One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  Ah me, what ails the censurer, that he at thee should flite? How

  shall I be consoled for thee, and thou a sapling slight?

  O thou, the splendour of whose sight has ta’en my heart by storm,

  Whose supple bending grace compels to passion’s utmost

  height,

  Whose eyes, with Turkish languor caught, work havoc in the breast

  And leave such wounds as ne’er were made by falchion in the

  fight!

  Thou layst on me a heavy load of passion and desire, On me that

  am too weak to bear a shift upon me dight.

  Ay, tears of blood I weep, for that my censors say to me, “A

  sudden sword, from out his lids thou lovest, shall thee

  smite.”

  Ah, would my heart were like to thine, even as my body is Like to

  thy waist, all thin and frail and dwindled for despite!

  Thou, that my prince in beauty art, a steward hast, whose

  rule Aggrieves me and a chamberlain that doth me

  foul upright.

  He lies who says, “All loveliness in Joseph was comprised.” How

  many Josephs are there not within thy beauty bright!

  I force myself to turn from thee, for fear of spying eyes, Though

  sore it irks me to forswear the solace of thy sight.

  At this, trouble and grief redoubled on me and I fell down in a corner; whereupon she sprang up and coming to me, lifted me up and took off my outer clothes and wiped my face with her sleeve. Then she asked me how I had fared, and I told her all that had happened. “O my cousin,” said she, “as for her sign to thee with her palm and five fingers, it meant, ‘Return after five days;’ and her gestures with the mirror and the putting forth of her head and the lowering and raising of the red handkerchief meant, ‘Sit in the dyer’s shop, till my messenger come to thee.’” When I heard this, fire flamed up in my heart and I exclaimed, “O my cousin, by Allah, thou sayst sooth in this thine interpretation; for I saw the shop of a Jewish dyer in the street.” Then I wept, and she said, “O my cousin, summon up resolution and be steadfast of heart: others are occupied with love for years and are constant to endure the ardour of passion, whilst thou hast but a week to wait; so why art thou thus impatient?” Then she went on to cheer me with comfortable talk and brought me food: so I took a mouthful, but could not eat and abstained from meat and drink and knew not the solace of sleep, till my colour paled and I lost my good looks; for I had never before been in love nor tasted the ardour of passion. So I fell sick and my cousin also sickened on my account; but every night she would divert me with stories of love and lovers, till I fell asleep; and whenever I awoke, I used to find her wakeful for my sake, with the tears running down her cheeks. Thus we did till the five days were past, when she rose and heating water, bathed me with it. Then she dressed me and said to me, “Go to her and may God fulfil your wish and bring thee to thy desire of thy beloved!” So I went out and walked on, till I came to the by-street. I found the dyer’s shop shut, for it was Saturday, and sat before it, till I heard the call to afternoon-prayer. Then the sun turned pale, the Muezzins chanted the call to the prayer of sunset and the night came; but I saw no sign nor heard aught of her. With this, I feared for myself, sitting there alone; so I rose and went home, staggering like a drunken man. When I reached the house, I found my cousin Azizeh standing, with one hand grasping a peg driven into the wall and the other on her breast; and she was sighing heavily and repeating the following verses:

  The longing of a Bedouin maid, whose folk are far away, Who

  yearns after the willow of the Hejaz and the hay,

  Whose tears, when she on travellers lights, might for their water

  serve And eke her passion, with its heat, their bivouac-fire

  purvey,

  Is not more fierce nor ardent than my longing for my love, Who

  deems that I commit a crime in loving him alway.

