The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 8 by Sir Richard Francis Burton (great books for teens TXT) 📕

Whate’er befel us Heaven forbid that love * Fade for long time or e’er forgotten be!

Ceased not the spy to haunt our sides, till seen Our love estranged and then estranged was he: In truth I trusted to fair thoughts of thine Though spake the wicked spy maliciously.

We’ll keep the secret ‘twixt us twain and bold * Although the brand of blame unsheathed we see.

The livelong day in longing love I spend * Hoping acceptance-message from my friend.”

Then wept she and her children, and the handmaidens heard them: so they came in to them and found them weeping, but saw not Hasan with them; wherefore they wept for ruth of them and damned Queen Nur al-Huda. Then Hasan took patience till night came on and her guards had gone to their sleeping-places, when he arose and girded his waist; then went up to her and, loosing her, kissed her on the head and between the eyes and pressed her to his bosom, saying, “How long have we wearied for our motherland and for reunion there! Is this our meeting in sleep, or on wake?”

Then he took up the elder boy and she took up the younger and they went forth the palace; and Allah veiled them with the veil of His protection, so that they came safe to the outer gate which closed the entrance to the Queen’s Serraglio. But finding it locked from without, Hasan said, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Verily we are Allah’s and unto Him shall we return!” With this they despaired of escape and Hasan beat hand upon hand, saying, “O

Dispeller of dolours! Indeed, I had bethought me of every thing and considered its conclusion but this; and now, when it is daybreak, they will take us, and what device have we in this case?” And he recited the following two couplets,[FN#171]

“Thou madest fair thy thought of Fate, whenas the days were fair, And fearedst not the unknown ills that they to thee might bring.

The nights were fair and calm to thee; thou wast deceived by them, For in the peace of night is born full many a troublous thing.”

Then Hasan wept and his wife wept for his weeping and for the abasement she had suffered and the cruelties of Time and Fortune, “Baulks me my Fate as tho’ she were my foe; * Each day she showeth me new cark and care:

Fate, when I aim at good, brings clear reverse, * And lets foul morrow wait on day that’s fair.”

And also these,

“Irks me my Fate and clean unknows that I * Of my high worth her shifts and shafts despise.

She nights parading what ill-will she works: * I night parading Patience to her eyes.”

Then his wife said to him, “By Allah, there is no relief for us but to kill ourselves and be at rest from this great and weary travail; else we shall suffer grievous torment on the morrow.”

At this moment, behold, they heard a voice from without the door say, “By Allah, O my lady Manar al-Sana, I will not open to thee and thy husband Hasan, except ye obey me in whatso I shall say to you!” When they heard these words they were silent for excess of fright and would have returned whence they came; when lo! the voice spake again saying, “What aileth you both to be silent and answer me not?” Therewith they knew the speaker for the old woman Shawahi, Lady of Calamities, and said to her, “Whatsoever thou biddest us, that will we do; but first open the door to us; this being no time for talk.” Replied she, “By Allah, I will not open to you until ye both swear to me that you will take me with you and not leave me with yonder whore: so, whatever befalleth you shall befal me and if ye escape, I shall escape, and if ye perish, I shall perish: for yonder abominable woman, tribade[FN#172] that she is! entreateth me with indignity and still tormenteth me on your account; and thou, O my daughter, knowest my worth.” Now recognising her they trusted in her and sware to her an oath such as contented her, whereupon she opened the door to them and they fared forth and found her riding on a Greek jar of red earthenware with a rope of palm-fibres about its neck,[FN#173] which rolled under her and ran faster than a Najdi colt, and she came up to them, and said, “Follow me and fear naught, for I know forty modes of magic by the least of which I could make this city a dashing sea, swollen with clashing billows, and ensorcel each damsel therein to a fish, and all before dawn. But I was not able to work aught of my mischief, for fear of the King her father and of regard to her sisters, for that they are formidable, by reason of their many guards and tribesmen and servants. However, soon will I show you wonders of my skill in witchcraft; and now let us on, relying upon the blessing of Allah and His good aid.” Now Hasan and his wife rejoiced in this, making sure of escape, —And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-fifth Night, She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan and his wife, accompanied by the ancient dame Shawahi, fared forth from the palace, they made sure of deliverance and they walked on till they came without the city, when he fortified his heart and, smiting the earth with the rod, cried, “Ho, ye servants of these names, appear to me and acquaint me with your conditions!” Thereupon the earth clave asunder and out came ten[FN#174] Ifrits, with their feet in the bowels of the earth and their heads in the clouds. They kissed the earth three times before Hasan and said as with one voice, “Adsumus! Here are we at thy service, O our lord and ruler over us! What dost thou bid us do? For we hear and obey thy commandment. An thou wilt, we will dry thee up seas and remove mountains from their places.” So Hasan rejoiced in their words and at their speedy answer to his evocation then taking courage and bracing up his resolution, he said to them, “Who are ye and what be your names and your races, and to what tribes and clans and companies appertain ye?” They kissed the earth once more and answered as with one voice, saying, “We are seven Kings, each ruling over seven tribes of the Jinn of all conditions, and Satans and Marids, flyers and divers, dwellers in mountains and wastes and wolds and haunters of the seas: so bid us do whatso thou wilt; for we are thy servants and thy slaves, and whoso possesseth this rod hath dominion over an our necks and we owe him obedience.” Now when Hasan heard this, he rejoiced with joy exceeding, as did his wife and the old woman, and presently he said to the Kings of the Jinn, “I desire of you that ye show me your tribes and hosts and guards.” “O our lord,” answered they, “if we show thee our tribes, we fear for thee and these who are with thee, for their name is legion and they are various in form and fashion, figure and favour. Some of us are heads sans bodies and others bodies sans heads, and others again are in the likeness of wild beasts and ravening lions.

