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

Then the King bade build for his son-in-law Hasan Ali-son a palace beside his own; so they built him with all speed a splendid palace in which he took up his abode; and his mother used to tarry with him some days and then go down to her own house. After awhile the Queen said to her husband, “O King of the age, Hasan’s lady-mother cannot take up her abode with her son and leave the Wazir; neither can she tarry with the Wazir and leave her son.” “Thou sayest sooth,” replied the King, and bade edify a third palace beside that of Hasan, which being done in a few days he caused remove thither the goods of the Wazir, and the Minister and his wife took up their abode there. Now the three palaces communicated with one another, so that when the King had a mind to speak with the Wazir by night, he would go to him or send to fetch him; and so with Hasan and his father and mother.

On this wise they dwelt in all solace and in the greatest happiness—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Four Hundred and Thirty-third Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King and the Wazir and his son ceased not to dwell in all solace and in the greatest happiness awhile, till the King fell ill and his sickness grew on him. So he summoned the lords of his realm and said to them, “There is come upon me a sore malady, peradventure a mortal; and I have therefore summoned you to consult you respecting a certain matter, on which I would have you counsel me as you deem well.” They asked, “What is the matter of which thou wouldst take counsel with us, O King?”; and he answered, “I am old and sickly and I fear for the realm after me from its enemies; so I would have you all agree upon some one, that I may proclaim him King in my lifetime and so ye may be at ease.”

Whereupon quoth they with one voice, “We all approve of thy daughter’s husband Hasan, son of the Wazir Ali; for we have seen his wit and perfect understanding, and he knoweth the place of all, great and small.” Asked the King, “Are ye indeed agreed upon this?” and they answered, “Yes.” Rejoined he “Peradventure ye all say this to my face, of respect for me; but behind my back ye will say otherwise.” However, they all replied, “By Allah, our word is one and the same in public and in private, and we accept him frankly and with heartiness of heart and breadth of breast.”

Quoth he, “Since the case is thus, bring the Kazi of the Holy Law and all the Chamberlains and Viceroys and Officers of state before me tomorrow, and we will order the affair after the goodliest fashion.” “We hear and we obey,” answered they and withdrawing, notified all the Olema,[FN#274] the doctors of the law and the chief personages among the Emirs. So when the morrow dawned, they came up to the Divan and, having craved and obtained permission to enter, they saluted the King, saying, “Here are we all in thy presence.” Whereto he made reply, “O Emirs of Baghdad, whom will ye have to be King over you after me, that I may inaugurate him during my lifetime, before the presence of you all?” Quoth they with one voice, “We are agreed upon thy daughter’s husband Hasan, son of the Wazir Ali.” Quoth he, “If it be so, go all of you and bring him before me.” So they all arose and, repairing to Hasan’s palace, said to him, “Rise, come with us to the King.” “Wherefore?” asked he, and they answered, “For a thing that will benefit both us and thee.” So he went in with them to the King and kissed the ground before his father-in-law who said to him, “Be seated, O my son!” He sat down and the King continued, “O Hasan, all the Emirs have approved of thee and agreed to make thee King over them after me; and it is my purpose to proclaim thee, whilst I yet live, and so make an end of the business.” But Hasan stood up and, kissing the ground once more before the King, said to him, “O our lord the King, among the Emirs there be many who are older than I and greater of worth; acquit me therefore of this thing.” But all the Emirs cried out saying, “We consent not but that thou be King over us.” Then said Hasan, “My father is older than I, and I and he are one thing; and it befits not to advance me over him.” But Ali said, “I will consent to nothing save whatso contenteth my brethren; and they have all chosen and agreed upon thee; wherefore gainsay thou not the King’s commandment and that of thy brethren.” And Hasan hung his head abashed before the King and his father. Then said the King to the Emirs, “Do ye all accept of him?” “We do,” answered they and recited thereupon seven F�tihahs.[FN#275] So the King said, “O Kazi, draw up a legal instrument testifying of these Emirs that they are agreed to make King over them my daughter’s husband Hasan.” The Kazi wrote the act and made it binding on all men,[FN#276] after they had sworn in a body the oath of fealty to Hasan. Then the King did likewise and bade him take his seat on the throne of kingship; whereupon they all arose and kissed King Hasan’s hands and did homage to him, and swore lealty to him. And the new King dispensed justice among the people that day in fashion right royal, and invested the grandees of the realm in splendid robes of honour. When the Divan broke up, he went in to and kissed the hands of his father-in-law who spake thus to him, “O my son, look thou rule the lieges in the fear of Allah;”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Four Hundred and Thirty-fourth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King Hasan was quit of the Divan, he went in to and kissed the hands of his wife’s father, who spake thus to him, “O my son, look thou rule the lieges in the fear of Allah;” whereto he replied, “O my father, through thy prayers for me, the grace and guidance of Allah will come to me.” Then he entered his own palace and was met by his wife and her mother and their attendants, who kissed his hands and gave him joy of his advancement, saying, “Be this day blessed!” Next he went in to his father and mother, who joyed with exceeding joy in that which Allah had vouchsafed him of his advancement to the kingship, and his father charged him to fear Allah and to deal mercifully with his subjects. He passed the night in glee and gladness, and on the morrow, having prayed the obligatory prayers ending with the usual short chapters[FN#277]

of the Koran, he went up to the Divan, whither came all his officers and dignitaries. He passed the day in dispensing justice among the folk, bidding to graciousness and forbidding ungraciousness and appointing to place and displacing, till day-end, when the Divan broke up, after the goodliest fashion, and all the troops withdrew and each went his own way. Then he arose and repaired to the palace, where he found his father-in-law’s sickness grown heavy upon him and said to him, “May no ill befal thee!” At this the old King opened his eyes and said, “O Hasan!”

and he replied, “At thy service, O my lord.” Quoth the old King “Mine appointed hour is at hand: be thou careful of thy wife and her mother, and look thou fear Allah and honour thy parents; and bide in awe of the majesty of the Requiting King and bear in mind that He commandeth justice and good works.” And King Hasan replied, “I hear and obey.” Now after this the old King lingered three days and then departed into the mercy of Almighty Allah. So they laid him out and shrouded and buried him and held over him readings and perlections of the Koran, to the end of the customary forty days. And King Hasan, son of the Wazir, reigned in his stead, and his subjects joyed in him and all his days were gladness; moreover, his father ceased not to be his chief Wazir on his right hand, and he took to himself another Wazir, to be at his left hand. His reign was a prosperous and well ordered, and he lived a long life as King of Baghdad; and Allah blessed him, by the old King’s daughter, with three sons who inherited the kingdom after him; and they abode in the solace of life and its pleasures till there came to them the Destroyer of delights and the Severer of societies. And the glory be to Him who is eternal and in whose hand are annulling and confirming. And of the tales they tell is one of

THE PILGRIM MAN AND THE OLD WOMAN.

A man of the pilgrims once slept a long sleep and awaking, found no trace of the caravan. So he rose up and walked on, but lost his way and presently came to a tent, where he saw an old woman standing at the entrance and by her side a dog asleep. He went up to the tent and, saluting the old woman, sought of her food, when she replied, “Go to yonder Wady and catch thy sufficiency of serpents, that I may broil of them for thee and give thee to eat.” Rejoined the pilgrim, “I dare not catch serpents nor did I ever eat them.” Quoth the old woman, “I will go with thee and catch some; fear not.” So she went with him, followed by the dog, to the valley and, catching a sufficient number of serpents, proceeded to broil them. He saw nothing for it (saith the story teller) but to eat, in fear of hunger and exhaustion; so he ate of the serpents.[FN#278] Then he was athirst and asked for water to drink; and she answered, “Go to the spring and drink.”

Accordingly, he went to the spring and found the water thereof bitter; yet needs must he drink of it despite its bitterness, because of the violence of his thirst. Presently he returned to the old woman and said to her, “I marvel, O ancient dame, at thy choosing to sojourn in this place”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Four Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night, She said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the palmer-man drank the bitter draught for stress of thirst, he returned and said “I marvel, O ancient dame, at thy choosing to sojourn in this place and thy putting up with such meat and drink!” She asked, “And how is it then in thy country?”; whereto he answered, “In