One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  When Hassan heard her words, trouble and affliction ceased from him and his heart became at ease; so he rose to his feet and kissing his sister’s hand, went down with her into the palace, where they slept that night. He tended himself till the morning; and when the sun rose, he opened the staircase door and ascending to the terrace, sat there till nightfall, when his sister brought him meat and drink and a change of clothes and he slept; and thus they did till the end of the month. When he saw the new moon, he rejoiced and began to watch for the birds, and by and by up they came, like lightning. As soon as he saw them, he hid himself where he could watch them, unseen of them, and they lighted down, near the place where he was hidden, and putting off their clothes, descended into the pool. Thereupon Hassan arose and crept, little by little, towards the dresses, and God covered him, so that he possessed himself of the feather-suit, and none of them saw him, for they were laughing and playing with each other.

  When they had made an end of their diversion, they came forth of the pool and each of them donned her suit of feathers, except the princess, who sought her suit, that she might put it on, but found it not; whereupon she shrieked and buffeted her face and rent her clothes. Her companions came to her and enquired what ailed her, and she told them that her feather-suit was missing; wherefore they wept and cried out and buffeted their faces: and they were confounded, knowing not the cause of this, and knew not what to do. Presently the night overtook them and they feared to abide with her lest that which had befallen her should befall them also; so they took leave of her and flying away, left her alone. When they were out of sight, Hassan hearkened and heard her say, ‘O thou who hast taken my dress and stripped me, I beseech thee to restore it to me and cover my nakedness, so may God not make thee taste my sorrow!’

  When Hassan heard her speak thus, with speech sweeter than syrup, his love for her redoubled, passion got the mastery of his reason and he could not endure from her. So he rushed upon her and laying hold of her by the hair, dragged her to him and carried her down to his own chamber, where he threw over her a coverlet of silk and left her weeping and biting her hands. Then he shut the door on her and going to his sister, told her how he had made prize of the princess and carried her to his chamber, where she was now sitting, weeping and biting her hands. When she heard this, she rose forthright and betook herself to the chamber, where she found the captive princess weeping and mourning.

  So she kissed the earth before her and saluted her, and the princess said to her, ‘O king’s daughter, do folk like you deal thus foully with kings’ daughters? Thou knowest that my father is a mighty king and that all the kings of the Jinn stand in awe of him and fear his mischief; for that there are with him magicians and sages and diviners and devils and Marids, such as none may cope withal, and under his hand are folk whose tale none knoweth save God. How then doth it beseem you, O daughters of kings, to harbour mortals with you and discover to them our circumstance and yours? Else how should this man come at us?’ ‘O king’s daughter,’ answered the other, ‘this man is perfect in nobleness and purposely thee no lewdness; but he loves thee, and women were made for men. Did he not love thee, he had not fallen sick and well-nigh given up the ghost on thine account.’ And she told her how Hassan had seen her bathing in the pool, with her attendants, and fallen in love with her, and none had pleased him but she, for the rest were all her handmaids.

  When the princess heard this, she despaired of deliverance and Hassan’s sister fetched her a sumptuous dress, in which she clad her. Then she set before her meat and drink and ate with her and comforted her heart and appeased her fears. And she ceased not to speak her fair and caress her, soothing her with soft and pleasant words and instances and saying, ‘Have pity on him who saw thee once and became the victim of thy love:’ but she wept till daybreak, when her trouble subsided and she left weeping, knowing that she had fallen [into the snare] and that there was no escape for her. Then she said to Hassan’s sister, ‘O king’s daughter, this my strangerhood and severance from my country and family was ordained of God [and written] upon my forehead, and it becomes me to support with patience what my Lord hath decreed.’ Therewith the youngest princess assigned her a chamber, than which there was no goodlier in the palace, and ceased not to sit with her and cheer her and solace her heart, till she took comfort and her bosom dilated and she laughed and there ceased from her the trouble and oppression that possessed her, by reason of her separation from her people and family and country.

