One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  And how excellent is the saying of the poet:

  O thou with black that drest thy hoariness, that so Lost youth with thee may tarry or come to thee once mo’,

  Of old my worldly portion was dyed in grain with black; ‘Twill never fade, believe me, nor other-coloured grow.’

  When the old man with the dyed beard heard this, he was exceeding wroth and said to the broker, ‘O most ill-omened of brokers, what aileth thee to bring this crack- brained wench into our market, to gibe at all who are therein, one after other, and flout them with mocking verses and idle jests?’ And he came down from his shop and smote the broker on the face. So he took her and carried her away, in a rage, saying to her, ‘By Allah, never in my life saw I a more impudent wench than thyself! Thou hast spoilt my trade and thine own this day and all the merchants will bear me a grudge on thine account.’

  Then they saw in the way a merchant called Shihabeddin, who bid ten dinars more for her, and the broker asked her leave to sell her to him. Quoth she, ‘Let me see him and question him of a certain thing, which if he have in his house, I will be sold to him; and if not, not.’ So the broker left her standing there and going up to Shihabeddin, said to him, ‘O my lord, know that yonder damsel tells me she hath a mind to ask thee of somewhat, which if thou have in thy house, she will be sold to thee. Now thou hast heard what she said to thy fellows the [other] merchants, and by Allah, I fear to bring her to thee, lest she do with thee like as she did with thy neighbours and so I fall into disgrace with thee: but, if thou bid me bring her to thee, I will do so.’ Quoth the merchant, ‘Bring her to me.’ ‘I hear and obey,’ answered the broker and fetched the damsel, who looked at him and said, ‘O my lord Shihabeddin, hast thou in thy house cushions stuffed with minever parings?’ ‘Yes, O princess of fair ones,’ replied Shihabeddin, ‘I have half a score such cushions at home; but I conjure thee by Allah, tell me, what wilt thou do with them?’ Quoth she, ‘I will wait till thou be asleep, when I will lay them on thy mouth and nose [and press on them] till thou die.’

  Then she turned to the broker and said to him, ‘O filthiest of brokers, meseemeth thou art mad, for that, this hour past, thou slowest me, first to a pair of graybeards, in each of whom are two faults, and then to my lord Shihabeddin here, in whom are three defects; first, he is short of stature; secondly, he hath a big nose, and thirdly, he hath a long beard. Of him quoth one of the poets:

  Ne’er saw we in our lives nor heard of such a wight Of all that live and be beneath the sun his light:

  A beard a cubit long and nose a span he hath, Whilst he himself is but a finger’s breadth in height.

  And quoth another poet:

  The mosque’s minaret from his visage doth spring, As the ring-finger juts from the round of the ring.

  If all it could house were to enter his nose, The world were soon void of each creature and thing.’

  When Shihabeddin heard this, he came down from his shop and seized the broker by the collar, saying, ‘O scurviest of brokers, what ails thee to bring us a damsel to flout and make mock of us, one after other, with idle talk and verses?’ So the broker took her and carried her away from before him, saying, ‘By Allah, all my life long, since I have plied this craft, I never set eyes on the like of thee for unmannerliness nor aught more curst to me than thy star, for thou hast cut off my livelihood this day and I have gained nought by thee save cuffs on the neck and taking by the collar!’ Then he brought her to the shop of another merchant, owner of slaves and servants, and stationing her before him, said to her, ‘Wilt thou be sold to this my lord Alaeddin?’ She looked at him and seeing him to be humpbacked, said, ‘This fellow is a hunchback, and quoth the poet of him:

  Shoulders drawn in and spine thrust out, ’twould seem as if to find A tar that Satan promised him, indeed, he had a mind;

  Or as the first stroke of a whip he’d tasted of and stood Still for amaze, whilst of the stroke to come he felt the wind.

  And saith another:

  Whene’er a hunchback mounts a mule, straightway A laughing-stock to all mankind are they.

  Is he not laughable? So marvel not If she take fright with him and run away.

  And another:

  A hunchback often foulness adds to his deformity, And all men’s eyes upon the wight look with antipathy;

  As ‘twere a dry distorted branch, whose citrons, perched upon Its back, have bowed it to the ground, for length of days, is he.’

