Night and Horses and the Desert

by Robert Irwin

  Ifriqiya should be Phrygia.

  Tales of ingenuity also played a leading role in the story-collection of The Thousand and One Nights. The origins of this collection have already been discussed. However, all that survives from the (doubtless primitive) tenth century is a fragment of the opening page. The oldest substantially surviving manuscript (in three manuscript volumes in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris) dates from the fourteenth or fifteenth century. It seems to have been skilfully put together by a single editor who probably lived and worked in Mamluk Syria. The stories have many references to Mamluk topography, household articles, coinage and so forth. It is likely that there was originally a fourth, concluding, manuscript volume. The surviving three volumes contain some thirty-five and a half stories. These latter stories are artfully boxed within one another, and are linked in their themes and imagery. They deal with telling one’s story in order to save one’s life, sexual betrayal, magic, mutilation, and fulfilment deferred. The Tale of King Yunan and the Sage Duban’, which as we shall see contains two stories boxed within it, is told to a jinn, or demon, by a fisherman who hopes that he will thereby save his life. The Story of the Fisherman and the Demon’ is told by Shahrazad to King Shahriyar, in the hope that her nightly suspenseful story-telling may prevent, or at least delay, her execution.

  The Tale of King Yunan and the Sage Duban

  Demon, there was once a king called Yunan, who reigned in one of the cities of Persia, in the province of Zuman. This king was afflicted with leprosy, which had defied the physicians and the sages, who, for all the medicines they gave him to drink and all the ointments they applied, were unable to cure him. One day there came to the city of King Yunan a sage called Duban. This sage had read all sorts of books, Greek, Persian, Turkish, Arabic, Byzantine, Syriac, and Hebrew, had studied the sciences, and had learned their groundwork, as well as their principles and basic benefits. Thus he was versed in all the sciences, from philosophy to the lore of plants and herbs, the harmful as well as the beneficial. A few days after he arrived in the city of King Yunan, the sage heard about the king and his leprosy and the fact that the physicians and the sages were unable to cure him. On the following day, when God’s morning dawned and His sun rose, the sage Duban put on his best clothes, went to King Yunan and, introducing himself, said, ‘Your Majesty, I have heard of that which has afflicted your body and heard that many physicians have treated you without finding a way to cure you. Your Majesty, I can treat you without giving you any medicine to drink or ointment to apply.’ When the king heard this, he said, ‘If you succeed, I will bestow on you riches that would be enough for you and your grandchildren. I will bestow favours on you, and I will make you my companion and friend.’ The king bestowed robes of honour on the sage, treated him kindly, and then asked him, ‘Can you really cure me from my leprosy without any medicine to drink or ointment to apply?’ The sage replied, ‘Yes, I will cure you externally.’ The king was astonished, and he began to feel respect as well as great affection for the sage. He said, ‘Now, sage, do what you have promised.’ The sage replied, ‘I hear and obey. I will do it tomorrow morning, the Almighty God willing.’ Then the sage went to the city, rented a house, and there he distilled and extracted medicines and drugs. Then with his great knowledge and skill, he fashioned a mallet with a curved end, hollowed the mallet, as well as the handle, and filled the handle with his medicines and drugs. He likewise made a ball. When he had perfected and prepared everything, he went on the following day to King Yunan and kissed the ground before him.

  But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then her sister Dinarzad said, ‘What a lovely story!’ Shahrazad replied, ‘You have heard nothing yet. Tomorrow night I shall tell you something stranger and more amazing if the king spares me and lets me live!’

