed the messenger, and, having conducted 
him to his palace, said to him, Where didst thou part from the 
Wezeer? He answered, I parted from him in the morning at the 
bank of such a river, and to-morrow he will arrive and visit thee: 
may God continue his favours unto thee, and shew mercy unto thy 
parents! 6 Zahr Shah then ordered one of his Wezeers to take 
with him the greater number of his chief officers and chamberlains 
and lieutenants and the lords of his court, and to go forthwith them 
to meet him, in honour of the King Suleyman Shah; for his 
dominion extended through the land. 

In the mean time, the Wezeer of Suleyman Shah remained 
where he had halted until midnight, and then proceeded towards 
the city; and when the morning gleamed, and the sun shone upon 
the hills and the lowlands, suddenly the Wezeer of the King Zahr 
Shah, and his chamberlains and the lords of his court and the chief 
officers of his kingdom, approached and joined him at the distance 
of some leagues from the city. So the Wezeer of Suleyman Shah 
felt sure of the accomplishment of his business, and saluted those 
who met him ; and the latter preceded him until they arrived at the 
palace of the King, and passed in before him through the entrance 
to the seventh vestibule. This was the place which no one entered 
on horseback; for it was near to the King; therefore here the 
Wezeer alighted, and he proceeded on foot until he came to a lofty 
saloon, at the upper end of which was a sofa of alabaster set with 
pearls and jewels, having four legs of elephants’ tusks, and upon it 
was a mattress covered with green satin embroidered with red gold, 
and over it was a canopy adorned with pearls and jewels. Upon 
this sofa sat the King Zahr Shah, and the lords of his court stood 
in attendance upon him. And when the Wezeer went in unto him, 
and stood before him, he composed his heart, and gave liberty to 
his tongue, and, displaying the oratory of Wezeers, and uttering the 
language of the eloquent, addressed the King with courtesy of 
manner, and recited a series of complimentary verses ; and when 
he had finished, the King caused him to draw near, treated him 

with the utmost respect, and, seating him by his side, smiled in 
his face, and honoured him with a gracious reply. After this, the 
attendants brought forward the table in that saloon, and they ate 
until they were satisfied, when the attendants removed the table, 
and every one who was present went forth, excepting the chief 
officers. When the Wezeer, therefore, saw that they had quitted 
the hall, he arose and stood on his feet, and, complimenting the 
King, kissed the ground before him, and said, O great King, and 
dignified sovereign, I have come unto thee and visited thee on an 
affair productive of peace and prosperity and happiness unto thee ; 
and it is this: I have come to thee as an ambassador to desire in 
marriage thy daughter, the distinguished by rank and lineage, 
from the King Suleyman Shah, who is endowed with justice and 
integrity, and graciousness and beneficence, the King of EI-Ard 

528 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK, &c. 

El-Khadra and of the mountains of Ispahan, and he hath sent unto 
thee many presents and numerous rarities, desiring thine alliance. 
Dost thou then wish the same of him ?—He then stood silent, 
waiting for the answer; and when the King Zahr Shah heard these 
words, he rose upon his feet, and modestly kissed the ground; and 
the persons who were present wondered at the King’s condescension 
to the ambassador, and their minds were amazed. The King then 
offered up praises unto Him who is possessed of glory and honour, 
and said, still standing, O exalted Wezeer, and illustrious lord, hear 
what I say, We are, unto the King Suleyman Shah, among the 
number of his subjects, and shall be ennobled by his affinity: we 
covet this distinction; and my daughter is one of his handmaids. 
This is my greatest desire ; that he may be a means of support to 
me, and my reliance.—And he summoned the Kadees and witnesses, 
and they bore witness that the King Suleyman Shah had appointed 
his Wezeer as his deputy to effect the marriage, and the King 
Zahr Shah joyfully officiated for his daughter in performing the 
contract; so the Kadees concluded the marriage-contract, and 
offered up a prayer for the happiness and prosperity of both parties: 
after which, the Wezeer arose, and produced the presents and 
precious rarities and all the gifts that he had brought, and offered 
the whole to the King Zahr Shah. 

The King then occupied himself in fitting out his daughter, and 
in honourably entertaining the Wezeer; and he feasted at his 
banquets the great and the abject, and continued the festivity for a 
period of two months, omitting in it nothing that would rejoice 
the heart and the eye. 7 And when everything that the bride re¬ 
quired was completed, the King gave orders to carry forth the tents, 
and they were pitched outside the city. They packed the stuffs in 
the chests, and made ready the Greek and Turkish female slaves; 
and the King provided the bride with precious treasures and costly 
jewels, and made for her a litter* of red gold adorned with pearls 
and jewels, appropriating to her use ten mules for the journey. The 
litter appeared like a private chamber, and its occupant like one of 
the beautiful Hooreeyehs, 9 her canopy resembling one of the pavilions 
of paradise. They packed up the treasures and wealth, and placed 
them upon the mules and camels, and the King Zahr Shah went 
with them to the distance of three leagues, and then bade farewell 

to his daughter and the Wezeer and his attendants, 
and returned home in joy and safety. 

The Wezeer proceeded with the King’s daugh¬ 
ter, and continued his day’s journeys and his 
route over the wastes, travelling with diligence by 
night and day, until there remained between him 
and his country three days’ journey; whereupon 
he sent forward a messenger to the King Suleyman 
Shah to inform him of the approach of the bride, 'jp'/. : 
So the messenger hasted in his journey till he 
arrived in the presence of the King, and ac¬ 
quainted him with the approach of the bride; 
and the King was rejoiced, and bestowed a robe 
of honour upon the messenger, and ordered his 
troops to go forth in grand procession to meet 
the bride and her attendants with honour, 
desiring them to equip themselves in the gayest 
manner, and to unfurl the standards over their 
heads. And they complied with his commands; 
and a crier proclaimed through the city that no 
curtained damsel nor honoured lady nor infirm old 
woman should fail to go forth to meet the bride. 

So they all went forth to meet her, and the 
chief among them accompanied her to serve her. 

They decided together to conduct her towards 
night to the King’s palace, and 
the chief officers of the court 
agreed to decorate the streets, 
and to stand while the bride 
passed by them with the eu¬ 
nuchs and female slaves before 
her, she herself being clad 

530 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK 

in the dress which her father gave her. And when she ap¬ 
proached, the troops surrounded her, ranged on the right and 
left, and the litter advanced with her until it drew near to the 
palace, and there was no one who did not come forth to see it: the 
drums were beaten, and the spears brandished, and the trumpets 
sounded, and sweet odours were diffused around, and the standards 
flapped, and the horses raced with each other, until they arrived at 
the gate of the palace, when the pages advanced with the litter to 
the entrance of the hareem: the palace was illuminated by its 
splendour, and its walls shone with the lustre of its ornaments; 
and at night the eunuchs opened the doors of the inner apartment, 
and stood surrounding the chief entrance. The bride then came 
forward among the female slaves, like the moon among the stars, 
or the chief pearl among the minor pearls of the string, and she 
entered the apartment, where they had placed for her a sofa of 
alabaster set with pearls and jewels. Upon this she seated herself, 
and the King came in to visit her, and God inspired his heart with 
love for her, so that his disquietude and trouble ceased. 

He remained with her about a month, after which he went 
forth and sat upon his throne and administered justice to his sub¬ 
jects ; and towards daybreak on the morning after the expiration 
of the ninth month, his wife gave birth to a male child of an 
auspicious appearance. When the King heard of it he rejoiced 
exceedingly, and gave a large sum of money to the bringer of the 
good tidings ; and in his joy he went to the child, and kissed it 
between the eyes, wondering at its surpassing beauty. The mid¬ 
wives took it, and blackened the edges of its eye-lids with kohl; 10 
and they named it Taj el-Mulook Kharan. 11 He was nourished on 
the bosom of indulgence, and reared in the lap of prosperity; and 
days and years passed until he attained the age of seven years; 
whereupon the King Suleyman Shall summoned the men of 
learning and science, and ordered them to instruct his son in writing 
and science and polite literature ; and they continued to do so for 
some years, until he had learnt what was requisite ; and when he 
was acquainted with all that the King desired, he caused him to 
be brought from the professors and teachers, and engaged for him 
a master to instruct him in horsemanship, who continued to teach 
him until his pupil was fourteen years of age. Whenever the 

AND THE LADY DUNYA. 

531 

youth went forth on any business, every one 
who beheld him was ravished by his beauty, 
so that they composed verses in his praise, 
and even the women of virtue were overcome 
by love for him, through the surpassing beauty 
with which he was endowed : and when he had 
attained the age of eighteen years, the grey 
down appeared upon a mole upon his red cheek, 
while another mole, like a globule of ambergris, added to these 
charms, and he captivated the minds and eyes of his beholders. 
His comeliness increased as he became a man, and he had compa¬ 
nions and friends, and every one who enjoyed access to him wished 
that Taj el-Mulook might be Sultan after the 
death of his father, and that he might himself 
be one of his emeers. 

Now Taj el-Mulook became addicted to 
hunting, and would not desist from it for a 
single hour. His father, the King, used to 
forbid him this pursuit, fearing, on his account, 
the perils of the desert and the wild beasts; 
but he would not receive his warnings. And it 
came to pass that he said to his servants, Take 
with you provender for ten days. And they 
complied with his order; and when he went 
forth with his followers to the chase, they pro- 

532 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK 

ceeded over the desert, and continued their course for four days, 
until they came in sight of a verdant tract, where they beheld wild 
beasts ranging at large, and trees with ripe fruit, and springs 
gushing forth; so he said to his followers, Set here the nets, 
and enlarge their circle, and our place of meeting shall be at the 
extremity of the circle, at such a spot. They therefore obeyed his 
commands: they set the nets, and enlarged their circle, and there 
collected within them an abundance and a variety of wild beasts and 
gazelles, in such numbers that the wild beasts cried out in fear of 
them, and threw themselves in the faces of the horses in their 
attempts to escape. So he urged the dogs and the lynxes 12 and the 
hawks at them, and they shot the wild beasts with arrows, striking 
them in mortal places; and they arrived not at the further extremity 
of the circle without having taken, of the wild beasts, a great num¬ 
ber; the rest having fled away. Taj el-Mulook then alighted at 
some water, and, having caused the game to be brought before him, 
divided it: he appropriated to his father, Suleyman Shah, the best 
of the beasts, and despatched the portion to him; and some he 
distributed among the officers of his court. 

They passed the night at that place ; and in the morning there 
approached them a great caravan, comprising black slaves and 
servants and merchants. The caravan halted at the water and the 
verdant tract; and when Taj el-Mulook beheld them, he said to one 
of his companions, Bring me an account of these people, and ask 
them wherefore they have halted in this place. And when the 
messenger went to them, he said to them, Inform us who ye are, 
and return an answer quickly. So they replied, We are merchants, 
and have halted here for the sake of rest, for the next station is 
distant from us; and we have halted in this place because we here 
enjoy tranquillity under the protection of the King Suleyman Shah 
and his son; for we know that every one who alighteth in his 
dominions is in safety and peace ; and we have some precious stuffs 
which we have brought on account of his son Taj el-Mulook. The 
messenger, therefore, returned to the King’s son, and acquainted 
him with the truth of the matter, informing him of what he had 
heard from the merchants; and the King’s son said, If they have 
anything which they have brought on my account, I will not enter 
the city nor remove from this place until I cause it to be dis¬ 
played before me. He then mounted his horse, and proceeded, 

AND THE LADY DUNYA. 

533 

his memlooks following him, until he drew near to the caravan; and 
the merchants rose to him, and greeted him with prayers for the 
divine aid and favour, and the continuance of his glory and his 
excellencies. A tent of red satin embroidered with pearls and 
jewels was pitched for him, and they spread for him, over a carpet 
of silk, a royal carpet, the upper end of which was adorned with 
emeralds: and Taj el-Mulook seated himself, and the memlooks 
stood waiting upon him, and he sent to the merchants, commanding 
them to bring everything that they had with them. So they ap¬ 
proached him with their merchandise, and he caused all of it to be 
displayed before him, and took of it what suited him, and gave 
them the price. 

After this, he mounted, and was about to depart; when, casting 
a glance at the caravan, he saw a young man, a comely youth, 
attired in clean clothes, of elegant person, with shining forehead 
and brilliant countenance; but the charms of this youth had suffered 
a change, and paleness had overspread him, in consequence of his 
separation from the objects of his affection, and great was his 
groaning and lamentation, and with tears flowing from his eyes, he 
recited these verses:— 

Our separation is protracted, and anxiety and fear are prolonged; and tears 
from my eye, O my friend, are flowing. 

I bade farewell to my heart on the day of parting, and now I am alone, 
without heart, and without hope. 

0 my friend, pause with me while I bid her farewell by whose voice diseases 
and infirmities would be cured. 

Having thus said, he wept a while, and fell down in a swoon, while 
Taj el-Mulook looked at him, wondering at his case; and when he 
recovered he stared with a bold look, and again recited some verses, 
commencing thus:— 

Beware of her eye; for it is enchanting, and none escapeth upon whom it 
is cast. 

He then uttered a loud sigh, and a second time fainted away; and 
when Taj el-Mulook beheld him in this state, he was perplexed at 
his case, and he walked towards him; and as soon as he recovered 
from his fit, he saw the King’s son standing at his head; whereupon 
he rose upon his feet, and kissed the ground before him ; and Taj 

534 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK, &c. 

el-Mulook said to him, Wherefore hast thou not displayed thy 
merchandise to us ?—0 my lord, he answered, my merchandise 
compriseth nothing suitable to thy highness. But the King’s son 
said, Thou must positively shew me what thou hast, and acquaint 
me with thy circumstances; for I see thee with weeping eye and 
mourning heart; and if thou be oppressed, we will put an end to 
the oppression that thou sufferest, and if thou be in debt, we will 
discharge thy debt; for my heart hath been tormented on thine 
account since I first beheld thee. 

Then Taj el-Mulook gave orders to place a chair ; and they set 
for him a chair of ivory and ebony ornamented with reticulated 
work of gold and silk, and they spread for him a silken carpet; and 
Taj el-Mulook seated himself upon the chair, and commanded the 
young man to sit upon the carpet, and said to him, Display to me 
thy merchandise. The young man replied, 0 my Lord, mention it 
not unto me ; for my merchandise is not suitable to thee. But Taj 
el-Mulook said to him, It must be done :—and ordered some of his 
pages to bring it: so they brought it in spite of him ; and when the 
young man beheld it, his tears flowed, and he wept and sighed and 
lamented, and groans rose from his throat. After again repeating 
some verses, he opened his merchandise, and displayed it before 
Taj el-Mulook, portion by portion and piece by piece, and took 
forth from among it a garment of satin interwoven with gold, worth 
two thousand pieces of gold, and when he opened this, there fell 
from the midst of it a piece of linen, and the young man, snatching 
it hastily, put it beneath him, his reason wandering, and thus 
exclaimed,— 

When will the tortured heart be healed by thee ? The constellation of the 
Pleiades is nearer to me than thou! 

Taj el-Mulook was struck with the utmost wonder at his words, 
not knowing the cause of them; and when the young man took the 
piece of linen, and put it beneath him, Taj el-Mulook said to him, 
What is this piece of linen ? He answered, O my lord, thou hast 
no interest in this. But the King’s son said, Shew it to me.—O 
my lord, he replied, I refrained not from exposing to thee my 
merchandise but on account of this ; for I cannot allow thee to see 
it. Taj el-Mulook, however, said, I must see it:—and he urged 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 535 

him, and was angry. The young man, therefore, took it from 
beneath his knee, and wept and sighed and lamented exceedingly : 
so Taj el-Mulook said to him, I regard thy conduct as not right: 
acquaint me then with the cause of thy weeping at beholding this 
piece of linen. And when the young man heard the mention of the 
piece of linen, he sighed, and said, O my lord, my story is won¬ 
derful, and my case is strange with respect to this piece of linen 
and her to whom it belonged, and her who designed these figures 
and emblems. He then unfolded the piece of linen ; and lo, in it 
was the figure of a gazelle worked with silk, and embroidered with 
red gold, and facing it was the figure of another gazelle worked 
with silver, and having upon its neck a ring of red gold and three 
kasabehs 13 of chrysolite. When Taj el-Mulook beheld this, and 
observed the beauty of its execution, he exclaimed, Extolled be 
the perfection of God, who hath taught man that which he knew 
not! 14 And his heart was engrossed with desire to hear the story 
of this young man; so he said to him, Relate to me the story of 
thyself and her who was the owner of these gazelles. The young 
man, therefore, replied,— 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

Know, O my lord, that my father was a great merchant, and he 
was blest with no child excepting me. I had a cousin (the daughter 
of a paternal uncle) with whom I was brought up in my father’s 
house ; for her father had died, and before his death he had made 
an agreement with my father that they should marry me to her: 
so, when I had attained to manhood, and she to womanhood, they 
did not exclude her from me, nor me from her. My father then 
spoke to my mother, and said to her, This year we will perform the 
marriage-contract of ’Azeez and ’Azeezeh. 13 And having agreed 
with my mother to do this, he began to make ready the provisions 
for the entertainments. 

All this was done while I and my cousin were living together 
without the slightest restraint, and ignorant of the circumstance; 
and she was more intelligent and more knowing than I. And when 
my father had made the preparations for the festivity, and nothing 

536 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND 'AZEEZEH. 

remained but the performance of the contract, and my union to my 
cousin, my father proposed that they should perform the contract 
after the Friday-prayers: so he repaired to his friends, the mer¬ 
chants and others, and acquainted them with his intention; and 
my mother went and invited her female friends and relations. And 
when the Friday came, they washed the saloon which was appro¬ 
priated to the guests, and cleansed its marble pavement, and spread 
the carpets in our house, and furnished it with everything that 
was requisite, after they had decorated its walls with stuffs inter¬ 
woven with gold; the people having agreed to pay their compli¬ 
ments to our family after the Friday-prayers. My father then 
went and caused sweetmeats and dishes of sugar to be prepared; 
and there remained nothing but the performance of the contract. 
My mother had sent me to the bath, and sent after me a new suit of 
clothes of the richest description; and on my coming out from the 
bath, I put on this handsome suit, which was perfumed; and when 
I put it on, a delicious odour was diffused from it, and left a fra¬ 
grance in the way. 

I desired now to repair to the mosque; but, remembering one 
of my friends, I returned to search for him, that he might be present 
at the ceremony of the contract, saying within myself, I will busy 
me with this affair until the time of prayer draws near. I then 
entered a by-street which I had never entered before. I was per¬ 
spiring from the effect of the bath and the new clothes which I 
wore, and the moisture dropped from me while my perfumes dif¬ 
fused their odour; so I seated myself at the upper end of the street 
to rest myself upon a mastabah, and spread beneath me an embroi¬ 
dered handkerchief that I had with me. The heat became oppressive 
to me, and my forehead perspired, and the drops ran down my face, 
and I could not wipe the moisture from it with my handkerchief 
because it was spread beneath me: I was therefore about to take 
the skirt of my farajeeyeh to wipe with it my cheek when suddenly 
a white handkerchief fell upon me from above. This handkerchief 
was more delicate to the feel than the zephyr, and the sight of it 
was more pleasant than restoration to the diseased, and I took it 
in my hand, and, raising my head to see whence it had fallen, my 
eye met the eye of the female who owned these gazelles; and lo, 
she was looking out from a lattice in a window of brass. My eye 

never beheld a person more lovely, and altogether her charms were 
such as the tongue cannot describe; and when she saw me looking 
at her, she put her finger in her mouth, and then united her middle- 
finger and her fore-finger, and placed them upon her bosom ; after 
which, she drew in her head from the window, and shut the lattice 
and withdrew. A fire had been darted into my heart, and the 
flame increased; the sight drew from me a thousand sighs, and I 
was perplexed ; for I heard not anything from her, and understood 
not what she meant by her signs. I looked again towards the 
window; but found it closed; and I waited until sunset; but 
heard no sound, nor saw any person; so, despairing of seeing her 
again, I rose from my place, and took the handkerchief with me. 
I opened it, and the odour of musk was diffused from it, and I was 

3 z 

VOL. I. 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

538 

so exhilarated by the scent that I seemed as if I were in paradise. 
I then spread it before me; whereupon there fell from it a piece 
of delicate paper, and, opening this, I found it richly perfumed 
with exquisite scents, and inscribed with these verses :— 

I sent a letter to complain to him of the pain of my passion, in a delicate 
hand-writing (for hand-writings are various) ; 

So my beloved said, Wherefore is thy writing thus delicate and minute, so as 
scarce to he discernible ? 

I answered, Because I am wasted and attenuated: so, therefore, should the 
writing of lovers be. 

After this, I cast a glance at the beauty of the handkerchief, and 
beheld an amatory couplet worked upon one of its two borders," 
and another, of a similar kind, on its other border. 

When I saw these verses upon the handkerchief, a flame of fire 
shot into my heart, and my desire and perplexity increased; and I 
took the handkerchief and the paper, and went with them to the 
house, not knowing any means of obtaining what I desired, and 
incapable of discovering how to proceed properly in my love. I 
arrived not at the house until a considerable portion of the night 
had elapsed, and beheld my cousin sitting weeping; but when she 
saw me, she wiped away her tears, and approached me, and took 
off from me my outer clothes, and asked me the cause of my absence. 
She told me that all the people, the emeers and grandees, and mer¬ 
chants and others, had assembled in our house, and the Kadee and 
the witnesses had come, and they ate the repast, and remained a 
considerable while sitting in expectation of my presence for the 
purpose of performing the marriage-contract, and when they des¬ 
paired of my coming, they dispersed and went their way.—Thy 
father, said she, was violently enraged on account of this, and swore 
that he would not perform our marriage-contract until next year; 
for he hath expended upon this festivity a large sum of money. 
What, she added, hath happened unto thee this day, that thou 
hast delayed thy return until now, and that this hath happened on 
account of thine absence ? 

I answered her, Such and such things have happened to me:— 
and mentioned to her the handkerchief, acquainting her with the 
affair from first to last; and she took the paper and the handker¬ 
chief, and read what was upon them, and her tears ran down upon 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

539 

her cheeks, and she asked me, What did she say to thee, and of 
what did she make signs to thee ? I answered, She uttered not a 
word; but put her finger in her mouth, and then united it with 
the middle-finger, and placed both fingers upon her bosom, and 
pointed to the ground : then she drew in her head, and closed the 
lattice, and I saw her not afterwards. She carried off my heart 
with her, and I sat until sunset in expectation of her looking out 
from the lattice a second time ; but she did it not; and when I 
despaired of seeing her again, I rose from the place. This is my 
story; and I beg of thee to aid me in the trouble in which I am 
involved.—Upon this, she raised her head towards me, and said, 
O son of my uncle, if thou requiredst mine eye, I would pull it out 
for thee from my eyelids; and I must assist thee in the accom¬ 
plishment of thy desire, and assist her in like manner; for she is 
overwhelmed by love for thee, as thou art by love for her.—And 
what, said I, is the interpretation of the signs which she made ?— 
Her putting her finger in her mouth, she answered, indicated that 
thou art in her estimation as her soul to her body, 17 and that she 
longeth for thy union with her ; and as to the handkerchief, it is a 
signal of the lover’s salutation to the beloved ; and the paper 
denoteth that her soul is captivated by thee ; and as to her putting 
her two fingers upon her bosom, the meaning of it is as though she 
said to thee, After two days come hither, that my affliction may be 
dissipated by thy countenance. 11 And know, O son of my uncle, 
she continued, that she loveth thee and confideth in thee. This is 
my interpretation of her signs ; and if I had liberty to go in and 
out at pleasure, I would effect thy union with her in the shortest 
time, and protect you both with my skirt.—When I heard these 
words from her, said the young man, I thanked her for what she 
had said, and I said within myself, I will wait two days. I then 
remained two days in the house, neither going out nor coming in, 
nor eating nor drinking. I put my head in the lap of my cousin; 
and she cheered me by her conversation, and said to me, Be resolute 
and of good heart, and dress thyself, and repair to her at the time 
appointed. And she arose, and changed my clothes, and perfumed 
me with incense. 

I then braced up my nerves, and fortified my heart, and went 
forth, and proceeded until I entered the by-street, and after I had 

540 THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

sat a while upon the mastabah, lo, the lattice opened. I looked 
towards her, and when I saw her I fell down in a swoon: then 
recovering, I summoned resolution, and took heart, and looked at 
her a second time; but again I became insensible; and when I 
recovered, I saw with her a mirror and a red handkerchief. Ob¬ 
serving me now, she tucked up her sleeves from her fore-arms, and, 
opening her five fingers, struck her bosom with them (with the 
palm and the five fingers): next she raised her hands, and held 
forth the mirror from the lattice, and took the red handkerchief, 
and retired with it; after which she returned, and let it down from 
the lattice towards the street three times, letting it down and 
raising it, and then wringing it and twisting it with her hand, and 
bending down her head: she then drew it in through the lattice, 
and closed the lattice, and departed, without speaking to me one 
word, but leaving me in perplexity, not knowing to what she alluded. 
I remained sitting there until the hour of nightfall, and went home 
near midnight. 

I found my cousin with her hand placed to her cheek, and hex 
eyelids pouring forth tears ; and upon this, my anxieties and griefs 
increased, and I fell down in a corner of the chamber; but she 

THE STORY OF 'AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

541 

sprang towards me, and lifted me up, and, having taken off from 
me my outer clothes, wiped my face with her sleeve, and asked me 
what had happened to me. I related to her, therefore, all that had 
happened on the part of the damsel: and she said to me, O son of 
my uncle, as to her sign with her hand and five fingers, its inter¬ 
pretation is, Come hither after five days :—and as to her sign with 
the mirror, and her putting forth her head from the lattice [and 
her actions with the red handkerchief], 19 the meaning is, Seat 
thyself at the shop of the dyer until my messenger shall come 
to thee.—When I heard her words, fire burned in my heart, and I 
replied, By Allah, O daughter of my uncle, thou sayest truly in 
this interpretation; for I saw in the by-street a Jewish dyer. I 
then wept, and my cousin said, Be resolute, and firm of heart; for 
others than thou are troubled with love for a period of years, and 
contend with the fierceness of passion, while thou hast but a week 
to endure: wherefore then should this impatience overcome thee ? 
And she proceeded to cheer me with her conversation, and brought 
me food; and I took a morsel, and would have eaten it; but I could 
not. I abstained from drink and food, and renounced the delights 
of sleep, and my complexion became pallid, and my charms became 
changed; for I had never known love before that, nor tasted the 
heat of that passion before ; and I fell sick, and my cousin became 
sick on my account. She occupied herself in relating to me the 
sufferings of lovers, in order to enliven me, until I fell asleep, and 
I used to awake, and find her sleepless on my account, with her 
tears flowing upon her cheeks ; and thus I remained until the five 
days had passed, when my cousin arose and heated some water for 
me, and bathed me with it, and dressed me, and said to me. Repair 
to her, and may Allah accomplish thy wish, and grant thee what 
thou desirest of thy beloved. 

So I went, and walked on until I came to the upper end of the 
by-street, and that day was Saturday ; so I found the shop of the 
dyer shut; and sat there till the call to afternoon-prayers; and the 
sun became yellow, and the call to evening-prayers was chanted; 
and night commenced, and I saw no trace of her, nor heard a voice, 
nor received any message: I therefore feared for myself, sitting 
alone; and I arose and walked away, like one intoxicated, until 
I entered the house. 

542 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND 'AZEEZEH. 

There, on going in, I beheld my cousin ’Azeezeh with one of 
her hands holding a peg knocked into the wall, and her other hand 
upon her bosom ; and she was groaning, and reciting verses ; hut 
when she had finished her recitation, she turned her eyes towards 
me, and beheld me; whereupon she wiped away her tears and 
mine with her sleeve; and, smiling in my face, said to me, O son 
of my uncle, Allah grant thee enjoyment of that which He hath 
given thee! Wherefore hast thou not visited thy beloved this 
night ?—And when I heard her words, I kicked her with my foot 
upon her bosom, and she fell down upon the raised floor, and there 
was a peg there, and it wounded her forehead. On looking at her 
I saw that her forehead was cut open, and her blood was flowing ; 
yet she was silent, and uttered not a single letter; but arose imme¬ 
diately, and burned some tinder of rags, and, having closed with it 
the wound, tied a bandage round her head, and wiped away the 
blood that had flowed upon the carpet; and it was as though this 
accident had not occurred. She then came to me, and, smiling in 
my face, said to me with a gentle voice, By Allah, O son of my 
uncle, I said not this to make a jest of thee or of her. I was 
troubled just now by the aching of my head, and with wiping 
away the blood : but at the present moment the pain of my head 
is alleviated, and that of my forehead: tell me therefore what hath 
happened to thee this day.—So I related to her all that had befallen 
me through the conduct of that damsel on this day; and after I 
had done so I wept; but she said to me, Rejoice at the announce¬ 
ment of the success of thy desire, and the accomplishment of thy 
hope. Verily this is a sign of acceptance : for she absented herself 
from thee because she desireth to try thee, and to know whether thou 
art patient or not, and whether thou art sincere in thy love of her or 
not. To-morrow go to her, and station thyself at thy first place, 
and see what sign she will make to thee ; for thy happiness is near, 
and thy sorrow is dissipated.—And she proceeded to console me ; 
but I ceased not to increase in anxiety and grief. She then placed 
the food before me; but I kicked it with my foot, and the contents 
of each saucer were scattered about; and I said, Every one who is 
in love is insane, and inclineth not to food, nor findeth pleasure in 
sleep.—By Allah, O son of my uncle, exclaimed my cousin ’Azeezeh, 
these are indeed symptoms of love! And her tears flowed, and 

THE STORY OF 'AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

543 

she gathered together the fragments of the saucers, and wiped up 
the food that was spilt, and sat chatting to me, while I prayed to 
God that He would hasten the.morning. 

And when the morning came, and diffused its light, I repaired 
to the damsel, and entered hastily the by-street, where I seated 
myself upon the mastabah before mentioned; and lo, the window 
was opened, and she put forth her head from it, laughing. She 
then retired, and returned bringing a mirror, and a bag, and a pot 
filled with green plants, and having also in her hand a lamp: and 
the first thing that she did was this: she took the mirror in her 
hand, and put it into the bag: then she tied it up and threw it 
back into the chamber. After this, she let down her hair over her 
face, and put the lamp upon the top of the green plants for a mo¬ 
ment, and then took all these things and departed with them, and 
closed the lattice. My heart was riven by her secret signs and her 
obscure intimations, for she addressed me not with a single word, 
and my passion grew more violent thereat, and my excitement and 
distraction increased. 

I retraced my steps with weeping eye and sorrowful heart until 
I entered the house, where I saw my cousin sitting with her face 
to the wall: her heart was burning with anxiety and grief and 
jealousy ; but her affection prevented her from acquainting me at 
all with the passion which she felt on witnessing my excessive love 
and distraction. I then looked at her again, and saw that she had, 
on her head, two bandages: one of them was on account of the 
accident that had happened to her forehead, and the other was 
upon her eye, on account of a pain that she suffered in consequence 
of the violence of her weeping. She was in a most miserable case, 
weeping, and reciting these verses:— 

Wherever thou be, mayst thou be in safety, O thou who departest, and yet 
dwellest in my heart! 

May God be near thee wherever thou goest, to deliver thee from vicissitudes 
and from misfortunes! 

Thou hast gone, and mine eye is cheerless through thine absence, and my 
tears are flowing—O how abundantly ! 

And when she had ended her recitation, she looked towards me and 
saw me as she wept, and she wiped away her tears, and rose to me; 
but she could not speak, from the excessive love with which she 

544 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND AZEEZEH. 

was affected, and she remained for some time silent; after which, 
she said to me, O son of my uncle, tell me what thou hast expe¬ 
rienced from her on this occasion. And I told her all that had 
happened to me ; whereupon she said to me, Be patient; for the 
time of thy union is come, and thou hast attained the object of thy 
hopes. As to the sign that she made to thee with the mirror, and 
her putting it into the bag, it is equivalent to her saying to thee, 
Wait until the sun shall have set:—and as to her letting fall her 
hair over her face, it implieth her saying to thee, When night 
cometh, and letteth fall its black shade over the light of day, come 
hither:—and the sign that she made to thee with the pot containing 
the plants meant that she would say to thee, When thou comest, 
enter the garden that is behind the by-street:—and the sign which 
she made to thee with the lamp denoted her saying to thee, When 
thou enterest the garden, to the place where thou findest the lighted 
lamp do thou repair, and seat thyself beneath it, and there wait for 
me ; for the love of thee destroyeth me.—But when I heard these 
words of my cousin, I cried out from the excess of my passion, and 
said, How many times dost thou promise me, and I go to her and 
attain not my desire, nor find a true meaning to thine interpre¬ 
tation ? And upon this, my cousin laughed, and replied, It re- 
maineth for thee to have patience during the rest of this day, until 
the day-light is gone, and the night cometh with its deep darkness, 
and then shalt thou enjoy thy union and the accomplishment of thy 
hopes; and these words are true, without any falsehood. She then 
drew near to me, and comforted me with soft words, but dared not 
bring me any food, fearing that I should be angry with her, and 
hoping that I might incline to her with favour: she only came to 
me, and took off my outer clothes : after which she said to me, 
O son of my uncle, sit with me that I may converse with thee to 
amuse thee until the close of the day, and, if it be the will of God, 
the night shall not come without thy being in the company of thy 
beloved. But I took no notice of her, waiting for the night, and 
saying, O Allah, hasten the coming of the night! And when it 
arrived, my cousin wept violently, and gave me a grain of pure 
musk, saying to me, O son of my uncle, put this grain in thy mouth, 
and when thou hast met thy beloved, and she hath accepted thy 
suit, recite to her this verse :— 

O ye lovers, by Allah, inform me, how a youth should act when his love is 
intense. 

She then kissed me, and desired me to swear that I would not 
recite this verse until my departure from the damsel; and I replied, 
I hear and'obey. 

I went forth at the hour of nightfall, and proceeded until I came 
to the garden. I found its gate open, and entered, and beheld a 
light in the distance; so I advanced towards it, and when I arrived 
at it, I found there a large mak’ad, 20 over which was constructed a 
dome of ivory and ebony, and the lamp was suspended in the midst 
of the dome. The mak’ad was furnished with silken carpets em¬ 
broidered with gold and silver; and there was a great lighted candle 
in a candlestick of gold beneath the lamp: in the midst of the 
chamber was a fountain ornamented with various designs : 21 by the 
side of this fountain was a table of viands covered with a silk napkin, 
near which was a large china bottle full of wine, with a cup of 
crystal adorned with gilding; and by the side of all these things was 

4 A 

VOl.. I. 

546 

THE STORY OF AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

a great tray of silver, covered over. I uncovered it, and beheld in 
it a variety of fruits, such as figs and pomegranates and grapes and 
oranges and citrons of different kinds, together with various flowers, 
as roses and jasmine and myrtle and eglantine and narcissus, and 
all kinds of sweet scents. I was astonished at this place, and affected 
with the utmost delight, and my anxiety and grief were dissipated; 
but I found not in this abode any being of the creatures of God 
(whose name be exalted !) ; not even a male or female slave did I 
see, nor the person who thus neglected these things. I sat in 
this chamber, waiting for the coming of the beloved of my heart, 
until the first hour of the night had passed, and the second hour, 
and the third; but she came not; and hunger began to torment 
me violently ; for a long time had elapsed without my eating food, 
through the excess of my passion; but when I beheld this place, 
and my cousin’s correct understanding of the signs made by my 
beloved became manifest to me, I felt at ease; yet I still expe¬ 
rienced the torment of hunger, and the savoury odours of the food 
upon the table had excited my desire on my arrival there. Feeling 
secure, therefore, of the attainment of my object, and longing to 
eat, I approached the table, and took off the cover, and found in 
the midst of it a dish of china containing four fricandoed fowls 
seasoned with spices, around which were four saucers; one con¬ 
taining sweetmeats ; and another, conserve of pomegranate-grains ; 
and a third, baklaweh ; 22 and the fourth, kataif: 23 the contents of 
these saucers consisting both of sweet and acid. So I ate of the 
kataif, and a piece of meat, and I put my hand to the baklaweh and 
ate of it as much as was agreeable, and then turned to the sweet¬ 
meat and ate a spoonful, or two, or three, or four, and I ate a portion 
of a fowl, and a morsel of another dish : and when I had done this, 
my stomach was full, and my joints became loose, and I was too 
lazy to remain awake ; so I laid my head upon a cushion, after I 
had washed my hands, and sleep overcame me, and I knew not 
what happened to me after this. I awoke not until the sun 
scorched me (for some days had passed without my having tasted 
sleep); and when I awoke, I found upon my stomach some salt and 
charcoal; and I’ stood up and shook my clothes, and looked to the 
right and left, but found no one: I discovered that I had been 
sleeping upon the marble pavement without anything spread be- 

THE STORY OF AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

547 

neath me, and I was perplexed in my mind, and mourned greatly; 
my tears ran down upon my cheek, and I lamented for myself. 

I then returned to the house, and when I arrived there I found 
my cousin striking her hand upon her bosom, and weeping with 
tears like raining clouds; but when she beheld me she arose 
quickly, and wiped away her tears, and, addressing me with her 
soft speech, said to me, O son of my uncle, God hath been gracious 
to thee in thy passion, since the person whom thou lovest loveth 
thee, while I remain weeping and mourning for the separation of 
thee who findest fault with me; but may God not chastise thee on 
my account! She then smiled in my face with the smile of one 
in anger, and caressed me, and took off my outer clothes, and 
spread them out, and said, By Allah, these are not the odours of 
one who hath enjoyed the company of his beloved! Tell me, then, 
what hath happened to thee, O son of my uncle.—And I told her 
all that had befallen me; whereupon she smiled a second time with 
the smile of one in anger, and said, Verily, my heart is full and in 
pain! But may the person who paineth thy heart cease to exist! 
This woman maketh herself extravagantly difficult to thee. By 
Allah, 0 son of my uncle, I fear what she may do to thee. Know 
that the meaning of the salt is, Thou art drowned in sleep, and 
seemest insipid, so that the soul regardeth thee with loathing, and 
thou requirest to be salted, that the stomach may not eject thee: 
thou pretendest that thou art of the number of generous lovers; 
but sleep, unto lovers, is forbidden; and thy pretension to love is 
false. Such, however, is her pretension : her love for thee is false, 
for when she saw thee sleeping she did not rouse thee ; and had 
her love for thee been true she would have roused thee. And as to 
the charcoal, the meaning indicated by it is, May God blacken thy 
face, 2 * since thou hast made false pretensions to love, when thou 
art only a child, and hast no care but for eating and drinking and 
sleeping. This is the interpretation of her sign; and may Allah 
(whose name be exalted) deliver thee from her !—Now when I 
heard what she said, I struck my hand upon my breast, and ex¬ 
claimed, By Allah, this is the truth ; for I slept; and lovers sleep 
not: so I have wronged mine own self! What could have been 
more injurious to me than eating and sleeping ? And what is to be 
done ?—I then wept exceedingly, and said to my cousin, Direct me 

54B 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

what to do, and have mercy upon me; so may God have mercy 
upon thee ; otherwise I shall die. My cousin, therefore, having a 
very great love for me, replied, On my head and my eye! But, O 
son of my uncle, I have told thee several times, that, if I had the 
privilege of coming in and going out when I pleased, I would 
accomplish thy union with her in the shortest time, and cover you 
both with my skirt; and this I would not do but from the desire of 
obtaining thine approval. If God permit, I will employ my utmost 
endeavours to bring you together; but hear my words, and comply 
with my directions, and go to that same place, and seat thyself 
there : when the hour of nightfall is come, seat thyself in the place 
where thou wast, and beware of eating anything; for eating in- 
duceth sleep: have a care then that thou sleep not; for she will 
not come to thee until a quarter of the night hath passed: and may 
God avert from thee her wickedness!—So, when I heard her words, 
I rejoiced, and prayed God to hasten the night; and when night 
came, I desired to depart; and my cousin said to me, When thou 
hast met her, repeat to her the verse before mentioned, at the time 
of thy departure. I replied, On the head and the eye. 

And when I went forth and repaired to the garden, I found the 
place prepared, in the same state in which I had seen it before; in 
it was everything requisite, of food and drink and dried fruits and 
sweet scents and other things; and I went up into the mak’ad, 
and, smelling the odour of the food, I longed for it. I refrained 
from it several times; but at length I could not withstand it: so 
I arose and went to the table, and took off its cover, and found a 
dish of fowls, around which were four saucers of food of four dif¬ 
ferent kinds ; and I ate of each kind a morsel, and as much as was 
agreeable of the sweetmeat, and a piece of meat, and drank some 
zardeh, 25 and, finding it pleasant to me, I drank again of it plenti¬ 
fully by the spoonful until I was satiated and my stomach was ftdl. 
And after this, my eyelids closed; so I took a pillow and put it 
beneath my head, saying, Perhaps I may recline upon it without 
sleeping. But I closed my eyes and slept, and awoke not until the 
sun had risen, when I found upon my stomach a play-bone and a 
tab-stick 26 and a date-stone and a locust-seed; and there was no 
furniture nor anything else in the place, and it seemed as if nothing 
had been there on the preceding night. 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

540 

I arose, and shook off all these things from me, and went forth 
enraged, and, arriving at the house, I found my cousin groaning; 
and I chid her and abused her; whereupon she wept, and having 
wiped away her tears, approached and kissed me, and pressed me 
to her bosom; but I drew back from her, blaming myself. She 
then said to me, O son of my uncle, it seemeth that thou hast slept 
again this last night. I replied, Yes ; but when I awoke I found a 
play-bone laid upon my stomach, and a tab-stick and a date-stone 
and a locust-seed; and I know not wherefore she did this. Then 
I wept, and approached her, and said to her, Explain to me the 
meaning of her doing this, and tell me how I shall act, and 
assist me in my trouble. She replied, On the head and the eye. 
As to the tab-stick [and the play-bone], which she placed upon thy 
stomach, she meaneth thereby, that thou earnest there and thy heart 
was absent, as though she would say to thee, Love is not thus; 
therefore reckon not thyself among lovers.” And as to the date- 
stone, she indicated by it, that, if thou wert a lover, thy heart had 
been burning with passion, and thou wouldst not taste the delight 
of sleep; for the sweetness of love is like a date, which kindleth a 
Are in the heart. 28 And as to the locust-seed, she intimated to thee 
by it, that the heart of the lover is fatigued; and would say to thee 
thereby, Endure our separation with the patience of Job.”—When 
I heard this interpretation, fire darted into my heart, and my grief 
increased, and I cried out and exclaimed, God had decreed that I 
should sleep, on account of my little fortune! I then said to her, 
O daughter of my uncle, by my life I conjure thee to contrive for 
me some stratagem by means of which I may obtain an interview 
with her. And I wept.—O ’Azeez, O son of my uncle, she replied, 
verily my heart is full of thoughts, and I cannot talk ; but go thou 
to-night to that place, and beware of sleeping, and so shalt thou 
attain thy desire. This is my counsel, and peace be on thee— 
I said, Please God, I will not sleep ; but I will do as thou chargest 
me. And my cousin arose, and brought me food, saying to me, 
Eat now what will satisfy thee, that thou mayest have no desire 
remaining. So I ate what satisfied me: and when night came, my 
cousin arose, and brought me a superb suit of clothing, and clad 
me with it, and conjured me to repeat to the damsel the verse before 
mentioned, and cautioned me against sleeping. 

550 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

I then departed from her, and, having repaired to the garden, 
went up into the mak’ad; and I gazed at the garden, and kept 
opening my eyes with my fingers, and shaking my head, as the 
night grew dark. But I became hungry from watching, and the 
odours of the food were wafted towards me, and my hunger in con¬ 
sequence increased: so I went to the table, and removed its cover, 
and ate a morsel of every dish, and a piece of meat, and I went to 
the bottle of wine, saying within myself, I will drink a cup :—and 
I drank it, and then drank the second, and the third, and so on to 
the number of ten; and being already stricken by love, I fell upon 
the floor as one slain. Thus I remained until day came, and I 
awoke, and found myself outside the garden, with a large sharp 
knife upon my stomach, and an iron dirhem; 30 and I trembled with 
fear, and took them with me and returned to the house. 

I found my cousin saying, I am in this house wretched and 
sorrowful, with no relief but weeping. And as I entered, I fell 
down prostrate, throwing the knife and dirhem from my hand, 
and fainted; and when I recovered, I acquainted her with that 
which had befallen me, and said to her, I shall not attain my 
desire. Her grief increased at witnessing my weeping and my 
excessive passion, and she said to me, I have failed of success in 
cautioning thee against sleeping; for thou wouldst not attend to 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

551 

my advice : my words profit thee nothing. But I replied, I con¬ 
jure thee by Allah that thou explain to me the meaning of the 
knife and the iron dirhem. So she said, As to the dirhem, she 
alluded by it to her right eye, 31 and intimated that she swore by 
it, and said, By the Lord of all creatures, and by my right eye, 32 
if thou come again and sleep I will assuredly slaughter thee with 
this knife !—I fear for thee, therefore, O son of my uncle, from 
her malice; and my heart is full of grief on thine account, and I 
cannot talk. If, then, thou art confident in thyself that, if thou 
return to her, thou wilt not sleep, return to her, and beware of 
sleeping, and so shalt thou attain thy desire; but if thou know 
that, shouldst thou go to her again, thou wilt sleep as usual, and 
so go to her and sleep, she will slaughter thee.—What then, said 
I, is to be done, O daughter of my uncle ? I conjure thee by 
Allah to help me in this affliction.—She replied, On my head and 
my eye : and if thou attend to my words and comply with my 
directions thou wilt accomplish thy desire. I said, I will do so. 
And she rejoined, When the time of departure cometh I will tell 
thee. She then pressed me to her bosom, and laid me on the bed, 
and continued gently kneading my limbs until slumber overcame 
me, and I sank into sleep; 35 and she took a fan, and, seating 
herself at my head, fanned my face until the close of day, when 
she roused me ; and on my awaking, I found her at my head with 
the fan in her hand, and weeping so that her tears had wetted her 
clothes. But when she saw me that I had awoke, she wiped away 
her tears, and brought me some food. 1 refrained from it; but 
she said to me, Did I not tell thee that thou must attend to my 
directions ? Eat, therefore.—So I ate, and would not oppose her; 
and she proceeded to put the food into my mouth, while I chewed 
it, until my stomach was full. She then gave me to drink some 
infusion of jujubes 34 with sugar, and washed my hands, and dried 
them with a handkerchief, and sprinkled some rose-water upon me; 
after which I sat with her, in healthy frame ; and when the night 
became dark, she put on me my clothes, and said, O son of my 
uncle, watch all night, and sleep not; for she will not come to 
thee this night until near its close ; and, if it be the will of God, 
thou shalt meet her this night ; but forget not my charge. Then 
she wept, and my heart was pained for her, on account of her 

552 

THE STORY OF AZEEZ AND AZEEZEH. 

excessive weeping; and I said to her, What is the charge which 
thou gavest me ? She answered, When thou departest from her, 
repeat to her the verse before mentioned. 

I then went forth from her full of joy, and proceeded to the 
garden, and went up to the mak’ad, satiated with food. I remained 
sleepless a quarter of the night, and the night seemed as long to 
me as though it were a year; and I continued watching until two 
thirds of it had passed, and the cocks crew, and I became violently 
hungry from watching : so I went up to the table, and ate until I 
was satisfied ; and my head became heavy, and I desired to sleep ; 
but suddenly I heard a noise in the distance ; whereupon I arose, 
and washed my hands and mouth, and roused myself; and soon 
after, she came. She was accompanied by ten female slaves, and 
she appeared among them like the full moon among the planets: 
she was attired in a garment of green satin embroidered with red 
gold ; and when she saw me, she laughed, and said, How is it that 
thou hast remained awake, and that sleep hath not overcome thee ? 
Now that thou hast passed the night sleepless I am convinced that 
thou art a lover; for among the characteristics of lovers is the 
watching by night in the resolute endurance of desire.—She then 
turned towards her female slaves, and made a sign to them ; where¬ 
upon they departed from her; and she approached me, and pressed 
me to her bosom, and kissed me, and we conversed together until 
the morning, when I desired to depart ; but she held me, and said 
to me, Stop, that I may acquaint thee with something, and give 
thee a charge. So I stopped ; and she unfolded a handkerchief, 
and, taking forth from it this piece of linen, spread it open before 
me; and I found in it the design of the gazelles, as thou seest, and 
I admired it exceedingly, and took it; after which I made a pro¬ 
mise to her that I would pay her a visit every night in that garden, 
and departed from her, full of joy; but in my joy I forgot the 
verse which my cousin had charged me to repeat. And when she 
gave me the piece of linen containing the design of the gazelles, 
she said to me, This is the work of my sister.—And what, said I, 
is the name of thy sister ? She answered, Her name is Noor el- 
Huda : ’* and do thou take care of this piece of linen. 

After this, when I had taken leave of her and departed, full of 
joy, I returned and went in to my cousin, and found her lying 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND AZEEZEH. 553 

down, and when she saw me she arose, her tears dropping, and 
approached me, and, kissing my bosom, said, Hast thou recited the 
verse as I charged thee ? I answered, I forgot it; and nothing drove 
it from my mind but the design of these gazelles. And I threw down 
the piece of linen before her. She arose, and then seated herself 
again, and, in her impatience, shed tears, and said, O son of my 
uncle, make a present to me of this piece of linen. So I gave it 
her, and she took it and spread it open, and saw what was in it. 
And when the time of my departure came, she said, Go, and may 
safety attend thee ; but when thou retirest from her, recite to her 
the verse that I taught thee before, and which thou forgottest.— 
Repeat it to me, said I. And she did so. 

I then repaired to the garden, and entered the mak’ad. I found 
the damsel waiting for me, and when she beheld me she arose and 
kissed me and seated me, and we ate and drank, and in the morning 
I repeated to her the verse, which was this:— 

O ye lovers, by Allah, inform me, liow a youth should act when his love 
is intense. 

And when she heard it, her eyes filled with tears, and thus she 
replied:— 

He should hide his love, and conceal his secret, and be patient under every 
event, and submissive. 

I committed this to memory, and, glad at having done what my 
cousin desired, went forth and returned to her. I found her lying 

VOL. I. 4 B 

554 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

down, with my mother at her head weeping for her unhappy state; 
and when I went in to her, my mother said to me, Perdition to such 
a cousin as thou! How canst thou leave the daughter of thine 
uncle indisposed and not inquire respecting her disease ?—But my 
cousin, on beholding me, raised her head, and sat up, and said to 
me, O ’Azeez, hast thou repeated to her the verse that I taught 
thee ? I answered, Yes : and when she heard it, she wept, and 
recited to me another verse, which I retain in my memory.—Let 
me hear it, said my cousin. And when I had repeated it to her 
she wept violently, and recited this other verse :— 

He hath sought to attain a becoming patience; but found nought save a 
heart pining with desire. 

She then said to me, When thou goest to her as usual, repeat to 
her this verse which thou hast heard. I replied, I hear and obey. 

So I went to the garden according to my custom, and when I 
was about to return, I recited to the damsel that verse ; and when 
she heard it, tears poured from her eyes, and she replied,— 

Then, if he have not patience to conceal his secret, I know nothing better 
for him than death. 

Retaining this in my memory, I returned to the house; and 
when I went in to my cousin, I found her fallen down in a fit, and 
my mother sitting at her head; and when my cousin heard my 
voice, she opened her eyes, and said, O ’Azeez, hast thou repeated 
to her the verse ? I answered, Yes: and when she heard it, she 
wept, and recited to me this other verse. And I repeated it to her; 
and as soon as she heard it she fainted again, and on her recovering 
recited another verse, which was this:— 

We hear and obey, and we die; then convey my salutation to the person 
who hath prevented our union. 36 

At the approach of the following night again I went to the gar¬ 
den as usual, and found the damsel expecting me ; and we ate and 
drank ; and in the morning, when I was about to depart, I repeated 
to her what my cousin had said; whereupon she uttered a loud cry, 
and was agitated, and exclaimed, By Allah, she who uttered this 
verse hath died ! She then wept, and said to me, Wo to thee ! Is 

THE STORY OF AZEEZ AND 'AZEEZEH. 

555 

not she who uttered this verse related to thee ?—I answered, She 
is the daughter of my paternal uncle.—Thou liest, replied she: by 
Allah, if she were the daughter of thy uncle thou hadst borne her 
the same love that she bore thee. Thou art he who hath destroyed 
her, and may God destroy thee in like manner! By Allah, if thou 
hadst told me of thy having a cousin, I had not admitted thee into 
my favour.—Yerily, said I, she is my cousin, and she explained to 
me the signs that thou madest me, and it was she who taught me 
how to proceed with thee : I had not obtained access to thee but 
through her good management.—And did she know of our affair ? 
said she. I answered, Yes.—May Allah, she exclaimed, cause thee 
to bewail thy youth, as thou hast caused her to bewail hers ! “She 
then said to me, Go and see her. 

I departed, therefore, troubled in mind, and proceeded until I 
came to our street, when I heard a wailing, and, asking respecting 
it, was answered, We found ’Azeezeh lying behind the door, dead. 
I entered the house, and when my mother beheld me, she exclaimed, 
The crime of destroying her is on thy neck, and may God not par¬ 
don thee her blood ! Perdition to such a cousin as thou !—My 
father then came, and we prepared her body for interment, and 
performed the funeral-ceremonies, and buried her, and we caused 
recitations of the whole of the Kur-an to be performed at her 
tomb, and remained there three days, after which I returned to the 
house, sorrowing for her. And my mother addressed me, and said, 
I desire to know what thou didst to her, so that thou brokest her 
heart. I asked her continually, O my son, respecting the cause of 
her disorder; but she would not acquaint me with it. I conjure 
thee, therefore, by Allah, that thou inform me what thou didst 

556 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND AZEEZEH. 

unto her, to cause her death.—I replied, I did nothing. But she 
said, May God avenge her upon thee ! for she mentioned to me 
nothing, but concealed the truth of her case until she died, still 
preserving her affection for thee ; and when she died I was with 
her, and she opened her eyes, and said to me, O wife of my uncle, 
may God hold thy son guiltless of my blood, and not punish him 
for that which he hath done unto me; and now God transporteth 
me from the perishable world to the world of eternity. And I 
replied, O my daughter, may God preserve thee, and preserve thy 
youth ! And I asked her respecting the cause of her disorder: but 
she answered not. Then she smiled, and said, O wife of my uncle, 
if thy son desire to go to the place which he is accustomed to fre¬ 
quent, tell him to repeat these two phrases on departing from it— 
Fidelity is good, and treachery is base :—and this I desire in my 
compassion for him, that I may shew him compassion in my life 
and after my death. She then gave me something for thee, and 
took an oath of me that I would not give it to thee until I should 
see thee weeping for her and lamenting: this thing I have, and 
when I see thee in the state that she hath described I will give it 
to thee.—I said to her, Shew it me. But she would not. 

I then gave myself up to my pleasures, and thought not of the 
death of my cousin ; for I was unsettled in mind, and wished that 
I were passing the whole of every night and day with my beloved; 
and scarcely had the next night approached when I repaired again 
to the garden. I found the damsel sitting there, burning with 
impatience to see me ; and as soon as she beheld me, she hastened 
to me and clung to my neck, and asked me respecting my cousin. 
I answered her, She is dead, and we have performed zikrs 37 and 
recitations of the Kur-an for her, and four nights have passed since 
her death, and this is the fifth. When she heard this, she cried out 
and wept, and said, Did I not tell thee that thou hadst killed her ? 
Hadst thou informed me of her, before her death, I had requited 
her for the kindness that she hath shewn me ; for she hath been of 
service to me in giving thee access to me : had it not been for her, 
I should not have had an interview with thee, and I fear thou wilt fall 
into a calamity on account of her disaster.—I replied, She acquitted 
me before her death, And I related to her what my mother 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

557 

had told me ; upon which she exclaimed, By Allah I conjure thee, 
when thou goest to thy mother, learn what it is that she hath. 
—My mother, said I, told me, Thy cousin, before she died, charged 
me saying, If thy son desire to go to the place which he is accus¬ 
tomed to frequent, tell him to repeat these two phrases—Fidelity 
is good, and treachery is base.—And when the damsel heard this, 
she exclaimed, The mercy of God (whose name be exalted) he 
upon her ! for she hath saved thee from me : I was meditating an 
injury to thee ; hut now I will not hurt thee nor trouble thee. And 
I wondered at this, and said to her. What didst thou purpose before 
this to do to me, after mutual love had taken place between us ? 
She answered, Thou art devoted to me; but thou art young, and 
thy mind is free from deceit, and thou knowest not our malice nor 
our deceit: were she still in the bonds of life she would assist thee ; 
for she is the cause of thy safety, and hath delivered thee from 
destruction : and now I charge thee that thou speak not with any 
female, nor answer any of our sex, young or old: beware, beware; 
for thou art ignorant of the deceit of women, and their malice: she 
who used to interpret the signs to thee is dead; and I fear for thee 
lest thou fall into a calamity and find none to deliver thee from it 
after the death of thy cousin. O my sorrow for the daughter of 
thy uncle ! Would that I had known her before her death, that I 
might have requited her for the kindness that she hath done me ! 
The mercy of God (whose name be exalted) be upon her! for she 
concealed her secret, and revealed not what she felt; and but for 
her, thou wouldst never have had access to me. And now I have a 
service to demand of thee.—What is it ? said I. She answered, 
That thou conduct me to her tomb, that I may visit her in her 
grave, and inscribe some verses upon it. I replied, To-morrow, if 
it be the will of God, whose name be exalted! So I remained 
with her that night, and frequently she said to me, Would that 
thou hadst told me of thy cousin before her death! And I asked 
her, What is the meaning of these words which she said—Fidelity 
is good, and treachery is base ? But she answered me not. 

In the morning, therefore, she arose, and, taking a purse con¬ 
taining some pieces of gold, said to me, Arise, and shew me the 
tomb, that I may visit it, and write upon it some verses, and build 

over it a cupola, and pray for mercy upon her, and bestow these 
pieces of gold in alms for her soul. I replied, I hear and obey. 
And I walked before her, and she followed me, and employed her¬ 
self in giving alms on the way as she went, and every time that she 
did so she said, This is an alms for the soul of ’Azeezeh, who con¬ 
cealed her secret until she drank the cup of death, and revealed 
not her love. Thus she continued to give of the contents of the 
purse, and to say, For the soul of ’Azeezeh,—until we arrived at 
the tomb, and the contents of the purse were exhausted; and when 
she beheld the tomb she threw herself upon it, and wept violently. 
She then took forth a pointed instrument of steel, and a small 
mallet, and engraved upon the stone at the head of the tomb, in 
small characters, these verses:— 

THE STORY OF 'AZEEZ AND 'AZEEZEH. 

559 

I passed by an undistinguished tomb in the midst of a garden, with seven 
anemonies upon it ; 38 

And I said, Whose tomb is this ? The soil answered, Be respectful; for this 
is the resting-place of a lover. 

So I said, God keep thee, O victim of love, and lodge thee in the highest 
stage of paradise! 

How miserable are lovers among the creation, when even their tombs are 
covered with vile dust! 

Were I able [O tomb], I would make of thee a garden, and water it with my 
streaming tears ! 

She then again wept violently, and arose, and I arose with her; 
and after we had returned to the garden, she said to me, I conjure 
thee by Allah that thou never forsake me. And I replied, I hear 
and obey. So I resumed my visits to her as before, and she treated 
me with kindness and honour, and used to ask me respecting the two 
phrases which my cousin ’Azeezeh had mentioned to my mother, 
and I repeated them to her. Thus I remained, eating and 
drinking, and enjoying her conversation, and attiring myself in 
changes of delicate clothing, until I became stout and fat, and I 
experienced neither anxiety, nor grief, nor sorrow, and forgot my 
cousin. 

I continued drowned in these pleasures for a whole year; and 
at the commencement of the new year I entered the bath, and 
refreshed myself, and put on a handsome suit; and after I had 
gone forth from the bath I drank a cup of wine, and smelt the 
odours of my clothes, which were richly perfumed with various 
scents. My heart was unoppressed by calamities or misfortunes, 
and when the hour of nightfall came I desired to repair to the 
damsel; but I was intoxicated, and knew not my way; and, in 
going to her, intoxication led me aside into a by-street called the 
street of the Nakeeb : 39 and as I was proceeding along it, lo, an old 
woman came, with a lighted candle in one of her hands, and in her 
other hand a folded letter. I advanced towards her, and she, with 
weeping eye, said to me, O my son, art thou able to read ? I an¬ 
swered her, Yes, my old aunt. And she said, Take this letter, 
and read it to me. And she handed me the letter; so I took it 
from her and opened it, and read to her its contents, informing her 
that it was a letter from the absent, with salutations to the beloved. 

560 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND AZEEZEH: 

And when she heard this, she rejoiced at the good news, and eja¬ 
culated a prayer for me, saying, May God dispel thine anxiety as 
thou hast dispelled mine! She then took the letter, and proceeded 
a few steps; but presently she returned to me, and, kissing my 
hand, said, O my lord, may God (whose name be exalted!) give 
thee enjoyment of thy youth, and not disgrace thee ! I beg that thou 
wilt walk with me a few paces, to that door ; for I have told them 
what thou hast read to me of the letter, and they do not believe me: 
come with me, therefore, two steps, and read to them the letter out¬ 
side the door, and accept my prayer for thee.—And what, said I, is 
the history of this letter ? She answered, O my son, this letter hath 
come from my son, who hath been absent from us for the space of 
ten years ; for he journeyed with merchandise, and hath remained 
abroad during that period, and we relinquished all hope of his return, 
thinking that he was dead: then came to us this letter from him; and 
he hath a sister who hath wept for him during his absence night and 
day; and I told her that he was in health and prosperity; but she 
believed me not, and said to me, Thou must bring me a person to 
read this letter and to acquaint me with its contents, that my heart 
may be set at ease and my mind comforted.—Thou knowest, O my 
son, that the loving is prepossessed with evil anticipations : favour 
me, therefore, by reading this letter while thou shalt stand outside 
the curtain and his sister shall hear it within the door, that the 
recompense of him who accomplisheth a want for a Muslim, and 
dispelleth from his mind a trouble, may be thine : for the Apostle 
of God (may God favour and preserve him!) hath said, Whoso 
dispelleth from the mind of a sorrowful person one of the troubles 
of this world, God will dispel from his mind one of the troubles 
of the world to come :—and in another tradition, Whoso dispelleth 
from the mind of his brother one of the troubles of this world, 
God will dispel from his mind seventy-two of the troubles of the 
day of resurrection :—and now I have desired thee, do not disap¬ 
point me.—So I replied, I hear and obey: proceed before me. 

She therefore walked before me, and I followed her a little 
way, until she arrived at a great door overlaid with copper; and 
she stopped at this door, and called out in Persian, and immediately 
a damsel approached, with light and nimble step. Her trousers 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND AZEEZEH. 

561 

were tucked up to her knees, and I beheld a pair of legs that con¬ 
founded the mind and the eye by their beauty : they were like two 
columns of alabaster, and ornamented with anklets of gold set with 
jewels. The skirts of her outer clothes were tucked up under her 
arms, and her sleeves were turned up from her arms, and I looked 
at her white wrists, and upon them were two pairs of bracelets : in 
her ears were two ear-rings of pearls; and upon her neck was a 
necklace of costly jewels; and on her head, a koofeeyeh , 10 quite 
new, adorned with precious gems. She had tucked the skirt of 
her inner tunic within the band of her trousers, and appeared as 
though she had been employed in some active work. And when 
she beheld me, she said, with an eloquent and sweet tongue that 
I had never heard surpassed in sweetness, O my mother, is this he 
who hath come to read the letter ? She answered. Yes. And the 
damsel stretched forth her hand to me with the letter. There was, 
between her and the door, a distance of about half a rod ; 41 and I 
extended my hand to take the letter from her, and put my head 
and shoulders within the door to draw near to her; but before 
I knew what she was about to do, the old woman placed her head 

VOL. I. 4 c 

562 

THE STORY OF 'AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

against my back, and pushed me forward, while my hand was 
holding the letter, and I looked around, and found myself in the 
midst of the house ; that is, within the vestibule. The old woman 
entered more quickly than the blinding lightning, and had nothing 
to do but to shut the door: and when the damsel beheld me within 
the vestibule, she approached me, and pressed me to her bosom, 
and, taking me by the hand, unable to extricate myself from her 
grasp, led me, preceded by the old woman with the lighted candle, 
until she had passed through seven vestibules; after which she con¬ 
ducted me into a large saloon, with four leewans, 42 in which a 
horseman might play at goff. 43 She then seated me, and said to me, 
Open thine eye. And I did so, giddy from the violence that I had 
experienced, and saw that the whole construction of the saloon was 
of the most beautiful alabaster, and all its furniture, including the 
cushions and mattresses, of brocade. In it were also two benches 
of brass, and a sofa of red gold set with pearls and jewels, not 
suitable to any but a King like thee. 

After this, she said to me, 0 ’Azeez, which of the two states is 
the more agreeable to thee, life or death ? I answered her, Life. 
And she said, Then if life is more agreeable to thee, marry me.— 
I dislike, I replied, marrying such a person as thou. She re¬ 
joined, If thou marry me, thou wilt be secure from the daughter 
of the crafty Deleeleh. 44 —And who, said I, is the daughter of the 
crafty Deleeleh? She laughed, and answered, How is it that thou 
knowest her not, when thou hast now been in her company a year 
and four months ? May Allah (whose name be exalted) destroy 
her ! Verily there existeth not any one more treacherous than she. 
How many persons hath she killed before thee, and what deeds hath 
she done! And how hast thou escaped from her, without her 
killing or troubling thee, when thou hast been in her company all 
this time ?—When I heard her words I wondered extremely, and 
said to her, O my mistress, who acquainted thee with her ? She 
answered, I know her as the age knoweth its calamities; but I 
desire that thou inform me of all that thou hast experienced from 
her, that I may know the cause of thy safety from her. So 
I related to her all that had happened to me with her and with my 
cousin ’Azeezeh; and she exclaimed, Allah have mercy upon her ! 
—and her eyes shed tears, and she struck her hands together, when 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND ’AZEEZEH. 

563 

she heard of the death of my cousin ’Azeezeh, and said. May 
Allah compensate thee abundantly for the loss of her, O Azeez ; 
for she hath been the cause of thy safety from the daughter of the 
crafty Deleeleh; and had it not been for her, thou hadst perished. 45 
After this, she clapped her hands, and said, O my mother, bring in 
those who are with thee. And lo, the old woman approached with 
four lawful witnesses ; and she lighted four candles ; and when the 
witnesses entered they saluted me, and seated themselves ; and the 
damsel covered herself with an izar, and appointed one of the 
witnesses to be her deputy in making her contract. So they per¬ 
formed the marriage-contract, and she affirmed of herself that she 
had received the whole of the dowry, both the portion usually paid 
in advance and the arrears, and that she was indebted to me in the 
sum of ten thousand pieces of silver; after which she gave to the 
witnesses their fees, and they departed. 

On the following day, I desired to go out; but she approached 
me laughing, and said, Dost thou think that going out from the 
bath is like entering it ? 40 I imagine thou thinkest me to be like 
the daughter of the crafty Deleeleh. Beware of entertaining such 
an idea. Thou art no other than my husband, according to the 
Kur-an and the Sunneh ; and if thou hast been intoxicated, return 
to thy reason. Verily this house in which thou art is not opened 
but on one day in every year. Go to the street door and look.— 
So I went and looked, and found it closed and nailed, and returned 
and told her so; and she said to me, O ’Azeez, we have of flour 
and grain and fruits and pomegranates and sugar and meat and 
sheep and fowls and other provisions what will suffice us for many 
years, and from this last night our door will not be opened until 
after a year, and I know that thou wilt not behold thyself outside 
this house until after a year hath expired. Upon this I exclaimed, 
There is no strength nor power but in God! And she laughed, 
and I laughed also, and complied with her orders, and remained 
with her until the twelve months of the year had expired, when I 
was blest with a son by her. And on the first day of the following 
year, I heard the opening of the door, and lo, men came in with 
kaaks 47 and flour and sugar ; and I desired to go out; but she said 
to me, Wait until nightfall, and as thou earnest in, so go forth. I 
therefore waited till that hour, and was on the point of going out, 

564 

THE STORY OF AZEEZ AND AZEEZEH. 

in fear and trembling, when she said to me, By Allah, I will not 
let thee go until I have made thee swear to me that thou wilt return 
this night before the door is closed. So I promised her to do it; 
and she made me swear by binding oaths upon the sword and the 
Kur-an, and by the oath of divorce, that I would return to her. 4 ® 

I then went forth from her, and repaired to the garden. I found 
it open as usual, and was angry, saying within myself, I have been 
absent from this place a whole year, and, coming unawares, have 
found it open as usual. I wonder if the damsel be still there as 
heretofore, and I must enter and see before I go to my mother.— 
It was then nightfall, and I entered the garden, and, proceeding to 
the mak’ad, found the daughter of the crafty Deleeleh sitting with 
her head upon her knee and her hand upon her cheek. Her com¬ 
plexion was changed, and her eyes were sunk, and when she beheld 
me she exclaimed, Praise be to God for thy safety!—and she 
endeavoured to rise, but fell down through her joy. I was ashamed 
at seeing her, and hung down my head ; but presently I advanced 
to her and kissed her, and said to her, How didst thou know that 
I was coming to thee at this time ? She answered, I knew it not. 
By Allah, for a year I have not tasted sleep ; but have sat up every 
night expecting thee, and in this state have I been from the day 
when thou wentest forth from me and I gave thee the new suit of 
clothing and thou promisedst me that thou wouldst return to me. 
I remained expecting thee, and thou earnest not the first night, nor 
the second, nor the third: so I still waited in expectation of thy 
coming; for such is the way of the lover: and I would now that 
thou tell me what hath been the cause of thine absence from me 
this year.—I therefore told her ; and when she knew that I had 
married, her countenance became pale. I then said to her, I have 
come to thee this night, but must go before the morning. But she 
exclaimed, Is it not enough for her to have married thee, and to 
have employed this stratagem against thee, and imprisoned thee 
with her a whole year, that she hath made thee swear by the oath 
of divorce that thou wilt return to her before the morning, and 
will not allow thee to divert thyself with thy mother nor with me, 
and cannot endure thy passing one night with either of us ? What 
then must be the state of her from whom thou hast been absent a 

THE STORY OF ’AZEEZ AND 'AZEEZEH. 

565 

whole year, though I knew thee before she did ! But may Allah 
have mercy on ’Azeezeh; for she suffered what none other hath 
suffered, and endured with patience that of which the like none 
else hath endured, and died through thy oppression. It was she 
who protected thee from me. I thought that thou wouldst return, 
and gave thee liberty, though I was able to imprison thee, and to 
destroy thee. 

Having thus said, she wept, and became enraged, and looked at 
me with the eye of anger ; and when I beheld her in this state, the 
muscles of my side quivered, and I feared her, and became as the 
bean upon the fire. She then cried out, and suddenly ten female 
slaves came to me, and threw me upon the floor; and when I fell 
under their hands, she arose, and, taking a knife, said, I will 
slaughter thee as goats are slaughtered, and this shall be thy least 
recompense for that which thou hast done unto thy cousin. When 
I beheld myself, therefore, beneath her female slaves, and my 
cheek was soiled with the dust, and I saw the knife in her hand, 
I looked upon death as inevitable. I implored her mercy; but she 
only increased in hardness, and ordered the female slaves to bind 
my hands behind me ; and they did so, and, throwing me upon my 
back, seated themselves upon my body, and held my head. Then 
two of them arose and took hold of my toes, and two others seated 
themselves upon my legs; after which, their mistress arose, with 

566 

THE STORY OF AZEEZ AND AZEEZEH. 

two others of them, and she ordered them to beat me ; whereupon 
they beat me until I fainted, and my voice became inaudible; and 
when I recovered, I said within myself, Yerily my being slaughtered 
were easier to me than this beating! I bethought myself of the 
words of my cousin, when she said, May God avert from thee her 
wickedness!—and I cried out and wept until my voice failed. She 
then sharpened the knife, and said to the female slaves, Uncover his 
throat. But God inspired me to repeat the two phrases which my 
cousin had charged me to utter, namely, Fidelity is good, and 
treachery is base;—and when she heard this, she cried out and 
said, Allah have mercy upon thee, O ’Azeezeh ! Would that thy 
youth had been spared! Thou hast profited thy cousin during 
thy life and after thy death ! (Then addressing me, she added,) By 
Allah, thou hast saved thy life from me by means of these two 
phrases ; but I must cause thee to bear a mark of my resentment. 
—So saying, she inflicted upon me a cruel wound, and I fainted; 
but when I recovered, the blood had stopped, and she gave me to 
drink a cup of wine, and spurned me with her foot. 

I arose; but was unable at first to walk : presently, however, I 
proceeded by little and little until I arrived at the door of my wife’s 
house. I found it open, and threw myself within it, in a state of 
distraction; and my wife came and took me up and conveyed me to 
the saloon, where I fell into a deep sleep; but when I awoke, I 
found myself laid at the gate of the garden. 

In anguish I arose and went to my home, and, entering the 
house, found my mother weeping for me, and exclaiming, Would 
that I knew, O my son, in what land thou art! So I approached 
her, and threw myself upon her, and when she beheld me, she saw 
that I was unwell. Yellowness and blackness were mingled upon 
my face; and I remembered my cousin and the kindness she had 
shewn me, and was convinced that she loved me. I wept for her, 
and my mother also wept, and then said to me, O my son, thy father 
is dead. And upon this, my rage increased, and I wept until I 
became insensible; and when I recovered I looked towards the 
place where my cousin was accustomed to sit, and wept again till 
I fainted from the violence of my lamentation. I ceased not to 
weep and wail until midnight, when my mother said to me, Thy 
father hath been dead ten days. But I replied, I think of no one 

THE STORY OF AZEEZ AND AZEEZEH. 

567 

but my cousin; for I deserve what hath happened to me, because 
I neglected her when she loved me. She asked me, therefore, And 
what hath happened to thee ? So I related to her that which had 
befallen me ; to which she replied, Praise be to God that this hap¬ 
pened to thee and that she did not slaughter thee! She then 
applied remedies to my wound until I recovered, and regained my 
usual strength; and she said to me, O my son, I will now produce 
to thee the deposite with which thy cousin intrusted me; for it is 
thine, and she made me swear that I would not produce it to thee 
until I saw that thou rememberedst her and mournedst for her, 
and that thine affections for another were severed; and now I hope 
that I find in thee these dispositions. She therefore arose, and, 
opening a chest, took forth from it this piece of linen containing 
the design of the gazelles, which I had originally given to her; and 
when I took it, I found written upon it some verses complaining of 
her unrequited love for me, and there fell from it a paper containing 
some words of consolation and counsel. 49 

As soon as I had read and understood this paper, I wept again, 
and my mother did the same, and I continued looking at it and weep¬ 
ing until the approach of night; and in this state I remained for the 
space of a year ; after which, some merchants of my city, the same 
whom I am accompanying in this caravan, prepared for a journey; 
and my mother suggested to me that I should fit myself out and go 
with them, saying to me, Perhaps the journey will dispel this sorrow 
which thou sufferest, and thou wilt be absent a year, or two years, 
or three, until the caravan returneth, and thy heart may become 
dilated. Thus she continued to persuade me, so that I prepared 
some merchandise, and journeyed with them; but my tears have 
not dried up during my travels; for at every station where we halt 
I spread this piece of linen before me, and look at this design and 
think of my cousin and weep for her as thou seest, since she loved 
me excessively, and died through my unkindness; I doing nothing 
but evil to her, while she did nothing to me but what was good. 
When the merchants return from their journey, I shall return with 
them, and the period of my absence will be a complete year ; but I 
still suffer increasing sorrow; and my sorrow hath been augmented 
only in consequence of my passing by the Islands of Camphor, and 
the Castle of Crystal. 411 

These Islands are seven in number, and the sovereign of them 
is a King named Shah Zeman. S1 He hath a daughter named 
Dunya; ” and it was told me that it was she who worked the 
designs of the gazelles, and that this design which is in my pos¬ 
session was one of her work; and when I knew this, I became 
excessively desirous of seeing her: so, when the caravan entered 
her country, I went forth and wandered about the gardens, which 
contained a profusion of trees. The superintendent of the gardens 
was a sheykh advanced in age; and I said to him, O sheykh, to 
whom doth this garden belong ? He answered, To the King’s 
daughter, the lady Dunya, and we are beneath her palace; and if 
thou desire to amuse thyself, open the private door and take a view 
of the garden and smell the odours of the flowers. So I said to 
him. Have the kindness to allow me to sit in this garden until she 
passeth by, that I may enjoy a glance at her. The sheykh replied, 
There will be no harm in thy doing so. When he said this, there- 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK, &c. 

569 

fore, I gave him some money, saying to him, Buy for us something 
to eat. And he rejoiced at receiving the money, and, opening the 
door, conducted me within; and we proceeded until we came to a 
pleasant spot, where he brought me some delicate fruits, and said 
to me, Sit here while I go and return to thee. And he left me 
and departed, and, after he had been absent a while, returned 
bringing a roasted lamb; and we ate until we were satisfied, my 
heart longing to behold the lady, and while we were sitting, lo, the 
door opened; whereupon he said to me, Arise, and conceal thyself. 
So I arose, and hid myself; and a black eunuch put forth his head 
from the door, and said, O sheykh, is any one with thee ? He 
answered, No.—Then close the door, said the eunuch. The sheykh, 
therefore, closed the door of the garden; and lo, the lady Dunya 
came forth. When I beheld her, I thought that the moon had 
descended upon the earth; my mind was confounded, and I desired 
her as the thirsty longeth for water ; and after a while, she closed 
the door and departed. I then went forth from the garden, and 
repaired to my lodging, knowing that I could not obtain access to 
her; and when my companions prepared for departure, I also pre¬ 
pared myself, and travelled with them towards thy city; and on our 
arrival here, we met with thee.—This is my story, and this is what 
hath happened unto me ; and peace be on thee. 

CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK AND THE 
LADY DUNYA. 

When Taj el-Mulook heard this story, his heart became troubled 
with love for the lady Dunya. He then mounted his horse, and, 
taking with him ’Azeez, returned to his father’s city, where he 
assigned to him a house, and furnished it with everything that he 
required ; after which he left him, and repaired to his palace. His 
tears ran down upon his cheeks (for hearing affecteth as sight and 
union), and in this state he remained until his father came in to 
him, and, finding that his colour was changed, knew that he was 
oppressed by anxiety and grief: so he said to him, O my son, 
acquaint me with thy case, and tell me what hath happened to thee 
to change thy colour. He therefore related to him all that he had 

4 D 

VOL II. 

570 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK 

heard of the story of Dunya; and how he had fallen in love with 
her from hearsay, without having seen her; whereupon his father 
said to him, O my son, her father is a King, and his country is 
distant from us: abandon, therefore, this idea, and enter the palace 
of thy mother; for in it are five hundred female slaves like so many 
moons, and whoever of them pleaseth thee do thou take her; or if 
none of them please thee we will demand in marriage for thee one of 
the daughters of the Kings, more beautiful than the lady Dunya. 
But he replied, O my father, I desire not any but her : it was she 
who worked the design of the gazelles that I saw, and I must have 
her, or I will flee into the deserts, and kill myself on her account. 

So his father said, Have patience with me, O my son, that I 
may send to her father and demand her of him in marriage, and 
accomplish for thee thy wish, like as I did for myself in the case of 
thy mother; and if he consent not, I will convulse his kingdom 
around him, and send against him an army of which the rear shall 
be with me when the van is with him. He then called for the 
young man ’Azeez, and said to him, O my son, knowest thou the 
way? He answered, Yes.—Then I desire of thee, said the King, 
that thou journey with my Wezeer. And ’Azeez replied, I hear 
and obey, O King of the age. The King, therefore, summoned 
his Wezeer, and said to him, Manage for me the affair of my son 
according to thy knowledge, and repair to the Islands of Camphor, 
and demand in marriage the daughter of their King. He replied, 
I hear and obey. And Taj el-Mulook returned to his apartments, 
and his malady and impatience increased : he fell down in a swoon, 
and recovered not until the morning; and when the morning arrived, 
his father came to him, and saw his complexion more changed, and 
his sallowness increased; and he exhorted him to patience, and 
promised him the accomplishment of his union. 

The King then equipped ’Azeez, with his Wezeer, and supplied 
them with the presents; and they journeyed days and nights until 
they beheld the Islands of Camphor, when they halted on the bank 
of a river, and the Wezeer sent forward a messenger from his party 
to the King, to acquaint him with their approach ; and half a day 
after the departure of the messenger, suddenly they saw that the 
chamberlains of the King, and his emeers, had advanced to meet 
them from the distance of a league, and they met them, and attended 

AND THE LADY DUNYA. 

571 

them until they went in with them to the King. They placed 
before the King the presents, and remained in his palace four days; 
and on the fifth day the Wezeer arose and went in to the King, 
and, standing before him, delivered to him his message, and 
acquainted him with the cause of his coming; but the King was 
perplexed how to answer; for his daughter liked not marriage; and 
he hung down his head for a while towards the floor; and after 
this he raised it, and, looking towards one of the eunuchs, said to 
him, Go to thy mistress Dunya, and acquaint her with what thou 
hast heard, and with the purpose of the visit of this Wezeer. 
So the eunuch went, and, after a short absence, returned to the 
King, and said to him, O King of the age, when I went in to the 
lady Dunya, and acquainted her with what I had heard, she was 
violently enraged, and rose against me with a stick, and would have 
broken my head ; wherefore I fled from her; and she said to me, 
If my father force me to marry, him whom I marry I will kill. 
Her father, therefore, said to the Wezeer and ’Azeez, Salute ye the 
King, and inform him of this, and that my daughter liketh not 
marriage. Accordingly the Wezeer returned with his attendants 
unsuccessful, and they ceased not their journey until they went in 
unto the King, and acquainted him with what had happened; and 
upon this he ordered the chiefs to call together the troops that they 
might march to war; but the Wezeer said to him, Do not this; 
for the King is not in fault: the refusal is on the part of his 
daughter, who, when she knew of this proposal, sent to say, If my 
father force me to marry, I will kill him whom I marry, and kill 
myself after him. 

And when the King heard the words of the Wezeer, he feared 
for his son Taj el-Mulook, and said, If I make war upon her father, 
and obtain possession of his daughter, she will kill herself. He 
then acquainted his son Taj el-Mulook with the truth of the case ; 
and when the prince heard it, he said to his father, O my father, 
I cannot exist without her: I will therefore go to her, and seek 
means of obtaining an interview with her, though I die in the 
attempt: and I will do nothing but this. His father said, How 
wilt thou go to her ? He answered, I will go in the disguise of a 
merchant.—If it must he so, then, rejoined the King, take with 
thee the Wezeer and ’Azeez. He then took forth for him some 

572 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK, &c. 

money from his treasuries, and prepared for him merchandise at 
the price of a hundred thousand pieces of gold, and they both 
agreed as to this course ; and when night came, Taj el-Mulook and 
’Azeez went to the abode of the latter, and there passed that night. 
But the heart of Taj el-Mulook was captivated, and neither eating 
nor rest pleased him: reflections overwhelmed him, and he was 
drowned in them; and, longing for his beloved, he poured forth his 
tears, and wept violently; and ’Azeez wept with him, reflecting upon 
his cousin; and they both continued thus until the morning, when 
Taj el-Mulook arose and went in to his mother. He was equipped 
for the journey; and she asked him respecting his state; so he 
acquainted her with the whole truth; and she gave him fifty thou¬ 
sand pieces of gold, and bade him farewell, and he went forth from 
her, while she offered up prayers for his safety, and for his union 
with the object of his love. He then went in to his father, and 
asked his permission to depart; and the King granted him per¬ 
mission, and gave him fifty thousand pieces of gold, and ordered 
that a tent should be pitched for him outside the city. 

A large tent was therefore pitched for him ; and after they had 
remained in it two days, they commenced their journey; and Taj 
el-Mulook treated ’Azeez with familiar kindness, and said to him, 
O my brother, I cannot henceforth part with thee.—And I, replied 
’Azeez, am of the like mind, and desire to die at thy feet; but, 0 
my brother, my heart is troubled with thoughts of my mother. 
So Taj el-Mulook said, When we shall have attained our wish, all 
will be well. Now the Wezeer had charged Taj el-Mulook to 
display an air of patience, and ’Azeez occupied himself with reciting 
to him verses and narrating to him histories and tales, and they con¬ 
tinued on their way by night and day for the space of two months. 
The length of the journey became wearisome to Taj el-Mulook; 
and the violence of his desire, and his passion and distraction, 
increased: so when they drew near to the city he rejoiced exces¬ 
sively, and his anxiety and grief ceased. 

They entered it in the gaxb of merchants, the King’s son being 
also clad in the same manner, and, coming to a place known as the 
abode of merchants, which was a large Khan, Taj el-Mulook said to 
’Azeez, Is this the abode of the merchants ? ’Azeez answered, Yes: 
it is not, however, the Khan in which I lodged with the caravan that 

I accompanied; but it is better than that. So they made their 
camels lie down, and unloaded, and, having deposited their goods 
in the magazines, remained there to take rest four days. The 
Wezeer then suggested to them that they should hire for themselves 
a large house; to which they assented; and they hired a spacious 
house, fitted for festivities. There they took up their abode; and 
the Wezeer and ’Azeez studied to devise some stratagem for the 
sake of Taj el-Mulook, who was perplexed, not knowing what to 
do. The Wezeer could contrive no other plan than that of his 
opening for himself a shop to carry on the trade of a merchant in 
the market of fine stuffs: he therefore addressed Taj el-Mulook 
and ’Azeez, and said to them, Know that if we remain in this state 
we shall not attain our wish; and a thing hath occured to my 
mind which probably may be advisable, if it be the will of God. 
So they replied, Do what seemeth fit to thee; for a blessing 
attendeth the aged, and especially in thy case, since thou hast 
devoted thyself to the management of affairs: therefore give us the 
advice which hath suggested itself to thy mind. And he said to 
Taj el-Mulook, It is my opinion that we should hire for thee a 

574 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL MULOOK 

shop in the market of fine stuffs, and that thou shouldst sit in it to 
sell and buy; for every person of the higher ranks and of the people 
at large standeth in need of such stuffs, and if thou sit in that shop 
thy affair will be arranged, if it be the will of God (whose name be 
exalted!), especially because of thy comely person; but make ’Azeez 
thy trusty attendant, and seat him in the shop to hand to thee the 
stuffs. And when Taj el-Mulook heard these words, he said, This 
is a judicious opinion :—and immediately he took forth a suit of 
merchant’s attire, and clad himself in it, and arose and went forth, 
followed by his young men, and gave to one of them a thousand 
pieces of gold to fit up the shop. 

They proceeded until they arrived at the market of fine stuffs, 
and when the merchants saw Taj el-Mulook, and observed his 
handsome and comely person, they were confounded, and began to 
say, Hath Rid wan 58 opened the gates of paradise and neglected them, 
so that this youth of surprising beauty hath come forth ?—and one 
said, This is probably one of the angels. And when they went in 
among the merchants they inquired for the shop of the sheykh of the 
market. The merchants, therefore, guided them thither, and they 
went to him, and as they approached him, he and the merchants who 
were with him rose to them, and received them with honour, espe¬ 
cially the excellent Wezeer ; for they saw him to be an aged and 
venerable man; and observing that he was accompanied by Taj el- 
Mulook and ’Azeez, they said, No doubt this sheykh is the father of 
these two young men. The Wezeer then said to them, Who among 
you is the sheykh of the market ? They answered, This is he. 
And the Wezeer, looking at him and observing him, saw that he 
was an old man of grave and respectable aspect, and possessing 
servants and young men. The sheykh of the market greeted them 
with friendly compliments, and treated them with great honour, 
and, having seated them by liis side, said to them, Have ye any 
business which we may have the happiness of transacting ? The 
Wezeer answered. Yes: I am an old man, advanced in age, and I 
have these two young men: I have travelled with them through all 
regions and countries, and have not entered a town without remain¬ 
ing in it a whole year, that they might amuse themselves with the 
sight of it and become acquainted with its inhabitants; and now 
I have come to this your town, and have chosen to make a stay in 

AND THE LADY DUNYA. 

575 

it: I therefore desire of thee one of the best shops, that I may seat 
them in it to traflick, and that they may amuse themselves with 
the sight of this city, and acquire the manners of its people, and 
obtain an experience in buying and selling and other commercial 
transactions. 

So the sheykh of the market replied, There is no harm in doing 
soand, looking at the two young men, he was delighted with 
them, and he arose and stood like a servant before them to wait 
upon them. And afterwards he went and prepared for them the 
shop: it was in the midst of the market, and there was none larger 
than it, nor any more handsome there ; for it was spacious and 
decorated, and contained shelves of ivory and ebony. He then 
delivered the keys to the Wezeer (who was also in the garb of a 
merchant), and said, God grant that it may be attended with bless¬ 
ings to thy two sons ! 54 And when the Wezeer had taken the keys 
of the shop, he went to it, together with the servants, who deposited 
in it their goods ; and they ordered the servants to remove 
thither all the merchandise and stuffs and rarities that they had. 
These things were worth treasuries of wealth; and they trans¬ 
ported the whole of them to the shop. They then passed the 
night, and in the morning the Wezeer conducted the two young 
men to the bath, where they washed and enjoyed themselves to 
the utmost, after which they returned to their abode to rest 
from the fatigue of bathing, and ate and drank; and they passed 
the next night in their abode in the most perfect joy and hap¬ 
piness. And on the following morning they rose from their sleep, 
and, having performed the ablution, recited the divinely-ordained 
prayers, and drank their morning-beverage ; 55 and when day¬ 
light came, and the shops and markets were opened, they went 
forth from their abode, and repaired to the market, and opened the 
shop. The servants had prepared it for them in the handsomest 
manner, and spread it with carpets of silk, and placed in it two 
mattresses, each of which was worth a hundred pieces of gold, and 
upon each mattress they spread a skin such as Kings sit upon, 
surrounded with an edge of gold : so Taj el-Mulook seated himself 
upon one mattress, and ’Azeez upon the other, and the Wezeer 
sat in the midst of the shop, while the servants stood before them. 
The people heard of them, and crowded about them, and they sold 

576 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK, 8rc. 

of their merchandise; and the fame of Taj el-Mulook was spread 
through the city, and the report of his handsomeness and comeliness 
was blazed throughout it. They continued this life for several days, 
the people pressing to them; after which the Wezeer addressed 
Taj el-Mulook, and charged him to conceal his case, and, having 
charged ’Azeez to keep watch over him, repaired to the house to 
plan some mode of proceeding that might be of advantage to them. 
Meanwhile, Taj el-Mulook and ’Azeez sat conversing together; 
and the former said, Perhaps some one may come from the lady 
Dunya. 

Thus Taj el-Mulook passed his time days and nights, and slept 
not; desire overpowered him, and he became more and more 
emaciated and infirm, renouncing the delight of sleep, and abstain¬ 
ing from drink and food ; but still he was like the full moon : and 
as he was sitting one day, lo, an old woman approached and 
advanced towards him, followed by two female slaves, and she 
continued to draw near until she stopped at his shop. Beholding 
his graceful person, and his handsome and lovely aspect, she won¬ 
dered at his beauty, and said, Extolled be the perfection of Him 
who created thee! Extolled be the perfection of Him who 
hath made thee a temptation to all creatures!—’She ceased not to 
gaze at him, and said, This is not a mortal: this is no other than 
a noble Angel!' 6 Then drawing close to him, she saluted him, 
and he returned her salutation, and rose to her, standing upon his 
feet,' 7 and smiled in her face. All this he did at the hinting of 
Azeez; after which he seated her by his side, and occupied himself 
with fanning her until she had rested herself; when she said to 
him, O my son! O thou of perfect qualities and graces! art thou 
of this country ?—Taj el-Mulook answered her, with an eloquent 
and sweet and charming voice, By Allah, O my mistress, in my 
life I never entered this country until now; and I have not taken 
up my abode in it but for the sake of amusement. And she 
wished him honour, and welcomed him, and said, What stuffs hast 
thou brought with thee ? Shew me something beautiful; for the 
beautiful bringeth not anything but what is beautiful.—And when 
Taj el-Mulook heard her words his heart palpitated; but he under¬ 
stood not their meaning: so ’Azeez made a sign to him; and Taj 
el-Mulook said to her, I have everything that thou desirest of stuffs 

suitable only to Kings and the daughters of Kings. For whom, 
then, wouldst thou purchase, that I may display to thee what will 
be appropriate ?—He desired by this question to learn the meaning 
of her words; and she answered, I want some stuff suitable to the 
lady Dunya, the daughter of King Shah Zeman. On hearing the 
mention of his beloved, Taj el-Mulook rejoiced exceedingly, and 
said to ’Azeez, Bring me the most magnificent of the goods that 
are by thee. And ’Azeez gave him a wrapper, and untied it before 
her, and Taj el-Mulook said to her, Choose what will suit her; for 
this is such as is not found with any but me. So the old woman 
chose some stuff that was worth a thousand pieces of gold; and 
said, What is the price of this ?—What! said he, shall I bargain 
with a person like thee respecting this contemptible thing ? Praise 
be to God who hath made me acquainted with thee.—And the old 
woman exclaimed, I invoke, for thy comely face, the protection of 
the Lord of the Daybreak ! 58 for verily thy face is comely, and so 
are thine actions! Joy be to her who possesseth thee, and especially 
if she be endowed with beauty like thee '.—Upon this, Taj el- 

4 E 

VOL. 1. 

578 

THE STORY OF TAM EL-MULOOK 

Mulook laughed until he fell backwards, and said [within himself], 
O Accomplisher of desires by the means of wicked old women! 50 
And she said to him, O my son, what is thy name ? He answered, 
My name is Taj el-Mulook.—This, she replied, is one of the names 
of Kings ; but thou art in the garb of the merchants. So ’Azeez 
said, From the affection of his family for him, and the high estimation 
in which they held him, they gave him this name. And the old 
woman replied, Thou hast spoken truth. May God avert from you 
the evil of the envious, though hearts be broken by your charms ! 

She then took the stuff and departed, confounded by his hand¬ 
someness and loveliness and elegant form; and she proceeded until 
she went in to the lady Dunya, when she said to her, O my mis¬ 
tress, I have brought thee some beautiful stuff.—Shew it me, said 
the lady. And she replied, O my mistress, here it is: turn it 
over, and behold it. And when the lady Dunya saw it, she said to 
her, O my nurse, verily this is beautiful stuff: I have not seen such 
in our city.—O my mistress, replied the old woman, the seller of it 
surpasseth it in beauty. It seemeth as though Ridwan had opened 
the gates of Paradise and neglected them, and so the merchant 
who selleth this stuff had come forth from it. I wish he were with 
thee ; for he is a temptation to every one who beholdeth him. He 
hath come to our city with these stuffs for the sake of amusement. 
—At these words of the old woman, the lady Dunya laughed, and 
said, Allah afflict thee, thou ill-omened old woman! Thou hast 
spoken nonsense, and art become insane.—She then added, Give 
me the stuff that I may examine it closely. So the old woman 
handed it to her, and she looked at it again, and saw that it was 
but little, and that its price was great; and she wondered at its 
beauty; for she had never in her life seen anything like it. The 
old woman then said to her, O my mistress, if thou didst behold 
its owner, thou wouldst know that he is the handsomest person on 
the face of the earth. And the lady Dunya said to her, Didst 
thou ask him if he had any want to be performed, that he might 
acquaint us with it, and thou mightest accomplish it for him ? The 
old woman, shaking her head, replied, Allah preserve thy sagacity ! 
By Allah he hath a want. And is any person without one ?—Go 
to him, then, said the lady Dunya, and salute him, and say to 
him, I have been honoured by thine arrival in our city, and what- 

AND THE LADY DUNYA. 

579 

ever want thou hast, we will perform it for thee on the head 
and the eye. 

The old woman, therefore, returned immediately to Taj el- 
Mulook, and when he saw her, his heart jumped with joy, and he 
rose to her, standing upon his feet, and, taking her hand, seated 
her by his side. So when she had sat and rested herself, she 
informed him of that which the lady Dunya had said. On hearing 
this, he was filled with the utmost joy; his bosom expanded, and 
he said within himself, I have accomplished my wish ! He then 
said to the old woman, Perhaps thou wilt convey to her a letter 
from me, and bring me back the answer. She replied, I hear and 
obey. And when he heard her reply he said to ’Azeez, Give me 
an ink-case and paper, and a pen of brass. And ’Azeez having given 
him these things, he wrote the following verses:— 

I write to thee a letter, O object of my petition, expressive of the torment 
that I suffer from separation ; 

And first, I make known to thee the ardour of my heart; and secondly, my 
desire and eager longing; 

And thirdly, the expiring of my life and patience; and fourthly, that all the 
violence of my love remainetli; 

And fifthly, I ask, When shall I behold thee ? and sixthly, When shall be 
the day of our union ? 

He then added beneath, This letter is from the captive of desire, 
incarcerated in the prison of longing expectation, to whom there 
can be no liberation but by enjoying an interview, even were it 
with the phantom of the object of his hope; for he is enduring a 
painful torment from the separation of his beloved. Then his 
tears flowed, and he wrote these two verses:— 

I write unto thee with my tears flowing, and the drops from my eyes 
descending incessantly; 

But I am not despairing of the favour of my Lord: perhaps some day our 
union may take place. 

He then folded the letter, and sealed it, and gave it to the old 
woman, saying, Convey it to the lady Dunya. She replied, I hear 
and obey. And he gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and said, 
Receive this as a present from me. So the old woman took it and 
departed, praying for him. 

580 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK, &c. 

She stopped not until she went in to the lady Dunya, who, 
when she beheld her, said to her, O my nurse, what hath he 
demanded that we should do for him ?—O my mistress, she 
answered, he hath sent with me a letter, and I know not its con¬ 
tents. And she handed the letter to her. So the lady Dunya 
took it and read it, and understood its meaning, and exclaimed, 
Whence is he, and to what doth he aspire, that this merchant 
openeth a correspondence with me ? Then slapping her face, she 
said, Were it not for my fear of God (whose name be exalted !) I 
would crucify him upon his shop ! So the old woman said to her, 
What is in this letter, that it hath disturbed thy heart ? Doth it 
contain a complaint of oppression, or a demand for the price of 
the stuff ?—Wo to thee ! she answered : it containeth not that, nor 
anything but love and affection; and all this is through thee. Or, 
if not, how should this devil presume to employ these words ?—O 
my mistress, replied the old woman, thou art residing in thy lofty 
palace, and no one can obtain access to thee ; not even the flying 
bird. Allah preserve thee from blame and censure! Thou hast 
nothing to fear from the barking of dogs. Be not angry with me 
for my bringing thee this letter when I knew not its contents : but 
it is my opinion that thou shouldst return him an answer, and 
threaten him in it with slaughter, and forbid him from employing 
these vain words ; for he will abstain, and not do so again.—The 
lady Dunya Said, I fear to write to him, lest he covet me more. 
But the old woman replied, When he heareth the threatening and 
promise of punishment he will desist from his present conduct. So 
she said, Bring me an ink-case and paper, and a pen of brass. And 
when they had brought them to her, she wrote these verses :— 

O pretender to love and affliction and sleeplessness, and feelings of rapturous 
passion, and anxiety! 

Dost thou seek for a meeting, O deceived, from a moon ? Doth any attain 
from a moon his wish ? 

I advise thine abstaining from thy desire: forbear then; for thou art exposed 
to peril. 

If thou again make use of these words, I will visit thee with a punishment 
of the utmost severity. 

By Him who created mankind of congealed blood , 60 and gave light to the sun 
and the moon! 

If thou repeat the proposal thou hast made, I will assuredly crucify thee on 
the trunk of a tree. 

She then folded up the letter, and gave it to the old woman, say¬ 
ing to her, Deliver it to him, and say to him, Abstain from these 
words. And she replied, I hear and obey. 

She took the letter, full of joy, 61 and went with it to her house, 
where she passed the night; and in the morning she repaired to 
the shop of Taj el-Mulook, whom she found expecting her. As 
soon as he beheld her, lie almost flew with joy, and when she drew 
near to him he rose to her, standing upon his feet, and seated her 
by his side; and she took forth the letter and handed it to him, 
saying, Read its contents. She then said to him, The lady Dunya, 
when she read thy letter, was enraged ; but 1 coaxed her and 
jested with her until I made her laugh, and she was moved with 
pity for thee, and returned thee an answer. So Taj el-Mulook 
thanked her for this, and, having ordered ’Azeez to give her a 
thousand pieces of gold, read the letter, and understood it; and he 
wept violently, so that the heart of the old woman was moved with 
compassion for him, and his weeping and complaining grieved her. 
She said to him, O my son, and what is in this paper, that it hath 
made thee weep ? He answered, She threateneth me with slaughter 
and crucifixion, and forbiddeth my writing to her; but if I write 
not to her, my death will be preferable to my life ; therefore take 
a reply to her letter, and let her do what she will.—By thy youth, 
replied the old woman, I must risk my life for thee, and enable 
thee to attain thy desire, and accomplish for thee that which is in 
thy heart. And Taj el-Mulook said, Whatsoever thou dost I will 
requite thee for it; and it shall be determined by thee; for thou 

582 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK 

art experienced in the management of affairs, and skilled in the 
modes of intrigue, and everything that is difficult becometh easy 
to thee, and God is able to accomplish all things. So he took a 
paper, and wrote in it these verses :— 

She threatened me with slaughter. Oh my bereavement! Slaughter would 
be ease to me, and death is decreed. 

Death is better than life prolonged to the love-smitten who is debarred from 
enjoyment and treated with oppression. 

By Allah, visit a helpless lover; for I am your slave, and the slave is in 
captivity. 

O my mistress, have mercy on me for my passion ; for every one who loveth 
the virtuous is excusable. 

Having done this, he sighed heavily, and wept until the old woman 
wept with him ; after which she took the letter from him, and said 
to him, Be happy and cheerful; for I must accomplish for thee 
thy wish. 

She then arose and left him as though he were upon the fire, 
and repaired to the lady Dunya, whom she found with a counte¬ 
nance changed by her anger in consequence of the former epistle 
of Taj el-Mulook; and she handed her the second letter ; where¬ 
upon her rage increased, and she said to the old woman, Did I not 
tell thee that he would covet us more ?—And what is this dog, said 
the old woman, that he should aspire to thee ? The lady Dunya 
replied, Go to him, and say to him, If thou write to her again she 
will strike off thy head. But the old woman said. Do thou write 
this to him in a letter, and I will take it with me, that his fear may 
be the greater. So she took a paper, and wrote in it the following 
verses:— 

O tbou who art heedless of the course of misfortunes, and who canst not 
accomplish thy desired union ! 

Dost thou think, O deceived, to attain to Es-Suha , C2 when thou canst not 
reach to the shining moon ? 

How then dost thou venture to hope for our union, and to hold in thine em¬ 
brace my javelin-like form? 

Quit, therefore, this project, in fear of my assault on a day of adversity when 
hair shall become grey. 

Having folded this letter, she handed it to the old woman, who 
took it and repaired with it to Taj el-Mulook. At the sight of her 
lie rose, and said, May God never deprive me of the blessing of 

AND THE LADY DUNYA. 

583 

thy coming! And the old woman replied, Receive the answer to 
thy letter. So he took the paper and read it, and wept violently, 
and said, I desire now somebody to kill me; for slaughter would 
be easier to me than this my present state of suffering. He then 
took an ink-case and a pen and paper, and wrote a letter expressed 
in these two verses :— 

O my hope, persist not in abandonment and cruelty ; but visit a lover 
drowned in desire. 

Think not that I can survive this oppression ; for my soul departeth at the 
loss of my beloved. 

And he folded the letter, and gave it to the old woman, saying to 
her, I have wearied thee to no purpose. And again he ordered 
’Azeez to give her a thousand pieces of gold, and said to her, O 
my mother, this paper must be followed by complete union or 
complete separation.—O my son, she replied, by Allah I desire for 
thee nothing but good fortune ; and I wish she may be with thee; 
for thou art the shining moon, and she is the rising sun; and if I 
do not bring you together, no profit will remain to me in my life. 
I have passed my life in the practice of artifice and deceit, until I 
have attained the age of ninety years; and how then should I fail 
of uniting two persons in opposition to all law ? 

Then, having bidden him farewell, and soothed his mind, she 
departed, and proceeded without stopping to the lady Dunya; but 
she had hidden the paper in her hair; and when she sat down with 
her mistress, she scratched her head, and said, O my mistress, per¬ 
haps thou wilt untwist my hair ; for it is a long time since I have 
entered the bath. So the lady Dunya made bare her arms to the 
elbows, and untwisted the old woman’s hair; whereupon the paper 
fell from her head; and the lady Dunya, seeing it, said, What is 
this paper ? The old woman answered, It seemeth that, when I was 
sitting at the shop of the merchant, this paper caught to me : give 
it me, therefore, that I may return it to him. But the lady Dunya 
opened it and read it, and understood its contents, and exclaimed, 
This is a trick of thine, and were it not for the fact of thy having 
reared me, I would lay violent hands upon thee this moment. God 
hath afflicted me by this merchant, and all that I have experienced 
from him hath been through thy means. I know not from what 

country this man hath come. No one but he could ever use such 
boldness towards me. I fear that this affair which hath happened 
to me may be discovered, and especially since it relateth to a man 
who is neither of my family nor of my equals.—The old woman 
then addressed her, and said, No one can utter a word on this sub¬ 
ject, through fear of thy power, and of the dignity of thy father: 
and there will be no harm in thy returning him an answer.—0 my 
nurse, replied the lady Dunya, this is a devil. How hath he dared 
to use these words, and feared not the power of the Sultan ? I am 
perplexed respecting his case; for if I give orders to kill him, it 
will not be right: and if I leave him, he will increase in his bold¬ 
ness.—Write to him a letter, rejoined the old woman; and perhaps 
he will be restrained. She therefore demanded a paper and an ink- 
case and a pen, and wrote to him the following verses:— 

Though repeatedly rebuked, still gross ignorance inciteth thee. How oft 
shall my hand write verses to forbid thee ? 

Thou increasest in eagerness after each prohibition; but I will only permit 
thee to conceal thy secret. 

Conceal then thy love, and never more utter it; for if thou utter it I will not 
regard thee. 

If thou repeat what thou hast said, the raven of separation will announce thy 
fate ; 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK, See. 

585 

In a little time will death overtake thee, and thy resting-place be beneath the 
earth: 

Thou shalt leave thy family, O deceived, in sorrow, when the swords of love 
have prevented thine escape. 

Having then folded the paper, she gave it to the old woman, who 
took it, and went with it to Taj el-Mulook, and gave it to him; 
and when he had read it, and was convinced that she was hard¬ 
hearted, and that he could not obtain access to her, he complained 
of his case to the Wezeer, and desired his prudent counsel. The 
Wezeer replied, Know that there remaineth for thee nothing that 
can be of avail, except thy writing to her another letter, and invok¬ 
ing retribution upon her. So he said, O my brother, O ’Azeez, 
write in my stead, according to thy knowledge. And ’Azeez took 
the paper, and wrote these verses :— 

O my Lord, by the Five Elders, 65 deliver me; and to her who hath afflicted 
me transfer my anguish ! 

For Thou knowest that I am suffering a tormenting flame, and my beloved 
hath oppressed me, and will not pity me. 

How long shall I feel tenderly to her in my affliction ! And how long shall 
she tyrannize over my weakness 1 

I wander in agonies never ending, and find not a person, O my Lord, to 
assist me. 

’Azeez then folded the letter, and handed it to Taj el-Mulook; and 
when he had read it, it pleased him, and he gave it to the old 
woman. 

So she took it, and repaired with it to the lady Dunya, who, as 
soon as she had read it and understood its contents, fell into a vio¬ 
lent rage, and exclaimed, All that hath befallen me hath been 
through the means of this ill-omened old woman! And she called 
out to the female slaves and eunuchs, and said, Seize this artful old 
woman and heat her with your slippers.—So they fell to beating 
her with their slippers until she fainted ; and when she recovered, 
the lady Dunya said to her, O wicked old woman, were it not for 
my fear of God (whose name be exalted!) I had killed thee. She 
then said to her attendants, Beat her again. And they heat her 
again till she fainted ; after which she ordered them to throw her 
outside the door; and they dragged her along upon her face and 
threw her down before the door. 

4 F 

VOL I. 

When she recovered, therefore, she arose, and walking and rest¬ 
ing now and then, arrived at her abode. She waited until the 
morning, and then arose and proceeded to Taj el-Mulook, whom she 
acquainted with all that had befallen her; and it vexed him, and he 
said to her, We are grieved, O my mother, for that which hath 
happened to thee: but everything is in accordance with fate and 
destiny. She replied, Be happy and cheerful; for I will not cease 
my endeavours until I procure thee an interview with her, and 
obtain for thee access to this vile woman who hath tortured me 
with heating. Taj el-Mulook then said to her, Acquaint me with 
the cause of her hatred of men. She replied, It is in consequence 
of her having had a dream.—And what was that dream ? he asked. 
She answered, She was sleeping one night, and saw a fowler who 
set his snare upon the ground, and sprinkled around it some wheat, 
and then seated himself near it; and there was not a single bird 
near but it came to that snare. And she saw, among the birds, two 
pigeons, a male and a female; and while she was looking at the 
snare, the foot of the male bird became entangled in it, and he 

587 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK, &c. 

began to struggle; whereupon all the other birds flew away from 
him in alarm; but his mate returned to him, and flew around over 
him, and then, alighting upon the snare, while the fowler was inad¬ 
vertent, began to peck at the mesh in which was the foot of the 
male, and pulled it with her beak, until she liberated his foot, and 
she flew away with him. Then, after this, the fowler came and 
readjusted the snare, and seated himself at a distance from it; and 
but a little while had elapsed when the birds descended, and the 
snare caught the female pigeon; upon which all the other birds 
flew away in alarm, and among them the male pigeon, who 
returned not to his mate : so the fowler came and took the female 
bird, and killed her. And the lady Dunya awoke terrified by her 
dream, and said, Every male is like this, destitute of good; and 
men universally are devoid of goodness to women.—And when the 
old woman had finished her story to Taj el-Mulook, he said to 
her, O my mother, I wish to obtain one glance at her, though my 
death be the consequence: contrive, therefore, some stratagem for 
me, that I may see her.—Know, then, said she, that she hath a gar¬ 
den adjacent to her palace, for her diversion, and she goeth out 
into it once in every month, from the private door, and remaineth 
in it ten days. The time of her thus going forth to divert herself 
hath now arrived, and when she is about to do so I will come to 
thee and inform thee, that thou mayest go thither and meet her; 
and do thou take care not to quit the garden : for probably, if she 
behold thy handsome and comely aspect, her heart will be capti¬ 
vated by love of thee; since love is the most powerful means of 
effecting an union. 

He replied, I hear and obey:—and he arose, and quitted the 
shop with ’Azeez, and they both, taking with them the old woman, 
repaired to their abode, and acquainted her with it; after which, 
Taj el-Mulook said to ’Azeez, O my brother, I have no further 
want of the shop ; for I have accomplished the purpose for which I 
took it; and I give it to thee, with all that it containeth, because 
thou hast come abroad with me, and absented thyself from thy 
country. And ’Azeez accepted his present, and they sat conversing 
together; Taj el-Mulook asking him respecting his strange adven¬ 
tures, and ’Azeez relating what had happened to him. Then 
addressing the Wezeer, they acquainted him with the purpose of 

588 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK 

Taj el-Mulook, and asked him, What is to be done ? He answered, 
Let us go to the garden. So each of them clad himself in the 
richest of his apparel, and they went forth, followed by three mem- 
looks, and repaired to the garden. They beheld it abounding with 
trees, and with many rivulets, and saw the superintendent sitting at 
the gate. They saluted him, therefore, and he returned their 
salutation, and the Wezeer handed to him a hundred pieces of gold, 
saying to him, I beg thee to receive this money, and to buy for us 
something to eat; for we are strangers, and I have with me these 
children whom I wish to divert. So the gardener took the pieces 
of gold, and replied, Enter, and divert yourselves; for the whole 
of it is your property ; and sit down until I return to you with some¬ 
thing for you to eat. He then went to the market, and the Wezeer 
and Taj el-Mulook and ’Azeez entered the garden after the gar¬ 
dener had departed to the market; and soon the latter returned, 
bringing a roasted lamb, which he placed before them. And they 
ate, and washed their hands, and sat conversing together; and the 
Wezeer said, Inform me respecting this garden : doth it belong to 
thee, or dost thou rent it ? The sheykli replied, It is not mine, but 
belongeth to the King’s daughter, the lady Dunya.—And what, 
sfiid the Wezeer, is thy monthly salary? He answered, One piece 
of gold, and no more. And the Wezeer, taking a view of the gar¬ 
den, beheld there a lofty but old palace; and he said, O sheykh, I 
desire to perform here a good work by which thou wilt be reminded 
of me.—And what good thing dost thou desire to do ? asked the 
sheykh. The Wezeer said, Take these three hundred pieces of 
gold. And when the superintendent heard the mention of the 
gold, he replied, O my master, do whatsoever thou wilt. So he 
took the pieces of gold ; and the Wezeer said to him, If it be the 
will of God (whose name be exalted !), we will execute in this 
place a good work. 

They then went forth from him, and returned to their abode, 
and passed the next night; and on the morrow, the Wezeer 
caused a whitewasher to be brought, and a painter, and an excellent 
goldsmith; and, having provided them with all the implements that 
they required, introduced them into the garden, and ordered them 
to whitewash that palace and to decorate it with various kinds of 
paintings. After which he gave orders to bring the gold, and the 

AND THE LADY DUNYA. 

589 

ultramarine pigment, and said to the painter, Delineate, at the 
upper end of this saloon, the figure of a fowler, as though he had 
set his snare, and a female pigeon had fallen into it, and had become 
entangled in it by her bill. And when the painter had finished his 
picture on one portion, the Wezeer said to him, Now paint, on this 
other portion, as before, and represent the female pigeon in the 
snare, and shew that the fowler hath taken her, and put the knife 
to her neck ; and on the other side paint the figure of a great bird 
of prey, that hath captured the male pigeon, and fixed his talons 
into him. So he did this ; and when he had finished these designs 
which the Wezeer had described to him, they took leave of the 
gardener, and returned to their abode. 

There they sat conversing together; and Taj el-Mulook said to 
’Azeez, O my brother, recite to me some verses: perhaps my heart 
may thereby be dilated, and these troubling reflections may be dis¬ 
pelled, and the flame that is in my heart be quenched. And upon 
this, ’Azeez, with charming modulations, chanted these verses:— 

Ibn Seena 64 hath asserted that the lover's remedy consisteth in melodious 
sounds, 

And the company of one like his beloved, and the pleasure of a dessert and 
wine and a garden : 

But I have taken another in thy stead to cure myself, and fate and contingency 
aided me; 

Yet I found that love was a mortal disease, for which Ibn Seena’s medicine 
was vain. 

Meanwhile, the old woman remained alone in her house ; and 
the lady Dunya longed to divert herself in the garden; but she 
used not to go forth save with the old woman : so she sent to her, 
and made peace with her, and soothed her mind, and said to her, I 
desire to go out into the garden, to amuse myself with the sight of 
its trees and fruits, and that my heart may be dilated by its flowers. 
The old woman replied, I hear and obey; but I would first go to 
my house and dress myself, and I will be with thee again.—Go, then, 
to thy house, rejoined the lady Dunya; but be not long absent 
from me. The old woman, therefore, went forth from her, and 
repaired to Taj el-Mulook, and said to him, Make ready and clothe 
thyself in the richest of thi n e apparel, and betake thyself to the gar¬ 
den, and go in to the gardener and salute him, and then conceal 

590 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK 

thyself in the garden. He replied, I hear and obey. And she 
agreed with him respecting a sign to be made; after which she 
returned to the lady Dunya. And when she had gone, the Wezeer 
arose, and clad Taj el-Mulook in a suit of the most magnificent of 
the apparel of Kings, worth five thousand pieces of gold, and girded 
him with a girdle of gold set with jewels, and repaired to the gar¬ 
den. On arriving at its gate, they found the superintendent sitting 
there ; and when he saw Taj el-Mulook, he rose to him, standing 
upon his feet, and, receiving him with reverence and honour, opened 
to him the gate, and said to him, Enter, and divert thyself in the 
garden. But the gardener knew not that the King’s daughter 
would enter the garden that day. And when Taj el-Mulook had 
gone in, he waited but a short time, and heard a noise, and before 
he knew the cause, the eunuchs and female slaves came forth from 
the private door; and as soon as the superintendent beheld them 
he went and acquainted Taj el-Mulook with their coming, saying 
to him, O my lord, what is to he done, now the King’s daughter, 
the lady Dunya, hath come ? He answered, No harm will befall 
thee; for I will conceal myself in some place in the garden. So 
the gardener charged him to use the utmost caution in concealing 
himself, and left him, and departed. 

And when the King’s daughter, with her female slaves and the 
old woman, entered the garden, the old woman said within herself, 
If the eunuchs be with us, we shall not attain our wish. So she 
said to the King’s daughter, O my mistress, I would propose to thee 
a thing productive of ease to thy heart. And the lady Dunya 
replied, Propose what thou wilt. The old woman therefore said, O 
my mistress, thou hast no need of these eunuchs at the present 
time; nor will thy heart be dilated as long as they are with us : so 
dismiss them from us.—Thou hast spoken truly, replied the lady 
Dunya:—and she dismissed them; and a little while after, as she 
was walking, Taj el-Mulook beheld her, and gazed at her beauty 
and loveliness, while she knew it not; and every time that he 
looked at her he fainted, by reason of her surpassing beauty.- The 
old woman in the meantime led her on by conversation to the 
palace which the Wezeer had ordered to be painted ; and, entering 
this palace, the lady Dunya took a view of its paintings, and saw 
the birds and the fowler and the pigeons; whereupon she exclaimed, 

AND THE LADY DUNYA. 

591 

Extolled be the perfection of God! Verily 
this is the representation of what I beheld 
in my dream!—And she continued gazing 
at the figures of the birds and the fowler and 
the snare, full of wonder; and said, O my 
nurse, I used to censure men, and hate 
them; but see the fowler, how he hath 
killed the female bird, and the male hath 
escaped, and desired to return to the female 
to liberate her, but the bird of prey hath 
met him and captured him. The old woman, 
however, affected ignorance to her, and pro¬ 
ceeded to divert her with talk until they 
both approached the place where Taj el- 
Mulook was concealed; upon which she 
made a sign to him that he should walk 
beneath the windows of the palace; and 
while the lady Dunya stood there, she 
looked aside, and saw him, aud, observing 
the beauty of his face, and his elegant form, 
she said, O my nurse, whence is this hand¬ 
some youth? The old woman answered, I 
know him not; but I imagine that he is 
the son of a great King; for he is of the 
utmost beauty and loveliness. And the 
lady Dunya was enraptured with him. The 
spells that bound her were dissolved, her 
reason was overcome by his beauty and 
loveliness and his 
elegant person, and 
she was affected by 
violent love : so she 
said to the old wo¬ 
man, O my nurse, 
verily this young 
man is handsome. 
The old woman re¬ 
plied, Thou hast 

592 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK 

spoken truth, O my mistress. And she made a sign to the King’s 
son to return to his house. The fire of desire flamed within him, 
and his rapture and distraction became excessive; hut he went, and 
bade farewell to the superintendent, and departed to Iris abode, that 
he might not disobey the old woman, and acquainted the Wezeer and 
’Azeez that she had made a sign to him to depart. And they both 
exhorted him to he patient, saying to him, If the old woman did 
not know that there was an object to be attained by thy return, she 
had not made a sign to thee to do so. 

Now to return to the lady Dunya.—Desire overcame her, and 
her rapture and distraction increased ; so she said to the old woman, I 
know not how to obtain an interview with this young man but 
through thy means. The old woman exclaimed, I seek refuge with 
Allah from Satan the accursed ! Thou hast no desire for men ; and 
how, then, have fears affected thee in consequence of the love of 
him ? But, by Allah, none other than he is suited to thy youth.— 
O my nurse, rejoined the lady Dunya, assist me to obtain an inter¬ 
view with him, and thou shalt receive from me a thousand pieces of 
gold, and a dress of the same value : if thou assist me not to gain 
him I shall die inevitably. So the old woman replied, Go thou to 
thy palace, and I will devise means to bring you together, and give 
my life to satisfy you both. The lady Dunya then returned to her 
palace, while the old woman repaired to Taj el-Mulook ; and when 
he saw her, he rose to her, and stood, and received her with respect 
and honour, seating her by his side; and she said to him, The 
stratagem hath succeeded. She then related to him what had 
occurred between her and the lady Dunya; and he said to her, 
When shall be the interview ? She answered, To-morrow. And he 
gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and a garment of the same 
value : and she took them, and departed, and stopped not until she 
went in to the lady Dunya, who said to her, O my nurse, what 
news hast thou brought from the beloved ?—I have discovered his 
abode, she answered; and to-morrow I will bring'him to thee. And 
at this the lady Dunya rejoiced, and gave her a thousand pieces of 
gold, and a garment of the same value; and she took them, and 
returned to her house. 

She passed the next night, and in the morning she went forth 
and repaired to Taj el-Mulook, and, having clad him in women’s 

AND THE LADY DUNYA. 

593 

apparel, said to him, Walk behind me, and incline thy body from 
side to side as thou steppest,* 5 and proceed not with a hasty pace, 
nor take notice of any one who may speak to thee. And after she 
had thus charged him, she went forth, and he behind her in his 
female attire; and she proceeded to instruct him, on the way, how 
to act, that he might not fear. She continued on her way, with 
him following her, until they arrived at the entrance of the palace, 
when she entered, and he also after her, and she passed through suc¬ 
cessive doors and antechambers until she had conducted him through 
seven doors. And when she arrived at the seventh door, she said to 
Taj el-Mulook, Fortify thy heart, and if I call out to thee, and say to 
thee, O slave-girl, advance!—be not tardy in thy pace, but hasten 
on, and when thou hast entered the antechamber beyond, look to 
thy left: thou wilt see a saloon with seven doors; and do thou 
count five doors, and enter the sixth; for within it is the object of 
thy desire.—And whither goest thou ? said Taj el-Mulook. She 
answered, I have no place to go to ; but perhaps I may wait after 
thee and speak with the chief eunuch. She then proceeded, and 
he followed her, until they arrived at the door where was the chief 
eunuch; and he saw with her Taj el-Mulook in the attire of a 
female slave, and said to her, What is the business of this slave- 
girl who is with thee? She answered him, The lady Dunya hath 
heard that this girl is skilled in different kinds of work, and she 
desireth to purchase her. But the eunuch replied, I know neither 
slave-girl nor any other person ; and no one shall enter without 
being searched by me, as the King hath commanded me. Upon 
this, the old woman, manifesting anger, said to him, I knew that 
thou wast a man of sense and of good manners; and if thou art 
changed I will acquaint her with this, and inform her that thou 
hast offered opposition to her female slave. She then called out to 
Taj el-Mulook, and said to him, Advance, O slave-girl! And imme¬ 
diately he entered the antechamber, as she had commanded him, 
and the eunuch was silent, and said no more. So Taj el-Mulook 
counted five doors, and entered the sixth, and found the lady Dunya 
standing expecting him. 

As soon as she beheld him, she knew him, and pressed him to 
her bosom, and he embraced her in like manner; and the old woman, 

4 G 

VOL. I. 

coming in to them, contrived a pretext to dismiss the female slaves ; 
after which the lady Dunya said to her, Be thou keeper of the 
door. She then remained alone with Taj el-Mulook, and they 
passed the whole night in innocent dalliance. 66 And on the follow¬ 
ing morning she closed the door upon him. and the old woman, and 
entering another apartment, sat there according to her custom; and 
her female slaves came to her, and she transacted their affairs and 
conversed with them, and then said to them, Go forth from me 
now; for I desire to amuse myself in solitude. So they left 
her, and she returned to Taj el-Mulook and the old woman, taking 
with her some food for them ; and thus they ceased not to do for a 
whole month. 

As to the Wezeer, however, and ’Azeez, when Taj el-Mulook 
had gone to the palace of the King’s daughter and remained all this 
time, they concluded that he would never return from it, and that 
he was inevitably lost; and ’Azeez said .to the Wezeer, O my 
father, what wilt thou do ? The Wezeer answered, O my son, this 
affair is one of difficulty, and if we return not to his father to 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK, &c. 595 

acquaint him, he will blame us for our negligence. So they pre¬ 
pared themselves immediately, and journeyed towards El-Ard el- 
Khadra and El-’Amoodeyn 07 and the royal residence of the King 
Suleyman Shah, and traversed the valleys night and day until 
they went in and presented themselves before the King Suleyman 
Shah; and they informed him of that which had happened to 
his son, and that they had learnt no news of him since he had 
entered the palace of the King’s daughter. On hearing this 
he was as though the day of resurrection had surprised him : his 
sorrow was intense, and he gave orders to make a proclamation of 
war throughout his dominions. He then sent forth his troops out¬ 
side the city, and caused the tents to be pitched for them, and 
remained in his pavilion until the forces had assembled from all 
the quarters of his kingdom. His subjects loved him for his great 
justice and beneficence, and he departed with an army that covered 
the earth as far as the eye could reach, for the purpose of demand¬ 
ing his son Taj el-Mulook. 

In the meantime, Taj el-Mulook and the lady Dunya continued 
together for half a year, every day increasing in mutual love ; and 
the love and distraction and rapture of Taj el-Mulook so augmented 
that he opened to her his mind, and said to her, Know, O beloved 
of my heart, that the longer I remain with thee, the more do my 
distraction and ecstacy and desire increase ; for I have not altoge¬ 
ther attained my wish. So she said, What dost thou wish, O light 
of my eye, and delight of my heart ? He answered, I desire to 
acquaint thee with my true history : know, then, that I am not a 
merchant, but a King, son of a King, and the name of my father is 
the Supreme King Suleyman Shah, who sent the Wezeer as am¬ 
bassador to thy father to demand thee for me in marriage ; and 
when the news came to thee thou refusedst to consent.—He then 
related to her his story from first to last; and added, I desire now 
to repair to my father, that he may send an ambassador again to 
thy father, to demand thee in marriage from him, and so we shall 
remain at ease.—And when she heard this, she rejoiced exceed¬ 
ingly : for it coincided with her wish; and they passed the next 
night determined upon this proceeding. 

But it happened, in accordance with destiny, that sleep over- 

596 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK, &c. 

came them unusually that night, and they remained until the sun 
had risen. The King Shah Zeman was then upon his royal seat, 
with the Emeers of his empire before him, and the chief of the gold¬ 
smiths presented himself, having in his hand a large round casket: 
and he advanced, and, opening it before the King, took forth from it 
an elegant box worth a hundred thousand pieces of gold for the 
jewels it contained, and rubies and emeralds, such as no King of the 
earth could procure. And when the King saw it he wondered at its 
beauty, and he looked towards the chief eunuch, to whom the affair 
with the old woman had happened (as above described), and said to 
him, O Kafoor, 68 take this box, and go with it to the lady Dunya. 
So the eunuch took it, and proceeded until he arrived at the cham¬ 
ber of the King’s daughter, when he found its door closed, and the 
old woman sleeping at its threshold, and he exclaimed, Until this 
hour are ye sleeping ? And when the old woman heard what he 
said, she awoke from her sleep, and, in her fear of him, said, Wait 
until I bring the key. She then went forth and fled. The eunuch, 
therefore, knew that she was alarmed, and he displaced the door, 09 
and, entering the chamber, found the lady Dunya asleep with Taj 
el-Mulook. At the sight of this, he was perplexed at his case, and 
was meditating to return to the King, when the lady Dunya awoke 
and found him by her ; and she was troubled, and her countenance 
became pale, and she said, O Kafoor, veil what God hath veiled. 
But he replied, I cannot conceal anything from the King. And he 
closed the door upon them, and returned to the King. So the King 
said to him, Hast thou given the box to thy mistress ? The eunuch 
answered, Take the box : here it is. I cannot conceal from thee 
anything. Know that I beheld, with the lady Dunya, a handsome 
young man, sleeping in the same chamber. The King therefore 
ordered that they should both be brought before him; and when 
they had come into his presence, he said to them, What are these 
deeds ? And he was violently enraged, and, seizing a dagger, 70 was 
about to strike with it Taj el-Mulook ; but the lady Dunya threw 
her head upon him, and said to her father, Slay me before him. 
The King, however, chid her, and ordered them to convey her back 
to her chamber. Then looking towards Taj el-Mulook, he said to 
him, Wo to thee ! Whence art thou, and who is t,hy father, and 

what hath emboldened thee to act thus towards my daughter ?— 
Know, O King, answered Taj el-Mulook, that, if thou put me to 
death, thou wilt perish, and thou and all in thy dominions will 
repent.— And why so ? said the King. He answered, Know that I 
am the son of the King Suleyman Shah, and thou wilt not be aware 
of the consequence when he will approach thee with his horsemen 
and his infantry. And when King Shah Zeman heard this, he 
desired to defer putting him to death; and to imprison him until he 
should see whether his assertion were true ; but his Wezeer said to 
him, O King of the age, it is my advice that thou hasten the execu¬ 
tion of this young wretch, since he hath been guilty of presump¬ 
tion towards the daughters of Kings. So he said to the executioner, 
Strike off his head; for he is a traitor. And the executioner took 
him, and, haying bound him firmly, raised his hand, and made a 
sign of consultation to the Emeers a first and a second time, desiring 
by this that some delay might take place ; but the King called out 
to him, How long wilt thou consult ? If thou do so again I will 
strike off thy head. 

598 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK 

The executioner, therefore, raised his hand until his arm-pit 
appeared, and was about to strike off his head, when loud cries 
were heard, and the people closed their shops. So the King said to 
the executioner, Hasten not. And he sent a person to learn the 
news for him ; and the messenger went, and, soon returning, said 
to the King, I beheld an army like the roaring sea agitated with 
waves ; their horses are prancing, and the earth trembleth beneath 
them, and I know not wherefore they are come. And the King was 
amazed, and feared lest he should be deposed from his throne. He 
then said to his Wezeer, Have none of our troops gone forth to 
meet this army ? But his words were not finished when his cham¬ 
berlains came in to him accompanied by the messengers of the 
approaching King, and among them was the Wezeer who had been 
with Taj el-Mulook. He commenced by salutation; and the King 
rose to him, and, calling them near to him, asked them respecting 
the cause of their coming : whereupon the Wezeer advanced from 
among them, and approached the King, and said to him, Know that 
he who hath alighted in thy territories is a King not like the Kings 
who have preceded him, nor like the Sultans of former times.—And 
who is he ? said the King. The Wezeer answered, He is the lord 
of justice and security, the fame of whose magnanimity the cara¬ 
vans have spread abroad, the Sultan Suleyman Shah, the lord of 
El-Ard El-Khadra and El-’Amoodeyn and the mountains of Ispa¬ 
han, who loveth justice and equity, and hateth tyranny and oppres¬ 
sion ; and he saith to thee, that his son is in thy dominions and in 
thy city, and he is the vital spirit of his heart, and its delight; and 
if he find him in safety, it is what he desireth, and thou wilt be 
thanked and praised ; but if he be not found in thy country, or if 
any evil have befallen him, receive tidings of destruction and of the 
ruin of thy territories; for thy country shall become a desert in 
which the raven shall croak. Thus I have delivered to thee the mes¬ 
sage ; and peace be on thee.—When the King Shah Zeman heard 
these words of the envoy, his heart was troubled, and he feared for 
his kingdom, and called out to the lords of his empire, and his 
Wezeers and Chamberlains and Lieutenants; and when they had 
come before him he said to them, Wo unto you! Go down and search 
for this young man.—But he was under the hand of the executioner, 

AND THE LADY DUNYA. 

599 

and his appearance was changed through the fear that he suffered. 
The Wezeer then, looking aside, found the King’s son upon the 
skin of blood, 71 and he recognised him, and arose, and threw him¬ 
self upon him. So also did the other messengers: they then 
unbound him, and kissed his hands and his feet; whereupon Taj 
el-Mulook opened his eyes, and, recognising the Wezeer and his 
companion Azeez, fell down in a swoon through the excess of his 
joy at their presence. 

The King Shah Zeman was perplexed at his situation, and in 
great fear, on discovering that the coming of the army was on 
account of this young man; and he arose and walked forward to 
Taj el-Mulook, and kissed his head, and, with weeping eyes, said to 
him, O my son, be not angry with me : be not angry with the evil¬ 
doer for his deed; but have compassion on my grey hairs, and lay 
not waste my dominions. And Taj el-Mulook approached him, and 
kissed his hand, saying to him, No harm shall befall thee ; for thou 
art in my estimation as my father ; but beware that no evil befall 
my beloved, the lady Dunya.—O my lord, rejoined the King, fear 
not for her ; for nought but happiness awaiteth her. And he pro¬ 
ceeded to excuse himself to him, and to soothe the mind of the 
Wezeer of the King Suleyman Shah, promising him a large sum of 
money that he might conceal from the King what he had seen. 
After which he ordered the grandees of his empire to take Taj el- 
Mulook and to conduct him to the bath, to clothe him in a suit 
of the best of royal apparel, and bring him back quickly. So they 
did this: they conducted him into the bath, and, having clad him 
in the suit which the King Shah Zeman had allotted him, brought 
him back to the hall of audience; and when he came in, the King 
rose to him, he and all the lords of his empire, and they all stood to 
wait upon him. Then Taj el-Mulook sat and conversed with his 
father’s Wezeer and with ’Azeez respecting the events which had 
happened to him ; and they replied, During that period we went 
to thy father, and informed him that thou hadst entered the palace 
of the King’s daughter, and not come forth from it, and that thy 
case appeared doubtful to us; and when he heard this, he made 
ready the troops, aud we came to this country, and on our arrival 
have experienced joy and happiness. So he said to them, Good 
fortune hath attended your actions first and last. 

600 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK 

The King, in the meantime, had gone in to his daughter, the 
lady Dunya, and found her weeping for Taj el-Mulook. She had 
taken a sword, and put its hilt to the floor, and its point to the 
middle of her bosom, and was leaning over it, saying, I must kill 
myself, and not live after my beloved. When her father, therefore, 
went in to her, and beheld her in this state, he called out to her, 
and said, O mistress of the daughters of Kings, do it not; hut have 
mercy upon thy father and the people of thy country! Then 
advancing to her, he said to her, I conjure thee to abstain, lest evil 
befall thy father on thy account. And he acquainted her with the 
case, telling her that her beloved, the son of the King Suleyman 
Shah, desired to celebrate his marriage with her, and adding, The 
aflair of the betrothal and marriage is committed to thy judgment. 
And she smiled, and said to him, Did I not tell thee that he was the 
son of a Sultan ? I will make him crucify thee upon a piece of 
wood worth a couple of pieces of silver.—I conjure thee by Allah, 
he exclaimed, that thou have mercy upon thy father !—Go to him, 
she rejoined, and bring him to me. He replied, On the head and 
the eye. And he returned from her quickly, and, going in to Taj 
el-Mulook, rejoiced him by what he said. He then arose with him 
and went to her again, and when she beheld Taj el-Mulook, she 
embraced him in the presence of her father, and clung to him, 
and said to him, Thou hast made me desolate by thine absence. 
Then looking at her father, she said, Can any one act injuriously 
towards such a person as this handsome youth, and he a King, a son 

AND THE LADY DUNYA. 

601 

of a King ? And upon this the King Shah Zeman went forth, and 
closed the door upon them, and, repairing to the Wezeer and the 
other messengers of the father of Taj el-Mulook, ordered them to 
inform the Sultan Suleyman Shah that his son was in prosperity 
and health, and enjoying a life of the utmost delight. He gave 
orders also to carry forth provisions and pay to the troops of the 
Sultan Suleyman Shah; and after they had conveyed all that he 
commanded them to take forth, he brought out a hundred coursers, 
and a hundred dromedaries, and a hundred memlooks, and a hundred 
concubine slaves, and a hundred male black slaves, and a hundred 
female slaves, and sent them all to him as a present. 

He then repaired to him, with the lords of his empire, and his 
chief attendants, and they proceeded until they arrived outside the 
city; and when the Sultan Suleyman Shah became acquainted with 
this, he advanced some paces to meet him. The Wezeer and ’Azeez 
had informed him of the news, and he rejoiced, and exclaimed, 
Praise be to God who hath granted my son the accomplishment 
of his wish! And he embraced the King Shah Zeman, and seated 
him by his side upon the sofa, and they conversed together; after 
which the attendants placed before them the food, and when they 
had eaten to satisfaction they brought them the sweetmeats. Soon 
after, Taj el-Mulook came, approaching in his rich and ornamented 
dress ; and when his father beheld him, he rose to him and kissed 
him, and all who were present rose to him' 1 ; and after he had sat 
with them a while conversing, the King Suleyman Shah said, I 
desire to perform my son’s contract of marriage to thy daughter in 
the presence of witnesses. And King Shah Zeman replied, I hear 
and obey. So he summoned the Kadee and witnesses, and they 
came, and wrote the marriage-contract; and the troops rejoiced at 
this. And King Shah Zeman began to fit out his daughter. 

Then Taj el-Mulook said to his father, Verily, ’Azeez is a 
generous person; he hath performed for me a great service, 
and wearied himself, and journeyed with me, and enabled me 
to attain the object of my search, ceasing not to exhort me 
to patience until I accomplished my wish, and he hath been 
with us two years separated from his country: it is my desire, 
therefore, that we should prepare for him merchandise ; for his 
country is near. His father replied, Thy opinion is excellent. So 

4 H 

VOL. 1. 

602 

THE STORY OF TA'J EL-MULOOK 

they prepared for him a hundred loads of the most costly stuffs ; 
and Taj el-Mulook hade him farewell, saying to him, O my brother, 
accept this as a present. And he accepted it, and kissed the 
ground before him and before his father. Taj el-Mulook then 
mounted his horse, and proceeded with ’Azeez for the space of 
three miles; after which, ’Azeez conjured him to return, and said, 
Were it not for my mother, I could not endure thy separation; 
and by Allah I entreat thee not to cease acquainting me with thy 
state. Having thus said, he hade him farewell, and repaired to his 
eity. He found that his mother had built for him a tomb in the 
midst of the house, and she frequently visited it; and when he 
entered the house, he found that she had dishevelled her hair and 
spread it upon the tomb, and, with streaming eyes, was reciting 
these verses:— 

By Allah, O tomb, have his charms perished; and hath that brilliant coun¬ 
tenance changed? 

O tomb, thou art neither a garden nor a firmament: how then can the full 
moon and flowers he united in thee ? 

She then groaned, and recited some other verses; but before she 
had finished, ’Azeez went in to her: and when she beheld him, she 
rose to him and embraced him, and asked him respecting his long 
absence: so he acquainted her with all the events that had hap¬ 
pened to him from first to last, and told her that Taj el-Mulook had 
given him, of wealth and stuffs, a hundred loads; and she rejoiced 
at this.—Such was the history of ’Azeez. 

Now as to Taj el-Mulook, he returned to his beloved, the lady 
Dunya, and King Shah Zeman fitted her out for the journey with 
her husband and her father-in-law: he sent to them provisions and 
presents and rarities, and they loaded their beasts and departed; 
and King Shah Zeman accompanied them three days’ journey to 
bid them farewell. The King Suleyman Shah then conjured him 
to return: so he returned; and Taj el-Mulook and his father 
and his wife continued their journey night and day until they 
came in sight of their country. The city was decorated for them, 
and they entered it; and the King Suleyman Shah sat upon his 
throne with his son Taj el-Mulook by his side; and he gave pre¬ 
sents, and liberated the persons confined in the prisons; after 

AND THE LADY DUNYA. 

603 

which he celebrated for his son a second wedding-festivity : the 
songs and instrumental music were continued for a whole month, 
and the tire-women crowded around the lady Dunya, who was not 
tired with the display; nor were they with gazing at her. Taj 
el-Mulook then took up his abode with her, after an interview 
with his father and mother together; and they passed a life of the 
utmost delight and enjoyment. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH. 

Note 1. 

The next story to that of Gh&nim, in my original, is one of very great length, 
comprising the greater part of the forty-fourth night and extending to the end of 
the hundred and forty-fifth ; but interrupted by the contents of my eighth chapter, 
which consists of two stories of a very different kind, that appear to have been 
introduced to relieve its tediousness. With these, it occupies nearly 162 pages, or 
not much less than an eighth part of the whole work. It is the story of the King 
’Omar En-Noaman, and his two sons Sharr-kan * and D6 el-Mek&n, f and his 
daughter Nuzhet ez-Zem&n, J &c. It is entirely a fiction, professedly relating to the 
first century of the Mohammadan era, “ before the reign of the Khaleefeh 'Abd El- 
Melik the son of Marw&n,” and its main subject is a war with two Greek Kings. 
Taken altogether, I deem it unworthy of a place in the present series of tales, 
and so much of it depends upon incidents of a most objectionable nature, that I 
cannot attempt to abridge it; but a pleasant tale might be composed from it by 
considerable alterations. 

One of the two stories which I have extracted from it, that of Taj el-Mulook 
and the Lady Dunya, bears apparent indications of a Persian origin; but in their 
present state, the manners and customs &c. which both exhibit are Arab. The 
scenes of the events narrated in the story of Tdj el-Mulook are in Persia and, 
probably, in India; but imaginary names appear to be given to the several 
kingdoms mentioned in it: the kingdom of El-Ard El-Khadra (the Green 
Country) and El-’Amoodeyn (which signifies the Two Columns) is said to include the 
mountains of Ispahan, and its locality is thereby sufficiently indicated: that of 
El-Ard El-Beyda (the White Country) I suppose to be in Persia or India: and as 
to the Islands of Camphor, I fancy we must be content to consider them vaguely 
as appertaining to India: the country in which 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh resided is 
said to have been near to the Islands of Camphor; but their story is perfectly 
Arab. 

• Thus commonly pronounced for “ Sharrun k4n,” signifying “ an evil hath come into existence.” 
Names of this kind are sometimes given by the Arabs not in dispraise, but as prophetic of great 
achievements. 

f “ Light of the Place.'* 

t “ Delight of the Age.* 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH. 

605 

Note 2. 

“ El-Medeeneh El-Khadra” signifies “ the Green City.” 
note. 

Note 3. 

“ The Compassionate ” is an epithet here applied to God. 

See the above 

Note 4. 

See the first note in this series.—“ Zahr,” in Arabic, signifies “ a Flower.” 

Note 5. — On Coats of Mail, and other Armour worn hy the Arabs. 

The Prophet David is said to have been the first person who manufactured 
coats of mail; and the cause of his applying himself to the art was this.—“ He 
used to go forth in disguise ; and when he found any people who knew him not, 
he approached them and asked them respecting the conduct of Daood (or David), 
and they praised him and prayed for him; but one day as he was asking questions 
respecting himself as usual, God sent to him an angel in the form of a human 
being, who said, ' An excellent man were Daood if he did not take from the 
public treasury —whereupon the heart of Daood was contracted, and he begged 
of God to render him independent: so He made iron soft to him, and it became 
in his hands as thread; and he used to sell a coat of mail for four thousand 
[pieces of money—whether gold or silver is not said], and with part of this he 
obtained food for himself, and part he gave in alms, and with part he fed his 
family."*—Hence an excellent coat of mail is often called by the Arabs “Daoodee,” 
i. e. “ Davidean.” This kind of armour is worn hy some Arabs of the Desert 
in the present day; but the best specimens, I believe, are mostly found in India. 
Burckhardt mentions one tribe of Arabs who have about twenty-five; another, 
two hundred; and two others, between thirty and forty. “ The dora [properly, 
dirS or darS] is,” he remarks, “ of two sorts, one covering the whole body like a 
long gown from the elbow, over the shoulders, down to the knees : this is the 
sirgh: the other, called kembdz, covers the body only to the waist; the arms 
from the elbows downwards being covered with two pieces of steel, fitting into 
each other, with iron fingers. Thus clad, the Arab completes his armour by 
putting on his head an iron cap (t&s), which is but rarely adorned with feathers. 
The price of a coat of mail fluctuates from two hundred to fifteen hundred 

piastres_Those of the best quality are capable of resisting a ball.”t The coat 

of mail is sometimes worn within the ordinary outer tunic. 

Note 6. 

This implies that his parents were dead. 

Note 7. —On Public Royal Feasts. 

On certain periodical festivals, and on other occasions (as those of the kind 
here described), it has long been, and still is, a custom of Muslim princes to give 
public feasts to all classes of their subjects, in the palace. El-Makreezee quotes 
a curious account of the feasts which were given on the festival following Ramadin 
to the inhabitants of Cairo, by the F&timee Khaleefehs. At the upper end of a 
large saloon was placed the sereer (or sofa) of the monarch, upon which he sat 

* Mir-At ex-ZemAn. 

t “ Notes on the Bedouins and WahAhys,” 8vo. vol. i. pp. 55 and 56. 

606 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH. 

with the Wezeer on his right. Upon this seat was placed a round silver table, 
with various delicacies, of which they alone ate. Before it, and extending nearly 
from the seat to the other extremity of the saloon, was set up a kind of table or 
platform (sim&t) of painted wood, resembling a number of benches placed together, 
ten cubits (or about eighteen or nineteen feet) in width. Along the middle of this 
were arranged twenty-one enormous dishes, each containing twenty-one baked 
sheep, three years old, and fat; together with fowls, chickens, and young pigeons, 
in number three hundred and fifty of each kind; all of which were piled together 
in an oblong form, to the height of the stature of a man, and enclosed with dry 
sweetmeat. The spaces between these dishes were occupied by nearly five hun¬ 
dred other dishes of earthenware, each of which contained seven fowls and was 
filled up with sweetmeats of various kinds. The table was strewed with flowers; 
and cakes of bread made of the finest flour were arranged along each side. There 
were also two great edifices of sweetmeats, each weighing seventeen hundred¬ 
weights, which were carried thither by porters with shoulder-poles; and one of 
these was placed at the commencement, and the other at the close, of this sumptu¬ 
ous banquet. When the Khaleefeh and Wezeer had taken their seats upon the 
sofa, the officers of state who were distinguished by neck-rings or collars, and the 
inferior members of the court, seated themselves in the order of their respective 
ranks; and, when they had eaten, gave place to others. Two such feasts, given 
on the festival after Ramadan and on the “ great festival,” cost four thousand 
deen&rs, or about two thousand pounds sterling.—Two military officers, named 
Ibn F&'iz and Ed-Deylemee, distinguished themselves at these feasts in a very 
remarkable manner. Each of them used to eat a baked sheep, and ten fowls 
dressed with sweetmeats, and ten pounds of sweetmeats besides, and was presented 
with a quantity of food carried away from the feast to his house, together with a 
large sum of money. One of them had been a prisoner at ’Askaldn; and after 
he had remained there some time, the person into whose power he had fallen 
jestingly told him that if he would eat a calf belonging to him, the flesh of which 
weighed several hundred-weights, he would emancipate him. This feat he accom¬ 
plished, and thus he obtained his liberation.* 

Several cases of a similar kind to those just mentioned are instanced in a late 
work. One, of a man who, as related by Vopiscus, was brought before the Em¬ 
peror Maximilian, and who devoured a whole calf, and was proceeding to eat up a 
sheep, but was prevented. Another, of a man who commenced his repast (in the 
presence of Dr. Boehmen, of Wittenberg) by eating a raw sheep and a sucking 
pig, and, by way of dessert, swallowed sixty pounds of prunes, stones and all. A 
third, of an attendant of the menagerie of the Botanical Garden in Paris, who 
used to devour all the offals of the Theatre of Comparative Anatomy, and ate a dead 
lion in one day.f 

Note 8.— On Litters for Travelling. 

The kind of litter borne by mules is generally one resembling the p&lkee (or 
palanquin): it is borne by four of these animals, two before and two behind, or by two 
only, or more commonly by two camels, and sometimes by two horses. When borne 
by camels, the head of the hindmost of these animals is painfully bent down, under 
the vehicle. It is the most comfortable kind of litter ; and two light persons may 

* “ El-KhitatAccount of the Palaces of the Khaleefeha. 

t Dr. Millengen’s Curiosities of- Medical Experience, quoted in the Literary Gazette, No. 1043. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH. 

607 

travel in it. The name generally given to it is “ takhtarawAn," or “lakht-rawAn 
but the term employed in the passage to which this note refers is “mihafleh,” 
which is often used as a general name for a camel-litter, and particularly applied 
to one with a flat top.—A very common kind of camel-litter, called “ musattah,” or 
“ heml musattah,” resembles a small square tent, and is chiefly composed of two 
long chests, each of which has a high back: these are placed on the camel in the 
same manner as a pair of panniers, one on each side; and the high hacks, which 
are placed outwards, together with a small pole resting on the camel’s pack- 
saddle, support the covering which forms what may be called the tent. This 
vehicle accommodates two persons. It is generally open at the front; and may 
also be opened at the hack. Though it appears comfortable, the motion is uneasy; 
especially when it is placed upon a camel that has been accustomed to carry heavy 
burdens: but camels of easy pace are generally chosen for bearing litters.— 
Another kind of litter, called “ shibreeyeh,” is composed of a small square plat¬ 
form with an arched covering. This accommodates but one person ; and is placed 
on the back of the camel: two sahhArahs (or square camel-chests), one on each 
side of the animal, generally form a foundation for it.—The musattah and shib¬ 
reeyeh (but particularly the latter) are also called “h6daj.” 

Note 9. 

See Note 43 to Chapter iv. 

Note 10. 

See Note 54 to Chapter iv. 

Note 11. 

“ Taj el-Mulook” signifies “ Crown of the Kings.' 

Note 12. 

Lynxes were often employed in the chase in Arabian and other Eastern coun¬ 
tries in former times; but I do not know if they are at present. 

Note 13. 

I do not know what is meant by this word: perhaps, “ oblong cylindrical 
beads “ kasabeh” signifying “ a reed,” “ cane,” “ tube,” &c. 

, Note 14. 

The words “ who hath taught men,” &c., are from the Kur-An, ch. xcvi. v. 5. 

Note 15. 

“ ’Azeez” and 
lent,” &c. 

“ ’Azeezeh” (masculine and feminine) signify “Dear,” “Excel- 
Note 16. 

The handkerchief is generally oblong, and each of its two ends is embroidered 
with a border of coloured silks and gold ; the other two edges being plain. 

Note 17. 

My sheykh has remarked in a marginal note, that this sign may allude to her 
heart, or to her sighing because she enjoys not the union she desires (as expressed 

608 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH. 

immediately after); and that the latter is more probable, as the action is one 
common with persons in grief. 

Note 18. —On Conversing and Corresponding by means of Signs, Emblems, 
Metaphors, fyc. 

Many persons of the instructed classes, and some others, among the Arabs, 
often take delight, and shew much ingenuity and quickness of apprehension, in 
conversing and corresponding by means of signs, emblems, &c., or in a conven¬ 
tional, metaphorical language, not understood by the vulgar in general, and some¬ 
times not by any excepting the parties engaged in the intercourse. In some cases, 
when the main metaphor employed is understood, the rest of the conversation 
becomes easily intelligible, without any previous explanation ; and I have occa¬ 
sionally succeeded in carrying on a conversation of this kind (I do not mean, in 
cases such as that described in the tale referred to by this note) ; but I have more 
frequently been unsuccessful in attempting to divine the nature of a topic in which 
other persons were engaged. One simple mode of secret conversation or corres¬ 
pondence is by substituting certain letters for other letters. 

Many of the women are said to be adepts in this art, or science, and to convey 
messages, declarations of love, &c., by means of fruits, flowers, and other emblems. 
The inability of numbers of females in families of the middle classes to write or 
read, as well as the difficulty or impossibility frequently existing of conveying 
written letters, may have given rise to such modes of communication. Lady Mary 
Wortley Montagu, in one of her charming letters from the East, has gratified our 
curiosity by a Turkish love-letter of this kind.* A specimen of one from an Arab, 
with its answer, may be here added.—An Arab lover sent to his mistress a fan, a 
hunch of flowers, a silk tassel, some sugar-candy, and a piece of a chord of a 
musical instrument; and she returned for answer a piece of an aloe-plant, three 
black cumin-seeds, and a piece of a plant used in washing, f His communication 
is thus interpreted. The fan, being called “mirwahah,” a word derived from a 
root which has among its meanings that of “ going to any place in the evening,” 
signified his wish to pay her an evening visit: the flowers, that the interview 
should be in her garden : the tassel, being called “ shurrfibeh,” that they should 
have sharib J (or wine) : the sugar-candy, being termed “ sukkar nebfit,” and 
“ nebat” also signifying “ we will pass the night," denoted his desire to remain 
in her company until the morning : and the piece of a chord, that they should be 
entertained by music. The interpretation of her answer is as follows. The piece 
of an aloe-plant, which is called “ sabbfirah” (from “ sabr,” which signifies 
“ patience”—because it will live for many months together without water), implied 
that he must wait: the three black cumin-seeds explained to him that the period 
of delay should be three nights : and the plant used in washing informed him that 
she should then have gone to the bath, and would meet him. §—I have omitted 

* The art here mentioned was first made known to Europeans by a Frenchman, M. Du Vigneau, in 
a work entitled “ Secretaire Turc, contenant r Art d’ exprimer ses pens£es sans se voir, sans se parler, 
et sans s’ 6crireParis, 1688: in-12.—M. de Hammer has also given an interesting paper on this 
subject in the “ Mines de 1’ Orient/’ No. 1: Vienna, 1809. (Note to Marcel’s " Contes du Cheykh El- 
Mohdy,” tome iii. pp. 327 and 328 : Paris, 1833.) 

t Called ” ghasool el azrar." In Delile's Flora A£gyptiaca, the name of gh&sool is given to the 
mesembryanthemum nodiflorum, class icosandria, order pentagynia. 

I This name is now given to sherbet. 

$ Halbet el-Kumeyt, chapter the tenth. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH. 609 

one symbol in the lady 9 answer, as it conveys an allusion not so consistent with 
European as with Arab notions of female delicacy. 

The language of flowers employed by the Turks does not exactly agree with 
the system illustrated in the story of ’Azeez and 'Azeezeh; for the former con¬ 
sists of a collection of words and phrases or sentences which rhyme with the 
names of the objects used as the signs.* This system is also employed by the 
Arabs; but I believe not so commonly as the other, 

A remarkable faculty is displayed by some Arabs in catching the meaning of 
secret signs employed in written communications to them; such signs being often 
used in political and other intrigues. The following is a curious instance.—The 
celebrated poet El-Mutanebbee, having written some verses in praise of Kdfoor 
El-Ikhsheedee the independent Governor of Egypt, was obliged to flee, and hide 
himself in a distant town. K&foor was informed of his retreat, and desired his 
secretary to write to him a letter promising him pardon, and commanding him to 
return; but told the writer at the same time, that when the poet came he would 
punish him. The secretary was a friend of the poet, and, being obliged to read 
the letter to the Prince when he had written it, was perplexed how to convey to 
El-Mutanebbee some indication of the danger that awaited him: he could only 
venture to do so in the exterior address; and having written this in the usual 
form, commencing “In sh&a-U&h” (Ifitbe the will of God) “ this shall arrive,” &c., 
he put a small mark of reduplication over the “n” in the first word, which he 
thus converted into “Inna;” the final vowel being understood. The poet read 
the letter, and was rejoiced to see a promise of pardon ; but on looking a second 
time at the address, was surprised to observe the mark of reduplication over the 
“ri.” Knowing the writer to be his friend, he immediately suspected a secret 
meaning, and rightly conceived that the sign conveyed an allusion to a passage in 
the Kur4n commencing with the word “ Inna,” and this he divined to be the 
following:—“ Verily the magistrates are deliberating concerning thee, to put thee 
to death.” f Accordingly, he fled to another town. — Some authors add, that he 
wrote a reply, conveying, by a similar sign, to his friend, an allusion to another 
passage in the Kur-an:—“We will never enter the country while they remain 
therein.”!—It is probable that signs thus employed were used by many persons 
to convey allusions to certain words; and such may have been the case in the 
above-mentioned instance : if not, the poet was indeed a wonderful guesser. 

Note 19. 

Perhaps it is unnecessary to explain that the actions here described are those 
of a dyer, dipping a piece of linen into a red dye, and then wringing it. The 
shop of the dyer is generally, like most other shops, a small chamber or recess 
open towards the street. Pans containing the different dyes are imbedded in its 
floor. 

Note 20. 

“ Mak’ad” is a name generally given to a chamber in which male guests or 
visitors are received, having an open front with two or more arches, and looking 

• See Marcel, ubi supra. He stales that M. de Hammer’s vocabulary of flowers and other hiero¬ 
glyphic objects contains 120 articles; and that of Du Vigneau, 179; almost all of the former being the 
same as those of the latter. 

t Chapter xxviii. verse 19. 

t Chapter v. verse 27.—This anecdote is from the Halbet el-Kumeyt, chapter the eighth. 

1 . 

VOL. I. 

610 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH. 

into the court or garden of the house. Its floor is elevated about ten or move 
feet above the ground, and the front is usually towards the north, or nearly so. 

Note 21. 

I suppose it to be meant, that these designs were executed in a kind of mosaic 
work; for the pool of the fountain is generally ornamented with black and white 
marble, and pieces of fine red tile, inlaid in complicated and tasteful patterns. 
A view and plan of a fountain of this kind are inserted in the Introduction to my 
work on the Modern Egyptians. 

Note 22. 

“ Bakl&weh,” from the Turkish “ baklavA,” is a name given to a kind of 
pastry, which is generally thus prepared.—A paste made of fine flour with 
clarified butter is rolled tbin, and laid upon a tray : upon this paste is then spread 
a composition of clarified butter and blanched almonds (and sometimes walnuts 
and currants) beaten small; and over this is put another layer of paste. Eight of 
these double layers of paste with the composition above mentioned between them 
are placed one upon another, making the whole about an inch thick. It is baked 
in an oven; cut into lozenge-shaped pieces, about three inches long,, and two 
inches wide; and after it is thus cut, some honey or treacle is poured over. 

Note 23. 

See Note 99 to Chapter v.—I have there described the KatA'if as they are said 
to have been formerly prepared. They are now generally made of a thin paste 
of fine flour and water, formed into round cakes, about three inches in diameter, 
and a sixth of an inch or less in thickness, and baked upon a copper tray over a 
fire, like kunAfeh, the composition of which is the same. Some honey is generally 
poured on them afterwards. 

Note 24. 

It is a general belief of the Muslims that the wicked will rise to judgment 
with their faces black; and hence the origin of the imprecation, “ May God blacken 
thy face!” But it is often used to signify “ May God disgrace thee!” for a per¬ 
son’s face is said to be black when he is in any disgrace ; and in the reverse case, it 
is said to be white. 

Note 25. 

“ Zardeh ” (which is a Persian word) is a name given to rice dressed with 
honey and saffron; but here it appears to be applied to a sweet drink infused with 
saffron. 

Note 26. 

By the play-bone and the tdb-stick an allusion is conveyed to two games com¬ 
mon among the Arabs. The play-bones are used in the same manner as dice, of 
which they are probably the origin; and both bear the same name in the Arabic, 
in the singular “ kaab” or “ kaabeh,” that is, “ a cube.” Of the game of t&b 
I have given a full account in my work on the Modern Egyptians (vol. ii. chap. iv.). 
I need only mention here, that the tab-stick is of a flat form, about a span (or 
eight inches) in length, and two thirds of an inch in breadth, generally formed of 
a piece of palm-branch; one side of which, being cut flat and smooth, is white ; 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH. 

611 

the other, green, or, if not fresh, of a dull yellow colour. Four such sticks are 
used in playing the game. 

Note 27. 

rh l m0re 9 ' m P^ e interpretation is this:—Idle games are more suited to thee 
than affairs of love. 

Note 28. 

El-Kazweenee makes a remark somewhat similar to this at the close of his 
account of the date; but the interpretation of the meaning conveyed by the date- 
stone in our text is very far-fetched: my sheykh, in a marginal note, gives one 
perfectly apposite: the date-stone is called “ nawayeh,” and more properly 
nawah and “ nawa; and the last of these words signifies also “ distance,” 
“ absence, &c., and is often used to express the state of one who is far from loving 
or being a lover: it implies also, in this case, that, if he slept again, she would 
cast him off. 

Note 29. 

The locust-fruit, by its dark colour, and the length of time it remains in a 
state of preservation after it has been plucked, is rendered a fit emblem of a heart 
long enduring separation from the object of its love. 

Note 30. 

“ Dirhem,” I have before mentioned, is the name of a silver coin : it is also 
the name of a weight, very nearly equivalent to forty-eight English grains ; and 
being here described as of iron, we must understand it in the latter sense. 

Note 31. 

I suppose the iron dirhem to be symbolic of the eye because it is round, and 
perhaps likewise because the Arabic term for “ iron ” (namely “ hadeed ”) has 
also the signification of “ sharp ” or “piercingin which sense it is often applied 
to the sight (as in the Kur-fin, chap. 1. v. 21). See the next note. 

Note 32. 

From this double oath, it seems to me probable, that, by the circular form of 
the dirhem, an allusion was meant to God (as being without beginning or end), and 
that the matter of which it was composed (from what I have said in the note 
immediately preceding), as well as its form, conveyed the allusion to the eye. 

Note 33. 

This gentle kneading or pressing of the limbs, which is one of the operations 
performed in the bath, is often practised by the Arabs for the purpose of inducing 
sleep. 

Note 34. 

This a kind of nebeedh. (See Note 22 to Chapter iii.) The same fruit is also 
stewed with meat. It is called in Arabic “ onnab. 

Note 35. 

See Note 18 to Chapter vii. 

G12 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH. 

Note 36. 

It is seen that ’Azeezeh speaks of herself in the masculine gender in the 
verses here inserted; but this is in accordance with a common Arab custom. 

Note 37. — On the Ceremony called Zikr. 

Zikrs are very often performed after a death; the merit of the performance 
being transferred to the soul of the deceased. 

I have before mentioned these ceremonies (in Note 63 to Chapter iii.); but in u 
vague manner ; and as it is my object in the present work to give such illustrations 
as will satisfy the general reader, without obliging him to refer to other books, I 
shall here insert an abridged extract, descriptive of a zikr, from my Account of 
the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians. 

The zikkeers (or performers of the zikr), who were about thirty in number, sat, 
cross-legged, upon matting extended close to the houses on one side of the street, 
in the form of an oblong ring.* Within this ring, along the middle of the 
matting, were placed three very large wax candles; each about four feet high, 
and stuck in a low candlestick. Most of the zikkeers were Ahmedee darweeshes, 
persons of the lower orders, and meanly dressed: many of them wore green 
turbans. At one end of the ring were four munshids (or singers of poetry), and 
with them was a player on the kind of flute called “n&y.” I procured a small 
seat of palm-sticks from a coffee-shop close hy, and, by means of a little pushing, 
and the assistance of my servant, obtained a place with the munshids, and sat 
there to hear a complete act, or “ meglis,” of the zikr ; which act commenced at 
about three o’clock (or three hours after sunset), and continued two hours. 

The performers began by reciting the Fdt'hah (or opening chapter of the 
Kur-dn) all together; their sheykh, or chief, first exclaiming, “ El-Fdt'hah !” 
They then chanted the following words :—“ O God, favour our lord Mohammad 
among the former generations; and favour our lord Mohammad among the latter 
generations; and favour our lord Mohammad in every time and period ; and 
favour our lord Mohammad in the highest degree, unto the day of judgment; and 
favour all the prophets and apostles among the inhabitants of the heavens and of 
the earth; and may God (whose name be blessed and exalted!) be well pleased 
with our lords and our masters, those persons of illustrious estimation, Aboo Bekr 
and ’Omar and ’Osm&n and 'Alee, and with all the favourites of God. God is our 
sufficiency ; and excellent is the Guardian ! There is no strength nor power but' 
in God, the High, the Great! O God ! O our Lord! O thou liberal of pardon ! 
O thou most bountiful of the most bountiful! O God ! Amen!”—They were then 
silent for three or four minutes; and again recited the F&t’hah; but silently. This 
form of prefacing the zikr is commonly used, by almost all orders of darweeshes 
in Egypt. 

The performers now commenced the zikr. Sitting in the manner above 
described, they chanted, in slow measure, “ La il&ha illa-ll&h” (“ There is no 
deity but God”) to the following air:— 

* The zikr here described was performed near the tomb of a saint, for whose sake it was celebrated. 
The ceremony is often performed in a sepulchral mosque, and often in the court, or in a chamber, of a 
private house. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH. 613 - 

bowing the head and body twice in each repetition of “ LA ilaha illa-llih.” Thus 
they continued about a quarter of an hour; and then, for about the same space of 
time, they repeated the same words to the same air, but in a quicker measure, and 
with correspondingly quicker motions. In the meantime, the munshids frequently 
sang, to the same, or a variation of the same, air, portions of a kaseedeh, or of a 
muweshshah; an ode of a similar nature to the Song of Solomon, generally 
alluding to the Prophet as the object of love and praise; and at frequent intervals, 
one of them sang out the word “ meded,” implying an invocation for spiritual or 
supernatural aid. 

The zikkeers, after having performed as above described, next repeated the 
same words to a different air for about the same length of time; first, very slowly ; 
then, quickly. The air was as follows: 

~r 

I 

— 

i u—r 

/ trr *r i 

r* l□ n 

* g 1 H Lz 

— 0 — •- 

—-— 4 

—4 — 

LA i - la - ha ilia - 1 - la - h. La i - la - ha ilia -1 - 

7 

f11 ~1 . 

s r 

- 

u i ^ . *r* — 

n . j 

p 

ff 

Y Tl 2 n T^r n 

1 J ! ! 

1 

T 

T * • J J ! ! 

zi. • 0 

• m 

la h. hi i 

r- w w o 

- la - ha ilia - 1 - lah 

. 

Then they repeated these words again, to the following air, in the same 
manner: 

=z 4sr: 

p 

=} - 

i r 

d: 

L o 

i 

4 L 

Li i - li - ha il - la - 1 - lih. Li i - la - ha il- la-1 - lih. 

They next rose, and, standing in the same order in which they had been 
sitting, repeated the same words to anotlier air. After which, still standing, they 
repeated these words in a very deep and hoarse tone; laying the principal emphasis 

614 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH. 

upon the word “ L4” and the first syllable of the last word “ Allahand uttering i, 
apparently, with a considerable effort: the sound much resembled that which is 
produced by beating the rim of a tambourine. Each zikkeer turned his head alter¬ 
nately to the right and left at each repetition of “L4 il&ha illa-U&h.” One of 
them, a eunuch, at this part of the zikr, was seized with an epileptic fit, evidently 
the result of a high state of religious excitement; but nobody seemed surprised at 
it; for occurrences of this kind at zikrs are not uncommon. All the performers 
now seemed much excited; repeating their ejaculations with greater rapidity, 
violently turning their heads, and sinking the whole body at the same time: some 
of them jumping. The eunuch above mentioned again was seized with fits several 
times ; and I generally remarked that this happened after one of the munshids had 
sung a line or two and exerted himself more than usually to excite his hearers: the 
singing was, indeed, to my taste, very pleasing. The contrast presented by the 
vehement and distressing exertions of the performers at the close of the zikr, and 
their calm gravity and solemnity of manner at the commencement, was particu¬ 
larly striking. Money was collected during the performance for the munshids. 
The zikkeers receive no pay. 

Note 38. 

From the last of these verses it appears that the flowers are described as laid 
upon the tomb (in accordance with the custom mentioned in the last paragraph of 
Note 16 to Chapter i.), and not as planted upon it; though this is frequently done 
in some countries of the East; the monument being filled with mould, and the 
whole of its top open. 

Note 39. 

See Note 25 to Chapter v. 

Note 40. 

I have described the head-kerchief called koofeeyeh, in Note 35 to Chapter ii., 
and the modes in which it is now worn by men. Having never seen women with it, 
I do not know the manner in which they wore it: probably they wound it round 
the head, as they do the head-kerchief called “ faroodeeyeh,” forming a small 
turban. 

Note 41. 

The “ rod " (in Arabic “ kasabeh”) was, according to the Egyptian measure¬ 
ment, until lately reduced, about twelve English feet and a half. 

Note 42. 

See Note 12 to Chapter iii. 

Note 43. 

It is common (as my sheykh has remarked) to say, of a very spacious chamber, 
that a horseman might gallop in it. The playing at goff by horsemen has been 
mentioned in a former tale. It was a common exercise in Egypt as well as Persia 
and other Eastern countries. 

Note 44. 

“ Deleeleh ” is an epithet used in modern Arabic as indicative of artifice, 
machination, or fraud.* It is often employed as a female nickname. 

Marginal note by my sheylrh. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH. 

615 

Note 45. 

From this point to the end of the story of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh I omit some 
portions which are tedious, and others which are more objectionable. 

Note 46. 

Any one may enter the public bath ; but none can go out of it without paying.* 

Note 47. 

The 11 kaak,” commonly called “ kahk,” has been described in Note 16 to 
Chapter i. De Sacy has remarked that our English word “ cake ” seems to be 
from the same origin. 

Note 48.— On Oaths. 

To explain this passage, 1 must repeat, with a few slight additions, some 
remarks which I have made in a former publication, f—Among a people by whom 
falsehood, in certain cases, is not only allowed but commended, J oaths of different 
kinds are more or less binding. In considering this subject, we should also 
remember that oaths may sometimes be expiated. § There are some oaths which, 
I believe, few Muslims would falsely take; such as saying, three times, “ By God 
the Great! ” (Wa-llahi-l-’azeem), and the oath upon the mus-haf (or copy of the 
Kur-dn), saying, “ By what this contains of the word of God! ” This latter is 
rendered more binding by placing a sword with the sacred volume; and still more 
so, by the addition of a cake, or piece, of bread, and a handful of salt. But a form 
of oath which is generally yet more to be depended upon is that of saying, “ I impose 
upon myself divorcement! ” (that is, “ the divorce of my wife, if what I say be 
false”) ; or, “ I impose upon myself interdiction ! ” which has a similar meaning 
(“ My wife be unlawful to me!”); or, “I impose upon myself a triple divorce¬ 
ment! ” which binds a man by the irrevocable divorce of his wife. If a man use 
any of these three forms of oath falsely, his wife, if he have but one, is divorced 
by the oath itself, if proved to be false, without the absolute necessity of any 
further ceremony; and if he have two or more wives, he must, under such circum¬ 
stances, choose one of them to put away. 

In the case which this note is principally intended to illustrate, the wife of 
'Azeez makes him swear by the sword and the Kur-dn in the hope of inducing 
him to return to her; and by the oath of divorce, to make the inducement more 
strong, and that she might be enabled, in case he did not fulfil his vow, legally to 
contract another marriage as soon as she should have waited the period which the 
law requires. 

Note 49. 

The verses I have omitted as they are the same (with the exception of some 
slight variations) as the first, second, third, and fifth, of those at the commencement 
of page 206 in this volume ; and the contents of the accompanying paper as being 
tiresome, and in some parts unmeaning. 

Note 50. 

See the first note in the present series. 

• Marginal note by my sheykh. 
t See Note 57 to Chapter iii. 

t On the Modem Egyptians. 

$ As shewn in the last note to Chapter iv. 

616 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH. 

Note 51. 

I have substituted “ Shdh Zemdn” (signifying “ King of the Age”) for Shah- 
raindn; the latter being evidently a mistake of a copyist. 

Note 52. 

“ Dunya” signifies the “ world.” 

Note 53. 

“ Ridwdn,” which signifies “ Approbation,” “ Complacency,” &c., is the name 
of the Guardian of Paradise.—The meaning of this passage is “ Surely this hand¬ 
some young person is one of the Wild&n, or Weleeds, those beautiful youths 
prepared to wait upon the faithful in Paradise; and he hath escaped thence 
through the inadvertence of Ridwdn.” The very meanest in Paradise is promised 
eighty thousand of these servants, besides seventy-two Hooreeyehs, &c. 

Note 54. 

A compliment of this kind is generally uttered on letting a shop or house, and 
on selling an article of dress, &c.; and “ God bless thee!” is usually said in 
reply. In like manner, a merchant selling goods to be re-sold says, “ May God 
grant thee a profit upon them!” 

Note 55. 

The word thus translated signifies taking a moming-draught of wine, milk, 
sherbet, or any other beverage. 

Note 56. 

When Zeleekha invited her female friends that they might behold Yoosuf (or 
Joseph) and excuse her for inclining to him, at the sight of him they cut their 
own hands, and praised God, ejaculating these words, “ This is not a mortal,” &c. 
(Kur-dn, ch. xii. v. 31.) 

Note 57. 

To persons more or less above him in rank, the shopkeeper rises and stands, or 
merely makes a slight motion as if he were about to rise. 

Note 58. 

This is a common invocation, for the protection of a person from envy, or the 
evil eye, founded upon the last chapter but one of the Kur-dn, in which the 
believer is desired to “ seek refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak” from various 
evils, and among these “from the mischief of the envious.” It is very often said 
to imply admiration of a child, that the mother may not fear. 

Note 59. 

This ejaculation is addressed to God. 

Note 60. 

This alludes to one of the stages of the creation of man explained in the 
Kur-an, chapter xxii. verse 5. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH. 

61 - 

Note 61. 

The old woman is described as being “ full of joy” because, having induced 
her mistress to answer the letter, she saw a prospect of continuing the corres¬ 
pondence, and so obtaining additional presents. 

Note 62. 

“ Es-Suha” is an obscure star in the Greater Bear. 

Note 63. 

My sheykh has remarked in a marginal note on the “ Five Elders” (or sheykhs) 
here mentioned, “ the known number is the four ; namely the [first four] Khalee- 
fehs; or the Four Welees (eminent saints), the seyyid El-Bedawee and the 
seyyid Ed-Desookee and Er-RifA’ee and El-GeelAnee.” The latter four are often 
mentioned together as being the saints generally most esteemed in the present day, 
and the founders of the four principal orders of Darweeshes. —Who, then, can be 
meant by “ the Five Elders” I do not know; but I have retained this number as 
it occurs again in a variation of the same verses in a subsequent tale, which is 
almost exactly the same as that of TAj el-Mulook. 

Note 64. 

“ Ibn Seena” (Son of Seena) is the true name of the great physician called by 
us “Avicenna.” 

Note 65. 

The gait of Arab ladies is very remarkable : they incline the lower part of the 
body from side to side as they step, and with the hands raised to the level of the 
bosom they hold the edges of their outer covering. Their pace is slow, and they 
look not about them, but keep their eyes towards the ground in the direction to 
which they are going. 

Note 66. 

It should be remarked here, that the private room of an Eastern princess is 
not to be regarded as a Western bed-room. In the East, a guest may lay himself 
down upon a deewAn in the presence of another, to pass the night, without any 
infringement of decorum. 

Note 67. 

See the latter paragraph of the first note in the present series. 

Note 68. 

See Note 9 to Chapter vii. 

Note 69. 

The doors in Eastern houses generally turn on two wooden pins; one fitting 
into a hole in the lintel; the other, into a hole immediately behind the threshold ; 
and the latter is very short. It is therefore often easy to displace a door by raising 
it a little, which may be done by means of a projecting wooden lock ; and in many 
cases, when the door cannot be displaced from its sockets, it may be raised suffi¬ 
ciently to remove the inner latch from its catch. The doors of the ancient temples 

4 x 

VOL. I. 

618 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH, 

and tombs in Egypt were formed as above described, with pins, which were often 
made of bronze. 

Note 70. 

I here read “ nimsheh” (also written “ nimjeh” and “ nimj&h” — from the 
Persian “neemjah”) instead of "kamsheh.” The latter is described by my 
slieykh, in a marginal note, as “ a strip of leather divided into two, and tied 
together and nailed at the upper end to a piece of wood but the use of such an 
instrument in this case would be ridiculous. The name of “ nimsheh" is often 
given to a royal dagger. 

Note 71. 

As persons are often decapitated in an Eastern palace, a skin is made use of to 
receive the head and the blood. I believe it to be similar to the round skin used 
by travellers to eat upon; which is converted into a bag-by means of a running 
string round the edge. 

In concluding the present series of notes, I may state my opinion, that the 
two stories to which they relate are fully worthy of insertion in this collection, as 
extending the picture of Arab life and manners, whatever may be thought of 
their origin. 

WHITBHEAD AND COMP? PRINVBKS, 
76, KLKBT 9rRBBT, LONDON.

COMMENCING WITH THE HUNDRED 
AND FIFTY-THIRD NIGHT, 1 AND 
ENDING WITH THE HUNDRED 
AND SIXTY-NINTH. 

HE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON 

OF BEKKA'R, AND SHEMS EN- 4^1) 
NAHA’R. 

Th ere was, in ancient times, 
in the reign of the Khaleefeh 
Haroon Er-Rasheed, a mer¬ 
chant who had a son named 
Abu-l-Hasan 'Alee the son of 
Tahir , 2 possessing abundant 
property, of handsome person, 
beloved by every one who beheld 

VOL. II. 

o 

THE STORY OF ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, 

him; and he used to enter the palace of the Khaleefeh without 
permission; and all the concubines of the Khaleefeh, and his other 
female slaves, loved him; and he used to keep company with the 
King, and recite verses to him, and relate to him strange anecdotes. 
But still he sold and bought in the market of the merchants; and 
there used to sit at his shop a young man of the sons of the Kings 
of the Persians , 3 called ’Alee the son of Bekkar. * 

This young man was of handsome stature, of elegant shape, of 
perfect figure, with rosy cheeks, with joined eyebrows, sweet in 
speech, with laughing mouth; a lover of merriment and gaiety. 
And it happened that they were both sitting talking together and 
laughing, when lo, there came ten female slaves, like moons, and 
each of them was endowed with beauty and loveliness, and justness 
of stature; and among them was a damsel riding upon a mule with 
an embroidered saddle, the stirrups of which were of gold, and she 
was covered with an izar of delicate fabric, and round her waist was 
a girdle of gold-embroidered silk: and when they arrived at the 
shop of Abu-l-Hasan, she alighted, and, seating herself at his shop, 
saluted him, and he returned her salutation. And when ’Alee the 
son of Bekkar beheld her, his reason was captivated, and he desired 
to arise ; but she said to him, Sit in thy place. Wherefore wouldst 
thou depart on our arrival ? This is not just conduct.—So he 
replied, By Allah, O my mistress, I fly from that which I have 
beheld. And how excellent is the saying of the poet!— 

She is the sun : her place is in heaven : comfort then the heart with a 
becoming patience : 

For thou art not able to ascend unto her; nor is she able to descend unto thee. 

And when she heard this reply, she smiled, and said to Abu-l- 
Hasan, What is the name of this young man, and whence is he ? 
He answered her, He is a stranger: his name is ’Alee the son of 
Bekkar, and he is son of the King of the Persians; and the stranger 
should be honoured. And thereupon she said to him, When my 
slave-girl cometh to thee, do thou bring him to me. To which Abu-l- 
Hasan replied, On the head. She then arose, and went her way. 

Now as to ’Alee the son of Bekkar, he became in such a state 
that he knew not what to say; and after a while, the slave-girl 
came to Abu-l-Hasan, and said to him, My mistress summoneth 
thee, together with thy companion. So Abu-l-Hasan arose, and 

AND SHEMS EN-NAHA'R. 

3 

taking with him ’Alee the son of Bekkar, they both went to the 
palace of Haroon Er-Rasheed, and she introduced them into a 
private chamber, and seated them ; and the tables were placed 
before them, and they ate, and washed their hands. She then 
brought to them the wine, and they made themselves merry with 
it; after which, she desired them to arise. They therefore rose 
and went with her, and she conducted them into another private 
chamber, raised upon four columns, decked with a variety of fur¬ 
niture, and decorated in the most beautiful manner, as though 
it were one of the palaces of paradise, so that they were astonished 
at the rarities which they beheld. And while they were amusing 
themselves with the sight of these extraordinary objects, lo, ten 
female slaves approached with a graceful and conceited gait, resem¬ 
bling moons, dazzling the sight, and confounding the imagination. 
They stood in ranks, looking like the black-eyed damsels of 
paradise; and after them came ten other female slaves, with lutes 
in their hands, and other instruments of diversion and mirth ; and 
they saluted the two guests, and played upon the lutes, and sang 
verses ; and every one of them was a temptation to the servants of 
God. After these, came ten more female slaves, like them, high- 
bosomed and of equal age, with black eyes, and red cheeks, with 
joined eyebrows, and languishing looks, a temptation to God’s 
servants, and a delight to beholders ; and they were clad in various 
kinds of coloured silks, such as astonished the mind. They sta¬ 
tioned themselves at the door; and after them came ten female 
slaves more beautiful than they, attired in magnificent apparel; 
and these, also, stationed themselves at the door. 

At last there came forth from the door twenty female slaves, 
and among them was one named Shems en-Nahar , 5 like the moon 
among the stars. She was encompassed by the exuberance of her 
hair, and wore blue trousers, and an izar of silk embroidered with 
gold, and round her waist was a girdle adorned with a variety of 
jewels. She continued advancing with a dignified gait until she 
seated herself upon the sofa; and when ’Alee the son of Bekkar 
beheld her, he recited these verses :— 

Verily this is she who is the source of my malady and of the protraction of 
my transport and prolonging of my passion ! 

In her presence I find that my soul hath melted, through my eagerness for 
her, and the wasting of my bones. 

He then said to Abu-l-Hasan, hadst thou acted well towards me, 
thou hadst informed me of these things before I came in hither, in 
order that 1 might have applied my mind to consider the case, and 
fortified it by patience to endure the affliction that hath befallen it. 
And lie wept and groaned and lamented. So Abu-l-Hasan said to 
him, O my brother, I desired nothing for thee but good; but I 
feared to acquaint thee with this, lest such transport should affect 
thee as would prevent thy meeting her, and would interpose an 
obstacle between thee and thy union with her. Be cheerful, then, 
and happy ; for she oflereth thee good fortune, and receiveth thee 
with favour.—And ’Alee the son of Bekkar said, What is the name 
of this damsel ? Abu-l-Hasan answered, She is named Shems en- 
Nahar, and is one of the concubines of the Prince of the Faithful, 
Haroon Er-Rasheed, and this place is the palace of the Khaleefeh. 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, &c. 

5 

Then Shems en-Nahar sat contemplating the charms of ’Alee 
the son of Bekkar, and he gazed at her beauty, and they were 
engrossed with mutual love ; and she ordered the female slaves 
to seat themselves, each of them in her proper place, upon a 
sofa: so each sat before a window; and she commanded them to 
sing; whereupon one of them took her lute, and sang thus :— 

Repeat the message a second time, and receive the answer aloud. 

Unto thee, O prince of the comely, I stand to complain of my case ! 

O my master! O dear as my heart, and precious to me as my life! 

Bestow upon me a kiss, as a gift, or else as a loan. 

I will pay it thee back (may thy life be prolonged!) exactly as I took it; 

And if thou desire an addition, receive it, and be content. 

O thou who clothest me with the garment of sickness, may the garment of 
health delight thee! 

And ’Alee the son of Bekkar was charmed, and said to her, Sing to 
me some more verses of the same kind. She therefore touched the 
strings, and sang these lines :— 

By excessive distance, O my beloved, thou hast caused mine eyelids long to 
weep. 

O delight of mine'eye, and its desire, and goal of my utmost wishes and 
my worship! 

Have pity upon him 8 whose eye is drowned in the tears of the distracted 
and sorrowful lover! 

Shems en-Nahar then ordered another slave-girl to sing; and 
after her, another: and ’Alee the son of Bekkar next desired one 
who was near him to do the same ; and when she had finished her 
song, he sighed, and shed abundant tears; and Shems en-Nahar, 
seeing him weeping and groaning and lamenting, burned with 
transport and passion, and was consumed by excessive love and 
distraction. So she arose from the sofa, and advanced to the door 
of the chamber ; and ’Alee the son of Bekkar arose also, and met 
her; and they embraced each other, and fell down fainting at the 
door. The female slaves, therefore, came to them, and, lifting 
them up, brought them back into the chamber, and sprinkled upon 
them some rose-water; and when they recovered, they found not 
Abu-l-Hasan; for he had hidden himself by the side of a sofa : and 
the damsel said, Where is Abu-l-Hasan ? So he came forth to her 

6 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, 

from the side of the sofa; and she saluted him, and said, I beg of 
God that He will enable me to recompense thee, O thou of kind 
conduct! Then addressing ’Alee the son of Bekkar, she said, O 
my master, thy love hath not become extreme without my ex¬ 
periencing the like; and we have no resource but to bear with 
patience that which hath befallen us.—By Allah, O my mistress, 
replied ’Alee the son of Bekkar, my union with thee will not con¬ 
tent me, nor will the flame that I feel for thee be extinguished, nor 
the love for thee that hath taken possession of my heart quit me, 
until my soul departeth ! Having said this, he wept, and his tears 
descended upon his cheek like rain; and when Shems en-Nahar 
beheld him thus weeping, she wept with him ; whereupon Abu-1- 
Hasan said, By Allah, I am in wonder at your case, and am per¬ 
plexed by your condition ; for your state is wonderful, and your 
case is extraordinary ! If ye weep thus when ye are together, how 
will it be after ye are separated! This is not a time for lamen¬ 
tation and weeping, but a time for joy and gladness. 

So Shems en-Nahar made a sign to a female slave, who arose 
and returned with some maids carrying a table, the dishes of which 
were of silver, containing a variety of viands. The slave-girl then 
placed the table before them ; and Shems en-Nahar began to eat, 
and to feed ’Alee the son of Bekkar, until they were satisfied, when 
the table was removed, and they washed their hands, and the per- 
fuming-vessels were brought with various kinds of aloes-wood, and 
the sprinkling-bottles with rose-water, and they were perfumed and 
scented; after which, vessels of graven gold were presented to 
them, containing varieties of drinks, and fresh and dried fruits, 
such as the appetite desired, and such as delighted the eyes; and 
next, a slave-girl brought them a basin of carnelion full of wine. 
Shems en-Nahar then chose ten maids, whom she stationed by them, 
and ten female slaves from among the singing-girls, and, having 
dismissed all the rest of the slave-girls to their apartments, ordered 
some of those who remained present to play upon the lute; and 
they did as she commanded them. One of them sang ; and when 
she had finished her song, Shems en-Nahar filled a cup, and drank 
it, and then filled it again and gave it to ’Alee the son of Bekkar, 
and ordered another slave-girl to sing ; after which, ’Alee the son of 
Bekkar drank his cup, and returned it to Shems en-Nahar, who 

AND SHEMS EN-NAHA'R. 

7 

filled it, and handed it to Abu-l-Hasan. She then took a lute, and 
said, No one shall sing over my cup but myself:—and, having 
tightened the strings, she sang these verses:— 

The tears fall confusedly upon liis cheeks, through transport; the fire of love 
flaming in his breast. 

He weepeth when united, fearing their separation ; his tears flowing when 
they are near, and when distant. 

She then sang the following words of the poet:— 

Our life be thy sacrifice, O cup-bearer, whom beauty hath clad from the 
bright parting of thy hair unto thy feet ! 7 

The sun beameth from thy hands, and from thy mouth shine the Pleiades, and 
the full moon riseth from the upper border of thy vest. 8 

Verily thy cups which have rendered us intoxicated are those which are 
distributed around by thine eyes. 

Is it not wonderful that thou art a full moon, when waning is experienced 
not by thee, but by thy lovers ? 

Art thou a deity, that thou killest and reanimates, by receiving whom thou 
wilt, and withdrawing from others ? 

From the model of thy form hath God originated beauty, and the fragrance 
of the zephyr from thy disposition. 

Thou art not of this order of created beings ; but thou art an angel sent by 
thy Maker. 

When ’Alee the son of Bekkar, and Abu-l-Hasan, and the rest 
of those who were present, heard these verses sung by Shems en- 
Nahar, they almost flew with delight, and they sported and laughed; 
but while they were thus enjoying themselves, lo, a female slave 
came, trembling with fear, and said, O my mistress, the Prince of 
the Faithful hath come, and he is at the door, with ’Afeef 9 and 
Mesroor and others. And when they heard her words, they nearly 
died with fright; but Shems en-Nahar laughed, and said. Fear not. 
And she said to the female slave, Return them an answer while we 
remove from this place. She then gave orders to shut the doors of 
the apartment, and to let down the curtains over them, while they 
remained in it, and she closed the door of the adjoining saloon, and 
then went forth into the garden, and, seating herself upon her sofa, 
ordered a slave-girl to rub her feet, 19 commanding the rest of the 
female slaves to go to their apartments, and desiring the girl who 
remained with her to leave the gate open, that the Khaleefeh might 
enter. And Mesroor came in, and those who were with him, 
twenty in number, with swords in their hands; and they saluted 

Shems en-Nahar, and she said to them, Wherefore have ye come ? 
They answered, The Prince of the Faithful saluteth thee : he hath 
become cheerless through desire of seeing thee, and informeth thee 
that he hath experienced this day unusual joy and happiness, and 
wisheth now to complete it by thy presence. Wilt thou, then, 
come to him, or shall he come to thee ?■—And she arose, and, kissing 
the ground, replied, I hear and obey the commands of the Prince 
of the Faithful. She then gave orders to bring her chief female 
attendants and the other slaves, and they came in, and she intimated 
to them that she was going to comply with the commands of the 
Khaleefeh. The place was completely prepared; but she said to 
the eunuchs, Go to the Prince of the Faithful, and inform him that 
I shall soon be waiting for him, when I shall have prepared the 
place for him with the carpets and other things. So the eunuchs 
repaired quickly to the Prince of the Faithful, and Shems en-Nahar 
arose and went to her beloved ’Alee the son of Bekkar, and pressed 
him to her bosom, and took leave of him. And he wept violently, 
and said, O my mistress, prolong to me this leave-taking: perhaps 
it may help to hasten the termination of my life through my love of 
thee: but I beg of God that He will bestow upon me patience to 
endure the passion by which He hath afflicted me.—By Allah, 
replied Shems en-Nahar, none will fall into a state of dissolution 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, &c. 

9 

but myself; for thou wilt go forth into the market-street, and wilt 
enjoy the company of such as will amuse thee, and thou wilt be 
preserved from danger, and thy passion will be kept concealed. But 
as to me, I shall fall into trouble, especially since I have made an 
appointment with the Khaleefeh; for probably great danger will 
await me in consequence, on account of my desire and love and 
passion for thee, and my grief at having parted from thee. With 
what tongue shall I sing, and with what heart shall I present myself 
before the Khaleefeh, and with what language shall I converse with 
the Prince of the Faithful, and with what look shall I behold a 
place where thou art not, and how shall I be in an assembly in which 
thou art not included, and with what taste shall I drink wine of 
which thou art not present to partake ?—Abu-l-Hasan said to her, 
Be not perplexed; but be patient; and be not remiss in conversing 
with the Prince of the Faithful this night, nor shew him any 
neglect. 

And while they were thus talking, a slave-girl came, and said, O 
my mistress, the pages of the Prince of the Faithful are come. 
Whereupon she arose, and said to the slave-girl, Take Abu-l-Hasan 
and his companion, and conduct them to the upper projecting window 
that overlooketh the garden, and leave them there till it is dark: 
then contrive means of leading them forth. So the slave-girl took 
them, and ascended with them to the projecting window, and, having 
closed the door upon them, went her way; and they remained 
looking into the garden. And lo, the Khaleefeh arrived, preceded by 
about a hundred eunuchs with swords in their hands, and around 
him were twenty female slaves, like moons, clad in the richest 
apparel, and each having upon her head a crown set with rubies and 
other jewels, and in her hand a lighted candle. The Khaleefeh 
walked in the midst of them, while they surrounded him on every 
side, and Mesroor and ’Afeef and Waseef " preceded him ; and he 
advanced among them with a graceful carriage . 12 Shems en-Nahar 
and all the female slaves who were with her rose to him, and met 
him at the gate of the garden, and, having kissed the ground before 
him, preceded him until he seated himself upon the sofa, when all 
the female slaves and the eunuchs who were in the garden stationed 
themselves around him, and the candles were lighted, and the instru¬ 
ments of music were played upon until he commanded his attendants 

VOL. II. 

c 

to disperse, and to seat themselves upon the sofas; whereupon Shems 
en Nahar took her seat upon a sofa by the side of that of the 
Khaleefeh, and began to converse with him.—All this time, 
Abu-1- Hasan and ’Alee the son of Bekkar were looking on and 
hearing; the Khaleefeh not seeing them.—The Khaleefeh then 
began to toy with Shems en-Nahar, and gave orders to open the 
apartment where she had been sitting; and they opened its door 
and its windows, and lighted the candles, so that the place, in the 
hour of darkness, shone like the day; after which, the eunuchs 
removed thither the drinking-vessels.—At the sight of these things, 
Abu-l-Hasan exclaimed, Verily I have never beheld the like of these 
vessels and beverages and rarities, nor have I ever heard of any¬ 
thing to be compared with these varieties of jewels! It seemeth to 
me as though I were dreaming ! My reason is confounded, and my 
heart palpitateth!—But as to ’Alee the son of Bekkar, after Shems 
en-Nahar had quitted him, he remained a while stretched upon the 
floor, through the violence of his passion; and when he recovered, 
he began to gaze at this unparalleled scene, and said to Abu-l-Hasan, 
O my brother, I fear that the Khaleefeh will see us, or become 
acquainted with our case; and my fear is chiefly on thine account; 
for as to myself, I know that I am of the number of those who are 
about to perish ; and the cause of my death is nothing else than my 
love and desire, and the excess of my transport and distraction ; and 
I beg deliverance of God from the affliction that I suffer. 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, &c. 

11 

’Alee the son of Bekkar, and Abu-l-Hasan, continued gazing 
from the projecting window at the Khaleefeh and the scene 
around him until the feast was entirely prepared before him, when 
the Khaleefeh looked towards one of the female slaves, and said, 
Let us hear, O Gharam, 13 some of thy delightful singing :—where¬ 
upon, with charming modulations, she sang these verses 

The transport of a Bedaweeyeh 14 whose family are parted from her, and who 
yearneth towards the willow of the Hejaz, and its laurel, 15 

Whose ardour and tears at beholding a company of travellers are as the fire 
and the water for their entertainment, 

Is not greater than the transport which I feel for my beloved, who regardeth 
me as guilty of an offence in loving him. 

t 

And when Shems en-Nahar heard this song, she fell down in a 
swoon from the sofa upon which she was sitting, and became uncon¬ 
scious. The female slaves, therefore, arose and lifted her up. And 
as soon as ’Alee the son of Bekkar beheld her from the window, he 
also fell down in a fit; and Abu-l-Hasan exclaimed, Verily, fate 
hath divided desire between you with equality ! But while they 
were conversing, lo, the slave-girl who had brought them up to the 
window came to them and said, O Abu-l-Hasan, arise, thou and thy 
companion, and descend; for the world hath become narrow unto 
us, and 1 fear that our affair will be exposed : arise, therefore, 
immediately, or we die. Abu-l-Hasan replied, How shall this young 
man arise with me ? He hath not strength to raise himself.—So 
the slave-girl sprinkled rose-water upon his face until he recovered, 
and Abu-l-Hasan and the slave-girl lifted him up, and carried him 
down from the window, and proceeded a little way, when the slave- 
girl opened a small door of iron, and placed Abu-l-Hasan and ’Alee 
the son of Bekkar upon a mastabah outside. She then clapped her 
hands, 16 and there came a boat with a rower in it, and she led them 
on board of it, and said to the boatman, Land them on the opposite 
bank. And when they had embarked, and quitted the garden, ’Alee 
the son of Bekkar looked hack towards the apartment and the 
garden, and bade them farewell in the words of these verses :— 

I stretch forth a feeble hand to take leave, with the other upon my burning 
bosom, beneath my heart. 

O let not this be the end of our union ; nor let this be the last refreshment 
that I enjoy ! 

12 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R 

The slave-girl then said to the boatman, Make haste with them. 
So he plied his oars to make all haste, and, accompanied by the 
slave-girl, they crossed over to the opposite bank, when she de¬ 
parted, taking leave of them, as they landed, and saying to them, 
It had been my desire not to part from you ; but I cannot proceed 
further than this spot. And she returned. 

’Alee the son of Bekkar lay prostrate before Abu-l-Hasari, 
unable to rise ; so Abu-l-Hasan said to him, This is not a place of 
safety, and we are here in fear for our lives, on account of the 
robbers and the sons of wickedness. And upon this, ’Alee the son 
of Bekkar arose, and advanced a little way ; but he was unable 
to walk on. Now Abu-l-Hasan had friends in that quarter; and 
he repaired to one of them in whom he confided, and knocked at 
his door ; upon which the man came forth to him quickly, and 
when he beheld him and his companion he welcomed them, and 

AND SHEMS EN-NAHA'R. 

13 

conducted them into his house, and, having seated them, conversed 
with them, and asked them where they had been. Abu-l-Hasan 
answered, We came forth this evening, obliged to do so by a man 
with whom I had some pecuniary transactions, it having been told 
me that he was about to set forth on a journey with my property. 
So I went out this night and repaired to him, taking, to cheer me, 
this my companion, ’Alee the son of Bekkar, and we came hoping 
to see him ; but he hid himself from us, and we saw him not. We 
therefore returned with nothing, and, finding it difficult to get 
back this night, and seeing no other lodging for us but thine abode, 
we came unto thee, depending on thy usual kindness.—The man of 
the house then welcomed them again, and studied to shew them 
honour; so they remained with him during the rest of the night; 
and when the morning came, they went forth from him, and 
proceeded until they arrived at the city, and entered it; and as 
they passed by the house of Abu-l-Hasan, he conjured his com¬ 
panion ’Alee the son of Bekkar to enter, and took him in. They 
then laid themselves down on beds for a little while, after which 
they awoke; and Abu-l-Hasan ordered his servants to furnish the 
house handsomely ; and they did so; Abu-l-Hasan saying within 
himself, I must cheer this young man, and divert him from his 
present thoughts ; for I know his case. 

And when ’Alee the son of Bekkar recovered, he called for 
water, and they brought it him, and he arose and performed the 
ablution, and recited the divinely-ordained prayers which he had 
omitted during the preceding day and night, and began to console 
himself by conversation. When Abu-l-Hasan, therefore, saw him 
do thus, he approached him and said, O my master ’Alee, it will be 
most suitable to thy present case that thou remain with me this 
next night, in order that thy heart may become dilated, and the 
anguish of desire that thou sufierest may be dispelled, and that 
thou mayest beguile the time with us. He replied, Do what 
seemeth fit unto thee; for at all events I cannot escape from that 
which hath befallen me ; so do as thou wilt. And Abu-l-Hasan 
arose and summoned his servants and brought his friends, and sent 
to the singers and instrumental performers, who came; and they 
remained eating and drinking and making merry during the rest of 
the day, until the evening, when they lighted the candles, and the 

14 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, frc. 

wine-cups circulated among them, and the time passed with them 
pleasantly. Then a female singer took a lute, and thus sang :— 

I have been shot at by fortune with the arrow of an eye, which hath struck 
me down, and I have parted from the beloved. 

Fortune hath been hostile to me, and my patience hath failed; but I expected 
before that this would come to pass. 

And when ’Alee the son of Bekkar heard these words, he fell 
down in a fit, and he remained in it until daybreak; and Abu-l- 
Hasan despaired of him; but when daylight came, he recovered, 
and desired to return to his house. Abu-l-Hasan could not prevent 
him, fearing what might be the result of his case ; and his servants 
brought him a mule, and mounted him upon it, and Abu-l-Hasan 
accompanied him until he took him into his house; and when he 
was safe there, Abu-l-Hasan praised God for his escape from this 
calamity, and began to console him; but he had no power over 
himself, through the violence of his passion. Abu-l-Hasan then 
bade him farewell; and ’Alee the son of Bekkar said to him, O 
my brother, cease not to impart to me whatever information thou 
inayest have to give. He replied, I hear and obey. 

So Abu-l-Hasan arose and departed from him to his shop, and 
opened it, and sat expecting some tidings from the damsel; but 
no one brought him any news. He passed the next night in 
his house, and when the morning came, he arose and proceeded 
to the house of ’Alee the son of Bekkar, and, going in to him, 
found him laid upon his bed, with his friends around him, and the 
physicians with him, each of them prescribing for him something, 
and feeling his pulse. And when Abu-l-Hasan entered and beheld 
him, he smiled ; and Abu-l-Hasan saluted him, and inquired 
respecting his state; after which, he sat by him until all the rest 
of the people had gone forth, when he said to him, What is this 
state in which I find thee ? ’Alee the son of Bekkar answered, 
It hath been spread about that I am sick, and my friends have 
heard this report, and I have no strength to arise and walk that I 
m 'ght give the lie unto him who asserteth me to be ill; so I remain 
prostrated here as thou seest me, and my friends have come to visit 
me; but, O my brother, hast thou seen the slave-girl, or heard any 
news from her ? Abu-l-Hasan replied, She hath not come to me 

since she parted from us on the bank of the Tigris:—and he 
added, O my brother, beware of disgrace, and abstain from this 
weeping. But ’Alee the son of Bekkar said, O my brother, I have 
no control over myself:—and he sighed, and recited some verses, 
and added, I am afflicted by a calamity from which I was lately 
exempt, and can hope for no greater ease than death. So Abu-1- 
Hasan said, Perhaps God will restore thee. 

And he went down from him and repaired to his shop and 
opened it, and he had not long sat there when the slave-girl came 
and saluted him; and he returned her salutation, and, looking at 
her, observed that her heart was throbbing, and that she bore an 
aspect of sadness. He said to her, Thou art welcome! How 
is Shems en-Nahar ?—She answered, I will presently acquaint thee 
with her case:—and asked, How is ’Alee the son of Bekkar? 
Abu-l-Hasan, therefore, informed her of everything that he had 
experienced; and she lamented and sighed, and wondered at his 
case. She then said, The state of my mistress is more wonderful 
than that; for when ye went away, I returned with my heart 
throbbing on your account, scarcely believing in your escape ; and 
on my return I found my mistress lying prostrate in the chamber, 
speaking not nor answering any one. The Prince of the Faithful 
was sitting at her head, finding no one to acquaint him with her 
case, and not knowing what she suffered; and she continued in her 
fit until midnight, when she recovered, and the Prince of the 
Faithful said to her, What hath befallen thee, 0 Shems en-Nahar, 

16 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'K 

and what hath happened to thee this night ? And when she heard 
the words of the Khaleefeh, she kissed his feet, and answered him, 
O Prince of the Faithful, may God make me to he thy sacrifice! A 
derangement of the stomach hath given me a head-ache, and 
excited a heat in my body, so I fell down in a fit from the violence 
of my suffering, and I know not what happened to me afterwards. 
The Khaleefeh, therefore, asked her, What hast thou taken this 
day? And she answered, I breakfasted upon a dish that I had 
never eaten before. She then feigned that she had recovered 
strength, and called for some wine, and, having drunk it, begged 
the Prince of the Faithful to return to his diversion. So he 
resumed his seat in the chamber ; and when I came to her, she 
asked me respecting thee and thy companion, and I informed her 
what I had done with you, and acquainted her with the verses 
which ’Alee the son of Bekkar had recited: whereupon she was 
silent. The Khaleefeh then sat, and ordered the same female 
slave to sing; and she sang these two verses :— 

There hath been to me no pleasure in my life since your departure; and 
would that I knew your state since you left me! 

It were fit that my tears should be of blood, when ye are weeping on 
account of my absence. 

And when Shems en-Nahar heard these words, she fell down 
again in a swoon; and I laid hold of her hand, and sprinkled some 
rose-water upon her face, and she recovered ; upon which I said to 
her, O my mistress, expose not thyself and those whom thy palace 
containeth! By the existence of thy beloved I conjure thee to 
have patience ! But she replied, Can anything worse than death 
befall me ? I desire it; for it will bring me ease.—And while we 
were thus conversing, a slave-girl sang these words of the poet:_ 

They said, Perhaps patience may be followed by ease. But I replied, How 
is patience to be found since his departure ? 

For he made a settled compact with me, to cut the cords of patience, at the 
time of his embracing me. 

And as soon as she had finished, Shems en-Nahar again fell down 
m a fit. The Khaleefeh saw her, and, coming to her quickly, gave 
orders to remove the wine, and commanded each of the female 
slaves to return to her apartment. He then sat with her during 

AND SHEMS EN-NAHA'R. 

17 

the remainder of the night, until the morning, when he summoned 
the physicians, and desired them to employ means for her res¬ 
toration, not knowing that she was suffering from love and desire. 
I remained with her till I thought her recovered, and this it was 
which prevented my coming unto you before. I left with her 
a number of her special attendants when she ordered me to repair 
to you that I might obtain news of ’Alee the son of Bekkar, and 
return to her.—And when Abu-1-Hasan heard her words, he won¬ 
dered, and said to her, By Allah, I have acquainted thee with his 
whole case. Return, therefore, to thy mistress, and salute her, 
and exhort her to have patience, and say to her, Conceal thy 
secret:—and tell her that I am acquainted with her case, and know 
it to be one of difficulty, requiring prudent management. And the 
slave-girl thanked him, and bade him farewell, and returned to her 
mistress. 

Abu-l-Hasan then remained in his shop until the close of the 
day, and when the day had passed he arose and locked up his shop, 
and went to the house of ’Alee the son of Bekkar, and knocked at 
the door; upon which there came forth to him one of his servants, 
who conducted him within. And when he went in to his friend, the 
latter smiled, and drew a good omen from his coming, and said to 
him, O Abu-l-Hasan, thou hast made me desolate by thy remaining 
away from me this day, and my soul is attached to thee for the rest 
of my life.—Abstain from these words replied Abu-l-Hasan; for, 
if it were possible to ransom thee, I would give my life as thy 
sacrifice. This day the slave-girl of Shems en-Nahar came and 
informed me that she had been prevented from coming before only 
by the Khaleefeh’s sitting with her mistress, and acquainted me 
with what had happened to her mistress.—And he related to her 
all that he had heard from the slave-girl; whereupon ’Alee the son 
of Bekkar lamented violently, and wept, and then, looking towards 
Abu-l-Hasan, said to him, By Allah, I conjure thee to assist me in 
my affliction, and tell me what plan is to be pursued ; and I beg of 
thy goodness that thou wilt pass the night here with me, in order 
that I may be cheered by thy conversation. So Abu-l-Hasan com¬ 
plied with his desire, replying that he would stay with him that 
night; and they passed the night conversing together, till ’Alee the 
son of Bekkar, after weeping, and shedding copious tears, recited 

VOL. II. 

D 

18 

THE STORY OF ALEE THE SON OF BEJiKA'H. 

some verses, and uttered a great cry, and fell down in a swoon. 
Abu-l-Hasan thought that his soul had quitted his body ; and he 
remained in his fit until daylight came, when he recovered, and 
conversed again with Abu-l-Hasan ; and Abu-l-Hasan continued 
sitting with him till near the mid-time between sunrise and noon. 

He then departed from him, and repaired to his shop and opened 
it; and lo, the slave-girl came and stood before him; and when he 
looked towards her, she made a sign of salutation to him, and he 
returned her greeting, and she delivered to him the salutation of 
her mistress, and said to him, How is ’Alee the son of Bekkar ?— 
O slave-girl, he replied, ask not respecting his state, and the 
violence of desire that he suffereth; for he sleepeth not by night, 
nor findeth rest by day; watching hath emaciated him, and anguish 
hath overcome him, and he is in a condition by no means pleasing 
to a friend. She then said to him, My mistress saluteth thee and 
him, and hath written to him a letter, and she is in a state more 
afflicting than his; she hath intrusted to me the letter, and said, 
Return not to me without an answer to it, and do as I have com¬ 
manded thee.— Here is the letter with me. Wilt thou, then, go 
with me to ’Alee the son of Bekkar, that we may receive the 
answer from him ?—Abu-l-Hasan answered her, I hear and obey. 
And he locked up his shop, and, taking with him the slave-girl, 
repaired with her by a way different from that by which he had 
come, and they proceeded until they arrived at the house of ’Alee 
the son of Bekkar, when he stationed her at the door, and entered 
the house. And as soon as ’Alee the son of Bekkar beheld him he 
rejoiced at his coming, and Abu-l-Hasan said to him, The cause of 
my coming is, that such a man hath sent to thee his slave-girl with 
a note conveying his salutation to thee, and hath mentioned in it 
that the reason of his failing to visit thee is an event that hath 
happened to him which excuseth him. The slave-girl is standing 
at the door. Wilt thou give her permission to enter 1 —’Alee 
replied, Bring her in. And Abu-l-Hasan made a sign to him that 
she was the slave-girl of Shems en-Nahar; and he understood the 
sign; and when he beheld her, he was moved, and rejoiced, and 
said to her, with a sign, How is the master ? May God grant him 
restoration and health!—She answered, Well:—and she produced 
the letter, and gave it to him; and he took it and kissed it and 

AND SHEWS EN-NAHA'R. 

19 

read it, and then handed it to Abu-l-Hasan, who found written in 
it as follows :— 

This messenger will acquaint thee with my news: so be content with his 
tidings instead of beholding me. 

Thou hast left a lover in severe affliction on thine account, and his eye is 
incessantly sleepless. 

I suffer the pangs of patience in my trouble; for no creature can ward off 
the blows of destiny. 

To proceed.—I have written to thee a letter without fingers, 17 and 
spoken to thee without a tongue, and the complete exposition of 
my state is this,—that I have an eye which sleeplessness never 
quitteth, and a heart from which solicitudes are never absent; and I 
am as though I had never known health or happiness, nor beheld a 
comely countenance, nor passed a pleasant life: I am as if my 
nature were made up of passion, and of the torment of excessive 
love and melancholy ; and sickness hath become uninterrupted to 
me; and desire, augmented; and longing expectation, increased. 18 
I beg of God to hasten our union, that the trouble of my mind 
may be dispelled; and I desire that thou send me some words from 
thee, that I may cheer myself by them; and do thou assume a 
becoming patience until God give relief. And peace be on thee. 

When ’Alee the son of Bekkar had read this letter from begin¬ 
ning to end, he said, With what hand shall I write, and with what 
tongue shall I complain and lament ? He then drew himself up 
with difficulty, and sat, and took a paper in his hand, and thus 
wrote:— 

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.'—Thy 
letter, O my mistress, hath arrived, and given ease to a soul wearied 
by transport and desire, and conveyed restoration to a wounded 
heart ulcerated by disease; and thine emaciated slave hath under¬ 
stood all the gracious words contained in it; and by thy head, O 
my mistress, I am in the state described by the poet:— 

The heart is contracted; and solicitude, extended; and the eye, sleepless; 
and the body, wearied; 

And patience, cut short; and disjunction, continued; and reason, deranged; 
and the heart, snatched away. 

And know that complaint extinguisheth not the fire of affliction; 
but it appeaseth him whom longing desire hath disordered, and 

20 

THE STORY OF ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, &c. 

whom separation destroyeth ; and I will comfort myself by the 
mention of the word “union:”—and how excellent is the saying of 
the poet:— 

If there were not, in love, displeasure and content, where were the sweetnesses 
of notes and epistles ? 

On Abu-l-Hasan’s reading this letter, it excited painful feelings 
in him, and its purport wounded his vitals; and he gave it to the 
slave-girl, and when she had taken it, ’Alee the son of Bekkar said 
to her, Convey to thy mistress my salutation, and acquaint her 
with my transport and desire, and how love pervadeth my flesh 
and my bones; and tell her that I want a person to deliver me from 
the sea of destruction, and to liberate me from this perplexity. 
He then wept, and the slave-girl wept with him, and took leave of 
him and departed from him. 

Abu-l-Hasan went forth with her, and bade her farewell, and 
repaired to his shop; and as he sat there, he found his heart 
compressed, and his bosom contracted, and he was perplexed at his 
case. He remained immersed in thought during the rest of the 
day, and the ensuing night; and on the following day he went to 
’Alee the son of Bekkar, and sat with him until the other persons 
had departed, when he asked him respecting his state; and he 
began to complain of his desire, and his excessive love and distrac¬ 
tion, and recited these words of the poet: — 

Persons, before me, have complained of love’s torment, and living and dead 
have been terrified by estrangement; 

But an instance of feelings like those in my bosom I have never heard of nor 
beheld. 

And Abu-l-Hasan said to him, I have never beheld nor heard of 
any lover like thee. Wherefore this transport and infirmity and 
agitation when thou art attached to a complying object of love ? 
How would it be if thou wert attached to one who was adverse and 
deceitful, and if thy affair were exposed ?—And ’Alee the son of 
Bekkar, says Abu-l-Hasan, inclined to my words, and thanked me 
for them.—Now I had (he continues) a friend who was acquainted 
with my case, and the case of ’Alee the son of Bekkar, and knew 
that we were leagued together; but no one else was informed of 
what passed between us; and he used to come to me and ask me 

respecting tlie state of ’Alee the son of Bekkar; and soon after, he 
questioned me with respect to the damsel. I answered him, She 
invited him to her, and more than hath already happened between 
them cannot take place ; and this is the last of their case ; but I 
have devised for myself a plan of proceeding which I desire to lay 
before thee.—His friend asked, What is it ? And Abu-l-Hasan 
answered, I am a man known to have extensive dealings with men 
and women, and I fear that the affair of these two persons may be 
discovered, and that such an event will be the cause of my destruc¬ 
tion and of the seizure of my property and the ruin of my family. 
It is my opinion that I should collect together my property, and 
fit myself out, and repair to the city of El-Basrah, and there remain 
until I see what will be the result of their case, that no one may 
know my situation ; for love hath gained entire possession of them, 
and letters have passed between them. Their intermediary is a 
slave-girl, who at present keepeth their secrets ; but I fear that 
anxiety may overcome her and she may reveal their case to some¬ 
body, and so the news of their affair may spread, and occasion my 
destruction; since I have no excuse to offer to my accusers.—His 
friend replied. Thou hast acquainted me with a perilous affair, such 

22 

THE STORY OF ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, 

as the wise and knowing must regard with fear. May God avert 
from thee the evil that thou apprehendest, and save thee from the 
result which thou dreadest! This opinion is right.—So Abu-l-Hasan 
departed to his house, and occupied himself in settling his affairs, 
and preparing himself for the journey to the city of El-Basrah, and 
three days had not passed before he had finished his affairs and set 
forth to El-Basrah. 

Three days after this, his friend came to visit him, and, finding 
him not, asked his neighbours respecting him, and they answered 
him, He departed three days ago to El-Basrah; for he had pecu¬ 
niary dealings with the merchants of that city, and therefore went 
to demand the money of his debtors, and he will soon return. 
And the man was perplexed at his case, and knew not whither to 
go, saying, Would that I had not parted with Abu-l-Hasan ! He 
then devised a stratagem by means of which to obtain access to ’Alee 
the son of Bekkar ; and he repaired to his house, and said to one of 
his young men, Beg permission for me of thy master that I may enter 
and salute him. So the servant entered, and acquainted his master 
with the request, and then returned to him, and gave him permission 
to enter. He therefore went in to him, and found him reclining 
upon the cushion, and he saluted him, and ’Alee the son of Bekkar 
returned his salutation, and welcomed him; whereupon the man 
apologized to him for having failed to visit him before during the 
period of his illness, and said to him, O my master, an intimate 
friendship subsisteth between me and Abu-l-Hasan, and I used to 
intrust to him my secrets, and never relinquish him for an hour; 
and I was absent on some business with a number of my friends for 
the space of three days, and then, going to him, found his shop 
closed; wherefore I asked the neighbours respecting him, and they 
said, He hath gone to El-Basrah.—Now I know no friend of his 
more true than thou: by Allah, then, acquaint me with his case.— 
And when ’Alee the son of Bekkar heard his words, his colour 
changed, and he was agitated, and replied, I have not heard the 
news of his departure before this day; and if the case be as thou 
hast said, trouble hath befallen me. He then shed tears, and 
recited these two verses:— 

I was weeping on account of joy that had passed, while my friends were yet 
unsevered from me; 

AND SHEMS EN-NAHA'R. 

23 

But now my adverse fortune hath parted us, and I have to weep also for my 
friends. 

And he hung down his head towards the ground, in thought, and 
after a while, raised it, and, looking towards a servant belonging to 
him, said to him, Go to the house of Abu-l-Hasan, and ask respect¬ 
ing him, whether he be still there or on a journey; and if they 
answer, He hath gone on a journey,—ask whither he is gone. So 
the servant went, and after a short absence came back to his master, 
and said, When I inquired respecting Abu-l-Hasan, his dependents 
informed me that he had gone on a journey to El-Basrah; but I 
found a slave-girl waiting at the door, and when she beheld me she 
knew me; but I knew her not; and she said to me. Art thou the 
servant of ’Alee the son of Bekkar? And I answered her, Yes. 
And she said, I have a letter for him, from the dearest of his 
friends. So she came with me, and she is standing at the door.— 
Upon this, ’Alee the son of Bekkar said, Bring her in. And the 
servant went forth to her, and brought her in; and the man who 
was sitting with the son of Bekkar looked at the slave-girl, and 
saw that she was an elegant person. The slave-girl then advanced 
to the son of Bekkar, and saluted him, and talked with him in a 
low voice ; and he uttered oaths during the conversation, swearing 
that he had not mentioned a thing which she spoke of; after which, 
she bade him farewell, and departed. 

Now the man, the friend of Abu-l-Hasan, was a jeweller; and 
when the slave-girl had departed, he found an opportunity to speak, 
and said to ’Alee the son of Bekkar, There is no doubt whatever but 
that the palace of the Khaleefeh hath some demand upon thee, or that 
thou hast dealings with it. 15 —And who, said ’Alee the son of Bekkar, 
acquainted thee with that? The jeweller answered, My knowledge 
of it is through this slave-girl; for she is the slave-girl of Shems en- 
Nahar; and she came to me some time ago with a note in which was 
written that she desired a necklace of jewels; so I sent to her a costly 
necklace. And when ’Alee the son of Bekkar heard his words, 
he was so agitated that the jeweller feared his dissolution; but 
presently he recovered himself, and said, O my brother, I conjure 
thee by Allah to tell me how thou knowest her. The jeweller 
replied, Abstain from urging the inquiry. But ’Alee the son of 
Bekkar said to him, I will not desist from pressing thee until thou 

24 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, 

acquaint me with the truth. So the jeweller said, I will inform 
thee, provided that no suspicion respecting me enter thy mind, 
nor any restraint be imposed upon thee by my words, and I will 
not conceal from thee any secret, but will explain to thee the truth 
of the affair; on the condition, however, that thou acquaint me 
with thy true case, and the cause of thy sickness. He therefore, 
told him his story, and then said, By Allah, 0 my brother, nothing 
induced me to conceal my affair from others than thyself excepting 
my fear that people might remove the veils of protection from 
others. And the jeweller said to him, I desired not an interview 
with thee but on account of my great affection for thee, and my 
zeal for thee, and my compassion for thy heart in consideration of 
the toiment that it suffereth from separation. Perhaps I may be 
a comforter to thee in the place of my friend Abu-l-Hasan during 
the period of his absence. Be happy, then, and cheerful.—And 
’Alee the son of Bekkar thanked him for his speech, and recited 
these two verses:— 

If I said that I was patient after his estrangement, my team and the excess 
of my lamentation would helie me. 

And how can I conceal the tears that are flowing down my cheek in conse¬ 
quence of the separation of my friend? 

He then, for a while, remained silent; after which he said to the 
jeweller, Knowest thou what the slave-girl told me secretly ? He 
answered, No, by Allah, O my master. And ’Alee the son of 
Bekkar said, She supposed that I had advised Abu-l-Hasan to 
depart to the city of El-Basrah, and that I thus devised a stratagem 
that there might be no more correspondence and intercourse ; and 
I swore to her that such had not been the case; but she believed 
me not, and departed to her mistress retaining her evil opinion; 
for she inclined to Abu-l-Hasan. The jeweller replied, O my 
brother, I understood from the state of the slave-girl this affair; 
but, if it be the will of God (whose name be exalted!), I will aid 
thee to attain thy desire.—And how, said’Alee the son of Bekkar, 
wilt thou manage with her when she taketh fright like a wild 
animal of the desert ? The jeweller answered, I must employ 
all my endeavours to assist thee, and my contrivance to obtain 
acquaintance with her, without making any exposure, or occasion¬ 
ing any mischief. He then begged leave to depart; and ’Alee the 

AND SHEMS EN-NAHA'R. 

25 

son of Bekkar said to him, 0 my brother, be mindful to conceal 
the secret. And he looked at him, and wept. 

The jeweller hade him farewell, and departed, not knowing 
what to do in order to promote the affair of ’Alee the son of 
Bekkar, and he continued on his way meditating upon his case, 
and beheld a paper lying in the street: so he took it up, and looked 
at its direction, and lo, it was, From the most humble friend to the 
most excellent object of affection.—And he opened the paper, and 
saw written in it as follows :— 

The messenger came from thee to give me hopes of union; but I rather 
imagined that he had misconceived: 

I rejoiced not, therefore; but my grief increased, through my knowledge that 
my messenger had not rightly understood. 

To proceed.—Know, O my master, that I am unacquainted with 
the cause of the interruption of the correspondence between me 
and thee; but if cruelty have originated from thee, I will requite 
it with fidelity; and if affection have departed from thee, I will 
preserve affection during estrangement; for I will act towards thee, 
as saith the poet:— 

VOL II. 

E 

26 

THE STORY OF ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, 

Be haughty : I will endure :—and tyrannize : I will be patient:—and be diffi¬ 
cult : I will be abjectand depart: I will approach :—and say : I will 
hear :—and command : I will obey. 

And when he had read it, lo, the slave-girl approached, looking 
to the right and left, and saw the paper in his hand; so she said to 
him, O my master, verily this paper dropped from me. But he re¬ 
turned her not an answer, walking on; and the slave-girl followed 
him until he approached his house ; and he entered, and the slave- 
girl behind him. She then said to him, O my master, return to me 
this paper; for it dropped from me. And he looked at her, and 
said, O slave-girl, fear not, nor be grieved, but tell me the story 
with truth; for I am a concealer of secrets ; and I conjure thee by 
an oath that thou hide from me nothing of the affair of thy mistress: 
perhaps God may assist me to accomplish her desires, and make 
easy by my means things that now are difficult. And when the 
slave-girl heard his words, she replied, O my master, a secret will not 
be lost when thou art its depository, nor will an affair be unsuccessful 
when thou strivest to accomplish it. Know that my heart hath 
inclined to thee, and I will acquaint thee with the truth of the affair, 
and do thou give me the letter.—She then told him the whole story, 
and added, God is witness of the truth of what I say. He replied, 
Thou hast spoken truth ; for I am acquainted with the foundation 
of the story. And he proceeded to relate to her the case of ’Alee 
the son of Bekkar, and how he had become acquainted with the 
state of his mind, telling her the story from first to last. And when 
she had heard this, she rejoiced ; and they agreed together that she 
should take the paper and give it to ’Alee the son of Bekkar, and 
of all that should happen she should return and inform him. So he 
gave her the paper, and she took it and sealed it as it was before, 
saying. My mistress Shems en-Nahar gave it to me sealed; and 
when he hath read it and given me an answer, I will bring it to 
thee. 

The slave-girl then bade him farewell, and repaired to ’Alee the 
son of Bekkar, whom she found expecting her coming; and she 
gave him the paper and he read it, and then wrote for her an answer, 
and gave it to her. She therefore took it, and returned with it to 
the jeweller, according to the agreement; and he broke open its 
seal, and read it, and saw written in it,— 

AND SHEWS EN-NAHA'R. 

27 

Verily the messenger by whom our correspondence was kept concealed hath 
failed, having conceived displeasure : 20 

Choose for me, therefore, a faithful messenger from among you, who approveth 
truth, and approveth not falsehood. 

To proceed.—Verily cruelty hath not originated from me, nor 
have I abandoned fidelity, nor have I broken a covenant, nor have I 
cut short affection, nor have I ceased from grief, nor have I found 
after separation aught but destruction, nor have I had any know¬ 
ledge of that which ye have mentioned, nor do I love anything but 
what ye love : by Him who knoweth every secret and hidden action, 
my wish is only for an union with the person whom I love; 
and my business, the concealment of the desire that I suffer, though 
disease afflict me in consequence. This is the exposition of my 
state : and peace be on thee. 

When the jeweller read this paper, and knew its contents, he 
wept violently. The slave-girl then said to him, Go not forth from 
this place until I return to thee; for he hath made an accusation 
against me; but he is excused; and I desire to effect an interview 
between thee and my mistress Shems en-Nahar, by whatever stra¬ 
tagem it may be accomplished. I left her prostrate, waiting for my 
bringing her the answer.—Then the slave-girl repaired to her mis¬ 
tress, and the jeweller passed the night troubled in heart; and when 
the morning came, he performed the prayers of that period, and sat 
expecting her arrival; and lo, she approached, and with joy came 
in to him, and he said to her, What is the news, O slave-girl ? She 
answered, I went from thee to my mistress, and gave to her the 
paper which ’Alee the son of Bekkar wrote; and when she had read 
it and understood its meaning, her mind was perplexed ; so I said 
to her, O my mistress, fear not the frustration of the affair between 
you in consequence of the absence of Abu-l-Hasan ; for I have 
found one who will take his place, and who is better than he, and of 
higher rank, and one who will keep secrets.—And I related to her 
what had passed between thee and Abu-l-Hasan, and how thou ob- 
tainedst his confidence and that of ’Alee the son of Bekkar, and 
how that note dropped from me and thou foundest it, and I ac¬ 
quainted her with the determination made between me and thee.— 
And the jeweller wondered extremely.—She then said to him, She 

desireth to hear thy words, that she may he confirmed by them in 
her belief of the covenants made between thee and him: make up 
thy mind, then, immediately to repair with me to her. But when 
the jeweller heard these words of the slave-girl, he considered that 
the visiting her was a momentous affair, and of great peril, not to 
be undertaken, nor suddenly attempted: so he replied, O my sister, 
I am of the sons of the common class, and not like Abu-l-Hasan; 
for Abu-l-Hasan was of high rank, of known reputation, in the 
habit of frequenting the palace of the Khaleefeh because its inmates 
required his merchandise; but as for me, Abu-l-Hasan used to con¬ 
verse with me and I trembled before him. If thy mistress, there¬ 
fore, desireth my conversation with her, it will be requisite that it 
be in some other place than the palace of the Khaleefeh, distant 
from the abode of the Prince of the Faithful ; for my heart will not 
consent to that which thou proposest.—So he refused to go with 
her. She proceeded to tell him that she would be surety for his 
safety, and said to him, Be not apprehensive nor fearful. But while 
they were thus talking, lo, his legs shook, and his hands trembled; 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, &c. 

c 29 

and the slave-girl therefore said to him, If it will be painful to thee 
to go to the palace of the Khaleefeh, and thou canst not accompany 
me, I will persuade her to come to thee: therefore move not from 
thy place until I return to thee with her. She then departed; but 
soon returned to the jeweller, and said to him, Take care lest there 
be with thee a slave-girl or man-servant. He replied, There is no 
one with me but a black female slave advanced in age, who serveth 
me- And the slave-girl arose, and closed the doors between the 
jeweller’s female slave and himself, and sent his young men out from 
the house. 

After this, the slave-girl went forth, and returned with a damsel 
behind her, and the latter entered the jeweller’s abode with her, im¬ 
parting a sweet odour to the house; and when the jeweller saw her, 
he arose and stood up, and placed a cushion for her, and seated him¬ 
self before her. She remained a while without speaking, until she 
had rested herself, when she uncovered her face, and it appeared to 
the jeweller as though the sun had risen in his abode. She then 
said to her slave-girl, Is this the man of whom thou spakest to me? 
The slave-girl answered, Yes. And she looked towards the jeweller, 
and said to him, How art thou? He answered, In prosperity:— 
and prayed for her. 51 And she said to him, Thou hast induced us 
to come to thee, and to acquaint thee with our secret. And she 
asked him respecting his family and his children; and he acquainted 
her with all his circumstances, and said to her, I have a house be¬ 
sides this, which I have devoted to the purpose of assembling there 
with my friends and brethren, and I have in it nothing but what I 
have mentioned to thy slave-girl. After this, she asked him how 
he had become acquainted with the foundation of the story; and he 
informed her of the particulars which she demanded, from the first 
of the affair to the last: whereupon she sighed for the separation of 
Abu-l-Hasan, and said, O such a one, know that the souls of mankind 
accord in their desires, and persons stand in need one of another; 
an action is not accomplished without words ; nor a wish, without 
exertion; nor doth ease come unless after fatigue; nor doth suc¬ 
cess ensue but through the means of the generous. And now I 
have acquainted thee with our affair, and it is in thy power to ex¬ 
pose or protect us ; and thy generous disposition requireth nothing 
to be added; for thou already knowest that this my slave-girl con- 

30 

THE STORY OF 'ALEE THE SON OF RF.KKA'R, 

eealeth my secret, and on that account occupietli a high place with 
me ; and I have chosen her for the transaction of my affairs. Let 
none, then, be more worthy in thy sight than she, and do thou 
acquaint her with thy proceedings ; and he of good heart; for thou 
art secure from what thou fearest on our account, and no place shall 
be dosed from thee but she shall open it unto thee, and she shall 
convey to thee my messages for ’Alee the son of Bekkar, and thou 
shalt be the intermediary in the transmittal of communications be¬ 
tween me and him. 

Sliems en-Nahar then arose, scarcely able to do so, and departed, 
and the jeweller walked before her until she arrived at the gate of 
the palace, after which he returned, and sat in his place, having be¬ 
held, of her beauty, what astonished him, and heard, of her words, 
what confounded his reason, and witnessed, of her elegance and 
politeness, what amazed him. He remained reflecting upon her 
endowments until his mind became tranquillized ; when he de¬ 
manded food, and ate as much as would stay his spirit. He then 
changed his clothes, and went forth from his house, and repaired to 
’Alee the son of Bekkar, whose servants came and met him, and 
walked before him until they introduced him to their master, and 
he found him laid upon his bed ; and when he beheld the jeweller, 
he said to him, Thou hast been tardy in coming to me, and increased 
my anxiety. Having thus said, he dismissed his servants, and gave 
orders to shut his doors, and said to the jeweller, I have not closed 
my eye since thou quittedst me ; for the slave-girl came to me yes¬ 
terday, bringing a sealed letter from her mistress Shems en- 
Naliar.—And he proceeded to relate to him all that had passed be¬ 
tween him and her ; after which he said, I have become perplexed 
in my affair, and my patience hath failed; for Abu-l-Hasan was a 
cheering companion unto me, as he knew the slave-girl. And when 
the jeweller heard his words, he laughed: so ’Alee the son of Bekkar 
said to him, Wherefore dost thou laugh at my words, when I have 
augured well of thy coming, and taken thee as a provision against 
misfortunes. He then wept, and recited these verses :— 

Many a one laugheth at my tears on beholding me ; but had he suffered as I 
have, it had made him weep. 

None pitieth the afflicted for what he endureth, hut one alike anxious, whose 
affliction hath been protracted. 

AND SHEWS EN-NAHA'R. 

31 

My transport, yearning, sighing, thought, and distraction, are for a friend 
whose habitation is in the recesses of my heart: 

He hath made his abode there, and never quitteth it; yet seldom can I enjoy 
an interview with him : 

I have no intimate whom I approve in his stead ; and I have chosen no friend 
whatever but him. 

And when the jeweller heard these words from him, and under¬ 
stood the verses which he recited, he wept at his weeping, and ac¬ 
quainted him with all that had happened to him with the slave-girl 
since he had quitted him. ’Alee the son of Bekkar listened to 
his speech; and at every word of his that he heard, the colour of his 
face continued to change from yellowness to redness, and his body 
became at one time stronger, and at another weaker. And when he 
had ended his account, the son of Bekkar wept, and said to him, O 
my brother, I am at all events perishing, and would that my end 
were near ! I beg of thee, in thy kindness, to shew favour to me in 
all my affairs until God shall please to bring about what seemeth fit 
unto Him, and I will not oppose thee in word.—The jeweller re¬ 
plied, Nothing will quench this fire in thee except an interview with 
the person with whom thou art enamoured; but it should be in 
some other place than this, which is one of danger : it should be in 
a house of mine next to my own abode. The slave-girl came to me 
there, together with her mistress, and it is the place that she chose 
for herself: I desire, therefore, your interview with each other, and 
there shall ye complain one to another of what ye have suffered. 
—So ’Alee the son of Bekkar said, Do as thou desirest, and what 
thou seest fit is right. 

I remained with him, says the jeweller, that night, conversing 
with him until the morning came, when I performed the morning- 
prayers, and went forth from him, and repaired to my abode. And 
I had not long remained there when the slave-girl came and saluted 
me, and I returned her salutation, and acquainted her with the plan 
decided upon between me and ’Alee the son of Bekkar; whereupon 
she said, Know that the Khaleefeh hath gone away from us, and 
that there is no one in our abode, and it is more safe for us, and 
better. I replied, What thou sayest is true ; but it is not like this 
my house ; for this is safer, and more suited to us. The slave-girl 
therefore said, It shall be as thou seest fit; and I go to my mistress 
to acquaint her with that which thou hast mentioned, and to pro- 

32 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, 

pose to her what thou hast said. She then repaired to her mistress, 
and made the proposal to her, and returned to my house, and said 
to me, My mistress acquiesceth with that which thou hast said. And 
she took forth from her pocket a purse containing some pieces of 
gold, saying to me, My mistress saluteth thee, and saith to thee, 
Take this, and procure for us with it what we require.—But I swore 
that I would not expend anything of it. So she took it again, and 
returned to her mistress, and said to her, He hath not accepted the 
money; but returned it to me.—And after the slave-girl had gone, 
I repaired to my other house, and removed thither, of the utensils 
and furniture, what the case required, and transported thither the 
vessels of silver and of china-ware, and prepared all that we required 
of food and drink; and when the slave-girl came again, and beheld 
what I had done, it pleased her; and she ordered me to bring 
’Alee the son of Bekkar; but I replied, None shall bring him but 
thou. 

AND SHEMS EN-NAHA'R. 

33 

Accordingly she went to him and brought him, attired in the 
most perfect manner, and with a brightened aspect; and when 
he came, I met him and welcomed him, and seated him upon a 
mattress suitable to his condition, and placed before him some 
sweet-scented flowers in vessels of china-ware and crystal, and 
conversed with him about an hour ; after which, the slave-girl 
departed, and was absent until after the sunset-prayers, when 
she returned, accompanied by Shems en-Nahar with two maids and 
none else. As soon as she beheld ’Alee the son of Bekkar and he 
beheld her, they both fell down fainting upon the floor, and 
remained so for an hour ; and when they recovered, they drew near 
to each other, and sat conversing tenderly; and after this, they 
made use of some perfumes, and began to thank me for my conduct 
to them. I then said to them, Have ye any desire for food ? And 
they answered, Yes. So I brought to them some food, and they 
ate until they were satisfied, and washed their hands; and I 
conducted them to another chamber, where I brought them the 
wine ; and they drank it, and became merry: whereupon Shems 
en-Nahar said to me, O my master, complete thy kindness, and 
bring to us a lute or some other musical instrument, that we may 
now perfect our enjoyment. I replied, On my head and my eye. 
And I arose, and brought a lute, and she took it and tuned it, and 
placing it in her lap, played upon it in an admirable manner, and 
sang these two verses :— 

I have been so sleepless that it would seem as though I loved sleeplessness; 
and so emaciated that disease appears to be natural to me ; 

And my tears have flowed upon my cheek, burning it. Would that I knew 
if we shall meet after our separation! 

She proceeded to sing verses so as to confound the mind, with 
various modulations and with pleasing allusions, and the hearers 
almost flew with delight at her admirable singing; and when we 
had remained seated some time, and the cups circulated among us, 
the damsel, in charming tones, sang some verses commencing 
thus:— 

The beloved gave me a promise to meet me, and performed it on a night that 
I shall count as worth many. 

After this, I left them in that house, and departed to the house in 

VOL. n. 

34 

THE STORY OF 'ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, 

which I resided, and there passed the night, until the morning. And 
when the morning came, I performed my divinely-ordained prayers, 
and drank some wine , 22 and sat thinking of going to them at my 
other house; and as I was sitting, lo, my neighbour came in to me, 
terrified, and said to me, O my brother, it was no light matter to me 
that befell thee this last night in thy other house. So I said to him, 
O my brother, and what hath happened ? Acquaint me with that 
which hath occurred in my house.—He answered, The robbers who 
came to our neighbours yesterday and murdered such a one and 
took his property saw thee yesterday removing thy things to thy 
other house, and came thither in the night and took what thou 
hadst there and murdered thy guests.—I arose, therefore, I and my 
neighbour, and we went to that house, and found it empty: 
nothing remained in it; and I was perplexed at my case, and said, 
As to the things, I care not for their loss; and if I borrowed some 
of them from my friends and they are lost, there is no harm in 
that; for they know my excuse in the disappearance of my pro¬ 
perty and the plundering of my house; but as to ’Alee the son 
of Bekkar, and the concubine of the Prince of the Faithful, I fear 
that their affair will he rumoured abroad, and it will be the cause 
of the loss of my life.—The jeweller then looked towards his com¬ 
panion, and said to him, Thou art my brother and my neighbour, 
and wilt conceal what I should not expose : what course of conduct, 
then, dost thou advise me to pursue ? The man answered him. 
That which I advise thee to do is, that thou be on thy guard ; for 
they who entered thy house and took thy property have murdered 
a most distinguished party from the palace of the Khaleefeh, and 
have murdered also a party from the house of the chief magistrate of 
the police, and the guards of the court search for them everywhere, 
and perhaps they will find them and thy wish will be attained 
without any effort of thine. And when the jeweller heard these 
words, he returned to his house in which he resided, and said 
within himself, Verily that which hath happened to me is what 
Abu-l-Hasan feared, and on account of which he departed to 
El-Basrah, and I have fallen into it. 

The plunder of his house became publicly known among the 
people, and they came to him from every quarter; and some of 
them rejoiced at his misfortune, and some participated in his 

AND SHEMS EN-NAHA'R. 

35 

anxiety, while he uttered his complaints to them, and neither ate 
nor drank. And as he sat repenting, lo, one of his servants came in 
to him, and said to him, There is a person at the door who asketh 
for thee, whom I know not. So the jeweller went forth to him 
and saluted him, and found him to be a man whom he knew not; 
and the man said, I have something to say to thee. He therefore 
conducted him into his house, and asked him, What hast thou to 
say to me ? The man answered, Go with me to thy other house. 
The jeweller said, And dost thou know my other house ? And he 
answered, Thy whole case is known to me, and I know also that by 
which God will dispel thine anxiety.—So I said within myself 
(continues the jeweller), I will go with him whither he desireth. I 
then repaired with him to the house, and when the man saw the 
house, he said, It is without a door-keeper, and we cannot sit in it: 
come with me, therefore, to another house. And the man con¬ 
tinued going about from place to place, and I with him, until the 
night overtook us ; and I put no question to him. He ceased not 
on his way, and I with him, till we went forth into the open plain, 
saying, Follow me. And he hurried on, and I hurried behind him, 
until we arrived at the river, when he embarked with me in a 
boat, and the boatmen rowed w r ith us, till we had crossed over to 
the other bank; whereupon he landed from the boat, and I landed 
after him, and he took my hand and conducted me into a street 
which I had never entered before in the whole course of my life, 
and I knew not in what quarter it was. He then stopped at the 
door of a house, and opened it, and entered, taking me in with 
him, and locked the door with a lock of iron; after which, he led 
me along its passage till we came into the presence of ten men, 
who were as though they were one and the same man, and they 
were brothers. 

When we went in to them, the man first mentioned saluted them, 
and they returned his salutation, and ordered me to sit down. So 
I seated myself, feeble from excessive fatigue; and they brought 
me some rose-water, and sprinkled it upon my face, and gave me 
to drink some wine, and placed before me some food. I therefore 
said [within myself], If there were anything injurious in the food, 
they would not eat with me. And when we had washed our hands 
[after eating], each of us returned to his place, and they said, Dost 

36 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, 

thou know us ? I answered, No : nor in my life have I known 
your abode : nay, I know not him who brought me unto you. 
They then said, Acquaint us with thy story, and utter no false¬ 
hood. So I said, Know that my case is wonderful, and my affair 
is extraordinary. And are ye, I added, acquainted with aught of 
my story ? They answered, Yes: we are the persons who took 
thy things last night, and we took thy friend, and her who was 
singing. And upon this I said, May God let down the curtain 
of his protection over you ! Where are my friend and she who was 
singing ? And they made a sign to me with their hands, pointing 
to one side, and answered, Here : but by Allah, O my brother, 
none of us hath learnt their secret, and since we brought them we 
have had no interview with them, nor asked them respecting their 
condition, on account of the appearance of dignity and respec¬ 
tability which we have observed in them; and it was this which 
prevented our killing them. Acquaint us, therefore, with their 
true history, and thou shalt be secure of thine own safety and of 
theirs.—When I heard these words, says the jeweller, I almost died 
with fear and terror, and said to them, Know that, if generosity 
be lost, it is to be found only with you; and if I have a secret 
which I fear to reveal, none but your breasts will conceal it. And 
I proceeded to expatiate in this manner, and found that readiness 
in making the communication to them would be more advantageous 
than concealing it; so I acquainted them with all that had befallen 
me until I arrived at the end of the story. And when they heard 
my tale, they said, And is this young man ’Alee the son of Bekkar, 
and this female Shems en-Nahar ? And they excused themselves 
to both of them, and afterwards said to me, Verily, of that which 
we took from thy house, part is gone ; and this is what hath 
remained of it. They then restored to me most of the things, and 
bound themselves to convey them back to their place in my house, 
promising also that they would restore to me the rest: but they 
became divided into two parties; one party on my side, and the 
other against me. After this, we went forth from that house.— 
Such was my case. 

Now as to ’Alee the son of Bekkar, and Shems en-Nahar, they 
were at the point of death through fear. I approached them and 

AND SHEMS EN-NAHA'R. 

37 

saluted them, and said to them, What can have happened to the 
slave-girl and the two maids, and whither have they gone ? They 
answered, We have no knowledge of them. And we continued on 
our way until we arrived at the place where was the boat, when 
they put us into it; and it was the boat in which we had crossed 
over in the preceding evening. The boatman rowed with us until 
he had conveyed us to the opposite bank, and they landed us. But 
we had scarcely seated ourselves on the bank, when a troop of 
horsemen came and surrounded us on every side; whereupon the 
men who were with us sprang up in haste like eagles, and the boat 
returned to them, and they embarked in it, and it proceeded with 
them over the river, while I remained with ’Alee the son of Bekkar, 
and Shems en-Nahar, upon the bank of the river, we being unable 
either to move or to remain at rest. The horsemen said to us, 
Whence are ye ? And we were perplexed for the answer ; and I 
said to them, Verily those whom ye beheld with us we know not; 
but we saw them here ; and as to ourselves, we are singers, and 
they desired to take us to sing to them, and we escaped not from 
them save by stratagem and soft words: therefore liberate us on 
this occasion, since ye have witnessed their conduct. The horse¬ 
men, however, looked towards Shems en-Nahar and ’Alee the son 
of Bekkar, and said to me, Thou hast not spoken truth : if thou be 
a person of veracity inform us who ye are, and whence ye are, 

38 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, 

and in which of the quarters of the city ye reside. And I knew 
not what to say ; hut Shems en-Nahar arose and approached the 
chief of the horsemen, and spoke to him privately; whereupon he 
descended from his horse, and mounted her upon it, and, taking 
the bridle in his hand, led her along; and in like manner he did to 
’Alee the son of Bekkar, and to me also. The chief of the horse¬ 
men then proceeded with us to a place on the hank of the river, 
and called out in his foreign language , 23 upon which there ap¬ 
proached him a number of men, and he embarked us on hoard a 
a boat, his companions embarking in another boat, and they rowed 
us on until we arrived at the palace of the Khaleefeh, while we 
suffered death from the excess of our fear. [Shems en-Nahar 
having there landed,] we proceeded until we came to the place 
from which there was a way leading to our quarter, and there we 
landed, and we walked on, with a party of the horsemen cheering 
us by their company, till we entered the house [of ’Alee the son of 
Bekkar], when the horsemen who were with us bade us farewell, 
and went their way. 

As. to ourselves, w r e entered the house, and were unable to 
move from our place, not knowing morning from evening, and we 
continued thus until the morning came. And at the close of the 
day, ’Alee the son of Bekkar fell down in a fit, and the women and 
the men wept over him, as he lay prostrate and motionless; and 
some persons of his family came to me, and said, Tell us what 
hath happened to our son, and acquaint us with the cause of the 
state in which he is. I replied, O people, hear my words, and do 
nothing unpleasant to me ; but be patient, and he will recover, and 
will acquaint you himself with his story. I then urged them, and 
impressed them with the fear of occasioning what would disgrace 
me with them, and while we were thus talking, lo, ’Alee the son of 
Bekkar moved in his bed, and his family rejoiced, and the people 
dispersed from him, and his family forbade me from quitting him. 
They sprinkled some rose-water upon his face, and when he 
recovered, and scented the air, they began to ask him respecting 
his state, and he commenced acquainting them; but his tongue 
would not return an answer quickly. After this, he made a sign 
to them that they should give me liberty to repair to my abode. 

Accordingly, they suffered me to go, and I went forth, scarcely 

AND SHEMS EN-NAHA / R. 

39 

believing in my escape, and proceeded to my house, between two 
men, until I arrived and went in to my family; and when they 
beheld me in that state, they slapped their faces; but I made a 
sign to them with my hand that they should be silent, and they 
were silent. Then the two men went their way; and I rolled 
about in my bed the rest of the night, and awoke not till the mid¬ 
hour between sunrise and noon, when I found my family surround¬ 
ing me, and saying, Who hath brought misfortune upon thee, and 
by his wickedness smitten thee ? And I said to them, Bring me 
some wine. So they brought it, and I drank of it until I was 
satisfied, and then said to them, There hath happened what hath 
happened. And they went their way. And after this, I excused 
myself to my companions, and inquired of them respecting the 
things that had gone from my house, asking if any of the property 
had returned. They answered, A portion hath returned; for a 
man came and threw it down within the door of the house, and we 
saw him not. So 1 comforted myself, and remained in my house 
two days, unable to rise from my place; after which I fortified 
myself, and walked to the bath, with my heart troubled respecting 
the son of Bekkar, and Shems en-Nahar, having heard no tidings 
of them during that period, and having been unable to go to the 
house of ’Alee the son of Bekkar, and unable to rest in my place 
through my fear for myself. I then repented before God (whose 
name be exalted!) of the actions that had been committed by me, 
and praised Him for my safety. 

And after a while, my mind suggested to me to repair to that 
place, and to return immediately; and when I was about to go, I 
beheld a woman standing, and looked attentively at her, and lo, 
she was the slave-girl of Shems en-Nahar; and when I knew her, 
I went on, and hastened in my pace ; but she followed me, and I 
was alarmed at her: and every time that I looked at her, fear of 
her overcame me, while she continued saying, Stop, that I may tell 
thee something. I, however, paid no regard to her, and stopped 
not until I came to a mosque in a place where there were no people; 
whereupon she said to me, Enter this mosque, that I may say a 
word to thee, and fear nothing. And she conjured me; so I 
entered the mosque, and she entered after me; and I performed the 
prayers of two rek’ahs, after which I approached her, sighing, and 

said to her, What dost thou desire ? And she asked me respecting 
mv state, and I told her what had happened to me and to ’Alee the 
son of Bekkar, and said to her, What is thy story ? She answered, 
Know that when I saw that the men had broken open the door of 
thy house, and entered, I feared them, apprehending that they 
were from the Khaleefeh, and that they would take me and my 
mistress, and we should perish immediately ; so I fled over the 
terraces, together with the two maids, and we cast ourselves down 
from a high place among a party of people, and fled thence until 
we arrived at the palace of the Khaleefeh, in a most ignominious 
plight. We kept our affair secret, and remained in a state of 
torture as on hot embers until the next night became dark, when I 
opened the river-gate, and summoned the boatman who conveyed 

THE STORY OF ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, &c. 

41 

us away on the former night, and said to him, We know not what is 
become of my mistress; therefore take me in the boat that I may 
search for her upon the river: perhaps I may obtain some tidings of 
her. So he conveyed me in the boat, and proceeded with me along 
the river until midnight, when I saw a boat approaching the gate, 
with a man rowing in it, and other men, 24 and a woman lying 
prostrate among them; and the boatman continued rowing on until 
he arrived at the shore; and when the woman landed, I looked 
attentively at her, and lo, she was Shems en-Nahar. I therefore 
landed and went to her, stupilied with joy at beholding her after I 
had despaired of seeing her again; and when I came before her, 
she ordered me to give to the man who had brought her a thousand 
pieces of gold. Then I and the two maids carried her and laid her 
upon her bed, and she continued during the rest of that night in a 
troubled state; and when the morning came, she forbade the 
female slaves and eunuchs to come in to her or to approach her 
that day. But on the following day she recovered, and I found her 
as though she had come forth from a burial-ground; so I sprinkled 
some rose-water upon her face, and changed her clothes, and 
washed her hands and her feet, and ceased not to persuade her 
until I excited in her a desire for some food ; and I gave her some 
wine to drink, though she had no appetite for it. 

And when she took the air, and strength returned to her, I said 
to her, O my mistress, have a regard for thyself, for thou hast 
suffered difficulties enough, and hast been at the point of destruc¬ 
tion. But she replied, O good slave-girl, death were easier to me 
than that which hath befallen me; for it seemed that I should be 
killed, and that no stratagem could save me; because the robbers, 
when they took us from the house of the jeweller, asked us and 
said, Who art thou, and what is thy condition ?—but I answered, 
I am a singing girl:—and they believed me : then they asked ’Alee 
the son of Bekkar respecting himself, and said to him, Who art 
thou, and what is thy condition ?—and he answered, I am of the 
common people. And they took us, and we proceeded with them 
until they brought us to their abode, and we hastened with them, 
through the excess of our fear; and when they had rested with us 
at their dwelling, they looked at me, and, seeing the apparel and 
necklaces and jewels with which I was decked, they disbelieved my 

VOL. II. 

a 

assertion, and said, These necklaces belong not to one of the female 
singers. They then said to me, Be veracious to us, and tell us the 
truth. What is thy history ?—But I returned them no answer, 
saying within myself, Now will they kill me for the ornaments and 
apparel that are upon me:—and I uttered not a word. And they 
looked towards ’Alee the son of Bekkar, and said to him, And 
whence art thou; for thine appearance is not that of the common 
people? But he was silent. We concealed our affair, and wept. 
And God inclined the hearts of the robbers towards us; and they 
said to us, who is the owner of the house in which ye were ? We 
answered them, Its owner is such a one, the jeweller. And one of 
them said, 1 know him well, and I know that he is residing in his 
other house, and I will take upon myself to bring him to you 
immediately. And they agreed together to put me in a place by 
myself, and ’Alee the son of Bekkar in a place by himself, and said 
to us, Rest ye, and fear not that your affair will be revealed, for ye 
are secure from us. Then their companion went to the jeweller, 
and brought him, and he revealed our case to them, and we went in 
to him; after which, one of the men provided for us a boat, and 
they placed us in it, and crossed over with us to the opposite bank, 
and having landed us there, departed. And a troop of horse, of the 
patrol, came and said, Who are ye ? So I spoke with the chief of 
the patrol, and said to him, I am Shems en-Nahar, the concubine 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, &c. 

43 

of the Khaleefeh : I made myself merry with wine, and went forth 
to visit some of my acquaintances among the wives of the Wezeers, 
and the robbers came upon me, and took me, and brought me to 
this place, and when they beheld you they fled ; and I am able to 
requite thee. And when the chief of the horsemen heard my 
words, he knew me, and, descending from his horse, mounted me 
upon it, and in like manner he did to ’Alee the son of Bekkar and 
to the jeweller; and in my heart now burneth a flame of fire on 
their account, especially for the jeweller, the companion of the son 
of Bekkar: repair, therefore, unto him, and salute him, and inquire 
of him respecting ’Alee the son of Bekkar. 

I blamed her (said the slave-girl) for what she had done, and 
cautioned her, saying to her, O my mistress, fear for thyself:— 
but she cried out at me, and was angry at my words. I then arose 
and departed from her, and came unto thee; but found thee not; 
and I feared to go to the son of Bekkar; 25 so I stood looking out for 
thee, that I might ask thee respecting him, and know in what state 
he is. And I beg of thy goodness that thou wilt receive from me 
some money; for probably thou borrowedst some things of thy 
friends and thou hast lost them, and it is necessary that thou make 
a compensation to them for such of their things as have been lost 
in thy house.—So I replied, says the jeweller, 1 hear and obey. I 
then walked with her until we came near to my house, when she 
said to me, Stop here until I return to thee. And she departed, 
and returned bringing the money, and gave it to me, saying, O my 
master, in what place shall we meet thee ? I answered her, I will 
go to my house immediately, and will endure hardship for thy sake, 
and devise some means of procuring thee access to him ; for access 
to him is difficult at the present time. 

She then bade me farewell, and departed, and I carried the 
money to my abode, and, counting it, found it to be five thousand 
pieces of gold; and I gave some of it to my family, and to every 
one who had anything in my possession I gave a compensation. 
After this, I took my young men, and repaired to the house from 
which the things had been lost, and brought the carpenters and the 
builders, and they restored it to its former state ; and I placed my 
female slave in it, and forgot what had happened to me. I then 
went to the house of ’Alee the son of Bekkar, and when I arrived 

44 THE STORY OF ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, 

there, his slaves accosted me, and one of them said to me, Ihe 
slaves of our master have been seeking thee night and day, and he 
hath promised them that whosoever of them bringeth thee to him 
he will emancipate him; so they are searching for thee, but know 
not where thou art. Vigour hath returned to my master; but he 
recovereth and relapseth frequently; and when he recovereth, he 
mentioneth thee, and saith, Ye must bring him unto me for a 
moment, and he shall return and go his way.—So I went with the 
young man to his master, aud found him unable to speak; and 
when I beheld him, I seated myself at his head, and he opened his 
eyes, and, seeing me, he wept, and said to me. Thou art welcome. 

I then raised him, and seated him, and pressed him to my bosom; 
and he said to me, Know, O my brother, that since I laid myself 
down I have not sat up until now; and praise be to God for my 
beholding thee!—I continued raising him, says the jeweller, until 
I placed him upon his feet, and made him walk some paces, and 
changed his clothes, and he drank some wine ; and when 1 saw in 
him signs of vigour, I related to him what had happened with the 
slave-girl; no one else hearing me; after which I said to him, 
Brace up thy nerves, for I know what thou sufferest. And he 
smiled, and I said to him, Thou wilt experience nothing but what 
will rejoice thee and cure thee. Then ’Alee the son of Bekkar 
gave orders to bring a repast; and they brought it; and he made a 
sign to his young men, whereupon they dispersed; and he said to 
me, O my brother, hast thou seen what hath befallen us ? And 
he excused himself to me, and asked me how I had been during the 
late period. So I acquainted him with all that had happened to 
me from first to last; and he wondered, and said to the servants, 
Bring me such and such things. And they brought him costly 
furniture, and articles of gold and silver, more than I had lost, and 
gave to me all of them; and I sent them to my house, and remained 
with him the next night. And when the morning broke, he said to 
me, Know that to everything there is an end; and the end of love 
is death or union; and I am nearer unto death: would that I had 
died, then, before that which hath happened to me! Had not 
God been propitious to us, we had been disgraced; and I know 
not what will effect my deliverance from my present state. Were 
it not for my fear of God, I would hasten my own destruction. 

AND SHEMS EN-NAHA'R. 

45 

And know, O my brother, that I am like the bird in the cage, and 
that my life is expiring in consequence of my distresses; but it 
hath a known period, and a decreed end.—And he poured forth 
his tears; and I said to him, 0 my master, know that I purpose 
repairing to my house; for perhaps the slave-girl will return to me 
with news. He replied, There will be no harm in thy doing so; 
but return quickly to acquaint me. 

I therefore took leave of him, and departed to my house; and 
l had scarcely sat down when I beheld the slave-girl approaching, 
weeping and wailing; and I said to her. What is the cause of this ?— 
O my master, she answered, know that an event hath happened to 
us from which we are in fear; for when I went away from thee 
yesterday, I found my mistress incensed against one of the two 
maids who were with us that night, and she gave orders to beat her; 
and she feared her mistress and fled, and one of the officers charged 
to keep the door met her, and took her, and desired to send her 
back to her mistress. But she made a disclosure to him, and he 
coaxed her, and desired her to make known her case, upon which 
she acquainted him with our proceedings; and the news reached 
the Khaleefeh, and immediately he gave orders to remove my 
mistress Shems en-Nahar and all her property to his own palace, 
and appointed twenty eunuchs to guard her. I have not yet 
had an interview with her, nor acquainted her with the cause; but 
I suspect it is on that account, and therefore am in fear for myself, 
and am perplexed, O my master, not knowing what stratagem to 
employ in my affair and hers, and she hath no one more faithful in 
keeping a secret than myself. Go thou, therefore, O my master 
(she continued), to ’Alee the son of Bekkar, quickly, and acquaint 
him with this, in order that he may be prepared; and if the affair 
be exposed, we will contrive some means for our own escape.— 
Upon this, says the jeweller, excessive anxiety overcame me, and 
the universe became dark before my face at the words of the slave- 
girl. She proposed her departure, and I said to her, What is thy 
advice ? It is my advice, she answered, that thou hasten to ’Alee 
the son of Bekkar, if he be thy friend, and thou desire his escape: 
thine be it to communicate this news to him quickly; and be it 
mine to apply myself to learn further news. She then bade me 
farewell, and went forth. 

46 

THE STORY OF ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, 

And when the slave-girl had gone away, I arose and went forth 
after her, and repaired to ’Alee the son of Bekkar. I found him 
holding forth to himself expectations of union, and soothing himself 
with impossibilities; and when he saw that I had returned to him 
quickly, he said to me, I see thee to have come hack to me imme¬ 
diately. I replied, Cease to indulge thine attachment and to 
promise thyself success, and abstain from thus busying thy mind; 
for an event hath occurred that may occasion the loss of thy life and 
thy property. And when he heard these words, his condition became 
changed, and he was agitated, and said, O my brother, acquaint me 
with that which hath happened.—O my master, I replied, know 
that such and such things have happened, and if thou remain in 
this thy house till the close of the day, thou wilt inevitably perish. 
And ’Alee the son of Bekkar was confounded, and his soul almost 
quitted his body, and he exclaimed, Verily to God we belong, and 
verily to Him we return!—and said, What shall I do, O my brother; 
and what is thy advice ? I answered, My advice is, that thou take 
with thee as much of thy property as thou canst, and of thy young 
men such as thou confidest in, and that thou repair with us to 
another country before this day shall have expired. And he said 
to me, I hear and obey. He then arose, perplexed at his case, now 
walking, and now falling down, and took what he could, and made 
an excuse to his family, charging them with such orders as he 
desired, and, taking with him three loaded camels, mounted his horse. 

AND SHEWS EN-NAHA'R. 

47 

I also had done the same, and we went forth privately, and stopped 
not in our journey during the rest of the day and the next night, 
until the close of the night, when we put down our loads, and tied up 
our camels’ feet, and slept; and, being overcome by fatigue, we were 
neglectful of ourselves ; and lo, robbers surrounded us, and took all 
that we had with us, and slew the young men on their attempting to 
defend us. They then left us in our place, in a miserable condition, 
after they had taken away the property ; and when we had arisen, 
we proceeded until morning, and arrived at a town, and, entering it, 
repaired to its mosque, stripped of our clothing. 

We sat in one side of the mosque the remainder of the day, 
and passed the next night in it, without food or drink; and at day¬ 
break we performed the morning-prayers, and sat down again; and 
lo, a man entered, and saluted us, and, after performing the prayers 
of two rek’ahs, looked towards us and said, O men, are ye strangers ? 
We answered, Yes: robbers have intercepted us and stripped us, 
and we entered this town, but know not in it any one with whom to 
lodge. So the man said to us, Will ye arise and accompany me to 
my house ? I said, therefore, to ’Alee the son of Bekkar, Arise 
and let us go with him, and save ourselves from two troubles : the 
first is, that we fear some one may come in to us who knoweth us 
in this mosque, and so we may be disgraced; and the second, that 
we are strangers, and have no place in which to lodge. And ’Alee 
the son of Bekkar replied, Do what thou wilt. The man then said 
to us a second time, O poor men, comply with my desire, and come 
with me to my abode. I therefore replied, We hear and obey. 
And the man took off and gave to us part of his own clothing, and 
clad us, and spoke kindly to us ; and w'e arose and went with him 
to his house ; and he knocked at the door, and there came fortli to 
us a young eunuch, who opened the door ; and the man, the owner 
of the house, entered, and we entered after him. He then gave 
orders to bring a wrapper, containing clothes, and pieces of muslin 
for turbans, and clad us with two suits, and gave us two pieces of 
muslin, and we turbaned ourselves, and sat down; and lo, a slave- 
girl approached us with a table, and placed it before us, and we ate 
a little ; after which, the table was removed, and we remained with 
him until night. 

And ’Alee the son of Bekkar sighed, and said to me, 0 my 

brother, know that I am inevitably perishing, and I desire to give 
thee a charge, which is this : that when thou seest me to have died, 
thou repair to my mother, and acquaint her, that she may come to 
this place for the sake of receiving the visits of condolence for me, 
and be present at the washing of my corpse; and exhort her to 
bear my loss with patience. He then fell down in a fit; and when 
he recovered, he heard a damsel singing at a distance, and reciting 
verses; and he listened to her and heard her voice; one moment 
becoming insensible; and another, recovering; and another, weeping 
in his anguish and grief at that which had befallen him: and he 
heard the damsel sing, with charming modulations, these verses:— 

Separation hath quickly intervened between us, after intimate intercourse and 
friendship and concord. 

The vicissitudes of fortune have disunited us. Would that I knew when 
would be our meeting! 

How bitter is separation after union ! Would that it never gave pain unto 
lovers! 

The strangulation of death is short, and ceaseth; but the disjunction of the 
beloved ever tortureth the heart. 

And as soon as ’Alee the son of Bekkar had heard her song, he 
uttered a groan, and his soul quitted his body. 

Wlien I saw that he was dead, says the jeweller, I gave a charge 
respecting him to the master of the house, and said to him, Know 
that I am going to Baghdad to acquaint his mother and his other 
relations, that they may come to prepare his funeral. I then 
repaired to Baghdad, and entered my house, and changed my 
clothes; after which, I went to the house of ’Alee the son of Bekkar. 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, &c. 49 

And when his young men saw me, they came to me and inquired of 
me respecting him; and I asked them to beg permission for me to 
have an interview with his mother; and she gave me permission. 
So I entered and saluted her, and said, Verily, when God decreeth 
an event, there is no escaping from it; and a soul cannot depart 
but by the permission of God, according to the decree which pre¬ 
scribed! its term. And from these words, the mother of ’Alee the 
son of Bekkar inferred that her son had died; and she wept 
violently, and then said to me, By Allah I conjure thee to tell me: 
hath the soul of my son been taken ? But I could not return her 
an answer, through the excess of my grief: and when she saw me 
in this state, she was suffocated with weeping, and fell upon the 
floor in a fit; and as soon as she recovered, she said, How did it 
happen to my son ? I replied, May God abundantly compensate 
thee for his loss!—and then acquainted her with all that had 
happened to him, from beginning to end. She said, Did he give 
thee any charge ? And I answered her, Yes:—and informed her of 
that with which he had charged me, and said to her, Hasten to 
perform his funeral. But on hearing my words, she fell down again 
in a swoon : and when she recovered, she resolved to do as I had 
charged her. 

I then returned to my house, thinking, on my way, upon the 
charms of his youth; and while I was thus proceeding, lo, a woman 
laid hold upon my hand, and, looking at her, I saw her to be the 
slave-girl who used to come from Shems en-Nahar. Despondency 
had overcome her; and when we recognised each other, we wept 
together until we arrived at the house, when I said to her, Hast 
thou become acquainted with the case of ’Alee the son of Bekkar ? 
She answered, No, by Allah. And I related to her what had hap¬ 
pened to him, and then said to her, And in what state is thy mistress ? 
—The Prince of the Faithful, she answered, would not listen to 
what any one said against her ; in consequence of the violence of 
his love for her ; but regarded all her actions in a favourable light, 
and said to her, O Shems en-Nahar, thou art dear in my estimation, 
and I will endure with thee in spite of thine enemies. He then 
gave orders to furnish a gilded apartment, and an elegant closet; 
and she became in high favour with him in consequence of that 
event. And it happened that he was sitting to take his usual 

VOL. II. 

H 

50 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE THE SON OF BEKKA'R, 

beverage, and the concubines were before him, and he ordered them 
to sit in their places, and seated Shems en-Nahar by his side (but 
her patience had failed, and her disorder had increased); and he 
then commanded one of the female slaves to sing: so she took 
the lute and struck its chords and sang thus:— 

Many a one hath invited me to love, and I have yielded; and tny tears write 
the tale of my transport upon my cheek ; 

As if the drops from the eye were acquainted with our case, and revealed 
what I hid, and hid what I revealed. 

Why, then, desire I secrecy, or the concealment of my love, when the violence 
of my passion for thee sheweth what I feel? 

Death hath become pleasant to me since the loss of those I love; but would 
that I knew what would please them after me! 

And when Shems en-Nahar heard that slave-girl’s song, she was 
unable to keep her seat, and fell down in a fit. The Khaleefeh 
threw down the cup, and drew her towards him, and cried out, and 
the female slaves raised a clamour, and the Prince of the Faithful, 
turning her over, found that she was dead. He lamented for 
her death, and gave orders to break all the kanoons 26 and other 
instruments of music that were there, and removed her corpse to a 
closet, where he remained with it for the rest of the night; 27 and 
when the day broke, he made preparations for her funeral, and 
commanded to wash and shroud and bury her, and mourned for her 
greatly, asking no questions respecting her condition, or her past 
conduct. 

The slave-girl then said, I conjure thee by Allah that thou 
acquaint me with the period when the funeral-procession of ’Alee 
the son of Bekkar is to set forth, and that thou let me be present 
at his burial. So I replied, As for myself, in whatsoever place 
thou desirest, thou slialt find me; but as for thee, who can obtain 
access to thee in the place where thou residest ? She said, how¬ 
ever, The Prince of the Faithful, when Shems en-Nahar died, 
emancipated her female slaves, on the same day, and I am one of 
them, and we are staying at her tomb, in such a place. 28 I therefore 
arose and went with her, and, arriving at the burial-ground, visited 
the tomb of Shems en-Nahar, and then went my way, and remained 
waiting for the funeral-procession of ’Alee the son of Bekkar until 
it arrived, when the people of Baghdad went forth to join it, and I 

AND SHEMS EN-NAHA'R. 

51 

went with them ; and I found the slave-girl among the women, and 
she was the most violent of them in lamentation; and I never wit¬ 
nessed in Baghdad a greater funeral-procession than this. We 
pursued our way, densely crowding together, until we came to his 
tomb, and buried him; and I have not discontinued my visits to his 
tomb, nor to that of Shems en-Nahar. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

Note 1. 

In the first of the Notes to Chapter viii., I have mentioned that the long story 
from which the contents of that chapter are extracted terminates with the hundred 
and forty-fifth Night. It is followed by several moral fables, extending to the end 
of the hundred and fifty-second Night. Two of these I have translated, and here 
insert, as I think them at least worthy of a second-rate place in the present 
collection. The rest are short, and very inferior. 

The Fable of the Peacock and Peahen, the Duck, the Young Lion, the Ass, 
the Horse, the Camel, and the Carpenter, fyc. 

“There was, in ancient times, a peacock who resorted to the sea-side* with his 
mate. This place abounded with savage beasts, and all other wild animals were 
there, but it also abounded with trees and rivers; and the peacock with his mate 
roosted by night in one of those trees, through their fear of the wild beasts, in the 
morning betaking themselves to seek their sustenance. Thus they continued 
until, their fear increasing, they sought another place in which to reside; and 
while they were searching for it, an island appeared before them, with many trees 
and rivers. So they took up their abode in this island, and ate of its fruits, and 
drank of its rivers. And as they were thus living, lo, a duck approached them, 
in a state of great terror, and advanced without stopping until she came to the tree 
upon which was the peacock with his mate; whereupon she felt secure. The 
peacock, therefore, doubted not but that this duck had a wonderful story to tell; 
and he asked her respecting her state, and the reason of her fear. She answered, 
I am sick with grief, and my fear is of the son of Adam. Beware then, beware of 

* The word which I render “ sea” (namely “bahr ”) also signifies "a great river.’ 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

53 

the sons of Adam.—So the peacock said to her, Fear not, now that thou hast come 
unto us. And the duck replied, Praise be to God who hath dispelled my anxiety 
and grief by your vicinity! I have come in the desire of gaining your affection.— 
And when she had uttered these words, the peacock’s mate descended lo her, and 
said to her, Welcome to friendship and ease and amplitude! No evil awaiteth 
thee. And how can the son of Adam obtain access to us when we are in this 
island in the midst of the sea? From the land he cannot reach us, and from the 
sea he cannot come up against us. Rejoice, therefore, at this announcement, 
and tell us what hath befallen thee from the son of Adam. 

“ So the duck said, Know, O peahen, that I have passed all my life in this island 
in safety, and seen nothing disagreeable, till I slept one night, and beheld in my 
sleep the figure of a son of Adam, who conversed with me, and I conversed with 
him. But I heard a speaker say to me, O duck, beware of the son of Adam, and 
be not deceived by his words, nor by his suggestions to thee ; for he aboundeth 
with stratagems and guile. Beware then, be fully aware, of his craftiness ; for he 
is guileful and crafty as the poet hath said of him:— 

With his tongue he will offer thee sweet expressions; but he will elude thee 
like the fox. 

And know that the son of Adam circumventeth the fish, and draweth them out 
from the waters, and shooteth the birds with an earthen bullet,* and entrappeth 
the elephant by his craftiness. No one is secure from the mischief of the son of 
Adam, and neither bird nor wild beast can escape from him. Thus I have 
acquainted thee with that which I have heard respecting the son of Adam.—So 
I awoke from my sleep fearful and terrified; and to the present time my heart 
hath not become dilated, through my fear for myself from the son of Adam, lest 
he surprise me by his artifice, and catch me in his snares. When the close of day 
overtook me, my strength was impaired and my energy failed. 

“ I then felt a desire to eat and drink. I therefore went walking forth, with a 
troubled mind and a contracted heart, and, arriving at yonder mountain, I found, 
at the entrance of a cave, a young lion, of yellow colour. When this young lion 
beheld me, he rejoiced exceedingly at my arrival; my colour and my elegant form 
pleased him, and he called out to me, saying, Draw near to me: and on my 
approaching him he said to me, What is thy name, and what is thy genus ? I 
therefore answered, My name is duck, and I am of the genus of birds. And I 
then said to him, What is the reason of thy sojourning until the present time in 
this place ? The young lion answered, The reason of it is, that my father the lion 
hath been for days cautioning me against the son of Adam ; and it happened that 
I beheld last night in my sleep the figure of a son of Adam. Then the young lion 
related to me the like of that which I have related unto thee ; and when I heard 
his words I said to him, O lion, I have had recourse unto thee that thou mayest 
slay the son of Adam, and be resolved upon his slaughter; for I fear for myself 
extremely from him, and my fear is increased from seeing that thou also fearest 
the son of Adam although thou art Sult&n of the wild heasts.—I ceased not, O 
my sister, to caution the young lion against the son of Adam, and to urge him to 
slay him, until he arose suddenly from the place where he was, and walked forth, 
1 walking behind him; and he lashed his back with his tail. 

* This seems to allude to the cross-how. 

54 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

“ He proceeded, and I behind him, down the road ; and we found a dust raised; 
which subsided, and there appeared in the midst of it a run-away, naked ass, now 
galloping and running, and now rolling on the ground. When the lion beheld 
him he called out to him : so the ass came to him submissively: and the lion said 
to him, O thou animal of infatuated mind, what is thy genus, and what is the 
reason of thy coming unto this place 1 —O son of the Sultdn, answered the ass, as 
to my genus, I am an ass; and the reason of my coming to this place is my flight 
from the son of Adam. So the young lion said, And art thou also afraid of the 
son of Adam that he should kill thee ? The ass answered, No, O son of the 
Sultan ; but my fear is lest he employ a stratagem against me, and ride me; for 
he hath a thing called the pannel,* * * § which he placeth on my back, and a thing 
called the girth, which he draweth round my belly, and a thing called the cruppsr, 
which he insertetli beneath my tail, and a thing called the bit, which he putteth in 
my mouth; and he maketh for me a goad, and goadeth me with it, and he 
requireth me to exert myself beyond my ability in running. When I stumble, he 
curseth me; and when 1 bray, he revileth me. f Afterwards, when I have grown 
old, and can no longer run, he putteth upon me a pack-saddle of wood, and 
committeth me to the water-sellers (sakkas), who load me with water upon my 
back from the river, in goat-skins, and in similar things, such as jars; and I cease 
not to suffer abasement and contempt and fatigue until I die, when they throw me 
upon the mounds of rubbish to the dogs. J What then can be greater than this 
anxiety that I suffer, and what calamity is greater than these calamities that I 
endure ?—Now when I heard, O peahen, the words of the ass, my flesh quaked 
with horror of the son of Adam, and I said to the young lion, O my master, the 
ass is excused, and his words have added to my terror. The young lion then said 
to the ass, Whither art thou going? The ass answered, I saw the son of Adam 
before sunrise at a distance, and I fled from him, and now I desire to depart and 
to run without stopping, from the violence of my fear of him: perhaps I may 
find a place that will afford me an asylum from the perfidious son of Adam. 

“ Now while the ass was conversing with the young lion on this subject, and 
was desirous of bidding us farewell and departing, there appeared unto us a cloud 
of dust; whereupon the ass brayed and cried out, looking in the direction of the 
dust And after a while, the dust dispersed and discovered a black horse, with a 
white spot on his forehead like a dirhem. § This horse, beautiful with the white 

* A kind of stuffed saddle, for asses and mules. 

f The reason of this is, because the ass brays in consequence of his seeing the Devil.—*' The last 
animal that entered with Nooh [or Noah, into the ark] was the ass ; and Iblees (whom God curse 1) 
clung to his tail. The ass had just entered the ark, and began to be agitated, and could not enter 
further into the ark, whereupon Nooh said to him, 4 Enter, Wo to thee!’—But the ass was still agitated, 
and was unable to advance. So Nooh said, 4 Enter, though the Devil be with thee.’ And the ass 
entered, and Iblees (whom God curse!) entered with him. And Nooh said, 4 O enemy of God, who intro¬ 
duced thee into the ark? ’ He answered, 4 Thou: thou saidst unto the ass, Enter, though the Devil be 
with thee.’—So it is said that this is the reason why the ass, when he seeth the Devil, brayeth.” 
(KitAb el-’OnwAn fee MekAid en-NiswAn.) 

J See Note 47 to Chapter ii. 

§ That is, round, and like a silver coin.—The Arabs are much influenced in their estimation of 
horses by what they consider lucky or unlucky colours and marks. The prophet said, 41 The best 
horses are black, with white foreheads, and having a white upper lip: next to these, a black horse 
with white forehead, and three white legs : next to this, a bay horse with these marks."— 44 A bay 
with white forehead, and white fore and hind legs, is best; and a sorrel with white forehead and legs 
is also good.”— 44 Prosperity is with sorrel horses.”— 44 The Prophet judged shikAl [or the having the 
right hind foot and the left fore foot, or the right fore foot and left hind foot, white] to be bad in a 
horse. (MishkAt el-Masabeeh, vol. ii, pp. 252 and 250.) 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

55 

spot on his forehead, handsomely marked with white next the hoof, with becoming 
legs, and neighing, stopped not in his course until he came before the young lion. 
And when the young lion beheld him, he admired him, and said to him, What is 
thy genus, O majestic wild beast, and what is the reason of thy fleeing away into 
this wide and extensive desert.—O lord of the wild beasts, answered the horse, I 
am one of the genus of horses, and the reason of my running away is my flight 
from the son of Adam. And the young lion wondered at the words of the horse, 
and replied, Say not thus, for it is disgraceful to thee. Thou art tall and stout; 
and how then fearest thou the son of Adam, notwithstanding the bulk of thy body, 
and the swiftness of thy running, when I, with the smallness of my body, have 
determined to encounter the son of Adam, to attack him, and eat his flesh, and to 
appease the terror of this poor duck, and establish her securely in her home? Now, 
on thy coming here, thou hast broken my heart by thy words, and deterred me 1 
from that which I desired to do ; seeing that the son of Adam hath overcome thee, 
in spite of thy greatness, and feared not thy height and thy breadth, though, if thou 
kickedst him with thy hoof, thou wouldst kill him, and he could not prevail 
against thee; but thou wouldst make him to drink the cup of perdition.—But 
the horse laughed when he heard the words of the young lion, and said, Far, far 
is it from my power to overcome him, O son of the King! Let not my height nor 
breadth nor my bulk deceive thee with respect to the son of Adam, for, in the 
excess of his artifice and his craftiness he maketh for me a thing called a tethering- 
rope, and putteth to my four feet two tethering-ropes of cords made of the fibres 
of the palm-tree, wound round with felt, and attacheth me by my head to a high 
stake. I remain standing, thus attached, unable to lie down or to sleep. And 
when he desireth to ride me, he maketh for me a thing of iron into which to put 
his feet, called the stirrups, and placeth upon my back a thing called the saddle, 
binding it with two girths under the hollow of my forelegs ; and he putteth in my 
mouth a thing of iron called the bit, affixing to it a strip of leather termed the 
bridle. Then when he rideth on my back, upon the saddle, he taketh hold of the 
bridle and guideth me with it, and striketh me on my flanks with the stirrups 
until he maketh them bleed. * Ask not, O son of the Sultan, what 1 suffer from 
the son of Adam; for when I have grown old and lean, and am unable to run 
fleetly, he selleth me to the miller, to employ me in turning the mill, and I cease 
not to do so night and day, until I become infirm from age, when he selleth me 
to the butcher, who slaughtereth me : he strippeth off my skin and plucketh my 
tail and selleth them to the sieve-makers, and he melteth down my fat. f—And 
when the young lion heard these words of the horse, he became more enraged and 
vexed, and said to him, When didst thou part from the son of Adam ? He 
answered, I parted from him at midday, and he is following my tracks. 

“ And while the young lion was thus talking with the horse, lo, a dust arose, and 
afterwards dispersed, and there appeared in the midst of it a furious camel, 
uttering a gurgling noise, and striking the ground with his feet. Thus he con¬ 
tinued to do until he came up to us; and when the young lion beheld him, great 
and stout, he thought that he was the son of Adam, and was about to spring upon 
him; but I said to him, O son of the Sultan, this is not the son of Adam, but he 
is a camel; and it seemeth that he is fleeing from the son of Adam. And as I 

* The shovel-shaped Arab stirrup is used as a spur. 

t •• To make candles.” (Noteby the sheykh Mohammad 'Eiy&d.) 

56 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

was thus engaged, O my sister, in speaking to the young lion, the camel came 
before the young lion, and saluted him ; and he returned his salutation, and said 
to him, What is the reason of thy coming unto this place? He answered, I have 
come fleeing from the son of Adam.—And thou, said the young lion, with thy 
huge make and height and breadth, how fearest thou the son of Adam, when, if 
thou kickedst him with thy foot, thou wouldst kill him.—O son of the Sultfin, 
answered the camel, Know that the son of Adam hath subtleties not to be sup¬ 
ported, and nothing overcometh him but death; for he puttetlx in my nose a 
string called a nose-ring, * and upon my head he putteth a halter: then he 
committeth me to the least of his children, and the little child draweth me along 
by the string, notwithstanding my great bulk. They load me also with the 
heaviest burdens, and take me with them on long journeys. They employ me in 
difficult labours during the hours of the night and the day; and when I have 
grown old, and have become disabled, my master no longer endureth my society; 
but selleth me to the butcher, who slaughtereth me, and selleth my skin to the 
tanners, and my flesh to the cooks. Ask not, therefore, what I suffer from the 
son of Adam.—The young lion then said to him, At what hour didst thou part 
from the son of Adam? He answered, I parted from him at the hour of sunset; 
and I imagine that, coming to my place after my departure, and finding me not, 
he is on the way to seek me ; therefore suffer me, O son of the Sultdn, to flee into 
the deserts and wastes. But the young lion replied, Wait a little, O camel, that 
thou mayest see how I will tear him, and feed thee with his flesh, and break his 
bones, and drink his blood.—O son of the Sultan, rejoined the camel, I fear for 
thee from the son of Adam; for he is guileful and crafty. And he recited the 
saying of the poet:— 

When the severe alighteth in the land of a people, there is nothing for its 
inhabitants but to depart.f 

“ But as the camel was conversing thus with the young lion, lo, a dust arose, and 
after a while dispersed from around a short and thin old man. On his shoulder 
was a basket containing a set of carpenters’ tools, upon his head was a branch of a 
tree, with eight planks, and he was leading by the hand young children, and 
walking at a brisk pace. He advanced without stopping until he drew near to 
the young lion; and when I beheld him, O my sister, I fell down from the violence 
of my fear. But as to the young lion, he arose and walked forward to him and 
met him; and when he came up to him, the carpenter laughed in his face, and 
said to him with an eloquent tongue, O glorious King, endowed with liberality, 
may Allah make thine evening and thine intention prosperous, and increase thy 
courage and thy power! Protect me from him who hath afflicted me, and by his 
wickedness smitten me; for I have found none to aid me but thee.—Then the 
carpenter stood before the lion, and wept and sighed and lamented. And when 
the young lion heard his weeping and lamenting, he said to him, I will protect 
thee from the object of thy dread. Who then is he who hath oppressed thee, and 
what art thou, O thou wild beast, the like of whom I have never in my life beheld, 

♦ This is generally done to the light camel (or dromedary) used for riding. 

t The Bheykh Mohammad ’Eiydd remarks in a marginal note, that •' it would have been more 
proper to quote here the saying of En-Nahighall [Edh-Dhubyanee] 

■ I have been told that Aboo Kaboos hath threatened me ; and there is no resting within the sound 
of the growling of the lion.’ ” 

Aboo Kihoos " was the surname of Noaman Ibn El-Mundhir Ibn Amri el-Kcys. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

57 

and than whom I have never seen any of more handsome form nor any of more 
eloquent tongue; and what is thy condition?—So the carpenter answered, O lord 
of the wild beasts, as to myself, I am a carpenter; and as to him who hath 
oppressed me, he is a son of Adam, and on the morning after this night he will be 
with thee in this place. And when the young lion heard these words from the 
carpenter, the light became converted into darkness before his face: he growled 
and snorted; his eyes cast forth sparks; and he cried out, saying, By Allah, I 
will remain awake this night until the morning, and will not return to my father 
until I accomplish my desire! Then looking towards the carpenter, he said to 
him, I see thy steps to be short, and I cannot hurt thy feelings; for I am endowed 
with generosity; and 1 imagine that thou canst not keep pace in thy walk with 
the wild beasts: acquaint me, then, whither thou art going The carpenter 
replied, Know that I am going to the Wezeer of thy father, to the lynx; for, 
when it was told him that the son of Adam had trodden this region, he feared 
for himself greatly, and sent to me a messenger from among the wild beasts, that 
I might make for him a house in which he might reside, and find an asylum, and 
that should debar from him his enemy, so that no one of the sons of Adam might 
obtain access to him. Therefore, when the messenger came to me, I took these 
planks and set forth to him. 

“ On hearing these words of the carpenter, the young lion became envious of 
the lynx, and said to him, By my life thou must make for me a house with these 
planks before thou make for the lynx his house; and when thou hast finished my 
work, go to the lynx, and make for him what he desireth. But when the carpenter 
heard what the young lion said, he replied, O lord of the wild beasts, I cannot 
make for thee anything until I have made for the lynx what he desireth: then I 
will come to serve thee, and make for thee a house that shall protect thee from 
thine enemy. The young lion, however, said, By Allah, I will not let thee go 
from this place until thou make for me a house with these planks. He then 
crept and sprang upon the carpenter, desiring to jest with him, and struck him 
with his paw, throwing down the basket from his shoulder. The carpenter fell 
down in a swoon, and the young lion laughed at him, and said, Wo to thee, O 
carpenter! Verily thou art weak, and without strength : so thou art excused for 
thy fearing the son of Adam.—But when the carpenter had fallen down upon his 
back, he became violently enraged. He however concealed this from the young 
lion, through his fear of him; and afterwards, he sat and laughed in face of the 
young lion, saying to him, Well, I will make for thee the house. So he took 
the planks that he had with him, and nailed together the house, making it to suit 
the measure of the young lion, and left its door open; for he made it in the form 

vor.. it 

58 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

of a chest. He made for it a large aperture with a cover pierced with numerous 
holes, and taking forth some new nails, said to the young lion, Enter this house 
by this aperture, that I may arch it over thee. The young lion therefore rejoiced 
at this, and advanced to the aperture; but he saw that it was narrow. The 
carpenter said to him, Enter, and crouch down upon thy four legs. And the lion 
accordingly did so, and entered the chest, but his tail remained outside. He then 
desired to draw back and come forth; but the carpenter said to him, Wait, that I 
may see if it will admit thy tail with thee. So the young lion complied with his 
directions; and the carpenter, having folded the young lion’s tail and stuffed it 
into the chest, placed the cover upon the aperture quickly, and nailed it. The 
young lion cried out, saying, O carpenter, what is this narrow house that thou 
hast made for me ? Let me come forth from it.—But the carpenter replied, Far, 
far be it from thee! Repentance for what hath passed will not avail; for thou 
wilt not come forth from this place.—Then the carpenter laughed, and said to the 
young lion, Thou hast fallen into the cage, and become the basest of wild beasts.— 
O my brother, said the young lion, w’hat is this discourse that thou addressest to 
me.—Know, O dog of the desert, replied the carpenter, that thou hast fallen into 
the snare that thou fearedst: destiny hath overthrown thee, and caution will not 
avail thee.—So when the young lion heard his words, O my sister, he knew that 
he was the son of Adam, against whom his father had cautioned him when he was 
awake, and the invisible speaker in his sleep; and I was convinced that this was 
him without doubt or uncertainty. I therefore feared him greatly for myself, and, 
retiring to a little distance from him, waited to see what he would do with the 
young lion. And I saw, O my sister, the son of Adam dig a trench in that place, 
near the chest in which was the young lion; and he threw him into the trench, 
and threw wood upon him, and burnt him with fire. So my fear, O my sister, 
increased; and for two days I have been fleeing from the son of Adam, in my fear 
of him. 

“ The peahen, when she heard these words from the duck, wondered at them 
extremely, and said, O my sister, thou art now secure from the son of Adam; for 
we are in one of the islands of the sea, to which the son of Adam hath no way of 
access; therefore choose a residence with us until God make easy thy affair and 
ours. The duck replied, I fear that some nocturnal calamity may befall me ; and 
no fugitive slave can detach himself from fate. But the peahen rejoined, Reside 
with us, and be like us. And she continued to urge her until she did so; and she 
said to the peahen, O my sister, thou knowest how little is my patience; and if I 
had not seen thee here, I had not remained. The peahen replied, If anything be 
[written] on our forehead, we must experience its accomplishment; * and when 
our predestined end approacheth, who will deliver us ? A soul departeth not until 
it hath enjoyed the whole of its sustenance and its decreed period.—And while 
they were thus conversing, a cloud of dust approached them; whereupon the duck 
cried out, and descended into the sea, saying, Beware, beware, though there be no 
refuge from destiny ! f The dust was great; but as it subsided, there appeared in 
the midst of it an antelope. So the duck and the peahen felt secure; and the 

* This figurative expression has given rise to a common vulgar belief of the Arabs, that the 
unchangeable destinies of every human being are written upon his skull in what we terra the 
“ sutures.” 

t “ It is proper to be cautious and to flee : otherwise it would he as if one threw oneself into 
destruction.” (Note by the sheykh Mohammad 'Eiyad.) See Kur-.in, chap. ii. verse 191. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

59 

latter said to the duck, O my sister, that which thou fearest is an antelope, and 
see, he hath approached us: no harm will befall us from him; for the antelope 
eateth the herbs which spring from the earth ; and as thou art of the genus of birds, 
he is of the genus of wild beasts: therefore feel secure, and be not anxious; since 
anxiety wasteth the body. And the peahen had not finished her words when the 
antelope came up to them to shade himself beneath the tree; and on beholding 
the peahen and the duck, he saluted them, and said to them, I have entered this 
island to-day, and have seen no place more fruitful than it, nor any more pleasant 
as an abode. He then invited them to keep him company and to treat him with 
sincere friendship; and when the duck and the peahen saw his affection for them, 
they addressed him kindly, and became desirous of his society. They swore to be 
faithful friends, one to another, and they passed the night together, and ate 
together. Thus they continued in safety, eating and drinking, until there passed 
by them a vessel that was wandering from its course in the sea. It anchored near 
them, and the people came forth and dispersed themselves in the island, and, 
seeing the antelope and the peahen and the duck together, they approached them. 
So the antelope fled into the desert, and the peahen soared into the sky; but the 
duck remained infatuated, and they continued to run after her until they captured 
her, when she cried out, saying, Caution is of no avail to me against fate and 
destiny! And they departed with her to their vessel.” 

The antelope and the peahen mourned incessantly for the loss of the duck, and 
concluded that her unhappy end was occasioned by her neglecting to repeat the 
praises of God; for it is the general practice of every thing that God hath created 
to celebrate his praises, * and the neglect of doing so causetli its destruction. 

The Fable of the Fox and the Wolf. 

“ A fox and a wolf inhabited the same den, resorting thither together, and thus 
they remained a long time. But the wolf oppressed the fox; and it so happened 
that the fox counselled the wolf to assume benignity, and to abandon wickedness, 
saying to him, If thou persevere in thine arrogance, probably God will give 
power over thee to a son of Adam ; for he is possessed of stratagems, and artifice, 
and guile: he captureth the birds from the sky, and the fish from the sea, and 
cutteth the mountains and transporteth them; and all this he accomplisheth 
through his stratagems. Betake thyself, therefore, to the practice of equity, 
and relinquish evil and oppression ; for it will be more pleasant to thy taste.—The 

• See Note 30 to the Introduction. 

GO 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

wolf, however, received not his advice; on the contrary, he returned him a rough 
reply, saying to him, Thou hast no right to speak on matters of magnitude and 
importance. He then gave the fox such a blow that he fell down senseless; 
and when he recovered, he smiled in the wolf’s face, apologizing for his shameful 
words, and recited these two verses :— 

If I have been faulty in my affection for you, and committed a deed of a 
shameful nature, 

I repent of my offence, and your clemency will extend to the evil-doer who 
craveth forgiveness. * 

So the wolf accepted his apology, and ceased from ill-treating him, but said to 
him, Speak not of that which concerneth thee not, lest thou hear that which will 
not please thee. The fox replied, I hear and obey. I will abstain from that 
which pleaseth thee not; for the sage hath said, Offer not information on a 
subject respecting which thou art not questioned; and reply not to words when 
thou art not invited; leave what concerneth thee not, to attend to that which 
doth concent thee; and lavish not advice upon the evil, for they will recompense 
thee for it with evil.—And when the wolf heard these words of the fox, he smiled 
in his face ; but he meditated upon employing some artifice against him, and said, 
I must [strive to effect the destruction of this fox. As to the fox, however, he 
bore patiently the injurious conduct of the wolf, saying within himself, Verily, 
insolence and calumny occasion destruction, and betray one into perplexity; for 
it hath been said, He who is insolent suffereth injury, and he who is ignorant 
repenteth, and he who feareth is safe: moderation is one of the qualities of the 
noble, and good manners are the noblest gain. It is advisable to behave with 
dissimulation towards this tyrant, and he will inevitably be overthrown.—He then 
said to the wolf, Verily the Lord pardoneth and becometh propitious unto his 
servant when he hath sinned; and I am a weak slave, and have committed 
a transgression in offering thee advice. Had I foreknown the pain that I have 
suffered from thy blow, I had known that the elephant could not withstand nor 
endure it; but I will not complain of the pain of that blow, on account of the 
happiness that hath resulted unto me from it; for, if it had a severe effect upon 
me, its result was happiness ; and the sage hath said, The beating inflicted by the 
preceptor is at first extremely grievous ; but in the end it is sweeter than clarified 
honey.—So the wolf said, I forgive thine offence, and cancel thy fault; but 
beware of my power, and confess thyself my slave; for thou hast experienced 
my severity unto him who sheweth me hostility. The fox, therefore, prostrated 
himself before him, saying to him, May God prolong thy life, and mayest thou 
not cease to subdue him who oppose* thee! And he continued to fear the wolf, 
and to dissemble towards him. 

“ After this, the fox went one day to a vineyard, and saw in its wall a breach ; 
but he suspected it, saying within himself, There must be some cause for this 
breach; and it hath been said, Whoso seeth a hole in the ground, and doth not 
shun it, and be cautious of advancing to it boldly, exposeth himself to danger and 
destruction. It is well known that some men make a figure of the fox in the 

• This couplet, slightly varied, occurs again, in the story- of the Prince Kamar ez-Zemin and the 
Princess Budoor. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

61 

vineyard, and even put before it grapes in plates, in order that a fox may see 
it, and advance to it, and fall into destruction. Verily I regard this breach as a 
snare ; and it hath been said, Caution is the half of cleverness. Caution requireth 
me to examine this breach, and to see if I can find there any thing that may 
lead to perdition. Covetousness doth not induce me to throw myself into destruc¬ 
tion. — He then approached it, and, going round about examining it warily, 
beheld it; and lo, there was a deep pit, which the owner of the vineyard had 
dug to catch in it the wild beasts that despoiled the vines; and he observed over 
it a slight covering. So he drew back from it, and said, Praise be to God that I 
regarded it with caution! I hope that my enemy, the wolf, who hath made my 
life miserable, may fall into it; so that I alone may enjoy absolute power over the 
vineyard, and live in it securely ! Then, shaking his head, and uttering a loud 
laugh, he merrily sang these verses :— 

Would that I beheld at the present moment in this well a wolf 

Who hath long afflicted my heart, and made me drink bitterness perforce ! 

Would that my life may be spared, and that the wolf may meet his death ! 

Then the vineyard will be free from his presence, and I shall find in it 
my spoil. 

Having finished his song, he hurried away until he came to the wolf, when he 
said to him, Verily God hath smoothed for thee the way to the vineyard without 
fatigue. This hath happened through thy good fortune. Mayest thou enjoy, 
therefore, that to which God hath granted thee access, in smoothing thy way to 
that plunder and that abundant sustenance without any difficulty !—So the wolf 
said to the fox, What is the proof of that which thou hast declared ? The fox 
answered, I went to the vineyard, and found that its owner had died; and I 
entered the garden, and beheld the fruits shining upon the trees. 

“ So the wolf doubted not the words of the fox, and in his eagerness he arose 
and went to the breach. His cupidity had deceived him with vain hopes, and 
the fox stopped and fell down behind him as one dead, applying this verse as a 
proverb suited to the case :— 

Dost thou covet an interview with Leyla? * It is covetousness that causeth 
the loss of men’s heads. 

And when the wolf came to the breach, the fox said to him, Enter the vineyard; 
for thou art spared the trouble of breaking down the wall of the garden, and it 

• “ Leyla ” is a common proper-name of women. 

62 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

remaineth for God to complete the benefit. So the wolf walked forward, desiring 
to enter the vineyard, and when he came to the middle of the covering of the 
hole, he fell into it; whereupon the fox was violently excited by happiness and 
joy; his anxiety and grief ceased, and, in merry tones, he sang these verses:— 

Fortune hath compassionated my case, and felt pity for the length of my 
torment, 

And granted me what I desired, and removed that which I dreaded. 

I will therefore forgive its offences committed in former times ; 

Even the injustice it hath shewn in the turning of my hair gray. 

There is no escape for the wolf from utter annihilation ; 

And the vineyard is for me alone, and I have no stupid partner. 

He then looked into the pit, and beheld the wolf weeping in his repentance and 
sorrow for himself, and the fox wept with him. So the wolf raised his head towards 
him, and said, Is it from thy compassion for me that thou hast wept, O Abu-l- 
Hoseyn?*— No, answered the fox; by Him who cast thee into this pit; but 
I wept for the length of thy past life, and in my regret at thy not having fallen 
into this pit before the present day. Hadst thou fallen into it before I met 
with thee, I had experienced refreshment and ease. But thou hast been spared 
to the expiration of thy decreed term and known period.—The wolf, however, 
said to him, Go, O evil-doer, to my mother, and acquaint her with that which 
hath happened to me : perhaps she will contrive some means for my deliverance. 
But the fox replied, The excess of thy covetousness and eager desire have 
entrapped thee into destruction, since thou hast fallen into a pit from which thou 
wilt never be saved. Knowest thou not, O ignorant wolf, that the author of 
the proverb saith, He who thinketh not of results will not be secure from perils? 
—O Abu-l-Hoseyn, rejoined the wolf, thou wast wont to manifest an affection 
for me, and to desire my friendship, and fear the greatness of my power. Be 
not, then, rancorous towards me for that which I have done unto thee; for he 
who hath one in his power and yet forgiveth will receive a recompense from God; 
and the poet hath said:— 

Sow good, even on an unworthy soil; for it will not be fruitless wherever 
it is sown. 

Verily, good, though it remain long buried, none will reap but him who 
sowed it. 

—O most ignorant of the beasts of prey, said the fox, and most stupid of the 
wild beasts of the regions of the earth, hast thou forgotten thy haughtiness and 
insolence and pride, and thy disregarding the rights of companionship, and thy 
refusing to be advised by the saying of the poet ?— 

Tyrannize not, if thou hast the power to do so; for the tyrannical is in 
danger of revenges. 

Thine eye will sleep while the oppressed, wakeful, will call down curses on 
thee, and God’s eye sleepeth not. 

• “ Abu-l-Hoseyn" is a surname commonly given to the fox; and in some parts, an appellation 
always given to that animal instead of “ thaalab,” which is applied to the jackal; but I believe that 
these two animals are often mistaken, one for the other. It signifies “ Father (L e. occupant) of the 
little fortress.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

63 

—O Abu-1-Hoseyn, exclaimed the wolf, be not angry with me for my former 
offences ; for forgiveness is required of the generous, and kind conduct is among 
the best means of enriching oneself. How excellent is the saying of the poet!— 

Haste to do good when thou art able; for at every season thou hast not the 
power. 

“ He continued to abase himself to the fox, and said to him, Perhaps thou 
canst find some means of delivering me from destruction. But the fox replied, 
O artful, guileful, treacherous wolf, hope not for deliverance ; for this is the 
recompense of thy base conduct, and a just retaliation. Then shaking his jaws 
with laughing, he recited these two verses:— 

No longer attempt to beguile me; for thou wilt not attain thine object. 

What thou seekest from me is impossible. Thou hast sown, and reap then, 
vexation. 

—O gentle one among the beasts of prey, resumed the wolf, thou art in my 
estimation more faithful than to leave me in this pit! He then shed tears, and 
repeated this couplet:— 

O thou whose favours to me have been many, and whose gifts have been 
more than can be numbered ! 

No misfortune hath ever yet befallen me but I have found thee ready to aid 
me in it. 

The fox replied, O stupid enemy, how art thou reduced to humility and submis¬ 
siveness, and abjection and obsequiousness, after thy disdain and pride, and tyranny 
and haughtiness! I kept company with thee through fear of thine oppression, 
and flattered thee without a hope of conciliating thy kindness; but now, terror 
hath affected thee, and punishment hath overtaken thee.—And he recited these 
two verses :— 

O thou who seekest to beguile, thou hast fallen in thy base intention. 

Taste, then, the pain of shameful calamity, and be with other wolves cut off. 

—The wolf still entreated him, saying, O gentle one, speak not with the tongue 
of enmity, nor look with its eye; but fulfil the covenant of fellowship with me 
before the time for discovering a remedy shall have passed. Arise and procure 
for me a rope, and tie one end of it to a tree, and let down to me its other end, 
that I may lay hold of it. Perhaps I may so escape from my present predicament, 
and I will give thee all the treasures that I possess.—The fox, however, replied, 
Thou hast prolonged a conversation that will not procure thy liberation. Hope 
not, therefore, for thine escape through my means; but reflect upon thy former 
wicked conduct, and the perfidy and artifice which thou thoughtest to employ 
against me, and how near thou art to being stoned. Know that thy soul is about 
to quit the world, and to perish and depart from it: then wilt thou be reduced to 
destruction; and an evil abode is it to which thou goest!—O Abu-l-Hoseyn, 
rejoined the wolf, be ready in returning to friendship, and be not so rancorous. 
Know that he who delivereth a soul from destruction hath saved it alive, and he 

64 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

who saveth a soul alive is as if he had saved the lives of all mankind.* Follow 
not a course of evil; for the wise abhor it; and there is no evil more manifest 
than my being in this pit, drinking the suffocating pains of death, and looking 
upon destruction, when thou art able to deliver me from the misery into which 
I have fallen.—But the fox exclaimed, O thou barbarous, hard-hearted wretch! I 
compare thee, with respect to the fairness of thy professions and the baseness 
of thine intention, to the falcon with the partridge.—And what, asked the wolf, 
is the story of the falcon and the partridge ? 

“ The fox answered, I entered a vineyard one day to eat of its grapes, and 
while I was there, I beheld a falcon pounce upon a partridge ; but when he had 
captured him, the partridge escaped from him and entered his nest, and concealed 
himself in it; whereupon the falcon followed him, calling out to him, O idiot, I saw 
thee in the desert hungry, and, feeling compassion for thee, I gathered for thee 
some grain, and took hold of thee that thou mightest eat; but thou fleddest from me, 
and I see no reason for thy flight unless it be to mortify. Shew thyself, then, 
and take the grain that I have brought thee, and eat it, and may it be light and 
wholesome to thee.—So when the partridge heard these words of the falcon, he 
believed him and came forth to him; and the falcon stuck his talons into him, 
and got possession of him. The partridge, therefore, said to him, Is this that 
of which thou saidst that thou hadst brought it for me from the desert, and of 
which thou saidst to me, Eat it, and may it be light and wholesome to thee ? 
Thou hast lied unto me ; and may God make that which thou eatest of my 
flesh to be a mortal poison in thy stomach.—And when he had eaten it, his 
feathers fell off, and his strength failed, and he forthwith died. 

“ The fox then continued, Know, O wolf, that he who diggeth a pit for his 
brother, soon falleth into it himself; and thou behavedst with perfidy to me first. 

Cease, replied the wolf, from addressing me with this discourse, and pro¬ 
pounding fables, and mention not unto me my former base actions. It is 
enough for me to be in this miserable state, since I have fallen into a calamity 
for which the enemy would pity me; much more the true friend. Consider some 
stratagem by means of which I may save myself, and so assist me. If the doing 
this occasion thee trouble, thou knowest that the true friend endureth for his 
own true friend the severest labour, and will suffer destruction in obtaining the 
means of his deliverance; and it hath been said, An affectionate friend is better 
than an own brother. If thou procure means for my escape, I will collect for 
thee such things as shall be a store for thee against the time of want, and then 
I will teach thee extraordinary stratagems by which thou shalt make the plenteous 
vineyards accessible, and shalt strip the fruitful trees: so be happy and cheerful.— 

These words, “and he who saveth,” &c. are from the Kur-Sn, chap. v. v. 35. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

65 

But the fox said, laughing as he spoke, How excellent is that which the learned 
have said of him who is excessively ignorant like thee. — And what have the 
learned said? asked the wolf. The fox answered, The learned have observed, 
that the rude in body and in disposition is far from intelligence, and nigh unto 
ignorance ; for thine assertion, O perfidious idiot, that the true friend undergoeth 
trouble for the deliverance of his own true friend, is just, as thou hast said ; but 
acquaint me with thine ignorance, and thy paucity of sense, how I should bear 
sincere friendship towards thee with thy treachery. Hast thou considered me a 
true friend unto thee, when I am an enemy who rejoiceth in thy misfortune ? 
These words are more severe than the piercing of arrows, if thou understand. 
And as to thy saying that thou wilt give me such things as will be a store for me 
against the time of want, and wilt teach me stratagems by which I shall obtain 
access to the plenteous vineyards, and strip the fruitful trees—how is it, O 
guileful traitor, that thou knowest not a stratagem by means of which to save 
thyself from destruction ? How far, then, art thou from profiting thyself, and 
how far am I from receiving thine advice! I f thou know of stratagems, employ 
them to save thyself from this predicament, from which I pray God to make thine 
escape far distant. See then, O idiot, if thou know any stratagem, and save 
thyself by its means from slaughter, before thou lavish instruction upon another. 
But thou art like a man whom a disease attacked, and to whom there came a 
man suffering from the same disease to cure him, saying to him, Shall I cure thee 
of thy disease? The first man therefore said to the other, Why hast thou not 
begun by curing thyself? So he left him and went his way.—And thou, O wolf, 
art in the same case. Remain then in thy place, and endure that which hath 
befallen thee. 

“ Now when the wolf heard these words of the fox, he knew that he had 
no kindly feeling for him ; so he wept for himself, and said, I have been careless 
of myself; but if God deliver me from this affliction, I will assuredly repent 
of my overbearing conduct unto him who is weaker than I; and I will certainly 
wear wool,* and ascend the mountains, commemorating the praises of God (whose 
name be exalted!), and fearing his punishment; and I will separate myself from 
all the other wild beasts, and verily I will feed the warriours in defence of the 
religion, and the poor.—Then he wept and lamented. And thereupon the heart 
of the fox w r as moved with tenderness for him. On hearing his humble expres¬ 
sions, and the words which indicated his repenting of arrogance and pride, he 
was affected with compassion for him, and, leaping with joy, placed himself at the 
brink of the pit, and sat upon his hind legs, and hung down his tail into the 
cavity. And upon this, the wolf arose, and stretched forth his paw towards the 
fox’s tail, and pulled him down to him : so the fox was with him in the pit. The 
wolf then said to him, O fox of little compassion, wherefore didst thou rejoice 
in my misfortune ? Now thou hast become my companion, and in my power. 
Thou hast fallen into the pit with me, and punishment hath quickly overtaken 
thee. The sages have said, If any one of you reproach his brother for deriving 
his nourishment from miserable means, he shall experience the same necessity:— 
and how excellent is the saying of the poet!— 

• I will wear wool, which ia the distinguishing costume of the Soofees and Welees. (Marginal note 
by the sheykh Mohammad ’EiySd.) It is a common custom of the religious devotees among the Muslims 
to wear woollen garments. 

voi.. II. 

a 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

66 

When fortune throweth itself heavily upon some, and encampeth by (lie 
side of others, 

Say to those who rejoice over us, Awake : the rejoicers over us shall suffer 
as we have done. 

I must now, he continued, hasten thy slaughter, before thou behold mine. So 
the fox said within himself, I have fallen into the snare with this tyrant, and my 
present case requireth the employment of artifice and frauds. It hath been said, 
that the woman maketh her ornaments for the day of festivity; and, in a proverb, 

I have not reserved thee, O my tear, but for the time of my difficulty : -and 
if I employ not some stratagem in the affair of this tyrannical wild beast, I perish 
inevitably. How good is the saying of the poet!— 

Support thyself by guile ; for thou livest in an age whose sons are like the 
lions of a forest; 

And brandish around the spear of artifice, that the mill of subsistence may 
revolve ; 

And pluck the fruits; or if they be beyond thy reach, then content thyself 
with herbage. 

“ lie then said to the wolf, Hasten not to kill me, lest thou repent, O 
courageous wild beast, endow r ed with might and excessive fortitude. If thou 
delay, and consider what I am about to tell thee, thou wilt know the desire that 
1 formed; and if thou hasten to kill me, there will be no profit to thee in thy 
doing so ; but we shall die here together. So the wolf said, O thou wily deceiver, 
how is it that thou hopest to effect my safety and thine own, that thou askest 
me to give thee a delay ? Acquaint me with the desire that thou formedst.—The 
fox replied, As to the desire that I formed, it was such as requireth thee 
to recompense me for it well; since, when I heard thy promises, and thy con¬ 
fession of thy past conduct, and thy regret at not having before repented, and 
done good, and when I heard thy vows to abstain from injurious conduct to 
thy companions and others, and to relinquish the eating of the grapes and all 
other fruits, and to impose upon thyself the obligation of humility, and clipping 
thy claws, and breaking thy dog-teeth, and to wear wool, and offer sacrifice to 
God (whose name be exalted!), if He delivered thee from thy present state, 

1 was affected with compassion for thee, though I was before longing for thy 
destruction. So when I heard thy profession of repentance, and what thou 
vowedst to do if God delivered thee, I felt constrained to save thee from thy 
present predicament. I therefore hung down my tail that thou mightest catch 
hold of it and make thine escape. But thou wouldst not relinquish thy habit of 
severity and violence, nor desire escape and safety for thyself by gentleness. 
On the contrary, thou pulledst me in such a manner that I thought my soul 
had departed: so I became a companion with thee in the abode of destruction 
and death; and nothing will effect the escape of myself and thee but one plan. 
If thou approve of this plan that I have to propose, we shall both save ourselves ; 
and after that, it will be incumbent on thee to fulfil that which thou hast vowed 
to do, and I will be thy companion.—So the wolf said, And what is thy proposal 
that I am to accept? The fox answered. That thou raise thyself upright; then 
I will place myself upon thy head, that I may approach the surface of the earth, 
and when I am upon its surface I will go forth and bring thee something of which 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

67 

to take hold, and after that thou wilt deliver thyself. But the wolf replied, I 
put no confidence in thy words ; for the sages have said, He who confideth when 
he should hate, is in error:—and it hath been said, He who confideth in the 
faithless is deceived, and he who maketh trial of the trier will repent, and he who 
distinguisheth not between circumstances, and attributeth to each its proper 
success, but regardeth all circumstances alike, his fortune will be small, and his 
calamities will be many. How excellent also is the saying of the poet!— 

Let not your opinion be otherwise than evil; for ill opinion is among the 
strongest of intellectual qualities. 

Nothing casteth a man into a place of danger like the practice of good, and 
a fair opinion. 

And the saying of another:— 

Always hold an evil opinion, and so be safe. Whoso liveth vigilantly, his 
calamities will be few. 

Meet the enemy with a smiling and an open face; but raise for him an army 
in the heart to combat him. 

And that of another:* 

The most bitter of thine enemies is the nearest whom thou trustest in: 
beware then of men, and associate with them wilily. 

Thy favourable opinion of fortune is a weakness : think evil of it, therefore, 
and regard it with apprehension. 

— Verily, rejoined the fox, an evil opinion is not commendable in every case ; but 
a fair opinion is among the characteristics of excellence, and its result is escape 
from terrors. It is befitting, O wolf, that thou employ some stratagem for thine 
escape from thy present predicament; and it will be better for us both to escape 
than to die. Relinquish, therefore, thine evil opinion and thy malevolence; for if 
thou think favourably of me, I shall not fail to do one of two things: either I 
shall bring thee something of which to lay hold, and thou wilt escape from thy 
present situation, or I shall act perfidiously towards thee, and save myself and 
leave thee ; but this is a thing that cannot be; for I am not secure from meeting 
with some such affliction as that which thou hast met with, and that would be the 
punishment of perfidy. It hath been said in a proverb, Fidelity is good, and 
perfidy is base. It is fit, then, that thou trust in me ; for I have not been ignorant 
of misfortunes. Delay not, therefore, to contrive our escape ; for the affair is too 
strait for thee to prolong thy discourse upon it. 

“ The wolf then said, Verily, notwithstanding my little confidence in thy 
fidelity, I knew what was in thy heart, that thou desiredst my deliverance when 
thou wast convinced of my repentance; and I said within myself, If he be 
veracious in that which he asserteth, he hath made amends for his wickedness; 
and if he be false, he will be recompensed by his Lord. So now I accept thy 
proposal to me ; and if thou act perfidiously towards me, thy perfidy will be the 
means of thy destruction.—Then the wolf raised himself upright in the pit, and 
took the fox upon his shoulders, so that his head reached the surface of the 
ground. The fox thereupon sprang from the wolfs shoulders, and found himself 

* EpTughrfiee, the author of the * Ldmeeyet el.’Ajam.” (Marginal note by the sheykh Mohammad 
’Eiydd.) 

68 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

upon the face of the earth, when he fell down senseless. The wolf now said 
to him, O my friend, forget not my case, nor delay my deliverance. 

“ The fox, however, uttered a loud laugh, and replied, O thou deceived; it 
was nothing but my jesting with thee and deriding thee that entrapped me into 
thy power; for when I heard thy profession of repentance, joy excited me, and 
I was moved with delight, and danced, and my tail hung down into the pit ; 
so thou pulledst me, and I fell down to thee. Then God (whose name be exalted!) 
delivered me from thy band. Wherefore, then, should I not aid in thy destruc¬ 
tion, when thou art of the associates of the devil ? Know that I dreamt yesterday 
that I was dancing at thy wedding, and I related the dream to an interpreter, 
who said to me, Thou wilt fall into a frightful danger, and escape from it. So 
I knew that my falling into thy power and my escape was the interpretation of 
my dream. Thou too knowest, O deceived idiot, that I am thine enemy. How 
then dost thou hope, with thy little sense and thine ignorance, that I will deliver 
thee, when thou hast heard what rude language I used? And how shall I 
endeavour to deliver thee, when the learned have said, that by' the death of the 
sinner are produced ease to mankind and purgation of the earth. Did I not fear 
that I should suffer, by fidelity to thee, such affliction as would be greater than 
that which may result from perfidy, I would consider upon means for thy deli¬ 
verance.—So when the wolf heard the words of the fox, he bit his paw in 
repentance." He then spoke softly to him ; but obtained nothing thereby'. With 
a low voice he said to him, Verily, you tribe of foxes are the sweetest of people 
in tongue, and the most pleasant in jesting; and this is jesting in thee ; but every 
time is not convenient for sport and joking.—O idiot, replied the fox, jesting hath 
a limit which its employer transgresseth not. Think not that God will give thee 
possession of me after He hath delivered me from thy power.—The wolf then said 
to him, Thou art one in whom it is proper to desire my liberation, on account 
of the former brotherhood and friendship that subsisted between us ; and if thou 
deliver me, I will certainly recompense thee well. But the fox replied, The sages 
have said, Take not as thy brother the ignorant and wicked; for he will disgrace 
thee, and not honour thee : and take not as thy brother the liar; for if good 
proceed from thee he will hide it, and if evil proceed from thee he will publish 
it. And the sages have said, For everything there is a stratagem, excepting 
death: and everything may be rectified excepting the corruption of the very 
essence; and everything may be repelled excepting destiny. And as to the 
recompense which thou assertest that I deserve it of thee, I compare thee, 
in thy recompensing, to the serpent fleeing from the Hawee,f when a man saw 
her in a state of terror, and said to her, What is the matter with thee, O serpent ? 
She answered, I have fled from the Hawee; for he seeketh me ; and if thou 
deliver me from him, and conceal me with thee, I will recompense thee well and 
do thee every kindness. So the man took her, to obtain the reward, and eager 
for the recompense, and put her into his pocket; and when the Hawee had 
passed and gone his way, and what she feared had quitted her, the man said 
to her, Where is the recompense ; for I have saved thee from that which thou 

* “ Biting one’s hand" is a common expression of the Arabs, similar to ours of “ biting one’s lip.” 
The action denoted by the former expression I have witnessed on more than one occasion. A friend of 
mine in Cairo had a frequent habit of doing thus in Jest. 

t The Hdwee is a performer of sleight-of-hand tricks, and various feats with serpents, Ac., which 
J have described in my work on the Modem Egyptians, vol. ii. chapter vii. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

G9 

fearedst and dreadedst? But the serpent answered him, Tell me in what member 
I shall bite thee; for thou knowest that we exceed not this recompense. She 
then inflicted upon him a bite from which he died.-—And thee, O idiot, continued 
the fox, I compare to that serpent with that man. Hast thou not heard the 
saying of the poet?— 

Trust not a person in whose heart thou hast made anger to dwell; nor 
think his anger hath ceased. 

Verily, the vipers, though smooth to the touch, shew graceful motions, and 
hide mortal poison. 

—O eloquent and comely-faced animal, rejoined the wolf, be not ignorant of my 
condition, and of the fear with which mankind regard me. Thou knowest that 
I assault the strong places, and strip the vines. Do, therefore, what I have 
commanded thee, and attend to me as the slave attendeth to his master.—O 
ignorant idiot, who seekest what is vain, exclaimed the fox, verily I wonder at thy 
stupidity, and at the roughness of thy manner, in thine ordering me to serve thee 
and to stand before thee as though I were thy slave. But thou shalt soon see 
what will befall thee, by the splitting of thy head with stones, and the breaking 
of thy treacherous dog-teeth. 

“ The fox then stationed himself upon a mound overlooking the vineyard, 
and cried out incessantly to the people of the vineyard until they perceived him 
and came quickly to him. He remained steady before them until they drew 
near unto him and unto the pit in which was the wolf, and then fled. So the 
owners of the vineyard looked into the pit, and when they beheld the wolf in it, 
they instantly pelted him with heavy stones, and continued throwing stones and 
pieces of wood upon him, and piercing him with the points of spears, until they 
killed him, when they departed. Then the fox returned to the pit, and, standing 
over the place of the wolf's slaughter, saw him dead; whereupon he shook his 
head in the excess of his joy, and recited these verses :— 

Fate removed the wolfs soul, and it was snatched away. Far distant [from 
happiness] be his soul that hath perished ! 

How long hast thou striven, Aboo Sirh&n,* to destroy me ! But now have 
burning calamities befallen thee. 

Thou hast fallen into a pit into which none shall descend without finding 
in it the blasts of death. 

—After this, the fox remained in the vineyard, alone and in security, fearing no 
mischief.” 

• This is an appellation of the wolf. 

70 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

Note 2. 

In several copies, and perhaps in most, this person is called an “ ’Attir," which 
appellation is generally given not merely to a seller of essences, but to a druggist 
and perfumer. 

Note 3. 

The word which I here render “ Persians" (namely “ ’Ajam”) is applied to 
any and all people who are not Arabs; but often to the Persians in particular; 
and this seems to be here required by the subsequent expression of the King of the 
'Ajam. Here I may also remark, that the phrase “of the sons of the Kings,” &c., 
is often used to signify “of the descendants of the Kings,” &c.; and that it would 
have been more consistent to have employed this phrase, as applied to ’Alee the 
son of Bekkar, in a later passage, instead of “son of the King;” for he is 
not distinguished in the story as a Prince. 

Note 4. —On the Custom of frequenting Shops for the sake of Amusement. 

It is perfectly consistent with Arab manners and customs, as existing in the 
present day and as exhibited in histories, to describe Abu-l-Hasan as keeping 
company with the Khaleefeh, and ’Alee the son of Bekk&r as being in the habit 
of sitting at Abu-l-Hasan’s shop. Among the Muslims in general, trade is far 
more honourable than it is in the estimation of a large proportion of the inde¬ 
pendent classes in this country ; so much so, that it is regarded by the former as 
disgraceful in a man, however high his rank, or great his wealth, not to be able, 
by some occupation, as the profession of arms or of literature or science, or by 
some trade or art, to procure his subsistence in case of necessity: therefore the 
pursuit of trade excludes no man of good breeding among them from the society 
of his superiors in rank. But the free intercourse of different ranks of Muslims 
is further and very greatly promoted by the law of the separation of the sexes ; 
persons being thus enabled to associate with each other, regardless of difference of 
wealth or station, without the risk of occasioning unequal matrimonial connections: 
so this law, being felt by neither sex as oppressive, is productive of results which 
constitute the Muslim’s chief enjoyments,—the highest degree of domestic comfort, 
and the most free and extensive society with his fellow-men. Thus it is with both 
sexes ; and neither would give up the pleasure that they hence derive for a different 
system of society, somewhat extending their domestic intercourse, but often 
destroying the pleasures of home, and contracting into a compass comparatively 
narrow the fellowship which they enjoy abroad. 

The Arabs in general seldom give entertainments excepting on particular 
occasions, such as that of a marriage, or a circumcision; and hence, as well as for 
the reasons above stated, a shop is often frequented for the purpose of passing time 
in agreeable conversation. For women to do this, in the present day, is not 
considered decent; but they have their places of resort as well as the other sex : 
with them, a visit to the bath is a much longer and more social affair than it is 
with the men : and there they indulge in free conversation with strangers of their 
own sex. In their visits to their friends and relations, also, they have an advantage 
over the men; for not only are these visits frequent, but all the female inmates of 
a house generally accompany the mistress, the stay is often prolonged from an 
early hour until near sunset, and the guests are liberally and merrily entertained.— 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

71 

But I must return to the shop.—Would that I could now do 'so for a few hours in 
reality! for much of the pleasure and much of the profit that I derived while living 
in Cairo was obtained at the shops of persons with whom I was acquainted, and at 
those of strangers. The reader of the present work has a sufficient notion of the 
general construction of Arab shops to see that a person seated on the mastabah 
may enjoy at the same time conversation with the owner, and perhaps with other 
visitors, and a close and unobstructed view of whatever is passing in the street. I 
regret that I did not often adopt the proper means of preserving a complete 
recollection of what I heard and witnessed at places of this kind: had I done so, 
I might here offer to the reader something more entertaining than the following 
extract from a journal in which I sometimes, when in an idle mood, wrote the 
occurrences of the day, during my last visit to Egypt. 

Oct. 27th, (1834).—I generally pay a visit to the shop of the Basha’s book¬ 
sellers (two persons employed to sell the books which are printed at the govern¬ 
ment-press) on the mornings of Monday and Thursday, when auction-markets are 
held in the street where the shop is situated, and in the neighbouring mart called 
Khan El-Khaleelee (the chief Turkish baz&r), occasioning the street to be much 
crowded, and to present an amusing scene; but I am often more amused with the 
persons who frequent the shop where I take my seat. I found there, to-day, an 
old man, a celebrated character, whose name I must not mention: he had been 
possessed of large property ; but the greater part of it had been confiscated ;* he, 
however, had contrived to hide much of his wealth, and has since employed friends 
to trade with it privately; so that he has still a large income ; one third of which 
he always gives to the poor!—The elder of the two booksellers was relating his 
having just purchased a house. There lived next door to him, he said, a fikee, * 
a member of the Azhar, and of some repute, to whom belonged fourteen keerdts 
(or twenty-fourth parts) of the house in which he (the fikee) lodged: the other 
ten keerdts of this house were the property of a tailor. The bookseller’s house 
was entered, from the roof, and plundered, three times, of wheat, butter, &c.; and 
the fikee was accused by him of having committed these thefts, and confessed 
that he had; urging, in palliation, that he had only taken his food. The book¬ 
seller caused him to be imprisoned in the citadel; and, after he had been confined 
there many days, offered to procure his liberation if he would sell to him his share 
of the house. This was done : it was sold for six purses and a half, f The book¬ 
seller then desired to possess himself of the tailor’s share, and proposed to him to 
repair or separate or sell; for the house was in a very dilapidated state; but he refused 
to comply with any one of these requisitions: he was therefore summoned to the 
court of the K&dee, and compelled to sell his share; for which he demanded five 
purses. Having received this sum of money, he met, on his way home, a friend, 
whom he told what he had done. “ O fool! ” said the friend: “ thou mightest 
have asked ten purses, and it would have been given.” And the tailor no sooner 
heard these words than he threw down the purse in the middle of the street, 
kicked off his shoes, and for several minutes continued slapping his face, and cry¬ 
ing out, like a woman, “ O my sorrow! ” He then snatched up the purse, and ran 
away with it, crying in the same manner all the way, and leaving his friend to 

* This is the common appellation of a person of the inferior class of professors of religion and law. 

t A purse is the sum of five hundred piasters : it was then (and I believe is still) equivalent exactly 
to five pounds sterling. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

follow him with his shoes.— Soon after the bookseller had told this story, there 
joined us a Persian darweesh, whom I had often met there before, and a fat, 
merry-looking, red-faced man, loaded with ragged clothing, shewing the edge of a 
curly head of hair below his turban, and carrying a long staff. Everybody at 
the shop, excepting myself, kissed his hand: he offered his hand to me, and, after 
taking it, I kissed my own; and he did the like. I was informed that he was a 
celebrated welee, or saint. lie took snuff, smoked from my pipe, and had a con¬ 
stant smile upon his countenance; though he seldom spoke: almost the only 
words that he uttered were a warm commendation of an answer which I gave to 
the Persian: on his (the Persian's) asking me why I had not already departed 
from Cairo, as I had intended, I said that the servant of God was passive, and 
not elective; and this sentiment, though common, seemed much to please the 
welee: he repeated it with emphasis.— There next joined us a man of a very 
respectable and intelligent appearance, applying fora copy of the sheykh Kifa'ah's 
account of his visit to France, lately printed at Boolak. Asking what were the 
general contents of this book, a person present answered him, that the author 
relates his voyage from Alexandria to Marseilles; how he got drunk on board the 
ship, and was tied to the mast and flogged; that he ate pork in the land of 
infidelity and obstinacy, and that it is a most excellent meat; how he was delighted 
with the French girls, and how superior they are in charms to the women of 
Egypt; and, having qualified himself, by every accomplishment, for an eminent 
place in Hell, returned to his native country. This was an ironical quizz on the 
sheykh Rifa’ah, for his strict, conscientious adherence to the precepts of El- 
Islam during his voyage, and his residence in France. The applicant for this 
book had a cataract in each of his eyes; and I advised him to seek relief from the 
French surgeon Clot Bey; but he said that he was afraid to go to the hospital; 
for he had heard that many patients there were killed and boiled, to make skele¬ 
tons : he afterwards, however, on my assuring him that his fears were groundless, 
promised to go.—While I was talking with him, there began to pass by the shop 
a long funeral-train, consisting of numerous fikees, and many of the eminent 
'Ulama. On my asking whose funeral it was, I was answered, “ The sheykh El- 
Menzclawee,” sheykh of the Saadeeyeh darweeshes. I was surprised, having 
seen him a few days before in apparently good health. Presently I saw him 
walking in the funeral-procession: so I asked again; but was answered as before. 

“ Wbv,” said I, “ Praise be to God, the sheykh is walking with you, in good 
health." I was then told that the deceased was his wife. Some Saadeeyeh in the 
procession were performing a zikr as they passed along; repeating the word 
“ Allah ! ” When the bier came in view, 1 heard the women who followed utter¬ 
ing their zagh&reet, or cries of joy, instead of lamenting; for the deceased was a 
famous saint. She was the sister of the late sheykh of the Saadeeyeh; and it is 
believed that her husband, the present sheykh, derives his miraculous powers from 
her. It is said that she prophesied, yesterday, the exact hour of her death this 
day. The women began to lament when the corpse left the bouse; and, as is 
usually the case when this is done at the funeral of a saint, the bearers declared 
that they could not move it: as soon as the lamentations were changed to the cries 
of joy, the bearers pretended to find their work quite easy. 

Note 5. 

“ Shems en-Nah4r ” signifies “ The Sun of Day.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

Note 6. 

The masculine seems to be here used for the feminine gender. See Note 36 
to Chapter viii. 

Note 7. 

See Note 25 to Chapter vi., on the modern custom of shaving the head. 

Note 8. 

In this verse, the wine-cup is compared to the sun, the teeth of the cup-bearer 
are likened to the Pleiades, and his face is compared to the full moon. 

Note 9. 

“ 'Afeef” signifies “Chaste,” and “Abstinent.” 

Note 10. 

This order was given to make the messengers suppose that she had been sleep¬ 
ing. See Note 55 to Chapter iii. 

Note 11. 

“ Waseef,” here used as a proper name, signifies “ a man-servant.” 

Note 12. 

A procession similar to that here described is seen in the streets of Cairo, when 
a bridegroom returns to his house, from the mosque, where he has performed the 
prayers of nightfall previously to his first visit to the bride. He and his friends 
and other attendants proceed in the form of an oblong ring, all facing the interior 
of the ring (so that the foremost walk backwards), and each bearing in his hand 
one or more wax candles, and sometimes a sprig of henna or some other flower, 
excepting the bridegroom and the friend on either side of him. These three form 
the latter part of the ring, which generally consists of twenty or move persons. 
The procession is headed by musicians, by persons carrying mesh’als (or cresset- 
lights), and by others bearing lamps. 

Note 13. 

“Gharam” signifies “Desire,” “Eagerness,” or “Passion.” 

Note 14. 

I use the modern term “ Bedaweeyeh” (signifying an Arab female of the 
Desert) for the old appellation “ Aar&beeyeh.” 

Note 15. 

The word which I render “laurel,” namely “rend,” is also applied to the 
myrtle, and to aloes-wood. The willow (which is of the kind called Oriental) and 
the rend are here to be understood as emblems of the object of the Bedaweeyehs 
ove. 

Note 16. 

Clapping the hands (striking the palm of the left hand with the fingers of the 
right) is the usual mode of summoning a servant. 

VOL. II. 

L 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

Note 17. 

Tliis, I suppose, is meant to imply that the disorder of her mind incapacitated 
her from using the pen. 

Note 18. 

There is an omission here in the Cairo edition, and it appears, from the edition 
of Breslau, that what is given in the former as the contents of Shems en-Nahiir's 
letter consists partly of her letter and partly of ’Alee's answer. I here supply the 
omission (ending with the words, “ and by thy head, O my mistress,”) from the 
Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, to avoid the necessity of using my 
own judgment in correcting the blunders which here, as usual, occur in the 
Breslau edition, though the latter differs less in its context, than the former, from 
my standard copy. 

Note 19. 

The meaning of this is, “Thou hast dealings with the women of the palace.”— 
“ How is thy house?” is a phrase often used as a delicate mode of inquiring 
respecting the health of a man’s wife or hareem. 

Note 20. 

My sheykh remarks, that this relates to the departure of Abu-l-Hasan; but, 
from what follows, I think it rather applies to the slave-girl. 

Note 21. 

By his praying for her, is merely meant his uttering some such words as “ God 
keep thee ! ” or “ God bless thee ! ” 

Note 22. 

The word which I render “ wine ” is “ kahweh,” which is the term now applied 
to “coffee." I believe coffee to be here meant by it; but probably it is an error 
or interpolation of a copyist. 

Note 23. 

El-Moatasim, the son, and third successor, of Ifaroon Er-Rasheed, is said to 
have been the first Khaleefeli who formed a military corps of foreigners (Turkish 
slaves); and from his time, the natives of the greater part of the Arabian Empire 
gradually became subject to the military despotism of Turkish and other foreign 
guards and governors. Thus it was in Egypt and Syria under the memlook 
Sultans, and thus it continued after the conquest of those countries by the 
’Osmanlee Turks under the Sult&n Seleem, until Mohammad ’Alee, after he had 
exterminated or expelled the memlook forces, organized his Egyptian troops, and 
almost entirely displaced the Turkish soldiery. 

Note 24. 

I have substituted “ other men ” for “ another man.” 

Note 25. 

I have remarked in my work on the Modern Egyptians, that it is almost 
impossible for a woman to have a private interview with a man who has a hareem 
in his own house ; or to enter the house of a man who is neither married nor has 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

7.5 

a concubine-slave, without attracting the notice of the neighbours, and causing 
their immediate interference. This remark applies to those cases in which the 
two parties are not very nearly related. 

During my last residence in Egypt, the wives of my servants often came to my 
house in Cairo, yet they never ventured to enter it. A maid-servant, about nine 
years of age, frequently brought messages to me from her master, and came up 
into my sitting-room when I was alone ; but this caused no scandal. On one 
occasion, however, my character was called in question: I was accused of admitting 
a woman into my room, and had some difficulty to satisfy my neighbours and 
others. I had purchased some female ornaments and attire of the head, and, 
having a friend with me, a man between forty and fifty years of age, I induced 
him to put them on in the place of his turban, that I might the better judge of 
them ; then seating him in a projecting window next the street, for the sake of a 
foolish joke I suddenly opened a small casement at his side, and thrust forth his 
head. But little did I expect the result. A bean-seller, sitting at his shop in the 
street, nearly opposite, saw the apparition, and pointed it out to two or three other 
persons, and soon there collected before the house a little crowd, whom the bean- 
seller began to harangue, expressing his astonishment that an Efendee like myself, 
one who had always appeared to him to have conducted himself most respectably, 
should have been guilty of so foul an action as that of introducing a woman into 
his house; having no hareem: that a person devoted to study, and one whom 
sheykhs of the Azhar * frequented, and who delighted in attending the religious 
festivals, should act in so shameless a manner! I began to be uneasy at witnessing 
and hearing what passed; and the people were consulting as to the course they 
should pursue, when I compelled my friend, who had quickly withdrawn his head, 
to shew it again, and exhibit his beard; whereupon the bean-seller was still more 
amazed, at recognising the well-known countenance of a respected sheykh, one 
connected with the Azhar too, who had a hundred times saluted him in approach¬ 
ing my door. But this did not satisfy his audience nor himself: it was suspected 
that the sheykh was a party to my offence; and it was only by constraining the 
latter to go down into the street and explain the whole affair, that tranquillity was 
restored. My character, eventually, did not suffer even from the imputation of a 
culpable deviation from general custom; as practical jokes are not uncommon 
among the Arabs in the best society. 

Note 26. 

The k&noon is a kind of dulcimer, of which I have given engravings and a 
description in my work on the Modern Egyptians (vol. ii. chap. v.).f Its name 
is from the Greek navtiv, or from the same origin ; and has the same signification; 
that is, “rule,” “ law r ,” “custom.” It is laid upon the knees of the performer, 
and played with two plectra, attached to the fore-fingers; each plectrum being 
placed between the finger and a ring, or thimble. There are three chords (of 
lamb's gut) to each note, and generally, altogether, twenty-four treble chords. 

Note 27. — On the State of the Soul between Death and the Judgment. 

It is believed that the soul remains with the body until the expiration of the 
first night after the burial, when it departs to the place appointed for the residence 

• The great collegiate mosque of Cairo. 

t A female playing on the kdnoon is the subject of the tail-piece to these notes. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

?<j 

of good souls until the last day, or to the appointed prison in which wicked souls 
await their final doom; but with respect to the state of souls in the interval 
between death and judgment, there are various opinions, which Sale thus states. 

As to the souls of the good, he says, “ 1st. Some say that they stay near the sepul¬ 
chres ; with liberty, however, of going wherever they please ; which they confirm 
from Mohammad's manner of saluting them at their graves, and his affirming that 
the dead heard those salutations as well as the living, though they could not 
answer. Whence perhaps proceeded the custom of visiting the tombs of relations, 
so common among the Mohammadans. 2ndly. Others imagine they are with 
Adam, in the lowest heaven ; and also support their opinion by the authority of 
their prophet, who gave out that in his return from the upper heavens in his 
pretended night-journey, he saw there the souls of those who were destined to 
paradise on the right hand of Adam, and those who were condemned to hell on 
his left. 3rdly. Others fancy the souls of believers remain in the well Zemzem, 
and those of infidels in a certain well in the province of Idadramot, called 
Barahoot; f but this opinion is branded as heretical. [On this subject, however, 
see the next paragraph.] 4tbly. Others say they stay near the graves for seven 
days; but that whither they go afterwards is uncertain. 5thly. Others that they 
are all in the trumpet, whose sound is to raise the dead. And Gthly. Others that 
the souls of the good dwell in the forms of white birds, under the throne of God. 
As to the condition of the souls of the wicked, besides the opinions that have been 
already mentioned, the more orthodox hold that they are offered by the angels to 
heaven, from whence being repulsed as stinking and filthy, they are offered to the 
earth, and being also refused a place there, are carried down to the seventh earth, 
and thrown into a dungeon, which they call Sijjeen, under a green rock, or accord¬ 
ing to a tradition of Mohammad, under the devil’s jaw, to be there tormented 
till they are called up to be joined again to their bodies.”—But the souls of 
prophets are believed to be admitted immediately into paradise, and those of 
martyrs are said to rest in the crops of green birds which eat of the fruits of 
paradise and drink of its rivers. 

Of the opinions above mentioned, with respect to the souls of the faithful, I 
believe the first to be that which is most prevalent. It is generally said, that these 
souls visit their respective graves every Friday; and according to some, they return 
to their bodies on that day, after the period of the afternoon prayers, and on 
Saturday and Monday; or on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday ; and remain until 
sunrise. J:—I believe also, from having heard frequent allusions made to it, as a 
thing not to be doubted, that the opinion respecting the Well of Barahoot com¬ 
monly prevails in the present day. El-Kazweenee says of it, “ It is a well near 
Hadramot; and the Prophet (God favour and preserve him !) said, ‘ In it are the 
souls of the infidels and hypocrites.’ It is an ’A'dite well [i. e. it was made by the 
ancient tribe of ’A'd], in a dry desert, and a gloomy valley; and it is related 
of ’Alee (may God be well pleased with him!), that he said, 1 The most hateful of 
districts unto God (whose name be exalted!) is the Valley of Barahoot, in which 
is a well whose water is black and fetid, where the souls of the infidels make their 

* Preliminary Discourse, section iv. 

t So in the K&moos, and in my MS. of the’Aj&ib el-MakhlooVAt of El-Kazweenee; but by Sale 
written “ Borhut." 

X Murshid ez-Zoow&r ila Kuboor el-Abr&r (the Director of the Visitors to the Tombs of the Just) by 
’Abd Er-Rahman El-Khazreyee El-Ans&ree : MS. in my possession. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINTH. 

77 

abode.’ El-Asma’ee hath related of a man of Hadram6t, that he said, ‘ We find 
near Barahoot an extremely disgusting and fetid smell, and then news is brought 
to us of the death of a great man of the chiefs of the infidels.’ It is related also, 
that a man who passed a night in the Valley of Barahoot said, ‘ I heard all the 
night, [exclamations of] O Roomeh! O Roomeh !—and I mentioned this to a 
learned man, and he told me that it was the name of the angel commissioned to 
keep guard over the souls of the infidels.’ ” * 

Note 28. 

The emancipation of slaves on the occasion of a death is a custom often 
observed. Sometimes this is done in accordance with the will of the deceased : at 
other times, by the free will of the heirs ; but in the latter cases, the merit of the 
act is transferred to the soul of the deceased; its object being, to increase his 
happiness in the future world.

COMMENCING WITH THE HUNDRED AND SEVENTIETH NIGHT, 
AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE TWO HUNDRED 
AND FORTY-NINTH. 

THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N AND THE 
PRINCESS BUDOOR. 1 

There was, in ancient times, a King named Shah Zeman , 2 
possessing numerous troops and attendants and guards. He dwelt 
in the Islands of Khalidan , 3 which are adjacent to the country of 
the Persians ;* and had married four daughters of Kings, besides 
whom he had among his female slaves sixty concubines. His age, 
however, was advanced, and his bones were wasted, and he had not 
been blessed with a son : so he meditated in his mind, and mourned 
and w'as disquieted, and complained of this to one of his Wezeers, 
saying, I fear that, when I die, my kingdom will be lost; for I 

THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N, &c. 79 

have no son to succeed to it after me. But the Wezeer replied, 
Perhaps God will yet bring to pass some event: therefore place 
thy reliance upon God, O King, and perform the ablution, and 
recite the prayers of two rek’ahs . 5 It is also my advice that thou 
give a banquet, and invite to it the poor and the needy, and let them 
eat of it and pray to God (whose name be exalted!) that He may 
bless thee with a son: perchance there may be among them a pure 
soul, whose prayer, being righteous, will be answered . 6 After 
that thou wilt probably obtain thy desire.—The King complied 
with his advice, and his wife conceived, and when she had completed 
her months she gave birth to a male child like the unclouded full 
moon in the dark night: so he named him Kamar ez-Zeman . 7 He 
rejoiced at his birth with the utmost joy, and they decorated the 
city for seven days; the drums were beaten, and the messengers 
imparted the glad tidings; the nurses and the midwives carried 
him, and he was reared with magnificence and fondness until he 
attained the age of fifteen years. 

He was of surpassing beauty and comeliness, and justness of 
stature and form, and his father loved him so that he could not be 
absent from him by night nor by day ; and the King Shah Zeman 
complained to one of his Wezeers of the excess of his love for his 
son, saying, O Wezeer, I fear for my son Kamar ez-Zeman from 
the calamities and accidents of fortune, and desire to marry him 
during my life. The Wezeer therefore replied, Know, O King, 
that marriage is laudable, and there will be no harm in thy marry¬ 
ing thy son during thy life. So upon this the King Shah Zeman 
said. Bring hither to me my son Kamar ez-Zeman. And he came, 
and hung down his head towards the ground in modesty before 
his father. His father then said to him, O Kamar ez-Zeman, 
know that I desire to marry thee and to rejoice in thee during my 
life. But he replied, Know, O my father, that I have no need of 
marriage, and my soul inclineth not to women; for I have found 
books with narratives of their fraudulence, and miracles have been 
occasioned by their cunning. The poet hath said,— 

If ye ask my opinion of women I will tell you that I am a physician 
acquainted with their affairs: 

When the head of a man hath become grey, or his wealth is diminished, he 
hath no share of their affection. 

80 

THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

And another hath said,— 

Oppose women; for so wilt thou obey [God] becomingly; since the youth 
will not prosper who giveth them his rein: 

They will binder him from attaining perfection in his excellencies though he 
pass a thousand years in the study of science. 

—After reciting these verses he added, 0 my father, marriage 
is a thing that I will never do, though I be made to drink the cup 
of perdition. And when the King Shah Zeman heard these words 
of his son, the light became darkness before his face, and he was 
grieved excessively at the want of obedience which his son Kamar 
ez-Zeman manifested towards him: yet, from the love that he 
bore him, he repeated not what he had said, nor provoked him 
to anger: on the contrary he shewed favour and regard towards 
him, and treated him with every kind of fondness that could draw 
affection to the heart. 

Meanwhile, Kamar ez-Zeman increased every day in beauty 
and comeliness, and in elegance and tenderness of manner. The 
King Shah Zeman bore with him patiently for a whole year, 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

81 

until he became perfect in eloquence and grace: mankind were 
ravished by his beauty, and every zephyr that blew wafted the 
praises of his loveliness: he became a temptation unto lovers, and 
as a paradise to the desirous; sweet in his speech; his face put 
to shame the full moon; he was endowed with justness of stature 
and form, and with graceful and engaging manners, resembling a 
twig of the Oriental willow or an Indian cane, and his cheek supplied 
the place of the anemone, as his figure did that of the willow-branch. 
He was graceful as the poet hath said in thus describing him:— 

He appeared, and they said, Blessed be Allah! Glory be to Him who 
moulded and perfected him ! 

He is King of the comely universally ; for all of them have become subjects 
unto him. 

The moisture of his mouth is like melted honey; and his teeth are like pearls 
joined together. 

All charms are united in him alone, and all mankind are confounded at his 
loveliness. 

Beauty hath written upon his cheek, I acknowledge that no one is comely 
save him. 

Now when he had completed another year, his father called 
him and said to him, O my son, wilt thou not listen to my words? 
And upon this Kamar ez-Zeman fell down upon the floor before 
Iris father, through awe and shame, and said to him, O my father, 
how should I refuse to attend to thy words, when God hath com¬ 
manded me to obey thee, and to abstain from opposing thee ? So 
the King Shah Zeman continued, Know, O my son, that I desire 
to marry thee and to rejoice in thee during my life, and to make 
thee Sultan over my dominions before my death. But when Kamar 
ez-Zeman heard these words of his father, he hung down his head 
for a while ; after which he raised it, and replied, O my father, 
this is a thing that I will never do, though I be made to drink the 
cup of perdition. I know that God hath imposed on me the obliga¬ 
tion of yielding obedience unto thee; but by his claims upon thee 
I conjure thee that thou constrain me not to marry: and think not 
that I will marry during the whole course of my life; for I have 
perused the books of the former and the later generations, and 
known all the calamities and misfortunes that have happened to 
them through the disturbances occasioned by women, and their 

VOL. II. 

M 

82 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N, &c. 

endless artifice, and the disasters that have proceeded from them. 
How excellent is the saying of the poet:— 

He whom shameless women have entrapped will never see deliverance, 

Though he build a thousand castles encrusted over with lead ; 

For their construction will not avail: the fortresses will not profit. 

Verily women are treacherous to every one near and distant: 

With their fingers dyed with henna; with their hair arranged in plaits; 

With their eyelids painted with kohl; they make one to drink of sorrows. 8 

—And when the King Shah Zeman heard these words from his 
son Kamar ez-Zeman, and understood the verses which he quoted, 
he returned him not an answer, from the excess of his affection 
for him; but treated him with increased favours and consideration. 

The assembly broke up immediately ; and after it was dissolved, 
the King Shah Zeman summoned his Wezeer, and in private said 
to him, O Wezeer, tell me what I shall do in the affair of my son 
Kamar ez-Zeman; for I consulted thee on the subject of marrying 
him as preparatory to making him Sultan, and thou advisedst me 
to do so, and to mention the matter of marriage to him: so I pro¬ 
posed it to him, and he disobeyed me: acquaint me, therefore, 
now, with that which thou seest to be best. The Wezeer replied, 
That which I advise thee to do, O King, is, that thou have patience 
with him for another year; and when thou desirest to speak to 
him after that on the subject of marriage, speak not to him pri¬ 
vately, but address him on a judgment-day, when all the emeers 
and wezeers are present, and all the troops are standing before 
thee. Then, when all these are assembled, send to thy son Kamar 
ez-Zeman, and summon him to thy presence; and when he is 
come, address him on the subject of marriage in the presence of 
all the emeers and wezeers, and the chamberlains and lieutenants, 
and other lords of the empire, and the soldiers and the impetuous 
warriours; for he will be bashful before them, and will not he 
able to oppose thee in their presence.—And when the King Shah 
Zeman heard these words of his Wezeer, he rejoiced exceedingly; 
he approved of the Wezeer’s advice, and bestowed upon him a 
magnificent robe of honour. 9 

The King Shah Zeman had patience with his son Kamar ez- 
Zeman another year; and every day that passed over him, the 
latter increased in beauty and loveliness, and in elegance and con- 

summate grace, until he had nearly attained the age of twenty 
years. God clad him with the apparel of comeliness, and crowned 
him with the crown of perfection: his eye was more enchanting 
than Haroot ; 10 and the play of his glance, more seductive than 
Et-Taghoot:" his cheeks shone with redness; and his eye-lashes 
scorned the sharp, piercing sword : 12 the whiteness of his forehead 
resembled the shining moon; and the blackness of his hair was 
like the dark night.—The King Shah Zeman, having attended to 
the words of the Wezeer, waited another year until a festival-day, 
when the King’s court was attended by all the emeers and wezeers, 
and the chamberlains and other lords of the empire, and the soldiers 
and impetuous warriours. He then sent for his son Kamar ez-Ze- 
man, who, when he came, kissed the ground before him three times, 
and stood before his father with his hands placed together behind 
his back . 13 And his father said to him, Know, O my son, that I 
have summoned thee on this occasion before the present assembly, 
with all the troops before me, for the purpose of giving thee a 

81 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

command, and do not thou oppose me in that which I say. It is, 
that thou marry; for I desire to marry thee to a daughter of one 
of the Kings, and to rejoice in thee before my death.—But when 
Kamar ez-Zeman heard these words of his father, he hung down 
his head for a while towards the ground; and afterwards, raising 
it towards his father, the madness of youth affected him, and the 
ignorance of a stripling’s age, and he replied, As to myself, I will 
never marry, though I be made to drink the cups of perdition: and 
as to thee, thou art a man of great age and of little sense. Hast 
thou not asked me before this day, twice before the present occa¬ 
sion, on the subject of marriage, and I would not consent to the 
proposal? 14 —Then Kamar cz-Zeman unclasped his hands from 
behind his back, and tucked up his sleeves from his arms, before 
his father, in his anger. 

His father was abashed and ashamed, because this had hap¬ 
pened before the lords of his empire, and the soldiers who were 
present at the festival: but presently the royal energy returned to 
him, and he cried out at his son, and terrified him; and, calling to 
the memlooks, commanded them to seize him. They therefore 
laid hold upon him; and he ordered them to bind his hands behind 
him, and they did so, and led him forward before his father. He 
hung down his head in fear and timidity, his face and his forehead 
were bespangled with moisture, and his shame and confusion were 
excessive, while his father abused him and reviled him, saying to 
him. Wo to thee, 0 baseborn, and nursling of impurity!” How 
couldst thou presume to make me this reply before my soldiers and 
armies ? But hitherto no one hath chastised thee. Knowest thou not 
that this which thou hast done, had it proceeded from any one of 
the common people, it had been disgraceful in him ?—He then 
commanded the memlooks to loose the cords that bound his hands 
behind him, and to imprison him in one of the towers of the castle. 
The famishes, 16 therefore, immediately went into the saloon that 
was in the tower, and swept it, and wiped its pavement; and they 
placed in it a couch for Kamar ez-Zeman, upon which they spread 
a mattress and a leather covering: and they put for him a cushion, 
and a large lantern and a candle; for the place was dark in 
the day time. Then the memlooks conducted Kamar ez-Zeman 
into this saloon, and stationed a eunuch at its door. And when 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

85 

they had done this, Kamar ez-Zeman ascended the couch, with 
broken spirit and mourning heart. He had already blamed himself, 
and repented of his injurious conduct to his father, when repent¬ 
ance availed him not, and he exclaimed, Malediction upon mar¬ 
riage and girls and deceitful women! Would that I had attended 
to my father’s command and married ; for if I had done so, it had 
been better for me than being in this prison !—Thus did it befall 
Kamar ez-Zeman. 

Now as to his father, he remained upon his throne during the 
rest of the day, until sunset, when he retired with the Wezeer, and 
said to him, Know, O Wezeer, that thou hast been the cause of all 
this which hath happened between me and my son, by the advice 
that thou gavest me ; and what dost thou counsel me to do now ?— 
O King, answered the Wezeer, leave thy son in the prison for a 
period of fifteen days : then summon him before thee, and command 
him to marry ; for he will never oppose thee again. And the King 
received this advice of the Wezeer, and slept that night with a 
heart troubled on account of his son; for he loved him excessively, 
because he had no son beside him. The King Shah Zeman used 
to remain without sleep every night until he put his arm under the 
neck of Kamar ez-Zeman, and then he slept. So he passed that 
night with a heart disordered on his account, and remained turning 
over from side to side as though he were lying upon the burning 
embers of hell: uneasiness overcame him, and sleep visited him not 
all that night: his eyes poured forth tears, and he repeated the 
words of the poet:— 

My night is tedious, while the slanderers sleep. It is enough that thy heart 
is terrified by separation. 

I exclaimed, while my night was prolonged by anxiety, O light of the morn¬ 
ing, wilt thou not return ? 

But as to Kamar ez-Zeman, when night came, the eunuch 
placed before him the lantern, and lighted the candle, which he 
placed in a candlestick; and after this, he brought him some food. 
So he ate a little, and sat expostulating with himself for his ill 
manners towards his father the King Shah Zeman, saying, Knowest 
thou not that the son of Adam is a dependant of his tongue, and 
that the tongue of a man is that which betrayeth him into perils ? 

8(i THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

Thus he continued to expostulate with himself, and to blame him¬ 
self, until tears overcame him ; his aching heart was tortured, and 
he repented extremely of that which his tongue had uttered against 
his father. And when he had finished his repast, he demanded 
water to wash his hands, and cleansed them of what adhered to 
them from the food. He then performed the ablution preparatory 
to prayer, and recited the prayers of sunset and nightfall; after 
which he sat upon the couch, reciting the Kur-an. 17 He recited 
the Chapters of “The Cow” and “The Family of’Emran” and 
“ Ya-S een” and “The Compassionate” and “ Blessed be He in 
whose hand is the Kingdom” and the “Two Preventives,” and 
finished by supplication, and seeking refuge with God. 18 Having 
done this, he laid himself on the couch, upon a mattress covered 
with Maadinee satin, 19 with two facings, and stuffed with ostrich- 
feathers ; and when he desired to sleep he took off his outer clothes, 
and slept in a shirt of delicate waxed stuff, having upon his head a 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

87 

blue Muroozee kerchief, 30 and appearing like the moon in its four¬ 
teenth night. He then covered himself with a sheet of silk, and 
slept, with the lighted lantern at his feet, and the lighted candle at 
his head ; and he continued asleep until the first third of the night 
had expired, not knowing the hidden event that awaited him, and 
what God, who knoweth all secrets, had decreed to befall him. 

Now the saloon and the tower were ancient, and had been de¬ 
serted for many years ; and in the tower 21 was a Roman 32 well, 
inhabited by a Jinneeyeh of the posterity of Iblees the Accursed. 
The name of that Jinneeyeh was Meymooneh 13 the daughter of 
Ed-Dimiryat, one of the celebrated Kings of the Jan. 24 And 
when Kamar ez-Zeman had remained asleep until the first third of 
the night had passed, this ’Efreeteh ascended from the Roman well 
to repair towards heaven for the purpose of listening by stealth; 25 
and on reaching the upper part of the well, she saw a light shining 
in the tower, contrary to what was usual. She had resided in that 
place for a long period of years, and said within herself, I have 
never witnessed anything like this before. And she wondered at 
this thing extremely, inferring that some strange cause had occa¬ 
sioned it. She then proceeded in the direction of the light, and 
found that it issued from the saloon: so she entered it, and saw the 
eunuch sleeping at its door; and when she entered the saloon 26 she 
found a couch placed there, with the form of a man sleeping upon 
it, and a lighted candle at his head, and a lighted lantern at his 
feet; and the ’Efreeteh wondered at this light. She advanced 
towards it by little and little, and, relaxing her wings, stood over 
the couch, and removed the sheet from his face, and looked at him. 
She remained for an hour in a state of astonishment at his beauty 
and loveliness, and found that the light of his face surpassed that of 
the candle: it gleamed with splendour: his eyes had been wanton¬ 
ing like those of the gazelle, and were intensely black ; his cheeks 
were brilliantly red, and his eyelids were languishing; his eyebrows 
were arched, and his odour diffused itself like fragrant musk. At 
the sight of him, Meymooneh the daughter of Ed-Dimiryat extolled 
the perfection of God, and exclaimed, Blessed be Allah, the best 
of creators !—for this ’Efreeteh was of the believing Jinn. So she 
continued a while gazing at the face of Kamar ez-Zeman, exclaim¬ 
ing, There is no deity but God!—and wishing, but without envy, 

88 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N, &c. 

that she were like him in beauty and loveliness. She said within 
herself, by Allah, I will not injure him, nor suffer any one to hurt 
him, but from every evil I will ransom him; for this comely face 
deserveth nothing save that people should gaze at it and extol the 
perfection of God : but how could his family leave him neglected 
in this ruinous place! If any of our Marids came up unto him 
now they would destroy him!—The ’Efreeteh then bent over him, 
and kissed him between his eyes; after which she let down the 
sheet over his face, and covered him with it. 

Having done this, she spread her wings, and soared aloft 
towards heaven. She rose from the precincts of the saloon, and 
continued her upward flight through the sky until she drew near 
to the lowest heaven, when she heard the flapping of wings flying 
through the air. So she proceeded in the direction of their sound, 
and when she approached the being to whom they belonged, she 
found him to be an ’Efreet, named Dahnash, whereupon she 
pounced upon him like a hawk. When Dahnash, therefore, per¬ 
ceived her, and knew that she was Meymooneh, the daughter of 
the King of the Jinn, he feared her; the muscles of his side qui¬ 
vered, and he implored her favour, saying to her, I conjure thee 
by the Most Great Name, and by the most noble talisman, 27 en¬ 
graved upon the seal of Suleyman, that thou treat me with bene¬ 
volence, and hurt me not! And when Meymooneh heard these 
words of Dahnash, her heart was moved with tenderness towards 
him, and she said to him, Thou hast conjured me by a mighty 
oath; but I will not liberate thee until thou hast informed me 
whence thou art now come.—O mistress, he replied, know that I 
come from the further extremity of the country of China, and from 
among the islands, and I will acquaint thee with a wonder that I 
have beheld this night; and if thou find my words to be true, do 
thou suffer me to go my way, and write me a document in thine 
own hand declaring that I am thine emancipated slave, so that no 
one of the bands of the Jinn, either of the upper who fly or of the 
lower or those who dive, 28 may oppose me. Meymooneh said to 
him, And what hast thou seen this night, O Dahnash ? Acquaint 
me, and tell me no falsehood, desiring by thy lie to escape from my 
hand; for I swear by the inscription engraved upon the stone of 
the seal of Suleyman the son of Daood (on both of whom be peace!), 

that, if thy words be not true, I will pluck out thy feathers with 
my hand, and tear thy skin, and break thy bones.—Then the 
’Efreet Dahnash the son of Shemhoorish 29 the Flyer said to her, 
If my words be not true, do with me what thou wilt, O my mis¬ 
tress. And he proceeded thus. 

I came forth this night from the Interior Islands in the region 
of China, 90 which are the dominions of the King El-Ghayoor, 31 the 
monarch of the Islands and the Seas and the Seven Palaces, and 
have seen a daughter of that King, than whom God hath created 
none in her age more beautiful. I know not how to describe her 
to thee; for my tongue would fail to do so ; but I will mention to 
thee some of her characteristics as nearly as I can.—As to her hair, 
it is like the nights of emigration and separation; and as to her 

VOL. II. 

N 

90 

THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ ZEMA'N 

face, it is like the days of union. Well hath the poet said in de¬ 
scribing her,— 

She spread forth three locks of her hair one night, and exhibited four nights 
together; 

And she turned up her face towards the moon of heaven, and shewed me two 
moons in the same instant. 

She hath a nose like the edge of the polished sword, and cheeks 
like deep red wine, or like anemonies ; her lips resemble coral and 
carnelion, and the moisture of her mouth is more delicious than the 
best wine, and would quench the fire of the inflamed ; her tongue 
is put in motion by ample intelligence and a ready reply; she hath 
a bosom that is a temptation to him who beholdeth it—extolled be 
the perfection of Him who created and finished it!—by the side of 
which are two smooth and round arms; and, as the poet hath said,— 

She hath hips, connected with a slender waist, which tyrannize both over me 
and her: 

They confound me when I think upon them, and weigh her down when she 
would rise. 

Her other charms, the describer cannot reckon ; but all that I have 
mentioned, two delicate feet, the work of the protecting and recom¬ 
pensing Creator, support; and I wondered how they could sustain 
what was above them. 3 * Other particulars I omit; for language 
would fail to describe them, and no sign would convey a just idea of 
them. 

The father of this damsel (continued Dahnash) is a mighty 
King, an impetuous horseman, who crosseth the seas of the sur¬ 
rounding regions by night and day, dreading not death, nor fearing 
the escape of his foe, for he is a despotic tyrant, and an oppressive 
conqueror ; he is lord of numerous armies and regions and islands 
and cities and habitations. His name is the King El-Ghayoor, and 
he is monarch of the Islands and the Seas and the Seven Palaces. 
He loved this his daughter, whom I have described unto thee, with 
exceeding love, so that he collected the treasures of all the other 
Kings, and with them built for her seven palaces, 33 each of a parti¬ 
cular kind. The first palace is of crystal; the second, of marble; 
the third, of the iron of China ; the fourth, of onyx and other pre¬ 
cious stones; the fifth, of silver; the sixth, of gold ; and the seventh, 
of jewels. He filled the seven palaces with varieties of magnificent 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

U1 

furniture, and vessels of gold and silver, and utensils of every kind 
that Kings could require, and commanded his daughter to reside in 
each palace for a certain period of the year, and then to remove to 
another of them. Her name is the Queen Budoor. 34 When her 
beauty became celebrated, and her fame spread throughout the sur¬ 
rounding countries, all the Kings sent to her father to request her 
of him in marriage ; and he mentioned the subject of marriage to 
her; but she disliked it, and said to her father, O my father, I have 
no wish at all to marry; for I am a princess and a queen, ruling 
over men, and I desire not a man to rule over me. Yet the more 
she shewed reluctance to marry, so much the more did her suitors 
increase in eagerness to possess her. All the Kings of the Interior 
Islands of China sent presents and rarities to her father with letters 
requesting her as a wife, and he repeated the proposals to her many 
times; but she opposed his wish, and was angry with him, and said 
to him, If thou mention the subject of marriage to me again, I will 
take a sword, and put its hilt upon the floor and its point to my 
bosom, and lean upon it until it protrude from my back, and thus 
kill myself. So when her father heard these words from her, the 
light became darkness before his face, and his heart was tortured 

92 

THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

excessively on her account; for he feared that she would kill her¬ 
self. He was perplexed respecting both her and the Kings who 
sought her in marriage from him, and said to her, If thou art deter¬ 
mined not to marry, abstain from going out and coming in. He 
then conveyed her into an apartment, and there confined her, com¬ 
missioning ten old women, kahramanehs, 85 to guard her, and for¬ 
bidding her to behold the seven palaces; after which, he made it 
appear that he was incensed against her, and sent letters to all the 
Kings, informing them that she was afflicted with insanity, and that 
she had been confined for a year. 

The ’Efreet Dahnash, having related these facts to the ’Efreeteh, 
said, I go to her, O my mistress, every night, and gaze at her, and 
enjoy for a long time the sight of her face, and kiss her between 
her eyes while she lieth asleep ; but from my love for her I do her 
no injury; for her loveliness is surpassing: every one who seeth her 
is jealous of her with respect to his own self. I conjure thee, O my 
mistress, that thou come with me and behold her beauty and love¬ 
liness, and justness of form and proportion; and afterwards, if thou 
desire to chastise me or to enslave me, do it; for it is thine to com¬ 
mand, and thine to forbid.—Then the ’Efreet Dahnash hung down 
his head towards the earth, and lowered his wings. But the ’Ef¬ 
reeteh Meymooneh, after laughing at his words, and spitting in his 
face, said to him, What is this damsel of whom thou speakest ? 
She is of no more value than a fragment of base pottery! What 
wouldst thou say if thou sawest my beloved ? By Allah, I thought 
thou hadst some wonderful tale, or extraordinary story, 0 accursed! 
I have seen a man this night, such that if thou beheldest him even 
in a dream, thou wouldst be paralyzed with astonishment at him.— 
And what, said Dahnash, is the story of this young man ? She an¬ 
swered, Know, 0 Dahnash, that this young man hath experienced 
the like of that which hath happened to thy beloved, whom thou 
hast mentioned. 56 His father commanded him many times to marry; 
but he refused ; and his father, when he had thus opposed him, was 
incensed against him, and imprisoned him in the tower in which I 
reside ; and as I came forth this night I beheld him.—O my mis¬ 
tress, replied Dahnash, shew me this young man, that I may see 
whether he be more beautiful than my beloved, the Queen Bu- 
door, or not; for I do not imagine that there existeth in this age 
the like of my beloved.—Thou liest, rejoined the Efreeteh, O 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

93 

accursed! 0 most unlucky of Marids, and most contemptible of 
Devils! for I am certain that there existeth not the equal of my be¬ 
loved in these countries. Art thou mad, then, that thou comparest 
thy beloved unto mine ?—I conjure thee by Allah, 0 my mistress, 
resumed Dahnash, that thou come with me to see my beloved, and 
I will return with thee and behold thine.—It must be so, O accursed, 
said Meymooneh; for thou art a knavish Devil; but I will not ac¬ 
company thee, nor shalt thou go with me, except on the condition 
of a bet: if thy beloved, whom thou holdest to be superior, prove 
more beautiful than mine, whom I regard as superior, the bet shall 
be thine and against me; but if my beloved prove to be the more 
beautiful, the bet shall be mine and against thee. The ’Effect 
Dahnash replied, O my mistress, I consent to this condition will¬ 
ingly : come then with me to the islands. But Meymooneh said. 
The place of my beloved is nearer than that of thine: here it is be¬ 
neath us: so descend with me to see my beloved; and after that, 
we will repair to thine. Dahnash replied, I hear and obey. 

They then descended, and alighted within the precincts of the 
saloon in the tower, and Meymooneh, having stationed Dahnash by 
the side of the couch, put forth her hand, and raised the sheet from 
the face of Kamar ez-Zeman, the son of the King Shah Zeman; 
whereupon his face beamed and shone, and glistened and glittered. 
Meymooneh beheld him, and then, turning her eyes immediately 
towards Dahnash, said to him, Look, O accursed, and be not the 
basest of fools : for I am a maiden, and am fascinated by him. So 
Dahnash looked towards him, and remained a while contemplating 
him; after which, he shook his head, and said to Meymooneh, By 
Allah, O my mistress, thou art excused; but it remaineth to be 
shewn that the female is different from the male: yet, by Allah, 
this thy beloved is, of all men, he who beareth the nearest resem¬ 
blance to my beloved, in beauty and loveliness and elegance and all 
perfection: both of them have been formed alike in the mould of 
beauty. But when Meymooneh heard these words of Dahnash, 
the light became darkness before her eyes, and she struck him with 
her wing upon his head with such force that he almost experienced 
his predestined end from the violence of the blow; and she said to 
him, I swear by the brightness of his glorious aspect that thou shalt 
go, O accursed, this instant, and lift up thy beloved, and bring her 
quickly unto this place, that we may put them together, and see 

tliein both while they He asleep side by side: then it will be mani¬ 
fest unto us which of them is the more beautiful. If thou do not 
what I have commanded thee forthwith, O accursed, I will burn 
thee with my fire, 37 and dart at thee my destructive sparks, and 
scatter thee tom in pieces over the deserts, making thee an example 
to the stationary and the night-traveller.—So Dahnash replied, O 
my mistress, thy command shall be obeyed; but I know that my 
beloved is more beautiful, and sweeter. 

Then the ’Efreet Dahnash flew away immediately, and Mey- 
mooneh flew with him to guard him; and after they had been 
absent an hour, they returned conveying the damsel, who was clad 
in a shirt of delicate Venetian stuff, with two borders of gold 
embroidered in the most admirable manner, presenting the follow¬ 
ing verses worked upon the extremity of each sleeve:— 

Three things have prevented her from paying us a visit, through fear of the 
spy and the angry envier; 

The light of her forehead, and the sound of her ornaments, and the constant 
scent of ambergris inherent in her. 