  With this the broker hurried up to her and carrying her to another merchant, said to her, ‘Wilt thou be sold to this man?’ She looked at him and said, ‘This man is blue-eyed; how wilt thou sell me to him? Quoth one of the poets of him:

  Ophthalmia’s disorders him ply; They have broken his strength down well nigh. O people, I rede you arise And look at the mote in his eye.’

  Then the broker carried her to another and she looked at him and seeing that he had a long beard, said to the broker, ‘Out on thee! This is a ram, whose tail has sprouted from his gullet. Wilt thou sell me to him, O unluckiest of brokers? Hast thou not heard that all long-bearded men are little of wit? Indeed, after the measure of the length of the beard is the lack of understanding; and this is a well-known thing among men of sense. As saith one of the poets:

  No man, whose beard is long, although he gain some whit In gravity of mien and dignity by it,

  There lives, but every inch that’s added to his beard In length the like thereof is taken from his wit.

  And quoth another:

  I have a friend, who hath a beard that God Caused flourish without profit, till, behold,

  ’Tis, as it were, to look upon, a night Of middle winter, long and dark and cold.’

  With this the broker took her and turned away with her, and she said to him, ‘Whither guest thou with me?’ ‘Back to thy master the Persian,’ answers he; ‘it suffices me what hath befallen me because of thee this day; for thou hast spoilt both my trade and his by thine unmannerliness.’ Then she looked about the market right and left and front and rear, till, as fate would have it, her eyes fell on Ali Noureddin. So she looked at him and saw him to be a comely youth, fourteen years old, like the moon on the night of its full, surpassing in beauty and loveliness and elegance and amorous grace, smooth- faced and slender-shaped, with flower-white forehead and rosy cheeks, neck like alabaster and teeth like jewels and spittle sweeter than sugar, even as saith of him one of his describers:

  Full moons and fawns with him conclusions came to try In beauty and in grace; but ‘Soft!’ to them quoth I.

  ‘Forbear, gazelles; indeed, ye are no match for him; And spare your pains, O moons, ’tis vain with him to vie.

  And how well saith another :

  A slender one, from his brows and the night of his jetty hair, Mankind in alternate gloom and splendour of light do fare.

  Blame not the mole on his cheek; is an anemone’s cup Perfect, except in its midst an eyelet of black it bear?

  When she saw him he interposed between her and her wit; the love of him sat stark hold upon her soul and her heart was taken with passion for him; so she turned to the broker and said to him, ‘Will not yonder young merchant in the striped gown bid for me?’ ‘O lady of fair ones,’ replied the broker, ‘yonder young man is a stranger from Cairo, where his father is chief of the merchants and hath the pass over all the merchants and notables of the place. He is but lately come to our city and lodgeth with one of his father’s friends; but he hath made no bid for thee, more nor less.’

  When she heard this, she drew from her finger a ruby ring of price and said to the broker, ‘Carry me to yonder youth, and if he buy me, this ring shall be thine, in requital of thy toil with me this day.’ The broker rejoiced at this and brought her up to Noureddin, and she considered him straitly and found him like the full moon, accomplished in grace and elegance and symmetry, even as saith of him one of his describers:

  The waters of grace in his visage run clear And his glances cast arrows at all who draw near:

  Sweet
his favours, but lovers still choke, if he give Them to drink of the gall of his rigours austere.

  His brow is perfection, perfection his shape, And my love is perfection, so true and sincere.

  The folds of his raiment the new moon enclose; From his collars she Rises, as if from a sphere.

  His eyes and his moles and my tears are as nights Upon nights upon nights, full of blackness and fear;

  And his eyebrows and face and my body new moon On new moon on new moon to the aspect appear.

  His eyes fill his lovers a goblet of wine, Which, though bitter, is sweet to my sorrowful cheer.

  With a smile of his mouth, on the day of delights My thirst he allayed with sweet water and clear.

  My slaughter’s with him; ay, the shedding my blood Is thrice lawful to him whom I tender so dear.

  Then said she to Noureddin, ‘God on thee, O my lord, am I not handsome?’ And he answered, ‘O princess of fair ones, is there in the world a goodlier than thou?’ ‘Then why,’ rejoined she, ‘seest thou the other merchants bid for me and art silent nor sayest a word neither addest one dinar to my price? It would seem I please thee not, O my lord!’ Quoth he, ‘O my lady, were I in mine own land, I had bought thee with all that my hand possesseth of good.’ ‘O my lord,’ replied she, ‘I would not have thee buy me against thy will; yet, didst thou but add somewhat to my price, it would comfort my heart, though thou buy me not, so the merchants may say, “Were not this girl handsome, yonder merchant of Cairo had not bidden for her, for the people of Cairo are connoisseurs in slave- girls.”’

  Her words abashed Noureddin and he blushed and said to the broker, ‘How stand the biddings for her?’ ‘Her price hath reached nine hundred and sixty dinars,’ answered he, ‘besides brokerage. As for the Sultan’s dues, they fall on the seller.’ Quoth Noureddin, ‘Let me have her for a thousand dinars, price and brokerage.’ And the damsel hastened to leave the broker, saying, ‘I sell myself to this handsome young man for a thousand dinars.’ Quoth one, ‘We sell to him;’ and another, ‘He deserves her;’ and a third, ‘Accursed, son of accursed, is he who bids and does not buy!’ and a fourth, ‘By Allah, they befit one another!’ Then, before Noureddin could think, the broker fetched cadis and witnesses, who drew up a contract of sale and purchase, which the broker handed to Noureddin, saying, ‘Take thy slave-girl and may God make her a blessing to thee, for she beseemeth none but thee and none but thou beseemeth her.’ And he recited the following verses:

  Unto him fair fortune all unbidden hies, Drags her skirts to-him-ward on obsequious wise.

  None but she befitteth him and none but he Of the maid is worthy, underneath the skies.

  Noureddin was abashed before the merchants; so he paid down the thousand dinars, that he had left with his friend the druggist, and taking the girl, carried her to the house in which the latter had lodged him. When she entered and saw nothing but patched carpets and worn- out rugs, she said to him, ‘O my lord, have I no value in thine eyes and am I not worthy that thou shouldst carry me to thine own house wherein are thy goods, that thou bringest me into thy servant’s lodging? Why dost thou not carry me to thy father’s dwelling?’ ‘By Allah, O princess of fair ones,’ answered he, ‘this is my house wherein I dwell; but it belongs to an old man, a druggist of this city, who hath set it apart for me and lodged me therein. I told thee that I was a stranger and that I am of the people of Cairo.’ ‘O my lord,’ rejoined she, ‘the least of houses will serve till thy return to thy native place; but, God on thee, O my lord, go now and fetch me somewhat of roast meat and wine and fruit and dessert.’ ‘By Allah, O princess of fair ones,’ answered he, ‘I had no money with me but the thousand dinars I paid down to thy price! The few dirhems I had I spent yesterday.’ Quoth she, ‘Hast thou no friend in the town, of whom thou mayst borrow fifty dirhems and bring them to me, that I may tell thee what thou shalt do therewith?’ And he said, ‘I have no friend but the druggist.’

  Then he betook himself forthright to the druggist and said to him, ‘Peace be on thee, O uncle!’ He returned his salutation and said to him, ‘O my son, what hast thou bought for a thousand dinars this day?’ ‘I have bought a slave-girl,’ answered Noureddin. ‘O my son,’ rejoined the old man, ‘art thou mad that thou givest a thousand dinars for one slave-girl? What kind of slave-girl is she?’ ‘She is a damsel of the children of the Franks,’ replied Noureddin and the druggist said, ‘O my son, the best of the girls of the Franks are to be had in this town for a hundred dinars, and by Allah, they have put a cheat on thee in the matter of this damsel! However, if thou hast a mind to her, lie with her this night and do thy will of her and to-morrow morning go down with her to the market and sell her, through thou lose two hundred dinars by her, and put it that thou hast been robbed of them or lost them by shipwreck.’ ‘Thou sayst well, O uncle,’ replied Noureddin; ‘but thou knowest that I had but the thousand dinars wherewith I bought the damsel, and now I have not a single dirhem left to spend; so I desire of thy favour and goodness that thou lend me fifty dirhems, to provide me withal, till to-morrow, when I will sell her and repay thee out of her price.’ ‘Willingly, O my son,’ said the old man and counted out to him the fifty dirhems.

