One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  “I have wronged mankind, and have ranged like wind *

  O’er the world, and in wine-cups my life has past:

  I’ve swum torrent course to bear off the horse; *

  And my guiles high places on plain have cast.

  Much I’ve tried to win and o’er much my sin, *

  And Katul of my winnings is most and last:

  I had hoped of this steed to gain wish and need, *

  But vain was the end of this journey vast.

  I have stolen through life, and my death in strife *

  Was doomed by the Lord who doth all forecast

  And I’ve toiled these toils to their fatal end *

  For an orphan, a pauper sans kith or friend!”

  And when he had finished his verses he closed his eyes and opened his mouth; then with a single death-rattling he left this world. Thereupon Kanmakan rose and dug a grave and laid him in the dust; after which he went up to the steed and kissed him and wiped his face and joyed with exceeding joy, saying, “None hath the fellow of this stallion; no, not even King Sasan.” Such was the case with Kanmakan; but as regards King Sasan, presently news came to him that the Wazir Dandan had thrown off his allegiance, and with him half the army who swore that they would have no King but Kanmakan: and the Minister had bound the troops by a solemn covenant and had gone with them to the Islands of India and to Berber-land and to Black-land;93 where he had levied armies from far and near, like unto the swollen sea for fear and none could tell the host’s van from its rear. And the Minister was resolved to make for Baghdad and take the kingdom in ward and slay every soul who dare retard, having sworn not to return the sword of war to its sheath, till he had made Kanmakan King. When this news came to Sasan, he was drowned in the sea of appal, knowing that the whole state had turned against him, great and small; and his trouble redoubled and his care became despair. So he opened his treasuries and distributed his monies among his officers; and he prayed for Kanmakan’s return, that he might draw his heart to him with fair usage and bounty; and make him commander of those troops which ceased not being faithful to him, so might he quench the sparks ere they became a flame. Now when the news of this reached Kanmakan by the merchants, he returned in haste to Baghdad on the back of the aforesaid stallion, and as King Sasan sat perplexed upon his throne he heard of the coming of Kanmakan; whereupon he despatched all the troops and head-men of the city to meet him. So all who were in Baghdad fared forth and met the Prince and escorted him to the palace and kissed the thresholds, whilst the damsels and the eunuchs went in to his mother and gave her the fair tidings of his return. She came to him and kissed him between the eyes, but he said to her, “O mother mine, let me go to my uncle King Sasan who hath overwhelmed me with weal and boon.” And while he so did, all the palace-people and head-men marvelled at the beauty of the stallion and said, “No King is like unto this man.” So Kanmakan went in to King Sasan and saluted him as he rose to receive him; and, kissing his hands and feet, offered him the horse as a present. The King greeted him, saying, “Well come and welcome to my son Kanmakan! By Allah, the world hath been straitened on me by reason of thine absence, but praised be Allah for thy safety!” And Kanmakan called down blessings on him. Then the King looked at the stallion, Al-Katul highs, and knew him for the very horse he had seen in such and such a year whilst beleaguering the Cross-worshippers of Constantinople with Kanmakan’s sire, Zau al- Makan, that time they slew his uncle Sharrkan. So he said to the Prince, “If thy father could have come by this courser, he would have bought it with a thousand blood horses: but now let the honour return to the honourable. We accept the steed and we give him back to thee as a gift, for to him thou hast more right than any wight, being knightliest of knights.” Then King Sasan bade bring forth for him dresses of honour and led horses and appointed to him the chief lodging in the palace, and showed him the utmost affection and honour, because he feared the issue of the Wazir Dandan’s doings. At this Kanmakan rejoiced and shame and humiliation ceased from him. Then he went to his house and, going to his mother, asked, “O my mother, how is it with the daughter of my uncle?” Answered she, “By Allah, O my son, my concern for thine absence hath distracted me from any other, even from thy beloved; especially as she was the cause of thy strangerhood and thy separation from me.” Then he complained to her of his case, saying, “O my mother, go to her and speak with her; haply she will vouchsafe me her sight to see and dispel from me this despondency.” Replied his mother, “Idle desires abase men’s necks; so put away from thee this thought that can only vex; for I will not wend to her nor go in to her with such message.’ Now when he heard his mother’s words he told her what said the horse-thief concerning Zat al-Dawahi, how the old woman was then in their land purposing to make Baghdad, and added, “It was she who slew my uncle and my grandfather, and needs must I avenge them with man-bote, that our reproach be wiped out.” Then he left her and repaired to an old woman, a wicked, whorish, pernicious beldam by name Sa’adánah and complained to her of his case and of what he suffered for love of his cousin Kuzia Fakan and begged her to go to her and win her favour for him. “I hear and I obey,” answered the old hag and leaving him betook herself to Kuzia Fakan’s palace, that she might intercede with her in his behalf. Then she returned to him and said, “Of a truth Kuzia Fakan saluteth thee and promiseth to visit thee this night about midnight.” — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

  When it was the One Hundred and Forty-second Night,

  She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old woman came to Kanmakan and said, “Of a truth the daughter of thine uncle saluteth thee and she will visit thee this night about midnight;” he rejoiced and sat down to await the fulfilment of his cousin’s promise. But before the hour of night she came to him, wrapped in a veil of black silk, and she went in to him and aroused him from sleep, saying, “How canst thou pretend to love me, when thou art sleeping heart-free and in complete content?” So he awoke and said, “By Allah, O desire of my heart, I slept not but in the hope that thine image might visit my dreams!” Then she chid him with soft words and began versifying in these couplets,

  “Hadst thou been leaf in love’s loyalty, *

  Ne’er haddest suffered sleep to seal those eyne:

  O thou who claimest lover-loyalty, *

  Treading the lover’s path of pain and pine!

  By Allah, O my cousin, never yet *

  Did eyes of lover sleep such sleep indign.”

  Now when he heard his cousin’s words, he was abashed before her and rose and excused himself. Then they embraced and complained to each other of the anguish of separation; and they ceased not thus till dawn broke and day dispersed itself over the horizon; when she rose preparing to depart. Upon this Kanmakan wept and sighed and began improvising these couplets,

  “O thou who deignest come at sorest sync, *

  Whose lips those teeth like necklaced pearls enshrine’

  I kissed him94 thousand times and clips his waist, *

  And spent the night with cheek to cheek close li’en

  Till to depart us twain came dawning day, *

  Like sword edge drawn from sheath in radiant line.”

  And when he ended his poetry, Kuzia Fakan took leave of him and returned to her palace. Now certain of her damsels became aware of her secret, and one of these slave girls disclosed it to King Sasan, who went into Kuzia Fakan and, drawing his sabre upon her, would have slain her: but her mother Nuzhat al-Zaman entered and said to him, “By Allah, do her no harm, for if thou hurt her, the report will be noised among the folk and thou shalt become a reproach amongst the Kings of the age! Know thou that Kanmakan is no son of adultery, but a man of honour and nobility, who would not do aught that could shame him, and she was reared with him. So be not hasty; for verily the report is spread abroad, among all the palace-people and all the folk of Baghdad, how the Wazir Dandan hath levied armies from all countries and is on his way hither to make Kanma
kan King.” Quoth Sasan, “By Allah, needs must I cast him into such calamity that neither earth shall support him nor sky shall shadow him! I did but speak him fair and show him favour because of my lieges and my lords, lest they incline to him; but right soon shalt thou see what shall betide.” Then he left her and went out to order the affairs of the realm. Such, then, was the case with King Sasan; but as regards Kanmakan, on the next day he came in to his mother and said, “O my mother! I am resolved to ride forth a raiding and a looting: and I will cut the road of caravans and lift horses and flocks, negroes and white slaves and, as soon as I have collected great store and my case is bettered galore, I will demand my cousin Kuzia Fakan in marriage of my uncle Sasan.” Replied she, “O my son, of a truth the goods of men are not ready to hand like a scape-camel;95 for on this side of them are sword-strokes and lance-lungings and men that eat the wild beast and lay countries waste and chase lynxes and hunt lions.” Quoth he, Heaven forefend that I turn back from my resolve, till I have won to my will! Then he despatched the old woman to Kuzia Fakan, to tell her that he was about to set out in quest of a marriage settle ment befitting her, saying to the beldam, “Thou needs must pray her to send me an answer.” “I hear and I obey,” replied the old woman and going forth, presently returned with Kuzia Fakan’s reply, which was, “She will come to thee at midnight.” So he abode awake till one half of the night was passed, when restlessness get hold on him, and before he was aware she came in to him, saying, “My life be thy ransom from wakefulness!” and he sprang up to receive her, exclaiming, “O desire of my heart, my life be thy redemption from all ills and evils!” Then he acquainted her, with his intent, and she wept: but he said, “Weep not, O daughter of my uncle; for I beseech Him who decreed our separation to vouchsafe us reunion and fair understanding.” Then Kanmakan, having fixed a day for departure, went in to his mother and took leave of her, after which came he down from his palace and threw the baldrick of his sword over his shoulder and donned turband and face-veil; and mounting his horse, Al-Katul, and looking like the moon at its full, he threaded the streets of Baghdad, till he reached the city gate. And behold, here he found Sabbah bin Rammah coming out of town; and his comrade seeing him, ran to his stirrup and saluted him. He returned his salutation, and Sabbah asked him, “O my brother, how camest thou by this good steed and this sword and clothes, whilst I up to present time have gotten nothing but my sword and target?” Answered Kanmakan, “The hunter returneth not but with quarry after the measure of his intention. A little after thy departure, fortune came to me: so now say, wilt thou go with me and work thine intent in my company and journey with me in this desert?” Replied Sabbah, “By the Lord of the Ka’abah, from this time forth I will call thee naught but ‘my lord’!” Then he ran on before the horse, with his sword hanging from his neck and his budget between his shoulder blades, and Kanmakan rode a little behind him; and they plunged into the desert, for a space of four days, eating of the gazelles and drinking water of the springs. On the fifth day they drew near a high hill, at whose foot was a spring-encampment96 and a deep running stream; and the knolls and hollows were filled with camels and cattle and sheep and horses, and little children played about the pens and folds. When Kanmakan saw this, he rejoiced at the sight and his breast was filled with delight; so he addressed himself to fight, that he might take the camels and the cattle, and said to Sabbah, “Come, fall with us upon this loot, whose owners have left it unguarded here, and do we battle for it with near and far, so haply may fall to our lot of goods some share.” Replied Sabbah, “O my lord, verily they to whom these herds belong be many in number; and among them are doughty horsemen and fighting footmen; and if we venture lives in this derring do we shall fall into danger great and neither of us will return safe from this bate; but we shall both be cut off by fate and leave our cousins desolate.” Then Kanmakan laughed and knew that he was a coward; so he left him and rode down the rise, intent on rapine, with loud cries and chanting these couplets,

  “Oh a valiant race are the sons of Nu’umán, *

  Braves whose blades shred heads of the foeman-clan!97

  A tribe who, when tried in the tussle of war, *

  Taketh prowess stand in the battle-van:

  In their tents safe close gaberlunzie’s eyne, *

  Nor his poverty’s ugly features scan:

  And I for their aidance sue of Him *

  Who is King of Kings and made soul of man.”

