One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  So he alighted and the peasant left him and went off to the village, to fetch him the noonday meal, whilst Marouf abode awaiting him. Presently he said to himself, ‘I have diverted this poor man from his work; but I will arise and plough in his stead, till he come back, to make up for having hindered him from his work.’ So he took the plough and starting the bulls, ploughed a little, till the share struck against something and the beasts stopped. He urged them on, but they could not move the plough; so he looked at the share and finding it caught in a ring of gold, cleared away the soil therefrom and saw that it was set amiddleward an alabaster flag, the bigness of the nether millstone. He strove at the stone till he pulled it from its place, when there appeared beneath it an underground stair. So he descended the stair and came to a place like a bath, with four raised recesses, the first full of gold, from floor to roof, the second full of emeralds and pearls and coral, the third of jacinths and rubies and turquoises and the fourth of diamonds and all manner other precious stones. At the upper end of the place stood a coffer of pure crystal, full of unique jewels, each the size of a walnut, and thereon lay a casket of gold, the bigness of a lemon.

  When he saw this, he marvelled and rejoiced with an exceeding joy and said in himself, ‘I wonder what is in this casket?’ So he opened it and found therein a seal-ring of gold, whereon were graven names and talismans, as they were ant-tracks. He rubbed the ring and immediately a voice said, ‘Here am I, at thy service, O my lord! Ask and it shall be given unto thee. Wilt thou build a town or lay waste a city or kill a king or dig a river or aught of the kind? Whatsoever thou seekest, it shall come to pass, by leave of the Omnipotent King, Creator of night and day.’ ‘O creature of my Lord,’ asked Marouf, ‘who and what art thou?’ Quoth the other, ‘I am the servant of the ring, abiding in the service of him who possesseth it. Whatsoever he seeketh, that accomplish I unto him, and I have no excuse in that he biddeth me do; for that I am Sultan over two-and-seventy tribes of the Jinn, each two-and-seventy thousand in number, every one of whom ruleth over a thousand Marids, each Marid over a thousand Afrits, each Afrit over a thousand Satans and each Satan over a thousand Jinn: and they are all under my commandment and may not gainsay me. As for me, I am enspelled to this seal-ring and may not gainsay him who possesseth it. Now, behold, thou hast gotten possession of it and I am become thy servant; so ask what thou wilt, for I hearken to thy word and obey thy commandment; and if thou have need of me at an, time, by land or by sea, rub the ring and thou wilt find me with thee. But beware of rubbing it twice in succession, or thou wilt consume me with the fire of the names [graven thereon]; so wouldst thou lose me and after regret me. Now have I acquainted thee with my case and peace be on thee!’

  ‘What is thy name?’ asked Marouf, and the genie answered, ‘Aboussaadat.’ ‘O Aboussaadat,’ said Marouf, ‘what is this place and who enchanted thee in this casket?’ ‘O my lord,’ replied he, ‘this is a treasure called the Treasure of Sheddad son of Aad, him who builded Irem of the Columns, the like whereof was not made in the lands. I was his servant in his lifetime and this is his seal-ring, which he laid up in his treasure; but it is thy lot.’ Quoth Marouf, ‘Canst thou transport that which is in the treasure to the surface of the earth?’ ‘Yes,’ answered the genie. ‘Nothing easier.’ ‘Then,’ said Marouf, ‘bring it forth and leave nothing.’ So the genie signed with his hand to the ground, which clove asunder, and he descended and was absent a little while. Presently, there came forth young and graceful boys, with fair faces, bearing golden baskets full of gold, which they emptied out and going away, returned with more: nor did they cease to transport the gold and jewels, till, in a little, they said, ‘There is nought left in the treasure.’ Whereupon out came Aboussaadat and said to Marouf, ‘O my lord, thou seest that we have brought forth all that was in the treasure.’

