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

Masrur, thou wilt never win to thy wish, except thou beat me, for such was our understanding; and henceforth, I will not play with thee save for a stake of an hundred dinars a game.” “With love and gladness,” answered he and she went on playing and ever beating him and he paid her an hundred dinars each time; and on this wise they abode till the morning, without his having won a single game, when he suddenly sprang to his feet. Quoth she, “What wilt thou do, O Masrur?”; and quoth he, “I mean to go to my lodging and fetch somewhat of money: it may be I shall come to my desire.” “Do whatso seemeth good to thee,” said she; so he went home and taking all the money he had, returned to her improvising these two couplets,

“In dream I saw a bird o’er speed (meseem’d), * Love’s garden decked with blooms that smiled and gleamed: But I shall ken, when won my wish and will * Of thee, the truthful sense of what I dreamed.”

Now when Masrur returned to her with all his monies they fell a-playing again; but she still beat him and he could not beat her once; and in such case they abode three days, till she had gotten of him the whole of his coin; whereupon said she, “O Masrur, what wilt thou do now?”; and he replied, “I will stake thee a druggist’s shop.” “What is its worth?” asked she; and he answered, “Five hundred dinars.” So they played five bouts and she won the shop of him. Then he betted his slavegirls, lands, houses, gardens, and she won the whole of them, till she had gotten of him all he had; whereupon she turned to him and said, “Hast thou aught left to lay down?” Cried he, “By Him who made me fall into the snare of thy love, I have neither money to touch nor aught else left, little or much!” She rejoined, “O Masrur, the end of whatso began in content shall not drive man to repent; wherefore, an thou regret aught, take back thy good and begone from us about thy business and I will hold thee quit towards me.”

Masrur rejoined, “By Him who decreed these things to us, though thou sought to take my life ‘twere a wee thing to stake for thine approof, because I love none but thee!” Then said she, “O Masrur, fare forthright and fetch the Kazi and the witnesses and make over to me by deed all thy lands and possessions.” “Willingly,”

replied he and, going forth without stay or delay, brought the Kazi and the witnesses and set them before her. When the judge saw her, his wits fled and his mind was amazed and his reason was dazed for the beauty of her fingers, and he said to her, “O my lady, I will not write out the writ of conveyance, save upon condition that thou buy the lands and mansions and slavegirls and that they all pass under thy control and into thy possession.” She rejoined, “We’re agreed upon that. Write me a deed, whereby all Masrur’s houses and lands and slavegirls and whatso his right hand possesseth shall pass to Zayn alMawasif and become her property at such a price.” So the Kazi wrote out the writ and the witnesses set hands thereto; whereupon she took it.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-eighth Night, She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zayn alMawasif took from the Kazi the deed which made over her lover’s property to her, she said to him, “O Masrur, now gang thy gait.” But her slavegirl Hubub turned to him and said, “Recite us some verses.” So he improvised upon that game of chess these couplets,

“Of Time and what befel me I complain, * Mourning my loss by chess and eyes of bane.

For love of gentlest, softest-sided fair * Whose like is not of maids or mortal strain:

The shafts of glances from those eyne who shot * And led her conquering host to battle-plain

Red men and white men and the clashing Knights * And, crying �Look to thee!’ came forth amain:

And, when down charging, fingertips she showed * That gloomed like blackest night for sable stain, The Whites I could not rescue, could not save * While ecstasy made tear, floods rail and rain:

The Pawns and Castles with their Queens fell low * And fled the Whites nor could the brunt sustain: Yea, with her shaft of glance at me she shot And soon that shaft had pierced my heart and brain: She gave me choice between her hosts, and I The Whites like moonlight first to choose was fain, Saying, �This argent folk best fitteth me * I love them, but the Red by thee be ta’en!’

She play�d me for free accepted stake * Yet amorous mercy I could ne’er obtain:

O fire of heart, O pine and woe of me, * Wooing a fair like moon mid starry train:

Burns not my heart O no! nor aught regrets * Of good or land, but ah! her eyes’ disdain!

Amazed I’m grown and dazed for drearihead * And blame I Time who brought such pine and pain.

Quoth she, �Why art thou so bedazed!’ quoth I * �Wine-drunken wight shall more of wine assain?’

That mortal stole my sense by silk-soft shape, * Which doth for heart-core hardest rock contain.

I nerv�d self and cried, �This day she’s mine’ * By bet, nor fear I prove she unhum�ne:

My heart ne’er ceased to seek possession, till * Beggared I found me for conditions twain:

Will youth you loveth shun the Love-dealt blow, * Tho’ were he whelmed in Love’s high-surging main?

