One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  So Faris took leave of the prophet and kissing his hands, set forth at once on his homeward journey, rejoicing in the accomplishment of his errand. He travelled on with all diligence till he drew near to Cairo, when he despatched one of his servants to acquaint King Aasim with his return and the successful issue of his journey; which when the king heard, he rejoiced with an exceeding joy, he and his grandees and officers, especially in the vizier’s safe return. When they met, the vizier dismounted and kissing the earth before the king, gave him the glad news of the complete achievement of his wish; after which he expounded the true faith to him, and the king and all his people embraced Islam.

  Then said Aasim to his vizier, ‘Go home and rest this night and a week to boot; then go to the bath and come to me, that I may take counsel with thee of what we shall do.’ So Faris kissed the earth and withdrew, with his servants and attendants, to his house, where he rested eight days; after which he repaired to the king and related to him all that had passed between Solomon and himself, adding, ‘Do thou rise and go forth with me alone.’ So the king and the vizier took two bows and two arrows and repairing to the tree indicated by Solomon, climbed up into it and sat there, without speaking, till near upon the hour of afternoon prayer, when they descended and looking upon the roots of the tree saw two serpents issue thence. The king looked at them and admired them, marvelling to see them ringed with collars of gold about their necks, and said to Faris, ‘O vizier, these snakes have golden collars! By Allah, this is a rare thing! Let us take them and set them in a cage and keep them to look upon.’ But the vizier said, ‘These hath God created for their use; so do thou shoot one and I will shoot the other.’

  Accordingly, they shot at them with arrows and killed them; after which they cut off a span’s length of their heads and tails and threw it away. Then they carried the rest to the king’s palace, where they called the cook and said to him, ‘Dress this meat daintily, with onion-sauce and spices, and ladle it out into two platters and bring them hither at such an hour, without fail.’ So the cook took the meat and went with it to the kitchen, where he cooked it and dressed it in skilful fashion with fine onion-sauce; after which he ladled it out into two platters and set them before the king and the vizier, who took each a dish and gave their wives to eat of the meat. Then they lay that night with them, and by the good pleasure of God (blessed and exalted be He!) and His will and ordinance, they both conceived forth right.

  The king abode three months, troubled in mind and saying in himself, ‘I wonder whether this thing will prove true or not;’ till one day, as the queen was sitting, the child stirred in her belly and she felt a pain and her colour changed. So she knew that she was with child and calling the chief of her eunuchs, bade him ‘Go to the king, wherever he may be, and say to him, “O king of the age, I bring thee the glad tidings that our lady’s pregnancy is become manifest, for the child stirs in her belly.”’ So the eunuch went out in haste, rejoicing, and finding the king alone, with his head on his hand, pondering this thing, kissed the earth before him and acquainted him with his wife’s pregnancy. When the king heard this, he sprang to his feet and in the excess of his joy, he kissed the eunuch’s head and hands and pulling off the clothes he had on, gave them to him. Moreover, he said to those who were present in his assembly, ‘Whoso loveth me, let him bestow largesse upon this man.’ And they gave him of money and jewels and jacinths and horses and mules and gardens what was beyond count or reckoning.

  At that moment, in came the Vizier Faris and said to Aasim, ‘O king of the age, I was sitting at home alone but now, absorbed in thought, pondering the matter of the pregnancy and saying in myself, “I wonder if this thing be true and whether Khatoun have conceived or not!” when, behold, an eunuch came in to me and brought me the glad news that my wife was indeed pregnant, for that her colour was changed and the child stirred in her belly: whereupon, in my joy, I pulled off all my clothes and gave them to him, together with a thousand dinars, and made him chief of the eunuchs.’ ‘O vizier,’ rejoined the king, ‘God (blessed and exalted be He!) hath, of His grace and bounty and goodness, made gift to us of the true faith and brought us out of darkness into light and hath been bountiful to us, of His favour and beneficence; wherefore I am minded to solace the folk and cause them to rejoice.’ Quoth Faris, ‘Do what thou wilt.’