Suppose she hide her forehead with the end of her sleeve, and pull ofT her 
Jewels ; how can she divest her of her odour? 38 

THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N, &c. 95 

The ’Efreet and ’Efreeteh descended with this damsel, and, 
having extended her by the side of the young man, uncovered the 
faces of both, and they bore the strongest resemblance to each 
other, as though they were twins, or an only brother and sister: 
they were a temptation to the abstinent. Dahnash and Meymooneh 
began to gaze upon them, and the former said, Verily my beloved 
is the more beautiful.—Nay, replied Meymooneh: my beloved is 
the more beautiful. Woe to thee, O Dahnash! Art thou blind? 
Dost thou not behold his beauty and loveliness, and justness of 
stature and form ? But hear what I say of my beloved, and if thou 
be a true lover of her with whom thou art enamoured, say of her 
as I shall say of my beloved.—She then kissed Kamar ez-Zeman 
several times, and recited an ode in his praise. And when Dahnash 
heard it, he was extremely delighted, and full of admiration; but 
he said, Thou hast recited these tender verses on thy beloved with 
thy mind engrossed by him : I will now endeavour to recite some, 
the best that I can think of. So he approached his beloved, 
Budoor, and, having kissed her between the eyes, looked towards 
the ’Efreeteh Meymooneh, and towards his beloved, and recited an 
ode; but with a wandering mind. And when he had finished, the 
’Efreeteh said, Thou has done well, O Dahnash: but which of these 
two is the more beautiful ? He answered, My beloved, Budoor, is 
more beautiful than thine.—Thou liest, O accursed! she replied; 
for my beloved is more beautiful than thine. 

Thus they continued contradicting each other, until Meymooneh 
cried out at Dahnash and would have laid violent hands upon him; 
but he abased himself before her; and, softening his speech, said to 
her, Let not the truth be grievous unto thee: annul thy assertion 
and mine; for we each pronounce in favour of our beloved: let 
each of us, therefore, reject both the opinions, and let us seek one 
to judge between us with equity, and by his sentence we will 
abide. Meymooneh replied, So shall it be. She then struck the 
floor with her foot, and there arose from it an ’Efreet, blind of one 
eye, and with a diseased skin; his eyes were slit upwards in his 
face; upon his head were seven horns, and he had four locks of 
hair hanging down to the ground ; his hands were like those of the 
Kutrub, 39 with claws like the claws of the lion, and his feet were 
like the elephant’s, with hoofs like those of the ass. As soon as 
this ’Efreet arose, and beheld Meymooneh, he kissed the ground 

96 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

before her, and, placing his hands together behind his hack, said to 
her, What dost thou require, O my mistress, O daughter of the 
King? She answered, O Kashkash, I desire that thou judge 
between me and this accursed Dahnash. She then acquainted him 
with the case from first to last; and upon this, the ’Efreet Kashkash 
looked upon the face of the young man, and upon that of the 
damsel, and beheld them embracing each other as they lay asleep, 
the arm of each being under the neck of the other, resembling each 
other in beauty and loveliness, and equal in charms. The Marid 
Kashkash gazed, and wondered at their beauty, and, after he had 
long kept his eyes upon them, looked towards Meymooneh and 
Dahnash, and recited some amatory Verses, and then added, By 
Allah, neither of them is more or less beautiful than the other; but 
they bear the strongest resemblance to each other in beauty and 
loveliness, and elegance and perfection; and they are not to be pro¬ 
nounced different from each other in these respects because they 
are of different sexes. I have to propose, however, another mode 
of determining the question; and it is this: that we wake each of 
them without the knowledge of the other; and the one who shall 
be most inflamed with love for the other shall be confessed to be 
the inferior in beauty and loveliness.—Excellent, said Meymooneh, 
is this advice that thou hast given, and I approve of it.—And I also, 
said Dahnash, approve of it. 

Upon this, therefore, Dahnash transformed himself into a flea, 
and bit Kamar ez-Zeman upon bis neck, in a soft place: so Kamar 
ez-Zeman put his hand to his neck, and scratched the place of the 
bite, on account of the violence of the smarting that it occasioned, 
and, moving sideways, found something lying by him, from which 
proceeded a breath more fragrant than musk, with a body softer 
than butter. Kamar ez-Zeman wondered at this exceedingly, and 
immediately raised himself. Looking at this person lying by his 
side, he found it to be a damsel like a precious pearl, or like a 
shining sun, 40 with a form like the letter Alif, 41 of quinary 42 sta¬ 
ture, high bosomed, and with red cheeks. And when Kamar ez- 
Zeman thus beheld the lady Budoor, the daughter of the King 
El-Ghayoor, and observed her beauty and loveliness as she lay 
asleep by his side, he saw upon her body a shirt of Venetian stuff, 
and upon her head a koofeeyeh of cloth of gold adorned with 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

97 

jewels, and on her neck a long necklace of precious gems such as 
none of the Kings could procure. His reason was confounded at 
the sight, and he said within himself, What God desireth will come 
to pass, and what He desireth not will not happen! He then 
turned her over with his hand, and attempted to rouse her; but 
she awoke not; for Dahnash had made her sleep heavy: so Kamar 
ez-Zeman squeezed her with his hand, and shook her, saying, O my 
beloved, awake, and see whom I am; for I am Kamar ez-Zeman. But 
she awoke not, nor moved her head. And he remained for an hour 
reflecting upon her case, and said within himself, If my conjecture 
be true, this damsel is she to whom my father desireth to marry me, 
and for three years I have refused to do it: but, please God, when 
morning cometh, I will say to my father, Marry me to her:—and 
I will not suffer mid-day to pass before I possess her and delight 
myself with her beauty and loveliness.—He then inclined towards 

VOL. II. 

98 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

Budoor to kiss her: whereupon Meymooneh the Jinneeyeh trem¬ 
bled and was confounded : hut as to the ’Efreet Dahnash, he leaped 
for joy. When Kamar ez-Zeman, however, was about to kiss 
her upon the mouth, he feared God, and turned away his face, 
saying within himself, I will have patience; for perhaps my father, 
when he was incensed against me, and imprisoned me in this place, 
brought unto me this bride, and commanded her to sleep by my 
side, to prove me by her, and charged her not to appear awake on 
my attempting to rouse her, and said to her, Whatsoever Kamar 
ez-Zeman do to thee, acquaint me with it. And probably my 
father is standing concealed in some place to observe me, while I 
see him not, and he will witness all that I do with this damsel, 
and in the morning will reproach me, and say to me, How dost 
thou say, I have no need of marriage,—and kiss that damsel, and 
embrace her ! So I will withhold myself from her, lest I be exposed 
before my father. I will not touch this damsel from the present 
moment, nor look towards her; but will only take from her 
something that may be a token in my keeping and a memorial of 
her, that there may be a sign between me and her.—Then Kamar 
ez-Zeman raised the hand of the damsel, and took her ring from 
her little-finger. It was worth a large sum of money; for its 
stone was a precious jewel; and around it were engraved these 
verses:— 

Think not that I have forgotten your promises, notwithstanding the length 
of your alienation. 

O my lord, be generous and propitious towards me! Perhaps I may kiss 
your mouth and your cheeks. 

By Allah, I will never relinquish you, though you should transgress the 
hounds of love. 

So Kamar ez-Zeman took off this ring from the little-finger of 
the Queen Budoor, and, having put it on his own little-finger, 
turned his back towards her, and slept. 

The Jinneeyeh Meymooneh, when she saw this, rejoiced, and 
said to Dahnash and Kashkash, Have ye seen my beloved, Kamar 
ez-Zeman, how he hath abstained from this damsel ? This is the 
result of the perfection of his excellencies. Consider how he beheld 
this damsel and her beauty and loveliness, and yet embraced her 
not, nor passed his hand over her; but turned his back to her, and 
slept.—They answered her, We have witnessed his perfect conduct. 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

99 

Meymooneh then transformed herself into a flea, and, entering 
beneath the clothes of Budoor, the beloved of Dahnash, bit her; 
whereupon she opened her eyes, and sat up, and beheld a young- 
man sleeping by her side, and snoring in his sleep, with cheeks 
like anemonies, and eyes that put to shame the beautiful Hooreeyehs, 
and a mouth like the seal of Suleyman. 43 When she beheld him, 
distraction and ecstasy and desire overcame her, and she said 
within herself, O my disgrace! This young man is a stranger: I 
know him not; and wherefore is he lying by my side in the same 
bed ?—Then looking at him again, and contemplating his elegance 
and his amorous aspect, and his beauty and loveliness, she said, By 
Allah, he is a youth comely as the moon, and my heart is almost 
rent by ecstasy of love for him, and by the violence of passion 
excited by his beauty and loveliness! But how am I disgraced by 
his means! By Allah, if I had known that this handsome youth 
was the person who demanded me in marriage of my father, I had 
not rejected him, but had married him, and delighted myself with 
his loveliness.—Then the Queen Budoor immediately looked in 
the face of Kamar ez-Zeman, and said to him, O my lord, and 
beloved of my heart, and light of mine eye, awake from thy sleep! 
And she shook him with her hand. But Meymooneh the Jinneeyeh 
immersed him in sleep, and pressed down his head with her wing: 
so he awoke not. The Queen Budoor shook him again with her 
hand, and said to him, By my life I conjure thee to comply with 
my desire and awake from thy sleep! Arise, O my master, and 
recline upon the cushion, and sleep not!—But Kamar ez-Zeman 
returned her no reply, nor addressed her with a word; still snoring 
in his sleep. So the Queen Budoor said, Wherefore art thou so 
proud, with thy beauty and loveliness and elegance and amorous 
aspect ? As thou art comely, so am I also. Why then dost thou 
act thus ? Have they instructed thee to manifest aversion towards 
me, or hath my father, that ill-omened old man, forbidden thee to 
speak to me this night ?—Kamar ez-Zeman then opened his eyes ; 
whereupon her love for him increased. God instilled into her 
heart a passion for him, and she cast at him a glance which occa¬ 
sioned her a thousand sighs; her heart throbbed, and she said to 
Kamar ez-Zeman, O my master, speak to me! O my beloved, 
converse with me! O object of my passion return me a reply, and 
tell me what is thy name; for thou hast captivated my reason!— 

100 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

But all this while, Kamar ez-Zeman re- 

^ ; mained immersed in sleep and replied not a 

■ word. And the Queen Budoor sighed, and 

r said, Wherefore art thou so self-satisfied? 

te Then she shook him again, and turned over 
his hand, and seeing her ring upon his little-finger, she 

uttered a cry of astonishment, and said with an amorous 
jjl manner, Alas ! Alas ! By Allah, thou art my beloved, 

and thou lovest me; but thou seemest to aifect an 

aversion towards me, though thou earnest to me while I was 
asleep, and I know not what thou hast done unto me ; yet I will 
not pull off my ring from thy little-finger.—And she searched for 
something to take from him, and, taking off his ring from his 
finger, put it on hers, instead of her own ring; after which she 
kissed his mouth and his hands, and placed one of , ,, i 

her hands beneath his neck, and the other under . ' '■<; 

his arm, and fell asleep again by his side. ty'T 

When Meymooneh be 
exceedingly, and said to Da 
O accursed, how thy bclo 1 
distraction of her passion fc 
he hath acted in his pri< 

There is no doubt, then, tb 
beautiful than thine: but 
then wrote for him a paper 
looking towards Kashkash. 
insinuate thyself with him 
beloved, and assist him to < 
back to her place ; for the 
gone, and the opportunity 
acccomplishment of my int 
past. So Dalinash and I 
advanced towards the Qi 
door, and insinuated them¬ 
selves beneath her, and 
having flown aw r ay with * ■= 
her and conveyed her 
back to her place, re- 

stored her to her bed, ' *= 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

101 

while Meymooneh remained alone gazing at Kamar ez-Zeman as he 
lay asleep, until hut little of the night remained, when she went 
her way. 

Now when daybreak came, Kamar ez-Zeman awoke from his 
sleep, and looked to the right and left; but found not the damsel 
with him. So he said within himself, What meaneth this affair ? 
It seemeth that my father would excite in me a desire to marry the 
damsel who was with me, and, having done this, hath taken her 
away secretly, that my desire for her may increase.—He then called 
out to the eunuch who was sleeping at the door, and said to him, 
Wo to thee, O accursed! Rise!—The eunuch, therefore, arose, his 
reason wandering from sleep, and brought to him the basin and ewer. 
And Kamar ez-Zeman rose, and performed the ablution, recited 
the morning-prayers, and sat repeating the praises of God. 44 Then 
looking towards the eunuch, he saw him standing in attendance 
before him, and he said to him, Wo to thee, O Sawab ! Who hath 
come hither, and taken away the damsel from my side while I was 
asleep ?—The eunuch said, O my master, what damsel ?—The dam¬ 
sel who was sleeping with me this night, answered Kamar ez-Ze¬ 
man. And the eunuch was disturbed at his words, and replied, 
There was no damsel with thee, nor any one else: and how could a 
damsel come in when I was sleeping behind the door and it was 
locked ? By Allah, O my master, neither male nor female came 
in to thee.—But Kamar ez-Zeman exclaimed, Thou best, O ill- 
omened slave! Art thou also of sufficient rank to presume to de¬ 
ceive me, and wilt thou not acquaint me whither hath gone the 
damsel who was sleeping with me this night, nor inform me who 
took her away from me ?—The eunuch, agitated by what he said, 
answered, By Allah, O my master, I have neither seen a young 
woman nor a young man. And Kamar ez-Zeman was enraged at 
the words of the eunuch, and said to him, They have taught thee 
deceit, O accursed! Come hither then to me. 

So the eunuch approached him, and Kamar ez-Zeman took him 
by the collar, and threw him down upon the floor, and then, kneel¬ 
ing upon him, kicked him and squeezed his throat until he became 
insensible ; after which, he tied him to the well-rope, and lowered 
him into the well till he reached the water, and let him down 
into it; and it was in the cold season of a severe winter. He 
plunged the eunuch in the water, and then drew him up, and let 

102 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

him down again; and thus he continued 
to do. The eunuch all the while cried for 
help, and shrieked and called ; hut Kamar 
ez-Zeman replied, By Allah, O accursed, 

I will not draw thee out from this well 
until thou acquaint me with the story of 
that damsel and tell me who took her 
away while I slept. So the eunuch said, 

Deliver me from the well, O my master, 
and I will acquaint thee with the truth. 

Kamar ez-Zeman, therefore, drew him up 
from the well, and took him out, stupified 
with what he had suffered from the dip¬ 
ping and plunging and cold and beating and torture. He 
trembled like the reed in the tempestuous wind, his teeih were 
locked together, and his clothes were dripping. And when he 
found himself upon the floor he said, Suffer me, O my master, 
to go and take off my clothes, and wring them, and spread them in 
the sun, and put on others: then 1 will return to thee quickly, 
and acquaint thee with the affair of that damsel, and relate to 
thee her story.—By Allah, O ill-omened slave, replied Kamar 
ez-Zeman, if thou hadst not experienced the pains of death, thou 
hadst not confessed the truth ! Go out then to do what thou 
desirest, and return to me quickly and relate to me the story of 
the damsel. 

The eunuch, upon this, went forth, scarcely believing in his 
escape, and ran without stopping until he went in to the King 
Shah Zeman, the father of Kamar ez-Zeman, when he found the 
Wezeer by his side, and they were conversing on the affair of 
Kamar ez-Zeman. He heard the King say to the Wezeer, Verily I 
have not slept this last night from the trouble of my heart respect¬ 
ing Kamar ez-Zeman, and I fear that some evil will befall him from 
his confinement in that ancient tower: it was not at all fit to im¬ 
prison him. But the Wezeer replied, Fear not for him: by Allah, 
no harm will happen unto him. Leave him imprisoned for a month, 
that his temper may become softened.—And while they were thus 
talking, the eunuch came in to them, in the condition above de¬ 
scribed, and said to the King, O our lord the Sultan, insanity hath 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

103 

befallen thy son, and thus hath he done unto me; and he said to 
me, A damsel passed this night with me, and went away secretly : 
acquaint me, therefore, with her history.—But I know not the affair 
of this damsel.—And when the Sultan Shah Zeman heard these 
words respecting his son Kamar ez-Zeman, he cried out, saying, 
Oh, my son!—and was violently enraged against the Wezeer who 
had been the cause of these events, and said to him, Arise, and 
ascertain for me the state of my son. 

The Wezeer, therefore, went, treading upon the skirts of his 
dress through his fear of the King, and proceeded with the eunuch 
to the tower. The sun had risen, and the Wezeer went in to Kamar 
ez-Zeman, and found him sitting upon the couch, reciting the 
Kur-an; and he saluted him, and, seating himself by his side, said 
to him, O my master, this ill-omened slave hath brought us informa¬ 
tion that hath troubled and agitated us, and the King was incensed 
at it. So Kamar ez-Zeman said, O Wezeer, and what hath he told 
you concerning me to trouble my father ? In truth he hath troubled 
none but me.—The Wezeer answered, He came to us in a miserable 
plight, and told us a thing—God forbid that it should be true of 
thee!—he uttered a lie respecting thee such as is not proper to be 
mentioned. Allah preserve thy youth, 45 and thy sound reason and 
thine eloquent tongue, and far be it from thee that anything base 
should proceed from thee!—Kamar ez-Zeman, therefore, said to 
him, O Wezeer, and what hath this ill-omened slave said ?—He in¬ 
formed us, answered the Wezeer, that thou hadst become mad, and 
hadst said to him, There was a damsel with me last night.—Didst 
thou then say to the eunuch these words.—And when Kamar ez- 
Zeman heard this, he was violently enraged, and said to the Wezeer, 
It is evident to me that ye taught the eunuch to act as he did, and 
forbade him to acquaint me with the affair of the damsel who was 
sleeping with me this last night: but thou, O Wezeer, art more 
sensible than the eunuch; tell me therefore immediately whither is 
gone the beautiful damsel who was sleeping in my bosom last night; 
for ye are they who sent her to me and commanded her to pass the 
night in my bosom; and I slept with her until the morning, when I 
awoke, and found her not. Where, therefore, is she now ?—O my 
master, Kamar ez-Zeman, replied the Wezeer, may the name of 
Allah encompass thee! 16 By Allah, we sent not any one to thee this 

104 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEM.VN. &c. 

last night, and thou sleepedst alone, with the door locked upon thee, 
and the eunuch sleeping behind it; and neither damsel nor any one 
else came to thee. Return then to thy reason, O my master, and 
no longer trouble thy heart.—But Kamar ez-Zeman, enraged at his 
words, said to him, O Wezeer, that damsel is my beloved, and she 
is the beautiful creature with the black eyes and the red cheeks 
whom I embraced last night. And the Wezeer wondered at his 
words, and asked him, Didst thou see that damsel this night with 
thine eye and awake, or in sleep ?—O ill-omened old man, said 
Kamar ez-Zeman, dost thou imagine that I saw her with my ear ? 
Nay, I saw her with my eyes, and awake, and turned her over with 
my hand, and remained awake by her half of the entire night, en¬ 
joying the contemplation of her beauty and loveliness, and elegance 
and amorous aspect: but ye charged her that she should not speak 
to me; so she pretended to be asleep, and I slept by her side until 
the morning, when I awoke from my sleep and found her not.—The 
Wezeer replied, O my master, Kamar ez-Zeman, perhaps thou 
sawest this in thy sleep, and it is the result of confused dreams or 
vain fancies occasioned by eating a mixture of different kinds of 
food, or an idea inspired by the wicked devils.—O ill-omened old 
man, exclaimed Kamar ez-Zeman, wherefore dost thou too make a 
jest of me, and tell me that perhaps this is a result of confused 
dreams, when the eunuch hath confessed to me that the damsel was 
here, and said to me, 1 will immediately return to thee and relate 
to thee her story ? 

He then instantly arose, and, drawing near to the Wezeer, 
grasped his beard in his hand. It was a long beard, and Kamar 
ez-Zeman took it and twisted it round his hand, and pulled him 
by it so that he threw him down from the couch upon the floor; 
and the Wezeer felt as if his soul had departed, from the violence 
with which his beard was pulled. Kamar ez-Zeman then con¬ 
tinued kicking the Wezeer with his feet, and beating him upon 
the back of his neck with his hands, until he had almost put an 
end to him. So the Wezeer said within himself, If the slave, the 
eunuch, saved himself from this mad youth by his lie, it is more fit 
that I also should save myself by a lie ; else he will destroy me: 
therefore now will I lie, and save my life from him ; for he is mad: 
of his madness there is no doubt. Accordingly, he looked towards 

Kamar ez-Zeman and said to him, 0 my master, be not angry 
with me; for thy father charged me to conceal from thee the affair 
of this damsel; but now I am weak and wearied by the beating; 
for I am become an old man, and have not strength to endure 
blows: grant me then a short delay, that I may relate to thee the 
story of the damsel.—Upon this, therefore, he ceased from beating 
him, and said to him, Why wouldst thou not acquaint me with her 
history until after beating and disgrace ? Arise now, O ill-omened 
old man, and tell me her story.—The Wezeer then said to him, Dost 
thou ask respecting the damsel with the beautiful face and consum¬ 
mate form?—Yes, said Kamar ez-Zeman: inform me, O Wezeer, 
who brought her to me and put her to sleep with me, and where she 
is now, that I may myself go to her. And if my father, the King 
Shah Zeman, hath done thus unto me to prove me by that beautiful 
damsel, with the view of my marrying her, I consent to do so. He 
did all this to me and inflamed my heart with love for that damsel, 
and afterwards separated her from me, only because of my refusal 
to marry. But now I consent to marry. I say again, I consent to 
marry. So acquaint my father with this, O Wezeer, and advise 
him to marry me to that damsel; for I desire none but her, and 
my heart hath loved none other: Arise then, and hasten to my 
father, and advise him to be quick in marrying me: then return to 
me soon—immediately. 

The Wezeer believed not in his escape from Kamar ez-Zeman 
until he had gone forth from the tower, and he ran on until he 

VOL. II. 

106 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEM.VN 

came into the presence of the King Shah Zeman; when the King 
said to him, O Wezeer, wherefore do I behold thee in a state of 
confusion, and who hath by his wickedness injured thee, so that 
thou hast come in terror ? He answered, I have brought thee 
news."—And what is it ? asked the King.—Know, answered the 
Wezeer, that madness hath befallen thy son Kamar ez-Zeman.— 
And when the King heard these words, the light became darkness 
before his face, and he said, 0 Wezeer, explain to me the nature 
of the madness of my son. The Wezeer replied, I hear and obey : 
—and he acquainted him with that which his son had done: where¬ 
upon the King said to him, Be informed, O Wezeer, that I will 
grant thee, in return for the news which thou hast brought me of 
the madness of my son, the striking off of thy head, and the cessation 
of my favours to thee, O most ill-omened of Wezeers, and basest of 
Emeers! For I know that thou hast been the cause of the mad¬ 
ness of my son by the wicked advice which thou gavest me first and 
last. By Allah, if any mischief or madness have befallen my son, 
I will nail thee upon the kubbeh, 48 and make thee to taste affliction. 

The King then rose upon his feet, and, taking the Wezeer with 
him, entered the tower in which was Kamar ez-Zeman ; and when 
they came to him, he stood up to his father, descending quickly 
from the couch upon which he was sitting; and, having kissed his 
father’s hands, drew backwards, and hung down his head towards 
the ground, and stood before his father with his hands joined be¬ 
hind his back. Thus he remained a while; after which, he raised 
his head towards his father, and, with tears flowing from his eyes 
down his cheeks, recited the words of the poet:— 

If I have been guilty of a fault against you, and committed a deed of a 
shameful nature, 

I repent of my offence, and your clemency will extend to the evil-doer who 
craveth forgiveness. 

And upon this, the King arose, and embraced his son Kamar ez- 
Zeman, kissing him between the eyes, and seated him by his side 
upon the couch. Then looking towards the Wezeer with the eye 
of anger, he said to him, O dog of Wezeers, wherefore dost thou 
say of my son such and such things, and terrify my heart on his 
account ? And he turned towards his son, and said to him, O my 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

107 

son, what is the name of this day ?—O my father, he answered, 
To-day is Saturday, and to-morrow is Sunday, and next after it is 
Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday, then Thursday, and then 
Friday. And the King said to him, O my son, O Kamar ez-Zeman, 
praise be to God for thy safety ! What is the name of this month, 
in Arabic ?—Its name, he answered, is Zu-l-Kaadeh, and it is fol¬ 
lowed by Zu-l-Hejjeh, and Moharram, and Safar, and Rabeea 
el-Owwal, and Rabeea eth-Thanee, and Jumada-l-Oola, and Ju- 
mada-th-Thaniyeh, and Rejeb, and Shaaban, and Ramadan, and 
Showwal. 49 So the King rejoiced at this answer exceedingly, and 
spat in the face of the Wezeer, and said to him, O wicked old 
man, how dost thou assert that my son Kamar ez-Zeman hath 
become insane, when the case is that none hath become insane but 
thyself? The Wezeer shook his head, and was about to speak; 
but it occurred to his mind that he should rather wait a little, to 
see what would happen. 

The King then said to his son, O my son, what were those 
words that thou spakest to the eunuch and the Wezeer, when 
thou saidst to them, I was sleeping with a beautiful damsel this 
last night ? And what is the affair of this damsel whom thou hast 
mentioned ?—And Kamar ez-Zeman laughed at the words of his 
father, and answered him, O my father, know that I have not 
strength to endure jesting; therefore add not to me another word 
of it; for my temper is straitened by that which ye have done unto 
me. Know, O my father, that I consent to marriage ; but on the 
condition that thou marry me to that damsel who was sleeping with 
me this last night; for I am certain that it was thou who sentest 
her to me and causedst me to be enamoured of her, and that thou 
sentest to her before the morning, and tookest her away from me. 
—At this the King exclaimed, The name of Allah encompass thee, 
O my son ! Allah preserve thy reason from derangement! What 
is this damsel of whom thou assertest that I sent her to thee this 
last night and then sent to take her away from thee before the 
morning ? By Allah, O my son, I have no knowledge of this affair. 
I conjure thee, then, to inform me : is not this a confused dream, 
or a fancy resulting from food ? For thou passedst this last night 
with a heart troubled on the subject of marriage, and inspired with 
fancies by the mention of that subject. Malediction upon marriage 

108 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

Sind its hour, and upon him who advised me on that matter ! There 
is no doubt but that thy temperament is disturbed on that account, 
so that thou hast dreamt that a beautiful damsel was embracing 
thee, and thou believest in thine own mind that thou sawest this 
awake, when all this, O my son, was a confused dream.—But 
Kamar ez-Zeman replied, Abstain from these words, and swear to 
me by Allah, the Creator, the Omniscient, the Destroyer of the 
mighty, and the Annihilator of the Kisras, 60 that thou hast had no 
knowledge of the damsel or her abode. So the King said, By Allah 
the Great, the God of Moosa and lbraheem, I have had no know¬ 
ledge of that which thou mentionest, and probably it was a con¬ 
fused dream that thou sawest in sleep. 

Then Kamar ez-Zeman said, I will propose to thee a parable, to 
prove to thee that this happened when I was awake, by asking thee 
if it have ever happened that any person dreamt that he was fight¬ 
ing, and, after a severe contest, awoke from his sleep and found in 
his hand a sword stained with blood ? His father answered, No, 
by Allah, O my son: such a thing hath never occurred. Then, 
said Kamar ez-Zeman, I will acquaint thee with that which hath 
happened unto me; and it was this: I seemed as though I awoke 
this last night from my sleep at midnight, and found a damsel 
sleeping by my side, whose figure and form were as mine, and I 
embraced her, and touched her with my hand, and took her ring, 
which I put on my finger, and she pulled off my ring and put it on 
her finger. But I regarded her with reserve, from a feeling of 
bashfulness towards thee; for I imagined that thou hadst sent her, 
and hadst concealed thyself in some place to observe my actions. 
So I was ashamed to kiss her upon her mouth on thine account, as it 
occurred to my mind that thou desiredst to tempt me by her, to 
excite me to marry. Afterwards I awoke from my sleep at the 
commencement of the dawn, and found no trace of the damsel, nor 
obtained any tidings of her; and what happened between me and 
the eunuch and the Wezeer was in consequence of this. Now how 
could this affair be as thou supposest, when the incident of the 
ring is true ? Were it not for the ring I should imagine that it 
was a dream; but this is her ring which is upon my little-finger at 
the present moment. See, O King, what is its value. 

Kamar ez-Zeman then handed the ring to his father, who, 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

109 

having taken it, and turned it round, looked towards his son, and 
said to him, Verily some great and important revelation dependeth 
upon this ring, and that which happened to thee last night with 
this damsel is a mysterious affair. I know not how this visitor 
came in among us, and no one was the cause of all this but the 
Wezeer. I conjure thee, however, by Allah, O my son, that thou 
be patient; for probably God will dispel this affliction from thee, 
and send thee complete relief; as the poet hath said,— 

Probably Fortune will turn its rein, and bring prosperity; for Fortune is 
changeable. 

My desires may be blest, and my wants performed, and happy events may 
follow adverse. 

O my son, he continued, I have now convinced myself that thou 
art not insane; but no one can clear up thy affair excepting God.— 
Kamar ez-Zeman replied, By Allah, O my father, search after this 
damsel for me, and hasten her coming; else I shall die of anguish. 
Then, with an expression of transport, he looked towards his father, 
and recited these two verses :— 

If your promise of an actual interview be false, grant the lover an interview 
or a visit in sleep. 

But how, they replied, can the phantom present itself to the eye of a youth 
from whom sleep is banished ? 

O my father, he added , 51 I have not patience to wait for her even 
an hour. And upon this, the King smote his hands together, and 
exclaimed, There is no strength nor power but in God, the High, 
the Great! No stratagem will avail in this affair!—He then took 
the hand of his son, and led him to the palace, where Kamar ez- 
Zeman laid himself upon the bed of sickness, and his father seated 
himself at his head, mourning and weeping for his son, and leaving 
him neither by night nor day. 

At length the Wezeer said to the King, O King of the age, 
how long wilt thou remain shut up from the troops with thy son 
Kamar ez-Zeman. Probably the order of the realm may be cor¬ 
rupted by thy estrangement from the lords of thy empire. It is 
incumbent on the wise, when various diseases afflict his body, to 
apply himself to restoratives for his bones; and it is my advice that 
thou remove thy son from this place to the pavilion in the palace 

110 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

overlooking the sea, and pass thy time in retirement there with thy 
son, appointing two days in every week, namely, Thursday and 
Monday, for the procession of state and for holding the court. So, 
oil those two days, the emeers and wezeers, and chamberlains and 
lieutenants, and other lords of the empire and chief men of the 
state, and the impetuous warriours and the rest of the soldiers and 
subjects, shall come in unto thee and submit to thee their cases, 
and thou slialt perform their wants and judge between them, and 
take from them and give to them, and command and forbid; and 
the rest of the week thou shalt pass with thy son Kamar ez-Zeman. 
Thus thou shalt continue to do until God dispel thy grief and his: 
and he not confident, O King, of thy safety from the vicissitudes of 
fortune and the calamities of time ; for the wise is always cautious.— 
And when the Sultan heard these words of the Wezeer, he ap¬ 
proved of his advice, and saw that it was suitable to his case: it 
made an impression upon him, and he feared that the order of his 
realm would be disturbed around him; so he arose immediately, 
and gave orders to remove his son from that place to the pavilion 
in the palace overlooking the sea. The access to it was over a 
causeway in the midst of the sea, the width of which was twenty 
cubits. Around the pavilion were windows overlooking the sea, 
its floor was paved with coloured marbles, its ceiling was painted 
with the finest pigments of every colour, and decorated with gold 
and ultramarine, and they spread in it for Kamar ez-Zeman silken 
carpets, hung its walls with brocade, and suspended in it curtains 
adorned with jewels. Kamar ez-Zeman entered it, and from the 
excess of his passion he became extremely restless, his heart was 
troubled, his complexion became pallid, and his body wasted. His 
father sat at his head mourning for him; and every Thursday and 
Monday the King gave permission to every one of the emeers and 
wezeers, and chamberlains and lieutenants, and other lords of the 
empire, and all the soldiers and subjects who desired, to come in to 
him in that pavilion. So they entered, and performed their several 
services, and remained with him until the close of the day, when 
they dispersed and went their way ; after which, the King went in 
to his son Kamar ez-Zeman in that place, and left him not night 
nor day; and thus he continued to do for many days and nights. 
Thus did it happen unto Kamar ez-Zeman. 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

Ill 

Now I must relate what took place with the Queen Budoor, 
the daughter of the King El-Ghayoor, the lord of the Islands and 
the Seven Palaces.—When the Jinn had carried her hack and laid 
her again in her bed, there remained of the night no more than 
three hours; and when daybreak came she awoke from her sleep, 
and sat up, and looked to the right and left; but saw not her 
beloved who had been lying in her bosom. Upon this, her heart 
was agitated, her reason quitted her, and she uttered a great cry. 
So all her female slaves and nurses and kahramanehs awoke and 
came in to her, and the chief of them, advancing towards her, said 
to her, O my mistress, what hath befallen thee ?—0 ill-omened old 
woman, said the lady Budoor, where is my beloved, the beautiful 
youth who was sleeping this night in my bosom? Inform me 
whither he hath gone.—And when the kahramaneh heard these 
words, the light became darkness before her face, and, fearing 
greatly from her power, she said, O my mistress Budoor, what 
mean these disgraceful words ? But the lady Budoor exclaimed, 
Wo to thee, O ill-omened old woman! Where is my beloved, the 
beautiful youth with the lovely face and the black eyes and the 
joined eyebrows who was with me from nightfall until near day¬ 
break ?—By Allah, answered the old woman, I have seen neither a 
young man nor any other person, and I conjure thee by Allah, O 
my mistress, that thou jest not in this unreasonable manner, lest 
our lives be lost; for perhaps this jest may come to the knowledge 
of thy father, and who will deliver us from his hand ? The Queen 
Budoor said to her, There was a young man passing this last night 
with me, in countenance the most comely of men.—Heaven pre¬ 
serve thy reason! exclaimed the kahramaneh: there was no one 
passing the night with thee. And upon this, Budoor looked at her 
hand, and found the ring of Kamar ez-Zeman upon her finger, and 
found not her own ring. So she said to the kahramaneh, Wo to thee. 

112 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N, &c. 

O deceitful! Dost thou tell a lie, and say to me, There was no one 
passing the night with thee,—and swear to me by Allah falsely ? 
By Allah, replied the kahramaneh, I have not told thee a lie, nor 
sworn falsely. And the lady Budoor was enraged at her; and, 
drawing a sword that was by her, struck the kahramaneh, and 
would have killed her. 52 But the eunuch and the female slaves 
cried out at her, and went and acquainted her father with her 
state. 

The King, therefore, came immediately to his daughter, the 
lady Budoor, and said to her, O my daughter, what is the matter 
with thee ?—O my father, said she, where is the young man who 
was sleeping by my side this last night?—Her reason fled from her 
head, and she began to look to the right and left, and then rent her 
vest to its skirt. So when her father saw her do thus, he ordered 
the female slaves and eunuchs to seize her; and they laid hold 
upon her, and bound her, and put a chain of iron upon her neck, 
and attached her to a window of the palace. 53 Now as to her 
father, the world became strait unto him ; for he loved her, and her 
state was grievous to him. He therefore summoned the astrologers 
and sages, and those skilled in [magic] characters, and said to them, 
Whosoever cureth my daughter of her present disorder, I will 
marry him to her, and will give him half of my kingdom ; and 
whoso faileth to cure her, I will strike off" his head, and hang it 
over the palace-gate. And so he continued to do until he had cut 
off, on her account, forty heads. He sought all the sages ; but all 
the people held back from attempting her cure, and all the sages 
were unable to restore her; her case perplexed the men of science, 
and those skilled in [magic] characters. 

The lady Budoor remained in the same state for three years.— 
Now she had a foster-brother named Marzawan, who had travelled 
to the most remote countries and been absent from her during all 
that period. He loved her with an excessive love, greater than the 
love of brothers; and when he came back, he went in to his mother, 
and inquired of her respecting his sister, the lady Budoor. So she 
said to him, O my son, insanity hath befallen thy sister; she hath 
been in this state for three years, with a chain of iron upon her 
neck, and the physicians have been unable to cure her. And when 
Marzawan heard these words, he said, I must visit her: perhaps I 

may discover her ailment, and be able to cure her. His mother, 
therefore, when she heard him say this, replied, Thou must visit 
her; but wait until to-inorrow, that I may devise some stratagem 
to forward thy purpose. She then walked to the palace of the 
lady Budoor, and, accosting the eunuch who was charged to keep 
the door, gave him a present, and said, I have a daughter who was 
brought up with the lady Budoor, and I have married her; and in 
consequence of that which happened to thy mistress, her heart 
became greatly concerned for her state. I therefore beg of thy 
goodness that my daughter may pay her a short visit, to see her, 
and then return by the way that she came without any person’s 
knowing of her visit.—The eunuch replied, That will be impossible, 
except at night: so after the Sultan shall have come to see his 
daughter, and gone forth, enter thou with thy daughter. 

The old woman then kissed the hand of the eunuch, and went 
forth to her house; and at the commencement of the next night she 
arose immediately, and taking her son Marzawan, clad him in a 
suit of women’s attire, after which she placed his hand in her own, 
and conducted him into the palace. She advanced with him until 
she brought him to the eunuch, after the departure of the Sultan 
from his daughter, and when the eunuch saw her, he arose, and 

VOL. II. 

Q 

•1 I THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

said to her, Enter; but prolong not thy stay. So when the old 
woman entered with her son Marzawan, he saw the lady Budoor in 
the state already described, and he saluted her, after his mother 
had taken off his women’s apparel. Marzawan then took forth the 
books that he had brought with him, and lighted his candle. But 
the lady Budoor, looking at him, recognised him, and said to him, 
O my brother, thou hast been travelling, and tidings of thee have 
been suspended.—True, he replied; but God hath restored me in 
safety, and I desired to travel again, and nothing prevented me from 
doing so excepting this news that I have heard respecting thee; in 
consequence of which my heart hath been tormented on thine 
account; wherefore I have come to thee in the hope that I may 
discover thy disorder and be able to cure thee.—But she said, O my 
brother, dost thou imagine it to be madness that hath befallen me ? 
Then, making a sign to him, she recited these two verses:— 

They said, Thou ravest upon him whom thou lovest. And I replied, The 
sweets of life are only for the mad. 

Well : I am mad : then bring me him upon whom I rave ; and if he cure my 
madness, do not blame me. 

So Marzawan perceived that she was in love; and he said to 
her, Acquaint me with thy story, and with all that hath happened 
to thee: perhaps God may discover to me that which may bring 
thee deliverance. The lady Budoor therefore replied, O my brother, 
hear my story. It is this.—I awoke from my sleep one night, in 
the last third of the night, and, sitting up, beheld by my side a 
young man, the most beautiful of youths, such as the tongue cannot 
describe, like a twig of the Oriental willow, or an Indian cane. So 
I thought that my father had ordered him to act thus, to tempt me 
by him; for he had required me to marry, when the Kings de¬ 
manded me of him to wife, and I refused; and this idea prevented 
my rousing him. I feared that, if I embraced him, he would 
perhaps acquaint my father with it. And when I awoke in the 
morning, I found his ring in the place of my own. This is my story; 
and, O my brother, my heart hath been devoted to him ever since I 
beheld him; from the excess of my passion and desire I taste not 
the savour of sleep, and have no occupation but that of pouring 
forth floods of tears, and reciting verses, night and day. See, then, 
O my brother, how thou canst assist me in my affliction.:_Upon 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

115 

this, Marzawau hung down his head towards the ground for a 
while, wondering, and knowing not what to do. He then raised 
his head, and said to her, All that hath occurred to thee is true; 
and verily the story of this young man hath wearied my imagina¬ 
tion ; but I will travel about through all the countries, and search 
for the means of thy restoration. Perhaps God will accomplish it 
by my hand. Have patience, therefore, and be not disquieted.— 
Having thus said, he bade her farewell, praying that she might be 
endowed with patience, and departed from her. 

He returned to the house of his mother, and slept that night, 
and when the morning came he prepared for travelling. So he 
went forth, and continued journeying from city to city and from 
island to island for the space of a whole month, after which he 
entered a city called Et-Tarf, 54 and inquired the news of the people, 

116 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N, &c. 

hoping to find the remedy of the Queen Budoor. Whenever he had 
entered a city or passed by it, he had heard it said that the Queen 
Budoor, the daughter of the King El-Ghayoor, had been afflicted 
by insanity ; and he ceased not to inquire the news until he arrived 
at the city of Et-Tarf, when he heard that Kamar ez-Zeman, 
the son of the King Shah Zeman, was sick, and that distraction 
and insanity had afflicted him. When Marzawan, therefore, heard 
his story, he asked some of the people of that city respecting his 
country and capital; and they answered him, The Islands of Kha- 
lidan; and between us and them is a voyage of a whole month by 
sea; but by land, the journey is six months. 

So Marzawan embarked in a ship bound for the Islands of 
Khalidan. The ship was fitted for the voyage, and the wind was 
favourable to her for the space of a month, when the city appeared 
before them; but when they had come in sight of it, and had 
almost gained the shore, there arose against them a tempestuous 
wind, which carried away the yard, and the sails fell into the sea, 
and the vessel was capsized with all that it contained. Every one 
sought his own safety ; but as to Marzawan, the force of the 
current bore him along until it conveyed him beneath the King’s 
pavilion, in which was Kamar ez-Zeman. It happened, in accord¬ 
ance with destiny, that the Emeers and Wezeers had assembled in 
attendance upon him, and the King Shah Zeman was sitting with 
the head of his son Kamar ez-Zeman in his lap, and a eunuch was 
whisking the flies from him. Kamar ez-Zeman for two days had 
neither eaten nor drunk, nor had he spoken; and the Wezeer, 
standing at his feet, near the window looking over the sea, raised 
his eyes, and beheld Marzawan about to be destroyed by the 
current, and at his last gasp : whereupon his heart was moved with 
pity for him, and, approaching the Sultan, he stretched forth 
his head towards him, and said, I beg thy permission that I may 
descend to the court of the pavilion and open its gate, that I may 
save a man who is at the point of drowning in the sea, and turn 
his anguish into joy. Perhaps God, on that account, may deliver thy 
son from his present affliction.—The Sultan replied, All that hath 
befallen my son hath been caused by thee, and probably if thou 
deliver this drowning man, he will discover our affairs, and behold 
my son in this state, and exult over me. But I swear by Allah, 
that if this drowning man come up and see my son and then go 

forth and divulge any of our secrets, I will assuredly strike off thy 
head before his; for thou, O Wezeer, art the cause of all that 
hath befallen us, first and last. Then do as thou desirest. 

The Wezeer accordingly arose, and, opening the door of the 
court, went down upon the causeway, and proceeded twenty steps 
until he came to the sea, when he beheld Marzawan at the point 
of death. He therefore stretched forth his hand to him, and 
seized him by the hair of his head, and drew him up; and Mar¬ 
zawan came forth from the sea in a state of insensibility, with his 
stomach filled with water, and his eyes protruding. The Wezeer 
waited until his spirit returned to him, and then took off from 
him his clothes, and clad him with others, putting on his head one 
of the turbans of his young men; after which he said to him, 
Know that I have been the means of thy deliverance from drowning, 
and be not thou the means of my death and of thine own.—How 
so ? said Marzawan. The Wezeer answered, Because thou wilt 

118 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

now come up and pass among Emeers and Wezeers, all of them 
silent, speaking not, on account of Kamar ez-Zeman, the son 
of the Sultan. And when Marzawan heard the mention of Kamar 
ez-Zeman, he knew him, having heard his story in the countries 
whence he had come; but he said, Who is Kamar ez-Zeman ? 
The Wezeer answered, He is the son of the Sultan Shah Zeman, 
and is sick, laid upon his bed, without rest, knowing not night 
from day. He hath almost parted with life, from the wasting of 
his body, and become numbered among the dead; he passeth the 
day in burning, and the night in torment, and we have despaired 
of his life, and made sure of his dissolution. Beware of looking 
at him, or at any place but that whereon thou puttest thy foot; 
else thy life and mine will be ’ sacrificed.—Marzawan then said, 
I conjure thee by Allah to acquaint me respecting this youth 
whom thou hast described to me, and to tell me what is the cause 
of this state in which he is. So the Wezeer replied, 1 know no 
cause of it, save that his father, three years ago, required him to 
marry, and he refused; and he awoke in the morning and asserted 
that he had been sleeping and saw by his side a damsel of surpassing 
beauty, such as confounded the reason and baffled description, 
and he told us that he had taken off her ring from her finger 
and put it on his own finger, and put his ring on her finger, and 
we know not the mystery of this affair. By Allah, then, O my 
son, come up with me into the pavilion, and look not at the King’s 
son. After that, go thy way. For the heart of the Sultan is 
filled with rage against me.—So Marzawan said within himself, 
By Allah, this is what I sought! He then followed the Wezeer 
until he came to the pavilion; and the Wezeer seated himself at 
the feet of Kamar ez-Zeman. But as to Marzawan, he forthwith 
advanced until he stationed himself before Kamar ez-Zeman, and 
looked at him; whereupon the Wezeer became as one dead, and, 
looking at Marzawan, made signs to him that he should go his 
way; but Marzawan feigned to take no notice. He continued 
gazing at Kamar ez-Zeman, and, knowing that he was the object 
of his search, said, Extolled be the perfection of Him who hath 
made his stature like hers, and his complexion like hers, and his 
cheek like hers! So Kamar ez-Zeman opened his eyes, and listened; 
and when Marzawan saw that he was listening to his words, he 
recited these verses: — 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

119 

I see thee full of ecstasy and anxiety and melody, delighting in describing 
the charms of beauty. 

Art thou smitten by love, or struck by arrows? For this is the habit of none 
but the wounded. 

Give me cups of wine then to drink, and sing to me the praises of Suleyma 
and Er-Rab&b and Ten’om . 55 

I am jealous of the garments upon her sides, when she covereth with them 
her delicate body; 

And I envy the cups that touch her mouth, when she putteth them upon 
the kissing-place. 

Think me not killed by a keen-edged sword; for I have been wounded with 
the arrows of eyes. 

When we met each other I found her fingers dyed red as though stained with 
the juice of 'andam ; 56 

And she said, while she kindled a flame in my vitals, speaking as one who 
concealeth not love, 

Have patience : this is not a dye that I have used ; 57 and do not accuse me 
of falsehood and deceit; 

But when I had seen thee lying asleep, with my hand and my arm and my 
wrist uncovered, 

I shed tears of blood at parting, and wiped them with my hand; so my fingers 
were stained with the blood. 

Had I wept before her, in my passion for her, I had eased my soul before 
repentance came ; 

But she wept before me : her tears drew mine; and I said, Thebnerit belongs 
to the precedent . S8 

Blame me not for loving her; for I swear by love, that I am full of torment 
on her account. 

I weep for one whose face beauty hath adorned, and like whom there is none 
among the Arabs or foreigners : 

She hath Lukm&n’s wisdom, and Yoosuf's form, and Ddood’s sweet voice, 
and Maryam’s chastity; 

While I have Yaakoob’s grief, and Yoonus’s regret, and Eiyoob's affliction, 
and Adam’s condition . 59 

Yet kill her not, though I die of my passion for her; but ask her why she 
held my blood as lawful to her. 

When Marzawan recited these verses, the words descended 
upon the heart of Kamar ez-Zeman as coolness and health, and, 
turning his tongue in his mouth, he made a sign to the Sultan with 
his hand, as though he would say, Let this young man sit by my 
side. And when the Sultan heard these words of his son Kamar 
ez-Zeman, after he had been enraged against the young man, and 
determined to strike off his head, he rejoiced exceedingly. He 
arose, and seated Marzawan by the side of his son, and, accosting 
him with kindness, said to him, From what country art thou ? He 

120 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

answered, From tlie Interior Islands, from the dominions of the 
King El-Ghayoor, the lord of the Islands and Seas, and of the 
Seven Palaces. And the King Shah Zeman said, Perhaps relief 
may come to my son Kamar ez-Zeman through thy means. Then 
Marzawan addressed Kamar ez-Zeman, and said to him in his ear, 
Strengthen thy heart, and be cheerful and happy; for as to her on 
whose account thou hast been reduced to this condition, ask not 
respecting her state. 80 Thou hast concealed thy affair, 61 and fallen 
sick; but she made known her feelings, and became distracted, and 
is now imprisoned in the most miserable condition, with a collar of 
iron upon her neck. But, if it be the will of God, the restoration 
of you both shall be effected by my means.—And when Kamar 
ez-Zeman heard these words, his soul returned to him, and he 
recovered his senses, and made a sign to the King his father that he 
should raise him in a sitting posture. So the King rejoiced exces¬ 
sively, and seated his son. He then dismissed all the Wezeers and 
Emeers, and Kamar ez-Zeman sat reclining between two cushions. 
The King gave orders to perfume the pavilion with saffron, and 
to decorate the city, and said to Marzawan, By Allah, O my son, 
this is an auspicious event. He treated him with the utmost 
favour, and called for food for him. So they placed it before him, 
and he ate, and Kamar ez-Zeman ate with him. He passed the 
next night with him, and the King also remained with them both 
that night, in the excess of his joy at the restoration of his son. 

On the following morning, Marzawan began to tell his story to 
Kamar ez-Zeman, saying to him, Know that I am acquainted with 
her in whose company thou wast, and her name is the lady Budoor, 
the daughter of the King El-Ghayoor. He then related to him 
all that had happened to the lady Budoor, from beginning to end, 
and acquainted him with the excess of her love for him.—All that 
hath happened unto thee with thy father, said he, hath happened 
to her with her father : thou art without doubt her lover, and she 
is thine: so strengthen thy heart and thy resolution; for I will 
conduct thee unto her, and unite you both, and act with you as 
saith one of the poets :— 

If the object of love be adverse to its sufferer, and persist in shewing exces¬ 
sive aversion, 

Yet will I effect the union of their persons, as though I were the pivot of a 
pair of scissors. 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

121 

He continued to encourage Kamar ez-Zeman until he ate and 
drank and his soul returned to him and he recovered from his dis¬ 
order ; and he ceased not to converse with him and cheer and 
amuse him, and recite to him verses, until he entered the hath, 
when his father gave orders again to decorate the city, in his joy 
at this event, and bestowed robes of honour, and gave alms, and 
liberated those who were confined in the prisons. 

Marzawan then said to Kamar ez-Zeman, Know that I came 
not from the lady Budoor but for this purpose : it was the object 
of my journey to deliver her from her present sufferings; and it 
only remaineth for us to devise some stratagem that we may go to 
her ; for thy father cannot endure the idea of thy separation. But 
to-morrow do thou ask him to permit thee to go forth to hunt in 
the desert, and take with thee a pair of saddle-bags full of money, 
mount upon a swift horse, and take with thee a spare horse. I also 
will do the like; and say thou to thy father, I desire to amuse 
myself in the desert, and to hunt, and see the open country, and to 
pass there one night: therefore trouble not thy heart at all on my 
account.—Kamar ez-Zeman rejoiced at the words of Marzawan, 
and, going in to his father, asked his permission to go forth to 
hunt, saying as Marzawan desired him. And his father granted 
him permission, but said to him, Pass no more than one night 
away, and on the morrow be with me again ; for thou knowest that 
life hath no pleasure unto me without thee, and that I do not be¬ 
lieve thee to have entirely recovered from thy disorder. Then the 
King Shah Zeman recited to his son these two verses :— 

If I found myself possessed of every delight, and the world were mine with 
the empire of the Kisras ,, 53 

It were less unto me than the wing of a gnat if mine eye did not also behold 
thy form. 

Having thus said, he equipped Kamar ez-Zeman, together with 
Marzawan, giving orders that they should be furnished with six 
horses, and a dromedary to carry the money, and a camel to carry 
the water and food; and Kamar ez-Zeman, forbade that any one 
should go forth with him to attend upon him. So his father bade 
him farewell, and pressed him to his bosom, saying to him, I request 
thee by Allah do not be absent from me more than one night; and 
during that night, sleep will be forbidden unto me. 

VOL. XI. 

R 

122 

THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

Kamar ez- 

Marzawan then went 
forth, and mounted two 
horses, having with them 
the dromedary bearing 
the money, and the ca¬ 
mel laden with the water 
and the food, and, turn¬ 
ing their faces towards 
the open country, pro¬ 
ceeded the first day until evening, when they 
alighted and ate and drank, and fed their 
beasts and rested a while. After this they 
mounted again and journeyed on, and con¬ 
tinued on their way for the space of three 
days ; and on the fourth day they came to a spacious tract in which 
was a forest, where they alighted. Marzawan then took the camel 
and one of the horses, and slaughtered them, cut off their flesh, and 
stripped their bones, and, taking from Kamar ez-Zeman his shirt 
and drawers, rent them in pieces, and daubed them with the blood 
of the horse. He also took Kamar ez-Zeman’s melwatah, and tore 
it, and daubed it with the blood, and threw it in a spot where the 

road divided; after which, they 
ate and drank and proceeded. 
So Kamar ez-Zeman asked Mar¬ 
zawan the reason of this which 
he had done; and Marzawan 
answered, Know that thy father, 
the King Shah Zeman, after thou 
hast been absent from him one 
night and not returned to him 
on the second, will mount, and 
follow our track until he cometh 
to this blood which I have spilled, 
when he will see thy clothes torn 
and bloody, and will imagine that 
some accident hath befallen thee 
from robhers who obstruct the 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

123 

roads, or from a wild beast of the desert; whereupon he will abandon 
all hope of thee, and return to the city ; and by this stratagem we 
shall attain our desire.—Kamar ez-Zeman therefore replied, excel¬ 
lently hast thou done.—They continued their journey days and 
nights, Kamar ez-Zeman weeping all the while, until he rejoiced 
at drawing near to the country which they sought, when he recited 
these verses:— 

Wilt thou tyrannize over a lover who hath never been unmindful of thee, and 
be indifferent to him after thy desiring him ? 

May I forfeit thy consent if in love I have deceived thee, and be recompensed 
by abandonment if I have been false! 

I have been guilty of no fault to deserve harsh conduct; or if I have offended, 
I come repentant. 

Thine abandonment of me is a wonderful misfortune; but fortune is always 
giving rise to wonders. 

When he had finished reciting these verses, the Islands of the 
King El-Ghayoor appeared before him, and Kamar ez-Zeman 
rejoiced exceedingly, and thanked Marzawan for what he had done. 
They entered the city, and Marzawan lodged Kamar ez-Zeman in 
a Khan, where they rested three days from the fatigues of the jour¬ 
ney. After this, Marzawan conducted Kamar ez-Zeman into the 
bath, and clad him in the attire of a merchant, and made for him 
a geomantic tablet of gold, 63 with a set of instruments, and air 
astrolabe of gold. He then said to him, Arise, O my lord; station 
thyself beneath the King’s palace, and call out, I am the calculator, 
the writer, the astrologer! Where then is he who desireth to con¬ 
sult me ?—For the King, as soon as he heareth thee, will send for 
thee, and introduce thee to his daughter, thy beloved; and when 
she beholdeth thee, the madness that she suffereth will cease ; 
and her father, rejoicing in her safety, will marry her to thee; and 
divide his kingdom with thee; for he hath imposed this condition 
on himself. 

So Kamar ez-Zeman took the advice of Marzawan, and went 
forth from the Khan, wearing the dress, and having with him the 
set of instruments which we have described, and walked on until he 
stationed himself beneath the palace of the King El-Ghayoor, 
when he called out, I am the writer, the calculator, the astrologer ! 

I perform the ceremonies of marriage-contracts, 04 and write sure 

124 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N, Sic. 

charms, and make calculations, and write the geomantic characters 
by which questions are determined! Where then is he who de- 
sireth to consult me ?—And when the people of the city heard 
these words, as they had not for a long time seen a calculator or an 
astrologer, they stood around him and gazed at him, and, wonder¬ 
ing at the beauty of his form and the elegance of his youth, they 
said to him, We conjure thee by Allah, O our lord, expose not 
thyself in this manner through thy ambition to marry the daughter 
of the King El-Ghayoor; but turn thine eyes towards these heads 
that are hung up; for their owners have all of them been killed on 
this account, and their ambition led them to perdition.—But Kamar 
ez-Zeman regarded not their words. On the contrary, he raised 
his voice, and cried again, I am the writer, the calculator! I bring 
near the objects of desire to the desirer!—The people still besought 
and forbade him; but instead of hearing their words, he again 
raised his voice, and cried as before. Whereupon they were all 
angry with him, and said to him, Thou art none other than a proud 
and foolish young man. Have compassion upon thy youth and 
tender years, and thy beauty and loveliness.—But he cried out, 
and said, I am the astrologer, the calculator! Is there, then, any 
who desireth to consult me ? 

And while the people were attempting to dissuade him from 
doing thus, the King El-Ghayoor heard the crying, and the clamour 
of the people, and said to the Wezeer, Bring to us this astrologer. 
So the Wezeer descended, and took Kamar ez-Zeman, who, when 
he went in unto the King, kissed the ground before him, and 
recited these two verses:— 

Eight glorious qualities are united in theeby their means may fortune con¬ 
tinue thy servant;— 

Sure knowledge, and piety, and nobility, and munificence, and fluency, and 
eloquence, and preeminence, and conquest. 

And when the King El-Ghayoor beheld him, he seated him by 
his side, and accosted him graciously, saying, O my son, by Allah 
call not thyself an astrologer, nor comply with my condition; for I 
have bound myself, that, whosoever visiteth my daughter and doth 
not cure her of that which hath befallen her, I will strike off his 
head; and that, whosoever cureth her, I will marry her to him. 
Let not then thy beauty and loveliness and justness of form deceive 

thee. By Allah! by Allah! if thou cure her not, I will strike off 
thy head!—Kamar ez-Zeman replied, I agree to this condition. 
So the King El-Ghayoor desired the Kadees to bear witness against 
him, and delivered him to the eunuch, saying to him, Conduct this 
person to the lady Budoor. 

The eunuch, therefore, took him by the hand, and proceeded 
with him along the passage; but Kamar ez-Zeman went on before 
him; and the eunuch began to say to him, Wo to thee! Hasten 
not to thine own destruction. By Allah, I never knew any astro¬ 
loger but thee hasten to his own destruction! But thou knowest 
not the calamities that are before thee.—The eunuch then stationed 
Kamar ez-Zeman behind the curtain which was over the door; and 
Kamar ez-Zeman said to him, Which of the two modes will be 
more agreeable to thee: my treating and curing thy mistress here, 
or my going in to her, and curing her within the curtain ? And 

126 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

the eunuch wondered at his words, and answered him, If thou cure 
her here, it will be a greater proof of thy excellent skill. Upon 
this, therefore, Kamar ez-Zeman seated himself behind the curtain, 
and, taking forth the ink-case and pen, wrote upon a paper these 
words:— 

He whom estrangement hath afflicted is to be cured by the per¬ 
formance of the engagement of his beloved: but misery is the lot 
of him who hath despaired of his life, and made sure of his dissolu¬ 
tion; for whose sorrowful heart there is no supporter or helper, 
and for whose sleepless eye there is no reliever from anxiety; who 
passeth his day in burning, and his night in torture; whose body 
hath suffered continual wasting; and to whom no messenger hath 
come from his beloved.—He then wrote these verses:— 

I write with a heart devoted to thinking of thee, and with a wounded eyelid 
shedding tears of blood, 

And a body clad by ardent longing and grief with the garment of leanness, 
and brought into subjection. 

I complain unto thee of the torment of my love, and the utter exhaustion of 
my patience. 

Be favourable, then, and merciful and indulgent; for my heart is breaking 
through the violence of my passion. 

And beneath these verses he wrote:—The restoration of the heart 
is effected by union with the beloved; and God is the only phy¬ 
sician who can cure him whom the object of his affection hath 
oppressed. If you or we have been deceitful, may the deceiver be 
disappointed. There is nothing more charming than a lover who is 
faithful to an unfeeling object of affection.—Then, at the foot of 
his letter, he wrote thus:—From the distracted and distressed, the 
passionate and perplexed, whom longing and ardent desire have 
disquieted, the captive of transport and distraction, Kamar ez- 
Zeman, the son of Shah Zeman, to the peerless one of her age, and 
the preeminent among the beautiful Hooreeyehs, the lady Budoor, 
the daughter of the King El-Ghayoor.—Know that I pass my 
night in sleeplessness, and my day in perplexity, suffering from 
excessive wasting and sickness, and love and desire, uttering abun¬ 
dant sighs, and pouring forth torrents of tears, the slave of love, 
the victim of passion, persecuted by desire, the companion of dis¬ 
ease. I am that restless one whose eye never sleepeth; the slave 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

127 

of love whose tears are never interrupted: the fire of my heart is 
never extinguished; and the flame of my desire never disappeared^—- 
After this, he wrote upon the margin of the letter this admired 
verse :— 

Peace from the treasuries of the grace of my Lord be on her who possesseth 
my soul and my heart. 

And he added :— 

Grant me some words of your conversation, that you may shew me pity, or 
that my heart may be at rest. 

From the excess of my love for you, and my transport, I make light of that 
which rendereth me abject. 

God guard a people whose abode was distant from me, and whose secret I kept 
in every situation! 

But now fortune, in its kindness, hath favoured me, and brought me to the 
threshold of the beloved. 

I beheld Budoor in the bed by my side; and by her sun, the moon of my 
fortune was brightened. 

Then, having sealed the letter, he wrote these verses in the place 
of the address :— 

Inquire of my letter what my pen hath written, and the characters will ac¬ 
quaint thee with my transport and anguish. 

My hand is writing while my tears are flowing, and my desire complaineth of 
my disorder to the paper. 

My tears cease not to pour upon the paper. If they stopped, I would cause 
them to be followed by my blood. 

And he added this other line:— 

I have sent thy ring which I took in exchange when we were together: then 
send me mine. 

(For he had enclosed the ring of the lady Budoor in the letter.) 

He then handed the letter to the eunuch, who took it and went 
in with it to the lady Budoor; and she received it from his hand, 
and found in it her ring. And when she read it, and understood 
its object, she knew that her beloved was Kamar ez-Zeman, and 
that it was he who was standing outside the curtain; whereupon 
her reason fled, through the joy that she experienced. She arose 
immediately, and, pressing her feet against the wall, strained with 
all her might against the iron collar, and broke it from her neck, 
together with the chains, and went forth, and threw herself upon 

128 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

Kamar ez-Zeman, kissing his mouth like a pigeon feeding its 
young. She embraced him in the violence of her passion, and said 
to him, O my master, do I see this awake or in sleep; and hath 
God indeed graciously granted us our reunion ? She then praised 
God, and thanked Him, for reuniting her after her despair. And 
when the eunuch saw her in this state, he went running to the 
King El-Ghayoor, and, kissing the ground before him, said to him, 
O my lord, know that this astrologer is the wisest of all the astro¬ 
logers ; for he cured thy daughter while he stood behind the curtain, 
and went not in to her.—Is this news true ? said the King.—O my 
lord, answered the eunuch, arise and see her, how she hath broken 
the chains of iron and come forth to the astrologer, kissing and 
embracing him. 

So the King El-Ghayoor arose and went in to his daughter; 
and when she beheld him, she arose, and covered her head. The 
King, rejoicing at her restoration, kissed her between her eyes; 
for he loved her excessively; and then graciously addressed Kamar 
ez-Zeman, asking him respecting his condition, and saying, From 
what country art thou ? Therefore Kamar ez-Zeman acquainted 
him with his rank, and informed him that his father was the King 
Shah Zeman, relating to him the whole story from beginning to 
end, and acquainting him with all that had happened to him with 
the lady Budoor, and how he had taken her ring from her finger 
and she had put on his ring. At this the King El-Ghayoor won¬ 
dered, and said, Your story must be recorded in books, and read 
after you, age after age. Then immediately he summoned the 
Kadees and witnesses, and performed the lady Budoor’s contract of 
marriage to Kamar ez-Zeman, and gave orders to decorate the 
city for seven days. A banquet was prepared, the city was deco¬ 
rated, and the people praised God for his having caused the lady 
Budoor to fall in love with a handsome young man of the sons of 
the Kings. The women displayed her before him, and the marriage 
was concluded; and on the following day the King made a feast, to 
which all [who desired], of the inhabitants of the Interior and 
Exterior Islands, were admitted, and the feast was continued during 
a whole month. 

After this, Kamar ez-Zeman thought upon his father, and 
dreamt that he saw him, and that he heard him say, O my son, 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

129 

dost thou act thus towards me ? H 
therefore awoke sorrowful, and acquainted 
his wife with the dream. So she went [ v 
in with him to her father, and, having 
informed him of this, they begged his 
permission to set forth on the journey; 
and he gave permission to Kamar ez- 
Zeman; but the lady Budoor said, O my 
father, I cannot endure his separation. 

Wherefore he replied, Journey thou with 
him. He granted her permission to re¬ 
main with Kamar ez-Zeman a whole year, 
and desired her after that to pay him, her father, an annual visit; 
whereupon she kissed her father’s hand, and Kamar ez-Zeman 
did the same. The King El-Ghayoor then 
fitted out his daughter and her husband: 
he prepared for them the furniture for 
the journey, sent forth for them the horses 
and dromedaries, together with a litter for 
his daughter, loaded for them the mules 
and dromedaries, and provided them with 
all that they required for the journey. 
And on the day of departure, he bade 
farewell to Kamar ez-Zeman, and bestowed 
upon him a magnificent dress of gold 
stuff adorned with jewels, presenting him 

VOL. II. 

130 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

also with a treasure of wealth, and giv¬ 
ing him a charge respecting his daughter 
Budoor. After which he went forth with 
them both to the limits of the Islands, where 
he bade farewell again to Kamar ez-Zeman, 
and, going in to his daughter Budoor as she 
reposed in the litter, embraced her, and 
wept. Then coming out from her, he went 
to her husband, and again bade him fare¬ 
well, and kissed him; and having done this, 
he parted from them, and returned to his 
Islands with his troops, after he had ordered 
Kamar ez-Zeman and his wife to continue their journey. 

So Kamar ez-Zeman and the lady Budoor proceeded with their 
attendants the first day and the second and the third and the fourth, 
and continued for the space of a month. They then alighted 
in a spacious meadow, abounding with herbage ; and in it they 
pitched their tents, and ate and drank and rested. And when 
the lady Budoor slept, Kamar ez-Zeman went in and found 
her asleep, clad in a silken shirt of apricot-colour, and with a 
koofeeyeh of gold stuff adorned with jewels upon her head; and 
he observed a precious stone, red like ’andam, 65 tied to the band of 
her trowsers, with two lines of writing, in characters not to be read, 
engraved upon it.' 6 Kamar ez-Zeman, wondering at this, said 
within himself, If this precious stone were not a thing of great 
importance to her she would not have tied it thus upon the band of 
her trowsers, and so concealed it, that she might not suffer it to be 
away from her. What then can she do with this; and what can 
be the secret property that it possesseth ?—He then took it and 
went forth with it from the tent to look at it in the light; but as 
he was examining it, lo, a bird pounced upon it, and, having seized 
it from his hand, flew away with it, and then alighted with it upon 
the ground. 67 

Kamar ez-Zeman, fearing to lose the precious stone, ran after 
the bird; but the bird proceeded at the same rate as Kamar 
ez-Zeman, who continued running after it from valley to valley 
and from hill to hill until night came and darkness commenced, 
when the bird went to roost upon a high tree, while Kamar ez- 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

131 

Zeman stood beneath it, confounded, and faint with hunger and 
fatigue. He thought himself lost, and desired to return ; but knew 
not the place from which he had come ; and, night overtaking him, 
he exclaimed, There is no strength nor power but in God, the High, 
the Great! He then slept beneath the tree upon which the bird 
was roosting until the morning, when he awoke from his sleep, and 
found that the bird had just risen and flown from the tree. So he 
walked after it; and the bird continued flying by little and little 
at the same rate as that at which Kamar ez-Zeman walked ; upon 
seeing which, he smiled, and said, Allah! it is wonderful that this 
bird yesterday flew at the same rate as I ran, and to-day, knowing 
that I am tired, and cannot run, flieth at the same rate as I walk! 
Verily this is wonderful! But I must follow this bird, and it will 
either lead me to the preservation of my life or to my death. So I 
will follow it whithersoever it goetli; for at all events it will not 
stay but in an inhabited country.—He then continued following 
the bird, which passed every night upon a tree; and he followed it 
for the space of ten days, feeding upon the plants of the earth, and 
drinking of the rivers ; after which he came in sight of a city, and 
the bird darted into this city as rapidly as a glance, and disap¬ 
peared from Kamar ez-Zeman, who knew not whither it had gone. 
Upon this he wondered, and exclaimed, Praise be to God who hath 
preserved me, so that I have arrived at this city! Then seating 
himself by some water, he washed his hands and feet and face, and 
rested a while, reflecting upon his former life of ease, and consider¬ 
ing his present state of distance from his country and his friends, 
and of hunger and weariness. 

Having thus rested, he entered the gate of the city, not know¬ 
ing whither to go, and walked through the whole of the city. He 
had entered by the land-gate, and he walked on till he went forth 
from the sea-gate, without meeting any one of its inhabitants. The 
city was on the shore of the sea ; and when he had gone forth from 
the sea-gate, he walked on until he came to the gardens of the city; 
and he entered among the trees, and went and stood by the gate of 
one of the gardens; whereupon the gardener came forth to him and 
welcomed him, saying to him, Praise be to God that thou hast 
escaped the people of this city! Enter then this garden quickly, 
before any one of its inhabitants see thee.—So, upon this, Kamar 

1 32 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N, Sr c. 

ez-Zeman entered the garden, with a wandering mind, and said to 
the gardener, What is the history of the inhabitants of this city ? 
The gardener answered, Know that the people of this city are all of 
them Magians; and I conjure thee by Allah to tell me how thou 
earnest to this place, and what was the reason of thy entering our 
country. 06 Kamar ez-Zeman, therefore, acquainted him with all 
that had happened to him; and the gardener wondered at it ex¬ 
tremely, and said to him, Know, 0 my son, that the countries of 
El-Islam °' J are distant from hence: between them and this place is 
a distance of four months’ voyage by sea ; and by land, a journey 
of a whole year. We have a ship that saileth every year with 
merchandise to the nearest of the countries of El-Islam, pro¬ 
ceeding hence to the sea of the Ebony Islands, 70 and thence to the 
Islands of Khalidan, whose King is the Sultan Shah Zeman.—And 
upon this, Kamar ez-Zeman meditated within himself a while, and 
knew that there was no plan more suitable for him than that of his 
remaining there with the gardener, and becoming his assistant for a 
fourth of the produce. 71 So he said to him, Wilt thou take me as 
thy assistant on the condition of my receiving the fourth of the 
produce in this garden ? And the gardener answered, I hear and 
obey. He then instructed him in the conducting of the water 
among the trees ; 77 and Kamar ez-Zeman occupied himself in doing 
this, and in hoeing up the grass : the gardener clad him with a 
blue vest reaching to his knees ; and he betook himself to watering 
the trees, pouring forth floods of tears and reciting verses by night 
and day on the subject of his beloved Budoor. 

But as to his wife, the lady Budoor, she awoke from her sleep 
and asked for her husband, Kamar ez-Zeman ; but found him not; 
and feeling the knot of the band of her trowsers, she found that it 
was untied, and that the precious stone was lost; whereupon she 
said within herself, O Allah! this is wonderful! Where is my 
beloved? It seemeth that he hath taken the stone, and gone, 
and knoweth not the secret virtue that it possesseth. Whither 
can he be gone ? Some wonderful event must have occasioned 
his departure; for he cannot willingly part from me for an hour. 
Accursed be the stone, and the hour when it brought this mis¬ 
chief!—She then reflected, and said within herself, If I go forth 
to the attendants and acquaint them with the loss of my husband. 

they will covet me: I must therefore have recourse to stratagem. 
So she put on some clothes of Kamar ez-Zeman, and a turban like 
his, and, having thrown a litham 73 over part of her face, put into 
her litter a slave-girl; after which she went forth from her tent, 
and called out to the young men, who immediately brought her the 
horse, and she mounted, giving orders to bind on the burdens. 
They accordingly did this, and proceeded; and she concealed her 
case; for she resembled Kamar ez-Zeman, so that no one doubted 
her to be really him. She continued her journey, together with 
her attendants, days and nights, until she came in sight of a city 
overlooking the sea, and by it she alighted, and there she pitched 
her tents, for the sake of taking rest. She then asked the name of 
this city, and was answered, This is the City of Ebony, and its 
King is the King Armanoos, who hath a daughter named Hayat 
en-Nufoos . 71 

134 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

Now when the lady Budoor had alighted here to rest, the King 
Armanoos sent a messenger from his palace to learn for him the 
tidings of this (supposed) King who had encamped outside the city. 
So the messenger, on coming to their party, inquired of them, and 
they acquainted him that this was a King’s son who had wandered 
from his way, and who was journeying to the islands of Khalidan, 
to the King Shah Zeman. The messenger, therefore, returned to 
the King Armanoos, and acquainted him with the news ; and as 
soon as the King heard it, he descended with the lords of his 
empire to visit the stranger. As he approached the tents, the lady 
Budoor advanced towards him on foot, and the King Armanoos 
alighted, and they saluted each other. He then took her and con¬ 
ducted her into the city, and went up with her into his palace, 
where he gave orders to prepare a banquet, and to convey her to 
the mansion of entertainment; and there she remained three days. 

After this, it happened that the lady Budoor had entered the 
bath, and she displayed a face shining like the full moon, so that 
all who beheld her were filled with admiration of her beauty, and 
she was clad in a vest of silk embroidered with gold, and adorned 
with jewels. The King Armanoos then accosted her graciously, 
and said to her, Know, O my son, that I am now a very old man, 
and in my life I have never been blest with a child, excepting a 
daughter, who resembleth thee in form and stature, and in beauty 
and loveliness. I am unable any longer to fulfil the duties of a 
King. Wilt thou, then, O my son, reside in my land, and dwell in 
my country ? If so, I will marry thee to my daughter, and give 
thee my kingdom.—Upon this, the lady Budoor hung down her 
head, and her forehead became moistened by bashfulness. She 
said within herself, What can be done, seeing that I am a woman ? 
If I disobey his command, and depart, probably he will send after 
me an army, and kill me; and if I obey him, probably I shall be 
disgraced. I have lost my beloved Kamar ez-Zeman, and know 
not what is become of him; and I have no means of preserving 
myself, unless by assenting to his desire, and residing with him 
until God accomplish what must come to pass.—She then raised 
her head, and paid submission to the King by saying, I hear and 
obey. Whereupon the King rejoiced, and gave orders to pro¬ 
claim throughout the Ebony Islands that rejoicings should be cele- 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

135 

brated and the houses decorated. He assembled the chamberlains 
and lieutenants, and emeers and wezeers, and the other lords of his 
empire, and the kadees of his city, and, having abdicated the 
throne, appointed the lady Budoor Sultan in his stead, and clad her 
with the royal vestments. All the emeers presented themselves 
before her, complaining not of her youth; and every one of them 
who looked at her was astonished at her extreme beauty and love¬ 
liness. 

So when the lady Budoor had been created Sultan, and the 
drums had been beaten to announce the joyful event, the King 
Armanoos prepared his daughter Hayat en-Nufoos for her mar¬ 
riage ; and after a few days, they introduced the lady Budoor to 
the lady Hayat en-Nufoos. They resembled two full moons by 
the side of each other, or two suns that had risen together; and 
when the attendants had closed the doors upon them, and let down 
the curtains, after they had lighted the candles for them, and 
spread the bed, the lady Budoor sat with the lady Hayat en-Nufoos, 
and, reflecting upon her beloved Kamar ez-Zeman, her grief became 
violent, and she poured forth tears, and recited some verses com¬ 
mencing thus:— 

O ye who have quitted me, with my heart full of trouble, your absence hath 
left no life in my body! 

Then sitting by the side of the lady Hayat en-Nufoos, she kissed 
her upon the mouth, and, arising abruptly, performed the ablution, 
and continued praying until the lady Hayat en-Nufoos had fallen 
asleep, when she entered the bed, and turned her back to her till 
the morning. And when the morning arrived, the old King and 
his wife came in to their daughter, and asked her how she was. So 
she acquainted them with what had happened, and with the verses 
that she had heard. 

But the Queen Budoor, having gone forth, seated herself on 
the throne, and the emeers and other lords of the empire, and all 
the chiefs and soldiers, went up to her, and congratulated her on 
her accession to the throne, kissed the ground before her, and 
prayed for her, while she accosted them with smiles, bestowed upon 
them robes of honour, and increased the fiefs of the emeers. So 
all the soldiers and people loved her, and prayed for the continu- 

136 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEM.VN 

ance of her reign, having no doubt that she was a man ; and she 
commanded and forbade, and dispensed justice and equity, liberated 
the persons who were confined in the prisons, and abolished the 
custom-taxes. She continued sitting in the hall of judgment until 
night, and then entering the chamber that was prepared for her, 
found the lady Hay at en-Nufoos sitting there. She therefore 
seated herself by her side, and patted her on the back, caressed 
her, and kissed her between the eyes, and then, as before, recited 
some verses deploring the absence of her husband; after which, 
she rose upon her feet, and, having wiped away her tears, performed 
the ablution and prayed, and continued praying until sleep over¬ 
came the lady Hayat en-Nufoos. The Queen Budoor then laid 
herself by her side, and so remained until the morning; when 
she arose, and performed the morning-prayers, seated herself upon 
the throne, and commanded and forbade, and administered justice 
and equity. In the mean time, the King Armanoos went in to 
his daughter, and made his inquiries. So she informed him of 
all that had happened to her, repeating to him the verses which 
the Queen Budoor had recited, and said to him, O my father, I 
have never beheld any one more sensible or more bashful than my 
husband; but he only weepeth and sigheth. Her father, therefore, 
replied, O my daughter, have patience with him yet this third 
night only; and if he shew thee not proper attention, we shall 
know what course to pursue with him: I will divest him of the 
regal authority, and banish him from our country.—Thus he agreed 
with his daughter to do, and thus he resolved in his mind. 

Now when the next night came, the Queen Budoor arose from 
the throne, and, returning to the chamber prepared for her in the 
palace, saw the candles lighted, and the lady Hayat en-Nufoos 
sitting there; whereupon she thought of her husband, and of the 
events that had happened to herself and him during the last few 
days; and she wept, and continued groaning, and again recited 
some verses expressive of her unhappy state. She then desired to 
arise to prayer; but Hayat en-Nufoos clung to her skirts, and said to 
her, O my master, art thou not ashamed to act thus towards my father 
who hath treated thee with so much kindness, and to regard me with 
this protracted indifference ? And when the Queen Budoor heard 
this, she sat down, and replied, O my beloved, what sayest thou ?— 

AND THE PRINCESS RUDOOIl. 

137 

What I say, rejoined Hayat en-Nufoos, 
is this; that 1 have beheld no one so 
self-satisfied as thou. Is then every 
one who is lovely thus selfish ? But 
I say not this on my own account: I 
do so only in my fear for thee from the 
King Armanoos; for he hath resolved, 
if thou pay me not proper respect, 
to depose thee from the sovereignty 
to-morrow, and to banish thee from 
his country; and probably his rage may 
so increase that he may kill thee. I 
therefore am moved with compassion 
for thee, and have given thee good 
advice; and it is thine to decide how 
thou wilt act.—On hearing these words, 
the Queen Budoor hung down her 
head towards the ground, and was perplexed at her case, 
saying within herself, If I oppose his wish, I perish; and if I obey 
him, I am disgraced ; but I am now Queen of all the Ebony Islands, 
and they are under my rule, and I cannot meet again with Kamar 
ez-Zeman unless in this place ; for there is no way by which he can 
return to his country but by the Ebony Islands. I will therefore 
commit my case unto God, who is the best director.—She then said 
to Hayat en-Nufoos, O my beloved, my neglect of thee hath been 
involuntary. And she related to her all that had befallen her 
from beginning to end, adding, I conjure thee by Allah to conceal 
my case and to keep my secret until God reunite me with my 
beloved Kamar ez-Zeman, and after that we shall see what will 
happen.—Upon this, Hayat en-Nufoos was filled with the utmost 
wonder, and, being moved with pity for her, prayed for her reunion 
with her beloved, and said to her, O my sister, fear not nor be 
alarmed ; but have patience until God accomplish that which must 
come to pass. The bosoms of the ingenuous are the sepulchres 
of secrets; and thy secret I will not reveal.—Then they toyed 
together, and embraced each other, and slept until near the call 
to morning-prayers, when the mother of Hayat en-Nufoos came 
in to her, and was satisfied with her report. The Queen Budoor, 

VOL. II. 

r 

138 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

after performing the morning-prayers, repaired to the hall of 
judgment, and there, seated upon the throne, judged the people; 
and the King Armanoos was rejoiced at what he heard ; his bosom 
expanded, and he gave banquets; and thus they continued for a 
length of time.—Such were the adventures of Kamar ez-Zeman 
and the Queen Budoor. 

But as to the King Shah Zeman,—after the departure of his 
son to the chase, accompanied by Marzawan, as already related, 
he waited until the second night; and when his son came not, 
his reason was perplexed, and he slept not that night. He became 
in a state of the utmost disquiet, his excitement was excessive, 
and he burned with anxiety; and scarcely had the day broke when 
he arose. He sat expecting his son until midday; but he came 
not; and his heart became impressed with a dread of separation, 
and he burned with fears for his son. He wept until he wetted 
Iris clothes with his tears, and then, wiping away the tears, 
he issued a proclamation commanding his forces to march, and 
urging them to undertake a long expedition. So all the troops 
mounted, and the Sultan went forth, with a heart tortured for his 
son, and full of grief. He disposed his army in six divisions, on 
the right and left, and before and behind, and said to them, To-mor¬ 
row ye shall meet at the parting of the road. The troops, there¬ 
fore, being thus divided, the horsemen set forth, and proceeded 
the rest of that day until the hour of darkness; and they continued 
on their way the whole of the night, and the next day till noon, 
when they arrived at a spot where the road divided into four 
branches ; so that they knew not which way to go. But here 
they beheld torn clothes, and mangled flesh, and they looked at 
the traces of the blood, and observed every piece of the clothes. 
So when the King Shah Zeman saw this, he uttered a great cry 
from the bottom of his bosom, and exclaimed, Oh, my son ! He 
slapped his face, and plucked his beard, and rent his clothes, feeling 
convinced of the death of his son. His weeping and wailing were 
excessive, and the troops wept with him, all of them regarding 
ascertain the destruction of Kamar ez-Zeman: they threw dust 
upon their heads, and the night overtook them while they wept 
and wailed so that they were at the point of death. The King 
Shah Zeman then returned with his troops to his city, convinced 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

139 

of the death of his son, and concluding that either a wild beast or 
a robber had attacked him and torn him in pieces. He issued a 
proclamation throughout the Islands of Khalidan that the people 
should wear black in token of mourning for his son Kamar ez- 
Zeraan, and built for himself an edifice which he named the House 
of Lamentations; and every Thursday and Monday he decided the 
affairs of his troops and people; passing the rest of the week in 
the House of Lamentations, mourning for his son, and bewailing 
him with elegies. 

Meanwhile, the Queen Budoor remained monarch of the country 
of Ebony, the people pointing at her with the finger, and saying, 
This is the son-in-law of the King Armanoos; and every night 
she slept with the lady Hayat en-Nufoos, complaining of the absence 
of her husband Kamar ez-Zeman, and describing to her his beauty 
and loveliness, desiring an interview with him were it only in her 
sleep. 

Now Kamar ez-Zeman continued residing in the garden, with 
its owner, for a length of time, weeping night and day, and sighing, 
and lamenting in verses the past times of enjoyment and happiness, 
while the gardener, to console him, told him that the ship would 
sail at the end of the year to the countries of the Muslims. Thus 
he remained until, one day, he saw the people assembling toge¬ 
ther, at which he wondered; and the gardener came in to him, 
and said to him, O my son, cease from work this day, and water 
not the trees; for this day is a festival of the people, whereon 
they visit one another. Therefore rest, and only keep thine eye 
upon the garden; for I desire to look out for the vessel for thee, 
since there remaineth but a short time, and to send thee to the 
country of the Muslims.—The gardener then went forth; and 
Kamar ez-Zeman remained alone in the garden. His heart was 
broken, his tears flowed, and he continued weeping until he fell 
down in a swoon; and when he recovered he arose, and walked 
about the garden reflecting upon his misfortunes and upon his 
protracted estrangement and separation. His reason being thus 
disturbed, he stumbled, and fell upon his face, and his forehead 
struck against the root of a tree with such force that his blood 
flowed, and mingled with his tears. He however wiped away the 
blood and dried up his tears, and, having bound his forehead with a 

piece of rag, arose, and continued his walk about the garden. And 
he turned up his eyes towards a tree upon which were two birds 
contending together; and one of them overcame the other; it pecked 
at its neck, and severed its head from its body, and, taking the head, 
flew away with it. The body of the bird thus killed then fell upon 
the ground before Kamar ez-Zeman, and as it lay there, lo, two 
great birds pounced down upon it, and, one of them placing itself at 
its upper extremity and the other at its tail, they depressed their 
wings over it, and stretched forth their necks towards it, and 
moaned. So Kamar ez-Zeman wept for his separation from his 
wife when he beheld the two birds moaning over their companion. 
After this, he saw the two birds make a hollow, and bury in it the 
slaughtered bird; and, having done so, they soared aloft into the 
sky ; but after they had been absent a while, they returned bringing 
with them the bird that had committed the murder. They alighted 

THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N, &c. 141 

with it upon the grave of the slaughtered bird, and there crouched 
upon it and killed it: they rent open its body, tore out its bowels, 
and poured its blood upon the grave of the slaughtered bird: then 
they strewed about its flesh, and tore its skin, and, pulling out all 
that was within it, they scattered it in different places. 

All this took place while Kamar ez-Zeman looked on in wonder; 
and as he happened to cast a glance towards the place where the 
two great birds had killed the other, he observed something shining. 
So he approached it, and saw it to be the bird’s crop: and he 
took it and opened it, and found in it the stone that had been 
the cause of his separation from his wife. As soon as he beheld 
it he knew it, and fell upon the ground in a fit, through his joy; 
and when he recovered he said within himself, This is a good sign, 
and an omen of my reunion with my beloved! He then examined 
it, drew it over his eye,” and tied it upon his arm, anticipating 
from it a happy result; after which he arose and walked about, 
waiting for the gardener. He continued searching for him until 
night; but he came not. So Kamar ez-Zeman slept in his usual 
place until the morning, when he arose to his work. 

Having girded himself with a rope of the fibres of the palm- 
tree, he took the hoe and the basket, and went into the midst of the 
garden till he came to a locust-tree, and he struck at its root with 
the hoe, whereupon the blow loudly resounded. So he removed 
the earth from its place, and having done this he discovered a trap¬ 
door, on opening which he found an aperture; and he descended into 
it, and beheld an old saloon, of the age of Thamood and ’A'd, ” 
spacious, and [containing a number of jars] filled with red gold; 
upon which he said within himself, Fatigue is past, and joy and 
happiness have come! He then ascended from this place into 
the garden, and, having replaced the trap-door, resumed his occu¬ 
pation of conducting the water to the trees in the garden. 

Thus he continued to busy himself until the close of the day, 
when the gardener came to him, and said, O my son, receive glad 
tidings of thy speedy return to thy native land ; for the merchants 
have prepared for the voyage, and the ship after three days is to 
set sail for the city of Ebony, which is the first of the cities of 
the Muslims ; and when thou hast arrived there, thou wilt travel 
by land six months to the Islands of Khalidan and the King 

142 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

Shah Zeman. So Kamar ez-Zeman rejoiced at this, and, kissing 
the hand of the gardener, said to him, O my father, like as thou 
hast given me good tidings, I too give good tidings unto thee. 
And he acquainted him with the affair of the saloon ; whereat the 
gardener also rejoiced, and replied, 1 have been eighty years in 
this garden without finding anything, and thou hast been with 
me less than a year and hast discovered this : it is therefore thy 
prize, and a means of terminating thy grief, and will assist thee 
to accomplish thy return to thy family and thy reunion with thy 
beloved. But Kamar ez-Zeman said, It must positively be divided 
between me and thee. He then took the gardener and conducted 
him into that saloon, and shewed him the gold, which was in twenty 
jars: so he took ten and the gardener took ten. And the gardener 
said to him, O my son, fill for thyself large jars” with the 
’asafeeree olives” which are in this garden; for they exist not in 
any country but ours, and the merchants export them to all other 
parts; and place thou the gold in the jars, and the olives over 
the gold : then close them and take them to the ship. So Kamar 
cz-Zeman arose immediately, and filled fifty large jars, putting 
the gold in them, and closing each after he had put the olives 
over the gold; 78 and the precious stone he put into one of the 
jars. After which he sat conversing with the gardener, and felt 
confident of his speedy reunion with his family, saying within him¬ 
self, When 1 have arrived at the Ebony 
Island, I will journey thence to the country 
of my father, and inquire for my beloved 
Budoor: but I wonder whether she have 
returned to her own country, or journeyed on 
to the country of my father, or whether any 
accident have happened to her on the way. 

He then sat waiting for 
the expiration of the days, 
and related to the gardener 
the story of the birds, and 
of what passed between 
them, whereat the gardener 
wondered. After this, both 
of them slept until the 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

143 

morning, and the gardener awoke ill, and remained so two 
days: and on the third day his illness so increased that they 
despaired of his life. Kamar ez-Zeman, therefore, grieved for 
the gardener; and while he was in this state, lo, the master of 
the ship, with the sailors, came and inquired for the gardener: 
so he acquainted them with his illness. They then said, Where 
is the young man who desireth to go with us to the Island of 
Ebony ? And Kamar ez-Zeman answered, He is the memlook 
who is before you. M And he desired them to transport the jars 
to the ship. They therefore removed them to the ship, and 
said to Kamar ez-Zeman, Hasten; for the wind hath become fair. 
And he replied, I hear and obey. He then conveyed his provisions 
to the ship, and returned to the gardener to bid him farewell; 
but he found him in the agonies of death : so he seated himself 
at his head till he died ; and he closed his eyes, and prepared his 
body for burial, and interred it. 

Having done this, he repaired to the ship. He found, however, 
that it had spread its sails and departed ; and it continued cleaving 
the sea until it disappeared from before his eyes. He was con¬ 
founded and perplexed, and he returned to the garden anxious and 
sorrowful, and threw dust upon his head. He hired the garden 
from its proprietor, and employed a man to assist him in watering 
the trees; and, going to the trap-door, he descended into the saloon, 
and stowed the remaining gold in fifty other large jars, putting 
olives over it. 81 He then made inquiries respecting the ship, 
and the people answered him, that it sailed not more than once 
in every year. His trouble of mind increased, and he mourned 
for that which had befallen him, especially for the loss of the 
precious stone of the lady Budoor. He passed night and day in 
weeping, and reciting verses. 

In the mean time, the wind was favourable to the ship, and it 
arrived at the Island of Ebony. And it happened in accordance 
with destiny, that the Queen Budoor was sitting at a window, 
and beheld the vessel when it cast anchor by the shore. Her heart 
throbbed at the sight, and she mounted with the emeers and cham¬ 
berlains, and, repairing to the shore, stopped near the ship as the 
crew were transporting the merchandise to the magazines. She 
forthwith summoned the master of the vessel, and asked him 

144 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

what he had brought; and he answered her, O King, I have, in 
this vessel, aromatics and medicinal powders and collyriums, and 
plasters and ointments, and wealth and magnificent stuffs and 
costly merchandise, such as camels and mules cannot carry ; among 
which are various kinds of essences and spices and aloes-wood, 
and tamarind 8 ’ and ’asafeeree olives, such as are scarcely to be 
found in this country. On hearing this, she felt a desire for the 
olives, and said to the owner of the ship, What is the quantity 
of the olives that thou hast brought ? He answered, I have fifty 
large jars full; but their owner came not with us; and the King 
shall take of them what he desireth. So she said, Land them, 
that I may look at them. And the master called out to his crew, 
whereupon they brought out the fifty jars; and she opened one, 
and, having looked at the olives, said, I will take these fifty jars 
and give you their price, whatever it be. The master of the ship 
replied, These have no value in our country: but their owner 
remained behind us, and he is a poor man. But she said, What 
is their price ? And he answered, A thousand pieces of silver. 
I will take them, replied she, for a thousand pieces of silver. 

She then commanded that they should be conveyed to the 
palace; and when night came, she gave orders to bring to her 
one of the jars; and she opened it. There was no one in the 
chamber but herself and Hayat en-Nufoos ; and she placed a dish 
before her, and on her pouring into it some of the contents of the 
jar, there fell into the dish a heap of red gold; whereupon she 
said to the lady Hayat en-Nufoos, This is nothing but gold! She 
therefore, examined the whole, and found that all the jars contained 
gold, and that the olives altogether would not fill one of the jars ; 
and searching among the gold, she discovered the precious stone 
with it. So she took it and examined it, and found that it was 
the stone which was attached to the band of her trousers, and 
which Kamar ez-Zeman had taken. As soon as she recognised it 
she cried out in her joy, and fell down in a swoon : and when she 
recovered she said within herself, This precious stone was the cause" 
of the separation of my beloved Kamar ez-Zeman; but it is an omen 
of good fortune! She then told the lady Hayat en-Nufoos that 
its recovery was a prognostic of her reunion. And when the 
morning came, she seated herself upon the throne, and summoned 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOIl. 

145 

the master of the ship, who, when he came, kissed the ground 
before her; and she said to him, Where did ye leave the owner 
of these olives ? He answered, O King of the age, we left him 
in the country of the Magians, and he is a gardener. And she 
said, If thou bring him not, thou knowest not the misfortune that 
will happen unto thee and to thy ship. She immediately gave orders 
to affix seals upon the magazines of the merchants, and said to 
them, The owner of these olives is an offender against me, and is 
my debtor; and if he come not, I will assuredly slay you all, and 
seize your merchandise. So they applied to the master of the 
ship, promising to pay him the hire of the vessel if he would 
return, and said to him, Deliver us from this tyrant. 

The master therefore embarked, and loosed the sails, and God 
decreed him safety, so that he arrived at the Island of the Magians; 
and, landing by night, he went up to the garden. The night had 

VOL. II. 

14-6 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N 

become tedious to Kamar ez-Zeman, and lie was thinking upon 
his beloved, as he sat in the garden weeping for the misfortunes 
that had befallen him; and the master of the ship knocked at the 
gate of his garden. He therefore opened the gate and went forth 
to him, and immediately the sailors carried him off, and, embarking 
with him, loosed the sails, and departed. They continued their 
voyage days and nights, while Kamar ez-Zeman knew not the 
occasion of this conduct. He asked them the cause, and they 
answered him, Thou art an offender against the King of the Ebony 
Islands, the son of the King Armanoos, and hast stolen his wealth, 
O thou unlucky! But he replied, By Allah, in my life I never 
entered that country, nor do I know it. 

They continued their voyage with him until they came in sight 
of the Ebony Islands, and took him up to the lady Budoor, who, 
as soon as she saw him, knew him, and said, Commit him to the 
eunuchs, that they may conduct him into the bath. She then 
dispelled the fears of the merchants, and bestowed upon the master 
of the ship a robe of honour worth ten thousand pieces of gold. 
After which, she went in to the lady Hayat en-Nufoos, and ac¬ 
quainted her with the event, saying to her, Conceal the news 
until I have attained my desire, and done a deed which shall be 
recorded, and read after us to Kings and subjects. And when she 
gave orders to conduct Kamar ez-Zeman into the bath, they did 
so, and clad him in the apparel of Kings; and when he came forth 
from the bath he appeared like a branch of the Oriental willow, 
or a planet at whose appearance the sun and moon were abashed; 
and his soul returned to him. He then repaired to her, and 
entered the palace; but when she beheld him she restrained her 
heart, that her purpose might be accomplished. She bestowed 
upon him memlooks and servants, and camels and mules, gave him 
a treasury of wealth, and ceased not to promote him from grade 
to grade until she made him treasurer, delivering all the treasures 
to his care. She admitted him into high favour, and acquainted 
the emeers with his station, and they all loved him. Every day 
the Queen Budoor increased his appointments, and Kamar ez- 
Zeman knew not the cause of her thus honouring him. From the 
abundance of his wealth he gave liberal presents; and be served 
the King Armanoos with such zeal that he loved him, as did the 

AND THE PRINCESS BUDOOR. 

147 

emeers and other great men, and the common people, so that they 
swore by his life. 83 

But all this time Kamar ez-Zeman wondered at the honours 
which the Queen Budoor shewed him, and said within himself, By 
Allah, this love must have some cause; or perhaps this King thus 
favoureth me from some evil intention: I must therefore ask his 
permission to depart from his country. Accordingly, he went to 
the Queen Budoor, and said to her, O King, thou hast bestowed 
on me great favours, and thy favours will be complete if thou 
permit me to depart, and take from me all that thou hast bestowed 
upon me. And the Queen Budoor smiled, and said, What induceth 
thee to desire to travel, and to rush headlong into perils, when 
thou art enjoying the highest favour, and extraordinary benefi¬ 
cence?—O King, answered Kamar ez-Zeman, if this favour be 
without cause, it is most wonderful, especially as thou hast con¬ 
ferred upon me dignities such as are proper for the aged, when I 
am but a child. The Queen Budoor then took him into a private 
apartment, and made herself known to him: and he discovered 
that she was his wife, the Queen Budoor, the daughter of the 
King El-Ghayoor, lord of the Islands and the Seas; whereupon 
they embraced and kissed each other. She related to him all that 
had happened to her from first to last; and he in like manner 
acquainted her with all that had befallen him. 

And when the next morning came, and diffused its light, the 
Queen Budoor sent to the King Armanoos, and informed him of 
the truth of her case, that she was the wife of Kamar ez-Zeman, 
relating to him their story and the cause of their separation; and 
the King Armanoos, on hearing her tale, wondered at it extremely. 
He gave orders to write it in letters of gold, and then, looking 
towards Kamar ez-Zeman, said to him, O son of the King, wilt 
thou form an alliance with me by marrying my daughter Hayat 
en-Nufoos? He answered, I must consult the Queen Budoor; for 
I owe her unlimited gratitude. But when he consulted her, she 
replied, Excellent is this proposal! Marry her, therefore, and 
I will be a handmaid to her; for I owe her a debt of kindness 
and beneficence, and favour and obligation, especially as we are 
in her abode, and since we have been loaded with the benefits 
of her father. 84 —So when Kamar ez-Zeman saw that the Queen 

148 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE KAMAR EZ-ZEMA'N, &c. 

Budoor inclined to this, and was not jealous of Hayat en-Nufoos, 
he agreed with her on this subject, and acquainted the King 
Armanoos with that which the Queen Budoor had said, that she 
approved of the marriage, and would be a handmaid to Hayat en- 
Nufoos. And on hearing these words from Kamar ez-Zeman, 
the King Armanoos rejoiced exceedingly. He went forth imme¬ 
diately, and seated himself upon his throne, and, having summoned 
all the emeers and wezeers and chamberlains, and the other lords 
of the empire, acquainted them with the story of Kamar ez-Zeman 
and his wife the Queen Budoor from first to last, telling them 
that he desired to marry his daughter Hayat en-Nufoos to Kamar 
ez-Zeman, and to appoint him Sultan over them in the place of 
his wife the Queen Budoor. Upon which all of them said, Since 
Kamar ez-Zeman is the husband of the Queen Budoor, who was 
our sovereign before him when we thought her the son-in-law 
of our King Armanoos, we are all content to have him as our 
Sultan, and we will be servants unto him, and never swerve from 
our allegiance to him. 

The King Armanoos, therefore, rejoiced at this exceedingly: 
he summoned the Kadees and witnesses, and the chief officers of 
the empire, and performed Kamar ez-Zeman’s contract of marriage 
to his daughter, the Queen Hayat en-Nufoos. He celebrated 
festivities, gave sumptuous banquets, conferred costly robes of 
honour upon all the emeers and chiefs and soldiers, bestowed 
alms upon the poor and the needy, and liberated all the prisoners; 
and the people rejoiced at the accession of the King Kamar ez- 
Zeman, praying for the continuance of his glory and prosperity, 
and felicity and honour. As soon as he had become Sultan over 
them, Kamar ez-Zeman abolished the custom-taxes; he conducted 
himself in a praiseworthy manner towards his people, and resided 
with his wives in enjoyment and happiness, and fidelity and cheer¬ 
fulness, behaving towards both of them with impartiality. Thus he 
remained for a length of time; his anxieties and sorrows were 
obliterated; and he forgot his father, the King Shah Zeman, 
and the glory and power that he had enjoyed under him. 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES EL-AMJAD AND EL-As’AD. 

After this, God (whose name be exalted!) blessed Kamar ez- 
Zeman with two male children by his two wives. They were like 
two shining moons: the elder of them was the son of the Queen 
Budoor, and his name was the Prince El-Amjad; 85 and the younger 
was the son of Hayat en-Nufoos, and his name was the Prince El- 
As’ad; 86 and El-As’ad was more lovely than his brother El-Amjad. 
They were reared with magnificence and tenderness, and instructed 
in polite arts and accomplishments: they learned caligrapliy and 
general science, and the arts of government and horsemanship, until 
they attained the utmost perfection, and became distinguished by 
consummate beauty and loveliness, so that the women were ravished 
by their charms. They grew up to the age of seventeen years, 
always in each other’s company, eating and drinking together, and 
never separated one from another, and all the people envied them 
on this account. And when they had attained to manhood, and 

150 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES 

were both endowed with every accomplishment, their father, when¬ 
ever he made a journey, seated them by turns in the hall of judg¬ 
ment, and each of them judged the people for one day at a time. 

Now it happened, in accordance with confirmed destiny and 
determined fate, that two ladies in the King’s palace, 87 on whom he 
had set his affections, became enamoured of the two princes, El- 
Amjad and El-As’ad. Each of these two women used to toy with 
the object of her love, and kiss him, and press him to her bosom ; 
and when his mother beheld this, she imagined that it was only an 
affection like that of a parent. Love took entire possession of the 
hearts of the two women, and when they had waited long without 
finding any way of accomplishing their union, they abstained from 
drink and food, and relinquished the delight of sleep. 

The King then went forth to the chase, and ordered his two 
sons to sit in his place to administer justice, each of them for one 
day at a time, according to their custom. So on the first day, El- 
Amjad, the son of the Queen Budoor, sat for judgment, and com¬ 
manded and forbade, and invested and deposed, and gave and denied. 
And his enamoured wrote him a letter, endeavouring to conciliate 
his affection, and declaring that she was wholly devoted to him, and 
transported with love for him, exposing her whole case to him, and 
telling him that she desired to be united to him. She took a paper, 
and wrote in it these words:— 

From the poor, the love-sick female; the mourning, the estranged; 
whose youth is consumed by love for thee, and whose torment on 
thine account hath been protracted.—If I described to thee the 
extent of my sorrow, and the sadness that I suffer, and the violent 
love that is in my heart, and how I weep and moan, and how my 
mourning heart is cut in pieces, and my constant griefs, and conti¬ 
nual anxieties, and the pain that I endure from separation, and 
from sadness and ardent desire, the exposition of my case would be 
too long for a letter, and none could calculate its extent. The earth 
and heaven have become strait unto me, and I have no hope nor 
trust but in thee; for I have arrived at the point of death, and 
suffered the horrors of destruction. My ardour hath become ex¬ 
cessive, with my disjunction and estrangement, and if I described 
the longing desire that I feel, papers would be insufficient for it.— 
And after this, she wrote these two verses:— 

EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS’AD. 

151 

If I would explain the burnings I experience, and the sickness, and ecstasy of 
love, and agitation, 

Neither paper nor pen would remain upon the earth, nor ink, nor a scrap upon 
which to write. 

She then wrapped up the letter in a piece of costly silk, richly 
perfumed with musk and ambergris, and put with it the silk strings 
of her hair, 88 for the price of which, treasures would be consumed ; 
after which, she wrapped the whole in a handkerchief, and gave it 
to a eunuch, commanding him to convey it to the Prince El-Amjad. 

So the eunuch went, not knowing the secret destiny that awaited 
him (for He who is acquainted with all the secrets of futurity 
ordereth events as He willeth); and when he went in to the Prince 
El-Amjad, he kissed the ground before him, and handed to him 
the kerchief with the letter. The Prince El-Amjad, therefore, took 
the handkerchief from him, and, unfolding it, saw the letter, and 
opened and read it; and when he understood its meaning, he per¬ 
ceived that the woman contemplated deceit, and had acted disloyally 
towards his father, the King Kamar ez-Zeman. And upon this 
he was violently enraged, and abused womankind for their conduct, 
exclaiming, Execration upon treacherous women, deficient in sense 
and religion! He then drew his sword, and said to the eunuch, 
Wo to thee, O wicked slave! Dost thou bear a letter expressive 
of disloyalty from a woman belonging to thy master ? By Allah, 
there is no good in thee, O thou of black complexion ! O detestable 
in aspect, and in irresolute character!—And he struck him with 
the sword upon his neck, severing his head from his body. After 
which, he folded up the handkerchief upon its contents, and having 
put it into his pocket, went in to his mother, and acquainted her 
with what had happened, abusing and reviling her also, and saying, 
Every one of you is worse [in some respect] than another. By 
Allah the Great, he added, did I not fear to commit a breach of 
good manners, injurious to my father Kamar ez-Zeman, I would 
go in to her and strike off her head, as I struck off the head of the 
eunuch.—Then he went forth from his mother, the Queen Budoor, 
in a state of excessive rage. And when the news of what he had 
done to the eunuch reached his enamoured, she reviled him and 
cursed him, and devised a malicious stratagem against him. The 
Prince El-Amjad passed the next night enfeebled by rage and 

indignation, and trouble of mind, and neither food nor drink was 
pleasant to him, nor was sleep. 

And on the following morning, his brother, the Prince El-As’ad, 
went forth and seated himself in the place of his father, the King 
Kamar ez-Zeman, to judge the people ; and he judged, and admi¬ 
nistered justice, and invested and deposed, and commanded and 
forbade, and gave and bestowed; and he continued sitting in the 
judgment-hall until near the time of afternoon-prayers. Then his 
enamoured sent to a deceitful old woman, and, having revealed to 
her the feelings of her heart, took a paper to write upon it a letter 
to the Prince El-As’ad, and to complain to him of the excess of 
her affection, and of the ecstasy of her love for him. And she 
wrote to him these words :— 

From her who is perishing through the ecstasy of love and 
desire, to the most charming of mankind in disposition and in form, 
the self-complacent with his loveliness, the haughty with his amor¬ 
ous aspect, who turneth with aversion from the desirer of an union 
with him, who is reluctant to shew favour unto the submissive and 
abject,—to the cruel and disdainful, the Prince El-As’ad, who is 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES, &c. 

153 

endowed with surpassing beauty, and with admirable loveliness, 
with the brilliant countenance, and the splendid forehead, and over¬ 
powering brightness. This is my letter unto him the love of whom 
hath dissolved my body, and mangled my skin and my bones.— 
Know that my patience hath failed, and I am perplexed in my 
case: desire and sleeplessness have disquieted me, and patience 
and sleep have denied themselves to me: mourning and watching 
have been inseparable from me, and violent love and desire have 
afflicted me, together with disease and infirmity. But may my life 
be a ransom for thee ; and if the slaughter of the love-smitten please 
thee, may Allah prolong thy life, and from every evil preserve thee ! 
—And she added these verses:— 

Fortune hath decreed that I should be thy lover, O thou whose charms shine 
like the full moon! 

Thou possessest consummate comeliness and eloquence ; and surpasses! all the 
creation in elegance. 

I am willing for thee to be my tormentor. Wilt thou, then, bestow upon me 
one glance? 

Happy is the person who dieth for love of thee. Worthless is the one who doth 
not like and love thee. 

Then she richly perfumed the letter with strong-scented musk, 
and wound it round with the silken strings of her hair, which were 
of the silk of El-’Erak, having oblong emeralds for pendants, 
adorned with pearls and jewels. 89 Having done this, she delivered 
it to the old woman, and ordered her to give it to the Prince 
El-As’ad. 

The old woman therefore departed in order to please her, and 
immediately went in to th6 Prince El-As’ad, who was alone when 
she entered; and she handed him the paper, with what was enclosed 
with it, and waited a long time for the answer. Meanwhile, the 
Prince El-As’ad read the paper, and understood its contents; and, 
having wrapped it up again in the silk strings, he put it in his 
pocket. He was enraged to the utmost degree, and cursed deceitful 
women: then rising, he drew the sword from its scabbard, and, 
striking the neck of the old woman, severed her head from her 
body; after which, he arose and proceeded until he went in to his 
mother, and he reviled her too, in his anger with the sex. He 
then went forth from her, and repaired to his brother, the Prince 

VOL. 11. 

X 

154 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES 

El-Amjad, to whom he related all that had happened to him, tell¬ 
ing him that he had killed the old woman who had brought him the 
letter. And the Prince El-Amjad replied, By Allah, O my brother, 
yesterday, while I was sitting on the throne, the like of that which 
hath happened to thee this day happened to me also. And he 
acquainted him with the whole occurrence. They remained con¬ 
versing together that night, and cursing deceitful women, and 
charged each other to conceal this affair, lest their father, the King, 
should hear of it, and kill the two women. So they passed the 
night in incessant grief until the morning. 

And when the next morning came, the King arrived with his 
troops from the chase, and went up to his palace; and having 
dismissed the emeers, he arose, and entered the palace, whereupon 
he beheld the two women who had acted thus towards his sons, 
lying on their bed, in a state of extreme weakness. They had 
contrived a plot against the two Princes, and agreed to destroy 
them; for they had disgraced themselves in their eyes, and dreaded 
the consequence of their being so known to have offended. When 
the King, therefore, saw them in this condition, he said to them, 
What is the matter with you ? And they rose to him, and kissed 
his hands, and, reversing the true state of the case, answered him, 
Know, O King, that thy two sons, who have been reared in the 
enjoyment of thy beneficence, have acted disloyally towards thee 
by their conduct to us, and have dishonoured thee. And when 
Kamar ez-Zeman heard these words, the light became darkness 
before his face, and he was violently incensed, so that his reason 
fled through the excess of his rage, and he said, Explain to me this 
occurrence. So each of them told the story that she had framed, 
and both of them wept violently before the King. 

When the King, therefore, witnessed their weeping, and heard 
their words, he felt convinced of their truth; and, being enraged to 
the utmost degree, he arose with the desire of falling upon his two 
sons and killing them. But his father-in-law, the King Armanoos, 
met him. He was just then entering to salute him, having heard 
of his return from the chase; and he beheld him with the drawn 
sword in his hand, and with blood dropping from his nostrils, by 
reason of the violence of his rage. So he asked him what troubled 
him, and Kamar ez-Zeman acquainted him with all that had been 

EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS'AD. 

155 

done (as he supposed) by his sons El-Amjad and El-As’ad, and said 
to him, I am now going in to them to kill them in a most ignomi¬ 
nious manner, and make them a most shameful example. His 
father-in-law, the King Armanoos, being alike incensed against 
them, said to him, And excellent would be the deed that thou 
wouldst do, O my son; and may God grant no blessing unto them, 
nor to any sons who commit such actions against the honour of 
their father: but, O my son, the author of the proverb saith, He 
who looketh not to results, fortune will not attend him:—and they 
are at all events thy sons. It will be proper that thou kill them 
not with thine own hand; for in doing so thou wouldst drink of 
their anguish, 50 and repent afterwards of having put them to death, 
when repentance would not avail. But send them with one of the 
memlooks, that he may kill them in the desert, when they are 
absent from thine eye. 

So when the King Kamar ez-Zeman heard these words of his 
father-in-law, the King Armanoos, he saw them to be just. He 
therefore sheathed his sword, and, returning, seated himself upon 
his throne, and summoned his Treasurer, 91 who was a very old man, 
experienced in the management of affairs, and the vicissitudes of 
fortune. And he said to him, Go in to my two sons El-Amjad and 
El-As’ad, bind their hands firmly behind them, and put them in 
two chests, and place them upon a mule: then mount thou, and go 
forth with them into the midst of the desert, and slaughter them; 
after which, fill for me two glass bottles with their blood, and bring 
them to me quickly. 

The Treasurer answered, I hear and obey. He then arose im¬ 
mediately, and, repairing to El-Amjad and El-As’ad, met them on 
the way, coming forth from the vestibule of the palace. They had 
clad themselves in the richest of their apparel for the purpose of 
visiting their father, to salute him, and compliment him on his safe 
arrival from his hunting-expedition. And when the Treasurer saw 
them, he laid hold upon them, saying, O my two sons, know that I 
am a slave under command, and your father hath given me an order: 
will ye then obey his command ? They answered, Yes. And upon 
this, the Treasurer bound their hands behind them, put them in 
two chests, and, having placed them on the back of a mule, went 
forth with them from the city. He proceeded with them over the 

desert until near noon, when he halted with them in a waste and 
desolate place, and, alighting from his horse, put down the two 
chests from the back of the mule, and opened them, and took forth 
from them El-Amjad and El-As’ad. When he looked at them he 
wept violently on contemplating their beauty and loveliness, and 
afterwards drew his sword, and said to them, By Allah, 0 my lords, 
it is painful to me to do an abominable deed unto you; but I am 
excusable in this case; for I am a slave under command, and your 
father the King Kamar ez-Zeman hath ordered me to strike off 
your heads. And they replied, O Eineer, do what the King hath 
commanded thee; for we patiently submit to that which God (to 
whom be ascribed all might and glory !) hath decreed to befall us; 
and thou art absolved of the guilt of shedding our blood. 

They then embraced each other, and bade one another farewell; 
and El-As’ad said to the Treasurer, By Allah I conjure thee, O 
uncle, that thou make me not to drink the anguish of my brother, 
nor his sighing; but kill me before him, that so my fate may be 
more easy to me. El-Amjad also said to the Treasurer as El-As’ad 
had said, and made use of blandishment to him that he might kill 
him before his brother, saying to him, My brother is younger than 
I; therefore make me not to taste his affliction. Then each of 
them wept most violently, and the Treasurer wept also at witness¬ 
ing their lamentation ; and the two brothers again embraced each 
other, and bade one another farewell, one of them saying to the 
other, Verily all this is owing to the artifice of those two deceitful 
women ; and there is no strength nor power but in God, the Hi oh, 
the Great! Verily to God we belong, and verily unto Him we 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES, &c. 

157 

return!—And El-As’ad, embracing his brother, uttered groans, and 
afterwards recited these verses:— 

O Refuge of the complainer, and Asylum of the fearful ! 92 Thou art ready to 
attend to every request! 

I have no resource but to knock at thy door; and if I be rejected, at whose 
door shall I knock ? 

O Thou whose treasures of bounty are imparted by the word Be , 93 shew favour; 
for all good is in Thee! 

And when El-Amjad heard the weeping of his brother, he likewise 
wept, and pressed him to his bosom, reciting these two verses:— 

O Thou whose favours to me have been many, and whose gifts have been more 
than can be numbered ! 

No misfortune hath ever yet befallen me but I have found Thee ready to help 
me in it! 

Then El-Amjad said to the Treasurer, I implore thee by the One, 
the Omnipotent, the King, the Protector, that thou kill me before 
my brother El-As’ad: perhaps the fire of my heart may so be 
assuaged; and let it not burn more. But El-As’ad, weeping, said. 
None shall be killed first but myself. So El-Amjad said, The best 
plan will be this, that thou embrace me, and I embrace thee, so 
that the sword may fall upon us and kill us with one blow. 

And when they both embraced, face to face, and clung together, 
the Treasurer bound them, and tied them with ropes, weeping 
while he did so. He then drew his sword, and said, By Allah, O 
my lords, it is indeed hard to me to kill you. Have ye any want ? 
If so, I will perform it. Or any commission ? If so, I will execute 
it. Or any message? If so, I will convey it.—And El-Amjad 
answered, We have no want to be performed; but as to commis¬ 
sion, I charge thee to place my brother El-As’ad beneath, and myself 
above, that the blow may fall upon me first; and when thou hast 
killed us, and returned unto the King, and he saith to thee, What 
didst thou hear from them before their death ?—that thou answer 
him, Verily thy two sons send thee their salutation, and say to 
thee, Thou knowest not whether they were innocent or guilty, and 
thou hast killed them, and not assured thyself of their guilt, nor 
considered their case.—Then recite to him these two verses :— 

158 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES 

Verily women are devils created for us. I seek refuge with God from the 
artifice of the devils. 

They are the source of all the misfortunes that have appeared among mankind 
in the affairs of the world and of religion. 

Then said El-Amjad, We desire of thee nothing hut that thou 
repeat to him these two verses which thou hast heard, and also, I 
beseech thee by Allah that thou have patience with us while I 
repeat to my brother these two other verses. — And, weeping 
violently, he said,— 

We have examples in the Kings who have gone before us. 

How many, great and small, have travelled in tliis road! 

And .when the Treasurer heard these words of El-Amjad, he wept 
violently, so that he wetted his beard; and as to El-As’ad, his eyes 
filled with tears, and he recited these verses : 94 — 

Fortune is disposed, by its very constitution, to guile, and is full of fraudulence 
and of stratagems. 

The sarab 95 of the desert is to her like shining teeth; and the horror of dark¬ 
ness, like the black-edged eyelid. 

EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS’AD. 

159 

My offence against her (hateful is her nature) is as that of the sword when 
the warriour draweth back. 

When El-As’ad had finished reciting his verses, he embraced his 
brother El-Amjad, so that they appeared together like a single 
person, and the Treasurer drew his sword, and was about to strike 
them. But lo, his horse started away in fright over the desert. 
It was worth a thousand pieces of gold, and upon it was a magni¬ 
ficent saddle, worth a great sum of money. So he threw the sword 
from his hand, and went after his horse. His heart was inflamed, 
and he continued running after the horse, to take it, until it entered 
a forest; and he entered after it; but the horse pursued his way 
into the midst of the forest, striking the ground with its hoofs, and 
the dust rose high, while the horse snorted and neighed in his fury. 
Now there was in that forest a formidable lion, of hideous aspect, 
his eyes casting forth sparks: his face was grim, and his form 
struck the soul with terror: and the Treasurer, looking towards 
him, beheld this lion approaching him, and he found no way of 
escape from him, not having with him a sword. So he said within 
himself, There is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the 
Great! This calamity hath not befallen me but on account of the 
offence of El-Amjad and El-As’ad, and verily this journey hath been 
unfortunate from its commencement! 

Meanwhile, the heat became intense to El-Amjad and El-As’ad, 
and they were affected with a violent thirst, so that their tongues 
hung out; and they prayed for relief from the thirst. But none 
relieved them; and they said, Would that we were killed and 
were at ease from this; but we know not whither the horse hath 
run away, that the Treasurer hath gone after it and left us bound. 
Had he come to us and killed us, it had been easier to us than our en¬ 
during this torment.—But afterwards El-As’ad said, O my brother, 
have patience, and the relief of God (whose perfection be extolled 
and whose name be exalted!) will come to us; for the horse ran 
not away but because God is propitious towards us, and nothing 
afflicteth us but this thirst. He then shook himself, and struggled 
to the right and left; whereupon his bonds became loosed; and he 
arose, and loosed the bonds of his brother; after which he took the 
Emeer’s sword, and said to Ins brother, By Allah, we will not 

depart hence until we investigate his case, and know what hath 
happened to him. So they began to follow the footsteps, and they 
led them to the forest. They therefore said, one to another, Verily 
the horse and the Treasurer have not passed beyond this forest. 
And El-As’ad said to his brother, Stay here while I enter the 
forest and examine it. But El-Amjad replied, I will not suffer 
thee to enter it alone, and we will not enter but together; so if we 
escape we shall escape together, and if we perish we shall perish 
together. Accordingly they both entered, and they found that the 
lion had sprung upon the Treasurer, who was lying beneath him 
like a sparrow, but supplicating God, and making a sign towards 
heaven. So when El-Amjad saw him, he took the sword, and, 
rushing upon the lion, struck him with the sword between his eyes, 
and killed him. 

The bon fell down prostrate upon the ground, and the Emeer 
arose, wondering at the event, and saw El-Amjad and El-As’ad, 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES, &c. 

161 

the sons of his lord, standing there; and he threw himself upon 
their feet, saying to them, By Allah, O my lords, it were not just 
that I should act so extravagantly with you as to kill you. May 
he who would kill you cease to exist! With my soul I will ransom 
you.—Then rising immediately, he embraced them, and enquired 
of them the cause of the loosing of their bonds, and of their coming 
to him. They therefore informed him that they had thirsted, and 
that the bonds of one of them became loosed, so that he loosed the 
other, because of the purity of their intentions ; after which they 
followed the footsteps until they came to him. And when he 
heard their words, he thanked them for that which they had done, 
and went out from the forest with them; and when they were with¬ 
out the forest they said to him, 0 uncle, do what our father hath 
commanded thee. But he replied, Allah forbid that I should 
attempt any injury to you! Know, however, that I desire to take 
off your clothes, and to clothe you with mine, and to fill two glass 
bottles with the blood of the lion. After which, I will go to the 
King, and tell him that I have killed you. Then do ye travel into 
other countries; for God’s earth is wide. And know, O my lords, 
that your separation from me will be painful to me.—Having said 
this, he and the two young men all wept. The latter pulled off 
their clothes, and the Treasurer clad them with his own, and went 
to the King. 

He had taken the things, and tied up the linen of each of the 
youths in a wrapper that he had with him, and filled the two glass 
bottles with the blood of the lion; and he put the two wrappers 
before him on the back of the horse. Then he bade the youths 
farewell, and, departing towards the city, proceeded until he went 
in to the King, and he kissed the ground before him. And the 
King saw him with a changed countenance (for this change was 
occasioned by what he had suffered from his adventure with the 
lion), and he imagined that it was the consequence of the slaughter 
of his sons: so he was glad, and said to him, Hast thou accom¬ 
plished the business? The Treasurer answered. Yes, O our lord. 
And he handed to him the two wrappers containing the clothes, and 
the two glass bottles filled with the blood. And the King said to 
him, What didst thou observe in their conduct, and have they 
charged thee with aught? He answered, I found them patient, 

VOL. II. 

Y 

162 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES 

contented to endure their fate, and they said to me, Verily our 
father is excusable; so convey to him our salutations, and say to 
him, Thou art absolved of the guilt of our slaughter and of our 
bloodbut we charge thee to repeat to him these two verses 

Verily women are devils created for us. We seek refuge with God from the 
artifice of the devils. 

They are the source of all the misfortunes that have appeared among mankind 
in the affairs of the world and of religion. 

And when the King heard these words from the Treasurer, he 
hung down his head towards the ground for a long time, and knew 
that these words of his two sons indicated that they had been killed 
unjustly. Then reflecting upon the fraudulence of women, and 
the calamities occasioned by them, he took the two wrappers and 
opened them, and began to turn over the clothes of his sons, and to 
weep. And when he opened the clothes of his son El-As’ad, he 
found in his pocket a paper written in the hand of the woman who 
had accused him, together with the silk strings of her hair. So he 
unfolded the paper and read it, and understood its meaning, and 
knew that his son El-As’ad had been an object of injustice. And 
when he turned over the clothes of El-Amjad, he found in his 
pocket a paper written in the hand of the other woman, his accuser, 
with the silk strings of her hair enclosed in it; and he opened this 
paper and read it, and knew that he, also, had been an object of 
injustice. He struck his hands together, and exclaimed, There is 
no strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! I have 

EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS’AD. 

163 

slain my sons unjustly!—Then lie began to slap his face, exclaim¬ 
ing, Oh, my sons! Oh, the length of my grief!—And he gave 
orders to build two tombs in a house, which he named the House 
of Lamentations, and inscribed upon the two tombs the names of 
his two sons; and he threw himself upon the tomb of El-Amjad, 
weeping and sighing and lamenting, and reciting verses; and then 
in like manner upon that of El-As’ad. He relinquished the society 
of his friends and intimates, secluding himself in the House of 
Lamentations, weeping for his sons, and forsook his women and 
associates and familiar acquaintances.—Such was his case. 

Now as to El-Amjad and El-As’ad, they proceeded over the 
desert, eating of the herbs of the earth, and drinking of the remains 
of the rain. At night, one slept while the other watched, till mid¬ 
night : then the latter slept and the former watched. 96 Thus they 
continued for the space of a whole month, until their course brought 
them to a mountain of black flint, the further extremity of which 
was unknown. At this mountain the road divided into two: one 
road passed through the midst of it, and the other ascended to its 
summit. And they pursued the way to the summit of the moun¬ 
tain, and continued ascending it five days; but saw no end to it. 
Fatigue had overcome them; for they were not accustomed to 
walking upon the mountains nor elsewhere; and when they 
despaired of reaching its end, they returned, and pursued the way 
through the midst of the mountain. Along this they proceeded 
the whole of the same day, until night; but El-As’ad was fatigued 
with the length of his journeying, and he said to his brother, O my 
brother, I can walk no further; for I am reduced to excessive 
weakness. El-Amjad, however, replied, O my brother, brace up 
thy nerves: perhaps God may dispel our affliction. They then 
proceeded for an hour of the night; but El-As’ad was in a state of 
the utmost fatigue, and he said, O my brother, I am tired and 
weary with walking. And he fell upon the ground, and wept. 
His brother El-Amjad, therefore, carried him and walked on with 
him, walking a while, and sitting a while to rest, until daybreak 
gleamed. Thus he ascended the mountain with him, and they 
found a spring gushing forth, with a stream running from it; and 
by it was a pomegranate-tree, and a niche for prayer ; 97 and they 
scarcely believed the sight. They then seated themselves by this 

fountain, and, having drunk 
of its water, and eaten of 
the pomegranates of that 
tree, slept there until the 
sun rose; when they sat 
and washed themselves at 
the spring, and ate again 
of the pomegranates on the 
tree, and slept until the 
time of afternoon-prayers. 
After this they desired to 
continue their journey; but 
El-As’ad was unable to 
proceed: his feet were 
swollen. So they remained 
there three days, until he had^ rested himself, 
when they proceeded, and continued many 
days their journey over the mountain, wearied 
with thirst, until a city appeared before them 
at a distance. 

Upon this they rejoiced; and they advanced 
towards it; and when they drew near to it, 
they offered up thanks to God, whose name be exalted! El-Amjad 
then said to El-As’ad, O my brother, sit here while I go to this city 
and see what kind of place it is and inquire respecting its affairs, 
that we may know where we are in God’s wide earth, and know 
what countries we have traversed in crossing this mountain-range. 
Had we not journeyed through the midst of it, we had not arrived 
at this city in a whole year. Praise be to God, then, for our 
safety!—But El-As’ad replied, By Allah, O my brother, none shall 
go to the city but myself; and may I be thy ransom; for if thou 
leave me and descend and be absent from me, thou wilt drown me 
in anxious thoughts respecting thee, and I have not strength to 
endure thine absence from me. So El-Amjad said to him, Go, and 
loiter not. 

El-As’ad, therefore, descended from the mountain, taking with 
him some pieces of gold; and left his brother to wait for his return. 
He went, and walked on without stopping, at the foot of the moun- 

EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS'AD. 

165 

tain, until lie entered the city ; and as he passed througli its streets, 
there met him in his way an old man, far advanced in age; his 
beard descended over his breast, and was parted in twain, in his 
hand was a walking-staff, he was clad in rich garments, and on his 
head was a large red turban. 93 So when El-As’ad saw him, he 
wondered at his dress and his appearance; and, advancing towards 
him, he saluted him, and said to him, Which is the way to the 
market, O my master ? The old man, on hearing his words, smiled 
in his face, and said to him, O my son, thou seemest to be a 
stranger. El-As’ad therefore replied, Yes, I am a stranger, O 
uncle. And the old man said, Thou hast cheered our country by 
thy presence, O my son, and thou hast made the country of thy 
family desolate by thine absence. And what dost thou desire from 
the market ?—O uncle, answered El-As’ad, I have a brother whom 
I have left on the mountain, and we are journeying from a distant 
country. We have been on the way a period of three months, and 
arrived in sight of this city: so I came hither to buy some food and 
to return with it to my brother that we may nourish ourselves with 
it.—And the old man replied, O my son, receive tidings of every 
happiness, and know that I have made a banquet, and have with 
me many guests, and have prepared for it a collection of the best 
and the most agreeable of dishes, such as the appetite desireth. 
Wilt thou, then, accompany me to my abode ? If so I will give 
thee what thou requirest, and will not take from thee any money 
for it. I will also acquaint thee with the affairs of this city. And 
praise be to God, 0 my son, that I have met with thee, and that 
none but myself hath met with thee ! 

So El-As’ad said, Do as thou art disposed, and hasten; for my 
brother is waiting for me, and his heart is intent upon me. The 
old man, therefore, took the hand of El-As’ad, and returned with 
him to a narrow by-street, smiling in his face, and saying to him, 
Extolled be the perfection of Him who hath saved thee from the 
people of this city! He walked on with him until he entered a 
spacious house, in which was a saloon, and in this saloon were 
sitting forty old men, far advanced in age, arranged in a ring, with 
a lighted fire in the midst of them. The old men were sitting 
around it worshipping it and prostrating themselves to it. And 
when El-As’ad saw this, his flesh quaked, though he knew not 

166 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES 

their history. Then the old man first mentioned said to this com¬ 
pany, O sheykhs of the Fire, how blessed a day is this! And he 
called out, saying, O Ghadban! 99 Whereupon there came forth to 
him a black slave, of a most grim visage, flat-nosed, of bending 
figure, and horrible shape. And the old man made a sign to this 
slave; upon which he bound El-As’ad; and after he had done so, 
the old man said to him, Take him down into the subterranean 
chamber, and there leave him, and say to the slave-girl, such-a-one, 
Undertake the office of torturing him by night and day, 100 and give 
him to eat a cake of bread by night and a cake of bread by day, 
until the period of the voyage to the Blue Sea and the Mountain 
of Fire, when we will slaughter him upon the mountain as a 
sacrifice. 101 

Accordingly the slave took him down into that chamber, and 
delivered him to the girl, who entered upon her office of torturing 
him, and giving him one cake of bread at the commencement of the 
day, and one at the commencement of the night, with a mug of 
salt water between daybreak and sunrise, and the same between 
sunset and nightfall. Then the old men said, one to another, when 
the period of the Festival of the Fire arriveth, we will sacrifice him 
upon the mountain, and by offering him propitiate the Fire. The 
slave-girl went down to him, and inflicted upon him a painful beat¬ 
ing, so that the blood flowed from his limbs, and he fainted; after 
which, she placed at his head a cake of bread and a mug of salt 
water, and went away and left him. And El-As’ad recovered his 
senses at midnight, when he found himself chained, and the beating 
tortured him. So he wept violently, and, reflecting upon his former 
state of grandeur and prosperity, and dominion and lordship, he 
lamented and groaned, and recited these verses:— 

Pause at the ruins of the house and inquire respecting us, and think not we 
are there as formerly. 

Fortune, the separator, hath disunited us; yet the hearts of our foes are not 
appeased by our fate. 

A base female is employed to torture me with whips, and her breast is filled 
with hatred against me. 

Yet still, perhaps, God may reunite us, and, by punishing them, repel from 
us our enemies. 

Then extending his hand towards his head, he found a cake of 

EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS’AD. 

167 

bread, and a mug of salt water. So he ate a morsel to stay his 
departing spirit, and drank a little of the water, and remained 
sleepless until the morning, from the abundance of bugs and other 
vermin. 

And when the morning arrived, the slave-girl came down to 
him again, and pulled off his clothes. They were covered with 
blood, and stuck to his skin, so that the skin came off with the 
shirt; and he shrieked, and cried Ah!— and said, O my Lord, if 
Thou approve of this, increase it upon me; 102 for Thou art not 
unmindful of him who hath oppressed me! Avenge me, therefore, 
upon him!—Then he groaned, and recited these verses :— 

Be disregardful of thine affairs, and commit them to the course of fate; 

For often a thing that enrages thee may eventually be to thee pleasing ; 

And sometimes what is strait may expand; and what is open, become con¬ 
tracted. 

God will do whatsoever He willeth : therefore he not thou repugnant; 

But rejoice at the prospect of speedy good that shall make thee forget what 
hath passed. 

And as soon as he had finished reciting these verses, the slave-girl 
betook herself to beating him until he fainted, when she threw to 
him a cake of bread, and put a mug of salt water; after which she 
went up from him and left him in solitude, with the blood flowing 
from his limbs; and he lay chained, far from his friends, thinking of 
his brother, and of the glory in which he was before living; yearning 
and lamenting, sighing and complaining, pouring forth tears, and 
reciting verses. 

Meanwhile, his brother El-Amjad remained expecting him till 
mid-day; and when he returned not, his heart palpitated, the pain 
of separation became intense in him, and he shed copious tears, 
crying out, Oh my grief! How fearful I was of separation!— 
Then descending from the mountain, with his tears flowing over his 
cheeks, he entered the city, and walked on in it until he arrived at 
the market, when he inquired of some of the people respecting the 
name of the city, and respecting its inhabitants ; and they answered 
him, This is called the City of the Magians, and its inhabitants 
[mostly] worship fire, instead of the Almighty King. He then 
asked them respecting the City of Ebony, and they said, The dis¬ 
tance between us and it, by land, is a journey of a year; and by 
sea, a voyage of four months: 103 its King is called Armanoos, and 

168 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES 

he hath taken a King as his son-in-law, and put him in his place, 
and this King is called Kamar ez-Zeman: he is a person of equity 
and beneficence, and liberality and peace. And when El-Amjad 
heard the mention of his father, he yearned and wept, and sighed 
and lamented; and he knew not whither to repair. He had bought 
and taken with him something to eat, and he went to a place to 
conceal himself there, 104 and sat down to eat; hut, remembering his 
brother, he wept, and ate no more than enough to stay his depart¬ 
ing spirit; after which he arose, and walked through the city, to 
obtain tidings of his brother. And he found a Muslim, 105 a tailor, 
in his shop; so he seated himself by him, and related to him his 
story; and the tailor said to him, If he have fallen into the hand of 
any of the Magians, thou wilt not see him again without difficulty; 
but perhaps God will reunite thee with him. Then he added, Wilt 
thou, O my brother, lodge with me ? He answered, Yes. And the 
tailor rejoiced at this. El-Amjad remained with him many days, 
and the tailor consoled him, and exhorted him to be patient, and 
taught him the art of sewing so that he became an adept. 

After this, he went forth one day to the shore of the sea, and 
washed his clothes. He then entered the bath, and, having put on 
clean clothes, went forth from the bath to amuse himself in the 
city. And he met in his way a woman endowed with beauty and 
loveliness, and justness of stature, unequalled in beauty, who, when 
she beheld him, raised the veil from her face, and made signs to 
him with her eyebrows and her eyes, and ogled him, and recited 
these verses:— 

I beheld thee approaching, and cast down my eyes, as though, O slender- 
formed, thou wert the beaming sun ; 

For thou art the handsomest person that hath appeared, and more handsome 
to-day than thou wert yesterday . 106 

If beauty were divided, a fifth part of it, or part of a fifth, would belon* to 
Yoosuf; “» ° 

And the rest would be thine exclusively. May every soul, then, be sacrificed 
for thine ! 

And when El-Amjad heard her words, his heart was gladdened 
by her, and moved with affection for her; the hands of love 
sported with him, and, making a sign to her, he recited these 
verses in reply :— 

EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS’AD. 

169 

Above the rose of the cheeks are the thorns of lances. 10 * Who then will pro¬ 
pose to himself to gather ? 

Extend not the hands towards it; for long have those lances spread wars 
because of our directing looks at it. 

Say to her who hath tyrannised and been a temptation, and who had been 
more tempting had she acted equitably, 

Thy face would increase our perplexity were it veiled, and I see exposure 
best guardeth beauty such as thine; 

As the sun’s bare face thou canst not look upon; but when it is veiled by a 
thin mist thou mayest. 

The niggardly female is protected by her niggardness: then ask the guards of 
the tribe why they would prevent us: 

If they wish my slaughter, let them put an end to all their animosity, and 
leave us at liberty; 

For if they attack, they are not more murderous than the eye of her with the 
mole, when she encountereth us. 

She then begged to have some conversation with him: so he 
said to her, Wilt thou pay me a visit, or shall I repair to thine 
abode ? Whereupon she hung down her head in bashfulness 
towards the ground, and repeated the words of Him whose name 
be exalted,—Men shall have the preeminence over women, because 
of the advantages which God hath given to the one of them over 
the other. 109 

VOL. II. 

z 

170 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES 

So El-Amjad understood her intimation, and knew that she 
desired to accompany him whither he was going. He was there¬ 
fore obliged to find the place for her; and, being ashamed to take 
her to the house of the tailor with whom he lodged, he walked on 
before her. She followed him, and he continued walking on with 
her from by-street to by-street, and from place to place, until the 
damsel was tired, and she said to him, O my master, where is thy 
house ? He answered, Before us, and there remaineth but a short 
distance to it. Then he turned aside with her into a handsome by¬ 
street, and continued walking along it, she following him, until he 
arrived at the end of it, when he found that it was not a thorough¬ 
fare. So he said, There is no strength nor power but in God, the 
High, the Great! And looking towards the upper end of the 
street, he saw there a great door with two mastabahs; but it was 
locked. El-Amjad therefore seated himself upon one mastabah, 
and the damsel seated herself on the other, and said to him, O my 
master, for what art thou waiting? Upon this, he hung down his 
head for a long time towards the ground; after which he raised it, 
and answered her, I am waiting for my memlook; for he hath the 
key, and I said to him, Prepare for us the food and beverage, and 
the flowers 110 for the wine, by the time that I come forth from the 
bath.—He then said within himself, Probably the time will become 
tedious to her, and so she will go her way and leave me here. 

But when the time seemed long to her, she said to him, O my 
master, thy memlook hath been slow in returning to us, while we 
have been sitting in the street. And she arose and approached the 
wooden lock 111 with a stone. So El-Amjad said to her, Hasten 
not; but be patient until the memlook cometh. Paying no atten¬ 
tion, however, to his words, she struck the wooden lock with the 
stone, and split it in two; so that the door opened. He therefore 
said to her, What possesseth thee, that thou didst thus ?—O my 
master, said she, what hath happened ? Is it not thy house ?—He 
answered, Yes: but there was no necessity for breaking the lock. 
The damsel then entered the house; and El-Amjad was perplexed 
in his mind, fearing the people of the house, and knew not what to 
do. The damsel said to him, Wherefore dost thou not enter, O 
my master, O light of mine eye, and vital spirit of my heart ? He 
answered her, I hear and obey: but the memlook hath been slow 
in returning to me, and I know not whether he have done any- 

EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS AD. 

171 

thing of what I ordered him, or not. He then entered with her, 
in a state of the utmost anxiety, fearing the people of the house. 
And when he entered the house, he found in it a handsome saloon, 
with four leewans, 112 facing one another, and with closets and sidil- 
lehs 113 furnished with stuffs of silk and brocade, and in the midst of 
it was a fountain of costly construction, by which were arranged 
dishes set with jewels and filled with fruits and sweet-scented 
flowers; by the side of it were the drinking-vessels, and there was 
a candlestick with a candle stuck in it. The place was full of pre¬ 
cious stuffs; in it were chests, and chairs were set in it, and on 
each chair was a wrapper of clothes, 114 and upon each of these was a 
purse full of pieces of gold. The house attested the prosperity of 
its owner; for its floor was paved with marble. 

When El-Amjad beheld this, he was perplexed at his case, and 
said within himself, My life is lost! Yerily to God we belong, 
and verily unto Him we return!—But as to the damsel, when she 
saw this place, she was filled with the utmost joy, and said, By 
Allah, O my master, thy memlook hath not failed in the perform¬ 
ance of his task; for he hath swept the place, and cooked the 
food, and prepared the fruit; and I have come at the best of times. 
El-Amjad, however, looked not towards her; his mind being engrossed 
by fear of the people of the house. So she said, O my master, 
Why art thou standing thus ? Then heaving a loud sigh, she gave 
El-Amjad a kiss that sounded like the cracking of a walnut, and 
said to him, O my master, If thou have made an appointment with 
some other than myself, I will exert my skill to serve her. At 
this, El-Amjad laughed from a bosom filled with rage; and advanced 
and seated himself, panting, and saying within himself, O the igno¬ 
minious slaughter that I shall suffer when the master of the house 
cometh!—The damsel had seated herself by his side, and began to 
sport and laugh, while El-Amjad, anxious and frowning, revolved 
a thousand things in his mind, saying within himself, The owner 
of this saloon will certainly come; and what shall I say to him ? 
He will kill me without doubt!—The damsel then arose, tucked 
up her sleeves, and, taking a table, put upon it the sufreli, 115 
and ate, saying to El-Amjad, Eat, O my master. So he advanced 
to eat; but the doing so gave him no pleasure: on the contrary, 
lie sat looking in the direction of the door until the damsel had 
eaten and satisfied herself, and removed the table, and brought the 

172 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES 

dessert; whereupon she commenced eating of the dried fruits. 
Then she brought forward the beverage, and opened the amphora, 
and filled a cup, which she handed to El-Amjad; and he took it 
from her, saying within himself, Ah ! Ah ! What shall I experience 
from the owner of this house when he cometh and seeth me ? 

His eyes were directed towards the vestibule, and the cup was 
in his hand, and while he was in this state, lo, the owner of the 
house came. He was a memlook, one of the grandees of the city: 
for he was the King’s Chief Equery; and he had fitted up that 
saloon for his pleasure, that his bosom might expand in it, and that 
he might there enjoy in private the society of such as he desired; 
and on that day he had sent to a favourite to come to him, and 
had prepared the apartment for him. The name of this memlook 
was Bahadir." 6 He was liberal-handed, a person of generosity and 
beneficence, and charity and obligingness. When he drew near to 
the saloon, he found the door open: so he entered by little and 
little, and, looking with stretched-forth head, beheld El-Amjad and 
the damsel, with the dish of fruit before them, and the wine-service. 
At that moment, El-Amjad was holding the wine-cup, with his 
eye directed towards the door; and as soon as his eye met that of 
the owner of the house, his countenance turned sallow, and the 
muscles of his side quivered. But when Bahadir saw that his 
countenance turned sallow, and his condition became changed, he 
made a sign to him with his finger upon his mouth, as though he 
would say to him, Be silent, and come hither to me. So El-Amjad 
put down the cup from his hand, and arose to go to him. The 
damsel said to him, Whither goest thou ? And he shook his head, 
and made a sign to her that he would be absent but a minute. He 
then went forth to the vestibule, barefooted: 117 and when he saw 
Bahadir, he knew that he was the master of the house. He there¬ 
fore hastened to him, and, having kissed his hand, said to him, 
I conjure thee by Allah, O my master, before thou do me any 
injury, that thou hear my words. Then he told him his story 
from beginning to end, acquainting him with the cause of his 
having left his country and royal state, and assuring him that he 
had not entered the saloon by his own choice, but that the damsel 
was the person who had broken the wooden lock and opened the 
door and done all these deeds. 

When Bahadir, therefore, heard his words, and knew that he 

EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS’AD. 

173 

was the son of a king, he was moved with sympathy for him, and 
pitied him, and said, Hear, O Amjad, my words, and obey me, and 
I will guarantee thy safety from that which thou fearest; but if 
thou disobey me, I will kill thee. So El-Amjad replied, Command 
me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will never disobey thee ; for I owe 
my deliverance to thy humanity. And Bahadir said to him, Enter 
this saloon again, and seat thyself in the place where thou wast, 
and be at peace. I will presently come in to thee. My name is 
Bahadir. And when I have come in to thee, abuse me and revile 
me, and say to me, What is the cause of thy remaining away until 
this hour ? And accept no excuse from me; but arise and beat 
me; and if thou shew pity for me I will take away thy life. Enter, 
then, and enjoy thyself; and whatsoever thou desirest of me, thou 
wilt find it ready before thee immediately. So pass this night as 
thou wilt, and to-morrow go thy way. Thus I do to shew respect 
to thee as being a stranger; for I love the stranger, and to respect 
him is incumbent on me.—El-Amjad, therefore, kissed his hand, 
and entered again. His face was now clothed with red and white ; 
and as soon as he entered he said to the damsel, O my mistress, 
thou hast gladdened by thy company the place of thy visitation, 
and this is a blessed night. The damsel replied, Verily this is 
wonderful from thee,—thy now displaying this sociableness to me. 
So he said, By Allah, O my mistress, I believed that my memlook 
Bahadir had taken from me some necklaces of jewels, each of 
which was worth ten thousand pieces of gold: wherefore, I went 
out just now, reflecting upon this, and searched for them, and 
found them in their place; but I know not why the memlook hath 
remained away until this hour, and I must punish him. And the 
damsel became appeased by these words of El-Amjad, and they 
sported together, and drank and enjoyed themselves, and continued 
making merry until near sunset. 

Bahadir then came in to them. He had changed his clothes, 
girded himself, and put on his feet a pair of shoes of the kind worn 
by memlooks; and, having saluted, and kissed the ground, he 
placed his hands across, and hung down his head towards the 
ground, as one acknowledging his guilt. So El-Amjad looked at 
him with the eye of anger, and said to him. What is the reason of 
thy delay, O most ill-omened of memlooks?—O my master, he 
answered, I was busied in washing my clothes, and knew not that 

thou wast here; for my appointed time, and thine, is nightfall, 
and not in the day-time. And upon this, El-Amjad cried out at 
him, and said to him, Thou liest, O most ill-omened of memlooks! 
By Allah, I must beat thee!—Then rising, he extended Bahadir 
upon the floor, and took a stick, and heat him gently. But the 
damsel arose, and, having taken the stick from his hand, inflicted 
upon Bahadir so severe a beating that his tears flowed, and he 
prayed for relief, and locked his teeth together. El-Amjad called 
out to her, Do not thus! But she replied, Let me satisfy my 
anger with him. Then El-Amjad snatched the stick from her, and 
pushed her away. So Bahadir arose, and wiped away the tears 
from his face, and stood a while waiting upon them: after which 
he swept the saloon, and lighted the lamps. Meanwhile, the 
damsel, every time that Bahadir came in or went out, reviled and 
cursed him; and El-Amjad was angry with her, and said to her, 
By the requisitions of Allah (whose name be exalted!) leave my 
memlook; for he is not accustomed to this. 

They continued eating and drinking, and Bahadir remained 
waiting upon them until midnight, when he became fatigued with 
waiting, and by the heating he had suffered, and slept in the middle 
of the saloon, and snored. The damsel then, having become intox- 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES, &c. 

175 

icated, said to El-Amjad, Arise; take this sword that is hung up 
here, and strike off the head of this memlook. If thou do it not, 
I will employ means for thine own destruction.—What hath possessed 
thee, said El-Amjad, that thou wouldst kill my memlook ? She 
answered, The pleasure will not he complete without putting him 
to death; and if thou arise not, I will myself arise and kill him. 
So El-Amjad said, By the requisitions of Allah I conjure thee that 
thou do it not. But she replied, I must do it. And she took the 
sword and drew it, and was determined to kill him. El-Amjad, 
therefore, said within himself, This is a man who hath acted kindly 
to us, and protected us, and treated us with beneficence, and hath 
made himself as a memlook to me. How should we recompense 
him by slaughter ? Never shall that he done!—He then said to 
the damsel, If the killing of my memlook is indispensable, I am 
more fit to kill him than thou. And, having taken the sword from 
her, he raised his hand, and struck the damsel upon her neck, 
severing her head from her body; and her head fell upon the owner 
of the house: so he awoke and sat up, and opened his eyes, and 
found El-Amjad standing with the blood-stained sword in his hand. 
Then looking towards the damsel, he found her slain. He therefore 
inquired of him respecting her case; and El-Amjad repeated her 
words, and said to him, She refused to do anything but to kill 
thee; and this is her recompense. Upon this, Bahadir arose, and, 
kissing the head of El-Amjad, said to him, O my master, would 
that thou hadst pardoned her! It now remaineth only to take her 
forth immediately, before morning. 

Bahadir then girded himself, and took the damsel, wrapped her 
in a cloak, and put her in a large basket of palm-leaves, and carried 
her away, saying to El-Amjad, Thou art a stranger, and knowest 
not any one; therefore sit in thy place, and expect me back at 
sunrise. If I return to thee, I must do thee great favours, and 
strive to obtain intelligence of thy brother; but if the sun rise and 
I have not returned to thee, know that God’s decree hath been 
executed upon me: and,peace be on thee; and this house shall be 
thine, with the wealth and stuff's that it containeth.—Having said 
this, he carried away the basket, and, going forth from the saloon, 
passed with it through the market-streets, and went with it by the 
way that led to the sea. But when he had nearly arrived at the sea. 

176 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES 

he looked aside, and saw that the Walee and his chief officers had 
surrounded him. On their recognising him they wondered; and 
they opened the basket, and found in it a murdered woman. So 
they seized him, and put him in chains for the rest of the night, 
until the morning, when they went up with him, taking with them 
the basket, to the King, and acquainted him with the case. And 
when the King knew it, he was violently enraged, and said to him, 
Wo to thee! Thus dost thou ever! Thou killest persons and 
throwest them into the sea, and takest all their property! How 
many murders hast thou committed before this ?—But Bahadir 
hung down his head towards the ground before the King. And 
the King cried out at him, and said to him, Wo to thee! Who killed 
this damsel ?—O my lord, answered Bahadir, I killed her, and there 
is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! And the 
King was enraged, and gave orders to hang him. So the executioner 
descended with him at the King’s command, and the Walee went 
down with a crier, who proclaimed through the streets of the city 
that the people should come to behold the spectacle of Bahadir, 
the King’s Chief Ecuery; and he conducted him about through the 
by-streets and market-streets. 

But as to El-Amjad, when daylight came and the sun had risen 
and Bahadir had not returned to him, he exclaimed, There is no 
strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! I wonder 
what hath happened to him!—And while he was thus meditating, 
lo, the crier proclaimed that the people should come to behold the 
spectacle of Bahadir; for they were to hang him at mid-day. So 
when El-Amjad heard this, he wept, and exclaimed. Verily to God 
We belong, and verily unto Him we return! He hath desired his own 
destruction on my account, when I am the person who killed her! 
By Allah, never shall this be!—He then went forth from the saloon, 
and closed it, and passed through the midst of the city until he 
came to Bahadir; whereupon, standing before the Walee, he said 
to him, O my lord, slay not Bahadir; for he is innocent. By Allah, 
none killed her but myself. 

When the Walee, therefore, heard his words, he took him, 
together with Bahadir, and, going up with them both to the 
King, acquainted him with that which he had heard from El- 
Amjad. So the King looked at El-Amjad, and said to him, Didst 

EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS’AD. 

177 

thou kill the damsel ? He answered, Yes. And the King said to 
him, Tell me the cause of thy killing her, and inform me truly. 
He replied, O King, a wonderful event and extraordinary occur¬ 
rence hath happened unto me: if it were engraved on the under¬ 
standing, it would be a lesson to him who would be admonished. 
He then related to the King his story, acquainting him with all that 
had happened to him and his brother from beginning to end. And 
the King was filled with the utmost wonder at hearing it, and 
said to him, I know thee now to be excusable. But, O young 
man, he added, wilt thou be to me a Wezeer? He answered 
him, I hear and obey. And the King bestowed upon him and 
upon Bahadir magnificent robes of honour, and gave to El-Am- 
jad a handsome mansion, with servants and officers, conferred 
upon him all that he required, appointed him pensions and sup¬ 
plies, and ordered him to search for his brother El-As’ad. So 
El-Amjad took his seat as Wezeer, and exercised authority and 
administered equity, and invested and deposed, and took and gave. 
He also sent the crier through the streets of the city to cry his 
brother; and for many days the crier repeated his proclamation in 
the great thoroughfare-streets and market-streets; but heard no 
tidings of him, nor discovered any trace of him.—Such was the 
case of El-Amjad. 

As to El-As’ad, the Magians continued to torture him night 
and day, and evening and morning, for the space of a whole year, 
until the Festival of the Magians drew near. Then Bahrain 118 the 
Magian [the old man who had inveigled El-As’ad into his house] 119 
prepared himself for his voyage, and fitted out for himself a ship, 
and, having put El-As’ad into a chest, and locked it upon him, 
transported him to the vessel. It happened, at the time of his 
conveying the chest to the ship, that El-Amjad, in accordance 
with fate and destiny, was standing amusing himself by gazing at 
the sea; and he looked at the things as the men were transporting 
them to the ship. His heart throbbed at the sight, and he ordered 
his young men to bring him his horse, and, mounting in the midst 
of a company of his attendants, repaired to the sea. There stop¬ 
ping by the ship of the Magian, he commanded those who were 
with him to go on board of it and to search it. So they went on 
board, and searched the whole of the vessel; but found in it 

2 A 

VOL. II. 

178 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES 

nothing; and they landed from it, and told this to El-Amjad. He 
therefore mounted again, and returned to his abode ; and when he 
arrived there, and entered the palace, his heart was contracted, 
and, turning his eyes towards a part of the mansion, he saw two 
lines inscribed upon a wall; and they were these two verses:— 

O my friends, if ye are absent from mine eye, from my heart and my mind ye 
are not. 

But ye have left me in severe affliction, and have banished repose from mine 
eyelid, while ye sleep. 

And when El-Amjad read them, he thought upon his brother, and 
wept. 

Bahrain the Magian went on board the ship, and called out to 
the seamen, ordering them to make haste in loosing the sails. So 
they loosed the sails and departed. They continued their voyage 
days and nights, every two days taking forth El-As’ad, and giving 
him a scanty supply of food and a little water, until they drew near 
to the Mountain of Fire. But a storm of wind then arose against 
them, and the sea became boisterous to 
them, so that the vessel wandered from 
her course, and, pursuing a wrong direc- 

EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS'AD. 

179 

tion, they came to a city built upon the sea-shore, having a castle 
with windows looking over the sea. The ruler of this city was a 
woman, called the Queen Marjaneh. 120 And the captain of the 
ship said to Bahram, O my master, we have wandered from our 
course, and we must enter the port of this city to take rest, and 
after that, let God do what He willeth. Bahram replied, Excellent 
is thy counsel, and according to it I will act. Then the captain 
said to him, If the Queen send to put questions to us, what shall 
be our answer? The Queen Marjaneh is a faithful Muslimeh; and 
if she know that we are Magians, she will seize our vessel and 
kill us all. 121 —Bahram answered, I have this Muslim with us: 
so we will clothe him in the attire of memlooks, and take him 
forth with us; and if the Queen see him, she will imagine him 
to be a memlook; and I will say to her, I am an importer of 
memlooks, a seller and buyer of them; and I had with me many 
memlooks; but I have sold them, and this one only remaineth.— 
And the captain replied, This proposal is good. 

They then arrived at the city, and slackened the sails, and cast 
the anchors; and when the vessel had stayed, lo, the Queen Mar¬ 
janeh came down to them, attended by her troops, and, halting by 
the ship, called out to the captain. He therefore went on shore to 
her, and kissed the ground before her, and she said to him, What 
is in this thy vessel, and who is with thee ?—O Queen of the age, 
he answered, I have with me a merchant who selleth memlooks. 
And she said to him, Bring him hither to me. And lo, Bahram 
came forth, with El-As’ad walking behind him in the garb of a 
memlook; and when Bahram came up to her, he kissed the ground 
before her. She said to him, What is thy business ? And he an¬ 
swered her, I am a slave-merchant. She then looked at El-As’ad, 
imagining him to be a memlook, and said to him, What is thy 
name ? And, almost suffocated with weeping, he said,' 22 My name 
now, or that which I had formerly ?—Then hast thou two names ? 
she asked. He answered, Yes: formerly, my name was El-As’ad; 
but now my name is El-Moatarr. 123 And her heart was moved with 
affection for him, and she said to him, Art thou able to write ? He 
answered, Yes. So she handed him an ink-case and a pen and 
paper, saying to him, Write something, that I may see it. Accord¬ 
ingly, he wrote these two verses:— 

180 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES, &c. 

What resource hath God's servant when destiny pursueth him under every 
circumstance, O thou judger; 

When God casteth him into the deep, hand-bound, and saith to him, Take 
care, take care, that thou be not wetted . 124 

And when she saw the paper, she had compassion upon him, and 
said to Bahrain, Sell to me this memlook. lie replied, O my mis¬ 
tress, I cannot sell him; for I have sold all my memlooks except 
this one. But the Queen Marjaneh said, I will positively take him 
from thee, either by sale or as a gift. He said to her, I will not 
sell him nor give him. She, however, seized him and took him, 
and, having gone up with him to the castle, sent to Bahrain, saying 
to him, If thou do not set sail this night from our city, I will take 
all thy property, and destroy thy ship. When the message, there¬ 
fore, was brought to him, he was grieved excessively, and said, 
Verily this voyage hath been unfortunate! He then arose and 
prepared himself, and, having taken all that he desired, waited for 
the night, to proceed on his voyage, and said to the seamen, Take 
your things, and fill your water-skins with water, and set sail with 
us at the close of the night. So the seamen betook themselves to 
perform their business. 

Meanwhile, the Queen Marjaneh, when she had taken El-As’ad 
and conducted him into the castle, opened the windows looking 
over the sea, and ordered the female slaves to bring the food. 
They therefore brought it to her and El-As’ad, and they both ate. 
She then ordered them to bring the wine; and they brought it, 
and she drank with El-As’ad. And God (whose perfection be 
extolled, and whose name be exalted!) inspired her with love for 
El-As’ad; and she began to fill the cup and to give it to him to 
drink until his reason quitted him. After this, he arose, and 
descended from the saloon, and, seeing a door open, he went 
through it and walked on till he came to a great garden in which 
were all kinds of fruits and flowers; and he approached a fountain 
that was in the garden, and, laying himself down there upon his 
back, he slept, and night overcame him.—Bahram, in the mean¬ 
time, when the night arrived, called out to the sailors of the vessel, 
saying to them, Loose your sails, and proceed with us on our 
voyage. They replied, We hear and obey : but wait until we have 
filled our water-skins, and then we will loose. The seamen then 

landed with the water-skins, and went round about the castle, and 
finding nothing but the walls of the garden, they climbed over 
them, and descended into the garden, and followed the track that 
led to the fountain; and on their arriving at it, they found El-As’ad 
lying on his back. They immediately recognised him, and rejoiced 
at finding him. So they carried him away, after they had filled 
their water-skins, leaped down from the wall, and conveyed him 
quickly to Bahrain the Magian, saying to him, Receive glad 
tidings of the accomplishment of thy desire, and of the satisfaction 
of thy heart: thy drum hath been beaten, and thy pipe hath been 
sounded ; 125 for thy captive, whom the Queen Marjaneh took from 
thee by force, we have found and brought with us. They then 
threw him down before him. And when Bahram beheld him, his 
heart leaped with joy, and his bosom expanded. He bestowed 
dresses upon them, and ordered them to loose the sails quickly. 
They therefore loosed them, and proceeded on their voyage to the 
Mountain of Eire, and continued their course until the morning. 

Now as to the Queen Marjaneh, after El-As’ad had gone down 
from her, she remained a while expecting his return ; and when he 
came not back to her, she arose and searched for him; but found 
him not. So she lighted the candles, and ordered the female 
slaves to seek for him. Then she herself descended, and, seeing 
the garden open, she knew that he must have entered it. She 
therefore went into it, and found his shoes by the side of the 
fountain; and she proceeded to search for him throughout the 

182 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES 

whole of the garden ; but saw nothing of him. She continued to 
search for him about the borders of the garden until the morning, 
when she inquired respecting the ship, and they told her that it had 
set sail in the first third of the night. So she knew that the crew 
had taken him with them, and the event grieved her; she was 
violently enraged, and gave orders to fit out immediately ten great 
ships. She prepared herself, also, for war, and embarked in one of 
the ten ships; her troops embarking with her, equipped with mag¬ 
nificent accoutrements and weapons of war. They loosed the sails; 
and she said to the captains of the ships, When ye have overtaken 
the ship of the Magian, ye shall receive from me robes of honour, 
and wealth ; but if ye overtake her not, I will kill you every one. 
The seamen, therefore, were inspired with great fear and hope. 
They proceeded in the ships that day and the next night, and the 
second day and the third; and on the fourth day, the vessel of 
Baluam the Magian appeared to them; and that day passed not 
until the Queen’s ships had surrounded the ship of the Magian. 
Bahram had just then taken forth El-As’ad, and beaten him, and 
was tormenting him, while El-As’ad cried for relief and deliverance. 
But he found no creature to relieve or deliver him, and the violent 
beating tortured him. And the Magian, while he was tormenting 
him, looked aside, and found that the Queen’s ships had sur¬ 
rounded his vessel, and encompassed her as the white of the eye 
surrounds its black. He made sure of his destruction, and sighed, 
and exclaimed, Wo to thee, O As’ad! All this hath been occa¬ 
sioned by thee!—Then taking him by his hand, he ordered the 
sailors to throw him into the sea, saying, By Allah, I will kill thee 
before mine own death ! 

Accordingly, the sailors took him up by his hands and feet, and 
threw him into the midst of the sea. But God (whose perfection 
be extolled, and whose name be exalted!), desiring his safety and 
the prolongation of his term of life, permitted that he should sink, 
and then rise again; and he beat about with his hands and feet 
until God smoothed his difficulties. Relief came to him, and the 
waves, striking him, bore him to a distance from the ship of the 
Magian, and he reached the shore. So he landed, scarcely believing 
in his escape, and when he was upon the shore he took off his 
clothes and wrung them, and, having spread them out to dry, sat 

EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS’AD. 

183 

down naked, weeping for the calamities and captivity that had 
befallen him, and recited these two verses:— 

O Allah, my patience and resources have failed, and my hosom is contracted 
and my means are cut off! 

To whom shall the wretched complain of his case unless unto his Lord, O 
thou Lord of lords ? 

After this he arose, and put on his clothes; but knew not whither 
to go. He ate of the herbs of the earth and of the fruits of the 
trees, and drank of the water of the rivers, journeying by night 
and day, until he came in sight of a city. And upon this he 
rejoiced, and quickened his pace towards the city; but when he 
arrived at it, the evening had overtaken him, and its gate was shut. 
It was the same city in which he had been a captive, and to whose 
King his brother was Wezeer. And when El-As’ad saw that its 
gate was closed, he returned towards the burial-grounds, where, on 
arriving, he found a tomb without a door. So he entered it, and 
laid himself down to sleep in it, putting his face into his bosom . 126 

Now Bahram the Magian, when the Queen Marjaneh with her 
ships overtook him, defeated her by his artifice and subtlety. He 
returned in safety towards his city, and proceeded thither forthwith, 
full of joy. And passing by the burial-grounds, he landed from 
the ship, in accordance with fate and destiny, and walked through 
the burial-grounds, and saw that the tomb in which El-As’ad was 
lying was open. So he wondered, and said, I must look into this 
tomb. And when he looked into it, he saw El-As’ad sleeping 
there, with his head in his bosom. He therefore looked in his 
face, and recognised him, whereupon he said to him, Art thou still 
living ? Then he took him up, and conveyed him to his house. 
He had in his house a subterranean cell, prepared for the torture 
of Muslims, and he had a daughter named Bustan ; 127 and he put 
heavy irons upon the feet of El-As’ad, and put him down into that 
cell, commissioning his daughter to torture him night and day 
until he should die. Having done this, he inflicted upon him a 
painful beating, and closed the cell upon him, and gave the keys to 
his daughter. 

So his daughter Bustan went down to beat him; but finding 
him to be an elegant young man, of sweet countenance, with arched 
eyebrows and black eyes, affection for him entered her heart, and she 

184 

THE STORY OF THE TWO PRINCES, &c. 

Said to him, What is thy name ? He answered her, My name is 
El-As’ad. And she said to him, Mayest thou be fortunate, and 
may thy days be fortunate ! 129 Thou art not deserving of torment, 
and I know that thou hast been treated unjustly.— And she 
proceeded to cheer him by conversation, and unfastened his irons. 
Then she asked him respecting the religion of El-Islam. And he 
informed her that it was the true and right religion, and that our 
lord Mohammad was the author of surpassing miracles and manifest 
signs, and that [the worship of] Fire injured, instead of benefiting: 
he acquainted her also with the fundamentals of El-Islam; and 
she yielded to his words. The love of the faith entered her heart, 
and God (whose name be exalted!) infused into her bosom an 
affection for El-As’ad; so she pronounced the two professions of 
the faith , 129 and became one among the people of felicity. She 
occupied herself in giving him food and drink, conversed and 
prayed with him, and prepared for him pottages of fowls, until he 
gained strength, and his disorders ceased, and he was restored to 
his former health. 

After this, the daughter of Bahram went forth from El-As’ad, 
and stood at the door; and lo, the crier proclaimed and said, 
Whosoever hath with him a handsome young man, of such and such 
a description, and produceth him, he shall have whatever he 
demandeth of wealth; and whosoever hath him in his keeping and 
denieth it, he shall be hanged at the door of his house, and his 
property shall be plundered, and his dwelling shall be demolished. 
Now El-As’ad had acquainted Bustan the daughter of Bahram with 
all that had happened unto him: so when she heard this, she knew 
that he was the person sought. She therefore went in to him, and 
related to him the news; and he came forth and repaired to the 
mansion of the Wezeer; and as soon as he saw the Wezeer, he 
exclaimed, By Allah, verily this Wezeer is my brother El-Amjad! 
He went up with the damsel behind him to the palace; and on 
seeing Iris brother El-Amjad, he threw himself upon him ; where¬ 
upon El-Amjad recognised him, and in like manner threw himself 
upon him, and they embraced each other. The memlooks came 
around them, and El-As’ad and El-Amjad were, for a while, 
senseless; and when they recovered from their fit, El-Amjad took 
his brother and went up with him to the Sultan, and related to 

him his story; upon which, the Sultan ordered him to plunder the 
house of Bahram. So the Wezeer sent a company of men to do 
this; and they repaired to Bahrain's house, and plundered it, and 
brought up his daughter to the Wezeer, who received her with 
honour. El-As’ad then described to his brother all the torture that 
he had suffered, and the acts of kindness that the daughter of Bah¬ 
ram had done him. El-Amjad, therefore, treated her with increased 
honour. And after this he related to El-As’ad all that had happened 
to him with the damsel, and how he had escaped from being hanged, 
and had become Wezeer. And each of them then complained to 
the other of the distress that he had suffered from the separation 
of his brother. 

The Sultan next caused the Magian to be brought, and com¬ 
manded to strike off his head. Bahram said, O most excellent 
King, hast thou determined to kill me ? He answered, Yes. Then 
said Bahram, Have patience with me a little, O King. And he 

2 B 

VOL. II. 

186 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

hung down his head towards the ground, and presently, raising it, 
made profession of the faith, and vowed himself a Muslim to the 
Sultan. So they rejoiced at his embracing El-Islam. Then El- 
Amjad and El-As’ad related to him all that had happened to them; 
and he said to them, O my lords, prepare yourselves to journey, 
and I will journey with you. And they rejoiced at this, as they did 
also at his conversion to El-Islam; but they wept violen tly. Bahram, 
therefore, said to them, O my lords, weep not; for ye shall eventually 
be united [with your family], as Neameh and Noam were united.— 
And what, they asked him, happened to Neameh and Noam ? He 
replied as follows:— 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 13 " 

Persons have related (but God is all-knowing), that there was, 
in the city of El-Koofeh ,’ 31 a man who was one of the chiefs of its 
inhabitants, called Er-Rabeea the son of Hatim. He was a man 
of great wealth, and of prosperous circumstances, and had been 
blessed with a son whom he named Neamet Allah . 133 And while he 
was one day at the mart of the slave-brokers, he beheld a female slave 
offered for sale, with a little girl of surprising beauty and loveliness 
on her arm. So Er-Rabeea made a sign to the slave-broker, and said 
to him, For how much are this female slave and her daughter to be 
sold ? He answered, For fifty pieces of gold. And Er-Rabeea 
said, Write the contract, and receive the money, and deliver it to her 
master. He then paid to the slave-broker the price of the slave, 
and gave him his brokerage; and, having received the female slave 
and her daughter, went home with them. And when his uncle’s 
daughter [who was his wife] beheld the female slave, she said to 
him, O son of my uncle, what is this female slave ? He answered, 
I bought her from a desire of possessing this little-one that is on 
her arm ; and know thou that, when she hath grown up, there will 
be none like her in the countries of the Arabs or foreigners, and 
none more lovely than she. And the daughter of his uncle said to 
her, What is thy name, O slave-girl ? She answered, O my mis¬ 
tress, my name is Towfeek. 133 —And what, she asked, is the name 
of thy daughter ? She answered, Saad . 134 And she replied, Thou 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

187 

hast spoken truly. Thou art fortunate, and fortunate is he who 
hath purchased thee.—She then said, O son of my uncle, What 
name wilt thou give her ?—What thou choosest, he answered. She 
replied. We will name her Noam . 133 And Er-Rabeea said, There 
will be no harm in so naming her. 

The little Noam was brought up with Neameh 136 the son of Er- 
Rabeea in one cradle, and in the same manner they were reared 
until they attained the age of ten years; and each of them was 
more beautiful than the other . 133 The boy used to say to her, O 
my sister. And she used to say to him, O my brother. Then 
Er-Rabeea addressed his son Neameh, when they had attained to 
this age, and said to him, O my son, Noam is not thy sister; but 
she is thy slave ; and I bought her for thee when thou wast in the 
cradle: so call her not thy sister from this day.—Then if it is so, 
replied Neameh to his father, I will marry her. He then went 
in to his mother, and acquainted her with this ; and she said, O 
my son, she is thy slave. Therefore Neameh the son of Er-Rabeea 
took her as a wife, and loved her. Four 133 years passed over 
them while they thus lived, and there was not in El-Koofeh a maid 
more beautiful than Noam, nor any sweeter or more elegant. She 
had grown up, and read the Kur-an and works of science, and 
become skilled in various modes of playing upon sundry instru¬ 
ments : she was distinguished by perfection both in singing and in 
instrumental music, so that she surpassed all the people of her 
age. And while she was sitting one day with her husband Nea¬ 
meh the son of Er-Rabeea in the drinking-chamber, she took the 
lute, and tightened its chords, and sang these two verses:— 

While thou art my lord, on whose bounty I live, and a sword by which I may 
annihilate adversities, 

I shall never need recourse to Zeyd nor to ’Amr , 139 nor any but thee, if my 
ways become strait to me. 

And Neameh was greatly delighted. He desired her to sing again; 
and when she had done so, the youth exclaimed, Divinely art thou 
gifted, O Noam. 

But while they were passing the most agreeable life, El-Haj- 
jaj, 14 ® in his viceregal mansion, was saying, I must contrive to take 
away this damsel whose name is Noam, and send her to the Prince 
of the Faithful, ’Abd El-Melik the son of Marwan; for there ex- 

188 

THF, STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

isteth not in his palace her equal, nor is sweeter singing than her’s 
there heard. He then called for an old woman, a kahramaneh, 
and said to her, Go to the house of Er-Rabeea, and obtain an 
interview with the damsel Noam, and contrive means to take her 
away; for there existeth not upon the face of the earth her equal. 

The old woman assented to the words of El-Hajjaj ; and when 
she arose on the following morning, she put on her apparel of 
wool , 141 hung to her neck a rosary of thousands of beads , 143 and, 
taking in her hand a walking-staff, and a leather water-bottle 
of the manufacture of El-Yemen, proceeded thither, exclaiming, 
as she went, Extolled be the perfection of God, and praise be to 
God, and there is no deity but God, and God is most Great, and 
there is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! 
She ceased not her ejaculations in praise of God, and her suppli¬ 
cations, while her heart was full of artifice and fraud, until she 
arrived at the house of Neameh the son of Er-Rabeea at the time 
of noon-prayers; and she knocked at the door; whereupon the 
doorkeeper opened to her, and said to her, What dost thou desire ? 
She answered, I am a poor woman, one of those who devote them¬ 
selves to the service of God, and the time of noon-prayer hath 
overtaken me : I desire, therefore, to pray in this blessed place. 
The doorkeeper replied, O old woman, this is the house of Neameh 
the son of Er-Rabeea, and it is not a congregational mosque nor a 
place of worship.—I know, she rejoined, that there is not a con¬ 
gregational mosque nor a place of worship like the house of Nea¬ 
meh the son of Er-Rabeea, and I am a kahramaneh from the 
palace of the Prince of the Faithful, who have come forth to wor¬ 
ship and to travel. The doorkeeper, however, said to her, It is 
impossible for thee to enter. Many words passed between them, 
till the old woman clung to him, and said to him, Shall such a 
person as myself be forbidden to enter the house of Neameh the 
son of Er-Rabeea, when I go to the houses of the emeers and 
grandees ? And Neameh came forth, and, hearing their words, 
laughed, and ordered her to come in after him. 

So Neameh entered, and the old Woman followed him until he 
went in with her to Noam; whereupon the old woman saluted 
her with the best salutation. And when she beheld Noam, she 
wondered at her excessive loveliness, and said to her, O my mis- 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

189 

tress, I commend thee to the protection of God, who hath made 
thee and thy lord to agree in beauty and loveliness. Then the 
old woman placed herself at the niche , 143 and betook herself 
to inclination and prostration and supplication until the day had 
passed and the night had come with its thick darkness, when the 
damsel said, O my mother, give rest to thy feet a while. But the 
old woman replied, O my mistress, whoso seeketh the world to 
come, wearieth himself in the present world ; and whoso wearieth 
not himself in the present world, will not attain to the mansions of 
the just in the world to come. Then Noam brought the food to 
the old woman, and said to her, Eat of my food, and beg propitious¬ 
ness and mercy for me. The old woman, however, replied, Verily 
I am fasting; but as to thee, thou art a young woman, and eating 
and drinking and mirth are suitable to thee. God be propitious 
to thee! God (whose name be exalted!) hath said, Except him 
who shall repent, and believe, and shall work a righteous work . 144 
—The damsel continued sitting a while with the old woman, con¬ 
versing with her; after which she said to her master, O my master, 
conjure this old woman to lodge with us for some time ; for the 
impress of devotion is on her countenance. So he replied, Appro¬ 
priate to her alone a chamber for devotion, and let not any one go in 

190 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

to her; and perhaps God (whose perfection be extolled, and whose 
name be exalted!) may grant us benefit from the blessing that 
attendetli her, and not separate us. And the old woman passed 
that night praying, and reciting [the Kur-an], until the morning, 
when she came to Neameh and Noam, and, having wished them 
good morning, said to them, I commend you both to the care of 
God. But Noam said to her, Whither goest thou, O my mother ? 
My master hath ordered me to appropriate to thee alone a chamber 
in which thou mayest seclude thyself for devotion.—The old woman 
replied, May God preserve him, and continue his favours to you 
both: but I desire of you that ye charge the doorkeeper not to 
prevent my ingress to you; and if it be the will of God (whose 
name be exalted!), I will go about to the holy places, and suppli¬ 
cate for both of you at the close of my prayer and devotion every 
day and night. She then went forth from the house, while the 
damsel Noam wept for her separation, not knowing the reason for 
which she had come to her. 

The old woman repaired to El-Hajjaj ; and he said to her, 
What hast thou done? She answered him, Verily I have beheld 
the damsel, and seen her to be such that women have not given 
birth to any more beautiful than she in her age. And El-Hajjaj 
said to her, If thou accomplish that which I have commanded thee, 
abundant good fortune will result to thee from me. She replied, 
I desire of thee a delay of a whole month. And he said to her, I 
grant thee a month’s delay.—The old woman then accustomed her¬ 
self to frequent the house of Neameh and Noam, who treated her 
with increased respect. She continued to pass the morning and 
evening with them, every one in the house welcoming her, until, 
one day, being with the damsel alone, she said, O my mistress, by 
Allah, when I visit the holy places, I will pray for thee; and I 
wish that thou wouldst accompany me, that thou mightest see 
the sheykhs 145 that come thither, and they would pray for any 
blessing for thee that thou desirest. And the damsel Noam replied, 
By Allah, O my mother, take me with thee. So the old woman 
said to her, Ask leave of thy mother-in-law, and I will take thee with 
me. The damsel, therefore, said to her mother-in-law, the mother 
of Neameh, O my mistress, ask my master to let me and thee 
go one day with my mother, the old woman, to prayer and sup- 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

191 

plication with the poor devotees in the holy places. And when 
Neameh came, and sat down, the old woman went to him and 
kissed his hand; but he forbade her doing so : - and she prayed for 
him, and went forth from the house. And on the following day 
she came again, when Neameh was not in the house, and, accosting 
the damsel Noam, said to her, We prayed for you yesterday; but 
arise now and amuse thyself, and return before thy master cometh. 
So the damsel said to her mother-in-law, I conjure thee by Allah 
that thou give me permission to go out with this just woman to 
enjoy the sight of the saints of God in the holy places, and I will 
return quickly, before my master cometh. The mother of Neameh 
replied, I fear lest thy master know of it. But the old woman said, 
By Allah, I will not let her seat herself upon the ground ; but she 
shall look while she standeth upon her feet, and shall not loiter. 

She then took the damsel, by this stratagem, and repaired with 
her to the palace of El-Hajjaj, and acquainted him with her arrival, 
after she had put her in a private apartment. So El-Hajjaj came 
and looked at her, and saw her to be the most lovely of the people of 
her age, and such as he had never seen equalled : but when Noam 
beheld him, she covered her face. He left her not until he had 
summoned his chamberlain ; and he mounted with him fifty horse¬ 
men, and commanded him to take the damsel upon an excellent 
and swift dromedary, to repair with her to Damascus, and to de¬ 
liver her to the Prince of the Faithful, ’Abd El-Melik the son of 
Marwan, to whom he wrote a letter. And he said to the chamber- 
lain, Give him this letter, and bring from him an answer, and 
make haste in returning. The chamberlain, therefore, went, and 
took the damsel upon a dromedary, and journeyed with her, she 
remaining all the while with tearful eye on account of the separa¬ 
tion of her master, until they arrived at Damascus. He begged 
permission to present himself to the Prince of the Faithful, who 
gave him permission, and he went in to him, and acquainted him 
with the affair of the damsel; whereupon the Khaleefeh appro¬ 
priated to her exclusively a private apartment. 

The Khaleefeh then went into his hareem, and, seeing his wife, 
he said to her, El-Hajjaj hath purchased for me a slave-girl from 
among the daughters of the Kings of El-Koofeh , 116 for ten thou¬ 
sand pieces of gold, and hath sent to me this letter, and her with 

192 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

the letter. His wife replied, May God increase to thee his bounty! 
And after this, the sister of the Khaleefeh went in to the damsel; 
and when she beheld her, she said, By Allah, he is not disap¬ 
pointed in whose abode thou art, were thy price a hundred thou¬ 
sand pieces of gold ! And the damsel Noam said to her, O lovely- 
faced, to whom among the Kings belongeth this palace, and what 
city is this ? She answered her, This is the city of Damascus, and 
this is the palace of my brother, the Prince of the Faithful, 'Abd 
El-Melik the son of Marwan. Then she said to the damsel, It 
seemeth that thou knewest not this.—By Allah, O my mistress, 
replied Noam, I had no knowledge of it. The sister of the Kha¬ 
leefeh said, And did not he who sold thee and took thy price 
acquaint thee that the Khaleefeh had bought thee ? And when 
the damsel heard these words, her tears flowed, and she lamented, 
and said within herself, The stratagem hath been accomplished 
against me. Then she said within herself, If I speak, no one will 
believe me: so I will be silent and be patient; for I know that 
the relief of God is near at hand. And she hung down her head 
in bashfulness, and her cheeks were reddened by her late travelling 
and by the sun. The sister of the Khaleefeh left her that day, and 
came to her on the following day with linen and with necklaces 
of jewels, and attired her. 

After this, the Prince of the Faithful came in to her, and 
seated himself by her side, and his sister said to him, Look at this 
damsel in whom God hath united every charm of beauty and love¬ 
liness. So the Khaleefeh said to Noam, Remove the veil from thy 
face. But she removed it not, and he saw not her face. He 
beheld, however, her wrists, and love for her penetrated into his 
heart, and he said to his sister, I will not visit her again until after 
three days, that she may in the mean time be cheered by thy con¬ 
versation. He then arose and went forth from her. And the 
damsel remained reflecting upon her case, and sighing for her 
separation from her master Neameh. And when the next night 
came, she fell sick,of a fever, and ate not nor drank, and her 
countenance and her charms became changed. So they acquainted 
the Khaleefeh with this, and her case distressed him, and he 
brought in to her the physicians and men of penetration ; but no 
one could discover a remedy for her. 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

193 

Meanwhile, her master Neameh came to his house, and, seating 
himself upon his bed, called out, 0 Noam ! But she answered him 
not. So he arose quickly, and called out again ; but no one came 
in to him; for every female slave in the house hid herself, in her 
fear of him. He therefore went to his mother, and found her 
sitting with her hand upon her cheek ; and he said to her, O my 
mother, where is Noam ?—O my son, she answered, with one who 
is more trustworthy than myself respecting her; namely, the just 
old woman; for she went forth with her to visit the poor devotees, 
and to return.—And when, said he, was she accustomed to do this ? 
And at what hour did she go forth ?—She answered, She went 
forth early in the morning.—And how didst thou give her permis¬ 
sion to do so ? he asked.—O my son, she answered, it was she 
who persuaded me to it. And Neameh exclaimed, There is no 
strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! He then 
went forth from his house, in a state of distraction, and, repairing 
to the chief of the police, said to him, Dost thou employ strata¬ 
gems against me, and take my slave-girl from my house ? I will 
assuredly journey and complain against thee to the Prince of the 
Faithful.—So the chief of the police said, And who took her ? He 
answered, an old woman, of such and such a description, clad in 
garments of wool, and having in her hand a rosary, the beads of 
which were thousands in number. And the chief of the police 
replied, Acquaint me with the old woman, and I will deliver to 
thee thy slave-girl.—And who knoweth the old woman ? said Nea- 

19 - 1 . 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

meh.—And who, said the chief of the police, knoweth what is 
hidden from the senses, excepting God, whose perfection be ex¬ 
tolled, and whose name be exalted ? But he knew that she was an 
artful woman employed by El-Hajjaj. Nearaeh then said to him, 
I look for my slave-girl from none but thee, and El-Hajjaj shall 
decide between me and thee. And he replied, Go unto whom 
thou wilt. 

So Neameh went to the palace of El-Hajjaj. His father was 
one of the chief people of El-Koofeh : therefore when he arrived 
at the residence of El-Hajjaj, the chamberlain went in and informed 
him of the case, and El-Hajjaj said, Bring him in unto me. And 
when he stood before him, El-Hajjaj said to him, What is thy 
business ? Neameh answered him, Such and such things have 
happened unto me. And El-Hajjaj said. Bring ye to me the chiel 
of the police, and we will order him to search for the old woman. 
Accordingly, when the chief of the police came, he said to him, I 
desire of thee that thou search for the slave-girl of Neameh the son 
of Er-Rabeea. The chief of the police replied, None knoweth 
what is hidden from the senses excepting God, whose name be 
exalted ! But El-Hajjaj said to him, Thou must take with thee 
horsemen and seek for the damsel in the roads, and look in the 
towns. Then looking towards Neameh, he said to him, If thy 
slave-girl return not, I will give to thee ten slave-girls from my 
own mansion, and ten from the mansion of the chief of the police. 
And he said to the chief of the police, Go forth to search for the 
damsel. So he went forth. 

Neameh was full of grief, and despaired of life. He had 
attained the age of fourteen years, and there was no hair upon the 
sides of his face. He wept and lamented, and separated himself 
from his house, and ceased not to weep until the morning. And 
his father came and said to him, O my son, verily El-Hajjaj hath 
employed a stratagem against the damsel, and taken her ; but from 
hour to hour God giveth relief. Still anxieties increased upon 
Neameh, and he knew not what to say, nor recognised any who 
came in to him. He remained in a state of infirmity three months, 
so that his whole condition became changed, and his father despaired 
of him; and the physicians visited him, and said, There is no cure 
for him except the damsel. 

But while his father was sitting one day, he heard of a skilful 
physician, a Persian, whom the people described as possessing a 
sure knowledge of medicine and astrology and geomancy. So Er- 
Rabeea called for him; and when he came, he seated him by his 
side, treated him with honour, and said to him, See the state of 
my son. And he said to Neameh, Give me thy hand. He there¬ 
fore gave him his hand, and the physician felt his joints, and looked 
in his face, and laughed. Then turning his eyes towards his father, 
he said, Thy son hath nothing else than a disease in his heart. 
And Er-Rabeea replied, Thou hast spoken truly, O sage: con¬ 
sider, then, the case of my son with thy science, and acquaint me 
with all his circumstances, and hide from me nothing of his case. 
So the Persian said, He is engrossed by love for a damsel, and this 
damsel is in El-Basrah or in Damascus, and there is no cure for 
thy son but his union with her. And Er-Rabeea said, If thou 
bring them together, thou shalt receive from me what will make 
thee happy, and shalt live all thy life in wealth and delight.— 
Verily, replied the Persian, this affair is soon managed, and easy. 
Then looking towards Neameh, he said to him, No harm will befall 
thee; therefore be of good heart and cheerful eye. And he said 
to Er-Rabeea, Take forth from thy property four thousand pieces 
of gold. He therefore took them forth, and delivered them to 

196 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

the Persian, who said to him, I desire that thy son journey with 
me to Damascus, and, if it be the will of God (whose name be 
exalted!), I will not return but with the damsel. Then he looked 
towards the youth, and said to him, What is thy name ? He 
answered, Neameh. And he said, O Neameh, sit, and be in the 
care of God (whose name be exalted!): God hath united thee with 
the damsel. And upon this he sat up. And the Persian said to 
him, Fortify thy heart; for we will set forth on our journey as on 
this day: eat, therefore, and drink, and enjoy thyself, that thou 
mayest acquire strength for the journey. 

The Persian then applied himself to the accomplishment of all 
that he required, and received from the father of Neameh as much 
as made up the sum of ten thousand pieces of gold, with the horses 
and camels and other beasts that he required to carry the burdens 
on the way. After this, Neameh bade farewell to his father and 
his mother, and journeyed with the sage to Aleppo. But he learnt 
no tidings of the damsel. Then they arrived at Damascus; and 
after they had remained there three days, the Persian took a shop, 
and stocked its shelves with precious China-ware and covers, deco¬ 
rated the shelves with gold and costly materials, placed before him 
glass bottles containing all kinds of ointments and all kinds of 
sirops, put round the bottles cups of crystal, and placed the astro¬ 
labe before him. He clad himself in the apparel of sages and phy¬ 
sicians, and stationed Neameh before him, having clad him in a 
shirt and a melwatah of silk, and girded him with a silken kerchief 
embroidered with gold. He then said to him, O Neameh, thou 
art from this day my son; therefore call me not otherwise than thy 
father, and I will not call thee but as son. So Neameh replied, I 
hear and obey. The people of Damascus now assembled before 
the shop of the Persian, gazing at the beauty of Neameh and at 
the beauty of the shop and the goods that it contained; and the 
Persian conversed with Neameh in the Persian language; Neameh 
doing the same with him ; for he knew that language, as was 
usually the case with the sons of the great. The Persian became 
celebrated among the people of Damascus, and they be^an to 
describe to him their pains, and he gave them the remedies. He 
continued to perform the wants of the people, and the inhabitants 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

197 

of Damascus flocked to him, his fame spreading through the city 
and into the houses of the great. 

And while he was sitting one day, lo, an old woman approached 
him, riding upon an ass with a stuffed saddle of brocade adorned 
with jewels; and she stopped at the Persian’s shop, and, pulling the 
ass’s bridle, made a sign to the Persian, and said to him, Hold my 
hand. So he took her hand, and she alighted from the ass, and 
said, Art thou the Persian physician who earnest from El-’Erak ? 
He answered, Yes, And she said, Know that I have a daughter, 
and she is suffering from a disease. She then acquainted him with 
the symptoms, and he said to her, 0 my mistress, what is the name 
of this damsel, that I may calculate her star, 147 and know at what 
hour the drinking of the medicine will be suitable to her.—O bro¬ 
ther of the Persians, 148 she answered, her name is Noam. And 
when the Persian heard the name of Noam, he began to calculate, 
and to write upon his hand ; 149 and said to her, O my mistress, I 
will not prescribe for her a remedy until I know from what country 
she is, on account of the difference of air : acquaint me, therefore, 
in what country she was brought up, and how many years is her 
age. So the old woman replied, her age is fourteen years, and the 
place where she was reared is in the province of El-Koofeh, in 
El-’Erak.—And how many months, said the Persian, hath she 
been in this country ? The old woman answered him, She hath 
resided in this country but a few months. And when Neameh 
heard the words of the old woman, and the name of his slave-girl, 
his heart palpitated. The Persian then said to her, Such and such 
remedies will be suitable to her. The old woman, therefore, said 
to him, Give me what thou hast prescribed, and may the blessing 
of God (whose name be exalted !) attend it. And she threw to him 
ten pieces of gold upon the seat of the shop. So the sage looked 
towards Neameh, and ordered him to prepare for her the drugs of 
which the remedy was to be composed ; and the old woman began 
to look at Neameh, and to say, I invoke God’s protection for thee, 
O my son! Verily her form is like thine !—Then she said to the 
Persian, O brother of the Persians, is this thy memlook or thy son ? 
He answered her, He is my son. Neameh then put the things for 
her into a small box, and, taking a paper, wrote upon it these two 

verses:— 

198 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

If Noam bestow on me a glance I care not if Soada grant favours, or Juml lsl> 
confer benefits. 

They said to me, Relinquish her, and receive twenty like her. But there is 
none like her, and I will not relinquish her. 

He put the paper into the little box, and sealed it, and wrote upon 
its cover, in the Koofee character, 151 I am Neameh the son of Er- 
Rabeea of El-Koofeh. Then he placed the little box before the 
old woman. 

She therefore took it, and, having bidden them farewell, de¬ 
parted to the palace of the Khaleefeh. And when she went up 
with the things to the damsel, she placed the little box of medi¬ 
cine before her, saying to her, O my mistress, know that there 
hath come unto our city a Persian physician, than whom I have 
not seen one more acquainted with matters relating to diseases. 
And I mentioned to him thy name, after I had informed him of 
the symptoms of thy complaint; whereupon he knew thy disease, 
and prescribed the remedy. Then he gave orders to his son, who 
packed up for thee this medicine. And there is not in Damascus 
any one more lovely or more elegant than his son, nor any more 
comely than he in apparel. Nor hath any one a shop like his 
shop.—So she took the little box, and saw, written upon its cover, 
the name of her master and the name of his father. And when 
she saw this, her complexion changed, and she said, There is no 
doubt but that the owner of the shop hath come on my account. 
Then she said to the old woman, Describe to me this young man. 
And she replied, His name is Neameh, and upon his right eyebrow 
is a scar; he is clad in costly apparel, and is endowed with consum¬ 
mate beauty. The damsel then said, Hand me the medicine, and 
may it be attended with the blessing of God (whose name be 
exalted!), and his aid. And she took the medicine, and swallowed 
it, laughing, and said to the old woman, Verily it is blessed medi¬ 
cine. And after this, she searched in the little box, and saw the 
paper. She therefore opened it and read it; and when she under¬ 
stood its meaning, she felt assured that the writer was her master • 
so her soul was cheered, and she rejoiced; and when the old woman 
saw that she laughed, she said to her, Verily this is a blessed day. 
Noam then said, O kahramaneh, I desire food and beverage. And 
the old woman said to the female slaves, Bring the tables and the 

dainty viands to your mistress. Accordingly they brought to her 
the viands, and she sat to eat. And lo, 'Abd El-Melik the son of 
Marwan came in to them, and, seeing the damsel sitting and eating 
the repast, he rejoiced. And the kahramaneh said, O Prince of 
the Faithful, may the health of thy slave-girl Noam rejoice thee : 
for there hath arrived at this city a physician, than whom I have 
seen none more acquainted with diseases and their remedies ; and 
I brought her some medicine from him, and after she had taken of 
it once, health returned to her, O Prince of the Faithful. Upon 
this, the Prince of the Faithful said, Take a thousand pieces of 
gold, and apply thyself to means for her complete restoration. 

He then went forth, rejoicing at the damsel’s recovery, and the 
old woman repaired to the shop of the Persian with the thousand 
pieces of gold, and gave them to him, telling him that she was a 
female slave of the Khaleefeh. And she handed to him a paper 
which Noam had written. So the Persian took it, and handed it 
to Neameh, who, as soon as he saw it, knew her handwriting, and 
fell down in a swoon; and when he recovered, he opened the paper, 
and found written in it,— 

From the slave-girl despoiled of her happiness, the infatuated 
in her mind, the separated from the beloved of her heart.—To pro¬ 
ceed. Your letter hath reached me, and expanded the bosom, and 
rejoiced the heart; and it was as the poet hath said :— 

200 

THE STORY OF NEAMEII AND NOAM. 

The letter arrived, and may the fingers that wrote it be spared to me till they 
are made to drip with sweet scents. 

It was as when Moosa was restored to his mother; or when the garment of 
Yoosuf was brought to Yaakoob . 142 

When Neameh read this couplet, his eyes poured forth tears. 
So the kahramaneh said to him, What maketh thee weep, O my 
son ? May God never make thine eye to shed tears!—And the 
Persian said, O my mistress, How can my son refrain from weep¬ 
ing, when he is the master of this slave-girl, Neameh the son of 
Er-Rabeea of El-Koofeh, and when the health of this damsel de- 
pendeth upon seeing him, and she hath no disease but the love that 
she beareth him ? Take thou then, O my mistress (he continued), 
these thousand pieces of gold for thyself, and thou shalt receive 
from me more than that; and look upon us with the eye of mercy ; 
for we know not any means of rectifying this affair but through 
thee.—So she said to Neameh, Art thou her master ? He an¬ 
swered, Yes. And she said, Thou hast spoken truth; for she 
ceaseth not to mention thee. Neameh therefore acquainted her 
with what had happened to him from first to last; and the old 
woman said, O youth, thou canst not obtain an interview with her 
but through my means. 

She then mounted, and returned immediately, and, going in to 
the damsel, looked in her face, and laughed, and said to her, It 
becometh thee, O my daughter, to weep and to fall sick on account 
of the separation of thy master, Neameh the son of Er-Rabeea of 
El-Koofeh. So Noam said, The veil hath been removed unto thee, 
and the truth hath been revealed to thee. And the old woman 
replied, Let thy soul be happy and thy bosom dilate; for, by 
Allah, I will unite you both, though the loss of my life be the 
consequence of it. 

Then returning to Neameh, she said to him, I went back to 
the damsel, and had an interview with her, and found her to have 
a longing desire for thee, greater than that which thou feelest for 
her ; for the Prince of the Faithful desireth to visit her, and she 
refuseth to receive him. Now if thou have a firm heart, and 
strength of mind, I will bring you together, and expose myself to 
peril in your cause, and contrive a stratagem and employ an arti¬ 
fice by which to introduce thee into the palace of the Prince of the 

THE STORY OE NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

201 

Faithful, that thou mayest have an interview with the damsel; for 
she cannot go forth.—So Neameh replied, May Allah recompense 
thee well! Then she bade him farewell, and repaired to the dam¬ 
sel, and said to her, Verily the soul of thy master departeth by 
reason of his love for thee, and he desireth an interview with thee. 
What, then, sayest thou on this matter ?—Noam answered, And I 
am in the same state : my soul departeth, and I desire an interview 
with him. Upon this, therefore, the old woman took a wrapper 
containing female ornaments and a suit of women’s apparel, and, 
repairing again to Neameh, said to him, Come into some place 
with me alone. So he went with her into an apartment behind the 
shop; and she dyed the ends of his fingers with henna, decked his 
wrists [with bracelets], decorated his hair [with the ornamented 
strings of silk], 153 and clad him in the apparel of a slave-girl, 
adorning him with the best of the things with which female slaves 
are decked, so that he appeared like one of the black-eyed virgins 
of paradise. And when the kahramaneh beheld him in this state, 
she exclaimed, Blessed be Allah, the best of Creators! By Allah, 
thou art handsomer than the damsel!—She then said to him. 
Walk, and incline the left shoulder forward, and the right back¬ 
ward, and move thy hips from side to side. 154 So he walked before 
her as she directed him; and when she saw that he knew the gait 
of women, she said to him, Wait until I come to thee next night, 
if it be the will of God (whose name be exalted !), and then I will 
take thee and conduct thee into the palace; and when thou seest 
the chamberlains and servants, be bold, and stoop thy head, and 
speak not with any one. I will prevent their speaking to thee ; 
and in God I trust for success. 

Accordingly, when the following morning came, the kahra¬ 
maneh returned to him, and took him and went up with him to the 
palace. She entered before him, and he followed her steps; but 
the chamberlain would have prevented his entering; so she said to 
him, O most ill-omened of slaves, she is the slave-girl of Noam, 
the concubine of the Prince of the Faithful, and how dost thou 
presume to prevent her entering ? She then said, Enter O slave- 
girl. He therefore entered with the old woman ; and they pro¬ 
ceeded without stopping to the door which opened into the court 
of the palace, when the old woman said to him, O Neameh, 

VOL. II. 

12 D 

202 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

strengthen thyself and fortify thy heart, and enter the palace ; then 
turn to thy left, and count five doors, and enter the sixth door; for 
that is the door of the place prepared for thee ; and fear not if any 
one address thee ; but do not speak with him. And she proceeded 
with him until they arrived at the doors, when the chamberlain 
who was commissioned to guard those doors accosted her and said 
to her, Who is this slave-girl ? The old woman answered him. 
Our mistress desireth to purchase her. The eunuch replied, No 
one entereth without the permission of the Prince of the Faithful: 
return with her, therefore ; for I will not suffer her to enter, as 1 
have been commanded to do thus.—O great chamberlain, rejoined 
the kahramaneh, where is thy reason ? Verily Noam, the Khaleefeh’s 
slave-girl, to whom his heart is devoted, hath recovered her health, 
and the Prince of the Faithful scarce believeth her recovery, and 
she desireth to purchase this damsel; therefore prevent not her 
entering, lest it be told her that thou hast done so, and she be 
enraged against thee; for if she be incensed against thee she will 
cause thy head to be struck off.—Then she said, Enter, O slave- 
girl, and attend not to his words, and inform not thy mistress 
that the chamberlain opposed thine entering. 

So Ncameh stooped his head, and entered, and designed to 
turn to his left; but he mistook, and turned to his right; and 
he meant to count five doors, and to enter the sixth; but he 
counted six, and entered the seventh. And when he had en¬ 
tered this door, he saw a place furnished with brocade; its walls 
were hung with curtains of silk worked with gold; and in it 
were perfuming-vessels with aloes-wood and ambergris and strong- 
scented musk ; and he saw a sofa at the upper end, furnished 
with brocade. Neameh, therefore, seated himself upon it, not 
knowing what was decreed him in the secret purpose of God ; 
and as he was sitting reflecting upon his case, lo, the sister of 
the Prince of the Faithful came in to him, attended by her maid. 
Seeing the youth sitting there, she imagined him to be a slave-girl: 
so she advanced to him and said to him, Who art thou, O slave- 
girl, and what is thy story, and what is the reason of thine enter¬ 
ing this place ? But Neameh spoke not, nor returned her any 
answer. She then said, O slave-girl, if thou be one of the concu¬ 
bines of my brother, and he hath been incensed against thee, I 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

203 

will conciliate his favour towards thee. But Neameh still returned 
her no answer. And upon this she said to her maid, Stand at the 
door of the chamber, and suffer no one to enter. Then she ap¬ 
proached him, and, observing his loveliness, said, 0 damsel, inform 
me who thou art, and what is thy name, and what is the reason of 
thine entering hither; for I have never before seen thee in our 
palace. Neameh, however, returned her no answer. And there¬ 
upon the sister of the King was angry, and put her hand upon 
Neameh’s bosom ; and, finding that it was not formed like that of 
a female, she was about to take off his outer clothes, that she 
might discover who he was. So Neameh said to her, 0 my mis¬ 
tress, I am a memlook, and do thou purchase me : 1 implore thy 
protection ; then grant it me. And she said, No harm shall befall 
thee. Who, then, art thou, and who admitted thee into this my 
chamber ?—Neameh answered her, I, O Queen, am known by the 
name of Neameh the son of Er-Rabeea of El-Koofeh, and I have 
exposed my life to peril for the sake of my slave-girl Noam, whom 
El-Hajjaj, having employed a stratagem against her, hath taken 

204 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

and sent hither. And she said to him again, No harm shall befall 
thee. Then calling to her maid, she said to her, Go to the private 
chamber of Noam. 

Now the kahramaneh had gone to the chamber of Noam, and 
said to her, Hath thy master come to thee ? She answered, No, 
by Allah. So the kahramaneh said, Probably he hath made a 
mistake, and entered some other chamber than thine, and missed 
his way to thine apartment. And Noam exclaimed, There is no 
strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! Our 
appointed term hath expired, and we perish !—They then sat 
together reflecting, and while they were in this state, lo, the maid 
of the Khaleefeh’s sister came in to them, and, having saluted 
Noam, said to her, My mistress summoneth thee to her enter¬ 
tainment. Noam therefore replied, I hear and obey. And the 
kahramaneh said, Perhaps thy master is with the sister of the 
Khaleefeh, and the veil hath been removed. Noam now rose im¬ 
mediately, and proceeded until she went in to the Khaleefeh’s sister, 
whereupon the latter said to her, This is thy master who is sitting 
with me, and it seemeth that he hath mistaken the place; but 
thou hast nothing to fear, nor hath he, if it be the will of God, 
(whose name be exalted !) And when Noam heard these words 
from the sister of the Khaleefeh, her soul became tranquillized. 
She advanced to her master, Neameh, and when he beheld her he 
rose to her. Each of them pressed the other to the bosom, and 
they both fell down senseless. And when they recovered, the 
sister of the Khaleefeh said to them, Seat yourselves, that we may 
contrive means of deliverance from this predicament into which 
we have fallen. So they both replied, We hear and obey ; and it 
is thine to command. And she said, By Allah, no evil shall ever 
befall you from us. Then she said to her maid, Bring the repast 
and the beverage. She therefore brought them. And they ate as 
much as sufficed them ; after which, they sat drinking. The cups 
circulated among them, and their sorrows quitted them ; but Nea¬ 
meh said, Would that I knew what will happen after this! The 
sister of the Khaleefeh then said to him, O Neameh, dost thou 
love thy slave-girl Noam ? He answered her, O my mistress, 
verily it is the love of her that hath placed me in the state of peril 
of my life in which I now am. And she said to Noam, O Noam, 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

205 

dost thou love thy master Neameh ?—O my mistress, she answered, 
verily it is the love of him that hath wasted my body and changed 
my whole condition. And the Khaleefeh’s sister replied, By Allah, 
ye love each other, and may the person who would separate you 
cease to exist! Let your eyes, then, be cheerful, and your souls be 
happy!—So at this they rejoiced. 

Then Noam demanded a lute, and they brought it to her, and 
she took it and tuned it, and, delighting her hearers with the sounds 
that she produced, she sang these verses:— 

When the slanderers were not content with aught but our separation, though 
neither of us owed a debt of blood to them, 

And they poured upon our ears all the din of war, and my protectors and 
helpers at the time failed, 

I fought them with mine eyes and my tears and my breath,—with the sword 
and with the torrent and with fire. 

And she handed the lute to her master Neameh, saying to him, 
Sing to us some verses. So he took the lute and tuned it, and, 
having struck some joy-exciting notes, sang these verses :— 

The full moon would resemble thee, were it not freckled; and the sun would 
be like thee, were it not eclipsed. 

Verily I wonder—but how full is love of wonders : accompanied by anxieties 
and ardour and passion !— 

That I see the way short when I go to the beloved, and long when I journey 
away from her. 

And when he had finished his song, Noam filled for him a cup, and 
handed it to him. He therefore took it and drank it; and then filled 
another cup, which he handed to the sister of the Khaleefeh, who 
drank it, and took the lute, and, having tuned its strings, sang this 
couplet:— 

Sorrow and mourning reside in my heart, and violent ardour frequenteth my 
bosom: 

The wasting of my body hath become conspicuous, and my frame is rendered 
infirm by desire. 

She then handed the lute to Neameh the son of Er-Rabeea, who 
took it and tuned its strings, and sang this other couplet:— 

206 

THE STORY OF NKAMEH AND NOAM. 

O thou to whom I gave my soul, and who hast tortured it, and from whom I 
would liberate it, but could not! 

Grant the lover a remedy to save him from destruction, before he dieth; for 
this is his last breath ! 

They continued singing verses, and drinking to the melodious 
sounds of the chords, full of delight-and cheerfulness, and joy and 
happiness ; and while they were in this state, lo, the Prince of the 
Faithful came in to them. As soon as they beheld him, they rose 
to him, and kissed the ground before him; and he looked at Noam, 
who had the lute in her hand, and said, O Noam, praise be to God 
who hath dispelled from thee thy affliction and pain ! Then look¬ 
ing towards Neameh, who was still in the state already described, 
he said [to his sister], O my sister, who is this damsel that is 
by the side of Noam ? His sister answered him, O Prince of the 
Faithful, thou hast a female slave among those designed for thy 
concubines, who is a cheering companion, and Noam doth not eat 
nor drink unless she is with her. And she recited the saying of 
the poet: — 

They are two opposites, and together display different charms; and the beauty 
of one opposite appears from contrast with the other. 

—By Allah, the Great, said the Khaleefeh, verily she is comely as 
Noam, and to-morrow I will appoint her a separate apartment by 
the side of Noam’s, and send forth for her the furniture and linen, 
and I will send to her everything that is suitable to her, in honour 
to Noam. And the sister of the Khaleefeh demanded the food, 
and she placed it before her brother, who ate, and remained sitting 
in their company. He then filled a cup, and made a sign to Noam 
that she should sing him some verses ; whereupon she took the 
lute, after she had drunk two cups, and sang this couplet:— 

M hen my cup-companion hath given me to drink again and again, three 
fermenting cups, 

1 drag my skirts all the night in pride, as though I were thy prince, O Prince 
of the Faithful. 

And the Prince of the Faithful was delighted, and he filled an¬ 
other cup, and handed it to Noam, commanding her to sing again. 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

207 

Accordingly, after she had drunk the cup, she touched the strings, 
and sang these verses :— 

O most noble of men in the present age, of whom none can boast that he is 
the equal! 

O matchless in dignity and liberality! O Chief and King, in everything 
renowned ! 

O Sovereign of all the Kings of the earth, who givest largely, yet imposest not 
obligation nor pain ! 

May my Lord preserve thee, mortifying thine enemies, and success and vic¬ 
tory brighten thy fortune! 

And when the Khaleefeh heard these verses from Noam, he said 
to her, Divinely art thou gifted, O Noam! How eloquent is thy 
tongue, and how manifest is the perspicuity of thy language ! 

They thus passed their time in joy and happiness until mid¬ 
night, when the sister of the Khaleefeh said, Hear, O Prince of the 
Faithful. I have seen, in books, a story of a certain person of rank.— 
And what is that story ? said the Khaleefeh. His sister answered 
him, Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that there was, in the city of 
El-Koofeh, a youth named Neameh the son of Er-Rabeea ; and he 
had a slave-girl whom he loved, and who loved him. She had 
been brought up with him in the same bed; and when they both 
grew up, and mutual love took possession of them, fortune smote 
them with its adversities, and afflicted them with its calamities, 
and decreed their separation. The slanderers employed a stra¬ 
tagem against her, until she came forth from his house, and they 
took her by stealth from the place of his residence. Then the 
person who stole her sold her to one of the Kings for ten thousand 
pieces of gold. Now the slave-girl had the same love for her 
master as he had for her: so he quitted his family and his house, 
and journeyed to seek for her, and devised means for obtaining a 
meeting with her. He continued separated from his family and 
his home, and exposed himself to peril, devoting his soul to the 
cause, until he obtained an interview with his slave-girl. 1 ” But 
when he had come to her, they had scarcely sat down, when the 
King who had purchased her from the person who stole her came 
in to them, and hastily ordered that they should be put to death; 
not acting equitably, nor granting them any delay in liis sentence. 
What, then, sayest thou, O Prince of the Faithful, respecting the 

208 

THE STORY OF NEAMEH AND NOAM. 

want of equity in this King?—The Prince of the Faithful answered, 
Verily this was a wonderful thing, and it was lit that this King 
should pardon when he was able to punish; for it was incumbent 
on him to regard, in his conduct to them, three things : the first, 
that they -were bound by mutual love; and the second, that they 
were in his abode, and in his power ; and the third, that it be- 
cometh the King to be deliberate in judging other people; and 
how much more so, then, in the case in which he is himself con¬ 
cerned ? This King, therefore, did a deed not like the actions of 
Kings.—Then his sister said to him, O my brother, by the King 
of the heavens and the earth, I beg that thou order Noam to sing, 
and that thou listen to that which she shall sing. So he said, O 
Noam, sing to me. And, with charming modulations, she sang 
these verses :— 

Fortune was treacherous, and ever hath it been so, smiting down hearts, and 
kindling solicitudes, 

And separating lovers after their union, so that thou seest the tears flow in 
torrents down their cheeks. 

They were, and I was with them, and my life was delightful, and fortune 
frequently brought us together. 

I will therefore pour forth blood with my tears in my grief for thy loss nights 
and days. 

And when the Prince of the Faithful heard these verses, he was 
moved with excessive delight. 

His sister then said to him, 0 my brother, he who passeth a 
sentence upon himself must fulfil it, and act as he hath said ; and 
thou hast passed a sentence upon thyself by this decision. And 
she said, O Neameh, stand upon thy feet; and so stand thou, O 
Noam. So they both stood up. And the sister of the Khaleefeh 
said, O Prince of the Faithful, this person who is standing here is 
the stolen Noam, whom El-Hajjaj the son of Yoosuf Eth-Thakafee 
stole, and sent to thee, lying in that which he asserted in his 
letter; namely, that he had purchased her for ten thousand pieces 
of gold. And this person standing here is Neameh the son of 
Er-Rabeea, her master. And I beseech thee by the honour of 
thy pure forefathers that thou forgive them, and restore them one 
to the other, that thou mayest acquire a recompense on their 
account; for they are in thy power, and have eaten of thy food 

and drunk of thy beverage. I am the intercessor for them, and 
beg of thee the present of their lives. 

And upon this the Khaleefeh said, Thou hast spoken truly: 1 
passed that sentence, and I pass not a sentence and revoke it. He 
then said, O Noam, is this thy master ? She answered him, Yes, 
O Prince of the Faithful. And he said, No harm shall befall either 
of you ; for I yield you up one to another. Then he said, O Nea- 
meh, and how knewest thou her situation, and who described to 
thee this place ?—O Prince of the Faithful, he answered, hear my 
story, and listen to my tale; for by thy pure forefathers I will not 
conceal from thee anything. And he related to him the whole of 
his affair, telling him how the Persian sage had acted with him, 
and what the kahramaneh had done, and how she had brought him 
into the palace, and he had mistaken the doors. And the Kha¬ 
leefeh wondered at this extremely. He then said, Bring hither to 
me the Persian. So they brought him before him ; and he ap¬ 
pointed him to be one of his chief officers, bestowed upon him 
robes of honour, and commanded that a handsome present should 

2 u 

VOI„ M. 

210 

CONCLUSION OF THE STORY OF 

be given to him, saying, Ilim who hath thus managed, it is incum¬ 
bent on us to make one of our chief officers. The Khaleefeh also 
treated with beneficence Neameh and Noam, bestowing favours 
upon them and upon the kahramaneh ; and Neameh and Noam 
remained with him seven days in happiness and delight, living a 
most pleasant life. Then Neameh begged permission of him to 
depart with his slave-girl, and he gave them permission to depart 
to El-Koofeh. Accordingly they set forth on their journey, and 
Neameh was united again with his father and his mother, and they 
enjoyed the most happy life, until they were visited by the termi¬ 
nator of delights and the separator of companions. 

CONCLUSION OF THE STORY OF EL-AMJAD AND EL-As’AD, &C. 

When El-Amjad and El-As’ad heard this story from Bahrain, 
they wondered at it extremely. They passed the next night, and 
when the following morning came, they mounted, and desired to go 
to the King. So they asked permission to enter, and he gave it 
them : and when they went in, he received them with honour, and 
they sat conversing. 

But while they were thus sitting, lo, the people of the city 
cried out, and vociferated one to another, calling for help ; and the 
chamberlain came in to the King, and said to him, Some King hath 
alighted with his troops before our city, and they are with drawn 
swords, and we know not what is their purpose. The King there¬ 
fore acquainted his Wezeer El-Amjad and his brother El-As’ad 
with that which he had heard from the chamberlain, and El-Amjad 
said, I will go forth to him, and ascertain the cause of his coming. 
So El-Amjad went out from the city, and found the King attended 
by numerous troops and mounted memlooks. And when they saw 
him, they knew that he was an envoy from the King of the city. 
They therefore took him and brought him before the Sultan; and 
when he came into his presence, he kissed the ground before him; 
and lo, the [supposed] King was a woman, with her face covered 
with a litham. And she said, Know that I have nothing to 
demand of you in this city but a beardless memlook, and if I find 
him with you, no harm shall befall you; but if I find him not, a 

EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS’AD. 

211 

fierce slaughter shall ensue between me and you; for I have come 
for no other purpose than to seek him. El-Amjad therefore said, 
O Queen, what is the description of this memlook, and what is his 
story, and what is his name ? She answered, His name is El-As’ad, 
and my name is Marjaneh; and this memlook came to me in the 
company of Bahrain the magian, who refused to sell him: so I took 
him from him by force ; but he fell upon him and took him away from 
me in the night by stealth; and as to the description of his person, 
it is of such and such kind. And when El-Amjad heard this, he 
knew that he was his brother El-As’ad. He therefore said to her, 
O Queen of the age, praise be to God who hath brought us relief! 
Verily this memlook is my brother.—He then related to her his 
story, and told her what had happened to them in the land of exile, 
acquainting her also with the cause of their departure from the 
Ebony Islands; whereat the Queen Marjaneh wondered; and she 
rejoiced at finding El-As’ad, and bestowed a robe of honour upon 
his brother El-Amjad. After this, El-Amjad returned to the King 
and informed him of what had occurred: whereupon they all re¬ 
joiced. The King then descended with El-Amjad and El-As’ad, 
to repair to the Queen; and when they went in to her they sat and 
conversed. 

And as they were so engaged, lo, the dust rose until it covered 
the surrounding tracts, and after a while it subsided, and discovered 
numerous forces, like the swelling sea, equipped with accoutre¬ 
ments and arms; and they approached the city, and then sur¬ 
rounded it as the ring surrounds the little-finger, and drew their 
swords. Upon this, El-Amjad and El-As’ad said, Verily unto God 
we belong, and verily unto Him we return! What is this great 
army ? Doubtless it is an enemy; and if we make not an alliance 
with this Queen Marjaneh to contend with them, they take the 
city from us and slay us; and we have no resource but to go forth 
to them and ascertain wherefore they have come.—Then El-Amjad 
arose, and passed from the gate of the city by the army of the 
Queen Marjaneh; and when he came to the second army, he found 
it to be that of his grandfather the King El-Ghayoor, the father of 
his mother the Queen Budoor. So when he entered into his pre¬ 
sence, he kissed the ground before him, and delivered to him the 
message; whereupon the King said, My name is the King El- 

212 CONCLUSION OF THE STORY OF EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS'AD. 

Ghayoor, and I have come journeying forth, fortune having alllicted 
me by the loss of my daughter Budoor; for she quitted me, and 
returned not to me, and I have heard no tidings of her, nor of her 
husband Kamar ez-Zeman. Have ye, then, any tidings of them ? 
—And El-Amjad, on hearing this, hung down his head for a while 
towards the ground, reflecting, until he felt convinced that this was 
his grandfather, the father of his mother. Then raising his head, 
he kissed the ground before him, and informed him that he was 
the son of his daughter Budoor. And as soon as the King heard 
that he was the son of his daughter, he threw himself upon him, 
and they both began to weep. The King El-Ghayoor exclaimed, 
Praise be to God, O my son, that He hath preserved thee, and that 
I have met with thee ! And El-Amjad acquainted him that his 
daughter Budoor was well, and also his father Kamar ez-Zeman, 
telling him that they were in a city called the city of the Ebony 
Island. He informed him, also, that Kamar ez-Zeman, his father, 
had been incensed against him and his brother, and had given 
orders to slay them, and that the Treasurer had been moved with 
pity for them, and left them without putting them to death. And 
upon this, the King El-Ghayoor said, I will return with thee and 
thy brother to thy father, and reconcile you, and remain with you. 
So El-Amjad kissed the ground before him. Then the King El- 
Ghayoor bestowed a robe of honour upon El-Amjad, his daughter's 
son ; and he returned smiling to the King of the city, and ac¬ 
quainted him with the affair of the King El-Ghayoor. And he 
wondered at this extremely. He sent to the King El-Ghayoor the 
offerings of hospitality, horses and camels and sheep and provender 
and other things; and the like he sent forth to the Queen Marja- 
neh, informing her of what had happened: whereupon she said, I 
will accompany you with my troops, and will endeavour to maintain 
peace. 

And while they were thus circumstanced, lo, again a dust arose 
until it overspread the surrounding tracts, and the day became 
black from it. They heard beneath it cries and vociferations, and 
the neighing of horses, and beheld swords glittering, and lances 
uplifted. And when this army approached the city, and saw the 
two other armies, they beat the drums. At the sight of this, the 
King of the city exclaimed, This is none other than a blessed day ! 

Praise be to God who hath caused us to make peace with these two 
armies; and if it be the will of God, He will give us peace with 
this other army also.—He then said, O Amjad, go forth, thou and 
thy brother El-As’ad, and learn ye for us the occasion of the 
coming of these troops; for they are a vast army: I have never 
seen any more so. Accordingly El-Amjad and his brother El- 
As’ad went forth. The King having closed the gate of the city, 
in his fear of the troops that surrounded it, they opened it, and 
the two brothers proceeded until they arrived at the army that had 
just come, when they found it to be the army of the King of the 
Ebony Islands, and with it was their father Kamar ez-Zeman. 
[For he had been informed that they had not been put to death.] 
As soon as they saw him, they kissed the ground before him, and 
wept; and when Kamar ez-Zeman beheld them, he threw himseli 
upon them, weeping violently, and excused himself to them, and 
pressed them to his bosom. He then acquainted them with the 

214 

CONCLUSION OF THE STORY OF 

terrible desolation that he had suffered from their separation; and 
El-Amjad and El-As’ad informed him that the King El-Ghayoor 
had come to them. So Kamar ez-Zeman mounted with his chief 
officers, and, taking his two sons with him, they proceeded until 
they came near to the army of the King El-Ghayoor; when one of 
them went forward to that king, and informed him that Kamar 
ez-Zeman had arrived. He therefore came forth to receive him, 
and they met, and wondered at these events, how they had met in 
that place. The people of the city prepared for them banquets, 
with varieties of viands and sweetmeats, and presented to them the 
horses and camels and other offerings of hospitality, together with 
the provender, and whatever else the troops required. 

And again, while they were thus occupied, a dust rose until it 
overspread the surrounding tracts, and the earth shook under the 
horses; the drums sounded like stormy winds, and the whole army 
was equipped with weapons and coats of mail: all the soldiers were 
clad in black, and in the midst of them was a very old man, whose 
chin was depressed to his bosom, and who was attired in black 
clothing. When the people of the city beheld these prodigious 
forces, the sovereign of the city said to the other Kings, Praise be 
to God that ye assembled, by the permission of God (whose name 
be exalted!), in one day, and proved to he all friends! What is 
this numerous army that hath covered the tracts before us ?—The 
other Kings replied, Fear it not; for we are three monarchs, and 
each of us hath numerous troops: so, if they he enemies, we will 
unite with thee and engage them; and so would we if they were 
augmented by three times as many as they are. And while they 
were thus conversing, lo, an envoy from those forces approached 
on his way to the city. So they brought him before Kamar 
ez-Zeman and the King El-Ghayoor and the Queen Marjaneh 
and the King of the city; and he kissed the ground, and said, This 
King is from the regions of El-’Ajam: he hath lost his son for a 
period of years, and is searching about for him in the countries : if, 
then, he find him among you, no harm shall befall you; but if he 
find him not, war ensueth between him and you, and he layeth 
waste your city. Kamar ez-Zeman replied, He will not attain to 
this object. But what, he asked, is he called in the regions of El- 
’Ajam ? The envoy answered, He is called the King Shah Zeman, 

EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS’AD. 

215 

the lord of the Islands of Khalidan; and he hath collected this 
army in the tracts through which he hath passed in searching about 
for his son. And when Kamar ez-Zeman heard the words of the 
envoy, he uttered a loud cry, and fell down in a swoon, and he 
remained a long time in his fit. Then recovering, he w*ept vio¬ 
lently, and said to El-Amjad and El-As’ad and their chief offi¬ 
cers, Go, my sons, with the envoy, and salute your grandfather, 
my father the King Shah Zeman, and give him the glad tidings of 
my being here; for he is mourning for my loss, and to the present 
time wearing black raiment for my sake. He then related to the 
Kings who were present all that had happened to him in the days 
of his youth ; and they all wondered at it. After this, they went 
down with Kamar ez-Zeman, and repaired to his father. Kamar 
ez-Zeman saluted his father, and they embraced each other, and 
fell down senseless from the excess of their joy; and when they 
recovered, the King Shah Zeman related to his son all that had 
happened to him. Then the other Kings saluted him. 

They restored Marjaneh to her country, after they had married 
her to El-As’ad, and charged her that she should not cease to 
correspond with them. They married El-Amjad to Bustan the 
daughter of Bahram; and all of them journeyed to the city of 
Ebony, where Kamar ez-Zeman had a private interview with his 
father-in-law, and acquainted him with all that had happened to 
him, and how he had met with his sons, at which he rejoiced, and 
congratulated him on his safety. Then the King El-Ghayoor, the 
father of the Queen Budoor, went in to his daughter, and saluted 
her, and quenched the ardour of his longing desire by her society, 
and they remained in the city of Ebony a whole month; after 
which, the King El-Ghayoor journeyed with his daughter and 
attendants to his own country, taking El-Amjad with them. And 
when he had become settled again in his kingdom, he seated El- 
Amjad to govern in the place of his grandfather. As to Kamar 
ez-Zeman, he seated his son El-As’ad to govern in his stead in the 
city of his grandfather Armanoos ; his grandfather approving it. 1S6 
Then Kamar ez-Zeman prepared himself, and journeyed with his 
father the King Shah Zeman until he arrived at the Islands of 
Khalidan. The city was decorated for him, and the drums conti¬ 
nued to beat for a whole month in celebration of the happy event, 

21f> CONCLUSION OF THE STORY OF EL-AMJAD AND EL-AS'AD. 

and Kamar cz-Zeman sat governing in the place of his father, 
until they were visited by the terminator of delights and the 
separator of companions.—And God is all-knowing. 157 

When Shahrazad had finished this tale, the King Shahriyar 
exclaimed, O Shahrazad, verily this story is exceedingly wonder¬ 
ful !—O King, she replied, it is not more wonderful than the story 
of’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat. The King said, And what is 
that story ? And she related it thus:— 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

Note 1. 

The scenes in which the principal events described in this tale are laid, though 
I cannot recognise them in the works of any geographer, have led me to search 
for traces of a Persian origin ; but no indication of such an origin have I been 
able to discover; and as the character of the tale is altogether Arab, I regard it as 
an Arab composition. Every one who is moderately acquainted with the Arabs 
and their literature will see that the tale exhibits throughout, in its present state, the 
life and manners, and the notions, of that people. One of its chief merits, how¬ 
ever, consists in its construction ; and this, again, is mainly compatible only with 
the notions of the same people. I think that this tale offers some of the strongest 
reasons for considering the Thousand and One Nights as almost entirely an Arab 
composition; and therefore I have much satisfaction in remarking that my opinion 
of it is the same as that of the greatest Arabic scholar of Christendom, whose 
remarks upon it I here translate. 

“ The history of the loves of Kamar ez-Zeman, prince of the island of the 
children of Khalidan, an island which is situated at the distance of twenty days' 
sail from the coasts of Persia, in the Ocean, and of Budoor,* princess of China, 
is no more Indian or Persian than the others. The King, the father of Kamar ez- 
Zemdn, has Muslims for subjects; the mother of the young prince is named 
Fatimeh, and Kamar ez-Zeman, in his prison, occupies himself in reading [or 
rather reciting] the Iyur-an. The genii who interpose in these adventures are, 
again, of those who had concerns with Solomon. In fine, all that is said, in this 
tale, of the city of the Magians, as well as of the worshippers of fire, would 
suffice to show that one should not expect to find in it anything but the production 
of a Muslim writer.”! 

• In the French, “ Badoure.”—I write this and the other Arabic words in the above paragraph 
according to my usual system. 

t M6moire sur l’origine du recueil de contes intitule Les Mille et Une Nuits (M6moires d’Histoire 
et de Literature Orientale, extraits des tomes ix. et x. des M£moires de l'lnstitut, AcadSmie des 
Inscriptions et Belles Lettres. Par M. le Baron De Sacy.—Paris, 1832.)—Page 237. 

2 i 

VOL. 11. 

218 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

Note 2. 

So in the edition of Breslau. 
“ Shahraman.” 

In the Cairo edition, by a mistake of a copyist, 
Note 3. 

This sentence is from the Breslau edition; but I have put “ Islands ” for 
“ Island,” to agree with the sequel.—It must be observed here, that the scenes 
of the events described in this tale are in the regions of fiction. I am at a loss to 
assign a position to the Islands of KhAlidan, otherwise than in the vague manner 
in which they are mentioned in the old version, as being situated at the distance of 
about twenty days’ sail from the coasts of Persia, in the Ocean; for Galland, in 
this case, appears to have followed his original. De Sacy, who seems from his 
own words to have founded his observations respecting the Thousand and One 
Nights chiefly upon an examination of Galland’s original, mentions these Islands 
(calling them, as in Galland’s version, the Islands of the children of IvhAlidAn) in 
the same manner, as already shewn in the first note of the present series. “ Kh&- 
lidan ” may be a corruption of “El-Khdlidat ” or “ El-KhalidetAn,” which 
names are given by the Arabs to the Fortunate Islands, or Canaries. Our author 
might have heard of these Islands, and, ignorant of their situation, supposed them 
to be in the sea which washes the coasts of Persia and India ; of which sea, as 
well as of the sea of China, he evidently entertained most erroneous ideas. It 
should also be here observed, that the Arabic word(“ jezeereh ”) which generally sig¬ 
nifies “ an island ” is often applied to a peninsula, and may frequently, with propriety, 
be translated “country;” Arabia, Persia, India, &c., being, by many Arab 
writers, termed Islands. It is implied in the tale under consideration, that there 
wasaroute by land from the “ Islands of KhAliddn ” to the “Ebony Islands” and 
the “ Interior Islands of the region of China.” The inhabitants of all these 
“Islands’’are described as Muslims; and in manners, dress, &c., as Arabs. 
But this, in a tale of fiction, will not surprise those who are acquainted with the 
works of Arab geographers, and their accounts of places visited by their own coun¬ 
trymen. Ibn El-Wardee, in describing “the Sea of Ez-Zulmeh, which is the 
western [portion of the] Circumambient Ocean” (that is, the Atlantic), says, 
“ Among its islands are the Khdlidetan [above mentioned]. These are two 
islands whereon are two images [or idols] constructed of hard stone: each of 
them is a hundred cubits high, and upon the top of each is a figure of copper, 
pointing with its hand backwards, as though it would say, ‘ Return ; for there is 
nothing behind me.’ Zu-l-Menir the Hemyeree, one of the Tubbas [or ancient 
Kings of the Yemen], constructed them. He was [the son of] Zu-l-Karneyn; 
but not of the one mentioned in the Kur-An.”*—But the Canary Islands were only 
known to Europeans, at the time when Ibn El-Wardee wrote, from the accounts 
of the ancients. They were rediscovered by some Genoese and Spanish seamen 
in 1345, three or four years before the death of that geographer. 

Note 4. 

In the original, “el-’Ajam;” the sense of which appears to be here restricted 
to signify the Persians. Otherwise the text would mean, that the Islands of 

* Khareedet el-’Aj4'rt>, MS. in my possession. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

219 

Khalidan were at the limits of the extra-Arabian world. It would be quite con¬ 
sistent with Arabian notions to speak thus of the Fortunate Islands, El-Khalidetan ; 
but the former sense of the passage is more agreeable with the whole character 
of the tale. 

Note 5. 

It is a common custom of the Arabs in the present day to perform the prayers 
of two rek’ahs* with the view of obtaining offspring; and more especially on the 
occasion of a man's first visit to his bride, as mentioned in the last paragraph of 
Note 39, to Chapter iv. 

Note 6. 

This sentence, again, is from the Breslau edition. It describes a custom which, 
like that mentioned in the Note immediately preceding, is often observed by Arabs 
in the present day to propitiate Providence, and obtain offspring. For the same 
purpose, alms are frequently given to the poor, to obtain their prayers; and visits 
are performed to the tombs of saints to request their intercession. 

Note 7. 

“ Kamar ez-Zeman, ” signifies “ the Moon of the Age." 

Note 8. — On the manner in which the Arab Ladies dress their Hair. 

Two of the customs here mentioned, the dyeing of the fingers with henna, and 
the blackening of the edges of the eyelids with kohl, have been noticed before, f 
The manner in which the Arab ladies usually dress their hair may now be de¬ 
scribed. 

They are extremely fond of full and long hair; and, however amply endowed 
with this natural ornament, to add to its effect they have recourse to art. But the 
Prophet, abhorring all false attractions that might at first deceive a husband and 
then disappoint him, “ cursed the woman who joined her own hair to that of 
another, or other hair to her own without her husband’s permission: if she 
do it, therefore, with his permission, it is not prohibited, unless she so make use 
of human hair; for this is absolutely forbidden.”! Hence the Arab women 
prefer strings of silk to add to their hair.—Over ’the forehead, the hair is cut 
rather short; but two full locks hang down on each side of the face : these are often 
curled in ringlets, and sometimes plaited. The rest of the hair is arranged in 
plaits or braids, which hang down the back. They are generally from eleven to 
twenty-five in number; but always of an uneven number: eleven is considered 
a scanty number: thirteen and fifteen are more common. Three times the num¬ 
ber of black silk strings (three to each plait of hair, and each three united at the 
top), from sixteen to eighteen inches in length, are braided with the hair for 
about a quarter of their length; or they are attached to a lace or band of black 
silk which is bound round the head, and in this case hang entirely separate from 

* See Note 1 to the Introduction. 

t The former, in Note 36 to Chapter iv.: the latter, in Note 34 to Chapter ii. 

J Kit&b ei-'Onwan fee Mekaid en-Nisw&n. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

220 

tlie plaits of hair, These strings, together with certain ornaments of gold, &*c., 
compose what is termed the “safa." Along each string, excepting from the 
upper extremity to about a quarter or (at most) a third of its length, are generally 
attached nine or more little flat ornaments of gold, which are usually all of the 
same form. The most common form is oblong, round at the lower extremity and 
pointed at the upper, or the reverse. They are affixed (each by a little ring at its 
upper extremity ) about an inch, or a little more, apart; but those of each string 
are purposely placed so as not exactly to correspond with those of the others. 
At the end of each string is a small gold tube, or a small polygonal gold bead, 
beneath which is most commonly suspended (by a little ring) a gold coin, a little 
more than half an inch in diameter. Such is the most general description of 
safa; but some ladies substitute, for the gold coin, a fanciful ornament of the 
same metal, either simple, or with a pearl in the centre; or they suspend, in the 
place of this, a little tassel of pearls; or attach alternately pearls and emeralds to 
the bottom of the triple strings, and a pearl with each of the little ornaments of 
gold first mentioned. Coral beads are also sometimes attached in the same man¬ 
ner as these pearls.—The safa 1 think the prettiest, as well as the most singular, 
of all the ornaments worn by the Arab ladies. The glittering of the little orna¬ 
ments of gold, and their chinking together as the wearer walks, have a peculiarly 
lively effect.* 

The ornamented strings, though not alluded to in the verses to which this note 
immediately refers, arc afterwards mentioned in the tale. The passages relating 
to them, with many others in the present collection of stories, shew that the cos¬ 
tumes of the age when this work was written were nearly the same as those which 
still prevail in Arabian countries. 

Note 9. 

Here follows, in the old version, a discussion on the subject of marriage, between 
Kumar ez-Zemfin and his mother Fatimeh, who had been desired by SMhZemdn 
to try if her powers of persuasion would induce him to comply with the King's 
request. But not a word of all this occurs in the edition of Cairo or in that of 
Breslau. I do not, however, ascribe it to Galland’s invention; for De Sacy, 
who examined the original, mentions it, and partly founds an argument upon it, as 
I have already shewn. 

Note 10. 

In illustration of this expression, see Note 14, to Chapter iii. 

Note 11. 

“ Et-Taghoot” is a name given to the Devil, or any seducer, and to any idol. 
It is therefore to be understood here in the first of these senses. 

Note 12. 

His eye-lashes are said to have scorned the sharp sword, because they were 
themselves more piercing. 

• This description of the safa is abridged from my work on the Modern Egyptians, Appendix A. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

221 

Note 13. 

This is said to shew his excessive submission. In the usual posture of a subject 
before his prince, or a servant before his master, a posture maintained also in some 
other cases, especially by the son or daughter before the parent, the hands are 
placed together, the left within the right, before the girdle. 

Note 14. 

Perhaps it is needless to comment upon this reply of Kamar ez-Zeman, and to 
remind the reader of the extreme respect which is generally shewn by the Arab 
son to his father. But though no reader will regard it as a light offence, some 
might not imagine the degree of indignation which such expressions would excite 
in the mind of an Eastern parent. 

Note 15. 

These words, addressed by a King to his son, gross as they are, and reflecting 
upon the honour of the former and his wife, convey a correct idea of the extrava¬ 
gancies into which an Arab, however high his rank, is sometimes betrayed by 
anger. 

Note 16. 

The fan-ash is a servant who spreads the carpets, mattresses, &c., who takes 
care of these and other articles of the furniture of tire house, and, on a journey, 
pitches the tents. 

Note 17. 

By Muslims of education, the Kur-iin is usually recited by heart, and to do so 
is, with many, a daily exercise : with others, it is also very common.—The same 
Arabic word is employed to signify both reading a book and reciting by heart. 

Note 18. 

The chapter of “The Cow” is the second; “The Family of ’Emrdn,” the 
third; “ Yfi-seen,” the thirty-sixth; “The Compassionate,” the fifty-fifth; 
“Blessed be He in whose hand is the Kingdom,” the sixty-seventh; and the 
“ Two Preventives ” are the last two. These two are so named* because they 
serve as preventives of, or antidotes against, the effects of the evil eye, or en¬ 
chantment. They are said to have been revealed to the Prophet, in order that he 
might liberate himself from an enchantment by repeating them; and they are 
often employed as preservative charms.—Kamar ez-Zeman’s recitation of these 
chapters of the Kur-an is to be understood as supererogatory; but it is often that 
a Muslim, in solitude, terminates his prayers in this manner. By his “supplication” 
is meant a short petition in words of his own choice. In repeating this, the wor¬ 
shipper looks at the palms of his two hands, which he holds like an open book 
before him; and when he has finished, he draws them over his face, from the fore¬ 
head downwards. By the “seeking refuge with God," is meant repeating the 
words, “ I seek refuge with God from Satan the accursed.” 

* In Arabic, " cl-mo’owwidhetan,’’ vttlyo, " el-mo’owwizctcyu. - 

222 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

Note 19. 

“ Maadinee ” signifies “mineral” and “metallic,” and may perhaps here 
denote the colour of the satin ; but it may, more probably, signify “ of the fabric 
of a place called Maadin ; ” for silks, &c., are often called after the names of the 
places where they are made. I cannot offer any other conjecture as to its meaning 
in this case; and as my sheykh has not explained it, I infer that he, also, was in 
doubt respecting it; which is not to be wondered at, as many similar terms are 
no longer understood. In the Breslau edition it is not mentioned. A large and 

populous town called Maadin en-Nakrah, or-en-Nakireh, is mentioned by 

Arab geographers as situated at the point where the pilgrim-routes from El-Basrah 
and El-Koofeh unite. 

Note 20. 

The meaning of the term “ Muroozee,” like that of “ Maadinee,” I am un¬ 
able to determine with certainty : it is alike left unexplained by my sheykh, and 
does not occur in the Breslau edition. If not a mistake of a copyist, it may be a 
relative adjective from “ Murooz,” the name of a people in Heree, or Aria.— 
The word which I render “kerchief” (namely “ mikna’”) is a kind of veil, 
similar to the kin&K,* but narrower, and seldom worn but by women. It is pro¬ 
bably meant, that Kamar ez-Zem&n used it to keep off musquitoes. 

Note 21. 

I have substituted “ tower ” for “ saloon ; ” the sequel requiring this alteration. 

Note 22. 

In the original, “ Roomanee.” This term, and the collective “Room&n,” 
are used in modern Arabic to signify, respectively, “ Roman ” and “ Romans.” 
The terms “ Itooman ” and “ Roomaneeyoon ” (plural of “ Room&nee ”) are 
applied to the inhabitants of Italy, and the Greeks of late ages (“ El-Arw&m ”), 
and other people, who became subject to the Roman Empire, f Hence my in¬ 
terpretation of “ Rooman ” in Note 13 to Chapter ii. But “Room ” is the more 
proper appellation of the subjects of the eastern Roman, or later Greek, Empire, 
and of the modern Greeks. 

Note 23. 

“Meymooneh” (feminine of “Meymoon”) signifies “Fortunate.” 

Note 24. 

“Jim” is here synonymous with “Jinn.”—See Note 21 to the Introduction. 
I should have mentioned, in that note, that the former word is properly written 
“ Jann; ” but few Arabs are able to pronounce the double n in this case unless the 
word occurs in construction and is not followed by a pause. It is derived from the 
same root as “ Jinn.” 

* See Note 2 to Chapter iii. 

t For instance, they are thus applied in a dictionary of the names of places, &c. prefixed by the 
sheykh Rifd’ah to his “ Kalaid e] Mefakhir ’’ (printed at lloolak, the port of Cairo, in 1833), an 
Arabic translation of Depping's “ Aperfu Historique sur les Mirurs et Coutumes des Nations." 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

223 

Note 25. 

She ascended towards the confines of the lowest of the seven heavens to listen 
by stealth to the conversation of the Angels.—See the Note just before referred to- 

Note 26. 

We may suppose that she entered the saloon either by a window or by passing 
through the solid wall. 

Note 27.— On Talismans. 

“ Talisman ” is a corruption of the Arabic word “ talsam.” I write this latter 
word in accordance with the manner in which it is generally pronounced by 
the Arabs, and the manner in which my sheykh has written it here and in other 
parts of the work : by some it is written “tilsem,” and “tilism.” It is a term 
applied to mystical characters; and also to seals, images, &c., upon which such 
characters are engraved or inscribed. These characters are astrological, or of some 
other magical kind. The purposes for which talsams are contrived are various ; 
one has the property of preserving from enchantment, or from a particular accident, 
or a variety of evils; another protects a treasure with which it is deposited; a 
third, by being rubbed, procures the presence and services of a Jinnee. 

Note 28. 

The upper order of Jinn are those who inhabit the higher regions, and do 
good acts ; the lower are those who inhabit low places, such as the latrinoe, and 
do evil acts; and the third class are those who dive in the seas. * 

Note 29. 

My sheykh remarks that this name is commonly written “ Shemhoorish; ” 
but correctly, “ Shemharoosh.” 

Note 30. 

I have already remarked that the scenes of the events related in this tale are 
in the regions of fiction. When China, and the Islands of its Sea, are mentioned 
in the present work, we must dismiss from our minds all correct notions of those 
parts and their inhabitants, who are generally here described as similar to the 
Arabs in religion, manners, dress, &c. 

Note 31. 

“ El-Ghayoor ” signifies “the Jealous” (with respect to love or honour), or 
“ the Zealous; ” and in some cases, “ the Changeable. ” 

Note 32. 

The foregoing description is somewhat abridged. Its extravagance in the 
original may partly be attributed to the excitement of Dahnash. 

* From marginal notes by the sheykh Mohammad ’Eiyad. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

± 1 1 

Note 33. 

The number of these palaces, and the costly materials of which they are said to 
have been constructed, are probably designed to convey a comparison to the seven 
heavens, or to the seven stages of paradise.—See Note 2 to the Introduction. 

Note 34. 

“Budoor” is the plural of “bedr,” and signifies “Full Moons.” She was 
thus named to imply that, “ by the excess of her beauty she was [to he compared 
to nothing less than] a number of full moons; not one only.”* In the old 
version she is improperly called “Badoura.” 

Note 35. 

I give the Arabic appellation of “ kahramfineh ” for want of an English sy- 
nonyme. It sometimes signifies “ a female confidant ” (as I have before ren¬ 
dered it); in other cases, “ an intriguing waiting-woman,” “ a duenna,” and “ a 
woman of gallantry. ” But it is generally applied, as in the present instance, to an 
experienced, confidential female slave, who is set over others, or intrusted with 
some office of importance. It is from the Persian “kahraman," signifying “a 
valiant warriour,” the name of a celebrated fabulous hero of Persia. 

Note 36. 

The reader may perhaps say, “IIow did Meymooneh become acquainted 
with the youth’s history?”—Probably, before she met Dahnash, she had reached 
the confines of the lowest heaven, and there heard the Angels conversing upon 
the subject; such being the usual way by which the Jinn arrive at the knowledge 
of things which would otherwise remain hidden from them. 

Note 37. 

The fire here mentioned is that of which the Jinn are created.—See Note 21 to 
(lie Introduction. 

Note 38. 

The chinking of the ornaments of the head has been mentioned in the eighth 
Note of the present series, lhe anklets, also, knocking together, produce a 
tinkling. The odour alluded to in the last of these characteristic verses is that 
arising fiom perspiration. A beautiful Arab damsel is often described as diffusing 
a natural perfume of this kind, like the blessed in paradise, whose perspiration 
will be odoriferous as musk. Thus, in the Mo'allakahof Amru el-Keys, in allu¬ 
sion to two former objects of the poet's love, it is said,— 

“ wllen they rise, the odour of musk is diffused from them, as the breathing 
of the zephyr bringing the fragrance of the clove.” 

Many similar examples might be added: but they are often misunderstood : 

' Marginal note by the sheykli Mohammad 'Eiy4d. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

225 

one of them is quoted with the view of proving the fondness of the Oriental ladies 
for perfumes, while it only implies such fondness in the men. It is true, however, 
that both sexes take great delight in perfumes, and few of the women comply with 
the injunction in the latter part of the following saying of the Prophet; that, 
“ the perfume for a man should have smell, but not colour ; and the things which 
women rub on must have colour, hut not smell.” * 

Note 39. 

My sheykh explains the word “ kutrub ” as signifying here, “ an animal 
with long fore-legs; one of those which early in the morning puts itself iu 
motion.” In the Kamoos it is described as “ a small beast that ceases not from 
moving about all the day; ” and the same term (kutrub) is also there rendered, 
“ a bald wolf,” and “ the male of the Ghool,”f &c. 

Note 40. 

So in the edition of Breslau. In the Cairo edition, “ awi-l-kubbeti-l-meb- 
neeyeh,” which may be rendered “ or [like] the dome-crowned structure.” 

Note 41. 

See Note 15 to Chapter iii. 

Note 42. 

The word here rendered “quinary,” which is its literal sense, is generally 
used to signify “ of five spans.” We may perhaps here understand it as mean¬ 
ing “ of five feet.” The Arabs especially admire damsels who have not attained 
their full growth; and at witnessing a bridal procession, disapprobation is often 
expressed, or indicated by looks, if the bride is of the average stature of women. 

Note 43. 

This is here interpreted by my sheykh as meaning “ narrow.”—The former 
part of Note 11 to Chapter iii. will explain this interpretation. 

Note 44. 

When the Muslim has finished the prayers ordained by the Kur-fin and the 
Sunneh, if he would acquit himself of supererogatory acts, he remains sitting 
(hut may then sit more at his ease), and recites the “ Throne-Verse,” which is 
the 256th of the second chapter of the Kur-an (beginning with the words, “ God! 
There is no deity hut Him; ” and ending with, “ He is the High, the Great ”) ; 
and generally adds, “ O High ! O Great! Thy perfection [I extol].” He then 
repeats “The perfection of God!” (thirty-three times). “The perfection of 
God, the Great, with his praise for ever! ” (once). “ Praise be to God ! ” (thirty- 
three times). “ Extolled be his dignity ! There is no deity hut Him! ” (once). 
“ God is most great! ” (thirty-three times). “ God is most great in greatness and 
praise be to God in abundance! ” (once). He counts these repetitions with a 

• Mislik4t el-Masdbeeh, vol. ii. p. 361. 

f See Note 21 to the Introduction of the present work. 

2 G 

VOL. II. 

226 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

string of beads, which are ninety-nine in number, and have a mark between each 
thirty-three*, they are of aloes or other odoriferous or precious wood, or of coral, 
or of certain fruit-stones, or seeds, &c. 

Note 45. 

This exclamation (“ Allah preserve thy youth ! ”), being only used by women, 
is, as my sheykh remarks, improper from the mouth of the Wezeer. 

Note 46. 

This, again, is an ejaculation of women.—See Note 65 to Chapter iv. 

Note 47. 

The word here rendered “news” generally signifies “happy news.” My 
sheykh observes that it is used to excite laughter. 

Note 48. 

Of the various significations of “ kubbeh,” the most appropriate here seems 
to be either “ a dome ” or “a building or chamber &c. surmounted by a dome.” 

Note 49. 

These are the names of the twelve lunar months which compose the Mo- 
hammadan year. They are mentioned in the order of their succession; hut Mo- 
harram is that with which the year commences.—The questions here put are those 
which are generally addressed by the Arabs to a person to try if he be sane. 

Note 50. 

“ Kisra,” or “ Kesra,” from the Persian “ Khusrow,” which signifies “ a 
great king,” and which the Romans converted into “ Cosroes ” (a surname that they 
gave to almost every King of the Sds&nian dynasty), is an appellation applied by 
tire Arabs (like Caesar among the Romans) to many ancient Kings of Persia. 
According to the Persian and Arab historians, the Kings of Persia prior to EI- 
Isl&m composed four dynasties; namely, the PeshdAdians, the chronology of 
which is unknown; the Kay&nians, which ended in the year 331 B.C., when 
Persia was conquered by Alexander the Great; the A'shkdnians, which terminated 
A. D. 202; and the Sasanians, the last of whom was overcome by the Arabs, 
A. D., 636. 

Note 51. 

From the commencement of this sentence to the end of the paragraph is 
from the Breslau edition. 

Note 52. 

In the Cairo edition, the lady Budoor is said to have killed the old woman : 
but in the edition of Breslau, and the old version, she is described as having only 
beaten her. 

Note 53. 

Maniacs, in the madhouse in Cairo, are thus chained by the neck, each in a 
separate cell. They are treated there, I fear, with unnecessary rigour; but 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

227 

travellers are often deceived on this point; for it is a custom of visiters to take 
with them bread to distribute to the lunatics, many of whom consequently cry 
out for it, when any stranger enters the court, as if they were starving. Some¬ 
times, when a lunatic has received his cake of bread, he throws it back in the 
face of the giver. 

Note 54. 

So in the edition of Breslau, and apparently in the MS. from which Galland 
translated, being written in his version “Torf.” In the Cairo edition, “ Et- 
Teyreb.” 

Note 55. 

These are female proper names, used as fictitious names. “ Suleyma ” is the 
diminutive of “ Selina ; ” and, like the latter, is often employed to designate a 
beautiful woman. “ Er-Rabab ” signifies “ the white cloud,”* * * § and “ the viol.”f 
“ Ten’om ” is the third person singular feminine of the aorist of a verb signifying 
“ to be soft, gentle, &c.”J 

Note 56. 

“ ’Andam ” is an Arabic name of “ Brazil-wood ” (also called “ bakkam ” ), 
and of the resinous substance termed by us “dragon’s blood.” 

Note 57. 

The meaning is, 
Chapter iv. 

“ My fingers are not dyed with henna."—See Note 36 to 

Note 58. 

This and the next preceding verse, on the superior merit of the precedent, are 
often repeated by the learned. § 

Note 59. 

She hath Lukmtin’s || wisdom (which is proverbial among the Muslims), 
Joseph’s beauty (which is alike celebrated), David’s sweet voice (on the effects of 
which see Note 18 to Chapter i.), and the chastity of the Virgin Mary; w'hile / 
have grief like that which Jacob felt (for the loss of Joseph), regret such as Jo¬ 
nas suffered (when swallowed by the fish), affliction like that endured by Job 
(when God tried him, on his marrying the wife of the man whom He sent, and 
not being content with the wives whom he had before), If and am in a state like 
that of Adam expelled from paradise. 

• “ Rabat " also signifies '* a cloud which is now white, and presently black ;" and hence It is a 
term^applied to a “ ’woman,” denoting changeableness. 

t There are two kinds of viol called “ Rab£b,’' which I have described in my work on the Modern 
Egyptians, vol. ii. chap. v. 

| Chiefly from a marginal note by the sheykh Mohammad ’Eiy&d. 

§ Marginal note by the same. 

|| The country and age of this famous person are unknown. He is generally described as an ugly 
black slave, and said to have lived in the time of David; though some assert that he was son of a 
sister, or of a maternal aunt, of Job. Some suppose him to be ASsop. 

IT So says my sheykh, from whom the above note is chiefly taken. Various reasons are given by 
Arab writers for God's empowering the Devil to afflict Job. One says, that a sick man came to him, 
and he looked at him with disgust, and sent him away from the court of his house: so God afflicted 
him with the like disease. Another, that a poor beggar stopped at his door, and he turned him away 
disappointed. A third, that a person who was oppressed implored his aid, and he did not assist him 

228 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

Note 60. 

This is equivalent to saying, she is in a state of affliction that cannot be 
described. 

Note 61. 

This, I suppose, is said from politeness; for, as my sheykh remarks, it is 
not consistent with the story; since Kamar ez-Zem&n acquainted his father and 
others with the adventure, and the lady Budoor did not acquaint her father. 

Note 62. 

See the fiftieth note of the present series. 

Note 63. —On Geomancy. 

On the science and practice of Geomancy, called “ ’ Ilm er-Raml ” and 

“ Uarb er-Raml,” or (more properly I believe) “- er-Ramal,” there are 

several treatises by Eastern writers ; but I have not met with any of these ; nor 
have I seen a geomantic tablet; which, probably, I should be unable to describe 
satisfactorily if I had. Geomancy is a mode of divination from the combinations 
of certain marks or dots made, apparently at random, upon sand (whence its 
appellation) or on paper; but I have been informed that it is chiefly founded 
upon astrology; so I suppose the geomantic tablet to be an instrument engraved 
with astrological diagrams, &c. I have only seen the mode of performing geo¬ 
mantic experiments upon paper. The invention of the science is ascribed by 
some to Idrees, or Enoch; by some, to Daniel; by some, to 11am the son of 
Noah ; and by others, to Hermes Trismegistus. 

Note 64. 

Literally, “I write the book," or “-the writ.” This phrase is em¬ 

ployed to signify writing, or, more commonly, merely repeating, a form of words 
constituting a contract of marriage. It is evident that this is its meaning here, 
and that it alludes to astrological calculations which are often made previously to 
marriage, and which I have described in Note 74 to Chapter v. 

Note 65. 

See the fifty-sixth note of the present series. 

Note 66. 

Amulets thus engraved with talismanic characters are worn my many Mus¬ 
lims in the present day; but a more common kind of amulet is a piece of paper 
partly inscribed with such characters and enclosed in a case of gold or silver or 
leather, &c. 

against his oppressor. A fourth, that there was in his time a tyrannical King who assigned him a portion 
of land whereon to pasture his horses, and the learned men went in to the King and reproved him for 
his tyranny, excepting Job, who did not forbid his tyranny, on account of the pasture of his beasts.— 
The Arab writers assert that Job was an inhabitant ofSyria (possessing EI-BethnehandEl-Jibiyeh and 
[other places in] the province of Dimashk, or Damascus); and almost all of them agree that he never 
quitted that country. It is also their general belief that he was the great-grandson of Esau, whom 
they call ’Eesoo.—Mir-it ez-Zemlin. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

229 

Note 67. 

I have already shewn, in several Notes, as well as in my Preface, that I do 
not regard the Thousand and One Nights as a mere compilation; and I have 
explained the sense in which I use the term “ composition ” as applied to this 
work. Supposing it to he the composition of one writer, though I think it not 
improbable that one commenced and another completed it, we may reasonably 
infer that its author founded most of the tales upon old traditions and legends, 
and that, in these and the rest, he availed himself of every incident of which he 
had heard or read a description, when it was suitable to his purpose. We 
therefore cannot derive an argument as to the time or country in which it was 
written from our finding a few incidents that it describes, or even two or three 
whole tales that it comprises, related with little variation by writers of a particular 
age or nation. In the times of the early ’Abbasee Khaleefehs, in the eighth and 
ninth centuries of our era, popular European tales may have found their way 
among the Arabs, as well as Persian and Indian tales of the same nature; and 
the establishment of an Arab empire in Spain, the Crusades, and the extensive 
commerce of the Venetians with Egypt and Syria, doubtless occasioned the trans¬ 
mission of similar tales from the Arabs to Europe, and vice versa. On the subject 
of such transmissions, and the resemblance of popular tales and fictions of different 
countries, much information and entertainment may be derived from a work by 
Mr. Keightley, from which I must here insert an extract. 

“ In that pleasing old French romance of Peter of Provence and the fair 
Maguelone, .... their is a circumstance so like one in the Arabian Nights, that 
it may have come from the East. I know not the age of the romance, but it is 
certainly posterior to the establishment of the Angevin dynasty at Naples. As it 
does not appear to have ever existed in verse, I would refer it to the fifteenth 
century. 

“ Peter, son to the Count of Provence, hearing of the beauty of Maguelone, 
daughter of the King of Naples, determined to go thither in person, and view the 
peerless maiden. He accordingly went in disguise to the Neapolitan court, and 
there, as an unknown knight, so distinguished himself in the tournaments, that he 
won the favour of the King, and the heart of the lovely Maguelone. After some 
time, being desirous to return to Provence, he persuaded the princess to fly with 
him. She yielded her assent, and they secretly left the palace and departed on 
horseback, taking a third horse laden with provisions. On the second day they 
came to a dense wood on a mountain near the sea, and being fatigued and over¬ 
come with the heat, they alighted from their horses to rest them; and the princess, 

laying her head on the lap of Peter, fell fast asleep and-• 

“ ‘ While Magalona, as has been said, was sleeping on the lap of her dear friend 
Peter, the said Peter delighted his whole heart by gazing on the sovereign beauty 
of his lady; and when he had to his pleasure contemplated her beautiful coun¬ 
tenance, and had well admired and kissed that sweet and agreeable, small and 
beautiful mouth, he could not satiate himself with looking at it more and more : 
then he could not refrain from uncovering her a little, and gazing on her most 
beautiful and white bosom, that was whiter than the crystal; and he touched her 

• “ I translate," says Mr. Keightley, from a Spanish translation of the romance in the King's 
Library, printed at Seville in 1519; possibly the very edition that Cervantes had read." 

230 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

sweet bosom, and when he did so he was so penetrated with love that It seemed to him 
that he was in paradise, and that nothing could ever cause him any affliction. 
But that pleasure did not last long; for he suffered the most inestimable pain and 
ill-fortune, as you shall hear, that man could ever think of. And the noble Maga- 
lona suffered not less, for she afterwards passed through many great afflictions. 

“ ‘ For while Peter thus admired and touched the sweet Magalona, he found 
in her bosom a coloured piece of silk, which was folded up, and he had a very 
great desire to know what was in it. And he began to unfold it, and he found in 
it three of his mother’s rings, which he had given to Magalona, and she had kept 
them out of good love. And when Peter had seen them, he folded them up again, 
and placed them near him on a stone; and he turned his eyes to the noble Maga¬ 
lona, and regarded her with good love, and he almost fainted away with love and 
with pleasure. But our Lord shewed that in this world there is not pleasure 
without pain, nor perfect happiness. For a bird of prey, thinking that that co¬ 
loured silk was a piece of flesh, came flying, and took that silk, and went away 
with it, and flew to the mountain, and seated itself on a very lofty tree. 

“ ‘ When Peter saw this he was greatly grieved, and he thought that Magalona 
would be grieved at it, whom he wished to please more than any person in the 
world. He put his cloak under the head of Magalona, and then got up very quietly, 
without her perceiving anything. And he began to follow that bird, and to pelt it 
with stones, to make it drop the silk it was carrying. And there was there a little 
rock near the land. Yet between the rock and the land there was a great quantity 
of water, and no one could pass to that rock without swimming. And this bird 
went flying from tree to tree to settle on that perilous rock, and Peter flung a 
stone at it, so that that bird went from thence, and let that silk fall into the sea; 
and the said Peter could not pass thither, because he knew not how to swim. 
Nevertheless, as the distance was not great, he began to search on one side and 
the other if he could find anything in which he could pass to the rock to go to 
look for it. Then said Peter, Would to God that I had not taken the rings or 
the silk from where I took them, and that I had not meddled with them, for they 
will cost me dear, and Magalona Btill more; for if I delay much longer Magalona 
will go look for me. And as Peter was thus searching along the shore of the sea, 
he found an old boat, which the fishers had abandoned because it was worth no¬ 
thing; and Peter went into it, and was greatly joyed, but his joy lasted not 
long. And he took some sticks that he had picked up to row with, and went off 
for the rock. But God, who does all things at his pleasure, caused to rise a great 
wind, cold and strong, from the land side, which carried Peter and his bark, against 
his will, very far out to sea, and all his rowing availed him nought; for the sea 
was very high and very deep, and he could not get to land, and the wind carried 
him along in despite of himself.’ 

“ I need not tell how Peter was- taken up by a ship and brought to Egypt, 
where he became a great favourite with the Sultan, and how Maguelone went to 
Provence, and was made directress of an hospital, whither Peter was brought as 
a pauper, and how she recognised him, and made herself known to him, and how 
they were united, and passed their days in uninterrupted felicity.”* 

* “ Tales and Popular Fictions ; their resemblance, and transmission from country to country/' 

pp. 82—86. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

231 

Mr. Keightley proceeds to remark upon the similar incident in the tale of Kamar 
ez-Zem&n, “ the main story of which (for the episodic ones certainly are not) is 
possibly,” he says, “ of Persian origin ; ” but, like De Sacy, as I have already 
said, I see no foundation for such an opinion ; and there is certainly much that is 
utterly inconsistent with it. Mr. Keightley afterwards mentions another point of 
resemblance between the story of Kamar ez-Zeman and that of Peter of Provence, 
which I shall notice in its proper place ; and he adds, “ It is therefore, I think, by 
no means unlikely that some part at least of the oriental tale travelled westwards. 
To me it seems more probable that the writers of these two stories were 
alike indebted to some tale much older than that of Kamar ez-Zeman—to one 
which offered little that was worthy of imitation. The resemblances, being only in 
two points, I regard as tending to confirm my opinion, that the tales of the Thou¬ 
sand and One Nights, in general, differ extremely from any others of which their 
author may have availed himself. For the incomparable superiority of the tale 
of Kamar ez-Zem&n over that of Peter of Provence renders it, I think, highly 
improbable that the latter could have been founded upon the former; or that the 
former could have been indebted, otherwise than in the points here noticed, to 
any tale of which the latter may be an imitation. The chief merit of the former 
tale I most confidently ascribe to an Arab writer. 

Note 68. 

It is perhaps unnecessary to observe to the reader, that the danger which 
Kamar ez-Zemdn is said to have incurred in the city of the Magians is in¬ 
consistent with the idea that his story may be one borrowed from the “ Hez&r 
Afs&neh; ” that is, of an ancient Persian origin. 

Note 69. 

“ El-Isl&m ” is a term often used to signify “ the Muslims.” 

Note 70. 

In a former tale, “ the king of the further parts of India ” is called “ lord of 
the Ebony Island."—See vol. i. page 160. 

Note 71. 

The same principle which induced Mohammad to forbid all games of chance 
was strictly regarded by him in his laws relating to commerce and industry, as in 
the cases of Mus&k&h and Muz&ra’ah. “ Mus&kdh signifies a man’s giving over 
his trees in charge to another, to attend upon them and improve them, by wa¬ 
tering them for a fixed proportion of their produce ; such as half, a third, or fourth. 
Muzdra’ah is the giving of land in charge, to be cultivated on similar conditions.”* 
It appears that Mohammad forbade the latter practice, and consequently the 
former also, under certain circumstances. “ My two uncles,” says Rafe’ the son 
of Khadeej, “ informed me, that the companions of the Prophet used to let land 
by this agreement, that the sower should sow his own seed, and that whatever 
grew upon the sides of small ponds should be for them ; or they fixed on a part 
of the ground, and said, ‘ Whatever grows on this is for us, and the rest for you.’ 
Then the Prophet forbade it, because peradventure nothing might grow on it: ” 

» Mishkat el-Mas4beeh, vol. ii. p. 48, Note. 

232 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

that is, on one part of it. But it is also said, by one of the companions of Mo¬ 
hammad, “ Verily the Prophet of God has forbidden Muzfira’ah in this sense, 
by saying, ‘ Whatever may be produced in this part is for me, and in the other 
part for you ; ’ and ordered fixed rent, and said, ‘ In this there is no fear. It is 
evident, therefore, that he prohibited certain modes of Muzara’ah, which were 
unfair; but I think it is also clear that he did not forbid the practice in cases in 
which the proprietor of the land and the labourer incurred a similar risk. ’Omar, the 
second Khaleefeh, “ settled with the people, that if he found the seed, he should 
have half its produce; and if the labourers brought the seed, then two thirds 
[should be] for them, and the remainder for him.” Mohammad himself, also, 
“ delivered over, to a Jew of Kheyber, the trees and grounds of Kheyber, by this 
stipulation, that he should work on them at his own expense, and give him half 
their produce.”*—I should be extremely glad to see a similar plan adopted in 
Egypt: the revenue of the government would be greatly increased by it; and 
the chief evil of which the peasants complain, remedied. 

In the tale which this note is designed to illustrate, Kamar ez-Zemfin was 
merely an assistant: therefore a fourth of the produce of the garden was a fair 
remuneration for him. 

Note 72. 

See Note 25 to Chapter iv. 

Note 73. 

See Note 32 to Chapter vi. 

Note 74. 

“ [layat en-Nufoos ” signifies “ Life of Souls.” 

Note 75. 

This he did to obtain a blessing, f 

Note 76. 

Thamood and 'A'd were two tribes of ancient Arabs, said to have been of 
enormous stature, who, with few exceptions, were destroyed for their obstinate 
idolatry. The tribe of ’A'd was the more ancient; but both lived before the time 
of Abraham. 

Note 77. 

In the original, “ amtfir,” plural of “ matr.” The terms “ matr ” and 
“ matrah ” are applied to a large jar or bottle of wood or leather, used for 
water, &c. 

Note 78. 

I do not know of any kind of olives called “ ’asafeeree ; ” nor do I find this 
appellation in any dictionary. 

Note 79. 

“ Just so Peter of Provence, when leaving Egypt, put his valuables into 
barrels, which he filled with salt; and, having fallen asleep in the isle of Sagona, 

* Mishk&t el-Mas4beeh, vol. ii. pp. 48—51. 
t Marginal note by the sheykh Mohammad ’Eiy&d. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

233 

tlie sliip sailed away, leaving him behind. On arriving at the place where 
Maguelone dwelt, the captain gave her the barrels of salt for the use of the hos¬ 
pital, and in them she found the treasure.”* 

Note 80. 

This is a common expression of humility. An Arab, writing to a superior, 
often terms himself the latter’s slave. 

Note 81. 

From tin's we must understand that the gardener had left no natural heir. 

Note 82. 

Tamarind, in Arabian countries, is generally formed into round, flattish cakes, 
which have a hole in the middle. When dry, they are strung together. 

Note 83. 

The Muslims are forbidden not only to swear frequently and vainly by God, 
but especially to swear by any created thing. There are few of them, however, 
who are not in the constant habit of acting contrary to both these prohibitions. 
Their most common forms of oath are “ By God ! ” and “ By the existence of 
the Prophet! ” but they also often swear by the life of any respected person ; and 
by the life, head, or beard, of a man whom they are addressing. 

Note 84.— On Polygamy, 8fC. 

In a former Note f I have mentioned certain beneficial results of the law of 
the separation of the sexes ; its promoting a more free and extensive intercourse 
among persons of the same sex and of different ranks, and its tendency, with 
Muslims, to increase domestic happiness. I must now remark upon some other 
effects of the same law. 

First, the restriction of intercourse between the sexes before marriage renders 
indispensable, to some, the facility of divorce; for it would be unjust for a man 
who finds himself disappointed in his expectations of a wife whom he has never 
before seen, not to be enabled to put her away. Secondly, it sometimes renders 
indispensable the licence of polygamy ; for a man who finds his first wife unsuited 
to him may not be able to divorce her without reducing her to want; and the 
licence of polygamy becomes as necessary in this case as that of divorce in 
another. Thirdly, the liberty of polygamy renders the facility of divorce more 
desirable for the happiness of women ; since, when a man has two or more wives, 
and one of them is dissatisfied with her situation, he is enabled to liberate the 
latter. Fourthly, the licence of divorce often acts as a check upon that of po¬ 
lygamy; for the fear of being obliged, by the influence of his first wife, or by 
that of her relations, to divorce her if he take a second, often prevents a man 
from doing this. Thus both these licences are required by the most important 
principle of the constitution of Muslim society, and each is productive of some 

• Keightley's Tales and Popular Fictions, page 88. 
VOL. II. 2 H 

t Note 4 to Chapter ix. 

234 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

moral benefit. In considering the question of their expediency, we should also 
remember, that barrenness is much more common in hot climates than in those 
which are temperate. 

The Christian scheme is plainly opposed to polygamy; but as to divorce, some 
have contended that it only forbids putting away a wife against her will, unless 
for one cause.* Christians are often most unjust in their condemnation of Mus¬ 
lim laws and tenets, and especially condemn those which agree with the Mosaic 
code and the practices of holy men; such as polygamy (which Mohammad limited), 
divorce, Avar for the defence of religion, purifications, and even minor matters.! 
Mohammad endeavoured to remove one of the chief causes of polygamy and 
divorce, by recommending that a man should see a woman whom he proposed to 
take as his wife. J We might imagine that he could have made these practices less 
common than they now are, and always have been, among his followers, had he 
given more licence, allowing the man to enjoy a limited intercourse with the 
object of his choice in the presence of her female or male relations (the former of 
whom might be veiled), without infringing further the general law of the separation 
of the sexes. But he saw that such liberty would very seldom, if ever, be allowed : 
scarcely any parents, among the Arabs, excepting those of the lower classes, per¬ 
mit the little licence which he recommended. Instead of condemning him for 
allowing a plurality of wives, I think we should be more reasonable if we com¬ 
mended him for diminishing and restricting the number. I think too, that, 
as God allowed his people, for the hardness of their hearts, to put away their 
wives, and denounced not polygamy when the patriarchs practised it, we should 
be more consistent as believers in the Scriptures if we admitted the permission of 
these practices to be more conducive to morality than their prohibition, among a 
people similar to the ancient Jews to whom God himself allowed such liberty. 
As to the privilege which Mohammad assumed to himself, of having a greater 
number of wives than he allowed to others, I have elsewhere remarked, that, in 
doing so, he may have been actuated by the want of male offspring rather than 
impelled by voluptuousness. 

“ On the subject of polygamy,” says a recent writer who has deeply studied 
Muslim institutions and their effects, “ a European has all the advantage in dis¬ 
cussion with a Turkish woman, because her feelings are decidedly on the side of 
her antagonists; but then she has a tremendous power of reply, in the comparison 
of the practical effects of the two systems, and in the widely spread rumours of 
the heartlessness and the profligacy of Europe.—All the convictions of our habits 
and laws stand in hostile array against the country where the principle of poly¬ 
gamy is admitted into the laws of the state; but yet, while we reproach Islamism 
with polygamy, Islamism may reproach us with practical polygamy, which, un¬ 
sanctioned by law, and reproved by custom, adds degradation of the mind to dis- 

• The Protestants of Hungary admit the plea of ‘ irrevocabile odium.' Urquhart's Spirit of 
the East, vol. ii. p. 416. 

t A religious lady once asked me if I so conformed with the manners of the Easterns as to eat in 
their “ beastly manner.” I replied, “ Do not call it a 1 beastly manner: ' call it the manner of our 
Lord and his Apostles.” But some excuse may be made in this case. I was determined, when I first 
went to the East, never to conform to the practice of eating with the fingers when I could avoid it; 
however, after I had first seen the manner of doing this, I immediately adopted the custom, and con¬ 
tinued it. 

1 See Mishk&t el-Ma&beeh, book xiii. chap. ii. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

235 

soluteness of morals.”* * * § —It should further be remarked, that, by sanctioning poly¬ 
gamy, Mohammad did not make the practice general: nay, he could not. It is a 
licence for the hard-hearted, which restrains them from worse conduct, and in 
some cases, as already shewn, a resource for the tender-hearted. “ The per¬ 
mission,” observes the author just cited, “ does not alter the proportions of men 
and women. While, therefore, the law of nature renders this practice an im¬ 
possibility as regards the community, it is here still further restrained among the 
few who have the means of indulging in it, both by the domestic unquiet that 
results from it, and by the public censure and reprobation of which it is the 
object.”!—I have remarked in a former work, that polygamy “ is more rare 
among the higher and middle classes [in Egypt, and I believe in other Arab coun¬ 
tries] than it is among the lower orders; and it is not very common among the 
latter. A poor man may indulge himself with two or more wives, each of whom 
may be able, by some art or occupation, nearly to provide her own subsistence; 
but most persons of the higher and middle orders are deterred from doing so by 
the consideration of the expense and discomfort which they would incur. A man 
having a wife who has the misfortune to be barren, and being too much attached to 
her to divorce her, is sometimes induced to take a second wife, merely in the hope 
of obtaining offspring; and from the same motive, he may take a third, and a 
fourth; but fickle passion is the most evident and common motive both to poly¬ 
gamy and to repeated divorces. They are comparatively few who gratify this 
passion by the former practice. I believe that not more than one husband among 
twenty has two wives.J” 

I hope I have shewn, that, though I consider polygamy as necessary in the con 
stitution of Muslim society, to prevent a profligacy that would be worse than that 
which prevails to so great a degree in European countries, where parties are united 
in marriage afier an intimate mutual acquaintance, I consider it as a necessary 
evil .—When two or more wives of the same man live together, or when they visit 
each other, feelings of jealousy are generally felt, and often manifested, and 
especially on the part of the wife or wives who cannot claim precedence by having 
been married before the other or others, or by reason of being more favoured by 
the husband.§ The wife first married usually enjoys the highest rank : therefore 
parents often object to giving a daughter in marriage to a man who has already 
another wife; and it frequently happens that the female who is sought in marriage 
objects to such a union. The law provides in some measure against the discomforts 
arising from polygamy, by giving to each wife a claim to a distinct lodging, afford¬ 
ing conveniences for sleeping, cooking, &c.; and further enjoins the husband to 
be strictly impartial to his wives in every respect. But fruitfulness and superior 

* Urquhart’s Spirit of the East, vol. ii. pp. 415-16.—On the subject of the condition and morals of 
Eastern women, I should quote more largely from this excellent work ; but, to satisfy myself by doing 
so, it would be necessary for me to transfer to my pages the whole of its two chapters on “ the Life of 
the Harem, " and 11 State of Women,” which I think its most valuable portion, 

t Ibid. 

t Modern Egyptians, vol. i., chap. vi. 

§ A fellow-wife is called, in Arabic, ” darrah,” a word derived from “darar,” which signifies 
“ injury,” because fellow-wives usually experience injurious treatment, one from another. The word 
“ darrah,” in vulgar or colloquial Arabic (by substituting a soft for an emphatic d, and u for a), is pro¬ 
nounced 11 durrah,” which properly signifies “ a parrot." 11 The life of a fellow-wife is bitter ” 
("'ecshet ed-durrah murrah") is a common proverb.—From one of mysheykh’s marginal notes to the 
story of Kamar ez-Zemdn. 

236 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

beauty are qualifications that often enable a second, third, or fourth wife to usurp 
the place of the first; though in many cases, as I have remarked in another note, 
the lasting favourite is not the most handsome. 

There are, however, many instances of sincere affection existing in tire hearts 
of fellow-wives. The following story of two wives of the father of El-Jabartee, 
the modem Egyptian Historian, related by himself) and of undoubted truth, 
is a pleasing example.—Speaking of the first of these two wives, the Historian 
says,— 

“ Among her acts of conjugal piety and submission was this, that she used to 
buy for her husband beautiful concubine slaves, with her own wealth, and deck 
them with ornaments and apparel, and so present them to him, confidently looking 
to the reward and recompense which she should receive [in paradise] for such con¬ 
duct. He took, in addition to her, many other wives from among free women, and 
bought female slaves; but she did not in consequence conceive any of that jea¬ 
lousy which commonly affects women. Among other strange events which hap¬ 
pened, was the following. When the subject of this memoir [the author’s father] 
performed the pilgrimage, in the year 1156 (a. d. 1743-4,) he became acquainted, 
at Mekkeh, with the sheykh 'Omar El-Halabee, who commissioned him to pur¬ 
chase for him a white female slave, who should be a virgin, not arrived at woman¬ 
hood, and having such and such other qualifications. So when he returned from 
the pilgrimage, he searched for female slaves among the slave-dealers, to choose from 
them such a one as was wanted, and ceased not until he found the object of his 
desire, and bought her. He brought her to his wife, above mentioned, to remain 
with her until he should send her with a person to whom he was commissioned 
to entrust her for the journey; and when the period at which she was to depart 
arrived, he informed his wife of it, that she might prepare the provisions for the 
way, and other necessaries. But she said to him, ‘ 1 have conceived a great love 
for this maid, and I cannot endure separation from her: I have no children, and 
I have taken her as a daughter.’ The girl also wept, and said, ‘ I will not part 
from my mistress, nor ever leave her.’ ‘ Then what is to be done ? ’ he asked. 
She answered, ‘ I will pay her price from my own property, and do thou buy 
another.’ He did so. She then emancipated the girl, gave her to him by a mar¬ 
riage-contract, prepared her paraphernalia, and furnished for her a separate apart¬ 
ment ; and he took her as his wife in the year 65. The former wife could not bear 
to be separated from her even for an hour, although she had become her fellow- 
wife, and borne him children. In the year 82 before mentioned, the [emancipated] 
slave Tell sick, and she [the first wife] fell sick on account of her [friend’s] sickness. 
The illness increased upon both of them; and in the morning the slave arose, and 
looked at her mistress when she seemed about to die, and wept, and said, ‘ O my 
God and my Lord, if Thou hast decreed the death of my mistress, make my day 
to be before her day.’ Then she lay down, and her disease increased, and she 
died the next night; and they wrapped her up by the side of her mistress. And 
her mistress awoke at the close of the night, and felt her with her hand, and 
began to say, ‘ Zeleekha! Zeleekha !’* They said to her, ‘ She is asleep.’ But 
she replied, ‘ My heart telleth me that she is dead: and I saw in my sleep 
what indicated this event.’ They then said to her, ‘ May thy life be pro- 

* This was the slave's name. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

237 

longed!’* And when she had thus ascertained the event, she raised herself, 
and sat up, and said, ‘No life remaineth to me after her.’ And she wept and 
wailed until the day appeared, when they began to prepare for the speedy burial 
of the slave; and they washed the corpse before her, and carried it to the grave. 
Then she returned to her bed, and fell into the agonies of death, and died at the 
close of the day ; and on the following day they carried her corpse to the grave 
in like manner.—This was one of the strangest of the things that I have witnessed 
and seen and remembered. My age at that time was fourteen years.”-): 

Note 85. 

“ El-Amjad ” signifies “ the more, or the most, glorious.” 

Note 86. 

“ El-As'ad ” signifies “ the more, or the most, fortunate, prosperous, or 
happy.” 

Note 87. 

1 here omit an explanation which is of a nature to disgust every person of 
good taste. In this case, and in several others cf a similar kind, the old version 
agrees with the original, being faithful to the latter when, to say the least, it is 
utterly unnecessary to be so, and unfaithful when fidelity is most desirable. He 
who is unacquainted with the original should be informed, that it contains many 
passages which seem as if they were introduced for the gratification of the lowest 
class of the auditors of a public reciter at a coffee-shop. These passages exhibit 
to us persons of high rank, both men and women, as characterized by a grossness 
which is certainly not uncommon among Arabs of the inferior orders; but this is all 
that I can venture to assert; for although there are numerous anecdotes which 
might be adduced with the view of justifying our original in the cases here alluded 
to, they are obviously of suspicious authority. It is highly probable that Haroon Er- 
Rasheed often exercised the wit of Aboo Nuwas by relating to him exaggerated 
or even fictitious accounts of occurrences in his own hareem; and, still more so 
that the latter person, in reciting his anecdotes to his friends, disregarded truth 
in a much greater degree. 

Note 88. 

See Note 8 in the present series.—By sending, with the letter, the silk strings 
of her hair, we are to understand that the lady designed to testify the most abject 
submission. The same meaning is conveyed in a more forcible manner by sending 
the hair itself. Thus, when Cairo was besieged by the Franks in the year of the 
Flight 564 (a. d. 1168), El-’A'did, the last Khaleefeh of the house of FAtimeh, 
sent letters to Noor ed-Deen Mahmood, Sultan of Syria, imploring succour, and 
with them sent his women’s hair,) to shew their subjection and his own. 

• This is the usual way of informing a person that another is dead. Many say in the same case 
Mayest thou live ! ” and then, being asked 4 ‘ Who is deadf ” mention the name, 
t Modern Egyptian History (MS. in my possession), vol. i. obituary of the year 1188. 
t Ibn Esh-Shehneh. 

238 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

Note 89. 

This is one of the passages alluded to at the close of Note 8 in the present 
series. 

Note 90. 

By “ drinking of the anguish of another ” is meant “ partaking of his anguish 
by witnessing it.” The same and a similar expression occur shortly afterwards, 
where the meaning is more obvious. 

Note 91. 

The person here designated the “ Treasurer ” (“ KhAzindAr,” as generally 
pronounced) is called in the Breslau edition “ The Emeer JendAr,” and in the 
old version, “ an emeer called Giondar.” Dr. Scott has converted “ Giondar ” 
into “ Jehaun-dar.” But “ Jendar” is not a proper name. This term, more 
properly written “ Jandar, ” was a title common to a class of officers under the 
Sultans of Egypt, whose duty was to guard the door of the Sultin, to convey or 
enforce his orders with respect to Emeers, and to guard the prison called the 
ZardakhAnAh, in which persons of rank were confined. The Emeer JAndAr was 
the chief of these officers. 

It is important to remark, that the present work exhibits but a very imperfect 
acquaintance with the offices held under the SultAns whose dominion was sub¬ 
verted by the Turkish conqueror Seleem. I think it very difficult to account for 
this, without supposing that the work was written after the Turkish conquest of 
Syria and Egypt, a. d. 1517. 

Note 92. 

This prayer is addressed to God. 

Note 93. 

When God desireth anything, lie saith unto it “ Be, ” and it is.* 

Note 94. 

In the original, three pieces ofpoetry are here put into the mouth of El-As'ad. 
That which I have given is the second of them. 

Note 95. 

The sarAb (generally called by Europeans “ mirage ’’) is that remarkable 
vapour which is so often seen in the desert, tormenting the thirsty traveller by 
presenting the appearance of a lake. So complete is the illusion, that l have seen 
the images of objects situated within or beyond it distinctly reflected by its sur¬ 
face.—In the verse in which this vapour is mentioned, the word “ kahal,” which 
I have rendered “ the black-edged eyelid," literally signifies “ the natural 
blackness round the eye, resembling the artificial blackness which is produced by 
the powder called kohl.” 

Note 96. 

This sentence I have inserted from the Breslau edition. 

Marginal note by my sheykh. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

239 

Note 97. 

A small oratory, with a niche indicating the direction of Mekkeh, is often 
seen in Muslim countries, by the side of a spring, a well, a reservoir, or a large 
water-jar which is daily replenished for the use of travellers. Sometimes it is 
designed also as a place of repose, being a small, roofed chamber, open towards 
the north. 

Note 9S. 

In the story of the young King of the Black Islands, the Muslims, Christians, 
Jews, and Magians, who composed his subjects, are said to have been transformed, 
respectively, into white, blue, yellow, and red, fish; and here a Magian is described 
with a red turban. When the Christians and Jews were compelled to distinguish them¬ 
selves by wearing, respectively, blue and yellow turbans (as mentioned in Note 55 
to Chapter ii.), and the white turban was made peculiar to the Muslims, the Sa¬ 
maritans were also compelled to wear red turbans; and our author appears to have 
made red the distinguishing colour of the Magians from this circumstance; for 
an Arab writer quoted by El-Makreezee, in his account of the Samaritans,* says 
that the tenets of this latter people were a mixture of Judaism and Magism. —- 
This explanation I think more probable than one which might be deduced from 
the Turkish term “ Kizil-bash,” or “ Red-head,” a nick-name applied by the 
Turks to a Persian, and so applied by the Persians themselves. It is said to have 
been derived from a red cap first worn by the Persian soldiers under the Shdh 
Isma’eel, about the commencement of the sixteenth century. I prefer the explan¬ 
ation first proposed because it would account for the distinctive colours of all 
the fish above mentioned. 

Note 99. 

“ Ghadbdn ” signifies “enraged,” or “angry.” 

Note 100. 

The remainder of this paragraph is from the Breslau edition.—Here I may 
mention that, in the old version, the old man orders his “ daughters, Bostama and 
Cavama,” to undertake the office of torturing El-As’ad: in the Breslau edition, he 
is said to have so commissioned his “ daughter Bustan and slave-girl Kawam.” This 
shews that he is the same person who is afterwards mentioned by the name of 
Bah ram; which, in the Cairo edition, is not so clearly shewn. Agreeably with 
this edition, I have not here mentioned Bahrain's daughter; as I think that an 
incident at the close of the story is rendered needlessly improbable by describing 
her as the torturer of El-As’ad. 

Note 101. — On the Magian Festivals of Fire. 

As the present tale exhibits scarcely any acquaintance with the religion of the 
Magians, I consider it almost unnecessary to attempt any illustration of its allu¬ 
sions to the rites of that people. The “ Blue Sea and the Mountain of Fire ” I 
suppose to be purely imaginary. But the idea of the human sacrifice at a par¬ 
ticular period of the year, on the occasion of “ the Festival of the Fire ” (as 
afterwards said), may have been derived from a vague notion of the rites of two 

* Ill his “ Khqat.” 

240 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

Magian festivals. The first of these was celebrated in the month of A'dur, or 
A'zur, which (excepting in tlie middle ages of Persia, when the calendar was 
altered) corresponded with November. The angel after whom this month was 
named “presided overfire; in consequence of which, on the ninth, his name- 
day, the country blazed all around with flaming piles; whilst the Magi, by the 
injunction of Zoroaster, visited, with great solemnity, all the temples of that 
element throughout the empire, which, upon this occasion, were adorned and illu¬ 
minated in a splendid manner. On this day it was reckoned a point of religion to 
pare the nails and to shave the hair, under the idea that, with these excrescences, 
they threw away, at the same time, all their sins and defects.”*—In the following 
month (Dei), “on the 11th, or the angel’s day,” the other “great festival of fire 
was celebrated all over the kingdom ; for the origin of which solemnity, a variety 
of traditional reasons have been handed down'; one of them is curious: Winter, 
they say, having once, on the anniversary of that day, taken a fancy to come from 
hell, which was, it seems, too hot for him, their ancestors had lighted up immediately 
those piles of fire, to convince him that he had got into a still more infernal place, 
and force him again from earth to the shades of darkness. In order to improve 
the general scene of nocturnal splendour, on this occasion, it was usual for the 
King and his courtiers to set fire to large bunches of dry herbs, fastened to wild 
beasts and birds, who being then let loose, the fields, mountains, and the air itself were 
immediately in one universal temporary blaze, heightened often by the accidental 
firing of the neighbouring woods, to which those terrified animals naturally fled 
for shelter...,A custom similar to this prevailed even in England within this 
century; it having been customary, on Twelfth-night, in Shropshire and other 
places, to kindle bonfires on the mountain-tops and other high grounds, as a 
farewell to winter, and a welcome to the spring. The 15th of this month was 
remarkable for another singular ceremony: they formed a number of images of 
paste or clay, representing those deceased personages whom they meant to honour, 
which they placed in the most public places, especially where many roads or streets 
met, and, after paying them great homage, burnt them with much formality.” f— 
Might not this last practice have given rise to a vulgar belief among the Arabs, 
that the Magians offered human sacrifices? 

Note 102 .—On the Soofees. 

On this characteristic passage, my sheykh remarks, in a marginal note, that it 
is usual with the Soofees thus to beg for an increase of the afflictions that they 
suffer.—The Soofees are so called either from the Arabic word “ soof,” signifying 
“ wool,” on account of their wearing woollen garments, or from the Greek word 
o-o<t> ov, because of their philosophical tenets. There is an order of Muslim dar- 
weeshes called Soofees, “ who make profession of a more regular and more 
contemplative life than darweeshes in general; and many of this class have written 
books of spirituality, of devotion, and of contemplation, which mostly bear the 
title of ‘ Tasowwuf,’ that is, of spiritual life.”! The first convent of this order in 
Egypt was founded by Salah ed-Deen, who is commonly called by European 
writers Saladin. But the title of Soofee is adopted by many who do not belong to 

• Richardson’s Dictionary, Persian, Arabic, and English (Johnson’s edition), voce “ mah." 

t Ibid. J D’Herbelot, Bibiiotheque Orientale, art. “ sofi.’’ 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

241 

this order of darweeshes; by those who lead a life of contemplation, and of 
philosophical religion; and of this class are many excellent men, who regard with 
especial veneration the moral and most other doctrines of the Gospel. Their 
grand principle seems to he love of God. The Sunnee Soofees are in a great 
degree mystical and latitudinarian; but not so much so as the Soofees of the 
Persian sect. 

Note 103. 

So in the Breslau edition and in the old version. In the Cairo edition, the 
distance by sea is said to be si* months. The preferable reading is “ four months," 
because this city is evidently the same in the neighbourhood of which Kamar ez- 
Zeman resided with the gardener. The two princes are said to have performed 
in three months a journey which usually occupied a year; and we must therefore 
suppose that they did it in that comparatively short space of time by taking a route 
too arduous to be generally followed, and impracticable for caravans. This is 
implied by El-Amjad’s remark on the first discovery of the city. 

Note 104. 

The Muslims hold (and I believe adduce a saying of their Prophet in con¬ 
firmation of their opinion) that it is improper to eat in a street or other place 
where many people are passing; because a person who does so cannot give to all 
who pass by and desire to partake ; and when he has given all that he can spare, 
the remainder may be looked upon by an envious eye, which renders it injurious, 
or at least unprofitable. 

Note 105. 

In the present day, in many parts of the East, the Frank Christian may dress 
as a Muslim : but formerly, Muslims were distinguished from all other persons, 
especially by the colour and form of the turban. The Eastern Christians and Jews, 
with few exceptions, are still distinguished by the turban, which is generally black 
or blue, or of a greyish, or light brown, colour. . 

Note 106. 

The meaning of this is, “ Thy beauty is continually increasing." * 

Note 107. 

See Note 59 in the present series. 

Note 108. 

By 11 the thorns of lances," it is perhaps needless to state, that piercing eyes 
or eyelashes are meant. 

Note 109. 

This sentence commences the thirty-eighth verse of the fourth chapter of the 
Kur-6n. By “ Him whose name be exalted ’’ we are always to understand God. 

VOL II. 

Note by the theykh Mohammad 'Eiyid. 
2 i 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

212 

The Muslim never quotes the Kur-fin but as the word of God, and generally in 
doing so says, “ He whose name be exalted hath said, in the Excellent Book, 
never mentioning the Prophet in this case unless he use some such phrase as this, 
“ God hath said by the tongue of his Prophet. ’’ 

Note 110. 

The word which I render “flowers” (namely “ sohbeh ”) also signifies “a 
branched candlestick, or candelabrum, with many candles." Either sense would 
be appropriate here; but in speaking of wine, it generally signifies “ a bunch of 
flowers,” which are often placed in a candlestick in the midst of the wine-service. * 

Note 111. 

The wooden lock which is in general use in Arabian countries for the doors of 
houses and chambers is described and figured in the Introduction to my work on 
the Modem Egyptians. 

Note 112. 

See Note 12 to Chapter iii. 

Note 113. 

In a MS. Arabic dictionary of my own composition I see that the only meaning 
that I have given to “ sidilleh ” (a word that I do not find in any other dic¬ 
tionary) is that of “ a long seat, or couch ; ” and accordingly, in a former 
instance (vol. i. page 138), I have rendered the plural of this word, with that of 
“ mastabah ” preceding it, by “benches of different kinds.” In the present case, 
my sheykh has explained the plural of “sidilleh” by words signifying “places 
elevated a little like the suffeh,” which last term is applied to “a kind of shelf 
or sill of stone,” and “ a bench or sofa.” On reading his imperfect explanation, 
it has occurred to my mind that the term “ sidilleh ” is applied in Cairo to a 
slightly elevated, small closet, or recess, without a window, if my memory deceive 
me not. 

Note 114. 

The clothes here mentioned are those which were usually worn at wine- 
parties.—See Note 22 to Chapter iii (vol. i. p. 218). 

Note 115. 

The most appropriate meaning of “ sufreh ” here appears to be “ a round 
cloth.” A stool with a round tray upon it are also called a sufreh; and this term 
is applied to a round piece of leather, which serves as a table for meals, and 
which is usually spread on the ground, chiefly used by travellers, whence its name. 

Note 116. 

This word is Persian and Turkish, and signifies “courageous,” “bold,” “a 
hero.” It is pronounced by the Arabs as I have written it; by the Persians, 
“ Bahlidar; ” and by the Turks, « Behadir. ” Turkish and Persian names 

See Note 22 to Chapter iii. (vol. 1. page 220). 

N0TES1 TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

243 

became familiar to the Arabs in the times of the 'Abbasee Khaleefehs, and were 
still more so in later times. 

Note 117. 

This is said to shew more strongly the disturbed state of his mind; for it is 
usual to put the feet into the shoes or slippers on stepping off the carpeted portion 
of the floor. 

Note 118. 

“ Bahrain ” is a common Persian name. It is also a name of the planet 
Mars; and signifies “a king,” “a sword,” &c. 

Note 113. 

See Note 100 in the present series. 

Note 120. 

“Marjaneh” ( vulg . “murjaneh”), in modern Arabic, signifies “apiece of 
coral.” It ako signifies “ a small pearl,” and “a kind of spring pot-herb." 

Note 121. 

This sentence I insert from the Breslau edition. 

Note 122. 

Here, again, I insert a few words from the Breslau edition, ending with “El- 
Moatarr.” 

Note 123. 

“ El-Moatarr ” signifies “the poor,” “indigent,” “one who dares notask 
for what he needs.” It is a name assumed as the opposite of “El-As’ad,” or 
“ the most fortunate.” In the old version, it is written “ Motar,” and rendered 
“ devoted to be sacrificed.” 

Note 121. 

“ These two verses are by one of the sect of the Murjiali, or Murjis,* and 
one of the Sunnees (or orthodox Muslims) answered them, and said,— 

‘ If God protect him, no moisture will touch him, and he need not care for 
being hand-bound and thrown; f 

But if the Lord have decreed that he shall be drowned, he will be drowned 
though he be cast upon a desert.’ ” 

Thus my sheykh comments upon the two verses to which this note relates. The 
tale itself also shews their fallacy, by a subsequent incident (of no very improbable 

• A sect of Muslims who seem to have been chiefly distinguished by the very small importance 
that they attached to works. This sect is divided into four classes ; and the person here alluded to 
appears to have been of the Jeheree class, who deny free agency in man, ascribing his actions wholly 
to God. I believe that most of the Murjis were of this class. 

+ The meaning I suppose to be this, that, as a man can never foresee his fate, he should not neglect 
to make use of means which God may have decreed for his preservation. This, at least, is the or¬ 
thodox doctrine. 

244 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

nature) in the history of El-As’ad. In their place are inserted, in the Breslau 
edition, with some slight variations and errors, the verses of which a translation 
has been given in a former tale, in page 336 of the first volume of this work ; and 
the same appears to be the case in the manuscript from which Galland translated. 

Note 125. 

The drum and pipe are the instruments most commonly used in Arabian 
countries on occasions of festivity; as in the procession of a bride or bridegroom, 
that of a boy about to be circumcised, and that of a pilgrim approaching his 
home on his return from the holy places. 

Noth 126. 

The burial-grounds adjacent to Arab towns generally contain a number of 
dome-crowned structures erected over graves, which often afford shelter to be¬ 
nighted travellers. 

Note 127. 

“ Bnst&n ” signifies “ a garden.” 

Note 128. 

This is said in allusion to his name, which signifies “ more, or most, fortunate.” 

Note 129. 

See Note 9 to Chapter vi. 

Note 130. 

In the edition of Breslau, this story occupies a different place, commencing 
the seventh volume. 

Note 131. 

“El-Koofeh" is the city commonly called by European writers “ Kufah ” and 
“Cufa,” situated on the west bank of the Euphrates. It was founded in the 
reign of the Khaleefeh 'Omar, and was a famous seat of Arabian learning.—The 
inhabitants of El-Koofeh were a people difficult to please, always ready to revolt, 
and continually complaining of their Governors. A party of them one day urging 
a complaint, to the Khaleefeh El-Ma-moon, against one of his officers, one of them 
abused this person in such gross terms that the Khaleefeh took his officer’s part, 
and highly praised him for the strict justice which he rendered to every one. 
Upon this, one of the complainants replied that all which the Khaleefeh said was 
very true, and that all the accusations which his townsmen had advanced against 
the officer were pure calumnies: yet, as it w'as necessary that justice should be ren¬ 
dered everywhere, it was not right that the people of El-Koofeh alone should 
enjoy the advantage of possessing such a man, while all the other provinces of 
the Empire were deprived of him. “ Cause thy people, then, O our Lord,” he 
continued, “ to praise and bless thee equally, by sending him elsewhere.” * 

* D’Herbelot, Bibliotheque Orientate, art. '• Coufah.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

245 

Note 132. 

“ Neamet Allah” signifies “ the Boon of God.” 

Note 133. 

The meaning of “ Towfeek ” is “ a causing to be prosperous, or agreeable,” &c. 

Note 134. 

“ Saad " signifies “prosperity,” “happiness,” “good fortune.” 

Note 135. 

“ Noam ” is synonymous with “ Saad.” The name was changed that it 
might agree with that of Neamet Allah. 

Note 136. 

In “ Neamet Allah ” and similar names, the latter word is often dropped. In 
this case, the final t in the former is changed into h. 

Note 137. 

That is, each of them was in some respects more beautiful than the other. 

Note 138. 

I here put “four” instead of “nine,” as the sequel requires it. 

Note 139. 

“ Zeyd " and “’Amr” are here used as fictitious names, in the same manner 
as they are by the Arab grammarians. 

Note 140.— Of El-Hajjdj and his Character. 

El-Hajjdj the son of Yoosuf Eth-Thakafee was Governor of the Hejdz and of 
the Arabian ’Erdk under 'Abd El-Melik and his son El-Weleed, the fifth and 
sixth Khaleefehs of the house of Umeiyeh, for a space of about twenty years, 
until the period of his death, which happened in the year of the Flight 95 (a. d. 
713-14.) He was highly celebrated for his eloquence and courage, but execrated 
for his tyranny. His cruelty, however, has perhaps been exaggerated by the 
Shiya’ees, or Shee’ees, to whom he rendered himself especially odious; and I do 
not place entire reliance on the correctness of the following illustrations of his 
character, which I insert on account of their singular nature. 

In his last illness, “ he ventured to consult an astrologer whether the position 
of the stars, that year, prognosticated the demise of any person in power. To 
which the astrologer replied, that a prince would shortly die, who either bore or 
had borne the appellation of Kuleyb; and El-Hajjdj confessing that his mother 
had in his infancy been accustomed to address him by that name (puppy, per- 

246 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

haps *), the astrologer rashly declared that the person whose death was indicated 
could be no other than himself. 4 At least thou shalt precede me, said El Hajj5j, 
and the unfortunate wizzard was ordered to be immediately despatched by the 
attendants.—This ferocious tyrant, whose memory has been indeed loaded with 
sufficient obloquy by the Sliiya’ees, and whom he on his part never ceased to 
persecute with unsparing vengeance, expired, at the age of fifty-four, about the 
twenty-fifth day of the month of Ramadan, in the ninty-fifth year of the Hijrah. 
Some time previous to his death he complained that his bowels were lacerated by 
dogs; and a roll of flexible silk being passed down his throat, by the physicians 
who attended, it was drawn up, covered with vermin. And though it does not 
appear to have rendered his government at all more palatable, it is recorded, 
probably as a proof of his boundless prodigality in the public expenditure, that 
among the disciples of the Kur-dn, he was the first who, on one occasion, dis¬ 
played a thousand tables for the entertainment of the people; or in a single 
donation disbursed a million of dirhems.—Exclusive of those who perished in 
battle, the amount of whom could be estimated by Him alone who knows all 
things, there fell by the arbitrary mandates of El-IIajjaj, not less than one hun¬ 
dred and twenty thousand persons. Nevertheless, in a dream, in which he is said 
to have appeared to some one a short time after his death, he is made to declare, 
that, though for each of this numerous list of the victims of his fury, divine 
justice was satisfied with inflicting on him the punishment of a single death, yet 
that for the execution of Sa’eed f alone, he was condemned to suffer seventy 
times the agony of dissolution. There were, after all, found in the different 
prisons of his government, when Providence thought fit to relieve mankind from 
his oppressions, no less than thirty thousand men, and twenty thousand women; 
many of these confined in that species of prison invented by himself, without 
roof; in which, alternately exposed to the scorching rays of the sun, and the 
vicissitudes of cold, heat, and rain, the unhappy victims were left to suffer under 
every variety of pain and wretchedness.” % 

Note HI. 

See a note at the foot of page 65 in this volume. 

Note 142. 

It is a custom of many Muslim devotees to hang to the neck, in several cir¬ 
cumvolutions, a string of many hundreds of beads. The object is either to employ 
these beads in repeating certain ejaculations in praise of God, or to make others 
believe that the wearer is accustomed so to employ them.—See the forty-fourth 
note of the present series.—A string of a thousand beads, and the use to which it 
is applied, have been mentioned in Note 15 to Chapter iv. 

* “ Kuleyb ” signifies “ a little dog." It was a common custom among the Arabs to give names 
of this kind, and among the Bedawees the custom still prevails, though it is not often followed by 
other Arabs. Speaking of the Bedawees, Burckhardt says, “ A name is given to the infant immediately 
on his birth. The name is derived from some trifling accident, or from some object which had struck 
the fancy of the mother, or any of the women present at the child's birth. Thus, if the dog happened 
to be near on this occasion, the infant is probably named 1 Kilab,’ from * Kelb ’ a dog,” of which it is 
the plural. (Notes on the Bedouins and WahAbys, 8vo. vol. i. p. 97.) 

t See Note 30 to Chapter ii. 

t Prices’ Retrospect of Mahommedan History, vol. i. pp. 479 el ecq. —As justice should be rendered 
to every one, however bad, it may here be remarked, that most of these prisoners had probably been 
before accustomed to the vicissitudes here mentioned. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

24 ? 

The whole description of the costume, manners, and expressions, of the 
hypocritical old woman in this tale is admirably just. It is perfectly applicable to 
persons who may be seen occasionally in the streets of Cairo in the present day, 
though probably the character of many of these may he sincere. The female 
devotees who thus distinguish themselves are very few in comparison with the 
male.—I should also add that the conduct of Noam towards the old woman 
described in this story is consistent with that of the generality of Arab women in 
similar cases. Indeed the story altogether is as true a picture of Arab manners 
as any of the present collection. 

Note M3. 

In some Arab houses, in one or more of the apartments, a niche is formed or 
painted, in or upon one of the walls, indicating the direction of Mekkeh. But more 
commonly a prayer-carpet answers the same purpose, its pattern presenting the 
form of a niche, the point of which is turned towards Mekkeh, so that a visiter 
need not ask of his host in what direction he is to turn his face in prayer. 

Note 144. 

These words are the commencement of the seventieth verse of the twenty- 
fifth chapter of the Kur-dn. They follow a denunciation against the wicked, and 
Noam is supposed to know what precedes them, as well as the remainder of the 
verse, which is this:—“for unto them God will change their evil works into 
good; and God is ready to forgive, and merciful.” 

Note 145. 

By “ the sheykhs ” we are here to understand the saints, or persons who 
devote themselves to religious exercises. And “the holy places ” mentioned in 
the same passage are those mosques and other buildings containing the tombs or 
cenotaphs of saints; such buildings being frequently visited by men and women, 
in the belief that the prayers there offered up are especially efficacious.—See Note 
63 to Chapter iii. 

Note 146. 

By this is meant, that she was a descendant of the Kings of El-Koofeh; but 
the author was probably ignorant that there were no such Kings. If by “ Kings ” 
are meant merely “Governors,” he is still in error; for the Governors of El- 
Koofeh were, from its foundation, Muslims; and their daughters could not be sold 
as slaves. 

Note 147.— On Astrological Calculations. 

My sheykh remarks, in a marginal note, that the calculation here spoken of 
is founded upon the numerical values of the letters composing the name. Thus, 
Noam (in Arabic) consists of three letters, Noon, ’Eyn, and Meem : Noon is 50 ; 
’Eyn, 70; and Meem, 40: the sum of the three is therefore 160: subtract from 
this 9 and 9, or 12 and 12, and so on until there remains either 12 or less than 12 : 
the remainder is the number of the sign of the Zodiac that influences the person 
to whom the name belongs : 1, being Aries; 2, Taurus; 3, Gemini; and so on. 

248 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

I have mentioned two other modes of making calculations of the same kind ; * 
but from the above it appears, that I shouldhave stated, in explaining the former 
of those two modes, that the calculation is sometimes (and perhaps generally) 
founded upon the numerical values of the letters composing only the name of 
the person whose sign is sought, and that then the number of the sign is obtained 
in the manner above described. The reader has seen that two different results 
may be obtained according to my sheykh’s directions. He does not state whether 
it is the general practice to subtract 9 or 12 from the number of the name. 

Note 148. 

“ O brother of the Persians ” (yh akha-l-furs) is synonymous with “ O 
Persian.” “ O brother of the Arabs ” is a common expression used in addressing 
an Arab. 

Note 149. 

Arab shop-keepers very often make their calculations by writing on the palm 
of the hand. 

Note 150. 

“Soada” and “ Juml ” are fictitious names of women. They are chosen 
for the sake of a play upon words, which I could not preserve in the translation. 

Note 151.— On the Koofee Character. 

The Koofee character (generally called by European writers “ Cufic ”) was so 
termed from the city of El-Koofeh, in which, without doubt, it originated, and 
which was founded in the seventeenth year of the Flight. Some papyri lately 
discovered in Egypt shew that the character employed by the Arabs of the Hejdz 
before this differed little from that which superseded the Koofee, and which has 
generally been employed by the Arabs to the present day.f But the character, 
as well as the language (called Hemyeree, or Himyaritic) used in El-Yemen, 
and probably in several other parts of Arabia, before the time of the Prophet, is 
unknown. My learned friend M. Fulgence Fresnel has lately discovered a 
language still spoken in some parts of El-Yemen, which, it is hoped, may prove 
to be the ancient Hemyeree : if so, my friend’s discovery will doubtless be pro¬ 
ductive of most important results, and be of especial value in biblical literature. 

A flexuous Koofee character, an ornamental style, which came into use in the 
fourth century of the Flight, has been erroneously called, by many European 
writers, the Carmatic character, and supposed to have been invented by the nation 
or people called the Karmatees. J This mistake seems to have originated in a 
misinterpretation of the word “ karmatah,” which is defined in the Kimoos as 
signifying “ a diminutive style of writing, and a close [or short] step [in 
walking],Ӥ 

* In Note 74, to Chapter v. 

f See De Sacy’s Gramm air e Arabe, 2nde ed. tome i. p. 5. 

X The Arabic words at the head of Chapter ix., commencing this volume (signifying, “ In the name 
of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful ”) present an example of this style. 

$ This error was, I believe, first exposed and confuted by M. Frsehn, in the 5th No. of the Nouveau 
Journal Asiatique, May, 1828. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TENTH. 

249 

Note 152. 

It is related in the Soorat Yoosuf (the twelfth chapter of the Kur-an), that 
Jacob’s eyes became white with mourning for Joseph; but that the latter, when 
he had discovered himself to his brethren in Egypt, gave to them his inner gar¬ 
ment, desiring them to throw it on his father’s face; and when this was done, 
Jacob recovered his eye-sight.—This garment, we are told in the Commentary of 
the JelAleyn, “was the shirt of Ibrdheem, which he wore when he was thrown 
into the fire.* It was on his [Yoosuf’s] neck in the well; and it was from 
paradise. Jibreel [or Gabriel] ordered him to send it, and said that in it was its 
odour [ i. e. the odour of paradise], and it should not be thrown on any one 
afflicted [witha disease] but he should be restored to health.” 

Note 153. 

For the insertion of the words enclosed between crotchets in this sentence, I 
have the authority of my sheykh. 

Note 154. 

See Note 65 to Chapter viii. 

Note 155. 

In my original it is here added, “and her name was Noam," which would 
explain what the Khaleefeh’s sister wished as yet to conceal. 

Note 156. 

Marjaneh, we may suppose, came thither with him. 

Note 157. 

The words “ And God is all-knowing ” are added by the narrator to imply 
that the story may perhaps be not entirely true! 

* This was done by order of Numrood (or Nimrod), and is mentioned in the twenty-first chapter 
of the Kur-dn. The patriarch came forth from the fire unhurt. 

2 k

NINTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE TWO HUNDRED 
AND SIXTY-NINTH. 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SH A'M A'T. 1 

It hath been told me, O happy King, that there was, in ancient 
times, a merchant in Cairo , 2 named Shems ed-Deen. He was one 
of the best and the most veracious in speech of all the merchants, 
and was possessor of servants and other dependants, and male black 
slaves, and female slaves, and memlooks, and of great wealth, and 
was Shah Bandar 3 of the merchants in Cairo. And there resided 

THE STORY OF 'ALA ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MAT. 251 

with him a wife whom he loved, and who loved him: hut he had 
lived with her forty years, and had not been blessed with a daughter 
nor with a son by her. And he sat one day in his shop, and saw 
the other merchants, every one of them having a son, or two sons, 
and the greater number of these sons were sitting in shops like 
their fathers. That day was Friday: so this merchant entered the 
bath, and performed the ablution of Friday; * and when he came 
forth [from the inner apartment], he took the barber’s looking-glass, 
and, looking at his face in it, said, I testify that there is no deity 
but God, and I testify that Mohammad is God’s Apostle! 5 He 
then looked at his beard, and saw that the white eclipsed the black; 
and he reflected that hoariness was the monitor of death. 

Now his wife knew the time of his coming, and she used to 
wash and prepare herself to receive him; and when he came home 
to her that day, she said to him, Good evening:—but he replied, I 
have seen no good. She had said to the slave-girl, Bring the supper- 
table. So she brought the repast; and the merchant’s wife said to 
him, Sup, 0 my master.—I will not eat anything, he replied. And 
he turned away his face from the table. She therefore said to him, 
What is the reason of this, and what hath grieved thee? He 
answered her, Thou art the cause of my grief.—Wherefore ? she 
asked. And he answered her, When I opened my shop this day, 
I saw that every one of the merchants had a son, or two sons, and 
most of the sons were sitting in the shops like their fathers; where- 

252 THE STORY OF 'ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 

upon I said within myself, Verily he who took thy father will not 
leave thee. 6 And when I first visited thee (he continued), thou 
madest me swear that I would not take another wife in addition to 
thee, nor take an Abyssinian nor a Greek nor any other slave-girl 
as a concubine; and thou art barren.—But his wife reproved him 
in such a manner that he passed the night and arose in the morning 
repenting that he had reproached her, and she also repented that 
she had reproached him. And soon after this, his wife informed 
him that his wish was likely to be accomplished. 

The son was born, and the midwife charmed him by repeating 
the names of Mohammad and ’Alee, 7 and she pronounced in his 
ear the tekbeer and the adan, 8 and wrapped him up and gave him 
to his mother, who nursed him, and he took his nourishment until 
he was satiated, and slept. The midwife remained with them three 
days, until they had made the sweetmeat to distribute on the 
seventh day; and then they sprinkled the salt for the infant. 9 And 
the merchant went in and congratulated his wife on her safety, and 
said to her, Where is God’s deposite? 10 Whereupon she presented 
to him an infant of surprising loveliness, the work of the Ever-present 
Governor. He was an infant of seven days ; but he who beheld 
him would say that he was a child a year old; and the merchant 
looked in his face, and saw that it was like a shining full moon, 
with moles upon the cheeks. He said to his wife, What hast thou 
named him ? And she answered, Were it a girl, I had named her; 
but this is a boy; so no one shall name him but thyself. 11 The 
people of that age used to name their children from an omen; and 
while they were consulting upon the name of the merchant’s son, 
lo, one said to his companion, O my master ’Ala ed-Deen. So the 
merchant said to his wife, We will name him ’Ala ed-Deen Abu- 
sh-Shamat. 19 He commissioned the nurses to rear him, and the 
child drank the milk for two years; after which they weaned him, 
and he grew up, and walked upon the floor. And when he had 
attained the age of seven years, they put him in a chamber beneath 
a trap-door, 13 fearing the influence of the eye upon him, and his 
father said, This boy shall not come forth from beneath the trap¬ 
door until his beard groweth. 14 The merchant appointed a slave- 
girl and a male black slave to attend upon him : the slave-girl 

prepared the table for him, and the black slave carried it to him. 
Then his father circumcised him, and made for him a magnificent 
banquet; and after this, he brought to him a professor of religion 
and law to teach him; and the professor taught him writing and 
the Kur-an and science until he became skilful and learned. 

But it happened that the black slave took to him the table one 
day, and inadvertently left the trap-door open; whereupon ’Ala 
ed-Deen came forth from it, and went in to his mother. There 
was with her a party of women of rank, and while they were con¬ 
versing with her, lo, he came in to them, resembling an intoxicated 
memlook, in the excess of his beauty. So when the women saw 
him, they covered their faces, and said to his mother, Allah requite 
thee, O such-a-one! How dost thou cause this strange memlook 
to come in to us ? Dost thou not know that modesty is one of the 

251 THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 

points of the faith ?—But she said to them, Pronounce the name of 
Allah ! ls Verily this is my son, and the darling of my heart, the 
son of the Shah Bandar of the merchants, and the child of the nurse 
and the necklace and the crust and the crumb! 16 —They replied, 
In our lives we never saw a son of thine. So she said, Verily his 
father feared for him from the influence of the eye, and therefore 
made as his nursery a subterranean chamber under a trap-door; 
and probably the eunuch hath inadvertently left the trap-door 
open, and he hath in consequence come up from it; but it was not 
our desire that he should come out from it until his beard should 
grow. The women therefore congratulated her upon this. And 
the youth went forth from them into the court of the house, and 
then ascended into the mak’ad, 17 and there seated himself; and while 
he was sitting there, the slaves entered the house with the mule of 
his father; whereupon ’Ala ed-Deen said to them, Where hath 
this mule been ? They answered him, We have conducted thy 
father to the shop, mounted upon her, and brought her back. And 
he asked them, What is the trade of my father ?—Thy father, they 
answered him, is Shah Bandar of the merchants in the land of 
Egypt, and he is Sultan of the Sons of the Arabs. 18 

And upon this, ’Ala ed-Deen went in to his mother, and said 
to her, O my mother, what is the trade of my father? She 
answered him, O my son, thy father is a merchant, and he is Shah 
Bandar of the merchants in the land of Egypt, and Sultan of the 
Sons of the Arabs. His slaves consult him not respecting the sale 
of anything excepting that of which the smallest price is a thousand 
pieces of gold. As to the sale of a thing for nine hundred pieces 
of gold or less, they consult him not respecting it, hut sell it of 
their own free will. And there cometh not merchandise from 
other parts, little or much, but it is submitted to him, and he 
disposeth of it as he willeth ; and no merchandise is packed up and 
goeth to other parts, but it is under the disposal of thy father. 
God (whose name be exalted!) hath given to thy father, O my son, 
great wealth, that cannot be calculated.—So he said to her, O my 
mother, praise be to God that I am the son of the Sultan of the 
Sons of the Arabs, and that my father is Shah Bandar of the mer¬ 
chants ! But for what reason, O my mother, do ye put me in a 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 255 

chamber beneath a trap-door, and leave me there imprisoned ?—She 
answered him, O my son, we put thee not in the chamber beneath 
the trap-door but in our fear for thee from the influence of the 
eyes of men ; for the influence of the eye is true, 19 and most of the 
inhabitants of the graves are victims of the eye. But he said to 
her, O my mother, and where is a place of refuge from destiny ? 
Caution preventeth not fate, and from that which is written there 
is no escape. Verily he who took my grandfather will not leave 
my father : so if he is alive to-day, he will not be alive to-morrow ; 
and when my father dieth, and I go forth and say, I am ’Ala ed- 
Deen the son of the merchant Shems ed-Deen,—not one of the 
people will believe me, and the aged will say, In our lives we never 
saw a son nor a daughter of Shems ed-Deen:—then the officers of the 
government-treasury will come down and take my father’s wealth. 
Allah have mercy upon him who said, The liberal-minded man 
dieth, and his wealth departeth, and the meanest of men taketh his 
women. Do thou, then, O my mother, speak to my father, that 
he may take me with him to the market-street and open for me a 
shop, and I will sit in it with merchandise, and he shall teach me 
the art of selling and buying, and taking and giving.—She replied, 
O my son, when thy father cometh I will acquaint him with thy 
wish. 

And when the merchant returned to his house, he found his 
son ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat sitting with his mother: so he 
said to her, Wherefore hast thou taken him forth from beneath 
the trap-door ?—O son of my uncle, she answered, I did not take 
him forth; but the servants inadvertently left the trap-door open, 
and while I was sitting with a party of women of rank, lo, he came 
in to us. And she acquainted him with that which his son had 
said; whereupon the merchant said to him, O my son, to-morrow, 
if it be the will of God (whose name be exalted!) I will take thee 
with me to the market-street; but, O my son, sitting in the market- 
streets and shops requireth polite and accomplished manners tinder 
every circumstance. 

So ’Ala ed-Deen passed the next night full of joy at the words 
of his father; and when the morning came, his father took him into 
the bath, and clad him in a suit worth a large sum of money. And 

256 THE STORY OF 'ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 

after they had breakfasted, and drunk the sherbet, the merchant 
mounted his mule, and put his son upon another mule, and, taking 
him behind him, repaired with him to the market-street; and the 
people of the market-street saw the Shah Bandar of the merchants 
approaching, followed by a youth whose face was like the moon in 
its fourteenth night. It was customary, when the Shah Bandar 
came from his house in the morning and sat in his shop, for the 
nakeeb 20 of the market to approach the merchants and recite the 
Fatehah to them, whereupon they arose and came with him to the 
Shah Bandar of the merchants and recited the Fatehah to him, 81 and 
wished him good morning: then each of them departed to his shop. 
But when the Shah Bandar of the merchants seated himself in his 
shop on that day according to his custom, the merchants came not 
to him as they were wont to do. So he called the nakeeb (who 
was named the sheykh Mohammad Simsim, 22 and who was a poor 
man), and said to him, Wherefore have not the merchants come 
together according to their custom ? The nakeeb answered him, 
that they were disputing on the subject of the youth who was with 
him, wondering who he could be, and he said, Is he thy memlook, 
or is he related to thy wife ?—He is my son, said the Shah Bandar. 
The nakeeb replied, In our lives we have never seen a son of thine. 
The Shah Bandar therefore said, In my fear for him from the 
influence of the eye, I reared him in a subterranean chamber 
beneath a trap-door, and it was my desire that he should not come 
up from it until he could hold his beard with his hand; but his 
mother would not consent; and he requested me to open a shop, 
and to give him merchandise, and teach him the art of selling and 
buying. So the nakeeb went to the merchants, and acquainted 
them with the true state of the case ; upon which all of them arose 
and went with him to the Shah Bandar, and, standing before him, 
recited the Fatehah, and congratulated him on his having this youth 
for a son, and said to him, May our Lord preserve the root and the 
branch! But (they added) the poor among us, when a son or a 
daughter is born to him, is required to make for his brothers a 
saucepan of aseedeh, and to invite his acquaintances and relations, 
and yet thou hast not done this.—So he said to them, I will give 
you the entertainment, and our meeting shall be in the garden. 

Accordingly, when the next morning came, he sent the farrash 21 
to the saloon and the pavilion 2S which were in the garden, and 
desired him to spread the furniture in them. He sent also the 
necessaries for cooking, as lambs and clarified butter, and such other 
things as the case required, and prepared two tables, one in the 
pavilion and one in the saloon. The merchant Shems ed-Deen 
girded himself, and so did his son ’Ala ed-Deen, and the former 
said to the latter, O my son, when the hoary man cometh in, I will 
meet him, and seat him at the table which is in the pavilion; and 
thou, O my son, when the beardless youth cometh in, shalt take 
him and conduct him into the saloon, and seat him at the table 
there. His son said to him, Wherefore, O my father ? What is 
the reason of thy preparing two tables, one for the men and one for 

VOL. II. 

2 L 

258 THE STORY OF 'ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'f. 

the youths?—0 my son, answered the merchant, the beardless 
youth is ashamed to eat in the presence of men . Vj So his son 
approved of this. And when the merchants came, Shems ed-Deen 
met the men, and seated them in the pavilion; and his son ’Ala 
ed-Deen met the youths, and seated them in the saloon. Then 
the servants placed the food, and the party ate and drank, and 
enjoyed themselves and were delighted, and they drank the sherbet, 
and the servants gave vent to the smoke of the perfume ; after 
which, the aged men sat conversing upon science and tradition. 27 

Meanwhile, the youths had seated ’Ala ed-Deen among them 
at the upper end of the chamber, and one of them said to his com¬ 
panion, O my master Hasan, acquaint me respecting the capital in 
thy possession, by means of which thou sellest and buyest, how it 
came to thee. He replied, When I grew up, and attained to 
manhood, I said to my father, O my father, give me some mer¬ 
chandise :—but he replied, O my son, I have none ; go, however, 
and procure money from some merchant, and traffick with it, and 
learn the art of selling and buying, and taking and giving. So I 
repaired to one of the merchants, and borrowed of him a thousand 
pieces of gold, and, having bought some stuffs with it, I journeyed 
with them to Syria, where I obtained double the cost-price. Then 
1 took merchandise from Syria, and journeyed with it to Baghdad, 
where I sold it, and again obtained double the cost-price ; and 1 
ceased not to traffick until my capital became about ten thousand 
pieces of gold.—And each of the youths said to his companion the 
like of this until the turn to speak came round to ’Ala ed-Deen 
Abu-sh-Shamat; when they said to him, And thou, O our master 
’Ala ed-Deen. So he replied, I was reared in a subterranean chamber 
beneath a trap-door, and came forth from it this week, and I go to 
the shop and return from it to the house. And upon this they said 
to him, Thou art accustomed to remain in the house, and knowest 
not the delight of travel, and travel is for none but men. He 
replied, I have no need to travel; and is ease of no value ? And 
one of them said to his companion, This is like the fish: when he 
quitteth the water he dieth. They then said to him, O ’Ala ed- 
Deen, the glory of the sons of the merchants consisteth in nothing 
but travel for the sake of gain. 

At these words, ’Ala ed-Deen became enraged, and he went 

THE STORY OF 'ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MAT. 259 

forth from among the youths, with weeping eye and sorrowful 
heart, and, having mounted his mule, repaired to the house. And 
his mother saw him in a state of excessive rage, and weeping: so 
she said to him, What maketh thee weep, O my son ? He therefore 
answered her, All the sons of the merchants have reproached me, 
and said to me. The glory of the sons of the merchants consisteth in 
nothing but travel for the sake of gaining pieces of silver and gold. 
His mother said to him, O my son, dost thou desire to travel ? 
He answered, Yes. And she asked him, To what country wouldst 
thou travel ?—To the city of Baghdad, he answered ; for there a 
man gaineth double the cost-price of his merchandise. His mother 
then said to him, 0 my son, thy father hath great wealth; but if 
he prepare not merchandise for thee with his wealth, I will prepare 
for thee some with mine. And he replied, The best of favours is 
that which is promptly bestowed; and if there be kindness to be 
shewn, this is the time for it. She therefore summoned the slaves, 
and sent them to the persons who packed up stuffs, and, having 
opened a magazine, took from it some stuffs for him, and they 
packed up for him ten loads. 

His father, in the mean time, looked around, and found not 
his son ’Ala ed-Deen in the garden. So he inquired respecting 
him, and they told him that he had mounted his mule and gone to 
the house ; whereupon he mounted and went after him; and when 
he entered his abode, seeing the loads packed up, he asked con¬ 
cerning them. His wife therefore informed him of the manner in 
which the sons of the merchants had acted towards his son ’Ala 
ed-Deen. And upon this he said to him, O my son, malediction 
be upon foreign travel! for the Apostle of God (may God favour 
and preserve him!) hath said, It is of a man’s good fortune that he 
be sustained in his own country;—and the ancients have said, 
Abstain from travel, though it be but a mile’s journey.—Then he 
said to his son, Hast thou determined to travel, and wilt thou 
not relinquish thy purpose ? His son answered him, I must travel 
to Baghdad with merchandise, or I will pull off my clothes, and put 
on the habit of the darweeshes, and go forth a wanderer through 
the countries. So his father said to him, I am not in need, nor 
destitute : but, on the contrary, I hav.e great wealth. And he 
shewed him all the wealth and merchandise and stuffs that he 

L'CiO 

THE STORY OF AI..V ED-DF.EN ABU-SII-SHA'M AT. 

possessed, and said to him, I have stuffs and other merchandise 
suitable for every country. And he shewed him, of such goods, 
forty loads packed up, upon each of which was written its price, 
a thousand pieces of gold. He then said to him, 0 my son, take 
the forty loads, and the ten loads which are given thee by thy 
mother, and journey under the protection of God, whose name be 
exalted! But, O my son, I fear for thee on account of a forest in 
thy way, called the Forest of the Lion, and a valley there called the 
Valley of the Dogs ; for lives are sacrificed in those two places 
without pity.—How so, O my father ? said his son. The merchant 
answered, By a Bedawee, an intercepter of the way, who is named 
’Ejlan. But his son replied, The means of preservation are from 
God, and if I have any share in them left, no harm will happen 
to me. 

Then he mounted with his father, and went to the market of 
the beasts of burden; and lo, an ’Akkam 28 dismounted from his 
mule, and, kissing the hand of the Shah Bandar of the merchants, 
said to him, By Allah, for a long time, O my master, thou hast not 
employed us in the transaction of mercantile business. The Shah 
Bandar replied, Every time hath its fortune and its men. 2 " O 
Mukaddam, 30 it is none but this my son who desireth to travel.— 
And the ’Akkam said, God preserve him to thee! The Shah 
Bandar then made a covenant between his son and the ’Akkam, 
that the former should be as a son of the latter, and gave the 
’Akkam a charge respecting ’Ala ed-Deen, and said to him, Take 
these hundred pieces of gold for thy young men. After which he 
bought sixty mules, and a covering for Seyyidee ’Abd El-Kadir 
El-Geelanee, 31 and said to his son, O my son, while I am absent, 
this ’Akkam shall be thy father in my stead, and with whatever he 
saith to thee do thou comply. Then he returned, with the mules 
and the young men, and the next night they caused a recitation of 
the whole of the Kur-an to be performed, and celebrated a festival 
in honour of the sheykh ’Abd El-Kadir El-Geelanee. 32 And when 
the following morning came, the Shah Bandar of the merchants gave 
to his son ten thousand pieces of gold, saying to him, When thou 
enterest Baghdad, if thou find the stuffs of easy sale, sell them; but 
if thou find them not in request, expend of these pieces of gold. 

THE STORY OF 'ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'l’. 

26 1 

They then loaded the mules, and bade one another farewell, 
and the party went forth from the city. They continued their way 
over the deserts and wastes until they came in sight of Damascus, 
and from Damascus they proceeded until they entered Aleppo, and 
thence they continued their route until there remained between 
them and Baghdad one day’s journey. Still they advanced till 
they descended into a valley, and ’Ala ed-Deen desired that they 
should halt there ; but the ’Akkam said, Halt ye not here: con¬ 
tinue on your way and hasten in your pace : perhaps we may reach 
Baghdad before its gates he closed; for the people open them not 
nor close them but when the sun is up, in their fear lest the Rafi- 
dees 33 should take the city and throw the books of science into the 
Tigris. ’Ala ed-Deen, however, replied, O my father, I came not 
with this merchandise unto this town for the sake of traffick, hut for 
the sake of amusing myself by the sight of foreign countries.—O my 
son, rejoined the ’Akkam, we fear for thee and for thy property on 
account of the Arabs. But ’Ala ed-Deen said, O man, art thou a 
servant or a person served ? I will not enter Baghdad but in the 
morning, that the sons of Baghdad may see my merchandise, and 
may know me.—So the ’Akkam replied, Do what thou wilt; for I 
have advised thee, and thou canst judge for thyself. And ’Ala 
ed-Deen ordered them to take down the burdens from the backs of 
the mules; and they did so, and pitched the pavilion, and remained 
until midnight. 

’Ala ed-Deen then went forth from the pavilion, and saw some¬ 
thing glittering in the distance. So he said to the ’Akkam, O 
Mukaddam, what is this thing that is glittering ? And the ’Akkam, 
looking attentively and with a scrutinizing eye, saw that what 
glittered was the points of spears and the iron of Bedawee wea¬ 
pons and swords. And lo, they were Arabs, whose chief was 
named the sheykh of the Arabs ’Ejlan Aboo Naib; and when 
these Arabs drew near them and saw their packages, they said, one 
to another, O night of spoil! As soon as the travellers heard them 
say this, the Mukaddam Kemal ed-Deen, the ’Akkam, exclaimed. 
Avaunt, O least of Arabs! But Aboo Naib smote him with his 
spear upon his breast, and it protruded glittering from his back; 
whereupon he fell at the door of the tent, slain. Then the Sakka 34 

262 THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MAT. 

exclaimed, Avaunt, O basest of Arabs! And one of them struck him 
upon his shoulder with a sword, and it passed forth glittering 
from his vitals, and he, also, fell down slain. All this took place 
while ’Ala ed-Deen stood looking on. The Arabs surrounded and 
fiercely assaulted the caravan, and killed the attendants of ’Ala 
ed-Deen, not sparing one of them ; after which, they placed the 
loads upon the backs of the mules, and retired. ’Ala ed-Deen 
then said to himself, Nothing will occasion thy slaughter but thy 
mule and this thy dress. So he arose, and pulled off the dress, and 
threw it upon the back of his mule, remaining in the shirt and 
drawers alone ; and, looking before him, towards the door of the 
tent, he found a pool of blood, flowing from the slain; and he rolled 
himself in it with the shirt and the drawers, so that he appeared 
like one slain, drowned in his blood. 

Meanwhile, the sheykli of the Arabs, ’Ejlan, said to his troops, 
O Arabs, was this caravan entering from Egypt, or going forth from 
Baghdad ? They answered him, Coming from Egypt into Baghdad. 
And he said to them, Return to the slain ; for I imagine that the 
proprietor of this caravan hath not died. So the Arabs returned 
to the slain, and proceeded to pierce and strike them again until 
they came to ’Ala ed-Deen. He had thrown himself among the 
slain; and when they came to him they said, Thou hast feigned 
thyself to be dead ; so we will complete thy slaughter. And a 
Bedawee took his spear, and was about to thrust it into the breast 
of ’Ala ed-Deen ; whereupon ’Ala ed-Deen said, O thy blessing, 3S 
O my lord ’Abd El-Kadir, O Geelanee ! And he saw a hand turn 
away the spear from his breast to the breast of the Mukaddam 
Kemal ed-Deen, the ’Akkam ; so that the Bedawee pierced the 
latter with it, and left ’Ala ed-Deen; after which, the Arabs 
replaced the burdens on the backs of the mules, and departed with 
them. 

’Ala ed-Deen then looked, and, seeing that the birds had flown 
with their spoils, arose and ran away. But lo, the Bedawee Aboo 
Naib said to his companions, I saw a faint appearance of an object 
in the distance, O Arabs. One of them, therefore, came forth, and 
beheld ’Ala ed-Deen running; upon which he said to him, Flight 
will not profit thee while we are behind thee. And he struck his 

mare with his fist, and she hastened after him. Now ’Ala ed- 
Deen had seen before him a tank containing water, and by the side 
of it was a cistern: so he ascended to a window of the cistern, and 
there stretching himself along, feigned himself asleep, and said, O 
kind Protector, cover me with the veil of thy protection that cannot 
be removed! 30 And behold, the Bedawee stopped beneath the 
cistern, and stretched forth his hand to seize ’Ala ed-Deen ; where¬ 
upon the latter said, 0 thy blessing, O my lady Nefeeseli! This 
is thy time! 37 —And lo, a scorpion stung the Bedawee in the palm 
of his hand ; and he cried out and said, O Arabs, come to me, for 
I am stung ! And he alighted from the back of his mare, and his 
companions, coming to him, mounted him again, and said to him. 
What hath befallen thee ? He answered them, A scorpion hath 
stung me. And they then took the property of the caravan, and 
departed. 

THE STORY OF ALA' ED-DEEN ABU SII-nHA'A!AT. 

261 

’Ala ed-Deen remained a while sleeping in the window ol the 
cistern. Then arising, he proceeded, and entered Baghdad. The 
dogs barked behind him as be passed through the streets, and in 
the evening, while he was walking on in the dark, he saw the door 
of a mosque, and, entering its vestibule, he concealed himself in it. 
And lo, a light approached him, and as he looked attentively at it, 
he perceived two lanterns in the hands of two black slaves, who 
were walking before two merchants. One of these was an old man 
of comely countenance, and the other was a young man; and he 
heard the latter say to the former, By Allah, O my uncle, I conjure 
thee to restore to me my cousin, thy daughter. To which the old 
man replied, Did I not forbid thee many times, when thou wast 
making divorce thy mus-haf? 38 Then the old man looked to the 
right, and saw ’Ala ed-Deen, appearing like a piece of the moon ; 
and he said to him, Peace be on thee! ’Ala ed-Deen, therefore, 
returned his salutation, and the old man said to him, O youth, who 
art thou ? He answered him, I am ’Ala ed-Deen, the son of 
Shems ed-Deen the Shah Bandar of the merchants in Cairo. I 
requested my father to give me merchandise, and he prepared for 
me fifty loads of goods, and gave me ten thousand pieces of gold ; 
and I journeyed until I arrived at the Forest of the Lion, when the 
Arabs came upon me and took my wealth and my packages; and 
I entered this city, not knowing where to pass the night: so, seeing 
this place, I concealed myself in it.—The old man then said to 
him, O my son, what sayest thou of my giving thee a thousand 
pieces of gold, and a suit of clothing of the price of a thousand 
pieces of gold ?—For what purpose, said ’Ala ed-Deen, wilt thou 
give me these things, O my uncle ? He answered him, This young 
man who is with me is the son of my brother, and his father hath 
no son but him ; and I have a daughter, and have none but her, 
who is named Zubeydeh El- Oodeeyeh. 38 She is endowed with 
beauty and loveliness, and I married her to him, and he loveth her; 
but she hateth him j and he swore an oatli of triple divorcement, 
and scarcely had his wife heard it when she separated herself from 
him. And he employed all the people of liis acquaintance to inter¬ 
cede with me, that I should restore her to him : so I said to him, 
I his will not be right unless by means of a mustahall: 40 —and I 
agreed with him that we should employ some foreigner as a mus- 

tahall, in order that no one might reproach him on account of this 
affair. Since, then, thou art a foreigner, come with us, that we 
may write thy contract of marriage to her, and to-morrow thou 
shalt divorce her, and we will give thee what I have mentioned.— 
So ’Ala ed-Deen said within himself, To do what he proposeth will 
be better than passing the nights in the by-streets and vestibules. 

Accordingly he went with the two men to the Kadee. And 
when the Kadee saw him, his heart was moved with affection for 
him, and he said to the father of the damsel, What is your desire ? 
The old man answered, It is our desire to employ this person as a 
mustahall for our daughter; but we will write a bond against him, 
stating that the portion of the dowry to be paid in advance is ten 
thousand pieces of gold ; and if he divorce her to-morrow-morning, 
we will give him a dress of the price of a thousand pieces of gold, 
and a mule of the same price, and a thousand pieces of gold besides; 
but if he divorce her not, he will pay ten thousand pieces of gold. * l 
So they settled the contract on this condition, and the father of the 
damsel received a bond to this effect. He then took ’Ala ed-Deen 

2 M 

VOL. II. 

266 THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 

with him, clad him with the suit, and proceeded with him until 
they came to the house of his daughter, when he stationed him at 
the door of the house, and, going in to his daughter, said to her, 
Receive the bond of thy dowry; for I have written thy contract of 
marriage to a comely young man, named ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh- 
Shamat: so consider thyself under a most strict charge respecting 
him. And he gave her the bond, and repaired to his house. 

Now the damsel's cousin (her former husband) had a kahramaneh 
who frequently visited Zubeydeh El-’Oodeeyeh, and he used to 
treat her with beneficence; and he said to her, O my mother, if 
Zubeydeh the daughter of my uncle see this comely young man, 
she will not accept me after; so I desire of thee that thou contrive 
a stratagem to restrain the damsel from him.—By thy youth, she 
replied, I will not suffer him to go near her. She then went to 
’Ala ed-Deen, and said to him, O my son, I give thee good advice 
for the sake of God (whose name be exalted!); therefore do thou 
accept my advice, and approach not that damsel, but let her remain 
alone, and neither touch her nor draw near to her.—Wherefore ? 
said he. And she answered him, Verily her whole skin is affected 
with elephantiasis, and I fear for thee lest she communicate the 
disease to thy comely, youthful person. 42 So he replied, I have no 
need of her. Then she went to the damsel, and said to her as she 
had said to ’Ala ed-Deen; and the damsel replied, I have no need 
of him: on the contrary, I will leave him to remain alone, and in 
the morning he shall go his way. And she called a slave-girl, and 
said to her, Take the table with the food, and give it to him that 
he may sup. The slave-girl, therefore, carried to him the table 
with the food, and placed it before him, and he ate until he was 
satisfied, and then sat reciting the chapter of Ya-Seen, 43 with a 
charming voice; and the damsel, listening to him, found that his 
voice was like the sounds of the Psalms sung by the family of 
Daood. 44 So she said within herself, Allah send trouble upon 
this old woman who told me that he was afflicted with elephanti¬ 
asis ! for he who is in such a state hath not a voice of this kind. 
Surely this assertion is a lie against him.—Then taking in her 
hands a lute of Indian manufacture, she tuned its chords, and 
sang to it, with a voice that would stay the birds in the midst of 
the skv, these tw'o verses:— 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 267 

I am enamoured of a fawn with languishing black eyes: the willow-branches 
envy him when he walketh. 

He rejecteth me, and another enjoyeth his society, which is a boon that God 
will grant to whom He pleaseth. 

And when he heard her words, after he had finished his recitation 
of the Chapter he sang this verse in reply :— 

My salutation to the form concealed within the garments, and to the rose3 in 
the gardens of the cheeks. 

And upon this, the damsel’s love for him increased, and she lifted 
up the curtain; and when ’Ala ed-Deen beheld her, he recited 
these two verses:— 

She appeared as a moon, and inclined as a willow-branch ; diffused an odour 
like ambergris, and looked with eyes like a gazelle’s. 

It seemed as though grief were enamoured of my heart, and when she should 
depart, would obtain possession of it. 

She then advanced with a graceful gait; but as she approached him 
he said to her, Retire from me, lest thou communicate thy disease 
to me. So she uncovered her wrist, which was bipartite, 45 and its 
whiteness was like that of silver; after which she said to him, 
Retire from me; for thou art afflicted with elephantiasis, and 
perhaps thou wilt communicate the disease to me. He therefore 
asked her, Who informed thee that I was afflicted with elephanti¬ 
asis ? She answered him, The old woman acquainted me with it. 
And he replied, The old woman also informed me that thou wast 
afflicted with leprosy. Then he uncovered to her his arms, and 
she found that his skin was like pure silver. So she accepted him 
as her husband. 

And on the following morning he said to her, Alas for joy that 
is not complete! The raven hath taken it and flown away! 46 —She 
therefore said, What is the meaning of these words? And he 
answered her, 0 my mistress, I have only this hour to remain with 
thee.—Who saith so ? she asked.—Thy father, he answered her, 
wrote a bond against me, obliging me to pay ten thousand pieces 
of gold towards thy dowry; and if I produce it not this day, they 
imprison me for it in the house of the Kadee; and now my hand is 
unable to advance a single half-dirhem 47 of the sum of ten thousand 

268 THE STORY OF 'ALA' ED-DEEN AUU-SH-SHA'M AT. 

pieces of gold. But she said to him, O my master, is the matri¬ 
monial tie in thy hand, or in their hands ? He answered her, The 
tie is in my hand; but I have nothing in my possession.—The affair, 
she rejoined, is easy; and fear nothing; but take these hundred 
pieces of gold. Had I more, I would give thee what thou desirest. 
This, however, I cannot do; for my father, from the affection that 
he beareth for the son of his brother, hath transferred all his pro¬ 
perty from my hands to his house : even all my ornaments he took. 
But when they send to thee a sergeant from the court of justice, 
this morning, and the Kadee and my father say to thee, Divorce,— 
do thou say to them, By what code is it ordained as proper that I 
should marry at nightfall and divorce in the morning ? Then thou 
shalt kiss the hand of the Kadee, and give him a present; and in 
like manner thou shalt kiss the hand of each Shahid, 48 and give 
him ten pieces of gold. And all of them will speak with thee: 
and if they say to thee, Wherefore wilt thou not divorce, and 
receive a thousand pieces of gold, and the mule and the dress, 
according to the condition which we imposed upon thee ?—do thou 
answer them, Every hair of her head is in my estimation worth a 
thousand pieces of gold, and I will never divorce her, nor will I 
receive a dress or anything else. If the Kadee then say to thee, 
Pay the dowry,—reply, I am at present unable to pay. And 
thereupon the Kadee and the Shahids will treat thee with bene¬ 
volence, and will grant thee a delay. 

Now while they were thus conversing, the sergeant of the 
Kadee knocked at the door. So he went forth to him, and the 
sergeant said to him, Answer the summons of the Efendee; 49 for 
thy father-in-law citeth thee. And ’Ala ed-Deen gave to him five 
pieces of gold, saying, O sergeant, by what code am I required to 
marry at nightfall and to divorce in the morning ? He answered 
him, To do so is not held proper by us in any case; and if thou 
be ignorant of the law, I will act as thy deputy. And they pro¬ 
ceeded to the court of justice, and the Kadee said to ’Ala ed-Deen, 
Wherefore dost thou not divorce the woman, and receive what the 
contract hath prescribed for thee ? And upon this he advanced to 
the Kadee, and, kissing his hand, put into it fifty pieces of gold, 
and said to him, O our lord the Kadee, by what code is it 
allowable that I should marry at nightfall and divorce in the 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 269 

morning by compulsion ? The Kadee therefore answered, Divorce 
by compulsion is not allowable by any of the codes of the Muslims. 
Then the father of the damsel said, If thou divorce not, pay me 
the dowry, ten thousand pieces of gold. ’Ala ed-Deen replied, 
Give me three days’ delay. But the Kadee said, Three days will 
not be a sufficient period of delay: he shall grant thee ten days. 
And to this they agreed, binding him, after the ten days, either to 
pay the dowry or to divorce. 

On this condition, therefore, he went forth from them, and, 
having procured the meat and rice and clarified butter and other 
eatables that the case required, returned to the house and went 
in to the damsel and related to her all that had happened to him. 
She replied, Between night and day, wonders take place; and 
divinely gifted was he who said,— 

Be mild when thou art troubled by rage, and he patient when calamity 
befalleth thee; 

For the nights are pregnant with events, and give birth to every kind of 
wonder. 

She then arose, prepared the food, and brought the table, and they 
ate and drank, and enjoyed themselves, and were moved with merri¬ 
ment ; and he requested her to perform a piece of music. So she 
took the lute, and performed a piece in such a manner that a rock 
would have danced at it as if with joy, the sounds of the chords 
vying with the voice of Daood; 50 and she began the more rapid 
part of the performance. 51 

But while they were full of delight and jesting, and mirth and 
gladness, the door was knocked. She therefore said to him, Arise, 
and see who is at the door. Accordingly, he went down, and, 
opening the door, found four darweeshes standing there, and he 
said to them. What do ye desire ?—O my master, answered one of 
them, we are foreign darweeshes: the food of our souls consisteth 
in music and in the delicacies of poetry, and we desire to recreate 
ourselves with thee this night, until the morning, when we will go 
our way; and thou wilt receive thy recompense from God (whose 
name be exalted!); for we are passionately fond of music, and 
there is not one among us who doth not retain in his memory odes 
and other pieces of poetry and lyric songs. 53 ’Ala ed-Deen replied, 

270 THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA 7 I 1 . 

1 must consult. And he went up, and informed the damsel; and 
she said to him, Open the door to them. So he opened to them 
the door, and, having conducted them up, seated them and wel¬ 
comed them, and brought them food. But they declined eating, 
and one of them said to him, O my master, verily our victuals are 
the commemoration of God with our hearts, and the hearing of 
songs with our ears; and divinely was he gifted who said,— 

Our desire is for nought but the enjoyment of society; and eating is nought 
but a characteristic of the brutes. 

We just now heard some pleasant music in thine abode ; but when 
we came up, it ceased; and we would that we knew whether she 
who was performing is a white or a black slave-girl, or a lady.— 
’Ala ed-Deen replied, She is my wife. And he related to them all 
that had happened to him, and said to them, My father-in-law hath 
bound me to pay ten thousand pieces of gold as her dowry, and 
they have given me ten days’ delay. Upon this, one of the dar- 
weeshes said to him, Grieve not, nor anticipate anything but good 
fortune ; for I am the Sheykh of the Convent, having under me 
forty darweeshes over whom I exercise authority, and I will collect 
for thee the ten thousand pieces of gold from them, and thou shalt 
discharge the dowry that thou owest to thy father-in-law. But 
desire her (he added) to perform a piece of music for us, that we 
may be rejoiced and enlivened; for music is to some people like 
food ; and to some, like a remedy ; and to some, like a fan.—Now 
these four darweeshes were the Khaleefeh Haroon Er-Rasheed, and 
the Wezeer Jaafar El-Barmekee, and Aboo Nuwas El-Hasan the 
son of Hanee, 53 and Mesroor the Executioner. And the reason of 
their passing by this house was, that the bosom of the Khaleefeh 
was contracted; so he said to the Wezeer, O Wezeer, it is our 
desire to descend and to go about through the city; for I experi¬ 
ence a contraction of the bosom. They therefore clad themselves 
ill the apparel of darweeshes, and went down into the city, and, 
passing by this house, they heard the music, and desired to 
ascertain the cause. They passed the night there in happiness and 
good order, and in relating stories one after another, until the 
morning came, when the Khaleefeh put a hundred pieces of gold 

THE STORY OF ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MAT. 271 

beneath the prayer-carpet, and he and his companions took leave 
of ’Ala ed-Deen, and went their way. 

When the damsel, therefore, lifted up the prayer-carpet, she 
saw the hundred pieces of gold beneath it. And she said to her 
husband, Take these hundred pieces of gold that I have found 
under the prayer-carpet; for the darweeshes put them before they 
went, without our knowledge. So ’Ala ed-Deen took them, and, 
repairing to the market, bought the meat and the rice and the 
clarified butter, and all that he required. And on the following 
night he lighted the candles, and said to his wife. The darweeshes 
have not brought the ten thousand pieces of gold which they 
promised me; but they are poor men. While they were talking, 
however, the darweeshes knocked at the door; and she said to him. 
Go down, and open to them. He therefore did so, and they came 
up, and he said to them, Have ye brought the ten thousand pieces 
of gold that ye promised me ? They answered him, Nothing of 
the sum hath been provided; but fear no evil: if it be the will of 
God (whose name be exalted!), to-morrow we will perform an 
alchymical process for thee; and now do thou desire thy wife to 

212 

THE STORY OF ALA' F.D-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 

gratify our ears by an excellent performance of music, that our 
hearts may he enlivened by it; for we love music. So she per¬ 
formed a piece for them upon the lute, such as would make a rock 
to dance. And they passed the night in enjoyment and happiness, 
and conversation and cheerfulness, until the morning came and 
diffused its light; whereupon the Khaleefeh again put a hundred 
pieces of gold beneath the prayer-carpet, and he and his com¬ 
panions took leave of ’Ala ed-Deen, and departed from him and 
went their way. 

Thus they continued to do for a period of nine nights; the 
Khaleefeh every night putting beneath the prayer-carpet a 
hundred pieces of gold, until the tenth night, when they came 
not; and the cause of their ceasing their visits was this. The 
Khaleefeh sent to a great merchant, saying to him, Make ready 
for me fifty loads of stuffs, such as come from Cairo, each load of 
the price of a thousand pieces of gold, and write upon each the 
amount of its price ; and provide for me a male Abyssinian slave. 
So the merchant made ready for him all that he ordered him to 
provide, after which the Khaleefeh committed to the slave a basin 
and ewer of gold, and another present, and the fifty loads, and 
wrote a letter as from Shems ed-Deen the Shah Bandar of the 
merchants in Cairo, the father of ’Ala ed-Deen, and said to the 
slave, Take these loads and the things that are with them, and 
repair with them to such a quarter, in which is the house of the 
Shah Bandar of the merchants, and say, Where is my master ’Ala 
ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat ? Then the people will direct thee to the 
quarter and to the house.—The slave therefore took the loads and 
what was with them, and went as the Khaleefeh commanded him. 

In the mean time, the damsel’s cousin repaired to her father, 
and said to him, Come, let us go to ’Ala ed-Deen, that we may 
effect the divorce of my cousin. So the father descended and 
went with him to ’Ala ed-Deen; but when they arrived at the 
house, they found fifty mules, upon which were fifty loads of stuffs, 
attended by a black slave upon a mule ; and they said to him, To 
whom belong these loads 1 He answered, To my master ’Ala ed- 
Deen Abu-sh-Shamat; for his father prepared for him merchan¬ 
dise, and despatched him on a journey to the city of Baghdad, and 
the Arabs came upon him, and took his wealth and his loads; and 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 273 

the news reached his father; wherefore he sent me to him with 
loads in their stead. He sent with me also a mule laden with fifty 
thousand pieces of gold, and a wrapper of clothes worth a large sum 
of money, and a furred robe of sable, and a basin and ewer of 
gold.—Upon this, the father of the damsel said, This person is my 
son-in-law, and I will shew thee the way to the house. 

And while ’Ala ed-Deen was sitting in the house in a state of 
violent grief, the door was knocked; and he said, O Zubeydeh, 
God is all-knowing; but it seemeth that thy father hath sent to 
me a sergeant from the Kadee or from the Walee. She replied, 
Go down and see what is the case. So he went down and opened 
the door, and beheld his father-in-law, who was the Shah Bandar 
of the merchants, the father of Zubeydeh ; and he found there an 
Abyssinian slave of dark complexion and of pleasant countenance, 
mounted upon a mule. And the slave, having descended from the 
mule, kissed his hands; and he said to him, What dost thou 
desire ? He answered, I am the slave of my master ’Ala ed-Deen 
Abu-sh-Shamat, the son of Shems ed-Deen the Shah Bandar of 
the merchants in the land of Egypt; and his father hath sent me 
to him with this deposite. He then gave him the letter; and 
’Ala ed-Deen took it and opened it and read it, and found written 
in it these words :— 

After perfect salutations, and compliments and respectful 
greetings, from Shems ed-Deen to his son ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh- 
Shamat.—Know, O my son, that the news of the slaughter of thy 
men, and of the plunder of thy wealth and thy loads, hath reached 
me; and I have therefore sent to thee, in their stead, these fifty 
loads of Egyptian stuffs, and the suit of dress, and the furred robe 
of sable, and the basin and ewer of gold. And fear no evil; for 
the wealth is thy ransom, O my son; and may grief never affect 
thee. Thy mother and the people of the house are well, in pros¬ 
perity and health; and they greet thee with abundant salutations. 
Moreover, 0 my son, news hath reached me that they have em¬ 
ployed thee as a mustahall for the damsel Zubeydeh El-’Oodeeyeh, 
and have imposed upon thee the payment of ten thousand 54 pieces 
of gold as her dowry. Therefore fifty thousand pieces of gold 
will be brought to thee with the loads, attended by thy slave 
Seleem." 

2 N 

VOL. II. 

274 THE STORY OF ALA' KD-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MAT. 

As soon as ’Ala ecl-Deen had finished reading the letter, he 
took possession of the loads, and, looking towards his father-in-law, 
said to him, O my father-in-law, receive the ten thousand pieces of 
gold, the amount of the dowry of thy daughter Zuheydeh: receive 
also the loads, and dispose of them, and the profit shall be thine; 
only do thou restore to me the cost-price. But he replied, Nay, by 
Allah, I will take nothing; and as to the dowry of thy wife, do 
thou make an agreement with her respecting it. So ’Ala ed-Deen 
arose, together with his father-in-law, and they went into the 
house, after the loads had been brought in. And Zuheydeh said 
to her father, 0 my father, to whom belong these loads ? He 
answered her, These loads belong to ’Ala ed-Deen, thy husband. 
His father hath sent them to him in the place of those which the 
Arabs took from him; and he hath sent to him fifty thousand 
pieces of gold, and a wrapper of clothes, and a furred robe of 
sable, and a mule, and a basin and ewer of gold: and as to thy 
dowry, it is for thee to decide respecting it. Then Ala ed-Deen 
arose, and, having opened the chest, gave her her dowry. The 
damsel’s cousin said, 0 my uncle, let ’Ala ed-Deen divorce my wife 
for me. But the father of the damsel replied, This is a thing 
that now can by no means be, as the matrimonial tie is in his 
hand. And upon this the young man went away, grieved and 
afflicted, and laid himself down sick in his house, and there he 
died. 

As to ’Ala ed-Deen, he went forth to the market, after he had 
received the loads, and, having procured what he desired of food 
and drink and clarified butter, made the same regular preparations 
as on each preceding night, and said to Zubeydeh, See, these lying 
darweeshes gave us a promise and broke it. She replied, Thou art 
the son of a Shah Bandar of the merchants, and yet thy hand was 
unable to produce a half-dirhem. What then is the case of the 
poor darweeshes?—God (whose name be exalted!), he rejoined, 
hath rendered us independent of them, and I will not again open 
the door to them if they come to us. But she said to him, Where¬ 
fore, seeing that good fortune happened not unto us but in con¬ 
sequence of their coming; for every night they put for us beneath 
the prayer-carpet a hundred pieces of gold ? It is absolutely 
necessary, then, that thou open the door to them if they come.— 

And when the day departed with its brightness, and the night 
;ame, they lighted the candles, and ’Ala ed-Deen said to his wife, 
3 Zubeydeh, arise, and perform a piece of music for us. And 
mmediately the door was knocked: so she said to him, Rise, and 
;ee who is there. He descended, therefore, and opened the door, 
ind seeing the darweeshes, he said, Oh ! Welcome to the liars ! 
3ome up.—Accordingly they went up with him, and he seated 
hem, and brought the table of food to them ; and they ate and 
Irank, and enjoyed themselves and were merry. They then said 
so him, 0 my master, verily our hearts have been troubled re¬ 
specting thee. What hath happened to thee with thy father-in- 
aw?—God, he answered them, hath granted us a recompense 
tbove our desires. And they said to him, By Allah, we were in 
ear for thee, and nothing prevented our coming to thee again but 
she inadequacy of our means to procure the money. He replied, 

276 THE STORY OF 'ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SH A'MA'T. 

Speedy relief hath come to me from my Lord, and my father hath 
sent to me fifty thousand pieces of gold, and fifty loads of stuffs, 
each load of the price of a thousand pieces of gold, and a suit of 
dress, and a furred robe of sable, and a mule and a slave, and a 
basin and ewer of gold: a reconciliation hath taken place between 
me and my father-in-law, and my wife hath become lawful to me ; 58 
and praise be to God for this! 

The Khaleefeh then arose and withdrew; and the Wezeer 
Jaafar, inclining towards ’Ala ed-Deen, said to him, Impose upon 
thyself the obligation of good manners ; for thou art in the com¬ 
pany of the Prince of the Faithful.—What have I done, asked 
’Ala ed-Deen, inconsistently with good manners in the company 
of the Prince of the Faithful, and which of you is the Prince of 
the Faithful ? The Wezeer answered him, He who was speaking 
to you, and who hath just now retired, is the Prince of the Faith¬ 
ful, Haroon Er-Rasheed, and I am the Wezeer Jaafar, and this is 
Mesroor, the Khaleefeh’s executioner, and this is Aboo Nuwas El- 
Hasan the son of Hanee. Reflect then with thy reason, O ’Ala 
ed-Deen, and consider how many days are required for the journey 
from Cairo to Baghdad.—He replied, Five and forty days. Then 
said Jaafar, Thy loads were carried off only ten days ago ; and how 
could the news reach thy father, and how could he pack up the 
other loads for thee, and these loads traverse a space of five and 
forty days’ journey in ten days ?—O my master, said ’Ala ed-Deen, 
and whence came they unto me ? The Wezeer answered him, 
From the Khaleefeh, the Prince of the Faithful, on account of his 
excessive affection for thee.—And while they were thus conversing, 
lo, the Khaleefeh approached. So ’Ala ed-Deen arose, and kissed 
the ground before him, and said to him, God preserve thee, O 
Prince of the Faithful, and prolong thy life, and may mankind 
never be deprived of thy bounty and beneficence! And the 
Khaleefeh said, O ’Ala ed-Deen, let Zubeydeh perform for us a 
piece of music, as a gratuity for thy safety. 87 She therefore per¬ 
formed a piece on the lute, of the most admirable kind, such as 
would make a rock to shake as with joy, and the sounds of the 
lute vied with the voice of Daood. 58 They passed the night in the 
happiest manner until the morning, when the Khaleefeh said to 
’Ala ed-Deen, To-morrow come up to the court. And ’Ala ed-Deen 

THE STORY OF 'ALA' ED-DEEN ’ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 277 

replied, I hear and obey, O Prince of the Faithful, if it be the 
will of God (whose name be exalted!), and mayest thou continue 
in prosperity. 

Then ’Ala ed-Deen took ten trays, and put on them a costly 
present; and on the following day he went up with them to the 
court. And while the Khaleefeh was sitting upon the throne in 
the council-chamber, lo, ’Ala ed-Deen advanced from the door, 
reciting these two verses :— 

May prosperity and glory attend thee each morning, and the nose of thine 
envier be rubbed in the dust; 

And may the days never cease to be white unto thee, and the days of him 
who is thine enemy be black! 

The Khaleefeh replied, Welcome, O ’Ala ed-Deen. And ’Ala ed- 
Deen said, O Prince of the Faithful, verily the Prophet (God 
favour and preserve him!) accepted a present; and these ten trays 
with what is upon them are a present from me unto thee. And 
the Prince of the Faithful accepted them from him. He gave 
orders also to invest him with a robe of honour, appointed him 
Shah Bandar of the merchants, and seated him in the council- 
chamber. And while ’Ala ed-Deen was sitting there, lo, his 
father-in-law, the father of Zubeydeh, approached, and, finding 
him sitting in his place, and wearing the robe of honour, said to 
the Prince of the Faithful, O King of the age, wherefore is this 
person sitting in my place, and wearing this robe of honour? The 
Khaleefeh answered him, I have appointed him Shah Bandar of 
the merchants; and offices are conferred by investiture, not granted 
for perpetuity ; and thou art displaced. And he replied, He is of 
our family and our connexions, and excellent is that winch thou 
hast done, O Prince of the Faithful. May God always make the 
best of us to preside over our affairs! And how many a small 
person hath become great!—The Khaleefeh then wrote a diploma 
for ’Ala ed-Deen, and gave it to the Walee, and the Walee gave it 
to the executioner, and he proclaimed in the court, None is Shah 
Bandar of the merchants but ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat; and 
his word is to be heard, and respect is to be paid to him: he is 
entitled to honour and reverence and exaltation!—And when the 
court was dissolved, the Walee descended with the crier before 

278 THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 

’Ala ed-Deen, and the crier proclaimed, None is Shah Bandar of 
the merchants but my master ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat! And 
they went about with him through the great thoroughfare-streets 
of Baghdad, the crier repeating the same proclamation. 

On the following morning, therefore, ’Ala ed-Deen opened a 
shop for the slave, and seated him in it to sell and buy, while he 
rode and took his place in the court of the Khaleefeh. And it 
happened that he was sitting in his place one day according to his 
custom, and as he sat, lo, a person said to the Khaleefeh, O Prince 
of the Faithful, may thy head long survive such-a-one, the boon- 
companion; 59 for he hath been admitted to the mercy of God 
(whose name be exalted!), and may thy life be prolonged! And 
the Khaleefeh said, Where is ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat ? So 
he presented himself before the Khaleefeh, who, when he saw him, 
bestowed upon him a magnificent robe of honour, appointed him his 
boon-companion, and assigned him a monthly salary of a thousand 
pieces of gold; and ’Ala ed-Deen continued with him as his boon- 
companion. And it happened again that he was sitting one day 
in his place according to his custom, in the service of the Khaleefeh, 
when an Emeer came up into the court with a sword and shield, 
and said, O Prince of the Faithful, may thy head long survive the 
Raees es-Sitteen ; 89 for he hath died this day. And the Khalee¬ 
feh gave orders to bring a robe of honour for ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh- 
Shamat, and appointed him Raees es-Sitteen in the place of the 
deceased. The latter had no son nor daughter nor wife: so ’Ala ed- 
Deen went down and put his hand upon his wealth ; and the Kha¬ 
leefeh said to him, Inter him, and take all that he hath left of wealth 
and male slaves and female slaves and eunuchs. Then the Khaleefeh 
shook the handkerchief, 81 and the court dispersed; and ’Ala ed- 
Deen departed, with the Mukaddam Ahmad Ed-Denef, the Mu- 
kaddam of the right division of the Khaleefeh’s guard, attended by 
his forty followers, by his stirrup, on the right; and on his left, 
the Mukaddam Hasan Shooman, the Mukaddam of the left 
division of the Khaleefeh’s guard, together with his forty followers. 
And ’Ala ed-Deen looked towards the Mukaddam Hasan Shoo¬ 
man and his followers, and said to them, Be ye intercessors with 
the Mukaddam Ahmad Ed-Denef, that he may accept me as his 
son by a covenant before God. And he accepted him, and said 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SH A'M A'T. 21 

to him, I and my forty followers will walk before thee to the cou. 
every day. 

After this, ’Ala ed-Deen continued in the sendee of the Khaleefe 
for many days. And it happened that he descended from the com 
one day, and went to his house, and, having dismissed Ahmad Er 
Denef and his attendants, seated himself with his wife Zuheyde 
El-’Oodeeyeh, who, after she had lighted the candles, went ini 
an adjoining chamber; and while he was sitting in his place, h 
heard a great cry. He therefore arose quickly to see who it we 
that cried, and beheld, in the person from whom the sound pr< 
ceeded, the form of his wife Zubeydeh El-’Oodeeyeh, lyin 
extended upon the floor; and he put his hand upon the bosom ( 
the prostrate damsel, and found her dead. Her father’s house w; 
opposite to that of ’Ala ed-Deen, and he (the father) also hear 
her cry: so he came, and said to her husband, What is the matte 
O my master ’Ala ed-Deen ? The latter replied, May thy hea< 
O my father, long survive thy daughter Zubeydeh El-’Oodeeyeh 
but now, O my father we must pay respect to the dead by ii 
burial. And when the following morning came, they interred th 
damsel’s body; and ’Ala ed-Deen and the father of Zuheyde 
consoled each other. ’Ala ed-Deen put on the apparel of mouri 
ing, separated himself from the court, and continued with weepin 
eye and mourning heart. 

So the Khaleefeh said to Jaafar, O Wezeer, what is the reasc 
of’Ala ed-Deen’s absenting himself from the court? The Wezee 
answered him, O Prince of the Faithful, he is mourning for h 
wife Zubeydeh, and engaged in receiving the visits of consolatio 
for her loss. Upon this the Khaleefeh said, It is incumbent on x 
to console him. And the Wezeer replied, I hear and obey. Tl 
Khaleefeh therefore descended with Jaafar and some of the hous< 
hold attendants, and they mounted, and repaired to the house < 
’Ala ed-Deen. And as he was sitting, lo, the Khaleefeh and tl 
Wezeer and their attendants approached him; whereupon he aro; 
to meet them, and kissed the ground before the Khaleefeh, wl 
said to him, May God compensate thee happily! ’Ala ed-Dee 
replied, May God prolong thy life to us, O Prince of the Faithfu 
And the Khaleefeh said, O ’Ala ed-Deen, what is the reason of th 
separating thyself from the court ? He answered, My mournui 

280 THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 

for my wife Zubeydeh, O Prince of the Faithful. The Khaleefeh 
replied, Dispel anxiety from thy mind; for she hath departed to 
receive the mercy of God (whose name be exalted!), and mourning 
will never avail thee aught. But ’Ala ed-Deen said, I will not 
cease to mourn for her until I die and they bury me by her. The 
Khaleefeh rejoined, Verily with God is a compensation for every 
loss, and neither stratagem nor wealth will save one from death. 
Divinely gifted was he who said,— 

Every son of woman, though he be long preserved, must one day be carried 
upon the curving bier. 6a 

How then shall he on whose cheeks the dust is to be placed find diversion or 
delight in life ? 

—And when he had made an end of consoling him, he charged him 
that he should not separate himself from the court, and returned. 

’Ala ed-Deen then passed the night, and when the morning came, 
he mounted, and repaired to the court, and, going in to the Khalee¬ 
feh, kissed the ground before him. And the Khaleefeh raised himself 
to him slightly from the throne, 63 welcoming him and saluting him; 
and after he had desired him to take the place belonging to him, he 
said to him, O ’Ala ed-Deen, thou art my guest this night. Then 
the Khaleefeh took him into his palace, and called a slave-girl 
named Koot el-Kuloob, 61 and said to her, ’Ala ed-Deen had a wife 
whose name was Zubeydeh El-’Oodeeyeh, and she used to divert 
him from anxiety and grief; but she hath departed to receive the 
mercy of God (whose name be exalted!), and I desire that thou 
gratify his ears by a performance on the lute, of the most admirable 
kind, in order that he may be diverted from anxiety and sorrows. 
So the damsel performed an admirable piece of music; and the 
Khaleefeh said, What sayest thou, O ’Ala ed-Deen, of the voice of 
this slave-girl ?—Verily, he answered, Zubeydeh had a better voice 
than her’s ; but she is eminently skilled in playing on the lute ; for 
she would make a rock to dance. And the Khaleefeh said to him, 
Hath she pleased thee ? He answered him, She hath pleased me, 
O Prince of the Faithful. Then said the Khaleefeh, By my head, 
and by the tombs of my ancestors, verily she is a present from me 
unto thee, with her female slaves also. And ’Ala ed-Deen imagined 
that the Khaleefeh was jesting with him. But when the Khaleefeh 
arose in the morning, he went to his slave-girl Koot el-Kuloob, and 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MAT. 281 

said to her, I have made thee a present to ’Ala ed-Deen. And she 
rejoiced at this; for she had seen him and loved him. He then 
went from the pavilion of the palace to the council-chamber, and, 
having summoned the porters, said to them, Remove the goods of 
Koot el-Kuloob, and put her in the litter, 05 and convey her toge¬ 
ther with her female slaves to the house of ’Ala ed-Deen. So they 
conveyed her with her female slaves and her goods to the house, 
and conducted her into the pavilion. And the Khaleefeh remained 
sitting in the hall of judgment until the close of the day, when the 
court broke up, and he retired to his pavilion. 

Now as to Koot el-Kuloob, when she had entered the pavilion of 
’Ala ed-Deen, with her female slaves, who were forty in number, 
and the eunuchs also, she said to two of the eunuchs. One of you 
two shall sit on a chair on the right of the door, and the other shall 
sit on a chair on the left of it; and when ’Ala ed-Deen cometh, 
kiss his hands, and say to him, Our mistress Koot el-Kuloob re- 

282 THE STORY OF ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 

questeth thy presence in the pavilion; for the Khaleefeh hath given 
her to thee, together with her female slaves. And they replied, 
We hear and obey. They then did as she commanded them. So 
when ’Ala ed-Deen arrived, he found the two eunuchs of the Kha¬ 
leefeh sitting at the door, and he wondered at the event, saying 
within himself, Perhaps this is not my house; or if it be, what hath 
occurred ? And when the eunuchs saw him, they rose to him, and 
kissed his hands, and said, We are of the dependents of the Kha¬ 
leefeh, and the slaves of Koot el-Kuloob, and she saluteth thee, 
and saith to thee, that the Khaleefeh hath given her to thee, toge¬ 
ther with her female slaves, and she requesteth thy company. ’Ala 
ed-Deen, however, replied, say to her, Thou art welcome ; but as 
long as thou art in his abode, he will not enter the pavilion in 
which thou residest; for it is not fit that what hath belonged to the 
master should become the property of the servant:—and say to her, 
What was the amount of thy daily expenditure with the Khaleefeh ? 
They therefore went up to her, and said to her as he desired them; 
and she replied, A hundred pieces of gold each day. So he said to 
himself, I have no need of the Khaleefeh’s giving to me Koot el- 
Kuloob, that I should expend in this manner upon her; but I 
have no means of avoiding this. 

