The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights: Volume 2

by Penguin; Robert Irwin; Malcolm Lyons; Ursula Lyons

  The auctioneer consulted Zumurrud’s owner, who told him: ‘I have sworn only to sell her to a man of her own choice, so consult her.’ So the man went up to her and said: ‘Mistress of moons, this merchant wants to buy you.’ The girl looked at her prospective purchaser and, seeing how ugly he was, she said to the auctioneer: ‘I am not to be sold to an old man whom senility has left in such decrepitude. How well the poet expressed it:

  One day I asked her for a kiss;

  I was wealthy and prosperous but she looked at my white hair.

  Hurriedly she turned away, saying: “No,

  By God, Who created man from naught,

  There is nothing that I want from this white hair.

  Is my mouth to be stuffed with cotton while I am still alive?” ’

  When the auctioneer heard what she said, he told her: ‘By God, you are to be excused and you are worth ten thousand dinars.’ He explained to her owner that she would not accept Rashid al-Din, and told him to ask her to look for someone else. Another buyer came forward offering the same price as Rashid al-Din, whom she had rejected. She looked at him and saw that his beard was dyed. ‘What is this disgrace?’ she exclaimed. ‘Blackness on the face of a grey-haired man is suspicious.’ With many more expressions of wonder, she recited the lines:

  ‘I saw what I saw from So-and-So –

  The back of a neck to be beaten with a slipper,

  A beard which was a training ground for bugs,

  The hair all askew from being tied with a headband.

  You who are enthralled by my cheeks and my figure,

  Why do you thoughtlessly try to fake what is impossible?

  You stain your white hair with disgrace,

  Hiding what has appeared, trying to cheat.

  You leave with one beard and bring back another,

  As though you were producing a shadow play.

  How well another poet expressed it:

  She said: “I see that you have now dyed your white hair.”

  I told her: “I have hidden it from you, who are my ears and my eyes.”

  With a loud laugh she said: “This is surprising.

  Your fraudulence extends even to your hair.” ’

  ‘By God, you’re right,’ said the auctioneer when he heard these lines, and when the merchant asked what she had said, he repeated them to him. The man realized that he was in the wrong and withdrew his offer. Another merchant made a similar offer and asked the auctioneer to consult Zumurrud. When she looked at him she discovered that he was one-eyed. She pointed this out, quoting from the poet who said:

  Never associate with a one-eyed man;

  Beware of his evil and of his falseness.

  Had there been any good in him at all,

  God would not have blinded one of his two eyes.

  The auctioneer then asked her if she would agree to be sold to another merchant. Looking at him, however, she found that he was a small man with a beard that hung down to his navel, and she said: ‘It is to this man that the poet’s lines apply:

  I have a friend with a beard that God has caused to grow

  Although there is no useful purpose in its growth.

  It is like a winter’s night, long, dark and cold.’

  At this point the auctioneer said: ‘Lady, look and see whether there is anyone here who takes your fancy and then tell me, so that I can sell you to him.’ She looked at the circle of merchants and studied them one by one. Then her eye fell on ‘Ali Shar…

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the three hundred and eleventh night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that her eye fell on ‘Ali Shar and this one glance was followed by a thousand sighs. Love for him entered her heart, as he was a man of remarkable beauty and more delicate than a zephyr of the north. She told the auctioneer that she was only to be sold to this man with the handsome face and the elegant figure, and she quoted the lines:

  They showed your lovely face and then blamed those whom it had charmed.

  Had they wished to protect me, they would have veiled its beauty.

  ‘This is the only one who will own me,’ she went on. ‘He has smooth cheeks; his spittle is like the fountain of Paradise; his saliva could cure the sick, and poetry and prose alike would be at a loss to describe his beauties. He is as the poet described:

  His saliva is wine, his breath musk and his teeth camphor.

  Ridwan drove him from Paradise for fear lest he enchant the houris.

  People blame him for being proud, but the full moon is pardoned for its pride.

  He has the curly hair, rosy cheeks and enchanting glance of which the poet said:

  There is a fawn who promised union;

  My eyes may look expectantly but my heart is uneasy.