  Then said the king, ‘O vizier, go down forthright and set free all who are in the prisons, both debtors and criminals, and whoso transgresseth after this, we will requite according to his desert. Moreover, we forgive the people three years’ taxes, and do thou set up kitchens all round about the city walls and bid the cooks hang over the fire all kinds of cooking pots and cook all manner meats nor leave cooking night or day, and let all comers, both of the people of the city and of the neighbouring countries, far and near, eat and drink and carry to their houses. And do thou command the people to hold holiday and decorate the city seven days and shut not the taverns night nor day.’

  The vizier did as the king bade him and the folk donned their richest apparel and decorated the city and citadel and fortifications, after the goodliest fashion, and passed their time in feasting and sporting and making merry, till the days of the queen’s pregnancy were accomplished and she was taken, one night, with the pains of labour hard before dawn. Then the king bade summon all the astrologers and mathematicians and men of learning in the town, and they assembled and sat awaiting the throwing of a bead in at the window, which was to be a signal to them, as well as to the nurses and attendants, that the child was born. Presently, the queen gave birth to a boy like a piece of the full moon, and the astrologers took his altitude and made their calculations and drew his horoscope.

  Then they rose and kissing the earth before the king, gave him the joyful tidings that the new-born child was of happy augury and born under a fortunate aspect, ‘but,’ added they, ‘in the first of his life there will befall him a thing that we fear to name to the king.’ Quoth Aasim, ‘Speak and fear not;’ so they said, ‘O king, this boy will leave this [his native] land and journey in strange countries and suffer shipwreck and hardship and captivity and distress, and indeed he hath before him many perils and stresses; but, in the end, he shall win free of them and attain to his desire and live the happiest of lives the rest of his days, ruling over subjects and countries and having dominion in the land, in despite of enemies and enviers.’

  When the king heard the astrologers’ words, he said, ‘The matter is obscure; but all that God the Most High decreeth unto the creature of good and bad cometh to pass and needs must a thousand solaces betide him from this day to that.’ So he paid no heed to their words, but bestowed on them dresses of honour, as well upon all who were present, and dismissed them; when, behold, in came the vizier, rejoicing, and kissed the earth before the king, saying, ‘Good tidings, O king! My wife hath but now given birth to a son, as he were a piece of the moon.’ ‘O vizier,’ replied Aasim, ‘go, bring thy wife and child hither, that she may abide with my wife, and they shall bring up the two boys together in my palace.’ So Faris fetched his wife and son and they committed the two children to the nurses.

  After seven days had passed over them, they brought them before the king and said to him, ‘What wilt thou name them?’ Quoth he, ‘Do ye name them.’ But they replied, ‘None nameth a boy but his father.’ So he said, ‘Name my son Seif el Mulouk, after my grandfather, and the vizier’s son Saïd.’ Then he bestowed dresses of honour on the nurses and said to them, ‘Be ye tender over them and rear them after the goodliest fashion.’ So they reared the two boys diligently till they reached the age of five, when the king committed them to a schoolmaster, who taught them to read the Koran and write. When they were ten years old, King Aasim gave them in charge to masters, who taught them horsemanship and archery and spear and ball play and the like, till, by the time they were fifteen years old, they were proficient in all manner of martial exercises, nor was there one to vie with them in horsemanship, for each of them would do battle with a tho
usand men and make head against them alone.

  So, when they came to years of discretion, whenever King Aasim looked on them, he rejoiced in them with an exceeding joy; and when they had attained their twentieth year, he took his vizier apart one day and said to him, ‘O vizier, I wish to take counsel with thee concerning a thing I have a mind to do.’ ‘Whatever thou hast a mind to do,’ replied Faris, ‘do it; for thy judgment is blessed.’ So the king said, ‘O vizier, I am become a very old and decrepit man, sore stricken in years, and I am minded to take up my abode in an oratory, that I may worship God the Most High, and give my kingdom and sultanate to my son Seif el Mulouk, for that he is grown a goodly youth, accomplished in martial exercises and polite letters and the art of government and full of wit and dignity. What sayst thou of this project?’

