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

come of her. But, on the morrow, there came to the village two Moslem elders, clad in hair cloth, and with them two women in like garb, and said, ‘O people of the village, with you is a woman Saint, a Waliyah of the friends of Allah, who died a Moslemah; and we will take charge of her in lieu of you.’ So the villagers sought her and found her dead on the Moslem’s grave; and they said, ‘This was one of us and she died in our faith; so we will take charge of her.’ Rejoined the two old men, ‘Nay, she died a Moslemah and we claim her.’ And the dispute waxed to a quarrel between them, till one of the Shaykhs said, ‘Be this the test of her faith: the forty monks of the monastery shall come and try to lift her from the grave. If they succeed, then she died a Nazarene; if not, one of us shall come and lift her up and if she be lifted by him, she died a Moslemah.’ The villagers agreed to this and fetched the forty monks, who heartened one another, and came to her to lift her, but could not. Then we tied a great rope round her middle and haled at it; but the rope broke in sunder, and she stirred not; and the villagers came and did the like, but could not move her from her place.[FN#210] At last, when all means failed, we said to one of the two Shaykhs, ‘Come thou and lift her.’ So he went up to the grave and, covering her with his mantle, said, ‘In the name of Allah the Compassionating, the Compassionate, and of the Faith of the Apostle of Allah, on whom be prayers and peace!’ Then he lifted her and, taking her in his bosom, betook himself with her to a cave hard by, where they laid her, and the two women came and washed her and shrouded her. Then the two elders bore her to her Moslem lover’s grave and prayed over her and buried her by his side and went their ways. Now we were eye witnesses of all this; and, when we were alone with one another, we said, ‘In sooth, the truth is most worthy to be followed;’[FN#211] and indeed the verity hath been made manifest to us, nor is there a proof more patent of the truth of al-Islam than that we have seen this day with our eyes.’ So I and all the monks became Moslems and on like wise did the villagers; and we sent to the people of Mesopotamia for a doctor of the law, to instruct us in the ordinances of al-Islam and the canons of the Faith. They sent us a learned man and a pious, who taught us the rites of prayer and the tenets of the faith; and we are now in ease abounding; so to Allah be the praise and the thanks!” And they also tell a tale of

 

THE LOVES OF ABU ISA AND KURRAT AL-AYN.

 

Quoth Amr� bin Masa’dah:[FN#212] “Ab� Is�, son of al-Rash�d and brother to al-Maamun, was enamoured of one Kurrat al-Ayn, a slave girl belonging to Ali bin Hish�m,[FN#213] and she also loved him; but he concealed his passion, complaining of it to none neither discovering his secret to anyone, of his pride and magnanimity; for he had used his utmost endeavour to purchase her of her master, but he had failed. At last when his patience was at an end and his passion was sore on him and he was helpless in the matter, he went in to al-Maamun, one day of state after the folk had retired, and said to him, ‘O Commander of the Faithful, if thou wilt this day make trial of thine Alcaydes by taking them unawares, thou wilt know the generous from the mean and note each one’s place, after the quality of his mind.’ But, in saying this he purposed only to sit with Kurrat al-Ayn in her lord’s house.

Quoth al-Maamun, ‘Right is thy recking,’ and bade make ready a barge, called ‘the Flyer,’ wherein he embarked with Abu Isa and a party of his chief officers. The first mansion he visited unexpectedly was that of Ham�d al-Tawil of T�s, whom he found seated”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

 

When it was the Four Hundred and Fifteenth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that al-Maamun embarked with his chief officers and fared on till they reached the mansion of Ham�d al-Tawil of T�s; and, unexpectedly entering they found him seated on a mat and before him singers and players with lutes and flageolets and other instruments of music in their hands. So Al Maamun sat with him awhile and presently he set before him dishes of nothing but flesh meat, with no birds among them. The Caliph would not taste thereof and Abu Isa said to him, “O Commander of the Faithful, we have taken the owner of this place unawares, and he knew not of thy coming; but now let us go to another place which is prepared for thee and fitted for thee.”

Thereupon the Caliph arose and betook himself with his brother Abu Isa and his suite, to the abode of Ali son of Hisham who, on hearing of their approach, came out and received them with the goodliest of reception, and kissed the earth before the King.

