One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  They abode thus four years, till Seif el Mulouk became weary of this life and sent to intercede with the princess, so haply she might release them and let them go their ways and be at rest from that their travail. So she sent for him and said to him, ‘If thou wilt fall in with my desire, I will set thee free from this thy duresse and thou shalt go to thy country, safe and sound.’ And she went on to humble herself to him and wheedle him, but he would not consent to do her will; whereupon she turned from him, in anger, and he and his companions abode in the same plight. The people of the island knew them for the princess’s birds and dared not do them any hurt; and she herself was at ease concerning them, being assured that they could not escape from the island. So they used to absent themselves from her two and three days [at a time] and go round about the island in all directions, gathering firewood, which they brought to the princess’s kitchen; and thus they abode five years.

  One day, it chanced that the prince and his men were sitting on the sea-shore, devising of what had befallen, and Seif bethought him of his father and mother and his brother Saïd and calling to mind his former high estate, fell a-weeping and lamenting passing sore, whilst his servants wept likewise. Then said they to him, ‘O king of the age, how long shall we weep? Weeping availeth not; for this thing was written on our foreheads by the ordinance of God, to whom belong might and majesty. Indeed, the pen runneth with that which He decreeth and nought will serve us but patience. Peradventure God (blessed and exalted be He!), who hath afflicted us with this calamity, will deliver us therefrom.’ ‘O my brothers,’ said Seif, ‘how shall we win free from this accursed woman? I see no way of escape for us, except God of His favour deliver us from her; but methinks we may flee and be at rest from this travail.’

  ‘O king of the age,’ answered they, ‘whither shall we flee? For the whole island is full of man-eating ghouls and whithersoever we go, they will find us there and either eat us or carry us back to the king’s daughter, who will be wroth with us.’ Quoth Seif, ‘I will contrive you somewhat, whereby it may be God the Most High will help us to escape from this island.’ ‘And how wilt thou do?’ asked they. ‘Let us cut some of these long pieces of wood,’ answered he, ‘and twist ropes of their bark and bind them one with another, and make of them a raft which we will cast into the sea and load with these fruits. Then will we fashion us oars and embark on the raft; peradventure God the Most High will make it the means of our deliverance from this accursed woman and vouchsafe us a fair wind to bring us to the land of Hind, for He can do all things.’ ‘This is well seen,’ said they and were mightily rejoiced thereat.

  So they arose and fell to work forthright to cut wood for the raft and twist ropes to bind the logs together, and at this they wrought a whole month. Every evening, they gathered somewhat of firewood and carried it to the princess’s kitchen, and the rest of the day they busied themselves with working at the raft. When they had made an end of it, they cast it into the sea and loading it with the fruits of the island, embarked at close of day, having told none of their intent. They put out to sea and fared on four months, knowing not whither the raft carried them, till their victual failed them and they were reduced to the utmost extreme of hunger and thirst.

  [One day, as they drifted along,] the sea became troubled and foamed and rose in great waves, and there came forth upon them a frightful crocodile, which put out its claw and snatching up one of the servants, swallowed him. At this sight Seif el Mulouk wept sore and he and the two men that remained to him pushed off from the place where they had seen the monster, sore affrighted. After this, they drifted on till one day they espied a terrible great mountain, rising high into the air, whereat they rejoiced and made towards it with all their might, glad in the prospect of reaching land; but hardly had they sighted the island [on which was the mountain], when the sea boiled and rose in huge waves and a second crocodile raised its head and putting out its claw, took the two remaining servants and swallowed them.

  So Seif abode alone and making his way to the island, laboured till he reached the mountain-top, where he found a wood and walking among the trees, fell to eating of the fruits. Presently, he saw among the branches more than twenty great apes, each bigger than a mule, whereat he was seized with exceeding fear. The apes came down and surrounded him; then they went on before him, signing to him to follow them, and he did so, till he came to a lofty and strong-builded castle, the ordinance whereof was one brick of gold and one of silver. The apes entered and he after them, and he saw in the castle all manner of jewels and precious metals and things of price, such as the tongue fails to describe. Here also he found a young man, exceeding tall of stature, with no hair on his cheeks, and there was no human being but he in the castle.

