One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  He ceased not from his prayers and devotions, till, at last, his fellows of the sons of the merchants came in to him one day and saluting him, said, ‘How long wilt thou keep up this thy mourning and neglect thy business and the company of thy friends? Verily, this is a fashion that will bring thee weariness, and thy body will suffer greatly for it.’ Now, when they came in to him, Iblis the accursed was with them, prompting them, and they went on to press him to accompany them to the bazaar, whilst Iblis incited him to consent to them, till he yielded and went forth the house with them, that the will of God (blessed and exalted be He) might be fulfilled. ‘Mount thy mule,’ quoth they, ‘and ride with us to such a garden, that we may divert us there and that thy grief and melancholy may depart from thee.’ So he mounted and taking his slave, went with them to the garden in question, where they entered, and one of them went and making ready the morning- meal, brought it to them there. So they ate and made merry and sat, talking, till the end of the day, when they mounted and returned each to his own lodging, where they passed the night. On the morrow, they said to Ali, ‘Come with us.’ ‘Whither?’ asked he, and they answered, ‘To such a garden; for it is finer than the first and more pleasant.’ So he went with them to the garden, and one of them, going away, made ready the morning-meal and brought it to them, together with strong wine; and Ali said, ‘What is this?’ Quoth they, ‘This is what dispels grief and unveils gladness.’ And they went on to commend it to him, till they prevailed upon him and he drank with them. Then they sat, drinking and talking, till the end of the day, when each returned home.

  As for Ali, he was giddy with wine and went in, in this plight, to his wife, who said to him, ‘What ails thee?’ Quoth he, ‘We were making merry to-day, when one of my companions brought us liquor; so my friends drank and I with them, and this giddiness came upon me.’ ‘O my lord,’ said she, ‘hast thou forgotten thy fathers injunction and done that from which he forbade thee, in consorting with lewd folk?’ ‘These are of the sons of the merchants,’ answered he; ‘they are no lewd folk, only lovers of mirth and good cheer.’ And he continued to lead this life with his friends, day after day, going from place to place and feasting and drinking with them, till they said to him, ‘Our turns are ended, and now it is thy turn.’ ‘Welcome and fair welcome!’ answered he; so, on the morrow, he made ready all that the case called for of meat and drink, double what they had provided, and taking cooks and tent-pitchers and coffee- makers, repaired with the others to Er Rauzeh and the Nilometer, where they abode a whole month, eating and drinking and hearing music and making merry. At the end of the month, Ali found that he had spent a great sum of money; but Satan the Accursed deluded him and said to him, ‘Though thou shouldst spend every day a like sum, yet would not thy wealth fail.’ So he took no account of expense and continued this way of life three years, whilst his wife remonstrated with him and reminded him of his father’s injunctions; but he hearkened not to her, till he had spent all his ready money, when he fell to selling his jewels and spending their price, till they were all gone. Then he sold his houses and lands and farms and gardens, one after another, till they were all gone and he had nothing left but the house in which he lived. So he tore out the marble and wood-work and sold it and spent of its price, till he had made an end of this also, when he bethought himself and finding that he had nothing left to spend, sold the house itself and spent the purchase-money.

  Presently, the man who had bought the house came to him and said, ‘Look thyself out a lodging, for I have need of my house.’ So he bethought himself and considering that he had nothing requiring a house, except his wife, who had borne him a son and daughter, — for he had not a servant left, — hired a room in one of the mean lodging houses and there took up his abode, after having lived in honour and luxury, with many servants and much wealth, and came to lack of one day’s bread. Quoth his wife, ‘I warned thee of this and exhorted thee to obey thy father’s injunction, and thou wouldst not hearken to me; but there is no power and no virtue save in God the Most High, the Supreme! Whence shall the little ones eat? Arise, go round to thy friends, the sons of the merchants: it may be they will give thee somewhat on which we may live this day.’ So he went the round of his friends, one by one; but they all hid their faces from him and gave him nothing but injurious and revolting words; and he returned to his wife and said to her, ‘They have given me nothing.’ Thereupon she went out to beg of her neighbours wherewithal to sustain themselves and came to a woman, whom she had known in former days. When she came in to her and she saw her plight, she rose and receiving her kindly, wept and said, ‘What hath befallen thee?’ So she told her of her husband’s conduct, and the other said, ‘Welcome and fair welcome! Whatever thou needest, seek it of me, without price.’ ‘May God abundantly requite thee!’ answered she. Then her friend gave her as much victual as would suffice herself and her family a whole month, and she took it and returned to her lodging. When her husband saw her, he wept and said, ‘Whence hadst thou that?’ ‘I got it of such a woman,’ answered she; ‘for, when I told her what had befallen us, she failed me not in aught, but said, “Seek of me all thou needest.”’ ‘Since thou hast this,’ rejoined her husband, ‘I will betake myself to a place I have in my mind; peradventure God the Most High will bring us relief.’

