One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  When it was the Six Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,

  She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib and his merry men took horse, Ajib and his troops also mounted and host charged down upon host. Then ruled the Kazi of Battle, in whose ordinance is no wrong, for a seal is on his lips and he speaketh not; and the blood railed in rills and purfled earth with curious embroidery; heads grew gray and hotter waxed battle and fiercer. Feet slipped and stood firm the valiant and pushed forwards, whilst turned the faint-heart and fled, nor did they leave fighting till the day darkened and the night starkened Then clashed the cymbals of retreat and the two hosts drew apart each from other, and returned to their tents, where they nighted. Next morning, as soon as it was day, the cymbals beat to battle and derring-do, and the warriors donned their harness of fight and baldrick’d5 their blades the brightest bright and with the brown lance bedight mounted doughty steed every knight and cried out, saying, “This day no flight!” And the two hosts drew out in battle array, like the surging sea. The first to open the chapter6 of war was Sahim, who drave his destrier between the two lines and played with swords and spears and turned over all the Capitula of combat till men of choicest wits were confounded. Then he cried out, saying, “Who is for fighting? Who is for jousting? Let no sluggard come out nor weakling!” Whereupon there rushed at him a horseman of the Kafirs, as he were a flame of fire; but Sahim let him not stand long before him ere he overthrew him with a thrust. Then a second came forth and he slew him also, and a third and he tare him in twain, and a fourth and he did him to death; nor did they cease sallying out to him and he left not slaying them, till it was noon, by which time he had laid low two hundred braves. Then Ajib cried to his men, “Charge once more,” and sturdy host on sturdy host down bore and great was the clash of arms and battle-roar. The shining swords out rang; the blood in streams ran and footman rushed upon footman; Death showed in van and horse-hoof was shodden with skull of man; nor did they cease from sore smiting till waned the day and the night came on in black array, when they drew apart and, returning to their tents, passed the night there. As soon as morning morrowed the two hosts mounted and sought the field of fight; and the Moslems looked for Gharib to back steed and ride under the standards as was his wont, but he came not. So Sahim sent to his brother’s pavilion a slave who, finding him not, asked the tent-pitchers,7 but they answered, “We know naught of him.” Whereat he was greatly concerned and went forth and told the troops, who refrained from battle, saying, “An Gharib be absent, his foe will destroy us.” Now there was for Gharib’s absence a cause strange but true which we will set out in order due. And it was thus. When Ajib returned to his camp on the preceding Night, he called one of his guardsmen by name Sayyar and said to him, “O Sayyar, I have not treasured thee save for a day like this; and now I bid thee enter among Gharib s host and, pushing into the marquee of their lord, bring him hither to me and prove how wily thy cunning be.” And Sayyar said, “I hear and I obey.” So he repaired to the enemy’s camp and stealing into Gharib’s pavilion, under the darkness of the night, when all the men had gone to their places of rest, stood up as though he were a slave to serve Gharib, who presently, being athirst, called to him for water. So he brought him a pitcher of water, drugged with Bhang, and Gharib could not fulfill his need ere he fell down with head distancing heels, whereupon Sayyar wrapped him in his cloak and carrying him to Ajib’s tent, threw him down at his feet. Quoth Ajib, “O Sayyar, what is this?” Quoth he, “This be thy brother Gharib;” whereat Ajib rejoiced and said, “The blessings of the Idols light upon thee! Loose him and wake him.” So they made him sniff up vinegar and he came to himself and opened his eyes; then, finding himself bound and in a tent other than his own, exclaimed, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious the Great!” Thereupon Ajib cried out at him, saying, “Dost thou draw on me, O dog, and seek to slay me and take on me thy blood-wreak of thy father and thy mother? I will send thee this very day to them and rid the world of thee.” Replied Gharib, Kafir hound! soon shalt thou see against whom the wheels of fate shall revolve and who shall be overthrown by the wrath of the Almighty King, Who wotteth what is in hearts and Who shall leave thee in Gehenna tormented and confounded! Have ruth on thyself and say with me, ‘There is no god but the God and Abraham is the Friend of God!’ “ When Ajib heard Gharib’s words, he snarked and snorted and railed at his god, the stone, and called for the sworder and the leather rug of blood but his Wazir, who was at heart a Moslem though outwardly a Miscreant, rose and kissing ground before him, said, “Patience, O King, deal not hastily, but wait till we know the conquered from the conqueror. If we prove the victors, we shall have power to kill him and, if we be beaten, his being alive in our hands will be a strength to us.” And the Emirs said, “The Minister speaketh sooth”! — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