  ‘Who are these beautiful boys?’ asked Marouf, and the genie answered, ‘They are my sons. This affair merited not that I should call together the Marids for it, wherefore my sons have done thine occasion and are honoured by serving thee. So ask what thou wilt beside this.’ Quoth Marouf, ‘Canst thou bring me mules and chests and fill the chests with the treasure and load them on the mules?’ ‘Nothing easier,’ answered Aboussaadat and gave a great cry; whereupon his sons presented themselves before him, to the number of eight hundred, and he said to them, ‘Let some of you take the form of mules and others of muleteers and servants and handsome white slaves, the like of the least of whom is not found with any of the kings.’ So seven hundred of them changed themselves into pack mules and other hundred took the form of servants. Then Aboussaadat called upon his Marids, who presented themselves before him, and he commanded some of them to assume the semblance of horses saddled with saddles of gold set with jewels. [They did as he bade them], which when Marouf saw, he said, ‘Where are the chests?’ They brought them before him and he said, ‘Pack the gold and the jewels, each kind by itself.’ So they packed them and loaded three hundred mules with them.

  Then said Marouf, ‘O Aboussaadat, canst thou bring me some loads of costly stuffs?’ Quoth the genie, ‘Wilt thou have Egyptian stuffs or Syrian or Persian or Indian or Greek?’ ‘Bring me a hundred loads of each kind,’ answered Marouf, ‘on five hundred mules.’ ‘O my lord,’ said Aboussaadat, ‘grant me time that I may dispose my Marids for this and send a company of them to each country to fetch a hundred loads of its stuffs and then take the form of mules and return, carrying the stuffs.’ ‘What time dost thou want?’ asked Marouf. ‘The time of the blackness of the night,’ answered Aboussaadat, ‘and day shall not dawn ere thou have all thou seekest.’ ‘I grant thee this time,’ said Marouf and bade them pitch him a tent. So they pitched him a tent and he sat down therein and they brought him a table of food. Then said Aboussaadat to him, ‘O my lord, abide thou in this tent and these my sons shall guard thee: so fear thou nothing; for I go to assemble my Marids and send them to do thy desire.’ So saying, he departed, leaving Marouf seated in the tent, with the table before him and the genie’s sons in attendance upon him, in the guise of slaves and servants.

  Presently up came the husbandman, with a great platter of lentils and a nose-bag full of barley, and seeing the tent pitched and the slaves standing, with their hands upon their breasts, thought that the Sultan was come and had halted there. So he stood confounded and said in himself, ‘Would I had killed a pair of chickens and fried them with butter for the Sultan!’ And he would have turned back to kill the chickens, to regale the Sultan withal; but Marouf saw him and cried out to him and said to the slaves, ‘Bring him hither.’ So they brought him and his load before Marouf, who said to him, ‘What is this?’ ‘This is thy noon-meal and thy horse’s fodder,’ replied the peasant. ‘Excuse me, for I thought not that the Sultan would come hither; and had I known this, I would have killed a pair of chickens and entertained him handsomely.’ Quoth Marouf, ‘The Sultan is not come. I am his son-in-law and I was vexed with him. However, he hath sent his officers to make his peace with me, and now I am minded to return to the city. But thou hast made me this guest-meal, without knowing me, and I accept it from thee, lentils though it be, and will not eat save of thy cheer.’

  So he bade him set the platter midmost the table and ate of it till he had enough, whilst the husbandman filled his belly with those rich meats. Then Marouf washed his hands and gave the servants leave to eat. So they fell upon the remains of the meal and ate: and when the platter was empty, he filled it with gold and gave it to the peasant, saying, ‘Carry this to thy dwelling and come to me in the city, and I will entreat thee with honour.’ So he took the platter full of gold and returned to the village, driving the bulls before him and deeming himself kin to the king. Meanwhile, they brought Marouf girls of the brides of the treasure, who smote on instruments of music and danced before him, and he passed the night in joyance and delight, a night not to be reckoned among lives.

  Hardly had the day dawned when there arose a great cloud of dust, which, presently lifting, discove
red seven hundred mules laden with stuffs and attended by muleteers and baggage-tenders and linkmen. With them came Aboussaadat, riding on a mule, in the guise of a caravan-leader, and before him was a travelling-litter, with four volutes of glittering red gold, set with jewels. When Aboussaadat came up to the tent, he dismounted and kissing the earth, said to Marouf, ‘O my lord, thine occasion hath been accomplished in full, and in the litter is a treasure-suit that hath not its match among kings’ raiment: so do thou don it and mount the litter and command us what thou wilt.’ ‘O Aboussaadat,’ said Marouf, ‘I wish thee to go to the city of Ikhtiyan el Khuten and carry a letter, which I will write thee, to my father-in-law the king; and go thou not in to him but in the guise of a mortal courier.’ And he answered, ‘I hear and obey.’

