One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  When the king returned from his journey, he questioned his vizier of the affairs of his kingdom and the latter answered, ‘All is well, O king, save a vile matter, which I have discovered here and wherewith I am ashamed to confront the king; but, if I hold my peace thereof, I fear lest other than I discover it and I [be deemed to] have played traitor to the king in the matter of my [duty of] loyal warning and my trust.’ Quoth Dabdin, ‘Speak, for thou art none other than a truth-teller, a trusty one, a loyal counsellor in that which thou sayest, undistrusted in aught.’ And the vizier said, ‘O king, this woman to whose love thy heart cleaveth and of whose piety thou talkest and her fasting and praying, I will make plain to thee that this is craft and guile.’ At this, the king was troubled and said, ‘What is to do?’ ‘Know,’ answered the vizier, ‘that some days after thy departure, one came to me and said to me, “Come, O vizier, and look.” So I went to the door of the [queen’s] sleeping-chamber and beheld her sitting with Aboulkhair, her father’s servant, whom she favoureth, and she did with him what she did, and this is the manner of that which I saw and heard.’

  When Dabdin heard this, he burnt with rage and said to one of his eunuchs, ‘Go and slay her in her chamber.’ But the eunuch said to him, ‘O king, may God prolong thy continuance! Indeed, the killing of her may not be at this time; but do thou bid one of thine eunuchs take her up on a camel and carry her to one of the trackless deserts and cast her down there; so, if she be at fault, God shall cause her to perish, and if she be innocent, He will deliver her, and the king shall be free from sin against her, for that this damsel is dear to thee and thou slewest her father by reason of thy love for her.’ Quoth the king, ‘By Allah, thou sayst sooth!’ Then he bade one of his eunuchs carry her on a camel to one of the far-off deserts and there leave her and go away, and he forbade [him] to prolong her torment. So he took her up and betaking himself with her to the desert, left her there without victual or water and returned, whereupon she made for one of the [sand-]hills and ranging stones before her [in the form of a prayer-niche], stood praying.

  Now it chanced that a camel-driver, belonging to Kisra the king, lost certain camels and the king threatened him, if he found them not, that he would slay him. So he set out and plunged into the deserts till he came to the place where the damsel was and seeing her standing praying, waited till she had made an end of her prayer, when he went up to her and saluted her, saying, ‘Who art thou?’ Quoth she, ‘I am a handmaid of God.’ ‘What dost thou in this desolate place?’ asked he, and she said, ‘I serve God the Most High.’ When he saw her beauty and grace, he said to her, ‘Harkye! Do thou take me to husband and I will be tenderly solicitous over thee and use thee with exceeding compassion and I will further thee in obedience to God the Most High.’ But she answered, saying, ‘I have no need of marriage and I desire to abide here [alone] with my Lord and His service; but, if thou wouldst deal compassionately with me and further me in the obedience of God the Most High, carry me to a place where there is water and thou wilt have done me a kindness.’

  So he carried her to a place wherein was running water and setting her down on the ground, left her and went away, marvelling at her. After he left her, he found his camels, by her blessing, and when he returned, King Kisra asked him, ‘Hast thou found the camels?’ [‘Yes,’ answered he] and acquainted him with the affair of the damsel and set out to him her beauty and grace; whereupon the king’s heart clave to her and he mounted with a few men and betook himself to that place, where he found the damsel and was amazed at her, for that he saw her overpassing the description wherewith the camel-driver had described her to him. So he accosted her and said to her, ‘I am King Kisra, greatest of the kings. Wilt thou not have me to husband?’ Quoth she, ‘What wilt thou do with me, O king, and I a woman abandoned in the desert?’ And he answered, saying, ‘Needs must this be, and if thou wilt not consent to me, I will take up my sojourn here and devote myself to God’s service and thine and worship Him with thee.’