  So saying, he took leave of her and kissing the children, went out, not knowing whither he should go, and walked on till he came to Boulac, where he saw a ship about to sail for Damietta. Here he met a man, between whom and his father there had been friendship; and he saluted him and said to him, ‘Whither away?’ ‘To Damietta,’ replied Ali; ‘I have friends there, whom I would fain enquire after and visit and return.’ The man took him home and entreated him hospitably, then, furnishing him with victual [for the voyage] and giving him somewhat of money, embarked him on board the vessel bound for Damietta. When they reached that place, Ali landed, not knowing where to go, but, as he was walking along, a merchant saw him and had pity on him. So he carried him to his house, where he abode awhile, till he said in himself, ‘How long shall this sojourning in other folks’ houses last?’ Then he left the merchant’s house and went down to the quay, where he saw a ship ready to sail for Syria. His host provided him with victual and embarked him in the ship; and it set sail and arrived, in due course, at the coast of Syria, where he landed and journeyed till he entered Damascus. As he walked about the town, a benevolent man saw him and took him to his house, where he abode awhile, till, one day, going abroad, he saw a caravan about to start for Baghdad and bethought himself to journey thither with it. So he returned to his host and taking leave of him, set out with the caravan.

  Now God (blessed and exalted be He) inclined to him the heart of one of the merchants, so that he took him with him, and Ali ate and drank with him, till they came within one day’s journey of Baghdad, where a company of highwaymen fell upon the caravan and took all they had. But few of the merchants escaped and these made each for a [separate] place of refuge. As for Ali, he made for Baghdad, where he arrived at sundown, as the gatekeepers were about to shut the gates, and said to them ‘Let me in with you.’ So they admitted him and asked him whence he came and whither he was bound. ‘I am a man from the city of Cairo,’ replied he, ‘and have with me mules laden with merchandise and slaves and servants. I forewent them, to look me out a place wherein to deposit my goods; but as I rode along on my mule, there fell upon me a company of highway robbers, who took my mule and gear; nor did I escape from them but at the last gasp.’ The warders entreated him hospitably and bade him welcome, saying, ‘Abide with us this night, and in the morning we will look thee out a place befitting thee.’ Then he sought in his pocket and finding a dinar remaining of those he had gotten of the merchant at Boulac, gave it to one of the gatekeepers, saying, ‘Take this and change it and bring us something to eat.’ The man took it and went to the market, where he changed it and brought Ali bread and cooked meat. So he ate, he and the gatekeepers, and he lay the night with them.

/>   On the morrow, one of the warders carried him to a merchant of the town, to whom he told the same story, and he believed him, deeming that he was a merchant and had with him loads of merchandise. So he took him up into his shop and entreated him with honour. Moreover, he sent to his house for a splendid suit of his own apparel for him and carried him to the bath. So, [quoth Ali], I went with him to the bath, and when we came out, he brought me to his house, where he caused set the morning-meal before us, and we ate and made merry.

  Then said he to one of his slaves, “Harkye, Mesoud, take this thy lord and show him the two houses in such a place. Whichever pleases him of them, give him the key of it and come back.” So I went with the slave, till we came to a place where stood three houses, side by side, new and shut up. He opened the first and the second, and I looked at them; after which he said to me, “Of which of them shall I give thee the key?” “To whom does yon large house belong?” asked I. “To us,” answered he; and I said, “Open it, that I may view it.” Quoth he, “Thou hast no call to it.” “Wherefore?” asked I; and he, “Because it is haunted, and none lodges there but in the morning he is a dead man; nor do we use to open the door, to take out the corpse, but mount the roof of one of the other two houses and take it up thence. For this reason, my master has abandoned the house and says, ‘I will never again give it to any one.’” Quoth I, “Open it, that I may view it;” and I said in myself, “This is what I seek. I will pass the night there and in the morning be a dead man and be at peace from this miserable plight of mine.” So he opened it and I entered and found it a splendid house, without its like; and I said to the slave, “I will have none other than this house; give me the key.” But he answered, “I will not give thee this key till I consult my master,” and going to the latter, said to him, “The Egyptian merchant saith, ‘I will lodge in none but the great house.’”

  When the merchant heard this, he rose and coming to Ali, said to him, ‘O my lord, thou hast no need of this house.’ But he replied, ‘I will lodge in none other than this; for I care nothing for this saying.’ ‘Then,’ said the other, ‘write me an acknowledgment that, if aught happen to thee, I am not responsible.’ ‘So be it,’ answered Ali; whereupon the merchant fetched an assessor from the Cadi’s court and taking of him the prescribed acknowledgment, delivered him the key, which he took and entered the house. The merchant sent him bedding by a slave, who spread it for him on the bench behind the door and went away. Presently Ali went into the inner court and seeing there a well with a bucket, let down the latter and drew water, with which he made the ablution and prayed the obligatory prayers. Then he sat awhile, till the merchant’s slave brought him the evening meal from his master’s house, together with a lamp, a candle and candlestick, a basin and ewer and a gugglet; after which he left him and returned home. Ali lighted the candle and supped at his ease and prayed the evening prayer; after which he said to himself, ‘Let us take the bed and go upstairs and sleep there, rather than here.’ So he took the bed and carried it upstairs, where he found a splendid saloon, with gilded ceiling and walls and floor of variegated marble. He spread his bed there and sitting down, began to recite somewhat of the sublime Koran, when suddenly he heard one calling to him and saying, ‘O Ali, O son of Hassan, shall I send thee down the gold?’ And he answered, ‘Send away.’

  Hardly had he spoken, when pieces of gold began to rain down on him, like [pebbles from] a mangonel, nor stinted till the saloon was full. Then said the voice, ‘Set me free, that I may go my way; for I have made an end of my service and have delivered unto thee that which was committed to me for thee.’ Quoth Ali, ‘I adjure thee by the Most High God to tell me the history of this gold.’ ‘This is a treasure that was enchanted to thee of old time,’ replied the voice; ‘and to every one, who entered the house, we used to come and say to him, “O Ali, O son of Hassan, shall we send down the gold?” Whereat he would be affrighted and cry out, and we would come down to him and break his neck and go away. But, when thou camest and we accosted thee by thy name and that of thy father, saying, “Shall we send thee down the gold?” and thou madest answer, saying, “Send away,” we knew thee for the owner of it and sent it down. Moreover, there is yet another treasure for thee in the land of Yemen, whither thou wouldst do well to journey and fetch it. And now I would have thee set me free, that I may go my way.’ ‘By Allah,’ said Ali, ‘I will not set thee free, till thou bring me hither the treasure from Yemen!’ Quoth the voice, ‘If I bring it thee, wilt thou release me and the servant of the other treasure also?’ ‘Yes,’ replied Ali; and the genie said, ‘Swear to me.’ So he swore to him, and he was about to go away, when Ali said to him, ‘I have one other service to ask of thee.’ ‘What is that?’ asked the genie. Quoth Ali, ‘I have a wife and children at Cairo, in such a place; thou must fetch them to me, at their ease and without hurt.’ ‘I will bring them to thee in state,’ answered the genie, ‘in a litter, with a train of slaves and servants, together with the treasure from Yemen, if it be the will of God the Most High.’ Then he took of him leave of absence for three days, at the end of which time all this should be with him, and departed.

  When it was morning, Ali went round about the saloon, seeking a place wherein to lay the gold, and saw in the wall of the dais a marble panel, with a knob in it. So he pressed the knob and the panel slid back and discovered a door, which he opened and entering, found a great closet, full of linen bags. So he took out the bags and fell to filling them with gold and replacing them in the closet, till he had transported thither the whole treasure, whereupon he shut the door and pressing the knob, the panel returned to its place. Then he went down and seated himself on the bench behind the door. Presently, there came a knock at the door; so he opened it and found the merchant’s slave, who, seeing him, returned in haste to his master with the good tidings, saying, ‘O my lord, the merchant, who is lodged in the haunted house, is alive and well and sits on the bench behind the door.’ When the merchant heard this, he rose joyfully and went to the house, taking breakfast with him; and when he saw Ali, he embraced him and kissed him between the eyes, saying, ‘How hath God dealt with thee?’ ‘Right well,’ answered Ali. ‘I slept upstairs in the marble saloon.’ Quoth the merchant, ‘Did aught come to thee or didst thou see aught?’ ‘No,’ replied Ali; ‘I recited some little of the Koran and slept till morning, when I arose and after making the ablution and praying, came down and seated myself on the bench behind the door.’ ‘Praised be God for safety!’ exclaimed the merchant, then left him and presently sent him slaves and servants, black and white and male and female, with furniture. They swept the house from top to bottom and furnished it magnificently, after which three black slaves and the like number of white and four slave-girls abode with him, to serve him, and the rest returned to their master’s house. When the merchants heard of him, they sent him presents of all manner of things of price, even to meat and drink and clothes, and took him with them in the market, saying, ‘When will thy baggage arrive?’ And he answered, ‘After three days it will come.’

  Accordingly, when the three days had elapsed, the servant of the first treasure came to him and said, ‘Go forth and meet thy harem, together with the treasure I have brought thee from Yemen, part of which is by way of costly merchandise; but the slaves, black and white, and the horses and camels and mules are all of the Jinn. (Now the genie, when he betook himself to Cairo, found Ali’s wife and children in sore straits for nakedness and hunger; so he carried them forth of the town in a travelling-litter and clad them in sumptuous raiment of that which was in the treasure of Yemen.) When Ali heard this, he rose and repairing to the merchants, said to them, ‘Come, go forth the city with me, to meet the caravan, with my merchandise, and honour me with the presence of your harems, to meet my harem.’ ‘We hear and obey,’ answered they and sending for their harems, went forth all together and alighted in one of the gardens without the city. As they sat talking, behold, a cloud of dust arose out of the heart of the desert, and they came out to see
what it was. Presently, it lifted and discovered mules and muleteers and tent-pitchers and linkmen, who came on, singing and dancing, till they reached the garden, when the chief of the muleteers came up to Ali and kissing his hand, said to him, ‘O my lord, we have been long on the way, for we thought to enter some days ago; but we were in fear of the highway-robbers, so abode in our station four days, till God the Most High rid us of them.’

  Then the merchants mounted their mules and rode forward with the caravan, wondering at the [number of] mules laden with chests, whilst their harems followed them, with Ali’s harem, marvelling at the richness of the apparel of his wife and children and saying to each other, ‘Verily, the King of Baghdad hath no such raiment, no, nor any other of the kings or merchants or notables.’ So they entered Baghdad in great state and rode on till they came to Ali’s house, where they alighted and brought the mules and their burdens into the midst of the courtyard. Then they unloaded them and laid up the goods in the storehouses, whilst the merchants’ wives went up with Ali’s family to the saloon, which they found as it were a luxuriant garden, spread with magnificent furniture. They sat in mirth and good cheer till noon, when they brought them up the noon meal, of all manner meats and sweetmeats of the best; and they ate and drank costly sherbets and perfumed themselves thereafter with rose-water and scented woods. Then they took leave and departed, men and women. When the merchants returned home, they all sent presents to Ali, according to their conditions; and their wives likewise sent presents to his wife, so that there came to them great plenty of slaves, black and white and male and female, and store of all manner goods, such as grain and sugar and so forth, beyond count. As for the landlord of the house, he abode with Ali and quitted him not, but said to him, ‘Let the slaves and servants take the mules and the other cattle into one of my other houses, to rest.’ Quoth Ali, ‘They set out again to-night for such a place.’ Then he gave them leave to go forth the city, that they might set out on their journey at nightfall; whereupon they took leave of him forthright and departing the city, flew off through the air to their several abodes.