  THE TWELFTH NIGHT

  The following night Dinarzad said to her sister Shahrazad, ‘Please, sister, finish the rest of the story of the fisherman and the demon.’ Shahrazad replied, ‘With the greatest pleasure’:

  I heard, O King, that the fisherman said to the demon:

  The sage Duban came to King Yunan and asked him to ride to the playground to play with the ball and mallet. The king rode out, attended by his chamberlains, princes, viziers, and lords and eminent men of the realm. When the king was seated, the sage Duban entered, offered him the mallet, and said, ‘O happy King, take this mallet, hold it in your hand, and as you race on the playground, hold the grip tightly in your fist, and hit the ball. Race until you perspire, and the medicine will ooze from the grip into your perspiring hand, spread to your wrist, and circulate through your entire body. After you perspire and the medicine spreads in your body, return to your royal palace, take a bath, and go to sleep. You will wake up cured, and that is all there is to it.’ King Yunan took the mallet from the sage Duban and mounted his horse. The attendants threw the ball before the king, who, holding the grip tightly in his fist, followed it and struggled excitedly to catch up with it and hit it. He kept galloping after the ball and hitting it until his palm and the rest of his body began to perspire, and the medicine began to ooze from the handle and flow through his entire body. When the sage Duban was certain that the medicine had oozed and spread through the king’s body, he advised him to return to his palace and go immediately to the bath. The king went to the bath and washed himself thoroughly. Then he put on his clothes, left the bath, and returned to his palace.

  As for the sage Duban, he spent the night at home, and early in the morning, he went to the palace and asked for permission to see the king. When he was allowed in, he entered and kissed the ground before the king; then, pointing toward him with his hand, he began to recite the following verses:

  The virtues you fostered are great;

  For who but you could sire them?

  Yours is the face whose radiant light

  Effaces the night dark and grim,

  Forever beams your radiant face;

  That of the world is still in gloom.

  You rained on us with ample grace,

  As the clouds rain on thirsty hills,

  Expending your munificence,

  Attaining your magnificence.

  When the sage Duban finished reciting these verses, the king stood up and embraced him. Then he seated the sage beside him, and with attentiveness and smiles, engaged him in conversation. Then the king bestowed on the sage robes of honour, gave him gifts and endowments, and granted his wishes. For when the king had looked at himself the morning after the bath, he found that his body was clear of leprosy, as clear and pure as silver. He therefore felt exceedingly happy and in a very generous mood. Thus when he went in the morning to the reception hall and sat on his throne, attended by the Mamluks and chamberlains, in the company of the viziers and the lords of the realm, and the sage Duban presented himself, as we have mentioned, the king stood up, embraced him, and seated him beside him. He treated him attentively and drank and ate with him.

  But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then her sister Dinarzad said, ‘Sister, what a lovely story!’ Shahrazad replied, ‘The rest of the story is stranger and more amazing. If the king spares me and I am alive tomorrow night, I shall tell you something even more entertaining.’

  THE THIRTEENTH NIGHT

  The following night Dinarzad said to her sister Shahrazad, ‘Sister, if you are not sleepy, tell us one of your lovely little tales to while away the night.’ Shahrazad replied, ‘With the greatest pleasure’:

  I heard, O happy King who is praiseworthy by the Grace of God, that King Yunan bestowed favours on the sage, gave him robes of honour, and granted his wishes. At the end of the day he gave the sage a thousand dinars and sent him home. The king, who was amazed at the skill of the sage Duban, said to himself, This man has treated me externally, without giving me any draught to drink or ointment to apply. His is indeed a great wisdom for which he deserves to be honoured and rewarded. He shall become my companion, confidant, and close friend.’ Th
en the king spent the night, happy at his recovery from his illness, at his good health, and at the soundness of his body. When morning came and it was light, the king went to the royal reception hall and sat on the throne, attended by his chief officers, while the princes, viziers, and lords of the realm sat to his right and left. Then the king called for the sage, and when the sage entered and kissed the ground before him, the king stood up to salute him, seated him beside him, and invited him to eat with him. The king treated him intimately, showed him favours, and bestowed on him robes of honour and many other gifts. Then he spent the whole day conversing with him, and at the end of the day he ordered that he be given a thousand dinars. The sage went home and spent the night with his wife, feeling happy and thankful to God the Arbiter.

  In the morning, the king went to the royal reception hall, and the princes and viziers came to stand in attendance. It happened that King Yunan had a vizier who was sinister, greedy, envious, and fretful, and when he saw that the sage had found favour with the king, who bestowed on him much money and many robes of honour, he feared that the king would dismiss him and appoint the sage in his place; therefore, he envied the sage and harboured ill-will against him, for ‘nobody is free from envy’. The envious vizier approached the king and, kissing the ground before him, said, ‘O excellent King and glorious Lord, it was by your kindness and with your blessing that I rose to prominence; therefore, if I fail to advise you on a grave matter, I am not my father’s son. If the great King and noble Lord commands, I shall disclose the matter to him.’ The king was upset and asked, ‘Damn you, what advice have you got?’ The vizier replied, ‘Your Majesty, “He who considers not the end, fortune is not his friend.” I have seen your Majesty make a mistake, for you have bestowed favours on your enemy who has come to destroy your power and steal your wealth. Indeed, you have pampered him and shown him many favours, but I fear that he will do you harm.’ The king asked, ‘Whom do you accuse, whom do you have in mind, and at whom do you point the finger?’ The vizier replied, ‘If you are asleep, wake up, for I point the finger at the sage Duban, who has come from Byzantium.’ The king replied, ‘Damn you, is he my enemy? To me he is the most faithful, the dearest, and the most favoured of people, for this sage has treated me simply by making me hold something in my hand and has cured me from the disease that had defied the physicians and the sages and rendered them helpless. In all the world, east and west, near and far, there is no one like him, yet you accuse him of such a thing. From this day onward, I will give him every month a thousand dinars, in addition to his rations and regular salary. Even if I were to share my wealth and my kingdom with him, it would be less than he deserves. I think that you have said what you said because you envy him. This is very much like the situation in the story told by the vizier of King Sindbad when the king wanted to kill his own son.’

  But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then her sister Dinarzad said, ‘Sister, what a lovely story!’ Shahrazad replied, ‘What is this compared with what I shall tell you tomorrow night! It will be stranger and more amazing.’

  THE FOURTEENTH NIGHT

  The following night, when the king got into bed and Shahrazad got in with him, her sister Dinarzad said, ‘Please, sister, if you are not sleepy, tell us one of your lovely little tales to while away the night.’ Shahrazad replied, ‘Very well’:

  I heard, O happy King, that King Yunan’s vizier asked, ‘King of the age, I beg your pardon, but what did King Sindbad’s vizier tell the king when he wished to kill his own son?’ King Yunan said to the vizier, ‘When King Sindbad, provoked by an envious man, wanted to kill his own son, his vizier said to him, “Don’t do what you will regret afterward.” ‘

  The Tale of the Husband and the Parrot

  I have heard it told that there was once a very jealous man who had a wife so splendidly beautiful that she was perfection itself. The wife always refused to let her husband travel and leave her behind, until one day when he found it absolutely necessary to go on a journey. He went to the bird market, bought a parrot, and brought it home. The parrot was intelligent, knowledgeable, smart, and retentive. Then he went away on his journey, and when he finished his business and came back, he brought the parrot and inquired about his wife during his absence. The parrot gave him a day-by-day account of what his wife had done with her lover and how the two carried on in his absence. When the husband heard the account, he felt very angry, went to his wife, and gave her a sound beating. Thinking that one of her maids had informed her husband about what she did with her lover in her husband’s absence, the wife interrogated her maids one by one, and they all swore that they had heard the parrot inform the husband.

  When the wife heard that it was the parrot who had informed the husband, she ordered one of her maids to take the grinding stone and grind under the cage, ordered a second maid to sprinkle water over the cage, and ordered a third to carry a steel mirror and walk back and forth all night long. That night her husband stayed out, and when he came home in the morning, he brought the parrot, spoke with it, and asked about what had transpired in his absence that night. The parrot replied, ‘Master, forgive me, for last night, all night long, I was unable to hear or see very well because of the intense darkness, the rain, and the thunder and lightning.’ Seeing that it was summertime, during the month of July, the husband replied, ‘Woe unto you, this is no season for rain.’ The parrot said, ‘Yes, by God, all night long, I saw what I told you.’ The husband, concluding that the parrot had lied about his wife and had accused her falsely, got angry, and he grabbed the parrot and, taking it out of the cage, smote it on the ground and killed it. But after the parrot’s death, the husband heard from his neighbours that the parrot had told the truth about his wife, and he was full of regret that he had been tricked by his wife to kill the parrot.

  King Yunan concluded, ‘Vizier, the same will happen to me.’

  But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then her sister Dinarzad said, ‘What a strange and lovely story!’ Shahrazad replied, ‘What is this compared with what I shall tell you tomorrow night! If the king spares me and lets me live, I shall tell you something more amazing.’ The king thought to himself, ‘By God, this is indeed an amazing story.’

  THE FIFTEENTH NIGHT

  The following night Dinarzad said to her sister Shahrazad, ‘Please, sister, if you are not sleepy, tell us one of your lovely little tales, for they entertain and help everyone to forget his cares and banish sorrow from the heart.’ Shahrazad replied, ‘With the greatest pleasure.’ King Shahriyar added, ‘Let it be the remainder of the story of King Yunan, his vizier, and the sage Duban, and of the fisherman, the demon, and the jar.’ Shahrazad replied, ‘With the greatest pleasure’:

  I heard, O happy King, that King Yunan said to his envious vizier, ‘After the husband killed the parrot and heard from his neighbours that the parrot had told him the truth, he was filled with remorse. You too, my vizier, being envious of this wise man, would like me to kill him and regret it afterward, as did the husband after he killed the parrot.’ When the vizier heard what King Yunan said, he replied, ‘O great king, what harm has this sage done to me? Why, he has not harmed me in any way. I am telling you all this out of love and fear for you. If you don’t discover my veracity, let me perish like the vizier who deceived the son of the king.’ King Yunan asked his vizier, ‘How so?’ The vizier replied:

  The Tale of the Kings Son and the She-Ghoul

  It is said, O happy King, that there was once a king who had a son who was fond of hunting and trapping. The prince had with him a vizier appointed by his father the king to follow him wherever he went. One day the prince went with his men into the wilderness, and when he chanced to see a wild beast, the vizier urged him to go after it. The prince pursued the beast and continued to press in pursuit until he lost its track and found himself alone in the wilderness, not knowing which way to turn or where to go, when he came upon a girl, standing on the road, in tears. When the young
prince asked her, ‘Where do you come from?’ she replied, ‘I am the daughter of an Indian king. I was riding in the wilderness when I dozed off and in my sleep fell off my horse and found myself alone and helpless.’ When the young prince heard what she said, he felt sorry for her, and he placed her behind him on his horse and rode on. As they passed by some ruins, she said, ‘O my lord, I wish to relieve myself here.’ He let her down and she went into the ruins. Then he went in after her, ignorant of what she was, and discovered that she was a she-ghoul, who was saying to her children, ‘I brought you a good, fat boy.’ They replied, ‘Mother, bring him to us, so that we may feed on his innards.’ When the young prince heard what they said, he shook with terror, and fearing for his life, ran outside. The she-ghoul followed him and asked, ‘Why are you afraid?’ and he told her about his situation and his predicament, concluding, ‘I have been unfairly treated.’ She replied, ‘If you have been unfairly treated, ask the Almighty God for help, and he will protect you from harm.’ The young prince raised his eyes to Heaven …

  But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then her sister Dinarzad said, “What a strange and lovely story!’ Shahrazad replied, ‘What is this compared with what I shall tell you tomorrow night! It will be even stranger and more amazing.’

  THE SIXTEENTH NIGHT

  The following night Dinarzad said, ‘Please, sister, if you are not sleepy, tell us one of your lovely little tales.’ Shahrazad replied, I shall with pleasure’:

  I heard, O King, that the vizier said to King Yunan: