A plain and literal translation of the Arabian nights entertainments, now entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 (of 17)

ALI THE PERSIAN

It is said that the Caliph Harun al-Rashid, being restless one night, sent for his Wazir and said to him, “O Ja’afar, I am sore wakeful and heavy-hearted this night, and I desire of thee what may solace my spirit and cause my breast to broaden with amusement.” Quoth Ja’afar, “O Commander of the Faithful, I have a friend, by name Ali the Persian, who hath store of tales and pleasant stories, such as lighten the heart and make care depart.” Quoth the Caliph, “Fetch him to me,” and quoth Ja’afar, “Hearkening and obedience;” and, going out from before him, sent to seek Ali the Persian and when he came said to him, “Answer the summons of the Commander of the Faithful.” “To hear is to obey,” answered Ali; – And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Now when it was the Two Hundred and Ninety-fifth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Persian replied, “To hear is to obey;” and at once followed the Wazir into the presence of the Caliph who bade him be seated and said to him, “O Ali, my heart is heavy within me this night and it hath come to my ear that thou hast great store of tales and anecdotes; so I desire of thee that thou let me hear what will relieve my despondency and brighten my melancholy.” Said he, “O Commander of the Faithful, shall I tell thee what I have seen with my eyes or what I have heard with my ears?” He replied, “An thou have seen aught worth the telling, let me hear that.” Replied Ali: – Hearkening and obedience. Know thou, O Commander of the Faithful, that some years ago I left this my native city of Baghdad on a journey, having with me a lad who carried a light leathern bag. Presently we came to a certain city, where, as I was buying and selling behold, a rascally Kurd fell on me and seized my wallet perforce, saying, “This is my bag, and all which is in it is my property.” Thereupon, I cried aloud “Ho Moslems,211 one and all, deliver me from the hand of the vilest of oppressors!” But the folk said, “Come, both of you, to the Kazi and abide ye by his judgement with joint consent.” So I agreed to submit myself to such decision and we both presented ourselves before the Kazi, who said, “What bringeth you hither and what is your case and your quarrel?” Quoth I, “We are men at difference, who appeal to thee and make complaint and submit ourselves to thy judgement.” Asked the Kazi, “Which of you is the complainant?”; so the Kurd came forward212 and said, “Allah preserve our lord the Kazi! Verily, this bag is my bag and all that is in it is my swag. It was lost from me and I found it with this man mine enemy.” The Kazi asked, “When didst thou lose it?”; and the Kurd answered, “But yesterday, and I passed a sleepless night by reason of its loss.” “And it be thy bag,” quoth the Kazi, “tell me what is in it.” Quoth the Kurd, “There were in my bag two silver styles for eye-powder and antimony for the eyes and a kerchief for the hands, wherein I had laid two gilt cups and two candlesticks. Moreover it contained two tents and two platters and two spoons and a cushion and two leather rugs and two ewers and a brass tray and two basins and a cooking-pot and two water-jars and a ladle and a sacking-needle and a she-cat and two bitches and a wooden trencher and two sacks and two saddles and a gown and two fur pelisses and a cow and two calves and a she-goat and two sheep and an ewe and two lambs and two green pavilions and a camel and two she-camels and a lioness and two lions and a she-bear and two jackals and a mattrass and two sofas and an upper chamber and two saloons and a portico and two sitting-rooms and a kitchen with two doors and a company of Kurds who will bear witness that the bag is my bag.” Then said the Kazi to me, “And thou, sirrah, what sayest thou?” So I came forward, O commander of the Faithful (and indeed the Kurd’s speech had bewildered me) and said, “Allah advance our lord the Kazi! Verily, there was naught in this my wallet, save a little ruined tenement and another without a door and a dog-house and a boys’ school and youths playing dice and tents and tent-ropes and the cities of Bassorah and Baghdad and the palace of Shaddad bin Ad and an ironsmith’s forge and a fishing-net and cudgels and pickets and girls and boys and a thousand pimps who will testify that the bag is my bag.” Now when the Kurd heard my words, he wept and wailed and said, “O my lord the Kazi, this my bag is known and what is in it is a matter of renown; for in this bag there be castles and citadels and cranes and beasts of prey and men playing chess and draughts. Furthermore, in this my bag is a brood-mare and two colts and a stallion and two blood-steeds and two long lances; and it containeth eke a lion and two hares and a city and two villages and a whore and two sharking panders and an hermaphrodite and two gallows-birds and a blind man and two wights with good sight and a limping cripple and two lameters and a Christian ecclesiastic and two deacons and a patriarch and two monks and a Kazi and two assessors, who will be evidence that the bag is my bag.” Quoth the Kazi to me, “And what sayst thou, O Ali?” So, O Commander of the Faithful, being filled with rage, I came forward and said, “Allah keep our lord the Kazi!” – And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Now when it was the Two Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Persian continued: – So being filled with rage, O Commander of the Faithful, I came forward and said, “Allah keep our lord the Kazi! I had in this my wallet a coat of mail and a broadsword and armouries and a thousand fighting rams and a sheep-fold with its pasturage and a thousand barking dogs and gardens and vines and flowers and sweet smelling herbs and figs and apples and statues and pictures and flagons and goblets and fair-faced slave-girls and singing-women and marriage-feasts and tumult and clamour and great tracts of land and brothers of success, which were robbers, and a company of daybreak-raiders with swords and spears and bows and arrows and true friends and dear ones and intimates and comrades and men imprisoned for punishment and cup-companions and a drum and flutes and flags and banners and boys and girls and brides (in all their wedding bravery), and singing-girls and five Abyssinian women and three Hindi maidens and four damsels of Al-Medinah and a score of Greek girls and eighty Kurdish dames and seventy Georgian ladies and Tigris and Euphrates and a fowling net and a flint and steel and many-columned Iram and a thousand rogues and pimps and horse-courses and stables and mosques and baths and a builder and a carpenter and a plank and a nail and a black slave with his flageolet and a captain and a caravan-leader and towns and cities and an hundred thousand dinars and Cufa and Anbár213 and twenty chests full of stuffs and twenty store-houses for victual and Gaza and Askalon and from Damietta to Al-Sawán214; and the palace of Kisra Anushirwán and the kingdom of Solomon and from Wadi Nu’umán to the land of Khorasán and Balkh and Ispahán and from India to the Sudán. Therein also (may Allah prolong the life of our lord the Kazi!) are doublets and cloths and a thousand sharp razors to shave off the Kazi’s beard, except he fear my resentment and adjudge the bag to be my bag.” Now when the Kazi heard what I and the Kurd avouched, he was confounded and said, “I see ye twain be none other than two pestilent fellows, atheistical villains who make sport of Kazis and magistrates and stand not in fear of reproach. Never did tongue tell nor ear hear aught more extraordinary than that which ye pretend. By Allah, from China to Shajarat Umm Ghaylán, nor from Fars to Sudan nor from Wadi Nu’uman to Khorasan, was ever heard the like of what ye avouch or credited the like of what ye affirm. Say, fellows, be this bag a bottomless sea or the Day of Resurrection that shall gather together the just and unjust?” Then the Kazi bade them open the bag; so I opened it and behold, there was in it bread and a lemon and cheese and olives. So I threw the bag down before the Kurd and ganged my gait. Now when the Caliph heard this tale from Ali the Persian, he laughed till he fell on his back and made him a handsome present.215 And men also relate a

TALE OF HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE SLAVE-GIRL AND THE IMAM ABU YUSUF

It is said that Ja’afar the Barmecide was one night carousing with Al-Rashid, who said, “O Ja’afar, it hath reached me that thou hast bought such and such a slave-girl. Now I have long sought her for she is passing fair; and my heart is taken up with love of her, so do thou sell her to me.” He replied, “I will not sell her, O Commander of the Faithful.” Quoth he, “Then give her to me.” Quoth the other, “Nor will I give her.” Then Al-Rashid exclaimed, “Be Zubaydah triply divorced an thou shall not either sell or give her to me!” Then Ja’afar, exclaimed, “Be my wife triply divorced an I either sell or give her to thee!” After awhile they recovered from their tipsiness and were aware of having fallen into a grave dilemma, but knew not by what device to extricate themselves. Then said Al-Rashid, “None can help us in this strait but Abú Yúsuf.”216 So they sent for him, and this was in the middle of the night; and when the messenger reached him, he arose in alarm, saying to himself, “I should not be sent for at this tide and time, save by reason of some question of moment to Al-Islam.” So he went out in haste and mounted his she-mule, saying to his servant, “Take the mule’s nose-bag with thee; it may be she hath not finished her feed; and when we come to the Caliph’s palace, put the bag on her, that she may eat what is left of her fodder, during the last of the night.” And the man replied, “I hear and obey.” Now when the Imam was admitted to the presence, Al-Rashid rose to receive him and seated him on the couch beside himself (where he was wont to seat none save the Kazi), and said to him, “We have not sent for thee at this untimely time and tide save to advise us upon a grave matter, which is such and such and wherewith we know not how to deal.” And he expounded to him the case. Abu Yusuf answered, “O Commander of the Faithful, this is the easiest of things.” Then he turned to Ja’afar and said, “O Ja’afar, sell half of her to the Commander of the Faithful and give him the other half; so shall ye both be quit of your oaths.” The Caliph was delighted with this and both did as he prescribed. Then said Al-Rashid, “Bring me the girl at once,” – And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Now when it was the Two Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph Harun al-Rashid commanded, “Bring me the girl at once, for I long for her exceedingly.” So they brought her and the Caliph said to Abu Yusuf, “I have a mind to have her forthright; for I cannot bear to abstain from her during the prescribed period of purification; now how is this to be done?” Abu Yusuf replied, “Bring me one of thine own male slaves who hath never been manumitted.” So they brought one and Abu Yusuf said, “Give me leave to marry her to him; then let him divorce her before consummation; and thus shall it be lawful for thee to lie with her before purification.” This second expedient pleased the Caliph yet more than the first; he sent for the Mameluke and, whenas he came, said to the Kazi, “I authorise thee to marry her to him.” So the Imam proposed the marriage to the slave, who accepted it and performed the ceremony; after which he said to the slave, “Divorce her, and thou shalt have an hundred dinars.” But he replied, “I won’t do this;” and the Imam went on to increase his offer, and the slave to refuse till he bid him a thousand dinars. Then the man asked him, “Doth it rest with me to divorce her, or with thee or with the Commander of the Faithful?” He answered, “It is in thy hand.” “Then by Allah,” quoth the slave, “I will never do it; no, never!” Hearing these words the Caliph was exceeding wroth and said to the Imam, “What is to be done, O Abu Yusuf?” Replied he, “Be not concerned, O Commander of the Faithful; the thing is easy. Make this slave the damsel’s chattel.” Quoth Al-Rashid, “I give him to her;” and the Imam said to the girl, “Say: – I accept.” So she said, “I accept;” whereon quoth Abu Yusuf, “I pronounce separation from bed and board and divorce between them, for that he hath become her property, and so the marriage is annulled.” With this, Al-Rashid rose to his feet and exclaimed, “It is the like of thee that shall be Kazi in my time.” Then he called for sundry trays of gold and emptied them before Abu Yusuf, to whom he said, “Hast thou wherein to put this?” The Imam bethought him of the mule’s nose-bag; so he sent for it and, filling it with gold, took it and went home. And on the morrow, he said to his friends, “There is no easier nor shorter road to the goods of this world and the next, than that of religious learning; for, see, I have gotten all this money by answering two or three questions.” So consider thou, O polite reader,217 the pleasantness of this anecdote, for it compriseth divers goodly features, amongst which are the complaisance of Ja’afar to Al-Rashid, and the wisdom of the Caliph who chose such a Kazi and the excellent learning of Abu Yusuf, may Almighty Allah have mercy on their souls one and all! And they also tell the

TALE OF THE LOVER WHO FEIGNED HIMSELF A THIEF

When Khálid ibn Abdallah al-Kasri218 was Emir of Bassorah, there came to him one day a company of men dragging a youth of exceeding beauty and lofty bearing and perfumed attire; whose aspect expressed good breeding, abundant wit and dignity of the gravest. They brought him before the Governor, who asked what it was and they replied, “This fellow is a thief, whom we caught last night in our dwelling-house.” Whereupon Khalid looked at him and was pleased with his well-favouredness and elegant aspect; so he said to the others, “Loose him,” and going up to the young man, asked what he had to say for himself. He replied, “Verily the folk have spoken truly and the case is as they have said.” Quoth Khalid, “And what moved thee to this and thou so noble of port and comely of mien?” Quoth the other “The lust after worldly good, and the ordinance of Allah (extolled and exalted be He!).” Rejoined Khalid, “Be thy mother bereaved of thee!219 Hadst thou not, in thy fair face and sound sense and good breeding, what should restrain thee from thieving?” Answered the young man, “O Emir, leave this talk and proceed to what Almighty Allah hath ordained; this is what my hands have earned, and, ‘God is not unjust towards mankind.’”220 So Khalid was silent awhile considering the matter; then he bade the young man draw near him and said, “Verily, thy confession before witnesses perplexeth me, for I cannot believe thee to be a thief: haply thou hast some story that is other than one of theft; and if so tell it me.” Replied the youth, “O Emir, imagine naught other than what I have confessed to in thy presence; for I have no tale to tell save that verily I entered these folks’ house and stole what I could lay hands on, and they caught me and took the stuff from me and carried me before thee.” Then Khalid bade clap him in gaol and commanded a crier to cry throughout Bassorah, “O yes! O yes! Whoso be minded to look upon the punishment of such an one, the thief, and the cutting-off of his hand, let him be present to-morrow morning at such a place!” Now when the young man found himself in prison, with irons on his feet, he sighed heavily and with tears streaming from his eyes extemporised these couplets: —