  Then he bade set up for her a tent and another for himself, facing hers, so he might worship God with her, and fell to sending her food; and she said in herself, ‘This is a king and it is not lawful for me that I suffer him forsake his subjects and his kingdom for my sake. So she said to the serving-woman, who used to bring her the food, ‘Speak to the king, so he may return to his women, for he hath no need of me and I desire to abide in this place, so I may worship God the Most High therein.’ The slave-girl returned to the king and told him this, whereupon he sent back to her, saying, ‘I have no need of the kingship and I also desire to abide here and worship God with thee in this desert.’ When she found this earnestness in him, she consented to his wishes and said, ‘O king, I will consent unto thee in that which thou desirest and will be to thee a wife, but on condition that thou bring me Dadbin the king and his Vizier Kardan and his chamberlain and that they be present in thine assembly, so I may speak a word with them in thy presence, to the intent that thou mayest redouble in affection for me.’ Quoth Kisra, ‘And what is thine occasion unto this?’ So she related to him her story from first to last, how she was the wife of Dadbin the king and how the latter’s vizier had miscalled her honour.

  When King Kisra heard this, he redoubled in loveliking for her and affection and said to her, ‘Do what thou wilt.’ So he let bring a litter and carrying her therein to his dwelling-place, married her and entreated her with the utmost honour. Then he sent a great army to King Dadbin and fetching him and his vizier and the chamberlain, caused bring them before him, unknowing what he purposed with them. Moreover, he caused set up for Arwa a pavilion in the courtyard of his palace and she entered therein and let down the curtain before herself. When the servants had set their seats and they had seated themselves, Arwa raised a corner of the curtain and said, ‘O Kardan, rise to thy feet, for it befitteth not that thou sit in the like of this assembly, before this mighty King Kisra.’ When the vizier heard these words, his heart quaked and his joints were loosened and of his fear, he rose to his feet. Then said she to him, ‘By the virtue of Him who hath made thee stand in this place of standing [up to judgment], and thou abject and humiliated, I conjure thee speak the truth and say what prompted thee to lie against me and cause me go forth from my house and from the hand of my husband and made thee practise thus against a man, a true believer, and slay him. This is no place wherein leasing availeth nor may prevarication be therein.’

  When the vizier was ware that she was Arwa and heard her speech, he knew that it behoved him not to lie and that nought would avail him but truth-speaking; so he bowed [his head] to the ground and wept and said, ‘Whoso doth evil, needs must he abide it, though his day be prolonged. By Allah, I am he who hath sinned and transgressed, and nought prompted me unto this but fear and overmastering desire and the affliction written upon my forehead; and indeed this woman is pure and chaste and free from all fault.’ When King Dadbin heard this, he buffeted his face and said to his vizier, ‘God slay thee! It is thou that hast parted me and my wife and wronged me!’ But Kisra the king said to him, ‘God shall surely slay thee, for that thou hastenedst and lookedst not into thine affair and knewest not the guilty from the guiltless. Hadst thou wrought deliberately, the false had been made manifest to thee from the true; so where was thy judgment and thy sight?”

  Then said he to Arwa, “What wilt thou that I do with them?” And she answered, saying, “Accomplish on them the ordinance of God the Most High; the slayer shall be slain and the transgressor transgressed against, even as he transgressed against us; yea, and the well-doer, good shall be done unto him, even as he did unto us.” So she gave [her officers] commandment concerning Dadbin and they smote him on the head with a mace and slew him, and she said, “This is for the slaughter of my father.” Then she bade set the vizier on a beast [and carry him] to the desert whither he had caused carry her [and leave him there without victual or water]; and she said to him, “An thou be guilty, thou shalt abide [the punishment of] thy guilt and perish of hunger and thirs
t in the desert; but, if there be no guilt in thee, thou shalt be delivered, even as I was delivered.”

  As for the eunuch, the chamberlain, who had counselled King Dadbin [not to slay her, but] to [cause] carry her to the desert [and there abandon her], she bestowed on him a sumptuous dress of honour and said to him, “The like of thee it behoveth kings to hold in favour and set in high place, for that thou spokest loyally and well, and a man is still requited according to his deed.” And Kisra the king invested him with the governance of one of the provinces of his empire. Know, therefore, O king,” continued the youth, “that whoso doth good is requited therewith and he who is guiltless of sin and reproach feareth not the issue of his affair. And I, O king, am free from guilt, wherefore I trust in God that He will show forth the truth and vouchsafe me the victory over enemies and enviers.”

