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

“‘The time of parting,’ cry they, ‘draweth nigh’: * ‘How oft this parting-threat?’ I but reply:

I’ve naught to do but cross the wild and wold And, mile by mile, o’er fountless wastes to fly, If the beloved seek another land Sons of the road, whereso they wend, wend I.

I make desire direct me to their side, * The guide to show me where the way doth lie.”

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

When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the prisoner and the lady abode in the village the rest of their day and, when night fell, made ready for the march and went upon their way; and travelled all night without stay or delay. The young Moslem, mounting a swift blood-horse and taking up the maiden behind him, ceased not devouring the ground till it was bright morning, when he turned aside with her from the highway and, alighting, they made the Wuzu-ablution and prayed the dawn-prayer. Now as they were thus engaged behold, they heard the clank of swords and clink of bridles and men’s voices and tramp of horse; whereupon he said to her, “Ho, such an one, the Nazarenes are after us! What shall we do?: the horse is so jaded and broken down that he cannot stir another step.” Exclaimed she, “Woe to thee! art thou then afraid and affrighted?” “Yes,”

answered he; and she said, “What didst thou tell me of the power of thy Lord and His readiness to succour those who succour seek?

Come, let us humble ourselves before Him and beseech Him: haply He shall grant us His succour and endue us with His grace, extolled and exalted be He!” Quoth he, “By Allah, thou sayest well!” So they began humbling themselves and supplicating Almighty Allah and he recited these couplets, “Indeed I hourly need thy choicest aid, * And should, though crown were placed upon my head:

Thou art my chiefest want, and if my hand * Won what it wisheth, all my wants were sped.

Thou hast not anything withholdest Thou; * Like pouring rain Thy grace is showered:

I’m shut therefrom by sins of me, yet Thou, * O Clement, deignest pardon-light to shed.

O Care-Dispeller, deign dispel my grief! * None can, save Thou, dispel a grief so dread.”

Whilst he was praying and she was saying, “Amen,” and the thunder of horse-tramp nearing them, lo! the brave heard the voice of his dead brother, the martyr, speaking and saying, “O my brother, fear not, nor grieve! for the host whose approach thou hearest is the host of Allah and His Angels, whom He hath sent to serve as witnesses to your marriage. Of a truth Allah hath made His Angels glorify you and He bestoweth on you the meed of the meritorious and the martyrs; and He hath rolled up the earth for you as it were a rug so that, by morning, you will be in the mountains of Al-Medinah. And thou, when thou foregatherest with Omar bin al-Khattab (of whom Allah accept!) give him my salutation and say to him: ‘Allah abundantly requite thee for Al-Islam, because thou hast counselled faithfully and hast striven diligently.’”

Thereupon the Angels lifted up their voices in salutation to him and his bride, saying, “Verily, Almighty Allah appointed her in marriage to thee two thousand years before the creation of your father Adam (with whom be peace evermore!).” Then joy and gladness and peace and happiness came upon the twain; confidence was confirmed and established was the guidance of the pious pair.

So when dawn appeared, they prayed the accustomed prayer and fared forward. Now it was the wont of Omar, son of Al-Khattab (Allah accept him!), to rise for morning-prayer in the darkness before dawn and at times he would stand in the prayer-niche with two men behind him, and begin reciting the Chapter entitled “Cattle”[FN#487] or that entitled “Women,”[FN#488] whereupon the sleeper awoke and he who was making his Wuzu-ablution accomplished it and he who was afar came to prayer; nor had he made an end of the first bow, ere the mosque was full of folk; then he would pray his second bow quickly, repeating a short chapter. But, on that morning he hurried over both first and second inclinations, repeating in each a short chapter; then, after the concluding salutation, turning to his companions, he said to them, “Come, let us fare forth to meet the bride and bridegroom”; at which they wondered, not understanding his words.

But he went out and they followed him, till they came to the gate of the city, where they met the young Moslem who, when the day broke and the standards of Al-Medinah appeared to him, had pushed forward for the gate closely followed by his bride. There he was met by Omar who bade make a marriage feast; and the Moslems came and ate. Then the young Moslem went in unto his bride and Almighty Allah vouchsafed him children,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Omar (on whom be peace!) bade make a marriage-feast; and the Moslems came and ate. Then the young Moslem went in unto his bride and Almighty Allah vouchsafed him children, who fought in the Lord’s way and preserved genealogies, for they gloried therein. And how excellent is what is said on such theme, “I saw thee weep before the gates and ‘plain, Whilst only curious wight reply would deign: Hath eye bewitcht thee, or hath evil lot ‘Twixt thee and door of friend set bar of bane?

Wake up this day, O wretch, persist in prayer, * Repent as wont repent departed men.

Haply shall wash thy sins Forgiveness-showers; * And on thine erring head some ruth shall rain: And prisoner shall escape despite his bonds; * And slave from thraldom freedom shall attain.”

And they ceased not to be in all solace and delight of life, till there came to them the Destroyer of delights and the Sunderer of societies. And a tale is told by S�di Ibrahim bin Al-Khaww�s[FN#489](on whom be the mercy of Allah!) concerning himself and

THE CHRISTIAN KING’S DAUGHTER AND THE

MOSLEM.

“My spirit urged me, once upon a time, to go forth into the country of the Infidels; and I strove with it and struggled to put away from me this inclination; but it would not be rejected.

So I fared forth and journeyed about the land of the Unbelievers and traversed it in all its parts; for divine grace enveloped me and heavenly protection encompassed me, so that I met not a single Nazarene but he turned away his eyes and drew off from me, till I came to a certain great city at whose gate I found a gathering of black slaves, clad in armour and bearing iron maces in their hands. When they saw me, they rose to their feet and asked me, ‘Art thou a leach?’; and I answered, ‘Yes.’ Quoth they, ‘Come speak to our King,’ and carried me before their ruler, who was a handsome personage of majestic presence. When I stood before him, he looked at me and said, ‘Art a physician, thou?’

‘Yes,’ quoth I; and quoth he to his officers, ‘Carry him to her, and acquaint him with the condition before he enter.’ So they took me out and said to me, ‘Know that the King hath a daughter, and she is stricken with a sore disease, which no doctor hath been able to cure: and no leach goeth in to her and treateth, without healing her, but the King putteth him to death. So bethink thee what thou seest fitting to do.’ I replied, ‘The King drove me to her; so carry me to her.’ Thereupon they brought me to her door and knocked; and behold, I heard her cry out from within, saying, ‘Admit to me the physician, lord of the wondrous secret!’ And she began reciting,

‘Open the door! the leach now draweth near; * And in my soul a wondrous secret speer:

How many of the near far distant are![FN#490] * How many distant far are nearest near!

I was in strangerhood amidst you all: * But willed the Truth[FN#491] my solace should appear.

Joined us the potent bonds of Faith and Creed; We met as dearest fere greets dearest fere: He sued for interview whenas pursued The spy, and blamed us envy’s jibe and jeer:

Then leave your chiding and from blame desist, * For fie upon you! not a word I’ll hear.

I care for naught that disappears and fleets; * My care’s for Things nor fleet nor disappear.’

And lo! a Shaykh, a very old man, opened the door in haste and said to me, ‘Enter.’ So I entered and found myself in a chamber strewn with sweet-scented herbs and with a curtain drawn across one corner, from behind which came a sound of groaning and grame, weak as from an emaciated frame. I sat down before the curtain and was about to offer my salam when I bethought me of his words (whom Allah save and assain!), ‘Accost not a Jew nor a Christian with the salam salutation;[FN#492] and, when ye meet them in the way, constrain them to the straitest part thereof.’ So I withheld my salutation, but she cried out from behind the curtain, saying, ‘Where is the salutation of Unity and Indivisibility, O Khawwas?’

I was astonished at her speech and asked, ‘How knowest thou me?’; whereto she answered, ‘When the heart and thoughts are whole, the tongue speaketh eloquently from the secret recesses of the soul.

I begged Him yesterday to send me one of His saints, at whose hands I might have deliverance, and behold, it was cried to me from the dark places of my house, ‘Grieve not; for we soon will send thee Ibrahim the Basket-maker.’ Then I asked her, ‘What of thee?’ and she answered, ‘It is now four years since there appeared to me the Manifest Truth, and He is the Relator and the Ally, and the Uniter and the Sitter-by; whereupon my folk looked askance upon me with an evil eye and taxed me with insanity and suspected me of depravity, and there came not in to me doctor but terrified me, nor visitor but confounded me.’ Quoth I, ‘And who led thee to the knowledge of what thou wottest?’ Quoth she, ‘The manifest signs and visible portents of Allah; and, when the path is patent to thee, thou espiest with thine own eyes both proof and prover.’ Now whilst we were talking, behold, in came the old man appointed to guard her and said, ‘What doth thy doctor?’; and she replied, ‘He knoweth the hurt and hath hit upon the healing.’”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that “when the Shaykh, her guardian, went in to her he said, ‘What doth thy doctor?’; and she replied, ‘He knoweth the hurt and hath hit upon the healing.’ Hereupon he manifested joy and gladness and accosted me with a cheerful countenance, then went and told the King, who enjoined to treat me with all honour and regard. So I visited her daily for seven days, at the end of which time she said to me, ‘O Abu Ishak, when shall be our flight to the land of Al-Islam?’ ‘How canst thou