  So Marouf wrote the letter and sealed it and Aboussaadat took it and set out to deliver it to the king. When he arrived, he found the king saying, ‘O vizier, indeed my heart is concerned for my son-in-law and I fear lest the Arabs slay him. Would he had told me whither he was bound, that I might have followed him with the troops!’ ‘May God have mercy on this thy heedlessness!’ answered the vizier. ‘As thy head liveth, the fellow saw that we were awake to him and feared exposure and fled, for he is nothing but a lying impostor!’ At this moment in came the courier and kissing the earth before the king, wished him abiding glory and prosperity and length of life. Quoth the king, ‘Who art thou and what is thy business?’ ‘I am a courier,’ answered the genie, ‘whom thy son-in-law sendeth to thee with a letter, and he is come with the baggage.’ So he took the letter and read therein these words, ‘Peace to the utterest upon our father-in-law the glorious king! Know that I am at hand with the baggage-train: so come thou forth to meet me with the troops.’

  Quoth the king, ‘God blacken thy face, O vizier! How often wilt thou asperse my son-in-law’s honour and call him a liar and an impostor? Behold, he is come with the baggage-train and thou art but a traitor.’ The vizier hung his head in shame and confusion and said, ‘O king of the age, I said this but because of the long delay of the baggage and because I feared the loss of the wealth he hath spent.’ ‘O traitor,’ answered the king, ‘what matter my riches, now that his baggage is come? For he will give me great plenty in their stead.’ Then he bade decorate the city and going in to his daughter, said to her, ‘Good news for thee! Thy husband will be here anon with his baggage; for he hath sent me a letter to that effect and I am now going forth to meet him.’ The princess marvelled at this and said to herself, ‘This is a strange thing! Was he laughing at me and making mock of me, or had he a mind to try me, when he told me that he was a poor man? But praised be God for that I failed not of my duty to him!’

  Meanwhile, Ali the Cairene saw the decoration of the city and asked the cause thereof, when they said to him, ‘The baggage-train of the merchant Marouf, the king’s son-in-law, is come.’ ‘God is most great!’ cried he. What a calamity is this man. He came to me, fleeing from his wife, and he was a poor man. Whence then should he get a baggage-train? But belike this is a device that the king’s daughter hath contrived him, for fear of disgrace, and kings can do anything. May God the Most High screen him and not expose him!’ And all the merchants rejoiced and were glad for that they would get their money. Then the king assembled his troops and rode forth, whilst Aboussaadat returned to Marouf and acquainted him with the accomplishment of his errand. Quoth Marouf, ‘Bind on the loads.’ So they bound them on and he mounted the litter and donning the treasure-suit, became a thousand times greater and more majestic than the king.

  Then he set forward; but, when he had gone half-way, the king met him with the troops, and seeing him riding in the litter and clad in the dress aforesaid, threw himself upon him and saluted him and greeted him with the greeting of peace. Moreover, all the grandees of the realm saluted him and it was made manifest that he had spoken the truth and that there was no falsehood in him. Then he entered the city in such state as would have caused the gall-bladder of the lion to burst and the merchants pressed up to him and kissed his hands, whilst Ali said to him, ‘Thou hast played off this trick and it has prospered to thy hand, O Sheikh of impostors! But thou deservest it, and may God the Most High increase thee of His bounty!’

  Marouf laughed and entering the palace, sat down on the throne and said, ‘Carry the loads of gold into the treasury of my uncle the king and bring me the bales of stuffs.’ So they brought him the bales and opened them before him, bale after bale, till they had opened the seven hundred loads; whereupon he chose out the best and said, ‘Carry these to the princess, that she may distribute them among her women; and carry her also this coffer of jewels, that she may distribute them among her women and eunuchs.’ Then he proceeded to give the merchants to whom he was indebted stuffs in payment for their debts, giving him, whose due was a thousand, stuffs worth two thousand or more; after which he fell to distributing to the poor and needy, whilst the king looked on and could not hinder him; nor did he leave giving till he had made an end of the seven hundred loads, when he turned to the troops and proceeded to distribute amongst them emeralds and rubies and pearls and coral and other jewels by handsful, without count, till the king said to him, ‘Enough of this giving, O my son! There is but little left of the baggage.’ Quoth Marouf, ‘I have abundance;’ and indeed, his good faith was become manifest and none could belie him more; and he had come to reck not of giving, for that the servant of the ring brought him whatsoever he sought.