  His eyelids guarantee his truth,

  But, fragile as they are, how can they keep their word?

  Another poet said:

  They said: “A line of down is on his cheek;

  His beard is showing; how can he be loved?”

  I answered them: “Enough of blame; hold back.

  Even if that is really a line, it is a forgery.

  The garden of Eden is in the fruits of his cheeks,

  While his lips are shown to be the stream of Paradise.” ’

  On hearing the verses that Zumurrud recited in praise of the handsome ‘Ali Shar, the auctioneer was amazed both at her eloquence and at her resplendent beauty. Her owner told him: ‘Don’t be surprised either at her beauty, which puts the sun to shame, or at her knowledge of fine poetry. She can recite the Quran in all seven readings; she can relate the traditions of the Prophet in their authentic form; she can write in seven scripts; and she knows more of the sciences than the most learned scholar. Her hands are better than gold or silver in that she makes curtains of silk and sells each of them for fifty dinars, completing each one in eight days.’ ‘How fortunate will be the man who has her in his house as one of his choicest treasures!’ exclaimed the auctioneer, and he was then instructed by her owner to sell her to the man of her choice.

  He now went back and, after approaching ‘Ali Shar, he kissed his hands and invited him to buy Zumurrud, describing her, telling him how much she knew, and adding: ‘You are to be congratulated if you buy her, for she is a gift to you from God, Who is not niggardly with His gifts.’ ‘Ali Shar looked down at the ground for a time, laughing at himself and thinking: ‘Up till now I have had nothing to eat, but I am embarrassed to say in front of the merchants that I have not got the money with which to buy her.’ When Zumurrud saw him with his head bowed, she told the auctioneer: ‘Take my hand and bring me to him, so that I may display myself to him and make him want to take me, for I am not going to be sold to anyone else.’ The auctioneer took her, brought her in front of ‘Ali Shar and asked him what he thought. ‘Ali Shar said nothing and Zumurrud asked: ‘My master and my heart’s beloved, why don’t you buy me? Buy me for whatever price you like and I shall bring you good fortune.’ ‘Ali Shar raised his head and said: ‘Am I to be forced to buy? You would be dear at a thousand dinars.’ ‘Buy me at nine hundred then,’ she said, and when he refused, she said: ‘At eight hundred.’ He refused again and she went on lowering the price until she came down to one hundred. ‘I don’t have a full hundred dinars,’ he said, and she laughed and asked: ‘How far short of this are you?’ He then told her: ‘I don’t have a hundred dinars or anything else, silver or gold, dirhams or dinars. You will have to look for another purchaser.’

  When Zumurrud realized that ‘Ali Shar was penniless, she said: ‘Take my hand and pretend that you want to examine me in private.’ When he did that, she took from her pocket a purse containing a thousand dinars. ‘Weigh out nine hundred of these as my price,’ she told him, ‘and keep the rest with you to use for us.’ He did what she told him and bought her for nine hundred dinars, paying the purchase price from the purse. When he then took her home, she found this to b
e an empty room without furnishings or utensils. She gave him another thousand dinars and told him to go to the market and spend three hundred on these, which he did, after which she told him to buy food and drink for three dinars.

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the three hundred and twelfth night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that Zumurrud told him to buy food and drink for three dinars, which he did. Next she wanted a piece of silk the size of a curtain, together with gold and silver thread, and silk in seven different colours. When he had bought all this, she spread out the furnishings and lit the candles. The two of them sat eating and drinking and then they went to bed and enjoyed one another, spending the night in each other’s arms behind the curtains.

  This was as the poet has described:

  Visit your beloved with no thought for what the envious may say.

  In love affairs the envious are no help.

  I dreamt I saw you sleeping here with me,

  As I kissed the cool tips of your lips.

  In all I saw certainty and truth.

  In spite of envious foes, I shall win through to it.

  There is no sight more lovely to the eye

  Than that of lovers lying on one bed,

  Embracing each other and clothed in content,

  Each pillowing the other with wrists and arms.

  When their loving hearts are joined,

  All others are found striking on cold iron.