  Then the youngest princess repaired to Hassan and said to him, ‘Arise, go in to her in her chamber and kiss her hands and feet.’ So he went in to her and did this and kissed her between the eyes, saying, ‘O princess of fair ones and life of souls and delight of beholders, be easy of heart, for I took thee but that I might be thy slave till the Day of Resurrection, and this my sister will be thy hand- maid. O my lady, I desire nought but to take thee to wife, after the law of God and His Apostle, and if thou wilt, I will journey with thee to my country and carry thee to the city of Baghdad and abide with thee there. Moreover, I will buy thee slaves, male and female, and I have a mother, of the best of women, who will be thine hand- maid. There is no goodlier land than ours; everything there is better than elsewhere and its folk are pleasant and bright of face.’

  As he bespoke her thus and strove to comfort her, what while she answered him not a syllable, there came a knocking at the palace-gate. So Hassan went out to see who was at the gate and found there the six princesses, who had returned from hunting, bringing with them great plenty of gazelles and wild oxen and hares and lions and hyenas and other game, whereat he rejoiced and went to meet them and saluted them. They wished him health and safety and he wished them the like; after which they alighted and going each to her chamber, put off their soiled clothes and donned fair linen. Then they came forth and demanded the game: so they brought out some thereof for slaughter, keeping the rest by them in the palace, and Hassan girt himself and fell to slaughtering for them, whilst they sported and made merry, mightily rejoiced to see him standing amongst them [restored to health and spirits].

  When they had made an end of slaughtering, they addressed themselves to make ready somewhat for their morning meal, and Hassan, coming up to the eldest princess, kissed her head and on like wise did he with the rest one after another. Whereupon said they to him, ‘Indeed, O our brother, thou humblest thyself to us passing measure and we marvel at the excess of the affection thou showest us. But God forbid that thou shouldst do this thing, which it behoves us rather to do with thee, seeing thou art a man and insomuch worthier than we, who are of the Jinn.’ Thereupon his eyes ran over with tears and he wept sore; so they said to him, ‘What ails thee to weep? Indeed, thou troublest our lives with thy weeping this day. It would seem thou longest after thy mother and country. If so, we will equip thee and carry thee to thy home and thy friends.’ ‘By Allah,’ answered he, ‘I desire not to part from you!’ ‘Then which of us hath vexed thee,’ asked they, ‘that thou art thus troubled?’ But he was ashamed to say, ‘Nought troubleth me save love of the damsel,’ lest they should disavow him: so he was silent and would tell them nought of his case.

  Then his sister came forward and said to them, ‘He hath caught a bird from the air and would have you help him tame her.’ Whereupon they all turned to him and said, ‘We are all at thy service and whatsoever thou seekest, we will do: but tell us thy story and conceal from us nought of thy case.’ But he said to his sister, ‘Do thou tell them, for I am ashamed to face them with these words.’ So she said to them, ‘O my sisters, when we went away and left this poor fellow alone, the palace was straitened upon him and he feared lest some one should come in to him, for ye know that the sons of Adam are light-witted. So, of his loneliness and trouble, he opened the door of the staircase leading to the roof and sat there, looking upon the valley and watching the gate, in his fear lest any should come thither. One day, as he sat thus, he saw ten birds making for the palace, and they lighted down on the brink of the
pool in the pavilion. He watched them and saw, amongst them, one goodlier than the rest, which pecked the others and flouted them, whilst they dared not put out a claw to it.

  Presently, they put their claws to their necks and rending their feathers, came forth therefrom and became damsels like the moon at its full, whereof one was fairer of face than the rest and goodlier of shape and more elegant of apparel. Then they put off their clothes and plunging into the water, fell to playing with one another, whilst the chief damsel ducked the other, who dared not lay a finger on her. They ceased not to do thus till near the hour of afternoon prayer, when they came forth of the pool and donning their feather-dresses, flew way, leaving Hassan distracted, with a heart on fire for love of the chief damsel and repenting him that he had not stolen her feather-dress. Wherefore he fell sick and abode on the roof, expecting her return and abstaining from meat and drink and sleep, till the new moon, when they again made their appearance and putting off their clothes went down into the pool. So he stole the chief damsel’s feather-suit, knowing that she could not fly without it, and hid it, lest they should discover him and slay him. Then he waited till the rest had flown away, when he arose and seizing the damsel, carried her down into the castle.’

  ‘Where is she?’ asked her sisters; and she answered, ‘She is with him in such a chamber.’ Quoth they, ‘Describe her to us, O our sister.’ So she said, ‘She is fairer than the moon on the night of its full and her face is brighter than the sun; the water of her mouth is sweeter than honey and her shape more slender than the cane. She hath black eyes and flower-white forehead; a bosom like a jewel, breasts like twin pomegranates and cheeks like apples, a belly covered with dimples, with a navel like a casket of ivory full of musk, and legs like columns of alabaster. She ravishes all hearts with liquid black eyes and the fineness of a slender waist and heavy buttocks and speech that heals the sick. She is goodly of shape and sweet of smile, as she were the full moon.’ When the princesses heard this, they turned to Hassan and said to him, ‘Show her to us.’ So he arose, love- distraught, and carrying them to the chamber in which was the captive damsel, opened the door and entered, followed by the seven princesses.

  When they saw her and noted her loveliness, they kissed the earth before her, marvelling at the fairness of her favour and the elegance of her shape, and said to her, ‘O daughter of the Supreme King, this is indeed a parlous thing: and hadst thou heard tell among women of this mortal, thou hadst marvelled at him all thy days. Indeed, he is passionately enamoured of thee; yet, O king’s daughter, he seeketh not lewdness, but desireth thee only in the way of lawful marriage. But that we know maids cannot do without men, we had hindered him from his intent, albeit he sent thee no messenger, but came to thee himself; and he tells us he hath burnt the feather-dress; else had we taken it from him.’ Then one of them agreed with the princess and becoming her deputy in the matter of the marriage contract, performed the marriage ceremony between them, whilst Hassan clapped hands with her, laying his hand in hers, and she wedded him to the damsel with the latter’s consent; after which they celebrated her marriage-festival, as beseemeth kings’ daughters, and brought Hassan in to his bride. So he rose and opened the door and did away the barrier and broke her seal, whereupon the love of her waxed in him and he redoubled in passion and affection for her. Then, since he had gotten that which he sought, he gave himself joy and repeated these verses:

  Thy shape a tempter is, thine eyes, gazelle-like, black and white; Thy face with beauty’s water drips, with every charm bedight.

  Lo, in mine eyes most gloriously thou’rt pictured, jacinth half And jewels rare another third, thou seemest to my spright.

  Yea, and a fifth of thee is musk, a sixth pure ambergris, And like unto the pearl thou art, indeed, but far more bright.

  Ne’er gave our mother Eva birth unto the like of thee, Nor is there other like to thee in Heaven’s realms of light.

  An if my punishment thou will, ’tis of love’s usances, And of thy favor, if thou choose to pardon my upright.

  O thou adornment of the world, O end of all desire, Who may with patience brook the lack of thy fair face’s sight?

  Now the princesses were standing at the door, and when they heard his verses, they said to her, ‘O king’s daughter, hearest thou what this mortal says? How canst thou blame us, seeing that he makes verses for love of thee?’ When she heard this, she rejoiced and was glad, and Hassan abode with her forty days in all delight and solace and contentment and cheer, whilst the damsels made him new festivities every day and overwhelmed him with bounty and gifts and presents; and the princess became reconciled to her sojourn amongst them and forgot her people and friends. At the end of this time, Hassan saw in a dream, one night his mother mourning for him and indeed her bones were wasted and her body emaciated and she was pale and wan, whilst he was in good case. When she saw him thus, she said to him, ‘O my son Hassan, how is it that thou livest at thine ease and forgettest me? See my plight since thy loss. I do not forget thee, nor will my tongue leave to name thee till I die; and I have made thee a tomb in my house, that I may never forget thee. I wonder, O my son, if I shall live to see thee with me and if we shall ever again be united as we were.’

  Hassan awoke from sleep, weeping and lamenting; the tears on down his cheeks like rain and he became mournful and troubled; his tears ceased not nor did sleep visit him, but he had no rest and no patience was left to him. When he arose, the princesses came in to him and gave him good-morrow and made merry with him, as of their wont; but he paid no heed to them. So alley asked his wife what ailed him and she said, ‘I know not.’ Quoth they ‘Ask him of his case.’ So she went up to him and said, ‘What ails thee, O my lord?’ Whereupon he sighed and groaned and told her what he had seen in his dream. Then he repeated the following verses:

  Afflicted sore am I, distraught with love and dole; Union I seek, yet know no way unto my goal.

  The stresses of desire redouble upon me And even the light of love is heavy on my soul.

  His wife repeated what he had said to the princesses, who, hearing the verses, took pity on him and said to him, ‘In God’s name, do as thou wilt, for we may not hinder thee from visiting thy mother, but will rather help thee thereto by all means in our power. But it behoves that thou desert us not, but visit us, though it be but once a year.’ And he answered, ‘I hear and obey.’ Then they arose forthright and making him ready victual [for the journey], equipped the bride for him with clothes and ornaments and everything of price, such as beggar description. Moreover, they bestowed on him gifts and presents, such as the pen availeth not to set forth, amongst the rest five-and-twenty chests of gold and fifty of silver. Then they beat the drum and up came dromedaries from all sides. They chose of them such as availed to carry all the gear they had prepared and mounting Hassan and his bride on others, rode with them three days, wherein they accomplished three months’ journey.

  Then they bade them farewell and addressed themselves to return; whereupon the youngest threw herself on Hassan’s neck and wept till she fainted. When she came to herself she repeated the following verses:

  Would God the day of parting ne’er might be! It leaves no sleep unto the eyes of me.

  It hath dissolved our loves and broken down Our strength in soul and body utterly.

  Then she bade him farewell, straitly charging him, whenas he should have come to his native land and foregathered with his mother and set his heart at ease, to fail not of paying her a visit once in every six months and saying, ‘If aught trouble thee or thou be in fear of any vexation, beat the Magian’s drum, whereupon the dromedaries will come to thee; and do thou mount and return to us.’ He swore to do her bidding and conjured them to return. So they returned to the palace, mourning for their separation from him, especially the youngest, to whom no rest was left nor would patience come at her call, but she wept night and day.

  Meanwhile, Hassan and his wife fared on night and day, through noontide heats and early dawns, over plains and des
erts and valleys and stony wastes; and God decreed them safety, so that they reached Bassora without hindrance and made their camels kneel at the door of his house. Hassan then dismissed the dromedaries and going up to the door, to open it, heard his mother weeping and reciting the following verses, in a faint voice, from a heart worn [with sorrow] and on fire with consuming affliction:

  How shall she taste, forsooth, of sleep, who lacks of all repose, Who wakes anights, when every eye in slumber else doth close?

  Honour and wealth and family he had and yet became A lonely exile from his home in lands that no man knows.

  Groaning and longing on her press, the utmost that can be, And like a brazier, ‘twixt her ribs the fire of yearning glows.

  Passion the mastery o’er her hath got and ruleth her: For suffering she Moans, yet still is constant ‘neath her woes.

  Her case for love proclaims that she afflicted is and sad: Yea, and her tears are witnesses to that she undergoes.

  When Hassan heard his mother weeping and lamenting, he wept also and knocked loudly at the door. Quoth she, ‘Who is at the door?’ And he said, ‘Open.’ Whereupon she opened the door and knowing him, fell down in a swoon: but he tended her till she came to herself, when he embraced her and she embraced him and kissed him, whilst his wife looked on. Then he carried his goods and gear into the house, whilst his mother repeated the following verses, for that her heart was comforted and God had reunited her with her son:

  Fortune hath taken ruth on my case ; Yea, she hath pitied my long despair,

  Granting me that whereafter I longed And doing away from me dread and care.

  So I will pardon her all the past And the sins that she sinned ‘gainst me whilere;

  Ev’n to the wrong wherewith she wrought To whiten the parting-place of my hair.

  Then they sat talking and his mother said to him, ‘O my son, how faredst thou with the Persian?’ ‘O my mother,’ answered Hassan, ‘he was no Persian, but a Magian, who worshipped the fire, not the All-powerful King.’ Then he told her how he had dealt with him, in that he had journeyed with him (to the Mountain of Clouds) and sewed him in the camel’s skin, and how the rocs had taken him up and set him down on the mountain-top and what he had seen there of dead folk whom the Magian had deluded and left (to perish) on the mountain, after they had done his occasion. And he told her how he had cast himself from the mountain-top into the sea and God the Most High had preserved him and brought him to the palace of the (seven) damsels and how the youngest of them had taken him to brother and he led sojourned with them, till God brought the Magian to the place where he was and he slew him. Moreover, he told her of his passion for the damsel and how he had made prize of her and of his seeing her (his mother) in sleep and all else that had befallen him up to the time when God reunited them.