So woke the slave sans e’en a coin to turn, * Thralled to repine for what he ne’er shall gain!”

Zayn alMawasif hearing these words marvelled at the eloquence of his tongue and said to him, “O Masrur, leave this madness and return to thy right reason and wend thy ways; for thou hast wasted all thy moveables and immoveables at the chessgame, yet hast not won thy wish, nor hast thou any resource or device whereby thou mayst attain to it.” But he turned to her and said, “O my lady, ask of me whatso thou wilt and thou shalt have it; for I will bring it to thee and lay it at thy feet.” Answered she, “O Masrur, thou hast no money left.” “O goal of all hopes, if I have no money, the folk will help me.” “Shall the giver turn asker?” “I have friends and kinsfolk, and whatsoever I seek of them, they will give me.” “O Masrur, I will have of thee four pods of musk and four vases of civet[FN#324] and four pounds of ambergris and four thousand dinars and four hundred pieces of royal brocade, purfled with gold. An thou bring me these things, O Masrur, I will grant thee my favours.” “This is a light matter to me, O thou that puttest the moons to shame,” replied he and went forth to fetch her what she sought. She sent her maid Hubub after him, to see what worth he had with the folk of whom he had spoken to her; but, as he walked along the highways he turned and seeing her afar off, waited till she came up to him and said to her, “Whither away, O Hubub?” So she said to him, “My mistress sent me to follow for this and that,” and he replied, “By Allah, O Hubub, I have nothing to hand!” She asked, “Then why didst thou promise her?”; and he answered, “How many a promise made is unkept of its maker! Fine words in love-matters needs must be.”

When she heard this from him, she said, “O Masrur, be of good cheer and eyes clear for, by Allah, most assuredly I will be the means of thy coming to enjoy her!” Then she left him nor ceased walking till she stood before her mistress weeping with sore weeping, and said, “O my lady, indeed he is a man of great consideration, and good repute among the folk.” Quoth Zayn alMawasif, “There is no device against the destiny of Almighty Allah! Verily, this man found not in me a pitiful heart, for that I despoiled him of his substance and he got of me neither affection nor complaisance in granting him amorous joy; but, if I incline to his inclination, I fear lest the thing be bruited abroad.” Quoth Hubub, “O my lady, verily, grievous upon us is his present plight and the loss of his good and thou hast with thee none save thyself and thy slavegirl Sukub; so which of us two would dare prate of thee, and we thy handmaids?” With this, she bowed her head for a while groundwards and the damsels said to her, “O my lady, it is our rede that thou send after him and show him grace and suffer him not ask of the sordid; for how bitter is such begging!” So she accepted their counsel and calling for inkcase and paper, wrote him these couplets, “Joy is nigh, O Masr�r, so rejoice in true rede; * Whenas night shall fall thou shalt do kind-deed: Crave not of the sordid a loan, fair youth, * Wine stole my wits but they now take heed:

All thy good I reft shall return to thee, * O Masr�r, and I’ll add to them amorous meed;

For indeed th’ art patient, and sweet of soul * When wronged by thy lover’s tyrannic greed.

So haste to enjoy us and luck to thee! * Lest my folk come between us speed, love, all speed!

Hurry uswards thou, nor delay, and while * My mate is far, on Love’s fruit come feed.”

Then she folded the paper and gave it to Hubub the handmaid, who carried it to Masrur and found him weeping and reciting in a transport of passion and love-longing these lines, “A breeze of love on my soul did blow * That consumed my liver for stress of lowe;

When my sweetheart went all my longings grew; * And with tears in torrent mine eyelids flow:

Such my doubt and fears, did I tell their tale * To deaf rocks and pebbles they’d melt for woe.

Would Heaven I wot shall I sight delight, * And shall win my wish and my friend shall know!

Shall be folded up nights that doomed us part * And I be healed of what harms my heart?”

—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-ninth Night, She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that while Masrur, transported by passion and love-longing, was repeating his couplets in sing-song tone Hubub knocked at his door; so he rose and opened to her, and she entered and gave him the letter.

He read it and said to her, “O Hubub, what is behind thee of thy lady’s news[FN#325]?” She answered, “O my lord, verily, in this letter is that dispenseth me from reply, for thou art of those who readily descry!” Thereat he rejoiced with joy exceeding and repeated these two couplets,

“Came the writ whose contents a new joy revealed, Which in vitals mine I would keep ensealed: And my longings grew when I kissed that writ, As were pearl of passion therein concealed.”

Then he wrote a letter answering hers and gave it to Hubub,