  You who blame them because they are in love,

  Can you set right a heart that has gone astray?

  One single hour of pure delight –

  That is your goal; live for that single hour.

  They spent the night in one another’s embrace until dawn came, by which time each was filled with heartfelt love for the other.

  Zumurrud then took the curtain, embroidered it with coloured silk and embellished it with gold and silver thread. She gave it a band adorned with pictures of birds, and round the border she embroidered images of all the wild animals that are to be found in the world. For eight days she worked on this, and when it was finished she trimmed it, gave it a smooth finish and then handed it to ‘Ali Shar. ‘Take it to the market,’ she told him, ‘and sell it to a merchant for fifty dinars, but take care not to let it go to a passer-by. That would lead to our being separated, as we have enemies who will not forget about us.’ ‘To hear is to obey,’ he said and, following her instructions, he took the curtain to the market and sold it to a merchant. Then, as before, he bought another piece of silk, together with gold and silver thread, as well as the food they needed, all of which he brought to Zumurrud, giving her what was left of the money.

  Every eight days she would provide him with a curtain to be sold for fifty dinars, and this went on for a whole year. When the year was up, he went to the market as usual, but after he had given the curtain to the auctioneer, a Christian came up and offered him sixty dinars. He refused, but the man kept increasing his offer until it came to one hundred dinars, with a ten-dinar commission for the auctioneer. This man came back to ‘Ali Shar, and after telling him of the price offered, he tried to get him to conclude the sale. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘don’t be afraid of this Christian. He can’t do you any harm.’ The other merchants joined in pressing him, and so, in spite of his misgivings, he concluded the sale. He set off home with the money, only to find that the Christian was walking behind him.

  ‘Why are you following me?’ he asked, and the man replied: ‘I’ve some business to do at the head of the lane, may God never reduce you to need.’ Then, when ‘Ali Shar reached his house, the man caught up with him. ‘Damn you,’ said ‘Ali, ‘why are you following me wherever I go?’ ‘Give me a drink of water,’ said the Christian, ‘for I’m thirsty, and may Almighty God reward you.’ ‘Ali said to himself: ‘This man is a dhimmi. He has come to ask me for a drink and so, by God, I cannot disappoint him.’

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the three hundred and thirteenth night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that ‘Ali said to himself: ‘This man is a dhimmi. He has come to ask me for a drink and so, by God, I cannot disappoint him.’ ‘Ali went into his house and fetched a jug of water. When Zumurrud saw him, she said: ‘Darling, did you sell the curtain?’ ‘Yes,’ he told her. ‘To a merchant or to a passer-by?’ she asked, adding: ‘I feel in my heart that we are about to be separated.’ ‘I sold it to a merchant,’ he said. ‘Tell the truth,’ she said, ‘so that I may take my own precautions. Why have you fetched a jug of water?’ ‘To give a drink to the auctioneer,’ he told her, at which she exclaimed: ‘There is no power and no might except with God, the Exalted, the Almighty!’ Then she recited the lines:

  Go slowly, you who seek for parting,

  And do not be deceived by an embrace.

  Go slowly; Time is treacherous;

  Companionship must end in parting.

  When ‘Ali went out with the jug, he found that the Christian was coming into the entrance hall. ‘Dog,’ he said, ‘have you come here and how is it that you are entering my house without my leave?’ ‘Master,’ replied the man, ‘there is no difference between door and entrance hall, and I shall only move from here in order to go out. Yours is the grace, bounty, liberality and favour.’ He took the jug and handed it back to ‘Ali after having drunk the water. ‘Ali took it and waited for him to rise. When he did not, ‘Ali asked: ‘Why haven’t you got up and gone off on your way?’ ‘Master,’ said the man, ‘don’t be one of those who act generously and then reproach those who have received their generosity, or one of those of whom the poet has written:

  Those are gone who, if you came to their door with a request,

  Would treat you with generosity.

  If you stand at the door of those who have come after,

  They will grudge you a drink of water.’

  He went on: ‘Master, I have had a drink, but I would like you to give me some food – whatever there is in the house, a crust of bread or a biscuit and an onion.’ ‘Get up without all this wrangling,’ said ‘Ali. ‘There is nothing at all in the house.’ The man replied: ‘If that is true, then take these hundred dinars and fetch something from the market, even if it is only a loaf of bread, so that the two of us may share bread and salt.’ ‘Ali thought to himself: ‘This Christian is mad. I’ll take his hundred dinars, bring him two dirhams’ worth of food and so have the laugh on him.’ The man said: ‘Master, I only want something to drive off hunger, even just a stale loaf and an onion. The best food is not something splendid but what removes hunger. How well the poet expressed it:

  When hunger can be kept at bay by a dry loaf,

  Why is it I am filled with sadness and distress?

  The most just thing is death that treats alike

  Caliphs and paupers in their wretchedness.’

  ‘Ali told him: ‘Wait here until I lock up the inner room and bring you something from the market.’ The man agreed and ‘Ali went and shut the room with a padlock on the door. He took the key and went to the market, where he bought toasted cheese, white honey, bananas and bread, which he brought to the Christian. When the man saw this, he exclaimed: ‘Master, this is a lot – enough to feed ten men, while I am on my own. Perhaps you will eat with me?’ ‘Eat on your own. I am full,’ ‘Ali told him, but the man said: ‘Master, the wise men have said that whoever does not eat with his guest is a child of fornication.’ On hearing that, ‘Ali sat down and ate a few mouthfuls with him. He was about to stop…

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the three hundred and fourteenth night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that ‘Ali sat down and ate a few mouthfuls with him. He was about to stop when the Christian took a banana, peeled it and broke it in half. In one half he put refined banj mixed with opium
, a dirham’s weight of which would knock out an elephant. He then dipped it in honey and said to ‘Ali: ‘Master, I swear by the truth of your religion that you must take this.’ ‘Ali was embarrassed at the thought of making the man break his word and so he took the banana from him and swallowed it. No sooner had it settled in his stomach than he fell head over heels, looking as though he had been sleeping for a year.

  When the Christian saw that, he rose to his feet like a hairless wolf or the power of fate, and, taking the key of the inner room and leaving ‘Ali lying on the floor, he ran to his brother and told him what had happened. The reason for all this was that the Christian’s brother was the decrepit old man who had wanted to buy Zumurrud for a thousand dinars and whom she had been unwilling to accept, reciting satirical verses about him. Although outwardly he was a Muslim, calling himself Rashid al-Din, in secret he was an unbeliever. When Zumurrud had satirized and rejected him, he had complained to his brother, a Christian named Barsum, who later played this trick in order to take her from her master, ‘Ali Shar. He had told his brother not to be sad as he would contrive to get the girl for him at no cost whatsoever, he being a wily, treacherous and corrupt soothsayer. After that, he had continued to plot and scheme until he managed to trick ‘Ali, as has been described. When he had taken the key and brought word to his brother, the latter mounted his mule and, taking his servants with him, set off with Barsum to ‘Ali’s house. He had a purse containing a thousand dinars with him, in case he happened to meet the wali and had to bribe him. When he opened the room, his men fell on Zumurrud and seized her by force, threatening to kill her if she said a word. They left the house as it was, removing nothing from it, with ‘Ali still lying in the entrance hall, and after shutting the door on him, they left the key of the inner room beside him.

  Rashid al-Din took Zumurrud off to his mansion, where he placed her among his slave girls and concubines. ‘You whore,’ he said to her, ‘I am the shaikh whom you refused to accept and whom you satirized, but now I’ve got you without payment.’ ‘God will settle your account, you evil old man,’ she said, her eyes brimming with tears, ‘because you have parted me from my master.’ ‘You lustful whore,’ said Rashid al-Din, ‘you are going to see how I shall punish you. I swear by the Messiah and the Virgin that, if you don’t convert to my religion, I shall put you to all kinds of torture.’ ‘By God,’ she replied, ‘even if you cut my flesh into bits, I shall never forsake the religion of Islam, and it may be that Almighty God will bring me speedy relief. He is able to carry out whatever He wishes, and wise men have said that bodily suffering is preferable to what hurts religion.’