  ‘It is well seen of thee,’ answered the vizier. ‘The idea is a blessed and fortunate one, and if thou do this, I will do the like and my son Saïd shall be the prince’s vizier, for he is a comely young man and full of knowledge and judgment. Thus will the two be together, and we will order their affair and neglect not their case, but guide them in the way of righteousness.’ Quoth the king ‘Write letters and send them by runners to all the cities and provinces and strengths and fortresses, that be under our hands, bidding their chiefs be present on such a day at the Horse-course of the Elephant.’ So the vizier went out forthright and despatched letters to this purport to all the deputies and governors of fortresses and others [in authority] under King Aasim; and he commanded also that all in the city should be present, great and small.

  When the appointed time drew near, King Aasim let pitch pavilions in the midst of the Horse-course and decorate them after the most sumptuous fashion and set up [therein] the great throne whereon he sat not but on festivals. Then he and all his deputies and chamberlains and amirs sallied forth, and he commanded proclamation to be made to the people, saying, ‘In the name of God, come forth to the Horse-course!’ So all the amirs and viziers and governors of provinces and feudatories came forth to the place of assembly and entering the royal pavilion, addressed themselves to the service of the king, according to their wont, and abode in their several stations, some standing and others sitting, till all the people were gathered together, when the king commanded to spread the tables and they ate and drank and prayed for him.

  Then he commanded the chamberlains to proclaim to the people that they should not depart: so they made proclamation to them, saying, ‘Let none of you depart hence till he have heard the king’s words!’ So they drew the curtains [of the royal pavilion] and the king said, ‘Whoso loveth me, let him remain till he have heard my words!’ Whereupon the folk all sat down, reassured, after they had been fearful. Then the king rose to his feet and conjuring them all to remain seated, said to them, ‘O amirs and viziers and grandees, great and small, and all ye who are present of the people, know ye not that this kingdom was an inheritance to me from my fathers and forefathers?’ ‘Yes, O king,’ answered they, ‘we all know that.’ And he continued, saying, ‘I and you, we all worshipped the sun and moon, till God (blessed and exalted be He!) vouchsafed us the knowledge of the true faith and brought us out of darkness into light, guiding us to the religion of Islam. Know that I am become a very old man, decrepit and feeble, and I desire to take up my abode in an oratory, there to worship God the Most High and crave His pardon for past offences and make this my son Seif el Mulouk ruler. Ye know that he is a goodly youth, eloquent, just and intelligent, learned and versed in affairs; wherefore I am minded presently to resign my kingdom to him and to make him king and sultan over you in my stead, whilst I give myself to the worship of God in an oratory. What say ye then, all of you?’

  Thereupon they all rose and kissing the ground before him, made answer with ‘Hearing and obedience,’ saying, ‘O our king and our protector, if thou shouldst set over us one of thy slaves, we would hearken to thy word and obey him: how much more then with thy son Seif el Mulouk? Indeed, we accept of him and approve him, on our heads and eyes!’ So the king came down from his seat and seating his son on the great throne, took the crown from his own head and set it on that of Seif el Mulouk and girt his middle with the royal girdle. Then he sat down beside him on the throne of his kingship, whilst the amirs and viziers and notables and all the rest of the folk rose and kissed the earth before him, saying, ‘Indeed, he is worthy of the kingship and hath better right to it than another.’ Then the ushers made proclamation of safety and offered up prayers for his victory and prosperity. And Seif el Mulouk scattered gold and silver on the heads of the people and conferred dresses of honour and gave gifts and largesse.

  Then, after a moment, the Vizier Faris arose and kissing the earth, said, ‘O amirs and grandees, ye know that I am vizier and that my vizierate dated from of old, before the accession of King Aasim ben Sefwan, who hath now divested himself of the sovereignty and made his son king in his stead?’ ‘Yes,’ answered they, ‘we know that thy vizierate is from father after grandfather.’ ‘And now,’ continued he, ‘I put off my office, in favour of this my son Saïd, for he is intelligent, quick-witted and sagacious. What say ye all?’ And they answered, saying, ‘None is worthy to be vizier to King Seif el Mulouk but thy son Saïd, and they befit one another.’ With this Faris arose and taking off his vizier’s turban, set it on his son’s head and laid his inkhorn of office before him, whilst the amirs and chamberlains said, ‘Indeed, he is deserving of the viziership.’ After this, King Aasim and Faris the vizier arose and opening the royal treasuries, conferred magnificent dresses of honour on all the viceroys and amirs and viziers and grandees and other the folk and wrote them new mandates and patents of office in the name of King Seif el Mulouk and his Vizier Saïd. Moreover, he made distribution of money [to the troops] and gave guerdons, and they abode in the city a week and departed each to his own country and place.