She then remained in his abode many days, he assigning to her 
daily a hundred pieces of gold, until he absented himself one day 
from the court; whereupon the Khaleefeh said, O Wezeer Jaafar, 
I gave not Koot el-Kuloob to ’Ala ed-Deen but that she might 
divert him from mourning for his wife; and what is the cause of 
his absenting himself from us ? The Wezeer answered, O Prince 
of the Faithful, he hath spoken truth who hath said, Whoso findeth 
his friends, forgetteth his mere acquaintances. The Khaleefeh, 
however, replied, Probably nothing hath caused him to absent him¬ 
self from us save some event that rendereth him excusable ; but we 
will visit him.—Now, some days before this, ’Ala ed-Deen had said 
to the Wezeer, I complained to the Khaleefeh of the grief that I 
suffered for the loss of my wife Zubeydeh El-’Oodeeyeh, and he 
gave to me Koot el-Kuloob. And the Wezeer said, If he did not 
love thee, he had not given her to thee. And hast thou visited 
her, O ’Ala ed-Deen ?—He answered, No, by Allah; nor do I know 
the difference between her height and breadth. 66 — And why so ? 

THE STORY OF 'ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 283 

said the Wezeer. ’Ala ed-Deen answered, O Wezeer, what is 
suited to the master is not suited to the servant.—Then the Kha- 
leefeh and Jaafar disguised themselves, and went to visit ’Ala ed- 
Deen ; and they proceeded without stopping until they went in to 
him; whereupon he recognised them, and arose, and kissed the 
Khaleefeh’s hands. And when the Khaleefeh saw him, he found 
the impress of mourning upon his countenance : so he said to him, 
O ’Ala ed-Deen, what is the cause of this mourning which thou 
sufferest ? Hast thou not visited Koot el-Kuloob ?—O Prince of 
the Faithful, he answered, what is suited to the master is not suited 
to the servant; and verily to the present time I have not visited 
her, nor do I know the difference between her height and her 
breadth: therefore quit me of her. The Khaleefeh said, I desire 
an interview with her, that I may ask her respecting her state. 
And ’Ala ed-Deen replied, I hear and obey, O Prince of the Faith¬ 
ful. The Khaleefeh therefore went in to her; and when she beheld 
him, she arose, and kissed the ground before him ; and he said to 
her, Hath ’Ala ed-Deen visited thee ? She answered, No, O Prince 
of the Faithful: I sent to invite him ; but he would not. And the 
Khaleefeh gave orders for her return to the palace, and said to ’Ala 
ed-Deen, Absent not thyself from us. And he then went back to 
his palace. 

So ’Ala ed-Deen passed that night, and in the morning mounted 
and repaired to the court, and seated himself in the place of the 
Raees es-Sitteen. And the Khaleefeh ordered the Treasurer to 
give to the Wezeer Jaafar ten thousand pieces of gold. He there¬ 
fore gave him that sum; and the Khaleefeh said to the Wezeer, I 
require of thee that thou go down to the market of the female 
slaves, and that thou purchase a slave-girl for ’ Ala ed-Deen with 
the ten thousand pieces of gold. And the Wezeer obeyed the 
command of the Khaleefeh. He went down, taking with him ’Ala 
ed-Deen, and proceeded with him to the market of the female 
slaves. 

Now it happened this day, that the Walee of Baghdad, who 
held his office by the appointment of the Khaleefeh, and whose 
name was the Emeer Khalid, went down to the market for the pur¬ 
pose of buying a slave-girl for his son; and the cause was this. 
He had a wife named Khatoon," 7 and he had, by her, a son of foul 

284 THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MAT. 

aspect, named Habazlam Bazazab, G “ who had attained to the age of 
twenty years and knew not how to ride on horseback. But his 
father was bold, valiant, stout in defence, one who was practised in 
horsemanship, and who waded through the seas of night . 69 And 
his mother said to his father, I desire that we marry him ; for he is 
now of a fit age. The Emeer, however, replied, He is of foul 
aspect, of disgusting odour, filthy, hideous : no woman will accept 
him. So she said, We will buy for him a slave-girl.—And it hap¬ 
pened, in order to the accomplishment of an event which God 
(whose name be exalted!) had decreed, that on the same day on 
which the Wezeer and ’Ala ed-Deen went down to the market, the 
Emeer Khalid, the Walee, went thither also, with his son Habazlam 
Bazazah. And while they were in the market, lo, there was a 
slave-girl endowed with beauty and loveliness, and justness of sta¬ 
ture, in the charge of a broker; and the Wezeer said, Consult, O 
broker, respecting a thousand pieces of gold for her. But the 
broker passed with her by the Walee, and Habazlam Bazazah be¬ 
holding her, the sight drew from him a thousand sighs, and he was 
enamoured of her, and love of her took entire possession of him: 
so he said, O my father, buy for me this slave-girl. The Walee 
therefore called the broker, and asked the slave-girl her name. She 
answered him, My name is Yasemeen. 7 " And the Walee said to 
his son, O my son, if she please thee, bid higher for her. Accord¬ 
ingly he said, O broker, what price hath been offered thee ? The 
broker answered, A thousand pieces of gold. And Habazlam Ba¬ 
zazah said, let her be mine for a thousand and one pieces of gold. 
So the broker went to ’Ala ed-Deen, and he bid for her two thou¬ 
sand ; and every time that the son of the Walee bid one piece of 
gold more, ’Ala ed-Deen bid a thousand. And the son of the 
Walee was enraged at this, and said, O broker, who outbiddeth me 
in the price of the slave-girl ? The broker answered him, The 
Wezeer Jaafar desireth to buy her for ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat. 
And at last ’Ala ed-Deen bid for her ten thousand pieces of gold; 
whereupon her master gave him his assent, and received her price; 
and Ala ed-Deen took her, and said to her, I emancipate thee for 
the sake of God, whose name be exalted! He then wrote his con¬ 
tract of marriage to her, and repaired with her to the house. 

The broker returned with his brokerage ; and the son of the 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 285 

Walee called him, and said to him, Where is the slave-girl ? He 
answered him, ’Ala ed-Deen hath purchased her for ten thousand 
pieces of gold, and hath emancipated her, and written his contract 
of marriage to her. And upon this, the young man was incensed; 
his sighs were many, and he returned to the house in a state of 
infirmity in consequence of his love for the damsel, and threw him¬ 
self upon the bed. He abstained from food, and his love and desire 
were excessive. So when his mother saw him in this state of debi¬ 
lity, she said to him, Allah preserve thee, O my son! What is the 
cause of thine infirmity ?—He answered, Buy me Yasemeen, O my 
mother. And his mother said, When the seller of sweet-scented 
flowers passeth by, I will buy for thee a pannier full of jasmine. 71 
He replied, What I mean is not the jasmine that people smell; but 
a slave-girl whose name is Yasemeen, whom my father would not 
buy for me. So she said to her husband, Why didst thou not 
buy for him this slave-girl ? He answered her, What is suited 
to the master is not suited to the servant; and I have no power 
to take her; for none purchased her but ’Ala ed-Deen, the Raees 
es-Sitteen. 

In consequence of this, the illness of the young man so increased 
that he abandoned sleep and food ; and his mother bound her head 
with the kerchiefs of mourning. And while she was sitting in her 
house, mourning for her son, lo, an old woman came in to her. 
She was the mother of Ahmad Kamakim the arch thief; and this 
arch thief used to break through a middle-wall, and to scale an 
upper one, and steal the kohl from the eye. 72 He was distinguished 
by these abominable practices in the beginning of his career. Then 
they made him chief of the watch, and he stole a sum of money, 
and was discovered in consequence : the Walee came upon him 
suddenly, and took him and led him before the Khaleefeh, who 
gave orders to slay him in the place of blood. 73 But he implored 
the protection of the Wezeer, whose intercession the Khaleefeh 
never rejected ; and he interceded for him. The Khaleefeh said to 
him, How is it that thou intercedest for a viper, noxious to man¬ 
kind ? But he replied, 0 Prince of the Faithful, imprison him ; 
for he who built the first prison was a wise man, since the prison is 
the sepulchre of the living, and a cause of the exultation of the 
enemies over those who are confined in it. And upon this the 

Khaleefeh gave orders to put him in chains, and engraved upon his 
chains, Appointed to remain until death: they shall not he loosed 
but on the bench of the washer of the dead. And they put him 
chained in the prison. 

Now his mother used to frequent the house of the Emeer Kha- 
lid, the Walee, and to go in to her son in the prison, and say to 
him, Did 1 not say to thee, Repent of unlawful deeds ? And he 
used to reply, God decreed this to befall me : but, O my mother, 
when thou goest in to the wife of the Walee, induce her to inter¬ 
cede for me with him. And when the old woman went in to the 
Walee’s wife, and found her with her head bound with the ker¬ 
chiefs of mourning, she said to her, Wherefore art thou mourning ? 
She answered, For the loss of my son Habazlam Bazazah. And 
the old woman said, Allah preserve thy son ! What hath befallen 
him ?—The wife of the Walee, therefore, related to her the story. 
And upon this the old woman said, What sayest thou of him who 
will achieve an extraordinary feat by which thy son shall be pre- 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 287 

served ?—And what wouldst thou do ? said the Walee’s wife. The 
old woman answered, I have a son named Ahmad Kamakim the 
arch thief, and he is chained in the prison, and on his chains are 
engraved the words. Appointed to remain until death. Do thou, 
therefore, attire thyself in the most magnificent apparel that thou 
hast, and adorn thyself in the best manner: then present thyself 
before thy husband with a cheerful and smiling countenance, and 
say to him, When a man requireth aught of his wife, he importu- 
neth her until he obtaineth it from her; but if the wife require 
aught of her husband, he will not perform it for her. And he will 
say to thee, What is it that thou wantest ? And do thou answer, 
When thou hast sworn, I will tell thee. But if he swear to thee 
by his head, or by Allah, say to him, Swear by thy divorce from 
me. 74 And when he hath sworn to thee by divorce, do thou say to 
him, Thou hast, in the prison, a Mukaddam named Ahmad Kama¬ 
kim, and he hath a poor mother, who hath had recourse to me, and 
urged me to conciliate thee, saying to me, Induce him to intercede 
for my son with the Khaleefeh, that my son may repent, and thy 
husband will be recompensed. And the Walee’s wife replied, I 
hear and obey. 

Accordingly, when the Walee came to his wife, she addressed 
him with the words which the old woman had dictated; and he 
swore to her by the oath of divorce. And on the following morning 
he performed the morning-prayers, and, going to the prison, said, 
O Ahmad Kamakim, O arch thief, wilt thou repent of thy conduct ? 
He answered, Verily I do turn unto God with repentance, and for¬ 
sake my sins, and say from my heart and with my tongue, I beg 
forgiveness of God.—So the Walee released him from the prison, 
and took him with him to the court, still in his chains. Then ad¬ 
vancing towards the Khaleefeh, he kissed the ground before him; 
whereupon the Khaleefeh said to him, 0 Emeer Khalid, what dost 
thou desire ? And he led forward Ahmad Kamakim, swinging his 
arms in the chains as he advanced, before the Khaleefeh, who, on 
seeing him, said, O Kamakim, art thou still alive?—O Prince of 
the Faithful, he answered, verily the life of the wretch is protracted. 
And the Khaleefeh said, O Emeer Khalid, for what purpose hast 
thou brought him hither ? The Walee answered him, Verily he 
hath a poor, desolate mother, who hath no son but him, and she 

288 THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. ’ 

hath had recourse to thy slave, that he should intercede with thee, 
O Prince of the Faithful, and beg thee to release him from the 
chains, and he will repent of his former conduct; and do thou 
appoint him Mukaddam of the watch, as he was at first. Upon 
this the Khaleefeh said to Ahmad Kamakim, Dost thou repent of 
thy former conduct ? And he answered him, I do turn unto God 
with repentance, O Prince of the Faithful. And the Khaleefeh 
gave orders to bring the blacksmith, and he unfastened his chains 
upon the bench of the washer of the dead. ” The Khaleefeh then 
appointed him again Mukaddam of the watch, and charged him to 
conduct himself well and uprightly. So he kissed the hands of the 
Khaleefeh, and descended with the robe of his investiture as Mu¬ 
kaddam of the w r atch, and they proclaimed his appointment. 

After this, when he had remained some time in his office, his 
mother went in to the wife of the Walee, and the latter said to her, 
Praise be to God who hath released thy son from the prison, and 
that he is at present in health and safety! But now, she added, 
why dost thou not tell him to contrive some means of bringing the 
damsel Yasemeen to my son Habazlam Bazazah ?—The old woman 
answered, I will tell him. So she departed from her, and went in 
to her son, whom she found intoxicated ; and she said to him, O 
my son, no one was the cause of thy release from the prison but 
the wife of the Walee, and she desireth of thee that thou contrive 
some means of killing ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat, and that thou 
bring the damsel Yasemeen to her son Habazlam Bazazah. He 
replied. This will be the easiest of things. I must contrive some 
means this night.—Now that night was the first of the new month, 
and it was the custom of the Prince of the Faithful to pass it with 
the lady Zubeydeh, for the purpose of emancipating a female slave 
or a memlook, or with some similar intention. And it was his 
habit to take off the royal apparel, and to leave the rosary and the 
dagger and the royal signet, putting them all upon the chair in the 
sitting-room. The Khaleefeh had also a lamp of gold, to which 
were attached three jewels disposed upon a gold wire; and that 
lamp was dear in his estimation. He charged the eunuchs with the 
care of the suit of apparel, and the lamp and the rest of the things, 
and entered the private apartment of the lady Zubeydeh. Then 
Alnnad Kamakim waited until the night was half spent, and Cano- 

pus shone, and mankind slept, and the Creator covered them with 
the curtain of darkness ; when he drew his sword and took it in his 
right hand, and took his grappling instrument in his left, and, ap¬ 
proaching the Khaleefeh’s sitting-room, fixed his scaling-ladder. 
He threw his grappling-instrument upon the sitting-room, and it 
caught hold upon it, and he mounted the ladder, ascended to the 
roof, lifted up the trap-door of the saloon, and descended into it, 
and found the eunuchs sleeping ; and he administered some benj 76 
to them, took the Khaleefeh’s suit of apparel, with the rosary and 
the dagger, and the handkerchief and the signet, and the lamp that 
was adorned with jewels, and descended by the same way by which 
he had made his ascent. He then repaired to the house of ’Ala 
ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat, who was this night occupied with the 
damsel’s wedding-festivities, and who had retired to her. And 

2 p 

VOL. II. 

290 THE STORY OF ALA' ED-DEEN ABl’-SM-SHA'MA'T. 

Ahmad Kamakim the arch thief descended into Ala cd-Deen s 
saloon, pulled up a slab of marble in its durka’ah, 77 and, having 
dug a hole beneath it, deposited there some of the things that he 
had stolen, retaining the rest in his possession. After this, he 
cemented the marble slab with gypsum as it was before, and de¬ 
scended by the way he had ascended, and said within himself, 1 
will sit and get drunk, and put the lamp before me, and drink the 
cup by its light. He then returned to his house. 

Now when the morning came, the Khaleefeh went into the 
saloon (his sitting-room), and found the eunuchs stupified with 
benj. So he awoke them, and, putting his hand upon the chair, he 
found not the suit of apparel nor the signet, nor the rosary nor the 
dagger, nor the handkerchief nor the lamp; whereupon he was 
violently enraged, and put on the apparel of anger, which was a 
suit of red, 78 and seated himself in the council-chamber. And the 
Wezeer advanced, and, having kissed the ground before him, said, 
May God avert evil from the Prince of the Faithful!—O Wezeer, 
replied the Khaleefeh, the evil is enormous. And the Wezeer 
said to him, What hath occurred ? The Khaleefeh therefore re¬ 
lated to him all that had happened. And, lo, the Walee came up, 
with Ahmad Kamakim the arch thief by his stirrup, and found the 
Khaleefeh in an excessive rage. And when the Khaleefeh saw the 
Walee he said to him, O Emeer Khalid, what is the state of Bagh¬ 
dad ? lie answered. Safe and secure. The Khaleefeh replied, 
Thou liest.—How so, O Prince of the Faithful ? said the Walee. 
And the Khaleefeh explained to him the affair, and said to him, I 
require thee to bring to me all those things. The W alee replied, 
O Prince of the Faithful, the worms of the vinegar are of it and in 
it; and a stranger can never obtain access to this place. But the 
Khaleefeh said, If thou bring me not these things I will put thee 
to death. So the Walee replied, Before thou slay me, slay Ahmad 
Kamakim the arch thief; for none knoweth the robber and the 
traitor but the Mukaddam of the watch. And upon this, Ahmad 
Kamakim said to the Khaleefeh, Accept my intercession for the 
Walee, and I will be responsible to thee for the thief, and I will 
trace him until I discover him: but give me two persons on the 
part of the Kadee, and two on the part of the Walee; for he who 
did this deed feareth not thee, nor doth he fear the Walee nor any 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 291 

one else. And the Khaleefeh replied, Thou shalt have what thou 
hast desired ; but the search shall be first made in my palace, and 
then in the palace of the Wezeer, and in that of the Raees es- 
Sitteen.—Thou hast spoken rightly, O Prince of the Faithful, said 
Ahmad Kamakim : probably he who did this deed is one who hath 
been brought up in the palace of the Prince of the Faithful, or in 
the palace of one of his chief officers. And the Khaleefeh said, By 
my head, whosoever shall appear to have done this deed shall surely 
be slain, though he be my son! 

Then Ahmad Kamakim took what he desired, and received a 
written order authorizing him to force his entrance into the houses, 
and to search them. Accordingly he went down, having in his 
hand a rod, one third of which was of bronze, and one third of 
copper, and one third of iron; 79 and he searched the palace of the 
Khaleefeh, and that of the Wezeer Jaafar, and went about to the 
houses of the chamberlains and lieutenants, until he passed by 
the house of ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat. And when ’Ala ed- 
Deen heard the clamour before his house, he arose from the pre¬ 
sence of Yasemeen his wife, and, descending, opened the door; 
whereupon he found the Walee in the midst of a tumult. So he 
said to him, What is the matter, O Emeer Khalid ? The Walee 
therefore related to him the whole affair ; and ’Ala ed-Deen said, 
Enter my house and search it. The Walee replied, Pardon, O my 
master: thou art surnamed 60 Faithful; and God forbid that the 
Faithful should become treacherous. But ’Ala ed-Deen said, My 
house must be searched. The Walee therefore entered, and the 
Kadees and the witnesses; and Ahmad Kamakim, advancing to 
the durka’ah of the saloon, came to the slab of marble beneath 
which he had buried the stolen things ; when he let fall the rod 
upon the slab with violence, and the marble broke, and lo, some¬ 
thing shone beneath it; whereupon the Mukaddam exclaimed, In 
the name of Allah! Wonderful is Allah’s will! 81 Through the 
blessing attendant upon our coming, a treasure hath opened unto 
us ! Let me descend into this hoarding-place, and see what is in 
it.—And the Kadee and witnesses looked into this place, and found 
the stolen things. So they wrote a paper stating that they had 
found the things in the house of ’Ala ed-Deen, and, after they had 
put their seals upon the paper, commanded to seize ‘Ala ed-Deen ; 

292 THE STORY OF 'ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MAT. 

and they took his turban from his head, and registered all his 
wealth and property. 

Ahmad Kamakim the arch thief then seized the damsel Yase- 
meen, and gave her to his mother, saying to her, Deliver her to 
Khatoon, the wife of the Walee. The old woman therefore took 
Yasemeen, and went in with her to the Walee’s wife ; and when 
Habazlam Bazazah saw her, vigour returned to him, and he arose 
instantly, rejoicing excessively, and approached her. But she drew 
a dagger from her girdle, and said to him, Retire from me, or 1 
will kill thee and kill myself! His mother Khatoon exclaimed, O 
impudent wench, suffer my son to take thee as his wife !—O brutish 
woman, said Yasemeen, by what code is it allowed a woman to 
marry two husbands ; and what shall admit the dogs to the abode 
of the lions?—So the young man’s desire increased, passion and 
distraction enfeebled him, and he again relinquished food, and took 
to the pillow. The wife of the Walee said to Yasemeen, O impu¬ 
dent wench, how is it that thou causest me to sorrow for my son ? 
Thou shalt surely be punished, and as to ’Ala ed-Deen, he will in¬ 
evitably be hanged.—But Yasemeen replied, I will die in my love 
for him. And upon this, the wife of the Walee arose, and pulled 
off from her the ornaments and silken apparel that were upon her, 
and, having clad her in drawers of canvas and a shirt of hair-cloth, 
sent her down into the kitchen, and made her one of the menial 
slave-girls, and said to her, Thy recompense shall be that thou 
break up the wood and peel the onions and put the fire under the 
cooking-pots. Yasemeen replied, I will consent to every kind of 
torment, but I will not consent to see thy son. God, however, 
moved the hearts of the female slaves with sympathy for her, and 
they worked in her stead in the kitchen.—Such was the case of 
Yasemeen. 

As to ’Ala ed-Deen, they took him, together with the articles 
belonging to the Khaleefeh, and proceeded with him until they 
arrived at the council-chamber; and while the Khaleefeh was sit¬ 
ting upon the throne, lo, they came up with ’Ala ed-Deen and the 
stolen things, and the Khaleefeh said, Where did ye find them ? 
They answered him, In the midst of the house of ’Ala ed-Deen 
Abu-sh-Shamat. And upon this the Khaleefeh was enraged, and 
he took the things, but found not among them the lamp: so he 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SIIA'MA'T. 293 

said, O ’Alii ed-Deen, where is the lamp ? He answered, I have 
not stolen nor known nor seen, nor have I any information. 
But the Khaleefeh said to him, 0 traitor, how is it that I draw 
thee near unto me and thou rejectest me, and that I confide in 
thee and thou actest towards me with treachery ? And he gave 
orders to hang him. The Walee therefore descended with him, 
and the crier proclaimed before him, This is the recompense, and 
the smallest recompense, of him who acteth treacherously towards 
the orthodox Khaleefehs! And the populace collected at the 
gallows. 

Meanwhile, Ahmad Ed-Denef, the chief of ’Ala ed-Deen, was 
sitting with his followers in a garden. And as they were seated 
there in joy and happiness, lo, a water-carrier, one of those belong¬ 
ing to the court, came in to them, and, kissing the hand of Ahmad 
Ed-Denef, said, O Mukaddam Ahmad, O Denef, thou art sitting 
in enjoyment, with the water running beneath thy feet, and hast 
thou no knowledge of that which hath happened ? So Ahmad Ed- 
Denef said to him, What is the news ? The water-carrier answered, 
Verily thy son by a covenant before God, ’Ala ed-Deen, they have 
taken down to the gallows. Upon this, Ahmad Ed-Denef said, 
What stratagem hast thou to propose, O Hasan, O Shooman ? He 
answered. Verily, ’Ala ed-Deen is innocent, and this is a plot that 
hath been practised against him by some enemy.—And what is thy 
advice? said Ahmad Ed-Denef.—His deliverance, he answered, 
shall be accomplished by us, if the Lord will. Then Hasan Shoo¬ 
man repaired to the prison, and said to the jailer, Give us some one 
who is deserving of being put to death. And he gave him one who 
was the nearest of men in resemblance to ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh- 
Shamat. And he covered his head, and Ahmad Ed-Denef took 
him, between him and ’Alee Ez-Zeebak 82 of Cairo. They had 
then brought forward ’Ala ed-Deen to hang him; and Ahmad Ed- 
Denef advanced, and put his foot upon the foot of the executioner. 
The latter therefore said to him, Give me room, that I may per¬ 
form my office. And Ahmad Ed-Denef replied, O accursed, take 
this man, and hang him in the place of ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Sha- 
mat; for he is unjustly accused, and we will ransom Isma’eel with 
the ram. 83 So the executiouer took that man, and hanged him 
instead of’Ala ed-Deen. 

294 THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 

Then Ahmad Ed-Denef and ’Alee Ez-Zeebak of Cairo took 
’Ala ed-Deen and repaired with him to the saloon of Ahmad Ed- 
Denef, and ’Ala ed-Deen said to Ahmad, May God recompense 
thee well, O my chief. But Ahmad Ed-Denef said, O ’Ala ed- 
Deen, what is this deed that thou hast committed ? God have 
mercy upon him who hath said, Whoso confideth in thee, act not 
treacherously towards him, though thou be a traitor. The Khalee- 
feh established thee in his court, and surnamed thee the Trusty and 
the Faithful. How then couldst thou act towards him in this man¬ 
ner, and take his goods ?—’Ala ed-Deen replied, By the Most Great 
Name, O my chief, it was not my deed : I am not guilty of it; nor 
do I know who did it. So Ahmad Ed-Denef said, Verily none com¬ 
mitted this deed except a manifest enemy, and he who committeth 
a deed will be requited for it: but, O ’Ala ed-Deen, thou canst no 
longer reside in Baghdad; for Kings do not relinquish one object 
for another, and great is the fatigue of him of whom they are in 
quest!—Whither shall I go, O my chief? said ’Ala ed-Deen.—I 
will conduct thee, answered Ahmad Ed-Denef, to Alexandria; for 
it is a blessed place, and its threshold is green, 64 and life there is 
agreeable. To this, ’Ala ed-Deen replied, I hear and obey, O my 
chief. And Ahmad Ed-Denef said to Hasan Shooman, Be mindful, 
and if the Khaleefeh inquire respecting me, answer, He is gone to 
make a circuit through the provinces. 

He then took ’Ala ed-Deen, and went forth from Baghdad, and 

THE STORY OF 'ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 295 

they proceeded without stopping until they arrived at the vineyards 
and gardens, where they found two Jews, of the Khaleefehs col¬ 
lectors of the revenue, mounted on two mules; and Ahmad Ed- 
Denef said to them, Give me the fee for watching. — On what 
account, said they, shall we give thee the fee for watching ? He 
answered them, I am the watchman of this valley. And upon this, 
each of them gave him a hundred pieces of gold. After which, 
Ahmad Ed-Denef slew them, 85 and, having taken the two mules, 
he mounted one of them, and ’Ala ed-Deen mounted the other, and 
they proceeded to the city of Ayas. 86 There they put the mules 
in a Khan, and passed the night in it; and when the morning 
came, ’Ala ed-Deen sold his mule, and charged the door-keeper 
with the care of the mule of Ahmad Ed-Denef. Then embarking 
in a ship in the harbour of Ayas, they proceeded to Alexandria. 
And Ahmad Ed-Denef landed with ’Ala ed-Deen, and they walked 
to the market; and lo, a broker was crying for sale a shop, within 
which was a suite of rooms, announcing the sum bidden to be nine 
hundred and fifty; 87 whereupon ’Ala ed-Deen said, Let them be 
mine for a thousand. And the seller assented to his ofler for the 
property, which belonged to the government-treasury; and ’Ala 
ed-Deen received the keys, and, opening the shop and the suite of 
rooms, found the latter spread with carpets, &c., and furnished with 
cushions. He saw there also a magazine containing sails and masts 
and ropes and chests, and leather bags full of beads and shells, and 
stirrups and battle-axes and maces and knives and scissors, and 
other things; for its owner was a dealer in second-hand goods. 88 
So ’Ala ed-Deen seated himself in the shop, and Ahmad Ed-Denef 
said to him, 0 my son, the shop and the suite of rooms and what 
they contain have become thy property : sit therefore in the shop, 
and sell and buy ; and be not displeased; for God (whose name be 
exalted!) hath blessed commerce. And he remained with him three 
days, and on the fourth day he took leave of him, saying to him. 
Continue in this place until I shall have gone and returned to thee 
with news of thy safety from the Khaleefeh, and seen who hath 
practised this plot against thee. He then set forth on his voyage, 
and proceeded until he arrived at Ayas, when he took the mule 
from the Khan, and went on to Baghdad, and, meeting with Hasan 
Shooman and his followers, he said to him, O Hasan, hath the 

296 THE STORY OF ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MAT. 

Khaleefeh inquired respecting me ?—No, answered Hasan; nor 
hast thou occurred to his mind. 

After this, Ahmad Ed-Denef continued in the service of the 
Khaleefeh, and endeavoured to learn news [respecting the case of 
’Ala ed-Deen]. And he saw the Khaleefeh look towards the We- 
zeer Jaafar one day, saying to him, See, O Wezeer, how ’Ala ed- 
Deen hath acted towards me. The Wezeer replied, O Prince of 
the Faithful, thou hast recompensed him with hanging, and hath 
not his recompense been accomplished upon him ?—O Wezeer, 
rejoined the Khaleefeh, I desire to go down and see him hanging. 89 
And the Wezeer said, Do as thou wilt, O Prince of the Faithful. 
So the Khaleefeh went down, accompanied by the Wezeer Jaafar, and 
proceeded to the gallows, and, raising his eyes, he saw that the 
body which was hanging there was not that of ’Ala ed-Deen, the 
Trusty and the Faithful. He said therefore, O Wezeer, this is not 
’Ala ed-Deen.—How knowest thou, said the Wezeer, that it is 
not he ? The Khaleefeh answered, ’Ala ed-Deen was short, and 
this is tall. The Wezeer replied, A person when hanged becomes 
lengthened. The Khaleefeh then said, ’Ala ed-Deen was fair, and 
the face of this person is black. But the Wezeer replied, Knowest 
thou not, O Prince of the Faithful, that death is followed by black¬ 
ness ? And the Khaleefeh gave orders to take down the body from 
the gallows; and when they had done so, he found written upon 
the heels of the corpse the names of the two sheykhs ; 90 whereupon 
he said, O Wezeer, ’Ala, ed-Deen was a Sunnee, and this was a 
Rafidee. So the Wezeer replied, Extolled be the perfection of 
God, who is omniscient with respect to the things that are hidden 
from the senses! We know not whether this be ’Ala ed-Deen or 
some other person.—The Khaleefeh then gave orders to bury the 
body, and they buried it; and ’Ala ed-Deen became utterly for¬ 
gotten. 

Now as to Habazlam Bazazah, the son of the Walee, his passion 
and desire were protracted until he died; and they interred him. And 
as to the damsel Yasemeen, when she had accomplished her time of 
nine months after her marriage to ’Ala ed-Deen, she gave birth to a 
male child, like the moon. The female slaves said to her, What 
wilt thou name him ? And she answered, Were his father living, 
he had named him, but I will name him Aslan. 91 She nursed him 

two successive years, and weaned him ; and he crawled and walked. 
And it happened that his mother was occupied with the service of 
the kitchen one day, and the boy walked forth, and, seeing the 
stairs of the mak’ad, he went up them. The Emeer Khalid, the 
Walee, was sitting there; and he took him and seated him in his 
lap, extolling the perfection of his Lord in respect of that which 
He had created and formed; and he looked at his face, and saw 
that he was the nearest of beings in resemblance to ’Ala ed-Deen 
Abu-sh-Shamat. Then his mother Yasemeen searched for him, but 
found him not: so she went up into the mak’ad, and beheld the 
Emeer Khalid sitting, with the child playing in his lap ; God hav¬ 
ing instilled an affection for the boy into the heart of the Emeer. 
And the child looked aside, and, seeing his mother, would have 
thrown himself upon her; but the Emeer Khalid held him tightly 
in his lap, and said to his mother, Come hither, O slave-girl. And 
when she had come, he said to her, Whose son is this child ? She 
answered him, This is my son, and the darling of my heart.—And 
who, said he, is his father ? She answered, His father was ’Ala 

2 Q 

VOL. II. 

298 THE STORY OF ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SII-SHA'MA'T. 

ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat; but now he hath become thy son. The 
Emeer replied, ’Ala ed-Deen was a traitor. But she said, Allah 
preserve him from the imputation of treachery ! Allah forbid that 
it should ever be said that the Faithful was a traitor!—And he said 
to her, When this boy groweth up, and saith to thee, Who is my 
father ?—do thou answer him, Thou art the son of the Emeer 
Khalid, the Walee, the Chief of the Police. So she replied, I 
hear and obey.—Then the Emeer Khalid circumcised the boy, and 
educated him carefully, and brought him a professor of religion and 
law, skilled in caligraphy, who taught him the arts of writing 
and reading; and he read the Kur-an the first and second times, 
and recited the whole of it; and as he grew up he used to say to 
the Emeer Khalid, O my father. The Walee also used to exercise 
his followers in the horsecourse, collect the horsemen, and descend 
and teach the youth the different modes of battle, and thrusting 
and striking, until he became accomplished in horsemanship, ac¬ 
quired courage, attained the age of fourteen years, and gained the 
rank of an Emeer. 

After this it happened that Aslan met one day with Ahmad 
Kamakim the arch thief, and they became companions. And Aslan 
followed him to the tavern, and lo, Ahmad Kamakim took forth 
the lamp ornamented with jewels, which he had taken from the 
things belonging to the Khaleefeh, and, placing it before him, drank 
the cup by its light, and intoxicated himself; and Aslan said to 
him, O Mukaddam, give me this lamp. He replied, I cannot give 
it thee.—Why so ? said Aslan. He answered, Because lives have 
been lost on account of it ? Aslan therefore said, What life hath 
been lost on account of it ? And Ahmad Kamakim answered him, 
There was a person who came to us here and was made Races 
es-Sitteen, named ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat, and he died on 
account of this lamp.—And what is his story ? said Aslan, and what 
was the cause of his death ?—Thou hadst a brother, answered Ah¬ 
mad Kamakim, named Habazlam Bazazah, and when he attained a 
fit age for marriage, his father desired to purchase for him a slave- 
girl.—Then Ahmad Kamakim proceeded, and acquainted him with 
the story from beginning to end, informing him of the illness of 
Habazlam Bazazah, and of the unmerited fate of ’Ala ed-Deen. 
So Aslan said within himself, Probably that damsel is Yasemeen, 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'f. 299 

my mother, and none was my father but ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh- 
Shamat. And the youth Aslan went forth from him sorrowful, and 
he met the Mukaddam Ahmad Ed-Denef, who, when he saw him, 
exclaimed, Extolled be the perfection of Him unto whom none is 
like ! Upon this, Hasan Shooman (being with him) said to him, O 
my chief, at what dost thou wonder ? He answered, At the form 
of this youth Aslan; for he is the nearest of mankind in resem¬ 
blance to ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat. And he called him, say¬ 
ing, O Aslan ! And Aslan having answered him, he said, What is 
the name of thy mother ? He answered, She is named the slave- 
girl Yasemeen. So Ahmad Ed-Denef said to him, 0 Aslan be of 
good heart and cheerful eye; for none was thy father but ’Ala 
ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat: but, O my son, go in to thy mother and 
ask her respecting thy father. And he replied, I hear and obey. 
Accordingly he went in to his mother and asked her, and she an¬ 
swered him, Thy father is the Emeer Khalid. But he replied, 
None was my father but ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat. And his 
mother wept, and said to him, Who acquainted thee with this, O 
my son ? He answered, The Mukaddam Ahmad Ed-Denef. She 
therefore related to him all that had happened, and said to him, O 
my son, the truth hath appeared, and falsity is withdrawn; and 
know that thy father was ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat. None, 
however, reared thee but the Emeer Khalid, and he adopted thee. 
And now, O my son, when thou meetest with the Mukaddam 
Ahmad Ed-Denef, say to him, 0 my chief, I conjure thee by Allah 
that thou take my revenge for me upon him who killed my father 
’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat. 

So he went forth from her to the Mukaddam Ahmad Ed-Denef, 
and kissed his hand; and Ahmad Ed-Denef said, What dost thou 
want, O Aslan ? He answered, I have known of a certainty that 
my father was ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat, and I request of thee 
that thou take my revenge for me upon him who killed him. Ahmad 
Ed-Denef said, Who killed thy father ? And Aslan answered him, 
Ahmad Kamakim the arch thief.—And who, said Ahmad Ed-Denef, 
acquainted thee with this ? The youth answered, I saw in his pos¬ 
session the lamp ornamented with jewels that was lost with the 
other things belonging to the Khaleefeh, and I said to him, Give 
me this lamp :—but he would not; and he replied, Lives have been 

.300 THE STORY OF ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 

lost on account of this. He told me also that he was the person 
who descended into the chamber of the Khaleefeh and stole the 
things, and that he deposited them in the house of my father.—• 
Upon this, Ahmad Ed-Denef said to him, When thou seest the 
Emeer Khalid attiring himself in the apparel of war, say to him, 
Clothe me like thyself. And when thou goest up with him, and 
performest some feat of valour before the Prince of the Faithful, 
the Khaleefeh will say to thee, Request of me what thou desirest, 
O Aslan. Thou shalt then reply, I request of thee that thou avenge 
my father for me upon him who killed him. The Khaleefeh there¬ 
upon will say to thee, Thy father is living, and he is the Emeer 
Khalid the Walee. And thou shalt reply, Verily my father was 
’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat; and Khalid the Walee hath a claim 
upon me only for his having reared me. Acquaint him also with 
all that hath happened between thee and Ahmad Kamakim the 
arch thief; and say to him, O Prince of the Faithful, give orders 
to search liim, and I will produce the lamp from his pocket.—So 
Aslan replied, I hear and obey. 

He then went forth, and found the Emeer Khalid preparing 
himself to go up to the court of the Khaleefeh, and he said to him, 
I would that thou clothe me with the apparel of war like thyself, 
and take me with thee to the Khaleefeh’s court. And he clad him, 
and took him to the court. The Khaleefeh then went down with 
the troops, without the city, and they pitched the pavilions and 
tents, and the ranks were formed, and they proceeded to play with 
the ball and the goff-stick, one of the horsemen striking the ball 
with the goff-stick, and another striking it back to him. Now there 
was among the troops a spy, who had been incited to kill the Kha¬ 
leefeh ; and he took the ball and struck it with the goff-stick, aim¬ 
ing it at the face of the Khaleefeh. But lo, Aslan warded it off 
from the Khaleefeh, and smote with it him who had impelled it, 
and it struck him between the shoulders, whereupon he fell on the 
ground; and the Khaleefeh exclaimed, God bless thee, O Aslan! 
They then alighted from the backs of their horses, and seated them¬ 
selves upon the chairs, and the Khaleefeh gave orders to bring the 
man who had struck the ball at him. And when he was brought 
before him, he said to him, Who incited thee to do this deed; and 
art thou an enemy or a friend? He answered, I am an enemy, 

and I was purposing to kill thee.—For what reason ? said the Kha- 
leefeh. Art thou not a Muslim ?—No, he answered; but I am a 
Rafidee.” So the Khaleefeh gave the order to put him to death. 

And he said to Aslan, Request of me what thou desirest. He 
therefore replied, I request of thee that thou avenge my father for 
me upon him who killed him. The Khaleefeh said to him, Thy 
father is living, and he is standing upon his feet.—Who is my 
father? said Aslan. The Khaleefeh answered him, the Emeer 
Khalid, the Walee.—O Prince of the Faithful, replied Aslan, he is 
not my father save in having reared me; and none was my father 
but ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat. The Khaleefeh said. Thy father 
was a traitor. But Aslan replied, O Prince of the Faithful, God 
forbid it should be said that the Faithful was a traitor! And in 
what, said he, did he act treacherously towards thee ? The Kha¬ 
leefeh answered, He stole my suit of apparel, and the things that 
were with it.—O Prince of the Faithful, replied Aslan, God forbid 
it should be said that my father was a traitor! But, O my lord, he 

.302 THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MAT. 

added, when thy suit of apparel was lost and returned to thee, 
didst thou see the lamp brought back to thee also ?— The Klialee- 
feh answered, We found it not. Then said Aslan, I saw it in the 
possession of Ahmad Kamakim, and begged it of him ; but he 
would not give it me; and he said, Lives have been lost on account 
of this. And he told me of the illness of Habazlam Bazazah, the 
son of the Emeer Khalid, and his passion for the damsel Yasemeen, 
and his own release from the chains, and informed me that he was 
the person who stole the suit of apparel, and the lamp. Do thou, 
therefore, O Prince of the Faithful, avenge my father for me 
upon him who killed him.—So the Khaleefeh said, Seize Ahmad 
Kamakim. And they did so. And he said, Where is the Mu- 
kaddam Ahmad Ed-Denef? He therefore came before him; and the 
Khaleefeh said to him, Search Kamakim. And he put his hands 
into his pocket, and took forth from it the lamp ornamented with 
jewels: whereupon the Khaleefeh said, Come hither, O traitor. 
Whence came to thee this lamp ?—He answered I bought it, O 
Prince of the Faithful. But the Khaleefeh said to him, Whence 
didst thou buy it; and who could possess himself of such a thing, 
that he should sell it to thee ? They then beat him ; and he con¬ 
fessed that he was the person who stole the suit of apparel and the 
lamp. And the Khaleefeh said to him, Wherefore didst thou these 
deeds, to destroy ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat, who was the 
Trusty and Faithful? And he commanded to seize him, and the 
Walee also. But the Walee said, O Prince of the Faithful, 1 am 
injured. Thou gavest me the order to hang him, and I had no 
knowledge of this plot; for the thing was contrived by the old 
woman and Ahmad Kamakim and my wife, and I had no infor¬ 
mation of it. I implore thy protection, O Aslan !—So Aslan inter¬ 
ceded for him with the Khaleefeh. The Prince of the Faithful 
then said. What hath God done with the mother of this youth ? 
The Walee answered, She is in my house. And the Khaleefeh 
said, I command that thou order thy wife to attire her in her 
apparel and ornaments, and to restore her to her rank of a lady, 
and that thou take off the seals that are upon the house of ’Ala 
ed-Deen, and give to his son his possessions and wealth. The 
Walee replied, I hear and obey. And he descended, and gave the 
orders to his wife, who attired Yasemeen in her apparel; and he 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 303 

took off the seals from the house of ’Ala ed-Deen, and gave Aslan 
the keys. 

The Khaleefeh then said, Request of me what thou desirest, O 
Aslan. Aslan replied, I request that thou unite me with my father. 
And the Khaleefeh wept, and said, It is most probable that thy 
father was the person who was hanged, and died; but, by my ances¬ 
tors, whosoever bringeth me the good news of his being alive, I 
will give him all that he shall require. So upon this, Ahmad Ed- 
Denef advanced, and, having kissed the ground before him, said to 
him, Grant me indemnity, O Prince of the Faithful. The Kha¬ 
leefeh replied, Thou hast indemnity. And Ahmad Ed-Denef said, 
I give thee the good news that ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat, the 
Trusty and Faithful, is well, and still living. The Khaleefeh said 
to him, What is it thou assertest ? He answered, By thy head, 
my words are true ; for I ransomed him by substituting another, 
from among such as deserved to be put to death, and conducted 
him to Alexandria, where I opened for him a shop of a dealer in 
second-hand goods. So the Khaleefeh said, I require thee to bring 
him. He replied, I hear and obey. And the Khaleefeh com¬ 
manded to give him ten thousand pieces of gold, and he departed 
on his way to Alexandria. 

But as to ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamat, he sold all that he had 
in the shop, excepting a few articles, and a leathern bag. And he 
shook this bag, and there dropped from it a bead, large enough to 
fill the hand, attached to a chain of gold, and having five faces, 
whereon were names and talismans like the tracks made by the 
creeping of ants. And he rubbed the five faces; but no one an¬ 
swered him. 93 So he said within himself, Probably it is a bead of 
onyx. 94 He then hung it up in the shop. And lo, a Consul 95 
passed along the street, and, raising his eyes, saw the bead hung 
up ; whereupon he seated himself at ’Ala ed-Deen’s shop, and said 
to him, O my master, is this bead for sale ? ’Ala ed-Deen answered 
him, All that I have is for sale. And the Consul said to him, Wilt 
thou sell it to me for eighty thousand pieces of gold ? ’Ala ed-Deen 
answered, May God open a better way to dispose of it. 96 The 
Consul then said, Wilt thou sell it for a hundred thousand pieces 
of gold ? And he answered, I sell it thee for a hundred thousand 
pieces of gold: so pay me the coin. But the Consul replied, I 

304 THE STORY OF ’AL.V ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SIIA'MA'T. 

cannot carry the sum ; and in Alexandria are robbers and sharpers: 
do thou therefore come with me to my ship, and I will give thee 
the price, together with a bale of Angora wool, and a bale of satin, 
and a bale of velvet, and a bale of broad cloth. So ’Ala ed-Deen 
arose, and closed the shop, after he had delivered to him the bead; 
and he gave the keys to his neighbour, 07 saying to him, Keep these 
keys in thy charge while I go to the ship with this Consul and 
bring the price of my bead : but if I remain long away from thee, 
and the Mukaddam Ahmad Ed-Denef who established me in this 
place come to thee, give him the keys, and acquaint him with this 
circumstance. 

He then repaired with the Consul to the ship ; and when he 
went on board with him, the Consul put him a chair, and seated 
him upon it, and said, Bring the money. And having paid him 
the price, and given him the four bales which he had promised 
him, he said to him, O my master, I desire that thou refresh my 
heart by taking a mouthful of food, or a draught of water. ’Ala 
ed-Deen replied, If thou have water, give me to drink. And the 
Consul gave orders to bring sherbet; and there was benj in it. So 
when he had drunk, he fell down on his back. And they took 
away the chairs, and put by the poles, 08 and loosed the sails, and 
the wind favoured them until they advanced into the midst of the 
sea. The Captain then gave orders to bring up ’Ala ed-Deen from 
the cabin ; and they brought him up, and made him smell the anti¬ 
dote of benj : so he opened his eyes, and said, Where am I ? The 
Captain answered, Thou art here with me, bound and in custody; and 
hadst thou said again, May God open a better way to dispose of it, 
—I had increased my offer to thee.—And what, said ’Ala ed-Deen, 
is thy occupation ? He answered, I am a Captain, and I desire to 
take thee to the beloved of my heart. 

Now while they were talking, there appeared a ship, on board 
of which were forty Muslim merchants; and the Captain attacked 
them, fixed the grappling irons in their ship, and, boarding her 
with his men, they plundered her and took her, and proceeded with 
her to the city of Genoa. The Captain with whom ’Ala ed-Deen 
was a prisoner then went to a door of a palace, opening upon the 
sea; 99 and lo, a damsel came down, drawing a litham before her 
face, and said to him, Hast thou brought the bead and its owner ? 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MAT. . 305 

He answered her, I have brought both. And she said to him, 
Give me the bead. So he gave it to her. And after this, he 
returned to the port, and fired the guns 1 " 0 to announce his safe 
return; and the King of the city, becoming acquainted with his 
arrival, came forth to welcome him, and said to him, How hath 
been thy voyage ? He answered, It hath been very prosperous, 
and I have captured, in the course of it, a ship containing forty-one 
Muslim merchants. The King then said to him, Bring them forth 
into the port. And he brought them forth in irons, with ’Ala ed- 
Deen among them; and the King and the Captain mounted and 
made the prisoners walk before them until they arrived at the 
council-chamber, when they seated themselves, and caused the first 
of the prisoners to be led forward ; and the King said to him, 
Whence art thou, O Muslim ? He answered, From Alexandria. 
And the King said, O executioner, slay him. The executioner 
therefore struck him with the sword, and severed his head from his 

2 R 

VOL. II. 

306 THE STORY OF ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 

body. Thus was done to the second also and the third, and to 
their companions successively, until forty had been put to death. 
’Ala ed-Deen remained to the last: so he drank their sighs, and he 
said to himself, The mercy of God be on thee, O ’Alii ed-Deen! 
Thy life hath expired!—Then the King said, And from what 
country art thou ? He answered, From Alexandria. And the 
King said, O executioner, strike off his head! 

The executioner accordingly raised his hand with the sword, 
and was about to strike off the head of ’Alii ed-Deen; but lo, an 
old woman, of venerable appearance, advanced before the King; 
whereupon he rose to her, to shew her honour; and she said, O 
King, did I not say to thee, When the Captain cometh with the 
captives remember to supply the convent with a captive or two to 
serve in the church ?—O my mother, he answered, would that thou 
hadst come a little earlier: but take this captive that remaineth. 
And the old woman, looking towards ’Ala ed-Deen, said to him, 
Wilt thou serve in the church, or shall I suffer the King to slay 
thee ? He answered her, I will serve in the church. So she took 
him, and, going forth with him from the council-chamber, repaired 
to the church; and ’Ala ed-Deen said to her, What service am I to 
perform ? She answered, Thou shalt arise early in the morning, 
and take five mules and repair with them to the forest, cut dry fire¬ 
wood, and break it up, and bring it to the kitchen of the convent. 
After that, thou shalt take up the carpets, and sweep and wipe the 
stone and marble pavements, and spread the carpets again as they 
were. And thou shalt take half an ardebb 101 of wheat, and sift it, 
and grind it, and knead it, and make it into mineenehs 102 for the 
convent; and thou shalt take a weybeh 103 of lentils, and grind 
them with the hand-mill, and cook them. Then thou shalt fill the 
tanks of the four fountains with water, and convey it in barrels, 
and fill three hundred and sixty-six wooden bowls, and crumble the 
mineenehs into them, and pour into them some of the lentil-por¬ 
ridge, and take in to each monk or patriarch his bowl.—To this, 
’Ala ed-Deen replied, Return me to the King and let him slay me; 
for death will be easier to me than this work. She said to him, If 
thou work, and perform the service that is required of thee, thou 
wilt escape slaughter ; and if thou perform it not, I will cause the 
King to put thee to death. So ’Ala ed-Deen sat, full of trouble. 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T, 307 

And there were in the church ten blind and impotent men, who 
employed him in the most degraded of services. Then the old 
woman came, and said to him, Wherefore hast thou not done the 
work in the church ?—How many hands have I, said he, that I 
should be able to accomplish this work ?—Thou fool, she replied, I 
brought thee not but to work. She then said, Take, O my son, 
this rod (and it was of brass, with a cross at the top), and go forth 
into the great thoroughfare-street; and when the Walee of the 
town approaches thee, say to him, I summon thee to the service of 
the church. And he will not disobey thee. So make him take the 
wheat, and sift it and grind it, and pass it through the second sieve, 
and knead it and bake mineenehs of it; and whoever shall disobey 
thee, beat him, and fear not any one.—So he replied, I hear and 
obey. He did as she had told him, and ceased not to compel great 
and small to work, gratuitously, for the space of seventeen years. 

After this, as he was sitting in the church, lo, the old woman 
came in to him, and said to him, Go without the convent.—Whi¬ 
ther shall I go ? said he. She answered him, Pass this night in a 
tavern, or in the house of one of thy companions. He said, Where¬ 
fore dost thou send me away from the church ? And she answered, 
Hosn Maryam, 104 the daughter of the King Yoohanna, 105 the King 
of this city, desireth to pay a visit to the church, and it is not 
proper that any one should be in her way. So he professed his 
assent to her order, and arose, pretending to her that he was going 
out from the church; but he said within himself, I wonder whe¬ 
ther the daughter of the King is like our women, or more beautiful 
than they. I will not go, therefore, until I have gratified myself 
by the sight of her.—Accordingly he concealed himself in a closet 
which had a window looking into the church. And while he was 
looking thence into the church, lo, the daughter of the King ap¬ 
proached, and he directed at her a glance which occasioned him a 
thousand sighs ; for he found her to be like the full moon when it 
appeareth from behind the clouds ; and with her was a damsel, to 
whom she was saying, Thou hast cheered me by thy society, O 
Zubeydeh. And ’Ala ed-Deen, looking intently at that damsel, 
saw that she was his wife Zubeydeh El-’Oodeeyeh, who (as he sup¬ 
posed) had died. The King’s daughter then said to Zubeydeh, 
Perform for us now a piece of music on the lute. But Zubeydeh 

308 THE STORY OF ’ALA/ ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 

replied, I will not perform it for thee until thou accomplish for me 
my desire, and fulfil thy promise to me.—What have I promised 
thee ? said the daughter of the King. Zubeydeh answered her, 
Thou promisedst me to reunite me with my husband ’Ala ed-Deen 
Abu-sh-Shamat, the Trusty and the Faithful. And the King’s 
daughter said to her, O Zubeydeh, be of good heart and cheerful 
eye, and perform for us a piece of music as a gratuity for our union 
with thy husband ’Ala ed-Deen. So Zubeydeh said, And where is 
he?—Verily, answered the King’s daughter, he is in this closet, 
hearing our words. And upon this, Zubeydeh performed a piece 
of music upon the lute, such as would make a rock to dance; and 
when ’Ala ed-Deen heard it, longing desires were excited in his 
heart, and he went forth from the closet, and, rushing upon them, 
took his wife Zubeydeh El-’Oodeeyeh in his bosom, and she recog¬ 
nised him. 

They embraced each other, and fell down upon the floor sense¬ 
less; and the Princess Hosn Maryam came, and sprinkled some 
rose-water upon them, and recovered them, and said, God hath 
united you! ’Ala ed-Deen replied, Through thy kindness, O my 
mistress. Then looking towards his wife, he said to her. Thou 
wast dead, O Zubeydeh, and we buried thee in the grave. How then 
didst thou return to life, and come unto this palace ?—O my master, 
she answered, I died not; but one of the ’O'ns " J0 of the Jan car¬ 
ried me off, and flew with me to this place; and as to her whom 
ye buried, she was a Jinneeyeh, who assumed my form and feigned 
herself dead, and after ye had buried her she clove open the grave 
and came forth from it, and betook herself to the service of her 
mistress Hosn Maryam, the daughter of the King. But as to my¬ 
self, I was possessed , 107 and, opening my eyes, I saw that I was 
with Hosn Maryam, the King’s daughter, who is this lady; and I 
said to her, Wherefore hast thou brought me hither ? She an¬ 
swered me, I am predestined to marry thy husband ’Ala ed-Deen 
Abu-sh-Shamat. And she said. Wilt thou accept me, O Zubey¬ 
deh, as thy fellow-wife ? I answered her, I hear and obey, O my 
mistress: but where, said I, is my husband ? And she said, Upon 
his forehead is written what God hath decreed to happen unto 
him , 108 and when he hath experienced the accomplishment of events 
that are written upon his forehead, he cannot fail to come unto 

this place; but thou shalt console thyself for his separation by 
melodious sounds, and playing upon musical instruments, until 
God unite us with him. So I remained with her during this 
period, till God united me with thee in this church. 109 

Then Hosn Maryam looked towards him and said to him, O 
my master ’Ala ed-Deen, wilt thou accept me as a wife, and be to 
me a husband ?—O my mistress, said he, I am a Muslim, and thou 
art a Christian: how then should I marry thee? 110 But she re¬ 
plied, God forbid that 1 should be an infidel! Nay, I am a 
Muslimeh, and for eighteen years I have held fast the religion of El- 
Islam, and I am guiltless of following any religion that is at 
variance with that of El-Islam.—He then said to her, O my mis¬ 
tress, I desire to return to my country. And she replied, Know 
that I have seen written upon thy forehead events of which thou 
must experience the accomplishment, and thou shalt attain thy 

310 THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 

wish. Be rejoiced also, O ’Ala ed-Deen, by the information that a 
son of thine hath made his appearance, whose name is Aslan, and 
he is now sitting in thy place in the court of the Khaleefeh, and 
hath attained the age of eighteen years. Know, too, that the truth 
hath appeared, and falsity is withdrawn, and our Lord hath re¬ 
moved the veil of his protection from him who stole the goods of 
the Khaleefeh : he is Ahmad Kamakim the arch thief and traitor ; 
and he is now in prison, confined and chained. Know, moreover, 
that I am the person that sent to thee the bead, and caused it to 
be put for thee in the leathern bag in the shop; and I am the 
person who sent to thee the Captain who brought thee and the 
bead. And know that this Captain is enamoured of me, and 
desireth to possess me; but I would not yield to him, and I said to 
him, I will not grant thy request unless thou bring to me the bead 
and its owner. And I gave him a hundred purses," 1 and sent him 
in the garb of a merchant, though he was a Captain. Then, when 
they had brought thee forward to slay thee, after the slaughter of 
the forty captives with whom thou wast, I sent unto thee the old 
woman.—So ’Ala ed-Deen said to her, may God recompense thee 
for me with every blessing!—Then Hosn Maryam renewed to him 
her profession of conversion to El-Islam; and when he was con¬ 
vinced of the truth of her avowal, he said to her, acquaint me with 
the virtue of this bead, and tell me whence it came. 

She replied, This bead is from a charmed treasure, and pos¬ 
sessed five virtues, which will profit us in the time when we need 
them. My grandmother, the mother of my father, was an en¬ 
chantress, who solved mysteries, and carried off treasures, and from 
a treasure this bead came into her possession. And when I had 
grown up, and attained the age of fourteen years, I read the Gos¬ 
pels and other books, and saw the name of Mohammad (God 
favour and preserve him!) in the four books, the Pentateuch and 
the Gospels and the Psalms and the Furkan: 112 so I believed in 
Mohammad, and became a Muslimeh, and was convinced in my 
mind that none is to be worshipped in truth but God (whose name 
be exalted!), and that the Lord of mankind approveth of no faith 
but that of El-Islam. My grandmother, when she fell sick, made me 
a present of this bead, and acquainted me with the five virtues that 
it possesseth. And before my grandmother died, my father said to 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 311 

her, Perform for me an operation of geomancy, and see the end of 
my history, and what will happen to me. And she said to him, 
Verily the remote 113 will die slain by a captive who will come from 
Alexandria. So my father swore that he would put to death every 
captive that should come from that city, and acquainted the Captain 
with his vow, and said to him, Thou must attack the vessels of the 
Muslims, and whomsoever thou seest from Alexandria, thou must 
kill him, or bring him unto me. The Captain therefore complied 
with his command until he had slain a number as many as the 
hairs of his head. Then my grandmother perished; and I per¬ 
formed an operation of geomancy, considering in my mind and 
saying, I would know who will marry me. And it was revealed to 
me that none would marry me but one named ’Ala ed-Deen Abu- 
sh-Shamat, the Trusty and Faithful; whereat I wondered; and I 
waited until the time came, and I met with thee. 

’Ala ed-Deen then married her, 114 and said to her, I desire to 
return to my country. She replied, If the case is so, come with me. 
And she took him and concealed him in a closet in her palace, and 
went in to her father, who said to her, O my daughter, I am to-day 
suffering from excessive oppression of spirits : sit therefore that I 
may intoxicate myself with thee. So she sat; and he called for 
the wine-table; and she proceeded to fill and to hand to him until 
he became insensible, when she put some benj into his cup, and he 
drank the cup, and fell down upon his back. She then came to 
’Ala ed-Deen, and, taking him forth from the closet, said to him, 
Thine adversary is laid prostrate upon his back; so do with him 
what thou wilt; for I have intoxicated him, and stupified him with 
benj. ’Ala ed-Deen therefore went in, and beheld him stupified 
with benj; and he bound his hands tightly behind him, and 
chained him; after which he gave him the antidote of benj, and he 
recovered his senses, and found ’Ala ed-Deen and his daughter 
sitting on his bosom. So he said, O my daughter, dost thou act 
thus towards me ? She replied. If I am thy daughter, embrace 
El-Islam; for I have done so. The truth hath become manifest to 
me, and I have followed it, and falsity I have abandoned; and I 
have humbled my face unto God, the Lord of all creatures, and am 
guiltless of following any religion that is at variance with the 
religion of El-Islam in this world and in that which is to come. 

312 THE STORY OF ’ALA ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'MA'T. 

If then thou become a Muslim, we will treat thee with affection and 
honour; but if not, thy slaughter will be better than thy life.— 
Then ’Ala ed-Deen also admonished him. But he refused and was 
obstinate : so ’Ala ed-Deen drew forth a dagger, and cut his throat 
from one jugular vein to the other, and, having written a paper 
stating what had happened, put it upon his forehead. 

After this, they took what was light to carry and great in value, 
and went forth from the palace, and repaired to the church. She 
then brought out the bead, and, putting her hand upon one of the 
faces of it, whereon was engraved a couch, she rubbed it; and lo, 
a couch was placed before her. And she mounted with ’Ala ed- 
Deen and his wife Zubeydeh El-’Oodeeyeh upon this couch, and 
said, By virtue of the names and talismans and scientific characters 
that are inscribed upon this bead, rise witli us, O couch ! And the 
couch rose with them, and conveyed them to a valley wherein was 
no vegetation.Then she turned up the other four faces of the 
bead towards the sky, turning downwards the face whereon the 
couch was figured, and it descended with them to the earth. And 
she turned round a face upon which was figured the form of a 
pavilion, and rubbed it, saying, Let a pavilion be set up in this 
valley. Whereupon the pavilion was set up, and they seated 
themselves in it. Now that valley was a waste, destitute alike of 
vegetation and water: so she turned four faces of the bead towards 
the sky, and said, By virtue of the names of God, let trees spring 
up here, with a large river by their side! And the trees sprang 
up immediately, and by them ran a large murmuring river, agitated 
with waves; and they performed the ablution with its water, and 
prayed and drank. The King’s daughter then turned round the 
three faces yet undescribed, until she came to a face upon which 
was represented a table of viands, and said, By virtue of the 
names of God, let the table be spread! And lo, a table was 
spread, whereon were all kinds of rich viands; and they ate and 
drank, and were full of joy and merriment. 

Meanwhile, the King’s son went in to wake his father, and 
found him slain; and he found also the paper which ’Ala ed-Deen 
had written: so he read it, and became acquainted with its con¬ 
tents. He then searched for his sister, and, not finding her, he 
repaired to the old woman in the church, and inquired of her 

respecting her; and she answered, Since yesterday I have not seen 
her. He therefore returned and betook himself to the troops, and 
said to them, To horse, O riders ! And he acquainted them with 
that which had happened: whereupon they mounted their horses, 
and proceeded until they drew near to the pavilion, when Hosn 
Maryam turned her eyes, and saw that the dust had obstructed the 
view of the adjacent tracts; and after it had risen high and spread, 
it dispersed, and there appeared beneath it her brother and the 
troops, who were calling out, Whither will ye go when we are 
behind you ? So the damsel said to ’Ala ed-Deen, How is thy 
stability in war and combat ? And he answered her, As that of 
the stake in bran ; for I am not acquainted with war and *battle, 

2 s 

VOL. II. 

314 THE STORY OF 'ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SII-SHA'MA'T. 

nor with swords and spears. She therefore took fortli the bead, 
and rubbed a face upon which were figured a horse and rider; and 
lo, a horseman appeared from the desert, and ceased not to smite 
with the sword among them until he had routed and repelled 
them. 

The King’s daughter then said to ’Ala ed-Deen, Wilt thou 
journey to Cairo or to Alexandria? He answered, To Alexandria. 
So they mounted the couch, and after she had pronounced a spell 
upon it, it conveyed them to Alexandria in the twinkling of an 
eye; and ’Ala cd-Deen, having taken them into a cavern, went to 
the city, and brought them thence apparel, with which he clad 
them. He then conducted them to the shop and the suite of 
rooms, and went forth to procure dinner for them; and lo, the 
Mukaddam Ahmad Ed-Dcncf approached, arriving from Baghdad. 
’Ala ed-Deen saw him in the street, and he met him with open 
arms, saluting him and welcoming him; and Ahmad Ed-Denef 
gave him good news of his son Aslan, telling him that he had 
attained the age of twenty years; after which, ’Ala ed-Deen related 
to the Mukaddam all that had happened to him from first to last, 
and took him to the shop and the suite of rooms ; and Ahmad Ed- 
Denef wondered extremely at his story. They passed the next 
night, and when they arose in the morning, ’Ala ed-Deen sold the 
shop, and put its price with the rest of his money. Then Ahmad 
Ed-Denef informed him that the Khaleefeh desired his presence. 
But ’Ala ed-Deen replied, I am going to Cairo, to salute my father 
and mother and the other members of my family. So they mounted 
the couch, all together, and repaired to the fortunate city of Cairo, 
and alighted in the Darb el-Asfar; 115 for the house of ’Ala ed- 
Deen’s family was in that quarter; and he knocked at the door ; 
whereupon his mother said, Who is at the door after the loss of 
the beloved? He answered her, I am ’Ala ed-Deen. And on 
hearing this, the family came down and embraced him. He then 
sent his two wives, and the property that he had brought with him, 
into the house, and entered himself, accompanied by Ahmad Ed- 
Denef, and they rested three days; after which, he desired to 
depart to Baghdad. His father said to him, O my son, remain 
with me. But he replied, I cannot endure the separation from my 
son Aslan. And he took his father and his mother with him, and 
they journeyed to Baghdad. 

THE STORY OF ’ALA' ED-DEEN ABU-SH-SHA'M A'f. 

315 

Then Ahmad Ed-Denef went in to the Khaleefeh, and imparted 
to him the happy news of the arrival of ’Ala ed-Deen; on hearing 
which, the Khaleefeh went forth to meet him, taking with him his 
son Aslan, and they met and embraced him. And the Khaleefeh 
gave orders to bring Ahmad Kamakim, the arch thief, and, when he 
came before him, said, 0 ’Ala ed-Deen, avenge thyself upon thine 
adversary. So ’Ala ed-Deen drew his sword, and, smiting Ahmad 
Kamakim, severed his head. The Khaleefeh then made a magnifi¬ 
cent entertainment for ’Ala ed-Deen, after he had summoned the 
Kadees and witnesses, and written ’Ala ed-Deen’s contract of mar¬ 
riage to Hosn Maryam. He also appointed his son Aslan to the 
office of Raees es-Sitteen, and bestowed upon both of them 
sumptuous robes of honour; and they passed a most comfortable 
and agreeable life, until they were visited by the terminator of 
delights, and the separator of companions." 7 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

Note I. 

This story is in the edition of Breslau, as well as in that of Cairo, from which 
I translate it. In the former, it occupies the next place to the story of Neatneh 
and Noam. It appears to be comprised also in the MS. of Von Hammer; hut 
with a title not exactly the same ; for in a list of the contents of his MS., prefixed 
to Trfbutien's “Contes Intdits des Mille et tine Nuits,” I find, in the place 
corresponding with that in which the story of ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh ShSm&t 
occurs in the Cairo edition, a tale entitled “ Aladdin le pfere des Envieux,” with the 
words “ Traduit par Caussin ” added. Caussin's translation of this story, I believe, 
forms part of an edition, of which I have in vain endeavoured to procure a copy, 
published in Paris, by Lenormant, in 1806 . 

In presenting the story of ’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shamdt to the English reader, 
I may give my opinion that it is a purely Arab tale, of Egyptian character, either 
wholly composed, or in some parts altered, since the conquest of Egypt by the 
Turkish Sultan Seleem; faithfully describing Arab manners and customs, as 
existing during the last three or four centuries. 

Note 2. 

That Cairo is here meant, as usual, by “ Misr ” (vulfjo “ Masr ”), is proved 
afterwards, towards the close of the story, by the mention of a street. 

Note 3. 

“ Shah Bandar ” is a title still given to the chief, or general syndic, of the 
merchants of Cairo; but in some parts of the East it is applied to the receiver- 
general of duties or tribute. 

Note 4. 

It is a duty of the Muslim to perform a lustration of the whole person before 
the congregational prayers of Friday. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

317 

Note 5. 

To utter an ejaculation of this kind on looking at his face in a glass is a usual 
custom of a Muslim; but I believe it is more common to say in this case, “ O 
God, favour our lord Mohammad! ”—a person being often fearful even of the in¬ 
fluence of his own admiring glance; for these words are generally used to coun¬ 
teract the influence of the evil eye, which is always dreaded when a look of 
admiration is cast.—When a person is about to leave the bath, the barber’s glass 
is presented to him, and upon it he places the money that he has to pay. 

Note 6. 

The allusion here is to Death, or the Angel of Death. 

Note 7. 

This custom prevails in the present day among the women. They say to the 
infant, “ In the name of the Prophet and of his cousin (the son of his paternal 
uncle) ’Alee!”* The object is, to preserve the child from the influence of the 
Jinn. 

Note 8. 

This, also, is done with the view of preventing any mischief from the Jinn.— 
The “ tekbeer ” is the exclamation of “ God is most great! ” and the “ addn,” or 
“ adhdn,” the call to prayer. See Note 24 to Chapter iv. 

Note 9.— On the Customs observed on the Seventh Day after the Birth of a Child. 

The messes which are distributed after the birth of a child I have described in 
my work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. ii., Chapter xiv. They are generally 
prepared on the fourth or fifth day after the birth. In the work above mentioned, 
in the same chapter, I have described the customs observed on the seventh day, 
and I must here repeat, nearly in the same words, what I have there said on this 
subject.—In the families of the higher classes, professional female singers are hired 
to entertain a party of ladies, friends of the infant’s mother, w'ho visit her on this 
occasion, in the hareem ; or a concert of instrumental music, or a recitation of the 
whole of the Kur-dn, is performed below by men. The mother, attended by the 
midwife, being seated on a chair f which is the property of the latter, the child is 
brought, wrapped in a handsome shawl, or something costly; and, to accustom it to 
noise, that it may not be frightened afterwards by the music, and other soundsof mirth, 
one of the women takes a brass mortar, and strikes it repeatedly with the pestle, as if 
pounding. After this, the child is put into a sieve, and shaken ; it being supposed that 
this operation is beneficial to its stomach. Next, it is carried through all the apart¬ 
ments of the hareem, accompanied by several women or girls; each of whom bears 
a number of wax candles, sometimes of various colours, cut in two, lighted, and 
stuck into small lumps of paste of henna, upon a small round tray. At the same 
time, the midwife, or another female, sprinkles, upon the floor of each room, a 
mixture of salt, and seed of the fennel-flower, or salt alone, which has been placed 
during the preceding night at the infant’s head; saying, as she does this, “ The 

• Marginal note by my sheykh. 

t This is used for the purpose mentioned in Exodus i. 16. 

318 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

salt be in the eye of the person who doth not bless the Prophet! ” or, “ The foul 
salt he in the eye of the cnvier! ” This ceremony of the sprinkling of salt is 
considered a preservative, for the child and mother, from the evil eye ; and each 
person present should say, “ O God, favour our lord Mohammad! ” * The child, 
wrapped up, and placed on a fine mattress, which is sometimes laid on a silver tray, 
is shewn to each of the women present, who looks at its face, says, “O God, 
favour our lord Mohammad! God give thee long life! ” &c., and usually puts an 
embroidered handkerchief, with a gold coin (if pretty or old, the more esteemed) 
tied up in one of the corners, on the child’s head, or by its side. This giving of 
handkerchiefs and gold is considered as imposing a debt, to be repaid by the mother, 
if the donor should give her the same occasion ; or as the discharge of a debt for 
a similar offering. The coins are generally used, for some years, to decorate the 
head-dress of the child. After these presents for the child, others are given for 
the midw'ife. During the night before the seventh-day’s festivity, a water-bottle 
full of water (a dorak in the case of a boy, and a kulleh in that of a girlf), with 
an embroidered handkerchief tied round the neck, is placed at the child’s bead 
while it sleeps. This, with the water it contains, the midwife takes, and puts upon 
a tray, and presents it to each of the women ; who put presents of money for her 
into the tray.—In the evening, the husband generally entertains a party of his 
friends. 

Note 10. 

That is, Where is the new-born child, which is God’s deposite 1 For he belongcth 
to God, who hath entrusted him to us; and when He desiretli to take him, lie 
taketh him by death. The poet saith— 

Wealth and families are nought but deposites, and a day must come when 
deposites shall be restored.J 

Note 11. 

The daughter is named by her mother; and the son, by his father. § 

Note 12. 

“ ’Aid ed-Deen ” signifies “ Glory of the Religion ; ” and “ Abu-sh-Shdmdt, ” 
“ Having Moles,” (literally, “ Father of the Moles ”). The former is changed by 
the vulgar into “ ’Aldy ed-Deen,” and is generally written by us “ Aladdin."— 
The custom of deriving a name from an omen is still general among the Bedawees. 

Note 13. 

Many a house in Cairo has a trap-door in some apartment (often in a cupboard), 
opening into a secret chamber, or into a passage by which the tenant may make 
his escape in any case of danger. 

Note 14. 

When a youth has attained to years of discretion, and begun to sav his prayers 
and to acquit himself of other religious duties, he is believed to be less obnoxious 
to the influence of the eye: still more so, when his beard is grown; for then he is 
less likely to be admired, or envied, or coveted. Many Arabs preserve their 

* See above, Note 5 in the present series. 

t The dorak has a long, narrow neck: the kulleh, a short, wide one. The tail-piece to the Notes to 
Chapter vi. of this work shews the most common forms of the latter. 

X Marginal note by my slieykh. 

<! Idem 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

319 

children from the public gaze with a care almost as ridiculous as that of which ’Ala 
ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shdmat is said to have been the object. On this subject I have 
made some remarks in Note 24 to Chapter iv. 

Note 15. 

When a person admires a child or any other object, he should say, “ In the 
name of Allah! ” or utter some similar words. Such expressions are believed to 
prevent and to counteract the influence of the eye. 

Note 16. 

These are metaphorical expressions, alluding to the careful manner in which the 
boy had been reared, and to bis gentility.* 

Note 17. 

See Note 20 to Chapter viii. 

Note 18. 

Since Egypt has been under the dominion of foreign princes, the great 
officers of the state have generally been, almost exclusively, foreigners. On this 
account, the Shdli Bandar of the merchants is here called “ Sultan of the Sons of 
the Arabs,” being the chief man of substance among them. The term “ ’Arab ” is 
now given only to the Bedawees, or Arabs of the desert: the townspeople and 
villagers call themselves “ Owlad el-’Arab,” or “Sons of the Arabs.” 

Note 19. 

This is a saying of the Prophet. 

Note 20. 

The “ nakeeb ” of a sook, or market, is an officer under its sheykh, or syndic. 
The Shah Bandar, being chief of all the merchants, was of course chief of the 
market in which he had his shop. 

Note 21. 

It is customary to recite the Fatehah (or opening Chapter of the Kur-an) on 
making for the first time, and on renewing, a profession of submission to the 
authority of another, as well as in concluding a bargain, and on various other 
occasions. 

Note 22. 

“ Simsim," here used as a surname, is the name of the grain which we call 
sesame. 

Note 23. 

“ ’Aseedeh ” is a kind of custard, made with boiling water, flour, clarified 
butter, and honey. 

Note 24. 

See Note 16 to Chapter x. 

* Marginal note l>y my sheykh. 

.‘320 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

Note 23. 

The word which I render “pavilion " is “kasr.” This word is used to signify 
a palace ; a mansion ; and a pavilion (or a piece of building, or set of apartments, 
isolated, or only connected with another piece of building on one side ; or an 
upper room, generally isolated, or nearly so): the same as the Turkish “ kyiishk,” 
generally called by us “kiosk” and “kiosque.” The term “pavilion,” when 
used in this work, excepting when it evidently signifies “ a large tent,” may be 
understood in either of the senses in which it is explained above. 

Note 26. 

Among the Arabs, it is very seldom that a beardless youth, in genteel society, 
can be persuaded to eat with men, unless with those who are much inferior to him 
in rank. That this is a result of an education which inculates an affectionate 
respect for elders, and superiors in station, is evident to every person familiar with 
Muslim society; for he will often hear a servant address his master by the appella¬ 
tion of father. In the tale upon which I am commenting, a servant of ’Ala ed- 
Deen becomes his adopted father. ’Ala ed-Deen disobeys him on one occasion; 
but his doing so is an exception to a general rule. The kind of respect shewn by 
Muslims to parents and other elders, and to masters, excited my high admiration 
during my residence among the Arabs. This respect of servants for masters is 
attributable in a great measure to the occasional presents which the former receive 
from the latter. Mr. Urquhart has well observed, “ The habit of irregular remu¬ 
neration, in lieu of fixed, invariable, and actionable wages, produces a difference of 
mental habits, as regards servants and masters, that I am sure is not to be under¬ 
stood through description; and yet every day you see Europeans, those men who 
affect such comprehensive views and such powers of logic, reviling the habit of 
giving presents, not perceiving that this practice leads to the preservation of those 
interesting domestic relations which I conceive to be the greatest lesson, political 
and moral, that is presented to us by the Eastern world."* The Muslim servant 
generally feels far greater respect for his master, though he often shews less, than 
the European. 

Note 27. 

Here, in the original, is introduced a character of a disgusting description, and 
unnecessary to the carrying on of the story. 

Note 28. 

The appellation of “ ’Akkam ” is here applied to a person who ties and loads 
camels and other beasts of burden. It is also often applied to one who has the 
charge of the tents and baggage. 

Note 29. 

The meaning is, This is not my time; for I am grown old.f 

Note 30. 

“ Mukaddam ” signifies, “ one placed before, or over, others; a superior, 
chief, or overseer.” 

Spirit of the East, vol. ii. p. 402. 

t Marginal note by my sheykh. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

321 

Note 31. 

The kind of “ covering ” here mentioned is placed over the oblong monument 
that is erected over the grave of a saint; and is like the covering of the Kaabeh, 
at Mekkeh. * ’Abd El-Kadir El-Geelanee was a very famous saint, and founder 
of a celebrated order of Darweeshes called the K&direeyeli, who died at Baghdad, 
in the year of the Flight 561 (a.d. 1165-6). The Shah Bandar is said to have 
bought a covering for him because his son was going to Baghdad, where this saint 
is buried; and by carrying with him this offering, he might hope to obtain the 
saint’s favour and intercession.—A new covering for the Kaabeh is sent from Cairo 
every year with the great caravan of pilgrims : it is earned in procession through 
that city, and is believed to be one of the chief means of procuring safety to the 
attendants during their arduous and dangerous journey.—The reader needs not to be 
informed that camels are the beasts generally employed in Arabian countries to 
carry the baggage on long journeys: hut mules are preferred by the rich, when 
camels are not necessary. 

Note 32. 

The festival here alluded to is similar to those periodical festivals which I have 
described in Note 63 to Chapter iii., and further illustrated by Note 37 to 
Chapter viii. 

Note 33. 

The “ Rafidees ” are the Mohammadan sect of the Shiya’ees, or Shee’ees ; the 
followers of ’Alee ; who are regarded by the Sunnees as heretics. The principal 
point wherein they differ from the Sunnees is their denying the right of the first 
three Khaleefehs, Aboo Bekr, ’Omar, and ’Othmfin; asserting the only legitimate 
successors of the Prophet to be ’Alee and his descendants, called by them their 
Imims; the twelfth and last of whom (El-Mahdee) they believe to be still living, 
though invisible. The Shiya’ee faith became the national religion of Persia about the 
commencement of the sixteenth century of our era, under the Shah Isma’eel, the 
founder of the Safee Dynasty; and since that period (a period shortly anterior, I 
believe, to that in which the story of’Ala ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shdmit was composed,) 
the adjacent territories of Sunnee princes and governors have always been coveted, 
and often invaded, by the Rafidees. The first war between the 'Osminlee Sunnees 
under the Sultin Seleem, and the Persian Shiya’ees under the Shah above men¬ 
tioned, occasioned the conquest of Syria and Egypt by the former monarch; for 
though the inhabitants of these countries were Sunnees, they were in alliance 
with the Sh5h Isma’eel. 

Note 34. 

A Sakka is a water-carrier, or a person who has the charge of supplying water. 

Note 35. 

“O thy blessing!” is an invocation for supernatural aid, which is generally 
signified by the word “blessing ” when it is employed with reference to a saint. 

• It is generally ornamented with one or more inscriptions from the Kur-dn. 
voi.. II. 2 T 

3^ 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

The hand afterwards mentioned is to be understood as that of Seyyidee 'Abd El- 
Kadir, or as the result of a miracle performed by him. 

Note 36. 

This prayer is addressed not to Seyyidee ’Abd El-Kddir, but to God. 

Note 37. 

The Seyyideh Nefeeseh, who’ was the great-granddaughter of the Imam 
El-Hasan, was a very celebrated saint, and many miracles are related to have been 
performed by her. Her tomb, which is greatly venerated, is in a mosque in a 
southern suburb of Cairo. 

Note 38. 

The meaning is, Thou wast always swearing by divorce, as though it were thy 
mus-haf (or copy of the Kur-dn) in which thou wast constantly reading.* 

Note 39. 

“ El-'Oodeeyeh ” is derived from “ ’ood,” which signifies “wood,” and particu¬ 
larly “aloes-wood,” and also “a lute,” &c. As Zubeydeh was very skilful in 
playing on the lute, I think that “ El-’Oodeeyeh ’’ here signifies “ The Lute- 
player.” My sheykh has remarked, in a marginal note, “ Probably she was so 
called because her odour was sweet, like that of aloes-wood;" but I find the term 
“ ’oodeeyeh” used to signify “ a female lute-player” in the Breslau edition of the 
Thousand and One Nights (for instance, in vol. vii. p. 205) instead of the more 
proper term “ ’Owwddeh.” 

Note 40. 

I have before mentioned that when a Muslim has divorced his wife three times, 
or by a triple divorce expressed in one sentence, he cannot take her again, unless by 
her own consent and by a new contract, and after another man has consummated 
a marriage with her and divorced her. When a man is employed to do this, he is 
called a “mustahall” or “mustahill,” or a “ moliallil: ” but such a proceeding 
is regarded by all respectable persons as disgraceful, and is clearly contrary to the 
spirit of the law, which has ordained this consequence of a third or triple divorce 
as a check upon the husband, and as an indulgence to the wife. As I am not 
desirous of expatiating here on this subject, if any reader require further inform¬ 
ation respecting it, I beg to refer him to my work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. i. 
chap. vi. 1 have there mentioned a plan which is sometimes pursued to defeat the 
mustahall if he refuses to divorce. The wife also may withhold her consent to a 
reunion with her former husband, unless she is not of age, which we must under¬ 
stand to have been Zubeydeh's case. A girl who is not of age may be married by 
her father or other lawful guardian to whom he pleases. 

Note 41. 

This impudent avowal of the design is contrary to the law; but there are 
doubtless Kadees who would listen to such a proposition. The ten thousand pieces 
of gold which ’Aid ed-Deen was required to pay in case of his not divorcing, we 

Marginal note by my sheykh. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

323 

are to understand as constituting that portion of the dowry which is usually paid 
before concluding the marriage-contract; for the remainder is not paid but on the 
occasion of a divorce, or from the property which the husband leaves at his death. 
But if ’Aid ed-Deen divorced his wife at the time promised, no dowry was to be 
required of him. 

Note 42. 

The Prophet denied the communication of diseases from one person to another; 
hut said, “ Run from the person afflicted with elephantiasis as you would from a 
tiger : ” yet he himself took hold of the hand of a person who had that disease, 
and put it into a dish out of which he was eating, and said, “ I depend upon 
God.” *—On this subject, see Note 5 to Chapter i. 

Note 43. 

This is the thirty-sixth Chapter of the Kur-an. 
frequently recited. 

Note 44. 

It is one which is very 

By “ the family of Ddood ” is meant Ddood (or David) himself, agreeably 
with a common form of speech, f On David’s recitation of the Psalms, see Note 
18 to Chapter i. 

Note 45. 

This expression, according to my sheykh, alludes to the appearance of the veins 
in the midst of the wrist, dividing it as the spine does the back. 

Note 46. 

The raven is regarded as an omen of separation. 

Note 47. 

In the original, “nusf faddah.” The same coin is also called simply “ nusf,” 
and vulgo “ nuss.” See Note 17 to Chapter iii. 

Note 48. 

The “ Shahids ” of a Kadee’s court are officers whose business is to hear and 
write the statements of the cases to be submitted for judgment. The same term is 
also applied to witnesses. 

Note 49. 

“ Efendee ” is a Turkish title, given to judges, ministers of religion, learned 
men, writers, and others. It is here improperly applied to the Kddee of an Arabian 
city at a period when that city had not become subject to Turkish dominion. 

Note 50. 

In the original, the chords are said to have called out, O Ddood !—See above, 
Note 44. 

• Mishk&t el-MftsAbeeh, vol. it. pp. 381 et seg- 

^ Marginal note by my eheykh. 

324 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

Note 51. 

Ft is a common custom of Arab musicians to commence a piece slowly, and 
afterwards, as if becoming excited, to perform with a rapid measure. The word 
which I have rendered “the more rapid part” (agreeably with an explanation 
given by my sheykh) also signifies “trilling” or “quavering.” 

Note 52. 

By the term “lyric songs” 1 render the Arabic word “muweshshah&t,” 
plural of “ muweshshah.” This word is used, it appears, by the Persians to signify 
an acrostic; but I have heard, and possess copies of, many Arabic poems so 
entitled, none of which is of this character: they are poems in stanzas; all the 
stanzas of the same muweshshah agreeing in the last rhyme, or the last two or 
more rhymes. In many instances, all the stanzas of the same poem end with two 
pairs of hemistichs, rhyming alternately; the preceding hemistichs of each stanza 
also rhyming alternately, but the rhymes of these being different in different 
stanzas. This kind of poem is generally sung. 

Note 53. 

Aboo Nuw&s was a celebrated poet and wit, who stood high in the favour of 
Haroon Er-Rasheed. He was surnamed “ Aboo Nuwas ” from his having two 
long locks of hair which hung down upon his shoulders. He died (according to 
Abu-l-Fida) in the year of the Flight 195, aged fifty-nine years. 

Note 54. 

So in the Breslau edition, both here and where the dowry is next mentioned. 
In the Cairo edition, in both cases, fifty thousand. 

Note 55. 

“ Seleem ” (generally written by European authors “ Selim ”) signifies 
“sound," “entire,” &c. 

Note 56. 

Until he had paid that portion of the dowry which he had agreed to give in 
case of his refusing to divorce, his marriage was not lawful. 

Note 57. 

It often happens in Cairo (as my sheykh mentions in a marginal note), that 
when a person arrives from a journey, his friends say to him, “ Make an entertain¬ 
ment for us as a gratuity for thy safety ” (halawet es-sel&meh) : so also when a 
person recovers from a sickness, and on other occasions. I was often required 
there to comply with this custom. 

Note 58. 

What I have said in the fiftieth note of the present series applies also to this 
passage. 

Note 59. 

“ May thy head long survive (or, literally, May thy head [long] live with 
respect to, or in comparison of) such-a-one! ” is a common form of speech used in 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

325 

announcing a person's death; for, in communicating any bad news, it is a general 
custom among tire Arabs to greet the individual addressed with some kind of 
salutation. * It is meant that the person here mentioned was one of the Khaleefeh’s 
appointed boon-companions. I use the term “ boon-companion ” for the Arabic 
“ nedeem,” which properly signifies “ a cup-companion,” but is employed in a 
more extended sense, applied to one who is a regular associate on occasions of 
conviviality or diversion ; generally a poet, wit, musician, or any other who is an 
amusing companion, or a favourite. 

Note 60. 

“ Raees es-Sitteen ” signifies “Chief of the Sixty;” and I believe it is im¬ 
properly used here as the title of some great officer of the state. In the Breslau 
edition we find, in its place, a title which appears to me still more improper, namely 
“ Bdsh es-Sitteen Sultdn,” or “Chief of the Sixty Suiting; ” and the palaces of 
the Sixty Sultans are afterwards mentioned. “ Raees es-Sitteen ” seems to be of 
similar import to “Emeer ’Asharah,” “ Emeer Miah,” &c., which we meet with 
in the histories of the Memlook Sultdns, signifying “Emeer of Ten Memlooks,” 

“-of a Hundred Memlooks,” &c.; the chief of hired soldiers being commonly 

called “ Mukaddam.” f 

Note 61. 

Shaking the handkerchief is a common signal for the dispersion of an assembly. 

Note 62 . 

The poet calls the bier “ curving ” (literally “ humpbacked ”) “ in allusion to 
the bier of the Arabs [i. e. of the Bedawees]; for they used to carry the dead 
upon cords interwoven between two poles, so that the corpse lay depressed within 
them. ” J 

Note 63. 

The Khaleefeh’s making this motion to welcome 'Aid ed-Deen was a proof of 
most extraordinary condescension. 

Note 64. 

See Note 21 to Chapter vii. 

Note 65. 

The kind of litter here mentioned in the takht-rawdn, described in Note 8 to 
Chapter viii. 

Note 66. 

From this we must infer, that when 'Aid ed-Deen heard Koot el-Kuloob 
perform on the lute in the Khaleefeh’s palace, she was concealed from him by a 
curtain, or a screen of lattice-work, in accordance with usual custom. 

Note 67. 

“Khdtoon,” here used as a proper name, is a Persian and Turkish word, 
signifying “a lady” and “a matron.” 

• See, on this subject, a note at the foot of page 237 in this volume, 
f See Quatremfere, Histoire des Sultans Mamlouks, tome i. p. 173. 
t Marginal note by my aheykh. 

326 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

Note 68. 

“ Habazlam ” and “Baz&zah M are, I believe, words of no meaning; but 
chosen for the uncouthness of their sound, as composing a suitable name for an 
uncouth person. 

Note 69. 

This is a metaphorical expression, signifying the rushing headlong into peril.* 

Note 70. 

“Y&semeen,” or “y&simeen,” signifies “jasmine.” 

Note 71. 

This is explained by the note immediately preceding. 

Note 72. 

“ He would steal the kohl from the eye ” is a phrase often used to denote 
wonderful expertness in thieving.—See Note 34 to Chapter ii. 

Note 73. 

See Note 39 to Chapter vi. 

Note 74. 

On the oath of divorce, see Note 48 to Chapter viii. 

Note 75.' 

This was done in order to fulfil the Khaleefeh’s oath. Arabs often have 
recourse to shifts of this kind in similar cases. 

Note 76. 

Respecting benj, see Note 46 to Chapter ii.—The following remarks by the 
celebrated Von Hammer, who regards the benj as hyoscyamus (or henbane) should 
have been there added. “‘Bendj,' the plural of which in Coptic is ‘nibendj,’ is 
without doubt the same plant as the ‘nepenthe,’ which has hitherto so much 
perplexed the commentators of Homer. Helen evidently brought the nepenthe 
from Egypt, and bendj is there still reputed to possess all the wonderful qualities 
which Homer attributes to it.” f 

Note 77. 

The “durk&’ah” is the depressed portion of the paved floor. See Note 12 to 
Chapter iii. 

Note 78. 

I do not remember to have found this custom mentioned in any other Arabic 
work ; but Mr. Salame, whom I have consulted on the subject, has informed me of 
a similar custom among the Turks. The billets of the tribute exacted from 
unbelievers have occasionally been of red paper, and the issuing of these has 
spread consternation among the tributaries; red being the colour significant of 
anger, as white and black (or blue) are, respectively, the colours appropriated to 
joy and mourning. But red, among the Arabs, was certainly not always indicative 

* Marginal note by my sheykh. 

t Trebutien, Contes Inedits des Mille et une Nuits, tome i. page 12, note. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

327 

of anger; for Arabs at carousals used to wear dresses of this colour, and of yellow, 
and green ; * and red dresses are very commonly worn by them. Their princes, 
however, may have been accustomed to exhibit the striking and dramatic spectacle 
described by our author; which, I conceive, may have been more effective than any 
words could be. 

Note 79. 

In the description of this rod or staff in the Cairo edition, there is an error: I 
therefore follow the edition of Breslau. I suppose this kind of rod to have been 
employed for the purpose of inducing a belief that it possessed some magical 
property. 

Note 80. 

I have inserted the word “ sumamed,” as the Khaleefeh is afterwards said to 
have surnamed 'Ala ed-Deen “ the Trusty and Faithful.” 

Note 81. 

The words which I render “ Wonderful is Allah’s will! ” (Ma shaa-ll&h!) are 
sometimes used to signify literally “ What God hath willed: ” in other cases, as in 
the present instance, “What hath God willed!" i. e. “How wonderful is the 
event that God hath brought to pass! ” 

Note 82. 

“ Ez-Zeebak ” is a surname, or nickname, signifying “quicksilver.” Many 
traditional stories of extraordinary feats said to have been performed by 'Alee Ez- 
Zeebak are related in Cairo. I believe that there really was a famous thief so 
named in that city; but have met with no authentic record of him stating the age 
in which he lived. 

Note 83. 

“ It is the most received opinion among the Mohammadans that the son whom 
Abraham offered was Ismael, and not Isaac; Ismael being his only son at that 
time: for the promise of Isaac's birth is mentioned lower [in the Kur-dn], as 
subsequent in time to this transaction. They also allege the testimony of their 
prophet, who is reported to have said, ‘ I am the son of the two who were offered 
in sacrifice ; ’ meaning his great ancestor, Ismael, and his own father 'Abd Allah : 
for ’Abd El-Muttalib f had made a vow, that if God would permit him to find out 
and open the well Zemzem, and should give him ten sons, he would sacrifice one 
of them; accordingly, when he had obtained his desire in both respects, he cast 
lots on his sons, and the lot falling on ’Abd Allah, he redeemed him by offering an 
hundred camels, which was therefore ordered to be the price of a man’s blood in 
the Sunneh." I 

Note 84. 

This expression is to be understood as metaphorical; for there is no city to 
which, in the literal sense, it is more inapplicable than Alexandria, which is 
encompassed by sea and desert. 

• See Note 22 to Chapter iii. 

t By Sale, and most others of our Orientalists, this name is erroneously written “ Abd’almotalleb.'’ 
The chief emphasis in “ Muttalib ” is on the second syllable, though its vowel is short; and hence 
may have arisen the mistake. 

J Sale's note on verse 101 of the 37th Chapter of the Kur-tin. 

328 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

Note 85. 

It is here proper to mention that Ahmad Ed-Denef, in other stories of the 
Thousand and One Nights, is said to have been an iniquitous character; and so 
also, Hasan Shoom&n. 

Note 86. 

A small village, I believe, now occupies the site of the city of Ayds (supposed 
to be that of the ancient iEgse), on the shore of the Gulf of Iskenderoon. 

Note 87. 

The coin is not specified here, and I cannot attempt to supply the omission, the 
property being so vaguely described. 

Note 88. 

The Arabic term “sukatee ” I render “a dealer in second-hand goods.” My 
sheykh remarks, in a marginal note, that this term is here improperly applied ; and 
that it denotes one who sells the pluck and the feet &c. of animals. So it generally 
does ; but it has another application in Egypt; and it is singular that I should be 
acquainted with a sense in which it is there employed, and that a learned native of 
that country should not. In inquiring for a sprinkling-bottle and perfuming-vessel 
of brass or bronze and of old workmanship, I was told that I should apply for 
them to a sukatee; and being directed to a person so called, I found that he dealt 
in a variety of old and damaged articles, chiefly of metal, and mostly purchased 
at sales of old furniture, &c. Professor Habicht, in the seventh volume of the 
Breslau edition of the Thousand and One Nights, page 5 of the Glossary, explains 
this term in a similar manner. 

Note S9. 

That a corpse should remain hanging during the period required to go from 
Baghdad to Alexandria and to return, is too improbable. The remains of a person 
who has been executed are generally left exposed for three days, and then interred. 

Note 90. 

By “ the two sheykhs ” are meant Aboo Bekr and ’Omar, the first two 
Khaleefehs. Many of the Rafidees, or Shiya’ee3, it is said, write the names of the 
first two Khaleefehs, or only the name of ’Omar, whom they especially hate, 
upon the upper surface of the soles of their shoes, and upon their heels, to be 
habitually trodden upon, by way of shewing contempt. See above, Note 33. 

Note 91. 

“ Asldn ” is a Turkish word, signifying “ a lion." 

Note 92. 

This might convey, to some readers, a wrong notion; for the Rdfidees do call 
themselves Muslims, though the Sunnces often deny them to be so. The passage 
reminds me of an anecdote related by Burckhardt. A Bedawee one day presented 
himself before Mohammad 'Alee, during his late war with the Wahhdbees, “kissed 
his beard, and exclaimed, ‘ I have abandoned the religion of the Muslims ’ (or 
‘ True Believers,’ as the Wahhabees style themselves); ‘ I have adopted the religion 
of the heretics’ (so the Wahhabees entitle all those Mohammadans who are not 
of their own creed); ‘I have adopted the religion of Mohammad ’Alee.’ This 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

329 

unintended blunder caused a general laugh; and the P&sha answered through his 
interpreter (for he but imperfectly understood Arabic), ‘ I hope you will always 
be a stanch heretic.’ ” * 

Note 93. 

He rubbed the bead to try if it were a talisman, and if this process would, 
procure the presence of some obedient Jinnee; for in this manner the virtues of a 
talisman are generally proved. 

Note 94. 

That is, Probably it is a stone naturally variegated or marked. 

Note 95. 

“Consul” (pronounced by the Arabs “ Kunsul ”) is a title often given in 
Egypt, not merely to those to whom it justly belongs, but also to any wealthy Frank. 

Note 96. 

The Arabic phrase thus rendered literally signifies “ May God open,” or “- 

assist.” It is commonly used by Arab shopkeepers in the present day. 

Note 97. 

This incident deserves especial remark. What ’Aid ed-Deen is here described 
to have done is an act very common with Arab shopkeepers, and is a proof of their 
general good faith. When an Arab quits his shop intending to return to it the 
same day, he usually hangs a net before the front. 

Note 98. 

The poles here mentioned are those which are used in shoving off a small 
vessel from the shore, or from a bank on which it has run, in propelling it in a 
calm in shallow water, and also in sounding. 

Note 99. 

The Arabic words “bdb keytoon,” which I render, “ a door opening upon the 
sea,” my sheykh explains as applied to a door which opens upon a river, as the 
doors opening upon the canal in Cairo. 

Note 100. 

Cannons are mentioned in several places in the Thousand and One Nights; 
but perhaps by copyists. 

Note 101. 

See Note 10 to Chapter v. 

Note 102. 

The “ mineeneh ” is a kind of small biscuit or cracknel made of fine wheat- 
flour with a little clarified butter, f 

• “ Notes on the Bedouins and 'Wahdbys,'' vol. ii. pp, 284-5. 
t Marginal note by my sheykh. 

von. ii. 2 u 

330 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

Note 103. 

The “ weybeh " is the sixth part of the ardebb; consequently nearly equivalent 
to six English gallons and two-thirds. 

Note 101. 

“ Hosn Maryam” (literally “the Beauty of Maryam") is here used to 
signify “Beautiful as Maryam,” i. e. “-as the Virgin Mary.”, 

Note 105. 

“Yoohanna” is the Arabic Christian name corresponding to “John:” the 
corresponding Muslim name is “Yahya.” 

Note 106. 

“’OAt” is used as synonymous with “ Mdrid,” * an appellation already ex¬ 
plained as applied to an evil Jinnee of the most powerful class. 

Note 107. 

In the original, “sureatu,” which literally signifies “I was prostrated,” par¬ 
ticularly “ by an epileptic fit.” My sheykli explains it by the words “ iltebestu 
bi-l-jinneeyi,” or “I was possessed by the Jinnee;” the belief that epilepsy is 
thus occasioned generally prevailing among the Arabs. A person under the 
influence of this malady they term “melboos.” 

Note 108. 

See the last paragraph of Note 5 to Chapter i. 

Note 109. 

I have remarked before, that we must suppose Zubeydeh to have been under 
age when ’Aid ed-Deen married her; consequently, at the time of her reunion 
with him, we need not infer that her age was much more than thirty years: for 
some Arab girls are married at the age of ten years; and we may imagine 
Zubeydeh to have been eleven or twelve years old at the time of her second 
marriage; yet in person, notwithstanding, nearly a woman. 

Note 110. 

The marriage of a Muslim with a Christian woman is not absolutely forbidden; 
but it is generally disapproved. 

Note 111. 

The sum called “ a purse ” in Egypt is five hundred Egyptian piasters, which, 
when I was last in that country, was exactly equivalent to five pounds sterling. 

Note 112. 

“The Furkdn” is an appellation of the Kur-dn, and sometimes applied to 
“ other books of scripture,” “ from the verb ‘ faraka,’ ‘ to divide ’ or ‘ distinguish; ’ 

* Marginal note by my sheykh. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

331 

not, as the Mohammadan doctors say, because those hooks are divided into chapters 
or sections, or to distinguish between good and evil; but in the same notion that 
the Jews use the word ‘Perek,’ or ‘ Pirka,’ from the same root, to denote a 
section or portion of scripture.”*—The Muslims believe that the copies of the 
Pentateuch, Psalms, and Gospels, now existing, have been corrupted, and that the 
passages in them wherein Mohammad is foretold have been altered or expunged : 
yet they trace a prophecy of him in the modern copies of the Gospel of St. John, 
reading, instead of “Paraclete,” “Periclyte,” which is similar in signification to 
“ Mohammad ” and “ Ahmad,” both of which are names of the Arabian Prophet; 
the former of these two names signifying “ greatly praised; ” the latter, “ more 
or most laudable.”—Here it is worthy of remark, that the name of Mohammad, 
pronounced as Europeans generally write it, with an e instead of an a in the last 
syllable, might be understood by an Arab in an active instead of a passive sense, 
as meaning “ greatly praising.” 

Note 113. 

Shahraz&d, in relating this story, says, " the remote will die,” instead of “ thou 
wilt die,” as the latter expression might seem to be intended as a prophecy of the 
death of the King Shahriyar, whom she is addressing. See Note 8 to Chapter ii. 

Note 114. 

A marriage without witnesses in this case was perfectly lawful. 

Note 115. 

Thrones, carpets, &c. of this kind are mentioned in several Eastern tales, f the 
authors of which may have all taken the idea from the tradition of Solomon’s 
mode of travelling through the air. It is said “ that he had a carpet of green 
silk, on which his throne was placed, being of a prodigious length and breadth, and 
sufficient for all his forces to stand on, the men placing themselves on his right 
hand, and the spirits [or J inn] on his left; and that when all were in order, the 
wind, at his command, took up the carpet, and transported it, with all that were 
upon it, wherever he pleased ; the army of birds at the same time flying over their 
heads, and forming a kind of canopy, to shade them from the sun.” J 

Note 116. 

The “ Darb el-Asfar” is a street in the Jemdleeyeh, in the northern part of 
Cairo. 

Note 117. 

Here it becomes necessary to mention, that many anecdotes are inserted 
among the longer stories of the Thousand and One Nights. They are chiefly, I 
believe, extracted from other works, and many are historical; but most of them are 
very inferior in interest to the longer stories; and, from a hasty perusal of them, I 

* Sale’s Preliminary Discourse, Sect. iii. 

f So also (as I learn from Mr. Keightley) “ in a poem of the old poet Acclive, in Browne's Shep¬ 
herd's Pipe.” 

J Sale’s note to verse 20 of the twenty-seventh Chapter of the Kur-dn, 

:iS2 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

think that it will be advisable to omit, in my translation, the greater number; 
introducing the rest in their proper places, but appending them to my notes. 

Almost the whole of that portion of the Thousand and One Nights which is 
wanting in Galland's version was translated into French by the celebrated Von 
Hammer (now Baron Hammer-Purgstall); and from his manuscript French 
version, a German translation was made by Professor Zinserling; but the latter 
alone was published ; the former being afterwards most unfortunately lost by a 
person to whose care it was intrusted to bring it to England for the purpose of 
publication. Again, from the German version, a French translation was made, by 
M. Trebutien, and published in Paris in 1828; and likewise an English translation 
of most of the longer stories, and four anecdotes, by the Rev. George Lamb, 
published in London in 1829. I regret extremely that I am unable to read the 
German version; for it is natural to infer that the merits of the version of Von 
Hammer are more imperfectly reflected in the second, than in the first, of two 
successive translations of which one has been made from the other. With respect 
to Von Hammer's version, the only remarks that I can venture to make are these; 
1st, that he appears to have considerably abridged the stories ; 2ndly, that he has 
omitted very few of them altogether but such as had been previously translated, 
and not all of these ; and, 3rdly, that he has generally preserved the best of the 
verses with which they are interspersed. Thus, in two respects, his plan differs 
from that which is pursued by me; for I scarcely ever abridge in the smallest 
degree, excepting in the omission of many of the pieces of poetry; but reject 
entirely those stories which I think the English reader would find tedious, or 
otherwise displeasing. And here I must remark, that some pieces of appropriate 
poetry occur in the versions above mentioned in places were none, or some slightly 
different, are found in mine, because the pieces in my original do not always 
admit of being rendered as they are in the former versions. Of this, the reader 
may judge by comparing my translation" of the first poetical quotation in the third 
of the following anecdotes with the corresponding couplet in M. Trebutien's 
version (tome iii. pages 280-1), which runs thus :— 

“ Le ciel a recompense ceux qui honorbrent Joseph lorsqu’ il etait encore dans 
sa prison ; ainsi le ciel me mettra peut-etre un jour en 6tat de reconnaitre 
vos bienfaits envers moi.” 

In my original, as follows:— 

“ Wa-'asa-lledhee ahda li-yoosufa ahlahu: wa-a’azzahu fi-s-sejni wa-hwa 
eseeru: 

An yestejeeba lana wa-yejma'a shemlana: wa-llahu rabbu-1-alameena 
kadeeru.” 

The same remark applies also in many cases to the prose. M. Trbbutien’s 
version I consider superior to that of Mr. Lamb ; but I regret his having endea¬ 
voured to imitate the style of Galland.—I have deemed it necessary to make the 
above observations in justice to Von Hammer and his translators, and to myself; 
as my reader has now arrived at the point where he is first enabled to compare the 
versions above mentioned with my own. 

The following anecdotes are selected from a series of nine, commencing with 
part of the two hundred and sixty-ninth Night, and ending with part of the two 
hundred and eighty-fifth. 

Liberality of H&tim Et-Tiee after his Death. 

It is related of Hatim Et-Tdee,* that, when he died, he was buried on the summit 
of a mountain, f and they made over his grave two troughs of stone, and stone 
images of damsels with dishevelled hair. Beneath that mountain ran a river; 
and when travellers arriving there alighted at that place, they heard a loud 
crying during the whole night, from nightfall until morn ; but when they arose in 
the morning, they found no one save only the damsels carved of stone. And 
when Zu-l-Kel&a,} the King of Hemyer, alighted in that valley, going forth from 

• HAtira Et-T&ee (i. e. H atim of the tribe of Teiyi) was most highly celebrated for his generosity. 
He lived in “the Time of Ignorance;” but his son ’Adee became a Muslim, and is numbered among 
the Companions of the Prophet. HAtim’s most famous act of liberality was that which he shewed to an 
ambassador of the Greek Emperor, sent to demand of him, as a present for his master, a horse of very 
great price. The generous Arab, before he knew the object of this person's mission, slaughtered his 
horse to regale him, having nothing at the time in his house to serve in its stead.—It is also said that 
he often caused as many as forty camels to be slaughtered for the entertainment of his neighbours and 
the poor Arabs of the desert. (D’Herbelot.) 

f Called’OwArid, in the district of Teiyi. (KAmoos.) 

t So in the edition of Breslau: in the Cairo edition, Zu-l-KurAA. Two Kings of El-Yemen named 
Zu-l-KelAA are mentioned in the KAmoos, sumamed the Greater and the Less.—My sheykh remarks 
that this anecdote is related at length in the “ AghAnee ; ” but that the person who demanded HAtim’s 
hospitality was a man named Abu-l-Kheyberee. Zu-l-KelAS, he adds, lived a long time before 
Hatim. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

331 

his tribe, he passed a night there, and, approaching the place, he heard the 
crying: so he said, What is this lamentation that is on the summit of this 
mountain ? They answered him, Here is the sepulchre of Hatim Et-TAee, over 
which are two troughs of stone, with stone images of damsels with dishevelled 
hair, and every night, persons who alight in this place hear this lamentation and 
crying. Upon this, Zu-1-Kel&£ said, in mockery of H&tim Et-T&ee, O H&tim, 
we are this night thy guests, and lank with hunger. And after sleep had 
overcome him, he awoke in alarm, exclaiming, O Arabs, come hither to me and to 
my beast! And when they came, they found the she-camel convulsed: so they 
slaughtered her, and roasted her flesh, and ate. They then asked him the cause 
of this; and he answered, I was sleeping, and saw in a dream Hdtim Et-Tdee, 
who came to me with a sword, and said, Thou hast visited us when we have 
nothing in our possession. And he wounded my she-camel with the sword. Had 
ye not slaughtered her, she had died. 

And when the next morning came, Zu-1-Kel&& mounted the beast of one of 
his companions, taking the man up behind him; and at mid-day they saw a man 
riding a beast and leading another beast by his hand; and they said to him, Who 
art thou? He answered, I am ’Adee the son of Hdtim Et-Tdee. And where, he 
added, is Zu-TKelaa, the Prince of Hemyer? So they answered him, This is he. 
And he said to Zu-l-Kelda, Mount this she-camel, instead of thine own; for thy 
she-camel, my father hath slaughtered for thee.—And who, said Zu-l-Kelaa, in¬ 
formed thee? ’Adee answered, My father came to me in sleep this last night, 
and said to me, O Adee, Zu-l-Keldfi the King of Hemyer hath demanded my 
hospitality, and I have slaughtered for him his she-camel: so repair thou to him 
with a she-camel for him to ride; for I have nothing in my possession.—Zu-I- 
Kelda therefore took her, and wondered at the generosity displayed by Hatim 
while living and when dead. 

Anecdote of Maan the Son of Zaideh. 

As Maan the son of Zaideh * was hunting, one day, he thirsted, and found 
not any water with his young men. But while he was in this state, lo, three 
damsels approached him, carrying three skins of water. He therefore requested 
drink of them, and they gave it him ; and he demanded something of his young 
men, to give it to the damsels; but found that they had no money. So he 
presented to each of the damsels ten arrows from his quiver, the heads of which 
were of gold. Whereupon one of them said to her companions, This generous 
conduct cannot proceed from any hut Maan the son of Zaideh: do ye each, then, 
recite some poetry in his praise. Accordingly, the first said,— 

He headeth his arrows with points of gold, and in smiting his enemies 
dispenseth his munificence, 

Affording the wounded a means of cure, and grave-clothes for him whose 
abode is the tomb. 

And the second said,— 

A warrior of such excessive liberality, that his benefits are bestowed both on 
friends and foes. 

The heads of his arrows are made of gold, that war may not hinder him 
from acts of munificence. 

Then the third recited a couplet, in substance the same as that of the first. 

• Maan the son of Zd'ideh was compared, for his liberality, to Hdtim Et-Tdee. lie was one of the 
chief captains of Marwdn, the last of the Umawee Khaleefehs, and was eventually received into the 
favour of the ’Abbdsee Khaleefeh El-Mansoor (See D’Herbelot, art. “Mdn ou Maan, fils de Zaideh,” 
where another and more interesting anecdote of him is given.) 

Adventures of Ibraheem the Son of El-Mahdee.* 

IbrAheem the son of El-Mahdee, f and brother of Haroon Er-Rasheed, when 
the office of Khaleefeh devolved to El-Ma-moon the son of his brother Er-Rasheed, 
refused to vow allegiance to him, and repaired to Er-Rei,t where he assumed to 
himself the title of Khaleefeh, and thus he continued to do for the space of one 
year and eleven months and twelve days. His brother’s son, El-Ma-moon, 
remained expecting his return to obedience, and his ranging himself among the 
number of his followers, until at length, despairing of his doing so, he mounted 
and set forth with his horsemen and foot-soldiers to Er-Rei. And when the news 
of his approach was brought to Ibr&heem, he found no resource but that of going 
to Baghdad, where he hid himself, fearing for his life; and El-Ma-moon offered 
to any one who would point out his place of concealment a hundred thousand pieces 
of gold. 

Now when 1 heard of this reward that was offered, says Ibr&heem, I feared 
for myself, and was perplexed at my case. So I went forth from my house at the 

• This anecdote is related, nearly word for word as in the Cairo edition, by El Is-h&ljee, from 
the “ Kowkab el-Wahh£j” of Ibr&heem El-Andalusee, afterwards Ed-Dimashkee. 

t This celebrated personage was a very skilful musician, an admirable singer, remarkably polite and 
liberal and eloquent. His complexion was very dark; his mother being a black Blave, named Shekleh 
or Shikleh, whom El-Mahdee had married ■ and he was so corpulent, that he received the nickname of 
Et-Teen, or The Fig. (D’Herbelot, art. “ Ibrahim Abou Ish&k Ben Mahadi—and Ibn Khallikdn.) 

| A city in the north of the Persian ’Erak. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

337 

hour to mid-day, not knowing whither to repair, and I entered a great street that 
was not a thoroughfare, and, seeing at the upper end of it a barber * standing at 
the door of his house, I advanced towards him, and said to him, Hast thou any 
place in which I may conceal myself for a while? He answered, Yes:—and 
opened the door, and I entered a clean house. Then, after he had brought me in, he 
closed the door upon me, and went away. I suspected, therefore, that he had 
heard of the reward that was offered, and said within myself, He hath gone forth 
to betray me. So I remained in a state of agitation like the pot upon the fire, reflect¬ 
ing upon my case; but while I was in this state, lo, he came, attended by a porter 
with all that he required; and, looking towards me, he said to me, May I be thy 
sacrifice!—I was in want of food, and prepared for myself a saucepan-full, the 
like of which I do not remember ever to have eaten before; and when I had 
satisfied myself with it, he said, O my master, it is not consistent with my station 
to converse with thee; but if thou desire to honour thy slave, thine own sur¬ 
passing judgment will determine. I therefore said to him, not imagining that he 
knew me, And whence hast thou learned that I excel in conversation ? Whereupon 
he exclaimed, Extolled be the perfection of Allah! Our lord is too celebrated for 
me to be ignorant of that. Thou art my master Ibraheem the son of El-Mahdee, 
respecting whom El-Ma-moon hath announced that he will give to him who 
discovereth thee a hundred thousand pieces of gold.—And when he said this, he 
became exalted in my eye, and his generosity was established in my opinion : so I 
complied with his desire, and, the remembrance of my children and my family 
occurring to my mind, I said,— 

Perhaps He who restored to Yoosuf his family, and aggrandized him in the 
prison when he was a captive, 

May answer our prayer, and reunite us; for God, the Lord of all creatures, 
is able. 

And when he heard these words from me, he said, O my master, wilt thou permit 
me to repeat what hath suggested itself to my mind ? I answered, Do so. And 
he recited two pieces of poetry ; on hearing which, I was filled with the utmost 
wonder at him, and moved with extreme delight. I then took a purse that I had 
with me, containing a number of pieces of gold, and threw it towards him, saying 
to him, I commend thee to the care of God; for I am about to depart from thee; 
I beg thee to employ the contents of this purse in the purchase of some of the 
things that thou requirest, and thou wilt receive from me an abundant recompense 
when I am secure from that which I fear. But he gave me back the purse, and 
said, O my master, paupers like myself are of no estimation with you; yet, 
consistently with my feelings of generosity, how can I accept payment for the 
boon which fortune hath granted me in causing thee to shew me such favour and 
to visit my abode ? By Allah, if thou repeat those words, and throw the purse to 
me a second time, I will kill myself.—So I took the purse, putting it into my 
sleeve,f and the weight of it incommoded me ; and I turned to leave him ; but 
when I came to the door of his house, he said, O my master, this place is more 

• In the Breslau edition, and in Trtbutien’s version, and also in El-Is-hdkee, the barber is 
described as a negro; but in an account of the occurence resting on good authority (in D'Herbelot, 
ubi supra), he is said to have been a person of very dark complexion, much resembling, in this respect, 
Ibr&heem himself. 

t An Arab often carries things in his long and ample sleeve, gathering up the greater part of its 
edge in his hand. 

2 x 

VOL. II. 

338 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

suited for thy concealment than another, and the supplying thee with provisions 
is no burden to me; therefore remain with me until God dispel thy trouble. So I 
replied, On the condition that thou expend from this purse. And he deceived me 
by professing his assent to this condition. Accordingly, I remained with him 
some days; but he expended nothing from the purse. 

I then attired myself in women's apparel, with the khuff* and the veil, and 
went forth from his house. But when I was in the street, excessive fear over¬ 
came me; and as I was about to pass over the bridge, I found myself in a place 
sprinkled with water, f and a trooper, one of those who had been in my service, 
saw me and recognised me; whereupon he called out and said, This is the person 
of whom El-Ma-moon is in quest! And he laid hold upon me. I however pushed 
him and his horse, and threw both down in that slippery place, so that the rider 
became an example to him who would be admonished, and the people hastened 
towards him. 

I therefore hurried on until 1 had passed the bridge, when I entered a great 
street, and, seeing the door of a house, and a woman standing in the passage, I 
said, O my mistress, save my life; for I am a man in fear. She replied, No harm 
shall befall thee. And she took me up into a supping-room, where she spread 
furniture for me, and brought to me some food, saying to me, Let thy terror 
subside. And while she was thus comforting me, the door was knocked with 
violence. So she went forth and opened it; and lo, my acquaintance whom I had 
pushed upon the bridge came forward, with his head bound, and his blood running 
down upon his clothes, and his horse was not with him. She said to him, What 
is this ? What calamity hath befallen thee ?—He answered, I caught the man, 
and he made his escape from me. And he related to her the whole affair. And 
she took forth a piece of rag, with which she bound his head; after which, she 
spread a bed for him, and he lay sick. Then coming up to me, she said to me, I 
imagine that thou art the person in question. I replied, Yes. And she said, No 
harm shall befall thee. She then renewed her generous conduct to me, and 
I remained with her three days; at the expiration of which, she said to me, I am 
in fear for thee from this man, lest he come up to thee, and thou fall into the 
misfortune that thou dreadest: therefore save thyself by flight. But I requested 
her to delay my departure until the night; and she said, There will be no harm 
in that. 

So when the night came, I put on the women’s apparel, and, going forth from 
her, repaired to the house of an emancipated female slave who had belonged to 
us; and when she saw me, she wept, and appeared grieved, and praised God 
(whose name be exalted!) for my safety, and went forth as though she would go 
to the market to procure what was requisite for my entertainment. But suddenly 
I beheld Ibraheem El-Mosilee, J approaching in the midst of his young men and 
troopers, with a woman before them ; and, looking narrowly at her, I found that 
she was the emancipated slave, the owner of the house where I was. She walked 
on before them until she delivered me into their hands, and I was carried, in 
the women's attire, to El-Ma-moon. 

* A kind of socks, or short boots, of yellow morocco, still worn by Arab and some other Eastern 
ladies, within the slipper, when walking abroad, or riding. 

t The ground is generally sprinkled in the streets Sic. of Arab cities, during the summer, to cool 
the air as well as to lay the dust; but a narrow space is usually left dry, in the middle ; this being 
especially necessary for the camels. 

t See Note 22 to Chap. iii. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

339 

He held a general council, and caused me to be brought in before him; and 
when I entered, I saluted him as Khaleefeh; * but he replied, May God not 
preserve thee nor bless thee! So I said to him, Act according to thy good 
pleasure, O Prince of the Faithful: thou hast the command; therefore decide 
upon punishment or pardon ; but pardon is the more agreeable with piety. God 
hath made thy pardon to excel that of every other person, as He hath made my 
offence to exceed every other offence, O Prince of the Faithful; and if thou take 
vengeance, it will be in thy justice; and if thou pardon, it will be in thy 
generosity. Then I recited these verses :— 

My offence against thee is great; but tliou art greater than it: 

So exact thy due, or else, in thy clemency remit it. 

If I have not been of the generous in conduct, do thou be so. 

El-Ma-moon then raised his head, and I quickly recited these other verses:— 

I have committed an enormous offence ; but tliou art disposed to pardon. 

If thou pardon, thou wilt be gracious; and if thou punish, thou wilt be 
just. 

And El-Ma-moon hung down his head, and repeated this couplet:— 

When a friend desireth to enrage me, and causeth me to be choked in my 
anger, 

I forgive his offences, and pardon him, fearing lest I should live friendless. 

So when I heard these words from him, I perceived from them the odour of mercy. 
He then addressed the son of his uncle, and his brother Is-liak, and all his 
chief officers who were present, and said to them, What course do ye see to be 
suitable to his case ? Whereupon every one of them advised him to slay me; but 
they differed as to the mode of slaughter. El-Ma-moon, however, said to Ahmad 
the son of Khalid, What sayest thou, O Ahmad?—O Prince of the Faithful, he 
answered, if thou slay him, we find an instance of such a person as thyself who 
hath slain such as he is; and if thou pardon him, we find not an instance of any 
like thee who hath pardoned one like him. And when El-Ma-moon heard the 
words of Ahmad the son of Khalid, he hung down his head, and repeated the 
saying of the poet:— 

My family have slain Umeyin, my brother: so if I shoot at them, my arrow 
will revert to me. 

If I pardon, I shall grant an egregious pardon; and if I assault, I shall 
weaken my own bones.f 

And he recited also these words of the poet:— 

Forgive thy brother when he mingleth what is right with what is wrong; 

And continue thy kindness to him, whether he be thankful or ungrateful; 
And abstain thou from reproaching him, whether he err or act justly. 

Dost thou not see that what thou lovest and what thou hatest are conjoined ? 

• Saying, “ Peace be on thee, O Prince of the Faithful! " 

t This latter verse is omitted in my original, but supplied by my sheykh in the margin. 

340 

NOTES TO CHATTER ELEVENTH. 

And that the delight of long life is disturbed by the mixture of grey hairs ? 

And that the thorns * appear upon the branches together with the fruit that 
is gathered ? 

Who is he that hath never done evil ? And who hath done good alone 1 

If thou triedst the sons of this age, thou wouldst find that most of them had 
erred. 

On hearing these verses from him, I removed the veil from my head, loudly 
exclaiming, God is most great! f—and said, May God pardon thee, O Prince of 
the Faithful! He replied, No harm shall befall thee, O uncle.—O Prince of the 
Faithful, I rejoined, my offence is too great for me to utter anything in excuse of 
it, and thy pardon is too great for me to express my thanks. Then, with mirth¬ 
exciting modulations, I sang these verses:— 

Verily the Author of all virtues collected them in the loins of Adam for the 
Seventh Imam.} 

Thou hast filled men’s hearts with reverence for thee, and with an humble 
heart thou guardest them all. 

I rebelled not against thee, overwhelmed by delusion, from any motive but 
that of covetousness ;§ 

And thou hast pardoned one whose like never was pardoned before, though 
none interceded with thee, 

And hast pitied little-ones like those of the kata, || and the yearning of a 
mother with impatient heart. 

To this, El-Ma-moon replied, I say, in imitation of the example of our lord 
Yoosuf (upon our Prophet and upon him be blessing and peace !), There shall be 
no reproach cast on you this day : God forgive you; for He is the most merciful 
of those who shew mercy.If And I restore to thee thy wealth and thy lands, O 
uncle, and no harm shall befall thee.—So I devoutly supplicated blessings upon 
him, and recited these verses: 

Thou hast restored my wealth, and not been avaricious of it; and before 
thou didst this, thou sparedst my life. 

I would give my blood to obtain thine approval, and my wealth till I drew off 
the shoe from my foot. 

Were I ungrateful for the favours thou hast granted me, I should be more 
base than thou art generous. 

El-Ma-moon then treated me with honour and beneficence, and said to me, O 
uncle, verily Aboo Is-h&k and El ’Abbas advised me to slay thee. I replied, Verily 
Aboo Is-hdk and E!-’Abbfis alvised thee faithfully, O Prince of the Faithful; but 
thou hast acted as became thyself, and averted that which thou fearedst by doing 

♦ In the original, “ And that the rose appeareth." The requisite correction is made, as usual, by my 
sheykh. 

f This is the usual Muslim cry of victory. 

t By "the Seventh Imam ” is meant El-Ma-moon, the seventh of the 'Abbieee Khaleefehs. 

§ Or, as explained by my sheykh, coveting thy pardon." 

II The kata is a kind of grouse, that deposits its eggs in the desert, at a great distance from any 
water. The comparison in the verse is therefore apt and strong.—See De Sacy, Chrestomathie Arabe, 
2nde ed., tome ii. p. 370. See also Note 30 to the Introduction of the present work. 

H These words, beginning, “ There shall be no reproach," are from the Kur An, chap. xii. verse 62. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

341 

what thou desiredst. And he said, I have extinguished my rancour by sparing 
thy life, and I have pardoned thee without burdening thee by obligations to 
intercessors. Then he prostrated himself in adoration for a long time; after 
which he raised his head, and said, O uncle, knowest thou wherefore I prostrated 
myself? I answered, Perhaps thou didst so to thank God for his having made thee 
master of thine enemy. He replied, I desired not that; hut to thank God that 
He had inspired me to pardon thee.—I then explained to him my case, and told 
him what had happened to me with the cupper [or barber], and with the trooper 
and his wife, and the emancipated female slave who betrayed me : whereupon 
El-Ma-moon gave orders to bring that emancipated female slave. She was in her 
house, expecting the reward to be sent to her ; and when she came before El-Ma- 
moon, he said to her, What induced thee to act as thou didst to thy master? She 
answered, Desire for the money. And he said, Hast thou a child or a husband ? 
She answered, No. And upon this he gave orders to inflict upon her a hundred 
lashes, and commanded that she should be imprisoned for life. He then caused 
the trooper and his wife and the cupper to be brought; and when they had all 
come, he asked the trooper the cause of his having acted as he had done. He 
answered, Desire for the money. And El-Ma-moon replied, Thou must be a 
cupper. And accordingly he commissioned a person to place him in the shop of 
a cupper that he might teach him his art. But the trooper’s wife he treated with 
honour, and he took her into the palace, and said. This is a sensible woman, fit 
to be employed in affairs of importance. Then he said to the cupper, There hath 
been such evidence of thy generosity as requirelh that extraordinary honour 
should be paid to thee. And he commanded that the house of the trooper should 
be given up to him, and bestowed upon him, in addition to that, fifteen thousand 
pieces of gold. 

The Discovery and History of Irem Zkt el-’Em&d, the Terrestrial Paradise 
of Shedd&d the Son of ’A'd.* 

It is related that ’Abd Allah the son of Aboo Kilabeh went forth to seek a 
camel that had run away, and while he was proceeding over the deserts of 
El-Yemen and the district of Seba, he chanced to arrive at a vast city encompassed 
by enormous fortifications, around the circuit of which were pavilions rising high 
into the sky. So when he approached it, he imagined that there must be 
inhabitants within it, of whom he might inquire for his camel; and accordingly 
he advanced to it; but on coming to it, he found that it was desolate, without any 
one to cheer its solitude. 

I alighted, says he, from my she-camel, and tied up her foot; and then, composing 
my mind, entered the city. On approaching the fortifications, I found that they 
had two enormous gates, the like of which, for size and height, have never been 
seen elsewhere in the world, set with a variety of jewels and jacinths, white and 
red and yellow and green; and when I beheld this, I was struck with the utmost 
wonder at it, and the sight astonished me. I entered the fortifications in a state 

* The Breslau edition merely gives a brief account of the construction of Irem Zdt el-’Emdd, and 
mentions, at its close, that 'Abd Allah the son of Aboo Kildbeh discovered it.—On the stature of the 
’A'dites, see Note 37 to Chapter ii. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

343 

of terror, and with a wandering mind, and saw them to he of the same large 
extent as the city, and to comprise elevated pavilions, every one of these contain¬ 
ing lofty chambers, and all of them constructed of gold and silver, and adorned 
with rubies and chrysolites and pearls and various-coloured jewels. The folding 
doors of these pavilions were like those of the fortifications in beauty, and their 
floors were overlaid with large pearls and with balls like hazel-nuts composed of 
musk and ambergris and saffron. And when I came into the midst of the city, I 
saw not in it a created being of the sons of Adam; and I almost died of terror. 
I then looked down from the summits of the lofty chambers and pavilions, and 
saw rivers running beneath them; and in the great thoroughfare-streets of the 
city were fruit-bearing trees, and tall palm-trees; and the construction of the city 
was of alternate bricks of gold and silver: so I said within myself, No doubt this 
is the paradise promised in the world to come. 

I carried away, of the jewels which were as its gravel, and the musk that was 
as its dust, as much as I could bear, and returned to my district, where I 
acquainted the people with the occurrence. And the news reached Mo’dwiyeh 
the son of Aboo Sufyan (who was then Khaleefeh) in the Ilejaz: so he wrote to 
his lieutenant in San’a of El-Yemen, saying, Summon that man, and inquire of 
him the truth of the matter. His lieutenant therefore caused me to be brought, 
and demanded of me an account of my adventure, and of what had befallen me ; 
and I informed him of what I had seen. He then sent me to Mo’&wiyeh, and 
I acquainted him also with that which I had seen; but he disbelieved it: so I 
produced to him some of those pearls and the little balls of ambergris and musk 
and saffron. The latter retained somewhat of their sweet scent; but the pearls 
had become yellow and discoloured. 

At the sight of these, Mo’awiyeh wondered, and he sent and caused Kaab 
el-Ahbar * to be brought before him, and said to him, O Kaab el-Ahb&r, I have 
called thee on account of a matter of which I desire to know the truth, and I 
hope that thou mayest be able to certify me of it.—And what is it, O Prince of 
the Faithful? asked Kaab el-Ahb&r. Mo’&wiyeh said, Hast thou any knowledge 
of the existence of a city constructed of gold and silver, the pillars whereof are 
of chrysolite and ruby, and the gravel of which is of pearls, and of balls like 
hazel-nuts, composed of musk and ambergris and saffron? He answered, Yes, O 
Prince of the Faithful. It is Irem Zat el-'Emad,f the like of which hath never 
been constructed in the regions of the earth; and Sheddad the son of ’A'd the 
Greater built it.—Relate to us, said Mo’&wiyeh, somewhat of its history. And 
Kaab el-Ahbar replied thus:— 

’A'd the Greater had two sons, Shedeed and Sheddad; and when their father 
perished, they reigned conjointly over the countries after him, and there was no 
one of the Kings of the earth who was not subject to them. And Shedeed the 
son of ’A'd died : so his brother Sheddad ruled alone over the earth after him. 
He was fond of reading the ancient books ; and when he met with the description 

* A famous traditionist, of the tribe of Hemyer, who embraced El-Isldm in the reign of ’Omar, 
and died in the year of the Flight 32, during the reign of ’Othmdn. (Miskdt el-Masdbeeh, vol. i. p. 
161.) The anecdote therefore presents an anachronism. 

f “Irem Zdt el-’Emdd” is generally understood to signify “ Irem with the Lofty Buildings:” but 
Von Hammer has remarked (see Trdbutien’s translation, tome iii. p. 286), that the story of this city, 
though related as true by Arab historians and others, is pronounced by Ibn Khaldoon to be an inven¬ 
tion of the commentators of the Kur-dn ; this judicious critic asserting, that “ Irem ” is the name of 
an ancient tribe, and that “ ’emdd " is to be understood in this case as meaning “ a tent-pole; " so that 
“Irem ZAt el-'EmAd ” signifies “ Irem with the [numerous] tent-poles, or tents.” In like manner, 
the expression " Ahlu-l-’Emdd " is used to signify “ People dwelling in Tents,” 

344 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

of the world to come, and of paradise with its pavilions and lofty chambers and 
its trees and fruits, and of the other things in paradise, his heart enticed him 
to construct its like on the earth, after this manner which hath been above- 
mentioned. He had under his authority a hundred thousand Kings, under each 
of whom were a hundred thousand valiant chieftains, and under each of these 
were a hundred thousand soldiers. And he summoned them all before him, and 
said to them, I find in the ancient books and histories the description of the 
paradise that is in the other world, and I desire to make its like upon the earth. 
Depart ye therefore to the most pleasant and most spacious vacant tract in the 
earth, and build for me in it a city of gold and silver, and spread, as its gravel, 
chrysolites and rubies and pearls, and as the supports of the vaulted roofs of that 
city make columns of chrysolite, and fill it with pavilions, and over the 
pavilions construct lofty chambers, and beneath them plant, in the by-streets and 
great thoroughfare-streets, varieties of trees bearing different kinds of ripe fruits, 
and make rivers to run beneath them in channels of gold and silver.—To this 
they all replied, flow can we accomplish that which thou hast described to us, and 
how can we procure the chrysolites and rubies and pearls that thou hast mentioned ? 
But he said, Know ye not that the Kings of the world are obedient to me, and 
under my authority, and that no one who is in it disobeyeth my command ? They 
answered, Yes, we know that.—Depart then, said he, to the mines of chrysolite 
and ruby, and to the places where pearls are found, and gold and silver; and take 
forth and collect their contents from the earth, and spare no exertions. Take also 
for me from the hands of men such of those thing3 as ye find, and spare none, nor 
let any escape you; and beware of disobedience. 

He then wrote a letter to each of the Kings in the regions of the earth, 
commanding them to collect all the articles of the kinds above-mentioned that 
their subjects possessed, and to repair to the mines in which these things were 
found, and extract the precious stones that they contained, even from the beds of 
the seas. And they collected the things that he required in the space of twenty 
years; * after which, he sent forth the geometriciansf and sages, and labourers 
and artificers, from all the countries and regions, and they dispersed themselves 
through the deserts and wastes, and tracts and districts, until they came to a 
desert wherein was a vast open plain, clear from hills and mountains, and in it 
were springs gushing forth, and rivers running. So they said, This is the kind of 
place which the King commanded us to seek, and called us to find. They then 
busied themselves in building the city according to the direction of the King 
Shedd&d, King of the whole earth, in its length and breadth; and they made 
through it the channels for the rivers, and laid the foundations conformably with 
the prescribed extent. The Kings of the various districts of the earth sent thither 
the jewels and stones, and large and small pearls, and carnelion and pure gold, 
upon camels over the deserts and wastes, and sent great ships with them over 
the seas; and a quantity of those things, such as cannot be described nor 
calculated nor defined, was brought to the workmen, who laboured in the construc¬ 
tion of this city three hundred years. And when they had finished it, they came 
to the King and acquainted him with the completion; and he said to them, 
Depart, and make around it impregnable fortifications, of great height, and 
construct around the circuit of the fortifications a thousand pavilions, each with a 

• Here it is added, “and the number of the Kings ruling in the earth was three hundred and 
sixty Kings : ” but this does not agree with what has been said before. 

t In the original, "muhendiseen,’* a term often applied to architects, and engineers. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

345 

thousand pillars* * * § beneath it, in order that there may he in each pavilion a 
Wezeer. So they went immediately, and did this in twenty years; after which 
they presented themselves before Sheddad, and informed him of the accomplish¬ 
ment of his desire. 

He therefore ordered his Wezeers, who were a thousand in number, and his 
chief officers, and such of his troops and others as he confided in, to make 
themselves ready for departure, and to prepare themselves for removal to Irem 
Zat el-’Emad, in attendance upon the King of the world, Sheddad the son of 
’A'd. He ordered also such as he chose of his women and his liareem, as his 
female slaves and his eunuchs, to fit themselves out. And they passed twenty years 
in equipping themselves. Then Sheddad proceeded with his troops, rejoiced at 
the accomplishment of his desire, until there remained between him and Irem Zfit 
el-’Emdd one day’s journey; when God sent down upon him and upon the 
obstinate infidels who accompanied him a loud cry from the heaven of his power, 
and it destroyed them all by the vehemence of its sound.f Neither Sheddad 
nor any of those who were with him arrived at the city or came in sight of it, and 
God obliterated the traces of the road that led to it; but the city remaineth as it 
was in its place until the hour of the judgment. 

At this narrative related by Kaab el-Ahbar, Mo’awiyeh wondered, and he said 
to him, Can any one of mankind arrive at that city?—Yes, answered Kaab 
el-Ahbar : a man of the companions of Mohammad (upon whom be blessing and 
peace!), in appearance like this man who is sitting here, without any doubt.— 
Esh-Shaabee J also saith, It is related on the authority of the learned men of 
Hemyer, in El-Yemen, that when Sheddad and those who were with him were 
destroyed by the loud cry, Iris son SheddAd the Less reigned after him; for his 
father SheddAd the Greater had left him as successor to his kingdom, in the land of 
Hadramdt and Seba, on his departure with the troops who accompanied him to 
Irem Zat el-’Emfid. And as soon as the news reached him of the death of his 
father on the way before his arrival at the city of Irem, he gave orders to carry his 
father’s body from those desert tracts to Hadramdt, and to excavate a sepulchre for 
him in a cavern. And when they had done this, he placed his body in it, upon a 
couch of gold, and covered the corpse with seventy robes interwoven with gold and 
adorned with precious jewels; and he placed at his head a tablet of gold, whereon 
were inscribed these verses:— 

Be admonished, O thou who art deceived by a prolonged life ! 

I am Sheddad the son of ’A'd, the lord of the strong fortress ; 

The lord of power and might and of excessive valour. 

The inhabitants of the earth obeyed me, fearing my severity and threats ; 

And I held the east and west under a strong dominion. 

And a preacher § of the true religion invited us to the right way ; 

But we opposed him, and said, Is there no refuge from it? 

* Instead of “’alam” (standards or banners, &c.) in the Cairo edition, I read “’amood” (pillars), 
agreeably with the description in the edition of Breslau. 

t This was not the final catastrophe of the tribe of ’A'd. The whole of this tribe, excepting a few 
persons, rejecting the admonitions of the prophet Hood, were destroyed by a hot and suffocating wind. 

J There was a traditionist sumamed Esh-Shaabee, another surnamed Esh-Shoabee, and a third 
surnamed Esh-Sheabee ; and which of them is here meant I know not, the short vowel-signs not 
being written. 

§ The Prophet Hood. 

2 Y 

VOL. II. 

346 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

And a loud crv assaulted us from a tract of the distant horizon ; 

Whereupon we fell down like corn in the midst of a plain at harvest; 

And now', beneath the earth, we au'ait the threatened day. 

—Eth-Tha'&libee also saith, It happened that two men entered this cavern, and 
found at its upper end some steps; and having descended these, they found an 
excavation, the length whereof was a hundred cubits, and its breadth forty cubits, 
and its height a hundred cubits. And in the midst of this excavation was a couch 
of gold, upon which was a man of enormous bulk, occupying its whole length and 
breadth, covered with ornaments and with robes interwoven with gold and silver; 
and at his head was a tablet of gold, whereon was an inscription. And they took 
that tablet, and carried away from the place as much as they could of bars of gold 
and silver, and other things. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

347 

Anecdote of Is-'aak El-Mo9ilee and Khadeejeh 
and El-Ma-moon. 

I went forth one night, says Is-bak El- 
Mosilee,* from the presence of El-Ma-moon, 
and, turning into a by-street, I saw something 
hanging from one of the houses there. So I 
felt it, to discover what it was, and found that 
it was a large basket,f with four handles, and 
covered with brocade; whereupon I said within 
myself, There must be some cause for this. 

And I was perplexed at my case. 

Intoxication induced me to seat myself in 
the basket; and when I had done so, lo, the 
people of the house drew it up with me in it, 
thinking that I was the person whom they 
were expecting. And when they had raised it 
to the top of the wall, behold, four damsels 
were there, and they said to me, Descend, 
and may ample enjoyment attend thee. Then a damsel walked before me with a 
candle until I descended into a mansion in which were sitting-rooms spread [with 
carpets and other furniture], the like of which I had never seen excepting in the 
palace of the Khaleefeh. And after 1 had sat a while, suddenly some curtains were 
raised on one side of the apartment, and lo, maids walked in with candles in their 
hands, and with perfuming-vessels containing aloes-wood; and among them was a 
damsel like the rising full moon. So I rose; and she said, Thou art a welcome 
visitor. Then having desired me to be seated, she inquired of me my history. I 
therefore answered her, I came forth from certain of my brethren, and, turning into 
this street, found a basket cast down; whereupon the wine induced me to seat 
myself in it, and it was drawn up, with me in it, to this house. This, said I, is 
my case.—And she said, No harm shall befall thee, and I hope thou wilt approve 
of the result of thine adventure. And what, she added, is thine occupation ? I 
answered, That of a merchant in the market of Baghdad. And she said, Canst 
thou repeat any verses?—Some trifling pieces, I answered.—Then mention them 
to us, said she, and recite to us somewhat of them. But I replied, The visitor is 
bashful: do thou begin.—Thou hast spoken truly, she said. And she recited 
some elegant verses, of the poetry of ancient and of recent composers, some of 
their most admirable effusions; and I listened, and knew not whether to wonder 
most at her beauty and loveliness, or at the charming style of her rehearsal. 
After this she said, Hath thy bashfulness passed away?—Yea, by Allah, I 
answered. And she said, If thou wilt, recite to us somewhat of that which thou 
art able to rehearse. So I recited to her an abundance of pieces by a number of 
old writers; and she approved them, and said, By Allah, I did not imagine that 
there existed among the sons of the common people such a person as this. 

She then gave orders to bring the food; and it was brought, and she began to 
take and to put before me; and varieties of sweet-smelling flowers were there, 
with rare fruits, such as are usually found nowhere but in the abodes of Kings. 

* A very famous musician, and the favourite boon-companion of El-Ma-moon. He was the son of 
IbrAhcein El-M6silee. See Note 22 to Chapter iii. 

t This kind of basket, called “ zembccl " or “ zimbeel,” is formed of paJm-Ieavcs. 

348 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

Afterwards she called for the wine, and she drank a cup, and handed one to me, 
saying, This is the time for conversation and relating stories. I therefore began to 
converse with her, and to say, I have been told that such and such things happened, 
and there was a man who said so and so,—until I had related to her a number of 
agreeable stories ; with which she was delighted; and she said, I wonder how it 
is that one of the merchants is able to repeat stories like these; for they are such 
as are proper for Kings. So I said, I had a neighbour who used to converse with 
the Kings, and serve as their boon-companion j and when he was unoccupied, I 
used to visit his house, and sometimes he would relate what thou hast heard. And 
she replied, By my life, thou hast retained them well. We continued our conversa¬ 
tion, whenever I was silent she beginning, until we had passed the greater part 
of the night, the fumes of the aloes-wood imparting a constant odour to the air; 
and I was in such a state that if El-Ma-moon could have imagined it, he woidd 
have flown with desire to enjoy it. She then said, Verily thou art one of the most 
pleasant and polished of men ; for thou art a person of surpassing good breeding ; 
and there is but one thing wanting.—And what, said I, is that ? She answered, 
Couldst thou sing verses to the sounds of the lute.—So I replied, I used to devote 
myself to this art of old ; but not being endowed with a talent for it, I relinquished 
it; and my heart is inflamed on that account. I should be glad to sing something 
well on the present occasion, that my night’s enjoyment might be complete. 

On hearing this, she said, It seemeth thou hast proposed that the lute should 
be brought. I replied, It is thine to decide: thou art the conferrer of favours, 
and art entitled to thanks for thy kindness. And she gave orders to bring a lute ; 
and when it was brought, she sang with a voice which I had never heard equalled 
in sweetness, with a charming manner, and admirable skill in striking the chords, 
and altogether with consummate excellence; after which she said, Knowest thou 
by whom this air was composed, and whose are the verses? I answered, No. And 
she said, The verses are by such-a-one, and the air is Is-hUk’s. I said, And is 
Is-hak (may I be thy sacrifice!) endowed with such talent?—Wonderful! 
wonderful! she exclaimed: Is-hdk surpasseth all in this art. And I said, 
Extolled be the perfection of Allah, who hath given to this man what He hath not 
given to any beside him!—And how then wouldst thou be charmed, she added, if 
thou heardest this air sung by him!—Thus we continued to pass the time until 
daybreak, when an old woman, who seemed to be her nurse, addressed her and 
said, The time hath arrived. So she arose at her words, and said, Keep thou our 
conduct secret; for social meetings are confidential.—May I be thy sacrifice ! 
I replied: I required no charge on that subject. I then bade her farewell, and she 
sent a damsel to walk before me to the door of the house, and she opened to me, 
and I went forth to my own abode. 

Having arrived there, I performed the morning-prayers, and slept; and the 
messenger of El-Ma-moon came to me; so I repaired to him, and remained with 
him that day. And when the hour of nightfall came, I reflected upon the pleasure 
that I had enjoyed during the preceding night, and it was such as none but the 
fool could be withheld from. I therefore went forth, and, coming to the basket, 
seated myself in it, and was drawn up to the place in which I was the night 
before. The damsel said to me, Thou hast been assiduous. But I replied, I 
do not think myself to have been otherwise than neglectful. We then chatted 
together as in the preceding night, each of us supplying subjects of conversation, 
and reciting poetry, and relating strange tales, until dawn; when I departed to 
my abode, and performed the morning-prayers, and slept. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

349 

The messenger of El-Ma-moon then came to me, and I repaired to him; and 
after I had passed the day with him, and the hour of nightfall arrived, the Prince 
of the Faithful said to me, I conjure thee to sit here until I have gone and 
accomplished an object that I have in view and come back. But when the 
Khaleefeh had gone away from me, disquieting thoughts arose in my mind, and, 
reflecting upon my late enjoyment, what I might experience from the Prince of 
the Faithful seemed of little moment to me. So I sprang up and retired, and 
went forth running until I came to the basket; whereupon I seated myself in it, 
and it was drawn up with me to the place of my former visits; and the damsel 
said, Probably thou art our friend?—Yea, by Allah, I answered.—And she said, 
Hast thou made our house thine abode ? I answered, May I be thy sacrifice! The 
right of a stranger to hospitality' is for three days; and if I return after that 
period, ye shall be free to shed my blood.—We then sat amusing ourselves as on 
the former occasions; and when the time of departure drew near, knowing that 
El-Ma-moon would certainly question me, and would not be content with anything 
but an explanation of the affair, I said to her, I see thee to be one of those who 
take pleasure in singing, and I have a cousin who is more comely than myself in 
countenance, and of higher rank, and more accomplished manners, and he is most 
nearly acquainted of all the creatures of God (whose name be exalted!) with 
Is-hak. Upon this she said, Art thou a spunger and dost thou urge an impertinent 
request? I answered her, Thou art the arbitratress of the matter. And she replied, 
If thy cousin be as thou hast described him, we shall have no dislike to be 
acquainted with him.—Then the time came, and I arose and went homewards. 

But before I arrived at my house, the messengers of El-Ma-moon rushed upon 
me, and violently bore me away to him. 1 found him sitting upon a throne, and 
incensed against me; and he said, O Is-liak, hast thou swerved from allegiance ? 
I answered, No, by Allah, O Prince of the Faithful.—What then is thy story ? 
said he: relate the affair to me with truth. So I replied, Well; but in privacy. 
He therefore made a sign to those who were before him ; whereupon they retired; 
and I told him the story, and said to him, I promised her that thou wouldst pay 
her a visit. And he said, Thou hast done well. We then occupied ourselves 
with our usual pleasures that day; but the heart of El-Ma-moon was intent upon 
the damsel; and scarcely had the appointed time arrived when we departed. I 
charged him, saying, Refrain from calling me by my name before her; and be as 
though thou wert my attendant * in her presence. And we agreed on this subject. 

We proceeded until we came to the place where the basket had been hung, 
and we found two baskets: so we seated ourselves in them, and they were drawn 
np with us to the same place. The damsel then advanced and saluted us; and 
when El-Ma-moon beheld her, he was astonished at her beauty and loveliness. 
She began to relate stories to him, and to recite verses, and afterwards caused the 
wine to be brought, and we drank ; she making him the object of her particular 
favour, and rejoicing in his society, and he shewing the same favour to her, and 
alike delighted with her. And she took the lute, and sang these verses: f — 

The beloved visited me towards the close of night. I stood, to shew him 
honour, until he sat down. 

* So in the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights: in the Cairo edition, “ but I will be 
thine attendant." 

t From the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights, vol. i. page 425. 

350 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

I said, O my intimate, and all my desire, hast thou come this night and not 
feared the watch ? 

He answered, The love-smitten feared; but his desire had forcibly deprived 
him of his reason. 

She then said to me, And is thy cousin of the merchants? And she pointed 
towards El-Ma-moon. I answered, Yes. And she said, Verily ye nearly resemble 
each other. I replied, Yes. 

And when El-Ma-moon had drunk three pints,* being moved with joy and 
merriment, he called out and said, O Is-hiik ! I replied, At thy service, O Prince 
of the Faithful.—Sing, said he, this air. And when the damsel discovered that 
he was the Khaleefeh, she retired into another apartment. So after I had finished 
my song, El-Ma-moon said to me, See who is the master of this house. Where¬ 
upon an old woman quickly answered and said, It belongeth to El-Hasan the son 
of Sahl. And he said, Bring him hither unto me. The old woman, therefore, 
was absent for a short time, and lo, El-IIasan came in. El-Ma-moon said to him, 
Hast thou a daughter? He answered, Yes: her name is Khadeejeh. f—Is she 
married? said the Khaleefeh. El-Hasan answered, No, by Allah. Then, said 
El-Ma-moon, I demand her of thee as my wife. El-Hasan replied, She is thy 
handmaiden, and at thy disposal, O Prince of the Faithful. And the Khaleefeh 
said, I marry her on the condition of paying in ready money, as her dowry, thirty 
thousand pieces of gold, which shall be brought to thee this next morning: 
so, after thou shalt have received the money, do thou convey her to us in the 
following night. He replied, I hear and obey. We then went forth; and he said, 
O Is-hak, tell not this story to any one. I therefore kept it a secret until 
El-Ma-moon died. 

Never have such pleasures altogether fallen to the lot of any one, as those which 
I enjoyed during these four days, keeping company with El-Ma-moon by day, and 
with Khadeejeh by night. By Allah, I have seen no one among men like 
El-Ma-moon, and I have not beheld among women the like of Khadeejeh, nor 
any who approached her in intelligence and sense and elocution.— And God is 
all-knowing. 

[Some Arab authors have, not without reason, pronounced this anecdote an 
invention of Is-h&k. It is well known, that El-Ma-moon married the daughter 
of hisWezeer El-Hasan the son of Sahl; but that he became acquainted with 
her in the manner above described is highly improbable. The marriage took 
place at Fern es-Silh, on the bank of the Tigris, near Wasit, and was celebrated 
with a magnificence scarcely credible. El-Hasan, the father of the bride, 
scattered, among the officers and other chief persons who were present, balls of 
musk of the size of hazel-nuts, containing papers inscribed with the names of lands 
and of female slaves, and the descriptions of beasts &c., and into whose hand 
soever a ball fell, the property of which the name or description was written upon 
the enclosed paper was delivered to him, whether it were a piece of land, or other 
possession, or a horse, or a female slave, or a memlook. After that, he scattered 
among the rest of the people, pieces of gold and silver, and bags of musk, and 
balls X of ambergris. He expended upon the entertainment of El-Ma-moon and 

* See vol. i. page 219. 

t Her true name, or that by which she was generally known, was Boor4n. 
X Literally, “ eggs.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

351 

liis companions, and all liis troops and other attendants, the number of whom was 
incalculable, even the camel-drivers, and the hired conductors of beasts, and the 
boatmen, so that none had occasion to purchase anything for himself or for his 
beast. It is said that El-Ma-moon remained with Fd-Hasan nineteen days, the 
latter providing the Khaleefeh and all who were with him, each day, with every¬ 
thing that they required; and that the sum which he expended upon them was 
fifty millions of pieces of silver. * El-Ma-moon, on his departure, gave orders to 
present him with ten millions of pieces of silver, and allotted him Es-Silh as a 
possession; whereupon El-Hasan sat and distributed the money among his 
grandees and companions and retinue. El-Ma-moon likewise gave up to him the 
revenue of Faris and the cities of El-Ahw&z for the period of a year. It is 
related also, that when El-Ma-moon first entered the apartment of the bride, and 
seated himself with her, her grandmother scattered over them both a thousand large 
pearls from a tray of gold; and that a candle of ambergris,f weighing forty 
menns,J in a lantern § of gold, was lighted that night; but that El-Ma-moon 
disapproved of it, and pronounced it an act of prodigality.||] 

* Equivalent to about a million and a quarter of pounds sterling. 

f Probably of wax, with an admixture of ambergris. 

J The “ menn ” is generally said to be two pounds. 

§ In the text from which I translate, “ toor ” or “ towr; ” but this I suppose to be an error of the 
press, and the right reading to be “ tennoor.”

CHIEFLY FROM THE EDITION OF BRESLAU, COMMENCING WITH 
PART OF THE TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIRST NIGHT, 
AND ENDING WITH THE TWO HUNDRED AND NINETIETH. 

THE STORY OF ABU-L-HASAN THE WAG, OR THE 
SLEEPER AWAKENED. 1 

There was a merchant in Baghdad, in the reign of the Khalee- 
feh Haroon Er-Rasheed, and he had a son named Abu-l-Hasan the 
Wag.* And this merchant died, leaving to his son vast wealth: 
whereupon Abu-l-Hasan divided his property into two equal por¬ 
tions, one of which he laid aside, and of the other he expended. He 
took as his familiar friends a number of the sons of the merchants, 

OR THE SLEEPER AWAKENED. 

353 

and others, and gave himself up to the delights of good drinking and 
good eating, until all the wealth that he had appropriated to this 
purpose was consumed. And upon this he repaired to his associates 
and relations and boon-companions, and exposed to them his case, 
shewing them how little property remained in his possession ; but 
none of them paid any regard to him, or uttered a word in reply. 
So he returned to his mother, with a broken heart, and told her of 
the treatment that he had experienced from his associates, that they 
would neither do him justice nor even reply to him. But she said, 
O Abu-l-Hasan, thus are the sons of this age: as long as thou hast 
anything, they draw thee near to them; and when thou hast no¬ 
thing, they cast thee off. She was grieved for him, and he sighed 
and wept. 

He then sprang up, and went to the place in which was depo¬ 
sited the other half of his wealth, and upon this he lived agreeably. 
He took an oath that he would not thenceforth associate with any 
one of those whom he knew, but only with the stranger, and that he 
would not associate with any person but for one night, and on the 
following morning would not recognise him. Accordingly, every 
night, he went forth and seated himself on the bridge, and when a 
stranger passed by him, he invited him to an entertainment, and 
took him to his house, where he caroused with him that night, until 
the morning : he then dismissed him; and after that, he would not 
salute him if he saw him. 

Thus he continued to do for a whole year; after which, as he 
was sitting one day upon the bridge as usual, to see who might 
come towards him, Er-Rasheed and certain of his domestics passed 
by in disguise; for the Khaleefeh had experienced a contraction of 
the bosom, and come forth to amuse himself among the people. So 
Abu-l-Hasan laid hold upon him, and said to him, O my master, 
hast thou any desire for a repast and beverage ? And Er-Rasheed 
complied with his request, saying to him, Conduct us. And Abu-l- 
Hasan knew not who was his guest. The Khaleefeh proceeded 
with him until they arrived at Abu-l-Hasan’s house : and when Er- 
Rasheed entered, he found in it a saloon, such that if thou beheldest 
it, and lookedst towards its walls, thou wouldst behold wonders; 
and if thou observedst its conduits of water, thou wouldst see a 
fountain encased with gold. And after he had seated himself there, 

2 z 

VOL II. 

354 

THE STORY OF ABU-L-HASAN THE WAG, 

Abu-l-Hasan called for a slave-girl, like a twig of the Oriental wil¬ 
low, who took a lute, and extemporized and sang these verses 

O thou who ever dwellest in my heart, while thy person is distant from my 
sight! 

Thou art my soul; though I see it not, it is nearer to me than anything beside. 

And when Er-Rasheed heard these verses, he said to her, Thou 
hast performed well. God bless thee!—Her eloquence pleased 
him, and he wondered at Abu-l-Hasan and his entertainment. 

He then said to Abu-l-Hasan, O young man, who art thou ? 
Acquaint me with thy history, that I may requite thee for thy 
kindness.—But Abu-l-Hasan smiled, and replied, O my master, far 
be it from me that what hath happened should recur, and that I 
should be in thy company again after this time I—And why so ? 
said the Khaleefeh, and why wilt thou not acquaint me with thy 
case ?—So Abu-l-Hasan told him his story, and when the Khalee¬ 
feh heard it, he laughed violently, and said, By Allah, O my bro¬ 
ther, thou art excusable in this matter. Then a dish of roast goose 
was placed before him, and a cake of line bread ; 3 and Abu-l-Hasan 
sat, and cut off the meat, and put morsels into the mouth of the 
Khaleefeh, and they continued eating until they were satisfied; when 
the basin and ewer were brought, with the kali ;* and they washed 
their hands. After this, Abu-l-Hasan lighted for his guest three 
candles and three lamps, spread the wine-cloth, and brought clear, 
strained, old, perfumed wane, the odour of which was like fragrant 
musk, and, having filled the first cup, said, O my boon-companion, 
bashfulness is dismissed from us, with thy permission. Thy slave is 
by thee. May I never be afflicted by the loss of thee !—And he 
drank the cup, and filled the second, which he handed to the 
Khaleefeh, waiting upon him as a servant. And the Khaleefeh was 
pleased with his actions, and the politeness of his words, and said 
within himself, By Allah, I will certainly requite him for this! 
Abu-l-Hasan then, after he had kissed the cup, handed it to the 
Khaleefeh, who accepted it from his hand, kissed it and drank it, 
and handed it back to him. Abu-l-Hasan still continued serving 
him. He filled and drank, and filled again and handed the cup 
to the Khaleefeh, after he had kissed it tliree times, reciting these 
verses:— 

OR THE SLEEPER AWAKENED. 

355 

Thy presence with us is an honour, and we confess it to be so; 

And if thou absent thyself from us, we have none to fill thy place. 

Drink, he added, and may it be attended with health and vigour. 
—And they drank and caroused until midnight . 5 

After this, the Khaleefeh said to his host, O Abu-l-Hasan, is 
there any service that thou wouldst have performed, or any desire 
that thou wouldst have accomplished ? And Abu-l-Hasan answered, 
In our neighbourhood is a mosque, to which belong an Imam and 
four sheykhs, and whenever they hear music or any sport, they 
incite the Walee against me, and impose fines upon me, and trouble 
my life, so that I suffer torment from them. If I had them in my 
power, therefore, I would give each of them a thousand lashes, that 
I might be relieved from their excessive annoyance. 

Er-Rasheed replied, May Allah grant thee the accomplishment 
of thy wish! And without his being aware of it, he put into a cup 
a lozenge of benj, and handed it to him; and as soon as it had 
settled in his stomach, he fell asleep immediately. Er-Rasheed then 
arose and went to the door, where he found his young men waiting 
for him, and he ordered them to convey Abu-l-Hasan upon a mule, 
and returned to the palace ; Abu-l-Hasan being intoxicated and 
insensible. And when the Khaleefeh had rested himself in the 
palace, he called for his Wezeer Jaafar, and ’Abd Allah the son of 
Tahir, the Walee of Baghdad, and certain of his chief attendants, 
and said to them all, In the morning, when ye see this young man 
(pointing to Abu-l-Hasan) seated on the royal couch, pay obedience 
to him, and salute him as Khaleefeh, and whatsoever he commandeth 
you, do it. Then going in to his female slaves, he directed them 
to wait upon Abu-l-Hasan, and to address him as Prince of the 
Faithful; after which he entered a private closet, and, having let 
down a curtain over the entrance, slept. 

So when Abu-l-Hasan awoke, he found himself upon the royal 
couch, with the attendants standing around, and kissing the ground 
before him ; and a maid said to him, O our lord, it is the time for 
morning-prayer. Upon which he laughed, and, looking round about 
him, he beheld a pavilion whose walls were adorned with gold and 
ultramarine, and the roof bespotted with red gold, surrounded by 
chambers with curtains of embroidered silk hanging before their 

doors ; and he saw vessels of gold and China- 
ware and crystal, and furniture and carpets 
spread, and lighted lamps, and female slaves 
and eunuchs and other attendants; whereat 
he was perplexed in his mind and said, By 
Allah, either I am dreaming, or this is Para¬ 
dise, and the Abode of Peace. And he closed 
his eyes. So a eunuch said to him, 0 my 
lord, this is not thy usual custom, O Prince 
of the Faithful. And he was perplexed at 
his case, and put his head into his bosom, 
and then began to open his eyes by little 
and little, laughing, and saying, What is 
this state in which I find myself? And he bit 
his finger; and when he found that the bite 
pained him, he cried, Ah!—and was angry. 
Then raising his head, he called one of the 

THE STORY OF ABU-L-HASAN THE WAG, &c. 

357 

female slaves, who answered him, At thy ser¬ 
vice, O Prince of the Faithful! And he said 
to her, What is thy name ? She answered, 
Shejeret ed-Durr.* And he said, Knowest 
thou in what place I am, and who I am ?— 
Thou art the Prince of the Faithful, she 
answered, sitting in thy palace, upon the 
royal couch. He replied, I am perplexed at 
my case, my reason hath departed, and it 
seemeth that I am asleep ; but what shall I 
say of my yesterday’s guest ? I imagine no¬ 
thing hut that he is a devil or an enchanter, 
who hath sported with my reason. 

All this time, the Khaleefeh was observ¬ 
ing him, from a place where Abu-l-Hasan 
could not see him.—And Abu-l-Hasan looked 
towards the chief eunuch, and called to him. 
So he came, and kissed the ground before 
him, saying to him, Yes, O Prince of the 
Faithful. And Abu-l-Hasan said to him, 
Who is the Prince of the Faithful?—Thou, he 
answered. Abu-l-Hasan replied, Thou liest. 
And addressing another eunuch, he said to 
him, O my chief, as thou hopest for Allah’s 
protection, tell me, am I the Prince of the 
Faithful?—Yea, by Allah, answered the eu¬ 
nuch : thou art at this present time the Prince 
of the Faithful, and the Khaleefeh of the 
Lord of all creatures. And Abu-l-Hasan, 
perplexed at all that he beheld, said, In one 
night do I become Prince of the Faithful? 
Was I not yesterday Abu-l-Hasan; and to¬ 
day am I Prince of the Faithful ?—He re¬ 
mained perplexed and confounded until the 
morning, when a eunuch advanced to him 
and said to him, May Allah grant a happy 
morning to the Prince of the Faithful! And 
he handed to him a pair of shoes of gold 

358 

THE STORY OF ABU-L-HASAN THE WAG, 

( 

stuff, reticulated with precious stones and 
rubies; and Abu-l-Hasan took them, and 
after examining them a long time, put them 
into his sleeve. So the eunuch said to him, 
These are shoes, to walk in. And Abu-l- 
Hasan replied, Thou hast spoken truth. I 
put them not into my sleeve but in my fear 
lest they should be soiled. — He therefore 
took them forth, and put them on his feet. 
And shortly after, the female slaves brought 
him a basin of gold and a ewer of silver, 
and poured the water upon his hands; and 
when he had performed the ablution, they 
spread for him a prayer-carpet; and he prayed; 
but knew not liow to do so. He continued 
his inclinations and prostrations until he had 
performed twenty rek’ahs ; 7 meditating and 
saying within himself, By Allah, I am none 
other than the Prince of the Faithful, in 
truth ; or else this is a dream, and all these 
things occur not in a dream. He therefore 

OR THE SLEEPER AWAKENED 

359 

convinced himself, and determined in his mind, 
that he was the Prince of the Faithful; and 
he pronounced the salutations , 8 and finished 
his prayers. They then brought him a mag¬ 
nificent dress, and, looking at himself, as he 
sat' upon the couch, he retracted, and said, 
All this is an illusion, and a machination of 
the Jan. 

And while he was in this state, lo, one of 
the memlooks came in and said to him, O 
Prince of the Faithful, the chamberlain is at 
the door, requesting permission to enter.—Let 
him enter, replied Abu-l-Hasan. So he came 
in, and, having kissed the ground before him, 
said, Peace be on thee, O Prince of the 
Faithful! And Abu-l-Hasan rose, and de¬ 
scended from the couch to the floor; where¬ 
upon the chamberlain exclaimed, Allah! Al¬ 
lah ! O Prince of the Faithful! Knowest 
thou not that all men are thy servants, and 
under thy authority, and that it is not proper 
for the Prince of the Faithful to rise to any 
one ?—Abu-l-Hasan was then told that Jaafar 
El-Barmekee, and ’Abd Allah the son of 
Tahir, and the chiefs of the memlooks, begged 
permission to enter. And he gave them per¬ 
mission. So they entered, and kissed the 
ground before him, each of them addressing 
him as Prince of the Faithful. And he was 
delighted at this, and returned their saluta¬ 
tion; after which, he called the Walee, who 
approached him, and said, At thy service, O 
Prince of the Faithful! And Abu-l-Hasan 
said to him, Repair immediately to such a 
street, and give a hundred pieces of gold to 
the mother of Abu-l-Hasan the Wag, with 
my salutation: then take the Imam of the 
mosque, and the four sheykhs, inflict upon 

each of them a thousand lashes; 9 and when 
thou hast done that, write a bond against 
them, confirmed by oath, that they shall not 
reside in the street, after thou shalt have 
paraded them through the city, mounted on 
beasts, with their faces to the tails, and hast 
proclaimed before them, This is the recom¬ 
pense of those who annoy their neighbours! 
— And beware of neglecting that which I 
have commanded thee to do.—So the Walee 
did as he was ordered. And when Ahu-1- 
Hasan had exercised his authority until the 
close of the day, he looked towards the cham¬ 
berlain and the rest of the attendants, and 
said to them, Depart. 

He then called for a eunuch who was 
near at hand, and said to him, I am hungry, 
and desire something to eat. And he replied, 
I hear and obey :—and led him by the hand 
into the eating-chamber, where the attendants 
placed before him a table of rich viands; and 

THE STORY OF ABU-L-HASAN THE WAG, &c. 

361 

/ 

( 
' 

ten slave-girls, high-bosomed virgins, stood 
behind his head. Abu-l-Hasan, looking at one j J 
of these, said to her, What is thy name ? j J 
She answered Kadeeb el-Ban. 10 And he said 
to her, O Kadeeb el-Ban, who am I ?—Thou 
art the Prince of the Faithful, she answered. 

But he replied. Thou liest, by Allah, thou 
slut! Ye girls are laughing at me.—So she 
said, Fear Allah, O Prince of the Faithful: 
this is thy palace, and the female slaves are 
thine. And upon this he said within himself, 

It is no great matter to be effected by God, 
to whom be ascribed might and glory ! Then 
the slave-girls led him by the hand to the 
drinking-chamber, where he saw what as¬ 
tonished the mind; and he continued to say 
within himself, No doubt these are of the 
Jan, and this person who was my guest is 
one of the Kings of the Jan, who saw no 
way of requiting and compensating me for 
my kindness to him but by ordering his 
’O'ns to address me as Prince of the Faithful. 

All these are of the Jan. May Allah then 
deliver me from them happily!—And while 
he was thus talking to himself, lo, one of 
the slave-girls filled for him a cup of wine; 
and he took it from her hand and drank it; 
after which, the slave-girls plied him with 
wine in abundance; and one of them threw 
into his cup a lozenge of benj ; and when 
it had settled in his stomach, he fell down 
senseless. 

Er-Rasheed then gave orders to convey him to his house; and 
the servants did so, and laid him on his bed, still in a state of in¬ 
sensibility. So when he recovered from his intoxication, in the 
latter part of the night, he found himself in the dark; and he 
called out, Kadeeb el-Ban! Shejeret ed-Durr!—But no one an¬ 
swered him. His mother, however, heard him shouting these 

VOL. n. 3 A 

( 

362 

THE STORY OF ABU-L-HASAN THE WAG, &c. 

names, and arose and came, and said to him, What hath happened 
to thee, O my son, and what hath befallen thee ? Art thou mad ? 
—And when he heard the words of his mother, he said to her, 
Who art thou, O ill-omened old woman, that thou addressest the 
Prince of the Faithful with these expressions ? She answered, I 
am thy mother, O my son. But he replied, Thou liest: I am the 
Prince of the Faithful, the lord of the countries and the people.— 
Be silent, she said, or else thy life will be lost. And she began to 
pronounce spells and to recite charms over him, and said to him, It 
seemeth, O my son, that thou hast seen this in a dream, and all 
this is one of the ideas suggested by the Devil. She then said to 
him, I give thee good news, at which thou wilt be rejoiced.—And 
what is it? said he. She answered, The Khaleefeh gave orders 
yesterday to beat the Imam and the four sheykhs, and caused a 
bond to be written against them, confirmed by oath, that they shall 
not transgress henceforth against any one by their impertinent 
meddling; and he sent me a hundred pieces of gold, with his salu¬ 
tation. And when Abu-l-Hasan heard these words from his 
mother, he uttered a loud cry, with which his soul almost quitted 
the world; and he exclaimed, I am he who gave orders to beat the 
sheykhs, and who sent thee the hundred pieces of gold, with my 
salutation, and I am the Prince of the Faithful. 

Having said this, he rose up against his mother, and beat her 
with an almond-stick, until she cried out, O Muslims ! 11 And he 
beat her with increased violence until the neighbours heard her 
cries, and came to her relief. He was still beating her, and saying 
to her, O ill-omened old woman, am I not the Prince of the Faith¬ 
ful ? Thou hast enchanted me !—And when the people heard his 
words, they said, This man hath become mad. And not doubting 
his insanity, they came in and laid hold upon him, bound his hands 
behind him, and conveyed him to the madhouse. 18 There every 
day they punished him, dosing him with abominable medicines, 
and flogging him with whips, making him a madman in spite of 
himself. Thus he continued, stripped of his clothing, and chained 
by the neck to a high window, for the space of ten days ; after which, 
his mother came to salute him. And he complained to her of his 
case. So she said to him, 0 my son, fear God in thy conduct: if 
thou wert Prince of the Faithful, thou wouldst not be in this pre- 

dicament. And when he heard what his mother said, he replied, 
By Allah, thou hast spoken truth. It seemeth that I was only 
asleep, and dreamt that they made me Klialeefeh, and assigned me 
servants and female slaves.—So his mother said to him, O my son, 
verily Satan doeth more than this. And he replied. Thou hast 
spoken truth, and I beg forgiveness of God for the actions committed 
by me. 

They therefore took him forth from the madhouse, and con¬ 
ducted him into the bath; and when he recovered his health, he 
prepared food and diink, and began to eat. But eating by himself 
was not pleasant to him ; and he said to his mother, O my mother, 
neither life nor eating, by myself, is pleasant to me. She replied, 
if thou desire to do according to thy will, thy return to the mad¬ 
house is most probable. Paying no attention, however, to her ad¬ 
vice, he walked to the bridge, to see for himself a cup-companion. 
And while he was sitting there, lo, Er-Rasheed came to him, in the 
garb of a merchant; for, from the time of his parting with him, he 
came every day to the bridge, but found him not till now. As soon 
as Abu-l-Hasan saw him, he said to him, A friendly welcome to 
thee, O King of the Jan ! So Er-Rasheed said, What have I done 
to thee ?—What more couldst thou do, said Abu-l-Hasan, than thou 

364 

THE STORY OF ABU-L-HASAN THE WAG, 

hast done unto me, O filthiest of the Jan ? I have suffered heating, 
and entered the madhouse, and they pronounced me a madman. 
All this was occasioned by thee. I brought thee to my abode, and 
fed thee with the best of my food; and after that, thou gavest thy 
Devils and thy ’O'ns entire power over me, to make sport with my 
reason from morning to evening. Depart from me, therefore, and 
go thy way. 

The Khaleefeh smiled at this, and, seating himself by his side, 
addressed him in courteous language, and said to him, O my bro¬ 
ther, when I went forth from thee, I inadvertently left the door 
open, and probably the Devil went in to thee. 13 Abu-l-Hasan 
replied, Inquire not respecting that which happened to me. And 
what possessed thee, he added, that thou leftest the door open, so 
that the Devil came in to me, and that such and such things befel 
me ?—And he related to the Khaleefeh all that had happened to 
him from first to last, while Er-Rasheed laughed, but concealed his 
laughter : after which, the Khaleefeh said to him, Praise be to God 
that He hath dispelled from thee that which thou hatest, and that I 
have seen thee again in prosperity ! But Abu-l-Hasan replied, I 
will not again take thee as my boon-companion, nor as an associate 
to sit with me ; for the proverb saitli, He who stumbletli against a 
stone and returneth to it, is to be blamed and reproached:—and 
with thee, O my brother, I will not carouse, nor will I keep com¬ 
pany with thee ; since I have not found thy visit to be followed by 
good fortune to me. 14 —The Khaleefeh, however, said, I have been 
the means of the accomplishment of thy desire with regard to the 
Imam and the sheykhs.—Yes, replied Abu-l-Hasan. And Er- 
Rasheed added, Perhaps something will happen to thee that will 
rejoice thy heart more than that.—Then what dost thou desire of 
me ? said Abu-l-Hasan.—My desire, answered Er-Rasheed, is to 
be thy guest this night. And at length Abu-l-Hasan said, On the 
condition that thou swear to me by the inscription on the seal of 
Suleyman the son of Daood (on both of whom be peace !) that thou 
wilt not suffer thy ’Efreets to make sport with me. And Er- 
Rasheed replied, I hear and obey. 

So Abu-l-Hasan took him to his abode, and put the food before 
him and his attendants, and they ate as much as satisfied them; and 
when they had finished eating, the servants placed before them the 

OR THE SLEEPER AWAKENED. 

365 

wine and exhilarating beverages, and they continued drinking and 
carousing until the wine rose into their heads. Abu-l-Hasan then 
said to the Khaleefeh, O my boon-companion, in truth I am per¬ 
plexed respecting my case. It seemeth that I was Prince of the 
Faithful, and that I exercised authority and gave and bestowed: 
and truly, O my brother, it was not a vision of sleep.—But the 
Khaleefeh replied, This was a result of confused dreams. And 
having said this, he put a piece of benj into the cup, and said, By 
my life, drink this cup.—Verily I will drink it from thy hand, re¬ 
plied Abu-l-Hasan. So he took the cup, and when he had drunk 
it, his head fell before his feet. The Khaleefeh then arose imme¬ 
diately, and ordered his young men to convey Abu-l-Hasan to the 
palace, and to lay him upon his couch, and commanded the female 
slaves to stand around him ; after which he concealed himself in a 
place where Abu-l-Hasan could not see him, and ordered a slave- 
girl to take her lute and strike its chords over Abu-l-Hasan’s head, 
and desired the other slave-girls to play upon their instruments. 

It was then the close of the night, and Abu-l-Hasan, awaking, 
and hearing the sounds of the lutes and tambourines and flutes, 
and the singing of the slave-girls, cried out, O my mother ! Where¬ 
upon the slave-girls answered, At thy service, 0 Prince of the Faith¬ 
ful ! And when he heard this, he exclaimed, There is no strength 
nor power but in God, the High, the Great! Come to my help 
this night; for this night is more unlucky than the former !—He 
reflected upon all that had happened to him with his mother, and 
how he had beaten her, and how he had been taken into the mad¬ 
house, and he saw the marks of the beating that he had suffered 
there. Then looking at the scene that surrounded him, he said, 
These are all of them of the J an, in the shapes of human beings! 
I commit my affair unto Allah!—And looking towards a memlook 
by his side, he said to him, Bite my ear, that I may know if I be 
asleep or awake. The memlook said, How shall I bite thine ear, 
when thou art the Prince of the Faithful ? But Abu-l-Hasan an¬ 
swered, Do as I have commanded thee, or I will strike off thy head. 
So he bit it until his teeth met together, and Abu-l-Hasan uttered 
a loud shriek.—Er-Rasheed (who was behind a curtain in a closet), 
and all who were present, fell down with laughter, and they said to 
the memlook, Art thou mad, that thou bitest the ear of the Khalee- 

feh ? And Abu-l-Hasan said to them, Is it not enough, O ye 
wretches of Jinn, that hath befallen me ? But ye are not in fault: 
the fault is your chief’s, who transformed you from the shapes of 
Jinn into the shapes of human beings. I implore help against you 
this night by the Verse of the Throne, and the Chapter of Sincerity, 
and the Two Preventives ! 15 —Upon this Er-Rasheed exclaimed from 
behind the curtain, Thou hast killed us, O Abu-l-Hasan! And 
Abu-l-Hasan recognised him, and kissed the ground before him, 
greeting him with a prayer for the increase of his glory, and the 
prolongation of his life. Er-Rasheed then clad him in a rich 
dress, gave him a thousand pieces of gold, and made him one of his 
chief boon-companions. 

Abu-l-Hasan, after this, became a greater favourite with the 
Khaleefeh than all the other boon-companions, so that he sat with 
the Khaleefeh and his wife the lady Zubeydeh, the daughter of El- 
Kasim, and he married her female Treasurer, whose name was 
Nuzhet el-Fuad. 16 With this wife he resided, eating and drink- 

THE STORY OF ABU-L-HASAN THE WAG, &c. 

367 

ing, and enjoying a delightful life, until all the money that they 
possessed had gone ; whereupon he said to her, O Nuzhet el-Fuad ! 
And she answered, At thy service.—I desire, said he, to practise a 
trick upon the Khaleefeh, and thou shalt practise a trick upon the 
lady Zubeydeh, and we will obtain from them immediately two 
hundred pieces of gold, and two pieces of silk.—Do what thou 
desirest, replied she : and what, she asked, is it ? He answered, 
We will feign ourselves dead. I will die before thee, and lay my¬ 
self out: then do thou spread over me a napkin of silk, and unfold 
my turban over me, and tie my toes, and put upon my stomach a 
knife and a little salt: 17 after which, dishevel thy hair, and go to thy 
lady Zubeydeh, and tear thy vest and slap thy face, and shriek. So 
she will say to thee, What is the matter with thee ? And do thou 
answer her, May thy head long survive Abu-l-Hasan the Wag; 
for he is dead! Whereupon she will mourn for me, and weep, and 
will order her female Treasurer 18 to give thee a hundred pieces of 
gold, and a piece of silk, 18 and will say to thee, Go, prepare his 
corpse for burial, and convey it forth to the grave. So thou shalt 
receive from her the hundred pieces of gold, and the piece of silk, 
and come hither. And when thou comest to me, I will rise, and 
thou shalt lay thyself down in my place, and I will go to the Khalee¬ 
feh, and say to him, May thy head long survive Nuzhet el-Fuad! 
And I will tear my vest, and pluck my heard; upon which he will 
mourn for thee, and will say to his Treasurer, Give to Abu-l-Hasan 
a hundred pieces of gold, and a piece of silk:—and he will say to 
me, Go, prepare her corpse for burial, and convey it forth to the 
grave. So I will come to thee.—And Nuzhet el-Fuad was de¬ 
lighted with this, and replied, Truly this is an excellent stratagem! 

She forthwith closed his eyes, and tied his feet, covered him 
with the napkin, and did all that her master told her ; after which, 
she tore her vest, uncovered her head, and dishevelled her hair, and 
went in to the lady Zubeydeh, shrieking and weeping. When the 
lady Zubeydeh, therefore, beheld her in this condition, she said to 
her, What is this state in which I see thee, and what hath happened 
unto thee, and what hath caused thee to weep ? And Nuzhet el- 
Fuad wept and shrieked, and said, 0 my mistress, may thy head 
long survive Abu-l-Hasan the Wag ; for he is dead! And the lady 
Zubeydeh mourned for him, and said, Poor Abu-l-Hasan the Wag! 

368 

THE STORY OF ABU-L-HASAN THE WAG, 

Then, after weeping for him a while, she ordered the female Trea¬ 
surer to give to Nuzhet el-Fuad a hundred pieces of gold, and a 
piece of silk, and said, 0 Nuzhet el-Fuad, Go, prepare his body 
for burial, and convey it forth. So she took the hundred pieces of 
gold, and the piece of silk, and, returning to her abode, full of joy, 
went in to Abu-l-Hasan, and acquainted him with what had happened 
to her; upon which he arose and rejoiced, and girded his waist and 
danced, and took the hundred pieces of gold, with the piece of silk, 
and layed them up. 

He then extended Nuzhet el-Fuad, and did with her as she 
had done with him ; after which, he tore his vest and plucked his 
beard and disordered his turban, and ran without stopping until he 
went in to the Khaleefeh, who was in his hall of judgment; and in 
the condition above described, he beat his bosom. So the Khalee¬ 
feh said to him, What hath befallen thee, O Abu-l-Hasan ? And 
he wept, and said, Would that thy boon-companion had never been, 
nor his hour come to pass ! 20 The Khaleefeh therefore said to him, 
Tell me. He replied, May thy head long survive, O my lord, 
Nuzhet el-Fuad! And the Khaleefeh exclaimed, There is no 
deity but God!—and struck his hands together. He then consoled 
Abu-l-Hasan, and said to him, Mourn not: I will give thee a con¬ 
cubine in her stead. And he ordered his Treasurer to give him a 
hundred pieces of gold, and a piece of silk. The Treasurer there¬ 
fore did as he was commanded, and the Khaleefeh said to Abu-l- 
Hasan, Go, prepare her corpse for burial, and convey it forth, and 
make a handsome funeral for her. And he took what the Khalee¬ 
feh gave him, and went to his abode joyful, and going in to Nuzhet 
el-Fuad, said to her, Arise; for our desire is accomplished. She 
therefore arose, and he put before her the hundred pieces of gold, 
and the piece of silk. So she rejoiced; and they put these pieces 
of gold on the other pieces, and the piece of silk on the former one, 
and sat conversing, and laughing at each other. 

But as to the Khaleefeh, when Abu-l-Hasan departed from him, 
and went with the pretence of preparing the corpse of Nuzhet el- 
Fuad for burial, he mourned for her, and, having dismissed the 
council, arose and went in, leaning upon Mesroor his Executioner, 
to console the lady Zubeydeh for the loss of her slave-girl. He 
found her, however, sitting weeping, and waiting for his arrival, 

OR THE SLEEPER AWAKENED. 

369 

that she might console him for the loss of Abu-l-Hasan the Wag. 
The Khaleefeh said, May thy head long survive thy slave-girl 
Nuzhet el-Fuad! But she replied, O my lord, Allah preserve my 
slave-girl! Mayest thou long survive thy boon-companion Abu-l- 
Hasan the Wag; for he is dead!—And the Khaleefeh smiled, and 
said to his eunuch, O Mesroor, verily women are of little sense. By 
Allah, was not Abu-l-Hasan just now with me ?—Upon this, the 
lady Zubeydeh said, after uttering a laugh from an angry bosom, 
Wilt thou not give over thy jesting ? Is not the death of Abu-l- 
Hasan enough, but thou must make my slave-girl to be dead, as 
though we had lost them both, and thou must pronounce me of little 
sense ?—The Khaleefeh replied, Verily Nuzhet el-Fuad is the per¬ 
son who is dead. And the lady Zubeydeh rejoined, In truth he 
was not with thee, nor didst thou see him ; and none was with me 
just now but Nuzhet el-Fuad, who was mourning and weeping, with 
her clothes rent in pieces; and I exhorted her to have patience, and 
gave her a hundred pieces of gold, and a piece of silk; and I was 
waiting for thee, that I might console thee for the loss of thy boon- 
companion, Abu-l-Hasan the Wag; and I was going to send for 
thee. On hearing this, the Khaleefeh laughed, and said, None is 
dead but Nuzhet el-Fuad. And the lady Zubeydeh said, No, no, 
O my lord: none is dead but Abu-l-Hasan. But the Khaleefeh 
now became enraged; the vein between his eyes, which was re¬ 
markable in members of the family of Hashim, 21 throbbed, and he 
called out to Mesroor the Executioner, saying to him, Go forth and 
repair to the house of Abu-l-Hasan the Wag, and see which of the 
two is dead. 

VOL II. 

370 

THE STORY OF ABU-L-HASAN THE WAG, 

Mesroor, therefore, went forth running. And the Khaleefeh 
said to the lady Zubeydeh, Wilt thou lay me a wager? She an¬ 
swered, Yes, I will, and I say that Abu-l-Hasan is dead.—And I, 
replied the Khaleefeh, lay a wager, and say that none is dead but 
Nuzhet el-Fuad ; and our wager shall be, that I stake the Garden 
of Delight against thy pavilion, the Pavilion of the Pictures. ’* And 
they sat waiting for Mesroor to return with the information.—Now 
as to Mesroor, he ran without ceasing until he entered the by¬ 
street in which was the house of Abu-l-Hasan the Wag. Abu-l- 
Hasan was sitting reclining against the window, and, turning his 
eyes, he saw Mesroor running along the street. So he said to 
Nuzhet el-Fucid, It seemeth that the Khaleefeh, after I went forth 
from him, dismissed the court, and hath gone in to the lady Zubey¬ 
deh to console her, and that she, on his arrival, hath arisen and con¬ 
soled him, and said to him, May God largely compensate thee for 
the loss of Abu-l-Hasan the Wag !—whereupon the Khaleefeh hath 
said to her, None is dead but Nuzhet el-Fuad. May thy head 
long survive her!—And she hath replied, None is dead but Abu-l- 
Hasan the Wag, thy boon-companion. And he hath said again to 
her, None is dead but Nuzhet el-Fuad. So they have become ob¬ 
stinate, and the Khaleefeh hath been enraged, and they have laid a 
wager, in consequence of which, Mesroor the Executioner hath 
been sent to see who is dead. It is therefore the more proper that 
thou lay thyself down, that he may see thee, and go and inform the 
Khaleefeh, who will thereupon believe my assertion. 

Accordingly, Nuzhet el-Fuad extended herself, and Abu-l- 
Hasan covered her with her izar, and seated himself at her head, 
weeping. And lo, Mesroor the eunuch came up into the house of 
Abu-l-Hasan, and saluted him, and saw Nuzhet el-Fuad stretched 
out; upon which he uncovered her face, and exclaimed, There is 
no deity but God! Our sister Nuzhet el-Fuad is dead! How 
speedy was the stroke of fate! May Allah have mercy upon her, 
and acquit thee of responsibility!—He then returned, and related 
what had happened before the Khaleefeh and the lady Zubeydeh, 
laughing as he spoke. So the Khaleefeh said to him, O thou 
accursed, this is not a time for laughing. Tell us which of 
them is dead.—He therefore replied, By Allah, 0 my lord, 
verily Abu-l-Hasan is well, and none is dead but Nuzhet el- 

OR THE SLEEPER AWAKENED. 

.371 

Fuad. And upon this the Khaleefeh said to Zubeydeh, 
Thou hast lost thy pavilion in thy play. And he laughed 
at her, and said, O Mesroor, relate to her what thou sawest. So 
Mesroor said to her, In truth, 0 my mistress, I ran incessantly 
until I went in to Abu-l-Hasan in his house; whereupon I found 
Nuzliet el Fuad lying dead, and Abu-l-Hasan sitting at her head, 
weeping; and I saluted him and consoled him, and seated myself 
by his side ; and, uncovering the face of Nuzhet el-Fuad, I beheld 
her dead, with her face swollen. I therefore said to him, Convey 
her forth presently to the grave, that we may pray over her. And 
he replied, Yes. And I came, leaving him to prepare her corpse 
for burial, in order to inform you.—Upon this, the Khaleefeh 
laughed, and said, Tell it again and again to thy mistress, the 
person of little sense. But when the lady Zubeydeh heard the 
words of Mesroor, she was enraged, and said, None is deficient in 
sense but he who believeth a slave. And she abused Mesroor, 
while the Khaleefeh continued laughing; and Mesroor was dis¬ 
pleased, and said to the Khaleefeh, He spoke truth who said, that 
women are deficient in sense and religion. 23 

The lady Zubeydeh then said, O Prince of the Faithful, thou 
sportest and jestest with me, and this slave deceiveth me for the pur¬ 
pose of pleasing thee; but I will send, and see which of them is dead. 
The Khaleefeh replied, Do so. And she called to an old woman, 
a kahramaneh, and said to her, Repair quickly to the house of 
Nuzhet el-Fuad, and see who is dead, and delay not thy return. 
And she threw money to her. So the old woman went forth run¬ 
ning; the Khaleefeh and Mesroor laughing. The old woman ran 
without ceasing until she entered the street; when Abu-l-Hasan saw 
her and knew her; and he said to his wife, O Nuzhet el-Fuad, it 
seemeth that the lady Zubeydeh hath sent to us to see who is dead, 
and hath not believed what Mesroor hath said respecting thy death: 
wherefore she hath sent the old woman, the kahramaneh, to ascer¬ 
tain the truth of the matter. It is therefore more proper now for 
me to be dead, that the lady Zubeydeh may believe thee. 

Then Abu-l-Hasan laid himself along, and Nuzhet el-Fuad 
covered him, and bound his eyes and his feet, and seated herself at 
his head, weeping. And the old woman came in to Nuzhet el- 
Fuad, and saw her sitting at the head of Abu-l-Hasan, weeping, 

372 

THE STORY OF ABU-L-HASAN THE WAG, 

and enumerating his merits; and when Nuzhet el-Fuad saw the 
old woman, she shrieked, and said to her, See what hath befallen 
me! Abu-l-Hasan hath died, and left me single and solitary !— 
Then she shrieked again, and tore her clothes in pieces, and said to 
the old woman, O my mother, how good he was ! The old woman 
replied, Truly thou art excusable; for thou hadst become habitu¬ 
ated to him, and he had become habituated to thee.—And knowing 
how Mesroor had acted to the Khaleefeh and the lady Zubeydeh, 
she said to Nuzhet el-Fuad, Mesroor is about to cause a quarrel 
between the Khaleefeh and the lady Zubeydeh.—And what is this 
cause of quarrel, O my mother? said Nuzhet el-Fuad. The old 
woman answered, O my daughter, Mesroor hath come to them and 
told them that thou wast dead, and that Abu-l-Hasan was well.— 
O my aunt, replied Nuzhet el-Fuad, I was just now with my lady, 
and she gave me a hundred pieces of gold, and a piece of silk : and 
see thou my condition, and what hath befallen me. I am per¬ 
plexed; and what shall I do, single and solitary ? Would that I 
had died, and that he had lived!—Then she wept, and the old 
woman wept with her, and advancing, and uncovering the face of 
Abu-l-Hasan, saw his eyes bound, and swollen from the bandage. 
And she covered him, and said, Truly, O Nuzhet el-Fuad, thou 
hast been afflicted for Abu-l-Hasan. And she consoled her, 
and went forth from her running until she went in to the lady 
Zubeydeh, when she related to her the story; on hearing which, 
the lady Zubeydeh laughed, and said, Tell it to the Khaleefeh, 
who hath pronounced me of little sense, and caused this ill-omened, 
lying slave to behave arrogantly towards me. But Mesroor said, 
Verily this old woman lieth; for I saw Abu-l-Hasan in good 
health, and it was Nuzhet el-Fuad who was lying dead. The old 
woman replied, It is thou who liest, and thou desirest to excite a 
quarrel between the Khaleefeh and the lady Zubeydeh. Mesroor 
rejoined, None lieth but thou, O ill-omened old woman, and thy 
lady believeth thee, for she is disordered in mind. And upon this, 
the lady Zubeydeh cried out at him, enraged at him and at his 
words ; and she wept. 

At length the Khaleefeh said to her, I lie, and my eunuch 
lieth, and thou liest, and thy female slave lieth. The right course, 
in my opinion, is this, that we four go together to see who among 

OR THE SLEEPER AWAKENED. 

373 

us speaketh truth. So Mesroor said, Arise with us, that I may 
bring misfortunes upon this ill-omened old woman, and bastinade 
her for her lying.—O thou imbecile in mind! exclaimed the old 
woman: is thy sense like mine? Nay, thy sense is like that of 
the hen.—And Mesroor was enraged at her words, and would have 
laid violent hands upon her; but the lady Zubeydeh, having 
pushed him away from her, said to him, Immediately will her 
veracity be distinguished from thine, and her lying from thine. 
They all four arose, laying wagers with each other, and went forth 
and walked from the gate of the palace until they entered the 
gate of the street in which dwelt Abu-l-Hasan the Wag; when 
Abu-l-Hasan saw them, and said to his wife Nuzhet el-Fuad, In 
truth, everything that is slippery is not a pancake, and not every 
time that the jar is struck doth it escape unbroken. 24 It seemeth 
that the old woman hath gone and related the story to her lady, 
and acquainted her with our case, and that she hath contended 
with Mesroor the eunuch, and they have laid wagers respecting 
our death: so the Khaleefeh and the eunuch and the lady Zubey¬ 
deh and the old woman have all four come to us.—And upon this, 
Nuzhet el-Fuad arose from her extended position, and said, What 
is to be done? Abu-l-Hasan answered her, We will both feign 
ourselves dead, and lay ourselves out, and hold in our breath. 
And she assented to his proposal. 

They both stretched themselves along, bound their feet, closed 
their eyes, and held in their breath, lying with their heads in the 
direction of the Kibleh, Ji and covered themselves with the izar. 
Then the Khaleefeh and Zubeydeh and Mesroor and the old 
woman entered the house of Abu-l-Hasan the Wag, and found him 
and his wife extended as if they were dead. And when the lady 
Zubeydeh saw them, she wept, and said. They continued to assert 
the death of my female slave 20 until she actually died; but I imagine 
that the death of Abu-l-Hasan so grieved her that she died after 
him in consequence of it. The Khaleefeh, however, said, Do not 
prevent me with thy talk and assertions; for she died before Abu-l- 
Hasan, because Abu-l-Hasan came to me with his clothes torn 
in pieces, and with his beard plucked, and striking his bosom with 
two clods ; ” and I gave him a hundred pieces of gold, with a 
piece of silk, and said to him, Go, prepare her body for burial, and 

I will give thee a concubine better than her, and she shall serve in 
her stead:—and it appears that her loss was insupportable to him ; 
so he died after her. I have therefore overcome thee, and gained 
thy stake.—But the lady Zubeydeh replied in many words, and a 
long dispute ensued between them. 

The Khaleefeh then seated himself at the heads of the two pre¬ 
tended corpses, and said, By the tomb of the Apostle of Allah (God 
favour and preserve him !), and by the tombs of my ancestors, if 
any one would acquaint me which of them died before the other, I 
would give him a thousand pieces of gold. And when Abu-1- 
Hasan heard these words of the Khaleefeh, he quickly rose and 
sprang up, and said, It was I who died first, O Prince of the 
Faithful. Give me the thousand pieces of gold, and so acquit thy¬ 
self of the oath that thou hast sworn.—Then Nuzhet el-Fuad 
arose and sat up before the Khaleefeh and the lady Zubeydeh, who 
rejoiced at their safety. But Zubeydeh chid her female slave. 
The Khaleefeh and the lady Zubeydeh congratulated them both on 
their safety, and knew that this pretended death was a stratagem 
for the purpose of obtaining the gold: so the lady Zubeydeh said 
to Nuzhet el-Fuad, Thou shouldst have asked of me what thou 

THE STORY OF ABU-L-HASAN THE WAG, &e. 

375 

desiredst without this proceeding, and not have tortured my heart 
on thine account.—I was ashamed, O my mistress, replied Nuzhet 
el-Fuad.—But as to the Khaleefeh, he was almost senseless from 
laughing, and said, O Abu-l-Hasan, thou hast not ceased to be a 
wag, and to do wonders and strange acts. Abu-l-Hasan replied, O 
Prince of the Faithful, this stratagem I practised in consequence of 
the dissipation of the wealth that I received from thy hand; for I 
was ashamed to ask of thee a second time. When I was alone, I 
was not tenacious of wealth ; but since thou hast married me to this 
female slave who is with me, if I possessed all thy wealth I should 
make an end of it. And when all that was in my possession was 
exhausted, I practised this stratagem, by means of which I ob¬ 
tained from thee these hundred pieces of gold, and the piece of silk, 
all of which are an alms of our lord. And now make haste in 
giving me the thousand pieces of gold, and acquit thyself of thine 
oath. 

At this, the Khaleefeh and the lady Zubeydeh both laughed ; 
and after they had returned to the palace, the Khaleefeh gave to 
Abu-l-Hasan the thousand pieces of gold, saying to him, Receive 
them as a gratuity on account of thy safety from death. In like 
manner also the lady Zubeydeh gave to Nuzhet el-Fuad a thou¬ 
sand pieces of gold, saying to her the same words. Then the 
Khaleefeh allotted to Abu-l-Hasan an ample salary and ample 
supplies, and he ceased not to live with his wife in joy and happi¬ 
ness, until they were visited by the terminator of delights, and 
the separator of companions, the devastator of palaces and houses, 
and the replenisher of the graves. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWELFTH. 

Note 1. 

This story is not in the edition of Cairo, nor in the MS. of tire Thousand and 
One Nights from which Galland translated,* though he has introduced it in his 
version; and I am not aware of its being found in any copy of that work, ex¬ 
cepting the one from which the Breslau edition is printed. From these circum¬ 
stances, and from my having discovered that its chief and best portion is an 
historical anecdote, related as a fact, I am inclined to think that it is not a genuine 
tale of the Thousand and One Nights, and that it has been inserted in some copies 
of that work (perhaps only in one) to supply a deficiency. But as it exists in 
one copy, and is one of the best tales in Galland’s version, I have gladly given it 
a place in the present collection. The place which it occupies in the order of the 
Nights, in the edition of Breslau, I have mentioned at the head of this Chapter; 
but in the order of the Tales in that edition, it follows the story of Es-Sindib&d of 
the Sea and Es-Sindib&d of the Land. 

The author by whom I have found the chief portion of this tale related as an 
historical anecdote is El-ls-hakee, who finished his history shortly before the close 
of the reign of the ’Osmfinlee Sultan Mustafa, apparently in the year of the Flight 
1032 (a. d. 1623). He does not mention his authority; and whether it is related 
by an older historian, I do not know; but perhaps it is founded upon fact. 

The story is narrated in El-Is-hakee’s work in a simple and agreeable man¬ 
ner: in the Breslau Thousand and One Nights it is given more fully, but in 
language of a vulgar style, and abounding with errors. I have, therefore, here 
availed myself of both these works, each of which, in this case, possesses merits 
that the other does not. To the former, as far as it has enabled me to do so, I have 
adhered more closely; but the additions I have made, of the best parts of the nar¬ 
rative in the latter work, constitute the chief portion of my translation of the tale. 
Abu-1-Hasan’s marriage, and the subsequent events, are not related by El-Is-h&kee. 

Galland has evidently added to this story considerable embellishments of his 

* See Von Hammer’s “Notice sur les douze Manuscrits comtus des Mille et Une Nuitf, qui ex¬ 
istent en Europe,” in Tr6butien. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWELFTH. 

377 

own invention, and made it in many parts inconsistent with Arab manners and 
customs. But his version of it appears to have been mainly derived from an Arabic 
original more full than the corresponding text in the Breslau edition; for I dis¬ 
tinguish in it several poetical and other passages which are not in the tale as given 
in that edition, and which are certainly not invented by him. For instance, near 
the commencement of the story, I observe a loose translation of four verses occur¬ 
ring in the Cairo edition in an earlier tale: see page 342, in vol. i., of the 
present work. 

Note 2. 

The word “khaleea,” which I render “wag" (though this is not its primary 
meaning, nor do I find it so explained in any Dictionary, excepting one in MS. of 
my own composition), is generally used in the present day to signify “ waggish,” 
“ frolicksome,” or “ witty,” and has been so used by many good writers. That it 
is to be thus understood here, and not in the sense of an “ abandoned person,” or 
a “ reprobate,” is evident from the manner in which it is employed at the close of 
the tale. In like manner, “ khala’ah ” signifies “ waggishness,” &c. 

Note 3. 

In the original, “ kum&jeh.” This word appears to be from the Persian 
“ k limit)” or “ kumash ” (“unleavened bread,” or “ bread baked in the ashes"); 
hut it is commonly used to signify “fine flour,” and I have not found it used in 
any other sense. 

Note 4. 

The herb kali and several other vegetables are used for washing the hands after 
eating; but the most common substitute for soap I have observed to be “dukak,” 
which is the meal of the lupin, called in Arabic “ turmus,” vulgo “ tirmis.” 

Note 5. 

In illustration of this part of the story, as it respects the character of Haroon Er- 
Rasheed, see Note 22 to Chapter iii (vol. i. p. 215). 

Note 6. 

See Note 18 to Chapter vii. 

Note 7. 

The morning-prayers consist of only four rek’ahs; namely, two sunneh (or 
ordained by the Prophet), and two fard (i. e. of divine appointment). Respecting 
the “ rek’ah,” see Note 1 to the Introduction. 

Note 8. 

After the sunneh prayers, and after the fard, the worshipper, looking upon his 
right shoulder, says, “ Peace be on you, and the mercy of God! ” then, looking 
upon the left shoulder, he repeats the same words. These salutations are consi¬ 
dered by some as addressed only to the guardian angels who watch over the 
believer and note all his actions; but others say that they are addressed both to 
angels and men (». e. believers only), who may be present: no person, however, 
returns them. Some hold that every believer is attended by two angels; others 
say, five; others, sixty, or a hundred and sixty. 

3 c 

VOL. II. 

378 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWELFTH. 

Note 9. 

In the Breslau edition, four hundred lashes. 

Note 10. 

“ Kadeeb el-Biin” signifies “ Twig of the Oriental willow.” 

Note 11. 

See Note 78 to Chapter v. 

Note 12. 

Or hospital. The same building, in an Arabian city, generally serves both as a 
hospital for the sick and an asylum for the mad. 

Note 13. 

“ Shut your doors at night,” said the Prophet; “ and at the time of doing it, 
remember [or rather, repeat] God’s name ; because the Devil cannot open the door 
which has been shut in the name of God.”*—As I have remarked in my work on 
the Modern Egyptians,f it is a common custom of many learned and devout per¬ 
sons, and some others, to say, “ In the name of God, the Compassionate, the 
Merciful,” on locking a door, covering bread, laying down their clothes at night, 
and on other occasions, to protect their property (as well as themselves) from evil 
genii, or devils. 

Note 14. 

Literally, “ I have not seen thee to have a heel prosperous to me.” 

Note 15. 

See Notes 44 and 18 to Chapter x. “ The Chapter of Sincerity ” is the 112th 
(or last but two) of the Kur-an. 

Note 16. 

“ Nuzhet el-Fu&d” signifies “Delight of the Heart.” 

Note 17. 

Two of the customs here mentioned, namely, tying the toes of the corpse, and 
placing a knife, or rather, a sword, upon the body, are still common in some Mus¬ 
lim countries; but I did not hear of their being observed in Egypt, nor of the cus¬ 
tom of putting the salt with the knife or sword. Iron and salt are both believed to 
repel genii, and to prevent their approach (see vol. i. pp. 34 and 36), and hence, 
perhaps, are thus used. 

Note 18. 

Nuzhet el-Fuad must have resigned her office of Treasurer on marrying 
Abu-l-Hasan. 

Note 19. 

Abu-l-Hasan expected the present of the money for the purpose of defraying 
the expenses of the funeral, and the piece of silk for grave-clothing. See Note 11 
to Chapter vi. 

• Mishkat el-Masabeeh, vol. ii. p. 341. 

t Vol. i. chap. x. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWELFTH. 

379 

Note 20. 

Tliis is a common kind of ejaculation. By the “ hour,” in this instance, we 
may understand either the hour of Abu-l-Hasan's birth, or that in which he was 
appointed the Khaleefeh’s boon-companion. 

Note 21. 

Literally, “ the Hashimee vein.” “ The vein of anger between the eyes ” 
appears to have been especially remarkable in descendants of HAshim. Whether 
it was so in HAshim himself, I do not find j but it is mentioned among the cha¬ 
racteristics of his great-grandson, the Prophet. 

Note 22. 

The word rendered “ pictures” generally signifies “carved images,” “ effigies,” 
or “ models.” I suppose pictures to be here meant because carved images are 
generally representations of living creatures, which representations are forbidden 
by the Muslim law. 

Note 23. 

This is a saying of the Prophet, and is often quoted by a Muslim to silence his 
wife. 

Note 24. 

The text here is faulty; but Dr. Habicht has pointed out the corrections, and I 
only differ from him in adding the article to the last word of the latter of the two 
proverbs. 

Note 25. 

Here, also, the text appears to be faulty. I read “ kibleh” for “ keeleh” or 
“ keyleh.”—Some Muslims turn the head of the corpse in the direction of the 
Kibleh, or Mekkeh: others, the right side, inclining the face in that direction. 
In the latter position the corpse is placed in the tomb. 

Note 26. 

In this passage, again, I am obliged to have recourse to a conjectural emend¬ 
ation. 

Note 27. 

The word here rendered “ two clods ” also signifies “ two lumps of stone,” or 
“ two bricks.” Beating the bosom with two clods of hard, dry earth, in a case of

FIFTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE TWO HUN¬ 
DRED AND NINETY-FOURTH. 

THE STORY OF MOHAMMAD ’ALEE THE JEWELLER, OR THE 
FALSE KHALEEFEH.' 

It is related that the Khaleefeh Haroon Er-Rasheed was trou¬ 
bled one night with an exceeding restlessness, in consequence of 
which he summoned his Wezeer Jaafar El-Barmekee, and said to 
him, My bosom is contracted, and I desire this night to amuse 
myself in the streets of Baghdad, and to observe the employments 
of the people; but on the condition that we disguise ourselves in 
the garb of merchants, so that no one may know us. And the 
Wezeer replied, I hear and obey. They arose immediately, and, 
having pulled off the magnificent apparel with which they were then 
clad, put on the attire of merchants. And they were three; the 
Khaleefeh, and Jaafar, and Mesroor the Executioner. 

THE STORY OF MOHAMMAD ’ALEE THE JEWELLER, &c. 381 

They walked from place to place until they arrived at the 
Tigris, when they saw an old man sitting in a boat; and approach¬ 
ing him, they saluted him, and said to him, O sheykh, we desire 
of thy favour and kindness that thou wouldst amuse us in this thy 
boat, and take this piece of gold as thy hire. But the sheykh 
said, Who is he that can amuse himself here ? For the Khaleefeh 
Haroon Er-Rasheed embarketh every night on the river Tigris on 
board a small vessel, attended by a crier who proclaimeth and saith, 
O all ye companies of men, great and small, noble and plebeian, 
young men and youths, whosoever embarketh in a vessel and 
traverseth the Tigris, I will strike off his head, or hang him upon 
the mast of his vessel!—Ye have now almost encountered him; for 
his bark is approaching.—So the Khaleefeh and Jaafar said, O 
sheykh, take these two pieces of gold, and convey us into one of 
those arches, that we may remain there until the bark of the 
Khaleefeh hath passed. And the sheykh replied. Give me the 
gold, and our reliance be upon God, whose name be exalted! He 
took the gold, set his boat afloat with them, and proceeded a little 
way; and lo, the bark approached from the bosom of the Tigris, 
and in it were lighted candles and cressets. 2 The sheykh there¬ 
fore said to them, Did I not tell you that the Khaleefeh passed 
along the river every night ? Then he began to say, O excellent 
Protector, remove not the veils of thy protection! He conveyed 
them into an arch, and spread a black meezer 3 over them; and 
they gratified their curiosity by gazing at the spectacle from 
beneath the meezer. They beheld at the head of the bark a man 
having in his hand a cresset of red gold, in which he was burning 
aloes-wood: he wore a vest of red satin; upon one of his shoulders 
was a piece of yellow embroidered stuff; 4 upon his head, a muslin 
turban; and upon his other shoulder, a bag of green silk full of 
aloes-wood, from which he supplied the cresset with fuel instead of 
using common fire-wood. They saw likewise another man, at the 
stern of the bark, clad as the former one, and having in his hand a 
similar cresset. And there were also in the bark two hundred 
memlooks, standing on the right and left; and in it was placed a 
throne of red gold, upon which was sitting a handsome young man, 
like the moon, clad in a dress of black, 5 with embroidery of yellow 
gold. Before him was a man resembling the Wezeer Jaafar, and 

382 THE STORY OF MOHAMMAD ’ALEE THE JEWELLER, 

at his head stood a eunuch like Mesroor, with a drawn sword in 
his hand. And they saw moreover twenty boon-companions. 

Now when the Khaleefeh beheld this, he said, O Jaafar. The 
Wezeer replied, At thy service, O Prince of the Faithful. And 
the Khaleefeh said, Probably this is one of my sons ; either El-Ma- 
moon, or El-Emeen. Then gazing at the young man as he sat on 
the throne, he beheld him to be of consummate beauty and love¬ 
liness, and justness of stature; and after attentively observing him, 
he looked towards the Wezeer, and said, O Wezeer.— At thy 
service, replied Jaafar. And the Khaleefeh said, By Allah, this 
person sitting on the throne hath not omitted anything appertain¬ 
ing to the distinctions of the Khaleefeh ; and he who is before him 
is as though he were thyself, O Jaafar; and the eunuch who is 
standing at his head, as though he were Mesroor; and these boon- 
companions are as though they were my boon-companions. My 
reason is confounded at this affair! By Allah, I am full of wonder 
at this event, O Jaafar!—And I also, by Allah, O Prince of the 
Faithful! replied the Wezeer.—The bark then passed on until it 
disappeared from before their eyes; whereupon the sheykh put 
forth with his boat, and said, Praise be to God for our safety, and 
that no one hath fallen in with us ! And the Khaleefeh said, 0 
sheykh, doth the Khaleefeh every night embark on the Tigris? 
The sheykh answered, Yes, O my master; and for a whole year he 
hath continued to do so. And the Khaleefeh said, O sheykh, we 
desire of thy favour that thou wouldst wait for us here next night, 
and we will give thee five pieces of gold; for we are strangers, and 
wish to amuse ourselves, and we are lodging in [the quarter of] 
El-Khandak. The sheykh replied, I am entirely at your service. 

Then the Khaleefeh and Jaafar and Mesroor departed from the 
sheykh and returned to the palace, and having taken off their 
merchants’ attire, and put on the apparel of state, each seated 
himself in his place. The Emeers and Wezeers came in, and the 
chamberlains and lieutenants, and the council was fully -attended. 
And when the day closed, and all ranks of the people had dis¬ 
persed, each having gone his way, the Khaleefeh Haroon Er- 
Rasheed said, O Jaafar, arise with us that we may amuse ourselves 
with the sight of the other Khaleefeh. Whereupon Jaafar and 
Mesroor laughed. 

OR THE FALSE KHALEEFEH. 

383 

They clad themselves again in the attire of merchants, and 
went forth and pursued their way through the city, in a state of 
the utmost hilarity. They went out from a private door; and 
when they arrived at the Tigris, they found the sheykh, the owner 
of the boat, sitting waiting for them. So they embarked with him 
in the boat; and they had not long sat with him when the bark of 
the False Khaleefeh' approached them; and looking attentively at 
it, they saw in it two hundred memlooks, different from those of 
the preceding night, and the bearers of the cressets proclaiming as 
usual. And the Khaleefeh said, O Wezeer, this is such a thing 
that if I heard of it I could not believe it; but I have beheld it 
with my eyes. He then said to the owner of the boat in which 
they were sitting, Take, O sheykh, these ten pieces of gold, and 
convey us towards them ; for they are in the light, and we are in 
the dark; so we shall see them, and amuse ourselves by observing 
them, and they will not see us. The sheykh therefore took the 
ten pieces of gold, and, steering his boat towards them, proceeded 
in the gloom that surrounded the bark of the False Khaleefeh, 
until they arrived at the gardens, where they beheld a walled 
enclosure. At this enclosure the bark of the False Khaleefeh 
anchored; and lo, young men were standing there, with a mule 
saddled and bridled; and the False Khaleefeh, having landed, 
mounted the mule, and proceeded in the midst of the boon-com¬ 
panions; the cresset-bearers vociferating, and the household-at¬ 
tendants busying themselves in performing their several services for 
the False Khaleefeh. 

Haroon Er-Rasheed then landed, together with Jaafar and Mes- 
roor, and they made their way through the midst of the memlooks, 
and walked on before them. But the cresset-bearers, looking to¬ 
wards them, and beholding three persons whose dress was that of 
the merchants, and who appeared to be strangers, were displeased 
with them, and they made a sign, and caused them to be brought 
before the False Khaleefeh, who, when he saw them, said to them. 
How came ye to this place, and what brought you at this time l 
So they answered, O our lord, we are a party of foreign merchants: 
we arrived this day, and came forth to-night to walk, and lo, ye 
approached, and these persons came and laid hold upon us, and 
placed us before thee. This is our story.—And the False Kha- 

384 THE STORY OF MOHAMMAD ’ALEE THE JEWELLER, 8cc. 

leefeh replied, No harm shall befall you, as ye are strangers; but 
had ye been of Baghdad, I had struck off your heads. Then look¬ 
ing towards his Wezeer, he said to him, Take these persons with 
thee; for they are our guests this night. And the Wezeer re¬ 
plied, I hear and obey, O our lord. After this, the False Kha- 
leefeh proceeded, and they with him, until they arrived at a lofty 
and grand palace, strongly constructed, such as no Sultan hath 
possessed, rising from the dust, and reaching to the skirts of the 
clouds. Its door was of saj , 7 adorned with brilliant gold; and 
through this door one passed into a saloon with a fountain and a 
slightly elevated platform , 8 and carpets, and cushions covered with 
brocade, and small pillows, and long mattresses;” in it a curtain 
was hung; and there was furniture that astonished the minds of the 
spectators, and that one would fail to describe; and upon the door 
were inscribed these two verses :— 

This palace—on which be blessing and peace!—Fortune hath invested with 
its loveliness : 

In it are varieties of wonders and rarities, so that the penmen are perplexed 
in describing it. 

The False Khaleefeh, having entered, together with the com¬ 
pany, proceeded and seated himself upon a throne of jewelled 
gold, upon which was a prayer-carpet of yellow silk ; and when the 
boon-companions had taken their seats, and the executioner had 
stationed himself before his master, the servants spread the table, 
and the party ate. The dishes were then removed, and the hands 
were washed, and the attendants brought the wine-service. The 
bottles and the cups were arranged, and the wine circulated until 
it came to the Khaleefeh Haroon Er-Rasheed; but he refused to 
drink; whereupon the False Khaleefeh said to Jaafar, Wherefore 
doth not thy companion drink?—O my lord, answered the Wezeer, 
for a long time he hath not drunk of this beverage. The False 
Khaleefeh therefore said, I have another beverage, suitable to thy 
companion, and it is a kind of cider. And he gave orders to bring 
it. So they brought it immediately ; and the False Khaleefeh, 
advancing towards Haroon Er-Rasheed, and standing before him, 
said to him, Whenever the turn cometh round to thee, drink of 
this beverage. They then continued merrily taking the cups of 

wine, until it rose into their heads and overpowered their reason ; 
when the Khaleefeh Haroon Er-Rasheed said to his Wezeer, O 
Jaafar, by Allah, we have not vessels like these. Would, then, 
that I knew the history of this young man !—But while they were 
talking together privately, the young man cast a glance towards 
them, and found the Wezeer whispering to the Khaleefeh: so he said. 
Whispering is an act of rudeness. The Wezeer therefore replied, 
No rudeness is committed here: but this my companion saith, 
Verily I have travelled into most countries, and caroused with the 
greatest of Kings, and associated with the warriours, yet I have not 
witnessed an entertainment better conducted than this, nor ex¬ 
perienced a more joyous night than the present; save that the 
people of Baghdad say, Drink without music sometimes occasioneth 
the headache. 

3 D 

VOL. 11 . 

386 THE STORY OF MOHAMMAD ALEE THE JEWELLER, 

And when the False Khaleefeh heard these words, he smiled, 
and became cheerful. He had in his hand a rod, and he struck a 
round cushion 10 with it; whereupon a door opened, and there came 
forth from it a eunuch hearing a throne of ivory inlaid with bril¬ 
liant gold, and followed by a damsel of surpassing beauty and 
loveliness and elegance and consummate grace. The eunuch 
placed the throne, and the damsel seated herself upon it, resem¬ 
bling the sun shining forth in the clear sky. In her hand was a 
lute of Indian manufacture, and she placed it in her lap, and leaning 
over it as the mother leaneth over her child, sang to it. But first, 
with emotion, she played over four and twenty airs, so that she 
astonished the minds of her hearers. Then returning to her first 
air, with exhilarating modulations she sang these verses:— 

The tongue of love in my heart addresseth thee, acquainting thee that I am 
enamoured of thee ; 

And I have evidence in the burning of a tortured heart, and a wounded eye, 
and incessant tears. 

I knew not love until I loved thee; but God’s decree overtaketh his 
creatures. 

And when the False Khaleefeh heard these verses sung by the 
damsel, he uttered a great cry, and rent the dress that was upon 
him to the skirt; whereupon a curtain was let down over him, and 
the attendants brought him another dress, more handsome than 
the former one, and he put it on. 

He then sat as before; and when the cup came to him, he 
again struck the rod upon the round cushion; and lo, a door 
opened, and there came forth from it a eunuch bearing a throne of 
gold, and behind him was a damsel more beautiful than the first 
damsel. And she seated herself upon the throne, having in her 
hand a lute that would sadden the heart of the envious; and she 
sang to it these two verses :— 

How can I be patient, with the fire of love in my heart, and the tears ever 
pouring in a flood from my eye ? 

By Allah, life hath no sweetness to rejoice me. And how can a heart filled 
with grief be happy ? 

And the young man, on hearing these verses, again uttered a great 
cry, and tore the clothes that were upon him to the skirt; and the 

OR THE FALSE KHALEEFEH. 

387 

curtain was let down over him, and they brought him another suit, 
which he put on. 

Then composing himself upon his seat, he resumed his former 
state, entering cheerfully into conversation; and when the cup 
came to him, he struck the round cushion, and there came forth a 
eunuch followed by a damsel handsomer than the one who had 
just preceded her. The eunuch had with him a throne, and the 
damsel seated herself upon it, with a lute in her hand, and sang to 
it these verses:— 

Cease from your abandonment, and abate your cruelty; for my heart, by 
your existence, hath not relinquished you! 

Have mercy on a disordered, sad, mourning, lover, full of desire, and en¬ 
slaved by his passion for you! 

Sickness hath wasted him, through the excess of his ecstasy, and he hath 
supplicated the Deity for thine approval. 

O full moon , 11 whose place is in my heart! How can I prefer any mortal to 
you? 

And again, when the young man heard these verses, he uttered a 
great cry, rending the clothes that were upon him, and they let 
down the curtain over him, and brought him other clothes. 

After this, he resumed his former state with his boon-com¬ 
panions, and the cups circulated; and when the cup came to him, 
he struck the round cushion as before; whereupon the door 
opened, and a page came forth from it with a throne, and behind 
him was a damsel. He set the throne for her, and she seated 
herself upon it, and, taking the lute, tuned it, and thus sang 
to it:— 

When will disjunction and hatred cease, and the pleasures that have passed 
return unto me ? 

Yesterday we were united in the same abode, in happy converse, and saw the 
enviers heedless; 

But fortune hath betrayed us and disunited us, having left our residence like 
the desert. 

Wouldstthou have me relinquish the beloved, O my censurer? I find my 
heart will not comply with the censurer’s wish. 

Cease then to blame me, and leave me in my passion; for my mind hath not 
been void of cheering thoughts of the beloved. 

O my lord , 12 who hast been faithless and changing, think not that my heart 
on account of thine estrangement hath relinquished thee. 

And the False Khaleefeh, when he had heard the damsel’s song, 

388 THE STORY OF MOHAMMAD 'ALEE THE JEWELLER, 

again uttered a great cry, tore tlie clothes that were upon him, and 
fell down in a fit; upon which the attendants would have let fall 
the curtain over him as usual; hut its cords were immoveable; and 
Haroon Er-Rasheed, looking towards the young man, beheld upon 
his body the marks of beating with mikra’alis. So after he had 
looked, and certified himself of the fact, he said to his Wezeer, O 
Jaafar, by Allah, he is a comely young man, hut an abominable 
thief.—How, said Jaafar, hast thou discovered that, O Prince of 
the Faithful? The Khaleefeh rejoined, Didst thou not see upon 
his sides the scars occasioned by whips ? 

Then the attendants let down the curtain over their master, and 
brought him another suit of clothing; and after he had put it on, 
he composed himself on his seat as at first, with his boon-compa¬ 
nions ; but looking towards the Khaleefeh and J aafar, he saw them 
conversing together privately; whereupon he said to them. What 
is the news, O ye two young men ? So Jaafar answered, O our 
lord, good news ; 13 save that it is a fact not concealed from thee that 
this my companion is of the merchants, and he hath j ourneyed to all 
the great cities and the regions of the earth, and hath associated 
with the Kings and with the best of men, and he saith tome, Verily 
that which hath been done by our lord the Khaleefeh this night is 
excessive extravagance, and I have not seen any one do as he hath 
done in all the countries of the earth; for he hath rent such and 
such suits of apparel; each suit, of the value of a thousand pieces of 
gold ; and this is exceeding extravagance.—But the False Khalee¬ 
feh replied, What is this! Verily the wealth is mine, and the stuff 
is mine ; and this is one of the means of bestowing presents upon 
the servants and other attendants : for every suit of apparel that I 
have rent is for one of the boon-companions who are present, and I 
have assigned to them, with each suit of apparel, five hundred pieces 
of gold. The Wezeer therefore said, Excellently hast thou done, 
O our lord. And he recited these two verses :— 

The virtues have built a mansion in the midst of thy hand, and thou hast made 
thy wealth common to all men. 

If the virtues should ever close their doors, thy hands would be a key that 
would open their lock. 

And when the young man heard these verses from the mouth of the 

OR THE FALSE KHALEEFEH. 

389 

Wezeer Jaafar, he gave orders to present him with a thousand 
pieces of gold, and a suit of apparel. 

The cups then circulated among them again, and the wine was 
pleasant to them, and Er-Rasheed, addressing his Wezeer, said, O 
Jaafar, inquire of him respecting the marks of the beating upon his 
sides, that we may see what he will say in his answer. Jaafar re¬ 
plied, Hasten not, O our lord, but sooth thy mind; for patience is 
more becoming. The Khaleefeh, however, said, By my head, and 
by the tomb of E1-’Abbas , l * if thou ask him not, I will assuredly 
stop thy breath. And upon this, the young man looked towards 
the Wezeer, and said, What is the matter with thee and thy com¬ 
panion, that ye are whispering together ? Acquaint me with the 
subject of your conversation.—Jaafar answered, It is good. But 
the young man replied, I conjure thee by Allah that thou tell me 
your story, and conceal from me nothing of your affair. So the 
Wezeer said, O my lord, he saw upon thy sides the marks occasioned 
by whips and mikra’ahs, and he wondered thereat extremely, and 
said, How can the Khaleefeh be beaten ?—and he desireth to know 
the cause.—And when the young man heard this, he smiled, and 
said, Know that my story is extraordinary, and my case is wonder¬ 
ful: if it were engraved upon the understanding, it would be a 
lesson to him who would be admonished. Then he groaned, and 
recited these verses :— 

My story is wonderful, surpassing all wonders. I swear by love that my ways 
have become strait to me. 

If then ye desire to hear me, listen; and let every one in this assembly be 
silent. 

Attend to my words; for they are significant, and my speech i3 true: it fa not 
false. 

I am a victim of desire, and of ardent passion, and my murderess surpasseth 
all the high-bosomed damsels. 

She hath a deep black eye, like an Indian sword, and she shooteth arrows from 
the bows of her eyebrows. 

Now my heart feeleth that among you fa our Imam, the Khaleefeh of this age, 
and of excellent descent; 

And that the second of you is he who is called Jaafar, his Wezeer, a Saheb 15 
and the son of a Saheb; 

And that the third of you is Mesroor, his Executioner: then if this my asser¬ 
tion be not false, 

I have attained the whole of what I wish by this occurrence; and in every 
respect my heart is rejoiced. 

390 THE STORY OF MOHAMMAD ALEE THE JEWELLER, 

But when they heard these words from his mouth, Jaafar swore to 
him, making use of an ambiguous oath, that they were not the per¬ 
sons whom he had mentioned. And upon this, the young man 
laughed, and said, 

Know, O my lords, that I am not the Prince of the Faithful, but 
that I have only called myself by this title to obtain what I desire 
from the sons of the city. In truth, my name is Mohammad ’Alee 
the son of 'Alee the Jeweller. My father was of the higher order 
of society, and he died, and left to me great wealth, in gold and sil¬ 
ver, and pearls and coral, and rubies and chrysolites and other jewels, 
as well as landed property, baths and fields and gardens, and shops 
and ovens, and male black slaves and female slaves and pages. And 
it happened one day, that I was sitting in my shop, with my ser¬ 
vants and dependants around me, and lo, a damsel approached, 
mounted upon a mule, and attended by three other damsels, like 
moons; and when she came up to me, she alighted at my shop, 
and, seating herself with me, said to me, Art thou Mohammad the 
Jeweller? I answered her, Yes, I am he, thy memlook and thy 
slave. And she said, Hast thou a necklace of jewels suitable to me ? 
—O my mistress, I answered, what I have I will exhibit to thee and 
place before thee ; and if any of them please thee, it will be of the 
good fortune of the memlook; and if none of them please thee, of 

OR THE FALSE KHALEEFEH. 

391 

his ill luck. I had a hundred necklaces of jewels, and I exhibited 
to her all of them; but none of those pleased her, and she said, I 
desire better than I have seen. Now I had a small necklace which 
my father had bought for a hundred thousand pieces of gold, and 
the like of it existed not in the possession of any one among the 
great Sultans : so I said to her, I have yet a necklace of fine stones 
and jewels, the like of which no one of the great or of the small 
possesseth. And she replied, Shew it to me. And when she saw 
it, she said, This is the thing that I desire, and it is what I have 
wished for all my life. Then she said to me, What is its price ? I 
answered her, Its price to my father was a hundred thousand pieces 
of gold. And she replied, And thou shalt have five thousand pieces 
of gold as profit. I said, O my mistress, the necklace and its owner 
are at thy service, and there is no opposition on my part. But she 
replied, Thou must receive a profit, and thou wilt still be entitled to 
abundant thanks. She then immediately arose, quickly mounted 
the mule, and said to me, O my master, in the name of Allah, do 
me the favour to accompany us, that thou mayest receive the price; 
for this thy day is to us like milk. 16 

I therefore arose, and, having closed the shop, proceeded with 
her in security until we arrived at the house ; and I found it to be 
a mansion displaying evident signs of prosperity: its door was 
adorned with gold and silver and ultramarine, and upon it were in¬ 
scribed these two verses :— 

O mansion, may mourning never enter thee, nor fortune act treacherously to 
thine owner! 

An excellent mansion to every guest art thou when other places are strait 
unto him. 

The damsel alighted, and entered the house, ordering me to seat 
myself upon the mastabah of the door until the money-changer 
should come. 17 So I sat a while at the door ; and lo, a damsel came 
forth to me and said to me, O my master, enter the vestibule; for 
thy sitting at the door is dishonourable. I arose, therefore, and 
entered the vestibule, where I seated myself upon the wooden sofa; 18 
and while I was sitting there, a damsel came forth and said to me, 
O my master, my mistress saith to thee, Enter, and seat thyself at 

392 THE STORY OF MOHAMMAD ’ALEE THE JEWELLER, 

the door of the saloon, to receive thy money. Accordingly I arose, 
and entered the house, and when I had sat a moment, I beheld a 
throne of gold, with a silken curtain over it, and the curtain was 
raised, and there appeared beneath it the damsel who had purchased 
of me the necklace. She had displayed a face like the disk of the 
moon, and the necklace was upon her neck. My reason was dis¬ 
turbed, and my mind was confounded at the sight of that damsel, 
by reason of her excessive beauty and loveliness. And when she 
beheld me, she rose from the throne, and came towards me, saying 
to me, O light of my eye, is every one who is comely like thee, 
without sympathy for his beloved ?—O my mistress, I replied, all 
beauty is centered in thee, and is one of thy charms. And she 
said, O Jeweller, know that I love thee, and I did not believe that 
I could bring thee into my abode. Then she bent over me, and 
I kissed her, and she kissed me ; after which she said to me, I am 
a virgin whom no man hath approached, and I am not unknown in 
the city. Knowest thou who I am ?—I answered, No, by Allah, O 
my mistress. And she rejoined, I am the lady Dunya, the daughter 
of Yahya the son of Khalid El-Barmekee, and my brother is Jaafar, 
the Wezeer of the Khaleefeh. So when I heard these her words, 1 
drew back from her, saying to her, O my mistress, I am not in 
fault in making advances towards thee. Thou excitedst my desire.— 
But she replied, No harm shall befall thee ; and thou must attain 
thy wish by the means that God approveth; for the disposal of my¬ 
self is in my own power, and the Kadee shall officiate for me in per¬ 
forming the ceremony of my contract. I desire to be unto thee 
a wife, and that thou be to me a husband. 

She then called for the Kadee and the witnesses, and busily 
occupied herself in preparing; and when they came, she said to 
them, Mohammad ’Alee the son of ’Alee the Jeweller hath de¬ 
manded me in marriage, and given me this necklace as my dowry ; 
and I have accepted his proposal, and consented. So they per¬ 
formed the contract of my marriage to her, and I took her as my 
wife. And after this she caused the wine-vessels to be brought, 
and the cups circulated in the most agreeable and perfect order; 
and when the wine penetrated into our heads, she ordered a damsel, 
a lute-player, to sing. She therefore did so, and others sang after 
her, one after another, until ten damsels had sung. Then the 

OR THE FALSE KHALEEFEH. 

393 

lady Dunya took the lute, and, with delightful modulations, sang 
these verses:— 

I swear by the pliancy of thy gracefully-moving figure, that I am suffering the 
torture of thine estrangement. 

Pity then a heart that is burning with thy love, O bright as the full moon in 
the darkness of night! 

And when she had finished, I took the lute from her, and, playing 
in an extraordinary manner, sang thus:— 

Extolled be the perfection of my Lord who hath given thee all beauty, so that 
I have become thy captive! 

O thou who hast an eye by which thou captivatest mankind, pray that 1 may 
be safe from the arrows that thou shootest 1 

And on hearing my song, she rejoiced exceedingly. 

I resided with her a whole month, abandoning my shop and 
family and home; and she said to me one day, O light of the eye, 
O my master Mohammad, I have determined to-day to visit the 
bath, and do thou remain upon this couch, and not move from thy 
place until I return to thee. She conjured me to do so, and I re¬ 
plied, I hear and obey. Then she made me swear that I would 
not move from my place, and, taking her female slaves with her, 
went to the bath. And by Allah, O my brothers, she had not 
arrived at the end of the street when the door was opened and there 
came in through it an old woman, who said, O my master Moham¬ 
mad, the lady Zubeydeh summoneth thee; for she hath heard of 
thy polite accomplishments and elegance, and of the excellence of 
thy singing. I replied, By Allah, I will not rise from my place 
until the lady Dunya cometh. But the old woman rejoined, O my 
master, cause not the lady Zubeydeh to be incensed against thee, 
and to become thine enemy. Arise then, and answer her summons, 
and return to thy place. So I arose immediately and repaired to 
her, the old woman preceding me, until she conducted me to the 
lady Zubeydeh; and when I came to her, she said to me, O light of 
the eye, art thou the beloved of the lady Dunya ? I answered, I 
am thy memlook and thy slave. And she said, He hath spoken 
truth who hath described thee as distinguished by beauty and love¬ 
liness and good breeding and every charming quality; for thou sur- 
passest the description: but sing to me, that I may hear thee. So 

3 E 

VOL. II. 

391 THE STORY OF MOHAMMAD ALEE THE JEWELLER, &c. 

I replied, I hear and obey. And she gave me the lute, and I sang 
to it these verses :— 

The heart of the lover is wearied in his suit, and his body becometh the spoil 
of diseases. 

Among the riders of these haltered camels is none other than a lover whose 
beloved is among the caravan. 

I commit to God’s care a moonlike beauty in your tents, whom my heart 
loveth, but who is veiled from my eye ; 

Now consenting, now angry; how sweet is her feigned coyness! for every¬ 
thing that the loved-one doth is loved. 

And when I had finished the song, she said to me, Allah give health 
to thy body, and sweetness to thy voice ! for thou art perfect in 
comeliness and polite accomplishments and in singing. And now 
arise and repair to thy place before the lady Dunya cometh ; lest 
she find thee not, and he incensed against thee. 

So I kissed the ground before her, and went forth, and proceeded 
with the old woman before me until I arrived at the door from 
which I had come out. But when I entered, and came to the couch, 
I found that the lady Dunya had returned from the bath, and she 
was sleeping upon the couch. I therefore seated myself at her feet, 
and pressed them with my hands; 10 whereupon she opened her 
eyes, and, seeing me, drew up her feet, and kicked me down from 
the couch, and said, O traitor, thou hast violated thine oath, and 
perjured thyself. Thou gavest me a promise that thou wouldst not 
move from thy place, and thou hast broken thy promise, and gone 
to the lady Zubeydeh. By Allah, were it not for my fear of dis¬ 
gracing myself, 1 would demolish her palace over her head !—She 
then said to her black slave, O Sawab, arise, and strike off the head 
of this lying traitor; for we have no further need of him. So the 
slave advanced, and having torn a strip from his skirt, bound my 
eyes with it, and was about to strike off my head. But the female 
slaves, great and small, came to her and said, O our mistress, this is 
not the first who hath been guilty of a fault, and he knoweth not 
thy temper, nor hath he committed an offence that requireth his 
slaughter. And upon this she said, By Allah, I must cause him to 
bear some mark of my resentment. Accordingly she gave orders to 
beat me, whereupon they beat me on my sides, and these scars 
which ye have beheld are the result. After that, she commanded 

that I should be turned out; and they took me forth to a distance 
from the mansion, and threw me down. 

I raised myself, and walked on by a few steps at a time until I 
arrived at my abode, when I caused a surgeon to be brought, and 
shewed him the wounds occasioned by the beating; and he treated 
me with kindness, and applied himself to my cure. And when I 
recovered, and had entered the bath, and my pains and disorders 
had ceased, I went to the shop, and, taking all the goods that it con¬ 
tained, sold them, and with their united price I bought for myself 
four hundred memlooks, such as no King ever collected; and every 
day two hundred of them rode forth with me. I also made this 
bark, for the construction of which I expended five thousand pieces 
of gold; and I called myself the Khaleefeh, appointing each of my 
servants to the office of some one of the dependants of the Khalee¬ 
feh, and equipping him in his costume, and proclaimed, Whosoever 
amuseth himself upon the Tigris, I will strike off his head without 
delay. Thus I have continued to do for a whole year ; but I have 
heard no tidings of the damsel, nor seen any trace of her. 

396 THE STORY OF MOHAMMAD ALEE THE JEWELLER, 

Then the young man lamented, and poured forth tears, and 
recited these verses :— 

By Allah, I shall never forget her, nor draw near to any but such as may 
draw her to me. 

She is like the full moon in her aspect. Extolled be the perfection of her 
Maker ! Extolled be her Creator ! 

She hath made me full of mourning, sleepless, love-sick; and my mind is con¬ 
founded by her charms. 

—And when Haroon Er-Rasheed heard his words, and knew his 
transport and ardour and desire, his mind was disturbed with sorrow 
for him, he was lost in wonder, and he said, Extolled be the perfec¬ 
tion of God, who appointeth for everything a cause !—Then they 
begged leave of the young man to depart; and he gave them per¬ 
mission ; Er-Rasheed determining to do him justice, and to treat 
him with the utmost munificence. 

They departed from him, proceeding to the palace ; and when 
they had remained sitting there a while, and changed their clothes, 
and put on the robes of state, Mesroor the Executioner stood be¬ 
fore the Khaleefeh and Jaafar, and the Khaleefeh said to Jaafar, 0 
Wezeer, bring hither to me the young man with whom we were 
last night. The Wezeer replied, I hear and obey. And he 
repaired to him, and saluted him, and said to him, Answer the sum¬ 
mons of the Prince of the Faithful, the Khaleefeh Haroon Er- 
Rasheed. So the young man went with him to the palace, with a 
heart contracted in consequence of the summons; and when he 
went in to the Khaleefeh, he kissed the ground before him, greeted 
him with a prayer for the endurance of his glory and prosperity, 
and for the attainment of his desires, the continuance of his benefi¬ 
cence, and the cessation of evil and punishments, and, addressing 
him in the best manner he was able, said, Peace be on thee, O 
Prince of the Faithful, and Protector of the congregation of the 
believers ! Then he recited these two verses :— 

May thy gate never cease to be repaired to as a Kaabeh, and may its dust 
ever mark the foreheads of men! 

That throughout all countries it may be proclaimed, this is the Makdm, and 
thou art IbrAheem. 20 

And the Khaleefeh smiled in his face, returned his salutation, and, 
looking at him with the eye of respect, caused him to draw near and 

OR THE FALSE KHALEEFEH. 

397 

to seat himself before him, and said to him, 0 Mohammad ’Alee, I 
desire of thee that thou relate to me what happened to thee 
this last night; for it was of a wonderful and surprising kind. The 
young man replied, Pardon, O Prince of the Faithful! Give me the 
handkerchief of indemnity, 21 that my terror may subside, and my 
heart be appeased. And the Khaleefeh said, Thou hast security 
from fear and sorrows. 

So the young man began to relate to him the events which had 
happened to him from first to last. And the Khaleefeh, knowing 
that the young man was enamoured, and parted from the object of 
his passion, said to him, Dost thou desire me to restore her to thee ? 
—This, answered the young man, will be an instance of the abundant 
beneficence of the Prince of the Faithful. And thereupon the Kha¬ 
leefeh, looking towards the Wezeer, said to him, O Jaafar, bring to 
me thy sister, the lady Dunya, the daughter of the Wezeer Yahya 
the son of Khalid. So Jaafar replied, I hear and obey. He brought 
her immediately ; and when she stood before him, the Khaleefeh 
said to her, Knowest thou who is this ?—O Prince of the Faithful, 
she said, how should women have knowledge of men ? And the 
Khaleefeh smiled, and said to her, O Dunya, this is thy lover, Mo¬ 
hammad ’Alee the son of the Jeweller : we have become acquainted 
with the case, and heard the story from its beginning to its end, and 
understood what was public and what was private of it; and the 
thing is not concealed, though it was veiled.—O Prince of the 
Faithful, she replied, it was written in the Book [of God’s decrees], 
and I beg forgiveness of God the Great for the actions committed 
by me, and request of thy goodness that thou wilt pardon me. 
And upon this the Khaleefeh laughed, and, having summoned the 
Kadee and the witnesses, renewed the contract of her marriage to her 
husband Mohammad ’Alee the son of the J e weller; and there resulted 
to them the utmost felicity ; and to the envious, mortification. The 
Khaleefeh also made the young man one of his boon-companions; 
and he and his wife continued in happiness and delight and cheer¬ 
fulness until they were visited by the terminator of delights, and the 
separator of companions. 22 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRTEENTH. 

Note 1. 

This story, and that in the next chapter of the present work, have, I believe, 
been translated into French, by M. Caussin, and published in the edition of the 
Thousand and One Nights mentioned in the first of the notes to my eleventh 
chapter. 

Note 2. 

The kind of cresset here mentioned, called in Arabic “ mesh’al,” is a staff 
with a cylindrical frame (commonly of iron) at the top, filled with flaming wood, 
or having two, three, four, or five of these receptacles for fire. The mesh’al with 
a single receptacle for fire is the most common, and the entire length is generally 
about seven feet. Two different kinds are figured in my work on the Modern 
Egyptians, vol i. chap. vi. They are borne in various nocturnal processions, and 
often before a horseman riding by night. 

Note 3. 

The term “meezer” or “ mi-zer ” may be understood as signifying any 
garment or covering. It is now generally used to signify a pair of drawers. 

Note 4. 

What is here meant is doubtful. A cresset-bearer before a horseman might be 
properly described as having on his shoulder an embroidered saddle-cover, called 
in Arabic “ ghdsbiyeh.” This was usually borne before a King, and a less costly 
kind is now often seen on the shoulder of a groom preceding a horseman of the 
higher or middle rank. 

Note 5. 

See Note 52 to Chapter ii. 

Note 6. 

Literally, “the second, or the other, Khaleefeli.” So also in the other instances 
in which I use the term “ False Khaleefeli.” 

Note 7. 

“ Saj ” is the name of an Indian tree, the wood of which is imported into 
Arabian countries; but our Orientalists disagree as to its species. De Sacy* thinks 

• See bis Chrestomathie Arabe, tome iii. pp. 473 el acq., 2nde ed." 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRTEENTH. 

399 

it likely that “ saj ’’ is an Indian name adopted by the Arabs: if so, the tree so 
called is probably the teak (as he first supposed); this tree being termed in Sanscrit, 
“ saka.” • 

Note 8. 

In the original, “ sh&dharw&n.” This word, which I here render in accordance 
with the manner in which my sheykli has explained it in several places, is also 
written “ sh&darwan ” and “ shddirwdn,” and is, I believe, generally applied to 
a fountain, or jet d’eau, with pieces of glass, or glass bells, which, being put in 
motion by the water, produce a constant tinkling. The word is Persian. 

Note 9. 

The “ long mattresses ” here mentioned are those described in Note 12 to 
Chapter iii. 

Note 10. 

For a knowledge of the particular kind of round cushion here mentioned, by 
the term “ mudowwarah,” I am indebted to Mr. Salame ; for although I have 
one, which I purchased of an Arab at Gibraltar, I either did not inquire, or else 
forgot, the name. It is generally about fifteen inches in diameter, three or four 
inches thick, and covered with velvet or leather, embroidered or otherwise 
ornamented. Cushions of this kind I did not see in the East; but they are 
common among the Arabs in Western Africa, and have of late years been imported 
into England, where they are used as footstools. The Arabs use them generally 
to recline against, and sometimes as pillows for the head. 

Note 11. 

Literally, “ O full moons.” The plural is used for the reason explained in 
Note 34 to Chapter x. 

Note 12. 

Here again the plural is used in the original, to convey a superlative sense. 

Note 13. 

It is a general custom among the Arabs, when a person is asked, “ What is 
the news ? ” to reply, “ Good ” (kheyr), even when the news to be imparted is 
bail. 

Note 14. 

I believe I have before mentioned El-'Abbas, as an uncle of the Prophet, and 
ancestor of the Khaleefehs of Baghdad, who were hence called the 'Abbasee 
Khaleefehs. 

Note 15. 

See Note 8 to the Introduction. 

Note 16. 

It is common with the Arabs to say that a day is like milk, or white as milk, to 
imply that it is fortunate ; and that it is like mud, or black as mud, to signify the 
reverse. 

Johnson’s edition of Richardson's Persian, Arabic, and English Dictionary, voce " saj. 

400 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRTEENTH. 

Note 17. 

A money-changer is employed by Kings and grandees to pay and receive their 
money.* 

Note 18. 

See Note 39 to Chapter ii. 

Note 19. 

The action here mentioned is accompanied with a gentle nibbing. The object 
in this case was to awake the lady. See Note 55 to Chapter iii. 

Note 20. 

These two verses may be explained by the following amplified paraphrase.— 
“ May thy palace never cease to be an object of desire, a place where prayer will 
be answered, resorted to by multitudes, like the Temple of Mekkeh ; and may men 
ever exhibit tokens of the honours or benefits that they have received there in 
paying their homage, as a person who has just prayed upon the bare ground 
exhibits a forehead marked with the dust: thus throughout every country it will 
be known, that thy palace is like the station of Ibrfiheem, a place within the inner 
enclosure of the Kaabeh, where prayer is especially blessed,f and that thou art like 
Ibrkheem himself.” But my sheykh remarks, that these verses are not well 
applied excepting in praise of a person whose name is Ibraheem. 

Note 21. 

See Note 95 to Chapter v. 

Note 22. 

This story is followed by four anecdotes, ending with part of the two hundred 
and ninety-ninth night. The third and fourth of these are here subjoined. 

Anecdote of a Disinterested Lover. 

It is related that Khalid the son of ’Abd Allah El-Kusheyree t was Governor 
of El-Basrah; and there came to him a number of men grasping a young man 
of surpassing comeliness and evident good breeding and abundant intellect, of 
handsome figure, of sweet odour, and of a grave and dignified appearance; and 
they brought him forward unto Khalid. So Khalid inquired of them hi 3 story, 
and they said, This is a thief, whom we caught yesterday in our abode. And when 
Khalid looked at him, the beauty of his appearance, and his cleanliness, excited his 
admiration, and he said. Loose him. Then, approaching him, he asked him his 
story ; and the young man answered, The people have spoken truth, and the case 
is as they have related.—And what, said Khdlid, induced thee to do this, when 
thou hast so comely an appearance and so handsome a form? He answered, 
Covetousness of worldly goods, and the decree of God, whose perfection be 
extolled, and whose name be exalted! And upon this, Kh&lid said, May thy 
mother be bereft of thee 1 Hadst thou not in the comeliness of thy face, and the 

» Marginal note by my sheykh. t See the Kur-An, chap. ii. verse 119. 

t “ El-KuBheyree ” is probably put by a mistake of a copyist for “ El-Kasree.” Kh41id the son of 
'Abd Allah El-Kasree was a famous Governor of F.l-’ErAk (in which El-Basrah is situated) for a period 
of nearly fifteen years, in the reign of the Khaleefeh Hishim the son of 'Abd El-Melik, as related by 
Ibn Khallikan. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRTEENTH. 

401 

soundness of thy sense, and in thy good breeding, what would suffice to restrain 
thee from thieving?—Abstain from this language, O Emeer, replied the young 
man, and proceed to do what God (whose name be exalted ! ) hath ordained; for 
such is the recompense of that which my hands have done, and God is not 
tyrannical towards his servants. And Khalid remained a while silent, reflecting 
upon the affair of the young man; after which he desired him to draw near, and 
said to him, Thy confession before the witnesses hath perplexed me so that I know 
not what to do; and I do not think thee to be a thief. Probably thou hast some 
story to tell that is not one of theft. Acquaint me then with it.—But the young 
man replied, O Emeer, let nothing be imagined by thee, excepting that which I 
have confessed to thee; for I have no story to relate hut this, that I entered the 
house of these people, and stole what I could, and they caught me, and took the 
property from me, and conveyed me unto thee. Upon this, therefore, Khilid gave 
orders to imprison him, and commanded a crier to proclaim throughout El-Basrah, 
Ho ! whosoever desireth to witness the punishment of such-a-one, and the cutting 
off of his hand, let him come in the morning to such a place! 

And when the young man had been a while in the prison, and they had put 
the irons upon his feet, he sighed heavily, shed copious tears, and recited these 
verses:— 

Khalid hath threatened me with the cutting off of my hand if I reveal not 
to him her story ; 

But 1 said, Far be it from me that I should reveal the love for her which my 
heart entertaineth! 

The cutting off of my hand for that which I have confessed is easier to iny 
heart than disgracing her. 

And the persons who were commissioned to guard him, healing this, came to 
Khalid, and acquainted him with that which he had said. So when the night 
grew dark, he gave orders to bring him into his presence; and on his coming 
before him, he urged him to speak, and found him to he sensible, well-bred, 
intelligent, polite, and discreet. He gave orders to bring him food ; and he ate, 
and conversed a while with him; after which, Kh&lid said to him, I know that 
thou hast a story to tell that is not one of theft: so when the morning cometh, and 
the people are present, with the Kadee, and he asketh thee respecting the theft, 
deny it, and assert that which may avert from thee the punishment of amputation ; 
for the Apostle of God (may God favour and preserve him!) hath said, In cases 
of doubt, avert the punishments fixed by the law.—He then gave orders to take 
him hack to the prison, where he remained that night. 

And in the morning the people came to witness the amputation of the young 
man’s hand, and there was not any one in El-Basrah, man or woman, who did not 
come to behold the punishment of that young man. Khdlid mounted, attended by 
the chief persons of El-Basrah, and others, and, having summoned the Kadees, 
gave orders to bring the young man, who approached, jumping in the chains; and 
not one of the people beheld him without weeping for him, and the voices of the 
women rose in shrieks. So the [chief] Kadee commanded to silence the women, 
and then said to the young man, These people assert that thou enteredst their 
house, and stolest their property. Probably thou stolest less than the nisdb.*— 

* This term here means, property amounting in value to a quarter of a deenar.—See Note 32 t 
Chapter v. 

VOL. II. 3 F 

402 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRTEENTH. 

Nay, he replied, I stole a complete nisiib.—Probably, rejoined the Kadee, thou art 
a partner of the people in some of the property. But the young man replied, 
Nay : the whole of it was theirs: I had no right in it. And upon this, Klialid 
was enraged, and came to him and struck him upon his face with the whip, 
repeating this verse as applicable to his own case:— 

Man desireth that his wish may he granted unto him; but God refuseth all 
save what Himself desireth. 

He then called for the butcher, who came, and drew forth the knife, and, stretching 
forth the young man’s hand, put the knife upon it. 

But a damsel hastened forward from the midst of the women, clad in tattered 
and dirty garments,* and cried out, and threw herself upon the young man; after 
which she displayed a face like the moon ; whereupon a great clamour arose among 
the people, and a fiery excitement of the passions of the spectators well nigh ensued 
in consequence of this spectacle. Then the damsel cried out with her loudest 
voice, I conjure thee by Allah, O Emeer, that thou hasten not the amputation 
until thou shalt have read this note. And she gave him a note, which Khalid 
opened and read, and lo, in it were written these verses:— 

O Kh&lid, this person is a distracted slave of love, wounded by a glance shot 
from the bows of my eye-lashes. 

An arrow from my eye hath prostrated him ; for he is wedded to the ardour 
of love, and recovereth not from his malady. 

It is probably meant that she had clad herself in this manner to testify her grief. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRTEENTH. 

403 

He hath avowed a deed that he hath not committed, thinking this better than 
the disgrace of his enamoured. 

Have patience then with the afflicted lover; for he is one of the noble of 
mankind, not a thief. 

When Khalid, therefore, read the verses, he withdrew, and separated himself 
from the people, and, having summoned the woman, inquired of her respecting the 
case. So she informed him that this young man was enamoured of her, and that 
she was enamoured of him ; and that he had repaired to the house of her family 
with the desire of visiting her, and thrown a stone into the house to acquaint her 
with his arrival; but that her father and her brothers heard the sound of the stone, 
and came up to him ; and when he perceived them, he collected all the linen of 
the house, making it appear to them that he was a thief, in order to protect the 
honour of his beloved. Therefore when they saw him thus engaged, they took 
him, and said, This is a thief,—and brought him to thee ; whereupon he confessed 
that he had committed theft, and persisted in doing so, that he might not disgrace 
me. These things he did, making himself a thief, from the excess of his 
kindness, and the generosity of his mind.—And Khalid replied, Verily he is 
worthy of the accomplishment of his desire. Then having called the young man 
to him, he kissed him between the eyes; and he gave orders to bring before him 
the damsel’s father, and said to him, O sheykh, we had determined upon the 
execution of the sentence upon this young man by the amputation of his hand; 
but God (to whom be ascribed might and glory!) hath preserved me from that 
act; and I have ordered that ten thousand pieces of silver be given to him, for 
his generous exposure of his hand in order to preserve thy honour and the honour 
of thy daughter, and to protect you both from reproach. I have ordered also that 
ten thousand pieces of silver shall be given to thy daughter, in consideration of her 
having informed me of the truth of the affair; and I beg that thou give me 
permission to marry her to him.—O Emeer, replied the sheykh, I give thee 
permission to do so. And Kh&lid praised God, and thanked Him, and recited an 
eloquent khutbeli; * after which he said to the young man, I marry to thee this 
damsel, such-a-one, who is here present, with her permission and consent, and with 
the permission of her father, for a dowry consisting of this money, the amount 
of which is ten thousand pieces of silver. And the young man replied, I accept 
from thee this offer of marriage. Then Kh&lid gave orders to carry the money to 
the house of the young man, borne in procession, upon trays; and the people 
dispersed, full of happiness.—I have not witnessed (says the narrator) a day more 
strange than that day, beginning with weeping and misfortunes, and ending with 
joy and happiness. 

[In the following anecdote, mention is made of an event of a most melancholy 
nature, the knowledge of which has caused me to derive less pleasure than I 
should find, if ignorant of the fact, in many of the best stories in the present 
collection; and I therefore think that some of my readers may prefer passing it 
over unread.] 

• See Note 39 to Chapter iv. 

Anecdote of Jaafar El-Barmekee. 

A Bedawee of a distant desert* used, every year, to bring an ode to Jaafar 
El-Barmekee, who used to give him a thousand pieces of gold as a largess for his 
ode; and the Bedawee took the money and departed, and remained expending 
from it upon his family until the close of the year. Now this Bedawee brought 
him the ode according to his custom, and, when he came, found Jaafar hanged ; f 
and he came to the place where he was hanged, and there, having made his camel 
lie down, wept violently, mourned greatly, and recited his ode, and slept. And in 
his sleep he saw Jaafar El-Barmekee, who said to him, Thou hast wearied thyself, 
and come to us, and found us in the state thou seest: hut repair to El-Basrah, and 
inquire for a man whose name is so-and-so, one of the merchants of El-Basrah, 
and say to him, Jaafar El-Barmekee saluteth thee, and saith to thee, Give me a 
thousand pieces of gold, by the token of the bean. 

When the Bedawee, therefore, awoke from his sleep, he repaired to El-Basrah, 
and inquired for that merchant; and, having met with him, he acquainted him 
with the words that Jaafar had said in the dream ; whereupon the merchant wept 
violently, so that his soul almost quitted the world. He then treated the Bedawee 
with honour, seating him by him, and making his stay pleasant; and the Bedawee 
remained with him three days, honourably entertained. And when he desired to 

• In the original are a few introductory words, which I omit because they are inappropriate, 
t In the original, “masloob,” which generally signifies “crucified.” Jaafar was first beheaded. I 
think it right to omit a description of the particulars of this case, respecting which there are various 
different assertions. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRTEENTH. 

405 

depart, the merchant gave to him a thousand and five hundred pieces of gold, 
saying to him, The thousand are what I am commanded to give thee, and the five 
hundred are a present to thee from myself, and thou slialt receive every year a 
thousand pieces of gold. 

And at his departure, the Bedawee said to the merchant, I conjure thee by 
Allah to acquaint me with the affair of the bean, that I may know its foundation. 
So the merchant replied, I was, at the commencement of my career, in a state of 
poverty, going about with hot beans » through the streets of Baghdad, and selling 
them as a means of subsistence. And I went forth on a cold and rainy day, 
without sufficient clothing on my body to preserve me from the bleakness of the 
air, now shivering from the severity of the cold, and now falling in the water of 
the rain, in so horrible a state that the skin quaketh at thinking upon it. Now 
Jaafar was sitting that day in a pavilion overlooking the street, and with him were 
his chief attendants and concubines; and his eye fell upon me; whereupon he was 
moved with pity for my condition, and sent to me one of his servants, who took me 
and led me in to him ; and when he saw me, he said to me, Sell the beans that thou 
hast with thee to my attendants. So I began to mete them with a measure that I 
had with me, and every one who took a measure of beans filled the measure with 
gold, until all that 1 had with me was exhausted, and there remained nothing in 
the basket [except one bean]. Then I collected together the gold that had 
accrued to me ; and Jaafar said to me, Doth aught of the beans remain with thee ? 
I answered, I know not. And searching in the basket, I found in it nothing but 
one bean ; whereupon Jaafar took it from me, and split it in twain ; and he took 
one half of it, and gave the other half to one of his concubines, saying, For what 
sum wilt thou buy the half of this bean ? She answered, For twice the quantity of 
this gold. So I was confounded at my case, and said within myself, This is 
impossible. But while I was wondering, Io, the concubine gave orders to one of 
her female slaves, who brought a quantity of gold twice as much as that which was 
already collected. Then Jaafar said, And I will buy the half that I have taken 
for twice the quantity of the whole. And he said to me, Receive the price of thy 
bean. And he gave orders to one of his servants, who collected together the whole 
of the money and put it into my basket; and I took it and departed. After that, 
I came to El-Basrah, and trafficked with the money in my possession, and God 
gave me ample wealth. To God therefore be praise and thanks! So if I give thee 
every year a thousand pieces of gold, derived from the munificence of Jaafar, 
it injureth me not at all.—Observe, then, the generous disposition of Jaafar, and 
the praise bestowed upon him living and dead. The mercy of God (whose name 
he exalted ! ) be on him 1 

* In the original, “el-fool el-hirr.’’ These are beans soaked for a while in water, and then boiled

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY- 
NINTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE THREE 
HUNDRED AND FIFTH. 

THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 1 

Haroon Er-Rasheed was sitting one day upon the imperial 
throne, when there came in to him a young man of the eunuchs, 
with a crown of red •gold set with pearls and jewels, comprising all 
kinds of jacinths and jewels such as no money would suffice to pro¬ 
cure. This young man kissed the ground before the Khaleefeh, 
and said to him, O Prince of the Faithful, the lady Zubeydeh 
kisseth the ground before thee, and saith to thee, Thou knowest 

THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 407 

that she hath made this crown, and it wanteth a large jewel to he 
affixed to its summit; and she hath searched among her treasures, 
but found not among them a large jewel such as she desireth. So 
the Khaleefeh said to the chamberlains and lieutenants, Search 
for a large jewel such as Zubeydeh desireth. They therefore 
searched, but found nothing that suited her; and they acquainted 
the Khaleefeh with this; in consequence of which his bosom became 
contracted, and he said, How is it that I am Khaleefeh, and King of 
the Kings of the earth, and am unable to procure a jewel ? Wo 
unto you ! Inquire of the merchants.—And they inquired of the 
merchants; but they answered them, Our Lord the Khaleefeh will 
not find the jewel save with a man of El-Basrah, named Aboo Mo¬ 
hammad the Lazy. So they informed the Khaleefeh of this ; and 
he ordered his Wezeer Jaafar to send a note to the Emeer Moham¬ 
mad Ez-Zubeydee, the Governor of El-Basrah, desiring him to fit 
out Aboo Mohammad the Lazy, and to bring him before the Prince 
of the Faithful. The Wezeer, therefore, wrote a note to that 
effect, and sent it by Mesroor. 

Mesroor immediately repaired with it to the city of El-Basrah, 
and went in to the Emeer Mohammad Ez-Zubeydee, who rejoiced 
at seeing him, and treated him with the utmost honour. He then 
read to him the note of the Prince of the Faithful Haroon Er- 
Rasheed, and he said, I hear and obey. He forthwith sent Mesroor 
with a number of his retinue to Aboo Mohammad the Lazy, and 
they repaired to him, and knocked at his door; whereupon one of 
the pages came forth to them, and Mesroor said to him, say to thy 
master, The Prince of the Faithful summoneth thee. So the page 
went in and acquainted him with this; and he came forth, and 
found Mesroor, the chamberlain of the Khaleefeh, attended by the 
retinue of the Emeer Mohammad Ez-Zubeydee; upon which he 
kissed the ground before him, and said, I hear and obey the com¬ 
mand of the Prince of the Faithful: but enter ye our abode. They 
replied, We cannot do so, unless to pay a hasty visit, as the Prince 
of the Faithful hath commanded us; for he is expecting thine 
arrival. But he said, Have patience with me a little, that I may 
arrange my business. And they entered the house with him, after 
excessive persuasion; and they beheld, in the passage, curtains of 

408 THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

blue brocade embroidered with red gold. Then Aboo Mohammad 
the Lazy ordered some of his pages to conduct Mesroor into the 
bath which was in the bouse; and they did so. And he saw its 
walls and its marble pavements to be of extraordinary construction: 
it was decorated with gold and silver, and its water was mixed with 
rose-water. The pages paid all attention to Mesroor and those 
who were with him, and served them in the most perfect manner; 
and when they came forth from the bath, they clad them with 
honorary dresses of brocade interwoven with gold; after which, 
Mesroor and his companions entered and found Aboo Mohammad 
the Lazy sitting in his pavilion. Over his head were hung curtains 
of brocade interwoven with gold and adorned with pearls and 
jewels; the pavilion was furnished with cushions embroidered with 
red gold; and he was sitting upon his mattress, which was upon a 
couch set with jewels. When Mesroor came in to him, he wel¬ 
comed him and met him, and, having seated him by his side, gave 
orders to bring the table ; and when Mesroor beheld that table, he 
said, By Allah, I have never seen the like of this in the palace of 
the Prince of the Faithful! It comprised varieties of viands, all 
placed in dishes of gilt China-ware.—We ate, says Mesroor, and 
drank, and enjoyed ourselves until the close of the day, when he 
gave to each of us five thousand pieces of gold. And on the fol¬ 
lowing day, they clad us in green dresses of honour, embroidered 
with gold, and treated us with the utmost honour.—Mesroor then 

THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

409 

said to Aboo Mohammad the Lazy, It is impossible for us to remain 
longer than this period, from our fear of the Khaleefeh. But Aboo 
Mohammad the Lazy replied, O our lord, have patience with us 
until to-morrow, that we may prepare ourselves, and then we will 
proceed with you. So they remained that day, and passed the 
night until the morning; when the pages equipped a mule for Aboo 
Mohammad the Lazy, with a saddle of gold adorned with varieties 
of pearls and jewels; whereupon Mesroor said within himself, 
When Aboo Mohammad presenteth himself before the Khaleefeh 
with this equipage, I wonder whether he will ask him how he 
obtained such wealth. 

After that, they took leave of Mohammad Ez-Zubeydee, and, 
going forth from El-Basrah, journeyed on until they arrived at the 
city of Baghdad ; and when they went in to the Khaleefeh, and 
stood before him, he ordered Aboo Mohammad to seat himself. 
So he sat, and, addressing the Khaleefeh with politeness, said, O 
Prince of the Faithful, I have brought with me a present in token 
of service: then may I produce it, with thy permission ? Er- 
Rasheed answered. There will be no harm in that. Accordingly 
Aboo Mohammad gave orders to bring a chest, which he opened, 
and he took forth from it some rarities, among which were trees of 
gold, the leaves whereof were formed of white 4 emeralds, and its 
fruits of red and yellow jacinths, and white pearls; whereat the 
Khaleefeh wondered. Then he caused a second chest to be brought, 
and took forth from it a tent of brocade, adorned with pearls and 
jacinths, and emeralds and chrysolites, and varieties of other jewels: 
its poles were of new Indian aloes-wood; its skirts were adorned 
with emeralds; and upon it were represented the forms of all living 
creatures, as birds and wild beasts; all these designs being adorned 
with jewels, jacinths and emeralds, and chrysolites and balass 
rubies, and all kinds of minerals. And when Er-Rasheed beheld 
it, he rejoiced exceedingly. Aboo Mohammad the Lazy then said, 
O Prince of the Faithful, imagine not that I have brought to thee 
this, fearing anything or coveting aught; for the truth is, that I saw 
myself to be a man of the common people, and saw that this was 
not suitable to any one but the Prince of the Faithful; and if thou 
give me permission, I will gratify thee with the sight of some of 
the feats that I am able to accomplish. To this, Er-Rasheed 

VOL. II. 3 G 

410 THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

replied, Do what thou wilt, that we may see. And Aboo Moham¬ 
mad said, 1 hear and obey. Then he moved his lips, and made a 
sign to the battlements 3 of the palace; whereupon they inclined 
towards him ; and he made another sign to them, and they resumed 
their proper position. After this, he made a sign with his eye, and 
there appeared before him private chambers with closed doors; and 
he addressed some words towards them, whereat the voices of birds 
replied to him. And Er-Rasheed wondered at this extremely, and 
said to him, Whence obtainedst thou all this power, when thou art 
not known otherwise than by the appellation of Aboo Mohammad 
the Lazy, and they have informed me that thy father was a cupper* 
serving in a public bath, and that he left thee nothing ?—O Prince 
of the Faithful, he answered, hear my story; for it is wonderful and 
extraordinary : if it were engraved on the understanding, it would 
be a lesson to him who would be admonished. Er-Rasheed said, 
Relate what thou hast to tell, and acquaint me with it, O Aboo 
Mohammad. So he said, 

Know, O Prince of the Faithful (may God continue thy glory 
and power!), that the account of the people, that I am known by 
the surname of the Lazy, and that my father left me not any pro¬ 
perty, is true; for my father was no other than thou hast said: he 
was a cupper in a public bath. In my youth I was the laziest of 
all beings existing upon the face of the earth. My laziness was so 
great that when I was sleeping in the hot season and the sun came 
upon me, I was too sluggish to rise and remove from the sun to the 
shade. Thus I remained fifteen years, at the expiration of which 
period my father was admitted to the mercy of God (whose name 
be exalted!), and left me nothing. But my mother used to act as 
a servant to some people, and feed me and give me drink, while I 
lay upon my side. And it happened that my mother came in to 
me one day, bringing five pieces of silver; and she said to me, 0 
my son, I have been told that the sheykli Abu-l-Muzaffar hath 
determined to make a voyage to China. This sheykh loved the 
poor, and was one of the virtuous. And my mother said, O my 
son, take these five pieces of silver, and repair with us to him, and 
we will request him to buy for thee with it something from the 
land of China: perhaps a profit may thence accrue to thee, of the 
bounty of God, whose name be exalted! But I was too lazy to 

THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

411 

arise and go with her. And upon this she swore by Allah, that il 
I did not arise and accompany her she would not feed me nor give 
me to drink nor come in to me, but would leave me to die of 
hunger and thirst. So when I heard her words, O Prince of the 
Faithful, I knew that she would do so, on account of her knowledge 
of my laziness. I therefore said to her, Seat me. And she did so, 
while I wept.—Bring me my shoes, said I. And she brought 
them; and I said, Put them on my feet. And she put them on. 
I then said, Lift me up from the ground. And when she had done 
this, I said, Support me, that I may walk. So she supported me, 
and I continued walking, and stumbling upon my skirts, until we 
arrived at the bank of the river, when we saluted the sheykh, and 
I said to him, O uncle, art thou El-Muzaffar ? He answered, At 
thy service. And I said, Take these pieces of silver, and buy with 
them for me something from the land of China: perhaps God may 
give me a profit from it. And the sheykh Abu-l-Muzaffar said to 
his companions, Do ye know this young man ? They answered, Yes: 
this person is known by the name of Aboo Mohammad the Lazy; 
and we have never seen him to have come forth from his house 
excepting on this occasion. The sheykh Abu-l-Muzaffar then said, 
O my son, give me the money, and may the blessing of God (whose 
name be exalted !) attend it. And he received the money from me, 
saying, In the name of God. After which, I returned^ with my 
mother to the house. 

The sheykh Abu-l-Muzaffar set forth on the voyage, and with 
him a company of merchants, and they proceeded without interrup¬ 
tion until they arrived at the land of China; when the sheykh sold 
and bought, and set forth to return, he and those who were with 
him, after they had accomplished their desires. But when they 
had continued out at sea for three days, the sheykh said to his com¬ 
panions, Stay the vessel! The merchants asked, What dost thou 
want ? And he answered, Know that the deposite committed to 
me, belonging to Aboo Mohammad the Lazy, I have forgotten: so 
return with us, that we may buy for him with it something by 
which he may profit. But they replied, We conjure thee by Allah 
(whose name be exalted!) that thou take us not back; for we have 
traversed a very long distance, and in doing so we have experienced 
great terrors, and exceeding trouble. Still he said, We must 

412 

THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

return. They therefore said, Receive from us several times as 
much as the profit of the five pieces of silver, and take us not back. 
So he assented to their proposal; and they collected for him a large 
sum of money. 

Then they proceeded until they came in sight of an island con¬ 
taining a numerous population, where they cast anchor; and the 
merchants landed to purchase thence merchandise consisting of 
minerals and jewels and pearls and other tilings. And Abu-1- 
Muzaffar saw a man sitting, with a great number of apes before 
him; and among these was an ape whose hair was plucked off. 
The other apes, whenever their master was inadvertent, laid hold 
upon this plucked ape, and beat him, and threw him upon their 
master; who arose thereat, and beat them, and chained and tor¬ 
mented them, for doing this; and all these apes became enraged in 
consequence against the other, and beat him again. Now when the 
sheykli Abu-l-Muzaffar saw this ape, he grieved for him, and 
shewed kindness to him, and said to his owner, Wilt thou sell me 
this ape ? The man answered, Buy. And the sheykli said, I have 

THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

413 

witli me, belonging to a lad who is an orphan, five pieces of silver. 
Wilt thou sell him to me for that sum ?—He answered, I sell him 
to thee. May God bless thee in him !—Then the sheykh took 
possession of him, and paid the money to his owner; and the 
slaves of the sheykh took the ape, and tied him in the ship. 

After this, they loosed the sails, and proceeded to another 
island, where they cast anchor. And the divers who dived for 
minerals and pearls and jewels and other things came down; and 
the merchants gave them money as their hire for diving. So they 
dived; and the ape, seeing them do this, loosed himself from his 
cord, leaped from the vessel, and dived with them; whereupon 
Abu-l-Muzaffar exclaimed, There is no strength nor power but in 
God, the High, the Great! We have lost the ape, with the luck 
of this poor youth for whom we bought him !—They despaired of 
the ape; but when the party of divers came up, lo, the ape came 
up with them, having in his hands precious jewels; and he threw 
them down before Abu-l-Muzaffar, who wondered at this, and said, 
Verily, there is a great mystery in this ape! 

Then they loosed, and proceeded to an island called the Island 
of the Zunooj, 5 who are a people of the blacks, that eat the flesh of 
the sons of Adam. And when the blacks beheld them, they came 
to them in boats, and, taking all that were in the ship, bound their 
hands behind them, and conducted them to the King, who ordered 
them to slaughter a number of the merchants. So they slaughtered 
them, and ate their flesh. The rest of the merchants passed the 
night imprisoned, in great misery; but in the night the ape arose 
and came to Abu-l-Muzaffar, and loosed his chains. And when the 
merchants beheld Abu-l-Muzaffar loosed, they said, God grant that 
our liberation may be effected by thy hands, O Abu-l-Muzaffar! 
But he replied, Know ye that none liberated me, by the will of 
God (whose name be exalted!), but this ape; and I have bought 
my liberty of him for a thousand pieces of gold. So the merchants 
said, And we in like manner : each of us buyeth his liberty of him 
for a thousand pieces of gold, if he release us. The ape therefore 
arose and went to them, and began to loose one after another, until 
he had loosed them all from their chains; and they repaired to the 
ship, and embarked in it, and found it safe; nothing being lost 
from it. 

414 THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

They loosed immediately, and continued their voyage, and Abu-l- 
Muzaffar said, O merchants, fulfil the promise that ye have given 
to the ape. They replied, We hear and obey. And each of them 
paid him a thousand pieces of gold. Abu-l-Muzaffar also took 
forth from his property a thousand pieces of gold ; and a great sum 
of money was thus collected for the ape. They then continued 
their voyage until they arrived at the city of El-Basrah; where¬ 
upon their companions came to meet them; and when they had 
landed, Abu-l-Muzaffar said, Where is Aboo Mohammad the Lazy? 
The news therefore reached my mother, and while I was lying 
asleep, my mother came to me and said, O my son, the sheykli 
Abu-l-Muzaffar hath arrived, and come to the city: arise then, 
and repair to him and salute him, and ask him what he hath 
brought for thee: perhaps God (whose name be exalted!) hath 
blessed thee with something. So I replied, Lift me from the 
ground, and support me, that I may go forth and walk to the bank 
of the river. I walked on, stumbling upon my skirts, until I came 
to the sheykh Abu-l-Muzaffar ; and when he beheld me, he said to 
me, Welcome to him whose money was the means of my liberation 
and the liberation of these merchants, by the will of God, whose 
name be exalted! He then said to me, Take this ape ; for I 
bought him for thee; go with him to thy house, and wait until I 
come to thee. I therefore took the ape before me, and went, 
saying within myself, By Allah, this is none other than magnificent 
merchandise ! I entered my house, and said to my mother, Every 
time that I lie down to sleep, thou desirest me to arise to traffick: 
see then with thine eye this merchandise. Then I sat down; and 
while I was sitting, lo, the slaves of Abu-l-Muzaffar approached 
me, and said to me, Art thou Aboo Mohammad the Lazy ? I 
answered them, Yes. And behold, Abu-l-Muzaffar approached, 
following them. I rose to him, and kissed his hands, and he said 
to me, Come with me to my house. So I replied, I hear and obey. 

I proceeded with him until I entered the house, when he ordered 
his slaves to bring the money; and they brought it, and he said, O 
my son, God hath blessed thee with this wealth as the profit of the 
five pieces of silver. They then carried it in the chests upon their 
heads, and he gave me the keys of those chests, saying to me, 
Walk before the s^ves to thy house ; for all this wealth is thine. 

I therefore went to my mother, and she rejoiced at this, and 
said, O my son, God hath blessed thee with this abundant wealth; 
so give over this laziness, and go down into the market-street, and 
sell and buy. Accordingly, I relinquished my lazy habits, and 
opened a shop in the market-street, and the ape sat with me upon 
my mattress: when I ate, he ate with me; and when I drank, he 
drank with me ; and every day he absented himself from me from 
morning until noon, when he came, bringing with him a purse con¬ 
taining a thousand pieces of gold, and he put it by my side, and sat 
down. Thus he ceased not to do for a long time, until abundant 
wealth had accrued to me; whereupon I bought, O Prince of the 
Faithful, possessions and rabas, 6 and planted gardens, and pur¬ 
chased memlooks and male black slaves and female slaves. 

And it happened one day that I was sitting, and the ape was 
sitting with me upon the mattress, and lo, he looked to the right 
and left; whereat I said within myself, What is the matter with 
this ape ? And God caused the ape to speak, with an eloquent 
tongue, and he said, O Aboo Mohammad! On hearing this, I W'as 
violently terrified; but he said, Fear not. I will acquaint thee 
with my condition. I am a Marid of the Jinn; but I came to thee 
on account of thy poverty, and now thou knowest not the amount 

416 THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

of thy wealth; and I have a want for thee to perform, the accom¬ 
plishment of which will be productive of good to thee.—What is 
it ? I asked. He answered, I desire to marry thee to a damsel like 
the full moon.—And how so ? said I.—To-morrow, he answered, 
attire thyself in thy rich clothing, mount thy mule with the saddle 
of gold, and repair with me to the market of the sellers of fodder: 
there inquire for the shop of the Shereef, 7 and seat thyself by him, 
and say to him, I have come to thee as a suitor, desiring thy 
daughter. And if he say to thee, Thou hast not wealth nor rank 
nor descent,—give him a thousand pieces of gold: and if he say to 
thee, Give me more,—do so, and excite his cupidity for money.— 
So I replied, I hear and obey : to-morrow I will do this, if it be the 
will of God, whose name be exalted! 

Accordingly, when I arose in the morning, I put on the richest 
of my apparel, mounted the mule with the saddle of gold, and, 
having gone to the market of the sellers of fodder, inquired for the 
shop of the Shereef, and found him sitting in his shop. I therefore 
alighted and saluted him, and seated myself with him. I had with 
me ten of my black slaves and memlooks; and the Shereef said, 
Perhaps thou hast some business with us which we may have the 
pleasure of performing. So I replied, Yes: I have some business 
with thee.—And what is it ? he asked. I answered, I have come 
unto thee as a suitor, desiring thy daughter. He replied, Thou 
hast not wealth nor rank nor descent. And upon this I took forth 
and presented to him a purse containing a thousand pieces of red 
gold, saying to him, This is my rank and descent; and he whom 
may God favour and preserve hath said, An excellent rank is [that 
conferred by] wealth. How good also is the saying of the poet!— 

Whoso possesseth two dirhems, his lips have learned varieties of speech, 
which he uttereth: 

His brethren draw near and listen to him, and thou seest him haughty among 
mankind. 

Were it not for his money, in which he glorieth, thou wouldst find him in a 
most ignominious state. 

When the rich man erretli in speech, they reply, Thou hast spoken truly, and 
not uttered vanity: 

But when the poor man speaketh truly, they reply, Thou hast lied,—and 
make void what he hath asserted . 8 

THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

417 

Verily money, in every habitation, investeth men with dignity and with 
comeliness: 

It is the tongue for him who would he eloquent, and it is the weapon for him 
who would fight. 

And when the Shereef heard these words, and understood the 
verses, he hung down his head for a while towards the ground; 
after which, he raised his head, and said to me, If it must be, I 
desire of thee three thousand pieces of gold besides. So I replied, 
I hear and obey. I immediately sent one of the memlooks to my 
house, and he brought me the money that the Shereef had de¬ 
manded ; and when the Shereef saw this come to him, he arose 
from the shop, and said to his young men, Close it. Then he 
invited his companions from the market to his house, and, having 
performed the contract of my marriage to his daughter, said to me, 
After ten days I will introduce thee to her. 

I returned to my house, full of joy, and in privacy informed 
the ape of that which had happened to me; whereupon he said, 
Excellently hast thou done. And when the time appointed by the 
Shereef approached, the ape said to me, I have a want for thee to 
perform: if thou accomplish it for me, thou shalt obtain of me 
what thou wilt.—And what is thy want ? said I. He answered, 
At the upper end of the saloon in which thou wilt pay thy first 
visit to the daughter of the Shereef is a closet, upon the door of 
which is a ring of brass, and the keys are beneath the ring. Take 
them, and open the door. Thou wilt find a chest of iron, at the 
corners of which are four talismanic flags ; in the midst is a basin 
filled with money, and by its side are eleven serpents, and in the 
basin is tied a white cock with a cleft comb ; and there is also a 
knife by the side of the chest. Take the knife, and kill with it the 
cock, tear in pieces the flags, and empty the chest; and after that, 
go forth to the bride. This is what I require of thee.—And I 
replied, I hear and obey. 

I then went to the house of the Shereef, and, entering the 
saloon, I looked towards the closet which the ape had described 
to me. And when I was left alone with the bride, I wondered at 
her beauty and loveliness, and her justness of stature and form; 
for she was such that the tongue cannot describe her beauty and 
loveliness. I was exceedingly delighted with her ; and when mid- 

3 H 

VOL. II. 

418 THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

night came, and the bride slept, I arose, took the keys, and opened 
the closet, and, taking the knife, I killed the cock, threw down the 
flags, and overturned the chest; whereupon the damsel awoke, and 
saw that the closet was opened, and the cock killed; and she 
exclaimed, There is no strength nor power hut in God, the High, 
the Great! The Marid hath taken me !—And her words were not 
ended when the Marid encompassed the house, and snatched away 
the bride. Upon this, a clamour ensued; and lo, the Shereef 
approached, slapping his face, and said, 0 Aboo Mohammad, what 
is this deed that thou hast done unto us ? Is this the recompense 
that we receive from thee ? I made this talisman in this closet 
through my fear for my daughter from this accursed wretch; for he 
was desirous of taking this damsel during a period of six years, and 
could not do so. But thou shalt no longer remain with us: so go 
thy way. 

I therefore went forth from the house of the Shereef, and, 
having returned to my own abode, searched for the ape; but I 
found him not, nor saw any trace of him: so I knew that he was 
the Marid who had taken my wife, and that he had practised a 
stratagem against me so that I had acted thus with the talisman and 
the cock which prevented his taking her. I repented, and tore my 
clothes in pieces, and slapped my face. No region was wide enough 
for me ; so I went forth immediately, seeking the desert, and 
stopped not until the evening overtook me; and I knew not whither 
to go. But while I was absorbed in meditation, lo, two serpents 
approached me; one, tawny-coloured; and the other, white; and 
they were contending together. I therefore took up a stone from 
the ground, and struck with it the tawny serpent, and killed her; 
for she was oppressing the white one. Then the white serpent 
departed, and was absent for a while; after which she returned, 
accompanied by ten other white serpents; and they came to the 
dead serpent, and tore her in pieces, so that there remained only 
her head; which having done, they went their way. 

Thereupon I laid myself prostrate on my bosom in that place, 
through weariness; and while I was so lying, meditating upon my 
case, a being whose voice I heard, but whose form I saw not, 
uttered these two verses :— 

Let destiny run with slackened reins, and pass not the night but with 
careless mind ; 

For between the closing of an eye and its opening, God effecteth a change in 
the state of affairs. 

On hearing this, O Prince of the Faithful, I was vehemently 
affected, and inspired with the utmost trouble of mind; and I 
heard a voice behind me reciting this couplet:— 

O Muslim, whose guide is the Kur-an, rejoice in it; for safety hath come to 
thee; 

And fear not what Satan hath suggested ; for we are people whose religion is 
the true one. 

So I said to the person who addressed me, By the Object of thy 
worship, acquaint me who thou art! Whereupon the invisible 
speaker assumed the form of a man, and replied, Fear not; for thy 
kind conduct hath become known to us, and we are a tribe of the 

420 THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

believing Jinn; if then thou hast any want, acquaint us with it, 
that we may have the pleasure of performing it. I therefore said 
to him, Verily I have a great want; for I have been afflicted with a 
heavy calamity. And unto whom hath happened the like of my 
calamity ?—And he said, Perhaps thou art Aboo Mohammad the 
Lazy. I replied, Yes. And he said, O Aboo Mohammad, I am a 
brother of the white serpent, whose enemy thou killedst. We are 
four brothers by the same father and mother, and we are all thankful 
for thy kindness. And know that he who was in the form of an ape, 
and who practised this artifice with thee, is one of the Marids of 
the Jinn; and had he not employed this stratagem, he had never 
been able to take the damsel; for of a long time he hath been 
desirous of taking her, and this talisman prevented him; and had 
the talisman remained, he could not have obtained access to her. 
But fear not on account of this affair : we will convey thee to her, 
and we will slay the Marid; for thy kindness is not lost upon us. 
—He then uttered a great cry, with a terrible voice ; and lo, a troop 
approached him, and he inquired of them respecting the ape ; upon 
which one of them answered, I know his abode. He said, Where 
is his abode ? And he answered, In the City of Brass, upon which 
the sun risetli not. And he said, O Aboo Mohammad, take one of 
our slaves, and he will carry thee on his back, and will instruct thee 
how thou slialt take the damsel. But know that the slave is one of 
the Marids, and when he carrieth thee mention not the name of 
God while he beareth thee ; for if thou mention it, he will fly from 
thee, and thou wilt fall and perish.—So I replied, I hear and 
obey. 

I took one of their slaves, and he stooped, and said, Mount. 
And I mounted. He then soared with me into the sky until he 
had ascended out of sight of the world; and I saw the stars 
resembling the firm mountains, and heard the Angels extolling the 
perfection of God in Heaven. All this while the Marid was 
conversing with me and amusing me, and diverting me from men¬ 
tioning God, whose name be exalted! But while I was in this state, 
lo, a person clad in green garments,® and having long locks of hair, 
and a resplendent countenance, and in his hand a spear from which 
sparks flew forth, approached and said to me, O Aboo Mohammad, 
say, There is no deity but God : Mohammad is God’s Apostle—or 

THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

421 

I will smite thee with this spear. My heart was already rent iii 
pieces by my abstaining from mentioning God (whose name be 
exalted!): so I said, There is no deity but God : Mohammad is 
God’s Apostle. And immediately that person smote the Marid 
with the spear; whereupon he dissolved, and became ashes; and 
I fell from his back, and continued descending to the earth until I 
dropped into a roaring sea, agitated with waves. 

But lo, there was a ship, containing five sailors ; and when they 
saw me, they came to me, and took me up into the vessel, and 
began to speak to me in a language which I knew not. I therefore 
made a sign to them that I knew not their language. And they 
proceeded on their voyage until the close of the day, when they 
cast a net, and caught a large fish, which they broiled; and they 
gave me to eat. They continued their voyage until they had conveyed 
me to their city; upon which they took me in to their King, and 
placed me before him; and I kissed the ground, and he bestowed 

4 22 THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

upon me a dress of honour. Now this King was acquainted with 
Arabic, and he said, I appoint thee to be one of my guards. And 
I said to him, What is the name of this city ? He answered, Its 
name is Iienad, 10 and it is in the land of China. Then the King 
delivered me to the Wezeer of the city, commanding him to shew me 
the city. The inhabitants of this city were originally infidels ; in 
consequence of which, God (whose name be exalted !) had turned 
them into stones. I amused myself by taking a view of it; and 
have beheld nowhere a greater abundance of trees and fruits than it 
possessed. 

I resided there for the space of a month, after which I went to 
a river, and seated myself upon its banks ; and while I was sitting, 
lo, a horseman came and said, Art thou Aboo Mohammad the Lazy ? 
I answered him, Yes. And he said, Fear not; for thy kind 
conduct hath become known unto us. So I asked him, Who art 
thou ? And he answered, I am a brother of the serpent, and thou 
art near unto the place of the damsel to whom thou desirest to 
obtain access. Then he took off his clothes, and, having clad me 
with them, said to me, Fear not; for the slave who perished 
beneath thee was one of our slaves. And after this, the horseman 
took me up behind him, and conveyed me to a desert, where he said 
to me, Alight from behind me, and proceed between these two 
mountains until thou seest the City of Brass: then stop at a 
distance from it, and enter it not till I return to thee, and instruct 
thee how to act. So I replied, I hear and obey. I alighted from 
behind him, and walked on until I arrived at the city, when I saw 
that its wall was of brass ; and I went round about it, hoping to 
find a gate to it: but I found none. And while I was going round 
it, lo, the brother of the serpent approached me, and gave me 
a talismanic sword that would prevent any one from seeing me. He 
then went his way ; and he had been but a short time absent from 
me when cries rose, and I beheld a number of persons whose eyes 
were in their breasts ; and when they saw me, they said, Who art 
thou, and what cast thee into this place ? So I acquainted them 
with the occurrence; and they replied, The damsel whom thou 
hast mentioned is with the Marid in this city, and we know not 
what he hath done with her; and we are brothers of the serpent. 
Then they added, Go to that spring, see by what channel the water 

423 

THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

entereth, and enter tliou with it; for it will convey thee into the 
city. 

I therefore did so. I entered with the water into a grotto 
beneath the earth, and, rising thence, beheld myself in the midst 
of the city, and found the damsel sitting upon a couch of gold, 
with a canopy of brocade over her, and round the canopy was 
a garden containing trees of gold, the fruits of which were of 
precious jewels, such as rubies and chrysolites, and pearls and coral. 
And when the damsel saw me, she knew me ; and, having saluted 
me first, she said to me, O my master, who brought thee to this 
place ? So I informed her of the events that had happened; and she 
replied, Know that this accursed wretch, from the excess of his 
affection for me, hath acquainted me with that which will injure him 
and that which will profit him, and hath informed me that there is 
in this city a talisman with which, if he desired to destroy all who 
are in the city, he could destroy them; and whatsoever he should 
order his ’Efreets to do, they would comply with his command; and 
that talisman is upon a pillar.—And where, said I, is the pillar ? 
She answered, In such a place.—And what is that talisman ? I 
asked. She answered, It is the figure of an eagle, and upon it is an 
inscription which I know not. Take it and place it before thee, and 
take a censer with fire, and throw into it a little musk, whereupon 
there will arise from it a smoke which will attract the ’Efreets. If 
thou do so, they will all present themselves before thee; not one 
of them will remain absent; and they will obey thy command, and 
do whatsoever thou shalt order them. Arise, therefore, and do 
that, and may the blessing of God (whose name be exalted !) attend 
the act.—So I replied, I hear and obey. 

I arose, and w r ent to that pillar, and did all that she desired me 
to do, and the ’Efreets came and presented themselves before me, 
each of them saying, At thy service, O my master! Whatsoever 
thou commandest us to do, we will do it.—I therefore said to them. 
Chain the Marid who brought this damsel from her abode. And 
they replied, We hear and obey. They repaired immediately to 
that Marid, and chained him, making his bonds tight; and returned 
to me, saying, We have done what thou hast commanded us. And 
I ordered them to return. I then went back to the damsel, and, 
having acquainted her with what had happened, said, O my wife, 

wilt thou go with me ? She answered, Yes. And I went forth with 
her by the subterranean grotto by which I had entered; and we 
proceeded until we came to the party who had directed me to her; 
when I said to them, Direct me to a route that shall lead me to my 
country. 

Accordingly they guided me and walked with me to the shore of 
the sea, and placed us on board a ship; and the wind was favourable, 
and the ship conveyed us on until we arrived at the city of El-Basrah. 
And when the damsel entered the house of her father, her family 
saw her, and rejoiced exceedingly at her return. I then fumigated 
the eagle with musk, andlo, the ’Efreets approached me from every 
quarter, saying, At thy service, and what dost thou desire us to do ? 
And I commanded them to transport all that was in the City of 
Brass, of money and minerals and jewels, to my house winch was in 
El-Basrah; and they did so. After that, I commanded them to 
bring the ape; and they brought him in an abject and despicable 
state; whereupon I said to him, O accursed, why didst thou act 

THE STORY OF ABOO MOHAMMAD THE LAZY. 

425 

perfidiously to me ? And I ordered them to put him into a bottle of 
brass. So they put him into a narrow bottle of brass, and stopped 
it over him with lead. And I resided with my wife in joy and 
happiness. I have now, O Prince of the Faithful, of precious 
treasures, and extraordinary jewels, and abundant wealth, what 
cannot be expressed by numbers, nor confined by limits; and if 
thou desire anything, of wealth or aught else, I will command the 
Jinn to bring it to thee immediately. All this I have received from 
the bounty of God, whose name be exalted ! 

And the Prince of the Faithful wondered at this story ex¬ 
tremely. He gave him imperial presents in return for his gift, and 
treated him with the favour that was suitable to him. 11 

3 

I 

VOL. II. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTEENTH. 

Note 1. 

This story I suppose to be the same as that which is entitled, in the list of the 
contents of Von Hammer's MS., as given by Tn'butien, “ Aboubekr Alkozlan;” 
the surname, or nickname, which 1 render “ the Lazy,” being in my original 
“ El-Keslin.” 

Note 2. 

So in the two editions of Cairo and Breslau; but what a white emerald is I 
know not. Perhaps the word which I have rendered “ white” may here signify 
“ bright.” 

Note 3. 

The battlements here mentioned (in the original, “ shard reef, ” plural of “ slmr- 
rdfeh") are in general merely ornamental, and of various different forms in different 
buildings. 

Note 4. 

The Arab cupper is generally a barber, and shaving is a more common 
operation in the bath than bleeding. 

Note 5. 

The “Zunooj,” also called “Zinj” and “Zenj,” are an Ethiopian nation, the 
inhabitants of the country commonly called by us “ Zanguebar.” 

Note 6. 

By the term “ possessions” here we may understand property consisting of 
houses, &c., such being the general meaning of the word so rendered. “ Raba” is 
a term generally applied to a range of dwelling-rooms over shops or magazines. 

Note 7. 

“ Shereef” (signifying “ noble”), and “ seyd” or “seyyid” ("master,” or “lord”), 
are titles given to any descendant of the Prophet, however low his station. Men 
and women of this caste often contract marriages with persons who are not mem- 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTEENTH. 

427 

bets of the same; and as the title of shereef is inherited from either the father or 
the mother, the number of persons who enjoy this distinction has become very 
considerable. The men are privileged to wear the green turban ; but not all of 
them do so. Many of the women wear a green face-veil. 

Note 8. 

“ It is related that a rich man informed his friends who were sitting with him, 
that the mice had eaten an iron utensil belonging to him, and they pronounced 
his assertion to be true: then a poor man told them that the mice had eaten his 
palm-stick [or staff], and they declared his assertion to be false. So he said to 
them, How is it that ye do not admit the truth of my assertion that the mouse ate 
the palm-stick, and ye admit its having eaten the iron ?” * 

Note 9. 

By this description, El-Khidr is evidently meant. See Note 2 to the Intro¬ 
duction (vol i. page 22). 

Note 10. 

“ Henfid” I suppose to be an imaginary name, as the city so called is said to 
have been near to the regions of the Jinn. 

Note 11. 

The three anecdotes here following occupy the next place to the story of Aboo 
Muhammad the Lazy, and end with part of the three hundred and eighth Night. 

Anecdote of Yahya the Son o/Khalid El-Barmekee. 

It is related that Haroon Er-Rasheed called for one of his guards, named S&leh, 
before the period at which he became changed against the Barmekees, and when 
the man came before him he said to him, O S&leh, go to Mansoor, and say to 
him, Thou owest us a million pieces of silver, and we require that thou bring to 
us this sum immediately. I command thee also, O S&leh, that if this sum be not 
paid to thee forthwith, before sunset, thou sever his head from his body, and bring 
it to me.—So Saleh replied, I hear and obey. He repaired to Mansoor, and 
informed him of that which the Prince of the Faithful had said; whereupon 
Mansoor exclaimed, I perish, by Allah ; for the price of all my property and all 
that my hand possesseth, if sold for its highest value, would not exceed a hundred 
thousand : how then, O S&leh, can I procure the remaining nine hundred thousand 
pieces of silver? Saleh therefore said to him, Contrive for thyself some stratagem 
by which thou mayest save thyself quickly, or thou perishest; for I cannot grant 
thee a moment’s delay after the period which the Khaleefeh hath prescribed me, 
nor can I fail in aught of that which the Prince of the Faithful hath commanded 
me to do. Hasten then to employ a stratagem by which to save thy life before 
the period shall have expired.—Mansoor replied, O S&leh, I beg thee of thy 
kindness to take me to my house, that I may bid farewell to my children and my 
family, and give my directions to my relations.—Accordingly, says Saleh, I went 
with him to his house, and he began to take leave of his family ; and a clamour 

Marginal note by my sheykli. 

arose in his abode, with weeping and crying, and supplication for the aid of God, 
whose name be exalted! 

Then Saleh said to him, It hath occurred to my mind that God may effect thy 
relief by means of the Barmekees: so repair with us to the house of Yahya the 
son of Kh&lid. And when they went to Yahya the son of Kh&lid, he acquainted 
him with his case; whereat Yahya grieved, and hung down his head for a while 
towards the ground; after which, he raised his head, and, having called his 
treasurer, said to him, How much money is in our treasury? He answered, The 
sum of five thousand pieces of silver. And Yahya ordered him to bring it. He 
then sent a messenger to his son El-Fadl, with a note, the purport of which was, 
There have been offered to me for sale some estates of great value, that will never 
be laid waste : * so send to us some money. And he sent to him a million pieces 
of silver. Then he sent another man to his son Jaafar, with a note, of which the 
purport was this: We have an important affair to transact, and want for that 
purpose some money. And Jaafar sent to him immediately a million pieces of 
silver. And Yahya continued to send messengers to the Barmekees until he had 
collected from them for Mansoor a great sum of money. SAleh and Mansoor, 
meanwhile, knew not of this proceeding; and Mansoor said to Yahya, O my lord, 
I have laid hold upon thy skirt, and 1 know not how to procure this money but 
from thee, agreeably with thy usual generosity: complete for me then the remainder 
of my debt, and make me thine emancipated slave. And Yahya hung down 
his head and wept, and said, O page, the Prince of the Faithful presented to our 
slave-girl Denaneer f a jew'el of great value. Repair then to her, and tell her to 
send to us this jewel.—So the page went, and brought it to him ; and he said, 
O Mansoor, 1 purchased this jewel for the Prince of the Faithful from the mer¬ 
chants for two hundred thousand pieces of gold, I and the Prince of the Faithful 
presented it to our slave-girl Denaneer, the lute-player; and when he seeth it with 
thee, he will know it, and will treat thee with honour, and spare thy life on our 
account, in honour of us ; and thy money, O Mansoor, is now complete. 

So I carried the money and the jewel, says Saleh, to Er-Rasheed, taking 
Mansoor with me; but while we were on the way, I heard him repeat this verse, 
applying it to his own case:— 

• By this, an allusion is meant to the thanks and praise which he would receive, and which would 
never cease. (Marginal note by my sheykh.) 

f Plural of “ deenir,” “ a piece of gold." 

I Equivalent, at least, to four times the amount of Mansoor’s debt. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTEENTH. 429 

It was not from love that my feet went towards them; but because I feared 
to be smitten by the arrows. 

And I wondered at the wickedness of his disposition, and his worthlessness and 
depravity, and the baseness of his origin and birth; and I retorted and said to 
him, There is not upon the face of the earth any one better than the Barmekees, 
nor is there any more base or more evil than thyself; for they bought thee off 
from death, and saved thee from destruction, bestowing upon thee the means of 
thy deliverance, and thou hast not thanked them nor praised them, nor behaved 
in the manner of the ingenuous; but hast requited their kindness with these 
words.—I then went to Er-Rasheed, and related to him the story, acquainting him 
with all that had happened; and Er-Rasheed wondered at the generosity of 
Yahya, and his munificence and kind disposition, and at the vileness of Mansoor, 
and ordered that the jewel should be restored to Yahya the son of Khalid, saying, 
Every thing we give unto him: it is not fit that we revoke it. And Sfileh 
returned to Yahya the son of Khdlid, and related to him the story of Mansoor, 
acquainting him with his evil conduct. But Yahya replied, O Saleh, when a man 
is in want, with a contracted heart and with a troubled mind, for whatsoever 
proceedeth from him he is not to be reproached; for it doth not come from his 
heart. And he sought excuses for Mansoor. And upon this, Sdleh wept, and 
said, The revolutions of time will never bring about the existence of a person like 
thee. Alas, then, how can it be that one endowed with a nature like thine and 
generosity like thine shall be buried in earth!—And he recited these verses :— 

Hasten to accomplish any kind intention ; for it is not always that generosity 
can be exercised. 

How many a man, when able, hath withheld himself from an act of generosity 
till poverty prevented him! 

Another Anecdote of Yahya the Son of Khalid El-Barmekee. 

It is related also, that there existed, between Yahya the son of Khilid, and 
'Abd Allah the son of Malik El-Khuzd’ee, a secret enmity, which neither of 
them manifested; * and the reason of this enmity between them was, that the 
Prince of the Faithful, Hdroon Er-Rasheed, loved ’Abd Allah the son of Malik so 
greatly as to occasion Yahya the son of Kh&lid and his sons to say, that ’Abd Allah 
enchanted the Prince of the Faithful. Thus they continued for a long time, with 
hatred in their hearts. 

And it happened that Er-Rasheed bestowed the government of Irmeeneeyeh f 
upon ’Abd Allah the son of Mdlik El-Khuzd’ee, and despatched him thither. And 
after he had established himself there in the seat of government, there came to him 
a man of the inhabitants of El-'Erak, of surpassing good breeding, and acuteness 
and intelligence; but his means had become contracted, and his wealth had passed 
away, and his prosperity had vanished : so he forged a letter in the name of Yahya 
the son of Khdlid to 'Abd Allah the son of Mdlik, and journeyed to him in 
Irmeeneeyeh. On arriving at his door, he delivered the letter to one of his 

• In the Breslau edition, this anecdote is related somewhat differently: it is there said to have been 
founded upon an enmity between Jaafar El-Barmekee (the son of Yahya) and a Governor of Egypt 
So also in the works of some Arab historians : see, for instance, Fakhr ed-Deen, in De Sacy’s Chresto- 
mathie Arabe, tome i., page 2G of the Arabic text, 2nde ed. 

t By this name may be understood either the whole or a part of Armenia. 

chamberlains, who took the letter and delivered it to ’Abd Allah the son of MAlik 
El-Khuz&’ee; and he opened it and read it, and, considering it, he knew that it 
was forged. So he gave orders to bring the man ; and when he presented himself 
before him he prayed for him and praised him and the members of his court; and 
’Abd Allah the son of Mdlik said to him, What induced thee to undergo this long 
toil, and to come to me with a forged letter ? But be of good heart; for we will 
not disappoint thy labour.—The man replied, May God prolong the life of our 
lord the Wezeer! If my coming be troublesome to thee, employ no pretext to 
repel me; for God’s earth is wide, and the Bestower of the means of subsistence 
existeth : the letter that I have brought to thee from Yahya the son of KMlid is 
genuine, not forged.—So ’Abd Allah said, I will write a letter to my agent in 
Baghdad, and order him to inquire respecting this letter that thou hast brought to 
me; and if it prove to be true and genuine, not forged, I invest thee with the 
government of one of my districts, or I give thee two hundred thousand pieces of 
silver, with horses and excellent camels of high value, and an honorary gift besides, 
if thou desire a present: but if the letter prove to be forged, I give orders that 
thou slialt be beaten with two hundred blows of a staff, and that thy beard shall 
be shaven.—Then 'Abd Allah commanded that he should be taken into a chamber ; 
and that what he required should be put for him there until he should have ascer¬ 
tained his case. After this, he wrote a letter to his agent in Baghdad, the purport 
whereof was as follows :— 

There hath come unto me a man with a letter which he asserteth to be from 
Yahya the son of Khalid, and I have an evil opinion of this letter. It is therefore 
necessary that thou neglect not this affair ; hut go thyself and ascertain the case of 
this letter, and hasten to send me a reply, that we may know the truth or the 
falsity of the matter. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTEENTH. 

431 

So when the letter was brought to him in Baghdad, he mounted immediately, 
and repaired to the mansion of Yahya the son of Khalid. lie found him sitting 
with liis boon-companions and chief attendants, and he saluted him, and delivered 
to him the letter; and Yahya the son of Khalid read it, and said to the agent, 
Return to me to-morrow, that I may write for thee the answer. Then looking 
towards his boon-companions, after the departure of the agent, he said, What shall 
be the recompense of him who beareth a letter forged in my name, and taketli it 
to mine enemy? And every one of the boon-companions offered some opinion, 
and each of them proposed some kind of punishment. But Yahya said to them, 
Ye have erred in that which ye have proposed, and this advice which ye have 
given hath arisen from the baseness and meanness of your minds. Ye all know 
the close favour in which ’Abd Allah is held by the Prince of the Faithful, and 
ye know the wrath and enmity that subsisteth between me and him. Now God 
(whose name be exalted!) hath made this man a means of effecting a reconciliation 
between us, and hath fitted him for that purpose, and appointed him to extinguish 
the fire of hatred in our hearts, which hath been increasing for a period of twenty 
years; and by his intervention our affairs shall be peaceably adjusted. It is 
incumbent on me to satisfy this man by verifying his opinions and amending his 
circumstances; and I will write for him a letter to ’Abd Allah the son of Malik 
El-Khuza’ee, to the effect that he shall treat him with increased honour, and 
continue to exalt and respect him.—And when the boon-companions heard this, 
they invoked blessings upon him, and wondered at bis generosity and the abun¬ 
dance of his kindness. He then demanded the paper and the ink-case, and wrote 
to 'Abd Allah the son of Malik a letter in bis own hand, of the following 
purport:— 

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Thy letter hath 
arrived: may God prolong thy life! and I have read it, and rejoiced at thy 
safety, and been delighted at the tidings of thy well-being and thy general pros¬ 
perity. Now thou imaginedst that that ingenuous man forged a letter as from 
me, and did not bear an epistle from me: but the case was not so; for the letter 
I myself wrote, and it was not forged; and I hope from thy liberality and kindness 
and excellence of disposition that thou wilt satisfy the hope and wish of that 
ingenuous and generous man, and regard him with the respect that he meriteth, 
and cause him to attain his desire, and make him a particular object of overflowing 
kindness and abundant favour; and whatsoever thou dost for him, I shall regard 
myself as the object of it, and shall be thankful to thee. 

Then he directed the letter and sealed it and delivered it to the agent. So the 
agent sent it to ’Abd Allah, who, when he read it, was delighted at its contents, 
and, having caused that man to be brought to him, said to him, Whichever of the 
two things that I promised thee is the more agreeable to thee I will present to 
thee. And the man replied, The gift will be more agreeable to me than anything 
else. Accordingly, ’Abd Allah gave orders to present him with two hundred 
thousand pieces of silver, and ten Arab horses, five of them with housings of silk, 
and five with jewelled saddles such as are used in processions of state, and with 
twenty chests of clothes, and ten memlooks, horsemen, together with what was 
appropriate of costly jewels. Then he bestowed upon him a dress of honour, and 
sent him to Baghdad magnificently equipped. 

When he arrived, therefore, at Baghddd, he repaired to the door of the mansion 
of Yahya the son of Khiilid before he went to his family, and he begged permission 

432 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTEENTH. 

to go in to him. So the chamberlain went in to Yahya, and said to him, O our 
lord, at our door is a man of respectable appearance and comely form and good 
condition, with a number of pages, desiring to come in to thee. And he gave 
him permission to enter; and when he came in to him, he kissed the ground 
before him, and Yahya said to him, Who art thou ? The man answered, O master, 
1 am he who was killed by the tyranny of fortune, and thou hast brought me to 
life from the grave of calamities, and raised me to the Paradise of desires. I am 
he who forged a letter in thy name, and conveyed it to ’Abd Allah the son of 
Mtilik El-Khuza’ee.—And what, said Yahya, hath he done with thee ; and what 
hath he given to thee? He answered, He gave me of the benefits proceeding 
from thy liberality and benevolence, and thy comprehensive favours and universal 
generosity, and thy magnanimity and ample bounty, so that he enriched me, and he 
distinguished me by especial beneficence, and bestowed presents upon me; and I 
have brought all his gifts and his presents ; they are at thy door, and the case is 
submitted unto thee, to decide upon it as thou wilt. Upon this, Yahya replied, 
The action that thou hast done for me is better than that which I have performed 
for thee, and thou art entitled to abundant thanks from me, and great bounty, 
since thou hast changed the enmity that subsisted between me and that highly 
revered man into sincere friendship and affection. 1 will therefore give thee the 
like of that which ’Abd Allah the son of Malik hath given thee.—He then ordered 
that he should be presented with money and horses, and chests of clothing, such 
as 'Abd Allah had bestowed upon him; and thus that man’s original prosperity 
was restored to him by the kindness of these two generous men. 

Anecdote o/ETMa-moon and a Learned Man. 

It is said that there was not among the Khaleefehs of the descendants of El- 
’Abb&s any more learned in all the sciences than El-Ma-moon. On two days in 
every week, he used to preside at discussions of the learned men ; and the pro¬ 
fessors of religion and law, and the scholastic theologians, by whom the discussions 
were carried on, used to sit in his presence according to their several ranks and 
degrees. Now on one occasion, while he was sitting with them, there came in to 
his assembly a stranger, clad in white, tattered clothing, who seated himself at the 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTEENTH. 

433 

lower end, behind the professors, in an obscure place. And when they began the 
discussion, and entered upon the consideration of the difficult propositions—it being 
their custom to submit the proposition to the members of the assembly one after 
another, and for each who could offer some quaint addition to what others advanced, 
or some extraordinary witty saying, to mention it—the question was proposed to 
them by turns until it came to that stranger; whereupon he gave a reply better 
than the replies of all the professors; and the Khaleefeh approved it, and ordered 
that he should be raised from the place that he had taken to a higher one. Then, 
when the second question came to him, he gave a reply better than the first; and 
El-Ma-moon ordered that he should be raised to a place of higher dignity. And 
when the third question went round, he gave a reply better and more just than 
the two former replies; upon which El-Ma-moon ordered that he should sit near 
unto himself. And after the discussion was ended, the attendants brought the 
water, and the guests washed their hands; and they brought the repast, and 
they ate. 

The professors then arose and went forth; but El-Ma-moon prevented the 
stranger from going out with them: he caused him to draw near unto him, and 
treated him with courtesy, promising him to bestow favours and benefactions upon 
him. And after this, the banquet of wine was prepared, the comely boon-com¬ 
panions came, and the wine circulated; but when it came round to that man, he 
rose upon his feet, and said, If the Prince of the Faithful give me permission, I will 
speak one word. El-Ma-moon replied, Say what thou wilt. And he said, The 
possessor of eminent judgment (whose eminence may God increase!) knoweth 
that the slave was to-day, in this noble assembly, one of the obscure among the 
people, and one of the mean among the company, and that the Prince of the 
Faithful hath raised him to a place near unto bis own person, small as is the 
wisdom that he hath displayed, and hath elevated him to a rank above others, so 
that he hath attained to a goal to which his ambition did not aspire ; and now he 
desireth to divest him of that small degree of wisdom which hath exalted him after 
his meanness, and enriched him after his poverty. But may God forbid, and by no 
means suffer, that the Prince of the Faithful should envy him for the small degree 
of wisdom and fame and excellence that he possesseth ; for if the slave drink wine, 
wisdom will depart far from him, and ignorance will draw near to him, and he will 
be deprived of his politeness, and will return to his former contemptible station, 
and become despicable and obscure in the eyes of men. I therefore hope that the 
possessor of eminent judgment, of his bounty and generosity and princely qualities 
and excellent disposition, will not despoil him of this jewel.—And when the 
Khaleefeh El-Ma-moon heard these words from him, he praised him and thanked 
him, caused him to sit again in his place and treated him with respect, gave orders 
to present him with a hundred thousand pieces of silver and to mount him upon a 
horse, and gave him magnificent apparel. And in every assembly he exalted and 
favoured him above all the professors, so that he became the highest of them in 
rank and degree.—And God is all-knowing. 

VOL II.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTH 
NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE THREE HUNDRED 
AND TWENTY-SEVENTH. 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

There was, in ancient times, a certain merchant in the land of 
Khurasan , 1 whose name was Mejd ed-Deen , 2 and he had great 
wealth, and black slaves and memlooks and pages ; but he had at¬ 
tained to the age of sixty years, and had not been blessed with a 
son. After this, however, God (whose name be exalted!) blessed 
him with a son, and he named him ’Alee Slier . 3 

When this boy grew up, he became like the full moon; and 
when he had attained to manhood, and was endowed with every 
charm, his father fell sick of a fatal disease. So he called his son 
and said to him, O my son, the period of death hath drawn near, 

THE STORY OF 'ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

435 

and I desire to give thee a charge.—And what is it, 0 my father ? 
said the young man. He answered, I charge thee that thou be not 
familiar with any one among mankind, and that thou shun what 
may bring injury and misfortune. Beware of the evil associate ; 
for he is like the blacksmith: if his fire burn thee not, his smoke 
will annoy thee. How excellent is the saying of the poet!— 

There is none in thy time whose friendship thou shouldst covet; nor any inti¬ 
mate who, when fortune is treacherous, will he faithful. 

Live then apart, and rely upon no man: I have given thee, in these words, 
good advice, and sufficient . 4 

And the saying of another :— 

Men are as a latent disease : rely not therefore upon them. 

Thou wilt find guile and artifice in them if thou examine them. 

And that of another:— 

Intercourse with men profiteth nothing, unless to pass time in idle conversa¬ 
tion. 

Then converse with them little, except for the purpose of acquiring knowledge 
or rectifying an affair. 

And the saying of another :— 

If a person of sagacity hath tried mankind, I have eaten them, when he hath 
but tasted ; 5 

And I have seen their affection to be nought but deceit, and their religion I 
have seen to be nought but hypocrisy. 

The young man replied, O my father, I hear and obey. Then what 
next dost thou counsel me to do ?—His father answered, Do good 
when thou art able; persevere in comely conduct towards men, and 
avail thyself of opportunities to dispense kind actions ; for a wish is 
not always of easy accomplishment; and how good is the saying of 
the poet!— 

It is not at every time and season that acts of beneficence are easily performed. 
When thou art able, then, hasten to do them, lest they should become difficult 
to execute. 

And the son replied, I hear and obey. Then what more ?—0 my son, 
answered the father, Be mindful of God : He will then be mindful 

436 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

of thee. Guard also thy wealth, and be not prodigal of it; for if 
thou be prodigal of it, thou wilt become in need of the assistance of 
the least of mankind : and know that the estimation in which a man 
is held is according to that which his right hand possesseth. How 
excellent is the saying of the poet!— 

When my wealth becometh little, no friend consorteth with me ; but when it 
increaseth, all men are my friends. 

How many enemies for the sake of wealth have borne me company ! And 
how many friends for its loss have become my enemies. 

-—And what besides ? said the young man. His father answered, 
O my son, consult him who is older than thyself, and hasten not to 
perform a thing that thou desirest to do: have compassion also upon 
him who is thine inferior; then he who is thy superior will have 
compassion upon thee; and oppress not any, lest God give power 
over thee to one who will oppress thee. How excellent is the say¬ 
ing of the poet!— 

Add to thy judgment another's, and ask counsel; for the truth is not con¬ 
cealed from the minds of two. 

A man’s mind is a mirror, which sheweth him his face ; and by means of two 
mirrors lie will see his back. 

And that of another:— 

Deliberate, and haste not to accomplish thy desire ; and be merciful, so shalt 
thou meet with one merciful: 

For there is no hand but God’s hand is above it; nor oppressor that shall not 
meet with an oppressor. 

Beware of drinking wine ; for it is the chief of every evil: it dis- 
pelleth the reason, and bringeth contempt upon the drinker: and 
how good is the saying of the poet!— 

By Allah, wine shall not disturb me while my soul is united with my body, 
and while words explain my thoughts; 

Nor ever will I childishly attach myself to it, nor choose any one as my asso¬ 
ciate but the sober. 

This is my charge to thee, and do thou keep it before thine eyes ; 
and may God supply my place to thee !—Then he fainted, and re¬ 
mained a while silent; after which he recovered his senses, and 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

437 

begged forgiveness of God, pronounced the professions of the faith, 
and was admitted to the mercy of God, whose name be exalted! 

His son wept for him and lamented. He made becoming pre¬ 
parations for his burial; great and small walked in his funeral-pro¬ 
cession, the reciters of the Kur-an recited around his bier, and his 
son omitted not the performance of any honour that was due to the 
deceased. They then prayed over him and interred him, and in¬ 
scribed upon his tomb these two verses :— 

Thou ’.vast formed of dust, and earnest to life, and leamedst eloquence of dis¬ 
course ; 

And to dust thou returnedst, and becamest a corpse, as though from the dust 
thou hadst never issued. 

His son ’Alee Sher grieved for him violently, and observed the cere¬ 
monies of mourning for him in the manner usual at the death of 
persons of distinction. He remained mourning for his father until 
his mother died a short time after him; when he did with the corpse 
of his mother as he had done with that of his father. And after 
this, he sat in the shop to sell and buy, and associated with no one 
of the creatures of God (whose name be exalted!), conforming to 
the charge of his father. 

Thus he continued to do for the space of a year ; but after the 
expiration of the year, the sons of the licentious women obtained 
access to him by stratagems, and became his companions, so that he 
inclined with them unto wickedness, and declined from the path of 
rectitude ; he drank wine by cupfuls, and to the beauties morning 
and evening he repaired; and he said within himself, My father 
hath amassed for me this wealth, and if I dispose not of it, to whom 
shall I leave it? By Allah, I will not do but as the poet hath 
said:— 

If during the whole of thy life thou collectest and amassest property, 

When wilt thou enjoy the wealth which thou hast thus acquired? 

He ceased not to squander his wealth night and day until he had 
expended the whole of it and was reduced to poverty. Evil was 
his condition, and disturbed was his mind, and he sold the shop and 
the dwellings and other possessions; and after that, he sold his 
clothes, not leaving for himself more than one suit. 

438 

THE STORY OF 'ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

Now when intoxication had quitted him and reflection had come, 
he fell into grief; and he sat one day from dawn until the time of 
afternoon-prayers without breaking fast; whereupon he said within 
himself, I will go round to those upon whom I spent my wealth: 
perhaps one of them will feed me this day. He therefore went 
round to all of them; but on each occasion of his knocking at the 
door of one of them, the man denied himself, and hid himself from 
him; so hunger tortured him. And he went to the market of 
the merchants, and found there a ring of persons crowding 
together, and the people flocking thither; upon which he said 
within himself, What can be the reason of the assembling of these 
people ? By Allah, I will not remove from this place until I have 
gratified myself with a sight of this ring.—Then advancing to it, he 
found there a damsel of quinary 6 stature, of just figure, rosy- 
cheeked, high-bosomed; she surpassed the people of her age in 
beauty and loveliness, and in elegance and every charm. The name 
of this damsel was Zumurrud ; 7 and when ’Alee Sher beheld her, 
he wondered at her beauty and loveliness, and said, By Allah, I will 
not depart until I see to what sum the price of this damsel will 
amount, and know who will purchase her. So he stood among the 
merchants, and they imagined that he would buy, as they knew the 
abundance of wealth that he had inherited from his parents. 

The broker, having stationed himself at the head of the damsel, 
then said, O merchants ! O possessors of wealth ! who will open the 
bidding for this damsel, the mistress of moon-like beauties, the pre¬ 
cious pearl, Zumurrud the curtain-maker, the object of the seeker’s 
wishes, and the delight of the desirer ? Open the bidding; for the 
opener is not obnoxious to blame or reproach!—And one of the 
merchants said, Let her be mine for five hundred pieces of gold. 
Another said. And ten. And a sheykh, named Rasheed ed-Deen, * 
who had blue eyes, 9 and a foul aspect, said, And a hundred. 
Another then said, And ten. And the sheykh said, For a thou¬ 
sand pieces of gold. And upon this, the tongues of the merchants 
were tied, and they were silent. The broker therefore consulted 
the damsel’s owner ; but he said, I am under an oath that I will not 
sell her save unto him whom she will choose : so consult her. The 
broker accordingly came to her and said, O mistress of moon-like 
beauties, this merchant desireth to purchase thee. And she looked 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

439 

at him, and, seeing him to be as we have described, she said to the 
broker, I will not be sold to a sheykh whom old age hath reduced 
to a most evil condition. Divinely gifted was he who said,— 

I asked her for a kiss, one day; and she beheld my hoariness (hut I was 
possessed of wealth and affluence), 

And she turned away from me, saying, Nay: by Him who created mankind 
out of nothing, 

I have no desire for hoary hairs. Shall my mouth while I am living be 
stuffed with cotton 1 10 

And when the broker heard her words, he said to her, By Allah, 
thou art excused, and thy value is ten thousand pieces of gold. 
Then he informed her owner that she approved not of that sheykh; 
and he replied, Consult her respecting another. And another man 
advanced and said, Let her be mine for the sum that the sheykh of 
whom she approved not offered for her. But the damsel, looking 
at that man, found that he had a dyed beard ; whereupon she said. 
What is this disgrace, and this dubious conduct, and blackening of 
hoary hairs! And after expressing great wonder, she recited these 
verses:— 

A spectacle indeed did such-a-one present to me,—a neck, by Allah, to be 
beaten with shoes! 11 

O thou who art fascinated by my cheek and my figure, dost thou thus dis¬ 
guise thyself, and care not; 

Dying disgracefully thy hoary hairs, and concealing them for fraudulent pur¬ 
poses ? 12 

Thou goest with one beard and returnest with another, as though thou wert 
one of the puppetmen. 13 

And the broker, when he heard her verses, said to her, By Allah, 
thou hast spoken truth. The merchant who had bidden for her 
asked, What was it that she said ? So the broker repeated the verses 
to him; and he knew that he was in fault, and gave up the idea of 
purchasing her. Then another merchant advanced and said, Ask 
her if she will consent to be mine for the sum that thou hast heard. 
He therefore consulted her for him; and she looked at him, and 
saw that he was one-eyed, and replied, This man is one-eyed, and 
the poet hath said of such a person,— 

Keep not company with the one-eyed for a single day; but beware of his 
malignity and falsehood; 

For had there been any good in him, God had not caused the blindness in his 
eye. 14 

440 

THE STORY OF ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

The broker then [pointing to another] said to her, Wilt thou be 
sold to that merchant ? And she looked at him, and, seeing that 
he was a short man, with a beard descending to his girdle, she 
answered, This is he of whom the poet hath said,— 

I have a friend with a beard which God hath made to grow to a useless 
length. 

It is like unto one of the nights of winter, long and dark and cold. 

The broker therefore said to her, O my mistress, see who 
among the persons here present pleaseth thee, and say which he is, 
that I may sell thee to him. So she looked at the ring of mer¬ 
chants, and as she examined their physiognomies, one after another, 
her eye fell upon ’Alee Sher. The sight of him occasioned her a 
thousand sighs, and her heart became enamoured of him; for he 
was of surprising loveliness, and more bland than the northern 
zephyr; and she said, O broker, I will not be sold to any but to 
this my master, with the comely face and surpassing figure, of 
whom one of his describers hath thus said:— 

They displayed thy lovely face, and then blamed the person who was tempted. 

If they had desired to protect me, they had veiled thy beautiful countenance. 

None then shall possess me but he; for his cheek is smooth, and 
the moisture of his mouth is like Selsebeel, 15 a cure for the sick, 
and his charms perplex the poet and the prose-writer. He is as 
the poet hath said of him,— 

His saliva is like wine; and his breath, like musk; and those his fore-teeth 
resemble camphor. 

Ridwdn hath sent him forth from his abode in his fear that the Ilooreeyehs 
might be tempted . 16 

Mankind reproach him for his pride; but for pride the full moon is to be 
excused. 

The person with the curling hair, and the rosy cheek, and the en¬ 
chanting glance, of whom the poet hath said,— 

Oft a fawn-like person hath promised me a meeting, and my heart hath been 
restless and mine eye expectant. 

His eyelids assured me of the truth of his promise; but how can they, 
languishing as they are, fulfil it ? 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

441 

—And when the broker heard the verses that she recited on the 
charms of ’Alee Sher, he wondered at her eloquence, as well as at 
the splendour of her beauty. But her owner said to him, Wonder 
not at her beauty, that putteth to shame the sun of day, nor at her 
having her memory stored with the elegant effusions of the poets ; 
for she also reciteth the glorious Kur-an according to the seven 
readings, 17 and relateth the noble traditions as authentically trans¬ 
mitted, and writeth the seven different hands, 18 and knoweth of the 
sciences what the very learned sage knoweth not, and her hands are 
better than gold and silver; for she maketh curtains of silk, and 
selleth them, gaining, by every one, fifty pieces of gold; and she 
worketh a curtain in eight days. 10 So the broker said, O the good 
fortune of him in whose house this damsel shall be, and who in- 
cludeth her among his choice treasures! Her owner then said to 
him, Sell her to whomsoever she chooseth. 

Accordingly the broker returned to ’Alee Sher, and, having 
kissed his hands, said, O my master, purchase this damsel; for she 
hath made choice of thee. And he described her to him, telling 
him what she knew, and said to him, Happy will be thy lot if thou 
purchase her; for He who is not sparing of his gifts hath bestowed 
her upon thee. So ’Alee Sher hung down his head for a while 
towards the ground, laughing at his case, and saying within him¬ 
self, I am to the present hour without breakfast; but I am 
ashamed before the merchants to say that I have no money where¬ 
with to purchase her. And the damsel, seeing him hanging down 
his head, said to the broker, Take me by the hand and lead me to 
him, that I may display myself to him, and excite his desire to 
possess me; for I will not be sold to any but him. The broker 
therefore took her and stationed her before ’Alee Sher, saying to 
him, What is thy good pleasure, O my master ? But he returned 
him no answer. So the damsel said, O my master, and beloved of 
my heart, wherefore wilt thou not purchase me ? Purchase me for 
what thou wilt, and I will be a means of good fortune to thee.— 
And he raised his head towards her, and said, Is a person to be 
made by force to purchase ? Thou art dear at the price of a 
thousand pieces of gold.—She replied, O my master, purchase me 
for nine hundred. He said, No.—For eight hundred, she rejoined. 
He said, No. And she ceased not to abate the price until she said 

3 L 

VOL. II. 

to him, For one hundred pieces of gold. But he said, I have not a 
hundred complete. And she laughed, and said to him, How much 
dost thou want of a hundred? He answered, 1 have not a hundred 
nor less than a hundred. By Allah, I possess not either white 
or red, either a piece of silver or a piece of gold. So see for thy¬ 
self some other desirous customer.—And when she knew that he 
had nothing, she said to him, Take my hand, as though thou 
wouldst examine me in a hy-lane. He therefore did so; and she 
took forth from her pocket a purse containing a thousand pieces of 
gold, and said to him, Weigh out from it nine hundred as my 
price, and retain the remaining hundred in thy possession, as it 
will he of use to us. 

So he did as she desired him. He purchased her for nine 
hundred pieces of gold, and, having paid her price from that purse, 
repaired with her to the house. And when she arrived there, she 
found that the house presented plain, clear floors; having neither 
furniture nor utensils in it. She therefore gave him a thousand 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

443 

pieces of gold, saying to him, Go to the market, and buy for us, 
with three hundred pieces of gold, furniture and utensils for 
the house. And he did so. Then she said to him, Buy for us 
food and beverage with three pieces of gold. And he did this. 
Next she said to him, Buy for us a piece of silk, as much as will 
suffice for a curtain, and buy gold and silver thread, and silk thread 
of seven different colours. And this also he did. She then 
spread the furniture in the house, and lighted the candles, and sat- 
eating and drinking with him; after which, they embraced each 
other, and presented the spectacle thus described by the poet:— 

Eyes have not beheld a more beautiful sight than that of two lovers side by 
side, 

Embracing each other, in the garments of content, pillowing themselves with 
wrist and arm. 

When hearts have become united together, the censurers beat upon cold 
iron. 

O thou who reproachest the lovers for their passion, canst thou reform a 
heart that is spoiled? 

If in thy life one person delight thee, thou hast thy desire ; then live with 
that one. 

The love of each became fixed in the heart of the other, and 
on the following morning the damsel took the curtain, and em¬ 
broidered it with the coloured silks, and ornamented it with the 
gold and silver thread. She worked a border to it, with the 
figures of birds, and represented around it the figures of wild 
beasts, and there was not a wild beast in the world that she omitted 
to pourtray upon it. She continued working upon it for eight 
days; and when it was finished, she cut it and glazed it, and then 
gave it to her master, saying to him, Repair with it to the market, 
and sell it for fifty pieces of gold to a merchant, and beware of 
selling it to any one passing along the street, because that would 
be a cause of separation between me and thee ; for we have enemies 
who are not unmindful of us. And he replied, I hear and obey. 
He repaired with it to the market, and sold it to a merchant as she 
had desired him; after which he bought another piece of silk, 
together with the silk thread, and the gold and silver thread, as 
before, and what they required of food, and, having brought these 
things to her, gave her the rest of the money. And every eight 
days she gave him a curtain to sell for fifty pieces of gold. 

Thus she continued to do for the space of a whole year. And 

444 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

after the expiration of the year, he went to the market witli the 
curtain as usual, and gave it to the broker; and there met him a 
Christian, who offered him sixty pieces of gold. He refused to 
sell it to him ; hut the Christian ceased not to increase the sum 
until he offered him a hundred pieces of gold, and he bribed the 
broker with ten pieces of gold. So the broker returned to ’Alee 
Slier, informed him of the price that had been offered, and made use 
of artifice to induce him to sell the curtain to the Christian for that 
sum, saying to him, 0 my master, fear not this Christian; for no 
harm shall befall thee from him. The merchants also arose and 
urged him. So he sold it to the Christian, though his heart was 
full of fear, and, having taken the price, returned to the house. 
But he found the Christian walking behind him; and he said, O 
Christian, wherefore art thou walking behind me ?—O my master, 
he answered, I have a want to accomplish at the upper end of the 
street: may God never cause thee to have any want! And ’Alee 
Sher arrived not at his abode without the Christian’s overtaking 
him: so he said to him, 0 accursed, wherefore dost thou follow me 
whithersoever I go ? The Christian replied, O my master, give me 
a draught of water, for I am thirsty, and thou wilt receive thy 
recompense from God, whose name be exalted! ’Alee Slier there¬ 
fore said within himself, This is a tributary, 20 and he hath de¬ 
manded of me a draught of water: so by Allah I will not 
disappoint him. 

Then he entered the house, and took a mug of water ; and his 
slave-girl Zumurrud, seeing him, said to him, O my beloved, hast 
thou sold the curtain ? He answered, Yes. And she said, To a 
merchant or a passenger ? For my heart is impressed with a 
presentiment of separation.—He answered, I sold it not but to a 
merchant. But she said, Acquaint me with the truth of the 
matter, that I may provide against my case. And wherefore, she 
added, tookest thou the mug of water?—To give drink to the 
broker, he answered. And she exclaimed, There is no strength 
nor power but in God, the High, the Great!—and recited these 
two verses:— 

O thou who seekest separation, act leisurely, and let not the embrace of the 
beloved deceive thee! 

Act leisurely; for the nature of fortune is treacherous, and the end of every 
union is disjunction. 

THE STORY OF ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

445 

—He then went forth with the mug, and found the Christian with¬ 
in the passage of the house. So he said, Hast thou come in 
hither, O dog? How is it that thou enterest my abode without 
my permission ?—O my master, he answered, there is no difference 
between the door and the passage ; and I shall not move from this 
my place but to go forth; yet thanks are due to thee for bounty 
and kindness, and liberality and obliging conduct. Then he took 
the mug of water, and drank what it contained; after which 
he handed it to ’Alee Sher, who took it, and expected that he 
would rise: but he rose not. So ’Alee Sher said to him, Where¬ 
fore dost thou not arise and go thy way ? The Christian answered, 
O my lord, be not of those who confer favour and then make it a 
subject of reproach, nor of those of whom the poet hath said,— 

They are gone who, if thou stoodest at their door, would give the most gene¬ 
rous aid at thy petition ; 

And if thou stoodest at the door of any after them, they would reproach 
thee for a draught of water bestowed on thee. 

O my lord, he added, I have drunk; but I desire of thee that thou 
give me to eat of anything that is in the house: it will be equal to 
me if it be a morsel of bread or a biscuit and an onion.—’Alee 
Sher replied, Arise, without contention. There is nothing in the 
house.—But the Christian rejoined, O my lord, if there be nothing 
in the house, take these hundred pieces of gold, and bring us 
something from the market, though it be but a single cake of 
bread, that the bond of bread and salt may be established between 
me and thee. !1 So ’Alee Sher said within himself, Verily this 
Christian is mad : I will therefore take of him the hundred pieces 
of gold, and bring him something worth two pieces of silver, and 
laugh at him. And the Christian said to him, O my master, I 
only desire something that will banish hunger, though it be but a 
stale cake of bread and an onion; for the best of provision is that 
which dispelleth hunger; not rich food; and how excellent is the 
saying of the poet!— 

Hunger is banished by a stale cake of bread. Why then are my grief and 
troubles so great ? 

Death is most just, since it acteth impartially both to the Khaleefeh and the 
miserable pauper. 

446 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

’Alee Sher therefore said to him, Wait here while I lock the 
saloon and bring thee something from the market. And the 
Christian replied, I hear and obey. Then ’Alee Sher went away 
from him, and locked the saloon, putting a padlock upon it; and, 
taking the key with him, he repaired to the market, bought some 
fried cheese, and honey and bananas and bread, and brought them 
to him. And when the Christian saw this, he said, O my lord, this 
is a great quantity, sufficient for ten men, and I am alone: perhaps 
then thou wilt eat with me. ’Alee Slier replied, Eat thou alone ; 
for I am satiated. But the Christian rejoined, O my lord, the 
sages have said, He who eateth not with his guest is baseborn. So 
when ’Alee Sher heard these words, he sat and ate with him a 
little ; and was about to take up his hand, when the Christian took 
a banana, peeled it, and divided it in two, and put into one half 
of it some refined benj, mixed with opium, a dram of which 
would make an elephant to fall down. Then he dipped this half of 
the banana into the honey, and said to ’Alee Sher, O my lord, by 
thy religion thou shalt take this. And ’Alee Sher was ashamed to 
make him swear falsely: he therefore took it from him, and swal¬ 
lowed it, and scarcely had it settled in his stomach when his head 
fell before his feet, and he became as though he had been a year 
asleep. 

So when the Christian beheld this, he rose upon his feet, as 
though he were a bald wolf, or empowered fate; he took with 
him the key of the saloon, and, leaving ’Alee Sher prostrate, went 
running to his brother, and acquainted him with what he had done. 
And the cause of his conduct was this.—The brother of this 
Christian was the decrepit old man who had desired to purchase 
Zumurrud for a thousand pieces of gold, and she accepted him 
not, but lampooned him with verses. He was an infidel in his 
heart, but a Muslim externally, and he named himself Rasheed 
ed-Deen. And when Zumurrud lampooned him, and accepted 
him not as her master, he complained to his brother, the 
Christian who employed this stratagem to take her from her 
master ’Alee Sher, and whose name was Barsoom; and he replied, 
Grieve not on account of this affair; for I will employ a stratagem 
to take her without a piece of silver or of gold :—because he was 
a skilful, crafty, wicked magician. Then he ceased not to devise 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

447 

plots and stratagems until he practised the stratagem which we 
have described; and, having taken the key, he repaired to his 
brother, and acquainted him with what had happened. 

Upon this, Raslieed ed-Deen mounted his mule, took his young 
men, and repaired with his brother to the house of ’Alee Slier, 
taking with him also a purse containing a thousand pieces of gold, 
that, if the Walee met him he might give it to him. He opened 
the saloon, and the men who were with him rushed upon Zumur- 
rud, and took her by force, threatening her with slaughter if she 
should speak ; but the house they left as they found it, taking 
nothing from it, and they left ’Alee Sher lying in the passage. 
Then they closed the door upon him, having put the key of the 
saloon by his side ; and the Christian Rasheed ed-Deen took the 
damsel to his pavilion, where he put her among his female slaves 
and concubines, and said to her, O impudent wench, I am the 
sheykh whom thou wouldst not accept as thy master, and whom 
thou lampoonedst, and I have taken thee without expending a 
piece of silver or of gold. She replied, with her eyes filled with 
tears, God will sufficiently requite thee, O wicked old man, for 
thy separating me from my master.—O impudent wench ! he re¬ 
joined, 0 thou inflamed with love ! thou shalt see what torture I 
will inflict upon thee. By my faith, if thou do not comply with 
my command, and adopt my religion, I will inflict upon thee 
varieties of torture!—But she said, If thou cut my flesh in pieces, 
I will not abandon the faith of El-Islam ; and perhaps God (whose 
name be exalted!) will send me speedy relief; for He is able to do 
whatsoever He willeth; and the wise have said, An evil in the 
body rather than an evil in religion. And upon this he called out 
to the eunuchs and female slaves, saying to them, Throw her down! 
So they threw her down. And he ceased not to inflict upon her 
cruel blows, while she called for aid; but she was not aided. Then 
she abstained from imploring aid, and began to say, God is my 
sufficiency, and He is indeed sufficient!—until her voice failed, 
and her groaning became inaudible. And when his heart was 
satisfied with punishing her, he said to the eunuchs, Drag her by 
her feet, and throw her into the kitchen, and give her nothing to 
eat. The accursed wretch then passed that night, and on the 
following morning he desired that she should be brought, and he 

448 

THE STORY OF ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

repeated the beating; after which he ordered the eunuchs to throw 
her in her place; and they did so. And when the pain occasioned 
by the beating became alleviated, she said, There is no deity but 
God : Mohammad is God’s Apostle ! God is my sufficiency, and 
excellent is the Guardian!—Then she implored aid of our lord 
Mohammad, 22 may God favour and preserve him!—Such was her 
case. 

Now as to ’Alee Sher, he continued lying asleep until the fol¬ 
lowing day, when the intoxication occasioned by the benj quitted 
his head, and he opened his eyes, and called out, saying, O Zumur- 
rud! But no one answered him. He therefore entered the 
saloon, and found the interior desolate, and the place of visitation 
distant: so he knew that this event had not happened unto him 
but through the Christian; and he yearned and wept, and sighed 
and complained, and recited verses. He repented when repentance 
was of no avail, weeping, and tearing his clothes; and he took two 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

449 

stones, and went round about the city, beating his bosom with 
them, and crying, O Zumurrud! The children therefore sur¬ 
rounded him, and said, A madman! A madman!—And every one 
who knew him wept for him, and said, This is such-a-one. What 
hath befallen him ?—Thus he continued to do until the close of 
the day; and when the darkness of night came over him, he slept 
in one of the by-streets until the morning. And he went round 
about the city again with the stones till evening, when he returned 
to his saloon to pass the night there. 

Then a female neighbour of his, who was an old woman, one of 
the virtuous, said to him, O my son, may God preserve thee! 
When becamest thou mad ?—And he answered her with these 
two verses:— 

They said, Thou ravest upon the person thou lovest. And I replied, The 
sweets of life are only for the mad. 

Drop the subject of my madness, and bring her upon whom I rave. If she 
cure my madness, do not blame me . 23 

So his neighbour, the old woman, knew that he was a lover sepa¬ 
rated from his beloved; and she said. There is no strength nor 
power but in God, the High, the Great! O my son, I desire of 
thee that thou relate to me the story of thy calamity. Perhaps God 
may enable me to assist thee to overcome it, with his good plea¬ 
sure.—He therefore told her all that had befallen him with Bar- 
soom the Christian, the brother of the magician who called himself 
Rasheed ed-Deen ; and when she knew that, she said to him, O my 
son, verily thou art excused. Then she poured forth tears, and 
recited these two verses :— 

Sufficient is the torment of lovers in this world. By Allah, Hell shall not 
torment them after it! 

For they have perished of their passion, and chastely concealed it: and the 
truth of this the tradition attesteth . 24 

And after she had finished these verses, she said to him, O my son, 
arise now, and buy a crate, like the crates used by the goldsmiths, 
and buy bracelets and seal-rings and ear-rings, and other ornaments 
suited to women; and be not sparing of money. Put all those 
things into the crate; then bring the crate, and I will put it on my 

head, as a female broker, and I will go about and search for her in 

3 M 

VOL. II. 

450 

THE STORY OF ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

the houses until I obtain tidings of her, if it be the will of God, 
whose name be exalted ! 

’Alee Sher rejoiced at her words, and kissed her hands. He 
then went quickly, and brought her what she desired; and when 
the things were made ready for her, she arose and attired herself in 
a patched gown, put over her head a honey-coloured izar, and, 
taking in her hand a walking-staff, bore the crate about through 
the by-lanes and to the houses, and ceased not to go about from 
place to place, and from quarter to quarter, and from by-street to 
by-street, until God (whose name be exalted !) guided her to the 
pavilion of the accursed Rasheed ed-Deen the Christian, within 
which she heard a groaning. So she knocked at the door; where¬ 
upon a slave-girl came down and opened to her the door, and 
saluted her. And the old woman said to her, I have with me these 
trifles for sale. Is there among you any one who will buy aught 
of them?—The girl answered her, Yes:—and she took her into the 
house, and seated her. The female slaves then seated themselves 
around her, and each of them took something from her; and the 
old woman began to address them with courtesy, and to make the 
prices of the goods easy to them; so that they were delighted with 
her, on account of her kindness, and the gentleness of her speech. 
Meanwhile, she looked round narrowly at the different quarters of 
the place, to discover the female whose groaning she had heard, 
and her eye fell upon her: so she treated the female slaves with 
additional favour and kindness; and, looking at the damsel whom 
she had heard groaning, she found her to be Zumurrud, laid pros¬ 
trate. She recognised her, and wept, and said to the female slaves, 
O my children, wherefore is this damsel in this condition ? And 
they related to her the whole story, adding, This affair is not of 
our choice; but our master commanded us to do thus; and he is 
now on a journey. And she said, O my children, I desire of you 
a favour, which is, that ye loose this poor damsel from her bonds, 
and leave her so until ye know of the return of your master, when 
ye shall bind her again as she was; and ye will gain a recompense 
from the Lord of all creatures. They replied, We hear and obey. 
And they loosed her and fed her and gave her to drink. The old 
woman then said, Would that my leg had broken and that I had 
not entered your abode! And after that, she went to Zumurrud, 

and said to her, 0 my daughter, God preserve thee! God will 
dispel from thee thine affliction.—And she told her that she had 
come from her master ’Alee Sher, and made an agreement with 
her, that she (Zumurrud) should, in the following night, listen for 
a sound; saying, Thy master will come to thee and stand by the 
mastabah of the pavilion, and will whistle to thee; and when thou 
hearest him, do thou whistle to him, and let thyself down to him 
by a rope, and he will take thee and go. So the damsel thanked 
her for this. 

The old woman then went forth, and, returning to ’Alee Sher, 
informed him of what she had done, and said to him, Repair this 
next night, at midnight, to such a quarter; for the house of the 
accursed is there, and its appearance is of such and such a descrip¬ 
tion. Station thyself beneath his pavilion, and whistle: she will 

452 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

thereupon let herself down to thee, and do thou take her and 
depart whither thou wilt. He therefore thanked her for this; and 
having waited till the night became dark, and the appointed time 
arrived, he went to that quarter which she had described to him, 
where he saw the pavilion, and he knew it. And he seated himself 
upon a mastabah beneath it; but sleep overcame him, and he 
slept.—Glory be to Him who sleepeth not!—For a long time he 
had not slept, from the ecstasy of his passion: so he became like 
one intoxicated. 

And while he was asleep, lo, a certain robber came fortli that 
night, and went about the skirts of the city, to steal something; 
and destiny cast him beneath the pavilion of that Christian. So 
he went around it; but found no way of ascending and entering 
it; and he continued walking round it until he came to the 
mastabah, when he beheld ’Alee Sher asleep. And he took his 
turban; and when he had done so, immediately Zumurrud looked 
forth, and, seeing him standing in the dark, imagined him to be 
her master. She therefore whistled to him, and the robber 
whistled to her; and she let herself down to him by the rope, 
having with her a pair of saddle-bags full of gold. So when the 
robber saw this, he said within himself, This is no other than a 
wonderful thing, occasioned by an extraordinary cause. He then 
took up the saddle-bags, and took Zumurrud upon his shoulders, 
and went away with both like the blinding lightning; whereupon 
the damsel said to him, The old woman told me that thou wast 
infirm on my account; but lo, thou art stronger than the horse. 
And he returned her no answer. So she felt his face, and found 
that his beard was like the broom of the public bath ; 24 as though 
he were a hog that had swallowed feathers, and their down had 
come forth from his throat. And she was terrified at him, and 
said to him, What art thou ? 26 He answered her, O wench, 1 am 
the sharper Jawan the Kurdee, 27 of the gang of Ahmad Ed-Denef: 
we are forty sharpers, all of whom will this night receive thee as 
their slave. And when she heard his words, she wept, and slapped 
her face, knowing that fate had overcome her, and that she had no 
resource but that of resignation to the will of God, whose name be 
exalted ! She therefore endured with patience, and committed 
herself to the disposal of God (whose name be exalted !), and said, 

THE STORY OF 'ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

453 

There is no deity but God ! Each time that we are delivered from 
anxiety we fall into greater anxiety! 

Now the cause of Jawan’s coming to the place above mentioned 
was this.—He had said to Ahmad Ed-Denef, O sharper, I entered 
this place before the present time, and know a cavern without the 
town, affording room for forty persons; and I desire to go before 
you to it, and to place my mother in that cavern. Then I will 
return to the city, and steal from it something for your luck, and 
keep it for you until ye come; so your entertainment on that day 
shall be of my supplying.—And Ahmad Ed-Denef replied, Do what 
thou desirest. Accordingly he went before them to that place, and 
put his mother in the cavern ; and when he went forth from it, 
he found a trooper lying asleep, with a horse picketed by him : so 
he slaughtered him, and took his clothes, and his horse and arms, 
and hid them in the cavern with his mother, picketing the horse 
there. He then returned to the city, and walked on till he came to 
the pavilion of the Christian, where he did what we have described. 

He ran on with the damsel without stopping until he deposited 
her with his mother, to whom he said, Take care of her till I return 
to thee in the morning. And having said this, he departed. So Zu- 
murrud said within herself, Why am I thus careless about liberating 
myself by some stratagem ? Wherefore should I wait until these forty 
men arrive ?—Then she looked towards the old woman, the mother 
of Jawan the Kurdee, and said to her, O my aunt, wilt thou not 
arise and go with me without the cavern, that I may dress thy hair 
in the sun ?—Yea, by Allah, O my daughter, answered the old 
woman; for of a long time I have been far from the public bath ; 
these hogs incessantly taking me about from place to place. So 
Zumurrud went forth with her, and continued the operation until 
the old woman fell asleep; whereupon Zumurrud arose, and clad 
herself in the clothes of the trooper whom Jawan the Kurdee had 
killed, and, having bound his sword at her waist, and put on his 
turban, so that she appeared like a man, mounted the horse, and 
took the saddle-bags full of gold with her, saying, O kind Protector, 
protect me, I conjure Thee by the dignity of Mohammad; God 
favour and preserve him ! Then she said within herself, If I go 
to the city, perhaps some one of the family of the trooper may see 
me; and no good will happen unto me. So she refrained from 

entering the city, and proceeded over the hare desert, with the 
saddle-bags and the horse, eating of the herbs of the earth, and 
feeding the horse of the same, and drinking and giving him to drink 
of the waters of the rivers, for the space of ten days. 

And on the eleventh day, she approached a pleasant and secure 
city, established in prosperity: the winter had departed from it 
with its cold, and the spring had come with its flowers and its roses; 
its flowers were gay and charming to the sight, its rivers were 
flowing, and its birds were warbling. Now when she came to this 
city, and approached its gate, she found there the troops and the 
Emeers and the chiefs of its inhabitants; and she wondered when 
she saw them thus collected, and said within herself, The people of 
this city are all assembled at its gate, and there must be some cause 
for this. She then proceeded towards them; and when she drew 
near to them, the troops hastened forward to meet her, and, having 
alighted, kissed the ground before her, and said, God aid thee, O 
our lord the Sultan! The great officers arranged themselves in ranks 
before her, and the troops ranged the people in order, and exclaimed, 
God aid thee, and make thine arrival a blessing to the Muslims, 
O Sultan of all creatures! God establish thee, O King of the age, 
and incomparable one of the age and time !—So Zumurrud said to 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

455 

them, What is your story, O ye people of this city ? The cham¬ 
berlain answered, Verily He who is not sparing of his benefits hath 
bestowed favour upon thee, and made thee Sultan over this city, and 
ruler over the necks of all whom it containeth. Know that it is the 
custom of the inhabitants of this city, when their King dieth, and 
hath left no son, for the troops to go forth without the city, and to 
remain three days; and whatsoever man arriveth by the way by 
which thou hast come, they make him Sultan over them. And 
praise be to God who hath directed unto us a man of the sons of 
the Turks, of comely countenance; for had one of less consideration 
than thyself come unto us, he had been Sultan.—Now Zumurrud 
was a person of judgment in all her actions ; so she said, Think me 
not one of the common people among the Turks : nay, I am of the 
sons of the great; but I was incensed against my family, and went 
forth from them and left them; and look ye at this pair of saddle¬ 
bags full of gold that I have brought beneath me, to give alms out 
of it to the poor and needy all the way. And on hearing this, they 
prayed for her, and were extremely rejoiced at her arrival; and she 
was also pleased with them. She then said within herself, Since 
I have attained to this, perhaps God will unite me with my master 
in this place; for He is able to do whatsoever He willeth. And 
she proceeded, accompanied by the troops, until they entered the 
city, when the troops alighted and walked before her till they had 
conducted her into the palace. She there alighted, and the Emeers 
and grandees conveyed her with their hands beneath her arm-pits, 
and seated her upon the throne. Then all of them kissed the 
ground before her. And when she was seated on the throne, she 
gave orders to open the treasuries; and they were opened; and she 
bestowed presents upon all the troops; whereupon they offered up 
prayers for the continuance of her reign; and the people, and all 
the inhabitants of the provinces, acknowledged her authority. 

She remained thus for some time, commanding and forbidding, 
and the hearts of the people were impressed with exceeding respect 
for her, on account of her generosity, and her abstinence from what 
is forbidden. She abolished the custom-taxes, liberated the persons 
confined in the prisons, and redressed the grievances of her subjects; 
so that all the people loved her. But whenever she thought upon 
her master, she wept, and supplicated God to effect her union with 

456 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

him. And thinking upon him one night, and upon her days that 
had passed, she poured forth tears, and recited these two verses:— 

My desire for thee, though protracted, is fresh; and the tears have wounded 
my eye, and increase. 

When I weep, I weep from the pain of ardent love; for separation, to the 
lover, is a fierce affliction. 

And when she had ended these verses, she wiped away her tears, 
and went up into the pavilion. Then she entered the hareem, and 
assigned separate apartments for the female slaves and concubines, 
appointing them allowances and supplies, and asserted that site 
desired to remain in a place alone, for the purpose of assiduously 
employing herself in devotion; and she betook herself to fasting 
and praying, so that the Emeers said, Verily this Sultan is of 
exceeding piety. She retained of the eunuchs only two lads to 
serve her. 

For a year she sat upon the throne of her kingdom, and heard 
no tidings of her master, nor discovered any trace of him. And 
upon this she was disquieted, and, her disquietude becoming 
excessive, she summoned the Wezeers and Chamberlains, and 
commanded them to bring to her the geometricians and builders, 
and gave orders that they should make for her, beneath the palace, 
a horse-course a league in length and a league in breadth. So they 
did as she commanded them in the shortest time, and the horse- 
course was agreeable to her desire. And when it was finished, she 
descended into it. A great pavilion was pitched for her in it, chairs 
were arranged for the Emeers, and she gave orders to spread in 
that horse-course a long table covered with all kinds of rich viands; 
and they did as she commanded. Then she ordered the lords of 
the empire to eat; and they ate; after which she said to the Emeers, 
I desire, when the new month commenceth, that ye do thus, and 
proclaim in the city, that no one shall open his shop, but that all 
the people shall come and eat of the King’s banquet; and whosoever 
of them acteth contrary to this order shall be hanged at the door of 
his house. 28 So when the new month commenced, they did as she 
commanded them; and they continued to observe this custom until 
the commencement of the first month of the second year; when 
Zumurrud descended into the horse-course, and the crier proclaimed, 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

457 

O all ye companies of men, whosoever openeth his shop or his maga¬ 
zine or his house shall be hanged immediately at the door of his 
abode: for it is incumbent on you that ye all come to eat of the King’s 
banquet! And when the proclamation was ended, the table having 
been prepared, the people came in companies, and she ordered them 
to seat themselves at the table, to eat until they were satisfied, of all 
the dishes. Accordingly, they sat and ate as she had commanded 
them, while she sat upon the throne of her kingdom looking at 
■them ; and every one at the table said within himself, The King is 
looking at none but me. They continued eating, and the Emeers 
said to the people, Eat ye, and be not ashamed; for the King liketh 
your doing so. They therefore ate until they were satisfied, and 
departed praying for the King; and some of them said to others, 
In our lives we have not seen a Sultan that loveth the poor like 
this Sultan. They prayed for length of life for her; and she 
returned to her palace, full of joy at the plan which she had devised, 
and said within herself, If it be the will of God (whose name be 
exalted !), by this means I shall obtain tidings of my master ’Alee 
Sher. 

And when the second month commenced, she did the same, as 
usual. They prepared the table, and Zumurrud descended and 
seated herself upon her throne, and ordered the people to sit and 
eat. And while she was sitting at the head of the table, and the 
people were seating themselves at it, company after company, and 
person after person, her eye fell upon Barsoom the Christian, who 
had bought the curtain of her master ; and she knew him, and said, 
This is the commencement of the dispelling of my affliction, and 
the attainment of my desire. Then Barsoom advanced, and seated 
himself among the people to eat; and he looked at a dish of rice 
sweetened with sugar sprinkled over it; but it was far from him; 
so he pressed towards it, and, stretching forth his hand to it, reached 
it and put it before him. Upon this, a man by his side said to him, 
Why dost thou not eat of that which is before thee ? Is not this a 
disgrace to thee ? How is it that thou stretchest forth thy hand to 
a thing that is distant from thee ? Art thou not ashamed ?—But 
Barsoom replied, I will eat of none but it. So the man rejoined, 
Eat: may God not give thee enjoyment in it! And a man who 
was a Hashshash 23 said, Let him eat of it, that I too may eat 

3 N 

VOL. II. 

458 

THE STORY OF ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

with him. The man before mentioned, however, said to him, O 
most ill-omened of Hashshashes, this is not your food, but it is the 
food of the Emeers; therefore leave it that it may return to those 
to whom it belongeth, that they may eat it. But Barsoom dis¬ 
obeyed him : he took from it a mouthful, and put it into his mouth, 
and was about to take the second, when Zumurrud, observing him, 
called out to certain of the soldiers, and said to them, Bring this 
man before whom is the dish of sweet rice, and let him not eat the 
mouthful that is in his hand; but throw it down from his hand. 
So four of the soldiers came to him, and dragged him along upon 
his face, after they had thrown down the mouthful from his hand; 
and they stationed him before Zumurrud. Upon this, the people 
refrained from eating; one of them saying to another, By Allah, 
he was unjust; for he would not eat of the food suited to persons of 
his ow'n class. Another said, I was content with this kishk 80 that 
is before me. And the Hashshash said, Praise be to God, who 
prevented my eating aught of this dish of sweet rice; for I was 
waiting for it to stop before him and for him to enjoy it, when I 
would have eaten with him ; but what we have witnessed befell 
him. And the people said, one to another, Wait that we may see 
what will happen to him. 

Now when they brought him before the Queen Zumurrud, she 
said to him, Wo to thee, O blue-eyed ! What is thy name, and what 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SKE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

459 

is the reason of thy coming to our country ?—And the accursed re¬ 
fused to give his true name, and, having a white turban , 31 he answered, 
O King, my name is ’Alee, and my business is that of a weaver, and 
I have come to this city for the sake of traffick. Zumurrud said, 
Bring ye to me a geomantic tablet, and a pen of brass. And they 
brought her what she demanded immediately; and she took the 
geomantic tablet and the pen, and performed an operation of geo- 
mancy, designing with the pen a figure like that of an ape; after 
which she raised her head, and looked attentively at Barsoom for a 
long time, and said to him, O dog, how is it that thou best unto 
Kings ? Art thou not a Christian, and is not thy name Barsoom, 
and hast thou not come to search for something ? Tell me then the 
truth, or, hy the glory of the Deity, I will strike off thy head !— 
And the Christian was agitated; and the Emeers and others who 
were present said, This King is acquainted with geomancy. Ex¬ 
tolled be the perfection of Him who hath endowed him with this 
knowledge !—Then she called out to the Christian, saying to him, 
Tell me the truth, or I destroy thee ! And the Christian replied, 
Pardon, O King of the age! Thou art right in thy geomantic 
divination ; for the most remote 32 is a Christian. So the Emeers 
and others who were present wondered at the King’s exactness in 
discovering the truth by geomancy, saying, Verily this King is an 
astrologer of whom there is not the like in the world! The Queen 
then ordered that the Christian should be flayed, that his skin 
should be stuffed with straw, and hung over the gate of the horse- 
course, and that a pit should be dug without the city, and his flesh 
and his bones should be burnt in it, and dirt and filth thrown upon 
his ashes. They replied. We hear and obey :—and did all that she 
had commanded them. And when the people saw what had befallen 
the Christian, they said, His recompense was that which hath 
befallen him : and what an unlucky mouthful was that unto him ! 
One of them said, Divorcement shall be incumbent on the remote 
[if I break this vow]: in my life henceforth I will never eat of 
sweet rice ! 33 And the Hashshash said, Praise be to God who 
hath saved me from that which hath befallen this man, by his 
preserving me from eating that rice ! Then all the people went 
forth; and they had become prohibited from sitting opposite to the 
sweet rice, in the place of that Christian. 

460 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

Again, when the third month commenced, they spread the table 
as usual, and covered it with the dishes, and the Queen Zumurrud 
sat upon the throne, the troops standing in the customary manner, 
but fearing her awful power. The people of the city then entered as 
they were wont, and went around the table, looking for the place 
of the dish of rice; and one of them said to another, O hajj 34 
Khalaf! The other replied, At thy service, O hajj Khalid ! And 
the former said, Avoid the dish of sweet rice, and beware of eating 
of it; for if thou eat of it, thou wilt be hanged. Then they seated 
themselves around the table to eat; and while they were eating, 
and the Queen Zumurrud was sitting on the throne, a glance of her 
eye fell upon a man entering with a hurried pace from the gate of 
the horse-course, and, looking attentively at him, she found that he 
was Jawan the Kurdee, the robber who murdered the trooper; and 
the cause of his coming was this.—He had left his mother, and gone 
to his companions, and said to them, I obtained yesterday excellent 
booty : I murdered a trooper, and took his horse; and there fell 
to my lot the same night a pair of saddle-bags full of gold, and a 
damsel whose value is greater than the gold in the saddle-bags ; and 
I have put all this booty in the cavern, with my mother. So they 
rejoiced at this, and repaired to the cavern at the close of the day. 
J awan the Kurdee entered before them, and they followed him; 
and he desired to bring to them the things of which he had told 
them ; but he found the place desolate. He therefore inquired of 
his mother the truth of the matter, and she acquainted him with 
all that had happened; on hearing which, he bit his hands in 
repentance , 85 and said, By Allah, I will search about for this 
impudent wench, and take her from the place in which she is, 
though she be within the shell of a pistachio-nut, and I will satisfy 
my malice upon her! Accordingly, he went forth to search for 
her, and ceased not to go about the surrounding districts until he 
came to the city of the Queen Zumurrud. And when he entered 
the city, he found no man in it: he therefore inquired of some of 
the women who were looking out from the windows , 36 and they 
informed him that on the first day of every month the Sultan made 
a banquet, and the people went and ate of it; and they directed 
him to the horse-course in which the table was spread. 

So he came hurrying on, and, not finding a vacant place in 
which to seat himself excepting opposite the dish above mentioned, 
he seated himself there, and, as the dish was before him, stretched 
forth his hand to it. Upon this, the people called to him, saying, 
O our brother, what dost thou desire to do ? He answered, 
I desire to eat of this dish until I am satiated. And one of them 
said to him, If thou eat of it, thou wilt be hanged. But he replied. 
Be silent, and utter not these words. Then he stretched forth his 
hand to the dish, and drew it before him. The Hashshash before 
mentioned was sitting by his side, and when he saw Jawan draw 
the dish before him, he fled from his place ; the effect of the 
liasheesheh 37 instantly passed away from his head, and he seated 
himself afar off, saying, I have nothing to do with this dish. Jawan 
the Kurdee stretched forth his hand to the dish, and it resembled 
the foot of a raven; and he ladled the rice with it, and took it forth 
resembling the foot of a camel . 38 Then he compressed the handful 
into the form of a ball, so that it was like a great orange; he threw 
it rapidly into his mouth, and it descended into his throat making 
a noise like thunder; and the bottom of the dish appeared in the 
place from which it was taken. So a man by his side said to him, 
Praise be to God, who hath not made me to be a dish of meat 
before thee: for thou hast exhausted the dish by a single mouthful! 

4432 THE STORY OF 'ALEE SHETt AND ZUMURRUD. 

And the Hashshash said, Let him eat; for I imagine that I behold 
in him the figure of the hanged. Then looking towards him, he 
said to him, Eat: may God not give thee enjoyment! And 
Jawan stretched forth his hand to take the second mouthful, and 
was about to press it into the form of a ball like the first mouthful, 
when the Queen called to some of the soldiers, saying to them, 
Bring that man quickly, and suffer him not to eat the mouthful 
that is in his hand. 

The soldiers therefore ran to him, while he was bending his 
head over the dish, and they seized him and took him and placed 
him before the Queen Zumurrud. Upon this, the people exulted 
over him, saying, one to another, Verily he deserveth it; for we 
gave him good advice, and he would not follow it. This place is 
predestined to occasion the slaughter of him who sitteth in it, and 
that rice is unfortunate to every one who eateth of it.—Then the 
Queen Zumurrud said to him, What is thy name, and what is thine 
occupation, and what is the reason of thy coming to our city ?— 
O our lord the Sultan, he answered, my name is ’Osman, and my 
occupation is that of a gardener, and the reason of my coming to 
this city is, that I am going about searching for a thing that I have 
lost. And the Queen said, Bring me the geomantic tablet. So 
they placed it before her; and she took the pen, and, having 
performed an operation of geomancy, meditated upon it a while; 
after which she raised her head, and said to him, Wo to thee, 
O wicked wretch ! How is it that thou best unto Kings ? This 
geomantic experiment acquainteth me that thy name is Jawan the 
Kurdee, and thine occupation is that of a robber, that thou takest 
the property of men by iniquitous means, and slayest the soul that 
God hath forbidden to be slain unless for a just cause.—Then she 
called out to him and said, O hog, tell me thy true story, or I will 
cut off thy head! And when he heard her words, his complexion 
became sallow, and his teeth appeared, and, imagining that if he 
spoke the truth he would save himself, he replied, Thou hast spoken 
truth, O King; but I vow repentance unto thee from this time, 
and return unto God, whose name be exalted! The Queen, 
however, said to him, It is not lawful unto me to leave a viper in 
the path of the Muslims. And she said to some of her attendants, 
Take liim and flay him, and do unto him as ye did unto the like of 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

463 

him last month. So they did as she commanded them. And when 
the Hashshash saw the soldiers seize that man, he turned his back 
to the dish of rice, and said, Verily, to present my face unto thee is 
unlawful! And as soon as they had finished eating, they dispersed, 
and went to their abodes: the Queen also went up into her palace, 
and gave permission to the memlooks to disperse. 

And when the fourth month commenced, they descended into the 
horse-course as usual, and made ready the banquet, and the people 
sat waiting for permission. The Queen then approached, and sat 
upon the throne, looking at them; and she observed that the place 
opposite the dish of rice, affording room for four persons, was 
vacant; whereat she wondered. And while she was looking about, 
she beheld a man entering from the gate of the horse-course, with 
a quick pace, and he ceased not to hurry on until he stopped over 
the table, where he found no place vacant but that opposite the 
dish of rice. So he seated himself there ; and she looked at him 
attentively, and found that he was the Christian who had named 
himself Rasheed ed-Deen ; whereupon she said within herself, How 
fortunate is this repast, by which this infidel hath been insnared!— 
Now the cause of his coming was wonderful; and it was tins. 
When he returned from his journey, the people of his house 
informed him that Zumurrud was lost, together with a pair of 
saddle-bags full of money; on hearing which, he rent his clothes, 
and slapped his face, and plucked his beard. Then he sent his 
brother Barsoom to search for her through the surrounding dis¬ 
tricts ; and when he was tired of waiting for news of him, he went 
forth himself to search through the provinces for his brother and 
Zumurrud, and destiny impelled him to Zumurrud’s city. He 
entered that city on the first day of the month, and when he walked 
along its great thoroughfare-streets, he found them desolate, and 
saw the shops closed, and the women at the windows; so he 
inquired of some of them respecting this circumstance, and they 
told him that the King made a banquet for all the people on the 
first of every month, and all ate of it; none being able to sit in his 
house or in his shop; and they directed him to the horse-course. 

On his entering the horse-course, he found the people crowding 
around the food, and found no place vacant excepting that opposite 
the well-known dish of rice. So he seated himself in it, and 

464 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

stretched forth his hand to eat of that dish; whereupon the Queer 
called to some of the soldiers, saying, Bring ye him who hath seated 
himself opposite the dish of rice. And they knew him from the 
former occurrences of the same kind, and seized him, and stationed 
him before the Queen Zumurrud, who said to him, Wo to thee ! 
What is thy name, and what is thine occupation; and what is the 
reason of thy coming unto our city ?—He answered, O King of the 
age, my name is Rustum , 39 and I have no occupation, for I am a poor 
darweesh. And she said to her attendants, Bring me a geomantic 
tablet, and the pen of brass. So they brought her what she demanded 
as usual: and she took the pen, and made some marks with it upon 
the tablet, and remained a while contemplating it: then raising her 
head and looking towards him, she said, O dog, how is it that thou 
liest unto the Kings ? Thy name is Rasheed ed-Deen the Christian, 
and thine occupation is, to practise stratagems against the female 
slaves of the Muslims, and to take them; and thou art a Muslim 
externally, but in heart a Christian. Declare then the truth; for 
if thou do not, I will strike off thy head.—And he hesitated to 
reply; but afterwards said, Thou hast spoken truth, O King of the 
age. So she gave orders that he should be stretched upon the 
ground, and receive upon each foot a hundred lashes; and upon his 
body, a thousand lashes ; and after that, that he should be flayed, 
and his skin stuffed with hards of flax ; then, that a pit should be 
dug without the city, and his body be burnt in it, and dirt and 

THE STORY OF ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

465 

filth thrown upon his ashes. And they did as she commanded 
them. 

After this, she gave leave to the people to eat, and when they 
had finished, and gone their ways, the Queen Zumurrud went up 
into her palace, and said, Praise be to God who hath appeased my 
heart by the punishment of those who wronged me ! And she 
thanked the Creator of the earth and the heavens. Then her 
master ’Alee Sher occurred to her mind, and she shed copious 
tears; after which, returning to her reason, she said within herself, 
Perhaps God, who hath given me power over mine enemies, may 
grant me the return of my beloved. She begged forgiveness of 
God (to whom be ascribed might and glory!), and said, Perhaps 
God will soon reunite me with my beloved ’Alee Sher; for He is 
able to do whatsoever He willeth, and is gracious unto his servants, 
and acquainted with their states. She praised God again, continued 
her prayers for forgiveness, and resigned herself to the course of 
destiny, assured that everything which hath a beginning must come 
to an end; and recited the saying of the poet:— 

Endure thy state with an easy mind; for in the hand of God are the destinies 
of things, 

And what is forbidden will not happen unto thee, nor will that which is 
appointed fail to befall thee. 

She continued for the whole of that month occupying herself 
by day in judging the people, and commanding and forbidding, and 
by night weeping and lamenting for the separation of her beloved 
’Alee Sher; and when the next month commenced, she gave orders 
to spread the table in the horse-course as usual, and sat at the head 
of the people. They were waiting for her permission to eat, and 
the place before the dish of rice was vacant; and as she sat at the 
head of the table, she kept her eye fixed upon the gate of the 
horse-course, to see every one who entered it. And she said within 
herself, O Thou who restoredst Yoosuf to Yaakoob, and removedst 
the affliction from Eiyoob, favour me by the restoration of my 
master ’Alee Sher, by thy power and greatness; for Thou art able 
to accomplish everything! O Lord of all creatures ! O Guide of 
those who go astray ! O Hearer of cries ! O Answerer of prayers ! 
Hear my prayer, 0 Lord of all creatures!—And her supplication 
was not ended when there entered from the gate of the horse-course 

3 o 

VOL. II. 

466 

THE STORY OF 'ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

a person whose figure was like a branch of the Oriental willow; 
but he was of emaciated frame, and sallowness appeared in his 
countenance : he was the handsomest of young men, perfect in 
judgment and in polite accomplishments. When he entered, he 
found no place vacant but that which was before the dish of rice: 
he therefore sat in that place; and when Zumurrud beheld him, 
her heart palpitated. She looked at him with a scrutinizing glance, 
and it was evident to her that he was her master ’Alee Sher, and 
she was inclined to cry aloud for joy; but she stilled her mind, 
fearing to disgrace herself among the people: her bowels were 
moved, and her heart throbbed ; yet she concealed what she felt.— 
And the cause of ’Alee Sher’s coming was this. 

When he lay asleep upon the mastabah, and Zumurrud de¬ 
scended, and Jawan the Kurdee took her, he awoke afterwards, 
and found himself with uncovered head; so he knew that some 
man had come upon him unjustly, and taken his turban while he 
was asleep. He uttered the sentence which preserveth the person 
who pronouneeth it from being confounded; that is, Yerily to God 
we belong, and verily unto Him we return ! Then he went back 
to the old woman who had acquainted him with the situation of 
Zumurrud, and knocked at her door; whereupon she came forth 
to him; and he wept before her until he fell down in a fit. And 
when he recovered, he informed her of all that had befallen him; on 
hearing which, she blamed him and severely reproved him for that 
which he had done, and said to him, Yerily thy calamity and 
misfortune have arisen from thyself. She ceased not to blame him 
until blood ran from his nostrils, and he fell dowrn again in a fit; 
and on Ids recovering from his fit, he beheld the old woman weeping 
on his account, pouring forth tears, and in a state of anguish; and 
he recited these two verses :— 

How bitter unto lovers is separation, and how sweet unto them is union ! 

May God unite every separated lover, and preserve me, for I am of their 
number! 40 

The old woman mourned for him, and said to him, Sit here while 
I ascertain the news for thee, and I will return quickly. And he 
replied, I hear and obey. Then she left him and w'ent away, and 
was absent from him until midday, when she returned to him, and 

said, O ’Alee, I imagine nothing hut that thou wilt die in thy grief; 
for thou wilt not again see thy beloved save on the Sirat; 41 for the 
people of the pavilion, when they arose in the morning, found the 
window that overlooketh the garden displaced, and Zumurrud lost, 
and with her a pair of saddle-bags full of money belonging to the 
Christian; and when I arrived there, I found the Wiilee standing 
at the door of the pavilion, together with his officers ; and there is 
no strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great!—Now 
when ’Alee Sher heard these words from her, the light before his 
face became converted into darkness; he despaired of life, and 
made sure of death, and ceased not to weep until again he fell down 
in a fit; and after he recovered from his fit, love and separation so 
afflicted him that he was attacked by a severe sickness, and was 
confined to his house. The old woman, however, continued to 
bring the physicians to him, and to give him beverages, and make 
pottages for him, during the space of a whole year, until his soul 
returned to him. And when the second year commenced, the old 
woman said to him, O my son, this sadness and grief that thou 
sufferest will not restore to thee thy beloved: arise then, brace up 

168 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

thy nerves, and search for her through the surrounding districts; 
perhaps thou mayest meet with tidings of her. And she ceased 
not to encourage him and to strengthen his mind until she cheered 
him ; and she conducted him into the bath, gave him wine to drink, 
and fed him with fowls. Thus she did every day for the space of 
a month, till he gained strength, and set forth on his journey, and 
lie ceased not to travel until he arrived at the city of Zumurrud. 

Having entered the horse-course, he seated himself at the table, 
and stretched forth his hand to eat; and upon this, the people 
grieved for him, and said to him, O young man, eat not of this 
dish; for affliction will befall him who eatetli of it. But he replied, 
Suffer me to eat of it, and let them do unto me what they desire: 
perhaps I may be relieved from this wearying life. Then he ate the 
first morsel; and Zumurrud desired to have him brought before 
her; but it occurred to her mind that he might be hungry : so she 
said within herself, It is proper that I suffer him to eat until he 
satisfy himself. He therefore continued eating; and the people 
were confounded at his case, looking to see what would happen 
unto him. And when he had eaten, and satisfied himself, she said 
to certain of the eunuchs, Go to that young man who eateth of the 
rice, and bring him courteously, and say to him, Answer the 
summons of the King, to reply to a little question. So they said, 
We hear and obey :—and they went to him, and, standing over his 
head, said to him, O our master, have the goodness to answer the 
summons of the King, and let thy heart be dilated. He replied, 

I hear and obey :—and he went with the eunuchs; while the people 
said, one to another, There is no strength nor power but in God, 
the High, the Great! What will the King do with him ?—But 
some of them said, He will do nought but good with him; for if 
he meant to do him harm, he had not suffered him to eat until he 
was satisfied.—And when he stood before Zumurrud, he saluted, 
and kissed the ground before her; and she returned his salutation, 
receiving him with honour, and said to him, What is thy name, and 
what is thine occupation, and what is the reason of thy coming unto 
this city ? So he answered her, O King, my name is ’Alee Sher, 

I am of the sons of the merchants, and my country is Khurasan, 
and the reason of my coming unto this city is to search for a slave- 
girl whom I have lost: she was dearer to me than my hearing and 

THE STORY OF 'ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

469 

my sight, and my soul hath been devoted to her ever since I lost 
her. This is my story.—Then he wept until he fainted; whereupon 
she gave orders to sprinkle some rose-water upon his face; and 
they did so until he recovered, when the Queen said, Bring to me 
the geomantic tablet, and the pen of brass. They therefore brought 
them; and she took the pen, and, having performed an operation of 
geomancy, considered it a while, after which she said to him, Thou 
hast spoken truly. God will unite thee with her soon : so be not 
uneasy.—She then ordered the chamberlain to take him to the 
bath, and to attire him in a handsome suit of the apparel of Kings, 
to mount him upon one of the most excellent of her horses, and 
after that, to bring him to the palace at the close of the day. The 
chamberlain replied, I hear and obey :—and led him away from 
before her, and departed. And the people said, one to another, 
Wherefore hath the King treated the young man with this courtesy? 
One said, Did I not tell you that he would do him no harm ? For 
his appearance is comely, and from the King’s waiting until he had 
satisfied himself, I knew that.—And every one of them said some¬ 
thing. Then the people dispersed, and went their ways. 

Zumurrud scarcely believed that the night was approaching 
when she should be with the beloved of her heart alone; and as 
soon as the night came, she entered her chamber, and sent to her 
beloved ’Alee Sher. And when they brought him, he kissed the 
ground before her, and prayed for her ; and she said within herself, 
I must jest with him a while, without making myself known to him. 
So she said, O ’Alee, hast thou gone to the bath ? He answered, 
Yes, O my lord. And she said, Arise, eat of this fowl and meat, and 
drink of this sherbet of sugar, and wine; for thou art tired; and 
after that, come hither. He replied, I hear and obey:—and he did 
as she commanded him; and when he had finished eating and 
drinking, she said to him, Come up unto me, and rub my feet. 42 
He therefore began to rub her feet and her legs, and found them 
softer than silk. And after she had continued a while jesting with 
him, she said, O my master, hath all this happened, and dost thou 
not know me ? He asked, And who art thou, O King ? And she 
answered, I am thy slave-girl Zumurrud. So when he knew this, 
he kissed her, and embraced her, throwing himself upon her like 
the lion upon the sheep. 

470 

THE STORY OF 'ALEE SHE'R AND ZUMURRUD. 

And on the following morning, Zumurrud sent to all the troops, 
and the lords of the empire, and summoned them, and said to them, 
I desire to journey to the city of this man. Choose for you there¬ 
fore a viceroy to exercise authority among you until I return to 
you.—And they replied, We hear and obey. She then betook 
herself to preparing the necessaries for the journey, as food and 
money and other supplies, and rarities, and camels, and mules, and 
set forth from the city; and she continued her journey with him 
until she arrived at the city of ’Alee Sher, when he entered his 
abode, and gave gifts and alms and presents. He was blessed with 
children by her, and they both lived in the utmost happiness until 
they were visited by the terminator of delights and the separator of 
companions.—Extolled be the perfection of the Eternal ; and 
praise be to God in every case ! 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTEENTH. 

Note 1. 

Though the scenes of this story are Khurasdn and some neighbouring country, 
in, or adjacent to, the north or north-east of Persia, its character throughout is 
Arabian. 

Note 2. 

“ Mejd ed-Deen ” signifies “ the Glory of the Religion.” 

Note 3. 

On this first occasion of the mention of ’Alee Sher, the surname (Sh£r) is 
omitted in the edition from which I translate; namely, that of Cairo. As there 
written, this surname may be pronounced either “ Shdr ” or (by what is termed 
“ imaleh ”) “ Sher : ” but the latter is the preferable pronunciation; as the word 
is evidently the Persian “ Sh£r," signifying “ a Lion.” In the edition of Breslau, 
it is “ Sheer,” or “ Sheyr.” 

Note 4. 

This couplet has occurred before : so also have the sixth in the same paragraph, 
slightly varied, and the eighth, and one in my original which I omit because it is 
similar to the eighth, which it immediately follows. See vol. i. of the present work, 
pp. 269, 270, 375; and (for the couplet that I omit) p, 62 in this volume. For 
this last also, a little varied, see vol. i. p. 269. 

Note 5. 

A person who only tastes a thing may find sweetness in it, when it is bitter at 
the heart. “ Dhaka," in the original, is put, by an error of the compositor, for 
“ Dhaka.” * 

Note 6. 

See Note 42 to Chapter x. 

Note 7. 

“Zumurrud” signifies “an Emerald.” 

Marginal note by niy alieykh 

472 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTEENTH. 

Note 8. 

“Raslieed ed-Deen ” signifies “Director of the right way in Religion,” or 
“ Rightly directed in Religion.” 

Note 9. 

The Arabs in general entertain a prejudice against blue eyes; a prejudice said 
to have arisen from the great number of blue-eyed persons among certain of their 
northern enemies. 

Note 10. 

She compares the old man’s mustaches to cotton, with which the nostrils &c. 
of a corpse are stuffed. (See the second paragraph of Note 11 to Chapter vi.) 
From this it appears that the Arabs sometimes stuff the mouth of a corpse with 
cotton ; but I have never heard of their doing so. 

Note 11. 

Slapping the back of the neck is a common Arab custom, like slapping the 
face, or boxing the ears, in England ; and beating with the shoe or slipper is one 
of the greatest insults that an Arab can offer.—The verse to which this note 
refers is, in my original, immediately followed by one too coarse to be translated. 

Note 12. 

The Prophet forbade the dying of the hair black.—See Mishk&t el-Masdbeeb, 
vol. ii. pp. 360 and 362. 

Note 13. 

The puppetmen here mentioned are the exhibiters of what we term “ Chinese 
shadows,” a show common in Arabian and other Eastern countries. 

Note 14. 

See Note 81 to Chapter v. 

Note 15. 

“ Selsebeel ” is the name of a fountain in Paradise. 

Note 16. 

See Note 53 to Chapter viii. 

Note 17. 

See Note 48 to Chapter iii. 

Note 18. 

Seven different styles of writing are used by the Arabs in the present day. 
Herbin has given descriptions and specimens of them in an Essay on Oriental 
Caligraphy at the end of his “ Developpemens des Principes de la Langue Arabe 
Moderne.” 

Note 19 .—On the Occupations of the Hareem. 

Next to the service of the husband or master, the care of her children, and 
attending to other indispensable domestic duties, the most important occupation 
of the wife or concubine-slave is that of spinning or weaving or needle-work. 
“Sitting for an hour employed with the distaff is better for women," said the 

Prophet, “than a year’s worship; and for every piece of cloth woven of the 
thread spun by them they shall receive the reward of a martyr.”—’A'isheh, the 
Prophet’s wife, thus declared the merit of spinning. “ Tell the women what 1 
say: There is no woman who spins until she hath clothed herself but all the 
angels in the Seven Heavens pray for forgiveness of her sins; and she will go 
forth from her grave on the day of judgment wearing a robe of Paradise, and 
with a veil upon her head, and before her shall be an angel, and on her right an 
angel who will hand her a draught of the water of Selsebeel; * and another angel 
will come to her, and carry her upon his wings, and bear her to Paradise. And 
when she enters Paradise, eighty thousand maidens will meet her, each maiden 
bringing a different robe ; and she will have mansions of emeralds with three 
hundred doors, at each of which doors will stand an angel with a present from the 
Lord of the Throne.” f —The arts above mentioned are pursued by the females in 
the hareems of the middle and higher classes. “ Their leisure-hours are mostly 
spent in working with the needle ; particularly in embroidering handkerchiefs, head- 
veils, &c., upon a frame called • mensej,’ with coloured silks and gold. Many 
women, even in the houses of the wealthy, replenish their private purses by 
ornamenting handkerchiefs and other things in this manner, and employing a 
dell&leh (or female broker) to take them to the market, or to other hareems, for 
sale.” f 

Thus it was in ancient Greece. We are told of Andromache, that— 

Far in the close recesses of the dome, 

Pensive she ply’d the melancholy loom ; 

A growing work employ’d her secret hours, 

Confus’dly gay with intermingled flow’rs.§ 

Such also, until the decline of the Empire, was the habit of the Roman matrons. 

• See above, Note 15 of the present series. t Nuzhet el-Mutaammil, &c., section the seventh. 

J From my work on the Modem Egyptians, vol. i. chap. vi. 

§ Pope’s Homer’s Iliad, book xxii. lines 566-9. 

3 p 

VOL. II. 

474 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTEENTH. 

Of Augustus it is said, that his ordinary apparel was entirely of the manufacture 
of his wife, sister, daughter, and nieces.* 

Note 20. 

The word which I render “a tributary” (namely, “dliimmee”) signifies a 
client of the state, or one who, by paying an annual tribute, is entitled to the 
protection of the Muslims and to most of the civil rights which the latter enjoy. 

Note 21.— On the Obligation imposed by eating Bread and Salt. 

The obligation which is imposed by eating another person’s bread and salt, or salt 
alone, or eating such things with another, is well known; but the following 
example of it may be new to some readers.—Yaakoob the son of El-Leys 
Es-SufFAr,f having adopted a predatory life, excavated a passage one night into 
the palace of Dirhem the Governor of Sijistan, or SeestAn; and after he had 
“ made up a convenient bale of gold and jewels, and the most costly stuffs, was 
proceeding to carry it off, when he happened in the dark to strike his foot against 
something hard on the floor. Thinking it might be a jewel of some sort or other, 
a diamond perhaps, he picked it up and put it to his tongue, and, to his equal 
mortification and disappointment, found it to be a lump of rock-salt; for having 
thus tasted the salt of the owner, his avarice gave way to his respect for the laws 
of hospitality ; and throwing down his precious booty, he left it behind him, and 
withdrew empty-handed to his habitation. The treasurer of Dirhem repairing 
the next day, according to custom, to inspect his charge, was equally surprised 
and alarmed at observing that a great part of the treasure and other valuables had 
been removed; but on examining the package which lay on the floor, his 
astonishment was not less, to find that not a single article had been conveyed 
away. The singularity of the circumstance induced him to report it immediately 
to his master: and the latter causing it to he proclaimed throughout the city, that 
the author of this proceeding had his free pardon, further announced, that on 
repairing to the palace, he would be distinguished by the most encouraging marks 
of favour.” Yaakoob availed himself of the invitation, relying upon the 
promise, which was fulfilled to him; and from this period he gradually rose in 
power until he became the founder of a Dynasty.! 

Note 22. 

The Prophet is often invoked as an intercessor ; but not otherwise. 

Note 23. 

Nearly the same couplet has occurred before: see page 114 in this volume. 
The idea expressed in the latter part of the first verse is found in a couplet in 
Dryden’s Spanish Friar:— 

There is a pleasure sure in being mad 
Which none but madmen know : 

and in Cowper’s Task we have the following:— 

• Suet. Aug. 73. t “ E-s SulTar signifies “ the Brasier.” 

J Price’s *‘ Mahommedan History,” vol. ii. pp. 229 et seg. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTEENTH. 

475 

There is a pleasure in poetic pains 
Which none hut poets know : 

upon which Mr. Keightley remarks, “ Though I think there is imitation here, 
I would not positively assert it.”* 

Note 24. 

This is, as my slieykh states in a marginal note, the tradition of the Prophet, 
namely, his saying, “ Whoso is in love, and acteth chastely, and concealeth [his 
passion], and dieth, dieth a martyr.” 

Note 25. 

The kind of broom here mentioned, called “ mikashsheh,” is short and flat, 
and is made of the thickest part of a palm-stick; the larger portion of which, 
being well soaked, is beaten until the fibres separate. 

Note 26. 

From this question it seems that she feared he might be a Jinnee. 

Note 27. 

“ Kurdee ” is the appellation of an individual of the nation called “ El-Kurd," 
whose country, “ Kurdistan,” is on the south of Armenia. Salah ed-Deen 
(commonly called by Europeans “ Saladin ”) was of this nation.—“Jawdn” is 
a Persian word, from the same root as the Latin “juvenis,” and has the same 
meaning. 

Note 28. 

On feasts of this kind, see Note 7 to Chapter viii. 

Note 29. 

A “ HashsliSsh ” is a person addicted to the intoxicating hemp, called 
“ hasheesh ” and “ hasheesheh.”—See Note 46 to Chapter ii., and the fourth 
paragraph of Note 22 to Chapter iii. 

Note 30. 

“ Kishk ” (as the word is commonly pronounced; but properly, “ Keshik ”) is 
prepared from wheat, first moistened, then dried, trodden in a vessel to separate 
the husks, and coarsely ground with a hand-mill: the meal is mixed with milk, 
and about six hours afterwards is spooned out upon a little straw or bran, and then 
left for two or three days to dry. When required for use, it is either soaked or 
pounded, and put into a sieve, over a vessel; and then, boiling water is poured on 
it. What remains in the sieve is thrown away : what passes through is generally 
poured into a saucepan of boiled meat or fowl, over the fire. Some leaves of white 
bete, fried in butter, are usually added to each plate of it.f 

Note 31. 

See Note 55 to Chapter ii. 

* “ Tales and Popular Fictions," &c. p. 14. 
f From my work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. ii. cliap. xiii. 

476 

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTEENTH. 

Note 32. 

The narrator uses this expression fearing to say, “ I um a Christian ” even in 
repeating the words of another.—See Note 8 to Chapter ii. 

Note 33. 

This expression again, like that just noticed, is worthy of remark. If a man, 
reading this work aloud, said, “ Divorcement shall be incumbent upon me if 
henceforth I eat of sweet rice,” some persons, having heard him say so, might 
swear that he applied the words seriously to himself, and had thereby bound 
himself to divorce his wife if ever he ate of that dish.—See Note 48 to Chapter viii. 

Note 34. 

“ Hajj ” signifies “pilgrim,” and is the usual Arab title of one who has 
performed the prilgrimage to Mekkeh and Mount ’Arafdt. The Turks and 
Persians use, instead of it, the synonymous Arabic word “ hajjee.” 

Note 35. 

See a note at the foot of page 68 in this volume. 

Note 36. 

The streets being deserted by the men of the city, it was a fit opportunity for 
the women to look out from the windows, and for those who were neighbours thus 
to converse with each other. 

Note 37. 

See above, Note 29. 

Note 38. 

“ His hand descends into the dish resembling the foot of a raven [with the 
thumb and first and second fingers nearly joined, and the other fingers turned up 
towards the palm of the hand], and comes up [so full that it is] like the foot of a 
camel,” is a common proverb, applied to a coarse glutton.—See Burckhardt’s 
“ Arabic Proverbs, ” No. 756. 

Note 39. 

Properly, “ Rustam ” (the name of the most celebrated of the Persian heroes); 
but pronounced by the Arabs, and generally, I believe, by the Turks, “ Rustum.” 

Note 40. 

The words here rendered “I am of their number” also signify, “I am at 

the point of death,” or “-in the agonies of death;" but the first is my 

sheykh’s reading, and is more logical. 

Note 41. 

The Sirdt is the bridge which all must pass on the day of judgment, extend¬ 
ing over the midst of hell, finer than a hair, and sharper than the edge of a sword. 

Note 42.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY- 
SEVENTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE THREE 
HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOURTH. 

THE STORY OF IBN MANSOOR AND THE LADY BUDOOR AND 
JUBEYR THE SON OF ’OMEYR ESH-SHEYBA'NEE. 

It is related that the Prince of the Faithful, Haroon Er- 
Rasheed, was restless one night, and sleep was difficult unto him: 
he ceased not to turn over from side to side, through the excess of 
his restlessness; and when this state wearied him, he summoned 
Mesroor, and said to him, O Mesroor, see for me some one vvho 

478 

THE STORY OF IBN MANSOOR 

will divert me from this restlessness. 1 Mesroor said, O my lord, 
wilt thou enter the garden in the palace, and amuse thyself with 
the sight of the flowers it containeth, and look at the planets, and 
the beauty of their disposition, and the moon among them shining 
upon the water ? He answered, O Mesroor, verily my soul inclineth 
not to anything of that kind.—O my lord, rejoined Mesroor, there 
are in thy palace three hundred concubines, each of whom hath a 
separate apartment. Order, then, every one of them to retire into 
her apartment, and go thou about and amuse thyself by the sight 
of them while they know not.—The Khaleefeh replied, O Mesroor, 
the palace is mine, and the female slaves are my property ; yet my 
soul inclineth not to anything of that kind. Mesroor then said, O 
my lord, order the learned men and the sages and the poets to come 
before thee, and to enter into discussions, and recite verses to thee, 
and relate to thee tales and histories. — My soul, replied the 
Khaleefeh, inclineth not to anything of that kind. Mesroor said, 
O my lord, order the pages and the boon-companions and the men 
of politeness to come before thee, and to entertain thee with strange 
witticisms. But the Khaleefeh replied, O Mesroor, my soul 
inclineth not to aught of that kind.—Then, said Mesroor, O my 
lord, strike off my head: perhaps that will put an end to thy 
restlessness, and dispel the uneasiness which thou sufferest. And 
Er-Rasheed laughed at his words, and said to him, O Mesroor, see 
who of the boon-companions is at the door. So Mesroor went 
forth, and returned saying, O my lord, he who is at the door is 
’Alee the son of Mansoor, the Wag, of Damascus. The Khaleefeh 
said, Bring him unto me. Mesroor therefore went and brought 
him; and when Ibn 2 Mansoor entered, he said, Peace be on thee, 
O Prince of the Faithful! And the Khaleefeh returned his saluta¬ 
tion and said, O Ihn Mansoor, relate to us somewhat of thy stories. 
—O Prince of the Faithful, said he, shall I relate to thee a tiling 
that I have actually witnessed, or a thing of which I have heard ? 
The Prince of the Faithful answered, If thou have witnessed any¬ 
thing extraordinary, relate it to us; for hearing a thing as reported 
by others is not like witnessing. So Ibn Mansoor said, O Prince 
of the Faithful, give up to me exclusively thy hearing and thy 
mind. Er-Rasheed replied, O Ibn Mansoor, see, I hear with mine 
ear, and look at thee with mine eye, and attend to thee with my 
mind. And Ibn Mansoor said:— 

AND THE LADY BUDOOR, &c. 

479 

O Prince of the Faithful, know that I have an appointment 
every year from Mohammad the son of Suleyman El-Hashimee, 
the Sultan of El-Basrah; and I went to him as I was wont, and 
when I came to him, I found him prepared to mount for the chase. 
I saluted him, and he saluted me, and said to me, O Ibn Mansoor, 
mount and accompany us to the chase. But I replied, O my lord, 
I have not power to ride: seat me therefore in the mansion of 
entertainment, and give a charge respecting me to the chamberlains 
and lieutenants. And he did so ; and then went to hunt. And 
they paid me the utmost honour, and entertained me in the best 
manner. And I said within myself, Allah! it is wonderful that for 
a long time I have been in the habit of coming from Baghdad to 
El-Basrah, and know not in this place aught but the way from the 
palace to the garden, and from the garden to the palace ; and when 
shall I find such an opportunity to amuse myself with a sight of the 
quarters of El-Basrah as on this occasion ? I will therefore arise 
immediately, and walk out alone to amuse myself, and let the food 
that I have eaten digest. 

Accordingly I attired myself in the richest of my apparel, and 
walked through a part of El-Basrah. Now thou knovvest, O Prince 
of the Faithful, that there are in it seventy streets, the length of each 
of which is seventy leagues by the measure of El-’Erak. 3 So I 
lost my way in its by-streets, and thirst overcame me ; and while I 
was walking, O Prince of the Faithful, lo, a great door, with two 
rings of yellow brass, and with curtains of red brocade hung over 
it, and by the two sides of it were two mastabahs, and above it was 
a trellis for grape-vines, which overshadowed that door. I stopped 
to divert myself with a sight of this mansion ; and while I stood, I 
heard a voice of lamentation, proceeding from a sorrowful heart, 
warbling melodious sounds, and singing these verses :— 

My body hath become the dwelling-place of diseases and afflictions, 

On account of a fawn whose abode and home are distant. 

O two zephyrs of the desert that have stirred up my anguish ! 

By Allah, your Lord, turn to my [heart’s] abode, 

And reproach him j perhaps reproach will change his conduct. 

Five more stanzas like the above followed, and I said within myself, 
The person from whom these melodious sounds have proceeded, if 
comely, possesseth the united charms of comeliness and eloquence 
and sweetness of voice. I then approached the door, and began to 

raise the curtain by little and little; and lo, I beheld a fair damsel, 
like the moon when it appeareth in its fourteenth night, with joined 
eyebrows, and languishing eyelids, and a bosom like two pome¬ 
granates ; she had thin lips, like two pieces of carnelion, * a mouth 
like the seal of Suleyman, 5 and a set of teeth that would sport with 
the reason of the poet and the prose-writer. Altogether she 
comprised all the charms of loveliness, and was a source of disturb¬ 
ance unto women and men. The beholder could not satisfy 
himself with gazing at her beauty ; and she was as the poet hath 
said:— 

When she approacheth, she killeth; and when she turneth her back, she 
maketh all men to be enamoured of her. 

She is like the sun, and like the full moon ; but oppression and aversion are 
not in her nature. 

Paradise is opened when she exhibiteth herself, and the full moon is seen above 
her neck-rings. 

Now while I was looking at her through the interstice of the 

AND THE LADY BUDOOR, &c. 

481 

curtains, lo, she cast a glance, and beheld me standing at the door; 
whereupon she said to her slave-girl, See who is at the door. The 
slave-girl therefore arose and came to me, and said, O sheykh, hast 
thou no modesty; and do hoariness and disgraceful conduct exist 
together ? I answered her, O my mistress, as to hoariness, we have 
experienced it; but as to disgraceful conduct, I do not think that I 
have been guilty of it. But her mistress said, And what conduct 
can be more disgraceful than thine intrusion upon a house that is 
not thine own, and thy looking at a hareem that is not thine. So 
I answered her, O my mistress, I have an excuse for doing so.— 
And what is thine excuse ? she asked. I answered her, Verily I am 
a stranger, and thirsty; and thirst hath almost killed me. And 
upon this she said, We accept thine excuse. Then calling one of 
her female slaves, she said, O Lutf, 6 give him a draught in the mug 
of gold. Whereupon she brought me a mug of red gold set with 
pearls and jewels, full of water perfumed with strong-scented musk, 
and covered with a napkin of green silk ; and I began to drink, and 
prolonged my drinking, stealing glances at her in the mean while, 
until I had stood a length of time. I then returned the mug to the 
slave-girl, and remained standing. So she [the lady] said, O 
sheykh, go thy way. But I replied, 0 my mistress, I am troubled 
in mind.—Respecting what ? said she. And I answered, Respecting 
the changes of fortune, and the vicissitudes of events. She replied. 
It becometh thee; for fortune giveth rise to wonders. But what 
(she added) hast thou witnessed of its wonders, that thou reflectest 
upon it ?—I am reflecting, I answered, upon the owner of this house; 
for he was my sincere friend in his life-time. And she said to me, 
What was his name ? I answered, Mohammad the son of ’Alee the 
Jeweller; and he was possessed of great wealth. 7 But hath he, I 
asked, left children ?—Yes, said she; he hath left a daughter, who 
is named Budoor, 8 and she hath inherited all his riches. So I said 
to her, It seemeth that thou art his daughter. She replied, Yes : 
—and laughed. Then she said, O sheykh, thou hast prolonged the 
discourse; therefore go thy way. I replied, I must go ; but I see 
that thy charms are changed: acquaint me then with thy case : 
perhaps God may grant thee relief by means of me. And she said 
to me, O sheykh, if thou be of the number of those who are worthy 
of being intrusted with secrets, we will reveal to thee our secret. 

3 Q 

VOL. It. 

482 

THE STORY OF IBN MANSOOR, &c. 

Inform me therefore who thou art, that I may know whether thou 
art a fit depository for a secret, or not; for the poet hath said,— 

None keepeth a secret but a faithful person: with the best of mankind it 
remaineth concealed. 

I have kept my secret in a house with a lock, whose key is lost, and whose door 
is sealed. 9 

So I said to her, O my mistress, if thou desirest to know who I am, 
I am ’Alee the son of Mansoor, the Wag, of Damascus, the boon- 
companion of the Prince of the Faithful, Haroon Er-Rasheed. 

And when she heard my name, she descended from her chair, 
and saluted me, and said to me, Thou art welcome, O Ibn Mansoor. 
Now I will acquaint thee with my state, and entrust thee with my 
secret. I am a separated lover.—O my mistress, said I, thou art 
comely, and lovest none but whomsoever is comely. Who then is 
he that thou lovest ?—She answered, I love Jubeyr the son of 
’Omeyr Esh-Sheybanee, the Emeer of the Benee Sheyban. 10 And 
she described to me a young man than whom there was none more 
handsome in El-Basrah. I said to her, O my mistress, hath any 
interview or correspondence taken place between you ?—Yes, she 
answered ; but we have loved with the tongue ; not with the heart 
and soul; since he hath not fulfilled a promise, nor performed a 
covenant. So I said to her, O my mistress, and what hath been the 
cause of the separation that hath occurred between you ? She 
answered, The cause was this : I was sitting one day, and this my 
slave-girl was combing my hair ; and when she had finished combing 
it, she plaited my tresses, and my beauty and loveliness charmed 
her; so she bent over me, and kissed my cheek; and just at that 
time he came in suddenly, and, seeing the slave-girl kiss my cheek, 
he drew back instantly in anger, determining upon a lasting separa¬ 
tion, and recited these two verses :— 

If another have a share in the object of my love, I abandon my beloved, and 
live alone. 

My beloved is worthless if she desire aught of which her lover doth not 
approve. 

And from the time of his withdrawing in aversion from me to the 
present day, neither letter nor reply hath come to us from him, O 
Ibn Mansoor.—And what, said I, dost thou desire ? She answered, 

I desire to send to him a letter by thee; and if thou bring me his 
answer, thou shalt receive from me five hundred pieces of gold; and 
if thou bring me not his answer, thou shalt receive, as a compensa¬ 
tion for thy walk, one hundred pieces of gold. So I replied, Do 
what seemeth fit unto thee. And she said, 1 hear and obey. Then 
she called one of her female slaves, and said, Bring to me an ink- 
case, and a piece of paper. And she brought them to her; and 
she wrote these verses:— 

My beloved, wherefore this estrangement and hatred ? And when shall for¬ 
giveness and indulgence be granted ? 

Why dost thou abandon me in aversion ? Thy face is not the face that I was 
wont to know. 

Yes: the slanderers have falsified my words, and thou hast leaned to their 
report; so they have increased in their excesses. 

If thou hast believed their tale, God forbid thou shouldst continue to do so; 
for thou knowest better. 

By thy life inform me what is it thou hast heard; for thou knowest what hath 
been said, and wilt act justly. 

If it be true that I have uttered the words, words admit of interpretation, and 
they admit of change. 

Suppose that the words were revealed by God: people have changed and 
corrupted the Pentateuch. 11 

484 

THE STORY OF IBN MANSOOR 

What falsehoods have been told of persons before us! Even Yoosuf was 
blamed in the presence of Yaakoob ! 

For myself and the slanderer and thee together there shall be an awful day of 
judgment. 

She then sealed the letter, and handed it to me; and I took it 
and went to the house of JubeyT the son of ’Omeyr Esh-Sheybanee. 
I found that he was hunting; so I seated myself to wait for him; 
and while I sat, lo, he approached returning from the chase ; and 
when I beheld him, O Prince of the Faithful, upon his horse, my 
reason was confounded by his beauty and loveliness. Looking aside, 
he beheld me sitting at the door of his house ; and as soon as he saw 
me, he alighted from his horse, and came to me and embraced and 
saluted me ; and it seemed to me as though I held in my embrace 
the world and all that it eontaineth. Then he conducted me into his 
house, and seated me upon his couch, and gave orders to bring the 
table; whereupon they brought forward a table of khoolenj 11 of 
Khurasan, the feet of which were of gold; and upon it were all 
kinds of viands, varieties of meats, fried and roasted, and such like; 
and when I seated myself at the table, I looked at it, and found 
inscribed upon it these verses:— 

Stay by the cranes that are lodged in the porringers, and alight among the 
tribe of fried meats and sikbajes ; 

And mourn over the daughters of the kata—I have done so continually—and 
over the browned meat amid the chickens . 13 

Then Jubeyr the son of ’Omeyr said, Stretch forth thy hand to our 
food, and comfort our heart by eating of our provision. But I replied, 
By Allah I will not eat of thy food a single mouthful until thou 
perform my want. He said, And what is thy want ? And I handed 
forth to him a letter ; and when he had read it and understood its 
contents, he tore it in pieces and threw it upon the floor, saying to 
me, O Ibn Mansoor, whatsoever want thou hast, we will perform it, 
excepting this thing which concerneth the writer of this letter ; for 
to her letter I have no reply to give. So I arose from his side in 
anger; but he laid hold upon my skirts, and said to me, O Ibn 
Mansoor, I will tell thee what she said to thee, though I was not 
present with you two. I asked him, What was it that she said to me ? 
And he replied, Did not the writer of this letter say to thee, If thou 

AND THE I.ADY BUDOOR, &c. 

485 

bring me his answer, thou shalt receive from me five hundred pieces 
of gold; and if thou bring me not his answer, thou shalt receive 
from me, as a compensation for thy walk, one hundred pieces of 
gold ?—I answered, Yes. And he said, Sit with me this day, and 
eat and drink, and enjoy thyself and be merry, and receive five 
hundred pieces of gold. 

So I sat with him, and ate and drank, and enjoyed myself and 
was merry, and entertained him in the night by conversation ; and 
afterwards I said, O my master, there is no music in thy house. He 
replied, Yerily for a long time we have drunk without music. 
Then calling one of his female slaves, he said, O Shejeret ed-Durr! 
—Whereupon a slave-girl answered him from her private chamber, 
bringing a lute of Indian manufacture enclosed in a bag of silk; 
and she came, and seated herself, and, having placed the lute in her 
lap, played upon it one and twenty airs ; after which she returned 
to the first air, and, with exciting modulations, sang these verses :— 

Whoso hath not tasted love’s sweetness and its bitterness, doth not distinguish 
between the company and the absence of the beloved : 

And he who hath declined from love's right road, doth not distinguish between 
the smoothness and the ruggedness of his path. 

I ceased not to oppose the votaries of love until 1 experienced both its sweet¬ 
ness and its bitterness ; 

And I have drunk up the cup of its bitterness until I have abased myself both 
to the slave and the free. 

How many a night hath the beloved caroused with me, and I have sipped the 
sweet draught that issued from her lips! 

How short was each night when we were together! The nightfall and day¬ 
break were simultaneous! 

486 

THE STORY OF IBN MANSOOR 

Fortune made a vow that she would disunite us; and now hath Fortune ac¬ 
complished her vow. 

Fate decreed, and the sentence cannot be reversed. Who is he that can 
oppose his Lord’s command ? 

And when the slave-girl had finished her song, her master uttered a 
great cry, and fell down in a fit; upon which the slave-girl said, 
May God not punish thee, O sheykh; for of a long time we have 
drunk without music, fearing for our master, lest he should ex¬ 
perience the like of this fit. But go to yon private chamber, and 
sleep there.—So I went to the private chamber to which she directed 
me, and slept there until the morning; when lo, a page came to me, 
bringing a purse in which were five hundred pieces of gold; and he 
said, This is what my master promised thee; but return thou not 
to the damsel who sent thee, and let it be as though thou hadst not 
heard of this affair, and as though we had not heard. So I replied, 
I hear and obey. 

I then took the purse, and went my way; but I said within 
myself, Verily the damsel hath been expecting me since yesterday. 
By Allah I must return to her, and acquaint her with that which 
hath taken place between me and him; for, if I return not to 
her, probably she will revile me, and will revile every one who 
cometh forth from my country. 14 —Accordingly, I went to her, and 
found her standing behind the door; and when she beheld me, she 
said, O Ibn Mansoor, thou hast not accomplished for me anything. 
—Who, said I, informed thee of this ? She answered, O Ibn Man¬ 
soor, I have a further intuition ; that, when thou handedst him the 
paper, he tore it in pieces and threw it down, and said to thee, 0 
Ibn Mansoor, whatsoever want thou hast, we will perform it for 
thee, except the affair of her who wrote this letter; for to her I 
have no reply to give. Whereupon thou rosest from his side in 
anger; but he laid hold upon thy skirts, and said to thee, O Ibn 
Mansoor, sit with me this day; for thou art my guest, and eat and 
drink, and enjoy thyself and be merry, and receive five hundred 
pieces of gold. So thou sattest with him, and atest and drankest, 
and enjoyedst thyself and wast merry, and entertainedst him by 
night with conversation; and the slave-girl sang such an air and 
such verses ; upon which he fell down in a fit.—So I said to her, O 
Prince of the Faithful, Wast thou with us ? She replied, O Ibn 
Mansoor, hast thou not heard the saying of the poet ?— 

AND THE LADY BUDOOR, &c. 487 

The hearts of lovers have eyes, which see what spectators see not. 

But, O Ibn Mansoor, she added, night and day succeed not one 
another during the course of an event without changing it.—Then 
she raised her eyes towards heaven, and said, O Object of my 
worship, and my Master, and my Lord, as Thou hast afflicted me 
by the love of Jubeyr the son of ’Omeyr, so do Thou afflict him by 
the love of me, and transfer the affection from my heart to his!— 
After this, she gave me a hundred pieces of gold, as a compensation 
for my walk, and I took it, and repaired to the Sultan of El-Basrah, 
whom I found returned from the chase; and I received from him 
my appointment, and returned to Baghdad. 

And when the next year arrived, I went to the city of El- 
Basrah, to demand my appointment as usual, and the Sultan paid it 
to me; and when I was about to return to Baghdad, I reflected 
in my mind upon the case of the damsel Budoor, and said, By 
Allah I must repair to her, and see what hath taken place between 
her and her beloved. So I went to her house; and I found the 
ground before her door swept and sprinkled, and servants and de¬ 
pendants and pages there; whereupon I said, Probably anxiety 
hath overwhelmed the damsel’s heart, and she hath died, and some 
one of the Emeers hath taken up his abode in her house. I there¬ 
fore left her house, and repaired to that of Jubeyr the son of 
’Omeyr Esh-Sheybanee; and I found its mastabahs demolished, 
and found not pages at its door as usual: so I said within myself, 
Probably he hath died. Then I stood before the door of his 
house, and, pouring forth tears, bewailed its condition in these 
verses:— 

O my lord, who hast departed, and whom my heart followeth, return, and so 
my festive days shall be renewed to me ! 

I pause at your house, bewailing your abode, with pouring tears, and with 
convulsed eyelids. 

I ask the house with its mourning remains, Where is the dispenser of benefi¬ 
cence and favours? 

Go thy way [it answereth] ; for the friends have departed from the dwelling, 
and beneath the dust are buried. 

May God not deprive us of the view of their merits in all their extent, and 
be their virtues never hidden! 

And while I was bewailing the people of the house in these verses, 
O Prince of the Faithful, lo, a black slave came forth to me from 

the house, and said, O sheykh, be silent! May thy mother be 
bereft of thee! Wherefore do I behold thee bewailing this house 
in these verses ?—So I answered him, I used to know it as the 
abode of one of my sincere friends. He said, And what was his 
name? I answered, Jubeyr the son of ’Omeyr Esh-Sheybanee. 
And he said, And what hath happened unto him ? Praise be to 
God, he is still blest with his riches and prosperity and property; 
but God hath afflicted him with the love of a damsel named the lady 
Budoor, and he is overwhelmed by his love of her, and by the vio¬ 
lence of his transport and torment, so that he is like a great rock 
overthrown; for when he is hungry, he saith not to his servants, 
Give me food:—and when he is thirsty, he saith not, Give me 
drink.—And I said, Ask permission for me to go in to him.—O my 
master, he asked, wouldst thou go in to him who understandeth, or 
to him who understandeth not ? I answered, I must go in to him 
whatever be the case. So he entered the house and asked per¬ 
mission, and then returned giving it to me. 

THE STORY OF IBN MANSOOR, &c. 

489 

I therefore went in to him, and I found him like a mass of stone 
thrown down, understanding neither sign nor open speech. I spoke 
to him ; but he answered me not; and one of his attendants said to 
me, O my master, if thou knowest any poetry, recite it to him, and 
raise thy voice in doing so; for thereupon he will be aroused. Ac¬ 
cordingly, I recited these two verses :— 

Hast thou relinquished the love of Budoor, or art thou stubborn ? And dost 
thou pass the night wakeful, or do thine eyelids sleep ? 

If thy tears continue to flow in torrents, then know that thou wilt pass eter¬ 
nity in Paradise. 15 

And when he heard these verses, he opened his eye, and said to me, 
Welcome, O Ibn Mansoor. My emaciation hath become excessive. 
—And I asked him, saying, O my master, is there anything that 
thou wouldst have me do for thee ? He answered, Yes: I desire 
to write a letter to her, and to send it to her by thee; and if thou 
bring me her answer, thou shalt receive from me a thousand pieces 
of gold; and if thou bring me not her answer, thou shalt receive 
from me, as a compensation for thy walk, two hundred pieces of 
gold. So I replied, Do what seemeth fit to thee. And he called 
one of his female slaves, and said, Bring me an ink-case and a 
paper. She therefore brought him what he demanded; and he 
wrote these verses:— 

I conjure you by Allah, O my mistress, act geiitly towards me; for love hath 
deprived me of my reason ! 

My passion for you hath enslaved me, and clad me with the garment of sick¬ 
ness, and rendered me abject. 

I was wont, before this, to think lightly of love, and regard it, O my mistress, 
as an easy matter ; 

But when it had shewn me the waves of its sea, I submitted to God’s judg¬ 
ment, and excused the afflicted. 

If you will, have mercy, and grant me a meeting; and if you will kill me, 
still forget not to shew favour. 10 

He then sealed the letter, and handed it to me, and I took it 
and repaired with it to the house of Budoor. I began to raise the 
curtain by little and little as before; and lo, ten slave-girls, high- 
bosomed virgins, resembling moons, and the lady Budoor was sitting 
in the midst of them, like the full moon in the midst of the stars, 
or like the sun unobscured by clouds; and she was free from grief 

3 a 

VOL. II. 

490 

THE STORY OF IBN MANSOOR 

and pain. And while I was looking at her, and wondering at her 
being in this state, she cast a glance towards me, and saw me 
standing at the door; whereupon she said to me, A friendly and 
free and ample welcome to thee, O Ibn Mansoor! Enter !—So I 
entered, and, having saluted her, handed to her the paper; and 
when she had read it, and understood its contents, she laughed, and 
said to me, O Ibn Mansoor, the poet lied not when he said,— 

I will brook my love for thee resolutely till a messenger from thee come 
unto me. 

O Ibn Mansoor, she added, I will now write for thee an answer, 
that he may give thee what he hath promised thee. And I replied, 
May God compensate thee well! Then she called one of her female 
slaves, and said, Bring me an ink-case and a paper. And when she 
had brought her what she demanded, she wrote to him some harsh 
verses. I therefore said to her, By Allah, O my mistress, there 
remaineth not unto him before his death any more than the period 
that will expire on his reading this paper. I then tore it, and said 
to her, Write to him something different from these verses. And 
she replied, I hear and obey:—but she wrote to him some verses 
more severe than the former ones. So I said to her, By Allah, O 
my mistress, he will not read these verses without his soul’s quitting 
his body. She replied, O Ibn Mansoor, my transport hath attained 
to such a pitch that I have said what I have said. I rejoined, 
Hadst thou said more than that, it had been just in thee; but a 
disposition to pardon is one of the qualities of the generous. And 
when she heard my words, her eyes filled with tears, and she wrote 
to him a note—by Allah, O Prince of the Faithful, there is not in 
thine assembly any one who can write the like of it. She wrote in 
it these verses:— 

How long shall this coyness and aversion continue ? Thou hast satisfied the 
malice which the enviers bore me. 

Perhaps I did wrong, and was not aware of it: then inform me what thou 
hast been told concerning me. 

I desire to welcome thee, O my beloved, as I welcome sleep to my eye and 
my eyelid: 

And since thou hast drunk the pure cup of love, if thou see me intoxicated, 
do not blame me. 

And when she had finished writing the letter, and sealed it, she 

AND THE LADY BUDOOR, &c. 

491 

handed it to me ; and I said to her, O my mistress, verily this note 
will cure the sick, and satisfy the thirsty. 

I took the letter, and went forth; and she called me after I had 
gone forth from her, and said to me, O Ibn Mansoor, say to him, 
She will be this night thy guest. So I rejoiced at this exceedingly. 
I repaired with the letter to J ubeyr the son of ’Omeyr; and when 
I went in to him, I found him with his eye fixed upon the door, 
waiting for the answer; and as soon as I handed to him the paper, 
he opened it and read it and understood its meaning, and, uttering 
a great cry, fell down in a fit. And when he recovered, he said, O 
Ibn Mansoor, did she write this note with her hand, and did she 
touch it with her fingers ?—O my master, said I, and do people 
write with their feet?—And by Allah, O Prince of the Faithful, 
my words to him were not ended when we heard the clinking of her 
anklets in the passage, as she entered. On beholding her, he rose 
upon his feet, as though he no longer felt any pain, and embraced 
her as the letter Lam embraces Alif , 17 and the disease of him who 
cannot escape from his ailment quitted him. 18 Then he seated him¬ 
self ; but she sat not: so I said to her, O my mistress, wherefore 
hast thou not sat down ? She answered, O Ibn Mansoor, I will 
not sit down save on the condition that hath been made between 
us.—And what, I asked, is that condition between you two ?—No 
one, she answered, knoweth the secrets of lovers. She then put 
her mouth to his ear, and said something privately to him ; to which 
he replied, I hear and obey. And he arose and whispered to one 
of his slaves; whereupon the slave absented himself for a while, 
after which he came back, accompanied by a Kadee and two wit¬ 
nesses. And Jubeyr arose, and, having brought a purse containing 
a hundred thousand pieces of gold, said, O Kadee, perform the 
ceremony of my contract of marriage to this damsel for this sum as 
a dowry. The Kadee therefore said to her, Say, I consent to that. 
—And she said so. So they performed the ceremony of the con¬ 
tract ; and after that, the damsel opened the purse, filled her hand 
with part of its contents, and gave to the Kadee and the witnesses. 
Then she handed to him [Jubeyr] what remained in the purse, and 
the Kadee and witnesses departed. 

I sat with them in joy and gladness until the greater part of the 
night had passed, when I said within myself, They are two lovers, 

and during a long period they have been separated ; so I will arise 
immediately, that I may sleep in a place remote from them, and 
leave them together alone. Accordingly I arose; but the damsel 
laid hold upon my skirts, and said to me, What hath thy mind sug¬ 
gested to thee ? I answered, Such and such things. And she re¬ 
plied, Sit, and when we desire thy departure, we will dismiss thee. 
I therefore remained sitting with them until the approach of the 
dawn, when she said, O Ibn Mansoor, go to yon private chamber; 
for we have furnished it for thee, and it is thy sleeping-place. And 
I arose, and slept in it until the morning ; and when I got up, there 
came to me a page with a basin and ewer, and I performed the 
ablution, and recited the morning-prayers; after which I sat. And 
while I was sitting, lo, Jubeyr and his beloved came forth from a 
bath that was in the house, wringing, each, their locks; and I 
bade them good morning, congratulating them on their safety and 

THE STORY OF IBN MANSOOR, &c. 

493 

their reunion, and said to Jubeyr, What beginneth with stipulation, 
endeth with content. He replied, Thou hast spoken truth, and 
thou art entitled to liberal treatment. Then calling his treasurer, 
he said to him, Bring to me three thousand pieces of gold. So he 
brought him a purse containing that sum, and Jubeyr said to me, 
Do us the favour to accept this. But I replied, I will not accept 
it until thou inform me what was the cause of the transition of the 
love from her to thee, after that excessive repulsion. And he said, 
I hear and obey. Know that we have a festival called the Festival 
of the New-year’s-days, when the people go forth and embark in 
boats, and amuse themselves upon the river. 19 And I went forth 
to amuse myself with my companions, and saw a boat wherein 
were ten slave-girls like moons, and this lady Budoor was in the 
midst of them, having her lute with her; and she played upon it 
eleven airs; after which she returned to the first air, and sang these 
verses:— 

Fire is cooler than the fires of my bosom ; and rock is softer than the heart 
of my lord. 

Verily I wonder at his composition, with a heart of rock in a body soft as 
water. 

And I said to her, Repeat the two verses and the air. But she 
would not. So I ordered the boatmen to pelt her; and they pelted 
her with oranges until we feared that the boat in which she was 
would sink. Then she went her way: and this was the cause of 
the transition of the love from her heart to mine.—I therefore, says 
Ibn Mansoor, congratulated them on their reunion, and, taking the 
purse with its contents, repaired to Baghdad. 

And the bosom of the Khaleefeh was dilated, and the restless¬ 
ness, and the contraction of the heart that he suffered, ceased to 
trouble him.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

Note 1 . — Invention of the Air-bed. 

Ha'koon Er-Rasheed seems to have been, like many other Easterns, much 
troubled with sleeplessness. The usual means employed to relieve or divert a per¬ 
son thus suffering are story-telling, music, and a gentle kneading or pressing of 
the flesh ; and for the same purpose, the air-bed was invented. El-Makreezee 
relates,* in his account of the constructions of Khamaraweyh (the Governor of 
Egypt),t the son of Ahmad, the son of Tooloon, that upon his complaining of ex¬ 
cessive sleeplessness, his physician advised him to make a pool of quicksilver. 
This pool he made in front of his palace, which was in the place now called the 
Rumeyleh : J it was fifty cubits in length and the same in breadth; and its con¬ 
struction, and the filling it with quicksilver, cost a great sum of money. At the 
corners of the pool were pegs of pure silver, to which were attached, by rings of 
silver, strong bands of silk; and a bed of skins, inflated with air, being thrown 
upon the pool and secured in the midst of it by the bands of silk, remained in a 
continual state of agreeable vacillation while the Prince lay upon it. 

Note 2. 

“ Ibn” signifies “son;” and “ Ibn Mansoor,” “ The son of Mansoor.” 

Note 3. 

This is, of course, a monstrous exaggeration. 

Note 4. 

So in the edition of Breslau. In the Cairo edition, “like two ukhowfinehs.” 
This name is generally given to the chamomile. 

Note 5. 

See Note 43 to Chapter x. 

• In hia “ Khit.it.” | In the latter part of the ninth century of our era 

t This is a large vacant apace in front of the citadel of Cairo. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

495 

Note 6. 

“Lutf” signifies “elegance,” “delicacy,” &c. 

Note 7. 

We may suppose that he had learnt this of some passenger. 

Note 8. 

See Note 34 to Chapter x. 

Note 9. 

Nearly the same couplet has occurred before. See Note 19 to Chapter iii. 

Note 10. 

“ Benec Sheyban” is the name of two tribes of Arabs. 

Note 11. 

See Note 112 to Chapter xi. 

Note 12. 

“ Khoolenj,” also written “khalenj,” is explained in dictionaries as the name 
of a tree from which wooden bowls are made. 

Note 13. 

The word which I render “cranes” (“gharaneek”) may perhaps here signify 
some other kind of long-necked aquatic birds. That which I render “ porringers” 
is “ sekareej,” plural of “ sukroojeh,” also written “ sukrujeh,” and “ sukuijeh,” of 
Persian origin : the meaning which I have given to it (and which I find in a MS. 
dictionary of my own) appears to have been unknown to my sheykh. On the “sikbaj” 
see Note 98 to Chapter v.; but, I may add, there are other kinds of sikb&j than that 
which is there mentioned : vinegar, I believe, enters into the composition of all. In¬ 
stead of “ mourn over,” we may read “ callbut I prefer the former sense, as it im¬ 
plies the celebration of the excellences of that which is mourned over. The “ kata ” is 
a kind of grouse, and has been before mentioned. The “ browned meat” (in the 
original, “ mohammar”) is meat cut into small pieces, and fried for a long time, 
till it becomes of a reddish brown colour.—Four other verses follow in the original; 
but I have omitted them in my text, as I consider them inappropriate, and of little 
merit. I however insert them here :— 

O the sighing of my heart for two dishes * of fish that were placed by a cake 
of new bread on the stairs ! f 

God be praised for the supper ! How excellent it was, with the pulse steeped 
in the vinegar of the jars,I 

And the rice dressed with buffalo’s milk, in which hands were plunged even 
to the armlets! 

• Literally “two colours'* (“ldneyn”). Several different dishes are commonly called so many "16ns,** 
or “colours.” 

t The words which I render “on the stairs” (“fi-l-ma’&reeji”) may perhaps admit of some better 
interpretation. 

J The word rendered “jars” is “dekdkeej,” plural of “ dekkoojeh,” or perhaps “dukkoojeh” (for 
I am doubtful as to the first vowel). It is applied to a small kind of jar, and I find it in the dictionary 
above mentioned, and in Bocthor’s and Caussin de Perceval’s “ Dictionnaire Francais-Arabe.” 

406 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

O my soul, be patient; for God is bountiful: if thy means be narrow, He will 
give thee relief. 

Note 14. 

“ Such is the custom of men : when any one acteth ill towards them, they 
revile both him and every one who cometh from his country." • 

Note 15. 

He who dieth of love will enjoy Paradise. See Note 24 to Chapter xv. 

Note 16. 

That is, forget not to beg mercy for me. 

Note 17. 

Lam and Alif, when not united with any other letter, generally have the form 
of two nearly upright strokes, crossing each other obliquely, and connected at the 
feet. 

Note 18. 

This phrase (in the original, “z&let 'anhu ’illetu-lledhee la yensarif”) bears 
another meaning, and conveys an allusion to a rule of grammar, with which the 
Arabic scholar is acquainted, and of which others will not require an explanation. 

Note 19.— On the Festival of the Neuj-year’s-days. 

The Festival of the New-year's-days, commencing at the Vernal Equinox, is 
generally said to have been of Persian origin ; but I think it not improbable that 
it originated from the Jewish Passover. It was the principal festival among the 
ancient Persians, and continued six days. “ On the first [called by them ‘ Now- 
r6z,' and by the Arabs ‘N6rooz’], the King gave his chief attention to promote 
the happiness of the body of the people ; on the second, he entertained the doctors 
and astrologers ; on the third, the priests, and counsellors of state ; on the fourth, 
the princes of the blood, and grandees ; on the fifth, the royal children ; and on 
the sixth, which was considered as the King’s particular day, his subjects made him 
free gifts agreeable to their rank. On the eve of the now-r6z, a young man of an 
elegant figure, personating the new year, was stationed at the door of the royal 
bedchamber, which he entered without ceremony the moment the sun appeared 
above the horizon. The King, immediately addressing him, said, ‘ What art thou? 
Whence dost thou come ? Whither dost thou go ? What is thy name ? Wherefore 
dost thou approach ? And what dost thou bring?’ To which he answered, ‘ I am 
the fortunate and the blessed: I am sent hither by God, and bring with me the 
new year.' Then sitting down, another appeared with a large silver dish, in which 
were wheat, barley, pease, vetches, sesame, and rice (seven ears and nine grains of 
each), with a lump of sugar, and two new-coined pieces of gold, which, as an offer¬ 
ing, were placed before the King. Then entered the prime-minister, the general 
of the forces, the lord high treasurer, and the superintendent of war; after whom 
followed the nobles and people, according to their dignity and respective classes. 
A large loaf, made of the above-mentioned grains, being then presented to the 
King, after eating part of it he offered some to those who were around him, saying, 

Marginal note by my sheykh. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

497 

‘ This is the new day, of the new month, of the new year, of the new time; when 
all things consistent with time must be renewed.’ Then investing his nobles with 
rich robes, he blessed and distributed amongst them the presents which had been 
brought. The origin of this solemnity is carried up to one of their ancient Kings, 
called Jemshed, who then made his first public entry into Istakhr (Persepolis), 
which he had just finished; and, amongst other regulations, ordered that the 
Persian era should commence from that day.”* 

A custom similar to that described in the passage to which this note refers pre¬ 
vails at the present day in Egypt. It is termed “ Shemm en-Neseem” (or “ the 
Smelling of the Zephyr”), and is observed on the first day of the Khamaseen, which 
is a period of forty-nine days (when hot southerly winds are of frequent occurrence), 
commencing on the day immediately following the Coptic festival of Easter Sunday, 
and terminating on the day of Pentecost, or Whit Sunday. Early in the morning 
of the first day of this period, many persons, especially women, break an onion, 
and smell it; and in the course of the forenoon, many of the citizens of Cairo ride 
or walk a little way into the country, or go in boats, generally northwards, to take 
the air, or, as they term it, smell the air, which, on that day, they believe to have 
a wonderfully beneficial effect. The greater number dine in the country, or on the 
river.—The ’ulama (or learned), however, have their Shemm en-Neseem at a fixed 
period of the solar year ; the first three days of the spring-quarter, corresponding 
with the Persian Now-r6z. 

Having mentioned the period of the Khamdseen, I may add that I believe it 
has been called by all European writers who have mentioned it, excepting myself, 

“el-Khamseen,” or by the same term differently expressed, signifying “the Fifty;” 
i. e. “the Fifty days;” but it is always termed by the Arabs “ el-Khamaseen," 
which signifies “the Fifties,” being a vulgar plural of “Khamseen.” In like 
manner, the Arabs call the corresponding period of the Jewish calendar by a term 
exactly agreeing with “ el-Khamdseen ;” namely “ el-Khamseendt; only its last 
day being termed “el-Khamseen;” as may be seen in an extract from El- 
Makreezee, given by De Sacy.f This eminent orientalist, however, appears to 
have had no authority but that of Europeans for the name of the above-mentioned 
period of the Coptic calendar; for he has followed the travellers, and written it 
“ khamsin.” 

Note 20. 

This story is followed by sixteen anecdotes, ending with part of the three hun¬ 
dred and fifty-seventh night; eleven of which I translate, and here insert. 

Instances of the Vicissitudes of Fortune. 

It is related that a man was burdened with numerous debts, and his circum¬ 
stances became strait unto him; so he left his people and his family, and went 
forth wandering in perplexity and at random. He ceased not to proceed until he 
approached, after a length of time, a city with lofty walls, and great buildings, and 
he entered it in a state of abasement and despondency. His hunger had become 

* Richardson's Persian, Arabic, and English Dictionary, Johnson's edition, voce “m4h.” 
f See his Chrestomathie Arabe, 2nde ed., tome i., page 98 of the Arabic text. See also pp. 292 and 
320 of his translation and notes. 

3 s 

VOL. II. 

violent, and the journey had wearied him ; and as he walked through one of its 
great thoroughfare-streets, he saw a company of the great passing along; where¬ 
upon he proceeded with them until they entered an abode resembling the abode 
of Kings, and he entered with them, and they went in until they came to a man 
sitting at the upper end of the mansion. He was of magnificent appearance, and 
great dignity, and surrounded by pages and servants, as though he were of the sons 
of the Wezeers; and when he saw the party, he rose to them, and treated them 
with respectful hospitality. So trouble of mind overcame the man above 
mentioned at witnessing this thing, and he was confounded at that which he beheld 
of the beauty of the building, and the servants and dependants. He therefore 
drew back, in perplexity and distress, fearing for himself, until he seated himself 
in a place alone, remote from the people, that no one might see him. And while 
he was sitting, lo, there approached a man with whom were four dogs, of the dogs 
of the chase, decked with varieties of silk and brocade, and having, upon their 
necks, collars of gold with chains of silver; and he chained each of them in a 
separate place. Then he went away, and returned bringing to each dog a dish of 
gold full of rich food, and he put before each of them his separate dish, and de¬ 
parted and left them. This man therefore began to look at the food, on account of 
the violence of his hunger, and desired to advance to one of the dogs and to eat 
with him ; but his fear of them prevented him. Presently, however, one of the 
dogs looked at him, and God (whose name be exalted!) inspired him with a know- 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

499 

ledge of liis case: so he drew back from the dish, and made a sign to the man, 
who thereupon approached, and ate until he was satisfied, when he would have 
departed ; but the dog made a sign to him that he should take the dish, with the 
food remaining in it, for himself, and pushed it towards him with his fore-paw. 
He therefore took it, and went forth from the house, and proceeded without any 
one following him. 

He then journeyed to another city, where he sold the dish, and having pur¬ 
chased merchandise with its price, returned with it to his own town. There he 
sold what he had brought, and discharged the debts that he owed, and his wealth 
increased so that he became in a state of abundant affluence and perfect prosperity; 
and he ceased not to reside in his town for a length of time ; after which, he said 
within himself, I must journey to the city of the owner of the dish, and take for 
him a handsome and suitable present, and pay him the price of the dish which one 
of his dogs bestowed upon me. Then he took a present befitting that person, and 
took with him the price of the dish, and set forth on his journey. 

He ceased not in his journey days and nights until he arrived at that city, and 
he entered it, desiring to meet with the man; and he walked along its great 
thoroughfare-streets until he approached his abode. But he saw nothing of it save 
mouldering ruins, and a raven uttering its lamentable cry, and dwelling-places ren¬ 
dered desolate, and circumstances changed, and a state of things so altered as not 
to be recognised; whereupon his heart and soul were agitated, and he recited the 
words of the poet:— 

The recesses are devoid of their hidden treasures, as hearts are devoid of 
sciences and piety ; 

And the valley is changed altogether, and its gazelles are not those antelopes, 
nor is its sand-heap that sand-heap. 

And the saying of another :— 

The phantom of Soada* came by night to rouse me, towards morning, while 
iny companions were sleeping in the desert: 

But when we awoke to behold the nightly phantom, I saw the air vacant, and 
the place of visitation distant. 

And when that man beheld those mouldering ruins, and saw what the hands of 
fortune had openly done unto them, and found of the substance nothing but traces, 
knowledge rendered it needless for him to ask information. He then looked aside, 
and saw a miserable man, in a state that made the skin to quake at it, and rock to 
be moved with sympathy for it; and he said, O thou! f what have fortune and 
time done with the master of this place, and where are his shining full moons and 
brilliant stars, J and what hath been the cause of the event that hath happened 
unto his structures, that there remaineth of them naught save the walls ? He 
answered, He is this miserable wretch whom thou seest, sighing on account of that 
which hath come upon him. But knowest thou not (he added) that in the saying of 
the Apostle is a lesson to him who would follow it, and an admonition to him who 

• “ Soada” is a female proper name, and often used as a fictitious name, applied to a beautiful 
woman. 

t The expression thus rendered is generally used as one of slight contempt. 

t That is, " Where are his beautiful damsels, like full moons and stars t ” 

500 

NOTES TO CHATTER SIXTEENTH. 

would be directed ariglit,—bis saying (God favour and preserve him !), Verily it is 
the way of God (whose name be exalted!) not to elevate anything of this world 
without afterwards bringing it down ? If thou inquire respecting the cause of this 
event, there is nothing in the vicissitudes of fortune wonderful. 1 was the master 
of this place, and its founder and proprietor and builder, and the possessor of its 
shining full moons and magnificent appurtenances and splendid rarities and beau¬ 
tiful slave-girls: fortune however hath turned from me, and taken away the 
servants and the wealth, and reduced me to this present condition, and brought 
upon me events that it before kept concealed. But there must be a cause for this 
thine inquiry. Acquaint me then with it, and cease to wonder.—-So the man ac¬ 
quainted him with the whole affair, being the while in grief and distress, and said 
to him, I have brought thee a present such as souls desire, and the price of thy 
dish of gold that I took; for it was the cause of enriching me after my poverty, 
and of the replenishment of my abode after it was desolate, and of the dissipation of 
the anxiety and straitness that 1 suffered. But the other man shook his head, and 
wept and sighed and lamented, and said, O thou ! I imagine thou art a madman : 
for this conduct proceedeth not from a man of sense. How should one of our dogs 
make thee a present of a dish of gold, and I take it back ? My taking back that 
which my dog hath presented would be wonderful; and were I in the severest 
anxiety and disease, by Allah there should not find acceptance with me, from thee, 
anything of the value of a nail-paring. So go to the place whence thou earnest, 
in health and safety.—The man therefore kissed his feet, and went forth on his 
return, praising him ; and on parting with him and taking leave of him, recited 
this verse :— 

The men and the dogs are gone together; and on the men and the dogs be 
peace 1 

—And God is all-knowing.* 

• In Tr6butien'a translation, this anecdote is briefly related. The owner of the dogs ia there da- 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

501 

Hosam ed-Deen the Walee, and a Sharper. 

There was, in the fortified coast-town of Alexandria, a Wdlee named Hosam 
ed-Deen ;* and as he was sitting in his seat of office one night, there came to him 
a trooper, who said to him, Know, O our lord the Walee, that I entered this city 
in the present night, and took up my lodging in such a Khan, and slept there until 
a third of the night had passed; and when I awoke, I found my pair of saddle¬ 
bags cut open, and there had been stolen from it a purse containing a thousand 
pieces of gold. And his words were not ended when the Walee sent, and caused 
the Mukaddamsf to come before him, and ordered them to bring all who were in 
the Khan, commanding them also to imprison those persons till the morning. So 
when the morning came, he gave orders to bring the instruments of punishment.! 
He then caused those men to be brought before bim in the presence of the trooper, 
the owner of the money, and was about to punish them. 

But lo, a man approached, forcing his way among the people until he stood be¬ 
fore the Walee and the trooper; and he said, O Emeer, release all these people; 
for they are unjustly treated: I am the person who took the property of this 
trooper, and here is the purse that 1 took from his saddle-bags. Then he produced 
it from his sleeve, and placed it before the Wdlee and the trooper. So the Walee 
said to the trooper, Receive thy property and take possession of it, and thou hast 
nothing further to demand of the people. And those people, and all who were 
present, began to praise that man, and to pray for him. But the man said, O 
Emeer, there was no cleverness in my presenting myself before tbee, and bringing 
this purse : rather there would be cleverness in taking this purse a second time 
from this trooper.—And how, said the Wdlee didst thou do, O sharper, when thou 
tookest it ? 

O Emeer, he answered, I was standing in Cairo in the market of the money¬ 
changers, and saw this trooper when he took this gold in change and put it into 
the purse; and I followed him from by-street to by-street without finding any way 
of taking the property from him. Then he set forth on his journey, and I followed 
him from town to town, trying stratagems against him on the way ; but could not 
take it from him. And when he entered this city, I followed him until he entered 
this Khan; whereupon I took my lodging next to him, and watched him until he 
slept and I heard his snoring; when I walked gently towards him, cut open the 
saddle-bags with this knife, and took the purse thus.—So saying, he stretched forth 
his hand, and took the purse from before the W T alee and the trooper, both of whom, 
with the rest of the people, drew back, looking at bim, and believing that he 
would only shew them how he took the purse from the saddle-bags: but lo, he 
ran, and threw himself into a pool of water.§ So the Wdlee cried out to his de¬ 
pendants and said, Overtake him, and descend after him. They however had not 

scribed as complaining of the injustice of fortune, and the other man is said to have replied, You are 
wrong in accusing destiny of injustice : if you are ignorant of the cause of your ruin, I will acquaint 
you with it. You have fed the dogs in dishes of gold, and left the poor to die of hunger. 

* “ Hos£m ed-Deen" signifies “ the Sharp Sword of the Religion.” 
f His chief officers. t Whips or sticks. 

§ The Egyp tian thieves are notorious for their dexterity, and often escape by plunging with their 
booty into the Nile. Of this trick l experienced an instance. 

502 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

pulled off their clothes and de¬ 
scended the steps before the 
sharper had gone his way ; and 
they searched for him; but 
found him not; for the by¬ 
streets of Alexandria all com¬ 
municate one with another. 
The men therefore returned 
without catching the sharper; 
and the WAlee said to the 
trooper, Thou hast no claim 
upon the people ; for thou hast 
known thine offender, and taken 
possession of thy property, and not guarded it. And the trooper arose, his money 
was lost, and the people were saved from his hands and from those of the Wklee, 
entirely through the favour of God, whose name be exalted ! 

The Three Wiilees. 

El-Melik F.n-Nasir * * * § summoned one day the three Walees, the Wdlee of El- 
Kahireh.f the W&lee of Booldk,J and the Walee of Misr el-Kadeemeh,§ and said, 

I desire that each of you acquaint me with the mo3t wonderful thing that hath 
happened to him during the period of his holding the office of W41ee. And they 
replied, We hear and obey. 

Accordingly, the W41ee of El-Kdhireh said, Know, O our lord the Sul tin, that 
the most wonderful thing that hath happened to me during the period of my hold¬ 
ing the office of Wdlee was as follows.—There were, in this city, two legal wit¬ 
nesses,!! who gave testimony respecting blood and wounds ; but they were addicted 
to the love of [disreputable] women, and the drinking of wine, and iniquity; and 
I could succeed in no stratagem to revenge myself upon them. So being unable 
to do this, I charged the vintners, and the sellers of dried fruits, and those of fresh 
fruits, and the dealers in candles, and the keepers of houses prepared for vicious 
practices, that they should inform me of these two witnesses whenever they might 
be in a place drinking, or committing any act of iniquity, whether they should be 
together or separate, and if they bought, or either of them bought, anything of 
these persons that was designed for the purpose of carousing ; and that they should 
not conceal it from me. They replied, that they heard and obeyed. And it hap¬ 
pened that a man came to me one night, and said, O our lord, know that the two 
witnesses are in such a place, in such a by-street, in the house of such-a-one, and 
that they are engaged in abominable iniquity. So I arose and disguised myself, I 
and my young man, and I repaired to them without any one accompanying me 
save my young man, and stopped not on the way until I stood before the door and 

* There were several Sultans of Egypt thus sumamed. 

t Cairo : now commonly called by its inhabitants “ Masr,” for “ Mijr.” 

X Boolak is the principal port of Cairo. 

§ That is, “ Old Misr;” now commonly called by the Egyptians “ Majr el-’Ateeljah," which has the 
same meaning ; and by Europeans, improperly, “ Old Cairo.” 

|| The word rendered “ two legal witnesses” is the dual of “ ’adl,” which literally signifies “just 
but is a term applied to a legal or unobjectionable witness. The two men here mentioned were legal 
witnesses because their immoral practices could not be proved against them. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

503 

knocked ; whereupon a female slave came to me and opened to me the door, and 
said, Who art thou ? So I entered without answering her; and I beheld the two 
witnesses and the master of the house sitting, with common women, and with 
abundance of wine. But when they saw me, they rose to me, treated me with 
honour, seated me at the upper end of the apartment, and said to me, Welcome to 
thee, as an excellent guest, and a polite boon-companion ! They met me without 
fearing me or being alarmed ; and after that, the master of the house arose from 
them, and, having been absent a while, returned bringing three hundred pieces of 
gold, without the least fear; and they said, Know, O our lord the Walee, that thou 
canst do more than disgrace us, and that it is in thy power to chastise us; but 
naught save fatigue would accrue to thee from doing so. It is advisable therefore 
that thou receive this sum, and protect us; for God (whose name be exalted 1) is 
named the Excellent Protector, and He loveth of his servants such as are liberal of 
protection; and thou wilt receive a reward and recompense.—So I said to myself, 
Receive this gold from them, and protect them this time ; and if thou have them 
in thy power another time, take thy revenge upon them. I coveted the money, 
and took it from them, and left them and departed, no one knowing what I had 
done. But suddenly on the following day a sergeant of the Kadee came to me, 
and said, O Walee, have the goodness to answer the summons of the Kddee ; for 
he citeth thee. I arose therefore and went with him to the Kadee, not knowing 
the cause of this, and when I went in to him, I saw the two witnesses and the master 
of the house who gave me the three hundred pieces of gold sitting with him ; and 
the master of the house arose and sued me for three hundred pieces of gold. It 
was not in my power to deny it; and he produced a written obligation, and those 
two legal witnesses testified against me that I owed the money. So it was esta¬ 
blished with the Kfidee by the testimony of the two witnesses, and he ordered me 
to pay that sum. I therefore went not forth from them until they had received 
from me the three hundred pieces of gold; and I was enraged, purposing every 
kind of mischief against them, and repenting that I had not tormented them ; and I 
departed in a state of the utmost confusion. 

Then arose the Walee of Boolak, and said, As to myself, O our lord the Sultdn, 
the most wonderful thing that hath happened to me since I have been Walee was 
this.—I had debts to pay amounting to three hundred thousand* pieces of gold; 
and, being distressed thereby, I sold what was behind me and what was before me 
and what was in my hand,f and thus collected one hundred thousand pieces of 
gold and no more. I therefore remained in great perplexity ; and while I was 
sitting in my house one night, in this state, a person knocked at the door; upon 
which I said to one of the young men, See who is at the door. And he went 
forth, and then returned to me with sallow countenance, changed in complexion, 
and with the muscles of his side quivering. So I said to him, What hath befallen 
thee? And he answered, Verily at the door is a man stripped of his proper cloth¬ 
ing, and clad in apparel of leather, and with a sword, and in his girdle is a knife, 
and with him is a party of men equipped in the same manner, and he asketh for 
thee. I therefore took my sword in my hand, and went forth to see who these 
were ; and lo, they were as the young man had said. I asked them, What is vour 
afTair? And they answered, We are robbers, and we have acquired this night 
vast booty, and assigned it to thee, that thou mayest thereby help thyself to manage 
the affair on account of which thou art in anxiety, and pay the debt that thou 

* In tire Breslau edition, three thousand ; a more probable sum. 

t That is, all that I possessed. 

owest. I said to them, And where is the booty? And they brought before me a 
great chest full of vessels [apparently] of gold and silver. So when I beheld it, I 
rejoiced, and said within myself, I will pay the debt that I owe from this, and 
there will remain to me as much again as the amount of that debt. I therefore 
took it, and entered the house, and said within myself, It would not be consistent 
with humanity in me to let them go without anything. Accordingly, I took the 
hundred thousand pieces of gold that were in my possession, and gave it to them, 
thanking them for what they had done; and they took the pieces of gold and went 
their way under the covering of night, without any one’s knowing of their coming. 
But when the morning arrived, I saw that the contents of the chest were gilded 
brass, and tin, the whole of them worth but five hundred pieces of silver; and the 
thing afflicted me : the pieces of gold that I had were lost; and my grief was 
increased. 

Then the W&lee of Misr el-Kadeemeh arose and said, O our lord the Sult&n, 
with regard to myself, the most wonderful thing that hath happened to me during 
the period of my holding the office of W&lee was this.—I hanged ten robbers, 
each or. a separate gallows, and charged the guards to watch them, and not to 
suffer the people to take away any one of them. But on the morrow I came to 
see them, and beheld two men hanged upon one gallows: so I said to the guards, 
Who did this, and where is the gallows on which was the second of these hanged 
men ? They however denied the fact; and I was about to beat them, when they 
said, Know, O Emeer, that we slept last night, and when we awoke, we found that 
one hanged man had been stolen, together with the gallows on which he was sus¬ 
pended; whereupon we feared thee; and lo, a peasant on a journey approached 
us, having with him an ass; and we seized him and killed him, and hanged him 
instead of the one that was stolen, on this gallows. And I wondered at this, and 
said to them, What was with the peasant ? They answered, With him was a pair 
of saddle-bags on the ass.—And what, said I, was in them ? They answered, We 
know not. And I said to them, Bring me the saddle-bags. So they placed them 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

505 

before me; and I gave orders to open them; and lo, in them was a murdered man, 
cut in pieces; and when I saw this, 1 wondered at it, and said within myself, Ex¬ 
tolled be the perfection of God! The cause of the hanging of this peasant was 
naught but the crime that he had committed against this murdered man ; and thy 
Lord is not tyrannical towards his servants ! 

The Money-changer and the Sharper. 

It is related that a man of the money-changers had with him a purse full of 
gold, and he had passed by the robbers ; whereupon one of the sharpers said, I am 
able to take tins purse. The others said to him, How wilt thou do ? And he re¬ 
plied, See ye. Then he followed the money-changer to his abode, and the latter 
entered, and, having thrown down the purse upon the suffeh,* called to a slave- 
girl to bring a ewer of water for ablution ; and the slave-girl took the ewer to him, 
and followed him into a private chamber, leaving the street-door open. So the 
robber entered, took the purse, and repaired with it to his companions, whom he 
told what had happened to him with the money-changer and the slave-girl. They 
replied, By Allah, that which thou hast done was a clever exploit, and not every 
man is capable of performing such ; but (they added) immediately the money¬ 
changer will come forth from the private chamber, and, not finding the purse, will 
beat the slave-girl, and inflict upon her a painful punishment; and it seemeth that 
thou hast not done anything for which thou art to be praised. If then thou be a 
clever sharper, save the slave-girl from the beating and punishment.—So he said 
to them, If it be the will of God (whose name be exalted !), I will save the slave- 
girl and the purse. 

Then the robber returned to the house of the money-changer, and found him 
punishing the slave-girl on account of the purse; and he knocked at his door; 
whereupon the money-changer said to him, Who is this? And he answered him, I 
am the young man of thy neighbour in the Keysfireeyeh.f The money-changer 
therefore came forth to him, and said to him, What is thy business ? And he 
answered him, My master saluteth thee, and saith to thee, thy habits are all 
changed. How is it that thou throwest down such a thing as this purse at the door 
of the shop, and goest and leavest it? Had any stranger found it, he had taken it 
and gone away.—And had not my master seen it and taken care of it, thou hadst 
lost it.—He then took forth the purse, and shewed it to him ; and when the money¬ 
changer saw it, he said, This is my purse itself. And he stretched forth his hand 
to take it from the sharper; but the latter said to him, By Allah I will not give it 
to thee until thou write a paper to my master stating that thou hast received the 
purse from me; for I fear he may not believe me that thou hast taken the purse 
and received it safely unless thou write for me a paper and seal it with thy seal. 
So the money-changer entered to write for him a paper acknowledging the safe 
arrival of the purse as he had told him, and the robber went his way with the 
purse, and the slave-girl was saved from the punishment. 

* The term “ suffeh” is generally applied in Egypt to a shelf of marble or of common stone, about 
four feet high, supported by two or more arches, or by a single arch, under which are placed utensils 
in ordinary use, such as perfuming-vessels, and the basin and ewer which are used for washing before 
and after meals, and for the ablution preparatory to prayer. Water-bottles, coffee-cups. Sic. are placed 
upon the suffeh.—This term is also applied to a bench, or fo/a. 
t See Note 18 to Chapter v. 

3 T 

VOL. II. 

506 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

[The next anecdote describes a trick exactly of the same kind as that related 
by the second of “ the Three Walees and therefore I omit it.] 

Anecdote of Ibrfiheem the Son of El-Mahdee.* 

It is related that the Prince of the Faithful, El-Ma-moon, said to Ibr&heem the 
son of El-Mahdee, Tell us the most wonderful thing that thou hast witnessed. 
And he replied, I hear and obey, O Prince of the Faithful. 

Know that I went forth one day to divert myself, and my course led me to a 
place where I smelt the odour of food, and my soul longed for it. I stopped, O 
Prince of the Faithful, in perplexity, unable to depart from the spot or to enter that 
dwelling; and I raised my eyes, and lo, there was a lattice- window, behind which 
were a hand and wrist, than which I had never beheld any more beautiful. My 
reason fled at the sight of them, and I forgot the odour of the food on account of 
that hand and wrist, and began to devise a stratagem by means of which to obtain 
access to that dwelling. And lo, there was a tailor near unto that place : so I ad¬ 
vanced to him and saluted him, and he returned my salutation. I then said to 
him, To whom belongeth this house? He answered, To a man of the merchants. 
And I said, What is his name?—His name, he answered, is such-a-one the son of 
sucli-a-one, and he carouseth with none but the merchants. And while we were 
speaking, lo, there approached two comely, intelligent men, and he informed me 
that they were his most particular associates, and acquainted me with their names. 

I therefore urged on my beast until I met them, when I said to them, May I 
be your sacrifice! The father of such-a-onef hath thought you tardy.—And I 
proceeded with them till we arrived at the door; whereupon I entered, and the 
two men entered also; and when the master of the house saw me with them, he 
doubted not that I was their associate : so he welcomed me, and seated me in the 
highest of the places. Then the servants brought the table, and I said within 
myself, God hath granted me the attainment of my desire with respect to these 
viands, and there remain the hand and the wrist. And after this, we removed for 
the purpose of carousal to another apartment, which I found decked all over with 
elegant objects; and the master of the house busied himself in shewing me 
courtesy, addressing his conversation to me, as he imagined me to be a guest of 
his guests, while they in like manner treated me with the utmost courtesy, 
imagining me to be a companion of the master of the house. They all continued 
incessantly their politeness to me until we had drank several cups, when there 
came forth to us a damsel like a willow-branch, of the utmost elegance and come¬ 
liness of appearance, and she took a lute, and, with exciting modulations, sang 
these verses :— 

* This anecdote differs little from one before inserted in this work (vol. i. p. 225); but I hope the 
differences, though slight, are such as will render it acceptable to the reader.—Respecting Ibr4heem the 
son of El-Mahdee, see a note at the foot of page 336 in this volume.—My sheykh remarks, in a mar¬ 
ginal note, “The author of the 'Ekd has related this anecdote more fully, and says that its narration 
was thus occasioned. A spunger found ten criminals, and followed them, imagining that they were going 
to a feast; but lo, they were going to slaughter. And when they were put to death, and he remained, 
he was brought before the Khaleefeh ; and lbr£heem the son of El-Mahdee related this anecdote to 
obtain the liberation of that man : whereupon the Khaleefeh pardoned him.”—Here then we have the 
origin of “ the Barber’s story of himself,” in page 381 of the first volume of this work.—The ’E)jd above- 
ipentioned is a very celebrated miscellany, the author of which was Ibn ’Abd Rabbub, or, more properly, 

-Rabbihi, of Cordova: he died in the year of the Flight 328 (a. d. 940), in the 82nd year of his 

age. 

f He calls the master of the house by a surname, such as “ Abu-l-I^asan,'' or “ Father of Hasan.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

507 

Is it not wonderful that one house should contain us, and yet thou drawest 
not near, nor speakest ? 

Only eyes reveal the secrets of souls, and the breaking of hearts by love’s fire 
inflamed. 

We have only signals with the eyes and eyebrows, and sidelong glances, and 
the hand saluting. 

Disquieting feelings were excited in me, O Prince of the Faithful, and I was moved 
with delight by the excess of her beauty, and the elegance of her verses that she 
sang, and envied her for the excellence of her performance; but I said, Thou 
wantest one thing, O slave-girl. And upon this, she threw the lute from her 
hand in anger, and said, When were ye wont to bring impertinent dolts into your 
assemblies ? 

So I repented of that which I had done, and I saw that the party were dis¬ 
pleased with me ; wherefore I said, All that I hoped for hath eluded me, and I 
see no resource by which to avert reproach from me save this : I demanded a lute, 
and said, I will shew what was omitted by her of the air that she played. And 
the party replied, We hear and obey. They immediately brought me a lute, and 
I tuned its strings, and sang these verses:— 

This is thy lover, prostrated in his passion; the enamoured, whose tears are 
running down upon his body : 

He hath one hand raised in supplication to the Compassionate, for the attain¬ 
ment of his hope, and the other on his heart. 

O thou who beholdest one perishing of his love, his death is occasioned by 
his eye and by his hand. 

And upon this the slave-girl sprang up, and threw herself upon my feet, kissing 
them, and said. It is thine to excuse, O my master! By Allah I knew not thy 
dignity, nor have I ever heard the like of this performance.—Then the party 
began to honour and exalt me, after they had been moved with extreme delight; 
and each of them requested me to sing. I therefore sang an exciting piece, and 
the party became intoxicated, their reason quitting them, so that the two guests 
were carried away to their houses, and the master of the house alone remained 
with the slave-girl. And after he had drunk some cups with me, He said, O my 
master, my life hath passed unprofitably, since I have not known such a person as 
thyself before the present time. By Allah, then, O my master, tell me who thou 
art, that I may know my cup-companion with whom God hath favoured me this 
night.—And I began to give ambiguous hints, without telling him plainly my 
name. But he conjured me : so I informed him. And when he knew my name, 
he sprang upon his feet, and said, I wondered to think that this excellence could 
belong to any but thyself; and fortune hath granted me a favour for which I am 
unable to render due thanks: but perhaps this is a dream; for when did I hope 
that one connected with the Khaleefeh would visit me in my abode, and pass this 
night carousing with me ? 

I conjured him to sit; and he sat, and began to inquire of me the cause of my 
visiting him, in the most polite manner. So I acquainted him with the affair 
from first to last, concealing nothing of it, and said, With regard to the food, I 
have attained what I sought; but with regard to the hand and wrist, I have not 
attained my desire. He replied, with regard to the hand and wrist, thou shall 

508 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

attain thy desire, if it be the will of God, whose name be exalted ! Then he said, 
O such-a-one [mentioning a female name], tell such-a-one that she is to come 
down. And he proceeded to call for his female slaves, one after another, and to 
shew them all unto me; but I saw not the object of my affection, until he said, 
By Allah, O my master, there remain none save my mother and my sister; but, 
by Allah, they must be brought down to thee and shewn to thee, that thou mayest 
see them. And I wondered at his generosity, and his frankness of mind; and I 
said, May 1 be thy sacrifice! Begin then with the sister.—He replied, With 
pleasure. Then his sister came down, and he shewed me her hand, and lo, she 
was the person whose hand and wrist I had seen. So I said, May I be thy sacri¬ 
fice ! This damsel is she whose hand and wrist I saw.—And he ordered the young 
men to bring the witnesses immediately. They therefore brought them ; and he 
produced two myriads * of pieces of gold, and said to the witnesses, This our lord, 
seyyideef Ibraheem the son of El-Mahdee, the uncle of the Prince of the Faith¬ 
ful, demandeth in marriage my sister such-a-one, and I call you to witness that I 
have married her to him, and he hath given her as her dowry a myriad. And 
after this he said, I marry to thee my sister such-a-one for the said dowry. I re¬ 
plied, I accept that offer, and approve of it. Then he paid one of the two myriads 
to his sister, and the other to the witnesses; and said, O our lord, I desire to 
furnish one of the chambers for thee and thy wife. But I was abashed at that 
which I had experienced of his generosity, and was' ashamed to accept his pro¬ 
posal : so I said, Equip her and send her to my abode.—And by thy existence, O 
Prince of the Faithful, there were brought to me, of her paraphernalia, such things 
that our rooms were too small to contain them, spacious as they were. Then I 
had by her this boy who is standing before thee. 

And El-Ma-moon wondered at the generosity of this man, and said, Divinely 
was he gifted! I have never heard of the like of him!—He ordered Ibr&heem 
the son of El-Mahdee to bring the man that he might see him. So he brought him 
before the Khaleefeh, who desired him to speak, and his politeness and good 
breeding so pleased him that he made him one of his chief attendants.—And God 
is the Giver, and the Liberal Bestower. 

Anecdote of a Charitable Woman. 

It is related that a certain King said to the people of his dominions, If any 
one of you give aught in alms, I will assuredly cut off his hand. So all the 
people refrained from alms-giving, and none could bestow upon another. And 
it happened that a beggar came to a woman one day, and hunger tormented 
him, and he said to her, Give me somewhat as an alms.—How, said she, can 1 
bestow an alms upon thee when the King cutteth off the hand of every one who 
doth so? But he rejoined, I conjure thee by God (whose name be exalted!) that 
thou give me an alms. So when he conjured her by God, she was moved with pity 
for him, and bestowed upon him two cake3 of bread. And the news reached the 
King; whereupon he gave orders to bring her before him ; and when she came, 
he cut off her hands. And she returned to her house. 

* The word here signifying “ a myriad,” or “ ten thousand [pieces of money],” namely “ bedreh,” 
is employed in the vulgar Arabic to signify 11 a sum of money which an Emeer or some such person 
throws to the people, as the Bdsha does at certain festivals, or in visiting [the mosque of] our lord El- 
Hoseyn.” (Marginal note by my sheykh.) 

1 “ Seyyidee" signifies “ my master." 

Then the King, after a while, said to his mother, I desire to marry : therefore 
marry me to a comely woman. And she replied, There is, among our female 
slaves, a woman than whom none more beautiful existeth ; but she hath a griev¬ 
ous defect.—And what is it? he asked. She answered, She is maimed of the two 
hands. The King however said, I desire to see her. Wherefore she brought her 
to him, and when he saw her, he was tempted by her beauty, and married her. 
And that woman was she who bestowed upon the beggar the two cakes of bread, 
and whose hands were cut off on that account. But when he had married her, 
her fellow-wives envied her, and wrote to the King, telling him that she was un¬ 
chaste : and she had given birth to a son. And the King wrote a letter to his 
mother, in which he commanded her to go forth with her to the desert, and to 
leave her there, and return. 

His mother therefore did so: she took her forth to the desert, and returned. 
And that woman began to weep for the misfortune that had befallen her, and to 
bewail violently, with a wailing not to be exceeded. And while she was walking, 
with the child upon her neck, she came to a river, and kneeled down to drink, 
because of the violence of the thirst that had affected her from her walking and 
fatigue and grief; and when she stooped her head, the child fell into the water. So 
she sat weeping violently for her child; and while she wept, lo, there passed by 
her two men, who said to her, What causeth thee to weep ? She answered, I had 
a child upon my neck, and he fell into the water. And they said, Dost thou de¬ 
sire that we rescue him and restore him to thee ? She answered, Yes. And upon 
this they supplicated God (whose name be exalted !) and the child came forth to 
her safe and unhurt. Then they said to her, Dost thou desire that God should 
restore to thee thy hands as they were ? She answered, Yes. And they suppli- 

510 

NOTES TO CHATTER SIXTEENTH. 

cated God (whose perfection be extolled, and whose name be exalted !); where¬ 
upon her hands returned to her in the most perfect state. After this they said to 
her, Knowest thou who we are ?—God, she replied, is all-knowing. And they said, 
We are thy two cakes of bread which thou gavest as an alms to the beggar, and 
which alms occasioned the cutting off of thy hands.* Therefore praise God (whose 
name be exalted!) that He hath restored to thee thy hands and thy child.—And 
she praised God (whose name be exalted!), and glorified Him. 

Anecdote of a Charitable Israelite. 

There was, among the Children of Israel,) a devout man, having a family who 
spun cotton; and he used every day to sell the thread that they spun, and to buy 
fresh cotton; and with the profit that arose he bought, for his family, food, which 
they ate that day. And he went forth one day, and sold the thread which they 
had spun, and there met him one of his brethren, who complained to him of his 
need; whereupon he gave him the price of his thread, and returned to his family 
without either cotton or food. So they said to him, Where is the cotton and the 
food ? And he answered them, Such-a-one met me, and complained to me of his 
need; wherefore I gave him the price of the thread. They said, And what shall 
we do; for we have nothing to sell ? But they had a broken wooden bowl, and a 
jar; and he took them to the market. No one, however, would buy them of him; 
but while he was in the market, there met him a man with a stinking, swollen fish, 
which no one would buy of him ; and the owner of the fish said to him, Wilt thou 
sell to me thy unmarketable property for mine? He answered, Yes :—and gave 
the man the wooden bowl and the jar, receiving from him the fish, which he 
brought to his family. They said, What shall we do with this fish ? He answered. 
We will broil it and feed upon it until God (whose name be exalted 1) please to 
supply us with sustenance. They therefore took it, and ripped open its belly, and 
they found in it a pearl. So they informed the sheykli [the devotee] ; and he said, 
See if it be pierced ; for if so, it belongeth to some one of the people ; but if it be 
not pierced, it is a gift which God (whose name be exalted!) hath bestowed upon 
you. And they looked, and lo, it was not pierced. And when the morning came, he 
went with it to one of his brethren, of those who were acquainted with pearls; and 
this person said, O such-a-one, whence gottest thou this pearl ? He answered, It is 
a gift which God (whose name be exalted !) hath bestowed upon us. And the man 
said, Verily it is worth a thousand pieces of silver, and I will give thee that sum ; 
but take it to such-a-one ; for he is of more wealth and knowledge than myself. 
So he took it to him, and he said, Verily it is worth seventy thousand pieces of 
silver : not more than that. Then he paid him seventy thousand pieces of silver; 
and the sheykh called the porters, who carried for him the money until he arrived 
at the door of his dwelling; when a beggar came to him, and said to him, Give 
me of that which God (whose name be exalted!) hath given unto thee. And he 
said to the beggar, We were yesterday like thee. Take half of this money.—And 
when he had divided the money into two equal portions, and each of them had 

• “That is, God (whose name be exalted !) made her action to assume the forms of two men, like as 
He causeth the virtuous action to assume the form of a man who cheereth the dead in his sepulchre.' 1 
(Marginal note by my sheykh.) 

+ Such of the descendants of Jacob as held the true faith, the Muslims call “ the Children of Israel 
but the deniers of the Messiah they do not honour with this appellation j calling them “ Yahood,” i. e. 
“ Jews.” 

taken his half, the beggar said to him, Keep thy money, and take it.: may God 
bless thee in it: for verily I am a messenger of thy Lord, who hath sent me to 
thee to try thee. And the sheykh said, To God be praise and thanks !—And he 
ceased not to pass a most comfortable life, he and his family, until death. 

Anecdote of Aboo Hassan Ez-Ziyddee. 

Aboo Hassan Ez-Ziyadee saith, My circumstances one day became severely 
straitened, so that the grocer and the baker and the rest of the tradesmen im¬ 
portuned me, and my affliction became violent, and I found no resource. But 
while 1 was in this state, not knowing what to do, lo, there came in to me a young 
man belonging to me, and he said, At the door is a man on pilgrimage, who de- 
sireth to come in to thee. So I said, Give him permission. And he came in; 
and behold, he was a man of Khurisan. He saluted me, and I returned his salu¬ 
tation; and he said, Art thou Aboo Hassan Ez-Ziy&dee? I answered, Yes. And 
what, said I, dost thou want ?—I am a stranger, he answered, and am desirous of 
performing the pilgrimage, and I have with me a sum of money, the carrying of 
which is a burden to me : wherefore I desire to deposit with thee these ten thou¬ 
sand pieces of silver until I accomplish my pilgrimage and return : and if the 
caravan return and thou see me not, know that I have died, and the money is a 
present from me unto thee; but if I return, it is mine. I replied, Thy desire shall 
be complied with, if it be the will of God (whose name be exalted!). And he took 
forth a leather bag ; and I said to the young man, Bring me a pair of scales. So 
he brought a pair of scales, and the man weighed the money, and, having delivered 
it to me, went his way. I then summoned the tradesmen, and paid my debts, and 
expended and made ample purchases, saying within myself, Ere he returneth, God 
will aid me with somewhat of his gifts. 

512 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

But after a day, the young man came in to me, and said to me, Thy acquaint¬ 
ance the man of Khur&s&n is at the door. I replied, Give him permission. And 
he entered, and said, I had determined on performing the pilgrimage ; but news 
hath been brought to me of the death of my father ; and I have resolved to return; 
therefore give me the money that I entrusted to thee yesterday. Now when I 
heard from him these words, excessive anxiety overcame me, such as none hath ever 
experienced; and I was perplexed, and returned him not a reply ; for if I denied, 
I knew that he would require me to swear, and ignominy would have been my lot 
in the world to come; and if I informed him that I had expended it, he would [I 
imagined] have cried out, and disgraced me. So at last I said, God preserve thee 
in health! This my abode is not a strong nor a secure place of custody for that 
money; and when I received thy leather bag, I sent it to him with whom it now is : 
therefore return to us to-morrow to receive it, if it be the will of God, whose name 
be exalted!—Accordingly he departed from me; and I passed the night in perplex¬ 
ity on account of the return of the man of KhurAs&n to me, and sleep came not to 
me that night, nor could I close my eye. So I arose and went to the young man, 
and said to him, Saddle for me the mule.—O my lord, he replied, it is now the first 
third of the night, and indeed nought of the night hath passed. I therefore returned 
to my bed ; hut sleep was forbidden me, and I ceased not to rouse the young man, 
who continued to turn me back from my purpose, until the dawn rose, when he 
saddled for me the mule, and I mounted. I knew not whither to go: so I threw 
the mule’s bridle upon her shoulders, and became occupied with reflection and 
anxieties, while she proceeded to the eastern side of Baghdad. 

And while I was passing on, lo, I beheld a company, and I turned from them, 
and went out of their way to another way ; but they followed me; and when they 
saw me with a teylesdn,* they hastened towards me, and said to me, Dost thou 
know the abode of Aboo Hassdn Ez-Ziyddee ? I answered them, I am he. And 
they said, Answer the summons of the Prince of the Faithful. I therefore pro¬ 
ceeded with them until I went in to El-Ma-moon; and he said to me, Who art 
thou ? I answered, A man of the companions of the Kadee Aboo Yoosuf, one of the 
professors of the law and of the traditions. He asked, By what surname of relation¬ 
ship art thou called ? I answered, By the surname of Aboo Hassail Ez-Ziy&dee. 
And he said, Explain to me thy case. So I explained to him my story, and he wept 
violently, and said, Wo to thee ! The Apostle of God (may God favour and pre¬ 
serve him!) suffered me not to sleep this last night because of thee ; for when I 
slept in the beginning of the night, he said to me [in a dream], Aid Aboo Hassdn 
Ez-Ziyadee.f And I awoke, and knew thee not. Then a second time 1 slept, 
and he came to me, and said to me, Wo to thee! Aid Aboo Hassan Ez-Ziy&dee. 
—And I awoke, and knew thee not. Then I slept again, and he came to me, and 
still I knew thee not. And again I slept, and he came to me, and said to me, 
W r o to thee! Aid Aboo Hass&n Ez-Ziy&dee.—So I dared not sleep after that. I 
remained awake the whole of the remainder of the night, and roused the people, 

* I have never had an opportunity of examining the teylesdn, so aa to be enabled to describe it 
exactly. I believe it to be a simple kind of scarf, which is thrown over the head and shoulders, or 
sometimes over the shoulders only. It is peculiar to fakeehs (or professors of religion and law); and 
I am inclined to think that it is similar, not only in this respect, but also in its origin, to our academi¬ 
cal scarfs and hoods. 

t “ Whoso seeth me in his sleep,” said the Prophet, “ seeth me truly; for Satan cannot assume 
the similitude of my form.”—Hence various points of dispute among the Muslims have been settled 
by dreams. I have given an instance in my work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. i. chap. ix. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

513 

and sent them to seek for thee in every quarter.—He then gave to me ten thou¬ 
sand pieces of silver, saying, This is for the man of Khur&sdn. And after that, he 
gave me ten thousand more pieces of silver, and said, Make, with this, ample pur¬ 
chases, and reform thy circumstances with it. Then he gave me thirty thousand 
pieces of silver, saying, Equip thyself with this, and when the day of the state-pro¬ 
cession arriveth, come to me, that I may invest thee with an office. 

So I went forth, taking the money with me, and, having returned to my house, 
performed there the morning-prayers ; and lo, the man of Khurasan came. I 
brought him into the house, and produced to him ten thousand pieces, saying to 
him, This is thy money. But he replied, This is not my very money. I said, 
Yes. And lie asked, What is the cause of this ? I therefore related to him the 
story; whereupon he wept, and said, By Allah, hadst thou told me the truth in 
the beginning of the affair, I had not demanded the money of thee ; and now, by 
Allah, I will not accept aught of this money : thou art absolved of responsibility 
with respect to it. And he departed from me. I then arranged my affairs, and 
repaired on the day of the state-procession to the gate of El-Ma-moon, and I went 
in to him as he sat. And when I presented myself before him, he called me near 
to him, and produced unto me a written appointment from beneath his prayer- 
carpet, saying, This is an appointment conferring the office of Kadee of the Noble 
City,* from the western side [of the mosque], from the Bib es-Selam, f to an ex¬ 
tent unlimited ; and I have assigned thee such and such allowances every month. 
Then fear God (to whom be ascribed might and glory!), and be mindful of the 
solicitude of the Apostle of God (may God favour and preserve him 1) respecting 
thee.—And the people wondered at his words, and asked me their meaning : so I 
acquainted them with the story from beginning to end, and the report spread 
among the people. 

And Aboo Hassan Ez-Ziytulee ceased not to be Kadee in the Noble City until 
he died, in the days of El-Ma-moon. The mercy of God be on him ! 

A Friend in Need. 

It is related that a man possessed great wealth, and it departed from him, and 
ho became destitute of everything; whereupon his wife advised him to seek of one 
of his friends something wherewith to repair his condition. So he betook himself 
to a friend of his, and mentioned to him his necessity; and this friend lent him 
five hundred pieces of gold, that he might traffick with them. Now he was origin¬ 
ally a jeweller. He therefore took the gold, and went to the market of jewels, 
where he opened a shop to buy and sell. And when he sat in the shop, there came 
to him three men, who inquired of him respecting his father; and he told them of 
his death; upon which they said to him, Hath he left any offspring ? He an¬ 
swered, He hath left the slave J who is before you.—And who, said they, knowetli 
that thou art his son ? He answered, The people of the market. And they said to 
him, Bring them together to us, that they may testify that thou art his son. He 
therefore collected them, and they testified to that fact. And the three men pro- 

• “ El-Medeeneh esh-Shereefeh." This is a common appellation of the city in which the Prophet 
is buried ; commonly called by European writers " Medina.” 

t This is the name of the principal gate (at the south-west corner) of the mosque in which the Pro¬ 
phet is burled. 

t This is a common expression of humility. 

3 u 

VOL. 11, 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

. 114 

duced a pair of saddle-bags containing the sum of thirty thousand pieces of gold, 
together with jewels and precious minerals; and they said, This was deposited 
with us in trust for thy father. Then they departed; and there came to him a 
woman, who demanded of him somewhat of those jewels worth five hundred pieces 
of gold, and bought it of him for three thousand pieces of gold. And he sold it to 
her, and took the five hundred pieces of gold that he had borrowed of his friend, 
and carried them to him, and said to him, Receive the five hundred pieces of gold 
that I borrowed of thee; for God hath aided me and prospered me. But his 
friend replied, I presented thee with them, and gave them up for the sake of God: 
therefore take them; and take this paper, but read it not until thou art in thy 
house, and act agreeably with its contents: so he took the money and the paper, 
and repaired to his house ; and when he opened the paper, he found written in it 
these verses:— 

The men who came to thee were my relations, my father and my paternal 
uncle and my maternal uncle Saleh the son of ’Alee. 

In like manner, what thou soldestfor cash, to my mother thou soldest it; and 
the money and jewels were sent from me. 

I desired not, by doing so, any detriment to thee ; but to spare thee the em¬ 
barrassment of bashfulness before me. 

A Dream.* 

It is related also, that a man of Baghdad was possessed of ample riches and 
great wealth; but his wealth passed away, and his state changed, and he became 
utterly destitute, and could not obtain his sustenance save by laborious exertion. 
And he slept one night, overwhelmed and oppressed, and saw in his sleep a person 
who said to him, Verily thy fortune is in Cairo : therefore seek it and repair to it. 
So he journeyed to Cairo ; and when he arrived there, the evening overtook him, 
and he slept in a mosque. Now there was, adjacent to the mosque, a house; and 
as God (whose name be exalted!) had decreed, a party of robbers entered the 
mosque, and thence passed to that house; and the people of the house, awaking 
at the disturbance occasioned by the robbers, raised cries ; whereupon the W&lee 
came to their aid with hi3 followers, and the robbers fled. The Walee then 
entered the mosque, and found the man of Baghdad sleeping there: so he laid hold 
upon him, and inflicted upon him a painful beating with mikra’ahs, until he was 
at the point of death, and imprisoned him; and he remained three days in the 
prison ; after which, the Wfilee caused him to be brought, and said to him, From 
what country art thou? He answered, From Baghdad.—And what affair, said the 
Wdlee, was the cause of thy coming to Cairo? He answered, I saw in my sleep 
a person who said to me, Verily thy fortune is in Cairo: therefore repair to it. 
And when I came to Cairo, I found the fortune of which he told me to be those 
blows of the mikra’ahs that I have received from thee.—And upon this the Wfilee 
laughed so that his grinders appeared, and said to him, O thou of little sense, l 
saw three times in my sleep a person who said to me, Verily a house in Baghdad, 
in such a district, and of such a description, hath in its court a garden, at the 
lower end of which is a fountain, wherein is wealth of great amount: therefore 
repair to it and take it. But I went not; and thou, through the smallness of thy 

♦ This anecdote is also related by El-Is-hikee (reign of El-Ma-moon). 

sense, hast journeyed from city to city on account of a tiling thou hast seen in 
sleep, when it was only an effect of confused dreams.—Then he gave him some 
money, and said to him, Help thyself with this to return to thy city. So he took 
it and returned to Baghdad. Now the house which the Wdlee had described, in 
Baghdad, was the house of that man ; therefore when he arrived at his abode, he 
dug beneath the fountain, and beheld abundant wealth. Thus God enriched and 
sustained him ; and this was a wonderful coincidence. 

El-Mutawekkil and Mahboobeh. 

There were, in the palace of the Prince of the Faithful, El-Mutawekkil 'ala- 
ll&h, four hundred * concubines, two hundred Greeks, and two hundred muwel¬ 
ledehs f and Ahyssinians; and ’Obeyd the son of Tahir gave to El-Mutawekkil 
four hundred slave-girls, two hundred white, and two hundred Ahyssinians and 
muwelledehs. Among these was a slave-girl of the muwelledehs of El-Basrah, 
named Mahboobeh. t She was pre-eminent in beauty and loveliness, and in 
elegance and amorous manners; she played upon the lute, and sang well, composed 
verses, and wrote an excellent hand; and El-Mutawekkil in consequence became 
captivated by her, and could not bear to be absent from her a single hour. But 
when she saw his affection for her, she behaved arrogantly towards him, and was 
ungrateful for his favours: so he became violently incensed against her, and 
deserted her, forbidding the inmates of the palace to speak to her. 

* In my original “ four thousand but this appears, from what follows, to be a mistake. 

t A person born a slave in an Arabian country is called, if a male, " muwelled,” and if a female 
‘' muwelledeh." 

t Mahboobeh signifies ' 1 beloved." 

.516 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

She remained in that state some days ; but El-Mutawekkil still had an affection 
for her; and he arose in the morning one day, and said to his usual associates, I 
dreamed this last night that I became reconciled to Mahboobeh. They replied, 
We beg of God (whose name be exalted!) that such an event may happen when 
thou art awake. And while he was speaking, lo, a maid-servant came, and com¬ 
municated some information to him; upon which he arose from the assembly, and 
entered the abode of the Hareem. And the communication that she made to him 
was this : she said to him, We heard from the chamber of Mahboobeh the sounds 
of singing, and playing upon the lute, and we know not the cause of this. And 
when he arrived at her chamber, he heard her singing to the lute, striking it 
sweetly, and singing these verses: — 

I wander through the palace and behold not any one unto whom to complain, 
nor any one to speak to me ; 

As though I had committed an act of rebellion, of which no repentance could 
avail to acquit me. 

Is there any intercessor to plead for me with a King who hath paid me a visit 
in sleep and made peace with me, 

And who, when the daybreak appeared unto us, resumed his desertion, and 
severed me from him 1 

So when El-Mutawekkil heard her words, he wondered at these verses, and at this 
strange coincidence, at Mahboobeh’s seeing a dream agreeing with his dream. 
He therefore went in to her in the chamber; and when he entered and she was 
sensible of his presence, she hastened to rise to him, and threw herself upon his 
feet, kissing them, and saying, By Allah, O my lord, I saw this event in my sleep 
last night; and when I awoke, I composed these verses.—By Allah, replied El- 
Mutawekkil, I beheld in my sleep the like of this. Then they embraced each 
other, and became reconciled ; and he remained with her seven days with their 
nights. And Mahboobeh had written upon her cheek, with musk, the name of 
El-Mutawekkil; and his name was Jaafar; and when he beheld his name so 
written, he composed and recited these verses:— 

She wrote Jaafar with musk on her cheek. With my soul would I ransom 
her who wrote on the cheek what I see. 

If her fingers have inscribed one line upon her cheek, she hath deposited 
many lines in my heart. 

O thou whom Jaafar among mankind possesseth, may God fill Jaafar* with 
the draught of thy love ! 

And when El-Mutawekkil died, all the female slaves that had belonged to him 
dismissed him from their minds, except Mahboobeh; for she ceased not to mourn 
for him until she died, and she was buried by his side.—The mercy of God be on 
them all!

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY- 
SEVENTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE THREE 
HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIRST. 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

There was, in ancient times, in the country of the Persians,' a 
mighty King, of great dignity, who had three daughters, like 
shining full moons and flowery gardens; and he had a male child, 
like the moon. He observed two annual festivals, that of the New- 
year’s-day, and that of the Autumnal Equinox ; 3 and it was his 
custom, on these occasions, to open his palaces, and give his gifts, 
and make proclamation of safety and security, and promote the 

THE STORY OP THK MAGIC HORSE. 

518 

chamberlains and lieutenants : the people of his dominions also 
used to go in to him and salute him, and congratulate him on the 
festival, offering him presents and servants; and he loved philosophy 
and geometry. And while the King was sitting on the throne of 
his dominions, on a certain day, during one of these festivals , 3 there 
came in to him three sages : with one of them was a peacock of 
gold; and with the second, a trumpet of brass ; and with the third, 
a horse of ivory and ebony: whereupon the King said to them, 
What are these things, and what is their use ? The owner of 
the peacock answered, The use of this peacock is, that whenever an 
hour of the night or day passetli, it will flap its wings, and utter a 
cry . 4 And the owner of the trumpet 5 said, If this trumpet be 
placed at the gate of the city, it will be as a defender of it; for if an 
enemy enter the city, this trumpet will send forth a sound against 
him; so he will be known and arrested. And the owner of the 
horse said, O my Lord, the use of this horse is, that if a man mount 
it, it will convey him to whatever country he desiretli. Upon this 
the King said, I will not bestow any favour upon you until I make 
trial of the uses of these things. Then he made trial of the pea¬ 
cock, and found it to be as its owner had said. And he made trial 
of the trumpet, and found it as its owner had said. He therefore 
said to the two sages (the owners of the peacock and the trumpet), 
Request of me what ye will. And they replied, We request of thee 
that thou marry to each of us one of thy daughters. Whereupon 
the King bestowed upon them two of his daughters. Then the 
third sage, the owner of the horse, advanced, and, having kissed the 
ground before the King, said to him, O King of the age, bestow 
upon me like as thou hast bestowed upon my companions. The 
King replied, When I shall have made trial of that which thou hast 
brought. And upon this, the King’s son advanced and said, O my 
father, I will mount this horse, and make trial of it, and obtain proof 
of its use . 6 So the King replied, O my son, try it as thou desirest. 

The King’s son accordingly arose, and mounted the horse, and 
urged it with his feet; but it moved not from its place. He therefore 
said, O sage, where is its rapidity of pace of which thou boastedst ? 
And on hearing this, the sage came to him, and shewed him a 
turning-pin, by which to make it ascend; saying to him, Turn this pin. 
And the King’s son turned it, and lo, the horse moved, and soared 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

519 

with him towards the upper region of the sky, and ceased not its 
flight with him until he was out of sight of the people ; whereupon 
the prince was perplexed at his case, and repented of his having 
mounted the horse. He said, The sage hath made use of a strata¬ 
gem to destroy me, and there is no strength nor power but in God, 
the High, the Great! Then he began to examine all the members 
of the horse; and while he was doing so, he saw a thing like the 
head of a cock, on the horse’s right shoulder, and the like on the 
left shoulder: so he said, I see not any indication excepting these 
two buttons. And he turned the button that was on the right 
shoulder; upon which the horse bore him upwards with increased 
velocity into the sky: so he took off his hand from that button, and, 
looking at the left shoulder, and seeing the button that was there, 
he turned it; and the movements of the horse became lessened in 
velocity, and changed from ascending to descending. It ceased not 
to descend with him towards the earth by little and little, while he 
continued to exercise caution for his safety ; and when he saw this, 
and knew the uses of the horse, his heart was filled with joy and 
happiness, and he thanked God (whose name be exalted !) for the 
favour that He had shewn him in saving him from destruction. 
He ceased not to descend for the whole of the remainder of the day ; 
for in his ascent, the earth had become distant from him; and he 
turned about the face of the horse as he desired, while it descended 
with him: when he would, he was carried downwards by it; and 
when he would, he was borne by it upwards. 

Now when he had obtained what he desired with respect to the 
horse, he proceeded on it towards the earth, and began to look at 
its countries and cities, which he knew not; for he had never seen 
them before during the whole of his life. And among the objects 
that he beheld was a city constructed in the most excellent manner, 
in the midst of a land beautifully verdant, with trees and rivers; 
upon which he meditated in his mind, and said, Would that I knew 
what is the name of this city, and in what region it is. He then 
made a circuit around the city, viewing it attentively, right and left. 
The day had nearly departed, and the sun was about to set: so he 
said within himself, I have not found any place in which to pass the 
night better than this city : I will therefore pass this night in it 
and in the morning I will return to my family and my royal resi- 

dence, and acquaint my family and my father with that which hath 
happened to me, and inform him of the things that mine eyes have 
seen. Accordingly he began to search for a place in which he might 
feel secure of the safety of himself and his horse, and where no one 
might see him ; and w'hile he was thus engaged, lo, he beheld, in 
the midst of the city, a palace rising high into the air, surrounded 
by a large wall w’ith high battlements; whereupon he said within 
himself, This place is agreeable. 

He turned the button that caused the horse to descend, and 
ceased not to be carried downwards on it until he descended steadily 
on the flat roof of the palace, when he alighted from the horse, 
praising God (whose name be exalted!), and began to go round 
about the horse, and to examine it, and said, By Allah, he who made 
thee thus was an expert sage ; and if God (whose name be exalted!) 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

521 

extend the term of my life, and restore me to my country and my 
family in safety, and reunite me with my father, I will assuredly 
bestow every favour upon this sage, and treat him with the utmost 
beneficence. He then sat upon the roof of the palace until he knew 
that the inmates had betaken themselves to sleep. Hunger and 
thirst pained him; for since he had parted from his father he had 
not eaten food ; and he said within himself, Verily such a palace as 
this is not devoid of the necessaries of life. He therefore left the 
horse in a place alone, and walked down to see for something to eat; 
and finding a flight of steps, he descended by them to the lower part 
of the building, where he found a court paved with marble; and he 
wondered at this place, and at the beauty of its construction; but 
he heard not in the palace any sound, nor the cheering voice of an 
inhabitant. So he paused in perplexity, and looked to the right 
and left, not knowing whither to go. Then he said within himself, 
there is no better course for me than to return to the place in which 
is my horse, and to pass the night by it; and when the morning 
cometh, I mount and depart. 

But while he was addressing himself with these words, he beheld 
a light approaching the place where he stood, and, looking atten¬ 
tively at that light, he found that it was with a party of female 
slaves, among whom was a beautiful damsel, of a stature like the 
letter Alif , 7 resembling the splendid full moon, as the poet hath 
said:— 

She came without appointment, in the gloom of nightfall, like the full moon 
in the dark horizon ; 

Slender-formed; there is none among the creation like her in excellence of 
beauty or the charms of disposition. 

I exclaimed, when my eye beheld her beauty, Extolled be the perfection of 
the Creator of mankind ! 

I guard her from the eyes of every person by seeking refuge with the Lord 
of men and of the daybreak. 8 

That damsel was the daughter of the King of this city ; and her 
father loved her with so great an affection that he built for her this 
palace ; and whenever her heart was contracted, she used to come 
hither, together with her female slaves, and to remain here a day, 
or two days, or more ; after which she returned to the palace where 
she generally resided. It happened that she came that night for 

3 x 

VOL. 

I. 

522 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

the sake of diversion and dilatation of the mind, and she walked 
among the female slaves, attended by a eunuch armed with a sword; 
and when they entered the palace, they spread the furniture, and 
gave vent to the odours from the perfuming-vessels, and sported and 
rejoiced. Now while they were thus engaged, the King’s son 
rushed upon that eunuch, struck him a blow which laid him pros¬ 
trate, and, taking the sword from his hand, ran upon the female 
slaves who were with the King’s daughter, and dispersed them to 
the right and left. And when the King’s daughter saw his beauty 
and loveliness, she said, Perhaps thou art he who demanded me 
in marriage yesterday of my father, and whom he rejected, and 
whom he asserted to be of hideous aspect. By Allah, my father lied 
in saying those words; for thou art none other than a handsome 
person. 

Now the son of the King of India had requested her of her 
father, and he had rejected him, because he was disagreeable in as¬ 
pect ; and she imagined that the prince now before her was he who 
had demanded her in marriage. She then came to him, and embraced 
and kissed him, and seated herself with him. The female slaves, 
however, said to her, O our mistress, this is not the person who de¬ 
manded thee in marriage of thy father ; for that person was hideous, 
and this is handsome ; and he who demanded thee of thy father, 
and whom he rejected, is not fit to be a servant to this person: but, 
O our mistress, verily this young man is one of high dignity. And 
after this, the female slaves went to the prostrated eunuch, and roused 
him ; whereupon he sprang up in alarm, and searched for his sword, 
not finding it in his hand. So the female slaves said to him, He 
who took thy sword, and laid thee prostrate, is sitting with the 
King’s daughter.—Now the King had charged this eunuch with the 
office of guarding his daughter, in his fear for her from misfortunes 
and evil accidents.—The eunuch therefore arose, and went to the 
curtain, and when he raised it, he saw the King’s daughter sitting 
with the King’s son, and they were conversing together; and as 
soon as he beheld them, he said to the King’s son, O my master, art 
thou a human being or a Jinnee ? To which the King’s son re¬ 
plied, Wo to thee, O most ill-omened of slaves ! How is it that 
thou regardest the sons of the royal Kisras 9 as of the unbelieving 
devils ?—Then, taking the sword in his hand, he said to him, I am 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

523 

the son-in-law of the King, and he hath married me to his daughter, 
and commanded me to introduce myself to her. So when the 
eunuch heard these words from him, he said to him, O my master, 
if thou be of the human species, as thou hast asserted, she is suited 
to none hut thee, and thou art more worthy of her than any other. 

The eunuch then went shrieking to the King ; and he had rent 
his clothes, and thrown dust upon his head. And when the King 
heard his crying, he said to him, What hath befallen thee ; for thou 
hast agitated my heart ? Acquaint me quickly, and be brief in thy 
words.—He therefore answered him, O King, go to the assistance 
of thy daughter; for a devil of the Jinn, in the garb of human 
beings, and having the form of the sons of the Kings, hath got 
possession of her : therefore seize him. And when the King heard 
these words from him, he thought to slay him, and said to him, How 
came it to pass that thou wast neglectful of my daughter, so that 
this event befell her ? He then went to the palace wherein was his 
daughter, and on his arrival he found the female slaves standing 
there, and said to them, What is it that hath happened to my 
daughter ? They answered him, O King, while we were sitting 
with her, suddenly there rushed upon us this young man, who re- 
sembleth the full moon, and than whom we have never seen any 
one more handsome in countenance, with a drawn sword in his 
hand ; and we inquired of him respecting his business, and he 
asserted that thou hadst married to him thy daughter: we know 
nothing more than this ; and we know not whether he be a human 
being or a Jinnee; but he is chaste and well bred, and doth not addict 

524 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

himself to that which is disgraceful. So when the King heard their 
words, his rage was cooled. He then raised the curtain by little 
and little, and looked, and beheld the King’s son sitting with his 
daughter, conversing ; and he was of most comely form, with a face 
like the shining full moon. 

The King could not control himself, through his jealousy for 
his daughter. He therefore raised the curtain and entered, with a 
drawn sword in his hand, and rushed upon them as though he were 
a Ghool . 10 The King’s son, on seeing him, said to her, Is this thy 
father ? She answered, Yes. And upon this, he sprang upon his 
feet, and, taking his sword in his hand, shouted at the King with 
an amazing cry, which terrified him, and was about to attack him 
with the sword ; but the King, perceiving that the prince was 
stronger than he, sheathed his sword, and stood until the King’s son 
came up to him, when he met him with courtesy, and said to him, 
O young man, art thou a human being or a Jinnee ? The King’s 
son replied, Were it not that I respect thy right and the honour of 
thy daughter, I had shed thy blood. How is it that thou derivest 
me from the devils, when I am of the sons of the royal Kisras, who, 
if they desired to take thy kingdom, would make thee totter from 
thy glory and dominion, and despoil thee of all that is in thy dwell¬ 
ings?—So the King , 11 on hearing his words, dreaded and feared him; 
but said to him, If thou be of the sons of the Kings, as thou hast 
asserted, how is it that thou hast entered my palace without my per¬ 
mission, and dishonoured me, and come unto my daughter, asserting 
that thou art her husband, and pretending that I had married thee 
to her, when I have killed the Kings and the sons of the Kings on 
their demanding her of me in marriage ? And who will save thee 
from my power, when, if I cried out unto my slaves and my young 
men and commanded them to slay thee, they would slay thee imme¬ 
diately ? Who then can deliver thee from my hand ? 

The King’s son, however, when he heard these words from him, 
said to the King, Verily I wonder at thee, and at the smallness of 
thy penetration. Dost thou covet for thy daughter a husband 
better than myself; and hast thou seen any one more firm of heart, 
and superior in requital, and more glorious in authority and troops 
and guards than I am ?—The King answered him, No, by Allah : but 
I would, O young man, that thou demand her in marriage publickly. 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

525 

that I may marry her to thee ; for if I marry her to thee privately, 
thou wilt disgrace me by so taking her. And the King’s son 
replied, Thou hast said well: but, O King, if thy slaves and servants 
and troops were to assemble against me and slay me, as thou hast 
imagined, thou wouldst disgrace thyself, and the people would be 
divided with respect to thee, some believing, and others accusing 
thee of falsehood. It is my opinion that thou shouldst relinquish 
this idea, and adopt the course that I will point out to thee.—So 
the King said, Propose what thou wilt. And the King’s son rejoined, 
What I propose to thee is this : either that thou meet me in single 
combat, and he who killeth the other shall be more deserving and 
worthy of the kingdom ; or else, that thou leave me this night, and 
when the morning cometh, that thou send forth to me thy soldiers 
and troops and young men, and acquaint me with their number. 
The King replied, their number is forty thousand horsemen, be¬ 
sides the slaves belonging to me, and their followers, who are equal 
in number. And the King’s son said, When the day beginneth, 
send them forth to me, and say to them, This person hath demanded 
of me my daughter in marriage on the condition that he will meet 
you all in combat; and he hath pretended that he will overcome 
and subdue you, and that ye cannot prevail against him. Then 
leave me with them to combat them; and if they kill me, the result 
will be more proper for the concealment of thy secret and the pre¬ 
serving of thine honour; but if I overcome and subdue them, then 
am I such a person as the King should desire for his son-in-law.— 
And when the King heard his words, he approved of his advice and 
accepted it, notwithstanding that he wondered at his saying, and 
was struck with terror at his determination to meet in combat all 
his army that he had described unto him. Then they sat conversing. 

And after this, the King called the eunuch, and commanded 
him to go forth immediately to his Wezeer, and to desire him to 
collect all the troops, and order them to equip themselves with their 
arms, and to mount their horses. So the eunuch went to the 
Wezeer, and acquainted him with that which the King had com¬ 
manded. And upon this the Wezeer summoned the chiefs of the 
army, and the grandees of the empire, and ordered them to mount 
their horses, and to go forth equipped with the weapons of war.— 
Meanwhile, the King continued to converse with the young man, 

526 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

being pleased with his conversation and sense and good breeding ; 
and as they were talking together, the morning arrived. The King 
therefore arose, and went to his throne, ordered his troops to mount, 
and caused an excellent horse, one of the best that he possessed, to 
be brought before the King’s son, commanding that it should be 
equipped for him with handsome saddle and trappings. But the 
young man said to him, O King, I will not mount until I take a 
view of the troops, and observe them. And the King replied, It 
shall be as thou desirest. Then the King proceeded, with the 
young man before him, until they arrived at the horse-course, when 
the young man looked at the troops and their number. And the 
King called out, O companies of men, a young man hath come unto 
me demanding in marriage my daughter, and I have never beheld 
any handsomer than he, nor any stronger in heart, nor any greater 
in intrepidity than he : and he hath asserted that he alone will over¬ 
come you and subdue you, and pretendeth that ye, even if your 
number amounted to a hundred thousand, would be in his estima¬ 
tion but few. But when he cometh forth to combat you, receive 
him upon the points of your spears, and the edges of your swords ; 
for he hath undertaken a great enterprise. 

The King then said to the young man, O my son, do as thou 
desirest with them. But he replied, O King, thou hast not treated 
me equitably. How shall I go forth to combat them when I am on 
foot and thy people are mounted on horses ?—So the King said to 
him, I desired thee to mount, and thou refusedst. Take then of 
the horses and choose of them that which thou wilt.—He replied, 
None of thy horses pleaseth me, and I will mount none but the 
horse on which I came. The King therefore said to him, And 
where is thy horse ? He answered him, It is on the top of thy 
palace.—In what place in my palace ? asked the King. He 
answered, On the roof of the palace. And when the King heard 
his words, he said to him, This is the first instance that hath ap¬ 
peared of thine insanity. O, wo to thee ! How can the horse be 
upon the roof? But now will thy veracity be distinguished from 
thy lying.—Then the King looked towards one his chief officers, 
and said to him, Go to my palace, and bring what thou shalt find 
upon the roof. And the people wondered at the words of the young 
man ; one saying to another, How can this horse descend the stairs 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

527 

from the roof? Verily this is a thing the like of which we have 
never heard!—Now the person whom the King had sent to the 
palace ascended to its roof, and beheld the horse standing there; 
and he had seen none more handsome than it; and he approached 
it and examined it, and found it to be of ebony and ivory. Some 
others of the chief officers of the King also went up with this per¬ 
son ; and when they beheld the horse, they laughed together, and 
said, Did the young man speak of such a horse as this ? We 
imagine that he is no other than a madman : but his case will soon 
appear to us; and perhaps he may be a person of great importance.— 
They then raised the horse upon their hands, and carried it without 
stopping until they came before the King, when they placed it be¬ 
fore him ; and the people assembled around it, gazing at it, and won¬ 
dering at the beauty of its make, and at the beauty of its saddle and 
bridle. The King also admired it, and wondered at it extremely ; 
and he said to the King’s son, O young man, is this thy horse ? 
He answered, Yes, O King, this is my horse, and thou shalt see a 
wonder performed by it. The King said to him, Take thy horse 
and mount it. But he replied, I will not mount it unless the troops 
retire to a distance from it. So the King commanded the troops 
that were around him to retire from it as far as an arrow might be 
shot. 

Then said the young man, O King, I am going to mount my 
horse, and charge upon thine army, and disperse them to the right 
and left, and split their hearts. The King replied, Do what thou 
desirest, and pity them not; for they will not pity thee. And the 
King’s son went to the horse and mounted it. The troops were 
arranged in ranks before him ; and one said to another. When the 
young man arriveth between the ranks, we will receive him with 
the points of the spears, and the edges of the swords. But one of 
them said, By Allah it is a calamity ! How shall we kill this young 
man with the comely face and the surpassing figure ?—And another 
said, By Allah, ye shall by no means reach him unless after a great 
event; and the young man hath not done these deeds but from his 
knowledge of his own valour and pre-eminence—And when the 
King’s son had seated himself firmly upon his horse, he turned the 
pin of ascent. The eyes of the spectators were strained to see what 

he would do ; and his horse bestirred itself, and moved about with 
violent action, until it had performed the most extraordinary of the 
motions of horses, and its body became filled with air. Then it 
rose, and ascended into the sky. So when the King saw that he 
had risen, and ascended aloft, he called out to his troops, and said, 
Wo to you! Take him before he escape from you.—But his We- 
zeer and Lieutenants replied, O King, can any one catch the flying 
bird ? This is none other than a great enchanter. God hath saved 
thee from him : therefore praise God (whose name be exalted !) for 
thine escape from his hand. 

The King therefore returned to his palace, after he had witnessed 
these acts of the King’s son; and when he arrived at his palace, he 
went to his daughter, and acquainted her with that which had hap¬ 
pened to him with the King’s son in the horse-course ; but he found 
her greatly lamenting for him, and for her separation from him, and 
she fell into a violent sickness, and took to the pillow. So when 
her father saw her in this state he pressed her to his bosom, kissed 
her between the eyes, and said to her, 0 my daughter, praise God 
(whose name be exalted!) and thank Him for our escape from this 
crafty enchanter. He began to repeat to her the account of the 
deeds of the King’s son that he had witnessed, describing to her 
how he had ascended into the air. But she listened to nought of 
her father’s words ; her weeping and wailing increased in violence, 
and afterwards she said within herself. By Allah, I will not eat 
food, nor drink any beverage, until God reunite me with him. 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

529 

Therefore exceeding anxiety overcame her father the King on 
account of this; the state of his daughter afflicted him, and he 
mourned in heart for her; and every time that he addressed her 
with soothing words, she only increased in her passion for the young 
man.—Such was her case. 12 

Now, as to the King’s son, when he had ascended into the sky, 
being alone, he reflected upon the beauty of the damsel, and her 
loveliness. He had inquired of the King’s people respecting the 
name of the city, and the name of the King, and that of his 
daughter; and that city was the city of San’a. 13 He then prosecuted 
his journey with diligence until he came in sight of the city of his 
father; and after he had made a circuit around the city, he bent 
his course to his father’s palace, and descended upon the roof. 
Having left his horse there, he descended to his father, and went in 
to him ; and he found him mourning and afflicted on account of his 
separation: therefore, when his father saw him, he rose to him and 
embraced him, pressing him to his bosom, and rejoicing exceedingly 
at his return. And the Prince inquired of his father respecting 
the sage who made the horse, saying, O my father, what hath 
fortune done with him ? His father answered him, May God not 
bless the sage nor the hour in which I beheld him ; for he was the 
cause of thy separation from us, and he hath been imprisoned, 
O my son, since thou absentedst thyself from us. He gave orders, 
however, to relieve him, and take him forth from the prison, and 
bring him before him; and when he came before him, he invested 
him with an honorary dress in token of satisfaction, and treated him 
with the utmost beneficence; but would not marry his daughter to 
him. So the sage was violently enraged at this, and repented 
of that which he had done, knowing that the King’s son had 
become acquainted with the secret of the horse and the mode of its 
motion. Then the King said to his son, It is my opinion that thou 
shouldst not approach this horse henceforth, nor mount it after this 
day; for thou knowest not its properties, and thou art deceived 
respecting it. The King’s son had related to his father what had 
happened to him with the daughter of the King, the lord of 
the city, and what had happened to him with her father; and his 
father said to him, Had the King desired to slay thee, he had slain 
thee; but the end of thy life was delayed. 

O V 

VOL, II. 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE 

5,30 

After this, 11 they ate and drank and were merry; and there 
was with the King a handsome slave-girl, who played upon the 
lute; and she took the lute, and began to play upon it, singing of 
absence, before the King and his son; and she sang these verses:— 

Think not that absence hath made me forget: for if I forget you, what shall 
I remember? 

Time passeth ; but never shall our love for you end : in our love for you we 
will die and be raised. 

Then anxious thoughts were aroused in the mind of the King’s son 
by his love of the damsel, the daughter of the King of San’a: so he 
rose and went to the horse and mounted it, and turned the pin of 
ascent; whereupon it soared with him into the air, and rose with 
him towards the upper region of the sky. And in the morning, 
his father missed him, and found him not: he therefore went up to 
the top of the palace, in a state of affliction, and he beheld his son 
mounting into the air; and upon this lie grieved for his separation, 
and repented extremely that he had not taken the horse and 
concealed it. He said within himself, By Allah, if my son return 
to me, I will not preserve this horse, that my heart may be at rest 
respecting my son. And he resumed his weeping and wailing.— 
But as to his son, he ceased not his course through the sky until he 
came to the city of San’a, when he descended in the place where he 
descended the first time, and he walked down stealthily until he came 
to the chamber of the King’s daughter; but he found neither her 
nor her female slaves, nor the eunuch who was her guard; and the 
event greatly afflicted him. Then he went about searching for her 
through the palace, and at last he found her in a different chamber 
from that in which he had been with her. She had taken to the 
pillow, and around her were the female slaves and nurses. And he 
went in to them and saluted them; and when the damsel heard his 
speech, she rose to him and embraced him, and began to kiss him 
between his eyes, and to press him to her bosom. He said to her, 
O my mistress, thou hast rendered me desolate during this period. 
And she replied, Thou hast rendered me desolate, and had thine 
absence from me continued longer, I had perished without doubt.— 
O my mistress, he rejoined, what thoughtest thou of my conduct 
with thy father, and his actions to me ? Were it not for my love 

of thee, O temptation to all creatures, I had slain him, and made 
him an example to beholders: but I love him for thy sake.—And 
she said to him, How couldst thou absent thyself from me ? Can 
my life be pleasant after thy departure ?—He then said to her, 
Wilt thou comply with my desire, and listen to my words ? She 
answered him, Say what thou wilt; for I will consent to that 
which thou requirest me to do, and will not oppose thee in 
anything. And he said to her, Journey with me to my country 
and my kingdom. She replied, Most willingly. 

So when the King’s son heard her words, he rejoiced ex¬ 
ceedingly, and, taking her by her hand, he made her swear by God 
(whose name be exalted !1 that she would do so. Then he led her 
up to the roof of the palace, mounted his horse, and placed her on 
it behind him, and after he had bound her firmly, he turned the pin 
of ascent in the shoulder of the horse, and it ascended with them 
into the sky. Upon this the female slaves cried out, and acquainted 
the King her father, and her mother, who thereupon came up 
in haste to the roof of the palace; and the King, looking up 
into the sky, beheld the ebony horse soaring with them in the air. 

532 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

The King was agitated, and his agitation increased, and he called 
out and said, O son of the King, 1 conjure thee by Allah that thou 
have mercy upon me, and have mercy upon my wife, and that thou 
make not a separation between us and our daughter! The King’s 
son, however, answered him not; but he imagined that the damsel 
repented of parting from her mother and her father; so he said to 
her, O temptation of the age, dost thou desire that I restore thee to 
thy mother and thy father ?—O my master, she answered, by Allah 
that is not my desire: my desire is rather to be with thee wherever 
thou slialt be ; for I am drawn off by my love of thee from every¬ 
thing else, even from my father and my mother. And when the 
King’s son heard her reply, he rejoiced exceedingly, and began 
to make the horse proceed gently with them, that it might not 
disquiet her; and he ceased not to journey on with her until he 
beheld a green meadow, in which was a spring of water. There 
they alighted, and ate and drank; after which, the King’s son 
mounted his horse again, took her up behind him, and bound her, 
in his fear for her. He then proceeded with her, and ceased not in 
his course through the air until he arrived at the city of his father. 
His joy thereat was great; and he desired to shew to the damsel 
the seat of his power and the dominion of his father, and to 
acquaint her that the dominion of his father was greater than that 
of her father. He therefore deposited her in one of the gardens in 
which his father diverted himself, put her in a private chamber that 
was furnished for his father, and placed the ebony horse at the door 
of that chamber, charging the damsel to guard it, and saying to her, 
Sit here until I send to thee my messenger; for I am going to my 
father, to prepare for thee a palace, and to display to thee my 
dominion. And the damsel rejoiced when she heard from him 
these words, and replied, Do what thou desirest. Then it occurred 
to her mind that she was not to enter [the city] but with respect 
and honour, as was suitable to persons of her rank. 

So the King’s son left her, and proceeded until he arrived at the 
city, and went in to his father; and when his father saw him, 
he rejoiced at his coming, and met him and welcomed him; and 
the King’s son said to his father, Know that I have brought 
the King’s daughter of whom I informed thee, and I have left her 
without the city, in one of the gardens, and come to acquaint thee 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

533 

with her arrival, that thou mayest prepare the procession of state, 
and go forth to meet her, and display to her thy dominion and 
thy troops and guards. The King replied, Most willingly. And 
immediately he commanded the people of the city to decorate the 
city in the most handsome manner, and rode forth in a procession 
equipped in the most perfect manner and with the most magnificent 
decorations, with all his soldiers and the grandees of his empire, 
and all his memlooks and servants. The Kang’s son also took forth, 
from his palace, ornaments and apparel and such things as Kings 
treasure up, and prepared for the damsel a camel-litter of green 
and red and yellow brocade, in which he seated Indian and Greek 
and Abyssinian female slaves, and he displayed wonderful treasures. 
Then he left the camel-litter, with the persons that were in it, and 
went on before to the garden; and he entered the private chamber 
in which he had left the damsel, and searched for her; but found 
her not, nor did he find the horse. Upon this he slapped his face 
and rent his clothes, and began to go round about through the 
garden, with a mind confounded; after which, he returned to his 
reason, and said within himself. How did she learn the secret 
of this horse when I did not acquaint her with aught of it ? But 
perhaps the Persian sage who made the horse hath found her, and 
taken her, as a requital for that which my father hath done unto 
him.—Then the King’s son sought the keepers of the garden, and 
asked them who had passed by them, saying, Have ye seen any one 
pass by you and enter this garden ? And they answered, We have 
not seen any one enter this garden except the Persian sage; for he 
entered to collect useful herbs. So when he heard their words, he 
was convinced that the person who had taken the damsel was that 
sage. 

Now it happened, in accordance with destiny, that, when the 
King’s son left the damsel in the private chamber that was in the 
garden, and repaired to the palace of his father to make his 
preparations, the Persian sage entered the garden to collect some 
useful herbs, and smelt the odour of musk and other perfumes with 
which the air was impregnated ; and this sweet scent was from the 
odour of the King’s daughter. The sage therefore proceeded in the 
direction of this odour until he came to the private chamber, when 
he saw the horse that he had made with his hand standing at 

534 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

the door of the chamber. So when the sage saw the horse, his 
heart was filled with joy and happiness ; for he had mourned after 
it greatly since it had gone from his possession. lie approached it, 
and examined all its members, and found it sound; but when 
he was about to mount it and depart, he said within himself, 
I must see what the King’s son hath brought and left here with the 
horse. Accordingly he entered the private chamber, and found the 
damsel sitting there, resembling the shining sun in the clear sky. 
As soon as he beheld her, he knew that she was a damsel of high 
dignity, and that the King’s son had taken her, and brought her 
upon the horse, and left her in that private chamber while he 
repaired to the city to prepare for her a stately procession, and 
to conduct her into the city with respect and honour. The sage 
therefore went in to her, and kissed the ground before her; and 
she raised her eyes towards him, and, looking at him, found him to 
be of most hideous aspect and disagreeable form; and she said to 
him, Who art thou ? He answered her, O my mistress, I am the 
messenger of the King’s son, who hath sent me to thee, and 
commanded me to remove thee to another garden, near unto the 
city. And when the damsel heard from him these words, she said 
to him, And where is the King’s son ? He answered her, He is in 
the city, with his father, and he will come to thee immediately 
with a grand procession. But she said to him, O thou! Could not 
the King’s son find any one to send to me but thee ?—And the sage 
laughed at her words, and replied, 0 my mistress, let not the 
hideousness of my face and the disagreeableness of my aspect 
deceive thee; for hadst thou experienced of me what the King’s 
son hath, thou wouldst approve of me. Verily the King’s son hath 
chosen me especially to send to thee on account of the hideousness 
of my aspect and the horrible nature of my form, through his 
jealousy of thee, and his love of thee; for were it otherwise, 
he hath of memlooks and black slaves and pages and servants and 
dependants an abundance that cannot be calculated. 

So when the damsel heard his reply, it appeared reasonable 
to her, and she believed it, and arose and went with him, putting 
her hand in his. She then said to him, O my father, what hast 
thou brought with thee for me to ride ?—0 my mistress, he 
answered, the horse on which thou earnest thou shalt ride. She 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

535 

replied, I cannot ride it by myself. And when he heard this reply 
from her, the sage smiled, and knew that he had got possession 
of her; and he said to her, I myself will ride with thee. Then he 
mounted, and mounted the damsel behind him, and, pressing her to 
him, bound her tightly, while she knew not what he desired to 
do with her. And after this, he turned the pin of ascent, where¬ 
upon the body of the horse became filled with air, and it moved 
and bestirred itself, and ascended into the sky, and continued 
incessantly bearing them along until it was out of sight of the city. 
So the damsel said to him, O thou! What meant that which thou 
saidst respecting the King’s son, when thou assertedst that he sent 
thee to me ?—The sage replied, May Allah keep the King’s son 
from everything good; for he is base and vile!—O, wo to thee! 
she exclaimed; how is it that thou disobeyest thy lord in that 
which he hath commanded thee to do ? He replied, He is not my 
lord. And knowest thou, he added, who I am? She answered 
him, I know thee not but as thou hast informed me of thyself. 
And he said to her, Yerily my telling thee this was a stratagem 
that I made use of against thee and against the King’s son. I was 
lamenting constantly for this horse that is beneath thee, for it is of 
my making, and he had made himself master of it; but now I have 
obtained possession of it and of thee also, and have tortured his 
heart as he hath tortured mine, and he will never have it in his 
power henceforth. But be of good heart and cheerful eye; for 
I shall be more useful to thee than he.—And when the damsel 
heard his words, she slapped her face, and cried out, O my grief! 
I have neither obtained my beloved nor remained with my father 
and my mother!—And she wept violently for that which had 
befallen her, while the sage incessantly proceeded with her to the 
country of the Greeks, 15 until he descended with her in a verdant 
meadow with rivers and trees. 

This meadow was near unto a city, in which was a King of 
great dignity; and it happened on that day that the King of the 
city went forth to hunt, and to divert himself, and, passing by that 
meadow, he saw the sage standing there, with the horse and the 
damsel by his side. And the sage was not aware of their approach 
when the slaves of the King rushed upon him, and took him, 
together with the damsel and the horse, and placed all before 

536 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

the King, who, when he beheld the hideousness of his aspect, and 
the disagreeableness of his appearance, and beheld the beauty 
of the damsel, and her loveliness, said to her, O my mistress, what 
relation is this sheykh to thee ? The sage hastily answered and 
said, She is my wife, and the daughter of my paternal uncle. But 
the damsel declared that he was a liar, as soon as she heard his 
words, and said, O King, by Allah I know him not, and he is not 
my husband; but he took me away by force and stratagem. And 
when the King heard what she said, he gave orders to beat the 
sage; and they beat him until he almost died. Then the King 
commanded that they should carry him to the city, and cast him 
into the prison; and so they did with him; and the King took the 
damsel and the horse from him; but he knew not the property of 
the horse, nor the mode of its motion.—Thus did it befall the sage 
and the damsel. 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 537 

As to the King’s son, he put on the apparel of travel, and, 
having taken what money he required, journeyed forth in a most 
evil state, and quickly endeavoured to trace them, seeking them 
from town to town and from city to city, and inquiring respecting 
the ebony horse; and every one who heard his mention of the 
ebony horse wondered at it, and was greatly astonished at his 
words. Thus he continued to do for a long period; but notwith¬ 
standing his frequent questions and his searching for them, he met 
with no tidings of them. Then he journeyed to the city of the 
damsel’s father, and there inquired for her, but he heard no tidings 
of her, and he found her father mourning for her loss. So he 
returned, and repaired to the country of the Greeks, endeavouring 
to trace them, and inquiring respecting them. And it happened 
that he alighted at one of the Khans, and saw a party of the 
merchants sitting conversing; and he seated himself near them, and 
heard one of them say, O my companions, I have met with a 
wonderful thing.—And what was it ? they asked. He answered, I 
was in a certain district, in such a city (and he mentioned the name 
of the city in which was the damsel), and I heard its inhabitants 
talking of a strange story, which was this.—The King of the 
city went forth one day to hunt, attended by a party of his 
associates and the grandees of his empire, and when they went 
forth into the desert, they passed by a verdant meadow, and found 
there a man standing, and by his side a woman sitting, and with 
him a horse of ebony. As to the man, he was of hideous aspect, 
very horrible in form; and as to the woman, she was a damsel 
endowed with beauty and loveliness, and elegance and perfect 
grace, and justness of stature; and as to the ebony horse, it was a 
wonderful thing; eyes have not beheld its superior in beauty or in 
comeliness of make.—The persons present said to him, And what did 
the King with them ? He answered, As to the man, the King took 
him, and asked him respecting the damsel, and he pretended that she 
was his wife, and the daughter of his paternal uncle. But as to 
the damsel, she declared that he lied in his assertion. So the King 
took her from him, and gave orders to beat him, and to cast 
him into the prison. And as to the ebony horse, I know not what 
became of it.—When the King’s son therefore heard these words 

3 z 

VO I,. II. 

538 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

from the merchant, he approached him, and proceeded to question 
him with mildness and courtesy until he acquainted him with the 
name of the city and the name of its King; and when he knew the 
name of the city and that of its King, he passed the night happy; 
and in the morning he went forth on his journey. 

He ceased not to prosecute his journey until he amved at that 
city ; hut when he desired to enter it, the gate-keepers took him, 
and would have conducted him into the presence of the King, that 
he might inquire of him respecting his condition, and of the cause 
of his coming into that city, and as to what art or trade he was 
skilled in; for so was the King’s custom to question the strangers 
respecting their conditions and their arts or trades. But the arrival 
of the King’s son at that city happened to be at eventide; and that 
was a time at which it was not possible to go in to the King or 
to consult respecting him. So the gate-keepers took him and con¬ 
ducted him to the prison, to put him in it. When the jailers, however, 
saw his beauty and loveliness, they could not bear to put him into 
the prison : on the contrary, they seated him with themselves, out¬ 
side the prison; and when the food was brought to them, he ate 
with them until he was satisfied ; and after they had finished eating, 
they sat conversing, and, addressing the King’s son, they said to him, 
From what country art thou ? He answered, I am from the country 
of Persia, the country of the Kisras. And when they heard his 
answer, they laughed, and one of them said to him, O Kisrawee, 16 
I have heard the sayings of men, and their histories, and have ob¬ 
served their conditions; but I have neither seen, nor heard of, a 
greater liar than this Kisrawee who is with us in the prison. And 
another said, Nor have I seen any one more hideous than he in 
person, or more disagreeable than he in form. 

So the King s son said to them, What instance of his lying hath 
appeared unto you ? They answered, He pretendeth that he is a 
sage, and the King saw him as he was going to hunt, and with him 
a woman of surprising beauty and loveliness, and elegance and perfect 
grace, and justness of stature, and there was with him also a horse 
of black ebony, than which we have never seen any more handsome. 
As to the damsel, she is with the King, and he loveth her; but the 
woman is mad; and if that man were a sage as he pretendeth, he 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HOUSE. 

539 

had cured her; for the King is striving to find her remedy, desiring 
to recover her of her malady. As to the ebony horse, it is in the 
King’s treasury; and as to the man of hideous aspect, who was with 
it, he is with us in the prison ; and when the night over-shadoweth 
him, he weepeth and waileth in his grief for himself, and suffereth 
us not to sleep.—Now when the keepers of the prison acquainted 
the King’s son with these circumstances, it occurred to his mind that 
he might contrive a plan by means of which to attain his desire. 
And when the gate-keepers desired to sleep, they put him into the 
prison, and closed the door upon him ; and he heard the sage weep¬ 
ing and lamenting for himself in the Persian language, and saying 
in his lamentation, Wo unto me for the injustice that I have com¬ 
mitted against myself and against the Kang’s son, and for that which 
I did unto the damsel, since I neither left her nor accomplished my 
desire. All this arose from my ill management; for I sought for 
myself that which I deserved not, and which was not suited to me ; 
and he who seeketh that which is not suited to him falleth into a 
calamity like that into which I have fallen.—And when the King’s 
son heard these words of the sage, he spoke to him in the Persian 
language, saying, How long wilt thou continue this weeping and 
lamentation ? Dost thou think that such a misfortune hath befallen 
tliee as hath not befallen any beside thee ?—And the sage, on hear¬ 
ing his words, was cheered by him, and complained to him of his 
case, and of the distress he experienced. 

Then, when the morning came, the gate-keepers took the King’s 
son, and conducted him to the King, and informed him that he had 
arrived at the city on the preceding day, at a time when it was 
impossible to go in unto the King. So the King questioned him, 
and said to him, From what country art thou, and what is thy name, 
and what thy art or trade, and what the reason of thy coming unto 
this city ? And the King’s son answered, As to my name, it is, in 
the Persian language, Harjeli; lr and as to my country, it is the 
country of Persia; and I am of the men of science, especially the 
science of medicine ; for I cure the sick and the mad ; and for this 
purpose I travel about through the regions and cities, to profit my¬ 
self by adding science to my science ; and when I see a sick person, 
I cure him. This is my occupation.— And when the King heard 
his words, he rejoiced at them exceedingly, and said to him, O 

540 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

excellent sage, thou hast come to us at a time when we need thee. 
Then he acquainted him with the case of the damsel, and said to him, 
If thou cure her, and recover her of her madness, thou shalt receive 
from me all that thou shalt desire. And the King’s son, on hearing 
this, replied, May God confirm the power of the King! Describe 
to me everything that thou hast observed of her madness, and inform 
me how many days ago this madness attacked her, and how thou 
tookest her and the horse and the sage.—He therefore acquainted 
him with the matter from beginning to end, and said to him, The 
sage is in the prison. And the King’s son said, O happy King, and 
what hast thou done with the horse that was with them ? The 
King answered him, It remaineth with me to the present time, 
preserved in one of the private chambers. So the King’s son said 
within himself, It is my opinion that I should examine the horse 
before everything else, and if it be sound, and no accident have hap¬ 
pened to it, all that I desire is accomplished; but if I see that its 
motions are destroyed, I will yet devise some stratagem to save my 
life. Then looking towards the King, he said to him, O King, it is 
requisite that I see the horse which thou hast mentioned. Perhaps 
I may find in it something that will aid me to recover the damsel.— 
The King replied, Most willingly. And he arose, and, taking him 
by the hand, led him in to the horse ; whereupon the King’s son 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

541 

began to go round about the horse, and to examine it and observe 
its condition; and he found it sound, without any defect. He 
therefore rejoiced at it exceedingly, and said, May God confirm the 
power of the King! I desire to go in to the damsel, that 1 may see 
how she will act; and I beg of God that her recovery may be 
effected by me, by means of the horse, if it be the will of God, 
whose name be exalted ! 

He gave orders to take care of the horse, and the King conducted 
him to the chamber in which was the damsel. And when the King’s 
son went in to her, he found her beating herself, and falling down 
prostrate as usual; but she was affected by no madness, and only 
did thus that no one might approach her. So the King’s son, on 
seeing her in this state, said to her, No harm shall befall thee, O 
temptation to all creatures ! Then he began to address her gently 
and courteously until he acquainted her with himself; and when she 
knew him, she uttered a great cry, and fell down in a fit through 
the violence of the joy that she experienced; and the King imagined 
that this fit was occasioned by her fear of him. And the King’s 
son put his mouth to her ear, and said to her, O temptation to all 
creatures, spare my life and thine, and be patient and firm ; for this 
is a place wherein we stand in need of patience and good manage¬ 
ment in devising stratagems to make our escape from this tyrannical 
King. A part of my stratagem shall be, that I go forth to him and 
say to him, The disease that she suffereth ariseth from her being 
possessed by a Jinnee, 18 and I promise thee her recovery. And I 
will make a condition with him that he shall loose thy bonds, and 
will assure him that this Jinnee which hath afflicted thee 19 will be 
dispelled from thee. Therefore if he come in to thee, address him 
with pleasant words, that he may see that thou hast recovered 
through my means, and so shall all that we desire be accomplished. 
—And she replied, I hear and obey.—He then went forth from her, 
and, returning to the King, full of joy and happiness, said, O 
fortunate King, I have discovered, through thy good fortune, 
her remedy and cure, and I have cured her for thee. Arise then 
and go in to her, and speak gently and mildly to her, and promise 
her that which shall rejoice her; for all that thou desirest of 
her shall be accomplished for thee.—The King therefore arose 
and went in to her; and when she saw him, she rose to him, 

542 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

and kissed the ground before him, and welcomed him; whereat 
the King rejoiced exceedingly. He ordered the female slaves and 
eunuchs to betake themselves to serve her, to conduct her into the 
bath, and to prepare for her the ornaments and apparel. So they 
went in to her and saluted her, and she returned their salutation 
with the most courteous utterance and the most pleasant words. 
Then they attired her in royal apparel, put upon her neck a neck¬ 
lace of jew'els, conducted her to the bath, served her, and brought 
her out from the bath, resembling the full moon. And when she 
came to the King, she saluted him, and kissed the ground before 
him. 

The King therefore was greatly rejoiced at seeing her thus, and 
said to the King’s son, All this is occasioned by the blessings atten¬ 
dant upon thee! May God increase to us thy benefactions!—And 
the King’s son replied, O King, the perfection of her recovery and 
the completion of her affair must be effected by thy going forth with 
all thy guards and thy soldiers to the place where thou foundest 
her, and the ebony horse that was with her must be taken with 
thee, that I may there confine from her the Jinnee that hath afflicted 
her, and imprison him and kill him, so that he may never return to 
her. The King said, Most willingly. Accordingly he sent forth 
the ebony horse to the meadow in which he had found the damsel 
with the horse and the Persian sage, and the King mounted with 
his troops, taking the damsel with him; and they knew not what 
he desired to do. And when they arrived at that meadow, the King’s 
son who feigned himself a sage ordered that the damsel and the 
horse should be placed as far from the King and the troops as 
the eye could reach, and said to the King, With thy permission and 
leave, I desire to burn perfumes, and to recite a form of exorcism, 
and imprison the Jinnee here, that he may never return to her. 
After which, I will mount the ebony horse, and mount the damsel 
behind me ; and when I have done that, the horse will move about 
with violent action, and walk forward until it cometh to thee, when 
the affair will be finished, and thou shalt do with her what thou 
wilt.—And when the King heard his words, he rejoiced exceedingly. 
Then the King’s son mounted the horse, and placed the damsel 
behind him, while the King and all his troops looked at him. And 
he pressed her to him, and bound her firmly, and turned the pin of 

ascent; whereupon the horse rose with 
them into the air. The troops conti¬ 
nued gazing at him until he disap¬ 
peared from before their eyes; and 
the King remained half a day expect¬ 
ing his return to him ; but he returned 
not: so he despaired of him, and re¬ 
pented greatly, and grieved for the se¬ 
paration of the damsel. Then he took 
his troops, and returned to his city. 

But as to the King’s son, he bent 
his course to the city of his father, full 
of joy and happiness, and ceased not in 
his journey until he descended upon his 
palace, when he took down the damsel 
into the palace, and felt secure of her. 
He then repaired to his father and his 
mother, and saluted them, and ac- 

4 

541 

THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE. 

quainted them with the arrival of the damsel; whereat they rejoiced 
exceedingly.—Meanwhile, the King of the Greeks, when he re¬ 
turned to his city, secluded himself in his palace, mourning and 
afflicted. So his Wezeers went in to him, and began to console him, 
saying to him, Verily he who took the damsel is an enchanter; and 
praise be to God who hath saved thee from his enchantment and 
craftiness. And they ceased not until he was consoled for the loss 
of her.—And as to the King’s son, he made magnificent banquets 
for the people of the city, and they continued the rejoicings for a 
whole month; after which, he took the damsel as his wife, and they 
were delighted with each other exceedingly. And his father broke 
the ebony horse, and destroyed its motions. Then the King’s son 
wrote a letter to the father of the damsel, and in it described to him 
his state, informing him that he had married the damsel, and that 
she was with him in the most happy condition. He sent it to him 
by a messenger, bearing precious presents and rarities; and when 
the messenger arrived at the city of the damsel’s father, which was 
San’a of El-Yemen, he transmitted the letter, with the presents, to 
that King, who, on reading the letter, rejoiced exceedingly, accepted 
the presents, and treated the messenger with honour. He then pre¬ 
pared a magnificent present for his son-in-law, the King’s son, and 
sent it to him by that messenger, who returned with it to the King’s 
son, and informed him of the joy which the King, the father of the 
damsel, experienced when he brought him the news of his daughter. 
At this the King’s son was affected with great happiness; and every 
year he wrote to his father-in-law, and sent him a present. 

Thus they continued until the King, the father of the young 
man, was taken from the world ; and the young man reigned after 
him over his dominions. He ruled his subjects with equity, and 
conducted himself among them in a laudable manner ; the country 
was subject to him, and the people obeyed him; and thus they re¬ 
mained, passing the most delightful and most agreeable and most 
comfortable and most pleasant life, until they were visited by the 
terminator of delights and the separator of companions, the 
devastator of palaces and the replenisher of the graves.—Extolled 
then be the perfection of the Living who dieth not, and in whose 
hand is the dominion that is apparent and the dominion that is 
hidden! 50 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH. 

Note 1. 

Tiie words “in the country of the Persians” are not in my original. In the 
Breslau edition, the King mentioned immediately after is called “a King of the 
Persians, named the King Saboor,” an Arabic corruption of “ Shapoor,” which 
was a name borne by several Kings of Persia. In the old version, the court of 
this monarch is said to have been at Sheerdz.—On the origin of the tale of the 
Magic Horse some remarks will be made in the last note of the present series. 

Note 2. — On the Persian Festival of the Autumnal Equinox. 

The sentence to which this note refers I have taken from the Breslau edition, 
correcting some errors. Of the first of the two festivals here mentioned, I have 
already given some account.* 

The festival of the Autumnal Equinox, called “ Mihrgan,” “ Mihrjan,” and 
“ Mahrajdn ” (the last of which terms is that by which the Arabs call it), was one 
of the greatest of those celebrated by the ancient Persians. It began on the 16th 
of Mihr, the seventh month. “ Many traditional motives are assigned for the 
origin of this solemnity, which was held.for six days; but the most rational con¬ 
jecture leads us to conclude that it was instituted at this season of the autumnal 
equinox in honour of their great ostensible deity, the Sun; as the other high fes¬ 
tival of the Now-r6z was, on the same principles, intended to celebrate the sun’s 
entering the constellation Aries. The sixteenth was more particularly distinguished 
than the rest; all who could afford the purchase anointing themselves then with 
the oil of ban,f sprinkling themselves with rose-water, and eating of various fruits, 
from an idea that such observances would defend them from a number of evils 
which might otherwise distress them in the course of the year. The King, on the 
first day of this festival, after anointing himself with the oil of ban, dressed in a 
superb robe of many colours, his head adorned with the royal tdj (or diadem), on 

* In Note la to Chapter xvi. t Generally called by English writers 11 ben." 

4 A 

VOL. II. 

546 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH. 

which was a splendid figure of the Sun, seated himself on his throne; when the 
high priest entering alone, with a large silver dish, filled with sugar, peaches, 
quinces, apples, citrons, pomegranates, the jujube, the lote, a bunch of white 
grapes, and seven myrtle-berries, muttered over them a prayer, and presented 
them to the King, who ate of them all; after which, the nobility and others, ap¬ 
proaching according to their rank, followed their sovereign’s example; when a 
variety of robes and other rich furniture, from the royal wardrobes, were distri¬ 
buted amongst them in proportion to their degree. On this day it was esteemed 
fortunate to wean or name children ; and if a son was then born to the King, he 
was immediately, with great solemnity, consecrated high priest of the Sun."* 

Note 3. 

The words “ during one of these festivals ” I have inserted from the Breslau 
edition. 

Note 4. 

In the Breslau edition, the peacock is described as being in the middle of a 
basin of silver, and surrounded by four and twenty young ones of gold; and tbe 
owner of it explains that at the expiration of each hour, the peacock would peck 
one of its young ones; then, at the end of another hour, a second of them; and so 
on; and that at the termination of the month, it would open its beak, and that the 
new moon would be seen in it. 

Note 5. 

Instead of a mere trumpet, the Breslau edition describes “ a figure of gold set 
with fine and precious stones and jewels, with a trumpet of gold in its hand;” but 
"nakeer" is put for “nefeer," a trumpet. 

Note G. 

In the Breslau edition, the sage is said to have first mounted the ebony horse, 
and ascended on it, and descended. Afterwards, the King's youngest daughter, 
whom he had granted in marriage to the owner of the horse, disgusted with the 
hideous aspect of this person, implores the assistance of her brother, who remon¬ 
strates with the King, and is induced by him to try the wonderful properties of the 
horse in order that he may consent to the marriage, nearly as in the tale of Cleom- 
ades and Claremond, with which, in some other particulars, the story of the Magic 
Horse in the Breslau edition agrees more nearly than that in the edition of 
Cairo; as also does the story in each of these editions more than that in Galland’s 
version. To the tale of Cleomades and Claremond I shall have occasion to revert. 

Note 7. 

See Note 15 to Chapter iii. 

Note 8. 

Literally, “ by, ‘ Say I seek refuge with the Lord of men ’ and ‘ the daybreak” 
that is, by repeating the last Chapter, and the last but one, of the Kur-fin; which 
are called “ the Two Preventives." See Note 18 to Chapter x, and Note 58 to 
Chapter viii. 

* Richardson's Persian, Arabic, and English Dictionary, Johnson's edition, core " niah.'' 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH. 

547 

Note 9. 

See Note 50 to Chapter x. —This would refer the story to a period antecedent 
to the conquest of Persia by the Muslims; but such is evidently not the idea of 
the Arab narrator. 

Note 10. 

That is, as though he would eat the Prince. See Note 21 to the Introduction. 

Note 11. 

In the Breslau edition, this King is called “ Keysar ; ” that is Caasar: but in 
the edition from which I translate, his kingdom is El-Yemen, or Arabia Felix. 

Note 12. 

This princess is called, in the Breslau edition, “ Shems en-Nahar, ” which sig¬ 
nifies “ the Sun of Day.” 

Note 13. 

San’a is the capital of El-Yemen, and a very ancient city. It is celebrated for 
its trees and waters, and hence compared to Damascus. 

Note 14. 

From the commencement of this paragraph to the end of the two verses, I 
have taken from the Breslau edition, correcting some obvious errors. 

Note 15. 

In the original, “ Bilad er-Room.” This name is applied by some of the Arab 
geographers to the territories constituting Modern Greece and European Turkey ; 
but by others, to the greater part of Asia Minor. The latter I suppose to be here 
meant. Instead of “ the country of the Greeks; ” we have in the Breslau edition, 
China; and in Galland’s version, Kashmeer. 

Note 16. 

“ Kisrawee” here signifies “a subject of Kisra ; ” i. e. of the Persian Monarch. 

Note 17. 

This name, I fancy, has been altered by a copyist. 

Note 18. 

It is the general belief of the Arabs, that furious or dangerous madness is oc¬ 
casioned by the patient’s being possessed by a devil, or evil Jinnee; and the usual 
term applied to it (namely “junoon”) signifies this. 

Note 19. 

Literally, “ this accident,” or “ — misfortune," &c. My sheykh, by a note on 
a later passage, authorizes the rendering which I have adopted. 

Note 20. 

This story differs so little from that of Cleomades and Claremond that it is 

548 

NOTES TO CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH 

evident that one of these was derived, immediately or mediately, from the other, 
or that both of them are derived from a common origin. Of the latter story, Mr. 
Keightley has given a copious extract,* to which he has subjoined several notice's 
of the mention of magic horses of wood, the brazen horse of King Cambuscan, and 
enchanted horses of flesh and blood. He shews that “ Cleomades and Claremond" 
was written in the thirteenth century of our era, and remarks, “ The story, as 
every one must see, is that of the Enchanted Horse in the Thousand and One 
Nights; and it is a very remarkable instance of the transmission of fictitious nar¬ 
ratives, little altered, from distant regions. . . . The Enchanted Horse,’’ he adds, 
“ is in my opinion an ancient Persian tale, from the time of the Shapoors and 
Yezdejirds.” I agree with him in regarding it as an old Persian tale ; and if any 
of the talcs of the Thousand and One Nights be derived from the “ Hezar Afsd- 
neh,” this is probably one of them. 

Since the above was written, an important contribution to the illustration of the 
literary history of the Thousand and One Nights has been made by a learned and 
judicious writer in the Athenaeum, No. 622. I could not help entertaining some 
doubt as to the genuineness of the passage, in El-Mes’oodee’s “ Golden Meadows,” 
which states that the Persian work entitled “Hezdr Afsdneh” was translated into 
Arabic, and called by the Arabs “the Thousand Nights,” or “the Thousand and 
One Nights,” while it did not appear that a work bearing either of these titles was 
mentioned by any other old Arab writer. But it has now been shewn, that there 
existed in Egypt an Arabic collection of tales called “ the Thousand and One 
Nights,” and other tales of the same kind, in the time of an Arab historian sur- 
named El-Kurtubee (the Cordovan), in the twelfth or thirteenth [century of our 
era. This fact has been pointed out by the writer in the Athenaeum above alluded 
to; and I hope that he and other critics will continue the investigation of this in¬ 
teresting subject before the completion of my translation. 

As yet, however, we have no evidence to shew that anything more than the 
mere translation of the Persian work above-mentioned existed under the title of 
the Thousand and One Nights before the sixteenth century. In the present state 
of the evidences, it appears to me almost certain that the work now commonly 
known by this title was formed on the model, and partly of the contents, of the 
Hezdr Afsdneh, or old Thousand and One Nights; but that most of its best tales, 
and those which constitute its chief portion, are Arab compositions, and that some 
of these were composed, and the rest collected and entirely remodelled, shortly be¬ 
fore or after the commencement of the sixteenth century. The rare fragments 
bearing the same title, but differing more or less, I am inclined to regard as partly 
copies and partly imitations of the more common work, accounting for their dis¬ 
crepancies by facts which have been mentioned in my preface. Thus, while I still 
nearly agree with De Sacy as to the period when this work, as now generally 
found, was written, I differ but little in opinion from Von Hammer, who ascribes 
to Arabs alone the merit of almost all the tales which are generally regarded as 
the best in the collection ; but believes that they were ingrafted upon the Hezdr 
Afsdneh in different ages, during a period commencing long after the reign of 
Haroon Er-Rasheed, and ending with the conquest of Egypt by the ’Osmanlees, a.d. 
1517.—I must leave this question to be more fully considered nt the close of the 
present work.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY- 
FIRST NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE THREE HUN¬ 
DRED AND EIGHTY-FIRST. 

THE STORY OF UNS EL-WUJOOD AND EL-WARD FI-L-AKMA'M. 1 

There was, in ancient times, a King of great dignity, possessed 
of glory and absolute power, and he had a Wezeer named Ibraheem, 
who had a daughter of surprising beauty and loveliness, surpassing 
in elegance and in every grace, endowed with abundant sense and 
eminent polite accomplishments; but she loved carousing and wine, 
and comely faces, and pretty verses, and strange histories. The 

550 

THE STORY OF UNS EL-WUJOOD AND 

delicacy of her charms enticed the minds of mankind to love. Her 
name was El-Ward fi-l-Akmam ; 1 and the reason of her being so 
named was her excessive delicacy of beauty, and her perfect ele¬ 
gance ; and the King was fond of carousing with her, on account of 
her accomplished manners. 

Now it was the custom of the King, every year, to collect the 
chief men of his dominions, and to play with the ball. 3 And on 
one of those days when he did so, the daughter of the Wezeer sat 
at a lattice-window to amuse herself; and while they were engaged 
in the game, she cast a glance, and beheld among the soldiers a 
young man, than whom there was none more handsome in aspect, 
nor any more beautiful in appearance ; bright in countenance, with 
laughing teeth, generous, wide-shouldered. She looked at him 
again and again, and was not satiated with gazing at him ; and she 
said to her nurse. What is the name of this young man of comely 
qualities, who is among the soldiers ? The nurse replied, O my 
daughter, all of them are comely. Who then among them?—Wait, 
rejoined the damsel, until I point him out to thee. And she took 
an apple, and threw it upon him. So he raised his head, and be¬ 
held the Wezeer’s daughter at the window, 4 resembling the full 
moon in the darkness of night; and he withdrew not his eye with¬ 
out his heart’s being engrossed by love for her ; and he recited the 
saying of the poet:— 

Hath the archer shot me, or have thine eyes ? Thou hast destroyed the heart 
of the enamoured on his looking at thee. 

Hath tlie notched arrow been suddenly 5 lanced at me from the midst of an 
army or from a window ? 

And when the game was ended, the damsel said to her nurse, What 
is the name of this young man whom I have shewn to thee ? She 
answered, His name is Uns el-Wujood." And upon this, she shook 
her head, and laid herself down upon her mattress ; her mind was 
fired, and she uttered groans, and recited these verses:— 

He hath missed not who named thee the Delight of the World, O thou who 
impartest both delight and liberality ! 7 

O thou whose countenance resembleth the full moon, and whose face diffuseth 
light over all the creation ! 

Thou art without an equal among mankind, the sovereign of beauty, and 1 
have witnesses to prove it. 

EL-WARD FI-L-AKMA'M. 

551 

Thine eyebrow is like a well-formed Noon; and thine eye, like Sad, the 
work of the Benevolent. 8 

Thy figure resembleth a fresh, slender branch ; and if asked, thou givest every 
thing liberally. 

Thou surpassest the horsemen of the world in assault, and in imparting de¬ 
light, and in beauty and beneficence. 

She then wrote these verses on a paper, which she wrapped in 
a piece of silk embroidered with gold, and put beneath the pillow. 
And one of her nurses was looking at her; so this nurse came to 
her, and proceeded to engage her with conversation until she slept, 
when she stole the paper from beneath the pillow, and read it. She 
therefore knew that she was affected with a violent passion for Uns 
el-Wujood ; and after she had read the paper, she put it again in 
its place. And when her mistress awoke, she said to her, O my 
mistress, I am an admonislier unto thee, and one who pitieth thee. 
Know that love is difficult, and the concealment of it would melt 
iron, and occasioneth diseases and infirmities ; and the person who 
revealetli love is not obnoxious to reproach.—Upon this, El-Ward 
fi-l-Akmam said to her, O my nurse, and what is the remedy for 
desire ?—Its remedy, answered the nurse, is an interview.—And 
how can that be obtained ? said the damsel. The nurse answered, 
O my mistress, it may be obtained by means of letters, and gentle 
words, and by many compliments and salutations ; for this mode of 
proceeding bringeth lovers together, and by it things that are diffi¬ 
cult are rendered easy; and if thou have any affair to be performed, 
O my lady, I am most fit to conceal thy secret, and to accomplish 
thy business, and bear thy letter. And when El-Ward fi-l-Akmam 
heard these words from her, her reason fled, through joy ; but she 
withheld herself from replying, that she might see the result of her 
affair, and said within herself, Verily this thing no one hath known 
from me, and I will not reveal it to this woman until after I shall 
have tried her. Then the woman said to her, O my mistress, I saw 
in my sleep as though a man came to me and said to me, Thy mis¬ 
tress and Uns el-Wujood love each other: therefore manage their 
affair, and carry their letters, and accomplish their wants, and con¬ 
ceal their case and their secrets : so wilt thou experience abundant 
good fortune. Now I have related to thee what I saw, and it is 
thine to decide.—And El-Ward fi-l-Akmam said to her nurse, when 
she had thus informed her of the dream that she had (as she pre- 

THE STORY OF UNS EL-WUJOOD AND 

.“552 

tended) seen, Wilt thou conceal secrets, O my nurse ? The nurse 
replied, How should I not conceal secrets when I am of the choicest 
of the ingenuous ? 

Upon this, therefore, the damsel produced to her the paper upon 
which she had written the verses, saying to her, Repair with this my 
note to Uns el-Wujood, and bring me an answer to it. So she took 
it, and went with it to Uns el-Wujood; and when she went in to 
him, she kissed his hands, complimented him with the most courte¬ 
ous words, and gave him the paper; and after he had read it, and 
understood its meaning, he wrote upon the back of it these verses :— 

I soothe my heart in my passion, and conceal it; but my state interpreteth and 
sheweth my love. 

When my tears flow, I say, My eye is sore—lest the censurer should see and 
understand my condition. 

I was free from care, and knew not what was love; but have become enam¬ 
oured, and with enslaved heart. 

L submit to you my case, complaining of my passion and my ecstasy, in the 
hope that you will pity, and shew mercy : 

I have written it with the tears of my eye, that perchance it may explain to 
you the love with which you have affected me. 

God guard a face that is veiled with loveliness! The full moon is its slave, 
and the stars are its servants. 

In beauty, I have never beheld her equal ; and from her motions, the branches 
might learn to wave. 

I beg, without imposing on yourself a trouble, that you will pay us a visit; 
for we should highly esteem it. 

I give you my soul—perhaps you will accept it—for to me, union will be 
Paradise, and aversion will be Hell. 

Then he folded the letter, kissed it, and gave it to her, saying to 
her, O nurse, conciliate the favour of thy mistress. She replied, 
L hear and obey. And she took from him the letter, and returned 
to her mistress, and gave it to her; and she kissed it, and put it on 
her head; after which, she opened it and read it, and understood 
its meaning ; and she wrote beneath it these verses :— 

O thou whose heart is enamoured by our beauty, have patience in thy love, 
and perhaps thou wilt obtain us. 

When we knew that thine affection was tme, and that the passion that hath 
afflicted our heart had afflicted thine, 

We would have granted thee the union thou desirest, and more; but were 
prevented doing so by our chamberlains. 

When the night becomcth dark, through the excess of our love, fires are 
kindled within our bosoms, 

EL-WARD FI-L-AKMA / M. 

553 

And sleep is driven away from our beds, and often are our bodies afflicted by 
our passion. 

An imperative law in love’s code is concealment. Raise not the curtains that 
are lowered over us. 

My bosom is filled with love of the gazelle. Would that he were never dis¬ 
tant from our home! 

And when she had finished her verses, she folded the paper, and 
gave it to the nurse, who took it, and went forth from her; but the 
chamberlain met her, and said to her, Whither art thou going ? 
She answered, To the bath. And she was alarmed at him, and the 
paper fell from her as she went forth from the door in her alarm, 
and one of the eunuchs, seeing it lying in the way, took it. Then 
the Wezeer came forth from the Hareem, and seated himself upon 
his couch, and the eunuch who had picked up the paper repaired to 
him. So while the Wezeer was sitting upon his couch, lo, that 
eunuch approached him, with the paper in his hand, and said to 
him, 0 my lord, I found this paper thrown down in the house, and 
I took it. The Wezeer therefore took it from his hand, folded as it 
was, and opened it, and saw written upon it the verses above men¬ 
tioned. He read them, and understood their meaning; and then, 
examining the writing, he found it to be that of his daughter; 
whereupon he went in to her mother, weeping violently, so that his 
beard was wetted. His wife said to him, What hath caused thee 
to weep, O my lord ? And he replied. Take this paper, and see its 
contents. So she took the paper, and read it, and found it to 
be a letter from her daughter El-Ward fi-l-Akmam to Uns el- 
Wujood; upon which she was affected with an inclination to weep; 
but she subdued her mind, and restrained her tears, and said to the 
Wezeer, O my lord, there is no profit in weeping. The right opi¬ 
nion is this: that we consider a plan by which to protect thy 
honour, and to conceal the affair of thy daughter.— And she pro¬ 
ceeded to console him, and to alleviate his sorrows. But he said to 
her, Verily I am in fear for my daughter on account of her passion. 
Knowest thou not that the Sultan loveth Uns el-Wujood with a 
great affection ? There are two causes for my fear. The first is, 
with respect to myself; she being my daughter. And the second 
is, with respect to the Sultan; Uns el-Wujood being a favourite 
with the Sultan ; and probably an affair of great moment may hence 
ensue. What then dost thou see fit to be done in this case ?—She 

4 B 

VOL. II. 

554 

THE STORY OF UNS EL-WUJOOD, &c. 

replied, Have patience with me until I shall have performed the 
prayer for direction in the right course. 5 Then she performed the 
prayers of two rek’ahs, the prophetic ordinance for seeking to be 
directed aright; and when she had finished her prayers, she said to 
her husband, In the midst of the Sea of the Kunooz 10 is a mountain 
called the Mountain of the Bereft Mother (and the cause of its being 
so named will be mentioned hereafter), and to that mountain none 
can obtain access, unless with difficulty : therefore make for her a 
place there. 

So the Wezeer agreed with his wife that he should build there 
an impregnable palace, and place her in it, and put with her the 
provisions necessary for her year after year, and place with her such 
attendants as should cheer her and serve her. He collected the 
carpenters and builders and architects, and sent them to that moun¬ 
tain ; and they built for her an impregnable palace, such as eyes 
had never beheld. Then lie prepared the provisions for the journey, 
and the caravan to accompany her ; and, going in to his daughter at 
night, commanded her to set forth on the journey. So her heart 
felt the pangs of separation, and when she went forth, and saw the 
preparation for travel, she wept violently, and wrote some words on 
the door to acquaint Uns el-Wujood with the transport of passion 
that she experienced, which was such as would make the flesh to 
quake, and melt the heart of rock, and make tears to flow: and 
what she wrote consisted of these verses :— 

By Allah, O house, if the beloved pass by, in the morning, saluting with the 
signals of lovers, 

Give him from us a pure and fragrant greeting; for he knoweth not where 
we pass the evening ; 

And I know not whither they have journeyed with us, proceeding quickly, 
and lightly equipped, 

By night, when the birds of the thicket, perched upon the branches, bewail 
us and announce our fate; 

The tongue of their condition saying, Alas, for the bereavement effected by 
the disjunction of the lovers! 

When I saw that the cup3 of separation were filled, and fate would by force 
make us drink them undiluted, 

I mixed them with becoming patience, to excuse myself; but now patience 
consoleth us not for the loss of you. 

And when she had finished her verses, she mounted, and they jour¬ 
neyed with her, crossing the deserts and wastes, and the plain and 

rugged tracts, until they arrived at the Sea of the Kunooz, when 
they pitched the tents upon the shore, and built for her a great 
vessel, in which they embarked the damsel and her household. The 
Wezeer had commanded them, that, when they had arrived at the 
mountain, and had taken her into the palace, together with her 
household, they should return with the vessel, and, after they had 
landed, that they should break it up. So they went and did all that 
he had commanded them, and returned weeping for that which had 
happened.—Such was their case. 

But as to Uns el-Wujood, he rose from his sleep, and, having per¬ 
formed the morning-prayers, mounted, and repaired to attend upon 
the Sultan. And he passed in his way by the door of the Wezeer, as 
he was wont to do, in the hope that perhaps he might see some one of 
the Wezeer’s dependants whom he was accustomed to see ; and he 
looked at the door, and beheld the verses above-mentioned written 
upon it. On seeing them he became unconscious of his existence ; 
a fire was kindled in his vitals, and he returned to his house. He 
could not rest, nor be patient, and he ceased not to suffer agitation 

556 

THE STORY OF UNS EL-WUJOOD AND 

of mind, and transport, until the night came; when he concealed 
his case, and disguised himself; and he went forth in the middle of 
the night, wandering at random, and not knowing whither to go. 
He journeyed on during the whole of the remainder of that night, 
and the next day until the heat of the sun became fierce, and the 
mountains were of a burning heat, and thirst violently oppressed 
him; but he beheld a tree, and found by the side of it a stream of 
water. So he went to that tree, and seated himself in its shade, on 
the bank of that stream, and desired to drink; but he found that 
the water had no taste in his mouth. His complexion had changed, 
his face had become sallow, and his feet were swollen by walking 
and toil; and he wept violently, pouring forth tears, and recited 
these verses:— 

The lover is intoxicated by his passion; but when his desire increaseth, he 
recovereth. 

Distracted in his love, ardent, bewildered, he findeth no abode nor food that 
pleaseth him. 

How can life be agreeable to the enamoured who is parted from the object of 
his love ? Were it so, it were wonderful. 

I melt when I bum with transport for her, my tears flowing down upon my 
cheek in torrents. 

Shall I see her, or see any one from her abode by whom the afflicted heart 
may be cured ? 

And when he had ended his verses, he wept until he wetted the 
ground. Then rising forthwith he proceeded from that place ; and 
as he journeyed on through the deserts and wastes, there came forth 
upon him a lion, whose neck was closely covered with his hair, and 
his head was as large as a cupola, and his mouth wider than a door, 
with teeth like the tusks of the elephant. When Uns el-Wujood 
beheld him, he made sure of destruction, and, turning his face to¬ 
wards the Kibleh, 11 he pronounced the two professions of the faith, 
and prepared for death. But he had read in books, that, if any one 
attempt to beguile the lion, he may be beguiled by him with kind 
words, and be rendered gentle by praise. So he began to say to 
him, O lion of the forest and the plain ! O bold lion! O father of 
the generous ! O Sultan of the wild beasts ! verily I am a longing 
lover, whom passion and separation have consumed, and when I 
became severed from the beloved I lost my reason: hear then my 

EL-WARD FLL-AKMA'M. 

557 

words, and pity my ardour and desire.—And when the lion heard 
what he said, he drew hack from him, and sat upon his tail; then 
raising his head towards him, he began to make playful motions to 
him with his tail and fore-paws ; and Uns el-Wujood, on seeing 
him do thus, recited these verses 

Lion of the desert, wilt thou kill me before I meet with her who hath enslaved 
me? 

I am not game; nor am I fat: the loss of my beloved hath wasted me away, 

And estrangement from her hath so consumed me that I am like a phantom 
wrapped in grave-clothes. 

O Abu-l-Harith ! 12 O lion of strife! make not the censurers to rejoice at my 
anguish. 

I am burning with love, my tears have drowned me, and the absence of the 
beloved hath troubled my mind. 

And my thoughts of her in the darkness of night have made me unconscious 
of my existence. 

And as soon as he had finished his verses, the lion arose and walked 
gently towards him, with his eyes filled with tears; and when he 
came to him he licked him with his tongue, and then walked before 
him, making a sign to him, as though he would say, Follow me. 
So he followed him, and the lion proceeded, with Uns el-Wujood 
behind him, for some time, until he had ascended to the summit of a 
mountain. Then he descended from that mountain, and Uns el- 
Wujood beheld the track of travellers in the desert, and knew it to 

558 

THE STORY OF UNS F.L WUJOOD AND 

be that of the people who accompanied El-Ward fi-l-Akmam. He 
therefore followed this track; and when the lion saw that he did so, 
and that he knew it to be the track of the attendants of his beloved, 
he returned, and went his way. 

Uns el-Wujood proceeded along the track for days and nights, 
until he approached a roaring sea, agitated with waves; and the 
foot-marks reached to the shore of the sea, and there ended. So he 
knew that the people had embarked in a vessel on the sea and pur¬ 
sued their course over it; in consequence of which, his hope of 
finding them was then cut off, and he poured forth tears, and 
recited these verses :— 

Distant is the place I seek, and my patience hath failed. How can I advance 
to her over the abyss of the sea ? 

Or how can I be patient when my vitals are consumed by love of her, and l 
have exchanged sleep for wakefulness ? 

Since the day when she journeyed forth from her home, my heart hath been 
inflamed with a vehement fire. 

Like Seyhoon and Jeyhoon 13 and Euphrates are my tears : they form a flood 
more copious than deluge and rain. 

My eyelids are sore from continual weeping, and my heart is tortured with 
fire and sparks. 

And after reciting some more verses, he fell down in a fit, and he 
remained in it a long time. Then, recovering, he looked to the 
right and left; but saw no one in the desert; and he feared for 
himself on account of the wild beasts. 

So he ascended a high mountain, and while he was upon it, he 
heard the voice of a human being, speaking in a cave ; and he 
listened to him, and lo, he was a devotee, who had forsaken the 
world, and occupied himself with devotion. He knocked at the 
door of the cave three times; but the devotee answered him not, 
nor came forth to him; and upon this, he uttered groans, and 
recited these verses:— 

How can I find means to attain my desire, and be relieved from anxiety and 
trouble and weariness? 

All terrors have united to render me aged in heart and head in the time of 
my youth, 

And I find not any to aid me in my passion, nor a friend to alleviate my 
transport and toil. 

How great are the troubles that I have suffered! Fortune seems turned 
entirely against me. 

EL-WARD FI-L-AKMA'M. 

559 

Oh, for mercy on the ardent and agitated lover, who hath drunk the cup of 
separation and abandonment! 

Fire is in his heart, and his bowels are destroyed, and the pain of disjunction 
hath deprived him of reason. 

How terrible was the day when I came to her abode, and beheld what was 
written upon the door! 

I wept in my anguish till I wetted the ground; but concealed my case from 
the near and the distant. 

O thou devotee who art idle in thy cave, as though thou hadst tasted and been 
captivated by love 1 

After all that I have suffered, if I gain my object, 1 shall not remember 
anxiety or fatigue. 

And when he had ended his verses, lo, the door of the cave was 
opened, and he heard a person saying, Alas! Mercy!—So he 
entered the door, and saluted the devotee, who returned his salu¬ 
tation, and said to him, What is thy name ? He answered, My 
name is Uns el-Wujood. And the devotee said to him, What is the 
cause of thy coming unto this place ? He therefore related to him 
his story from beginning to end, acquainting him with all that had 
befallen him. And on hearing it, the devotee wept, and said to 
him, O Uns el-Wujood, verily I have been in this place twenty 
years without seeing in it any one, until lately, when I heard 
weeping and clamour, and, looking in the direction of the sounds, 
I saw many people, and tents pitched on the shore of the sea, and 
they built a vessel, in which a party of them embarked, and they 
proceeded in it over the sea. Then some of those who had 
embarked in the vessel returned with it, and broke it up, and went 
their way: and I imagine that those who passed over the sea and 
returned not are the people whom thou seekest, O Uns el-Wujood. 
In that case, thine anxiety must be great, and thou art excused: 
but there existeth no lover who hath not endured griefs.—Then 
the devotee recited these verses:—- 

Uns el-Wujood, dost thou think me free from care, when desire and transport 
kill me and resuscitate me ? 

I have known love and passion from my early years, since I was an infant 
nourished by milk. 

Long I struggled with love, till I became notorious: if thou ask respecting me, 
he will know me. 

Lovesick and pining, I drank the cup of passion, and well nigh perished by 
the wasting of my body. 

560 

THE STORY OF UNS EL-WUJOOD AND 

I was strong; but my strength became impaired, and the army of my patience 
fell beneath the swords of the eyes. 

Hope not for union with the beloved without torment; for opposites are ever 
leagued together. 

Love hath decreed against all its votaries, that relinquishment is forbidden »s 
a wicked heresy. 

Then the devotee arose and came to Uns el-Wujood, and embraced 
him, and they both wept so that the mountains resounded with 
their cries. They ceased not to weep until they both fell down 
senseless; and when they recovered, they made a vow to be 
brothers in God (whose name be exalted!); after which, the devotee 
said to Uns el-Wujood, I will this night pray, and beg of God to 
be rightly directed as to the course which thou shouldst pursue. 
And Uns el-Wujood replied, I hear and obey. 

Meanwhile, when the people had arrived with El-Ward fi-1- 
Akmam at the mountain, and taken her into the palace, and she 
beheld it, and beheld its order, she wept, and said, By Allah, thou 
art a beautiful place ; but thou wantest the presence of the beloved 
in thee. And she saw birds in that island: so she ordered one of 
her attendants to set a snare for them, and catch some of them, and 
whenever he caught any, to put them in cages within the palace: 
and he did as she commanded him. Then she sat at a lattice- 
window of the palace, and, reflecting upon the events that had 
befallen her, her desire and transport and distraction increased; 
and she shed tears, and recited these verses:— 

O, to whom shall I complain of the desire that I suffer, and my grief, and my 
disjunction from my beloved, 

And the flame that rageth within my bosom; but which I shew not, in my 
fear of the watcher? 

I have become extenuated like a tooth-pick, by estrangement and ardour and 
lamentation. 

Where is the eye of the beloved to see how my state hath become like that of 
the distracted? 

They tyrannized over me when they confined me in a place to which he can 
never come. 

I beg the sun to give a thousand salutations, at the time of its rising, and 
again at its setting, 

To the loved-one who shameth the full moon in beauty, and surpasseth in 
figure the slender branch. 

If the rose be compared to his cheek, I say of if, Thou resemblest it not 
if thou be not of my portion. 14 

EL-WARD FI-L-AKMA'M. 

561 

The moisture of his mouth is like pleasant wine that would cool me when a 
fire flameth within me. 

How can I give him up who is my heart and my soul, a cause of wasting and 
sickness to me, but my beloved and my physician. 

And when the darkness of night overshadowed her, her desire 
became more violent, and again she reflected upon past events, and 
recited some verses commencing thus:— 

It is dark, and my transport and disease are excited, and desire provoketh my 
usual pain. 

The torment of separation is constant in my bosom, and trouble of mind 
hath rendered me destitute. 

Now to return to Uns el-VVujood,—the devotee said to him, 
Descend into the valley, and bring me, from the palm-trees, some 
of their fibres . 15 So he descended, and brought him some of the 
fibres of the palm-trees; and the devotee took them and twisted 
them, and made of them a kind of net , 16 like those used for carrying 
straw; after -which he said, O Uns el-Wujood, in the midst of the 

562 

THE STORY OF UNS EI.-WUJOOD AND 

valley is a kind of gourd 17 that groweth up and drieth upon its 
roots: go down then to it, fill this net with the gourds, and tie it, 
and throw it into the sea: then place thyself upon it, and proceed 
upon it into the midst of the sea: perhaps thou wilt attain thy 
desire; for he who risketh not himself will not gain his object. 
To this, Uns el-Wujood replied, I hear and obey. And he bade 
him farewell, and departed from him to do as he had directed him, 
after the devotee had prayed for him. He proceeded, without 
stopping, to the midst of the valley, and did as the devotee had 
said to him; and when he arrived, upon the net, in the midst 
of the sea, there came upon him a wind which propelled him with 
the net until he disappeared from before the eyes of the devotee. 
He ceased not to traverse the surface of the deep, one wave raising 
him and another depressing him, while he beheld the wonders and 
terrors of the sea, until destiny cast him upon the Mountain of the 
Bereft Mother, after three days. He landed like a giddy young 
bird, distressed by hunger and thirst; but he found, in that place, 
rivers flowing, and birds warbling upon the branches, and fruit¬ 
bearing trees of the same and of different kinds; and he ate of the 
fruits, and drank of the water of the rivers. 

Then he arose and walked; and he beheld something white in 
the distance; so he proceeded thither until he arrived at it, when 
he found it to be an impregnable palace. He came to its gate, and 
found it closed; and he sat at it for three days: but at length, 
as he was sitting there, the gate of the palace was opened, and 
there came forth from it one of the eunuchs, who, seeing Uns 
el-Wujood sitting, said to him, Whence hast thou come, and who 
brought thee hither ? He answered, From Ispahan, and I was on a 
voyage with merchandise, and the vessel that I was in was wrecked, 
and the waves threw me upon this island. And the eunuch wept, 
and embraced him, saying, God prolong thy life, O chief of friends! 
Verily, Ispahan is my native place, and I have there a cousin, 
the daughter of a paternal uncle, whom I loved in my youth, and I 
was passionately attached to her; but a people stronger than we 
made war upon us, and took me with their spoil, while I was yet a 
youth, and sold me: thus have I become reduced to my present 
condition.—And after he had saluted him and wished him long life, 
he led him into the court of the palace, where, when he entered, he 

EL-WARD FJ-L-AKMA'M. 

563 

beheld a great pool surrounded by trees with spreading branches, 
and in it were birds in cages of silver with doors of gold: these 
cages were hung to the branches, and the birds within them were 
warbling, and singing the praises of the Requiting King. On his 
coming to the first of them, he looked at it; and lo, it was a turtle¬ 
dove ; and when it saw him, it raised its voice, crying, O Boun¬ 
tiful ! 18 Whereupon Uns el-Wujood fell down in a fit; and 
on his recovering, he uttered groans, and recited these verses:— 

O turtle-dove, art thou enamoured like me ? Pray then to the Lord, and 
warble, O Bountiful! 

Is this thy cry occasioned by merriment, or is it by desire dwelling in the 
heart? 

If thou moanest from transport on account of the beloved that hath gone, and 
left thee wasted and pining, 

And like me thou hast lost the object of affection, disjunction must manifest 
long-felt rapture. 

O, may Allah guard a faithful lover! I will not relinquish her though 
my bones decay. 

And when he had finished these verses, he wept until again he fell 
down in a fit; and after he had recovered, he went on to other 
cages, and addressed, in a similar manner, a ring-dove, a hezar , 19 a 
nightingale, and a wood-pigeon, which last appeared as though it 
would utter these verses in reply:— 

O thou lover, thou hast brought to my remembrance the time when my early 
strength failed, 

And an object of love, of whose form I was enamoured, endowed with 
surpassing and tempting beauty, 

Whose voice, as he sat upon the branches on the sand-hill, diverted me 
from listening to the sounds of the flute. 

A fowler set for him a snare, and took him, while he cried, O, that he would 
leave me at large! 

I hoped that he might be a man of compassion; or that, seeing me to be a 
lover, he would pity me. 

But God overthrew him after he had thus with cruelty parted me from my 
beloved. 

My desire for him hath become excessive, and hath tortured me with the fire 
of disjunction. 

May Allah guard an impassioned lover who hath struggled with love and 
hath known my sadness, 

And, seeing me so long imprisoned in my cage, will in mercy loose me that 
I may fly to my beloved. 

He then looked towards his friend, the man of Ispahan, and said to 

5G4 

THE STORY OF UNS EL-VVUJOOD, &c. 

him. What is this palace, and what doth it contain, and who built 
it? The man answered him, The Wezeer of such a King built it 
for his daughter, fearing for her from misfortunes and calamities, 
and hath lodged her in it, together with her dependants, and it 
is not opened save once in every year, when their provisions are 
brought to them.—So he said within himself, My desire is accom¬ 
plished ; but the time to wait is long. 

Now during this period, El-Ward fi-l-Akmam found neither 
drink nor food agreeable to her, nor sitting nor sleeping. Her 
desire and transport and distraction of love had increased; and she 
searched about in the Corners of the palace, but found no way 
of escape for her; and she poured forth tears, and recited these 
verses:— 

They have cruelly confined me from my beloved, and made me to taste of 
anguish in my prison. 

They have tortured my heart with the fires of love, by preventing my 
beholding him. 

In a lofty palace have they imprisoned me, on a mountain placed in the midst 
of the sea. 

If they would have me forsake him, their wish is vain, for my love is become 
more trying. 

How can I forsake him when the origin of all that I suffer hath been 
the beholding his face ? 

The whole of my day is passed in sorrow, and the night I spend in thinking 
upon him. 

Remembrance of him cheereth me in my solitude, while I find myself 
destitute of his presence. 

Would that I knew if, after all this, fortime will consent to my heart's 
desire! 

She then went up to the roof of the palace, and, taking some 
garments of the stuff of Baalabekk, tied herself by them, and 
let herself down until she came to the ground. She was attired in 
the most magnificent of her apparel, and on her neck wa3 a 
necklace of jewels. And she proceeded over the adjacent deserts 
and wastes until she came to the shore of the sea, when she saw a 
fisherman going about in his vessel upon the sea to fish. The wind 
had cast him towards that island, and he looked, and saw there 
El-Ward fi-l-Akmam; but when he beheld her, he was frightened 
at her, and steered away his boat in flight. So she called him, 
making many signs to him, and recited some verses, informing him 

that she was a human being (not a Jinneeyeh, as he feared), and 
explaining her case; on hearing which, the fisherman wept and 
sighed and lamented, remembering what had happened to himself 
in the days of his youth, when love overpowered him, and his desire 
was violent, and his transport and distraction were excessive, the 
fires of passion burning him; and he replied to her in verse, telling 
her that he had been afflicted by love from his youth. He then made 
fast his vessel to the land, and said to her, Embark in the vessel, 
that I may transport thee to whatsoever place thou desirest. So 
she embarked in the vessel, and he set it afloat with her, and when 
it had proceeded a little way from the land, there blew upon 
it a favourable wind, and the vessel advanced rapidly until the land 
disappeared from before their eyes. The fisherman then knew not 
whither to steer; and the wind continued violent for the space of 
three days ; after which it subsided by the permission of God 
(whose name be exalted!), and the vessel bore them on until it 
came to a city on the shore of the sea, where the fisherman desired 
to make it fast. 

566 

THE STORY OF UNS EL-WUJOOD AND 

In this city was a King of great power, named Dirbas. 20 He 
was at that time sitting with his son in his palace, and they were 
looking from a window, and, casting their eyes towards the sea, 
they saw that vessel; and on their observing it attentively, they 
found that there was in it a damsel like the full moon in the 
sky, having, in her ears, earrings of costly balass rubies, and on her 
neck, a necklace of precious jewels. The King therefore knew 
that she was of the daughters of the grandees or of the Kings, and 
he descended from his palace, and went forth from a door opening 
upon the sea; whereupon he saw the vessel made fast to the shore; 
and the damsel was sleeping, while the fisherman was busy in attaching 
the vessel. The King roused her from her sleep, and she awoke 
weeping; and the King said to her, Whence comest thou, and 
whose daughter art thou, and what is the cause of thy coming 
hither? So she answered him, I am the daughter of Ibraheem, 
the Wezeer of the King Shamikh, 21 and the cause of my coming 
hither is a wonderful event and an extraordinary affair. And she re¬ 
lated to him her whole story, from beginning to end, hiding from him 
nothing; after which, she uttered groans, and recited some verses; 
and the King, on hearing them, was convinced of her transport and 
desire, and was moved with compassion for her; and he said to her, 
Thou hast no cause of fear nor of terror. Thou hast attained thy 
wish; for I must accomplish for thee what thou desirest, and 
procure for thee what thou seekest: and hear from me these words. 
—Then he recited these verses:— 

Daughter of the noble, thou hast gained thine object. Receive good tidings, 
and fear not here fatigue. 

This day will I collect wealth, and I will send it to Shamikh, attended by 
horsemen and heroes: 

I will send to him bags of musk, and brocade, and white silver also will 
I send, and gold. 

Yea; and my letters shall inform him for me that I am desirous of alliance 
with him; 

And to-day will I use endeavours to aid thee, that what thou wishest for may 
be hastened. 

1 have tasted of love long, and known it, and excuse the person who hath 
drunk the same cup. 

And wlien he had ended his verses, he went forth to his troops, and, 
having summoned his Wezeer, caused wealth incalculable to be 

EL-WARD FI-L-AKMA'M. 

567 

packed up for him, and commanded him to repair with it to the King 
Shamikh, saying to him, Thou must without fail bring to me a 
person who is with him, named Uns el-Wujood; and do thou say 
to him, The King desireth to form an alliance with thee by 
marrying his daughter to Uns el-Wujood, thy dependant, 22 and he 
must he sent with me, that the ceremony of the contract of his 
marriage to her may be performed in the kingdom of her father. 
Then the King Dirbas wrote a letter to the King Shamikh, to the 
effect above mentioned, and gave it to his Wezeer, strictly charging 
him to bring Uns el-Wujood, and saying to him, If thou bring him 
not to me, thou shalt be displaced from thy station. 

The Wezeer therefore replied, I hear and obey,—and repaired 
with the present to the King Shamikh. And when he came to 
him, he delivered to him the salutation of the King Dirbas, and 
gave him the letter and the present that he had brought. But 
when the King Shamikh saw them, and read the letter, and saw 
the name of Uns el-Wujood, he wept violently, and said to the 
Wezeer who was sent to him, And where is Uns el-Wujood ? For 
he hath gone away, and we know not where he is. Bring him then 
to me, and I will give to thee double the presents thou hast 
brought.—Then he wept and sighed and lamented, poured forth 
tears, and recited these verses :— 

Restore unto me my favourite : I am not in want of wealth ; 

Nor do I wish for presents of jewels or of pearls. 

I brought him up an infant, upon the bed of fondness, 

And verily I am mourning and troubled for him in mind. 

And after this, he looked towards the Wezeer who had brought 
the present and the letter, and said to him, Repair to thy lord, and 
inform him that Uns el-Wujood hath been absent for a year, and 
his lord knoweth not whither he hath gone, nor hath he any tidings 
of him. But the Wezeer replied, O my lord, verily my sovereign 
said to me, If thou bring him not to me, thou shalt be displaced 
from the post of Wezeer, and shalt not enter my city. How then 
can I go to him without him ?—So the King Shamikh said to his 
Wezeer Ibraheem, Go thou with him, accompanied by a party of 
men, and search for Uns el-Wujood in every quarter. And he 
replied, I hear and obey. 

Accordingly he took a party of his dependants, and, accom- 

panied by the Wezeer of the King Dirbas, they proceeded in 
search of Uns el-Wujood ; and whenever they passed by Arabs” or 
any people, they inquired of them respecting Uns el-Wujood, saying 
to them, Hath there passed by you a person of such a name, and of 
such and such a description? To which they answered, We know him 
not. They ceased not to inquire in the cities and villages, and to 
search in the plain and rugged tracts, and the deserts and wastes, 
until they arrived at the shore of the sea; when they sought a 
vessel, and embarked in one, and proceeded in it until they 
approached the Mountain of the Bereft Mother. Upon this, the 
Wezeer of the King Dirbas said to the Wezeer of the King 
Shamikh, On what account is this mountain so named ? And the 
latter answered, For this reason. A Jinneeyeh sojourned upon 
it in ancient times, and that Jinneeyeh was of the Jinn of China. 
She loved a man, and became passionately attached to him; but 
she was in fear of her family; and, her desire becoming excessive, 
she searched in the earth for a place wherein to conceal him from 
them, and found this mountain to be cut off from mankind and 
from the Jinn, so that no one of either of these races (herself 

THE STORY OF UNS EL-WUJOOD, &c. 

569 

excepted) found the way to it. She therefore carried off her 
beloved, and placed him there, and used to repair to her family, 
and to come to him privately; and thus she ceased not to do for 
a long time, until she bore him, on that mountain, a number 
of children. And those merchants who passed by this mountain in 
their voyages over the sea used to hear the weeping of the infants, 
like the weeping of a woman bereft of her children; whereupon 
they said, Is there here a bereft mother ?—And the Wezeer of the 
King Dirbas wondered at these words. 

Then they proceeded until they came to the palace, and they 
knocked at the door; upon which the door was opened, and there 
came forth to them a eunuch, who, knowing Ibraheem, the Wezeer 
of the King Shamikh, kissed his hands. And the Wezeer Ibra¬ 
heem entered the palace, and found in its court a poor man among 
the servants; and he was Uns el-Wujood. So he said to them, 
Whence is this man ? And they answered him, He is a merchant: 
his property was lost at sea, and he saved himself; and he is 
a person abstracted from the world. 24 He therefore left him, 
and went on into the interior of the palace; but found no trace of 
his daughter; and he inquired of the female slaves who were there, 
and they answered him, We know not how she went, and she 
stayed not with us save for a short time. And upon this, he 
poured forth tears, and recited these verses:— 

O thou mansion, the birds of which were singing, and the thresholds whereof 
were fortunate, 

Until the enamoured came to thee bewailing his desire, and beheld the doors 
opened! 25 

Would that I knew where my soul is gone, that was lately in a mansion 
whose mistress now is distant! 

It was stored with everything magnificent, and its chamberlains were happy 
and exalted, 

And they clothed it with draperies of brocade. 0, whither hath its mistress 
departed ? 

Then he wept and sighed and lamented, and said, There is no re¬ 
source against that which God hath ordained, nor any escape from 
that which He hath predestined and decreed! And he ascended to 
the roof of the palace, and found the garments of the stuff of Baala- 
bekk tied to the battlements and reaching to the ground. So he 
knew that she had descended from that place, and gone like one 

4 D 

VOL. H. 

570 

THE STORY OF UNS EL-WUJOOD AND 

distracted and confounded. And he looked aside, and saw there 
two birds, a raven and an owl, from the sight of which he augured 
evil; and he uttered groans, and recited these verses:— 

1 came to the abode of the beloved, hoping, by beholding her, to assuage my 
transport and affliction ; 

But I found her not in it, nor found I there aught save an ill-omened raven 
and owl; 

And the scene seemed to tell me, Thou hast acted cruelly, in severing the two 
desirous lovers : 

So taste thou the grief which they have tasted, and live in sorrow, weeping 
and burning. 

He then descended, weeping, from the roof of the palace, and or¬ 
dered the servants to go forth upon the mountain to search for their 
mistress; and they did so ; but found her not.—Meanwhile, Uns 
el-Wujood, when he was assured that El-Ward fi-l-Akmam had 
gone, uttered a great cry, and fell down in a fit, in which lie re¬ 
mained long ; and they imagined that a state of abstraction from 
the world had overcome him, and that he was drowned in the con¬ 
templation of the beauty of the majesty of the Requiter. 28 

Now when they despaired of finding Uns el-Wujood, and the 
heart of the Wezeer Ibraheem was troubled by the loss of his 
daughter El-Ward fi-l-Akmam, the Wezeer of the King Dirbas 
desired to return to his country, though he had not attained his 
desire by his journeys. So the Wezeer Ibraheem began to bid him 
farewell; and the Wezeer of the King Dirbas said to him, I desire 
to take this poor man with me : perhaps God (whose name be 
exalted !) may incline the heart of the King to me by the blessing 
attendant upon him; for he is a person abstracted from the world ; 
and after that, I will send him to Ispahan, since it is near unto our 
country. The Wezeer Ibraheem replied, Do as thou desirest. 
And each of the Wezeers departed to his own country. The We¬ 
zeer of the Kang Dirbas took with him Uns el-Wujood, still insen¬ 
sible, and proceeded with him three days, during which he continued 
in his fit, carried on mules, and not knowing whether he was carried 
or not. So when he recovered from his fit, he said. In what place 
am I? And they answered him, thou art with the Wezeer of the 
King Dirbas. Then they went to the Wezeer, and informed him 
that he had recovered ; whereupon he sent to him rose-water and 
sherbet of sugar, and they gave him to drink, and revived him. And 

EL-WARD FI-L-AKMA'M. 

571 

they continued their journey until they approached the city of the 
King Dirbas, when the King sent to the Wezeer, saying to him, If 
Uns el-Wujood be not with thee, come not to me ever. When, 
therefore, he read the order of the King, it afflicted him. Now the 
Wezeer knew not that El-Ward fi-l-Akmam was with the King, 
nor did he know the reason of the King’s sending him to Uns el- 
Wujood, nor the reason of his desiring the alliance with him ; and 
Uns el-Wujood knew not whither they were going with him, nor 
that the Wezeer was sent to seek for him ; nor did the Wezeer 
know that this was Uns el-Wujood. And when the Wezeer saw 
that he was recovered, he said to him, Verily the King hath sent 
me on a business, and it is not accomplished ; and when he knew 
of my approach, he sent to me a letter, saying to me in it, If the 
business be not accomplished, enter not my city.—And what, said 
Uns el-Wujood, is the business of the King ? The Wezeer there¬ 
fore related to him the whole story; and Uns el-Wujood said to 
him, Fear not; but go to the King, and take me with thee ; and I 
will be surety to thee for the coming of Uns el-Wujood. 

So the Wezeer rejoiced at this, and said to him, Is it true that 
thou sayest ? He answered, Yes. And thereupon he mounted, 
taking him with him, and conducted him to the King ; who, when 
they came to him, said to the Wezeer, Where is Uns el-Wujood ? 
To which Uns el-Wujood replied, O King, I know where Uns el- 
Wujood is. And the King called him near to him, and said, In 
what place is he ? He answered, In a place very near: but inform 
me what thou desirest of him, and then will I bring him before thee. 
The King replied, Most willingly: but this affair requireth privacy. 
Then he commanded the people to retire, and, having gone with 
him into a closet, acquainted him with the story from first to last; 
whereupon Uns el-Wujood said to him, Supply me with rich ap¬ 
parel, and cause me to be clad in it, and I will bring to thee Uns 
el-Wujood quickly. The King therefore brought to him a rich 
suit, and he put it on, and said, I am Uns el-Wujood, and a cause 
of grief to the envious. Then he smote the hearts of beholders by 
his glances, and recited these verses :— 

The mention of the beloved cheereth me in my solitude, and dispelleth my 
desolate feelings in estrangement. 

I know no fountain but that of tears, which, flowing from mine eye, assuage 
my anguish. 

572 

THE STORY OF UNS EL-WUJOOD AND 

My longing is violent: none like it existeth ; and the story of my love and 
affection is wonderful. 

I pass my night with sleepless eyelid, and walk in my passion between Hell 
and Paradise. 

I possessed becoming patience; but have lost it; and love's only gift to me 
is affliction. 

I am wasted by the pain of separation from her, and longing hath changed 
my aspect and form, 

And mine eyelids are wounded by my tears, the flowing of which I cannot 
prevent. 

My strength is impaired, and I have lost my heart ; and how many griefs in 
succession have I suffered ! 

And my heart and my head are alike aged by the loss of a mistress, the most 
beautiful of mistresses. 

In spite of her our disjunction took place, and her only desire is to find and 
meet me. 

Will fortune, after separation and distance, grant me the enjoyment of union 
with my beloved, 

Close the book of estrangement after opening it, and efface my trouble by the 
comforts of meeting ? 

And shall my beloved be my cup-companion, and my griefs be exchanged for 
pure delights? 

And when he had finished his verses, the King said to him, By 
Allah, ye are two sincere lovers, and in the heaven of beauty two 
shining stars ; and your case is wonderful, and your affair extraor¬ 
dinary. Uns-el-Wujood then said to the King, Where is El-Ward 
fi-l-Akmam, O King of the age ? He answered, She is now with 
me. And he summoned the Kadee and witnesses, performed the 
ceremony of the contract of her marriage to him, and treated him 
with honour and beneficence ; and he sent to the King Shamikh, 
informing him of all that had happened to him with respect to Uns 
el-Wujood and El-Ward fi-l-Akmam. 

On hearing this, the King Shamikh rejoiced exceedingly, and 
sent to the King Dirbas a letter, the purport of which was this : — 
Since the ceremony of the contract hath taken place at thy resi¬ 
dence, it is fit that the festival and the conclusion of the marriage 
be at mine.—He prepared the camels and horses and men, and sent 
for them; and when his letter was brought to the King Dirbas, he 
aided them with a great sum of money, and sent them with a party 
of his soldiers, who proceeded with them until they entered their 
city; and it was a noted day: none more remarkable had ever been 
witnessed. The King Shamikh collected all the mirth-exciting in- 

EL-WARD FI-L-AKMA'M. 

573 

struments of music, and made banquets ; and thus they continued 
seven days; on each of which the King conferred upon the people 
costly robes of honour, and bestowed favours upon them. And 
after this, Uns el-Wujood went to El-Ward fi-l-Akmam, and em¬ 
braced her; and they sat weeping from the excess of joy and 
happiness; and El-Ward fi-l-Akmam recited these verses:— 

Happiness hath come, dispelling care and grief. We are united, and have 
mortified our enviers. 

The fragrant zephyr of union hath blown, and revived the heart and the 
bowels and the body; 

And the beauty of delight hath appeared with perfumes, and our drums of 
glad tidings have been beaten around us. 27 

Do not imagine that we are weeping from grief; for it is from joy that our 
tears have flowed. 

How many terrors have we seen ! but they have passed; and we have borne 
with patience what roused up anguish. 

One hour of union hath made me forget what rendered us gray from excess of 
terror. 

Then they embraced each other, and continued to do so until they 
fell down senseless from the delight of finding themselves together ; 
and when they recovered, Uns el-Wujood recited these verses :— 

O how sweet are the nights of the fulfilment of promise, when the beloved is 
just to me, 

And when we are uninterruptedly united, and an end is put to our estrange¬ 
ment, 

And fortune cometh with favours to us, after turning away from us in aversion ! 

Prosperity hath set up her standards for us, and we have drunk from her 
hand a cup of pleasure ; 

And we have met, and complained to each other of sorrow, and of nights 
during which we have suffered oppression ; 

But now we have forgotten our griefs, O my mistress ; and may the Compas¬ 
sionate pardon what is past! 

How delightful is life, and how sweet is it! Union hath only increased my 
passion. 

And after this, they embraced again, and continued carousing, and 
reciting verses and pleasant tales and histories, until they were 
drowned in the sea of love ; and there passed over them seven days 
while they knew not night from day, through the excess of their 
delight and happiness and pleasure and joy. It was as though the 
seven days were one day not succeeded by another ; and they knew 

574 

THE STORY OF UNS EL-WUJOOD, &c. 

not the seventh day but by the coming of the musical instruments.” 
They then went forth from their chamber, and bestowed upon the 
people money and dresses. And they continued together in the 
most delightful of joys until they were visited by the terminator of 
delights and the separator of companions.—Extolled be the perfec¬ 
tion of Him who changeth not nor ceaseth, and to whom everything 
returneth ! 29 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

Note 1. 

This story has been given in French, but greatly abridged, by Trebutien; and 
in English, still more abridged, by Dr. Scott. I have felt that I could not convey 
a fair notion of the original without translating not only the whole of the prose 
(with the exception of a very few words), hut also considerably more than half of 
the poetry. The latter, whatever may be thought of it in other respects, has the 
merit of being characteristic; and though specimens of the amatory poetry of the 
Arabs are not wanting in other parts of the present work, I hope that the reader 
will excuse their abundance in this story as it is entirely one of love. 

The story is evidently Arabian ; but the countries in which its scenes are laid 
are doubtful. In one part (as will be shewn in a subsequent note), we seem to 
have an exaggerated description of a part of the Nile, and of a small island there 
situated, namely that of Philae. In another, a country is mentioned as near to 
Ispahan. 

Note 2. 

“ El-Ward fi-l-Akm&m” signifies “the Rose in the Calyx,” or, literally, “- 

in the Calyces i. e. “ the Rose-bud,” or, “ the Unblown Rose.” 

Note 3. 

The game here mentioned appears to be that of goff. 

Note 4. 

The lattice-windows in the East generally have small frames opening upon 
hinges. 

Note 5. 

I read “baglitatan” instead of “burhatan,” as recommended by my sheykh. 

Note 6. 

My sheykh explains the meaning of “ Uns el-Wujood” (vulgarly pronounced 
“ Anas el-Wujood”) by the words “ Lezzet (or Ledhdhet) ed-Dunya,” which sig- 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

o76 

nify “ the Delight of the World.” “ Uns” is here used, and in many other cases, 
as synonymous with “i-nAs” (verbal noun of “ a-nasa,” fourth conjugation), though 
I do not know that it is so interpreted in any published dictionary ; and “ el- 
wujood” often signifies “the world;” as in “ Hosn el-Wujood” (a female name), 
“ the Beauty of the World.” 

Note 7. 

In this verse, in the original, there is a play upon the name of Uns el-Wujood, 
which I have not attempted to imitate. 

Note 8. 

“Noon” and “Sad” are two letters of the Arabic alphabet. The former, 
lengthened, as it often is, forms an elegant curve; and the latter, without the 
curve which is added to it when it occurs alone or at the end of a word, resembles 
the outline of a human eye, almond-shaped.—“The Benevolent,” is one of the 
many epithets of the Deity. 

Note 9. 

The prayers of two rek’ahs, here mentioned, are not the only practice observed 
by Muslims with the view of obtaining a right direction : several others I have 
described in my work on the Modern Egyptians, towards the close of Chapter xi. 
in the First Volume. 

Note 10. 

The words which I render “ the Sea of the Kunooz ” are “ Bahr el-Kunooz.” 
The term “bahr” is applied to “ a large river” as well as “a sea,” and “Ku¬ 
nooz ” may be rendered “ Treasuresbut I prefer retaining the latter of these 
two Arabic words untranslated, for the following reasons. The people who inhabit 
the banks and islands of the Nile between AswAn and WAdee es-SubooS are called 
“ the Kunooztherefore that portion of the Nile which flows through their 
country may be properly called “Bahr el-Kunooz;” and Philae, which is in this 
part of the Nile, near the northern limits, is now called “the Island of Anas (or 
more properly Uns) el-Wujood.” Hence it appears to me most probable that the 
author of this story founded it upon some tradition that was preserved in Philae 
and its neighbourhood ; and without having heard any exaggerated description of 
that picturesque island, he may have taken the liberty of magnifying it, as well as 
giving it a new name (which the story required him to do), and of converting a 
great river into a sea. Burckhardt• renders “Anas el-Wujood" “the social 
pleasures of Wujood;” and adds, “Wujood, say the Arabs, was the name of the 
mighty King who built the temples of Philae.” But, if my memory deceive me 
not, I was there told that “ Anas el-Wujood,” not simply “Wujood,” was the 
name of the builder of those temples ; and of his history I could learn nothing ; 
the tradition relating to him being lost. 

Note 11. 

This is commonly done in expectation of immediate death. 

Note 12. 

“ Abu-l-Harith ” is a surname of the lion, given to him on account of his 
abundant acquisitions.) 

• Travels in Nubia, page 5. 

t Marginal note by my sheykh. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

t, 77 

Note 13. 

Seyhoon and Jeyhoon are the rivers anciently called Jaxartes and Oxus, which 
flow into the sea of Aral. 

Note 14. 

That is, because he is of my portion, according to my sheykh. But may not 
the meaning be, because his cheek cannot be rosy if mine be not? 

Note 15. 

Of these fibres, which grow at the top of the trunk, and which are called in 
Arabic “leef,” are made most of the ropes used by the Arabs. 

Note 16. 

The kind of net here mentioned (in the original “shinf”) has the form of a 
large sack. 

Note 17. 

So in the Breslau edition. In the edition of Cairo, by the omission of a dot, 
the word signifies “ branch” instead of “gourd.” 

Note 18. 

See Note 30 to the Introduction. 

Note 19. 

The “ hezar ” is a species of nightingale, and is so called from the great variety 
•of its notes ; the word “ hez&r” (which is Persian) signifying “ a thousand." 

Note 20. 

“ Dirb&s ” is one of the many Arabic words signifying “ a lion.” 

Note 21. 

“ Shamikh” signifies “high,” “lofty,” and “proud.” 

Note 22. 

This deception is accounted for by the information which El-Ward fi-l-Akm&m 
had given to the King, respecting the obstacles that had been raised against her 
marriage to Uns el-Wujood. 

Note 23. 

By “ Arabs,” we are here to understand Bedawees, or Arabs of the Desert. 

Note 24. 

In illustration of this passage, see Note 63 to Chapter iii., particularly pp. 237 
et seqq. 

Note 25. 

The Wezeer Ibr&heem, it seems, inferred that Uns el-Wujood had come to this 
palace, and, seeing the doors opened, had carried off his beloved. 

VOL. ii. 4 e 

578 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

Note 26. 

“ The Requiter ” is one of the epithets of the Deity. 

Note 27. 

The words rendered “around us” literally signify “ in the four quarters of 
the horizon,” or, “ among the flapping [standards],” as my sheykh explains in a 
marginal note. Perhaps these words, with those immediately connected with 
them, may be also meant to convey an allusion to the palpitating of the heart 
occasioned by the hearing of glad tidings. The word which bears the significa¬ 
tions above mentioned also signifies “palpitating" or “throbbing;” and that 
rendered “our drums of glad tidings” may with equal propriety be applied to any 
things announcing such news. 

Note 28. 

“ On the seventh day after a marriage, the wife receives her female relations 
and friends during the morning and afternoon; and sometimes, the husband 
entertains his own friends in the evening; generally hiring persons to perform a 
khatmeh or a zikr.”* Professional vocal and instrumental performers are also often 
hired on this occasion, as on others of a similar kind, to amuse each party of 
guests. In the case to which the present note refers, we may suppose the musi¬ 
cians to have been sent by the King. 

Note 29. 

N ext follows a long series of forty-eight anecdotes, ending with part of the four 
hundred and twenty-fourth Night. Twenty-two of these I have selected for trans¬ 
lation, and here insert. 

Anecdote of a Man and kis Slave-girl. 

It is related that a man of the inhabitants of El-Basrah purchased a slave-girl, 
whom he educated and instructed well; and he loved her extremely, and expended 
all his property in diversion and amusement while he lived with her, so that 
nothing remained in his possession, and excessive poverty afflicted him. The 
slave-girl therefore said to him, O my master, sell me ; for thou art in need of my 
price, and I am moved with pity for thee by the state of poverty into which thou 
hast fallen. If thou sell me, and employ my price for thy support, it will be better 
for thee than my remaining with thee; and perhaps God (whose name be exalted!) 
will make thy means of subsistence ample.—So he assented to her proposal, on ac¬ 
count of the straitness of his circumstances. He took her and went down with her 
to the market, and the broker offered her for sale to the Governor of El-Basrah, 
whose name was ’Abd Allah the son of Maamar Et-Teymee; and she pleased him, 
and he bought her for five hundred pieces of gold, which sum he paid to her 
master. But when her master had received the money, and was about to depart, 
the slave-girl wept, and recited this couplet:— 

May the money which thou hast collected delight thee! But for me, nought 
remaineth save sorrow and anxiety. 

1 say to my grievously oppressed soul, Mourn little or much : the beloved is 
separated, f 

* From my work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. ii. chap. xiv. 

t That is, my mourning will not profit me. 

On hearing which, her master uttered groans, and thus replied:— 

If thou have not any resource in this case, and find not aught but death, yet 
excuse me. 

Eve and morn the remembrance of you will console me, and comfort a heart 
severely troubled. 

Peace be on thee! Henceforth shall no visit nor meeting take place between 
us unless Ibn Maamar willeth. 

And when ’Abd Allah the son of Maamar heard their verses, and witnessed then- 
sorrow, he said, By Allah, I will not be a means of separating you. It hath 
become evident to me that ye love one another: so take the money and the slave- 
girl, O man. May God bless thee in them both ! For the separation of two lovers 
is painful to them.—They both, therefore, kissed his hand, and departed; and 
they ceased not to live together until death parted them.—Extolled be the per¬ 
fection of Him whom death doth not overtake ! 

Anecdote of Two Victims of Lose. 

There was a graceful man of the tribe of ’Odhrah, who was never free from the 
passion of love for a single day. And it happened that he loved a beautiful 
woman of his tribe, and he sent messages to her during the space of some days; 
but she ceased not to treat him with cruelty and aversion until desire and trans¬ 
port and distraction afflicted him, and he fell into a violent sickness. He confined 
himself to the pillow, and relinquished sleep; his case became manifest to the 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

f>80 

people, and his passion notorious; his infirmity increased, and his pain became 
severe, so that he almost died. His family and the family of his beloved inces¬ 
santly begged her to visit him ; but she refused, until he was at the point of death, 
when they acquainted her with this, and at length she was moved with compassion 
for him, and granted him the favour of a visit. And upon his beholding her, his 
eyes poured forth tears, and, with a broken heart, he recited these words :— 

By thy life, when my corpse passeth by thee, borne upon the necks of four 
men, 

Wilt thou not follow the bier, to salute the grave in which that corpse shall 
be laid ? 

And when she heard his words, she wept violently, and said to him, By Allah, I 
did not imagine that thy desire had risen to such a pitch as to cast thee into the 
arms of death. Had I known that, I had aided thee in thine affair, and thou hadst 
enjoyed the union thou desirest.—And on his hearing what she said, his tears be¬ 
came like rain ; and he repeated the saying of the poet:— 

She drew near at the time when death was parting us, and favoured me with 
union when it would not profit me. 

Then he uttered a groan, and died. And upon this, she threw herself upon him, 
kissing him and weeping, and she ceased not to weep until she fell down by him in 
a fit. And when she recovered, she charged her family that they should bury her 
in his grave when she should have died. Then she poured forth tears, and recited 
these two verses :— 

We lived upon the earth a life of comfort, and the tribe and abode and home 
were proud of us; 

But fortune, with its changes, hath parted us from each other, and now the 
grave-clothes will unite us. 

And after she had ended her verses, she wept violently, and ceased not to weep 
and wail till she fell down in a fit, in which she remained three days; and then 
she died, and was buried in his grave.—This was one of the strange coincidences 
that have happened in love. 

Love in a School. 

A boy and a slave-girl learned in one school, and the boy became affected with 
a violent passion for the slave-girl: so, one day, when the other boys were inad¬ 
vertent, he took her tablet,* and wrote upon it these two verses:— 

What sayest thou of him whom disease hath wasted by excessive love of thee, 
and who hath become perplexed ; 

Who in transport and pain complaineth of his passion, unable to conceal the 
feelings of his heart? 

When the slave-girl, therefore, took the tablet, she saw these verses written upon 
it; and after she had read them, and understood their meaning, she wept in com¬ 
passion for the boy, and wrote, beneath his lines, this couplet:— 

A wooden tablet, painted white, upon which the schoolboy writes his lesson. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

581 

If we behold a lover whom desire hath afflicted, we will confer favours upon 
him ; 

And that which he requireth of us he shall obtain, whatever happen to us in 
consequence. 

And it happened that the teacher came in to them, and, finding the tablet at a 
moment when it was lying unheeded, took it, and read what was upon it; whereat 
he was moved with pity for their state, and wrote these two verses (addressed to 
the girl) beneath those which they had written :— 

Receive thy lover, and fear not punishment; for he hath become perplexed in 
his passion. 

As to the teacher, fear not his authority ; for he hath long been afflicted by 
love. 

Then the master of the slave-girl happened to enter the school, and he found the 
girl’s tablet; so he took it, and read the words of the slave-girl, and those of the 
boy, and those of the teacher; and beneath the verses of them all, he wrote this 
couplet:— 

May God never cause a separation between you; and may your slanderer be 
perplexed and wearied ! 

As to the teacher, never, by Allah, have my eyes beheld a greater fosterer of 
intrigues. 

The master of the slave-girl then sent for the KAdee and witnesses, and performed 
the ceremony of her contract of marriage to the youth in their presence. He made 
for them also a feast, and treated them with great beneficence ; and they continued 
together in joy and happiness until they were overtaken by the terminator of de¬ 
lights and the separator of companions. 

582 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

Anecdote of a Faithless IVife. 

There was a man who had a mill, and an ass which turned it; and he had a 
wicked wife, whom he loved; but she hated him, and loved a neighbour of hers, 
who detested her, and withheld himself from her. And her husband dreamt that 
a person said to him, Dig in such a spot in the ass’s circuit in the mill: thou wilt 
find a treasure. And when he awoke, he told his wife of his dream, commanding 
her to conceal the secret. But she acquainted with it her neighbour whom she 
loved, for the purpose of ingratiating herself with him, and he promised to come 
to her at night. Accordingly he came to her in the night, and dug in the circuit 
of the mill, and they found the treasure, and took it forth. He then said to her, 
What shall we do with this? She answered, We will divide it into two equal por¬ 
tions, and thou shalt part thyself from thy wife, and I will devise a stratagem to 
separate myself from my husband : then thou shalt marry me ; and when we are 
united, we will put all the money together, and it shall be in our possession. Her 
neighbour however replied, I fear that the Devil will seduce thee, and that thou 
wilt take some other man in my stead; for gold in the house is like the sun in the 
world; and the right opinion is, that the money be all in my keeping, in order 
that thou mayest eagerly study to effect thy release from thy husband and to come 
to me. But she rejoined, I also fear the like of that which thou fearest, and I will 
not give up to thee my share of this money ; for I was the person who gave thee 
information of it. And when he heard these words from her, covetousness incited 
him to kill her: so he killed her, and threw her into the place of the treasure; 
after which, daylight overtook him, and prevented his concealing her. And the 
miller awoke, and found not his wife; and he went into the mill, attached the ass 
there, and urged it with his voice; whereupon it walked on, and thpn stopped. 
The miller beat it violently; but every time that he did so, it drew back; for it 
took fright at the dead woman, and could not advance. All this while, the miller 
knew not the cause of the stopping of the ass; and he took a knife, and goaded it 
many times; yet still it would not move from its place; and upon this, he was 
enraged at it, and stabbed it in the side, and the ass fell down dead. Then, when 
day came, the miller saw the ass dead, and his wife dead, and found her in the 
place of the treasure; and his rage increased at discovering the loss of the treasure 
and the slaughter of his wife and the ass, and great sorrow came upon him.—All 
this happened in consequence of his revealing his secret to his wife, and not con¬ 
cealing it. 

Anecdote of a Simpleton and a Sharper. 

A certain simpleton was walking along, holding the halter of his ass, which he 
was dragging after him ; and two sharpers saw him ; whereupon one of them said 
to his companion, I will take this ass from this man.—How wilt thou take it ? said 
the other. The first replied, Follow me, and I will shew thee. So he followed 
him; and that sharper, advancing to the ass, unloosed from it the halter, and gave 
the ass to his companion; after which, he put the halter upon his own head, and 
walked on behind the simpleton until he knew that his companion had gone away 
with the ass. Then he stopped: so the simpleton dragged him by the halter; 
but he advanced not. The man therefore looked back at him, and, seeing the 
halter upon the head of a man, he said to him, What art thou ? The sharper an- 

swered, I am thy ass, and my story is wonderful; and it is this: I had a mother, 
a virtuous old woman, and I went to her one day in a state of intoxication ^ where¬ 
upon she said to me, O my son, turn with repentance unto God (whose name he 
exalted!) from these sins. But I took a staff, and beat her with it; and she 
uttered an imprecation against me; upon which God (whose name be exalted!) 
transformed me into an ass, and caused me to fall into thy possession, and I re¬ 
mained with thee all this time. To-day, however, my mother remembered me, 
and God inclined her heart towards me ; so she prayed for me, and God restored 
me to the human shape as I was.—And the simpleton said, There is no strength nor 
power but in God, the High, the Great! By Allah, O my brother, absolve me of re¬ 
sponsibility for that which I have done unto thee, in riding thee and in other things. 
—Then he left the sharper to go his way, and he himself returned to his house in¬ 
toxicated with anxiety and grief. Ilis wife therefore said to him, What hath 
afflicted thee, and where is the ass ? He said to her, Hast thou no knowledge of 
the case of the ass ? Then I will acquaint thee with it.—And he related to her the 
story; on hearing which, she exclaimed, Alas for the punishment that we shall 
receive from God, whose name be exalted! How hath it happened that all this 
time hath passed over us and we have been making a son of Adam to labour for 
us!—Then she gave alms,* and prayed for the forgiveness of God. And the man 
remained a long time in the house without work. So his wife said to him, How 
long wilt thou remain in the house without work ? Go to the market and buy for 
us an ass with which to work.-—He therefore went to the market, and stopped by 
the asses ; and lo, he beheld his own ass for sale. And when he recognised it, he 
advanced to it, and, putting his mouth to its ear, said to it, Wo to thee, O unlucky! 
Doubtless thou hast returned to intoxication, and beaten thy mother again. By 
Allah, I will never again buy thee !—Then he left it, and departed. 

Anecdote of El-H&kim bi-amri-lldh and a Merchant of Cairo. 

It is related that El-Hakim bi-amri-llah was riding in his state-procession one 
day, and he passed by a garden, where he saw a man surrounded by slaves and 
servants; and he demanded of him a draught of water. The man therefore gave 
him to drink; after which he said, Perhaps the Prince of the Faithful will honour 
me by alighting and paying me a visit in this garden. So the King alighted, and 
his troops also, and entered that garden ; and the man above mentioned caused a 
hundred carpets to be brought out, and a hundred skins,f and a hundred pillows, 

• As an atonement. 

f Either to place the food upon or to sit upon ; but in this case, I suppose, for the former purpose. 

584 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

and a hundred dishes of fruits, and a hundred bowls full of sweets, and a hundred 
saucers full of sherbet of sugar. El-Hakim bi-amri-lldh was amazed at this, and he 
said, O man, verily thy case is wonderful. Didst thou know of our coming, and 
prepare for us this?—The man answered, No, by Allah, O Prince of the Faithful : 
I knew not of your coming. I am a merchant, of the number of thy subjects, and 
I have a hundred concubines ; and when the Prince of the Faithful honoured me 
by alighting and paying me a visit, I sent to each of them, desiring her to send 
me the dinner in the garden; and each of them sent somewhat of her furni¬ 
ture and the surplus of her food and her drink. Each of them sendeth to me 
every day a dish of meat, and a dish of something cooling, and a dish of fruit, and 
a bowl full of sweetmeat, and a saucer of sherbet; and this is my dinner every 
day: I have not added to it anything for thee.—And the Prince of the Faithful 
prostrated himself, offering up thanks to God (whose name be exalted!), and said, 
Praise be to God, who hath made to be of the number of our subjects one upon 
whom He hath bestowed such affluence that he feedeth the Khaleefeh and his troops 
without preparing for them, but only of the surplus of his food ! Then he gave 
orders to present to him all that the government-treasury contained of coins struck 
during that year; and they amounted to three millions and seven hundred thou¬ 
sand ; and he mounted not until he had caused them to be brought, and had given 
them to that man, saying to him, Make use of them as thy case may require ; for 
thy generosity is worthy of a greater recompense. Then the King mounted and 
departed. 

Anecdote of Anooshirwan. 

The just King, Kisra Anooshirwdn,* rode forth one day to the chase, and 
separated himself from his troops, pursuing a gazelle; and as he proceeded after 
it, he saw a tract of cultivated land near unto him. He was exceedingly thirsty; 
so he repaired thither, and, going to the door of the house of a family, he asked for 
some water to drink ; whereupon there came forth to him a damsel, who looked at 
him, and then returned to the house, and pressed for him a single sugar-cane, 
mixed its juice with water, poured it into a cup, and put into it some sweet-scented 
substance resembling dust. Then she gave it to Anooshirw&n, who looked into 
the cup, and saw in it something like dust. He therefore drank it slowly, until he 
came to the end of it, when he said to the damsel, O damsel, excellent was the 
water, and how sweet had it been but for those particles swimming upon the sur¬ 
face; for they rendered it turbid. The damsel replied, O guest, I purposely threw 
into it those particles which rendered it turbid.—And why didst thou that? said 
the King. She answered, Because I saw thee to be violently thirsty, and feared 
that thou wouldst drink it at a single draught, and it would have been injurious to 
thee; and hadithere not been in it those particles upon the surface, thou wouldst have 
drunk it up quickly at once, and thy doing so would have been hurtful to thee. So 
the just King, Anooshirwan, wondered at her words and her intelligence, knowing 
that what she had said had proceeded from intelligence and acuteness and excellence 
of understanding; and he said to her, From how many canes didst thou press that 
juice? She answered, from one cane. And Anooshirwdn wondered, and de¬ 
manded the register of the taxes that arose from the village there ; and he saw that 

• Anooshirwan, or Nooshirwan, was the famous Persian monarch in whose reign Mohammad was 
born, and whose justice has been a theme of countless Oriental writers. 

its taxes were little; where¬ 
fore he purposed in his mind, 
when he should return to 
his seat of government, to 
increase those taxes; say¬ 
ing, Wherefore should the 
taxes of a village from a 
single sugar-cane of which 
this juice proceedeth be so 
little ? 

Then he departed from 
that village to the chase; and 
at the close of the day he 
returned to it, and, passing 
alone by that door again, he 
asked a second time for 
water to drink; upon which 
that same damsel came forth 
to him; and, seeing and 
knowing him, she returned 
to bring him the water. But 
she was long absent from 
him. So Anooshirwan has¬ 
tened her, and said, Where¬ 
fore hast thou been tardy ? 
She answered, Because there 
proceeded not from one cane 
as much as thou wantest; there¬ 
fore I pressed three canes; and there came 
not from them as much as before came from 
one cane. The King said, What is the cause of 
that? And she answered, The cause of it is, that 
the purpose of the Sultan hath become changed. 
He therefore asked her, Whence learnedst thou 
this? She answered, We have heard from the wise, that, when the purpose of the 
Sultan becometh changed' against a people, their prosperity ceaseth, and their 
blessings are diminished. And Anooshirw&n laughed, and dismissed from his mind 
that which he had purposed against the people; and forthwith he married that 
damsel, being pleased with the excess of her intelligence and acuteness, and the 
excellence of her speech. 

Anecdote of Khusrow and Sheereen and a Fisherman. 

Khusrow,* who was one of the Kings [of Persia], was fond of fish; and he was 

* Khusrow' Parw6z, or Parv6z, was a very famous monarch, grandson of Anooshirw4n, and con¬ 
temporary with Mohammad. Having been driven from his country by his uncle, be “ took refuge 
with the Greek Emperor Maurice, by whose assistance he defeated the usurper, and recovered his 
crown. Khusrow, whilst at Maurice’s court, married his daughter Irene [called by the Persians 
‘Sheereen,’ signifying ‘Sweet’], who is highly celebrated in the East for her singular beauty. . . . 
The throne of this prince is celebrated by many Eastern historians. It is said to have been of sucfi vast 
extent, that it was supported by forty thousand columns of silver; and that, among other magnificent or¬ 
naments, a thousand globes, suspended in the dome, shewed, by various movements, the motions of the 
heavenly bodies; thirty thousand pieces of embroidered tapestry adorned the walls ; and underneath 
were vaults containing immense treasures in gold, silver, and precious stones.’’ (Richardson’s Persian, 
Arabic, and English Dictionary, Johnson’s edition, voce parw6z.) 

VOL. II. 4 F 

586 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

one day sitting in his saloon, with Sheereen, his wife, when there came a fisher¬ 
man with a large fish, which he gave to Khusrow. And the King was pleased 
with that fish, and gave orders to present the man with four thousand pieces of 
silver. But Sheereen said to him, Evil is that which thou hast done!—And why ? 
he asked. She answered, Because if, after this, thou give any one of thy depend¬ 
ants this sum, he will despise it, and say, He hath given me the like of the sum 
which he gave to the fisherman. And if thou give him less than that, he will say, 
He hath despised me, and given me less than he gave to the fisherman.—So Khusrow 
replied, Thou hast spoken truth; but it is disgraceful in Kings to take back their 
gifts, and this hath passed. Sheereen however rejoined, I will contrive for thee a 
means of getting back the present from him.—And how so ? said he. She an¬ 
swered, If thou desire that, call the fisherman, and ask him of what species is this 
fish. 'And if he say to thee, Of such a species,—reply, We desired one of another 
kind.—He therefore sent after the fisherman, who returned; and this fisherman 
was a person of intelligence and acuteness; and the King Khusrow asked him, of 
what species was the fish which he had brought; whereupon the fisherman kissed 
the ground, and said, This fish is of a mixed kind, and of no one particular species. 
And Khusrow laughed at his words, and gave orders to present him with four 
thousand more pieces of silver. 

The fisherman therefore went to the treasurer, and received from him eight 
thousand pieces of silver, which he put into a leathern bag that he had with him; 
and he raised it upon his neck, and was about to go forth, when there fell from 
him one piece of silver; upon which he set down the leathern bag from his 
shoulders, and stooped to pick up the piece of silver, and took it. Now the King 
and Sheereen were looking at him ; and Sheereen said, O King, hast thou seen 
the vileness of this man, and his meanness, in that when there fell from him a 
piece of silver, it was not easy for him to leave it for one of the pages of the King 
to take it? And when the King heard her words, he was enraged at the fisherman, 
and said, Thou hast spoken truth, O Sheereen. Then he gave orders to bring back 
the fisherman, and said to him, O thou devoid of spirit! Thou art not a man ! 
How was it that thou puttest down this money from thy shoulders, and stoopedst 
for a piece of silver, and wast too covetous to leave it in its place ?—But the fish¬ 
erman kissed the ground, and answered, May God prolong the life of the King ! 

I took not up that piece of silver from the ground on account of its value in my 
estimation; but I did so because upon one of its faces is the effigy of the King, 
and upon its other face his name, and I feared that some person might put his foot 
upon it unknowingly, and that would be dishonouring the name of the King, and 
his effigy; and J should be the one to be blamed for this offence. And the 
King wondered at his words, and approved what he said, and gave orders to pre¬ 
sent him with four thousand more pieces of silver. He also commanded a crier to 
proclaim and say, It is not fit that any one should follow the counsel of women; 
for he who followeth their counsel will lose with his piece of silver two pieces of 
silver beside. 

Anecdote of Yahya El-Barmekee. 

It is related that Yahya the son of Khilid El-Barmekee went forth from the 
palace of the Khaleefeli to return to his house, and saw, at the door of the house, 
a man, who, when he approached, rose and saluted him, and said to him, O Yahya, 

I am in need of that which is in thy hand, and I beg of God to conciliate thy 
favour for me. And Yahya gave orders to appropriate to him a place in his house, 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

587 

and commanded his treasurer to take to him every day a thousand pieces of silver, 
and directed that he should be fed with the choicest of his food. Thus the man 
remained a whole month; at the expiration of which, he had received thirty thou¬ 
sand pieces of silver; but he feared that Yahya would take from him the money, 
on account of its large amount: so he departed privily. And they informed 
Yahya of this. He however replied, By Allah, had he remained with me for his 
life, and for all his days, I had not withheld my gifts, nor deprived him of the 
honours of my hospitality.—And the excellencies of the Barmekees were incalcu¬ 
lable, and their virtues cannot be fully described: especially those of Yahya the 
son of Kh&lid; for he chiefly abounded in illustrious actions, as the poet hath said 
of him:— 

I asked Liberality, Art thou free ? He answered, No; but I am the slave of 
Yahya the son of Khdlid. 

By purchase ? said I.—God forbid ! he answered ; for he had me by inherit¬ 
ance from father after father. 

Mohammad El-Emeen and the Slave-girl El-Bedr el-Kebeer. 

Jaafar the son of Moosa El-H&dee* had a slave-girl, a lute-player, whose name 
was El-Bedr el-Kebeer,f and there was not in her time any more beautiful in face, 
or of more just figure, or more graceful, or more skilful in the art of singing, and 
striking the chords: she was endowed with the utmost loveliness and elegance, 
and every charm. And Mohammad El-Emeen J the son of Zubeydeh heard of 
her, and besought Jaafar to sell her to him : hut he replied, Thou knowest that it 
becometh not such a person as myself to sell female slaves and to set prices upon 
concubines; and were she not brought up in my house, I would send her as a pre¬ 
sent to thee, and not covetously withhold her from thee. Then Mohammad El- 
Emeen repaired one day, for the purpose of exhilaration, to the house of Jaafar, 
who thereupon shewed him the hospitality suitable to friends, and ordered his 
slave-girl El-Bedr el-Kebeer to sing to him and make him merry. She therefore 
tuned the instruments, and sang with the sweetest of melodious tones. And 
Mohammad El-Emeen betook himself to drinking and making merry, and ordered 
the cup-bearers to give abundance of wine to Jaafar, that they might intoxicate 
him. He then took the slave-girl with him, and repaired to his residence; but he 
extended not his hand towards her. And in the morning he gave orders to invite 
Jaafar; and when he came he placed the wine before him, and commanded the 
slave-girl to sing to him within the curtain. When Jaafar, therefore, heard her 
voice, he knew her ; and he was enraged at this ; but he shewed not his rage, by 
reason of the nobleness of his nature, and his magnanimity; and he manifested no 
change in his convivial converse. And as soon as the carousal was ended, 
Mohammad El-Emeen gave orders to one of his dependants to fill the skiff in 
which Jaafar had come to him with pieces of gold and silver, and varieties of 
jewels and jacinths, and rich apparel, and exceeding wealth. So he did as he 
commanded him, putting into the skiff a thousand myriads of pieces of money, 
and a thousand large pearls, each pearl of the value of twenty thousand pieces of 
silver; and he ceased not to put in it varieties of rarities, until the boatmen called 
out for aid, and said, The skiff cannot carry anything more. And he ordered them 

• El-Hddee was the brother and immediate predecessor of H&roon Er-Rasheed, 
f Literally, “the Great Full Moon.” 

I The son and next successor of Hdroon Er-Raslieed. 

588 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

to convey the wealth to the house of Jaafar.—Such are the noble actions of the 
great. May God have mercy on them! 

Anecdote of El-Fadl and Jaafar the Barmekees. 

Sa’eed the son of Salim El-Bahilee saitli, My circumstances became difficult in 
the time of Haroon Er-Raslieed; many debts were accumulated upon me, burden¬ 
ing my back, and I was unable to discharge them. My means were contracted, 
and 1 became perplexed, not knowing what to do; for payment was vehemently 
urged upon me, the persons to whom I was indebted surrounded my door, those 
who had demands to make crowded upon me, and the creditors constantly impor¬ 
tuned me. Thus my invention of expedients was straitened, and my trouble of 
mind was excessive. So when I saw my affairs involved in difficulty, and my cir¬ 
cumstances changed, I repaired to ’Abd Allah the son of Malik El-Khuzd’ee, and 
besought him to aid me by his advice, and direct me to the door of relief by his 
good counsel; and he said, No one can save thee from thy trouble and anxiety, 
and straitness and grief, excepting the Barmekees. I replied, And who can bear 
their pride, and endure their haughtiness ?—Thou wilt bear that, he rejoined, for 
the sake of amending thy circumstances. I therefore arose from his presence, and 
went to El-Fadl and Jaafar, the sons of Yahya the son of Khalid, related to them 
my case, and shewed them my condition. And they said, May God give thee His 
aid, and render thee independent of His creatures by His beneficence, and liberally 
bestow on thee abundant prosperity', and grant thee sufficiency above any being 
beside Him; for He is able to do whatsoever He willeth, and is gracious unto His 
servants, and acquainted with their wants. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

589 

So I departed from them, and returned to 'Abd Allah the son of M&lik with 
contracted bosom, perplexed mind, and broken heart, and repeated to him what 
they had said; and he replied, It is expedient that thou remain to-day with us, 
that we may see what God (whose name be exalted!) will decree. I therefore sat 
with him a while; and lo, my young man approached and said, O my master, at 
our door are many mules, with their loads, and with them is a man who saith, I 
am the agent of El-Fadl the son of Yahya, and Jaafar the son of Yahya. Upon 
this, ’Abd Allah the son of Malik said, I hope that relief hath approached thee : 
rise then, and see what is the affair. Accordingly, I arose from his presence, and 
hastened running to my house, and saw at my door a man with a note, in which 
was writen,— 

When thou hadst been with us, and we had heard thy words, we repaired, after 
thy departure, to the Khaleefeh, and informed him that thou hadst been reduced to 
the ignominious necessity of begging ; whereupon he commanded us to convey to 
thee, from the government-treasury, a million pieces of silver. But we said to 
him, This money he will disburse to his creditors, and he will pay with it his debts; 
and whence is he to sustain himself? So he gave orders to present thee with three 
hundred thousand pieces of silver besides. And each of us also hath sent to thee, 
of his proper wealth, a million pieces of silver. The whole sum, therefore, is three 
millions and three hundred thousand pieces of silver, wherewith thou shalt amend 
thy circumstances and affairs. 

See then this generosity evinced by these noble persons. May God (whose 
name be exalted !) have mercy on them ! 

Anecdote of a Deceitful Wife. 

It is related that a woman practised a stratagem against her husband; and it 
was this.—Her husband brought her a fish, on a Friday, and desired her to cook 
it and make it ready by the time that the congregational prayers should he ended. 
He then went forth to his work; and her friend came to her, and invited her to 
attend a wedding in his house; to which she assented. She put the fish into a 
water-jar in her abode, and went with him, and remained absent from her house 
until the next Friday; while her husband was searching in other houses, and 
inquiring for her; but no one gave him any tidings of her. Then she came on 
the following Friday, and took forth to him the fish alive, and, having collected a 
number of people before him, related to them her tale; whereupon they pronounced 
the man a liar, and said to him, It is impossible that the fish should remain alive 
all this time. They made it appear evident that he was mad, and imprisoned him 
and laughed at him. 

Anecdote of a Homicide. 

The shereef Hoseyn the son of Reiy&n hath related, that the Prince of the 
Faithful, ’Omar the son of El-Khattab, was sitting one day to judge the people, 
and to exercise jurisdiction among his subjects, attended by the chiefs of his com¬ 
panions, of those possessed of judgment and just perception. And as he sat, 
there approached him a young man, of the most comely of young men, of clean 
apparel, upon whom two of the most comely of young men had laid hold; and 
they dragged him by the upper edge of his vest, and stationed him before the 
Prince of the Faithful. So the Prince of the Faithful looked at the two young 
men, and at the other, and, having ordered them to withdraw from him, caused 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

590 

him to draw near unto him, and said to the two 
young men, What is your affair with him?— 
O Prince of the Faithful, they answered, we 
are two brothers by the same mother, and suited 
to follow the truth. We had a father, a very 
old man, prudent, honoured among the tribes, 
free from meannesses, well known for virtues, 
who reared us from infancy, and bestowed on 
us great favours, a person of abundant virtues 
and illustrious actions, deserving of the praise 
of the poet:— 

They said, Is Aboo Sakr of Sheybfin ? I 
answered them, Nay, by my life ; but 
Sheyb&n is of him :* 

For how many a father hath derived emi¬ 
nence from a noble son, as did ’Adndn 
from God’s Apostle! 

And he went forth to an orchard belonging to 
him, to recreate himself among its trees, and to pluck its ripe fruits, and this young 
man slew him, swerving from the path of rectitude. We therefore request thee to 
retaliate his offence, and to pass sentence upon him in accordance with the com¬ 
mand of God. 

So 'Omar cast a terrifying glance at the young man, and said to him, Thou 
hast heard what these two young men have stated. What then sayest thou in 
reply ?—Now that young man was of firm heart and bold tongue ; he had cast off 
the garments of dastardy, and divested himself of the apparel of fear: so he 
smiled, and spoke with a most eloquent tongue, complimenting the Prince of the 
Faithful with elegant language. Then he said, By Allah, O Prince of the Faithful, 

I have retained in my mind their charge, and they have spoken truth in that which 
they have said in relating what happened; and the command of God is a deter¬ 
minate decree. But I will state my case before thee, and it is thine to decide 
upon it. Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that I am of the choicest of the genuine 
Arabs, who are the most noble of the races under heaven. I grew up in the 
dwellings of the desert, and gloomy times of oppressive sterility afflicted my 
people; wherefore I came to the environs of this town, with my family and wealth 
and children. I followed one of the roads around it leading amid its gardens of 
trees, with she-camels of high estimation and dear unto me, among which was a 
male camel of high breed and of numerous offspring and beautifid form, whereby 
they bore abundantly, and he walked among them like a king wearing a crown. 
Now one of the she-camels ran away to the orchard of the father of these two 
young men, and its trees appeared above the wall, and she reached them with her 
lips: so I drove her away from that orchard. But lo, a 6heykh appeared through 
an interstice of the wall, the flame of his rage casting forth sparks, and with a 
stone in his right hand; and he walked like the lion that swayethf in his pace, 
and, smiting the male camel with that stone, he killed it; for the stone struck its 
eye. Therefore when I saw that the male camel had fallen down by my side, 1 

* “ Sheybcin” is the name of a tribe. 

f I read “ khatara,” as recommended by my sheykh, instead of “ hadara” or “ hadira.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

591 

felt the burning coals of anger lighted in my heart, and I took up that same stone, 
and smote him with it, and it was the cause of his destruction. Thus he found an 
evil result to his action; the man being killed with that wherewith he had killed. 
And when he was struck with the stone, he uttered a great cry and a painful 
shriek; whereupon I hastened from my place; but these two young men hastened 
after me, and laid hold upon me; and they brought me unto thee, and placed me 
before thee. 

On hearing this, ’Omar (may God, whose name be exalted, be well pleased 
with him!) said, Thou hast confessed the crime that thou hast committed: libera¬ 
tion hath become difficult, retaliation is necessary, and there is no opportunity of 
escape. The young man replied, I hear and obey the sentence which the Imam 
hath passed, and consent to that which the law of El-Islam requireth. But I have 
a young brother, and he had an old father, who, before his death, assigned him 
abundant wealth, and a great sum of gold, and committed the care of him to me, 
calling God to witness against me, and saying, This is in trust with thee for thy 
brother: keep it then carefully. I therefore received that money from him, and 
buried it; and no one knoweth of it but myself. So if thou now pass sentence of 
death upon me, the wealth will be lost, and thou wilt be the cause of its los3, and 
the child will sue thee for his right on the day when God will judge his creatures. 
But if thou grant me three days’ delay, I will appoint some one to act as guardian 
to the boy, and I will return to discharge my obligation; and I have one who will 
be my surety for the fulfilment of this promise.— And upon this, the Prince of the 
Faithful hung down his head. Then he looked at those who were present, and 
said, Who will be surety unto me for his return to his place?—And the young 
man looked at the faces of those who composed the assembly, and, pointing to 
Aboo Dharr* in preference to the rest of the persons present, said, This will be 
my guarantee and my surety. So ’Omar (may God, whose name be exalted, be 
well pleased with him!) said, O Aboo Dharr, hast thou heard this saying, and wilt 
thou be surety unto me for the return of this young man? He answered, Yes, 
O Prince of the Faithful: I will be surety for him for three days. ’Omar, there¬ 
fore, consented to this, and gave permission to the young man to depart. 

And when the period of delay had drawn towards its close, and the time had 
almost expired, or had expired, the young man had not come unto the assembly 
of ’Omar, whom the Companions f were surrounding like the stars around the 
moon. Aboo Dharr was present, and the plaintiffs were waiting, and they said, 
Where is the delinquent, O Aboo Dharr? How shall he who hath fled return? 
But we will not move from our place until thou bring him to us, that our blood- 
revenge may be taken.—Aboo Dharr replied, By the Omniscient King, if the 
three days expire and the young man shall not have come, I will discharge the 
obligation of surety, and surrender myself to the Imam! And ’Omar (may God 
be well pleased with him!) said, By Allah, if the young man delay his coming, I 
will assuredly pass sentence upon Aboo Dharr according as the law of El-Islam 
requireth! And upon this, the tears of the persons present flowed, and the sighs 
of the spectators rose, and great was the clamour. The chiefs of the Companions 
proposed to the two young men to take the pecuniary compensation, and obtain 
the thanks of the people. But they refused, and would admit nothing but the 
taking of the blood-revenge. 

• A celebrated and highly esteemed relater of the sayings and actions of the Prophet. 

t The Companions of the Prophet. 

592 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

While the people, however, were in a state of tumult and clamour in their 
lamentation for Aboo Dharr, lo, the young man approached, and stood before the 
Imdm, and greeted him with the most courteous salutation. His face was shining 
brightly, and glistening with perspiration; and he said to the Imdm, I have 
committed the youth unto his maternal uncles, and acquainted them with all his 
affairs, and informed them of what had been done with his wealth: then I rushed 
into the sultry mid-day heat, and fulfilled my promise with the fidelity of the 
ingenuous. And the people wondered at his veracity and good faith, his ready 
offering of himself to death, and his boldness. And some of them said, How 
generous a young man art thou, and how faithful in the performance of thy pro¬ 
mise and duty! But the young man replied, Are ye not convinced that when the 
period of death hath come, no one can escape from it? Verily I fulfilled my 
promise that it might not be said, Fidelity hath departed from among men.—And 
Aboo Dharr said, by Allah, O Prince of the Faithful, I became surety for 
this young man and knew not of what tribe he was, nor had I seen him before that 
day. But when he turned from all else who were present, and desired me, and 
said, This will be surety and guarantee for me,—I deemed it not right to reject 
him, and humanity refused to disappoint his desire; for there is no evil in 
complying with a desire, that it may not be said, Virtue hath departed from 
among men.—And upon this, the two young men said, O Prince of the Faithful, 
we give up to this young man the blood of our father, since he hath converted 
sadness into a cause of cheerfulness, that it may not be said, Kindness hath de¬ 
parted from among men. And the Imim rejoiced at the pardon granted to the 
young man, and at his veracity and his fidelity in the performance of his duty, 
and he highly extolled the humanity of Aboo Dharr above his companions, and 
approved of the resolution of the young men in the shewing of kindness: he 
bestowed upon them grateful thanks, and recited, as applicable to their case, the 
saying of the poet:— 

He who acteth kindly among men will be requited for it. Kindness is not 
lost with God nor with men. 

Then he offered to pay them the fine for their father’s blood from the government- 
treasury. But they said, Verily we pardoned him from a desire of seeing the face 
of God, the Bountiful, the Exalted; and he whose intention is of this nature doth 
not make his kindness to be followed by reproach for his benefits, nor by 
detriment. 

Anecdote of an Impudent Thief. 

A man, who was a robber, turned with repentance unto God (whose name be 
exalted 1), and his repentance was sincere, and he opened for himself a shop 
in which to sell stuffs. This life he led for a length of time ; and it happened, one 
day, that he locked his shop, and went to his house; and one of the artful robbers 
came, and, having disguised himself in the garb of the owner of the shop, 
took forth from his sleeve some keys. This was in the night; and he said to the 
watchman of the market, Light for me this candle. So the watchman took it from 
him, and went to light it;* and the robber opened the shop, and lighted another 
candle that he had with him; and when the watchman came again, he found him 
sitting in the shop, with the account-book in his hand, and he was looking at 

* See Note 7 to Chapter v. 

it, and calculating with his fingers. Thus he continued to do until the first 
appearance of daybreak, when he said to the watchman, Bring me a camel-driver 
with his camel, to convey for me some of the merchandise. Accordingly he 
brought him a camel-driver with his camel, and the robber took and gave him four 
bales of stuffs, which he placed upon the camel. Then he locked the shop, gave to 
the watchman two pieces of silver, and followed the camel-driver; the watchman 
believing that he was the owner of the shop. 

And when the morning arrived, and daylight appeared, the owner of the shop 
came, and the watchman began to greet him with prayers for his prosperity, 
on account of the two pieces of silver. So the owner of the shop disavowed what he 
said, and wondered at it; and when he opened the shop, he found the wax that 
had run down from the candles, and the account-book thrown down, and, exa¬ 
mining the shop, he found four bales of stuffs missing; whereupon he said to the 
watchman, What hath happened ? He therefore told him of that which had been 
done in the night, and of what had been said to the camel-driver respecting 
the bales; and the owner of the shop said, Bring to me the camel-driver who took 
up the bales with thee at daybreak. The watchman replied, I hear and obey;— 
and brought him. And the owner of the shop said to him, Whither conveyedst thou 
the stuffs at daybreak ? He answered, To such a landing-place, and I stowed them 
in the vessel of such-a-one. And the merchant said to him, Go with me thither. 
He accordingly went thither with him, and said to him, This is the vessel, and this 
is her owner. So he said to the boatman, Whither conveyedst thou the merchant 
and the stuffs? He answered, To such a place, and he brought to me a camel- 
driver, who placed the stuffs upon his camel, and departed, and I know not 
whither he went. The owner of the shop said to him, Bring me the camel-driver 
who conveyed the stuffs from thee. And he brought him; and he said to 

him, Whither conveyedst thou the stuffs from the vessel, with the merchant?_ 

4 o 

VoL. II. 

594 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

To such a place, he answered. And he said to him, Go with me thither, and 
shew it to me. And the camel-driver went with him to a place distant from 
the bank of the river, acquainted him with the Khdn in which he had deposited 
the stuffs, and shewed him the magazine of the [pretended] merchant. So 
he advanced to the magazine and opened it, and found the four bales of stuffs in 
their original state, unopened; and he gave them to the camel-driver. The robber 
had placed his cloak upon the stuffs; and the owner of the stuffs handed it also to 
the camel-driver, who placed the whole upon his camel. Then he closed the 
magazine, and departed with the camel-driver. And lo, the robber confronted 
him, and followed him until he had embarked the stuffs in the boat; when he said 
to him, O my brother, mayest thou be in the keeping of God 1 Thou hast taken 
thy stuffs, and naught of them is lost: so give me the cloak.—And the merchant 
laughed at him, and gave him the cloak, and did not molest him; and each 
of them went his way. 

Compact of Mesroor with Ibn El-Kdribee. 

The Prince of the Faithful, Hdroon Er-Rasheed, was troubled one night with an 
exceeding restlessness; so he said to his Wezeer Jaafar the son of Yahya El- 
Barmekee, I am sleepless this night, and my heart is contracted, and I know not 
what to do. Now his eunuch Mesroor was standing before him, and he laughed. 
The Khaleefeh therefore said to him, At what dost thou laugh? Dost thou laugh 
in contempt of me, or because thou art mad?—lie answered, No, by Allah, 
O Prince of the Faithful, by thy relationship to the chief of Apostles, I did it not 
willingly; but I went forth yesterday to walk without the palace, and proceeded 
until I came to the bank of the Tigris, where I saw a crowd of people collected 
together: so I stopped, and I saw a man making the people laugh. He is named 
Ibn El-Kdribee. And I remembered just now his words, and laughter overcame 
me; for which I beg thy pardon, O Prince of the Faithful.—Upon this, the 
Khaleefeh said, Bring him unto me immediately. Mesroor therefore went forth 
and hastened until he came to Ibn El-Kdribee; and he said to him, Answer the 
summons of the Prince of the Faithful. — I hear and obey, replied Ibn El- 
Kdribee. And Mesroor said to him, But on the condition that, if thou go in to 
him and he bestow upon thee anything, the quarter of it shall be thine, and 
the rest be mine.—Nay, replied Ibn El-Kdribee; thou shalt have half, and I 
half. But Mesroor said, No. And Ibn El-Kdribee said, I will have a third, and 
thou shalt have two thirds.* And to this, Mesroor assented, after excessive 
striving. 

Then Ibn El-Kdribee arose and went with him, and when he came into the pre¬ 
sence of the Prince of the Faithful, he greeted him with the salutation usually given 
to Khaleefehs, and stood before him; and the Prince of the Faithful said to him, If 
thou do not make me laugh, I beat thee three times with this leathern bag. So 
Ibn El-Kdribee said within himself, And it will be no great matter if three blows 
be inflicted with this leathern bag, when beating with whips hurteth me not. For 
he imagined that the leathern bag was empty. He then uttered sayings that 
would make the enraged to laugh, with varieties of drolleries; but the Prince of 
the Faithful laughed not, nor even smiled; and Ibn El-Karibee wondered at 

* In the original, “ thou shalt have a third, and I will have two thirds;" hut this is inconsistent 
both with what precedes and what follows. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

595 

him, and was vexed, and feared; and the Prince of the Faithful said to him, Now 
thou hast deserved the beating. Accordingly, he took the leathern bag, and beat 
him once; and there were in it four pebbles, each pebble of the weight of two 
pounds; and the blow fell upon his neck: so he uttered a great cry, and, remem¬ 
bering the agreement made between him and Mesroor, he said, Pardon, O Prince 
of the Faithful! Hear from me two words!—The Khaleefeh replied, Say what 
thou wilt. And he said, Verily Mesroor imposed on me a condition, and I agreed 
with him respecting it; and it was, that of whatsoever the Prince of the Faithful 
should bestow upon me, one third of it should be for me, and two thirds for him; 
and he consented not to this my proposal save after excessive striving. Now thou 
hast not bestowed on me aught save beating, and this blow is my share, and the 
remaining two blows are his share; for I have received my share, and here he 
is standing, O Prince of the Faithful; therefore pay him his.—And when the 
Prince of the Faithful heard his words, he laughed until he fell backwards ; and, 
having called Mesroor, he gave him a blow, whereupon he cried out, and said, 
O Prince of the Faithful, the third sufficeth me, and do thou give him the two 
thirds. And the Khaleefeh laughed at them, and gave orders to present each of 
them with a thousand pieces of gold. And they departed, rejoiced at that which 
he had bestowed upon them. 

Anecdote of a Devotee , Son of Haroon Er-Rasheed.* 

The Prince of the Faithful, Hdroon Er-Rasheed, had a son who had attained 
the age of sixteen years, and he was averse from the world, following the course of 
the abstinent and the devotees. He used to go forth to the burial-grounds, and to 
say, Ye were in possession of the world; but that saved you not; and ye 
have gone unto your graves. Would then that I knew what ye said,f and what 
was said unto you!—And he wept as the fearful and the dreading, and recited the 
saying of the poet:— 

The funerals constantly terrify me, and the weeping of the wailing women 
grieveth me. 

And it happened that his father passed by him one day, proceeding in state, sur¬ 
rounded by his Wezeers and the great men of lib empire and of the people of his 
dominions, and they saw the son of the Prince of the Faithful with a woollen jub- 
beh I upon his body, and a piece of woollen stuff (as a turban) upon his head. So 
one of them said to another, This youth hath disgraced the Prince of the Faithful 

• This anecdote seems to be founded upon one which I have before related, of ’Alee the son of El- 
Ma-moon. See vol. i. page 235. 

+ This, as my sheykh explains, alludes to the questions put by the two Angels, Munkar (vulgarly 
called N&kir) and Nekeer, who examine the dead, and torture the wicked, in the grave.—When the 
dead has been deposited in the grave, a person (called a Mulakkin) is generally employed to instruct him 
how to answer these questions, and usually addresses him thus:—“ O servant of God ! O son of a hand¬ 
maid of God! know that, at this time, there will comedown to thee two angels commissioned respecting 
thee and the like of thee. When they say to thee, ‘ Who is thy Lord?' answer them, * God is my Lord,' 
in truth; and when they ask thee concerning the Prophet, or the man who hath been sent unto you, 
say to them, ‘ Mohammad is the Apostle of God,’ with veracity; and when they ask thee concerning 
thy religion, say to them, ‘ El-Isl&m is my religion;’ and when they ask thee concerning thy book of 
direction, say to them, * The Kur-4n is my book of direction, and the Muslims are my brothers;' and 
when they ask thee concerning thy Kibleh, say to them, ' The Kaabeh is my Kibleh ; and I have lived 
and died in the assertion, that there is no deity but God, and Mohammad is God’s Apostle and they 
will say, ‘Sleep, O servant of God, in the protection of God.’” (From my work on the Modern 
Egyptians.) 

J See Note 29 to Chapter vi. 

596 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

among the Kings, and if he reproved him, he would relinquish his present course. 
And the Prince of the Faithful, hearing their words, spoke to him on that subject, 
and said to him, O my child, thou hast disgraced me by thy present life. But his 
son looked at him, and answered him not. Then he looked at a bird upon one of 
the battlements of the palace, and said to it, O bird, by Him who created thee, 
drop upon my hand. Whereupon the bird darted down upon the youth’s hand. 
And he said to it, Return to thy place. And it returned. He then said to it, 
Drop upon the hand of the Prince of the Faithful. But it refused to do so. And 
the youth said to his father, Thou hast disgraced me among the Welees* by thy 
love of the world, and I have resolved to part from thee, never to return unto thee 
save in the world to come. Then he went down the river to El-Basrah, where he 
employed himself in working with the labourers in mud; f and he worked not each 
day save for a piece of silver and a sixth:! "ill 1 tHe sixth, he fed himself; 
and with the piece of silver, he gave alms. 

Aboo ’A'mir of El-Basrah hath related as follows.—A wall having fallen in 
my house, I went forth to the station of the labourers, to see for a man to repair 
it; and my eye fell upon a comely youth, of beautiful countenance ; whereupon I 
went to him and saluted him and said to him, O my friend, dost thou desire 
service? He answered, Yes. And I said, Arise and come with me to build a 
wall. He replied, On certain conditions which I will impose upon thee.—0 my 
friend, said I, what are they ? He answered, The hire shall be a piece of silver 
and a sixth ; and when the Mueddin chanteth the call to prayer, thou shalt let me 
go to pray with the congregation. I replied, Well. Then I took him and went 
with him to the house, and he worked in a manner of which I have not seen the 
like. And I mentioned to him the dinner ; but he said, No:—so I knew that he 
was fasting. And when he heard the call to prayer, he said to me, Thou knowest 
the condition. I replied, Yes. And he loosed his girdle, and applied himself to 
the ablution, performing it in a manner that I have not seen surpassed.§ He then 
went forth to prayer, and, having prayed with the congregation, he returned to 
his work. And when the afternoon-call to prayer was chanted, he performed the 
ablution again and went to prayer, and returned to his work. Upon this I said to 
him, O my friend, the period of work is ended ; for the work of the labourers is 
until the time of afternoon-prayers. But he replied, Extolled be the perfection of 
God ! Verily my work is until night.—And he ceased not to work till night, when 
I gave him two pieces of silver; on seeing which, he said, What is this ? I an¬ 
swered, By Allah, this is but a portion of thy hire, on account of thy diligence in 
my service. But he threw them back to me, saying, I desire not any addition to 
that for which we agreed together. I urged him; but could not prevail upon him. 
So I gave him a piece of silver and a sixth, and he went away. 

And when the next morning came, 1 went early to the station ; but found him 
not. I therefore inquired respecting him ; and it was told me, He cometh not 
hither save on Saturday only. And when the next Saturday arrived, I repaired to 
that place, and found him; and I said to him, In the name of Allah, do me the 
favour to come to work. He replied, On the conditions which thou knowest. I 

* The favourites of God, or saints. 

f That is, in building, in which mud is largely used, with, or instead of, lime. 

I The name of the sixth of the dirhem (which latter, as it was the standard of silver coin, I call “ a 
piece of silver”) is “dAnik.” 

§ Numerous ejaculations (short prayers) are uttered by the more strict Muslims in the performance 
of the ablution ; but most persons more or less neglect these.—See my " Modern Egyptians,” vol. i 
chap, iii. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

597 

said, Yes. And I went with him to my house, and stood and looked at him with¬ 
out liis seeing me. And he took a handful of mud, and placed it upon the wall, 
and lo, the stones ranged themselves, one upon another. So I said, Thus are the 
Welees of God ! He worked that day, and exceeded what he had done before ; 
and when the night came, I payed him his hire, and he took it and departed. 

Again, on the third Saturday, I went to the station; but found him not; 
wherefore I asked respecting him, and was answered, He is sick, and lying in the 
booth of such a woman. This was an old woman well known for devotion, and 
she had a booth of reeds in the burial-ground. And I went to the booth, and en¬ 
tered it; and lo, he was lying upon the ground, with nothing under him : he had 
placed his head upon an unburnt brick, and his face was beaming with light. I 
saluted him, and he returned my salutation; and I seated myself at his head, 
weeping on account of his youth, and his absence from his native place, and his 
aptness to the obedience of his Lord. Then I said to him, Hast thou any want? 
He answered, Yes.—And what is it? I asked. He answered, To-morrow come to 
me, at the mid-time between sunrise and noon, and thou wilt find me dead. Wash 
me, and dig my grave, without acquainting any one with it; and shroud me in 
this jubbeh that is upon me ; and after unsewing it, search its breast, take forth 
what is within it, and keep it in thy possession. Then, when thou hast prayed 
over me, and deposited my body in the earth, repair to Baghdad, and watch for 
the Khaleefeh, Haroon Er-Rasheed, until he cometh forth, and give him what 
thou shalt find in the breast of my jubbeh, with my salutation.—Having said 
this, he repeated the professions of the faith, and praised his Lord with the most 
eloquent words, and recited these verses :— 

Convey the deposit of him whom death awaiteth to Er-Rasheed ; for thou wilt 
be rewarded for that act; 

And say to him, A stranger, desirous of beholding thee, long loving and dis¬ 
tant, hath offered thee his homage. 

598 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

Neither hatred nor weariness hath removed him from thee ; for by kissing thy 
right hand,* he is brought near to God: 

But that which hath estranged him from thee, O my father, is a soul which 
forbcareth to share thy worldly pleasures. 

Then he employed himself in begging God’s forgiveness, and in prayer, and in¬ 
voking blessings upon tlie chief of the just, f and reciting some verses of the 
Kur-An, and repeated these lines :— 

O my father, be not thou deceived by enjoyment; for life will pass away, 
and enjoyment will end. 

When thou art informed that a people are oppressed, know that thou wilt be 
inquired of respecting them; ? 

And when thou conveyest a corpse unto the tombs, know that thou likewise 
wilt be borne after it. 

And when the youth had ended his charge and his recitations, I departed from 
him, and went to my house. And in the following morning I repaired to him 
again, at the mid-time between sunrise and noon, and found that he had died. 
May the mercy of God be on him ! So I washed him, and unsewed his jubbeh, 
and I found in its breast a ruby worth thousands of pieces of gold; whereupon I 
said within myself, By Allah, this young man hath abstained from worldly plea¬ 
sures with the extreme of abstinence 1 

Then, after I had buried him, I repaired to Baghdad, and, arriving at the 
palace of the Khaleefeh, I watched for Er-Rasheed's coming forth until he came ; 
when I presented myself before him in one of the streets, and gave to him the 
ruby. As soon as he saw it, he knew it, and fell down in a fit; upon which the 
servants laid hold upon me; but when he recovered, he said to them, Loose him, 
and send him with courtesy to the palace. So they did as he commanded them; 
and on his entering his palace, he summoned me, and took me into his chamber, 
and said to me, What did the owner of this ruby? I answered him, He is dead. 
And I described to him his case; whereupon he wept, and said, The son hath pro¬ 
fited, and the father hath been disappointed! Then he called out, O such-a-one ! 
(naming a female) ;—and a woman came forth ; but when she saw me, she was 
about to return: so he said to her, Come hither. Thou needest not mind him.— 
She therefore entered and saluted, and he threw to her the ruby; on seeing which 
she uttered a great cry, and fell down in a fit. And when she recovered from her 
fit, she said, O Prince of the Faithful, what hath God done with my son? He 
said to me, Acquaint her with bis case. And weeping overcame him. Accord¬ 
ingly I informed her of his case ; and she began to weep, and to say with a faint 
voice, O, how I longed to meet thee ! O delight of mine eye ! Would that I had 
given thee to drink when thou foundest not any to do so! Would that I had 
cheered thee when thou foundest not a cheerer!—Then she poured forth tears, 
and recited these verses :— 

I weep for a stranger who died in solitude, with no friend unto whom to com¬ 
plain of his misery. 

* That is, by honouring thee as his father, 
t On the day of judgment. 

t The Prophet. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 599 

After glory, and union with those who loved him, he became lone and deso¬ 
late, seeing no one. 

What fortune concealeth a while, will be manifest. Death never spareth any 
one among us. 

O absent! my Lord decreed thine absence; and after nearness thou becamest 
remote from me ! 

Though death makes me hopeless of meeting thee now, O my son, we shall 
meet on the day of account. 

And I said, O Prince of the Faithful, was he thy son? He answered, Yes; and 
before I held this office, he used to visit the learned men, and keep company with 
the just; and when I assumed this office, he avoided me, and estranged himself 
from me. So I said to his mother, This youth is devoted unto God (whose name 
be exalted!), and probably adversities may befall him, and he may be afflicted 
with trials ; therefore give to him this ruby, that he may find it in the time of his 
wanting it. Accordingly, she gave it to him, conjuring him to retain it, and he 
complied with her desire and took it from her. Then he left our worldly enjoy¬ 
ments to us, and absented himself from us, and ceased not to remain absent from 
us until, pious and pure, he met God, to whom be ascribed might and glory! 

And after this, the Khaleefeh said to me, Arise, and shew me his tomb. I there¬ 
fore went forth with him, and journeyed on until I shewed it to him; whereupon 
he wept and lamented until he fell down in a fit; and when he recovered from his 
fit, he begged forgiveness of God, and said, Verily to God we belong, and Verily 
unto Him we return ! And he invoked blessings on his son. After which, he 
asked me to become his associate; but I replied, O Prince of the Faithful, 1 
have, in the case of thy son, the most momentous of admonitions.* * * § 

Anecdote of an Illiterate Schoolmaster A 

It is related that a certain man among the collegians,! neither acquainted with 
writing nor with reading, practised stratagems upon the people for the purpose of 
obtaining his bread. And it occurred to his mind one day that he should open for 
himself a school, and teach boys in it to read. So he collected writing-tablets and 
written papers, and hung them up in a place, and he enlarged his turban,§ and 
seated himself at the door of the school. The people therefore, passing by him, 
and looking at his turban, and at the writing-tablets and papers, imagined that he 
was an excellent fakeeh,|| and brought to him their children. And he used to say 
to this one, Write ;—and to this, Read ;—and thus the boys taught one another. 

* The first of the next two anecdotes in my original (both of which I omit) is that of a schoolmaster 
mentioned (on the authority of the “ Kit4b el-’Onw^n &c.”) in vol. i. page 522. When I there men¬ 
tioned it, I was ignorant of its being related in the Thousand and One Nights. 

t I have related an anecdote almost exactly similar to this, as descriptive of a late occurrence, in 
my work on the Modern Egyptians (vol. i. chap. ii). It appears therefore that my informant’s account 
was not true as to time, or that the man alluded to by him was, in the main, an imitator. The latter 
is not improbable, as I have been credibly informed of several similar imitations, and of one which I 
know to be a fact. 

X In the original, “ mujdwireen.” This appellation is given to persons who reside in or near a col¬ 
legiate mosque, for the purpose of study, attending lectures, &c. 

§ Most of the professors of religion and law used to wear, and many do still, a very large and 
formal turban ; and a great turban is generally regarded by the vulgar as an indication of great learning. 

|| This appellation is now usually given only to a person deeply versed in religion and law; the 
term “ fikee,” which is a corruption of “ fakeeh,” being commonly applied to a man who merely 
recites the Kur-4n &c. professionally, or who teaches children. 

f>00 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

But as he was sitting one day at the door of the school as usual, lo, a woman ap¬ 
proached from a distance, with a letter in her hand; whereupon he said within 
himself, Without doubt this woman is coming to me, that I may read to her the letter 
that she holdeth; and how shall I manage with her, when I know not how to read 
writing? He meditated upon descending to flee from her; but she came up to 
him before he had descended, and said to him, Whither goest thou ? He answered 
her, I desire to perform the noon-prayers, and to return.—Noon, she replied, is 
yet distant: therefore read for me this letter. And he took it from her, and turned it 
upside down, and began to look at it; and one moment he shook his turban, and 
another moment moved about his eyebrows, and manifested rage. Now the 
husband of the woman was absent, and the letter was sent to her from him. So 
when she saw the fakeeh in this state, she said within herself, No doubt my hus¬ 
band is dead, and this fakeeh is ashamed to tell me that he is dead. She therefore 
said to him, O my master, if he be dead, tell me. And he shook his head, and 
was silent. And the woman said to him, Shall I rend my clothes ?—Rend, he 
answered.— Shall I slap my face? she asked. He answered her, Slap. 

So she took the letter from his hand, and returned to her abode ; and she and 
her children began to weep; whereupon some of her neighbours, hearing the 
weeping, inquired respecting her state; and were answered, A letter hath come to 
her acquainting her with the death of her husband. But a man among them 
replied, Verily this assertion is false ; for her husband sent me a letter yesterday 
informing me in it that he was well, in prosperity and health, and that after ten 
days he will be with her. And he arose immediately, and, coming to the 
woman, said to her, Where is the letter that hath come to thee ? She therefore 
brought it to him, and he took it from her and read it, and lo, it contained these 
words :—To proceed, I am well, in prosperity and health, and after ten days I shall 
be with you ; and I have sent unto you a quilt and a mekmarah.*—So she took the 
letter, and returned with it to the fakeeh, and said to him, What induced thee to act 
as thou hast done with me ? And she acquainted him with that which her neigh¬ 
bour had said, respecting the safety of her husband, and his having sent to her a 
quilt and a mekmarah ; whereupon he replied, Thou hast spoken truth; but, O 
respectable woman, excuse me; for I was at that time enraged, troubled in mind, 
and, seeing the mekmarah wrapped up in the quilt, I imagined that he had died, 
and that they had shrouded him. And the woman knew not the trick : so she 
said to him, Thou art excused. And she took the letter from him, and departed. 

The Rukh'.f 

A man of the people of Western Africa J had travelled in various regions, and 
traversed the wastes and the seas, and destiny cast him upon an island, where he 
remained a long time. Then he returned to his country, bringing with him the 
quill-part of a feather from the wing of a young rukh', which was in the egg, 
and had not come forth from it into the world; and that quill held as much 

* The term “ mekmarah” is interpreted by my aheykh, but rather vaguely. I believe it to be a 
belt or girdle containing a purse for money, commonly called “ kamar.” 

t Or Rukhkh; but an accent very well denotes what the Arabs call “ teshdeed,” and should, I think, 
be always employed in a case of this kind, to avoid the combination of four consonants without a vowel 
following them. 

t Called by the Arabs “ El-Maghrib." This name is generally given to the districts of Northern 
Africa west of Egypt. The inhabitants of those parts are called “ Maghrabccs.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

601 

as a goat’s skin of water. It is said that the length of the wing of the young 
rukh', at the time of its coming forth from the egg, is a thousand fathoms; and 
the people wondered at that quill when they saw it. This man was named ’Abd 
Er-Rahmfin El-Maghrabee; and he became commonly known by the surname of 
the Chinese, on account of his long residence in China; and he used to relate 
wonders. * 

Result of Restraint upon two Lovers. 

EI-Kasini tli e son of ’Adee hath related that a man of the tribe of the Benee 
Temeem said, I went forth to seek a stray beast, and, coming to tbe waters of the 
tribe of Teiyi, 1 saw two parties of people, near unto each other, and among one of 
them words were passing like as among the people of the other. And I looked 
attentively, and saw among one of the parties a young man whom disease had 
emaciated, so that he was like a worn-out, dried-up water-skin ; and while I was 
looking at him, he recited these verses :— 

Wherefore doth the beauteous damsel not return ? Is it from niggardness in 
her, or aversion ? 

I fell sick, and each member of my family visited me. Then wherefore wast 
thou not seen among them ? 

Hadst thou been sick, I had come unto thee, and threats would not have pre¬ 
vented my doing so. 

I missed thee among them, and became desolate. Grievous was thy loss, O 
my heart’s abode ! 

And a damsel of the other party heard his words, and hastened towards him. Her 
family followed her ; but she encountered them with blows ; and the young man, 
perceiving her, sprang towards her, while the people of his party quickly followed 
him. He however dragged himself from them, and she in like manner dragged 
herself from her party until she liberated herself, and each of them ran to the other 
till they met between the two parties, and embraced each other: then they fell 
down upon the ground, dead. Upon this, an old man came forth from one of the 
adjacent tents, and, standing over them, exclaimed, Verily to God we belong, and 
verily unto Him we return !—and wept violently ; after which he said, May God 
(whose name be exalted!) have mercy on you both! By Allah, if ye were not 
united in your lives, I will assuredly unite you after death!—Then he gave orders 
to prepare them for burial; and they were washed, and shrouded in the same 
grave-clothes; one grave was dug for them, and the people prayed over them, and 
buried them in that grave; and there was not a male nor a female among the two 
parties that I did not see weeping for them, and slapping [the face]. So I in¬ 
quired of the old man respecting them ; and he answered me, This was my daugh¬ 
ter, and this was the son of my brother. Their love hath brought them to the 
issue which thou beheldest.—I said to him, May God give thee reparation ! 
Didst thou not marry them to each other?—He answered, I feared reproach and 
disgrace, and now I have fallen into both.—This is one of the wonders in the 
histories of lovers. 

• One of his wonderful stories, related in the original, I here omit, that I may not anticipate inci¬ 
dents in the voyages of Es-Sindibdd; ill my notes on which, I shall have occasion to revert to it.—The 
above anecdote is followed in the original by four which I omit. One of these (an adventure of Is-hdk 
the son of Ibr&heem) I should translate were it not nearly the same as that of Mukh&rilt, in volume i. 
page 225 ; and similar also to that of Ibrdheem the son of El-Mahdee in the present volume, page 506. 

4 ii 

VOL. II. 

602 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

Anecdote of a Distracted Lover. 

Abu-l-’Abbas El-Mubarrid* saith, I repaired to El-Bereed.f with a party of 
men, on some business, and, passing by the Convent of Heraclius,X we alighted in 
its shade ; and there came to us a man who said to us, There are in the convent 
some madmen, among whom is one that uttereth wisdom ; and if ye saw him, ye 
would wonder at his words. So we all arose and entered the convent, and we saw 
a man sitting in a private chamber, upon a skin, with his head uncovered, and his 
eye fixed upwards towards the wall. We saluted him, and he returned our salutation 
without looking at us ; and a man said, Recite to him some poetry; for when he 
heareth poetry, he will speak. I therefore recited these two verses:— 

O thou best of all men to whom Eve§ hath given birth! but for thee, the 
world were not beautiful nor pleasant. 

The man whom God sheweth thy form|| hath obtained immortality, and will 
grow neither decrepit nor hoary. 

And when he heard me say this, he turned towards us, and recited thus:— 

God knoweth that I am in affliction. I cannot make manifest the pain that 
I feel. 

Two souls have I : one place containeth one soul; and another place, the 
other. 

I imagine that my absent soul is like my present, and that she experienceth 
what I do. 

Then he asked, Have I said well or ill? We answered him, Thou hast not said ill; 
but well and admirably. And he stretched forth his hand to a stone that was by 
him, and took it. So we imagined that he would smite us with it, and we fled 
from him. But he began to beat with it his own bosom, with violent blows, and 
said, Fear ye not. Draw near to me, and hear from me something: receive it 
from me.—We therefore approached him ; and he recited these verses:— 

When they made their white camels kneel down, near daybreak, they mounted, 
and the camel departed with the beloved. 

My eye, through the interstice of the prison, beheld them, and I said, in my 
anguish, with tears overflowing, 

O camel-driver turn, that I may bid her farewell; for in parting, and in bid¬ 
ding her farewell, I shall die. 

1 am faithful to the vow of love, and have not broken it. Would that I knew 
how she hath If acted with regard to it! 

He then looked towards me, and said, Hast thou any knowledge of what the be¬ 
loved hath done? I answered, Yes: she hath died. May God (whose name be 
exalted!) have mercy on her!—And upon this, his countenance changed, and he 

* A famous grammarian and rhetorician. He died at the age of 80, in the year of the Flight 286. 
(D’Herhelot.) 

t Name of a place. t Called by the Arabs " Hirakl.’’ § In Arabic, “ Howwa.” 

II For 41 ardka" and “ sooretahu” in the Cairo edition, I read“arahu" and “ sooretaka" as in the 
Breslau edition, vol. viii. page 271. 

ST Literally “ they have.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

603 

sprang upon liis feet, and said, How knewest thou her death ? I answered, Had 
site been alive, she had not left thee thus. And he replied, Thou hast spoken truth, 
hy Allah: hut I also love not life after the loss of her. Then the muscles of his 
side quivered, and he fell upon his face ; whereat we hastened to him, and moved 
him, and found him dead. The mercy of God (whose name be exalted!) be on 
him ! And we wondered at this, and grieved for him violently ; and we prepared 
his body for the grave, and buried him. And when I returned to Baghdad, and 
went in to El-Mutawekki], he saw the traces of tears upon my face; where¬ 
upon he said, What is this ? So I related to him the story; and it distressed him, 
and he said, What induced thee to act so? By Allah, if I knew that thou mourn- 
edst not for him, I should reprove thee for it.—And he mourned for him all the 
rest of the day. 

The Converted Prior. 

Aboo Bekr the son of Mohammad El-Ambkree saith, I went forth from El- 
Ambar,* on one of my journeys, to ’Ammooriyeh,f in the country of the Greeks,J 
and alighted, on the way, at the Convent of the Lights, § in a village near 'Am- 
mooriyeh, whereupon there came forth to me the chief of the convent, the Prior, 
whose name was ’Abd El-Meseeh; || and he conducted me into the convent. I 
found in it forty monks; and they honoured me that night with a hospitable enter¬ 
tainment. Then, on the morrow, I departed from them, after I had seen, of their 
exceeding diligence in their exercises, and of their devotion, what I had hot seen 
exhibited by others; and I returned to El-Ambar. And in the following year, I 
performed the pilgrimage to Mekkeh; and while I was compassing the Housed 
lo, I beheld ’Abd El-Meseeli the monk compassing also, and with him five persons 
of his companions, the monks. Therefore when I was sure that I knew him, I 
advanced to him, and said to him, Art thou ’Abd El-Meseeh the monk ? He an¬ 
swered, Rather I am ’Abd Allah the suppliant. So I began to kiss his hoary 
hairs, and to weep ; and, taking him by the hand, I turned to a side of the Temple, 
and said to him, Acquaint me with the cause of thy conversion to El-Isl&m. And 
he replied, It was one of the most wonderful of wonderful events; and it was 
this. 

A party of Muslim devotees passed by the village in which is our convent, and 
sent a young man to buy for them food, and he beheld in the market a Christian 
damsel selling bread; and she was of the most beautiful of women in form. On 
beholding her, he was fascinated by her, and fell down upon his face in a fit; and 
when be recovered, he returned to his companions, and informed them of that 
which had befallen him, and said to them, Depart ye to your business; for I go 
not with you. They reproved him and admonished him ; but be payed no regard 
to them : so they departed from him ; and he entered the village, and seated him¬ 
self at the door of the shop of that woman. She therefore asked him what he 
wanted, and he informed her that he was enamoured of her; whereupon she turned 
from him. He remained in his place three days, without tasting food; keeping 
his eye fixed upon her face; and when she saw that he would not depart from her, 

* A city on the Euphrates. t The ancient Amorium, in Phrygia. t Er-Room. 

5 Or the Fires (el-anwAr.) II Servant of the Messiah. 

II The Ksabeh, which the pilgrims compass seven times. 

she went to her family, and told them of him; and they set upon him the boys, 
who pelted him with stones until they fractured his ribs and broke his head; not¬ 
withstanding which, he would not depart. The people of the village, therefore, 
resolved to kill him ; but a man of them came to me, and acquainted me with his 
case ; upon which I went forth to him, and beheld him laid prostrate; and I wiped 
the blood from his face, and conveyed him to the convent, where I applied reme¬ 
dies to his wounds, and he remained with me fourteen days. As soon, however, 
as he was able to walk, he went forth from the convent to the door of the damsel’s 
shop, and sat again gazing at her. And when she saw him, she rose to him, and 
said to him, By Allah, I am moved with compassion for thee. Wilt thou then 
adopt my religion, that I may marry thee?—But he answered, God preserve me 
from abandoning the religion of the Unity, and adopting the religion of Poly¬ 
theism 1—Then depart from me, said the damsel.—My heart, he replied, will not 
consent to my doing so. And she turned her face from him. And the boys, seeing 
him again, came to him and pelted him as before with stones, and he fell upon his 
face, saying, Verily my helper is God, who sent down the Book,* and He taketh 
charge of the just!—I therefore went forth from the convent, and drove from him 
the boys, and, lifting up his head from the ground, I heard him say, O my Lord, 
unite me with her in Paradise!—I conveyed him to the convent; but he died 
before I had arrived there with him ; and I took him forth from the village, dug 
a grave for him, and buried him. 

And in the following night, when half of it was spent, that woman shrieked out 
as she lay in her bed ; whereupon the people of the village came together to her, 
asking her what had happened to her; and she answered, While I was asleep, this 
Muslim came in to me, and, taking me by my hand, went away with me to Para¬ 
dise. But when he arrived with me at its gate, its Guardian prevented my enter¬ 
ing it, saying, It is denied unto the infidels. So I made profession of El-Isldm 
to him, and entered with him; and I beheld in it pavilions and trees such as I 
cannot describe to you. Then he took me to a pavilion of jewels, and said to me, 
Verily this pavilion is for me and thee. I will not enter it but with thee; and 
after five nights thou wilt be with me in it, if it be the will of God, whose name be 

* The K ur an. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

605 

exalted !—And thereupon lie stretched forth his hand to a tree at the door of that 
pavilion, and plucked from it two apples, which he gave to me, saying, Eat this, 
and conceal the other, that the monks may see it. I therefore ate one; and I have 
tasted nothing more sweet than it. He then took me by my hand, and went forth 
with me until he conducted me to my house; and when I awoke, I found the taste 
of the apple in my mouth, and the other apple with me.—Having said this, she 
produced the apple, and it shone in the darkness of night as though it were a glis¬ 
tening star. So they brought the woman to the convent, and the apple with her; 
and she related to us the vision, and produced to us the apple. We had seen 
nothing like it among all the fruits of the world ; and I took a knife, and divided it 
in pieces according to the number of my companions; and we had not tasted any¬ 
thing more delicious than its flavour, nor smelt anything more sweet than its 
odour. But we said. Perhaps this was a devil who presented himself to her to 
seduce her from her religion. And her family took her and departed. And she 
abstained from eating and drinking; and when the fifth night arrived, she rose 
from her bed, went forth from her house, and repaired to the grave of that Mus¬ 
lim ; and she threw herself upon it, and died; her family not knowing what she 
had done. 

Then, in the morning, there came to the village two Muslim sheykhs, attired 
in apparel of hair-cloth, and accompanied by two women in the like garb; and 
they said, O people of the village, ye have among you a Weleeyeh* of God; she 
hath died a Muslimeh, and we will take charge of her in preference to you. So 
the people of the village sought that woman, and they found her upon the grave, 
dead. But they said, This was our friend: she died in our religion, and we will 
take charge of her. The two sheykhs said, Nay; she died a Muslimeh, and we 
will take charge of her. And the altercation and dispute between them 
became violent. Therefore one of the two sheykhs said, The sign of her having 
embraced El-IslSm shall be this: the forty monks of the convent shall come toge¬ 
ther, to drag her from the grave ; and if they be able to lift her from the ground, 
she died a Christian; but if they cannot do so, one of us shall advance and drag her; 
and if she come with him, she died a Muslimeh. And to this, the people of the 
village consented. The forty monks assembled, and encouraged one another, and 
came to her to lift her; but they could not do so; and we tied to her waist a great 
rope, and attempted to drag her; but the rope broke, and she moved not. The 
people of the village also advanced and did the like : yet she moved not from her 
place. So when we were unable to lift her by every means that we adopted, we 
said to one of the two sheykhs, Advance thou, and lift her. Accordingly one of 
them advanced to her, and wrapped her in his cloak, and, saying, In the name of 
God, the Compassionate, the Merciful, and through the religion of the Apostle of 
God, may God favour and preserve him!—he carried her in his bosom. The 
Muslims conveyed her to a cavern there, and put her in it; and the two women 
came, and washed her and shrouded her. Then the two sheykhs carried her, and 
prayed over her, and buried her by the side of his grave, and departed; we having 
witnessed all this. 

And when some of us were in private with others of our associates, we said, 
Verily the truth is most deserving of being followed, and the truth hath become 
manifest to us by ocular witness, and we can have no proof of the truth of El- 

♦ A female saint. 

606 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

Islam more manifest to us than what we have beheld with our eyes. Then I 
embraced El-Islam, and so also did all the monks of the convent, and the people 
of the village. After this, we sent to the people of El-Jezeereh,* supplicating for 
a professor of religion and law, to teach us the ordinances of El-IslAm, and the 
precepts of the religion; and a professor, a just man, came to us, and taught us 
the rites of divine worship, and the precepts of El-Islam; so that we are now en¬ 
joying abundant happiness ; and to God be praise and thanks ! 

Aboo 'Eesa and Kurrat el-’Eyn. 

’Amr the son of Mes’adah hath related, that Aboo’Eesa the son of Er-Rasheed and 
brother of El-Ma-moon was enamoured of Kurrat el-’Eyn,f the slave-girl of ’Alee 
the son of Hisham, and she also was enamoured of him; but Aboo ’Eesa con¬ 
cealed his love, and revealed it not, nor complained of it to any one, nor 
acquainted any one with his secret. Thus he did from his magnanimity and 
generosity. He endeavoured, however, to purchase her of her lord by every ex¬ 
pedient. But he could not attain his object; and when his patience failed him, 
and his transport of love became violent, and he found no means of obtaining her, 
he went in to El-Ma-moon on a festival-day, after the departure of the people from 
him, and said, O Prince of the Faithful, if thou wouldst try thy heart this day and 
pay unexpected visits, thou wouldst distinguish the people of generosity from 
others, and wouldst know the place of each of them, and the quality of his mind. 
Aboo ’Eesa desired, by these words, to get an opportunity of sitting with Kurrat 
el-’Eyn in the house of her lord. And El-Ma-moon replied, Verily this advice is 
right. He gave orders to prepare a bark which was named the Flyer if so they 
brought it forward to him, and he embarked in it, together with a party of his 
chief officers ; and the first pavilion that he entered was that of Homeyd Et-Ta- 
weel, of Toos. They went in to him in the pavilion when he expected them not, 
and found him sitting upon a mat, with the singers before him, having lutes and 
flutes and other instruments of music in their hands; and after El-Ma-moon had 
sat a while, there were brought to him dishes of the flesh of beasts, without any of 
the flesh of birds; and El-Ma-moon paid no regard to any of those viands. So 
Aboo ’Eesa said, O Prince of the Faithful, we entered this place unexpected, and 
its owner knew not of thine approach. Arise then and go with us to a place pre¬ 
pared for thee and suited to thee. 

The Khaleefeh accordingly arose, with his chief officers and his brother Aboo 
’Eesa, and they repaired to the house of Alee the son of Hisham. And when he 
knew of their coming, he received them in the most honourable manner, kissing 
the ground before the Khaleefeh. Then he conducted them into the pavilion, 
and opened a chamber, such as none had seen surpassed in beauty. Its floor and 
columns and walls were of varieties of marbles, it was decorated with various kinds 
of Greek paintings,! and its floor was spread with mats of Es-Sind,|| and furniture 
of El-Basrah, made to suit the length and breadth of the chamber. El-Ma-moon 
sat a while contemplating the apartment and the roof and the walls; after which 
he said, Give us some food. And there were brought to him immediately nearly 
a hundred dishes of fowls, besides other birds, and thereeds^f and fries and cold 

• Mesopotamia. t Delight of the Eye. 

J “ Et-Teiydr." Perhaps this is put for the feminine, “ teiyirah,” the name of a kind of swift 
vessel. 

§ Or carvings. II Western India. ST Crumbled or sliced bread, with broth, &c. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

607 

things; and when he had eaten, he said, Give us something to drink, O ’Alee. 
And there was brought to him aromatic wine, prepared with fruits and fragrant 
spices, in vessels of gold and silver and crystal; and those who brought in that 
wine were pages like moons, attired in garments of stuff of Alexandria interwoven 
with gold ; and before their bosoms were bottles of crystal containing rose-water 
infused with musk. El-Ma-moon wondered exceedingly at that which he beheld, 
and said, O Abu-1-Hasan.* Whereupon he sprang to the carpet and kissed it, 
and then, standing before the Khaleefeh, replied, At thy service, O Prince of the 
Faithful. And the Khaleefeh said, Let us hear some mirth-exciting songs. His 
host replied, I hear and obey, O Prince of the Faithful. Then he said to one of 
his servants, Bring the singing slave-girls. So the eunuch replied that he heard 
and obeyed; and, after he had been absent a moment, returned with ten eunuchs 
bringing ten chairs of gold. And when they had placed the chairs, there came 
ten maids like shining full moons and flowery gardens, attired in black brocade, 
and with crowns of gold upon their heads; and they walked forward until they 
seated themselves upon the chairs, when they sang varieties of melodies. Then 
those slave-girls departed, and ten others came, and sang ; and after these, came 
ten others; and again, after them, ten others. 

El-Ma-moon then said, Bring forward the boat. And he was about to embark 
and go. But 'Alee the son of Hish&m arose and said, O Prince of the Faithful, I 
have a slave-girl whom I purchased for ten thousand pieces of gold, and who 
hath captivated my whole heart, and I desire to shew her to the Prince of the 
Faithful. If she please him, and he approve of her, she shall be his; and if not, 
let him hear from her something.—So the Khaleefeh said, Bring her unto me. 
And there came forth a damsel like a twig of the Oriental willow, with fascinating 
eyes, and eyebrows like two bows, and upon her head was a crown of red gold set 
with large pearls and with jewels, beneath which was a bandage whereon was 
worked with chrysolites this verse :— 

A Jinneeyeh, and she hath Jinn who teach her to smite hearts by means of a 
stringless bow. 

This damsel walked forward like a fugitive gazelle; and she would have fascinated 
a devotee. She continued to advance till she seated herself upon a chair; and 
when El-Ma-moon beheld her, he wondered at her beauty and loveliness; 
and Aboo ’Eesa was pained in heart; his complexion became sallow, and his 
whole state changed. El-Ma-moon therefore said to him, What is the matter with 
thee, O Aboo ’Eesa, that thy state hath changed ? He answered, O Prince of the 
Faithful, it is by reason of a malady that cometh upon me sometimes. And the Kha¬ 
leefeh said to him, Hast thou known this slave-girl before the present day ?—Yes, 
O Prince of the Faithful, he answered. And can the moon (he added) be hidden? 

_Then El-Ma-moon said to her, What is thy name, O damsel ? She answered, 

My name is Kurrat el-’Eyn, O Prince of the Faithful. And he said to her, Sing 
to us, O Kurrat el-’Eyn. So she sang; and the Khaleefeh said to her, Divinely 
art thou gifted! By whom are these verses ?—She answered, By Deabil El- 
Khuzd’ee, and the air is by Zurzoor Es-Sagheer. And Aboo ’Eesa looked at her, 
and weeping choked him, so that the company wondered at him. 

Then the damsel looked towards El-Ma-moon, and said to him, O Prince of 

* A surname, I suppose, of ’Alee the son of Hishain. 

G08 

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH. 

the Faithful, wilt thou give me permission to change the words of my song? He 
answered, Sing what thou wilt. And, with exciting modulations, she sang these 
verses:— 

If thou please one and he also please thee publickly, be more careful of pre¬ 
serving thy love in secret; 

And reject the assertions of the slanderers; for seldom do they wish for aught 
hut the estrangement of the lover. 

They have averred that whenever the lover approacheth, he is wearied; and 
that absence is the remedy for passion. 

We have tried both remedies, and not been cured; but nearness of abode is 
better than distance: 

Yet nearness of abode is of no advantage when the person thou lovest doth not 
love thee. 

And when she had finished her song, Aboo ’Eesa said, O Prince of the Faithful, if 
we be disgraced,* we shall be at ease. Wilt thou give me permission to reply to 
her?—The Khaleefeh answered him, Yes: say to her what thou wilt. And he 
restrained his tears, and sang these two verses :— 

I was silent, and said not that I was a lover; but concealed my affection from 
my own heart. 

If my love, notwithstanding, appear in my eye, ’tis because it is near to the 
shining moon. 

Then again the damsel took the lute and sang; and again Aboo ’Eesa sang in re¬ 
ply to her; and when he had ended, ’Alee the son of Hisham sprang to his feet 
and kissed them, saying to him, O my master, God hath answered thy prayer, and 
heard thy secret, and consented to thy taking her with all her appurtenances of 
rarities and beautiful things, if the Prince of the Faithful have no desire for her. 
And El-Ma-moon said, If we had a desire for her, we had given Aboo ’Eesa the 
preference to ourself, and aided him to the attainment of his desire. Then El-Ma- 
moon arose, and embarked in the boat. Aboo ’Eesa remained behind to take 
Kurrat el ’Eyn, and he took her and departed with her to his abode, with a dilated 
heart.—Consider then the generosity of ’Alee the son of Hisham.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE 
FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY- 
FOURTH NIGHT, AND ENDING 
WITH PART OF THE FOUR HUN¬ 
DRED AND THIRTY-FOURTH. 

THE STORY OF ALEE OF CAIRO. 

There was, in the city of Cairo, a 
merchant who had abundance of wealth 
and cash, and jewels and minerals, and 
possessions incalculable, and his name 
was Hasan the Jeweller of Baghdad. 
God had also blessed him with a son, 
of handsome countenance, of just sta¬ 
ture, rosy-cheeked, endowed with ele¬ 
gance and perfection, and beauty and 
loveliness; and he named him ’Alee of 

4 i 

VOL. II. 

G10 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE OF CAIRO. 

Cairo. He had taught him the Kur-an and science, and eloquence 
and polite literature; and he became excellent in all the sciences, 
and was employed by his father in commerce. 

Now a disease attacked his father, and so increased that he felt 
sure of death. So he summoned his son ’Alee of Cairo, and said to 
him, O my son, verily this world is transitory, and the world to 
come is everlasting ; every soul must taste of death, and now, O my 
son, my decease hath drawn near, and I desire to give thee a charge. 
If thou act according to it, thou wilt not cease to be safe and pros¬ 
perous until thou shalt meet God (whose name be exalted!); but 
if thou act not according to it, excessive trouble will befall thee, and 
thou wilt repent of thy neglecting my charge.—O my father, said 
’Alee, how should I refuse to attend or to act according to thy 
charge, when obedience to thee is an obligation divinely imposed 
upon me, and the attending to thy words is absolutely incumbent 
upon me ? And his father rejoined, O my son, I leave to thee 
dwelling-places and mansions and goods and wealth incalculable; 
so that if thou expend of that wealth every day five hundred pieces 
of gold, nought of it will be missed by thee. But, O my son, be 
mindful of holding the fear of God, and obeying the ordinances 
which He hath appointed thee, and following the precepts of El- 
Mustafa 1 (may God favour and preserve him !) in the things that he 
is related to have commanded and forbidden in his traditional laws. 
Be assiduous in the performance of acts of beneficence, and the dis¬ 
pensing of kindness, and associating with the good and just and 
learned, and mind that thou care for the poor and the needy, and 
shun avarice and niggardness, and the company of the wicked, and 
those who are objects of suspicion. Regard thy servants and thy 
family with benignity, and thy wife also ; for she is of the daughters 
of the great, and she is now likely to bear thee issue : perhaps God 
will bless thee with virtuous offspring by her.—He ceased not to 
admonish him, and to weep, and say to him, 0 my son, I beg of 
God, the Bountiful, the Lord of the magnificent throne, that He 
save thee from every difficulty that may befall thee, and grant 
thee his ready relief. And his son wept violently, and said, O my 
father, by Allah I am dissolved by these words: it seemeth that 
thou utterest the language of him who biddeth farewell. His father 
replied, Yes, O my son ; I know my state; and forget not thou my 
charge.—Then the man began to repeat the two professions of the 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE OF CAIRO. 

611 

faith, and to recite [portions of the Kur-an], until the known period 
arrived ; when he said to his son, Draw near to me, O my son. So 
he drew near to him, and his father kissed him, and uttered a groan, 
whereupon his soul quitted his body, and he was admitted to the 
mercy of God, whose name be exalted ! 

His son was affected with extreme grief, a clamour arose in his 
house, and the companions of his father came together to him. He 
betook himself to preparing his corpse for burial, and expediting 2 
the funeral, and conveyed forth the body in a magnificent manner. 
They bore the corpse to the place of prayer, and prayed over it; 
after which they departed with it to the burial-ground, and buried 
it, and recited over it what was easy of the sublime Kur-an. Then 
they returned to the house, and consoled the son of the deceased, 
and each of them went his way; and the deceased’s son performed 
for him the ceremonies of the Fridays, and recitations of the whole 
of the Kur-an, to the end of forty days. 3 He remained in the house, 
and went not forth save to the place of prayer; and Friday after 
Friday he visited his father’s tomb. 

He ceased not to persevere in his prayer, and his recitation [of 
the Kur-an], and his devotion, for a length of time, until his 
fellows, of the sons of the merchants, came in to him and saluted 
him, and said to him, How long shall continue this mourning of 
thine, and the relinquishment of thine occupation and thy traflick, 
and of thine assembling with thy companions ? This conduct will 
weary thee, and excessive injury will result from it unto thy body. 
—And when they came in to him, Iblees the accursed was with 
them, suggesting evil to them. So they proceeded to recommend to 
him that he should go forth with them to the market, and Iblees 
seduced him to comply with their request until he consented to go 
forth with them from the house, in order to the accomplishment of 
an event which God (whose perfection be extolled, and whose name 
be exalted !) would bring to pass. They then said to him, Mount 
thy mule, and repair with us to such a garden, that we may amuse 
ourselves there, and that thy grief and trouble of mind may be 
dispelled. 

He therefore mounted his mule, took his slave with him, and 
accompanied them to the garden which they desired to visit. And 
when they came into the garden, one of them went and prepared 
for them the dinner, and caused it to be brought thither. So they 

612 

THE STORY OF ALEE OF CAIRO. 

ate, and enjoyed themselves, and sat conversing until the close of 
the day, when they mounted and departed, each of them returning 
to his abode. And they passed the night; and when the morning 
arrived, they came to him again, and said to him, Arise, and accom¬ 
pany us.—Whither ? he asked. They answered, to such a garden; 
for it is better than that to which we went first, and more pleasant. 
And he mounted and went with them to that garden; and when 
they had arrived there, one of them went and made ready their 
dinner, and brought it to the garden, together with intoxicating 
wine ; and they ate. Then they brought the wine; and he said to 
them, What is this ? They answered him, This is what dispelleth 
grief, and manifesteth happiness. And they ceased not to recom¬ 
mend it to him until they overcame him, and he drank with them; 
and they continued conversing and drinking till the close of the day, 
when they returned to their abodes. But ’Alee of Cairo was 
affected with a giddiness from drinking, and he went to his wife in 
this state : so she said to him, How is it that thou art changed ? 
He answered, We were to-day making merry and enjoying ourselves; 
but one of our companions brought us some liquor, which my com¬ 
panions drank, and I with them, and this giddiness came upon me. 
His wife therefore said to him, O my master, hast thou forgotten 
the charge of thy father, and done that which he forbade thee to do, 
in associating with people who are objects of suspicion ? But he 
answered her, Verily these are of the sons of the merchants, and 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE OF CAIRO. 

613 

are not persons wlio are objects of suspicion : they are only people 
of pleasure and enjoyment. 

He continued incessantly every day with his companions in this 
manner. They went from place to place, eating and drinking, until 
they said to him, Our turns are ended, and the turn is come to thee. 
And he replied, A friendly and free and ample welcome to you! 
And when he arose in the morning, he made ready all that the case 
required, of food and drink, much more than they had done, and 
took with him the cooks and the farrashes and the coffee-makers, 4 
and they repaired to Er-R6<lah and the Nilometer. 5 There they 
remained a whole month, eating and drinking, and hearing music, 
and enjoying themselves; and when the month had passed, ’Alee 
saw that he had expended a sum of money of large amount; but 
Iblees the accursed deceived him, and said to him, If thou shouldst 
expend every day as much as thou hast already, thy wealth would 
not fail thee. So he cared not for expending his wealth. He con¬ 
tinued to do thus for the space of three years ; his wife admonish¬ 
ing him, and reminding him of the charge of his father; but he 
attended not to her words until all the ready money that he had 
was exhausted. Then he began to take of the jewels, and to sell 
them, and expend their prices, till he exhausted them also. After 
this, he betook himself to selling the houses and other immoveable 
possessions until none of them remained. And when they were gone, 
he proceeded to sell the fields and gardens, one after another, till 
all of them were gone, and there remained nothing in his possession 
but the house in which he resided. He therefore wrenched out its 
marbles and its wood-work, and expended of the money which they 
produced, till he made an end of them all; and he considered in his 
mind, and found that he had nothing to expend: so he sold the 
house, and expended its price. Then, after that, the person who 
had bought of him the house came and said to him, See for thyself 
a lodging; for I am in want of my house. 

He now considered in his mind, and found that he had nothing 
requiring a house excepting his wife, who had borne him a son and 
a daughter; and there remained not with him any servants; but 
there were only himself and his family. So he took for himself an 
apartment in one of the Hoshes, 6 and there he resided, after gran¬ 
deur and delicacy, and abundance of servants and wealth ; and he 
became destitute of one day’s food. His wife therefore said to him, 

614 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE OF CAIRO. 

Of this I used to caution thee, saying to thee, Keep the charge of 
thy father. But thou wouldst not attend to my words; and there is no 
strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! Whence shall 
the little children obtain food ? Arise then, and go round to thy 
companions, the sons of the merchants. Perhaps they will give 
thee something wherewith we may sustain ourselves this day.— 
Accordingly he arose and repaired to his companions, one after 
another; but every one of them unto whom he went hid his face 
from him, and made him to hear painful words, such as he abhorred, 
and not one of them gave him anything. So he returned to his 
wife, and said to her, They have not given me anything. And upon 
this, she arose and went to her neighbours, to demand of them 
something wherewith they might sustain themselves that day. She 
repaired to a woman whom she knew in the former days, and when 
she went in to her, and her friend saw her state, she arose and 
received her kindly, weeping, and saying to her, What hath befallen 
you ? She therefore related to her all that her husband had done ; 
and her friend said to her, An ample and a friendly and free 
welcome to thee ! Whatsoever thou requirest, demand it of me, 
without compensation.—And she replied, May God requite thee 
well! Then her friend gave her as much provision as would suffice 
her and her family for a whole month; and she took it, and 
returned to her abode. And when her husband saw her, he wept, 
and said to her, Whence obtainedst thou that ? She answered him, 
From such a woman; for when I informed her of that which hath 
happened, she failed not in aught; but said to me, All that thou 
requirest demand of me.—And upon this, her husband said to her, 
Since thou hast this, I will repair to a place that I desire to visit. 
Perhaps God (whose name be exalted!) will dispel our trouble. 

He took leave of her, and kissed his children, and went forth, 
not knowing whither to go. He walked on without stopping until 
he arrived at Boolak, 7 where he beheld a vessel about to depart to 
Dimyat; 8 and a man who had been a companion of his father saw 
him ; so he saluted him, and said to him, Whither desirest thou to 
go ? He answered, I desire to go to Dimyat; for I have com¬ 
panions respecting whom I would inquire, and whom I would visit: 
then I will return. And the man took him to his house, treated 
him honourably, made for him provisions for the voyage, and, having 
given him some pieces of gold, embarked him in the vessel that was 

going to Dimyat. And when they arrived at that place, he landed, 
but knew not whither to go. While he was walking, however, a 
man of the merchants saw him, and was moved with sympathy for 
him, and he took him with him to his abode. He therefore re¬ 
mained with him some time ; after which he said within himself, 
How long shall I thus reside in other men’s houses ? Then he went 
forth from the house of that merchant, and beheld a vessel about to 
sail to Syria; and the man with whom he was lodging prepared 
for him provisions for the voyage, and embarked him in that vessel, 
and it proceeded with its passengers until they arrived at the coast of 
Syria. ’Alee of Cairo there landed, and he journeyed until he en¬ 
tered Damascus ; and as he was walking in its great thoroughfare- 
streets, a man of the benevolent saw him and took him to his abode, 
where he remained some time. And after that, he went forth, and 
beheld a caravan about to journey to Baghdad; upon which it 
occurred to his mind that he should journey with it. So he returned 
to the merchant in whose abode he was residing, took leave of him, 
and went forth with the caravan; and God (whose perfection be 
extolled, and whose name be exalted!) moved a man of the mer¬ 
chants with sympathy for him: he therefore took him as his guest, 
and ’Alee ate and drank with him until there remained between 
them and Baghdad one day’s journey. Then there came upon the 
caravan a party of robbers who were intercepters of the way, and 
they took all that was with them, and only a few escaped. 

Every person of the caravan went to seek for a place of refuge. 
But as to ’Alee of Cairo, he repaired to Baghdad, and he arrived 
there at sunset: he reached not, however, the gate of the city until 
he beheld the gate-keepers about to close it. So he said to them, 
Let me come in to you. And they admitted him among them, and 

616 

THE STORY OF 'ALEE OF CAIRO. 

said to him, Whence hast thou come, and whither dost thou go? 
He answered, I am a man of the city of Cairo, and I brought with 
me merchandise and mules and loads, and slaves and young men, 
and I came on before them to see for me a place in which to 
deposit my merchandise; but as I preceded them, mounted on my 
mule, there met me a party of the intercepters of the way, who 
took my mule and my things, and I escaped not from them till I 
was about to yield my last breath. And they treated him with 
honour, and said to him, Thou art welcome. Pass the night with 
us until the morning, and then we will see for thee a place suitable 
to thee.—And he searched in his pocket, and found a piece of gold 
remaining of those which the merchant at Boolak had given him: 
so he gave that piece of gold to one of the gate-keepers, saying to 
him, Take this and change it, and bring us something to eat. He 
therefore took it, and repaired to the market, where he changed it, 
and he brought to ’Alee some bread and cooked meat; and he ate 
with them, and slept with them till the morning. 

Then one of the gate-keepers took him and conducted him to a 
man of the merchants of Baghdad, to whom he related his story; 
and that man believed him, imagining that he was a merchant, and 
that he had brought with him loads of goods. So he took him up 
into his shop, treated him with honour, and sent to his abode, 
whence he caused to be brought for him a magnificent suit of his 
own clothing; and he conducted him into the bath.—I went with 
him, says ’Alee of Cairo, into the bath, and when we came forth, he 
took me and conducted me to his abode, where dinner was brought 
to us, and we ate, and enjoyed ourselves. He then said to one of 
his slaves, O Mes’ood, take thy master, and shew him the two 
houses that are in such a place, and whichever of them pleaseth 
him, give him the key of it, and come back. I therefore went with 
the slave until we came to a by-street wherein were three houses 
adjacent to each other, new and closed; and he opened the first 
house, and I looked over it, and we came forth, and went to the 
second, which he opened, and I looked over it. And he said to me, 
Of which of the two shall I give thee the key ? I said to him, And 
to whom belongeth this great house ? He answered, To us. So I 
said to him, Open it, that we may look over it. He replied, Thou 
hast no need of it.—"Why so ? I asked. He answered, Because it 
is haunted, and no one lodgeth in it but in the morning he is 

THE STORY OF 'ALEE OF CAIRO. 

617 

a corpse; and we open not its door to take forth the dead from it; 
but go up on the roof of one of the two other houses, and thence 
take it up; and on that account my master hath abandoned it, and 
said, I will not henceforth give it to any one.—But I said to him,. 
Open it to me, that I may look over it. And I said within myself. 
This is what I desire. I will pass the night in it, and in the 
morning be a corpse, and be relieved from this state in which I now 
am.—So he opened it, and I entered it, and saw it to be a magni¬ 
ficent house, of which there existed not the like; and I said 
to the slave, I choose none but this house; therefore give me 
its key. But he replied, I will not give thee the key until I con¬ 
sult my master.—Then he went to his master, and said to him, The 
merchant of Cairo saith, I will not lodge but in the great house.— 
He therefore arose and came to ’Alee of Cairo, and said to him, 
O my master, thou hast no need of this house. ’Alee however 
replied, I will not lodge in any but it, and I care not for these 
words. So the man said to him, Write a voucher agreed upon 
between me and thee, that, if anything happen to thee, I am 
not implicated with thee. ’Alee replied, So be it. And the mer¬ 
chant brought a Shahid 9 from the Kadee’s court, and wrote a 
voucher testifying against him, and, having taken it into his 
keeping, gave him the key. He therefore took it, and entered the 
house; and the merchant sent furniture to him with a slave, who 
spread it for him upon the mastabah that was behind the door, and 
returned. 

After that, ’Alee of Cairo arose and went within, and he 
saw a well in the court of the house, with a bucket over it: so he 
let it down into the well, and filled it, and performed the ablution 
with its contents, and recited his divinely ordained prayers. Then 
he sat a little; and the slave came to him with the supper from the 
house of his master, bringing for him also a lamp and a candle and 
candlestick, and a basin and ewer, and a water-bottle; and he left 
him, and returned to his master’s house. So ’Alee lighted the 
candle, and supped, and enjoyed himself, and performed the prayers 
of nightfall; after which he said within himself, Arise, go up stairs, 
and take the bed, and sleep there, rather than here. Accordingly 
he arose, and took the bed, and carried it up stairs; and he beheld 
a magnificent saloon, the ceiling of which was gilded, and its floor 

4 K 

VOL. II. 

and its walls were cased with coloured marbles. He spread his bed, 
and sat reciting somewhat of the sublime Kur-an ; and suddenly a 
person called to him and said to him, O ’Alee! O son of Hasan, 
shall I send down upon thee the gold ?—And where, said ’Alee, is 
the gold that thou wilt send down ? And he had not finished 
saying so when he poured down upon him gold as from a catapult; 
and the gold ceased not to pour down until it had filled the saloon. 
And when it was finished, the person said, Liberate me, that I may 
go my way; for my service is finished. 

Upon this, ’Alee of Cairo said to him, I conjure thee by Allah 
the Great that thou inform me of the cause of [the descent of] this 
gold. And he replied, This gold was preserved for thee by a talis¬ 
man from ancient times, and we used to come to every one who 
entered this house, and say to him, O ’Alee! O son of Hasan! shall 
we send down the gold ? And he would fear at our words, and cry 
out; whereupon we would descend to him and break his neck, and 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE OF CAIRO. 

619 

depart. But when thou earnest, and we called thee by thy name 
and the name of thy father, and said to thee, Shall we send down 
the gold ?—thou saidst to us, And where is the gold ?—so we knew 
that thou wast its owner, and we sent it down. There remaineth 
also for thee a treasure in the land of El-Yemen ; and if thou wilt 
journey and take it and bring it hither, it will be better for thee. 
And I desire of thee that thou liberate me, that I may go my way. 
—But ’Alee said, By Allah I will not liberate thee until thou shalt 
have brought hither to me that which is in the land of El-Yemen. 
He said, If I bring it to thee, wilt thou liberate me, and wilt thou 
liberate the servant of that treasure ?—Yes, answered ’Alee. And 
he said to him, Swear to me. So he swore to him. And he was 
about to go; but ’Alee of Cairo said to him, I have yet one thing 
for thee to perform.—And what is it ? he asked. ’Alee answered, 
I have a wife and children in Cairo, in such a place; and it is 
requisite that thou bring them to me, easily, without injury. And 
he replied, I will bring them to thee in a stately procession, and in 
a litter, 10 and with servants and other attendants, together with the 
treasure that we will bring thee from the land of El-Yemen, if it be 
the will of God, whose name be exalted! — Then he obtained 
permission of him to be absent three days, after which period he 
promised him that all that treasure should be in his possession; 
and he departed. 

And in the morning, ’Alee searched about the saloon for a place 
in which to deposit the gold; and he saw a slab of marble at the 
edge of the leewan of the saloon, in which was a turning-pin. So 
he turned the pin, and the slab removed, and there appeared to him 
a door, which he opened, and he entered, and beheld a large trea¬ 
sury, in which were bags of linen, sewed. He therefore proceeded 
to take the bags and to fill them with the gold and put them into 
the treasury until he had removed all the gold and put it into the 
treasury, when he closed the door, and turned the pin; whereupon 
the slab of marble returned to its place. Then he arose and 
descended, and seated himself upon the mastabah that was behind 
the door. And while he was sitting, a person knocked at his door; 
and he arose and opened it, and saw that this person was the slave 
of the owner of the house; and when the slave saw him there, he 
returned quickly to his master, to give him the good tidings. On 

620 

THE STORY OF ALEE OF CAIRO. 

his coming to his master, he said to him, O my master, verily the 
merchant who hath taken up his lodging in the house that is 
haunted by the Jinn is well, in prosperity, and he is sitting upon 
the ma^tabali that is behind the door. So his master arose, full of 
joy, and repaired to that house, taking with him the breakfast; and 
when he saw ’Alee of Cairo he embraced him, and kissed him 
between his eyes, and said to him, What hath God done unto thee? 
He answered, Well; and I slept not but up stairs, in the saloon 
that is cased with marble. And the merchant said to him, Did 
anything come to thee, or didst thou see aught?—No, answered 
’Alee; I only recited as much as was easy to me of the sublime 
Kur-an, and slept until the morning, when I rose, and performed 
the ablution, and prayed, and descended and seated myself upon 
this mastabah.—And the merchant said, Praise be to God for thy 
safety! Then he arose and left him, and sent to him black slaves 
and memlooks and female slaves and furniture, and they swept the 
house, above and below, spread for him magnificent furniture, and 
there remained with him three memlooks and three male black 
slaves and four female slaves to serve him : the rest returned to the 
house of their master. And when the merchants heard of him, they 
sent to him presents of every precious thing, even of eatables and 
beverages and clothes, and took him with them into the market, 
and said to him, When will thy merchandise come ? He answered 
them, After three days it will enter. 

Then, when the three days had passed, the servant of the first 
treasure, who poured down to him the gold from the house, came 
to him and said to him, Arise, meet the treasure that I have 
brought thee from El-Yemen, and thy hareem, with whom is a 
portion of the treasure in the form of magnificent merchandise; 
and all who are with it, of mules and horses and camels, and 
servants and memlooks, all of them are of the Jan. Now that ser¬ 
vant had repaired to Cairo, where he found that the wife of ’Alee, 
and his children, during this period had become reduced to exces¬ 
sive nakedness and hunger; and he conveyed them from their place 
in a litter to the exterior of Cairo, and clad them in magnificent 
apparel, of the apparel that formed part of the treasure of El- 
Yemen. And when he came to ’Alee, and informed him of that 
news, he arose and repaired to the merchants, and said to them, 

Arise and go forth with us from the 
city to meet the caravan with which is 
our merchandise, and honour us by 
taking with you your hareems to meet 
our hareem. So they answered him, We hear and obey. They sent 
and caused their hareems to be brought, went forth all together, and 
alighted in one of the gardens of the city, where they sat conversing. 
And while they were thus engaged, lo, a dust rose in the midst of 
the desert. They therefore arose to see what was the cause of that 
dust; and it dispersed, and discovered mules and ’akkams and far- 
rashes and light-bearers, 11 who approached singing and dancing until 
they drew near; when the chief of the ’akkams advanced to ’Alee 
of Cairo, kissed his hand, and said to him, O my master, we have 
been tardy in the way; for we desired to enter yesterday; but we 
feared the intercepters of the way; so we remained four days at our 
station, until God (whose name be exalted!) dispelled them from us. 
And the merchants arose and mounted their mules, and proceeded 
with the caravan; the hareems remaining behind with the hareem 

t* 

622 

THE STORY OF 'ALEE OF CAIRO. 

of ’Alee of Cairo until they mounted with them ; and they entered 
in magnificent procession. The merchants wondered at the mules 
loaded with chests, and the women of the merchants wondered 
at the apparel of the wife of the merchant ’Alee, and at the apparel 
of her children, saying, Verily the like of this apparel existeth not 
in the possession of the King of Baghdad or any other person of all 
the Kings and great men and merchants. 

They ceased not to advance in their stately procession, the men 
with the merchant ’Alee of Cairo, and the women with his hareem, 
until they entered the house and alighted, and brought the mules 
with their loads into the midst of the court. Then they put down 
the loads, and stowed them in the magazines, and the hareems went 
up with the hareem of ’Alee to the saloon, and they saw it to 
be like a garden abounding with trees, spread with magnificent 

furniture. They sat in joy and 
happiness, and remained sitting 
until noon, when dinner was brought 
up to them, consisting of the best 
of viands and sweetmeats; and 
they ate, and drank excellent sher¬ 
bet, and scented themselves after 
it with rose-water and perfume. 1 ’ 
Then they took leave of him, and 
departed to their abodes, men and 
women. And when the merchants 
had returned to their dwellings, 

THE STORY OF ALEE OF CAIRO. 

623 

they sent to him presents according to their conditions. The 
hareems also sent gifts to the hareem, until there had been brought 
to them an abundance of female slaves, and male black slaves, and 
memlooks, and of all kinds of things, such as grains, and sugar, and 
other goods incalculable. And as to the merchant of Baghdad, the 
owner of the house in which ’Alee was residing, he remained with 
him, and quitted him not; and he said to him, Let the slaves 
and the servants take the mules and other beasts into one of the 
houses, for the sake of rest. But ’Alee replied, They will set forth 
on their journey this night to such a place. And he gave them 
permission to go out from the city, that when the night should 
come they might set forth on their journey ; and they scarcely be¬ 
lieved his giving them permission to do so when they took leave of 
him and departed to the exterior of the city, and soared through the 
air to their abodes. 

The merchant ’Alee sat with the owner of the house in which 
he resided until the expiration of a third of the night, "when they 
separated, and the owner of the house repaired to his abode. 
Then the merchant ’Alee went up to his hareem, and saluted 
them, and said to them, What happened unto you after my 
departure, during this period? So his wife informed him of 
what they had suffered from hunger and nakedness and fatigue; 
and he said to her, Praise be to God for safety! And how 
came you ?—O my master, she answered, I was sleeping with 
my children last night, and suddenly one raised me from the 
ground, together with my children, and we soared through the 
air; but no injury befell us; and we ceased not to soar along 
until we alighted upon the ground in a place like an encamp¬ 
ment of Arabs, where we saw loaded mules, and a litter borne by 
two great mules, surrounded by servants consisting of pages and 
men. So I said to them, Who are ye, and what are these loads, 
and in what place are we ? And they answered, We are the ser¬ 
vants of the merchant ’Alee of Cairo, the son of the merchant Hasan 
the Jeweller, and he hath sent us to take you and to convey you to 
him in the city of Baghdad. I said to them, Is the distance between 
us and Baghdad long or short ? And they answered me, Short; for 
between us and it is no more than the space to be traversed during 
the darkness of night. Then they placed us in the litter, and thp 

624 

THE STORY OF ALEE OF CAIRO. 

morning came not before we were with you, no injury having be¬ 
fallen us.—And who, said ’Alee, gave you this apparel ? She an¬ 
swered, The chief of the caravan opened one of the chests that were 
upon the mules, took forth from it these garments, and attired me 
in a suit, and each of thy children in a suit; after which he locked 
the chest from which he took forth the dresses, and gave me its key, 
saying to me, Take care of it until thou give it to thy husband:— 
and here it is, carefully kept in my possession.—Then she produced 
it to him ; and he said to her, Knowest thou the chest ? She an¬ 
swered, Yes, I know it. So he arose and descended with her to the 
magazines, and shewed her the chests; and she said to him, This 
is the chest from which he took forth the dresses. He therefore 
took the key from her, and put it into the lock, and opened the 
chest; and he saw in it many dresses, together with the keys of all 
the other chests: so he took them forth, and proceeded to open the 
chests, one after another, and to amuse himself with a sight of their 
contents, consisting of treasured jewels and minerals, the like of 
which existed not in the possession of any of the Kings. 

He then locked the chests, took their keys, and went up with 
his wife to the saloon, saying to her, This is of the bounty of God, 
whose name be exalted! And after this, he took her and led her to 
the marble slab in which was the turning pin, and he turned it, and 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE OF CAIRO. 

625 

opened the door of the treasury, and, entering with her, shewed her 
the gold that he had deposited in it; whereupon she said to him, 
Whence came to thee all this ? He answered her, It came to me 
through the bounty of my Lord. And he related to her what had 
happened to him from first to last; on hearing which, she said to 
him, O my master, all this is through the blessing attendant upon 
the prayer of thy father, when he prayed for thee before his death, 
and said, I beg God that He cast thee not into affliction without 
granting thee speedy relief. So praise be to God (whose name be 
exalted !) for his giving thee relief, and making amends to thee by 
bestowing on thee more than hath been lost by thee! I conjure 
thee then by Allah, 0 my master, that thou return not to thy former 
ways of associating with those who are objects of suspicion. Be 
mindful of preserving the fear of God (whose name be exalted!) in 
private and in public.—She continued to admonish him, and he 
replied, I accept thine admonition, and beg God (whose name be 
exalted!) to remove far from us the wicked, and to adapt us to the 
obedience of Him, and to the compliance with the precepts of his 
Prophet; may God favour and preserve him! 

He lived with his wife and children a most comfortable life, and 
he took for himself a shop in the market of the merchants, placed in it 
some of the jewels and precious minerals, and sat in it, attended by 
his children and his memlooks, and became the greatest of the mer¬ 
chants in the city of Baghdad. So the King of Baghdad heard of 
him, and sent a messenger to him, desiring his presence ; and when 
the messenger came to him, he said to him, Answer the summons 
of the King; for he desireth thee. And he replied, I hear and 
obey ;—and prepared a present for the King. He took four trays 
of red gold, and filled them with jewels and minerals, such as existed 
not in the possession of the Kings ; and he took the trays, and went 
up with them to the King; and when he went in to him, he kissed 
the ground before him, and greeted him with a prayer for the con¬ 
tinuance of his glory and blessings, addressing him in the best man¬ 
ner he could. The King said to him, O merchant, thou hast cheered 
our country by thy presence. And he replied, O King of the age, 
the slave hath brought thee a present, and hopeth that thou wilt in 
thy favour accept it. Then he placed the four trays before him ; 
and the King uncovered them and examined them, and saw that the 

4 L 

VOL. II. 

626 

THE STORY OF 'ALEE OF CAIRO. 

contents were jewels such as he possessed not, their value being 
equal to treasuries of wealth. He therefore said to him, Thy pre¬ 
sent is accepted, O merchant; and if it be the will of God (whose 
name be exalted!), we will recompense thee with the like of it. 
And ’Alee kissed the King’s hands, and departed from him. 

Then the King summoned his grandees, and said to them, How 
many of the Kings have demanded my daughter in marriage ? They 
answered him, Many. And he said to them, Hath any one of them 
presented me with the like of this present ? And they all answered, 
No; for there existeth not in the possession of any of them its like. 
And the King said, I beg of God (whose name be exalted!) that I 
may have the happiness of marrying my daughter to this merchant. 
Then what say ye ?—They answered him, The thing should be as 
thou judgest. And he ordered the eunuchs to carry the four trays 
with their contents into his palace. He then had an interview with 
his wife, and put the trays before her; and she uncovered them, 
and saw in them things like which she possessed not a single piece. 
So she said to him, From which of the Kings is this? Probably it 
is from one of the Kings who have demanded my daughter in mar¬ 
riage.—He answered, No : but it is from a merchant of Cairo, who 
hath come unto us in this city ; and when I heard of his coming, I 
sent to him a messenger to bring him to us that we might become 
acquainted with him, as we might probably find in his possession 
some jewels which we might purchase of him to fit out our daughter. 
He therefore obeyed our command, and brought us these four trays, 
which he offered us as a present; and I saw him to be a handsome 
young man, of dignified appearance, and perfect intelligence, and 
elegant form, almost like one of the sons of the Kings. And on 
my seeing him, my heart inclined to him, and my bosom became 
dilated at beholding him, and I desired to marry my daughter to 
him. I displayed the present to the great men of my kingdom, and 
said to them, How many of the Kings have demanded my daughter 
in marriage ? And they answered, Many.—And hath any one of 
them, said I, brought me the like of that ? To which they all an¬ 
swered, No, by Allah, O King of the age ; for there existeth not in 
the possession of any one of them the like of that. And I said to 
them, I beg of God (whose name be exalted !) that I may have the 
happiness of marrying to him my daughter. What then say ye ?— 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE OF CAIRO. 

G27 

They answered, The thing should be as thou judgest. Now what 
sayest thou ?—She answered him, The affair is for God to decide, 
and thee, O King of the age ; and what God willetli is that which 
will be. And he replied, If it be the will of God (whose name be 
exalted!), we will not marry her but to this young man. 

He passed the next night, and when the morning came, he went 
up to his court, and gave orders to bring the merchant ’Alee of 
Cairo, and all the merchants of Baghdad. So they all came, and 
when they presented themselves before the King, he commanded them 
to sit. They therefore seated themselves. He then said, Bring the 
Kadee of the court. And he came before him; and the King said 
to him, O Kadee, write the contract of my daughter’s marriage to 
the merchant ’Alee of Cairo. But ’Alee of Cairo said, Pardon, O 
our lord the Sultan. It is not fit that a merchant like me be son-in- 
law of the King.—The King however replied, I have bestowed upon 
thee that favour, together with the office of Wezeer. Then he in¬ 
vested him with the robe of a Wezeer immediately ; whereupon he 
seated himself on the chair of the Wezeer, and said, O King of the 
age, thou hast bestowed upon me that favour, and I am honoured 
by thy beneficence ; but hear a word that I would say to thee. He 
replied, Say, and fear not. And he said, Since thy noble command 
hath been given to marry thy daughter, it is fit that she be married 
to my son.—Hast thou a son ? asked the King.—Yes, answered 
’Alee. And the King said, Send to him immediately. He replied, 
I hear and obey;—and he sent one of his memlooks to his son, and 
caused him to be brought; and when he came into the presence of the 
King, he kissed the ground before him, and stood respectfully. And 
the King, looking at him, saw him to be more lovely than his 
daughter, and more beautiful than she in stature, and justness of 
form, and in elegance and in every charm. He said to him, What 
is thy name, O my son ? And he answered, O our lord the Sultan, 
my name is Hasan. And his age at that time was fourteen years. 
Then the King said to the Kadee, Write the contract of the mar¬ 
riage of my daughter Hosn el-Wujood 13 to Hasan the son of the 
merchant ’Alee of Cairo. So he wrote the contract of their mar¬ 
riage, and the affair was finished in the most agreeable manner ; after 
which, every one who was in the court went his way, and the mer¬ 
chants went down behind the Wezeer ’Alee of Cairo until he 

arrived at his house, instated in the office of Wezeer; and they 
congratulated him on that event, and went their ways. He then 
entered the apartment of his wife, who, seeing him clad in the robe 
of a Wezeer, said to him, What is this? He therefore related to 
her the case from beginning to end, and said to her, The King hath 
married his daughter to Hasan my son. And she rejoiced at this 
exceedingly. 

Then ’Alee of Cairo passed the night, and when the morning 
arrived he went up to the court, and the King met him graciously, 
and seated him by his side, treating him with especial favour, and said 
to him, O Wezeer, we desire to celebrate the festivity, and to intro¬ 
duce thy son to my daughter. ’Alee replied, O our lord the Sultan, 
what thou judgest to be well is well. And the King gave orders to 
celebrate the festivity. They decorated the city, and continued the 
festivity thirty days, in joy and happiness ; and after the thirty days 
were ended, Hasan, the son of the Wezeer ’Alee, took the King’s 
daughter as his wife, and was delighted with her beauty and love¬ 
liness. The King’s wife, too, when she saw her daughter’s husband, 
loved him greatly; and in like manner, she was exceedingly pleased 
with his mother. Then the King gave orders to build a palace for 

THE STORY OF ’ALEE OF CAIRO. 

629 

Hasan, the son of the Wezeer; and they built for him quickly a 
magnificent palace, in which he resided; and his mother used to 
remain with him some days, and then descend to her house. So the 
King’s wife said to her husband, O King of the age, the mother of 
Hasan cannot reside with her son and leave the Wezeer, nor can 
she reside with the Wezeer and leave her son. He replied, Thou 
hast spoken truth. And he gave orders to build a third palace, by 
that of Hasan, the son of the Wezeer; and they built it in a few 
days ; after which the King commanded to remove the goods of the 
Wezeer to that palace ; and they did so; and the Wezeer took up 
his abode in it. The three palaces communicated one with another : 
so when the King desired to speak with the Wezeer, he walked to 
him in the night, or sent to bring him ; and in like manner did 
Hasan and his mother and his father. They ceased not to live 
together in an agreeable manner, and to pass a pleasant life, for a 
length of time. 

After this, an illness attacked the King, and his malady in¬ 
creased : so he summoned the grandees of his kingdom, and said to 
them, A violent disease hath attacked me, and perhaps it is that 
which will occasion my death: I have therefore summoned you to 
consult you respecting an affair, and do ye give me the advice that 
ye judge to be good. They said, Respecting what wouldst thou 
consult us, O King? And he answered, I have become old, and 
have fallen sick, and am in fear for my kingdom after me, on 
account of the enemies; wherefore I desire that ye all agree in the 
choice of one, that I may inaugurate him as King during my life, 
and that ye may be at ease. To this they all replied, We all 
approve of the husband of thy daughter, Hasan, the son of the 
Wezeer ’Alee; for we have observed his good sense and perfection 
and intelligence, and he knoweth the rank of the great and the 
small. The King said to them, And do ye approve of that ? They 
answered, Yes. He said to them, Perhaps ye say that before 
me through a modest respect for me, and behind my back ye will 
say otherwise. But they all replied, By Allah our words are the 
same in public and in secret; they change not; and we approve of 
him with joyful hearts and dilated bosoms. He therefore said to 
them, If the affair be so, bring the Kadee of the holy law, and 
all the chamberlains and lieutenants and chief men of the kingdom, 

630 

THE STORY OF 'ALEE OF CAIRO. 

before me to-morrow, and we will finish the affair in the most 
agreeable manner. And they replied, We hear and obey. 

They departed from him, and summoned all the ’Ulama, u and 
the chief persons among the Emeers, and when the morning came, 
they went up to the court, and sent to the King, begging permission 
to come in to him; and he gave them permission. So they 
entered, and saluted him, and said, We have all come before thee. 
And the King said to them, O Emeers of Baghdad, whom do ye 
like to be King over you after me, that I may inaugurate him 
during my life in the presence of you all ? They all answered, We 
have agreed to accept Hasan, the son of the Wezeer ’Alee, and 
husband of thy daughter. And he said, If the case be so, arise 
ye all, and bring him before me. So they all arose, and entered 
his palace, and said to him, Come with us to the King.—For 
what purpose? said he. And they answered him, For an affair 
advantageous to us and to thee. He therefore arose and proceeded 
with them until they went in to the King, when Hasan kissed the 
ground before him; and the King said to him, Sit, O my son. 
So he sat; and the King said to him, O Hasan, all the Emeers 
have petitioned in thy favour, and agreed to make thee King over 
them after me, and I desire to inaugurate thee during my life, 
in order to conclude the affair. But upon this, Hasan arose, and 
kissed the ground before the King, and said to him, O our lord the 
King, verily among the Emeers is he who is older than I, and 
of higher dignity: therefore release me from that affair. All the 
Emeers however said, We do not choose but that thou be King 
over us. He said to them, My father is older than I, and I and 
my father are the same, and it is not right to advance me above 
him. But his father replied, I do not approve of aught but that of 
winch my brethren approve, and they have approved of thee, and 
agreed to have thee: oppose thou not the command of the King, 
nor the command of thy brethren. And Hasan hung down his 
head towards the ground, in modest respect for the King, and for 
his father. So the King said to them, Do ye approve of him ? 
They answered, We do approve of him. And they all recited, in 
testimony thereof, seven times, the Opening Chapter of the Kur-an. 
Then the King said, O Kadee, write a legal voucher, testifying of 
these Emeers, that they have agreed to acknowledge, as Sultan, 

THE STORY OF ALEE OF CAIRO. 

631 

Hasan, the husband of my daughter, and that he shall he King over 
them. He therefore wrote the voucher to that effect, and signed it, 
after they had all inaugurated him as King. The King did so like¬ 
wise, and ordered him to sit upon the throne of the kingdom. 
After this, all arose, and kissed the hands of the King Hasan, 
the son of the Wezeer, and paid homage to him; and he exercised 
authority that day in an admirable manner, and conferred magni¬ 
ficent dresses of honour upon the grandees of the kingdom. 

Then the court broke up, and Hasan went in to the father 
of his wife, and kissed his hands; and he said to him, O Hasan, be 
mindful to preserve the fear of God in thy conduct towards thy 
subjects. Hasan replied, Through thy prayer for me, O my father, 
God’s guidance will be given me. He then entered his own palace, 
and his wife met him, with her mother and their dependants, and 
they kissed his hands, and said to him, May the day be blessed!— 
and they congratulated him on the dignity to which he had been 

f>32 

THE STORY OF 'ALEE OF CAIRO. 

raised. Then he arose and went from his palace into that of 
his father; and they rejoiced exceedingly at the favour which God 
had granted him in conferring upon him the sovereignty; and 
his father charged him to preserve the fear of God, and to act with 
clemency to his subjects. He passed the next night in joy and 
happiness until the morning; when he performed his divinely 
ordained prayers, and finished his concluding supplication, 15 and 
went up to the court. All the troops also went up thither, and the 
dignitaries; and he judged among the people, commanding to act 
kindly, and forbidding iniquity, and he invested and displaced, 
and ceased not to exercise authority until the close of the day; 
whereupon the court broke up in the most agreeable manner, and 
the troops dispersed, each person going his way. Then Hasan 
arose and entered the palace; and he saw that the illness of his 
wife’s father had become heavy upon him: so he said to him, 
No harm betide thee! And the old King opened his eyes, and 
said to him, O Hasan! He replied, At thy service, O my lord. 
And the old King said to him, Now hath the end of my life drawn 
near; therefore take care of thy wife and her mother, and preserve 
the fear of God, and an affectionate obedience to thy parents; 
stand in awe of the majesty of the Requiting King, and know that 
God commandeth justice and the doing of good. The King Hasan 
replied, I hear and obey.—Then the old King remained three days 
after that, and was admitted to the mercy of God, whose name be 
exalted! So they prepared his body for burial, and shrouded it, 
and performed for him recitations of portions and of the whole of 
the Kur-an until the end of the forty days;—and the King Hasan, 
the son of the Wezeer, became absolute monarch. His subjects 
rejoiced in him, and all his days were happy, and his father ceased 
not to be chief Wezeer on his right, hand, and he took another 
Wezeer on his left. His affairs were well ordered, and he re¬ 
mained King in Baghdad a long time; he was also blessed with 
three male children by the daughter of the old King, and they 
inherited the kingdom after him ; and they passed a most comfort¬ 
able and happy life, until they were visited by the terminator of 
delights and the separator of companions.—Extolled be the per¬ 
fection of Him who is eternal, and in whose power it lietli to annul 
and to confirm! 16 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINETEENTH. 

Note 1. 

“ El-Mustafa ” is one of the names of Mohammad, and signifies “ the Elect." 

Note 2. 

“ When any one of you dies,” said the Prophet, “you must not keep him in 
the house j but carry him quickly to his grave and again, he said, “ Be quick 
in lifting up a bier; for if the deceased be a good man, it is good to take him up 
quickly, and carry him to his grave, to cause the good to arrive at happiness; and 
if the deceased be a bad man, it is a wickedness which ye put from your neck.”f 

Note 3.— Ceremonies observed after a Death. 

Towards the eve of the first Friday after the funeral, and often, early in the 
morning of the Thursday, the women of the family of the deceased repeat their 
wailing, in the house, accompanied by some of their female friends : male friends 
of the deceased also visit the house shortly before or after sunset; and three or 
four persons are hired to perform a recitation of the whole of the Kur-dn. On 
the following morning, some or all of the members of the deceased's family, but 
chiefly the women, visit the tomb; they or their servants carrying palm-branches, 
and sometimes sweet basil, to lay upon it. The palm-branch is broken into several 
pieces, and these, or the leaves only, are placed on the tomb. Often, also, the 
visiters take with them some kind of food, as bread, pancakes, sweet cakes of 
different kinds, or dates, to distribute to the poor on this occasion. They recite 
the Opening Chapter of the Kur-an; or, if they can afford it, employ a person to 
recite first the Thirty-sixth Chapter, or a larger portion of the Kur-an ; and many 
persons cause a recitation of the whole of the Kur-dn to be performed at the 
tomb, or in the house, by men hired for that purpose.—These ceremonies are 
repeated on the same days of the next two weeks; and again on the eve and 
morning of the Friday which completes, or next follows, the first period of forty 
daysj after the funeral; whence this Friday is called “ El-Arba’een,” or “ Jum’at 
el-Arba’een.” 

/ Note 4. 

This is one of the instances in which coffee is mentioned in the Thousand and 
One Nights in a manner not to be mistaken; but perhaps by a copyist. The word 

* Miahkit el-Masibeeh, vol. i. page 387. t Idem, page 3?4. J See Genesis, 1. S. 

4 M 

VOL. II. 

634 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINETEENTH 

rendered “ coffee-makers ” is “ kahwejeeyeh,” plural of “ kahwejee,” a compound 
of Arabic and Turkish, pronounced by the Turks “kahvejee.” It occurs also in 
the same passage in the Breslau edition. 

Note 5. 

Er-Rodah is a very pleasant Island in the Nile, about two miles and a half in 
length, near Cairo; lying to the south-west of that city. Its name signifies “The 
Garden.” The Nilometer is at its southern extremity. 

Note 6. 

The term “ h6sh ” generally signifies “ the court of a housebut it is often 
applied, as in this case, to a court surrounded by mean lodgings, inhabited by 
persons of the lower orders. 

Note 7. 

Boolak is the principal port of Cairo. It was founded, and became a consi¬ 
derable town, in the eighth century of the Flight (or the fourteenth of our era). 
The plain upon which it is situated arose in consequence of a gradual change 
in the course of the Nile, which formerly flowed very near by the western side of 
Cairo. 

Note 8. 

Dimyat is the town commonly called by us Damietta. Its name is generally 
pronounced by the modern Egyptians Dumydt. 

Note 9. 

See Note 48 to Chapter xi. 

Note 10. 

A takhtarawan, described in Note 8 to Chapter viii. 

Note 11. 

The terms “ ’akkam ” and “ farrash ” have been explained in Note 28 to Chap¬ 
ter xi. and Note 16 to Chapter x. By “ light-bearers ” are meant men who bear 
the kind of cresset described in Note 2 to Chapter xiii. 

Note 12. 

See Note 8 to Chapter iii. 

Note 13. 

“ Hosn el-Wujood” signifies “Beauty of the World.” See Note 6 to Chap¬ 
ter xviii. 

Note 14. 

“ ’Ulama ” is the plural of “ ’alim,” which signifies a man of science or learning, 
but is a term more particularly given to a doctor of the law. European writers 
generally use the plural form of this appellation for the singular. 

Note 15. 

See Note 18 to Chapter x. 

Note 16. 

This story is followed by an anecdote of which I here give a translation, 

Anecdote of a Townsman and a Bedawceijeh. 

\ 

It is related that a man of the pilgrims slept a long sleep, and then awoke, and 
saw no trace of the other pilgrims. So he arose and walked on; but he wandered 
from the way, and he proceeded until he saw a tent, and an old woman at its 
door, and he found by her a dog asleep. He approached the tent, saluted the old 
woman, and begged of her some food; whereupon she said to him, Go to you 
valley, and catch as many serpents as will suffice thee, that I may broil some of 
them for thee. The man replied, I dare not catch serpents, and 1 never ate them. 
The old woman therefore said, I will go with thee, and catch some of them, and 
fear thou not. Then she went with him, and the dog followed her, and she caught 
as many of the serpents as would suffice, and proceeded to broil some of them. 
The pilgrim could not refrain from eating; for he feared hunger and emaciation : 
so he ate of those serpents. And after this, being thirsty, he demanded of the old 
woman some water to drink; and she said to him, Go to the spring, and drink of 
it. Accordingly he went to the spring; hut he found its water hitter; yet he 
could not refrain from drinking of it, notwithstanding its exceeding bitterness, on 
account of the violence of his thirst. He therefore drank, and then returned to 
the old woman, and said to her, I wonder at thee, O thou old woman, and at thy 
residing in this place, and thy feeding thyself with this food, and thy drinking of 
this water.—How then, said the old woman, is your country? He answered her, 
Verily in our country are spacious and ample houses, and ripe and delicious fruits, 
and abundant sweet waters, and excellent viands, and fat meats, and numerous 
sheep, and everything good, and blessings of which the like exist not save in the 
Paradise that God (whose name be exalted!) hath described to his just servants.— 
All this, replied the old woman, I have heard; but tell me, have you any Sultan 
who ruleth over you, and oppresseth in his rule while ye are under his authority; 
and who, if any one of you committeth an offence, taketh his wealth, and 
destroyeth him; and who, if he desire, turneth you out from your houses, and 
eradicateth you utterly ? The man answered her, That doth sometimes happen. 
And the old woman rejoined, If so, by Allah, that dainty food and elegant life and 
those delightful comforts, with oppression and tyranny, are penetrating poison; 
and our food, with safety, is a salutary antidote. Hast thou not heard that the 
most excellent of boons, after el-Islam, are safety and health.* 

Now these may be through the justice of the Sultan, the vicegerent of God 
upon his earth, and through his good policy. The Sultdn of former times loved 

The following words appear to be the narrator's. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINETEENTH. 

G ,‘{6 

to be distinguished by the lowest degree of awfulness; because, when his subjects 
saw him, they feared him : but the Suit tin of this age loveth to be distinguished 
by the most perfect policy and the utmost awfulness; because men now arc not 
like those of former days. This our age is one of a people opprobrious, and greatly 
calamitous; since they are noted for folly, and for hardness of heart, and are bent 
upon vehement hatred, and upon enmity. Therefore, if the Sulttin (in God, whose 
name be exalted, be our refuge !) should be weak among them, or not characterized 
by policy and awfulness, no doubt that would be the cause of the ruin of the 
country. And among the proverbs is this:—The oppression of the Suit An for a 
hundred years, rather than the oppression of the subjects, one over another, for a 
single year.—And when the subjects oppress, God setteth over them an oppressive 
SultAn and a violent King. Thus it is related in the histories, that there was sent 
up to El-Hajjaj the son of Yoosuf,* one day, a petition wherein was written, Fear 
God, and oppress not God's servants with every kind of oppression. And when 
he had read the petition, he ascended the pulpit (and he was eloquent), and he 
said, O ye people, verily God (whose name be exalted !) hath set me over you on 
account of your actions; and if I die, ye will not be free from oppression with 
these wicked actions; for God (whose name be exalted!) hath created many like 
me; and if I be not, there will be one worse than I, and more severe in oppression, 
and more violent in impetuosity. As the poet hath said :— 

There is no hand but God’s hand is above it, nor oppressor that shall not 
meet with an oppressor. 

—Oppression is feared; but justice is the best of all qualities. We beg God to 
amend our states. 

[The above anecdote is followed by the Story of Taweddud, the learned Slave- 
girl, ending with part of the four hundred and sixty-second Night. This story 
almost entirely consists in a display of Taweddud's profound knowledge in religion, 
Ac., in which she surpassed the most eminent professors in an examination before 
Haroon Er-Rasheed; and as it would not only require a volume of commentary, 
but be extremely tiresome to most readers of the present work, I omit it. 

Next is a series of eighteen anecdotes (or rather fictions related as facts), 
ending with part of the four hundred and eighty-second Night. From these I 
have selected for translation only four. Almost all of them relate to saints and 
miracles. The first of those which I translate is preceded in the original by two 
of a similar kind.] 

A Tyrannical King and the Angel of Death. 

A tyrannical King, one of the Kings of the Children of Israel, was one day 
sitting upon his throne, and beheld a man who had entered the door of the palace, 
having an offensive form and a terrible appearance. So the King shuddered at 
his sudden intrusion upon him, and was terrified at his appearance; and he sprang 
up in his face, and said, Who art thou, O man, and who gave thee permission to 
intrude upon me, and who commanded thee to come to my abode ? He answered, 
The Lord of the abode commanded me, and none excludeth me, nor do I require 
permission to go in unto Kings, neither do I fear the rule of a SultAn, nor the 

* See Note 1 <0 to Chapter x. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINETEENTH. 

G 37 

multitude of guards: I am he whom no tyrant hindereth, and none can escape 
from my grasp: I am the terminator of delights and the separator of companions. 
And when the King heard these words, he fell upon his face, a tremor crept through 
his body, and he fell down in a tit; and on his recovery he said, Art thou the 
Angel of Death? He answered, Yes. And the King said, I conjure thee by 
Allah to give me one day’s delay, that I may beg forgiveness of my sin, and seek 
pardon of my Lord, and restore the wealth that is in my treasuries to its owners, 
so that I may not suffer the affliction of a reckoning with respect to it, and the 
misery of punishment on account of it. But the Angel of Death replied, Far, far 
from thee be that! Thou hast no way of attaining that wish. How can I grant 
thee a delay when the days of thy life are reckoned, and thy breaths are numbered, 
and thy moments are fixed and written?—The King said, Grant me an hour’s 
delay. He replied, Verily the hour is included in the account, and it hath past 
while thou wast heedless, and hath expired while thou wast careless. Thou hast 
fulfilled the number of thy breaths, save that there remaineth to thee one breath 
only.—And the King said, Who will be with me when I am removed to my grave? 
He answered, Nought will be with thee but thy work.* * * § The King replied, I have 
[done] no work. And the Angel of Death said, Without doubt thine abode will 
be in the fire; and thy destination, to suffer the anger of the Omnipotent.—Then 
he seized his soul: so he tumbled from his throne, and fell to the ground; and a 
clamour arose among the people of his kingdom; their voices were raised, and 
their cries and weeping were loud; and had they known the indignation that he 
bad gone to endure from his Lord, their weeping for him had been greater, and 
their lamentation had been more violent and more abundant. 

Advantages of Piety and Industry. 

There was, among the Children of Israel, a good man, who applied himself 
diligently to the worship of God, and abstained from worldly enjoyments, discarding 
them from his heart; and he had a wife who aided him in his pursuit, and who 
always obeyed him. They lived by making trays and fans, f working all the day ; 
and at the close of the day, the man went forth with the things that he had made 
in his hand, and walked with them along the streets and roads, seeking a purchaser, 
to whom to sell them; and they fasted continually. J Now one day § the man 
went forth as usual, and an event befell him which constrained him to throw him¬ 
self from the top of a lofty house, in order to avoid an act of disobedience unto 
bis Lord ; but God sent to him an Angel, who bore him upon his wings, and set 
him down upon the ground in safety, without any injury happening to him. And 
when he rested upon the ground, he praised God (to whom be ascribed might and 
glory!) for the protection which He had afforded him, and the mercy that He had 
granted him, and returned without any obstacle to his wife. He had been long 
absent from her, and entered bringing nothing with him; so she asked him 
respecting the cause of his tardiness, and respecting the things which he had taken 
forth in his hand, and as to what he had done with them, and how he had returned 
without anything. He therefore informed her of the temptation that had hap- 

* See Note 20 to Chapter xvi. 

t Tile former are made of rushes, &c. : the latter, of palm-leaves or of feathers. 

t That is, every day; eating only in the night. I remember a man in Cairo who did so, excepting 
on the “Two Festivals," when fasting is unlawful; and other instances are mentioned by historians. 

§ A portion of my original I here omit. 

638 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINETEENTH. 

pened to him, and that he had thrown himself down from that place, and God 
had saved him. And his wife said, Praise be to God who hath averted from thee 
the temptation, and interposed between thee and the calamity! Then she said, 
O man, verily the neighbours have been accustomed to observe that we light our 
oven every night, and if they see us this night without fire, they will know that 
we are destitute. Thankfulness to God requireth the concealment of our poverty, 
and the conjoining of the fast of this night with that of the past day, and spending 
it in the service of God, whose name be exalted!—Accordingly she arose and 
went to the oven, filled it with firewood, and set light to it to delude the women 
who were her neighbours ; and she recited these verses :— 

I will conceal the desire and the griefs that I suffer, and will light my fire to 
delude my neighbours, 

I approve of that which my Lord hath decreed: perhaps lie will see my sub¬ 
mission, and approve me. 

After this, she and her husband arose, and performed the ablution, and began 
to pray. But lo, one of her female neighbours begged permission to light from 
their oven. They therefore said to her, Go to the oven, and do as thou desirest. 
And when the woman drew near to the oven to take the fire, she called out, O 
such-a-one ! (mentioning the name of the woman of the place) come to thy bread 
before it burnetii! So she said to her husband, Heardest thou what this woman 
said? And he replied, Arise and see. She arose, therefore, and went to the oven, 
and lo, it was filled with fine white bread; and she took the cakes of bread and 
went in to her husband, thanking God (to whom be ascribed might and glory !) 
for the abundant good, and great favour, which He had bestorved. They ate of the 
bread, and drank some water, and praised God, whose name be exalted 1 Then 
the woman said to her husband, Come, let us supplicate God (whose name be ex¬ 
alted!) : perhaps He will favour us with something that will render us independent 
of the trouble necessary to obtain our livelihood, and of the fatigue of working, and 
will aid us to employ ourselves in his worship and to occupy ourselves with his ser¬ 
vice. He replied, Well. So the man supplicated his Lord, and the woman said 
Amen to his supplication; and lo, the roof clove asunder, and there descended a 
ruby, which illuminated the chamber by its lustre ; whereupon they increased in 
their thanksgiving and praise. They were greatly rejoiced with that ruby, and 
said as many prayers as God (whose name be exalted!) willed.* Then, at the 
close of the night, they slept; and the woman saw in her sleep as though she en¬ 
tered Paradise, and beheld many pulpits ranged in order, and chairs set; where¬ 
upon she said, What are these pulpits, and what are these chairs? She was 
answered, These are the pulpits of the prophets, and these are the chairs of the just 
and the good.—And where, said she, is the chair of my husband, such-a-one ? She 
was answered, It is this. And she looked at it, and lo, in its side was a hole. She 
therefore said, What is this hole ? And she was answered, It is the hole of the 
ruby that descended upon you from the roof of your house.—So she awoke weeping 
and mourning for the defect of the chair of her husband among the chairs of the 
just; and she said, O man, supplicate thy Lord to restore this ruby to its place; 
for the endurance of hunger and poverty during the days that are few will be a 
lighter matter than the hole in thy chair among the people of excellences. And 

* That is. very many. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINETEENTH. 

G39 

the man supplicated his Lord, and lo, the ruby flew up to the roof, while they 
looked at it; and they ceased not to live in their poverty and devotion until they 
met God, to whom be ascribed might and glory 1 

Anecdote of a Muslim Warriour and a Christian Maiden. 

The Prince of the Faithful, ’Omar the son of El-Khattab, sent an army of the 
Muslims against the enemy, in Syria, and they besieged vehemently one of their 
fortresses; and there were among the Muslims two men, brothers, to whom God 
had given impetuosity and boldness against the enemy, so that the lord of that 
fortress said to his auxiliaries, and to his heroes who were before him, If these two 
Muslims were made prisoners, or slain, I should suffice you against the rest of the 
Muslims. They ceased not to set snares for these two men, and to employ strata¬ 
gems against them, laying ambushes, and increasing the number of the men in the 
lurking-places, until one of the two Muslims was taken prisoner, and the other 
was slain a martyr. So the captive Muslim was carried to the lord of that fort¬ 
ress ; and when the latter saw him, he said, Verily the slaughter of this man would 
be an evil, and his return to_ the Muslims would be a calamity. I wish that he 
would embrace the Christian faith, to be an auxiliary and a helper to us. And one 
of his Batreeks* said, O Emeer, I will seduce him so that he shall apostatize 
from his religion; for the Arabs are exceedingly fond of women, and I have a 
daughter endowed with loveliness and perfect beauty : so, if he see her, he will be 
seduced by her. The Emeer therefore said. He is committed unto thee : then 
convey him away. 

Accordingly he conveyed him to his abode, and clad the damsel in attire which 
increased her beauty and loveliness; after which, he took the man into the house, 
and caused the food to be brought; and the Christian damsel stood before him as a 
maid serving her master and waiting for him to give her some command which she 
should perform. And when the Muslim saw what had befallen him, he kept him¬ 
self from sin by seeking refuge with God (whose name be exalted 1) ; he closed his 
eyes, and occupied himself with the worship of his Lord, and reciting the Kur-an. 
Now he had an excellent voice, and an effective talent in the use of it; and the 
Christian damsel was affected with a violent love for him, and became greatly enam¬ 
oured of him ; and this state of affairs continued seven days, until the damsel said, 
Would that he may consent to my embracing el-Islam ! And when her patience 
failed, and her heart was contracted, she threw herself down before him, and said, 
I conjure thee by thy religion that thou hear my words !—He replied, And what 
wouldst thou say ? She answered, Propose to me el-Islam, So he proposed it to 
her, and she became a Muslimeh. Then she purified herself, and he taught her 
how to pray; and when she had done so, she said, O my brother, verily my em¬ 
bracing el-Isldm was on thine account, and from my wish to have thee near unto me. 
He replied, El-Isl&m forbiddeth marriage unless there be two legal witnesses, and 
a dowry, and a guardian ; f and I find not the two witnesses, nor the guardian nor 
the dowry ; but if thou contrive means of our going forth from this place, I may 

♦ “ Batreek,” or “ Bitreek,” (from “ patricius”) is a title which was formerly given by the Arabs to a 
Christian general; according to the Kamoos, to one who commanded ten thousand men. It should not 
be confounded with “ Batreek" or “ Batrak,” which signify a “ Patriarch.” 
t See Note 39 to Chapter iv. (vol. i. pp. 320 and 321). 

640 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINETEENTH. 

hope to arrive in the abode of the Muslims, and I will make a covenant with thee 
that I will have no wife among the Muslimehs hut thee. So she said, I will con¬ 
trive a stratagem to accomplish that. She then called her father and her mother, 
and said to them, Verily the heart of this Muslim hath become softened, and he 
desireth to embrace the faith; and I will grant him the accomplishment of that 
which he desireth of me. He hath said, however, This shall not happen unto me 
in a town where my brother was killed ; but if I go forth from it, that my heart 
may be diverted, I will do as thou desirest. No harm will ensue if ye send me 
forth with him to another town ; for I am a surety to you and to the King for the 
accomplishment of that which ye desire. 

So her father went to their Emeer, and informed him ; and he was greatly re¬ 
joiced at that, and gave orders to send her forth with him to the village that she 
had mentioned. Accordingly they went forth, and when they had arrived at the 
village, and remained the rest of the day, and the darkness of night overshadowed 
them, they departed, and pursued their way, like as one of the poets hath said:— 

They said, The time of our departure hath drawn near. I replied, How oft 
shall I be threatened with departure ? 

I have nothing to do but to cross the waste, and to traverse the earth, mile 
after mile. 

If the beloved journey towards another land, I travel thither, a son of the 
road: 

I make my desire my director to her, and it sheweth me the way without 
other guide. 

And they proceeded throughout that night. The young man had mounted a swift 
horse, and placed her behind him ; and he ceased not to traverse the earth until 
morning was near, when he turned with her from the road, and set her down; and 
they performed the ablution, and recited the morning-prayers. But while they 
were thus engaged, they heard the clashing of weapons, and the clinking of bits 
and bridles, and the voices of men, and the sounds of the hoofs of horses. So he 
said to her, O sucli-a-one (mentioning her name), this is a troop of the Christians in 
pursuit, which hath overtaken us: what then shall be our resource, when the horse 
hath become wearied and jaded so that he cannot stir a step? But she replied, 
Wo to thee! Art thou alarmed and afraid?—He said, Yes.—Where then, she 
rejoined, is the power of thy Lord, of which thou toldest me, and his succour to 
those who seek it? Come, let us humble ourselves before Him, and supplicate 
Him: perhaps He will grant us his succour, and make us to participate in his 
gracious protection : extolled be his perfection, and exalted be his name !—And he 
replied, Excellent, by Allah, is that which thou hast said! Accordingly they began 
to humble themselves before God (whose name be exalted!), and he recited these 
verses:— 

Verily I am hourly in need of thine assistance, and should be though a crown 
were placed upon my head. 

Thou art my greatest want, and if my hand obtained what I desire, I should 
have no wants remaining. 

Thou hast not anything that Thou withholdest; for the flood of thy munifi¬ 
cence floweth copiously and in torrents ; 

But I am excluded by my transgression : yet resplendent is the light of thy 
pardon, O Clement! 

O Dispeller of anxiety, remove my affliction ! for who but Thyself can dispel 
this anxiety ? 

And while he was supplicating, and the damsel was saying Amen to his supplica¬ 
tion, and the trampling of the horses was approaching them, the young man heard 
the voice of his brother the martyr, saying, O my brother, fear not nor grieve ; for 
the approaching troop is the troop of God, and it is his Angels, whom He hath 
sent unto you to witness your marriage. Verily God hath gloried in you before 
his Angels, and given you the recompense of the blessed and the martyrs, and con¬ 
tracted for you the earth, so that in the morning thou wilt be among the mountains 
of Et-Medeeneh. And when thou meetest ’Omar the son of El-Khattdb (may God 
be well pleased with him !), greet him with salutation from me, and say to him, 
May God recompense thee well for the Muslims; for thou hast given good coun¬ 
sel, and laboured with diligence.—Then the Angels raised their voices, saluting 
him and his wife, and said, Verily God (whose name be exalted!) married her to 
thee before the creation of your father Adam (on whom be peace !) by two thou¬ 
sand years. And upon this they experienced joy and happiness, and security and 
gladness : confidence was increased, and the guidance of the pious was confirmed : 
and when daybreak came, they performed the morning-prayers. 

Now r ’Omar the son of El-Khattdb (may God be well pleased with him !) used 
to perform the morning-prayers in the darkness before dawn ; and sometimes he 
entered the place of prayer in the mosque, followed by two men, and began with 
the Chapter of Cattle,* or the Chapter of Women ; f whereupon the sleeper awoke, 
and he who would perform the ablution performed it, and he who was at a distance 

• The sixth Chapter of the K at ari. 

4 N 

VOL. it. 

t Tile fourth Chapter of the same. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINETEENTH. 

came ; so that the first rek’ah was not completed before the mosque was filled with 
people. Then he performed the second rek’ah with the recitation of a light chap¬ 
ter, and doing it quickly. But on that day, he recited in the first rek'ah a light 
chapter, doing it quickly, and in like manner in the second; and when he had 
pronounced the salutations,* he looked towards his companions, and said, Come 
forth with us that we may meet the bridegroom and bride. So his companions 
wondered, and understood not his words; and he advanced, with them following 
him, until he went forth to the gate of the city. 

The young man, as soon as the light appeared to him, and he beheld the 
standards of El-Medeeneh, advanced towards the gate, with his wife behind him ; 
and ’Omar and the Muslims his companions met him and saluted him. And when 
they entered the city, ’Omar (may God be well pleased with him !) gave orders that a 
feast should be prepared; and the Muslims came and ate. The young man en¬ 
tered with his bride, and God (whose name be exalted !) blessed him by her with 
children who fought in the way of God,f and kept their genealogies, because they 
gloried in them ; and they ceased not to pass a most comfortable life, and to enjoy 
the most perfect happiness, until they were visited by the terminator of delights 
and the separator of companions. 

The Justice of Providence. 