  The two young men greeted each other with delight, and the stranger marvelled exceedingly at sight of Seif el Mulouk and said to him, ‘What is thy name and what countryman art thou and how camest thou hither? Tell me thy story and conceal from me nought thereof.’ ‘By Allah,’ answered the prince, ‘I came not hither of my own intent nor is this place that which I seek; but I cannot but go from place to place till I compass my desire.’ ‘And what is it thou seekest?’ asked the youth. ‘I am of the land of Egypt,’ replied Seif, ‘and my name is Seif el Mulouk, son of King Aasim ben Sefwan;’ and told him all that had befallen him, from first to last, [up to his coming to the land of China]. Whereupon the youth arose and stood in his service, saying, ‘O king of the age, I was in Egypt [awhile since] and heard that thou hadst gone to the land of China; but it is a far cry from China hither. Verily, this is a strange thing and a rare case!’

  ‘True,’ answered the prince; ‘but, when I left China, I set out, intending for the land of Hind;’ and he told him all that had befallen him till he came thither; whereupon quoth the other, ‘O king’s son, thou hast had enough of strangerhood and its hardships; praised be God who hath brought thee hither! So now do thou abide with me, that I may enjoy thy company till I die, when thou shalt become king over this island, to which no bound is known, and these apes thou seest, which are skilled in all manner crafts; and all thou seekest thou wilt find here.’ ‘O my brother,’ replied Seif el Mulouk, ‘I may not abide in any place till my quest be accomplished, though I compass the whole world in pursuit thereof, so haply God may bring me to my desire or my course lead me to the place, wherein is the appointed term of my days, and I shall die.’

  Then the youth signed to one of the apes, and he went out and was absent awhile, after which he returned with other apes, girt with napkins of silk. They laid the table and set on near a hundred dishes of gold and silver, containing all kinds of meats. Then they stood, after the manner of servants before kings, till the youth signed to the chamberlains, who sat down, and he whose wont it was to serve stood, whilst the two princes ate, till they had enough. Then the apes cleared the table and brought basins and ewers of gold, and they washed their hands; after which they set on nigh forty flagons, in each a different kind of wine, and they drank and took their pleasure and made merry; and all the apes danced and gambolled before them, what while they sat at meat; which when Seif saw, he marvelled at them and forgot that which had befallen him of strangerhood and its hardships. At nightfall, they lighted candles in candlesticks of gold and silver and set on dishes of fruits and confections. So they ate; and when the hour of rest was come, the apes spread them beds and they slept.

  Next morning, the young man arose, according to his wont, and waking Seif, said to him, ‘Put thy head forth of this lattice and see what stands beneath.’ So he put out his head and saw the wide waste and all the desert filled with apes, whose number none knew save God the Most High. Quoth he, ‘Here is great plenty of apes, for they fill the whole country: but why are they assembled at this hour?’ ‘This is their custom,’ answered the youth. ‘Every Saturday, all the apes in the island come hither, some from two and three days’ distance, and stand here till I awake from sleep and put forth my head from this window, when they kiss the ground before
me and go about their affairs.’ So saying, he put his head out of the window; and when the apes saw him, they kissed the earth before him and went away.

  Seif el Mulouk abode with the young man a whole month, at the end of which time he bade him farewell and departed, escorted by a company of nigh a hundred apes, which their king sent with him. They journeyed with him seven days, till they came to the limits of their island, when they took leave of him and returned to their places, while Seif fared on alone over hill and mountain and desert and plain, four months’ journey, one day anhungred and the next full of meat, now eating of the herbs of the earth and now of the fruits of the trees, till he repented him of having quitted the young man and was about to retrace his steps to him, when he saw somewhat black afar off and said in himself, ‘Is this city or trees? I will not turn back till I see what it is.’ So he made towards it and when he drew near, he saw that it was a lofty palace. Now he who built it was Japhet son of Noah (on whom be peace!) and it is of this palace that God the Most High speaketh in His precious Book, whenas He saith, ‘And an abandoned well and a high-builded palace.’

  Seif el Mulouk sat down at the gate and said in himself, ‘I wonder what is within this palace and what king dwelleth there and whether its inhabitants are men or Jinn? Who will tell me the truth of the case?’ He sat awhile, considering, but, seeing none go in or out, he rose and committing himself to God the Most High, entered the palace and walked on, till he had counted seven vestibules; but saw no one. Presently he espied, on his right hand, three doors, and before him, a fourth, over which hung a curtain. So he went up to the fourth door and raising the curtain, found himself in a great saloon, spread with silken carpets. At the upper end stood a golden throne, on which sat a young lady, whose face was like the moon, arrayed in kings’ raiment and adorned as she were a bride on her wedding-night; and before the throne stood a table, whereon were forty trays spread with dishes of gold and silver, full of rich meats.

  The prince went up to the lady and saluted her, and she returned his greeting, saying, ‘Art thou of mankind or of the Jinn?’ ‘I am a man of the best of mankind,’ replied he; ‘for I am a king, son of a king.’ Quoth she, ‘What seekest thou? Up and eat of yonder food, and after tell me thy story from first to last and how thou camest hither.’ So he sat down at the table and uncovering a tray of meats, ate (for he was hungry) till he had enough; then washed his hands and going up to the throne, sat down by the young lady who said to him, ‘Who art thou and what is thy name and whence comest thou and who brought thee hither?’ ‘My story is a long one,’ replied he; ‘but do thou first tell me who and what thou art and why thou dwellest in this place alone.’

  Quoth she, ‘My name is Dauleh Khatoun and I am the daughter of the King of Hind. My father dwells in the city of Serendib and has a great and goodly garden, there is no goodlier in all the land of Hind; and in this garden is a great tank. One day, I went out into the garden with my waiting-women and we stripped and entering the tank, fell to sporting and taking our pleasure therein. Presently, before I could be ware, there swooped down on me somewhat, as it were a cloud, and snatching me from amongst my maids, flew up with me betwixt heaven and earth, saying, “Fear not, O Dauleh Khatoun, but be of good heart.” Then he flew on with me a little while, after which he set me down in this palace and straightway became a handsome young man, elegantly clad, who said to me, “Dost thou know me?” “No, O my lord,” answered I; and he said, “I am the Blue King, son of the Jinn; my father dwelleth in the Castle of El Culzum and hath under his hand six hundred thousand Jinn, flyers and divers. I chanced to see thee, as I was passing, and fell in love with thee; so I snatched thee up from among the slave-girls and brought thee to this strong castle, which is my dwelling-place. None may win hither, whether he be man or genie, and from Hind hither is a hundred and twenty years’ journey: wherefore be thou assured that thou wilt never again see the land of thy father and thy mother; but abide with me here, in content and peace, and I will bring thee whatsoever thou seekest.”

  Then he embraced me and kissed me, saying, “Abide here and fear nothing,” after which he went away and presently returned with these tables and carpets and furniture. He comes to me every Tuesday and abides with me three days, and on Friday, at the time of afternoon prayer, he departs and is absent till the following Tuesday. When he is here, he eats and drinks and kisses and embraces me, but does nought [else] with me, and I am a clean maid, even as God the Most High created me. My father’s name is Taj el Mulouk, and he knows not what is come of me. This is my story: now tell me thine.’

  ‘My story is a long one,’ answered the prince, ‘and I fear lest the Afrit come, whilst I am telling it to thee. Quoth she, ‘He went out from me but an hour before thy coming and will not return till Tuesday: so sit and take thine ease and be thy heart at rest and tell me what hath betided thee, from first to last.’ And he answered, ‘I hear and obey.’ So he told her all that had befallen him from first to last, but, when she heard speak of Bediya el Jemal, her eyes ran over with streaming tears and she exclaimed, ‘O Bediya el Jemal, I had not thought this of thee! Out upon fortune! O Bediya el Jemal, dost thou not remember me nor say, “Where is my sister Dauleh Khatoun gone?”’ And she wept passing sore, lamenting Bediya el Jemal’s forgetfulness of her.

  Then said Seif, ‘O Dauleh Khatoun, thou art a mortal and she is a genie: how then can she be thy sister?’ ‘She is my foster-sister,’ replied the princess, ‘and this is how it came about. My mother went out to take her pleasure in the garden, when the pangs of labour seized her and she gave birth to me. As fate would have it, the mother of Bediya el Jemal chanced to be passing with her guards, when she also was taken with the pains of travail; so she alighted in a part of the garden and was there delivered of Bediya el Jemal. She despatched one of her women to seek food and childbirth-gear of my mother, who sent her what she sought and invited her to visit her. So she came to her with her child and my mother suckled Bediya el Jemal; after which the latter and her mother abode with us in the garden two months.