  When she had finished, she turned and seeing me, wiped away her tears and mine with her sleeve. Then she smiled in my face and said, “O my cousin, God grant thee joy of that which He hath given thee! Why didst thou not pass the night with thy beloved and why hast thou not fulfilled thy desire of her?” When I heard what she said, I gave her a kick in the breast and she fell over on to the edge of the estrade and struck her forehead against a peg there. I looked at her and saw that her forehead was cut open and the blood running; but she was silent and did not utter a syllable. She made some tinder of rags and staunching the wound with it, bound her forehead with a bandage; after which she wiped up the blood that had fallen on the carpet, and it was as if nothing had happened. Then she came up to me and smiling in my face, said, with gentle speech, “By Allah, O my cousin, I had it not in my thought to mock at thee or at her! I was troubled with a pain in my head and thought to be let blood, but now thou hast eased my head and brow; so tell me what has befallen thee to-day.” So I told her what had passed and she wept and said, “O my cousin, rejoice in the near fulfilment of thy desire and the attainment of thy hopes. Verily, this is a sign of acceptance; she only stayed away, because she wished to try thee and know if thou wert patient and sincere in thy love for her or not. To-morrow, do thou go to her at the old place and note what signs she makes to thee; for indeed thy gladness is near and the end of thy grief is at hand.” And she went on to comfort me; but my trouble and affliction ceased not to increase on me. Presently, she brought me food, but I kicked the dishes away, so that their contents were scattered in all directions, and said, “Every lover is a madman; he inclines not to food neither enjoys sleep.” “By Allah, O my cousin,” answered she, “these are indeed the signs of love!” And the tears streamed down her cheeks, whilst she gathered the fragments of the dishes and wiped up the food; then she sat down by me and talked to me, whilst I prayed God to hasten the coming of the day. When, at last, the morning arose with its light and shone, I went out and hastening to the by-street in question, sat down on the bench, when behold, the wicket opened and she put out her head, laughing. Then she went in and returned with a mirror, a bag, a pot of flowering plants and a lamp. First, she took the mirror and putting it into the bag, tied it up and threw it back into the room; after which she let down her hair over her face and set the lamp an instant on the pot of flowers; then took up all the things and shutting the window, went away, without saying a word. My heart was tortured by her obscure signs and mysterious gestures, and passion and distraction redoubled on me. So I retraced my steps, tearful-eyed and mournful-hearted, and returning home, found Azizeh sitting, with her face to the wall; for her heart was on fire for grief and anxiety and jealousy; albeit the love she bore me forbade her to acquaint me with what she suffered, by reason of what she saw of the excess of my passion and distraction (for another). I looked at her and saw that she had two bandages on her head, one on account of the wound on her forehead, and the other over her eye, which pained her for excess of weeping; and she was in very sorry plight, weeping and repeating the following verses:

  I count the nights, night after night, the weary nights and slow;

  Yet would I, once upon a time, unreckoned let them go.

  I have no knowledge, O my friend, of that which God ordains Of

  Leila or what He decrees to me, but this I know

  He to another her adjudged and cursed me with her love: So hath

  He not afflicted me with other than her woe.

  When she had finished, she looked round and seeing me through her tears, wiped them away and came up to me, but could not speak for excess of emotion. So she was silent awhile, then said to me, “O my cousin, tell me what befell thee with her this time.” So I told her all that had passed, and she said, “Be patient, for the time of thy delight is come, and thou hast won to the attainment of thy hopes. As for her sign with the mirror and the bag, it was as if she said to thee, ‘When the sun is set;’ and the letting down of her hair over her face signified, When the night is come a
nd hath let fall the blackness of the dark and overmastered the daylight, come hither.’ As for her gesture with the flower-pot and the lamp, it meant, ‘When thou comest, enter the garden behind the street, and where as thou seest the lamp burning, go thither and seat thyself beneath it and wait for me; for the love of thee is killing me.’” When I heard this, I cried out for excess of passion and said, “How long wilt thou deceive me with promises and I go to her, but get not my will nor find any truth in thine interpreting?” At this, she laughed and replied, “Thou needest but have patience for the rest of the day, till the light depart and the night come with the darkness, and thou shalt enjoy fruition and accomplish thy hopes. And indeed this is true without leasing.” And she repeated the following verses:

  Let the days pass, as they list, and fare, And enter thou not the

  house of despair.

  Full oft when the quest of a thing is hard, The next hour brings

  us the end of our care.

  Then she came to me and began to comfort me with soothing words, but dared not offer me food, fearing my wrath and seeking to make me incline to her: so she only took off my upper garment and said to me, “Sit, O my cousin, that I may entertain thee with talk, till the end of the day; and God willing, thou shalt be with thy beloved as soon as it is night.” But I paid no heed to her and gave not over looking for the coming of the night, saying, “O Lord, hasten the coming of the night!” till the hour of the evening-prayer, when she wept sore and giving me a grain of pure musk, said to me, “O my cousin, put this in thy mouth, and when thou foregatherest with thy beloved and hast taken thy will of her and she hath granted thee thy desire, repeat to her this verse:

  Tell me, O lovers, for God’s sake, I do entreat of you, When love is sore upon a maid, alack! what shall she do?”

  And she kissed me and made me swear not to repeat this to my mistress, till I should be about to leave her. Then I went out and walked on till I came to the garden. I found the door open; so I entered, and seeing a light in the distance, made towards it and came to a great pavilion, vaulted over with a dome of ivory and ebony, from the midst of which hung the lamp. The floor was spread with silken carpets, embroidered in gold and silver, and under the lamp stood a great candle, burning in a stand of gold. Midmost the pavilion was a fountain, adorned with all manner of figures; and by it stood a table of food, covered with a silken napkin, and a great porcelain vase full of wine, with a goblet of crystal, sprayed with gold. Near these was a great covered dish of silver, which I uncovered and found therein fruits of all kinds, figs and pomegranates and grapes and oranges and citrons and shaddocks, together with all manner sweet-scented flowers, such as roses and jasmine and myrtle and eglantine and narcissus and all kinds of sweet-smelling herbs; but I saw there not a living soul, no, not even a slave, male or female, to guard these things. I was transported with delight at what I saw, and my grief and anxiety ceased from me. So I sat down to await the coming of the beloved of my heart: but the first hour of the night passed by, and the second and the third, and still she came not. Then I grew sore an hungred, for that it was long since I had tasted food by reason of the violence of my passion: but when I found the garden even as my cousin had told me and saw the truth of her interpretation of my mistress’s signs, my mind was set at rest and I made sure of attaining my desire, so that nature resumed its sway and I felt the pangs of hunger. Moreover the odour of the viands on the table excited in me a longing to eat: so I went up to the table, and lifting the cover, found in the middle a porcelain dish, containing four fricasseed fowls, seasoned with spices, round which were four smaller dishes, one containing sweetmeats, another conserve of pomegranate-seeds, a third almond patties and a fourth honey fritters, and the contents of these dishes were part sweet and part acid. So I ate of the fritters and a piece of meat, then went on to the almond patties and ate what I would of them; after which I attacked the sweetmeats, of which I ate a spoonful or two or three or four, ending with part of a fowl and a mouthful of bread. With this my stomach became full and my limbs heavy and I grew drowsy; so I laid my head on a cushion, after having washed my hands, and sleep overcame me; and I knew not what happened to me after this nor did I awake till the sun’s heat burnt me, for that I had not tasted sleep for days. When I awoke, I found myself lying on the naked marble, with a piece of salt and another of charcoal on my stomach; so I stood up and shook my clothes and turned right and left, but could see no one. At this I was perplexed and afflicted; the tears ran down my cheeks and I mourned grievously for myself. Then I returned home, and when I entered, I found my cousin beating her bosom and weeping like the rain-clouds, as she repeated the following verses:

  From out my loved one’s land a breeze blows cool and sweet: The

  fragrance of its wafts stirs up the ancient heat.

  Blow, zephyr of the East! Each lover hath his lot, His

  heaven-appointed doom of fortune or defeat.

  Lo, if we might, we would embrace thee for desire, Even as a

  lover clips his mistress, when they meet.

  Whenas my cousin’s face is absent, God forbids All pleasance

  [unto me] and all life has of sweet.

  Ah, would I knew his heart was even as is mine, All wasted and

  consumed by passion’s flaming feet!

  When she saw me, she rose in haste and wiping away her tears, accosted me with her soft speech, saying, “O my cousin, verily God hath been gracious to thee in thy love, in that she whom thou lovest loves thee, whilst I pass my time in weeping and lamenting my separation from thee that blamest and chidest me; but may God not reproach thee for my sake!” Then she smiled in my face, a sad smile, and caressed me; then taking off my outer clothes, she spread them out and said, “By Allah, this is not the scent of one who hath enjoyed his mistress! Tell me what has befallen thee, O my cousin.” So I told her all that had passed, and she smiled again, a sad smile, and said, “Verily, my heart is full of pain; but may he not live who would hurt thy heart! Indeed, this woman makes herself extravagantly difficult to thee, and by Allah, I fear for thee from her. Know that the meaning of the salt is that thou wert drowned in sleep and she likens thee to insipid food, at which the soul sickens; and it is as if she said to thee, ‘It behoves that thou be salted, lest nature reject thee. Thou professest to be of the true lovers, but sleep is forbidden to a lover; therefore, thy love is false.’ But it is her love for thee that is false; for she saw thee asleep, yet awoke thee not, and were her love for thee sincere, she had aroused thee. As for the charcoal, it means, ‘God blacken thy face, for that thou makest a lying presence of love, whereas thou art but a child and hast no concern but to eat and drink and sleep!’ This is the interpretation of her signs, and may God the Most High deliver thee from her!” When I heard my cousin’s words, I beat my breast with my hand and cried out, “By Allah, this is the truth, for I slept and lovers sleep not! Indeed, I have sinned against myself, for nought could have done me more hurt than eating and sleeping. What shall I do!” Then I wept sore and said to her, “Have compassion on me and tell me what to do, so may God have compassion on thee: else I shall die.” Now my cousin loved me very dearly; so she replied, “On my head and eyes. But, O my cousin, as I have told thee often, could I go in and out at will, I would very soon bring you together and cover you both with my skirt: nor would I do this but hoping to win thy favour. God willing, I will do my utmost endeavour to bring about your union; but hearken thou to me and do as I bid thee. Go to the garden at nightfall and sit down in the same place and look thou eat not, for eating induces sleep; and beware of sleeping, for she will not come to thee, till a fourth part of the night be passed. And may God save thee from her mischief!” When I heard this, I rejoiced and besought God to hasten the night. As soon as it was dark, I rose to go, and my cousin said to me, “If thou foregather with her, repeat to her the verse I taught thee, at the time of leave-taking.” “On my head and eyes,” replied I, and going out, repaired to the garden, where I found all as on the
previous night, with meat and drink spread ready, and dessert and flowers and so forth. I went up into the pavilion and smelt the odour of the viands and my soul lusted after them; but I forbore awhile, till at last I could no longer restrain my appetite. So I went up to the table, and raising the cover, found a dish of fowls, surrounded by four smaller dishes, containing various meats. I ate a mouthful of each dish and a piece of meat and as much as I would of the sweetmeat: then I tasted a dish of rice dressed with honey and saffron and liking it, supped of it by the spoonful, till I was satisfied and my belly was full. With this, my eyelids became heavy; so I took a cushion and put it under my head, saying, “Surely I can recline upon it, without going to sleep.” Then I closed my eyes and slept, nor did I wake till the sun had risen, when I found myself lying on the bare marble, with a die of bone, a play-stick, a green date-stone and a carob-bean on my stomach. There was no furniture nor aught else in the place, and it was as if there had been nothing there yesterday. So I rose and shaking all these things off me, went out in a rage, and going home, found my cousin sighing and repeating the following verses: