One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  So he abode with them till the end of the day, when there came a boy five [feet] high, who took the mats they had made and carrying them to the market, sold them for a carat. With this he bought bread and beans and returned with them to the King. The hermit supped and lay down to sleep with them; but, in the middle of the night, they both arose and fell to praying and weeping. When daybreak was near, the King said, ‘O my God, this Thy servant beseeches Thee to return him his cloud; and Thou art able to this; so, O my God, answer Thou his prayer and restore him his cloud.’ The Queen said ‘Amen’ to his prayer and behold, the cloud appeared in the sky; whereupon the King gave the hermit joy and the latter took leave of them and went away, the cloud following him as of old. Moreover, whatsoever he required of God after this, in the names of the pious King and Queen, He granted it to him; and he made thereon the following verses:

  God ‘mongst His servants hath elect, whose pious souls, I ween, Range in the gardens of His love, untroubled and serene.

  Their bodies’ lusts at peace are grown and trouble them no more, For that which harbours in their breasts of hearts made pure and clean.

  One sees them silent, bearing them right humbly to their Lord, For they His mysteries behold, unseen as well as seen.John Payne’s translation: detailed table of contents

  THE MUSLIM CHAMPION AND THE CHRISTIAN DAMSEL.

  The Khalif Omar ben el Khettab (whom God accept) once levied an army of Muslims, to encounter the enemy before Damascus, and they laid strait siege to one of the Christians’ strengths. Now there were among the Muslims two men, brothers, whom God had gifted with valour and daring against the foe, so that the commander of the besieged fortress said to his captains and champions, ‘Were but yonder two taken or slain, I would warrant you against the rest of the Muslims.’ Wherefore they set for them all manner of snares and ambushes and ceased not to lie in wait for them, till, at last, they took one of them prisoner and slew the other, who died a martyr. They carried the prisoner to their general, who looked at him and said, ‘To kill this man were pity; but his return to the Muslims would be a calamity. Would he might be brought to embrace the Christian Faith and be to us an aid and a support!’ ‘O Amir,’ answered one of his knights, ‘I will bring him to abjure his faith, and on this wise. We know that the Arabs are passionately fond of women, and I have a daughter of surpassing beauty and grace, whom when he sees, he will be ravished by her.’ Quoth the general, ‘I give him into thy charge: take him.’

  So he carried him to his house and set food before him. Moreover, he clad his daughter in raiment, such as added to her beauty and grace, and made her stand before the Muslim, as she were a handmaid obedient to her lord and awaiting his commandment, that she might fulfil it. When the prisoner saw the snare that was set for him, he commended himself to God the Most High for protection and closing his eyes, applied himself to prayer and reciting the Koran. Now he had a mellow voice and a penetrating wit; and the young lady fell passionately in love with him and said in herself, ‘Would God he would consent to admit me into the Faith of Islam! And the tongue of her case recited the following verses:

  Wilt turn away, from me whose soul is thrall to thee, thy face, From me whose life thy ransom is, whose heart thy dwelling-place?

  Indeed, my people I will well to leave and leave a faith Other than that of the sharp sword; yea, Islam I embrace

  And testify that there’s no Lord save God and God alone; For constant is the proof thereof and doubt can find no place.

  Union, mayhap, will He decree with one that is averse And ease a heart distressed for love and longing, of His grace.

  For oft-times doors are open thrown, that erst were shut, and he Is granted his desires, whom woe hath brought to sorry case.

  She abode thus seven days, till her patience failed her and her breast was straitened and she threw herself at his feet, saying, ‘I conjure thee by thy faith, give ear unto my words!’ ‘What are they?’ asked he; and she said, ‘Expound unto me Islam.’ So he expounded to her the tenets of the Faith, and she became a Muslim, after which she purified herself and he taught her to pray. Then said she to him, ‘Know, O my brother, that I did but embrace Islam for thy sake and to win thy favour.’ Quoth he, ‘The law of Islam forbids sexual commerce between man and woman, save after a marriage before two legal witnesses, and a dowry and next friend [for the woman] are also requisite. Now I know not where to find witnesses or next friend or dowry; but, if thou canst make shift to bring us out of this place, I hope to win to the land of Islam, and I vow to thee that none other in Islam shall be wife to me than thou.’ ‘I will contrive this,’ answered she and calling her father and mother, said to them, ‘This Muslim’s heart is softened and he inclineth to enter our faith, so I will grant him that which he desireth of me; but he says, “It were not fitting for me to do this in a town where my brother was slain. Could I but come without it, my heart would be diverted [from the thought of him] and I would do that which is required of me.’’ Now there is no harm in letting me go forth with him to another place, and I will be warrant to you and to the Amir for that which ye require of him.’

  So her father went to their chief and told him of this, whereat he rejoiced with an exceeding joy and bade carry them forth the town to a village that she named. So they went out to the village, where they abode the rest of that day, and at nightfall, they made ready to set out and fare upon their way, even as saith the poet:

  “The time of departure,” quoth they, “draweth nigh:” And “How oft will ye threat me with parting?” I cry.

  No business have I but to traverse the earth, Mile by mile and o’er deserts forever to hie.

  If the loved ones prick forth tow’rds a land, for their sake, Once again of the sons of the road become I.

  On my longing, to guide me to them, I rely, And it shows me the way nor directs me awry.

  The young Muslim mounted a swift horse and took the girl up behind him, and they set out and fared on all that night till morning, when he turned aside with her from the highway and alighting, they made the ablution and prayed the morning prayer. As they were thus engaged, they heard the clank of arms and ring of bridles and men’s voices and tramp of horse; whereupon he said to her, ‘O such an one, the Christians are upon us! What shall we do? For the horse is jaded, so that he cannot go another step.’ ‘Out on thee!’ exclaimed she. ‘Art thou then afraid?’ ‘Yes,’ answered he; and she said, ‘What didst thou tell me of the power of thy Lord and His readiness to succour those who cry to Him? Come, let us make supplication to Him and beseech Him: surely, He will vouchsafe us His succour and visit us with His grace, glorified and exalted be He!’ ‘By Allah,’ rejoined he, ‘thou sayst well!’ So they betook themselves to prayer and supplication to God the Most High, and he recited these verses:

  Indeed, I stand in need of Thee all seasons, foul or fair, What though with diadem and crown my brows encompassed were.

  Thou art the chiefest of my wants, and could my hand but win This its desire, no other want were left to me whate’er.

  Nought that Thou hast withholdest Thou; the outflow of Thy grace Is as a torrent or a shower, that’s lavished everywhere.

  By my transgression am I shut therefrom, yet is the light Of Thy compassion, Clement One, resplendent past compare.

  O Care-Dispeller, that, wherewith I stricken am, dispel; For there is none save Thou alone can do away this care.

  Whilst he was praying and she saying, ‘Amen,’ and the tramp of horse nearing them the while, behold, he heard the voice of his dead brother, the martyr, speaking and saying, ‘O my brother, fear not, but be of good cheer; for these thou hearest are the host of God and His angels, whom He hath sent to serve as witnesses to your marriage. Verily, the angels of God the Most High are emulous of you, and He bestoweth on you the recompense of the blessed and the martyrs and hath rolled up the earth for you [as it were a carpet], so that, by morning, you will be in the mountains of Medina. And thou [O man], whenas thou foregatherest with Omar ben
el Khettab, (of whom God accept,) give him my salutation and say to him, “May God abundantly requite thee for Islam, for thou hast dealt faithfully and striven diligently.”’ Thereupon the angels lifted up their voices in salutation to him and his wife, saying, ‘Verily, God the Most High appointed her in marriage to thee two thousand years before your father Adam (on whom be peace) was created.’ Then joy and gladness and peace and cheer overcame the twain; assurance was confirmed and stablished was the vocation of the God-fearing pair. So they prayed the fore-dawn prayer and fared forward; and when the day broke and the light appeared to them, they saw [in the distance] the standards of Medina and the Khalif and a company of Muslims issuing forth to meet them.

  Now it was Omar’s wont to rise for morning-prayer in the darkness before dawn, and bytimes he would proceed to the mosque, followed by two men, and standing in the prayer-niche, begin by reciting the chapter of the Cattle or that of Women; whereupon the sleeper awoke and he who was in act to make the ablution accomplished it and he who was afar came to prayer; nor had he made an end of [the prayers of] the first inclination, before the mosque was full of people; then would he pray his second inclination, repeating a short chapter in haste. But, on the morning in question, he hurried over his devotions, both first and second inclinations, repeating in each a short chapter; then, turning to his companions, said to them, ‘Come, let us go out to meet the bride and bridegroom;’ at which they wondered, understanding not his words; but he went out and they followed him, till they came to the gate of the city, where they met the young Muslim and his bride coming towards them and saluted them. Omar carried the bride and bridegroom into Medina and bade make a marriage-feast; and the Muslims came and ate. Then the young Muslim went in to his bride, and God the Most High vouchsafed him children by her, who fought in His way and preserved their genealogies, for they gloried therein. And how excellent is what is said on the subject:

  I saw thee weeping at the gates and moaning passing sore, Whilst all, except the curious, to answer thee forbore.

  Hath evil eye ensorcelled thee or hath misfortune fall’n On thee and doth a barrier keep thee from the loved one’s door?

  Awake, O wretch, devote thyself this day to God His praise; Repent and turn thee to the Lord, as men have turned of yore.

  The rains of the Forgiving One, belike, shall wash away The past and on the sinner’s head the grace of God shall pour;

  Ay, and the captive, shackled though he be, shall yet escape, And in the prison of God’s wrath the slave shall pine no more.

  And they ceased not to be in all delight and solace of life, till there came to them the Destroyer of Delights and the Sunderer of Companies.

  John Payne’s translation: detailed table of contents

  IBRAHIM BEN EL KHAWWAS AND THE CHRISTIAN KING’S DAUGHTER.

  (Quoth Sidi Ibrahim ben el Khawwas, on whom be the mercy of God), My soul was instant with me, once upon a time, to go forth into the country of the infidels; and I strove with it and essayed to put away this thought from me, but it persisted and would not be denied. So I went forth and journeyed about the land of the unbelievers and traversed it in all its parts, for the grace of God enveloped me and His protection encompassed me, so that I met not a Christian, but he turned away his eyes and held aloof from me, till I came to a great city at whose gate I found a company of black slaves, clad in armour and bearing iron maces in their hands. When they saw me, they rose to their feet and said to me, ‘Art thou a physician?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ Quoth they, ‘By order of the King,’ and carried me before their monarch, who was a handsome man of majestic aspect. When I came into his presence, he looked at me and said, ‘Art thou a physician?’ ‘Yes,’ answered I; and he said to his officers, ‘Carry him to her and acquaint him with the condition, ere he enter.’ So they took me out and said to me, ‘Know that the King hath a daughter, who is stricken with a sore distemper, which no physician hath availed to cure: and none goeth in to her and treateth her, without curing her, but the King putteth him to death. So bethink thee what thou wilt do?’ Quoth I, ‘The King sent me to her; so carry me to her.’ Accordingly, they brought me to her door and knocked; and I heard her cry out from within, saying, ‘Admit the physician, lord of the wondrous secret!’ And she recited the following verses:

  Open the door, for the physician’s here; And see, I have a secret wonder-dear.

  How many near in spirit distant are! How many spirit-distant yet are near!

  I was an exile midst you, but the Truth Willed that my solace should eftsoon appear.

  Religious kinship bound us and we met, As lover and belov’d, in joy and cheer.

  He summoned me to meeting; but the spy And censor ‘twixt our loves did interfere.

  Out on ye! Leave your chiding and your prate; For unto you I may not lend an ear.

  With that which passes by I’ve no concern; Upon the eternal things my hopes I rear.

  And behold, an old man opened the door in haste and said to me, ‘Enter.’ So I entered and found myself in a saloon strewn with sweet-scented herbs and with a curtain drawn across one corner, from behind which came a sound of groaning, weak as from an emaciated body. I sat down before the curtain and was about to pronounce the salutation, when I bethought me of the words of him whom God bless and preserve, ‘Accost not a Jew nor a Christian with the salutation, and when ye meet them in the way, constrain them to the straitest part thereof.’ So I held my peace, but she cried out from behind the curtain, saying, ‘Where is the salutation, that is due from one true believer in the Unity of God and His indivisibility to another, O Khawwas?’ I was astonished at her speech and said, ‘How knowest thou me?’ ‘When the heart and thoughts are pure,’ answered she, ‘the tongue speaks clearly from the secret places of the soul. I besought Him yesterday to send me one of His saints, at whose hands I might have deliverance, and behold, it was cried to me from the recesses of my house, “Grieve not; for we will send thee Ibrahim el Khawwas.”’ Then said I to her, ‘What ails thee?’ ‘It is now four years,’ answered she, ‘since there appeared to me the manifest Truth, and He [or it] is the story-teller, the comrade, the ally; whereupon my folk looked upon me with evil eyes and taxed me with madness, and there came not in to me physician or visitor from them, but terrified and confounded me.’ ‘And who led thee to the knowledge of the true faith?’ asked I. ‘God’s manifest signs and His visible portents,’ replied she; ‘and when the road is patent to thee, thou seest with thine own eyes both proof and prover.’

  Whilst we were talking, in came the old man affected to her guard and said to her, ‘What doth thy physician?’ Quoth she, ‘He knoweth the disease and hath hit upon the remedy.’ When he heard this, he manifested joy and gladness and accosted me with a cheerful favour, then went and told the King, who bade him entreat me with all consideration. So I visited her daily for seven days, at the end of which time she said to me, ‘O Abou Ishac, when shall be our flight to the land of Islam?’ ‘How canst thou go forth,’ replied I, ‘and who would dare to attempt thine escape?’ ‘He,’ rejoined she, ‘who sent thee to me.’ ‘Thou sayst well,’ answered I. So on the morrow, we went out by the gate of the city and [men’s] eyes were veiled from us, by His commandment, [who] when He desireth aught, saith to it, ‘Be,’ and it is; so that I journeyed with her in safety to Mecca, where she abode by the House of God seven years, till the days of her life came to an end. The earth of Mecca was her tomb, and never saw I any more steadfast in prayer and fasting than she, may God send down His mercies upon her and have compassion on him who saith:

  When they brought me the physician (and indeed upon my face Sickness and constant floods of tears had left full many a trace,)

  He drew the veil away and saw nought neath it but a soul Sans life or body or aught else to fill the empty place.

  “Indeed,” said he to them, “a thing uneath is this to cure; Love hath a secret not to win by sheer conjecture’s grace.”

  Quoth they, “An one know not what is therein and if the
re be No way its nature to define and symptoms to embrace,

  How then shall medicine thereon have anywise effect?” Leave me; indeed, I will not judge, by guess-work, of the case.John Payne’s translation: detailed table of contents

  THE JUSTICE OF PROVIDENCE.

  A certain prophet once worshipped on a high mountain, at whose foot was a spring of running water, and he was wont to sit by day on the mountain-top, where none could see him, calling upon the name of God the Most High and watching those who came to the spring. One day, as he sat looking on the spring, there came up a horseman, who dismounted thereby and taking a bag from his neck, laid it down beside him, after which he drank of the water and rested awhile, then mounted and rode away, leaving the bag behind him. Presently up came another man, to drink of the spring, who saw the bag and finding it full of gold, took it up and made off with it in safety, after he had drunken. A little after, came a woodcutter, with a heavy faggot on his back, and sat down by the spring to drink, when, behold, back came the horseman, in great concern, and said to him, ‘Where is the bag [with the thousand dinars] that was here?’ ‘I know nothing of it,’ replied the woodcutter, whereupon the other drew his sword and smote him and killed him. Then he searched his clothes, but found nothing; so he left him and went away.

  When the prophet saw this, he said, ‘O Lord, this man hath been slain unjustly, for another had the thousand dinars.’ But God answered him, saying, ‘Busy thyself with thy service, for the ordering of the affairs of the universe is none of thine affair. Know that the horseman’s father had despoiled the second man’s father of a thousand dinars; so I gave the son possession of his father’s money. As for the woodcutter, he had slain the horseman’s father, wherefore I enabled the son to avenge himself.’ Then said the prophet, ‘Verily, there is none other god than Thou! Glory to Thee! Thou [alone] knowest the hidden things.’ Moreover, one of the poets hath made the following verses on the matter: