One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

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

  She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Julnar was brought to bed and was visited by her people, the King received them with joy at their coming and said to them, “I said that I would not give my son a name till you should come and name him of your knowledge.” So they named him Badr Básim,313 and all agreed upon this name. Then they showed the child to his uncle Salih, who took him in his arms and arising began to walk about the chamber with him in all directions right and left. Presently he carried him forth of the palace and going down to the salt sea, fared on with him, till he was hidden from the King’s sight. Now when Shahriman saw him take his son and disappear with him in the depth of the sea, he gave the child up for lost and fell to weeping and wailing; but Julnar said to him, “O King of the Age, fear not, neither grieve for thy son, for I love my child more than thou and he is with my brother, so reck thou not of the sea neither fear for him drowning. Had my brother known that aught of harm would betide the little one, he had not done this deed; and he will presently bring thee thy son safe, Inshallah — an it please the Almighty.” Nor was an hour past before the sea became turbid and troubled and King Salih came forth and flew from the sea till he came up to them with the child lying quiet and showing a face like the moon on the night of fulness. Then, looking at the King he said, “Haply thou fearedst harm for thy son, whenas I plunged into the sea with him?” Replied the father, “Yes, O my lord, I did indeed fear for him and thought he would never be saved therefrom.” Rejoined Salih, “O King of the land, we pencilled his eyes with an eye powder we know of and recited over him the names graven upon the seal-ring of Solomon David-son (on whom be the Peace!), for this is what we use to do with children newly born among us; and now thou needst not fear for him drowning or suffocation in all the oceans of the world, if he should go down into them; for, even as ye walk on the land, so walk we in the sea.” Then he pulled out of his pocket a casket, graven and sealed and, breaking open the seals, emptied it; whereupon there fell from it strings of all manner jacinths and other jewels, besides three hundred bugles of emerald and other three hundred hollow gems, as big as ostrich eggs, whose light dimmed that of sun and moon. Quoth Salih, “O King of the Age, these jewels and jacinths are a present from me to thee. We never yet brought thee a gift, for that we knew not Julnar’s abiding place neither had we of her any tidings or trace; but now that we see thee to be united with her and we are all become one thing, we have brought thee this present; and every little while we will bring thee the like thereof, Inshallah! for that these jewels and jacinths are more plentiful with us than pebbles on the beach and we know the good and the bad of them and their whereabouts and the way to them, and they are easy to us.” When the King saw the jewels, his wits were bewildered and his sense was astounded and he said, “By Allah, one single gem of these jewels is worth my realm!” Then he thanked for his bounty Salih the Sea born and, looking towards Queen Julnar, said, “I am abashed before thy brother, for that he hath dealt munificently by me and bestowed on me this splendid gift, which the folk of the land were unable to present.” So she thanked her brother for his deed and he said, “O King of the Age, thou hast the prior claim on us and it behoves us to thank thee, for thou hast entreated our sister with kindness and we have entered thy dwelling and eaten of thy victual; and the poet saith314 ,

  ‘Had I wept before she did in my passion for Saada, * I had

  healed my soul before repentance came.

  But she wept before I did: her tears drew mine; and I said, *

  The merit belongs to the precedent.’”

  “And” (resumed Salih the Pious) “if we stood on our faces in thy service, O King of the Age, a thousand years, yet had we not the might to requite thee, and this were but a scantling of thy due.” The King thanked him with heartiest thanks and the Merman and Merwomen abode with him forty days’ space, at the end of which Salih arose and kissed the ground before his brother in law, who asked “What wantest thou, O Salih?” He answered, “O King of the Age, indeed thou hast done us overabundant favours, and we crave of thy bounties that thou deal charitably with us and grant us permission to depart; for we yearn after our people and country and kinsfolk and our homes; so will we never forsake thy service nor that of my sister and my nephew; and by Allah, O King of the Age, ’tis not pleasant to my heart to part from thee; but how shall we do, seeing that we have been reared in the sea and that the sojourn of the shore liketh us not?” When the King heard these words he rose to his feet and farewelled Salih the Sea-born and his mother and his cousins, and all wept together, because of parting and presently they said to him, “Anon we will be with thee again, nor will we forsake thee, but will visit thee every few days.” Then they flew off and descending into the sea, disappeared from sight. — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

  When it was the Seven Hundred and Forty-third Night,

  She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the relations of Julnar the Sea-born farewelled the King and her, weeping together because of parting; then they flew off and descending into the depths disappeared from sight. After this King Shahriman showed the more kindness to Julnar and honoured her with increase of honour; and the little one grew up and flourished, whilst his maternal uncle and grandam and cousins visited the King every few days and abode with him a month or two months at a time. The boy ceased not to increase in beauty and loveliness with increase of years, till he attained the age of fifteen and was unique in his perfection and symmetry. He learnt writing and Koran reading; history, syntax and lexicography; archery, spearplay and horsemanship and what not else behoveth the sons of Kings; nor was there one of the children of the folk of the city, men or women, but would talk of the youth’s charms, for he was of surpassing beauty and perfection, even such an one as is praised in the saying of the poet,315

  “The whiskers write upon his cheek, with ambergris on pearl, *

  Two lines, as ‘twere with jet upon an apple, line for

  line.

  Death harbours in his languid eye and slays with every glance,

  * And in his cheek is drunkenness, and not in any wine.”

  And in that of another,

  “Upsprings from table of his lovely cheeks316 * A growth

  like broidery my wonder is:

  As ‘twere a lamp that burns through night hung up * Beneath

  the gloom317 in chains of ambergris.”

  And indeed the King loved him with exceeding love, and summoning his Wazir and Emirs and the Chief Officers of state and Grandees of his realm, required of them a binding oath that they would make Badr Basim King over them after his sire; and they sware the oath gladly, for the sovran was liberal to the lieges, pleasant in parley and a very compend of goodness, saying naught but that wherein was advantage for the people. On the morrow Shahriman mounted, with all his troops and Emirs and Lords, and went forth into the city and returned. When they drew near the palace, the King dismounted, to wait upon his son who abode on horseback, and he and all the Emirs and Grandees bore the saddlecloth of honour before him, each and every of them bearing it in his turn, till they came to the vestibule of the palace, where the Prince alighted and his father and the Emirs embraced him and seated him on the throne of Kingship, whilst they (including his sire) stood before him. Then Badr Basim judged the people, deposing the unjust and promoting the just and continued so doing till near upon noon, when he descended from the throne and went in to his mother, Julnar the Sea-born, with the crown upon his head, as he were the moon. When she saw him, with the King standing before him, she rose and kissing him, gave him joy of the Sultanate and wished him and his sire length of life and victory over their foes. He sat with her and rested till the hour of mid afternoon prayer, when he took horse and repaired, with the Emirs before him, to the Maydan plain, where he played at arms with his father and his lords, till night fall, when he returned to the palace, preceded by
all the folk. He rode forth thus every day to the tilting ground, returning to sit and judge the people and do justice between carl and churl; and thus he continued doing a whole year, at the end of which he began to ride out a-hunting and a-chasing and to go round about in the cities and countries under his rule, proclaiming security and satisfaction and doing after the fashion of Kings; and he was unique among the people of his day for glory and valour and just dealing among the subjects. And it chanced that one day the old King fell sick and his fluttering heart forebode him of translation to the Mansion of Eternity. His sickness grew upon him till he was nigh upon death, when he called his son and commended his mother and subjects to his care and caused all the Emirs and Grandees once more swear allegiance to the Prince and assured himself of them by strongest oaths; after which he lingered a few days and departed to the mercy of Almighty Allah. His son and widow and all the Emirs and Wazirs and Lords mourned over him, and they built him a tomb and buried him therein. They ceased not ceremonially to mourn for him a whole month, till Salih and his mother and cousins arrived and condoled with their grieving for the King and said, “O Julnar, though the King be dead, yet hath he left this noble and peerless youth, and not dead is whoso leaveth the like of him, the rending lion and the shining moon.” — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

  When it was the Seven Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,

  She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Salih brother of Julnar and her mother and cousins said to her, “Albeit the King be dead, yet hath he left behind him as successor this noble and peerless youth, the rending lion and the shining moon.” Thereupon the Grandees and notables of the Empire went in to King Badr Basim and said to him, “O King, there is no harm in mourning for the late sovran: but over- mourning beseemeth none save women; wherefore occupy thou not thy heart and our hearts with mourning for thy sire; inasmuch as he hath left thee behind him, and whoso leaveth the like of thee is not dead.” Then they comforted him and diverted him and lastly carried him to the bath. When he came out of the Hammam, he donned a rich robe, purfled with gold and embroidered with jewels and jacinths; and, setting the royal crown on his head, sat down on his throne of kingship and ordered the affairs of the folk, doing equal justice between strong and weak, and exacting from the prince the dues of the pauper; wherefore the people loved him with exceeding love. Thus he continued doing for a full year, whilst, every now and then. his kinsfolk of the sea visited him, and his life was pleasant and his eye was cooled. Now it came to pass that his uncle Salih went in one night of the nights to Julnar and saluted her; whereupon she rose and embracing him seated him by her side and asked him, “O my brother, how art thou and my mother and my cousins?” He answered, “O my sister, they are well and glad and in good case, lacking naught save a sight of thy face.” Then she set somewhat of food before him and he ate, after which talk ensued between the twain and they spake of King Badr Basim and his beauty and loveliness, his symmetry and skill in cavalarice and cleverness and good breeding. Now Badr was propped upon his elbow hard by them; and, hearing his mother and uncle speak of him, he feigned sleep and listened to their talk.318 Presently Salih said to his sister, “Thy son is now seventeen years old and is unmarried, and I fear lest mishap befal him and he have no son; wherefore it is my desire to marry him to a Princess of the princesses of the sea, who shall be a match for him in beauty and loveliness.” Quoth Julnar, “Name them to me for I know them all.” So Salih proceeded to enumerate them to her, one by one, but to each she said, “I like not this one for my son; I will not marry him but to one who is his equal in beauty and loveliness and wit and piety and good breeding and magnanimity and dominion and rank and lineage.”319 Quoth Salih, “I know none other of the daughters of the Kings of the sea, for I have numbered to thee more than an hundred girls and not one of them pleaseth thee: but see, O my sister, whether thy son be asleep or no.” So she felt Badr and finding on him the signs of slumber said to Salih, “He is asleep; what hast thou to say and what is thine object in making sure his sleeping?” Replied he, “O my sister, know that I have bethought me of a Mermaid of the mermaids who befitteth thy son; but I fear to name her, lest he be awake and his heart be taken with her love and maybe we shall be unable to win to her; so should he and we and the Grandees of the realm be wearied in vain and trouble betide us through this; for, as saith the poet,

  ‘Love, at first sight, is a spurt of spray;320 * But a spreading sea when it gaineth sway.’”

  When she heard these words, she cried, “Tell me the condition of this girl, and her name for I know all the damsels of the sea, Kings’ daughters and others; and, if I judge her worthy of him, I will demand her in marriage for him of her father, though I spend on her whatso my hand possesseth. So recount to me all anent her and fear naught, for my son sleepeth.” Quoth Salih, “I fear lest he be awake; and the poet saith,

  ‘I loved him, soon as his praise I heard; * For ear oft loveth ere eye survey.’”

  But Julnar said, “Speak out and be brief and fear not, O my brother.” So he said, “By Allah, O my sister, none is worthy of thy son save the Princess Jauharah, daughter of King Al- Samandal,321 for that she is like unto him in beauty and loveliness and brilliancy and perfection; nor is there found, in sea or on land, a sweeter or pleasanter of gifts than she; for she is prime in comeliness and seemlihead of face and symmetrical shape of perfect grace; her cheek is ruddy dight, her brow flower white, her teeth gem-bright, her eyes blackest black and whitest white, her hips of heavy weight, her waist slight and her favour exquisite. When she turneth she shameth the wild cattle322 and the gazelles and when she walketh, she breedeth envy in the willow branch: when she unveileth her face outshineth sun and moon and all who look upon her she enslaveth soon: sweet lipped and soft sided indeed is she.” Now when Julnar heard what Salih said, she replied, “Thou sayest sooth, O my brother! By Allah, I have seen her many and many a time and she was my companion, when we were little ones but now we have no knowledge of each other, for constraint of distance; nor have I set eyes on her for eighteen years. By Allah none is worthy of my son but she!” Now Badr heard all they said and mastered what had passed, first and last, of these praises bestowed on Jauharah daughter of King Al- Samandal; so he fell in love with her on hearsay, pretending sleep the while, wherefore fire was kindled in his heart on her account full sore and he was drowned in a sea without bottom or shore. — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

  When it was the Seven Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,

  She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King Badr Basim heard the words of his uncle Salih and his mother Julnar, praising the daughter of King Al-Samandal, a flame of fire burnt in his heart full sore and he was drowned in a sea which hath nor bottom nor shore. Then Salih, looking at his sister, exclaimed, “By Allah, O my sister, there is no greater fool among the Kings of the sea than her father nor one more violent of temper than he! So name thou not the girl to thy son, till we demand her in marriage of her father. If he favour us with his assent, we will praise Allah Almighty; and if he refuse us and will not give her to thy son to wife, we will say no more about it and seek another match.” Answered Julnar, “Right is thy rede;” and they parleyed no more: but Badr passed the night with a heart on fire with passion for Princess Jauharah. However he concealed his case and spake not of her to his mother or his uncle, albeit he was on coals of fire for love of her. Now when it was morning, the King and his uncle went to the Hammam-bath and washed, after which they came forth and drank wine and the servants set food before them, whereof they and Julnar ate their sufficiency, and washed their hands. Then Salih rose and said to his nephew and sister, “With your leave, I would fain go to my mother and my folk for I have been with you some days and their hearts are troubled with awaiting me.” But Badr Basim said to him, “Tarry with us this day;” and he consented. Then quoth the King, “Come, O my uncle, let us go forth to th
e garden.” So they sallied forth and promenaded about the pastures and took their solace awhile, after which King Badr lay down under a shady tree, thinking to rest and sleep; but he remembered his uncle’s description of the maiden and her beauty and loveliness and shed railing tears, reciting these two couplets323 ,

  “Were it said to me while the flame is burning within me, *

  And the fire blazing in my heart and bowels,

  ‘Wouldst thou rather that thou shouldest behold them * Or a

  draught of pure water?’ — I would answer, ‘Them.’”

  Then he sighed and wept and lamented, reciting these verses also,

  “Who shall save me from love of a lovely gazelle, * Brighter

  browed than the sunshine, my bonnibel!

  My heart, erst free from her love, now burns * With fire for

  the maid of Al-Samandal.”