The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 5 by Sir Richard Francis Burton (best romance novels of all time txt) 📕

‘I thank Thee, O Eternal for this misery!’

Haply, perchance, may Allah, of His grace, *

Send me by this long round my love to see.

Full oft[FN#60] she comes with honeyed lips dark red, *

And heaps up lowe upon love’s ardency.

Quoth I (while longing fires flame high and fierce *

In heart, and wasting life’s vitality, And tears like gouts of blood go railing down *

In torrents over cheeks now pale of blee), ‘None e’er trod earth that was not born to woe, *

But I will patient dree mine agony, So help me Allah! till that happy day *

When with my mistress I unite shall be: Then will I spend my good on lover-wights, *

Who’re of my tribe and of the faith of me; And loose the very birds from jail set free, *

And change my grief for gladdest gree and glee!’”

Then he went on to the third cage, wherein he found a mockingbird[FN#61] which, when it saw him, set up a song, and he recited the following couplets,

“Pleaseth me yon Hazar of mocking strain *

Like voice of lover pained by love in vain.

Woe’s me for lovers! Ah how many men *

By nights and pine and passion low are lain!

As though by stress of love they had been made *

Morn-less and sleepless by their pain and bane.

When I went daft for him who conquered me *

And pined for him who proved of proudest strain, My tears in streams down trickled and I cried *

‘These long-linkt tears bind like an adamant-chain:’

Grew concupiscence, severance long, and I *

Lost Patience’ hoards and grief waxed sovereign: If Justice bide in world and me unite *

With him I love and Allah veil us deign, I’ll strip my clothes that he my form shall sight *

With parting, distance, grief, how poor of plight!”

Then he went to the fourth cage, where he found a Bulbul[FN#62]

which, at sight of him, began to sway to and fro and sing its plaintive descant; and when he heard its complaint, he burst into tears and repeated these couplets.

“The Bulbul’s note, whenas dawn is nigh, *

Tells the lover from strains of strings to fly: Complaineth for passion Uns al-Wujud, *

For pine that would being to him deny.

How many a strain do we hear, whose sound *

Softens stones and the rock can mollify: And the breeze of morning that sweetly speaks *

Of meadows in flowered greenery.

And scents and sounds in the morning-tide *

Of birds and zephyrs in fragrance vie; But I think of one, of an absent friend, *

And tears rail like rain from a showery sky; And the flamy tongues in my breast uprise *

As sparks from gleed that in dark air fly.

Allah deign vouchsafe to a lover distraught *

Someday the face of his dear to descry!

For lovers, indeed, no excuse is clear, *

Save excuse of sight and excuse of eye.”

Then he walked on a little and came to a goodly cage, than which was no goodlier there, and in it a culver of the forest, that is to say, a wood-pigeon,[FN#63] the bird renowned among birds as the minstrel of love-longing, with a collar of jewels about its neck marvellous fine and fair. He considered it awhile and, seeing it absently brooding in its cage, he shed tears and repeated these couplets,

“O culver of copse,[FN#64] with salams I greet; *

O brother of lovers who woe must weet!

I love a gazelle who is slender-slim, *

Whose glances for keenness the scymitar beat: For her love are my heart and my vitals a-fire, *

And my frame consumes in love’s fever-heat.

The sweet taste of food is unlawful for me, *

And forbidden is slumber, unlawfullest sweet.

Endurance and solace have travelled from me, *

And love homes in my heart and grief takes firm seat: How shall life deal joy when they flee my sight *

Who are joy and gladness and life and sprite?”

As soon as Uns al-Wujud had ended his verse,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Three Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that as soon as Uns al-Wujud had ended his verse, the wood-culver awoke from its brooding and cooed a reply to his lines and shrilled and trilled with its thrilling notes till it all but spake with human speech;[FN#65] and the tongue of the case talked for it and recited these couplets,

“O lover, thou bringest to thought a tide *

When the strength of my youth first faded and died; And a friend of whose form I was ‘namoured, *

Seductive and dight with beauty’s pride; Whose voice, as he sat on the sandhill-tree, *

From the Nay’s[FN#66] sweet sound turned my heart aside; A fowler snared him in net, the while *

‘O that man would leave me at large!’ he cried; I had hoped he might somewhat of mercy show *

When a hapless lover he so espied; But Allah smite him who tore me away, *

In his hardness of heart, from my lover’s side; But aye my desire for him groweth more, *

And my heart with the fires of disjunction is fried: Allah guard a true lover, who strives with love, *

And hath borne the torments I still abide!

And, seeing me bound in this cage, with mind *

Of ruth, release me my love to find.”

Then Uns al-Wujud turned to his companion, the Ispahahi, and said, “What palace is this? Who built it and who abideth in it?”

Quoth the eunuch, “The Wazir of a certain King built it to guard his daughter, fearing for her the accidents of Time and the incidents of Fortune, and lodged her herein, her and her attendants; nor do we open it save once in every year, when their provision cometh to them.” And Uns al-Wujud said to himself, “I have gained my end, though I may have long to wait.” Such was his case; but as regards Rose-in-Hood, of a truth she took no pleasure in eating or drinking, sitting or sleeping; but her desire and passion and distraction redoubled on her, and she went wandering about the castle-corners, but could find no issue; wherefore she shed tears and recited these couplets, “They have cruelly ta’en me from him, my beloved, *

And made me taste anguish in prison ta’en: They have fired my heart with the flames of love, *

Barred all sight of him whom to see I’m fain: In a lofty palace they prisoned me *

On a mountain placed in the middle main.

If they’d have me forget him, right vain’s their wish, *

For my love is grown of a stronger strain.

How can I forget him whose face was cause *

Of all I suffer, of all I ‘plain?

The whole of my days in sorrow’s spent, *

And in thought of him through the night I’m lain.

Remembrance of him cheers my solitude, *

While I lorn of his presence and lone remain.

Would I knew if, after this all, my fate *

To oblige the desire of my hear will deign.”

When her verses were ended, she ascended to the terrace-roof of the castle after donning her richest clothes and trinkets and throwing a necklace of jewels around her neck. Then binding together some dresses of Ba’albak[FN#67] stuff by way of rope, she tied them to the crenelles and let herself down thereby to the ground. And she fared on over wastes and waterless wilds, till she came to the shore, where she saw a fisherman plying here and there over the sea, for the wind had driven him on to the island. When he saw her, he was affrighted[FN#68] and pushed off again, flying from her; but she cried out and made pressing signs to him to return, versifying with these couplets, “O fisherman no care hast thou to fear, *

I’m but an earth-born maid in mortal sphere; I pray thee linger and my prayer grant *

And to my true unhappy tale give ear: Pity (so Allah spare thee!) warmest love; *

Say, hast thou seen him-my beloved fere?

I love a lovely youth whose face excels *

Sunlight, and passes moon when clearest clear: The fawn, that sees his glance, is fain to cry *

‘I am his thrall’ and own himself no peer: Beauty hath written, on his winsome cheek, *

Rare lines of pregnant sense for every seer; Who sights the light of love his soul is saved; *

Who strays is Infidel to Hell anear: An thou in mercy show his sight, O rare![FN#69] *

Thou shalt have every wish, the dearest dear, Of rubies and what likest are to them *

Fresh pearls and unions new, the seashell’s tear: My friend, thou wilt forsure grant my desire *

Whose heart is melted in love’s hottest fire.

When the fisherman heard her words, he wept and made moan and lamented; then, recalling what had betided himself in the days of his youth, when love had the mastery over him and longing and desire and distraction were sore upon him and the fires of passion consumed him, replied with these couplets, “What fair excuse is this my pining plight, *

With wasted limbs and tears’ unceasing blight; And eyelids open in the nightly murk, *

And heart like fire-stick[FN#70] ready fire to smite; Indeed love burdened us in early youth, *

And true from false coin soon we learned aright: Then did we sell our soul on way of love, *

And drunk of many a well[FN#71] to win her sight; Venturing very life to gain her grace, *

And make high profit perilling a mite.

‘Tis Love’s religion whoso buys with life *

His lover’s grace, with highest gain is dight.”

And when he ended his verse, he moored his boat to the beach and said to her, “Embark, so may I carry thee whither thou wilt.”

Thereupon she embarked and he put off with her; but they had not gone far from land, before there came out a stern-wind upon the boat and drove it swiftly out of sight of shore. Now the fisherman knew not whither he went, and the strong wind blew without ceasing three days, when it fell by leave of Allah Almighty, and they sailed on and ceased not sailing till they came in sight of a city sitting upon the sea-shore,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Three Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the fisherman’s craft, carrying Rose-in-Hood, made the city sitting upon the sea-shore, the man set about making fast to the land.

Now the King of the city was a Prince of pith and puissance named Dirbas, the Lion; and he chanced at that moment to be seated, with his son, at a window in the royal palace giving upon the sea; and happening to look out seawards, they saw the fishing-boat make the land. They observed it narrowly and espied therein a young lady, as she were the full moon overhanging the horizon-edge, with pendants in her ears of costly balass-rubies and a collar of precious stones about her throat. Hereby the King knew that this must indeed be the daughter of some King or great noble and, going forth of the sea-gate of the palace, went down to the boat, where he found the lady asleep and the fisherman busied in making fast to shore. So he went up to her