However, if this be thy will, there is no help but we first show thee those of us who are like unto wild beasts. But, O our lord, what wouldst thou of us at this present?” Quoth Hasan, “I would have you carry me forthwith to the city of Baghdad, me and my wife and this honest woman.” But, hearing his words they hung down their heads and were silent, whereupon Hasan asked them, “Why do ye not reply?” And they answered as with one voice, “O

our lord and ruler over us, we are of the covenant of Solomon son of David (on the twain be Peace!) and he sware us in that we would bear none of the sons of Adam on our backs; since which time we have borne no mortal on back or shoulder: but we will straightway harness thee horses of the Jinn, that shall carry thee and thy company to thy country.” Hasan enquired, “How far are we from Baghdad?” and they, “Seven years’ journey for a diligent horseman.” Hasan marvelled at this and said to them, “Then how came I hither in less than a year?”; and they said, “Allah softened to thee the hearts of His pious servants else hadst thou never come to this country nor hadst thou set eyes on these regions; no, never! For the Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus, who mounted thee on the elephant and the magical horse, traversed with thee, in ten days, three years’ journey for a well-girt rider, and the Ifrit Dahnash, to whom the Shaykh committed thee, carried thee a three years’ march in a day and a night; all which was of the blessing of Allah Almighty, for that the Shaykh Abu al-Ruwaysh is of the seed of Asaf bin Barkhiy�[FN#175] and knoweth the Most Great name of Allah.[FN#176] Moreover, from Baghdad to the palace of the damsels is a year’s journey, and this maketh up the seven years.” When Hasan heard this, he marvelled with exceeding marvel and cried, “Glory be to God, Facilitator of the hard, Fortifier of the weak heart, Approximator of the far and Humbler of every froward tyrant, Who hath eased us of every accident and carried me to these countries and subjected to me these creatures and reunited me with my wife and children! I know not whether I am asleep or awake or if I be sober or drunken!” Then he turned to the Jinn and asked, “When ye have mounted me upon your steeds, in how many days will they bring us to Baghdad?”; and they answered, “They will carry you thither under the year, but not till after ye have endured terrible perils and hardships and horrors and ye have traversed thirsty Wadys and frightful wastes and horrible steads without number; and we cannot promise thee safety, O our lord, from the people of these islands,”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-sixth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Jann said to Hasan, “We cannot promise thee safety, O our lord, from this Islandry, nor from the mischief of the Supreme King and his enchanters and warlocks. It may be they will overcome us and take you from us and we fall into affliction with them, and all to whom the tidings shall come after this will say to us: ‘Ye are wrong-doers! How could ye go against the Supreme King and carry a mortal out of his dominions, and eke the King’s daughter with him?’ adding, ‘Wert thou alone with us the thing were light; but