  Then King Aasim carried his son and his Vizier Saïd back to the palace and commanded the treasurer to bring the ring and signet and sword and wrapper; which being done, he said to the two young men, ‘O my sons, let each of you choose two of these things and take them.’ The first to make choice was Seif el Mulouk, who put out his hand and took the ring and the wrapper, whilst Saïd took the sword and the signet; after which they both kissed the king’s hands and went away to their lodging. Seif opened not the wrapper, but threw it on the couch where he and Saïd slept by night, for it was their wont to lie together.

  Presently they spread them the bed and the two lay down, with candles burning over them, and slept till midnight, when Seif awoke and seeing the wrapper at his head, said in himself, ‘I wonder what thing of price is in this wrapper that my father gave me!’ So he rose and leaving Saïd sleeping, took a candle and carried the wrapper into a closet, where he opened it and found within a tunic of the fashion of the Jinn. He spread it open and saw, wroughten in gold on the lining of the back, the portraiture of a girl of marvellous loveliness, whereon no sooner had he set eyes than his reason fled from his head and he became mad for love thereof, so that he fell down in a swoon and [presently coming to himself], began to weep and lament, beating his face and breast and kissing the portrait. And he recited the following verses:

  Love, at the first, a dribble is of water, that the Fates Bring and impel ‘gainst him on whom it falleth to his share;

  Till, when the youth into the sea of passion plungeth full, Come great and grievous things, indeed, impossible to bear.

  And also these:

  Had I but known how love men’s heart doth take and rack, I’d been upon my guard against its first attack;

  But I myself undid, of purpose, knowing not The things of love nor what its issues are, alack!

  And he ceased not to weep and lament and buffet his face and breast, till Saïd awoke and missing him from the bed and seeing [but] one candle, said in himself, ‘Where is Seif el Mulouk gone?’ Then he took the candle and went round about the palace, till he came upon the closet in question, where he saw the prince l
ying, weeping and lamenting passing sore. So he said to him, ‘O my brother, what ails thee to weep? Speak to me and tell me what hath befallen thee.’ But Seif spoke not neither raised his head and continued to weep and smite upon his breast. Quoth Saïd, ‘I am thy vizier and thy brother, and we were reared together, thou and I; so to whom wilt thou unburden thy breast and discover thy secret, if not to me?’ And he went on to humble himself and kiss the earth before him a great while, whilst Seif el Mulouk paid no heed to him nor answered him a word, but gave not over weeping.

  At last, being affrighted at his case and weary of striving with him, he went out and fetched a sword, with which he returned to the closet, and setting the point to his own breast, said to the prince, ‘Awake, O my brother! An thou tell me not what ails thee, I will slay myself and see thee no longer in this plight.’ Whereupon Seif raised his head and answered him, saying, ‘O my brother, I am ashamed to tell thee what ails me;’ but Saïd said, ‘I conjure thee by Allah, the Lord of Lords, the Liberator of those that are in bondage, the Causer of causes, the One, the Clement, the Bountiful, the Giver of gifts, that thou tell me what ails thee and be not abashed at me, for I am thy slave and thy vizier and counsellor in all things!’ Quoth Seif, ‘Come and look at this portrait.’ So Saïd looked at it awhile and considering it straitly, saw written, at its head, in letters of pearl, these words, ‘This is the presentment of Bediya el Jemal, daughter of Shehyal ben Sharoukh, a king of the kings of the true-believing Jinn who have taken up their abode in the city of Babel and sojourn in the garden of Irem.’