When Khálid menaced off to strike my hand ✿ If I refuse to tell him of her case;Quoth I, “Far, far fro’ me that I should tell ✿ A love, which ever shall my heart engrace;Loss of my hand for sin I have confessed ✿ To me were easier than to shame her face.”

The warders heard him and went and told Khalid who, when it was dark night, sent for the youth and conversed with him. He found him clever and well-bred, intelligent, lively and a pleasant companion; so he ordered him food and he ate. Then after an hour’s talk said Khalid, “I know indeed thou hast a story to tell that is no thief’s; so when the Kazi shall come to-morrow morning and shall question thee about this robbery, do thou deny the charge of theft and avouch what may avert the pain and penalty of cutting off thy hand; for the Apostle (whom Allah bless and keep!) saith: – In cases of doubt, eschew punishment.” Then he sent him back to prison – And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Now when it was the Two Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Khalid, after conversing with the youth, sent him back to prison, where he passed the night. And when morning dawned the folk assembled to see his hand cut off, nor was there a soul in Bassorah, man or woman, but was present to look upon the punishment of that handsome youth. Then Khalid mounted in company of the notables of the city and others; and, summoning all four Kazis, sent for the young man, who came hobbling and stumbling in his fetters. There was none saw him but wept over him and the women all lifted up their voices in lamentation as for the dead. Then the Kazi bade silence the women and said to the prisoner, “These folk avouch that thou didst enter their dwelling-house and steal their goods: belike thou stolest less than a quarter dinar221?” Replied he, “Nay, I stole that and more.” “Peradventure,” rejoined the Kazi, “thou art partner with the folk in some of the goods?” Quoth the young man; “Not so: it was all theirs, and I had no right in it.” At this the Khalid was wroth and rose and smote him on the face with his whip, applying to his own case this couplet: —

Man wills his wish to him accorded be; ✿ But Allah naught accords save what He wills.

Then he called for the butcher to do the work, who came and drew forth his knife and taking the prisoner’s hand set the blade to it, when, behold, a damsel pressed through the crowd of women clad in tattered clothes,222 and cried out and threw herself on the young man. Then she unveiled and showed a face like the moon; whereupon the people raised a mighty clamour and there was like to have been a riot amongst them and a violent scene. But she cried out her loudest, saying, “I conjure thee, by Allah, O Emir, hasten not to cut off this man’s hand, till thou have read what is in this scroll!” So saying, she gave him a scroll, and Khalid took it and opened it and read therein these couplets: —

“Ah Khalid! this one is a slave of love distraught, ✿ And these bowed eyelashes sent shaft that caused his grief:Shot him an arrow sped by eyes of mine, for he, ✿ Wedded to burning love, of ills hath no relief:He hath avowed a deed he never did, the while ✿ Deeming this better than disgrace of lover lief:Bear then, I pray, with this distracted lover mine ✿ Whose noble nature falsely calls himself a thief!”

When Khalid had read these lines; he withdrew himself from the people and summoned the girl and questioned her; and she told him that the young man was her lover and she his mistress; and that thinking to visit her he came to the dwelling of her people and threw a stone into the house, to warn her of his coming. Her father and brothers heard the noise of the stone and sallied out on him; but he, hearing them coming, caught up all the household stuff and made himself appear a robber to cover his mistress’s honour. “Now when they saw him they seized him (continued she), crying: – A thief! and brought him before thee, whereupon he confessed to the robbery and persisted in his confession, that he might spare me disgrace; and this he did, making himself a thief, of the exceeding nobility and generosity of his nature.” Khalid answered, “He is indeed worthy to have his desire;” and, calling the young man to him, kissed him between the eyes. Then he sent for the girl’s father and bespoke him, saying, “O Shaykh, we thought to carry out the law of mutilation in the case of this young man; but Allah (to whom be Honour and Glory!) hath preserved us from this, and I now adjudge him the sum of ten thousand dirhams, for that he would have given his hand for the preservation of thine honour and that of thy daughter and for the sparing of shame to you both. Moreover, I adjudge other ten thousand dirhams to thy daughter, for that she made known to me the truth of the case; and I ask thy leave to marry her to him.” Rejoined the old man, “O Emir, thou hast my consent.” So Khalid praised Allah and thanked Him and improved the occasion by preaching a goodly sermon and a prayerful; – And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Now when it was the Two Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Khalid praised Allah and thanked Him and improved the occasion by preaching a goodly sermon and a prayerful; after which he said to the young man, “I give thee to wife the damsel, such an one here present, with her own permission and her father’s consent; and her wedding settlement shall be this money, to wit, ten thousand dirhams.” “I accept this marriage at thy hands,” replied the youth; and Khalid bade them carry the money on brass trays in procession to the young man’s house, whilst the people dispersed, fully satisfied. “And surely (quoth he who tells the tale223) never saw I a rarer day than this, for that it began with tears and annoy; and it ended with smiles and joy.” And in contrast of this story is this piteous tale of

JA’AFAR THE BARMECIDE AND THE BEAN-SELLER

When Harun al-Rashid crucified Ja’afar the Barmecide224 he commanded that all who wept or made moan for him should also be crucified; so the folk abstained from that. Now it chanced that a wild Arab, who dwelt in a distant wold, used every year to bring to the aforesaid Ja’afar an ode225 in his honour, for which he rewarded him with a thousand dinars; and the Badawi took them and, returning to his own country, lived upon them, he and his family, for the rest of the year. Accordingly, he came with his ode at the wonted time and, finding that Ja’afar had been crucified, betook himself to the place where his body was hanging, and there made his camel kneel down and wept with sore weeping and mourned with grievous mourning; and he recited his ode and fell asleep. Presently Ja’afar the Barmecide appeared to him in a vision and said, “Verily thou hast wearied thyself to come to us and findest us as thou seest; but go to Bassorah and ask for a man there whose name is such and such, one of the merchants of the town, and say to him: – Ja’afar, the Barmecide, saluteth thee and biddeth thee give me a thousand dinars, by the token of the bean.” Now when the wild Arab awoke, he repaired to Bassorah, where he sought out the merchant and found him and repeated to him what Ja’afar had said in the dream; whereupon he wept with weeping so sore that he was like to depart the world. Then he welcomed the Badawi and seated him by his side and made his stay pleasant and entertained him three days as an honoured guest; and when he was minded to depart he gave him a thousand and five hundred dinars, saying, “The thousand are what is commanded to thee, and the five hundred are a gift from me to thee; and every year thou shalt have of me a thousand gold pieces.” Now when the Arab was about to take leave, he said to the merchant, “Allah upon thee, tell me the story of the bean, that I may know the origin of all this.” He answered: – In the early part of my life I was poor and hawked hot beans226 about the streets of Baghdad to keep me alive. So I went out one raw and rainy day, without clothes enough on my body to protect me from the weather; now shivering for excess of cold and now stumbling into the pools of rain-water, and altogether in so piteous a plight as would make me shudder with goose-skin to look upon. But it chanced that Ja’afar that day was seated with his officers and his concubines, in an upper chamber overlooking the street when his eyes fell on me; so he took pity on my case and, sending one of his dependents to fetch me to him, said as soon as he saw me, “Sell thy beans to my people.” So I began to mete out the beans with a measure I had by me; and each who took a measure of beans filled the measure with gold pieces till all my store was gone and my basket was clean empty. Then I gathered together the gold I had gotten, and Ja’afar said to me, “Hast thou any beans left?” “I know not,” answered I, and then sought in the basket, but found only one bean. So Ja’afar took from me the single bean and, splitting it in twain, kept one half himself and gave the other to one of his concubines, saying, “For how much wilt thou buy this half bean?” She replied, “For the tale of all this gold twice-told;” whereat I was confounded and said to myself, “This is impossible.” But, as I stood wondering, behold, she gave an order to one of her handmaids and the girl brought me the sum of the collected monies twice-told. Then said Ja’afar, “And I will buy the half I have by me for double the sum of the whole,” presently adding, “Now take the price of thy bean.” And he gave an order to one of his servants, who gathered together the whole of the money and laid it in my basket; and I took it and went my ways. Then I betook myself to Bassorah, where I traded with the monies and Allah prospered me amply, to Him be the praise and the thanks! So, if I give thee every year a thousand dinars of the bounty of Ja’afar, it will in no wise injure me. Consider then the munificence of Ja’afar’s nature and how he was praised both alive and dead, the mercy of Allah Almighty be upon him! And men also recount the tale of