Then he brought them into his mansion and opened to them a saloon than which seer never saw a goodlier. Its floors, pillars and walls were of many coloured marbles, adorned with Greek paintings: and it was spread with matting of Sind[FN#214] whereon were carpets and tapestry of Bassorah make, fitted to the length and breadth of the room. So the Caliph sat awhile, examining the house and its ceilings and walls, then said, “Give us somewhat to eat.” So they brought him forthwith nearly an hundred dishes of poultry besides other birds and brewises, fritters and cooling marinades. When he had eaten, he said, “Give us some thing to drink, O Ali;” and the host set before him, in vessels of gold and silver and crystal, raisin wine boiled down to one third with fruits and spices; and the cupbearers were pages like moons, clad in garments of Alexandrian stuff interwoven with gold and bearing on their breasts beakers of crystal, full of rose water mingled with musk. So al-Maamun marvelled with exceeding marvel at all he saw and said, “Ho thou, Abu al-Hasan!” Whereupon Ali sprang to the Caliph’s carpet and kissing it, said, “At thy service, O

Commander of the Faithful!” and stood before him. Quoth al-Maamun, “Let us hear some pleasant and merry song.” Replied Ali, “I hear and obey, O Commander of the Faithful,” and said to one of his eunuchs, “Fetch the singing women.” So the slave went out and presently returned, followed by ten castratos, bearing ten stools of gold, which they set down in due order; and after these came ten damsels, concubines of the master, as they were shining full moons or gardens full of bloom, clad in black brocade, with crowns of gold on their heads; and they passed along the room till they sat down on the stools, when sang they sundry songs. Al-Maamun looked at one of them; and, being captivated by her elegance and fair favour, asked her, “What is thy name, O damsel?”; and she answered, “My name is Saj�h�,[FN#215] O Commander of the Faithful,” and he said, “Sing to us, O Sajahi!” So she played a lively measure and sang these couplets,

 

“I walk, for fear of interview, the weakling’s walk *

Who sees two lion whelps the fount draw nigh: My cloak acts sword, my heart’s perplex’d with fright, *

Lest jealous hostile eyes th’ approach descry: Till sudden hapt I on a delicate maid *

Like desert-doe that fails her fawns to espy.”

 

Quoth the Caliph, “Thou hast done well, O damsel! whose are these lines?” She answered, “Written by Amru bin Ma’di Karib al -Zubaydi,[FN#216] and the air is Ma’abid’s.”[FN#217] Then the Caliph and Abu Isa and Ali drank and the damsels went away and were succeeded by other ten, all clad in flowered silk of Al-Yaman, brocaded with gold, who sat down on the chairs and sang various songs. The Caliph looked at one of the concubines, who was like a wild heifer of the waste, and said to her, “What is thy name, O damsel?” She replied, “My name is Zabiyah,[FN#218] 0

Commander of the Faithful;” and he, “Sing to us Zabiyah;” so she warbled like a bird with many a trill and sang these two couplets,

 

“Houris, and highborn Dames who feel no fear of men, *

Like Meccan game forbidden man to slam:[FN#219]

Their soft sweet voices make you deem them whores, *

But bars them from all whoring Al-Islam.”

 

When she had finished, al-Maamun cried, “favoured of Allah art thou!”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

 

When it was the Four Hundred and Sixteenth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the slave girl finished her song, al-Maamun cried, “Favoured of Allah art thou! Whose is this verse?” and she answered, “Jar�r’s[FN#220] and the air is By Ibn Surayj.” Then the Caliph and his company drank, whilst the girls went away and there came forth yet other ten, as they were rubies, robed in red brocade inwoven with gold and purfled with pearls and jewels whilst all their heads were bare. They sat down on the stools and sang various airs; so the Caliph looked at one of them, who was like the sun of the day, and asked her, “What is thy name, O damsel?”; and she answered, “O Commander of the Faithful, my name is F�tin.” “Sing to us, O Fatin,” quoth he; whereat she played a lively measure and sang these couplets, “Deign grant thy favours; since ‘tis time I were engraced; *

Tnough of severance hath it been my lot to taste.

Thou’rt he whose face cloth every gift and charm unite, *

Yet is my patience spent for that ‘twas sore misplaced: I’ve wasted life in loving thee; and would high Heaven *

Grant me one meeting hour for all this wilful waste.”

 

“Well sung, O Fatin!” exclaimed the Caliph; “whose verse is this?” And she answered, “Adi bin Zayd’s, and the air is antique.” Then all three drank, whilst the damsels retired and were succeeded by other ten maidens, as they were sparkling stars, clad in flowered silk embroidered with red gold and girt with jewelled zones. They sat down and sang various motives; and the Caliph asked one of them, who was like a wand of willow, “What is thy name, O damsel?”; and she answered, “My name is Rashaa,[FN#221] 0 Commander of the Faithful.” “Sing to us, O

Rashaa,” quoth he; so she played a lively measure and sang these couplets,

 

“And wand-like Houri, who can passion heal *

Like young gazelle that paceth o’er the plain: I drain this wine cup on the toast, her cheek, *

Each cup disputing till she bends in twain Then sleeps the night with me, the while I cry *

‘This is the only gain my Soul would gain!’ “

 

Said the Caliph, “Well done, O damsel! Sing us something more.”

So she rose and kissing the ground before him, sang the following distich,

 

“She came out to gaze on the bridal at ease *

In a shift that reeked of ambergris.”

 

The Caliph was highly pleased with this couplet and, when the slave girl saw how much it delighted him, she repeated it several times. Then said al-Maamun, “Bring up ‘the Flyer,’” being minded to