  Then Bediya’s mother gave my mother somewhat, saying, “When thou hast need of me, I will come to thee in the midst of the garden,” and departed to her own country; but she and her daughter used to visit us every year and abide with us awhile. Wherefore, O Seif el Mulouk, if thou wert with me in my own country and Bediya and I were together as of wont, I would go about with her to bring thee to thy desire of her: but I am here and they know not what is become of me, else could they deliver me from this place; but the matter is in God’s hands (blessed and exalted be He!) and what can I do?’ ‘Come,’ said Seif, ‘let us flee and go whither God wills.’ But she answered, ‘We cannot do that: for, by Allah, though we fled hence a year’s journey, yonder accursed wretch would overtake us in an hour and make an end of us.’

  Then said the prince, ‘I will hide myself in his way, and when he passes, I will smite him with the sword and slay him.’ Quoth Dauleh Khatoun, ‘Thou canst not avail to slay him, except thou slay his soul.’ ‘And where is his soul?’ asked he. ‘Many a time have I questioned him thereof,’ answered she; ‘but he would not tell me, till one day I was instant with him and he waxed wroth with me and said to me, “How often wilt thou ask me of my soul? What hast thou to do with my soul?” “O Hatim,” answered I, “there remaineth none to me but thou, except God; and my life dependeth on thine, and whilst thou livest, all is well for me; so, except I care for thy soul and set it in the apple of mine eye, how shall I live in thine absence? If I knew where thy soul is, I would, never whilst I live, cease to hold it embraced and would keep it as my right eye.”

  Whereupon he said to me, “When I was born, the astrologers predicted that I should lose my soul at the hands of the son of a king of mankind. So I took it and put it in the crop of a sparrow, which I shut up in a box. The box I set in a casket, and enclosing this in seven other caskets and seven chests, laid the whole in a marble coffer, which I buried within the marge of yonder ocean, that encompasseth the
earth; for that these parts are far from the world of men and none of them can win thither. So now I have told thee what thou wouldst know, and do thou tell none thereof, for it is a secret between me and thee.” “To whom should I tell it,” rejoined I, “seeing that none but thou cometh hither with whom I may talk thereof? By Allah, thou hast indeed set thy soul in a right impregnable stronghold, to which none may gain access! How should a man win to it, even if the impossible be ordained and God decree like as the astrologers predicted?”

  Quoth the genie, “Peradventure one may come, having on his finger the ring of Solomon, son of David (on whom be peace!) and lay his hand with the ring on the surface of the water, saying, ‘By the virtue of the names engraven upon this ring, let the soul of such an one come forth!’ Whereupon the coffer will rise to the surface and he will break it open and do the like with the chests and caskets, till he come to the little box, when he will take out the sparrow and strangle it, and I shall die.”’ Then said Seif el Mulouk, ‘I am the king’s son of whom he spoke, and this is the ring of Solomon son of David on my finger. Come, let us go down to the sea-shore and see if his words be truth or leasing.’

  So the two went down to the sea-shore and Dauleh Khatoun stood on the beach, whilst the prince entered the water to his middle, and laying his hand with the ring on the surface of the sea, said, ‘By the virtue of the names and talismans engraven on this ring and of Solomon son of David (on whom be peace!), let the soul of Hatim the genie, son of the Blue King, come forth!’ Whereupon the sea became troubled and the marble coffer rose to the surface. Seif took it and shattered it against the rock and broke open the chests and caskets, till he came to the little box and took thereout the sparrow. Then he and the princess returned to the castle and sat down on the throne. Hardly had they done this, when there arose a terrible great cloud of dust and some huge thing came flying and saying, ‘Spare me, O king’s son, and slay me not; but make me thy freedman, and I will bring thee to thy desire!’ Quoth Dauleh Khatoun, ‘The genie cometh; kill the sparrow, lest the accursed wretch enter the palace and take it from thee and slay thee and me after thee.’ So the prince wrung the sparrow’s neck and it died, whereupon the genie fell down at the door of the palace and became a heap of black ashes.