  Presently, the treasurer came in to the king and said, ‘O king of the age, the treasury is full and will not hold the rest of the loads. Where shall we lay that which is left of the gold and jewels?’ And he assigned to him another place. As for the princess, when she saw this, her joy redoubled and she marvelled and said in herself, ‘How came he by all this wealth?’ In like manner the merchants rejoiced in that which he had given them and blessed him; whilst Ali wondered and said in himself, ‘How hath he lied and swindled, that he hath gotten him all these treasures? But how excellent is the saying of him who saith:

  Whenas the King of Kings presents, Forbear to question why or whence.

  God gives to whom He will; so keep Within the bounds of reverence.’

  The king also marvelled passing measure at that which he saw of Marouf’s generosity and openhandedness in the lavishment of wealth. Then he went in to his wife, who met him, smiling and joyful, and kissed his hand, saying, ‘Didst thou mock me or hadst thou a mind to try me with thy saying, “I am a poor man and a fugitive from my wife?” Praised be God for that I failed not of my duty to thee! For thou art my beloved and there is none dearer to me than thou, whether thou be rich or poor. But I would have thee tell me what thou soughtest by these words.’ ‘I wished to try thee,’ answered Marouf, ‘and see whether thy love were sincere or for the sake of wealth and the lust of worldly good. But now it is become manifest to me that thy love is sincere, so welcome to thee! I know thy worth.’

  Then he went apart into a place by himself and rubbed the ring, whereupon Aboussaadat presented himself and said to him, ‘Here am I, at thy service! Ask what thou wilt.’ Quoth Marouf, ‘I want a treasure-suit and treasure-trinkets for my wife, including a necklace of forty unique jewels.’ ‘I hear and obey,’ answered the genie and brought him what he sought, whereupon Marouf dismissed him and carrying the dress and ornaments in to his wife, laid them before her and said, ‘Take these and put them on and welcome!’ When she saw this, her reason fled for joy, and she found among the ornaments a pair of anklets of gold, set with jewels, of the handiwork of the magicians, and bracelets and earrings and a girdle such as no money could buy. So she donned the dress and ornaments and said to Marouf, ‘O my lord, I will treasure these up for state occasions and festivals.’ But he answered, ‘Wear them always, for I have others in plenty.’ And when she put them on and her women beheld her, they rejoiced and kissed his hands.

  Then he left them and going apart by himself, rubbed the ring, whereupon the genie appeared and he said to h
im, ‘Bring me a hundred suits of apparel, with their ornaments of gold.’ ‘I hear and obey,’ answered Aboussaadat and brought him the hundred suits, each with its ornaments within it. Marouf took them and called the slave-girls, who came to him, and he gave them each a suit. They donned them and became like unto the black-eyed girls of Paradise, whilst the princess shone amongst them as the moon among the stars. One of them told the king of this and he came in to his daughter and saw her and her women [thus splendidly arrayed and] dazzling all who beheld them; whereat he wondered exceedingly.

  Then he went out and calling his vizier, said to him, ‘O vizier, such and such things have happened; what sayst thou [now] of this affair?’ ‘O king of the age,’ answered he, ‘this is no merchant’s fashion; for a merchant keepeth a piece of linen by him for years and selleth it not but at a profit. How should a merchant have such generosity as this and whence should he get the like of these riches and jewels, whereof but a small matter is found with kings? So how should loads thereof be found with merchants? Needs must there be a cause for this; but, if thou wilt hearken to me, I will make the truth of the case manifest to thee.’ ‘O vizier,’ answered the king, ‘I will do thy bidding.’ ‘Then,’ rejoined the vizier, ‘do thou foregather with thy son-in-law and make a show of love to him and talk with him and say, “O my son-in-law, I have a mind to go, thou and I and the vizier, no more, to a garden, that we may take our pleasure there.” When we come to the garden, we will set on the table of wine, and I will ply him therewith and make him drink, will he, nill he; for, when he shall have drunken, he will lose his reason and his judgment will forsake him. Then will we question him of the truth of his case and he will discover to us his secrets, for wine is a traitor and gifted of God is he who saith: