One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  When it was the Six Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,

  She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Marid took up Gharib and the idol and made for the higher air. Such was his case; but as regards the King, when his soldiers saw what had befallen and the slaughter of the Wazir they renounced the worship of the idol and drawing their swords, slew the King; after which they fell on one another, and the sword went round amongst them three days, till there abode alive but two men, one of whom prevailed over the other and killed him. Then the boys attacked the survivor and slew him and fell to fighting amongst themselves, till they were all killed; and the women and girls fled to the hamlets and forted villages; wherefore the city became desert and none dwelt therein but the owl. Meanwhile, the Marid Zalzal flew with Gharib towards his own country, the Island of Camphor and the Castle of Crystal and the Land of the Enchanted Calf, so called because its King Al-Muzalzil, had a pied calf, which he had clad in housings brocaded with red gold, and worshipped as a god. One day the King and his people went in to the calf and found him trembling; so the King said, “O my God, what hath troubled thee?” whereupon the Satan in the calf’s belly cried out and said, “O Muzalzil, verily thy son hath deserted to the Faith of Abraham the Friend, at the hands of Gharib Lord of Al-Irak;” and went on to tell him all that had passed from first to last. When the King heard the words of his calf he was confounded and going forth, sat down upon his throne. Then he summoned his Grandees who came in a body, and he told them what he had heard from the idol, whereat they marvelled and said, “What shall we do, O King?” Quoth he, “When my son cometh and ye see him embrace him, do ye lay hold of him.” And they said, “Hearkening and obedience!” After two days came Zalzal and Gharib, with the King’s idol of Karaj, but no sooner had they entered the palace-gate than the Jinn seized on them and carried them before Al-Muzalzil, who looked at his son with eyes of ire and said to him, “O dog of the Jann, hast thou left thy Faith and that of thy fathers and grandfathers?” Quoth Zalzal, “I have embraced the True Faith, and on like wise do thou (Woe be to thee!) seek salvation and thou shalt be saved from the wrath of the King Almighty in sway, Creator of Night and Day.” Therewith his father waxed wroth and said, “O son of adultery, dost confront me with these words?” Then he bade clap him in prison and turning to Gharib, said to him, “O wretch of a mortal, how hast thou abused my son’s wit and seduced him from his Faith?” Quoth Gharib, “Indeed, I have brought him out of wrongousness into the way of righteousness, out of Hell into Heaven and out of unfaith to the True Faith.” Whereupon the King cried out to a Marid called Sayyár, saying “Take this dog and cast him into the Wady of Fire, that he may perish.” Now this valley was in the “Waste Quarter71 “ and was thus named from the excess of its heat and the flaming of its fire, which was so fierce that none who went down therein could live an hour, but was destroyed; and it was compassed about by mountains high and slippery wherein was no opening. So Sayyar took up Gharib and flew with him towards the Valley of Fire, till he came within an hour’s journey thereof, when being weary, he alighted in a valley full of trees and streams and fruits, and setting down from his back Gharib chained as he was, fell asleep for fatigue. When Gharib heard him snore, he strove with his bonds till he burst them; then, taking up a heavy stone, he cast it down on the Marid’s head and crushed his bones, so that he died on the spot. Then he fared on into the valley. — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

  When it was the Six Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,

  She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Gharib after killing the Marid fared on into the valley and found himself in a great island in mid-ocean, full of all fruits that lips and tongue could desire. So he abode alone on the island, drinking of its waters and eating of its fruits and of fish that he caught, and days and years passed over him, till he had sojourned there in his solitude seven years. One day, as he sat, behold, there came down on him from the air two Marids, each carrying a man; and seeing him they said, “Who art thou, O fellow, and of which of the tribes art thou?” Now they took him for a Jinni, because his hair was grown long; and he replied, saying, “I am not of the Jann,” whereupon they questioned him, and he told them all that had befallen him. They grieved for him and one of the Ifrits said, “Abide thou here till we bear these two lambs to our King, that he may break his fast on the one and sup on the other, and after we will come back and carry thee to thine own country.” He thanked them and said, “ Where be the lambs?” Quoth they, “These two mortals are the lambs.” And Gharib said, “I take refuge with Allah the God of Abraham the Friend, the Lord of all creatures, who hath power over everything! Then the Marids flew away and Gharib abode awaiting them two days, when one of them returned, bringing with him a suit of clothes wherewith he clad him. Then he took him up and flew with him sky- high out of sight of earth, till Gharib heard the angels glorifying God in Heaven, and a flaming shaft issued from amongst them and made for the Marid, who fled from it towards the earth. The meteor pursued him, till he came within a spear’s cast of the ground, when Gharib leaped from his shoulders and the fiery shaft overtook the Marid, who became a heap of ashes. As for Gharib, he fell into the sea and sank two fathoms deep, after which he rose to the surface and swam for two days and two nights, till his strength failed him and he made certain of death. But, on the third day as he was despairing he caught sight of an island steep and mountainous; so he swam for it and landing, walked on inland, where he rested a day and a Night, feeding on the growth of the ground. Then he climbed to the mountain top, and, descending the opposite slope, fared on two days till he came in sight of a walled and bulwarked city, abounding in trees and rills. He walked up to it; but, when he reached the gate, the warders seized on him, and carried him to their Queen, whose name was Ján Sháh.72 Now she was five hundred years old, and every man who entered the city, they brought to her and she made him sleep with her, and when he had done his work, she slew him and so had she slain many men. When she saw Gharib, he pleased her mightily; so she asked him, “What be thy name and Faith and whence comest thou?” and he answered, “My name is Gharib King of Irak, and I am a Moslem.” Said she, “Leave this Creed and enter mine and I will marry thee and make thee King.” But he looked at her with eyes of ire and cried, “Perish thou and thy faith!” Cried she, “Dost thou blaspheme my idol, which is of red carnelian, set with pearls and gems?” And she called out to her men, saying, “Imprison him in the house of the idol; haply it will soften his heart.” So they shut him up in the domed shrine and locking the doors upon him, went their way. — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

  When it was the Six Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,

  She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when they took Gharib, they jailed him in the idol’s domed shrine; and locking the doors upon him, went their way. As soon as they were gone, Gharib gazed at the idol, which was of red carnelian, with collars of pearls and precious stones about its neck, and presently he went close to it and lifting it up, dashed it on the ground and brake it in bits; after which he lay down and slept till daybreak. When morning morrowed, the Queen took seat on her throne and said, “O men, bring me the prisoner.” So they opened the temple doors and entering, found the idol broken in pieces, whereupon they buffeted their faces till the blood ran from the corners of their eyes. Then they made at Gharib to seize him; but he smote one of them with his fist and slew him, and so did he with another and yet another, till he had slain five-and-twenty of them and the rest fled and went in to Queen Jan Shah, shrieking loudly. Quoth she, “What is the matter?” and quoth they, “The prisoner hath broken thine idol and slain thy men,” and told her all that had passed. When she heard this, she cast her crown to the ground and said, “There is no worth left in idols!” Then she mounted amid a thousand fighting-men and rode to the temple, where she found Gharib had gotten him a sword and come forth and was slaying men and overthr
owing warriors. When she saw his prowess, her heart was drowned in the love of him and she said to herself, “I have no need of the idol and care for naught save this Gharib, that he may lie in my bosom the rest of my life.” Then she cried to her men, “Hold aloof from him and leave him to himself!”; then, going up to him she muttered certain magical words, whereupon his arm became benumbed, his forearm relaxed and the sword dropped from his hand. So they seized him and pinioned him, as he stood confounded, stupefied. Then the Queen returned to her palace, and seating herself on her seat of estate, bade her people withdraw and leave Gharib with her. When they were alone, she said to him, “ O dog of the Arabs, wilt thou shiver my idol and slay my people?” He replied, “O accursed woman, had he been a god he had defended himself!” Quoth she, “Stroke me and I will forgive thee all thou hast done.” But he replied, saying, “I will do nought of this.” And she said, “By the virtue of my faith, I will torture thee with grievous torture!” So she took water and conjuring over it, sprinkled it upon him and he became an ape. And she used to feed and water and keep him in a closet, appointing one to care for him; and in this plight he abode two years. Then she called him to her one day and said to him, “Wilt thou hearken to me?” And he signed to her with his head, “Yes.” So she rejoiced and freed him from the enchantment. Then she brought him food and he ate and toyed with her and kissed her, so that she trusted in him. When it was night she lay down and said to him, “Come, do thy business.” He replied, “ ’Tis well;” and, mounting on her breast, seized her by the neck and brake it, nor did he arise from her till life had left her. Then, seeing an open cabinet, he went in and found there a sword of damascened73 steel and a targe of Chinese iron; so he armed himself cap-à-pie and waited till the day. As soon as it was morning, he went forth and stood at the gate of the palace. When the Emirs came and would have gone in to do their service to the Queen, they found Gharib standing at the gate, clad in complete war-gear; and he said to them, “O folk, leave the service of idols and worship the All-wise King, Creator of Night and Day, the Lord of men, the Quickener of dry bones, for He made all things and hath dominion over all.” When the Kafirs heard this, they ran at him, but he fell on them like a rending lion and charged through them again and again, slaying of them much people; — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

  When it was the Six Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,

  She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Kafirs fell upon Gharib, he slew of them much people; but, when the night came, they overcame him by dint of numbers and would have taken him by strenuous effort, when behold, there descended upon the Infidels a thousand Marids, under the command of Zalzal, who plied them with the keen sabre and made them drink the cup of destruction, whilst Allah hurried their souls to Hell-fire, till but few were left of the people of Jan Shah to tell the tale and the rest cried out, “Quarter! Quarter!” and believed in the Requiting King, whom no one thing diverteth from other thing, the Destroyer of the Jabábirah74 and Exterminator of the Akásirah, Lord of this world and of the next. Then Zalzal saluted Gharib and gave him joy of his safety; and Gharib said to him, “How knowest thou of my case?” and he replied, “O my lord, my father kept me in prison two years, after sending thee to the Valley of Fire; then he released me, and I abode with him another year, till I was restored to favour with him, when I slew him and his troops submitted to me. I ruled them for a year’s space till, one Night, I lay down to sleep, having thee in thought, and saw thee in a dream, fighting against the people of Jan Shah; wherefore I took these thousand Marids and came to thee.” And Gharib marvelled at this happy conjuncture. Then he seized upon Jan Shah’s treasures and those of the slain and appointed a ruler over the city; after which the Marids took up Gharib and the monies and he lay the same night in the Castle of Crystal. He abode Zalzal’s guest six months, when he desired to depart; so Zalzal gave him rich presents and despatched three thousand Marids, who brought the spoils of Karaj-city and added them to those of Jan Shah. Then Zalzal loaded forty thousand Marids with the treasure and himself taking up Gharib, flew with his host towards the city of Isbanir al-Madain where they arrived at midnight. But as Gharib glanced around he saw the walls invested on all sides by a conquering army,75 as it were the surging sea, so he said to Zalzal, “O my brother, what is the cause of this siege and whence came this army?” Then he alighted on the terrace roof of his palace and cried out, saying, “Ho, Star o’ Morn! Ho, Mahdiyah!” Whereupon the twain started up from sleep in amazement and said, “Who calleth us at this hour?” Quoth he, “ ’Tis I, your lord, Gharib, the Marvellous One of the deeds wondrous.” When the Princesses heard their lord’s voice, they rejoiced and so did the women and the eunuchs. Then Gharib went down to them and they threw themselves upon him and lullilooed with cries of joy, so that all the palace rang again and the Captains of the army awoke and said, “What is to do?” So they made for the palace and asked the eunuchs, “Hath one of the King’s women given birth to a child?”; and they answered, “No; but rejoice ye, for King Gharib hath returned to you.” So they rejoiced, and Gharib, after salams to the women came forth amongst his comrades, who threw themselves upon him and kissed his hands and feet, returning thanks to Almighty Allah and praising Him. Then he sat down on his throne, with his officers sitting about him, and questioned them of the beleaguering army. They replied, “O King, these troops sat down before the city three days ago and there are amongst them Jinns as well as men; but we know not what they want, for we have had with them neither battle nor speech.” And presently they added, “The name of the commander of the besieging army is Murad Shah and he hath with him an hundred thousand horse and three thousand foot, besides two hundred tribesmen of the Jinn.” Now the manner of his coming was wondrous. — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

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

  She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the cause of this army coming upon Isbanir city was wondrous. When the two men, whom Sabur had charged to drown his daughter Fakhr Taj, let her go, bidding her flee for her life, she went forth distracted, unknowing whither to turn and saying, “Where is thine eye, O Gharib, that thou mayst see my case and the misery I am in?”; and wandered on from country to country, and valley to valley, till she came to a Wady abounding in trees and streams, in whose midst stood a strong-based castle and a lofty-builded as it were one of the pavilions of Paradise. So she betook herself thither and entering the fortalice, found it hung and carpeted with stuffs of silk and great plenty of gold and silver vessels; and therein were an hundred beautiful damsels. When the maidens saw Fakhr Taj, they came up to her and saluted her, deeming her of the virgins of the Jinn, and asked her of her case. Quoth she, “I am daughter to the Persians’ King;” and told them all that had befallen her; which when they heard, they wept over her and condoled with her and comforted her, saying, “Be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear, for here shalt thou have meat and drink and raiment, and we all are thy handmaids.” She called down blessings on them and they brought her food, of which she ate till she was satisfied. Then quoth she to them, “Who is the owner of this palace and lord over you girls?” and quoth they, “King Salsál, son of Dal, is our master; he passeth a night here once in every month and fareth in the morning to rule over the tribes of the Jann.” So Fakhr Taj took up her abode with them and after five days she gave birth to a male child, as he were the moon. They cut his navel cord and kohl’d his eyes then they named him Murad Shah, and he grew up in his mother’s lap. After a while came King Salsal, riding on a paper white elephant, as he were a tower plastered with lime and attended by the troops of the Jinn. He entered the palace, where the hundred damsels met him and kissed ground before him, and amongst them Fakhr Taj. When the King saw her, he looked at her and said to the others, “Who is yonder damsel?”; and they replied, “She is the daughter of Sabur, King of the Persians and Turks and
Daylamites.” Quoth he, “Who brought her hither?” So they repeated to him her story; whereat he was moved to pity for her and said to her, “Grieve not, but take patience till thy son be grown a man, when I will go to the land of the Ajams and strike off thy father’s head from between his shoulders and seat thy son on the throne in his stead.” So she rose and kissed his hands and blessed him. Then she abode in the castle and her son grew up and was reared with the children of the King. They used to ride forth together a-hunting and birding and he became skilled in the chase of wild beasts and ravening lions and ate of their flesh, till his heart became harder than the rock. When he reached the age of fifteen, his spirit waxed big in him and he said to Fakhr Taj, “O my mamma, who is my papa?” She replied, “O my son, Gharib, King of Irak, is thy father and I am the King’s daughter, of the Persians,” and she told him her story. Quoth he, “Did my grandfather indeed give orders to slay thee and my father Gharib?”; and quoth she, “Yes.” Whereupon he, “By the claim thou hast on me for rearing me, I will assuredly go to thy father’s city and cut off his head and bring it into thy pre sence!” — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

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

  She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Murad Shah son of Fakhr Taj thus bespake his mother, she rejoiced in his speech. Now he used to go a-riding with two hundred Marids till he grew to man’s estate, when he and they fell to making raids and cutting off the roads and they pushed their razzias farther till one day he attacked the city of Shiraz and took it. Then he proceeded to the palace and cut off the King’s head, as he sat on his throne, and slew many of his troops, whereupon the rest cried “Quarter! Quarter!” and kissed his stirrups. Finding that they numbered ten thousand horse, he led them to Balkh, where he slew the King of the city and put his men to the rout and made himself master of the riches of the place. Thence he passed to Núrayn,76 at the head of an army of thirty- thousand horse, and the Lord of Nurayn came out to him, with treasure and tribute, and did him homage. Then he went on to Samarcand of the Persians and took the city, and after that to Akhlát77 and took that town also; nor was there any city he came to but he captured it. Thus Murad Shah became the head of a mighty host, and all the booty he made and spoils in the sundry cities he divided among his soldiery, who loved him for his valour and munificence. At last he came to Isbanir al-Madain and sat down before it, saying, “Let us wait till the rest of my army come up, when I will seize on my grandfather and solace my mother’s heart by smiting his neck in her presence.” So he sent for her, and by reason of this, there was no battle for three days, when Gharib and Zalzal arrived with the forty thousand Marids, laden with treasure and presents. They asked concerning the besiegers, but none could enlighten them beyond saying that the host had been there encamped for three days without a fight taking place. Presently came Fakhr Taj, and her son Murad Shah embraced her saying, “Sit in thy tent till I bring thy father to thee.” And she sought succour for him of the Lord of the Worlds, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earths. Next morning, as soon as it was day, Murad Shah mounted and rode forth, with the two hundred Marids on his right hand and the Kings of men on his left, whilst the kettle-drums beat to battle. When Gharib heard this, he also took to horse and, calling his people to the combat, rode out, with the jinn on his dexter hand and the men on his sinistral. Then came forth Murad Shah, armed cap-à-pie and drave his charger right and left, crying, “O folk, let none come forth to me but your King. If he conquer me, he shall be lord of both armies, and if I conquer him, I will slay him, as I have slain others.” When Gharib heard his speech, he said, “Avaunt, O dog of the Arabs!” And they charged at each other and lunged with lances, till they broke, then hewed at each other with swords, till the blades were notched; nor did they cease to advance and retire and wheel and career, till the day was half spent and their horses fell down under them, when they dismounted and gripped each other. Then Murad Shah seizing Gharib lifted him up and strove to dash him to the ground; but Gharib caught him by the ears and pulled him with his might, till it seemed to the youth as if the heavens were falling on the earth78 and he cried out, with his heart in his mouth, saying, “I yield myself to thy mercy, O Knight of the Age!” So Gharib bound him, — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.