A certain prophet employed himself in devotion upon a lofty mountain, beneath 
which ran a spring of water; and during the day he used to sit upon the summit 
of the mountain, so that people saw him not. There he repeated the praises of 
God (whose name be exalted!), and saw such persons as came to drink at the 
spring. And as be was one day sitting looking towards the spring, he beheld a 
horseman, who approached, and alighted from his horse, put down a leathern bag 
that was slung to his neck, and rested, and drank of the water ; after which he de¬ 
parted, leaving the leathern bag, in which were pieces of gold. And lo, a man 
came to drink of the water, and he took the leathern bag with the money, and 
drank of the water, and departed in safety. Then there came after him a man who 
was a wood-cutter, bearing a heavy bundle of fire-wood upon his back, and he 
seated himself by the spring, to drink of the water. But lo, the horseman first 
mentioned approached in a state of distress, and he said to the wood-cutter, Where 
is the leathern bag that was here ? He answered, I know nothing of it. And the 
horseman drew his sword, struck the wood-cutter, and slew him; and he searched 
in his clothes, and found nothing : so he left him, and went his way. 

And that prophet said, O Lord, one person took a thousand pieces of gold, and 
another hath been slain unjustly. But God said to him by revelation, Occupy 
thyself with thy devotion ; for the government of the kingdom is not thine affair. 
Verily the father of this horseman had taken by force a thousand pieces of gold of 
the property of the father of this man; so I have put the son in possession of his 
father’s property : and verily the wood-cutter had slain the father of this horseman ; 
wherefore I have enabled the son to take retaliation.—And thereupon that prophet 
said, There is no deity but Thou! Extolled be Thy perfection ! Thou art all¬ 
knowing with respect to secret things ! t 

* At the end of his prayers. See Note 8 to Chapter xii. 

t That is, for the defence of religion. 

t This prophet was Moses. The story is also related by El-Kazweenee, in the preface to his ’AjAib 
el-Makhlookdt. For a better one of the same kind, more agreeing with Parnell's " Hermit," see the 
Kur-dn, chapter xviii. vv. 64 et seqq., commencing, “And [coming to the rock] they found one of our 
servants." 

NOTES TO CHAPTER NINETEENTH. 

643 

[Next to tlie series of anecdotes from which the above are selected, follows the 
Story of Hasib Kereem ed-Deen,* or rather, a combination of the stories of H&sib, 
Bulookiya, and Janshah, ending with the five hundred and thirty-sixth Night. It 
is mainly a compound of the most extravagant absurdities, and would, I 
think, be extremely tedious to many readers of the present translation, with the 
exception of the portion relating to Jansh&h; but this is similar in its general 
character, and in the incidents upon which it is chiefly founded, to the Story of 
Hasan of El-Basrah, which is one that I purpose to include in this work. I there¬ 
fore pass on to the five hundred and thirty-seventh Night, with which commences 
the Story of Es-Sindibdd of the Sea (the famous Voyager) and Es-Sindibad of the 
Land. 

The stories which I omit in these volumes I do not consider destitute of inte¬ 
rest or value, nor should I regard them, with the exception of a few, as unworthy 
of being presented to English readers, if some were abridged, and considerable 
alterations were made in others, when the omission of gross passages would render 
them incoherent; hut even if they were thus abridged and altered, I should not 
think it advisable to introduce them in this collection, which is designed to com¬ 
prise no tales that are greatly inferior in interest to those in the old version.] 

* Called in the translations derived (through the medium of the German) from Von Hammer's 
“ Jamasp.”

COMMENCING WITH THE FIVE HUN¬ 

DRED AND THIRTY-SEVENTH 
NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH 

PART OF THE FIVE HUNDRED 

AND SIXTY-SIXTH, 

THE STORY OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF 
THE SEA AND ES-SINDIBA'D OF 
THE LAND. 1 

There was, in the time of the 
Khaleefeh, the Prince of the 
Faithful, Haroon Er-Rasheed, in 
the city of Baghdad, a man called 
Es-Sindibad 2 the Porter. He 

VOl. III. 

2 

THE STORY OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA 

was a man in poor circumstances, who bore burdens for hire upon his 
head. And it happened to him that he bore one day a heavy bur¬ 
den, and that day was excessively hot; so he was wearied by the 
load, and perspired profusely, the heat violently oppressing him. 
In this state he passed by the door of a merchant, the ground before 
which was swept and sprinkled, and there the air was temperate; 
and by the side of the door was a wide mastabah. The porter 
therefore put down his burden upon that mastabah, to rest himself, 
and to scent the air; and when he had done so, there came forth 
upon him, from the door, a pleasant, gentle gale, and an exquisite 
odour, wherewith the porter was delighted. He seated himself 
upon the edge of the mastabah, and heard in that place the melo¬ 
dious sounds of stringed instruments, with the lute among them, 
and mirth-exciting voices, and varieties of distinct recitations. He 
heard also the voices of birds, warbling, and praising God (whose 
name be exalted!) with diverse tones and with all dialects ; 3 con¬ 
sisting of turtle-doves and hezars* and blackbirds and nightingales 
and ring-doves and keerawans ; 3 whereupon he wondered in his 
mind, and was moved with great delight. He then advanced to that 
door, and found within the house a great garden, wherein he beheld 
pages and slaves and servants and other dependants, and such things 
as existed not elsewhere save in the abodes of Kings and Sultans; 
and after that, there blew upon him the odour of delicious, exquisite 
viands, of all different kinds, and of delicious wine. 

Upon this he raised his eyes towards heaven, and said, Extolled 
be thy perfection, O Lord! O Creator ! O Supplier of the conve¬ 
niences of life ! Thou suppliest whom Thou wilt without reckon¬ 
ing ! O Allah, I implore thy forgiveness of all offences, and turn 
to Thee repenting of all faults! O Lord, there is* no animadverting 
upon Thee with respect to thy judgment and thy power ; for Thou 
art not to be questioned regarding that which Thou dost, and Thou 
art able to do whatsoever Thou wilt! Extolled be thy perfection ! 
Thou enrichest whom Thou wilt, and whom Thou wilt Thou impo- 
verishest! Thou magnifiest whom Thou wilt, and whom Thou wilt 
Thouabasest! There is no deity but Thou! How great is thy dignity! 
and how mighty is thy dominion! and how excellent is thy govern¬ 
ment ! Thou hast bestowed favours upon him whom Thou choosest 
among thy servants, and the owner of this place is in the utmost 
affluence, delighting himself with pleasant odours and delicious 

AND ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE LAND. 

3 

meats and exquisite beverages of all descriptions. And Thou hast 
appointed unto thy creatures what Thou wilt, and what Thou hast 
predestined for them; so that among them one is weary, and 
another is at ease ; and one of them is prosperous, and another is 
like me, in the extreme of fatigue and abjection !—And he recited 
thus:— 

How many wretched persons are destitute of ease ! arid how many are in 
luxury, reposing in the shade! 6 

I find myself afflicted by trouble beyond measure ; and strange is my condi¬ 
tion, and heavy is my load ! 

Others are in prosperity, and from wretchedness are free, and never for a 
single day have borne a load like mine ; 

Incessantly and amply blest, throughout the course of life, with happiness and 
grandeur, as well as drink and meat. 

All men whom God hath made are in origin alike; and I resemble this man, 
and he resembleth me; 

But otherwise, between us is a difference as great as the difference that we 
find between wine and vinegar. 

Yet in saying this, I utter no falsehood against Thee, [0 my Lord;] for Thou 
art wise, and with justice Thou hast judged. 

And when Es-Sindibad the Porter had finished the recitation of 
his verses, he desired to take up his burden and to depart. But lo, 
there came forth to him from that door a young page, handsome in 
countenance, comely in stature, magnificent in apparel; and he laid 
hold upon the porter’s hand, saying to him, Enter: answer the sum¬ 
mons of my master; for he calleth for thee. And the porter would 
have refused to enter with the page; but he could not. He there¬ 
fore deposited his burden with the door-keeper in the entrance- 
passage, and, entering the house with the page, he found it to be a 
handsome mansion, presenting an appearance of joy and majesty. 
And he looked towards a grand chamber, in which he beheld noble¬ 
men and great lords ; and in it were all kinds of flowers, and all 
kinds of sweet scents, and varieties of dried and fresh fruits, together 
with abundance of various kinds of exquisite viands, and beverage 
prepared from the fruit of the choicest grape-vines. In it were also 
instruments of music and mirth, and varieties of beautiful slave- 
girls, all ranged in proper order. And at the upper end of that 
chamber was a great and venerable man, in the sides of whose beard 
grey hairs hffd begun to appear. He was of handsome form, 
comely in countenance, with an aspect of gravity and dignity and 

4 

THE STORY OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA, &c. 

majesty and stateliness. So, upon this, Es-Sindibad the Porter wa^ 
confounded, and he said within himself, By Allah, this place is a 
portion of Paradise, or it is the palace of a King or Sultan ! Then, 
putting himself in a respectful posture, he saluted the assembly, 
prayed for them, and kissed the ground before them ; after which 
he stood, hanging down his head in humility. But the master of the 
house gave him permission to seat himself. He therefore sat. And 
the master of the house had caused him to draw near unto him, and 
now began to cheer him with conversation, and to welcome him; and 
he put before him some of the various excellent, delicious, exquisite 
viands. So Es-Sindibad the Porter advanced, and, having said, In 
the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful,—ate until he 
was satisfied and satiated, when he said, Praise be to God in every 
case !—and washed his hands, and thanked them for this. 

The master of the house then said, Thou art welcome, and thy 
day is blessed. What is thy name, and what trade dost thou follow ? 
—O my master, he answered, my name is Es-Sindibad the Porter, 
and I bear upon my head men’s merchandise for hire. And at this, 
the master of the house smiled, and he said to him, Know, O porter, 
that thy name is like mine; for I am Es-Sindibad of the Sea: but, 
O porter, I desire that thou let me hear the verses that thou wast 
reciting when thou wast at the door. The porter therefore was 
ashamed, and said to him, I conjure thee by Allah that thou be 
not angry with me ; for fatigue and trouble, and paucity of what 
the hand possesseth, teach a man ill manners, and impertinence. 
His host, however, replied, Be not ashamed ; for thou hast become 
my brother: recite then the verses, since they pleased me when I 
heard them from thee as thou recitedst them at the door. So upon 
this the porter recited to him those verses, and they pleased him, 
and he was moved with delight on hearing them. He then said to 
him, O porter, know that my story is wonderful, and I will inform 
thee of all that happened to me and befell me before I attained this 
prosperity and sat in this place wherein thou seest me. For I at¬ 
tained not this prosperity and this place save after severe fatigue 
and great trouble and many terrors. How often have I endured 
fatigue and toil in my early years ! I have performed seven voyages, 
and connected with each voyage is a wonderful tale, that would con¬ 
found the mind. All that which I endured happened by fate and 
destiny, and from that which is written there is no escape nor flight. 

THE FIRST VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

Know, O masters, O noble persons, that 1 had a father, a mer¬ 
chant, who was one of the first in rank among the people and the 
merchants, and who possessed abundant wealth and ample fortune. 
He died when I was a young child, leaving to me wealth and build¬ 
ings and fields ; and when I grew up, I put my hand upon the whole 
of the property, ate well and drank well, associated with the young 
men, wore handsome apparel, and passed my life with my friends and 
companions, feeling confident that this course would continue and 
profit me ; and I ceased not to live in this manner for a length of 
time. I then returned to my reason, and recovered from my heed¬ 
lessness, and found that my wealth had passed away, and my condition 
had changed, and all [the money] that I had possessed had gone. I 
recovered not to see my situation but in a state of fear and confu¬ 
sion of mind, and remembered a tale that I had heard before, the 
tale of our lord Suleyman the son of Daood (on both of whom be 
peace!), respecting his saying, Three things are better than three: 

6 

THE FIRST VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

the day of death is better than the day of birth; and a living dog is 
better than a dead lion; and the grave is better than the palace. 7 
Then I arose, and collected what I had, of effects and apparel, and 
sold them; after which I sold my buildings and all that my hand 
possessed, and amassed three thousand pieces of silver; and it 
occurred to my mind to travel to the countries of other people ; and 
I remembered one of the sayings of the poets, which was this :— 

In proportion to one's labour, eminences are gained; and he who seeketh 
eminence passeth sleepless nights. 

He diveth in the sea who seeketh for pearls, and succeedeth in acquiring 
lordship and good fortune. 

Whoso seeketh eminence without labouring for it, loseth his life in the search 
of vanity. 

Upon this, I resolved, and arose and bought for myself goods 
and commodities and merchandise, with such other things as were 
required for travel, and my mind had consented to my performing 
a sea-voyage. So I embarked in a ship, and it descended to the city 
of El-Basrah, with a company of merchants, and we traversed the 
sea for many days and nights. We had passed by island after island, 
and from sea to sea, and from land to land; and in every place by 
which we passed we sold and bought, and exchanged merchandise. 
We continued our voyage until we arrived at an island like one of 
the gardens of Paradise, and at that island the master of the ship 
brought her to anchor with us. He cast the anchor, and put forth 
the landing-plank, and all who were in the ship landed upon that 
island. They had prepared for themselves fire-pots, and they 
lighted the fires in them ; and their occupations were various: 
some cooked; others washed; and others amused themselves. 
I was among those who were amusing themselves upon the 
shores of the island, and the passengers were assembled to eat 
and drink and play and sport. But while we were thus en¬ 
gaged, lo, the master of the ship, standing upon its side, called out 
with his loudest voice, O ye passengers, whom may God preserve ! 
come up quickly into the ship, hasten to embark, and leave your 
merchandise, and flee with your lives, and save yourselves from 
destruction; for this apparent island, upon which ye are, is not 
really an island, but it is a great fish that hath become stationary in 
the midst of the sea, and the sand hath accumulated upon it, so that 

THE FIRST VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

7 

it hath become like an island, and trees have grown upon it since 
times of old ; and when ye lighted upon it the fire, it felt the heat, 
and put itself in motion, and now it will descend with you into the 
sea, and ye will all be drowned: then seek for yourselves escape 
before destruction, and leave the merchandise!—The passengers, 
therefore, hearing the words of the master of the ship, hastened to 
go up into the vessel, leaving the merchandise, and their other goods, 
and their copper cooking-pots, and their fire-pots ; and some reached 
the ship, and others reached it not. The island had moved, and 
descended to the bottom of the sea, with all that were upon it, and 
the roaring sea, agitated with waves, closed over it. 8 

I was among the number of those who remained behind upon 
the island; so I sank in the sea with the rest who sank. But God 
(whose name be exalted!) delivered me and saved me from drown¬ 
ing, and supplied me with a great wooden bowl, of the bowls in 
which the passengers had been washing, and I laid hold upon it and 
got into it, induced by the sweetness of life, and beat the water with 
my feet as with oars, while the waves sported with me, tossing me 
to the right and left. The master of the vessel had caused her sails 
to be spread, and pursued his voyage with those who had embarked, 
not regarding such as had been submerged; and I ceased not to look 
at that vessel until it was concealed from my eye. I made sure of 
destruction, and night came upon me while I was in this state ; but 
I remained so a day and a night, and the wind and the waves aided 
me until the bowl came to a stoppage with me under a high island, 
whereon were trees overhanging the sea. So I laid hold upon a 
branch of a lofty tree, and clung to it, after I had been at the point 
of destruction; and I kept hold upon it until I landed on the island, 
when I found my legs benumbed, and saw marks of the nibbling of 

8 THE FIRST VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

fish upon their hams, of which I had been insensible by reason ot 
the violence of the anguish and fatigue that I was suffering. 

I threw myself upon the island like one dead, and was uncon¬ 
scious of my existence, and drowned in my stupefaction; and I 
ceased not to remain in this condition until the next day. The sun 
having then risen upon me, I awoke upon the island, and found that 
my feet were swollen, and that I had become reduced to the state 
in which I then was. Awhile I dragged myself along in a sitting 
posture, and then I crawled upon my knees. And there were in 
the island fruits in abundance, and springs of sweet water. I there¬ 
fore ate of those fruits; and 1 ceased not to contindfc in this state for 
many days and nights. My spirit had then revived, my soul had 
returned to me, and my power of motion was renewed; and I began 
to meditate, and to walk along the shore of the island, amusing 
myself among the trees with the sight of the things that God (whose 
name be exalted!) had created; and I had made for myself a staff 
from those trees, to lean upon it. Thus I remained until I walked, 
one day, upon the shore of the island, and there appeared unto me 
an indistinct object in the distance. I imagined that it was a wild 
beast, or one of the beasts of the sea; and I walked towards it, 
ceasing not to gaze at it; and lo, it was a mare, of superb appear¬ 
ance, picketed in a part of the island by the sea-shore. I approached 
her ; but she cried out against me with a great cry, and I trembled 
with fear of her, and was about to return, when behold, a man came 
forth from beneath the earth, and he called to me and pursued me, 
saying to me, Who art thou, and whence hast thou come, and what 
is the cause of thine arrival in this place ? So I answered him, O 
my master, know that I am a stranger, and I was in a ship, and was 
submerged in the sea with certain others of the passengers; but 
God supplied me with a wooden bowl, and I got into it, and it bore 
me along until the waves cast me upon this island. And when he 
heard my words, he laid hold of my hand and said to me, Come 
with me. I therefore went with him, and he descended with me 
into a grotto beneath the earth, and conducted me into a large sub¬ 
terranean chamber, and, having seated me at the upper end of that 
chamber, brought me some food. I was hungry; so I ate until I 
was satiated and contented, and my soul became at ease. Then he 
asked me respecting my case, and what had happened to me ; 

wherefore I acquainted him with my whole affair from beginning to 
end; and he wondered at my story. 

And when I had finished my tale, I said, I conjure thee by 
Allah, O my master, that thou he not displeased with me : I have 
acquainted thee with the truth of my case and of what hath hap¬ 
pened to me, and I desire of thee that thou inform me who thou art, 
and what is the cause of thy dwelling in this chamber that is beneath 
the earth, and what is the reason of thy picketing this mare by the 
sea-side. So he replied, Know that we are a party dispersed in 
this island, upon its shores, and we are the grooms of the King El- 
Mihraj, 9 having under our care all his horses; and every month, 
when moonlight commenceth, we bring the swift mares, and picket 
them in this island, every mare that has not foaled, and conceal our¬ 
selves in this chamber beneath the earth, that they may attract the 
sea-horses. 10 This is the time of the coming forth of the sea-horse; 
and afterwards, if it be the will of God (whose name be exalted!), I 
will take thee with me to the King El-Mihraj, and divert thee with 
the sight of our country. Know, moreover, that if thou hadst not 

VOL. III. 

10 THE FIRST VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

met with us, thou hadst not seen any one in this place, and wouldst 
have died in misery, none knowing of thee. But I will be the 
means of the preservation of thy life, and of thy return to thy 
country.—I therefore prayed for him, and thanked him for his 
kindness and beneficence; and while we were thus talking, the horse 
came forth from the sea, as he had said. 11 And shortly after, his 
companions came, each leading a mare; and, seeing me with him, 
they inquired of me my story, and I told them what I had related 
to him. They then drew near to me, and spread the table, and ate, 
and invited me: so I ate with them; after which, they arose and 
mounted the horses, taking me with them, having mounted me on 
a mare. ls 

We commenced our journey, and proceeded without ceasing 
until we arrived at the city of the King El-Mihraj, and they went 
in to him and acquainted him with my story. He therefore desired 
my presence, and they took me in to him, and stationed me before 
him; whereupon I saluted him, and he returned my salutation, and 
welcomed me, greeting me in an honourable manner, and inquired 
of me respecting my case. So I informed him of all that had hap¬ 
pened to me, and of all that I had seen, from beginning to end; and 
he wondered at that which had befallen me and happened to me, 
and said to me, O my son, by Allah thou hast experienced an ex¬ 
traordinary preservation, and had it not been for the predestined 
length of thy life, thou hadst not escaped from these difficulties; 
but praise be to God for thy safety! Then he treated me with 
beneficence and honour, caused me to draw near to him, and began 
to cheer me with conversation and courtesy; and he made me his 
superintendent of the sea-port, and registrar of every vessel that 
came to the coast. I stood in his presence to transact his affairs, 
and he favoured me and benefited me in every respect; he invested 
me with a handsome and costly dress, and I became a person high 
in credit with him in intercessions, and in accomplishing the affairs 
of the people. I ceased not to remain in his service for a long time; 
and whenever I went to the shore of the sea, I used to inquire of 
the merchants and travellers and sailors respecting the direction of 
the city of Baghdad, that perchance some one might inform me of 
it, and I might go with him thither and return to my country; but 
none knew it, or knew any one who went to it. At this I was per- 

THE FIRST VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 11 

plexed, and I was weary of the length of my absence from home ; 
and in this state I continued for a length of time, until I went in 
one day to the King El-Mihraj, and found with him a party of 
Indians. I saluted them, and they returned my salutation, and 
welcomed me, and asked me respecting my country; after which, I 
questioned them as to their country, and they told me that they 
consisted of various races. Among them are the Shakireeyeh, 13 
who are the most noble of their races, who oppress no one, nor offer 
violence to any. And among them are a class called the Brah¬ 
mans, a people who never drink wine; but they are persons of 
pleasure and joy and sport and merriment, 1 * and possessed of camels 
and horses and cattle. They informed me also that the Indians ls 
are divided into seventy-two classes; 16 and I wondered at this 
extremely. And I saw, in the dominions of the King El-Mihraj, 
an island,' among others, which is called Kasil, 17 in which is heard 
the beating of tambourines and drums throughout the night, and 
the islanders and travellers informed us that Ed-Dejjal is in it. 18 I 
saw too, in the sea in which is that island, a fish two hundred cubits 
long, and the fishermen fear it; wherefore they knock some pieces 
of wood, and it fleeth from them: 19 and I saw a fish whose face was 
like that of the owl. 86 I likewise saw during that voyage many won¬ 
derful and strange things, such that if I related them to you, the 
description would be too long. 

I continued to amuse myself with the sight of those islands and 
the things that they contained, until I stood one day upon the shore 
of the sea, with a staff in my hand, as was my custom, and lo, a 
great vessel approached, wherein were many merchants ; and when 
it arrived at the harbour of the city, and its place of anchoring, the 
master furled its sails, brought it to an anchor by the shore, and 
put forth the landing-plank; and the sailors brought out every¬ 
thing that was in that vessel to the shore. They were slow in taking 
forth the goods, while I stood writing their account, and I said to 
the master of the ship, Doth aught remain in thy vessel ? He an¬ 
swered, Yes, O my master ; I have some goods in the hold of the 
ship ; but their owner was drowned in the sea at one of the islands 
during our voyage hither, and his goods are in our charge; so we 
desire to sell them, Snd to take a note of their price, in order to 
convey it to his family in the city of Baghdad, the Abode of Peace. I 

12 THE FIRST VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

therefore said to the master, What was the name of that man, the 
owner of the goods ? He answered, His name was Es-Sindibad of 
the Sea, and he was drowned on his voyage with us in the sea. 
And when I heard his words, I looked at him with a scrutinizing 
eye, and recognised him; and I cried out at him with a great cry, 
and said, O master, know that I am the owner of the goods which 
thou hast mentioned, and I am Es-Sindibad of the Sea, who 
descended upon the island from the ship, with the other merchants 
who descended; and when the fish that we were upon moved, and 
thou calledst out to us, some got up into the vessel, and the rest 
sank, and I was among those who sank. But God (whose name be 
exalted!) preserved me and saved me from drowning by means of a 
large wooden bowl, of those in which the passengers were washing, 
and I got into it, and began to beat the water with my feet, and the 
wind and the waves aided me until I arrived at this island, when I 
landed on it, and God (whose name be exalted!) assisted me, and 
I met the grooms of the King El-Mihraj, who took me with them 
and brought me to this city. They then led me in to the King El- 
Mihraj, and I acquainted him with my story; whereupon he 
bestowed benefits upon me, and appointed me clerk of the harbour 
of this city, and I obtained profit in his service, and favour with 
him. Therefore these goods that thou hast are my goods and my 
portion. 

THE FIRST VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 13 

But the master said, There is no strength nor power but in God, 
the High, the Great! There is no longer faith nor conscience in 
any one!—Wherefore, O master, said I, when thou hast heard me 
tell thee my story ? He answered, Because thou heardest me say 
that I had goods whose owner was drowned : therefore thou desirest 
to take them without price ; and this is unlawful to thee ; for we 
saw him when he sank, and there were with him many of the pas¬ 
sengers, not one of whom escaped. How then dost thou pretend 
that thou art the owner of the goods ?—So I said to him, O master, 
hear my story, and understand my words, and my veracity will 
become manifest to thee ; for falsehood is a characteristic of the 
hypocrites. Then I related to him all that I had done from the 
time that I went forth with him from the city of Baghdad until we 
arrived at that island upon which we were submerged in the sea, 
and I mentioned to him some circumstances that had occurred 
between me and him. Upon this, therefore, the master and the mer¬ 
chants were convinced of my veracity, and recognised me ; and they 
congratulated me on my safety, all of them saying, By Allah, we 
believed not that thou hadst escaped drowning ; but God hath 
granted thee a new life. They then gave me the goods, and I found 
my name written upon them, and nought of them was missing. So 
I opened them, and took forth from them something precious and 
costly; the sailors of the ship carried it with me, and I went up 
with it to the King to offer it as a present, and informed him that 
this ship was the one in which 1 was a passenger. I told him also 
that my goods had arrived all entire, and that this present was a part 
of them. And the King wondered at this affair extremely; my 
veracity in all that I had said became manifest to him, and he loved 
me greatly, and treated me with exceeding honour, giving me a 
large present in return for mine. 

Then 1 sold my bales, as well as the other goods that I had, and 
gained upon them abundantly; and I purchased other goods and 
merchandise and commodities of that city. And when the merchants 
of the ship desired to set forth on their voyage, I stowed all that 
I had in the vessel, and, going in to the King, thanked him for his 
beneficence and kindness; after which I begged him to grant me 
permission to depart on my voyage to my country and my family. 
So he bade me farewell, and gave me an abundance of things at my 

14 THE FIRST VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

departure, of the commodities of that city; and when I had taken 
leave of him, I embarked in the ship, and we set sail by the permis¬ 
sion of God, whose name he exalted! Fortune served us, and 
destiny aided us, and we ceased not to prosecute our voyage night 
and day until we arrived in safety at the city of El-Basrah. There 
we landed, and remained a short time; and I rejoiced at my safety, 
and my return to my country; and after that, I repaired to the city 
of Baghdad, the Abode of Peace, with abundance of bales and goods 
and merchandise of great value. Then I went to my quarter, and 
entered my house, and all my family and companions came to me. 
I procured for myself servants and other dependants, and memlooks 
and concubines and male black slaves, so that I had a large 
establishment; and I purchased houses and other immoveable pos¬ 
sessions, more than I had at first. I enjoyed the society of my 
companions and friends, exceeding my former habits, and forgot all 
that I had suffered from fatigue, and absence from my native coun¬ 
try, and difficulty, and the terrors of travel. I occupied myself 
with delights and pleasures, and delicious meats and exquisite 
drinks, and continued in this state. Such were the events of 
the first of my voyages ; and to-morrow, if it be the will of God 
(whose name be exalted!), I will relate to you the tale of the second 
of the seven voyages. 

Es-Sindibad of the Sea then made'Es-Sindibad of the Land to sup 
with him; after which he gave orders to present him with a hun¬ 
dred pieces of gold, and said to him, Thou hast cheered us by thy 
company this day. So the porter thanked him, and took from him 
what he had given him, and went his way, meditating upon the 
events that befell and happened to mankind, and wondering ex¬ 
tremely. He slept that night in his abode; and when the morning 
came, he repaired to the house of Es-Sindibad of the Sea, and went 
in to him ; and he welcomed him, and treated him with honour, 
seating him by him. And after the rest of his companions had 
come, the food and drink were set before them, and the time was 
pleasant to them, and they were merry. Then Es-Sindibad of the 
Sea began his narrative thus : — 

THE SECOND VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

Know, O my brothers, that I was enjoying a most comfortable 
life, and the most pure happiness, as ye were told yesterday, until it 
occurred to my mind, one day, to travel again to the lands of other 
people, and I felt a longing for the occupation of traffick, and the 
pleasure of seeing the countries and islands of the world, and gain¬ 
ing my subsistence. I resolved upon that affair, and, having taken 
forth from my money a large sum, I purchased with it goods and 
merchandise suitable for travel, and packed them up. Then I went 
to the bank of the river, and found a handsome, new vessel, with 
sails of comely canvass, and it had a numerous crew, and was super¬ 
fluously equipped. So I embarked my bales in it, as did also a 
party of merchants besides, and we set sail that day. The voyage 
was pleasant to us, and we ceased not to pass from sea to sea, and 
from island to island; and at every place where we cast anchor, we 
met the merchants and the grandees, and the sellers and buyers, 
and we sold and bought, and exchanged goods. Thus we continued 
to do until destiny conveyed us to a beautiful island, abounding with 

16 THE SECOND VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

trees bearing ripe fruits, where flowers diffused their fragrance, with 
birds warbling, and pure rivers: but there was not in it an inhabi¬ 
tant, nor a blower of a fire. 11 The master anchored our vessel at 
that island, and the merchants with the other passengers landed 
there, to amuse themselves with the sight of its trees, and to extol the 
perfection of God, the One, the Omnipotent, and to wonder at the 
power of the Almighty King. I also landed upon the island with 
the rest, and sat by a spring of pure water among the trees. I had 
with me some food, and I sat in that place eating what God (whose 
name be exalted !) had allotted me. The zephyr was sweet to us 
in that place, and the time was pleasant to me ; so slumber over¬ 
came me, and I reposed there, and became immersed in sleep, 
enjoying that sweet zephyr, and the fragrant gales. I then arose, 
and found not in the place a human being nor a Jinnee. The vessel 
had gone with the passengers, and not one of them remembered me, 
neither any of the merchants nor any of the sailors: so they left me 
in the island. 

I looked about it to the right and left, and found not in it any 
one save myself. I was therefore affected with violent vexation, 
not to be exceeded, and my gall-bladder almost burst by reason of 
the severity of my grief and mourning and fatigue. I had not with 
me aught of worldly goods, neither food nor drink, and I had 
become desolate, weary in my soul, and despairing of life; and I 
said, Not every time doth the jar escape unbroken; and if I escaped 
the first time, and found him who took me with him from the shore 
of the island to the inhabited part, this time far, far from me is the 
prospect of my finding him who will convey me to inhabited lands! 
Then I began to weep and wail for myself until vexation over¬ 
powered me; and I blamed myself for that which I had done, and 
for my having undertaken this voyage and fatigue after I had been 
reposing at ease in my abode and my country, in ample happiness, 
and enjoying good food and good drink and good apparel, and had 
not been in want of anything, either of money or goods or mer¬ 
chandise. I repented of my having gone forth from the city of 
Baghdad, and set out on a voyage over the sea, after the fatigue 
that I had suffered during my first voyage, and I felt at the point 
of destruction, and said, Verily to God we belong, and verily unto 
Him we return ! And 1 was in the predicament of the mad. After 

THE SECOND VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 17 

that, I arose and stood up, and walked about the island to the right 
and left, unable to sit in one place. Then I climbed up a lofty 
tree; and began to look from it to the right and left; but saw 
nought save sky and water, and trees and birds, and islands and 
sands. Looking however with a scrutinizing eye, there appeared 
to me on the island a white object, indistinctly seen in the distance, 
of enormous size: so I descended from the tree, and went towards 
it, and proceeded in that direction without stopping until I arrived 
at it ; and lo, it was a large white dome, of great height and large 
circumference. I drew near to it, and walked round it; but found 
no door to it; and I found that I had not strength nor activity to 
climb it, on account of its exceeding smoothness. I made a mark 
at the place where I stood, and went round the dome measuring its 
circumference; and lo, it was fifty full paces; and I meditated upon 
some means of gaining an entrance into it. 

The close of the day, and the setting of the sun, had now 
drawn near; and behold, the sun was hidden, and the sky became 
dark, and the sun was veiled from me. I therefore imagined that a 
cloud had come over it; but this was in the season of summer: so 
I wondered; and I raised my head, and, contemplating that object 
attentively, I saw that it was a bird, of enormous size, bulky body, 
and wide wings, flying in the air; and this it was that concealed 
the body of the sun, and veiled it from view upon the island. At 
this my wonder increased, and I remembered a story which travel¬ 
lers and voyagers had told me long before, that there is, in certain 
of the islands, a bird of enormous size, called the rukh', that 

VOL. III. 

D 

18 THE SECOND VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

feedeth its young ones with elephants. I was convinced, therefore, 
that the dome which I had seen was one of the eggs of the rukh. 

I wondered at the works of God (whose name be exalted!); and 
while I was in this state, lo, that bird alighted upon the dome, and 
brooded over it with its wings, stretching out its legs behind upon 
the ground; and it slept over it.—Extolled be the perfection of 
Him who sleepeth not!—Thereupon I arose, and unwound my 
turban from my head, and folded it and twisted it so that it became 
like a rope; and I girded myself with it, binding it tightly round 
my waist, and tied myself by it to one of the feet of that bird, and 
made the knot fast, saying within myself, Perhaps this bird will 
convey me to a land of cities and inhabitants, and that will be 
better than my remaining in this island. I passed the night sleep¬ 
less, fearing that, if I slept, the bird would fly away with me when 
I was not aware; and when the dawn came, and morn appeared, 
the bird rose from its egg, and uttered a great cry, and drew me 
up into the sky. It ascended and soared up so high that I imagined 
it had reached the highest region of the sky; and after that, it 
descended with me gradually until it alighted with me upon the 
earth, and rested upon a lofty spot. So when I reached the earth, 
I hastily untied the bond from its foot, fearing it, though it knew 
not of me nor was sensible of me; and after I had loosed my 
turban from it, and disengaged it from its foot, shaking as I did 
so, I walked away. Then it took something from the face of the 
earth in its talons, and soared to the upper region of the sky; and 
I looked attentively at that thing, and lo, it was a serpent, of enor¬ 
mous size, of great body, which it had taken and carried off towards 
the sea; and I wondered at that event. 23 

After this, I walked about that place, and found myself upon 
an eminence, beneath which was a large, wide, deep valley; and by 
its side, a great mountain, very high; no one could see its summit 
by reason of its excessive height, and no one had power to ascend 
it. I therefore blamed myself for that which I had done, and said, 
Would that I had remained in the island ; since it is better than 
this desert place; for in the island are found, among various fruits, 
what I might have eaten, and I might have drunk of its rivers; but 
in this place are neither trees nor fruits nor rivers; and there is no 
strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! Verily 

every time that I escape from a calamity, I fall into another that is 
greater and more severe !—Then I arose, and emboldened myself, 
and walked in that valley; and I beheld its ground to be composed 
of diamonds, with which they perforate minerals and jewels, and 
with which also they perforate porcelain and the onyx; and it is a 
stone so hard that neither iron nor rock have any effect upon it, 
nor can any one cut off aught from it, or break it, unless by means 
of the lead-stone.” All that valley was likewise occupied by ser¬ 
pents and venomous snakes, every one of them like a palm-tree; 
and by reason of its enormous size, if an elephant came to it, it 
would swallow it. 2 ’ Those serpents appeared in the night, and hid 
themselves in the day, fearing lest the rukh' and the vulture should 
carry them off, and after that tear them in pieces; and the cause of 
that I know not. I remained in that valley, repenting of what I 
had done, and said within myself, By Allah, I have hastened my 
own destruction ! The day departed from me, and I began to walk 
along that valley, looking for a place in which to pass the night, 

20 THE SECOND VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

fearing those serpents, and forgetting my food and drink and sub¬ 
sistence, occupied only by care for my life. And there appeared to 
me a cave near by; so I walked thither, and I found its entrance 
narrow. I therefore entered it, and, seeing a large stone by its 
mouth, I pushed it, and stopped with it the mouth of the cave while 
I was within it; and I said within myself, I am safe now that I 
have entered this place; and when daylight shineth upon me, I 
will go forth, and see what destiny will do. Then I looked within 
the cave, and beheld a huge serpent sleeping at the upper end of it 
over its eggs. At this my flesh quaked, and I raised my head, and 
committed my case to fate and destiny; and I passed all the night 
sleepless, until the dawn arose and shone, when I removed the 
stone with which I had closed the entrance of the cave, and went 
forth from it, like one intoxicated, giddy from excessive sleepless¬ 
ness and hunger and fear. 

I then walked along the valley; and while I was thus occupied, 
lo, a great slaughtered animal fell before me, and I found no one. 
So I wondered thereat extremely; and I remembered a story that 
I had heard long before from certain of the merchants and travel¬ 
lers and persons in the habit of journeying about,—that in the 
mountains of the diamonds are experienced great terrors, and that 
no one can gain access to the diamonds, but that the merchants 
who import them know a stratagem by means of which to obtain 
them; that they take a sheep, and slaughter it, and skin it, and 
cut up its flesh, which they throw down from the mountain to the 
bottom of the valley: so descending fresh and moist, some of these 
stones stick to it. Then the merchants leave it until midday, and 
birds of the large kind of vulture and the aquiline vulture descend 
to that meat, and, taking it in their talons, fly up to the top of the 
mountain; whereupon the merchants come to them, and cry out 
at them, and they fly away from the meat. The merchants then 
advance to that meat, and take from it the stones sticking to it; 
after which they leave the meat for the birds and the wild beasts, 
and carry the stones to their countries. And no one can procure 
the diamonds but by means of this stratagem.—Therefore when I 
beheld that slaughtered animal, and remembered this story, I arose 
and went to the slaughtered beast. I then selected a great number 
of these stones, and put them into my pocket, and within my 

THE SECOND VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 21 

clothes; and I proceeded to select, and to put into my pockets and 
my girdle and my turban and within my clothes. And while I 
was doing thus, lo, another great slaughtered animal. So I bound 
myself to it with my turban, and, laying myself down on my back, 
placed it upon my bosom, and grasped it firmly. Thus it was 
raised high above the ground; and behold, a vulture descended 
upon it, seized it with its talons, and flew up with it into the air, 
with me attached to it; and it ceased not to soar up until it had 
ascended with it to the summit of the mountain, when it alighted 
with it, and was about to tear off some of it. And thereupon a 
great and loud cry arose from behind that vulture, and something 
made a clattering with a piece of wood upon the mountain; whereat 
the vulture flew away in fear, and soared into the sky. 28 

I therefore disengaged myself from the slaughtered animal, with 
the blood of which my clothes were polluted; and I stood by its 
side. And lo, the merchant who had cried out at the vulture 
advanced to the slaughtered animal, and saw me standing there. 
He spoke to me not; for he was frightened at me, and terrified; 
but he came to the slaughtered beast, and turned it over; and, not 
finding anything upon it, he uttered a loud cry, and said, Oh, my 
disappointment! There is no strength nor power but in God! We 
seek refuge with God from Satan the accursed !—He repented, and 
struck hand upon hand, 27 and said, Oh, my grief! What is this 
affair ?—So I advanced to him, and he said to me, Who art thou, 
and what is the reason of thy coming to this place ? I answered 
him, Fear not, nor be alarmed; for I am a human being, of the best 
of mankind; and I was a merchant, and my tale is prodigious, and 
my story extraordinary, and the cause of my coming to this moun¬ 
tain and this valley is wondrous to relate. Fear not; for thou shalt 
receive of me what will rejoice thee: I have with me abundance of 
diamonds, of which I will give thee as much as will suffice thee, 
and every piece that I have is better than all that would come to 
thee by other means : therefore be not timorous nor afraid.—And 
upon this the man thanked me, and prayed for me, and conversed 
with me; and lo, the other merchants heard me talking with their 
companion; so they came to me. Each merchant had thrown down 
a slaughtered animal; and when they came to us, they saluted me, 
and congratulated me on my safety, and took me with them; and I 

22 THE SECOND VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

acquainted them with my whole story, relating to them what I had 
suffered on my voyage, and telling them the cause of my arrival in 
this valley. Then I gave to the owner of the slaughtered animal 
to which I had attached myself an abundance of what I had brought 
with me; and he was delighted with me, and prayed for me, and 
thanked me for that; and the other merchants said to me, By 
Allah, a new life hath been decreed thee; for no one ever arrived 
at this place before thee and escaped from it; but praise be to God 
for thy safety!—They passed the next night in a pleasant and safe 
place, and I passed the night with them, full of the utmost joy at 
my safety and my escape from the valley of serpents, and my arrival 
in an inhabited country. 

And when day came, we arose and journeyed over that great 
mountain, beholding in that valley numerous serpents; and we 
continued to advance until we arrived at a garden in a great and 
beautiful island, wherein were camphor-trees, under each of which 
trees a hundred men might shade themselves. 88 When any one 
desiretli to obtain some camphor from one of these trees, he maketh 
a perforation in the upper part of it with something long, and 
catcheth what descendeth from it. The liquid camphor floweth 
from it, and concreteth like gum. It is the juice of that tree; and 
after this operation, the tree drieth, and becometh fire-wood. In 
that island too is a kind of wild beast called the rhinoceros, 89 which 

pastureth there like oxen and buffaloes 
in our country; but the bulk of that 
wild beast is greater than the bulk of the 
camel, and it eateth the tender leaves 

THE SECOND VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 23 

of trees. 30 It is a huge beast, with a single horn, thick, in the middle 
of its head, a cubit 31 in length, wherein is the figure of a man. 33 And 
in that island are some animals of the ox-kind. Moreover, the 
sailors and travellers and persons in the habit of journeying about 
in the mountains and the lands have told us, that this wild beast 
which is named the rhinoceros lifteth the great elephant upon 
its horn, 33 and pastureth with it upon the island and the shores, 
without being sensible of it; and the elephant dieth upon its horn ; 
and its fat, melting by the heat of the sun, and flowing upon its 
head, entereth its eyes, so that it becometh blind. Then it lieth 
down upon the shore, and the rukh' cometh to it, and carrieth it 
off [with the elephant] in its talons to its young ones, and feedeth 
them with it and with that which is upon its horn, [namely the 
elephant]. 34 I saw also in that island abundance of the buffalo- 
kind, the like of which existeth not among us. 

The valley before mentioned containeth a great quantity of 
diamonds such as I carried off and hid in my pockets. For these 
the people gave me in exchange goods and commodities belonging 
to them; and they conveyed them for me, giving me likewise pieces 
of silver and pieces of gold; and I ceased not to proceed with them, 
amusing myself with the sight of different countries, and of what 
God hath created, from valley to valley and from city to city, we, in 
our way, selling and buying, until we arrived at the city of El- 
Basrah. We remained there a few days, and then I came to the 
city of Baghdad, the Abode of Peace, and came to my quarter, and 
entered my house, bringing with me a great quantity of diamonds, 
and money and commodities and goods in abundance. I met my 
family and relations, bestowed alms and gifts, made presents to all 
my family and companions, and began to eat well and drink well 
and wear handsome apparel. I associated with friends and compa¬ 
nions, forgot all that I had suffered, and ceased not to enjoy a 
pleasant life and joyful heart and dilated bosom, with sport and 
merriment. Every one who heard of my arrival came to me, and 
inquired of me respecting my voyage, and the states of the different 
countries: so I informed him, relating to him what I had expe¬ 
rienced and suffered; and he wondered at the severity of my suf¬ 
ferings, and congratulated me on my safety.—This is the end of 
the account of the events that befell me and happened to me during 

24 THE SECOND VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIIiA'D OF THE SEA. 

the second voyage; and to-morrow, if it be the will of God (whose 
name be exalted!), I will relate to you the events of the third 
voyage. 

And when Es-Sindibad of the Sea had finished his story to Es- 
Sindibad of the Land, the company wondered at it. They supped 
with him; and he gave orders to present to Es-Sindibad of the 
Land a hundred pieces of gold; and the latter took them, and went 
his way, wondering at the things that Es-Sindibad of the Sea had 
suffered. He thanked him, and prayed for him in his house; and 
when the morning came, and diffused its light and shone, Es- 
Sindibad the Porter arose, performed the morning-prayers, and 
repaired to the house of EsrSindibad of the Sea, as he had com¬ 
manded him. He went in to him and wished him good morning, 
and Es-Sindibad of the Sea welcomed him; and he sat with him 
until the rest of his companions and party had come; and after they 
had eaten and drunk and enjoyed themselves, and were merry and 
happy, Es-Sindibad of the Sea began thus:— 

THE THIRD VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

Know, O my brothers (and hear from me the story of the third 

voyage; for it is more wonderful than the preceding stories, hitherto 

related—and God is all-knowing with respect to the things which 

He hideth, and omniscient),’ 5 that, in the times past, when I 

returned from the second voyage, and was in a state of the utmost 

* 

joy and happiness, rejoicing in my safety, having gained great 
wealth, as I related to you yesterday, God having compensated me 
for all that I had lost, I resided in the city of Baghdad for a length 
of time in the most perfect prosperity and delight, and joy and 
happiness. Then my soul became desirous of travel and diversion, 
and I longed for commerce and gain and profits; the soul being 
prone to evil. So I meditated, and bought an abundance of goods 
suited for a sea-voyage, and packed them up, and departed with 
them from the city of Baghdad to the city of El-Basrah. There, 
coming to the bank of the river, I beheld a great vessel, in which 

VOL. III. 

26 THE THIRD VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

were many merchants and other passengers, people of worth, and 
comely and good persons, people of religion and kindness and 
probity. I therefore embarked with them in that vessel, and we 
departed in reliance on the blessing of God (whose name be 
exalted!), and his aid and favour, rejoicing in expectation of good 
fortune and safety. We ceased not to proceed from sea to sea, 
and from island to island, and from city to city; at every place by 
which we passed, diverting ourselves, and selling and buying, in the 
utmost joy and happiness. Thus we did until we were, one day, 
pursuing our course in the midst of the roaring sea, agitated with 
waves, when lo, the master, standing at the side of the vessel, 
looked at the different quarters of the sea, and then slapped his 
face, furled the sails of the ship, cast its anchors, plucked his beard, 
rent his clothes, and uttered a great cry. So we said to him, 
O master, what is the news ? And he answered, Know, O passen¬ 
gers, whom may God perserve ! that the wind hath prevailed 
against us, and driven us out of our course in the midst of the sea, 
and destiny hath cast us, through our evil fortune, towards the 
Mountain of Apes. 36 No one hath ever arrived at this place and 
escaped, and my heart is impressed with the conviction of the 
destruction of us all.—And the words of the master were not ended 
before the apes had come to us and surrounded the vessel on every 
side, numerous as locusts, dispersed about the vessel and on the 
shore. We feared that, if we killed one of them, or struck him, or 
drove him away, they would kill us, on account of their excessive 
number; for numbers prevail against courage; and we feared them 
lest they should plunder our goods and our commodities. They are 
the most hideous of beasts, and covered with hair like black felt,” 
their aspect striking terror. No one understandeth their langu ag e 
or their state, they shun the society of men, have yellow eyes, and 
black faces, and are of small size, the height of each one of them 
being four spans. They climbed up the cables, and severed them 
with their teeth, and they severed all the ropes of the vessel in 
every part; so the vessel inclined with the wind, and stopped 
at their mountain, and on their coast. Then, having seized all the 
merchants and the other passengers, and landed upon the island, 
they took the vessel with the whole of its contents, and went their 
way with it. 36 

They left us upon the island, the vessel became concealed from 

THE THIRD VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 27 

us, and we knew not whither they went with it. And while 
we were upon that island, eating of its fruits and its herbs, and 
drinking of the rivers that were there, lo, there appeared to us an 
inhabited house in the midst of the island. We therefore went 
towards it, and walked to it; and behold, it was a pavilion, with 
lofty angles, with high walls, having an entrance with folding doors, 
which were open; and the doors were of ebony. We entered this 
pavilion, and found in it a wide, open space, like a wide, large 
court, around which were many lofty doors, and at its upper end 
was a high and great mastabah. There were also in it utensils for 
cooking, hung over the fire-pots, and around them were many 
bones. But we saw not there any person; and we wondered at 
that extremely. We sat in the open space in that pavilion a little 
while, after which we slept; and we ceased not to sleep from near 
the mid-time between sunrise and noon until sunset. And lo, the 
earth trembled beneath us, and we heard a confused noise from the 
upper air, and there descended upon us, from the summit of the 
pavilion, a person of enormous size, in human form, and he was of 
black complexion, of lofty stature, like a great palm-tree: he had 
two eyes 39 like two blazes of fire, and tusks like the tusks of swine, 
and a mouth of prodigious size, like the mouth of a well, and 
lips like the lips of the camel, hanging down upon his bosom, and 
he had ears like two mortars, hanging down upon his shoulders, and 
the nails of his hands were like the claws of the lion. So when we 
beheld him thus, we became unconscious of our existence, our fear 
was vehement, and our terror was violent, and through the violence 
of our fear and dread and terror we became as dead men. And 
after he had descended upon the ground, he sat a little while upon 
the mastabah. Then he arose and came to us, and, seizing me by 
my hands from among my companions the merchants, lifted me up 
from the ground in his hand, and felt me and turned me over; and 
I was in his hand like a little mouthful. He continued to feel me 
as the butcher feeleth the sheep that he is about to slaughter; but 
he found me infirm from excessive affliction, and lean from excessive 
fatigue and from the voyage; having no flesh. He therefore let me 
go from his hand, and took another, from among my companions; 
and he turned him over as he had turned me over, and felt him 
as he had felt me, and let him go. He ceased not to feel us 
and turn us over, one after another, until he came to the master of 

our ship, who was a fat, stout, broad-shouldered man; a person of 
strength and vigour: so he pleased him, and he seized him as 
the butcher seizeth the animal that he is about to slaughter, and, 
having thrown him on the ground, put his foot upon his neck, 
which he thus broke. Then he brought a long spit, and thrust it 
into his throat, and spitted him ; after which he lighted a fierce fire, 
and placed over it that spit upon which the master was spitted, and 
ceased not to turn him round over the burning coals until his flesh 
was thoroughly roasted; when he took him off from the fire, put 
him before him, and separated his joints as a man separates the 
joints of a chicken, and proceeded to tear in pieces his flesh 
with his nails, and to eat of it. Thus he continued to do until he 
had eaten his flesh, and gnawed his bones, and there remained 
of him nothing but some bones, which he threw by the side of the 
pavilion. He then sat a little, and threw himself down, and slept 
upon that mastabah, making a noise with his throat like that which 
is made by a lamb or other beast when slaughtered; and he 
slept uninterruptedly until the morning, when he went his way. 

As soon, therefore, as we were sure that he was far from us, we 

THE THIRD VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 29 

conversed together, and wept for ourselves, saying, Would that we 
had been drowned in the sea, or that the apes had eaten us; for it 
were better than the roasting of a man upon burning coals! By 
Allah, this death is a vile one! But what God willeth cometh to 
pass, and there is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the 
Great! We die in sorrow, and no one knoweth of us; and there 
is no escape for us from this place!—We then arose and went forth 
upon the island, to see for us a place in which to hide ourselves, or 
to flee; and it had become a light matter to us to die, rather than 
our flesh should he roasted with fire. But we found not for 
us a place in which to hide ourselves; and the evening overtook us. 
So we returned to the pavilion, by reason of the violence of our 
fear, and sat there a little while; and lo, the earth trembled be¬ 
neath us, and that black approached us, and, coming among us, began 
to turn us over, one after another, as on the former occasion, and to 
feel us, until one pleased him; whereupon he seized him, and did 
with him as he did with the master of the ship the day before. He 
roasted him, and ate him upon that mastabah, and ceased not to sleep 
that night, making a noise with his throat like a slaughtered animal; 
and when the day came, he arose and went his way, leaving us as usual. 
Upon this we assembled together and conversed, and said one to 
another, By Allah, if we cast ourselves into the sea and die drowned, 
it will be better than our dying burnt; for this mode of being put 
to death is abominable! And one of us said, Hear my words. 
Verily we will contrive a stratagem against him and kill him, and 
be at ease from apprehension of his purpose, and relieve the Mus¬ 
lims from his oppression and tyranny.—So I said to them, Hear, 
O my brothers. If we must kill him, we will transport this wood, 
and remove some of this fire-wood, and make for ourselves rafts, 
each to bear three men ; 10 after which we will contrive a stratagem 
to kill him, and embark on the rafts, and proceed over the sea 
to whatsoever place God shall desire. Or we will remain in this 
place until a ship shall pass by, when we will embark in it. And if 
we be not able to kill him, we will embark [on our rafts], and put 
out to sea ; and if we be drowned, we shall be preserved from being 
roasted over the fire, and from being slaughtered. If we escape, we 
escape; and if we be drowned, we die martyrs. 41 —To this they all 
replied, By Allah, this is a right opinion and a wise proceeding. 

30 THE THIRD VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

And we agreed upon this matter, and commenced the work. We 
removed the pieces of wood out of the pavilion, and constructed 
rafts, attached them to the sea-shore, and stowed upon them some 
provisions; after which we returned to the pavilion 

And when it was evening, lo, the earth trembled with us, and 
the black came in to us, like the biting dog. He turned us over 
and felt us, one after another, and, having taken one of us, did with 
nim as he had done with the others before him. He ate him, and 
slept upon the mastabah, and the noise from his throat was like 
thunder. So thereupon we arose and took two iron spits, of those 
which were set up, and put them in the fierce fire until they were 
red-hot, and became like burning coals; when we grasped them 
firmly, and went with them to that black while he lay asleep snor¬ 
ing, and we thrust them into his eyes, all of us pressing upon them 
with our united strength and force. Thus we pushed them into his 
eyes as he slept, and his eyes were destroyed, and he uttered a 
great cry, whereat our hearts were terrified. Then he arose re¬ 
solutely from that mastabah, and began to search for us, while we 
fled from him to the right and left, and he saw us not; for liis sight 
was blinded ; but we feared him with a violent fear, and made sure, 
in that time, of destruction, and despaired of safety. And upon 
this he sought the door, feeling for it, and went forth from it, crying 
out, while we were in the utmost fear of him; and lo, the earth 
shook beneath us, by reason of the vehemence of his cry. So when 
he went forth from the pavilion, we followed him, and he went his 
way, searching for us. Then he returned, accompanied by a female, 
greater than he, and more hideous in form; and when we beheld 
him, and her who was with him, more horrible than he in appear¬ 
ance, we were in the utmost fear. As soon as the female saw us, 
we hastily loosed the rafts that we had constructed, and embarked 
on them, and pushed them forth into the sea. But each of the two 
blacks had a mass of rock, and they cast at us until the greater 
number of us died from the casting, there remaining of us only three 
persons, I and two others; and the raft conveyed us to another 
island. 42 

We walked forward upon that island until the close of the day, 
and the night overtook us in this state; so we slept a little; and we 
awoke from our sleep, and lo, a serpent of enormous size, of large 

THE THIRD VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 31 

body and wide belly, had surrounded us. It approached one of us, 
and swallowed him to his shoulders: then it swallowed the rest of 
him, and we heard his ribs break in pieces in its belly; after which 
it went its way. At this we wondered extremely, and we mourned 
for our companion, and were in the utmost fear for ourselves, say¬ 
ing, By Allah, this is a wonderful thing! Every death that we 
witness is more horrible than the preceding one ! We were re¬ 
joiced at our escape from the black ; but our joy is not complete! 
There is no strength nor power but in God! By Allah, we have 
escaped from the black and from drowning; but how shall we escape 
from this unlucky serpent ?—Then we arose and walked on over the 
island, eating of its fruits, and drinking of its rivers, and we ceased 
not to proceed till morning, when we found a great, lofty tree. 
So we climbed up it, and slept upon it; I having ascended to the 
highest of its branches. But when the night arrived, and it was 
dark, the serpent came, looking to the right and left, and, advancing 
to the tree upon which we were, came up to my companion, and 
swallowed him to his shoulders; and it wound itself round the tree 
with him, and I heard his bones break in pieces in its belly : then 
it swallowed him entirely, while I looked on; after which it 
descended from the tree, and went its way. 43 —I remained upon that 
tree the rest of the night; and when the day came, and the light 
appeared, I descended from the tree, like one dead, by reason of 
excessive fear and terror, and desired to cast myself into the sea, 
that I might be at rest from the world; but it was not a light matter 
to me to do so ; for life is dear. So I tied a wide piece of wood 
upon the soles of my feet, crosswise, and I tied one like it upon my 
left side, and a similar one upon my right side, and a similar one 
upon the front of my body, and I tied one long and wide upon the 
top of my head, crosswise, like that which was under the soles of my 
feet. Thus I was in the midst of these pieces of wood, and they 
enclosed me on every side. I bound them tightly, and threw myself 
with the whole upon the ground; so I lay in the midst of the pieces 
of wood, which enclosed me like a closet. And when the evening 
arrived, the serpent approached as it was wont, and saw me, and 
drew towards me ; but it could not swallow me when I was in that 
state, with the pieces of wood round me on every side. It went 
round me; but could not get at me; and I looked at it, being like 

32 THE THIRD VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

a dead man, by reason of the violence of my fear and terror. The 
serpent retired from me, and returned to me ; and thus it ceased 
not to do : every time that it desired to get at me to swallow me, 
the pieces of wood tied upon me on every side prevented it. It 
continued to do thus from sunset until daybreak arrived and the 
light appeared and the sun rose, when it went its way, in the 
utmost vexation and rage. Upon this, therefore, I stretched forth 
my hands and loosed myself from those pieces of wood, in a state 
like that of the dead, through the severity of that which I had suf¬ 
fered from that serpent. 

I then arose and walked along the island until I came to the ex¬ 
tremity of it; when I cast a glance towards the sea, and beheld a ship 
at a distance, in the midst of the deep. So I took a great branch 
of a tree, and made a sign with it to the passengers, calling out to 
them ; and when they saw me, they said, We must see what this is. 
Perhaps it is a man.—Then they approached me, and heard my 
cries to them. They therefore came to me, and took me with them 
in the ship, and asked me respecting my state : so I informed them 
of all that had happened to me from beginning to end, and of the 
troubles that I had suffered; whereat they wondered extremely. 
They clad me with some of their clothes, attiring me decently; and 

THE THIRD VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 33 

after that, they put before me some provisions, and I ate until I was 
satisfied. They also gave me to drink some cool and sweet water, 
and my heart was revived, my soul became at ease, and I experi¬ 
enced great comfort. God (whose name he exalted!) had raised 
me to life after my death: so I praised Him (exalted be his name!) 
for his abundant favours, and thanked Him. My courage was 
strengthened after I had made sure of destruction, so that it seemed 
to me that all which I then experienced was a dream.—We proceeded 
on our voyage, and the wind was fair to us by the permission of 
God (whose name be exalted!) until we came in sight of an island 
called the Island of Es-Selahit , 44 where sandal-wood is abundant , 44 
and there the master anchored the ship, and the merchants and 
other passengers landed, and took forth their goods to sell and buy. 
The owner of the ship then looked towards me, and said to me. 
Hear my words. Thou art a stranger and poor, and hast informed 
us that thou hast suffered many horrors; I therefore desire to 
benefit thee with something that will aid thee to reach thy country, 
and thou wilt pray for me.—I replied, So be it, and thou shalt have 
my prayers. And he rejoined, Know that there was with us a man 
voyaging, whom we lost, and we know not whether he be living or 
dead, having heard no tidings of him. I desire to commit to thee 
his bales that thou mayest sell them in this island. Thou shalt take 
charge of them, and we will give thee something proportionate to 
thy trouble and thy service ; and what remaineth of them we will 
take and keep until we return to the city of Baghdad, when we will 
inquire for the owner’s family, and give to them the remainder, to¬ 
gether with the price of that which shall be sold of them. Wilt 
thou then take charge of them, and land with them upon this island, 
and sell them as do the merchants ?—I answered, I hear and obey 
thee, O my master; and thou art beneficent and kind. And I 
prayed for him and thanked him for that. 

He thereupon ordered the porters and sailors to land those goods 
upon the island, and to deliver them to me. And the clerk of the 
ship said, O master, what are these bales which the sailors and 
porters have brought out, and with the name of which of the mer¬ 
chants shall I mark them ? He answered, Write upon them the 
name of Es-Sindibad of the Sea, who was with us, and was drowned 
[or left behind] at the island of the rukli', and of whom no tidings 

VOL. III. 

F 

34 THE THIRD VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

have come to us ; wherefore we desire that this stranger sell them, 
and take charge of the price of them, and we will give him some¬ 
what of it in requital of his trouble and his sale of them. What 
shall remain we will take with us until we return to the city of 
Baghdad, when, if we find him, we will give it to him ; and if we 
find him not, we will give it to his family in Baghdad.—So the 
clerk replied, Thy words are good, and thy notion is excellent. And 
when I heard the words of the master, mentioning that the bales 
were to be inscribed with my name, I said witliin myself, By Allah, 
I am Es-Sindibad of the Sea . 46 Then I fortified myself, and waited 
till the merchants had landed and had assembled conversing and 
consulting upon affairs of selling and buying, when I advanced to 
the owner of the ship, and said to him, O my master, dost thou 
know what manner of man was the owner of the bales which thou 
hast committed to me that I may sell them ? He answered me, I 
know not his condition; but he was a man of the city of Baghdad, 
called Es-Sindibad of the Sea; and we had cast anchor at one of 
the islands, where he was lost , 47 and we have had no tidings of him 
to the present time. So upon this I uttered a great cry, and said 
to him, O master whom may God preserve ! know that I am Es- 
Sindibad of the Sea. I was not drowned; but when thou anchoredst 
at the island, and the merchants and other passengers landed, I also 
landed with the party, taking with me something to eat on the 
shore of the island. Then I enjoyed myself in sitting in that place, 
and, slumber overtaking me, I slept, and became immersed in sleep; 
after which I arose, and found not the ship, nor found I any one with 
me. Therefore this wealth is my wealth, and these goods are my 
goods. All the merchants also who transport diamonds saw me when 
I was upon the mountain of the diamonds, and they will bear wit¬ 
ness for me that I am Es-Sindibad of the Sea, as I informed them 
of my story and of the events that befell me with you in the ship. 

I informed them that ye had forgotten me upon the island asleep, 
and that I arose and found not any one, and that what had befallen 
me befell me. 

And when the merchants and other passengers heard my words, 
they assembled around me; and some of them believed me, and 
others disbelieved me. But while we were thus talking, lo, one 
of the merchants, on his hearing me mention the valley of diamonds, 

THE THIRD VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 35 

arose and advanced to me, and said to them, Hear, O company, my 
words. When I related to you the most wonderful thing that I 
had seen in my travels, I told you that, when we cast down the 
slaughtered animals into the valley of diamonds, I casting down 
mine with the rest, as I was accustomed to do, there came up with 
my slaughtered beast a man attached to it, and ye believed me not, 
but accused me of falsehood.—They replied, Yes: thou didst relate 
to us this thing, and we believed thee not. And the merchant said 
to them, This is the man who attached himself to my slaughtered 
animal, and he gave me some diamonds of high price, the like of 
which exist not, rewarding me with more than would have come up 
with my slaughtered animal; and I took him as my companion 
until we arrived at the city of El-Basrah, whence he proceeded to 
his country, having bidden us farewell, and we returned to our 
own countries. This is he, and he informed us that his name was 
Es-Sindibad of the Sea: he told us likewise of the departure of the 
ship, and his sitting in that island. And know ye that this man 
came not to us here but in order that ye might believe my words 
respecting the matter which I told you; and all these goods are his 
property; for he informed us of them at the time of his meeting 
with us, and the truth of his assertion hath become manifest.—So 
when the master heard the words of that merchant, he arose and 
came to me, and, having looked at me awhile with a scrutinizing 
eye, said, What is the mark of thy goods ? I answered him, Know 
that the mark of my goods is of such and such a kind. And I re¬ 
lated to him a circumstance that had occurred between me and him 
when I embarked with him in the vessel from El-Basrah. He 
therefore was convinced that I was Es-Sindibad of the Sea, and he 
embraced me and saluted me, and congratulated me on my safety, 
saying to me, By Allah, O my master, thy story is wonderful, and 
thy case is extraordinary! But praise be to God who hath brought 
us together, and restored thy goods and thy wealth to thee! 

Upon this, I disposed of my goods according to the knowledge 
I possessed, and they procured me, during that voyage, great gain, 
whereat I rejoiced exceedingly, congratulating myself on my safety, 
and on the restoration of my wealth to me. And we ceased not to 
sell and buy at the islands until we arrived at the country of 
Es-Sind , 48 where likewise we sold and bought. And I beheld in 

36 THE THIRD VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

that sea [which we navigated, namely the Sea of India,] many won¬ 
ders and strange things that cannot be numbered nor calculated. 
Among the things that I saw there were a fish in the form of the 
cow , 49 and a creature in the form of the ass ; and I saw a bird that 
cometh forth from a sea-shell, and layeth its eggs and hatcheth them 
upon the surface of the wkter, and never cometh forth from the sea 
upon the face of the earth. 50 —After this we continued our voyage, 
by permission of God (whose name be exalted!), and the wind and 
voyage were pleasant to us, until we arrived at El-Basrah, where I 
remained a few days. Then I came to the city of Baghdad, and 
repaired to my quarter, entered my house and saluted my family 
and companions and friends. I rejoiced at my safety and my return 
to my country and my family and city and district, and I gave alms 
and presents, and clad the widows and the orphans, and collected 
my companions and friends. And I ceased not to live thus, eating 
and drinking, and sporting and making merry, eating well and drink¬ 
ing well, associating familiarly and mixing in society ; and I forgot 
all that had happened to me, and the distresses and horrors that I 
had suffered. And I gained during that voyage what could not be 
numbered or calculated.—Such were the most wonderful of the things 
that I beheld during that voyage; and to-morrow, if it be the will of 
God (whose name be exalted!), thou shalt come, [O Sindibad of 
the Land,] and I will relate to thee the story of the fourth voyage ; 
for it is more wonderful than the stories of the preceding voyages. 

Then Es-Sindibad of the Sea gave orders to present to the por¬ 
ter a hundred pieces of gold, as usual, and commanded to spread the 
table. So they spread it, and the company supped, wondering at 
that story and at the events described in it; and after the supper, 
they went their ways. Es-Sindibad the Porter took the gold that 
Es-Sindibad of the Sea had ordered to be given to him, and went 
his way, wondering at that which he had heard, and passed the night 
in his house; and when the morning came, and diffused its light 
and shone, he arose and performed the morning-prayers, and walked 
to the house of Es-Sindibad of the Sea. He went in to him and 
saluted him ; and he received him with joy and gayety, and made 
him sit by him until the rest of his companions had come; when 
the servants brought forward the food, and the party ate and drank 
and enjoyed themselves. Then Es-Sindibad of the Sea began to 
address them, and related to them the fourth story, saying,— 

THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

Know, O my brothers, that when I returned to the city of 
Baghdad, and met my companions and my family and my friends, 
and was enjoying the utmost pleasure and happiness and ease, and 
had forgotten all that I had experienced, by reason of the abundance 
of my gains, and had become immersed in sport and mirth, and the 
society of friends and companions, leading the most delightful life, 
my wicked soul suggested to me to travel again to the countries of 
other people, and I felt a longing for associating with the different 
races of men, and for selling and gains. So I resolved upon this, 
and purchased precious goods, suitable to a sea-voyage, and, having 
packed up many bales, more than usual, I went from the city of 
Baghdad to the city of El-Basrah, where I embarked my bales in a 
ship, and joined myself to a party of the chief men of El-Basrah, 
and we set forth on our voyage. The vessel proceeded with us, 
confiding in the blessing of God (whose name be exalted!), over the 
roaring sea agitated with waves, and the voyage was pleasant to us ; 

38 THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

and we ceased not to proceed in this manner for a period of nights 
and days, from island to island and from sea to sea, until a contrary 
wind arose against us one day. The master therefore cast the an¬ 
chors, and stayed the ship in the midst of the sea, fearing that she 
would sink in the midst of the deep. And while we were in this 
state, supplicating, and humbling ourselves to God (whose name be 
exalted!), there arose against us a great tempest, which rent the 
sails in strips, and the people were submerged with all their hales 
and their commodities and wealth. I was submerged among the 
rest, and I swam in the sea for half a day, after which I abandoned 
myself; but God (whose name be exalted!) aided me to lay hold 
upon a piece of one of the planks of the ship, and I and a party of 
the merchants got upon it. We continued sitting upon this plank, 
striking the sea with our feet, and the waves and the wind helping 
us ; and we remained in this state a day and a night. And on the 
following day, shortly before the mid-time between sunrise and noon, 
a wind arose against us, the sea became boisterous, the waves and 
the wind were violent, and the water cast us upon an island; and 
we were like dead men, from excess of sleeplessness and fatigue, and 
cold and hunger, and fear and thirst. 

We walked along the shores of that island, and found upon it 
abundant herbs; so we ate some of them to stay our departing 
spirits, and to sustain us ; and passed the next night upon the shore 
of the island. And when the morning came, and diffused its light 
and shone, we arose and walked about the island to the right and 
left, and there appeared to us a building in the distance. We 
therefore proceeded over the island in the direction of that 
building which we had seen from a distance, and ceased not 
to proceed until we stood at its door. And while we were 
standing there, lo, there came forth to us from that door a party of 
naked men, who, without speaking to us, seized us, and took us to 
their King, and he commanded us to sit. So we sat ; and they 
brought to us some food, such as we knew not, nor in our lives had 
we seen the like of it; wherefore my stomach consented not to it, 
and I ate none of it in comparison with my companions, and my 
eating so little of it was owing to the grace of God (whose name be 
exalted!), in consequence of which I have lived to the present time. 
For when my companions ate of that food, their minds became stu- 

THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 39 

pitied, and they ate like madmen, and their states became changed. 
Then the people brought to them cocoa-nut-oil, and gave them to 
drink of it, and anointed them with it; and when my companions 
drank of that oil, their eyes became turned in their faces, and they 
proceeded to eat of that food contrary to their usual manner. Upon 
this, therefore, I was confounded respecting their case, and grieved 
for them, and became extremely anxious by reason of the violence 
of my fear for myself with regard to these naked men. I observed 
them attentively, and lo, they were a magian people, and the King 
of their city was a ghool ; 51 and every one who arrived at their 
country, or whom they saw or met in the valley or the roads, they 
brought to their King, and they fed him with that food, and 
anointed him with that oil, in consequence of which his body became 
expanded, in order that he might eat largely; and his mind became 
stupified, his faculty of reflection was destroyed, and he became like 
an idiot. Then they gave him to eat and drink in abundance of 
that food and oil, until he became fat and stout, when they slaugh¬ 
tered him and roasted him, and served him as meat to their King. 
But as to the companions of the King, they ate the flesh of men 
without roasting or otherwise cooking it. So when I saw them do 
thus, I was in the utmost anguish on my own account and on account 
of my companions. The latter, by reason of the excessive stupefac¬ 
tion of their minds, knew not what was done unto them, and the 
people committed them to a person who took them every day and 
went forth to pasture them on that island like cattle. 

But as for myself, I became, through the violence of fear and 
hunger, infirm and wasted in body, and my flesh dried upon my 
bones. So when they saw me in this state, they left me and forgot 

40 THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

me, and not one of them remembered me, nor did I occur to their 
minds, until I contrived a stratagem one day, and, going forth from 
that place, walked along the island to a distance. And I saw a 
herdsman sitting upon something elevated in the midst of the sea; 
and I certified myself of him, and lo, he was the man to whom they 
had committed my companions that he might pasture them; and 
he had with him many like them. As soon, therefore, as that man 
beheld me, he knew that I was in possession of my reason, and that 
nought of that which had afflicted my companions had afflicted me. 
So he made asign to me from a distance, and said to me, Turn back, 
and go along the road that is on thy right hand : thou wilt so reach 
the King’s highway. Accordingly I turned hack, as this man di¬ 
rected me, and, seeing a road on my right hand, I proceeded along 
it, and ceased not to go on, sometimes running by reason of fear, 
and sometimes walking at my leisure until I had taken rest. Thus 
I continued to do until I was hidden from the eyes of the man who 
directed me to the way, and I saw him not nor did he see me. The 
sun had disappeared from me, and darkness approached; wherefore 
I sat to rest, and desired to sleep; but sleep came not to me that 
night on account of the violence of my fear and hunger and fatigue. 
And when it was midnight, I arose and walked on over the island, 
and I ceased not to proceed until day arrived, and the morning came 
and diffused its light and shone, and the sun rose over the tops of the 
high hills and over the low gravelly plains. I was tired and hungry 
and thirsty : so I began to eat of the herbs and vegetables that were 
upon the island, and continued to eat of them till I was satiated, 
and my departing spirit was stayed; after which I arose and 
walked on again over the island; and thus I ceased not to do all 
the day and the next night; whenever I was hungry, eating of the 
vegetables . 53 

In this manner I proceeded for the space of seven days with 
their nights ; and on the morning of the eighth day, I cast a glance, 
and beheld a fault object in the distance. So I went towards it, 
and ceased not to proceed until I came up to it, after sunset; and I 
looked at it with a scrutinizing eye, while I was yet distant from it, 
and with a fearful heart in consequence of what I had suffered first 
and after, and lo, it was a party of men gathering pepper . 53 And 
when I approached them, and they saw me, they hastened to me, 

THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 41 

and came to me and surrounded me on every side, saying to me, 
Who art thou, and whence hast thou come ? I answered them, 
Know ye, O people, that I am a poor foreigner. And I informed 
them of my whole case, and of the horrors and distresses that had 
befallen me, and what I had suffered; whereupon they said, By 
Allah, this is a wonderful thing ! But how didst thou escape from 
the blacks, and how didst thou pass by them in this island, when 
they are a numerous people, and eat men, and no one is safe from 
them, nor can any pass by them ?—So I acquainted them with that 
which had befallen me among them, and with the manner in which 
they had taken my companions, and fed them with food of which I 
did not eat. And they congratulated me on my safety, and won¬ 
dered at that which had befallen me. Then they made me sit 
among them until they had finished their work, and brought me 
some nice food. I therefore ate of it, being hungry, and rested 
with them a while; after which they took me and embarked with me 
in a vessel, and went to their island and their abodes. They then 
took me to their King, and I saluted him, and he welcomed me and 
treated me with honour, and inquired of me my story. So I related 
to him what I had experienced, and what had befallen me and hap¬ 
pened to me from the day of my going forth from the city of 
Baghdad until I had come unto him. And the King wondered 
extremely at my story, and at the events that had happened to me ; 
he, and all who were present in his assembly. After that, he or¬ 
dered me to sit with him. Therefore I sat; and he gave orders to 
bring the food, which accordingly they brought, and I ate of it as 
much as sufficed me, and washed my hands, and offered up thanks 

VOL. in. 

a 

42 THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

for the favour of God (whose name be exalted!), praising Him 
and glorifying Him. I then arose from the presence of the King, 
and diverted myself with a sight of his city ; and lo, it was a flou¬ 
rishing city, abounding with inhabitants and wealth, and with food 
and markets and goods, and sellers and buyers. 

So I rejoiced at my arrival at that city, and my heart was at 
ease ; I became familiar with its inhabitants, and was magnified and 
honoured by them and by their King above the people of his domi¬ 
nions and the great men of his city. And I saw that all its great 
men and its small rode excellent and fine horses without saddles ; 
whereat I wondered ; and I said to the King, Wherefore, 0 my 
lord, dost thou not ride on a saddle ; for therein is ease to the rider, 
and additional power ? He said, What kind of thing is a saddle ? 
This is a thing that in our lives we have never seen, nor have we 
ever ridden upon it.—And I said to him, Wilt thou permit me to 
make for thee a saddle to ride upon and to experience the pleasure 
of it? He answered me, Do so. I therefore said to him, Furnish 
me with some wood. And he gave orders to bring me all that I 
required. Then I asked for a clever carpenter, and sat with him, 
and taught him the construction of the saddle and how he should 
make it. Afterwards I took some wool, and teased it, and made 
felt of it; and I caused some leather to be brought, and covered 
the saddle with it and polished it. I then attached its straps, and 
its girth: after which I brought the blacksmith, and described to 
him the form of the stirrups, and he forged an excellent pair of 
stirrups; and I filed them, and tinned them. Then I attached 
fringes of silk. Having done this, I arose and brought one of the best 
of the King’s horses, girded upon him that saddle, attached to it the 
stirrups, bridled him, and brought him forward to the King; and it 
pleased him, and was agreeable to him. He thanked me, and seated 
himself upon it, and was greatly delighted with that saddle ; and he 
gave me a large present as a reward for that which I had done for 
him. And when his Wezeer saw that l had made that saddle, he 
desired of me one like it. So I made for him a saddle like it. The 
grandees and dignitaries likewise desired of me saddles, and I made 
for them. I taught the carpenter the construction of the saddle ; 
and the blacksmith, the mode of making stirrups ; and we employed 
ourselves in making these things, and sold them to the great men 

THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 43 

and masters. Thus I collected abundant wealth, and became in 
high estimation with them, and they loved me exceedingly. 

I continued to enjoy a high rank with the King and his attend¬ 
ants and the great men of the country and the lords of the state, 
until I sat one day with the King, in the utmost happiness and 
honour; and while I was sitting, the King said to me, Know, O 
thou, that thou hast become magnified and honoured among us, and 
hast become one of us, and we cannot part with thee, nor can we 
suffer thee to depart from our city ; and I desire of thee that thou 
obey me in an affair, and reject not that which I shall say. So I 
said to him, And what dost thou desire of me, O King 1 For I will 
not reject that which thou shalt say, since thou hast shewn favour 
and kindness and beneficence to me, and (praise be to God !) I have 
become one of thy servants.—And he answered, I desire to marry 
thee among us to a beautiful, lovely, elegant wife, possessed of 
wealth and loveliness, and thou shalt become a dweller with us, and 
I will lodge thee by me in my palace : therefore oppose me not, nor 
reject what I say. And when I heard the words of the King, I was 
abashed at him, and was silent, returning him no answer, by 
reason of the exceeding bashfulness with which I regarded him. 
So he said, Wherefore, dost thou not reply to me, O my son ? And 
I answered him, O my master, it is thine to command, 0 King of 
the age! And upon this he sent immediately and caused the Kadee 
and the witnesses to come, and married me forthwith to a woman of 
noble rank, of high lineage, possessing abundant wealth and fortune, 
of great origin, of surprising loveliness and beauty, owner of dwell¬ 
ings and possessions and buildings. Then he gave me a great, 
handsome house, standing alone, and he gave me servants and other 
dependants, and assigned me supplies and salaries. Thus I became 
in a state of the utmost ease and joy and happiness, forgetting all 
the fatigue and affliction and adversity that had happened to me ; 
and I said within myself, When I set forth on my voyage to my 
country, I will take her with me. But every event that is predes¬ 
tined to happen to man must inevitably take place, and no one 
knoweth what will befall him. I loved her and she loved me with 
a great affection, concord existed between me and her, and we lived 
in a most delightful manner, and most comfortable abode, and 
ceased not to enjoy this state for a length of time. 

44 THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

Then God (whose name be exalted!) destroyed the wife of my 
neighbour, and he was a companion of mine. So I went in to him 
to console him for the loss of his wife, and beheld him in a most 
evil state, anxious, weary in soul and heart; and upon this I con¬ 
soled him and comforted him, saying to him, Mourn not for thy wife. 
God will happily compensate thee by giving thee one better than 
she, and thy life will be long if it be the will of God, whose name 
be exalted!—But he wept violently, and said to me, O my compa¬ 
nion, how can I marry another after her, or how can God compen¬ 
sate me by giving me a better than she, when but one day remaineth 
of my life ? So I replied, O my brother, return to thy reason, and 
do not announce thine own death ; for thou art well, in prosperity 
and health. But he said to me, O my companion, by thy life, to¬ 
morrow thou wilt lose me, and never in thy life wilt thou see me 
again.—And how so ? said I. He answered me, This day they 
will bury my wife, and they will bury me with her in the sepulchre; 
for it is our custom in our country, when the wife dieth, to bury 
with her her husband alive ; and when the husband dieth, they 
bury with him his wife alive ; that neither of them may enjoy life 
after the other. I therefore said to him, By Allah, this custom is 
exceedingly vile, and none can endure it!—And while we were thus 
conversing, lo, most of the people of the city came, and proceeded 
to console my companion for the loss of his wife and for himself. 
They began to prepare her body for burial according to their cus¬ 
tom, brought a bier, and carried the woman in it, with all her apparel 
and ornaments and wealth, 54 taking the husband with them; and 
they went forth with them to the outside of the city, and came to a 
place in the side of a mountain by the sea. They advanced to a 
spot there, and lifted up from it a great stone, and there appeared, 
beneath the place of this, a margin of stone, like the margin of 
a well. Into this they threw down that woman ; and lo, it was a 
great pit beneath the mountain. Then they brought the man, tied 
him beneath his bosom by a rope of fibres of the palm-tree, and let 
him down into the pit. They also let down to him a great jug of 
sweet water, and seven cakes of bread ; and when they had let him 
down, he loosed himself from the rope, and they drew it up, and 
covered the mouth of the pit with that great stone as it was before, 
and went their ways, leaving my companion with his wife in the pit. 
—So I said within myself, By Allah, this death is more grievous 

THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 45 

than the first death! I then went to their 
King, and said to him, O my lord, how is 
it that ye bury the living with the dead in 
your country? And he answered me, 
Know that this is our custom in our coun¬ 
try : when the husband dieth, we bury 
with him his wife ; and when the wife 
dieth, we bury with her her husband, 
alive; that we may not separate them in 
life nor in death; and this custom we 
have received from our forefathers. And I 
said, O King of the age, and in like manner 
the foreigner like me, when his wife dieth 
among you do ye with him as ye have done 
with this man ? He answered me, Yes: 
we bury him with her, and do with him as 
thou hast seen. And when I heard these 
words from him, my gall-bladder almost 
burst by reason of the violence of my grief 
and mourning for myself; my mind was 
stupified, and I became fearful lest my 
wife should die before me and they should 
bury me alive with her. Afterwards, how¬ 
ever, I comforted myself, and said. Per¬ 
haps I shall die before her : and no one 
knoweth which will precede and which 
will follow. And I proceeded to beguile 
myself with occupations. 55 

46 THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

But a short time had elapsed after that when my wife fell 
sick, and she remained so a few days, and died. So the greater 
number of the people assembled to console me, and to console her 
family for her death ; and the King also came to console me for the 
loss of her, as was their custom. They then brought for her a 
woman to wash her, and they washed her, and decked her with the 
richest of her apparel, and ornaments of gold, and necklaces 
and jewels. And when they had attired my wife, and put her 
in the bier, and carried her and gone with her to that mountain, 
and lifted up the stone from the mouth of the pit, and cast her into 
it, all my companions, and the family of my wife, advanced to bid 
me farewell and to console me for the loss of my life. I was crying 
out among them, I am a foreigner, and am unable to endure your 
custom ! But they would not hear what I said, nor pay any regard 
to my words. They laid hold upon me and bound me by force, 
tying with me seven cakes of bread and a jug of sweet water, accord¬ 
ing to their custom, and let me down into that pit. And lo, it was 
a great cavern beneath that mountain. They said to me, Loose 
thyself from the ropes. But I would not loose myself. So they 
threw the ropes down upon me, and covered the mouth of the pit 
with the great stone that was upon it, and went their ways. I be¬ 
held in that cavern many dead bodies, and their smell was putrid 
and abominable ; and I blamed myself for that which I had done, 
saying, By Allah, I deserve all that happeneth to me and befalleth 
me ! I knew not night from day; and I sustained myself with 
little food, not eating until hunger almost killed me, nor drinking 
until my thirst became violent, fearing the exhaustion of the food 
and water that I had with me. I said, There is no strength nor 
power but in God, the High, the Great! What tempted me to 
marry in this city ? And every time that I say, I have escaped 
from a calamity,—I fall into a calamity that is more mighty than the 
preceding one! By Allah, my dying this death is unfortunate ! 
Would that I had been drowned in the sea, or had died upon the 
mountains! It had been better for me than this evil death !—And 
I continued in this manner, blaming myself. I laid myself down 
upon the bones of the dead, begging aid of God (whose name be 
exalted!), and wished for death, but I found it not, by reason of 
the severity of my sufferings. Thus I remained until hunger burnt 

THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 47 

my stomach, and thirst inflamed me; when I sat, and felt for the 
bread, and ate a little of it, and I swallowed after it a little water. 
Then I rose and stood up, and walked about the sides of the cavern; 
and I found that it was spacious sideways, and with vacant cavities; 
but upon its bottom were numerous dead bodies, and rotten bones, 
that had lain there from old times. And upon this I made for my¬ 
self a place in a side of the cavern, remote from the fresh corpses, 
and there I slept. 

At length my provision became greatly diminished, little re¬ 
maining with me. During each day, or in more than a day, I had 
eaten but once, and drunk one draught, fearing the exhaustion of 
the water and food that was with me before my death; and I ceased 
not to do thus until I was sitting one day, and while I sat, meditat¬ 
ing upon my case, thinking what I should do when my food and 
water were exhausted, lo, the mass of rock was removed from its 
place, and the light beamed down upon me. So I said, What can 
be the matter ? And behold, the people were standing at the top 
of the pit, and they let down a dead man with his wife with him 
alive, and she was weeping and crying out for herself; and they let 
down with her a large quantity of food and water. 5 " I saw the 
woman ; but she saw not me; and they covered the mouth of the 
pit with the stone, and went their ways. Then I arose, and, taking 
in my hand a long bone of a dead man, I went to the woman, and 
struck her upon the middle of the head ; whereupon she fell down 
senseless; and I struck her a second and a third time, and she died. 
So I took her bread and what else she had, and I found upon her 
abundance of ornaments and apparel, necklaces and jewels and 
minerals. And having taken the water and food that was with her, 
I sat in a place that I had prepared in a side of the cavern, 
wherein to sleep, and proceeded to eat a little of that food, as 
much only as would sustain me, lest it should be exhausted quickly, 
and I should die of hunger and thirst. 

I remained in that cavern a length of time; and whenever they 
buried a corpse, I killed the person who was buried with it alive, 
and took that person’s food and drink, to subsist upon it, until I was 
sleeping one day, and I awoke from my sleep, and heard something 
make a noise in a side of the cavern. So I said, What can this 
be ? I then arose and walked towards it, taking with me a long 

bone of a dead man; and when it was sensible of my presence, it 
ran away, and fled from me ; and lo, it was a wild beast. But I 
followed it to the upper part of the cavern, and thereupon a light 
appeared to me from a small spot, like a star. Sometimes it ap¬ 
peared to me, and sometimes it was concealed from me. Therefore 
when I saw it, I advanced towards it; and the nearer I approached to 
it, the larger did the light from it appear to me. So upon this I was 
convinced that it was a hole in that cavern, communicating with the 
open country; and I said within myself, There must be some cause 
for this : either it is a second mouth, like that from which they let 
me down, or it is a fissure in this place. I meditated in my mind 
a while, and advanced towards the light; and lo, it was a perforation 
in the back of that mountain, which the wild beasts had made, and 
through which they entered this place ; and they ate of the dead 
bodies until they were satiated, and went forth through this perfo¬ 
ration. When I saw it, therefore, my mind was quieted, my soul 
was tranquillized, and my heart was at ease; I made sure of life 
after death, and became as in a dream. Then I managed to force 
my way through that perforation, and found myself on the shore 
of the sea, upon a great mountain, which formed a barrier between 
the sea on the one side, and the island and city on the other, and to 
which no one could gain access. 57 So I praised God (whose name 
be exalted!), and thanked Him, and rejoiced exceedingly, and my 
heart was strengthened. I then returned through that perforation 
into the cavern, and removed all the food and water that was in it, 
that I had spared. I also took the clothes of the dead, and clad 
myself in some of them, in addition to those I had on me \ and I 
took abundance of the things that were on the dead, consisting of 
varieties of necklaces and jewels, long necklaces of pearls, orna- 

THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 49 

ments of silver and gold set with various minerals, and rarities; 
and, having tied up some clothes of the dead in apparel of my own, 
I went forth from the perforation to the back of the mountain, and 
stood upon the shore of the sea. Every day I entered the cavern, 
and explored it; and whenever they buried a person alive, I took 
the food and water, and killed that person, whether male or female; 
after which I went forth from the perforation, and sat upon the 
shore of the sea, to wait for relief from God (whose name be ex¬ 
alted!), by means of a ship passing by me. And I removed from 
that cavern all the ornaments that I found, and tied them up in the 
clothes of the dead. 

I ceased not to remain in this state for a length of time ; and 
afterwards, as I was sitting, one day, upon the shore of the sea, 
meditating upon my case, lo, a vessel passed along in the midst of 
the roaring sea agitated with waves. So I took in my hand a 
white garment, of the clothes of the dead, and tied it to a staff, and 
ran with it along the sea-shore, making a signal to the people with 
that garment, until they happened to look, and saw me upon the 
summit of the mountain. They therefore approached me, and 
heard my voice, and sent to me a boat in which was a party of men 
from the ship; and when they drew near to me they said to me, 
Who art thou, and what is the reason of thy sitting in this place, 
and how didst thou arrive at this mountain ; for in our lives we 
have never seen any one who hath come unto it ? So I answered 
them, I am a merchant. The vessel that I was in was wrecked, and 
I got upon a plank, together with my things, and God facilitated 
my landing at this place, with my things, by means of my exertion 
a, d my skill, after severe toil. They therefore took me with them 
in t e boat, and embarked all that I had taken from the cavern, 
tied un in the garments and grave-clothes, and proceeded with me 
until *iey took me up into the ship, to the master, and all my 
things with me. And the master said to me, O man, how didst 
thou arSve at this place, which is a great mountain, with a great 
city behivd it ? All my life I have been accustomed to navigate 
this sea, a»l to pass by this mountain; but have never seen any¬ 
thing therSexcepting the wild beasts and birds.—I answered him, 
I am a merffnant. I was in a great ship, and it was wrecked, and 
all my merchandise, consisting of these stuffs and clothes which 

VOL. III. 

50 THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

thou seest, was submerged; but I placed it upon a great plank, 
one of the planks of the ship, and destiny and fortune aided me, so 
that I landed upon this mountain, where I waited for some one to 
pass by and take me with him.—And I acquainted them not with 
the events that had befallen me in the city, or in the cavern; fearing 
that there might be with them in the ship some one from that city. 
Then I took forth and presented to the owner of the ship a consi¬ 
derable portion of my property, saying to him, O my master, thou 
hast been the means of my escape from this mountain: therefore 
receive from me this as a recompense for the favour which thou hast 
done to me. But he would not accept it from me; and he said to 
me, We take nothing from any one ; and when we behold a ship¬ 
wrecked person on the shore of the sea or on an island, we take him 
with us, and feed him and give him to drink ; and if he be naked, 
we clothe him ; and when we arrive at the port of safety, we give 
him something of our property as a present, and act towards him with 
kindness and favour for the sake of God, whose name be exalted!— 
So upon this I offered up prayers for the prolongation of his life. 

We ceased not to proceed on our voyage from island to island 
and from sea to sea. I hoped to escape, and was rejoiced at my 

THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 51 

safety; but every time that I reflected upon my abode in the cavern 
with my wife, my reason left me. We pursued our course 58 until 
we arrived at the Island of the Bell, 59 whence we proceeded to the 
Island of Kela 60 in six days. Then we came to the Kingdom of 
Kela, which is adjacent to India, and in it are a mine of lead, and 
places where the Indian cane groweth, and excellent camphor; and 
its King is a King of great dignity, whose dominion extendeth over 
the Island of the Bell. In it is a city called the City of the Bell, 61 
which is two days’ journey in extent.—At length, by the provi¬ 
dence of God, we arrived in safety at the city of El-Basrah, where 
I landed, and remained a few days; after which I came to the city 
of Baghdad, and to my quarter, and entered my house, met my 
family and my companions, and made inquiries respecting them; 
and they rejoiced at my safety, and congratulated me. I stored all 
the commodities that I had brought with me in my magazines, gave 
alms and presents, and clad the orphans and the widows; and I be¬ 
came in a state of the utmost joy and happiness, and returned to 
my former habit of associating with familiars and companions and 
brothers, and indulging in sport and merriment.—Such were the 
most wonderful of the events that happened to me in the course of 
the fourth voyage. But, O my brother, [0 Sindibad of the Land,] 
sup thou with me, and observe thy custom by coming to me to¬ 
morrow, when I will inform thee what happened to me and what 
befell me during the fifth voyage ; for it was more wonderful and 
extraordinary than the preceding voyages. 

He then gave orders to present the porter with a hundred pieces 
of gold, and the table was spread, and the party supped; after 
which they went their ways, wondering extremely; each story being 
more extraordinary than the preceding one. Es-Sindibad the 
Porter went to his house, and passed the night in the utmost joy 
and happiness, and in wonder; and when the morning came, and 
diffused its light and shone, he arose and performed the morning- 
prayers, and walked on until he entered the house of Es-Sindibad 
of the Sea, and wished him good morning. And Es-Sindibad of 
the Sea welcomed him, and ordered him to sit with him until the 
rest of his companions came. And they ate and drank, and en¬ 
joyed themselves and were merry, and conversation flowed round 
among them. Then Es-Sindibad of the Sea began his narrative, 
saying thus:— 

THE FIFTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBa'd OF THE SEA. 

Know, O my brothers, that when I returned from the fourth 
voyage, and became immersed in sport and merriment and joy, and 
had forgotten all that I had experienced, and what had befallen me, 
and what I had suffered, by reason of my excessive joy at the gain 
and profit and benefits that I had obtained, my mind again sug¬ 
gested to me to travel, and to divert myself with the sight of the 
countries of other people, and the islands. So I arose and medi¬ 
tated upon that subject, and bought precious goods, suited for a 
sea-voyage. I packed up the bales, and departed from the city of 
Baghdad to the city of El-Basrah; and, walking along the bank of 
the river, I saw a great, handsome, lofty vessel, and it pleased me ; 
wherefore I purchased it. Its apparatus was new, and I hired for 
it a master and sailors, over whom I set my black slaves and my 
pages as superintendents, and I embarked in it my bales. And 
there came to me a company of merchants, who also embarked 

THE FIFTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 53 

their bales in it, and payed me hire. We set sail in the utmost joy 
and happiness, and rejoicing in the prospect of safety and gain, and 
ceased not to pursue our voyage from island to island and from sea 
to sea, diverting ourselves with viewing the islands and towns, and 
landing at them and selling and buying. Thus we continued to do 
until we arrived one day at a large island, destitute of inhabitants. 
There was no person upon it: it was deserted and desolate ; but on 
it was an enormous white dome, of great bulk ; and we landed to 
amuse ourselves with a sight of it, and lo, it was a great egg of a 
rukh'. Now when the merchants had landed, and were diverting 
themselves with viewing it, not knowing that it was the egg of a 
rukh', they struck it with stones; whereupon it broke, and there 
poured down from it a great quantity of liquid, and the young rukh' 
appeared within it. So they pulled it and took it forth from the 
shell, and killed it, and took from it abundance of meat. I was 
then in the ship, and knew not of it, and they acquainted me not with 
that which they did. But in the mean time one of the passengers 
said to me, O my master, arise and divert thyself with the sight of 
this egg which we imagined to be a dome. I therefore arose to 
take a view of it, and found the merchants striking the egg. I 
called out to them, Do not this deed; for the rukh' will come and 
demolish our ship, and destroy us ! But they would not hear my 
words. 

And while they were doing as above related, behold, the sun 
became concealed from us, and the day grew dark, and there came 
over us a cloud by which the sky was obscured. So we raised our 
heads to see what had intervened between us and the sun, and saw 
that the wings of the rukh' were what veiled from us the sun’s 
light, so that the sky was darkened. And when the rukh' came, 
and beheld its egg broken, it cried out at us; whereupon its mate, 
the female bird, came to it, and they flew in circles over the ship, 
crying out at us with a voice more vehement than thunder. So I 
called out to the master and the sailors, and said to them, Push off 
the vessel, and seek safety before we perish. The master therefore 
hastened, and, the merchants having embarked, he loosed the ship, 
and we departed from that island. And when the rukh's saw that 
we had put forth to sea, they absented themselves from us for a 
while. We proceeded, and made speed, desiring to escape from them, 
and to quit their country; but lo, they had followed us, and they 

54 the FIFTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDJBA'D of the sea. 

now approached us, each of them having in its claws a huge mass of 
rock from a mountain; and the male bird threw the rock that 
he had brought upon us. The master, however, steered away the 
ship, and the mass of rock missed her by a little space. It 
descended into the sea by the ship, and the ship went up with us, 
and down, by reason of the mighty plunging of the rock, and 
we beheld the bottom of the sea in consequence of its vehement 
force. Then the mate of the male rukh' threw upon us the rock 
that she had brought, which was smaller than the former one, and, 
as destiny had ordained, it fell upon the stern of the ship, and 
crashed it, making the rudder fly into twenty pieces, and all that 
was in the ship became submerged in the sea. 63 

I strove to save myself, impelled by the sweetness of life, and 
God (whose name be exalted!) placed within my reach one of the 
planks of the ship; so I caught hold of it, and, having got upon it, 
began to row upon it with my feet, and the wind and the waves 
helped me forward. The vessel had sunk near an island in the 
midst of the sea, and destiny cast me, by permission of God (whose 
name be exalted!), to that island. I therefore landed upon it; but 
I was at my last breath, and in the state of the dead, from 
the violence of the fatigue and distress and hunger and thirst that I 
had suffered. I then threw myself down upon the shore of the sea, 
and remained lying there a while, until my soul felt at ease, and my 
heart was tranquillized, when I walked along the island, and saw 
that it resembled one of the gardens of Paradise. Its trees bore ripe 
fruits, its rivers were flowing, and its birds were warbling the 
praises of Him to whom belongeth might and permanence. Upon 
that island was an abundance of trees and fruits, and varieties 
of flowers. So I ate of the fruits until I was satiated, and I drank 
of those rivers until I was satisfied with drink; and I praised God 
(whose name be exalted!) for this, and glorified Him. I then 
remained sitting upon the island till evening came, and night ap¬ 
proached; whereupon I arose; but I was like a slain man, by 
reason of the fatigue and fear that I had experienced; and I heard 
not in that island a voice, nor did I see in it any person. 

I slept there without interruption until the morning, and then 
arose and stood up, and walked among the trees; and I saw a stream¬ 
let, 63 by which sat an old man, a comely person, who was clad from 

the waist downwards with a covering made of the leaves of trees. So 
I said within myself, Perhaps this old man hath landed upon this 
island and is one of the shipwrecked persons with whom the vessel 
fell to pieces. I then approached him and saluted him, and he re¬ 
turned the salutation hy a sign, without speaking; and I said to him, 
O sheykh, what is the reason of thy sitting in this place ? Where¬ 
upon he shook his head, and sighed, and made a sign to me with 
his hand, as though he would say, Carry me upon thy neck, 
and transport me from this place to the other side of the streamlet. 
I therefore said within myself, I will act kindly with this person, 
and transport him to this place to which he desireth to go: perhaps 
I shall obtain for it a reward [in heaven]. Accordingly I advanced 
to him, and took him upon my shoulders, and conveyed him to the 
place that he had indicated to me; when I said to him, Descend at 
thine ease. But he descended not from my shoulders. He had 

56 THE FIFTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D of the sea. 

twisted his legs round my neck, and I looked at them, and I saw 
that they were like the hide of the buffalo in blackness and rough¬ 
ness. So I was frightened at him, and desired to throw him down 
from my shoulders; but he pressed upon my neck with his feet, 
and squeezed my throat, so that the world became black before my 
face, and I was unconscious of my existence, falling upon the 
ground in a fit, like one dead. He then raised his legs, and beat 
me upon my back and my shoulders; and I suffered violent pain; 
wherefore I rose with him. He still kept his seat upon my shoul¬ 
ders, and I had become fatigued with bearing him; and he made a 
sign to me that I should go in among the trees, to the best of the 
fruits. When I disobeyed him, he inflicted upon me, with his feet, 
blows more violent than those of whips; and he ceased not to 
direct me with his hand to every place to which he desired to 
go, and to that place I went with him. If I loitered, or went 
leisurely, he beat me; and I was as a captive to him. We went 
into the midst of the island, among the trees, and he descended not 
from my shoulders by night nor by day: when he desired to sleep, 
he would wind his legs round my neck, and sleep a little, and then 
he would arise and beat me, whereupon I would arise with him 
quickly, unable to disobey him, by reason of the severity of that 
which I suffered from him; and I blamed myself for having taken 
him up, and having had pity on him. I continued with him in this 
condition, enduring the most violent fatigue, and said within myself, 
I did a good act unto this person, and it hath become an evil 
to myself! By Allah, I will never more do good unto any one as 
long as I live!—I begged of God (whose name be exalted!), at every 
period and in every hour, that I might die, in consequence of the 
excessive fatigue and distress that I suffered. 

Thus I remained for a length of time, until I carried him one 
day to a place in the island where I found an abundance of pump¬ 
kins, many of which were dry. Upon this I took a large one that 
was dry, and, having opened its upper extremity, and cleansed it, 

I went with it to a grape-vine, and filled it with the juice of 
the grapes. I then stopped up the aperture, and put it in the sun, 
and left it for some days, until it had become pure wine; and every 
day I used to drink of it, to help myself to endure the fatigue that 
I underwent with that obstinate devil; for whenever I was intoxi- 

THE FIFTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

5 7 

cated by it, my energy was strengthened. So, seeing me one day 
drinking, he made a sign to me with his hand, as though he would 
say, What is this? And I answered him, This is something 
agreeable, that invigorateth the heart, and dilateth the mind. Then 
I ran with him, and danced among the trees; I was exhilarated by 
intoxication, and clapped my hands, and sang, and was joyful. 
Therefore when he beheld me in this state, he made a sign to me to 
hand him the pumpkin, that he might drink from it; and I feared 
him, and gave it to him; whereupon he drank what remained in it, 
and threw it upon the ground, and, being moved with merriment, 
began to shake upon my shoulders. He then became intoxicated, 
and drowned in intoxication; all his limbs, and the muscles of his 
sides, became relaxed, and he began to lean from side to side 
upon my shoulders. So when I knew that he was drunk, and that 
he was unconscious of existence, I put my hand to his feet, and 
loosed them from my neck. Then I stooped with him, and sat 
down, and threw him upon the ground. I scarcely believed that 
I had liberated myself and escaped from the state in which I had 
been; but I feared him, lest he should arise from his intoxication, 
and torment me. I therefore took a great mass of stone from 
among the trees, and, coming to him, struck him upon his head as 

VOL. III. 

58 THE FIFTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

he lay asleep, so that his flesh became mingled with his blood, and 
he was killed. May no mercy of God be on him! ,4 

After that I walked about the island, with a happy mind, and 
came to the place where I was before, on the shore of the sea. And 
I remained upon that island, eating of its fruits, and drinking 
of the water of its rivers, for a length of time, and watching to see 
some vessel passing by me, until I was sitting one day, reflecting 
upon the events that had befallen me and happened to me, and I 
said within myself, I wonder if God will preserve me in safety, and 
if I shall return to my country, and meet my family and my 
companions. And lo, a vessel approached from the midst of the 
roaring sea agitated with waves, and it ceased not in its course until 
it anchored at that island; whereupon the passengers landed there. 
So I walked towards them; and when they beheld me, they all 
quickly approached me and assembled around me, inquiring re¬ 
specting my state, and the cause of my coming to that island. 
I therefore acquainted them with my case, and with the events that 
had befallen me ; whereat they wondered extremely. And they said 
to me, This man who rode upon thy shoulders is called the Old Man 
of the Sea, and no one ever was beneath his limbs and escaped from 
him excepting thee; and praise be to God for thy safety! Then they 
brought me some food, and I ate until I was satisfied; and they 
gave me some clothing, which I put on, covering myself decently. 
After this, they took me with them in the ship; and when we had 
proceeded days and nights, destiny drove us to a city of lofty 
buildings, all the houses of which overlooked the sea. That city is 
called the City of the Apes; and when the night cometh, the 
people who reside in it go forth from the doors that open upon the 
sea, and, embarking in boats and ships, pass the night upon the sea, 
in their fear of the apes, lest they should come down upon them in 
the night from the mountains . 65 

I landed to divert myself in this city, and the ship set sail 
without my knowledge. So I repented of my having landed there, 
remembering my companions, and what had befallen them from 
the apes, first and afterwards; and I sat weeping and mourning. 
And thereupon a man of the inhabitants of the city advanced 
to me and said to me, O my master, it seemeth that thou art 
a stranger in this country. I therefore replied, Yes: I am a 

THE FIFTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 59 

stranger, and a poor man. I was in a ship which anchored at 
this city, and I landed from it to divert myself in the city, and 
returned, but saw not the ship.—And he said, Arise and come 
with us, and embark in the boat; for if thou remain in the city 
during the night, the apes will destroy thee. So I replied, I hear 
and obey. I arose immediately, and embarked with the people 
in the boat, and they pushed it off from the land until they had 
propelled it from the shore of the sea to the distance of a mile. 
They passed the night, and I with them; and when the morning 
came, they returned in the boat to the city, and landed, and each 
of them went to his occupation. Such hath been always their 
custom, every night; and to every one of them who remaineth 
behind in the city during the night, the apes come, and they destroy 
him. In the day, the apes go forth from the city, and eat of the fruits 
in the gardens, and sleep in the mountains until the evening, when 
they return to the city. And this city is in the furthest parts of the 
country of the blacks.—Among the most wonderful of the events 
that happened to me in the treatment that I met with from its inha¬ 
bitants, was this. A person of the party with whom I passed the 
night said to me, O my master, thou art a stranger in this country. 
Art thou skilled in any art with which thou mayest occupy thyself? 
—And I answered him, No, by Allah, O my brother: I am 
acquainted with no art, nor do I know how to make anything. I 
was a merchant, a person of wealth and fortune, and I had a ship, 
my own property, laden with abundant wealth and goods; but it 
was wrecked in the sea, and all that was in it sank, and I escaped 
not drowning but by the permission of God ; for He provided me 
with a piece of a plank, upon which I placed myself; and it was the 
means of my escape from drowning.—And upon this the man arose 
and brought me a cotton bag, and said to me, Take this bag, and fill it 
with pebbles from this city, and go forth with a party of the inha¬ 
bitants. I will associate thee with them, and give them a charge 
respecting thee, and do thou as they shall do. Perhaps thou wilt 
accomplish that by means of which thou wilt be assisted to make 
thy voyage, and to return to thy country. 

Then that man took me and led me forth from the city, and I 
picked up small pebbles, with which I filled that bag. And lo, a 
party of men came out from the city, and he associated me with 

them, giving them a charge respecting me, and saying to them, This 
is a stranger; so take him with you, and teach him the mode of 
gathering. Perhaps he may gain the means of subsistence, and ye 
will obtain [from God] a reward and recompense.—And they re¬ 
plied, We hear and obey. They welcomed me, and took me with 
them, and proceeded, each of them having a bag like mine, filled 
with pebbles ; and we ceased not to pursue our way until we arrived 
at a wide valley, wherein were many lofty trees, which no one could 
climb. In that valley were also many apes, which, when they saw 
us, fled from us, and ascended those trees. Then the men began 
to pelt the apes with the stones that they had with them in the 
bags ; upon which the apes began to pluck off the fruits of those 
trees, and to throw them at the men; and I looked at the fruits 
which the apes threw down, and lo, they were cocoa-nuts. There¬ 
fore when I beheld the party do thus, I chose a great tree, upon 
which were many apes, and, advancing to it, proceeded to pelt those 
apes with stones; and they broke off nuts from the tree and threw 

THE FIFTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 61 

them at me. So I collected them as the rest of the party did, and 
the stones were not exhausted from my bag until I had collected a 
great quantity. And when the party had ended this work, they 
gathered together all that was with them, and each of them carried 
off as many of the nuts as he could .' 6 We then returned to the 
city during the remainder of the day, and I went to the man, my 
companion, who had associated me with the party, and gave him all 
that I had collected, thanking him for his kindness. But he said 
to me, Take these and sell them, and make use of the price. And 
afterwards he gave me the key of a place in his house, and said to 
me, Put here these nuts that thou hast remaining with thee, and go 
forth every day with the party as thou hast done this day; and of 
what thou bringest, separate the bad, and sell them, and make use 
of their price; and the rest keep in thy possession in this place. 
Perhaps thou wilt accumulate of them what will aid thee to make 
thy voyage.— So I replied, Thy reward is due from God, whose 
name be exalted! I did as he told me, and continued every day to 
fill the bag with stones, and to go forth with the people, and do 
as they did. They used to commend me, one to another, and to 
guide me to the tree upon which was abundance of fruit; and I 
ceased not to lead this life for a length of time, so that I collected 
a great quantity of good cocoa-nuts, and I sold a great quantity, 
the price of which became a large sum in my possession. I bought 
everything that I saw and that pleased me, my time was pleasant, 
and my good fortune increased throughout the whole city. 

I remained in this state for some time; after which, as I was 
standing by the sea-side, lo, a vessel arrived at that city, and cast 
anchor by the shore. In it were merchants, with their goods, and 
they proceeded to sell and buy, and to exchange their goods for 
cocoa-nuts and other things. So I went to my companion, informed 
him of the ship that had arrived, and told him that I desired to 
make the voyage to my country. And he replied, It is thine to 
determine. I therefore bade him farewell, and thanked him for 
his kindness to me. Then I went to the ship, and, accosting the 
master, engaged with him for my passage, and embarked in that ship 
the cocoa-nuts and other things that I had with me, after which they 
set sail that same day. We continued our course from island to 
island and from sea to sea, and at every island at which we cast 

62 THE FIFTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

anchor I sold some of those cocoa-nuts, and exchanged; and God 
compensated me with more than I had before possessed and lost. 
We passed by an island in which are cinnamon and pepper , 67 and 
some persons told us that they had seen, upon every bunch of pep¬ 
per, a large leaf that shadeth it and wardeth from it the rain when¬ 
ever it raineth ; and when the rain ceaseth to fall upon it, the leaf 
turneth over from the bunch, and hangeth down by its side . 68 
From that island I took with me a large quantity of pepper and 
cinnamon, in exchange for cocoa-nuts. We passed also by the 
Island of El-’Asirat , 69 which is that wherein is the Kamaree aloes- 
wood. And after that, we passed by another island, the extent of 
which is five days’ journey, and in it is the Sanfee 76 aloes-wood, 
which is superior to the Kamaree; but the inhabitants of this island 
are worse in condition and religion than the inhabitants of the 
Island of the Kamaree aloes-wood; for they love depravity and the 
drinking of wines, and know not the call to prayer, nor the act of 
prayer . 71 And we came after that to the pearl-fisheries; where¬ 
upon I gave to the divers some cocoa-nuts, and said to them, Dive 
for my luck and lot. Accordingly they dived in the bay 72 there, 
and brought up a great number of large and valuable pearls; and 
they said to me, O my master, by Allah, thy fortune is good! So 
I took up into the ship what they had brought up for me, and we 
proceeded, relying on the blessing of God (whose name be exalted !), 
and continued our voyage until we arrived at El-Basrah, where I 
landed, and remained a short time. I then went thence to the city 
of Baghdad, entered my quarter, came to my house, and saluted my 
family and companions, who congratulated me on my safety. I stored 
all the goods and commodities that I had brought with me, clothed 
the orphans and the widows, bestowed alms and gifts, and made 
presents to my family and my companions and my friends. God 
had compensated me with four times as much as I had lost, and I 
forgot what had happened to me, and the fatigue that I had suffered, 
by reason of the abundance of my gain and profits, and resumed my 
first habits of familiar intercourse and fellowship.—Such were the 
most wonderful things that happened to me in the course of the 
fifth voyage: but sup ye, and to-morrow come again, and I will 
relate to you the events of the sixth voyage; for it was more won¬ 
derful than this. 

THE FIFTH VOYAGE OF ES-SJNDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 63 

Then they spread the table, and the party supped ; and when 
they had finished their supper, Es-Sindibad of the Sea gave orders 
to present Es-Sindibad the Porter with a hundred pieces of gold : 
so he took them and departed, wondering at this affair. He passed 
the night in his abode, and when the morning came, he arose and 
performed the morning-prayers; after which he walked to the 
house of Es-Sindibad of the Sea, went in to him, and wished him 
good morning ; and Es-Sindibad of the Sea ordered him to sit. He 
therefore sat with him, and he ceased not to converse with him until 
the rest of his companions came. And they conversed together, 
and the servants spread the table ; and the party ate and drank, and 
enjoyed themselves and were merry. Then Es-Sindibad of the Sea 
began to relate to them the story of the sixth voyage, saying to 
them,— 

THE SIXTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

Know, O my brothers and my friends and my companions, that 
when I returned from that fifth voyage, and forgot what I had suf¬ 
fered, by reason of sport and merriment and enjoyment and gayety, 
and was in a state of the utmost joy and happiness, I continued 
thus until I was sitting one day in exceeding delight and happiness 
and gayety ; and while I sat, lo, a party of merchants came to me, 
bearing the marks of travel. And upon this I remembered the days 
of my return from travel, and my joy at meeting my family and 
companions and friends, and at entering my country; and my soul 
longed again for travel and commerce. So I determined to set 
forth. I bought for myself precious, sumptuous goods, suitable 
for the sea, packed up my bales, and went from the city of Bagh¬ 
dad to the city of El-Basrah, where I beheld a large vessel, in 
which were merchants and great men, and with them were precious 
goods. I therefore embarked my bales with them in this ship, and 
we departed in safety from the city of El-Basrah. We continued 
our voyage from place to place and from city to city, selling and 

THE SIXTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

65 

buying, and diverting ourselves with viewing different countries. 
Fortune and the voyage were pleasant to us, and we gained our 
subsistence, until we were proceeding one day, and lo, the master 
of the ship vociferated and called out, threw down his turban, 
slapped his face, plucked his beard, and fell down in the hold of 
the ship by reason of the violence of his grief and rage. So all the 
merchants and other passengers came together to him and said to 
him, O master, what is the matter ? And he answered them, 
Know, O company, that we have wandered from our course, having 
passed forth from the sea in which we were, and entered a sea of 
which we know not the routes; and if God appoint not for us some 
means of effecting our escape from this sea, we all perish: therefore 
pray to God (whose name be exalted!) that He may save us from 
this case. Then the master arose and ascended the mast, and de¬ 
sired to loose the sails ; but the wind became violent upon the ship, 
and drove her back, and her rudder broke near a lofty mountain ; 
whereupon the master descended from the mast, and said, There is 
no strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! No one 
is able to prevent what is predestined ! By Allah, we have fallen 
into a great peril, and there remaineth to us no way of safety or 
escape from it!—So all the passengers wept for themselves : they 
bade one another farewell, because of the expiration of their lives, 
and their hope was cut off. The vessel drove upon that moun¬ 
tain, and went to pieces; its planks were scattered, and all that was 
in it was submerged; the merchants fell into the sea, and some of 
them were drowned, and some caught hold upon that mountain, 
and landed upon it. 

I was of the number of those who landed upon the mountain ; 
and lo, within it was a large island . 73 By it were many vessels 
broken in pieces, and upon it were numerous goods, on the shore of 
the sea, of the things thrown up by the sea from the ships that had 
been wrecked, and the passengers of which had been drowned. 
Upon it was an abundance, that confounded the reason and the 
mind, of commodities and wealth that the sea cast upon its shores. 

I ascended to the upper part of the island, and walked about it, and 
I beheld in the midst of it a stream of sweet water, flowing forth 
from beneath the nearest part of the mountain, and entering at the 
furthest part of it, on the opposite side [of the valley]. 7 * Then all 

VOL. III. 

66 THE SIXTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

the other passengers went over that mountain to [the interior of] 
the island, and dispersed themselves about it, and their reason was 
confounded at that which they beheld. They became like madmen 
by reason of what they saw upon the island, of commodities and 
wealth lying on the shore of the sea. I beheld also in the midst of 
the above-mentioned stream an abundance of various kinds of 
jewels and minerals, with jacinths and large pearls, suitable to 
Kings. They were like gravel in the channels of the water which 
flowed through the fields ; and all the bed of that stream glittered 
by reason of the great number of minerals and other things that it 
contained. We likewise saw on that island an abundance of the 
best kind of Sanfee 75 aloes-wood, and Kamaree aloes-wood. And 
in that island is a gushing spring of crude ambergris, which floweth 
like wax over the side of that spring through the violence of the 
heat of the sun, and spreadeth upon the sea-shore , 76 and the mon¬ 
sters of the deep 77 come up from the sea and swallow it, and 
descend with it into the sea; but it becometh hot in their stomachs, 
therefore they eject it from their mouths into the sea, and it con- 
gealeth on the surface of the water. Upon this, its colour and its 
qualities become changed, and the waves cast it up on the shore of 
the sea : so the travellers and merchants who know it take it and 
sell it. But as to the crude ambergris that is not swallowed, it 
floweth over the side of that fountain, and congealeth upon the 
ground; and when the sun shineth upon it, it melteth, and from it 
the odour of the whole of that valley becometh like the odour of 
musk. Then, when the sun withdraweth from it, it congealeth 
again. The place wherein is this crude ambergris no one can enter: 
no one can gain access to it: for the mountain surroundeth that 
island . 78 

We continued to wander about the island, diverting ourselves 
with the view of the good things which God (whose name be ex¬ 
alted !) had created upon it, and perplexed at our case, and at the 
things that we beheld, and affected with violent fear. We had col¬ 
lected upon the shore of the sea a small quantity of provisions, and 
we used it sparingly, eating of it every day, or two days, only one 
meal, dreading the exhaustion of our stock, and our dying in sor¬ 
row, from the violence of hunger and fear. Each one of us that 
died we washed, and shrouded in some of the clothes and linen 

THE SIXTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 67 

which the sea cast upon the shore of the island; and thus we did 
until a great number of us had died, and there remained of us but a 
small party, who were weakened by a colick occasioned by the sea. 
After this, we remained a short period, and all my associates and 
companions died, one after another, and each of them who died we 
buried. Then I was alone on that island, and there remained with 
me but little of the provisions, after there had been much. So I 
wept for myself, and said, Would that I had died before my com¬ 
panions, and that they had washed me and buried me! There is no 
strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great!—And I re¬ 
mained a short time longer; after which I arose and dug for myself 
a deep grave on the shore of the island, and said within myself, 
When I fall sick; and know that death hath come to me, I will lie 
down in this grave, and die in it, and the wind will blow the sand 
upon me, and cover me ; so I shall become buried in it . 79 I blamed 
myself for my little sense, and my going forth from my country and 
my city, and my voyaging to foreign countries, after what I had 
suffered in the first instance, and the second and the third and the 
fourth and the fifth; and when I had not performed one of my 
voyages without suffering in it horrors and distresses more trouble¬ 
some and more difficult than the horrors preceding. I believed 
not that I could escape and save myself, and repented of undertak¬ 
ing sea-voyages, and of my returning to this life when I was not in 
want of wealth, but had abundance, so that I could not consume 
what I had, nor spend half of it during the rest of my life ; having 
enough for me, and more than enough. 

Then I meditated in my mind, and said, This river must have a 
beginning and an end, and it must have a place of egress into an 
inhabited country. The right plan in my opinion will be for me to 
construct for myself a small raft , 80 of sufficient size for me to sit 
upon it, and I will go down and cast it upon this river, and depart 
on it. If I find safety, I am safe, and escape, by permission of God 
(whose name be exalted!); and if I find no way of saving myself, it 
will be better for me to die in this river than in this place. 81 —And 
I sighed for myself. Then I arose and went and collected pieces of 
wood that were upon that island, of Sanfee 89 and Kamaree aloes- 
wood, and bound them upon the shore of the sea with some of the 
ropes of the ships that had been wrecked; and I brought some 

68 THE SIXTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

strait planks, of the planks of the ships, and placed them upon those 
pieces of wood. I made the raft to suit the width of the river, less 
wide than the latter, and bound it well and firmly; and, having 
taken with me some of those minerals and jewels and goods, and of 
the large pearls that were like gravel, as well as other things that 
were upon the island, and some of the crude, pure, excellent am¬ 
bergris, I put them upon that raft, with all that I had collected 
upon the island, and took with me what remained of the provisions. 
I then launched the raft upon the river, made for it two pieces of 
wood like oars, and acted in accordance with the following saying 
of one of the poets :— 

Depart from a place wherein is oppression, and leave the house to tell its 
builder’s fate; 

For thou wilt find, for the land that thou quittest, another ; but no soul wilt 
thou find to replace thine own. 

Grieve not on account of nocturnal calamities; since every affliction will have 
its end; 

And he whose death is decreed to take place in one land will not die in any 
land but that. 

Send not thy messenger on an errand of importance; for the soul hath no 
faithful minister save itself. 

I departed upon the raft along the river, meditating upon what 
might he the result of my case, and proceeded to the place where 
the river entered beneath the mountain. I propelled the raft into 
that place, and became in intense darkness within it, and the raft 
continued to carry me in with the current to a narrow place beneath 
the mountain, where the sides of the raft rubbed against the sides 
of the channel of the river, and my head rubbed against the roof of 
the channel. I was unable to return thence, and I blamed myself 
for that which I had done, and said, If this place become narrower 
to the raft, it will scarcely pass through it, and it cannot return : so 
I shall perish in this place in sorrow, inevitably! I threw myself 
upon my face on the raft, on account of the narrowness of the 
channel of the river, and ceased not to proceed, without knowing 
night from day, by reason of the darkness in which I was involved 
beneath that mountain, together with my terror and fear for myself 
lest I should perish. In this state I continued my course along the 
river, which sometimes widened and at other times contracted; hut 

the intensity of the darkness wearied me excessively, and slumber 
overcame me in consequence of the violence of my distress. So I 
lay upon my face on the raft, which ceased not to bear me along 
while I slept, and knew not whether the time was long or short . 83 

At length I awoke, and found myself in the light; and, opening 
my eyes, I beheld an extensive tract, and the raft tied to the shore 
of an island, and around me a company of Indians and [people 
like] Abyssinians. When they saw that I had arisen, they rose 
and came to me, and spoke to me in their language; but I knew 
not what they said, and imagined that it was a dream, and that this 
occurred in sleep, by reason of the violence of my distress and vex¬ 
ation. And when they spoke to me and I understood not their 
speech, and returned them not an answer, a man among them ad¬ 
vanced to me, and said to me, in the Arabic language, Peace be on 
thee, O our brother! What art thou, and whence hast thou come, 
and what is the cause of thy coming to this place ? We are people 
of the sown lands and the fields, and we came to irrigate our fields 
and our sown lands, and found thee asleep on the raft: so we laid 
hold upon it, and tied it here by us, waiting for thee to arise at thy 
leisure. Tell us then what is the cause of thy coming to this place. 
—I replied, I conjure thee by Allah, O my master, that thou bring 

70 THE SIXTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

me some food; for I am hungry; and after that, ask of me con¬ 
cerning what thou wilt. And thereupon he hastened, and brought 
me food, and I ate until I was satiated and was at ease, and my fear 
subsided, my satiety was abundant, and my soul returned to me. 
I therefore praised God (whose name be exalted!) for all that had 
occurred, rejoicing at my having come forth from that river, and 
having come to these people; and I acquainted them with all that had 
happened to me from beginning to end, and with what I had expe¬ 
rienced upon that river, and its narrowness. They then talked 
together, and said, We must take him with us and present him to 
our King, that he may acquaint him with what hath happened to 
him. Accordingly they took me with them, and conveyed with me 
the raft, together with all that was upon it, of riches and goods, 
and jewels and minerals, and ornaments of gold, and they took me 
in to their King, who was the King of Sarandeeb, 84 and acquainted 
him with what had happened; whereupon he saluted me and 
welcomed me, and asked me respecting my state, and respecting 
the events that had happened to me. I therefore acquainted him 
with all my story, and what I had experienced, from first to last; 
and the King wondered at this narrative extremely, and congratu¬ 
lated me on my safety. Then 1 arose and took forth from the raft 
a quantity of the minerals and jewels, and aloes-wood and crude 
ambergris, and gave it to the King; and he accepted it from me, 
and treated me with exceeding honour, lodging me in a place in his 
abode. I associated with the best and the greatest of the people, 
who paid me great respect, and I quitted not the abode of the 
King. 85 

The island of Sarandeeb is under the equinoctial line; 86 its night 
being always twelve hours, and its day also twelve hours. Its length 
is eighty leagues; and its breadth, thirty; and it extendeth largely 
between a lofty mountain and a deep valley. This mountain is seen 
from a distance of three days, and it containeth varieties of jacinths, 
and different kinds of minerals ; and trees of all sorts of spices, and 
its surface is covered with emery, wherewith jewels are cut into 
shape : in its rivers also are diamonds, and pearls are in its valleys. 

I ascended to the summit of the mountain, and diverted myself with 
a view of its wonders, which are not to be described; and after¬ 
wards I returned to the King, and begged him to give me per- 

THE SIXTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 71 

mission to return to my country.* 7 He gave me permission after 
great pressing, and bestowed upon me an abundant present from his 
treasuries; and he gave me a present and a sealed letter, saying to 
me, Convey these to the Khaleefeh Haroon Er-Rasheed, and give 
him many salutations from us. So I replied, I hear and obey. Then 
he wrote for me a letter on skin of the khawee, 88 which is finer 
than parchment, of a yellowish colour; and the writing was in 
ultramarine. And the form of what he wrote to the Khaleefeh was 
this:—Peace be on thee, from the King of India, before whom are 
a thousand elephants, 89 and on the battlements of whose palace are 
a thousand jewels. To proceed: we have sent to thee a trifling 
present: accept it then from us. Thou art to us a brother and sin¬ 
cere friend, and the affection for you that is in our hearts is great: 
therefore favour us by a reply. The present is not suited to thy 
dignity ; but we beg of thee, 0 brother, to accept it graciously. 
And peace be on thee!—And the present was a cup of ruby, a span 
high, the inside of which was embellished with precious pearls; and 
a bed covered with the skin of the serpent that swalloweth the 
elephant, which skin hath spots, each like a piece of gold, and who¬ 
soever sitteth upon it never becometh diseased; 99 and a hundred 
thousand mithkals of Indian aloes-wood; and a slave-girl like the 
shining full-moon. Then he bade me farewell, and gave a charge 
respecting me to the merchants and the master of the ship. 

So I departed thence, and we continued our voyage from island 
to island and from country to country until we arrived at Bagh¬ 
dad, whereupon I entered my house, and met my family and my 
brethren; after which I took the present, with a token of service from 
myself for the Khaleefeh. On entering his presence, I kissed his 
hand, and placed before him the whole, giving him the letter; and 
he read it, and took the present, with which he was greatly re¬ 
joiced, and he treated me with the utmost honour. He then said 
to me, 0 Sindibad, is that true which this King hath stated in his 
letter ? And I kissed the ground, and answered, O my lord, I wit¬ 
nessed in his kingdom much more than he hath mentioned in his 
letter. On the day of his public appearance, a throne is set for him 
upon a huge elephant, eleven cubits high, and he sitteth upon it, 
having with him his chief officers and pages and guests, standing in 
two ranks, on his right and on his left. At his head standeth a 

72 THE SIXTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

man having in his hand a golden javelin, and behind him a man in 
whose hand is a great mace of gold, at the top of which is an 
emerald a span in length, and of the thickness of a thumb. And 
when he mounteth, there mount at the same time with him a thou¬ 
sand horsemen clad in gold and silk; and as the King proceedeth, 
a man before him proclaimeth saying, This is the King of great 
dignity, of high authority! And he proceedeth to repeat his praises 
in terms that I remember not, at the end of his panegyrick saying, 
This is the King the owner of the crown the like of which neither 
Suleyman nor the Mihraj possessed ! Then he is silent; and one 
behind him proclaimeth saying, He will die! Again I say, He will 
die! Again I say, He will die!—And the other saith, Extolled he 
the perfection of the Living who dieth not! 91 —Moreover, by reason 
of his justice and good government and intelligence, there is no 
Kadee in his city; and all the people of his country distinguish the 
truth from falsity.—And the Khaleefeh wondered at my words, and 
said, How great is this King! His letter hath shewn me this; and 
as to the greatness of his dominion, thou hast told us what thou 
hast witnessed. By Allah, he hath been endowed with wisdom 
and dominion!—Then the Khaleefeh conferred favours upon me, 
and commanded me to depart to my abode. So I came to my 
house, and gave the legal and other alms, and continued to live in 
the same pleasant circumstances as at present. I forgot the arduous 
troubles that I had experienced, discarded from my heart the 
anxieties of travel, rejected from my mind distress, and betook my¬ 
self to eating and drinking, and pleasures and joy. 

And when Es-Sindibad of the Sea had finished his story, every 
one who was present wondered at the events that had happened to 
him. He then ordered his treasurer to give to Es-Sindibad of the 
Land a hundred pieces of gold, and commanded him to depart, and 
to return the next day with the boon-companions, to hear his 
seventh story. So the porter went away happy to his abode, and 
on the morrow he was present with all the boon-companions; and 
they sat according to their usual custom, and employed themselves 
in eating and drinking and enjoyment until the end of the day, 
when Es-Sindibad of the Sea made a sign to them that they should 
hear his seventh story, and said,— 

THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

When I relinquished voyaging, and the affairs of commerce, I 
said within myself, What hath happened to me sufticeth me. And 
my time was spent in joy and pleasures. But while I was sitting 
one day, the door was knocked: so the door-keeper opened, and a 
page of the Khaleefeh entered and said. The Khaleefeh summoneth 
thee. I therefore went with him to his majesty, and kissed the 
ground before him and saluted him, whereupon he welcomed me and 
treated me with honour; and he said to me, O Sindibad, I have an 
affair for thee to perform. Wilt thou do it ?—So I kissed his hand, 
and said to him, O my lord, what affair hath the master for the 
slave to perform ? And he answered me, I desire that thou go to 
the King of Sarandeeb, and convey to him our letter and our pre¬ 
sent ; for he sent to us a present and a letter. And I trembled 
thereat, and replied, By Allah the Great, O my lord, I have taken 
a hatred to voyaging; and when a voyage on the sea, or any other 
travel, is mentioned to me, my joints tremble, in consequence of 

VOL. in. 

L 

74 THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 

what hath befallen me and what I have experienced of troubles 
and horrors, and I have no desire for that whatever. Moreover I 
have bound myself by an oath not to go forth from Baghdad.— 
Then I informed the Khaleefeh of all that had befallen me from first 
to last; and he wondered exceedingly, and said, By Allah the 
Great, O Sindibad, it hath not been heard from times of old that 
such events have befallen any one as have befallen thee, and it is 
incumbent on thee that thou never mention the subject of travel. 
But for my sake thou wilt go this time, and convey our present and 
our letter to the King of Sarandeeb ; and thou shalt return quickly 
if it be the will of God (whose name be exalted!), that we may no 
longer have a debt of favour and courtesy to the King.—So I re¬ 
plied that I heard and obeyed, being unable to oppose his com¬ 
mand. He then gave me the present and the letter, with money 
for my expenses, and I kissed his hand and departed from him. 

I went from Baghdad to the sea, and embarked in a ship, and 
we proceeded days and nights, by the aid of God (whose name 
be exalted !), until we arrived at the island of Sarandeeb, and with 
us were many merchants. As soon as we arrived, we landed at the 
city, and I took the present and the letter, and went in with them 
to the King, and kissed the ground before him. And when he saw 
me, he said, A friendly welcome to thee, O Sindibad ! By Allah 
the Great, we have longed to see thee, and praise be to God who 
hath shewn us thy face a second time !—Then he took me by my 
hand, and seated me by his side, welcoming me, and treating me 
with familiar kindness, and he rejoiced greatly. He began to con¬ 
verse with me, and addressed me with courtesy, and said, What 
was the cause of thy coming to us, O Sindibad ? So I kissed Ills 
hand, and thanked him, and answered him, O my lord, I have 
brought thee a present and a letter from my master the Khaleefeh 
Haroon Er-Rasheed. I then offered to him the present and the 
letter, and he read the letter, and rejoiced at it greatly. The pre¬ 
sent was a horse worth ten thousand pieces of gold, with its saddle 
adorned with gold set with jewels; and a book, and a sumptuous 
dress, and a hundred different kinds of white cloths of Egypt, and 
silks of Es-Suweys 92 and El-Koofeh and Alexandria, and Greek 
carpets, and a hundred menns of silk and flax, and a wonderful, ex¬ 
traordinary cup of crystal, in the midst of which was represented 

THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE SEA. 75 

the figure of a lion with a man kneeling before him and having 
drawn an arrow in his bow with his utmost force, and also the table 
of Suleyman the son of Daood, on whom be peace ! 93 And the 
contents of the letter were as follows :—Peace from the King Er- 
Rasheed, strengthened by God (who hath given to him and to his 
ancestors the rank of the noble, and wide-spread glory), on the for¬ 
tunate Sultan. To proceed: thy letter hath reached us, and we 
rejoiced at it; and we have sent the book [entitled] the Delight of 
the Intelligent, and the Rare Present for Friends ; 94 together with 
varieties of royal rarities; therefore do us the favour to accept 
them: and peace be on thee !-—Then the King conferred upon me 
abundant presents, and treated me with the utmost honour; so I 
prayed for him, and thanked him for his beneficence; and some 
days after that, I begged his permission to depart; but he per¬ 
mitted me not save after great pressing. Thereupon I took leave 
of him, and went forth from his city, with merchants and other 
companions, to return to my country, without any desire for travel 
or commerce. 

We continued our voyage until we had passed many islands ; 
but in the midst of our course over the sea, there appeared to us a 
number of boats, which surrounded us, and in them were men like 
devils, having, in their hands, swords and daggers, and equipped with 
coats of mail, and arms and bows. They smote us, and wounded 
and slew those of us who opposed them, and, having taken the ship 
with its contents, conveyed us to an island, where they sold us as 
slaves, for the smallest price. But a rich man purchased me, and 
took me into his house, fed me and gave me to drink, and clad me 
and treated me in a friendly manner. So my soul was tranquillized, 
and I rested a little. Then, one day, he said to me. Dost thou not 
know any art or trade ? I answered him, O my lord, I am a mer¬ 
chant : I know nothing but traffick. And he said, Dost thou know 
the art of shooting with the bow and arrow ?—Yes, I answered: I 
know that. And thereupon he brought me a bow and arrows, and 
mounted me behind him upon an elephant: then he departed at 
the close of night, and, conveying me among some great trees, came 
to a lofty and firm tree, upon which he made me climb; and he 
gave me the bow and arrows, saying to me, Sit here now, and 
when the elephants come in the day-time to this place, shoot at 

them with the arrows: perhaps thou wilt strike one of them ; and 
if one of them fall, come to me and inform me. He then left me 
and departed ; and I was terrified and frightened. I remained con¬ 
cealed in the tree until the sun rose; when the elephants came forth 
wandering about among the trees, and I ceased not to discharge my 
arrows till I shot one of them. I therefore went in the evening to 
my master, and informed him ; and he was delighted with me, and 
treated me with honour; and he went and removed the slain 
elephant. 

In this manner I continued, every day shooting one, and my master 
coming and removing it, until, one day, I was sitting in the tree, con- 

THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF ES-SINDJBA'D OF THE SEA. 77 

cealed, and suddenly elephants innumerable came forth, and I heard 
the sounds of their roaring and growling, which was such that I 
imagined the earth trembled beneath them. They all surrounded 
the tree in which I was sitting, their circuit being fifty cubits, and 
a huge elephant, enormously great, advanced and came to the tree, 
and, having wound his trunk around it, pulled it up by the roots, 
and cast it upon the ground. I fell down senseless among the 
elephants, and the great elephant, approaching me, wound his 
trunk around me, raised me on his back, and went away with me, 
the other elephants accompanying. And he ceased not to proceed 
with me, while I was absent from the world, until he had taken me 
into a place, and thrown me from his back, when he departed, and 
the other elephants followed him. So I rested a little, and my 
terror subsided ; and I found myself among the bones of elephants. 
I knew therefore that this was the burial-place of the elephants, 
and that that elephant had conducted me to it on account of the 
teeth. 95 

I then arose, and journeyed a day and a night until I arrived at 
the house of my master, who saw me changed in complexion by 
fright and hunger. And he was rejoiced at my return, and said, By 
Allah, thou hast pained our heart; for I went and found the tree 
torn up, and I imagined that the elephants had destroyed thee. 
Tell me, then, how it happened with thee.—So I informed him of 
that which had befallen me; whereat he wondered greatly, and 
rejoiced; and he said to me, Dost thou know that place ? I an¬ 
swered, Yes, O my master. And he took me, and we went out, 
mounted on an elephant, and proceeded until we came to that 
place; and when my master beheld those numerous teeth, he 
rejoiced greatly at the sight of them ; and he carried away as much 
as he desired, and we returned to the house. He then treated me 
with increased favour, and said to me, O my son, thou hast directed 
us to a means of very great gain. May God then recompense thee 
well! Thou art freed for the sake of God, whose name be ex¬ 
alted ! These elephants used to destroy many of us on account of 
[our seeking] these teeth ; but God hath preserved thee from them, 
and thou hast profited us by these teeth to which thou hast directed 
us.—I replied, O my master, may God free thy neck from the fire 
[of Hell] ! And I request of thee, O my master, that thou give me 

78 THE CONCLUSION OF THE STORY OF ES-SINDIBA'D 

permission to depart to my country.—Yes, said he : thou shalt have 
that permission: but we have a fair, on the occasion of which the 
merchants come to us and purchase the teeth of these elephants of 
us. The time of the fair is now near; and when they have come 
to us, I will send thee with them, and will give thee what will con¬ 
vey thee to thy country.—So I prayed for him and thanked him; 
and I remained with him treated with respect and honour. 

Then, some days after this, the merchants came as he had said, 
and bought and sold and exchanged; and when they were about to 
depart, my master came to me, and said, The merchants are going: 
therefore arise that thou mayest depart with them to thy country. 
Accordingly I arose, determined to go with them. They had 
bought a great quantity of those teeth, and packed up their loads, 
and embarked them in the ship; and my master sent me with them. 
He payed for me the money for my passage in the ship, together 
with all that was required of me, and gave me a large quantity of 
goods. And we pursued our voyage from island to island until we 
had crossed the sea and landed on the shore, when the merchants 
took forth what was with them, and sold. I also sold what I had 
at an excellent rate; and I purchased some of the most elegant of 
things suited for presents, and beautiful rarities, with everything 
that I desired. 1 likewise bought for myself a beast to ride, and 
we went forth, and crossed the deserts from country to country 
until I arrived at Baghdad; when I went in to the Khaleefeh, and, 
having given the salutation, and kissed his hand, I informed him of 
what had happened and what had befallen me ; whereupon he 
rejoiced at my safety, and thanked God (whose name be exalted!); 
and he caused my story to be written in letters of gold. I then 
entered my house, and met my family and my brethren.—This is 
the end of the history of the events that happened to me during my 
voyages ; and praise be to God, the One, the Creator, the Maker! 

THE CONCLUSION OF THE STORY OF ES-SINDJBA , D OF THE SEA 
AND ES-SINDIBa'd OF THE LAND. 

And when Es-Sindibad of the Sea had finished his story, he 
ordered his servant to give to Es-Sindibad of the Land a hundred 
pieces of gold, and said to him, How now, O my brother ? Hast 

OF THE SEA AND ES-SINDIBA'D OF THE LAND. 

79 

thou heard of the like of these afflictions and calamities and dis¬ 
tresses, or have such troubles as have befallen me befallen any one 
else, or hath any one else suffered such hardships as I have suffered? 
Know then that these pleasures are a compensation for the toil 
and humiliations that I have experienced.—And upon this, Es- 
Sindibad of the Land advanced, and kissed his hands, and said to 
him, O my lord, by Allah, thou hast undergone great horrors, and 
hast deserved these abundant favours: continue then, O my lord, 
in joy and security ; for God hath removed from thee the evils of 
fortune ; and I beg of God that He may continue to thee thy plea¬ 
sures, and bless thy days.—And upon this, Es-Sindibad of the Sea 
bestowed favours upon him, and made him his boon-companion; 
and he quitted him not by night nor by day as long as they both 
lived. 

Praise be to God, the Mighty, the Omnipotent, the Strong, the 
Eminent in power, the Creator of the heaven and the earth, and of 
the land and the seas ! 99 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

Note 1. 

Before I considered the composition of this story, it appeared to me utterly 
incredible that one person, or even two or three, could have composed the greater 
portion of a series of tales so numerous and so varied as those of the Thousand 
and One Nights. But my opinion was changed when I found that nearly every 
one of the most wonderful incidents occurring in the voyages of Es-Sindibad of 
the Sea was described in other Arabic works, and when I considered that, these 
works being professedly scientific, it would be unreasonable to entertain the slight¬ 
est suspicion that their authors borrowed from a tale of fiction. Thus I discovered 
that one of the tales which seemed to have required in its composer the greatest 
power of imagination did in reality require very little of this faculty, and that the 
merit of the composition lay not so much in the matter, as in the manner. I ob¬ 
tained also a confirmation of De Sacy’s opinion (which some learned men have 
doubted), that the story of the voyages of Es-Sindibdd is a “roman vraiment 
arahe d’origine,” and not “ the Book of Es-Sindibdd” mentioned in the passage 
relating to the Hezar Afsaneh in the Golden Meadows of El-Mes’oodee. May 
not most of the tales of the Thousand and One Nights have been composed in the 
same manner as the one which I now endeavour to illustrate? If so, there is 
nothing improbable in the opinion that nearly the whole series was the work of 
one author. 

Of the age in which this story was composed, I can offer no certain evidence ; 
but I see no reason to think it older than most of the tales in the present work. 
It is evidently founded upon the exaggerated reports of a variety of travellers, and 
almost all these reports I find related in the “ ’Aj&ib el-Makhlookdt ” of El-Kaz- 
weenee and the “ Khareedet el-’Ajaib” of Ibn El-Wardee. The former author 
flourished in the latter half of the thirteenth century, and the latter died about the 
middle of the fourteenth. I am unable to discover whether the “ travellers’ lies ” 
here alluded to have been recorded by earlier writers ; but considering the popu¬ 
larity of the two works above mentioned, I think it most probable that they were 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

81 

the mines from which the author of the voyages of Es-Sindibdd of the Sea drew 
most of the materials for the composition of this tale. 

Mr. Hole’s ingenious and admirable illustrations of this story, which, he ob¬ 
serves, “ may not be unjustly denominated ‘ the Arabian Odyssey,’ ... if small 
things may be compared with great,” are well known; and I shall often avail 
myself of them in the present series of notes; but not so amply as I should have 
done had I not traced almost all the marvels of the tale to their proper Arabian 
sources.—Here I must also mention a learned and instructive article on the Thou¬ 
sand and One Nights in No. 47 of the Foreign Quarterly Review. The writer of 
that article (the perusal of which has afforded me much gratification *), alluding to 
the voyages of Es-Sindibad, observes, that a singular poem which has escaped the 
notice of Hole, contains some highly curious coincidences with these voyages and 
with some other portions of the Arabian Nights. “They tend at the same time,” 
he adds, “ to prove the antiquity of these particular stories, as it is improbable 
that the eastern story-tellers should have been indebted to the writer of a German 
metrical romance of the twelfth century. The romance alluded to is Duke Ernest 
of Bavaria. It was composed in German Rhyme by Henry of Veldeck, who 
flourished about 1160; and a Latin poem on the same subject, by one Odo, 
appeared about the same time. A prose version of the outlines of the story is still 
popular in Germany. In this singular romance we find the aeronautic excursion 
in the second voyage of Sindbad, with no material variation; the pigmies and 
cranes as well as the adventure borrowed from the Odyssey in the third voyage, 
and the subterraneous voyage in the sixth. We have likewise the magnetic 
mountain, occurring in the story of the Third Calendar, which has also been trans¬ 
planted into the miraculous legend of the Irish Saint, Brandanus.”—It will be 
seen, however, that the incidents in Es-Sindibad’s Voyages here alluded to, and 
many more, occur in other works; and I think it may be reasonably inferred, 
that they were subjects of common report in the East long before the age of our 
author. 

In the translation, I have occasionally deviated from the Cairo edition, follow¬ 
ing, in cases which will be pointed out in the notes, the Breslau edition of the 
Thousand and One Nights, the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights, 
and an edition of the story of Es-Sindibad in the original Arabic appended by the 
learned M. LanglSs to Savary’s Grammaire de la Langue Arabe, and also published 
in a separate form, accompanied by a faithful version in French. 

Note 2. 

In LangUs’ edition, and the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights, 
the porter is called “ El-Hindibad.” The etymology of this name, and of “Es- 
Sindibdd,” I must leave in doubt. If the former be the name by which the 
author of the tale called the porter, I conclude that he derived the two names, 
respectively, from “El-Hind” and “ Es-Sind; ” the former of which is the appel¬ 
lation of the main portion of India ; and the latter, that of Western India. “ Es- 
Sindib&d" is a name which not unfrequently occurs in Arabian tales. 

• I must say the same of a very able article in No. 64 of the London and Westminster Review; as 
the writer has reproved me for not noticing at all the encouragements of my critics, and not suffi¬ 
ciently their objections. By my silence on the former subject, I have incurred the very imputation 
which I desired, by that silence, to avoid. Some of the objections I cannot conveniently and fully 
remark upon until the close of my work. 

VOL. III. 

M 

82 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

Note 3. 

See Note 30 to the Introduction. 

Note 4. 

See Note 19 to Chapter xviii. 

Note 5. 

The “keeraw&n,” more commonly, and I believe more properly, called “ kara- 
w&n,” is the stone-curlew, or charadrius oedicnemus of Linnaeus. The following 
extract from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, art. “ Charadrius,” appears to be a good 
account of this bird. “ Hasselquist informs us, that this bird is also met with in 
Lower Egypt, in the acacia groves, near the villages of Abusir [Aboo Seer] and 
Sackhara [SakkdrahJ, near the sepulchres of the ancient Egyptians, and in the 
deserts. The Arabians call it Kervan [karawdn]. It has a shrill voice, some¬ 
what resembling that of the black woodpecker, which it raises and lowers succes¬ 
sively, uttering agreeable notes. The Turks and Egyptians value it much, if they 
can get it alive; and keep it in a cage for the sake of its singing. Its flesh is 
hard, and of a very good taste, inclined to aromatic. It is a very voracious bird, 
catching and devouring rats and mice, which abound in Egypt. It seldom drinks; 
and when taken young, and kept in a cage in Egypt, they give it no water for 
several months, but feed it with fresh meat macerated in water, which it devours 
very greedily. It is found in deserts, and is therefore accustomed to be without 
water.” 

Note 6. 

In the latter hemistich of this verse I follow the Breslau edition. 

Note 7. 

“ The day of death is better than the day of birth, because nothing is wanted 
after the day of death, and the contrary is the case with respect to the day of 
birth. And a living dog is better than a dead lion, because the uses of the lion 
end with his death: so the living dog is better than he, because advantage may 
be hoped for from him. And the grave that hideth the poor man is better than 
the palace, in which a man is in want.” (Marginal note by my sheykh.)—The 
first saying is from Ecclesiastes, chap. vii. verse 1 ; and the second, from the same 
book, chap. ix. verse 4. The third saying, in Langles’ edition, and in the Calcutta 
edition of the first two hundred Nights, is, “ the grave is better than poverty 
but I do not know any saying of Solomon in tbe Bible agreeing with either 
reading. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

83 

Note 8. The Fish mistaken for an Island. 

The origin of this first marvel related by Es-Sindibad of the Sea I find in El- 
Kazweenee’s “ 'AjA'ib el-Makhlookat.” In his account of animals of the water, he 
says, “The tortoise (‘sulahffih,’ also written ‘sulahfa,’ &c.) is a sea and land 
animal. As to the sea-tortoise, it is very enormous, so that the people of the ship 
imagine that it is an island. One of the merchants hath related, saying, ‘ We 
found in the sea an island elevated above the water, having upon it green plants; 
and we went forth to it, and dug [holes for fire] to cook; whereupon the island 
moved, and the sailors said, Come ye to your place; for it is a tortoise, and the 
heat of the fire hath hurt it; lest it carry you away 1—By reason of the enormity 
of its body,’ saith he, [i. e. the narrator above mentioned,] ‘it was as though it 
were an island, and earth collected upon its back in the length of time, so that 
it became like land, and produced plants.’ " 

Though the above is so apposite, I am tempted to copy from Hole’s work (pages 
22 and 23) the following quotation from Milton, who mentions the Leviathan as 
“ that sea-beast” 

“-which God of all his works 

Created hugest that swim the ocean flood. 

Him haply slumbering on the Norway foam, 

The pilot of some small night-foundered skiff, 

Deeming some island, oft, as seamen tell, 

With fixed anchor in his scaly rind, 

Moors by his side.” P. L., B. i. 

and another (in pages 253 and 254) from Olaus Magnus:— 

“ Habet etiam Cetus super corium suum superficiem tanquam sabulum quod 
est juxta littus maris: unde plerumque elevato dorso suo super nndas a navigan- 
libus nihil aliud creditor esse quam insula. Itaque nautre ad ilium appellunt et 
super eum descendunt, inque ipsum^palos figunt, naves alligant, focos pro cibis 
coquendis accendunt: donee tandem cetus sentiens ignem sese in profundum mer- 
gat, atque in ejus dorso manentes, nisi funibus a navi protesis se liberare queant, 
submergantur.” (L. xxi. c. 25.) 

Pliny, as Hole suggests, may have been “ the general source of these sea- 
monsters.” 

Note 9. 

Thus this title is pronounced and written by the Arabs. In my original, and 
in the Breslau edition, it is written “ El-Mahraj&n.” It is a corruption of the 
Indian title “Malta Rdja,’’ or “Great King.” The situation of the kingdom of 
the Mihr&j will presently be considered. 

Note 10. On the Sea-Horse. 

Here I have abridged a little.—“ The Water-Horse,” says El-Kazweenee, in 
his account of animals of the water, “ is like the land-horse, save that he is larger 
in the mane and tail, and more handsome in colour; and his hoof is cloven, like 
the hoof of the wild ox (el-bakar el-wahsh, a kind of antelope), and his size is 
smaller than that of the land-horse, but larger than that of the ass, by a little-’* 

84 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

He adds that sometimes a foal is produced having a water-horse for its sire and a 
land-mare for its dam, and that it is of extreme excellence and beauty ; and he 
mentions an instance (similar to what is related in the Thousand and One Nights): 
the water-horse, in this case, was black, with white spots like pieces of silver. He 
also states that it is found in the Nile; and it is evident from this, that the well- 
known hippopotamus is the animal thus incorrectly described, and which has sug¬ 
gested the fable here related. 

Note 11. 

Here again I abridge a little. 

Note 12. On the Island of the Mihr&j, and some other Islands in the Seas of 

China and India. 

I shall here endeavour to determine the positions of several islands in the Seas 
of China and India, including, among these islands, that of the Mihr&j. After 
having commenced with one of which the position is most easily ascertained, I 
shall pass on to others which are mentioned in the story that I am illustrating, and 
on subsequent occasions I shall refer the reader to this note. 

In the “ Accounts of India and China by two Mohammadan Travellers in the 
ninth Century,” we are told (in page 3 of the English translation) that among the 
islands of the Sea of [E1-] Harkend [a name given both to the Sea of China and 
to a part of that of India], towards Sarandeeb [or Ceylon], one “ is called Ramni, 
and is under several princes; being eight or nine hundred leagues in dimension. 
[Afterwards, in page 61, this island is mentioned by the name of Rahmi, and is 
said to be eight hundred leagues in compass. ] Here,” it is added, “ are gold¬ 
mines, and particularly those called Fansur (or Fanfur?); as also an excellent sort 
of Camphire.”—It appears hence, beyond a doubt, that the island called by the 
Arab geographers “ R&minee,” “ Ramin,” “ Rdmee,” &c., is Sumatra, the Java 
Minor of Marco Polo, described by him (book iii. chap, xvi) as two thousand miles 
in circuit (which appears to be near the truth), and as containing eight kingdoms, 
governed by so many kings; one of which kingdoms is called by him Fansur, or 
Fanfur,* and said to contain the best kind of camphor, much superior in quality 
to any other. This kingdom, and five of the others, Marco Polo visited ; and he 
remained in one of the ports of the island five months: his authority therefore, 
which is in general good, is in this case especially so.—El-Kazweenee says that in 
the island of Rdmin,f in the Sea of China, are a naked people, whose language is 
not understood ; for it is like whistling. He adds that they shun mankind, that the 
height of one of them is four spans, that on their faces is red downy hair, and that 
they climb up trees; and he states that in it are the camplior-tree, brasil-wood, 
and the Indian cane, and likewise the rhinoceros, and buffaloes without tails. 

The next island of which I shall consider the position is that which is called in 
the works of the Arab geographers “Zanij,” “ Zdlij,” “ Zdbij,” “ R&nij,” “Rfilij," 
“ Raij,” “ Raneh,” &c. The name of this island, which name is also employed 
to include some other islands dependant on the principal one, is written in the 
“ Accounts of India and China,” above quoted, “ Zabage” (page 10), and “Za- 

* See Marsden, note 1229. 

t In my MS of Ibn El-Wardee (who says that it is seven hundred leagues long), « Riminee.” By 
El-Idreesee it is called “the Island of Er-Rdmee ” In quoting from the latter writer, I make use of 
Jaubert's translation. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

85 

page ” (page 60), in both places probably for “ Zabij.” In the latter place we are 
informed, that “ the province of Zapage is opposite to China, and a month’s sail 
distant therefrom by sea, or less, if the wind be fair. The King of this country,” 
it is added, “ is called Mehrage, and they say it is nine hundred leagues in circum¬ 
ference, and that this King is master of many islands which lie round about; thus 
this kingdom is above a thousand leagues in extent. Among these islands there is 
one called Serbeza, which is said to be four hundred leagues in circuit, [nearly the 
circuit of Java,*) and that also of Rahmi” [above identified with Sumatra].— 
From these descriptions of the size of the great island of the Mihr&j, and its situ¬ 
ation with respect to China and Sumatra, it seems evident to me that it can be 
no other island than Borneo, as Sir William Jones and others have supposed. El- 
Kazweenee says that the King of the Island of R&'ij (or Zabij &c.) is called El- 
Mihrfij ; that in this island is a mountain where are huge serpents, some of which 
will swallow the elephant; and that it contains also the camphor-tree, which is of 
enormous size. El-Kazweenee describes this island as “ on the confines of China, 
the furthest of the countries of India.” 

“ In this same kingdom [I continue the extract from the ‘ Accounts of India 
and China ’ begun in the preceding paragraph] is the Island of Cala, which is in 
the mid-passage between China and the country of the Arabs. This island, they 
say, is fourscore leagues in circumference ; and hither they bring all sorts of mer¬ 
chandise, wood-aloes of several sorts, camphire, sandal-wood, ivory, the lead called 
Cabahi, ebony, red-wood, every kind of spice, and many other things too tedious 
to enumerate. At present the commerce is most usually carried on from Oman 
[’Om&n] to this island, and from this island to Oman.” (Page 61.) In my MS 
of Ibn El-Wardee, this island is called “ Kulleh.” This geographer describes it 
as in the “ Sea of India ” (which is a very vague appellation), and says, “ It is a 
great island : in it are trees and rivers and fruits. A King of the sons of J&beh 
the Indian dwelleth in it; and in it are mines of tin, and camphor-trees,f one 
tree of which shadeth a hundred men, and more : in it also is the Indian cane; 
and among its wonders are such things that the describer of them would incur dis¬ 
belief.” El-Idreesee (1st Climate, 9th Section) describes this island, mentions the 
same particulars, and gives an account of the mode of obtaining the camphor 
similar to that in Es-Sindib&d’s Second Voyage. He adds, that in the neighbour¬ 
hood of the said island are those of Jabeh, Selahit, and Hereej ; each about two 
leagues from another; and states that they all obey the same King, named 
Jftbeh.—From these notices of situation, size, and the existence of tin-mines, I 
am induced to think that this island is the one called in our maps Banca, the rich 
tin-mines of which are well-known ; l though Renaudot places it near the point of 
Malabar, and does not consider it as an island. From page 15 of the English 

* It seems probable that to this island apply more than one name, and perhaps that of “ J/iboh,” ill 
the works of the Arab geographers. “ Jabeh ’ was the title of the King of the Island of Jdbeh (as will 
he seen in the next paragraph): therefore this island may have had another name, like that of the 
Mihr&j. “In the Island of J4beh,” says El-Kazweenee, “is a mountain whereon is seen a great fire 
by night from afar; and by day, a smoke: none can approach it. [In Java are thirty-eight volcanoes.] 
In it also are aloes-wood and the banana and the cocoa-nut and sugar-cane. Its inhabitants are a 
tawney people, in the form of men, save that their faces are in their bosoms.” 

t I doubt the truth of this. It has been said above that camphor was among the articles brought 
to this island. 

t Since the above was written, I have been gratified by finding that LangRs, in a note on a passage 
in the Fourth Voyage, has expressed the same opinion. He has also observed, that the name given 
to this island by the Arabs may be a corruption of the Malay word “ kelang," signifying “ tin.” 

86 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

translation of his Remarks on the “Accounts,” it appears that in page 10 of the 
latter, “ Calabar” is put for the name which in the extract at the commencement 
of this paragraph is written “ Cala.” Now in this page of the “Accounts,” the 
place thus named is said to have been dependant on ‘ 1 the Kingdom of Zabage. 
That a tract near the point of Malabar should be so is extremely improbable ; and 
it is afterwards said, as I have shewn above, that it was in that Kingdom. It is 
stated in the same work (page 9), that from Mascat (or Maskat) to Kaucammali, 
in the course to China, is a month’s sail, with the wind aft. [The name of the 
latter place is written by El-Idreesee (2nd Climate, 7th Section) “Koolam Melee. 

It is evidently the Koulam of Marco Polo (who says that it was a resort of Arabian 
and Manji, or Southern Chinese, merchants), and the Coulan of our maps, in 
Malabar, or Malayala, nearly ninety British miles from Cape Comorin.] Here 
the Arabs, we are told, in the voyage to China, took in water: then they entered 
the sea of El-Harkend, and having sailed across it, they touched at Lajabalus 
[before called (in page 4) “Najabalus” (supposed to be the Nicobar Islands)], 
and, after about a month’s voyage from Kaukam [i. e. Koulam], arrived at Cala 
[in the translation Calabar], It is added, that from this place to one called 
Betuma is ten days, in the course to China; that ten days further in the same 
course is Kadrange; ten days further, Senef [or Sanf], whence “ comes the 
aromatic wood we call Hud al Senefi ” [el-’ood es-Sanfee] ; ten days further, San- 
darfulat; and a month further, China: altogether, from the place in question to 
“Canfu” [or “Khdnfoo,” also written by Arab geographers “ Khdnkoo,” supposed 
to be “ Kuang-cheu-fu,” called by us “Canton”], the chief port of China, two 
months and ten days. The latter part of the voyage, it appears, was tedious : it 
was probably circuitous, for the sake of traffick ; and eight whole days were con¬ 
sumed in clearing some rocks and shoals called the Gates of China. 

I next consider the position of Sanf. Its distance from the supposed Canton 
has been stated above, as one month and ten days. El-Idreesee (2nd Climate, 9th 
Section) calls it a Chinese island, or peninsula (the term generally rendered “is¬ 
land” is very vague), and afterwards (1st Climate, 10th Section) lie makes it only 
fourteen days from Khdnkoo (or Canton?); but his authority I think of much less 
weight than that before cited. He states also, that from Sanf to Meldy or Mal&y 
was a voyage of twelve days, among islands and rocks.—These indications of its 
position, and the assertion of El-Idreesee (1st Climate, 9th Section) and others, 
that it produces the best kind of aloes-wood, lead me to conclude that it is the tract 
called in our maps Tsiampa. Mr. Marsden has shewn (in note 1172 to his trans¬ 
lation of Marco Polo) that the best kind of aloes-wood is that of the mountains of 
Tsiampa, on the south of Cochinchina, about the 13th degree of north latitude. 
This is called Kalambak and Kalambak. The resemblance of the names 
“Tsiampa” and “Sanf” I also think of some weight; especially as the Arabs, 
having no p, substitute, for that letter, f or b.—The author of the K&moos says, 
that the Sanfee aloes-wood (or aloes-wood of Sanf) is inferior to the Kamdree; 
but the contrary statement, being more fully expressed, I think more entitled 
to credit. 

The position of Kamdr,* which produced the Kamdree aloes-wood, is more 
difficult to determine. In the “Accounts of India and China,” which mention 
its aloes-wood, the island (or peninsula) of Kamdrf is said (in page 64) to be divided 

* I write the name thus on the authority of the K&moos. 

t Written in the translation of that work “ Komar." 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

87 

from the kingdom of the Mihr&j (or Borneo) “ by a passage of ten or twenty 
days’ sail, with a very easy gale." This will by no means allow us to identify it 
with Cape Comorin, as some European writers have done. El-Idreesee says 
(1st Climate, 9th Section), that it is near Sanf, separated only by three miles; but 
perhaps “ miles " may be a mistake for “ days.” I can only conjecture that it is 
either a part of the Malayan peninsula, or on the opposite side of the Gulf of 
Siam, adjacent to Tsiampa. 

I now revert to the Mihraj and his Island, which is described in the “Accounts 
of India and China ” (page 61) as “ extremely fertile, and so very populous that the 
towns almost crowd one upon the other.” In the next page it is said that the palace 
of a former Mihraj was “ still to be seen,” in the time of the author, “ on a river 
as broad as the Tigris at Baghdad or at El-Basrah.” And it is added, “ The sea 
intercepts the course of its waters, and sends them back again with the tide of 
flood; and during the tide of ebb, it streams out fresh water a good way into the sea. 
This river is let into a small pond close to the King’s palace, and every morning the 
officer who has charge of his household brings an ingot of gold wrought in a parti¬ 
cular manner, which is unknown, and throws it into the pond in the presence of the 
King. The tide rising with the flood covers it with many others, its fellows, and 
quite conceals it from sight; but low water discovers them, and they appear plain 
by the beams of the sun. The King comes to view them at the same time that he 
repairs to an apartment of state which looks upon this pond. This custom is very 
scrupulously observed, and thus they every day throw an ingot of gold into this 
pond, as long as the King lives, nor touch the same upon any account. When the 
King dies, his successor causes them all to be taken out, and not one of them is 
ever missed. They count them, and melt them down, and this done, the sums 
provening from this great quantity of gold are distributed to those of the royal 
household, to the men, to the women, and to the children, to the superior and to 
the inferior officers, each receiving a part, in proportion to the rank he bears, and 
according to tile order established among them for this distribution; and the 
surplus is given away to the poor, and to the infirm. Then they reckon up the 
number of ingots, and what they weigh, and say, Such a one reigned so many 
years, for he left so many ingots of gold in the pond of the Kings, and they were 
distributed, after his death, to the people of his kingdom. It is a glory, with them, 
to have reigned a long while, and to have thus multiplied the number of these 
ingots, to be given away at their death.”—Nearly the same account is given in 
other Arabic works.—“ The hospitality, power, and magnificence, of the King of 
Borneo, Raia Siripada, is mentioned by Pigafetta (Purchas’s Pilg. v. i. b. 2.), 
Magellan’s fellow-traveller, and the first literary circumnavigator. He reigned, it 
is said, over many other kings, islands, and cities, and that which was his place of 
residence contained 25,000 houses. Maximilian of Transylvania, who gives an 
account of the same voyage, enlarges on these circumstances; but adds, ‘ equi 
perexigui et exiles sunt.’ We are not to wonder, therefore, that the monarch in 
the text was so desirous of improving the diminutive race.” • 

Note 13. 

The “ Shikireeyeh," called in the Breslau edition “ Sek&ribeh,” and by El- 
Idreesee " S&kireeyeh,” are evidently the “ Kshatriyas,” the second caste of the 

• Hole, pp. 82 and S3. 

88 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

Hindoos. By El-Idreesee, as well as in the Thousand and One Nights, they are 
called the first caste. He says (1st Climate, 10th Section), “They are the most 
noble: it is from among them, only, that the Kings are chosen [which is true]. 
All the others,” he adds, “prostrate themselves before them; but they do not 
prostrate themselves before any others.” 

Note 14. 

This idea of the Brahmans I suppose to be derived from the music and dances 
at religious ceremonies. 

Note 15. 

So in the Breslau edition. In the Cairo edition, “ Jews ” (Yahood), which is 
clearly a mistake. 

Note 16. 

In the Breslau edition, “forty-two sects.” So also says El-Idreesee. 

Note 17. 

Thus written in the Breslau edition, the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred 
Nights, and in Langles’ edition: in the edition of Cairo, “ K&bil.” It is evidently 
the island called by El-Kazweenee that of “ Bart ail.” He describes it as in the 
Sea of India, and near to the Islands of Ez-Zenj (evidently a mistake for Z&nij, 
i. e. Borneo), and says, on the authority of Ibn ElFakeeh, “There are in it a 
people whose faces are like the shields made of coats of leather, and their hair is 
like the tails of pack-horses; and in it is the rhinoceros. In it also are mountains 
whence are heard by night the sounds of the drum and tambourine, and disturbing 
cries, and disagreeable laughter; and the sailors say that Ed-Dejj&l* is in it, and 
that he will come forth from it. In this island, moreover, cloves (ire sold, and in 
this manner. The merchants land there, and put their goods and commodities 
upon the shore, and having returned to their ships, pass the night in them. Then, 
when they arise in the morning, they come to their commodities, and find by the 
side of each lot of goods a quantity of cloves. If the owner of the goods approve 
of this, he taketh it, and leaveth the goods ; but if he take the goods and the cloves, 
the ship cannot depart until the taker of the goods restoreth them to their place. 
And if any one desire an addition, he leaveth the goods and the cloves, and an ad¬ 
dition to these is made for him. One of the merchants hath related, that he went 
up into this island, and saw there a people beardless, of yellow complexion, whose 
faces were like the faces of the Turks, and their ears were perforated, and their 

• Of Ed-Dejjdl, also called El-Meseeh ed-Dejj.il (the False, or Lying, Christ), the Antichrist of the 
Muslims, the following is Sale’s account. “ He is to be one-eyed, and marked on the forehead with 
the letters C. [or K.j F. R., signifying Cfifir [or Kafir], or Infidel. They say that the Jews give him 
the name of ‘ Messiah Ben David,’ and pretend he is to come in the last days, and to be lord both of 
land and sea, and that he will restore the kingdom to them. According to the traditions of Moham¬ 
mad, he is to appear first between El-’Erik and Syria, or according to others, in the province of Khu- 
risin; they add that he is to ride on an ass; that he will be followed by 70,000 Jews of Ijpahdn, and 
continue on earth forty days, of which one will be equal in length to a year, another to a month, 
another to a week, and the rest-will be common days; that he is to lay waste all places, but will not 
enter Mekkeh or El-Medeeneh, which are to be guarded by angels; and that at length be will be slain 
by Jesus, who is to encounter him at the gate of Lud. It is said that Mohammad foretold several 
Antichrists, to the number of about thirty; but one of greater note than the rest.”—Preliminary Dis 
course, Section iv.—See also Hole, page 35. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

89 

hair was like that of women. They disappeared from his sight, and the merchants 
after that continued a long time frequenting the shore; but no cloves were 
brought out to them; so they knew that this was on account of their looking at 
them. Then, after some years, they resumed their former habit.”—Cloves, it 
should be observed, grow only within the tropics: but they are not the growth of 
either Borneo or Java. (See Marsden, M. Polo, p. 591.) The Island of Bartail 
or K&sil I suppose to have been not far from Borneo. Hole suggests (p. 38), that 
the roaring of the waves amidst its hollow rocks might, not improbably, have re¬ 
sembled the soimd of drums; and afterwards (page 41) he remarks, “Bartholomew 
Leonardo de Argensola, a learned divine, employed by the president and council 
of the Indies to write a history of the discovery and conquest of the Moluccas, 
observes, that near Banda is ‘ a desert and uninhabited island, called Poelsetton, 
infamous for stronger reasons than the Acroceraunian rocks. There are cries, 
whistles, and roarings, in it at all times, and dreadful apparitions are seen, &c. ; 
and long experience has shewn that it is inhabited by Devils.’* May it not be 
reasonably suspected,” he adds, “ that this is the same island as Kdsil; and that 
the Spanish writer, like the Arabian, appropriated to the superstition of his own 
country a traditional report of India?”—I think the reader must answer, “Yes.” 

Note 18. 

Thus in the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights, and in Langlbs’ 
edition : in the Cairo edition, instead of the words “that Ed-Dejjal is in it,” we read, 
“ that they [the inhabitants] are a people of industry and good judgment.”— 
Necessary illustrations of this passage have been given in the note immediately 
preceding. 

Note 19. 

The words “ and the fishermen fear it,” &c., are inserted on the authority of 
the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights and Langles' edition. El-Kaz- 
weenee says, “ In the Sea of China is a fish more than three hundred cubits long: 
fear is entertained for the ship on account of it; and it is found by the island of 
W&k-W&k;t an d when the people know of its passing by, they call out, and beat 
with wood, that it may flee away at their noises: when it raiseth its fin, it is like 
an enormous sail.” The same writer also, and Ibn El-Wardee, say, that in the Sea 
of El-Kulzum is an enormous fish, that beateth the ship with its tail, and sinketh 
it: its length is about two hundred cubits. 

Note 20. 

The two authors just cited state, that in the Sea of El-Kulzum is also a fish a 
cubit long, the body of which is like that of a fish, and its face like the face 
of the owl. 

Note 21. 

This is a common phrase to express utter desolation. 

• See Steven’s Collection of Voyages, vol. i. p. 168. 

f “ W&k-W&lf ” is an appellation employed by the Arabs to designate a number of islands adjacent 
to that of the MihrAj (or Borneo), in the furthest parts of the Sea of China. As these islands are not 
yet mentioned in my original, I defer the insertion of some accounts of them given by Arab writers. 

VOL. III. 

N 

This enormous bird lias already been mentioned, and some idea of its size, in 
the opinion of the Arabs, has been conveyed by an anecdote in page 600 of tha 
second volume of this work; but it is time to give some further account of it.— 
Ibn El-Wardee mentions, among the islands of the Sea of China, the Island of the 
Rukh', and says, “ The rukh', by the name of which this island is known, is an 
enormous and extraordinary bird, of terrible appearance; so much so that it is said, 
that the length of one of its wings is about ten thousand fathoms 1” This he 
relates on the authority of a zoological work by El-Hdfiz Ibn El-Joozee, who had 
been visited by an eye-witness of the bird, ’Abd Er-Rahm&n El-Maghrabee, also 
surnamed the Chinese, on account of his long residence in China, the person men¬ 
tioned in the anecdote above referred to. He then narrates two anecdotes, one of 
which is that just mentioned, and another which would illustrate the incident 
to which this note refers, but which more particularly agrees with an adventure in 
Es-Sindib&d’s Fifth Voyage: therefore I defer the insertion of it. 

Of this bird, Marco Polo heard during his travels. He says, “ The people ot 
the island [of Madagascar] report that at a certain season of the year, an extraor¬ 
dinary kind of bird, which they call a rukh', makes its appearance from the 
southern region. In form it is said to resemble the eagle; but it is incomparably 
greater in size; being so large and strong as to seize an elephant with its talons, 
and to lift it into the air; from whence it lets it fall to the ground, in order that, 
when dead, it may prey upon the carcase. Persons who have seen this bird assert 
that when the wings are spread they measure sixteen paces in extent, from point 
to point; and that the feathers are eight paces in length, and thick in proportion.” 
He adds that some messengers sent to the island by the Grand KMn brought 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

91 

back with them “ a feather of the rukh' positively affirmed to have measured 
ninety spans, and the quill-part to have been two palms in circumference." 
(Marsden’s Transl. p. 707.) 

I had little doubt that the condor suggested the monstrous descriptions 
of the rukh', as several writers have remarked, and among these, Bishop Heber, 
who says in his “ Journal,” “ Lieutenant Fisher shot one very lately at Degra, 
which measured thirteen feet between the tips of its extended wings, and had 
talons eight inches long. He was of a deep black colour, with a bald head 
and neck.” But Mr. Harvey, in his designs illustrative of Es-SindibAd’s Voyages, 
has taken the bearded vulture as the archetype of the rukh'; justly observing to 
me, that the talons of the condor are not so formed as to enable it to carry off with 
them any weighty animal; and pointing out to me, that a bearded vulture “ killed 
in the French expedition to Egypt, and measured in the presence of MM. Monge 
and Berthollet, is said by M. Larrey to have exceeded fourteen Parisian, or up¬ 
wards of fifteen English, feet,” from point to point of its expanded wings. (See 
“ Gardens and Menagerie of the Zoological Society Delineated,” vol. ii. p. 181.) 
—The rukh', however, may be purely imaginary. If so, it may be a fabulous spe¬ 
cies of a fabulous genus: but I rather think that it is the same as the ’anka and 
seemurgh, which Arab and Persian writers have described in the like monstrous 
manner. El-Kazweenee states, that the ’anka is the greatest of birds; that it 
carries off the elephant as the kite carries off the mouse; that, in consequence of 
its carrying off a bride, God, at the prayer of a prophet named Handhalah, 
banished it to an island in the Circumambient Ocean, unvisited by men, under the 
Equinoctial Line; that it lives one thousand and seven hundred years, &c. He 
also states, that when the young ’anka has grown up, if it be a female, the old fe¬ 
male bird burns herself; and if a male, the old male bird does so. This reminds 
us of the phoenix. 

The design of the bird and the elephants at the head of this note is copied, by 
permission, from a very beautiful Oriental coloured drawing in the library of the 
Royal Asiatic Society, bearing the following title, in Persian, “ Tasweer Seemurgh 
yA Rukh' ” (i. e. “ Picture of the Seemurgh or Rukh': ” but the words signifying 
‘‘or Rukh'” are added in pencil). Beneath this title is written, “The Simurg, 
or Roc of the Arabian Nights.” 

Note 23.— The Aerial Voyage. 

I scarcely hoped to find any narrative, related as a fact, that could have sug¬ 
gested the description of this wonderful adventure; but I have succeeded in doing 
so. El-Kazweenee, in his account of the Sea of Persia, relates the following 
anecdote.* 

“ The author of the ‘ KitAb el-’AjAib’ f saith, A man of IsfahAn related to me, 
that he was burdened with debts and the expense of supporting his family; so he 
quitted IsfahAn, and misfortunes so encompassed him that he went to sea with 
some merchants. The waves, saith he, beat us about until we came to the well- 
known whirlpool (dardoor) of the Sea of Persia; whereupon the merchants came 
together to the master, and said, Dost thou know any way of escape for us from 
this predicament? He answered, O people, verily no ship escapeth from this whirl- 

• This anecdote is also related by Ibn El-Wardee, who quotes it from El-Kazweenee. 

t Several Arable works bear this title (the Book of Wonders). 

92 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

pool save such as God (whose name be exalted !) willeth [to escape] : but if one of 
you will liberally give himself for his companions, I will use my endeavours. 
Perhaps God (whose name be exalted 1) will save us.—So I said, O people, we are 
all in a place of destruction, and I am a man wearied by misery. I wished for death; 
and there was in the ship a party of men of Isfahan: I therefore said to them, 
Swear that ye will discharge my debts, and act with beneficence to my children, 
and I will ransom you with myself. And I said to the master, What dost thou 
command me to do ? He answered, That thou stand upon this island (for there 
was near unto the whirlpool an island, the extent of which was six days’ journey 
with their nights), and that thou cease not to beat this drum.* So I replied, 
I will do it. Accordingly they swore to me severe oaths that they would comply 
with the condition that I had imposed upon them; and they gave me of water and 
food what would suffice me some days. And I stood on the shore of the island, 
and began to beat the drum ; whereupon I beheld the waters move, and they bore 
the ship along, while I looked at it, until it was out of my sight. I then went to 
and fro upon the island, and lo, I beheld an island on which wa3 an enormous 
tree, such that I have not seen any greater; and upon it was something like 
a large roof. And at the close of the day, I heard a great, vehement, harsh voice;! 
and lo, a huge bird, than which I have not seen any greater, came and alighted upon 
the roof on that tree. So I hid myself, fearing lest he should make me his prey, 
until the light of morning approached, when he shook his wings, and flew away. 
The next night, he came and alighted again upon his nest, and again I was in 
despair of my life, and was content to meet destruction. I approached him; but 
he shewed no hostility to me, and flew away in the morning. And when the 
third night came, I sat by him without consternation, until he shook his wings at 
daybreak; and on his doing so, I laid hold upon his legs, and he flew away with 
me with a most rapid flight until the daylight rose, when I looked towards 
the earth, and saw not aught save an abyss of water. Upon this I was about tq 
quit my hold of his legs, by reason of the violence of the pain that affected me; 
but I constrained myself to have patience, and, looking again at the earth, 

I beheld the villages [or towns], and the people looking at it [at the bird], and 
I beheld the dwellings. Then it approached the earth, and set me down upon a heap 
of straw in a threshing-floor belonging to one of the villages, after which it left me, 
and soared into the sky, and became absent from me. And the people collected, 
and conveyed me to their chief, and, having brought to me a man who understood 
my language, they said to me, Whence art thou ? So I related to them my whole 
story, whereupon they wondered at me, and they suffered me to remain with them, 
and the chief gave orders to present me with money. I remained with them some 
days ; and having walked one day to the sea-shore to divert myself, lo, I met the 
ship of my companions, who, when they beheld me, hastened to me, asking 
me respecting my case. And I answered them, O people, verily I gave myself 
away for the sake of God (whose name he exalted!) and He delivered me in 
a wonderful way, and made me a sign unto men, and blessed me with wealth, and 
brought me to the place of destination before you.—This is a wonderful story, and 
it is not [a case] foreign from the grace of God, whose name be exalted!" J 

* The word is “ duhul ” (Persian). In my copy of El-Kazweenee, the letter r£, and in that of Ibn 
El-Wardee, dhdl, is put for d&l. 

f I read “heddin (without the tenween, “ hedd”) for a word which is written 41 hudoowin’’ in my 
MS. of El-Kazweenee, and which is uncertain in the transcript of this anecdote in my copy of Ibn El- 
Wardee. 

X See also the third paragraph of Note 1 in the present series. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

93 

Note 24. 

Though I believe that there is no known substance with which the diamond can 
he cut or ground, excepting its own substance, I think it not improbable that the 
Eastern lapidaries may be acquainted with some ore, really, or supposed by them 
to be, an ore of lead, by which it may be broken, and that this is what is here called 
“ the lead-stone,” or “ the stone of lead.” It is well known that those diamonds 
which are unfit for any other purpose than that of cutting and grinding others are 
broken in a steel mortar. 

Note 25. 

See above, the third paragraph of Note 12. 

Note 26.— The Valley of Diamonds. 

El-Kazweenee, after describing the diamond,—saying, “ It breaketh all other 
stones excepting [that of] lead (el-usrub*); for if it be struck with this, the 
diamond breaketh,”—relates as follows :— 

“ To the place in which the diamond is found, no one can gain access. It is 
a valley in the land of India, the bottom of which the sight reacheth not; and in 
it are venomous serpents which no one seeth but he dieth; and they have a sum¬ 
mer-abode for six months, and a winter-abode [where they hide themselves] for 
the like period. El-Iskender [either Alexander the Great or the first Zu-l-Kar- 
neynf] commanded to take some mirrors and to throw them into the valley, that 
the serpents might see in them their forms, and die in consequence. It is said 
also that he watched for the time of their absenting themselves [or retiring into 
their winter-quarters], and threw down pieces of meat, and diamonds stuck to 
these: then the birds came from the sky, and took pieces of that meat, and 
brought them up out of the valley; whereupon El-Iskender ordered his com¬ 
panions to follow the birds, and to pick up what they easily could of the meat. 

The valley or valleys of diamonds we also find described by other writers, and 
among these by Marco Polo, in his account of the kingdom of Murphili or Monsul. 
This, observes Mr. Marsden, “ is no other than Muchli-patan, or, as it is more 
commonly named, Masuli-patam ; the name of a principal town, by a mistake not 
unusual, being substituted for that of the country. ... It belongs to what was at 
one period termed the kingdom of Golconda, more anciently named Telingana. . . 
Golconda, of which Masulipatam is the principal sea-port, is celebrated for the 
production of diamonds. In the astronomical observations of Mr. Topping, printed 
in Dalrymple’s Oriental Repertory, mention is made of the famous diamond-mines 
of Golconda, at a place named Malvellee, not far from Ellore. Vol. i. p. 435. 
Csesar Fredericke, who was at Bijanagar in 1567, mentions that the diamond- 
mines were six days’journey from that city.” J—Es-Sindibdd’s adventure in the 
valley of diamonds has been amply illustrated by the learned writer from whom 
the above remarks are borrowed, and by Hole; and I shall quote some of their 
observations, after inserting an extract from Marco Polo’s Travels. 

“ In the mountains of this kingdom ” [of Murphili], says the Venetian Tra¬ 
veller, “it is that diamonds are found. During the rainy season the water 

• El-Kazweenee says, in his account of the metals, that usrub is a bad kind of lead. See also Note 
24, above. 

t See vol. i. p. 22. 

I Marsden’s Marco Polo, pp. 658 and 659. • 

94 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

descends in violent torrents amongst the rocks and caverns, and when these have 
subsided, the people go to search for diamonds in the beds of the rivers, where 
they find many. Messer Marco was [told that in the summer, when the heat is 
excessive and there is no rain, they ascend the mountains with great fatigue, as 
well as with considerable danger from the number of snakes with which they are 
infested. Near the summit it is said there are deep valleys full of caverns and 
surrounded by precipices, amongst which the diamonds are found, and here many 
eagles and white storks, attracted by the snakes on which they feed, are ac¬ 
customed to make their nests. The persons who are in quest of the diamonds 
take their stand near the mouths of the caverns, and from thence cast down several 
pieces of flesh, which the eagles and stovks pursue into the valleys, and carry off 
with them to the tops of the rocks. Thither the men immediately ascend, drive 
the birds away, and recovering the pieces of meat, frequently find diamonds stick¬ 
ing to them.” * 

Mr. Marsden, in a note, alludes to the adventures of Es-SindibAd, and says, of 
the Arabian Tales, “ These tales, as appears from the mention of persons and cir¬ 
cumstances in the course of the narrative, must have been composed chiefly in the 
thirteenth century, and one of them in particular is fixed, by an astronomical ob¬ 
servation, taken by a singular personage, to the year 1255.” But surely this date, 
even if it were the same in every MS. (which is not the case f), would prove 
nothing more than that the tale in which it occurs was not composed before this 
period: or rather it should lead us to infer that the tale was composed long after, 
as it professes to relate events of ancient times.—Mr. Marsden afterwards tran¬ 
scribes, from Hole's ingenious work, part of a quotation from Epiphanius; upon 
which he remarks, “ Thus it appears incontrovertably, that so early as the fourth 
century of our era, the tale [of the valley of diamonds, and of the mode of procur¬ 
ing the precious stones from it,] was current, divested, it is true, of the extraordi¬ 
nary incident of the adventurous sailor’s escape, but in conformity with what was 
related to our author [Marco Polo] ; with the exception of the scene being laid in 
Scythia or western Tartary, where, in fact, diamonds are not found. The question 
of locality," he adds, “ is however determined by another oriental navigator, Nicolo 
di Conti, who visited the coast of the peninsula in the fifteenth century.” He 
then gives a quotation from this navigator, differing little from the story of Marco 
Polo given above, and that of Epiphanius afterwards alluded to, but making the 
site fifteen days’ journey from Bisinagar (or Bijanagar), towards the north.—Hole 
observes (in page 60), that a story somewhat resembling this of the valley of 
diamonds is recorded in the travels of Benjamin of Tudela (Engl, transl. p. 144); 
and that the translator supposes it to have been borrowed from the Thousand and 
One Nights. “ I, however,” he adds, with better judgment, “rather suspect, that 
the account of Benjamin of Tudela and of Es-SindibAd were derived from some 
common origin.” 

Note 27. 

My sheykh remarks, in a marginal note, that many men strike their hands 
together when they are enraged ; that persons clap their hands also to call a ser¬ 
vant, as the Franks ring a bell; and likewise to testify joy; and that some of the 
performers of zikrs do so. On various occasions of rejoicing too, or for amuse- 

* Marsden’s Marco Polo, pp. 657 and 658. 

t See vol. i. page 429. (Note 59.) 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

95 

ment at other times, the Egyptian peasants, forming a ring, clap their hands in 
time, and to certain measures, with or without singing. 

Note 28. 

In the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights, and in LangRs’ 
edition, this island is called “Er-Raha,” “Er-Ruha,” or “Er-Riha;” and in 
the old version, “ Roha;” but I do not know any island so named. From the 
camphor-trees here mentioned, and the rhinoceros afterwards, and a strange kind 
of buffalo, I doubt not that Sumatra is the island meant. (See the second para¬ 
graph of Note 12, in the present series. See also the fourth paragraph of the 
same note.) Mr. Marsden says * that the camphor-tree does not grow anywhere 
to the south of the line ; and that the finest kinds of camphor are produced by a 
tree in Sumatra and Borneo; but perhaps he applies the first remark only to 
Sumatra ; for I believe that this tree grows to the south of the line in Borneo. He 
also observes! that the camphor-tree of China and Japan, “the only species of 
the laurel-genus growing in China, and there a large and valuable timber-tree, . . . 
is not to be confounded with the camphor-tree of Borneo and Sumatra, which is 
also remarkable for its great size, but is of a genus entirely distinct from the 
laurus." 

Note 29. 

In the Cairo edition (erroneously), “kezkez&n in others “karkadfin” and 
“ karkend.” 

Note 30. 

The word “ 'alak ” I have rendered “ the tender leaves of trees.” It oftener 
signifies “the leech,” or “leeches.” 

Note 31. 

So in the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights, and in Langlfes’ 
edition: in the editions of Cairo and Breslau, “ ten cubits.” 

Note 32. 

El-Kazweenee says, in his description of the rhinoceros, “ upon its horn is a 
curved branch, the curve of which is contrary in direction to that of the [main] 
horn. It hath virtues ; and the sign of its perfection is this ; that there is seen in 
it the form of a horseman. That branch,” he adds, “is not found save in the 
possession of the Kings of India.” He mentions also its various virtues, which are 
medicinal and magical.—El-Idreesee gives a somewhat different account, agreeing 
more with what is said in the Old Version, and the Calcutta edition of the first two 
hundred Nights, and the edition of Langles; especially the last. He says, that 
in some rhinoceros’ horns, when cut, are seen the figures of men, birds, &c., per¬ 
fectly pourtrayed in white ; and that with these are made girdles, of high price. 
These girdles are mentioned in the two Arabic editions above referred to, and their 
price is said to be a thousand pieces of gold. 

* Travels of Marco Polo, pp. 613 and 615. 

♦ Idem, p. 561. 

96 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

Note 33. 

“ The account of the rhinoceros, and its combat with the elephant,” says Hole 
(pp. 61 and 62), after allowing for one or two trifling additions, agrees with what 
is said by Pliny (Nat. Hist. L. viii. c. 20), /Elian (Nat. An. L. xvii. c. 44), and 
Diodorus Siculus (L. iii. c. 2). 

Note 34. 

See the representation of the seemurgli or rukh' and the elephants in page 90. 

Note 35. 

These words, “ and God is all knowing,” &c. are an apology of the writer for 
relating such lies. 

Note 36. 

In the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights, and in Langtes’ edition, 
“the islands of the wild, downy [creatures].” 

Note 37. 

In the two editions just mentioned, they are described as red downy creatures. 

Note 38. The Island of Apes. 

What is called in my translation (from the Cairo edition) “ the Mountain of 
Apes,” is named in the edition of Breslau, “ the Island of Apesand Ibn El- 
Wardee gives the following account of it.—“ Among the islands of the Sea of 
China is the Island of Apes. It is large, and in it are marshy forests, and nume¬ 
rous apes; and the apes have a king there, to whom they submit themselves: they 
carry him upon their shoulders and their necks; and he governeth the island so 
that none oppresseth another. Those, however, who come to them in ships, they 
torture with hiting and scratching and stoning ; but the people of the two Islands 
of Khart&n and Martin * employ stratagems against them and hunt them, and sell 
them for a high price. The people of El-Yemen desire them much, and take 
them as guards of their shops, like slaves ; and they are endowed with extreme 
acuteness.”—El-Idreesee (1st Climate, 7th Section) gives a similar account; but 
states that this island is two days’ voyage from that of Sukutra (or Socotra). 
There is, however, a contrariety in his text; and though what is said of the inha¬ 
bitants of Khartan and Martin seems to favour the opinion that the island in 
question is not far from Arabia, I think that it is Sumatra. It is very pro¬ 
bable that different navigators often designated the same island by different 
names, and thus misled the geographers. El-Idreesee also describes the apes as 
of a reddish colour. (See the note immediately preceding this.) Creatures in 
the island of Rimin (or Sumatra) four spans high, and with red downy hair on 
their faces, have already been mentioned (in the second paragraph of Note 12 in 
the present series), on the authority of El-Kazweenee, who likewise says, “ The 
sailors relate that when the waves of the Sea of China are tumultuous, there 

• These two islands, says El-Idreesee, belong to the province of Sha(ir (in the middle of the south¬ 
east coast of Arabia). 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

97 

appear from it black persons, each of four spans high, like the children of the 
Abyssinians : ” but he adds, “ and they ascend the ships without injury.” 

That the pigmies of antiquity, and of early travellers, were apes, cannot be 
doubted. It is remarkable that Marco Polo mentions * pretended pigmies which 
were brought from India, and which were the bodies of apes stuffed in Java Minor, 
or Sumatra; mentioned above as the country of red-downy-faced creatures, four 
spans high.—For ample illustrations of the pigmies, see Hole pp. 64—78. f 

Note 39. 

In the old version, this giant is described as having only one eye, in his fore¬ 
head j but not so in any of the four editions of the original that I have by me. In 
these editions, however, subsequent incidents are remarkable for their agreement 
with the story of Polyphemus. Stories of monsters like the Cyclops appear to 
have been current in the East; and so also, probably, was the tale of Ulysses and 
Polyphemus. Sir John Mandeville says,} that in one of the Indian islands were 
giants who had but one eye, in the middle of the front, and who ate nothing but 
raw flesh and raw fish. He mentions others who ate more gladly man’s flesh than 
any other flesh. In another isle, he was told that there were giants of greater 
stature, some of fifty cubits high, who many times took.men out of the sea in their 
ships, and brought them to land, two in one hand and two in another, eating 
them going, all raw and all quick.—Hole thinks that Virgil and Ovid supplied the 
knight with the preceding descriptions; but this I doubt. El-Kazweenee says, 
that behind the island of El-BeenAn, in the Sea of China, are two islands of great 
length and breadth, wherein are a black people like the tribe of ’A'd, § of enormous 
size, with crisp hair, and long faces: the foot of one of them, he adds, is a cubit 
long; and they eat men. One of these two islands our author may have con¬ 
founded with that of the Apes. El-Idreesee (1st Climate, 8th Section), places the 
Island of El-Been&n on the south of that of Er-R&mee (or Sumatra). Our giant 
had enormous ears, hanging down upon his shoulders; and Mr. Marsden (as ob¬ 
served by Hole||) says, that “the inhabitants of Neas, an adjacent island to 
Sumatra, [on the south-west of the latter,] bore their ears, and encourage the 
aperture to a monstrous size, so as in many instances to be large enough to admit 
the hand, the lower parts being stretched till they touch the shoulders.” 

Note 40. 

In the Cairo edition, “ and make for ourselves a vessel like a boat " The 
reading I have adopted is that of the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred 
Nights, and of Larigles’ edition, as well as of the old version. 

Note 41. 

See Note 88 to Chapter iii. 

* See Marsden’s translation, page 604. 

t See also the third paragraph of Note 1 in the present series. The apes appear to be correctly 
described (as black, &c.) in my original, and my supposition that their island is Sumatra is strengthened 
by an account of the kind of Gibbon called Siamang (the Pithecus Syndactylus of Desmarest, and Simia 
Syndactyla of Raffles), pointed out to me by my friend Mr. Harvey. It states that “ these animals are 
common in Sumatra. They are generally found assembled in large troops, conducted, it is said, by a 
chief, whom the Malays believe to be invulnerable. . . . This species is readily tamed; but, un¬ 

conquerably timid, it never displays familiarity." (Griffith’s Animal Kingdom, i. 256, quoted in Stark's 
Elements of Natural History, i. 44.) 

t See Hole, pages 80—82. 

VOL. III. 

§ See Note 37 to Chapter ii. 

Pages 74 and 75. 

98 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

Note 42. 

“ Ulysses and his friends were more fortunate in their escape from Polypheme, 
hut suffered nearly in the same manner by Antiphates and his gigantic attendants."* 

Note 43. 

El-Kazweenee says, that among the creatures of the Sea of China are “ two 
enormous serpents, that come forth upon the land, and one of them will swallow 
the buffalo or the elephant, and wind itself round a tree or rock, and so break in 
pieces the bones of the animal in its belly.” 

Note 44. 

The name of this island is thus written in Langl&s’ edition'and by El-Idreesee; 
in the Cairo edition, “ Es-Selalutah ; ” in the Calcutta edition of the first two hun¬ 
dred Nights, “ Es-Selamit; ” and in the Breslau edition, “ El-Kal&sitah.” It has 
been mentioned in a former note (Note 12 in the present series, fourth paragraph); 
and from what is there said, I suppose it to be near Java. In my copy of El- 
Kazweenee, its name is written Es-Selfimit. He says, “ From it are brought 
sandal-wood, spikenard, and camphor; f .... and in it is a spring that spouteth 
up, the water boiling from it, and near it is a lake, into which it descendeth : what 
remaineth of the sprinkled water in the day becometh white stone, and what re- 
maineth of it in the night becometh black stone.” El-Idreesee (1st Climate, 9th 
Section) describes in it a constantly and exceedingly active volcano. Such a vol¬ 
cano there is in the island called in our maps “ Sumbawa.” 

Note 45. 

The words “where sandal-wood is abundant” are inserted on the authority of 
the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights, and Langl&s’ edition. 

Note 46. 

Here is added in my original, “ and I was submerged at the island, with the 
rest who were submergedbut this was during the First Voyage. 

Note 47. 

Here the master says, that many were drowned at that island, and Es-Sindibdd 
of the Sea among them: but this again refers to the First Voyage. 

Note 48. 

“ Es-Sind” is Western India. 

Note 49. 

El-Kazweenee and Ibn El-Wardee relate, that in the Sea of El-KulzumJ is a 
fish in the form of a cow, which bringeth forth its young and sucklet’h like a cow. 
The Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights, and Langes’ edition, men¬ 
tion these particulars, and add, “ and shields are made of its skin.” The same 
editions also here mention “fish twenty cubits long, a tortoise twenty cubits wide, 

* Hole, page 85. t In EMdreesee, instead of camphor, “clove*." 

t The Red Sea. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

99 

and fish in the form of camels.” The two Arab writers quoted above say, that in 
the Sea of El-Kulzum is a fish twenty cubits long, the back of which is [like] 
excellent tortoise-shell, and it bringeth forth young and suckleth like human beings. 
El-Kazweenee also relates, that in the Sea of China are “ tortoises each twenty 
cubits in [circumference.* Each of them,” he adds, “layeth a thousand eggs: 
arid this is found at the island of Wfik-W&k.”f—But these are too small. Revert 
to Note 8. 

“ The account of these animals,” observes Hole (pp. 90 et seqq.), “ is not to 
be attributed to a licentious exuberance of fancy in the Arabian author. He 
might have seen in jElian (Hist. An. L. xvi. c. xvii.) that tortoises whose shells 
were fifteen cubits in length, and sufficiently large to cover a house, were to be 
found near the island of Taprobane. Pliny (Nat. Hist. L. ix. c. x.) and Strabo 
(Geog. L. xv.) mention the same circumstance: they likewise turn them upside 
down, and say, that men used to row in them as in a boat. Diodorus Siculus adds 
to their testimony, and assures us (B. iii. c. ii.), on the faith of an historian, that 
the Chelonophagi (or shell-fish-eaters) derived a threefold advantage from the tor¬ 
toise, which occasionally supplied them with a roof to their houses, a boat, and a 
dinner. ... I have been informed that boats, made of wicker, and covered with 
a skin, resembling the upper skin of a tortoise, are frequently used for passing 
rivers in different parts of India. May we not suppose that inaccurate observa¬ 
tion, misapprehension, or wilful misrepresentation of the natives, misled in this 
and many other respects the voyagers of antiquity ? Boats of a similar structure 
are to be found in Wales, where they are called Coracles. They appear to be the 
vililia navigia of Pliny, and are supposed to have derived their name from being 
covered with coria or hides. They are mentioned likewise by Caesar and Lucan. 
—The fish like a cow may be intended for the hippopotamus, whose skin, as 
Pliny observes, is scarcely to be penetrated by any missive weapon, and therefore 
may, with great probability, have been used as a covering for bucklers by different 
nations. [Shields, it is said, are made of the hippopotamus’ hide by the Nubians. 
I have a Nubian shield of the hide of the giraffe or hippopotamus (I am not certain 
which), and another of crocodile’s hide.] . . . He observes, that those animals live 
indifferently in rivers, or in the ocean, or on the land. . . . The Manatee, or 
Cowfish, agrees likewise with Es-Sindibad’s account, and is to be found in the 
Mauritius, the Philippine, and the Comori islands: it suckles its young, like the 
seal and porpoise; and the dorsal protuberance of the latter would naturally sug¬ 
gest to Arabian seamen the idea of a camel." 

Note 50. 

A creature with the head of an ass in the Indian Sea is mentioned by Pliny 
(Nat. Hist. L. ix. c. iii.—See Hole, p. 96) ; as well as others with the heads of 
horses, and of bulls : but what could have suggested the idea of the “bird that 
cometh forth from the sea-shell,” unless it were the nautilus, I am unable to 
conjecture. 

Note 51. 

“ Ghool,” here, may signify merely a cannibal. See volume i. page 36. 

• According to Ibn El-Wsrdee, "forty cubits, by their cubit.” 

I Mentioned before, in Note 19 in the present series. 

100 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

Note 52. The Cannibals who stupify and fatten Men, and then eat them. 

The adventure of Es-Sindib&d of the Sea, and hk companions, among these 
cannibals appears to be mainly founded on the following anecdote, related by Ibn 
El-Wardee and El-Kazweenee. In translating it, I avail myself of the narratives 
of both these writers. 

“Among the islands of the Sea of the Zenj (or Ethiopians) is the Island of 
Seks&r.* Yaakoob Ibn Is-h&k, the traveller, saith, I met with a man having many 
scratches on his face, and asked him respecting them, and he said, I went upon the 
sea, and the wind drove me to the Island of Seksar, and we could not depart from it 
on account of the violence of the wind. And there came to us a people whose faces 
were like the faces of dogs, and their bodies like the bodies of men ; and one of 
them came forward to us with a staff, and a party came behind us, and drove us 
to their abodes, where we saw sculls and legs and arms of men. They then took 
us into a house in which was a sick man, and brought us fruits and other food, 
whereupon that man said, They feed you that ye may become fat, and him among 
you who is fat they eat. So I ate little, that I migh t not grow fat; and every one 
of my companions who became fat they ate, until only I and that man remained ; 
for I was lean, and he was ill. And that man said to me, A festival of theirs hath 
arrived, and they all go out to celebrate it, and are absent at it three days: so if 
thou canst make thine escape, do so : but as for me, as thou seest, I am unable to 
move, and cannot flee : see then to thyself. I therefore replied, May God compen¬ 
sate thee with Paradise! I went forth, and journeyed by night, and hid myself in 
the day. And when they returned from their festival, they searched for me, and 
followed my track, and overtook me as I lay beneath a tree; but they quitted 
me.”—This is not the whole of the anecdote; but the remaining portion I reserve 
for a subsequent note ; as it illustrates an incident in the Fifth Voyage. 

Marco Polo’s account of the inhabitants of the Andaman Islands, which he 
calk “ Angaman,” remarkably agrees with what is said above of the canni¬ 
bals of Seks&r; and though this island is described as in the Ethiopian Sea, we 
might almost conclude, from his statement, that, if the anecdote which I have 
just given be not entirely a fiction, its narrator was cast upon one of the Anda¬ 
mans. “The inhabitants [of Angaman],” says the Venetian traveller, “are 
idolaters, and are a most brutish and savage race, having heads, eyes, and teeth, 
resembling those of the canine species. Their dispositions are cruel, and every 
person, not being of their own nation, whom they can lay their hands upon, they 
kill and eat.”f—Our author might perhaps also have heard of an island in the 
Sea of India, called the Island of El-Kasr (or the Pavilion), on which, as related 
by El-Kazweenee, is a white pavilion, and whoever enters this, sleep and insensibi¬ 
lity overcome him, and the inhabitants take him.—But several circumstances 
connected with the adventures of Es-Sindibdd on the island of the cannibals seem 
rather to point out Sumatra as the scene; and I think it most probable that this 
island is meant by “ Seksdr.”J Hole observes (page 111), “Notwithstanding the 
striking similarity between the inhabitants of the Andamans and Es-SindMd’s 

* The orthography of this name is doubtful; the signs which would fix it being omitted. 

t Marsden’s translation, page 619. 

t In the passage which describes Seksar as in the Sea of the Zenj, a copyist may perhaps have put 
“ Zenj,” for “ ZAnij ” (a name of Borneo), upon which Sumatra is said to have been dependant. See 
the third paragraph of Note 12 in the present series. This error in transcription appears, beyond a 
doubt, to have been made in one case which I have shewn in a former note, No. 17. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

101 

negroes, other circumstances render it more probable that he was wrecked on the 
coast of Sumatra. Some old voyagers mention a stupifying, or rather inebriating, 
vegetable as peculiar to it: others say that it was customary with its inhabitants to 
fatten children in order to eat them. The Mohammadan travellers in the ninth 
century describe them as cannibals, and those of the kingdom of Batta continue so 
to this day.—‘ In Lamaray ’ (Sumatra), says Mandeville, ‘ is a cursed custom, 
for thei eaten more gladly mannes flesche than any other flesche. . . . Thidre 
gon marchauntes, and bryngen with hem children, to selle to hem of the contree, 
and thei byzen [buy] hem: and zif thei ben fatte, thei eten hem anon: and zif 
thei ben lene, thei feden hem, tille thei ben fatte, and thanne thei eten hem.’” 
(Page 214.) 

The food which stupified the companions of Es-Sindibad we may suppose to 
have been mixed with hemp, henbane, hellebore, datura, or opium ; all of which 
are often used in various countries of the East for this purpose, though more 
frequently to induce a pleasurable intoxication. Hole remarks (page 126), that 
“Davis who sailed to Sumatra in the year 1599, says, ' In this country there is a 
kind of seed, whereof a little being eaten, maketh a man to turn fool, all things 
seeming to him to be metamorphosed.’”—“Dampier," also, he observes, “men¬ 
tions that the inhabitants of Sumatra ‘ make use of a certain herb like hemp, 
called Ganga or Bang, which, if infused in any liquor, exerts its operation upon 
those that taste it after a very odd manner, according to their different constitutions; 
for some it stupifies, others it makes sleepy, others merry, and some quite mad.’ ” 
The term “ benj,” or “ beng,” is applied by the Arabs both to hemp and henbane : 
the former, from the effects above described, appears to be here meant. Dampier 
might have been ignorant of the intoxicating property of hemp, and therefore pru¬ 
dently used the words “ like hemp.”—It is scarcely necessary to add, that Sumatra 
abounds with cocoa-nuts. 

Note 53. 

“ Ea-Sindibad’s travelling eight days [or seven days and nights] before he finds 
white men on another part of the coast will not agree with the contracted size of 
the Andaman or Nicobar islands.... Pepper is the common product of the Sunda 
islands, and more peculiarly so of Sumatra.” (Hole, page 130.) 

Note 54. 

The words “ with all her apparel and ornaments and wealth” I have inserted on 
the authority of the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights, and Langles’ 
edition. 

Note 55. 

The name of the island where the living spouse was buried with the dead is not 
mentioned; but we may suppose it to be not far from Sumatra. That such a cus¬ 
tom prevailed in any of the Eastern islands or elsewhere, the reader will not expect 
to be proved: but the burial of the living husband with the dead wife, in a city 
beyond an extensive desert on the northern frontiers of India, is mentioned in 
another Oriental romance.* Mandeville, also, “ mentions, that in ‘ the yle of Cala- 
nak [“ an island supposed to be not very remote from Java,”) and consequently 
perhaps the island where this custom is said to have prevailed in our story], zif a 

• See Forbes’s translation of the “ Adventures of Hatim Tai," page 153. 
t Hole, page 92. 

102 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

man that is maryed dye, men buryen his wif with him alle quyk.’ .... Mr. Grose, 
likewise, in his Voyage to the East Indies, in 1745, says, that among a particular caste 
of Indians, a plate of rice, a jar of water, and the cloaths and jewels a wife wore when 
alive, were buried with her. But he farther informs us, that the husband usually 
divested her of the latter before the grave was filled up.” (Hole, page 139.) 
Perhaps, then, our author might have heard some account of the custom which he 
here describes; or merely the Hindoo practice of burning the widow with the 
corpse of her husband may have suggested to him the idea. 

Note 56. 

My sheykh observes that this is a mistake, unless it be meant that the women, 
because they were weaker than the men, had a larger stock of provision. In the 
Breslau edition we read here “ a mug of water and seven cakes of bread,” as usual. 

Note 57. 

Hole remarks (page 140), that Es-Sindibdd’s escape “may have been suggested 
by an incident that took place in a very early period of Grecian history, relative to 
Aristomenes, the Messenian general, who was taken prisoner by the Spartans, and 
with fifty of his countrymen precipitated into a deep, gloomy cavern. All the others 
were killed by the fall; and for three days he lay almost dead with hunger and 
with the stench of corrupted carcases, when he perceived a fox near him, gnawing 
a dead body. With one hand he caught it by the hind leg, and with the other 
held its jaw when it attempted to bite him. Following, as well as he could, his 
struggling guide to the narrow crevice at which he entered, he there let him go, 
and soon forced himself a passage through it to the welcome face of day.” 

Note 58. 

This and the next two sentences I insert from Langles' edition. 

Note 59. 

Of “ the Island of the Bell" I find no mention in any other work. May it not 
be the island mentioned in Note 17 in the present series? The original meaning 
of the word which I have rendered “ bell” (namely “ nfikoos”) is, a wooden instru¬ 
ment used by the Eastern Christians to announce the times of prayer, consisting of 
two pieces of wood of unequal lengths, which were knocked together. The noisy 
island of Bart&il might therefore not inaptly be called “ the Island of the Ndkoos.” 

Note 60. 

The orthography of this name is uncertain, as the signs that would fix it are 
omitted. It is evidently the “ Cala” and « Kulleh” in the fourth paragraph of 
Note 12 in the present series; which see. For the word/ 1 Kingdom,” afterwards 
occurring, we may read “ seat of governmentand for “ a mine of lead,” it appears 
that we should read “a mine of tin.” 

Note 61. 

In the (Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights, this is called “ the City 
of El-Abfiteel,” that is “-of Vanities.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

103 

Note 62 .—The Egg of the Rukh / , and the consequence of breaking it. 

Ibn El-Wardee, after having given the brief notice which I have quoted in 
Note 22 in the present series, respecting the Island of the Rukh', and the bird after 
which it was named, on the authority of 'Abd Er-Rahm&n El-Maghrabee, relates 
two anecdotes of this man, both of which are included among the historical anecdotes 
of the Cairo edition of the Thousand and One Nights. Of the former I have given a 
translation in page 600 of the second volume of this work. The latter I omitted 
there that I might not anticipate the adventures of Es-Sindibdd to which this note, 
and the one above referred to, relate. It is given in Ibn El-Wardee’s work as fol¬ 
lows, and nearly in the same words in the Thousand and One Nights, in both 
works as related by ’Abd Er-Rahmdn El-Maghrabee. 

“ He said that he made a voyage in the Sea of China, and the wind drove them 
to a great, large, wide island, where the people of the ship landed to procure water 
and fire-wood, taking with them axes and ropes and water-skins, and he was with 
them. And they saw upon the island a dome, white, of enormous size, shining, 
glistening, more than a hundred cubits high. So they went towards it and 
approached it, and lo, it was an egg of the rukh'. They began to strike it with the 
axes and with masses of rock and with wood, until it broke, and disclosed the 
young rukh', which was like a firm mountain ; and they caught hold of a feather 
of its wing, and pulled it; whereupon it became dissevered from the wing ; and 
the formation of the feathers was not complete. After this they killed the bird, 
and carried away as much as they could of its flesh. They also cut off the lower 
portion of the feather, from the extremity of the quill-part, and departed. And 
some of those who entered the island had cooked of the flesh, and eaten. Among 
these were old men with white beards; and when they arose in the morning, they 
found that their beards had become black ; and not one of the people who ate be¬ 
came grey after that: wherefore they said, that the stick with which they stirred 
what was in the pot of the flesh of the young rukh' was of the tree of youth : but 
God is all-knowing. And when the sun rose, and the people were in the ship, and 
she was proceeding with them, lo, the rukh' [the old bird] approached, coming 
down like a vast cloud, having in its claw a fragment of a mountain, like an enor¬ 
mous house, and bigger than the ship. And when it came over the ship, in the 
sky, it cast down the stone upon her, and upon those who were in her. But the 
ship was swift in her course ; so she got before the stone, which fell into the sea, 
and its fall occasioned a most terrible commotion in the sea. God, says the nar¬ 
rator, decreed us safety, and delivered us from destruction." 

The above anecdote is also related by Ed-Demeeree, who died, according to 
D’Herbelot, in the year of the Flight 808 (a.d. 1405-6), and apparently with 
little variation, judging from a Latin translation of it by Bochart (Hierozoicon, 
vol. ii. p. 854), which Hole has quoted. 

Note 63. 

The word which I have rendered “a streamlet” (namely “ s&kiyeh”) is also 
applied to a water-wheel for irrigation, and is used in this sense in my original and 
in the Breslau edition; but not so in the two other editions that I have by me 
We must suppose that there were no men who could make use of a water-wheel in 
this part. 

104 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

Note 64. — The Old Man of the Sea. 

I must now continue the anecdote commenced in Note 52 in the present series, 
describing the adventures of a man upon an island which, as there stated, I sup¬ 
pose to be Sumatra. 

“ Being then secure from them, I journeyed over that island, night and day, 
and came at last to trees bearing fruits, beneath which were men of handsome 
form, but without bones in their legs. I sat, and I understood not their language, 
nor did they understand mine; and I was not aware of it before one of them 
mounted on my neck, wound his legs round my throat, and urged me to rise. So I 
rose with him, and strove to release myself from him, and to throw him down from 
me; but I could not; and he began to scratch my face with his sharp nails. I 
therefore proceeded to carry him about among the trees, and he ate of their fruits, 
and fed his companions, who laughed at me. But while I was bearing him 
about among the trees, a thorn of a tree entered his eye, and he became 
blind. Then I pressed for him some grapes,* and said to him, Stoop. And he 
stooped; whereupon his legs became loosened from me, and I threw him down 
from my neck, and departed, and God saved me by his grace. And these 
scratches were made by him.” 

El-Kazweenee also mentions, in the kh&timeh (or conclusion) of his work, that 
in the island in which is a people with faces like the faces of dogs, that is, the 
island which is said to have been the scene of the adventure above related, “ there 
is a people in the form of men, like the handsomest existing, and there is no bone 
in their legs.” He adds, “They drag themselves along; and when they find a 
man walking, they leap upon his neck, and fold their legs upon that walking man; 
and if the latter strive to throw down the man upon his neck, he scratcheth him 
upon his face, and he curbeth him as one of us curbeth his beast.” 

But in another place, in his account of animals of the water, he gives a some¬ 
what different account of “the Old Man of the Sea;” as follows.—“The water¬ 
man resembleth a man, saving that he hath a tail... . One of them was found in 
our time dried, and was shewn to the people, and his form was as we have described 
it. It is related, that from the Sea of Syria, sometimes, there cometh up from the 
water to the abode of men [a creature in] the form of a man, having a white beard, 
and they name it the Old Man of the Sea, and it remaineth some days, without 
descending ; and when the people see it, they rejoice in expectation of plenty. It 
is also related, that a water-man was brought to one of the Kings, who desired to 
know his condition : so he married a woman to him, and they had a son who 
understood the languages of both his parents. And it was said to the son, What 
saith thy father ? To which he answered, He saith. The tails of all [other] animals 
are on the lower part of their bodies: how then is it that the tails of these are upon 
their faces?”—This important observation of the water-man does not confirm what 
is said before, that this creature hath a white beard: but the above account was 
apparently founded on the fact of the exhibition of the dried water-man. 

Is it not highly probable that this dried Old Man of the Sea was one of the 
apes mentioned in a former note, No. 38 in the present series ? And does not this 
strengthen the opinion that Sumatra is the island of this creature ? Es-Sindibid’s 
next adventure after his escape from the Old Man of the Sea also appears to me to 

* The pressing of the grapes is mentioned by El-Kazweenee, but not by Ibn El-Wardee. 1 think it 
has been inserted in the work of the former by some copyist. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

105 

confirm this opinion. I agree with Hole in the latter of the two conjectures which 
he thus states (as well as in the inference he thence draws.)—“ I would willingly 
suppose the phrase ‘ of the sea’ to he an addition of the translator, not countenanced 
by the original; or that it was applied to Es-Sindib&d’s persecutor merely on 
account of his insular abode, or usual appearance by the sea-side.—If either of 
these conjectures,” he adds, “be allowed, we may pronounce him, without any 
hesitation, to be an Ourang Outan. It is to be observed, that he never speaks, 
but expresses his meaning by gesticulation; he lives on fruits; the skin of his legs 
resembles that of a cow [or buffalo] ; and his winding them round Es-Sindibad’s 
neck is consistent with the pliability of limb belonging to that animal: even his 
draining the calabash, in imitation of Es-Sindib&d, is characteristic of our humili¬ 
ating copyists.”* 

Two stories similar to that of Es-Sindib&d and the Old Man of the Sea occur in 
two other Eastern romances. One I have met with in the romance of Seyf Zu-1- 
Yezen. Two of Seyf’s companions are related to have fallen into the power of the 
monsters above mentioned, whom they intoxicated, and thus they effected their 
liberation. This romance, I was told in Cairo, is much older than the Thousand 
and One Nights.—The other story, which was pointed out to me by Dr. W. C. 
Taylor, is in the Adventures of CfimarUpa. See pages 72—81 of the translation 
by Franklin, who shews, in a note, the prevalence of a belief in the existence of the 
monsters in question, whom his author calls “ Duwil P&y&n,” that is, “ men with 
slender and pliant legs,” or, as he renders the words, “men with leathern feet.” 
I find them described in Richardson’s Dictionary (Johnson’s edition), as, “ a 
people in India, who, according to Castellus, have legs thin and ductile, like 
leathern straps : they pretend to be lame, and importune travellers to carry them 
on their backs ; which proves fatal to such whose compassion induces them to com¬ 
ply ; as the villains twist their legs round their necks, and instantly strangle them.” 
And here I may appropriately add an extract from No. 47 of the Foreign Quarterly 
Review, before referred to.—“ In the story of Sindbad, many of the incidents which 
are attributed to the Greeks were undoubtedly borrowed by them from Persia; and 
the fabulous deduction assuredly sprung from an historical fact. Thus, as noted 
on a former occasion, the Old Man of the Sea, simply signifies the chief (sar) of 
the sea or lake (yangi), f. e. of the coast;—and there is no greater perversion in 
the translation than in that of sheykh, used sometimes as chief, sometimes as old 
man, or elder, (so too our eoldermann) as in patriarchal countries. The same com¬ 
pound word, sar-yangi, is obviously the name preserved by Arrian, and Quintus 
Curtins, as Zarangae, a Scytho-Persic tribe. This singular identity is established by 
the fact that the Avari, or shepherds, of our Indian frontier, Scyths also, are in a 
vulgar tradition represented as riding upon the conquered inhabitants; while the 
buskin, mentioned (if we remember rightly, by Herodotus) as the appendage of 
the Scythian tribes, at once explains the phantasy of the leather legs of these man¬ 
bestriding Ancients.” (Pages 145 and 146.) May not the name of the Old Man 
of the Sea have originated hence and been transferred by the Arabs to a kind of 
Ape, which they imagined a man? That they applied this name to an ape I 
cannot doubt. 

Note 65. 

The City of the Apes appears to be in the Island of Apes, which I suppose to 
* Pages 151 and 152. 

VOL. III. 

P 

106 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

be Sumatra. See above, Note 38. If Es-Sindib£d’s adventures during bis Fifth 
Voyage were founded on the experience and reports of a single navigator, and 
agreed with the account of the latter in the order of events, there would still be, 
here, nothing inconsistent with what immediately precedes ; as a person might be 
several “ days and nights” in passing from one part of Sumatra to another. What 
follows, too, is especially applicable to this island. 

Note 66. 

Hole mentions (page 157), on the authority of Grossier’s Description of China, 
a similar mode of gathering tea, said to be practised in that country; and 
Chinese drawings confirming the account. I have myself likewise seen paintings 
in ancient Egyptian tombs representing the mode of gathering fruit by means of 
tame monkeys. See an engraving of one of these designs in the invaluable work on 
the Ancient Egyptians by Sir Gardner Wilkinson, vol. ii. page 150. 

Note 67. 

This, as Hole observes, might be any of the islands near the straits of Sunda. 
The cinnamon is mentioned only in one of the four editions that I have of the 
original. In the Breslau edition, for “cinnamon” we have “cloves.” 

Note 68. 

El-Kazweenee say3 of the pepper-vine, that when the sun becomes hot upon the 
bunches of pepper, leaves fold over each bunch, that it may not be burnt by the 
sun; and when the sun is withdrawn from it, the leaves are also, that it may 
receive the zephyr; but I remember to have seen, somewhere in the work of El- 
Idreesee, an account agreeing with that of our author. 

Note 69. 

In Langles’ edition, this is called the Island of El-Kam4ree; and in the same 
edition, after mentioning the aloes-wood, it is added, “ its inhabitants prohibit for¬ 
nication and wine.” This is also added in the Calcutta edition of the first two 
hundred Nights, which does not mention the name of the island. Hence it is 
evident that the name should be KamAr (respecting which see Note 12 in the pre¬ 
sent series) ; for in the “Accounts of India and China” (before quoted), the same 
remark is made (page 64) of the inhabitants of the island or country so called. 

Note 70. 

I read “ Sanfee” for “ Seenee” (or “ Chinese”). See again the note just 
referred to, fifth paragraph. But if what I have there said, respecting the position 
of Sanf, be correct, an Arab writer might regard this country as a part of China, and 
I have shewn that El-Idreesee calls it “ a Chinese island” (or peninsula). In 
Langles’ edition, the Sanfee aloes-wood is mentioned as the product of the Island 
of “ El-KamAree.” 

Note 71. 

In the Breslau edition, these remarks are applied to the inhabitants of the 
Island of the Kamaree aloes-wood. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

ior 

Note 72. 

The word which I render “ bay” i3 “ birkeh.” It generally signifies a lake or 
pool ; but is also applied to a bay (ex. gr. “ Birket Far’oon,” or “ Pharaoh’s Bay,” 
in the Red Sea), and to a reach of a river. There is a pearl-fishery “ in the gulf 
of a bay that lies between Maabar [the southernmost part of India] and the island 
of Zeilan [or Ceylon],”* in the course of Es-Sindibdd’s homeward voyage. 

Note 73. 

Or rather a peninsula, as the sequel will shew; for it afterwards appears that 
the vessel was wrecked upon the coast of Ceylon, though, as Hole remarks, it 
would be no easy matter to find the particular spot here described. The author 
seems, in this case, to have given the reins to his imagination, and scarcely to have 
curbed it on any occasion until his mention, by name, of the island of Sarandeeb, 
or Ceylon. 

Note 74. 

The introduction of the words here inserted between crotchets is justified by 
what follows in the text.—In the old version, the stream of sweet water here men¬ 
tioned is said to run out of the sea. But in this passage, I think Galland has mis¬ 
taken the sense of his original: in the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred 
Nights, and in Langles’ edition, the stream, or river, is described as coming forth 
from the sea-side. Hole mentions submarine springs of fresh water in the Per¬ 
sian Gulf, near El-Bahreyn, on the authority of Ives and Chardin. 

Note 75. 

So in Langles’ edition. In the Cairo edition, “ Chinese,” as in a former in¬ 
stance. The reading of the Breslau edition is “ good aloes-wood."—What is said of 
the abundance of jewels in this place is founded upon truth. Marco Polo observes 
(Book iii. chap. 19), that the island of Ceylon “ products more beautiful and 
valuable rubies than are found in any other part of the world, and likewise sap¬ 
phires, topazes, amethysts, garnets, and many other precious and costly stones.” 
And his learned translator, Mr. Marsden, adds, “ Mr. Cordiner enumerates, as the 
production of Ceylon, the ruby, emerald, topaz, amethyst, sapphire, cat's-eye or 
opal, cinnamon-stone or garnet, agate, sardonix, and some others.” Ancient 
authors also give similar accounts of the natural riches of this island, called by 
them “ Taprobane.” 

Note 76. 

Through an opening, we may suppose, in the mountain.—In the old version, 
this spring is called “ a sort of fountain of pitch or bitumen;" and Hole remarks 
(pages 168—171), “The fountain of pitch and bitumen is not to be objected 
against. Similar ones existed on the banks of the Euphrates at a place called Eit 
or Ait [properly, Heet], about five days’journey from ancient Babylon, and two 
'from modern Babylon or Bagdad.’ . . . If we are to credit Bartholomew de 

Argensola, we must consider Es-Sindib&d as merely stating a well-known matter of 
fact: for he assures us, that in Ceylon were ‘ springs of liquid bitumen thicker 
than our oil, and some of pure balsam.' ” El-Idreesee (1st Climate, close of 7th 

• MarsdeiPs Marco Polo, page 62S. 

108 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

Section) says, that ambergris is a substance which flows from sources at the bottom 
of the sea, as naphtha flows from the sources of Heet. 

Note 77. 

In the original, “ el-hawaish” (plural of h&isheh”). My sheykh, in a marginal 
note, explains that this term is applied to “ such creatures as the crocodile and 
buffalo and terrific things that come forth from the sea: but as to common fish,” he 
adds, “ they are not so called.” The author seems to have intended to allude to 
the whale, of which El-Kazweenee, describing it under the name of “ Ml,” says, 
that some of the Zenj (or Ethiopians) catch it, and take forth from it ambergris. 

Note 78. 

It is added in my original, “ and no one can ascend that mountainbut we 
are told that Es-Sindibad and his companions did. It should rather have been said, 
“ and no ship can approach it in safety.” 

“ In regard to the ambergris which the waves threw on the beach, it may be 
observed,” says Hole (page 171), “ that ‘the Mohammadan traveller* [of the ninth 
century] mentions a particular species of it which was frequently cast by the sea 
on the Barbarian and Indian coasts; which swam in great lumps, and, when swal¬ 
lowed by certain fish of the whale kind, destroyed them.’ f Renaudot, in his 
observations, says, that ‘ these authors thought with some of the ancients that it 
grew like a plant at the bottom of the sea;’ and that another asserted, ‘it rose in 
springs I like pitch and bitumen.’ He quotes another who observes, that ‘ one sort 
of it was black like pitch, soft, and often ill-scented, because, as the inhabitants 
report, whales and other fishes, and even birds, swallow it as often as they see it 
floating on the surface.’§—These circumstances, which the author of the tale 
might have heard but not thoroughly understood, suggested possibly the idea in the 
text of the supposed metamorphosis these inflammatory substances underwent by 
being lodged for a short period in the stomach of a fish. Ambergris is said 
to abound chiefly in those seas that are inhabited by the spermaceti-whale, and is 
often found in the body and the excrements of that animal. Yet many naturalists 
agree in opinion with the Mohammadan traveller, and imagine it to be a fossil or 
vegetable substance, which, when devoured by the whale, throws it into a state of 
torpidity and sickness.”—El-Kazweenee says, some persons assert that ambergris 
comes from a spring in the sea, like bitumen; others, that it is a kind of dew; 
and others, that it is from an animal of the water. He adds, that it is not denied 
that the sea throws it up on the shore; and states, that the sea of the Zenj (or 
Ethiopians) throws up large masses, the largest being a thousand mithkdls; || that 
it is often found in the belly of the sea-fish; and that the fish which eats it dies. 
—It is mostly found on the eastern shores of Africa, and on the shores of the ad¬ 
jacent islands. Sir Gardner Wilkinson has just shewn me a cylindrical lump of 
ambergris three inches and a quarter in length, and one inch and a half in dia¬ 
meter, which he found on the western shore of the Red Sea, at Jebel ez-Zeyk 
He was informed by the Arabs that similar, but smaller, lumps were often found 
there. 

♦ One of the two travellers so often cited in these notes. 

+ Page 94. % Notes, page 64. § Idem, page 68. 

|| About twelve pounds and a half, Apothecaries* weight. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

109 

Note 79. 

This is not unfrequently done in similar cases. See my work on the Modern 
Egyptians, vol. ii. chap, xv., first paragraph. 

Note 80. 

Here, and afterwards, I read “kelek” for “ fulk,” as in a former instance. In 
Langles’ edition, and the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights, what is 
called a boat in the edition of Cairo is sometimes termed a boat and sometimes 
a raft (“ kelek,” and “ remes,” for “ remeth” ). 

Note 81. 

Because, by being drowned, he would die a martyr. See Note 88 to Chapter iii. 

Note 82. 

Here again I read “ Sanfee” for “ Seenee,” or Chinese. 

Note 83. 

In the Romance of Seyf Zu-l-Yezen, mentioned before, I find a similar story of 
a subterranean river, and a voyage upon it, which may have suggested this incident 
to our author; or perhaps, as Hole observes, the idea may have been taken from 
the fact that the river Zendarood passes under the earth from Ispahan to Kirman.* 

Note 84. 

The words “ who was the King of Sarandeeb" («. e. Ceylon) are in the Calcutta 
edition of the first two hundred Nights, and in Langlds’ edition; but not in the 
editions of Cairo and Breslau. 

Note 85. 

For the remainder of this voyage, and the whole of the next (which is the last), 
I follow the text of the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights, and occa¬ 
sionally that of Langlfes’ edition ; for in the Cairo edition, and in that of Breslau 
also, the latter part of the Sixth Voyage is less amply related, and the Seventh is 
altogether very different from that in the old version. I therefore think it better 
to subjoin a translation of the Seventh Voyage as related in the Cairo edition to 
the present series of notes. 

Note 86. 

Though this is far from the truth, Diodorus Siculus and Ptolemy have said the 
same of this island, the ancient Taprohane. See Hole, page 176. 

Note 87. 

Es-Sindib&d’s brief description of Sarandeeb (or Ceylon) has been amply 
illustrated by Hole, pages 178—187. Its jewels I have already noticed; and I 
shall only add a few words respecting its great mountain, called by the Arabs 
“ Er-RAhoonand by Europeans, “Adam’s Peak." The Arabs say, that when 

• See Also the third paragraph of Note 1 in the present series. 

110 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

our first parents were cast down from Paradise, Adam fell upon this mountain; and 
Eve, near Juddah (commonly called Jiddeli), the port of Mekkeh. They also say, 
that on the summit of the said mountain is the print of Adam’s foot; and that, 
when one of his feet was on this spot, the other was in the sea. 

Note 88. 

This word I find only in Langles’ edition, and what animal is meant by it I 
know not. Hole states (page 192), on the authority of a gentleman who long 
resided in the East Indies, that “ the skin of the hog-deer, a beautiful and uncom¬ 
mon animal found at Prince's island in the straits of Sunda, is of a yellowish 
colour when alive, and might easily be dressed as yellow parchment.” 

Note 89. 

The elephants of Ceylon are said to be the best in the world, 
page 194. 

Note 90. 

See Hole, 

The belief in the sanative properties of a serpent’s skin is a superstition 
of ancient times, and still prevailing, as shewn by Hole, pages 204 and 205. 
El-Kazweenee says, “ In the sea of the Zenj (or Ethiopians) is the island of 
Ed-D6da (i. e. Vociferation), which is a white island,* whence are heard vocifer¬ 
ation and clamour. No one of mankind dwelleth in it; but sometimes the sailors 
have entered it, and drunk of its water, which they have found sweet and good, 
and having the odour of camphor; and they say, ‘ We know not its extremity; but 
near it are great mountains, wherein burneth by night a great fire.’ They have 
related also, that on its shores a serpent appeareth once every year, and the Kings 
of the Zenj find death in taking it; and when they have taken it, they cook it, 
and make, of its skin, beds, upon which the person who is afflicted with .elephan¬ 
tiasis f sitteth, and so becometh cured of his disease : and that [skin] is found in 
the treasuries of Kings.”—Serpents that swallow the elephant have been mentioned 
in Note 12 (3rd paragraph) and Note 43, in the present series. 

Note 91. 

This ceremony is consistent with what we read in the “ Accounts of India and 
China,” page 31. “ When a King dies in the Island of Sarandeeb, they lay his 

body on a car, in such a manner that his head hangs backwards till it almost 
touches the ground, and his hair is upon the earth; and this car is followed by a 
woman with a broom in her hand, therewith to sweep dust on the face of the 
deceased, while she cries out with a loud voice, ‘ O men! behold your King who 
was yesterday your master; but now the empire he exercised over you is vanished 
and gone. He is reduced to the state you behold, having left the world; and the 
arbiter of death hath withdrawn his soul. Reckon therefore no more upon the 
uncertain hopes of life.’ ” 

Note 92. 

Es-Suweys is the town commonly called by us “ Suez.” 

• Ibn El-Wardee gives a similar account of this island and its wonders; but says here, “in it is a 
city of white stone, wherein is no inhabitant.” 
t In Ibn El-Wardee, “ consumption.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

Ill 

Note 93. 

“ The Table of Suleymdn” I suppose to be a figure engraved in the cup. The 
figure called the Seal of Suleymdn* is often engraved in the bottom of a drinking- 
cup.—The word rendered “carpets,” in the same passage, is “zawalee.” I have 
so rendered it conjecturally, judging from the manner in which 1 have found it 
used in other instances, where it expressly denotes either carpets or mattresses of 
some kind. I suppose it to be the same as “ zelalee.” 

Note 94. 

I do not know any book having this title; but similar titles are borne by many 
Oriental works. 

Note 95. 

Here and afterwards I have taken the liberty of writing “ teeth" for “bones.” 
— And now I must insert one more extract from Hole’s learned and entertaining 
“ Remarks.” 

“ Nothing material occurs in the last voyage, this instance of the elephant's 
sagacity excepted. They had slain, it appears, many former slaves employed 
in the same office Es-Sindibdd had undertaken; but finding no end to their perse¬ 
cution, and being aware of its cause, they adopted this judicious method of sup¬ 
pressing the merchants’ hostilities, which proceeded solely from their avarice: and 
it were devoutly to be wished that this was a solitary instance of warfare origin¬ 
ating from the same principle.—This story relative to the half-reasoning elephant is 
sufficiently consonant to European as well as Asiatic ideas concerning him, to vindi¬ 
cate the author from the charge of extravagance. We find an anecdote in Topsell’s 
Gesner (page 152) which likewise represents these animals as equally sensible of 
the value which mankind set on their teeth; and, therefore, when they dropped 
out, which was commonly the case every tenth year, they carefully covered them 
with earth, to hide them from the view of their persecutors.”f—Hole afterwards 
shews, “ that the elephants of Piiny and Es-Sindibdd were equally conscious of the 
value which mankind set on their teeth.” J 

Note 96. 

For the reason given in a former note, I here subjoin a translation of 

The Seventh Voyage of Es-Sindibad of the Sea as related in the Cairo Edition 
of the Thousand and One Nights. 

Know, O company, said Es-Sindib&d of the Sea, that when I returned from the 
sixth voyage, and resumed my former life of enjoyment and pleasure and sport and 
merriment, I remained thus for a length of time in uninterrupted joy and happi¬ 
ness night and day; and had acquired abundant gains and great profits. Then my 
soul again longed for diversion in other countries, and voyaging upon the sea, and 
associating with the merchants, and hearing news. So 1 resolved upon that I 
packed up bales suited for the sea, consisting of costly commodities, and conveyed 
them from the city of Baghdad to the city of El-Basrah, where I saw a ship pre¬ 
pared for a voyage, and in her was a company of .great merchants. I therefore 

* Sec Note 11 to Chapter ill. 

f Pages 2M and 215. 

I Page 217. 

112 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

embarked with them, and made myself familiar with them, and we set forth in 
safety and health on our voyage. The wind was fair to us until we arrived at a 
city called the city of China, • and we were in the utmost joy and happiness, con¬ 
versing together on travel and commerce. But while we were in this state, a 
stormy wind arose from the quarter a-head of the ship, and there fell upon us a 
violent rain, by which we were wetted, and our bales also: wherefore we covered 
the bales with felt and canvass, fearing that the goods would be spoiled by the 
rain; and we began to supplicate God (whose name be exalted!) and to humble 
ourselves before Him, that He might remove the affliction that had befallen us. 
And thereupon the master of the ship arose, and tightened his girdle and tucked 
up his clothes, and ascended the mast. Then he turned his eyes to the right and 
left, after which he looked at the people of the ship, and slapped his face and 
plucked his beard. So we said, O master, what is the news ? And he answered 
us, Seek ye of God (whose name be exalted!) escape from the peril into which we 
have fallen, and weep for yourselves, and bid one another farewell; for know that 
the wind hath prevailed against us, and cast us into the furthest of the seas of the 
world. The master then descended from the mast-head, and opened his chest, and 
took forth from it a cotton bag, which he untied, and he took out of it some dust like 
ashes, moistened this with water, and, having waited over it a little, he smelt it; 
after which he took forth from that chest a small book, and read in it, and said to us, 
Know, O ye passengers, that in this book is a wonderful property, indicating that 
whosoever arriveth at this region, he will not escape from it, but will perish; for 
this region is called the Clime of the Kings,f and in it is the tomb of our lord 
Suleym&n the son of D&ood (on both of whom be peace!), % in which are serpents 
of enormous size and of terrible appearance; and whatsoever ship arriveth at this 
region, there cometh up to her from the sea a great fish, which swalloweth her 
with all that she contained). 

So when we heard these words from the master, we wondered extremely at his 
account; and he had not finished his speech to us, when the ship began to rise 
with us from the water, and then to descend, and we heard a great cry, like the 
loud-pealing thunder, whereat we were struck with terror, and became as dead 
men, making sure, at that moment, of destruction. Andlo, a great fish approached 
the ship, like a lofty mountain, and we were terrified at it. We wept for ourselves 
with a violent weeping, and prepared for death, and were looking at that great 
fish, wondering at its terrible formation, when lo, another great fish approached us; 

* In the Breslau edition, this city is not mentioned. 

t In the Breslau edition, “the Clime of the King.” 

t The learned among the Muslims are divided in opinion respecting the situation of the tomb of 
Solomon the son of David. Some say, that it is in Jerusalem, and that he and his father were buried 
in one tomb: others, that it is on the shore of the Lake of Tiberias. But a statement professedly resting 
on high authority agrees with that in our text. The following is an abstract of the Prophet's reply, on 
this subject, to a question put to him by some Jews, as given in the history of Et-Tabaree.—The tomb 
of Suleyman is in the midst of a sea, which forms part of the great sea, in a palace excavated in a rock. 
This palace contains a throne, on which Suleyman is placed, with the royal ring on his finger, appearing 
as though he were still alive, protected by twelve guardians, night and day. No one hath arrived at 
his tomb excepting two persons, ’Afftn and Bulookiya [whose adventures are fully related in a tale of the 
Thousand and One Nights, mentioned at the close of my notes to Chapter xixj. ’Affta went to seek 
for the seal of Suleyman, and took Bulookiya as his companion. With extreme pains they arrived at 
the spot above mentioned, and ’Affan was about to carry off the ring, when a thunderbolt struck and 
consumed him. So Buloolriya returned. Suleyman was home on his throne to this place, after his 
death, by the Jinn. ( Dubeux’t “ Chronique ie Tabari," printed for the Oriental Translation Fund, 
tome i. pp. 56 et 57.) 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

113 

and we had not beheld aught more monstrous than it, nor anything greater. Upon 
this, therefore, we bade one another farewell, weeping for ourselves. And lo, a 
third great fish approached, and it was greater than the two that had come to us 
before it. So we became without memory and without understanding, and our 
minds were stupified by the violence of our fear and terror. Then these three 
great fishes began to compass the ship, and the third fish darted down to swallow 
the ship with all that was in her. But lo, there arose a great wind, whereupon the 
ship rose, and fell upon a great reef, and went to pieces ; all the planks were sepa¬ 
rated, and all the bales, and the merchants and other passengers, were submerged 
in the sea. I therefore pulled off all the clothes that were upon me excepting one 
garment, and swam a little, and reached one of the planks of the ship, and caught 
hold of it. Then I got upon it and bestrode it, and the waves and the wind 
sported with me upon the face of the water, while I kept grasping that plank. 
The waves carried me up and down, and I was in a state of the most violent dis¬ 
tress and fear and hunger and thirst. I began to blame myself for that which I 
had done; my soul was weary after enjoying ease, and I said to myself, O Sindi- 
bad of the Sea, thou repentedst not; and every time thou sufferest troubles and 
fatigue, yet repentest not of voyaging upon the sea; and if thou sayest that thou 
repentest, thou liest: suffer then all that thou meetest with ; for thou deservest all 
that happeneth to thee. All this, I added, is decreed to befall me by God (whose 
name be exalted !) that I may relinquish my covetousness; and this that I suffer is 
occasioned by my covetousness ; for I had abundant wealth.—Then I returned to 
my reason, and said, Verily, in this voyage, I turn unto God (whose name be 
exalted !) sincerely repenting of travel, and I will never again in my life mention 
it with my tongue, nor in my mind. I ceased not to humble myself before God 
(whose name be exalted!), and to weep; and afterwards I reflected in my mind 
upon my former state of ease and happiness and sport and merriment and joy. 
Thus I continued the first day and the second day, until I landed upon a great 
island, wherein were many trees and rivers. So I ate of the fruits of those trees, 
and drank of the water of those rivers, until I was revived, and my soul returned 
to me, and my energy was strengthened, and my bosom expanded. 

I then walked along the island, and I beheld, in its opposite side, a great river 
of sweet water, running with a strong current, whereupon I remembered the affair 
of the raft* upon which I was before, and said within myself, I must make for me 
a raft like it, and perhaps I may escape from this predicament. If I so escape, 
my desire is attained, and I turn unto God (whose name be exalted!) repenting 
of travel; and if I perish, my heart is relieved from fatigue and distress. Then I 
arose and collected pieces of wood from those trees, consisting of high-priced 
sandal-wood, the like of which existeth not; but I knew not what it was. And 
when I had collected those pieces of wood, I made shift with twigs and herbs 
of the island, twisting them like ropes, and bound with them the raft; and I said, 
If I be preserved, it will be by God's help. I embarked upon the raft, and pro¬ 
ceeded upon it along that river f during the first day and the second day, and the 
third day after my departure thence. I lay down, and ate not during this period 
anything ; hut when I thirsted, I drank of that river; and I was like a giddy young 

• Here (as I have done in other passages in the Voyages of Es-Sindib&d, pointed out in Notes 40 and 
80) I substitute “raft” for "boat.” 

t In the Cairo edition, but not in the edition of Breslau, the following is here added, “ until I passed 
forth from the extremity of the island, and became far from it.” 

VOL. III. Q 

114 

NOTES TO CHATTER TWENTIETH. 

bird, by reason of the violence of my fatigue and hunger and fear, until the raft 
conveyed me to a high mountain, beneath which the river entered. So when I 
saw this, I feared for myself, on account of the distress that I had suffered before 
on the former river, and I desired to stop the raft, and to get off from it to the 
side of the mountain; but the current overpowered me, and drew the raft, with 
me upon it, and descended with it beneath the mountain. On beholding this, 
therefore, I made sure of destruction, and said, There is no strength nor power but 
in God, the High, the Great! The raft ceased not to proceed for a short distance, 
after which it passed forth into a wide place, and lo, it was a great valley, through 
which the water roared, making a noise like thunder, and with a rapidity like that 
of the wind. I grasped the raft with my hand, fearing lest I should fall from upon 
it, the waves tossing me to the right and left in the midst of the stream. The raft 
continued to descend with the current along that valley, and I could not prevent 
it, nor was I able to bring it to the land, until it stopped with me by a city of 
grand appearance, well built, and containing a numerous population. And when 
the people beheld me upon that raft, descending in the midst of the river with the 
current, they cast a net and ropes upon me and the raft, and drew forth the raft 
from the river to the land. 

I fell down in the midst of them like a dead man, by reason of excessive 
hunger and sleeplessness and fear; and there came to me from among the assem¬ 
blage an aged man, a sheykh of high dignity, who welcomed me, and threw over 
me an abundance of comely apparel, with which I covered myself decently. Then 
he took me and conducted me into the bath, brought me reviving beverages and 
exquisite scents, and, after we had come forth from the bath, took me to his house, 
and led me into it; and his family rejoiced at my coming. He seated me in an 
elegant place, and prepared for me some rich food: so I ate until I was satiated, 
and praised God (whose name be exalted!) for my escape ; and after that, his 
pages brought to me hot water, and I washed my hands; and his female slaves 
brought to me drying-towels of silk, with which I dried my hands, and wiped my 
mouth. Then that sheykh arose immediately, and appropriated to me a place 
alone, in a part of his house, and made his pages and his female slaves to'serve me, 
and to perform my wants and all my affairs. They therefore paid constant atten¬ 
tion to me, and in this manner I ceased not to remain with him in the mansion of 
entertainment three days, enjoying good eating and good drinking and sweet 
scents, until my soul returned to me, and my terror subsided, and my heart was 
calmed, and my mind was at ease. And on the fourth day, the sheykh came to 
me and said to me, Thou hast cheered us by thy company, O my son, and praise 
be to God for thy safety! Wilt thou now arise and go with me to the bank of 
the river, and go down into the market and sell the goods and receive their price ? 
Perhaps thou wilt buy for thyself with it something wherewith thou mayest 
traffick.—So I was silent for a little while, and said within myself, Whence have I 
goods, and what is the cause of these words ? And the shekyh said, O my son, be 
not anxious nor be thoughtful; but arise and go with us to the market, and if 
we see any one who will give thee for thy goods a price that will content thee, I 
will receive it for thee; but if what will content thee be not offered for them, I 
will deposit them for thee in my magazines until the days of selling and buying 
arrive. So I meditated upon my case, and said to myself, Comply with his desire, 
that thou mayest see what these goods are. And I said to him, I hear and obey, 
O my uncle the sheykh, and what thou doest will be attended by blessing, and it 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

115 

19 impossible to oppose thee in aught. I then went with him to the market, and found 
that he had unhound the raft on which I came, and which was of sandal-wood, 
and he commissioned the crier to announce it for sale. The merchants came, and 
opened the bidding for the wood, and increased their offers for it until its price 
amounted to a thousand * pieces of gold; whereupon they ceased to bid more; 
and the sheykh, looking towards me, said, Hear, O my son : this is the price of 
thy goods in such days as the present. Wilt thou then sell them for this price, or 
wilt thou wait, and shall 1 put them for thee in my magazines until the time come 
when their price will be greater, and then sell them for thee ?—I answered him, 
O my master, the affair is thine : so do what thou desirest. And he said, O my 
son, wilt thou sell me this wood for a hundred pieces of gold above what the mer¬ 
chants have offered for it?—Yes, I answered him : I have sold it to thee, and 
received the price. And upon this he ordered his young men to transport that 
wood to his magazines, and I returned with him to his house, where we sat, and he 
counted to me the whole price of the wood, brought to me bags, and, having put the 
money into them, locked them up with a lock of iron, of which he gave me the key. 

And after a period of some days and nights, the sheykh said, O my son, I will 
propose to thee something, and I hope that thou wilt comply with my desire 
respecting it. So I said to him, And what is that affair ? And he answered me, 
Know that I have become a man of great age, and I have not a male child; but I 
have a daughter, small in age, elegant in form, having abundant wealth, and love¬ 
liness ; therefore I desire to marry her to thee, and thou shalt reside with her in 
our country: then I will put thee in possession of all that I have, and what my 
hand possesseth; for I have become an old man, and thou wilt supply my place. 
And I was silent, and spoke not. And he said to me, Obey me, O my son, in that 
which I say to thee; for my wish to thee is good, and if thou comply with my 
desire, I will marry thee to my daughter, and thou shalt be as my son ; and all 
that my hand hath, and what I possess, shall be thine; and if thou desire to 
traffick, and to return to thy country, no one will prevent thee: this is thy pro¬ 
perty, under thy disposal: do therefore with it what thou wilt and what thou 
choosest. So I replied, By Allah, O my uncle the sheykh, thou hast become as 
my father : I have suffered many horrors, and have neither judgment nor know¬ 
ledge remaining: it is thine, therefore, to determine in all that thou desirest to do. 
And upon this the sheykh ordered his pages to bring the Ka(lee and the witnesses. 
Accordingly they brought them, and he married me to his daughter, made for us a 
grand entertainment and a great feast, and introduced me to her; and I found her 
to be endowed with the utmost beauty and loveliness, with handsome figure and 
just stature, and upon her was an abundance of various ornaments and articles of 
apparel, minerals, and ornaments of gold, and necklaces and precious jewels, the 
value of which was not less than thousands of thousands of pieces of gold, and no 
one could pay their price. When I went into her presence, she pleased me; affec¬ 
tion for each other ensued, and I remained with her for a length of time in a state 
of the utmost delight and enjoyment. Her father was then admitted to the mercy 
of God (whose name be exalted!), and we prepared his body for the grave, and 
buried him, and I put my hand upon his property; all his young men became 
mine, and under my authority in my service, and the merchants instated me in his 
office; for he was their chief, and none of them purchased aught but with his know¬ 
ledge and by his permission ; he being their sheykh; and 1 became in his place. 

* In the Breslau edition, “ ten thousand.” 

116 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

Now when I mixed with the people of that city, I found that their state be¬ 
came changed every month, and there appeared upon them wings,* wherewith 
they flew to the upper region of the sky, and there remained not behind in the city 
any but the children and the women. So I said within myself, When the first day 
of the month cometh, I will ask one of them, and perhaps they will convey me 
with them whither they go. And when the first day of that month came, their 
appearances became altered, and their forms became changed, and I went in to one 
of them, and said to him, I conjure thee by Allah that thou convey me with thee, 
in order that I may divert myself and return with you. He replied, This isj a 
thing that cannot be. But I ceased not to solicit him until he granted that favour. 
I agreed with them, and caught hold of that man, and he soared with me in the 
air; but I acquainted not any one of my family nor any of my young men nor any 
of my companions; and that man continued to fly, with me upon his shoulders, 
until he rose so high with me into the sky that I heard the praises of the angels in 
the vault of the heavens. So I wondered at that, and said, Extolled be the perfec¬ 
tion of God ! and praise he to God! And I had not finished the words of praise 
when there came forth a fire from heaven, and it almost burnt them. They there¬ 
fore all descended, and, having cast me upon a lofty mountain, departed in the 
utmost rage against me, and they went and left me. Thus I became alone upon 
that mountain, and I blamed myself for that which I had done, and said, There 
is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! Verily, every time 
that I escape from a calamity, I fall into a calamity that is mightier than the 
former one ! 

I remained upon that mountain, and knew not whither to go, when lo, two 
young men passed along, like two moons, each having in his hand a rod of gold, 
on which he leaned. I advanced to them, and saluted them, and they returned my 
salutation ; and I said to them, I conjure you by Allah to tell me who ye are and 
what is your business. And they answered me, We are of the servants of God, 
whose name be exalted! Then they gave me a rod of red gold that they had with 
them, and went their way and left me. And 1 proceeded along the top of that 
mountain, leaning upon the rod, and reflecting upon the case of these two young 
men, and lo, a serpent came forth from beneath the mountain, having in its mouth 
a man whom it had swallowed to his middle, and he was crying out and saying, 
Whosoever will deliver me, God will deliver him from every difficulty ! I therefore 
advanced to that serpent, and struck it with the rod of gold on its head, whereat it 
threw the man from its mouth. And upon this the man came to me and said, 
Since my deliverance from this serpent hath been effected by thy means, I will 
not henceforth quit thee : thou hast become my companion on this mountain. So 
I replied, Thou art welcome. And we proceeded along the mountain. And lo, 
a party of people came towards us, and I looked at them, and among them was 
the man who bore me upon his shoulders and flew with me. Therefore I advanced 
to him, and excused myself to him, addressing him courteously, and saying to him, 
O my friend, friends act not thus one to another. The man replied, Thou wouldst 
have destroyed us by thy words of praise upon my back. And I rejoined, Be not 
displeased with me ; for I had no knowledge of the matter; but I will never again 
speak. So he consented to take me with him, making a condition with me that I 

* In the Breslau edition it is here said, “ and their faces became changed, and they assumed the forms 
of birds.” The same is fabled of inhabitants of the Islands of W4k-W4k (before mentioned, in page 89, 
in this volume), as will be seen in the story of Hasan of El-Basrah ; and these islands, I suppose, our 
author had here in view. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTIETH. 

117 

should not mention God nor praise Him upon his back. He then took me up, and 
flew away with me as before, until he conveyed me to my abode, when my wife 
met me and saluted me, and congratulated me on my safety; and she said to me, 
Beware of going forth again with these people, and be not familiar with them ; for 
they are the brothers of the devils, and they know not the celebration of God, 
whose name be exalted ! I said to her, How did thy father live with them ? And 
she answered me, My father was not of them, nor did he as they; and it is my 
opinion, since my father is dead, that thou shouldst sell all that we have, and pur¬ 
chase goods with the price, and voyage back to thy country and thy family, and I 
will go with thee; for I have no need of residing here in this city after the loss of 
my mother and my father. 

So upon this I betook myself to selling the commodities of the sheykh, one 
thing after another, and to watching for some one who would set forth on a voyage 
from that city, that I might go with him. And while I was so doing, lo, a com¬ 
pany of men in the city desired to perform a voyage, but found not for themselves 
a ship; wherefore they bought wood, and made for them a great ship; and I 
engaged for a passage with them, and paid them the whole of the hire. I then 
embarked my wife, and all that we had, in the ship; and, leaving the other pos¬ 
sessions and the estates, we proceeded, and ceased not in our course over the sea 
from island to island, and from sea to sea; and the wind and the voyage were 
pleasant to us until we arrived in safety at the city of El-Basrah. I sojourned not 
there ; but engaged for a passage in another vessel, to which I transferred all that 
I had with me, and I went on to the city of Baghdad. Then I entered my quarter 
and came to my house, met my family and companions and friends, and stowed 
all the goods that I had with me in my magazines; and my family calculated the 
period of my absence from them during the seventh voyage, and found it to be 
seven and twenty years ; so that they had given up all hope of my return. 

[I am proud to express here my thanks to Colonel Chesney, for his liberality 
and kindness in allowing Mr. Harvey to copy, for the illustration of the Voyages 
of Es-Sindibkd, some beautiful and interesting drawings selected from his valuable 
portfolio. These form the subjects of the engravings in pages 5, 24, and 63.]

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIXTH 
NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE FIVE HUNDRED AND 
SEVENTY-EIGHTH. 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 1 

There was, in olden time, and in an ancient age and period, in 
Damascus of Syria, a King, one tlie Khaleefehs, named ’Abd El- 
Melik the son of Marwan ; 2 and he was sitting, one day, having 
with him the great men of his empire, consisting of Kings and 
Sultans, when a discussion took place among them, respecting the 
traditions of former nations. They called to mind the stories of 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

119 

our lord Suleyman the son of Daood (on both of whom be peace!), 
and the dominion and authority which God (whose name be ex¬ 
alted!) had bestowed upon him over mankind and the Jinn and the 
birds and the wild beasts and other things ; 3 and they said, We have 
heard from those who were before us, that God (whose perfection 
be extolled, and whose name he exalted!) bestowed not upon any 
one the like of that which He bestowed upon our lord Suleyman, 
and that he attained to that to which none other attained, so that 
he used to imprison the Jinn and the Marids and the Devils in 
bottles 4 of brass, and pour molten lead over them, and seal this 
cover over them with his signet. 

Then Talib [the son of Sahl] related, that a man embarked in a 
ship with a company of others, and they voyaged to the island of 
Sicily , 5 and ceased not in their course until there arose against 
them a wind which bore them away to one of the lands of God, 
whose name be exalted! This happened during the black darkness 
of night, and when the day shone forth, there came out to them, 
from caves in that land, people of black complexion and with 
naked bodies, like wild beasts not understanding speech. They 
had a King of their own race, and none of them knew Arabic save 
their King. So when they saw the ship and those who were in her, 
he came forth to them attended by a party of his companions, and 
saluted them and welcomed them, and inquired of them respecting 
their religion. They therefore acquainted him with their state; 
and he said to them, No harm shall befall you. And when he 
asked them respecting their religion, each of them was of some one 
of the religions prevailing before the manifestation of el-Islam, and 
before the mission of Mohammad, may God favour and preserve 
him!—wherefore the people of the ship said, We know not what 
thou sayest . 6 Then the King said to them, There hath not come 
to us any one of the sons of Adam before you. And he entertained 
them with a banquet of the flesh of birds and of wild beasts and 
of fish, beside which they had no food. And after this, the 
people of the ship went down to divert themselves in the city, and 
they found one of the fishermen who had cast his net in the sea to 
catch fish, and he drew it up, and lo, in it was a bottle of brass, 
stopped with lead, which was sealed with the signet of Suleyman 
the son of Daood, on both of whom be peace! And the fisherman 

120 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

came forth and broke it; whereupon there 
proceeded from it a blue smoke, which runted 
with the clouds of heaven; and we heard a 
horrible voice, saying, Repentance! repent¬ 
ance ! O Prophet of God!—Then, of that 
smoke there was formed a person of terrible 
aspect, of terrific make, whose head would 
reach [as high as] a mountain; and he disap¬ 
peared from before their eyes. As to the 
people of the ship, their hearts were almost 
eradicated; but the blacks thought nothing 
of the event. And a man returned to the 
King, and asked him respecting this; and 
the King answered him, Know that this is 
one of the Jinn whom Suleyman the son of 
Daood, when he was incensed against them, 
imprisoned in these bottles, and he poured 
lead over them, and threw them into the sea. 
When the fisherman casteth his net, it gene¬ 
rally bringeth up these bottles; a'nd when 
they are broken, there cometh forth from 
them a Jinnee, who imagineth that Suley¬ 
man is still living; wherefore he repenteth, 
and saith, Repentance ! O Prophet of 
God! 

And the Prince of the Faithful, ’Abd 
El-Melik the son of Marwan, wondered at 
these words, and said, Extolled be the per¬ 
fection of God! Suleyman was endowed 
with a mighty dominion!—And among / - 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

121 

were present in that assembly was En-Nabighah Edh-Dhubyanee ; 
and he said, Talib hath spoken truth in that which he hath 
related, and the proof of his veracity is the saying of the Wise, 
the First, [thus versified] : 7 — 

And [consider] Suleym&n, when the Deity said to him, Perform the office of 
Khaleefeh, and govern witli diligence; 

And whoso obeyeth thee, honour him for doing so; and whoso disobeyeth 
thee, imprison him for ever. 

He used to put them into bottles of brass, and to cast them into 
the sea.—And the Prince of the Faithful approved of these words, 
and said, By Allah, I desire to see some of these bottles! So 
Talib the son of Sahl replied, O Prince of the Faithful, thou art 
able to do so, and yet remain in thy country. Send to thy brother 
’Abd El-’Azeez the son of Marwan desiring him to bring them to thee 
from the Western Country , 8 that he may write orders to Moosa to 
journey from the Western Country to this mountain which we have 
mentioned, and to bring thee what thou desirest of these bottles; 
for the furthest tract of his province is adjacent to this mountain.— 
And the Prince of the Faithful approved of his advice, and said, O 
Talib, thou hast spoken truth in that which thou hast said, and I 
desire that thou be my messenger to Moosa the son of Nuseyr 9 for 
this purpose, and thou shalt have a white ensign , 10 together with 
what thou shalt desire of wealth or dignity or other things, and I 
will be thy substitute to take care of thy family. To this, Talib 
replied, Most willingly, O Prince of the Faithful. And the 
Khaleefeh said to him, Go in dependance on the blessing of God, 
and his aid. Then he gave orders that they should write for him a 
letter to his brother ’Abd El-’Azeez, his viceroy in Egypt, and 
another letter to Moosa, his viceroy in the Western Country, com¬ 
manding him to journey, himself, in search of the bottles of 
Suleyman, to leave his son to govern the country in his stead, and 
to take with him guides, to expend wealth, and to collect a large 
number of men, and not to be remiss in accomplishing that object, 
nor to use any pretext to excuse himself. He sealed the two 
letters, and delivered them to Talib the son of Sahl, commanding 
him to hasten, and to elevate the ensigns over his head; and he 
gave him riches and riders and footmen to aid him in his way: he 
gave orders also to supply his house with everything requisite. 

VOL. 111. 

R 

122 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

So Talib went forth on his way to Egypt. He proceeded with 
his companions, traversing the districts from Syria until they en¬ 
tered Misr; 11 when the Governor of Egypt met him, and lodged 
him with him; and he treated him with the utmost honour during 
the period of his stay with him. Then he sent with him a guide 
who accompanied him to Upper Egypt until they came to the 
Emeer Moosa the son of Nuseyr; and when he knew of his ap¬ 
proach, he went forth to him and met him, and rejoiced at his 
arrival; and Talib handed to him the letter. So he took it and 
read it, and understood its meaning; and he put it upon his head, 
saying, I hear and obey the command of the Prince of the Faithful. 
He determined to summon his great men; and they presented 
themselves; and he inquired of them respecting that which had 
been made known to him by the letter; whereupon they said, 
0 Emeer, if thou desire him who will guide thee to that place, have 
recourse to the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad the son of ’Abd El-Kuddoos 
Es-Samoodee ; 12 for he is a knowing man, and hath travelled much, 
and he is acquainted with the deserts and wastes and the seas, and 
their inhabitants and their wonders, and the countries and their 
districts. Have recourse therefore to him, and he will direct thee 
to the object of thy desire.—Accordingly he gave orders to bring 
him, and he came before him; and lo, he was a very old man, 
whom the vicissitudes of years and times had rendered decrepit. 
The Emeer Moosa saluted him, and said to him, O sheykh ’Abd Es- 
Samad, our lord the Prince of the Faithful, ’Abd El-Melik the son 
of Marwan, hath commanded us thus and thus, and I possess little 
knowledge of that land, and it hath been told me that thou art 
acquainted with that country and the routes. Hast thou then a 
wish to accomplish the affair of the Prince of the Faithful ?—The 
sheykh replied, Know, O Emeer, that this route is difficult, far 
extending, with few tracks. The Emeer said to him, How long a 
period doth it require ? He answered, It is a journey of two years 
and some months going, and the like returning; and on the way are 
difficulties and horrors, and extraordinary and wonderful things. 
Moreover, thou art a warriour for the defence of the faith, and our 
country is near unto the enemy; so perhaps the Christians may 
come forth during our absence: it is expedient therefore that thou 
leave in thy province one to govern it.—He replied, Well. And he 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

123 

left his son Haroon as his substitute in his province, exacted an 
oath of fidelity to him, and commanded the troops that they should 
not oppose him, but obey him in all that he should order them to 
do. And they heard his words, and obeyed him. His son Haroon 
was of great courage, an illustrious hero, and a bold champion ; and 
the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad pretended to him, that the place in 
which were the things that the Prince of the Faithful desired was 
four months’ journey distant, on the shore of the sea, and that 
throughout the whole route were halting-places adjacent one to 
another, and grass and springs. And he said, God will assuredly 
make this affair easy to us through the blessing attendant upon thee, 
O Viceroy of the Prince of the Faithful. Then the Emeer Moosa 
said, Knowest thou if any one of the Kings have trodden this land 
before us ? He answered him, Yes, O Emeer: this land belonged 
to the King of Alexandria, Darius the Greek. 13 

m 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

After this they departed, and they continued on their journey 
until they arrived at a palace ; whereupon the shevkh said, Advance 
with us to this palace, which presenteth a lesson to him who will be 
admonished. So the Emeer Moosa advanced thither, together with 
the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad and his chief companions, till they 
came to its entrance. And they found it open, and having lofty 
angles, and steps, among which were two wide steps of coloured 
marbles, the like of which hath not been seen: the ceilings and 
walls were decorated with gold and silver and minerals, and over 
the entrance was a slab, whereon was an inscription in ancient 
Greek; and the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad said, Shall I read it,' 
O Emeer ? The Emeer answered, Advance and read. May God 
bless thee! for nought hath happened to us during this journey hut 
what hath been the result of the blessing attendant upon thee.—So 
he read it; and lo, it was poetry; and it was this:— 

Here was a people whom, after their works, thou shalt see wept over for their 
lost dominion; 

And in this palace is the last information respecting lords collected in the 
dust. 

Death hath destroyed them and disunited them, and in the dust they have 
lost what they amassed; 

As though they had only put down their loads to rest a while: quickly have 
they departed! 

And the Emeer Moosa wept until he became insensible, and he 
said, There is no deity but God, the Living, the Enduring without 
failure! He then entered the palace, and was confounded by its 
beauty and its construction; and he looked at the figures and 
images that it contained. And lo, over the second door were 
inscribed some verses. So the Emeer Moosa said, Advance, O 
sheykh, and read. Accordingly he advanced and read; and the 
verses were these:— 

How many companies have alighted in the tabernacles 14 since times of old, 
and taken their departure! 

Consider thou then what the accidents of fortune have done with others when 
they have befallen them. 

They have shared together what they have collected, and they have left the 
pleasure thereof, and departed. 

What enjoyments they had! and what food did they eat! and then in the 
dust they themselves were eaten ! 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

125 

And again the Emeer Moosa wept violently: the world became 
yellow before his face; and he said, We have been created for 
a great object! 15 

Then they attentively viewed the palace ; and lo, it was devoid 
of inhabitants, destitute of household and occupants: its courts 
were desolate, and its apartments were deserted; and in the midst 
of it was a chamber covered with a lofty dome, rising high into the 
air, around which were four hundred tombs. To these tombs the 
Emeer Moosa drew near, and behold, among them was a tomb con¬ 
structed of marble, whereon were engraved these verses :— 

How often have I stood [in fight] ! and how often slain ! and to how many 
things have I been a witness! 

And how often have I eaten ! and how often drunk! and how often have I 
heard the songs of beauteous damsels! 

And how often have I ordered! and how often forbidden! and how many 
strong fortresses are seen, 

Which I have besieged and searched, and from which I have taken the lovely 
females’ ornaments! 

But in my ignorance I transgressed to obtain things wished for which proved 
at last to be frail. 

Then consider attentively thy case, O man, before thou shalt drink the cup of 
death; 

For after a little while shall the dust be poured upon thee, and thou wilt be 
lifeless. 

And the Emeer Moosa, and those who were with him, wept. Then 
he drew near to the dome-crowned chamber, and lo, it had eight 
doors of sandal-wood, with nails of gold, ornamented with stars of 
silver set with various jewels. And over the first door were in¬ 
scribed these verses:— 

What I have left, I left not from generosity; but through the sentence and 
decree operating upon man. 

Long time I lived, happy and enraged, defending my asylum like a fierce 
lion. 

I was never quiet, nor would I bestow a mustard-seed, by reason of my avarice, 
though I were cast into the fire. 

Thus did I until I was smitten by tbe decree of the glorious Deity, the 
Creator, the Maker. 

When my death was appointed soon to lake place, I could not prevent it by 
my numerous stratagems; 

My troops that I had collected availed not, and none of my friends aided me, 
nor my neighbour. 

126 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

Throughout my whole life was I wearied in my journey to the grave, now in 
ease, and now in difficulty. 

So, when the purses have become laden, shouldst thou accumulate deen&r upon 
deenar, 16 

It will all pass before the morning to another, and they will have brought 
thee a camel-driver and a grave-digger; 

And on the day of thy judgment, lone shalt thou meet God, laden with sin 
and crimes and heavy burdens. 

Then let not the world deceive thee with its beauty; but see what it hath done 
to thy family and neighbour. 

And when the Emeer Moosa heard these verses, he wept again so 
violently that he became insensible; and after he had recovered, he 
entered the chamber covered with the dome, and beheld in it a long 
tomb, of terrible appearance, whereon was a tablet of iron of China; 
and the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad drew near to it, and read its 
inscription; and lo, on it was written,— 

In the name of God, the Eternal, the Everlasting throughout all ages: in the 
name of God, who begetteth not, and who is not begotten, and unto whom there is 
none like: in the name of God, the Mighty and Powerful: in the name of the 
Living who dieth not.—To proceed:—O thou who arrivest at this place, be admo¬ 
nished by the misfortunes and calamities that thou beholdest, and be not deceived 
by the world and its beauty, and its falsity and calumny, and its fallacy and finery; 
for it is a flatterer, a cheat, a traitor. Its things are borrowed, and it will take the 
loan from the borrower: and it is like the confused visions of the sleeper, and the 
dream of the dreamer, as though it were the sar4b 17 of the plain, which the thirsty 
imagineth to be water: the Devil adorneth it for man until death. These are the 
characteristics of the world: confide not therefore in it, nor incline to it; for it will 
betray him who dependeth upon it, and who in his affairs relieth upon it. Fall not 
in its snares, nor cling to its skirts. For I possessed four thousand bay horses in a 
stable; and I married a thousand damsels, of the daughters of Kings, high-bosomed 
virgins, like moons; and I was blessed with a thousand children, like stern lions; 
and I lived a thousand years, happy in mind and heart; and I amassed riches 
such as the Kings of the regions of the earth were unable to procure, and imagined 
that my enjoyments would continue without failure. But 1 was not aware when 
there alighted among us the terminator of delights and the separator of compa¬ 
nions, the aesolater of abodes and the ravager of inhabited mansions, the destroyer 
of the great and the small and the infants and the children and the mothers. We 
had resided in this palace in security until the event decreed by the Lord of all 
creatures, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earths, befell us, and 
the thunder of the manifest truth assailed us, and there died of us every day two, 
till a great company of us had perished. So when I saw that destruction had 
entered our dwellings, and had alighted among us, and drowned us in the sea of 
deaths, 1 summoned a writer, and ordered him to write these verses and admoni¬ 
tions and lessons, and caused them to be engraved upon these doors and tablets 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

127 

and tombs. I had an army comprising a thousand thousand bridles, composed of 
hardy men, with spears, and coats of mail, and sharp swords, and strong arms; 
and I ordered them to clothe themselves with the long coats of mail, and to hang on 
the keen swords, and to place in rest the terrible lances, and mount the high- 
blooded horses. Then, when the event appointed hy the Lord of all creatures, the 
Lord of the earth and the heavens, befell us, 1 said, O companies of troops and 
soldiers, can ye prevent that which hath befallen me from the Mighty King ? But 
the soldiers and troops were unable to do so, and they said, How shall we contend 
against him from whom none hath secluded, the lord of the door that hath no 
door-keeper? So I said, Bring to me the wealth. (And it was contained in a 
thousand pits, in each of which were a thousand hundred-weights of red gold, and 
in them were varieties of pearls and jewels, and there was the like quantity of 
white silver, with treasures such as the Kings of the earth were unable to procure.) 
And they did so; and when they had brought the wealth before me, I said to 
them, Can ye deliver me by means of all these riches, and purchase for me there¬ 
with one day during which I may remain alive? But they could not do so. They 
resigned themselves to fate and destiny, and I submitted to God with patient en¬ 
durance of fate and affliction until He took my soul, and made me to dwell in my 
grave. And if thou ask concerning my name, I am K6sh the son of Shedd&d the 
son of ’A'd the Greater. 18 

And upon the same tablet were also inscribed these verses:— 

Shouldst thou think upon me after the length of my age, and the vicissitudes 
of days and circumstances, 

I am the son of Shedd&d, who held dominion over mankind and each tract 
of the whole earth. 

All the stubborn troops became abject unto me, and Esh-Sh&m from Misr 
unto ’ Adnan. 19 

In glory I reigned, abasing their Kings, the people of the earth fearing my 
dominion; 

And I beheld the tribes and armies in my power, and saw the countries and 
their inhabitants dread me. 

When I mounted, I beheld my army comprising a million bridles upon 
neighing steeds; 

And I possessed wealth that could not be calculated, which I treasured up 
against misfortunes, 

Determining to devote the whole of my property for the purpose of extending 
the term of my life. 

But the Deity would nought save the execution of his purpose; and thus I 
became separated from my brethren. 

Death, the disuniter of mankind, came to me, and I was removed from 
grandeur to the mansion of contempt; 

And I found [the recompense of] all my past actions, for which I am 
pledged; 80 and I was sinful 1 

Then raise thyself, lest thou be upon a brink; and beware of calamities I 
Mayest thou be led aright! 

And again the Emeer Moosa wept until he became insensible, in 
considering the fates of the people ; after which, as they were going 
about through the different apartments of the palace, and viewing 
attentively its chambers and its places of diversion, they came to a 
table upon four legs of alabaster, whereon was inscribed,— 

Upon this table have eaten a thousand one-eyed Kings, and a thousand Kings 
each sound in both eyes. All of them have quitted the world, and taken up their 
abode in the burial-grounds and the graves. 

And the Emeer Moosa wrote all this. Then he went forth, and 
took not with him from the palace aught save the table. 

The soldiers proceeded, with the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad before 
them shewing them the way, until all the first day had passed, and 
the second, and the third. They then came to a high hill, at which 
they looked, and lo, upon it was a horseman of brass, on the top of 
whose spear was a wide aud glistening head that almost deprived 
the beholder of sight, and on it was inscribed, O thou who comest 
unto me, if thou know not the way that leadeth to the City of 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

129 

Brass, rub the hand of the horseman, and he will turn, and then 
will stop, and in whatsoever direction he stoppeth, thither proceed, 
without fear and without difficulty; for it will lead thee to the City 
of Brass.—And when the Emeer Moosa had rubbed the hand of 
the horseman, it turned like the blinding lightning, and faced a 
different direction from that in which they were travelling. 

The party therefore turned thither and journeyed on, and it 
was the right way. They took that route, and continued their 
course the same day and the next night until they had traversed 
a wide tract of country. And as they were proceeding, one day, 
they came to a pillar of black stone, wherein was a person sunk to 
his arm-pits, and he had two huge wings, and four arms; two of 
them like those of the sons of Adam, and two like the fore-legs of 
lions, with claws. He had hair upon his head like the tails of horses, 
and two eyes like two burning coals, and he had a third eye, in his 
forehead, like the eye of the lynx, from which there appeared sparks 
of fire. He was black and tall; and he was crying out, Extolled be 
the perfection of my Lord, who hath appointed me this severe 
affliction and painful torture until the day of resurrection! When 
the party beheld him, their reason fled from them, and they were 
stupified at the sight of his form, and retreated in flight; and the 
Emeer Moosa said to the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad, What is this ? 
He answered, I know not what he is. And the Emeer said, Draw 
near to him, and investigate his case: perhaps he will discover it, 
and perhaps thou wilt learn his history. The sheykh ’Abd Es- 
Samad replied, May God amend the state of the Emeer! Verily 
we fear him.—Fear ye not, rejoined the Emeer; for he is with¬ 
held from injuring you and others by the state in which he is. 
So the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad drew near to him, and said to him, 
O thou person, what is thy name, and what is thy nature, and what 
hath placed thee here in this manner ? And he answered him, As 
to me, I am an ’Efreet of the Jinn, and my name is Dahish the son 
of El-Aamash, ” and I am restrained here by the majesty, confined 
by the power, „ [of God,] tormented as long as God (to whom be 
ascribed might and glory !) willeth. Then the Emeer Moosa said, 
O sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad, ask him what is the cause of his confine¬ 
ment in this pillar. He therefore asked respecting that, and the 
’Efreet answered him, Verily my story is wonderful; and it is this:— 

VOL. III. 

There belonged to one of the sons of Iblees an idol of red car- 
nelion, of which I was made guardian; and there used to worship 
it one of the Kings of the sea, of illustrious dignity, of great glory, 
leading, among his troops of the Jan, a million warriours who smote 
with swords before him, and who answered his prayer in cases of 
difficulty. These Jan who obeyed him were under my command 
and authority, following my words when I ordered them: all of 
them were in rebellion against Suleyman the son of Daood (on 
both of whom be peace !), and I used to enter the body of the idol, 
and command them and forbid them. Now the daughter of that 
King was a frequent adorer of the idol, assiduous in the worship of 
it, and she was the handsomest of the people of her age, endowed 
with beauty and loveliness, and elegance and perfection; and I 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

131 

described her to Suleyman, on whom be peace! So he sent to her 
father, saying to him, Marry to me thy daughter, and break thy car- 
nelion-idol, and bear witness that there is no deity but God, and that 
Suleyman is the Prophet of God. If thou do so, thy due shall be 
the same as our due, and thy debt as our debt. But if thou refuse, 
I bring against thee forces with which thou hast not power to con¬ 
tend : therefore prepare an answer to the question , 22 and put on 
the garment of death; for I will come to thee with forces that 
shall fill the vacant region, and leave thee like yesterday that hath 
passed. — And when the messenger of Suleyman (on whom be 
peace!) came to him, he was insolent and contumacious, and mag¬ 
nified himself and was proud. Then he said to his Wezeers, What 
say ye respecting the affair of Suleyman the son of Daood ? For 
he hath sent demanding my daughter, and commanding me to break 
my carnelion-idol, and to adopt his faith.—And they replied, O 
great King, can Suleyman do unto thee that, when thou art in the 
midst of this vast sea? If he come unto thee, he cannot prevail 
against thee; since the Marids of the Jinn will fight on thy side; 
and thou shalt seek aid against him of thine idol that thou wor- 
shippest; for he will aid thee against him and will defend thee. 
The right opinion is, that thou consult thy lord (and they meant 
by him the red carnelion-idol), and hear what will be his reply: if 
he counsel thee to fight him, fight him; but otherwise, do not.— 
And upon this the King went immediately, and, going in to his 
idol, after he had offered a sacrifice and slain victims, fell down 
before it prostrate, and began to weep, and to recite these verses:— 

O my lord, verily I know thy dignity; and behold, Suleymdn desireth to 
break thee. 

O my lord, verily I seek thy defence: command then; for I am obedient to 
thy command. 

(Then that ’Efreet, the half of whom was in the pillar, said to the 
sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad, while those around him listened), And 
thereupon I entered the body of the idol, by reason of my igno¬ 
rance, and the paucity of my sense, and my solicitude respecting 
the affair of Suleyman, and recited this couplet:— 

As for me, I am not in fear of him; for I am acquainted with everything. 

If he wish to wage war with me, I will go forth, and I will snatch his soul 
from him. 

132 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

So when the King heard my reply to him, his heart was strength¬ 
ened, and he determined to wage war with Suleyman, the Prophet 
of God,—on whom be peace!—and to fight against him. Accord¬ 
ingly, when the messenger of Suleyman came, he inflicted upon 
him a painful beating, and returned him a shameful reply; and he 
sent to threaten Suleyman, saying to him, by the messenger, Thy 
mind hath suggested to thee desires. Dost thou threaten me with 
false words ? Either come thou to me, or I will go to thee. 

Then the messenger returned to Suleyman, and acquainted him 
with all that had occurred and happened to him. And when the 
Prophet of God, Suleyman, heard that, [it was as though] his 
resurrection took place, 23 his resolution was roused, and he pre¬ 
pared his forces, consisting of Jinn and men and wild beasts and 
birds and reptiles. He commanded his Wezeer Ed-Dimiryat, the 
King of the Jinn, to collect the Marids of the Jinn from every 
place: so he collected for him, of the Devils, six hundred millions. 
He also commanded A'saf the son of Barkhiya [his Wezeer of men] 
to collect his soldiers of mankind; and their number was one mil¬ 
lion, or more. He made ready the accoutrements and weapons, 
and mounted, with his forces of the Jinn and of mankind, upon the 
carpet, 24 with the birds flying over his head, and the wild beasts 
beneath the carpet marching, until he alighted upon his enemy’s 
coast, and surrounded his island, having filled the land with the 
forces. He then sent to our King, saying to him, Behold, I have 
arrived: therefore repel from thee that which hath come down, or 
else submit thyself to my authority, and acknowledge my mission, 
and break thine idol, and worship the One, the Adored God, and 
marry to me thy daughter according to law, and say thou, and those 
who are with thee, I testify that there is no deity but God, and I 
testify that Suleyman is the Prophet of God. If thou say that, 
peace and safety shall be thy lot. But if thou refuse, thy defending 
thyself from me in this island shall not prevent thee: for God 
(whose name be blessed and exalted!) hath commanded the wind to 
obey me, and I will order it to convey me unto thee on the carpet, 
and will make thee an example to restrain others.—So the mes¬ 
senger came to him, and communicated to him the message of the 
Prophet of God, Suleyman, on whom be peace! But the King 
said to him, There is no way for the accomplishment of this thing 

that he requireth of me: therefore inform him that I am coming 
forth unto him. Accordingly the messenger returned to Suleyman, 
and gave him the reply. The King then sent to the people of his 
country, and collected for himself, of the Jinn that were under his 
authority, a million; and to these he added others, of the Marids 
and Devils that were in the islands of the seas and on the tops of 
the mountains; after which he made ready his forces, and opened 
the armouries, and distributed to them the weapons. And as to 
the Prophet of God, Suleyman (on whom be peace !), he disposed 
his troops, commanding the wild beasts to form themselves into 
two divisions, on the right of the people and on their left, and 
commanding the birds to be upon the islands. He ordered them 
also, when the assault should be made, to tear out the eyes of their 
antagonists with their beaks, and to beat their faces with their 
wings; and he ordered the wild beasts to tear in pieces their horses; 

134 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

and they replied, We hear and obey God and thee, O Prophet of 
God! Then Suleyman, the Prophet of God, set for himself a couch 
of alabaster adorned with jewels, and plated with plates of red gold, 
and he placed his Wezeer A'saf the son of Barkhiya on the right 
side, and his Wezeer Ed-Dimiryat on the left side, and the Kings 
of mankind on his right, and the Kings of the Jinn on his left, and 
the wild beasts and the vipers and serpents before him. 

After this, they came upon us all together, and we contended 
with him in a wide tract for a period of two days; and calamity 
befell us on the third day, and the decree of God (whose name be 
exalted!) was executed among us. The first who charged upon 
Suleyman were I and my troops; and I said to my companions, 
Keep in your places in the battle-field while I go forth to them and 
challenge Ed-Dimiryat. And lo, he came forth, like a great 
mountain, his fires flaming, and his smoke ascending ; and he 
approached, and smote me with a flaming fire ; and his arrow pre¬ 
vailed over my fire. He cried out at me with a prodigious cry, so 
that I imagined the heaven had fallen and closed over me, and the 
mountains shook at his voice. Then he commanded his com¬ 
panions, and they charged upon us all together: we also charged 
upon them, and we cried out one to another : the fires rose and the 
smoke ascended, the hearts of the combatants were almost cleft 
asunder, and the battle raged. The birds fought in the air; and 
the wild beasts, in the dust; and I contended with Ed-Dimiryat 
until he wearied me and I wearied him; after which I became 
weak, and my companions and troops were enervated, and my tribes 
were routed. The Prophet of God, Suleyman, cried out, Take ye 
this great tyrant, the ill-omened, the infamous ! And the men 
charged upon the men; and the Jinn upon the Jinn; defeat befell 
our King, and we became unto Suleyman a spoil. His troops 
charged upon our forces, with the wild beasts on their right and 
left, and the birds were over our heads, tearing out the eyes of the 
people, sometimes with their talons and sometimes with their beaks, 
and sometimes they beat with their wings upon the faces of the 
combatants, while the wild beasts bit the horses and tore in pieces 
the men, until the greater portion of the party lay upon the face of 
the earth like the trunks of palm-trees. As to me, I flew from 
before Ed-Dimiryat; but he followed me a journey of three months, 

until he overtook me.” I had fallen down through fatigue, and he 
rushed upon me, and made me a prisoner. So I said to him, By 
Him who hath exalted thee and abased me, pity me, and take me 
before Suleyman, on whom be peace ! But when I came before 
Suleyman, he met me in a most evil manner : he caused this pillar 
to be brought, and hollowed it, and put me in it, and sealed me 
with his signet; after which, he chained me, and Ed-Dimiryat con¬ 
veyed me to this place, where he set me down as thou seest me; 
and this pillar is my prison until the day of resurrection. He 
charged a great King” to guard me in this prison, and I am in this 
condition tortured as thou seest me. 

The party therefore wondered at him, and at the horrible nature 
of his form; and the Emeer Moosa said, There is no deity but 
God! Suleyman was endowed with a mighty dominion!—And the 
sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad said to the 'Efreet, O thou, I ask thee con¬ 
cerning a thing of which do thou inform us. The ’Efreet replied, Ask 
concerning what thou wilt. And the sheykh said, Are there in this 

136 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

place any of the ’Efreets confined in bottles of brass from the time of 
Suleyman, on whom be peace ? He answered, Yes, in the Sea of 
El-Karkar , 27 where are a people of the descendants of Nooh (on 
whom be peace!), whose country the deluge reached not, and they 
are separated there from [the rest of] the sons of Adam.—And 
where, said the sheykh, is the way to the City of Brass and the 
place wherein are the bottles ? What distance is there between us 
and it ?—The ’Efreet answered, It is near. So the party left him, 
and proceeded; and there appeared to them a great black object, 
with two [seeming] fires corresponding with each other in position, 
in the distance, in that black object; whereupon the Emeer Moosa 
said to the sheykh, What is this great black object, and what are 
these two corresponding fires ? The guide answered him, Be 
rejoiced, O Emeer; for this is the city of Brass, and this is the ap¬ 
pearance of it that I find described in the book of hidden treasures; 
that its wall is of black stones, and it hath two towers of brass of 
El-Andalus , 28 which the beholder seeth resembling two corre¬ 
sponding fires; and thence it is named the City of Brass.—They 
ceased not to proceed until they arrived at it; and lo, it was lofty, 
strongly fortified, rising high into the air, impenetrable : the height 
of its walls was eighty cubits, and it had five and twenty gates, none 
of which would open but by means of some artifice ; and there was 
not one gate to it that had not, within the city, one like it: such 
was the beauty of the construction and architecture of the city. 
They stopped before it, and endeavoured to discover one of its 
gates; but they could not; and the Emeer Moosa said to the 
sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad, O sheykh, I see not to this city any gate. 
The sheykh replied, O Emeer, thus do I find it described in the 
book of hidden treasures; that it hath five and twenty gates, and 
that none of its gates may be opened but from within the city.— 
And how, said the Emeer, can we contrive to enter it, and divert 
ourselves with a view of its wonders ? 

Then the Emeer Moosa ordered one of his young men to 
mount a camel, and ride round the city, in the hope that he might 
discover a trace of a gate, or a place lower than that to which they 
were opposite . 25 So one of his young men mounted, and proceeded 
around it for two days with their nights, prosecuting his journey 
with diligence, and not resting; and when the third day arrived, he 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

137 

came in sight of his companions, and he was astounded at that 
which he beheld of the extent of the city, and its height. Then he 
said, O Emeer, the easiest place in it is this place at which ye have 
alighted. And thereupon the Emeer Moosa took Talib the son of 
Sahl, and the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad, and they ascended a moun¬ 
tain opposite the city, and overlooking it; and when they had 
ascended that mountain, they saw a city than which eyes had not 
beheld any greater. Its pavilions were lofty, and its domes were 
shining; its mansions were in good condition, and its rivers were 
running; its trees were fruitful, and its gardens bore ripe produce. 
It was a city with impenetrable gates, empty, still, without a voice 
or a cheering inhabitant, but the owl hooting in its quarters, and 
birds skimming in circles in its areas, and the raven croaking in its 
districts and its great thoroughfare-streets, and bewailing those 
who had been in it. The Emeer Moosa paused, sorrowing for its 
being devoid of inhabitants, and its being despoiled of people and 
residents; and he said, Extolled be the perfection of Him whom ages 
and times change not, the Creator of the creation by his power! 
And while he was extolling the perfection of God (to whom be 
ascribed might and glory!), he happened to look aside, and lo, there 
were seven tablets of white marble, appearing from a distance. So 
he approached them, and behold, they were sculptured and inscribed; 
and he ordered that their writing should be read: therefore the 
sheykh’Abd Es-Samad advanced and examined them and read them; 
and they contained admonition, and matter for example and restraint, 
unto those endowed with faculties of discernment. Upon the first 
tablet was inscribed, in the ancient Greek character,— 

O son of Adam, how heedless art thou of the case of him who hath been before 
thee! Thy years and age have diverted thee from considering him. Knowest 
thou not that the cup of death will be filled for thee, and that in a short time thou 
wilt drink it? Look then to thyself before entering thy grave. Where are those 
who possessed the countries and abased the servants of God and led armies ? Death 
hath come upon them; and God is the terminator of delights and the separator of 
companions and the devastator of flourishing dwellings; so He hath transported 
them from the amplitude of palaces to the straitness of the graves. 

And in the lower part of the tablet were inscribed these verses:— 

Where are the Kings and the peoplers of the earth? They have quitted that 
which they have built and peopled; 

VOL in. 

T 

138 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

And in the grave they are pledged for their past actions: there, after de¬ 
struction, they have become putrid corpses. 

Where are the troops? They repelled not, nor profited. And where is that 
which they collected and hoarded ? 

The decree of the Lord of the Throne surprised them. Neither riches nor 
refuge saved them from it. 

And the Emeer Moosa fainted; his tears ran down upon his cheeks, 
and he said, By Allah, indifference to the world is the most appro¬ 
priate and the most sure course! Then he caused an ink-case and 
a paper to be brought, and he wrote the inscription of the first 
tablet; after which he drew near to the second tablet , 30 and the 
third, and the fourth; and, having copied what was inscribed on 
them, he descended from the mountain; and the world had been 
pictured before his eyes. 

And when he came back to the troops, they passed the day 
devising means of entering the city; and the Emeer Moosa said to 
his Wezeer, Talib the son of Sahl, and to those of his chief officers 
who were around him, How shall we contrive to enter the city, 
that we may see its wonders ? Perhaps we shall find in it something 
by which we may ingratiate ourselves with the Prince of the 
Faithful.—Talib the son of Sahl replied, May God continue the 
prosperity of the Emeer! Let us make a ladder, and mount upon 
it, and perhaps we shall gain access to the gate from within.—And 
the Emeer said, This is what occurred to my mind, and excellent 
is the advice. Then he called to the carpenters and blacksmiths, 
and ordered them to make straight some pieces of wood, and to 
construct a ladder covered with plates of iron. And they did so, 
and made it strong. They employed themselves in constructing it 
a whole month, and many men were occupied in making it. And 
they set it up and fixed it against the wall, and it proved to be 
equal to the wall in height, as though it had been made for it before 
that day. So the Emeer Moosa wondered at it, and said, God 
bless you! It seemeth, from the excellence of your work, as 
though ye had adapted it by measurement to the wall.—He then 
said to the people, Which of you will ascend this ladder, and mount 
upon the wall, and walk along it, and contrive means of descending 
into the city, that he may see how the case is, and then inform us 
of the mode of opening the gate ? And one of them answered, I 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

139 

will ascend it, O Emeer, and descend and open the gate. The 
Emeer therefore replied, Mount. God bless thee!—Accordingly, 
the man ascended the ladder until he reached the top of it; when 
he stood, and fixed his eyes towards the city, clapped his hands, 
and cried out with his loudest voice, saying, Thou art beautiful! 
Then he cast himself down into the city, and his flesh became 
mashed with his bones. So the Emeer Moosa said, This is the 
action of the rational. How then will the insane act ? If we do 
thus with all our companions, there will not remain of them one ; 
and we shall be unable to accomplish our affair, and the affair of 
the Prince of the Faithful. Depart ye; for we have no concern 
with this city.—But one of them said, Perhaps another than this 
may be more steady than he. And a second ascended, and a third, 
and a fourth, and a fifth; and they ceased not to ascend by that 
ladder to the top of the wall, one after another, until twelve men 
of them had gone, acting as acted the first. Therefore the sheykh 
’Abd Es-Samad said, There is none for this affair but myself, and 
the experienced is not like the inexperienced. But the Emeer 
Moosa said to him, Thou shalt not do that, nor will I allow thee to 
ascend to the top of this wall; for shouldst thou die, thou wouldst 
be the cause of the death of us all, and there would not remain of us 
one; since thou art the guide of the party. The sheykh however 
replied, Perhaps the object will be accomplished by my means, 
through the will of God, whose name be exalted! And thereupon 
all the people agreed to his ascending. 

Then the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad arose, and encouraged himself, 
and, having said. In the name of God, the Compassionate, the 
Merciful!—he ascended the ladder, repeating the praises of God 
(whose name be exalted !), and reciting the Verses of Safety , 31 until 
he reached the top of the wall; when he clapped his hands, and 
fixed his eyes. The people therefore all called out to him, and said, 
O sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad, do it not, and cast not thyself down! 
And they said, Verily to God we belong, and verily unto Him we 
return! If the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad fall, we all perish!—Then 
the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad laughed immoderately, and sat a long 
time repeating the praises of God (whose name be exalted!), and 
reciting the Verses of Safety; after which he rose with energy, and 
called out with his loudest voice, O Emeer, no harm shall befall 

140 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

you; for God 
(to whom he 
ascribed might 
and glory!) 
hath averted 
from me the 
effect of the 
artifice and 
fraudulence of 
the Devil, 
through the blessing resulting from 
the utterance of the words In the 
name of God, the Compassionate, the 
Merciful.—So the Emeer said to him, 

What hast thou seen, O sheykh ? He 
answered, When I reached the top of 
the wall, I beheld ten damsels, like 
moons, who made a sign with their 
hands, as though they would say, Come 
to us. And it seemed to me that 
beneath me was a sea (or great river) 
of water; whereupon I desired to cast 
myself down, as our companions did: 
but I beheld them dead; so I with¬ 
held myself from them, and recited 
some words of the book of God (whose 
name be exalted!), whereupon God 
averted from me the influence of those 
damsels artifice, and they departed 
from me; therefore I cast not myself 
down, and God repelled from me the 
effect of their artifice and enchant¬ 
ment. There is no doubt that this is 
an enchantment and an artifice which 
the people of this city contrived in 
order to repel from it every one who 
should desire to look down upon it, 

and wish to obtain access to it; and these our companions are laid 
dead. 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

141 

He then walked along the wall till he came to the two towers 
of brass, when he saw that they had two gates of gold, without 
locks upon them, or any sign of the means of opening them. 
Therefore the sheykh paused as long as God willed, 32 and, looking 
attentively, he saw in the middle of one of the gates a figure of a 
horseman of brass, having one hand extended, as though he were 
pointing with it, and on it was an inscription, which the sheykh 
read, and lo, it contained these words:—Turn the pin that is in 
the middle of the front of the horseman’s body twelve times, and 
then the gate will open. So he examined the horseman, and in 
the middle of the front of his body was a pin, strong, firm, well 
fixed; and he turned it twelve times ; whereupon the gate opened 
immediately, with a noise like thunder; and the sheykh ’Abd 
Es-Samad entered. He was a learned man, acquainted with all 
languages and characters. And he walked on until he entered a 
long passage, whence he descended some steps, and he found a place 
with handsome wooden benches, on which were people dead, and 
over their heads were elegant shields, and keen swords, and strung 
bows, and notched arrows. And behind the [next] gate were a bar 
of iron, and barricades of wood, and locks of delicate fabric, and 
strong apparatus. Upon this, the sheykh said within himself. 
Perhaps the keys are with these people. Then he looked, and lo, 
there was a sheykh who appeared to be the oldest of them, and he 
was upon a high wooden bench among the dead men. So the 
sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad said, May not the keys of the city be with 
this sheykh 1 Perhaps he was the gate-keeper of the city, and these 
were under his authority.—He therefore drew near to him, and 
lifted up his garments, and lo, the keys were hung to his waist. At 
the sight of them, the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad rejoiced exceedingly; 
his reason almost fled from him in consequence of his joy ; and he 
took the keys, approached the gate, opened the locks, pulled the 
gate and the barricades and other apparatus, which opened, and the 
gate also opened, with a noise like thunder, by reason of its great¬ 
ness and terribleness, and the enormity of its apparatus. Upon this, 
the sheykh exclaimed, God is most great! 33 —and the people made 
the same exclamation with him, rejoicing at the event. The Emeer 
Moosa also rejoiced at the safety of the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad, and 
at the opening of the gate of the city; the people thanked the sheykh 

142 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

for that which he had done, and all the troops hastened to enter the 
gate. But the Emeer Moosa cried out to them, saying to them, O 
people, if all of us enter, we shall not be secure from some accident 
that may happen. Half shall enter, and half shall remain behind. 

The Emeer Moosa then entered the gate, and with him half of 
the people, who bore their weapons of war. And the party saw 
their companions lying dead : so they buried them. They saw also 
the gate-keepers and servants and chamberlains and lieutenants lying 
upon beds of silk, all of them dead. And they entered the market 
of the city, and beheld a great market, with lofty buildings, none 
of which projected beyond another: the shops were open, and the 
scales hung up, and the utensils of brass ranged in order, and the 
khans were full of all kinds of goods. And they saw the merchants 
dead in their shops: their skins were dried, and their bones were 
carious, and they had become examples to him who would be ad¬ 
monished. They saw likewise four markets of particular shops 
filled with wealth. And they left this place, and passed on to the 
silk-market, in which were silks and brocades interwoven with red 
gold and white silver upon various colours, and the owners were 
dead, lying upon skins, and appearing almost as though they would 
speak. Leaving these, they went on to the market of jewels and 
pearls and jacinths ; and they left it, and passed on to the market 
of the money-changers, whom they found dead, with varieties of 
silks beneath them, and their shops were filled with gold and silver. 
These they left, and they proceeded to the market of the per-? 
fumers; and lo, their shops were filled with varieties of perfumes, 
and bags of musk, and ambergris, and aloes-wood, and nedd, 34 and 
camphor, and other things; and the owners were all dead, not 
having with them any food. And when they went forth from the 
market of the perfumers, they found near unto it a palace, deco¬ 
rated, and strongly constructed; and they entered it, and found 
banners unfurled, and drawn swords, and strung bows, and shields 
hung up by chains of gold and silver, and helmets gilded with red 
gold. And in the passages of that palace were benches of ivory, 
ornamented with plates of brilliant gold, and with silk, on which 
were men whose skins had dried upon the bones: the ignorant 
would imagine them to be sleeping; but, from the want of food, 
they had died, and tasted mortality. Upon this, the Emeer Moosa 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

US 

paused, extolling the perfection of God (whose name he exalted!), 
and his holiness, and contemplating the beauty of that palace, and 
its strong construction, and its wonderful fabrication in the most 
beautiful form and with the firmest architecture; and most of its 
decoration was in ultramarine. 35 Around it were inscribed these 
verses :— 

Consider what thou beholdest, O man; and be on thy guard before thou 
departest; 

And prepare good provision, that thou mayest enjoy it; for every dweller in a 
house shall depart. 

Consider a people who decorated their abodes, and in the dust have become 
pledged for their actions. 

They built; but their buildings availed not: and treasured; but their wealth 
did not save them when the term had expired. 

How often they hoped for what was not decreed them! But they passed to 
the graves, and hope did not profit them; 

And from their high and glorious state they were removed to the narrowness 
of the sepulchre. Evil is their abode! 

Then there came to them a crier, after they were buried, saying, Where are 
the thrones and the crowns and the apparel ? 

Where are the faces which were veiled and curtained, and on which, for their 
beauty, proverbs were composed?— 

And the grave plainly answered the inquirer for them, As to the cheeks, the 
rose is gone from them. 

Long time they ate and drank; but now, after pleasant eating, they them¬ 
selves have been eaten. 

And the Emeer Moosa wept until he became senseless; and 
afterwards, having given orders to write these verses, he went on 
into the interior of the palace. There he beheld a great hall, and 
four large and lofty chambers, each one fronting another, wide, 
decorated with gold and silver, and with various colours. In the 
midst of the hall was a great fountain of alabaster, over which was 
a canopy of brocade; and in those chambers were places [one in 
each chamber] containing decorated fountains, and tanks lined with 
marble; and channels of water flowed along the floors of those 
chambers, the four streams meeting together in a great tank lined 
with marbles of various colours.—The Emeer Moosa then said to 
the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad, Enter these chambers with us. So they 
entered the first chamber; and they found it filled with gold and 
with white silver, and pearls and jewels, and jacinths and precious 

144 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

minerals. They found in it also chests full of red and yellow and 
white brocades. And they went thence to the second chamber, 
and opened a closet in it, and lo, it was filled with arms and 
weapons of war, consisting of gilded helmets, and Davidean coats 
of mail, and Indian swords, and lances of Khatt Hejer, and maces 
of Khuwarezm, and other instruments of war and battle. 38 Then 
they passed thence to the third chamber, in which they found 
closets having upon their doors closed locks, and over them were 
curtains worked with various kinds of embroidery. They opened 
one of these closets, and found it filled with weapons decorated with 
varieties of gold and silver and jewels. And they went thence to the 
fourth chamber, where also they found closets, one of which they 
opened, and they found it full of utensils for food and drink, con¬ 
sisting of various vessels of gold and silver, and saucers of crystal, 
and cups set with brilliant pearls, and cups of carnelion, and other 
things. So they began to take what suited them of those things, 
and each of the soldiers carried off what he could. And when they 
determined to go forth from those chambers, they saw there a door 
of saj 3? inlaid with ivory and ebony, and adorned with plates of 
brilliant gold, in the midst of that palace. Over it was hung a cur¬ 
tain of silk worked with various kinds of embroidery, and upon it 
were locks of white silver, to be opened by artifice, without a key. 
The sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad therefore advanced to those locks, and he 
opened them by his knowledge and boldness and excellent skill. 
And the party entered a passage paved with marble, upon the sides 
of which were veils 38 whereon were figured various wild beasts and 
birds, all these being worked with red gold and white silver, and 
their eyes were of pearls and jacinths: whosoever beheld them was 
confounded. Next they came to a saloon, on beholding which the 
Emeer Moosa and the sheykh ’Abd Es-Samad were amazed at its 
construction. 

They then passed on, and found a saloon constructed of polished 
marble adorned with jewels. The beholder imagined that upon its 
floor was running water, and if any one walked upon it he would 
slip. The Emeer Moosa therefore ordered the sheykh ’Abd Es- 
Samad to throw upon it something that they might be enabled to 
walk on it; and he did this, and contrived so that they passed on. 
And they found in it a great dome constructed of stones gilded 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

145 

with red gold. The party had not beheld, in all that they had 
seen, anything more beautiful than it. And in the midst of that 
dome was a great dome-crowned structure of alabaster, around which 
were lattice-windows, decorated, and adorned with oblong emeralds, 
such as none of the Kings could procure. In it was a pavilion of 
brocade, raised upon columns of red gold, and within this were 
birds, the feet of which were of emeralds; beneath each bird was a 
net of brilliant pearls, spread over a fountain ; and by the brink of 
the fountain was placed a couch adorned with pearls and jewels and 
jacinths, whereon was a damsel resembling the shining sun. Eyes 
had not beheld one more beautiful. Upon her was a garment of 
brilliant pearls, on her head was a crown of red gold, with a fillet 
of jewels, on her neck was a necklace of jewels in the middle of 
which were refulgent gems, and upon her forehead were two jewels 
the light of which was like that of the sun; and she seemed as 
though she were looking at the people, and observing them to the 
right and left. When the Emeer Moosa beheld this damsel, he 
wondered extremely at her loveliness, and was confounded by her 
beauty and the redness of her cheeks and the blackness of her hair. 
Any beholder would imagine that she was alive, and not dead. And 
they said to her, Peace be on thee, O damsel! But Talib the son 
of Sahl said to the Emeer, May God amend thy state ! Know that 
this damsel is dead. There is no life in her. How then can she 
return the salutation ?—And he added, O Emeer, she is skilfully 
embalmed; and her eyes have been taken out after her death, and 
quicksilver hath been put beneath them, after which they have been 
restored to their places; so they gleam; and whenever the air put- 
teth them in motion, the beholder imagineth that she twinkleth her 
eyes, though she is dead. 39 —Upon this the Emeer Moosa said, Ex¬ 
tolled be the perfection of God, who hath subdued his servants by 
death!—And as to the couch upon which was the damsel, it had 
steps, and upon the steps were two slaves, one of them white and 
the other black; and in the hand of one of them was a weapon of 
steel, and in the hand of the other a jewelled sword, that blinded 
the eyes ; and before the two slaves was a tablet of gold, whereon 
was read an inscription, which was this:— 

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Praise be to God, the 
Creator of man; and He is the Lord of lords, and the Cause of causes. In the 

VOL. III. 

u 

146 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

name of God, the Everlasting, the Eternal: in the name of God, the Ordainer of 
fate and destiny. O son of Adam, liow ignorant art thou in the long indulgence 
of hope! and how unmindful art thou of the arrival of the predestined period! 
Knowest thou not that death hath called for thee, and hath advanced to seize thy 
soul ? Be ready then for departure, and make provision in the world; for thou 
wilt quit it soon. Where is Adam, the father of mankind? Where are Nooh and 
his offspring? Where are the sovereign Kisras and Caesars? Where are the 
Kings of India and El-’Er&k ? Where are the Kings of the regions of the earth ? 
Where are the Amalekites? Where are the mighty monarchs? The mansions 
are void of their presence, and they have quitted their families and homes. Where 
are the Kings of the foreigners and the Arabs? They have all died, and become 
rotten bones. Where are the lords of high degree ? They have all died. Where 
are Karoon and H&man? 40 Where is Sheddad the son of ’A'd ? Where are Ken an 
and the Lord of the Stakes? 41 God hath cut them off, and it is He who cutteth 
Bhort the lives of mankind, and He hath made the mansions to be void of their 
presence. Did they prepare provision for the day of resurrection, and make 
themselves ready to reply to the Lord of men ?—O thou, if thou know me not, I 
will acquaint thee with my name and my descent. 1 am Tedmur, 42 the daughter 
of the King of the Amalekites, of those who ruled the countries with equity. I pos¬ 
sessed what none of the Kings possessed, and ruled with justice, and acted impar¬ 
tially towards my subjects : I gave and bestowed, and I lived a long time in the 
enjoyment of happiness and an easy life, and emancipated female and male slaves. 
Thus I did until the summoner of death came to my abode, and disasters occurred 
before me. And the case was this:—Seven years in succession came upon us, 
during which no water descended on us from heaven, nor did any grass grow for 
us on the face of the earth. So we ate what food we had in our dwellings, and 
after that we fell upon the beasts and ate them, and there remained nothing. 
Upon this, therefore, I caused the wealth to be brought, and meted it with a mea¬ 
sure, and sent it by trusty men, who went about with it through all the districts, 
not leaving unvisited a single large city, to seek for some food. But they found it 
not; and they returned to us with the wealth, after a long absence. So thereupon 
we exposed to view our riches and our treasures, locked the gates of the fortresses 
in our city, and submitted ourselves to the decree of our Lord, committing our case 
to our Master; and thus we all died, as thou beholdest, and left what we had built 
and what we had treasured. This is the story : and after the substance there re- 
maineth not aught save the vestige. 

And they looked at the lower part of the tablet, and saw inscribed 
upon it these verses :— 

Child of Adam, let not hope make game of thee. From all that thy hands 
have treasured thou shalt be removed. 

I see thee desirous of the world and its embellishments; and the past genera¬ 
tions have pursued the same course. 

They acquired wealth, both lawful and forbidden ; but it repelled not fate 
when the term expired : 

They led troops in multitudes, and collected riches; and they left their wealth 
and buildings and departed 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

147 

To the narrow graves, and laid down in the dust; and there they have re¬ 
mained, pledged for their actions; 

As if the company of travellers had put down their baggage during night in a 
house where was no food for guests, 

And its owner had said to them, O people, there is not any lodging for you in 
it. So they packed after alighting, 

And they all thereupon became fearful and timid : neither halting nor jour¬ 
neying was pleasant unto them. 

Then prepare good provision that will rejoice thee to-morrow; and act not 
save agreeably with the fear of thy Lord. 

And upon the tablet were also inscribed these words : 43 — 

Whoso arriveth at our city, and entereth it, God facilitating his entrance into 
it. let him take of the wealth what he can, but not touch anything that is on my 
body ; for it is the covering of my person, and the attire with which I am fitted 
forth from the world. Therefore let him fear God, and not seize aught of it; for 
he would destroy himself. I ha^e caused this to he an admonition from me unto 
him, and a charge which I give him in confidence. And peace be on you! I beg 
God, moreover, to save you from the evil of trials and sickness. 

The Emeer Moosa, when he heard these words, again wept so 
violently that he became insensible; and after he had recovered, 
he wrote all that he saw, and was admonished by what he witnessed. 
He then said to his companions, Bring the sacks, 44 and fill them 
with part of these riches and these vessels and rarities and jewels. 
And thereupon, Talib the son of Sahl said to the Emeer Moosa, O 
Emeer, shall we leave this damsel with the things that are upon her ? 
They are things that have no equal, nor is the like of them at any 
time found, and they are more than the riches thou hast taken, and 
will be the best present by which thou mayest ingratiate thyself 
with the Prince of the Faithful.—But the Emeer replied, O thou, 
heardest thou not that which the damsel hath given as a charge, in 
the inscription upon this tablet? Moreover, and especially, she 
hath given it as a charge offered in confidence, and we are not of the 
people of treachery.—The Wezeer Talib, however, said, And on 
account of these words wilt thou leave these riches and these jewels, 
when she is dead ? What then should she do with these things, 
which are the ornaments of the world, and the decoration of the liv¬ 
ing ? With a garment of cotton might this damsel be covered, and 
we are more worthy of the things than she.—Then he drew near to 
the steps, and ascended them until he 45 reached the spot between 

the two men [the slaves before mentioned], when lo, one of these 
two smote him upon his back, and the other smote him with the 
sword that was in his hand, and struck off his head, and he fell down 
dead. So the Emeer Moosa said, May God not regard with mercy 
thy resting-place! There was, in these riches, a sufficiency; and 
covetousness doth doubtlessly dishonour the person in whom it 
existeth!—He thereupon gave orders for the entry of the troops, 
who accordingly entered, and they loaded the camels with part of 
those riches and minerals; after which the Emeer Moosa com¬ 
manded them to close the gate as it was before. 

They then proceeded along the sea-coast until they came in 
sight of a high mountain overlooking the sea. In it were many 
caves, and lo, in these was a people of the blacks, clad in hides, and 
with bumuses of hides 46 upon their heads, whose language was not 
known. And when they saw the troops, they ran away from them, 
and fled to those caves, while their women and their children stood 
at the entrances of the caves. So the Emeer Moosa said, O sheykh 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

149 

’Abd Es-Samad, what are these people ? And he answered, These 
are the objects of the inquiry of the Prince of the Faithful. They 
therefore alighted, and the tents were pitched, and the riches were 
put down; and they had not rested when the King of the blacks 
came down from the mountain, and drew near to the troops. He 
was acquainted with the Arabic language ; wherefore, when he came 
to the Emeer Moosa, he saluted him ; and the Emeer returned 
his salutation, and treated him with honour. Then the King of the 
blacks said to the Emeer, Are ye of mankind, or of the Jinn ? The 
Emeer answered, As to us, we are of mankind; and as to you, there 
is no doubt but that ye are of the Jinn, because of your seclusion 
in this mountain that is separated from the world, and because of 
the greatness of your make. But the King of the blacks replied, 
Nay, we are a people of the race of Adam, of the sons of Ham the 
son of Nooh, on whom be peace ! And as to this sea, it is known 
by the name of El-Karkar.—So the Emeer Moosa said to him, And 
whence obtained ye knowledge, when there hath not come unto you 
any prophet divinely inspired in such a country as this? He 
answered, Know, O Emeer, that there appeareth unto us, from this 
sea, a person diffusing a light whereby the surrounding tracts are illu¬ 
minated; and he proclaimeth, with a voice which the distant and 
the near hear, O sons of Ham, be abashed at Him who seeth and is 
not seen; and say, There is no deity but God: Mohammad is the 
Apostle of God. And I am Abu-1-’Abbas El-Khidr. 47 —Before 
that, we used to worship one another; but he called us to the wor¬ 
ship of the Lord of mankind.—Then he said to the Emeer Moosa, 
He hath also taught us some words to say.—And what, asked the 
Emeer, are those words ? He answered, They are these :■—There 
is no deity but God alone : He hath no partner : to Him belongeth 
dominion, and to Him belongeth praise: He giveth life and killeth; 
and He is able to do everything. And we seek not access to God 
(to whom be ascribed might and glory !) save by these words, nor 
know we any others. Also, every night of Friday 48 we see a light 
upon the face of the earth, and we hear a voice saying, Perfect! 
Holy ! Lord of the Angels and the Spirit! 49 Whatsoever God 
willeth cometh to pass, and what He willeth not cometh not to 
pass ! Every benefit from God is a gratuitous favour! And there 
is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! 

150 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

The Emeer Moosa then said to him, We are the associates of the 
King of El-Islam, ’Abd El-Melik the son of Marwan; and we have 
eome on account of the bottles of brass that are here in your sea, 
and wherein are the devils imprisoned from the time of Suleyman 
the son of Daood (on both of whom be peace!). He hath com¬ 
manded us to bring him some of them, that he may see them, and 
divert himself by the view of them.—And the King of the blacks 
replied, Most willingly. Then he feasted him with fish, and 
ordered the divers to bring up from the sea some of the bottles of 
Suleyman ; and they brought up for them twelve bottles ; where¬ 
with the Emeer Moosa was delighted, and the sheykh ’Abd Es- 
Samad also, and the soldiers, on account of the accomplishment of 
the affair of the Prince of the Faithful. The Emeer Moosa there¬ 
upon presented to the King of the blacks many presents, and gave 
him large gifts. In like manner too the King of the blacks gave to 
the Emeer Moosa a present consisting of wonders of the sea, in the 
form of human beings, and said to him, Your entertainment for 
these three days shall be of these fish. And the Emeer replied, 
We must carry with us some of them, that the Prince of the Faith¬ 
ful may see them; for thereby will his heart be pleased more than 
by the bottles of Suleyman. 

Then they bade him farewell, and they journeyed back until 
they came to the land of Syria, and went in to the Prince of the 
Faithful; whereupon the Emeer Moosa acquainted him with all 
that he had seen, and all that had occurred to him with respect to 
the verses and histories and admonitions, and told him of the case of 
Talib the son of Sahl. And the Prince of the Faithful said to him, 
Would that I had been with you, that I might have beheld what ye 
beheld! He then took the bottles, and proceeded to open one after 
another, and the devils came forth from them, saying, Repentance! 
O Prophet of God! We will not return to the like conduct ever !— 
And ’Abd El-Melik the son of Marwan wondered at this. But as 
to the damsels of the sea, with the like of which the King of the 
blacks feasted them, they made for them troughs of wood, which 
they filled with water, and into these they put them. They died, 
however, in consequence of the intensity of the heat. After this, 
the Prince of the Faithful caused the riches to be brought before 
him, and divided them among the Muslims. And he said, God 

THE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS. 

151 

hath not bestowed upon any one the like of what He bestowed upon 
Suleyman the son of Daood. Then the Emeer Moosa begged the 
Prince of the Faithful that he might appoint his son in his place as 
Governor of the province, and that he might himself go to the 
noble Jerusalem, 50 there to worship God. So the Prince of the 
Faithful appointed his son to the government, and he himself went 
to the noble J erusalem, and he died there. 

This is the end of that which hath come down to us, of the his¬ 
tory of the City of Brass, entire. And God is all-knowing. 51 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIRST. 

Note 1. 

Tina city, which, we are told in the tale, derived its name from its having two 
towers of brass (or yellow copper), is not to be identified with that which is men¬ 
tioned in the Story of Aboo Mohammad the Lazy; as the latter was in a different 
part of the world, though it was like the former in having no visible gate. The 
Story of the City of Brass appears to have been suggested partly by a tradition 
related by Et-Tabaree, * and partly by accounts, or actual observation, of the 
ancient temples and tombs of Egypt, with their inscriptions, statues, mummies, 
&c. And here I may mention, that the term “maskhoot,” employed to signify 
“a human being converted by the wrath of God into stone,” is commonly applied 
in Egypt to an ancient statue. Hence the Arabs have become familiar with the 
idea of cities whose inhabitants are petrified. But this remark would have been 
more appropriate as an illustration of “ the Story of the First of the Three Ladies 
of Baghdadfor the inhabitants of the City of Brass are not described as petrified. 

Note 2. 

’Abd El-Melik the son of Marwfin was the fifth Khaleefeh of the house of 
Umeiyeh, and reigned a. d. 685—705. 

Note 3. 

Namely, reptiles, and the wind. See vol i. page 35. 

Note 4. 

The word rendered “bottles” is the plural of “kumkum.” Fora description 
of the vessel thus called see Note 2 to Chapter ii. 

* See Dubeux’8 “ Chronique de Tabari” (printed for the Oriental Translation Fund), tome i. 
partie i. chap. xiii. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIRST. 

153 

Note 5. 

Thus in the edition of Breslau. In the Cairo edition, “to the land of India.” 
The reading which I have adopted is more agreeable with the sequel. 

Note 6. 

Here, in my original, but not in the Breslau edition, is added, “ nor know we 
aught of this religion.” 

Note 7. 

Our author has erred in making En-Nabighah Edh-Dhubyanee contemporary 
with 'Abd El-Melik the son of Marwan; for he flourished in the reign of En- 
Noamati Ibn El-Mundhir, surnamed Aboo KAboos, and died before the promul¬ 
gation of el-Islam. The verses, also, given as his paraphrase of words addressed 
to Solomon by God (“ the Wise, the First ”), are misquoted. In their stead we 
should read,— 

Excepting SuleymAn, when the Deity said to him, Assume the government 
of mankind, and withhold them from error; 

And bring under the Jinn ; for I have commanded them to construct Tedmur* 
with slabs and pillars. 

Whoso oheyeth, reward him for his obedience, as he hath obeyed thee, direct 
him aright: 

And whoso opposeth thee, punish him severely: so prohibit the unjust. . . . 

See the original in De Sacy’s Chrestomathie Arabe, 2nde ed., tome ii. pp. 145-6 
of the Arabic text; and his translation and notes, pp. 406 and 442.—Hence it is 
evident, as this great scholar has remarked, that the legends relating to Solomon 
which are read in the Kur-An, especially in Chapters 34 and 38, were current 
among the Arabs before Mohammad. 

Note 8. 

“ The Western Country ” is Northern Africa, west of Egypt. 

Note 9. 

In my original, erroneously written “ Nasr.” 

Note 10. 

“That is, ‘a white ensign to take with thee.’ It is also said, in the vulgar 
dialect, ‘ The ensign of such-a-one is white' when he fails not in the performance 
of his affairs.” f White ensigns &c. were more particularly distinctive of the 
rivals of the 'AbbAsee Khaleefehs; and black, of the ’AbbAsees themselves; but 
these also gave white ensigns to their governors. 

* The city of Palmyra. t Marginal note by my sheykh. 

VOL. III. 

X 

154 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIRST. 

Note 11. 

By “ Misr” we must here understand El-Fust&t, now vulgarly called “ Masr 
el-’Ateekah ” (or old Masr) ; as Cairo was not yet founded. 

Note 12. 

“ ’Abd Es-Samad ” signifies “ Servant of the Eternaland “ ’Abd El- 
Kuddoos,” “ Servant of the Holy." The surname written in my original “ Es- 
Samoodee ” is doubtful: in the Breslau edition it is “ El-Masmoodee.” 

Note 13. 

In my original, “ DAr&n.”—The Breslau edition describes preparations made 
for encountering the hot and dry winds of the desert: but no mention is after¬ 
wards made of these difficulties. It also relates, that the party wandered from 
the right way before they arrived at the first of the wonderful objects which they 
beheld in their journey. 

Note 14. 

“ That is, in the tabernacles of the world, or in the tabernacles of their 
souls.” * 

Note 15. 

“ For worship, and what will follow it.” -f- 

Note 16. 

This verse, omitted in my original, I have inserted from the Breslau edition. 

Note 17. 

See Note 95 to Chapter x. 

Note 18. 

This is doubtless a mistake, for “K6sh the son of 115m,” or Cush the son of 
Ham. 

Note 19. 

“ Esh-Sh&m,” which generally applies to Syria, or its capital Damascus, here 
signifies the northern parts of Arabia, opposed to El-Yemen; and “from Misr 
unto ’Adnan,” from the country of Misr (i. e. Egypt) to that of ’Adndri, ancestor 
of the Naturalized Arabs. My sheykh remarks, that these verses are a modern 
forgery, as is shewn, among other things, by the fact that 'Adn&n lived long after 
K6sh. The tale presents numerous anachronisms throughout. 

Note 20. 

“ Every man is given in pledge for that which he shall have wrought,” (Kur-4n, 
ch. lii. v. 21.) That is, as Sale explains the words, “ Every man is pledged unto 
God for his behaviour: and if he does well, he redeems his pledge; but if evil, 
he forfeits it.” 

Marginal note by my sheykh. 

f Idem. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIRST. 

155 

Note 21. 

“ D&hish” signifies “amazed;” and “aamash,” “having weak eyes, with a 
frequent flowing of tears.” 

Note 22. 

That is, prepare to answer God, on the day of judgment. 

Note 23. 

This is a common phrase, and may be rendered, “ his fury, or passion, rose,” 
or, “ he was violently moved.” 

Note 24. 

See Note 115 to Chapter xi. 

Note 25. 

From this point to the end of the next paragraph is from the edition of 
Breslau; very little of it being in the Cairo edition. 

Note 26. 

By the word rendered “ King,” I suppose a King of the Jinn to be meant. 

Note 27. 

This name I suppose to be imaginary, unless it be a mistake for “ Kookoo,” 
which word, in Arabic characters, differs little from “ Karkar.” If the “ Kookoo ” 
of El-Idreesee be the “ Kouka ” of our modem maps (the chief town of Bomou), 
the sea in question may be the great lake “ Tchad.” 

Note 28. 

“ El-Andalus” is the name by which the Arabs call, not merely Andalusia, but 
the whole of Spain. In the tradition related by Et-Tabaree, and alluded to in the 
first of these notes, the City of Brass is said to have been built in a desert, beyond 
a city named El-Andalus. But according to this tradition, the whole city was 
constructed of brass. God, as we are told in the Kur-5n, * made a fountain of 
molten brass to flow for Suleyman; and the tradition relates, that the Jinn, having 
transported this fountain to the place above mentioned, built there a great city, 
twelve miles in length and the same in breadth, in which he deposited his books 
and treasures. The tradition also narrates some particulars of the expedition of 
Moosa the son of Nuseyr to this city; stating its result, however, to have been 
unsuccessful. 

Note 29. 

I have made a correction here on the authority of the Breslau edition. 

Chap, xxxiv. v. 11. 

156 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIRST 

Note 30. 

In my original, the inscriptions of three more of the tablets are given; and in 
the Breslau edition, those of all the seven: but they are so much alike, that I have 
thought it sufficient to give only one as a specimen. 

Note 31. 

“ That is, the verses which cause safety to their reciter; as the saying of Him 
whose name be exalted!—‘ And wherefore should we not put our trust in God ?’ 
[Kur-fin, chap. xiv. v. 15.]—‘ Say, Nothing shall befall us but what God hath 
decreed for us.’ ” * [Idem, chap. ix. v. 51.] f 

Note 32. 

This phrase means “ a long time.” 

Note 33. 

“ God is most great!” is the usual Muslim cry of victory. 

Note 34. 

See Note 67 to Chapter v. 

Note 35. 

Literally, “green lapis-lazuli;” but this is doubtless a mistake of a copyist. 

Note 36. 

Respecting the coats of mail and the lances here mentioned, see Note 5 to 
Chapter viii., and Note 2 to Chapter vi. 

Note 37. 

See Note 7 to Chapter xiii. 

Note 38. 

The word here rendered “veils” is the plural of “burko’,” which generally 
signifies “a woman’s face-veil;” but it is also sometimes applied to a door-curtain. 
The curtain which is suspended over the entrance of the Kaabeh is thus called. 

Note 39. 

In this sentence are some errors in my original which the Breslau edition has 
enabled me to correct.—The greater part of the description of the palace given in 
the edition of Cairo is wanting in that of Breslau. 

Note 40. 

Respecting Karo on and H&m&n see the twenty-eighth chapter of the Kur-fin. 

• Marginal note by my sheykh. 

f See my work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. i. ch. xi. second paragraph. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIRST 157 

The former is the Korah of the Bible : the latter was the chief minister of the 
Pharaoh who oppressed the Israelites. 

Note 41. 

“ Ken’An” is the Canaan of the Bible; and “ the Lord of the Stakes” is an appel¬ 
lation given (in the Kur-in, chap, xxxviii. v. 11) to the Pharaoh above mentioned. 
The words bearing this meaning Sale renders “ the contriver of the stakes;” and he 
gives the following note upon them. “ For they say Pharaoh used to tie those he 
had a mind to punish, by the hands and feet, to four stakes fixed in the ground, 
and so tormented them. Some interpret the words, which may also be translated, 
The lord or master of the stakes, figuratively, of the firm establishment of Pharaoh’s 
kingdom; because the Arabs fix their tents with stakes; but they may possibly 
intend that prince’s obstinacy and hardness of heart.” 

Note 42. 

There are errors here in the Cairo and Breslau editions. I have followed what 
appears (from Trebutien’s translation) to be the reading of Von Hammer’s MS.— 
“Tedmur”is the original and present name of Palmyra, which, according to the Arabs, 
was named after its Queen Tedmur, the daughter of Hass&n the son of Udheyneh. 
Our author, however, can hardly be supposed to have here meant this Queen; the 
situation and grand remains of the city bearing her name being so well known. 

Note 43. 

Some words in my original, immediately following the verses, t omit, as they 
are similar to the many exhortations which have occurred before, and are not in¬ 
serted in the Breslau edition. 

Note 44. 

The word rendered “ sacks” (namely “ aaddl”) is also applied to other recep¬ 
tacles for provisions, &c., two of which form a camel’s load, one being attached on 
each side of the animal. 

Note 45. 

It is said, in my original, that he ascended the steps “ until he was between the 
two columns, and reached the spot between the two men.” These columns not 
being elsewhere mentioned, I have omitted the words here relating to them. 

Note 46. 

The “ burnus,” also called “burnoos,” is a hooded cloak, generally made of 
white woollen stuff, and mostly worn by the people of Northern Africa. The 
people of Kookoo are described by El-Idreesee* as wearing skins. Revert to Note 
27. 

Note 47. 

Or El-Khadir. According to my sheykh, this does not apply to the Prophet [or 
Saint] mentioned in volume i. page 22 : but I know not whom else it can mean. 

♦ First Climate, third Section. 

158 ABSTRACT OF THE STORY OF THE KING AND HIS SON, be. 

Note 18. 

What the Muslims term “ the night of Friday” is the night immediately preced¬ 
ing the day of Friday; as they class each night with the day which immediately 
follows it. 

Note 49. 

By “the Spirit” is here meant the Angel Gabriel. 

Note 50. 

Jerusalem is here called in my original, and by the Muslims generally, “El- 
Kuds,” which signifies “ holiness.” The Muslims, like the Christians and Jews, 
regard it with great veneration. 

Note 51. 

The next story in my original is that of “ the King and his Son and the Dam¬ 
sel and the Seven Wezeers,” which ends with part of the six hundred and sixth 
Night. It is similar in its frame-work to the Bakhtyar Nam eh, as observed by an 
orientalist who (in the Asiatic Journal, N. S. vol. xxx., No. 120) has given a sum¬ 
mary of its contents, comprising numerous short tales selected from it, translated 
from a manuscript of a portion of the Thousand and One Nights in the British 
Museum; in which manuscript the story is related nearly as in the Cairo edition.® 
It is also related nearly in the same manner in a fragment of the Thousand and 
One Nights brought from India; and from that fragment, Dr. Jonathan Scott 
made a translation, which is included in his “ Tales, &c. from the Arabic 
and Persian.” + The story in my original, as well as in the manuscripts above 
mentioned, abounds with indecent passages and incidents; but among the short 
tales of which it is composed are some of considerable interest, and some others 
which I think not entirely unworthy of being presented to the English reader. I 
shall therefore follow the example of the first of the translators mentioned above, 
and, distinguishing by inverted commas the portions which will be fully rendered, 
or only curtailed of a few objectionable words, give an 

Abstract of the Story of the King and his Son and the Damsel and 
the Seven Wezeers. 

There was, in ancient times, a certain King, of great power, who had reigned a 
long time, but had not been blessed with a son. At length, however, after he had 
earnestly prayed for an heir, his wife, the daughter of his uncle, bore him a male 
child, with a face like the disc of the moon in its fourteenth night. At the age of 
five years, the boy was committed to the care of a sage named Es-Sindib&d, and he 
became unequalled in science, and polite learning, and intelligence, and horseman¬ 
ship. But one day the sage discovered, by observing the stars, that the young 
man was threatened with destruction, if, during the next seven days, he should 
speak one word. The King therefore, by the sage’s advice, delivered him to a 
female slave, to be diverted with music in the pavilion of the women, and to be 
kept there until the expiration of that period. Now there were in the pavilion 

* This MS. was brought from Baghd&d. It belonged to the collection of Mr. Rich, 
f Von Hammer’s MS. likewise contains this story, 

forty private chambers, in each of which were ten slave-girls, every one of whom 
had a musical instrument, and when any one of them played, the pavilion danced 
at the melodious sounds that she produced; and around the pavilion ran a river, 
the banks of which were planted with all kinds of fruit-trees and sweet-smelling 
flowers. But here the favourite concubine of the King became violently enam¬ 
oured of his son : the young man was indignant at hearing from her the avowal of 
her passion ; and she in consequence complained to his father, reversing the true 
state of the case. The King thereupon was furiously enraged, and, having sum¬ 
moned his Wezeers, ordered them to put his son to death. The Wezeers, however, 
feared that he would afterwards repent, and blame them for not having dissuaded 
him : so they determined to divert him, if possible, from his purpose. This they 
endeavoured to do by relating to him numerous short tales; and the guilty damsel 
endeavoured to counteract their influence by similar means. 

The First Wezeer, as an instance of the stratagems (but not of the wickedness) 
of women, begins by relating that,— 

A certain King saw a beautiful damsel upon the roof of her house, and was 
captivated by her charms, and, learning that she was the wife of his Wezeer, he 
sent this minister to examine the state of one of the provinces, and went to pay her 
a visit. But he received from her a reproof* which confounded him. He quitted 
her abode abruptly ; leaving his seal-ring by mistake, in his confusion, beneath the 
cushion against which he had been reclining; and when the Wezeer returned to 
his house, he happened to put his hand beneath the cushion, and there found the 
King’s seal: so he separated himself from his wife for the space of a whole year, 

* 

• " A reproof very much like that related in the Decamerone, Nov. V, giorn. 1.” (Asiatic Journal, 
N. S. vol. xxx. p. 276.) 

160 ABSTRACT OF THE STORY OF THE KING AND HIS SON, &e. 

not even speaking to her. She knew not the cause of his anger; and at length, 
when she was wearied by his conduct, she complained to her father, who went in 
to the King, and “ finding the Wezeer in his presence, and the K&dee of the army 
before him, accused the Wezeer in these words:—May God (whose name he 
exalted!) amend the circumstances of the King ! I had a beautiful garden, which 
I planted with my hand, and I expended upon it my wealth, until it bore fruit, 
and its fruit was ripe, when I gave it to this thy Wezeer, and he ate of it what was 
pleasant to him, after which he abandoned it; so its flowers withered, and its 
beauty departed, and its state altogether changed.—And thereupon the Wezeer 
said, O King, this person hath spoken truth in that which he hath said. I 
guarded it, and ate of it; but I went one day to it, and saw the footstep of the lion 
there; so I was afraid of him, and withdrew myself from it.—The King therefore 
understood that the footstep which the Wezeer had found was the King’s seal that 
he had left by mistake in the house; and upon this he said to the Wezeer, Return, 
O Wezeer, to thy garden, and thou wilt he safe and secure ; for the lion drew not 
near it. It hath been told me that the lion came thither ; but he did it no injury, 
by the honour of my fathers and my ancestors!—So the Wezeer, on hearing this, 
said, I hear and obey. He returned to his house, and sent to his wife, made peace 
with her, and confided in her honesty.” 

The same Wezeer then relates the story of the Husband and the Parrot.* The 
Damsel next tells a short tale of a father who perished in attempting to save his 
son from drowning, and another tale unfit for translation. Then the Second 
Wezeer relates a story of a nasty trick played upon a merchant by an old woman, 
and a tale f which is as follows :— 

A woman received visits from two men unknown to her husband : one of them 
was the treasurer of the King, and the other was that officer’s young man. And 
one day, when the latter was with her, his master knocked at the door: so she 
took the young man, and put him down into a chamber beneath a trap-door; after 
which, she opened the door, and the master entered. “ But lo, her husband 
knocked at her door; whereupon he said to her, Who is this ? She answered, My 
husband. And he said to her, What shall I do, and what shall be my resource in 
this case ? She answered him, Arise, draw thy. sword, and stand at the entrance of 
the passage : then abuse me and revile me ; and when my husband cometh in to 
thee, depart, and go thy way. He therefore did so ; and when her husband came 
in, he saw the King’s treasurer standing, with his drawn sword in his hand, revil¬ 
ing his wife, and threatening her; and the treasurer, on seeing him, was abashed, 
and sheathed his sword, and went forth from the house. So the man said to his 
wife, What is the cause of this 1 And she answered him, How blessed is this hour 
in which thou hast come ! Thou hast delivered a believing soul from slaughter. 
And the case was no other than this: I was spinning upon the house-top, and lo, 
a young man came in unto me, an outcast, distracted, panting in fear of slaughter; 
and this man, with his drawn sword, was hastening after him, striving in pursuit of 
him. So the young man threw himself upon my protection, kissing my hands and 
my feet, and said, O my mistress, deliver me from him who desireth my slaughter 
unjustly 1 Wherefore I hid him in the chamber here beneath the trap-door; and 
when I saw that this man had entered, with his sword drawn, I denied the young 

* In Chapter ii. of the present work. 

t “ Out of the Hitopadesa.” (Asiatic Journ., N. S. xxx. 2 77.) 

man to him on his demanding him of me, and he began to revile me and threaten 
me as thou sawest. And praise be to God who hath sent thee unto me ; for I was 
perplexed, having no one with me to rescue me.—Her husband thereupon said to 
her, Excellently hast thou done, O woman 1 Thy reward is due from God, and He 
will recompense thee well for thy deed.—Then her husband went to the chamber be¬ 
neath the trap-door, and called the young man, saying to him, Come up! No harm 
shall befall thee 1—So he came up from the chamber, but in a state of fear ; and 
the man said to him, Cheer thyself. No harm shall befall thee.—And he was 
grieved for that which had befallen him, while the young man prayed for him. 
Thus they both went forth, and knew not of the stratagem which this woman had 
contrived." 

On the third day (for on each day one Wezeer tries his influence), the Damsel 
relates “ the Story of the Envious Wezeer and the Prince and the Ghooleh."* Then 
the Third Wezeer enters, and narrates the two following anecdotes :— 

“ There was a huntsman who hunted the wild beasts in the desert, and one day 
he entered a cave in a mountain, and found in it a hollow which was filled with 
honey. So he collected some of that honey in a water-skin that he had with him : 
then he carried it upon his shoulder, and conveyed it to the city, having with him 
a hound that was dear unto him. And the huntsman stopped at the shop of an 
oilman, to whom he offered the honey for sale, and the shopman, agreeing to buy 
it, opened the water-skin and emptied from it the honey, to see it. But there 

* Nearly as told in Chapter ii. in this work. 

VOL. III. 

Y 

162 ABSTRACT OF THE STORY OF THE KING AND HIS SON, &c. 

dropped from the skin a drop of honey, and a bird pounced down upon it; and the 
oilman had a cat, and it sprang upon the bird; and the huntsman’s dog saw it, 
and sprang upon the cat and killed it; and the oilman sprang upon the huntsman’s 
dog and killed it: and the huntsman sprang upon the oilman and killed him ; and 
the oilman was of one village, and the huntsman of another, and the people of 
these two villages heard of this event; so they took their weapons and arms, and 
rose against each other in anger: the two ranks met, and the swords ceased not to 
he brandished about among them until there died of them a great multitude, the 
number of whom none knoweth hut God, whose name be exalted! * 

“ It hath been told me also, O King, among the stories of the artifice of 
women, that a woman’s husband gave her a piece of silver to buy some rice, and 
she took it of him and went with it to the rice-dealer, who gave her the rice, and 
began to joke with her and ogle her; and he said to her, Rice is not sweet unless 
with sugar ; and if thou desire it, come in. So the woman went into his shop, and 
he said to his slave, Weigh for her a dirhem’s worth of sugar. And he gave him 
a wink; whereupon the slave took the handkerchief from the woman, and, having 
emptied it of the rice, put in the place of it dust; and instead of sugar, he put 
stones; after which, he tied the handkerchief, and left it by her. Therefore when 
the woman went forth from him, she took her handkerchief and departed to her 
abode, thinking that what was in her handkerchief was rice and sugar; and on arriv¬ 
ing at her abode, she put the handkerchief before her husband, who found in it dust 
and stones. So when she brought the cooking-pot, her husband said to her, Did 
we tell thee that we had aught to build, that thou hast brought us dust and stones?f 
And on her seeing this, she knew that the slave of the dealer had cheated her; 
and having brought the cooking-pot in her hand, she said to her husband, O man, 
in consequence of the trouble of mind that hath befallen me, I went to bring the 
sieve and brought the cooking-pot. Her husband said to her, And what hath 
troubled thy mind? And she answered him, O man, the piece of silver that I had 
with me dropped from me in the market, and I was ashamed before the people to 
search for it, and it was not a light matter to me that the piece of silver should go 
from me; wherefore I collected the dust from the place where it fell, and desired 
to sift it; and I was going to bring the sieve and brought the cooking-pot. Then 
she went and brought the sieve, and gave it to her husband, saying to him, Sift 
thou it; for thy sight is more clear than mine. So the man sat sifting the dust 
until his face and his beard were covered with it, and he perceived not her artifice, 
and discovered not that which had happened to her.” 

On the fourth day, the Damsel again presents herself to the King, and relates 
an instance of the perfidy of men-J 

A King of former times had an only son, whom he contracted in marriage to 
the daughter of another King. But the damsel, who was endowed with great 
beauty, had a cousin who had sought her in marriage, and had been rejected; 
wherefore he sent great presents to the Wezeer of the King first mentioned, 
requesting him to employ some stratagem by which to destroy his master's son, or 

* Petty wars occasioned by events as trifling as that here related have been common among the 
Arabs to the present day. Two tribes in Lower Egypt, called Saad and Hardm, and two in Syria, 
called Keys and Yemen, have rendered themselves proverbial by such wars, 
f See the second note at the foot of page 596 in vol. ii. 

X The first paragraph of this story is here considerably abridged: the rest, very little. 

to induce him to relinquish the damsel; and the Wezeer consented. Then the 
father of the damsel sent to the King’s son, inviting him to come and introduce 
himself to his daughter, to take her as his wife ; and the father of the young man 
sent him with the treacherous Wezeer, attended by a thousand horsemen, and pro¬ 
vided with rich presents. And when they were proceeding over the desert, the 
Wezeer remembered that there was near unto them a spring of water, called Ez- 
Zahra,* and whosoever drank of it, if he were a man, he became a woman. He 
therefore ordered the troops to alight near it, and induced the Prince to go thither 
with him ; and when they arrived at that spring, the King’s son dismounted from 
his courser, and washed his hands, and drank; and lo, he became a woman; 
whereupon he cried out and wept until he fainted. The Wezeer asked him what 
had befallen him; so the young man informed him ; and on hearing his words, the 
Wezeer affected to be grieved for him, and wept. The King’s son then sent the 
Wezeer back to his father, to inform him of this event, determining not to proceed 
nor to return until his affliction should be removed from him, or until he should 
die. 

He remained by that fountain during a period of three days with their nights, 
neither eating nor drinking; and on the fourth night there came to him a horse¬ 
man with a crown upon his head, appearing like one of the sons of the Kings, and 
this horseman said to him. Who brought thee, O young man, unto this place ? So 
the young man told him his story ; and when the horseman heard it, he pitied him, 
and said to him, The Wezeer of thy father is the person who hath thrown thee into 
this calamity; for no one of mankind knoweth of this spring excepting one man. 

> “ Ez-Zahra" signifies " the bright,' 1 “ the splendid,” 4tc. 

164 ABSTRACT OF THE STORY OF THE KING AND HIS SON 

Then the horseman ordered him to mount with him. He therefore mounted; and 
the horseman said to him, Come with me to my abode; for thou art my guest this 
night. The young man replied, Inform me who thou art before I go with thee. 
And the horseman said, I am son of a King of the Jdn, and thou art son of a King 
of mankind : and now be of good heart and cheerful eye on account of that which 
shall dispel thine anxiety and thy grief; for it is unto me easy. 

So the young man proceeded with him from the commencement of the day, for¬ 
saking his troops and soldiers (whom the Wezeer had left at their halting-place), 
and ceased not to travel on with his conductor until midnight, when the son of the 
King of the Jinn said to him, Knowest thou what space we have traversed during 
this period? The young man answered him, I know not. And the son of the 
King of the Jinn said, We have traversed a space of a year’s journey to him who 
travelleth with diligence. So the young man wondered thereat, and asked, How 
shall I return to my family ? The other answered, This is not thine affair: it is my 
affair; and when thou shall have recovered from thy misfortune, thou shalt return 
to thy family in less time than the twinkling of an eye; for to accomplish that will 
be to me easy. And the young man, on heaving these words from the Jinnee, 
almost flew with excessive delight: he thought that the event was a result of con¬ 
fused dreams, and said, Extolled be the perfection of Him who is able to restore 
the wretched, and render him prosperous! They ceased not to proceed until 
morning, when they arrived at a verdant, bright land, with tall trees, and warbling 
birds, and gardens of surpassing beauty, and fair palaces; and thereupon the son 
of the King of the Jinn alighted from his courser, commanding the young man 
also to dismount. He therefore dismounted, and the Jinnee took him by the hand, 
and they entered one of those palaces, where the young man beheld an exalted 
King and a Sultdn of great dignity, and he remained with him that day, eating and 
drinking, until the approach of night. Then the son of the King of the Jinn arose 
and mounted his courser, and the son of the King of men mounted with him, and 
they went forth and proceeded during the night with diligencejmtil morning; and 
lo, they came to a black land, not inhabited, abounding with black rocks and 
stones, as though it were a part of Hell; whereupon the son of the King of men 
said to the Jinnee, What is the appellation of this land? And he answered, It is 
called the Dusky Land,* and belongeth to one of the Kings of the Jinn, whose name 
is Zu-l-Jen&heyn : f none of the Kings can attack him, nor doth any one enter his 
territory unless by his permission : so stop in thy place while I ask his permission. 
Accordingly the young man stopped, and the Jinnee was absent from him for a 
while, and then returned to him; and they ceased not to proceed until they came 
to a spring flowing from black mountains; when the Jinnee said to the young man, 
Alight. He therefore alighted from his courser, and the Jinnee said to him, Drink 
of this spring. And the young man drank of it, and immediately became again 
a male, as he was at first, by the power of God (whose name he exalted!) ; whereat 
he rejoiced with great joy, not to be exceeded. And he said to the Jinnee, O my 
brother, what is the name of this spring? The Jinnee answered, It is called the 
Spring of the Women : no woman drinketh of it but she becometh a man: therefore 
praise God and thank Him for thy restoration, and mount thy courser. So the 
King’s son prostrated himself, thanking God, whose name be exalted! 

* El-Ard ed-Dahma. 

f The Two-Winged. 

AND THE DAMSEL AND THE SEVEN WEZEERS. 

165 

Then he mounted, and they journeyed with diligence during the rest of the day 
until they had returned to the land of that Jinnee; and the young man passed the 
night in his abode in the most comfortable manner; after which they ate and 
drank until the next night, when the son of the King of the Jinn said to him, Dost 
thou desire to return to thy family this night? The young man answered, Yes, 
So the son of the King of the Jinn called one of his father’s slaves, whose name 
was Rajiz, and said to him, Take this young man hence, and carry him upon thy 
shoulders, and let not the dawn overtake him before he is with his father-in-law 
arid his wife. The slave replied, I hear and obey, and with feelings of love and 
honour will I do it. Then the slave absented himself from him for a while, and 
approached in the form of an ’Efreet; and when the young man saw him, his 
reason fled, and he was stupified; but the son of the King of the Jinn said to him, 
No harm shall befall thee. Mount thy courser, and on it ascend upon his shoulders. 
—The young man however replied, Nay, I will mount alone upon his shoulders, 
and leave the courser with thee. He then alighted from the courser, and mounted 
upon the slave’s shoulders; and the son of the King of the Jinn said to him, Close 
thine eyes. So he closed his eyes; and the slave flew with him between heaven 
and earth, and ceased not to fly along with him, while the young man was uncon¬ 
scious ; and the last third of the night came not before he was on the top of the 
palace of his father-in-law, whereupon the ’Efreet said to him, Alight. He there¬ 
fore alighted: and he said to him, Open thine eyes; for this is the palace of thy 

166 ABSTRACT OF THE STORY OF THE KING AND HIS SON, See. 

father-in-law and his daughter. Then he left him and departed. And as soon as 
the day shone, and the alarm of the young man subsided, he descended from the 
roof of the palace; and when his father-in-law beheld him, he rose to him and met 
him, wondering at seeing him descend from the top of the palace, and he said to 
him, We see other men come through the doors; but thou comest down from the 
sky. The young man replied, What God (whose perfection be extolled, and whose 
name be exalted!) desired hath happened. And when the sun rose, his father-in- 
law ordered his Wezeer to prepare great banquets, and the wedding was cele¬ 
brated; the young man remained there two months, and then departed with his 
wife to the city of his father. But as to the cousin of the damsel, he perished by 
reason of his jealousy and envy. 

Next, the Fourth Wezeer relates a story of a bath-keeper and his wife and a 
young man : but this must be passed over. He then tells a story of which the fol¬ 
lowing is a very brief abstract:— 

A young and beautiful and virtuous wife was corrupted by an old woman, and 
sent her to bring a young man who was enamoured of her. But the old woman, 
being unable to find the lover at the time appointed, brought another man, whom 
she knew not, and this happened to be the damsel's husband, who had been on a 
journey. She conducted him into the saloon, and when the wife came in, and her 
eye fell upon her husband, she quickly had recourse to a stratagem. Pulling off 
her khuff* from her foot, she said to her husband, Not thus is our mutual vow 
observed! How is it that thou deceivest me, and actest with me in this manner ? 
When I heard of thine arrival 1 tried thee by means of this old woman, and I have 
caused thee to fall into that against which I cautioned thee, and have certified my¬ 
self of thy conduct, and that thou hast violated the vow that was between me and 
thee. Before now I imagined that thou wast chaste, until I beheld thee with mine 
eye with this old woman, and found that thou frequentest women of bad character. 
—Then she began to beat him with the khuff upon his head, while he declared him¬ 
self to be innocent of the offence, and swore to her that he had never deceived her 
during the course of his life. But she still beat him, and wept and cried out, 
saying, Come to me, O Muslims! So he held her mouth with his hand, and she 
bit it; and he humbled himself to her, kissing her hands and her feet. And after 
she had continued some time longer slapping him, she made a sign to the old wo¬ 
man that she should withhold her hand from him. The old woman therefore came 
to her, and proceeded to kiss her hands and her feet until she made them both sit 
down; when the husband kissed the old woman’s hand, and said to her, May God 
recompense thee with everything good, for thy having delivered me from her! 
And the old woman wondered at the artifice of the wife. 

On the fifth day, the Damsel comes in to the King with a cup of poison in her 
hand, threatening to destroy herself with it if he gratify not her revenge; and she 
relates a story of which an abridgement is here inserted. 

A certain amorous goldsmith saw upon a wall of a chamber in the house of a 
friend a picture of a most beautiful damsel, and was smitten by it with so violent a 
passion that he fell sick and was at the point of destruction. But learning that the 
damsel of whom it was a portrait was a singing-girl belonging to one of the We- 
zeers, and was in the city of Kashmeer, he encouraged himself, and journeyed 

See the first note at the foot of page 338 in volume ii. 

thither, from Persia, where he resided. On his arrival there, he inquired of a per¬ 
fumer respecting the character of the King, and was informed that he was a just 
monarch, hating nothing in the world excepting enchanters, and that every 
enchanter or enchantress who fell into his hand he cast into a pit outside the city, 
and left to die of hunger. Then the goldsmith questioned the perfumer respecting 
the King’s Wezeers ; and the latter informed him of the character of each Wezeer 
until he mentioned the singing-girl, and he told him that she was with such a Wezeer. 
So the goldsmith waited after that some days, till he had contrived a stratagem; 
and during a night of rain and thunder and stormy winds, he took with him a band 
of robbers, and repaired to the mansion of the Wezeer who was the owner of the 
damsel. He attached a ladder with grappling-irons, and ascended to the roof of 
the palace, and thence he descended into its court, where he beheld all the female 
slaves sleeping, each upon her couch; and he saw a couch of alabaster, whereon 
was a damsel like the full moon. He approached her, and seated himself at her 
head, and removed the covering from her. It was a covering of gold stuff; and 
at her head was a candle, and at her feet a candle, each in a candlestick of brilliant 
gold, and these two candles were of ambergris; and beneath the cushion was a box 
of silver, containing all her ornaments, covered, and placed at her head. And 
thereupon he took forth a knife, and struck her upon the hip, making a manifest 
wound. So the damsel awoke in terror ; but when she saw him, she feared to cry 
out; wherefore she was silent, imagining that he desired to take the ornaments. 
She then said to him, Take the box and what is in it. The slaughter of me will 

not profit thee ; and I throw myself upon thy protection and thy generosity !_The 

man therefore took the box with its contents, and departed. 

And on the following morning he took the box in which were the ornaments, 
and, going in with it to the King of the city, kissed the ground before him, and 

168 ABSTRACT OF THE STORY OF THE KING AND HIS SON 

said to liim, O King, I am a man who would give thee good counsel. I am of the 
country of KhurAsfin, and have come a refugee unto thy majesty, on account 
of the fame of thy good qualities and thy justice to thy subjects: wherefore I 
desired to be under thy banner. I arrived at this city at the- close of the day, and 
found the gate closed: so I slept outside it; and while I was between sleeping and 
waking, lo, I saw four women, one of them riding upon a broom,* and one of them 
riding upon a fan. I therefore knew, O King, that they were enchantresses who 
would enter thy city; and one of them drew near to me, and kicked me with her foot, 
and beat me with the tail of a fox that was in her hand, and pained me: so passion 
seized me by reason of the blow, and I struck her with a knife that was with me, 
wounding her hip, as she turned her hack in flight. And when I wounded her, 
she fled away before me, and there fell from her this box with its contents; and I 
took it and opened it, whereupon I saw in it these precious ornaments. Therefore 
take thou it; for I have no need of it, as I am a wanderer about the mountains, 
and have rejected the world from my heart, and forsaken it with what it con- 
taineth, seeking to behold the face of God, whose name be exalted !—Then he left 
the box before the King, and departed; and when he had gone forth, the King 
opened the box, and, having taken out all the ornaments from it, began to 
turn them over, and found among them a necklace which he had bestowed upon 
the Wezeer, the master of the damsel. So the King summoned the Wezeer; and 
when he came before him, he said to him, This is the necklace that I presented to 
thee. And as soon as the Wezeer saw it, he knew it, and said to the King, Yes; 
and I presented it to a singing-girl in my abode. The King therefore said to him, 
Bring to me the damsel immediately. And he brought her; and when she came 
before the King, he said to her master, Uncover her hip, and see if there be 
a wound upon it, or not. Accordingly the Wezeer uncovered it, and saw upon it 
a wound inflicted by a knife: so he said to the King, Yes, O my lord: there is a 
wound upon it. And the King thereupon said to the Wezeer, This is an enchant¬ 
ress, as the devotee told me, without doubt. Then he gave orders to put her into 
the pit of the enchanters; and they sent her thither that day. 

Therefore when the night came, and the goldsmith knew that his stratagem was 
accomplished, he went to the guard of the pit, having in his hand a purse containing 
a thousand pieces of gold; and he sat with the guard conversing until the expiration 
of the first third of the night, when he said to him, Know, O my brother, that this 
damsel is innocent of this crime which they have laid to her charge, and it was I 
who caused her to fall into the calamity. And he related to him the story from 
beginning to end; after which he said to him, O my brother, Take this purse ; for 
in it are a thousand pieces of gold ; and give me the damsel, that I may journey 
with her to my country; for these pieces of gold will be more profitable to thee 
than the imprisonment of the damsel. Obtain our recompense, and we both will 
offer prayers in thy favour for prosperity and safety.—And when he heard his 
words, he wondered extremely at this stratagem and its accomplishment. He then 
took the purse with its contents, and left the damsel to him, binding him not to 

• In a notice of this story in the Asiatic Journal (N. S. vol. xxi. p. 279), only one woman is men¬ 
tioned, who is said to have passed through the goldsmith’s room as he slept, mounted on a black bitch. 
Each reading of the passage shews a curious agreement of Eastern and Western superstitions. In 
Scott’s translation, one of the women is described as mounted upon a hyaena, another upon a ram, a 
third upon a black bitch, and the fourth upon a leopard. 

AND THE DAMSEL AND THE SEVEN WEZEERS. 

169 

remain with her in the city a single hour. So the 
goldsmith took her immediately, and departed, and 
he journeyed with diligence until he arrived at his 
country, having attained his desire. 

The Fifth Wezeer then enters, and relates the 
following story of “ the Man who never laughed 
for the rest of his life — 

“ There was a man, of those possessed of houses 
and riches, who had wealth and servants and slaves 
and other possessions, and he departed from the 
world to receive the merey of God (whose name 
be exalted!), leaving a young son. And when 
the son grew up, he took to eating and drinking, 
and the hearing of instruments of music and 
songs, and was liberal and gave gifts, and ex¬ 
pended the riches that his father had left to him 
until all the wealth had gone. He then betook 
himself to the sale of the male black slaves and 
the female slaves and other possessions, and ex¬ 
pended all that he had of his father’s wealth and other things, and became 
so poor that he worked with the labourers. In this state he remained for a 
period of years; and while he was sitting one day beneath a wall, waiting to see 
who would hire him, lo, a man of comely countenance and apparel drew near to 
him and saluted him. So the youth said to him, O uncle, hast thou known me 
before now ? The man answered him, I have not known thee, O my son, at all; 
but I see the traces of affluence upon thee, though thou art in this condition. The 
young man replied, O uncle, what fate and destiny have ordained hath come to 
pass. But hast thou, O uncle, O comely-faced, any business in which to employ 
me ?—And the man said to him, O my son, I desire to employ thee in an easy 
business. The youth asked, And what is it, O uncle 1 And the man answered 
him, I have with me ten sheykhs in one abode, and we have no one to perform 
our wants. Thou shalt receive from us, of food and clothing, what will suffice thee, 
and shalt serve us, and thou shalt receive of us thy portion of benefits and money. 
Perhaps, also, God will restore to thee thine affluence by our means.—The youth 
therefore replied, I hear and obey. The sheykh then said to him, I have a con¬ 
dition to impose upon thee.—And what is thy condition, O uncle? asked the 
youth. He answered him, O my son, it is, that thou keep our secret with respect 
to the things that thou shalt see us do; and when thou seest us weep, that thou 
ask us not respecting the eause of our weeping. And the young man replied, 
Well, O uncle. 

“ So the sheykh said to him, O my son, come with us, relying on the blessing 
of God, whose name be exalted! And the young man followed the sheykh until 
the latter conducted him to the bath, when he took him into it, and caused the 
hardened dirt to be removed from his person; after which he sent a man, who 
brought him a comely garment of linen, and he clad him with it, and went with 
him to his abode and his associates. And when the young man entered, he found 
it to be a high mansion, with lofty angles, ample, with chambers facing one 
another, and saloons; and in each saloon was a fountain of water, and birds were 

VOL. m. 

170 ABSTRACT OF THE STORY OF THE KING AND HIS SON 

warbling over it, and there were windows overlooking, on every side, a beautiful 
garden within that mansion. The sheykh conducted him into one of the chambers, 
and he found it decorated with coloured marbles, and found it3 ceiling decorated 
with ultramarine and brilliant gold, and it was spread with carpets of silk ; and he 
fbund in it ten sheykhs sitting facing one another, wearing the garments of mourn¬ 
ing, weeping and wailing. So the young man wondered at their case, and was 
about to question the sheykh [who had brought him]; but he remembered the 
condition, and therefore withheld his tongue. Then the sheykh committed to the 
young man a chest containing thirty thousand pieces of gold, saying to him, O my 
son, expend upon us out of this chest, and upon thyself, according to what is just, 
and be thou faithful, and take care of that wherewith I have entrusted thee. And 
the young man replied, I hear and obey. He continued to expend upon them for 
a period of days and nights; after which, one of them died; whereupon his com¬ 
panions took him, and washed him and shrouded him, and buried him in a garden 
behind the mansion. And death ceased not to take of them one after another, 
until there remained only the sheykh who had hired the young man : so he re¬ 
mained with the young man in that mansion, and there was not with them a third, 
and they remained thus for a period of years. Then the sheykh fell sick; and 
when the young man despaired of his life, he addressed him with courtesy, and 
was grieved for him, and said to him, O uncle, I have served you, and not failed 
in your service one hour for a period of twelve years, but acted faithfully to you, 
and served you according to my power and ability. The sheykh replied, Yes, O 
my son, thou hast served us until these sheykhs have been taken unto God (to 
whom be ascribed might and glory!), and we must inevitably die. And the young 
man said, O my master, thou art in a state of peril, and I desire of thee that thou 
inform me what hath been the cause of your weeping, and the continuance of 
your wailing and your mourning and your sorrow. He replied, O my son, thou 
hast no concern with that, and require me not to do what I am unable to do; for 
I have begged God (whose name be exalted!) not to afflict any one with my 
affliction. Now if thou desire to be safe from that into which we have fallen, open 
not that door (and he pointed to it with his hand, and cautioned him against it); 
and if thou desire that what hath befallen us should befall thee, open it, and thou 
wilt know the cause of that which thou hast beheld in our conduct; but thou wilt 
repent, when repentance will not avail thee.—Then the illness increased upon the 
sheykh, and he died; and the young man washed him with his own hand, and 
shrouded him, and buried him by his companions. 

“ He remained in that place, which with its contents was sealed ; * but not¬ 
withstanding this, he was uneasy, reflecting upon the conduct of the sheykhs. And 
while he was meditating one day upon the words of the sheykh, and his charge to 
him not to open the door, it occurred to his mind that he might look at it. So he 
went in that direction, and searched until he saw an elegant door, over which the 
spider had woven its webs, and upon it were four locks of steel; and when he be¬ 
held it, he remembered the action against which the sheykh had cautioned him, 
and departed from it. His soul desired him to open the door, and he restrained it, 
during a period of seven days; but on the eighth day, bis soul overcame him, and 
he said, I must open that door, and see what will happen to me in consequence; 
for nothing will repel what God (whose name be exalted!) decreeth and predes- 

* That is, seals were affixed to its doors. 

AND THE DAMSEL AND THE SEVEN WEEZERS. 

171 

tineth, and no event will happen but by his will. Accordingly he arose and opened 
the door, after he had broken the locks; and when he had opened the door, he 
Baw a narrow passage, along which he walked for the space of three hours; and lo, 
he came forth upon the bank of a great river. At this the young man wondered ; 
and he walked along that bank, looking to the right and left; and behold, a great 
eagle had descended from the sky, and, taking up the young man with its talons, 
it flew with him between heaven and earth, until it conveyed him to an island in 
the midst of the sea, and it threw him down upon it, and departed from him. 

“ So the young man was perplexed at his case, not knowing whither to go; but 
while he was sitting one day, lo, the sail of a vessel appeared to him upon the sea, 
like the star in the sky; wherefore the heart of the young man became intent 
upon the vessel, in the hope that his escape might be effected in it. He continued 
looking at it until it came near unto him; and when it arrived, he beheld a bark 
of ivory and ebony, the oars of which were of sandal-wood and aloes-wood, and the 
whole of it was encased with plates of brilliant gold. There were also in it ten 
damsels, virgins, like moons ; and when the damsels saw him, they landed to him 
from the bark, and kissed his hands, saying to him, Thou art the King, the bride¬ 
groom. Then there advanced to him a damsel who was like the shining sun in 
the clear sky, having in her hand a kerchief of silk, in which were a royal robe, 
and a crown of gold set with varieties of jacinths; and, having advanced to him, 
she clad him and crowned him; after which the damsels carried him upon their 
arms to that bark, and he found in it varieties of carpets of silk of divers colours. 
They then spread the sails, and proceeded over the abysses of the sea.—Now 
when I proceeded with them, says the young man, I felt sure that this was a 
dream, and knew not whither they were going with me. And when they came in 
sight of the land, I beheld it filled with troops, the number of which none knew 
but God (whose perfection be extolled, and whose name be exalted!), clad in coats 
of mail. They brought forward to me five marked horses,* with saddles of gold 
set with varieties of pearls and precious stones; and I took a horse from among 
these, and mounted it. The four others proceeded with me ; and when I mounted, 
the ensigns and banners were set up over my head, the drums and the cymbals 
were beaten, and the troops disposed themselves in two divisions, right and left. I 
wavered in opinion as to whether I were asleep or awake, and ceased not to ad¬ 
vance, not believing in the reality of my stately procession, but imagining that it 
was a result of confused dreams, until we came in sight of a verdant meadow, in 
which were palaces and gardens, and trees and rivers and flowers, and birds pro¬ 
claiming the perfection of God, the One, the Omnipotent. And now there came 
forth an army from among those palaces and gardens, like the torrent when it 
poureth down, until it filled that meadow; and when the troops drew near to me, 
they halted; and lo, a King advanced from among them, riding alone, preceded 
by some of his chief officers walking. 

“ The King, on approaching the young man, alighted from his courser; and 
the young man, seeing him do so, alighted also; and they saluted each other with 
the most courteous salutation. Then they mounted their horses again, and the 
King said to the young man, Accompany us; for thou art my guest. So the 
young man proceeded with him, and they conversed together, while the stately 
trains in orderly disposition went on before them to the palace of the King, where 

* Horses marked on account of their excellence, and to shew their breed. 

172 ABSTRACT OF THE STORY OF THE KING AND HIS SON 

they alighted, and all of them entered the palace, together with the King and the 
young man, the young man’s hand being in the hand of the King, who thereupon 
seated him on a throne of gold, and seated himself by him. And when the King 
removed the litham* from his face, lo, this supposed King was a damsel, like the 
shining sun in the clear sky, a lady of beauty and loveliness, and elegance and 
perfection, and conceit and amorous dissimulation. The young man beheld vast 
affluence and great prosperity, and wondered at the beauty and loveliness of the 
damsel. Then the damsel said to him, Know, O King, that I am the Queen of 
this land, and all these troops that thou hast seen, including every yne, whether of 
cavalry or infantry, are women : there are not among them any men. The men 
among us, in this land, till and sow and reap, employing themselves in the cul¬ 
tivation of the land, and the building and repairing of the towfis, and in attending 
to the affairs of the people by the pursuit of every kind of art and trade ; but as to 
the women, they are the governors and magistrates and soldiers.—And the young 
man wondered at this extremely. And while they were thus conversing, the Wezeer 
entered; and lo, she was a gray-haired old woman, having a numerous retinue, of 
venerable and dignified appearance; and the Queen said to her, Bring to us the 
Kdclee and the witnesses. So the old woman went for that purpose ; and the 
Queen turned towards the young man, conversing with him and cheering him and 
dispelling his fear by kind words, and, addressing him courteously, she said to 
him, Art thou content for me to be thy wife? And thereupon he arose and kissed 
the ground before her; but she forbade him; and he replied, O my mistress, I 
am less than the servants who serve thee. She then said to him, Seest thou not 
these servants and soldiers and wealth and treasures and hoards ? He answered 
her, Yes. And she said to him, All these are at thy disposal; thou shalt make 
use of them, and give and bestow as seemeth fit to thee. Then she pointed to a 
closed door, and said to him, All these things thou shalt dispose of; but this door 
thou shalt not open; for if thou open it, thou wilt repent, when repentance will 
not avail thee. And her words were not ended when the Wezeerehj-f with the 
Kddee and the witnesses, entered, and all of them were old women, with their hair 
spreading over their shoulders, and of venerable and dignified appearance; and 
when they came before the Queen, she ordered them to perform the ceremony of 
the marriage-contract. So they married her to the young man ; and she prepared 
the banquets and collected the troops; and when they had eaten and drunk, the 
young man took her as his wife; and he resided with her seven years, passing the 
most delightful and most comfortable and most agreeable and most sweet life. 

“ But he meditated one day upon opening the door, and said, Were it not that 
there are within it great treasures, better than what I have seen, she had not pro¬ 
hibited me from opening it. He then arose and opened the door; and lo, within 
it was the bird that had carried him from the shore of the great river and deposited 
him upon the island; and when the bird beheld him, it said to him, No welcome 
to a face that will never be happy! So when he saw it, and heard its words, he 
fled from it; but it followed him and carried him off, and flew with him be¬ 
tween heaven and earth for the space of an hour, and deposited him in the place 
from which it had carried him away; after which it disappeared from him. He 
thereupon sat in that place, and, returning to his reason, he reflected upon what 
he had seen of affluence and glory and honour, and the riding of the troops before 

* See Note 32 to Chapter vi. f “ Wczeereh” is the feminine of “ Wezeer.” 

AND THE DAMSEL AND THE SEVEN WEZEERS. 

173 

him, and commanding and forbidding; and he wept and wailed. He remained 
upon the shore of the great river, where that bird had put him, for the space of 
two months, wishing that he might return to his wife; but while he was one night 
awake, mourning and meditating, a speaker spoke (and he heard his voice, but 
saw not his person), calling out, How great were the delights ! Far, far from thee 
is the return of what is past! And how many therefore will be the sighs !—So 
when the young man heard it, he despaired of meeting again that Queen, and of 
the return to him of the affluence in which he had been living. He then entered 
the mansion where the slieykhs had resided, and knew that they had experienced 
the like of that which had happened unto him, and that this was the cause of their 
weeping and their mourning ; wherefore he excused them thereupon. Grief and 
anxiety came upon the young man, and he entered his chamber, and ceased not to 
weep and moan, relinquishing food and drink and pleasant scents and laughter 
until he died; and he was buried by the side of the sheykhs.”* 

On the sixth day, the Damsel presents herself before the King with a drawn 
knife in her hand, threatening to stab herself if he persist in sparing his son, and 
tells a tale of a King’s son who was enamoured of the wife of a jealous merchant, 
and caused himself to be conveyed into her abode in a chest. She also relates a 
story of a slave who inveigled his master’s wife by pretending to understand the 
languages of birds. Then enters the Sixth Wezeer, who tells two humorous but 
gross stories. The former of these is similar to the “ Story of the Lady of Cairo 
and her Four Gallants ” in Scott’s version : in some respects more humorous, but 
in others less so, and related in such a manner that I must omit it. The latter 
differs little, excepting in its abominable grossness, from a tale familiar to us from 
childhood : it is the tale of the Three Wishes.—On the seventh day, the Damsel, 
for the last time, tries the influence of her tales upon the King. Having lighted a 
great fire, and declared to him her determination to cast herself into it if he avenge 
her not upon his son, she relates to him three tales; but they are of little interest, 
and therefore here but slightly noticed. The first is similar to the story of the 
Maid and the Magpie. The wife of a King, while bathing, left a valuable necklace 
under the care of a holy woman ; and while the latter was praying, a bird carried 
off the necklace, and hid it in a crevice in a wall of the palace. The King accused 
the holy woman of the theft, and tortured and imprisoned her ; but afterwards dis¬ 
covered his error.—The second tale is of two pigeons, a male and a female, who 
stored up some wheat and barley in their nest for the days of winter. During the 
summer, the grains, drying, appeared less in number ; and the male bird accused 
his mate of having eaten of them, and killed her. In the winter, however, the 
grains recovered their original size, and he was convinced that he had killed her 
unjustly, and pined away until he died.—The third tale is of a King’s daughter, 
named Ed-Detma, a damsel of unequalled beauty, who (like several heroines of 
Arab and of European romances) refused to marry any man that could not over¬ 
come her in single combat. Each suitor whom she vanquished she despoiled of 
his horse and arms and apparel, and branded on the forehead with the words, This 
is the freedman of Ed-Detma. A Persian prince, named Bahrain, engaged her, and 
wus on the point of overcoming her, when she displayed her face, and he was so 

* The opening of a forbidden door is an incident described in many Arab tales. But I do not re¬ 
member any talc that resembles the aboye so nearly as that of “ the Third Royal Mendicantrespecting 
which, see Note 83 to Chapter iii. 

174 ABSTRACT OF THE STORY OF THE KING AND HIS SON 

confounded by her beauty, that his energy failed him, and he was unhorsed and 
branded. But afterwards, by a stratagem, he inveigled her in her garden, and, 
with her consent, carried her off.—After the relation of these tales, the Seventh 
Wezeer enters, and narrates the story of the Old Woman and the Son of the 
Merchant, of which the following is an abstract:— 

The son of a wealthy merchant journeyed to Baghdad, and selected for his resi¬ 
dence a magnificent mansion; but its door-keeper informed him that every one who 
lodged in it remained there no more than a week, or two weeks, and came not forth 
from it without being either sick or dead; in consequence of which its monthly rent 
was only ten pieces of gold. On hearing this, the young man reflected, and, hav¬ 
ing sought refuge with God from Satan the accursed, and dismissed apprehension 
from his mind, he took up his abode in it, and sold and bought; and some days 
passed over him without there befalling him anything of the kind mentioned to him 
by that door-keeper. “ But as he was sitting one day at the door of the house, there 
passed by him a gray-haired old woman, like the speckled, black and white, ser¬ 
pent: she was uttering many ejaculations expressive of the perfection and holiness 
of God, and removing the stones and other hurtful things from the way; * and, 
seeing the youth sitting at the door, she looked at him, and wondered at his case. 
So he said to her, O woman, dost thou know me, or dost thou doubt of me, whether 
I be, or be not, some one whom thou knowest? And when she heard his words, 
she walked quickly up to him, and saluted him, saying to him, How long hast 
thou been residing in this house ? He answered her, O my mother, a period of 
two months. And she said, At this I wonder; for I, O my son, know thee not, 
nor dost thou know me, nor did 1 doubt of thee whether thou wert some one 
known to me or not; but 1 wondered because no one but thyself inhabiteth this 
house without coming forth from it either dead or sick; and I doubt not but that 
thou, O my son, art exposing thy youth to peril. Hast thou not ascended to the 
top of the pavilion, nor looked from the mandharah f that is in it ?—Then the old 
woman went her way; and when she had parted from him, the youth meditated 
upon her words, and said within himself, I have not ascended to the top of the 
pavilion, and know not that there is in it a mandharah. And thereupon he entered 
immediately, and began to search about the corners of the house, until he saw in 
a corner of it an elegant door, over which the spider had woven its webs among 
the trees. So when he saw it, he said within liimself, Probably the spider hath not 
woven its webs over this door but because death is within it. But he placed his 
reliance upon [the efficacy of uttering] the saying of God (whose name be exalted!), 
say, Nothing shall befall us but what God hath decreed for us.J He then opened 
that door, and ascended a flight of elegant stairs until he came to the top, when 
he saw a mandharah, and he seated himself in it to rest and divert himself, and beheld 
an elegant, clean abode, on the top of which was a lofty mak’ad§ overlooking the 
whole of Baghdad, and in that mak’ad was a damsel like a Hooreeyeh. She took 
possession of his whole heart, and deprived him of his reason and understanding, 
occasioning him the malady of Eiyoob, and the grief of Yaakoob.[| When the 

* Such actions are among the characteristics of the pious. (Marginal note by my Bheykh.) 

t “ Mandharah ” (commonly pronounced “ mandarali *’) here signifies, as in many other instances, “ a 
belvedere.'* The name is now generally applied to an apartment for the reception of male visiters, on 
the ground-floor of a house, having a wide, wooden, grated window, or two windows of this kind, com¬ 
manding a view of the court. 

t See above, Note 31, page 156. § See Note 20 to Chapter viii. 

U The sickness of Job, and the grief of Jacob for the loss of Joseph. 

AND THE DAMSEL AND THE SEVEN WEZEERS. 

175 

youth, therefore, beheld her, and 
viewed her exactly, he said within 
himself, Probably the people say 
that no one dwelleth in this man¬ 
sion without dying or falling sick 
on account of this damsel; and 
would that I knew how my deli¬ 
verance may be effected; for my 
reason hath departed.” 

He then descended, and seated 
himself again at the door; and lo, 
the old woman passed by as before. 

So when the youth saw her, he rose 
upon his feet, greeted her first with 
salutation and compliments, and 
said to her, O my mother, I was 
in prosperity and health until thou 
advisedst me to open the door, and 
I have seen the mandharah and 
opened it, and, looking from it, I 
beheld what stupified me. I ima¬ 
gine now that I am about to perish, 
and I know that there is no phy¬ 
sician for me excepting thee.—And 
when she heard him, she laughed, 
and replied, No harm shall befall 
thee, if it be the will of God. So 
the youth arose and entered the 
house, and brought out to her, in his sleeve, a hundred pieces of gold, 
which he gave to her; and she desired him to go to the silk-market, to in¬ 
quire for the shop of Abu-l-Feth the son of Keyddm (the husband of the 
damsel), and to purchase of him the most beautiful face-veil in his possession. 
Accordingly, on the following morning, he purchased the veil, for which he 
gave fifty pieces of gold, and he returned happy to his residence. The old 
woman then came again, and he gave her the veil; whereupon she took a 
live coal, and burnt with it the edge of the veil; after which, she folded it up, 
and went with it to the house of Abu-l-Feth. Being acquainted with the mother 
of the damsel, she obtained admission by pretending that she desired to perform 
the ablution and to pray; and while the damsel was inadvertent, she put the veil 
under a cushion of the mattress upon which the husband usually sat, and departed. 
And at the close of the day, the merchant came home, and seated himself upon the 
mattress ; and after he had eaten, he reclined upon the cushion, and lo, the edge 
of the veil appeared from beneath it. So when he saw it, he knew it, and con¬ 
ceived an evil suspicion of the damsel. He therefore called her, and said to her, 
Whence came to thee this veil ? And she swore to him that no man had come to 
her but himself; whereupon he was silent, fearing to be publickly disgraced; for 
he was accustomed to sit with the Klmleefeh. He then said to the damsel, It 
hath been told me that thy mother is lying sick, from a pain in her heart,* and 

* Or, 11 in her stomach.’’ 

176 ABSTRACT OF THE STORY OF THE KING AND HIS SON 

that all the women are with her, weeping for her : so I desire thee to go forth to 
her. Accordingly she went to her mother; but when she entered the house, she 
found her mother well; and soon after, the porters came to her, bringing all her 
things from the merchant’s house. Her mother therefore asked her what had 
happened to her; and she denied having offended; and the mother wept and 
mourned for the separation of her daughter from that man. 

Then, some days after this, the old woman came to the damsel, and saluted 
her, expressing the longing she had felt to see her again, and said to her, What is 
the matter with thee, O my daughter, O my beloved? Thou hast disturbed my 
mind.—And she went in to the damsel’s mother, and said to her, O my sister, 
what is the news, and what is the story of the damsel with her husband; for it hath 
been told me that he hath divorced her? What offence then hath she committed 
that requireth all this ?—The damsel’s mother replied, Perhaps her husband will 
return to her by means of the blessing attendant upon thee : so pray for her, O my 
sister; for thou fastest much, and art up all thy night [in prayer].—And after this, 
the old woman repaired to the young man, and desired him to make ready for the 
reception of the damsel. She then returned to the damsel’s mother, and said to 
her, O my sister, we are celebrating a wedding-festivity: so send the damsel with 
me, that she may divert herself, and that her anxiety and grief may be dispelled: 
then I will bring her back to thee as I took her from thee. The damsel’s mother 
therefore arose, and clad her in the richest of her apparel, adorning her with the 
best of her ornaments and attire, and the damsel went forth with the old woman. 
Her mother went with her to the door, and charged the old woman, saying to her, 
Beware of suffering any man of the creatures of God (whose name be exalted!) to 
see her; for thou knowest the station of her husband with the Khaleefeh; and de¬ 
lay not; but return with her as soon as possible. So the old woman took her to 
the residence of the young man ; the damsel imagining that it was the house where 
the wedding was celebrated; and when the damsel entered the house, and saw the 
young man, she was amazed at his beauty, and easily consented to his taking her 
as his wife.*—But she was eventually taken back to her mother’s house, and 
restored to her former husband by means of a stratagem contrived by the old wo¬ 
man, and thus put in practice. 

The young man repaired to the shop of the merchant Abu-l-Feth and seated 
himself with him; and lo, the old woman passed by the shop, having in her hand a 
string of beads, with which she was telling her ejaculations in praise of God ; 
whereupon the young man arose and pulled her by her clothes, and began to revile 
her aud abuse her, while she, addressing him with courtesy, said to him, O my 
son, thou art excused. So the people of the market assembled around them, 
saying, What is the matter? And the young man answered, O people, I purchased 
of this merchant a veil for fifty pieces of gold, and my slave-girl wore it for one 
hour, and sat fumigating it; f and there flew forth a spark, which burned its edge; 
wherefore we delivered it to this old woman, that she might give it to some one who 
should darn it, and return it to us; but from that time we have never seen her until 
now. The old woman then said, This youth hath spoken truth. Yes, I took it of 

• I am purposely somewhat unfaithful here to my original; but without making the story impro- 
bable, or inconsistent with Muslim law. The damsel may be supposed to have waited, after her divorce, 
a sufficient period to enable her legally to contract a new marriage.—See the fourth paragraph of Note 
39 to Chapter iv, 

+ This is generally done with the fume of aloes-wood placed on burning charcoal in a censer. A very 
agreeable scent is thus imparted to the veil. 

AND THE DAMSEL AND THE SEVEN WEZEERS. 

177 

liim, and went with it into one of the houses that I am accustomed to enter, and 
left it by mistake in some place in one of those houses; but know not where it is; 
and being a poor woman, I feared its owner, and did not face him.—So when the 
merchant Abu-l-Feth heard this, he begged God’s forgiveness of his faults and sus¬ 
picion, and said to the old woman, Dost thou enter our abode ? She answered him, 
O my son, I do enter thine abode, and the abodes of others, for the sake of alms; 
and from that day, no one hath given me tidings of the veil. The merchant said 
to her, Hast thou asked any one respecting it in our house? She answered, O my 
master, I went to the house and inquired; but they said to me, The merchant hath 
divorced the lady of the house. So I returned, and asked not any one after that 
to the present day.—And thereupon the merchant looked towards the young man, 
and said to him, Let this old woman go; for the veil is in my possession. And he 
took it forth from the shop, and gave it to the darner before the people who were 
present. Then he went to the damsel, gave her some money, and took her again 
as his wife, after he had made abundant excuses to her, and begged God’s forgive¬ 
ness, not knowing what the old woman had done. 

The same Wezeer then tells the story of the damsel kept by an 'Efreet in a box, 
nearly as related in the Introduction to this work; and the King thereupon deter¬ 
mines that he will not kill his son. On the eighth day, the King’s son, being no 
longer withheld from speaking by the foreseen danger, goes in to the King, and, 
in most eloquent words, praises his father and his Wezeers and the lords of his em¬ 
pire, and thanks them. And the King says to his Wezeers, If I had killed my son, 
would the crime have been on me or on the damsel or on the instructor Es-Sindi- 
b&d?* But the persons present are silent. And Es-Sindib&d says to the youth, 
Give the answer, O my son. So the King’s son says,— 

“ I have heard that a guest alighted at the house of a certain merchant, who 
thereupon sent his slave-girl to purchase for him from the market some milk in a 
jar. And she took the milk in her jar, desiring to return to the house of her 
master; but while she was on her way, there passed over her a kite flying with a 
serpent in its talons, and pressing it with them; and there dropped a drop of poison 
from the serpent into the jar, without the girl’s knowing it. So when she came to 
the house, the master took from her the milk, and drank of it, he and his guests; f 
and the milk had not settled in their stomachs before they all died.” 

See then, O King (adds the youth), whose was the fault in this case.—One of 
the persons present says, The fault was on the part of those who drank the milk. 
Another says, The fault was on the part of the damsel, who left the jar uncovered. 
But Es-Sindibad desires the young man to give his opinion, and the latter says, 
They have erred: the fault was not on the part of the damsel, nor of the people 
who drank; for the terms of their lives had expired, with their means of sub¬ 
sistence, and their death was decreed to be effected by means of that event.—Upon 
this, the persons present wonder extremely at the youth, and declare him to be 
unequalled in wisdom. He, however, replies, that a blind slieykh, and a boy three 
years old, and a boy five years old, were wiser than he, as shewn by three stories 
which he relates. The first is this:— 

“ There was a certain merchant, who possessed great riches, and had travelled 

* For Es-Sindib&d was the means of introducing the youth into the pavilion of the women, and cau¬ 
tioned him not to speak during the seven days: so the young man could not, without disobedience, 
exculpate himself. 

t It seems that he had invited one or more of his friends to meet his first guest. 

2 A 

VOL. III. 

178 ABSTRACT OF THE STORY OF THE KING AND HIS SON 

much to all cities, and, desiring again to journey to a city, he inquired of those 
who had come from it, and said to them, What merchandise is productive of great 
gain there ? And they answered him, Sandal-wood; for it is there sold at a dear 
price. The merchant therefore purchased sandal-wood with all the money that he 
had, and journeyed to that city. Now when he arrived there, it was the close of 
the day; and lo, there was an old woman driving some sheep belonging to her; 
and on her seeing the merchant, she said to him, Who art thou, O man - He 
answered her, I am a merchant, a stranger. And she said to him, Beware of the 
inhabitants of the city; for they are cheats and thieves: they deceive the stranger 
that they may overcome him and eat what he hath with him: and I have given 
thee good advice. Then she departed from him. And when the morning came, a 
man of the inhabitants of the city met him, and saluted him and said to him, 
O my master, whence hast thou come? He answered him, I have come from such 
a city. And the man said, What merchandise hast thou brought with thee ? He 
answered, Sandal-wood; for I have heard that it is of value with you. But the 
man of the city said, He hath erred who advised thee to do so; for we burn not be¬ 
neath the cooking-pot anything but that sandal-wood, and the value of it is with us 
the same as that of common fire-wood. And when the merchant heard the words 
of that man, he sighed and repented; but wavered between believing and disbe¬ 
lieving. He then alighted at one of the Klidns of the city, and made a fire of san¬ 
dal-wood beneath the cooking-pot. So when that man saw him, he said to him, 
Wilt thou sell this sandal-wood for a sdS* * * § of whatsoever thy soul shall desire?f 
The merchant answered him, I sell it thee. The man therefore removed all the 
sandal-wood that the merchant had, and deposited it in his own abode; and the 
seller purposed to take gold.J And on the following morning, the merchant walked 
in the city, and there met him a blue-eyed man, of the inhabitants of that city: 
this man had lost one eye, and he laid hold upon the merchant, saying to him, 
Thou art the person who deprived me of§ my eye, and I will never let thee go. 
So the merchant denied that, and replied, This cannot be established. And 
the people collected around (hem, and asked the one-eyed man to grant the other 
a delay until the morrow, when the latter should give him the price of his eye; || 
wherefore the merchant appointed a person to be his guarantee, and so they let 
him go. Then the merchant went away; and his shoe was rent in consequence of 
the dragging of the one-eyed man. He therefore stopped at the shop of a cobbler, 
and gave it to him, saying to him, Repair it, and thou shalt receive of me 
what will please thee. He then departed from him; and lo, there were some 
people sitting playing; and he seated himself with them, by reason of his anxiety 
and grief, and they asked him to play. So he played with them, and they overcame 
him, and, having done so, gave him his choice, either to drink up the sea,If or else 

* The sd£ is explained in the Kdmoos, as being equal to four mudds, each mudd being a pound and 
one third; and more simply, it is explained as being four times the measure of a man’s two hands of 
ordinary size. According to my sheykh, it is about the forty-eighth part of the ardebb of Cairo; and 
consequently very nearly equal to six English pints and two thirds. It is the measure employed in 
meting corn and other things required by the law to be given as alms, &c. 

t In the original it is said, “ Wilt thou sell this sandal-wood, each s&& for what thy soul shall de¬ 
sire?”—But this is erroneously expressed: the right reading is shewn after. 

I Here again is an error iu the original, which adds, “ equal in quantity to what the buyer took 
namely, the wood. 

§ Literally, “ destroyedbut this sense seems to me to be at variance with the sequel. 

II See Note 53 to Chapter v. 

II The word here rendered “ sea” also signifies "a large river.” 

AND THE DAMSEL AND THE SEVEN WEZEERS. 

179 

to disburse the whole of his wealth; whereupon he arose and said to them, Allow 
me a delay until to-morrow. 

“ He went away, grieved for that which he had done, and not knowing what 
would be the result of his case. So he sat in a place, meditating, sorrowful, 
anxious; and lo, the old woman passed by him, and, looking towards him, she 
said to him, Probably the people of the city have overcome thee; for I see thee 
anxious on account of that which hath befallen thee. He therefore related to her 
all that had happened from first to last; and she said to him, Who is he who* hath 
cheated thee in the affair of the sandal-wood; for with us the value of every pound 
of sandal-wood is ten pieces of gold? But I will contrive for thee a plan, by 
means of which I hope thy deliverance may be effected ; and it is this : that thou 
go towards such a gate; for in that place is a blind sbeykh, who is deprived of the 
use of his legs, and he is wise, knowing, old, skilful. All the people visit him, 
asking him respecting what they will, and he pointeth out to them what will be 
advisable for them; for he is acquainted with artifice and enchantment and 
tricking. He is a sharper, and the sharpers meet at his abode by night. Therefore 
go thou thither, and hide thyself from thine offenders, so that thou mayest hear their 
words and they may not see thee; for he will acquaint them with the case in 
which one overcometh and that in which one is overcome. Probably tliou wilt 
hear from him the mention of a subterfuge that may deliver thee from thine 
offenders. 

“ So the merchant departed from her to the place of which she had told him, 
and hid himself. He then looked at the sheykh, and seated himself near unto 
him; and there had not elapsed more than a short time when there came his party, 
who resorted to him as their judge. On their coming before the sheykh, they 
saluted him and each other, and seated themselves around him; and when the 
merchant saw them, he found his four offenders among the number of those who 
were present. The sheykh caused some food to be placed before them, and they 
ate; after which, each of them related his story of the events that had happened to 
him during the past day. The buyer of the sandal-wood advanced, and informed 
the sheykh of that which had happened to him that day; that he had bought san¬ 
dal-wood of a man for less than its value; and that the sale had been settled 
between them on the condition of his giving the measure of a saa of whatsoever 
the seller should desire. Upon this the sheykh said to him, Thine adversary hath 
overcome thee. The man asked, How can he overcome me? The sheykh replied, 
If he say to thee, I will take the measure in gold or silver—wilt thou give it him? 
The man said. Yes, I will give it him, and I shall be the gainer. But the sheykh 
rejoined, And if he say to thee, I will take the measure of a s&& of fleas, half 
males and half females—what wilt thou do? So the man knew that he was over¬ 
come.—Then the one-eyed man advanced, and said, O sheykh, I saw to-day 
a blue-eyed man,f who is a stranger to the country, and I assailed him and laid 
hold upon him, saying to him, Thou hast deprived me of my eye—and I let him 

* I here read " men dha-lledhee” instead of “ mina-lledhee," which should be rendered “ [All this 
hath resulted] from him who- 

t My sheykh has remarked, in a marginal note, that the one-eyed man is before thus described; and 
he has added, that both may be supposed to have been blue-eyed, but that this supposition is not satis¬ 
factory. I think, however, that in reading what follows in the text he may have altered his opinion, 
and neglected to correct his note; for it seems that the one-eyed man preferred against the other the 
absurd charge of having stolen his eye and put it in his own head. 

not go until a party had become guarantees that he should return to me and 
satisfy me for my eye. But the sheykh replied, If he desire to overcome thee, he 
will overcome thee.—And how, said the man, will he do so? He answered, He 
may say to thee, Pull out thine eye, and I will pull out my eye, and we will weigh 
each of them; and if my eye he equal in weight to thine, thou art veracious 
in that which thou hast asserted. Then thou wilt owe him the fine for his eye, 
and thou wilt be blind; but he will see with his other eye.—So the man knew that 
the merchant might overcome him by means of this subterfuge.—Next, the cobbler 
advanced, and said, O sheykh, I saw to-day a man who gave me his shoe, and 
said to me, Repair it. Whereupon I said to hini, Wilt thou not give me the re¬ 
muneration? And he answered me, Repair it, and thou shalt receive of me what 
will please thee. Now nothing will please me but all his wealth.—The sheykh 
however replied. If he desire to take his shoe from thee and not give thee aught, 
he may take it.—And how so ? said the cobbler. The sheykh answered, He may 
say to thee, The enemies of the Sultan are defeated, and his opponents have be¬ 
come weak, and his children and his auxiliaries are multiplied. Art thou pleased 
or not?—If thou say, I am pleased,—he will take his shoe from thee and depart: 
and if thou say, No—he will take his shoe and beat with it thy face and the hack 
of thy neck.*—He therefore knew that he was overcome.—Then advanced the man 
who played with the merchant for a wager, and he said, O sheykh, I found a man, 

* Genera) loyalty is a necessary result of the constitution of Muslim society, and essential to the 
existence of Muslim government; for the Muslim tyrant is not absolute: he cannot be a despot: if 
he transgress certain limits, prescribed by the Kur-4n and the Traditions of the Prophet, he forfeits 
his throne; and as long as he keeps within those limits, his subjects are bound, by all that they hold 
sacred, to acknowledge and maintain his authority. 

ABSTRACT OF THE STORY OF THE KING AND HIS SON, &c. 181 

and laid a wager with him and overcame him; whereupon I said to him, If thou 
drink up this sea, I will give up the whole of my wealth to thee; and if thou drink 
it not, give thou up the whole of thy wealth to me.*—The sheykh replied, If he 
desire to overcome thee, he may overcome thee. The man said, And how so? 
And the sheykh answered, He may say to thee, Hold for me the mouth of the sea 
with thy hand, and hand it to me, and I will drink it. And thou wilt not be able: 
so he will overcome thee by means of this subterfuge. 

“ When the merchant therefore heard that, he knew what subterfuges to employ 
against his offenders. Then they arose and left the sheykh, and the merchant de¬ 
parted to his lodging. And when the morning arrived, the man who had laid the 
bet with him came to him.” The merchant proposed to him what the sheykh had 
said, and the man released himself by paying him a hundred pieces of gold. Then 
came the cobbler; and the merchant took his shoe without giving remuneration. 
Next came the one-eyed man; and he was obliged to conciliate the merchant by 
giving him a hundred pieces of gold. Lastly came the buyer of the sandal-wood; f 
and this man also was compelled to release himself by paying the merchant a 
hundred pieces of gold, and returning the wood. The merchant then sold the 
sandal-wood as he desired, received its price, and journeyed back to his own 
country. 

The tale relating to the boy three years old is unworthy of translation. The 
other instance of precocious intelligence is thus related :— 

“ Four merchants were sharers in a sum of a thousand pieces of gold, which 
they had mixed together, and put into one purse; and they went with it to pur¬ 
chase merchandise, and, finding in their way a beautiful garden, they entered it, 
and left the purse with a woman who was the keeper of that garden. Having en¬ 
tered, they diverted themselves in a tract of the garden, and ate and drank 
and were happy ; and one of them said, I have with me some perfume. Come, let 
us wash our heads with this running water; and perfume ourselves.—Another 
said, We want a comb. And another said, We will ask the keeper: perhaps she 
hath with her a comb. And upon this, one of them arose and went to the keeper, 
and said to her, Give me the purse. She replied, When ye all present yourselves, 
or thy companions order me to give it thee. Now his companions were in a 
place where the keeper could see them, and she could hear their words. And the 
man said to his companions, She is not willing to give me aught. So they said to 
her, Give him. And when she heard their words, she gave him the purse; and he 
went forth fleeing from them. Therefore when he had wearied them by the length 
of his absence, they came to the keeper, and said to her, Wherefore didst thou not 
give him the comb ? And she replied, He demanded of me nothing but the purse, 
and I gave it not to him save with your permission, and he hath departed hence 
and gone his way. And when they heard the words of the keeper, they slapped 
their faces, and seized her with their hands, saying to her, We gave thee not per¬ 
mission save to give the comb. She replied, He did not mention to me a comb. 
And they seized her and took her up to the K&dee; and when they presented 

• Arabs often play a game on the condition that the loser shall do what the gainer shall afterwards 
determine; each confiding in the moderation of the other. The penalty is generally something ridi¬ 
culous. 

t Here is another error in the original, similar to the first that I have pointed out in this story. It 
is said that the buyer had agreed to give, for each slid of sandal-wood, a still of something else, as gold 
or silver. 

182 ABSTRACT OF THE STORY OF THE KING AND HIS SON, &c. 

themselves before him, they stated to him the case; whereupon he bound the 
keeper to restore the purse, and bound a number of her debtors to be answerable 
for her. 

“ So she went forth perplexed, not knowing her way; and there met her a boy, 
whose age was five years; and when the boy saw her, thus perplexed, he said to her, 
What is the matter, O my mother ? But she returned him not an answer, despising 
him on account of the smallness of his age. And he repeated his question to her a 
first and a second and a third time.” So at length she told him what had happened 
to her. “ And the boy said to her, Give me a piece of silver that I may buy some 
sweetmeat with it, and I will tell thee something by which thine acquittance may 
be effected. The keeper therefore gave him a piece of silver, asking him, What 
hast thou to say ? And the boy answered her, Return to the Kadee, and say to 
him, It was agreed between me and them that I should not give them the purse 
save in the presence of all the four. So the keeper returned to the Kfidee, 
and said to him as the boy had told her; upon which the Kfidee said to the three 
men, Was it thus agreed between you and her? They answered, Yes. And the 
Kfidee said to them, Bring to me your companion and take the purse. Thus the 
keeper went forth free, no injury befalling her; and she went her way.”* 

The King’s son is then highly applauded by all present, and embraced and 
kissed by his father, who desires him to decide upon the punishment of the Damsel; 
to kill her, or to do what else he may choose with her. The young man replies, 
“ Banish her from the city.” 

* “ It is singular enough that this story is told of the Attorney-General Noy, in the reign of James 
II. For merchants we have graziers, and for a guardian of a garden a keeper of an inn, and the little 
boy, five years old, is the lawyer, William Noy, beginning his learned labours, and much advanced In 
reputation, it is said, by this story. It may or may not be true, and we have no higher authority for it 
than a collection of anecdotes; but it is something to find it thus wandering—seeking an owner so far

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE SIX HUNDRED AND SIXTH NIGHT, 
AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE SIX HUNDRED AND TWENTY- 
FOURTH. 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

A merchant, whose name was ’Omar, had left issue consisting 
of three sons ; one of whom was named Salim, and the youngest 
was named Joodar , 1 and the middle one was named Seleem. He 
reared them until they became men ; hut he loved Joodar more 
than his two brothers; and when it became manifest that he so 
loved Joodar, jealousy seized them, and they hated Joodar, and it 
was evident to their father that they hated their brother. Now 
their father was of great age, and he feared that, when he died, 
Joodar would suffer trouble from his brothers: so he summoned 
several persons of his family, and some of the Kadee’s dividers of 

184 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

property, and some of the men of science, and said, Bring ye to me 
my wealth and my stuffs. Accordingly they brought to him all 
the wealth and the stuffs; and he said, O men, divide this wealth 
and these stuffs into four portions conformably to the law. They 
therefore divided the property; and he gave to each son a portion, 
and himself took a portion, saying, This was my property, and I 
have divided it among them, and there remaineth not to them aught 
to claim of me, nor aught for one to claim of another : so when I 
die, discord will not ensue among them ; for I have divided among 
them the inheritance during my life, and this property that I myself 
have taken shall be for my wife, the mother of these children, that 
she may have recourse to it for her subsistence . 2 

Then, after a short period, their father died. But neither of 
the two envious brothers was content with that which their father 
’Omar had done : on the contrary, they demanded more of Joodar, 
and said to him, The wealth of our father is in thy possession. He 
therefore referred his case with them to the judges, and the Mus¬ 
lims who were present at the time of the division came and testified 
of that which they knew, and the judge forbade their injuring one 
another; but Joodar lost a considerable sum of money, and his 
brothers lost in like manner, by reason of the litigation ; 3 and they 
left him a while. Then they plotted against him a second time, and 
he referred his case with them to the judges ; so they lost a consi¬ 
derable sum of money again, on account of the judges. And they 
ceased not to seek his harm, appealing from tyrant to tyrant, they 
losing and he losing, until they had given all their wealth as food to 
the tyrants, and the three became paupers. The two brothers of 
Joodar then came to their mother, and, mocking her, took her 
money, and beat her and turned her out. She therefore came to 
her son Joodar, and said to him, Thy two brothers have done unto 
me thus and thus, and taken my money. And she began to curse 
them; whereupon Joodar said to her, O my mother, do not curse 
them ; for God will requite each of them for his conduct. But, O 
my mother, I have become poor, and my two brothers are poor, and 
contention occasioneth the loss of money. I have contended with 
them much before the judges, and it profited us not at all: on the 
contrary, we have lost all that our father left us, and the people 
have defamed us on account of our giving testimony [one against 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

185 

another]. Shall I then on thine account contend with them, and 
shall we refer the case to the judges ? This is a thing that must 
not be. Thou shalt only reside with me, and the cake of bread 
that I eat I will leave for thee. Pray thou for me, and God will 
supply me with the means of thy subsistence; and do thou leave 
both of them to receive from God the recompense of their conduct, 
and console thyself with the saying of the poet:— 

If an ignorant fellow oppress thee, leave him, and look for the time of ven¬ 
geance on the oppressor; * 

And avoid noxious tyranny; for if a mountain oppressed a mountain, the 
oppressor would be shattered. 

—And he proceeded to sooth the mind of his mother until she 
consented; and she remained with him. 

He then procured for himself a net, and he used to go to the 
river and the lakes, and to every place in which was water : every 
day he went to some place; and he earned one day ten, and one 
day twenty, and one day thirty [nusfs ], 5 which he expended upon 
his mother, and he ate well and drank well. But his two brothers 
neither worked nor sold nor bought; ruin and destruction and 
overtaking calamity entered their abode, and they had consumed 
what they had taken from their mother, and become of the number 
of the wretched paupers, and naked. So sometimes they would 
come to their mother, humbling themselves to her excessively, and 
complaining to her of their hunger ; and, the mother’s heart being 
compassionate, she would give them some stinking bread; and if 
any food cooked the day before were there, she would say to them, 
Eat it quickly, and go before your brother cometh; for it will not 
be agreeable to him, and it will harden his heart against me, and ye 
will disgrace me with him. Wherefore they would eat in haste and 
go. But they came in to their mother one day, and she put for them 
some cooked meat and some bread, which they proceeded to eat; 
and lo, their brother Joodar entered. So his mother was abashed 
and confounded at the sight of him, fearing that he would be 
incensed against her, and she hung down her head towards the 
ground in her abashment at her son. He, however, smiled in their 
faces, and said, Welcome, O my brothers! It is a blessed day. 
What hath happened that ye have visited me on this blessed day ? 

2 B 

VOL. III. 

186 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

—And he embraced them, and loved them, and said, It was not my 
wish that ye should leave me desolate, and not come to me, nor 
visit me nor your mother. They therefore replied, By Allah, O our 
brother, we longed to see thee, and nothing hindered us hut abash¬ 
ment in consequence of what hath happened between us and thee ; 
but we have repented greatly. This was the doing of the Devil 
(may God—whose name be exalted !—execrate him !); and we have 
no blessing excepting thee and our mother.—Joodar rejoined, I have 
no blessing excepting you two. And his mother said to him, 0 my 
son, may God whiten thy face, 6 and may God increase thy pros¬ 
perity! Thou art the superior [in generosity 7 ], O my son.—He 
then said, Welcome to you both ! Reside with me; for God is 
bountiful, and good things with me are plentiful.—He became 
reconciled to them, and they passed the night with him, and supped 
with him, and on the following day they breakfasted with him; after 
which, Joodar took up the net, and went forth relying upon Provi¬ 
dence. His two brothers also went, and were absent until noon, 
when they returned ; and their mother put before them the dinner; 
and in the evening their brother came, bringing meat and vegetables. 
In this state they continued for a period of a month ; Joodar catch¬ 
ing fish and selling them, and expending their price upon his mother 
and his brothers, and the latter eating and frolicking. 

Now it happened one day that Joodar took the net to the river, 
and cast it, and drew it, and it came up empty ; and he cast it a 
second time, and it came up empty. He therefore said within him¬ 
self, There are no fish in this place. Then he removed to another 
place, and there cast the net; but again it came up empty. And 
he removed to another place, and ceased not to change his place 
from morning to evening ; but caught not a single minnow. 8 So he 
said, Wonderful! Are the fish exhausted from the river, or what 
is the cause ?—He then put the net upon his back, and returned 
grieved and vexed, suffering anxiety for his two brothers and his 
mother, and not knowing wherewith to give them to sup. And he 
came to an oven, and saw the people crowding to take the bread, 
with money in their hands, and the baker was not looking towards 
them. Upon this, he stopped and sighed; and the baker said to 
him, Welcome to thee, O J oodar! Dost thou want bread ?—And 
he was silent; but the baker said to him, If thou have not with 

thee money, take what will suffice thee, and thou shalt have a delay. 
So Joodar said, Give me bread for ten nusfs. The baker replied, 
Take these ten nusfs besides, and to-morrow bring me fish for the 
twenty. And Joodar said, On the head and the eye. He therefore 
took the bread and the ten nusfs, and bought with these some meat 
and vegetables, saying, To-morrow the Lord will dispel the trouble 
of my case. He went to his abode, and his mother cooked the 
food, and he supped and slept; and on the following day, he took 
the net. His mother said to him, Remain and breakfast. But he 
replied, Breakfast thou with my two brothers. And he repaired to 
the river, and cast the net in it a first time, and a second, and a 
third, and changed his place; and he ceased not to do thus until 
the time of afternoon-prayers ; but nothing fell to his lot; where¬ 
fore he took up the net, and went away vexed. Now his way was 
none other than that which led by the baker; and when Joodar 
came to him, the baker saw him, and counted out to him the bread 
and the money, saying to him, Come, take and go. If there is no- 

188 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

thing to-day there will be to-morrow.—And Joodar desired t 
excuse himself to him ; hut the baker said to him, Go. No excusi 
is necessary. Hadst thou caught anything, it had been with thee 
and when I saw thee empty-handed, I knew that nothing had betide* 
thee; and if to-morrow nothing betide thee, come, take bread, and bi 
not abashed. Thou shalt have a delay.—Then, on the third day, hi 
went from lake to lake until the time of afternoon-prayers; hu 
saw not in them aught. So he went to the baker, and receive* 
from him the bread and the money. And thus he continued to d< 
for a period of seven days. 

He then became straitened in mind, and said to himself, Gc 
to-day to the Lake of Karoon. 9 And when he had arrived there 
he was about to cast the net, and was not aware of it when then 
approached him a Maghrabee 10 riding upon a mule, and wearing 
a magnificent dress, and on the hack of the mule was a pair o: 
embroidered saddle-bags, and everything that was on the mule was 
embroidered. The Maghrabee alighted from the back of the mule, 
and said, Peace he on thee, O Joodar, O son of ’Omar! So Joodai 
replied. And on thee be peace, O my master the pilgrim ! 11 And 
the Maghrabee said to him, O Joodar, I have an affair for thee tc 
perform; and if thou comply with my desire, thou wilt obtain 
abundant good fortune, and be on account thereof my companion, 
and perform for me my affairs. Joodar therefore said, O my mastei 
the pilgrim, tell me what is in thy mind, and I will obey thee: 1 
have no opposition to shew thee. And the Maghrabee said to him, 
Recite the Fatehah. 12 So he recited it with him. And after this, 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

189 

the Maghrabee took forth and gave him a cord of silk, and said to 
him, Bind my hands behind me, and make my bond very tight; 
then throw me into the lake, and wait over me a little; and if thou 
see me put forth my hands from the water, raising them high, before 
I appear, cast thou the net upon me, and draw me out quickly; hut 
if thou see me put forth my feet, know that I am dead. In this 
case, leave me, and take the mule and the saddle-bags, and go to 
the market of the merchants: 13 thou wilt find a Jew, whose name 
is Shumey’ah; and give thou to him the mule, and he will give thee 
a hundred pieces of gold: so take them, and conceal the secret, and 
go thy way.—He therefore bound his hands tightly behind him, the 
Maghrabee saying to him, Pull tightly the bonds. Then the latter 
said, Push me until thou shalt have thrown me into the lake. 
Accordingly he pushed him, and threw him into it; whereupon he 
sank; and Joodar stood waiting for him a considerable time; and 
lo, the feet of the Maghrabee came forth. Therefore Joodar knew 
that he was dead, and he took the mule and left him, and went to 
the market of the merchants, where he saw the Jew sitting upon a 
chair at the door of the magazine. And when he saw the mule, 
the Jew said, Verily the man hath perished. Then he said, Nought 
caused him to perish save covetousness. And he took from him 
the mule, and gave him a hundred pieces of gold, charging him to 
conceal the secret. So Joodar took the pieces of gold, and went, 
and took as much bread as he required of the baker, saying to him, 
Take this piece of gold. He therefore took it, and calculated what 
was owing to him, and replied, I have yet to give thee two days’ 
bread. 1 * Joodar then went from the baker to the butcher, to whom 
he gave another piece of gold, and he took the meat, saying to 
the butcher, Retain the rest of the piece of gold in account. He 
bought also some vegetables, and went; and he saw his two brothers 
begging of his mother something to eat, and she was saying to 
them, Wait until your brother shall have come; for I have nothing. 
So he went in to them, and said to them, Take, eat. And they 
fell upon the bread like ghools. Then Joodar gave to his mother 
the rest of the gold, saying, Take, O my mother; and when my 
brothers come, give to them, that they may buy and eat during 
my absence. 

He passed that night, and when he arose in the morning, he 

190 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

took the net, and went to the Lake of Karoon, and, stopping there, 
he was about to cast the net. And lo, another Maghrabee ap¬ 
proached, riding upon a mule, and more bedecked than he who had 
died; and he had with him a pair of saddle-bags, in which were 
two little boxes: in each side of it was a little box. And he said, 
Peace be on thee, O Joodar. So Joodar replied, On thee be peace, 
O my master the pilgrim! And the Maghrabee said, Did there 
come to thee yesterday a Maghrabee riding upon a mule like this 
mule ? Upon this, Joodar feared, and denied, saying, I saw not 
any one—fearing that he would say, Whither is he gone ?—and if 
he answered him, He was drowned in the lake—perhaps he might 
say, Thou drownedst him. It was therefore impossible for him to 
do aught save to deny. The Maghrabee then said to him, O poor 
man, this was my brother, and he hath gone before me. Joodar 
replied, I have no knowledge of him. But the Maghrabee rejoined, 
Didst thou not bind his hands behind him, and throw him into the 
lake, and did he not say to thee, If my hands come forth, cast upon 
me the net, and draw me out quickly; but if my feet come forth, 
I shall be dead, and take thou the mule, and give it to the Jew 
Shumey’ah, and he will give thee a hundred pieces of gold ? And 
his feet came forth, and thou tookest the mule, and gavest it to the 
Jew, and he gave thee a hundred pieces of gold.—So Joodar said, 
Since thou knowest this, wherefore dost thou ask me ? The 
Maghrabee answered, It is my desire that thou do with me as thou 
didst with my brother. And he took forth and gave him a cord of 
silk, saying, Bind my hands behind me, and throw me in; and if 
the like of that which befell my brother befall me, take the mule, 
and give it to the Jew, and receive from liim a hundred pieces 
of gold. He therefore said to him. Advance. Accordingly he 
advanced, and Joodar bound his hands behind him, and pushed 
him; whereupon he fell into the lake, and sank; and he waited 
for him a while, and his feet came up. Therefore Joodar said, 
He is gone to perdition! If it be the will of God, every day 
may Maghrabees come to me, and I will bind their hands behind 
them, and they shall die, and a hundred pieces of gold from each 
one who dieth will suffice me.—He then took the mule, and went 
away; and when the Jew saw him, he said to him, The other hath 
died! Joodar replied, May thy head long survive! And the Jew 

said to him, This is the recompense of the covetous. And he took 
the mule from him, and gave him a hundred pieces of gold. So 
Joodar took them, and repaired to his mother, and gave them to 
her; whereupon she said to him, O my son, whence came unto thee 
this? He therefore informed her; and she said to him, Go not 
again henceforth to the Lake of Karoon; for I fear for thee with 
respect to the Maghrabees. But he replied, 0 my mother, I 
throw them not in save with their own consent; and how shall I 
act ? This is a trade from which there accrueth to us every day a 
hundred pieces of gold, and I return quickly: so by Allah I will 
not desist from going to the Lake of Karoon until all traces of the 
Maghrabees cease, and not one of them remaineth. 

Then, on the third day, he went and stood there; and lo, there 
came a Maglirabee riding upon a mule, and having with him a pair 
of saddle-bags; but he was more bedecked than the two former 
ones; and he said, Peace be on thee, O Joodar, O son of ’Omar! 
So Joodar said within himself, Whence do they all know me ? 
Then he returned his salutation. And the Maghrabee said, Have 

192 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

any Maghrabees passed by this place ? Joodar answered him, Two. 
Tbe Maghrabee asked him, Whither went they?—I bound their 
hands behind them, answered Joodar, and threw them into this 
lake; so they were drowned; and the same end is for thee also. 
And the Maghrabee laughed, and said, O poor man, every living 
being hath his destiny. He then alighted from the mule, and said, 
O Joodar, do with me as thou didst with both of them. And he 
took forth the cord of silk. So Joodar said to him, Turn round 
thy hands that I may bind them behind thy back; for I am in 
haste, and my time is gone. He therefore turned round his hands 
towards him, and Joodar tied them behind his back, and pushed 
him; whereupon he fell into the lake, and Joodar stood waiting for 
him. And lo, the Maghrabee put forth to him his hands, saying 
to him, Cast the net, O poor man ! Accordingly he cast the net 
over him, and drew it; and behold, he was grasping in his hands 
two fishes, the colour of which was red, like coral; in each hand a 
fish; and he said to Joodar, Open the two little boxes. So he 
opened them for him; and he put in each little box a fish, and 
covered the mouths of the boxes over them. Then he pressed 
Joodar to his bosom, and kissed him on the right cheek and on the 
left, and said to him, May God deliver thee from every difficulty! 
By Allah, hadst thou not cast the net over me, and drawn me out, 
I had not ceased to grasp these two fishes, submerged in the water, 
until I had died, and I had not been able to come forth from the 
water.—And Joodar said to him, O my master the pilgrim, I con¬ 
jure thee by Allah that thou acquaint me with the affair of the two 
who were drowned before, and with the truth of the history of 
these two fishes, and with the affair of the Jew. 

The Maghrabee therefore replied, O Joodar, know that the two 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

193 

who were drowned before were my brothers. One of them was 
named ’Abd Es-Selam, and the other was named ’Abd El-Ahad; I 
am named ’Abd Es-Samad, and the Jew is our brother; his name 
is ’Abd Er-Raheem: he is not a Jew, but a Muslim, of the Malikee 
sect. 15 Our father taught us the arts of solving mysteries and 
opening hidden treasures, and enchantment; and we strove until 
the Marids of the Jinn, and the ’Efreets, served us. We were four 
brothers, and the name of our father was ’Abd El-Wadood; and 
our father died, leaving to us an abundance of things; whereupon 
we divided the treasures and riches and talismans until we came to 
the books, which also we divided. But there ensued among us a 
dissension respecting a book entitled The Stories of the Ancients, 
the like of which existeth not, nor can any one give its price, nor 
can its equivalent be made up in jewels; for in it are given accounts 
of all the hidden treasures, and the solutions of mysteries. Our 
father was in the habit of making use of it, and we committed to 
memory a little of its contents, and each of us desired to possess it, 
that he might know what was in it. Now when a dissension 
occurred between us, there was present with us our father’s sheykh, 
who had reared him and taught him enchantment and divination, 
and he was named the Diviner El-Abtan; 16 and he said to us, 
Bring ye the book. So we gave him the book; and he said, Ye 
are the sons of my son, and it is impossible that I should wrong any 
one of you. Then let him who desireth to take this book go and 
strive to accomplish the opening of the treasure of Esh-Shamardal, 17 
and bring me the celestial planisphere, and the kohl-pot, and the 
seal-ring, and the sword. For the seal-ring hath a Marid that 
serveth it, whose name is Er-Raad El-Kasif ; 18 and whoso possesseth 
this seal-ring, neither King nor Sultan can prevail against him; 
and if he desire to possess the earth, in all its length and breadth, 
he will be able to do so. And as to the sword, if it be drawn 
against an army, and its bearer shake it, he will rout the army; and 
if he say to it, at the time of his shaking it, Slay this army—there 
will proceed from that sword a lightning, which will slay the whole 
army. And as to the celestial planisphere, whoso possesseth it, if 
he desire to behold all the countries from the east to the west, he 
will behold them, and divert himself with viewing them, while 
he sitteth: whatsoever quarter he desireth to see, he will turn the 

2 c 

VOI,. III. 

194 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

face of the planisphere towards it, and, looking in the planisphere, 
he will see that quarter and its inhabitants, as though all were 
before him. Moreover, if he be incensed against a city, and turn 
the face of the planisphere towards the sun’s disk, desiring to burn 
that city, it will be burnt. And as to the kolil-pot, whosoever 
applieth kohl from it to his eyes, he will see the treasures of 
the earth. But I have a condition to impose upon you; and it is 
this; that whosoever is unable to open this treasure, he shall not 
have any claim to the book; and he who openeth this treasure, and 
bringeth me these four reposited things, shall be entitled to take 
this book.—And we consented to the condition. 

He then said to us, O my sons, know that the treasure of Esh- 
Shamardal is under the dominion of the sons of the Red King, and 
your father informed me that he had striven to open that treasure, 
and had not been able ; but that the sons of the Red King had fled 
from him to a lake in the land of Egypt, called the Lake of Karoon, 
where they withstood his authority; and he pursued them to Cairo; 
but could not prevail against them, on account of their descending 
into that lake ; for it was guarded by a talisman. He then returned 
overcome, and could not open the treasure of Esh-Shamardal by 
reason of the sons of the Red King. So when your father was 
unable to prevail against them, he came to me, and complained to 
me. I therefore made for him an astrological calculation, and saw 
that this treasure could not be opened save by the good fortune of 
a young man of the sons of Cairo, named Joodar the son of ’Omar; 
for that he would be the means of the seizure of the sons of the 
Red King. Also, that the said young man would be a fisherman, 
that the meeting with him would be by the Lake of Karoon, and 
that the charm would not be dissolved unless Joodar should bind 
behind his back the hands of the person whose lot it was to accom¬ 
plish this, and throw him into the lake; whereupon he would con¬ 
tend with the sons of the Red King; and whosoever should have 
the fortune to do so would seize the sons of the Red King. But he 
saw that he who should not be fortunate would perish, and his feet 
would appear from the water; and that he who should be safe, his 
hands would appear; and it would be requisite that Joodar should 
cast over him the net, and take him forth from the lake.—Upon 
this, [two of] my brothers said, We will go, though we perish. 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

195 

And I said, I will go also. But as to our brother who is in 
the garb of a Jew, he said, I have no desire. So we agreed with 
him that he should repair to Cairo in the disguise of a Jewish mer¬ 
chant, in order that if one of us should die in the lake, he might 
receive the mule and the saddle-bags from Joodar, and give him a 
hundred pieces of gold. And when the first came to thee, the sons 
of the Red King slew him; and they slew my second brother; but 
they could not prevail against me: so I seized them. 

Upon this, Joodar said, Where are they whom thou seizedst? 
The Maghrabee replied, Didst thou not see them ? I have impri¬ 
soned them in the two little boxes.—Joodar said, These are fishes. 
The Maghrabee however replied, These are not fishes: verily they 
are ’Efreets in the form of fishes. But, O Joodar, know that the 
opening of the treasure cannot be accomplished save by thy good 
fortune. Wilt thou then comply with my desire, and go with me 
to the city of Fas and Miknas, 19 and open the treasure ? If so, I will 
give thee what thou shalt desire. Thou hast become my brother by 
a covenant before God, and thou shalt return to thy family with a 
comforted heart.—Joodar said to him, O my master the pilgrim, I 
have in my charge my mother and my two brothers, and I am he 
who provideth for them; and if I go with thee, who will give them 
bread to eat ? But the Maghrabee replied, This is a vain pretext; 
and if it be on account of the money required for expenses, we will 
give thee a thousand pieces of gold which thou shalt give to thy 
mother that she may expend it until thou shalt return to thy coun¬ 
try ; and if thou go away, thou shalt return before four months. 
And when Joodar heard the mention of the thousand pieces of gold, 
he said, Give me, O pilgrim, the thousand pieces of gold, and I will 
leave them with my mother, and will go with thee. So the Magh¬ 
rabee took forth and gave him the gold, and he took it and went to 
his mother, and acquainted her with that which had happened 
between him and the Maghrabee, saying to her, Take these thou¬ 
sand pieces of gold, and expend of them upon thyself and upon my 
two brothers, while I journey with the Maghrabee to the west, 
and I shall be absent four months, and abundant good fortune will 
betide me : so pray for me, O my mother. She replied, 0 my son, 
thou wilt render me desolate, and I fear for thee. But he said, 
O my mother, no harm will befall him whom God preserveth; and 

the Maghrabee is a good man. And he proceeded to praise to her 
his state. So she replied, May God incline his heart to thee! Go 
with him, O my son. Perhaps he will give thee something. 

He therefore bade farewell to his mother, and went; and when 
he came to the Maghrabee ’Abd Es-Samad, the latter said to him, 
Hast thou consulted thy mother? He answered, Yes, and she 
prayed for me. And the Maghrabee said to him, Mount behind me. 
So he got upon the back of the mule, and they journeyed from noon 
until the time of afternoon-prayers, when Joodar was hungry, and 
he saw not with the Maghrabee anything to be eaten; wherefore he 
said to him, O my master the pilgrim, probably thou hast forgotten 
to bring for us anything to eat on the way. The Maghrabee said, 
Art thou hungry ? Joodar answered, Yes. And upon this the Magh¬ 
rabee alighted from the mule, with Joodar, and said, Put down the 
pair of saddle-bags. So he put it down. Then the Maghrabee said 
to him, What thing dost thou desire, O my brother ? Joodar an¬ 
swered him, Anything. The Maghrabee however replied, I conjure 
thee by Allah that thou tell me what thing thou desirest. Joodar 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

197 

said, Bread and cheese. But the Maghrabee replied, O poor man, 
bread and cheese are not suitable to thy condition: therefore de¬ 
mand something good.—In my estimation, said Joodar, at this time 
everything is good. And the Maghrabee asked him, Dost thou 
like browned chickens ? 2 ° He answered, Yes. And the Maghrabee 
said, Dost thou like rice with honey ? He answered, Yes. And 
the Maghrabee said, Dost thou like such a dish, and such a dish ? 
—until he had named to him four and twenty different dishes 
of food. Then Joodar said within himself, Is he mad ? Whence 
will he bring me the dishes of food that he hath named, when 
he hath neither kitchen nor cook ? But say to him, It is enough.— 
So he said to him, It is enough. Dost thou make me desire the 
dishes when I shall see nothing ?—The Maghrabee however replied. 
Welcome to thee, O Joodar 1 And he put his hand into the saddle¬ 
bag, and took forth a dish of gold containing two browned, hot 
chickens. Then he put his hand a second time, and took forth a 
dish of gold containing kebab. 21 And he ceased not to take forth 
from the pair of saddle-bags until he had taken forth the four and 
twenty dishes that he had mentioned, entire and complete; where¬ 
upon Joodar was confounded. He then said to him, Eat, O poor 
man. And Joodar said, O my master, dost thou put in this pair of 
saddle-bags a kitchen and people to cook ? So the Maghrabee 
laughed, and replied, This is enchanted, having a servant: were we 
to demand every hour a thousand dishes, the servant would bring 
them and make them ready instantly. Joodar therefore said, An 
excellent thing is this pair of saddle-bags! Then they ate until 
they w r ere satisfied, and what remained they threw upon the ground; 
after which the Maghrabee replaced the dishes, empty, in the 
saddle-bags, and, having put in his hand, took forth a ewer; and 
they drank, and performed the ablution, recited the afternoon- 
prayers, and replaced the ewer in the pair of saddle-bags. The 
Maghrabee then put into them the two little boxes, placed the 
saddle-bags on the mule, and mounted, saying, Mount, that we 
may journey on. And he said, O Joodar, knowest thou what space 
we have traversed from Cairo unto this place ? Joodar answered 
him, By Allah, I know not. And the Maghrabee said to him, We 
have traversed a space of a whole month’s journey.—And how so ? 
asked Joodar. The Maghrabee answered him, 0 Joodar, know 
that the mule which is beneath us is one of the Marids of the Jinn, 

198 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

that will travel in a day a year’s journey; but for thy sake it pro¬ 
ceeded leisurely.—They then journeyed on until sunset; and when 
they halted in the evening, the Maghrabee took forth from the 
saddle-bags the supper; and in the morning he took forth the 
breakfast. Thus they continued to do for a period of four days, 
journeying until midnight, and alighting and sleeping, and pro¬ 
ceeding in the morning; and all that Joodar desired he demanded 
of the Maghrabee, who produced it to him from the pair of saddle¬ 
bags. And on the fifth day, they arrived at Fas and Miknas. 

They entered the city; and when they entered, every one who 
met the Maghrabee saluted him and kissed his hand. Thus he pro¬ 
ceeded until he came to a door ; whereupon he knocked at it, and 
lo, the door opened, and there appeared from it a damsel like the 
moon, to whom he said, O Rahmeh,” O my daughter, open for 
us the pavilion. She replied, On the head and the eye, O my 
father. And she entered, wriggling her sides,” so that Joodar’s 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

199 

reason fled, and he said, This is none other than the daughter of a 
King ! Then the damsel opened the pavilion, and the Maghrabee 
took the pair of saddle-bags from the back of the mule, and said 
to it, Depart: God bless thee ! And behold, the ground clove 
asunder, and the mule descended, and the ground became again as 
it was. So J oodar said, O Excellent Protector! Praise be to 
God, who delivered us upon its back!—The Maghrabee however 
said, Wonder not, O Joodar ; for I told thee that the mule is an 
’Efreet: but come up with us into the pavilion. And when they 
entered that pavilion, Joodar was amazed at the abundance of the 
rich furniture, and at what he beheld in it, of rarities and articles of 
jewels and minerals; and after they had seated themselves, the 
Maghrabee ordered the damsel, saying to her, O Rahmeh, bring 
such a wrapper. She therefore arose and brought a wrapper, which 
she put down before her father ; and he opened it, and took forth 
from it a dress worth a thousand pieces of gold, and said, Put it on, 
O Joodar. Welcome to thee!—So he put on the dress, and be¬ 
came like one of the Kings of the West; after which the Maghrabee 
placed the saddle-bags before him, and, having put his hand into 
them, took forth from them dishes containing varieties of viands 
until they composed a table of forty different dishes, when he said, 
O my lord, advance and eat, and be not displeased with us. We 
know not what viands thou desirest: therefore tell us what thou 
wouldst have, and we will place it before thee without delay.— 
Joodar replied, By Allah, O my master the pilgrim, I love all viands, 
and hate not aught: then ask me not respecting anything; but 
bring all that occur to thy mind, and I have nothing to do but to 
eat.—Then he resided with him twenty days. Every day the 
Maghrabee clad him with a dress, and the food was from the pair of 
saddle-bags; the Maghrabee not buying anything, either of meat 
or bread, nor cooking; but taking forth all that he required from 
the saddle-bags, even the different kinds of fruit. 

After this, the Maghrabee, on the one and twentieth day, said, 
O Joodar, arise with us ; for this is the day decreed for the opening 
of the treasure of Esh-Shamardal. So he arose with him, and they 
walked to the extremity of the city. Then they went forth from it, 
and Joodar mounted a mule, and the Maghrabee mounted a mule, 
and they ceased not to journey on until noon, when they came to a 
river of running water. There ’Abd Es-Samad alighted, and he 

200 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

said, Alight, O Joodar. And he alighted; and ’Abd Es-Samad 
said, Quick !—making a sign with his hand to the two slaves [who 
accompanied him] ; whereupon they took the two mules, and each 
slave departed by one way, and they were absent a little while; 
after which, one of them approached with a tent, which he pitched; 
and the other approached with a mattress, which he spread in the 
tent, placing around it cushions and pillows. Then one of them 
went and brought the two little boxes in which were the two fishes; 
and the other brought the pair of saddle-bags. Upon this, the 
Maghrabee arose and said, Come, O Joodar. So he came, and 
seated himself by his side ; and the Maghrabee took forth from the 
saddle-bags the dishes of viands, and they dined; after which, the 
Maghrabee took the two little boxes, and recited a charm over them, 
whereupon those who were within them began to say, At thy ser¬ 
vice, O diviner of the world! Have mercy upon us !—They prayed 
for help, while he recited his charm over them, until the two little 
boxes burst, and became broken in pieces, the fragments flying 
about, and there appeared from them two beings with their hands 
bound behind them, saying, Quarter! O diviner of the world! What 
dost thou desire to do unto us ?—He answered, My desire is, either 
to burn you, or that ye promise me to open the treasure of Esh- 
Shamardal. And they replied, We promise thee, and we will open 
for thee the treasure; but on the condition that thou bring here 
J oodar the fisherman ; for the treasure cannot be opened but by his 
good fortune, and no one can enter it excepting Joodar\he son of 
’Omar. So he said to them, Him whom ye mention I have brought, 
and he is here, hearing you and beholding you. They therefore 
promised him to open the treasure, and he released them. Then he 
took forth a tube, and some tablets of red carnelion, which he placed 
upon the tube; and he took a perfuming-vessel, put in it some char¬ 
coal, and blew it with a single puff, wherewith he kindled it; and, 
having made ready the incense, he said, O Joodar, I will recite the 
charm, and throw on the incense, and when I have begun the charm 
I cannot speak; for the charm would be frustrated; and I desire to 
acquaint thee how thou shalt act to attain thy wish. So Joodar 
replied, Acquaint me. 

The Maghrabee therefore said, Know that when I have recited 
the charm, and thrown on the incense, the water will dry up from 
the bed of the river, and there will appear to thee a door of gold, of 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

201 

the size of the city-gate, with two rings of metal. Descend to the 
door, and knock it lightly, and wait a while: then knock a second 
time, with more force than the first time: after that, give three 
knocks without intermission, one after another. Thereupon thou 
wilt hear a speaker say, Who knocketh at the door of the treasures 
and knoweth not how to solve the mysteries ? And do thou answer, 
I am Joodar the fisherman, the son of ’Omar. Then he will open 
to thee the door; and there will come forth to thee a person with 
a sword in his hand, who will say to thee, If thou be that man, 
stretch forth thy neck that I may smite off thy head. And stretch thou 
forth to him thy neck, and fear not; for when he raiseth his hand 
with the sword and smiteth thee, he will fall down before thee, and 
after a while thou wilt see him a body without a soul, and thou wilt 
not suffer pain from the blow, nor will aught befall thee: but if 
thou oppose him, he will slay thee.—And after that, when thou hast 
annulled his talisman by obedience, enter on until thou seest another 
door, which knock. There will come forth to thee a horseman rid¬ 
ing upon a horse, and having upon his shoulder a spear, and he will 
say, What hath brought thee into this place, which no one entereth, 
either of mankind or of the Jinn ? And he will shake at thee the 
spear: but open to him thy bosom, and he will smite thee, and will 
fall down instantly, and thou wilt see him a body without a soul. 
If thou oppose him, however, he will slay thee.—Then enter the 
third door. There will come forth to thee a son of Adam having in 
his hand a bow and arrows, and he will shoot at thee with the bow: 
but open thou to him thy bosom, and he will smite thee, and will 
fall down before thee a body without a soul: but if thou oppose 
him, he will slay thee.—Next enter the fourth door. There will 
come forth to thee a huge lion, who will rush upon thee, opening 
his mouth, and shewing thee that he desireth to devour thee : yet fear 
thou not, nor flee from him ; but when he cometh up to thee, give 
him thy hand, and when he biteth at thy hand he will fall down 
instantly, and nought will befall thee.—After this, enter the fifth 
door. There will come forth to thee a black slave, who will say to 
thee, Who art thou ? Answer him, I am Joodar. And he will say 
to thee. If thou be that man, enter the sixth door.—Advance there¬ 
fore to that door, and say, 0 ’Eesa, tell Moosa to open the door. 
Thereupon the door will be opened, and do thou enter. Thou wilt 

2 D 

VOL. III. 

202 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

find two serpents; one of them on the left, and the other on the 
right. Each of them will open its mouth, and they will dart upon 
thee instantly : hut stretch thou forth to them thy two hands, and 
each of them will bite at a hand : if thou oppose, however, they will 
kill thee.—Then enter on to the seventh door, and knock it. [The 
semblance of] thy mother will come forth to thee, and will say to 
thee, Welcome, O my son ! Advance, that I may salute thee.— 
But do thou reply, Keep far from me, and pull off thine apparel. 
She will thereupon say to thee, O my son, I am thy mother, and I 
have a claim upon thy duty for suckling and rearing thee. How 
then wouldst thou strip me of my clothing ?—Do thou, however, 
say to her, If thou pull not oif thy clothing, I will slay thee. And 
look on thy right side: thou wilt see a sword suspended on the 
wall: so take it, and draw it upon her, and say to her, Pull off. 
Then she will endeavour to beguile thee, and will humble herself 
unto thee: yet pity her not; but every time that she pulleth off to 
thee anything, say to her, Pull off the rest. And cease not to 
threaten her with slaughter until she pulleth off to thee all that is 
upon her, and falleth down.—Upon this, the mysterious contrivances 
will have become dissolved, and the talismans annulled, and thou 
wilt be secure. So enter : thou wilt find the gold in heaps within 
the treasury: pay no regard, however, to aught of it: but thou wilt 
see a private chamber at the upper end of the treasury, with a cur¬ 
tain over its entrance. Remove the curtain, and thou wilt see the 
diviner Esh-Shamardal lying upon a couch of gold, having at his 
head something round, shining like the moon; and it is the celestial 
planisphere. He is also equipped with the sword, hung upon his 
side; and upon his finger is a seal-ring; and upon his neck is a 
chain, to which is attached a kohl-pot. Bring therefore the four 
reposited things; and beware of forgetting aught of the things with 
which I have acquainted thee; and act not contrary to the direc¬ 
tions ; for thou wouldst repent, and fear would be entertained for 
thee.—Then he repeated to him the charge, a second and a third and 
a fourth time, until he said, I have it in my memory: but who is 
able to face these talismans which thou hast mentioned, and to 
endure these great horrors? The Maghrabee replied, O Joodar, 
fear not; for they are bodies without souls. And he proceeded to 
tranquillize him. So Joodar said, I rely upon God. 

Then the Maghrabee ’Abd Es-Samad threw on the incense, and 
continued a while reciting the charm; and lo, the water had gone, 
and the bottom of the river appeared, and the door of the treasure. 
Joodar therefore descended to the door, and knocked it; and he 
heard a speaker say. Who knocketh at the doors of the treasures 
and knoweth not how to solve the mysteries ? So he answered, I 
am Joodar the son of ’Omar. And upon this, the door opened, and 
the person came forth to him, and drew the sword, saying to him, 
Stretch forth thy neck. Accordingly, he stretched forth his neck, and 
the person smote him, and fell down. In like manner did Joodar 
at the second door, and so on until he had annulled the talismans 
of [six of] the seven doors. Then [the semblance of] his mother 
came forth to him, saying to him, Salutations to thee, O my son! 
And he said to her as the Maghrabee had directed him; but after 
she had long remonstrated with him, and done nearly all that he 
had commanded her, she said to him, 0 my son, is thy heart stone ? 

204 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

Is not this unlawful?—And lie replied, Thou hast spoken truth. 
So when he had uttered these words, she cried out and said, He hath 
erred: therefore beat ye him ! And there fell upon him blows like 
the drops of rain: the servants of the treasure assembled around 
him, and they inflicted upon him a beating that he forgot not 
during his life j after which they pushed him, and cast him forth 
outside the door of the treasure, and the doors of the treasure 
became closed as they were before. So when they cast him outside 
the door, the Maghrabee took him up instantly, and the waters 
flowed as before. Then ’Abd Es-Samad the Maghrabee recited 
over Joodar a charm, until he recovered from his intoxication, when 
he said to him, What hast thou done, O poor man ? Joodar there¬ 
fore told him what had happened; whereupon the Maghrabee 
replied, Did I not say to thee, Act not contrary to the directions ? 
Thou hast done ill unto me and to thyself. But now thou must 
remain with me till the next year, until the like of this day.— 
And he called out immediately to the two slaves; who forthwith 
struck the tent and carried it away, and, after they had been absent 
a little while, returned with the two mules; and the Maghrabee 
and J oodar each mounted a mule, and they returned to the city of 
Fas. 

Joodar remained with the Maghrabee, eating well and drinking 
well, and every day the latter clad him in a rich dress, until the 
year had ended, and that day arrived ; when the Maghrabee said to 
him, This is the appointed day : so repair with us. Joodar replied, 
Well. The Maghrabee therefore took him outside the city, and 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

205 

they saw the two slaves with the two mules, and rode until they 
arrived at the river; whereupon the two slaves pitched the tent, 
and spread the furniture in it, and the Maghrabee took forth the 
table of viands, and they dined. After this, the Maghrabee took 
forth the tube and the tablets, as on the first occasion, kindled the 
fire, made ready his incense, and said, O Joodar, I desire to charge 
thee. He replied, O my master the pilgrim, if I have forgotten the 
beating, I may have forgotten the charge. So the Maghrabee said 
to him, Dost thou retain the charge in thy memory ? He answered. 
Yes. And the Maghrabee said. Keep thy self-possession, and 
imagine not that the woman is thy mother; for she is only a talis¬ 
man in the form of thy mother, and her desire is to make thee err; 
and if the first time thou earnest forth alive, this time, if thou err, 
they will cast thee forth slain. He replied, If I err, I shall deserve 
their burning me. Then the Maghrabee put the incense, and re¬ 
cited the charm, and the river dried up. So Joodar advanced to the 
door and knocked it; whereupon it opened, and he annulled all the 
talismans until he came to [the semblance of] his mother, who said 
to him, Welcome, O my son! But he replied, How should I he 
thy son, O accursed? Pull off!—And she endeavoured to beguile 
him; but he insisted; and when she had done as he commanded 
her, she became a body without a soul. He therefore entered, and 
saw the gold in heaps, but payed no regard to aught of it. Then 
he came to the private chamber, and beheld the diviner Esh-Sha- 
mardal lying, having the sword on his side, and the seal-ring upon 
his finger, and the kohl-pot upon his bosom, and he saw the celestial 
planisphere over his head. So he advanced and loosed the sword, 
and took the seal-ring and the celestial planisphere and the kohl- 
pot, and went forth; and lo, a set of musical instruments sounded 
in honour of him, and the servants* [of the treasure] began to call 
out, Mayest thou enjoy that which thou hast obtained, O Joodar! 
The instruments ceased not to sound until he went forth from the 
treasure, and came to the Maghrabee, who thereupon ceased from 
the recitation of the charm, and the fumigation, and, rising, pressed 
him to his bosom, and saluted him; and Joodar gave him the four 
reposited articles. So the Maghrabee took them, and called out 
to the two slaves, who forthwith took the tent, and restored it to its 
place; after which they returned with the two mules, and the 

206 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

Maghrabee and Joodar mounted them, and entered the city of Fas. 
The Maghrabee then brought the pair of saddle-hags, and pro¬ 
ceeded to take forth from it the dishes containing the various viands 
until a complete table was before him, when he said, O my brother, 
O Joodar, eat. He therefore ate until he was satisfied, and the 
Maghrabee emptied the remains of the viands into other dishes, and 
put back the empty dishes into the saddle-bags. 

Then the Maghrabee ’Abd Es-Samad said, O Joodar, thou 
quittedst thy land and thy country on our account, and hast 
accomplished our affair; wherefore thou hast a claim upon us for 
some object of desire; so demand of us what thou wishest; for 
God (whose name be exalted!) giveth thee, and we are [merely] 
the means. Require then what thou wilt, and be not abashed, 
since thou deservest.—He therefore replied, O my master, I desire 
of God, and then of thee, that thou give me this pair of saddle¬ 
bags. And the Maghrabee said [to his slave], Bring the pair of 
saddle-bags. Accordingly he brought it; and he said to Joodar, 
Take it; for it is thy due; and hadst thou desired something else, 
we had given it to thee. But, O poor man, this will not profit thee 
save in food, and thou hast wearied thyself with us, and we pro¬ 
mised thee that we would restore thee to thy country with a comforted 
heart; wherefore thou shalt eat from this pair of saddle-bags, and 
we will give thee another pair of saddle-bags, full of gold and 
jewels, and have thee conveyed to thy country; so thou shalt 
become a merchant, and clothe thyself and thy family, and not 
stand in need of money for thy expenses. Eat thou and thy family 
from this pair of saddle-bags ; and the mode of acting with it is 
this; that thou put forth thy hand into it, and say, By the great 
names that have influence over thee, O servant of this pair of sad¬ 
dle-bags, bring me such a dish! Thereupon he will bring thee 
what thou demandest, even if thou demand every day a thousand 
different dishes of food.—Then he caused a slave to come with a 
mule, and filled for Joodar a pair of saddle-bags, one half with gold, 
and the other half with jewels and minerals, and said to him, 
Mount this mule, and the slave will walk before thee; for he will 
acquaint thee with the way until he conveyeth thee to the door of 
thy house; and when thou hast arrived, take the two pairs of 
saddle-bags, and give him the mule, and he will bring it back. But 

let not any one know thy secret. And now we commit thee unto 
God.—So Joodar replied, May God increase thy prosperity! He 
put the two pairs of saddle-bags upon the back of the mule, and 
mounted; and the slave walked before him. The mule followed 
the slave that day, and all the following night; and on the second 
day, in the morning, he entered the Bab en-Nasr, z * and beheld his 
mother sitting and saying, Something for the sake of God ! So his 
reason fled, and, having alighted from the back of the mule, he 
threw himself upon her; and when she saw him, she wept. Then 
he mounted her upon the mule, and walked by her stirrup until he 
arrived at the house, when he set down his mother, took the two 
pairs of saddle-bags, and left the mule to the slave, who took it and 
departed to his master: for the slave was a devil and the mule was 
a devil. 

But as to Joodar, the fact of his mother’s begging was grievous 
to him; and when he entered the house, he said to her, O my 
mother, are my two brothers well ? She answered, Well. And he 

208 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

said, Wherefore dost thou beg in the way ? She answered, O my 
son, in consequence of my hunger. He replied, I gave thee, before 
I departed, a hundred pieces of gold the first day, and a hundred 
pieces of gold the second day, and I gave thee a thousand pieces of 
gold on the day that I departed.—O my son, she said, they have 
cheated me, and taken them from me, saying, We desire to pur¬ 
chase with them merchandise. And they took them, and turned 
me out: so I betook myself to begging in the way, by reason of the 
violence of my hunger.—He then said, O my mother, no harm shall 
befall thee now that I have come: therefore suffer no anxiety. This 
is a pair of saddle-bags full of gold and jewels, and good things are 
abundant.—And she replied, O my son, thou art fortunate ! May 
God be well pleased with thee, and increase his favours to thee! 
Arise, O my son; bring for us some bread ; for I have passed the 
night in violent hunger, without supper.—Upon this, he laughed, 
and said to her, Welcome to thee, O my mother! Demand then 
whatever thou desirest to eat, and I will present it to thee imme¬ 
diately. I need not to purchase from the market, nor need I any 
one to cook.—So she said, O my son, I see not with thee anything. 
He replied, I have with me, in the pair of saddle-bags, of every 
kind of viands. And she said, O my son, whatever is ready will 
stay hunger.—Thou hast spoken truth, he replied; for when plenty 
is wanting, man is content with the smallest thing; but when 
plenty is at hand, man desireth to eat of what is good; and I have 
plenty; therefore demand what thou desirest. And she said to him, 
O my son, some hot bread, and a piece of cheese. But he replied, 
O my mother, this is not suitable to thy condition. So she said to 
him, Thou knowest my condition; wherefore, what is suitable to my 
condition, thereof give me to eat. And he said, O my mother, 
suitable to thy condition are browned meat, and browned chickens, 
and boiled rice with butter and salt and pepper; and suitable to 
thy condition are sausages, and stuffed gourds, and stuffed lamb, 
and stuffed ribs of lamb, and kunafeh with broken almonds and 
hazel-nuts, and honey and sugar, and kataif, and baklaweh . 25 His 
mother therefore thought that he was laughing at her, and making 
jest of her: so she said to him, Yooh ! Yooh ! 26 What hath hap¬ 
pened unto thee ? Dost thou dream, or hast thou become mad ?— 
He asked her, Whence leamedst thou that I had become mad ? 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

209 

She answered him, Because thou mentionest to me all kinds of 
excellent dishes; and who can afford their price, or who knoweth 
how to cook them ? And he replied, By my life, I must give thee 
to eat of all that I have mentioned to thee, immediately. She said, 
I see not aught. And he said to her, Bring me the pair of saddle¬ 
bags. She therefore brought him the pair of saddle-bags, and, 
feeling it, found it to be empty; and she put it before him. And 
he proceeded to stretch forth his hand and to take out filled dishes 
until he had produced to her all that he had mentioned. So his 
mother said to him, O my son, verily the pair of saddle-bags is 
small, and it was empty, with nothing in it; yet thou hast taken 
forth from it all these things: then where were these dishes ? And 
he answered, 0 my mother, know that the Maghrabee gave me this 
pair of saddle-bags, and it is enchanted, and hath a servant: if a 
man desire anything, and recite over it the names, and say, O ser¬ 
vant of this pair of saddle-bags, bring me such a dish!—he will 
bring it. Upon this, his mother said to him, Shall I stretch forth 
my hand and demand of him ? He answered, Stretch forth thy 
hand. And she did so, saying, By the names that have influence 
over thee, 0 servant of this pair of saddle-bags, bring me stuffed 
ribs of lamb ! And she saw that the dish had come into the bag: 
so she put forth her hand and took it, and found in it delicate 
stuffed ribs. Then she demanded the bread, and demanded every¬ 
thing that she desired, of various kinds of viands. And he said to 
her, O my mother, after thou shalt have finished eating, empty the 
rest of the viands into other dishes than these, and put hack the 
empty dishes into the saddle-hags ; for the charm is on this condi¬ 
tion : and take care of the pair of saddle-bags. She therefore re¬ 
moved the pair of saddle-bags, and took care of it. And he said to 
her, O my mother, conceal the secret, and keep it; and whenever 
thou wantest anything, take it forth from the saddle-bags, and give 
alms, and feed my two brothers, whether in my presence or in my 
absence. 

After this, he began to eat with her, and lo, his two brothers 
came in to him. The news had been given to them by a man of 
the sons of his quarter, who said to them, Your brother hath come, 
mounted on a mule, with a slave before him, and wearing a dress of 
which the like existeth not. So they said, one to the other, Would 

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210 

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that we had not distressed our mother! She will doubtless ac¬ 
quaint him with that which we have done unto her. Oh, how we 
shall be disgraced by him!—But one of them said, Our mother is 
tender-hearted ; and if she inform him, our brother is more tender¬ 
hearted than she towards us ! and when we excuse ourselves to him, 
he will accept our excuse.—Then they went in to him, and he rose 
to them upon his feet, and saluted them with the best salutation, 
and said to them, Sit and eat. So they sat and ate; and they were 
weak from hunger; wherefore they ceased not to eat until they 
were satiated. And Joodar said to them, O my brothers, take the 
remainder of the food, and distribute it to the poor and needy. 
They replied, O our brother, leave it that we may make our 
supper of it. But he said to them, At the time of supper there 
will be brought to you more than this. They therefore took forth 
the rest of the viands, and to every poor person who passed by 
them they said, Take and eat—until nothing remained. Then they 
took back the dishes, and Joodar said to his mother, Put them into 
the saddle-bags.—And in the evening, he entered the saloon, and 
took forth from the saddle-bags a table of forty different dishes; 
after which, he went up [into another apartment]; and when he 
sat between his two brothers, he said to his mother, Bring the 
supper. So when she entered the saloon, she saw the dishes full; 
and she placed the table, and brought the dishes, one after another, 
until the forty dishes were all put. They then supped; and after 
the supper, Joodar said, Take ye, and feed the poor and the .needy. 
Accordingly they took the rest of the viands, and distributed them. 
And after they had supped, Joodar produced to them sweetmeats; 
of which they ate; and what remained of them, Joodar told them 
to give to the neighbours to eat. On the following day they break¬ 
fasted in the same manner, and they ceased not to remain in this 
state for a period of ten days. 

Then Salim said to Seleem, What is the cause of this thing, that 
our brother produceth to us a feast in the morning, and a feast at 
noon, and a feast at sunset, and, at the end of the night, sweet¬ 
meats ; and that everything that remaineth he distributeth to the 
poor ? This is the action of Sultans. And whence came to him 
this prosperity? 27 We never see him buy anything, nor doth he 
light a fire, nor hath he either kitchen or cook. Shall we not 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

211 

inquire respecting these various viands, and respecting these sweet¬ 
meats ?—His brother replied, By Allah, I know not. But knowest 
thou any one who will acquaint us with the truth of this matter ? 
—None, said Salim, will acquaint us excepting our mother.—They 
therefore contrived for themselves a stratagem, and, going in to 
their mother during the absence of their brother, they said, O our 
mother, we are hungry. So she replied, Rejoice at good news. 
And she entered the saloon, demanded of the servant of the pair of 
saddle-bags, and brought out to them hot viands ; whereupon they 
said, O our mother, this food is hot, and thou hast not cooked, nor 
blown [a fire]. She replied, It is from the pair of saddle-bags. And 
they said to her, What is this pair of saddle-bags ? She answered 
them, It is enchanted, and the demand is obtained by virtue of the 
charm. And she acquainted them with the case, and said to them, 
Conceal the secret. They replied, The secret is concealed, O our 
mother; but teach us the mode of this. She therefore taught 
them; and they proceeded to put forth their hands, and to take 
out the thing that they demanded. And their brother had no 
knowledge thereof. So when they knew the property of the pair 
of saddle-bags, Salim said to Seleem, 0 my brother, how long shall 
we remain with Joodar like servants, and eat his alms? Shall we 
not employ a stratagem against him, and take this pair of saddle¬ 
bags, and enjoy it?—How, said Seleem, shall the stratagem be 
contrived ? Salim answered, We will sell our brother to the Cap¬ 
tain of the Sea of Es-Suweys. 2 ®—And how shall we manage, asked 
the other, that we may sell him ?—I will go with thee, answered 
Salim, to that Captain, and we will invite him to an entertainment 
with two of his company; and what I shall say to Joodar, do thou 
declare me to be veracious therein ; and at the close of the night, I 
will shew thee what I will do. 

Thus they agreed to sell their brother. They went to the house 
of the Captain of the Sea of Es-Suweys, and Salim and Seleem 
both went in to the Captain, and said to him, O Captain, we have 
come to thee on account of an affair that will rejoice thee. So he 
replied, Good. And they said to him, We are two brothers, and 
we have a third brother, a profligate, in whom is no good; and our 
father died, leaving to us a sum of money. Then we divided the 
money, and he took what fell to his lot of the inheritance, and ex- 

212 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

pended it in debauchery and vice; and when he was reduced to 
poverty, he domineered over us, and proceeded to complain against 
us to the tyrants, and to say, Ye two have taken my property, and 
the property of my father—and we referred our case to the judges, 
and lost the property. After this, he suffered us a while, and 
complained against us a second time, so that he brought us to 
poverty, and he desisted not from oppressing us ; wherefore we 
have become impatient of him, and desire that thou purchase him 
of us.—So he said to them, Can ye employ a stratagem against 
him, and bring him to me here ? If so, I will send him quickly to 
the sea.—They answered, We cannot bring him; but thou shalt be 
our guest, and bring with thee two; no more ; and when he sleep- 
eth, we five will assist one another against him, and seize him, and 
put a gag in his mouth, and take him under the covering of night. 
Then thou shalt carry him forth from the house, and do with him 
as thou wilt.—And he said, I hear and obey. Will ye sell him for 
forty pieces of gold ? They answered him, Yes: and after the time 
of afternoon-prayers, thou shalt come to such a quarter, where thou 
wilt find one of us waiting for thee. And he replied, Go ye. 

They therefore sought Joodar; and after they had waited 
a while, Salim advanced to him, and kissed his hand. So Joodar 
said to him, What dost thou want, O my brother ? And he an¬ 
swered him, Know that I have a friend, who invited me to enter¬ 
tainments many times in his house during thine absence, and he is 
entitled to a thousand kindnesses from me, and he always treateth 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

213 

me with honour, as my brother knoweth. Now I saluted him to¬ 
day, and he invited me; but I said to him, I cannot quit my 
brother. He therefore said, Bring him with thee. And I replied. 
He will not consent to that; but if thou and thy brothers will be 
my guests—for his brothers were sitting by him; so I invited them, 
thinking that I should invite them and they would refuse. But 
when I invited him and his brothers, he consented, and said, Wait 
for me at the door of the Zawiyeh,” and I will come with my bro¬ 
thers. Therefore I fear that he will come, and am abashed at thee. 
Wilt thou then comfort my heart, and entertain them this night ? 
Thy good things are abundant, O my brother. But if thou consent 
not, give me leave to take them into the neighbours’ house.—And 
Joodar said to him, Wherefore shouldst thou take them into the 
neighbours’ house ? Is our house then narrow, or have we not 
aught wherewith to give them a supper ? Shame upon thee to 
consult me. Thou hast nothing to require but nice viands and 
sweetmeats in such quantities that there shall remain of them ; and 
if thou bring people and I be absent, demand of thy mother, and 
she will produce to thee viands more than enough. Go : bring 
them. Blessings have betided us.—So he kissed his hand, and 
went and sat at the door of the Zawiyeh till after the time of 
afternoon-prayers; and lo, they approached him. He therefore 
took them and conducted them into the house ; and when Joodar 
saw them, he said to them, Welcome to you! And he seated them, 
and made himself familiar with them, not knowing what was secretly 
purposed to betide him from them. Then he demanded of his 
mother the supper, and she proceeded to take forth from the pair 
of saddle-bags, while he said, Bring such a dish—until there were 
before them forty different dishes. So they ate until they were 
satisfied, and the table was removed ; the sailors thinking that this 
hospitable entertainment proceeded from Salim. And when a third 
of the night had passed, Joodar caused the sweetmeats to be 
brought to them; and Salim was the one who served them. Joodar 
and Seleem sat until they expressed a desire to sleep; when Joodar 
arose and laid himself down, and the others laid down until he was 
inadvertent; whereupon they arose and assisted one another against 
him, and he awoke not until the gag was in his mouth. They 
hound his hands behind him, carried him away, and took him forth 

214 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

from the pavilion under the covering of the night, and sent him to 
Es-Suweys, where they put shakles upon his feet, and he served 
in silence, and ceased not to serve in the manner of captives and 
slaves for a whole year.—Such was the case of Joodar. 

But as to the case of his two brothers, when they arose in the 
morning, they went in to their mother, and said to her, O our 
mother, our brother Joodar hath not awoke. So she replied, Wake 
ye him. They asked her, Where is he lying ? And she answered 
them, With the guests. They said, Probably he hath gone with 
the guests while we were asleep, O our mother. It seemeth that 
our brother hath tasted absence from his country, and desired to 
enter the hidden treasures; for we heard him speaking with the 
Maghrabees, and they said to him, We will take thee with us, and 
we will open for thee the treasure.—Hath he, she said, been with 
the Maghrabees? They replied, Were they not guests with us? 
And she said, Probably he hath gone with them; but God will 
direct him right. This is a fortunate person; he will certainly come 
back with abundant riches.—And she wept, and his separation was 
grievous unto her. So they said to her, O accursed, dost thou love 
Joodar with all this love, when, if we are absent or present, thou 
neither rejoicest in us nor mournest for us ? Are we not thy sons 
as Joodar is thy son ?—She answered, Ye are my sons; but ye are 
wicked wretches, and ye are entitled to no favour from me; for 
from the day that your father died I have not experienced from you 
any good; and as to Joodar, I have experienced from him abundant 
good, and he hath comforted my heart, and treated me with honour: 
therefore it behoveth me to weep for him; for his kindness was 
shewn to me and to you.—And when they heard these words, they 
reviled her and beat her; and they entered, and proceeded to search 
for the pair of saddle-bags until they found it; and they took the 
jewels from the one half [of one pair of saddle-bags], and the gold 
from the other half, and the enchanted pair of saddle-bags also, 
saying to her, This was the property of our father. She replied, 
No, by Allah; but it is the property of your brother Joodar, who 
brought it from the country of the Maghrabees. They said to her, 
Thou best: this was the property of our father, and we will dispose 
of it. So they divided it [that is, the jewels and gold] between 
them; but a dissension ensued between them respecting the en- 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

215 

chanted pair of saddle-bags. Salim said, I will take it. And 
Seleem said, I will take it. And opposition took place between 
them. Their mother therefore said, O my sons, the pair of saddle¬ 
bags in which were the jewels and the gold ye have divided, 
and this cannot be divided, nor can its value be given in money; 
and if it be cut in twain, its charm will be annulled: but leave it 
with me, and I will take forth for you what ye shall eat on every 
occasion, and will be content to take with you a morsel: if, more¬ 
over, ye clothe me with anything, it will be of your favour; and 
each of you shall establish for himself a traffick with the people. 
Ye are my sons, and I am your mother; then let us remain in our 
present state lest your brother come, in fear of disgrace.—But they 
accepted not her proposal. They passed the next night contending 
together; and a man heard them, a kowwas 30 belonging to the guards 
of the King, being a guest in a house adjoining the house of Joodar, 
a window of which was open. So the kowwas looked from the win¬ 
dow, and heard the whole of the dispute, and the words that they 
uttered, and the division. And when the morning came, this kow¬ 
was went in to the King, whose name was Shems ed-Doleh, 81 the 
King of Egypt in that age; and when the kowwas went in to him, 
he acquainted him with that which he had heard; whereupon the 
King sent to the two brothers of Joodar, and brought them, and 
subjected them to torture. So they confessed; and he took the 
two pairs of saddle-bags from them, and put them in prison. Then 
he assigned to the mother of Joodar such allowances every day as 
would suffice her.—Thus did it happen unto them. 

Now again as to Joodar, he remained a whole year serving at 
Es-Suweys, and after the year, he and others were in the ship, and 
there arose against them a wind which cast the ship wherein they 
were upon a mountain, and it went to pieces, and all that was in it 
was submerged. None reached the shore excepting Joodar; and 
the rest died. And when he had reached the shore, he journeyed 
until he came to an encampment of Arabs by water and pasture; 
and they asked him respecting his state; wherefore he informed 
them that he was a sailor in a ship, and he related to them his 
story. Now there was in the encampment a merchant, of the people 
of Juddeh ; 33 and he pitied him, and said to him, Wilt thou serve 
us, O man of Cairo ? If so, I will clothe thee, and take thee with 

me to Juddeh.—So he served him, and journeyed with him until 
they arrived at Juddeh; and the merchant treated him with much 
favour. Then his master the merchant desired to perform the 
pilgrimage, and took him with him to Mekkeh: so when they 
entered it, Joodar went to perform the compassings in the Temple; 53 
and while he was compassing, lo, he found his friend the Maghrabee 
’Abd Es-Samad compassing also. Therefore when the Maghrabee 
saw him, he saluted him, and asked him respecting his state. And he 
wept, and acquainted him with that which had befallen him. And 
upon this the Maghrabee took him with him until he entered his 
house, where he treated him honourably, and clad him in a dress of 
which there existed not the equal; and he said to him, Evil hath 
quitted thee, O Joodar. He then performed for him an operation of 
geomancy, whereupon that which had befallen Joodar’s two brothers 
appeared to him, and he said. Know, O Joodar, that such and such 
things have befallen thy two brothers, and they are confined in the 
prison of the King of Egypt: but thou shalt he welcome until thou 
hast accomplished thy rites of sacrifice; 54 and nothing shall betide 
but good fortune. So Joodar said to him, O my master, wait until 
I go and take leave of the merchant with whom I have been living, 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

217 

and come back unto thee. And the Maghrabee said, Dost thou 
owe money ? He answered, No. The Maghrabee therefore said, 
Go; take leave of him, and come back immediately; for bread 
imposeth obligation in the estimation of the ingenuous. 35 Accord¬ 
ingly he went and took leave of the merchant, and said to him, 
I have met my brother. And the merchant said to him. Go; bring 
him, and we will make for him an entertainment. But Joodar 
replied, It is not necessary; for he is of the people of affluence, and 
hath many servants. And the merchant gave him twenty pieces of 
gold, saying to him, Acquit me of responsibility. 38 So he took 
leave of him, and went forth from him, and, seeing a poor man, he 
gave him the twenty pieces of gold. 

He then repaired to ’Abd Es-Samad the Maghrabee, and he 
remained with him until they had accomplished the rites of the 
sacrifice of the pilgrimage; whereupon the Maghrabee gave him the 
seal-ring that he had taken forth from the treasure of Esh-Sha- 
mardal, and said to him, Take this seal-ring; for it will cause thee 
to attain thy desire, since it hath a servant whose name is Er-Raad 
El-Kasif, and whatever thou shalt require of the things of the 
world, rub the seal-ring, and the servant will appear to thee, [and 
he will bring it thee ;] and whatsoever thou shalt command him to 
do, he will do it for thee. And he rubbed it before him; where¬ 
upon the servant appeared to him, calling out, At thy service, O my 
master! What dost thou demand ? It shall be given thee. Wilt 
thou then render flourishing a ruined city, or ruin a city that is 
flourishing, or slay a King, or rout an army?—The Maghrabee 
replied, O Raad, this hath become thy master; and act thou well 
to him. Then he dismissed him, and said to Joodar, Rub the seal¬ 
ring, and its servant will appear before thee, and do thou command 
him to do what thou desirest; for he will not disobey thee. Repair 
to thy country, and take care of the ring; for thou wilt delude with 
it thine enemies; and be not ignorant of the potency of this ring.— 
Joodar therefore replied, O my master, with thy permission I will 
repair to my country. And the Maghrabee said to him, Rub the 
seal-ring: thereupon the servant will appear to thee, and mount 
thou upon his back; and if thou say to him, Convey me this day 
to my country—he will not disobey thy command. 

Joodar, upon this, bade ’Abd Es-Samad farewell, and rubbed 

2 F 

VOL. III. 

218 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

the seal-ring, and Er-Raad El-Kasif presented himself before him, 
saying to him, At thy service ! Demand: it shall be given thee.— 
So he said to him, Convey me to Cairo this day. And he replied, 
That shall be done for thee. He took him up, and flew with him 
from the time of noon until midnight, when he alighted with him in 
the court of the house of his mother, and departed. He therefore 
went in to his mother; and when she saw him, she arose and wept, 
and saluted him, and informed him of that which had been done to 
his two brothers by the King, how he had beaten them, and taken 
the enchanted pair of saddle-bags and the pair of saddle-bags con¬ 
taining the gold and jewels. And when Joodar heard that, the 
state of his brothers was not a light matter to him; but he said to 
his mother, Grieve not for that which hath escaped thee; for in¬ 
stantly I will shew thee what I will do, and I will bring my bro¬ 
thers. Then he rubbed the seal-ring, and the servant appeared to 
him, saying, At thy service! Demand: it shall be given thee.— 
And he said to him, I command thee to bring me my two brothers 
from the King’s prison. So he descended into the earth, and came 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

219 

not up save in the midst of the prison. Now Salim and Seleem 
were in the most violent distress, and in great affliction, by reason of 
the misery of imprisonment; they had wished for death, and one of 
them was saying to the other, By Allah, O my brother, our trouble 
hath become wearisome to us, and how long shall we remain in 
this prison ? Death in it would be ease to us.—And while they 
were in this state, lo, the earth clove asunder, and Er-Raad El- 
Kasif came forth to them, and, taking them both up, descended into 
the earth. They swooned in consequence of the violence of their 
fear; and when they recovered, they found themselves in their 
house, where they saw their brother sitting with his mother by his 
side. And he said to them, Salutations to you, O my brothers! 
Ye have cheered me by your presence.—Upon this, they inclined 
their faces towards the ground, and began to weep. But he said to 
them, Weep not; for the Devil and covetousness forced you to do 
that. How could you sell me? But I will console myself by 
remembering Yoosuf; for his brothers did unto him what was 
worse than your deed, since they cast him into the pit. Turn ye, 
however, with repentance unto God, and beg his forgiveness, and 
He will forgive you; for He is the Abundant in forgiveness, the 
Merciful. I have pardoned you. Welcome to you! No harm 
shall befall you.—And he proceeded to appease their minds until he 
had soothed their hearts; and he related to them all that he had 
suffered at Es-Suweys [and afterwards] until he met with the sheykh 
’Abd Es-Samad, informing them also of the seal-ring. So they said, 
O our brother, be not angry with us this time. If we return to our 
former conduct, do with us what thou wilt.—He replied, No harm: 
but tell me what the King did unto you. And they said, He beat 
us and threatened us, and took the two pairs of saddle-bags from us. 

Thereupon he said, Will he not care ? And he rubbed the seal¬ 
ring. So the servant presented himself before him. And when his 
brothers beheld him, they feared him, and imagined that Joodar 
would order the servant to slay them. They therefore went to their 
mother, and began to say, O our mother, we throw ourselves upon 
thy generosity! O our mother, intercede for us!—And she replied, 
O my sons, fear not.—Then Joodar said to the servant, I command 
thee to bring me all that is in the treasury of the King, of jewels 
and other things, and to leave not in it aught: also, that thou bring 

220 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

me the enchanted pair of saddle-bags, and the pair of saddle-bags 
containing the jewels [and gold], which the King took from my two 
brothers. So he replied, I hear and obey. And he went immedi¬ 
ately, collected what was in the treasury, brought the two pairs of 
saddle-bags with the enclosed deposites, and placed all that was in 
the treasury before Joodar, saying, O my master, I have not left in 
the treasury anything. Upon this, Joodar ordered his mother to 
take care of the pair of saddle-bags containing the jewels [and gold], 
put the enchanted pair of saddle-bags before him, and said to the 
servant, I command thee to build for me, during this night, a lofty 
palace, and to decorate it with water-gold, and spread it with mag¬ 
nificent furniture, and let not morning come before thou hast com¬ 
pleted the whole of it. The servant replied, That shall be done for 
thee. And he descended into the earth. Then Joodar took forth 
the viands, and they ate, and enjoyed themselves, and slept.—But 
as to the affair of the servant, he collected his ’O'ns, and gave orders 
to build the palace. So some of them began to hew the stones, and 
some to build, and some to whitewash, and some to paint, and some 
to spread the furniture ; and the daylight came not before the order 
of the palace was perfect. The servant thereupon went up to 
Joodar, and said, O my master, the palace is finished, and its order 
is perfect; if then thou wilt go forth and divert thyself with a view 
of it, go forth. 

He therefore went forth with his mother and his two brothers, 
and saw this palace to be one of which there existed not the like, 
confounding the minds by the beauty of its order. So Joodar was 
delighted with it, while he was yet passing along the beaten track; 
and with all this, he had expended nothing upon it. He then said 
to his mother, Wilt thou reside in this palace ? She answered him, 
O my son, I will reside in it. And she prayed for him. Then he 
rubbed the seal-ring ; whereupon the servant appeared, saying, At 
thy service! And he said to him, I command thee to bring me 
forty white and beautiful slave-girls, and forty black slave-girls, 
and forty memlooks, and forty male black slaves. The servant 
replied, That shall be done for thee. And he repaired with forty of 
his ’O'ns to the countries of India and Es-Sind and Persia; and 
whenever they beheld a beautiful damsel, they carried her off; and 
when they saw a young man, they carried him off. He sent also 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

221 

forty others, who brought elegant black slave-girls; and forty others 
brought male black slaves. All came to the abode of Joodar, and 
they filled it. Then he displayed them to Joodar, and they pleased 
him; and he said, Bring for each person a dress, of the most magni¬ 
ficent apparel. The servant replied, Ready. And Joodar said, 
Bring a dress for my mother to put on, and a dress for myself to 
put on. So he brought all, and clad the female slaves, and said to 
them, This is your mistress : therefore kiss her hand, and disobey 
her not, but serve her, white and black. The memlooks also clad 
themselves, and kissed the hand of Joodar; and his two brothers 
clad themselves ; and Joodar became like a King, and his two bro¬ 
thers like Wezeers. His house was ample : so he lodged Salim and 
his female slaves in one part, and Seleem and his female slaves in 
another part; and he and his mother resided in the new palace; 
each being in his abode like a King.—Such was their case. 

But as to the Treasurer of the King, he desired to take some 
things from the treasury: so he entered, and saw not in it aught, 
but found it as the poet hath said,— 

The chambers were like a bee-hive well stocked: when their bees quitted 
them, they became empty. 

Upon this he uttered a great cry, and fell down in a swoon; 
and when he recovered, he went forth from the treasury, leav¬ 
ing its door open, and, going in to the King Shems ed-Doleh, 
he said, O Prince of the Faithful,” what we tell thee is this, 
that the treasury hath become empty during this night. So 
the King said, What hast thou done with my riches that were 
in my treasury ? He answered, By Allah, I have not done with 
them aught, nor do I know the cause of their being exhausted. 
Yesterday I entered the treasury, and beheld it filled; and to-day 
I entered it, and beheld it empty, with nothing in it: yet the doors 
were locked, and it hath not been broken through, nor hath its 
wooden lock been broken, nor hath a thief entered it. And the 
King said, Have the two pairs of saddle-bags gone from it ? The 
Treasurer answered, Yes. And upon this, the reason of the King 
fled from his head, and he rose upon his feet, and said to the Trea¬ 
surer, Go before me. So he went, and the King followed him until 
they came to the treasury, and he found not in it aught. The King 

222 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

therefore was vexed, and he said, Who hath assaulted my treasury, 
and not feared my authority ? And he was violently enraged. He 
then went forth, and held a court, and the great officers of the army 
came, every one of them imagining that the King was incensed 
against him ; and the King said, O soldiers, know that my treasury 
hath been plundered during this night, and I know not who hath 
done this deed and assaulted me and not feared me. So they said, 
And how hath this happened? He replied, Ask the Treasurer. 
They therefore asked him, and he answered, Yesterday it was full, 
and to-day I entered it and beheld it empty: yet it hath not been 
broken through, nor hath its door been broken. 

Now all the soldiers wondered at these words, and no reply had 
been given by them, when the kowwas, who, on a former occasion, 
betrayed Seleem and Salim, came in to the King, and said, 0 King 
of the age, all the night I have been amusing myself with the sight 
of builders building, and when daylight came, I saw a palace con¬ 
structed, the like of which existeth not. I therefore asked, and it 
was said to me, that Joodar had come and built this palace, and 
with him were memlooks and black slaves; that he had brought 
abundant riches, and delivered his two brothers from the prison, 
and was in his mansion like a Sultan.—So the King said, Examine 
the prison. And they examined it, and saw not Salim and Seleem. 
They therefore returned, and acquainted him with that which had 
happened; whereupon the King said, My offender hath become 
manifest; for he who delivered Salim and Seleem from the prison, 
and took the two pairs of saddle-bags, 38 is the person who took my 
property. And the Wezeer said, O my lord who is he ? The King 
answered, Their brother Joodar: but, O Wezeer, send to him an 
Emeer with fifty men to seize him and his two brothers, and to put 
seals upon all his property, and to bring them to me that I may 
hang them. And he was violently enraged, and said, Ho ! quickly 
send to them an Emeer to bring them to me that I may put them 
to death. But the Wezeer said to him, Be clement, for God is 
clement: He is not hasty towards his servant when he disobeyeth 
Him. He who hath built a palace in one night, as they have said, 
no one in the world can be compared with him ; and I fear for the 
Emeer that some trouble may befall him from Joodar. Have 
patience, therefore, that I may contrive for thee some plan, or till 

thou see the truth of the case, and what thou desirest thou wilt 
attain, O King of the age—So the King said, Contrive for me a 
plan, O Wezeer. The Wezeer replied, Send to him the Emeer, 
and invite him to an entertainment. Then I will pay all attention 
to him for thee, and make a show of friendship to him, and ask him 
respecting his state. After that, thou shalt see: if his courage be 
strong, we will employ some stratagem against him; and if his 
courage he weak, seize thou him, and do with him as thou desirest. 
—And the King said, Send and invite him. 

Accordingly he ordered an Emeer, whose name was the Emeer 
'Osman, to go to Joodar and invite him, and to say to him, The 
King summoneth thee to an entertainment. And the King said to 
him, Return not but with him. Now that Emeer was stupid, and 
haughty in mind; and when he descended, he saw before the door 
of the palace [of Joodar] a eunuch sitting upon a chair; and when 
the Emeer 'Osman arrived at the palace, the eunuch rose not to 

224 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

him, but remained as though no one were approaching him: yet 
there were with the Emeer ’Osman fifty men. And the Emeer 
’Osman came up, and said to him, O slave, where is thy master ? 
He answered him, In the palace. And he proceeded to speak to 
him in a reclining posture. So the Emeer ’Osman was enraged, 
and said to him, 0 ill-omened slave, art thou not abashed at me, 
that when I speak to thee thou liest down like those who have no 
shame ? But he replied, Go along. Be not loquacious.—And the 
Emeer heard not from him these words before he became infused 
with rage, and, drawing forth his mace, he was about to beat the 
eunuch, not knowing that he was a devil. When the eunuch, how¬ 
ever, saw that he had drawn forth the mace, he arose and rushed 
upon him, took the mace from him, and struck him four blows; and, 
when the fifty men saw it, the beating of their master displeased 
them: they therefore drew their swords, and desired to slay the 
slave. But he said to them, Do ye draw the swords, O dogs? 
And he fell upon them, breaking the bones of every one whom he 
smote with the mace, and drowning him in blood. So they were 
routed before him, and ceased not to flee, while he still beat them 
until they were far from the door of the palace, when he returned, 
and seated himself again upon his chair, not caring for any one. 
But as to the Emeer ’Osman and his company, they returned routed 
and beaten until they stood before the King Shems ed-Doleh, and 
they acquainted him with that which had happened unto them, the 
Emeer ’Osman saying to the King, O King of the age, when I 
arrived at the door of the palace, I saw a eunuch sitting at the 
door, upon a chair of gold, and he was haughty: when he beheld 
me approaching him, he laid himself down, after he had been 
sitting, and despised me, not rising to me; and I began to speak to 
him; hut he replied to me still lying down. So passion seized me, 
and I drew forth the mace upon him, and was about to beat him ; 
but he took the mace from me, and beat me with it. He beat also 
my party, breaking their heads, and we fled from before him, and 
could not prevail against him.—Upon this, the King was enraged, 
and he said. Let a hundred men go down to him. They therefore 
went down to him, and approached him; but he rose against them 
with the mace, and ceased not to deal his blows among them until 
they fled from before him; whereupon he returned, and seated 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

225 

himself again upon the chair. So the hundred men went back; 
and when they came to the King, they informed him, saying to 
him, 0 King of the age, we have fled from before him in our fear 
of him. Then the King said, Let two hundred go down. And 
they went down; but he routed them, and they returned. There¬ 
fore the King said to the Wezeer, I require thee, O Wezeer, to go 
down with five hundred men, and to bring me this eunuch quickly, 
together with his master Joodar and his two brothers. He replied, 
O King of the age, I need not soldiers; but I will go alone to him, 
without weapon. And the King said, Go, and do what thou shalt 
see fit. 

So the Wezeer threw down the weapon, clad himself in a white 
.vesture, 50 and, taking in his hand a string of beads, walked alone, 
without a second person, until he arrived at the palace of J oodar, 
and saw the slave sitting. And when he saw him, he approached 
him without weapon, and seated himself by his side in a polite 
manner. Then he said, Peace be on you! And the slave replied. 
And on you be peace, 0 human being! What dost thou desire ?— 
When the Wezeer therefore heard him say, O human being—he 
knew that he was of the Jinn, and he trembled by reason of his 
fear, and said to him, O my master, is thy master J oodar here ? 
The slave answered, Yes, in the palace. And the Wezeer said to 
him, O my master, go to him and say to him, The King Shems ed- 
Doleh, inviteth thee, and maketh for thee a banquet, and greeteth 
thee with peace, saying to thee, Honour my abode, and eat of my 
banquet. So the slave replied, Stay thou here until I consult him. 
Accordingly the Wezeer stayed, in a respectful posture, and the 
Marid went up into the palace, and said to Joodar, Know, O my 
master, that the King sent unto thee an Emeer, and I beat him; 
and there were with him fifty men, and I routed them. Then he 
sent a hundred men, and I beat them. Then he sent two hundred 
men, and I routed them. Then he sent unto thee the Wezeer, 
without weapon, inviting thee to visit him and to eat of his banquet. 
What then sayest thou?—Joodar replied, Go, bring the Wezeer 
hither. So he descended from the palace, and said to him, O 
Wezeer, answer the summons of my master. And he replied, On 
the head! He ascended, and went in to Joodar, and he saw him 
to be greater than the King, sitting upon furniture the like of 

2 a 

VOL. in. 

226 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

which the King could not spread. His mind was confounded by 
the beauty of the palace, and by its painting and its furniture, 
which made the Wezeer seem in comparison with him to be a 
pauper. And he kissed the ground, and prayed for him; and 
Joodar said to him, What is thy business, O Wezeer?—0 my 
master, he answered, the King Shems ed-Doleh, thy friend, greeteth 
thee with peace, and is desirous of beholding thy face, and he hath 
made for thee a banquet. Wilt thou then comfort his heart ?— 
Joodar replied, Since he is my friend, salute him, and tell him to 
come unto me. So the Wezeer said to him, On the head. Then 
Joodar took forth the seal-ring, and rubbed it, and the servant 
presented himself; and Joodar said to him, Bring me a dress, of 
the best of apparel. He therefore brought him a dress; and Joodar. 
said, Put on this, O Wezeer. And he put it on. Joodar then said 
to him, Go: acquaint the King with that which I have said. And 
he descended, wearing that dress, the like of which he had never 
before worn, and, going in to the King, informed him of the state 
of Joodar, and praised the palace with the things that it contained; 
and he said, Joodar hath invited thee. 

Upon this, the King said, Arise, O soldiers! So all of them 
rose upon their feet. And he said, Mount your horses, and bring 
unto me my courser, that we may go to Joodar. Then the King 
mounted, and took the troops, and they repaired to Joodar’s palace. 
—Now as to Joodar, he said to the Marid, I desire that thou bring 
us some ’Efreets of thy ’O'ns, in the form of human beings, to be 
as soldiers, and to stand in the court of the palace, that the King 
may see them, and that they may terrify him and inspire him with 
dread, so that his heart may tremble, and he may know that my 
power is greater than his. He therefore brought two hundred in 
the garb of soldiers, equipped with magnificent arms; and they 
were strong and bulky.—So when the King arrived, he beheld the 
strong and bulky troop, and his heart feared them. Then he went 
up into the palace, and entered into the presence of Joodar, whom 
he saw sitting in a state in which no King nor Sultan had sat; and 
he saluted him, and raised his hands to his head before him. But 
Joodar rose not to him, nor payed him honour, nor did he say to 
him, Sit:—he left him standing till fear seized him, and he became 
unable either to sit or to go forth, and began to say within himself, 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

227 

Were he in fear of me, he had not left me unheeded, and probably 
he will do me some hurt, on account of that which I did with his 
brothers. Then Joodar said, O King of the age, it is not the 
proper business of such as you to tyrannize over men and to take 
their goods. So he replied, O my master, blame me not; for 
covetousness constrained me to do so, and destiny took etfect; and 
were it not for offence, there were no such thing as forgiveness. 
And he proceeded to excuse himself to him for his former conduct, 
and to seek of him pardon and lenity, to such a degree that among 
his expressions of apology he recited to him these verses:— 

O thou of noble ancestors and gentle disposition, blame me not for that which 
hath proceeded from me. 

If thou he an oppressor, we pardon thee; and if I be an oppressor, thou wilt 
pardon me . 40 

And he ceased not to humble himself before him until he said to 
him, May God pardon thee!—and ordered him to sit. So he sat; 
and J oodar invested him with the garments of mercy, 41 and ordered 
his two brothers to spread the table. Then, when they had eaten, 
he clad the King’s company, and treated them with honour; and 
after that, he ordered the King to depart. 

IJe therefore went forth from the abode of Joodar; and every 
day after, he used to go thither, and used not to hold his court 
save in Joodar’s abode. Their mutual familiarity and friendship 
increased, and they continued a while in this state. But after that, 
the King had a private interview with his Wezeer, and said to him, 
O Wezeer, I fear lest Joodar should slay me, and take the kingdom 
from me. The Wezeer however replied, O King of the age, as to 
the act of taking the kingdom, fear it not; for the state which 
Joodar enjoyeth is more exalted than the state of the King, and 
the taking of the kingdom would be a lowering of his dignity; but 
if thou fearest that he will slay thee, thou hast a daughter: so marry 
her to him, and thou and he will he of one condition. And he 
replied, O Wezeer, thou shalt be an intermediary between me and 
him. The Wezeer therefore said to him, Invite him to an enter¬ 
tainment in thy palace; then we will sit up at night in a saloon, 
and command thou thy daughter to deck herself in the most mag¬ 
nificent manner, and to pass by him from the door of the saloon; 

for as soon as he seeth her, he will be enamoured of her; and when 
we perceive in him that result, I will incline towards him and 
inform him that she is thy daughter, and I will keep up a con¬ 
versation with him as though thou hadst no knowledge of the 
matter, so that he shall demand her of thee in marriage. When 
thou shalt have married to him the damsel, thou and he will be one, 
and thou wilt be secure from any injury on his part; and if he die, 
thou wilt inherit largely from him.—So the King replied, Thou 
hast spoken truth, 0 my Wezeer. And he prepared the entertain¬ 
ment, and invited him. Joodar therefore came to the Sultan’s 
palace, and they sat in the saloon in exceeding sociableness until 
the close of the day. The King had sent to his wife, desiring her 
to deck the damsel in the most magnificent manner, and to pass 
with her by the door of the saloon. And she did as he had said. 
She passed by with the damsel, and Joodar saw her; and she was 
endowed with beauty and loveliness, having no equal. So when 
Joodar took an accurate view of her, he said, Ah!—and his limbs 
became loosened, passion and desire became violent in him, ecstasy 
and distraction seized him, and his complexion became sallow. 
The Wezeer therefore said to him, May no harm befall thee, O my 
master! Wherefore do I see thee changed and in pain ?—And he 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

229 

said, O Wezeer, whose daughter is this damsel; for she hath cap¬ 
tivated me, and deprived me of my reason ? So he answered, This 
is the daughter of thy friend the King; and if she please thee, I 
will speak with the King, that he may marry her to thee. And 
Joodar said, O Wezeer, speak to him, and I, by my life, will give 
thee what thou shalt desire, and will give to the King what he shall 
desire as her dowry, and we will become friends and connexions. 
The Wezeer replied, Thy desire must be accomplished. Then the 
Wezeer spoke to the King privately, saying to him, O King of the 
age, Joodar is thy friend, and desireth affinity to thee, and he hath 
requested thee, by me, to marry to him thy daughter, the lady 
A'siyeh: therefore disappoint me not, hut accept my intercession ; 
and whatever thou shalt demand as her dowry, he will give thee. 
And the King replied, The dowry hath been paid me," and the 
damsel is a slave-girl in his service: I will marry her to him, and 
he will do a favour by accepting her. 

They passed that night, and the King arose in the morning and 
held a court, at which he caused the nobles and the plebeians to be 
present, and the Sheykh el-Islam 43 was there also. Then Joodar 
demanded the damsel in marriage, and the King said, The dowry 
hath been paid. So they performed the ceremony of the marriage- 
contract, and Joodar sent desiring that the pair of saddle-bags con¬ 
taining the jewels [and gold] should be brought, and gave it to the 
King as the dowry of the damsel. The drums were beaten and the 
pipes were sounded, the festal necklaces were strung, and Joodar 
took the damsel as his wife. Thus he and the King became as one, 
and they remained together for a period of days. Then the King 
died, and the troops desired J oodar as Sultan, and they ceased not 
to urge him, while he refused to comply with their request, until 
at last he consented. So they made him Sultan; and he gave 
orders to build a congregational mosque over the sepulchre of the 
King Shems ed-Doleh, and endowed it; and it is in the district of 
El-Bundukaneeyeeu. 44 The house of Joodar was in the quarter of 
El-Yemaneeyeh; and when he became Sultan, he constructed 
buildings and a congregational mosque, and the quarter hath been 
named after him, its name having become—-the quarter of El- 
Joodareeyeh. 45 He continued as King some time, and made his 
two brothers Wezeers; Salim the Wezeer of his right hand, and 

Seleem the Wezeer of his left; and they remained thus one year, 
and no more. 

After this, Salim said to Seleem, O my brother, how long shall 
this state last? Shall we pass our lives entirely as servants of 
Joodar, and shall we not enjoy dominion nor prosperity as long as 
Joodar is living?—And how shall we manage to kill him, said 
Seleem, and to take from him the seal-ring and the pair of saddle¬ 
bags ? Thou art more knowing than I: therefore contrive for us a 
stratagem in order that we may kill him thereby.—Salim said, If I 
contrive for thee a stratagem by which to kill him, wilt thou con¬ 
sent that I shall be Sultan, and that thou shalt be Wezeer of the 
right hand, and that the seal-ring shall be mine and the pair of 
saddle-hags thine ? Seleem answered, I consent. So they agreed 
to kill Joodar, on account of the love of the world and of dominion. 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

231 

Then Seleem and Salim contrived a stratagem against Joodar, and 
said to him, O our brother, we desire that we may glory in thee, 
and that thou wouldst enter our houses, and eat of our banquet, 
and comfort our heart. And they proceeded to beguile him, 
saying to him, Comfort our heart, and eat of our banquet. So he 
replied, No harm. In the house of which of you will be the ban¬ 
quet ?—Salim answered, In my house; and after thou shalt have 
eaten of my banquet, thou shalt eat of the banquet of my brother. 
And he said, No harm :—and went with him to his house. Then 
his brother placed the food for him, and put into it poison; and 
when he had eaten, his flesh fell to pieces with his bones. So upon 
this, Salim arose to take the seal-ring from his finger; but it 
resisted his attempt: therefore he cut off his finger with a knife. 
He then rubbed the ring, and the Marid presented himself to him, 
saying, At thy service! Demand then what thou wilt.—And he 
said to him, Seize my brother, and slay him, and take up the two, 
the poisoned and the slain, and throw them before the troops. 
Accordingly he took Seleem and slew him, and took up the two, and, 
going forth with them, cast them before the great officers of the 
army. They were sitting at the table in the mak’ad of the house, 
eating; and'when they beheld Joodar and Seleem killed, they 
raised their hands from the food, and fear disturbed them, and they 
said to the Marid, Who hath done these deeds with the King and 
the Wezeer ? So he answered them, Their brother Salim. 

And lo, Salim approached them, and said, O soldiers, eat, and 
enjoy yourselves; for I have obtained possession of the seal-ring 
from my brother Joodar, and this Marid is the servant of the ring; 
he who is before you. I ordered him to slay my brother Seleem, 
that he might not contend with me for the kingdom, because he 
was treacherous, and I feared that he would act treacherously 
towards me. Now this Joodar hath been put to death, and I have 
become Sultan over you. Do ye accept me, or shall I rub the 
ring, and shall its servant slay you, great and small ?—They 
answered him, We accept thee as King and Sultan. Then he gave 
orders to bury his two brothers, and held a court; and some of the 
people attended the funeral, while others walked before him in the 
state-procession. And when they came to the court, he seated 
himself upon the throne, and they swore allegiance to him as King; 

232 

THE STORY OF JOODAR. 

after which he said, I desire to perform the contract of my marriage 
to the wife of my brother. They replied, "When the period of 
widowhood 40 shall have expired. But he said to them, I know not 
a period of widowhood nor anything else. By my head, I must 
take her as my wife this night.—So they performed the ceremony 
of the contract for him, and sent and acquainted the wife of Joodar, 
the daughter of Shems ed-Doleli; and she replied, Invite him to 
come in. And when he came in to her, she made a show of joy to 
him, receiving him with expressions of welcome. But she put 
poison for him in the water, and destroyed him. Then she took 
the seal-ring and broke it, that no one might thereafter possess it; 
and she rent the pair of saddle-bags; after which she sent and 
informed the Sheykh el-Islam, and sent a message to him and the 
people, saying to them, Choose for yourselves a King to be Sultan 
over you. 

This is what hath come down to us of the Story of Joodar, 
entire and complete. 4 ' 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

Note 1. 

My sheykh supposes “Joodar” to be for “Ju-dhar,” which signifies “ the 
young of the wild cow” (a kind of antelope) : but it will be seen by a note on a 
passage near the end of the story, that the appellation of a quarter in Cairo sug¬ 
gested this name to our author, and that the said quarter was not, as he pretends, 
called after a person named Joodar. 

Note 2. 

Had the merchant left his property to be divided after his death, and not made 
a will, his wife would only have inherited one eighth. By will, he might have left 
to her one third of his property, and she would have inherited besides one eighth 
of the remainder; but he could not have thus increased the share of a relation 
without the consent of all the co-heirs. 

Note 3. 

My sheykh observes, in a marginal note, that this alludes to bribes, as well as 
to the legal fees. The bribery practised in Muslim courts of law is notorious. 
For a striking instance, see my work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. i. chap. iv. 

Note 4. 

That is, look for the time when vengeance and punishment shall befall the 
oppressor from God.* 

vot.. in. 

Marginal note by my sheykh. 
2 H 

234 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

Note 5. 

That the word “ nusfs” (which is omitted in the original) should be here 
supplied seems evident from the sequel. Respecting the nusf, see Note 17 to 
Chapter iii. 

Note 6. 

See Note 24 to Chapter viii. 

Note 7. 

I suppose “ karaman,” or some similar word, to be here understood, and the 
meaning to be, “Thou art the superior in generosity to me.” 

Note 8. 

The word which I have rendered “minnow” is “seereh.” My sheykh merely 
slates, that the seereh is “the smallest of fishes;” and I am unable to define its 
species. It has been differently described by different authors, as may be seen in 
De Sacy’s “ Relation de l’Egypte par Abd-allatif, ” pp. 278—288. 

Note 9. 

The Lake of KAroon (Birket K&roon) was at the southern extremity of Cairo, 
when that city had extended to about its present limits. El-Makreezee sufficiently 
points out its situation when he says, that the great dike called El-Jisr el-Aazam, 
which had in his time (early in the fifteenth century) become a great thoroughfare- 
street, leading from the Kal’at el-Kebsh to the two bridges called Kanatir es-SibaS, 
divided this lake from that of the Elephant (Birket el-Feel). The extent which it 
occupied is doubtful, and its bed, I believe, has long since been entirely filled up. 

Note 10. 

See the last note at the foot of page 600 in volume ii. 

Note 11. 

This appellation is very commonly given to Maghrabees in Egypt, because 
great numbers of them pass through that country every year on pilgrimage. 

Note 12. 

See Note 21 to Chapter xi. 

Note 13. 

As Cairo contains so great a number of markets, I suppose the market of the 
Maghrabee merchants to be here meant. 

Note 14. 

From this and some preceding passages, it appears that the story of Joodar 
was composed after the conquest of Egypt by the ’Osmanlee Turks, or that it has 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

235 

been altered by a copyist. During the seven days before mentioned, Joodar in¬ 
curred a debt of a hundred and forty nusfs to the haker. He then took at least 
his usual daily quantity of bread, of the value of ten nusfs, and gave the baker a 
deenar, or piece of gold; and the baker still owed him the value of twenty nusfs. 
Now, towards the close of the Circassian dynasty in Egypt, the nusf became less 
than a quarter of a dirhem, and more than a hundred and twenty may have passed 
for a deenfir. I do not know the precise period when a hundred and seventy nusfs 
passed for a deenar; but it must have been considerably later. 

Note 15. 

Nearly all the Maghrabees are of the Malikee sect.*—The names mentioned 
in the passage to which this note refers signify, respectively, “ Servant of [the 
God of] Peace,” “Servant of the One [God],” “Servant of the Eternal,” and 
“Servant of the Merciful;” and the name of the father, afterwards mentioned, 
signifies “ Servant of the Loving.” 

Note 16. 

“ El-Abtan” seems here to mean “ the Most Profound.” 

Note 17. 

“ Esh-Shamardal” signifies “ the Tall,” &c. 

Note 18. 

“ Er-Raad El-Kasif" signifies “ the Loud-pealing, or the Breaking, Thunder.” 

Note 19. 

Fds and Miknas (or Fes and Miknes, as the names are pronounced by the 
natives) are the two cities called by our geographers “ Fez” and “ Mequinez.” 
They seem to be regarded by our author as one city. 

Note 20. 

See Note 13 to Chapter xvi. 

Note 21. 

Keb&b is mutton or lamb cut into small morsels, which are roasted upon 
skewers. 

Note 22. 

“ Rahmeh” here signifies “ gift of God's mercy.” 

Note 23. 

See Note 65 to Chapter viii. 

Note 2d. 

See Note 12 to Chapter v. 

* See Note 1 to the Introduction. 

236 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

Note 25. 

The stuffed gourds are generally of the size and shape of a small cucumber, and 
the stuffing usually consists of rice and minced meat, delicately seasoned with salt, 
pepper, and onions, and often with garlic, parsley, &c. They are boiled.—The 
stuffing of the lamb commonly consists of minced meat (of the same kind), with 
hazel-nuts or pistachio-nuts, &c.—Respecting kundfeh, kataif, and bakl&weh, see, 
respectively, Note 66 to Chapter iii., Note 23 to Chapter viii., and Note 22 to 
Chapter viii. 

Note 26. 

This is a common ejaculation of women. 

Note 27. 

Here, in the original, some words are misplaced, and others repeated, by a 
mistake of a copyist or compositor. 

Note 28. 

By “the Captain of the Sea of Es-Suweys,” which is commonly called by us 
“ Suez,” is meant, the chief in command of the ships of the Red Sea.—That the 
free have sometimes (though very rarely) been sold as slaves, has been shewn in 
the last paragraph of Note 13 to Chapter i. 

Note 29. 

“ Zawiyeh” is a name given in Egypt to a small mosque. 

Note 30. 

A kowwds (also written kowwas) is a sergeant, an officer whose business is to 
execute the commands of a magistrate or any person in authority. 

Note 31. 

Shems ed-D61eh, like Joodar, is an imaginary person. 

Note 32. 

Juddeh, vulgarly called Jiddeh, is the port of Mekkeh. 

Note 33. 

The compassing of the Kaabeh seven times is one of the chief ceremonies which 
are required to be performed by every person who enters Mekkeh, whether he be 
a pilgrim or not, before he attends to any worldly business.* 

Note 34. 

See Note 1 to the Introduction. 

* If any reader require to be fully informed of the practice* here alluded to, and the subsequent 
ceremonies of the pilgrimage, he may consult Burckhardt, who has described them amply in his 
“ Travels in Arabia.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

237 

Note 35. 

My slieykh observes, in a marginal note on this passage, that when a person 
lias eaten of the bread of another, the former becomes obliged to the latter, and 
among the duties which he owes him is that of taking leave of him when he is 
about to perform a journey. The reader may remember a former note on this 
subject.* 

Note 36. 

This is commonly said both by the master and by the servant, when the latter 
quits the former voluntarily, or is dismissed; and the reply given in each case is, 
“ May God acquit thee of responsibility.” The custom serves to illustrate some 
remarks in Note 26 to Chapter xi. 

Note 37. 

If this title be not introduced by a copyist, we must suppose that the author 
referred the events described in this tale to the timeB of the Khaleefehs. 

Note 38. 

The words “ and took the two pairs of saddle-bags” I have transposed, agree¬ 
ably with an opinion of my sheykh, stated in the margin of the original. 

Note 39. 

White garments are indicative of peace, as well as of joy.—See Note 78 to 
Chapter xi. 

Note 40. 

My sheykh questions the propriety of inserting these verses, as uttered by a 
King. 

Note 41. 

As a dress is given in token of honour or favour, one conferred upon an 
offender is a token of mercy. 

Note 42. 

This is said as a compliment; for the dowry had not been payed. 

Note 43. 

The Sheykh el-Islam is the chief Muftee (or Doctor of the Law), the Muftee 
of the capital. D’Ohsson states, that this title was first conferred by Mohammad 
II., when he conquered Constantinople, in 1453, and there established the seat of 
his empire. 

Note 44. 

The district of El-Bunduk&neeyeen was so called, according to El-Makreezee, 
because it contained a number of shops in which cross-bows were made. The 
same author relates that its shops and houses were destroyed by a great fire, 

• Note 21 to Chapter xv. 

238 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

in the year of the Flight 751. The name, slightly changed (to El-Bunduk&neeyeh, 
which is synonymous with the former name, signifying “ the cross-bow-makers ”), 
is still retained. The situation of this district is near the well-known Kh&n of El- 
Hamzawee, and is between the quarter of the Jews and the principal street of the 
city. 

Note 45. 

El-Makreezee states, that the quarter of El-Joodareeyeh, or (as the name is 
pronounced by the inhabitants of Cairo) El-Goodareeyeh, was so called after a 
troop thus named, one of the troops of the army of the Khaleefehs of the house of 
FAtimeh. He does not mention that it was previously called the quarter of El- 
Yemaneeyeh : so I suppose this was not the case. It is situated not far from the 
KMn of El-Hamz&wee (mentioned in the note immediately preceding), towards 
the south-west. 

Note 46. 

The period during which a widow must wait before she can contract a new 
marriage is here meant. It is four months and ten days. 

Note 47. 

Next follows, in my original, the Story of ’Ajeeb and Ghareeb, a long tale, 
ending with part of the Six Hundred and Eightieth Night; much resembling the 
romance of Seyf Zu-l-Yezen. Its subjects, almost exclusively, are superhuman 
exploits in war, and other extravagant adventures of men and Jinn, related in such 
a manner that Von Hammer considers the story as an ironical satire upon the be¬ 
lief in genii sanctioned by the Kur-in, and upon the propagation of el-IsUm by 
compulsion. In this point of view, he regards it as extremely curious, and it 
would, I doubt not, interest many English readers ; but I consider it so inferior to 
most of the tales of the Thousand and One Nights, that I have no hesitation in 
omitting it.—Then follows a series of thirteen anecdotes, ending with part of the 
Six Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night. Of these 1 here insert only four. 

’Otbeh and Reiya.* 

It is related that ’Abd Allah the son of Maamar El-Keysee said, I performed 
the pilgrimage, one year, to the sacred House of God; f and when I had accom¬ 
plished my pilgrimage, I returned to visit the tomb of the Prophet (may God 
favour and preserve him!) ; and as I was, one night, sitting in the R6dah,J between 
the tomb and the pulpit, I heard a gentle lamentation, uttered in a soft tone; so 
I listened to it, and the voice said,— 

Hath the moaning of the pigeons of the lote-tree saddened thee, and excited 
anxious thoughts in thy bosom ? 

• “ Le sujet de cette anecdote est tout-4-fait le raeme que celui du charmant po&me d’Oina et Riya, 
par le c61£bre Djami, et dont M. de Chezy a donn6 une 616gante traduction dans le premier volume du 
Journal Asiatique, p. 144." (Note in Tr6butien’s version, tome iii, p. 457.) 

t The Temple of Mekkeh. 

t “ R6dah" signifies “ a garden.’’ This name ib given to a part of the southern portico of the great 
mosque of El-Medeeneh, because the Prophet said, “ Between my tomb and my pulpit is a garden of 
the gardens of Paradise."—See Burckhardt’s Arabia, page 337. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 239 

Or doth the remembrance of a beauteous damsel, who hath caused thee 
troubles of mind, disturb thee ? 

O night, that art tedious to one constantly disordered, complaining of desire 
and of the failure of patience, 

Thou hast rendered him sleepless who is suffering the fire of a love that 
burneth like red-hot coals ! 

The full moon beareth witness that I am engrossed by love of one who 
resembleth the full moon. 

I thought not myself thus engrossed by love until I was afflicted when I was 
not aware of it. 

Then the voice ceased, and I knew not whence it came to me; wherefore I was 
perplexed; and presently the complainer repeated the lamentation, and recited 
thus:— 

Hath the phantom of Reiya, visiting, saddened thee, in the thick darkness of 
black-haired night? 

And hath love rendered thine eye sleepless, and the phantom-visiter agitated 
thy heart ? 

I exclaimed to my night, whose darkness resembled a sea in which swelling 
waves were dashing, 

O night, thou art tedious to a lover unto whom there is no assister or helper 
save the morning! 

But the night replied, Complain not of my length ; for love is the present 
cause of abjection. 

I arose and went towards him on his commencing the recitation of these verses, 
proceeding towards the quarter whence the voice came, and he had not ended the 
verses before I was by him, when I saw a young man of the utmost beauty: the 
down of the sides of his face had not begun to grow, and tears had made two tracks 
down his cheeks. I said to him, An excellent young man art thou! He replied, 
And thou too. But who, he asked, is the man before me? I answered 'Abd 
Allah the son of Maamar El-Keysee.—Dost thou want anything ? said he. I 
answered, I was sitting in the R6dah, and nought surprised me but thy voice. 
With my life would I ransom thee. What is it that thou sufferest ?—He said, Sit. 
So I sat; and he said, I am ’Otbeh the son of El-Hob&b * the son of El-Mundhir 
the son of El-Jamooh the Ans&ree.f I went in the morning to the Mesjid el- 
Ahzdb, J and continued my inclinations and prostrations; after which I withdrew 
alone to occupy myself with devotion ; and lo, some women came along, walking 
with a vacillating gait, resembling moons, and in the midst of them was a damsel 
of surprising loveliness, of perfect beauty, who stopped before me, and said to me, 
O 'Otbeh, what sayest thou of union with the person who desireth union with thee ? 

* In the original, El-Johan : corrected by my sheykh. 

t The descendants of those citizens of El-Medeeneh who assisted the Prophet when he was obliged 
to fly from Mekkeh are called “ Ansdrees," from “ Ansdr,” which signifies “ Assistants.” 

t A mosque of El-Medeeneh. It is also called “ Mesjid el-Fet-h” (a name likewise given to several 
mosques in the neighbourhood of that here alluded to), and “ El-Mesjid el-Aala,” and is situated upon 
the slightly elevated tract which was formerly called “ Jebel belli,” and is now, “the Munrikh.” These 
particulars I learn from Es-Sumhoodee’s History of El-Medeeneh (a MS. in my possession, entitled 
“ Khuldjat el-Wefa fee Akhbdr Ddr El-Mustafa”), compared with Burckhardt’s description of that city. 

240 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

Then she left me and departed, and I have not heard any tidings of her, nor have 
I discovered any trace of her; and I am perplexed, removing from place to place. 
—Having said this, he cried out, and fell down upon the ground in a fit, and when 
he recovered, he was as though his cheeks were died with saffron; • and he recited 
these verses:— 

I see you with my heart from distant tracts. Do you also'see us with the heart 
from afar? 

My heart and my eye are sorrowing for you: my soul is with you, and you 
are ever in my mind. 

I should not delight in life without seeing you, even were I in Paradise, or 
the Garden of Eternity.f 

Upon this I said to him, O ’Otbeh, O son of my brother, turn with repentance unto 
thy Lord, and beg the forgiveness of thine offence ; for thou hast to experience the 
dreadful trial of the judgment before God. But he replied, Far be it from me to 
do so ! 1 shall not cease to love until the two karadh-gatherers return, t —I re¬ 

mained with him until daybreak, when I said to him, Arise and accompany us to 
the Mesjid [el-Ahzab]. And we sat there until we performed the noon-prayers; 
and lo, the women came; but as to the damsel, she was not among them; and 
they said, O ’Otbeh, what thinkest thou of her who desireth union with thee ? He 
said, And what of her? They answered, Her father hath taken her, and departed 
to Es-Semfiweh. § And I asked them what was the name of the damsel. They 
answered, Reiya the daughter of El-Ghitreef Es-Sulamee. || And he raised his 
head, and recited these two verses :— 

O my friend, Reiya hath hastened in the morning, and to the district of Es- 
Sem&weh her caravan hath gone. 

O my friend, I have fainted by reason of my weeping. Hath any one else, 
then, a tear that I may borrow ? 

I then said to him, O ’Otbeh, I have brought with me great wealth, with which 
I desire to protect the generous from disgrace. By Allah, I will expend it for thee, 
that thou mayest attain thy desire, and more than thy desire. Arise then and 
accompany us to the assembly of the Ansfirees.—We therefore arose and proceeded 
until we beheld their assembly, when I saluted them, and they returned theAalutation 
courteously; after which I said, O assembly, what say ye of ’Otbeh and his father? 
They answered, Of the chiefs of the Arabs. And I said, Know ye that he hath 
been smitten with the calamity of love, and I desire your aid and company to 
Es-Sem4weh. They replied, We hear and obey. So we mounted, and the party 
mounted with us, and we proceeded until we came, in sight of the abode of the 
Benee Suleym, when El-Ghitreef became acquainted with our place, and came 

* The word which 1 have rendered “ saffron/' is “ wars." The “ wars” is said to be peculiar to El- 
Yemen; but the name of “ wars” is given to the “curcuma” of other countries. 

t See vol. i. page 20. 

t Two men went forth to gather karadh, and never returned: hence the proverbial expression in the 
text. “ Karadh” is the name of the fruit of the sant (mimosa Nilotica of Linnaeus) and of the leaves 
of the selem (mimosa flava of Forskal). 

§ " Es-Sem&weh,” according to my sheykh, is the name of a wide desert (mefdzeh), which I suppose 
to be so called from its being adjacent to a place bearing this name on the south-west bank of the 
Euphrates, between El-Basrah and El-Koofeh. 

It That is, “ of the tribe of the Benee Suleym." It is erroneously written in my original “ Suleymee." 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

241 

forth in haste and met us, saying, May ye live, O generous men ! We replied, And 
thou, mayest thou live ! We are thy guests.—And he said, Ye have alighted at a most 
hospitable, ample abode. And he alighted, and called out, O company of slaves, 
come down ! So the slaves came down, and they spread the skins and placed the 
pillows, and slaughtered the cattle and the sheep. But we said, We will not taste 
thy food until thou shalt have performed our want.—And what, said he, is your 
want? We answered, We demand in marriage thy generous daughter for ’Otbeh 
the son of El-Hobab the son of El-Mundhir, the high in nobility, the good in 
origin. And he replied, O my brothers, she whom ye demand in marriage is at 
her own disposal, and I will go in and inform her. Then he arose in anger, and 
went in to lteiya. So she said, O my father, wherefore do I see anger apparent in 
thy countenance ? And he answered, A party of the Ansarees have come to me, 
demanding thee of me in marriage. She replied, They are generous chiefs. I 
beg forgiveness for them of the Prophet, on whom be the most excellent salutations, 
and peace! And for whom among them, she asked, is the demand ?—He answered 
her, For a youth known by the name pf ’Otbeh, the son of El-HobAb. She replied, 
I have heard of this ’Otbeh, that he performeth that which he promiseth, and 
attaineth that which he seeketh. But he said, I swear that I will never marry 
thee to him; for some of thy conversation with him hath been reported to me.— 
What was that ? she asked. But, she added, I swear that the AnsArees shall not 
be rejected in a foul manner: so give them a fair reply.—How? said he. She 
answered, Make the dowry heavy to them; for then they will desist. And he 
replied, How excellent is that which thou hast said ! Then he went forth in haste, 
and said, The damsel of the tribe hath consented; but she desireth a dowry like 
herself, and who can give it?—1, answered ’Abd Allah. And he said, I desire for 
her a thousand bracelets of red gold, and five thousand dirhems of the coin of 
Hejer,* and of burds and heberehsf a hundred pieces, and five skins of ambergris. 
—Thou shalt have this demand, said ’Abd Allah : then dost thou consent ? He 
answered, I do consent. 

'Abd Allah therefore sent some persons of the Ansdrees to the Illumined City,J 
nnd they brought all that he had guaranteed to give. The cattle and the sheep 
were slaughtered, and the people assembled to eat the food.—We continued in this 
state, says ’Abd Allah, forty < days; after which El-Ghitreef said, Take ye your 
damsel. So we mounted her in a hodaj ; and he furnished her with thirty camels 
laden with rarities. Then he bade us farewell, and departed ; and we proceeded 
until there remained between us and the Illumined City one day’s journey; where¬ 
upon there came forth against us a party of horsemen, with intent to plunder, and 
I imagine that they were of the Benee Suleym. So ’Otbeh the son of El-Hobab 
charged upon them, and slew a number of men, and he turned away, wounded by 
a thrust of a spear. Then he fell to the earth ; and assistance came to us from the 

• That is, coined at Hejer. (Note by my sheykh.) 

t The “ burdeh,” which is a single piece, or garment, of the kind called “ burd,” is an oblong piece 
of thick woollen stuff, used to envelop the body by day, and also as a night-covering, and generally 
brown or greyish. It appears to have been, in earlier times, always striped; but some modem burdehs 
are plain, and others have stripes so narrow and near together that at a little distance the stuff appears 
to be of one colour. The Prophet's burdeh is described as about seven feet and a half in length, and 
four and a half in width.—The 11 liebereh” is a kind of burd of the manufacture of El-Yemen. It is 
not to be confounded with the modern “ habarah," which is mentioned in Note 2 to Chapter iii., and 
particularly described in my work on the Modem Egyptians. 

t El-Mcdeench (i. e. “ the City”), originally called “ Yethrib,” has several appellations of this kind. 

VOL. 111. 2 I 

242 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

inhabitants of that part, and they repelled from us the horsemen. But 'Otbeh had 
ended his days, and we said, Alas, ’Otbeh 1 The damsel therefore heard this, and 
she cast herself down from the camel, threw herself upon him, and cried out in 
anguish, and repeated these verses :— 

I affected patience ; but I was not patient: I only beguiled myself; for I am 
about to join thee. 

Had my soul acted justly, it, rather than any of the creation, had gone before 
thee to destruction. 

After me and thee, therefore, none will be just to a friend, nor soul agree with 
soul. 

Then she uttered one groan, and her days were ended. So we dug for them one 
grave, and interred them, and I returned to the country of my people, where 1 re¬ 
mained seven years; after which I went again to the Hejiz,* and entered the 
Illumined City to visit; f and I said, By Allah, I will go again to the tomb of 
’Otbeh. And I came to it, and lo, over it was a tall tree, on which were red and 
yellow and green strips of stuff; J and I said to the inhabitants of the [adjacent] 
halting-place, What is this tree called? They answered, The Tree of the Bride¬ 
groom and Bride. And I remained by the tomb a day and a night, and departed. 
This was the last that I knew of ’Otbeh. May God (whose name be exalted!) 
have mercy on him 1 

* The Hejdz is that large and famous province of Arabia containing the two sacred cities, Mekkch 
and El-Medeeneh. Geographers differ much as to its limits. 

t That is, to visit the tomb of the Prophet. 

t Such strips I have often seen upon trees by the tombs of saints. My inquiries never procured for 
me any information respecting them, further than this, that they were merely memorials of visiters. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

243 

'Ekrimeh and Khuzeymeh. 

There was, in the days of the Prince of the Faithful, Suleyman the son of 'Abd 
El-Melik,* a man named Khuzeymeh the son of Bishr, of the tribe of the Benee 
Asad, who was distinguished by manifest generosity, and abundant wealth, and 
beneficence and kindness to his brethren. He continued thus until misfortune 
crippled him, so that he became in need of the assistance of his brethren towards 
whom he had exercised his generosity, and whom he had comforted; and they 
comforted him a while ; but after that, they became weary of him. And when 
their altered conduct towards him appeared unto him, he went to his wife, who 
was the daughter of his paternal uncle, and said to her, O daughter of my uncle, 
I have experienced from my brethren a change of conduct, and I have determined 
to confine myself to my house until death shall come to me. So he closed his door 
upon himself, and proceeded to sustain himself by the provision that he had until 
it was consumed, when he became perplexed. 

Now’Ekrimeh El-Feiy4d+ Er-Raba’ee, the Governor of El-Jezeereh, % knew 
him ; and as he was in his hall of assembly, Khuzeymeh the son of Bishr was men¬ 
tioned, and ’Ekrimeh El-Feiyad said, In what state is he? So they answered 
him, He hath become reduced to a condition not to be described; he hath closed 
his door, and confined himself to his house. Upon this, ’Ekrimeh El-Feiy&d said, 
This hath happened to him only in consequence of his excessive generosity, and 
how is it that Khuzeymeh the son of Bishr findeth not a comforter nor a fulfiller 
of his duty? They replied, He hath found nothing of the kind.—And when night 
came, he took four thousand pieces of gold, and put them into one bag. Then he 
gave orders to saddle his beast, went forth secretly from his family, and mounted, 
attended by one of his young men carrying the money. He proceeded until he 
stopped at the door of Khuzeymeh, when he took the purse from his young man, 
and, having sent him to a distance from him, advanced to the door, and pushed it. 
So Khuzeymeh came forth to him, and he handed to him the bag, saying to him, 
Amend with this thy circumstances. He therefore took it, and he found it to be 
heavy ; whereupon he put it down from his hand, and laid hold of the bridle of the 
beast, saying to ’Ekrimeh, Who art thou ? May my soul be thy sacrifice!—But 
’Ekrimeh replied, O thou, I came not to thee in such a time as this and desire 
that thou shouldst know me. Khuzeymeh rejoined, Then I will not release thee 
until thou inform me who thou art. So he said, I am a repairer of the slips of the 
generous.—And tell me more, said Khuzeymeh.—No, replied ’Ekrimeh. Then 
he departed. And Khuzeymeh went in with the bag to the daughter of his uncle, 
and said to her, Rejoice at good tidings; for God hath brought speedy relief, and 
wealth ; for if these be pieces of silver, they are many. Arise and light a lamp.— 
But she replied, There is no means of lighting the lamp. So he passed the night 
feeling the coins with his hand, and he felt the roughness of pieces of gold, yet 
believed not that they were pieces of gold.—As to ’Ekrimeh, however, he returned 
to his abode, and found that his wife had missed him, and asked respecting him, 
and been informed of his having ridden forth; wherefore she suspected him for this 
conduct, and doubted of him, and said to him, The Governor of El-Jezeereh goeth 

* A. D. 715—717. 

t “ El-Feiy&d” literally signifies “ the Overflowing.” 'Ekrimeh was so called on account of his pro¬ 
fuse munificence. 

I Mesopotamia. 

241 - 

notes TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

not forth after a period of the night, without his young men, unknown to bis family, 
save to a wife or a concubine. He replied, God knoweth that I went not forth 
unto either of those two. And she said, Tell me for what purpose thou wentest 
forth. He replied, I went not forth at this time save in order that no one should 
know it. But she rejoined, I must be informed. He said, Wilt thou conceal the 
thing if I tell thee? She answered, Yes. So he acquainted her with the state of 
the case, and with that which he had done; after which he said, Dost thou wish 
that I should swear to thee also? She answered, No, no; for my heart hath be¬ 
come at ease, and hath relied upon that which thou hast stated. 

But as to Khuzeymeh, when he arose in the morning, he appeased the credi¬ 
tors, and put in order his affairs. Then he equipped himself, desiring to repair to 
Suleym&n the son of ’Abd El-Melik, who was then sojourning in Falasteen ;* and 
when he stopped at his door, and begged permission of his chamberlains to enter, 
a chamberlain went in and informed the Khaleefeh of his being there. As he was 
celebrated for generosity, and Suleyman knew him, he gave him permission to 
enter; and on his entering, he saluted Suleymfin with the salutation usual to Khalee- 
fehs; f whereupon Suleymfin the son of ’Abd El-Melik'said to him, 0 Khuzeymeh, 
what hath kept thee so long from us ? He answered, The evil state of my affairs. 
—And what, said the Khaleefeh, prevented thy having recourse to us? He 
answered, My infirmity, O Prince of the Faithful. The Khaleefeh said, Then how 
is it that thou hast come now ?—Know, O Prince of the Faithful, he answered, that 
I was in my house, after a portion of the night had elapsed, and lo, a man knocked 
at the door, and thus and thus did he.—And he acquainted him with his story 
from first to last; anil Suleymdn said, Knowest thou the man ? Khuzeymeh 
answered, I do not know him, O Prince of the Faithful; for he was proud, and I 
heard not of his speech aught but his saying, I am a repairer of the slips of the 
generous. Upon this, Suleyman the son of ’Abd El-Melik burned and anxiously 
longed to know him, and said, If we knew him, we would requite him for his 
kindness. Then he tied an ensign J for Khuzeymeh, the son of Bishr, and appointed 
him Governor of El-Jezeereh, in the place of ’Ekrimeh El-Feiyad. 

So Khuzeymeh went forth on his way to El-Jezeereh, and when he drew near 
to it, ’Ekrimeh came forth and met him, and the people of El-Jezeereh also came 
out to meet him, and they saluted one another. They then proceeded all together 
until Khuzeymeh entered the city, and alighted at the government-house, when 
he gave orders that a guarantee should be taken on the part of ’Ekrimeh, and that 
he should be called to account. He was, therefore, called to account, and Khu¬ 
zeymeh found him to owe large sums of money, and required him to pay them ; 
but he said, I have no means of paying aught.—They must be paid, said Khuzey¬ 
meh. ’Ekrimeh replied, The money is not in my possession ; so do as thou wilt. 
And Khuzeymeh gave orders to take him to prison, and sent to him again, 
requiring him to pay what he owed. But he sent back, saying to him, I am not of 
those who preserve their wealth by sacrificing their honour; so do as thou wilt. 
And Khuzeymeh ordered that his feet should be shackled with irons, and that he 
should be kept in prison; and he remained a month, or more, until that treatment 
emaciated him, and his imprisonment afflicted him. § 

* Palestine. . t Saying, “ Peace be on thee, O Prince of the Faithful! ” 

t This was a usual ceremony on the occasion of appointing a Governor of a province. 

§ Perhaps we should derive some excuse for Khuzeymeh from the ingratitude of his friends. 

Then information of his state reached the daughter of his uncle,* and she was 
grieved thereat extremely, and, having called an emancipated female slave who 
had belonged to her, who was endowed with abundant intellect and knowledge, 
she said to her, Go immediately to the door of the Emeer Khuzeymeh the son of 
Bishr, and say, I have an admonition to give :—and if any one ask it of thee, 
reply, I will not tell it save to the Emeer. Then, when thou hast gone in to him, 
demand of him a private interview; and when thou art alone with him, say to 
him, What is this deed that thou hast done ? Was the requital that the repairer 
of the slips of the generous should receive of thee nought save thy requiting him 
with severe imprisonment and strait confinement in irons?—The female slave 
therefore did as she commanded; and when Khuzeymeh heard her words, he 
called out with his loudest voice, Alas, my baseness ! Verily he is the person !— 
She replied, Yes. So he gave orders immediately to bring his beast, and it was 
saddled; and he summoned the chief men of the city, brought them together to 
him, and went with them to the door of the prison, and opened it. Khuzeymeh 
and those who were with him entered, and they saw 'Ekrimeh sitting, changed in 
condition, the beating and affliction that he suffered having emaciated him ; and 
when he beheld Khuzeymeh, the sight abashed him, and he hung down his head. 
But Khuzeymeh approached, and threw himself upon ’Ekrimeh’s head, kissing 
it. So 'Ekrimeh raised his head towards him, and said to him, What hath occa¬ 
sioned this conduct of thine? He answered, Thy generous actions, and my evil 
requital. And 'Ekrimeh replied, May God forgive us and thee! Then Khuzey¬ 
meh commanded the jailer to loose the chains from him, and ordered that they 
should be put upon his own feet; whereupon 'Ekrimeh said, What is this that 
thou desirest to do ? He answered, I desire that I may suffer like as thou hast 

• His wife. 

246 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

suffered. But ’Ekrimeh said, I conjure thee by Allah that thou do it not!—Then 
they all went forth, and proceeded until they arrived at the mansion of Khuzey- 
meh, when ’Ekrimeh bade him farewell, and desired to depart. Khuzeymeh, 
however, prevented his doing so; and ’Ekrimeh said, What dost thou desire ? He 
answered, I desire to change thy condition; for my shame with respect to the 
daughter of thine uncle is greater than my shame with respect to thee. He then 
gave orders to clear the bath. So they cleared it, and they entered together, 
and Khuzeymeh himself served ’Ekrimeh. After that, they went forth, and 
Khuzeymeh bestowed upon ’Ekrimeh a sumptuous dress, mounted him upon a 
beast, and, conveying with him a large sum of money, went with him to his house, 
and begged his permission to excuse himself to the daughter of his uncle; and he 
did excuse himself to her; after which, he asked ’Ekrimeh to go with him to Suley¬ 
man the son of ’Abd El-Melik, who was then staying at Er-Ramleh,* and he con¬ 
sented to do so. 

They both proceeded until they came to Suleymdn the son of ’Abd El-Melik, 
when the chamberlain entered, and acquainted him with the arrival of Khuzeymeh 
the son of Bishr; and this alarmed him, and he said, Doth the Governor of El- 
Jezeereh come without our order! This is on account of nought save a great 
occurrence!—And he gave him permission to enter; and when he entered, he 
said to him, before he had saluted him, What tidings bringest thou, O Khuzeymeh? 
He answered him, Good, O Prince of the Faithful.—And what hath brought thee? 
said the Khaleefeh. He answered, I have got the repairer of the slips of the 
generous, and I wished to rejoice thee with him, having seen thine anxious desire 
to know him, and thy longing to behold him. The Khaleefeh said, And who is he? 
And he answered, ’Ekrimeh El-Feiydd. So he gave him permission to approach; 
and he approached, and saluted him as Khaleefeh; and the Khaleefeh welcomed 
him, caused him to draw near to the place where he sat, and said to him, O 
’Ekrimeh, thy good action to him was ^nought but a trouble to thyself. Then 
Suleyman said, Write all thy wants, and everything that thou requirest, in a note. 
And he did so; and the Khaleefeh gave orders to accomplish all that he required 
immediately. He gave orders also to present him with ten thousand pieces of gold, 
besides the needful things that he had written, and twenty chests of clothes, which 
were also in addition to the things that he had written; after which, he called for a 
spear, and tied for him an ensign, as Governor of El-Jezeereh and Irmeeneeyeh f 
and Adhrabeejdn ; J and he said to him, The case of Khuzeymeh is submitted to 
thee: if thou wilt, thou shalt confirm him ; and if thou wilt, thou shalt displace 
him. 'Ekrimeh replied, Nay, 1 will restore him to his post, O Prince of the 
Faithful. Then they both departed from him; and they ceased not to be 
Governors under Suleym&n the son of ’Abd El-Melik as long as he was 
Khaleefeh. 

[Of four anecdotes which I here omit, the last is that of Ibr&heem El-M6silee 
and the Devil, which I have already related, in page 223 of the first volume of 
this work. At the time of my inserting it there, I had not received from Cairo 
the whole of the copy from which I am translating, and did not know that it con¬ 
tained that anecdote.] 

* The ancient Rama of Ephraim. t Written in my original, “ Arminiyeh.” 

1 In the original, “ AzreejSn. 1 ’ 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

247 

Anecdote of Two Lovers of 
the Tribe of the Benee 
’Odhrali. 

The Prince of the Faith¬ 
ful, Haroon Er-Rasheed, 
being troubled one night 
with exceeding restlessness, 
desired Jemeel the son of 
Maamar El-’Odhree to re¬ 
late to him a story, and the 
latter said,*— 

Know, O Prince of the 
Faithful, that I was fasci¬ 
nated by a damsel, ena¬ 
moured of her, and I used 
often to visit her, as she 
was the object of my de¬ 
sire and ambition among 
the things of the world. Then her family 
removed with her, on account of the scarcity 
of pasture; and I remained a while without 
seeing her; after which, desire disquieted me, 
and attracted me to her: so my soul suggested 
to me a journey to her; and on a certain night, desire excited me to repair to her. 
I therefore arose, and girded my saddle upon my she-camel, bound my turban 
round my head, put on my old clothes,f slung on my sword, armed myself with 
my spear, mounted my she-camel, and went forth to seek her. I journeyed 
quickly, and I was proceeding one night,—it was a night of thick darkness, yet, 
notwithstanding that, I endured the difficulties of descending into the valleys and 
ascending the mountains,—and I heard the roaring of the lions, and the howling of 
the wolves, and the noises of wild beasts on every side. My reason was confounded, 
my mind was disordered, and my tongue desisted not from repeating the praises of 
God, whose name be exalted 1 And while I was proceeding in this state, sleep 
overcame me, and the camel conveyed me by a different way from that in which I 
was: sleep overpowered me, and lo, something struck me upon my head. So I 
awoke alarmed and terrified; and behold, there were trees and rivers, and birds 
upon the branches of those trees were warbling with their various tongues and 
notes, and the trees of that verdant spot were entangled, one with another. I 
therefore alighted from my she-camel, and took her halter in my hand, and ceased 
not to endeavour by gentle means to get clear until I led her forth from those 
trees to a desert tract; whereupon I placed her saddle right, and seated myself 
properly on her back. 

I knew not whither to go, nor unto what place destiny would urge me; but I 
looked over that desert, and a fire appeared to me at its further extremity. So 1 

• In the original, this anecdote has an introduction like that of the story of Ihu Mansoor and the 
Laily Budoor, save that it wants the advice of Mesroor. 
t For travelling. 

248 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

struck my she-camel, and proceeded towards the fire until I arrived at it; and I 
drew near to it, and looked attentively; and lo, there was a Bedawee tent pitched, 
with a spear stuck in the ground, and a beast standing, and horses, and pasturing 
camels. I therefore said within myself, Probably great importance attaches to 
this tent; for I see not in this desert any other. Then I advanced towards it, 
and said, Peace be on you, O people of the tent, and the mercy of God, and his 
blessings! And there came forth to me from it a young man, of the youths of 
nineteen years, who was like the full moon when it shineth, and courage was 
manifest in his countenance; * and he said, And on thee be peace, and the mercy 
of God, and his blessings, O brother of the Arabs! Verily I imagine that thou 
hast wandered from the way.—I replied, The case is so. Direct me: may God 
have mercy on thee !—But he said, O brother of the Arabs, verily this our district 
is a place abounding with wild beasts, and this night is dark and dreary, exceed¬ 
ingly dark and cold, and I should not be without fear for thee lest the wild beast 
should tear thee; therefore alight and rest with me, and enjoy amplitude and 
ease; and when the morrow eometli, I will direct thee to the right way.—Accord¬ 
ingly I alighted from my she-camel, tied up one of her fore-feet with the end of 
her halter, f and, having pulled off the clothes that were upon me, attired myself 
lightly, and sat a while. And lo, the young man took a sheep and slaughtered it, 
and he kindled and lighted up a fire; after which, he entered the tent, and took 
forth some fine J spices, and good salt, and began to cut off pieces of the meat of 
that sheep, and to roast them upon the fire, and give to me ; sighing at one time, 
and weeping at another. Then he uttered a great groan, wept violently, and 
recited these verses :— 

There remaineth not aught save a flitting breath, and an eye whose owner§ is 
confounded. 

There remaineth not a joint of any of his limbs but in it is a constant disease ; 

And his tears are flowing, and his bowels burning ; but, notwithstanding this, 
he is silent. 

His enemies weep for him in pity. Alas for him whom the exulting foe 
pitieth! 

So I knew, upon this, O Prince of the Faithful, that the young man was a dis¬ 
tracted lover, and none knoweth love but he who hath lasted it. I therefore said 
within myself, Shall I ask him? But then I consulted my mind, and said, How 
shall I attack him with inquiry when I am in his abode? So I restrained myself; 
and ate of that meat as much as sufficed me; and when we had finished eating, 
the young man arose, and entered the tent, and brought forth a clean basin, with 
a handsome ewer, and a napkin of silk, the ends of which were embroidered with 
red gold, and a sprinkling-bottle full of rose-water infused with musk. I won¬ 
dered therefore at his elegance and delicacy, and said within myself, I knew not 
elegance in the desert. Then we washed our hands, and conversed a while; after 
which he arose, and entered the tent, and made a partition between me and bim 

* Literally, “between his eyes.” 

t Folding the leg, and tying the cord round it a few inches from the knee, as represented in the cut 
in page 46 of vol. ii. 

J That is, finely beaten or powdered. 

§ Literally, “ whose manor, as we may also read, according to some dictionaries, “ whose pupil.” 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

249 

with a piece of red brocade, and said, Enter, O chief of the Arabs, and take thy 
place of repose; for thou hast experienced fatigue this night, and excessive toil in 
this thy journey. 

So I entered, and lo, I found a bed of green brocade, and thereupon I pulled 
off the clothes that were upon me, and passed such a night as I had never passed 
in my life ; but all the while I was meditating upon the case of this young man 
until the night was dark, and eyes slept. Then suddenly I heard a low voice, 
than which I had never heard any more soft or delicate. I therefore raised the 
partition that was put between us, and lo, I beheld a damsel, than whom I had 
never seen one more beautiful in face. She was by his side, and they were weep¬ 
ing, and complaining to each other of the pain of love and desire and ardent 
passion, and of the violence of their longing to meet each other. So I said, O 
Allah, how I wonder at this second person! For when I entered this tent, I saw 
not in it any one but this young man, and he had not any one with him.—Then I 
said within myself. No doubt this damsel is of the daughters of the Jinn: she 
loveth this young man, who hath segregated himself with her in this place; and 
she hath segregated herself with him. But afterwards I looked intently at her, 
and behold, she was a human, Arab girl: when she uncovered her face, she put to 
shame the shining sun, and the tent was illuminated by the light of her counte¬ 
nance. So when I certified myself that she was his beloved, I thought upon the 
jealousy of the lover ; wherefore I let down the curtain, and covered my face, and 
slept. And when I arose in the morning, I put on my clothes, performed the 
ablution for my prayers, and acquitted myself of the divinely-ordained prayers that 
were incumbent on me ; * after which I said to the young man, O brother of the 
Arabs, wilt thou direct me to the right way ? Thou hast bestowed favours upon 
me.—But he looked towards me, and answered, At thy leisure, O chief of the 
Arabs. The period of the entertainment of a guest is three days; and I am not 
one who will let thee go until after three days. 

I therefore remained with him three days, says Jemeel; and on the fourth 
day, we sat to converse, and I conversed with him, and asked him his name and 
genealogy; whereupon he said, As to my genealogy, I am of the Benee ’Odhrah ; 
and as to my name, I am such-a-one, the son of such-a-one, and my paternal 
uncle is such-a-one. And lo, he was the son of my paternal uncle, O Prince of 
the Faithful, and he wus of the most noble house of the Benee ’Odhrah. So I 
said, O son of my uncle, what induced thee to do as I see, segregating thyself in 
this desert; and how is it that thou hast forsaken thy comforts and the comforts of 
thy fathers ; and how is it that thou hast forsaken thy male slaves and thy female 
slaves, and segregated thyself in this place ? And when he heard, O Prince of the 
Faithful, my words, his eyes filled with tears, and he answered, O son of my uncle, 
I was in love with the daughter of my paternal uncle, fascinated by her, distracted 
with love of her, rendered insane by passion for her, unable to endure separation 
from her; and my passion for her became excessive. So I demanded her in mar¬ 
riage of my uncle; but he refused, and he married her to a man of the Benee 
'Odhrah, who took her as his wife, and conveyed her to the place of his residence 
last year. And when she was distant from me, and I was prevented from seeing 
her, the burnings of love, and the violence of desire and ardent passion, induced 
me to forsake my family, and to quit my tribe and my friends and all my comforts, 

* That is, the prayers which he had neglected at their proper times. 

VOL. III. 2 K 

250 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

and I took up my abode alone in this tent in this desert, and accustomed myself 
to my solitude.—And where, said I, are their tents? He answered, They are 
near, on the summit of this mountain ; and every night, when eyes sleep, in the 
stillness of night, she stealeth away secretly from the tribe, so that no one knoweth 
of her movement, and I accomplish my desire by discourse with her, and she 
accomplisheth her desire in like manner. I am remaining in this state, consoling 
myself with her during a period of the night, until God shall accomplish a thing 
that must come to pass, or my object be attained in spite of the enviers, or until 
God shall determine for me, and He is the best of those who determine.—So 
when the young man informed me, O Prince of the Faithful, his case grieved me, 
and I became perplexed by reason of the zeal that affected me thereupon. Then 
I said to him, O son of my uncle, shall I shew thee a stratagem that I would 
counsel thee to employ, wherein, if it be the will of God, thou wilt find the most 
advisable course, and the way to a right and successful issue, and by means of 
which God will dispel from thee that which thou dreadest ? The young man an¬ 
swered, Tell me, O son of my uncle. And I said to him, When it is night, and 
the damsel hath come, put her upon my she-camel; for she is swift; and mount 
thou thy courser. I also will mount one of these she-camels, and proceed with 
you both all the night, and the morning will not have come before I shall have 
traversed with you deserts and wastes; so thou wilt have attained thy desire, and 
got possession of the beloved of thy heart. The expanse of God’s earth is wide, 
and I, by Allah, will aid thee while I live with my soul and my wealth and my 
sword.—And when he heard this, he replied, O son of my uncle, wait until I 
consult her on this subject; for she is intelligent, prudent, having clear judgment. 

But when the night became dark, and the time of her coming had arrived, 
and he was expecting her at the known period, she was behind her usual time; 
and I saw the young man go forth from the door of the tent, and open his mouth, 
and begin to inhale the breeze that blew from the quarter whence she came, 
smelling her odour ; and he recited these two verses :— 

O zephyr, thou bringest me a gentle gale from 
the place in which the beloved is dwelling. 
O wind, thou bearest a token of the beloved. 
Knowest thou, then, when she will arrive ? 

Then he entered the tent, and sat a while weeping; 

after which he said, O 
son of my uncle, verily 
something hath occurred 
to the daughter of my 
uncle this night, and 
some accident hath hap¬ 
pened to her, or some 
obstacle hath prevented 
her from coming to me. 
He then said to me, 
Stay in thy place until 
I bring thee the news. 
And thereupon he took 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

251 

his sword and his shield, and after he had been absent from me for a period 
of the night, he approached bearing something upon his hands, and called out 
to me. So I hastened to him, and he said, O son of my uncle, knowest thou 
what hath happened? I answered, No, by Allah. And he said, Verily I 
have been afflicted with respect to the daughter of my uncle this night; for she 
was coming to us, and a lion opposed her in her way, and rent her, and there re¬ 
mained not of her aught save what thou seest. Then he threw down what was 
upon his hand ; and lo, it was the ends of the bones of the damsel, and what else 
remained of her bones. And he wept violently, and, having cast the shield* from 
his hand, took in his hand a bag, and said to me, Go not hence until I come to 
thee, if it be the will of God, whose name be exalted! He then departed, and 
was absent from me a while; after which he returned with the head of the lion in 
his hand, and he threw it down from his hand, and demanded water. So I 
brought it to him ; and he washed the mouth of the lion, and began to kiss it, and 
to weep. His mourning for her was excessive ; and he recited these verses :— 

O lion, who hast exposed thyself to destruction, thou hast perished, and hast 
roused up my grief for my beloved. 

Thou hast rendered me solitary who was lately her companion, and made the 
bowels of the earth to be her grave.f 

I say to time, that hath afflicted me with her separation, God forbid that thou 
shouldst shew me a friend in her stead ! 

He then said, O son of my uncle, I implore thee by Allah, and by the claim of 
relationship and consanguinity that subsisteth between me and thee, that thou 
keep my charge. Thou wilt see me presently dead before thee ; and thereupon 
do thou wash me, and shroud me together with these remains of the bones of the 
daughter of my uncle in this garment, and bury us both in one grave, and inscribe 
upon our grave these two verses :— 

We lived upon the earth a life of comfort, united in fellowship, and in abode 
and home; 

But fortune, with its changes, parted us from each other, and now the grave- 
clothes have united us. 

Then he wept violently, and entered the tent, and was absent from me a while; after 
which he came forth; and he began to sigh and to cry out, and, uttering a deep 
groan, he quitted the world. So when I beheld him thus die, the event grieved me 
and afflicted me so that I almost joined him by reason of the violence of my sorrow 
for him. I then advanced to him, and laid him on the ground, and did with him as 
he had ordered me. I shrouded him with the remains of the damsel together, and 
buried them in one grave, and remained by their grave three days ; after which I 
departed; and I continued for two years to visit them frequently.—Such were the 
events of their history, O Prince of the Faithful. 

And when Er-Rasheed heard his story, he approved it; and he bestowed upon 
him a robe of honour, and conferred upon him a handsome gift. 

# In the original, " bow." 

t This is not quite apt, as my sheykh has observed; the lion’s body having become the grave of 
the greater part of her. 

252 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

[The next anecdote is that of the Bedawee and his Wife, related (though not 
so fully as it is told in the original) in page 521 of the first volume of the present 
work.* Then follows an anecdote so nearly agreeing with the story of Ibn Man- 
soor and the Lady Budoor that I think it needless to give a translation of it: the 
latter appears to me to he founded on the former ; or perhaps the reverse may be 
the case. The next also I pass over for a similar reason : it is an anecdote of 
Is-h&k El-M6silee and the Devil, very similar (excepting in some particulars 
rather too free for translation, and for insertion in this work) to that of Ibrdheem 
El-M6silee and the Devil, which I have before related, in page 223 of volume i.] 

Another Anecdote of Two Lovers. 

Is-h&k the son of Ibr&heem f saith, I was entirely devoted to the Barmekees; 
and while I was one day in my abode, lo, my door was knocked : so my young 
man went forth, and he returned and said to me, at the door is a comely youth, 
asking permission to come in. I therefore gave him permission, and there entered 
a young man who bore traces of illness; and he said, Verily 1 have been for some 
time desiring to meet thee, and I have need of thine assistance.—And what is it 
that thou wantest? said I. And he took forth three hundred pieces of gold, which 
he put before me, saying, I request thee to accept them from me, and to compose 
for me an air to two verses that I have uttered. So I said to him, Recite them to 
me. And he recited, saying,— 

By Allah, O mine eye, which hast oppressed my heart, extinguish with my 
tears the fire of my grief. 

Fortune joins in reproving me on account of my beloved, and 1 shall not see 
herj though I be wrapped in my grave-clothes. 

I therefore composed for him an air of a plaintive kind, and sang it; whereupon 
he fainted, and I imagined that he had died. He recovered, however, and said, 
Repeat it. But I conjured him by Allah, and said, I fear thou wilt die. He re¬ 
plied, Would that such an event happened ! And he ceased not to humble himself 
and to supplicate until I had pity on him, and repeated it. And thereupon he 
fell into a fit more severe than the first, and I doubted not of his death; but I 
ceased not to sprinkle rose-water upon him until he recovered and sat up. So I 
praised God for his safety, and put his pieces of gold before him, saying to him, 
Take thy money, and depart from me. But he replied, I have no need of it, and 
thou shalt have the like of it if thou repeat the air. And my heart was dilated at 
the prospect of the money ; wherefore I said to him, I will repeat it; but on three 
conditions : the first of them is, that thou shalt remain with me and eat of my 
food, in order that tliy soul may be strengthened; and the second, that thou shalt 
drink of the wine as much as will restrain thy heart; and the third, that thou 
shalt relate to me thy story. And he did so, and said,— 

I am a man of the people of El-Medeeneh. I went forth for recreation, and 

♦ See the paragraph subjoined to the anecdote of ’Ekrimeh and Khuzeymeh. 
t So in Trebutien. In my original, “ Ibraheem the son of Is-h41[.’’ Perhaps the right reading may 
be “ Ibr&heem the father of Is-hetJf." 
t Literally, “him." 

proceeded by the way to El-’Akeek,* with my brothers; and I saw a damsel, 
with girls who were like a branch covered with dew. She looked with two eyes 
whose glance was not withdrawn save with the soul that contemplated them; and 
they remained until the day closed, when they departed; and I found in my heart 
wounds slow to heal. So I returned endeavouring to obtain information of her; 
but found not any one to acquaint me ; wherefore I proceeded to seek diligently 
after her in the market-streets; yet found not any tidings of her. And I fell sick 
of grief, and told my story to one of my relations; but he said to me, No harm 
shall befall thee. These days of the spring are not ended, and the heaven will 
rain, and thereupon she will go forth.f I also will go forth with thee, and do thou 
what thou wilt.—My soul therefore was tranquillized thereby until El-’Akeek 
flowed with water, and the people went forth. Thereupon I likewise went forth, 
with my brothers and my relations, and we sat in the same place as before ; and 
we had not remained long when the women approached, running like two horses 
for a wager. So I said to a damsel of my relations, Say to this damsel, This man 
saith unto thee, Well did he express himself who uttered this verse:— 

She smote me with an arrow which pierced J the heart, and she withdrew, 
having left in it a wound and scars. 

She therefore went to her, and said to her thus; and she replied, Say to him, Well 
hath he said who replied with this verse :— 

We feel the like of that which thou hemoanest: so have patience : we may 
see relief that will soon heal our hearts. 

* A valley near El-Medeeneh. 

t To enjoy the refreshing coolness produced by the rain. 

J “ Afsada ” is put in my original for “al^ada.'' The correction has been made by my sheykh. 

254 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND. 

And I abstained from speaking, in fear of disgrace, and arose and departed. On 
my rising, she also arose, and I followed her, and she looked at me until I knew 
her abode; and after this, she used to come to me, and I used to go to her. Thus 
we had interviews with each other, and our meetings were so frequent that the 
case became public and manifest, and her father knew of it. Yet I ceased not to 
be assiduous in meeting her, and complained of the case to my father, who there¬ 
upon collected our family, and went to her father to request her in marriage. He, 
however, said, Had that matter been known to me before he had disgraced her 
[by his visits], I had done as ye desire: but the thing hath become notorious, and 
I would not verify the assertion of the people. 

So I repeated to him the air, says Is-hak, and he acquainted me with his abode; 
after which he departed ; and we had become familiar with each other. Then 
Jaafar the son of Yaliya sat, and I presented myself as was my custom, and sang 
to him the verses of the youth; whereupon he was moved with delight, and drank 
some cups, and said, Wo to thee ! Whose air is this?—I therefore told him the 
story of the youth, and he ordered me to ride to him and to assure him of the 
attainment of the object of his desire. Accordingly I went to him, and I brought 
him, and Jaafar desired him to repeat the story ; wherefore he related it to him ; 
and Jaafar said, Depend upon me that I will marry thee to her. So his soul was 
comforted, and he remained with us. And when the morning came, Jaafar rode 
to Er-Rasheed, and related to him the story; and he admired it, and commanded 
that we should all present ourselves. He then desired the repetition of the air, 
and drank to it; after which he gave orders to write a letter to the Governor of the 
Hejaz, requiring him to send the father of the woman with her family in an 
honourable manner to his presence, and to expend upon them amply. And but a 
short time had elapsed before they came ; when Er-Rasheed commanded to bring 
the man before him. So he came ; and he ordered him to marry his daughter to 
the youth, and gave him a hundred thousand * pieces of gold. Then the man 
returned to his family; and the youth ceased not to be one of the boon-com¬ 
panions of Jaafar until that happened which happened; j- whereupon the youth 
returned with his family to El-Medeeneh.—May God (whose name be exalted!) 
have mercy upon the souls of all of them ! 

[One more anecdote follows in the original; but it must be omitted here.— 
Then follows the story of the Crafty Deleeleh, which ends with part of the Seven 
Hundred and Nineteenth Night. I should hesitate to introduce it in the present 
collection of tales on account of its vulgarity ; but it is rendered more objectionable 
by indecent incidents, and without making many and great alterations, I could not 
offer it to the English reader.—The next story is that of Ardesheer and Hayat en- 
Nufoos, ending with part of the Seven Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night. This 
also 1 pass over, as it is little more than a repetition, word for word, of the story 
of Tdj el-Mulook and the Lady Dunya. 

I must here add, that the architectural portion of the engraving in page 230 
is copied, by permission, from one of the valuable drawings of M. Coste, which 
are in the possession of my friend Robert Hay, Esq. of Linplum, and which I 
have mentioned in my preface.] 

* In Trebutien’s version, 11 one thousand," a more probable sum.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE SEVEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY- 
EIGHTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE SEVEN 
HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SIXTH. 

THE STORY OF JULLANA'R OF THE SEA. 

There was, in olden time, and in an ancient age and period, 
in the land of the Persians, a King named Shah Zeman, 1 and the 
place of his residence was Khurasan. He had a hundred concu¬ 
bines ; but he had not been blest, during his whole life, with a male 
child by any of them, nor a female ; and he reflected upon this one 
day, and lamented that the greater portion of his life had passed, 
and he had not been blessed with a male child to inherit the king¬ 
dom after him as he had inherited it from his fathers and fore¬ 
fathers. So the utmost grief, and violent vexation, befell him on 
this account. 

256 

THE STORY OF JULLANA'R OF THE SEA. 

Now while he was sitting one day, one of his memlooks came 
in to him, and said to him, O my lord, at the door is a slave-girl 
with a merchant: none more beautiful than she hath been seen. 
And he replied, Bring to me the merchant and the slave-girl. The 
merchant and the slave-girl therefore came to him; and when he 
saw her, he found her to resemble the Rudeynee 3 lance. She was 
wrapped in an izar of silk embroidered with gold, and the merchant 
uncovered her face, whereupon the place was illuminated by her 
beauty, and there hung down from her forehead seven locks of hair 
reaching to her anklets, like the tails of horses. She had eyes 
bordered with kohl, and heavy hips, and slender waist: she was 
such as would cure the malady of the sick, and extinguish the fire 
of the thirsty, and was as the poet hath said in these verses :— 

I am enamoured of her: she is perfect in beauty, and perfect also in gravity 
and in dignity. 

She is neither tall nor short; but her hips are such that the izdr is too narrow 
for them. 

Her stature is a mean between the small and the large : so there is neither 
tallness nor shortness to find fault with. 

Her hair reacheth to her anklets, [and is black as night,] but her face is 
ever like the day. 

The King, therefore, wondered at the sight of her, and at her beauty 
and loveliness, and her stature and justness of form ; and he said to 
the merchant, 0 sheykh, for how much is this damsel to be sold ? 
The merchant answered, O my lord, I purchased her for two thou¬ 
sand pieces of gold of the merchant who owned her before me, and 
1 have been for three years travelling with her, and she hath cost, 
to the period of her arrival at this place, three thousand pieces of 
gold; and she is a present from me unto thee. Upon this, the King 
conferred upon him a magnificent robe of honour, and gave orders 
to present him with ten thousand, pieces of gold. So he took them, 
and kissed the hands of the King, thanking him for his bounty and 
beneficence, and departed. Then the King committed the damsel 
to the tire-women, saying to them, Amend the state of this damsel, 
and deck her, and furnish for her a private chamber, and take her 
into it. He also gave orders to his chamberlains that everything which 
she required should be conveyed to her. The seat of government 
where he resided was on the shore of the sea, and his city was called 

THE STORY OF JULLANA'R OF THE SEA. 

257 

the White City. 5 And they conducted the damsel into a private 
chamber, which chamber had windows overlooking the sea; and the 
King commanded his chamberlains to close all the doors upon her 
after taking to her all that she required. 

The King then went in to visit the damsel; but she rose not to 
him, nor took any notice of him. So the King said, It seemeth 
that she hath been with people who have not taught her good man¬ 
ners. And looking at the damsel, he saw her to be a person sur¬ 
passing in beauty and loveliness, and in stature and justness of 
form; her face was like the disk of the moon at the full, or the 
shining sun in the clear sky ; and he wondered at her beauty and 
loveliness, and stature and justness of form, extolling the perfection 
of God, the Creator: lauded be his power! Then the King 
advanced to the damsel, and seated himself by her side, pressed her 
to his bosom, and seated her upon his thigh; and he kissed her lips, 
which he found to be sweeter than honey. After this, he gave 
orders to bring tables of the richest viands, comprising dishes of 
every kind; and the King ate, and put morsels into her mouth until 
she was satisfied; but she spoke not a single word. The King 
talked to her, and inquired of her her name; but she was silent, not 
uttering a word, nor returning him an answer, ceasing not to hang 
down her head towards the ground ; and what protected her from 
the anger of the King was the excess of her beauty and loveliness, 
and her tenderness of manner. So the King said within himself, 
Extolled be the perfection of God, the Creator of this damsel! 
How elegant is she, saving that she doth not speak! But perfec¬ 
tion belongeth unto God, whose name be exalted!—Then the King 
asked the female slaves whether she had spoken; and they answered 
him, From the time of her arrival to the present moment she hath 
not spoken one word, and we have not heard her talk. The King 
therefore caused some of the female slaves and concubines to come, 
and ordered them to sing to her, and to make merry with her, thinking 
that then she might perhaps speak. Accordingly the female slaves 
and concubines played before her with all kinds of musical instru¬ 
ments, and sports and other performances, and they sang so that 
every one who was present was moved with delight, except the 
damsel, who looked at them and was silent, neither laughing nor 
speaking. So the heart of the King was contracted. He however 

VOL. III. 

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258 

THE STORY OF JULLANA'R OF THE SEA. 

inclined to her entirely, paying no regard to others, but relinquish¬ 
ing all the rest of his concubines and favourites. 

He remained with her a whole year, which seemed as one day, 
and still she spoke not; and he said to her one day, when his love 
of her, and his passion, were excessive, O desire of souls, verily the 
love that I have for thee is great, and I have relinquished for thy 
sake all my female slaves, and the concubines and the women and 
the favourites, and made thee my worldly portion, and been patient 
with thee a whole year. I beg God (whose name be exalted!) that 
He will, in his grace, soften thy heart towards me, and that thou 
mayest speak to me. Or, if thou be dumb, acquaint me by a sign, 
that I may give up hope of thy speaking. I also beg of God 
(whose perfection be extolled!) that He will bless me by thee with 
a male child that may inherit my kingdom after me; for I am single 
and solitary, having none to be my heir, and my age hath become 
great. I conjure thee then by Allah, if thou love me, that thou 
return me a reply.—And upon this, the damsel hung down her 
head towards the ground, meditating. Then she raised her head, 
and smiled in the face of the King, whereat it appeared to the 
King that lightning filled the private chamber; and she said, O 
magnanimous King, and bold lion, God hath answered thy prayer ; 
for I am about to bear thee issue, and the time is [almost] come. 
But I know not whether the child is male or female. And were it 
not for my being in this state, I had not spoken to thee one word. 
—And when the King heard what she said, his face brightened up 
with joy and happiness, and he kissed her head and her hands by 
reason of the violence of his joy, and said, Praise be to God who 
hath favoured me with things that I desired; the first, thy speak¬ 
ing ; and the second, thy information that thou art about to bear 
me issue. Then the King arose and went forth from her, and 
seated himself upon the throne of his kingdom in a state of exceed¬ 
ing happiness; and he ordered the Wezeer to give out to the poor and 
the needy and the widows and others a hundred thousand pieces of 
gold as a thank-offering to God (whose name be exalted!) and an 
alms on his part. So the Wezeer did as the King had commanded 
him. And after that, the King went in to the damsel, and sat with 
her, and embraced her and pressed her to his bosom, saying to her, 
O my mistress, who ownest me as thy slave, wherefore hath been 

THE STORY OF JULLANA'R OF THE SEA. 

259 

this silence, seeing that thou hast been with me a whole year, night 
and day, awake and asleep, yet hast not spoken to me during this 
year except on this day ? What then hath been the cause of thy 
silence ? 

The damsel answered, Hear, O King of the age, and know that 
I am a poor person, a stranger, broken-hearted: I have become 
separated from my mother and my family and my brother. And 
when the King heard her words, he knew her desire, and he replied. 
As to thy saying that thou art poor, there is no occasion for such an 
assertion; for all my kingdom and my goods and possessions are at 
thy service, and I also have become thy memlook: and as to thy 

saying, I have become separated from my mother and my family 
and my brother—inform me in what place they are, and I will send 
to them, and bring them to thee. So she said to him. Know, O 
fortunate King, that my name is Jullanar 4 of the Sea. My father 
was one of the Kings of the Sea, and he died, and left to us the 
kingdom ; but while we were enjoying it, one of the Kings came 
upon us, and took the kingdom from our hands. I have also a 
brother named Saleh , 5 and my mother is of the women of the sea; 
and I quarrelled with my brother, and swore that I would throw 
myself into the hands of a man of the inhabitants of the land. 
Accordingly I came forth from the sea, and sat upon the shore of an 
island in the moonlight, and there passed by me a man who took 
me and conducted me to his abode, and desired to make me his concu- 

260 

THE STORY OF JULLANA'R OF THE SEA. 

bine ; but I smote him upon his head, and he almost died ; where¬ 
fore he went forth and sold me to this man from whom thou tookest 
me, and he was an excellent, virtuous man, a person of religion and 
fidelity and kindness. But had not thy heart loved me, and hadst 
thou not preferred me above all thy concubines, I had not remained 
with thee one hour ; for I should have cast myself into the sea from 
this window, and gone to my mother and my people. I was 
ashamed, however, to go to them in the state in which I am; for 
they would imagine evil of me, and would not believe me, even 
though I should swear to them, when I told them that a King had 
purchased me with his money, and had made me his worldly portion, 
and chosen me in preference to his wives and all that his right hand 
possessed. This is my story, and peace be on thee !—And when he 
heard her words, he thanked her, and kissed her between her eyes, 
and said to her. By Allah, O my mistress, and light of my eyes, I 
cannot endure thy separation for one hour; and if thou quit me, I 
shall die instantly. How then shall the affair be ?—She answered, 
O my master, the time of the birth is near, and my family 
must come.—And how, said the King, do they walk in the sea 
without being wetted ? She answered, We walk in the sea as ye 
walk upon the land, through the influence of the names engraved 
upon the seal of Suleyman the son of Daood, upon both of whom 
be peace ! But, O King, when my family and my brethren come, 
twill inform them that thou boughtest me with thy money, and 
hast treated me with kindness and beneficence, and it will be meet 
that thou confirm my assertion to them. They will also see thy 

■ r ' 

state with "their eyes, and will know that thou art a King, the son 
of a King.—And thereupon the- King said, O my mistress, do what 
sSemeth fit to thee, and what thou wishest; for I will comply with 
thy*desire in all that thou wilt do. And the damsel said, Know, O 
King of the age, that we walk in the sea with our eyes open, and 
see what is in it, and we see the sun and the moon and the stars and 
the sky as on the face of the earth, and this hurteth us not. Know 
also, that in the sea are many peoples and various forms of all the 
kinds that are on the land ; and know, moreover, that all that is on 
the land, in comparison with what is in the sea, is a very small 
matter.—And the King wondered at her words . 6 

Then the damsel took forth from her shoulders two pieces of 

THE STORY OF JULLANA'R OF THE SEA. 

261 

Kamaree 7 aloes-wood, and took a bit of them, and, having lighted 
a fire in a perfuming-vessel, threw into it that bit, and she uttered 
a loud whistle, and proceeded to speak words which no one under¬ 
stood ; whereupon a great smoke arose, while the King looked on. 
After this, she said to the King, O my lord, arise and conceal thy¬ 
self in a closet, that I may shew thee my brother and my mother 
and my family without their seeing thee; for I desire to bring 
them, and thou shalt see in this place, at this time, a wonder, and 
shalt wonder at the various shapes and strange forms that God 
(whose name be exalted !) hath created. So the King arose imme¬ 
diately, and entered a closet, and looked to see what she would do. 
And she proceeded to burn perfume and repeat spells until the sea 
foamed and was agitated, and there came forth from it a young man 
of comely form, of beautiful countenance, like the moon at the full, 
with shining forehead, and red cheek, and hair resembling pearls 
and jewels; he was, of all the creation, the most like to his sister, 
and the tongue of the case itself seemed to recite in his praise these 
verses:— 

The moon becometh perfect once in each month; but the loveliness of thy 
face is perfect every day. 

Its abode is in the heart of one sign at a time; but thine abode is in all hearts 
at once. 

Afterwards, there came forth from the sea a grizzly-haired old 
woman, and with her five damsels, resembling moons, and bearing 
a likeness to the damsel whose name was Jullanar. Then the 
King saw the young man and the old woman and the damsels walk 
upon the surface of the water until they came to the damsel Julla¬ 
nar ; and when they drew near to the window, and Jullanar beheld 
them, she rose to them and met them with joy and happiness. On 
their seeing her, they knew her, and they went in to her and embraced 
her, weeping violently; and they said to her, O Jullanar, how is it 
that thou leavest us for four years, and we know not the place in 
which thou art ? By Allah, the world was contracted unto us, by 
reason of the distress occasioned by thy separation, and we had no 
delight in food nor in drink a single day, weeping night and day on 
account of the excess of our longing to see thee.—Then the damsel 
began to kiss the hand of the young man her brother, and the hand 
of her mother, and so also the hands of the daughters of her uncle, 

262 THE STORY OF JULLANA'R OF THE SEA. 

and they sat with her a while, asking her respecting her state, and 
the things that had happened to her, and her present condition. 

So she said to them, Know ye, that when I quitted you, and 
came forth from the sea, I sat upon the shore of an island, and 
a man took me, and sold me to a merchant, and the merchant 
brought me to this city, and sold me to its King for ten thou¬ 
sand pieces of gold. Then he treated me with attention, and for¬ 

sook all his concubines and his women and 
his favourites for my sake, and was diverted 
by his regard for me from everything that he 

THE STORY OF JULLANA'R OF THE SEA. 

263 

possessed and what was in his city.—And when her brother heard her 
words, he said, Praise be to God who hath reunited us with thee! But 
it is my desire, 0 my sister, that thou wouldst arise and go with us to 
our country and our family.—So when the King heard the words of 
her brother, his reason fled in consequence of his fear lest the 
damsel should accept the proposal of her brother, and he could not 
prevent her, though he was inflamed with love of her; wherefore 
he became perplexed, in violent fear of her separation. But as to 
the damsel Jullanar, on hearing the words of her brother, she said, 
By Allah, O my brother, the man who purchased me is the King of 
this city, and he is a great King, and a man of wisdom, generous, 
of the utmost liberality. He hath treated me with honour, and he 
is a person of kindness, and of great wealth, but hath no male child 
nor a female. He hath shewn favour to me, and acted well to me 
in every respect; and from the day when I came to him to the 
present time, I have not heard from him a bad word to grieve my 
heart; but he hath not ceased to treat me with courtesy, and hath 
done nothing without consulting me, and I am living with him 
in the best of states, and the most perfect of enjoyments. More¬ 
over, if I quitted him, he would perish: for he can never endure 
my separation even for a single hour. I also, if I quitted him, 
should die, by reason of the violence of my love for him in conse¬ 
quence of the excess of his kindness to me during the period of my 
residence with him; for if my father were living, my condition with 
him would not be like my condition with this great, glorious King. 
Ye have seen, too, that I am about to bear him issue; and praise 
be to God who hath made me to be a daughter of a King of 
the Sea, and my husband the greatest of the Kings of the Land. 
God (whose name be exalted!) afflicted me not, but compensated 
me well; and as the King hath not a male child nor a female, I beg 
God (whose name be exalted!) to bless me with a male child that 
may inherit of this great King these buildings and palaces and 
possessions of which God hath made him owner.—And when her 
brother, and the daughters of her uncle, heard her words, their eyes 
became cheerful thereat, and they said to her, O Jullanar, thou 
knowest the place which thou hast in our estimation, and art 
acquainted with our affection for thee, and thou art assured that 
thou art the dearest of all persons to us, and art certain that we 

264 

THE STORY OF JULLANA'R OF THE SEA. 

desire for thee comfort, without trouble or toil. Therefore if thou 
be not in a state of comfort, arise and accompany us to our country 
and our family; but if thou be comfortable here, in honour and 
happiness, this is our desire and wish; for we desire not aught save 
thy comfort in every respect.—And Jullanar replied, By Allah, I 
am in a state of the utmost comfort and enjoyment, in honour and 
desirable happiness. So when the King heard these words from 
her, he rejoiced, and his heart became tranquillized, and he thanked 
her for them ; his love for her increased, and penetrated to his 
heart’s core, and he knew that she loved him as he loved her, and 
that she desired to remain with him to see his child which she was 
to bear him. 

Then the damsel Jullanar of the Sea gave orders to the female 
slaves to bring forward the tables and the viands of all kinds; and 
Jullanar herself was the person who superintended the preparation 
of the viands in the kitchen. So the female slaves brought to them 
the viands and the sweetmeats and the fruits; and she ate with her 
family. But afterwards they said to her, O Jullanar, thy master is a 
man who is a stranger to us, and we have entered his abode without 
his permission and without his knowledge of us, and thou praisest to 
us his excellence, and hast also brought to us his food, and we have 
eaten, but have not had an interview with him, nor seen him, nor 
hath he seen us, nor come into our presence, nor eaten with us, 
that the bond of bread and salt might be established between us. 
And they all desisted from eating, and were enraged at her, and fire 
began to issue from their mouths as from cressets. 8 So when the 
King beheld this, his reason fled, in consequence of the violence of 
his fear of them. Then Jullanar rose to them, and soothed their 
hearts; after which she walked along until she entered the closet in 
which was the King her master; and she said to him, O my master, 
didst thou see, and didst thou hear my thanks to thee, and my praise 
of thee in the presence of my family; and didst thou hear what they 
said to me, that they desired to take me with them to our family and 
our country ? The King answered her, I heard and saw. May God 
recompense thee for us well! By Allah, I knew not the extent of 
the love that thou feelest for me until this blessed hour, and I 
doubt not of thy love for me. — She replied, O my master, is the 
recompense of beneficence aught but beneficence ? Thou hast 

THE STORY OF JULLANA'R OF THE SEA. 

265 

treated me with beneficence, and bestowed upon me great favours, 
and I see that thou lovest me with the utmost love, and thou hast 
shewn me every kindness, and preferred me above all whom thou 
lovest and desirest. How then could my heart be happy to quit 
thee, and to depart from thee; and how could that he when thou 
bestowest benefits and favours upon me? Now I desire of thy good¬ 
ness that thou come and salute my family, and see them, and that 
they may see thee, and that pleasure and mutual friendship may en¬ 
sue. But know, O King of the age, that my brother and my mother 
and the daughters of my uncle have conceived a great love for thee in 
consequence of my praising thee to them, and they have said, We 
will not depart from thee to our country until we have an interview 
with the King, and salute him. So they desire to behold thee, and to 
become familiar with thee. — And the King said to her, I hear and 
obey ; for this is what I desire. He then rose from his place, and 
went to them, and saluted them with the best salutation; and they 
hastened to rise to him; they met him in the most polite manner, 
and he sat with them in the pavilion, ate with them at the table, 
and remained with them for a period of thirty days. Then they 
desired to return to their country and abode. So they took leave 
of the King, and the Queen Jullanar of the Sea, and departed from 
them, after the King had treated them with the utmost honour. 

After this, Jullanar fulfilled her period, and she gave birth to a 
boy, resembling the moon at the full, whereat the King experienced 
the utmost happiness, because he had not before been blest with a 
son or a daughter during his life. They continued the rejoicings, 
and the decoration [of the city], for a period of seven days, in the 
utmost happiness and enjoyment; and on the seventh day, the 
mother of the Queen Jullanar, and her brother, and the daughters 
of her uncle, all came, when they knew that Jullanar had given 
birth to her child. The King met them, rejoicing at their arrival, and 
said to them, I said that I would not name my son until ye should 
come, and that ye should name him according to your knowledge. 
And they named him Bedr Basim; 9 all of them agreeing as to this 
name. They then presented the boy to his maternal uncle, Saleh, 
who took him upon his hands, and, rising with him from among them, 
walked about the palace to the right and left; after which, he went 
forth with him from the palace, descended with him to the sea, and 

2 M 

VOL III. 

266 

THE STORY OF JULLANA'R OF THE SEA. 

walked on until he became concealed from the eye of the King. 
So when the King saw that he had taken his son, and disappeared 
from him at the bottom of the sea, he despaired of him, and began 
to weep and wail. But Jullanar, seeing him in this state, said to 
him, O King of the age, fear not nor grieve for thy son ; for I love 
my child more than thou, and my child is with my brother; there¬ 
fore care not for the sea, nor fear his being drowned. If my 
brother knew that any injury would betide the little one, he 
had not done what he hath done; and presently he will bring thee 
thy son safe, if it be the will of God, whose name be exalted!— 
And but a short time had elapsed when the sea was agitated 
and disturbed, and the uncle of the little one came forth from it, 
having with him the King’s son safe, and he flew from the sea until 
he came to them, with the little one in his arms, silent, and his face 
resembling the moon in the night of its fulness. Then the uncle 
of the little one looked towards the King, and said to him, Perhaps 
thou fearedst some injury to thy son when I descended into the sea, 
having him with me. So he replied, Yes, O my master, I feared 
for him, and I did not imagine that he would ever come forth from 
it safe. And Saleh said to him, O King of the Land, we applied to 
his eyes a collyrium that we know, and repeated over him the 
names engraved upon the seal of Suleyman the son of Daood 
(on both of whom be peace !) ; for when a child is born among us, 
we do to him as I have told thee. Fear not therefore, on his 
account, drowning, nor suffocation, nor all the seas if he descend 
into them. Like as ye walk upon the land, we walk in the sea. 

He then took forth from his pocket a case, written upon, and 
sealed; and he broke its seal, and scattered its contents, whereupon 
there fell from it strung jewels, consisting of all kinds of jacinths 
and other gems, together with three hundred oblong emeralds, and 
three hundred oblong large jewels, of the size of the eggs of the 
ostrich, the light of which was more resplendent than the light 
of the sun and the moon. And he said, O King of the age, these 
jewels and jacinths are a present from me unto thee; for we never 
brought thee a present, because we knew not the place of Jullanar’s 
abode, nor were acquainted with any trace or tidings of her. So 
when we saw thee to have become united to her, and that we all 
had become one, we brought thee this present; and after every 

THE STORY OF JULLANA'R OF THE SEA. 

267 

period of a few days, we will bring thee .the like of it, it it be the 
will of God, whose name be exalted ! For these jewels and jacinths 
with us are more plentiful than the gravel upon the land, and we 
know the excellent among them, and the bad, and all the ways to 
them, and the places where they are found, and they are easy 
of access to us.—And when the King looked at those jewels and 
jacinths, his reason was confounded and his mind was bewildered, 
and he said, By Allah, one of these jewels is worth my kingdom! 
Then the King thanked Saleh of the Sea for his generosity, and, 
looking towards the Queen Jullanar, he said to her, I am abashed 
at thy brother; for he hath shewn favour to me and presented me 
with this magnificent present, which the people of the earth would 
fail to procure. So Jullanar thanked her brother for that which 
he had done; but her brother said, 0 King of the age, thou hadst 
a prior claim upon us, and to thank thee hath been incumbent on 
us; for thou hast treated my sister with beneficence, and we have 
entered thine abode, and eaten of thy provision; and the poet hath 
said,— 

Had I wept before she did, in my passion for Soada, I had healed my soul 
before repentance came. 

But she wept before I did: her tears drew mine; and I said, The merit 
belongs to the precedent. 

Then Saleh said. If we stood serving thee, O King of the age, 
a thousand years, regarding nothing else, we could not requite 
thee, and our doing so would be but a small thing in comparison 
with thy desert. — The King therefore thanked him eloquently. 
And Saleh remained with the King, he and his mother and the 
daughters of his uncle, forty days; after which he arose and 
kissed the ground before the King, the husband of his sister. So 
the King said to him, What dost thou desire, 0 Saleh ? And he 
answered, 0 King of the age, thou hast conferred favours upon us, 
and we desire of thy goodness that thou wouldst grant us a boon, 
and give us permission to depart; for we have become desirous of 
seeing again our family and our country and our relations and our 
homes. We will not, however, relinquish the service of thee, nor 
my sister nor the son of my sister; and by Allah, O King of the 
age, to quit you is not pleasant to my heart; but how can we act, 

when we have been reared in the sea, and the land is not agreeable 
to us ?—So when the King heard his words, he rose upon his feet, 
and bade farewell to Saleh of the Sea and his mother and the 
daughters of his uncle, and they wept together on account of the 
separation. Then they said to the King, In a short time we shall 
be with you, and we will never relinquish you, but after every 
period of a few days we will visit you. And after this, they flew 
towards the sea, and descended into it, and disappeared. 

The King treated Jullanar with beneficence, and honoured her 
exceedingly, and the little one grew up well; and his maternal 
uncle, with his grandmother and the daughters of his uncle, after 
every period of a few days used to come to the residence of the 
King, and to remain with him a month, and two months, and then 
return to their places. The boy ceased not, with increase of age, 
to increase in beauty and loveliness until his age became fifteen 
years; and he was incomparable in his perfect beauty, and his 
stature and his justness of form. He had learned writing and 
reading, and history and grammar and philology, and archery; and 
he learned to play with the spear; and he also learned horseman¬ 
ship, and all that the sons of the Kings required. There was not 
one of the children of the inhabitants of the city, men and women, 
that talked not of the charms of that young man; for he was of 

THE STORY OF JULLANA'R OF THE SEA. 

269 

surpassing loveliness and perfection; and the King loved him 
greatly. Then the King summoned the wezeer and the emeers and 
the lords of the empire and the great men of the kingdom, and made 
them swear by binding oaths that they would make Bedr Basim 
King over them after his father; so they swore to him by binding 
oaths, and rejoiced thereat; and the King himself was beneficent 
to the people, courteous in speech, of auspicious aspect, saying 
nothing but what was for the good of the people. And on the 
following day, the King mounted, together with the lords of the 
empire and all the emeers, and all the soldiers walked with him 
through the city and returned; and when they drew near to the 
palace, the King dismounted to wait upon his son, and he and all 
the emeers and the lords of the empire bore the ghashiyeh 10 before 
him. Each one of the emeers and the lords of the empire bore the 
ghashiyeh a while; and they ceased not to proceed until they 
arrived at the vestibule of the palace; the King’s son riding. 
Thereupon he alighted, and his father embraced him, he and the 
emeers, and they seated him upon the throne of the kingdom, 
while his father stood, as also did the emeers, before him. Then 
Bedr Basim judged the people, displaced the tyrannical and invested 
the just, and continued to give judgment until near midday, when 
he rose from the throne of the kingdom, and went in to his mother 
Jullanar of the Sea, having upon his head the crown, and resem¬ 
bling the moon. So when his mother saw him, and the King before 
him, she rose to him and kissed him, and congratulated him on his 
elevation to the dignity of Sultan; and she offered up a prayer in 
favour of him and his father for length of life, and victory over 
their enemies. He then sat with his mother and rested; pud when 
the time of afternoon-prayers arrived, he rode with the emeers 
before him until he came to the horse-course, where he played with 
arms till the time of nightfall, together with his father and the 
lords of his empire; after which he returned to the palace, with all 
the people before him. Every day he used to ride to the horse- 
course ; and when he returned, he sat to judge the people, and 
administered justice between the emeer and the poor man. He 
ceased not to do thus for a whole year; and after that, he used to 
ride to the chase, and to go about through the cities and provinces 
that were under his rule, making proclamation of safety and se- 

270 

THE STORY OF JULLANA'tt OF THE SEA. 

curity, and doing as do the Kings; and he was incomparable among 
the people of his age in glory and courage, and in justice to the 
people. 

Now it came to pass that the old King, the father of Bedr 
Basim, fell sick one day, whereupon his heart throbbed, and he 
felt that he was about to be removed to the mansion of eternity. 
Then his malady increased so that lie was at the point of death. 
He therefore summoned his son, and charged him to take care of 
his subjects and bis mother and all the lords of his empire and 
all the dependants. He also made them swear, and covenanted with 
them, that they would obey his son, a second time; and he con¬ 
fided in their oaths. And after this, he remained a few days, and 
was admitted to the mercy of God, whose name be exalted! His 
son Bedr Basim, and his wife Jullanar, and the emeers and wezeers 
and the lords of the empire, mourned over him ; and they made for 
him a tomb, and buried him in it, and continued the ceremonies of 
mourning for him a whole month. Saleh, the brother of Jullanar, 
and her mother, and the daughters of her uncle, also came, and 
consoled them for the loss of the King; and they said, O Jullanar, 
if the King hath died, he hath left this ingenious youth, and he 
who hath left such as he is hath not died. This is he who hath not 
an equal, the crushing lion, and the splendid moon. — Then the 
lords of the empire, and the grandees, went in to the King Bedr 
Basim, and said to him, O King, there is no harm in mourning for 
the King; but mourning becometh not any save womentherefore 
trouble not thy heart and ours by mourning for thy father; for he 
hath died and left thee, and he who hath left such as thou art hath 
not died. They proceeded to address him with soft words, and to 
console him, and after that they conducted him into the bath; and 
when he came forth from the hath, he put on a. magnificent suit 
woven of gold, adorned with jewels and jacinths, and he put the 
royal crown upon his head, seated himself upon the throne of his 
kingdom, and performed the affairs of the people, deciding equi¬ 
tably between the strong and the weak, and exacting for the poor 
man his due from the emeer; wherefore the people loved him 
exceedingly. Thus he continued to do for the space of a whole 
year; and after every short period, his family of the sea visited 
him; so his life was pleasant, and his eye was cheerful; and he 
ceased not to live in this state for a length of time. 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

After this, it happened that his maternal uncle came in one 
night to Jullanar, and saluted her; whereupon she rose to him and 
embraced him, and seated him by her side, and said to him, O my 
brother, how art thou, and how are my mother and the daughters 
of my uncle ? He answered her, O my sister, they are well, in 
prosperity and great happiness, and nothing is wanting to them but 
the sight of thy face. Then she offered him some food, and he ate; 
and, conversation ensuing between them, they mentioned the King 
Bedr Basim, and his beauty and loveliness, and his stature and 
justness of form, and his horsemanship and intelligence and polite 
accomplishments. Now the King Bedr Basim was reclining; and 
when he heard his mother and his uncle mentioning him and 
conversing respecting him, he pretended that he was asleep, and 
listened to their talk. And Saleh said to his sister Jullanar, The 
age of thy son is seventeen years, and he hath not married, and we 
fear that something may happen to him, and he may not have a son. 
I therefore desire to marry him to one of the Queens of the Sea, 
that shall be like him in beauty and loveliness.—So Jullanar re¬ 
plied, Mention them to me; for I know them. Accordingly he 
proceeded to enumerate them to her, one after another, while she 
said, I approve not of this for my son, nor will I marry him save to 
her who is like him in beauty and loveliness, and intelligence and 

272 

THE STORY OF REDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

religion, and polite accomplishments and kindness of nature, and 
dominion and rank and descent. And he said to her, I know not 
one more of the daughters of the Kings of the Sea, and I have 
enumerated to thee more than a hundred damsels, yet not one 
of them pleaseth thee: but see, O my sister, whether thy son 
be asleep or not. She therefore felt him, and she found that he 
bore the appearance of sleep: so she said to him, He is asleep: 
what then hast thou to say, and what is thy desire with regard to 
his sleeping ? 

He answered her, O my sister, know that I have remembered a 
damsel, of the damsels of the Sea, suitable to thy son; but I fear 
to mention her, lest thy son should be awake, and his heart should 
be entangled by love of her, and perhaps we may not he able to gain 
access to her: so he and we and the lords of his empire would be 
wearied, and trouble would befall us in consequence thereof. The 
poet hath said,— 

Love, at its commencement, is like running saliva; but when it hath gained 
ascendancy, it is like a wide sea. 

—And when his sister heard his words, she replied, Tell me what 
is the condition of this damsel, and what is her name; for I know 
the damsels of the Sea, the daughters of Kings and of others; and 
if I see her to be suitable to him, I will demand her in marriage of 
her father, though I expend upon her all that my hand possesseth. 
Acquaint me therefore with her, and fear not aught; for my son is 
asleep. — He said, I fear that he may be awake; and the poet hath 
said,— 

I loved her when her qualities were described; for sometimes the ear loveth 
before the eye. 

But Jullanar replied, Say, and be brief, and fear not, O my brother. 
And he said, By Allah, O my sister, none is suitable to thy son 
excepting the Queen Joharah, 11 the daughter of the King Es- 
Semendel, 12 and she is like him in beauty and loveliness and ele¬ 
gance and perfection, and there existeth not in the sea nor on the 
land any one more graceful or more sweet in natural endowments 
than she. For she hath beauty and loveliness, and handsome 
stature and just form, and red cheek and bright forehead, and hair 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

273 

like jewels,’ 3 and large black eye, and heavy hips and a slender 
waist, and a lovely countenance. When she looketh aside, she 
putteth to shame the wild cows 11 and the gazelles; and when she 
walketh with a vacillating gait, the willow-branch is envious; and 
when she displayeth her countenance, she confoundeth the sun and 
the moon, and captivateth every beholder: she is sweet-lipped, 
gentle in disposition.—And when she heard the words of her bro¬ 
ther, she replied, Thou hast spoken truth, O my brother. By 
Allah, I have seen her many times, and she was my companion 
when we were little children; but now we have no acquaintance 
with each other, because of the distance between us; and for 
eighteen years I have not seen her. By Allah, none is suitable to 
my son except her. 

Now when Bedr Basim heard their words, and understood what 
they said from first to last in description of the damsel that Saleh 
mentioned, Joharah the daughter of the King Es-Semendel, he 
became enamoured of her by the ear; but he pretended to them 
that he was asleep. A flame of fire was kindled in his heart on her 
account, and he was drowned in a sea of which neither shore nor 
bottom was seen. Then Saleh looked towards his sister Jullanar, 
and said to her, By Allah, O my sister, there is not among the 
Kings of the Sea any one more stupid than her father, nor is there 
any of greater power than he. Therefore-acquaint not thy son with 
the case of this damsel until we demand her in marriage for him of 
her father; and if he favour us by assenting to our proposal, we 
praise God (whose name be exalted!); and if he reject us, and 
marry her not to thy son, we will remain at ease, and demand in 
marriage another. — And when Jullanar heard what her brother 
Saleh said, she replied, Excellent is the opinion that thou hast 
formed. Then they were silent; and they passed that night. In 
the heart of the King Bedr Basim was a flame of fire, kindled by 
his passion for the Queen Joharah; but he concealed his case, and 
said not to his mother nor to his uncle aught respecting her, though 
he was tortured by love of her as though he were on burning coals. 
And when they arose in the morning, the King and his uncle 
entered the bath, and washed: then they came forth, and drank 
some wine, and the attendants placed before them the food: so the 
King Bedr Basim and his mother and his uncle ate until they were 

2 N 

VOL. III. 

274 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

satisfied, and washed their hands. And after that, Saleh rose upon 
his feet, and said to the King Bedr Basim and his mother Jullanar, 
With your permission, I would go to my mother; for I have been 
with you a period of days, and the hearts of my family are troubled 
respecting me, and they are expecting me. But the King Bedr 
Basim said to his uncle Saleh, Remain with us this day. And he 
complied with his request. 

Bedr Basim then said, Arise with us, O my uncle, and go forth 
with us to the garden. So they went to the garden, and proceeded 
to divert and recreate themselves; and the King Bedr Basim seated 
himself beneath a shady tree, desiring to rest and sleep; but he 
remembered what his uncle Saleh had said, describing the damsel 
and her beauty and loveliness, and he shed many tears, and recited 
these two verses:— 

Were it said to me, while the flame is burning within me, and the fire blazing 
in my heart and bowels, 

Wouldst thou rather that thou shouldst behold them, or a draught of pure 
water?—I would answer, Them. 

Then he lamented and groaned and wept, and recited these two 
other verses 

THE STORY OF BEDK BA'SIM AND JOHARAH. 

275 

Who will save me from the love of a charming gazelle, with a face like the 
sun : nay, more lovely ? 

My heart was at ease, free from love of her; hut now burneth with passion 
for the daughter of Es-Semendel. 

So when his uncle Saleh heard what he said, he struck hand upon 
hand, and said, There is no deity but God: Mohammad is the 
Apostle of God: and there is no strength nor power but in God, 
the High, the Great! Then he said to him, Didst thou hear, O 
my son, what I and thy mother said respecting the Queen J oharah, 
and our mention of her qualities ? Bedr Basim answered, Yes, O 
my uncle, and I became enamoured of her from hearsay, when I 
heard what ye said. My heart is devoted to her, and I have not 
patience to remain absent from her.—Saleh therefore said to him, 
O King, let us return to thy mother and acquaint her with the case, 
and I will ask her to permit me to take thee with me and to 
demand in marriage for thee the Queen Joharah. Then we will 
bid her farewell, and I will return with thee; for I fear that, if I 
took thee and went without her permission, she would be incensed 
against me, and she would be right, as I should be the cause of your 
separation, like as I was the cause of her separation from us. The 
city, too, would be without a King, its people having none to 
govern them, and to see to their cases: so the state of the empire 
would become adverse unto thee, and the kingdom would depart 
from thy hand.—But when Bedr Basim heard the words of his 
uncle Saleh, he replied, Know, O my uncle,, that if I return to my 
mother and consult her on this subject, she will not allow me to do 
it; therefore I will not return to her, nor consult her ever. And 
he wept before his uncle, and said to him, I will go with thee, and 
I will not inform her, and then I will return. So when Saleh 
heard the words of his sister’s son, he was perplexed at his case, 
and said, I beg aid of God (whose name be exalted!) in every 
circumstance. 

Then Saleh, seeing his sister’s son in this state, and knowing 
that he desired not to return to his mother, but would go with 
him, took from his finger a seal-ring on which were engraved some 
of the names of God (whose name be exalted !), and handed it to 
the King Bedr Basim, saying to him, put this upon thy finger, and 
thou wilt be secure from drowning and from other accidents, and 

276 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

from the noxiousness of the beasts of the sea and its great tishes. 
So the King Bedr Basim took the seal-ring from his uncle Saleh, 
and put it upon his finger; after which, they plunged into the sea, 
and ceased not in their course until they arrived at the palace of 
Saleh, when they entered it, and Bedr Basim’s grandmother, the 
mother of his mother, saw him, as she sat, attended by her 
relations. When they went in to them, they kissed their hands; 
and as soon as Bedr Basim’s grandmother saw him, she rose to him 
and embraced him, kissed him between the eyes, and said to him, 
Thine arrival is blessed, O my son! How didst thou leave thy 
mother Jullanar?—He answered her, Well; in prosperity and 
health; and she saluteth thee and the daughters of her uncle. 
Then Saleh acquainted his mother with that which had occurred 
between him and his sister Jullanar, and that the King Bedr Basim 
had become enamoured of the Queen Joharah, the daughter of the 
King Es-Semendel, from hearsay. He related to her the story 
from beginning to end, and said, He hath not come but for the 
purpose of demanding her in marriage of her father, and marrying 
her. 

But when the grandmother of the King Bedr Basim heard the 
words of Saleh, she was violently incensed against him, and was 
agitated and grieved, and she said to him, O my son, thou hast erred 
in mentioning the Queen Joharah, the daughter of the King Es- 
Semendel, before the son of thy sister; for thou knowest that the 
King Es-Semendel is stupid, overbearing, of little sense, of great 
power, niggardly of his daughter Joharah towards those who demand 
her in marriage ; for all the Kings of the Sea have demanded her of 
him, and he refused, and approved not one of them, but rejected 
them all, and said to them, Ye are not equal to her in beauty nor in 
loveliness, nor in other qualities than those. And we fear to de¬ 
mand her in marriage of her father; for he would reject us as he 
hath rejected others; and we are people of kindness; so we should 
return broken-hearted.—And when Saleh heard what his mother 
said, he replied, O my mother, what is to be done ? For the King 
Bedr Basim became enamoured of this damsel when I mentioned 
her to my sister Jullanar, and he said, We must demand her in 
marriage of her father though I should give away all my kingdom. 
And he hath asserted, that if he marry her not he will die of love 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

277 

and desire for her.—Then Saleh said to his mother, Know that the 
son of my sister is more beautiful and more lovely than she, and 
that his father was King of all the Persians, and he is now their 
King, and Joharah is not suitable to any but him. I have resolved 
that I will take jewels, consisting of jacinths and other gems, and 
convey a present befitting him, and demand her of him in marriage. 
If he allege as a pretext to us that he is a King, so also is he a 
King, the son of a King. And if he allege as a pretext to us her 
loveliness, he is more lovely than she. Again, if he allege as a pre¬ 
text to us the extent of dominions, he hath more extensive domi¬ 
nions than she and than her father, and hath more numerous troops 
and guards; for his kingdom is greater than the kingdom of her 
father. I must endeavour to accomplish this affair of the son of my 
sister, though my life be lost thereby, since I was the cause of this 
event; and as I cast him into the seas of her love, I will strive to 
effect his marriage to her; and may God (whose name be exalted!) 
aid me to do that!—So his mother said to him, Do as thou wilt, and 
beware of speaking rudely to him when thou addressest him; for 
thou knowest his stupidity and his power, and I fear lest he make 
a violent attack upon thee, since he knoweth not the dignity of any 
one. And he replied, I hear and obey. 

He then arose, and took with him two leathern bags full of 
jewels and jacinths, and oblong emeralds, and precious minerals of 
all kinds of stones, and, having made his young men carry them, he 
proceeded with them, he and the son of his sister, to the palace of 
the King Es-Semendel. He asked permission to go in to him, and 
permission was given him; and when he entered, he kissed the 
ground before him, and saluted with the best salutation. And 
when the King Es-Semendel saw him, he rose to him, treated him 
with the utmost honour, and ordered him to sit. So he sat, and 
after he had been seated a while, the King said to him, Thine 
arrival is blessed. Thou hast made us desolate by thine absence, 
O Saleh. What is thy want, that thou hast come unto us ? Acquaint 
me with thy want, that I may perform it for thee.—And upon this 
he rose, and kissed the ground a second time, and said, O King of 
the age, my want respecteth God, and the magnanimous King, and 
the bold lion, the report of whose good qualities the caravans have 
borne abroad, and whose fame hath been published in the provinces 

278 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAII. 

and cities, for liberality and beneficence, and pardon and clemency 
and obliging conduct. Then he opened the two leathern bags, and 
took forth from them the jewels and other things, and scattered 
them before the King Es-Semendel, saying to him, O King of the 
age, perhaps thou wilt accept my present, and shew favour to me, and 
comfort my heart by accepting it from me. Upon this, the King 
Es-Semendel said to him, For what reason hast thou presented to 
me this present ? Tell me thine affair, and acquaint me with thy 
want; and if I be able to perform it, I will perform it for thee this 
instant, and not oblige thee to weary thyself; but if I be unable to 
perform it, God imposeth not upon a person aught save what he is 
able to accomplish. 15 —Then Saleli arose, and kissed the ground 
three times, and said, O King of the age, verily the thing that I re¬ 
quire thou art able to perform, and it is in thy power, and thou art 
master of it. I impose not upon the King a difficulty, nor am I 
mad, that I should ask of the King a thing that he is unable to do; 
for one of the sages hath said, If thou desire that thy request should 
be complied with, ask that which is possible. Now as to the thing 
that I have come to demand, the King (may God preserve him!) 
is able to do it.—So the King said to him, Ask the thing that thou 
requirest, and explain thine affair, and demand what thou desirest. 
And he said to him, O King of the age, know that I have come to 
thee as a marriage-suitor, desiring the unique pearl, and the hidden 
jewel, the Queen Joharah, the daughter of our lord; then disap¬ 
point not, O King, him who applieth to thee. 

But when the King heard his words, he laughed so that he fell 
backwards, in derision of him, and replied, O Saleh, I used to think 
thee a man of sense, and an excellent young man, who attempted 
not aught but what was right, and uttered not aught but what was 
just. What hath happened to thy reason, and urged thee to this 
monstrous thing, and great peril, that thou demandest in marriage 
the daughters of Kings, the lords of cities and provinces. Art thou 
of a rank to attain to this high eminence, and hath thy reason de¬ 
creased to this extreme degree that thou confrontest me with these 
words ?—So Saleh said, May God amend the state of the King! 
I demanded her not in marriage for myself; yet if I demanded her 
for myself, I am her equal; nay more; for thou knowest that my 
father was one of the Kings of the Sea, if thou art now our King. 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

279 

But I demanded her not in marriage save for the King Bedr Basim, 
lord of the provinces of Persia, whose father was the King Shah Ze¬ 
min, and thou knowest his power. If thou assert that thou art a great 
King, the King Bedr Basim is a greater King : and if thou boastest 
that thy daughter is lovely, the King Bedr Basim is more lovely 
than she, and more beautiful in form, and more excellent in rank 
and descent; and he is the horseman of his age. So if thou assent 
to that which I have asked of thee, thou wilt, O King of the age, 
have put the thing in its proper place; and if thou behave arrogantly 
towards us, thou treatest us not equitably, nor pursuest with us the 
right way. Thou knowest, O King, that this Queen Joharah, the 
daughter of our lord the King, must be married; for the sage saith, 
The inevitable lot of the damsel is either marriage or the grave;— 
and if thou design to marry her, the son of my sister is more worthy 
of her than all the rest of men.—But when the King Es-Semendel 
heard the words of the King Saleh, he was violently enraged; his 
reason almost departed, and his soul almost quitted his body, and 
he said to him, O dog of men, doth such a one as thyself address 
me with these words, and dost thou mention my daughter in the 
assemblies, and say that the son of thy sister Jullanar is her equal ? 
Who then art thou, and who is thy sister, and who is her son, and 
who was his father, that thou sayest to me these words, and addressest 
me with this discourse ? Are ye, in comparison with her, aught 
but dogs?—Then he called out to his young men, and said, O young 
men, take the head of this young wretch ! 

So they took the swords and drew them, and sought to slay him; 
but he turned his back in flight, seeking the gate of the palace; and 
when he arrived at the gate of the palace, he saw the sons of his 
uncle, and his relations and tribe and young men, who were more 
than a thousand horsemen, buried in iron and in coats of mail put 
one over another, and having in their hands spears and bright swords. 
On their seeing Saleh in this state, they said to him. What is the 
news ? He therefore told them his story. And his mother had sent 
them to his assistance. So when they heard his words, they knew 
that the King was stupid and of great power, and they alighted from 
their horses, and drew their swords, and went in to the King Es- 
Semendel. They saw him sitting upon the throne of his kingdom, 
heedless of these people, and violently enraged against Saleh ; and 

280 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

they saw his servants and his young men and his guards unprepared; 
and when he beheld them, with the drawn swords in their hands, he 
called out to his people, saying, Oh! wo to you! Take ye the 
heads of these dogs !—But there had not elapsed more than a little 
while before the party of the King Es-Semendel were routed, and 
betook themselves to flight; and Saleh and his relations had seized 
the King Es-Semendel, and bound his hands behind him. 

Now Joharah, awaking from sleep, was informed that her 
father was taken a captive, and that his guards had been slain. So 
she went forth from the palace, and fled to one of the islands, where 
she repaired to a lofty tree, and she concealed herself upon it. And 
when these two parties contended together, some of the young men 
of the King Es-Semendel fled, and Bedr Basim, seeing them, asked 
them respecting their case; whereupon they acquainted him with 
that which had happened. Therefore, on his hearing that the King 
Es-Semendel had been seized, he turned his back in flight, fearing 
for himself, and said in his heart, Verily this disturbance originated 
on my account, and none is the object of search but myself. He 
turned back in flight, seeking safety, and knew not whither to go. 

But the destinies fixed from all 
eternity drove him to that island 
upon which was Joharah, the 
daughter of the King Es-Se- 
mendel; and he came to the 
tree, and threw himself down 
like one slain, desiring to take 
rest by his prostrate position, 
and not knowing that every one 
who is an object of search rest- 
eth not, and none knoweth what 
is hidden from him in the se¬ 
crets of destiny. And when he 
lay down, he turned up his eyes 
towards the tree, and his eye 
met that of Joharah: so he 
looked at her, and saw her 
to be like the moon when it 
shineth; and he said. Extolled 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

281 

be the perfection of the Creator of this surprising form! and 
He is the Creator of everything, and is Almighty! Extolled 
be the perfection of God, the Great, the Creator, the Maker, 
the Former! By Allah, if my imagination tell me truth, this 
must be Joharah the daughter of the King Es-Semendel. I 
suppose that when she heard of the conflict happening between 
the two parties, she fled, and came to this island, and hid her¬ 
self upon this tree; but if this be not the Queen Joharah, this is 
more beautiful than she.—Then he proceeded to meditate upon 
her case, and said within himself, I will rise and lay hold upon 
her, and ask her respecting her state; and if this be she, I will 
demand her in marriage of herself, and this is the thing I seek. 
So he stood erect upon his feet, and said to Joharah, O utmost 
object of desire, who art thou, and who brought thee unto this 
place ? And Joharah, looking at Bedr Basim, saw him to be like 
the full moon when it appeareth from behind the black clouds, of 
elegant stature, comely in his smile. She therefore said to him, O 
thou endowed with comely qualities, I am the Queen J oharah, the 
daughter of the King Es-Semendel, and I have fled to this place 
because Saleh and his troops have fought with my father and slain 
his troops, and made him a captive, together with some of his 
troops: so I fled, in fear for myself. Then the Queen Joharah 
said to the King Bedr Basim, And I came not to this place save in 
flight, fearing slaughter; and I know not what fortune hath done 
with my father. And when Bedr Basim heard her words, he won¬ 
dered extremely at this strange coincidence, and said, No doubt I 
have attained my desire by the capture of her father. He then 
looked at her, and said to her, Descend, O my mistress; for I am a 
victim of thy love, and thine eyes have captivated me. On account 
of me and thee were this disturbance and these conflicts. Know 
that I am the King Bedr Basim, the King of Persia, and that 
Saleh is my maternal uncle, and he is the person who came to thy 
father and demanded thee of him in marriage. I have left my 
kingdom on thine account, and our meeting now is a wonderful 
coincidence. Arise then, and descend to me, that I may go with 
thee to the palace of thy father, and ask my uncle Saleh to release 
him, and marry thee lawfully. 

But when Joharah heard the words of Bedr Basim, she said 

2 o 

VOL. III. 

282 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

within herself, On account of this base young wretch hath this 
event happened, and my father been made a captive, and his cham¬ 
berlains and his attendants have been slain, and I have become 
separated from my palace, and come forth an exile from my country 
to this island. If now I employ not some stratagem with him, 
thereby to defend myself from him, he will gain possession of me, 
and attain his desire; for he is in love; and the lover, whatever he 
doth, is not to be blamed for it.—Then she beguiled him with 
words, and with soft discourse, and he knew not what artifices she 
had devised against him; and she said to him, O my master, and 
light of my eye, art thou the King Bedr Basim, the son of the 
Queen Jullanar? So he answered her, Yes, 0 my mistress. And 
she said, May God cut off my father, and deprive him of his king¬ 
dom, and not comfort his heart, nor restore him from estrangement, 
if he desire a person more comely than thou, and aught more 
comely than these charming endowments! By Allah, he is of 
little sense and judgment!—She then said to him, O King of the 
age, blame not my father for that which he hath done. If the 
measure of thy love for me be a span, that of my love for thee is a 
cubit. I have fallen into the snare of thy love, and become of the 
number of thy victims. The love that thou hadst is transferred to 
me, and there remaineth not of it with thee aught save as much as 
the tenth part of what I feel.—Then she descended from the tree, 
and drew near to him, and came to him and embraced him, pressing 
him to her bosom, and began to kiss him. So when the King Bedr 
Basim saw what she did to him, his love for her increased, and his 
desire for her became violent. He imagined that she was enamoured 
of him, and he confided in her, and proceeded to embrace her and 
kiss her. And he said to her, O Queen, by Allah, my uncle Saleh 
did not describe to me the quarter of the tenth part of thy love¬ 
liness, nor the quarter of a keerat of four and twenty keerats. 10 
Then Joharali pressed him to her bosom, and uttered some words 
not to be understood; after which, she spat in his face, and said to 
him, Be changed from this human form into the form of a bird, the 
most beautiful of birds, with white feathers, and red bill and feet. 
And her words were not ended before the King Bedr Basim became 
transformed into the shape of a bird, the most beautiful that could 
be of birds; and he shook, and stood upon his feet, looking at 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 283 

Joharah. Now she had with her a damsel, one of her female 
slaves, named Marseeneh, 17 and she looked at her and said, By 
Allah, were it not that I fear on account of my father’s being a 
captive with his uncle, I had slain him, and may God not recom¬ 
pense him well; for how unfortunate was his coming unto us; all 
this disturbance having been effected by his means! But, O slave- 
girl, take him, and convey him to the Thirsty Island, and leave him 
there that he may die of thirst.—So the slave-girl took him, and 
conveyed him to the island, and was about to return from him; but 
she said within herself, By Allah, the person endowed with this 
beauty and loveliness deserveth not to die of thirst. Then she took 
him forth from the Thirsty Island, and brought him to an island 
abounding with trees and fruits and rivers, and, having put him 
upon it, returned to her mistress, and said to her, I have put him 
upon the Thirsty Island.—Such was the case of Bedr Basim. 

But as to Saleh, the uncle of the King Bedr Basim, when he 
had got possession of the King Es-Semendel, and slain his guards 
and servants, and the King had become his captive, he sought 
Joharah, the King’s daughter; but found her not. So he returned 
to his palace, to the presence of his mother, and said, O my mother, 
where is the son of my sister, the King Bedr Basim ? She an¬ 
swered, 0 my son, by Allah, I have no knowledge of him, nor 
know I whither he hath gone; for when he was told that thou 
hadst fought with the King Es-Semendel, and that conflicts and 
slaughter had ensued between you, he was terrified, and fled. So 
when Saleh heard the words of his mother, he grieved for the son 
of his sister, and said, O my mother, by Allah, we have acted neg¬ 
ligently with respect to the King Bedr Basim, and I fear that he 
will perish, or that one of the soldiers of the King Es-Semendel 
may fall upon him, or that the King’s daughter, Joharah, may fall 
upon him, and shame will betide us from his mother, and good will 
not betide us from her; for I took him without her permission. 
Then he sent guards and spies after him, through the sea and in 
other directions, but they met with no tidings of him; wherefore 
they returned, and informed the King Saleh thereof; and his 
anxiety and grief increased, and his bosom became contracted on 
account of the King Bedr Basim.—Thus was it with them.’ 

Next, with regard to Bedr Basim’s mother, Jullanar of the Sea, 

284 THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

when her soil had descended into the sea with his uncle Saleh, she 
waited expecting him; but he returned not to her, and tidings of 
him were long kept from her. So she remained many days expect¬ 
ing him; after which she arose, and descended into the sea, and 
came to her mother; and when her mother saw her, she rose to her, 
and kissed her and embraced her, as did also the daughters of her 
uncle. She then asked her mother respecting the King Bedr 
Basim, and her mother answered her, O my daughter, he came 
with his uncle, and his uncle took jacinths and jewels, and went 
with them, he and Bedr Basim, to the King Es-Semendel, and 
demanded in marriage his daughter: but the King assented not to 
his proposal, and he was violent to thy brother in his words. I 
therefore sent to thy brother about a thousand horsemen, and a 
conflict ensued between them and the King Es-Semendel; but God 
aided thy brother against them, and he slew his guards and his 
troops, and made the King Es-Semendel a captive. So tidings of 
this event reached thy son, and apparently he feared for himself; 
wherefore he fled from us without our will, and he returned not 
to us after that, nor have we heard any tidings of him.—Then 
Jullanar inquired of her respecting her brother Saleh, and she 
informed her, saying, He is sitting upon the throne of the kingdom 
in the place of the King Es-Semendel, and he hath sent in every 
direction to search for thy son and the Queen Joharah. So when 
Jullanar heard the words of her mother, she mourned for her son 
violently, and her anger was fierce against her brother Saleh, because 
he had taken her son and descended with him into the sea without 
her permission. She then said, O my mother, verily I fear for our 
kingdom; for I came to you and acquainted not any one of the 
people of the empire, and I dread, if I remain long away from 
them, that the kingdom will be alienated from us, and that the 
dominion will depart from our hands. The right opinion is, that I 
should return, and govern the empire until God shall order for us 
the affair of my son; and forget not ye my son, nor neglect his case; 
for if mischief befall him, I perish inevitably; since I regard not 
the world save in connection with him, nor delight save in his life. 
—So her mother replied, With feelings of love and honour will I 
comply, 0 my daughter. Inquire not what we suffer by reason of 
his separation and absence.—Then her mother sent to search for 

him, and Bedr Basim’s mother returned with mourning heart and 
weeping eye to the empire. The world had become strait to her, 
her heart was contracted, and her case was grievous. 

Now again as to the King Bedr Basim, when the Queen Joharah 
had enchanted him, and sent him with her female slave to the 
Thirsty Island, saying to her, Leave him upon it to die of thirst— 
the slave-girl put him not save upon a verdant, fruitful island, with 
trees and rivers. So he betook himself to eating of the fruits, and 
drinking of the rivers; and he ceased not to remain in this state for 
a period of days and nights, in the form of a bird, not knowing 
whither to go, nor how to fly. And while he was one day upon 
that island, lo, there came thither a fowler, to catch something 
wherewith to sustain himself; and he saw the King Bedr Basim in 
the form of a bird, with white feathers and with red bill and feet, 
captivating the beholder, and astonishing the mind. So the fowler 
looked at him, and he pleased him, and he said within himself, 
Verily this bird is beautiful: I have not seen a bird like it in its 
beauty, nor in its form. Then he cast the net over him, and caught 
him, and he went with him into the city, saying within himself, I 
will sell it, and receive its price. And one of the people of the 

286 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

city met him, and said to him. For how much is this bird to be sold, 
O fowler ? The fowler said to him, If thou buy it, what wilt thou 
do with it ? The man answered, I will kill it and eat it. But the 
fowler said to him, Whose heart would be pleased to kill this bird 
and eat it? Verily I desire to present it to the King, and he will 
give me more than the sum that thou wouldst give me as its price, 
and will not kill it, but will divert himself with beholding it, and 
observing its beauty and loveliness; for during my whole life, while 
I have been a fowler, I have not seen the like of it among the prey 
of the sea nor among the prey of the land. If thou be desirous of 
it, the utmost that thou wouldst give me as its price would be a 
piece of silver; and I, by Allah the Great, will not sell it.—Then 
the fowler went with him to the palace of the King; and when the 
King saw him, his beauty and loveliness pleased him, and the red¬ 
ness of his bill and his feet; so he sent to the fowler a eunuch to 
purchase him of him; and the eunuch came to the fowler, and said 
to him, Wilt thou sell this bird ? He answered, No ; it is for the 
King, as a present from me unto him. The eunuch therefore took 
him, and went with him to the King, and acquainted him with that 
which he had said; whereupon the King took the bird, and gave to 
the fowler ten pieces of gold; and he received them, and kissed the 
ground, and departed. The eunuch then brought the bird to the 
King’s pavilion, put him in a handsome cage, hung it up, and put 
with him what he might eat and drink. And when the King came 
down, he said to the eunuch, Where is the bird ? Bring it that I 
may see it. By Allah, it is beautiful!—So the eunuch brought 
him, and put him before the King; and he saw that, of the food 
that was with him, he had not eaten aught; wherefore the King 
said, By Allah, I know not what he will eat, that I may feed him. 
Then he gave orders to bring the repast. The tables therefore 
were brought before him, and the King ate of the repast; and when 
the bird looked at the flesh-meat and other viands, and the sweet¬ 
meats and fruits, he ate of all that was upon the table before the 
King, and the King was amazed at him, and wondered at his 
eating, as did also the other persons who were present. And upon 
this the King said to the eunuchs and memlooks who were around 
him, In my life I have never seen a bird eat like this bird. 

The King then commanded that his wife should come to divert 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

287 

herself with the sight of him. So the eunuch went to bring her; 
and when he saw her, he said to her, O my mistress, the King 
desireth thy presence, in order that thou mayest divert thyself with 
the sight of this bird that he hath bought; for when we brought 
the repast, it flew from the cage, and pitched upon the table, and 
ate of all that was upon it. Arise then, O my mistress; divert thy¬ 
self with the sight of it; for it is beautiful in appearance, and it is 
a wonder among the wonders of the age. — Therefore when she 
heard the words of the eunuch, she came quickly; but as soon as 
she looked at the bird, and discovered him, she veiled her face, and 
turned back. So the King rose and followed her, and said to her, 
Wherefore didst thou cover thy face, when there are not in thy pre¬ 
sence any but the female slaves and the eunuchs who serve thee, and 
thy husband ? And she answered, 0 King, verily this is not a bird; 
but it is a man like thee. But when he heard the words of his 
wife, he said to her, Thou utterest falsehood. How much dost thou 
jest! How can it be aught but a bird?—She replied, By Allah, I 
jested not with thee, nor did I tell thee anything but truth. Verily 
this bird is the King Bedr Basim, the son of the King Shah Zeman, 
lord of the countries of the Persians, and his mother is Jullanar of 
the Sea.—And how, said he, hath he become transformed into this 
shape ? She answered him, The Queen Joharah, the daughter of 
the King Es-Semendel, hath enchanted him. Then she related to 
him what had happened to him from first to last, telling him that 
he had demanded Joharah in marriage of her father, and that her 
father consented not thereto, and that his maternal uncle Saleh had 
fought with the King Es-Semendel, and that Saleh had overcome 
him, and made him a captive. And when the King heard the 
words of his wife, he wondered extremely. Now this Queen, his 
wife, was the most skilful in enchantment among the people of her 
age. The King therefore said to her, By my life, I conjure thee to 
free him from his enchantment, and not leave him tormented. May 
God (whose name be exalted!) cut off the hand of Joharah! How 
vile is she, and how little is her religion, and how great are her de¬ 
ceit and her artifice!—His wife replied, Say to him, O Bedr Basim, 
enter this closet. So the King ordered him to enter the closet; 
and when he heard the King’s words, he entered it. Then the wife 
of the King arose, and, having veiled her face, took in her hand a 

cup of water, and entered the closet; and she uttered over the 
water some words not to be understood, and [sprinkling him with 
it,] said to him, By virtue of these great names, and excellent 
verses [of the Kur-an], and by the power of God (whose name be 
exalted!), the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and the Reviver 
of the dead, and the Distributor of the means of subsistence and the 
terms of life, quit this form in which thou now art, and return to 
the form in which God created thee! And her words were not 
ended when he shook violently, and returned to his original form, 
whereupon the King beheld him a comely young man, than whom 
there was not upon the face of the earth one more beautiful. 

When the King Bedr Basim beheld this thing, he said, There 
is no deity but God: Mohammad is the Apostle of God! Extolled 
be the perfection of the Creator of the creatures, and the Ordainer 
of their means of subsistence and their terms of life!—Then he 
kissed the hands of the King, and prayed for long life for him ; and 
the King kissed the head of Bedr Basim, and said to him, O Bedr 
Basim, relate to me thy story from beginning to end. So he 
related to him his story, not concealing from him aught; and the 
King wondered thereat, and said to him, O Bedr Basim, God hath 
delivered thee from the enchantment; what then doth thy good 
pleasure demand, and what dost thou desire to do ? He answered 
him, O King of the age, I desire of thy beneficence that thou 
wouldst prepare for me a ship, and a company of thy servants, and 
all that I require; for I have been absent a long time, and I fear 
that the empire may depart from me. Moreover, I imagine not 
that my mother is alive, on account of my separation. What seems 
most probable to me is, that she hath died in consequence of her 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

289 

mourning for me; since she knoweth not what hath happened to 
me, nor whether I be living or dead. I therefore beg thee, O King, 
to complete thy beneficence to me by granting that which I have 
requested of thee.—And when the King considered his beauty and 
loveliness and his eloquence, he replied and said to him, I hear and 
obey. He then prepared for him a ship, transported to it what he 
required, and despatched with him a company of his servants. So 
he embarked in the ship, after he had bidden farewell to the King, 
and they proceeded over the sea. 

The wind aided them, and they ceased not to proceed for ten 
days successively; but on the eleventh day, the sea became violently 
agitated, the ship began to rise and pitch, and the sailors were 
unable to manage her. They continued in this state, the waves 
sporting with them, until they drew near to one of the rocks of 
the sea, and the ship fell upon that rock, and went to pieces, 
and all who were in her were drowned, excepting the King Bedr 
Basim; for he mounted upon one of the planks, after he had 
been at the point of destruction. 18 The plank ceased not to bear 
him along the sea, and he knew not whither he was going, nor had 
he any means of checking the motion of the plank : it carried him 
with the water and the wind, and continued to do so for a period of 
three days. But on the fourth day, the plank was cast with him 
upon the shore of the sea, and he found there a city, white as a very 
white pigeon, built upon an island by the shore of the sea, with 
lofty angles, beautiful in construction, with high walls, and the sea 
beat against its walls. So when the King Bedr Basim beheld the 
island upon which was this city, he rejoiced greatly; and he had 
been at the point of destruction by reason of hunger and thirst. 
He therefore landed from the plank, and desired to go up to 
the city; but there came to him mules and asses and horses, 
numerous as the grains of sand, and they began to strike him, and 
to prevent his going up from the sea to the city. So he swam 
round behind that city, and landed upon the shore, and he found 
not there any one; wherefore he wondered, and said, To whom 
doth this city belong, not having a King nor any one in it, and 
whence are these mules and asses and horses that prevented me 
from landing ? And he proceeded to meditate upon his case as he 
walked along, not knowing whither to go. 

2 r 

VOL. III. 

Then, after that, he saw a sheykh, a grocer; and when the King 
Bedr Basim saw him, he saluted him ; and the sheykh returned the 
salutation, and, looking at him, saw him to be a comely person : so 
he said to him, O young man, whence hast thou come, and what 
brought thee to this city ? He therefore related to him his story 
from beginning to end; and he wondered at it, and said to him, 
O my son, didst thou not see any one in thy way ? He answered 
him, O my father, I only wonder at this city seeing that it is devoid 
of people. And the sheykh said to him, O my son, come up into 
the shop, lest thou perish. So Bedr Basim went up, and seated 
himself in the shop. And the sheykh arose, and brought him some 
food, saying to him, O my son, come into the inner part of the 
shop. Extolled be the perfection of Him who hath preserved thee 
from this she-devil! — The King Bedr Basim therefore feared 
violently. He then ate of the food of the sheykh until he was 
satisfied, and washed his hands, and, looking at the sheykh, said to 
him, O my master, what is the reason of these words ? For thou 
hast made me to be frightened at this city and its people.—And the 
sheykh answered him, O my son, know that this city is the City of 
the Enchanters, and in it is a Queen who is an enchantress, like a 
she-devil; she is a sorceress, a great enchantress, abounding in 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

291 

artifice, exceedingly treacherous, and the horses and mules and 
asses that thou sawest, all these are like me and thee of the sons of 
Adam ; but they are strangers; for whoever entereth this city, and 
is a young man like thyself, this infidel enchantress taketh him, and 
she remaineth with him forty days, and after the forty days she 
enchanteth him, and he becometh a mule or a horse or an ass, of 
these animals that thou hast seen upon the shore of the sea. 
Therefore when thou desiredst to land, they feared for thee lest she 
should enchant thee like them, and they said to thee by signs, Land 
not, lest the enchantress see thee—in pity for thee; for perhaps 
she might do unto thee as she did unto them.—And he said to him, 
She got possession of this city from her family by enchantment; 
and her name is the Queen Lab; the meaning of which in Arabic 
is Esh-Shems 19 (that is, The Sun). 

Now when the King Bedr Basim heard these words from the 
sheykh, he feared violently, and began to tremble like the reed that 
is shaken by the wind; and he said to him, I believed not that I 
had escaped from the calamity in which I was involved by enchant¬ 
ment, and now destiny castetli me into a situation more abominable 
than that! And he proceeded to reflect upon his case, and upon 
the events that had happened to him; and when the sheykh looked 
at him, he saw that his fear was violent; so he said to him, O my 
son, arise and sit at the threshold of the shop, and look at those 
creatures and at their dress and their forms, 29 and the states in 
which they are through enchantment; but fear not; for the Queen, 
and every one in the city, lovetli me and regardeth me, and agi- 
tateth not my heart, nor wearieth my mind. Therefore when the 
King Bedr Basim heard these words of the sheykh, he went forth 
and sat at the door of the shop, diverting himself; and there passed 
by him people, and he beheld creatures not to be numbered. And 
when the people saw him, they advanced to the sheykh, and said to 
him, O sheykh, is this thy captive, and a prey that thou hast taken 
during these days ? But he answered them, This is the son of my 
brother. I heard that his father had died; so I sent for him, and 
caused him to come, that I might quench the fire of my desire by 
his company. — They replied, Verily this young man is a comely 
youth ; but we fear for him on account of the Queen Lab, lest she 
turn upon thee with treachery and take him from thee; for she 

292 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

loveth the comely young men. The sheykh however said to them, 
Verily the Queen will not thwart me : she regardeth me favourably, 
and loveth me; and when she knoweth that he is the son of my 
brother, she will not offer him any injury, nor afflict me with 
respect to him, nor trouble my heart on his account.—And the 
King Bedr Basim remained with the sheykh for a period of months, 
eating and drinking, and the sheykh loved him greatly. 

After this, Bedr Basim was sitting at the shop of the sheykh one 
day as was his custom, and lo, a thousand eunuchs, with drawn 
swords in their hands, clad in various kinds of apparel, having upon 
their waists girdles adorned with jewels, riding upon Arab horses, 
and equipped with Indian swords ; and they came to the shop of the 
sheykh, and saluted him, and passed on. Then, after them, came a 
thousand damsels, like moons, clad in various dresses of silk and 
satin embroidered with gold and adorned with varieties of jewels, 
and all of them were armed with spears; and in the midst of them 
was a damsel riding upon an Arab mare, upon which was a saddle 
of gold set with varieties of jewels and jacinths. They ceased not 
to proceed until they arrived at the shop of the sheykh, when they 
saluted him, and passed on. And lo, the Queen Lab approached, in 
a magnificent procession, and she ceased not to approach until she 
came to the shop of the sheykh; whereupon she saw the King Bedr 
Basim sitting at the shop, resembling the moon at the full. So 
when the Queen Lab beheld him, she was confounded at his beauty 
and loveliness, and amazed, and she became distracted with love of 
him. She came to the shop, and alighted, and, having seated her¬ 
self by the King Bedr Basim, she said to the sheykh, Whence 
obtainedst thou this comely person ? He answered, This is the son 
of my brother: he came to me a short time ago. And she said, Let 
him be with me to-night that I may converse with him. The sheykh 
said to her, Wilt thou take him from me and not enchant him ? She 
answered, Yes. He said. Swear to me. And she swore to him that 
she would not hurt him nor enchant him. Then she gave orders to 
bring forward to him a handsome horse, saddled, and bridled with a 
bridle of gold, and all that was upon him was of gold set with 
jewels; and she presented to the sheykh a thousand pieces of gold, 
saying to him. Seek aid for thyself therewith. The Queen Lab then 
took the King Bedr Basim, and departed with him ; and he was 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

293 

like the moon in its fourteenth night. He proceeded with her; 
and the people, as often as they looked at him, and observed his 
beauty, were pained for him, and said, By Allah, this young man 
doth not deserve that this accursed woman should enchant him! 
And the King Bedr Basim heard the words of the people ; but he 
was silent, and had committed his case to God, whose name be 
exalted! 

He ceased not to proceed with the Queen Lab and her retinue 
until they arrived at the gate of the palace; when the emeers and 
eunuchs and the great men of the empire alighted. She had com¬ 
manded the chamberlains to order all the great men of the empire 
to depart: so they kissed the ground and departed. And the Queen, 
with the eunuchs and the female slaves, entered the palace; and 
when the King Bedr Basim looked at the palace, he beheld a palace 
of which he had never seen the like. Its walls were constructed of 
gold, and in the midst of it was a great pool, abounding with water, 
in a great garden; and the King Bedr Basim looked at the garden, 
and saw in it birds warbling with all varieties of tongues and voices, 
mirth-exciting and plaintive, and those birds were of all forms and 
colours. The King Bedr Basim beheld great majesty, and he said, 
Extolled be the perfection of God for his bounty and his clemency! 
He sustaineth the person who worshippeth other than Himself! al — 
The Queen seated herself at a lattice-window overlooking the gar¬ 
den. She was on a couch of ivory, upon which was magnificent 
furniture; and the King Bedr Basim sat by her side; and she 
kissed him, and pressed him to her bosom. Then she ordered the 
female slaves to bring a table ; whereupon there was brought a table 
of red gold set with large pearls and with jewels, and upon it were 
dishes of all kinds of viands. So they a.te until they were satisfied, 
and washed their hands. The female slaves next brought vessels of 
gold and silver and crystal, and they brought also all kinds of 
flowers, and plates of dried fruits; after which the Queen gave 
orders to bring singing-women ; and there came ten damsels like 
moons, with all kinds of musical instruments in their hands. Then 
the Queen filled a cup, and drank it; and she filled another, and 
handed it to the King Bedr Basim, who took it and drank it; and 
they ceased not to do thus, drinking until they were satisfied ; when 
the Queen ordered the female slaves to sing. So they sang all 

kinds of melodies, and it seemed to the King Bedr Basim as though 
the palace danced with delight at the sounds. His reason was cap¬ 
tivated, and his bosom was dilated, and he forgot his estrange¬ 
ment from his country, and said, Yerily this Queen is a comely 
damsel! I will never henceforth quit her; for her kingdom is 
larger than mine, and she is preferable to the Queen Joharah. 
—He ceased not to drink with her until it was evening, and the 
lamps and candles were lighted, and the attendants gave vent to 
the fumes of the sweet-scented substances in the censers ; and they 
gave not over drinking until they were both intoxicated, while the 
female singers continued singing. And when the Queen Lab was 
intoxicated, she arose from her place, and slept upon a couch, hav¬ 
ing commanded the female slaves to depart; and she ordered the 
King Bedr Basim to lie down by her side. Then, on the following 
morning, she entered the bath in the palace, and he did the same; 
and when they had come forth, she caused him to be clad in the 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

295 

most beautiful apparel, and gave orders to bring the drinking-vessels. 
Accordingly the female slaves brought them, and they drank; after 
which the Queen arose, and took the hand of the King Bedr Basim, 
and they sat upon the throne, and she gave orders to bring the food: 
so they ate, and washed their hands. The female slaves then 
brought to them the drinking-vessels, and the fresh fruits and the 
flowers and the dried fruits ; and they ceased not to eat and drink, 
while the female slaves sang various melodies, till evening. 

They continued eating and drinking, and delighting themselves, 
for a period of forty days; after which she said to him, O Bedr 
Basim, is this place the more pleasant, or the shop of thine uncle 
the grocer ? He answered her, By Allah, O Queen, this is pleasant; 
for my uncle is a poor man who selleth beans. And she laughed 
at his words. Then they slept: but in the morning, the King Bedr 
Basim awoke from his sleep and found not the Queen Lab by his 
side: so he said, Whither can she have gone ? He became sad on 
account of her absence, and perplexed respecting his case ; and she 
had been absent from him a long time, and not returned ; where¬ 
fore he said within himself, Whither hath she gone ? He then put 
on his clothes, and proceeded to search for her ; but he found her 
not; and he said within himself, Perhaps she hath gone to the gar¬ 
den. He therefore went to the garden, and he saw in it a running 
river, by the side of which was a white bird, and on the bank of that 
river was a tree, whereon were birds of various colours. So he 
looked at the birds; but they saw him not; and lo, a black bird 
alighted by that white bird, and began to feed her with his bill like 
a pigeon; and after a while, the latter bird became changed into a 
human form, at which he looked attentively, and lo, she was the 
Queen Lab. He therefore knew that the black bird was an 
enchanted man, and that she loved him, and for that reason trans¬ 
formed herself by enchantment into a bird; in consequence of 
which, jealousy seized him, and he was incensed against the Queen 
Lab, on account of the black bird. Then he returned to his place, 
and laid himself upon his bed; and after a while, she returned to 
him, and began to kiss him and to jest with him; but he was 
violently incensed against her, and uttered not to her a single word. 
So she knew what he felt, and was convinced that he saw her when 
she became a bird. She however did not manifest to him anything; 
but concealed her feelings. 

296 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

After this, he said to her, O Queen, I desire thee to permit me 
to go to the shop of my uncle; for I have conceived a desire to visit 
him, and for forty days I have not seen him. And she replied, Go 
to him; but be not long absent from me, since I cannot part with 
thee, nor endure to be away from thee for one hour. So he said to 
her, I hear and obey. He then mounted, and went to the shop of 
the slieykh, the grocer, who welcomed him and rose to him and em¬ 
braced him, and said to him, How art thou with this infidel woman ? 
He therefore answered him, I was well, in prosperity and health; 
but she was this last night sleeping by my side, and I awoke and 
saw her not. So I put on my clothes, and went about searching for 
her, until I came to the garden.—And he informed him of that 
which he had seen, of the river, and the birds upon the tree. And 
when the sheykh heard his words, he said to him, Beware of her, 
and know that the birds that were upon the tree were all young 
men, strangers, whom she loved, and she transformed them by 
enchantment into birds ; and that black bird that thou sawest was 
of the number of her memlooks. She used to love him greatly; 
but he cast his eye upon one of the female slaves; so she trans¬ 
formed him by enchantment into a black bird ; and whenever she 
desireth to visit him, she transformeth herself by enchantment into 
a bird; for she still loveth him greatly. And when she knew that 
thou wast acquainted with her case, she meditated evil against thee; 
and she doth not offer thee a sincere affection. But thou shalt 
suffer no harm from her as long as I have a care for thee ; therefore 
fear not; for I am a Muslim, and my name is ’Abd Allah, 22 and 
there is not in my age any one more skilled in enchantment than I: 
yet I make not use of enchantment save when I am constrained to 
do so. Often do I annul the enchantment of this accursed woman, 
and deliver people from her; and I care not for her, since she hath 
no way of injuring me : on the contrary, she feareth me violently, 
as also doth every one in the city who is an enchanter like her, after 
this manner : they all fear me, and all of them are of her religion, 
worshipping fire instead of the Almighty King. But to-morrow 
come to me again, and acquaint me with that which she shall do to 
thee; for this night she will exert herself to destroy thee, and I will 
tell thee what thou shalt do with her that thou mayest save thyself 
from her artifice. 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

297 

Then the King Bedr Basim bade farewell to the sheykh, and 
returned to her, and found her sitting expecting him. And when 
she saw him, she rose to him and seated him, welcoming him; and 
she brought him food and drink. So they ate until they were satis¬ 
fied, and washed their hands ; after which, she gave orders to bring 
the wine. It was therefore brought, and they drank until midnight, 
when she served him with the cups, and she continued to ply him 
until he was intoxicated, and lost his sense and his reason. And 
when she saw him in this state, she said to him, By Allah I conjure 
thee, and by the Object of thy worship, if I ask thee concerning a 
thing, tell me, wilt thou inform me thereof truly, and reply to my 
question ? So he answered her, being in a state of intoxication, 
Yes, 0 my mistress. And she said to him, O my master, and light of 
my eye, when thou awokest from thy sleep, and foundest me not, thou 
searchedst for me, and earnest to me in the garden, and sawest the 
black bird. Now I will acquaint thee with the truth of the case of 
this bird. He was one of my memlooks, and I loved him greatly; 
but he cast his eye one day upon one of my female slaves; so 
jealousy came upon me, and I transformed him by enchantment into 
a black bird. And as to the slave-girl, I killed her. But now I 
cannot bear to be absent from him one hour ; and whenever I desire 
to visit him, I transform myself by enchantment into a bird, and go 
to him. Art thou not on this account incensed against me, although 
I, by the fire and the light and the shade and the heat, have in¬ 
creased in love for thee, and made thee my worldly portion ?—So 
he said, being intoxicated, Verily what thou hast understood, as to 
my anger being on that account, is true ; and there is no cause for 
my anger excepting that. And she embraced him and kissed him, 
and made a show of love to him; after which she slept, and he slept 
by her side. And when it was midnight, she rose from the bed; 
and the King Bedr Basim was awake; but he pretended that he 
was asleep, and kept stealing looks, and observing what she did ; 
and he found that she had taken forth, from a red bag, something 
red, which she planted in the midst of the palace; and lo, it became 
a stream running like a large river. She then took a handful of 
barley, scattered it upon the dust, and watered it with this water; 
whereupon it became eared corn; and she took it and ground it into 

2 « 

VOL. III. 

fine flour, after which she put it in a place, and returned and slept 
by Bedr Basim until the morning. 

So when the morning came, the King Bedr Basim arose, and, 
having washed his face, asked permission of the Queen to go to the 
sheykh ; and she gave him permission. He therefore repaired to the 
sheykh, and acquainted him with that which she had done, and what 
he had beheld ; and when the sheykh heard his words, he laughed, 
and said, By Allah, this infidel enchantress hath formed a mis¬ 
chievous scheme against thee; but never care thou for her. He then 
produced to him as much as a pound of saweek, 23 and said to him, 
Take this with thee, and know that when she seeth it she will say 
to thee, What is this, and what wilt thou do with it ? Answer her, 
A superfluity of good things is good :—and do thou eat of it. And 
when she produceth her saweek, and saith to thee, Eat of this 
saweek—pretend to her that thou eatest of it, but eat of this, and 
beware of eating aught of her saweek, even one grain; for if thou 
eat of it even one grain, her enchantment will have power over thee, 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

299 

and she will enchant thee, saying to thee, Quit this human form. 
So thou wilt quit thy form, and assume whatsoever form she de- 
sireth. But if thou eat not of it, her enchantment will be frustrated, 
and no harm will result to thee from it; wherefore she will become 
in a state of the utmost abashment, and will say to thee, I am only 
jesting with thee. And she will make profession of love and affec¬ 
tion to thee ; but all that will be hypocrisy and artifice in her. Do 
thou, however, make a show of love to her, and say to her, O my 
mistress, and O light of my eye, eat of this saweek, and see how 
delicious it is. And when she hath eaten of it, if only one grain, 
take some water in thy hand, and throw it in her face, and say to 
her, Quit this human form—and tell her to assume whatsoever form 
thou desirest. Thereupon, leave her, and come to me, that I may 
contrive for thee a mode of proceeding. 

Bedr Basim then hade him farewell, and pursued his way until 
he went up into the palace and entered into her presence ; and when 
she saw him, she said to him, A friendly and free and ample welcome! 
She arose to him and kissed him, and said to him, Thou hast wearied 
me by thy delay, O my master. He replied, I was with my uncle. 
And he saw with her some saweek, and said to her, And my uncle 
hath given me to eat of this saweek, and we have saweek better than 
it. Then she put his saweek into a dish, and hers into another, 
and said to him. Eat of this, for it is nicer than thy saweek. So he 
pretended to her that he ate of it; and when she believed that he 
had eaten of it, she took in her hand some water, and sprinkled him 
with it, and said to him, Quit this form, O young wretch, O villain, 
and assume the form of a one-eyed mule of hideous appearance! 
But he changed not. So when she saw him in his proper state, un¬ 
changed, she rose to him, and kissed him between the eyes, and said 
to him, O my beloved, I was only jesting with thee; therefore be 
not changed in mind towards me on that account. And he replied, 
By Allah, O my mistress, I am not at all changed towards thee; 
but I am convinced that thou lovest me: eat then of this my saweek. 
She therefore took a morsel of it, and ate it; and when it had 
settled in her stomach, she was agitated ; and the King Bedr Basim, 
having taken some water in his hand, sprinkled her with it upon her 
face, saying to her, Quit this human form, and assume the form of 
a dapple mule. And she saw not herself save in that form; where- 

300 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'FIARAH. 

upon her tears began to run down upon her cheeks, and she rubbed 
her cheeks upon his feet. He then betook himself to bridle her ; 
but she allowed not the bridle to be put. He therefore left her, 
and repaired to the sheykh, and acquainted him with what had 
happened; upon which the sheykh arose and produced to him a 
bridle, and said to him, Take this bridle, and bridle her with it. So 
he took it and went to her; and when she saw him, she advanced to 
him, and he put the bit in her mouth, and, having mounted her, went 
forth from the palace, and repaired to the sheykh ’Abd Allah, who, on 
seeing her, rose to her, and said to her, May God (whose name be 
exalted !) abase thee by affliction, O accursed woman! Then the 
sheykh said to Bedr Basim, 0 my son, thou hast no longer an abode 
in this city; so mount her, and proceed with her to whatsoever 
place thou wilt, and beware of giving up the bridle to any one. 
The King Bedr Basim therefore thanked him, and bade him fare¬ 
well, and departed. 

He ceased not in his journey for three days; after which he 
came in sight of a city, and there met him a sheykh, of comely 
hoariness, who said to him, O my son, whence art thou come ? He 
answered, From the city of this enchantress. The sheykh then 
said to him, Thou art my guest this night. And he consented, 
and proceeded with him along the way. And lo, there was an old 
woman, who, when she saw the mule, wept, and said, There is no 
deity but God! Verily this mule resembleth the mule of my son, 
which hath died, and my heart is troubled for her. I conjure thee 
by Allah, then, 0 my master, that thou sell her to me.—He replied, 
By Allah, O my mother, I cannot sell her. But she rejoined, I 
conjure thee by Allah that thou reject not my petition; for my 
son, if I buy not for him this mule, will inevitably die. Then she 
urged her request in many words ; whereupon he said, I will not 
sell her but for a thousand pieces of gold. And Bedr Basim said 
within himself, How can this old woman procure a thousand pieces 
of gold ? But upon this she took forth from her girdle a thousand 
pieces of gold. So when the King Bedr Basim saw this, he said to 
her, O my mother, I am only jesting with thee, and I cannot sell 
her. The sheykh, however, looked at him and said to him, O my 
son, no one may utter a falsehood in this city; for every one who 
uttereth a falsehood in this city they slay. The King Bedr Basim 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

301 

therefore alighted from the mule, and delivered her to the old 
woman; and she drew forth the hit from her mouth, and, having 
taken some water in her hand, sprinkled her with it, and said, 0 my 
daughter, Quit this form, and return to the form in which thou 
wast! 24 And she was transformed immediately, and returned to 
her first shape ; and each of the two women approached the other, 
and they embraced one another. 

So the King Bedr Basim knew that this old woman was the 
mother of the Queen, and that the stratagem had been accom¬ 
plished against him, and he desired to flee. But lo, the old 
woman uttered a loud whistle; whereupon there presented himself 
before her an ’Efreet like a great mountain; and the King Bedr 
Basim feared, and stood still. The old woman mounted upon his 
back, took her daughter behind her, and the King Bedr Basim 
before her, and the ’Efreet flew away with them, and there elapsed 
but a short time before they arrived at the palace of the Queen 
Lab ; after which, when she had seated herself upon the throne of 
her kingdom, she looked at the King Bedr Basim, and said to him, 
O young wretch, I have arrived at this place, and attained what I 
desired, and I will shew thee what I will do with thee and with 
this sheykh, the grocer. How many benefits have I conferred 
upon him, and he doth evil unto me! And thou hadst not 
attained thy desire but by his means.—Then she took some water, 
and sprinkled him with it, saying to him, Quit this form in which 
thou now art, and assume the form of a bird of hideous appearance, 
the most hideous of birds ! And he was transformed immediately, 
and became a bird of hideous appearance; upon which she put 
him into a cage, and withheld from him food and drink. 

But a slave-girl looked at him, and had compassion on him, 
and she fed him, and gave him to drink, without the knowledge of 
the Queen. Then the slave-girl found her mistress inadvertent 
one day, and she went forth and repaired to the sheykh, the grocer, 
and acquainted him with the case, saying to him, The Queen Lab 
is resolved upon the destruction of the son of thy brother. So the 
sheykh thanked her, and said to her, I must surely take the city 
from her, and make thee Queen in her stead. He then uttered a 
loud whistle, and there came forth to him an ’Efreet who had four 
wings, and he said to him, Take this slave-girl, and convey her to 

302 THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

the city of Jullanar of the Sea, and to her mother Farasheh ; “ for 
they two are the most skilful in enchantment of all existing upon 
the face of the earth. And he said to the slave-girl, WLen thou 
hast arrived there, inform them that the King Bedr Basim is a 
captive in the hands of the Queen Lab. The Efreet therefore 
took her up, and flew away with her, and but a short time had 
elapsed when he alighted with her upon the palace of the Queen 
Jullanar of the Sea. So the slave-girl descended from the roof of 
the palace, and, going in to the Queen Jullanar, kissed the ground, 
and acquainted her with the events that had happened to her son 
from first to last; upon which, Jullanar rose to her, and treated her 
with honour, and thanked her. The drums were beaten in the 
city to announce the good tidings, and she informed her people, and 
the great men of her empire, that the King Bedr Basim had been 
found. 

After this, Jullanar of the Sea, and her mother Farasheh, and 
her brother Saleh, summoned all the tribes of the Jan, and the 
troops of the sea; for the Kings of the Jan had obeyed them after 
the captivity of the King Es-Semendel. Then they flew through 
the air, and alighted upon the city of the enchantress, and they 
plundered the palace, and slew all who were in it. They also 
plundered the city, and slew all the infidels who were in it in the 
twinkling of an eye. And J ullanar said to the slave-girl, Where is 
my son ? The slave-girl therefore took the cage, and brought it 
before her, and, pointing to the bird that was within it, said, This 
is thy son. So the Queen Jullanar took him forth from the cage, 
and she took in her hand some water, with which she sprinkled 
him, saying to him, Quit this form, and assume the form in which 
thou wast! And her words were not ended when he shook, and 
became a man as he was before ; and when his mother beheld him 
in his original form, she rose to him and embraced him, and he 
wept violently, as did also his maternal uncle Saleh, and his grand¬ 
mother Farasheh, and the daughters of his uncle; and they began 
to kiss his hands and his feet. Then Jullanar sent for the sheykh 
’Abd Allah, and thanked him for his kind conduct to her son; and 
she married him (the sheykh) to the slave-girl whom he had sent to 
her with the news of her son. So he took her as his wife ; and 
Jullanar made him King of that city. And she summoned those 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

303 

Muslims who remained of the inhabitants of the city, and made 
them vow allegiance to the sheykh ’Abd Allah, covenanting with 
them, and making them swear, that they would obey and serve him; 
and they said, "We hear and obey. 36 

They then bade farewell to the sheykh ’Abd Allah, and de¬ 
parted to their city; and when they entered their palace, the 
people of their city met them with the drums to celebrate the good 
news, and with rejoicing. They decorated the city for three days, 
on account of their exceeding joy at the arrival of their King Bedr 
Basim, rejoicing greatly at his return. And after that, the King 
Bedr Basim said to his mother, O my mother, it remaineth only 
that I marry, and that we all be united. So she replied, O my 
son, excellent is the idea that thou hast formed; but wait until we 
inquire for a person suitable to thee among the daughters of the 
Kings. And his grandmother Farasheh, and the daughters of his 
uncle, and his maternal uncle, said, We, O Bedr Basim, will all 
immediately assist thee to attain what thou desirest. Then each of 
those females arose and went to search through the countries, and 
Jullanar of the Sea also sent her female slaves upon the necks of 
the ’Efreets, saying to them, Leave not a city, nor one of the 
palaces of the Kings, without attentively viewing all who are in it 
of the beautiful damsels. But when the King Bedr Basim saw the 
pains that they were taking in this affair, he said to his mother 
Jullanar, O my mother, leave this affair ; for none will content me 
save J oharah the daughter of the King Es-Semendel, since she is a 
jewel as her name importeth. So his mother replied, I know thy 
desire. She then sent immediately persons to bring to her the 
King Es-Semendel, and forthwith they brought him before her; 
whereupon she sent to Bedr Basim ; and when he came, she 
acquainted him with the arrival of the King Es-Semendel. He 
therefore went in to him; and as soon as the King Es-Semendel 
saw him approaching, he rose to him and saluted him and welcomed 
him. Then the King Bedr Basim demanded of him in marriage 
his daughter Joharah; and he replied, She is at thy service, and she 
is thy slave-girl, and at thy disposal. And the King Es-Semendel 
sent some of his companions to his country, commanding them to 
bring his daughter Joharah, and to inform her that her father was 
with the King Bedr Basim, the son of Jullanar of the Sea. So 

304 

THE STORY OF BEDR BA'SIM AND JO'HARAH. 

they flew through the air, and were absent a while; after which 
they came back accompanied by the Queen Joharali; who, when 
she beheld her father, advanced to him and embraced him. And 
he looked at her and said, O my daughter, Know that I have mar¬ 
ried thee to this magnanimous King, and bold lion, the King Bedr 
Basim, the son of the Queen Jullanar, and that he is the hand¬ 
somest of the people of his age, and the most lovely of them, and 
the most exalted of them in dignity, and the most noble of them in 
rank: he is not suitable to any but thee, nor art thou suitable to 
any but him. And she replied, O my father, I cannot oppose thy 
wish: therefore do what thou wilt; for anxiety and distress have 
ceased, and I am unto him of the number of servants. 

So thereupon they summoned the Kadees and the witnesses, 
and they performed the ceremony of the contract of the marriage 
of the King Bedr Basim, the son of the Queen Jullanar of the Sea, 
to the Queen Joharah. The people of the city decorated it, sent 
forth the announcers of the glad tidings, and released all who were 
in the prisons ; and the King clothed the widows and the orphans, 
and conferred robes of honour upon the lords of the empire, and 
the emeers and other great men. Then they celebrated a grand 
festivity, made banquets, and continued the festivities evening and 
morning for a period of ten days; and they displayed her to the 
King Bedr Basim in nine different dresses. After this, the King 
Bedr Basim conferred a dress of honour upon the King Es- 
Semendel, and restored him to his country and his family and his 
relations ; and they ceased not to pass the most delightful life, and 
the most agreeable days, eating and drinking, and enjoying them¬ 
selves, until they were visited by the terminator of delights and the 
separator of companions. 

This is the end of their story.—The mercy of God be on them 

all! 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-THIRD. 

Note 1. 

Here, as in other instances, I have substituted “ Shdh Zeman” for “ Shahraman.” 

Note 2. 

“ Rudeynee” is a relative adjective from “ Rudeyneh,” the name of a woman 
of Khatt Hejer,* who, as well as her husband Semher, practised, and excelled in, 
the art of straightening spear-shafts. Hence the terms “ Rudeynee” and “ Sem- 
heree” are often applied to a straight spear. 

Note 3. 

I suppose the city here mentioned to be imaginary ; and perhaps the sea may 
be imaginary also. The latter, however, may be the Caspian. 

Note 4. 

“ Jullandr” (vulgarly pronounced “ Juln&r”) is from the Persian “ gulndr,” and 
signifies “pomegranate-flower.” In my original, by the erroneous addition of a 
point, the last letter is converted into z. 

Note 5. 

“ Saleh” signifies “good,” “just,” “ virtuous,” &c. 

Note 6. 

These people of the sea appear to me to be an inferior class of the Jinn termed 
“ El-Ghowwasah," that is, The Divers, or Plungers, in the seas. They fly through 
the air; and fire, the element of which the Jinn were created, is said to have issued 
from the mouths of Jullandr’s relations. Her people are often spoken of as men ; 
but it does not appear that the author meant them to be considered as human 

VOL. III. 

Sec Note 2 to Chapter vi. 

2 R 

306 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-THIRD. 

beings in the literal sense of the term. Jullan&r’s son, however, evidently partook 
more of his father’s than of his mother’s nature. 

Note 7. 

See Note 12 to Chapter xx. 

Note 8. 

These cressets are described in Note 2 to Chapter xiii. 

Note 9. 

“Bedr Basim” signifies “Smiling Full Moon.” 

Note 10. 

See Note 4 to Chapter xiii. 

Note 11. 

“ J6harah" signifies “a Jewel.” 

Note 12. 

“ Semendel” is a name of the salamander, and also of a bird of India and China, 
of which it is said, as of the salamander, that it is not burned by fire. 

Note 13. 

This comparison has been made before, with respect to the hair of S&leh. On 
this second occurrence of the expression, my sheykh has stated, in the margin, his 
disapprobation of it. 

Note 14. 

Four different kinds of antelopes are thus called. The distinctive name, in 
Arabic, of the kind here mentioned is “ maliah.” 

Note 15. 

These words, “ God imposeth not,” &c., are from the Kur-4n, chap. ii. v. 286. 

Note 16. 

The “ keerat,” or carat (Gr. ncpdriov), is the weight of a bean, equal to four 
kamhahs (or wheat-grains), or very nearly three English grains. It is the twenty- 
fourth part of a mithkal, and hence is a term used to signify the twenty-fourth part 
of anything. Thus the Arabs say of a person in whom they see no fault, “ He is 
a perfect man, of four and twenty keeratsas we say of gold, that it is so many 
carats fine. 

Note 17. 

“Marseeueh” signifies “a myrtle.” 

Note 18. 

It appears that the ring which before preserved him from drowning he lost 
when he was transformed into a bird. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-THIRD. 

307 

Note 19. 

In the original, the name “ LAb” is interpreted as meaning in Arabic “ Tak¬ 
weem esh-Shems;” but “ Lab,” which is a Persian word, signifies in Arabic simply 
“esh-Shems;” in English, “ the Sun;” and “Takweem esh-Shems,” as a proper 
name, appears to me to be nonsense. The meaning of “takweem” is “rectifica¬ 
tion,” “ correction,” &c.; “evaluation;” “an almanac;” “an astrological calcu¬ 
lation,” &c. 

Note 20. 

The word here rendered “forms” also signifies “colours,” and “species,” or 
“ kinds.” 

Note 21. 

The Queen Lkb was an infidel, a worshipper of fire, as the tale afterwards 
shews. 

Note 22. 

“ ’Abd Allah" signifies “ Servant of God." 

Note 23. 

“ Saweek” is the meal of parched barley. The same name is also given to 
ptisan. 

Note. 24. 

Mr. Keightley mentions* a tale in the Pleasant Nights of Straparola, and also 
a popular story in Germany, having some resemblance to this incident, and likewise 
resemblances to the story of the Second Royal Mendicant. With respect to the 
incident in the story of Bedr Basim, he observes, “ There is nothing said about the 
bridle in the account of the sale; but I am sure that, in the original tale, Beder’s 
misfortune must have been owing to his having parted with it. In Chaucer’s 
Squier’s Tale, the bridle would also appear to have been of some importance.” 
He likewise observes, that “ Queen Labe, with her lovers turned into various ani¬ 
mals, reminds one strongly of the Homeric Circeand adds, that he thinks it 
“not at all impossible that the Grecian fable may have penetrated into Persia.” 
He has before remarked f upon the great differences between this tale and that of 
the Magic Horse ; shewing the superior claims of the latter to be regarded as a 
Persian composition; but stating his opinion that the former “is possibly an ancient 
Persian tale also, though the Arabian narrator may have taken greater liberties 
with it.” 

Note 25. 

“ Farfisheh” signifies “a butterfly,” and, according to my sheykh, “a locust." 

Note 26. 

In the old version, it is said that “ all the lovers of the magic queen resumed 
their pristine forms as soon as she ceased to live ;” and that “ they were all sons 
of kings, princes, or persons of high rank.” 

♦ « Tales and Popular Fictions," pp. 122—124.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY- 
SIXTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE SEVEN HUNDRED 
AND SEVENTY-EIGHTH. 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 1 

There was, in olden times, and in an ancient age and period, 
in Egypt, a King named ’A'sim the son of Safwan.* He was a 
liberal, munificent King, reverend and dignified: he possessed 
many countries, and castles and fortresses, and troops and soldiers, 
and he had a Wezeer named Faris the son of Saleh ; 3 and they all 
worshipped the sun and fire instead of the Almighty King, the 
Glorious, the Mighty in dominion. Now this King became a very 
old man : old age and sickness and decrepitude had rendered him 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK, &c. 

309 

infirm ; for he had lived a hundred and eighty years; and he had 
not a male child nor a female; on account of which he was in a 
state of anxiety and grief night and day. And it happened that he 
was sitting one day upon the throne of his kingdom, with the 
emeers and wezeers and the chief officers and the lords of the 
empire serving him according to their custom and according to 
their ranks; and whosoever of the emeers came in to him having 
with him a son, or two sons, the King envied him, and he said 
within himself, Every one is happy and rejoicing in his children; 
but I have not a son, and to-morrow I shall die, and leave my 
kingdom and my throne and my lands and my treasures and my 
riches, and the strangers will take them, and no one will ever re¬ 
member me: there will not remain any memory of me in the world. 
Then the King ’A'sim became drowned in the sea of solicitude; 
and in consequence of the rapid succession of griefs and solicitudes 
in his heart, he wept, and descended from his throne, and sat upon 
the floor, weeping and humbling himself. So when the Wezeer 
and the assembly of the great men of the empire who were present 
saw him do thus with himself, they called out to the people and 
said to them, Go ye to your abodes and rest until the King recover 
from the state in which he is. 

They therefore departed, and there remained not any excepting 
the King and the Wezeer; and when the King recovered, the 
Wezeer kissed the ground before him and said to him, O King of 
the age, what is the cause of this weeping ? Inform me who of 
the Kings and the lords of the castles, or of the emeers and the 
lords of the empire, hath become thine enemy, and acquaint me 
who opposeth thee, O King, that we may all attack him, and take 
his soul from between his sides.—But the King spoke not, nor 
raised his head. Then the Wezeer kissed the ground before him a 
second time, and said to him, O King of the age, I am like 
thy son and thy slave; nay, I have reared thee; and I know not 
the cause of thy grief and thine anxiety and thy distress and the 
state in which thou art. Who then beside me can know, and 
stand in my stead before thee ? Acquaint me therefore with the 
cause of this weeping and mourning.—Yet he spoke not, nor 
opened his mouth, nor raised his head; but ceased not to weep, 
and he cried out with a loud voice, and wailed exceedingly, and 
cried, Ah!—while the Wezeer regarded him patiently. And after 

310 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

that, the Wezeer said to him, If thou tell me not the cause of this, 
I will kill myself before thee immediately while thou lookest on, 
rather than see thee in anxiety. So the King ’A'sirn thereupon 
raised his head, and wiped away his tears, and said, O faithful 
Wezeer, leave me in my anxiety and my grief; for the sorrows in 
my heart are sufficient for me. But the Wezeer replied, Tell me, 
O King, what is the cause of this weeping: perhaps God may give 
thee relief by my means. And the King said to him, O Wezeer, 
my weeping is not on account of wealth nor on account of horses 
nor on account of anything but this, that I have become an old man, 
and my age is about a hundred and eighty years, and I have not 
been blest with a male child nor a female; so when I die, they 
will bury me; then will every trace of me be obliterated, and my 
name will become extinct, and strangers will take my throne and 
my kingdom, and no one will ever remember me. To this the 
Wezeer replied, O King of the age, I am older than thou by a 
hundred years, and have never been blest with a child, and I cease 
not to suffer anxiety and grief night and day; and what shall we 
do, I and thou 1 But I have heard of the fame of Suleyman the 
son of Daood (on both of whom be peace !), and that he hath a 
mighty Lord, able to accomplish everything. It is meet therefore 
that I repair unto him with a present, and have recourse to him, 
that he may petition his Lord: perhaps He may bless each of us 
with a child.—The Wezeer then prepared for the journey, took a 
magnificent present, and repaired with it to Suleyman the son of 
Daood, on both of whom be peace !—Such was the case of the 
Wezeer. 

Now as to Suleyman the son of Daood (on both of whom be 
peace!), God (whose perfection be extolled, and whose name be 
exalted!) spoke in revelation unto him, and said, O Suleyman, verily 
the King of Egypt hath sent to thee his chief Wezeer, with presents 
and rarities, which are such and such things. Send thou therefore 
unto him thy Wezeer A'saf the son of Barkhiya to meet him with 
honour and with provisions at the halting-places; and when he pre¬ 
sented himself before thee, say to him, Verily the King hath sent 
thee to demand such and such things, and thine affair is so and so. 
Then propose to him the faith. — So upon this Suleyman ordered 
his Wezeer A'saf to take with him a company of Iris dependants, to 
meet them with honour and with sumptuous provisions at the halt- 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

311 

m- 

a" 

ing-places. Accordingly, A'saf went 
forth, after he had prepared all things 
necessary, to meet them, and he pro¬ 
ceeded until he came to Faris, the 
Wezeer of the King of Egypt. He met 
him and saluted him, and treated him and those 
who accompanied him with exceeding honour, 
and proceeded to present to them the provisions 
and the provender at the halting-places; and he said to him, A 
friendly and free and ample welcome to the coming guests ! Rejoice 
ye at the information of the accomplishment of your affair, and let 
your hearts be glad and your eyes be cheerful and 
your bosoms he dilated!—So the Wezeer said 
within himself, Who acquainted them with this ? 

Then he said to A'saf the son of Barkhiya, And 
who informed you of us and of our desires, O 
my lord ? A'saf answered him, Verily Suley¬ 
man the son of Daood (on both of whom be 
peace!), he it was who informed us of this.— 

And who, said the Wezeer Faris, informed 
our lord Suleyman ? He answered him, 

The Lord of the heavens and the earth. 

-MM ;r * 

m f 

and the God of all creatures, informed 
him. And the Wezeer Faris replied, 
This is none other than a mighty God ! 
So A'saf the son of Barkhiya said to 
him. And do ye not worship Him ? 
Faris the Wezeer of the King of Egypt 
answered, We worship the sun, and 
prostrate ourselves to it. 

A'saf therefore replied, 

O Wezeer Faris, verily 
the sun is a star, of the 
number of the stars cre¬ 
ated by God (whose per¬ 
fection be extolled, and 
whose name be exalted!), 
and far be it from being 

312 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

a Lord! for the sun appeareth at times, and is absent at times, and 
our Lord is always present, never absent, and He is able to effect 
everything. 

They then journeyed on a little until they came near to the seat 
of government 1 of Suleyman the son of Daood (on both of whom be 
peace !), when Suleyman ordered his troops of mankind and of the 
Jinn and other creatures to range themselves in their way in ranks. 
So the wild creatures of the sea, and the elephants and the leopards 
and the lynxes, all stationed themselves, and ranged themselves in 
the way in two ranks. The species of each kind collected them¬ 
selves into separate bodies, and in like manner did the Jan; each 
of which appeared to the eyes unhidden, in a terrible form ; and 
they were of various descriptions. They all stood in two ranks, 
and the birds spread their wings over the other creatures to shade 
them, warbling one to another with all tongues and with all notes. 
Therefore when the people of Egypt came to them, they dreaded 
them, and dared not to proceed: but A'saf said to them, Enter 
amid them and pass on, and fear them not; for they are the subjects 
of Suleyman the son of Daood, and none of them will hurt you. 
Then A'saf entered among them, and all the people entered behind 
him, the party of the Wezeer of the King of Egypt being among 
them; but they were in fear. They ceased not to proceed until 
they arrived at the city, when they lodged them in the mansion of 
entertainment, treated them with the utmost honour, and brought 
to them sumptuous banquets during a period of three days. 

After this, they brought them before Suleyman the Prophet of 
God (peace be on him!); and when they went in to him, they de¬ 
sired to kiss the ground before him; but he prevented their doing 
so, and said, It is not meet that a man prostrate himself upon the 
ground 5 save unto God (to whom be ascribed might and glory!), the 
Creator of the earth and the heavens and all other things ; and who¬ 
ever among you desireth to stand, let him stand; but none of you 
shall stand in attendance upon me. They therefore complied, and 
the Wezeer Faris sat, and some of his servants ; but some of the 
inferiors stood waiting upon him; and when they had sat a while, 
the servants spread for them the tables, and the people all ate of the 
repast until they were satisfied . 5 Then Suleyman commanded the 
Wezeer of Egypt to mention his affair, that it might be accoin- 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

313 

plished, and said to him, Speak, and conceal not aught of that on 
account of which thou hast come; for thou hast not come save for 
the accomplishment of an affair, and I will inform thee thereof. It 
is thus and thus : the King of Egypt who sent thee is named ’A'sim, 
and he hath become a very old man, decrepit, infirm; and God 
(whose name be exalted !f hath not blessed him with a male child 
nor a female. He hath therefore been in a state of grief and 
anxiety and solicitude night and day, until it happened to him that 
he was sitting upon the throne of his kingdom one day, and the 
Emeers and Wezeers and the great men of his empire came in to 
him, and he saw some of them having two sons each, and some hav¬ 
ing one son, and some of them having three sons, and they came in 
accompanied by their sons, and stood in attendance upon him. So 
he meditated in himself, and said, by reason of the excess of his sor¬ 
row, Who will take my kingdom after my death ? And will any 
but a stranger take it ? Thus I shall be as though I had never been. 
—He became drowned in the sea of solicitude on account of this, 
and ceased not to remain in solicitude and sorrow until his eyes 
overflowed with tears, and he covered his face with the handker¬ 
chief, and wept violently. Then he arose from his throne, and sat 
upon the floor, weeping and lamenting, and none knew what was in 
his heart excepting God (whose name be exalted!), while he thus 
sat upon the floor.—And when the Prophet of God, Suleyman the 
son of Daood (on both of whom be peace!), had informed the 
Wezeer Faris of the sorrow and weeping of the King, and what had 
happened between him and his Wezeer from first to last, he said after 
that to the Wezeer Faris, Is this which I have told thee, O Wezeer, 
true ? So the Wezeer Faris answered, O Prophet of God, verily 
that which thou hast said is true and correct; but, O Prophet of 
God, when I was conversing with the King respecting this matter, 
there was not with us any one, and not one of the people knew our 
case. Who then informed thee of all these things ?—He replied, 
My Lord, who knoweth the furtive glance and what the bosoms 
conceal, informed me. So thereupon the Wezeer Faris said, O 
Prophet of God, this is none other than an excellent, mighty 
Lord, able to accomplish everything. And the Wezeer Faris em¬ 
braced el-Islam, he and they 'who were with him . 7 

The Prophet of God, Suleyman, then said to the Wezeer, Yerily 

2 s 

VOI- HI. 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

thou hast with thee such and such 
rarities and presents. The Wezeer 
replied, Yes. And Suleyman said to 
him, I accept from thee all of them; 
but I give them unto thee; and rest 
thou, and those who are with thee, 
in the place where ye took up your 
quarters, that the fatigue of the jour¬ 
ney may quit you, and to-morrow, if 
it be the will of God (whose name be 
exalted!), thine affair shall be accom¬ 
plished in the most complete manner, 
by the will of God, the Lord of the earth and the heaven, and the Cre¬ 
ator of all creatures. Then the Wezeer Faris went to his place; and 
he repaired to the lord Suleyman on the following day; whereupon 
the Prophet of God, Suleyman, said to him, When thou hast come 
unto the King ’A'sim the son of Safwan, and hast an interview with 
him, do ye both ascend such a tree, and sit silent; and when it is 
the period between the two prayers , 8 and the midday-heat hath be¬ 
come assuaged, descend ye to the foot of the tree, and look ye there: 
ye will find two large serpents coming forth; the head of one being 
like the head of the ape, and the head of 
the other like the head of an ’Efreet. 

When ye see them, smite ye them with 
arrows, and kill them; 
then [cut off and] throw 
away, from the head-part 
of each of them, as much 
as one span’s length, and 
of the tail-part of each of 
them likewise: so their 
flesh will remain, and do 
ye cook it, and cook it 
well, and feed your two 
wives with it, and ye will 
obtain by them, by the 
permission of God (whose 
name be exalted !), male 

314 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

315 

children—Then Suleyman (on whom be peace!) caused to be brought 
a seal-ring and a sword, and a wrapper containing a tunic 9 orna¬ 
mented with jewels, and he said, O Wezeer Faris, when the two 
sons of you twain shall have grown up, and attained to manhood, 
give ye to each one of them one of these things. And after this, 
he said to the Wezeer, In the name of God ! May God (whose 
name be exalted !) accomplish thine affair! And now there re- 
maineth not aught for thee to do but that thou set forth on thy 
journey, relying upon the blessing of God (whose name be exalted!); 
for the King is night and day expecting thine arrival, and his eye 
is constantly gazing upon the way.— So upon this the Wezeer 
Faris advanced to the Prophet of God, Suleyman the son of Daood 
(on both of whom be peace !), and bade him farewell, and went forth 
from him, after he had kissed his hands. 

He journeyed on during the rest of that day, full of joy on 
account of the accomplishment of his affair, and he prosecuted his 
journey with diligence night and day, and ceased not to travel on 
until he came near to Egypt, when he sent one of his servants to 
acquaint the King ’A'sim therewith. So when the King ’A'sim 
heard of his arrival and of the accomplishment of his affair, he re¬ 
joiced exceedingly, he and his chief officers and the lords of his 
kingdom and all his troops, and especially at the safety of the We¬ 
zeer Faris. And when the King and the Wezeer met each other, 
the Wezeer alighted, and kissed the ground before him, and gave 
the King the glad tidings of the accomplishment of his affair in the 
most complete manner; after which he proposed to him the true 
faith and el-Islam ; whereupon the King ’A'sim embraced el-Islam, 
with all his subjects , 10 and said to the Wezeer Faris, Go to thy 
house and rest thyself this night, and rest thyself also for a week, 
and enter the bath: after that, come to me, that I may inform thee 
of a thing respecting which we must deliberate. So the Wezeer 
kissed the ground and departed, he and his dependants and his 
young men and his servants, to his house, and he rested eight days; 
after which he repaired to the King, and related to him all that had 
occurred between him and Suleyman the son of Daood, on both of 
whom be peace! He then said to the King, Arise thou alone, and 
come with me. He therefore arose with the Wezeer, and they took 
two bows and two arrows, ascended the tree, and sat silent until the 

316 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

period of mid-day had passed, and ceased not to remain so until near 
the time of afternoon-prayers, when they descended, and looked, and 
saw two large serpents come forth from the foot of the tree. The 
King looked at them, and liked them; for they excited his admira¬ 
tion when he saw them with collars of gold; and he said, O Wezeer, 
verily these two serpents are adorned with collars of gold! By 
Allah, this is a wonderful thing! Let us take them and put them 
into a cage, and divert ourselves with the sight of them.—But the 
Wezeer replied, These hath God created for their use: so smite 
thou one with an arrow, and I will smite one with an arrow. 
Accordingly they both shot at them with the arrows, and slew them; 
and they cut off from the head-part of each of them a span, and 
from the tail-part of each a span, and threw away these pieces. 
They then went with the rest to the King’s palace, demanded the 
cook, and gave him that meat, saying to him, Cook this meat nicely, 
with onion-sauce” and spices, and ladle it out into two saucers, and 
bring them hither at such a time and at such an hour, and delay not. 
So the cook took the meat, and went with it to the kitchen, and he 
cooked it well, with excellent onion-sauce; after which he ladled it 
out into two saucers, and brought them before the King and the 
Wezeer. The King therefore took a saucer, and the Wezeer a 
saucer, and they fed with them their two wives; and by the good 
pleasure of God (whose perfection be extolled, and whose name be 
exalted!), and his power and will, it happened, that night, as the 
Prophet of God, Suleyman, had said. 

The King remained, after that, three months disturbed in heart, 
saying within himself, I wonder whether this thing be true or not 
true. Then his wife was sitting one day, and she felt symptoms of 
becoming a mother, and she was pained, and her complexion 
changed. So she summoned one of the eunuchs who were with her, 
and he was one of the chief of them, and she said, Go to the King, 
wherever he is, and say to him, O King of the age, 1 give thee the 
glad tidings that our mistress hath felt symptoms of her becoming a 
mother. The eunuch therefore went forth quickly, full of joy, and 
he saw the King alone, with his hand upon his cheek, meditating on 
this subject; so the eunuch approached him, and kissed the ground 
before him, and informed him of this fact. And when he heard the 
words of the eunuch, he rose upon his feet, and, in the excess of 

AND BEDEEA EL JEMA'L. 

817 

his joy, he kissed the hand of the eunuch, and his head, and, haying 
pulled off the apparel that was on himself, gave it to him; and he 
said to those who were present in his hall of assembly, Whosoever 
loveth me, let him bestow favours upon him. They therefore gave 
him, of riches and jewels and jacinths and horses and mules and 
gardens, what could not be numbered nor calculated. Then the 
Wezeer came in at that time to the King, and said, O King of the 
age, I was just now sitting alone in the house, troubled in heart, 
meditating upon the state of my wife, and saying within myself, I 
wonder whether it be true, and whether Khatoon 18 will bear me a 
child or not—when lo, the eunuch came in to me, and gave me the 
glad tidings that my wife Khatoon had felt symptoms of becoming 
a mother, and that her complexion was changed; whereupon, in my 
joy, I pulled off all the apparel that was upon me, and gave it to 
the eunuch ; and I gave him a thousand pieces of gold, and made 
him the chief of the eunuchs. Then the King ’A'sim said, O We¬ 
zeer, verily God (blessed be He, and exalted be his name!) hath 
favoured us, in his bounty and goodness and liberality and benefi¬ 
cence, with the right religion, and honoured us in his graciousness 
and bounty, and brought us out from darkness into light; and I 
desire to relieve the people, and to rejoice them. So the Wezeer 
replied, Do what thou desirest. And he said, O Wezeer, go down 
immediately, and take forth every one who is in the prison, of the 
criminals and debtors ; and whosoever shall be guilty of an offence 
after that, we will requite him with that which he shall deserve. 
We will also take off from the people the tribute for three years, 
and do thou set up, around this city, kitchens, around the walls, 
and order the cooks to suspend there all kinds of cooking-pots, to 
cook all kinds of viands, and to continue the cooking night and day; 
and all who are in this city, and in the surrounding tracts, near and 
distant, shall eat and drink and carry to their houses. Order them 
also to make merry, and to decorate the city seven days, and not to 
shut their shops night nor day. 18 

So the Wezeer went forth immediately, and did as the King 
’A'sim had commanded him. They decorated the city and the 
castle and the towers in the most beautiful manner, and clad them¬ 
selves in the best of apparel; and the people passed their time in 
eating and drinking and play and merriment until the period of the 

318 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

delivery of the King’s wife, 
after the fulfilment of her 
days, when she gave birth 
to a male child like the 
moon in the night of its 
fulness, and the King named 
him Seyf el-Mulook. 14 Like¬ 
wise the wife of the Wezeer 
gave birth to a boy like a 
lamp, and he named him 
Sa’ed. 15 When they had 
attained to years of discre¬ 
tion, 19 the King ’A'sim, 
whenever he beheld them, 
rejoiced in them exceedingly; 
and when their age had be¬ 
come twenty years, the King 
summoned his Wezeer Faris 
to a private interview, and 
said to him, O Wezeer, a 
thing hath occurred to my 
mind, and I desire to do it; 
but I will consult thee respecting it. The Wezeer replied. 
Whatever hath occurred to thy mind, do it; for thy judgment is 
blessed. And the King ’A'sim said, O Wezeer, I have become a 
very old, decrepit man; for I am far advanced in years; and I desire 
to reside in a Zawiyeh, 17 to worship God (whose name be exalted!), 
and give my kingdom and my empire to my son Seyf el-Mulook; 
since he is now a comely young man, perfect in horsemanship and 
intellect and polite literature and gravity and the art of govern¬ 
ment. What then sayest thou, O Wezeer, of this idea?—The 
Wezeer answered, Excellent is the idea that thou hast formed. It 
is a blessed and fortunate idea; and if thou do this, I also will do 
like thee, and my son Sa’ed shall be Wezeer unto him; for he is a 
comely young man, a person of knowledge and judgment. Thus 
the two shall be together, and we will arrange their affair, and will 
not be negligent respecting their case, but guide them to the right 
way.—Then the King ’A'sim said to his Wezeer, Write the letters, 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

319 

and send them by the couriers to all the provinces and districts and 
fortresses and castles that are under our authority, and order their 
chiefs to be present in such a month in the Horse-course of the 
Elephant. 18 The Wezeer Faris therefore went forth immediately, 
and wrote to all the governors and the commanders of the castles, 
and others who were under the authority of the King ’A'sim, com¬ 
manding them all to be present in that month; and he ordered that 
every one who was in the city should be present, the distant and 
the near. 

Then the King ’A'sim, after the expiration of the greater part 
of the interval, commanded the farrashes to pitch the tents in the 
midst of the horse-course, and to decorate them in the most sump¬ 
tuous manner, and to set the great throne upon which the King sat 
not save on the occasions of festivals. So they did immediately all 
that he commanded them: they set the throne, and the lieutenants 
and chamberlains and emeers went forth. The King also went 
forth, and commanded to proclaim among the people, In the name 
of God! Come forth to the horse-course !—Accordingly the emeers 
and wezeers, and the governors of the provinces and the cultivated 
tracts, came forth to that horse-course, and betook themselves to 
the service of the King as was their custom, and they all remained 
in their several places: some of them sat, and some stood, until all 
the people had collected, when the King gave orders to spread the 
table. 19 They therefore spread it, and they ate and drank, and 
prayed for the King. Then the King commanded the chamberlains 
to proclaim among the people that they should not depart. So 
they proclaimed, and said in their proclamation, Not one of you 
shall go until he heareth the words of the King! They then raised 
the curtains, 20 and the King said, Whoso loveth me, let him remain 
until he heareth my words. Wherefore all the people sat with 
tranquil souls, after they had been fearful. And the King rose 
upon his feet, and made them swear that none of them would rise 
from his place; and he said to them, O emeers and wezeers and 
lords of the empire, great and small, and whosoever is present of 
all the people, do ye know that this kingdom was an heritage unto 
me from my fathers and forefathers ? They answered him, Yes, O 
King: all of us know that. And he said to them, I and ye all 
worshipped the sun and the moon, and God (whose name be 

320 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK, &c. 

exalted!) blessed us with the true faith, and delivered us from 
darkness into light, and God (whose perfection be extolled, and 
whose name be exalted!) guided us unto the religion of el-Islam. 
Know also that I have now become a very old man, decrepit, impo¬ 
tent ; and I desire to sit in a Zawiyeh, there to worship God (whose 
name be exalted!), and to beg his forgiveness of past offences ; and 
this my son, Seyf el-Mulook, shall be ruler. Ye know that he is 
a comely young man, eloquent, acquainted with the affairs of the 
world, intelligent, excelling in science, just. I therefore desire at 
this present time to give him my kingdom, and to make him King 
over you in my stead, and seat him as Sultan in my place. So I 
will retire to worship God (whose name be exalted!) in a Zawiyeh, 
and my son Seyf el-Mulook will be invested with the sovereignty, 
and judge between you. What then do ye all say ?—And upon 
this, they all rose, and, having kissed the ground before him, an¬ 
swered, We hear and obey. And they said, O our King and our 
defender, shouldst thou set over us one of thy slaves, we would 
obey him, and attend to thy words, and comply with thy command : 
how then in the case of thy son Seyf el-Mulook ? We accept him 
and approve of him, on the eye and the head. 

So thereupon the King ’A'sim the son of Safwan arose, and 
descended from his throne, and, having seated his son on the great 
throne, took the crown from his own head, and put it on the head 
of his son, and he girded his waist with the royal girdle. 21 Then 
the King ’A'sim seated himself upon the throne of his kingdom, by 
the side of his son; and the emeers and wezeers, and the great men 
of the empire, and all the people, arose and kissed the ground 
before him, and stood saying one to another, He is worthy of the 
sovereignty, and he is more worthy of it than any other. They 
made proclamation of safety, and offered up prayers in his favour 
for victory and good fortune; and Seyf el-Mulook scattered gold 
and silver over the heads of all the people, conferred robes of 
honour, and gave and bestowed. Then, after a moment, the 
Wezeer Faxis arose, and kissed the ground, and said, O emeers, 
O lords of the empire, do ye know that I am Wezeer, and that my 
office of Wezeer commenced of old, before the King ’A'sim the 
son of Safwan was invested with the sovereignty, who hath now 
divested himself of the sovereignty and invested his son in his 

stead ? They answered, Yes: we know that thou hast inherited 
thine office of Wezeer from father after grandfather. And he said. 
And now I divest myself, and invest this my son Sa’ed; for he is 
intelligent, sagacious, knowing. What then say ye all ?—And they 
answered, None is fit to be Wezeer to the King Seyf el-Mulook 
except thy son Sa’ed; for they are suited one to the other. So 
thereupon the Wezeer Far is arose, and took off his Wezeer’s 
turban, and put it on the head of his son Sa’ed, and he put the 
Wezeer’s ink-case before him also. And the chamberlains and 
emeers said. Verily he deserveth the office of Wezeer. Then the 
King ’A'sim and the Wezeer Faris arose, and opened the treasuries, 
and conferred sumptuous robes of honour upon the Kings and 
Emeers and Wezeers, and the great men of the empire, and all the 
people; gave salaries and benefactions, and wrote for them new 
diplomas and mandates with the signature of Seyf el-Mulook and 
the signature of the Wezeer Sa’ed the son of the Wezeer Faris; 
and the people [of the provinces] remained in the city for a week, 
after which each of them journeyed to his district and his place. 

The King ’A'sim then took his son Seyf el-Mulook, and Sa’ed 

2 T 

VOL. III. 

322 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

the son of the old Wezeer, and they entered the city, went up to 
the palace, and, having summoned the Treasurer, ordered him to 
bring the seal-ring and the sword and the wrapper; and the King 
’A'sim said, O my sons, come: each of you shall choose something 
from this present and take it. And the first who put forth his 
hand was Seyf el-Mulook, who took the wrapper and the seal-ring; 
and Sa’ed put forth his hand, and took the sword; 88 after which 
they kissed the hands of the old King, and departed to their 
dwelling-places. Now when Seyf el-Mulook took the wrapper, he 
did not open it, nor look at what was ill it, but he threw it upon 
the couch on which he slept at night together with his Wezeer 
Sa’ed; for it was their custom to sleep together. They spread 
their bed, and the two lay down together upon it, the candles 
shedding their light upon them; and they remained until midnight. 
Then Seyf el-Mulook awoke from his sleep, and, seeing the wrap¬ 
per at his head, he said within himself, I wonder what is in this 
wrapper which the King hath given us among the rarities. So he 
took it, and took a candle, and descended from the couch, leaving 
Sa’ed asleep; and he entered a closet, and opened the wrapper; 
whereupon he saw in it a tunic of the fabric of the Jan. He then 
opened the tunic, and spread it out, and found upon the lining of 
the back part of it the portrait of a damsel, delineated in gold; 
but her loveliness was wonderful. When he saw this portrait, his 
reason fled from his head: he became mad with love of it, and fell 
upon the floor in a fit, and began to weep and wail, and to slap his 
face and his bosom, and to kiss the portrait. Then he recited these 
two verses:— 

Love, at its commencement, is like running saliva. Destiny bringeth it and 
exciteth it. 

But when the youth plungeth into the abysses of love, events occur too great 
for him to bear. 

He ceased not to wail and weep, and to slap his face and his 
bosom, until the Wezeer Sa’ed awoke, and looked at the bed, and 
saw not Seyf el-Mulook; but he saw a candle; and he said within 
himself. Whither is Seyf el-Mulook gone ? He then took the 
candle, and proceeded to search through all the palace until he 
came to the closet in which Seyf el-Mulook was, when he saw him 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

323 

weeping violently and wailing. So he said to him, 0 my brother, 
for what reason is this weeping ? What hath happened to thee ? 
Tell me, and acquaint me with the cause of this.—But Seyf el- 
Mulook spoke not to him, nor raised his head: he still wept and 
wailed, and struck his hand upon his bosom. Therefore when 
Sa’ed saw him in this state, he said, I am thy Wezeer and thy 
brother, and I was reared with thee; and if thou do not discover 
to me thine affairs, and make me acquainted with thy secret, to 
whom wilt thou reveal thy secret, and whom wilt thou make 
acquainted with it? And Saed ceased not to humble himself and 
to kiss the ground for some time, while Seyf el-Mulook looked not 
towards him, nor spoke to him a single word; but continued weep¬ 
ing. And when his state alarmed Sa’ed, and his case wearied him, 
he went forth from him, and, taking a sword, entered the closet in 
which was Seyf el-Mulook, and put the point of the sword to his 
own bosom, and said to Seyf el-Mulook, Rouse thyself, O my 
brother! If thou tell me not what hath happened to thee, I will 
slay myself, rather than see thee in this state.—So upon this, Seyf 
el-Mulook raised his head towards his "Wezeer Sa’ed, and said to 
him, O my brother, I was ashamed to tell thee and to acquaint thee 
with that which hath happened to me. But Sa’ed replied, I con¬ 
jure thee by Allah, the Lord of lords, and the Liberator of necks, 
and the Cause of causes, the One, the Gracious, the Bountiful, the 
Libera], that thou tell me what it is that hath happened to thee, 
and be not abashed at me ; for I am thy slave and thy Wezeer and 
thy counsellor in all affairs. And Seyf el-Mulook said, Come, look 
at this portrait. And when Sa’ed saw that portrait, he contemplated 
it for some time, and saw inscribed upon the head of it, in pearls 
arranged, This is the portrait of Bedeea. el-Jemal the daughter of 
Shahyal 23 the son of Sharookh, one of the Kings of the believing 
Jan, who sojourn in the city of Babil, and dwell in the Garden of 
Irem of the son of ’A'd the Greater.”—Upon this, the Wezeer 
Sa’ed said to the King Seyf el-Mulook, O my brother, knowest 
thou who among women is the original of this portrait, that we may 
search for her ? Seyf el-Mulook answered, No, by Allah, O my 
brother: I know not the original of this portrait. And Sa’ed 
replied, Come, read this inscription. So Seyf el-Mulook advanced, 
and read the inscription that was upon the crown, and knew its 

324 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

purport; and thereupon he uttered a loud cry from the bottom of 
his bosom, and said, Ah! Ah! Ah!—But Sa’ed said to him, O my 
brother, if the original of this portrait be in existence, and her 
name be Bedeea el-Jemal, and she be in the world, I will hasten 
to seek her, without delay, that thou mayest attain thy desire. I 
conjure thee then by Allah, O my brother, that thou relinquish 
weeping, in order that thou mayest introduce the people of the 
empire to wait upon thee; and when the morning cometh, summon 
the merchants and the poor devotees and the travellers and the 
needy, and inquire of them respecting the particulars of this city. 
Perhaps some one, by the blessing of God (whose perfection be ex¬ 
tolled, and whose name be exalted!), and by his aid, may direct us 
to it, and to the Garden of Irem. 

Accordingly, when the morning came, Seyf el-Mulook arose, 
and ascended the throne, hugging the tunic; for from this time he 
neither rose nor sat down, nor would sleep come to him, unless it 
were with him. So the emeers and wezeers and the troops and the 
lords of the empire came in to him; but when the court was fully 
attended, and the assembly was ranged in order, the King Seyf el- 
Mulook said to his Wezeer Sa’ed, Go forth to them and say to 
them, that the King hath experienced an indisposition, and that he 
passed not last night save in a state of illness. The Wezeer Sa’ed 
therefore went forth, and acquainted the people with that which 
the King had said. And when the King ’A'sim heard that, the 
case of his son was not a light matter to him; wherefore, upon this, 
he summoned the sages and the astrologers, and went in with them 
to his son Seyf el-Mulook; and they looked at him, and prescribed 
for him a beverage, and he remained in his place during a period of 
three months. So the King ’A'sim said to the sages who were 
present, being enraged against them, Wo to you, O dogs! Are ye 
all unable to cure my son ? Now if ye cure him not immediately, 
I will slay you all 1—Their chief replied, O King of the age, we 
know that this is thy son, and thou knowest that we are not neg¬ 
lectful in the cure of the stranger: how then should we be so with 
respect to the cure of thy son ? But thy son hath a difficult dis¬ 
ease: if thou desire to know it, we will mention it to thee, and 
inform thee of it.—The King ’A'sim said. What hath appeared to 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

325 

you in the disease of my son ? So the chief sage answered him, O 
King of the age, verily thy son is now enamoured, and loveth a 
person with whom there is no way of effecting a union. And upon 
this, the King ’A'sim was enraged, and said, How learned ye that 
my son is enamoured, and how came love unto my son ? They 
therefore answered him, Ask his brother and his Wezeer, Sa’ed; 
for he is the person who knoweth his state. And the King ’A'sim 
arose, and, having entered a closet alone, summoned Sa’ed, and said 
to him, Tell me the true nature of the disease of my son. But he 
replied, I know not its true nature. And the King said to the 
executioner. Take Sa’ed, bind his eyes, and smite off his head. So 
Sa’ed feared for himself, and said, O King of the age, give me 
promise of indemnity. And he replied, Tell me, and thou shalt he 
safe. Then Sa’ed said to him, Verily thy son is enamoured.—And 
who, asked the King, is the object of his passion? Sa’ed answered, 
The daughter of one of the Kings of the Jan; for he saw her por¬ 
trait upon a tunic in the wrapper which Suleyman the Prophet of 
God gave you. 

And thereupon the King ’A'sim arose and went in to his son 
Seyf el-Mulook, and said to him, O my son, what hath afflicted 
thee, and what is this portrait of which thou hast become ena¬ 
moured, and why didst thou not inform me ? Seyf el-Mulook 
answered, O my father, I was abashed at thee, and I was not able 
to mention to thee that matter, nor could I acquaint any one with 
aught of it: but now thou knowest my state; see then how thou 
wilt act to effect my cure. His father said to him, What expe¬ 
dient shall be employed ? Were this of the daughters of mankind, 
we would contrive an expedient to obtain access to her; but she is 
of the daughters of the Kings of the Jan; and who is able to gain 
possession of her, unless it be Suleyman the son of Daood ? for he 
is the person who can effect that. But, O my son, arise immedi¬ 
ately, and strengthen thyself, and mount, and go to the chase, and 
to the games in the horse-course; employ thyself also in eating and 
drinking, and dismiss anxiety and grief from thy heart. I will 
bring thee a hundred damsels of the daughters of Kings, and thou 
hast no need of the daughters of the Jan, over whom we have 
•no power, and who are not of our species.—But he replied, I will 

not relinquish her, nor will I seek any other than her. So his 
father said to him, How shall it be done, O my son ? And he 
answered him, Bring to us all the merchants and the travellers and 
wanderers throughout the countries, that we may inquire of them 
respecting this. Perhaps God will direct us to the garden of Irem 
and to the city of Babil.—The King ’A'sim therefore commanded 
that every merchant in the city should present himself, and every 
stranger in it, and every sea-captain; and when they came, he asked 
them respecting the city of Babil and its country, and respecting 
the Garden of Irem. Not one of them, however, knew these 
places, or gave any information of them. But on the breaking up 
of the assembly, one of them said, O King of the age, if thou desire 
to know that, inquire in the country of China; for it hath a great 
city, and perhaps some one of that place may direct thee to the 
object of thy desire. And upon this, Seyf el-Mulook said, O my 
father, fit out for me a ship for the voyage to the land of China. 
His father replied, O my son, sit thou upon the throne of thy king¬ 
dom, and rule the people, and I will make the voyage to the land 
of China, and go myself on this business. But Seyf el-Mulook 
said, O my father, this affair concerneth me, and no one can seek to 
accomplish it like myself; and whatever may happen, if thou give 
me permission to make the voyage, I will do so, and be absent for 
a period of time. If I find any tidings of her, my desire is 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK, &c. 

327 

attained; and if I find no tidings of her, by the voyage I shall 
experience dilatation of my bosom, and enlivenment of my heart: 
by this means my case will become easy; and if I live, I shall 
return to thee safe.—And the King looked at his son, and saw for 
himself no resource but doing for him that which would content 
him. So he gave him permission to make the voyage, and fitted 
out for him forty ships, and a thousand 25 memlooks, besides ser¬ 
vants, and gave him wealth and treasures, with everything that he 
required of implements of war; and he said to him, Set forth 
on thy voyage, O my son, in prosperity and health and safety. I 
commit thee unto Him with whom deposits are not lost. 

Then his father and his mother bade him farewell, the ships 
were laden with water and provisions and arms and soldiers, and 
they commenced the voyage. They ceased not to pursue then- 
course until they arrived at the capital of China; and when the 
people of China heard that there had come to them forty ships 
filled with men and equipages and arms and stores, they made sure 
that they were enemies who had come to attack them and besiege 
them; wherefore they closed the gates of the city, and prepared 
the catapults. So when the King Seyf el-Mulook heard of this, he 
sent to them two of his favourite memlooks, and said to them, Go 
ye to the King of China, and say to him, This is Seyf el-Mulook, 
the son of the King ’A'sim: he hath come unto thy city as a guest, 
to divert himself in thy country for a period of time, and not to 
fight, nor to contend: so if thou wilt receive him, he will land to 
visit thee; and if thou wilt not receive him, he will return, and not 
trouble thee nor the people of thy city.—Accordingly the mem¬ 
looks, on their arriving at the city, said to its inhabitants, We are 
envoys of the King Seyf el-Mulook. They therefore opened to 
them the gate, and went with them, and presented them before 
their King. His name was Faghfoor 26 Shah; and there had ex¬ 
isted between him and the King ’A'sim, before that period, an 
acquaintance. So when he heard that the King who had come to 
him was Seyf el-Mulook, the son of the King ’A'sim, he bestowed 
robes of honour upon the envoys, and gave orders to open the gates. 
He also prepared the gifts of hospitality, and went forth himself, 
with the favourite officers of his empire, and came to Seyf el-Mu¬ 
look ; and they embraced each other. He said to him, A friendly 

328 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

and free and ample welcome to him who hath come unto us! 1 am 
thy memlook, and the memlook of thy father; my city is at thy 
disposal, and everything that thou demandest shall be brought unto 
thee.—And he presented to him the gifts of hospitality, and pro¬ 
visions [for him and his people], at their stations. Then the King 
Seyf el-Mulook mounted, and Sa’ed his Wezeer, and with them 
their favourite officers and the rest of the soldiers, and they pro¬ 
ceeded along the sea-shore until they entered the city; when the 
cymbals were beaten, and the drums to announce the happy event; 
and they remained there for a period of forty days, well entertained. 

After this, the King of China said to Seyf el-Mulook, O son of 
my brother, how art thou ? Hath my country pleased thee ?—Seyf 
el-Mulook answered him, May God (whose name be exalted!) 
make it ever to be honoured by thy rule, O King ! And the King 
Faghfoor Shah said, Nought hath brought thee hither save some 
affair that hath occurred to thee; and whatever thing thou desirest 
to obtain from my country, I will accomplish it for thee. So Seyf 
el-Mulook replied, O King, verily my case is wonderful; and it is 
this: I have become enamoured of a portrait of Bedeea el-Jemal. 
And upon this the King of China wept in pity and compassion for 
him, and said to him, And what desirest thou now, O Seyf el- 
Mulook ? He answered him, I desire of thee that thou bring unto 
me all the wanderers and travellers, and those who are accustomed 
to journeys, that I may inquire of them respecting the original of 
this portrait. Perhaps some one of them may give me information 
respecting her.—The King Faghfoor Shah therefore sent the lieu¬ 
tenants and chamberlains and guards, and commanded them to 
bring all the wanderers and travellers who were in the country. So 
they brought them; and they were a numerous company; and they 
assembled before the King Faghfoor Shah. Then the King Seyf 
el-Mulook inquired respecting the city of Babil and the Garden of 
Irem: but none of them returned him an answer; wherefore the 
King Seyf el-Mulook was perplexed at his case. After that, how¬ 
ever, one of the sea-captains said, O King, if thou desire to know 
this city and that garden, inquire in the islands that appertain to 
India. 

So thereupon, Seyf el-Mulook commanded that they should 
bring the ships; and they did so, and stored them with water and 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

329 

provisions and all that they required; after which, Seyf el-Mulook 
embarked, with Sa’ed his Wezeer, having bidden farewell to the 
King Faghfoor Shall, and they continued their course over the sea 
for a period of four months, with a fair wind, safe and secure. But 
it happened that there arose against them a wind one day, the bil¬ 
lows came upon them from every quarter, the rain descended upon 
them, and the sea became changed by the violence of the wind. 
The ships dashed one against another by reason of the force of the 
wind, and all fell to pieces, as also did the small boats, [excepting 
one,] and they were all submerged but Seyf el-Mulook with a 
party of his memlooks who remained in a small boat. Then the 
wind became stilled and calmed by the power of God (whose name 
be exalted!), and the sun rose, and Seyf el-Mulook, opening his 
eyes, saw not any of the ships, nor saw he aught save the sky and 
the water and himself and those who were with him in the little 
boat. So he said to the memlooks who were with him, Where are 
the ships and the small boats, and where is my brother Sa ed ? 
They answered him, O King of the age, there remain not ships nor 
boats nor those who were in them; for they are all submerged, 
and have become food for the fishes. And thereupon, Seyf el- 
Mulook called out, and repeated a sentence the utterer of which is 

voi.. in. 

330 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

secure from confusion; that is, There is no strength nor power but 
in God, the High, the Great! Then he began to slap his face, and 
desired to cast himself into the sea; but the memlooks prevented 
him, and said to him, O King, what advantage would arise to thee 
from this ? Thou hast done with thyself thus, and hadst thou 
attended to the words of thy father, nought of this had happened 
to thee. But all this was written from eternity by the will of the 
Creator of souls, and the servant must experience the accomplish¬ 
ment of that which God hath decreed to befall him. The astro¬ 
logers said to thy father, at thy birth, Verily all these difficulties 
will befall this thy son. And in this case we have no resource but 
to be patient until God shall dispel from us the affliction in which 
we are involved.—And Seyf el-Mulook said, There is no strength 
nor power but in God, the High, the Great! There is no place of 
refuge from that which God (whose name be exalted!) decreeth, 
nor any flight therefrom ! — Then he sighed, and recited these 
verses:— 

I am perplexed, by the Compassionate! without doubt, in my case; and trouble 
hath befallen me from sources unknown to me 1 

I will be patient, that mankind may know me to have borne with patience 
that which is more bitter than aloes. 27 

The taste of bitter aloes is not like my patience; for I have borne with 
patience what is hotter than live coals. 

I have no resource in my present case; but I commit my affairs to the 
Disposer of events. 

He was drowned in the sea of solicitudes, and his tears ran 
down his cheek like a copious rain; and he slept for a period of the 
day, after which he awoke, and demanded some food. So he ate 
until he was satisfied, and they removed the provision from before 
him. The boat proceeded with them, and they knew not whither 
it was conveying them; and it ceased not to bear them along with 
the waves and the winds night and day for a long period of time, 
until their provision was exhausted, and they were confounded, and 
became in a state of the most violent hunger and thirst and agita¬ 
tion. But lo, an island appeared to them in the distance, and the 
winds drove them on until they arrived at it; whereupon they 
made fast their boat to it, and landed, leaving one in the boat. 
They went on upon that island, and saw upon it many fruits of all 
kinds, and ate of them until they were satisfied. And lo, there was 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

331 

a person sitting among the trees, long-faced, of strange appearance, 
with white beard and skin; and he called to one of the memlooks 
by his name, and said to him, Eat not of these fruits; for they are 
not ripe; but come to me, that I may give thee to eat of these ripe 
fruits. And the memlook looked at him, and imagined that he was 
of the number of those who were submerged, and that he had 
landed upon this island. So he rejoiced extremely at the sight of 
him, and walked on until he came near to him; this memlook not 
knowing what was secretly ordained to befall him, and what was 
written upon his forehead. 28 And when he came near to him, that 
person leaped upon him; for he was a Marid ; 29 and mounting 
upon his shoulders, he wound one of his legs round his neck, and 
hung the other down his back, and said to him, Walk on: there 
remaineth for thee no escape from me, and thou hast become 
my ass. The memlook thereupon called out to his companions, 
and began to weep, and to say, Alas, my master! Go ye forth and 
save yourselves from this wood, and flee ye; for one of its inhabit¬ 
ants hath mounted upon my shoulders, and the rest seek you, and 
desire to mount you like me.—So when they heard these words 
which the memlook uttered, they all fled, and embarked in the 
boat; and the inhabitants of the island followed them into the sea, 
saying to them, Whither go ye ? Come and remain with us, that 
we may ride upon your backs, and we will give you food and drink, 
and ye shall be our asses.—Therefore on their hearing from them 
these words, they hastened in their course upon the sea until they 
were far from them; and they proceeded relying upon God, whose 
name be exalted ! 

They ceased not to proceed in this manner for the space of a 
month, till another island appeared to them; and they landed upon 
that island, and saw there fruits of various kinds. So they busied 
themselves with eating the fruits; and lo, they saw something in 
the way, appearing in the distance; and when they drew near to it, 
they looked at it, and saw it to be a creature of hideous appearance, 
lying down, like a column of silver. And a memlook struck it with 
his foot; and behold, it was a person with long eyes and cloven 
head, and he was hidden beneath one of his ears; for it was his 
habit, when he slept, to put one of his ears beneath his head, and 
to cover himself with the other ear. 30 He then seized the memlook 

332 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

who struck him, and went with him into the midst of the island ; 
and lo, it was all occupied by Ghools, who ate the sons of Adam. 
And thereupon that memlook called out to his companions and said 
to them, Save yourselves; for this island is the island of the Ghools 
who eat the sons of Adam, and they desire to cut me up and eat 
me. So when they heard these words, they turned back in flight, 
and descended from the shore into the boat, without having col¬ 
lected aught of the fruits. 

They proceeded for some days, and it happened that there ap¬ 
peared to them, one day, another island ; and when they arrived at 
it, they found upon it a high mountain, which they ascended, and 
they found upon the mountain a wood of many trees; and they 
were hungry; wherefore they busied themselves with eating of the 
fruits. But they were not aware when there came forth to them, 
from among the trees, persons of horrible aspect, and tall; the 
height of each of them was fifty cubits, and his dog-teeth protruded 
from his mouth like the tusks of the elephant. And lo, they found 
a person sitting upon a piece of black felt on a rock, and around 
him were the Ethiopians, a numerous company, standing in attend¬ 
ance upon him. Then these Ethiopians came and took Seyf el- 
Mulook and his memlooks, and, having stationed them before their 
King, said. We found these birds among the trees. And the King 
was hungry: so he took two of the memlooks, and slaughtered 
them and ate them. Therefore when Seyf el-Mulook beheld this 
thing, he feared for himself, and wept; and he recited these two 
verses:— 

Calamities have become familiar with my heart, and I with them, after 
shunning them; for the generous is habitually familiar. 

The anxieties that I suffer are not of one description: I have (praise he to 
God !) thousands of them. 31 

Then he sighed, and recited also this couplet:— 

Fortune hath smitten me so with disasters, that my heart is covered with its 
arrows; 

And now, when other arrows strike me, their points break against the points 
in my heart. 

And when the King heard his weeping and lamentation, he said, 
Verily these birds have an agreeable voice and modulation, and their 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

333 

voices have pleased me: so put ye each one of them into a cage. 
Accordingly they put each of them into a cage, and they hung 
them over the head of the King, that he might hear their voices. 
Thus Seyf el-Mulook and his memlooks became imprisoned in the 
cages, and the Ethiopians gave them food and drink; and at times 
they wept and at times laughed, and at times they talked and at 
times were silent; the King of the Ethiopians all the while delight¬ 
ing in their voices; and they ceased not to remain in this state for 
a length of time. 

Now the King had a married daughter in another island; and 
she heard that her father had birds of agreeable voices ; so she sent 
a party of her people to her father to request of him some of these 
birds. Her father therefore sent to her Seyf el-Mulook, and three 
memlooks, in four cages, with the envoy who came to request 
them; and when they were brought to her, and she beheld them, 
they pleased her, and she ordered her attendants to put them up in 
a place over her head. So Seyf el-Mulook wondered at the events 
that had befallen him, and he reflected upon the glorious state in 
which he had been living, and began to weep for himself, while the 
three memlooks also wept for themselves; and all the time the King’s 
daughter believed that they were singing. It was the custom of 
the King’s daughter, when any one of the land of Egypt or any 
other country fell into her possession, and pleased her, to hold him 
in high estimation ; and it happened, by the decree of God (whose 
name be exalted!) and his predestination, that when she saw 
Seyf el-Mulook, his beauty and loveliness pleased her, and his 
stature and justness of form. She therefore gave orders to treat 
him and his companions with honour, and caressed him; but he 
shewed a dislike to her ; and upon this she was incensed against 
him and his memlooks, and commanded them to serve her, and to 
convey to her the water and the fire-wood. They continued to do 
thus for four years, and this state wearied Seyf el-Mulook: so he 
sent to intercede with the Queen, hoping that she would liberate 
them, and that they might go their way and be relieved from their 
present state ; but she refused ; and Seyf el-Mulook and the mem¬ 
looks remained with her upon the island in the same condition. 
The inhabitants of the island knew that they were the birds of the 

King’s daughter; wherefore none of the people of the city dared 
to hurt them in any way ; and the heart of the King’s daughter 
was at ease respecting them, and she felt certain that there was no 
escape for them from this island. So they used to absent them¬ 
selves from her for two days, and three, and to go about the desert 
to collect fire-wood from the different tracts of the island and to 
bring it to the kitchen of the King’s daughter; and they continued 
in this state five years. 

After this, it happened that Seyf el-Mulook sat with his mem- 
looks, one day, upon the shore of the sea, conversing upon the 
events that had occurred, and Seyf el-Mulook, looking aside, and 
seeing himself in this place with his memlooks, thought upon his 
mother and his father and his brother Sa’ed, and upon the state of 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK, &c. 

335 

glory in which he had lived, and he wept and lamented and wailed 
exceedingly, as did also the memlooks. Then the memlooks said 
to him, O King of the age, how long shall we weep ? Weeping 
will not profit. This is an event written upon our foreheads by 
the predetermination of God (to whom be ascribed might and 
glory!), and the pen hath written what He hath appointed, and 
nought will profit us but patience. Perhaps God (whose perfection 
be extolled, and whose name be exalted !), who hath afflicted us 
by this calamity, will dispel it from us.—And Seyf el-Mulook said 
to them, O my brothers, how shall we contrive our escape from this 
accursed woman ? I see no way of escape for us unless God 
deliver us from her by his favour. But it hath occurred to my 
mind that we may flee and be at ease from this fatigue.—They said 
to him, O King of the age, whither can we go from this island, which 
is all occupied by Ghools who eat the sons of Adam ? In every 
place to which we might go they would find us, and they would 
either eat us or take us prisoners and bring us back to our place, 
and the King’s daughter would be incensed against us.—But Seyf 
el-Mulook replied, I will do for you something, and perhaps God 
(whose name be exalted !) will aid us thereby to effect our deliver¬ 
ance, and we shall escape from this island. So they said to him, 
How wilt thou act ? And he answered, We will cut some of these 
long pieces of wood, and twist ropes of their bark, and bind one to 
another, and make them a raft , 32 which we will launch into the sea, 
and lade with these fruits; and we will make for it oars, and 
embark upon it. Perhaps God (whose name be exalted !) will give 
us relief by means of it; for He is able to accomplish everything; 
and perhaps God will bless us with a fair wind, that will convey us 
to the land of India, and we shall escape from this accursed 
woman.—And they replied, This is a good idea. And they rejoiced 
at it exceedingly. 

They began immediately to cut the pieces of wood for making 
the raft. Then they twisted the ropes to bind the pieces of wood 
together, and they persevered in this work for the space of a 
month. Every day, in the evening, they took some fire-wood, and 
carried it to the kitchen of the King’s daughter, and they devoted 
the rest of the day to their work in making the raft, until they 
completed it. So when they had finished making it, they launched 

336 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK, &c. 

it upon the sea, and laded it with fruits gathered from the trees of 
the island, and prepared themselves at the close of the day, not 
having acquainted any one with that which they had done. Then 
they embarked upon the raft, and proceeded over the sea for a 
period of four months, not knowing whither they were borne. 
Their provisions were exhausted, and they had become in a state of 
the most violent hunger and thirst, when lo, the sea frothed and 
foamed, and rose in high waves, and there came to them a horrible 
crocodile, which put forth its fore-paw, and seized one of the mem- 
looks, and swallowed him. Therefore when Seyf el-Mulook saw 
that crocodile do thus with the memlook, he wept violently. He 
remained upon the raft with the two other memlooks 33 alone, and 
they passed on to a distance from the place of the crocodile, in a 
state of fear. They ceased not to remain in this state until there 
appeared to them, one day, a great mountain, terrible, lofty, rising 
high into the air; and they were glad at the sight of it; and after 
that, there appeared to them an island: so they pursued their 
course to it with diligence, rejoicing at their arriving there. But 
while they were in this condition, lo, the sea became agitated, and 
its waves rose high, and its state became changed. Then again a 
crocodile raised his head, stretched forth his paw, and took the two 
remaining memlooks of Seyf el-Mulook, and swallowed them. 

So Seyf el-Mulook remained alone until he arrived at the 
island ; whereupon he laboured till he had ascended the mountain, 
and he looked, and saw a wood, which he entered, and he walked 
among the trees, and began to eat of the fruits ; but he saw that 
more than twenty great apes had ascended some of the trees ; each 
of them larger than a mule. Therefore when Seyf el-Mulook 
beheld these apes, violent fear came upon him. Then the apes 
descended, and surrounded him on every side ; and after that they 
walked before him, making a sign to him that he should follow 
them, and went on. So Seyf el-Mulook walked after them; and 
they ceased not to proceed, with him following them, until they 
came to a castle of high structure, with lofty angles. They entered 
this castle, and Seyf el-Mulook entered behind them, and he 
beheld in it, of all kinds of rarities and jewels and minerals, what 
the tongue cannot describe. He saw also in this castle a young 
man, upon the sides of whose face hairs had not begun to grow; but 

he was tall, exceedingly tall; and when Seyf el-Mulook saw this 
young man, he was cheered by his company ; and there was not in 
that castle any one of mankind besides this young man. The young 
man, on seeing Seyf el-Mulook, was pleased with him extremely ; 
and he said to him, What is thy name, and from what country art 
thou, and how earnest thou hither ? Acquaint me with thy story, 
and conceal not of it aught.—Therefore Seyf el-Mulook replied, I, 
by Allah, came not hither by my own choice, nor was this place the 
object of my desire, nor can I remain in a place 34 until I attain 
what I seek.—And what is it, said the young man, that thou 
seekest? Seyf el-Mulook answered him, I am of the land of 
Egypt, and my name is Seyf el-Mulook, and my father is named 
the King ’A'sim the son of Safwan. He then related to him the 
events that had happened to him from the first of the case to the 
last; and thereupon that young man arose and betook himself to 
the service of Seyf el-Mulook, and said, 0 King of the age, I was 
in Egypt, and heard that thou hadst gone to the land of China; and 
how far is this land from the land of China ! Verily this is a won- 

2 x 

VOL. III. 

338 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

derful thing, and an extraordinary case!—Seyf el-Mulook replied, 
Thy words are true; but after that, I proceeded from the land of 
China to the land of India, and a wind arose against us, and the sea 
became agitated, and all the ships that were with me went to 
pieces. And he told him all that had happened to him, until he 
said, And I have come unto thee in this place. The young man 
then said to him, O son of the King, what thou hast experienced in 
this absence from thy country, and in the difficulties that have 
attended it, is sufficient for thee, and praise be to God who hath 
brought thee to this place! Reside then with me, that I may be 
cheered by thy society until I die, and thou shalt be King over this 
region ; for it compriseth this island, of which no limit is known. 
Moreover these apes are skilled in arts, and everything that thou 
shalt demand thou wilt find here.—But Seyf el-Mulook replied, O 
my brother, I cannot remain in any place until my affair be accom¬ 
plished, though I should go round about the whole world inquiring 
respecting the object of my desire. Perhaps God will cause me to 
attain my wish, or my course may lead me to a place wherein my 
appointed term shall end, and I shall die. 

The young man then looked towards an ape, and made a sign 
to him; whereupon the ape absented himself for a while; after 
which he came back, accompanied by apes with silken napkins tied 
to their waists; and they brought forward a table, and put upon it 
about a hundred dishes of gold and silver, containing all kinds of 
viands, and the apes stood in the manner of servants before 
Kings. Next he made a sign to the chamberlains to seat themselves: 
so they sat; and he whose custom it was to serve stood. Then they 
ate until they were satisfied, when they removed the table, and 
brought basins and ewers of gold, and they washed their hands. 
And after that, they brought wine-vessels, about forty vessels, each 
containing a particular kind of wine; and they drank, and enjoyed 
themselves, and were merry, and their time was pleasant; all the 
apes dancing and playing, while the eaters were occupied in eating. 
So when Seyf el-Mulook beheld this, he wondered at them, 
and forgot the difficulties that had happened to him. And when 
night came, they lighted the candles, and put them in candlesticks 
of gold and silver. Then they brought vessels of dried and fresh 
fruits, and they ate; and when the time for sleep came, they spread 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

339 

for them the beds, and they slept. And in the morning, the young 
man arose as he was wont, and he woke Seyf el-Mulook, and said 
to him, Put forth thy head from this window, and see what is 
standing beneath the window. He therefore looked, and he saw 
apes that filled the wide waste and all the desert tract, and none 
knew the number of those apes but God, whose name be exalted! 
So Seyf el-Mulook said, These are numerous apes, that have filled the 
open country, and wherefore have they assembled at this time? 
And the young man answered him, This is their custom: all who 
are in the island have come, and some of them have come from a 
distance of two days’ journey, or three days; for they come every 
Saturday, ,s and stand here until I awake from my sleep and put 
my head forth from this window; and when they see me, they kiss 
the ground before me; after which they depart to their occupations. 
And he put forth his head from the window so that they saw him; 
and when they beheld him, they kissed the ground before him, and 
departed. 

Seyf el-Mulook remained with the young man during the space 
of a whole month; and after that, he bade him farewell, and 
departed. The young man ordered a party of the apes, about a 
hundred, to journey with him; and they journeyed in attendance 
upon Seyf el-Mulook for a period of seven days, until they had 
conducted him to the extremity of their country, 36 when they bade 
him farewell, and returned to their places. Seyf el-Mulook then 
journeyed alone over the mountains and hills and the deserts and 
wastes for the space of four months, one day hungry and another day 
satiated, one day eating of the herbage and another day eating of the 
fruits of the trees. He began to repent of that which he had done 
with himself, and of his going forth from that young man, and he 
desired to retrace his steps to him. But he saw an indistinct black 
object appearing in the distance; so he said within himself, Is this a 
black city, or how is the case ? But I will not return until I see what 
this indistinct object is.—And when he came near to it, he saw it 
to be a palace of lofty structure. He who built it was Yafith the 
son of Nooh (on whom be peace!), and it was the palace which 
God (whose name be exalted!) hath mentioned in his Excellent 
Book, in his words, And an abandoned well, and a lofty palace. 3 ' 
Seyf el-Mulook seated himself at the door of the palace, and said 

340 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK, &e. 

within himself, I wonder what is the state of the interior of this 
palace, and who of the Kings is within it. Who now will acquaint 
me with the truth of the case, and are its inhabitants of mankind 
or of the Jinn?—He sat meditating for some time, and found not 
any one entering it nor any coming forth from it. So he arose and 
w'alked forward, relying upon God, until he entered the palace; 
and he counted in his way seven entrance-passages; but saw no 
one. He beheld, however, on his right hand, three doors, and 
before him a door over which hung a curtain. He therefore ad¬ 
vanced to that door, and lifted the curtain with his hand, and 
walked on within the door; and lo, he found a great leewan 38 spread 
with silken carpets, and at the upper end of the leewan was a couch 
of gold, whereon sat a damsel whose face was like the moon; upon 
her was the apparel of Kings, and she resembled a bride on the 
night of her display. And at the feet of the couch were forty 
tables, upon which were dishes of gold and silver, all of them filled 
with rich viands. When Seyf el-Mulook beheld her, he approached 
her and saluted; and she returned his salutation, and said to him, 
Art thou of mankind or of the Jinn? He answered, I am of the 
best of mankind; for I am a King, the son of a King. And she 
said to him, What dost thou desire ? Avail thyself of this food, 
and after that relate to me thy story from first to last, and tell me 
how thou earnest to this place.—Seyf el-Mulook therefore seated 
himself at a table, and removed the cover from it, and, being hungry, 
he ate of those dishes until he was satiated, and washed his hands; 
after which he ascended the couch, and seated himself by the 
damsel, who thereupon said to him, Who art thou, and what is thy 
name, and whence hast thou come, and who brought thee hither ? 
Seyf el-Mulook replied, As to me, my story is long. And she 
said to him, Tell me whence thou art, and what is the cause of thy 
coming hither, and what is thy desire. But he replied, Inform 
thou me what is thy state, and what is thy name, and who brought 
thee hither, and wherefore thou art residing in this place alone. 
And the damsel said to him,— 

My name is Dolet Khatoon: 39 I am daughter of the King of 
India, and my father dwelleth in the city of Sarandeeb." He hath 
a beautiful, large garden : there is not in the land of India and its 
districts any superior to it: and in it is a large tank; and I entered 

that garden one day with my female slaves, and I and my female 
slaves approached and descended into the tank, and we proceeded 
to play and to amuse ourselves. But I was not aware when a thing 
like a cloud came down upon me, and, having snatched me away 
from among my female slaves, flew with me between heaven and 
earth, saying, O Dolet Khatoon, fear not, but be of tranquil heart. 
Then he flew on with me for a short time ; after which he put me 
down in this palace, and immediately became transformed, and lo, 
he was a comely young man, of youthful beauty, and clean in 
apparel; and he said to me, Dost thou know me ? I answered, 
No, O my master. And he said, I am son of the Blue King, King 
of the Jan, and my father dwelleth in the Castle of El-Kulzum, 41 
and hath under his authority six hundred thousand of the flying 
and the diving Jinn. 43 It happened to me that I was on a journey, 
going on my way, and I saw thee and became enamoured of thee, 
and, descending upon thee, seized thee from among the female 
slaves, and brought thee to this lofty palace, which is my place 
and my abode. No one ever cometh to it; neither any of the 
Jinn nor any of mankind; and from India to this place is a journey 
of a hundred and twenty years : 43 so be sure that thou wilt never 

342 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

see again the country of thy father and thy mother. Reside then 
with me in this place with tranquil heart and mind, and I will 
bring before thee whatever thou shalt desire.—And after that, he 
embraced me and kissed me, and said to me, Reside here, and fear 
not aught. Then he left me, and was absent from me a while; 
after which he came bringing these tables and the furniture and 
carpets. But he cometh to me every Tuesday, and remaineth with 
me three days ; and on Friday he remaineth till the middle of the 
afternoon, when he departeth, and he is absent until the Tuesday: 
then again he remaineth with me 14 in the same manner. When he 
cometh, he eateth and drinketh with me, and embraceth me and 
kisseth me ; but he hath not induced me to become his wife. My 
father is named Taj el-Mulook; and he knoweth no tidings of me, 
nor hath he discovered any trace of me.—This is my story : now 
tell me thy story. 

Upon this, Seyf el-Mulook said to her, Verily my story is long, 
and I fear that, if I tell it thee, the time which it will require will 
be too long for us, and the ’Efreet will come. But she replied, He 
did not depart from me more than a little while before thine 
entrance, and he cometh not save on Tuesday: therefore remain 
and be at ease, and gladden thy heart, and relate to me what hath 
happened to thee from first to last. So Seyf el-Mulook said, I hear 
and obey. And he commenced his story, and proceeded with it 
until he had related the whole of it from beginning to end; and 
when he came to the mention of Bedeea el-Jemal, her eyes filled 
with copious tears, and she said, It is not as I imagined of thee, O 
Bedeea el-Jemal! Alas, for the conduct of fortune! O Bedeea 
el-Jemal, dost thou not remember me, nor say, My sister Dolet 
Khatoon, whither hath she gone ?—Then she wept exceedingly, 
and lamented that Bedeea el-Jemal had not remembered her. 45 
Seyf el-Mulook therefore said to her, O Dolet Khatoon, thou art a 
human being, and she is a Jinneeyeh: how then can this be thy 
sister ? She replied, She is my foster-sister; and the cause was 
this : my mother went down to divert herself in the garden, and, 
her time coming, she gave birth to me in the garden: and the 
mother of Bedeea el-Jemal was in the garden, she and her ’O'ns, 
and her time came; so she sojourned in a tract of the garden, and 
she gave birth to Bedeea el-Jemal. Then she sent one of her 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

343 

female slaves to my mother to demand of her some food and neces¬ 
sary clothing, and my mother sent to her what she demanded, and 
invited her. She therefore arose, and, taking Bedeea el-Jemal 
with her, came to my mother, and my mother suckled Bedeea el- 
Jemal ; and her mother and she remained with us in the garden for 
the space of two months; after which she journeyed to her 
country; and she gave to my mother a thing, saying to her, When 
thou wantest me, I will come to thee in the midst of the garden. 
Bedeea el-Jemal used to come with her mother every year, and 
they used to remain with us some time, and then to return to their 
country ; and if I were with my mother, O Seyf el-Mulook, and 
beheld thee with us in our country, and we were united as usual, I 
would employ some stratagem against Bedeea el-Jemal so as to 
make thee attain thy desire; but I am in this place, and they know 
not. my case. If they were acquainted with my case, and knew me 
to be here, they could effect my deliverance from this place ; but 
the affair is God’s (whose perfection be extolled, and whose name 
be exalted!), and what can I do ? 

Seyf el-Mulook then said to her, Arise, and come with me : 
we will flee, and go whither God (whose name be exalted!) 
pleaseth. But she replied, We cannot do that. By Allah, if we 
fled to the distance of a year’s journey, this accursed wretch would 
bring us back immediately, and he would destroy us.—So Seyf el- 
Mulook said, I will hide myself in a place ; and when he passeth 
by me, I will smite him with the sword, and slay him. But she 
replied, Thou canst not slay him unless thou kill his soul.—And in 
what place, said he, is his soul 1 She answered, I asked him 
respecting it many times; but he would not confess to me its place. 
It happened, however, that I urged him, one day, and he was 
enraged against me, and said to me, How often wilt thou ask me 
respecting my soul ? What is the reason of thy question respecting 
my soul ? So I answered him, O Hatim, 46 there remaineth to me 
no one but thee, excepting God; and I, as long as I live, would not 
cease to hold thy soul in my embrace; and if I do not take care of 
thy soul, and put it in the midst of my eye, how can I live after 
thee ? If I knew thy soul, I would take care of it as of my right 
eye.—And thereupon he said to me, When I was born, the astro- 

344 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

logers declared that the destruction of my soul would be effected 
by the hand of one of the sons of the human Kings. I therefore 
took my soul, and put it into the crop of a sparrow, and I 
imprisoned the sparrow in a little box, and put this into another 
small box, and this I put within seven other small boxes, and I put 
these within seven chests, and the chests I put into a coffer 47 of 
marble within the verge of this circumambient ocean ; for this part 
is remote from the countries of mankind, and none of mankind can 
gain access to it. Now I have told thee; and tell not thou any 
one of this; for it is a secret between me and thee.—So I said to 
him, To whom should I relate it ? None but thee cometh unto me, 
that I should tell him.—Then I said to him, By Allah, thou hast 
put thy soul in a most strongly secured place, to which no being 
can gain access. How then should any one of mankind gain access 
to it, unless what is impossible be ordained, and God have pre¬ 
determined like as the astrologers have said ? How can one of 
mankind gain access to this ?—But he replied, Perhaps one of them 
may have upon his finger the seal-ring of Suleyman the son of 
Daood (on both of whom be peace !), and he may come hither, and 
put his hand with this seal-ring upon the face of the water, and say, 
By virtue of these names, let the soul of such-a-one come up! 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

34A 

Thereupon the coffer will come up, and he will break it, and the 
chests in like manner, and the small boxes ; and the sparrow will 
come forth from the little box, and he will strangle it, and I shall 
die. 

So thereupon Seyf el-Mulook said, That Ring’s son is myself, 
and this is the ring of Suleyman the son of Daood (on both of 
whom be peace !) upon my finger. Arise then and come with us to 
the shore of this sea, that we may see ■whether these his words be 
false or true.—The two, therefore, arose and walked on until they 
came to the sea, when Dolet Khatoon stood upon the sea-shore, 
and Seyf el-Mulook entered the water to his waist, and said, By 
virtue of the names and talismans that are upon this seal-ring, and 
by the influence of Suleyman (on whom be peace !), let the soul of 
such-a-one, the son of the Blue King, the Jinnee, come forth! 
And immediately the sea became agitated, and the coffer came up. 
So Seyf el-Mulook took it, and struck it against the rock, and 
broke it, and he broke the chests and the small boxes, and took 
forth the sparrow from the little box. They then returned to the 
palace, and ascended the couch; and lo, a horrible dust arose, and 
a huge thing came flying and saying, Spare me, 0 son of the King, 
and slay me not, but make me thy emancipated slave, and I will 
cause thee to attain thy desire. But Dolet Khatoon said to him, 
The Jinnee hath come: therefore kill the sparrow, lest this 
accursed wretch enter the palace, and take the sparrow from thee, 
and slay thee, and slay me after thee. So upon this he strangled 
the sparrow, and it died, and the Jinnee fell upon the ground, a 
heap of black ashes. 

Then Dolet Khatoon said, We have escaped from the hand of 
this accursed wretch, and how shall we now act ? Seyf el-Mulook 
answered, We must seek aid of God (whose name be exalted !), 
who hath afflicted us ; for He will order our affair, and will aid us 
to effect our deliverance from our present state. And he arose ancl 
pulled off, of the doors of the palace, about ten doors. These were 
of sandal-wood and aloes-wood, and their nails were of gold and 
silver. And he took some ropes which were there, of common silk 
and floss-silk, and bound the doors together; after which, he and 
Dolet Khatoon helped each other so that they conveyed them to 
the sea and cast them into it; they having become a raft; 48 and they 

2 Y 

VOL. III. 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK, &c. 

34-6 

tied it to the shore. They then returned to the palace, and carried 
off the dishes of gold and silver, and likewise the jewels and jacinths 
and precious minerals. They transported all that was in the palace 
of such things as were light to carry and of high price, and put 
them upon that raft, and they embarked upon it, placing their 
reliance upon God (whose name be exalted!), who satisfieth, and 
doth not disappoint, him who relieth upon Him. They also made 
for themselves two pieces of wood as oars; and they loosed the 
ropes, and let the raft take its course with them over the sea. 
They ceased not to proceed in this manner for a period of four 
months, until their provisions were exhausted, and their affliction 
became violent, and their spirits were oppressed : so they begged 
of God to grant them deliverance from the state in which they 
were. Seyf el-Mulook, during the course of their voyage, used, 
when he slept, to put Dolet Khatoon behind his back ; and when 
he turned over, the sword was between them. 49 And while they 
were in this state, one night, it happened that Seyf el-Mulook was 
asleep, and Dolet Khatoon awake, and lo, the raft inclined to the 
shore, and came to a harbour in which were ships. So Dolet 
Khatoon saw the ships, and she heard a man talking with the 
sailors, and the man who was talking was the chief captain. There¬ 
fore when she heard the voice of the captain, she knew that this 
was the harbour of some city, and that they had arrived at the 
habitations of men; and she rejoiced greatly, and, having roused 
Seyf el-Mulook from his sleep, she said to him, Arise and ask this 
captain respecting the name of this city, and respecting this 
harbour. And thereupon, Seyf el-Mulook arose, joyful, and said to 
him, O my brother, what is the name of this city, and what is this 
harbour called, and what is the name of its King ? But the captain 
replied, 0 lying-faced! 50 O silly-bearded ! if thou know not this 
harbour nor this city, how earnest thou hither ? Seyf el-Mulook 
said, I am a stranger, and I was in a vessel, one of the merchant- 
vessels, and it was wrecked, and sank with all that was in it; but I 
got upon a plank, and have arrived here, and I asked thee a 
question, which is not disgraceful. So the captain said, This is the 
city called ’Emareeyeh, and this harbour is called the harbour 
Kemeen el-Bahreyn. sl 

Now when Dolet Khatoon heard these words, she rejoiced 

exceedingly, and said, Praise be to God! So Seyf el-Mulook said, 
What is the news ? And she answered, O Seyf el-Mulook, rejoice 
at the announcement of speedy relief; for the King of this city is 
my uncle, the brother of my father, and his name is ’A'lee el-Mu¬ 
look. sa Then she said to him, Ask him, and say to him, Is the 
Sultan of this city, ’A'lee el-Mulook, well ? He therefore asked 
him that question ; and the captain, enraged at him, replied, Thou 
sayest, In my life I never came hither ; but am a stranger :—who 
then acquainted thee with the name of the lord of this city ?—And 
Dolet Khatoon was glad, and she knew the captain : his name was 
Mo’een ed-Deen, 55 and he was one of her father’s captains: he had 
come forth to search for her, when she was lost, and found her not, 
and he ceased not to search about until he came to the city of her 
uncle. Then she said to Seyf el-Mulook, Say to him, O captain 
Mo’een ed-Deen, come and answer the summons of thy mistress. 
So he called to him in the words which she had said; and when the 
captain heard his words, he was violently enraged, and said to 
him, O dog, who art thou, and how knewest thou me ? And he 
said to some of the sailors, Hand me a staff of shoom, 54 that I may 
go to this unlucky fellow and break his head. He then took the 
staff, and went towards Seyf el-Mulook; and he saw the raft, and 
saw upon it an object wonderful and beautiful, whereat his mind 

348 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

was amazed ; and looking, and taking a sure view, he beheld Dolet 
Khatoon sitting, like a piece of the moon. He therefore said, 
What is with thee ? And Seyf el-Mulook answered him, With me 
is a damsel named Dolet Khatoon. And when the captain heard 
these words he fell down in a fit, on his hearing her name, and 
knowing that she was his mistress and the daughter of his King. 
Then, as soon as he recovered, he left the raft with what was upon 
it, and repaired to the city, went up to the palace of the King, and 
asked permission to go in to him. So the chamberlain went in to 
the King, and said, The captain Mo’een hath come to thee to give 
thee good news. Wherefore he gave him permission to enter, and 
he went in to the King, and kissed the ground before him, and said 
to him, O King, thou hast to give a present for good news; for the 
daughter of thy brother, Dolet Khatoon, hath arrived at the city, 
in good health and prosperity, and she is upon a raft, accompanied 
by a young man like the moon in the night of its fulness. And 
when the King heard the tidings of the daughter of his brother, he 
rejoiced, and conferred a sumptuous robe of honour upon the 
captain. He ordered also immediately that they should decorate 
the city for the safety of the daughter of his brother, and sent to 
her and caused her to be brought to him, together with Seyf el- 
Mulook, and saluted them, and congratulated them on their safety. 
He then sent to his brother to inform him that his daughter had 
been found and that she was with him; and when the messenger 
came to him, he prepared himself, and the troops assembled, and 
Taj el-Mulook, the father of Dolet Khatoon, set forth, and pro¬ 
ceeded until he came to his brother ’A'lee el-Mulook, when he met 
his daughter, and they rejoiced exceedingly. 

Taj el-Mulook remained with his brother a week; after which 
he took his daughter, and likewise Seyf el-Mulook, and they pro¬ 
ceeded until they came to Sarandeeb, her father’s country, when 
Dolet Khatoon met her mother, and they rejoiced at her safety, 
and celebrated festivities; and it was a great day, the like of which 
is not seen. As to the King, he treated Seyf el-Mulook with 
honour, and said to him, O Seyf el-Mulook, thou hast done unto 
me and my daughter all this benefit, and I am not able to requite 
thee for it, nor can any one requite thee save the Lord of all crea¬ 
tures : but I desire of thee that thou sit upon the throne in my 
place, and govern in the land of India; for I have given to thee 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

349 

my kingdom and my throne and my treasures and my servants, and 
all this is a present from me unto thee. So thereupon Seyf el- 
Mulook arose and kissed the ground before the King, and thanked 
him, and said unto him, O King of the age, I have accepted all 
that thou hast given to me, and it is returned from me unto thee as 
a present also; for I, 0 King of the age, desire not kingdom nor 
empire, nor desire I aught but that God (whose name he exalted!) 
may cause me to attain my desire. The King then said to him, 
These my treasures are at thy disposal, O Seyf el-Mulook: what¬ 
soever thou desire of them, take it, and consult me not respecting 
it, and may God recompense thee for me with everything good! 
But Seyf el-Mulook replied, May God strengthen the King! 
There is no delight for me in sovereignity nor in wealth until I 
attain my wish; hut I desire now to divert myself in this city, and 
to see its great thoroughfare-streets and its markets.—So Taj el- 
Mulook ordered that they should bring him a horse of excellent 
breed ; and accordingly they brought him a horse saddled and 
bridled, of excellent breed, and he mounted it, and went forth into 
the market, and rode through the great thoroughfare-streets of the 
city. And while he was looking to the right and left, he saw a 
young man, with a tunic, crying it at the price of fifteen pieces of 
gold; and, looking attentively at him, he found him to resemble 
his brother Sa ed; and in truth, he was Sa ed himself; but his 
complexion and condition were changed by protracted estrange¬ 
ment and the difficulties of travel; so he did not know him. He 
then said to those who were around him, Bring this young man, 
that I may interrogate him. And they brought him to him, and 
he said, Take him and convey him to the palace in which I am 
staying, and let him remain with you until I return from diverting 
myself. But they imagined that he said to them, Take him and 
convey him to the prison. And they said, Perhaps this is one of 
his memlooks, who hath fled from him. 

Accordingly they took him and conveyed him to the prison, and 
shackled him, and left him sitting there. Then Seyf el-Mulook 
returned from diverting himself, and went up into the palace; but 
he forgot his brother Sa’ed, and no one mentioned him to him. So 
Sa’ed remained in the prison ; and when they went forth with the 
prisoners to employ them in constructions and repairs and similar 

350 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

works, they took Sa’ed with them, and he worked with the prison¬ 
ers, and dirt increased upon him. He remained in this state for 
the space of a month, reflecting upon his circumstances, and saying 
within himself, What is the cause of my imprisonment ? And Seyf 
el-Mulook was occupied by his joys and other things. But it 
happened that he was sitting one day, and remembered his brother 
Sa’ed: so he said to the memlooks who were with him, Where is 
the memlook who was with you on such a day. They replied, 
Didst thou not say to us, Convey him to the prison ? He said, I 
did not say to you these words; but I said to you, Convey him to 
the palace in which I am staying. Then he sent the chamberlains 
to Sa’ed: so they brought him to him, shackled ; and they loosed 
him from his shackles, and stationed him before Seyf el-Mulook, 
who said to him, O young man, from what country art thou ? And 
he answered him, I am from Egypt, and my name is Sa ed, the son 
of the Wezeer Faris. When Seyf el-Mulook, therefore, heard Jiis 
words, he arose from the throne, threw himself upon him, and 
clung to his neck; and by reason of his joy, he wept violently, and 
he said, O my brother, O Sa ed, praise be to God that thou art 
living, and that I have seen thee; for I am thy brother Seyf el- 
Mulook, the son of the King ’A'sim. So when Sa’ed heard the 
words of his brother, and knew him, they embraced one another, 
and wept together; and the persons who were present wondered at 
them. Then Seyf el-Mulook ordered that they should take Sa’ed 
and conduct him to the bath. Accordingly they conducted him 
thither; and on his coming forth from the bath, they clad him in 
sumptuous apparel, and brought him back to the chamber of Seyf 
el-Mulook, who seated him with him on the throne. And when 
Taj el-Mulook knew of this, he rejoiced greatly at the meeting of 
Seyf el-Mulook with his brother Sa’ed; and he came, and the three 
sat conversing upon the events that had happened to them from 
first to last. 

Then Sa’ed said, O my brother, O Seyf el-Mulook, when the 
ship was submerged and the memlooks also were submerged, I and 
a party of the memlooks got upon a plank, and it proceeded with 
us over the sea for a period of a whole month; after which, the 
wind cast us, by the decree of God (whose name be exalted!), upon 
an island. So we landed upon it; and we were hungry ; wherefore 

AND BEDEEA EL JEMA'L. 

351 

we went in among the 
trees, and ate of the 
fruits, and were busied 
with eating; and we were 
not aware when there 
came forth upon us people 
like ’Efreets, who sprang 
upon us, and mounted 
upon our shoulders, say¬ 
ing to us, Go on with us; 
for ye have become our 
asses. I therefore said 
to him who had mounted 
me, What art thou, and 
why hast thou mounted 
me ? And when he heard 
from me these words, he 
wound his leg round my 
neck in such a manner 
that I nearly died, and he 
beat me upon my back with his other leg so that I thought 
he had broken my back. I then fell upon the ground, on my 
face, and no strength remained in me by reason of my hunger 
and thirst. So when I fell, he knew that I was hungry, and, 
taking me by my hand, he brought me to a tree abounding with 
fruit, and it was a pear-tree; and he said to me, Eat from this 
tree until thou art satiated. I therefore ate from that tree until I 
was satiated, and I arose to walk, without desiring to do so; but I 
had not gone more than a little way before that person turned back 
and mounted again upon my shoulders. A while I walked, and 
a while I ran, and a while I trotted; and he, riding upon me, 
laughed, and said, In my life I have never seen an ass like thee. 

Now it happened that we gathered some bunches of grapes one 
day, and put them into a trench, and trod them with our feet, and 
that trench became a great pool. Then we waited some time, and, 
coming again to the trench, we found that the sun had heated that 
juice, and that it had become wine. So after that, we used to drink 
of it, and intoxicate ourselves, and our faces became red, and we 

352 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

used to sing and dance, by reason of the exhilaration produced by 
intoxication ; whereupon they said, What is it that reddeneth your 
faces, and maketh you dance and sing? We replied, Ask ye not 
respecting this. And what desire ye by asking respecting it ?—They 
said, Inform us, that we may know the truth of the case. And we 
replied, The expressed juice of grapes. And upon this they took 
us to a valley, of which we knew not the length nor the breadth, 
and in that valley were grape-vines of which neither the beginning 
nor the end were known: every one of the bunches that were upon 
them was as much as twenty pounds in weight, and every one was 
within easy reach; and they said to us, Gather of these. We 
therefore gathered of them a great quantity; and I saw there a large 
trench, larger than a great tank, which we filled with grapes, and 
we trod them with our feet, and did as we had done the first time: 
so it became wine, and we said to them, It hath come to perfection. 
With what then will ye drink?—Whereupon they answered us, 
There were in our possession some asses like you, and we ate them, 
and their heads remain: therefore give us to drink in their sculls. 
And we gave them to drink, and they became intoxicated; after 
which they lay down: and they were about two hundred. Upon 
this we said, one to another, Is it not enough for these to ride us, 
but will they eat us also ? There is no strength nor power but in 
God, the High, the Great! But we will make intoxication to over¬ 
come them, and then we will kill them, and be secure from them, 
and escape from their hands.—Accordingly we roused them, and 
proceeded to fill for them those sculls, and to give them to drink; 
but they said, This is bitter. So we said to them, Wherefore do ye 
say that this is bitter ? Every one who saith that, if he drink not 
of it ten times he will die the same day.—They therefore feared 
death, and said to us, Give us to drink all the ten times. And 
when they had drunk what remained of the ten draughts, they were 
intoxicated, and their intoxication was excessive, and their strength 
entirely failed: so we dragged them by their hands, and collected 
a great quantity of the sticks of those vines and put them around 
them and upon them; after which we set fire to the sticks, and 
stood at a distance, to see what would become of them. We then 
approached them; after the fire had become low, and we saw that 
they were reduced to a heap of ashes. 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

353 

We therefore praised God (whose name he exalted!) who had 
saved us from them, and, going forth from the midst of that island, 
we sought the shore of the sea. Then we parted, one from another. 
But as to me and two of the memlooks, we walked until we came 
to a great wood, abounding with trees, where we busied ourselves 
with eating. And lo, a person of tall stature, with a long beard, 
with long ears, and with two eyes like two cressets, before whom 
were many sheep which he was tending, and with him was a party 
of persons like himself. And when he saw us, he rejoiced at our 
coming, and was glad; and he welcomed us, saying, A friendly and 
free welcome! Come to my abode, that I may slaughter for you 
one of these sheep, and roast it, and feed you.—So we said to him, 
And where is thy place ? And he answered, Near to this moun¬ 
tain : go ye then in this direction until ye see a cave, which enter 
ye; for in it are many guests like you. Go and sit with them until 
we prepare for you the entertainment.—And we felt sure that his 
words were true, and went in that direction, and entered that cave; 
but we saw the guests that were in it all of them blind; and when 
we went in to them, one of them said, I am sick:—and another said, 
I am infirm. So we said to them, What are these words that ye 
utter ? What is the cause of your infirmity and your disease ?—And 
they asked us, saying, Who are ye ? We answered them, We are 
guests. And they said to us, What hath thrown you into the 
hand of this accursed wretch ? There is no strength nor power 
but in God, the High, the Great! This is a Ghool, that eateth 
the sons of Adam, and he hath blinded us, and desireth to eat us.— 
We therefore said to them, How hath this Ghool blinded you? 
They replied, Verily forthwith he will blind you like us.—But 
how, said we, will he blind us ? They answered us, He will bring 
you cups of milk, and will say to you, Ye are wearied by your 
journey: therefore take this milk, and drink of it. And when ye 
drink of it, ye will become like us.—So I said within myself, There 
remaineth for us no escape save by stratagem. And I dug a hole 
in the ground, and sat over it. Then, after a while, the accursed 
Ghool came in to us, bringing cups of milk, and he handed to me a 
cup, and handed a cup to each of those who were with me, saying 
to us, Ye have come from the desert thirsty; therefore take this 
milk, and drink of it, while I roast for you the meat. Now as to 

2 z 

VOL. III. 

354 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK, Src. 

myself, I took the cup, and put it near to my mouth, and emptied 
it into the hole; after which I cried out, Ah! my sight is gone, 
and I have become blind ! And I held my eyes with my hand, and 
began to weep and cry out, while he laughed, and said, Fear not. 
But as to the two who were my companions, they drank the milk, 
and became blind. And thereupon the accursed arose immediately, 
and, having closed the entrance of the cave, drew near to me, and 
felt my ribs, and he found me lean, having no meat upon me; where¬ 
fore he felt another, and he saw that he was fat, and rejoiced thereat. 
He then slaughtered three sheep, and skinned them, and he brought 
some spits of iron, upon which he put the flesh of the sheep, and 
he put them over a fire, and roasted the meat; after which he 
brought it to my two companions, who ate, and he ate with them. 
He next brought a leathern bottle full of wine, and drank it, and 
laid himself down upon his face and snored. 

So upon this I said within myself, Verily he is immersed in 
sleep, and how shall 1 slay him ? Then I remembered the spits; 
and I took two of them, and put them into the fire, and waited 
until they had become like red-hot coals; whereupon I girded 
myself, and, having risen upon my feet, took the two iron spits in 
my hand, and drew near to the accursed, and thrust them into his 
eyes, pressing upon them with all my strength. So by reason of 
the sweetness of life he rose erect upon his feet and desired to lay 
hold upon me, after he had become blind. But I fled from him 
into the inner part of the cave, while he pursued me ; and I said to 
the blind men who were with him, What is to be done with 
this accursed ? Upon which one of them said, O Sa’ed, arise and 
ascend to this aperture: thou wilt find in it a polished sword; and 
do thou take it, and come to me, that I may tell thee what thou 
shalt do. Accordingly I ascended to the aperture, and took the 
sword, and came to that man; and he said to me. Take it, and 
smite him upon his waist, and he will die instantly. I therefore 
arose and ran after him, and he was tired with running, and he 
came to the blind men to kill them: so I came to him, and smote 
him with the sword upon his waist, and he became divided in 
twain; upon which he cried out to me, saying, O man, since thou 
desirest my slaughter, smite me a second time. Wherefore I 
resolved to smite him a second time; but he who directed me to 

the sword said, Smite him not a second time; for in that case he 
will not die, but will live, and will destroy us. So I complied with 
the direction of that man, and smote him not; and the accursed 
died. The man then said to me, Arise; open the cave, and let us 
go forth from it. Perhaps God will aid us, and we shall be safe 
from this place.—But I replied, No harm remaineth for us. We 
will rather rest, and slaughter some of these sheep, and drink 
of this wine; for the land is far extending.—And we remained in 
this place for a period of two months, eating of these sheep and of 
the fruits. 

After this, it happened that we were sitting upon the shore of 
the sea, one day, and I saw a large ship appearing upon the sea in 
the distance: so we made a sign to the persons on board of it, and 
called out to them. But they feared that Ghool; for they knew 
that upon this island was a Ghool that ate human beings; where¬ 
fore they desired to escape. 55 We however made signs to them 
with the ends of our turbans, and drew nearer to them, and pro¬ 
ceeded to call out to them; and thereupon one of the passengers, 
who was sharp-sighted, said, O company of passengers, verily I see 

356 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

these indistinct objects to be human beings like us, and they have 
not the form of Ghools. Then they came towards us by little and 
little until they drew near to us; and when they were convinced 
that we were human beings, they saluted us, and we returned their 
salutation, and gave them the good news of the slaughter of the 
accursed Ghool; whereupon they thanked us. We then provided 
ourselves from the island with some of the fruits that were upon it, 
and embarked on board the ship, and it bore us along with a fair 
wind for the space of three days. But after that, a wind arose 
against us, and the darkness of the sky became excessive, and not 
more than one hour had elapsed when the wind bore the ship to a 
mountain, and it was wrecked, and its planks were rent asunder. 56 
However, God the Great decreed that I should lay hold of one of 
its planks, and I got upon it, and it bore me along for two days. 
A fair wind had then come, and I, sitting upon the plank, proceeded 
to row with my feet for some time, until God (whose name be 
exalted !) caused me to reach the shore in safety, and I landed 
at this city. But I had become a stranger, alone, solitary, not 
knowing what to do, and hunger had tormented me, and extreme 
trouble had befallen me. I therefore came to the market of the 
city, after I had hidden myself and pulled off this tunic, saying 
within myself, I will sell it, and sustain myself with its price until 
God shall accomplish what He will accomplish. Then, O my 
brother, I took the tunic in my hand, and the people were looking 
at it, and bidding up for its price, until thou earnest and sawest 
me, and gavest orders to convey me to the palace; whereupon the 
young men took me and imprisoned me; and after this period thou 
rememberedst me, and causedst me to be brought to thee. Thus I 
have acquainted thee with the events that have happened to me; 
and praise be to God for the meeting! 

And when Seyf el-Mulook and Taj el-Mulook the father of 
Dolet Khatoon heard the story of the Wezeer Saed, they wondered 
at it greatly, laj el-Mulook had prepared a pleasant place for 
Seyf el-Mulook and his brother Saed; and Dolet Khatoon used to 
come to Seyf el-Mulook, and to thank him, and converse with him 
respecting his kind conduct. Then the Wezeer Saed said, O 
Queen, I desire thine aid to accomplish his wish. And she replied, 
Yes; I will exert myself in his favour so that he shall attain his 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

357 

wish, if it be the will of God, whose name be exalted ! And 
looking towards Seyf el-Mulook, she said to him, Be of good heart, 
and cheerful eye.—Thus was the case of Seyf el-Mulook and his 
Wezeer Sa’ed. And now, as to the Queen Bedeea el-Jemal, 
information was brought to her of the return of her sister Dolet 
Khatoon to her father and her country; and she said, I must visit 
her and salute her in beautiful trim and ornaments and apparel. 
So she repaired to her; and when she drew near to her abode, the 
Queen Dolet Khatoon met her, and saluted her and embraced her, 
and kissed her between her eyes; and the Queen Bedeea el-Jemal 
congratulated her on her safety. Then they sat conversing, and 
Bedeea el-Jemal said to Dolet Khatoon, What happened to thee 
during thine absence from thy country? — O my sister, replied 
Dolet Khatoon, ask me not respecting the things that befell me. 
Oh, what difficulties do human creatures endure!—And how so ? 
asked Bedeea el-Jemal. She answered, O my sister, I was in the 
Lofty Palace, and in it the son of the Blue King had possession of 
me. And she related to her the rest of the story from first to last, 
and the story of Seyf el-Mulook, and what happened to him in the 
palace, and the difficulties and horrors that he had endured until he 
came to the Lofty Palace: also how he had killed the son of the 
Blue King, and how he had pulled off the doors, and made them 
into a raft, and made for it oars; and how he came hither; whereat 
Bedeea el-Jemal wondered. Then she said, By Allah, O my sister, 
verily this was one of the most extraordinary of wonderful cases, 
and I desire to acquaint thee with the origin of his tale; but bash¬ 
fulness preventeth my doing so. Bedeea el-Jemal therefore said to 
her, What is the cause of thy bashfulness, when thou art my sister 
and my companion, and we have much between us, and I know that 
thou desirest not for me aught save what is good ? Wherefore then 
shouldst thou be abashed at me ? Acquaint me with that which 
thou hast to say, and be not abashed at me, nor conceal from me 
aught of the matter. 

So Dolet Khatoon replied, Verily he saw thy portrait on the 
tunic which thy father sent to Suleyman the son of Daood, on both 
of whom be peace ! Suleyman opened it not, nor saw what was on 
it, but sent it to the King ’A'sim the son of Safwan, the King of 
Egypt, among other presents and rarities which he sent to him ; 

358 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

and tile King A'sim gave it to his son Seyf el-Mulook before lie 
opened it. And when Seyf el-Mulook took it, he opened it, 
desiring to put it on himself, and he saw on it thy portrait, and 
became enamoured of it; wherefore he came forth to seek thee, 
and he endured all these difficulties on thine account.—But Bedeea 
el-Jemal said (and her face had become red, and she was abashed 
at Dolet Khatoon), Verily this is a thing that can never be; for 
mankind agree not with the Jan. So Dolet Khatoon proceeded to 
describe to her Seyf el-Mulook, and the excellence of his form and 
his conduct and his horsemanship; and she ceased not to praise him 
and to mention to her his qualities until she said, O my sister, for 
the sake of God (whose name be exalted!) and for my sake, come 
and converse with him, though thou speak but a single word. But 
Bedeea el-Jemal replied, Verily these words that thou utterest I 
will not hear, nor will I yield to thy wish expressed in them. And 
she seemed as though she heard not of them aught, and as though 
no love for Seyf el-Mulook and the excellence of his form and his 
conduct and his horsemanship entered her heart. Then Dolet 
Khatoon humbled herself to her, and kissed her feet, and said, O 
Bedeea el-Jemal, by the milk that we have sucked, I and thou, and 
by the characters engraved upon the seal of Suleyman (on whom 
be peace!), hear these my words; for I pledged myself to him in 
the Lofty Palace that I would shew him thy face. I conjure thee 
then by Allah to shew him thy form once, for my sake, and that 
thou also see him.—And she proceeded to weep to her, and to 
humble herself to her, and to kiss her hands and her feet, until she 
consented, and said, For thy sake I will shew him my face once. 

Upon this, therefore, the heart of Dolet Khatoon was com¬ 
forted. She kissed her hands and her feet, and went forth, and 
came to the largest palace, which was in the garden; and she 
ordered the female slaves to spread the furniture in it, to set in it a 
couch of gold, and to place the wine-vessels in order. She then 
arose and went in to Seyf el-Mulook and Sa’ed his Wezeer, who 
were sitting in their place, and gave to Seyf el-Mulook the good 
news of the attainment of his desire, and the accomplishment of his 
wish; and she said to him, Repair to the garden, thou and thy 
brother, and enter the palace, and conceal yourselves from the eyes 
of the people, so that no one of those who are in the palace may 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

359 

see you, until I and Bedeea el-Jemal come. So Seyf el-Mulook 
and Sa’ed arose, and repaired to the place to which Dolet Khatoon 
had directed them; and when they entered it, they saw a couch of 
gold set, with the cushions upon it, and there were viands and wine. 
And they sat a while. Then Seyf el-Mulook thought upon his 
beloved, and his bosom thereupon became contracted, and love and 
desire assailed him: he therefore arose and walked on until he went 
forth from the entrance-passage of the palace. His brother Sa’ed 
followed him; but he said to him, O my brother, sit thou in thy 
place, and follow me not, until I return to thee. So Sa’ed sat, and 
Seyf el-Mulook descended and entered the garden, intoxicated by 
the wine of desire, perplexed by excess of passion and distraction ; 
love had agitated him, and ecstasy had overcome him, and he 
recited these verses :— 

O Bedeeii el-Jem&l, I have none beside thee: have mercy on me then; for I 
am the captive of thy love ! 

Thou art the object of my search, and my desire and my joy. My heart hatli 
refused to love any beside thee. 

Would I were informed if thou knewest of my weeping all the night long 
with sleepless eyelid. 

3G0 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

Command sleep to sojourn in my eyelid, and then perhaps I shall behold thee 
in a dream. 

Be favourable to one who is distracted by love. Save him from the destructive 
effects of thy cruelty. 

May God increase thy beauty and thy happiness, and may all thine enemies 
be a sacrifice for thee ! 

The lovers shall be ranged, on the day of resurrection, beneath my banner, 
and all the beauties beneath thine. 

Then he wept again, and recited other verses; and thus he con¬ 
tinued to do, now weeping, and now reciting, till Sa’ed, thinking 
him slow to return, went forth from the palace to search for him in 
the garden, and saw him walking there, perplexed, and reciting 
verses. Thereupon Seyf el-Mulook and Sa’ed his brother met, 
and they proceeded to divert themselves in the garden, and to eat 
of the fruits. 

But as to Dolet Khatoon, when she and Bedeea el-Jemal came 
to the palace, they entered it, after the eunuchs had decorated it 
with varieties of ornaments, and done in it all that Dolet Khatoon 
had ordered them, having prepared for Bedeea el-Jemal a couch of 
gold that she might sit upon it. So when Bedeea el-Jemal saw 
that couch, she seated herself upon it; and there was by her side a 
window overlooking the garden. The eunuchs had brought varieties 
of exquisite viands, and Bedeea el-Jemal and Dolet Khatoon ate, 
the latter putting morsels into the mouth of the former until she 
was satisfied; when she called for various sweetmeats, and the 
eunuchs brought them, and the two ladies ate of them as much as 
sufficed them, and washed their hands. Next, Dolet Khatoon 
prepared the wine and the wine-vessels, arranged the ewers and the 
cups, and proceeded to fill and to hand to Bedeea el-Jemal; after 
which she filled the cup and drank. Then Bedeea el-Jemal looked 
from the window that was by her side into that garden, and saw 
its fruits and branches; and happening to turn her eyes in the 
direction of Seyf el-Mulook, she beheld him wandering about in 
the garden, with the Wezeer Sa’ed behind him, and heard Seyf el- 
Mulook reciting verses, while he poured forth copious tears; and 
when she beheld him, the sight occasioned her a thousand sighs. 
She therefore looked towards Dolet Khatoon (and the wine had 
made sport with her affections), and she said to her, O my sister, 
who is this young man that I see in the garden, perplexed, dis- 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

361 

traded, melancholy, sighing ? So Dolet Khatoon said to her. Wilt 
thou permit his presence with us that we may see him ? She 
answered, If thou canst bring him, do so. And upon this, Dolet 
Khatoon called him, saying to him, O son of the King, come up to 
us, and approach us with thy beauty and loveliness. Wherefore 
Seyf el-Muloolc, knowing the voice of Dolet Khatoon, went up 
into the palace ; and when his eye fell upon Bedeea el-Jemal, he fell 
down in a fit: so Dolet Khatoon sprinkled upon him a little rose¬ 
water, and he recovered from his fit. He then arose, and kissed 
the ground before Bedeea el-Jemal, who was confounded by his 
beauty and loveliness; and Dolet Khatoon said, Know, O Queen, 
that this is Seyf el-Mulook, through whose means my deliverance 
was effected, by the decree of God (whose name be exalted !), and 
he is the person whom all kinds of difficulties have befallen on 
thine account; wherefore I desire that thou regard him favourably. 
Upon this, Bedeea el-Jemal, after laughing, said, And who fulfilleth 
vows, that this young man should fulfil them ? For mankind are 
destitute of affection.—So Seyf el-Mulook replied, O Queen, verily 
faithlessness will never be in me; and all people are not alike. 
And he wept before her, and recited these verses :— 

O BedeeS el-Jem&l, be propitious to one sorrowful, worn and afflicted by an 
enchanting, cruel eye! 5!r 

By the beauteous colours combined in thy cheeks, the white and deep red 
like that of the anemone, 

Punish not with abandonment one’ in constant suffering; for my body is 
wasting through protracted estrangement! 

This is my wish, and the utmost that I hope for; and union is my desire, if 
this be possible. 

Then he wept violently, and recited other verses; and when he 
had ended them, he wept again violently; whereupon Bedeea el- 
Jemal said to him, 0 son of the King, verily I fear to give myself 
up to thee entirely, lest I should not experience from thee affection 
nor love; for often the good qualities of mankind are found to be 
few, and their perfidy is great. And know that the lord Suleyman 
the son of Daood (on both of whom be peace!) took Balkees 58 
lovingly; and when he saw another more beautiful than she, he 
turned from her to that other person.—But Seyf el-Mulook replied, 
0 my eye and my soul, God hath not created all mankind alike, 

3 A 

VOL. III. 

362 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK, &c. 

and I, if it be the will of God, will fulfil my vow, and will die 
beneath thy feet. Thou shalt see what I will do agreeably with 
that which I say, and on God I depend for my doing as I say.—So 
upon this, Bedeea el Jemal said to him, Sit, and be at ease, and 
swear to me by thy religion, and let us covenant with each other, 
that neither of us will be treacherous to the other; and may God 
(whose name be exalted!) execute vengeance on the one who is 
treacherous to the other! And when Seyf el-Mulook heard from 
her these words, he sat; and, with the hand of each in the hand of 
the other, they swore that neither of them would prefer to the 
other any person, whether of mankind or of the Jinn. Then they 
remained a while embracing one another, and weeping by reason of 
the violence of their joy. And after Bedeea el-Jemal and Seyf 
el-Mulook had sworn, each to the other, Seyf el-Mulook arose to 
walk, and Bedeea el-Jemal arose also to walk, attended by a slave- 
girl carrying some food, and carrying likewise a bottle full of wine. 
And Bedeea el-Jemal sat, and the slave-girl put before her the 
food and the wine; but they had not remained more than a short 
time when Seyf el-Mulook approached; whereupon she met him 
with salutation, and they embraced each other. 

After this, they sat a while eating and drinking; and Bedeea el- 
Jemal said, O son of the King, when thou enterest the Garden ot 
Irem, thou wilt see a large tent pitched, of red satin, and its lining 
of green silk. Enter the tent, and fortify thy heart. Thou wilt 
there see an old woman sitting upon a couch of red gold set with 
large pearls and with jewels; and when thou enterest, salute her 
with politeness and reverence; and look towards the couch: thou 
wilt find beneath it a pair of slippers interwoven with gold and 
adorned with minerals. Take those slippers and kiss them, and put 
them upon thy head: 59 then put them beneath thy right arm-pit, 
and stand before the old woman, silent, and hanging down thy 
head. And when she asketh thee and saith to thee, Whence hast 
thou come, and how arrivedst thou here, and who made known to 
thee this place, and for what reason tookest thou these slippers ?— 
be thou silent until this my slave-girl entereth and converseth with 
her, and endeavoureth to render her favourable to thee, and striveth 
to content her mind by words. Perhaps God (whose name be ex¬ 
alted !) may incline her heart to thee, and she may consent to that 

which thou desirest.—She then called that slave-girl; and her name 
was Marjaneh; and she said to her, By thy love of me, accomplish 
this affair this day, and be not slothful in doing it. If thou accom¬ 
plish it this day, thou shalt be free for the sake of God (whose name 
be exalted!), and thou shalt receive generous treatment, and there 
shall not be any dearer in my estimation than thou, nor will I 
reveal my secret to any but thee.—So she replied, O my mistress, 
and light of my eye, tell me what is thine affair, that I may accom¬ 
plish it for thee on my head and my eye. And she said to her, It 
is, that thou carry this human being upon thy shoulders, and convey 
him to the Garden of Irem, to the presence of my grandmother, 
the mother of my father; that thou convey him to her tent, and 
take care of him. And when thou enterest the tent, thou with 
him, and seest him take the slippers and pay homage to them, and 
she saith to him, Whence art thou, and by what way earnest thou, 
and who brought thee to this place, and for what reason tookest 
thou these slippers, and what is thine affair that I may accomplish 
it for thee ?—thereupon enter thou quickly, and salute her and say 

364 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

to her, O my mistress, I am the person who brought him hither, 
and he is the son of the King of Egypt, and he is the person who 
went to the Lofty Palace, and killed the son of the Blue King, and 
delivered the Queen Dolet Khatoon, and conveyed her to her 
father safe; and I have brought him to thee that he may acquaint 
thee and give thee the glad tidings of her safety: therefore be 
gracious unto him.—Then, after that, say to her, By Allah I con¬ 
jure thee tell me, is not this young man comely, O my mistress? 
And she will answer thee, Yes. And thereupon say to her, O my 
mistress, verily he is perfect in honour and generosity and courage, 
and he is the lord of Egypt, and its King, and he compriseth all 
praiseworthy qualities. And when she saith to thee. What is his 
affair ?—reply, My mistress saluteth thee, and asketh thee, how long 
shall she remain in the house a maiden, unmarried ? For the time 
hath become tedious to her. What then is your desire in not mar¬ 
rying her, and wherefore dost thou not marry her during thy life and 
the life of her mother, like other damsels ?—And if she say to thee, 
How shall we act to marry her ? If she know any one, or if any 
one have occurred to her mind, let her inform us respecting him, 
and we will do for her as she wisheth as far as may be possible:— 
then do thou reply, O my mistress, thy daughter saith to thee, Ye 
were desirous of marrying me to Suleyman (on whom be peace!), 
and ye designed for him my portrait on the tunic. But he had no 
lot in me; and he sent the tunic to the King of Egypt, who gave it 
to his son, and he saw my portrait delineated upon it, and became 
enamoured of me; wherefore he abandoned the kingdom of his 
father and his mother, turning from the world and what it con- 
taineth, and came forth wandering over the earth without regard 
to anything, and endured the greatest of troubles and horrors on 
my account. 

The slave-girl then took up Seyf el-Mulook, and said to him, 
Close thine eyes. He therefore did so; and she flew up with him 
to the sky; and after a while, she said to him, O son of the King, 
open thine eyes. So he opened his eyes, and beheld the garden, 
the Garden of Irem; and the slave-girl Marjaneh said to him, 
Enter, O Seyf el-Mulook, this tent. Upon this, Seyf el-Mulook 
uttered the name of God, and entered, and, casting a look in the 
garden, he saw the old woman sitting upon the couch, with the 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

365 

female slaves in attendance upon her; wherefore he approached her 
with politeness and reverence, took the slippers and kissed them, 
and did as Bedeea el-Jemal had directed him. The old woman then 
said to him, Who art thou, and whence hast thou come, and from 
what country art thou, and who brought thee to this place, and for 
what reason tookest thou these slippers and kissedst them, and when 
didst thou tell me of a want and I did not perform it for thee ? So 
upon this the slave-girl Marjaneh entered, and saluted her with 
politeness and reverence; after which she repeated what Bedeea 
el-Jemal had told her. But when the old woman heard these 
words, she cried out at her, and was incensed against her, and said. 
How can there be agreement between mankind and the Jinn? 
Seyf el-Mulook therefore replied, I will agree with thee, and be thy 
page, and die loving thee, and keep thy covenant, and see none but 
thee, and thou shalt see my veracity and my freedom from false¬ 
hood, and the excellence of my generosity towards thee, if it be the 
will of God, whose name be exalted! Then the old woman re¬ 
flected for some time, with her head hung down; and after that, 
she raised her head, and said, O comely young man, wilt thou keep 
the covenant and the compact ? He answered her, Yes, by Him 
who raised the heaven and spread out the earth upon the water, 
verily I will keep the covenant. And upon this the old woman 
said, I will accomplish for thee thine affair, if it be the will of God 
(whose name be exalted!); but go now into the garden, and divert 
thyself in it, and eat of the fruits of which the equals exist not, and 
to which there are not in the world the like, while I send to my son 
Shahyal, who will come, and I will talk with him on that affair, 
and nought but good will happen, if it be the will of God (whose 
name be exalted!); for he will not oppose me, nor disobey my 
command. I will marry to thee his daughter Bedeea el-Jemal: so 
be of good heart; for she shall be thy wife, O Seyf el-Mulook.— 
And when Seyf el-Mulook heard from her these words, he thanked 
her, and kissed her hands and her feet, and went forth from her into 
the garden. The old woman then looked towards that slave-girl, 
and said to her, Go forth and search for my son Shahyal, see 
for him in whatsoever quarter and place he is, and bring him unto 
me. So the slave-girl went and searched for the King Shahyal, and 
she met with him, and brought him to his mother. 

366 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

Meanwhile, Seyf el-Mulook was diverting himself in the garden, 
when five of the Jan, who were of the subjects of the Blue King, 
saw him; and they said, Whence is this man, and who brought him 
to this place ? Perhaps he is the person who killed the son of the 
Blue King.—Then they said, one to another, We will employ a 
stratagem against him, and interrogate him, and ask information of 
him. So they walked on by little and little until they came to Seyf 
el-Mulook in a side of the garden, when they seated themselves by 
him, and said to him, 0 comely young man, thou failedst not in 
killing the son of the Blue King, and delivering Dolet Khatoon 
from him. He was a perfidious dog, and had circumvented her; 
and had not God sent thee to her for that purpose, she had never 
escaped. But how didst thou kill him?—And Seyf el-Mulook 
looked at them and answered them, I killed him by means of this 
seal-ring that is upon my finger. So it was evident to them that he 
was the person who killed him: therefore two of them seized his 
hands, and two his feet, and the other held his mouth, lest he 
should call out, and the people of the King Shahyal should hear 
him and deliver him from their hands. Then they took him up and 
flew away with him, and they ceased not in their flight until they 
alighted in the presence of their King, when they stationed him 
before him, and said, O King of the age, we have brought thee him 
who killed thy son.—And where is he? said the King. They 
answered, This is he. And the Blue King said to him, Didst 
thou kill my son, and the vital spark of my heart, and the light of 
my eye, without right, and without any offence that he had com¬ 
mitted against thee ? Seyf el-Mulook answered him, Yes, I killed 
him; but on account of his tyranny and his iniquity; for he took 
the children of the Kings, and conveyed them to the Abandoned 
Well and the Lofty Palace, and separated them from their families, 
and acted impudently towards them. I killed him by means of this 
ring that is upon my finger, and God hurried his soul to the fire, 
and miserable is the abode to which he hath gone.—So it was evi¬ 
dent to the Blue King that this was the person who killed his son, 
without doubt; and thereupon he called for his Wezeer, and said 
to him, This is the person who killed my son, without any uncer¬ 
tainty or doubt. What then dost thou counsel me to do in his 
case ? Shall I slay him in the most abominable manner, or torture 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

367 

him with the most grievous torture, or how shall I act ?—The chief 
Wezeer answered, Cut off one of his limbs. Another said, Inflict 
upon him every day a severe beating. Another said, Cut him 
through the middle. Another said, Cut off all his fingers, and bum 
them with fire. Another said, Crucify him. And every one of 
them proceeded to speak according to his judgment. 

But there was with the Blue King a great Emeer, acquainted 
with affairs and with the circumstances of the times, and he said to 
the King, O King of the age, I will say to thee some words, and it 
is thine to judge whether thou wilt attend to that w-hich I counsel 
thee to do. He was the counsellor of his kingdom, and the chief 
officer of his empire, and the King used to attend to his words, and 
act according to his judgment, and not oppose him in aught. Now 
he rose upon his feet, kissed the ground before him, and said to 
him, O King of the age, if I give thee advice in this affair, wilt 
thou follow it, and wilt thou grant me indemnity ? And the King 
answered him, Shew thine opinion, and thou shalt be safe. Then 
said he, O King, if thou kill this man, and receive not my advice, 
nor consider my words, the slaughter of him at this time will not be 
right; for he is in thy hand and in thine asylum, and he is thy 
captive, and when thou desirest him thou findest him, and mayest 
do with him as thou wilt. Be patient then, O King of the age; 
for this man hath entered the Garden of Irem, and married Bedeea 
el-Jemal, the daughter of the King Shahyal, and become one of 
them, and thy people seized him and brought him unto thee, and 
he hath not concealed his case from them nor from thee. So if 
thou slay him, the King Shahyal will demand of thee his blood- 
revenge, and will act hostilely to thee, and come to thee with forces 
on account of his daughter, and thou art not able to prevail against 
his forces, nor hast thou power to contend with him.—The King 
therefore attended to this his advice, and gave orders to imprison 
Seyf el-Mulook.—Thus did it happen unto him. 

Now the lady Bedeea el-Jemal, having met with her father 
Shahyal, sent the slave-girl to search for Seyf el-Mulook; and she 
found him not; wherefore she returned to her mistress, and said, 
I have not found him in the garden. And she sent to the gar¬ 
deners, and asked them respecting Seyf el-Mulook; and they 
answered. We saw him sitting beneath a tree, and lo, five persons, 

368 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

of the people of the Blue King, alighted by him, and conversed 
with him: then they took him up, and stopped his mouth, and flew 
with him, and departed. So when the lady Bedeea el-Jemal heard 
these words, the affair was not a light matter to her. She was 
violently enraged, and, rising upon her feet, she said to her father 
the King Shahyal, How is it that thou art King, and the people of 
the Blue King come to our garden and take our guest and depart 
with him in safety while thou art living ? In like manner his 
mother also began to provoke him, and to say, It is not fit that any 
one should trangress against us while thou art living. But he 
replied, O my mother, this human being killed the son of the Blue 
King, a Jinnee; so God cast him into his hand: how then should 
I go to him and act hostilely towards him on account of the human 
being ? His mother however said to him, Go to him, and demand 
of him our guest; and if he be living, and he deliver him to thee, 
take him, and come back; but if he have slain him, seize the Blue 
King alive, him and his children and his liareem, 1 and every one 
who hath his protection among his dependants, and bring them 
alive unto me, that I may slaughter them with mine own hand, and 
devastate his dwellings. If thou do not that which I have com¬ 
manded thee, I will not hold thee lawfully acquitted of the obligation 
that thou owest me for my milk, and my rearing of thee shall be as 
though it were to thee unlawful.—So upon this the King Shahyal 
arose, and commanded his troops to go forth, and repaired unto 
him, in honour of his mother, and from a regard to the feelings of 
herself and of those who were beloved of her, and in order to the 
accomplishment of a thing that had been decreed from eternity. 

Shahyal set forth with his troops, and they ceased not to 
pursue their way until they came to the Blue King, and the two 
armies met; whereupon the Blue King was defeated with his army, 
and the victors seized his children, great and small, and the lords of 
his empire and its great men, and bound them, and brought them 
before the King Shahyal, who said to the Blue King, O Blue, 
where is Seyf el-Mulook, the human being, who was my guest ? 
The Blue King said to him, O Shahyal, thou art a Jinnee and I am 
a Jinnee, and on account of a human being who hath killed my son 
dost thou do these deeds ? He is the destroyer of my son and the 
vital spark of my heart and the ease of my soul, and how hast thou 

done all these deeds, and spilt the blood of so many thousand Jin- 
nees ?—But Shahyal replied, 60 Desist from these words ; and if he 
be living, bring him, and I will liberate thee, and will liberate 
every one of thy children whom I have seized: but if thou have 
slain him, I will slaughter thee and thy children. The Blue King 
said to him, O Kang, is this more dear unto thee than my son ? 
The King Shahyal answered him. Verily thy son was a tyrant; for 
he carried off the children of men, and the daughters of Kings, and 
put them in the Lofty Palace and the Abandoned Well, and acted 
impudently towards them. And the Blue King said to him, He is 
with me ; but make thou reconciliation between us and him. So 
he reconciled them, and conferred upon them robes of honour, and 
he wrote a voucher agreed upon between the Blue King and Seyf 
el-Mulook respecting the slaughter of the son of the former; after 
which, the King Shahyal received Seyf el-Mulook, and entertained 
them handsomely ; and the Blue King remained with him, he and 
his army, three days. Then Shahyal took Seyf el-Mulook, and 

3 B 

VOL. III. 

370 

THE STORY OF SEYF EL-MULOOK 

brought him to his mother, who rejoiced exceedingly at seeing him, 
and Shahyal wondered at the beauty of Seyf el-Mulook, and his 
perfection and loveliness; and Seyf el-Mulook related to him his 
story from beginning to end, telling him what had befallen him with 
Bedeea el-Jemal, 

The King Shahyal then said, O my mother, since thou hast 
consented to this, I hear and obey all that thou desirest: so take 
him and go with him to Sarandeeb, and celebrate there a magnifi¬ 
cent festivity; for he is a comely young man, and hath endured 
horrors on her account. Accordingly she proceeded with her 
female slaves until they arrived at Sarandeeb, and entered the gar¬ 
den belonging to the mother of Dolet Khatoon. Bedeea el-Jemal 
saw Seyf el-Mulook, after they had gone to the tent and met one 
another, and the old woman related to them what he had experi¬ 
enced from the Blue King, and how he had been at the point of 
death in the prison of the Blue King. Then 61 the King Taj el- 
Mulook, the father of Dolet Khatoon, summoned the great men of 
his empire, and they performed the ceremony of the contract of the 
marriage of Bedeea el-Jemal to Seyf el-Mulook, and married her to 
him ; and when the ceremony of the contract was performed, the 
ushers of the court cried out, May it be blessed ! He deserveth ! 
—and they scattered the gold and the silver upon the head of Seyf 
el-Mulook, conferred costly robes of honour, and made banquets. 
Seyf el-Mulook then said to Taj el-Mulook, O King, pardon! I 
would ask of thee a thing, and I fear that thou mayest refuse it me 
and disappoint me. But Taj el-Mulook replied, By Allah, wert 
thou to demand my soul, I would not withhold it from thee, on 
account of the kind actions that thou hast done. So Seyf el- 
Mulook said, I desire that thou marry Dolet Khatoon to my 
brother Sa ed, that we may both be thy pages. And Taj el-Mulook 
replied, I hear and obey. He forthwith assembled the great men 
of his empire a second time, and performed the ceremony of the 
contract of the marriage of his daughter Dolet Khatoon to Sa’ed ; 
and when they had finished the ceremony of the contract, they 
scattered the gold and silver, and the King commanded that they 
should decorate the city. They then celebrated the festivity, and 
Seyf el-Mulook took Bedeea el-J emal as his wife and Saed took 
Dolet Khatoon as his wife the same night. Seyf el-Mulook ceased 

AND BEDEEA EL-JEMA'L. 

371 

not to remain in retirement with Bedeea el-Jemal for forty days; 
and she said to him one day, 0 son of the King, doth there remain 
in thy heart a regret for anything ? Seyf el-Mulook answered, 
God forbid! I have accomplished my want, and no regret re- 
maineth in my heart; but I desire to meet my father and mother 
in the land of Egypt, and to see if they have continued well or not. 
—So she ordered a party of her servants to convey him and Sa’ed 
to the land of Egypt; and they conveyed them to their families in 
Egypt; and Seyf el-Mulook met his father and his mother, as also 
did Sa’ed, and they remained with them a week. Then each of 
them bade farewell to his father and his mother, and they departed 
to the city of Sarandeeb ; and whenever they desired to see their 
families, they used to go and return. Thus Seyf el-Mulook lived 
with Bedeea el-Jemal a most pleasant and most agreeable life, and 
in like manner did Sa’ed with Dolet Khatoon, until they were 
visited by the terminator of delights and the separator of com¬ 
panions.—Extolled be the perfection of the Living who dieth not, 
who created the creatures, and sentenced them to death, and who 
is the First, without beginning, and the Last, without end! 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH. 

Note 1. 

In the original, this story has the following introduction, which I have trans¬ 
ferred to this place because it seems to me to be of little interest, and calculated 
to induce expectations that will not be fully realized. The Breslau edition does not 
contain it. 

“ There was, in ancient times, a King, of the Kings of the Persians, whose name 
was Mohammad the son of Sebai'k, and who ruled over the countries of Khurdsdn, 
and every year he used to invade the countries of the infidels, in El-Hind * and Es- 
Sind f and China, and the regions that are beyond the River [Oxus], and other 
countries besides these, of the Persians and other nations. He was a just, brave, 
generous, liberal King. And this King was fond of conversations over the cup, 
and traditions and verses, and histories and tales, and night-discourses, and the 
lives of the ancients. Whoever preserved in his memory an extraordinary tale, 
and related it to him, he used to confer favours upon him. It is said that if a 
stranger came to him with an extraordinary night-discourse, and recited before 
him, and he approved of his tale, and his words pleased him, he used to bestow 
upon him a sumptuous robe of honour, give him a thousand pieces of gold, mount 
him upon a horse saddled and bridled, clothe him from head to foot, and give 
him magnificent gifts; and the man would take the things and go his way. 

“Now it happened that an old man came to him with an extraordinary night- 
tale, which he related before him, and he approved of it, and his words pleased 
him; so he gave orders to present to him a sumptuous gift, comprising a thousand 
pieces of gold of Khurdsdn, and a horse completely equipped. Then, after this, 
the news of these actions of the King spread abroad throughout all the cities, and 
a man named the merchant Hasan, who was generous, liberal, learned, a poet, 
excelling in science, heard of him. And there was, with that King, an envious 
Wezeer, of inauspicious aspect, who loved not any one among all the people, neither 
the rich nor the poor; and whenever any one came to that King and he gave him 
aught, he envied him, and said, Verily this practice consumeth the wealth and 
ruineth the country; and this is the custom of the King:—these words proceeding 

* Or Hindoost&n. 

t Western India. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH. 

373 

not save from envy and hatred in that Wezeer. Then the King heard of the 
merchant Hasan; so he sent to him, and caused him to be brought; and when he 
came before him, he said to him, O merchant Hasan, the Wezeer hath acted with 
opposition and enmity towards me on account of the wealth that I give to the 
poets and the boon-companions and the reciters of tales and verses. Now I 
desire of thee that thou relate to me a pleasant tale and an extraordinary story, 
such that I have never heard the like of it. And if thy story please me, I will 
give thee many tracts of land with their castles, and I will make them additional 
to thy fief:* I will also place all my kingdom at thy disposal, and make thee the 
chief of my Wezeers: thou shalt sit on my right hand, and govern my subjects. 
But if thou bring me not that of which I have told thee, I will take all that is in 
thy hand, and banish thee from my country.—To this the merchant Hasan 
replied, I hear and obey our lord the King. But the memlook desireth of thee 
that thou have patience with him for a year: then I will relate to thee a story the 
like of which thou hast not heard in thy life, neither hath any one beside thee 
heard the like of it, nor any story better than it.—And the King said, I grant thee 
a delay of a whole year. Then he called for a sumptuous robe of honour, and 
clad him with it, and said to him, Confine thyself to thy house, and mount not, 
nor go nor come, during the period of a whole year, until thou presentest thyself 
with that which I have demanded of thee. If thou bring that, thou shalt receive 
special favour; and rejoice thou in the prospect of that which I have promised 
thee. But if thou bring it not, thou shalt not be of us, nor will we be of thee.— 
And the merchant Hasan kissed the ground before him, and went forth. 

“ He then chose, of his memlooks, five persons, all of whom wrote and read • 
and they were excellent in science, intelligent, versed in polite literature, of the 
choicest of his memlooks. He gave to each of them five thousand pieces of 
gold, and said to them, I reared you not but for such a day as this: aid me then 
to accomplish the desire of the King, and save me from his hand. They said to 
him, And what desirest thou to do? For our souls shall be thy ransom.—He 
answered them, I desire that each of you journey unto some region, and that ye 
use your utmost endeavours to gain access to the learned, and the accomplished 
in polite literature, and the excellent in science, and the relaters of extraordinary 
tales and wonderful histories; and search ye for me to procure the story of Seyf el- 
Mulook, and bring it to me. If ye find it with any one, excite his desire for its 
price, and whatsoever he demandeth of gold and silver, give him it: even if he 
demand of you a thousand pieces of gold, give him what ye have ready and pro¬ 
mise him the remainder, and bring it to me. Whichever of you findeth this story 
and bringeth it to me, I will bestow upon him sumptuous robes of honour, and 
abundant favours, and there shall be unto me none dearer than he.—Then the 
merchant Hasan said to one of them, Go thou to the countries of El-Hind and 
E3-Sind, and their provinces and districts. And he said to another, Go thou to 
the countries of Persia and China, and their districts. And to another he said, 
Go thou to the countries of Khur&s&n, and its provinces and districts. To another 
he said, Go thou to the countries of the West, and its regions and its districts and 
its provinces and all its quarters. And he said to the other, the fifth, Go thou to 
the countries of Syria and Egypt, and their provinces and districts. The merchant 
then chose for them an auspicious day, and said to them, Set forth on your journeys 

• Untaxed land. 

t Northern Africa, west of Egypt. 

374 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH. 

this day, and strive diligently to accomplish my affair, and be not slothful though 
the case should require the sacrifice of your lives. So they bade him farewell, 
and set forth, and each of them went to the quarter to which he had commanded 
him to go. Four of them however were absent four months, and searched, and 
found not aught. Therefore the bosom of the merchant Hasan was contracted 
when the four memlooks returned to him, and informed him that they had searched 
the cities and the countries and the districts for the object of their master’s desire, 
and found not of it aught. 

“ But as to the fifth memlook, he journeyed until he entered Syria and arrived 
at the city of Damascus, and he found it to be a pleasant, secure city, with trees 
and rivers and fruits, and birds that proclaimed the perfection of God, the One, 
the Omnipotent, who created the night and the day. He remained in it some 
days, inquiring for that which his master wanted; but no one gave him informa¬ 
tion of it. He then desired to depart thence, and to journey to another place ; 
and lo, he saw a young man running, and stumbling upon his skirts: so the mem¬ 
look said to him, Wherefore dost thou run, and art thou distressed, and whither 
repairest thou ? And he answered him, Here is an excellent sheykh who every 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH. 

375 

day seateth himself upon a stool * at this time, and relateth pleasant tales and his¬ 
tories and night-stories, the like of which no one hath heard; and I am running 
that I may find for myself a place near unto him, and fear that I shall not 
obtain a place, on account of the crowd. The memlook therefore said to him, 
Take me with thee. And the young man replied, Hasten in thy pace. So he 
closed his door, and hastened with him until he arrived at the place in which the 
sheykh recited amid the people, when he saw that sheykh to be a person of comely 
face, and sitting upon a stool reciting to the people. He seated himself near to 
him, and listened to hear his story ; and when the time of sunset came, the sheykh 
ended the story, and the people, having heard what he had recited, dispersed from 
around him. And thereupon the memlook advanced to him and saluted him, and 
he returned his salutation with exceeding greeting and honour. The memlook 
then said to him, Verily, O my master the sheykh, thou art a comely, reverend 
man, and thy recitation is pleasant, and I desire to inquire of thee respecting a 
thing. And the sheykh replied, Inquire respecting what thou wilt. So the mem¬ 
look said to him, Hast thou the night-story of Seyf el-Mulook and Bedeea el- 
J emal ? The sheykh said to him, And from whom heardest thou these words, and 
who is he who informed thee of this? The memlook answered, I heard not this 
from any one ; hut I am from a distant country, and have come seeking for this 
story, and whatsoever thou demandest as its price, I will give it thee, if thou have 
it and wilt bestow it as a favour and charity upon me, and in the generosity of 
thy nature wilt give it as an alms from thee. If my soul were at my disposal and 
I sacrificed it to thee for it, my heart would be pleased by doing so.—And the 
sheykh replied, Be of good heart and cheerful eye; for it shall be produced to 
thee ; hut this is a story which none relateth in the beaten way, nor would I give 
this story to every one. The memlook therefore said to him, By Allah, O my 
master, do not covetously withhold it from me ; hut demand of me whatever thou 
wilt. And the sheykh replied, If thou desire this story, give me a hundred pieces 
of gold, and I will give it to thee; hut on five conditions. 

“ So when he knew that it was in the possession of the sheykh, and that he 
consented to give it him, he rejoiced exceedingly, and said to him, I will give thee 
a hundred pieces of gold as its price, and ten as a gratuity, and receive it on the 
conditions that thou hast mentioned. And the sheykh replied, Go, bring the gold, 
and receive what thou wantest. Wherefore the memlook arose, and kissed the 
hands of the sheykh, and went to his lodging joyful and happy. He took in his 
hand a hundred pieces of gold and ten, and put them into a purse that he had 
with him; and when the morning came, he arose and put on his clothes, and, 
taking the pieces of gold, went with them to the sheykh. He saw him sitting at 
the door of his house, and saluted him; and he returned his salutation. He then 
gave him the hundred pieces of gold and ten, and the sheykh, having received 
them from him, arose and entered his house, taking the memlook in; and he 
seated him in a place, and brought to him an ink-case and a pen and some paper; 
and he brought to him also a book, and said to him, Transcribe what thou seekest from 
this book of the night-3tory of Seyf el-Mulook. The memlook therefore sat writ¬ 
ing this story until he had finished the transcription of it, when he read it to the 
sheykh, and he corrected it; and after that, the sheykh said to him, Know, O my 
son, that the first condition is, that thou relate not this story in the beaten way; 

* The word rendered “stool” also signifies “ chair, 1 &c.; but the seat of the public reciter of tales 
is generally a square stool, made of palm-sticks, and resembling a small crate. 

376 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH. 

nor shalt thou relate it among women and slave-girls, nor among male black 
slaves and stupid persons, nor among boys; but thou shalt only recite it among 
Emeers and Kings and Wezeers, and persons of knowledge, such as expositors and 
others. And the memlook assented to the conditions, kissed the hands of the 
sheykh, bade him farewell, and departed from him. He set forth on his journey 
that day, joyful and happy, and ceased not to prosecute his journey with diligence, 
by reason of the great joy that he experienced on account of his acquisition of the 
story of Seyf el-Mulook, until he came to his country; and he sent his servant 
to convey the good news to the merchant, and to say to him, Thy memlook hath 
arrived safely, and attained his wish and desire. And when the memlook arrived 
at the city of his master, and sent to him the messenger of good news, there re¬ 
mained not of the period agreed upon between the King and the merchant Hasan 
more than ten days. He then went in to his master the merchant, and acquainted 
him with that which had happened to him; whereat he rejoiced greatly. The 
memlook rested in his private apartment, and gave to his master the book contain¬ 
ing the story of Seyf el-Mulook and BedeeS el-Jem&l; and when his master saw 
that, he bestowed on the memlook all the clothes that were upon him, and gave 
him ten excellent horses, and ten camels, and ten mules, and three black slaves, 
and two memlooks. 

“The merchant then took the story, wrote it plainly in his own hand, 
and went up to the King, and said to him, O fortunate King, I have brought a 
night-story, and a pleasant, rare tale, the like of which no one hath ever heard. 
And when the King heard the words of the merchant Hasan, he ordered 
immediately that every intelligent Emeer should come, and every learned man 
who excelled in science, and every one versed in polite literature, and each poet 
and sagacious person. Then the merchant Hasan sat and read this story before 
the King; and when the King and every one who was present heard it, they all 
wondered, and approved of it. All who were present approved of it, and they 
showered upon him gold and silver and jewels; and the King gave orders to pre¬ 
sent to the merchant Hasan a sumptuous robe of honour of the most magnificent 
of his apparel, gave him a great city with its castles and its fields, made him one 
of the greatest of his Wezeers, and seated him on his right hand. He then ordered 
the scribes to write this story in letters of gold, and to place it in his private repo¬ 
sitories ; and the King used, whenever his bosom was contracted, to summon the 
merchant Hasan, and he read it.” 

Note 2. 

These names are Arabic (“’A'sim” signifying “defending,” “defended,” &c.; 
and “ Safwan,” “ clear” and “ cold,” applied to a day) ; and (notwithstanding the 
pretended scenes and age of the story) the manners and customs which it describes, 
and the dreBses, when any kind is specified, are Arabian. The author even seems 
to have intended Cairo as the capital of the King. 

Note 3. 

“Faris” signifies “ a horseman,” &c. ; and “ SAleh," “ good,” “just,” &c. 

Note 4. 

In the Breslau edition, and in Trebutien’s version, the place of Suleym&n's 

abode at this time is said to have been Seba, of El-Yemen, the seat of government 
of Balkees, or Bilkees, “ the Queen of Sheba” mentioned in the Bible. 

Note 5. 

Here it appears that the phrase “ to kiss the ground” is to be understood in its 
literal sense ; but I believe that this is never the case when the act is said, in this 
work, to be performed by a Muslim.—See Note 15 to Chapter vi. 

Note 6. 

“ The same ceremony is still observed at the audiences which the Porte gives 
to Ambassadors. Oriental politeness requires that refreshments be presented to 
guests before inquiring the motive of their visit.” (Note by Von Hammer, in Trd- 
butien’s version.”) 

Note 7. 

Mohammad did not profess to teach a new religion, but to restore the only 
true religion ; and this is called “ el-Isldm,” which signifies “ resignation [to God].” 

Note 8. 

By the “ two prayers, ” 
and afternoon are meant. 

it appears from what follows, that the prayers of noon 
3 c 

VOL. III. 

378 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH. 

Note 9. 

So in the Breslau edition : in the edition of Cairo, “ two tunicsbut only one 
is mentioned afterwards. 

NoTfc 10. 

The words “ with all his subjects” I have inserted on the authority of the 
Breslau edition. 

Note 11. 

The word rendered “ onion-sauce” is “takleeyeh.” My slieykh explains it as 
“ onions cooked in clarified butter, after which they are put upon other cooked 
food.” 

Note 12. 

See Note 67 to Chapter xi. 

Note 13. 

“ Such rejoicings are still usual at Constantinople, Under the name of ‘ d6n4n- 
mah,’ not only when the Sultanas* are enceintes, but also when they are brought 
to bed. In 1803, the rumour of the pregnancy of a Sultana, being falsely spread, 
involved all the ministers at Constantinople in useless expenses, to prepare for a 
d6nanmah which did not take place.” (Note by Von Hammer, in Trebutien’s 
version.) 

Note 14. 

“ Seyf el-Mulook” signifies “ the Sword of the Kings." In the Breslau edition 
and in Tvebutien’s version, the astrologers are here said to have cast the Prince’s 
nativity, and to have foreseen various events which the tale afterwards relates. 

Note 15. 

“ Sa'ed” signifies “ fore-arm.” 

Note 16. 

In the Breslau edition, they are said to have been taught the Kur-fin, &c. 

Note 17. 

“ Zawiyeh” has before been explained, as a name given in 
mosque. 

Note 18. 

Egypt to a small 

“ The Horse-course of the Elephant” here mentioned seems to be that of the 
Lake of the Elephant, f which, according to El-Makreezee (as stated in his “ Khi- 
tat”), was made towards the close of the seven hundredth century of the Flight, and 
afterwards, in the seventeenth year of the next century, became the site of stables. 
In the Breslau edition, the Horse-course is called “ el-Meyd4n el-’Adlthis I 

* The title of “ Sultana” is used by Europeans as a feminine of “ Sultan.’' which is given by the 
Turks to a female as well as to a male, with no difference but this, that it precedes the proper name of 
a male, and follows that of a female. 

t Birket el-Feel, mentioned in Note 23 to Chapter v. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH. 

379 

suppose to be a mistake for “ Meyd&n El-’A'dil” (or the Horse-course of El-’A'dil) ; 
as El-’A'dil was the surname of the King who made the Horse-course of the Lake 
of the Elephant. If so, we must infer (as I have observed in the second of these 
notes) that the author of the tale intended Cairo as the capital of the King ’A'sim, 
notwithstanding the anachronism thus implied. 

Note 19. 

A description of banquets of the kind here mentioned has been given in Note 
7 to Chapter viii. 

Note 20. 

I suppose either the outer curtains of the King’s pavilion to he here meant, or 
the inner curtains of its vestibule. 

Note 21. 

Von Hammer, in illustration of this passage, mentions the custom, still exist¬ 
ing, of girding the sabre on the side of an Eastern sovereign when he mounts the 
throne; and adds, that the girdle is found, upon their monuments, as one of the 
insignia of the ancient Kings of Egypt. Being adorned with most valuable jewels, 
like the crown, the girdle is still one of the insignia of many Eastern Kings. 

Note 22. 

In my original is here added “and the signet” (muhr); and in the Breslau 
edition, “ and the bowhut neither of these things is mentioned before or after. 

Note 23. 

In my original, the name of the father of BedeeS el-Jemdl is here written 
“ Shemmdkh,” or “ Sliemdkh,” as in Tr6butien’s version ; hut he is often men¬ 
tioned afterwards and always called “Shahy&l.” 

Note 24. 

Respecting Babil, and the Garden of Irem, see Note 14 to Chapter iii., and the 
anecdote commencing in page 342 of Volume ii. 

Note 25. 

So in the Breslau edition and in Trehutien’s version: in my original, twenty 
thousand. 

Note 26. 

“ Faghfoor” is a common title given by the Muslims to Emperors of China. In 
my original, by the omission of a letter and the misplacing of a diacritical point, 
it is converted into “ Kaafoo.” 

Note 27. 

In the original there is a play upon words ; “ sabr,” the name of the aloe, sig¬ 
nifying “patience.” So also in the next verse. 

380 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH. 

Note 28. 

See the last paragraph of Note 5 to Chapter i. 

Note 29. 

Here we have again “ the Old Man of the Sea,” whose nature and country 
(supposed to be Sumatra) have been considered in Note 64 to Chapter xx. ; but in 
this instance we find him considered as a Marid, which is properly an evil Jinnee 
of the most powerful class. Some other incidents in the present tale will be found 
to be nearly the same as certain events in the Voyages of Es-Sindibfid of the Sea. 

Note 30. 

See Note 39 to Chapter xx. 

Note 31. 

These verses, I suspect, are by some Soofee poet. See Note 102 to Chapter x. 

Note 32. 

Here, and afterwards, I read “kelek” (a raft), as in the Breslau edition, instead 
of “ fulk,” which signifies “ a ship” or other vessel. 

Note 33. 

In my original, “ with the remaining memlook.” I have corrected this 
passage, and another afterwards in the same manner, on the authority of the 
Breslau edition. 

Note 34. 

Here again I adopt a reading of the Breslau edition. 

Note 35. 

On this passage, my sheykh has written upon the margin of my original, 
“ Were they Jews? If this were not in the time of Suleym&n, it might be said, 
that these apes were the Jews who were transformed on the day of their transgres¬ 
sion with respect to the Sabbath.” These are mentioned in the sixty-first verse 
of the second chapter of the Kur-dn, and, as stated by Sale, were some dwellers at 
Eyleh (or Elath), on the Red Sea, who lived in the time of David, and were trans¬ 
formed into apes for catching fish on the Sabbath. After remaining in this con¬ 
dition three days, they were destroyed by a wind which swept them all into the sea. 
—But it appears from what is afterwards stated in Trebutien's version, that hy 
these apes the author intends the descendants of a remnant of the tribe of A'd. 
At the time of the general destruction of this tribe (mentioned in Note 37 to 
Chapter ii.), a company belonging to it had gone to Mekkeh to pray for rain ; and 
the persons composing this company, or their descendants, were afterwards trans¬ 
formed by God into apes. (See Pocock’s Spec. Hist. Arab., ed. 1806, pp. 
36 and 37. 

Note 36. 

In my original, “ their islands." 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH. 
Note 37. 

381 

The words rendered “ And an abandoned well, and a lofty palace,” are from 
the forty-fourth verse of the twenty-second chapter of the Kur-an. They are 
either misunderstood, or purposely misapplied, by the author of the tale; the true 
meaning being, “ And [how many] a well [hath been] abandoned, and [how 
many] a lofty palace ! ” Others, however, have misunderstood them, and given 
to them a particular application. “ The Oriental geographers,” observes Von 
Hammer,* “ state these places [called in Arabic 1 el-Beer el-Mo’attalah’ and ‘ el- 
Kasr el-Mesheed’f ] to be in the province of Hadramdt, and we wait for a new 
Niebuhr to inform us what are the monuments or the ruins thus called.”— 
“ Ydfith” and “ Nooh” are the names which we write “ Japheth” and “ Noah.” 

Note 38. 

The word in my original is “eew&n;” but this means here, as my sheykh has 
noted, what is now commonly called a “leewan.” It has been described in Note 
12 to Chapter iii. 

Note 39. 

“D61et,” which signifies “fortune,” “empire,” Ac., I suppose to be here the 
proper name; and “Kh&toon” (i.e. Lady,) a title subjoined in the Turkish 
manner. 

Note 40. 

By “the city of Sarandeeb” 
Ceylon. 

we must understand the capital of the island of 
Note 41. 

“El-Kulzum” is the ancient “Clysma,” whence the Red Sea is called 
Sea of El-Kulzum.” 

Note 42. 

“the 

See Note 28 to Chapter x., and Note 6 to Chapter xxiii. 

Note 43. 

From the sequel, as well as from what has been said above in Note 37, it 
appears that this is meant as a falsehood of the Jinnee, to deceive the lady. 

Note 44. 

The words “and remaineth with me three days,” &c. are omitted in the Cairo 
edition. I have supplied them from the edition of Breslau. 

Note 45. 

“For, had she remembered her, probably she had come to her, as she was a 
Jinneeyeh.”t 

* Note in TrGbutien’s version, tome ii. page 154. 

t “ Mesheed” generally signifies “plastered;” but in the above-mentioned verse of the Kur-dn, it 
is synonymous with “musheiyad,” signifying “lofty.” In the Commentary of the JelAleyn, it is ex¬ 
plained by the synonyme “rafeea.” 

J Marginal note by my sheykh. 

382 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH. 

Note 46. 

“H&tim ” I suppose to be the name of the ’Efreet. In the Breslau edition 
it is written “Khfitim.” 

Note 47. 

The word for which I write “coffer” is here, in my original, “lAbak’’or 
“ tabik ; ” but afterwards, “taboot.” 

Note 48. 

Here again, as in the instances mentioned above, in Note 32, “fulk " is put in 
my original for “kelek.” 

Note 49. 

He put the sword between himself and the lady from a motive of modesty and 
respect. 

Note 50. 

The word rendered “ lying ” is “ sfike’.” My sheykh supposes it to be a vulgar 
word derived from “sakeeS,” for “sakeeS,” which signifies “hoar-frost: ” but I 
imagine that the word “sake’,’’ »'•«• “lying,” or “a liar,” had escaped his memory 
at the time of his reading this passage. 

Note 51. 

This city and harbour I suppose to be imaginary. The name of the former is 
derived from “ ’em&reh,” which signifies “the being inhabited,” &c.; that of the 
latter may be rendered “the lurking-place of the two seas,” or “—of the province 
called El-Bahreyn.” In the Breslau edition, the city is called “ ’ Amar; ” and 
the harbour, “Beyn el-Bahreyn.” 

Note 52. 

This name, I rather think, should be “ ’Alee el-Mulk,” or “ High in Dominion.” 

Note 53. 

“ Mo'een ed-Deen ” signifies “ Aider of the Religion.” 

Note 54. 

“ 1 Shoom ’ is a kind of tough wood of which are made small staves wherewith 
asses are driven.”* Sir Gardner Wilkinson informs me that it is ash. 

Note 55. 

In Tr6butien’s version, this cannibal is here called (tome ii. page 168) “ Goul- 
Eli-Fenioun ; ” and the following note by Von Hammer is subjoined. “ There 
was no need of this similitude of name to prove that all this episode is a manifest 
imitation of the adventures of Ulysses in the cave of Polyphemus, and that this 
latter is the same as Goul-Eli-Fenioun; which induces the belief that the Arabs 
have been acquainted with the poems of Homer.” But may not the story of 
Ulysses and Polyphemus have been of Eastern origin?—Notes 39 and 52 to 
Chapter xx. will serve to illustrate the account of the Ghool in the present tale. 

* Marginal note by my sheykh. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH. 

383 

Note 56. 

In the Breslau edition, the ship is not wrecked, but conveys Sd’ed, with the 
other passengers, safely to the city where Seyf el-Mulook finds him. 

Note 57. 

Instead of “ enchanting, cruel eye,” we may, as my sheykh observes, read, 
“enchanting eye of a Jinneeyeh.” 

Note 58. 

For the story of Suleymdn and Balkees or Bilkees (whom I have mentioned 
above, in Note 4), see the twenty-seventh chapter of the Kur-an, and Sale’s notes. 

Note 59. 

The action here described is one indicative of extreme submission. 

Note 60. 

In the Breslau edition, Shahy&l is here very properly made to say, “ Dost thou 
not know that a single human being is, with God, better than a thousand Jinnees?” 

Note 61.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY- 
EIGHTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE EIGHT HUN¬ 
DRED AND THIRTY-FIRST. 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 1 

There was, in ancient times, a certain merchant residing in 
El-Basrah, and that merchant had two male children, and great 
wealth. And it happened, as God, who heareth and knoweth, 
decreed, that the merchant was admitted to the mercy of God 
(whose name be exalted!), and left that wealth. So his two sons 
betook themselves to prepare him for the grave and to bury him; 
after which they divided the wealth between them equally, and 
each of them took his portion, and they opened for themselves two 
shops. One of them was a dealer in copper-wares, and the other 
was a goldsmith. 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

385 

Now while the goldsmith was sitting in his shop, one day, lo, a 
Persian walked along the market-street among the people until he 
came to the shop of the young goldsmith, when he looked at his 
work, and examined it knowingly, and it pleased him. And the 
name of the young goldsmith was Hasan. Then the Persian shook 
his head, and said, By Allah, thou art an excellent goldsmith! 
And he proceeded to look at his work, while he (the young man) 
was looking at an old book that was in his hand, and the people 
were occupied with the contemplation of his beauty and loveliness 
and his stature and justness of form. And when the time of after¬ 
noon-prayers arrived, the shop was quitted by the people, and 
thereupon the Persian accosted Hasan and said to him, O my son, 
thou art a comely young man. What is this book ? I have not a 
son, and I know an art than which there is none better that is prac¬ 
tised in the world. Numbers of people have asked me to teach it 
them, and I would not teach it to any one of them; but my soul 
hath consented that I should teach it to thee, and make thee 
my son, and put a barrier between thee and poverty; so thou shalt 
rest from this work and labouring with the hammer and the char¬ 
coal and the fire.—Hasan therefore said to him, O my master, and 
when wilt thou teach me ? He replied, To-morrow I will come to 
thee, and will make for thee, of copper, pure gold in thy presence. 

Upon this, Hasan rejoiced, and he bade farewell to the Persian, 
and went to his mother. He entered, and saluted her, and ate with 
her; but he was stupified, without memory or intellect. So his 
mother said to him, What is the matter with thee, O my son? 
Beware of listening to the words of the people; especially the Per¬ 
sians ; and comply not with their counsel in aught; for these people 
are great deceivers, who know the art of alchemy, and trick people, 
and take their wealth and devour it by means of false pretences,— 
But he replied, O my mother, we are poor people,’ and we have 
nothing to be coveted, that any one should trick us. A Persian 
hath come to me; but he is a virtuous sheykh,-bearing marks 
of virtue, and God hath inclined him towards me.—And thereupon 
his mother kept silence in her anger; and her son became busied in 
heart: sleep visited him not that night by reason of the violence of 
his joy at what the Persian had said to him. And when the morn¬ 
ing came, he rose, took the keys, and opened the shop; and lo, the 

3 D 

VOL. 111. 

386 THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

Persian approached him. So he rose to him, and desired to kiss 
his hands: but the Persian refused, and would not consent to his 
doing that; and said, O Hasan, prepare the crucible, and place the 
bellows. He therefore did as the Persian ordered him, and lighted 
the charcoal; after which the Persian said to him, O my son, hast 
thou by thee any copper? He answered, I have a broken plate. 
And he ordered him to press upon it with the shears, and to cut it 
into small pieces; and he did as he told him. He cut it into small 
pieces, and threw it into the crucible, and blew upon it with the 
bellows until it became liquid; when the Persian put his hand to 
his turban, and took forth from it a paper folded up, which he 
opened, and he sprinkled some of its contents into the crucible, as 
much as half a drachm. That thing resembled yellow kohl : 3 and 
he ordered Hasan to blow upon it with the bellows; and he did as 
he ordered him until the contents of the crucible became a lump of 
gold. So when Hasan beheld this, he was stupified, and his mind 
was confounded by reason of the joy that he experienced. He took 
the lump and turned it over, and he took the file and filed it, 
and saw it to be pure gold, of the very best quality. His reason 
fled, and he was stupified by reason of the violence of his joy. 

Then he bent down 
over the hand of 
the Persian to kiss 
it; and the Persian 
said to him, Take 
this lump, and go 
down with it into 
the market, and sell 
it, and take its price 
quickly, without 
speaking. Accord¬ 
ingly Hasan went 
down into the mar¬ 
ket, and gave the 
lump to the broker, 
w ho took it of him, 
and rubbed it [on 
the touchstone], 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

387 

and found it to be pure gold. They opened the bidding for it at 
the sum of ten thousand pieces of silver, and the merchants 
increased their offers for it so that he sold it for fifteen thousand 
pieces of silver. 

He received its price, and went home, and related to his mother 
all that he had done, saying to her, O my mother, I have learnt this 
art. But she laughed at him, and said, There is no strength nor 
power but in God, the High, the Great! And she kept silence in 
her anger. Then Hasan, in his ignorance, took a brass mortar, and 
went with it to the Persian, who was sitting in the shop, and put it 
before him. So he said to him, O my son, what desirest thou to do 
with this mortar? He answered, We will put it into the fire, and 
make it into lumps of gold. And the Persian laughed, and said to 
him, O my son, art thou mad, that thou wouldst go down into the 
market with two lumps in one day ? Knowest thou not that the 
people would suspect us, and that our lives would be lost ? But, 
O my son, when I have taught thee this art, do not thou practise it 
in a year more than once; for that will suffice thee from year to 
year.—And Hasan replied, Thou hast spoken truth, O my master. 
Then he sat in the shop, and put on the crucible, and threw the 
charcoal into the fire. The Persian therefore said to him, O my 
son, what dost thou desire ? He answered, Teach me this art. 
But the Persian laughed, and said, There is no strength nor power 
but in God, the High, the Great! Thou, O my son, art of little 
sense. Thou art not suited for this art at all. Doth any one 
in his life learn this art in the beaten way, or in the markets ? For 
if we occupy ourselves with it in this place, the people will say of 
us, Yerily these are practising alchemy:—and the magistrates will 
hear of us, and our lives will be lost. If therefore, O my son, thou 
desirest to learn this art, repair with me to my house.—So Hasan 
arose and closed his shop, and went with the Persian. But while 
he was on the way, he remembered the words of bis mother, and 
revolved in his mind a thousand thoughts; and he stopped, hanging 
down his head towards the ground for some time; whereupon the 
Persian looked aside, and, seeing him stopping, laughed, and said to 
him, Art thou mad ? How is it that I purpose in my heart to do 
thee good, and thou imaginest that I will injure thee ?—Then the 
Persian said to him, If thou be afraid to go with me to my house, I 

388 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

will go with thee to thy house, and will teach thee there. So 
Hasan replied, Yes, O uncle. And the Persian said to him, Walk 
before me. 

Hasan therefore went on before him to his abode, and the 
Persian followed him until he arrived there, when Hasan entered 
his house, and found his mother, and informed her of the Persian’s 
arrival with him, while the Persian stood at the door. So she 
furnished for them the chamber, and put it in order, and when she 
had finished her affair, she went away. Then Hasan gave permis¬ 
sion to the Persian to enter, and he entered; and Hasan, having 
taken in his hand a plate, went with it to the market to bring in it 
something to eat. He went forth, and brought some food, and put 
it before him, saying to him, Eat, O my master, that the bond of 
bread and salt may be established between us; and may God 
(whose name be exalted !) execute vengeance upon him who is un¬ 
faithful to the bond of bread and salt! And the Persian said to him, 
Thou hast spoken truth, O my son. Then he smiled, and said, O my 
son, who knoweth the due estimation of bread and salt?* And the 
Persian advanced, and ate with Hasan until they were satisfied; 
when he said to him, O my son, O Hasan, bring for us some sweet¬ 
meat. Hasan therefore went to the market, and brought ten cups 5 of 
sweetmeat; and he was rejoiced at the words of the Persian. And 
when he presented to him the sweetmeat, he ate of it, and Hasan 
ate with him. The Persian then said to him, May God recompense 
thee well, O my son! With such a one as thou art should men 
associate, and him should they acquaint with their secrets, and 
teach what will profit him.—And he said, O Hasan, bring the 
apparatus. And Hasan scarcely believed these words, when he 
went forth like the colt dismissed to the spring-pasturage, and 
proceeded until he arrived at the shop, and he took the apparatus 
and returned, and placed it before him. The Persian thereupon 
took forth a piece of paper, and said, O Hasan, by the bread and 
salt, wert thou not dearer than my son, I would not acquaint thee 
with this art. There remaineth not in my possession aught of this 
elixir save the contents of this paper. But observe when I com¬ 
pound the simples and put them before thee; and know, O my son, 
O Hasan, that thou must put, to every ten pounds of copper, half a 
drachm of this which is in the paper, and the ten pounds will 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

389 

become pure, unalloyed gold.—Then he said to him, O my son, 
O Hasan, in this paper are three ounces, of Egyptian weight; and 
after the contents of this paper are exhausted, I will make for thee 
more. And Hasan took the paper, and saw in it something yellow, 
finer than the first; and he said, O my master, what is the name of 
this, and where is it found, and in what is it made ? Upon this, the 
Persian laughed, and longed to get possession of Hasan, and said to 
him, Respecting what dost thou ask ? Do the work and be silent. 
—And he took forth a cup belonging to the house, cut it up, and 
threw it into the crucible, and threw upon it a little of what was in 
the paper, whereupon it became a lump of pure gold. So when 
Hasan beheld this, he rejoiced exceedingly, and became perplexed 
in his mind, entirely occupied by meditation upon that lump of gold. 

The Persian then hastily took forth a packet from his turban, 
cut it open, and put it into a piece of the sweetmeat, and said to 
him, O Hasan, thou hast become my son, and hast become dearer 
to me than my soul and my wealth, and I have a daughter to whom 
I will marry thee. Hasan replied, I am thy page, and whatsoever 
thou dost with me, it will be a deposit with God, whose name be 
exalted! And the Persian said, O my son, have patience, and 
restrain thyself, and good fortune will betide thee. Then he 
handed to him the piece of sweetmeat, and he took it, and kissed 
his hand, and put it into his mouth, not knowing what was secretly 
decreed to befall him. He swallowed the piece of sweetmeat, and 
his head sunk down before his feet, and he became lost to the 
world; and when the Persian saw that the calamity had come upon 
him, he rejoiced exceedingly. Rising upon his feet, he said to him, 
Thou hast fallen into the snare, O young wretch! O dog of the 
Arabs! For many years have I been searching for thee, until I 
got thee, O Hasan!—He then girded himself, and tied Hasan’s hands 
behind his back, and bound his feet to his hands; after which he 
took a chest, emptied it of the things that were in it, put Hasan 
into it, and locked it upon him. He emptied also another chest, 
and put into it all the wealth that was in Hasan’s abode, with the 
lump of gold that he had made, and, having locked it, he went 
forth running to the market, and brought a porter, carried off the 
two chests, and drew near to the moored vessel. That vessel was 
fitted out for the Persian, and her master was expecting him: so 

390 the STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

when her crew saw 
him, they came to 
him, and carried the 
two chests, and put 
them on board the 
ship. The Persian 
then cried out to the 
master and to all the 
sailors, sayingto them, 
Rise ye ! The affair 
is accomplished, and 
we have attained our 
desire. — The master 
therefore cried out to 
the sailors, and said 
to them, Pull up the 
anchors, and loose the 
sails! And the ship 
proceeded with a fair 
wind.—Such was the case with the Persian and Hasan. 

But as to the mother of Hasan, she remained expecting him 
until nightfall, and heard no sound of him nor any tidings whatever. 
Then she came to the house, and saw it open, and beheld not in it 
any one, nor found the chests nor the wealth. She therefore knew 
that her son was lost, and that fate had taken effect upon him; and 
she slapped her face, and rent her garments, cried out and wailed, 
and began to say, Oh, my son! Oh, the delight of my heart!— 
And she recited these verses:— 

My patience hath failed, and my disquietude is excessive, and excessive is my 
wailing since your absence, and my disease ! 

No patience is left to me, by Allah, since you quitted me! How can I bear 
the loss of the object of my hope ? 

After the loss of my beloved, how can I delight in sleep? And who is he 
that can enjoy a life of abasement? 

Thou hast gone, and made the house and its family desolate, and my clear 
draughts thou hast rendered turbid. 

Thou wast mine aid in every adversity, and my glory and my honour among 
mankind, and my reliance. 

Cancelled be the day whereon thou wast taken away from my sight, until I 
see thee return to me! 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

391 

She continued to weep and wail till the morning, when the neigh¬ 
bours came in to her, and asked her respecting her son, and she 
informed them of that which had happened to him with the Persian. 
She felt certain that she should never see him after that, and went 
about the house weeping; and while she thus went about, lo, she 
saw two lines written upon the wall: wherefore she brought a 
Fakeeh, who read them to her; and they were these :— 

Leyla’s phantom came by night, when drowsiness had overcome me, towards 
morning, while my companions were sleeping in the desert : 

But when we awoke to behold the nightly phantom, I saw the air vacant, and 
the place of visitation was distant. 6 

So when the mother of Hasan heard these verses, she called out 
and said, Yes, O my son! Verily the house is desolate, and the 
place of visitation is distant! — Then the neighbours bade her 
farewell, after they had prayed for her that she might have patience, 
and that she might soon experience a reunion, and departed. But 
the mother of Hasan ceased not to weep during the hours of the 
night and the periods of the day; and she built in the midst of 
the house a tomb, on which she inscribed the name of Hasan, with 
the date of his loss. She quitted not that tomb; and such was 
her habit incessantly from the time that her son was separated 
from her. 

Now again as to her son Hasan with the Persian.—This Persian 
was a Magian: he hated the Muslims greatly, and whenever he got 
power over any one of them, he destroyed him. He was a wicked, 
vile alchemist, such as the poet hath thus described:— 

He is a dog, a dog’s son, and a dog was his grandsire; and no good is in a 
dog, the issue of a dog. 

The name of that accursed wretch was Bahram the Magian, and he 
used every year to take a Muslim and to slaughter him over a 
hidden treasure. ’ And when his stratagem was accomplished 
against Hasan the goldsmith, and he had proceeded with him from 
the commencement of day until night, the ship moored on the 
shore till morning; and at sunrise, when the ship continued her 
course, the Persian ordered his black slaves and his pages to bring 
to him the chest in which was Hasan. So they brought it to him, 
and he opened it, and took him forth from it. He then poured 

392 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAII. 

some vinegar into his nostrils, and blew a powder into his nose; 
whereupon he sneezed, and vomited the benj, and, opening his 
eyes, he looked to the right and left, and found himself in the 
midst of the sea, the ship in its course, and the Persian sitting by 
him. He therefore knew that it was a stratagem practised against 
him, that the accursed Magian had done it, and that he had fallen 
into the calamity against which his mother had cautioned him. So 
he pronounced the words of which the utterer is secure from confu¬ 
sion, and which are these:—There is no strength nor power hut in 
God, the High, the Great! Verily to God we belong, and verily 
unto Him we return! O Allah, act graciously with me in thine 
appointment, and make me to endure with patience thine affliction, 
O Lord of all creatures! — Then looking towards the Persian, he 
spoke to him with soft words, and said to him, O my father, what are 
these deeds, and where is thy respect for the bread and salt and the 
oath that thou sworest to me ? But he looked at him and said to 
him, O dog, doth such a one as myself know an obligation imposed 
by bread and salt ? I have slain a thousand youths like thee, save 
one youth, and thou shalt complete the thousand.—And he cried 
out at him; so he was silent, and he knew that the arrow of fate 
had pierced him. 

The accursed then gave orders to loose his bonds; after which 
they gave him to drink a little water, while the Magian laughed, 
and said, By the fire and the light and the shade and the heat, 

I did not imagine that thou wouldst fall into my net; but the fire 
strengthened me against thee, and aided me to seize thee, that 
I might accomplish my affair, and return, and make thee a sacrifice 
to it, that it might he pleased with me. So Hasan replied, Thou 
hast been unfaithful to the bond of bread and salt. And upon this 
the Magian raised his hand and gave him a blow, and he fell, and 
bit the deck with his teeth, and fainted, his tears running down his 
cheek. The Magian then ordered that they should light for him a 
fire; therefore Hasan said to him, What wilt thou do with it ? He 
answered him, This is the fire, that emitteth light and sparks, and 
it is what I worship ; and if thou wilt worship it as I do, I will give 
thee half my wealth, and marry to thee my daughter. But Hasan 
cried out at him, and said to him, A\ r o to thee! Thou art surely an 
infidel Magian: thou worshippest the fire instead of the Almighty 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

393 

King, the Creator of the night and the day, and this is nought but an 
evil among religions.—And thereupon the Magian was enraged, and 
said, Wilt thou not agree with me, 0 dog of the Arabs, and em¬ 
brace my religion ? But Hasan agreed not with him therein. And 
the accursed Magian arose, and prostrated himself to the fire, and 
ordered his young men to throw Hasan down upon his face. So 
they threw him down upon his face, and the Magian proceeded to 
beat him with a whip of plaited thongs until he lacerated his sides, 
while he cried for aid, but was not aided, and implored protection, 
but none protected him; and he raised his eye to the Avenging 
King, and endeavoured to propitiate Him by appealing to the 
Chosen Prophet. He had lost patience, his tears ran down upon 
his cheeks like rain, and he recited these two verses:— 

I will endure with patience, O my Lord, what Thou hast ordered. I will be 
patient, if so I may obtain thine approval. 

They have tyrannized over us, and transgressed, and commanded. Perhaps, 
in thy beneficence, Thou wilt pardon what is past. 

Then the Magian ordered the slaves to make him sit, and to bring 
him some food and drink. So they brought it; but 'he would 
not eat nor drink. The Magian proceeded to torture him night 
and day during the voyage, while he endured with patience, and 
humbled himself to God (to whom be ascribed might and glory!); 
and the heart of the Magian was hardened against him. 

They ceased not to pursue their voyage over the sea for a period 
of three months, during which Hasan continued to suffer torture 
from the Magian; but when the three months were completed, 
God (whose name be exalted!) sent against the ship a wind, and the 
sea became black, and tossed the ship with violence by reason of 
the greatness of the wind. And thereupon the master and the 
sailors said, This, by Allah, is all occasioned by the crime com¬ 
mitted against this young man, who hath been for three months 
suffering torment from this Magian, and this is not allowed by God, 
whose name be exalted! Then they rose against the Magian, and 
slew his young men and all who were with him. So when the 
Magian saw that they had slain the young men, he made sure of 
destruction, and feared for himself; wherefore he loosed Hasan 
from his bonds, pulled off from him the tattered garments that were 

3 E 

VOL. III. 

394 THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

upon him, and clad him with others; and he made peace with him, 
promising that he would teach him the art, and restore him to his 
country, and said to him, O my son, blame me not for that which I 
have done unto thee. But Hasan said to him, How can I any 
longer rely upon thee ? He rejoined, O my son, were it not for 
offence, there were no such thing as pardon; and I did not unto 
thee these deeds save for the purpose of my seeing thy patience; 
and thou knowest that the case is wholly in the hand of God. The 
sailors, therefore, and the master, rejoiced at his release, and Hasan 
prayed for them, and praised God (whose name be exalted!), and 
thanked Him. Then the winds became stilled, the darkness was 
withdrawn, and the wind and the voyage became pleasant. And 
Hasan said to the Magian, O Persian, whither repairest thou ? He 
answered, O my son, I am going to the Mountain of the Clouds, on 
which is the elixir wherewith we practise alchemy. And the 
Magian swore to him by the fire and the light that he no longer 
meditated to do to Hasan aught that might frighten him. So the 
heart of Hasan was comforted; he was rejoiced at the words of the 
Magian, and proceeded to eat with him, and drink and sleep; and 
the Magian clad him with his own apparel. 

They continued their voyage for three months more; after 
which, the vessel moored on a long coast, all of it composed of peb¬ 
bles, white and yellow and blue and black and of every other colour. 
And when the vessel moored, the Persian rose, and said, O Hasan, 
arise and land; for we have arrived at the place of our desire and 
our wish. So Hasan arose and landed with the Persian, and the 
Magian charged the master to attend to his affairs. Then Hasan 
walked on with the Magian until they were far from the ship, and 
had disappeared from before the eyes of the crew; whereupon the 
Magian seated himself, and took forth from his pocket a drum of 
copper, and a plectrum 8 of silk worked with gold and bearing talis¬ 
mans, and he beat the drum; and when he beat it, there appeared 
a dust from the further part of the desert. Hasan therefore won¬ 
dered at his action, and feared him; and he repented of his having 
landed with him, and his complexion changed. So upon this the 
Magian looked at him and said to him, What aileth thee, O my son? 
By the fire and the light, thou hast nothing to fear from me; and 
were it not that my affair cannot be accomplished save by thy means, 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

395 

I had not brought thee out from 
the ship. Rejoice at the prospect 
of everything good. This dust is 
the dust occasioned by a thing 
that we shall mount, and it will 
aid us to cross this desert, and 
will render easy unto us the in¬ 
convenience thereof.—And but a 
little while had elapsed when the 
dust dispersed and discovered 
three excellent she-camels. Then 
the Persian mounted one of them, 
and Hasan mounted one, and they 
put their provisions on the third; 
and they proceeded for seven 
days, after which they came to an 
extensive tract; and when they 
alighted at that tract, they be¬ 
held a cupola constructed upon 
four columns of red gold. They 
alighted from the she-camels, and, 
having entered beneath the cu¬ 
pola, ate and drank and rested; 
and Hasan happened to look 
aside, and he saw something 
lofty: so he said to the Magian, 

What is this, O uncle ? The Ma¬ 
gian answered, This is a palace. 

And Hasan said to him, Wilt 
thou not arise that we may enter 
it to rest ourselves in it and to 
divert ourselves with the sight of 
it? But the Magian upon this 
went away, saying to him, Mention not to me this palace; for in it 
is my enemy, and with him there happened to me an event of 
which this is not the time to inform thee. 

Then he beat the drum, and the she-camels approached: so they 
mounted; and they proceeded for seven days more; and when the 

396 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

eighth day arrived, the Magian said, O Hasan, what is it that thou 
seest ? Hasan answered, I see clouds and mists between the east and 
the west. And the Magian replied, This is not clouds nor mists; 
but it is a great, lofty mountain, whereon the clouds divide, and 
there are not any clouds above it, on account of its excessive height 
and vast elevation. This mountain is the object of my desire, and 
upon it is that which we want. For the sake of this I brought thee 
with me, and my affair will be accomplished by thy means.—So 
thereupon Hasan despaired of life. He then said to the Magian, 
By the object of thy worship, and by what thou believest in thy 
religion, what is the thing on account of which thou hast brought 
me ? And he answered him, The art of alchemy will not succeed 
save by means of an herb that groweth in the place where the 
clouds pass, and on which they are separated; and it is this moun¬ 
tain : the herb is upon it; and when we have obtained the herb, I 
will shew thee what is this art. And Hasan replied, by reason of 
his fear, Yes, O my master. He had despaired of life, and he wept 
on account of his separation from his mother and his family and 
his home, repenting of his having opposed his mother, and recited 
these two verses:— 

Consider the doings of thy Lord, how happiness cometh unto thee, with 
speedy relief; 

And despair not when thou suffcrest affliction; for how many wondrous 
mercies attend affliction ! 

They ceased not to proceed until they arrived at that mountain, 
and stopped beneath it, when Hasan saw upon that mountain a 
palace: so he said to the Magian, What is this palace? And the 
Magian answered, This is the abode of the Jan and the Ghools 
and the Devils. 9 Then the Magian alighted from his camel, and 
ordered Hasan to alight also; and he came to him and kissed his 
head, and said to him, Blame me not for that which I did to thee. 
I will preserve thee when thou ascendest to the palace, and it be- 
hoveth thee that thou be not dishonest to me in aught of that which 
thou wilt bring thence: I will share it with thee equally.—And he 
replied, I hear and obey. The Persian then opened a leathern bag, 
and took forth from it a mill, and he also took forth from it a quan¬ 
tity of wheat, and ground it with that mill; after which he kneaded 
the flour, and made of it three round cakes, and lighted a fire, and 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

397 

baked the cakes. He next took forth the copper drum and the 
figured plectrum, and beat the drum; whereupon the camels came; 
and he chose one of them, and slaughtered it, and stripped off its 
skin. Then looking towards Hasan, he said to him, Hear, O my 
son, O Hasan, what I charge thee to do. He replied, Well. And 
the Magian said, Enter this skin, and I will sew it up over thee, 
and will lay thee upon the ground; thereupon the Ruth's 10 will 
come, and carry thee off, and fly with thee to the summit of the 
mountain. And take thou this knife with thee, and when the birds 
have finished their flight, and thou knowest that they have put thee 
upon the mountain, cut open with it the skin, and go forth; for the 
birds will fear thee and will fly away from thee; and do thou look 
down to me from the summit of the mountain, and speak to me, 
that I may inform thee of that which thou shalt do.—He then pre¬ 
pared for him the three cakes, and a leathern bottle containing 
water, and put them with him into the skin; after which he sewed it 
up over him, and went to a distance from liim. And the Rukh's 
came, and carried him off, flew with him to the summit of the 
mountain, and there put him down. So when Hasan knew that 
they had put him upon the mountain, he cut open the skin and 
came forth from it, and spoke to the Magian, who, on hearing his 
words, rejoiced, and danced by reason of the violence of his joy; 
and he said to him, Go in the direction to which thy back is turned, 
and tell me what thou seest. Hasan therefore went, and he beheld 
many rotten bones, by which was much wood, and he informed him 
of all that he saw; upon which the Magian said, This is the object 
of desire and search. Take then, of the wood, six bundles, and 
throw them down to me; for this wood is the material with which 
we shall perform the alchemical process.—So he threw down to 
him the six bundles; and when the Magian saw that those bundles 
had come down to him, he said to Hasan, O young wretch, the 
thing that I desired of thee hath been accomplished; and if thou 
wilt, remain upon this mountain, or cast thyself down upon the 
ground that thou mayest perish. Then the Magian departed. 11 

Upon this, Hasan exclaimed, There is no strength nor power 
but in God, the High, the Great! This dog hath circumvented 
me!—He sat wailing for himself, and recited these verses:— 

When God willeth an event to befall a man who is endowed with reason and 
hearing and sight. 

He deafeneth his ears, and blindcth his heart, and draweth his reason from 
him as a hair, 

Till, having fulfilled his purpose against him, He restoreth him his reason that 
he may be admonished. 

Then say not of an event, How did it happen?—for everything happeneth by 
fate and destiny. 12 

He then stood upon his feet, and looked to the right and left, and 
walked along the summit of the mountain. He made sure of his 
death, and he proceeded to walk along until he came to the other 
side of the mountain, when he saw, by the side of the mountain, a 
blue sea, agitated with waves; and it was foamy, and every wave 
of it was like a great mountain. Thereupon he sat, and recited an 
easy portion of the Kur-an, and begged God (whose name be ex¬ 
alted !) to alleviate his trouble, either by death, or by deliverance 
from these difficulties; after which he recited for himself the 
funeral-prayer, 13 and cast himself into the sea. The waves, how¬ 
ever, bore him along safely, by the will of God (whose name be 
exalted!), until he came forth from the sea safe, by the decree 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

399 

of God. So he rejoiced, and praised God (exalted be his name !), 
and thanked Him. 

He then arose and walked along searching for something to eat; 
and while he was doing thus, lo, he came to the place where he was 
with Bahram the Magian. And he walked on a while, and saw 
a great palace, rising high into the air. He therefore went to it; 
and behold, it was the palace respecting which he asked the Magian, 
and of which he said to him, In this palace is my enemy. And 
upon this, Hasan said, By Allah, I must enter this palace. Perhaps 
I may experience relief in it.—And when he came to it, he saw its 
door open. So he entered the door-way; and he saw a mastabah 
in the entrance-passage, and on the mastabah two damsels like two 
moons, with a chess-table before them, and they were playing; and 
one of them, raising her head towards him, cried out by reason of 
her joy, and said, By Allah, this is a human being, and I imagine 
that he is the person whom Bahram the Magian brought this year. 
Therefore when Hasan heard her words, he cast himself down 
before them, and wept violently, and said, O my mistresses, I am 
that poor person. And upon this the younger damsel said to her 
sister the elder, Bear witness against me, 0 my sister, that this is 
my brother by a covenant and compact before God, and that I will 
die for his death and live for his life, and rejoice for his joy and 
mourn for his mourning. Then she rose to him, and embraced 
and kissed him, and, taking him by his hand, led him into the 
palace, her sister accompanying her; and she pulled off from him 
the tattered clothing that was upon him, and brought him a suit of 
royal apparel, with which she clad him. She also prepared for him 
viands of every kind, and presented them to him, and she and her 
sister sat and ate with him; and they said to him, Relate to us 
thine adventure with the wicked dog, the enchanter, from the time 
of thy falling into his hand to the time of thine escape from him, 
and we will relate to thee what hath happened to us with him from 
the first of the case to the last, that thou mayest be on thy guard if 
thou see him again. And when Hasan heard from them these 
words, and saw their kind reception of him, his soul was tranquil¬ 
lized, and his reason returned to him, and he proceeded to relate to 
them what had happened to him with the Magian from first to last; 
whereupon they said to him, Didst thou ask him respecting this 

400 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

palace ? He answered, Yes, I asked him, and he said to me, I like 
not the mention of it; for this palace belongeth to the Devils and 
Demons. So the two damsels were violently enraged, and said, 
Did this infidel call us Devils and Demons ? He answered them, Yes. 
And the younger, the sister of Hasan, said, By Allah, I will surely 
slay him in the most abominable manner, and I will surely deprive 
him of the air of the world!—And how, said Hasan, wilt thou get 
to him and slay him ? She answered, He is in a garden called El- 
Mesheed, 14 and I must without fail slay him soon. And her sister 
said to her, Hasan hath spoken truth, and all that he hath said of 
this dog is true: but relate to him our whole story, that it may 
remain in his memory. So the young damsel said,— 

Know, O my brother, that we are of the daughters of the Kings. 
Our father is one of the Kings of the Jan, of great dignity, and 
he hath troops and guards and servants, consisting of Marids; 
and God (whose name be exalted!) hath blessed him with seven 
daughters by one wife; but such folly and jealousy and pride 
as cannot be surpassed affected him, so that he married us not to 
any one. Then he summoned his Wezeers and his companions, 
and said to them, Do ye know any place for me that no one 
can invade, neither any of mankind nor any of the Jinn, and that 
aboundeth with trees and fruits and rivers ? So they said to him, 
What wouldst thou do there, O King of the age ? He answered, I 
desire to place in it my seven daughters. And thereupon they said 
to him, O King, the Palace of the Mountain of the Clouds, which 
an ’Efreet of the refractory Jinn who stubbornly disobeyed the vow 
exacted by Suleyman (on whom be peace!) founded, and which 
palace, after that ’Efreet perished, none inhabited after him, neither 
any of the Jinn nor any of mankind, will be suitable for them; for 
it is separated from the rest of the world. None gaineth access to 
it; and around it are trees and fruits and rivers, and around it is 
running water sweeter than honey and colder than snow: no one 
having the leprosy or elephantiasis or other diseases ever drank of 
it without being cured immediately.—So when our father heard of 
this, he sent us to this palace, and sent with us soldiers and troops, 
and collected for us what we require in it. He used, when he 
desired to ride, to beat the drum; whereupon all the troops pre¬ 
sented themselves to him, and he chose whom of them he would 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

401 

mount, and the rest departed. And when our father desireth that 
we should visit him, he ordereth the enchanters his dependants to 
bring us, and they come to us and take us and convey us to his 
presence, that he may cheer himself by our society, and that we 
may accomplish our desires by seeing him: then he sendeth us back 
to our place. We have five sisters, who have gone to hunt in this 
adjacent desert; for in it are wild beasts that cannot be numbered 
nor calculated. Each two of us have their turn to remain at home 
for the purpose of cooking the food, and the turn came to us, me and 
this my sister; therefore we remained to cook for them the food; 
and we were begging God (whose perfection be extolled, and whose 
name be exalted!) that He would bless us with a human being 
to cheer us by his company. Then praise be to God who hath 
brought thee unto us ! And do thou be of good heart and cheerful 
eye. No harm shall befall thee. 

So Hasan rejoiced, and said, Praise be to God who hath guided 
us to the way of deliverance, and hath moved hearts with affection 
and compassion for us ! Then his sister arose and took him by his 
hand, led him into a private chamber, and brought out from it 
linen and furniture such as no creature could procure. And after a 
while, their sisters returned from the chase, and they acquainted 
them with the case of Hasan; whereupon they rejoiced at his 
arrival, and, coming in to him in the private chamber, they saluted 
him, and congratulated him on his safety. He remained with them, 
passing the most pleasant life, and enjoying the most agreeable 
happiness, and he used to go forth with them to the chase, and 
slaughter the game. Thus Hasan became familiar with them, 
and he ceased not to reside with them in this condition until his 
body became healthy, and he recovered from the state in which he 
was; his frame was invigorated, and he became stout and fat, by 
reason of the generous treatment that he enjoyed, and his residence 
with them in that place. He amused and diverted himself with 
them in that decorated palace, and in all the gardens and among the 
flowers, while they treated him with courtesy, and cheered him with 
discourse, and his sadness ceased. The damsels became exceedingly 
joyful and happy in his society, and he rejoiced in their society 
more than they rejoiced in him. And afterwards, his sister, the 
young damsel, related to her sisters the story of Bahram the Magian, 

3 F 

VOL. III. 

402 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

telling them that he had called them Devils and Demons and 
Ghools; whereupon they swore to her that he should surely be 
slain. 

Then, in the following year, the accursed came, having with 
him a comely young man, a Muslim, resembling the moon, shackled, 
and tortured in the most cruel manner; and he alighted with him 
beneath the palace where Hasan introduced himself to the damsels. 
Now Hasan was sitting by the river, beneath the trees ; and when 
he beheld the Magian, his heart palpitated, his complexion changed, 
and he struck his hands together, and said to the damsels, By Allah, 
O my sisters, aid me to slay this accursed wretch; for here he hath 
come, and he hath fallen into your hands, and with him is a young 
Muslim, a captive, of the sons of the great, whom he is torturing 
with varieties of painful torture. I desire to slay him, that I may 
heal my soul by taking vengeance upon him, that I may also release 
this young man from his torture, and gain the recompense thereof 
[from God], and that the young Muslim may return to his home, 
and be reunited to his brethren and his family and friends. That 
action will be as an alms proceeding from you, and ye will acquire 
the reward thereof from God, whose name be exalted!—And the 
damsels replied, We hear and obey God and thee, O Hasan. They 
then threw lithams over their faces, equipped themselves with the 
implements of war, and slung on the swords ; and they brought to 
Hasan a courser of the best breed, furnished him with complete 
accoutrements, and armed him with beautiful weapons. Having 
done this, they proceeded all together; and they found that the 
Magian had slaughtered a camel and skinned it, and was tormenting 
the young man, and saying to him, Enter this skin. So Hasan came 
behind him, while the Magian knew not of his presence, and cried 
out at him, so that he stupified and confounded him. Then, ad¬ 
vancing to him, he said to him, Withhold thy hand, O accursed ! O 
enemy of God, and enemy of the Muslims ! O dog! O perfidious 
wretch ! O worshipper of fire ! O pursuer of the way of the wicked, 
who worshippest the fire and the light, and swearest by the shade 
and the heat!—The Magian therefore looked aside, and, seeing 
Hasan, he said to him, O my son, how didst thou escape, and who 
brought thee down to the ground ? Hasan answered him, God de¬ 
livered me : He who hath caused thy life to be taken by the hands 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

403 

of thine enemies. As thou torturedst me all the way, O infidel! O 
impious wretch! thou hast fallen into affliction, and turned aside 
from the way; and neither mother shall profit thee, nor brother nor 
friend, nor firm covenant; for thou saidst, Whoso shall be unfaithful 
to the bond of bread and salt, may God execute vengeance upon 
him!—and thou hast been unfaithful to the bond of bread and salt; 
wherefore God hath thrown thee into my power, and thy deliver¬ 
ance from me hath become remote.—Upon this, the Magian said to 
him, By Allah, O my son, thou art dearer in my estimation than 
my soul and than the light of mine eye! But Hasan advanced to 
him, and quickly smote him upon his shoulders so that the sword 
came forth glittering from his vitals, and God hurried his soul to the 
fire ; a miserable abode! Then Hasan took the leathern bag that 
was with him, and opened it, and, having taken forth from it the 
drum and the plectrum, beat with this the drum ; whereupon the 
camels came to him like lightning; and he loosed the young man 
from his bonds, mounted him upon a camel, on which he put for 
him the remaining food and water, and said to him, Repair to the 
place of thy desire. He therefore departed, after God had thus 
delivered him from his affliction by the hand of Hasan. Then the 
damsels, when they had seen Hasan smite the neck of the Magian, 
rejoiced in him greatly; and they came round him, wondering at 
his courage and his exceeding intrepidity, and thanked him for that 
which he had done, congratulated him on his safety, and said to 
him, O Hasan, thou hast done a deed by which thou hast healed the 

404 THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

sick, and pleased the Glorious King. And he and the damsels re¬ 
turned to the palace. 

He remained with them, eating and drinking, and sporting and 
laughing. His residence with them was pleasant to him, and he 
forgot his mother. But while he was with them, passing the most 
delightful life, there came towards them a great dust from the fur¬ 
ther part of the desert, whereby the sky was darkened. So the 
damsels said to him, Arise, O Hasan, and enter thy private chamber, 
and conceal thyself; or, if thou wilt, enter the garden, and hide 
thyself among the trees and the grape-vines; and no harm shall be¬ 
fall thee. And he arose and went in and concealed himself in his 
private chamber, having closed the door upon him, within the 
palace. And after a while, the dust dispersed, and there appeared 
beneath it numerous encumbered troops, like the roaring sea, 
approaching from the King the father of the damsels. When the 
troops arrived, the damsels lodged them in the best manner, and 
entertained them during three days; after which the damsels asked 
them respecting their state and their tidings ; and they replied, We 
have come from the King to summon you. So the damsels said to 
them, And what doth the King desire of us ? One of them 
answered, One of the Kings celebrateth a marriage-festivity, and he 
desireth that ye should be present at that festivity, that ye may 
divert yourselves.—And how long, said the damsels, shall we be 
absent from our place ? They answered, The time of going and 
coming, and a residence of two months. The damsels therefore 
arose, and, entering the palace, went in to Hasan, and acquainted 
him with the case, and they said to him, Verily this place is thy 
place, and our house is thy house : so be of good heart and cheerful 
eye, and fear not nor grieve; for no one can gain access to us in 
this place. Then be of tranquil heart and joyful mind until we 
come to thee again. These keys of our private chambers we leave 
with thee ; but, O our brother, we beg thee by the bond of brother¬ 
hood that thou open not this door, [pointing to one of the doors,] 
for thou hast no need of opening it.—Then they bade him farewell, 
and departed in company with the troops. 

So Hasan remained in the palace alone. His bosom was con¬ 
tracted, and his patience became exhausted, his affliction was 
excessive, and he was sad, mourning for their separation greatly ; 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

405 

the palace, notwithstanding its amplitude, was strait unto him, and 
when he found himself solitary and sad, he reflected upon the 
damsels, and recited these verses:— 

The whole plain hath become contracted in mine eye, and my heart altogether 
is troubled by the view of it. 

Since the objects of my love departed, my joy bath been disturbed, and the 
tears have overflowed from mine eyes. 

And sleep hath quitted mine eye on account of their separation, and my 
whole mind hath been perturbed. 

Will fortune reunite us, and shall I again enjoy intimacy with them, and 
nightly conversation ? 

He used to go alone to hunt in the deserts, and bring back the 
game and slaughter it, and eat alone. His gloominess and dis¬ 
quietude, on account of his solitariness, became excessive. So he 
arose and went about through the palace, examined every part of it, 
and opened the private chambers of the damsels, and he saw in 
them riches such as would ravish the minds of beholders. But he 
delighted not in aught thereof, by reason of the absence of the 
damsels; and a fire burned in his heart on account of the door 
which his sister had charged him not to open, and respecting which 
she commanded him that he should not go near to it, nor ever open 
it. He said within himself, My sister did not charge me not to 
open this door save because within it is a thing with which she 
desireth that no one should become acquainted. By Allah, I will 
arise and open it and see what is within it, though within may be 
death.—Accordingly, he took the key, and opened it, and he saw 
in it no riches; but he saw in it a flight of stairs at the upper end 
of the place, vaulted with stones of the onyx of El-Yemen ; and he 
ascended those stairs, and went up until he arrived at the roof of 
the palace, saying within himself, This is what she forbade me to 
visit. 14 He then went about the top of the palace, and he looked down 
upon a place beneath it entirely occupied by sown fields, and gardens 
and trees and flowers, and wild beasts, and birds which were war¬ 
bling and proclaiming the perfection of God, the One, the Omnipo¬ 
tent. He gazed upon those places of diversion, and saw a roaring 
sea, agitated with waves ; and he ceased not to go round about the 
palace, on the right and left, until he came to a pavilion upon four 
columns, in which he saw a mak’ad decorated with all kinds of 

406 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

stones, such as the jacinth and the emerald and the balass-ruby, and 
various other jewels. It was built with one brick of gold and 
another brick of silver and another brick of jacinth and another 
brick of emerald; and in the midst of that pavilion was a pool full 
of water, over which was a trellis of sandal-wood and aloes-wood, 
reticulated with bars of red gold and oblong emeralds, and adorned 
with varieties of jewels and pearls, every bead of which was of the 
size of a pigeon’s egg. Also by the side of the pool was a couch of 
aloes-wood adorned with large pearls and with jewels, reticulated 
with red gold, and comprising all kinds of coloured gems and pre¬ 
cious minerals, set so as to correspond, one with another. Around 
it the birds warbled with various tongues, proclaiming the per¬ 
fection of God (whose name be exalted !) by the sweetness of their 
notes and the diversity of their tongues ; and the like of this palace 
neither a Kisra nor a Caesar ever possessed. So Hasan was amazed 
when he beheld it, and he sat in it, looking at what was around it. 

And while he sat in it, wondering at the beauty of its construc¬ 
tion, and at the lustre of the large pearls and the jacinths that it 
comprised, and at all the artificial works that it contained, wonder¬ 
ing also at those sown fields, and at the birds that proclaimed the 
perfection of God, the One, the Omnipotent, and contemplating 
the memorials of him whom God (exalted be his name !) enabled to 
construct this pavilion (for he was of mighty condition), lo, he 
beheld ten birds, which approached from the direction of the desert, 
coming to that pavilion and that pool. Hasan therefore knew that 
they sought the pool to drink of its water: so he concealed himself 
from them, fearing that they would see him and fly from him. 
They then alighted upon a great, beautiful tree, and they went 
around it; and he saw among them a great and beautiful bird, the 
handsomest among them; and the rest encompassed it and attended 
it as servants; whereat Hasan wondered. That bird began to peck 
the nine others with its bill, and to behave proudly towards them, 
and they fled from it, while Hasan stood diverting himself with the 
sight of them from a distance. Then they seated themselves upon 
the couch, and each of them rent open its skin with its talons, and 
came forth from it; and lo, it was a dress of feathers. There came 
forth from the dresses ten damsels, virgins, who shamed by their 
beauty the lustre of the moon ; and when they had divested them- 

selves, they all descended into the pool, and washed, and proceeded 
to play and to jest together; the bird who surpassed the others 
throwing them down and plunging them, and they fleeing from her, 
and unable to put forth their hands to her. When Hasan beheld her, 
he lost his reason, and his mind was captivated, and he knew that 
the damsels forbade him not to open the door save on this account. 
He became violently enamoured of her by reason of what he beheld 
of her beauty and loveliness and her stature and justness of form, 
while she was sporting and jesting, and they were sprinkling one 
another with the water. Hasan stood looking at them, sighing that 
he was not with them; his mind was perplexed by the beauty of 
the young damsel, his heart was entangled in the snare of her love, 
and he had fallen into the snare; the eye was looking, in the heart 
a fire was burning; and the soul is prone to evil. He wept with 
desire by reason of her beauty and loveliness, fires were shot into 
his heart on her account, a flame of which the sparks could not be 

408 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

extinguished increased in him, and a desire of which the signs could 
not be hidden . 16 

Then, after that, the damsels came up from the pool, while 
Hasan stood looking at them ; but they saw him not; and he was 
wondering at their beauty and loveliness and gracefulness and 
elegance. And when they came forth from the water, each of 
them put on her dress and ornaments. The chief damsel put on a 
green dress, and surpassed in her loveliness the beauties of the 
world, and the lustre of her face outshone the bright full moon : she 
surpassed the branches in the beauty of her bending motions, and 
confounded the minds with apprehension of incurring calumny. 
The damsels then sat conversing and laughing together, while 
Hasan still stood looking at them, drowned in the sea of his passion, 
and bewildered in the valley of his solicitude, and he said within 
himself, By Allah, my sister said not to me, Open not this door— 
save on account of these damsels, and in fear of my becoming en¬ 
amoured of one of them. He continued to gaze at the beauties of 
the chief damsel, who was the most lovely person that God had 
created in her time, surpassing in her beauty all human beings. 
She had a mouth like the seal of Suleyman , 17 and hair blacker than 
the night of estrangement is to the afflicted, distracted lover, and a 
forehead like the new moon of the Festival of Ramadan ,’ 8 and eyes 
resembling the eyes of the gazelles, and an aquiline nose brightly 
shining, and cheeks like anemones, and lips like coral, and teeth 
like pearls strung on necklaces of native gold, and a neck like 
molten silver, above a figure like a willow-branch.—The damsels 
ceased not to laugh and sport, while he stood upon his feet looking 
at them, and forgot food and drink, until the time of afternoon- 
prayer drew near, when the chief damsel said to her companions, O 
daughters of Kings, the time hath become late to us, and our coun¬ 
try is distant, and we are tired of staying here. Arise, therefore, 
that we may depart to our place.—Accordingly each of them 
arose, and put on her dress of feathers; and when they were en¬ 
veloped in their dresses, they became birds as they were at first, 
and all flew away together, the chief damsel being in the midst 
of them. 

Hasan therefore despaired of them, and he desired to arise and 
descend from his place; but he could not rise. His tears ran down 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

409 

upon his cheek, and his desire became violent, and he recited these 
verses:— 

May Allah deny me the accomplishment of my vow, if after your absence I 
know pleasant sleep, 

And may my eyes not be closed after your separation, nor rest delight me 
after your departure ! 

It would seem to me as though I saw you in sleep: and would that the 
visions of sleep might be real! 

I love sleep, though without requiring it; for perhaps a sight of you might 
be granted in a dream. 

Then he walked a little, but without being led aright, until he 
descended to the lower part of the palace; and he ceased not to 
drag himself along in a sitting posture till he came to the door of 
the private chamber; whereupon he passed through, and locked it 
after him; and he lay upon his side, sick, neither eating nor drink¬ 
ing. He was drowned in the sea of his solicitudes, and he wept 
and lamented for himself until the morning, when he recited these 
verses:— 

As birds they flew away in the evening, and cried out. And he who dieth of 
love is not culpable. 19 

I will keep my passion secret while I can; but if violent desire overcome me, 
it will appear. 

The phantom of her whose face is like the morning came at night; and the 
night of my desire hath no dawn. 

I bemoan her, while they sleep who are free from love; and the winds of 
desire have made sport with me. 

I have been liberal of my tears and my wealth and my heart and my reason 
and my soul; and liberality is gain. 

The worst of all kinds of evil and vexation is hostility experienced from beau¬ 
tiful damsels. 

They say it is forbidden for the beauties to shew favour, and that the shed¬ 
ding of the blood of lovers is lawful, 

And that the love-sick can do nought but sacrifice his soul, and liberally for¬ 
feit it in love, which is a game. 20 

I cry out in my longing and ardour for the beloved; and all that the distracted 
can do is to moan. 

And when the sun rose, he opened the door of the private chamber, 
and ascended to the place in which he was before, and sat before 
the mak’ad al until the approach of night; but not one of the birds 
came while he sat expecting them. So he wept violently, till he 
fainted, and fell prostrate upon the ground; and when he recovered 

3 o 

VOL. III. 

from his fit, he dragged himself along in a sitting posture, and 
descended to the lower part of the palace. The night had come, 
and the whole world was strait unto him, and he ceased not to weep 
and lament for himself all the night until the morning came and the 
sun rose over the hills and the lowlands. He ate not nor drank nor 
slept, nor had he any rest: during the day he was perplexed, and 
during the night sleepless, confounded, intoxicated by his solici¬ 
tude, expressing the violence of his desire in some verses of a dis¬ 
tracted poet. 

Now while he was in this violent state of distraction by reason 
of his passion, lo, a dust arose from the desert; whereupon he arose 
and ran down and hid himself. He knew that the mistresses of the 
palace had come, and but a little while had elapsed when the troops 
alighted, and encompassed the palace. The seven damsels also 
alighted, and they entered the palace, and took off their arms and 
all the implements of war that were upon them, except the youngest 
damsel, his sister, who took not off the implements of war that were 
upon her, but came to the private chamber of Hasan ; and she saw 
him not. So she searched for him, and found him in one of the 
closets, infirm and lean ; his body had become languid and his 
bones were wasted, his complexion had become sallow and his eyes 
were sunk in his face, in consequence of the little food and drink 
that he had taken, and the abundance of his tears by reason of his 
attachment to the damsel, and his passion for her. Therefore 
when his sister the Jinneeyeh saw him in this state, she was con¬ 
founded, and her reason quitted her, and she asked him respecting' 
his condition, and the state in which he was, and what had befallen 
him, saying to him, Inform me, O my brother, that I may devise 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

411 

some stratagem for thee to remove thine affliction, and I will be thy 
sacrifice. And upon this, he wept violently, and recited thus :— 

The plover, when his beloved is separated from him, hath nothing except 
sorrow and affliction : 

Within him is disease, and without is burning: the beginning is remem¬ 
brance, and the end is solicitude. 

So when his sister heard these his words, she wondered at his 
eloquence and his fluency of speech, and at his beauty of expression 
and his replying to her in verse; and she said to him, O my 
brother, when didst thou fall into this predicament in which thou 
art, and when did this happen to thee ? For I see thee speak in 
verses, and shed copious tears. I conjure thee by Allah, O my 
brother, and by the sacred nature of the love that existeth between 
us, that thou inform me of thy state, and acquaint me with thy 
secret, and conceal not from me aught of that which hath befallen 
thee during our absence; for my bosom hath become contracted, 
and my life is perturbed on thine account. — And thereupon he 
sighed, and shed tears like rain, and replied, I fear, O my sister, if 
I inform thee, that thou wilt not aid me to attain my desire, but 
wilt leave me to die sorrowing, in my anguish. And she said, No, 
by Allah, ,0 my brother, I will not abandon thee, though my life 
should be lost in consequence thereof. 

So he told her what had befallen him, and what he beheld when 
he had opened the door, and informed her that the cause of his 
affliction and distress was his passion for the damsel whom he had 
seen, and his affection for her, and that for ten days he had not de¬ 
sired food nor drink. Then he wept violently, and recited these 
two verses:— 

Restore my heart as it was to my breast, and let mine eyes sleep again : then 
forsake me. 

Do you think that the nights have changed the vow of love ? May he cease 
to live who changeth ! 

And his sister wept at his weeping: she was moved with compassion 
for his case, and pitied him for his distance from home; and she 
said to him, O my brother, be of good heart and cheerful eye; for 
I will expose myself to peril with thee, and give my life to content 

412 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

thee, and contrive for thee a stratagem even if it occasion the loss 
of my precious things and my soul, that I may accomplish thy 
desire, if it be the will of God, whose name be exalted! But I 
charge thee, O my brother, to conceal the secret from my sisters. 
Therefore reveal not thy state to any one of them, lest my life and 
thine be lost; and if they ask thee respecting the opening of the 
door, answer them, I never opened it; but I was troubled in heart 
on account of your absence from me, and my sadness for your loss, 
and my residence in the palace by myself.—And he replied, Yes: 
this is the right course. He kissed her head, and his heart was 
comforted, and his bosom became dilated. He had been in fear of 
his sister on account of his having opened the door; so now his soul 
was restored to him, after he had thought himself at the point of 
destruction by reason of the violence of his fear. 

He then demanded of his sister something to eat; whereupon she 
arose and went forth from him ; and afterwards she went in to her 
sisters, mourning and weeping for him. So they asked her respecting 
her state, and she informed them that her heart was troubled for her 
brother, and that he was sick, and for ten days no food had entered 
his stomach. They therefore asked her respecting the cause of his 
sickness ; and she answered them, Its cause was our absence from 
him, and our leaving him desolate; for these days during which we 
were absent from him were to him longer than a thousand years, 
and he is excusable, seeing that he is a stranger and alone, and we 
left him solitary, without any one to cheer him by society, or any 
one to comfort his heart. Besides he is, at all events, but a youth, 
and probably he remembered his family and his mother, who is an 
old woman, and he imagined that she was weeping for him during the 
hours of the night and the periods of the day, and that she ceased 
not to mourn for him: but we used to console him by our society. 
—And when her sisters heard her words, they wept by reason of 
the violence of their sorrow for him, and said to her, By Allah, he 
is excusable. Then they went forth to the troops and dismissed 
them; after which they went in to Hasan and saluted him ; and 
they saw that his charms had become altered, and his complexion 
had become sallow, and his body had become lean; wherefore they 
wept in pity for him, and they sat with him, and cheered him and 
comforted his heart by conversation, relating to him all that they 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

413 

had seen of wonders and strange things, and what happened to the 
bridegroom with the bride. The damsels remained with him during 
the period of a whole month, cheering him by their society, and 
caressing him; but every day he became more ill; and whenever 
they beheld him in this state, they wept for him violently, the 
youngest damsel being the one of them who wept the most. 

Then, after the month, the damsels were desirous of riding forth 
to hunt, and they resolved to do so, and asked their youngest sister 
to mount with them ; but she said to them, By Allah, O my sisters, 
I cannot go forth with you while my brother is in this state, until 
he is restored to health, and the affliction that he suffereth quitteth 
him. I will rather sit with him to sooth him.—And when they 
heard her words, they thanked her for her kindness, and said to her, 
Whatever thou dost with this stranger, thou wilt be recompensed 
for it. Then they left her with him in the palace, and mounted, 
taking with them provisions for twenty davs. And when tbev were 
far from the palace, their sister knew 
that they had traversed a wide space: 
so she came to her brother, and said to 
him, O my brother, arise ; shew me this 
place in which thou sawest the damsels. 

And he replied, In the name of Allah: ” 
on the head:—rejoicing at her words, 
and feeling sure of the attainment of his 
desire. He then desired to arise and go 
with her, and to shew her the place; 
but he was unable to walk; wherefore 
she carried him in her bosom, and con¬ 
veyed him to the [top of the] palace; 
and when he was upon it, he shewed 
her the place in which he had seen the 
damsels, and he shewed her the mak’ad 
and the pool. And his sister said to 
him, Describe to me, O my brother, 
their state, and how they came. He 
therefore described to her what he 
had observed of them, and especially 
the damsel of whom he had become 

414 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

enamoured; and when she heard the description of her, she knew 
her, and her countenance became sallow, and her state became 
changed. So he said to her, O my sister, thy countenance hath 
become sallow, and thy state is changed; and she replied,— 

O my brother, know that this damsel is the daughter of one of 
the Kings of the Jan, of great dignity. Her father hath obtained 
dominion over men and Jan, and enchanters and diviners, and tribes 
and guards, and regions and cities in great numbers, and hath vast 
riches. Our father is one of his viceroys, and no one is able to pre¬ 
vail against him, on account of the abundance of his troops, and the 
extent of his dominions, and the greatness of his wealth. He hath 
assigned to his children, the damsels whom thou sawest, a tract of 
a whole year’s journey in length and breadth, and to that tract is 
added a great river encompassing it, and no one can gain access to 
that place, neither any of mankind nor any of the Jan. He hath 
an army 23 of damsels who smite with swords and thrust with spears, 
five and twenty thousand in number, every one of whom, when she 
mounteth her courser and equippeth herself with her implements of 
war, will withstand a thousand brave horsemen ; and he hath seven 
daughters who in bravery and horsemanship equal their sisters, and 
excel them. He hath set over this tract, of which I have informed 
thee, his eldest daughter, the chief of her sisters ; and she is distin¬ 
guished by bravery and horsemanship, and guile and artifice and 
enhantment, by which she can overcome all the people of her domi¬ 
nions. But as to the damsels who were with her, they are the 
chief ladies of her empire, and her guards, and her favourites among 
the people of her dominions ; and these feathered skins wherewith 
they fly are the work of the enchanters among the Jan. Now if 
thou desire to possess this damsel, and to marry her, sit here and 
wait for her; for they come on the first day of every month to this 
place; and when thou seest that they have come, conceal thyself, 
and beware of appearing ; for the lives of all of us would be lost. 
Know then what I tell thee and keep it in thy memory. Sit in a 
place that shall be near unto them, so that thou shalt see them and 
they shall not see thee ; and when they take off their dresses, cast 
thine eye upon the dress of feathers belonging to the chief damsel, 
who is the object of thy desire, and take it; but take not aught 
beside it; for it is the thing that conveyeth her to her country. 21 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

415 

So if thou possess it, thou possessest her; and beware of her be¬ 
guiling thee, and saying, O thou who hast stolen my dress, restore 
it to me, and here am I with thee and before thee and in thy pos¬ 
session :—for, if thou give it her, she will slay thee, and will demo¬ 
lish the pavilions over us, and slay our father. Know therefore thy 
case, and how thou shalt act. When her sisters see that her dress 
hath been stolen, they will % away, and leave her sitting alone : so 
thereupon go thou to her, and seize her by her hair and drag her 
along; and when thou shalt have dragged her to thee, thou wilt 
have obtained her, and she will be in thy possession. Then, after 
this, take care of the dress of feathers; for as long as it remaineth 
with thee, she is in thy power, and in captivity to thee ; since she 
cannot fly away to her country save with it. And when thou hast 
taken her, carry her and descend with her to thy private chamber, 
and reveal not to her that thou hast taken the dress. 

So when Hasan heard the words of his sister, his heart was 
tranquillized, and his terror was quieted, and the pain that he 
suffered ceased. He then rose erect upon his feet, and kissed the 
head of his sister; after which he descended from the top of the 
palace, he and his sister, and they slept that night. He studied to 
restore himself until the morning came; and when the sun rose, he 
arose and opened the door and ascended to the top. He sat there, 
and ceased not to sit until nightfall, when his sister came up to him 
with some food and drink, and changed his clothes, and he slept. 
She continued to do thus with him every day until the next month 
commenced. So wheh he saw the new moon, he watched for them; 
and while he was doing thus, lo, they approached him, like light¬ 
ning. On his seeing them, therefore, he concealed himself in a 
place so that he could see them and they could not see him. The 
birds alighted, each bird of them seating herself in a place, and they 
rent open their dresses, and the damsel of whom he was enamoured 
did the same as the rest. This was done in a place near unto 
Hasan. She then descended into the pool with her sisters; and 
thereupon Hasan arose and walked forward a little, still concealing' 
himself; and God veiled him : so he took the dress, and not one of 
them saw him; for they were playing together. And when they 
had ended, they came forth, and each of them put on her dress of 
feathers, except his beloved, who came to put on her dress and 

found it not. Upon this she cried out, and slapped her face, and 
tore her clothes. Her sisters therefore came to her, and asked her 
respecting her state, and she informed them that her dress of feathers 
had been lost; whereupon they wept and cried out, and slapped 
their faces. And when the night overtook them, they could not 
remain with her : so they left her upon the top of the palace alone. 
Then, when Hasan saw that they had flown away and were absent 
from her, he listened to her, and he heard her say, O thou who hast 
taken my dress, and stripped me, I beg thee to restore it to me, and 
may God never make thee to taste my grief! And on his hearing 
these her words, his reason was captivated by his passion for her, 
his love for her increased, and he could not withhold himself from 
her. He therefore arose from his place, and ran forward until he 
rushed upon her and laid hold of her. Then he dragged her to 
him, and descended with her to the lower part of the palace, and, 
having taken her into his private chamber, threw over her his ’abaah, 25 
while she wept, and bit her hands. He locked the door upon her, 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

417 

and went to his sister, and told her that he had got her and obtained 
possession of her, and had brought her down to his private chamber, 
and he said to her, She is now sitting weeping, and biting her 
hands. 

His sister therefore, when she heard his words, arose and re¬ 
paired to the private chamber, and, going in to her, she saw her 
weeping and mourning. She kissed the ground before her, and 
then saluted her; and the damsel said to her, O daughter of the 
King, do people such as ye are do these vile deeds with the daughters 
of Kings ? Thou knowest that my father is a great King, and that 
all the Kings of the Jan are terrified at him, and fear his awful 
power, and that he hath, of enchanters and sages and diviners and 
devils and marids, those against whom none can prevail, and that 
under his authority are people whose number none knoweth but 
God. How then can it be right for you, O daughters of Kings, to 
lodge men of human kind with you, and to acquaint them with our 
circumstances and yours ? If ye did not so, how could this man 
gain access to us?—So the sister of Hasan answered her, O 
daughter of the King, verily this human being is perfect in kindness 
of disposition, and his desire is not to do any shameful action: he 
only loveth thee; and women were not created save for men. 
Were it not that he loveth thee, he had not fallen sick on thine 
account, and his soul had not almost departed by reason of his love 
of thee,—And she related to her all that Hasan had told her, with 
respect to his passion for her, and how the damsels had acted in 
their flight and their washing themselves, and told her that none of 
them all had pleased him excepting her ; for all of them were her 
slave-girls ; and that she was plunging them into the pool, and not 
one of them could stretch forth her hand to her.—And when she 
heard her words, she despaired of escape. Then the sister of 
Hasan arose and went forth from her, and brought to her a sump¬ 
tuous dress, with which she clad her. She also brought to her some 
food and drink, and ate with her, and comforted her heart and 
appeased her terror. She ceased not to caress her with gentleness 
and kindness, and said to her, Have compassion upon him who saw 
thee once and became a victim of thy love. Thus she continued to 
caress her and gratify her, and to address her with pleasing words 
and expressions ; but she wept until daybreak came, when her heart 

3 a 

VOL. III. 

418 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

was comforted and she abstained from weeping, knowing that she 
had fallen into the snare, and that her escape was impossible. So she 
said to the sister of Hasan, O daughter of the King, thus hath God 
appointed [and written] upon my forehead, with respect to my 
estrangement and my disjunction from my country and my family 
and my sisters; therefore I must endure with becoming patience 
what my Lord hath decreed. Then the sister of Hasan appropri¬ 
ated to her alone a private chamber in the palace, than which cham¬ 
ber there was none handsomer there ; and she ceased not to sit 
with her and console her, and to comfort her heart, until she was 
content, and her bosom became dilated, and she laughed, and her 
trouble and contraction of the bosom on account of her separation 
from her family and home, and her separation from her sisters and 
her parents and her dominions, ceased. 

The sister of Hasan then went forth to him, and said to him, 
Arise, go in to her in her private chamber, and kiss her hands and 
her feet. He therefore entered, and did so; and he kissed her 
between her eyes, and said to her, O mistress of beauties, and life 
of souls, and delight of beholders, be tranquil in heart. I have not 
taken thee but that I may be thy slave till the day of resurrection, 
and this my sister will be thy slave-girl. I, O my mistress, desire 
not aught save to marry thee, agreeably with the ordinance of God 
and his Apostle, and to journey to my country, and I will reside 
with thee in the city of Baghdad. I will purchase for thee female 
slaves, and male slaves ; and I have a mother, of the best of women, 
who will be thy servant. There is not a country there better than 
our country: everything that is in it is better than what is in any 
other of all the countries, and its inhabitants and its people are good 
people, with comely faces. 

But while he was addressing her, and cheering her by conversa¬ 
tion, and she addressed him not with a single letter, some one 
knocked at the door of the palace. So Hasan went forth to see who 
was at the door; and lo, there were the damsels, who had returned 
from the chase. He rejoiced at their coming, and met and saluted 
them; whereupon they offered up prayers in his favour for safety 
and health, and he prayed for them also. They then alighted from 
their horses, and entered the palace, and each of them went into her 
private chamber, where she pulled off the worn clothes that were 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

419 

upon her, and put on comely apparel, after which they came forth, 
and demanded the game; and they brought u an abundance of 
gazelles and wild oxen and hares and lions and hyenas, and other 
beasts, some of which they brought forward for slaughter, and they 
left the rest with them in the palace. Hasan stood among them 
with girded waist, slaughtering for them, while they sported and 
amused themselves, rejoicing exceedingly at his doing thus. And 
when they had finished the slaughter, they sat preparing something 
whereof to make their dinner. Then Hasan advanced to the eldest 
damsel, and kissed her head; and he proceeded to kiss all their 
heads, one after another. So they said to him, Thou hast greatly 
humbled thyself to us, O our brother, and we wonder at the excess 
of thine affection for us, thou being a man of the sons of Adam, and 
we being of the Jinn. And thereupon his eyes shed tears, and he 
wept violently; wherefore they said, What is the news, and what 
causeth thee to weep ? Thou hast troubled our life by thy weeping 
this day. It seemeth that thou hast conceived a longing to see thy 
mother and thy country; and if the case be so, we will equip thee, 
and will journey with thee to thy home and thy friends.—He re¬ 
plied, By Allah, my desire is not to be separated from you. They 
therefore said to him, then who of us hath disturbed thee, that thou 
art thus troubled ? And he was ashamed to say, Nought hath dis¬ 
turbed me but love of the damsel—fearing that they would deny 
him their approval: wherefore he was silent, and did not acquaint 
them with aught of his case. So his sister arose and said to them, 
He hath caught a bird from the air, and he desireth of you that ye 
aid him to make her his wife. And they all looked at him, and said 
to him, We are all before thee, and whatsoever thou demandest, we 
will do it. But tell us thy tale, and conceal not from us aught of 
thy state.—He therefore said to his sister, Tell thou my tale to 
them; for I am abashed at them, and I cannot face them with these 
words. 

Accordingly, his sister said to them, O my sisters, when we 
departed on our journey and left this poor young man alone, the 
palace became strait unto him, and he feared that some one might 
come in to him; and ye know that the intellects of the sons of Adam 
are weak. So he opened the door that leadeth to the roof of the 
palace, when his bosom was contracted and he had become solitary 

420 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

and lone, and he ascended upon it, and sat there, looking down upon 
the valley, and looking down also towards the door, fearing lest 
some one should come to the palace. And while he was sitting one 
day, lo, ten birds approached him, coming to the palace; and they 
ceased not to pursue their course until they seated themselves upon 
the margin of the pool that is above the mandharah; whereupon he 
looked at the bird that was the most beautiful of them, and she 
was pecking the others, among which there was not one that could 
stretch forth her claw to her. Then they put their talons to 
their necks, rent open their dresses of feathers, and came forth 
from them, and each of them became a damsel like the moon in the 
night of its fulness. After that, they disrobed themselves, while 
Hasan stood looking at them, and they descended into the water, 
and proceeded to sport; the chief damsel plunging the others, 
among whom there was not one who could put forth her hand to 
her; and she was the most beautiful of them in face, and the most 
just of them in stature, and the most clean of them in apparel. 
They ceased not to do thus until the time of afternoon-prayers drew 
near, when they came forth from the pool, put on their garments, 
and entered the apparel of feathers, in which they wrapped them¬ 
selves, and they flew away. Thereupon his mind was troubled, and 
his heart was inflamed with fire, on account of the chief bird, and 
he repented that he had not stolen her apparel of feathers. He 
became sick, and remained upon the palace expecting her return, 
and he abstained from food and drink and sleep. He continued in 
that state until the new moon appeared; and while he was sitting, 
lo, they approached according to their custom, and pulled otf their 
garments, and descended into the pool. So he stole the dress of 
the chief damsel, and, knowing that she could not fly save with it, 
he took it and hid it, fearing that they would discover it and slay 
him. Then he waited until the others had flown away; when he 
arose and seized her, and brought her down from the top of the 
palace.—Upon this, her sisters said to her, And where is she? She 
answered them, She is in his possession, in such a closet. And they 
said, Describe her to us, O our sister. She therefore said, She is 
more beautiful than the moon in the night of its fulness, and her 
face is more spiendid than the sun, and the moisture of her mouth 
is sweeter than wine, and her figure is more elegant than the slender 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

421 

branch. She hath black eyes, and brilliant face, and bright forehead, 
and a bosom like pearl, in which are seen the forms of two pome¬ 
granates ; and she hath checks like two apples. She captivateth the 
hearts by her eyes bordered with kohl, and by the slenderness of 
her delicate waist, and by her heavy hips, and speech that cureth 
the sick. She is comely in shape, beautiful in her smile, like the 
full moon. 

And when the damsels heard these descriptions, they looked 
towards Hasan and said to him, Shew her to us. So he arose with 
them, distracted with love, and proceeded until he had conducted 
them to the closet in which was the King’s daughter; whereupon 
he opened it and entered, and they entered behind him ; and when 
they saw her, and beheld her loveliness, they kissed the ground 
before her, wondering at the beauty of her form, and at her 
elegance. They then saluted her, and said to her, By Allah, O 
daughter of the supreme King, this is an egregious thing; but 
hadst thou heard the description of this human being among the 
women, thou wouldst have wondered at him all thy life. He is 
enamoured of thee to the utmost degree; yet, O daughter of the 
King, he desire th not aught that is dishonest. He desireth thee 
not save as his lawful wife; and if we knew that damsels were con¬ 
tent without husbands, we would have prevented him from attaining 
the object of his desire, though he sent not to thee a messenger, 
but came to thee himself; and he hath informed us that he hath 

422 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

burnt the dress of feathers: otherwise we would have taken it from 
him.—Then one of the damsels agreed with her and became her 
deputy for the performance of the ceremony of the marriage- 
contract. She performed the ceremony of the contract of her 
marriage to Hasan, who took her hand," putting his hand in hers, 
and she married her to him with her permission; after which they 
celebrated her marriage-festivity in the manner befitting the 
daughters of Kings, and introduced him to her; and he congratu¬ 
lated himself thereupon, and recited these verses :— 

Thy shape is enticing, and thine eye like the gazelle’s, and thy face drippeth 
with the water of beauty. 

Thou appearest in mine eye most gloriously pictured, half of thee of ruby, 
and a third of pearl, 

And a fifth of musk, and a sixth of ambergris : thou resemblest fine pearl: 
nay, thou art more splendid. 

Eve hath not borne like thee any one, nor in the Gardens of Eternity is 
another like thee. 

Then if thou wish my torment, it will proceed from love’s laws; and if thou 
wilt pardon, thou hast the choice to do so. 

O ornament of the world, and utmost object of desire, who can keep from 
enjoying the beauty of thy face ? 

The damsels were standing at the door, and when they heard the 
verses, they said to her, O daughter of the King, hast thou heard 
the words of this human being ? How canst thou blame us, when 
he hath recited these verses on the subject of his love for thee ?— 
And on her hearing that, she was happy and cheerful and glad. 
Then Hasan remained with her for a period of forty days, in 
pleasure and happiness and delight and joy, the damsels renewing 
for him, every day, festivity and beneficence and presents and 
rarities, and he passing his time among them in happiness and 
cheerfulness; and the residence of the King’s daughter among 
them became pleasant to her, so that she forgot her family. 

But after the forty days, Hasan was sleeping, and he saw his 
mother mourning for him: her bones had wasted, and her body 
had become emaciated, and her complexion had become sallow, 
and her state was altered, while he was in good condition. And 
when she beheld him in this state, [as he thought,] she said to him, 
O my son, O Hasan, how is it that thou livest in the world, blest 
with a pleasant life, and forgettest me? Look at the state in 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

423 

which I have been since thy departure. I will not forget thee, 
nor will my tongue cease to mention thee until I die; and I have 
made for thee a tomb in my house, that I may never forget thee. 
Shall I live, O my son, and see thee with me, and shall we again 
be united as we were ?—So Hasan awoke from his sleep weeping 
and lamenting ; his tears ran down upon his cheeks like rain, and he 
became sorrowful and afflicted; his tears ceased not, nor did sleep 
visit him, nor had he any rest, nor did any patience remain to him. 
And when he arose, the damsels came in to him, and wished him 
good morning, and were cheerful with him as they were wont: but 
he looked not towards them. They therefore asked his wife 
respecting his state ; and she answered them, I know not. So 
they said to her, Ask thou him respecting his state. Accordingly 
she advanced to him, and said to him, What is the matter, O my 
master ? And thereupon he sighed and was oppressed, and ac¬ 
quainted her with that which he had seen in his sleep. Then he 
recited these two verses :— 

We have become distracted in mind, perplexed, seeking to draw near, without 
means of doing it. 

The calamities of love increase upon us, and the endurance of love is burden¬ 
some to us. 

His wife therefore acquainted them with that which he had said to 
her; and when the damsels heard the verses, they were moved with 
pity for his state, and said to him, Favour us [by doing as thou 
desirest]: in the name of Allah. We cannot prevent thee from 
visiting her: we will rather aid thee to do so by every means in 
our power. But it behoveth thee to visit us, and not sever thyself 
from us, though in every year thou come but once.—And he 
replied, I hear and obey. 

Then the damsels arose immediately, prepared for him the 
provisions, and equipped for him the bride with ornaments and 
apparel and everything costly, such as language would fail to 
describe; and they also prepared for him rarities which pens cannot 
enumerate. After that, they beat the drum, and thereupon the 
she-camels came to them from every quarter, and they chose of 
them such as should carry all that they had prepared. They 
mounted the damsel and Hasan, and put upon the camels, and 
brought to them, five and twenty chests full of gold, and fifty of 

silver. Then they proceeded with 
them for three days, during which 
they traversed a space of three months’ 
journey; and having done so, they 
bade him farewell, and desired to re¬ 
turn from them. Upon this, Hasan’s 
sister, the youngest damsel, embraced 
him, and wept until she fainted; and when she recovered, she 
recited these two verses :— 

Would that the day of separation had ne’er been ! No sleep remaineth in my 
eyes. 

The union of us and thee is broken, and our strength and our body are 
enfeebled. 

Then, having finished her verses, she bade him farewell, and 
strictly charged him that, when he had arrived at his city 
and met his mother, and his heart was tranquillized, he should 
not fail to visit her once in every six months; and she said to 
him, When an affair rendereth thee anxious, or thou fearest 
anything disagreeable, beat the drum of the Magian: there¬ 
upon the she-camels will come to thee, and do thou mount, 
and return to us, and remain not 
away from us. And 
to her that he would 
after which he conjured 
return. So they re¬ 
turned, after they had 
bidden him farewell, and 
mourned for his separa¬ 
tion ; and she who mourn¬ 
ed most was his sister, 
the youngest damsel ; 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 425 

for she found no rest, nor did patience obey her : she wept night 
and day. 

Hasan proceeded all the night and day, traversing with his 
wife the deserts and wastes and the valleys and rugged tracts, 
during the midday-heat and the early dawn, and God decreed them 
safety. So they were safe, and arrived at the city of El-Basrah; 
and they ceased not to pursue their way until they made their 
camels kneel down at the door of his house. He then dismissed 
the camels, and advanced to the door to open it; and he heard his 
mother weeping with a soft voice, that proceeded from a bosom 
which had experienced the torture of fire, while she recited these 
verses 

How can she taste sleep who hath lost somnolency, and is wakeful at night 
while others repose ? 

She possessed riches and family and glory; but hath become a stranger and 
solitary. 

Fire and groaning are in her bosom, and violent longing that cannot be 
exceeded. 

Passion hath gained dominion over her. She moaneth for her sufferings; but 
is firm. 

Her state under the influence of love telleth that she is mourning and afflicted, 
and her tears are witnesses. 

And Hasan wept when he heard his mother weeping and lament¬ 
ing ; and he knocked at the door with alarming violence. So his 
mother said, Who is at the door ? And he replied, Open:— 
wherefore she opened the door, and looked at him; and when she 
knew him, she fell down in a fit; and he ceased not to caress her 
until she recovered, when he embraced her, and she embraced him 
and kissed him. He then conveyed his goods and property into the 
house, while the damsel looked at him and at his mother ; and the 
mother of Hasan, when her heart was tranquillized, and God had 
reunited her to her son, recited these verses :— 

Fortune hath compassionated my case, and felt pity for the length of my 
torment, 

And granted me what I desired, and removed that which I dreaded. 

I will therefore forgive its offences committed in former times; 

Even the injustice it hath shewn in the turning of my hair gray. 

Hasan and his mother then sat conversing together, and she 

3 r 

VOL. III. 

426 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

said to him, How was thy state, O my son, with the Persian? He 
answered her, O my mother, he was not [only] a Persian, but he 
was a Magian, who worshipped fire instead of the Almighty King. 
And he informed her of what he had done with him; that he had 
travelled with him, and put him into the skin of the camel and 
sewed it up over him, and that the birds had carried him off, and 
put him down upon the top of the mountain. He told her too what 
he had seen upon the mountain, namely the dead men, whom the 
Magian had deluded and left upon the mountain after they had ac¬ 
complished his affair; and how he cast himself into the sea from 
the top of the mountain, and God (whose name he exalted!) pre¬ 
served him, and conducted him to the palace of the damsels; and 
of the sisterly love of the youngest damsel for him, and his resi¬ 
dence with the damsels; and how God had conducted the Magian 
to the place in which he was residing. He also told her of his 
passion for the damsel whom he had married, and how he caught 
her, and her whole story, [and the subsequent events] until God re¬ 
united them. And when his mother heard his story, she wondered, 
and praised God (whose name be exalted!) for his health and 
safety. She then arose and went to those packages, and looked at 
them, and asked him respecting them; and he acquainted her with 
their contents; whereat she rejoiced exceedingly. And after that, 
she advanced to the damsel, to converse with her and to cheer her 
by her company; and when her eye fell upon her, her mind was 
stupified by her comeliness, and she rejoiced and wondered at her 
beauty and loveliness and her stature and justness of form. Then 
she said to Hasan, O my son, praise be to God for thy safety, 
and for thy safe return! And she sat by the side of the damsel, 
cheering her by her company, and comforting her heart; after 
which, early the next day, she went down into the market, and 
bought ten suits, the most sumptuous garments that were in the 
city. She also brought for her magnificent furniture, and clad the 
damsel, and adorned her with everything beautiful. Then she 
accosted her son, and said, O my son, with this wealth we cannot 
live in this city; for thou knowest that we were poor, and the 
people will accuse us of practising alchemy. Therefore arise with 
us, and let us go to the city of Baghdad, the Abode of Peace, that 
we may reside in the sacred asylum of the Khaleefeh, and thou 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

427 

shalt sit in a shop and sell and buy, and fear God (to whom be 
ascribed might and glory 1): then will God open to thee the doors 
of prosperity by means of this wealth.—And when Hasan heard 
her words, he approved them. 

He arose immediately, and went forth from her, sold the house, 
and summoned the she-camels; and he put upon them all his riches 
and goods, together with his mother and his wife. He set forth, 
and ceased not to pursue his journey until he arrived at the Tigris; 
when he hired a vessel to convey them to Baghdad, embarked in it 
all his wealth and effects, and his mother and his wife, and every¬ 
thing that was with him, and went on hoard the vessel, which con¬ 
veyed them with a fair wind for a period of ten days, until they 
came in sight of Baghdad; and when they came in sight of it, they 
rejoiced. The vessel brought them into the city, and Hasan landed 
there forthwith, and hired a magazine in one of the Khans. He 
then removed his goods from the vessel to the magazine, and went 
up, and remained one night in the Khan; and when he arose in the 
morning, he changed his clothes; and the broker, seeing him, asked 
him respecting his affair, and what he desired: so he said to him, I 
desire a house, handsome and ample. And the broker shewed him 
the houses that he had to let, and a house that had belonged to one 
of the Wezeers pleased him; wherefore he bought it of him for a 
hundred thousand pieces of gold, and gave him the price. Then he 
returned to the Khan in which he had taken lodging, and removed 
thence all his wealth and his goods to the house; after which he 
went forth into the market, and bought what was requisite for the 
house, of utensils and furniture and other things. He purchased 
also eunuchs, and among them was a young black slave, for the 
house. And he resided in ease with his wife, enjoying the most 
delightful life and happiness, for the space of three years, during 
which he was blessed by her with two boys, one of whom he named 
Nasir, and the other Mansoor. 

Then, after this period, he remembered his sisters, the damsels 
before mentioned, and he remembered their kindness to him, and 
how they had aided him to attain his desire. So he longed to see 
them; and, having gone forth to the markets of the city, he bought 
there some ornaments, and costly stuffs, and dried fruits, the like of 
which they had never seen nor known. His mother therefore 

m 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

asked him the reason o 
buying those rarities, 
he answered her, I have 
determined to repair to my 
sisters, who treated me with 
all kindness, and from 
whose goodness and benefi¬ 
cence to me my present 
good fortune proceeded; 
for I desire to go to them 
and to see them, and I will 
return soon, if it be the 
will of God, whose name 
be exalted! So she re¬ 
plied, O my son, be not 
long absent from me. And he said to her, 

Know, O my mother, how thou shalt manage 
with my wife. Here is her dress of feathers, in a 
chest buried in the earth : then be careful of it, lest 
she light upon it and take it, and fly away with her children, and de¬ 
part, and I shall not find any tidings of her; so I shall die in sorrow 
on account of them. Know also, O my mother, that I caution thee 
not to mention this to her. And know that she is the daughter of 
the King of the Jan, and there is not among the Kings of the Jan 
any greater than her father, nor any that hath more numerous 
troops, or more wealth, than he. Know likewise that she is the 
mistress of her people, and the dearest of the things that her father 
hath. Moreover, she is excessively high-minded : therefore do thou 
thyself serve her; and allow her not to go forth from the door, or 
to look from the window, or from over a wall; for I fear on her 
account the wind when it blowethand if any event of the events 
of the world befall her, I shall slay myself on her account.—And 
his mother replied, Allah preserve me from disobeying thee, O my 
son ! Am I mad, that when thou givest me this charge I should 
disobey thee with respect to it ? Set forth, O my son, and be of 
good heart, and thou shalt come back happily, and see her, if it be 
the will of God (whose name be exalted!), and she shall acquaint 
thee with my conduct to her. But, O my son, remain not away 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

429 

more than the time required for going and returning.—And his 
wife, as was decreed, heard his words to his mother; and they knew 
it not. 

Hasan then arose and went forth from the city, and beat 
the drum ; so thereupon the she-eamels came to him, and he 
laded twenty with the rarities of El-’Erak ; after which he hade 
farewell to his mother and his wife and his children. The age of 
one of his two children was a year, and the age of the other was two 
years. Then he returned to his mother, and charged her a second 
time; and having done this, he mounted, and journeyed to his 
sisters. He ceased not to pursue his journey night and day, travers¬ 
ing the valleys and the mountains, and the plains and the rugged 
tracts, for the space of ten days ; and on the eleventh day he arrived 
at the palace and went in to his sisters, having with him the things 
that he had brought for them. And when they saw him, they re¬ 
joiced at his arrival, and congratulated him on his safety ; and as to 
his sister, the youngest damsel, she decorated the palace without 
and within. They took the present, and lodged Hasan in a private 
chamber as before, and asked him respecting his mother and his 
wife. So he informed them that his wife had borne him two sons. 
Then his sister, the youngest damsel, when she saw him in health 
and prosperity, rejoiced exceedingly, and recited this verse :— 

I ask the wind respecting you whenever it bloweth, and none but you ever 
occurreth to my mind. 

He remained with them, entertained and treated with honour, for a 
period of three months, and he passed his time in joy and happiness 
and comfort and cheerfulness, and in hunting. 

But as to his mother and his wife, when Hasan had set forth on 
his journey, his wife remained a day and a second day with his 
mother, and she said to her on the third day, Extolled be the per¬ 
fection of God ! Do I reside with him three years and not enter 
the bath ?—And she wept. So his mother compassionated her state, 
and said to her, O my daughter, we are here strangers, and my 
husband is not in the city. If he were present, he would take upon 
himself to serve thee ; but as for me, I know not any one. How¬ 
ever, O my daughter, I will heat for thee the water, and will wash 
thy head in the bath that is in the house.—To this the damsel re- 

430 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

plied, O my mistress, hadst thou said these words to one of the 
female slaves, she would have demanded to be sold in the market, 
and would not have remained with you. But, O my mistress, men 
are excusable; for they are jealous, and their minds say to them, 
that the woman, if she go forth from her house, will perhaps commit 
a dishonest action; and women, O my mistress, are not all alike. 
Thou knowest too that a woman, if she have a desire for a thing, no 
one can overcome her, nor can any one set a guard over her or pre¬ 
serve her, or debar her from the bath or anything else, or from 
doing all that she desireth.—Then she wept, and cursed herself, and 
began to bewail for herself, and for her absence from her native 
country. So the mother of her husband pitied her state, and knew 
that all which she said must be done. Wherefore she arose and 
prepared the things that they required for the bath, and took her 
and went to the bath. And when they entered it, they pulled off 
their clothes, and all the women began to look at her and to extol 
the perfection of God (to whom be ascribed might and glory!), con¬ 
templating the beautiful form that He had created. Every woman 
who passed by the bath entered and diverted herself by viewing her. 
The fame of her spread through the city, and the women crowded 
upon her, and the bath could not be passed through by reason of the 
number of women who were in it. Now it happened in consequence 
of this wonderful event, that there came to the bath that day one of 
the slave-girls of the Prince of the Faithful, Haroon Er-Rasheed, 
called Tohfeh 29 the lute-player; and seeing the women crowding 
together, and the bath not to be passed though by reason of the 
number of the women and girls, she asked what was the matter, and 
they informed her of the damsel. So she came in to her and looked 
at her and viewed her attentively, and her mind was confounded by 
her beauty and loveliness. She extolled the perfection of God 
(greatly be He glorified!) for the beautiful forms that he had cre¬ 
ated, and entered not [the inner apartment] nor washed ; but sat 
confounded at the sight of the damsel until the damsel had made an 
end of washing, and come forth and put on her clothes, when she 
appeared still more beautiful. And when she came forth from the 
hararah, 30 she sat upon the carpet and the cushions, the women 
gazing at her; and she looked at them and went forth. 

Tohfeh the lute-player, the slave-girl of the Khaleefeh, arose 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

431 

and went forth with her, and proceeded with her until she knew her 
house, when she bade her farewell, and she returned to the palace 
of the Khaleefeh. She ceased not to pass on until she came before 
the lady Zubeydeh, and kissed the ground before her ; whereupon 
the lady Zubeydeh said, O Tohfeh, what is the reason of thy loiter¬ 
ing in the bath ? So she answered, 0 my mistress, I saw a wonder, 
the like of which I have not seen among men nor among women, 
and that was the thing which diverted my attention and amazed my 
mind and confounded me so that I did not wash my head. And the 
lady Zubeydeh said, And what was it, O Tohfeh ? She answered, 
O my mistress, I saw a damsel in the bath, having with her two 
young children, like two moons, and none hath beheld the like of 
her, neither before her nor after her, nor doth there exist the like 
of her form in the whole world. By thy beneficence, O my mis¬ 
tress, if thou acquaintedst the Prince of the Faithful with her, he 
would slay her husband, and take her from him; for there existeth 
not one like her among women. I inquired respecting her husband, 
and they said that her husband is a merchant, whose name is Hasan 
of El-Basrah. And I followed her when she went forth from the 
bath until she entered her house, whereupon I saw it to be the 
house of the Wezeer, that hath two entrances, an entrance on the 
side of the river and an entrance on the side of the land. I fear, O 
my mistress, that the Prince of the Faithful may hear of her, and 
that he will disobey the law, and slay her husband, and marry her. 
—Upon this, the lady Zubeydeh said, Wo to thee, O Tohfeh! Is 
this damsel endowed with such beauty and loveliness that the Prince 
of the Faithful would sell his religion for his worldly enjoyments, 
and disobey the law on her account ? By Allah, I must have a 
sight of this damsel; and if she be not as thou hast described, I will 
give orders to strike off thy head, O wicked woman! In the palace 
of the Prince of the Faithful are three hundred and sixty slave- 
girls, according to the number of the days of the year, among whom 
there is not one such as thou hast described.—And she replied, 
O my mistress, no, by Allah; nor is there in all Baghdad the like 
of her; nay, neither among the foreigners nor among the Arabs, 
nor hath God (to whom be ascribed might and glory!) created the 
like of her. 

So upon this the lady Zubeydeh summoned Mesroor, who came 

432 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

and kissed the ground before her; and she said to him, O Mesroor, 
go to the house of the Wezeer, that hath two entrances, an entrance 
towards the river, and an entrance towards the land, and bring to 
me the damsel who is there, together with her children, and the old 
woman who is with her, quickly, and loiter not. And Mesroor re¬ 
plied, I hear and obey. He went forth from before her, and pro¬ 
ceeded until he arrived at the door of the house, whereupon he 
knocked at the door, and the old woman, the mother of Hasan, 
came forth to him, saying, Who is at the door ? He answered her, 
Mesroor, the eunuch of the Prince of the Faithful. So she opened 
the door, and he entered, and saluted her, and she saluted him, and 
asked him respecting his business. He therefore said to her, The 
lady Zubeydeh the . daughter of El-Kasim, the wife of the Prince 
of the Faithful, Haroon Er-Rasheed, the fifth 31 of the sons of El- 
’ Abbas the uncle of the Prophet (whom may God favour and pre¬ 
serve!), summoneth thee to her, thee and the wife of thy son, and 
her children; for the women have informed her respecting her and 
respecting her beauty. Upon this, the mother of Hasan said, O 
Mesroor, we are strangers, and the damsel’s husband, my son, is not 
in the city, and he did not order me to go forth, neither me nor she, 
to any one of the creatures of God (whose name be exalted!); and 
I fear, if anything happen and my son come, he will slay himself. 

I beg then, of thy kindness, O Mesroor, that thou impose not upon 
us a command which we are unable to perform.—But Mesroor re¬ 
plied, O my mistress, if I knew that in this were aught to be feared 
on your account, I would not require you to go. The desire of the 
lady Zubeydeh is only to see her, and she shall return: therefore 
disobey not; for thou wouldst repent; and like as I take you I 
will bring you back hither safe, if it be the will of God, whose name 
be exalted!—So the mother of Hasan could not disobey him; where¬ 
fore she entered, and made ready the damsel, and took her forth, 
together with her children. They followed Mesroor, who preceded 
them to the palace of the Khaleefeh, and led them up and 
stationed them before the lady Zubeydeh, whereupon they kissed 
the ground before her, and prayed for her. The damsel had her 
face covered: so the lady Zubeydeh said to her, Wilt thou not un¬ 
cover thy face, that I may see it? The damsel therefore kissed the 
ground before her, and displayed a face that put to shame the full 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

433 

moon in the horizon of the sky; and. when the lady Zubeydeh be¬ 
held her, she fixed her eyes in astonishment upon her, and let them 
wander over her, and the palace was illumined by her splendour 
and by the light of her countenance. Zubeydeh was amazed at her 
beauty, and so also was every one in the palace, and every one who 
beheld her became insane, unable to speak to another. The lady 
Zubeydeh then arose, and made the damsel stand, and she pressed 
her to her bosom, seated her with herself upon the couch, and com¬ 
manded that they should decorate the palace; after which she gave 
orders to bring for her a suit of the most magnificent apparel, and a 
necklace of the most precious jewels, and decked the damsel with 
them, and said to her, O mistress of beauties, verily thou hast 
pleased me, and filled my eye with delight. What hast thou among 
thy treasures? So the damsel answered, O my mistress, I have a 
dress of feathers: if I were to put it on before thee, thou wouldst see 
a thing of the most beautiful make, that thou wouldst wonder at, 
and every one who would see it would talk of its beauty, generation 
after generation.—And where, said Zubeydeh, is this thy dress? 
She answered, It is in the possession of the mother of my husband: 
so demand it for me of her. 

The lady Zubeydeh therefore said, 0 my mother, by my life I 
conjure thee that thou go down and bring to her her dress of feathers, 
that she may amuse us with the sight of that which she will do, and 
take thou it again. The old woman replied, O my mistress, this 
damsel is a liar. Have we seen any woman possessing a dress of 
feathers? This is a thing that pertaineth not to any but birds.— 
The damsel however said to the lady Zubeydeh, By thy life, O my 
mistress, I have in her possession a dress of feathers, and it is in a 
chest buried in the closet that is in the house. So the lady Zubey¬ 
deh pulled off from her neck a necklace of jewels worth the treasures 
of a Kisra and a Caesar, and said to her, O my mother, receive this 
necklace. And she handed it to her, saying to her, By my life I 
conjure thee that thou go down and bring that dress, that we may 
divert ourselves with the sight of it, and take thou it again after 
that. But she swore to her that she had not seen this dress, and that 
she knew not where to find it. And upon this, the lady Zubeydeh 
cried out at the old woman, and, having taken from her the key, 
called Mesroor, who came, and she said to him, Take this key, and 

3 K 

VOL. III. 

434 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

go to the house, and open it, 
and enter the closet of which 
the door is of such and such 
a description: in the midst 
of it is a chest, which take 
thou up, and break it, and 
bring the dress of feathers 
that is in it before me. So 
he replied, I hear and obey. 
He took the key from the 
hand of the lady Zubeydeh, 
and went; and the old wo¬ 
man, the mother of Hasan, 
arose, with weeping eye, re¬ 
penting of her compliance 
with the desire of the damsel, 
and of having gone to the 
bath with her; for the damsel 
had not desired to go to the 
bath save for the purpose of 
practising a stratagem. Then 
the old woman entered the 
house with Mesroor, and she 
opened the door of the closet: 
so he entered, and took forth 
the chest, took from it the 
dress of feathers, and, having 
wrapped it in a napkin that he had with him, brought it to the lady 
Zubeydeh, who took it and turned it over, wondering at the beauty of 
its make. She then handed it to the damsel, saying to her, Is this 
thy dress of feathers? She answered, Yes, O my mistress. And 
she stretched forth her hand to it and took it from her, full of joy. 

The damsel examined it, and saw that it was perfect as it was 
when upon her, not a single feather of it being lost. She was 
therefore delighted with it, and rose from the side of the lady 
Zubeydeh, took the dress and opened it, and took her children in 
her bosom; after which she wrapped herself in it, and became a bird, 
by the power of God, to whom be ascribed might and glory! So 
the lady Zubeydeh wondered at that, as also did every one who 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

435 

was present; all of them wondering at that which she did. The 
damsel leant from side to side, and walked about, and danced and 
played; and the persons present had fixed their eyes in astonish¬ 
ment upon her, wondering at her actions. She then said to them, 
with an eloquent tongue, O my mistresses, is this beautiful ? The 
persons present answered her, Yes, O mistress of beauties : all that 
thou hast done is beautiful. And she said to them, And this that 
I am about to do will be more beautiful, O my mistresses. And 
she expanded her wings, and flew up with her children above the 
cupola, and stood upon the roof of the saloon. So they looked 
at her and said to her, By Allah, this is an extraordinary and a 
beautiful art, that we have never before beheld ! Then the damsel, 
when she desired to fly away to her country, remembered Hasan, 
and said, Hear, O my mistresses! And she recited these verses:— 

O thou who hast quitted these mansions and departed to the objects of thy 
love with rapid flight! 

Dost thou think that I continue in comfort among you, and that your life hath, 
not become a life of troubles ? 

When I was taken captive in the snare of love, he made love my prison, and 
went far away. 

When my dress was hidden, he felt sure that I should not implore the One 
the Omnipotent, to restore it. 

He charged his mother to keep it carefully in a closet, and transgressed 
against me, and oppressed : 

But I heard their words and kept them in my memory, and conceived hopes 
of abundant good fortune. 

My going to the bath was the means of making the minds of people to be- 
confounded at the sight of me; 

And the spouse of Er-Rasheed wondered at my beauty, when she beheld me 1 
on the right and left. 

Then I said, O wife of the Khaleefeh, I possess a dress of feathers of great 
magnificence. 

If it were upon me, thou wouldst see wonders that would efface sorrow and 
disperse troubles. 

So the spouse of the Khaleefeh asked, Where is it? And I answered, In the 
house of him who hath hidden it. 

And Mesroor pounced down and brought it to her; and lo, it was here, beam¬ 
ing with light. 

Thereupon I took it from his hand and opened it, and I saw its bosom and its 
buttons. 

Then I entered it, having my children with me, and expanded my wings, and 
flew away. 

O mother of my husband, tell him when he cometh, if he wish to meet me, he 
must leave his home. 

436 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

And when she had ended her verses, the lady Zubeydeh said to her, 
Wilt thou not descend to us, that we may continue to enjoy 
thy beauty, O mistress of the comely ? Extolled be the perfection 
of Him who hath endowed thee with eloquence and beauty !—But 
she replied, Far from returning be that which hath passed! She 
then said to the mother of Hasan, the mourning, the wretched, By 
Allah, 0 my mistress, O mother of Hasan, thou wilt render me de¬ 
solate by thine absence; but when thy son hath come, and the days 
of separation have become tedious to him, and he desireth approach 
and meeting, and the winds of love and longing desire agitate him, 
let him come to me in the Islands of Wak-Wak. 32 —And she flew 
away with her children, and sought her country. 

When the mother of Hasan beheld this, she wept, and slapped 
her face, and wailed until she fainted ; and when she recovered, the 
lady Zubeydeh said to her, O my mistress the pilgrim, 33 I did not 
know that this would happen ; and if thou hadst acquainted me 
with it, I would not have opposed thee. I knew not that she was 
of the Flying Jinn before the present time ; and had I known that 
she was of this nature, I would not have allowed her to put on the 
dress, nor would I have suffered her to take her children. But, O 
my mistress, absolve me.—And the old woman replied, having no 
way of avoiding it, Thou art absolved. She then went forth from 
the palace of the Khaleefeh, and ceased not to pursue her way until 
she entered her house, when she proceeded to slap her face until she 
fainted again; and when she recovered from her fit, she sorrowfully 
longed for the damsel and for her children, and for the sight of her 
son, and recited these verses :—■ 

On the day of separation, your removal made me weep, lamenting on account 
of your absence from home. 

I cried out, from the pain of parting, in anguish, and tears had made my eye¬ 
lids sore, 

This is separation! Shall we enjoy your return ? For your departure hath 
deprived me of the power of concealment. 

Would they had returned, and observed good faith 1 If they do so, perhaps 
my former times may return. 

Then she arose, and dug in the house three graves ; ” and she be¬ 
took herself to them, weeping night and day. And when the 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

437 

absence of her son became tedious to her, and her disquietude and 
longing and mourning became excessive, she recited these verses:—• 

Thine image is within mine eyelids, and I think of thee when my heart is 
throbbing and when it is quiet, 

And love of thee hath circulated in my bones, as circulates the juice in the 
fruits upon the branches : 

And when I see thee not, my bosom is contracted, and the censurers excuse 
me for my sorrows. 

O thou whose love hath got possession of me, and for whom my distraction 
exceedeth my affection, 

Fear the Compassionate, with respect to me, and be merciful! Love of thee 
hath made me to taste of death. 

But as to her son Hasan, when he came to the damsels, they 
conjured him to stay with them for three months. And after that 
period, they prepared for him the wealth, and made ready for him 
ten loads, five of gold and five of silver, and also of provisions one 
load ; after which they bade him commence his journey, and went 
forth with him ; but he conjured them to return. So they advanced 
to embrace him, for the purpose of bidding liim farewell. The 
youngest damsel first advanced to him, and she embraced him, and 
wept until she fainted. Then she recited these two verses:— 

When shall the fire now kindled by separation be quenched by your approach, 
and my desire be accomplished by your presence, and when shall we be 
as formerly 1 

The day of parting hath filled me with terror, and hath afflicted me; and the 
act of bidding thee farewell, O my master, hath increased my infirmity. 

438 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

The second damsel next approached, and embraced him, and recited 
this couplet:— 

Bidding thee farewell is like bidding life farewell; and the loss of thee is like 
the loss of the zephyr. 35 

Thine absence is like a fire that burneth my heart, and in thy presence I en¬ 
joy the Gardens of Delight. 

In like manner also did the other damsels ; each embracing him and 
reciting a couplet. Then Hasan bade them farewell. He wept 
until he fainted, on account of his separation from them, and recited 
these verses:— 

My tears flowed, on the day of separation, like pearls, and I made of them, as 
it were, a necklace. 

The camel-driver urged on the beasts with singing, and I found not strength 
nor patience, nor was my heart with me. 

I bade them farewell: then retired in grief, and quitted the society of the 
places I had frequented. 

I returned—evil was the way!—and my soul was not comforted save by hoping 
to come again and see thee. 

O my friend, listen to the words of love! God forbid that I should speak and 
thy heart should not remember 1 

O my soul, when thou partest with them, also part with the delight of life, 
and wish not to survive! 

He then pursued his journey with assiduity, night and day, until 
he arrived at Baghdad, the Abode of Peace, and the sacred asylum 
of the ’Abbasee Khaleefehs; and he knew not what had happened 
after his departure. 

He entered the house, and went in to his mother to salute her; 
but he saw that her body was emaciated, and her bones were wasted, 
by reason of exceeding lamentation and sleeplessness, and weeping 
and groaning, so that she had become like a toothpick, and she was 
unable to reply. He dismissed the she-camels, and advanced to her; 
and when he beheld her in this state, he went about the house 
searching for his wife and children; and found not any trace of 
them. Then he looked into the closet, and he found it open, and 
the chest also open, and he found not in it the dress. So upon this 
he knew that she had got possession of the dress of feathers, and 
taken it, and flown away, taking her children with her. He there¬ 
fore returned to his mother, and, seeing that she had recovered from 
her fit, he asked her respecting his wife and his children ; and she 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

439 

wept, and said, O my son, may God compensate thee greatly for the 
loss of them ! These are their three tomhs.—And when he heard 
the words of his mother, he uttered a great cry, and fell down in a 
fit, and thus he remained from the commencement of the day until 
noon. The grief of his mother therefore increased, and she de¬ 
spaired of his life. And when he recovered, he wept, and slapped 
his face, and rent his clothes, and went about the house confounded. 
Then he recited these two verses :— 

Persons before me have bemoaned the pain of absence, and living and dead 
have been terrified by estrangement; 

But an instance of feelings like those in my bosom I have never heard of nor 
beheld. 

And after he had concluded his verses, he took his sword and drew 
it, and, coming to his mother, he said to her, If thou acquaint me 
not with the truth of the case, I will strike off thy head, and slay 
myself. So she said to him, O my son, do not that, and I will in¬ 
form thee. Then she said to him, Sheathe thy sword, and sit, that 
I may tell thee what happened. And when he had sheathed his 
sword and seated himself by her side, she repeated to him the story 
from beginning to end, and said to him, O my son, if I had not seen 
her weep to go to the bath, and feared thee, that thou wouldst 
come and that she would complain to thee, and thou wouldst be 
incensed against me, I had not gone with her thither. And if the 
lady Zubeydeh had not been incensed against me, and taken from 
me the key by force, I had not taken forth the dress, though I 
should have died; and, O my son, thou knowest that no one can con¬ 
tend for superiority in power with the Khaleefeh. Then, when 
they brought the dress to her, she took it and turned it over, ima¬ 
gining that some part of it might be lost; but she found that no 
injury had happened to it. She therefore rejoiced, and, having 
taken her children, she bound them to her waist, and put on the 
dress of feathers, after the lady Zubeydeh had pulled off and given 
to her all that was upon her, in honour of her, and for her love¬ 
liness. And when she had put on the dress of feathers, she shook, 
and became a bird; and she walked about the palace, while they 
looked at her and wondered at her beauty and loveliness. She then 
flew up, and perched upon the palace; and after that, she looked 

440 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

at me and said to me, When thy son hath come, and the nights of 
separation have become tedious to him, and he desireth to approach 
and meet me, and the winds of love and longing desire agitate him, 
he must leave his home, and repair to the Islands of Wak-Wak. 
Thus did she during thine absence. 

Now when Hasan heard the words of his mother, he uttered a 
great cry, and fell down in a fit. He ceased not to lie in this state 
until the close of the day; and when he recovered, he slapped his 
face, and rolled about on the floor like a serpent. His mother sat 
weeping at his head until midnight; and after he had recovered 
from his fit, he wept vehemently, and recited these verses:— 

Pause, and see the condition of him whom you abandon: perhaps you will 
pity him after your cruelty; 

For if you see him, you will doubt of him, by reason of his sickness, as 
though, by Allah, you knew him not. 

He is dying in consequence of his passion for you, and would be numbered 
among the dead, but for his groaning. 

Do not imagine your separation to be light: it is grievous to the lover, and 
death would he easier. 

And when he had ended his verses, he arose, and continued going 
about the house, moaning and weeping and wailing, for a period of 
five days, during which he tasted not food nor drink. So his 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

441 

mother went to him and conjured him with oaths to abstain from 
weeping; but he yielded not to her words, and ceased not to weep 
and wail. His mother still attempted to console him; but he would 
not attend to aught that she said. He continued in this state, 
weeping until the next morning. Then his eyes slumbered, and he 
saw his wife mourning and weeping; whereupon he arose from his 
sleep, crying out, and recited these two verses:—- 

Tliine image is with me, and never quitteth me. I have given it the most 
honourable place in my heart. 

But for the hope of reunion, I could not live a moment; and but for the 
phantom of thy form, I would not sleep. 

And in the morning his wailing and weeping increased. He re¬ 
mained with weeping eye and mourning heart, sleepless during the 
night, and eating little; and he continued in this state for the space 
of a whole month. 

But when that month had passed, it occurred to his mind that 
he should journey to his sisters, in order that they might assist him 
to attain his desire of regaining his wife. So he summoned the 
excellent she-camels, loaded fifty with rarities of El-’Erak, and 
mounted one of them. He then charged his mother with the care 
of the house, and committed all his goods [to the custody of persons 
of his acquaintance], except a few things that he left in the house ; 
after which he set forth on his journey to his sisters, hoping that 
he might obtain their aid to effect his reunion with his wife. He 
ceased not to pursue his way until he arrived at the palace of the 
damsels by the Mountain of Clouds; and when he went in to them, 
he presented to them the gifts, with which they were delighted; 
and they congratulated him on his safety, and said to him, O our 
brother, what is the reason of thy coming so quickly, when thou 
hast not been absent from us more than two months ? And upon 
this he wept, and recited these verses:— 

I find my soul solicitous on account of the loss of its beloved, enjoying not 
life nor its delights. 

My disease is one of which the cure is unknown. And can any one cure 
diseases hut their physician ? 

O thou who hast debarred me from the delight of sleep! thou hast left me to 
inquire for thee of the wind when it bloweth, 

3 L 

VOL. III. 

If it be near to the place of the beloved, who compriselh those charms that 
excite mine eye to weep. 

O thou who slightest in her country! perhaps thy breath may revive my 
heart by its fragrance. 

And when he had ended his verses, he uttered a great cry, and fell 
down in a fit; and the damsels seated themselves around him, 
weeping for him, until he recovered from his fit; whereupon he 
recited this couplet:— 

Probably fortune will turn its rein, and bring my beloved; for time is 
changeable; 36 

And my fortune may prosper me, and my wants be performed, and happy 
events may follow adverse. 

He continued for some time weeping and fainting, and reciting 
verses; and the damsels had retired; but when his sister heard his 
words, she came forth to him, and saw him lying in a fit; upon 
which she cried out, and slapped her face ; and her sisters, hearing 
her, came forth to her, and beheld Hesan lying in a fit. They sur¬ 
rounded him, and wept for him; and when they saw him in this 
state, the ecstasy and distraction of love, and longing desire, that 
affected him no longer remained concealed from them. 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

US 

They then asked him respecting his condition, and he wept, 
and acquainted them with that which had befallen him during his 
absence from home, telling them that his wife had flown away, and 
taken her children with her. So they mourned for him, and asked 
him what she said when she departed; and he answered, O my 
sisters, she said to my mother, Tell thy son, when he hath come, 
and the nights of separation have become tedious to him, and he 
desireth to approach and meet me, and the winds of love and 
longing desire agitate him, he must come to me in the Islands of 
Wak-Wak.—And when they heard his words, they winked to each 
other, and reflected; and each of them looked at her sister, while 
Hasan looked at them. Then they hung down their heads towards 
the ground a while; and after that, they raised their heads, and 
said, There is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the 
Great! And they said to him, Stretch forth thy hand to heaven, 
and if thou canst reach to heaven, thou mayest reach to thy wife 
and thy children. And thereupon his tears ran down upon his 
cheeks like rain, so that they wetted his clothes; and he recited 
these verses:— 

The red cheeks and the pupils of the eyes have disturbed me, and patience 
abandoned me when sleeplessness approached. 

Fair, sleek damsels have by cruelty emaciated my body: to men’s eyes it 
seemeth not to retain the last breath. 

With black eyes, and proud gait, like the gazelles of the sand-hill, they shewed 
beauty of which the saints, if they saw it, would be enamoured. 

They walk like the zephyr of the gardens towards daybreak. 37 Through love 
of them, anxiety and disquietude have come upon me. 

I have attached my hopes to a lovely damsel among them. My heart bumeth 
with flaming fire on her account. 

Gazelle-like, sleek-limbed, walking with proud gait; her face is like the 
morning; but her hair is dark as night. 

She hath disturbed me. But how many heroes have the eyelids and the eyes 
of the fair-ones disturbed with love ! 

And when he had concluded his verses, he wept, and the damsels 
wept at his weeping; compassion and zeal for him affecting them. 

They betook themselves to soothing him, and exhorting him to 
have patience, and praying for his reunion to his wife; and his sister 
accosted him and said to him, O my brother, be of good heart and 
cheerful eye, and be patient: then wilt thou attain thy desire; for 

444 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

lie who is patient, and waiteth, obtaineth what he wisheth ; and 
patience is the key of relief. The poet hath said,— 

Let destiny run with slackened reins, and pass not the night but with careless 
mind ; 

For between the closing of an eye and its opening, God effecteth a change in 
the state of affairs. 

She then said to him, Strengthen thy heart, and confirm thy reso¬ 
lution ; for he whose life is to be ten years will not die when he is 
but nine; and weeping and grief and mourning occasion disease 
and sickness. Remain with us until thou shalt have taken rest, 
and I will contrive means of thy gaining access to thy wife and thy 
children, if it be the will of God, whose name be exalted!—But he 
wept violently, and recited this couplet:— 

If I be cured of a disease in my body, I am not cured of a disease in my 
heart. 

There is no other cure for the diseases of love than union of the beloved with 
the lover. 

Then he sat by the side of his sister, who proceeded to converse 
with him and to console him, and asked him what was the cause 
of his wife’s departure. So he informed her of the cause of that 
event; and she said to him, By Allah, O my brother, I desired to 
say to thee. Burn the dress of feathers:—but the Devil made me 
forget that. And she continued to converse with him and to sooth 
him. But when the case became tedious to him, and his disquietude 
increased, he recited these verses :— 

A beloved, with whom I was familiar, hath got possession of my heart: and 
God's decree cannot be prevented. 

She hath all the united beauty of the Arabs. She is a gazelle; but freely 
pastureth on my heart. 

Though my patience and contrivance in my love of her are little, I weep, 
notwithstanding weeping availeth not. 

She is lovely, and hath twice seven years, as though she were a moon of five 
nights and five and four. 38 

So when his sister saw how he suffered from ecstacy and distraction 
of love, and the afflictions of passion and desire, she went to her 
sisters, with weeping eye and mourning heart, and she wept before 
them, threw herself upon them, kissed their feet, and begged them 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

445 

to aid her brother in the accomplishment of his affair, and in 
effecting his meeting with his children and his wife. She conjured 
them to contrive means of procuring him access to the Islands of 
Wak-Wak, and ceased not to weep before her sisters until she 
made them also weep, and they said to her, Comfort thy heart; for 
we will strive to accomplish his meeting with his family, if it be the 
will of God, whose name be exalted ! He then remained with 
them a whole year; but his eye abstained not from shedding tears. 

Now the sisters of the youngest damsel had a paternal uncle, 
the brother of their father by the same father and mother, and his 
name was ’Abd el-Kuddoos. 39 He loved the eldest damsel with a 
great affection, and every year he used to visit her once, and per¬ 
form her affairs. The damsels also had related to him the story of 
Hasan, and the events that befell him with the Magian, and how he 
was enabled to slay him ; whereat their uncle rejoiced ; and he gave 
to the eldest damsel a purse containing some incense, and said to 
her, O daughter of my brother, if anything render thee anxious, and 
anything disagreeable happen to thee, or any want occur to thee, 
throw this incense into the fire, and mention me ; and I will come 
to thee quickly, and will perform thy want. This he said on the 
first day of the year. And that damsel said to one of her sisters, 
Verily the year hath entirely passed, and my uncle hath not come. 
Arise, strike the steel upon the flint, and bring me the box of in¬ 
cense.—So the damsel arose joyful, and brought the box of incense; 
and she opened it, and, having taken from it a small quantity, 
handed it to her sister, who took it and threw it into the fire, men¬ 
tioning her uncle ; and the fumes of the incense had not ceased 
before a dust appeared advancing from the further extremity of the 
valley. Then, after a while, the dust dispersed, and there appeared 
beneath it a sheykh riding upon an elephant, which was crying out 
beneath him. And when the damsels beheld him, he began to 
make signs to them with his hands and his feet. Soon after, he 
came to them, and alighted from the elephant, and came in to them; 
whereupon they embraced him, and kissed his hands, and saluted 
him. He then sat, and the damsels proceeded to converse with him, 
and to ask him the cause of his absence. And he said, I was just 
now sitting with the wife of your uncle, and I smelt the incense; so 
I came to you upon this elephant. What then dost thou desire, O 

daughter of my brother ?—She answered, 0 my uncle, we were 
longing to see thee, the year having passed, and it is not thy custom 
to remain absent from us more than a year. And he replied, I was 
occupied, and I had determined to come to you to-morrow. They 
therefore thanked him and prayed for him. 

After that, they sat conversing with him, and the eldest damsel 
said to him, O my uncle, we related to thee the story of Hasan of 
El-Basrah, whom Bahram the Magian brought, and how he slew 
him, and we informed thee of the damsel, the daughter of the 
supreme King, whom he took, and of the difficulties and horrors 
he endured, and how he caught the King’s daughter and married 
her, and how he journeyed with her to his country. He replied, 
Yes. And what, he asked, happened to him after this?—She 
answered him, She acted perfidiously to him, after he had been 
blest with two sons by her; she took them and departed with them 
to her country, while he was absent; and she said to his mother, 
When thy son hath come, and the nights of separation have become 
tedious to him, and he desireth to approach and meet me, and the 
winds of love and longing desire agitate him, he must come to me 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

447 

in the Islands of Wak-Wak.—And upon this he shook his head, 
and bit his finger. Then he hung down his head towards the 
ground, and began to make marks upon the ground with the end of 
his finger; 40 after which he looked to the right and left, and shook 
his head again, while Hasan looked at him, but was concealed from 
him. So the damsels said to their uncle, Reply to us ; for our 
livers are broken in pieces. And he shook his head at them and 
said to them, O my daughters, this man hath wearied himself, and 
cast himself into a most terrible predicament and great peril ; for 
he cannot gain access to the Islands of Wak-Wak. Upon this the 
damsels called Hasan, and he came forth to them, and, advancing to 
the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos, he kissed his hand and saluted him ; 
and the sheykh was pleased with him, and seated him by his side. 
The damsels then said to their uncle, O uncle, shew our brother the 
truth of that which thou hast said. He therefore said to him, O 
my son, relinquish this most vexatious affair ; for thou couldst not 
gain access to the Islands of Wak-Wak even if the Flying Jinn and 
the wandering stars assisted thee, since between thee and those 
Islands are seven valleys and seven seas and seven mountains of vast 
magnitude. How then canst thou gain access to this place, and 
who will convey thee to it ? By Allah I conjure thee that thou re¬ 
turn soon, and weary not thy heart.—And when Hasan heard the 
words of the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos, he wept until he fainted, and 
the damsels sat around him weeping for his weeping. But as to 
the youngest damsel, she rent her clothes and slapped her face until 
she also fainted. 

So when the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos saw them in this state of 
anxiety, and ecstasy of grief, and mourning, he pitied them, and was 
affected with commiseration for them, and he said, Be ye silent. 
Then he said to Hasan, Comfort thy heart, and rejoice at the pros¬ 
pect of the accomplishment of thine affair if it be the will of God, 
whose name be exalted! And after that, he said to him, O my 
son, arise, and brace up thy nerves, and follow me. So Hasan stood 
up, after he had bidden the damsels farewell; and he followed him, 
rejoicing in expectation of the accomplishment of his affair. The 
sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos then called the elephant, and he came, and 
he mounted him, putting Hasan behind him, and proceeded with 
him for the space of three days with their nights, like the blinding 
lightning, until he came to a vast, blue mountain, all the stones of 

448 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

which were blue ; and in that mountain was a cavern, which had a 
door of iron of China. Upon this the sheykh took the hand of 
Hasan, and put him down ; after which the sheykh himself alighted, 
and dismissed the elephant. He then advanced to the door of the 
cavern, and knocked it; whereupon the door opened, and there 
came forth to him a black slave, beardless, resembling an ’Efreet, 
and having in his right hand a sword, and in the other a shield of 
steel. But when he saw the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos, he threw 
down the sword and shield from his hands, and advanced to the 
sheykh, and kissed his hand. Then the sheykh took the hand of 
Hasan, and entered with him, and the slave shut the door behind 
them. Hasan saw that the cavern was very large and wide, and 
that it had a passage vaulted over ; and they ceased not to go on 
for the space of a mile, after which their course brought them at 
last to a vast desert. They repaired to an angle in which were two 
great doors, of cast brass, and the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos opened 
one of them, and entered, and closed it, having said to Hasan, Sit 
at this door, and beware of opening it and entering until I shall 
have entered and returned to thee quickly. And when the sheykh 
had entered, he remained absent for the space of an astronomical 
hour. 

He then came forth, having with him a horse saddled and 
bridled, which, when he went along, flew; and when he flew, the 
dust overtook him not. The sheykh led him forward to Hasan, 
and said, Mount. And the sheykh opened the other door; whereupon 
there appeared within it an extensive desert. So Hasan mounted the 
horse, and the two passed through the door, and were in that desert. 
And the sheykh said to Hasan, O my son, take this letter, and proceed 
upon this horse to the place to which he will convey thee; and when 
thou seest him stop at the door of a cavern like this, descend from his 
back, and put his rein upon the pommel, and dismiss him, and he 
will enter the cavern; but enter not thou with him. Stay at the 
door of the cavern for the space of five days, and be not weary ; for 
on the sixth day there will come forth to thee a black sheykh, clad 
in black apparel, and with a beard white and long, descending to 
his waist; and when thou seest him, kiss his hands, and lay hold of 
his skirt, and put it on thy head, and weep before him, that he may 
have pity on thee. He will thereupon ask thee respecting thine affair; 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

449 

and when he saith to thee, What 
is thine affair ?—give him this 
letter, and he will take it of thee 
and will not speak to thee, but 
will enter and leave thee. Stay in 
thy place five days more, and be 
not weary, and on the sixth day 
expect him; for [perhaps] he will 
come forth to thee ; and if he him¬ 
self come forth to thee, know that 
thine affair will be accomplished; 
but if one of his young men come 
forth to thee, know that he who 
hath come forth to thee desireth to 
slay thee. And peace be on 
thee ! But know, O my son, that every one who exposeth him¬ 
self to peril destroyeth himself: therefore if thou fear for thy 
soul, cast it not into destruction: if however thou fear not, do 
as thou desirest. I have shewn thee the circumstances of the 
case ; and if thou desire to return to thy companions, this elephant 
is ready, and he will convey thee to the daughters of my brother, 
who will send thee to thy country and restore thee to thy home, 
and God will bless thee with one better than this damsel to whom 
thou art attached. 

But Hasan said to the sheykli, How can life be pleasant to me 
without my attaining my desire ? By Allah, I will never return 
until I find my beloved, or my death overtake me!—Then he wept, 
and recited some verses, commmencing thus :— 

For tlie loss of my beloved, and the excess of my passion, 1 stood and cried 
out in my despondency and abjection; 

And I kissed the dust of the house, in my longing for her; but it only served 
to augment my sorrow. 

And when the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos heard his recitation and 
his words, he knew that he would not relinquish the object of his 
desire, and that words would make no impression upon him, and he 
was convinced that he must expose himself to peril, though his life 
should be sacrificed. So he said, Know, O my son, that the Islands 
of Wak-Wak are seven islands, in which is a great army, entirely 

3 M 

VOL. III. 

450 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

composed of damsels, virgins ; and the inhabitants of the Interior 
Islands are Devils and Marids and enchanters and various tribes. 
Whosoever entereth their country returneth not, and no one ever 
went to them and returned. I conjure thee therefore by Allah that 
thou return to thy family soon. Know moreover that the damsel 
whom thou seekest is the daughter of the King of all these islands; 
and how canst thou gain access to her ? Hear then my words, O 
my son; and perhaps God will give thee in her stead one better 
than she.—But Hasan replied. By Allah, O my master, were I cut 
piecemeal for my love of her, I should only increase in fondness and 
desire. I must see my wife and my children, and enter the Islands 
of Wak-Wak; and if it be the will of God (whose name be exalted!), 
I will not return save with her and with my children.—So the sheykh 
’Abd el-Kuddoos said to him, Then thou must perform the journey. 
He replied, Yes; and I only desire of thee thy prayers for help and 
aid. Perhaps God will reunite me to my wife and my children 
soon.—Then he wept by reason of the greatness of his desire, and 
recited these verses :— 

You are my desire, and the best of creatures. I hold you to be as dear as my 
hearing and my sight. 

You have possessed my heart, and it hath become your abode, and since you 
left me, O my mistress, I have been in trouble. 

Then think not that I have relinquished the love of you ; for it hath put the 
wretched being in fear. 

You have gone, and my happiness went when you departed, and what was 
bright became to me obscure in the extreme. 

You have left me to contemplate the stars in my anguish, weeping with tears 
like a pouring rain. 

O night, thou art tedious to him who is disquieted, in the violence of his passion 
gazing at the moon ! 

O wind, if thou pass by the tribe that she sojoumeth with, give my salutation 
to her; for my life is short; 

And describe to her somewhat of the anguish I experience; for the beloved is 
not acquainted with my state! 

And when he had ended his verses, he wept so violently that he 
fainted; and on his recovery, the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos said to 
him, O my son, thou hast a mother : then make her not to taste the 
pain of thy loss. But Hasan replied, By Allah, O my master, I 
will not return, save with my wife, or my death shall overtake me. 
Then he wept and moaned, and again recited some verses; and 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

451 

when he had ended them, the sheykh knew that he would not draw 
back from his present purpose, though his life should be sacrificed; 
wherefore he handed to him the letter, prayed for him, and directed 
him how he should act, and said to him, I have given a strict charge 
for thee, in the letter, to Abu-r-Ruweysh the son of Balkees the 
daughter of the accursed Iblees; 41 for he is my sheykh and my pre¬ 
ceptor, and all mankind and the Jinn humble themselves to him, 
and fear him. He then said to him, Go, in reliance upon the bless¬ 
ing of God. 

He therefore departed, giving the rein to the horse, which fled 
with him more rapidly than lightning. Hasan ceased not to speed 
along on the horse for a period of ten days, until he beheld before 
him a huge indistinct object, blacker than night, obstructing the 
space between the east and the west; and when he drew near to it, 
the horse neighed beneath him; whereupon there came together 
horses numerous as the drops of rain, the number of which could 
not he calculated, nor was any help for them known, and they began 
to rub against Hasan’s horse. So Hasan feared them and was ter¬ 
rified ; and he ceased not to proceed, with the horses around him, 
until he arrived at the cavern which the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos 
had described to him, when the horse stopped at its entrance, and 
Hasan alighted from him, and put his rein upon his saddle. The 

452 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

horse then entered the cavern, and Hasan stopped at the entrance, 
as the sheykli ’Abd el-Kuddoos had ordered him. He meditated 
upon the result of his case, how it would be, perplexed, distracted, 
not knowing what would happen to him. He continued at the 
entrance of the cavern five days with their nights, sleepless, mourn¬ 
ful, perplexed, meditating upon his having parted from his family 
and home and companions and friends, with weeping eye and mourn¬ 
ing heart. Then he remembered his mother, and thought upon what 
might happen to him, and upon the separation of his wife and his 
children, and the troubles he had suffered, and recited some verses, 
which he had not ended when the sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh came 
forth to him. He was black, and clad in black apparel; and when 
Hasan beheld him, he knew him by the descriptions which the 
sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos had given of him. So he threw himself upon 
him, and rubbed his cheeks upon his feet, and, taking his foot, he 
put it upon his head, and wept before him. The sheykh Abu-r- 
Ruweysh therefore said to him, What is thine affair, O my son ? 
And Hasan stretched forth his hand with the letter, and handed it 
to the sheykh, who received it from him, and entered the cavern, 
without returning him a reply; and Hasan remained in his place 
at the entrance, as the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos had desired him, 
weeping. He ceased not to stay in his place for the space of five 
days more. His disquietude was excessive, and his fear was violent, 
and Iris sleeplessness was constant. He wept, and was oppressed in 
mind by the pain of estrangement and excessive wakefulness, and 
recited some plaintive verses. 

He ceased not to weep until the dawn appeared, when lo, the 
sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh came forth to him, clad in white apparel, 
and made a sign to him with his hand, that he should enter. So 
Hasan entered, and the sheykh, taking him by the hand, led him 
into the cavern ; and he rejoiced, and felt sure that his affair would 
be accomplished. The sheykh continued to proceed, and Hasan 
with him, for the space of half a day ; after which they arrived at an 
arched doorway with a door of steel, which the sheykh opened, and 
he and Hasan entered a passage vaulted over with variegated stones 
decorated with gold. They ceased not to go on till they came to a 
great saloon constructed with marble, and spacious, in the midst of 
which was a garden containing all kinds of trees and flowers and 
fruits, and birds upon the trees warbling, and proclaiming the per- 

l THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

453 

fection of God, the Omnipotent King. In the saloon were four 
leewans, facing one another, each leewan having a sitting-place with 
a fountain, and at each of the corners of each fountain was the 
figure of a lion of gold.—In each sitting-place also was a chair, upon 
which was sitting a person with a great number of books before 
him, and before them were perfuining-vessels of gold, containing 
fire and incense. Every one of these sheykhs likewise had before 
him students, reading to him the books. And when the two went 
in to them, they rose to them and treated them with honour ; and 
the sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh accosted them and made a sign to those 
four sheykhs that they should dismiss the other persons who were 
present. So they dismissed them, and the four sheykhs arose and 
seated themselves before the sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh, and asked 
him respecting the case of Hasan ; whereupon the sheykh Abu-r- 
Ruweysh made a sign to Hasan, and said to him, Tell the company 
thy story and all that hath happened to thee from the first of the 
case to the last. And Hasan wept violently, and related to them 
his story;'and when he had finished it all the sheykhs cried out and 
said, Is this he whom the Magian caused to ascend to the top of the 
Mountain of the Clouds by means of the birds, 42 he being in the 
skin of the camel ? So Hasan answered them, Yes. And they 
accosted the sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh and said to him, O our sheykh, 
Bahram practised a stratagem to effect his ascent to the top of the 
mountain, and how did he descend, and what wonders did he see 
upon the mountain ? The sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh therefore said, 
O Hasan, tell them how thou descendedst, and acquaint them 
with the wonders that thou sawest. Accordingly he repeated 
to them the account of the events that had happened to him from 
beginning to end, and told them how he got the Magian into his 
power and slew him, and how his wife had acted perfidiously to him 
and taken his children and flown away, and all the horrors and diffi¬ 
culties that he had suffered. And the persons present wondered at 
the things that had happened to him. 

They then accosted the sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh and said to 
him, O sheykh of the sheykhs, by Allah, this young man is a 
pitiable person; and perhaps thou wilt assist him to deliver his wife 
and his children. The sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh replied, O my bro¬ 
thers, verily this is a great and perilous affair, and I have not seen 

454 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

any one hate life except this young man. Ye know that the Islands 
of Wak-Wak are difficult of access: no one ever arrived at them 
without exposing himself to peril; and ye know the strength of 
their inhabitants, and their guards. I have sworn that I will not 
tread their country, nor oppose myself to them in aught; and how 
can this person gain access to the daughter of the supreme King, 
and who can convey him to her, or assist him to attain this object ? 
—Upon this they said, O sheykh of the sheykhs, verily desire hath 
almost consumed this man, and he hath exposed himself to peril, 
and brought to thee the letter of thy brother, the sheykh ’Abd el- 
Kuddoos: therefore it is incumbent on thee to assist him. Then 
Hasan arose and kissed the foot of Abu-r-Ruweysh, and, lifting up 
his skirt, put it on his head, and wept, and said to him, I conjure 
thee by Allah that thou unite me with my children and my wife, 
though the doing so occasion the loss of my life and soul! And 
the persons present wept at his weeping, and said to the sheykh 
Abu-r-Ruweysh, Acquire the recompense that will be granted for 
this poor man, and act kindly with him for the sake of thy brother 
the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos. So he replied, Yerily this young 
man is a pitiable person, and he knoweth not what he is under¬ 
taking ; but we will assist him as far as possible. Hasan therefore 
rejoiced when he heard his words, and kissed his hands. He kissed 
also the hands of the other persons who were present, one after 
another, and begged their aid. And thereupon Abu-r-Ruweysh 
took a paper and an ink-case, and wrote a letter, and sealed it, and 
gave it to Hasan. He likewise gave him a small bag of leather, 
containing incense and instruments for striking fire, consisting of a 
steel and other things; and said to him, Take care of this bag; and 
when thou fallest into a difficulty, burn a little of the incense that 
it containeth, and mention me; and I will be present with thee, 
and deliver thee from the difficulty. Then he ordered one of those 
who were present to summon to him an ’Efreet of the Flying Jinn 
immediately; and he came; and the sheykh said to him, What is 
thy name ? He answered, Thy slave is Dahnash the son of Faktash. 
And Abu-r-Ruweysh said to him, Draw near to me. So he drew 
near to him; and the sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh put his mouth to the 
ear of the ’Efreet, and said to him some words; whereat the ’Efreet 
shook his head. The sheykh then said to Hasan, 0 my son, arise, 

mount upon the shoulders of this ’Efreet, Dahnash the Flyer; but 
when he hath taken thee up to heaven, and thou hearest the praises 
of the Angels in the sky, utter not thou any words of praise; for if 
thou do, thou wilt perish, and so will he. And Hasan replied, I 
will never speak. Then the sheykh said to him, O Hasan, when 
he hath gone with thee, he will put thee down on the next day, a 
little before daybreak, upon a white, clean land, like camphor; and 
when he hath put thee there, walk on ten days by thyself, until 
thou arrivest at the gate of the city. On thine arrival at it, enter, 
and ask for its King; and when thou hast an interview with him, 
salute him, and kiss his hand, and give him this letter; and what¬ 
soever he directeth thee to do, understand it.—So Hasan replied, 
I hear and obey. He arose with the ’Efreet, and the sheykhs 
arose and prayed for him, and gave the ’Efreet a charge respecting 
him. 

Now when the ’Efreet had taken him upon his shoulders, he 

456 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

rose with him to the clouds of heaven, and proceeded with him a 
day and a night, until he heard the praises of the Angels in heaven ; 
and when the dawn came, he put him down upon a land white like 
camphor, and left him and departed. So when Hasan saw that he 
was upon the earth, and that no one was with him, he went on 
night and day for the space of ten days, until he arrived at the gate 
of the city; whereupon he entered it, and inquired for the King. 
They therefore guided him to him, and said that his name was the 
King Hasoon, King of the Land of Camphor, and that he had, of 
soldiers and troops, what would fill the earth in its length and 
breadth. He asked permission to go in to him, and permission was 
given him; and when he went in to him, he found him to be a 
magnificent King; and he kissed the ground before him. So the 
King said to him, What is thine affair ? And Hasan kissed the 
letter, and handed it to him; and he took it and read it. Then 
he shook his head a while; after which he said to one of his chief 
officers, Take this young man, and lodge him in the mansion of 
entertainment. Accordingly he took him and proceeded with him 
until he had lodged him there, and he remained in it for a period of 
three days, eating and drinking, having no one with him but the 
eunuch who attended him; and that eunuch conversed with him 
and cheered him, and asked him respecting his story, and how he 
had come to this country; wherefore he acquainted him with all 
that had happened to him, and all his state. After that, on the 
fourth day, the young man took him and brought him before the 
King; and he said to him, O Hasan, thou hast come unto me, 
desiring to enter the Islands of Wak-Wak, as the sheykh of the 
sheykhs hath mentioned to us. O my son, I will send thee during 
these days; but in thy way are many dangerous places, and thirsty 
deserts abounding with fearful spots. Be patient, however, and 
nought but good will happen. I must employ a stratagem, and 
cause thee to attain thy wish, if it be the will of God, whose 
name be exalted ! Know, O my son, that here are soldiers of Ed- 
Deylem 43 desiring to enter the Islands of Wak-Wak, fitted out 
with arms and horses and accoutrements, and they have not been 
able to enter. But, O my son, for the sake of the sheykh of the 
sheykhs, Abu-r-Ruweysh the son of the daughter of the accursed 
Iblees, I cannot send thee back to him without thy having accom- 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 457 

plished thine affair. Soon there will come to us ships from the 
Islands of Wak-Wak: there remaineth not before their arrival 
more than a short time; and when one of them hath come, I will 
embark thee in it, and will charge the sailors respecting thee, that 
they may take care of thee and convey thee to the Islands of Wak- 
Wak. Whosoever asketh thee respecting thy condition and thy 
story, answer him, I am a relation of the King Hasoon, lord of the 
Land of Camphor. And when the vessel mooreth at the Islands 
of Wak-Wak, and the master saith to thee, Land—do thou land. 
Thou wilt see many settees in all the quarters of the shore ; and do 
thou choose for thyself one of them, and sit beneath it, and move 
not. And when the night becometh dark, and thou seest that the 
army of women hath surrounded the merchandise, stretch forth thy 
hand and lay hold upon the owner of this settee beneath which 
thou hast placed thyself, and beg her protection; and know, O my 
son, that if she protect thee, thou wilt accomplish thine affair, and 
wilt gain access to thy wife and thy children. But if she protect 
thee not, mourn for thyself, and despair of life, and be sure of thy 
destruction. Know, 0 my son, that thou art exposing thyself to 
peril; and I cannot do for thee aught but this. And peace be on 
thee! Know also, that if aid had not been granted thee by the 
Lord of Heaven, thou hadst not gained access hither. 

When Hasan heard these words of the King Hasoon, he wept 
until he fainted; and on his recovering, he recited these two 
verses:— 

A decreed term is my certain lot; and when its days have ended, I die. 

If the lions contended with me in their forests, I should vanquish them if 
aught of my term remained. 

And after he had ended his verses, he kissed the ground before the 
King, and said to him, 0 great King, how many days remain to the 
time when the ships will come ? He answered, The period of a 
month; and they will remain here for the sale of their cargoes a 
period of two months : then they will return to their country: so 
hope not to make thy voyage in the ship save after three whole 
months. The King then commanded Hasan to return to the 
mansion of entertainment, and gave orders to carry to him all that 
he required, of food and drink and apparel, such as was fit for 

3 N 

VOL. III. 

Kings. He remained in the mansion of entertainment a month ; 
and after the month, the ships came. The King and the merchants 
therefore went forth, and he took Hasan with him to the ships. 
And he saw a ship in which were many people, like the pebbles : 
none knew their number but He who created them. That ship was 
in the midst of the sea, and had small boats transporting the goods 
that it contained to the shore. Hasan stayed with them until the 
crew had removed the goods from it to the shore, and sold and 
bought, and there remained not to the time of departure more than 
three days; whereupon the King summoned Hasan before him, 
prepared for him what he required, and conferred upon him great 
favours. Then, after that, he called for the master of that ship, and 
said to him, Take this young man with thee in the ship, and 
acquaint no one with him; convey him to the Islands of Wak- 
Wak, and leave him there, and bring him not back. And the 
master replied, I hear and obey. The King then charged Hasan, 
and said to him, Acquaint not any one of the persons with thee in 
the ship with aught of thy case, nor let any one know thy story; for 
if thou do, thou wilt perish. And he replied, I hear and obey. And 
lie bade him farewell, after he had offered up prayers in his favour 
for length of life, and victory over all the enviers and enemies; and 
the King thanked him for that, and prayed for his safety and for 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

459 

the accomplishment of his affair. He then committed him to the 
master, who took him and put him into a chest, and embarked him 
in a boat; and he took him not forth in the ship but when the 
people were occupied in removing the goods. 

After that, the ships departed, and they ceased not to pursue 
their course for the space of ten days; and on the eleventh day, 
they reached the shore. The master thereupon landed him from 
the ship; and when he went up on the shore, he saw there settees, 
the number of which none knew but God. So he walked on until 
he came to a settee of which there was not the like, and he hid 
himself beneath it. And when the night approached, there came a 
numerous crowd of women, like scattered locusts, advancing on 
foot, with their swords drawn in their hands; but they were 
enveloped in coats of mail; and on their seeing the goods, they 
busied themselves with them. Then, after that, they sat to take 
rest, and one of them seated herself upon the settee beneath which 
was Hasan. He therefore laid hold of the edge of her skirt, put it 
upon his head, and, throwing himself upon her, began to kiss her 
hands and her feet, weeping. So she said to him, O thou, arise 
and stand up before any one see thee and slay thee. And there¬ 
upon he came forth from beneath the settee, [where he had hidden 
himself again,] and rose upon his feet, kissed her hands, and said to 
her, O my mistress, I throw myself upon thy protection! Then 
he wept again, and said to her, Have mercy upon him who is parted 
from his family and his wife and his children, and hath hastened to 
effect his reunion with them, and exposed his life and soul to peril! 
Have mercy upon me, and be sure that thou wilt be recompensed 
for that with paradise. Or, if thou wilt not receive me, I conjure 
thee by Allah, the Great, the Excellent Protector, that thou con¬ 
ceal my case!—And the merchants fixed their eyes upon him, 
while he spoke to her; and when she heard his words, and saw his 
humiliation, she had compassion upon him, her heart was moved 
with pity for him, and she knew that he had not exposed himself 
to peril and come to this place save for a great affair. So there¬ 
upon she said to Hasan, 0 my son, be of good heart and cheerful 
eye, comfort thy heart and thy soul, and return to thy place, and 
hide thyself beneath the settee as thou wast at first until the next 
night, and God will do what He desireth. Then she bade him 

460 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASKAH, 

farewell, and Hasan entered beneath the settee 
as before. The army passed the night, having 
lighted candles composed with an admixture of 
aloes-wood and crude ambergris, until the morn¬ 
ing. And when daylight came, the ships re¬ 
turned to the shore, and the merchants occupied 
themselves with conveying the goods and effects 
till night approached, while Hasan remained 
hidden beneath the settee, with weeping eye and 
mourning heart, not knowing what was secretly 
decreed to happen unto him. 

Now while he was in this state, lo, the female 
merchant whose protection he had begged ap¬ 
proached him, and handed to him a coat of mail 
and a sword and a gilt girdle and a lance ; after 
which she departed from him, fearing the troops. 
So when he saw that, he knew that the female 
merchant had not brought him these accoutre¬ 
ments save in order that he should put them on ; 
wherefore he arose and put on the coat of mail, 
put the girdle round his waist, hung on the 
sword beneath his arm-pit, took the lance in 
his hand, and seated himself upon that settee. His tongue neg¬ 
lected not to repeat the praises of God (whose name be exalted!), 
and he begged his protection; and while he sat, lo, the cressets 
and the lanterns and the candles approached, and the army of 
women. Hasan therefore arose and mixed among the troops, having 
become like one of them; and at the approach of daybreak, the troops 
proceeded, and Hasan with them, until they came to their tents, when 
each of them entered her tent. Hasan also entered the tent of one 
of them, and lo, it was the tent of his companion, whose protection 
he had begged. And when she entered her tent, she threw down 
her arms, and pulled off the coat of mail and the veil; and Hasan, 
having thrown down his arms, looked at his companion, and found 
her to be blue-eyed, with a large nose : she was a calamity among 
calamities, of the most hideous form, with a face marked with 
small-pox, and hairless eyebrows, and broken teeth, and puffed 
cheeks, and gray hair, and a mouth running with saliva : her hair 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

461 

was falling off, and she was like the speckled, black and white ser¬ 
pent. Now when she looked at Hasan, she wondered, and said, 
How could this person gain access to this country, and in which of 
the ships came he, and how did he arrive safely ? And she pro¬ 
ceeded to ask him respecting his case, and wondered at his arrival; 
and upon this, Hasan fell upon her feet, rubbing his face upon 
them, and wept until he fainted; and when he recovered, he recited 
these verses:— 

When will time grant us our meeting, and when shall we be reunited after 
our separation, 

And when shall 1 enjoy the object of my choice, and see reproach ended, and 
love remain? 

If the Nile were to flow as copiously as my tears, it would leave in the world 
no land unwatered; 

It would overflow the Hejaz and Egypt, and Syria likewise with El-’Erak. 

This is caused by thine estrangement, O my beloved! Be kind to me, and 
promise a meeting. 

And after he had ended his verses, he took the skirt of the old 
woman, and put it upon his head, and proceeded to weep and to 
beg her protection. So when the old woman saw his ardour and 
affliction and pain and distress, her heart was moved with sympathy 
for him, and she granted him protection and said to him, Fear not 
at all. Then she asked him respecting his case, and he related to 
her all that had happened to him from beginning to end ; and the 
old woman wondered at his tale, and said to him, Comfort thy heart 
and comfort thy soul. There remaineth nothing for thee to fear. 
Thou hast attained thy desire and the accomplishment of thine 
affair, if it be the will of God, whose name be exalted !—Therefore 
Hasan rejoiced at that exceedingly. 

The old woman then sent to the leaders of the army, command¬ 
ing them to come before her. This was on the last day of the 
month. And when they presented themselves before her, she said 
to them, Go forth, and proclaim among all the troops that they 
shall go forth to-morrow, in the morning, and that none of them 
shall remain behind; and if any one remain behind, that person’s 
life shall be taken. And they replied, We hear and obey. They 
went forth, and proclaimed among all the troops that they should 
march on the morrow, in the morning; after which they returned, 

4G2 THE STORY OE HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

and acquainted her therewith. So Hasan knew that she was the 
chief of the troops, and the person of authority among them, and 
their leader. Then Hasan took not off the arms from his body that 
day. The name of that old woman with whom he had placed him¬ 
self was Shawahee, and she was surnamed Umm ed-Dawahee. 44 
And the old woman had not made an end of her commanding and 
forbidding until the daybreak came, when all the troops went forth 
from their places; but the old woman went not forth with them. 
And when the army had gone, and the places were devoid of their 
presence, Shawahee said to Hasan, Draw near to me, O my son. 
So he drew near to her, and stood before her; and she accosted 
him and said to him, What is the cause of thine exposure of thyself 
to peril, and thine entering this country, and how was it that thy 
soul consented to its own destruction ? Acquaint me with the 
truth of thy whole affair, and conceal not from me aught of it, nor 
fear thou ; for thou hast become one to whom I have plighted my 
faith, and I have granted thee protection, and had compassion upon 
thee, and pitied thy state. If thou inform me truly, I will aid thee 
to accomplish thine affair, even if the consequence be the loss of 
lives, and the destruction of the sheykhs. Now that thou hast 
come unto me, no harm shall befall thee, nor will I suffer any one, 
of all who are in the Islands of Wak-Wak, to do thee any injury. 
—He therefore repeated to her his story from first to last, telling 
her of the affair of his wife, and the birds, and how he caught her 
from among the ten, and how he married her, and then resided 
with her until he was blest with two sons by her, and how she took 
her children and flew away when she knew the means of obtaining 
the dress of feathers ; and he concealed not aught of his story, from 
the commencement to that day. 

So when the old woman heard his words, she shook her head, 
and said to him, Extolled be the perfection of God who preserved 
thee and brought thee hither and caused thee to light on me! 
Hadst thou lighted on any except me, thy life had been lost, and 
tbine affair had not been accomplished. But the honesty of thine 
intention, and thy love and the excess of thy desire for thy wife 
and thy children, were the means of enabling thee to attain the 
object of tby search. Were it not that thou lovest her, and art 
distracted by thy passion for her, thou hadst not thus exposed thy- 

463 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

self to peril; and praise be to God for thy safety! It is therefore 
incumbent on us to accomplish for thee thine affair, and to aid thee 
to attain the object of thy desire., that thou mayest obtain wliat 
thou seekest soon, if it be the will of God, whose name be exalted! 
But know, O my son, that thy wife is in the seventh island of the 
Islands of Wak-Wak, and the distance between us and it is seven 
months’ journey, night and day. For we proceed hence until we 
arrive at a land called the Land of the Birds; and by reason of the 
vehemence of the cries of the birds, and the flapping of their wings, 
one of them heareth not what another uttereth. Then we proceed 
over that land for a period of eleven days, night and day ; after 
which we pass forth from it to a land called the Land of the Wild 
Beasts ; and by reason of the vehemence of the cries of the beasts 
of prey and the hyenas and other wild beasts, and the howling of 
the wolves and the roaring of the lions, we shall hear nothing else. 
We journey over that land for the space of twenty days, and then 
pass forth from it to a land called the Land of the Jinn, where, by 
reason of the vehemence of the cries of the Jan, and the rising of 
the flames and the flying about of the sparks and the smoke from 
their mouths, and the harsh sounds from their throats, and their 

insolence, they will obstruct the way 
before us, and our ears will be deafened, 
and our eyes will be covered with dark¬ 
ness, so that we shall neither hear nor 
see, nor will any one of us be able to look 

■k34 the STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

behind him; for by doing so he would perish. In that place, the 
horseman will put his head upon the pommel of his saddle, and not 
raise it for a period of three days. After that, there will be before 
us a vast mountain and a running river, which extend to the Islands 
of Wak-Wak. Know also, O my son, that all this army consistetli 
of damsels, virgins; and the sovereign who ruleth over us is a 
woman of the Seven Islands of Wak-Wak. The extent of those 
seven islands is a whole year’s journey to the rider w'ho travelleth 
with diligence/ 5 On the bank of this river [that I have mentioned] 
is another mountain, called the Mountain of Wak-Wak ; and this 
name is the proper appellation of a tree whose branches resemble 
the heads of the sons of Adam ; and when the sun riseth upon it, 
those heads all cry out, saying in their cry, Wak! Wak ! Extolled 
be the perfection of the King, the Excellent Creator!—So when 
we hear their cry, we know that the sun hath risen. In like 
manner also when the sun settetli, those heads cry out and say in 
their cry the same words, and we know thereupon that the sun hath 
set. No man can reside with us, nor gain access to us, nor tread 
our land; and between us and the residence of the Queen who 
ruleth over this land is a journey of a month, from this shore. 
Also, all the subjects upon that shore are under the authority of 
that Queen ; and under her authority likewise are the tribes of the 
Jan, Marids and Devils, and under her authority are enchanters, 
the number of whom none knoweth but He who created them. 
Now if thou fear, I will send with thee one who will convey thee 
to the coast, and I will bring one who will transport thee with him 
in a vessel and convey thee to thy country. But if it be agreeable 
to thy heart to remain with us, I will not prevent thee : thou shalt 
be with me as though thou wert in mine eye, until thou shalt 
accomplish thine affair, if it be the will of God, whose name be 
exalted! 

Upon this he said to her, O my mistress, I will not quit thee 
until I meet with my wife, or my life shall be lost. And she 
replied, This will be an easy affair: so comfort thy heart, and thou 
shalt attain thy desire if it be the will of God, whose name be 
exalted ! I must acquaint the Queen with thee, that she may aid 
thee to attain thy wish.—Hasan therefore prayed for her, and kissed 
her hands and her head, and thanked her for that which she had 

THE STOEY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

465 

done, and for her exceeding kindness. He proceeded with her, 
meditating upon what might be the result of his case, and upon 
the horrors of his estrangement; and he began to weep and wail, 
and recited these verses:— 

From the place of the beloved a zephyr hath blown, and thou seest me, from 
the excess of my ecstasy, distracted. 

The night of union i3 like a brilliant morning, and the day of separation like 
a black night. 

Taking leave of the beloved is severely distressing, and the separation of the 
companion is a heavy calamity. 

I will not complain of her cruelty save to her. I have not amoug mankind a 
friendly relation. 

My becoming indifferent to you is impossible ; for the despised censurer doth 
not make my heart indifferent. 

O unparalleled in loveliness! my love is unparalleled. O thou whose equal 
existeth not! my heart existeth not. 

Whosoever pretendeth that he loveth you, and dreadeth reprehension, he is 
reprehensible. 

The old woman then gave orders to beat the drum for departure, 
and the army proceeded, Hasan proceeding also, in company with 
the old woman. Being drowned in the sea of solicitudes, he was 
oppressed in mind, and recited verses, while the old woman ex¬ 
horted him to be patient, and consoled him; hut he recovered not, 
nor attended to that which she proposed to him. They ceased 
not to journey on until they arrived at the first of the seven 
islands, which was the Island of the Birds; and when they 
entered it Hasan imagined that the world was overturned, in 
consequence of the vehemence of the cries. His head ached 
and his mind was bewildered, his eyes were blinded and his 
ears were stopped, and he feared violently and made sure of 
death, saying within himself, If this is the Land of the Birds, 
how will be the Land of the Wild Beasts ? So when the old 
woman named Shawahee saw him in this state, she laughed at him, 
and said to him, O my son, if this is thy state in the first island, how 
will it be with thee when thou comest to the remaining islands ? 
He therefore supplicated God, and humbled himself to Him, and 
begged of Him that He would aid him to bear up against the affliction 
with which He had visited him, and that He would cause him to attain 
his desires. They continued their journey until they had traversed 
the Land of the Birds, and passed forth from it, and entered the 

3 o 

VOL. III. 

466 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

Land of the J an; and when Hasan beheld it, he feared, and 
repented of his having entered it with them. Then he begged aid 
of God (whose name be exalted!), and proceeded with them. And 
they escaped from the Land of the Jan, and arrived at the river, 
and, alighting beneath a vast, lofty mountain, they pitched their 
tents upon the bank of the river. The old woman placed for 
Hasan a couch of alabaster, set with fine pearls and with jewels 
and bars of red gold, by the side of the river. So he seated him¬ 
self upon it; and the troops advanced, and she displayed them to 
him. After that, they pitched their tents around him, and rested 
a while. Then they ate and drank and slept in security; for they 
had arrived at their country. 

Now Hasan had put over his face a litham, so that nought of 
him appeared save his eyes. And lo, a company of the damsels 
walked near to the tent of Hasan, and, having pulled off their outer 
garments, descended into the river. So Hasan kept looking at them 
while they washed, and they proceeded to play and to divert them¬ 
selves, not knowing that he was looking at them; for they imagined 
that he was of the daughters of the Kings. 45 Thus the whole army 
assembled before Hasan ; for the old woman gave orders to proclaim 
among all the troops that they should assemble before his tent, and 
display themselves and descend into the river, thinking that perhaps 
his wife might be among them, and he would know her. She pro¬ 
ceeded to ask him respecting them, company after company; and 
he replied, She is not among these, O my mistress. So the old 
woman said, Describe her to me, and acquaint me with all her cha¬ 
racteristics, that she may be in my mind ; for I know every damsel 
in the Islands of Wak-Wak, as I am the leader of the army of dam¬ 
sels, and their commander ; and if thou describe her to me, I shall 
know her, and will contrive means for thy taking her. Accordingly, 
he described her to her. And thereupon the old woman hung down 
her head towards the ground for some time ; after which she raised 
her head towards Hasan, and said. Extolled be the perfection of God, 
the Great in dignity! Verily I am afflicted in thee, O Hasan; 
and would that I had not known thee ! For the woman whom thou 
hast described to me, she is thy wife indeed: I have known her by 
her characteristics, and she is the daughter of the supreme King, 
his eldest 47 daughter, who ruleth over all the Islands of Wak-Wak. 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

467 

Therefore open thine 
eyes, and consider thine 
affair; and if thou be 
asleep, awake; for it is 
impossible for thee ever 
to gain access to her; 
and if thou gainedst ac¬ 
cess to her, thou couldst 
not get possession of her; 
since between thee and 
her is like as is between 
heaven and earth. Re¬ 
turn therefore, O my son, 
soon, and cast not thyself 
into destruction, and me 
with thee; for I imagine 
that thou hast no lot in 
her. Return to the place 
whence thou hast come, 
lest our lives be lost.—And she feared for 
herself and for him. 

When Hasan, therefore, heard the 
words of the old woman, he wept violently, 
so that he fainted; and the old woman 
ceased not to sprinkle water upon his face 
until he recovered from his fit. He continued to weep so that 
he wetted his clothes with his tears, by reason of the excessive 
anxiety and grief that had come upon him in consequence of the 
words of the old woman, and he despaired of life. Then he said 
to the old woman, O my mistress, and how can I return after I 
have got hither ? I did not imagine in my mind that thou 
wast unable to accomplish my desire, especially because thou art 
the leader of the army of damsels, and their commander.—To 
this she replied, I conjure thee, by Allah, O my son, that thou 
choose for thyself a damsel from among these damsels, and I will 
give her to thee instead of thy wife, lest thou fall into the hand of the 
Kings, and I shall have no means of releasing thee. By Allah, I 
conjure thee that thou hear my words, and choose for thyself one of 

468 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EE-BASRAH. 

these damsels instead of that damsel, and return to thy country 
soon in safety, and make me not to drink thine anguish [by witness¬ 
ing thy death]. By Allah, thou hast cast thyself into a severe 
calamity and great peril, from which no one can deliver thee.—So 
thereupon Hasan hung down his head and wept violently, and he 
recited some verses, commencing thus :— 

I said to my censurers, Do not censure me: for nought but tears were mine 
eyelids created. 

The tears of mine eye have overflowed and inundated my cheek, and my be¬ 
loved hath treated me with cruelty. 

And when he had ended his verses, he wept again until he fainted, 
and the old woman ceased not to sprinkle water, upon his face till 
he recovered from his fit; when she addressed him and said, O my 
master, return to thy country; for if I go with thee to the city, thy 
life and mine will be lost; as the Queen, when she knoweth thereof, 
will blame me for coming with thee into her country and her islands, 
to which no one of the sons of Adam cometh, and she will slay me 
because of my having brought thee with me and given thee a sight 
of these virgins whom thou hast seen in the river, although no male 
hath touched them, nor a husband approached them. So Hasan 
swore that he had never looked at them with an evil glance. But 
she rejoined, O my son, return to thy country, and I will give thee 
wealth and treasures and rarities on account of which thou shalt be¬ 
come indifferent to all women. Hear then my words, and return 
soon, and expose not thyself to peril; for I have given thee good 
advice.—When Hasan, however, heard her words, he wept, and 
rubbed his cheeks upon her feet, and said, O my mistress and my 
lady, and delight of my eye, how can I return after I have come to 
this place without seeing her whom I desire, and have approached 
the abode of the beloved, and hoped to meet her soon, and when 
perhaps I may have the good fortune to be reunited with her ? Then 
he recited some verses; and when he had ended them, the old 
woman pitied him and had compassion on him, and, addressing him 
kindly, she comforted his heart, and said to him, Let thy soul be 
happy and thine eye be cheerful, and let thy mind be free from 
anxiety. By Allah, I will expose my soul to peril with thee until 
thou shalt attain thy desire or my death shall overtake me! 

So the heart of Hasan was comforted, his bosom became dilated. 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 469 

and he sat conversing with the old woman until the close of the 
day; and when the night approached, all the damsels became dis¬ 
persed ; some of them entered their palaces in the city, and some 
passed the night in the tents. The old woman then took Hasan 
with her, and conducted him into the city, and she appropriated to 
him a place for himself alone, lest any one should become acquainted 
with him and inform the Queen of him, and she should slay him and 
the bringer of him. She served him herself, and inspired him with 
fear of the authority of the supreme King, the father of his wife; 
and he wept before her, and said, O my mistress, I choose death for 
myself, and hate the world, if I be not reunited with my wife and 
my children: so I will expose my life to peril, and either I shall 
attain my desire, or else I shall die. And the old woman proceeded 
to meditate upon the mode of effecting his union and interview with 
his wife, and what stratagem should be employed in the case of this 
poor man, who had cast his soul into destruction, and would not be 
restrained from pursuing the object of his desire by fear nor by any¬ 
thing else. He had become indifferent to himself; and the author 
of the proverb saith, The enamoured heareth not- the words of one 
who is free from love. The damsel above mentioned was Queen of 
the island in which they then were, and her name was Noor el- 
Huda. 48 This Queen had six 49 sisters, virgins, residing with their 
father, the supreme King, who was ruler of the seven islands and 
the districts of Wak-Wak, and the seat of government of that King 
was in the greatest of the cities of that country. His eldest daugh¬ 
ter, Noor el-Huda, was ruler over that city in which Hasan was, 
and over all its districts. 

Now the old woman, when she saw Hasan burning with desire 
to meet with his wife and his children, arose and repaired to the 
palace of the Queen Noor el-Huda, and went in to her, and kissed 
the ground before her. The old woman had a claim upon her 
for favour, because she had reared all the daughters of the King, 
and she had authority over them all, and was held in honour by 
them, and was dear unto the King. So when she went in to the 
Queen Noor el-Huda, the Queen rose to her and embraced her, 
seated her by her side, and asked her respecting her journey. She 
therefore answered her, By Allah, O my mistress, it was a blessed 
journey, and I have brought for thee with me a present which I will 

470 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

place before thee. Then she said to her, O my daughter, O Queen 
of the age and time, I have brought with me a wonderful thing, and 
I desire to shew it to thee, in order that thou mayest aid me to 
accomplish what it requireth.—And what is it? said the Queen. 
So she acquainted her with the story of Hasan from its beginning to 
its end. She trembled like the reed in the day of the stormy wind, 
until she fell down before the daughter of the King, and said to her, 
O my mistress, a person implored my protection upon the coast, and 
he was hidden beneath the settee, and I granted him protection, 
and brought him with me among the army of damsels, he being 
armed, that no one might know him, and I conducted him into the 
city. Then she said to her. And I inspired him with fear of thy 
authority, and acquainted him with thy valour and thy power ; but 
as often as I threatened him, he wept, and recited verses, and he 
said to me, I must regain my wife and my children, or I will die, 
and I will not return to my country without them. He hath ex¬ 
posed himself to peril, and come to the Islands of Wak-Wak; and 
I have not seen in my life a human being more strong of heart than 
he, nor any of greater valour; but love hath gained the utmost 
ascendancy over him.—When the Queen, however, heard her words, 
and understood the case of Hasan, she was violently enraged, and 
hung down her head for a while towards the ground. Then she 
raised her head, and, looking at the old woman, said to her, O ill- 
omened old woman, hath thy wickedness occasioned thee to convey 
males, and conduct them to the Islands of Wak-Wak, and bring 
them in unto me, without fearing my authority ? By the head of 
the King, were it not for the claim thou hast upon me on account 
of thy having reared me, I would slay thee and him this instant in 
the most abominable manner, that the travellers might be admo¬ 
nished by thine example, O accursed woman, lest any one else 
should do the like of this egregious deed which thou hast done, and 
which none was able to do before! But go forth and br ing him 
this instant, that I may see him. 

The old woman therefore went forth from before her, confounded, 
not knowing whither to go, and saying, all this calamity hath God 
sent upon me from this Queen by means of Hasan! She proceeded 
until she went in to Hasan, when she said to him, Arise: answer 
the summons of the Queen, O thou whose last day hath drawn near! 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

471 

So he arose with her, his tongue ceasing not to utter the name of 
God (extolled be it!), saying, O Allah, act graciously with me in 
thine appointment, and deliver me from the calamity which Thou 
hast sent upon me !—She went on with him until she stationed him 
before the Queen Noor el-Huda, and the old woman directed him 
on the way as to what he should say with her. And when he pre¬ 
sented himself before Noor el-Huda, he saw her with a litham over 
her face; and he kissed the ground before her, saluted her, and 
recited these two verses :— 

May God perpetuate thy glory, with happiness, and enrich thee above others 
with his gifts, 

And may our Lord increase thy glory and grandeur, and the Mighty aid thee 
against thine enemies! 

Then, when he had ended his verses, the Queen commanded the 
old woman to talk with him before her, that she might hear his 
answers. The old woman therefore said, The Queen retumeth thy 
salutation, and saith to thee, What is thy name, and from what 
country art thou, and what are the names of thy wife and thy 
children on account of whom thou hast come, and what is the name 
of thy country? So he answered her (and he had fortified his 
heart, and destiny aided him), O Queen of the age and period, and 
peerless one of the time, as to me, my T name is Hasan, the very 
mournful, and my city is El-Basrah; hut as to my wife, I know 
not her name: as to my children, however, one is named Nasir, and 
the other is named Mansoor. And when the Queen heard his words, 
she said, And whence took she her children ? He answered her, O 
Queen, from the city of Baghdad, from the palace of the Khaleefeh. 
She then said to him, And did she say to you aught at the time 
of her flying away ? He answered, She said to my mother, When 
thy son cometh, and the days of separation have become tedious to 
him, and he desireth nearness and meeting, and the winds of long¬ 
ing desire agitate him, let him come to me in the Islands of Wak- 
Wak.—And thereupon the Queen Noor el-Huda shook her head. 
Then she said to him, If she desired thee not, she had not said to 
thy mother these words; and if she did not desire thee and long for 
thine approach, she had not acquainted thee with the place of her 
abode, nor summoned thee to her country. And Hasan said, 

472 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

O mistress of Kings, and ruler over every King and pauper, I have 
acquainted thee with what hath happened, and I have not concealed 
of it aught. I implore protection of God and of thee, begging thee 
not to oppress me. Have compassion upon me, and gain the recom¬ 
pense and reward that will be given for me, and aid me to accom¬ 
plish my reunion with my wife and my children; dispel my sorrow 
and cheer mine eye by the restoration of my children, and help me 
with a sight of them.—Then he wept and yearned and lamented, 
and recited some verses. 

Upon this, the Queen Noor el-Huda hung down her head 
towards the ground and shook it for a long time; after which, she 
raised it, and said to him, I have compassionated thee and pitied 
thee, and I have determined that I will display to thee every 
damsel in the city and in the districts of my island; and if thou 
know thy wife, I will deliver her to thee; but if thou know her 
not, I will slay thee, and crucify thee upon the door of the house of 
the old woman. And Hasan replied, I accept this proposal from 
thee, O Queen of the age. He then recited these verses : — 

You have roused my desire, and remained at ease; and made my wounded 
eyelid to be wakeful, and slept: 

And you made a vow to me that you would not be backward; but when you 
bad enchained me, you acted perfidiously. 

I loved you when a child, not knowing what was love. Then slay me not; 
for I complain of oppression. 

Fear you not God, in slaying a lover who watcheth the stars while others are 
asleep ? 

By Allah, O my people, if I die, write ye on my tombstone, This was a slave 
of love. 

Perhaps a man like me, whom love hath afflicted, when he seeth my grave, 
may give me his salutation. 

And when he had ended his verses, he said, I consent to the con¬ 
dition which thou hast imposed, and there is no strength nor 
power but in God, the High, the Great!—The Queen Noor el- 
Huda then gave orders that no damsel in the city should remain 
without coming up to the palace and passing before him, and she 
ordered the old woman Shawahee herself to go down into the 
city and to bring every damsel therein to the Queen in her palace. 
The Queen proceeded to introduce the damsels to Hasan, a hundred 
after a hundred, until there remained not in the city a damsel whom 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

473 

she did not display to him. But he 
saw not his wife among them. The 
Queen asked him and said to him, 
Hast thou seen her among these ? 
And he answered her, By thy life, O 
Queen, she is not among them. And 
thereupon the rage of the Queen 
became violent against him, and she 
said to the old woman, Enter, and 
bring out every one who is in the 
palace and display them to him. But 
when she displayed to him every one 
in the palace, he saw not his wife 
among them; and he said to the 
Queen, By thy head, 0 Queen, she 
is not among them. So she was en¬ 
raged, and she cried out to those who 
were around her, saying, Take him and drag 
- I him upon his face on the ground, and smite off his head, 
lest any one after him expose himself to peril and become 
acquainted with our condition, and come unto us in our country, 
and tread our land and our islands. 

Accordingly they dragged him along upon his face, threw his 
skirt over him, bound his eyes, and stood with the swords over his 
head, waiting for permission. And upon this, Shawahee advanced 
to the Queen, kissed the ground before her, and, taking hold of her 
skirt, raised it over her head, and said to her, O Queen, by the 
claim that I have upon thee for rearing thee, hasten not to punish 
him, especially since thou knowest that this poor man is a stranger, 
who hath exposed himself to peril, and endured events that none 
hath endured before him, and God (to whom be ascribed might and 
glory!) hath saved him from death on account of the predestined 
length of his life. He had heard of thy justice, and entered thy 
country and thine asylum: therefore, if thou slay him, the news 
will be spread abroad by the travellers, respecting thee, that thou 
hatest the strangers, and slayest them. He is at all events in thy 
power, and the victim of thy sword if his wife appear not in thy 
country ; and at whatever time thou shalt desire his presence, 

VOL. III. 3 P 

474 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

I shall be able to bring him back unto thee. Moreover, I granted 
him not protection save with the desire of thy generosity, on 
account of the claim that I have upon thee for having reared thee: 
so I pledged myself to him that thou wouldst enable him to attain 
the object of his search, because I knew thy justice and thy cle¬ 
mency. Had I not known this of thee, I had not brought him into 
thy country, and said within myself, The Queen will divert herself 
by seeing him, and by hearing the verses and the charming and elo¬ 
quent words which he will utter, and which will be like strung 
pearls. This man hath entered our country and eaten our food: 
so it is expedient that we give him his due, especially since I pro¬ 
mised him an interview with thee; and thou knowest that sepa¬ 
ration is hard to endure, and knowest that separation is slaughter, 
especially separation from one’s children. Now there remaineth 
not any one of the women for us to display excepting thee: therefore 
shew him thy face. 

At this the Queen smiled, and she said, How can he be my 
husband, and have had children by me, that I should shew him my 
face ? Then she gave orders to bring him; wherefore they brought 
him in to her, and stationed him before her, and she uncovered her 
face; and when Hasan beheld it, he uttered a great cry, and fell 
down in a fit. So the old woman ceased not to sooth him until he 
recovered; and when he recovered from his fit, he recited these 
verses:— 

O zephyr that hast blown from the land of El-’Erak upon the tracts of the 
country of W4k-W£k! 

Convey to the beloved the information, for me, that I die of the bitter taste 
of love. 

O object of my love, be kind and propitious! My heart ie dissolved by the 
afflictions of separation. 

And when he had ended his verses, he arose and looked at the 
Queen, and again uttered a great cry, whereat the palace almost 
fell upon those who were in it. Then a second time he fell down 
in a fit, and the old woman, as before, ceased not to sooth him until 
he recovered, when she asked him respecting his state, and he 
replied, Verily this Queen is either my wife, or she is the most 
like, of all persons, to my wife. So the Queen said to the old 
woman, Wo to thee, O nurse! Verily this stranger is mad, or dis- 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

475 

ordered in mind; for he looketh in my face and stareth.—The old 
woman replied, O Queen, this man is excusable; therefore blame 
him not, since it is said in the proverb, For the sick of love there 
is no remedy, and he and the mad are alike.—Then Hasan wept 
violently, and recited these two verses:— 

I behold their footsteps, and melt with desire, pouring forth my tears in the 
places of their abode, 

And begging of Him who hath afflicted me by their separation that He will 
graciously vouchsafe me their return. 

After which he said to the Queen, By Allah, thou art not my wife; 
but, of all persons, thou art the most like to her. And the Queen 
Noor el-Huda laughed until she fell backwards and turned upon 
her side. She then said, O my friend, act leisurely, and observe 
me distinctly, and answer me respecting that of which I shall ask 
thee, and dismiss from thy mind insanity and perplexity and 
confusion; for relief hath approached thee. So Hasan replied, 
O mistress of Kings, and refuge of every rich person and pau¬ 
per, when I beheld thee, I became mad, seeing thee to be either 
my wife, or, of all persons, the most like to my wife; and now 
ask me concerning what thou wilt. And she said, What is there 
in thy wife that resembleth me ? He answered, O my mistress, 
all that thou hast, of beauty and loveliness, and elegance and 
amorous manner (as the justness of thy shape, and the sweetness 
of thy speech, and the redness of thy cheeks, and other things) 
resembleth her. Then the Queen looked towards Shawahee Umm 
ed-Dawahee, and said to her, O my mother, take him back to 
his place where he was with thee, and do thou thyself serve him 
until I investigate his case; and if this man be a person of gene¬ 
rosity, so that he retain the feelings of companionship and friend¬ 
ship and affection, it will be incumbent on us to aid him in the 
accomplishment of his affair, especially since he hath sojourned in 
our country and eaten our food, and endured the difficulties of 
travel, and undergone horrors and perils. But when thou hast 
conveyed him to thy house, give a charge respecting him to thy 
servants, and return to me speedily; and if it be the will of God 
(whose name be exalted!), nought but good shall happen. 

So thereupon the old woman went forth, and took Hasan, and 
having gone with him to her house, she ordered her female slaves 

476 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

and her servants and other dependants to serve him, commanding 
them to bring to him all that he required, and not to fail in doing 
what was proper for him. She then returned to the Queen with 
speed, and the Queen ordered her to arm herself, and to take with 
her a thousand brave horsemen. And the old woman Shawahee 
obeyed her command. She put on her coats of mail, and sum¬ 
moned the thousand horsemen; and when she stood before the 
Queen, and informed her that the thousand horsemen were ready, 
the Queen commanded her to go to the city of the supreme King, 
her father, and to alight at the abode of his daughter Menar es- 
Sena, 50 her sister, and to say to her, Clothe thy two sons with the 
two coats of mail which I have made for them, and send them to 
their aunt; for she is desirous of seeing them. And she said to her 
also, I charge thee, O my mother, to conceal the affair of Hasan; 
and when thou hast received the two children from her, say to her, 
Thy sister inviteth thee to visit her. Then, when she hath given 
thee her two children, and come forth with them to visit me, bring 
thou the two children speedily, and let her come at her leisure. 
Come thou by a way different from that by which she shall come, 
and let thy journey be continued night and day, and beware that no 
one become acquainted with this affair. Then I will swear by all 
oaths, that if my sister prove to be his wife, and it appear that her 
children are his children, I will not prevent his taking her, nor her 
journeying with him and with her children to his country.—And the 
old woman confided in her words, not knowing what she purposed 
in her mind; for the wicked woman had purposed in her mind, that 
if she were not his wife, and if her children did not resemble him, 
she would slay him. The Queen then said to the old woman, 
O my mother, if my imagination tell truth, my sister Menar es-Sena 
is his wife (but God is all-knowing); for these characteristics are 
hers, and all the qualities that he hath mentioned, her surpassing 
loveliness and exceeding beauty, are not found in any one except 
my sisters; and especially are they found in the youngest.—Then 
the old woman kissed her hand, and returned to Hasan, and ac¬ 
quainted him with that which the Queen had said; on his hearing 
which, his reason fled in consequence of his joy, and he arose and 
advanced to the old woman and kissed her head. But she said 
to him, O my son, kiss not my head: kiss me on my mouth, and 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

477 

let this kiss be a gratuity for thy safety. Be of good heart and 
cheerful eye, and let not thy bosom be otherwise than dilated; and 
dislike not kissing me on my mouth, for I have been the cause of 
thine interview with her. Comfort thy heart and thy mind, and be 
not otherwise than with dilated bosom, cheerful eye, and tranquil 
soul.—She then bade him farewell, and departed. 

The old woman equipped herself with her arms, and, taking 
with her a thousand armed horsemen, repaired to that island in 
which was the sister of the Queen, and she proceeded until she 
came to the Queen’s sister. Between the city of Noor el-Huda and 
that of her sister was a space of three days’ journey. And when 
Shawahee arrived at the city, and went up to the Queen’s sister, 
Menar es-Sena, she saluted her, and gave her the salutation of her 
sister Noor el-Huda, acquainted her with her sister’s desire to see 
her and her children, and informed her that the Queen Noor el- 
Huda reproved her for not visiting her. So the Queen Menar es- 
Sena replied, Yerily I am indebted to my sister, and I have been 
deficient in the duty I owe her, in my not visiting her; but I will 
visit her now. She then gave orders to take forth her tents to thei 
outside of the city, and took with her for her sister a present and 
rarities suitable to her. And her father the King, looking from the 
windows of the palace, saw the tents pitched. He therefore asked 
respecting them; and they answered him, The Queen Menar es- 
Sena hath pitched her tents in that route; for she desireth to visit 
her sister Noor el-Huda. And when the King heard thereof, he 
prepared for her some troops to conduct her to her sister, and took 
forth from his treasuries, of riches, and of food and drink, and of 
rarities and jewels, what words would fail to describe. The seven 
daughters of the King were of one father and one mother, except 
the youngest: the eldest was named Noor el-Huda; the second, 
Nejm es-Sabah; the third, Shems ed-Doha; the fourth, Shejeret ed- 
Durr; the fifth, Koot el-Kuloob; the sixth, Sharaf el-Benat; and the 
seventh, Menar es-Sena; 51 and she was the youngest of them, and 
was the wife of Hasan, and she was their sister by the father’s side 
only. Then the old woman came and kissed the ground before 
Menar es-Sena. So Menar es-Sena said to her, Hast thou any 
want, O my mother? And she answered her, The Queen Noor el- 
Huda, thy sister, desireth thee to change the apparel of thy two 

478 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

sons and to clothe them with the two coats 
of mail which she hath made for them, and 
to send them with me unto her, and I will 
take them and go on before with them, 
and will be the announcer of the glad 
tidings of thy coming to her. But when 
Menar es-Sena heard the words of the old 
woman, she hung down her head towards 
the ground, and her complexion had 
changed; and she ceased not to hang 
down her head for a long time. Then she 
shook her head, and, raising it towards 
the old woman, said to her, O my mo¬ 
ther, my mind was violently agitated, 
and my heart throbbed, when thou men- 
tionedst my children; for from the time of their 
birth none of the Jinn nor any of mankind hath 
seen their faces, neither female nor male, and I am 
jealous, for them, of the zephyr when it bloweth in the night. So 
the old woman said to her, What are these words, O my mistress ? 
Dost thou fear, on their account, thy sister 1 Allah preserve thy 
reason! If thou wouldst disobey the Queen in this thing, thou 
couldst not disobey; for she would reprove thee. However, O 
my mistress, thy children are young, and thou art excusable in 
fearing for them, and the loving is addicted to evil imagination. 
But, O my daughter, thou knowest my kindness and my love for 
thee and for thy children, and I reared you before them. I will 
receive them and take them, and spread for them my cheek as a 
carpet, and open my heart and put them within it, and I require 
no charge respecting them in such a case as this. Therefore be of 
good heart and cheerful eye, and send them to her, and at most I 
shall be before thee one day or two.—She ceased not to urge her 
until her temper was softened, and she feared the anger of her 
sister, and knew not what was concealed from her in the secret pur¬ 
pose of God.- So she consented to send them with the old woman, 
and, having called for them, she bathed them and made them ready, 
changed their apparel, clad them with the two coats of mail, and 
delivered them to the old woman. 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

479 

She therefore took them and proceeded with them like a bird, 
by a different way from that by which their mother was going, as 
the Queen Noor el-Huda had charged her. She ceased not to 
prosecute her journey with diligence, fearing for them, until she 
arrived with them at the city of the Queen Noor el-Huda. She 
crossed the river with them, entered the city, and went with them 
to the Queen their aunt; and when the Queen saw them, she re¬ 
joiced at their arrival, embraced them and pressed them to her 
bosom, and seated one upon her right thigh, and the other upon her 
left thigh. Then she looked towards the old woman, and said to 
her, Bring now Hasan; for I have given him my protection, and 
granted him deliverance from my sword, and he hath sought defence 
in my mansion, and alighted in my abode, after having endured hor¬ 
rors and difficulties, and escaped the causes of death that were at¬ 
tended by increasing anxiety, yet to the present time hath not 
become secure from drinking the cup of death, and from the stopping 
of his breath. The old woman therefore said to her, If I bring him 
before thee, wilt thou reunite him and them; and if it appear not 
that they are his children, wilt thou pardon him, and send him back 
to his country? But when the Queen heard her words, she was 
violently enraged, and said, Wo to thee, O ill-omened old woman! 
How long shall continue this guile in the affair of this stranger, who 
hath emboldened himself against us, and removed our veil, and be¬ 
come acquainted with our circumstances ? Doth he imagine that he 
can come to our country, and see our faces, and soil our reputations, 
and return to his country in safety, and disgrace us in his country 
and among his people, and that our story shall reach all the Kings 
in the regions of the earth, and the merchants travel about relating 
our story in every quarter, and saying, A human being hath entered 
the Islands of Wak-Wak, and crossed the countries of the enchan¬ 
ters and sorcerers, and trod the Land of the Jan and the Lands of the 
Wild Beasts and the Birds, and returned in safety? This shall 
never be. I swear by the Creator of Heaven, and its Architect, and 
the Expander of the Earth, and its Spreader, and the Creator of 
the Creatures, and their Numberer, if they be not his children, I 
will surely slay him, and I will be the smiter off of his head with 
mine own hand!—She then cried out at the old woman, who there¬ 
upon fell down through fear; and she set upon her the chamberlain 

480 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

and twenty memlooks, and said to them, Go with this old woman, 
and bring me the young man who is in her house, with speed. 

So the old woman went forth, dragged along, with the chamber¬ 
lain and the memlooks; and her complexion had turned sallow, and 
the muscles of her side quivered. She proceeded to her abode, and 
went in to Hasan; and when she went in to him, he rose to her and 
kissed her hands and saluted her. She, however, saluted not him; 
but said to him. Arise, and answer the summons of the Queen. Did 
I not say to thee, Return to thy country—and did I not forbid thy 
doing all this ? But thou heardest not my words. And did I not 
say to thee, I will give thee what none is able to procure, and re¬ 
turn thou to thy country soon? But thou obeyedst me not, nor 
heardest my words, but actedst contrary to my advice, and chosest 
destruction for me and for thyself. Take then what thou hast 
chosen; for death is near. Arise; answer the summons of this 
wicked, sinful, oppressive, tyrannical woman.—So Hasan arose, 
broken-spirited, with mourning heart, fearing, and saying, 0 
God of peace, preserve me! O Allah, act graciously with me 
in the trial which Thou hast decreed to fall upon me, and pro¬ 
tect me, O most merciful of those who shew mercy!—And he 
had despaired of life. He repaired with the twenty mem¬ 
looks and the chamberlain and the 
old woman, and they went in to 
the Queen with Hasan, who found 
his two sons Nasir and Mansoor sit¬ 
ting in her lap, and she was playing 
with them, and cheering them by 
conversation. When his eye fell 
upon them, he knew them, and, 
uttering a great cry, fell upon the 
floor in a fit by reason of the violence 
of his joy at seeing his two children; 
and when he recovered, he knew his 
children, and they knew him, and 
natural affection moved them so that 
they extricated themselves from the 
lap of the Queen, and stood by 
Hasan; and God (to whom be 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

481 

ascribed might and glory!) caused them to utter the exclamation, 
O our father! Upon this, the old woman and the rest who were 
present wept in compassion and pity for them, and said, Praise 
be to God, who hath reunited you to your father! And when 
Hasan recovered from his fit, he embraced his children. Then he 
wept until he fainted again; and having recovered from his fit, he 
recited these verses:— 

By your existence, my heart would be unable to endure separation even if 
union were perdition! 

Your phantom saith to me, We shall meet to-morrow. Shall I live, in spite 
of the enemies, till the morrow ? 

By your existence, O my mistress, since the day of your separation, the sweets 
of life have never delighted me! 

If God decree my death on account of my love of you, I will die loving you 
among the greatest of martyrs . 52 

Oft doth a gazelle make my heart her pasturage; but her person, like sleep, 
- hath fled from mine eye. 

If she deny, in the battle-field of law, the fact of her shedding my blood, on 
her cheeks it beareth witness. 

But when the Queen had certified herself that the little-ones 
were the children of Hasan, and that her sister, the lady Menar es- 
Sena, was his wife, in search of whom he had come, she was enraged 
against her with a violent rage, not to he exceeded; and she cried out 
in the face of Hasan, who fainted thereupon; and when he reco¬ 
vered from his fit, he recited these verses: 

You are distant; but to my mind you are the nearest of people: and you are 
absent; but in my heart you are still present. 

By Allah, I have not turned from you to another; but I bear with patience 
the tyranny of fortune. 

Nights pass and end while I still love you, and in my heart is a flame, and a 
raging fire. 

I was one who consented not to an hour’s estrangement. How then must be 
my case when months have passed over me? 

I am jealous when a zephyr bloweth upon you. Verily I am jealous for the 
beautiful, soft damsel. 

Then, having ended his verses, he fell down again in a fit; and when 
he recovered, he saw that they had taken him forth, dragged along 
upon his face. So he arose and walked, stumbling upon his skirts, 
and not believing in his escape from that which he had suffered 

3 Q 

VOL. III. 

482 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

from her; and this was grevious to the old woman Shawahee; hut 
she could not address the Queen on the subject of his case by reason 
of the violence of her anger. Now when Hasan went forth from 
the palace, he became perplexed, not knowing whither to go, nor 
to what place to come, nor whither to repair. The world, with 
its amplitude, became strait unto him, and he found not any one to 
converse with him and cheer him by his company, nor any one 
to comfort him, nor any one of whom to ask advice, nor any one to 
whom to resort and to whom to apply for refuge. He therefore made 
sure of destruction; for he was unable to travel, and knew not any 
one with whom to travel, nor knew he the way, nor was he able to 
traverse the Valley of the Jan, and the Land of the Wild Beasts, 
and the Islands of the Birds : therefore he despaired of life. Then 
he wept for himself until he fainted; and when he recovered, he 
thought upon his children and his wife, and her coming to her sister, 
and thought upon what might happen to her with the Queen, her 
sister. He repented of his having come to this country, and of his 
not having attended to the words of any one ; and he recited some 
mournful verses; after which he ceased not to walk on until he 
went forth to the outside of the city, when he found the river, and 
he proceeded along its bank, not knowing whither to repair. 

But as to his wife, Menar es-Sena, she desired to set forth on 
her journey on the second day after that on which the old woman 
set forth. While, however, she was meditating to depart, lo, the 
chamberlain of the King her father came in to her, and kissed the 
ground before her, and said to her, O Queen, thy father the supreme 
King saluteth thee and calleth thee to him. So she arose and re¬ 
paired with the chamberlain to her father to see what he wanted. 
And when her father saw her, he seated her by his side upon the 
couch, and. said to her, O my daughter, know that I have seen this 
last night a vision, and I fear for thee in consequence thereof, and 
fear that there will occur to thee, from this thy journey, long- 
continued anxiety. She therefore said to him, Wherefore, O my 
father; and what didst thou see in thy sleep ? And he answered, 
I beheld as though I entered a repository of treasure, and saw in it 
great riches, and jewels and jacinths in abundance, and as though 
there pleased me not in all that treasure, nor among all those 
jewels, aught save seven beads, which were the most beautiful of 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

483 

the things there. And I chose, of the seven jewels, one, which 
was the smallest of them, and the most beautiful of them, and the 
most excellent of them in brilliancy; and it seemed as though I 
took it in my hand, when its beauty pleased me, and went forth 
with it from the repository of treasure. But when I went forth 
from its door, I opened my hand, being joyful, and turned over the 
jewel; and lo, a strange bird had approached from a distant coun- 
try—it was not of the birds of our country—and it pounced down 
upon me from the sky, seized the jewel from my hand, and returned 
with it to the place whence it had come . 53 So anxiety and sorrow 
and vexation came upon me, and I was affected with exceeding 
terror, which roused me from my sleep, and I awoke mournful, 
lamenting the loss of that jewel. Therefore when I awoke, I sum¬ 
moned the interpreters and expounders, and related to them'my 
dream; and they said to me, Thou hast seven daughters, the 
youngest of whom thou wilt lose, and she will be taken from thee 
forcibly, without thy consent. Now thou, O my daughter, art the 
youngest of my daughters, and the dearest of them in my estima¬ 
tion, and the most generous of them to me; and now thou art 
about to journey to thy sister, and I know not what will befall 
thee from her: therefore go not; but return to thy palace.—And 
when Menar es-Sena heard the words of her father, her heart 
throbbed, and she feared for her children, and hung down her head 
for a while towards the ground. Then she raised her head towards 
her father, and said to him, O King, verily the Queen Noor el- 
Huda hath prepared for me an entertainment, and she is expecting 
my coming to her hour after hour. For four years she hath not 
seen me, and if I delay visiting her, she will be incensed against 
me; and the utmost period of my stay with her will be a month, 
after which I shall be with thee again. Besides, who is this person 
who can invade our country, and gain access to the Islands of 
Wak-Wak ? And who can gain access to the White Land, and 
the Black Mountain, and come to the Island of Camphor, and the 
Castle of Crystal ; 54 and how can he traverse the Valley of the 
Birds; then the Valley of the Wild Beasts; then the Valley of 
the Jan; and then enter our Islands ? If any stranger came in to 
them, he would be drowned in the seas of destructions^ Therefore 
let thy soul be happy and thine eye be cheerful with regard to my 

484 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

journey; for no one hath power to tread our land.—And she ceased 
not to persuade him until he granted her permission to go. He 
then ordered a thousand horsemen to journey with her, to conduct 
her to the river, and there to remain until she should arrive at the 
city of her sister and enter her sister’s palace. He also ordered 
them to remain with her till they should take her and bring her 
back to her father; and her father charged her that she should 
remain with her sister two days only, and then return speedily. So 
she said, I hear and obey. 

She then arose and went forth, and her father went forth with 
her, and bade her farewell. The words of her father had made an 
impression upon her heart, and she feared for her children; but 
fortifying oneself by caution against the assault of destiny is of no 
avail. She prosecuted her journey with diligence for three days 
with their nights, until she arrived at the river, and pitched her 
tents on its bank. Then she crossed the river, having with her 
some of her pages and other followers, and her wezeers; and when 
she anived at the city of the Queen Noor el-Huda, she ascended to 
the palace, and went in to her; and she saw her children weeping 
by her, and crying out, O our father! So the tears flowed from 
her eyes, and she wept, and, pressing her children to her bosom, 
she said to them, Have ye seen your father? Would that the hour 
had never been when I parted from him! And if I knew that he 
were in the abode of the world, I would convey you to him.—She 
then lamented for herself and for her husband and for the weeping 
of her children, and recited these verses:— 

My beloved, notwithstanding distance and cruelty, I desire you and incline to 
you, wherever you are. 

And mine eye looketh towards your home, and my heart lamenteth that the 
days when you were with me are past. 

How many nights have we passed without suspicion, loving one another, 
fidelity and kindness rejoicing us! 

But when her sister saw that she pressed her children to her bosom, 
and said, I have occasioned this to befall myself and my children, 
and have made my house desolate—she saluted her not: on the 
contrary, she said to her, O wicked woman, how hadst thou these 
children ? Hast thou married without the knowledge of thy father, 
or hast thou formed an unlawful connection ? If thou have done 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

485 

this, thou must be severely punished; and if thou have married 
without our knowledge, wherefore didst thou quit thy husband and 
take thy children, separating them from their father, and come to 
our country. Moreover thou hast concealed thy children from us. 
Dost thou imagine that we knew not that ? By Allah (whose name 
be exalted!), who knoweth all secrets, thy case hath been made 
manifest to us, and thy state hath been revealed, and thy shameful 
secrets have been exposed. — Then, after that, she ordered her 
guards to lay hold upon her. So they seized her, and she bound 
her hands behind her, shackled her with shackles of iron, and in¬ 
flicted upon her a painful beating, so that she lacerated her skin; 
and she suspended her by her hair, put her into a prison, and wrote 
a letter to the supreme King, her father, informing him of her 
story, and saying to him,— 

There hath appeared in our country a man of the human race, 
and my sister, Menar es-Sena, asserteth that she hath married him 

486 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

lawfully and had by him two sons, whom she hath concealed from 
us and from thee; but she revealed not aught respecting herself 
until that man, who is of the human race, came to us. His name 
is Hasan, and he hath informed us that he married her, and that 
she resided with him a long time; after which she took her children 
and departed without his knowledge, having told his mother, at her 
departure, and said to her, Say to thy son, when he hath a longing 
to see me, that he must come to the Islands of Wak-Wak. So we 
seized the man in our abode, and I sent to her the old woman 
Shawahee to bring her to me, together with her children; where¬ 
fore she fitted herself out and came. And I had ordered the old 
woman to bring to me her children first, and to come on in advance 
to me with them, before the arrival of their mother. Accordingly 
the old woman came with the children before her arrival. Then I 
sent to the man who asserted her to be his wife; and when he came 
in to me, and saw the children, he knew them. So I was certified 
that they were his children and that she was his wife, and I knew 
that the saying of the man was true, that there was no disgraceful¬ 
ness in him, and I saw that the turpitude and disgracefulness were 
in my sister. I therefore feared that we should be dishonoured in 
the opinion of the people of our islands; and when this wicked, 
deceitful woman came in to me, I was incensed against her, and 
inflicted upon her a painful beating, and suspended her by her hair. 
Now I have acquainted thee with her story; and it is thine to 
command: whatever thou shalt order us to do, we will do it. Thou 
knowest that this thing is attended with dishonour to us, and with 
disgrace to us and to thee; for probably the people of the islands 
will hear thereof, and we shall become among them an example; 
wherefore it is expedient that thou return us a reply speedily. 

She gave the letter to the messenger, who went with it to the 
King; and when the supreme King read it, he was violently en¬ 
raged against his daughter Menar es-Sena, and wrote to his daughter 
Noor el-Huda a letter, in which he said to her, I have committed 
her case unto thee, and given thee power over her life; and if the 
thing be as thou hast said, slay her, and consult me not respecting 
her case. So when the letter of her father came to her, and she 
read it, she sent to Menar es-Sena, and caused her to be brought 
before her. She was drowned in her blood, having her hands bound 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

487 

behind her with her hair, shackled with heavy shackles of iron, and 
upon her was apparel of hair cloth. They stationed her before the 
Queen,'and she stood abject and abased; and when she beheld her¬ 
self in this state of great abasement, and excessive contempt, she 
reflected upon her former glory, and wept violently, and recited 
these two verses :— 

O my Lord, the enemies are attempting to destroy me, and imagine that I 
cannot escape from them. 

I have recourse to Thee to annul what they have done ! O my Lord, Thou 
art the refuge of the fearful, the suppliant ! 

And again she wept violently, imtil she fell down in a fit; and when 
she recovered, she recited some other verses. 

Her sister then caused a ladder of wood to be brought to her, 
and extended her upon it, and ordered the servants to bind her upon 
her back on the ladder, stretched forth her arms and tied them with 
cords, uncovered her head, and wound her hair upon the ladder; 
and pity for her had been eradicated from her heart. So when 
Menar es-Sena beheld herself in this state of abasement and con¬ 
tempt, she cried out and wept: but no one aided her. She said to 
the Queen, O my sister, how is it that thy heart is hardened against 
me, and thou hast no mercy on me, nor hast mercy on these little 
infants ? But when she heard these words, her hardness of heart 
increased, and she reviled her, and said to her, O wanton! O 
wicked woman! may God shew no mercy to the person who sheweth 
mercy to thee! How can I have pity on thee, O deceitful woman ? 
—So Menar es-Sena, lying stretched (as above described), said to 
her, I appeal against thee to the Lord of Heaven with regard to 
that wherewith thou reproachest me, and I am innocent of it. By 
Allah, I have not formed an unlawful connection; but I married 
him legally; and my Lord knoweth whether my words be true or 
not/ My heart is incensed against thee on account of the excessive 
hardness of thy heart towards me. How is it that thou accusest me 
of dishonesty without knowledge thereof ? But my Lord will de¬ 
liver me from thee; and if the accusation of dishonesty that thou 
hast brought against me be true, God will punish me for it.—And 
her sister meditated in her mind when she heard her words, and 
said to her, How is it that thou addressest me with these words ? 

488 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

Then she arose and advanced to her, and beat her until she fainted; 
and they sprinkled water upon her face till she recovered. Her 
charms had become changed by reason of the violence of the beating, 
and the tightness of the bonds, and the excessive insult that she had 
experienced; and she recited these two verses :— 

If I have committed a crime, and done an iniquitous deed, 

I repent of what hath passed, and have come to you begging pardon. 

But when Noor el-Huda heard her verses, she was violenty incensed, 
and said to her. Dost thou speak, O wicked woman, before me in 
verse, and seek to excuse thyself for the heinous sins that thou hast 
committed? It was my desire that thou shouldst return to thy 
husband, in order that I might witness thy wickedness and thy tur¬ 
pitude ; for thou gloriest in the wickedness and shameful conduct 
and heinous sins that have proceeded from thee.—She then ordered 
the pages to bring her the palm-stick: so they brought it; and she 
arose and tucked up the sleeves from her arms, and fell to beating 
her from her head to her feet; after which she called for a plaited 
whip, such that if an elephant were beaten with it he would trot 
with speed; and she fell to beating her with that whip upon her 
back and her stomach and all her limbs until she fainted.—Now 
when the old woman Shawahee saw this that the Queen did, she 
went forth fleeing from before her, and weeping and cursing her. 
But the Queen cried out to the servants, and said to them, Bring 
her to me! So they ran together after her, and laid hold upon her, 
and brought her before the Queen, who gave orders to throw her 
upon the ground, and said to the female slaves, Drag her along on 
her face, and turn her out. Accordingly they dragged her and 
turned her out from before the Queen. 

As to Hasan, however, he arose with firmness, and walked along 
the bank of the river, and turned his face towards the desert. He 
was perplexed, anxious, despairing of life, and he had become con¬ 
founded, not knowing night from day, by reason of the violence of 
the afflictions that had befallen him. He ceased not to walk on 
until he came to a tree, and he found upon it a paper suspended. 
So he took it with his hand, and looked at it; and lo, on it were 
written these verses :— 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

489 

I disposed thine affair at the time when thou wast in thy mother’s womb, 

And inclined her heart to thee so that she fostered thee in her bosom. 

We will suffice thee in matters that occasion thee anxiety and sorrow. 

So submit to us, and arise. We will aid thee in thine enterprise. 

And when he had finished reading the paper, he felt sure of escape 
from trouble, and of effecting his reunion. Then he went on two 
steps, and found himself alone in a desert, perilous place, without 
any one by whose society to cheer himself; wherefore his reason 
fled in consequence of his solitude and fear, the muscles of his side 
quivered on account of this fearful place, and he recited some 
verses. 

After that, he proceeded along the hank of the river two steps 
further, and he found two young hoys, of the sons of the enchanters 
and sorcerers. Before them was a rod of brass, engraved with talis¬ 
mans, and by the side of the rod was a cap 55 of leather, the crown 
of which was composed of three triangular pieces, whereon were 
worked, in steel, names, and characters of seals. The rod and the 
cap were thrown upon the ground, and the two boys were disputing 
and heating each other on account of them, so that blood flowed 
from them, while this said, None shall take the rod but I—and the 

490 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

other said, None shall take the rod but I. So Hasan interposed 
between them, and disengaged them, one from the other, and said 
to them, What is the cause of this contention ? And they answered 
him, O uncle, judge between us ; for God (whose name be exalted!) 
hath sent thee to us in order that thou shouldst decide between us 
justly. He therefore said, Relate to me your story, and I will judge 
between you. And one of them said to him, We are two brothers by 
the same father and mother, and our father was one of the great en¬ 
chanters. He resided in a cavern in this mountain, and he died, 
leaving to us this cap and this rod; and my brother saith, None 
shall take the rod but I—and I say, None shall take it but I. So 
judge between us, and deliver us, one from another.—Therefore 
when Hasan heard their words, he said to them, What is the differ¬ 
ence between the rod and the cap, and what is their value ? For 
the rod, in appearance, is worth six jedeeds , 56 and the cap is worth 
three jedeeds.—They replied, Thou knowest not their virtues. And 
he said to them, What are their virtues ? They answered him, In 
each of them is a wonderful secret property ; for the rod is worth 
the revenue of the Islands of Wak-Wak with their districts, and the 
cap in like manner. So Hasan said to one of them, O my son, By 
Allah, discover to me their secret properties. And he replied, O 
uncle, verily their secret properties are extraordinary; for our father 
lived a hundred and thirty-five years applying himself to the contriv¬ 
ance of them until he finished them in the most perfect manner, 
ingrafted in them the secret virtues, made use of them for extraordi¬ 
nary services, designed upon them the similitude of the revolving 
firmament, and dissolved, by their means, all talismanic charms; 
and when he had finished the contrivance of them, death, which 
every one must experience, overtook him. Now as to the cap, its 
secret property is this: that whosoever putteth it on his head, he is 
concealed from the eyes of all people, and no one seeth him as long 
as it remaineth on his head. And as to the rod, this is its secret 
property: that whosoever possesseth it, he hath authority over seven 
tribes of the Jinn, and all of them will serve that rod: all of them 
will be under his command and authority; and every one who pos¬ 
sesseth it, and in whose hand it is, when he smiteth with it the 
ground, its Kings will humble themselves to him, and all the Jinn 
will be at his service. 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

491 

When Hasan heard these words, he hung down his head for a 
while towards the ground. Then he said within himself, By Allah, 
I shall surely be rendered triumphant by means of this rod and this 
cap, if it be the will of God (whose name be exalted!), and I am 
more worthy of them than they. So I will immediately employ a 
stratagem to take them from them, that I may have recourse to 
their aid for my deliverance and the deliverance of my wife and my 
children from this tyrannical Queen, and we will journey from this 
dismal place, from which there is [otherwise] no deliverance nor 
flight for any one of mankind. Probably God sent me not to these 
two youths save for the purpose of my getting from them the rod 
and the cap.—He then raised his head towards the two youths, and 
said to them, If ye desire the decision of the case, I will make a 
trial of you, and he who overcometh his companion shall take the 
rod, and he who faileth shall take the cap; for if I make trial of you 
and discern between you, I shall know what each of you deserveth. 
And they replied, 0 uncle, we depute thee to make trial of us, and 
to judge between us as thou choosest. Hasan said to them, Will 
ye attend to my words, and have regard to what I shall say ? They 
answered him, Yes. And Hasan said to them, I will take a stone 
and throw it, and the one of you who getteth first to it, and taketh 
it before his companion, shall take the rod; and he who is last, and 
reacheth it not, shall take the cap. And they replied, We accept 
from thee this proposal, and we are content with it. Then Hasan 
took a stone, and threw it with all his force, and it went out of 
sight. The two youths therefore hastened together after it; and 
when they were at a distance, Hasan took the cap and put it on, 
and he took the rod in his hand, and removed from his place to see 
the truth of that which they had said with respect to the secret of 
their father. And the younger boy got first to the stone and took 
it, and he returned with it to the place in which was Hasan, and 
saw no trace of him. So he called out to his brother, and said to 
him, Where is the man who judgeth between us ? And he answered, 
I see him not, nor know I whether he hath ascended to the highest 
heaven, or descended to the lowest earth. They searched for him, 
and saw him not; and Hasan was standing in his place. Therefore 
they reviled one another, and said, The rod and the cap are gone : 

they are neither mine nor thine; and our father said to us these 
very words; but we forgot what he told us. 

They then retraced their steps, and Hasan entered the city, wear¬ 
ing the cap, and having in his hand the rod, and none of the people 
saw him. He entered the palace, ascended to the place in which was 
Shawahee Zat ed-Dawahee, 57 and went in to her, still wearing the 
cap, and she saw him not. Then he walked on until he drew near 
to a shelf which was over her head, and on which were vessels of 
glass and China-ware; and he shook it with his hand so that the 
things that were upon it fell on the floor. So Shawahee Zat ed- 
Dawahee cried out, and slapped her face; and she arose and restored 
what had fallen to their places, 58 saying within herself, By Allah, 1 
imagine not aught but that the Queen Noor el-Huda hath sent to 
me a devil, and that he hath done to me this deed. I therefore beg 
God (whose name be exalted!) to deliver me from her, and to pre¬ 
serve me from her anger. 0 my Lord, if this is her abominable 
conduct to her sister, beating and suspending her, when she is dear 
in the estimation of her father, how will she act with the stranger 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

493 

like myself, when she is incensed against her ?—Then she said, I 
conjure thee, O devil, by the Most Compassionate, the Beneficent, 
the Great in dignity, the Mighty in dominion, the Creator of man¬ 
kind and the Jan, and by the characters upon the seal of Suleyman 
the son of Daood (on both of whom be peace!), that thou speak to 
me and reply to me! So Hasan replied to her and said to her, I 
am not a devil: I am Hasan the distracted, the confounded, the 
perplexed. He then pulled oif the cap from his head; whereupon 
he appeared to the old woman, and she knew him, and, having taken 
him into a private place, she said to him, What hath happened to 
thy reason, that thou hast come hither? Go; hide thyself; for this 
iniquitous woman hath inflicted tortures upon thy-wife, though she 
is her sister: how then will she act if she light upon thee?—And 
she related to him all that had befallen his wife, describing to him 
her present state of distress and punishment and torture; and in 
like manner she described to him the torture that had befallen her¬ 
self; after which she said to him, Verily the Queen repented of her 
having liberated thee, and hath sent to thee one to bring thee to 
her, promising that she will give him a hundredweight of gold, and 
place him in my post in her service. She hath also sworn that if 
they bring thee back, she will slay thee, and slay thy wife and 
thy children.—Then the old woman wept, and discovered to Hasan 
what the Queen had done to her; whereupon Hasan also wept, and 
he said, O my mistress, how is it possible to escape from this country 
and from this tyrannical Queen; and what is the stratagem that will 
enable me to deliver my wife and my children, and to return with 
them to my country? The old woman replied, Wo to thee! Save 
thyself!—But he said, I must deliver her, and deliver my children 
from the Queen by force.—How, said the old woman, wilt thou 
deliver them from her by force ? Go and hide thyself, O my son, 
until God (whose name be exalted!) shall permit. 

Hasan therefore shewed her the rod of brass and the cap; and 
when the old woman saw them, she rejoiced in them exceed¬ 
ingly, and said to him, Extolled be the perfection of Him who re- 
animateth the bones when they are rotten! By Allah, O my son, 
thou and thy wife were nought but of the number of the perishing, 
and now, O my son, thou and thy wife and thy children are saved; 

494 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

for I know the rod, and know who was its owner; he having been 
my sheykh, who taught me enchantment. He was an egregious 
enchanter: he persevered a hundred and thirty-five years until he 
skilfully made this rod and this cap; and when the making of them 
in this manner was finished, death, which is inevitable, overtook him. 
And I heard him say to his two sons, O my two sons, these two 
things are not of your lot; for a person, a stranger to the country, 
will come and take them from you by force, and ye will not know 
how he will take them. So they said, O our father, inform us how 
he will be able to take them. But he replied, I know not that. 
How then wast thou able, O my son, to take them?—He therefore 
told her how he took them from the two boys; and when he told her, 
she rejoiced thereat, and said to him, O my son, as thou hast enabled 
thyself to gain possession of thy wife and thy children, hear what I 
will say to thee. I can no longer reside in the abode of this wicked 
woman, since she hath assaulted me and tormented me. I am about 
to depart from her to the cavern of the enchanters, to reside with 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

495 

them and to live with them until I die. Now do thou, O my son, 
put on the cap, and take the rod in thy hand; then go in to thy wife 
and thy children, in the place in which they are, and strike the 
ground with the rod, and say, O servants of these names! There¬ 
upon their servants will come up to thee; and if one of the chiefs 
of the tribes come up to thee, command him to do as thou shalt 
desire and choose. 

He then bade her farewell, and departed, and, having put on 
the cap, and taken the rod with him, he entered the place in which 
was his wife. He saw her in a state approaching to annihilation, 
extended upon the ladder, with her hair bound to it, and with 
weeping eye and mourning heart, in the most evil condition, not 
knowing any way to effect her deliverance. Her children were 
beneath the ladder playing, and she was looking at them, and 
weeping for them and for herself, on account of the things that had 
happened to her and befallen her, and the torment and painful 
beating and most violent punishment that she suffered; and when 
he saw her thus in the most evil of conditions, he heard her recite 
these verses:—• 

There remaineth not aught save a flitting breath, and an eye whose owner is 
confounded , 59 

And a desirous lover whose bowels are burned with fire, notwithstanding 
which she is silent. 

The exulting foe pitieth her at the sight of her. Alas for her whom the 
exulting foe pitieth! 

When Hasan saw the torment and abasement and contempt that 
she was suffering, he wept until he fainted, and on his recovering, 
and seeing his children playing, and their mother in a fit of insensi¬ 
bility, by reason of the excess of her pain, he removed the cap from 
his head; whereupon they cried out, O our father! Then he 
covered his head again, and their mother recovered from her fit on 
hearing their cry, and saw not her husband, but only saw her 
children weeping, and crying out, O our father! So she wept when 
she heard them mention their father and weep: her heart broke, 
and her bowels were cut in pieces, and she called out, with a liver 
that was burst, and a painful heart, Where are ye, and where is 
your father ? Then she reflected upon the times of her union with 

496 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

him, and reflected upon the events that had befallen her since his 
separation, and wept violently, so that her tears ulcerated her 
cheeks, and wetted the ground. Her cheeks became drowned in 
her tears, by the excess of her weeping, and she had not a hand at 
liberty that she might wipe away her tears with it from her cheeks. 
The flies were satiated with feeding upon her skin, and she found 
for herself no aider save weeping, and consoling herself by reciting 
verses. And when Hasan heard her verses, he wept until he 
fainted; his tears ran down upon bis cheeks like rain, and, drawing 
near to the children, he removed the cap; and when they saw him, 
they knew him, and cried out saying, O our father! So their 
mother wept again on hearing them mention their father, and said, 
There is no means of avoiding what God hath decreed. And she 
said within herself, O wonderful! What is the cause of their men¬ 
tion of their father at this time, and their calling to him ?—Then 
she wept, and recited these verses:— 

The country is destitute of the rising moon! O mine eye, pour forth over¬ 
flowing tears! 

They have gone, and how can I be patient after their departure ? I swear that 
I have neither heart nor patience. 

O you who have departed, but whose abode is in my heart, will you, after this, 
O my master, return ? 

What harm if they return and I enjoy their society, and they feel pity for the 
overflowing of my tears, and my anguish? 

They made mine eyes misty on the day of departure, through astonishment, 
and the fire of my bosom is not extinguished. 

I desired their remaining; but fortune opposed me with respect to them, and 
disappointed my desire by separation. 

By Allah, O object of our love, return to us; for my tears have flowed suffi¬ 
ciently for your absence! 

So Hasan could no longer abstain from removing the cap from 
his head, and his wife saw him; and when she knew him, she 
uttered a cry that alarmed all who were in the palace. She then 
said to him, How earnest thou hither ? Hast thou descended from 
the sky, or risen from the earth ?—And her eyes filled with tears: 
therefore Hasan also wept; and she said to him, O man, this is not 
a time for weeping, nor is it a time for reproach. Fate hath had 
its course, and the sight was blinded, and the pen hath written what 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

497 

God decreed from eternity. 

I conjure thee by Allah to 
tell me whence thou hast 
come. Go and hide thyself, 
lest any one see thee and in¬ 
form my sister thereof and 
she slaughter me and slaugh¬ 
ter thee also. — Hasan re¬ 
plied, O my mistress, and 
mistress.of every Queen, I 
have exposed my life to 
peril and come hither, and 
either I will die, or I will 
deliver thee from the predi¬ 
cament in which thou art, 
and I and thou and my chil¬ 
dren will journey to my 
country, in spite of this 
wicked woman, thy sister. 

But when she heard his 
words, she smiled and 
laughed, and shook her head 
for a long time, and said to 
him, Far, O my soul, far is 
me that any one should del 
from the predicament in whit 
excepting God, whose name 
alted! So save thyself, and depart, 
and cast not thyself into destruction ; for she hath numerous 
and heavily-equipped troops whom no one can confront. And 
suppose thou tookest me and wentest forth; how canst thou 
make thy way to thy country, and how can we escape from 
these islands, and the difficulties of these places ? Thou hast seen, 
in thy way, wonders and strange things and horrors and troubles 
such as scarcely can one of the refractory Jinn escape. Go there¬ 
fore soon, and increase not my anxiety nor my sorrow ; and pretend 
not that thou wilt deliver me from this state ; for who will convey 
me to thy country across these valleys and thirsty lands and fatal 

3 s 

VOL. III. 

498 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

places ?—Hasan thereupon said to her, By thy life, O light of mine 
eye, I will not go forth hence, nor will I journey forth, save with 
thee. She rejoined, O man, how canst thou do this thing ? What 
is thy nature ? For thou knowest not what thou sayest. If thou 
hadst dominion over Jan and ’Efreets, and enchanters and tribes and 
’O'ns, thou couldst not; for no one is able to escape from these 
places. Therefore save thyself, and leave me. Perhaps God will 
bring to pass other events after these.—So Hasan said to her, O 
mistress of beauties, I came not save to deliver thee by means of 
this rod and by means of this cap. And he related to her what had 
happened to him with the two boys. 

But while he was speaking, lo, the Queen came in to them, and 
heard their conversation. So when he saw the Queen, he put on 
the cap; and she said to her sister, O wicked woman, who is he 
with whom thou wast conversing? She replied, And who is with 
me to speak to me excepting these infants ? And the Queen took 
the whip, and proceeded to beat her with it, while Hasan stood 
looking on. She ceased not to beat her until she fainted, when she 
gave orders to remove her from that place to another; wherefore 
they loosed her and went forth with her to another place, and Hasan 
went forth with them to the place to which they conveyed her. 
Then they threw her down senseless, and stood looking at her; 
and when she recovered from her fit, she recited these verses:— 

I have sorrowed on account of our disunion with a sorrow that made the tears 
to overflow from my eyelids; 

And I vowed that if fortune should reunite us, I would never again mention 
our separation; 

And I would say to the enviers, Die ye with regret; by Allah, I have now 
attained my desire! 

Joy hath overwhelmed me to such a degree that by its excess it hath made 
me weep. 

O eye, how hath weeping become thy habit ? Thou weepest in joy as well as 
in sorrows. 

And when she had ended her verses, the female slaves went forth 
from her. 

So thereupon Hasan pulled off the cap; and his wife said to 
him, See, O man: all this hath not befallen me save on account of 
my having disobeyed thee, and acted in opposition to thy command, 
and gone forth without thy permission. But I conjure thee by 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

499 

Allah, O man, blame me not for my misconduct. Know that a 
woman is not sensible of the value of a man until she is separated 
from him. I have done wrong and sinned; but I beg God, the 
Great, to pardon the actions committed by me; and if God reunite 
us, I will never disobey thy command after that.—Hasan replied 
(and his heart pained him for her), Thou sinnedst not, and none 
sinned but I; for I went away on a journey and left thee with one 
who knoweth not thy dignity nor knoweth thy value nor thy rank. 
And know thou, O beloved of my heart, and delight of my soul, and 
light of mine eye, that God (whose perfection be extolled!) hath 
empowered me to deliver thee. Desirest thou, then, that I convey 
thee to the abode of thy father, and that thou shouldst experience, 
with him, the accomplishment of all that God hath appointed for 
thee, or wilt thou journey to our country soon, seeing that relief 
hath come to thee?—But she said to him, And who is able to 
deliver me, except the Lord of Heaven ? Go thou therefore to thy 
country, and dismiss from thy mind desire; for thou knowest not 
the dangers of this country; and if thou comply not with my 
advice, thou wilt see.—Then she recited some verses, and wept with 
her children, and the female slaves heard their weeping; so they 
came in to them, and found the Queen Menar es-Sena and her 
children weeping; but they saw not Hasan with them; and the 
female slaves wept in compassion for them, and cursed the Queen 
Noor el-Huda. 

Then Hasan waited until night approached and the guards who 
were deputed to watch her went to their sleeping-places; after 
which he arose and girded his waist, and, coming to his wife, loosed 
her, and kissed her head, pressed her to his bosom, kissed her be¬ 
tween her eyes, and said to her, How great is our desire for our 
country and for our reunion there ! Is this our meeting in sleep or 
in a time when we are awake ?—He then took up his elder child, 
and she took up the younger child, and they went forth from the 
palace. God had let down the veil of his protection over them, and 
they proceeded; and on their arrival at the outside of the palace, 
they stopped at the door that was locked to close the entrance to 
the palace of the Queen ; but when they were there, they saw it 
locked. So Hasan said, There is no strength nor power but in 
God, the High, the Great! Verily to God we belong, and verily 

500 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

unto Him we return!—Upon this they despaired of escape, and 
Hasan said, O Dispeller of griefs!—and struck hand upon hand, 
and said, I had calculated upon everything, and considered its re¬ 
sult, excepting this ; and now, when the day cometh upon us, they 
will take us; and how shall we contrive in this case? And he 
recited these two verses :— 

Thou thoughtest well of the days when they went well with thee, and fearedst 
not the evil that destiny was bringing. 

Thy nights were peaceful, and thou wast deceived by them: in the midst of 
their brightness, there cometh gloom. 

Then he wept, and his wife wept at his weeping, and on account of 
the contempt and misfortunes that she suffered; and Hasan, looking 
towards her, recited this couplet:— 

My fortune opposeth me as though I were its enemy, and every day meeteth 
me with calamity. 

When I seek prosperity, it bringeth the reverse of it; and if one day it is 
bright to me, the next day it is turbid. 

And his wife said to him, By Allah, there is no relief for us, unless 
we kill ourselves, and so be at rest from this excessive trouble. 
Otherwise, in the morning we shall suffer painful torture. 

Now while they were talking, a speaker said, outside the door, 
By Allah, I will not open to thee, O my mistress Menar es-Sena, 
and to thy husband Hasan, unless ye will obey me in that which I 
shall say to you. And when they heard these words from that per¬ 
son, they were silent, and desired to return to the place in which 
they had been. But a speaker said, Wherefore have ye kept 
silence, and not returned me a reply ? And thereupon they knew 
the person who spoke, who was the old woman Shawahee Zat ed- 
Dawahee. So they said to her, Whatsoever thou shalt command 
us to do, we will do it. But open to us the door first; for this 
time is not a time for talk.—She however replied, By Allah I will 
not open to you until ye swear to me that ye will take me with you, 
and not leave me with this profligate woman ; and whatsoever shall 
befall you shall befall me : if ye be preserved, I shall be preserved; 
and if ye perish, I shall perish ; for this wicked, vitious woman de- 
spiseth me, and constantly tortureth me on your account; and thou, 
O my daughter, knowest my worth. Therefore when they knew 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

501 

her, they confided in her, and swore to her by oaths which she 
trusted in; after which, she opened to them the door, and they 
went forth; and they found her riding upon a red earthen jar of 
Greek manufacture, upon the neck of which was a rope of the fibres 
of the palm-tree, and it was turning about beneath her, and moving 
with a. speed greater than that of the Nejdee 60 colt. She then 
came before them and said to them, Follow me, and be not terrified 
at augbt; for I know forty modes of enchantment, by the least of 
which I could make this city a roaring sea agitated with waves, 
and enchant every damsel in it so that she would become a fish. 
All that could I do before the morning; but I was unable to do 
aught of that mischief by reason of my fear of the King, the father 
of Noor-el-Huda, and from regard to her sisters; for they derive 
might from the great number of their guards and tribes and servants. 
However, I will shew you the wonders of my enchantment. Then 
proceed with us, relying upon the blessing of God (whose name be 
exalted!) and his aid.—So thereupon Hasan and his wife rejoiced, 
and felt sure of escape. 

They went forth to the exterior of the city, and Hasan, taking 
the rod in his hand, struck with it the ground, and fortified his 
heart, and said, O servants of these names, present yourselves to 
me, and acquaint me with your brethren ! And lo, the earth clove 
asunder, and there came forth from it seven 61 ’Efreets, each of 
them having his feet in the lowest limits of the earth, and his head 
in the clouds. They kissed the ground before Hasan three times, 
and all of them said, with one voice, At thy service, O our master, 
and ruler over us ! What dost thou command us to do ? For we 
will hear and obey thy command. If thou desire, we will dry up 
for thee the seas, and remove for thee the mountains from their 
places.—So Hasan was rejoiced at their words, and at the quickness 
of their reply; and he encouraged his heart, and fortified his mind 
and resolution, and said to them, Who are ye, and what are ye 
called, and from what tribes are ye derived, and of what race are 
ye, and of what tribe, and of what company ? Upon this, they kissed 
the ground a second time, and answered with one voice, We are 
seven Kings: each King of us ruleth over seven tribes of the Jinn 
and the Devils and the Marids: so we seven Kings rule over nine 
and forty tribes of all the races of the Jinn and the Devils and the 

Marids and the companies and the ’O'ns, the Flyers and the Divers, 
and the dwellers in the mountains and the deserts and the wastes, 
and the inhabitants of the seas. Order us to do what thou wilt; 
for we are thy servants and slaves; and whoever possesseth this 
rod, he hath authority over the necks of us all, and we become 
obedient unto him.—When Hasan, therefore, heard their words, 
he rejoiced greatly, as did also his wife and the old woman; and 
thereupon Hasan said to the Jinn, I desire of you that ye shew me 
your company and your troops and your guards. But they replied, 
O our master, if we shewed thee our company, we should fear for 
thee and for those who are with thee; for it consists of numerous 
troops, of various forms and make and kinds and faces and bodies. 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

503 

Among us are heads without bodies, and among us are bodies 
without heads, and among us are some like the wild beasts, and 
among us are some like animals of prey. However, if thou desire 
that, we must exhibit to thee first those who are like the wild 
beasts. But, O our master, what dost thou desire of us at this 
present time ?—So Hasan said to them, I desire of you that ye 
carry me and my wife and this virtuous woman immediately to the 
city of Baghdad. But when they heard his words, they hung down 
their heads. Therefore Hasan said to them, Why do ye not reply ? 
And they said with one voice, O master and ruler over us, we have 
existed from the time of the lord Suleyman the son of Daood (on 
both of whom be peace !), and he made us swear that we would not 
carry any one of the sons of Adam upon our backs: so from that 
time we have not carried any one of the sons of Adam upon our 
shoulders nor upon our backs; but we will immediately saddle for 
thee, of the horses of the Jinn, such as will convey thee to thy 
country, thee and those that are with thee. 

Upon this, Hasan said to them, And what distance is between 
us and Baghdad ? They answered him, A distance of seven years’ 
journey to the horseman who travelleth with diligence. And Hasan 
wondered thereat, and said to them, How came I hither in less than 
a year ? They answered him, God moved the hearts of his virtuous 
servants with compassion for thee; and had it not been for that, 
thou hadst not gained access to this country and region, nor ever 
beheld it with thine eye. For the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos, who 
mounted thee on the elephant, mounted thee also on the fortunate 
courser, which traversed with thee, in ten** days, a space of three 
years’journey to the horseman who proceedeth with diligence; and 
as to the sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh, who committed thee to Dahnash, 
that ’Efreet traversed with thee, during the day and the night, a 
space of three years’ journey. This was effected through the 
blessing of God, the Great; for the sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh is of 
the posterity of A'saf the son of Barkhiya,” and he knoweth the 
Most Great Name of God. And from Baghdad to the palace of 
the damsels is a year’s journey. So these make up the seven 
years.—And when Hasan heard their words, he wondered greatly, 
and said, Extolled be the perfection of God, who maketh easy what 
is difficult, and repaireth the broken heart, and bringeth near what 

504 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

is distant, and abaseth every obstinate tyrant, who hath rendered 
everything easy to us, and conveyed me to this country, and made 
subservient to me these people, and reunited me to my wife and 
my children! I know not whether I be sleeping or awake, or 
whether I be in my senses or intoxicated.—He then looked towards 
them and said to them, When ye have mounted me upon your 
horses, in how many days will they arrive with us at Baghdad ? 
They answered, They will arrive with thee in less than a year, 
after thou shalt have endured difficulties and troubles and horrors, 
and traversed thirsty valleys and dismal wastes, and deserts and 
dangerous places great in number; and we shall not be sure of thy 
safety, O our master, from the people of these islands, nor from the 
malice of the supreme King, nor from these enchanters and sorcerers. 
Perhaps they will overcome us, and take you from us, and we shall 
be afflicted by them; and every one whom the news reacheth after 
that will say to us, Ye are the unjust. How did ye go against the 
supreme King, and convey the human being from his country, and 
convey also his daughter with you? Wert thou alone with us, the 
affair were easy to us; but He who caused thee to gain access to 
these islands is able to cause thee to arrive at thy country, and to 
reunite thee to thy mother soon, at no distant period. Therefore 
be resolute, and depend upon God, and fear not; for we are at 
thy service until we cause thee to reach thy country.—So Hasan 
thanked them for that, and said to them, May God recompense 
you well! Then he said to them, Hasten with the horses. And 
they replied, We hear and obey. 

They then struck the ground with their feet; whereupon it 
clove asunder, and they were absent within it a while; after which 
they presented themselves, and lo, they had come up bringing with 
them three horses, saddled and bridled, and on the fore part of each 
saddle was a pair of saddle-bags, in one side of which was a leathern 
bottle full of water, and the other side was full of food. - They 
brought forward the horses, and Hasan mounted a courser, taking 
a child before him; and his wife mounted the second courser, and 
took a child before her. Then the old woman alighted from the 
jar, and mounted the third courser. And they departed, and 
ceased not to proceed all the night, until the morning came, when 
they turned aside from the way, and went towards the mountain ; 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

505 

their tongues ceasing not from the mention of God. They pro¬ 
ceeded all the day beneath the mountain; and while they were 
journeying on, Hasan beheld a phantom-like form, resembling a 
pillar, and it was lofty, like smoke ascending to the sky. So lie 
recited somewhat of the Kur-an, and begged for refuge with God 
from Satan the accursed. Then that black object appeared more 
plainly the nearer they approached to it; and when they came 
near to it, they found it to be an 
’Efreet, whose head was like a huge 
dome, and his dog-teeth were like 
hooks, and his nostrils like ewers, and 
his ears like shields, and his mouth 
was like a cavern, and his teeth were 
like pillars of stone, and his hands like 
winnowing-forks, 64 and his legs like 
masts: his head was amid the clouds, 
and his feet were in the lowest limits 
of the earth, beneath the dust. And 
when Hasan looked at the ’Efreet, the 
’Efreet bowed himself and kissed the 
ground before him, and said to him, O 
Hasan, fear me not. I am chief of the 
inhabitants of this land, and this is the 
first island of the Islands of Walt-Wak. 

I am a Muslim, a professor of the unity 
of God; and I heard of you, and knew 
of your coming; and when I became 
acquainted with your state, I desired 
to journey from the country of the 
enchanters to another land, devoid of 
inhabitants, remote from human 
beings and the Jan, that I might 
live therein solitary, by myself, 
and worship God until my ap¬ 
pointed term overtake me. 1 
therefore desired to accompany 
you, and to be your guide, until 
ye go forth from these islands, 

506 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

and I will not appear save by night. So comfort your hearts with 
regard to me; for I am a Muslim, like as ye are Muslims.—And 
when Hasan heard the words of the \Efreet, he rejoiced exceed¬ 
ingly, and felt sure of escape. Then looking towards him, he said 
to him, May God recompense thee well! Proceed with us, relying 
upon the blessing of God.—Accordingly the ’Efreet went before 
them, and they betook themselves to conversing and sporting. 
Their hearts had become happy, and their bosoms were dilated; 
and Hasan proceeded to relate to his wife all that had happened to 
him, and what he had endured. They ceased not to prosecute their 
journey all the next night, until the morning, the horses bearing 
them along like the blinding lightning; and when daylight rose, 
they put their hands to their several saddle-bags, and each took 
forth something thence, and ate it; and took forth water, and drank 
it. Then they pursued their way with diligence, and continued to 
proceed, with the ’Efreet before them; but he had turned aside 
with them from the way to another way, which was not a beaten 
route, along the shore of the sea. 

They ceased not to traverse the valleys and the wastes for the 
space of a whole month; and on the thirty-first day there arose 
against them a dust that obstructed the view of the surrounding 
tracts, and the day was darkened by it. So when Hasan beheld it, 
paleness came upon him; and they heard alarming noises, and the 
old woman, looking towards Hasan, said to him, O my son, these 
are the troops of the Islands of Wak-Wak: they have overtaken 
us, and immediately will they take us in their grasp. Hasan there¬ 
fore said to her, What shall I do, O my mother ? And she 
answered him, Strike the earth with the rod. Wherefore he did 
so; and the seven Kings came up to him and saluted him, and, 
having kissed the ground before him, said to him, Fear not nor 
grieve. So Hasan rejoiced at their words, and said, Ye have done 
well, O lords of the Jinn and ’Efreets. This is your time.—And 
they said to him. Ascend, with thy wife and thy children, and 
her who is with thee, upon the mountain, and leave us with 
them; for we know that ye are in the right, and they are in the 
wrong, and God will defend us against them. Therefore Hasan 
and his wife and his children and the old woman alighted from the 
backs of the horses, and, having dismissed the horses, ascended 

upon the side of the mountain. Then the Queen Noor el-Huda 
approached, with troops disposed on the right and left, and the 
chiefs went around them, and ranged them company by company. 
The two armies met, and the two hosts dashed against each other, 
and the fires raged, and the heroes advanced boldly, and the coward 
fled, and the Jinn cast forth from their mouths burning sparks, 
until the thickly dark night approached. Thereupon the two hosts 
separated, and the two parties retired from each other; and when they 
alighted from their horses, and rested upon the ground, they lighted 
the fires, and the seven Kings went up to Hasan, and kissed the 
ground before him. So he advanced to them and thanked them, 
and prayed for them that they might be rendered victorious; and 
he asked them respecting their state with regard to the army of the 
Queen Noor el-Huda; upon which they said to him, They will not 

508 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAII. 

withstand us more than three days; for we were to-day about to 
overcome them. We have seized of them as many as two thousand, 
and slain of them a great multitude, the number of which cannot 
be calculated. Therefore let thy soul be happy and thy bosom be 
dilated.—They then bade him farewell, and descended to their 
army, to guard it. They ceased not to light the fires until the 
morning rose and diffused its light and shone, when the horsemen 
mounted the five-yeai'-old horses, and smote one another with the 
thin-edged swords, and thrust one another with the brown spears, 
and they passed the night upon the backs of the horses, dashing 
together like seas, and the fire of war raged among them. They 
ceased not to fight and contend until the troops of Wak-Wak were 
defeated, and their power was broken, and their resolution fell, and 
their feet slipped; and whithersoever they fled, defeat was before 
them. They turned their backs, and placed their reliance upon 
flight. The greater number of them were slain, and the Queen 
Noor el-Huda was taken captive, together with the grandees of her 
kingdom, and her chief officers. 

And when the morning came, the seven Kings presented them¬ 
selves before Hasan, and set for him a couch of alabaster ornamented 
with fine pearls and with jewels; and he seated himself upon it. 
They also set, by it, another couch, for the lady Menar es-Sena, 
his wife, and that couch was of ivory overlaid with brilliant gold. 
And by the side of it they set another couch, for the old woman 
Shawahee Zat ed-Dawahee. Then they brought forward the pri¬ 
soners before Hasan, and among them the Queen Noor el-Huda, 
who had her hands bound behind her, and her feet shackled. And 
when the old woman saw her, she said to her, Thy recompense, O 
wicked, O tyrannical woman, shall be none other than this: that 
one shall make two bitches hungry, and tie them with thee to the 
tails of horses, and drive them to the sea, that thy skin may be 
lacerated; and after that, some of thy flesh shall be cut off and 
given thee to eat. How didst thou do to thy sister these deeds, O 
wicked woman, seeing that she married lawfully, according to the 
ordinance of God and his Apostle ? For there is no monkery in 
el-Islam, and marriage is one of the ordinances of the Apostles (on 
whom be peace!); and women were not created save for men.— 
And thereupon Hasan gave orders to slay all the captives; and the 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

509 

old woman cried out and said, Slay ye them, and let not one of 
them remain ! But when the Queen Menar es-Sena saw her sister 
in this state, shackled, and in captivity, she wept for her, and said 
to her, O my sister, and who is this who hath made us captives in 
our country, and overcome us ? She answered her, This is a mo¬ 
mentous case. Verily this man whose name is Hasan hath gained 
possession of us, and God hath given him power over us and over 
all our kingdom, and he hath subjugated us and the Kings of the 
Jinn.—And her sister replied, God aided him not against you, nor 
did he subdue you, nor did he make you prisoners, save by means 
of this cap and this rod. So her sister was convinced of that, and 
knew that he had delivered her by these means ; and she humbled 
herself to her sister until her heart was affected with sympathy for 
her, and she said to her husband Hasan, What dost thou desire to 
do with my sister ? For here she is before thee, and she hath not 
committed an abominable deed that thou shouldst punish her for 
it.—He replied. Her torture of thee was sufficiently abominable. 
But she said to him, For every abominable deed that she did to me 
she was excusable. And as to thee, thou hast tortured my father’s 
heart by reason of the loss of me, and how will be his state after 
the death of my sister ?—So Hasan said to her. It is thine to deter¬ 
mine. Whatever thou desirest, do it.—And thereupon the Queen 
Menar es-Sena gave orders to loose all the prisoners; and they 
loosed them for the sake of her sister, and loosed her sister also; 
after which, Menar es-Sena advanced to her sister and embraced 
her. She began to weep with her, and they ceased not to do so for 
some time. Then the Queen Noor el-Huda said to her sister, O 
my sister, blame me not for that which I have done to thee. And 
the lady Menar es-Sena replied, O my sister, this was decreed to 
befall me. 

She and her sister sat upon the couch, conversing together; and 
afterwards, Menar es-Sena made a reconciliation between the old 
woman and her sister in the most perfect manner, and their hearts 
became comforted. Hasan then dismissed the troops who were in 
the service of the rod, and thanked them for that which they had 
done in aiding him against his enemies; after which, the lady 
Menar es-Sena related to her sister all that had happened to her with 
her husband Hasan, and all that had happened to him, and what he 

510 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

had endured for her sake. And she said to her, O my sister, it is 
incumbent upon one not to neglect what is due to a person who 
hath done these deeds, and who hath this power, and whom God 
(whose name be exalted!) hath aided by such exceeding fortitude 
that he hath entered our country, and taken thee and made thee a 
prisoner, and defeated thine army, and subdued thy father the 
supreme King, who ruleth over the Kangs of the Jinn. Her sister 
replied, By Allah, O my sister, thou hast spoken truth in that 
which thou hast told me, respecting the wonderful events that this 
man hath endured. And was all this for thy sake, O my sister ?— 
She answered, Yes. Then they passed the night conversing toge¬ 
ther till the morning; and when the sun rose, they desired to 
depart. So they bade one another farewell, and Menar es-Sena 
bade farewell to the old woman, having made a reconciliation 
between her and her sister Noor el-Huda. 

Thereupon Hasan struck the earth with the rod, and its servants 
came up to him, and saluted him, and said to him, Praise be to God 
for the quiet of thy soul! Command us to do what thou desirest, that 
we may do it for thee in less time than the twinkling of an eye.—He 
therefore thanked them for their words, and said to them, May God 
recompense you well! He then said to them, Saddle for us two cour¬ 
sers, of the best of horses. And they did as he commanded them 
immediately, and brought forward to him two saddled coursers. So 
Hasan mounted one of them, taking his elder son before him; and 
his wife mounted the other, taking her younger son before her. 
The Queen Noor el-Huda also mounted, with the old woman ; and 
all went to their countries. Hasan with his wife journeyed to the 
right, and the Queen Noor el-Huda with the old woman journeyed 
to the left; and Hasan ceased not to proceed with his wife and his 
children for the space of a whole month; after which they came in 
sight of a city, around which they found fruits and rivers; and 
when they arrived at the trees, they alighted from the backs of the 
horses, desiring to rest. Then they sat conversing together ; and 
lo, many horsemen advanced to them. So when Hasan saw them, 
he rose upon his feet, and met them ; and behold, they were the 
King Hasoon, the lord of the Land of Camphor and the Castle of 
Crystal , 65 with his attendants. Thereupon Hasan advanced to the 
King, and kissed his hands and saluted him; and when the King 

saw him, he alighted from the back 
of his courser, and seated himself 
with Hasan upon furniture spread 
beneath the trees, after he had 
saluted him and congratulated him 
on his safety; and he was rejoiced 
exceedingly at his return, and said 
to him, O Hasan, acquaint me 
with the events that have happened to thee from beginning to 
end. So Hasan acquainted him with all those events; and the 
King Hasoon wondered at them, and said to him, O my son, 
no one ever obtained access to the Islands of Wak-Wak and 
returned from them excepting thee, and thy case is wonderful. But 
praise be to God for thy safety !—Then, after that, the King arose 
and mounted, ordering Hasan to mount and accompany him; where¬ 
fore he did so, and they ceased not to proceed until they came to 
the city, and they entered the King’s palace. The King Hasoon 
alighted, and Hasan and his wife and his children alighted at the 
mansion of entertainment; and when they had alighted, they 
remained with the King three days, eating and drinking, and enjoy¬ 
ing sport and mirth. 

Hasan then begged permission of the King Hasoon that he might 
journey to his country, and he gave him permission. So he mounted 

512 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH, 

with his wife and his children, and the King mounted with them, 
and they proceeded ten days ; and when the King desired to return, 
he hade Hasan farewell, and Hasan continued his journey with his 
wife and his children. They ceased not to journey on for the space 
of another whole month, after which they came in sight of a great 
cavern, the ground of which was of brass; whereupon Hasan said 
to his wife, See this cavern. Dost thou know it ?—She answered, 
Yes. And he said, In it is a sheykh named Abu-r-Ruweysh, to 
whom I am greatly indebted ; for he was the cause of the acquaint¬ 
ance between me and the King Hasoon. And he proceeded to 
relate to his wife the story of Abu-r-Ruweysh; and lo, the sheykh 
Abu-r-Ruweysh came forth from the entrance of the cavern. So 
when Hasan saw him, he alighted from his courser and kissed his 
hands, and the sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh saluted him, and congratu¬ 
lated him on his safety. He rejoiced at his arrival, and took him 
and conducted him into the cavern, and sat with him ; and Hasan 
proceeded to tell the sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh what had happened 
to him in the Islands of Wak-Wak; whereat the sheykh wondered 
extremely ; and he said, O Hasan how didst thou deliver thy wife 
and thy children ? Hasan therefore related to him the story of the 
rod and the cap; and when the sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh heard that 
story he wondered, and said, O Hasan, O my son, had it not been 
for this rod and this cap, thou couldst not have delivered thy wife 
and thy children. And Hasan replied, Even so, O my master. 

Now while they were speaking, a person knocked at the door of 
the cavern: so the sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh went forth and opened 
the door, and he found that the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos had come, 
riding upon the elephant. The sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh therefore 
advanced and saluted and embraced him, rejoicing greatly at his 
arrival, and congratulated him on his safety; after which, the 
sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh said to Hasan, Relate to the sheykh ’Abd 
el-Kuddoos all that hath happened to thee, O Hasan. So Hasan 
began to relate to the sheykh all that had happened to him from 
first to last, until he came to the story of the rod and the cap; 
whereupon the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos said to him, O my son, as to 
thee, thou hast delivered thy wife and thy children, and thou hast no 
longer any need of the rod and the cap ; but as to us, we were the 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

513 

cause of thy gaining access to the Islands of Wak-Wak, and I have 
acted kindly to thee for the sake of the daughters of my brother, 
and I beg thee, of thy bounty and beneficence, to give me the rod, 
and to give the sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh the cap. And when Hasan 
heard the words of the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos, he hung down his 
head towards the ground, and was ashamed to say, I will not give 
them to you. Then he said within himself, Verily these two 
sheykhs have done a great kindness to me, and they were the cause 
of my gaining access to the Islands of Wak-Wak, and but for them 
I had not arrived at these places, nor had I delivered my wife and 
my children, nor had I got this rod and this cap. And he raised 
his head, and said, Yes: I will give them to you. But, O my 
masters, verily I fear the supreme King, the father of my wife, lest 
he come to me with troops into our country and they fight against 
me, and I shall not be able to repel them save by means of the rod 
and the cap.—The sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos, however, replied, O my 
son, fear not; for we will be to thee a spy and a helper in this place, 
and whosoever shall come to thee from the father of thy wife, we 
will repel him from thee. Fear not anything whatever; but be 
of good heart and cheerful eye and dilated bosom. No harm shall 
befall thee.—So when Hasan heard the words of the sheykh, bash¬ 
fulness affected him, and he gave the cap to the sheykh Abu-r- 
Ruweysh, and said to the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos, Accompany me 
to my country, and I will give thee the rod. And the two sheykhs 
rejoiced thereat exceedingly, and prepared for Hasan riches and 
treasures that cannot be described. 

He remained with them three days; and after that, he desired 
to continue his journey; wherefore the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos 
prepared himself to journey with him. And when Hasan had 
mounted a beast, and mounted his wife upon another, the sheykh 
’Abd el-Kuddoos whistled, and lo, a huge elephant advanced trotting 
from the further part of the desert, and the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos 
took him and mounted upon him, and proceeded with Hasan and 
his wife and his children. But as to the sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh, 
he entered the cavern. Hasan and his wife and his children, and 
the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos, ceased not to pursue their journey, 
traversing the land in its length and breadth, the sheykh guiding them 
by an easy way and near roads, until they drew near to the country 

3 u 

VOL. III. 

514 THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

that they sought; 
and Hasan rejoiced 
at his approach to¬ 
wards the country of 
his mother, and at 
the return of his 
wife and his children 
to him. On his ar¬ 
rival at the country 
[of his sisters], 
after these arduous, 
horrible events, he 
praised God (whose 
name be exalted!) for 
this, and thanked 
Him for his grace and 
bounty, and recited 
these verses: 9a — 

Perhaps, in a short lime, God will unite us, and we shall be encircled in each 
other’s arms, 

And I shall tell you the most wonderful of the events that have befallen me, 
and what I have suffered from the pain of separation, 

And 1 shall cure mine eye by looking at you j for my heart is in a state of 
longing desire. 

I have hidden a story for you in my mind, that 1 may relate it to you when 
we meet. 

I will reproach you for the actions that have proceeded from you, with a 
reproach that shall end; but affection will remain. 

And when he had ended his verses, he looked, and lo, the green 
cupola appeared to them, and the pool, and the green palace, and 
the Mountain of the Clouds appeared to them in the distance. So 
the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos said, O Hasan, rejoice at the prospect 
of good fortune; for thou wilt this night be a guest with the 
daughters of my brother. Therefore Hasan rejoiced thereat ex¬ 
ceedingly, and so did his wife. Then they alighted at the cupola, 
and rested and ate and drank; after which they mounted again, and 
proceeded until they drew near to the palace. 

Upon this, the daughters of the brother of the sheykh ’Abd el- 
Kuddoos came forth to them and met them, and saluted them and 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

515 

their uncle, and their uncle saluted them, and said to them, O 
daughters of my brother, see, I have accomplished the affair of your 
brother Hasan, and aided him to deliver his wife and his children. 
So the damsels advanced to him and embraced him, rejoicing at his 
return, and congratulated him on his safety and health, and his 
reunion to his wife and his children; and it was to them a festival- 
day. Then the sister of Hasan, the youngest damsel, advanced and 
embraced him, and wept violently. Hasan also wept with her, on 
account of the length of his desolate state; and she complained to 
him of the pain of separation that she had experienced, and the 
trouble of her heart, and what she had endured in consequence of 
his absence, and recited these two verses:— 

Mine eye hath not looked, since thy separation, at any one but thy form 
appeared before it: 

Nor hath it closed without my seeing thee in slumber, as though thou wast 
dwelling between the eyelid and the eye. 

And when she had finished her verses, she rejoiced exceedingly; 
and Hasan said to her, O my sister, I thank none for this affair but 
thee, above the rest of my sisters; and may God (whose name be 
exalted !) be thine aider and assister! He then related to her all 
that had befallen him in his travel from first to last, and what he had 
endured, and what had happened to him with the sister of his wife, 
and how he had delivered his wife and his children. He told her 
also of the wonders, and the arduous and horrible events, that he had 
witnessed, that the sister of his wife had desired to slaughter him, 
and to slaughter her and her children, and that none had preserved 
them from her save God, whose name be exalted! After that, he 
related to her the story of the rod and the cap, telling her that the 
sheykh Abu-r-Ruweysh and the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos had 
demanded those two things of him, and that he had not given them 
to them but for her sake. She therefore thanked him for that, and 
prayed for long life for him; and he said, By Allah, I shall not for¬ 
get all the good offices that thou hast done me from the beginning of 
the affair to its end! Then his sister looked towards his wife 
Menar es-Sena, and embraced her, and pressed her children to her 
bosom; after which she said to her, O daughter of the supreme 
King, was there no mercy in thy heart, that thou separatedst him 

516 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

and his children, and torturedst his heart for them. Didst thou 
desire by doing thus that he should die ?—And she laughed, and 
replied, Thus ordained God (whose perfection be extolled, and 
whose name be exalted!); and he who deceiveth men, him doth 
God deceive. Then they brought some food and drink, and they 
all ate and drank and were happy. Hasan remained with them ten 
days, eating and drinking, and in joy and happiness; and after the 
ten days, he prepared himself for his journey. His sister there¬ 
upon arose, and prepared for him wealth and rarities that cannot 
be described, and after that, she pressed him to her bosom, to bid 
him farewell, and embraced him ; and Hasan, alluding to her, re¬ 
cited these verses:— 

The relinquishment of lovers is nought but remote, and quitting one’s beloved 
is nought but afflicting, 

And cruelty and absence are nought but trouble, and the victim of love is 
nought but a martyr. 

How tedious is the night to the enamoured, who is parted from his true love, 
and hath become solitary! 

His tears run down upon his cheek, and he saith, Are there yet any more 
tears to flow ? 

Then Hasan gave the sheykh ’Abd el-Kuddoos the rod, and he 
rejoiced in it exceedingly, and thanked Hasan for it; and after he 
had received it from him, he mounted, and returned to his abode. 

Hasan then mounted, with his wife and his children, and de¬ 
parted from the palace of the damsels; and they went forth with 
him, and bade him farewell, after which they returned. Hasan 
repaired to his country, proceeding over the desert tract for the 
space of two months and ten days, until he arrived at the city 
of Baghdad, the Abode of Peace; and he came to his house by the 
way of the private door which opened towards the plain and the 
desert, and knocked at the door. His mother, on account of the 
length of his absence, had relinquished sleep, and given herself con¬ 
tinually to mourning and weeping and wailing, until she fell sick, 
and ate not food, nor delighted in sleep, but wept night and day, 
and ceased not to mention her son. She had despaired of his return 
to her; and when he stood at the door, he heard her weeping, and 
reciting these verses:— 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

517 

By Allah, O my master, cure her whom you have made sick; for her body 
is emaciated and her heart is broken! 

If you grant her a meeting, in your generosity, the enamoured will be over¬ 
whelmed with the favours of the beloved. 

I despair not of your approach; for God can effect it; and in the midst of 
difficulty, prosperity surroundeth one. 

And when she had ended her verses, she heard her son Hasan 
calling out at the door, O my mother, verily fortune hath granted 
reunion! And on her hearing his words, she knew him. She came 
to the door in a state between that of believing and that of dis¬ 
believing ; and when she opened the door, she saw her son standing 
there with his wife and his children, and she cried out by reason of 
the violence of her joy, and fell upon the ground in a fit. Hasan 
therefore ceased not to sooth her until she recovered, when she em¬ 
braced him, and then she wept; after which she called his pages 
and slaves, and ordered them to bring all that was with him into 
the house. Accordingly they brought the loads into the house. 
Then his wife and his children entered, and his mother went to her 
and embraced her, and kissed her head and kissed her feet, and said 
to her, O daughter of the supreme King, if I have erred in not 
doing what was due to thee, lo, I beg forgiveness of God, the 
Great. And looking towards her son, she said to him, O my son, 
what was the cause of this long absence ? So when she asked him 
respecting that, he acquainted her with all that had happened to 
him from beginning to end; and on her hearing his words, she 
uttered a great cry, and again fell upon the ground in a fit, on 
account of the mention of the events that had happened to her son. 
He ceased not to sooth her until she recovered, and thereupon she 
said to him, O my son, by Allah, thou hast acted negligently with 
respect to the rod and the cap; for if thou hadst taken care of them 
and preserved them, thou, hadst possessed the earth in its length 
and breadth; but praise be to God, O my son, for thy safety, and 
for that of thy wife and thy children! 

They passed a most agreeable and most pleasant night; and 
when the morning came, Hasan changed his clothes, and put on a 
suit of the most beautiful material. He then went forth to the 
market, and bought male black slaves and female slaves, and stuffs 
and precious things, consisting of ornaments and apparel, and 

518 

THE STORY OF HASAN OF EL-BASRAH. 

furniture and costly vessels, of which the like existed not in the 
possession of the Kings. He bought also houses and gardens, 
immoveable estates, and other things; and he resided with his 
children and his wife and his mother, eating and drinking and 
delighting. They ceased not to pass the most comfortable life, and 
the most agreeable, until they were visited by the terminator of 
delights and the separator of companions.—Extolled be the per¬ 
fection of Him who possesseth the dominion that is apparent and 
the dominion that is hidden, and who is the Living, the Everlasting, 
who dieth not! 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIFTH. 

Note 1. 

The hero of this story is called in Dr. Scott’s translation “ Mazin of Khoras- 
saun,” or Khur&s&n. He is there said, in the commencement of the tale, to. have 
“resided in the city of Khorassaun;” but afterwards, in “ Bussorah,” or El-Bas- 
rah. The story in Dr. Scott’s version is short in comparison with that in my 
original; but in other respects, for the most part, it agrees with the latter. I have 
before mentioned, that another tale of the Thousand and One Nights (that of 
J&nsh&h) is similar to this in its general character, and in the incidents upon 
which it is chiefly founded. 

Note 2. 

In the Breslau edition, Hasan is said to have squandered away his wealth. 

Note 3. 

There are various kinds of kohl, as mentioned in Note 34 to Chapter ii. Those 
which are used merely for the sake of ornament are black; but there are many 
other kinds of different colours employed for medicinal purposes. 

Note 4. 

“ That is,” as my sheykh observes in a marginal note, “ but few persons know 
it: and in this expression is a double meaning: it signifies also ‘ I know not 
that.’ ’’ 

Note 5. 

I read “ ke’&b” (plural of “kaab,” “ a cup”) for a word written in my original 
“ kabb&t,” and in the Breslau edition “ kaab an.” 

520 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIFTH. 

Note 6. 

“ The Persian wrote these two verses, to denote that he had taken Hasan, and 
that he (the latter) would not return.”* 

Note 7. 

Tliis is not consistent with the sequel. The passage is perhaps corrupted by 
copyists. It should rather be said, “ he used every year to take a Muslim and to 
sacrifice him in order to attain an object of his desire.” 

Note 8. 

The drum and plectrum here mentioned (called, respectively, in my original, 
“ tabl” and “ zakhmeh” or “ zukhmeh”) appear to be similar to those described in 
the following passage. “ Darweeshes, in religious processions, &e., and in begging ; 
often make use of a little tabl, or kettle-drum, called ‘ biz,' six or seven inches in 
diameter; which is held in the left hand, by a little projection in the centre of the 
back ; and beaten by the right hand, with a short^leather strap, or a stick.”f The 
term which designates the plectrum in my original is also applied to a stirrup- 
leather, or strap. The drum is generally of tinned copper, with a parchment face. 

Note 9. 

This seems, from the sequel, to be the same palace near which they before 
passed. We may suppose that it was situated a little above the foot of the moun¬ 
tain, and that the Magian had pursued a very circuitous route (along a winding 
valley) in order to avoid passing close beneath it. 

Note 10. 

So in the Breslau edition: in the Cairo edition, “ rakhams,” or aquiline vultures. 

Note 11. 

There is an incident similar to this in the romance of Seyf Zu-l-Yezen, which 
work I have mentioned before. Misr, the son of Seyf Zu-l-Yezen, is sewed up in 
a camel’s hide, and carried by a rukh' to the top of a mountain, to obtain a treasure 
for a treacherous Magian, named Bahram.—It is also remarkable that the story of 
Hasan of El-Basrah presents two other incidents which I have found described in 
the romance above mentioned. 

Note 12. 

These verses, excepting the last, have occurred before, in volume i. page 346. 
See the notes there referred to. 

Note 13. 

The form of this prayer I have given in my work on the Modern Egyptians, 
volume ii. chapter xv. 

Marginal note by my sheykh. 

♦ " Modem Egyptians,'' vol. ii. chap v. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIFTH. 

521 

Note 14. 

For the significations of “ mesheed” see a note at the foot of page 381 in this 
volume. 

Note 15. 

This is one of the incidents alluded to above, in Note 11. Seyf Zu-l-Yezen 
enters a forbidden closet in a palace, and ascends thence, by a flight of steps, to 
the roof. 

Note 16. 

This is the last of the incidents that I have to notice as occurring in the ro¬ 
mance of Seyf Zu-l-Yezen. The chief hero of this romance (Seyf himself) sees a 
number of beautiful damsels with clothing and wings of feathers, who fly like birds, 
and come to a pool in a pavilion, near which he has concealed himself, in the 
midst of a garden. There they divest themselves of their dresses of feathers, and 
bathe ; and Seyf, like Hasan of El-Basrah, becoming enamoured of the chief dam¬ 
sel, adopts the same plan as Hasan with the view of capturing her, and experiences 
the same result.—Tr6butien mentions (tome ii. page 208) a similar incident in a 
German tale. “ II est assez remarquable qu’il existe en Allemagne une tradition 
a. peu prfcs semblable, et qui a fourni le sujet d’un des contes de Musaeus, intitule 
le Voile enleve ."—1 also find that in the first volume of Mr. Keightley’s “ Fairy 
Mythology” is a Shetland legend of the same kind; but the vehicle is a seal-skin. 

Note 17. 

See Note 43 to Chapter x. 

Note 18. 

The new moon of the Festival of Ramadan (commonly called the Minor 
Festival) is anxiously watched for, and the sight of it gives delight, as it shews 
that the month of abstinence is ended. Hence there is a double reason for the 
comparison in the text 

Note 19. 

See Note 24 to Chapter xv. 

Note 20. 

In the latter hemistich of this verse, in my original, a transposition is required 
for the sake both of the sense and the measure, as my sheykh has observed. For 
“ wa-hwa fi-l-hobbi” we must read “fi-l-hobbi wa-hwa.” 

Note 21. 

“ Mandharah” is here put in my original instead of “ mak’ad.” 

Note 22. 

See Note 58 to Chapter ii. 

Note 23. 

The words “ an army” I have inserted on the authority of the Breslau edition. 

3 x 

VOL. in. 

522 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIFTH. 

—Dr. Scott, in his sixty-eighth note, in illustration of a corresponding passage in 
the story of “ Mazin of Khorassaun,” gives an extract from Barrow’s Public Life 
of Lord Macartney (vol. ii. p. 23), in which his lordship, speaking of the Cossac 
soldiery, says, that there is one horde of them, consisting of about 30,000 fighting 
men, called the Cossacs of Zaporavia, whose women reside in certain islands of 
the Nieper in their neighbourhood, and are only visited by them at a particular 
season of the year. The male children, at a certain age, are delivered to the 
fathers, like whom they become hunters and warriours, while the females remain 
with their mothers. 

Note 24. 

Thus Seyf Zu-l-Yezen, in the case above alluded to (in Note 16), is directed by 
a friendly Jinneeyeh to steal the feather-dress of his beloved. 

Note 25. 

The “ ’abaah” (vulgarly called “ ’abdyeh”) is a kind of woollen cloak, generally 
striped, brown and white. It is represented in several of the engravings in this 
work; as, for instance, in page 435 of volume i. 

Note 26. 

These words “ and demanded,” &c., are from the Breslau edition. In my ori¬ 
ginal, the damsels are here said to have gone forth again to the chase, and to have 
caught the game mentioned immediately after in my translation. Among the 
game are particularized “ wild oxen by which name, four different kinds of ante¬ 
lopes are called. 

Note 27. 

That is, the hand of the deputy. See Note 39 to Chapter iv. 

Note 28. 

This is a vulgar proverb, as my sheykh has observed in a marginal note. 

Note 29. 

“ Tohfeh” signifies “ a rarity,” “ a present,” Src. 

Note 30. 

See Note 16 to Chapter ii. 

Note 31. 

In my original, “ the sixth,” but this is an error, which my sheykh has noted 
in the margin; adding, that Er-Rasheed occasioned a proverb, which is applied to 
any person like that Khaleefeh in his actions, “ Is he the fifth of the sons of El- 
Abbas ? ”—meaning Er-Rasheed; for none of the "Abb&sees did like him ; neither 
any before him nor any after him.—Is not this proverb, current in Egypt, sufficient 
to account for the frequent mention of Er-Rasheed in tales of the Thousand and 
One Nights, without our supposing that these tales were written by a native of 
Baghdad, and a subject of the ’Abbdsees? 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIFTH. 

523 

Note 32.— On the Islands o/W&k-WAk. 

These islands, which are called in my original “ Wak," and in the Breslau 
edition “Wak el-Wak,” are commonly called “The Islands of W&k-Wak,” or 

“-of El-Wdk-W&k.” By some European writers they are supposed to be the 

Japan Islands: by Langlbs, the Sunda Islands. But I rather think that the Arab 
geographers applied the name of Wdk-Wak to all the islands with which they 
were acquainted on the east and south-east of Borneo. The following particulars 
respecting the islands thus called by them are derived from the works of El-Kaz- 
weenee and Ibn El-Wardee; but chiefly from the latter author. 

These islands extend (or are contiguous to) the Islands (or Island) of Er-R&'ij or 
Ez-Z&nij (before identified with Borneo*), and the navigation to them is by the stars. 
They are said to be one thousand and seven hundred in number, and governed 
by a woman, named Demharah, who wears a robe woven with gold, and has shoes 
(or sandals) of gold. No one walks in all these islands with any other kind of 
shoe: if he wear any other kind, his feet are cut. The Queen rides amid her 
slaves and troops with elephants and standards and drums and trumpets and beau¬ 
tiful female slaves. The place of her abode is an island called Amboobeh, the 
inhabitants of which are skilful in manufactures, so that they weave shirts of one 
piece each, sleeves and body together, and make great ships of small pieces of 
wood, and make houses of wood that move upon the face of the water. ’Eesa f 
(or MoosaJ), the son of El-Mub&rak, Es-Seerdfee, § relates, “ I went in to this 
Queen, and saw her sitting naked upon a couch of gold, with a crown of gold upon 
her head, and before her were four thousand maid-servants, beautiful virgins. 
They were of the Magian religion, with uncovered heads, and on the head of 
each of them was a comb of ivory, adorned with mother-of-pearl (or shells) : 
some of them had two combs, or three, or four, or more, to the number of twenty.” 
The people ornament themselves with cowries, which they also treasure up. Here 
too is a tree that bean fruits like women, with bodies, eyes, limbs, &c., like those 
of women: they have beautiful faces, and are suspended by their hair. They 
come forth from integuments like large leathern bags ; and when they feel the 
air and the sun, they cry out “ Wak 1 Wfik 1” until their hair is cut; and when it 
is cut, they die ; and the people of these islands understand this cry, and augur ill 
from it. The land where these fruits grow is the best of lands, and the most 
abundant in odours and perfumes; and in it are rivers sweeter than honey-water 
and dissolved sugar; but it has no inhabitants excepting the elephants, some of 
which attain the height of eleven cubits; and it has abundance of birds. No 
one knoweth what is beyond it save God. From one of these Islands of W&k-W&k 
there issueth a great torrent like pitch, which floweth into the sea, and the fish are 
burnt thereby, and float upon the water.—The Islands of Wdk-W&k contain gold 
in Buch abundance that the inhabitants make the chains of their dogs and other 
beasts, and the collars of their apes, of that metal; and the great men make bricks 
of gold, and build with them palaces and houses, well and skilfully. These islands 
also contain the ebony-tree.—Ibn El-Wardee likewise mentions, among the islands 
of the same sea (the Sea of China), the Island of Women, in which there is not a 
single male inhabitant. 

• In Note 12 to Chapter xx. t So In Ibn El-Wardee. J So in El-Kazweenee. 

§ That is, of the town of SeerAf (formerly a great mercantile towrf) on the Persian shore of the Per¬ 
sian Gulf. Here most of the Arab ships bound for India and China took in their cargoes. 

524 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIFTH. 

Note 33. 

It is a common custom of the Arabs to address an old woman by the appella¬ 
tion of “pilgrim,” in Arabic “hdjjeh.” This word, in my original, is here written 
(as it is usually pronounced) “ hajjeh." 

Note 34. 

These were to be shewn to Hasan, on his return, as the graves of his wife and 
two children, as afterwards appears. 

Note 35. 

I here read (as proposed by my sheykh) “ neseem” (zephyr) instead of 
“ nedeem” (boon-companion). 

Note 36. 

The word which I have rendered “ changeable” (namely “ ghayoor’') generally 
signifies “jealousbut for giving it the former signification I have the authority 
of my sheykh, in a marginal note in volume i. page 360 of my original, where 
nearly the same verse occurs : see volume ii. page 109 of the present translation. 

Note 37. 

For “ semerin,” in my original, my sheykh has substituted “ saharin," and I 
have followed his reading. 

Note 38. 

That is, she is like the full moon, which is fourteen nights old. 

Note 39. 

“ ’Abd el-Kuddoos” signifies “ Servant of the Most Holy." 

Note 40. 

An Arab often does thus when meditating; and thus, while he was sitting in 
the Temple (upon the floor), when the woman taken in adultery was brought be¬ 
fore him, “Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.” (John 
viii. 6.) 

Note 41. 

Here, in my original, for the words signifying “ the accursed Iblees,” is put 
“ Mo’een;” but afterwards, Abu-r-Ruweysh is called “ son of the daughter of the 
accursed Iblees.” He appears, however, to be a virtuous person. 

Note 42. 

In my original, the birds are here called vultures (“ nusoor”). 

Note 43. 

Ed-Deylem is a large province of Persia, bounding the Caspian Sea, on the 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIFTH. 

525 

south.—In the Breslau edition, instead of “here are soldiers of Ed-Deylem,” we 
read “ here is a great army.” 

Note 44. 

“Umm ed-Daw&hee” signifies “ Mother of Calamities.” 

Note 45. 

It seems that by the term “ islands” here used, we are to understand penin¬ 
sulas, which is often the case. The reader will observe, in the account of the 
Islands of WAk-W&k here given, Borne inconsistencies which I cannot pretend to 
reconcile. 

Note 46. 

I omit some passages &c. of my original in the paragraph to which this note 
refers. 

Note 47. 

The youngest was his wife; but it appears afterwards that the eldest daughter 
bore a strong resemblance to her. 

Note 48. 

“ Noor el-Huda” signifies “ Light of Day.” 

Note 49. 

In my original, they are here said to he seven. 

Note 50. 

“ MenAr es-Sena” may be rendered “ Pharos of Splendour.” 

Note 51. 

The first and last of these names have been explained. The second signifies 
“ Star of the Morningthe third, “ Sun of the Forenoon ;” the fourth, “ Tree of 
Pearlsthe fifth, “ Food of Heartsand the sixth, “ Glory of Damsels.” 

Note 52. 

See Note 24 to Chapter xv. 

Note 53. 

So in the Breslau edition: in the edition of Cairo, “ to the place whence I had 
brought it.” 

Note 54. 

Thus in the Breslau edition : in the Cairo edition, “ the Castle of the Birds.” 
“ The Islands of Camphor and the Castle of Crystal” have been mentioned in a 
former tale: see volume i. of this translation, page 567. 

526 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIFTH. 

Note 55. 

The kind of cap here mentioned (in the Arabic, “ t&keeyeh") is a close-fitting 
scull-cap, which is worn next the head. It is generally of cotton. Sometimes the 
crown is composed of four or three triangular pieces, which are most commonly of 
different-coloured silks. 

Note 56. 

The “ jedeed" is a copper coin which, I believe, is now no longer current.* My 
sheykh states, in a marginal note, that ten jedeeds were equivalent to a nusf fad- 
dah, vulgarly called nuss, respecting which see Note 17 to Chapter iii. The plural 
is “jided.” 

Note 57. 

“Zat ed-Dawdhee" is similar in import to “ Umm ed-Dawdhee," which has 
been explained above. 

Note 58. 

We must suppose (what is most probable) that the vessels of glass and China- 
ware fell upon a mattress extending along the side of the room, and therefore did 
not break. 

Note 59. 

This verse, and others nearly agreeing with those which here follow it, have 
occurred before, in page 248 in this volume. See a note there referred to, on the 
first verse. 

Note 60. 

“Nejdee” signifies “of Nejd” (the central and largest province of Arabia), 
which is famous for its excellent horses. 

Note 61. 

In my original they are here Baid to be ten; but afterwards, whenever they are 
mentioned, seven. 

Notb 62. 

So before; but here, in my original, three. 

Note 63. 

By the mother’e side, as before stated, Abu-r-Ruwey sh was the grandson of Iblees. 

Note 64. 

See Note 5 to Chapter ii. 

Note 65. 

Here, as in the instance pointed out in Note 54, I read “Castle of Crystal,” 
agreeably with the Breslau edition, instead of “ Castle of the Birds.” 

Note 66. 

These verses seem to be addressed to his mother : not to the seven damsels.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE EIGHT HUNDRED AND THIRTY- 
FIRST NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE EIGHT HUN¬ 
DRED AND FORTY-FIFTH. 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

There was, in ancient times, in the city of Baghdad, a fisher¬ 
man named Khaleefeh, who was a man in needy circumstances, a 
pauper; and he had never in his life married. And it happened 
one day that he took his net, and went with it to the river, as it 
was his custom to do, that he might catch some fish before the 
other fishermen. When he arrived at the river, he girded himself, 
and tucked up his sleeves: then advancing to the river, he spread 
his net, and cast it the first time and the second time; hut there 
came not up in it aught. He ceased not to cast it until he had 
done so ten times; but nothing whatever came up in it. So his 

528 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

bosom was contracted, and his mind was perplexed respecting his 
case, and he said, I beg forgiveness of God, the Great, beside 
whom there is no deity, the Living, the Everlasting; and I turn 
unto Him repentant! There is no strength nor power but in God, 
the High, the Great! What God willeth cometh to pass, and 
what He willeth not cometh not to pass! Subsistence is to be 
bestowed by God (to whom be ascribed might and glory!); and 
when God bestoweth upon a servant, no one preventeth him; and 
when He preventeth a servant, no one bestoweth upon him.— 
Then, by reason of the abundant grief that affected him, he recited 
this couplet:— 

When fortune afflicteth thee with a calamity, prepare patience to endure it, 
and expand thy bosom; 

For the Lord of all creatures, in his beneficence and bounty, will cause easy 
circumstances to follow difficult. 

He then sat a while, meditating upon his case, and hanging down 
his head towards the ground; after which he recited some other 
verses, and said within himself, I will cast the net this time also, 
and rely upon God: perhaps He will not disappoint my hope. 

Accordingly he advanced and cast the net as far as he could into 
the river, and he folded its cord, and waited over it a while. Then, 
after that, he drew it, and found it heavy: therefore when he knew 
that it was heavy, he managed it gently, and drew it until it came 
up on the bank; and lo, in it was a one-eyed, lame ape. So 
Khaleefeh, on beholding him, said. There is no strength nor power 
but in God! Yerily to God we belong, and verily unto Him we 
return! What is this deficient fortune, and evil luck! What 
hath happened to me on this blessed day! But all this is by the 
predetermination of God, whose name be exalted!—He then took 
the ape, bound him with a rope, and, advancing to a tree growing 
upon the bank of the river, he tied him to it. And he had with 
him a whip, and he took it in his hand, and raised it in the air, 
desiring to beat with it the ape. But God caused this ape to 
speak with an eloquent tongue, and he said to him, O Khaleefeh, 
restrain thy hand, and beat me not, but leave me tied to this tree, 
and go to the river, and cast thy net, relying upon God; for He 
will give thee thy means of subsistence. So when Khaleefeh 
heard the words of the ape, he took the net, and advanced to the 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

529 

river, and cast it, and slackened its cord. Then he drew it, and 
found it heavier than it was the first time; and he ceased not to 
labour at it until it came up to the bank, when lo, there was in it 
another ape, whose front teeth were far apart, his eyes adorned 
with kohl, and his hands stained with henna; and he was laughing, 
and had around his waist a piece of ragged stuff. Upon this, 
Khaleefeh said, Praise be to God who hath substituted, for the fish 
of the river, apes ! He then came to the ape that was tied to the 
tree, and said to him, See, O unlucky, how abominable was that 
which thou advisedst me to do ! For none caused me to fall in 
with the second ape but thou; because, when thou presentedst 
thyself to me in the morning, lame and one-eyed, I became em¬ 
barrassed, weary, not possessing a piece of silver nor a piece of 
gold. 1 —And he took in his hand a stick for driving cattle, and 
whirled it round in the air three times, and was about to strike 
with it the ape, when he prayed for aid against him, and said to 
him, I conjure thee by Allah to pardon me for the sake of this my 
companion, and seek thou of him what thou wantest; for he will 
guide thee to that which thou desirest. Khaleefeh therefore threw 
down the stick and pardoned him. He then came to the second 
ape, and stood by him; and the ape said to him, O Khaleefeh, 
these words will not profit thee at all, unless thou hear what I 
shall say to thee ; but if thou hear my words and comply with my 
advice, and oppose me not, I shall be the means of thy becoming 
rich. So Khaleefeh said to him, What wilt thou say to me, that I 
may obey thee respecting it ? And he answered him, Leave me 
tied here in my place, and go to the river and cast thy net, and I 
will tell thee what thou shalt do after this. Khaleefeh accordingly 
took the net and went to the river, and cast it and waited over it a 
while. Then he drew it, and found it heavy; and he ceased not to 
labour at it until he brought it up to the bank; and lo, in it was 
another ape: but this ape was red; around his waist were blue 
garments, and his hands and feet were stained with henna, and his 
eyes adorned with kohl. 

On seeing him, Khaleefeh said, Extolled be the perfection of 
God, the Great! Extolled be tbe perfection of the Possessor of 
dominion! Verily this day is blessed from its beginning to its end; 
for its luck hath been shewn to be fortunate by the countenance of 

3 Y 

VOL. III. 

530 THE STORY OF KHALEEFEII THE FISHERMAN. 

the first ape, and the page Is shewn by its superscription ! This 
day is a day of apes; there remaineth not in the river a single fish, 
and we came not forth to-day save to catch apes! Praise he to 
God who hath substituted, for the fish, apes !—He then looked to¬ 
wards the third ape, and said to him, What art thou also, O unlucky ? 
The ape said to him, Dost thou not know me, O Khaleefeh ? Kha- 
leefeh answered, No. And he replied, I am the ape of Abu-s- 
Sa’adat, the Jew, the money-changer.—And what dost thou for 
him ? said Khaleefeh. He answered him, I present myself to him 
in the morning, at the beginning of the day, and he gaineth five 
pieces of gold; and I present myself to him in the evening, at the 
close of the day, and he gaineth five pieces of gold again. And 
Khaleefeh thereupon looked towards the first ape, and said to him, 
See, 0 unlucky, how excellent are the apes of other people : but as 
to thee, thou presentest thyself to me in the morning lame and one- 
eyed, and with thine unlucky countenance, and I become a pauper, 
a bankrupt, hungry. He then took the stick, and whirled it round 
in the air three times, and was about to strike him with it. But 
the ape of Abu-s-Sa’adat said to him, Leave him, O Khaleefeh, and 
withdraw thy hand, and come to me, that I may tell thee what thou 
shalt do. So Khaleefeh threw down the stick from his hand, and, 
advancing to him, said to him, Of what wilt thou tell me, O master 
of all apes ? And he answered him, Take the net, and cast it in 
the river, and leave me and these apes remaining by thee; and 
whatever cometh up to thee in the net, bring it to me, and I will 
acquaint thee with that which will rejoice thee. Khaleefeh replied, 
I hear and obey. And he took the net and folded it upon his 
shoulder, and recited these verses:— 

When my bosom is contracted, 1 will beg aid of my Creator, who is able to 
make easy everything that is difficult; 

For before tlie eye can close, by the grace of our Lord the captive is liberated 
and the broken heart made whole. 

Commit then to Gcd all thine affairs; for every discerning person knoweth 
his beneficence. 

Then he recited also these two verses:—- 

Thou art the cause of men’s falling into trouble, and Thou removest anxieties 
and the means of misfortunes. 

Cause me not to covet what I cannot attain. How many who have coveted 
have failed to gain their wishes ! 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

531 

And when he had ended his verses, he advanced to the river, 
and cast in it the net, and waited over it a while ; after which he 
drew it, and lo, in it was a large fish, with a great head, and its tail 
was like a ladle, and it eyes were like two pieces of gold. So when 
Khaleefeh saw it, he was rejoiced at it; for he had not caught the 
like of it before in his life. He took it, wondering at it, and 
brought it to the ape of Abu-s-Sa’adat the Jew; and he was as 
though he had gained possession of the whole world. And the ape 
said to him, What dost thou desire to do with this, O Khaleefeh, 
and what wilt thou do to thine ape ? Khaleefeh answered him, I 
will inform thee, O master of all apes, what I will do. Know that 
I will, before everything else, contrive means of destroying this 
accursed one, my ape, and I will take thee in his stead, and feed 
thee every day with what thou shalt desire.—And the ape said to 
him, Since thou hast informed me, I will tell thee how thou shalt 
do ; and by tby so doing, thy state shall be amended, if it be the 
will of God, whose name be exalted! Understand then what I say to 
thee ; and it is this : that thou prepare for me also a rope, and tie me 
with it to a tree : then thou shalt leave me, and go to the middle of 
the quay, and cast thy net into the river Tigris ; and when thou hast 
cast it, wait over it a little, and draw it, and thou wilt find in it a 

532 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

fish than which thou hast not seen any more beautiful in thy whole 
life. Bring it to me, and I will tell thee how thou shalt do after 
that.—So thereupon Khaleefeh arose immediately, and cast the net 
in the river Tigris, and drew it, and he saw in it a fish of the kind 
called bayad, 2 of the size of a lamb. He had not seen the like of it 
in his whole life ; and it was larger than the first fish. 

He took it and went with it to the ape; and the ape said 
to him, Bring for thyself some green grass, and put half of it into 
a basket, and put the fish upon it, and cover it with the other half, 
and leave us tied. Then carry the basket upon thy shoulder, and 
go with it into the city of Baghdad; and whoever speaketh to thee, 
or asketh thee a question, return him not a reply, until thou 
enterest the market of the money-changers. Thou wilt find, at the 
upper end of the market, the shop of the Mo’allim 3 Abu-s-Sa’adat 
the Jew, the sheykh of the money-changers, and thou wilt see him 
sitting upon a mattress, with a pillow behind him, and before him 
two chests, one for the gold and the other for the silver, and with 
him memlooks and black slaves and pages. Advance to him, and 
put the basket before him, and say to him, O Abu-s-Sa’adat, I have 
gone forth to-day Jo fish, and cast the net in thy name, and God 
(whose name be exalted!) sent this fish. Thereupon he will say, 
Hast thou shewn it to any one beside me ?* And do thou answer 
him, No, by Allah. And he will take it from thee, and give 
thee a piece of gold. But do thou return it to him. And he will 
give thee two pieces of gold. But return them to him. And 
whenever he giveth thee aught, return it to him: if he give thee its 
weight in gold, receive not from him aught. So he will say to 
thee, Tell me what thou desirest. And say thou to him, By Allah, 
I will not sell it save for two sayings. And when he saith to thee. 
And what are those two sayings ?—answer him, Rise upon thy feet, 
and say, Bear witness, O ye who are present in the market, that I 
have exchanged, for the ape of Khaleefeh the fisherman, my ape; 
and have exchanged, for his lot, my lot; and for his good fortune, 
my good fortune. This is the price of the fish, and I have no need 
of the gold.—And when he hath done with thee thus, I will every 
day present myself to thee in the morning and the evening, and 
henceforth thou wilt gain every day ten pieces of gold; while this 
his one-eyed, lame ape will present himself in the morning to Abu-s- 
Sa’adat the Jew, and God will afflict him every day with an 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

533 

exaction which he will he obliged to pay, and he will not cease to 
be thus afflicted until he becometh reduced to poverty, and is pos¬ 
sessed of nothing whatever. Hear then what I say to thee: so wilt 
thou become prosperous and he directed aright.—And when Kha- 
leefeh the fisherman heard the words of the ape, he replied, I 
accept the advice which thou hast given me, O King of all the 
apes! But as to this unlucky one, may God not bless him! I 
know not what to do with him.—The third ape, however, said to 
him, Let him go into the water, and let me go also. And Kha- 
leefeh replied, I hear and obey:—and he advanced to the apes and 
loosed them and left them; whereupon they descended into the 
river. 

He then approached the fish, and took it and washed it, and he 
put beneath it some green grass in the basket, covered it also with 
grass, and, carrying it upon his shoulder, proceeded, singing this 
mowwal : 5 — 

Commit thine affairs to the Lord of Heaven, and thou wilt be safe; 

And act kindly throughout thy life, and thou wilt not repent; 

And associate not with the suspected, for thou wouldst be suspected ; 

And keep thy tongue from reviling, for thou wouldst be reviled. 

He ceased not to walk on until he entered the city of Baghdad; 
and when he entered it, the people, knowing him, wished him good 
morning, and said, What hast thou with thee, O Khaleefeh ? But 
he paid no regard to any one among them until he came to the 
market of the money-changers, and passed the shops, as the ape 
directed him. Then he looked at that Jew, and saw him sitting in 
the shop, with the pages in attendance upon him, and he was like 
one of the Kings of Khurasan. When Khaleefeh saw him, he knew 
him, and walked on until he stood before him; whereupon the Jew 
raised his head towards him, and knew him, and said to him, Wel¬ 
come to thee, O Khaleefeh! What is thine affair, and what is it 
that thou desirest? For if any one have spoken to thee or con¬ 
tended with thee, tell me, that I may go with thee to the Walee, 
and he will exact for thee thy due from him.—So he replied, No, 
by thy head, O chief of the Jews! No one hath spoken to me. 
But I went forth to-day from my house for thy luck, and repaired 
to the river, and cast my net in the Tigris, and there came up this 

534 THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

fish.—He then opened the basket, and threw down the fish before 
the Jew; and when the Jew saw it, he admired it, and said, By the 
Pentateuch and the Ten Commandments,* I was sleeping yesterday, 
and I saw in my sleep as though I were before a person 7 who said to 
me. Know, O Abu-s-Sa’adat, that I have sent to thee a beautiful 
present. So probably the present is this fish: without doubt it is. 
—Then he looked towards Khaleefeh and said to him, By thy reli¬ 
gion, hath any one seen it beside me ? Khaleefeh answered him, 
No, by Allah! By Aboo Bekr the Very Veracious , 8 O chief of 
the Jews, no one beside thyself hath seen it!—And upon this the 
Jew looked towards one of his pages, and said to him, Come hither: 
take this fish, and go with it to the house, and let Sa’adeh 9 prepare 
it, and fry and broil, against the time when I shall accomplish my 
business and come. Khaleefeh also said to him, Go, O page: let 
the wife of the Mo’allim fry some of it and broil some of it. And 
the page replied, I hear and obey, O my master. And he took the 
fish and went with it to the house. But as to the Jew, he stretched 
forth his hand with a piece of gold, and offered it to Khaleefeh the 
fisherman, saying to him, Take this for thyself, O Khaleefeh, and 
expend it upon thy family. 

When Khaleefeh saw it in his hand, he said, Extolled be 
the perfection of the Possessor of dominion!—and seemed as though 
he had not seen anything of gold in his life. He took the piece of 
gold, and walked away a little. Then he remembered the charge 
of the ape: so he returned, and threw back the piece of gold to the 
Jew, saying to him. Take thy gold, and give me people’s fish. Are 
people to thee objects of ridicule ?—And when the Jew heard his 
words, he imagined that he was jesting with him; wherefore he 
handed to him two pieces of gold, in addition to the first piece. 
But Khaleefeh said to him, Give me the fish without jesting. Dost 
thou know that I will sell the fish for this price ?—And the Jew 
put forth his hand to two other pieces, and said to him, Take 
these five pieces of gold as the value of the fish, and relinquish 
covetousness. And Khaleefeh took them in his hand, and went 
away with them, joyful. He proceeded to look at the gold, 
and to wonder at it, and say, Extolled be the perfection of God! 
There is not in the possession of the Khaleefeh of Baghdad the like 
of what is in my possession this day!—And he ceased not to walk 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

535 

on until lie came 
to the end of the 
market. Then he 
remembered the 
words of the ape, 
and the charge that 
he had given him. 

So he returned to 
the Jew, and threw 
back to him the 
gold. The Jew 
therefore said to 
him, "What aileth 
thee,0 Khaleefeh? 

What dost thou 
desire? Wilt thou 
take pieces of silver 
in change of thy 
gold ? — And he 
answered him, I 
desire not pieces of 
silver nor pieces of 
gold. I only desire 
that thou give me 
people’s fish.—And upon tills the Jew was enraged, and cried out 
at him, and said to him, O fisherman, dost thou come to me with a 
fish that is not worth a piece of gold, and do I give thee for it five 
pieces of gold, and dost thou not consent ? Art thou mad ? Tell me 
for how much thou wilt sell it.—Khaleefeh answered him, I will not 
sell it for silver nor for gold, and I will not sell it save for two sayings 
that thou shalt utter to me. And when the Jew heard his mention 
of two sayings, 10 his eyes became fixed in his head, and his breathing 
became difficult, and he locked his teeth together, and said to him, 
O recrement of the Muslims, dost thou desire that I should abandon 
my religion for the sake of thy fish, and wouldst thou alienate from 
me my faith and my belief which I found my fathers to have held 
before me ? And he cried out to his pages, who came before him, 
and he said to them, Wo to you! Take this unlucky fellow; 

536 THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

mangle with blows the back of his neck, and torture him with 
abundant heating.—They therefore fell to beating him, and ceased 
not to do so until he fell down beneath the shop, when the Jew 
said to them, Leave him, that he may rise. And Khaleefeh rose 
up as though nought ailed him. 11 

The Jew then said to him, Tell me what thou desirest as the 
price of this fish, and I will give it thee; for thou hast not obtained 
good from us on this occasion. But Khaleefeh replied, Fear not 
for me, O Mo’allim, on account of the beating; for I can bear as 
much beating as ten asses. And the Jew laughed at his words, and 
said to him, By Allah, I conjure thee, tell me what thou desirest, 
and I, by my religion, will give thee it. So he replied, Nought 
from thee will content me as the price of this fish save two sayings. 
The Jew therefore said to him, I imagine thou desirest of me that 
I should become a Muslim. Khaleefeh replied, By Allah, O Jew, 
if thou become a Muslim, thy becoming so will not profit the 
Muslims nor will it injure the Jews; and if thou remain in thine 
infidelity, thine infidelity will not injure the Muslims nor will it 
profit the Jews. 1 * But what I desire of thee is this : that thou rise 
upon thy feet, and say, Bear witness against me, O people of the 
market, that I have given in exchange my ape for the ape of 
Khaleefeh the fisherman, and my good luck in the world for his 
good luck, and my good fortune for his good fortune.—And the 
Jew said, If this thing be thy desire, it is to me easy. Then the 
Jew arose immediately, and stood upon his feet, and said as Kha¬ 
leefeh the fisherman had told him ; after which he looked towards 
him and said to him, Hast thou aught more to demand of me ? 
The fisherman answered, No. And the Jew said to him, Go in 
peace. So Khaleefeh arose immediately, and, having taken his 
basket and his net, went to the river Tigris, and cast the net. 
Then he drew it, and found it heavy, and he pulled it not forth 
save after laborious exertion; and when he pulled it forth, he saw 
it full of fish of all kinds. And there came to him a woman, 
having with her a plate, and she gave him a piece of gold, for which 
he gave her fish; and there came to him a eunuch also, who bought 
of him for a piece of gold. Thus it happened until he had sold 
fish for ten pieces of gold; and he ceased not to sell every day for 
ten pieces of gold till the end of ten days, so that he amassed a 
hundred pieces of gold. 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 537 

Now this fisherman had a chamber within a place through which 
the merchants passed. 13 And while he was sleeping in his chamber 
one night, he said to himself, O Khaleefeh, verily all the people 
know that thou art a poor man, a fisherman, and there have come 
into thy possession a hundred pieces of gold: so, inevitably, the 
Prince of the Faithful, Haroon Er-Rasheed, will hear of thy story 
from some one of the people; and probably he will be in need of 
wealth, and will send to thee and say to thee, I am in want of a 
certain number of pieces of gold, and it hath been told me that 
thou hast a hundred pieces of gold; therefore lend them to me. 
Then I will say, O Prince of the Faithful, I am a poor man, and he 
who informed thee that I had a hundred pieces of gold lied against 
me: they are not in my possession, nor have I aught thereof. And 
he will deliver me to the Walee, and will say to him, Strip him of 
his clothing, and torture him with heating, that he may confess, 
and may bring the hundred pieces of gold that are in his possession. 
Therefore the right opinion, that will be the means of saving me 
from this embarrassing predicament, is this: that I arise imme¬ 
diately, and torture myself with the whip, that I may be accustomed 
to beating.—And his hasheesh 14 said to him, Arise; strip thyself 
of thy clothes. So he arose forthwith, and stripped himself of his 
clothes, and took in his hand a whip that he had by him. He had 
also a pillow of leather; and he proceeded to strike one blow upon 
that pillow, and one blow upon his skin, saying, Ah ! Ah! By 
Allah, this is a false assertion, 0 my lord, and they utter a lie 
against me: I am a poor man, a fisherman, and have not in my 
possession aught of worldly goods.—And the people heard Kha¬ 
leefeh the fisherman torturing himself, and heating upon the pillow 
with the whip, the falling of the blows upon his body and upon the 
pillow making a noise in the night; and among those who heard 
him were the merchants. They therefore said, What can be the 
matter with this poor man, that he crieth, and that we hear the 
falling of the blows upon him ? It seemeth that the robbers have 
come down upon him, and they are the persons who are torturing 
him.—So thereupon they all arose, on hearing the sounds of the 
beating and crying, and came forth from their lodgings to the house 
of Khaleefeh, and, seeing its door locked, they said, one to another, 
Probably the robbers have descended upon him from behind the 

3 z 

VOL. III. 

538 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

saloon: 15 therefore it is expedient that we ascend by way of the 
roofs. Accordingly they ascended to the roofs, and descended 
through the memrak; 15 and they saw him with bare back, and 
torturing himself. They therefore said to him, What aileth thee, 
O Khaleefeh ? What is thy story ?—And he answered, Know, O 
people, that I have acquired some pieces of gold, and I fear that 
my case will be reported to the Prince of the Faithful, Haroon Er- 
Rasheed, and lie will summon me before him, and demand of me 
those pieces of gold. Then I will deny; and when I deny, I fear 
that he will torture me; wherefore I am torturing myself, and 
making the torture habitual to me, to prepare for what may come. 
—And the merchants laughed at him, and said to him, Leave off 
these actions. May God not bless thee, nor the pieces of gold that 
have come to thee! For thou hast disquieted us this night, and 
alarmed our hearts. 

So Khaleefeh discontinued the beating of himself, and slept 
until the morning; and when he arose from sleep, and desired to 
depart to his occupation, he reflected upon the matter of the hun¬ 
dred pieces of gold that had come into his possession, and said 
within himself, If I leave them in the house, the robbers will steal 
them; and if I put them into a kamar 17 around my waist, probably 
some one will see them, and lay wait for me until I am alone, in a 
place devoid of other persons, and he will slay me, and take them 
from me. But I will practise a stratagem, one that will be good, 
and very advantageous.—He then arose immediately, and sewed for 
himself a pocket within the upper border of his vest, and, having 
tied up the hundred pieces of gold in a purse, put them into that 
pocket which he had made; after which he arose and took his net 
and his basket and his staff, and proceeded until he came to the 
river Tigris, and cast his net in it. Then he drew it; but there 
came not up for him anything. He therefore removed from that 
place to another place, and there he cast his net; but nothing came 
up for him. And he ceased not to remove from place to place 
until he was as far from the city as the space of half a day’s jour¬ 
ney, casting the net on the way; but still there came not up for 
him aught. And he said within himself, By Allah, I will not cast 
my net again into the water save this time, whatever be the result! 
So he cast the net with all his force, by reason of the violence of 

his rage, and the purse in which were the hundred pieces of gold 
flew from his bosom, fell into the midst of the river, and was carried 
away with the force of the current. Upon this he threw down the 
net from his hand, and stripped himself of his clothes, and, leaving 
them upon the bank, descended into the river, and dived after the 
purse. He ceased not to dive and come up about a hundred times, 
until his strength became impaired; but he found not that purse ; 
and when he despaired of it, he came up on the bank, and found 
not aught save the staff and the net and the basket. He sought 
his clothes; but discovered no trace of them. So he unfolded the 
net, and wrapped himself in it, and, taking the staff in his hand, 
and the basket upon his shoulder, he went trotting along like the 
stray-camel, running to the right and left, and backwards and for¬ 
wards, with dishevelled hair, and dust-coloured, like the refractory 
’Efreet when let loose from Suleyman’s prison. 18 —Such was the 
case of Khaleefeh the fisherman. 

540 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

Now the Klialeefeh Haroon Er-Rasheed had a companion, a 
jeweller, named Ibn El-Kirnas; and all the people and the mer¬ 
chants and the brokers and the bargain-makers knew that Ibn El- 
Kirnas was the merchant of the Khaleefeh. Nought that was sold 
in the city of Baghdad, of rarities and other costly things, was 
sold until it was shewn to him, and among these things were 
the memlooks and the female slaves. And while that merchant, 
Ibn El-Kirnas, was sitting in his shop one day, lo, the sheykh 
of the brokers came to him, having with him a female slave, 
the like of whom eyes had not beheld. She was endowed with 
the utmost beauty and loveliness, and fine stature, and justness 
of form; and among the number of her excellences were these: 
that she knew all sciences and arts, and composed verses, and 
played upon all kinds of musical instruments. So Ibn El- 
Kirnas the jeweller purchased her for five thousand pieces of 
gold, and he clad her at the cost of one thousand pieces of gold, 
and brought her to the Prince of the Faithful, who tried her in 
every science and in every art, and found her to be acquainted with 
all sciences and arts. She was unequalled in her age; and her 
name was Koot el-Kuloob. And on the following morning, the 
Khaleefeh Haroon Er-Rasheed sent to Ibn El-Kirnas the jeweller; 
and when he came, he gave orders to pay him ten thousand pieces 
of gold as the price of that slave-girl. Then the heart of the Kha¬ 
leefeh became engrossed by that slave-girl named Koot el-Kuloob, 
and he abandoned the lady Zubeydeh the daughter of El-Kasim, 
though she was the daughter of his paternal uncle. He abandoned 
also all the concubines, and remained a whole month without going 
forth from that slave-girl, save to the Friday-prayers, after which he 
returned to her in haste. So this conduct was grievous to the lords 
of the empire; wherefore they complained thereof to the Wezeer 
Jaafar El-Barmakee ; and the Wezeer waited for the Prince of the 
Faithful until the next Friday, when he entered the mosque, and 
met the Prince of the Faithful, and related to him all that he had 
heard of stories concerning extraordinary love, in order that he 
might draw forth the statement of his feelings. And upon this the 
Khaleefeh said to him, O Jaafar, by Allah, that thing was not of my 
choice; but my heart is entangled in the snare of love, and I know 
not what is to be done. The Wezeer Jaafar therefore replied, 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

541 

Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that this concubine Koot el-Ku- 
loob hath become under thine authority, and of the number of thy 
servants ; and what the hand possesseth the soul doth not covet. I 
will also acquaint thee with another thing, which is this: that the 
best of what the Kings and the sons of the Kings glory in are hunt¬ 
ing, and enjoying sport and conveniences; and if thou do thus, 
probably thou wilt thereby be diverted from her, and probably thou 
wilt forget her.—And the Khaleefeh said to him, Excellent is that 
which thou hast said, O Jaafar. Repair then with us hastily, imme¬ 
diately, to hunt. 

Accordingly, when the Friday-prayers were ended, they both 
went forth from the mosque, and mounted immediately, and went 
to hunt. They proceeded until they came to the desert, and the 
Prince of the Faithful and the Wezeer Jaafar were riding upon two 
mules ; and as they occupied each other by conversation, the troops 
outwent them. The heat had become oppressive to them : so Er- 
Rasheed said, O Jaafar, violent thirst hath affected me. Then 
Er-Rasheed cast his eyes, and saw a distant object faintly appearing 
upon a high mound; and he said to the Weezer, Dost thou see 
what I see? The Weezer answered him, Yes, O Piince of the 
Faithful: I see a distant object faintly appearing upon a high 
mound, and it is either the keeper of a garden or the keeper of a 
ground for melons and cucumbers; and in either case, his tract is 

542 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

not without water. The Wezeer then said, I will go to him, and 
bring thee some water from him. But Er-Rasheed replied, My 
mule is more swift than thine; therefore stay thou here, on account 
of the troops, and I will myself go and get drink from the station of 
this person, and return. And he urged his mule, which thereupon 
went forth like the wind in its pace, or as water poureth into a 
pool, and ceased not to bear him away until he arrived at that faint 
object in the twinkling of an eye, when he found not that object to 
be any one but Khaleefeh the fisherman. Er-Rasheed saw him 
with his naked body wrapped in the net, and his eyes, by reason of 
their excessive redness, were like burning cressets. His form was 
horrible, and his figure bending, and, with dishevelled hair, and 
dust-coloured, he resembled an ’Efreet, or a lion. 

Er-Rasheed saluted him, and he returned his salutation in a 
state of rage, and his breath would have kindled fires; and Er- 
Rasheed said to him, O man, hast thou by thee any water ? Kha¬ 
leefeh replied, O thou, art thou blind or mad ? Go to the river 
Tigris ; for it is behind this mound. 19 So Er-Rasheed went round 
behind the mound, and descended to the river Tigris, and drank, 
and watered his mule. Then he went up immediately, and, return¬ 
ing to Khaleefeh the fisherman, said to him, Wherefore, O man, 
art thou standing here, and what is thine occupation ? Khaleefeh 
replied, Verily this question is more wonderful and more extraor¬ 
dinary than thy question respecting the water. Dost thou not see 
the apparatus of my occupation upon my shoulder?—Er-Rasheed 
therefore said to him, It seemeth that thou art a fisherman. He 
replied, Yes.—Where then, said Er-Rasheed, is thy jubbeh, and 
where is thy shemleh, 20 and where is thy heram, 21 and where are thy 
clothes ?—Now the things that had gone from Khaleefeh were like 
those which he mentioned to him, article agreeing with article: so 
when Khaleefeh heard those words of the Khaleefeh, he imagined 
in his mind that he was the person who had taken his clothes from 
the bank of the river. He therefore descended immediately from 
the top of the mound, more swiftly than the blinding lightning, 
and, seizing the bridle of the mule of the Khaleefeh, said to him, O 
man, give me my things, and desist from sport and jesting. So the 
Khaleefeh replied, I, by Allah, have not seen thy clothes, nor do I 
know them. And Er-Rasheed had large cheeks, and a small 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 543 

mouth: wherefore Khaleefeh said to him, Probably thine occupa* 
tion is that of a singer, or a piper ? But give me my clothes, by 
the means that are best, or else I will beat thee with this staff so 
that thou shalt find thyself in an evil plight.—And when the Kha¬ 
leefeh saw the staff in Khaleefeh’s hand, he said within himself, By 
Allah, I cannot endure from this pauper half a blow with this staff. 
And there was upon Er-Rasheed a long vest of satin : so he pulled 
it off, and said to Khaleefeh, O man, take this vest instead of thy 
clothes. Khaleefeh therefore took it, and turned it over, and said, 
Verily my clothes are worth ten such things as this variegated 
cloak. Er-Rasheed however replied, Wear it till I bring thee thine 
own clothes. And Khaleefeh took it and put it on; but he saw it 
to be too long for him; and, having with him a knife tied to the 
handle of the basket, he took it and cut off with it from the lower 
part of the vest as much as one third of it, so that it reached but just 
below his knees. 

He then looked towards Er-Rasheed, and said to him, By 
Allah I conjure thee, O piper, that thou inform me what is the 
amount of thy wages that thou receivest every month from thy 
master, for the art of piping. The Khaleefeh replied, My wages 
every month are ten pieces of gold. And upon this, Khaleefeh said 
to him, By Allah, O poor man, thou hast made me to partake of 
thine anxiety! By Allah, the sum of ten pieces of gold I gain 
every day! Dost thou desire, then, to be with me as my servant ? 
If so, I will teach thee the art of fishing, and be partner with thee 
in the gain. Thus thou wilt work every date at the rate of five 
pieces of gold, and be my young man, and I will protect thee from 
thy master with this staff.—And Er-Rasheed answered him, I con¬ 
sent to that. So Khaleefeh said to him, Alight now from the back 
of the ass, and tie it, that it may be of use to us hereafter in carry¬ 
ing the fish; and come, that I may teach thee the art of fishing 
immediately. And thereupon Er-Rasheed alighted from the back 
of his mule, and tied it, and tucked up his skirts within the circle 
of his girdle. Khaleefeh then said to him, O piper, hold this net 
so, and put it upon thine arm so, and cast it into the river Tigris so. 
And Er-Rasheed fortified his heart, and did as Khaleefeh shewed 
him. He cast the net in the river, and pulled it; but could not 
(haw it up. Khaleefeh therefore came to him, and pulled it with 

544 THE STORY OF KHALEEFE1I THE FISHERMAN. 

him ; but they could not draw it up together. So Klialeefeh said 
to him, O ill-omened piper, if I took thy cloak instead of my clothes 
the first time, this time I will take thine ass for my net, if I see it 
mangled, and I will beat thee until thou shalt be in an abominable 
condition. Er-Rasheed replied, Let me and thee pull together. 
And the two together pulled the net, and they could not draw up 
that net save with difficulty ; and when they had drawn it up, they 
looked at it, and lo, it was full of all kinds of fish. Upon this, 
Klialeefeh said to Er-Rasheed, By Allah, O piper, verily thou art 
an ugly fellow; but when thou shalt have laboured at fishing, thou 
wilt be an excellent fisherman. And now, the right opinion is this: 
that thou mount thine ass, and go to the market, and bring two 
great baskets, and I will take care of these fish until thou come 
again, when I and thou will put them upon the back of thine ass; 
and I have the pair of scales and the pound-weights and everything 
that we require. We will take all with us, and thou wilt have 
nothing to do but to hold the pair of scales and to receive the prices; 
for we have with us fish worth twenty pieces of gold. Hasten then 
to bring the two great baskets, and delay not.—And the Klialeefeh 
replied, I hear and obey. 

He left him, and left the fish, and urged on his mule, being in 
a state of the utmost joy. He ceased not to laugh at what had 
happened to him with the fisherman until he came to Jaafar; and 
when Jaafar saw him, he said to him, O Prince of the Faithful, 
probably when thou wentest to drink, thou foundest a pleasant 
garden, and enteredst it and divertedst thyself in it alone. And 
Er-Rasheed, on his hearing the words of Jaafar, laughed. Then all 
the Barmekees kissed the ground before him, and said to him, 
O Prince of the Faithful, may God perpetuate thy joys, and dispel 
from thee troubles! What was the cause of thy delay when thou 
wentest to drink, and what happened to thee ? And the Khaleefeh 
answered them, An extraordinary event, and a mirth-exciting, won¬ 
derful thing hath happened to me. Then he repeated to them the 
story of Khaleefeh the fisherman, and what had happened to him 
with him; his saying, Thou hast stolen my clothes,—and his having 
given him his vest, and the fisherman’s having cut off a part of the 
vest on his seeing it to be too long for him. And Jaafar said, By 
Allah, O Prince of the Faithful, it was my wish to have requested 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

545 

of thee the vest; hut I will go immediately to the fisherman and 
purchase it of him. So the Khaleefeh said to him, By Allah, 
he hath cut off a third of it, from its lower part, and hath entirely 
spoiled it; but, O Jaafar, I am fatigued by my fishing in the river; 
for I have caught a great quantity of fish, and they are upon the 
bank of the river, with my teacher Khaleefeh. He is standing 
there waiting for me to return to him, and to take to him two great 
baskets. Then I and he are to go to the market, and we are 
to sell the fish, and divide their price.—Jaafar replied, O Prince of 
the Faithful, I will bring to you one who will purchase of you. 
And the Khaleefeh said to him, O Jaafar, by my pure forefathers, 
to every one yvho bringeth me a fish from among those which are 
before Khaleefeh, who taught me the art of fishing, I will give for 
it a piece of gold! The crier therefore proclaimed among the 
troops, Go ye forth and purchase fish for the Prince of the 
Faithful! 

Accordingly the memlooks went forth, repairing to the bank of 
the river ; and while Khaleefeh was waiting for the Prince of the 
Faithful to bring to him two great baskets, lo, the memlooks 
pounced upon him like eagles, and took the fish, and put them in 
gold-embroidered handkerchiefs, and proceeded to beat each other 
to get at him. So Khaleefeh said, No doubt these fish are of the 
fish of Paradise ! Then, taking two fish in his right hand, and two 
in his left hand, he descended into the water to his throat, and 

VOL. III. 4 A 

546 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

began to say, O Allah, by these fish, let thy servant the piper, my 
partner, come immediately! 22 And lo, a black slave advanced to 
him, and that slave was the chief over all the black slaves that were 
in the palace of the Khaleefeh. The cause of his having come 
later than the memlooks was an impediment that occurred to him 
on the way. So when he came to Khaleefeh, he found that there 
remained not of the fish little nor much; but looking to the right 
and left, he saw Khaleefeh the fisherman standing in the water 
with the fish in his hands; and thereupon he said to him, O fisher¬ 
man, come hither! The fisherman replied, Go, without imperti¬ 
nence. The eunuch however advanced to him, and said to him. 
Give me these fish, and I will give thee the price. JpChaleefeh the 
fisherman rejoined, Art thou of little sense ? I will not sell them. 
—But the eunuch drew forth against him the mace: so thereupon 
Khaleefeh said to him, Strike not, O wretch : for the conferring of 
a favour is better than the mace! Then he threw to him the fish, 
and the eunuch took them, and placed them in his handkerchief, 
and put his hand into his pocket; but found not a single piece of 
silver. He therefore said, O fisherman, verily thy fortune is 
unlucky! I, by Allah, have not with me any money. But to¬ 
morrow come thou to the palace of the Khaleefeh, and say, Direct 
me to the eunuch Sandal. Thereupon the eunuchs will direct thee 
to me; and when thou hast come to me there, thou wilt obtain 
what is decreed for thee, and thou shalt receive it and go thy way. 

So upon this, Khaleefeh said, Verily this day is blessed, and its 
blessing was apparent from its commencement! 23 Then he took 
his net upon his shoulder, and walked on until he entered Baghdad, 
and he walked along the streets. The people therefore saw the 
garment of the Khaleefeh upon him, and they continued looking at 
him until he entered the quarter [where he lived]. And the shop 
of the tailor of the Prince of the Faithful was by the gate of 
the quarter: so the tailor saw Khaleefeh the fisherman having upon 
him a garment worth a thousand pieces of gold, of the apparel 
of the Khaleefeh; and he said, O Khaleefeh, whence obtainedst 
thou this farajeeyeh ? Khaleefeh replied, And what reason hast 
thou to be impertinent? I received it from him whom I have 
taught the art of fishing, and who hath become my young man, and 
I have remitted to him the amputation of his hand; 24 for he stole 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

547 

my clothes, and gave me this cloak instead of them.—The tailor 
therefore knew that the Khaleefeh had passed by him, while 
he was fishing, and had jested with him, and given him the fara- 
jeeyeh. Then the fisherman went to his abode. 

Now the Khaleefeh Haroon Er-Rasheed had not gone forth to 
the chase save in order that he might be diverted from thinking of 
the slave-girl Koot el-Kuloob. And when Zubeydeh heard of the 
slave-girl, and of the Khaleefeh’s devotion to her, that jealousy 
which seizes women so seized her that she abstained from food and 
drink, and relinquished the delight of sleep ; and she waited for the 
absence of the Khaleefeh, and his going forth on a journey, that she 
might set, for Koot el-Kuloob, the snare of stratagems. Therefore 
when she knew that the Khaleefeh had gone forth to hunt, she 
ordered the female slaves to spread the furniture in the palace, and 
she made a profuse display of decoration- and magnificence, caused 
the viands and the sweetmeats to be placed, and prepared, among 
these, a China dish containing sweetmeat of the most dainty kind, 
in which she put some benj, infusing it therewith. She then 
ordered one of the eunuchs to go to the slave-girl Koot el-Kuloob, to 
invite her to partake of the food of the lady Zubeydeh the daughter 
of El-Kasim, the wife of the Prince of the Faithful, and to say to 
her, The wife of the Prince of the Faithful hath drunk to-day some 
medicine, and she hath heard of the sweetness of thy melody, 
wherefore she desireth to divert herself by hearing somewhat of 
thy performance.—And she replied, I hear and obey God and the 
lady Zubeydeh. She arose immediately, not knowing what was 
secretly decreed to befall her, and, taking with her what instru¬ 
ments she required, she accompanied the eunuch, and ceased not to 
proceed until she went in to the lady Zubeydeh, when she kissed 
the ground before her many times; after which she rose upon her 
feet and said, Peace be on the lady of the highly-honoured curtain 
and the unapproachable majesty, the descendant of E1-’Abbas and 
the member of the family of the Prophet! May God cause thee to 
obtain prosperity and peace during the course of days and years!— 
Then she stood among the female slaves and the eunuchs; and 
thereupon the lady Zubeydeh raised her head towards her, and 
contemplated her beauty and loveliness; and she saw a damsel with 
smooth cheeks, with a bosom presenting the similitude of two 

548 THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

pomegranates, and a brilliant countenance and shining forehead 
and large black eyes. Her eyelids were languishing, and her face 
was beauteously bright. The splendour of her countenance was 
like that of the rising sun; and the hair over her forehead, like the 
darkness of night; and her odour, like the fragrance diffused by 
musk; and her beauty, like charming flowers; and her forehead, 
like the moon; and her figure, like the waving branch. She was 
like the full moon shining in the dark night, and her eyes were 
amorous, and her eyebrows were arched, and her lips were as though 
they were formed of coral. She amazed by her beauty every one 
who beheld her, and enchanted with her eye every one who saw 
her. Glory be to Him who created her and perfected her and 
completed her! She was like her of whom the poet hath said,— 

When she is incensed, thou seest men slain; and when she is pleased, their 
souls return. 

She hath eyes the glances of which are enchanting: with them she killeth 
and reanimateth whom she will. 

She captivateth all creatures with her eyes; and it seemetli as though they 
were her slaves. 

The lady Zubeydeh said to her, A friendly and free and ample 
welcome to thee, O Koot el-Kuloob! Sit, that thou mayest amuse 
us with thy performances and the excellence of thine art.—So she 
replied, 1 hear and obey. And she sat, and, putting forth her 
hand, she took the tambourine; and after that, the shebbabeh; 35 
and next, the lute; and she played fourteen times, and sang to 
it an entire piece in such a manner that she amazed the be¬ 
holders, and moved with delight the hearers. And after that, she 
exhibited her skill in juggling and sleights, and every pleasing art, 
so that the lady Zubeydeh almost became enamoured of her, and 
said within herself, The son of my uncle, Er-Rasheed, is not to be 
blamed for his passion for her. Then the damsel kissed the ground 
before Zubeydeh, and sat down; and they presented to her the 
viands; and afterwards, the sweetmeat; and they presented the 
dish in which was the benj. So she ate of it; and the sweetmeat 
had not settled in her stomach before her head turned over and she 
fell down on the floor asleep; whereupon the lady Zubeydeh said 
to the female slaves, Take her up to one of the private chambers, 
and there leave her until I require her to be brought. And they 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

549 

replied, We hear and obey. She then said to one of the eunuchs, 
Make for us a chest, and bring it to me. And she gave orders to 
make the semblance of a tomb, and to spread a report that the 
damsel had been choked and had died. She also warned her chief 
attendants, that whoever should say that she was living, that per¬ 
son’s head should be struck off.—And lo, the Khaleefeh then came 
back from the chase, and his first inquiry was respecting the damsel. 
So one of his eunuchs advanced to him; and the lady Zubeydeh 
had charged him, that if the Khaleefeh should ask him respecting 
her, he should say she had died: wherefore he kissed the ground 
before him, and said to him, O my lord, may thy head long survive! 
Know for certain that Koot el-Kuloob hath been choked with food, 
and hath died.—Upon this, the Khaleefeh said, May God not 
rejoice thee with good tidings, O wicked slave! He then arose and 
entered the palace, and heard of her death from every one in it; 
and he said, Where is her tomb ? They therefore conducted him 
thither, and shewed him the tomb that had been made for deception, 
saying to him, This is her tomb. And when he saw it, he cried 
out, and embraced the tomb, and wept, and recited some verses. 
He wept for her violently, and remained there some time; after 
which he arose and quitted the tomb, in a state of the utmost grief. 
So the lady Zubeydeh knew that her stratagem had been accom¬ 
plished, and she said to the eunuch, Bring the chest. He therefore 
brought it before her; and she caused the damsel to be brought, and 
put her in it, and said to the eunuch, Endeavour to sell the chest, 
make it a condition with the purchaser that he shall purchase it 
locked: then give its price in alms. And the eunuch took it and 
went forth from her, and complied with her command. 

But as to Khaleefeh the fisherman, when the morning came and 
diffused its light and shone, he said, I have no occupation to follow 
this day better than my going to the eunuch who bought of me the 
fish ; for he made an appointment with me that I should go to him 
in the palace of the Khaleefeh. He then went forth from his abode 
to repair to the palace of the Khaleefeh ; and when he arrived at it, 
he found the memlooks and the black slaves and the eunuchs sitting 
and standing. So he looked attentively at them, and lo, the eunuch 
who took from him the fish was sitting there, with the memlooks in 
attendance upon him. And one of the memlooks called out to him; 

550 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

whereupon the eunuch looked towards him, to see who he was; 
and behold, he saw the fisherman. Therefore when the fisherman 
knew that he saw him, and recognized his person with certainty, he 
said to him, Thou hast not failed in thy duty, O Shukeyr! s “ Thus 
are persons of fidelity!—And the eunuch, on hearing his words, 
laughed at him, and replied, By Allah, thou hast spoken truth, O 
fisherman ! Then the eunuch Sandal desired to give him something, 
and put his hand to his pocket. But just then a great clamour 
arose: so the eunuch raised his head, to see what had happened ; 
and lo, the Wezeer Jaafar El-Barmekee was coming forth from the 
Khaleefeh. Therefore when the eunuch saw him, he rose to him, 
and walked before him, and they both proceeded to converse to¬ 
gether as they walked until the time became tedious. Khaleefeh 
the fisherman waited a considerable while, during which the eunuch 
looked not towards him ; and when his standing was tedious to him, 
the fisherman placed himself opposite to him, but at a distance from 
him, and, making a sign to him with his hand, said, O my master, 
Shukeyr, let me go! And the eunuch heard him, but was ashamed 
to return him a reply, on account of the presence of the Wezeer 
Jaafar. He continued to converse with the Wezeer, and so to 
divert himself from attending to the fisherman. So Khaleefeh said, 
O delayer of the payment of thy debt, may God disgrace every 
sulky person, and every one who taketh the goods of others and 
acteth sulkily to them ! I place myself under thy protection, O my 
master Kerish en-Nukhal, ar begging thee to give me what is my 
due, that I may go! 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

551 

The eunucli heard him; but he was abashed at Jaafar; and 
Jaafar also saw him as he made signs with his hands and talked to 
the eunuch, though he knew not what he said to him; and he said 
to the eunuch, disapproving of his conduct, O eunuch, what doth 
this poor beggar demand of thee ? Sandal the eunuch therefore 
said to him, Dost thou not know this man, O our lord the Wezeer ? 
The Wezeer Jaafar answered, By Allah, I do not know him! 
And how (he added) should I know this man when I have not 
seen him before the present time ?—So the eunuch replied, O 
our lord, this is the fisherman whose fish we seized from the bank 
of the Tigris. I got not any, and was ashamed to return to the 
Prince of the Faithful without aught, all the memlooks having 
taken. But when I came to him, I found him standing in the 
midst of the river, supplicating God, and having with him four fish. 
I therefore said to him, Give me what thou hast with thee, and 
receive their price. And when he gave me the fish, I put my hand 
into my pocket, desiring to give him something; but found not in 
it aught: wherefore 1 said to him, Come to me in the palace, 
and I will give thee something by means of which thou mayest seek 
aid against thy poverty. Accordingly he came to me this day, and 
I put forth my hand with the desire of giving him something, and 
thou earnest: so I arose to wait upon thee, and was diverted by 
thee from attending to him, and the case became tedious to him. 
This is his story, and this is the reason of his standing here.—And 
when the Wezeer heard the words of the eunuch, he smiled at 
them, and said, O eunuch, how is it that this fisherman hath come 
in the time of his need, and thou hast not accomplished his affair ? 
Dost thou not know him, O chief of the eunuchs 1 —He answered, 
No. And Jaafar said, This is the teacher of the Prince of the 
Faithful, and his partner; and our lord the Khaleefeh hath arisen 
this day with contracted bosom, mourning heart, and troubled 
mind, and there is nothing that will dilate his bosom except this 
fisherman. So let him not go until I consult the Khaleefeh re¬ 
specting him, and bring him before him. Perhaps God will dispel 
his grief and console him for the loss of Koot el-Kuloob by means 
of his presence, and he will give him something wherewith to seek 
for himself aid; and thou wilt be the cause of that.—The eunuch 
therefore replied, O my lord, do what thou desirest; and may God 

552 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

(whose name be exalted!) preserve thee as a pillar of the dynasty 
of the Prince of the Faithful! May God perpetuate its shadow, 
and keep its branch and its root! 

The Wezeer Jaafar then went to the Khaleefeh, and the eunuch 
commanded the memlooks that they should not quit the fisherman. 
So thereupon Khaleefeh the fisherman said, How excellent is thy 
beneficence, O Shukeyr! The demander hath become demanded; 
for I came to demand my money, and they have imprisoned me for 
the arrears! 29 —And when Jaafar went in to the Khaleefeh, he saw 
him sitting, hanging down his head towards the ground, with con¬ 
tracted bosom, full of solicitude, singing some plaintive verses; and 
Jaafar, standing before him, said, Peace be on thee, O Prince of 
the Faithful, and defender of the dignity of the religion, and 
descendant of the uncle of the Chief of Apostles—may God favour 
and preserve him and all his family!—The Khaleefeh therefore 
raised his head, and replied, And on thee be peace, and the mercy 
of God, and his blessings! And Jaafar said, With the permission 
of the Prince of the Faithful, may his servant speak, and not be re¬ 
strained? The Khaleefeh replied, And when was restraint as to 
speech put upon thee ? Thou, being the chief of the Wezeers, shalt 
speak what thou wilt.—So the Wezeer Jaafar said to him, I went 
forth, O our lord, from before thee, desiring to repair to my house, 
and 1 saw thy master and thy teacher and thy partner, Khaleefeh 
the fisherman, standing at the gate, and he was displeased with 
thee, and was complaining of thee, and saying, Extolled be the per¬ 
fection of God! I have taught him the art of fishing, and he went to 
bring me two great baskets, and returned not to me; and this is 
not consistent with the condition of partnership nor the condition 
of teachers.—Therefore if thou desire to be a partner, no harm: 
but if not, inform him, that he may take some other than thyself as 
partner.—And when the Khaleefeh heard his words, he smiled, and 
the contraction of the bosom that he suffered ceased; and he said 
to Jaafar, By my life I conjure thee to tell me, is it true that thou 
sayest, that the fisherman is standing at the gate ? Jaafar answered, 
By thy life, O Prince of the Faithful, he is standing at the gate. 
And thereupon the Khaleefeh said, O Jaafar, by Allah, I will 
assuredly endeavour to accomplish that which is his due; and if 
God send him, by my means, misery, he obtaineth it; and if He 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

553 

send him, by my means, prosperity, he obtainetli it. Then the 
Khaleefeh took a piece of paper, and cut it in pieces, and said, O 
Jaafar, write with thine own hand twenty sums of money, from a 
piece of gold to a thousand pieces of gold; and the posts of Walee 
and Emeers, from the least office to that of Wezeer; 99 and twenty 
kinds of punishment, from the slightest chastisement to slaughter. 
And Jaafar replied, I hear and obey, O Prince of the Faithful. He 
wrote the papers with his own hand, as the Khaleefeh commanded 
him; and after that, the Khaleefeh said, O Jaafar, I swear by my 
pure forefathers, and my connexion by lineage with Hamzeh and 
’Akeel, 30 that I desire to cause Khaleefeh the fisherman to be 
brought, and I will order him to take one of these papers, the 
inscription of which none shall know excepting me and thee; and 
whatever is written upon it, I will give him possession thereof: 
even if upon it be written the office of Wezeer, I will make 
him possessor of it; and if upon it be written hanging, or ampu¬ 
tation, or slaughter, I will do unto him accordingly. So go, and 
bring him unto me. 

When Jaafar, therefore, heard these words, he said within him¬ 
self, There is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! 
Perhaps there will prove to be the lot of this poor man something 
that will occasion his destruction, and I shall be the cause. But the 
Khaleefeh hath sworn: so it only remaineth for him to enter; and 
nought will happen but what God desireth.—He then went to 
Khaleefeh the fisherman, and laid hold of his hand, desiring to 
enter with him; and upon this, the reason of Khaleefeh fled from 
his head, and he said within himself, How have I trifled, that 
I have come to this ill-omened slave Shukeyr, and he hath brought 
me into the company of Kerish en-Nukhal! Jaafar ceased not to 
proceed with him, the memlooks being behind him and before him, 
and Khaleefeh saying, Is not imprisonment enough, that these are 
behind me and before me, preventing my fleeing ?—Jaafar still went 
on with him until he had passed through seven antechambers, when 
he said to Khaleefeh, Wo to thee, 0 fisherman! Thou wilt stand 
before the Prince of the Faithful, and the defender of the dignity of 
the religion.—Then he raised the grand curtain, and the eye of 
Khaleefeh the fisherman fell upon the Khaleefeh, who was sitting 
upon his couch, with the lords of the empire standing in attendance 

4 B 

VOL. III. 

upon him; and when he knew him, he advanced to him and said, A 
friendly and free welcome to thee, O piper! It is not right in thee 
to become a fisherman, and leave me sitting to keep watch over the 
fish, and go, and not return, so that I was not aware when the 
memlooks advanced, upon beasts of various colours, and snatched 
the fish from me, while I stood alone. All this was occasioned by 
thee; for if thou hadst come with the great baskets, quickly, we 
should have sold of them for a hundred pieces of gold. But I came 
to demand my due, and they imprisoned me. And who imprisoned 
thee also in this place ?—And the Khaleefeh smiled, and, lifting up 
the edge of the curtain, put forth his head from beneath it, and said 
to him, Advance, and take for thee one of these papers. So Kha¬ 
leefeh the fisherman said to the Prince of the Faithful, Thou wast 
a fisherman, and I see thee to-day to have become an astrologer. 
But when a man’s trades become many, his poverty becometh 
great.—Upon this, Jaafar said, Take the paper speedily, without 
talking, and do as the Prince of the Faithful hath commanded thee. 
Accordingly Khaleefeh the fisherman advanced, and put forth his 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 555 

hand, and said, Far be it from me that this piper should be again 
my young man, and fish with me! He then took the paper, and 
handed it to the Khaleefeh, and said, O piper, what hath proved to 
he written upon it as my lot? Conceal not of it aught.—The 
Khaleefeh therefore took it and handed it to the Wezeer Jaafar, 
saying to him, Read what is upon it. And Jaafar looked at it, and 
said, There is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the 
Great! So the Khaleefeh said, Good news, 31 O Jaafar! What 
hast thou seen upon it ?—He answered, O Prince of the Faithful, 
there hath proved to be written upon the paper, The fisherman 
shall receive a hundred blows with a staff. And thereupon the 
Khaleefeh commanded that he should have a hundred blows with a 
staff inflicted upon him; and they complied with his command; 
and when they had done so, Khaleefeh arose, saying, Accursed be 
this game, O Kerish en-Nukhal! Are imprisonment and beating 
among the conditions of the game ? 

Upon this, Jaafar said, O Prince of the Faithful, this poor man 
hath come to the great river, 33 and how shall he return thirsty ? 
We hope that by the beneficence of the Prince of the Faithful he 
may be allowed to take for himself another paper, and perhaps 
there may prove to be written upon it as his lot something good, so 
that he may return with it, to have recourse to it for aid against his 
poverty.—The Khaleefeh replied, By Allah, O Jaafar, if he take a 
paper, and slaughter prove to be the lot written for him upon it, I 
will assuredly slay him, and thou wilt be the cause. Jaafar rejoined. 
If he die, he will be at rest. And upon this, Khaleefeh the fisher¬ 
man said to him, May God not rejoice thee with good tidings! 
Have I made Baghdad strait unto you, that ye seek my slaughter ? 
—But Jaafar replied, Take for thyself a paper, and beg success of 
God, whose name be exalted! And he put forth his hand, and 
took a paper, and gave it to Jaafar, who took it from him, and read 
it, and was silent. The Khaleefeh therefore said to him, Why art 
thou silent, O son of Yahya ? He answered, O Prince of the 
Faithful, there hath proved to be written upon the paper, The 
fisherman shall not be given anything. And the Khaleefeh said, 
There is no good fortune for him to obtain from us. Tell him to 
depart from before my face.—But Jaafar said, By thy pure fore¬ 
fathers, let him take the third ! Perhaps good fortune may betide 

556 THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

him by it.—And the Khaleefeh replied, Let him take for himself 
one paper more, and nought beside it. So he stretched forth his 
hand, and took the third paper; and lo, on it was written, The 
fisherman shall be given a piece of gold. Jaafar therefore said to 
Khaleefeh, I sought for thee prosperity; but God would not that 
aught should fall to thy lot save this piece of gold. Khaleefeh 
replied, Every hundred blows with a staff for a piece of gold are 
abundant good fortune. May God not make thy body to be 
healthy !—And the Khaleefeh laughed at him. 

Jaafar then took the hand of Khaleefeh, and went forth with 
him; and when he came to the gate, Sandal the eunuch saw him, 
and said to him, Come hither, O fisherman! Bestow upon us a 
present from that which the Prince of the Faithful hath given thee 
while jesting with thee.—And Khaleefeh replied, By Allah, thou 
hast spoken truth, O Shukeyr! And dost thou desire to share 
with me, O black-skinned, when I have had a hundred blows with 
a staff and received one piece of gold ? Thou art absolved of 
responsibility with respect to it.—Then he threw the piece of gold 
to the eunuch, and went forth, his tears running down upon the 
surface of his cheek. So when the eunuch saw him in this state, 
he knew that he had spoken truth: he therefore went towards him, 
and called out to the pages, Bring him back! Accordingly they 
brought him back; and the eunuch put his hand to his pocket, and 
took forth from it a red purse, which he opened and shook, and lo, 
in it were a hundred pieces of gold; and he said, O fisherman, take 
this gold as the price of thy fish, and go thy way. So thereupon, 
Khaleefeh the fisherman rejoiced. 

He took the hundred pieces of gold, and the Khaleefeh’s piece 
of gold, and went forth; and he had forgotten the beating. And 
as God (whose name be exalted!) desired the accomplishment of an 
event that He had decreed, Khaleefeh the fisherman passed through 
the market for female slaves; and he saw a large ring of persons, 
comprising many people; upon which he said within himself, What 
are these people ? Then he advanced and made his way among 
the people, who consisted of merchants and others; and the mer¬ 
chants said. Make room for the nakhoodah Zuleyt! 33 So they 
made room for him; and Khaleefeh looked, and lo, there was a 
sheykh upon his feet, and before him was a chest, upon which was 

sitting a eunuch; and the sheykh was crying and saying, O mer¬ 
chants, O possessors of riches, who will hazard and hasten to give 
his money for this chest of which the contents are unknown, from 
the palace of the lady Zubeydeh the daughter of El-Kasim, the 
wife of the Prince of the Faithful, Er-Rasheed ? At what sum 
shall it be announced for you ? May God bless you !—Upon this, 
one of the merchants said, By Allah, this is a hazarding; but I will 
say something for which I shall not be blameable. Be it mine for 
twenty pieces of gold.—Another said, For fifty pieces of gold. 
And the merchants increased their biddings for it until the sum 
offered amounted to a hundred pieces of gold; when the crier said, 
Have ye any addition to make, O merchants 1 And Khaleefeh the 
fisherman said, Be it mine for a hundred pieces of gold and one. 
So when the merchants heard the words of Khaleefeh, they imagined 
that he was jesting; and they laughed at him, and said, O eunuch, 
sell it to Khaleefeh for the hundred pieces of gold and one. And 
the eunuch replied, By Allah, I will not sell it save to him ! Take 
it, O fisherman. May God bless thee in it! And give me the 
gold.—Khaleefeh therefore took forth the gold, and delivered it to 
the eunuch, and the contract was concluded. The eunuch then 

558 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

gave away the gold in alms in the place where he stood, and 
returned to the palace, and acquainted the lady Zubeydeh with 
that which he had done; whereat she rejoiced. Khaleefeh the 
fisherman took the chest upon his shoulder; but he could not 
carry it so, on account of the greatness of its weight; wherefore he 
carried it upon his head, and came with it to the quarter in which 
he dwelt, and put it down from his head. He had become fatigued ; 
and he sat meditating, upon the events that had happened to him, 
and began to say within himself, Would that I knew what is in this 
chest! Then he opened the door of his abode, and laboured to 
remove the chest until he had brought it into his abode; after 
which he laboured to open it; but was not able. So he said within 
himself, What hath happened to my reason, that I have bought 
this chest ? I must break it, and see what is in it.—And he 
applied himself to open the lock; but could not; and he said 
within himself, I will leave it till the morrow. 

He then desired to sleep; hut found not a place in which to 
sleep, for the chest was just of the size of the chamber in length 
and breadth. He therefore got upon it, and slept on it; and after 
he had remained a while, something moved ; whereupon Khaleefeh 
was frightened, and sleep fled from him, and his reason also took 
flight. He arose and said, It seemeth that there are Jinn in it. 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

559 

Praise be to God who caused me not to open it! For if I had opened 
it, they would have come upon me in the dark and destroyed me, 
and no good would have betided me from them.—Then he returned 
and lay down again; and lo, the chest moved a second time, more 
than the first time. Khaleefeh therefore arose and stood up, and 
said, This is another time; but it is alarming ! And he hastened 
to get a lamp ; but found it not, and he had not aught wherewith 
to buy a lamp. So he went forth from the house, and called out, 
O people of the quarter ! And most of the people of the quarter 
were sleeping; and they awoke at his cry, and said, What aileth 
thee, O Khaleefeh ? He answered, Come to me with a lamp ; for 
the Jinn have come forth upon me! They therefore laughed at 
him, and gave him a lamp, and he took it and went with it into 
his abode. He then beat the lock of the chest with a stone, and 
broke it, and opened the chest; and lo, he beheld a damsel like a 
hooreeyeh, lying in the chest. She had been stupified with benj, 
and having then vomited the benj, and recovered her senses, she 
opened her eyes, and became sensible of her confinement, and 
moved. So when Khaleefeh saw her, he rose to her, and said, By 
Allah, O my mistress, whence art thou ? And she opened her 
eyes, and said, Bring me Yasemeen and Narjis . 34 Khaleefeh 
replied, There is nothing here but temer-henna . 35 And upon this 
she recovered her consciousness, and, seeing Khaleefeh, she said to 
him, What art thou ? Then she said, And where am I ? He 
answered her, Thou art in my house. She said, Am I not in the 
palace of the Khaleefeh Haroon Er-Rasheed ? He replied, What 
is Er-Rasheed, O mad woman ? Thou art nought but my slave- 
girl, and this day I bought thee for a hundred pieces of gold and 
one, and brought thee to my house, and thou wast in this chest, 
asleep.—And when the damsel heard his words, she said to him, 
What is thy name ? He answered, My name is Khaleefeh. And 
how is it (he added) that my star hath become fortunate, when I 
know that my star was not so ?—And she laughed and said, Cease 
to trouble me with these words. Hast thou anything to be 
eaten ?—He answered, By Allah, I have not even anything to be 
drunk; and I, by Allah, have passed two days without eating 
aught, and I am now in want of a morsel. So she said to him, 
Hast thou not any money ? He replied, Allah preserve this chest 

560 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

which hath reduced me to poverty! For I have given what I had 
for it, and become a bankrupt.—And the damsel laughed at him, 
and said, Arise, seek of thy neighbours something that I may eat; 
for I am hungry. 

Khaleefeh therefore arose and went forth from the chamber, 
and cried out, O people of the quarter! And they were sleeping: 
so they awoke and said, What aileth thee, O Khaleefeh ? He 
answered, O my neighbours, I am hungry, and I have not anything 
for me to eat. And upon this, one came down to him with a cake 
of bread, and another with a fragment of bread, and another with a 
bit of cheese, and another with a cucumber. Thus his lap was 
filled, and he entered the chamber, and put the whole before her, 
saying to her, Eat. But she laughed at him, and said to him, How 
shall I eat of this, when I have not a mug of water whereof to 
drink, so that I fear I may be choked with a morsel, and die ? 
Khaleefeh therefore said, I will fill for thee this jar. And he took 
the jar, and went forth into the midst of the quarter, and called 
out, O people of the quarter! So they said to him, What is thy 
misfortune this night, O Khaleefeh ? And he answered them, Ye 
gave me, and I have eaten ; but I am thirsty : therefore give me to 
drink. And this one came down to him with a mug, and this with 
a ewer, and this with a water-bottle; and he filled the jar, went 
with it into the chamber, and said to the damsel, O my mistress, 
there remaineth to thee no want. She replied, True: there 
remaineth to me no want at present. He then said to her, Speak 
to me, and tell me thy story. And she replied, Wo to thee! If 
thou know me not, I will acquaint thee with myself. I am Koot 
el-Kuloob, the slave-girl of the Khaleefeh Haroon Er-Rasheed. 
The lady Zubeydeh hath become jealous of me, and stupified me 
with benj, and put me into this chest.—Then she said, Praise be to 
God that this easy event happened, and that another event hap¬ 
pened not! But this happened not to me save for the sake of thy 
good fortune; for thou wilt undoubtedly receive from the Khaleefeh 
Er-Rasheed a large sum of money, that will be the cause of thy 
becoming rich.—Upon this, Khaleefeh said to her, Is not he Er- 
Rasheed in whose palace I was imprisoned ? She answered, Yes. 
And he said, By Allah, I have not beheld any one more avaricious 
than he, that piper of little goodness and intellect! For he caused 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

561 

me to receive, yesterday, a hundred blows with a staff, and gave 
me one piece of gold, although I had taught him the art of fishing, 
and made him my partner; and he acted perfidiously to me.—So 
she said to him. Abstain from this ford language, and open thine 
eyes, and behave respectfully when thou seest him after this; for 
if so, thou wilt attain thy desire. And when he heard her words, 
he was as though he had been sleeping, and awoke; and God 
removed the veil from his judgment, for the sake of his good 
fortune; wherefore he replied, On the head and the eye. Then 
he said to her, In the name of Allah, sleep. 

Accordingly she arose, and laid herself down and slept, and he 
slept at a distance from her until the morning; and when she 
arose in the morning, she demanded of him an ink-case and a piece 
of paper. So he brought them to her; and she wrote to the 
merchant who was the companion of the Khaleefeh, acquainting 
him with her case, and the events that had happened to her; 
that she was in the abode of Khaleefeh the fisherman, and that he 
had purchased her. Then she gave to him the paper, and said to 
him, Take this paper, and go with it to the jewel-market, and 
inquire for the shop of Ibn El-Kirnas the jeweller, and give him 
this paper without speaking. Khaleefeh therefore replied, I hear 
and obey. He took the paper from her hand, and went with it to 
the jewel-market, and inquired for the shop of Ibn El-Kirnas. So 
they directed him to it, and he came to him and saluted him, and 
he returned his salutation, but despised him, and said to him. 
What dost thou want ? And he handed to him the paper, which 
he took ; but he read it not, imagining that he was a pauper, who 
desired of him an alms; wherefore he said to one of his pages. 
Give him half a piece of silver. So Khaleefeh said to him, I 
have no need of alms; but read thou the paper. He therefore 
took the paper and read it, and he understood its contents ; and 
when he knew what it contained, he kissed it, and put it on his 
head, and, rising, he said to Khaleefeh, O my brother, where 
is thy house ? Khaleefeh said to him, And what desirest thou 
with regard to my house ? Is it thy desire to go to it to steal 
my slave-girl?—He answered him, No: but I will buy for thee 
something that thou shalt eat with her. So thereupon Khaleefeh 
replied, My abode is in such a quarter. And the jeweller said 

4 c 

VOL. III. 

to him, Thou hast done well. May God not give thee health, 
O unfortunate ! 86 —Then he cried out to two of his black slaves, 
and said to them, Go with this man to the shop of Mohsin the 
money-changer, and say to him, O Mohsin, give this person a 
thousand pieces of gold,—and return ye with him to me speedily. 
—Accordingly the two slaves went with Khaleefeh to the shop of 
the money-changer, and said to him, O Mohsin, give this man 
a thousand pieces of gold. He therefore gave him them, and 
Khaleefeh took them, and returned with the two slaves to the 
shop of their master; whom they found riding upon a light-paced 
mule worth a thousand pieces of gold, with the memlooks and 
pages around him, and by the side of his mule was a mule like 
it, saddled and bridled. The jeweller then said to Khaleefeh, 
In the name of Allah, mount this mule. But Khaleefeh replied, 
I will not mount. By Allah, I fear that she would throw me.— 
The merchant Ibn El-Kirn&s, however, said to him, By Allah, 
thou must mount. So Khaleefeh advanced to mount her, and 
he mounted her back-foremost, and laid hold of her tail, and cried 
out; whereupon she threw him on the ground, and the people 
laughed at him; and he rose and said, Did I not say to thee, I 
will not mount this great ass ? 

Then Ibn El-Kirnas left Khaleefeh in the market, and went to 
the Prince of the Faithful, and gave him information of the 
damsel; after which he returned, and removed her to his own 
house. And Khaleefeh went to his house to see the damsel, and 
beheld the people of the quarter assembled, and saying, Verily 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

563 

Khaleefeh is to-day altogether terrified! 37 Whence can this 
damsel have come into his possession?—And one of them said. 
This man is a mad rascal. Probably he found her in the way, 
intoxicated, and carried her and brought her to his house, and 
hath not absented himself save because he knew his crime.—And 
while they were talking, lo, Khaleefeh approached them; and 
they said to him, How is thy condition, 0 poor man? Dost 
thou not know what hath happened to thee ?—He answered, 
No, by Allah. And they said. Just now some memlooks came 
and took thy slave-girl, and they sought thee, but found thee 
not. So Khaleefeh said, How did they take my slave-girl ? And 
one said, Had he fallen in their way, they had slain him. And 
Khaleefeh paid no regard to them; but returned running to the 
shop of Ibn El-Kirnas; and he saw him riding, and said to him, 
By Allah, it is not right in thee; for thou divertedst my attention, 
and sentest thy memlooks, and they have taken my slave-girl. 
And he replied, 0 madman, come hither, and be thou silent! 
Then he took him and conducted him to a house of handsome 
construction, which he entered with him, and he saw the damsel 
sitting in it upon a couch of gold, surrounded by ten slave-girls 
resembling moons. And when Ibn El-Kirn is saw her, he kissed 
the ground before her; and she said to him, What hast thou done 
with my new master, who purchased me with all that he pos¬ 
sessed? He answered her, 0 my mistress, I have given him a 
thousand pieces of gold. And he related to her the story of 
Khaleefeh from its beginning to its end; whereupon she laughed, 
and said. Blame him not; for he is a man of the vulgar class. 
Then she said, And these thousand pieces of gold besides are a 
present from me to him; and if it be the will of God (whose 
name be exalted!), he shall receive from the Khaleefeh what 
will enrich him. 

Now while they were talking, lo, a eunuch from the palace 
of the Khaleefeh advanced demanding Koot el-Kuloob; for the 
Khaleefeh knew that she was in the house of Ibn El-Kimas, and 
when he knew that, he could not endure her absence, wherefore 
he gave orders to bring her. And when she went to him, she 
took Khaleefeh with her. She went on until she approached the 
Khaleefeh; and on her coming to him, she kissed the ground 

564 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

before him; and he rose to her and saluted her and welcomed 
her, and asked her how had been her state with him who had 
purchased her. So she answered him. He is a man named 
Khaleefeh the fisherman, and here he is standing at the gate; 
and he hath mentioned to me that he hath a reckoning to make 
with our lord the Prince of the Faithful, on account of the part¬ 
nership that was between him and the Prince of the Faithful in 
the trade of fishing. Upon this the Khaleefeh said, Is he stand¬ 
ing there ? She answered. Yes. And he gave orders to bring 
him. Therefore he came; and he kissed the ground before the 
Khaleefeh, and prayed for the continuance of his glory and 
blessings; and the Khaleefeh wondered at him, and laughed at 
him, and asked him how he had conducted himself to Koot el- 
Kuloob. So he told him that he had treated her respectfully, and 
he repeated to him the account of all that had happened to him 
from first to last, while the Khaleefeh laughed at him. He told 
him the story of the eunuch, and what happened to him with 
him, and how he gave him the hundred pieces of gold, in addition 
to the piece of gold that he had received from the Khaleefeh. 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

565 

He told him also of his entering the market, and his buying the 
chest for the hundred pieces of gold and one, not knowing what 
was in it; and he related to him the whole story, from the 
beginning to the end. And the Khaleefeh laughed at him; his 
bosom became dilated, and he said to him, We will do as thou 
desirest, 0 thou who hast conveyed to the owner his rightful pro¬ 
perty ! Then he was silent. And after that, the Khaleefeh gave 
orders to present him with fifty thousand pieces of gold, and a 
sumptuous robe of honour, of the apparel of the great Khaleefehs, 
and a mule; and he gave to him black slaves to serve him. Thus 
he became as though he were one of the kings of that age. And 
the Khaleefeh was rejoiced at the return of his slave-girl, and 
knew that all this was of the doings of the lady Zubeydeh, the 
daughter of his uncle; wherefore his rage against her was ex¬ 
cessive, and he forsook her for a length of time, and visited her 
not, nor inclined to her. 

So when she was certified thereof, she was affected with great 
anxiety on account of his wrath. Her complexion became sallow 
after redness; and when endurance wearied her, she sent a letter 
to the son of her uncle, the Prince of the Faithful, apologizing to 
him, and confessing her crime; and she recited these verses :— 

I long to experience your former approbation, that I may quench the fire of 
my grief and sorrow. 

O my lord, have pity for the excess of my passion; for this that I have suf¬ 
fered from you is sufficient! 

My patience hath failed since your estrangement, O my beloved, and what 
was bright in my life you have rendered turbid. 

I shall live if you fulfil the vows that you made me; and if you grant me not 
fulfilment, I shall die. 

Suppose I have committed a crime: forgive it. For, by Allah, how sweet is 
the beloved when he pardoneth ! 

Therefore when the letter of the lady Zubeydeh came to the 
Prince of the Faithful, and he read it, he knew that she had 
acknowledged her crime, and sent to apologize to him for that 
which she had done. So he said within himself, Verily God for- 
giveth all sins; for He is the very forgiving, the merciful. 38 And 
he sent to her a reply to her letter, containing the expression of 
his satisfaction and forgiveness, and pardon of what was past; 
whereupon she experienced great joy. 

566 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

The Khaleefeh then assigned Khaleefeh a monthly allowance of 
fifty pieces of gold, and he acquired, in the estimation of the 
Khaleefeh, great dignity and high rank, and honour and respect. 
Khaleefeh kissed the ground before the Prince of the Faithful on 
his going forth, and went forth walking with stately gait; and 
when he came to the entrance, the eunuch who had given him the 
hundred pieces of gold saw him and knew him, and said to him, 
0 fisherman, whence came to thee all this ? So he told him what 
had happened to him from first to last. And the eunuch rejoiced 
at that, seeing that he had been the cause of his becoming rich; 
and he said to him, Wilt thou not give me a present from this 
wealth that hath become thine? And Khaleefeh put his hand 
to his pocket, and took forth from it a purse containing a thousand 
pieces of gold, which he handed to the eunuch; hut the eunuch 
said to him, Take thy wealth. May God bless thee in it!—And 
he wondered at his generosity and the liberality of his mind, 
considering his late poverty. Khaleefeh then went forth from 
the eunuch, riding upon the mule, and attended by the servants 
with their hands upon her haunches. Thus he proceeded until 
he came to the kh&n, the people diverting themselves with gazing 
at him, and wondering at the glory that had betided him; and 
they advanced to him after he had alighted from the mule, and 
asked him respecting the cause of that good fortune. He there¬ 
fore acquainted them with the events that had happened to him 
from first to last. Then he purchased a house of handsome 
structure, and expended upon it a large sum of money, so that 
it became perfect in beauty. He took up his abode in that house; 
and when he had settled himself in it, he demanded for himself 
in marriage one of the daughters of the chief men of the city, of 
the beautiful damsels, and took her as his wife; and he expe¬ 
rienced the utmost delight, and exceeding pleasure, and hap¬ 
piness. He became in a state of abundant affluence and complete 
prosperity; and when he beheld himself in that state of enjoyment, 
he thanked God (whose perfection be extolled, and whose name 
be exalted!) for the abundant affluence and successive favours 
that He had bestowed upon him, praising his Lord with the 
praise of the grateful. He used frequently to visit the Khaleefeh 
Haroon Er-Rasheed, being well received by him, and Er-Rasheed 

THE STORY OF KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 

567 

used to cover him with his benefits and munificence. So 
Khaleefeh ceased not to live in a state of the most perfect 
affluence and happiness and glory and hilarity, enjoying abun¬ 
dant wealth and rising elevation, and a pleasant, agreeable life, 
and pure, grateful delight, until he was visited by the terminator 
of delights and the separator of companions.—Extolled be the 
perfection of Him to whom belong glory and permanence, and 
who is living, everlasting, who will never die ! 3S 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH. 

Note 1. 

This is explained by Note 81 to Chapter V. 

Note 2. 

The “ bay&d ” is a fish of the genus silurus. It is common in the Nile. 

Note 3. 

“ Mo’allim ” (vulgarly pronounced “ M’allim ”) is a title usually given in Egypt 
and other Arab countries to any Christian or Jew; and also to a master in any 
art or trade. It signifies “ teacher.” 

Note 4. 

The Arabs in general are extremely fearful of the influence of the evil eye upon 
articles of food, which, by many persons who deal in them, are consequently con¬ 
cealed from the public gaze. 

Note 5. 

What is commonly called a “ moww&l,” but properly “ maw&leeya ” according 
to some, or, according to others, “mawffiya,” is a kind of short poem. It 
generally consists of five lines, the measure of which is like a species of the 
“beseet,” 

-v, — j — w — |-vj — |- 

admitting, however, of licences not allowed by the strict rules of prosody ; and all 
these five lines, excepting the penultimate, end with the same rhyme. The lan¬ 
guage of the mowwffl, if I may judge from all the poems of this kind that I have 
seen and heard, is a mixture of the classical and the vulgar. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH. 

569 

Note 6. 

My original here presents an evident error, which I have corrected. 

Note 7. 

In my original, this person is said to be “ the Virgin,” as though the dreamer 
were a Christian. 

Note 8. 

Aboo Bekr received from Mohammad the surname of “the Very Veracious" 
(es-Siddeek) on account of his asserting the truth of the Prophet’s miraculous 
Night-Journey. 

Note 9. 

Perhaps “Sa’ideh” (which signifies “felicity,” “prosperity,” &c.) was the 
name of the Jew’s daughter, and from her he was called “ Abu-s-Sa’4ddtthough 
Khaleefeh supposed it to be the name of his wife. 

Note 10. 

The words which compose the profession of the faith of el-Islfim (“ There is no 
deity but God: Mohammad is God's Apostle ”) are commonly called “ the Two 
Sayings.” 

Note 11. 

Some readers may imagine that a Muslim, in his own country, could not be 
beaten at the command of a Jew ; but Arabs have not unfrequently thus suffered 
both from Christians and Jews under the domination of the Memlooks and Turks. 

Note 12. 

The Muslims believe that the number of the faithful is decreed by God, and that 
no act of man can increase or diminish it. 

Note 13. 

It is said, at the close of the story, that Khaleefeh resided in a Khan ; and the 
Breslau edition describes him as dwelling in a magazine of a ruined Khan. Ac¬ 
cording to my original, his habitation seems to have been a closet adjoining a 
ruined saloon. The word which 1 have rendered “ chamber” generally signifies 
“ house.’’ 

Note 14. 

That is, his mind, under the influence of hasheesh, suggested to him the idea of 
stripping himself, &c. Most of Khaleefeh’s oddities are such as might be the effect 
of hasheesh. See the fourth paragraph of Note 22 to Chapter iii. 

4 D 

VOL. in. 

570 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH. 

Note 15. 

See above, Note 13. 

Note 16. 

A “ memrak ” is generally a kind of small lantern for the admission of air, in 
the roof of a chamber: its form is octagonal; and its sides are of wooden lattice- 
work, supporting a cupola. But this term is also applied to a simple aperture in 
the roof, made for the same purpose, or to admit light. 

Note 17. 

The “ kamar ” is a kind of belt containing a purse for money. 

Note 18. 

By “ Suleym&n’s prison ” is meant one of the bottles of brass in which Suleyman 
confined the refractory Jinn, as mentioned in two former tales in this work. 

Note 19. 

Here, and in the next sentence, I read “k6m ” (a mound) instead of “ karm,” 
which signifies “ a grape-vine.” 

Note 20. 

The “ shemleh ” (which I do not remember ever to have seen) is described as a 
kind of cloak, entirely enveloping the person. 

Note 21. 

The “ herdm ” (more properly “ ehrfim ”) is a kind of woollen sheet, mostly 
used by the western Arabs, both to envelop the body by day and as a night-cover¬ 
ing. It is so called because it is similar to the covering of the body worn during 
the performance of the rites of pilgrimage. 

Note 22. 

Imagining the fish to be from Paradise, he thought that this prayer would 
surely be answered. 

Note 23. 

This is said ironically ; for the commencement of the day was unfortunate, and 
its end seemed to be so also. 

See Note 32 to Chapter v. 

Note 24. 

Note 25. 

The shebb&beh ” is a kind of flageolet, made of reed. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH. 

571 

Note 26. 

My sheykh states that “shukeyr” is a diminutive form of “ashkar,” which 
signifies “of a ruddy complexion,” and also “tawney.” 

Note 27. 

“ Kerish en-Nukhdl ” may be rendered “ Paunch of Bran.” This nickname is 
applied by Khaleefeh to the Wezeer Jaafar. 

Note 28. 

His case was like that of a peasant, who, on his demanding money due to him 
from the government for grain, or on some other account, is imprisoned for arrears 
of taxes due from his fellow-villagers; for tyrannical measures of this kind have 
been often practised. 

Note 29. 

In my original, “ that of Khaleefeh.” I follow the reading which Trdbutien's 
version shows to be that of V on Hammer’s manuscript. 

Note 30. 

Hamzeh was a brother of El-’Abbis, from whom the Khaleefehs of Baghdad 
derived their origin, and ’Akeel was a son of Abu Tdlib, another brother of El- 
’Abbds. 

Note 31. 

The meaning of this expression is, “ I hope that thou hast good news to tell.” 

Note 32. 

That is, “ to the Prince whose munificence is as a great river.” 

Note 33. 

“ Ndkhoodah ” is a title of a master of a ship, and “ zuleyt ” is a term often 
applied to a low fellow. 

Note 34. 

“ Ydsemeen ” and “ Narjis ” (or Jasmine and Narcissus) are to be understood 
as the names of two female slaves, or, perhaps, two eunuchs, attendants of Koot 
el-Kuloob. 

Note 35. 

This is the Lawsonia inermis. See Volume i. p. 221. 

Note 36. 

This is to be understood as said in jest. 

Note 37. 

I here read “mar’oob” (terrified) instead of “marhoob,” which signifies 
“ terrible.” 

572 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH. 

Note 38. 

These words, “ Verily God forgiveth,” &c., are part of the fifty-fourth verse of 
the thirty-ninth chapter of the Kur-dn. 

Note 39. 

The two next stories in my original I omit. The first of these, which is “ Mes- 
roor and Zeyn el-Mawdsif,” is a tale of the illicit amours of a Christian and a Jewess, 
who dupes her husband in various abominable ways. The husband, to separate 
her from her paramour, takes her with him on a journey; but she prefers a ma¬ 
licious suit against him to four judges, professing herself a Muslimeh, denying that 
she is his wife, and falsely accusing him of having defrauded her of fifteen thousand 
pieces of gold; and all the four judges, captivated by her beauty, decide in her 
favour. She receives the above-mentioned sum, and with other valuables, returns 
to her lover, who embraces el-Isldm, and marries her. Her former husband also 
returns, and, by her direction, one of her female slaves informs him that she is 
dead, and shows him her pretended tomb: the Jew throws himself upon the tomb 
and faints; and while he is insensible, the female slave puts him into the tomb and 
closes it over him.—From this brief statement the reader will see that it is not a 
story fit to be included in the present series. 

The other story is that of “ Noor ed-Deen and Maryam,” which I omit because 
part of it is very similar to the story of “ ’Alee Sher and Zumurrud,” and part to 
that of “ ’Aid ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shdmdt,” and neither of these two tales is among 
the best of the collection. 

Then follow two anecdotes, of the latter of which I here give a translation. It 
commences with part of the Eight Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night, and ends with 
part of the Eight Hundred and Ninety-ninth. 

Anecdote of a Man of Baghddd and his Slave-girl. 

There was, in ancient times, a man in Baghddd, of the sons of the people of 
affluence, who inherited from his father abundant wealth, and he was enamoured 
of a slave-girl; wherefore he purchased her. She loved him as he loved her ; and 
he ceased not to expend upon her until all his wealth passed away, and there 
remained not of it aught. He sought for some means of subsistence, but could not 
obtain it. And this young man, in the days of his riches, used to attend the 
assemblies of the scientific on account of his art in singing, in which he attained 
the utmost excellence ; and he asked advice of one of his brethren, who said to 
him, I know not any occupation for thee better than thy singing with thy slave- 
girl ; for by so doing thou wilt obtain much money, and eat and drink. But he 
and the damsel disliked that; and his slave-girl said to him, I have devised for 
thee a plan. And what, said he, is it ? She answered, Thou shalt sell me, and we 
shall be delivered from this difficulty, I and thou; and I shall be in affluence, for 
none will buy such a one as myself but a person of affluence, and thus I may be 
a means of my return to thee. 

He therefore took her forth to the market, and the first person who saw her 
was a Hashimee,* of the people of El-Basrah, who was a well-bred man, polite, 

* That is, a descendant of H4shim, the Prophet's great grandfather, from whom also descended the 
’Abbasee Khalcefehs. The Hashimees in general were famous for their generosity. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH. 

573 

generous of soul; and he bought her for one thousand and five hundred pieces of 
gold.—But, says the young man, the owner of the slave-girl, when I had received 
the price, I repented and wept, I and the damsel, and I requested the cancelling 
of the sale. The Hashimee, however, would not consent. So I put the pieces of 
gold into the purse, and I knew not whither to go; for my house was rendered 
desolate by her absence; and I wept and slapped myself and wailed as I had never 
done before. I entered one of the mosques, and sat weeping in it: and I was so 
stupified that I became unconscious; and I slept, having put the purse beneath 
my head as a pillow. But I was not aware of it when a man pulled it from 
beneath my head, and departed with rapid pace. Then I awoke, alarmed and 
terrified, and found not the purse. I therefore rose to run after him ; and lo, my 
feet were tied by a rope : so I fell upon my face; and I proceeded to weep and 
to slap myself, saying to myself, Thy soul hath quitted thee, and thy wealth is 
lost! 

My affliction was excessive; and I came to the Tigris, put my garment over 
my face, and cast myself into the river. But the persons present, perceiving me, 
said, Verily this is on account of a great trouble that hath befallen him!—and 
they cast themselves after me, and took me forth, and asked me respecting my 
case. I therefore informed them of the events that had befallen me, and they 
grieved thereat. Then a sheykh from among them came to me and said, Thy 
wealth hath gone, and how would’st thou be the cause of the loss of thy soul, and 
become one of the people of the fire 1 Arise and accompany me, that I may see 
thine abode.—And I did so; and when we came to my abode, he sat with me 
awhile, until my feelings had become tranquil, and I thanked him for that. He 
then departed; and when he went forth from me, I was at the point of slaying 
myself; but I remembered the world to come, and the fire ; and I went forth from 
my house, fleeing to one of my friends, and informed him of the events that had 
befallen me ; whereupon he wept in compassion for me, and gave me fifty pieces 
of gold, saying, Accept my advice, and go forth immediately from Baghdad, and 
make use of this money for thy maintenance until thy heart shall be diverted from 
the love of her, and thou shalt cease to care for her. Thou art of the sons of the 
secretaries and writers, and thy hand-writing is excellent, and thy polite attain- 

574 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH. 

ments are surpassing: seek then whom thou wilt of the intendants, and throw 
thyself upon his generosity. Perhaps God will reunite thee with thy slave-girl. 
—And I attended to his advice. My resolution had become strengthened, and 
somewhat of my trouble of mind had quitted me; and I determined that I would 
repair to the province of Wdsit;* for I had in it relations. 

Accordingly I went forth to the bank of the river, and I saw a moored vessel, 
the crew of which were transporting to it goods and costly stuffs: so I asked them 
to take me with them; but they replied, This vessel belongeth to a Hdsliimee. 
We cannot take thee in this garb.—I however excited their desire for recompense; 
and thereupon they said, If it must be so, pull off these costly clothes that are 
upon thee, and put on the clothes of the sailors, and sit with us as though thou 
wert one of us. I therefore returned, and bought same sailor’s clothes, and put 
them on, and came again to the vessel, which was going to El-Basrah. I em¬ 
barked with the crew; and but a little while had elapsed when I saw my slave- 
girl herself, attended by two slave-girls to serve her. So the rage that I suffered 
became appeased, and I said within myself, Now I shall see her, and hear her 
singing, until we arrive at El-Basrah. And very soon came the Hdsliimee, 
riding, and with him a party of people; and they embarked in that vessel. I 
proceeded down the river with them, and he caused the food to be brought forth, 
and ate with the damsel, while the rest ate in the midst of the vessel. The 
Hashimee then said to the damsel, How long shall continue this abstaining from 
singing, and this constant mourning and weeping ? Thou art not the first who hath 
become separated from the object of love.—So I knew what she felt with respect 
to her love of me. Then he put a curtain before the damsel at the side of the 
vessel, and, having called those who were by me, he sat with them, outside the 
curtain; and I asked respecting them, and lo, they were his brothers. He caused 
the servants to bring out to them what they required of wine and dried fruits, and 
they ceased not to urge the damsel to sing until she called for the lute, and tuned 
it, and began to sing; and she sang these two verses:— 

The company went away with my beloved at night, and forbore not from 
going with the desire of my heart; 

And in the heart of the enamoured, since their camels departed, a fire like 
that of the ghada f hath raged. 

Then weeping overpowered her, and she threw down the lute and ceased from 
singing. So the party were troubled, and I fell down in a fit, and the people 
thought that I had become possessed; | wherefore one of them began to recite 
some words in my ear; § and they ceased not to sooth the damsel, and to beg her 
to sing, until she timed the lute again, and began to sing; and she sang this 
couplet: — 

I stood and bewailed travellers who had departed. They are in my heart 
though they have gone far away. 

And I stood by the ruins, asking respecting them ; and the house was desolate, 
and the abodes were uninhabited. 

She then fell down in a fit, and a lamentation arose from the people. I, also, 

* A city on the Tigris, founded by El-Hajjaj. t See Note 24 to Chapter vi. 

t In the original " sureafu.” See Note 107 to Chapter li. § To exorcise the Jinnee. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH. 

575 

cried out, and fell down senseless; and the sailors were alarmed at me ; and one of 
the pages of the Hashimee said, How is it that ye have conveyed with you this 
madman ? One of them therefore said to the others, When ye have arrived at one 
of the villages, turn him out, and rid us of him. 

So great trouble affected me thereat, and painful torment of mind; but I 
hardened myself to the utmost, and said within myself, I have no resource by 
which to save myself from their hands except my informing her of my situation in 
the vessel, that she may not allow my going out. We then proceeded until we 
came near to a cultivated tract; whereupon the master of the vessel said, Go ye up 
with us to the bank. Accordingly the party landed; and it was even-tide. I 
therefore arose and went behind the curtain, took the lute, and played several 
different airs, one after another, and I played an air that she had learned of me: 
then I returned to my place in the vessel. And after that, the people descended 
from the hank, and returned to their places in the vessel; and the moon shone 
upon the shore and the river: so the Hashimee said to the damsel, By Allah I 
conjure thee that thou trouble not our life. She therefore took the lute, and 
touched it with her hand, and uttered a groan, whereat they imagined that her 
soul had quitted her. Then she said, By Allah, my master is with us in this 
vessel! The Hdshimee replied, By Allah, were he with us, I would not debar 
him from our society; for perhaps he might alleviate thy sorrow, and we should 
enjoy thy singing; but his being in the vessel is a thing far from truth. Upon 
this she said, I cannot strike the lute and play over different airs when my master 
is with us. The H&shimee said, We will ask the sailors. And she replied, Do so. 
He therefore asked them, and said, Have ye taken any one with you as a passen¬ 
ger ? And they answered, No: — and I feared that the inquiry would stop: so I 
laughed, and said, Yes; I was her master, and I taught her when I was her lord. 

576 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH. 

And she said, By Allah, this is the speech of my lord I Therefore the pages came 
to me and took me to the H&shimee; and when he saw me, he knew me, and he 
said, Wo to thee! What is this condition in which thou art, and what hath befallen 
thee that thou hast become in this state ?—So I related to him the events of my 
case, and wept, and the wailing of the damsel was loud from behind the curtain, 
and the Hdshimee also wept, he and his brothers, with a violent weeping, in pity 
for me. 

He then said, By Allah, I have not drawn near to this damsel, nor have 1 heard 
her sing, to this day! I am a man on whom God hath bestowed ample wealth, 
and I only came to Baghdad to hear singing, and to demand my pensions of the 
Prince of the Faithful. I had attained both objects; and when I desired to return 
to my home, I said within myself, I will hear somewhat [more] of the singing of 
Baghddd. I therefore purchased this damsel, and I knew not that ye were in this 
state. So I call God to witness that, when I arrive at El-Basrah, I will emanci¬ 
pate this damsel, and marry thee to her, and I will grant you allowances sufficient 
for you, and more; but on the condition that, when I desire to hear her sing, a 
curtain shall be suspended for her, and she shall sing behind the curtain; and thou 
shalt be of the number of my brethren and my boon-companions.—So I rejoiced 
thereat. Then the Hashimee put his head within the curtain, and said to her. 
Will that content thee ? And she betook herself to praying for him and thanking 
him. He then called for a page belonging to him, and said to him, Take the hand 
of this young man, pull off his clothes, and dress him in costly apparel, and 
perfume him with incense, and bring him to us. Accordingly the page took me, 
did with me as his master had ordered him, and brought me to him; and he put 
before me wine, like as he had put before them. The damsel then began to sing 
with the sweetest modulations, singing these verses :— 

They reproached me for having shed my tears when the beloved came to bid 
farewell. 

They have not experienced the taste of separation, nor the fire of sorrow that 
burneth my bosom. 

Only the afflicted knoweth what is love; he whose heart is lost amid those 
dwellings. 

—And the party were moved thereby with exceeding delight; and the joy of the 
young man so increased thereat that he took the lute from the damsel, played with 
it the sweetest modulations, and sang these verses :— 

If thou ask a favour, ask it of the generous, who hath known, unceasingly, 
riches and opulence; 

For asking of the generous is productive of honour, and asking of the base is 
productive of disgrace. 

When abasement is a thing not to be avoided, meet with it by asking of the 
great. 

Thine honouring the great is no abasement of thyself: it is only abasement 
to honour the little. 

And the people (says the young man) rejoiced in me; their joy was excessive, and 
they ceased not to be in a state of joy and happiness, I singing a while, and the 
damsel a while, until we arrived at one of the ports. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH. 

577 

The vessel moored there, and all who were in it went up on shore. I, also, went 
up; and I was intoxicated: so I sat, and sleep overcame me, and I slept; and the 
passengers returned to the vessel, which proceeded down the river with them, they 
not knowing of my absence; for they were likewise intoxicated; and I had given 
the money for my maintenance to the damsel, and there remained not with me 
aught. They arrived at El-Basrah ; and I awoke not save by reason of the heat of 
the sun : and thereupon I arose and looked; but saw not any one; and I had for¬ 
gotten to ask the Ilashimee his name, and where was his house at El-Basrah, and 
how he-was known. I therefore became perplexed, and it seemed as though the 
state of joy in which I had been at finding the damsel had been a dream. I 
ceased not to remain in a state of perplexity until a great vessel passed by me, and 
I embarked in it and entered El-Basrah. I knew not in it any one, nor knew I 
the house of the Ilashimee; and I came to a grocer, procured from him an ink- 
case and a piece of paper, and sat writing; and he admired my hand-writing, and, 
seeing my dress to be dirty, asked me respecting my case. So I informed him that 
I was a stranger, a poor man; whereupon he said, Wilt thou reside with me, and 
receive every day half a piece of silver, and thy food and thy clothing, and manage 
for me the accounts of my shop ? And I answered him, Yes:—and I resided with 
him, managed his affairs, and regulated for him his income and expenditure ; and 
when a month had expired, the man saw his income to be increased, and his 
expenditure diminished. He therefore thanked me for that, and assigned me 
every day a piece of silver, until the year had passed, when he proposed to me 
that I should marry his daughter, and that he should make me his partner in the 
shop. And I gave him my assent thereto, took my wife, and kept to the shop. 
But I was broken in spirit and heart, with an aspect of grief. And the grocer 
used to drink, and invite me to do so; but I refused on account of my grief. 

I remained in that state for a period of two years; and while I was in the shop, 
lo, there was a company having with them food and drink, and I asked the grocer 
respecting the matter, and he said, This is the day of the men of pleasure, when 
the people of mirth and sport, and the young men of affluence, go forth to the 
bank of the river, to eat and drink among the trees on the river of El-Ubulleh.* 
And thereupon my soul invited me to divert myself with the sight of this thing, and 
I said within myself, Perhaps, when I see these people, I shall meet her whom I 
love. So I said to the grocer that I desired to do that; and he replied, Go forth 
with them as thou desirest. He then prepared for me some food and wine, and I 
proceeded until I came to the river of El-Ubulleh; but lo, the people were departing. 
I therefore desired to depart with them ; and behold, there was the captain of the 
vessel in which were the Hdshimee and the damsel, he himself; and he was pro¬ 
ceeding along the river of El-Ubulleh. So I cried out to him and his party; and 
he and those who were with him knew me, and they took me in among them, and 
said to me, Art thou living ? And they embraced me, and asked me respecting 
my story ; wherefore I acquainted them with it; and they said to me, We imagined 
that intoxication had overpowered thee, and that thou wast drowned. I then 
asked them respecting the state of the damsel, and they replied, When she knew 

* In the word “ Ubulleh,” in my original, y is erroneously put for b.—Among the innumerable canals 
of El Basrah, El-Idreesee especially distinguishes that called "the river of El-Ubullehstating its length 
to be twelvo miles, and this also to be the distance between El Basrah and the town of El-Ubulleh- On 
its banks were numerous pleasure-houses, and orchards adjacent one to another, seeming to form one 
great garden, and all confined within one wall.—See Jaubert's translation, tome i, pp. 368, 369. 

4 E 

VOL. III. 

of thy being lost, she rent her clothes, and burned the lute, and betook herself to 
slapping and wailing; and when we returned with the Hdshimee to El-Basrah, we 
said to her, Abstain from this weeping and mourning. But she replied, I will put 
on black apparel, and make me a tomb in the side of this house, and I will remain 
by that tomb, and repent of singing.* And we allowed her to do so, and she hath 
remained in that state until now. 

Then they took me with them; and on my arriving at the house, I saw her in 
that state ; and when she saw me, she uttered a great groan, so that I imagined 
she had died; and I embraced her with a long embrace. The Hashimee then 
said to me. Take her. I replied, Yes; but emancipate her as thou promisedst me, 
and marry me to her. And he did so, and gave us costly goods, and abundance 
of apparel, and furniture, and five hundred pieces of gold, saying, This is the 
amount of what I desire to allow you two every month; but on the condition of 
thy being my boon-companion, and of my hearing the damsel sing. After that, 
he appropriated to us exclusively a house, and gave orders to convey to it all that 
we required; and when I went to that house, I found it covered with furniture 
and stuffs, and I conveyed to it the damsel. Then I came to the grocer, informed 
him of all that had happened to me, and begged that he would absolve me of 
guilt in divorcing his daughter without her having committed any fault. I gave 
her her dowry, and what was incumbent on me; f and 1 have remained with the 
Hashimee in this state two years, and become a person of great affluence. The 
state in which I was with the damsel in Baghddd was restored to me, and God, 

* For music wns condemned by the Prophet.—See vol. i. pp. 222 , 223. 

t rhat is, money for her maintenance until the expiration of the period during which she could not 
contract a new marriage.—See the fourth paragraph of Note 39 to Chapter iv. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH. 

579 

the Bountiful, hath dispelled our trouble, loaded us with abundant benefits, and 
made the result of our patience to be the attainment of our desire. To Him then 
be praise, first and last I—And God is all-knowing. 

Next follows the Story of “the King Jelee’ad and his Son and the Wezeer 
Shemmfis,” which ends with part of the Nine Hundred and Thirtieth Night. 
This is one of the two stories which El-Mes’oodee mentions as being similar to the 
Hezir Afs&neh. Von Hammer, speaking of the tales which he regards as being 
of Indian origin, and among which he includes this story, says, “ Sous le rapport 
de leur antiquity et de la morale qu’elles renferment, elles m^ritent la plus grande 
attention, mais d’un autre cote elles ne sont rien moins qu’amusantes and as I 
fully agree with him that the story of Jelee’ad is far from being amusing, I omit 
it. Much of it appears to me extremely puerile; and upon the whole I think it 
very inferior in interest to most of the tales in the present work.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE NINE HUNDRED AND THIRTIETH 
NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE NINE HUNDRED AND 
FORTIETH. 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

There were, in the city of Alexandria, two men, one of whom 
was a dyer, and his name was Aboo Keer; and the other was a 
barber, and his name was Aboo Seer; 1 and they were neighbours, 
one to the other, in the market; the shop of the barber being by the 
side of the shop of the dyer. The dyer was a swindler, a liar, a 
person of exceeding wickedness : he was as though the temple of 
his head were cut out of rock, or made from the threshold of the 
synagogue of the Jews: he was not ashamed of any disgraceful 
action that he committed among the people. It was his custom, 
when any one gave him a piece of stuff to dye, to demand of him 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 581 

the pay first, and to make him believe that he would buy with it 
materials wherewith to dye. So the man would give him the pay 
in advance; and when he had received it of him, he would expend 
it for food and drink. Then he would sell the stuff that he had 
received, after its owner had gone, and expend its price for food 
and drink and other things. He ate nothing but what was good, 
of the most excellent of food; nor did he drink save of the best 
of the drinks that dispelled the reason. And when the owner of 
the stuff came to him, he would say to him. To-morrow come to 
me before sunrise, and thou wilt find thy stuff dyed. Therefore 
the owner would go, and say within himself, One day soon fol- 
loweth another. Then he would come to him the next day, at 
the time appointed; and the dyer would say to him. Come to¬ 
morrow ; for yesterday I was not at leisure, having with me 
guests; so I was occupied in doing what was expedient for them 
until they went. To-morrow, before sunrise, come and receive thy 
stuff dyed.—And he would go, and come to him again on the third 
day; when the dyer would say to him, Verily I was yesterday 
excusable ; for my wife gave birth to a child in the night, and all 
the day I was engaged in transacting affairs; but to-morrow, 
without fail, come and receive thy stuff dyed. The man would 
therefore come to him again at the time appointed, and the dyer 
would practise with him some other stratagem, of any kind, and 
swear to him. And he would not cease to promise him and to 
swear when he came to him, until the customer would become 
impatient, and say to him, How often wilt thou say to me. To¬ 
morrow ? Give me my stuff; for I do not desire it to be dyed.— 
And thereupon the dyer would say. By Allah, O my brother, I 
am abashed at thee; but I will tell thee the truth; and may God 
harm every one who harmeth men with respect to their goods! 
So the man would say to him, Tell me what hath happened. And 
he would reply, As to thy stuff, I dyed it in a manner unequalled, 
and spread it upon the rope, and it was stolen, and I know not 
who stole it. Therefore if the owner of the stuff were of the 
people of kindness, he would say to him, God will compensate 
me. And if he were of the people of malevolence, he would 
persevere in disgracing and insulting him; but nothing would 

582 THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

he get from him, even if he complained of him to the magis¬ 
trate. 

He ceased not to do these deeds until he became notorious 
among the people, and they used to caution one another against 
him, and to make him a subject of proverbs. They all abstained 
from employing him; and none used to fall into his snare save he 
who was ignorant of his conduct; but notwithstanding this, he 
was sure to experience, every day, insult and disgrace from the 
creatures of God. So his trade became dull in consequence 
thereof, and he used to come to the shop of his neighbour the 
barber Aboo Seer, and to sit in it, facing the dyeing-shop, and 
looking at its door; and if he saw any one ignorant of his conduct 
standing at the door of the dyeing-shop, and having with him 
something which he desired to be dyed, he would rise from the 
shop of the barber, and say, What dost thou want, O man ? He 
would answer him, Take and dye for me this thing. And he 
would say. What colour dost thou desire? For, with all these 
bad qualities, he was able to dye all colours; but he never acted 
honestly with any one, and poverty overcame him. Then he 
would take the thing of the man, and say to him. Give me the 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

583 

pay in advance, and to-morrow come and take the thing. And the 
man wordd give him the pay, and depart; and after the owner of 
the thing had gone his way, he wordd take that thing, and repair 
to the market, and sell it, and buy, with its price, meat and 
vegetables and tobacco* and fruit, and what else he required. 
And when he saw standing at the shop any one of those who had 
given him things to dye, he would not appear to him, nor shew him¬ 
self to him. Thus he continued to do for years; but it happened to 
him, one day, that he received a thing of a violent man, and sold it, 
and expended its price; and its owner came to him every day; 
but saw him not in the shop ; for whenever the dyer saw any one 
who had aught to demand of him, he used to fly from him into the 
shop of the barber Aboo Seer. And when that violent man had 
not found him in his shop, and this conduct of his wearied him, he 
repaired to the Kadee, and, having brought one of his sergeants to 
his shop, nailed up its door in the presence of a company of the 
Muslims, and sealed it; for he saw not in it aught excepting some 
earthen basins broken in pieces, and found not in it anything to 
compensate him for his stuff. Then the sergeant took the key, 
and said to the neighbours, Tell him to bring the property of this 
man, and come to receive the key of his shop. And the man and 
the sergeant went their ways. 

Aboo Seer, upon this, said to Aboo Keer, What is thy mis¬ 
fortune ? For every one who bringeth to thee a thing thou 
makest to lose it. Whither is gone the property of this violent 
man ?—O my neighbour, he answered, verily it was stolen from 
me.—Wonderful! replied Aboo Seer. Whenever any one giveth 
thee a thing, doth a thief steal it from thee ? Art thou at enmity 
with all the thieves ? But I imagine that thou liest. Acquaint me 
then with thy case.—And he said, 0 my neighbour, no one has 
stolen from me aught.—Then what dost thou, asked Aboo Seer, with 
the men’s goods ? He answered him, Whenever any one giveth 
me aught, I sell it, and expend its price. Aboo Seer said to him. Is 
this allowed thee by God ? Aboo Keer replied, I do this only in 
consequence of poverty; for my trade is unprofitable, and I am a 
poor man, having nothing in my possession. And he proceeded to 
talk to him of the unprofitableness of his trade, and the littleness of 
his business ; and Aboo $eer spoke to him of the unprofitableness 

584 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

of his trade also, and said, I am a crafitsmaster; I have no equal in 
this city; but no one is shaved at my shop because I am a poor 
man, and I have conceived a hatred for this art, O my brother. 
So Ahoo Keer the dyer said to him. And I also have conceived a 
hatred for my art on account of its unprofitableness. But, 0 my 
brother, what is the inducement for our residing in this town? 
Let me and thee journey from it, and divert ourselves in other 
countries, and our arts, which we shall carry with us, will be in 
demand in all countries; and when we travel, we shall enjoy the 
fresh air, and be relieved from this excessive anxiety.—And Aboo 
Keer ceased not to commend travel to Aboo Seer until the latter 
became desirous of emigration. So they both agreed to travel, and 
Ahoo Keer rejoiced that Aboo Seer was desirous of doing so; and 
he recited these verses:— 

Transport thyself from home in search of eminence, and travel; for in travels 
are five advantages; 

The dispelling of anxiety, and the gaining of subsistence, and knowledge, and 
good manners, and the society of the noble. 

If it be said that in travels are grief and affliction, and the disunion of friends, 
and the incurring of difficulties, 

The death of a man is better than his living in the abode of contempt between 
the slanderer and the envier. 

And when they determined to travel, Aboo Keer said to Aboo 
Seer, O my neighbour, we have become brothers, and there is no 
difference between us: so it is requisite that we recite the 
Fatehah 8 in confirmation of our agreement that he of us who is 
occupied shall make gain and feed him of us who is unoccupied, 
and whatever remaineth we will put into a chest; and when we 
return to Alexandria, we will divide it between us truly and 
equally. Aboo Seer replied, And it shall be so. And they 
recited the Fatehah in confirmation of their agreement that the 
occupied should make gain and feed the unoccupied. 

Aboo Seer locked his shop, and gave the keys to its owner ; and 
Aboo Keer left the key of his shop with the sergeant of the 
Kadee, and left the shop closed and sealed. Then they took their 
things, and in the morning they set forth, embarking in a galleon 
upon the sea. They departed that day, and aid attended them; 
and by the complete good fortune of the barber, it happened tha t 
among all who were in the galleon there was not a single barher ; 

and there were in it a hundred and twenty men, beside the captain 
and the sailors. And when they loosed the sails of the galleon, 
the barber arose and said to the dyer, O my brother, this is a sea: 
we stand in need here of food and drink, and we have not with us 
more than a little stock of provisions ; but probably some one will 
say to me, Come hither, 0 barber : shave me:—and I will shave 
him for a cake of bread, or for a nusf faddah,* or for a drink of 
water: so I shall profit thereby; I and thou. And the dyer 
replied, No harm. Then he laid down his head, and slept, while 
the barber arose and took his apparatus, together with the cup, 5 
and, having put upon his shoulder a piece of rag to serve instead 
of the towel (for he was a poor man), passed amid the passengers ; 
and one said to him. Come hither, 0 craftsmaster: shave me. So 
he shaved him ; and when he had shaved that man, he gave him a 
nusf faddah ; whereupon the barber said to him, O my brother, I 
have no need of this nusf faddah ; and hadst thou given me a cake 
of bread, it had been a more blessed gift to me on this sea; for I 
have a companion, and our provisions are but little. And he gave 

4 F 

VOI.. III. 

586 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

him a cake of bread and a piece of cheese, and filled for him the 
cup with fresh water. He therefore took those things, and came 
to Aboo Keer, and said to him, Take this cake of bread, and eat it 
with the cheese, and drink what is in the cup. And he took them 
of him, and ate and drank. Then Aboo Seer the barber, after that, 
took his apparatus, with the rag upon his shoulder and the cup in 
his hand, and went about the galleon, among the passengers ; and 
he shaved one man for two cakes of bread, and another for a piece 
of cheese. Demands were made for his services; and whenever 
any one said to him, Shave me, O craftsmaster,—he bargained 
with him for two cakes of bread and a nusf faddah ; and there 
being in the galleon no barber beside him, sunset came not before 
he had collected thirty cakes of bread and fifteen 6 nusf faddahs; 
beside which he got cheese and olives and batarikh. 7 Whenever 
he demanded anything, they gave it him, so that he became in 
possession of an abundance of things. He also shaved the captain, 
and complained to him of the smallness of his stock of provisions 
for the voyage; and the captain said to him, Welcome to thee! 
Bring thy companion every night, and sup ye with me, and suffer 
not anxiety as long as ye voyage with us. 

He then returned to the dyer, and saw that he had not ceased 
to sleep: so he woke him; and when Aboo Keer awoke, he saw at 
his head an abundance of bread and cheese and olives and bat&rikh; 
and he said to Aboo Seer, Whence gottest thou this ? Aboo Seer 
answered. From the bounty of God, whose name be exalted! And 
Aboo Keer desired to eat; but Aboo Seer said to him. Eat not, O 
my brother, of this. Leave it to be of use to us at another time. 
And know that I have shaved the captain, and I complained to him 
of the littleness of our stock of provisions; whereupon he said to 
me, Welcome to thee! Bring thy companion every night, and 
sup ye with me. And the first time of our supping with the 
captain is to be this night.—Aboo Keer however replied, I am 
sea-sick, and cannot rise from my place : therefore let me make my 
supper of these things, and go thou alone to the captain. So Aboo 
Seer said to him, There will be no harm in that. And he sat 
diverting himself with looking at him while he ate, and saw him 
cut off the mouthful as the quarryman cutteth stone from the 
mountain, and swallow it as the elephant that for days hath not 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

587 

eaten, bolting one mouthful before he had quite swallowed the 
preceding one, and staring at what was before him with the stare 
of the ghool, and blowing as bloweth the hungry bull over the 
straw and the beans. And lo, a sailor came and said, O crafts- 
master, the captain saith to thee. Bring thy companion, and come 
to supper. So Aboo Seer said to Aboo Keer, Wilt thou arise and 
go with us ? But he answered him, I am not able to walk. The 
barber therefore went alone, and he saw the captain sitting with a 
table before him comprising twenty different kinds of food, or 
more ; and he and his party were waiting for the barber and his 
companion: so when the captain saw him, he said to him, Where 
is thy companion ? He answered him, O my master, he is sea-sick. 
And the captain replied, No harm will befall him. His sickness 
will leave him. Come thou; sup with us; for I was waiting for 
thee.—Then the captain set apart a dish of keb&b, and put into it 
some of every kind of food, and it became enough for ten; and 
after the barber had supped, the captain said to him, Take this 
dish with thee to thy companion. Accordingly Aboo Seer took it, 
and went with it to Aboo Keer, whom he saw grinding his food 
with his dog-teeth like the camel, and adding mouthful to mouthful 
in haste. So Aboo Seer said to him. Did I not say to thee. Eat 
not; for the captain hath abundance of good things ? See then 
what he hath sent thee, when I informed him that thou wast sick. 
—Aboo Keer replied. Give it me. And Aboo Seer handed to him 
the dish ; and he took it from him, greedy for it and for other food, 
like the grinning dog, or the bone-breaking lion, or the rukh' when 
it pounceth upon the pigeon, or like him who hath almost died of 
hunger; and Aboo Keer, seeing some viands, proceeded to eat. 
Aboo Seer then left him, and went back to the captain, and 
drank coffee* with him; after which he returned to Aboo Keer, and 
he saw that he had eaten all that was in the dish, and thrown it 
aside empty. So he took it and conveyed it to one of the servants 
of the captain, and went back to Aboo Keer, and slept until the 
morning. And on the following day, Aboo Seer proceeded again 
to shave ; and whenever anything came to him, he gave it to Aboo 
Keer, who ate and drank sitting still, not rising save when he was 
obliged to do so; and every night, Aboo Seer brought him a full 
dish from the captain. 

They continued in this state twenty days, until the galleon 
moored in the harbour of a city; whereupon they both landed from 
the galleon, and entered the city, and took for them a chamber in 
a khan. Aboo Seer furnished it," and bought all that they re¬ 
quired, and brought some meat and cooked it, while Aboo Keer 
slept from the time that he entered the chamber. He awoke not 
until Aboo Seer roused him, and put the table before him; and 
when he awoke, he ate; and after that, he said to Aboo Seer, 
Blame me not; for I am giddy. Then he slept again. And they 
remained in this state forty days. Every day the barber took his 
apparatus, and went about the city, practised his art for such re¬ 
muneration as destiny allotted him, and, returning, found Aboo 
Keer sleeping. So he would wake him; and when he awoke, he 
would betake himself to eating with voracity, eating as he who is 
not satiated nor contented; after which he would sleep again. He 
ceased not to do thus for forty days more; and every time that 
Aboo Seer said to him, Sit and rest thyself, and go forth and take 
an airing in the city, for it is a diverting and gay place, and there 
is no equal to it among the cities,—Aboo Keer the dyer would 
reply. Blame me not; for I am giddy. And Aboo Seer the barber 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

589 

did not like to trouble his heart, nor to make him hear a word that 
would vex him. But on the forty-first day, the barber fell sick, 
and was unable to go abroad; and he engaged the door-keeper of 
the kh&n to serve him gratuitously. He performed for them their 
affairs, bringing them their food and drink; and all the while Aboo 
Keer ate and slept. The barber ceased not to employ the door¬ 
keeper of the kh&n to perform gratuitously his affairs for the space 
of four days; and after that, the disease of Aboo Seer became so 
violent that he was unconscious by reason of its severity. 

But as to Aboo Keer, hunger tortured him. So he arose and 
searched the clothes of Aboo Seer, and saw in his possession a sum 
of money ; and he took it, and closed the door of the chamber upon 
Aboo Seer, and departed, without informing any one; and the 
door-keeper was in the market; wherefore he saw him not when 
he went forth. Aboo Keer then betook himself to the market, and 
clad himself in costly clothes, and proceeded to go about the city, 
and to divert himself. He saw it to be a city of which he had not 
found the like among cities; but all the apparel of its inhabitants 
was white and blue, without any other colour. And he came to a 
dyer, and saw all that was in his shop to be blue; and, producing 
to him a handkerchief, he said to him, O master, take this hand¬ 
kerchief, and dye it, and receive thy pay. The dyer replied, The 
pay for dying this will be twenty pieces of silver. So Aboo Keer 
said to him, We should dye this in our country for two pieces of 
silver. The man rejoined. Go, dye it in your country; but as to 
me, I will not dye it save for twenty pieces of silver: the pay will 
not fall short of this sum in the least. Upon this, Aboo Keer said 
to him, What colour dost thou desire to dye it ? The dyer answered 
him, I will dye it blue. Aboo Keer said to him, I desire that thou 
shouldst die it for me red. The man however replied, I know not 
how to dye red. Aboo Keer said. Green. The dyer replied, I 
know not how to dye green. Aboo Keer said. Yellow. The dyer 
replied, I know not how to dye yellow. And Aboo Keer pro¬ 
ceeded to enumerate to him the colours, one after another; but the 
dyer replied, We, in our country, are forty masters, not one more 
nor one less; and when one of us dieth, we teach his son ; and if 
he leave not a son, we are deficient by one. When one leaveth 
two sons, we teach one of them; and if he die, we teach his brother. 

590 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

This our trade is strictly regulated ; and we know not how to dye 
any colour excepting blue alone.—So Aboo Keer the dyer said to 
him, Know that I am a dyer, and I know how to die all colours. 
I desire that thou wouldst take me into thy service for pay, and I 
will teach thee the art of dyeing all colours, that thou mayest glory 
therein over all the company of dyers.—But he replied, We allow 
not a stranger to enter our trade ever. Aboo Keer said to him. 
And if I open for myself alone a dyeing-shop ? The man answered 
him. Thou canst not do that ever. And thereupon Aboo Keer left 
him, and went to the second, and he said to him as the first had 
said; and he ceased not to go from dyer to dyer until he had gone 
round to the forty masters ; but they would not admit him either 
as a hired servant or as a master. He went also to the sheykh of 
the dyers, and informed him; but he replied, We do not allow a 
stranger to enter our trade. 

So upon this, exceeding rage affected Aboo Keer, and he went 
up to complain to the King of that city, and said to him, O King of 
the age, I am a stranger, and my trade is that of dyeing, and there 
have happened to me, with the dyers, such and such events. I 
dye red of various hues, as rose-colour and jujube-colour; and 
green of various hues, as plant-green, and pistachio-green, and oil- 
green, and parrot’s-wing; and black of various hues, as coal-black 
and kohl-black; and yellow of various hues, as orange-colour and 
lemon-colour;—and he proceeded to mention to him all the colours. 
Then he said, O King of the age, all the dyers who are in thy city 
are unable to dye any of these colours, and they know not how to 
dye any colour but blue ; yet they will not admit me among them 
as a master, nor as a hired workman. And the King replied, Thou 
hast spoken truth as to that matter; but I will open for thee a 
dyeing-shop, and give thee a capital, and care not thou for them; 
for whosoever opposeth thee, I will hang him over the door of his 
shop. He then commanded the builders, and said to them, Repair 
ye with this master; go about the city with him, and whatsoever 
place pleaseth him, turn out its owner, whether it be occupied by a 
shop or a khan or other building, and build for him a dyeing-shop 
agreeable with his desire. Whatever he commandeth you to do, 
do it, and oppose him not with respect to that which he shall say.— 
Then the King clad him in a handsome suit of apparel, gave him a 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

591 

thousand pieces of gold, and said to him, Expend them upon thyself 
until the building shall be completed. He also gave him two 
memlooks to serve him, and a horse with embroidered saddle and 
trappings; and Aboo Keer put on the dress, and mounted the 
horse, and became as though he were an Emeer. The King, 
moreover, appropriated to him exclusively a house, and gave orders 
to furnish it: so they furnished it for him, and he took up his 
abode in it. 

Then, on the following day, he mounted, and went about through 
the city, with the architects before him, and he ceased not to 
survey until a place pleased him; whereupon he said. This place 
is good. They therefore ejected its owner from it, and brought 
him to the King, who gave him, as the price of his place, more 
than would have contented him, and the building proceeded there, 
Aboo Keer saying to the builders. Build thus 
and thus, and do thus and thus,—until they 
had built for him a dyeing-shop of which the 
equal existed not. He then presented himself 
to the King, and informed him that the build¬ 
ing of the dyeing-shop was completed, and that 
only the price of the materials for dyeing was 
requisite in order to commence work; upon 
which the King said to him, Take these four 
thousand pieces of gold, and make them thy 
capital, and show me the product of thy dye¬ 
ing-shop. So he took them, and repaired to 
the market, and he saw the indigo to be abun¬ 
dant, and [comparatively] of no price. He 
materials for dyeing that he re¬ 
quired; after which, the King 
sent to him five hundred pieces 
of stuff, and he proceeded to 
dye them, and, having dyed 
them of all colours, spread them 
[on ropes] before the door of 
the dyeing-shop. Therefore, 
when the people passed by the 
shop, they saw a wonderful 

592 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

sight, the like of which they had not seen in their lives; and 
crowds collected at the door of the dyeing-shop, diverting them¬ 
selves, and asking him and saying to him, 0 master, what are 
the names of these colours ? So he answered them, This is red, 
and this is yellow, and this is green,—mentioning to them the 
names of all the colours ; and they proceeded to bring to him 
pieces of stuff, and to say to him, Dye for us like this and this, 
and receive what thou shalt demand. And when he had finished 
the dyeing of the stuffs of the King, he took them and went up 
with them to the court, and on the King’s seeing those dyed 
stuffs, he was delighted with them, and conferred upon him ex¬ 
ceeding favours. All the troops also brought to him stuffs, saying 
to him, Dye for us thus. And he dyed for them according 
to their desires, and they threw to him gold and silver. Then his 
fame spread abroad, and his dyeing-shop was named the dyeing- 
shop of the SuMn. Prosperity came in upon him by every way ; 
and of all the dyers, not one could speak to him; save only that 
they used to come to him and kiss his hands, and apologize to him 
for their past injurious conduct to him, offering themselves to him, 
and saying to him, Make us servants to thee. But he would not 
accept one of them. He had male black slaves, and female slaves, 
and he collected abundant wealth. 

Now as to Aboo Seer, when Aboo Keer had closed the door of 
the chamber upon him, after he had taken his money, and gone 
and left him sick, in a state of unconsciousness, he lay in that 
chamber, with the door closed upon him, and remained so three 
days. The door-keeper of the khan then observed the door of the 
chamber, and saw it closed, and he saw not either of these two 
persons until sunset, nor knew he any tidings of them. So he 
said within himself, Perhaps they have travelled away without 
paying the rent of the chamber, or died; or what can be then- 
case ? And he came to the door of the chamber, and saw it closed, 
and he heard the groaning of the barber within it, and saw the key 
in the wooden lock. He therefore opened the door and entered, 
and saw the barber groaning: so he said to him, No harm shall 
befall thee. Where is thy companion ?—And the barber replied, 
By Allah, I have not recovered from the stupifying effects of my 
disease save on this day; and I called out; but no one returned 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND A BOO KEER. 

593 

me a reply. I conjure thee by Allah, 0 my brother, that thou 
look for the purse beneath my head, and take from it five nusfs, 
and buy for me -with them something wherewith I may sustain 
myself; for I am in a state of extreme hunger.—Accordingly, the 
door-keeper stretched forth his hand, and took the purse, and he 
saw it empty ; wherefore he said to the barber, Verily the purse is 
empty: there is not in it aught. So Aboo Seer the barber knew 
that Aboo Keer had taken what was in it, and fled; and he said to 
the door-keeper. Hast thou not seen my companion ? He answered 
him. For the space of three days I have not seen him, and I 
imagined not anything but that thou hadst travelled away with 
him. And the barber replied. We travelled not; but he coveted 
my money, and he took it and fled, when he saw me sick. Then 
he wept and wailed. But the door-keeper of the khan said to him. 
No harm shall befall thee; and he will receive the recompense of 
his conduct from God. The door-keeper then went and cooked for 
him some broth, and, having ladled out for him a dishful, gave it 
to him; and he ceased not to attend to him for the space of two 
months, maintaining him from his own purse, until he perspired 
profusely, and God cured him of the disease that he had been 
suffering. After this, he rose upon his feet, and said to the door¬ 
keeper of the khan, If God (whose name be exalted !) enable me, 
I will recompense thee for thy good actions to me ; but none, save 
God in his bounty, will recompense. The door-keeper however 
replied, Praise be to God for thy health! I did not unto thee that 
service save from a desire of seeing the face of God, the Bountiful. 

The barber then went forth from the khan, and passed through 
the markets, and destiny brought him to the market in which was 

4 u 

VOL. III. 

594 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

the dyeing-shop of Aboo Keer. There he saw the stuffs dyed of 
various colours, spread [upon ropes] at the entrance of the dyeing- 
shop, and the people crowding together, diverting themselves with 
the sight of them. So he asked a man of the inhabitants of the 
city, and said to him. What is this place, and wherefore do I see 
the people crowding together ? And the person whom he asked 
answered him, This is the Sultan’s dyeing-shop, which he founded 
for a stranger named Aboo Keer; and whenever he hath dyed a 
piece of stuff, we assemble around it, and divert ourselves with the 
sight of his dyeing; for there are not in our country dyers who 
know how to dye these colours; and such and such events hap¬ 
pened to him with the dyers who are in the city. He told him 
what had occurred between Aboo Keer and the dyers, and that he 
had complained of them to the Sultan, who thereupon had aided 
him, and built for him this dyeing-shop, and given him such and 
such things : and he acquainted him with all that had happened. 

Upon this, Aboo Seer rejoiced, and said to himself, Praise be to 
God who hath aided him so that he hath become a master-trades¬ 
man ! And the man is excusable. Probably he hath been diverted 
from thinking of thee by his work, and forgotten thee; but thou 
actedst kindly to him, and treatedst him with generosity, when he 
was unoccupied ; and when he seeth thee, he will rejoice in thee, 
and treat thee with generosity, like as thou hast treated him.—He 
then advanced towards the door of the dyeing-shop, and saw Aboo 
Keer sitting upon a high mattress upon a mastabah at the door of 
the dyeing-shop, with a suit of the apparel of Kings upon him, and 
before him four black slaves and four white memlooks wearing the 
most sumptuous apparel. He also saw the workmen, ten black 
slaves, standing at work; for when Aboo Keer bought them, he 
taught them the art of dyeing; and he was sitting between the 
cushions, as though he were a grand wezeer, or a most magnificent 
king, not doing aught with his own hand, but only saying to them, 
Do so and so. Ahoo Seer stood before him, imagining that, when 
he should see him, he would rejoice in him, and salute him, and 
treat him with generosity, and behave courteously to him. But 
when eye met eye, Aboo Keer said to him, O scoundrel, how many 
times have I said to thee, stand not at the door of this workshop ? 
Dost thou desire to disgrace me with the people, O thief?—And 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

595 

he said, Seize ye him! So the slaves ran after him, and seized 
him, and Aboo Keer, rising with energy, took a staff, and said, 
Throw him down! Accordingly they threw him down; and he 
gave him a hundred blows on his back ; after which they turned 
him round, and he gave him a hundred blows on his stomach, and 
said to him, O villain ! O deceiver! if I see thee after this day 
standing at the door of this dyeing-shop, I will send thee to the 
King immediately, and he will deliver thee to the W&lee, that he 
may strike off thy head! Walk away! May God not bless thee!— 
So he departed from him with broken heart by reason of the beat¬ 
ing and the contemptuous treatment that had befallen him; and the 
persons present said to Aboo Keer the dyer, What hath this man 
done ? Whereupon he answered them. He is a thief, who stealeth 
the stuffs of the people; for he hath often stolen stuffs from me, 
and I said within myself, May God pardon him ! for he is a poor 
man.—And I would not trouble him; but would give the people 
the prices of their stuffs, and forbid him gently; yet he would not 
abstain. So if he return again after this time, I will send him to 
the King, and he will slay him, and relieve the people from his 
mischief.—The people therefore reviled him after his departure. 

Aboo Seer returned to the khan, and sat reflecting upon that 
which Aboo Keer had done to him ; and he ceased not to sit until 
the pain of the beating became alleviated, when he went forth and 
passed through the markets of the city, and it occurred to his mind 
that he should enter the bath. So he asked a man of the inhabit¬ 
ants of the city, and said to him, O my brother, which is the way to 
the bath ? But the man said to him, And what is the bath ? He 
replied, A place in which people wash themselves, to remove the 
impurities that are upon them, and it is of the best of the good 
things of the world. Upon this the man said to him, Betake thyself 
to the sea. He replied, I desire the bath. But the man said to 
him. We know not what kind of thing the bath is: we all of 
us go to the sea: even the King, when he desireth to wash him¬ 
self, goeth to the sea. So when Aboo Seer knew that there was 
not a bath in the city, and that its inhabitants knew not the bath, 
nor what kind of thing it was, he repaired to the council of the 
King, and went in to him, and, having kissed the ground before 
him, and prayed for him, said to him, I am a man of a strange 

.596 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

country, and my trade is that of a bath-keeper, and I entered 
thy city, and desired to repair to the bath, but saw not in it even 
one hath; and how is it that the city which is of this beautiful 
description is without a hath, which is one of the best of the delights 
of the world ? So the King said to him, What is the bath ? He 
proceeded, therefore, to describe it to him, and said to him, Thy 
city will not be a perfect city unless there be in it a bath. And 
upon this the King said to him. Welcome to thee! And he clad 
him in a suit of apparel of which the like existed not, gave him a 
horse and two black slaves, and bestowed upon him four female 
slaves, and two memlooks. He also prepared for him a furnished 
house, and treated him with more honour than the dyer; and he 
sent with him the builders, saying to them, In the place that shall 
please him, build ye for him a bath. 

So he took them and went with them through the midst of the 
city, until a place pleased him, when he pointed it out to them, and 
they commenced the building there. He proceeded to direct them 
as to the manner of its construction until they had built for him a 
bath of which there existed not the like; whereupon he ordered 
them to paint it; and they painted it in an admirable manner, so 
that it became a delight to the beholders. He then went up to the 
King, and acquainted him with the completion of the building of 
the bath, and its painting, and said to him. There is nothing want¬ 
ing but the furniture. The King therefore gave him ten thousand 
pieces of gold; and he took them, and furnished the hath, and 
arranged in it the napkins upon the ropes; and every one who 
passed by the door of the bath gazed at it in astonishment, and his 
mind was confounded at the sight of its painting. The people 
crowded about that thing of which they had not seen the like in 
their lives, and they proceeded to divert themselves with the sight 
of it, saying, What is this ? And Ahoo Seer answered them, This 
is a bath. And they wondered at it. Then he heated the water, 
and set the bath in action. 10 He made also a fountain in the basin, 
such as captivated the reason of every one of the inhabitants of the 
city who beheld it. And he demanded of the King ten memlooks 
under the age of manhood; whereupon the King gave him ten 
memlooks like moons; and Aboo Seer betook himself to rubbing 
them with the bag, and said to them. Do with the bathers thus. 

He then gave vent to the fumes of the incense, and sent a crier to 
cry in the city, and to say, O creatures of God, repair to the bath, 
which is named the bath of the Sult&n! So the people came thither, 
and he ordered the memlooks to wash the bathers. The people 
descended into the tank, and came up; and after they had come 
up, they sat upon the leew&n, while the memlooks rubbed them as 
Aboo Seer had taught them; and the people continued to enter the 
bath, and to gratify their desire thereby, and go forth, without 
paying, for the space of three days. 

After that, on the fourth day, Aboo Seer invited the King to the 
bath. So he mounted with the great men of his empire, and they 
went thither. He pulled off his clothes, and entered [the inner 
apartment], and Aboo Seer entered, and rubbed the King with the 
bag, removing from his person the impure particles like twists of 
thread, and showing them to him; whereat the King rejoiced. The 
putting his hand upon his body made a sound, by reason of its 
smoothness and cleanness. And after Aboo Seer had washed his 
skin, he mixed for him some rose-water with the water of the tank, 

598 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

and the King descended into the tank and came forth, and his skin 
was softened, and he experienced a liveliness which in his life he 
had never known before. Then, after that, Aboo Seer seated him 
upon the leew&n, and the memlooks proceeded to perform upon 
him the operation of gently rubbing and pressing him, while the 
perfuming-vessels diffused the odour of aloes-wood. And the King 
said, 0 master, is this the bath ? Aboo Seer answered. Yes. And 
the King said to him. By my head, my city hath not become a city 
save by this bath. He then said to him, What wilt thou take as 
pay for each person ? Aboo Seer answered. What thou shalt com¬ 
mand me I will take. And he ordered him to take a thousand 
pieces of gold, saying to him. From every one who washeth in thy 
bath take a thousand pieces of gold. But Aboo Seer replied. 
Pardon, O King of the age! Verily all men are not alike; for 
among them is the rich, and among them is the poor; and if I took 
from every one a thousand pieces of gold, the bath would become 
void, since the poor man cannot pay the thousand pieces of gold.— 
So the King said. And how then wilt thou act with respect to the 
pay? Aboo Seer answered, I will regulate the pay generously; 
and every one who can afford a thing, his soul consenting to it, shall 
give that thing. Thus we shall take from every man according to 
his condition; for if the case be so, the people will come to us; and 
he who is rich will give according to his rank, while he who is 
poor will give that to which his soul consenteth. If the case be 
thus, the bath will be in action, and it will be in excellent condition; 
but as to the thousand pieces of gold, it is the gift of the King, and 
every one cannot afford it.—And the great men of the empire pro¬ 
nounced his words to be true, and said, This will be the right 
course, O King of the age. Dost thou imagine that the people are 
all like thee, O glorious King ?—The King replied. Verily your 
saying is true; but this is a stranger, a poor man, and to treat him 
with generosity is incumbent on us; for he hath made in our city 
this bath, the like of which we have never in our lives seen, and 
our city had not been adorned, and acquired importance, without 
it: so if we shew him generosity by giving him excessive pay, it 
will not be much. But they said, If thou treat him with generosity, 
do so by bestowing upon him of thine own wealth, and let the 
King’s generosity be shewn to the poor by the smallness of the pay 

THE STORY OF A BOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

599 

for bathing, in order that thy subjects may pray for thee; but as to 
the thousand pieces of gold, we are the great men of thine empire, 
and yet our souls consent not to give it: how then can the souls of 
the poor consent thereto ? The King therefore said, O great men 
of my empire, every one of you shall give him this time a hundred 
pieces of gold, and a mcmlook, and a female slave, and a male black 
slave. And they replied. Yes; we will give him those things ; but 
after this day, every one who entereth shall only give him what 
his soul shall consent to. And he said. There wilT be no harm in 
that. 

Accordingly each of the great men gave him a hundred pieces of 
gold, and a female slave, and a memlook, and a male black slave; and 
the number of the great men who bathed with the King on this 
day was four hundred souls. So the number of the pieces of gold 
that they gave him was forty thousand; and of the memlooks, four 
hundred ; and of the male black slaves, four hundred; and of the 
female slaves, four hundred: and enough was this gift! The King 
also gave him ten thousand pieces of gold, and ten memlooks, and 
ten female slaves, and ten male black slaves. Aboo Seer therefore 
advanced, and kissed the ground before the King, and said to him, 
O fortunate King, endowed with right judgment, what place will 
contain me with these memlooks, and female slaves, and male black 
slaves ? The King replied, I ordered not my grandees to do this 
save in order that we might collect for thee a great quantity of 
wealth ; for perhaps thou hast reflected upon thy country and thy 
household, and longed to see them, and desired to voyage to thy 
home, and thou wilt have taken from our country a large quantity 
of wealth to which thou mayest have recourse for thy subsistence 
as long as thou shalt live in thy country. But Aboo Seer rejoined, 
O King of the age (may God strengthen thee!), verily these 
numerous memlooks, and female slaves, and male black slaves, are 
proper only for Kings; and hadst thou given orders to present me 
with ready money, it had been better for me than this army; for 
they will eat, and drink, and dress, and whatever wealth I acquire, 
it will not suffice them to expend for their support. And upon this 
the King laughed, and said, By Allah, thou hast spoken truth ; for 
they have become a heavy army, and thou hast not ability to 
expend what will be sufficient upon them. But wilt thou sell 

600 THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

them to me, each one for a hundred pieces of gold?—He answered, 
I sell them to thee for this price. So the King sent to the treasurer, 
desiring him to bring him the money; and he brought it, and the 
King gave Aboo Seer the price of the whole, complete and entire; 
after which he bestowed them upon their former owners, saying, 
Every one who knoweth his male black slave, or his female slave, or 
his memlook, let him take such slave ; for they are a gift from me 
unto you. And they complied with the command of the King, each 
of them taking tvdiat appertained to him. Aboo Seer then said to 
the King, May God relieve thee, O King of the age, as thou hast 
relieved me from these ghools, whom none but God can satiate! 
And the King laughed at his words, and said that he had spoken 
truth; and he took the great men of his empire, and returned from 
the bath to his palace. 

Aboo Seer passed the ensuing night counting the gold and put¬ 
ting it into the bags and sealing them. And he had with him 
twenty male black slaves, and twenty memlooks, and four female 
slaves to serve him. And when the morning came, he opened the 
bath, and sent a crier to cry and say. Whosoever entereth the bath 
and washeth, he shall give that to which his soul shall consent, and 
what his generosity shall require him to give. He seated himself 
by the chest, 11 and those who desired to bathe rushed upon him, 
every one who entered putting down what was easy to him to give; 
and the evening came not before the chest was filled with the good 
gifts of God, whose name be exalted ! Then the Queen desired to 
enter the bath: so when this was made known to Aboo Seer, he 
divided the day on her account into two portions, making from 
daybreak to noon the portion of the men, and from noon to sunset 
the portion of the women. And when the Queen came, he sta¬ 
tioned a female slave behind the chest. He had taught four female 
slaves the arts of washing women and plaiting their hair, so that 
they became skilful performers of these arts ; and the Queen, on 
her entering, was pleased by what she saw, her bosom became 
dilated, and she put down a thousand pieces of gold. His fame 
spread throughout the city, and every one who entered treated him 
with honour, whether he were rich or poor, and good fortune came 
in to him by every way. He became acquainted with the King’s 
guards, and gained companions and friends, and the King used to 

come to him one day in the week, when he gave him a thousand 
pieces of gold; the other days of the week being for the great men 
and the poor; and he used to behave kindly to the people, and to 
treat them with the utmost courtesy. It happened also that the 
King’s sea-captain came in to him in the bath one day, whereupon 
Aboo Seer pulled off his clothes, and entered [the inner apartment] 
with him, and proceeded to rub and press him, treating him with 
exceeding courtesy. And when he came forth from the bath, he 
made for him sherbet and coffee ; and on the captain’s desiring to 
give him something, he swore that he would not receive from him 
aught. So the captain was grateful for his kindness, on account of 
the exceeding courtesy that he had experienced from him, and his 
beneficence to him, and he became perplexed respecting what he 
should give to that bath-keeper in return for his generous conduct 
to him. 

Meanwhile, Aboo Keer heard all the people eagerly talking of 
the bath, every one of them saying, Verily this bath is the delight 
of the world, without doubt! If it be the will of God, O such-a-one, 
thou shalt go with us to-morrow into this delectable bath.—So 
Aboo Keer said within himself, I must go like others, and see this 

4 H 

VOL. III. 

602 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

bath that hath captivated the minds of men. Then he put on the 
most sumptuous of the apparel that he had, mounted a mule, took 
with him four black slaves and four memlooks, who walked behind 
him and before him, and repaired to the bath. He alighted at the 
door of the bath ; and when he was at the door, he smelt the odour 
of aloes-wood, and saw men entering and men coming forth, and 
he saw the mastabahs fully occupied by great and small. He then 
entered the vestibule, and saw Aboo Seer, who rose to him, and 
rejoiced at seeing him; and Aboo Keer said to him, Is this fulfilling 
the covenant of the sons of the ingenuous ? I have opened for my¬ 
self a dyeing-shop, and become the master-dyer of the city, and 
acquainted with the King, and have become in a state of prosperity 
and authority, yet thou comest not to me, nor inquirest respecting 
me, nor sayest. Where is my companion ? I have been unable to 
find thee while searching for thee, and sending my black slaves and 
my memlooks to search for thee in the khans and in all other 
places; for they knew not how to find thee, nor did any one give 
them tidings of thee.—So Aboo Seer replied. Did I not come to 
thee, and didst thou not call me a thief, and beat me, and disgrace 
me among the people ? And thereupon Aboo Keer was grieved, 
and said. What are these words ? Art thou the person whom I 
beat?—Aboo Seer answered him. Yes; that person was myself. 
And Aboo Keer swore to him a thousand oaths that he knew him 
not, and said, One resembling thee used to come every day and 
steal people’s stuffs, and I imagined that thou wast that person. 
And he proceeded to feign repentance, and to strike hand upon 
hand, and say, There is no strength nor power but in God, the 
Great! We have acted injuriously to thee ; but would that thou 
hadst acquainted me with thyself, and said, I am such-a-one. The 
fault therefore is thine, because thou didst not acquaint me with 
thyself; especially as I was confounded by the multiplicity of my 
occupations.—And upon this, Aboo Seer said to him, May God 
pardon thee, O my companion! This event was secretly predes¬ 
tined, and reparation is God’s affair. Enter; pull off thy clothes, 
and bathe and enjoy thyself.—Aboo Keer rejoined, By Allah-I 
conjure thee that thou pardon me, O my brother! And Aboo Seer 
said to him, May God acquit thee of responsibility, and pardon 
thee! For it was an event predestined from eternity to befall me. 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

603 

Aboo Keer then said to him, And whence obtainedst thou this 
authority ? He answered him, He who aided thee aided me; for I 
went up to the King, and described to him the bath, and he ordered 
me to build one. So Aboo Keer replied. As thou art an acquaint¬ 
ance of the King, I also am his acquaintance; and if it be the will 
of God (whose name be exalted!), I will cause him to love thee 
and to treat thee with generosity exceeding this generosity, for my 
sake; for he knew not that thou wast my companion; but I will 
inform him that thou art my companion, and I will give him a 
charge respecting thee. Aboo Seer, however, said to him, I re¬ 
quire not any charge to be given him ; for He who moveth hearts 
with affection existeth; and the King hath conceived a love for me, 
he and all his court, and given me such and such things. He told 
him the story, and then said to him, Pull off thy clothes behind the 
chest, and enter the bath, and I will enter with thee, that I may 
rub thee with the bag. So he pulled off the clothes that were 
upon him, and entered the bath, and Aboo Seer entered with him, 
and rubbed him with the bag, washed him with soap, dressed him, 
and occupied himself with serving him until he came forth [from 
the inner apartment]; and when he came forth, he brought him 
dinner and sherbet; and all the people wondered at the great 
honour that he shewed him. After that, Aboo Keer was about to 
give him something; but he swore that he would not receive from 
him aught, and said to him, Be ashamed of this thing, seeing that 
thou art my companion, and there is no difference between us. 
Then Aboo Keer said to Aboo Seer, O my companion, by Allah, 
this bath is excellent; but thine art in it is deficient. So Aboo 
Seer said to him, And what is its deficiency ? Aboo Keer answered 
him, The remedy that is a composition of arsenic and lime, which 
removeth the hair with facility. 18 Therefore make this remedy; 
and when the King cometh, present it to him, and teach him how 
the hair falleth off by its means; for thereupon he will love thee 
exceedingly, and will treat thee with honour-.—And Aboo Seer 
replied. Thou hast spoken truth. If it be the wall of God, I wall 
make that. 

Then Aboo Keer went forth, and mounted his mule, repaired to 
the King, and went in to him, and said to him, I give thee a pre¬ 
caution, O King of the age. So the King said, And what is thy 

precaution ? And he answered him, Information hath been given 
me that thou hast built a bath. The King said. Yes: a stranger 
hath come to me, and I have founded the bath for him, like as I 
have founded for thee this dyeing-shop; and it is an excellent 
bath; my city hath become adorned by it. And he proceeded to 
mention to him the excellences of the bath. Aboo Keer then said 
to him, And hast thou entered it ? He answered. Yes. And Aboo 
Keer said, Praise be to God who hath saved thee from the wicked¬ 
ness of this villain, the enemy of the religion; and he is the bath- 
keeper. The King therefore said to him, And what is his desire ? 
And Aboo Keer answered. Know, 0 King of the age, that if thou 
enter the bath after this day, thou wilt perish.—Wherefore ? said 
the King. He answered him, Verily the bath-keeper is thine 
enemy, and the enemy of the religion ; for he induced thee not to 
found this bath save because he desireth to poison thee in it. He 
hath made for thee a thing ; and when thou enterest the bath, he 
will bring it to thee, and will say to thee. This is a remedy: who¬ 
soever applieth it to himself, it will cause the hair to fall off from 
the part with ease. And it is not a remedy: on the contrary, it is 
a cause of terrible disease, and a deadly poison. The Sultan of 
the Christians hath promised this villain that, if he slay thee, he 
will liberate his wife and his children from captivity ; for his wife 
and his children are in captivity in the land of the Sult&n of the 
Christians. I also was in captivity with him in their country; but 
I opened a dyeing-shop, and dyed for them stuffs of various colours, 
in consequence of which they inclined the heart of the King to 
favour me, and the King said to me, What dost thou desire ? So I 
desired of him emancipation, and he emancipated me; and, having 
come to this city, I saw the man in the bath. I therefore asked 
him and said to him, How was effected thine escape, and the escape 
of thy wife and thy children ? And he answered, I and my wife 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

605 

and my children ceased not to remain in captivity until the King 
of the Christians held a court, and I was present at it among the 
rest, standing among the people, and I heard them enter upon the 
mention of the Kings, and proceed until they mentioned the King 
of this city; whereupon the King of the Christians cried, Ah!— 
and said, No one in the world hath overcome me except the King of 
such a city; and whosoever will contrive means for me to slay him, 
I will give him everything that he shall desire. So I advanced to 
him, and said to him, If I contrive means for thee to slay him, wilt 
thou emancipate me and my wife and my children ? And he an¬ 
swered me, Yes: I will emancipate you, and I will give thee all 
that thou shalt desire. I then agreed with him to do this, and he 
sent me in a galleon to this city. So I went up to this King, and 
he built for me this bath, and there remaineth nothing for me to do 
but to kill him, and go to the King of the Christians, redeem my 
children and my wife, and demand of him what I desire.—I there¬ 
fore said. And what is the stratagem that thou hast contrived in 
order to kill him ? And he answered me. It is an easy stratagem; 
the easiest that can be : for he will come to me in this bath, and I 
have made for him something wherein is poison; and when he 
cometh, I will say to him, Take this remedy, and apply it to any 
part from which thou wouldst remove hair; for the hair will fall 
off. So he will take it and apply it to himself, and the poison will 
operate within him a day and a night, until it penetrateth to his 
heart, and destroyeth him, and there will be an end of the affair.— 
Therefore, on my hearing from him these words, I feared for thee ; 
because thy goodness hath imposed an obligation on me; and I 
have informed thee of this. 

So when the King heard these words, he was violently enraged; 
and he said to the dyer, Conceal this secret. He then desired to 
go to the bath, that he might put an end to doubt by certain assu¬ 
rance ; and when the King entered the bath, Aboo Seer divested 
himself as he was accustomed to do, devoted himself to the service 
of the King, and rubbed him with the bag ; after which he said to 
him, O King of the age, I have made a remedy for clearing away 
the hair. So he said. Bring it to me. And he brought it before 
him; and the King perceived its smell to be abominable. It ap¬ 
peared sure to him, therefore, that it was poison; and he was en- 

606 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

raged, and called out to the guards, saying, Seize him! Accordingly, 
the guards laid hold upon him, and the King went forth, infused 
with rage, no one knowing the cause of his rage; and by reason of 
the violence of the rage of the King, he informed not any one, nor 
did any one dare to ask him. He then put on his clothes, and 
went up to the council-chamber, and, having caused Aboo Seer to 
be brought before him, with his hands bound behind him, he sum¬ 
moned the sea-captain. So he came; and when the captain came, 
the King said to him. Take this villain, and put him into a sack, 
and put into the sack two hundred-weights of unslaked lime, and 
tie up its mouth over him and the lime: then put it into a boat, 
and come beneath my palace. Thou wilt see me sitting at its 
window, and do thou say to me, Shall I cast it in ? Thereupon I 
will answer thee, Cast it. And when I have said to thee that, cast 
it, that the lime may be slaked upon him, and he may die drowned 
and burnt.—So he replied, I hear and obey. He then took him 
from before the King, to an island opposite the King’s palace, and 
said to Aboo Seer, 0 thou, I came to thee once in the bath, and 
thou treatedst me with honour, and did what was requisite for me, 
and I derived great pleasure from thee: thou sworest also that 
thou wouldst not receive from me pay, and I have conceived for 
thee a violent love. Tell me then what was thy case with the 
King, and what abominable action hast thou done to him, that he 
hath become enraged against thee, and commanded me that thou 
shalt die this evil death.—So he replied. By Allah, I have not done 
anything, and I have no knowledge of any crime that I have com¬ 
mitted against him requiring this. 

Upon this, the captain said to him, Verily thou enjoyedst, in the 
estimation of the King, great dignity, such as none attained before 
thee ; and every one who is possessed of good things is envied. 
Perhaps then some one hath envied thee this good fortune, and 
said some words injurious to thee in the presence of the King, in 
consequence of which the King hath been thus enraged against 
thee. But welcome to thee! No harm awaiteth thee. For as thou 
treatedst me with honour without there existing any acquaintance 
between me and thee, I will liberate thee. But when I liberate 
thee, thou shalt remain with me on this island until a galleon shall 
depart from this city towards thy country, when I will send thee 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 607 

in it.—Aboo Seer therefore kissed the hand of the captain, and 
thanked him for this. Then the captain brought the lime, and put 
it into a sack, and he put into it a great stone, as large as a man, 
and said, I place my reliance upon God. After that, he gave to 
Aboo Seer a net, and said to him, Cast this net in the sea. Perhaps 
thou wilt catch some fish. For the fish for the King’s kitchen are 
required of me every day, and I have been diverted from fishing 
by this calamity that hath befallen thee, and fear that the cook’s 
young men may come to demand the fish and not find it ; but if 
thou catch anything, they will find it. Do so while I go and 
practise the stratagem that I have devised beneath the palace, and 
I will pretend that I have cast thee into the sea.—And Aboo Seer 
replied, I will fish, and go thou, and may God aid thee! The 
captain therefore put the sack into the boat, and proceeded until 
he came beneath the palace, when he saw the King sitting at the 
window, and said, O King of the age, shall I cast him in ? And he 
answered, Cast him:—and he made a sign with his hand ; and lo, 
a thing gleamed: then dropped into the sea: and behold, what 
dropped into the sea was the King’s seal-ring. This ring was 
enchanted, so that, when the King was enraged against any one, 
and desired to slay him, he would make a sign to him with his 

608 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

right hand, upon which was the seal-ring, and there would proceed, 
from the ring, lightning, which would strike the person to whom 
he made the sign, and his head would fall from between his 
shoulders. And the troops obeyed him not, nor did he subdue the 
mighty men, save by means of this seal-ring. So when the ring 
fell from his finger, he concealed the matter, being unable to say, 
My ring hath fallen into the sea,—through fear of the troops, lest 
they should rise against him, and slay him: wherefore he was 
silent. 

But as to Aboo Seer, after the departure of the captain, he took 
the net, and cast it in the sea, and drew it; and it came forth full 
of fish. Then he cast it a second time, and it came up full of fish 
again. He ceased not to cast it, and it came up every time full of 
fish, until there was before him a great heap of fish; whereupon 
he said within himself, By Allah, for a long time I have not eaten 
fish. And he chose for himself a large, fat fish, and said. When 
the captain cometh, I will tell him to fry for me this fish, that I 
may make my dinner of it. He then killed it with a knife that he 
had with him, and the knife stuck in its gill, and he saw the 
King’s seal-ring in it; for the fish had swallowed it, and destiny 
had driven it to that island, and it had fallen into the net. So he 
took the ring, and put it on his little finger, not knowing its 
properties; and lo, two young men, of the servants of the cook, 
came to demand the fish : and when they were near Aboo Seer, 
they said, O man, whither is gone the captain ? He answered, I 
know not:—and made a sign with his right hand, and behold, the 
heads of the two young men fell from between their shoulders 
when he made a sign to them and said, I know not. Aboo Seer 
therefore wondered at that, and said. Who can have slain them ? 
Their case grieved him, and he was reflecting upon this event 
when, lo, the captain approached, and saw a great heap of fish, 
and saw the two young men slain, and the seal-ring upon the 
finger of Aboo Seer. So he said to him, O my brother, move not 
thy hand upon which is the seal-ring; for if thou move it, thou 
wilt slay me. And he wondered at his saying, Move not thy 
hand upon which is the seal-ring; for if thou move it, thou wilt 
slay me. And when the captain came to him, he said. Who slew 
these two young men? Aboo Seer answered him. By Allah, 0 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

G09 

my brother, I know not. And the captain replied. Thou hast 
spoken truth; but inform me respecting this seal-ring, whence it 
came to thee. He said, I saw it in the gill of this fish. And the 
captain rejoined. Thou hast spoken truth; for I saw it descending 
gleaming from the palace of the King till it dropped into the sea, 
when he made a sign with respect to thee, and said to me, Cast 
him. And when he made the sign, I cast in the sack, and the 
ring had dropped from his finger, and fallen into the sea. There¬ 
upon this fish swallowed it, and God drove the fish to thee, so that 
thou caughtest it: therefore this is thy lot. But knowest thou the 
properties of this seal-ring ?—Aboo Seer answered, I do not know 
its properties. And the captain said, Know that the troops of our 
King have not obeyed him save from fear of this seal-ring; be¬ 
cause it is enchanted; and when the King was enraged against 
any one, and desired his slaughter, he used to make a sign to him 
with it, and his head would fall from between his shoulders; for a 
lightning would proceed from this ring, and its ray would reach 
the object of rage, who would die immediately.—So when Aboo 
Seer heard these words, he rejoiced exceedingly, and said to the 
captain. Take me back to the city. And the captain replied, I 
will take thee back, since I no longer fear for thee with respect to 
the King; for when thou makest a sign with thy hand, and hast 
conceived the intention of slaying him, his head will fall down 
before thee; and if thou shouldst desire the slaughter of the King 
and all the troops, thou wouldst lull them without impediment. 

He then embarked in the boat, and repaired with him to the 
city; and when he arrived there, he went up to the palace of the 
King, and entered the council-chamber, where he saw the King 
sitting, with the troops before him, and he was in a state of ex¬ 
cessive grief on account of the seal-ring, unable to inform any one 
of the soldiers of the loss of the ring. So when the King saw him 
he said to him, Did we not cast thee into the sea ? How hast thou 
contrived that thou hast come forth from it ?—And he answered 
him, O King of the age, when thou gavest orders to cast me into 
the sea, thy captain took me and proceeded with me to an island, 
and asked me respecting the cause of thy rage against me, saying 
to me, What hast thou done unto the King, that he hath given 
orders for thy death ? I answered him. By Allah, I know not that 

4 i 

VOL. HI. 

610 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

I have done unto him any foul action. And he said to me, Verily 
thou enjoyedst great dignity in the estimation of the King, and 
perhaps some one hath envied thee, and said some words injurious 
to thee in the presence of the King, in consequence of which he 
hath become enraged against thee. But I came to thee in thy 
bath, and thou treatedst me with honour; and in requital of the 
honour that thou shewedst me in thy bath, I will save thee, and 
will send thee to thy country.—He then put into the boat a stone 
instead of me, and cast it into the sea. But when thou madest a sign 
to him with reference to me, the seal-ring fell from thy hand into 
the sea, and a fish swallowed it; and I was on the island, fishing, 
and that fish came up in the net among others. Thereupon I took 
it, desiring to broil it; and when I opened its body, I saw the 
seal-ring in it. So I took it, and put it on my finger; and there 
came to me two of the servants of the kitchen, demanding the 
fish; and I made a sign to them, not knowing the property of the 
seal-ring, and their heads fell off. Then the captain came, and he 
knew the ring which was upon my finger, and acquainted me with 
its magic influence. I have therefore brought it to thee; for thou 
hast acted kindly to me, and treated me with the utmost gene¬ 
rosity, and the good actions that thou hast done me have not been 
lost upon me. This is thy seal-ring: so take it ; and if I have 
done unto thee anything requiring my slaughter, acquaint me with 
my crime, and slay me, and thou shalt be absolved of sin in 
shedding my blood.—He then pulled off the seal-ring from his 
finger, and handed it to the King. 

Therefore when the King saw Aboo Seer’s beneficent conduct, 
he received the ring from him, and put it on his finger. His soul 
was restored to him, and, rising upon his feet, he embraced Aboo 
Seer, and said, O man, thou art of the most excellent of the sons 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

611 

of the ingenuous! Blame me not; but pardon me for my in¬ 
jurious conduct to thee. Had any one but thyself got possession 
of this seal-ring, he had not given it to me.—Aboo Seer replied, 
0 King of the age, if thou desire that I should pardon thee, 
acquaint me with my crime that required thee to be enraged 
against me, so that thou gavest orders for my slaughter. The 
King said to him. By Allah, it hath become manifest to me that 
thou art innocent, and thou art not guilty in aught, since thou hast 
done this kind action: but the dyer said to me thus and thus. 
And he acquainted him with that which the dyer had said; 
whereupon Aboo Seer said, By Allah, 0 King of the age, I know 
not the King of the Christians, nor in my life have I gone to the 
country of the Christians, nor did it enter my mind to kill thee. 
But this dyer was my companion and my neighbour in the city of 
Alexandria, and our life there became difficult; so we came forth 
from it, on account of the difficulty of obtaining our livelihood, 
and recited together the Fatehah in confirmation of our agreement 
that the occupied should feed the unoccupied; and such and such 
events happened to me with him.—He acquainted him with all 
that had happened to him with Aboo Keer the dyer, and how he 
had taken his money, and abandoned him sick in the chamber 
that was in the khan, and that the door-keeper of the khan used 
to expend upon him while he was sick, until God restored him. 
Then he went forth and walked about the city with his apparatus, as 
he was accustomed to do; and while he was in the way, he saw a 
dyeing-shop before which the people were crowding, and, looking at 
the door of the dyeing-shop, he saw Aboo Keer sitting upon a mas- 
tabah there. So he entered to salute him, and he experienced from 
him that beating and injurious treatment; Aboo Keer asserting that 
he was a thief, and inflicting upon him a painful beating. And he 
acquainted the King with all that had befallen him from first to 
last. Then he said, O King of the age, he is the person who said 
to me, Make the remedy, and present it to the King; for the bath 
is perfect in all things, saving that this remedy is wanting in it. 
And know, O king of the age, that this remedy injureth not: we 
make it in our country, and it is one of the requisites of the bath; 
but I had forgotten it; and when the dyer came to me, and I 
treated him with honour, he reminded me of it, and said to me, 
Make the remedy. Now send, O King of the age, and bring the 

612 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

door-keeper of such a kh&n, and the workmen of the dyeing-shop, 
and ask them all respecting the things with which I have ac¬ 
quainted thee. 

So the King sent to the door-keeper of the kh&n, and to the 
workmen of the dyeing shop ; and when they all were present, he 
asked them, and they acquainted him with the case. He there¬ 
fore sent to the dyer, and said, Bring ye him barefooted, with his 
head uncovered, and with his hands bound behind him. Now the 
dyer was sitting in his house, happy at the thought of the 
slaughter of Aboo Seer, and he was not aware when the guards 
of the King rushed upon him, and blows fell upon the back of his 
neck. They then bound his hands behind his back, and came 
with him before the King; whereupon he saw Aboo Seer sitting 
by the side of the King, and the door-keeper of the khan and the 
workmen of the dyeing-shop standing before him. So the door¬ 
keeper of the kh&n said to him, Is not this thy companion, whose 
money thou stolest, and whom thou leftest with me in the chamber 
sick, and to whom thou didst such and such things? And the 
workmen of the dyeing-shop said to him, Is not this he whom 
thou commandedst us to seize, and whom we beat ? The baseness 
of Aboo Keer, therefore, was manifest to the King, and his de¬ 
serving more severe torture than that which is inflicted by 
Munkar and Nekeer : la so the King said. Take ye him, and parade 
him as an example through the city, and put him into a sack, and 
cast him into the sea. Upon this, Aboo Seer said, O King of the 
age, accept my intercession for him; for I have pardoned him all 
that he hath done unto me. But the King replied, If thou hast 
pardoned him for his injurious conduct to thee, I cannot pardon 
him for his injurious conduct to me. He then cried out and said. 
Take ye him ! They therefore took him and paraded him ; and 
after that, they put him into a sack, and put with him the lime, 
and cast him into the sea: so he died drowned and burnt. Then 
the King said, O Aboo Seer, demand of me what thou wilt, and 
it shall be given thee. And he replied, I demand of thee that 
thou send me to my country; for I no longer desire to reside here. 

The King therefore gave him an abundance of things, in addi¬ 
tion to his former wealth and portion and gifts, and bestowed upon 
him a galleon laden with good things, the sailors of which were 
memlooks, whom also he gave to him, after he had proposed to 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 

613 

him that he should make him Wezeer, and he consented not. 
Aboo Seer then bade the King farewell, and set forth on his 
voyage ; all that was in the galleon being his property; even the 
sailors being his memlooks; and he ceased not to pursue his 
voyage until he arrived at the district of Alexandria, and moored 
by the shore of Alexandria. Thereupon they landed ; and one of 
his memlooks saw a sack by the shore: so he said, 0 my master, 
by the shore of the sea is a large, heavy sack, the mouth of which 
is tied, and I know not what is in it. Aboo Seer therefore came 
and opened it, and he saw in it the body of Aboo Keer ; the sea 
having driven it towards Alexandria. And he took the body 
forth and buried it in the neighbourhood of Alexandria, and made 
for it a tomb for visitation, which he endowed with unalienable 
legacies; and he inscribed over the door of the building which 
enclosed the grave these verses :— 

A man is known among others by his actions , 14 and the deeds of the ingenu¬ 
ous and generous are like his origin. 

Backbite not, lest thou be backbitten; for probably, of him who saith a thing, 
the like will be said: 

And abstain from shameful words : utter them not when thou speakest seri¬ 
ously or when thou jestest; 

For the dog, if he retain good qualities, is domesticated, while the lion is 
chained in consequence of his ignorance ; 

And the carcases of the desert float upon the sea, while the fine pearl lies 
neglected on its lowest sands. 

A sparrow would not offer molestation to a hawk, were it not for its folly, 
and the weakness of its sense. 

614 

THE STORY OF ABOO SEER AND A BOO KEER. 

In the sky is written, upon the pages of the air, lie who doth kind actions 
will experience the like. 

Attempt not to extract sugar from the colocynth; for the thing will prove to 
be, in taste, like its origin. 

Then Aboo Seer remained a while, after which, God took his 
soul, and they buried him near the sepulchre of his companion 
Aboo Keer; and on that account, this place was called Aboo 
Keer and Aboo Seer; but it is commonly known now by the 
name of Aboo Keer. 15 —This is what hath been related to us of 
their story.—Extolled be the perfection of Him who endureth for 
ever, and by whose will the nights and days interchange ! 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVENTH. 

Note 1. 

“A boo Seer” is a modem Arabic corruption of the Coptic “Bousiri” or 
“ Pousiri,” the “Busiris” of the Greeks and Romans; hut it is more properly 
written in Arabic “Booseer.” It is the name of several villages in Egypt, the 
chief of which is in the Delta, on the eastern branch of the Nile.—The like may 
he inferred with regard to “ Ahoo Keer,” commonly written by the French and 
English “ Aboukir.” The place so named (well known to my countrymen) marks 
the site of Canopus. 

Note 2. 

As it is certain that most of the stories in this work were written at least half a 
century before the introduction of tobacco into the East (which happened about 
the close of the sixteenth century), this tale must have been altered by a copyist, 
or added to the original series: and I think it most probable that the latter was 
the case. 

Note 3. 

See Note 21 to Chapter xi. 

Note 4. 

Also called simply “nusf.” See Note 17 to Chapter iii. 

Note 5. 

Many a poor barber has a small cup of tinned copper, or of brass, instead of the 
large basin of tinned copper. 

Note 6. 

In my original, the number of nusf faddahs is said to have been thirty; but 
this is at variance with what precedes. 

616 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVENTH. 

Note 7. 

“ Bat&rikh” is a mess composed of the roe of small salted fish, which are called 
"feseekh.” 

Note 8. 

After what I have observed above, in Note 2, it is perhaps unnecessary to notice 
the mention of coffee, which began to become a common beverage throughout 
Arabian countries about a century before the introduction of tobacco into the 
East. 

Note 9. 

The chambers in kh&ns containing no furniture, the lodger supplies a mat or 
two, or a carpet, and perhaps a mattress upon which to sit and sleep, with a few 
other portable things. 

Note 10. 

That is, he set the streams of hot and cold water in motion.—A description of a 
public bath, and of the operations performed in it, has been given in Note 16 to 
Chapter ii. 

Note 11. 

The bather, on entering the meslakh (the first apartment, or disrobing-room), 
commits his purse, and any other valuables that he has about him to the bath- 
keeper, who locks them up in a chest, in which he also deposits the pay that he 
receives. 

Note 12. 

The depilatory called the “dawa” (or remedy), which is employed in the bath, 
is composed, as I have been informed, of quick lime with a small proportion 
(about an eighth part) of orpiment, or native arsenic. It is made into a paste, 
with water, before application; and loosens the hair in about two minutes, when 
it is washed off. 

Note 13. 

See a note at the foot of page 595 in Volume ii. 

Note 14. 

“ If a man s deeds are good, he is of good origin; but otherwise, he is not: and 
hence it is said, When a man's origin is [otherwise] unknown, his deeds indicate 
it.”* 

Note 15. 

See the first note of the present series. 

Marginal note by my sheykh.

COMMENCING WITH FART OF THE NINE HUNDRED AND FORTIETH 
NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE NINE HUNDRED AND 
FORTY-SIXTH. 

THE STORY OF ABD ALLAH OF THE LAND AND ABD ALLAH 
OF THE SEA. 

There was a fisherman named ’Abd Allah, who had a numerous 
family: he had nine children and their mother, and was yery poor, 
possessing nothing hut his net. He used to go every day to the 
sea to fish; and when he caught little, he sold it, and expended its 
price upon his children, according as God supplied him; but if he 
caught much, he would cook a good dish, and buy fruit, and cease 
not to expend until there remained not aught in his possession; 
whereupon he would say within himself. The supply necessary for 

4 K 

VOL. III. 

618 

THE STORY OF ’ABD ALLAH OF THE LAND 

to-morrow will come to-morrow. Now when, his wife gave birth 
to another, his children became ten persons; and the man that day 
possessed not anything whatever: so his wife said to him, 0 my 
master, see for me something wherewith I may sustain myself. He 
answered her, Lo, I am going, relying upon the blessing of God 
(whose name be exalted!), to the sea this day, for the luck of this 
new-born child, that we may see its fortune. And she replied. 
Place thy dependence upon God. Accordingly he took the net, 
and repaired to the sea. He then cast the net for the luck of that 
little infant, and said, O Allah, make his subsistence easy, not 
difficult; and abundant, not little ! He waited over it a while, and 
then drew it, and it came forth full of rubbish and sand and 
pebbles and grass; and he saw not in it any fish; neither many 
did he see, nor few. So he cast it a second time, and waited over 
it, and then drew it; but he saw not in it fish. And he cast a 
third time, and a fourth, and a fifth; but there came not up in it 
any fish. He therefore removed to another place, and begged his 
subsistence of God (whose name be exalted!), and ceased not to do 
thus till the close of the day; but caught not a single minnow. 1 
And he wondered in his mind, and said, Hath God created this 
new-born child without allotting it subsistence ? This can never 
be : for He who hath opened the jaws hath undertaken to provide 
for them the necessary subsistence; and God (whose name be 
exalted!) is bountiful, a liberal supplier of the necessaries of life. 

He then took up the net, and returned with broken spirit, his 
heart being occupied with care for his family, because he had left 
them without food, especially as his wife had just given birth to a 
child. He ceased not to walk on, saying within himself. What is 
to be done; and what shall I say to the children this night? 
Then he came before the oven of a baker, and saw a crowd before 
it. The time was a tune of dearness; and in those days, there 
existed not in the possession of the people more than a scanty 
supply of provisions, and the people were offering money to the 
baker, but he paid no attention to any one of them, on account of 
the greatness of the crowd. The fisherman however stood looking, 
and smelling the smell of the hot bread, and his soul desired it by 
reason of his hunger; and thereupon the baker saw him, and 
called out to him, saying, Come hither, O fisherman! So he ad- 

AND 'ABD ALLAH OF THE SEA. 

619 

vanced to him; and the baker said to him, Dost thou desire 
bread ? And he was silent. The baker said to him. Speak, and 
be not abashed : for God is bountiful. If thou have not with thee 
money, I will give thee, and will have patience with thee until 
good shall betide thee.—The fisherman therefore replied, By 
Allah, O master, I have not money : but give me bread sufficient 
for my family, and I will leave this net in pawn with thee till 
to-morrow. But the baker said to him, O poor man, verily this 
net is as it were thy shop, and the door of thy subsistence; and if 
thou give it in pawn, with what wilt thou fish ? Acquaint me then 
with the quantity that will suffice thee.—He replied, For ten nusf 
faddahs. And he gave him bread for ten nusfs; after which he 
gave him also ten nusf faddahs, and said to him, Take these ten 
nusfs, and cook for thee by their means a dish of food; so thou 
wilt owe twenty nusf faddahs, and to-morrow bring me their value 
in fish, or, if nought betide thee, come, receive thy bread and ten 
nusfs, and I will have patience with thee until good shall betide 
thee ; and after that, bring me fish to the value of that which I 
shall be entitled to receive from thee.— So the fisherman replied, 
May God (whose name be exalted!) reward thee, and recompense 
thee for me with everything good! He then took the bread and 
the ten nusf faddahs, and went away happy, and having purchased 
for him what he easily could, went in to his wife; and he saw 
her sitting, soothing the children, who were weeping by reason of 
their hunger, and she was saying to them, This instant your father 
will bring something for you to eat. So when he went in to them, 
he put down for them the bread, and they ate; and he acquainted 
his wife with that which had happened to him; whereupon she 
said to him, God is bountiful. 

And on the following day, he took up his net, and went forth 
from his house, saying, I beg thee, 0 Lord, to supply me, this day, 
with that which shall whiten my face * in the eyes of the baker ! 
And when he came to the sea, he proceeded to cast the net and 
draw it; but there came not forth in it any fish. He ceased not to 
do so until the close of the day, and got nothing. So he returned 
in great grief; and the way to his house led by the oven of the 
baker. He therefore said within himself, By what way can I go 
to my house ?' But I will quicken my pace, that the baker may not 

620 

THE STORY OF ’ABD ALLAH OF THE LAND 

see me.—And when he came to the oven of the baker, he saw a 
crowd; and he hastened in his pace, by reason of his abashment at 
the baker, in order that he might not see him: but lo, the baker 
raised his eyes towards him, and cried out, saying, O fisherman, 
come hither; receive thy bread and the money for thy expenditure; 
for thou hast forgotten! He replied, No, by Allah; I forgot not; 
but I was abashed at thee; for I have not caught any fish this day. 
The baker said to him, Be not abashed. Did I not say to thee. 
Take thy leisure, until good shall betide thee ?—Then he gave him 
the bread and the ten nusfs, and he went to his wife, and informed 
her of the news; upon which she said to him, God is bountiful. 
If it be the will of God, good will betide thee, and thou shalt pay 
him all that is due to him.—And he ceased not to continue thus for 
the space of forty days, every day going to the sea, and remaining 
from the rising of the sun to its setting, and returning without 
fish, and receiving bread, and money for his expenditure, from the 
baker, who mentioned not to him the fish any 'day of those days, 
nor neglected him as men generally would have done, but gave 
him the ten nusfs and the bread; and every time that the fisherman 
said to him, O my brother, reckon with me,—he would reply Go: 
this is not the time for reckoning: wait until good shall betide thee, 
and then I will reckon with thee. So he would pray for him, and 
depart from him thanking him. And on the one and fortieth day, 
he said to his wife, I desire to cut up this net, and be relieved of 
this mode of life.—Wherefore? said she. He answered her, It 
seemeth that my supply of subsistence from the sea is ended. And 

AND ABD ALLAH OF THE SEA. 

621 

how long, he added, shall this state continue ? By Allah, I am 
dissolved by abashment at the baker, and I will no more go to 
the sea, that I may not pass by his oven; for there is no w'ay for 
me save by his oven; and every time that I pass by it, he calleth 
me, and giveth me the bread and the ten nusfs. How long then 
shall I run in debt to him?—But she replied, Praise be to God 
(whose name be exalted!) who hath moved his heart to favour thee 
so that he giveth thee the food! And what dost thou dislike in 
this?—He said, I now owe him a great sum of money, and in¬ 
evitably he will demand his due. His wife said to him. Hath he 
vexed thee with words? He answered. No; nor would he reckon 
with me ; but would say to me, Wait until good shall betide thee.— 
Then, replied his wife, when he demandeth of thee, say to him. 
Wait until the good that I and thou hope for shall betide. And 
he said to her. When will the good that we hope for come ? She 
answered him, God is bountiful. And he replied. Thou hast 
spoken truth. 

He then took up his net, and repaired to the sea, saying, O 
Lord, supply me, if only with one fish, that I may give it to the 
baker! Then he cast the net in the sea, and drew it, and found it 
heavy; and he ceased not to labour at it until he was violently 
fatigued; but when he drew it forth, he saw in it a dead ass, 
swollen, and of abominable odour: so his soul was wearied. He 
extricated it from the net, and said. There is no strength nor power 
but in God, the High, the Great! I have been tired of saying to 
this woman, There remaineth for me no means of subsistence in 
the sea: let me abandon this occupation:—and of her replying, 
God is bountiful: good will betide thee. Is then this dead ass that 
good ?—Exceeding grief affected him, and he went to another place, 
that he might be remote from the smell of the ass, and took the net, 
and cast it, and waited over it some time. Then he drew it, and 
again found it heavy; and he ceased not to labour at it until blood 
issued from the palms of his hands; and when he had drawn forth 
the net, he saw in it a human being. 4 So he imagined that he was 
an ’Efreet, of those whom the lord Suleym&n used to imprison in 
bottles of brass, and cast into the sea, and that, the bottle having 
broken by reason of the length of years, that ’Efreet had issued 
from it, and come up in the net. He therefore fled from him, and 

622 

THE STORY OF ’ABD ALLAH OF THE LAND 

began to say, Mercy ! Mercy! O ’Efreet of Suleym&n !—But the 
human being cried out to him from within the net, saying, Come 
hither, O fisherman! Flee not from me; for I am a human being 
like thee. Liberate me then, that thou mayest obtain my recom¬ 
pense.—So when the fisherman heard his words, his heart became 
tranquillised, and he came to him and said to him. Art thou not an 
’Efreet of the Jinn ? He answered, No; but I am a man, a believer 
in God and his Apostle. The fisherman said to him, And who 
cast thee into the sea ? He replied, I am of the children of the 
sea. I was going about, and thou threwest upon me the net. We 
are nations obedient to the ordinances of God, and we are compas¬ 
sionate to the creatures of God (whose name be exalted!); and 
were it not that I fear and dread being of the disobedient, I should 
have rent thy net; but I willingly submit to that which God hath 
decreed to befall me; and thou, if thou deliver me, wilt become 
my owner, and I shall become thy captive. Wilt thou then eman¬ 
cipate me with the desire of seeing the face of God 5 (whose name 
be exalted!), and make a covenant with me, and become my com¬ 
panion ? I will come to thee every day in this place, and thou 
shalt come to me, and bring for me a present of the fruits of the 
land. For with you are grapes and figs and water-melons and 
peaches, and pomegranates and other fruits, and everything that 
thou wilt bring me will be acceptable from thee. And with us are 
coral and pearls and chrysolites and emeralds and jacinths and 
other jewels. So I will fill for thee the basket in which thou wilt 
bring me the fruits with minerals consisting of the jewels of the 
sea. What then sayestthou, 0 my brother, of this proposal?—The 
fisherman answered him. Let the Fatehah be recited in confirma¬ 
tion of the agreement between me and thee as to this proposal. 

Accordingly each of them recited the F&tehah, and the fisherman 
liberated him from the net, and said to him, What is thy name ? 
He answered, My name is ’Abd Allah of the Sea; and if thou 
come to this place, and see me not, call out and say. Where art 
thou, O ’Abd Allah, O thou of the Sea ?—and I will be with thee 
instantly. And thou (he added), what is thy name ? The fisher¬ 
man answered, My name is ’Abd Allah. So the other replied, 
Thou art ’Abd Allah of the Land, and I am ’Abd Allah of the Sea. 
Now stay here while I go and bring thee a present.—And he said, 

AND ’ABD ALLAH OF THE SEA. 

623 

I hear and obey. Then ’Abd Allah of the Sea went into the sea; 
and thereupon ’Abd Allah of the Land repented of his having 
liberated him from the net; and he said within himself. How do 
I know that he will return to me ? He only laughed at me, so 
that I liberated him; and had I kept him, I might have diverted 
the people in the city with the sight of him, and received money 
for shewing him from all the people, and entered with him the 
houses of the great men.—Therefore he repented of his having 
liberated him, and said to himself, Thy prey hath gone from thy 
hand. But while he was lamenting his escape from his hand, lo, 
’Abd Allah of the Sea returned to him, with his hands filled with 
pearls and coral and emeralds and jacinths and other jewels, and 
said to him. Receive, O my brother, and blame me not; for I 
have not a basket: if I had, I would have filled it for thee. So 
thereupon ’Abd Allah of the Land rejoiced, and received from him 
the jewels; and ’Abd Allah of the Sea said to him, Everyday 
thou shalt come to this place before sunrise. He then bade him 
farewell, and departed, and entered the sea. 

But as to the fisherman, he entered the city, joyful, and ceased 
not to walk on until he came to the oven of the baker, when he 
said to him, O my brother, good hath betided us: therefore reckon 
with me. The baker replied, No reckoning is necessary. If thou 
have with thee anything, give me; and if thou have not with thee 
anything, receive thy bread, and the money for thy expenditure, 
and go, and wait until good shall betide thee. So he said to him, 
O my companion, good hath betided me from the bounty of God, 
and I owe thee a large sum ; but receive this. And he took for 
him a handful of pearls and corals and jacinths and other jewels, 
that handful being half of what he had with him; and he gave it 
to the baker, and said to him, Give me some money that I may 
expend it this day, until I shall sell these minerals. He therefore 
gave him all the money that he had at his command, and all the 
bread that was in the basket which he had with him; and the 
baker was rejoiced with those minerals, and said to the fisherman, 
I am thy slave and thy servant. He carried all the bread that he 
had with him on his head, and walked behind him to the house, 
and the fisherman gave the bread to his wife and his children. The 
baker then went to the market, and brought meat and vegetables 

and all kinds of fruit. He abandoned the oven, and remained 
all that day occupying himself with the service of ’Abd Allah of 
the Land, and performing for him his afFairs. So the fisherman 
said to him, O my brother, thou hast wearied thyself. The baker 
replied, This is incumbent on me ; for I have become thy servant, 
and thy beneficence hath inundated me. But the fisherman 
said to him. Thou wast my benefactor in the time of distress and 
dearness. And the baker passed the ensuing night with him, 
enjoying good eating; and he became a faithful friend to the 
fisherman. The fisherman informed his wife of his adventure 
with ’Abd Allah of the Sea, whereat she rejoiced, and she said 
to him. Conceal thy secret, lest the magistrates tyrannise over 
thee. But he replied, If I conceal my secret from all other people, 
I will not conceal it from the baker. 

He arose in the morning of the following day, having filled a 
basket with fruits of all kinds in the preceding evening, and he 
took it up before sunrise, and repaired to the sea, put it down 

THE STORY OF ABD ALLAH OF THE LAND, &c. 025 

on the shore, and said, Where art thou, 0 ’Abd Allah, O thou of 
the sea ? And he answered him, At thy service;—and came forth 
to him. He therefore presented to him the fruit, and he took it 
up, and descended with it, diving into the sea, and was absent 
a while; after which he came forth, having with him the basket 
full of all kinds of minerals and jewels. So ’Abd Allah of the 
Land put it upon his head, and departed with it ; and when he 
came to the oven of the baker, the baker said to him, 0 my master, 
I have baked for thee forty shureyks, 6 and sent them to thy house ; 
and now I will bake bread of the finest flour, and when it is done, 
I will convey it to the house, and go to bring thee the vegetables 
and the meat. Upon this, ’Abd Allah took for him, from the 
basket, three handfuls, and gave them to him, and went to the 
house, where he put down the basket, and took, of each kind of 
jewels, one jewel of great value. Then he repaired to the jewel- 
market, and, stopping at the shop of the sheykh of the market, 
said, Purchase of me these jewels. He replied. Shew them to me. 
So he shewed them to him; and the sheykh said to him, Hast thou 
any beside these ? He answered, I have a basket full. The 
sheykh said to him, Where is thy house ? He answered him, In 
such a quarter. And the sheykh took from him the jewels, and said 
to his servants, Lay hold of him ; for he is the thief who stole the 
things of the Queen, the wife of the Sultan. He then ordered 
them to beat him, and they did so, and bound his hands behind his 
back; and the sheykh arose, with all the people of the jewel- 
market, and they began to say, We have taken the thief. Some 
of them said, None stole the goods of such a one but this villain: 
—and others said. None stole all that was in the house of such 
a one but he:—and some of them said thus, and others said thus. 
All this while, he was silent; he returned not to any one of them 
a reply, nor did he utter to him a sentence, until they stationed 
him before the King ; whereupon the sheykh said, O King of the 
age, when the necklace of the Queen was stolen, thou sentest and 
acquaintedst us, and requiredst of us the capture of the offender; 
and I strove above the rest of the people, and have captured for 
thee the offender. Lo, here he is before thee, and these jewels we 
have rescued from his hand.—The King therefore said to the 
eunuch, Take these minerals, and shew them to the Queen, and 

4 l 

VOL. III. 

626 

THE STORY OF ’ABD ALLAH OF THE LAND 

say to her, Are these thy goods that thou hast lost ? Accordingly 
the eunuch took them, and went in with them before the Queen ; 
and when she saw them, she wondered at them, and she sent to 
say to the King, I have found my necklace in my place, and these 
are not my property; but these jewels are better than the jewels 
of my necklace; therefore act not unjustly to the man; and if he 
will sell them, purchase them of him for thy daughter, Umm es- 
So’ood/ that we may put them for her upon a necklace. 

So when the eunuch returned, and acquainted the King with 
that which the Queen had said, he cursed the sheykh of the 
jewellers, him and his company, with the curse of ’A'd and 
Thamood ; 8 whereupon they said, O King of the age, we knew 
that this man was a poor fisherman; so we deemed those things 
too much for him to possess, and imagined that he had stolen 
them. But he replied, O base wretches, do ye deem good things 
too much for a believer? Wherefore did ye not ask him? 
Perhaps God (whose name be exalted!) hath blessed him with 
them in a way he did not reckon upon; and wherefore do ye 
assert him to he a thief, and disgrace him among the people ? Go 
forth ! May God not bless you!—They therefore went forth in a 
state of fear. The King then said, 0 man, may God bless thee in 
that which He hath bestowed on thee! And thou hast promise 
of indemnity. But acquaint me with the truth. Whence came to 
thee these jewels ? For I am a King, and the like of them exist 
not in my possession.—So he answered, 0 King of the age, I have 
a basket full of them; and the case is thus and thus. And he 
informed him of his companionship with ’Abd Allah of the Sea, 
and said to him, An agreement hath been made between me and 
him, that I shall every day fill for him the basket with fruits, and 
he shall fill it for me with these jewels. The King therefore said 
to him, 0 man, this is thy lot; but wealth requireth an exalted 
station, and I will prevent men’s domineering over thee in these 
days. Perhaps, however, I may be deposed, or may die, and another 
may be appointed in my stead, and may slay thee on account of 
his love of worldly goods, and covetousness. I therefore desire to 
marry thee to my daughter, and to make thee my Wezeer, and 
bequeath to thee the kingdom after me, that no one may covet thy 
possessions after my death.—Then the King said, Take ye this 

AND ABD ALLAH OF THE SEA. 

627 

man, and conduct him into the hath. So they took him, and 
washed him, and they clad him in apparel of the apparel of Kings, 
and led him forth into the presence of the King, who thereupon 
appointed him Wezeer unto him. He sent also the couriers, and 
the soldiers of the guard, and all the wives of the great men, to his 
house; and they clad his wife in the apparel of the wives of Kings, 
clad her children likewise, and mounted her in a litter ; 9 and all 
the wives of the great men, and the troops and the couriers, and 
the soldiers of the guard, walked before her, and conducted her to 
the King’s palace, with the little infant in her bosom. They 
brought in her elder children to the king, who treated them with 
honour, took them upon his lap, and seated them by his side. 
And they were nine male children; and the King was destitute 
of male offspring, not having been blessed with any child except 
that daughter, whose name was Umm es-So’ood. And as to the 
Queen, she treated the wife of ’Abd Allah of the Land with honour, 
and bestowed favours upon her, and made her Wezeereh to her. 
The King gave orders to perform the ceremony of the contract of 
the marriage of ’Abd Allah of the Land to his daughter, and he 
assigned as her dowry all the jewels and minerals that he had, and 
they commenced the festivity ; the King commanding that a pro¬ 
clamation should be made to decorate the city on account of the 
marriage-festivity of his daughter. 

Then, on the following day, after ’Abd Allah of the Land had 
introduced himself to the King’s daughter, the King looked from 
the window, and saw ’Abd Allah carrying upon his head a basket 
full of fruits. So he said to him. What is this that is with thee, O 
my son-in-law, and whither goest thou? He answered. To my 
companion, ’Abd Allah of the Sea. The King said to him, O 
my son-in-law, this is not the time to go to thy companion. But 
he replied, I fear to be unfaithful to him with respect to the time 
of promise; for he would reckon me a liar, and say to me, Worldly 
matters have diverted thee from coming to me. And the King 
said, Thou hast spoken truth. Go to thy companion. May God 
aid thee ! 10 —So he walked through the city, on his way to his com¬ 
panion, and, the people having become acquainted with him, he 
heard them say, This is the son-in-law of the King, going to 
exchange the fruits for the jewels. And he who was ignorant of 

628 

THE STORY OF ’ABD ALLAH OF THE LAND, &c. 

him, and knew him not, would say, 0 man, for how much is the 
pound ? Come hither : sell to me.—Whereupon he would answer 
him. Wait forme until I return to thee. And he would not vex 
any one. Then he went and met ’Abd Allah of the Sea, and gave 
him the fruits; and ’Abd Allah of the Sea gave him for them jewels 
in exchange.—He ceased not to do thus, and every day he passed 
by the oven of the baker, and saw it closed. He continued thus 
for the space of ten days; and when he had not seen the baker, 
and saw his oven closed, he said within himself, Verily this is a 
wonderful thing! Whither can the baker have gone?—He then 
asked his neighbour, saying to him, 0 my brother, where is thy 
neighbour the baker, and what hath God done with him ? He 
answered, 0 my master, he is sick: he doth not cojne forth from 
his house. So he said to him, Where is his house ? The man an¬ 
swered him. In such a quarter. He therefore repaired thither, and 
inquired for him; and when he knocked at the door, the baker 
looked from the window, and saw his companion the fisherman with 
a full basket upon his head. So he descended to him, and opened 
to him the door; and ’Abd Allah of the Land threw himself upon 
him, and embraced him, and said to him, How art thou, 0 my 
companion? For every day I pass by the oven and see it closed. 
Then I asked thy neighbour, and he informed me that thou wast 
sick. I therefore inquired for thy house, that I might see thee.— 
The baker replied. May God recompense thee for me with every 
thing good! I have no disease; but it was told me that the King 
had taken thee, because some of the people lied to him, and asserted 
that thou wast a thief: so I feared, and closed the oven, and hid 
myself.—’Abd Allah of the Land said. Thou hast spoken truth. 
And he informed him of his case, and of the events that had hap¬ 
pened to him with the King and the sheykh of the jewel-market, and 
said to him, The King hath married me to his daughter, and made 
me his Wezeer. He then said to him, Take what is in this basket 
as thy lot, and fear not. 

After that, he went forth from him, having dispelled from him 
his fear, and repaired to the King with the basket empty. So the 
King said to him, O my son-in-law, it seemeth that thou hast not 
met with thy companion ’Abd Allah of the Sea this day. He replied, 
I went to him, and what he gave me I have given to my companion 

the baker; for I owe him kindness. The King said, Who is this 
baker? He answered, He is a man of kind disposition, and such and 
such events happened to me with him in the days of poverty, and 
he neglected me not any day, nor broke my heart. The King said, 
What is his name ? He answered, His name is ’Abd Allah the baker, 
and my name is ’Abd Allah of the Land, and my other companion’s 
name is ’Abd Allah of the Sea. Upon this, the King said, And my 
name is ’Abd Allah, and the servants of God 11 are all brethren. 
Send therefore to thy companion the baker : bring him that we may 
make him Wezeer of the Left. Accordingly he sent to him; and 
when he came before the King, the King invested him with the 
apparel of Wezeer, and appointed him Wezeer of the Left, ap¬ 
pointing ’Abd Allah of the Land Wezeer of the Right. ’Abd 
Allah of the Land continued in this state a whole year, every day 
taking the basket full of fruits, and returning with it full of jewels 
and minerals ; and when the fruits were exhausted from the gardens, 
he used to take raisins and almonds and hazel-nuts and walnuts and 
figs and other things; and all that he took to him he accepted from 
him, and he returned to him the basket full of jewels as was his 
custom. 

Now it happened, one day, that he took the basket full of dried 
fruits, according to his custom, and his companion received them 
from him; after which, ’Abd Allah of the Land sat upon the shore, 
and ’Abd Allah of the Sea sat in the water, near the shore, and 
they proceeded to converse together, talking alternately, until 
they were led to mention the tombs. Thereupon ’Abd Allah of 
the Sea said, O my brother, they say that the Prophet (may God 
favour and preserve him!) is buried among you in the land. Dost 
thou then know his tomb?—He answered, Yes. He asked. In 

630 

THE STORY OF ’ABD ALLAH OF THE LAND 

what place ? He answered. In a city called Teybeh. 1 * He said, 
And do men, the people of the land, visit his tomb ? He answered, 
Yes. And ’Abd Allah of the Sea said. May you derive enjoy¬ 
ment, O people of the land, from visiting this generous, benign, 
merciful Prophet, whose visiter meriteth his intercession! And 
hast thou visited him, 0 my brother ?—He answered, No; for I 
was a poor man, and found not what I should expend on the way, 
and I have not been independent save from the time when I first 
knew thee and thou conferredst upon me this prosperity. But the 
visiting him, after I shall have performed the pilgrimage to the 
Sacred House of God, ls hath become incumbent on me; and 
nothing hath prevented my doing that but my affection for thee; 
for I cannot separate myself from thee for one day.—Upon this, he 
of the sea said to him of the land. And dost thou prefer thy affec¬ 
tion for me above visiting the tomb of Mohammad (may God 
favour and preserve him !), who will intercede for thee on the day 
of appearance before God, and will save thee from the fire, and by 
means of whose intercession thou wilt enter Paradise; and for the 
sake of the love of the world dost thou neglect to visit the tomb of 
thy Prophet Mohammad, may God favour and preserve him ? He 
answered. No, by Allah: verily the visitation of him is preferred 
by me above everything else; but I desire of thee permission that 
I may visit him this year. He replied, I give thee permission to 
visit him ; and when thou standest by his tomb, give him my salu¬ 
tation. I have also a deposit: so enter the sea with me, that I 
may take thee to my city, and conduct thee into my house, and 
entertain thee, and give thee the deposit, in order that thou mayest 
put it upon the grave of the Prophet (may God favour and preserve 
him!) ; and say thou to him, 0 Apostle of God, ’Abd Allah of the 
Sea saluteth thee, and hath given to thee this present, and he 
beggeth thine intercession to save him from the fire.—So ’Abd Allah 
of the Land said to him, O my brother, thou wast created in the 
water, and the water is thine abode, and it injureth thee not: then if 
thou come forth from it to the land, will injury betide thee ? He 
answered. Yes; my body will dry up, and the breezes of the land 
will blow upon me, and I shall die.—And I in like manner, replied 
’Abd Allah of the Land, was created on the land, and the land is 
my abode; and if I enter the sea, the water will enter into my 

AND ’ABD ALLAH OF THE SEA. 

631 

body, and suffocate me, and I shall die. But the other said to him. 
Fear not that; for I will bring thee an ointment, with which thou 
shalt anoint thy body, and the water will not injure thee, even if 
thou pass the remainder of thy life going about in the sea; and 
thou shalt sleep and arise in the sea, and nought will injure thee. 
So he replied, If the case be so, no harm. Bring me the ointment, 
that I may try it. 

’Abd Allah of the Sea said, Be it so. And he took the basket, 
and descended into the sea, and was absent a little while. He 
then returned, having with him some fat like the fat of beef, the 
colour of which was yellow, like gold, and its scent was sweet; 
and ’Abd Allah of the Land said to him, What is this, O my bro¬ 
ther ? He answered him, This is the fat of the liver of a kind of 
fish, called the dendan. 11 It is the greatest of all kinds of fish, and 
the most violent of our enemies, and its form is larger than that of 
any beast of the land existing among you: if it saw the camel or 
the elephant, it would swallow it.—’Abd Allah of the Land said to 
him, 0 my brother, and what doth this unlucky creature eat? He 
answered him. It eateth of the beasts of the sea. Hast thou not 
heard that it is said in the proverb, Like the fish of the sea: the 
strong eateth the weak ? 15 —He replied, Thou hast spoken truth. 
But have you (he added) many of these dcndans among you in 
the sea ? ’Abd Allah of the Sea answered, Among us are such as 
none can number except God, whose name be exalted! Then 
said ’Abd Allah of the Land, Verily I fear that, if I descend with 
thee, this kind of creature may meet me and devour me. But 
’Abd Allah of the Sea replied, Fear not; for when it seeth thee, 
it will know that thou art a son of Adam, and it will fear thee, 
and flee. It feareth not aught in the sea as it feareth a son of 
Adam; for when it hath eaten a son of Adam, it dieth instantly, 
because the fat of a son of Adam is a deadly poison to this kind of 
creature. And we collect not the fat of its liver save in consequence 
of a son of Adam’s falling into the sea and being drowned: for his 
form becometh altered, and often his flesh is torn, and the dend&n 
eateth it, imagining it to be of some of the animals of the sea, and 
dieth : then we happen to light on it dead, and take the fat of its 
liver, with which we anoint our bodies, and we go about in the 
sea. In whatever place is a son of Adam, if there be in that place 

632 

THE STORY OF ABD ALLAH OF THE LAND 

a hundred or two hundred or a thousand or more of that kind of 
creature, and they hear the cry of the son of Adam, all of them die 
immediately at his crying once, and not one of them can move from 
its place. 

Upon this, ’Abd Allah of the Land said, I place my reliance 
upon God. He then pulled off the clothes that were upon him, 
and, having dug a hole on the shore, he buried his clothes; after 
which, he anointed his person from the parting of his hair to his 
feet with this ointment. Then he descended into the water, and 
dived; and he opened his eyes, and the water injured him not. 
He walked to the right and left ; and if he would, he ascended ; 
and if he would, he descended to the bottom. He saw the water 
of the sea forming as it were a tent over him, and it injured him 
not. And ’Abd Allah of the Sea said to him, What seest thou, O 
my brother ? He answered him, I see what is good, 0 my brother, 
and thou hast spoken truth in that which thou hastsaid ; for the water 
doth not injure me. Then ’Abd Allah of the Sea said to him, 
Follow me. So he followed him; and they ceased not to walk 
from place to place, while he saw before him, and on his right and 
on his left, mountains of water, and he diverted himself with the 
view of them and with the view of the different kinds of fish that 

AND ’ABD ALLAH OF THE SEA. 

633 

were sporting in the sea, some great and some small. Among them 
were some resembling buffaloes, and some resembling oxen, and 
some resembling dogs, and some resembling human beings; and 
every kind to which they drew near fled at seeing ’Abd Allah of 
the Land. He therefore said to him of the sea, O my brother, 
wherefore do I see every kind to which we draw near flee from 
us ? And he answered him, Through fear of thee; for everything 
that God hath created feareth the son of Adam. He ceased not to 
divert himself with the sight of the wonders of the sea until they 
came to a high mountain, and ’Abd Allah of the Land walked by 
the side of that mountain, and suddenly he heard a great cry : so 
he looked aside, and he saw something black descending upon him 
from that mountain, and it was as large as a camel, or larger, and 
cried out. He therefore said to his companion, What is this, O my 
brother ? He answered him, This is the dendan: it is descending 
in pursuit of me, desiring to devour me : so cry out at it, O my 
brother, before it reacheth us ; for otherwise it will seize me and 
devour me. Accordingly, ’Abd Allah of the Land cried out at it, 
and lo, it fell down dead; and when he saw it dead, he said, Ex¬ 
tolled be the perfection of God, and his praise! I struck it not 
with a sword, nor with a knife! How is it that, with the enormity 
of this creature, it could not bear my cry, but died?—But ’Abd 
Allah of the Sea said to him, Wonder not: for by Allah, O my 
brother, were there a thousand or two thousand of this kind, they 
would not be able to endure the cry of a son of Adam. 

They then walked to a city, and they saw its inhabitants to be 
all damsels, no males being among them. So ’Abd Allah of the Land 
said, O my brother,what is this city, and what are these damsels? 
And his companion answered him. This is the city of the damsels; 
for its inhabitants are of the damsels of the 6ea. 16 The King of the 
Sea banisheth them to this city. Every one against whom he is 
incensed, of the damsels of the Sea, he sendeth hither, and she 
cannot come forth from it; for if she came forth from it, any of the 
beasts of the sea that saw her would devour her. But in other 
cities than this, there are men and women.—Then ’Abd Allah of the 
Land proceeded to divert himself with the view of these damsels, 
and saw that they had faces like moons, and hair like the hair of 
women; but they had arms and legs in the fore part of the body, 

4 M 

VOL. III. 

634 

THE STORY OF ABD ALLAH OF THE LAND 

and tails like the tails of fishes. His companion, having diverted 
him with the view of the inhabitants of this city, went forth with 
him, and walked before him to another city, winch he saw to be 
filled with people, females and males, whose forms were like the 
forms of the damsels before mentioned; and they had tails; but 
they had no selling nor buying like the people of the land. And 
he said, 0 my brother, how do they manage their marriages? His 
companion answered him, They do not all marry; for we are not 
all of one religion: among us axe Muslims, Unitarians; and among us 
are Christians and Jews and other sects; and those of us who marry 
are chiefly the Muslims. Whoso desireth to marry, they impose 
upon him, as a dowry, the gift of a certain number of different 
kinds of fish, which he catcheth; as many as a thousand or two 
thousand, or more or less, according to the agreement made between 
him and the father of the wife. And when he bringeth what is 
demanded, the family of the bridegroom and the family of the 
bride assemble and eat the banquet. Then they introduce him to 
his wife. And after that, he catcheth fish, and feedeth her; or, if 
he be unable, she catcheth fish, and feedeth him.—’Abd Allah of 
the Sea then took him to another city, and after that to another, 
and so on, until he had diverted him with the sight of eighty cities; 
and he saw the inhabitants of each city to be unlike the inhabitants 
of another city; and he said, 0 my brother, are there any more 
cities in the sea? His companion said, And what hast thou seen 
of the cities of the sea, and its wonders ? By the generous, benign, 
merciful Prophet, were I to divert thee for a thousand years, every 
day with the sight of a thousand cities, and shew thee in every 
city a thousand wonders, I should not shew thee a twenty-fourth 
part of the cities of the sea, and its wonders. I have only diverted 
thee with the view of our own region and our land, and nothing 
more.—So ’Abd Allah of the Land said to him, 0 my brother, since 
the case is so, enough for me is that with the sight of which I have 
diverted myself; for I have become weary of eating fish, and have 
spent eighty days in thy company, during which thou hast not fed 
me, morning and evening, with aught but raw fish, neither broiled 
nor cooked in any way. But thou hast not diverted me with a sight 
of thy city.—He replied. As to my city, we have gone a consider¬ 
able distance beyond it, and it is near the shore from which we came. 

AND ABD ALLAH OF THE SEA. 

635 

Then he returned with him to his city, and when he came to it, 
he said to him, This is my city. And he saw it to be a small city 
in comparison with those with the sight of which he had diverted 
himself. He entered the city, accompanied by ’Abd Allah of the 
Sea, who proceeded until he came to a cavern, when he said to 
him, This is my house; and all the houses of this city are likewise 
caverns, great and small, in the mountains, as are also all those of 
all the cities of the sea. For every one who desireth to make for 
himself a house goeth to the King, and saith to him, I desire to 
make me a house in such a place. Thereupon the King sendeth 
with him a tribe of fish called the peckers, 17 assigning as their wages 
a certain quantity of fish; and they have beaks which crumble rock. 
They come to the mountain that the intended owner of the house 
hath chosen, and excavate in it the house with their beaks; and 
the owner of the house catcheth fish for them, and putteth them 
into their mouths, until the cavern is completed, when they depart, 
and the owner of the house taketh up his abode in it. All the 
people of the sea are in this state: they transact not affairs of com¬ 
merce, one with another, nor do they serve one another, save by 
means of fish; and their food is fish.—Then he said to him, Enter. 
So he entered. And ’Abd Allah of the Sea said, O my daughter ! 
And lo, his daughter advanced to him. She had a face round like 
the moon, and long hair and heavy hips, and black-edged eyes and 
a slender waist; but she had a tail. And when she saw ’Abd 
Allah of the Land with her father, she said to him, O my father, 
what is this tail-less creature whom thou hast brought with thee ? 
He answered her, O my daughter, this is my companion of the 
land, from whom I used to bring thee the fruits of the land. Come 
hither: salute him.—She therefore advanced and saluted him,with 
an eloquent tongue and fluent speech; and her father said to her, 
Bring some food for our guest, by whose arrival a blessing hath 
betided us. And she brought him two large fishes, each of them 
like a lamb; and he said to him. Eat. So he ate in spite of him¬ 
self, by reason of his hunger; for he was weary of eating fish, and 
they had nothing else. And but a short time had elapsed when 
the wife of ’Abd Allah of the Sea approached. She was of beauti¬ 
ful form, and with her were two children, each child having in his 
hand a young fish, of which he was craunching bits as a man 

crauncheth bits of a cucumber. And when she saw ’Abd Allah of 
the Land with her husband, she said, What is this tail-less creature? 
The two children also advanced with their sister and their mother, 
and they looked at ’Abd Allah of the Land, and said. Yea, by 
Allah: verily he is tail-less! And they laughed at him. So ’Abd 
Allah of the Land said to his companion, O my brother, hast thou 
brought me to make me a laughing-stock to thy children and thy 
wife ? ’Abd Allah of the Sea answered him. Pardon, O my brother: 
for he who hath no tail existeth not among us; and when one with¬ 
out a tail is found, the Sultan taketh him to laugh at him. But, O 
my brother, be not displeased with these young children and the 
woman, since their intellects are defective.—Then he cried out at 
his family, and said to them, Be ye silent! So they feared, and 
were silent; and he proceeded to appease his mind. 

And while he was conversing with him, lo, ten persons, great, 
strong, and stout, advanced to him, and said, O ’Abd Allah, it 
hath been told to the King that thou hast with thee a tail-less crea¬ 
ture, of the tail-less creatures of the land. So he replied. Yes; and 
he is this man ; for he is my companion : he hath come to me as a 

THE STORY OF ABD ALLAH OF THE LAND, &c. 

637 

guest, and I desire to take him back to the land. But they said to 
him. We cannot go save with him ; and if thou desire to say aught, 
arise and take him, and come with him before the King, and what 
thou sayest to us, say to the King. Therefore ’Abd Allali of the 
Sea said to him, O my brother, the excuse is manifest, and it is 
impossible for us to disobey the King ; but go with me to the King, 
and I will endeavour to liberate thee from him, if it be the will of 
God. Fear not; for when he seeth thee, he will know that thou 
art of the children of the land; and when he knoweth that thou 
art of the land, he will without doubt treat thee with honour, and 
restore thee to the land.—So ’Abd Allah of the Land replied, It is 
thine to determine; and I will place my dependance upon God, 
and go with thee. He then took him and proceeded with him 
until he came to the King; and when the King saw him, he 
laughed, and said, Welcome to the tail-less ! And every one who 
was around the King began to laugh at him, and to say. Yea, by 
Allah: verily he is tail-less ! Then ’Abd Allah of the Sea advanced 
to the King, and acquainted him with his circumstances, and said 
to him, This is of the children of the land, and he is my companion, 
and he cannot live among us; for he loveth not the eating of fish 
unless it be fried or otherwise cooked; and I desire that thou give 
me permission to restore him to the land. The King therefore re¬ 
plied, Since the case is so, and he cannot live among us, I give thee 
permission to restore him to his place after entertainment. Then 
the King said, Bring to him the banquet. And they brought him 
fish of various shapes and colours, and he ate in obedience to the 
command of the King; after which the King said to him. Demand 
of me what thou wilt. And ’Abd Allah of the Land replied, I 
demand of thee that thou give me jewels. So he said. Take ye him 
to the jewel-house, and let him select what he requireth. Accord¬ 
ingly his companion took him to the jewel-house, and he selected 
as many as he desired. He then returned with him to his city, 
and, producing to him a purse, he said to him. Take this as a 
deposit, and convey it to the tomb of the Prophet, may God favour 
and preserve him! And he took it, not knowing what was in it. 

Then ’Abd Allah of the Sea went forth with him, to conduct 
him to the land; and he saw, in his way, people engaged in singing 
and festivity, and a table of fish spread; and the people were eating 

638 

THE STORY OF 'ABD ALLAH OF THE LAND 

and singing, and in a state of great rejoicing. So lie said to ’Abd 
Allah of the Sea, Wherefore are these people in a state of great 
rejoicing ? Is a wedding being celebrated among them ?—And he 
of the sea answered. There is no wedding being celebrated among 
them; but a person among them is dead. ’Abd Allah of the Land 
therefore said to him, Do ye, when a person dieth among you, 
rejoice for him, and sing and eat? His companion answered, Yes. 
And ye, 0 people of the land, he added, what do ye ? ’Abd Allah 
of the Land answered, When a person among us dieth, we mourn 
for him, and weep, and the women slap their faces, and rend the 
bosoms of their garments, in grief for him who is dead. And upon 
this, ’Abd Allah of the Sea stared at ’Abd Allah of the Land, and 
said, Give me the deposit. So he gave it to him. Then ’Abd Allah 
of the Sea took him forth to the land, and said to him, I have broken 
off my companionship with thee, and my friendship for thee, and 
after this day thou shalt not see me, nor will I see thee.—Where¬ 
fore, said ’Abd Allah of the Land, are these words ? ’Abd Allah 
of the Sea said. Are ye not, O people of the land, a deposit of God ? 
—Yes, answered he of the land. And the other rejoined. Then 
how is it that it is not agreeable to you that God should take his 
deposit, but on the contrary ye weep for it ? And how should I 
give thee the deposit for the Prophet (may God favour and pre¬ 
serve him!), seeing that ye, when the new-born child cometh to 
you, rejoice in it, though God (whose name be exalted!) putteth 
into it the soul as a deposit ? Then, when He taketh that soul, how 
is it that it grieveth you, and ye weep and mourn ? Such being 
the case, we have no need of your companionship.—He then left 
him, and went back to the sea. 

So upon this, ’Abd Allah of the Land put on his clothes, and 
took his jewels, and repaired to the King, who met him with a 
longing desire to see him, and rejoiced at his return, and said to 
him, How art thou, O my son-in-law, and what hath been the 
cause of thine absence from me during this period ? He therefore 
told him his story, and what he had seen of the wonders in the sea; 
whereat the King wondered. He acquainted him also with that 
which ’Abd Allah of the Sea had said; and he replied, Thou art 
the person who erred, in thy giving this information. ’Abd Allah 
of the Land persevered for a length of time in going to the shore of 

AND ’ABD ALLAH OF THE SEA. 

639 

the sea, and calling out to ’Abd Allah of the Sea; but he answered 
him not, nor came to him. So ’Abd Allah of the Land relinquished 
the hope of seeing him again, and he and the King his father-in- 
law and their family resided in the most happy state and in the 
practice of good deeds until they were visited by the terminator of 
delights and the separator of companions, and they all died.—Ex¬ 
tolled be the perfection of the Living who dieth not, and to whom 
belongeth the dominion that is apparent and the dominion that is 
hidden, and who is able to accomplish everything, and is gracious 
and knowing with respect to his servants! 18 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTH. 

Note 1. 

The word rendered “ minnow” is “seereh.” See Note 8 to Chapter xxii. 

Note 2. 

See Note 24 to Chapter viii. 

Note 3. 

It appears that the fisherman lived in a quarter which had but one entrance. 

Note 4. 

Though the man of the sea is here called a human being (in the original, 
“ ddamee,” a word derived from the name of our first parent), it appears after¬ 
wards that his species is different from that of the sons of Adam, properly so 
called.—See the fourth paragraph of Note 64 to Chapter xx. 

Note 5. 

That is, wilt thou emancipate me with the desire of no other recompense than 
that of beholding the face of God? For this the Muslim holds to be the greatest 
happiness that can be enjoyed in Paradise. 

Note 6. 

The “ shureyk” is a kind of bunn. A single bunn of this kind is called “ keff 
shureyk.” It is about the size of a man’s hand, of an oblong form, with two 
longitudinal cuts along the top, and several oblique, cross cuts. It is composed 
of leavened dough and clarified butter (in the proportion of about two pounds of 
the latter to a ruba* of the former), with a little sesame, and several aromatic and 

* The ruba is the twenty-fourth part of the ardebb, which latter is very nearly equal to five English 
bushels. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTH. 

641 

other substances, which are commonly called “ reehat el-’ajeenas seed of the 
nigella, aniseed, cinnamon, rose-buds, absinthium (or artemisia arborescens), 
kfifoorah, * mahlab, + and curcuma. Before it is baked, it is rubbed over with 
egg. The shureyk is made to be distributed to the poor at the periodical visits to 
the tombs, and is also made on various occasions of festivity.—A compound 
called reehat el-’ajeen is often added to bread. It generally consists of mahlab, 
kafoorah, absinthium, and sometimes seed of the nigella. This last is likewise, 
by some people, sprinkled upon the bread before it is baked; and so also is 
sesame. 

Note 7. 

“ Umm es-So’ood ” signifies “ Mother of Prosperities. ” 

Note 8. 

That is, he imprecated upon them a fate like those of 'A'd and Thamood (two 
tribes of ancient Arabs, mentioned in Note 76 to Chapter x.) ; the former of whom, 
a few only excepted, were destroyed by a suffocating wind, and the latter, also 
with the exception of a few persons, by an earthquake, and a terrible noise from 
heaven. 

Note 9. 

The litter here mentioned was of the kind called “ takhtarawdn,” or “takht- 
rawdn,” described in Note 8 to Chapter viii. 

Note 10. 

Here the story in Trebutien’s version differs, representing ’Abd Allah of the 
Land as being induced by the King to break his agreement with his companion 
of the Sea. It closes by stating that ’Abd Allah of the Land, “ preferring to 
retain his place and the favour of the King, returned no more to the shore of the 
sea, and lived happily to the end of his days.” Thus it wants the moral which is 
conveyed in my original. 

Note 11. 

“ ’Abd Allah” signifies “ Servant of God.” 

Note 12. 

“ Teybeh is one of the many names of the city in which the Prophet is buried, 
commonly called, by way of honour, “ El-Medeeneh,” i. e- “ The City.” 

Note 13. 

“ The Sacred House of God’’ is the Temple of Mekkeh. 

* This, I believe, is the same plant, or nearly the same, as the camphorata Monspcliensis. 
t Piunus mahaleb of Linneous. 

1 N 

VOL. III. 

642 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTH. 

Note 14. 

This name is perhaps imaginary. 1 do not know of any fish so called. 

Note 15. 

This proverb is often mentioned by Arab peasants, with allusion to their rulers 
and themselves. 

Note 16. 

From this point, I omit several passages in my original which are silly and 
tiresome, or otherwise objectionable. 

Note 17. 

The kind of fish here mentioned (in the Arabic, “ nakkar”) I suppose to be, 
like the “ denddn,” purely imaginary. 

Note 18. 

The next story in my original, that of “the Merchant of ’Omfin,” which ends 
with part of the Nine Hundred and Fifty-second Night, I omit. A large portion

NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE NINE HUNDRED AND 
FIFTY-NINTH. _____ 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

El-Khaseeb,’ the lord of Egypt, had a son, named Ibraheem, 
than whom there was none more beautiful; and by reason of his 
fear for him, he would not allow him to go out, save to the Friday - 
prayers. Now he passed, going forth from the Friday-prayers, by 
an old man, with whom were many books, and he alighted from 
his horse, and seated himself by him, and, turning over the books 
and examining them, he saw in one of them a picture of a woman, 
which almost spoke: none more beautiful than she had been seen 
upon the face of the earth. Thereupon his reason was captivated, 
and his mind was stupified, and he said to the man, 0 sheykh, sell 

644 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

me this picture. And he kissed the ground before him, and 
replied, O my lord, without price. So he gave him a hundred 
pieces of gold, and took the book in which was this picture; and 
he occupied himself with looking at it, and weeping, night and day. 
He abstained from food and drink and sleep, and he said within 
himself, Had I asked the bookseller respecting the painter of this 
picture, who he was, probably he had informed me; and if the 
original of it be living, I might gain access to her ; and if it be a 
picture not representing any particular person, I would cease to be 
enamoured of it, and not torment myself on account of a thing that 
hath no real existence. So when the next Friday arrived, he 
passed by the bookseller, who rose up to him, and he said to him, 
O uncle, inform me who painted this picture. He replied, O my 
lord, a man of the inhabitants of Baghdad, named Abu-l-Kasim 
Es-Sandalanee, who resideth in a quarter called the quarter of El- 
Karkh, painted it, and I know not whose portrait it is. The youth 
therefore arose and left him, and he acquainted not any one of the 
people of the empire with his state. 

He performed the Friday-prayers, and returned to the palace, 
and, taking a leathern bag, he filled it with jewels and gold, and 
the value of the jewels was thirty thousand pieces of gold. He 
then waited until the morning, and went forth, not having informed 
any one; and he overtook a caravan, and saw a Bedawee, and said 
to him, O uncle, what distance is between me and Baghdad? He 
replied, 0 my son, where art thou, and where is Baghdad ? Verily 
between thee and it is a space of two months’ journey.—And the 
youth said to him, O uncle, if thou wilt conduct me to Baghdad, I 
will give thee a hundred pieces of gold and this mare that is beneath 
me, the value of which is a thousand pieces of gold. Upon this, 
the Bedawee replied, God is witness of what we say. But thou 
shalt not lodge this night save with me.—And the young man as¬ 
sented to that which he said, and passed the night with him; and 
when daybreak appeared, the Bedawee took him, and proceeded 
with him quickly by a near way, in eagerness for that mare which 
he had promised to give him. They ceased not to journey on until 
they arrived at the walls of Baghdad, when the Bedawee said to 
him, Praise be to God for safety ! 0 my master, this is Baghdad.— 
So the young man rejoiced exceedingly, and he alighted from the 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

645 

mare, and gave her to the Bedawee, her and the hundred pieces of 
gold. 

He then took the leathern bag, and walked on, inquiring for the 
quarter of El-Karkh, and for the place of abode of the merchants, 
and destiny drove him to a by-street in which were ten chambers, 
five facing five, and at the upper end of the street was an entrance 
with two folding doors, and with a ring of silver. At this entrance 
were two mastabahs of marble, spread with the best of furniture, 
and upon one of them was sitting a man of reverend appearance, 
of handsome form, and clad in sumptuous apparel, before whom 
were five memlooks, like moons. When the young man saw this, 
he knew the indication which the bookseller had mentioned to him ; 
and he saluted the man, who returned his salutation, and welcomed 
him, and seated him, and asked him respecting his state. So the 
young man said to him, I am a stranger, and I desire of thy bene¬ 
ficence that thou wouldst see for me, in this street, a house in 
which I may reside. And the man called out, saying, O Gha- 
zaleh ! 2 —whereupon a slave-girl came forth to him, and said. At thy 
service, O my master! And he said, Take with thee some servants, 
and go ye to a chamber, and clean it, and spread furniture in it, and 
put in it all that is requisite, of vessels and other things, for the 

646 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

sake of this young man, the beautiful in form. Accordingly the 
slave-girl went forth, and did as he had ordered her ; after which, 
the sheykh took him and shewed him the dwelling; and the young 
man said to him, 0 my master, how much is the rent of this dwell¬ 
ing ? He answered him, O comely-faced, I will not receive from 
thee rent as long as thou remainest in it. The young man there¬ 
fore thanked him for that. Then the sheykh called another slave- 
girl, and there came forth a slave-girl like the sun, and he said to 
her, Bring the apparatus for chess. So she brought it, and a mem- 
look spread the chess-table, and the sheykh said to the young man, 
Wilt thou play with me ? He answered, Yes. And he played with 
him several times, and the young man beat him. He therefore said, 
Thou hast done well, O young man, and thy qualities are perfect. 
By Allah, there is not in Baghdad the person who can beat me, and 
thou hast beaten me ! 

And after they had prepared the dwelling with the furniture 
and everything else that was requisite, the sheykh delivered to 
him the keys, and said to him, O my master, wilt thou not enter 
my abode and eat of my bread, that we may be honoured by thee ? 
And the young man assented to this, and went with him; and 
when they came to the house, he beheld a handsome, beautiful 
house, decorated with gold, and in it were all kinds of pictures, 
and varieties of furniture and other things, such as the tongue 
cannot describe. The sheykh then complimented him, and gave 
orders to bring the food; whereupon they brought a table of the 
manufacture of San’a of El-Yemen, and it was put, and they 
brought extraordinary dishes of food, than which there existed 
none more excellent, nor any more delicious. So the young man 
ate until he was satisfied, and washed his hands ; and he proceeded 
to look at the house and the furniture. And after that, he looked 
for the leathern bag that was with him; and saw it not. So he 
said. There is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the 
Great! I have eaten a morsel worth a piece of silver or two 
pieces of silver, and there hath gone from me a leathern bag 
containing thirty thousand pieces of gold. But I seek aid of God. 
—Then he was silent, and was unable to speak ; and the sheykh 
again caused the apparatus for chess to be brought forward, and 
said to the young man, Wilt thou play with me ? He answered, 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

647 

Yes:—and played, and the sheykh beat him; whereupon the 
young man said. Thou hast done well:—and he gave over playing, 
and arose. So the sheykh said to him. What aileth thee, O young 
man? He answered, I desire the leathern bag. And upon this 
the sheykh arose and brought it out to him, and said, Lo, here it is, 
0 my master. Wilt thou resume the playing with me ?—He 
answered, Yes. And he played with him, and the young man 
beat him. The man therefore said, When thy mind was occupied 
with thinking of the leathern bag, I beat thee; and when I had 
brought .it to thee, thou beatest me. Then he said to him, O my 
son, inform me from what country thou art. So he answered, 
From Egypt. And the sheykh said to him. And what is the 
reason of thy coming to Baghdad? He therefore produced to 
him the picture, and said, Know, O uncle, that I am the son of 
El-Khaseeb, the lord of Egypt; and I saw this picture in the 
possession of a bookseller, and my reason was captivated: so I 
asked respecting the painter of it, and it was told me that the 
painter of it was a man in the quarter of El-Karkh, named Abu-1- 
Kasim Es-Sandal&nee, in a street called Darb ez-Zaafar&n. I 
therefore took with me some wealth, and came alone, no one 
knowing of my case; and I desire of thy perfect beneficence that 
thou wouldst direct me to him, in order that I may ask him the 
cause of his painting this picture, and whose portrait it is; and 
whatsoever he shall desire of me, I will give him it. 

Upon this, the sheykh said. By Allah, O my son, I am Abu-1- 
Kasim Es-Sandalanee, and this is a wonderful thing. How is it 
that destiny hath driven thee to me ?—And when the young man 
heard his words, he rose to him and embraced him, and kissed his 
head and his hands, and said to him, By Allah I conjure thee that 
thou tell me whose portrait it is. And he replied, I hear and 
obey. He then arose and opened a closet, and took forth from it 
a number of books in which he had painted this picture, and said. 
Know, O my son, that the original of this portrait is the daughter 
of my paternal uncle. She is in El-Basrah, and her father is 
Governor of El-Basrah. He is named Abu-l-Leys, and she is 
named Jemeeleh; 8 and there is not on the face of the earth a 
person more beautiful than she; but she is averse from men, and 
cannot bear the mention of a man in her company. I went to my 

648 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

uncle, desiring that he should marry me to her, and I was lavish 
of wealth to him; but he consented not to my proposal; and when 
his daughter knew thereof, she was enraged, and sent to me a 
message, saying in it, If thou have sense, remain not in this city: 
for if thou do, thou wilt perish, and thy sin will be on thine own 
neck. And she is a virago among viragos. I therefore went 
forth from El-Basrah with broken heart, and I painted this portrait 
in the books, and dispersed them in the countries, thinking that 
they might fall into the hand of a young man of beautiful form, 
like thee, and he might contrive means of gaining access to her; 
for perhaps she would become enamoured of him ; and I would 
previously exact of him a promise that, when he should have 
gained possession of her, he should shew her to me, if he only 
granted me a look from a distance.—So when Ibraheem, the son 
of El-Khaseeb, heard his words, he hung down his head a while, 
meditating. And Es-Sandalanee said to him, O my son, I have 
not seen in Baghdad any one more beautiful than thou; and I 
imagine that she, if she see thee, will love thee. Canst thou then, 
if thou obtain an interview with her, and get possession of her, 
shew her to me, and grant me even a look from a distance ?—He 
answered. Yes. And the sheykh said. Since the case is so, 
reside with me until thou shalt set forth. But the young man 
replied, I cannot remain; for an exceeding fire is in my heart on 
account of my passion for her. So the sheykh said to him, Wait 
until I prepare for thee a vessel in the course of three days, that 
thou mayest go in it to El-Basrah. He therefore waited until 
he had prepared for him a vessel, and put in it all that he required, 
of food and drink and other things; and after the thr ee days the 
sheykh said to the young man. Prepare for the voyage ; for I have 
fitted out for thee a vessel, in which are all things that thou 
requirest, and the vessel is my property, and the boatmen are of 
my servants, and in the vessel is what will suffice thee until thou 
shalt return; and I have charged the boatmen to serve thee till 
thou shalt return in safety. 

So the young man arose, and embarked in the vessel, bade fare¬ 
well to the sheykh, and proceeded until he arrived at El-Basrah, 
when he took forth a hundred pieces of gold for the boatmen; but 
they said to him, We have received the pay from our master. He 

however replied, Receive it as a present, and I will not inform him 
of it. They therefore received it from him, and prayed for him. 
The young man then entered El-Basrah, and asked where was the 
place of abode of the merchants; whereupon they answered him. 
In a khan called the Khan of Hamdan. So he walked on until he 
came to the market in which was the khdn; and the eyes of the 
people were cast upon him, gazing at him, on account of his excessive 
beauty and loveliness. Then he entered the khan with a boatman, 
and inquired for the door-keeper. They therefore directed him to 
him; and he saw him to be an old, reverend sheykh. He saluted 
him, and the door-keeper returned his salutation; and he said, O 
uncle, hast thou an elegant chamber ? He answered, Yes;—and, 
taking him, together with the boatman, he opened for them an 
elegant chamber, decorated with gold, and said, O young man, this 
chamber is suitable to thee. And thereupon the young man took 
forth two pieces of gold, and said to him, Receive these two as the 
gratuity for the key. 4 So he took them, and prayed for him. And 
the young man ordered the boatman to return to the vessel. He 
then entered the chamber, and the door-keeper of the kMn remained 
with him, and served him, and said to him, O my master, happiness 
hath betided us by thy coming. And the young man gave him a 
piece of gold, saying to him, Buy for us with it some bread and meat 
and sweetmeat and wine. Accordingly he took it, and repaired to 
the market, and returned to him, having bought those things for 
ten pieces of silver, and gave him the remainder. But the young 

4 o 

VOL. III. 

650 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

man said to him, expend it upon thyself. And the door-keeper of 
the khan rejoiced thereat exceedingly. Then the young man ate, 
of the things that he had demanded, one cake of bread with a little 
savoury food, and said to the door-keeper of the khan, Take this 
to the people of thy dwelling. He therefore took it, and went with 
it to the people of his dwelling, and said to them, I imagine not that 
any one on the face of the earth is more generous than the young 
man who hath taken up his abode with us this day, or more sweet 
than he; and if he remain with us, richness will betide us. 

Then the door-keeper of the kh&n went in to Ibr&heem, and saw 
him weeping: so he sat, and began to rub and press gently his feet; 
after which he kissed them, and said, O my master, wherefore dost 
thou weep ? May God not cause thee to weep!—And the young 
man said, O uncle, I desire to drink with thee this night. The 
door-keeper therefore replied, I 'hear and obey. And the young 
man took forth and gave him five pieces of gold, saying to him, Buy 
for us, with them, fruits and wine. He then gave him five other 
pieces of gold, and said to him, Buy for us, with these, dried fruits 
and perfumes and five fat fowls, and bring me a lute. So he went 
forth and bought for him what he had ordered him to get, and said 
to his wife. Prepare this food, and strain for us this wine, and let 
that which thou shalt prepare be excellent; for this young man 
hath extended to all of us his beneficence. His wife therefore did 
as he commanded her to the utmost of his desire, and he took the 
provisions and went in with them to Ibr&heem the son of the Sultan. 
So they ate and drank and were merry; and afterwards the young 
man wept and recited these two verses:— 

O my friend, if I gave my life in my endeavour, and all my wealth, and the 
world with what is in it, 

And the Garden of Eternity, and Paradise, 5 altogether, for the hour of union, 
my heart would purchase it. 

Then he uttered a great groan, and fell down in a fit; whereat the 
door-keeper of the khan sighed; and when he recovered, he said to 
him, O my master, what causeth thee to weep, and who is she to 
whom thou alludest in these verses; for she cannot be aught but 
as dust to thy feet? And the young man arose, and, taking forth a 
wrapper containing some of the most beautiful of women’s apparel, 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

651 

said to him, Take this to thyhareem. So he received it from him, 
and gave it to his wife, who thereupon came with him, and went in 
to the young man; and lo, he was weeping. She therefore said to 
him, Thou hast crumbled our livers. Tell us then what beautiful 
woman thou desirest, and she shall not be aught but a slave in thine 
abode.—And he said (addressing the door-keeper), 0 uncle, know 
that I am the son of El-Khaseeb, the lord of Egypt, and that I am 
enamoured of Jemeeleh, the daughter of Abu-l-Leys, the chief. 
So the wife of the door-keeper of the khan said, Allah! Allah! O 
my brother, abstain from uttering these words, lest any one hear of 
us, and we perish; for there is not upon the face of the earth any 
one more violent than she, and no one can mention to her the name 
of a man, since she is averse from men. Then, 0 my son, turn 
from her to another.—And when he heard her words, he wept 
violently. The door-keeper of the khan therefore said to him, I 
have nought but my life to give, and I will expose it to peril for 
love of thee, and contrive for thee a plan by which thy desire may 
be attained. Then they both went forth from him. And when the 
morning came, the young man entered the bath, and put on a suit 
of the apparel of Kings; and lo, the door-keeper of the khhn, with 
his wife, advanced to him, and said to him, O my master, know 
that here is a tailor, who is humpbacked, and he is the tailor of the 
lady Jemeeleh. So repair to him, and acquaint him with thy state, 
and perhaps he will direct thee to a means of thine attaining thy 
desires. 

The youth therefore arose and went to the shop of the hump¬ 
backed tailor; and he went in to him, and found with him ten 
memlooks, lik e moons. He saluted them, and they returned his 
salutation, and were delighted with him, and they seated him, and 
were confounded at the sight of his charms and his loveliness. And 
when the humpback saw him, his mind was amazed at the beauty 
of his form. The young man then said to him, I desire of thee 
that thou sew for me my pocket. So the tailor advanced, and took 
a needleful of silk, and sewed it. And the young man had torn his 
pocket purposely. And when the tailor had sewed it, he took forth 
for him five pieces of gold, and gave them to him; after which, he 
departed to his chamber. The tailor therefore said, What have I 
done for this young man, that he hath given me the five pieces of 

652 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

gold ? Then he passed the night thinking upon his beauty and his 
generosity. And when the morning came, the young man repaired 
again to the shop of the humpbacked tailor. He entered and 
saluted him, and he returned his salutation, treated him with 
honour, and welcomed him; and when the young man sat, he said 
to the humpback, O uncle, sew for me my pocket ; for it hath been 
torn a second time. So he replied, O my son, on the head and the 
eye. And he advanced and sewed it ; and the young man gave 
him ten pieces of gold. The tailor therefore took them, and be¬ 
came amazed at his beauty and generosity, and said, By Allah, 0 
young man, there must be some reason for this conduct of thine, 
and this is not for the sewing of a pocket. But inform me of the 
truth of thy case.—And he replied, O uncle, this is not the place 
for talking ; for my story is wonderful, and my case is extra- 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

653 

ordinary. Upon this, the tailor said. Since the case is so, arise and 
come with us into a private place. Then the tailor arose, and, 
taking his hand, entered with him a chamber within the shop, and 
said to him, O young man, tell me. So he related to him his case 
from first to last; and he was amazed at his words, and said, O young 
man, fear God with respect to thy case; for she whom thou hast 
mentioned is a virago, averse from men. Therefore guard, 0 my 
brother, thy tongue; otherwise thou wilt destroy thyself.—And 
when the young man heard his words, he wept violently, and, 
keeping hold of the skirt of the tailor, he said. Protect me, O uncle; 
for I am perishing; and I have left my kingdom and the kingdom 
of my father and my grandfather, and become in the land a stranger, 
solitary ; and I have not patience to remain absent from her. 

So when the tailor saw what had betided him, he pitied him, 
and said, O my son, I have nought but my life to give, and I will 
expose it to peril for love of thee; for thou hast wounded my 
heart. But to-morrow I will contrive for thee a plan by which thy 
heart shall be comforted.—He therefore prayed for him, and de¬ 
parted to the khan; and he told the door-keeper of the kh&n what 
the tailor had said; whereupon he replied. He hath acted with thee 
kindly. And when the next morning came, the young man attired 
himself in the most sumptuous of his apparel, and, taking with him 
a purse containing some pieces of gold, came to the humpback, 
and saluted him, and sat down. Then he said to him, O uncle, 
fulfil thy promise to me. And he replied, Arise immediately, and 
take three fat fowls, and three ounces of sugar-candy, and two small 
jugs, which fill thou with wine, and take a cup. Put these things 
into a small bag, and embark, after the morning-prayers, in a small 
boat, with a boatman, and say to him, I desire that thou go with 
me to the country below El-Basrah. And if he reply, I cannot go 
further than a league,—say thou to him, Thou shalt do as thou 
pleasest. But when he goeth, excite him with money, until he 
conveyeth thee further; and when thou hast arrived, the first 
garden that thou wilt see is the garden of the lady Jemeeleh. 
When thou seest it, go to its gate. Thou wilt see two high steps, 
on which is furniture of brocade, and a humpbacked man, like 
myself, sitting. Complain to him of thy state, and solicit his favour, 
and perhaps he will feel pity for thy state, and enable thee to see 

654 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

her, at least to obtain a sight from a distance. I have no expedient 
within my power but this; and if he be not moved with pity for 
thy state, I perish, and so dost thou. This is what I think advisable, 
and the affair must be committed to God, whose name be exalted! 
—So the young man said, I seek aid of God. What God willeth 
must come to pass; and there is no strength nor power but in 
God.—He then arose and departed from the humpbacked tailor, 
and repaired to his chamber, took the things that he had directed 
him to procure, and put them into a neat, small bag. And when 
he arose in the following morning, he came to the bank of the 
Tigris, and lo, he saw a boatman lying asleep. So he woke him, 
and gave him ten pieces of gold, saying to him, Convey me to the 
country below El-Basrah. The man replied, O my master, on the 
condition that I go not further than a league; for if I go a span 
beyond that distance, we both perish. And he said to him, As 
thou pleasest. He therefore took him, and proceeded with him 
down the river ; and when he came near to the garden, he said, 
O my son, beyond this point I cannot go; for if I pass this limit, 
we both perish. So he took forth and gave him ten other pieces 
of gold, and said to him, Receive this money, that thou mayest 
have recourse to it to amend thy state. And the man was abashed 
at him, and said, I commit the affair to God, whose name be 
exalted ! And he proceeded down the river with him ; and when 
he arrived at the garden, the young man arose in his joy, leapt 
from the boat as far as a spear’s throw, and threw himself down ; 
and the boatman returned, fleeing. 

The young man then advanced, and he saw all that the hump¬ 
back had described to him with respect to the garden. He saw its 
gate open, and in the vestibule was a couch of ivory, on which was 
sitting a humpbacked man of comely countenance, clad in apparel 
ornamented with gold, and having in his hand a mace of gilt silver. 
So the young man went quickly and threw himself on his hand 
and kissed it; whereupon he said to him, Who art thou, and 
whence hast thou come, and who brought thee hither, O my son ? 
And that man, when he saw Ibraheem the son of El-Khaseeb, was 
amazed at his loveliness. Then Ibraheem said to him, O uncle, 
I am an ignorant, strange youth. And he wept; and the man was 
moved with pity for him, and took him up on the couch, wiped 

away his tears, and said to him, No harm shall befall thee. If thou 
be in debt, may God discharge thy debt; and if thou be in fear, 
may God appease thy fear!—So he replied, 0 uncle, I have no fear, 
nor am I in debt; but have with me abundant -wealth, by the good 
pleasure of God, and his aid. The man therefore said to him, O 
my son, what is thine affair, that thou hast exposed thy life and thy 
beauty to peril by coming to a place of destruction ? And the 
young man related to him his story, and explained to him his case; 
and when the humpback heard his words, he hung down his head 
a while towards the ground, and said, Is the humpbacked tailor 
the person who directed thee to me ? He answered him, Yes. 
And he rejoined, This is my brother, and he is a blessed man. 
Then he said, O my son, if affection for thee had not entered into 
my heart, and if I had not pitied thee, thou hadst perished, thou and 
my brother and the door-keeper of the kh&n and his wife. And 
he said. Know that there is not on the face of the earth the like of 
this garden, and it is called the Garden of the Pearl. 6 No one hath 
entered it, during the period of my life, except the Sultan and 
myself and its owner Jemeeleh [and her attendants]; and I have 

656 THE ’STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

resided in it twenty years, and have not seen any man [except the 
Sultan] come to this place. In the course of every forty days, the 
lady Jemeeleh cometh hither in the "vessel, and ascendeth amid 
her female slaves, in a canopy of satin, the borders of which, ten 
female slaves hold up with hooks of gold, till she entereth: so I 
have not seen of her aught. But I have nothing save my life to 
give, and I will expose it to peril for thy sake.—And thereupon 
the young man kissed his hand; and the humpback said to him, 
Sit with me until I contrive for thee a mode of proceeding. 

After that, he took the hand of the young man and conducted 
him into the garden; and when Ibr&heem saw that garden, he 
imagined that it was Paradise. He beheld the trees to be entangled, 
and the palm-trees tall, and the waters pouring, and the birds 
warbling with various notes. Then the humpback went with him 
to a dome-crowned pavilion, and said to him, This is the place in 
which the lady Jemeeleh sitteth. And he examined that pavilion, 
and found it to be one of the most wonderful of pleasure-houses. 
In it were all kinds of pictures in gold and ultramarine, and it had 
four doors, to which one ascended by five steps; and in the midst 
of it was a pool, to which one descended by steps of gold, those 
steps being set with minerals. In the midst of the pool was a fountain 
of gold, with images, large and small, from the mouths of which the 
water issued; and when the images produced various sounds at the 
issuing of the water, it seemed to the hearer that he was in Paradise. 
By 7 the dome-crowned pavilion was a water-wheel, the pots of which 
were of silver, and it was covered with brocade. And on the left 
of the water-wheel was a lattice-window of silver, looking upon a 
green meadow, 8 in which were all kinds of wild beasts, and gazelles, 
and hares; and on its right was a lattice-window looking upon a 
field in which were all kinds of birds, all of them warbling with 
various notes, amazing the hearer. When the young man beheld 
this, he was moved with delight. He seated himself at the gate of 
the garden, and the gardener sat by his side, and said, How dost 
thou regard my garden ? The young man answered him, It is the 
Paradise of the World. And the gardener laughed. Then he 
arose, and was absent from him a while, after which he returned, 
having with him a tray containing fowls and quails, and nice food, 
and sweetmeat of sugar; and he put it before the young man, and 

said to him, Eat until thou shalt be satiated.—So I ate, says Ibra- 
heem, until I was satisfied ; and when he saw that I ate, he rejoiced, 
and said. By Allah, this is the manner of Kings, the sons of Kings ! 
And he said, O Ibraheem, what is with thee in this small bag ? I 
therefore opened it before him; and he said, Carry it with thee; 
for it will be of use to thee when the lady Jemeeleh cometh, since, 
when she cometh, I shall not be able to come in to thee with aught 
for thee to eat.—Then he arose and took my hand and brought me 
to a place opposite the dome-crowned pavilion of Jemeeleh ; and 
he made an arbour amid the trees, and said. Ascend into this ; and 
when she cometh, thou wilt see her, and she will not see thee. 
This is the utmost stratagem that I can employ, and upon God be 
our dependence. When she singeth, drink to her singing, and 
when she departeth, return to the place whence thou earnest, if it be 
the will of God, with safety.—So the young man thanked him, and 
desired to kiss his hand; but he prevented him. Then the young 
man put the small bag into the arbour which the humpback had 
made for him; after which the gardener said to him, 0 Ibraheem, 
divert thyself in the garden, and eat of its fruits ; for the appointed 
time of the coming of thy beloved is to-morrow. Ibraheem there¬ 
fore proceeded to amuse himself in the garden, and to eat of its fruits. 

He passed the night with the gardener, and when the morning 
cam e, and diffused its light and shone, Ibraheem recited the morn- 

4 p 

VOL. III. 

658 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

ing-prayers, and lo, the gardener came to him, with sallow com¬ 
plexion, and said to him, Arise, O my son, and ascend to the 
arbour; for the female slaves have come to spread the furniture in 
the place, and she will come after them; and beware thou of spitting, 
or blowing thy nose, or sneezing; for if thou do, we shall both 
perish. The young man therefore arose and ascended to the 
arbour, and the gardener departed, saying, God grant thee safety, 
O my son! And while the young man was sitting, lo, there ap¬ 
proached five slave-girls, the like of whom no one had beheld. 
They entered the dome-crowned pavilion, pulled off their outer 
garments, and washed the place, sprinkled it with rose-water, gave 
vent to the fumes of aloes-wood and ambergris, and spread the 
brocade. And there approached after them fifty female slaves, with 
musical instruments, and Jemeeleh was amid them, within a red 
canopy of brocade, and the female slaves held up the skirts of the 
canopy with hooks of gold until she entered the pavilion. So the 
young man saw not of her, nor of her apparel, aught; and he said 
within himself. By Allah, all my labour is lost; but I must wait 
until I see how the case will be. The female slaves brought 
forward the food and drink; and they ate, and washed their hands, 
and set for Jemeeleh a throne, on which she seated herself. Then 
they all played on the musical instruments, and sang with mirth¬ 
exciting voices, of which there was not the like ; after which an old 
woman, a kahramaneh, came forth, and clapped her hands, and 
danced; and the female slaves pulled her along. And lo, the cur¬ 
tain was raised, and Jemeeleh came forth, laughing; and Ibraheem 
saw her. Upon her were ornaments and apparel, and on her head 
was a crown set with fine pearls and with jewels, and on her neck 
a necklace of pearls, and around her waist a girdle of oblong chry¬ 
solites, the strings of which were of jacinths and pearls. And there¬ 
upon the female slaves arose, and kissed the ground before her, 
while she laughed. 

When I beheld her, says Ibraheem the son of El-Khaseeb, I 
became unconscious of my existence, and my reason was con¬ 
founded, and my mind was perplexed, in consequence of my 
amazement at loveliness the like of which was not seen upon the 
face of the earth. I fell down in a fit, and recovered with weeping 
eyes, and recited these two verses:— 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

659 

I see thee, and close not mine eye, that mine eyelids may not prevent my 
beholding thee. 

If I gazed at thee with every glance, mine eyes would not see all thy charms. 

—The old woman then said to the female slaves, Let ten of you 
arise and dance and sing. And when Ibraheem saw them, he said 
within himself, I wish that the lady Jemeeleh would dance. And 
after the dancing of the ten slave-girls was ended, they went 
around her, and said, 0 our mistress, we wish that thou wouldst 
dance amid this assembly, that our happiness might be rendered 
complete thereby; for we have not seen a more delightful day 
than this. So IbrAheem said within himself, No doubt the gates 
of heaven have been opened, 9 and God hath answered my prayer. 
Then the female slaves kissed her feet, and said to her, By Allah, 
we have not seen thy bosom dilated as it is this day. And they 
ceased not to excite her until she pulled off her outer clothing, 
and became only clad in a shirt woven with gold, embroidered 
with varieties of jewels, shewing the forms of a bosom like two 
pomegranates, and displaying a face like the moon in the night of 
its fulness. Ibraheem beheld motions the like of which he had 
not seen before in his life. And when she exhibited, in her 
dancing, an extraordinary mode, and wonderful invention, her 
performance was such (says Ibraheem), that she made us forget 
the dancing of the bubbles in the cups, and occasioned our think¬ 
ing of the inclining of the turbans from the heads. 10 She was such 
as the poet hath thus described:— 

A dancer whose figure is like a willow-branch: my soul almost quitteth me 
at the sight other movements. 

No foot can remain stationary at her dancing. She is as though the fire of 
my heart were beneath her feet. 

Now, while I was looking at her, says IbrAheem, lo, a glance of 
her eye was directed towards me, and she saw me; and when she 
beheld me, her countenance changed, and she said to her female 
slaves. Sing ye until I return to you. Then she took a knife half 
a cubit in length, and came towards me, saying, There is no 
strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! And when 
she drew near to me, I became unconscious of my existence; but 
when she saw me, and her face met mine, the knife fell from her 
hand, and she said, Extolled be the perfection of the Changer of 

660 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

hearts! She then said to me, O young man, be of good heart: 
thou art secure from that which thou fearest. And I began to 
weep, and she wiped away my tears with her hand, and said, O 
young man, inform me who thou art, and what brought thee to 
this place. So I kissed the ground before her, and kept hold of 
her skirt; and she said, No harm shall befall thee; for, by Allah, 
mine eye hath not been delighted with any male but thyself. 
Then tell me who thou art.—I therefore related to her my story 
from beginning to end; and she wondered thereat, and said to me, 
O my master, I conjure thee by Allah to tell me, art thou Ibr&heem 
the son of El-Khaseeb ? I answered. Yes. And she threw her¬ 
self upon me, and said, O my master, thou art the person who 
made me averse from men; for when I heard that there existed in 
Egypt a young man than whom there was not upon the face of the 
earth any one more beautiful, I loved thee from the description, 
and my heart became fondly attached to thee, by reason of that which 
was told me of thee, concerning thy surpassing loveliness, and I be¬ 
came, with regard to thee, in the case thus expressed by the poet:— 

Mine ear became enamoured of him before mine eye; for the ear is 
enamoured before the eye sometimes. 

lii. 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

661 

Therefore praise be to God who hath shewn me thy face! By 
Allah, had it been any but thee, I had crucified the gardener, and 
the door-keeper of the kh&n, and the tailor, and him who had 
had recourse to them!—Then she said to me. How shall I contrive 
means of procuring something for thee to eat without the know¬ 
ledge of my female slaves ? So I answered her, I have with me 
what we may eat and what we may drink. And I opened the 
small bag before her, and took a fowl, and she proceeded to feed 
me with morsels, I feeding her in like manner. And when I saw 
this conduct of hers, I imagined that the event was a dream. 
Then I brought forward the wine, and we drank. All that time, 
while she was with me, the female slaves were singing; and we 
ceased not to remain in this state from morn to noon, when she 
arose, and said. Arise now; prepare for thee a vessel, and wait 
for me in such a place until I come to thee; for there remaineth 
to me no patience to endure thy separation. So I replied, O my 
mistress, I have with me a vessel, which is my property, and the 
boatmen are hired by me, and they are expecting me. And she 
said. This is what we desire. 

She then went to the female slaves, and said to them, Arise with 
us, that we may go to our palace. They therefore said to her, Why 
should we arise now, when it is our custom to remain three days ? 
And she replied, Verily I experience in myself a great heaviness. 
It seemeth that I am sick, and I fear that this illness may become 
more heavy upon me.—So they said to her. We hear and obey. 
Accordingly they put on their apparel, went to the bank of the 
river, and embarked in the boat. And lo, the gardener approached 
Ibraheem, having no knowledge of that which had happened to 
him, and said, O Ibr&heem, thou hast not had the good fortune to 
delight thyself with beholding her; for it is her custom to remain 
here three days, and I fear that she hath seen thee. But Ibraheem 
replied, She saw me not, nor did I see her, nor did she come forth 
from the pavilion. And he said. Thou hast spoken truth, O my 
son; for had she seen thee, we had perished: but remain with me 
until she come next week, and thou shalt see her, and satiate thyself 
with gazing at her. Ibraheem, however, replied, O my master, I 
have with me wealth, and I fear for it. I have also left behind 
me men, and I fear that they will think me too long absent.—And 

662 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

the gardener said, O my son, verily thy separation will be grievous 
to me. Then he embraced him, and bade him farewell; and Ibr&- 
heem repaired to the kh4n in which he was lodging, met the door¬ 
keeper of the kh4n, and took his wealth. And the door-keeper said 
to him, Good news, if it be the will of God. But Ibr&heem replied, 

I found no way of accomplishing my affair, and I desire to return 
to my family. So the door-keeper of the khan wept, and bade him 
farewell, carried his goods, and conducted him to the vessel. 

After that, Ibraheem repaired to the place of which Jemeeleh 
had told him, and there waited for her; and when the night became 
dark, lo, she approached him, in the garb of a valiant man, with a 
round beard, and her waist bound with a girdle, and in one of her 
hands were a bow and arrows, and in the other was a drawn sword; 
and she said to him, Art thou the son of El-Khaseeb the lord of 
Egypt? So Ibraheem answered her, I am he. And she said to 
him, And what young wretch art thou, that thou hast come to 
corrupt the daughters of the Kings ? Arise ; answer the summons 
of the Sultan. — Upon this, says Ibrdheem, I fell down in a 
fit; and as to the boatmen, they almost died in their skins from 
fear. Therefore, when she saw what had happened to me, she 
pulled off that beard, threw down the sword, and loosed the girdle; 
and I saw that she was the lady Jemeeleh, and said to her. By 
Allah, thou hast mangled my heart! Then I said to the boatmen. 
Hasten the course of the vessel. Accordingly they loosed the sail ? 
and hastened in their course, and only a few days had elapsed 
before we arrived at Baghdad. And lo, there was a vessel lying 
stationary by the bank of the river; and when the boatmen who 
were in it saw us, they called out to the boatmen who were with 
us, and proceeded to say, O such-a-one ! and O such-a-one! we 
congratulate you on your safety! They then drove their vessel 
against ours; and we looked, and behold, in it was Abu-l-Kasim 
Es-Sandalanee, who, when he saw us, said, Verily this is the object 
of my search. Go ye, in the keeping of God. I desire to repair 
to accomplish an affair.-—And there was before him a candle. Then 
he said to me. Praise be to God for thy safety! Hast thou accom¬ 
plished thine affair?—I answered, Yes. And thereupon he put 
the candle near to us; and when Jemeeleh saw him, her state 
became changed, and her complexion became sallow; and when 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

663 

Es-Sandalanee saw her, he said. Depart ye in the safe keeping of 
God. I am going to El-Basrah, on business for the Sultan: but 
the gift is for him who is present.—He then produced a small box 
of sweetmeats, and threw it into our vessel, and there was in them 
benj. So Ibrkheem said, 0 delight of my eye, eat of this. But she 
wept, and said, O Ibraheem, knowest thou who this is?—I answered 
(says Ibraheem), Yes : this is such-a-one. And she rejoined. He 
is the son of my paternal uncle, and formerly he demanded me in 
marriage of my father, and I did not accept him; and he is repair¬ 
ing to El-Basrah; so probably he will inform my father of us. But 
I said, O my mistress. He will not arrive at El-Basrah until we 
arrive at El-Mosil.—And they knew not what was concealed from 
them in the secret purpose of God. 

Then I ate (says Ibraheem) somewhat of the sweetmeat, and it 
had not descended into my stomach before I struck the floor with 
my head. And when it was near daybreak I sneezed; where¬ 
upon the benj issued from my nostril, and I opened my eye, and 
beheld myself stripped of my outer clothing, and thrown amid ruins. 
I therefore slapped my face, and said within myself. Verily this is 
a stratagem practised upon me by Es-Sandalanee. I knew not 
whither to repair, and had nothing upon me but a pair of trousers; 
and I arose and walked about a little; and lo, the W&lee 
approached me, accompanied by a party of men with swords and 
leathern shields. So I feared, and, seeing a ruined bath, I hid 
myself in it. But my foot stumbled upon something; wherefore I 
put my hand upon it, and it became befouled with blood. I 
therefore wiped it upon my trousers, not knowing what it was, and 
stretched forth my hand to the thing a second time; whereupon it 
fell on a slain person, and the head came up in my hand. So I 
threw it down, and said. There is no strength nor power but in 
God, the High, the Great! I then entered one of the retired 
corners of the bath; and behold, the W&lee stopped at the door 
of the bath, and said, Enter ye this place, and search. And 
ten of them entered with cressets; and by reason of my fear, I 
retired behind a wall, and, taking a view of that slain person, I 
saw it to be a damsel, whose face was like the full moon ; her head 
lying on one side, and her body on another; and upon her was 
costly apparel. Therefore, when I beheld her, a violent trembling 

affected my heart. And the W41ee entered, and said, Search 
throughout the bath. And they entered the place in which I was, 
and a man of them saw me, and came to me, having in his hand a 
knife half a cubit long; and when he drew near to me, he said, 
Extolled be the perfection of God, the Creator of this beautiful 
face ! 0 young man, whence art thou ?—Then he took my hand, 

and said, 0 young man, wherefore didst thou slay this murdered 
female? So I answered, By Allah, I did not slay her, nor do I 
know who slew her, and I entered not this place save through 
fear of you. And I acquainted him with my case, and said to him, 
By Allah I conjure thee that thou wrong me not, for I am anxious 
for myself. And he took me and led me forward to the Walee : 
and when he saw upon my hands the marks of blood, he said, 
This requireth not proof: therefore strike off his head. So when I 
heard these words, I wept violently: the tears of my eyes flowed, 
and I recited these two verses:— 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

665 

We trod the steps appointed for us: and he whose steps are appointed must 
tread them. 

He whose death is decreed to take place in one land will not die in any land 
but that. 

Then I uttered a groan, and fell down in a fit; whereupon the 
heart of the executioner was moved with pity for me, and he 
said, By Allah, this is not the face of him who hath committed a 
murder! But the Walee said, Strike off his head! They there¬ 
fore seated me upon the skin of blood,” and bound over my eyes a 
covering, and the swordsman took his sword, asked permission of 
the Walee, and was about to strike off my head. So I cried out, 
Alas for my distance from my home! 

But lo, a company of horsemen approached, and a speaker said. 
Leave ye him! Restrain thy hand, 0 swordsman!—And this was 
occasioned by a wonderful cause and an extraordinary circum¬ 
stance, which was this. El-Khaseeb the lord of Egypt had sent 
his Chamberlain to the Khaleefeh H4roon Er-Rasheed, and with 
him presents and rarities, and also a letter, in which he wrote to him. 
My son hath been lost a year since, and I have heard that he is in 
Baghd4d; and my desire of the beneficence of the Khaleefeh of God 
is that he would search for tidings of him, and strive in seeking 
him, and send him to me with the Chamberlain. So when the 
Khaleefeh read the letter, he ordered the Walee to investigate the 
truth of his story; and the W41ee and the Khaleefeh ceased not 
to inquire for him, until it was told the W41ee that he was at El- 
Basrah. He therefore informed the Khaleefeh of that, and the 
Khaleefeh wrote a letter, and gave it to the Egyptian Chamber- 
lain, ordering him to journey to El-Basrah, and to take with him 
a party of the dependants of the Wezeer. And by reason of the 
eagerness of the Chamberlain to find the son of his lord, he 
went forth immediately, and he found the young man upon 
the skin of blood, with the W41ee. And when the Walee saw 
the Chamberlain, and knew him, he dismounted to him; and the 
Chamberlain said to him, Who is this young man, and what is his 
case ? So he acquainted him with the matter ; and the Chamber- 
lain said, not knowing that he was the son of the Sultkn, Verily 
the face of this young man is the face of one that doth not murder. 
And he ordered the Walee to loose his bonds; wherefore he 

t u 

VOL. III. 

666 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

loosed them; and he said. Bring him forward to me. Accordingly 
he led him forward to him. And his loveliness had departed in 
consequence of the severity of the horrors that he had endured. 
The Chamberlain therefore said to him, Acquaint me with thy 
history, O young man, and tell me wherefore this slain female is 
with thee. And when Ibr&heem looked at the Chamberlain, he 
knew him: so he said to him, Wo to thee ! Dost thou not know 
me ? Am I not Ibraheem, the son of thy lord ? Probably thou 
hast come to seek for me.—Upon this, the Chamberlain fixed his 
eyes intently upon him, and knew him perfectly: therefore, when 
he knew him, he threw himself upon his feet. And when the 
Walee saw what the Chamberlain did, his complexion became 
sallow. The Chamberlain then said to him, Wo to thee, O 
oppressor! Was it thy desire to slay the son of my master El- 
Khaseeb the lord of Egypt ? So the W&lee kissed the skirt of the 
Chamberlain, and said to him, O my lord, how could I know him ? 
Verily we saw him in this plight, and we saw the damsel slain by 
his side.—But he replied, Wo to thee! Verily thou art not fit for 
the office of W61.ee. This is a young man, fifteen years of age, 
and he hath not killed a sparrow. How then should he murder a 
human being ? Didst thou not grant him any delay, and ask him 
respecting his state ?—Then the Chamberlain and the Walee said, 
Search ye for the murderer of the damsel. They therefore entered 
the bath a second time, and they saw her murderer: so they took 
him, and brought him to the Wfilee, who took him and repaired 
with him to the palace of the Khaleefeh, and acquainted the Kha- 
leefeh with the events that had happened. 

Upon this, Er-Rasheed gave orders to slay the murderer of the 
damsel; after which he commanded to bring the son of El-Khaseeb. 
And when he presented himself before him, Er-Rasheed smiled in 
his face, and said to him, Acquaint me with thy history, and the 
events that have happened to thee. So he related to him his story 
from the beginning to the end: and it excited his wonder. He 
then called Mesroor the executioner, and said. Go this instant and 
assail the house of Abu-l-Kasim Es-Sandalanee, and bring him and 
the damsel to me. Accordingly he went immediately, and assailed 
his house, and he saw the damsel bound with her hair, and at the 
point of destruction. Mesroor therefore loosed her, and brought 

THE STORY OF IBRA'HEEM AND JEMEELEH. 

667 

her with Es-Sandalknee; and when Er-Rasheed beheld her, he 
wondered at her loveliness. Then he looked towards Es-SandalA- 
nee, and said, Take ye him, and cut off his hands with which he 
smote this damsel, and crucify him, and deliver his riches and his 
possessions to Ibraheem. And they did so. And while they were 
thus employed, lo, Abu-l-Leys, the Governor of El-Basrah, the 
father of the lady Jemeeleh, approached them, to demand aid of the 
Khaleefeh against Ibraheem the son of El-Khaseeb the lord of 
Egypt, and to complain to him that he had taken his daughter. But 
Er-Rasheed said to him. He was the cause of her deliverance from 
torture and slaughter. And he gave orders to bring the son of 
El-Khaseeb; and when he came, he said to Abu-l-Leys, Wilt thou 
not consent that this young man, the son of the Sult&n of Egypt, 
shall be a husband to thy daughter ? And he answered, I hear and 
obey God and thee, O Prince of the Faithful! So the Khaleefeh 
summoned the Kadee and the witnesses, and married the damsel 
to Ibraheem the son of El-Khaseeb. He also presented to him 
all the riches of Es-Sandal&nee, and fitted him out for his return to 
his country. And he lived with her in the most perfect happiness 
and the most complete joy until they were visited by the termi¬ 
nator of delights and the separator of companions.—Extolled be 
the perfection of the Living who dieth not ! 1S 

f Vf 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-NINTH. 

Note 1. 

This tale relates to the times of H&roon Er-Rasheed; and may perhaps be 
founded on fact; for there was, in the reign of that Khaleefeh, an intendant of 
the tribute of Egypt named El-Khaseeb, the son of ’Abd el-Hameed. Aboo 
Nuw&s has made honourable mention of him in the following verses:—* 

If our camels visit not the land of El-Khaseeb,f what man after El-Khaseeb 
shall they visit? 

For liberality is not his neighbour, nor hath it sojourned near him; but 
liberality goeth whithersoever he goetb. 

He is a man who purchaseth eulogy with his wealth, and who knoweth that 
the periods of fortune revolve. 

In our tale, El-Khaseeb is improperly called Lord, and Sult&n, of Egypt. 

Note 2. 

“ Ghaz&leh” is “ a gazelle but here it is a proper name. 

Note 3. 

“ Jemeeleh” signifies “beautiful,” “lovely,” “good,” &c. 

Note 4. 

“ The gratuity for the key” (hulwan el-mift&h) is a fee which is still commonly 
given on hiring a house or chamber. 

* I translate these verses from the printed edition of El-Mekeen (“ Elroacini Historic Saracenica”), 
page 119 , in which they are given both in the Arabic and in Latin ; but with unaccountable errors in 
the original and the translation. In the Arabic is an error which corrupts the first verse in measure, 
rhyme, and sense, 
t Khageeb signifies “ fruitful,” &c. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-NINTH. 

669 

Note 5. 

See the fifth paragraph of Note 2 to the Introduction. 

Note 6. 

The word rendered “ Pearl” (namely “ lu-lu-ah”) also signifies “ a wild cow.” 
Each sense is appropriate if it be meant (as I suppose it is) to convey an allusion 
to the lady Jemeeleh. 

Note 7. 

Literally “ around.” I suspect that a copyist has altered this passage, ima¬ 
gining the word “ sikiyeh" to signify here “ a water-wheel for irrigation” when 
it was used in the sense of “ a rivulet.” 

Note 8. 

I here read “ marj” (a meadow) for “ burj” (a tower), and am justified in 
doing so by Trebutien’s version. 

Note 9. 

When the gates of heaven are opened, prayer is sure to be answered. This is 
said to be the case on the night called Leylet el-Kadr, which is generally believed 
to be the night of the twenty-seventh of Ramad&n; that is, the night preceding 
the twenty-seventh day. 

Note 10. 

In this sentence, in my original, there seems to be an omission, which I have 
supplied, by inserting the words “ her performance was such (says Ibr&heem).” 
The meaning I suppose to be this: she made my state to be like that of a man 
who ceases to be merry with intoxication, and begins to be careful lest his turban 
should fall from his head. 

Note 11. 

See Note 71 to Chapter viii. 

Note 12. 

The next three stories in my original I omit.—The first of these, which is that 
of “ Abu-l-Hasan of Khurfis&n,” is very similar, but inferior in interest, to “ the 
Story told by the Sultin’s Steward,” in the fifth Chapter of my translation.—The 
second is “ the Story of Kamar ez-Zem&n and the Wife of the Jeweller.” This 
is extremely objectionable ; far more so than the title might lead one to suspect. 
But one of the marginal notes with which my sheykh has illustrated it is too in¬ 
teresting to be omitted here with the story, especially as it confutes an opinion 
generally prevailing among my countrymen with respect to the morality of Arab 
women. The following is a translation of it. “ Many persons reckon marrying 
a second time among the greatest of disgraceful actions. This opinion is most 

670 

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY-NINTH. 

common in the country-towns and villages ; and the relations of my mother are 
thus characterised, so that a woman of them, when her husband dieth while she 
is young, or divorceth her while she is young, passeth her life, however long it 
may be, in widowhood, and never marrieth a second time.”—The third story is 
that of “ ’Abd Allah the Son of F&dil,” which is one of the most entertaining tales 
in' the work; but its chief and best portion is essentially the same as “ the Story 
of the First of the Three Ladies of Baghdad.” Instead of the three sisters, we 
have here three brothers; and instead of the young man, in the city of the 
petrified idolaters, a beautiful damsel. The story of ’Abd Allah the Son of F&dil 
therefore agrees also, in several points, with that of “ the Second Sheykh and the 
Two Black Hounds,” in the first Chapter of the present translation, repeating the 
chief incidents of the latter with slight variations.—Then follows “ the Story of

NINTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH THE THOUSAND AND FIRST. 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

There was, in the guarded city of Cairo, 1 a cobbler who mended 
old shoes. His name was Maaroof, 2 and he had a wife whose name 
was F&timeh, and whose nickname was El-’Orrah ; s and they gave 
her not that nickname save because she was a wicked, evil woman, 
of little modesty, a great mischief-maker. She ruled her husband, 
and every day used to revile him and curse him a thousand times ; 
and he dreaded her malice, and feared her oppression; for he was 
a sensible man, who felt shame for his reputation; but he was poor 
in circumstances. "When he worked for much, he expended his 

67 2 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

gains upon her; and when he worked for little, she revenged her¬ 
self upon his body during the ensuing night, and deprived him of 
health, making his night like the record of her own actions.'* She 
was such a person as her in dispraise of whom the poet hath said,— 

How many nights have I passed with my wife in the most unfortunate of 
conditions! 

Would that, at the time of my first visit to her, I had produced some poison 
and poisoned her! 

Now, among the events that happened to this man, proceeding 
from his wife, it chanced that she said to him, O Maaroof, I desire 
of thee to-night that thou bring me some kunafeh with bees’ honey 
upon it. And he replied, May God (whose name be exalted!) 
make easy to me the means of obtaining its price, and I wall bring 
it to thee to-night. By Allah, I have had no money this day ; but 
our Lord may render the affair easy.—She, however, said to him, 
I know not these words. Whether He render it easy or do not 
render it easy, come not to me save with the kun&feh with bees’ 
honey; and if thou come without kunafeh, I will make thy night 
like thy fortune when thou marriedst me and fellest into my hand. 
—So he replied, God is bountiful. Then that man went forth, 
with grief displaying itself in his person, and after he had performed 
the morning-prayers, he opened the shop, and said, I pray thee, O 
Lord, to supply me with the price of this kunafeh, and to save me 
from the mischief of this wicked woman to-night! And he sat in 
the shop until mid-day, but no work betided him; wherefore his 
fear of his wife became violent, and he arose and closed the shop, 
and became perplexed respecting his case, on account of the kuna¬ 
feh, not having even any portion of the price of the bread. He 
then passed by the shop of the seller of kunafeh, and stopped in a 
state of stupefaction, and his eyes filled with tears. And the seller 
of kunafeh, casting at him a sidelong glance, said, O master Maaroof, 
wherefore dost thou weep 1 Tell me what hath befallen thee.—-He 
therefore told him his tale, and said to him, My wife is a virago, 
and she hath demanded of me kun&feh, and I have sat in the shop 
until half the day hath passed, but not even the price of bread hath 
betided me, and I am in fear of her. And upon this, the seller of 
kun&feh laughed, and said. No harm shall befall thee. How many 
pounds dost thou desire ?—He answered, Five pounds. And he 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

673 

weighed for him five pounds, and said to him, I have the clarified 
butter ; hut I have not bees’ honey: I have, however, drip-honey, 5 
better than bees’ honey; and what will be the harm if it be with 
drip-honey? And Maaroof was abashed at him, because he was to 
wait for his paying the price. He therefore said to him. Give it 
me with drip-honey. And he fried for him the kunafeh with the 
clarified butter, and saturated it with drip-honey, and it became fit 
to be presented to Kings. Then he said to him. Dost thou want 
bread and cheese ? He answered, Yes. So he took for him four 
nusfs-worth of bread, and a nusf-worth of cheese, and the kunafeh 
was for ten nusfs ; and he said to him, Know, O Maaroof, that thy 
debt hath become fifteen nusfs. Go to thy wife, and make merry, 
and take this nusf to serve as payment for the bath. Thou shalt 
have a delay of a day, or two days, or three, until God shall supply 
thee; and distress not thy wife ; for I will have patience with thee 
until thou shalt have money exceeding what will be requisite for 
thy expenditure. 

So he took the kunafeh and the bread and the cheese, and de¬ 
parted praying for him, and went with comforted heart, saying, 
Extolled be thy perfection, O my Lord! How bountiful art Thou ! 
—Then he went in to her, and she said to him, Hast thou brought 
the kun&feh? He answered. Yes. And he placed it before her. 
So she looked at it, and saw it to be with honey of the sugar-cane ; 
and upon this she said to him. Did I not say to thee. Bring it with 

4 R 

VOL. 111. 

674 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

bees’ honey? Dost thou act contrary to my desire, and make it 
with honey of the sugar-cane ?—He therefore apologized to her, 
and said to her, I bought it not save upon credit. But she replied, 
These are vain words. I will not eat kunafeh save with bees’ 
honey.—And she was angry with it, and threw it in his face, saying 
to him. Arise, you rascal: bring me some other kun&feh! She then 
struck him with her fist upon the side of his face, knocking out 
one of his teeth, and the blood flowed down upon his bosom; and 
by reason of the violence of his rage, he struck her one slight blow 
upon her head ; whereat she seized his beard, and began to cry 
out and to say, 0 Muslims! 8 The neighbours therefore entered, 
and extricated his beard from her hand; and they beset her with 
reproofs, and reproached her, and said. We all like to eat kunafeh 
that is with honey of the sugar-cane. What is this oppressive 
conduct towards this poor man ! Verily this is disgraceful to thee ! 

-—And they ceased not to sooth her until they effected a reconcilia¬ 
tion between her and him. But after the departure of the people, 
she swore that she would not eat aught of the kunafeh ; and hun¬ 
ger tormented Maaroof: so he said within himself, She hath sworn 
that she will not eat: therefore I will eat. Then he ate; and 
when she saw him do so, she began to say to him, If it be the will 
of God, may it be a poison that shall destroy the body of the 
remote! 7 But he replied, It is not as thou sayest. And he pro¬ 
ceeded to eat, and to laugh, and say. Thou hast sworn that thou 
wilt not eat of this. But God is bountiful; and if it be the will 
of God, to morrow night I will bring thee kunafeh that shall be 
with bees’ honey, and thou shalt eat it by thyself.—And he pro¬ 
ceeded to appease her, while she cursed him. She ceased not to 
revile him and abuse him until the morning ; and when the morn¬ 
ing came, she tucked up the sleeve from her arm to beat him : so 
he said to her, Grant me a delay, and I will bring thee some other 
kunafeh. 

He then went forth to the mosque, and said his prayers, and 
went to the shop, and opened it and sat. But he had not sat long 
when two officers from the Kadee came to him and said to him. 
Arise ; answer the summons of the Kadee; for thy wife hath com¬ 
plained of thee to him, and her appearance is so and so. And he 
knew her [by the description], and said, May God (whose name be 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

67.5 

exalted !) send trouble upon her! Then he arose and walked with 
them until he went in to the Kadee, when he saw his wife with her 
arm bound, and her face-veil befouled with blood, and she was 
standing weeping, and wiping away her tears. So the K&dee said 
to him, O man, dost thou not fear God, whose name be exalted ? 
How is it that thou beatest this wife, and breakest her arm, and 
knockest out her tooth, and dost these deeds unto her ?—And he 
replied, If I have beaten her, or knocked out her tooth, sentence 
me to what punishment thou choosest. Verily the case was so and 
so, and the neighbours made peace between me and her.—And he 
acquainted him with the case from beginning to end. And that 
KAdee was of the people of beneficence ; so he took forth for him 
a quarter of a piece of gold, and said to him, O man, take this, and 
prepare for her with it some kun&feh with bees’ honey, and be thou 
reconciled to her. And he replied, give it to her. She therefore 
took it; and the Kadee made peace between them, and said, O 
wife, obey thy husband; and thou, O man, act kindly to her. And 
they went forth reconciled by means of the KAdee. The woman 
went one way, and her husband went another way, to his shop, 
and sat down. And lo, the sergeants came to him and said, Give 
us our fee. So he said to them. The KAdee took not from me 
aught: on the contrary, he gave me a quarter of a piece of gold. 
But they replied. We have no concern with the KAdee’s giving to 
thee or taking from thee; and if thou give us not our fee, we will 
take it by force from thee. And they proceeded to drag him 
along through the market. He therefore sold his implements, and 
gave them half a piece of gold, and they went away from him. 
He then put his hand upon his cheek, and sat sorrowful, because 
he had not implements with which to work. And while he was 
sitting, lo, two men of hideous aspect advanced to him and said to 
him, Arise, O man; answer the summons of the Kadee; for thy 
wife hath complained of thee to him. He therefore replied, He 
hath made peace between me and her. But they said to him, We 
are from another Kadee; for thy wife hath complained of thee to 
our Kadee. So he arose and went with them, praying for aid 
against her by ejaculating, God is our sufficiency, and excellent is 
the Protector! And when he saw her, he said to her, Have we 
not made peace with each other, O ingenuous woman ? But she 

676 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

replied, There remaineth no longer peace between me and thee. 
And he advanced and related to the K&dee his story, saying to 
him. The K&dee such-a-one made peace between us just now. 
So the K&dee said to her, O impudent woman, since ye have made 
peace with each other, wherefore hast thou come complaining to 
me? She answered, He beat me after that. And the Kadee said 
to them, Make peace with each other,—and, addressing the man, he 
added,—and beat her not again, and she will not again oppose thee. 
They therefore made peace with each other; and the K&dee said 
to him, Give the sergeants their fee. Accordingly he gave them 
their fee, and he went to the shop and opened it, and sat in it, 
like one intoxicated, by reason of the anxiety that had befallen him. 

And while he was sitting, lo, a man advanced to him and said to 
him, O Maaroof, arise; tide thyself; for thy wife hath complained 
of thee to the Sublime Court, 0 and Aboo Tabak* is coming down 
upon thee. So he arose and closed the shop, and he fled in the 
direction of the B&b en-Nasr. And there had remained in his 
possession five nusf faddahs, of the price of the lasts and the other 
implements. He therefore bought for four nusfs bread, and for one 
nusf cheese, as he fled from her. And this happened in the winter- 
quarter, at the time of afternoon-prayers; and when he went 
forth among the mounds, the rain descended upon him like streams 
pouring from the mouths of water-skins, and his clothes were 
wetted. So he entered the ’A'dileeyeh, 10 and, seeing a ruined 
place, in which was a deserted cell, without a door, he entered to 
shelter himself in it from the rain; his clothes being wetted. Then 
tears descended from his eyelids, and he became oppressed in mind 
by his affliction, and said, Whither shall I flee from this vile woman? 
I pray thee, O Lord, to send to me some person who shall convey 
me to a distant country, whither she shall not know the way by 
which to reach me.—And while he was sitting weeping, lo, the wall 
clove asunder, and there came forth to him from it a person of tall 
stature, at the sight of whom the flesh quaked, and he said to him, 
O man, what aileth thee that thou hast disquieted me this night ? 
I have been residing in this place for two hundred years, and have 
not seen any one enter it and do as thou hast done. Acquaint me 
then with thy desire, and I will accomplish thine affair; for com¬ 
passion for thee hath affected my heart.—Upon this he said to him. 

Who art thou, and what mayest thou he ? And he answered him, 
I am the haunter of this place. So he acquainted him with all that 
had happened to him with his wife ; whereupon the Jinnee said to 
him, Dost thou desire that I should convey thee to a country 
whither thy wife shall know no way by which to reach thee? He 
answered, Yes. And the Jinnee said to him. Mount upon my back. 
Accordingly he mounted ; and the Jinnee bore him and flew with 
him from after nightfall until the rising of the dawn, when he set 
him down upon the summit of a high mountain, and said, O human 
being, descend from the top of this mountain: thou wilt see the 
threshold of a city, and do thou enter it; for thy wife will not know 
any way by which to reach thee, nor will it be possible for her to 
gain access to thee. Then he left him, and departed. 

Maaroof was in a state of confusion, perplexed in his mind, until 
the sun rose ; whereupon he said within himself, I will arise, and 
descend from this mountain to the city; for in my sitting here is 

678 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

no advantage. So he descended to the foot of the mountain, and 
he saw a city with high walls, and lofty pavilions, and decorated 
buildings, and it was a delight to the beholders. He entered the 
gate of the city, and saw that it dilated the sorrowful heart; and 
when he walked through the market, the people of the city looked 
at him, diverting themselves with the sight of him, and they 
assembled around him, and wondered at his apparel; for his apparel 
resembled not theirs. And a man of the people of the city said to 
him, 0 man, art thou a stranger? He answered, Yes. He said to 
him, From what country ? He answered. From the fortunate city of 
Cairo. He said to him. Hast thou long quitted it ? He answered him, 
Yesterday in the afternoon. And thereupon he laughed at him, and 
said, O people, come hither; see this man, and hear what he saith! 
So they said. What saith he? He answered. He asserteth that he is 
from Cairo, and that he came forth from it yesterday in the after¬ 
noon. And they all laughed, and the people assembled around him 
and said, O man, art thou mad, that thou sayest these words ? How 
is it thou assertest that thou quittedst Cairo yesterday in the after¬ 
noon, and foundest thyself in the morning here, when between our 
city and Cairo is a space of a whole year’s journey ? — But he 
replied, None are mad but you: and as to me, I am veracious in 
my saying, and this is bread of Cairo: it hath not ceased to remain 
with me moist. And he shewed them the bread, and they diverted 
themselves with looking at it, and wondered at it; for it resembled 
not the bread of their country. The crowd became numerous 
around him, and they said one to another, This is bread of Cairo. 
Divert yourselves with the sight of it. 

He became notorious in that city; and among the people, some 
believed him, and some belied and derided him; and while they 
were in this state, lo, a merchant advanced to them, riding upon a 
mule, and behind him were two black slaves. Thereupon the 
people became dispersed, and he said, O people, are ye not 
ashamed of collecting around this stranger and ridiculing him and 
laughing at him? What concern have ye with him?—And he 
ceased not to revile them until he drove them away from him, no 
one being able to return him a reply. He then said to Maaroof, 
Come hither, O my brother. No harm shall befall thee from these. 
Verily they have no shame.—He took him and proceeded with 

him until he conducted him into a spacious, decorated mansion, 
and he seated him in a royal chamber, and gave orders to the 
slaves, who thereupon opened for him a chest, and took forth for 
him a dress fit for a merchant possessing a thousand purses, and he 
clad him with it; and Maaroof was a comely person: so he be¬ 
came as though he were Shah Bandar of the merchants. Then 
that merchant demanded the table; and they put before them a 
table containing every description of exquisite viands, of all kinds; 
and they ate and drank; after which the merchant said to Maaroof, 
O my brother, what is thy name? He answered, My name is 
Maaroof; and my trade is that of a cobbler: I mend old shoes. 
He said to him, From what country art thou? He answered. 
From Cairo. He said. From what quarter ? Maaroof said to him, 
Dost thou know Cairo ? The merchant answered him, I am of its 
sons. So Maaroof replied, I am from the Darb el-Ahmar. 11 The 
merchant said to him, Whom dost thou know of the Darb el- 
Ahmar ? He answered him, Such a one and such a one. And he 
enumerated to him many persons. The merchant said to him. 
Dost thou know the sheykh Ahmad the druggist ?“ He answered 
him, He was my neighbour, wall adjoining wall. He said to him. 
Is he well? He answered. Yes. He said to him, How many 
children hath he ? He answered, Three : Mustafa and Mohammad 
and ’Alee. He said to him, What hath God done with his 
children ? He answered. As to Mustafa, he is well, and he is a 
learned man, a professor: 18 and as to Mohammad, he is a druggist: 
he hath opened for himself a shop by the side of the shop of his 
father, after having married, and his wife hath borne him a son 

680 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

whose name is Hasan. And the merchant said, May God rejoice 
thee with good tidings! Maaroof then said, And as to ’Alee, he 
was my companion when we were little children, and I used always 
to play with him, and we used to go, in the garb of the sons of the 
Christians, and enter the church, and steal the books of the 
Christians, and sell them, and buy, with their price, food. But it 
happened once that the Christians saw us, and laid hold of us with 
a book: so they complained of us to our families, and said to his 
father. If thou prevent not thy son from troubling us, we will 
complain of thee to the King. And he appeased them, and gave 
him a beating ; and for this reason, he fled immediately, and no way 
of finding him was known. He hath been absent twenty years, and 
no one hath given any tidings of him. 

Upon this, the merchant said to him. He is myself, ’Alee the 
son of the sheykh Ahmad the druggist, and thou art my companion, 
O Maaroof. They saluted each other, and after the salutation, the 
merchant said to him, O Maaroof, acquaint me with the reason of 
thy coming from Cairo to this city. So he acquainted him with the 
history of his wife F&timeh El-’Orrah, and what she had done with 
him, and said to him. When her injurious conduct to me became 
excessive, I fled from her, in the direction of the B4b en-Nasr; 
and the rain descended upon me ; wherefore I entered a ruined 
cell in the ’A'dileeyeh, and sat weeping, and there came forth to 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

681 

me the haunter of the place, who is an ’Efreet of the Jinn, and he 
questioned me. I therefore acquainted him with my state, and 
he mounted me upon his back, and flew with me all the night 
between heaven and earth: then he put me down upon the 
mountain, and informed me of the city: so I descended from the 
mountain, and entered the city, and the people collected around 
me, questioning me; and I said to them, I came forth yesterday 
from Cairo. But they believed me not. And thou earnest, and 
repelledst the people from me, and broughtest me to this house. 
This was the cause of my coming forth from Cairo. And what was 
the cause of thy coming hither ?—He answered him, Folly overcame 
me when my age was seven years, and from that time I have been 
going about from country to country and from city to city until I 
entered this city, the name of which is Ikhtiyan of El-Khutan ; 14 
whereupon I saw its inhabitants to be generous people, endued 
with compassion, and I saw that they confided in the poor man, 
and sold to him on credit, and whatever he said they believed him 
respecting it. I therefore said to them, I am a merchant, and I 
have come on before my merchandise, and I desire a place in 
which to deposit it. And they believed me, and appropriated a 
place to my exclusive use. Then I said to them, Is there among 
you one who will lend me a thousand pieces of gold until my 
merchandise shall arrive, when I will return to him what I receive 
from him? For I am in need of some commodities before my 
merchandise will enter the city.—And they gave me what I 
desired. I then repaired to the market of the merchants, and, 
seeing some goods, I bought them; and on the following day I 
sold them, and gained by them fifty pieces of gold, and bought 
other goods. I proceeded to associate with the people, and to treat 
them with generosity; and they loved me; and I betook myself to 
selling and buying, and my wealth became great. And know, O 
my brother, that the author of the proverb saith, The world is full 
of idle boasting, and artifice. And in the country in which no one 
knoweth thee, do whatsoever thou wilt. But if thou say to every 
one who asketh thee, I am, by trade, a cobbler, and a poor man, 
and I fled from my wife, and yesterday I came forth from Cairo,— 
they will not believe thee, and thou wilt become among them a 
laughingstock as long as thou shalt remain in this city. And if 

4 s 

VOL. III. 

682 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

thou say, An ’Efreet conveyed me,—they will run away from thee 
in fear, and no one will come near thee; and they will say. This 
is a man possessed by an ’Efreet, and whosoever goeth near him, 
injury will happen to him. And this notoriety will be disgraceful 
to me and to thee ; for they know that I am from Cairo. 

Maaroof then said, And how shall I act? He answered, I will 
teach thee how thou shalt act. If it be the will of God (whose 
name be exalted!), I 'will give thee to-morrow a thousand pieces 
of gold, and a mule which thou shalt ride, and a black slave who 
shall walk before thee until he shall conduct thee to the gate of the 
market of the merchants. Then go in to them; and I will be 
sitting among the merchants; and when I see thee, I will rise to 
thee and salute thee, and I will kiss thy hand and honour thy 
station; and whenever I ask thee respecting any kind of stuff, 
saying to thee. Hast thou brought with thee any of such a kind?— 
answer. Abundance:—and if they ask me respecting thee, I will 
praise thee and magnify thee in their eyes. I will then say to 
them, Provide ye for him a magazine and a shop. And I will de¬ 
scribe thee as a person of abundant wealth and generosity ; and if 
a beggar come to thee, give him what thou canst easily afford: 
thereupon they will confide in my words, and believe in thy great¬ 
ness and thy generosity, and they will love thee. After that I will 
invite thee, and I will invite all the merchants on thine account, 
and bring you and them together, that all of them may know 
thee, and that thou mayest know them, in order that thou mayest 
sell and buy and take and give with them; and no long period 
will pass over thee before thou wilt become a person of wealth.— 
Accordingly, when the morning came, he gave him a thousand 
pieces of gold, clad him in a suit of apparel, mounted him upon 
a mule, and gave him a black slave, saying, God acquit thee of 
responsibility with respect to the whole; for thou art my com¬ 
panion; so to treat thee with generosity is incumbent on me. 
Suffer not anxiety; but dismiss from thy mind the subject of thy 
wife, and mention her not to any one. 

Maaroof therefore said to him, May God recompense thee well! 
He then mounted the mule, and the slave walked before him until 
he had conducted him to the gate of the market of the merchants, 
who were all sitting there, and the merchant ’Alee was sitting among 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

683 

them : so when he saw him, he arose and threw himself upon him, 
saying to him, A blessed day, O merchant Maaroof, O man of good 
works and of kindness! Then he kissed his hand before the 
merchants, and said, O our brothers, the merchant Maaroof hath 
delighted you by his arrival. They therefore saluted him, and the 
merchant ’Alee made signs to them that they should shew him 
honour: so he was magnified in their eyes. His companion set 
him down from the hack of the mule, and they saluted him again ; 
and the merchant ’Alee proceeded to go apart with one of them 
after another, and to praise Maaroof to him; and they said to him. 
Is this a merchant? He answered them, Yes: indeed he is the 
greatest of merchants, and there existeth not any one more wealthy 
than he; for his wealth and the wealth of his father and his fore¬ 
fathers are notorious among the merchants of Cairo ; and he hath 
partners in El-Hind and Es-Sind and El-Yemen ; and for gene¬ 
rosity, his fame resteth on an excellent foundation. Therefore 
know his dignity, and extol his rank,and serve him; and know that 
his coming to this city is not for the sake of traffic ; for his desire is 
for nothing but to divert himself with the sight of the countries of the 
world; because he is not in need of travelling to foreign parts for the 
sake of gain and profits, having wealth which fires cannot consume, 
and I am of the number of his servants.—He ceased not to praise 
him until they raised him above their heads, and they proceeded to 
acquaint one another with his qualities. Then they came together 
to him, and presented him with food for breakfast, and sherbet. 
Even the Shah Bandar- of the merchants came to him, and saluted 
him; and the merchant ’Alee said to him, in the presence of the 
other merchants, 0 my master, probably thou hast brought with 
thee some of such a kind of stuff. So he answered him. Abundance. 
And on that day the merchant ’Alee had shown him the various 
kinds of costly stuffs, and taught him the names of the stuffs, the 
dear and the cheap. Then one of the merchants said to him, 0 
my master, hast thou brought with thee yellow cloth? He an¬ 
swered, Abundance. He said. And red, of gazelle’s blood? 15 He 
answered, Abundance. And every time that he asked him re¬ 
specting anything, he answered him, Abundance. So thereupon 
he said, O merchant ’Alee, verily thy countryman, if he desired to 
transport a thousand loads of costly stuffs, could transport them. And 

684 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

he replied, He would do so from one of his magazines, and nought 
of its contents would be missing. 

And while they were sitting, lo, a beggar came round to the 
merchants, and some of them gave him a nusf faddah, and some of 
them gave him a jedeed, and most of them gave him not aught, 
until he came to Maaroof, who took for him a handful of gold, and 
gave him it. So he prayed for him, and departed; and the 
merchants wondered thereat, and said, Verily this is the gift of 
kings; for he gave the beggar gold without counting it; and were 
he not of the persons of great riches, and possessing abundance, he 
had not given the beggar a handful of gold. And after a while there 
came to him a poor woman; whereupon he took another handful, 
and gave it to her, and she departed, praying for him, and told the 
other poor persons. So they advanced to him, one after another, 
and for every one who came to him he proceeded to take a handful 
and to give it him until he had disbursed the thousand pieces of 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

685 

gold ; after which he struck hand upon hand, and said, God 
is our sufficiency, and excellent is the Protector? So the Shah 
Bandar of the merchants said to him, What aileth thee, O merchant 
Maaroof ? He answered. It seemeth that most of the people of this 
city are poor and needy ; and if I had known that they were so, I 
had brought with me in the saddle-bags a large sum of money and 
given it in alms to the poor. I fear that my absence from my 
country may be long, and it is a habit of my nature not to reject the 
beggar; but I have with me no gold remaining: therefore when a 
poor man cometh to me, what shall I say to him?—He answered 
him, Say to him, God sustain thee ?—But he replied. It is not my 
custom, and anxiety hath come upon me on account of this. Would 
that I had a thousand pieces of gold more, that I might give them 
in alms until my merchandise come!—So he said, No harm. And 
he sent one of his dependants, who brought him a thousand pieces 
of gold, and he gave them to him. Maaroof then proceeded to give 
to every one of the poor who passed by him until the call to noon- 
prayers was chanted; whereupon they entered the mosque, and 
performed the noon-prayers, and what remained with him of the 
thousand pieces of gold he scattered over the heads of the wor¬ 
shippers. The attention of the people was therefore drawn to him, 
and they prayed for him, and the merchants wondered at the abun¬ 
dance of his generosity and his munificence. He then inclined to 
another merchant, and obtained from him a thousand pieces of gold, 
and distributed them; and the merchant ’Alee was observing his 
actions, but could not speak. He ceased not to do thus until the 
call to afternoon-prayers was chanted, when he entered the mosque 
and prayed, and distributed the remainder. And they closed not 
the gate of the market until he had received five thousand pieces 
of gold and distributed them; and to every one of whom he had 
received aught, he said, Wait until the merchandise shall arrive, 
when, if thou desire gold, I will give it thee, and if thou desire 
stuffs, I will give them thee; for I have abundance. And in the 
evening the merchant ’Alee invited him, and he invited with him 
all the merchants. He seated him at the upper end of the apart¬ 
ment, and he talked not of aught but of stuffs and jewels; and 
whenever they mentioned to him anything, he said, I have abun¬ 
dance of it. And on the following day he repaired again to the 

686 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

market, and proceeded to incline to the merchants, obtain from them 
money, and distribute it to the poor. 

He ceased not to do thus for the space of twenty days, until he 
had received from the people sixty thousand pieces of gold, and 
there came not to him merchandise nor a burning plague.’* 
So the people were clamorous for their money, and said, The 
merchandise of the merchant Maaroof hath not arrived, and how 
long shall he take people’s money and give it to the poor ? And 
one of them said. My opinion is, that we should speak with his 
countryman, the merchant ’Alee. Accordingly they came to him 
and said to him, 0 merchant ’Alee, the merchandise of the merchant 
Maaroof hath not arrived. And he replied, Be ye patient; for it 
must arrive soon. Then he had a private interview with him, and 
said to him, O Maaroof, what are these deeds ? Did I say unto 
thee, Toast the bread—or Burn it? Verily the merchants have 
become clamorous for their money, and have informed me that 
they have become creditors to thee for sixty thousand pieces of 
gold, which thou hast received, and hast distributed to the poor. 
And how wilt thou pay thy debt to the people, when thou neither 
sellest nor buyest ?—But he replied, What will be the consequence, 
and what are the sixty thousand pieces of gold ? When the mer¬ 
chandise arriveth, I will give them, if they will, stuffs, and if they 
will, gold and silver.—Upon this, the merchant ’Alee said to him, 
God is most great! And hast thou merchandise ?—He answered, 
A bundance. And he said to him, Allah and the Rij requite thee and 
thy turpitude! Did I teach thee this saying in order that thou shouldst 
utter it to me ? Now will I inform the people of thee.—Maaroof re¬ 
plied, Go, without loquacity. Am I a poor man? Verily my merchan¬ 
dise compriseth an abundance of things; and when it arriveth they 
shall receive double the value of their property. I am in no need 
of them.—So thereupon the merchant ’Alee was enraged, and said 
to him, O thou of little good-breeding, I will without fail shew thee. 
How is it that thou liest to me and art not ashamed ?—But he replied, 
What thou hast in thy power, do; and they shall wait until my 
merchandise arrive, and shall receive their property with addition. 
He therefore left him, and departed, and he said within himself, I 
praised him before; and if I censure him now, I become a liar, 
and include myself among those to whom applieth the saying of 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

687 

him who said, He who praiseth and censureth, lieth twice. 16 And 
he became perplexed respecting his case. Then the merchants 
came to him again, and said, O merchant ’Alee, hast thou spoken 
to him ? He answered them, O people, I am abashed at him, and 
he oweth me a thousand pieces of gold, but I have not been able 
to speak to him respecting them. When ye gave him, ye con¬ 
sulted me not, and ye have nought to say to me. So demand of 
him by an application from yourselves to him; and if he give you 
not, complain of him to the King of the city, and say to him. He 
is an impostor, who hath imposed upon us. For the King will 
save you from being injured by him. 

Accordingly they went to the King, and acquainted him with 
what had happened, and said, 0 King of the age, we are perplexed 
respecting our case with this merchant whose generosity is exces¬ 
sive ; for he doth so and so, and everything that he receiveth he 
distributeth to the poor by the handful. Now if he possessed little, 
his soul would not consent to his taking gold by the handful and 
giving it to the poor: yet were he of the people of affluence, his 
veracity had appeared to us by the arrival of his merchandise, and 
we see no merchandise belonging to him, though he asserteth that 
he hath merchandise, and that he hath come on before it; and 
whenever we mentioned to him any kind of stuff, he would say, I 
have abundance of it. A considerable period hath elapsed; but no 
tidings of his merchandise have come; and he hath become indebted 
to us to the amount of sixty thousand pieces of gold, all of which 
he hath distributed to the poor.—And they proceeded to eulogize 
him and to praise his generosity. And that king was covetous; more 
covetous than Ash’ab so when he heard of his generosity and 
munificence, covetousness overcame him, and he said to his Wezeer, 
If this merchant did not possess abundant riches, all this generous 
conduct would not proceed from him; his merchandise will without 
fail arrive, and these merchants will come together to him, and 
he will disperse among them abundant riches. But I am more 
worthy of this wealth than they: therefore I desire to contract 
friendship with him, and to shew an affection for him, before his 
merchandise arriveth ; and what these merchants will receive from 
him, I shall receive, and I will marry to him my daughter, and 
join his wealth with mine.—But the Wezeer replied, O King of 

688 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

the age, I imagine him not to be aught hut an impostor ; and the 
impostor hath ruined the house of the covetous. The King, how¬ 
ever, said to him, 0 Wezeer, I will try him, and know whether he 
be an impostor or veracious, and whether he have been reared in 
affluence or not. The Wezeer said, With what wilt thou try him? 
The King answered, I have a jewel, and I will send for him and 
cause him to be brought to me ; and when he hath seated himself, 
I will treat him with honour, and give him the jewel; and if he 
know it, and know its price, he will be proved to be a person of 
riches and affluence; but if he know it not, he will be proved to be 
an impostor, an upstart, and I will slay him in the most abominable 
manner. 

Then the King sent to him, and caused him to be brought; and 
when he came in to him, he saluted him, and the King returned his 
salutation, and seated him by his side, and said to him, Art thou the 
merchant Maaroof ? He answered, Yes. And the King said to 
him, The merchants assert that thou owest them sixty thousand 
pieces of gold. Now is that which they say true ?—He answered, 
Yes. The King said to him, Wherefore hast thou not given to 
them their money ? He answered. Let them wait until my mer¬ 
chandise arriveth, and I will give them double of what I have 
received; and if they desire gold, I will give it them, and if they 
desire silver, I will give it them, and if they desire merchandise, I 
will give it them; and to him whom I owe a thousand I will give 
two thousand in return for that wherewith he hath veiled my face 
before the poor; for I have abundance. The King then said to 
him, O merchant, take this, and see what is its kind, and what is its 
value. And he gave him a jewel of the size of a hazel-nut, which 
the King had purchased for a thousand pieces of gold, and he had 
not another, and held it dear. So Maaroof took it in his hand, 
and he pressed upon it with his thumb and fore-finger, and broke it; 
for the jewel was frail, and would not bear the pressure. The 
King therefore said to him, Wherefore hast thou broken the jewel? 
And he laughed, and answered, 0 King of the age, this is not a 
jewel. This is a piece of mineral worth a thousand pieces of 
gold. How is it that thou sayest of it that it is a jewel ? Verily 
the jewel is of the price of seventy thousand pieces of gold, and 
this is only called a piece of mineral; and the jewel that is not 

of the size of a hazel-nut hath no value in my estimation, nor do 
I care for it. How is it that thou art a King, and callest this a 
jewel, when it is a piece of mineral, the value of which is a 
thousand pieces of gold? But ye are excusable, because ye are 
poor, and have not in your possession treasures that are of value.— 
So the King said to him, O merchant, hast thou jewels of the kind 
that thou mentionest ? He answered, Abundance. And thereupon, 
covetousness overcame the King, and he said to him, Wilt thou 
give me perfect jewels ? He answered him, When the merchan¬ 
dise cometh, I will give thee abundance; whatsoever thou desirest 
I have abundance thereof, and I will give thee without price. So 
the King rejoiced, and said to the merchants, Go your way, and be 
patient with him until the merchandise arriveth: then come, receive 
your money from me. And they departed.—Such was the case of 
Maaroof and the merchants. 

But as to the King, he addressed the Wezeer, and said to him, 
Treat the merchant Maaroof with courtesy, and take and give with 
him in talk, and mention to him my daughter, in order that he 

4 T 

VOL. III. 

690 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

may marry her, and we may gain these riches that are in his pos¬ 
session. But the Wezeer replied, 0 King of the age, verily the 
state of this man hath not pleased me, and I imagine that he is an 
impostor and a liar. Therefore desist from these words, lest thou 
lose thy daughter for nought.—And the Wezeer had before soli¬ 
cited the King to marry to him the damsel, and he desired to 
marry her to him ; but when this was told her, she consented not.— 
So thereupon the King said to him, O deceiver, thou dost not 
desire for me good fortune, because thou demandedst my daughter 
in marriage before, but she consented not to marry thee. So now 
thou interceptest the way of her marriage, and desirest that my 
daughter should remain as a waste land, in order that thou mayest 
take her. But hear from me this saying; Thou hast no concern 
with these words. How can he be an impostor, a liar, when he 
knew the price of the jewel, the price at which I purchased it, 
and broke it because it did not please him ? He hath many jewels; 
and when he introduceth himself to my daughter, he will see her 
to be beautiful, and she will captivate his reason, and he will love 
her, and will give her jewels and treasures. But thou desirest to 
prevent my daughter and to prevent me from obtaining these 
riches.—So the Wezeer was silent, and feared the King’s rage 
against him, and he said to himself, Set the dogs upon the cattle. 
Then he inclined to the merchant Maaroof and said to him, His 
majesty the King loveth thee, and he hath a daughter endowed 
with beauty and loveliness, whom he desireth to marry to thee. 
What then sayest thou?—And he answered him, No harm. But 
let him wait until my merchandise arriveth; for the dowry of the 
daughters of the Kings is large, and their rank requireth that they 
should not be endowed save with a dowry befitting their condition; 
and at this present time I have not with me wealth. Therefore 
let him have patience with me until the merchandise arriveth; 
for I have abundant riches, and I must give as her dowry five 
thousand purses. I shall also require a thousand purses to dis¬ 
tribute to the poor and needy on the night of my introduction to 
the bride, and a thousand purses to give to those who shall walk in 
the marriage-procession, and a thousand purses wherewith to 
prepare the viands for the soldiers and others; and I shall require 
a hundred jewels to give to the Queen' 0 on the morning of the 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

691 

■wedding, and a hundred jewels to distribute among the female 
slaves and the eunuchs, giving each a jewel in honour of the rank 
of the bride. I shall require moreover to clothe a thousand naked 
persons among the poor, and alms will be indispensable; and this 
is a thing that will be impossible until the merchandise arriveth. 
But I have abundance; and when the merchandise cometh, I 
care not for all these expenses. 

The Wezeer therefore went and acquainted the King with that 
which he had said, and the King said, When this is his desire, 
how is it that thou assertest of him that he is an impostor, a liar ? 
The Wezeer replied, And I cease not to say so. But the King 
chid him angrily, and threatened him, and said to him. By my head, 
if thou desist not from these words, I will slay thee ! Return then 
to him, and bring him to me, and I will arrange with him.—So the 
Wezeer went to him and said to him. Come hither: answer the 
summons of the King. And he replied, I hear and obey. Then 
he came to him, and the King said to him, Apologize not with 
these excuses; for my treasury is full: therefore take the keys into 
thy possession, and expend all that thou requirest, and give what 
thou wilt, and clothe the poor, and do what thou desirest, and mind 
not for the damsel and the female slaves. But when thy merchan¬ 
dise arriveth, shew what generosity thou wilt to thy wife, and we 
will have patience with thee for her dowry until the merchandise 
arriveth, and there shall never be any difference between me and 
thee.—He then ordered the Sheykh el-Islam sl to perform the 
ceremony of the marriage-contract. So he performed the cere¬ 
mony of the contract of the marriage of the King’s daughter to the 
merchant Maaroof. The King commenced the celebration of the 
festivity, and gave orders to decorate the city, and the drums were 
beaten, and the tables of viands were spread with all kinds of dishes, 
and the performers of sports came. The merchant Maaroof sat 
upon a throne in a mak’ad, and the performers of sports, and the 
exhibiters of cunning tricks, and the jink,® and the performers of 
extraordinary arts and wonderful games, were disposed in order 
before him, and he proceeded to order the Treasurer, and to say to 
him, Bring the gold and silver. Accordingly he brought him the 
gold and the silver, and Maaroof went round among the people who 
were diverting themselves, and gave to every one who played by the 

handful, and bestowed alms on the poor and needy, and clad the 
naked, and it was a noisy festivity. The Treasurer had not time 
to bring the money from the treasury, and the heart of the Wezeer 
almost burst with rage; but he could not speak. The merchant 
’Alee also wondered at the squandering of this wealth, and said to 
the merchant Maaroof, May Allah and the Rijal retaliate upon 
thy temple! Hath it not sufficed thee that thou hast wasted the 
money of the merchants, but thou wilt also waste the money of the 
King ?—But the merchant Maaroof answered him, Thou hast no 
concern with it; and when the merchandise arriveth, I will com¬ 
pensate the King for this with double its value.—And he proceeded 
to scatter the money, and to say within himself, A burning plague! 
What will happen will happen; and from that which is predestined 
there is no escape. 

The festivity ceased not for the space of forty days ; and on the 
one-and-fortieth day they made the procession for the bride. All 
the Emeers and the soldiers walked before her; and when they 
entered with her, Maaroof scattered gold over the heads of the 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

693 

people. They made for her a magnificent procession, and Maaroof 
expended a vast quantity of wealth. They introduced him to the 
Queen, and he sat upon the high mattress, and they let down the 
curtains, and closed the doors, and went forth, leaving him with 
the bride. And thereupon he smote hand upon hand, and sat 
sorrowful for some time, striking palm upon palm, and saying. 
There is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! 
So the Queen said to him, O my lord, Allah preserve thee! 
What aileth thee that thou art sorrowful ?—And he replied. How 
can I be otherwise than sorrowful when thy father hath disquieted 
me, and done to me a deed like the burning of the green corn ? 
She said, And what hath my father done to thee ? Tell me.—He 
answered. He hath introduced me to thee before my merchandise 
hath arrived, and I desired at least a hundred jewels to distribute 
among thy female slaves, to each one a jewel, that she might 
rejoice in it, and say. My lord gave me a jewel on the night of 
his introduction to my lady;—and this good deed would have 
been an act of honour to thy rank, and have increased thy glory; 
for I am not deficient in lavishing jewels, having of them an 
abundance.—But she said to him, Be not anxious for that, nor 
grieve thyself for this reason. As to myself, thou hast no blame 
to fear from me; for I will have patience -with thee until the 
merchandise arriveth; and as to the female slaves, thou hast nought 
to care for on their account.—So he was appeased. And on the 
following morning he entered the bath, and put on a suit of the 
apparel of Kings, and, having gone forth from the bath, entered the 
King’s council-chamber: whereupon those who were in it rose to him 
upon their feet, and received him with respect and honour, and 
congratulated him and blessed him. He sat by the side of the Kang, 
and said. Where is the Treasurer? They answered, Lo, he is 
here before thee. And he said. Bring the robes of honour, and 
invest all the Wezeers and the Emeers and the men of office. 
Accordingly he brought him all that he demanded, and he sat 
giving to every one who came to him, and presenting to every man 
according to his rank. 

He continued in this state for the space of twenty days, and 
there appeared not any merchandise belonging to him, nor aught 
else. Then the Treasurer became straitened by him to the utmost 

694 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

degree, and he went in to the King in the absence of Maaroof, 
when the King was sitting with the Wezeer, and no one beside, 
and he kissed the ground before him, and said, 0 King of the 
age, I will acquaint thee with a thing ; for perhaps thou wouldst 
blame me for not acquainting thee therewith. Know that the 
treasury hath become almost empty; there remaineth not in it any 
money, except a small quantity, and after ten days we shall close it 
empty.—So the King said, O Wezeer, verily the merchandise of 
my son-in-law hath been backward in coming, and no tidings of it 
have appeared. And the Wezeer laughed, and said to him, May 
God be gracious to thee, O King of the age! Thou art none other 
than a careless person with respect to the conduct of this impostor 
and bar. By thy head, there is no merchandise belonging to him, 
nor a plague to relieve us of him; but he hath only incessantly 
imposed upon thee until he hath consumed thy wealth, and mar¬ 
ried thy daughter for nothing. And how long wilt thou be heed¬ 
less of this liar?—The King thereupon said to him, 0 Wezeer, 
how shall we act, that we may know the truth of his state ? And he 
answered, 0 King of the age, no one will become acquainted with 
the man’s secret except his wife. Therefore send to thy daughter, 
desiring that she may come behind the curtain, in order that I 
may ask her respecting the truth of his state, so that she may 
examine him and acquaint us with his state.—And he replied. 
There will be no harm in that. By my head, if it be proved that 
he is an impostor, a liar, I will surely slay him in the most un¬ 
fortunate manner!—He then took the Wezeer, and entered with 
him into the sitting-chamber, and sent to his daughter. So she 
came behind the curtain; and this was during the absence of her 
husband; and when she came, she said, O my father, what dost 
thou desire? He answered. Speak to the Wezeer. Accordingly 
she said, 0 Wezeer, what wouldst thou? He answered, 0 my 
mistress, know that thy husband hath consumed the wealth of thy 
father, and he hath married thee without giving a dowry, and hath 
not ceased to promise us and to break his promise : no tidings of his 
merchandise have appeared; and, in short, we desire that thou 
wouldst inform us respecting him. She replied, Verily, his words 
are many, and he is constantly coming and promising me jewels 
and treasures and costly stuffs ; but I have seen nothing. And he 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

695 

said, O my mistress, canst thou this night take and give with him 
in talk, and say to him, Acquaint me with the truth, and fear 
nothing; for thou hast become my husband, and I will not be 
neglectful of thee : so acquaint me with the truth of the case, and 
I will contrive for thee a plan by which thou shalt be made happy ? 
After that, use nearness and remoteness of speech to him, and 
make a show of affection to him, and induce him to confess; and 
then acquaint us with the truth of his case.—And she said, O my 
father, I know how to examine him. 

She then departed; and after nightfall, her husband Maaroof 
came in to her according to his custom. So she rose to him, and 
took him with her hand beneath his armpit, and beguiled him 
with excessive guile. (And sufficient is the guile of women when 
they have to request of men anything of which they desire the 
accomplishment.) She ceased not to beguile him and to coax him 
with speech sweeter than honey until she stole his reason; and 
when she saw that he had inclined to her entirely, she said to him, 
O my beloved, O delight of my eye, O joy of my heart, may God 
not make me desolate by thine absence, nor time make a separation 
between me and thee! for affection for thee hath taken up its 
abode in my heart, and the fire of desire for thee hath burned my 

696 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

liver, and there can be no neglect of thee ever. But I desire that 
thou wouldst acquaint me with the truth; for the stratagems of 
falsehood are not profitable, nor do they gain credit on all occasions. 
How long wilt thou impose and lie to my father ? I fear that thy 
case will be exposed to my father before we contrive a stratagem 
to avoid it, and that he will lay violent hands upon thee. Acquaint 
me then with the truth, and thou shalt experience nought but 
what will rejoice thee. When thou shalt have acquainted me 
with the truth of the case, thou shalt fear nothing that would injure 
thee. How often wilt thou assert that thou art a merchant, and a 
person of riches, and that thou hast merchandise ? A long period 
hath passed during which thou hast been saying. My merchandise : 
my merchandise:—but no tidings of thy merchandise have ap¬ 
peared ; and anxiety is manifest in thy countenance on this account. 
Now, if thy words have no truth, inform me, and I will contrive 
for thee a plan by means of which thou shalt be safe, if it be 
the will of God.—And he replied, O my mistress, I will acquaint 
thee with the truth, and whatever thou wilt, do. So she rejoined, 
Say, and take care to be veracious; for veracity is the ship of 
safety; and beware of falsehood; for it disgraceth its speaker. 
Divinely gifted was he who said,— 

Tate care to be veracious, even though veracity should cause thee to be 
burned with the threatened fire ; 

And seek God’s approval; for the silliest of men is he who angereth the 
Lord and pleaseth his servants. 

—And he said, 0 my mistress, know that I am not a merchant, 
and I have neither merchandise nor a burning plague. But in my 
country I was only a cobbler, and I have a wife whose name is 
F4timeh El-’Orrah, and such and such things happened to me with 
her.—And he acquainted her with the story from its commence¬ 
ment to its end. 

Upon this, she laughed, and said, Verily thou art skilful in the 
art of lying and imposition! He replied, O my mistress, may God 
(whose name be exalted!) preserve thee to veil faults and dissolve 
griefs! And she said, Know that thou hast imposed upon my 
father, and deceived him by the abundance of thine idle boasting, 
so that he hath married me to thee by reason of his covetousness. 
Then thou consumedst his wealth; and the Wezeer suspecteth thee 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

697 

for this conduct ; and how often doth he speak of thee before my 
father, saying to him, Verily he is an impostor, a liar! But my 
father hath not complied with that which he hath said, because he 
had demanded me in marriage, and I consented not that he should 
be to me a husband, and that I should be to him a wife'. Then 
the time became tedious, and my father had become straitened, 
and he said to me, Make him confess. And I have made thee 
confess, and what was covered hath become exposed. Now my 
father is purposing mischief to thee on this account; but thou hast 
become my husband, and I will not neglect thee. For if I informed 
my father of this news, it would be proved to him that thou art an 
impostor, a liar, and that thou hast imposed upon the daughters of 
Kings, and squandered away their riches; and thine offence would 
not be forgiven by him, but he would slay thee without doubt, 
and it would become published among the people that I had mar¬ 
ried a man who was an impostor, a bar, and thou wouldst be a 
cause of disgrace to me. Moreover, if my father slew thee, pro¬ 
bably he would desire to marry me to another, and this is a thing 
to which I would not consent even if I were to die for refusing. 
But arise now, and put on the dress of a memlook, and take with 
thee fifty thousand pieces of gold of my wealth ; then mount upon 
a courser, and journey to a country to which the rule of my father 
doth not reach. There trade as a merchant, and write to me a 
letter, and send it by a courier who will bring it to me privately, 
that I may know in what country thou art, in order that I may 
send to thee all that my hand can procure. Thus thy wealth will 
become abundant; and if my father die, I will send to thee, and 
thou shalt come with respect and honour; and if thou die, or I 
die, departing to receive the mercy of God (whose name be 
exalted !), the day of resurrection will unite us. This is the right 
plan; and as long as thou continuest web and I continue well, I 
will not cease to send thee letters and riches. Arise before the 
daylight cometh upon thee, and thou art perplexed, and destruc¬ 
tion environeth thee.—So he said to her, O my mistress, I throw 
myself upon thy generosity, begging thee to bid me farewell with 
an embrace. And she replied, No harm. He then embraced her, 
and put on the dress of a memlook, and ordered the grooms to 
saddle for him a swift courser. They therefore saddled for him a 

4 u 

VOL. III. 

courser, and he bade farewell to his wife, and went forth from the 
city at the close of the night, and departed, every one who saw 
him imagining that he was one of the memlooks of the Sult&n 
going on a journey for the accomplishment of some affair. 

And when the morning arrived, her father came with the 
Wezeer to the sitting-chamber, and her father sent to her. So 
she came behind the curtain, and her father said to her, O my 
daughter, what sayest thou? She answered, I say. May God 
blacken the face of thy Wezeer! For he desired to blacken my 
face in the eyes of my husband.—And how so? said the King. 
She answered. He came in to me yesterday, before I mentioned to 
him these words, and lo, Faraj the eunuch came in to me with a 
letter in his hand, and he said, Ten memlooks are standing beneath 
the window of the palace, and they gave me this letter, and said to 
me, Kiss for us the hands of our master Maaroof the merchant, 
and give him this letter; for we are of his memlooks who are with 
the merchandise, and it hath been told us that he hath married 
the daughter of the King; so we have come to him to acquaint 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

699 

him with the events that have happened to us on the way.—And I 
took the letter and read it, and saw in it,—From the five hundred 
memlooks, to the possessor of dignity, our master, the merchant 
Maaroof.—To proceed. The news wherewith we acquaint thee is 
this. After thou leftest us, the Arabs came forth against us, and 
fought with us, and they were two hundred horsemen, while we 
were five hundred memlooks; and a severe contest ensued between 
us and the Arabs. They prevented our pursuing the way, and 
thirty days elapsed while we were contending with them, and this 
was the cause of our being behind the time in coming to thee. 
They have taken from us two hundred loads of stuffs, forming part 
of the merchandise, and killed of us fifty memlooks.—And when 
the news came to him, he said, May Allah disappoint them! 
Wherefore should they contend with the Arabs for the sake of two 
hundred loads of merchandise ? And what are two hundred loads ? 
It was not expedient for them to delay on that account; for the 
value of the two hundred loads is but seven thousand pieces of 
gold. But it is requisite that I go to them and hasten them; and 
as to what the Arabs have taken, the merchandise will not be the 
less for it, nor will it make any impression upon me, and I will 
reckon as though I had bestowed it in alms upon them.—Then he 
descended from me, laughing, and grieved not for what was lost of 
his \jpalth, nor for the slaughter of his memlooks; and when he 
descended, I looked from the window of the palace, and saw that 
the ten memlooks, who brought him the letter, were like moons, 
each one of them wearing a suit of apparel worth two thousafid 
pieces of gold, and that there was not in the possession of my 
father a memlook resembling one of them. He then repaired with 
the memlooks who brought him the letter, in order that he might 
bring his merchandise. And praise be to God who prevented me 
from mentio nin g to him aught of the words which thou orderedst 
me to say ! For he would have derided me and thee, and probably 
he would have looked upon me with the eye of disparagement, 
and would have hated me. But the fault is wholly in thy Wezeer, 
who speaketh against my husband words not suitable to him.—So 
the King said, O my daughter, verily the wealth of thy husband is 
abundant, and he thinketh not of it; and from the day that he 
entered our country he hath been constantly bestowing alms on 
the poor. If it be the will of God, he will soon come with the 

700 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

merchandise, and abundant good fortune will betide us from him. 
—He proceeded to appease her mind, and to threaten the Wezeer, 
and the stratagem deceived him. 

But as to the merchant Maaroof, he mounted the courser, and 
proceeded over the desert tract, perplexed, not knowing to what 
country to go; and by reason of the pain of separation, he moaned, 
and he suffered ecstasy and afflictions, and recited some verses; 
after which, he wept violently. The ways were obstructed in his 
face, and he preferred death above life. Then he went like one 
intoxicated, through the violence of his perplexity, and ceased not 
to proceed until the hour of noon, when he approached a village, 
and saw a ploughman near it, ploughing with a yoke of bulls; and 
hunger had violently affected him; so he went to the ploughman 
and said to him, Peace be on thee ! And he returned his salutation, 
and said. Welcome to thee, O my master ! Art thou of the mem- 
looks of the Sult&n?—He answered, Yes. And he said, Alight 
here with me for entertainment. He therefore knew that he was 
of the liberal, but he said to him, O my brother, I see not with 
thee anything wherewith thou canst feed me. How is it then that 
thou invitest me ?—The ploughman answered, O my master, good 
things are at hand. Alight thou; and behold, the village is near; 
so I will go and bring thee dinner, and fodder for thy horse.— 
Maaroof replied. Since the village is near, I shall arrive at it in the 
same time in which thou wouldst arrive there, and I will buy what 
I desire from the market, and eat. But he said to him, O my 
master, verily the village is a hamlet, and there is not in it a 
market, nor selling nor buying. I conjure thee by Allah that 
thou alight here with me, and comfort my heart; and I will go 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

701 

thither, and will return to thee quickly.—So he alighted ; and the 
peasant left him, and went to the village to bring him the dinner. 
Maaroof therefore sat waiting for him. Then he said within him¬ 
self, Verily we have diverted this poor man from his work; but I 
will arise and plough in his stead, until he come, to compensate for 
my having hindered him from his work. 

Accordingly he took the plough, and drove on the bulls, and 
ploughed a little; and the plough struck against something, where¬ 
upon the beasts stopped. So he urged them ; but they could not 
proceed; and he looked at the plough, and saw that it was caught 
in a ring of gold. He therefore removed from it the earth, and 
he found that ring to be in the middle of a stone of alabaster, of 
the size of the lower stone of a mill; and he laboured at it until 
he pulled it up from its place, when there appeared beneath it a 
subterranean place with stairs; and he descended those stairs, and 
saw a place like a bath, with four leewans. The first leew4n was 
full of gold, from the floor to the roof; and the second leewan was 
full of emeralds and pearls and coral, from the floor to the roof; 
and the third leew4n was full of jacinths and balass-rubies and 
turquoises; and the fourth leew4n was full of diamonds and precious 
minerals of all kinds of jewels. Also, at the upper end of that 
place was a chest of clear crystal, full of incomparable jewels, each 
jewel of them being of the size of a hazel-nut; and upon that chest 
was a little box, of the size of a lemon, and it was of gold. So 
when he beheld this, he wondered, and rejoiced exceedingly ; and 
he said. What can be in this little box ? Then he opened it, and 
he saw in it a seal-ring of gold, on which were engraved names 
and talismans , like the marks made by the creeping of ants. And 
he rubbed the seal-ring; and lo, a speaker said, At thy service! 
At thy service! O my master! Demand then, and thou shalt 
receive. Dost thou desire to build a town, or to ruin a city, or to 
slay a King, or to dig a river, or anything of that kind ? For 
whatsoever thou demandest, it will happen, by permission of the 
Almighty King, the Creator of the night and the day.—So he said 
to him, O creature of my Lord, who art thou, and what mayest 
thou be ? He answered, I am the servant of this seal-ring, acting 
in the service of its possessor; and whatever object of desire he 
demandeth, I accomplish it for him; and there is no excuse for 

my neglecting what he commandeth me to do; for I am Sultan 
over ’O'ns of the J£n, and the number of my troops is two and 
seventy tribes. The number of each tribe is two and seventy 
thousand, and every one of the thousand ruleth over a thousand 
M&rids, and each M&rid ruleth over a thousand ’O'ns, and every 
’O'n ruleth over a thousand Devils, and every Devil ruleth over a 
thousand Jinnees, and all of them are under my authority, and 
they are unable to disobey me. But I am bound by enchantment 
to this seal-ring, and I cannot disobey him who possesseth it. Lo, 
thou hast possessed it, and I have become thy servant. Demand 
then what thou wilt; for I will hear thy saying and obey thy com¬ 
mand ; and when thou requirest me at any time, on land or on the 
sea, rub the seal-ring, and thou wilt find me with thee. But 
beware of rubbing it twice successively; for thou wouldst burn 
me with the fire of the names [engraved thereon], and lose me, 
and repent for me after that. Now I have acquainted thee with 
my state; and peace be on thee ! 

Upon this, Maaroof said to him, What is thy name ? He 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

703 

answered, My name is Abu-s-Sa’&dat.” And he said to him, O 
Abu-s-Sa’ad4t, what is this place, and who enchanted thee in this 
little box ? He answered, O my master, this place is a treasure, 
called the treasure of Shedddd the son of ’A'd, who constructed 
Irem Zat el-’Em4d, the like of which hath not been made in the 
countries of the earth. I was his servant during his life, and this 
was his seal-ring, and he deposited it in his treasure; but it is thy 
lot.—Maaroof then said to him, Canst thou take forth what is in 
this treasure and place it on the face of the earth ? He answered, 
Yes; it will be the easiest of actions. And Maaroof said. Take 
forth all that is in it, and leave not of it aught. And he made a 
sign with his hand towards the ground, whereupon it clove asunder. 
Then he descended, and was absent a little while; and lo, young, 
elegant boys, with beautiful faces, came forth carrying baskets of 
gold, and those baskets were full of gold, and they emptied them; 
after which they went and brought more; and they ceased not to 
transport the gold and jewels, and not more than a short time had 
elapsed when they said, There remaineth not in the treasure aught. 
Upon this, Abu-s-Sa’4dat came up to him, and said to him, O my 
master, thou hast seen that we have transported all that was in the 
treasure. And he said to him. What are these beautiful boys? 
He answered. These are my children ; for this work deserved not 
that I should collect for it the ’O'ns, and my children have accom¬ 
plished thine affair, and have been honoured by serving thee. 
Now demand what thou desirest beside this.—So he said to him, 
Canst thou bring me mules and chests, and put these riches into 
the chests, and place the chests upon the mules ? He answered. 
This will be the easiest affair that can be. Then he uttered a 
great cry, whereupon his children presented themselves before 
him ; and they were eight hundred. And he said to them, Let 
some of you become transformed into the semblance of mules, and 
some of you into the semblance of beautiful memlooks, such that 
the like of the least of them existeth not in the possession of any 
of the Kings, and some of you into the semblance of those who let 
out beasts of burden, and some of you into the semblance of 
servants. And they did as he had commanded them; after which 
he called out to the ’O'ns, who presented themselves before him, 
and he ordered them that some of them should become transformed 

704 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

into the semblance of horses saddled with saddles of gold set with 
jewels. And when Maaroof beheld this, he said, Where are the 
chests ? They therefore brought them before him. And he said. 
Pack the gold and the minerals, each kind by itself. So they 
packed them, and put them upon three hundred mules. And 
Maaroof said, O Abu-s-Sa’&dat, canst thou bring me loads of pre¬ 
cious stuffs? He asked. Dost thou desire Egyptian stuffs, or 
Syrian, or Persian, or Indian, or Greek ? He answered. Bring of 
the stuffs of each country a hundred loads upon a hundred mules. 
He replied, O my master, grant me a delay, until I arrange my ’O'ns 
for that purpose, and order each company to go to a country in 
order to bring a hundred loads of its stuffs, and the ’O'ns shall 
become transformed into the semblance of mules, and come carrying 
the goods. Maaroof said. What shall be the period of delay ? He 
answered. The period of the blackness of the night; for the day¬ 
light shall not arise without thy having with thee all that thou 
desirest. And he said, I grant thee this period of delay. 

He then commanded them to pitch for him a tent. So they 
pitched it, and he seated himself, and they brought him a table of 
viands ; and Abu-s-Sa’ad&t said to him, O my master, sit in the 
tent, and these my children are before thee to guard thee; there¬ 
fore fear not aught; and I am going to collect my ’O'ns, and send 
them to accomplish thine affair. Then Abu-s-Sa’&d&t went his 
way, and Maaroof sat in the tent, with the table before him, and 
the children of Abu-s-Sa’adat before him in the semblance of 
memlooks and servants and other dependants. And while he was 
sitting in this state, lo, the peasant approached, carrying a large 
wooden bowl of lentils, and a fodder-bag full of barley. So he 
saw the tent pitched, and the memlooks standing with their hands 
upon their bosoms; and he imagined that Maaroof was the Sultan, 
who had come and alighted in that place. He therefore stood in 
a state of confusion, and said within himself. Would that I had 
killed two chickens, and fried them red with clarified cows’ butter 
for the sake of the Sul tin ! And he desired to return, to kill two 
chickens wherewith to entertain the Sultan. But Maaroof saw 
him, and cried out to him, and said to the memlooks, Bring him. 
They therefore carried him with the wooden bowl of lentils, and 
brought both before Maaroof, who said to him, What is this ? He 

answered. This is thy dinner, and the fodder for thy horse ; but 
blame me not ; for I did not imagine that the Sultan would come 
to this place; and had I known that, I would have killed for him 
two chickens, and entertained him in a goodly manner. So 
Maaroof replied, The Sult&n hath not come ; but I am his son-in- 
law, and I was displeased with him, and he hath sent to me his 
memlooks, who have reconciled me, and I now desire to return to 
the city. However, thou hast prepared for me this entertainment 
without being acquainted with me, and thine entertainment is 
accepted, though it is of lentils, and I will not eat save of thy 
cheer.—He then ordered him to put the wooden howl in the 
middle of the table, and ate from it until he was satisfied; but as 
to the peasant, he filled his stomach with food from those dishes of 
various exquisite viands. After that, Maaroof washed his hands, 
and gave permission to the memlooks to eat. So they fell upon 
the remains of the repast, and ate; and when the wooden bowl 
was emptied, Maaroof filled it for the peasant with gold, and said 
to him, Convey it to thy dwelling, and come to me in the city, and 
I will treat thee with generosity. He therefore took the wooden 

4 X 

VOL. III. 

706 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

bowl full of gold, and drove the bulls, and went to his village, 
imagining that he [himself] was a relation of the king. 

Maaroof passed that night in delight and joy, and they brought 
him damsels, of the brides of the treasures, 2J who played upon the 
instruments of music and danced before him. Thus he passed his 
night, and it was not to be reckoned among lives. And when the 
morning came, he was not aware when the dust rose and flew, and 
dispersed exposing to view mules bearing loads. They were 
seven hundred mules, carrying stuffs, and around them were young 
men like those who let out beasts of burden, and ’akkams, and 
light-bearers; and Abu-s-Sa’adat was riding upon a mule, being 
in the semblance of leader of the caravan, and before him was a 
takht-rawan 25 upon which were four ornaments 28 of brilliant red 
gold, set with jewels. When he arrived at the tent, he alighted 
from the back of the mule, and kissed the ground, and said, 0 my 
master, verily the affair is accomplished completely and perfectly, 
and in this takht-raw&n is a suit of apparel from the treasures, of 
which there is not the like among the apparel of Kings: therefore 
put it on, and ride in the takht-raw&n, and command us to do what 
thou desirest. And he replied, O Abu-s-Sa’adat, I desire to write 
for thee a letter, with which thou shalt repair to the city of 
Ikhtiyan 27 of El-Khutan, and go in to my uncle the King; and go 
not in to him save in the semblance of a human 28 courier. So he 
said to him, I hear and obey. He then wrote a letter and sealed 
it, and Abu-s-Sa’ad&t took it, and proceeded with it until he went 
in to the King, when he saw him saying, 0 Wezeer, verily my 
heart is anxious for my son-in-law, and I fear that the Arabs may 
slay bim. Would that I knew whither he is going, that I might 
follow him with the troops, and would that he had informed me 
thereof before his departure!—Upon this the Wezeer replied, 
May God be gracious to thee with respect to this state of heedless¬ 
ness in which thou art! By thy head, the man hath known that 
we had become excited to suspect him, and he feared disgrace, and 
fled; and he is none other than an impostor, a liar.—And lo, the 
courier entered, and he kissed the ground before the King, and 
offered up a prayer in his favour for the continuance of his glory 
and blessings, and for length of life. So the king said to him, 
Who art thou, and what is thine affair ? And he answered him, I 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

707 

am a courier. Thy son-in-law hath sent me to thee, and he is 
approaching with the merchandise, and he hath sent thee hy me a 
letter. Lo, here it is.—He therefore took it and read it, and saw 
in it,—After exceeding salutation to our uncle, the glorious King, 
I inform thee that I have come with the merchandise ; so come 
forth and meet me with the troops.—And thereupon the King 
said. May Allah blacken thy face, O Wezeer! How often wilt 
thou speak against the reputation of my son-in-law, and assert him 
to be a liar and an impostor ? He hath come with the merchandise, 
and thou art none other than a traitor.—So the Wezeer hung 
down his head towards the ground, in shame and confusion, and 
replied, O King of the age, I said not these words save on account 
of the long delay of the merchandise, and I was fearing the loss of 
the wealth that he hath expended. But the King said, O traitor, 
what are my riches ! Since his merchandise hath come, he will 
give me instead of them an abundance of things. 

Then the King gave orders to decorate the city, and went in to 
his daughter, and said to her, Good news for thee! Verily thy 
husband will soon come with his merchandise; and he hath sent 
to me a letter informing me of that event; and lo, I am going forth 
to meet him.—The damsel therefore wondered at this circumstance, 
and said within herself, Verily this is a wonderful thing! Was he 
deriding me, and making game of me, or was he proving me, when 
he informed me that he was a poor man ? But praise be to God 
that nothing injurious to him proceeded from me!—And as to the 
merchant ’Alee of Cairo, when he saw the decoration of the city, 
he inquired respecting the cause of it, and they said to him, The 
merchandise of the merchant Maaroof, the son-in-law of the King, 
hath arrived. So he said, God is most great! What is this cala¬ 
mity ! Verily he came to me fleeing from his wife, and he was 
a poor man. Whence then came to him merchandise ? But pro¬ 
bably the daughter of the King hath contrived for him a stratagem, 
in fear of disgrace, and Kings are not unable to accomplish any¬ 
thing. However, may God (whose name be exalted!) protect 
him, and not disgrace him!—And all the other merchants rejoiced 
and were glad because they would receive their money. The 
King then assembled the troops and went forth; and Abu-s-Sa’adat 
had returned to Maaroof, and informed him that he had delivered 

708 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

the letter ; whereupon Maaroof said, Put ye on the loads. Accord¬ 
ingly they put them on; and he clad himself in the suit of the 
apparel of the treasures, and got up into the takht-raw&n, and 
became a thousand times greater and more majestic than the King. 
He proceeded as for as half the way, and lo, the King met him 
with the troops, and when he came to him, he saw him wearing 
that dress, and riding in the takht-rawan, and he threw himself 
upon him, saluted him, and congratulated him on his safety. All 
the great men of the empire also saluted him, and it appeared that 
Maaroof was veracious, and that there was no falsehood in him. 

He entered the city in a stately procession that would have made 
the gall-bladder of the lion to burst, and the merchants came to 
him and kissed the ground before him. Then the merchant ’Alee 
said to him, Thou hast done this deed, and it hath been successfully 
accomplished by thee, O sheykh of the impostors! But thou art 
deserving: therefore may God (whose name be exalted!) increase 
to thee his bounty!—And Maaroof laughed. And when he entered 
the palace, he seated himself upon the throne, and said, Put ye the 
loads of gold into the treasury of my uncle the King, and bring ye 
the loads of stuffs. So they brought them forward to him, and 
proceeded to open them, load after load, and to take forth their 
contents, until they had opened the seven hundred loads; where¬ 
upon he selected the best of them, and said, Take them in to the 
Queen, that she may distribute them among her female slaves; 
and take ye this chest of jewels, and carry it in to her, that she 
may distribute the jewels among the female slaves and the eunuchs. 
Next he proceeded to give, to the merchants to whom he was 
indebted, stuffs in payment of the debts ; and to whom he owed a 
thousand, he gave stuffs worth two thousand, or more; after which, 
he distributed to the poor and needy, while the King looked on, 
and was unable to prevent him. He ceased not to give and bestow 
until he had distributed the seven hundred loads; when he looked 
towards the soldiers, and betook himself to distributing among 
them minerals and emeralds and jacinths and pearls and coral and 
other things, not giving the jewels save by handfuls, without num¬ 
bering. So the King said to him, O my son, these gifts are suffi¬ 
cient; for there remaineth not of the merchandise more than a 
small quantity. But he replied, I have abundance. And his 

veracity had become publickly manifest, and no one could any 
longer belie him. He became careless as to giving; for the servant 
of the seal-ring brought him whatever he demanded. Then the 
Treasurer came to the King, and said, 0 King of the age, verily 
the treasury is filled, and will not hold the rest of the loads, and 
where shall we put what remaineth of the gold and minerals ? So 
he pointed out to him another place. And when his wife beheld 
this thing, her joy was excessive, and she wondered, and said 
within herself. Whence can all this wealth have come to him ? In 
like manner also the merchants rejoiced at the things that he had 
given them, and they prayed for him. And as to the merchant 
’Alee, he wondered too, and said within himself. How is it that he 
hath imposed and lied so that he hath gained possession of all these 
treasures ? ' For if they were from the daughter of the King, he 
would not have distributed them to the poor. But how excellent 
is the saying of him who said,— 

710 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

When the King of Kings bestoweth, inquire not respecting the cause. 

God will give to whom He pleaseth: so keep within the bounds of reverence. 

—But as to the King, he wondered extremely at what he beheld 
of the actions of Maaroof, and his generosity and munificence in 
lavishing the wealth. 

After that, Maaroof went in to his wife, who met him smiling, 
laughing, and joyful, and kissed his hand, and said, Wast thou 
making game of me, or didst thou try me by thy saying, I am a 
poor man, and fleeing from my wife? Praise be to God that 
nothing injurious to thee proceeded from me! Thou art my 
beloved, and there is none more dear in my estimation, whether 
thou be rich or poor; and I wish that thou wouldst inform me 
what thou desiredst by these words.—He replied, I desired to try 
thee, that I might see whether thine affection were sincere, or on 
account of wealth, and covetousness of worldly goods ; and it hath 
become manifest to me that thine affection is sincere; and since 
thou art true in affection, welcome to thee! I have known thy 
value.—Then he went into a place by himself, and rubbed the 
seal-ring. So Abu-s-Sa’&d&t presented himself to him, and said to 
him. At thy service! Demand then what thou wilt.—He replied, 
I desire of thee a suit of the apparel of the treasures for my wife, 
and ornaments of the treasures, comprising a necklace of forty 
incomparable jewels. And he said, I hear and obey. Then he 
brought to him what he had commanded him to procure, and 
Maaroof carried the suit of apparel and the ornaments, after he 
had dismissed the servant, and, going in to his wife, he put them 
before her, and said to her, Take and put them on ; and welcome 
to thee ! And when she looked at those things, her reason fled in 
consequence of her joy; and she saw, among the ornaments, two 
anklets of gold set with jewels, the work of the magicians, and 
bracelets and ear-rings and a nose-ring 28 which no riches would 
suffice to purchase. She put on the suit of apparel and the orna¬ 
ments, and said, O my master, I desire to treasure them up for 
festivals and holidays. But he replied. Wear them always; for I 
have abundance beside them. And when she put them on, and 
the female slaves beheld her, they rejoiced, and kissed her hands. 
He then left them, and went apart by himself, and again rubbed 
the seal-ring. The servant therefore presented himself to him. 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

711 

and he said to him, Bring me a hundred suits of apparel, with the 
ornaments of gold appropriate to them. And he replied, I hear 
and obey,—and brought him the suits of apparel, each suit having 
its ornaments of gold within it; and Maaroof took them, and called 
out to the female slaves. So they came to him, and he gave to 
each of them a suit; and they put on the suits, and became like 
the Hooreeyehs, the Queen being among them like the moon 
among the stars. And one of the female slaves informed the King 
thereof; wherefore the King came in to his daughter, and saw that 
she and her female slaves amazed the beholder; and he wondered 
at this extremely. 

He then went forth and summoned his Wezeer, and said to him, 
0 Wezeer, such and such things have happened, and what sayest 
thou of this case ? He answered, O King of the age, verily this 
conduct proceedeth not from merchants; for pieces of linen remain 
in the possession of the merchant for years, and he selleth them not 
save for gain. How should merchants have generosity like this 
generosity, and how can they accumulate the like of these riches 
and jewels such as exist not in the possession of Kangs, save in 
small quantities ? How then can loads of them exist in the posses¬ 
sion of merchants ? There must be a cause for this. But, if thou 
wilt comply with my advice, I will make manifest to thee the truth 
of the case.—And he replied, I will comply with thy advice, O 
Wezeer. So the Wezeer said to him. Have an interview with 
him, and show affection for him, and converse with him, and say 
to him, O my son-in-law, I have it in my heart to go with thee and 
the Wezeer, and none else, to a garden, for the sake of diversion. 
And when we have gone forth to the garden, we will put the wine- 
table, and I will constrain him, and give him to drink ; and when 
he hath drunk the wine, his reason will be lost, and his right 
judgment will quit him, and we will ask him respecting the truth 
of his case; for he will acquaint us with his secrets. Wine is a 
betrayer ; and divinely gifted was he who said,— 

When we had drunk it, and it had crept as far as the place of secrets, I said 
to it, Stop;— 

Fearing lest its influence should overcome me, and my companions discover 
my hidden secret. 

Then, when he hath informed us of the truth of the case, we 
shall know his state, and may do with him as we like and choose; 

712 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

for I fear for thee the results of this state in which he is. Probably 
his soul may be ambitious of obtaining the kingdom, and the troops 
may be collected by means of generosity and the lavishing of 
wealth, and he may depose thee, and take the kingdom from thee.— 
And the King replied. Thou hast spoken truth. 

They passed the night agreeing as to this plan ; and when the 
morning came, the King went forth to the mak’ad, and seated 
himself; and lo, the servants and grooms came in to him in afflic¬ 
tion. So he said to them, What hath befallen you ? And they 
answered, 0 King of the age, the grooms curried the horses, and 
gave fodder to them and, to the mules that brought the merchandise ; 
and when we arose in the morning, we found that the memlooks 
had stolen the horses and mules, and we searched the stables, but 
saw not horses nor mules; and we entered the place of the 
memlooks, but saw not in it any one; and we know not how they 
fled. The King therefore wondered at that; for he imagined 
that the ’O'ns were horses and mules and memlooks, and knew not 
that they were the ’O'ns of the servant of the talisman. And he 
said to them, O ye accursed! How is it that a thousand beasts, 
and five hundred memlooks, and servants besides, fled, and ye per¬ 
ceived them not?—They replied. We know not how it happened 
to us that they fled. And he said. Depart, and wait until your 
master cometh forth from the hareem, and acquaint him with the 
news. So they departed from before the King, and sat perplexed re¬ 
specting this matter; and while they were sitting in this state, lo, 
Maaroof came forth from the hareem, and saw them sorrowful, 
and he said to them. What is the news ? They therefore acquainted 
him with that which had happened. But he said. And what is 
their value, that ye are sorrowful on account of them ? Go your 
way.—And he sat laughing, and was neither angry nor sorrowful 
on account of this event. And the King looked in the face of the 
Wezeer, and said, What is this man, in whose estimation wealth 
is of no value? There must be a cause for this.—Then they con¬ 
versed with him a while, and the King said, O my son-in-law, I 
desire to go with thee and the Wezeer to a garden, for the sake of 
diversion. What then sayest thou ?—And he replied. No harm. 

So thereupon they departed, and repaired to a garden containing 
two kinds of every fruit, and its rivers were flowing, and its trees 
were tall, and its birds were warbling. They entered, within it, a 

pavilion that would dispel grief from hearts, and sat conversing, 
the Wezeer relating extraordinary tales, and introducing ludicrous 
witticisms, and mirth-exciting sayings, and Maaroof listening to 
the conversation, until the dinner came up. They placed the table 
of viands, and the jar of wine ; and after they had eaten, and 
washed their hands, the Wezeer filled the cup, and gave it to the 
King, who drank it; and he filled the second, and said to Maaroof, 
Take the cup of the beverage in reverence of which the under¬ 
standing bows the neck. So Maaroof said, What is this, O 
Wezeer? The Wezeer answered, This is the old maid, and the 
virgin long kept in her home, and the imparter of joy to hearts, of 
whioh the poet hath said,— 

The stout, foreign infidels’ feet went round treading her, and she hath 
avenged herself upon the heads of the Arabs. 

One of the daughters of the infidels, like the full moon amid darkness, whose 
eyes are the strongest cause of temptation, presenteth her . 80 

And among other pieces of poetry, he recited this verse:— 

I wonder at the pressers of it, how they have died, and have left to us the 
water of life. 

4 Y 

vot. in. 

714 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

And this couplet:— 

By Allah, there is no other alchemy than this ; and all is false that is said 
of the modes of other kinds. 

Pour a carat’s weight of wine upon a hundred-weight of grief, and the latter 
is instantly converted into joys. 

He ceased not to excite his desire for the wine, mentioning to him 
such of its good qualities as he relished, and reciting to him what 
occurred to his mind of verses on the subject of it, and pleasant 
stories, until he inclined to put his lips to the mouth of the cup, 
and had no longer a desire for anything else. And the Wezeer 
continued to fill for him, and he drank and delighted and was 
merry, till he lost his reason, and distinguished not his wrong 
conduct from his right. So when he knew that his intoxication had 
become extreme, and exceeded the utmost point that was required, 
he said to him, O merchant Maaroof, by Allah, I wonder whence 
came to thee these jewels of which the like exist not in the pos¬ 
session of the royal Kisras; and in our lives we have never seen a 
merchant who hath accumulated riches like thee, nor any one more 
generous than thou; for thine actions are the actions of kings, 
and they are not the actions of merchants. I conjure thee then by 
Allah that thou inform me, in order that I may know thy rank 
and thy station.—And he proceeded to ply him and beguile him, 
while he was bereft of reason. Maaroof therefore said to him, I 
am not a merchant, nor one of the Kings. And he acquainted 
him with his story from beginning to end. So the Wezeer said to 
him, I conjure thee by Allah, 0 my master Maaroof, to divert us 
with a sight of this seal-ring, that we may see of what kind is its 
make. And he pulled off the ring, in his intoxication, and said, 
Take it, and divert yourselves with the sight of it. And the 
Wezeer took it, and turned it over, and said. If I rub it, will the 
servant present himself ? Maaroof answered, Yes: rub it: he will 
present himself to thee; and divert thou thyself by beholding him. 

The Wezeer therefore rubbed it; and lo, a speaker said. At thy 
service, 0 my master ! Demand: thou shalt receive ! Wilt thou 
ruin a city, or build a city, or slay a King ? For whatever thou 
desirest, I will do it for thee, without disobedience.—And the 
Wezeer made a sign to Maaroof, and said to the servant, Take up 
this erring man: then cast him down in the most desolate of de- 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

71.5 

serted lands, so that he may not find in it what he may eat nor 
what he may drink, and may perish of hunger, and die in sorrow, no 
one knowing of him. So the servant seized him, and flew with him 
between heaven and earth. And when Maaroof beheld this, he 
felt sure of destruction, and grievous embarrassment; and he wept, 
and said, O Abu-s-Sa’4d&t, whither art thou going with me ? He 
answered him, I am going to cast thee down in the deserted 
quarter 81 of the earth, O thou of little good-breeding! Who pos- 
sesseth a talisman like this and giveth it to people that they 
may divert themselves with the sight of it? But thou deservest 
what hath befallen thee; and, but that I fear God, I would cast 
thee down from the distance of a thousand fathoms, and thou 
wouldst not reach the earth until the winds should have torn thee 
in pieces.—So he was silent, and spoke not to him until he arrived 
with him at the deserted quarter; whereupon he threw him down 
there ; and he returned, and left him in the desolate land.—Mean¬ 
while, the Wezeer, having possessed the seal-ring, said to the 
King, How thinkest thou now ? Did I not say to thee that this 
man was a liar, an impostor ? But thou didst not believe me.— 
And he replied, Thou art right, 0 my Wezeer! God give thee 
health! Give me this seal-ring, that I may divert myself with a 
sight of it.—But the Wezeer looked at him angrily, and spat in 
his face, and said to him, 0 thou of little sense, how should I give 
it to thee, and become thy servant, after I have become thy master ? 
But I will no longer suffer thee to exist.—Then he rubbed the 
seal-ring, and the servant presented himself, and he said to him, 
Take up this person of little good-breeding, and throw him down 
in the place where thou hast cast his son-in-law, the impostor. So 
he took him up, and flew away with him, and the King said to 

716 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

him, O creature of my Lord, what is my offence ? The servant 
answered him, I know not: but my master hath commanded me 
to do this, and I cannot disobey him who possesseth the seal-ring 
containing this talisman. He ceased not to fly on with him until 
he threw him down in the place in which was Maaroof. He then 
returned, and left him there. And the King heard Maaroof 
weeping: wherefore he came to him and informed him of his case, 
and they sat weeping for that which had befallen them, and found 
neither food nor drink. 

But as to the Wezeer, after he had separated Maaroof and the 
King from their home, he arose and went forth from the garden, 
and, having sent to all the soldiers, held a court, and acquainted 
them with what he had done with Maaroof and the King. He 
told them also the story of the seal-ring, and said to them, If ye 
make me not Sult&n over you, I will command the servant of the 
seal-ring to carry you all off and cast you down in the deserted 
quarter, and ye will die of hunger and thirst. So they replied. 
Do us no injury; for we consent to thy being Suit An over us, and 
we will not disobey thy command. They agreed to his being 
Sultan over them against their wish, and he conferred upon them 
robes of honour, and proceeded to demand all that he desired of 
Abu-s-Sa’Adat, who presented it before him immediately. He 
seated himself upon the throne, and the troops obeyed him; and 
he sent to the daughter of the King, saying to her, Prepare 
thyself; for I am coming to take thee as my wife this night, being 
full of desire to be with thee. Upon this, she wept; and the case 
of her father and her husband grieved her; and she sent to say to 
him, Let me remain until the period of widowhood 84 shall have 
been completed: then perform the ceremony of the contract of my 
marriage, and take me as thy wife legally. But he sent to say to 
her, I know no period of widowhood nor length of time, nor do I 
require a contract of marriage, nor do I know lawful from un¬ 
lawful. I must without fail take thee as my wife this night.—And 
she sent to say to him, Welcome to thee! And there will be no 
harm in that.—But this proceeding was a stratagem of hers. And 
when the reply was brought to him, he rejoiced, and his bosom 
became dilated; for he was passionately enamoured of her. He 
then gave orders to place the viands among all the people, and 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

717 

said, Eat ye this food, as it is the banquet of the wedding-festivity ; 
for I purpose to take the Queen as my wife this night. The Sheykh 
el-Islam therefore said. It is not lawful for thee to take her as thy 
wife until her period of widowhood shall have been completed and 
thou shalt have performed the ceremony of the contract of thy 
marriage to her. But he replied, I know not a period of widow¬ 
hood nor any other period: therefore multiply not thy words to 
me. So the Sheykh el-Islam was silent, and feared his malice, and 
said to the soldiers, Yerily this is an infidel, and he hath no religion 
nor religious opinion. 

Then, when the evening came, he went in to her, and saw her 
wearing the most magnificent of the apparel that she possessed, and 
adorned with the most beautiful of ornaments; and when she 
beheld him, she received him laughing, and said to him, A blessed 
night! But hadst thou slain my father and my husband, it had 
been better in my opinion !—So he replied, I must without fail slay 
them. And she seated him, and proceeded to jest with him, and 
to make a show of affection for him ; and when she caressed him, 
and smiled in his face, his reason fled. But she only beguiled him 
by caresses in order that she might get possession of the seal-ring, 
and convert his joy into calamity upon his head; and she did not 
with him these deeds save in accordance with the idea of him who 
said,— 33 

I have attained by means of my stratagem what could not be attained by the 
swords. 

Then 1 returned with plunder of which the plucked fruits were sweet. 

Then suddenly she retired to a distance from him, and wept, 
and said, 0 my lord, dost thou not see the man that is looking at 
us? I conjure thee by Allah to veil me from his eye!—And 
thereupon he was enraged, and said, \Vhere is the man ? She 
answered, Lo, he is in the stone of the seal-ring, putting forth his 
head, and looking at us. He therefore imagined that the servant 
of the seal-ring was looking at them; and he laughed, and said. 
Fear not. This is the servant of the seal-ring, and he is under 
my authority.—She replied, I am afraid of ’Efreets: so pull it off, 
and throw it to a distance from me. Accordingly he pulled it off, 
and put it on the cushion, and drew near to her. But she kicked 
him with her foot upon his stomach, so that he fell upon his back 

senseless; and she called out to her dependants, who came to her 
quickly, and she said to them. Lay hold upon him! So forty 
female slaves seized him, and she hastily took the seal-ring from 
the pillow, and rubbed it; and lo, Abu-s-Sa’adat approached, 
saying. At thy service, 0 my mistress ! And she said, Take up this 
infidel, and put him into the prison, and make his shackles heavy. 

He therefore took him, and confined him in the prison of anger, 
and returned and said to her, I have imprisoned him. She then 
said to him, Whither conveyedst thou my father and my husband ? 
He answered, I threw them down in the deserted quarter. And 
she said, I command thee to bring them to me this instant. So 
he replied, I hear and obey. And he flew from before her, and 
ceased not to fly on until he arrived at the deserted quarter and 
descended upon them, when he beheld them sitting weeping, and 
complaining one to the other; and he said to them. Fear ye not. 
Relief hath come to you.—He acquainted them with that which 
the Wezeer had done, and said to them, I have imprisoned him 
with mine own hand, in obedience to her; and she commanded me 
to bring you back. They therefore rejoiced at the news that he 
told them. Then he took them up, and flew away with them, and 
not more than a little while had elapsed before he went in with 
them to the King’s daughter, who arose and saluted her father and 
her husband, and seated them, and presented to them the viands 
and the sweetmeat. They passed the remainder of the night, and 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

719 

on the following day, she clad her father in a magnificent suit of 
apparel, and clad her husband in like manner, and said, O my 
father, sit thou upon thy throne, a King as thou wast at first, and 
make my husband thy "Wezeer of the right hand; then acquaint 
thy troops with the events that have happened, and bring the 
Wezeer from the prison, and slay him, and after that, bum him; 
for he is an infidel, and he desired to take me as his wife unlawfully, 
without the rite of marriage. He hath avowed of himself that he 
is an infidel, and that he hath no religion which he holdeth. And 
do thou act well to thy son-in-law, whom thou hast appointed thy 
Wezeer of the right hand.—He replied, I hear and obey, O my 
daughter: but give me the seal-ring, or give it to thy husband. 
But she said, Yerily itbefitteth not thee nor him. The seal-ring 
shall remain only in my possession, and probably I shall take more 
care of it than ye would. Whatever ye desire, demand it of me, 
and I will demand for you of the servant of the seal-ring. Fear 
ye not any harm as long as I live; and after my death, do as ye 
will with the seal-ring.—And her father replied, This is the right 
plan, 0 my daughter. Then he took his son-in-law, and went up 
to the council-chamber. 

Now the troops had passed the night in excessive affliction, on 
account of the King’s daughter, and what the Wezeer had [as they 
imagined] done with her, taking her as his wife unlawfully, without 
the rite of marriage, and his ill-treatment of the King and his son- 
in-law; and they feared that the law of el-Islam would be dis¬ 
honoured; for it had become manifest to them that he was an 
infidel. Then they assembled in the council-chamber, and began 
to reproach the Sheykh el-Islam, saying to him. Wherefore didst 
thou not prevent him from taking the Queen as his wife unlawfully ? 
So he answered them, 0 people, verily the man is an infidel, and 
he hath become possessor of the seal-ring, and I and ye are unable 
to do aught against him. But God (whose name be exalted!) 
will recompense him for his conduct; and be ye silent, lest he slay 
y 0U .—And while the soldiers were assembled in the council- 
chamber, conversing on this subject, lo, the King came in to them 
in the council-chamber, and with him his son-in-law Maaroof. So 
when the soldiers beheld him, they rejoiced at his coming, and rose 
to him upon their feet, and kissed the ground before him. He 

720 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

then seated himself upon the throne, and acquainted them with 
the story. Therefore their grief quitted them. And he gave 
orders to decorate the city, and caused the Wezeer to be brought 
from the prison ; and as he passed by the soldiers, they cursed him 
and reviled him and threatened him until he came to the King; 
and when he stood before him, he gave orders to slay him in the 
most abominable manner. So they slew him: then they burned 
him; and he went to Hell in the most evil of conditions; and well 
did one say of him,— 

May the Compassionate show no mercy to the tomb where his bones will lie, 
and may Munkar and Nekeer incessantly remain in it! 

Then the King appointed Maaroof his Wezeer of the right hand, 
and the times were pleasant to them, and their joys were unsullied. 

They remained thus five years ; and in the sixth year the King 
died; and thereupon the King’s daughter made Maaroof Sultan 
in the place of her father; but she gave him not the seal-ring. 
And during this period, she had borne him a boy, of surprising 
loveliness, of surpassing beauty and perfection ; and he ceased not 
to remain in the laps of the nurses until he had attained the age of 
five years. Then his mother fell into a fatal sickness: so she 
summoned Maaroof, and said to him, I am sick. He replied, God 
preserve thee, O beloved of my heart ! But she rejoined. Probably 
I shall die, and thou requirest not that I should charge thee re¬ 
specting thy son. I only charge thee to take care of the seal-ring, 
from fear for thee and for this boy.—He said, No harm will befall 
him whom God preserveth. And she pulled off the ring, and gave 
it to him; and on the following day, she was admitted to the mercy 
of God, whose name be exalted! 

Maaroof still remained King, and applied himself to the affairs 
of government. And it happened one day that he shook the 
handkerchief, and the soldiers dispersed themselves from before 
him to their abodes, and he entered the sitting-chamber, and sat 
there until the day had passed, and the night came with its thick 
darkness. Then the great men who were his boon-companions 
came in to him, according to their custom, and sat up with him for 
the sake of enjoyment and amusement until midnight, when they 
asked permission to depart, and he gave them permission, and they 
went forth from him to their houses. After that, there came in to 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

721 

him a slave-girl, who was employed to attend to his bed, and she 
spread for him the mattress, pulled off his clothes, and clad him in 
the apparel of sleep, and he laid himself down. The damsel then 
proceeded to rub and press gently the soles of his feet until sleep 
overcame him; whereupon she went forth from him to her sleeping- 
place, and slept. And the King Maaroof was sleeping, and sud¬ 
denly he found something by his side in the bed. So he awoke 
terrified, and said, I seek refuge with God from Satan the accursed! 
Then he opened his eyes, and saw by his side a woman of hideous 
aspect; and he said to her. Who art thou ? She answered, Fear 
not. I am thy wife, Fatimeh El-’Orrah. 

Upon this, he looked in her face, and knew her by the hideous¬ 
ness of her shape, and the length of her dog-teeth; and he said, 
How earnest thou in to me, and who brought thee to this country ? 
She said to him, In what country art thou at present? He 
answered, In the city of Ikhtiyan of El-Khutan. And thou (he 
added), when didst thou quit Cairo? She answered. Just now. 
He said tt> her. And how so ? She answered. Know that when I 
wrangled with thee, and the Devil had incited me to do thee 
mischief, and I complained of thee to the magistrates, they searched 
for thee, and found thee not; and the K&dees inquired respecting 
thee; but they saw thee not. Then, after two days had passed, 
repentance seized me, and I knew that the fault was mine; but 
repentance did not profit me. I remained for a period of days 
weeping for thy separation, and my means became diminished, so 
that it was necessary for me to beg for the sake of food. I pro¬ 
ceeded to beg of every emulated man of wealth and every detested 
pauper; and from the time when thou quittedst me, I have been 
eating the food obtained by ignominious begging. I became m 
the most evil of conditions, and every night I sat weeping for thy 
separation, and for what I had endured since thy departure, of 

VOL. III. 

722 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

ignominy and contempt and disappointment and injury.—She con¬ 
tinued to relate to him what had happened to her, while he was in 
amazement at her, until she said. And yesterday I went about all 
the day begging; but no one gave me aught. Every time that I 
accosted any one, and begged him for a bit of bread, he reviled 
me, and gave me not aught. So when the night came, I passed it 
without supper, and hunger tormented me; what I endured was 
grievous to me, and I sat weeping. And lo, a person appeared 
before me, and said to me, O woman, wherefore dost thou weep ? 
I therefore answered, I had a husband who expended upon me 
and accomplished my desires, and he hath been lost to me, and I 
know not whither he hath gone, and I have endured embarrassment 
since his departure. Thereupon he said, What is the name of thy 
husband? I answered. His name is Maaroof. And he said, I am 
acquainted with him. Know that thy husband is now Sultan in a 
city; and if thou desire that I should convey thee to him, I will 
do so.—I therefore said to him, I throw myself upon thy gene¬ 
rosity, begging thee to convey me to him! And he took me up, 
and flew with me between heaven and earth until he conveyed me 
to this palace, when he said. Enter this chamber. Thou wilt see 
thy husband sleeping upon the couch.—So I entered, and saw thee 
in this state of sovereignty. Now it was not my wish that thou 
shouldst forsake me. I am thy companion; and praise be to God 
who hath united me with thee!—Upon this he said to her, Did I 
forsake thee, or didst thou forsake me ? 34 Thou complainedst of 
me to K&dee after K&dee, and finishedst by complaining of me to 
the Sublime Court, so that thou causedst Aboo Tabak to come 
down upon me from the Citadel. Therefore I fled in spite of 
myself.—And he proceeded to relate to her what had happened to 
him until he became Sultan and married the King’s daughter. He 
told her also that she had died, and that he had by her a son, 
whose age was seven years. And she said to him, What hath 
happened was predestined by God (whose name be exalted !), and 
I have repented. I throw myself upon thy generosity, entreating 
thee not to forsake me; but let me eat bread in thine abode as 
alms. 

She ceased not to humble herself to him until his heart was 
moved with compassion for her, and he said to her, Repent of evil 

conduct, and reside with me, and thou shalt experience nothing 
but what will rejoice thee. But if thou do any evil act, I will slay 
thee, and will not fear any one; so let it not occur to thy mind 
that thou mayest complain of me to the Sublime Court, and that 
Aboo Tabak will come down to me from the Citadel ; for I have 
become a Sultan, and the people fear me; but I fear not any one 
except God (whose name be exalted!), since I have a seal-ring that 
hath a servant in subjection to it. When I rub it, the servant of 
the ring appeareth to me: his name is Abu-s-Sa’ad&t; and whatever 
I demand of him, he bringeth it to me. Now if thou desire to 
return to thy country, I will give thee what will suffice thee all 
thy life, and send thee to thy country speedily. And if thou desire 
to reside with me, I will appropriate to thee exclusively a pavilion, 
and furnish it for thee with the best of silks, appoint for thee 
twenty female slaves to serve thee, and assign for thee good food 
and magnificent apparel, so that thou shalt become a Queen, and 
live in exceeding affluence until thou shalt die, or I die. What 
then sayest thou respecting this proposal ?—She answered, I desire 
to remain with thee. Then she kissed his hand, and vowed repent¬ 
ance of evil conduct. He therefore appropriated to her a pavilion 
for herself alone, and bestowed upon her female slaves and eunuchs, 
and she became a Queen. And the boy used to repair to her and 
to his father; but she hated the boy because he was not her son; 
and when the boy saw that she looked upon him with the eye of 
anger and hatred, he shunned her and hated her. Maaroof then 
became occupied with love of the beautiful slave girls, and thought 
not of his wife Fatimeh El-’Orrah, because she had become a half¬ 
gray old woman, with hideous form, and a person whose hair was 
falling off, more ugly than the speckled, black and white serpent; 
but especially because she had ill-treated him in a manner that 
could not be exceeded; and the author of the proverb saith, Ill- 

724 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

treatment eradicateth desire, and soweth fierce hatred in the soil of 
hearts. Divinely gifted was he who said,— 

Beware of losing hearts in consequence of injury, for the bringing them back, 
after flight, is difficult. 

Verily hearts, when affection hath fled from them, are like glass, which, when 
broken, cannot be made whole again. 

Maaroof did not receive her to reside in his abode on account of 
any praiseworthy quality that she possessed; but he treated her 
in this generous manner only from a desire of obtaining the 
approval of God, whose name be exalted! And when she saw 
that he withheld himself from her, and became occupied with 
others, she hated him, and jealousy overcame her, and Iblees 
suggested to her that she should take the seal-ring from him, and 
slay him, and make herself Queen in his place. Then she went 
forth one night, and walked from her pavilion to the pavilion in 
which was her husband, the King Maaroof. Now it was his 
custom, when he slept, to take off the seal-ring and conceal it; 
and she knew this : so she went forth by night to go in to him in 
the pavilion when he was drowned in sleep, and to steal this ring 
in such a manner that he should not see her. But the King’s son, 
at that time, was awake, in a private chamber with the door open; 
and when she came forth from her pavilion, he saw her carefully 
walking towards the pavilion of his father, and he said within him¬ 
self, Wherefore hath this sorceress come forth from her pavilion in 
the hour of darkness, and wherefore do I see her repairing to the 
pavilion of my father ? There must be a cause for this event.— 
He then went forth behind her, and followed her steps without 
tier seeing him. And he had a short, jewelled sword ; ai and he 
used not to go forth to the council-chamber of his father without 
having this sword hung by his side, because he prized it highly; 
and when his father saw him, he used to laugh at him, and say, 
God’s will! Verily thy sword is excellent, O my son ! But thou 
hast not gone down with it to battle, nor cut off with it a head.— 
And thereupon he used to reply, I shall not fail to cut with it a 
neck that shall be deserving of the cutting. And his father would 
laugh at his words.—Now when he walked behind his father’s 
wife, he drew the sword from its scabbard, and followed her until 
she entered the pavilion of his father, when he stood watching her 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

725 

at the door of the pavilion; and as he continued looking at her, he 
saw her searching, and saying, Where hath he put the seal-ring ? 
He therefore understood that she was looking about for the ring; 
and he ceased not to wait, observing her, until she found it, when 
she said, Lo, here it is. And she picked it up, and was about to 
come forth. So he hid himself behind the door; and when she 
came forth from the door, she looked at the ring, and turned it over 
in her hand, and was about to rub it. But he raised his hand with 
the sword, and struck her upon her neck, and she uttered one cry: 
then fell down slain. 

Upon this, Maaroof awoke, and beheld his wife laid prostrate, 
and her blood flowing, and his son with the sword drawn in his 
hand. So he said to him. What is this, O my son ? He replied, 
O my father, how often hast thou said to me. Verily thy sword is 
excellent ; but thou hast not gone down with it to battle, nor cut 
off with it a head ? And I answered thee, I shall not fail to cut 
with it a neck deserving of the cutting. Lo, now I have cut for 

726 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

thee with it a neck deserving of the cutting.—And he acquainted 
him with her case. Then he searched for the seal-ring; but he 
saw it not. And he ceased not to search her person until he saw 
her hand closed upon it. Maaroof therefore took it from her hand, 
and said to the boy, Thou art my son without doubt or uncertainty. 
May God relieve thee from trouble in this world and in the next, 
as thou hast relieved me from this base woman ! Her course only 
led her to her own destruction; and divinely gifted was he who 
said,— 

When God’s aid promoteth the business of a man, his wish, in every case, is 
easily accomplished : 

But if the aid of God be not granted to a man, the first thing that harmeth 
him is his own endeavour. 

Then the King Maaroof called out to some of his dependants, who 
came to him quickly, and he acquainted them with that which his 
wife Fatimeh El-’Orrah had done, and commanded them to take 
her and put her in a place until the morning. So they did as he 
commanded them; after which he appointed a number of the 
eunuchs to take charge of her; and they washed her and shrouded 
her, made for her a funeral-procession, and buried her. Thus her 
coming from Cairo was only a journey to her grave. Divinely 
gifted was he who said,— 

We trod the steps appointed for us: and he whose steps are appointed must 
tread them. 

He whose death is decreed to take place in one land will not die in any land 
but that. 

And how excellent is this saying of the poet : — 

I know not, when I journey to a land, desiring good fortune, whether will 
betide me 

The good fortune of which I am in pursuit, or the misfortune that pursueth 
me. 

The King Maaroof then sent to summon the ploughman who 
had entertained him when he was a fugitive; and when he came, 
he appointed him his Wezeer of the right hand, and his coun¬ 
sellor. 38 And he learned that he had a daughter of surprising 
beauty and loveliness, of generous qualities, of noble race, of high 
dignity: so he married to her. And after a period of time, he 
married his son. And they remained a long time enjoying the 
most comfortable life; their times were unsullied, and their joys 

THE STORY OF MAAROOF. 

727 

were sweet, until they were visited by the terminator of delights 
and the separator of companions, and the miner of flourishing 
houses, and him who maketh sons and daughters orphans.—Ex¬ 
tolled be the perfection of the Living who dieth not, and in whose 
hands are the keys of the dominion that is apparent and the domi¬ 
nion that is hidden! 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRTIETH. 

Note 1. 

Cairo is generally called, as it is here in my original,Misr (vulgo Masr) el- 
Mahrooseh i. e. “ the Guarded [City of] Misr, or Masr.’’ 

Note 2. 

Maaroofsignifies “kindness,” &c. 

Note 3. 

“ ’Orrah” is a vulgar word, signifying “ a wicked, mischievous shrew.” 

Note 4. 

Literally, “ like her [own] book, or page.” Her actions being bad, the record 
of them was, figuratively speaking, black. 

Note 5. 

Drip-honey (’asal katr) is a “ fine kind of black honey,” * or treacle.—In men¬ 
tioning kundfeh in Note 66 to Chapter iii., I forgot to state, that a little clarified 
butter is added to it over the fire ; and perhaps I was scarcely correct in saying 
that it is “ boiledfor I believe that very little water is put to it. 

Note 6. 

See Note 78 to Chapter v. 

Note 7. 

See Note 8 to Chapter ii. 

Note 8. 

Literally, “ the Sublime Gate, or Porte.” 

Marginal note by my sheykh. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRTIETH. 

729 

Note 9. 

“ Aboo Tabak" is a vulgar appellation of a sergeant who arrests by order of a 
magistrate, because he often executes his co mmi ssion with violence. It is derived 
from a verb vulgarly used in the sense of assailing with violence. 

Note 10. 

“ The ’A'dileeyeh” is the name of a mosque founded by El-Melik El-’A'dil 
Tooman Bey, in the year of the Flight 906 (a.d. 1501), outside the wall of Cairo, 
near the great gate called Bib en-Nasr. This late date is worthy of remark; and 
it should also be observed, that the story of Maaroof is not related as one of 
ancient times. 

Note 11. 

The Darb el-Ahmar is a street outside the gate called Bab Zuweyleh. 

Note 12. 

The word here rendered “ druggist” is “ ’attar.” See note 2 to Chapter ix. 

Note 13. 

That is, a professor in a Collegiate Mosque. 

Note 14. 

“ Ikhtiyan,” or, as it is afterwards written in my original, “ Kheetan,” 
appears to be a fictitious name; and so, perhaps, is the name which follows it, as 
my sheykh supposes; but, as we are left to supply the short vowels, I rather 
think that the latter is “ El-Khutan” or “ Khutan” (without the article), the name 
of a district of Tartary. It is more consistent, however, with the character of 
the story to regard this city as an imaginary place, the inhabitants of which agree, 
in every thing but dress, with the Arabs. In Trebutien’s version, it is called 
“ Khaitan, the capital of the kingdom of Sohatan.” 

Note 15. 

This is the name of a deep red dye. * 

Note 16. 

This is a vulgar form of speech, and signifies, “ there came not to him what 
would profit him, nor what would rid others of him.” 

Note 17. 

By “ the Rij&l” are meant the Welees, or Saints;+ and probably that order of 
the Welees called “ Rij&l el-Gheyb,” who, according to the Arabs, appear not to 

5 A 

VOL. III. 

Marginal note by my sheykh. 

t Idem. 

730 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRTIETH. 

other men. In an account of the Muslims of India, the Rijfil el-Gheyb are de¬ 
scribed as “ a class of people who are mounted on clouds, and remain together 
each day in a different part of the hemisphere;”* and they are said to have 
much influence upon the fortune of travellers. 

Note 18. 

That is, he is suspected of lying in both cases. 

Note 19. 

“ Ash’ab was a very covetous man : so covetous that he said to a man who was 
making a dish, Enlarge it:—whereupon the man said to him, Wherefore ?—and 
he answered, Perhaps something may be given in it to me.”+ 

Note 20. 

By “ the Queen” is here meant the bride, as is afterwards shown in the story. 

Note 21. 

The mention of this title I regard as another evidence of the late date of this 
tale. See Note 43 to Chapter xxii. 

Note 22. 

The Jink are a class of public dancers, young men and boys, generally Jews, 
Armenians, Greeks, and Turks. Their dress is partly male and partly female, and 
they wear long hair, which they plait, and in other respects also they assimilate 
their appearance to that of women. J 

Note 23. 

“ Abu-s-Sa’&d&t” signifies “Father of Prosperities.” 

Note 24. 

By “brides” are often meant, as in this case, young and beautiful damsels; 
and by “ the brides of the treasures, ” those enchanting females who are said 
to serve as guardians of some hidden treasures. Such were the ten damsels in the 
City of Brass. See page 140 in this volume. 

Note 25. 

See Note 8 to Chapter viii. 

* Herklots’ translation of tlie Qanoon-e-Islara, page 395. 
t Marginal note by my sheykh. 

I For a more full description of the male public dancers, see my work on the Modern Egyptians, 
vol. ii. chap. vi. 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRTIETH. 

731 

HoTE 26. 

Tlie ornaments here mentioned (called in Arabic “ ’asakir") are of various 
shapes. The most common kind is a ball with a pointed head rising from it; the 
latter being with or without a crescent, and tapering either uniformly or otherwise. 

Note 27. 

Here called, in my original, “ JCheetan.” 

Note 28. 

Here, in my original, the word “ atyas” (which signifies “ stupid”) is the 
epithet used; but this is evidently a mistake for “ insee” (“ human,” or “ a 
human being”). I suspected this to be the case before I referred to Trebxitien’s 
version, which has confirmed my conjecture. In the Arabic characters, “ insee,” 
if not plainly written, might easily be mistaken for “ atyas.” 

Note 29. 

The word which I have rendered “ nose-ring” is “ khizdm.” My sheykh has 
stated in the margin that it is for the ear; but I believe that he has made this 
remark inadvertently ; fyr I have never heard the term “ khizam” applied to any- 
thing.but a nose-ring. This ornament, however, I have seen worn by few but 
women of the lower orders. Specimens of the khizfim and other ornaments here 
mentioned are figured in my work on the Modern Egyptians, in Appendix A. 

Note 30. 

The cup-bearer js generally a slave, and slaves are mostly of infidel parents. 

Note 31. 

According to a map of the world, in a copy of Ibn El-Wardee’s geography in 
my possession, “ the deserted quarter” (in Arabic “ er-rub5 el-kharab”) is a 
large portion of Africa, immediately on the south of the sources of the Nile. 

Note 32. 

This she says, assuming her husband to be dead ; for otherwise, if he did not 
divorce her, she could not lawfully marry another. The period of widowhood is 
four months and ten days. 

Note 33. 

The poet here quoted is El-Hareeree. So says my sheykh. 

Note 34. 

“ That is to say, Thou wast the cause of my forsaking thee: so it was as though 
thou forsookest me. Otherwise, it was he who forsook her. But she was the 
cause. And this is like the saying of El-Mutanebbee,— 

732 

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRTIETH. 

When thou departest from a people who are able to induce thee not to quit 
them, they are the departers.”* 

Note 35. 

Literally, “a short sword of jewel.” But the word here rendered “jewel” 
(namely, “j6har”) has another sense, peculiarly applied to a weapon of steel: it 
signifies the wavy appearance seen in fine Eastern swords and daggers, and 
perhaps the steel itself that has that appearance. 

Note 36. 

Elevations of this kind, in the East, have been innumerable; for, among the 
Muslims, there are few persons, even if they can neither read nor write, who can 
be truly called uneducated,—few who, from their infancy, have not received 
a moral education almost sufficient to fit them for high civil employments. 
To vary the words of an excellent writer + (before quoted), the family of the 
Muslim, however humble, is in general a model and miniature of the state. 

Marginal note by my sheykh. + Mr. Urquhart. 

CONCLUSION. 

Shahraza'd, during this period, had borne the King three male 
children; and when she had ended these tales, she rose upon her 
feet, and kissed the ground before the King, and said to him, O 
King of the time, and incomparable one of the age and period, 
verily I am thy slave, and during a thousand and one nights I have 
related to thee the history of the preceding generations, and the 
admonitions of the people of former times: then have I any claim 
upon thy majesty, so that I may request of thee to grant me a 
wish ? And the King answered her. Request: thou shalt receive, 
O Shahraz4d. So thereupon she called out to the nurses and the 
eunuchs, and said to them. Bring ye my children. Accordingly 
they brought them to her quickly; and they were three male 
children: one of them walked, and one crawled, and one was at 
the breast. And when they brought them, she took them and 
placed them before the King, and, having kissed the ground, said, 
0 King of the age, these are thy children, and I request of thee 
that thou exempt me from slaughter, as a favour to these infants; 
for if thou slay me, these infants will become without a mother, 
and will not find among women one who will rear them well. And 
thereupon the King wept, and pressed his children to his bosom, 
and said, 0 Shahrazad, by Allah, I pardoned thee before the 
coming of these children, because I saw thee to be chaste, pure, 
ingenuous, pious. May God bless thee, and thy father and thy 

734 

CONCLUSION. 

mother, and thy root and thy branch! I call God to witness against 
me that I have exempted thee from everything that might injure 
thee.—So she kissed his hands and his feet, and rejoiced with 
exceeding joy; and she said to him, May God prolong thy life, 
and increase thy dignity and majesty! 

Joy spread through the palace of the King until it became dif¬ 
fused throughout the city, and it was a night not to be reckoned 
among lives: its colour was whiter than the face of day. The King 
arose in the morning happy, and with prosperity inundated; and 
he sent to all the soldiers, who came ; and he conferred upon his 
Wezeer, the father of Shahraz&d, a sumptuous and magnificent 
robe of honour, saying to him. May God protect thee, since thou 
hast married to me thy generous daughter, who hath been the 
cause of my repenting of slaying the daughters of the people, and 
I have seen her to be ingenuous, pure, chaste, virtuous. More¬ 
over, God hath blessed me by her with three male children; and 
praise be to God for this abundant favour!—Then he conferred 
robes of honour upon all the Wezeers and Emeers and lords of the 
empire, and gave orders to decorate the city thirty days ; and he 
caused not any one of the people of the city to expend aught of his 
wealth; for all the expense and disbursements were from the 
King’s treasury. So they decorated the city in a magnificent man¬ 
ner, the like of which had not been seen before, and the drums 
were beaten and the pipes were sounded, and all the performers 
of sports exhibited their arts, and the King rewarded them muni¬ 
ficently with gifts and presents. He bestowed alms also upon the 
poor and needy, and extended his generosity to all his subjects, 
and all the people of his dominions. And he and the people of 
his empire continued in prosperity and joy and delight and happi¬ 
ness until they were visited by the terminator of delights and the 
separator of companions. 

Extolled be the perfection of Him whom the vicissitudes of times 
do not destroy, and to whom no change happeneth, whom no cir¬ 
cumstance diverteth from another circumstance, and who is alone 
distinguished by the attributes of perfection! And blessing and 
peace be on the Imam of his Majesty, and the elect from among 
his creatures, our lord Mohammad, the lord among mankind, 
through whom we supplicate God for a happy end! 

In the preface to this work I have mentioned the circumstance which requires 
my subjoining here some observations suggested by a review of the 1001 Nights 
and of the present translation. When I had accomplished but one third of the 
task which I have now completed, the opinions expressed in my preface, with 
respect to the original work, appeared to me to be so well founded that I could not 
refrain from submitting them, somewhat prematurely, to the reader. But I do 
not regret my having done so, as they have attracted the attention of several critics 
whose observations will assist me to investigate more fully the most important of 
the subjects to which those opinions relate. 

The literary history of the 1001 Nights was involved in the utmost obscurity 
until the celebrated Von Hammer pointed out an important passage, to which I 
have often alluded, in the Golden Meadows of El-Mes’oodee, written about the 
middle of the tenth century of our era. The Arab historian, after mentioning 
some stories current among his countrymen, states that many learned men regarded 
the said stories as forgeries, “like the book entitled ‘ Hez&r Afsdneh,’ which 
means in Arabic ‘ Elf Khur&feh’ (». e. the Thousand Fanciful, or Extravagant, 
Tales*); a ‘ khur&feh’ being termed in Persian ‘ afsdneh.’ This book (he adds) 
people call the 1000 Nights (or, as in some copies, the 1001 Nights); and it is the 
history of the King and the Wezeer, and his (the Wezeer’s) daughter and her 
nurse (or, in some copies, sister), whose names were Sheer-z&d (or Sheeraz&d) 
and Dunyazid (or Deenarzdd, or Deen&zad). They are also (he proceeds to say) 
held to be like [the story of] Jeelkand (or Wezreh, or Wardeh) and Shemmas, 
and what it contains of the history of the King of India and the Wezeers; and 
the Book of Sindibdd, and others of this kind.”—De Sacy thought that the words 
“ this book people call the 1000 Nights ” might be an interpolation : but, if not, 
he regarded it as certain that El-Mes’oodee wrote “ the 1000 Nights,” and not 
“ the 1001 Nights that copyists added the one night, thinking that this passage 
applied to the 1001 Nights with which they were acquainted: and for the same 
reason he thought that they substituted “ the two daughters of the Wezeer ” for 
what El-Mes’oodee said : “ the daughter of the Wezeer and her nurse.” We are 
now, however, in possession of evidence which renders conjecture as to these 
points superfluous.! 

• See a uote at the foot of page ix. in my preface. 

f Von Hammer induced me to suspect that the passage in the Golden Meadows relating to the Hezar 

736 

REVIEW. 

The same eminent orientalist to whom we are indebted for our knowledge of 
the above passage in the Golden Meadows brought to light, lost year, a far more 
important and decisive testimony respecting the Hez&r Afs&neh, showing it, 
beyond all doubt, to have been the archetype of the 1001 Nights. This testimony 
is conveyed by a passage in the “ Fihrist,” which he has communicated, with a 
translation, to the Journal Asiatique, introducing it by some remarks commencing 
thus:—“ L’opinion que j'ai 6mise il y a douze ans dans le Journal Asiatique (t. x. 
p. 253), que les Mille et Une Nuits etaient probablement d’origine Persane, vient 
d’etre victorieusement confirmee par le passage suivant de l’histoire la plus 
ancienne de la literature Arabe, 6crite l'an 377 (987) par Mohammed-ben-lshak 
en-Nedim connu sous le nom d’Ebou-Yacoub-el-Werrek.* C’est la meillure 
reponse aux doutes mal fondfs 6nonc6s par M. Lane, dans sa nouvelle Idition des 
Mille et Une Nuits.”—This last sentence I read with surprise; for the doubts to 
which he alludes were first expressed by De Sacy ; and though they appeared to 
me to be generally well founded, I thought them carried too far. The work from 
which my translation is made I conceived to be extremely different from that which 
Von Hammer regarded as its basis; and accordingly I pointed out several passages 
in my original which seemed to indicate the date of its composition. Some of my 
readers, however, imagined that these remarks were meant to relate to the origin 
of the work; f and therefore I availed myself of the earliest opportimity (my 
translation being published in monthly parts) to insert these words: “ I speak of 
the composition of this work without considering at present its probable basis, or 
archetype; for I neither believe it to be a mere compilation, nor do I, on the 
other hand, regard it as the first work of its kind."% —The antiquity of the Hezdr 
Afsdneh, and its similarity to the modem 1001 Nights, being now proved, I con¬ 
fidently adopt the opinion, to which I clearly showed an inclination in my preface, 
that the former work served as the archetype of the latter.—I now revert to the 
passage in the Fihrist, of which I here subjoin a translation. § 

“ The eighth discourse, which consists of three parts (funoon).—The first part, 
on the history of the relaters of night-stories, and the tellers of fanciful tales, and 
the names of the books composed on the subjects of night-stories and fanciful 
tales.—Mohammad Ibn Is-h&k says, The first who composed fanciful tales, 
and made books of them, and consigned them to depositories [of books], and 
made some of them as though they were related by the tongues of [brute] 
animals, || were the first Persians. Then the Ashghfinian (or A'shk&nian) Kings, 
Afs&nch might be an interpolation (though not one of very late date) by hia adducing a statement attri- 
buting the composition of the latter work to a poet who lived a century later than El-Mes’oodee.—See 
the preface to Trebutien’s version, page xxi. 

• According to De Sacy (see his Chrest. Ar., 2nde ed., tom. i. p. 353), the name of this author is 
Abu-l-Faraj Mohammad Ibn Is-h&k El-Warrfilf, and he was known by the appellation of Ibn Abee 
Yaakoob En-Nedeem. 

+ In an important contribution to the history of Eastern fiction, in No. 21 of the British and Foreign 
Review, I find these words :—“ It is clear therefore that the opinion of Mr. Lane in denying the 
Persian origin of the Arabian Nights, a 9 far at least as their plan and principal performers are concerned, 
is wholly untenable.” (Page 241.) I did not deny this ; but, on the contrary, said in my preface, that I 
thought the general plan of the 1001 Nights was probably borrowed from a translation of the Hez&r 
Afsineh. 

t Vol. i. page 423. 

$ The original contains several errors, some of which appear to be typographical; and my translation 
differs in some points from that of Von Hammer. If he should not approve of readings which I have 
given as emendations of a text that he states to be “ not very correct,” he will see that I have not made 
alterations to suit my own views, and I am quite willing to submit the said readings to his judgment.— 
The original is in the number of the Journal Asiatique for August 1839. 

|] I read, “ ja’ala baada dhdlika ’ala alfineti-l-hayawto,” agreeably with a common phrase : see the 
Introduction to " Keleeleh and Dimneh." In the original, the first two letters of" alsineti” are wanting. 

REVIEW. 

737 

who were the third dynasty of the Kings of the Persians, added • to them. Then 
these tales were augmented and amplified in the days of the S&sdnian Kings. 
The Arabs also translated them into the Arabic language, and the eloquent and 
fluent took them and trimmed and embellished them, and composed others like 
them. The first book of this kind that was made is the book [entitled] ‘ Hezar 
Afsan,’ which signifies ‘ Elf Khur&feh’ (the ‘ Thousand Fanciful Tales’) ; and the 
cause thereof was this :—One of their Kings used, when he married a woman, 
and had passed one night with her, to kill her]- on the morrow. And he married 
a damsel of the daughters of the Kings, of those endowed with intellect and 
knowledge, who was called Shahr&zad; and when she was with him, she began 
to tell him fanciful tales, and used to connect the story, at the expiration of the 
night, with that which would induce the King to come to her J and ask her, in the 
following night, respecting the conclusion of the story, until a thousand nights 
had passed over her. He, meanwhile, treated her as his wife until she was blest 
with a child by him, [when] she showed him, and made him acquainted with, § 
the stratagem that she had practised upon him, and he thereupon admired her 
intelligence, and inclined to her, and preserved her alive. And the King had a 
kahramfineh,|| called Deen&rz&d, who agreed with her as to this [proceeding]. 
It has been said that this book was composed for Humfiy ]f the daughter of 
Bahman. Mohammad Ibn Is-hdk says, And the truth, if itbe the will of God, 
is, that the first who amused himself with the recitation of tales by night was 
El-Iskender (Alexander); and he had a number of men who used to make him 
laugh, and tell him fanciful tales: he however desired not thereby to please 
himself; but he only desired that he might be watchful and cautious. And after 
him, the Kings in like manner* * * § ** made use of the book [entitled] ‘ Hez&r Afsdn.' 
It comprises a thousand nights, but less than two hundred night-stories; for a 
night-story often was related ft in a number of nights. I have seen it complete 
several times ; and it is, in truth, a corrupted book of silly JJ narratives.” 

Hence it is most probable that the translation of this work was entitled, as De 
Sacy supposed, the “ 1000 Nights.” An Arabic collection of tales called the 
“ 1001 Nights” is stated to have been known in Egypt in the twelfth or thirteenth 
century of our era :§§ but in this instance again I think it most probable that the 

* The word " aaraka’’ (composed of the letters alif, ’eyn, re, hit), in the original. I render “ added" 
conjecturally. It seems, as Von Hammer observes, to be a mistake of a copyist. 

t The word " kabalaha’’ is put, evidently by mistake, for 11 katalaha- 

J Since the above translation was written, together with the notes relating to it and its original, ex¬ 
cepting this one, 1 have pointed out the original to Professor Falconer, who has proposed reading, for 
“ ’ala-stilrbdliha” (which I have rendered " to come to her”) “ ’ala-stibkfiiha t.e. ‘ to preserve her 
alive and I have scarcely any doubt of his being right. 

§ In the original, “ owkafethu ’ala.” This and several other expressions in the extract here translated 
show the importance of an acquaintance with modern Arabic for the understanding of old Arabic works. 

[ See note 35 to the tenth Chapter of my translation. 

IT In the original, “ ullifa li-humdy.” As Von Hammer has rendered these words a ete compose 
par Houmai,” I have diligently searched for some example of the preposition “ li," preceded by 
“ ullifa ” signifying “ by but without success, though I have found many instances of its occurrence 
after the same verb in the active voice, in all of which it signifies “ for.” It may suffice to refer to pages 
202, 203, 204, and 205, of vol. i. of the printed edition of Htijjee Khaleefeh. 

*• I read “ kedhalika” for “dhdlika.” 

(t I read “ li-anna-s-semera rubbamd hodditha bihi” 8tc.; for it is evident that a coryist has put a 
wfi'w by mistake for the re of “ semera,” and that there which follows his wa'w belongs to the next word. 

tt In the original, “ hiirid literally, “ cold;” but often signifying “ silly,” like our word “ frigid,” 

“o^SeeThe Athenmum, No. 622, and the last note to my seventeenth Chapter. 

5 B 

VOL. III. 

738 

REVIEW. 

addition of one night has been made by transcribers for the same reason that some 
copyists are supposed to have added the one night in El-Mes’oodee’s work. 
H&jjee Khaleefeh, as it appears from the printed edition of his great bibliographical 
work now in the course of publication, mentions the “ 1000 Nights," without giving 
any account of it; but not the 1001 : whence I infer that he had not met with 
the latter title in any work that he had read; and that, at the time when he wrote 
(about the middle of the seventeenth century), the hook so called was not com¬ 
monly known. De Sacy perhaps attached too much importance to the question, 
whether the “ 1000 Nights’’ or the “ 1001 Nights” was the title of the Arabic 
translation of the Hezdr Afsdneh, in consequence of his firm conviction that the 
said translation must have been almost totally different from the 1001 Nights now 
existing, and that the latter was composed at a very late period. But after 
reading the statement in the Fihrist, I can scarcely entertain the slightest doubt 
of the correctness of his opinion, as far as the titles are concerned; and in the 
following remarks, I shall distinguish the work mentioned in the Golden Meadows 
and the Fihrist by calling it the 1000 Nights, and by the title of the 1001 Nights 
I shall designate only the great work now generally known by this title.* 

The 1000 Nights must have been composed some centuries before the age of 
the author of the Fihrist, or he would not have mentioned, without positively 
denying its truth, the assertion which referred it to the time of Queen Hum&y, 
who was the daughter of Artaxerxes Longimanus. Perhaps an Arab translator 
converted a Kay&nian King into a S&sftnian ; for in almost all the copies of the 
1001 Nights, the father of Shahriyfir is called a Sdsanian, and the most probable 
way of accounting for this is by supposing that he was so called in the 1000 
Nights. But I suspect that the composition of the 1000 Nights may have been 
attributed to Queen Hum&y herself, and merely because she was called “ Chehr- 
fiz&d;”+ that the tradition referring it to the age of that Queen is worthy of very 
little dependence, and that the work may have been composed during the times 
of the S&s&nians. The assertion respecting its supposed age is, however, of 
little importance in comparison with the statement regarding the nature of its 
contents. From this it is evident that the 1001 Nights was formed on the model, 
and partly of the contents, of the 1000 Nights; hut it is also evident that most of 
its best tales, and those which constitute its chief portion, are Arab compositions 
(though not all entirely the offsprings of Arab invention) ; and as the introduc¬ 
tion has been greatly altered, it is most probable that other portions which were 
derived, as far as their general plans and main incidents are concerned, from the 
1000 Nights were altered in a similar manner. If we] are justified in calling the 
jEneid the composition of Virgil, though so much of it is borrowed from the 
Odyssey, much more, in my opinion, are we justified in calling the 1001 Nights 
the composition of an Arab.—The title of the “ 1001 Nights” I suppose to have 
been adopted partly for the purpose of distinguishing this work from the “ 1000 
Nights;” but not solely with this view; for even numbers are deemed by the 
Arabs unlucky. 

That tales of Arab composition form the chief portion of the 1001 Nights is, I 

* The Arabic edition of the latter work now in the course of publication at Calcutta ia called, in its 
English title-page, ” The Alif Laila,” by which is meant " The Thousand Nights;” but the title should 
not have been thus abbreviated, nor should the “ i ” in the word u Alif” have been inserted. I have 
never heard the title curtailed by an Arab, and it is generally pronounced " Elf Leyleh wa-Loyleh.” 

t Chehr-izid” signifies “ of free, or ingenuous, countenance.” 

REVIEW. 

739 

believe, admitted by all critics who have considered the subject. Respecting such 
tales, it is my intention to offer some observations; but first I shall attempt to 
answer this question:—Has the 1000 Nights been gradually augmented and 
otherwise altered during several successive ages, and thus become what we now 
find entitled the 1001 Nights?—That this has been done is the opinion of Von 
Hammer, and I thought the same, until I had read a considerable portion of the 
work which I have translated, when I began to doubt; and ultimately I was led 
to adopt nearly the opposite opinion of De Sacy, seeing what appeared to me to 
be very strong objections to the judgment pronounced by the former. The dif¬ 
ferences that are found in various manuscripts bearing the title of the “ 1001 
Nights” have been considered as strongly favouring the opinion that the modern 
works thus entitled are little more than editions of the 1000 Nights augmented by 
different persons and ill different ages : but I have mentioned in my preface 
certain facts which I think fully sufficient to account for these differences without 
such a supposition. I cannot find that there exist any complete copies essentially 
and mainly differing, one from another,* •• or any copy which does not present 
certain evidence of its having been originally written, or altered, within the last 
three or four centuries; and the rar e fragments bearing the same title, but very 
considerably differing from the more common work, I regard as partly copies, and 
partly imitations, of the latter. The composition of this work may have occupied 
many years, and have been published in separate portions; and its success may 
have induced persons to copy and imitate it. Now the reader may say, If this 
work have been thus imitated in late times, we may infer that the 1000 Nights 
may have been imitated by various persons in different ages and countries.! I 
see nothing improbable in such an inference, nor in the supposition that an altered 
and augmented edition of the 1000 Nights may have served as the immediate 
model, and in some degree as the ground-work, of the 1001; but I cannot think 
that the latter work is merely the last of several editions of the former, augmented 
in successive ages. After reminding the reader that I use the term “ composed” 
in the sense explained in my preface (page ix.), I submit the following observa¬ 
tions to his judgment. 

In the notes to my translation, I have remarked upon many passages which 
show that the original work was either composed or modernised at a late period, 
which I believe to have been shortly before or after the commencement of the 
sixteenth century; and that it was then composed, and not merely modernised, I 
infer from certain considerations suggested by the state of society exhibited in 
most of the tales (including almost all those that are generally regarded as the 

• An erroneous idea on this subject seems' to prevail The Cairo edition, that now in the course of 
publication at Calcutta (judging from the three quarters which have already reached this country), and 
Von Hammer’s MS., appear to agree almost exactly throughout; and nearly the same may be said of 
the Breslau edition though it differs greatly in the order of the stories; for the 703 Nights now published 
contain, besides a few anecdotes, only two tales which are not included in the Cairo edition; these being 
“ the Sleeper Awakened" and •• the Ten Weieers.” The latter is similar in its plan to the story of 

•• the King and his Son and the Damsel and the Seven Wereersand one of these has probably been 
substituted by a copyist for the other. It must be added, that in its language, the Breslau edition is 
more corrupt than any other copy that I have seen, and agrees more nearly with the common dialect of 
Evypt. A fHlse judgment has also been formed from the differing of complete copies in the conclusion. 
The Cairo edition and Von Hammer’s MS. thus differ; though otherwise they agree almost entirely, 
and even in the order of the tales. 

+ A writer who has considerably aided to elucidate the literary history of the 1001 Nights has thus 
argued, in No. 622 of the Athenamm, page 741. 

740 

REVIEW. 

best in the series), the style of the language in which they are written, * * * § their 
close agreement in these and other respects, and the frequent allusions and re¬ 
ferences, in many of these tales, to customs, buildings, &c., of late ages. I allow 
it to be most probable that a person composing such a work as the one in question 
would largely avail himself of tales of different ages already existing, and adapt 
them in some measure, more especially those of foreign countries, to the state of 
society in which he lived. This has been done in the cases of tales which, as will 
hereafter be shewn, are of old dates, and borrowed from Persia and India. But 
if we suppose the main portion of the work to have been modernised in this 
manner, and in a much greater degree, by successive transcribers, how is it that 
we do not find any copy of it that has been so modernised within the last three 
centuries? We have also similar works, which, like the 1001 Nights, have been 
recited by the public story-tellers of Cairo within the last half-century, such as 
’Antar, Delhemeh, Seyf Zu-l-Yezen, Aboo Zeyd, and Ez-Zahir; and these have 
been repeatedly transcribed at various periods; but the manners and customs 
which the early copies exhibit have remained in the later unchanged.—Further, 
if the work under our consideration be little more than an old and a well-written 
composition modernised in style, by which I mean, rendered like unclassic works 
of late ages, the case is, as far as I know, without a parallel in the literature of the 
Arabs. It has undergone certain alterations in style under the hands of copyists ; 
but I find no instance of such alteration of a work originally well written, t as all 
old works are; and if this were so written, there can be little doubt that 'some 
correct copy of it would have been preserved; for learned sheykhs (as the editors 
of the Cairo edition and the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred Nights) i 
have taken pains to improve the style. I therefore believe that all the copies of 
it are from manuscripts which, with respect to language, were unworthy of being 
faithfully transcribed. We cannot suppose the style to have been altered in order 
to render the work intelligible to the illiterate, since we find no copy that is so 
altered. The illiterate imperfectly understand the most corrupted copies; for the 
language of every copy is an imitation of that dialect which is confined to literary 
compositions, and which, though it long lingered in the deserts, began to be 
gradually superseded by a more simple language in the Arab towns and villages 
in the first century of the Flight. § 

Another question may here be considered, before I attempt to shew in how 
great a degree the 1001 Nights consists of Arab tales.—With respect to the 
country in which it was composed, I have before stated my opinion that it was 
Egypt, and I still hold that opinion. All the complete copies (printed and manu¬ 
script) of which I have any knowledge describe Cairo far more minutely and 
accurately than any other place; and the language, manners, customs, &c., which 

* Most of the best stories exhibit a similarity in style which is the more remarkable considering the 
surprising versatility that is displayed by many Arab story-tellers. 

f It has been said that the romance of ’Antar has been thus corrupted from a classical composition; 
but this, the learned in Cairo unanimously deny; and if they be wrong, the corruption has evidently 
been occasioned by the mere ignorance of transcribers, and not by any attempt to simplify and modernise 
the style. Besides, what are said to be correct copies of it still exist, or at least one such copy does, Von 
Hammer’s. Sir William Jones alludes to another. 

X The Calcutta edition of the complete work, now in the course of publication, has also been con- 
siderably improved in style. This is evident from a specimen which was circulated long before the 
publication of the first volume. 

§ See Note 18 to Chapter i. of my translation. 

REVIEW. 

741 

they exhibit agree most closely with those of Egypt. This is also evidently the 
case with Galland’s very imperfect MS., which, as I have mentioned in my 
preface, existed a.d. 1548 ; and we have no reason to refer the date of any other 
copy to so early a period. Here, moreover, I may adduce, as confirming my own 
views, the opinion of Von Hammer, who thus writes: “Si, done, on ne saurait 
determiner que d’une maniere vague la date de la redaction arabe des Mille et 
Une Nuits, on peut indiquer avec bien plus de precision l’Egypte comme la patrie 
de cette edition augmentee et retouchee, car les mceurs, les usages, les circon- 
stances locales, la langue, tout, en un mot, d’un bout a l’autre de l’ouvrage, porte 
l’empreinte de ce pays.”* The frequent mention of Haroon Er-Rasheed might 
seem to render probable the idea that the tales in which he figures were com¬ 
posed by a native of Baghdad, and a subject of the ’Abbasees. But the fame of 
that Khaleefeh, as stated in one of my notes, has occasioned a proverb still 
current in Egypt; and I see nothing unreasonable in the opinion that a late 
Egyptian writer of tales should have made him the performer of extraordinary 
actions, and his celebrated capital the scene of wonders and magnificence. Von 
Hammer, speaking of the tales which he regards as the most recent, and_of purely 
Egyptian origin, says, “ La scene de ces contes est placee ordinairement au terns 
du khalife Haroun-al-Raschid.”f 

It is not easy to point out all the stories in the 1001 Nights which are Arab 
compositions; but, as I have before observed, that such stories constitute the 
chief portion of the work I believe all critics have admitted. According to Von 
Hammer, as De Sacy states,! the old groundwork of the 1001 Nights is found to 
have become, by the addition of tales of Arab origin, the least portion of the 
collection; old Persian or Indian tales have also been introduced; but the 
materials of later dates and of purely Arab origin form incomparably the greater 
portion. If so, the chief part of the 1000 Nights must have been excluded from 
the 1001; and the latter is far more an Arab than a Persian composition. I do 
not, however, consider all the tales of Arab composition as of purely Arab origin. 
All the stories of which the scenes are laid in Persia or India may be more or less 
founded on tales formerly current in those countries; but I think that there are 
few of these which are not Arab compositions. When we compare the gene¬ 
rality of these stories with that of the Magic Horse, which appears to be scarcely 
more than a translation of a Persian tale, or with that of Jelee’dd and his Son 
and the Wezeer Shemmas, clearly an Indian tale§ (to which I shall have occa¬ 
sion to revert), how great a difference is observed! Most of the former closely 
agree with the tales which are undoubtedly of Arab composition ; and with these 
I do not scruple to class all the tales professedly relating to the times of Hiroon 
Er-Rasheed and other Muslim princes. So do I also all those that contain many 
pieces of poetry. Here it may be observed, that the story of Jelee’fid contains 
no poetry ; that of the King and his Son and the Damsel and the Seven Wezeers, 
which, as will be presently shewn, is a Persian or Indian tale, contains but one 
verse; and the Magic Horse, only one piece, of four verses, in my original, and 

* Quoted by De Sacy, in bis Dissertation prefixed to a late edition of Galland’s version of the 1001 
Nights. 

+ See his Preface prefixed to Trebutien’s version, page xxvi. 

t III his Dissertation above mentioned. 

5 This I have not included in my translation, but it is in Trebutieu's, and in the Enghsh version of 
select tales by the Rev. G. Lamb. 

742 

REVIEW. 

only one couplet in the Breslau edition. Another story, that of HAsib, or 
Jamasp,* bears strong evidences, I think, of its being a Persian or Indian com¬ 
position, little altered by the Arab translator excepting in the parts which narrate 
the adventures of Bulookiya and those of JAnshAh; and only the portion relating 
to JAnshAh contains any verses. But the want or scarcity of verses in these tales 
affords no reason for regarding others in the like case as mere translations. There 
are several tales clearly of Arab composition containing very little poetry. 11 is 
evident that the composer or composers of the 1001 Nights possessed no great 
skill in the art of poetry, but an ability to adapt to particular purposes the poetry 
of various authors, altering it when necessary, and to compose verses not strictly 
according to the rules of prosody; for in all the copies of the 1001 Nights that I 
have seen, excepting those corrected by learned sheykhs, the poetry abounds with 
false metres and other errors. 

Hence those stories that contain many pieces of poetry which are not quotations, 
but written expressly to suit the incidents described, as is the case in the story of 
Uns el-Wujood, and some others, I am inclined to regard as borrowed, like most, 
if not all, of the anecdotes. It would be unreasonable to suppose that none of the 
Arab tales in the work were merely borrowed; for we find that tales of Persia and 
India, little altered, have been inserted in it; and it is remarkable that the only 
two stories which El-Mes’oodee mentions (by their titles) in such a manner as to 
shew that they did not belong to the 1000 Nights are included in the 1001, and 
that one of them is Indian, and the other Persian or Indian. One of these, the 
story called in his work that of “ Jeelkand (or Wezreh, or Wardeh, according to 
some copies) and ShemmAs,” is that called in my original “ Jelee'Ad and his Son 
and the Wezeer ShemmAs,” the history of the Indian King Jelee’Ad, his son Ward 
KhAn, and the Wezeer ShemmAs, the chief of seventy Wezeers. The other, “ the 
Book of SindibAd,” is the story of “ the King and his Son and the Damsel and 
the Seven Wezeers,” of which I have given an abstract. This I have learned from 
the subjoined very interesting letter, with which I have been favoured by William 
H. Morley, Esq.f—It is evident that both these stories have undergone alterations 

* See the last page of the second volume of this work. 

f “ My dear Sir, 

" Some time since, the Oriental Translation Committee were kind enough to lend me a MS. 
from their library, comprising four volumes, and containing a collection of tales in the Persian language. 
Many of these I translated with a view to publication, but one Btory (occurring in the fourth volume) which 
is similar in its construction to the Bakhtydr Ndmah and is preceded by a very curious preface, I reserved 
for more particular consideration at a future period. On reading the twenty third number of your excel¬ 
lent translation of the Alf Lailah wa Lailah I was struck by finding in the * Abstract of the Story of the 
King and his Son and the Damsel and the Seven Wezeers,’ that the name of the sage A1 Sindibdd, and the 
circumstances related in the introduction, coincided with those in the Persian story above alluded to. 1 
suspected that they must be identical, and was fully satisfied that they were so, when on referring to the 
MS. I found that the same tales occurred in both. In your notes you refer to an article in the 30th volume 
of the Asiatic Journal, which mentions that the same story exists in a MS. of the Alf I*ailah wa Lailah 
preserved in the library of the British Museum, and it is probably contained in most of the editions extant: 
but the great importance of the Persian version consists in its preface, which is omitted both in your edition 
and the MS. of the British Museum, and which is exceedingly valuable as an evidence of the antiquity and 
Persian origin of this story. The Preface states that the book is named the Kitabi Sindibdd, and that it was 
collected from the sages of Ajam : it then says,—‘ This book was originally in the Pahlavi tongue, and till the 
time of the Amir Nasir A1 Daulah Abu Muhammad Nuh Bin Mansur Sdmdni it had not been translated by 
any person: the Amir Nuh commanded that the Kh’&jah Amid Abu A1 Fowdris Futddzari should translate 
it, and set right the discrepancies and errors he might find therein. In the year 338 the aforesaid Kh’djah 
undertook the task, and converted it into the Dari language.’ The author of the preface, Muhammad Bin 
All Bin Muhammad Bin Hosain Al Zahir A1 Katib A1 Samarkand!, then mentions that he has rendered 
the Dari translation into modern Persian, and dedicates his work to Abu Al Muzaffir Kilij Tamghdh 
Khdkdn. I cannot find any positive evidence of the date of this last version inasmuch as I have sought in 

REVIEW. 

743 

under the hands of the Muslim translators; but they do not exhibit those charac¬ 
teristics which I regard as evidences of Arab composition ; and from the style of 
their language, I think it most probable that they were not copied from manu- 

vain for the name of Kilij Tamgh&i amongst the monarchs of Asia : his name proves him to have been a 
TAtriranda Muhammadan, but he is not mentioned by D’Herbelot, or Von Hammer. In the Rozat A1 
Safi, however, I find that Mirkh’ond relates that when Tig ash Khin of Kh’arizm seized upon Rai and the 
fortress of Tabrak, he left there some of his troops under the command of Tamghij ; one of his principal 
Amirs : the name Tamgh^h in our preface being spelt with a Ha requires merely the insertion of a diacri¬ 
tical point in order to make it identical with that in Mirkh’ond, and though the Persian translator gives 
him the titles of royalty, these may be accounted for by the fact, stated by Mirkh’ond, that T£gash Khfin 
granted him the viceroyalty of the conquered country when he himself returned to Kh’&rizm. Should 
this Tamghdj be the same with the personage to whom our author dedicates his work, and there seems no 
reason to doubt the fact, it will fix the period of the Persian version about the year of the Flight 590. The 
story in the Persian MS. comprises 117 folia, and is written in three different hands : the first part is in a 
very illegible Shikastah, and has been apparently added 6ince the exaration of the other two, which are in 
the Nas tali k character: the latter portion has been taken from a smaller volume, and inlaid to make it 
conform in size with the rest, and the other volumes of the collection.—I think that the existence of this 
preface must be most interesting to the oriental world, and to you in particular, at the present moment, 
when the subject of the origin of the Alt' Lailah wa Lailah occupies so much attention; as it offers a proof 
that several nights were extant about 850 years ago, that they were then written in one of the most ancient 
languages of Persia, and even at that remote epoch bore the stamp of being traditionary tales: this it must 
be observed is not mentioned casually, but we have the history of the work circumstantially related from 
the time of the S4m4ni kings to the period when the present translation was executed. I know but of two 
Eastern works similarly circumstanced, the Anvdri Sohaili and the Marzabdn Ndmali, the antiquity of 
which has never been questioned. The fact also of several of these tales being identical with others con¬ 
tained in the Hitopadesa and the Tuti N^mah argues the intimate connection of the fiction of India and 
Persia.—But 1 need not dilate upon this part of the subject to you who have considered the matter so much 
more fully than I myself have done, and I can only add that if 1 have contributed one fact towards the 
elucidation of this interesting question I shall be most highly gratified. 

“ Believe me, my dear Sir, 

15, Serle Street, Lincoln’s Inn. “ Most sincerely yours, 

Aug. 10th, 1840. " William H. Morley.” 

“ P.S. The name of the Sdmdni monarch at whose command the Dari translation is stated to have been 
made, seems to have been erroneously transcribed : it should most probably be written Nuh Bin Nasr, 
and not Nuh Bin Mansur, as the latter (who was called Abu A1 Kdsim, and not Abu Muhammad) did not 
begin to reign till the year of the Flight 365. The date given in the text, viz. A. F. 338, may however 
possibly be an error for 383, as it is very carelessly written, and this would bring it under the reign of Nuh 
Bin Mansur. Nuh Bin Nasr began his reign about the year of the Flight 332.—I may mention that I have 
been informed there exists in the library of the British Museum a MS. collection of tales in the Hebrew 
language, which bears the title of * The Book of Sindib&d.* I have not been able to find this volume, but 
there is every likelihood that it is a translation of the present work.—W. H. M.” 

The above letter appeared to me quite sufficient to settle the question of the origin of the Book of Sindi- 
bdd; but I have lately found that Eastern writers differ on this point. The following extract from an 
article in the British and Foreign Review, before referred to, gives a further account of this book.—“ The 
Book of Sendebad, according to M. Des Longchamps, is an oriental romance, of which translations or imi¬ 
tations exist in various European and Asiatic languages. Of these he specifies three as likely to be in an 
especial degree derived from the original. The Arabic story of a king, his son, his favourite, and seven 
vizirs; the Hebrew romance of the Parables of Sendebar ; and the Greek romance of Syntipas; and from 
one of the two last, but more particularly from the Hebrew, M. Des Longchamps derives the History of 
the Seven Sages of Rome, Historia Septem Sapientum Romes, which was composed by Dam Jehans, a 
monk of the abbey of Haute Selve, about the beginning of the thirteenth century, and enjoyed extensive 
popularity in Europe for three centuries afterwards. In confirmation of his view it may be remarked, that 
in a MS. of the Parables of Sendebar, which exists in the British Museum, it is repeatedly asserted in 
anonymous Latin notes, that the work was translated out of the Indian language into Persian and Arabic, 
and from one of them into Hebrew. Sendebar is also described as a chief of Indian Brahmans, and Biebar, 
the king, as a king of India.— Ellis, Metrical Romances, vol. iii.” (Pp- 233 et seq .) The same writer shortly 
afterwards states, that El-Mes’oodee, in his Golden Meadows, in the chapter on the ancient Kings of India, 
“ speaks of an Indian philosopher named Sendebad, who was contemporary with King Kuru, and was the 
author of a work entitled, ‘ The story of the seven vizirs, the tutor, the young man, and the wife of the 
king.’ * This is the work,’ he adds, * which is called the Book of Sendebad.’ ” The reviewer however 
observes, that “ the Book of Sendebad, according to a more modern Persian writer, the author of the 
* Majmu'al Tawarikh,’ as quoted by M. Langles, was written in Persia under the Ar^acidan kings, and his 
account is confirmed by an Arabic historian, Hamza Isfahani.” He thinks that these two authors may 
allude to “ The Adventures of Sindbad,” «. e. Es-Sindibid of the Sea; but I cannot agree with him in this 
opinion. 

744 

REVIEW. 

scripts, but taken down from the mouths of public reciters who unavoidably cor¬ 
rupted the style in narration.—There is also, as I have since been informed by 
Mr. Morley, another old story, apparently an Arab composition, but of doubtful 
origin, in the 1001 Nights, namely that of Seyf el-Mulook and Bedeei el-Jemil. 
This he has found in the same volumes that contain the Book of Sindibdd, and 
also in a Persian MS. lent him some time since by the Rev. William Cureton. 
The two Persian MSS. (which differ considerably in style, though not in substance) 
contain an introduction agreeing pretty closely with that which I have translated, 
but differing slightly from that and from each other; and in both of them, the 
King described in the Arabic as one of the Kings of the Persians is mentioned as 
^fche Sultan Mahmood of Ghazneh, and the person employed by him to search for 
the story of Seyf el-Mulook is said to have been the famous Hasan Meymundee, 
his Wezeer.* * * § Mr. Morley also states, that “ in Mr. Cureton’s MS., the city whence 
the story was procured is called Arwdni; but the other MS. agrees with the Arabic 
version in fixing upon Damascus.”—Some other tales, as that of ’Omar En- 
Noamdn, and that of Taweddud, have probably been merely borrowed; and most 
of the complete copies of the work, if not all, contain a few tales which have 
apparently been composed late in the sixteenth, or even in the seventeenth, 
century, and inserted to supply lost portions, or to augment the original series. 
Among these I do not hesitate to include the story of Aboo Seer and Aboo Keer. 

To discover the origins of the tales of the 1001 Nights is in most cases impos¬ 
sible.! I believe that these tales are, as to their origins, of various countries; 
and hence I have seldom endeavoured to discover anything more than the probable 
immediate sources from which the incidents that they describe have been borrowed. 
It is only when a fiction is based on an historical fact of a singular nature (as is 
the case with the Barber’s story of himself, in the tale of the Humpback J)> and 
not on an action likely to have been imitated, that we can feel satisfied of our 
having discovered its origin. Von Hammer includes the works of Homer among 
the sources from which incidents related in the 1001 Nights have been borrowed.§ 
On the other hand, a very able critic ha3 remarked, “ In the story of Sindbad, 
many of the incidents which are attributed to the Greeks were undoubtedly bor¬ 
rowed by them from Persia ;”|| and I incline to his opinion. But that many 
learned men among the Arabs were acquainted with the poems of Homer has been 
proved to me by a letter which I have lately had the pleasure of receiving from 
the Rev. William Cureton. After directing my notice to the well known fact that 
the works of that great poet were translated into Syriac by Theophilus of Edessa, 
chief astronomer at the court of El-Mahdee, and mentioning several other circum¬ 
stances which render it extremely improbable that Homer’s poems should not have 
been known to many Arabian scholars, Mr. Cureton has added a passage cited by 
Ibn Abee Useybe’ab, in his Lives of the Physicians, from Yoosuf the son of Ibr4- 
heem, a freedman of Ibr&heem the son of El-Mahdee, which is highly interesting, 

* According to this statement, the story must have been composed some time before the year 1030 of 
our era. 

+ The reader who desires to see how far the attempts to do so have been successful will be much gratified 
by the perusal of two learned disquisitions to which I have before referred ; one in No. 47 of the Foreign 
Quarterly Review, and the other in No. 21 of the British and Foreign Review. To do justice to the sub¬ 
ject of which they treat would require a volume, and would demand qualifications which I do not possess. 

$ See a note at the foot of page 506 in Vol. ii. of this work. 

§ See his Preface prefixed to Trebutien’s version, pa>:e xxii. 

II See page 105 in this volume. 

REVIEW. 

745 

and perfectly decisive as to this question. The said Yoosuf states, that, visiting a 
sick friend, he saw, while in the house of that person, a man with his face covered, 
“ walking to and fro, and singing some verses, in Greek, by Homer, the chief of 
the Greek poets and this man proved to be Honeyn, the celebrated translator 
of many works on philosophy and medicine from the Greek into Arabic. Mr. 
Cureton has examined this passage in four MSS., and found no important 
variation. 

When I first announced my intention of translating the 1001 Nights, I had 
formed my opinion of its general merits from the Breslau edition, not having then 
seen the edition of Cairo, of which I judged from the reports of Arabian friends, 
and hence I conceived an erroneous idea of the poetry that is comprised in the 
latter. The verses contained in the Breslau edition so abound with gross errors, 
that I generally passed them over in perusing the tales ;* but in the Cairo edition 
I was gratified by finding a fair selection from the compositions of poets of various 
ages, given with comparatively very few errors, and including a large number of 
admirable pieces. With respect to many of these, however, I must state my 
belief, grounded upon the great difficulty that I have often experienced in 
attempting to translate verses which I have perfectly understood, that, partly on 
account of the rhetorical figures (especially paronomasia) with which they abound, 
and partly from other causes, arising from the wide difference of Eastern and 
Western minds, and modes of life, they cannot be exactly translated into our lan¬ 
guage. I must also say, that I think a very large proportion of the poetry of the 
1001 Nights possesses so little merit, that, if faithfully rendered into English prose, 
it would be intolerable to a reader of good taste; and that I doubt whether I should 
have obtained general approval if I had greatly enlarged the selection that I have 
made. 

As I have been blamed for omitting some remarks which I might have made, 
both upon the objections and encouragements of my critics, I must here state that 
the commendations which they have bestowed upon me have been far greater than 
I had even hoped to obtain. Several of their objections (I might say most of them, 
were I certain of my having been acquainted with all that have been urged) I 
have already considered, and, to the best of my ability, answered, either directly 
or indirectly.! But some of the more important ones remain to be noticed; and 
one of these affects the whole of my translation.—Among those critics whose 
observations have afforded me most gratification, one remarks, “ Whatever be the 
exact nature of the style of his Arabic copy, whether more or less a ‘ classical,’ a 
vulgar, or some middle style (as we understand him to contend), it is impossible 
that the impression made upon the audience of the native story-tellers can he of 
the same uncolloquial and semi-scriptural sort, apart from their every-day experi¬ 
ence, as that which the English reader receives from the unfamiliar style of Mr. 
Lane. It must be far more easy, natural, impulsive, and unobstructed by a con- 

• Afterwards I examined many pieces of poetry in various parts of the work, and those upon which I 
chanced to open led me to express an opinion which a further examination proved to be incorrect, that the 
usual chief merit of the poetry consisted iu rhetorical figures which rendered it untranslatable. This 
opinion I mention here because it has been represented as relating, not to a miscellany of poetry that has 
been greatly corrupted in almost all copies, but, to Arabic poetry in general, by an Orientalist who has 
given convincing evidence of his having no inclination to misinterpret my words, and whose talents and 
attainments are such that I am very far from regarding with indifference his unintentional exaggeration of 
ray error. I allude to Mr. Torrens. 

f Many objections have been marie under the mistakeu impression that I supposed the 1001 Nights to 
be wholly of Arabian origin. These, therefore, it is unnecessary for me here to mention. 

5 c 

VOL. 111. 

746 

REVIEW. 

stant sense of strangeness. In this respect, therefore, he has missed even the Arab 
peculiarity; at least, he has sacrificed Arab spirit to Arab letter, and consequently 
the greater peculiarity to the less, and so become the victim of his own ‘ excessive 
exactitude.’ 

* Strange ! by the means defeated of the end* * * § .’ 

This fault excepted, together with some less obvious and important ones which 
will be noticed hereafter (and the fault in question has not hindered him from 
writing a good, solid, and flexible style too after its fashion, and is a guarantee 
meanwhile for closeness and fidelity in particulars more to be commended), Mr. 
Lane’s version is beyond all doubt a most valuable, praiseworthy, painstaking, 
learned, and delightful work.”*—The high commendation expressed in the last 
sentence must not prevent my denying the correctness of the opinion conveyed by 
the preceding portion of the above extract. I therefore reply, that it was impos¬ 
sible for me to adopt a style as different from our modern familiar dialect as the 
language of my original is from the Arabic now used in common conversation.— 
As the same critic has in a manner called upon me to notice his objections, I may 
add, that I regret his having judged of the fidelity of my translation by comparing 
it, not with its original, but, with a translation of another original; for although a 
general inference which he has thus drawn has been favourable to me, he has, by 
so doing, been unavoidably led into errors. As to my remarks on Galland’s 
version, which have induced him to fear that I am not duly sensible of the beauties 
of my original, nor quite so much in love with the spirit of ingenuousness as with 
a certain literality, I can only reply, that those remarks were not merely made in 
a spirit of sincerity,! but solely from a regard to truth, and that I am an ardent 
admirer of all that he admires in my original; but still I think that its chief value 
consists in the fulness and fidelity with which it describes the character, manners, 
and customs of the Arabs,$ though its enchantment is doubtless mainly owing to 
other qualities.^—Another objection urged by the same writer I must here notice. 
It respects the dotted letters which I have used, imitating in this particular a plan 
adopted by the Royal Geographical Society. I thought that my distinguishing 
certain letters in this manner could not annoy any reader, while it wovdd render 
the work more agreeable, and in many instances more useful, to the orientalist. 
But I have not considered the latter so far as to use a uniform system of tran¬ 
scription ; for I have often expressed the same Arabic letter, in different cases, by 
different English letters, to adapt my orthography to the pronunciation most 
generally prevailing among the Arabs. And here I may add, that I have always 
written the proper names agreeably with the orthographical signs supplied by my 
sheykh, excepting in a few instances, where my original was evidently wrong, or 
differing from most other copies. 

* London and Westminster Review, No. lxiv, page 113. 

t Had they not been made in that spirit, I should hardly have stated, on the same occasion, that 
several persons, and among them some of high and deserved reputation as Arabic scholars, bad pro¬ 
nounced an opinion that his version was an improvement upon the original. 

J I do not mean to assert that it always conveys fair notions of the general manners and character of 
particular classes; as it often represents Arab ladies as acting like Arab courtesans. But respecting the 
women of Egypt about the time when I suppose the 1001 Nights to have been composed, see a paragraph 
in pages 226 and 227 of the first volume of this work. 

§ If Galland had not professed that he had faithfully rendered his original, excepting when decency 
required him to do otherwise, I should certainly have mentioned his version in terms which would hare 
given no offence to the most enthusiastic of his admirers. 

REVIEW. 

747 

Various circumstances have contributed to facilitate the prosecution of the work 
of which I am now about to submit the last portion to the reader; and 1 must 
again allude to the great assistance that has been afforded me by the learned 
sheykh who, for my particular use, corrected and illustrated the copy from which 
my translation has been almost entirely made. I must also acknowledge my 
obligations to Mr. Harvey, whose admirable designs have procured for my version 
a much more extensive circulation than it would otherwise have obtained. 

The reader doubtless will see, or has seen, in the present work, many faults 
which I have been unable to detect. Of some errors that I have observed since 
the printing of the sheets in which they occur, I here subjoin a list, together with 
a few additions. 

VOL. I. 

Page 28. Note *, add, “ or khaldf.” 

38. Note 25, add, “ In a great collection of Indian tales, the ‘ Kathi Sarit 
S&gara,’ is a story which may have been the original of that to which this note 
refers. ‘ Two young Brahmans travelling are benighted in a forest, and take up 
their lodging in a tree near a lake. Early in the night a number of people come 
from the water, and having made preparation for an entertainment retire; a 
Yaksha, a genie, then comes out of the lake with his two wives, and spends the 
night there; when he and one of his wives are asleep, the other, seeing the youths, 
invites them to approach her, and to encourage them, shows them a hundred rings 
received from former gallants, notwithstanding her husband’s precautions, who 
keeps her locked up in a chest at the bottom of the lake. The Hindu story-teller 
is more moral than the Arab. The youths reject her advances; she wakes the 
genie, who is going to put them to death, but the rings are produced in evidence 
against the unfaithful wife, and she is turned away with the loss of her nose. The 
story is repeated in the next section with some variation; the lady has ninety and 
nine rings, and is about to complete the hundredth, when her husband, who is 
here a Naga, a snake-god, wakes, and consumes the guilty pair with fire from his 
mouth.’—British and Foreign Review, No. xxi. page 266.” 

71. Line 8, for the semicolon, put a comma. 

86. Line 9, for “ becomes,” read “ become.” 

118. Note 13, line 4. The word “ eastern” should be enclosed in brackets [ ]. 
I am not quite satisfied with the authority on which I have rendered “ Room&n ” 
as signifying the Roman empire, though I do not know any other sense in which 
it can be used. See Note 22 to Chapter X. 

118. Note 14, line 1, after “ Good,” add “ or-Comely.” 

138. Line 20, after “ shining,” erase the colon, and insert one after “ sun.” 

193. Line 1, for “ ’Abb&s,” read “ E1-’Abbas." 

214. Note 22, line 2. The word “ ladies" should have been in italics. An 
erroneous construction has been put upon the sentence in which it occurs. 

224. Note f. Since this note was written and printed, I have found, in Ibn 
Khallikin, that the name is as I have written it, “ Mukh&rik.” 

298. At the end of line 20, insert “ 6i *,” as a reference to the following note, 
which insert after Note 62.—“ Hole observes (page 222), that ‘ the discovery of 
Bedreddin in the Arabian Nights by the tarts he had made, bears internal evidence 
of having been copied from Nella Rajah’s detection by the same meansand he 
refers to Kindersley’s ‘ Specimens of Indian Literature.’ ” 

748 

REVIEW. 

320. Line 5, for “ a woman of her own faith," read “ a man of her own faith." 

404. At tire end of the last word, put “ '** ”, as a reference to the following 
note, which insert after Note 90.—“ Hole remarks (in page 223), that this part 
of the Barber's story of his Fifth Brother is derived ‘ from an Indian fable of the 
remotest antiquity . . . found in the Heeto-pades of Veeshnoo-Sarma,’ in which a 
Brahman ‘ inadvertently breaks his pottery ware . . with a walking stick . . in the 
act of suppressing the outrageous jealousy of four beautiful but turbulent wives.’ ” 

498. Line 3, for “ recompenseth,” read “ recompensest." 

518. Note 20, for “ ’Abbis," read “ El-’Abbis.” 

604. Line 7, for “ Noaman,” read “ Noamdn.” 

614. End of line 1, dele “i.” 

VOL. II. 

45. Line 17, for “ made a disclosure to him,” read “ gave him a hint." 

124. On reconsidering some words in Kamar ez-Zemin’s announcement of his 
qualifications as an astrologer, it has appeared to me that they have a special 
reference to hidden treasures, which are called “ matilib,” as being diligently 
sought for. Hence, in line 2, for “ by which questions are determined,” 1 should 
read “ by which the hidden treasures are discovered in lines 2 and 3, for “ he 
who desireth to consult me,” “ the seeker:” in lines 13 and 14, for “ I bring near 
the objects of desire to the desirer,” “ I bring near the hidden treasures to the 
seekerand in line 21, for “ who desireth to consult me,” “ seeker.” 

159. Line 21, for “ offence of,” read “ crime committed against.” 

205. Line 14, for “ mine,” read “ thine.” 

222. Note 20. The word which I have written “ Muroozee ” should be read 
“ Marwazee.” It signifies “ of the fabric of Marw.” Therefore erase the first 
two sentences of this note; and in page 87, erase “ Muroozee,” and after “ ker¬ 
chief” insert “ of the fabric of Marw.” 

258. Last line but five, for “ is ease of no value ?” read “ ease is invaluable.” 

324. Note 52, line 7, after “ pairs of hemistichs,” erase the comma. 

325. Note 65, for “ in,” read “ is.” 

331. Note f, for “ Acclive,” read “ Occleve.” 

VOL. III. 

33. Last line, the words “ of the rukh' ” should be enclosed between brackets [ ]. 

93. Note 26, at the end of the second paragraph put ”, 

120. At the end, add, “ those who.” 

158. Note 51, line 3, for “ Bakhtyar,” read “ Bakhtyir.” 

548. Line 25, for “ times,” read “ tunes.” 

574. Line 12, for “ same,” read “ some.” 

606. Line 19, for “ did,” read “didst.” 

626. Line 11, for “ ’A’d,” read “ ’AM.” 

The following Index contains many words of no importance to any persons 
excepting orientalists, and not a few which are entirely superfluous. The latter I 
should have erased; but I have not had time to do so with sufficient care to be 
certain of excluding none to which the reader may have occasion to refer. 

i 

t 

i