  When the king heard this, his wrath subsided and he said, “Carry him back to the prison till the morrow, so we may look into his affair.”

  The Sixth Day

  John Payne’s translation: detailed table of contents

  OF TRUST IN GOD.

  When it was the sixth day, the viziers’ wrath redoubled, for that they had not compassed their desire of the youth and they feared for themselves from the king; so three of them went in to him and prostrating themselves before him, said to him, “O king, indeed we are loyal counsellors to thy dignity and tenderly solicitous for thee. Verily, thou persistest long in sparing this youth alive and we know not what is thine advantage therein. Every day findeth him yet on life and the talk redoubleth suspicions on thee; so do thou put him to death, that the talk may be made an end of.” When the king heard this speech, he said, “By Allah, indeed, ye say sooth and speak rightly!” Then he let bring the young treasurer and said to him, “How long shall I look into thine affair and find no helper for thee and see them all athirst for thy blood?”

  “O king,” answered the youth, “I hope for succour only from God, not from created beings: if He aid me, none can avail to harm me, and if He be with me and on my side, because of the truth, who is it I shall fear, because of falsehood? Indeed, I have made my intent with God a pure and sincere intent and have severed my expectation from the help of the creature; and whoso seeketh help [of God] findeth of his desire that which Bekhtzeman found.” Quoth the king, “Who was Bekhtzeman and what is his story?” “O king,” replied the youth,

  John Payne’s translation: detailed table of contents

  STORY OF KING BEKHTZEMAN.

  “There was once a king of the kings, whose name was Bekhtzeman, and he was a great eater and drinker and carouser. Now enemies of his made their appearance in certain parts of his realm and threatened him; and one of his friends said to him, ‘O king, the enemy maketh for thee: be on thy guard against him.’ Quoth Bekhtzeman, ‘I reck not of him, for that I have arms and wealth and men and am not afraid of aught.’ Then said his friends to him, ‘Seek aid of God, O king, for He will help thee more than thy wealth and thine arms and thy men.’ But he paid no heed to the speech of his loyal counsellors, and presently the enemy came upon him and waged war upon him and got the victory over him and his trust in other than God the Most High profited him nought. So he fled from before him and seeking one of the kings, said to him, ‘I come to thee and lay hold upon thy skirts and take refuge with thee, so thou mayst help me against mine enemy.’

  The king gave him money and men and troops galore and Bekhtzeman said in himself, ‘Now am I fortified with this army and needs must I conquer my enemy therewith and overcome him;’ but he said not, ‘With the aid of God the Most High.’ So his enemy met him and overcame him again and he was defeated and put to the rout and fled at a venture. His troops were dispersed from him and his money lost and the enemy followed after him. So he sought the sea and passing over to the other side, saw a great city and therein a mighty citadel. He asked the name of the city and to whom it belonged and they said to him, ‘It belongeth to Khedidan the king.’ So he fared on till he came to the king’s palace aud concealing his condition, passed himself off for a horseman and sought service with King Khedidan, who attached him to his household and entreated him with honour; but his heart still clave to his country and his home.

  Presently, it chanced that an enemy attacked King Khedidan; so he sent out his troops to him and made Bekhtzeman head of the army. Then they went forth to the field and Khedidan also came forth and ranged his troops and took the spear and sallied out in person and fought a sore battle and overcame his enemy, who fled, he and his troops, ignominiously. When the king and his army returned in triumph, Bekhtzeman said to him, ‘Harkye, O king! Meseemeth this is a strange thing of thee that thou art compassed about with this vast army, yet dost thou apply thyself in person to battle and adventurest thyself.’ Quoth the king, ‘Dost thou call thyself a cavalier and a man of learning and deemest that victory is in abundance of troops?’ ‘Ay,’ answered Bekhtzeman; ‘that is indeed my belief.’ And Khedidan said, ‘By Allah, then, thou errest in this thy belief! Woe and again woe to him whose trust is in other than God! Indeed, this army is appointed only for adornment and majesty, and victory is from God alone. I too, O Bekhtzeman, believed aforetime that victory was in the multitude of men, and an enemy came out against me with eight hundred men, whilst I had eight hundred thousand. I trusted in the number of my troops, whilst mine enemy trusted in God; so he defeated me and routed me and I was put to a shameful flight and hid myself in one of the mountains, where I met with a recluse, [who had] withdrawn [himself from the world]. So I joined myself to him and complained to him of my case and acquainted him with all that had befallen me. Quoth he, “Knowest thou why this befell thee and thou wast defeated?” “I know not,” answered I, and he said, “Because thou puttest thy trust in the multitude of thy troops and reliedst not upon God the Most High. Hadst thou put thy trust in God and believed in Him that it is He [alone] who advantageth and endamageth thee, thine enemy had not availed to cope with thee. Return unto God.” So I returned to myself and repented at the hands of the solitary, who said to me, “Turn back with what remaineth to thee of troops and confront thine enemies, for, if their intents be changed from God, thou wilt overcome them, wert thou alone.” When I heard these words, I put my trust in God the Most High, and gathering together those who remained with me, fell upon mine enemies at unawares in the night. They deemed us many and fled on the shamefullest wise, whereupon I entered my city and repossessed myself of my place by the might of God the Most High, and now I fight not but [trusting] in His aid.’

  When Bekhtzeman heard this, he awoke from his heedlessness and said, ‘Extolled be the perfection of God the Great! O king, this is my case and my story, nothing added and nought diminished, for I am King Bekhtzeman and all this happened to me; wherefore I will seek the gate of God[‘s mercy] and repent unto Him.’ So he went forth to one of the mountains and there worshipped God awhile, till one night, as he slept, one appeared to him in a dream and said to him, ‘O Bekhtzeman, God accepteth thy repentance and openeth on thee [the gate of succour] and will further thee against thine enemy.’ When he was certified of this in the dream, he arose and turned back, intending for his own city; and when he drew near thereunto, he saw a company of the king’s retainers, who said to him, ‘Whence art thou? We see that thou art a stranger and fear for thee from this king, for that every stranger who enters this city, he destroys him, of his fear of King Bekhtzeman.’ Quoth Bekhtzeman, ‘None shall hurt him nor advantage him save God the Most High.’ And they answered, saying, ‘Indeed, he hath a vast army and his heart is fortified in the multitude of his troops.’

  When King Bekhtzeman heard this, his heart was comforted and he said in himself, ‘I put my trust in God. If He will, I shall overcome mine enemy by the might of God the Most High.’ So he said to the folk, ‘ Know ye not who I am?’ and they answered, ‘ No, by Allah.’ Quoth he, ‘I am King Bekhtzeman.’ When they heard this and knew that it was indeed he, they dismounted from their horses and kissed his stirrup, to do h
im honour, and said to him, ‘O king, why hast thou thus adventured thyself?’ Quoth he, ‘Indeed, my life is a light matter to me and I put my trust in God the Most High, looking to Him for protection.’ And they answered him, saying, ‘May this suffice thee! We will do with thee that which is in our power and whereof thou art worthy: comfort thy heart, for we will succour thee with our goods and our lives, and we are his chief officers and the most in favour with him of all folk. So we will take thee with us and cause the folk follow after thee, for that the inclination of the people, all of them, is to thee.’ Quoth he, ‘Do that unto which God the Most High enableth you.’

  So they carried him into the city and hid him with them. Moreover, they agreed with a company of the king’s chief officers, who had aforetime been those of Bekhtzeman, and acquainted them with this; whereat they rejoiced with an exceeding joy. Then they assembled together to Bekhtzeman and made a covenant and handfast [of fealty] with him and fell upon the enemy at unawares and slew him and seated King Bekhtzeman again on the throne of his kingship. And his affairs prospered and God amended his estate and restored His bounty to him, and he ruled his subjects justly and abode in the obedience of the Most High. On this wise, O king,” continued the young treasurer, “he with whom God is and whose intent is pure, meeteth nought but good. As for me, I have no helper other than God, and I am content to submit myself to His ordinance, for that He knoweth the purity of my intent.”