  Then he said to him, ‘O my son, thou art young and the damsel is fair, and belike thy heart will be taken with her and it will be grievous to thee to part from her. Now thou hast nothing to live on and the fifty dirhems will [soon] be spent and thou wilt come to me and I shall lend thee once or twice and thrice and so on up to ten times; but, if thou come to me after this, I will not return thee the legal salutation and our friendship with thy father will come to nought.’ Noureddin took the fifty dirhems and returned with them to the damsels who said to him, ‘O my lord, go straight to the market and fetch me twenty dirhems’ worth of silk of five colours and with the other thirty buy meat and bread and wine and fruit and flowers.’ So he went to the market and buying her all she sought, returned to her therewith, whereupon she rose and tucking up her sleeves, cooked food after the most skilful fashion, and set it before him. He ate and she ate with him, till they had enough, after which she set on the wine, and they drank, and she ceased not to ply him with drink and entertain him with talk, till he became drunken and fell asleep: whereupon she arose and taking out of her budget a sachet of Tain leather, opened it and brought out a pair of knitting-pins, with which she fell to work and stinted not, till she had made a beautiful girdle. She cleaned it and ironed it and folding it in a piece of rag, laid it under the pillow.

  Then she put off her clothes and lying down beside Noureddin, kneaded him till he awoke and found by his side a girl like virgin silver, softer than silk and more delicate than a fat sheep’s tail, more conspicuous than a standard and goodlier than the red camels, low of stature, with swelling breasts, eyes like gazelles’ eyes and brows like bended bows and cheeks like blood-red anemones, slender belly, full of dimples, and a navel holding an ounce of benzoin ointment, thighs like bolsters stuffed with ostrich down, and between them what the tongue fails to describe and at mention whereof the tears pour forth. Indeed it seemed as it were she to whom the poet alludes in the following verses:

  Her hair is night, her forehead day, her cheeks a blossomed rose And wine the honeyed dews wherewith her mouth for ever flows.

  Heaven in her favours is and hell in her disdain; her teeth Are very pearls and in her face the moon at full doth glow.

  And how excellent is another’s saying:

  She shineth forth, a moon, and bends, a willow-wand, And breathes out ambergris and gazes, a gazelle.

  Meseems as if grief loved my heart and when from her Estrangement I abide, possession to it fell.

  She hath a face outshines the very Pleiades And brows whose lustre doth the crescent moon excel.

  And quoth a third:

  Unveiled, new moons they shine, and all displayed, like moons at full, They burn: like boughs they sway, and eke like antelopes they turn:

  And in their midst’s a black-eyed maid, for whose swe
et beauty’s sake, To be the earth whereon she treads the Pleiades would yearn.

  So he turned to her and pressing her to his bosom, sucked first her under lip and then her upper lip and slid his tongue into her mouth. Then he rose to her and found her an unpierced pearl and a filly that none but he had mounted. So he did away her maidenhead and had of her the amorous delight and there was contracted between them love that might never know breach nor severance. He rained down kisses upon her cheeks, like the falling of pebbles into water, and beset her with stroke upon stroke, like the thrusting of spears in the mellay; for that Noureddin still yearned after clipping of necks and sucking of lips and letting down of tresses and pressing of waists and biting of cheeks and pinching of breasts, with Cairene motitations and Yemani wrigglings and Abyssinian sobbings and Hindi torsions and Nubian lasciviousness and Rifi leg-liftings and Damiettan gruntings and Upper Egyptian heat and Alexandrian languor, and this damsel united in herself all these attributes, together with excess of beauty and amorous grace; and indeed she was even as saith of her the poet:

  By Allah, I will never all my life long forget her, my dear, And those only will I tender who shall bring her to me to draw near!

  Now glory to her Maker and Creator be given evermore! As the full moon of the heavens in her aspect and her gait she doth appear.

  Though my sin, indeed, be sore and my offending in loving her be great, I know repentance not, whilst of her favours a hope to me be clear.

  She, indeed, hath made me weariful and wakeful, full of sorrow, sick for love: Yea, my heart is all confounded at her beauty, dazed for trouble and for fear;

  And I go a line of verse for e’er repeating that none knoweth ‘mongst the folk Save the man who rhymes and verses hath recited and studied many a year.

  None knoweth of love-longing save he only who hath its pains endured And none but he can tell the taste of passion, who’s Proved its woe and cheer.

  So Noureddin lay with the damsel in solace and delight, clad in the strait-linked garments of emplacement, secure against the accidents of night and day, and they passed the night after the goodliest fashion, fearing not, in love-delight, abundance of talk and prate. As says of them the right excellent poet: