The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 14 by Sir Richard Francis Burton (the best books to read TXT) 📕

their horses, and, going to the place, found the monster killed, and cut into two halves. Anon the King returned, and leading Prince Mohammed with him bade knit the marriage-knot with his daughter and caused him to pay her the first visit. He tarried beside her for a full-told month after which he asked leave to travel and to seek the city of his first spouse, carrying with him the second. Hereupon the King his father-in-law presented to him ten cages, each containing four birds of vari-coloured coats and farewelled him. After which he fared forth and left the city, and outside it he found the ‘Aun awaiting him and the Jinni salam’d to the Prince and congratulated him in what he had won of gifts and prizes. Then he arose high in air, bearing Mohammed and his two brides and all that was with them, and he winged his way for an hour or so until he alighted once more at the ruined city.

Here he found the Prince’s suite of learned men, together with the bat-beasts and their loads[FN#373] and everything other even as he had left it. So they sat down to take their rest when the ‘Aun said, “O Mohammed, O Son of the Sultan, I have been predestined to thee in this site whither thou wast fated to come; but I have another and a further covenant to keep wherewith I would charge thee.” “What is that?” quoth he, and quoth the ‘Aun, “Verily thou shalt not depart this place until thou shalt have laved me and shrouded me and graved[FN#374] me in the ground;”

and so saying he shrieked a loud shriek and his soul fled his flesh. This was grievous to the son of the King and he and his men arose and washed him and shrouded him and having prayed over him buried him in the earth. After this the Prince turned him to travel, so they laded the loads and he and his set forth intending for their families and native land. They journeyed during the space of thirty days till they reached the fork of the highway whereat stood the great rock, and here they found tents and pavilions and a host nor did they know what this mighty many might mean. Now the father, when his son left him, suffered from straitness of breast and was sore perplexed as to his affair and he wot not what to do; so he bade make ready his army and commanded the lords of the land to prepare for the march and all set out seeking his son and determined to find tidings of him.

Nor did they cease faring till they reached the place where the road forked into three and on the first rock they saw written the three lines—“This is the road of safe chance;” and “This is the way of repentance;” and “This is the path whereon whoso paceth shall return nevermore.” But when the father read it he was posed and perplext as to the matter and he cried, “Would Heaven I knew by which road of these three my son Mohammed may have travelled;”

and as he was brooding over this difficulty—And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was The Four Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night, Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that as the Sultan was brooding over this difficulty lo and behold! his son Mohammed appeared before him by the path which showed written, “This is the path whereon whoso passeth shall nevermore return.”

But when the King saw him, and face confronted face, he arose and met him and salam’d to him giving him joy of his safety; and the Prince told him all that had befallen him from beginning to end—how he had not reached those places save by the Allmight of Allah, and how he had succeeded in winning his wish by meeting with the ‘Aun. So they nighted in that site and when it was morning they resumed their march, all in gladness and happiness for that the Sultan had recovered his son Mohammed. They ceased not faring a while until they drew near their native city when the bearers of good tidings ran forward announcing the arrival of the Sultan and his son and, hereupon the houses were decorated in honour of the Prince’s safe return and crowds came out to meet them till such time as all had entered the city-walls, after which their joys increased and their annoy fell from them. And this is the whole of the tale told by the first Larrikin. Now when the Sultan heard it he marvelled at what had befallen the chief adventurer therein, when the second Larrikin spoke saying “I have by me a tale, a marvel of marvels, and which is a delight to the hearer and a diversion to the reader and to the reciter.”

Quoth the Sovran, “What may that be, O Shaykh?” and the man fell to relating the

Tale of the Fisherman and his Son They tell that whilome there was a Fisherman, a poor man with a wife and family, who every day was wont to take his net and go down to the river a-fishing for his daily bread which is distributed. Then he would sell a portion of his catch and buy victual and the rest he would carry to his wife and children that they might eat. One day of the many days he said to his son who was growing up to a biggish lad, “O my child, come forth with me this morning, haply All-Mighty Allah may send us somewhat of livelihood by thy footsteps;” and the other answered, “‘Tis well, O my father.” Hereupon the Fisherman took his son and his net and they twain went off together till they arrived at the river-bank, when quoth the father, “O my boy I will throw the net upon the luck of thee.” Then he went forward to the water and standing thereby took his net and unfokled it so that it spread when entering the stream, and after waiting an hour or so he drew it in and found it heavy of weight; so he cried, “O my son, bear a hand” and the youth came up and lent him aidance in drawing it in. And when they had haled it to shore they opened it and found a fish of large size and glittering with all manner of colours.

Quoth the father, “O my son, by Allah, this fish befitteth not any but the Caliph; do thou therefore abide with it till I go and fetch a charger wherein to carry it as an offering for the Prince of True Believers.” The youth took his seat by the fish and when his father was afar off he went up to her and said, “Doubtless thou hast children and the byword saith, Do good and cast it upon the waters.” Then he took up the fish and setting her near the river besprinkled[FN#375] her and said, “Go thou to thy children, this is even better than being eaten by the Caliph.” But having thrown the fish into the stream, his fear of his father grew strong upon him, so he arose and without stay or delay fled his village; and he ceased not flying till he reached the Land of Al-Ir�k whose capital was under a King of wide dominions (and praise be to the King of all kingdoms!). So he entered the streets and presently he met a baker-man who said to him, “O my son, wilt thou serve?” whereto he replied, “I will serve, O

uncle.” The man settled with him for a wage of two silver nusfs a day together with his meat and his drink, and he remained working with him for a while of time. Now one day of the days behold, he saw a lad of the sons of that city carrying about a cock with the intention of vending it, when he was met by a Jew who said to him, “O my child, wilt thou sell this fowl?” and the other said, “I will.” Quoth the Jew, “For ten faddahs?” and quoth the youth, “Allah openeth!” Said the other, “For twenty faddahs?” and the lad, “Allah veileth!”[FN#376] Then the Jew fell to increasing his offer for the cock until he reached a full dinar.—And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!”

Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was The Four Hundred and Sixty-first Night, Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Jew raised his bid for the cock till he reached a gold piece when the lad said, “Here with it.” So the man gave him the dinar and took from him the fowl and slaughtered it forthright. Then he turned to a boy, one of his servants, and said to him, “Take this cock and carry it home and say to thy mistress, ‘Pluck it, but open it not until such time as I shall return.’” And the servant did his bidding. But when the Fisherman’s son who was standing hard by heard these words and saw the bargain, he waited for a while and as soon as the servant had carried off the fowl, he arose and buying two cocks at four faddahs he slaughtered them and repaired with them to the house of the Jew. Then he rapped at the door and when the mistress came out to him he bespoke her saying, “The house master saith to thee, ‘Take these two silvers and send me the bird