  Then he rushed upon the she-camels like a he-camel in rut and drove all before him, sheep and cattle, horses and dromedaries. Therewith the slaves ran at him with their blades so bright and their lances so long; and at their head rode a Turkish horseman who was indeed a stout champion, doughty in fray and in battle chance and skilled to wield the nut-brown lance and the blade with bright glance. He drove at Kanmakan, saying, “Woe to thee! Knewest thou to whom these herds belong thou hadst not done this deed. Know that they are the goods of the band Grecian, the champions of the ocean and the troop Circassian; and this troop containeth none but valiant wights numbering an hundred knights, who have cast off the allegiance of every Sultan. But there hath been stolen from them a noble stallion, and they have vowed not to return hence without him.” Now when Kanmakan heard these words, he cried out, saying, “O villain, this I bestride is the steed whereof ye speak and after which ye seek, and ye would do battle with me for his sake’ So come out against me, all of you at once, and do you dourest for the nonce!” Then he shouted between the ears of Al-Katul who ran at them like a Ghul; whereupon Kanmakan let drive at the Turk98 and ran him through the body and threw him from his horse and let out his life; after which he turned upon a second and a third and a fourth, and also of life bereft them. When the slaves saw this, they were afraid of him, and he cried out and said to them, “Ho, sons of whores, drive out the cattle and the stud or I will dye my spear in your blood.” So they untethered the beasts and began to drive them out; and Sabbah came down to Kanmakan with loud voicing and hugely rejoicing; when lo! there arose a cloud of dust and grew till it walled the view, and there appeared under of it riders an hundred, like lions an-hungered. Upon this Sabbah took flight, and fled to the hill’s topmost height, leaving the assailable site, and enjoyed sight of the fight, saying, “I am no warrior; but in sport and jest I delight.”99 Then the hundred cavaliers made towards Kanmakan and surrounded him on all sides, and one of them accosted him, saying, “Whither goest thou with this loot?” Quoth he, “I have made it my prize and am carrying it away; and I forbid you from it, or come on to the combat, for know ye that he who is before you is a terrible lion and an honourable champion, and a sword that cutteth wherever it turneth!” When the horseman heard these words, he looked at Kanmakan and saw that he was a knight like a mane-clad lion in might, whilst his face was as the full moon rising on its fourteenth night, and velour shone from between his eyes. Now that horseman was the captain of the hundred horse, and his name was Kahrdash; and when he saw in Kanmakan the perfection of cavalarice with surpassing gifts of comeliness, his beauty reminded him of a beautiful mistress of his whose name was Fátin.100 Now she was one of the fairest of women in face, for Allah had given her charms and grace and noble qualities of all kinds, such as tongue faileth to explain and which ravish the hearts of men. Moreover, the cavaliers of the tribe feared her prowess and all the champions of that land stood in awe of her high spirit; and she had sworn that she would not marry nor let any possess her, except he should conquer her in combat (Kahrdash being one of her suitors); and she said to her father, “None shall approach me, save he be able to deal me over throw in the field and stead of war thrust and blow. Now when this news reached Kahrdash, he scorned to fight with a girl, fearing reproach; and one of his intimates said to him, “Thou art complete in all conditions of beauty and goodliness; so if thou contend with her, even though she be stronger than thou, thou must needs overcome her; for when she seeth thy beauty and grace, she will be discomfited before thee and yield thee the victory; for verily wome
n have a need of men e’en as thou heedest full plain.” Nevertheless Kahrdash refused and would not contend with her, and he ceased not to abstain from her thus, till he met from Kanmakan that which hath been set down. Now he took the Prince for his beloved Fatin and was afraid; albeit indeed she loved him for what she had heard of his beauty and velour; so he went up to him and said, “Woe to thee,101 O Fatin! Thou comest here to show me thy prowess; but now alight from thy steed, that I may talk with thee, for I have lifted these cattle and have foiled my friends and waylaid many a brave and man of knightly race, all for the sake of thy beauty of form and face, which are without peer. So marry me now, that Kings’ daughters may serve thee and thou shalt become Queen of these countries.” When Kanmakan heard these words, the fires of wrath flamed up in him and he cried out, “Woe to thee, O Persian dog! Leave Fatin and thy trust and mistrust, and come to cut and thrust, for eftsoon thou shalt lie in the dust;” and so saying, he began to wheel about him and assail him and feel the way to prevail. But when Kahrdash observed him closely he knew him for a doughty knight and a stalwart in fight; and the error of his thought became manifest to him, whenas he saw the green down on his cheeks dispread like myrtles springing from the heart of a rose bright-red. And he feared his onslaught and quoth he to those with him, “Woe to you! Let one of you charge down upon him and show him the keen sword and the quivering spear; for know that when many do battle with one man it is foul shame, even though he be a kemperly wight and an invincible knight.” Upon this, there ran at Kanmakan a horseman like a lion in fight, mounted on a black horse with hoofs snow-white and a star on his forehead, the bigness of a dirham, astounding wit and sight, as he were Abjar, which was Antar’s destrier, even as saith of him the poet,