  When it was the Six Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,

  She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ajib purposed to slay Gharib, the Wazir rose and said, “Deal not hastily, for we have always power to kill him!” So Ajib bade lay his brother Gharib in irons and chain him up in his own tent and set a thousand stout warriors to guard him. Meanwhile Gharib’s host, when they awoke that morning and found not their King, were as sheep sans a shepherd; but Sa’adan the Ghul cried out at them, saying, “O folk, don your war-gear and trust to your Lord to defend you!” So Arabs and Ajams mounted horse, after clothing themselves in hauberks of iron and shirting themselves in straight knit mail, and sallied forth to the field, the Chiefs and the colours moving in van. Then dashed out the Ghul of the Mountain, with a club on his shoulder, two hundred pounds in weight, and wheeled and careered, saying, “Ho, worshippers of idols, come ye out and renown it this day, for ’tis a day of onslaught! Whoso knoweth me hath enough of my mischief and whoso knoweth me not, I will make myself known to him. I am Sa’adan, servant of King Gharib. Who is for jousting? Who is for fighting? Let no faintheart come forth to me to-day or weakling.” And there rushed upon him a Champion of the Infidels, as he were a flame of fire, and drove at him, but Sa’adan charged home at him and dealt him with his club a blow which broke his ribs and cast him lifeless to the earth. Then he called out to his sons and slaves, saying, “Light the bonfire, and whoso falleth of the Kafirs do ye dress him and roast him well in the flame, then bring him to me that I may break my fast on him!” So they kindled a fire midmost the plain and laid thereon the slain, till he was cooked, when they brought him to Sa’adan, who gnawed his flesh and crunched his bones. When the Miscreants saw the Mountain-Ghul do this deed they were affrighted with sore affright, but Ajib cried out to his men, saying, “Out on you! Fall upon the Ogre and hew him in hunks with your scymitars!” So twenty thousand men ran at Sa’adan, whilst the footmen circled round him and rained upon him darts and shafts so that he was wounded in four-and-twenty places, and his blood ran down upon the earth, and he was alone. Then the host of the Moslems drave at the heathenry, calling for help upon the Lord of the three Worlds, and they ceased not from fight and fray till the day came to an end, when they drew apart. But the Infidels had captured Sa’adan, as he were a drunken man for loss of blood; and they bound him fast and set him by Gharib who, seeing the Ghul a prisoner, said, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! O Sa’adan, what case is this?” “O my lord,” replied Sa’adan, “it is Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) who ordaineth joy and annoy and there is no help but this and that betide.” And Gharib rejoined, “Thou speakest sooth, O Sa’adan!” But Ajib passed the night in joy and he said to his men, “Mount ye on the morrow and fall upon the Moslems so shall not one of them be left alive.” And they replied, “Hearkening and obedience!” This is how it fared with them; but as regards the Moslems, they passed the night, dejected and weeping for their King and Sa’adan; but Sahim said to them, “O folk, be not concerned, for the aidance of Almighty Allah is nig
h.” Then he waited till midnight, when he assumed the garb of a tent-pitcher; and, repairing to Ajib’s camp, made his way between the tents and pavilions till he came to the King’s marquee, where he saw him seated on his throne surrounded by his Princes. So he entered and going up to the candles which burnt in the tent snuffed them and sprinkled levigated henbane on the wicks; after which he withdrew and waited without the marquee, till the smoke of the burning henbane reached Ajib and his Princes and they fell to the ground like dead men. Then he left them and went to the prison tent, where he found Gharib and Sa’adan, guarded by a thousand braves, who were overcome with sleep. So he cried out at the guards, saying, “Woe to you! Sleep not; but watch your prisoners and light the cressets.” Presently he filled a cresset with firewood, on which he strewed henbane, and lighting it, went round about the tent with it, till the smoke entered the nostrils of the guards, and they all fell asleep drowned by the drug; when he entered the tent and finding Gharib and Sa’adan also insensible he aroused them by making them smell and sniff at a sponge full of vinegar he had with him. Thereupon he loosed their bonds and collars, and when they saw him, they blessed him and rejoiced In him. After this they went forth and took all the arms of the guards and Sahim said to them, “Go to your own camp;” while he re-entered Ajib’s pavilion and, wrapping him in his cloak, lifted him up and made for the Moslem encampment. And the Lord, the Compassionate, protected him, so that he reached Gharib’s tent in safety and unrolled the cloak before him. Gharib looked at its contents and seeing his brother Ajib bound, cried out, “Allaho Akbar — God is Most Great! Aidance! Victory!” And he blessed Sahim and bade him arouse Ajib. So he made him smell the vinegar mixed with incense, and he opened his eyes and, finding himself bound and shackled, hung down his head earth wards. — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

  When it was the Six Hundred and Fortieth Night,

  She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that after Sahim had aroused Ajib, whom he had made insensible with henbane and had brought to his brother Gharib, the captive opened his eyes and, feeling himself bound and shackled, hung down his head earthwards. Thereupon cried Sahim, “O Accursed, lift thy head!” So he raised his eyes and found himself amongst Arabs and Ajams and saw his brother seated on the throne of his estate and the place of his power, wherefore he was silent and spake not. Then Gharib cried out and said, “Strip me this hound!” So they stripped him and came down upon him with whips, till they weakened his body and subdued his pride, after which Gharib set over him a guard of an hundred knights. And when this fraternal correction had been administered they heard shouts of, “There is no God but the God!” and “God is Most Great!” from the camp of the Kafirs. Now the cause of this was that, ten days after his nephew King Al-Damigh, Gharib’s uncle, had set out from Al-Jazirah, with twenty thousand horse, and on nearing the field of battle, had despatched one of his scouts to get news. The man was absent a whole day, at the end of which time he returned and told Al-Damigh all that had happened to Gharib with his brother. So he waited till the night, when he fell upon the Infidels, crying out, “Allaho Akbar!” and put them to the edge of the biting scymitar. When Gharib heard the Takbir,8 he said to Sahim, “Go find out the cause of these shouts and war-cries.” So Sahim repaired to the field of battle and questioned the slaves and camp followers, who told him that King Al-Damigh had come up with twenty thousand men and had fallen upon the idolaters by night, saying, “By the virtue of Abraham the Friend, I will not forsake my brother’s son, but will play a brave man’s part and beat back the host of Miscreants and please the Omnipotent King!” So Sahim returned and told his uncle’s derring-do to Gharib, who cried out to his men, saying, “Don your arms and mount your steeds and let us succour my father’s brother!” So they took horse and fell upon the Infidels and put them to the edge of the sharp sword. By the morning they had killed nigh fifty thousand of the Kafirs and made other thirty thousand prisoners, and the rest of Ajib’s army dispersed over the length and breadth of earth. Then the Moslems returned in victory and triumph, and Gharib rode out to meet his uncle, whom he saluted and thanked for his help. Quoth Al-Damigh, “I wonder if that dog Ajib fell in this day’s affair.” Quoth Gharib, “O uncle, be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear: know that he is with me in chains.” When Al-Damigh heard this he rejoiced with exceeding joy and the two kings dismounted and entered the pavilion, but found no Ajib there; whereupon Gharib exclaimed, “O glory of Abraham, the Friend (with whom be peace!),” adding, “Alas, what an ill end is this to a glorious day!” and he cried out to the tent-pitchers, saying, “Woe to you! Where is my enemy who oweth me so much?” Quoth they, “When thou mountedst and we went with thee, thou didst not bid us guard him;” and Gharib exclaimed, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!” But Al-Damigh said to him, “Hasten not nor be concerned, for where can he go, and we in pursuit of him?” Now the manner of Ajib’s escape was in this wise. His page Sayyar had been ambushed in the camp and when he saw Gharib mount and ride forth, leaving none to guard his enemy Ajib, he could hardly credit his eyes. So he waited awhile and presently crept to the tent and taking Ajib, who was senseless for the pain of the bastinado, on his back, made off with him into the open country and fared on at the top of his speed from early night to the next day, till he came to a spring of water, under an apple tree. There he set down Ajib from his back and washed his face, whereupon he opened his eyes and seeing Sayyar, said to him, “O Sayyar, carry me to Cufa that I may recover there and levy horsemen and soldiers wherewith to overthrow my foe: and know, O Sayyar, that I am anhungered.” So Sayyar sprang up and going out to the desert caught an ostrich-poult and brought it to his lord. Then he gathered fuel and deftly using the fire sticks kindled a fire,, by which he roasted the bird which he had hallal’d9 and fed Ajib with its flesh and gave him to drink of the water of the spring, till his strength returned to him, after which he went to one of the Badawi tribal encampments, and stealing thence a steed mounted Ajib upon it and journeyed on with him for many days till they drew near the city of Cufa. The Viceroy of the capital came out to meet and salute the King, whom he found weak with the beating his brother had inflicted upon him; and Ajib entered the city and called his physicians. When they answered his summons, he bade them heal him in less than ten days’ time: they said, “We hear and we obey,” and they tended him till he became whole of the sickness that was upon him and of the punishment. Then he commanded his Wazirs to write letters to all his Nabobs and vassals, and he indited one-and-twenty writs and despatched them to the governors, who assembled their troops and set out for Cufa by forced marches. — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

  When it was the Six Hundred and Forty-first Night,

  She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ajib sent orders to assemble the troops, who marched forthright to Cufa. Meanwhile, Gharib, being troubled for Ajib’s escape, despatched in quest of him a thousand braves, who dispersed on all sides and sought him a day and a night, but found no trace of him; so they returned and told Gharib, who called for his brother Sahim, but found him not; whereat he was sore concerned, fearing for him from the shifts of Fortune. And lo! Sahim entered and kissed ground before Gharib, who rose, when he saw him, and asked, “Where hast thou been, O Sahim?” He answered, “O King, I have been to Cufa and there I find that the dog Ajib hath made his way to his capital and is healed of his hurts: eke, he hath written letters to his vassals and sent them to his Nabobs who have brought him troops.” When Gharib heard this, he gave the command to march; so they struck tents and fared for Cufa. When they came in sight of the city, they found it compassed about with a host like the surging main, having neither beginning nor end. So Gharib with his troops encamped in face of the Kafirs and set up his standards, and darkness fell down upon the two hosts, whereupon they lighted camp-fires and kept watch till daybreak. Then King Gharib rose an
d making the Wuzu-ablution, prayed a two- bow prayer according to the rite of our father Abraham the Friend (on whom be the Peace!); after which he commanded the battle drums to sound the point of war. Accordingly, the kettle-drums beat to combat and the standards fluttered whilst the fighting- men armour donned and their horses mounted and themselves displayed and to plain fared. Now the first to open the gate of war was King Al-Damigh, who urged his charger between the two opposing armies and displayed himself and played with the swords and the spears, till both hosts were confounded and at him marvelled, after which he cried out, saying, “Who is for jousting? Let no sluggard come out to me or weakling; for I am Al-Damigh, the King, brother of Kundamir the King.” Then there rushed forth a horseman of the Kafirs, as he were a flame of fire, and drave at Al-Damigh, without word said; but the King received him with a lance-thrust in the breast so dour that the point issued from between his shoulders and Allah hurried his soul to the fire, the abiding-place dire. Then came forth a second he slew, and a third he slew likewise, and they ceased not to come out to him and he to slay them, till he had made an end of six-and-seventy fighting men. Hereupon the Miscreants and men of might hung back and would not encounter him; but Ajib cried out to his men and said, “Fie on you, O folk! if ye all go forth to him, one by one, he will not leave any of you, sitting or standing. Charge on him all at once and cleanse of them our earthly wone and strew their heads for your horses’ hoofs like a plain of stone!” So they waved the awe-striking flag and host was heaped upon host; blood rained in streams upon earth and railed and the Judge of battle ruled, in whose ordinance is no unright. The fearless stood firm on feet in the stead of fight, whilst the faint-heart gave back and took to flight thinking the day would never come to an end nor the curtains of gloom would be drawn by the hand of Night; and they ceased not to battle with swords and to smite till light darkened and murk starkened. Then the kettle- drums of the Infidels beat the retreat, but Gharib, refusing to stay his arms, drave at the Paynimry, and the Believers in Unity, the Moslems, followed him. How many heads and hands they shore, how many necks and sinews they tore, how many knees and spines they mashed and how many grown men and youths they to death bashed! With the first gleam of morning grey the Infidels broke and fled away, in disorder and disarray; and the Moslems followed them till middle-day and took over twenty thousand of them, whom they brought to their tents in bonds to stay. Then Gharib sat down before the gate of Cufa and commanded a herald to proclaim pardon and protection for every wight who should leave the worship to idols dight and profess the unity of His All-might the Creator of mankind and of light and night. So was made proclamation as he bade in the streets of Cufa and all that were therein embraced the True Faith, great and small; then they issued forth in a body and renewed their Islam before King Gharib, who rejoiced in them with exceeding joy and his breast broadened and he threw off all annoy. Presently he enquired of Mardas and his daughter Mahdiyah, and, being told that he had taken up his abode behind the Red Mountain, he called Sahim and said to him, “Find out for me what is become of thy father.” Sahim mounted steed without stay or delay and set his berry-brown spear in rest and fared on in quest till he reached the Red Mountain, where he sought for his father, yet found no trace of him nor of his tribe; however, he saw in their stead an elder of the Arabs, a very old man, broken with excess of years, and asked him of the folk and whither they were gone. Replied he, “O my son, when Mardas heard of Gharib’s descent upon Cufa he feared with great fear and, taking his daughter and his folk, set out with his handmaids and negroes into the wild and wold, and I wot not whither he went.” So Sahim, hearing the Shaykh’s words, returned to Gharib and told him thereof, whereat he was greatly concerned. Then he sat down on his father’s throne and, opening his treasuries, distributed largesse to each and every of his braves. And he took up his abode in Cufa and sent out spies to get news of Ajib. He also summoned the Grandees of the realm, who came and did him homage; as also did the citizens and he bestowed on them sumptuous robes of honour and commended the Ryots to their care. — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.