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

‘When they to me had brought the leach (and surely showed *

The signs of flowing tears and pining malady), The face-veil he withdrew from me, and ‘neath it naught *

Save breath of one unsouled, unbodied, could he see.

Quoth he, ‘This be a sickness Love alone shall cure; *

Love hath a secret from all guess of man wide free.’

Quoth they, ‘An folk ignore what here there be with him *

Nature of ill and eke its symptomology, How then shall medicine work a cure?’ At this quoth I *

‘Leave me alone; I have no guessing specialty.’”

And they tell a tale of

THE PROPHET AND THE JUSTICE OF PROVIDENCE.

A certain Prophet[FN#494] made his home for worship on a lofty mountain, at whose foot was a spring of running water, and he was wont to sit by day on the summit, that no man might see him, calling upon the name of Allah the Most Highest and watching those who frequented the spring. One day, as he sat looking upon the fountain, behold, he espied a horseman who came up and dismounted thereby and taking a bag from his neck, set it down beside him, after which he drank of the water and rested awhile, then he rode away, leaving behind him the bag which contained gold pieces. Presently up came another man to drink of the spring, who saw the bag and finding it full of money took it up; then, after satisfying his thirst, he made off with it in safety.

A little after came a woodcutter wight with a heavy load of fuel on his back, and sat down by the spring to drink, when lo! back came the first horseman in great trouble and asked him, “Where is the bag which was here?” and when he answered, “I know nothing of it,” the rider drew his sword and smote him and slew him. Then he searched his clothes, but found naught; so he left him and wended his ways. Now when the Prophet saw this, he said, “O Lord, one man hath taken a thousand dinars and another man hath been slain unjustly.” But Allah answered him, saying, “Busy thyself with thy devotions, for the ordinance of the universe is none of thine affair. The father of this horseman had violently despoiled of a thousand dinars the father of the second horseman; so I gave the son possession of his sire’s money. As for the woodcutter, he had slain the horseman’s father, wherefore I enabled the son to obtain retribution for himself.” Then cried the Prophet, “There is none other god than Thou! Glory be to Thee only! Verily, Thou art the Knower of Secrets.”[FN#495]—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Prophet was bidden by inspiration of Allah to busy himself with his devotions and learned the truth of the case, he cried, “There is none other god but Thou! Glory be to Thee only! Verily, Thou and Thou alone wottest hidden things.” Furthermore, one of the poets hath made these verses on the matter, “The Prophet saw whatever eyes could see, * And fain of other things enquired he;

And, when his eyes saw things misunderstood, * Quoth he, ‘O Lord, this slain from sin was free.

This one hath won him wealth withouten work; * Albe appeared he garbed in penury.

And that in joy of life was slain, although * O man’s Creator free of sin he be.’

God answered ”Twas his father’s good thou saw’st * Him take; by heirship not by roguery;

Yon woodman too that horseman’s sire had slain; * Whose son avenged him with just victory:

Put off, O slave of Me, this thought for I * In men have set mysterious secrecy!

Bow to Our Law and humble thee, and learn * For good and evil issues Our decree.’”[FN#496]

And a certain pious man hath told us the tale of

THE FERRYMAN OF THE NILE AND THE HERMIT.

“I was once a ferryman on the Nile and used to ply between the eastern and the western banks. Now one day, as I sat in my boat, there came up to me an old man of a bright and beaming countenance, who saluted me and I returned his greeting; and he said to me, ‘Wilt thou ferry me over for the love of Allah Almighty?’ I answered, ‘Yes,’ and he continued, ‘Wilt thou moreover give me food for Allah’s sake?’; to which again I answered, ‘With all my heart.’ So he entered the boat and I rowed him over to the eastern side, remarking that he was clad in a patched gown and carried a gourd-bottle and a staff. When he was about to land, he said to me, ‘I desire to lay on thee a heavy trust.’ Quoth I, ‘What is it?’ Quoth he, ‘It hath been revealed to me that my end is nearhand and that tomorrow about noon thou wilt come and find me dead under yonder tree. Wash me and wrap me in the shroud thou wilt see under my head and after thou hast prayed over me, bury me in this sandy ground and take my gown and gourd and staff, which do thou deliver to one who shall come and demand them of thee.’ I marvelled at his words, and I slept there. On the morrow I awaited till noon the event he had announced, and then I forgot what he had said till near the hour of afternoon-prayer, when I remembered it and hastening to the appointed place, found him under the tree, dead, with a new shroud under his head, exhaling a fragrance of musk. So I washed him and shrouded him and prayed over him, then dug a hole in the sand and buried him, after I had taken his ragged gown and bottle and staff, with which I crossed the Nile to the western side and there nighted. As soon as morning dawned and the city gate opened, I sighted a young man known to me as a loose fellow, clad in fine clothes and his hands stained with Henna, who said to me, ‘Art thou not such an one?’ ‘Yes,’ answered I; and he said, ‘Give me the trust.’ Quoth I, ‘What is that?’ Quoth he, ‘The gown, the gourd and the staff.’ I asked him, ‘Who told thee of them?’ and he answered, ‘I know nothing save that I spent yesternight at the wedding of one of my friends singing and carousing till daylight, when I lay me down to sleep and take my rest; and behold, there stood by me a personage who said, ‘Verily Allah Almighty hath taken such a saint to Himself and hath appointed thee to fill his place; so go thou to a certain person (naming the ferryman), and take of him the dead man’s gown and bottle and staff, for he left them with him for thee.’ So I brought them out and gave them to him; whereupon he doffed his clothes and, donning the gown, went his way and left me.[FN#497] And when the glooms closed around me, I fell a-weeping; but, that night, while sleeping I saw the Lord of Holiness (glorified and exalted be He!) in a dream saying, ‘O my servant, is it grievous to thee that I have granted to one of My servants to return to Me? Indeed, this is of My bounty, that I vouchsafe to whom I will, for I over all things am Almighty.’ So I repeated these couplets, ‘Lover with loved[FN#498] loseth will and aim! * All choice (an couldst thou know) were sinful shame.

Or grant He favour and with union grace, * Or from thee turn away, He hath no blame.

An from such turning thou no joy enjoy * Depart! the place for thee no place became.

Or canst His near discern not from His far? * Then Love’s in vain and thou’rt a-rear and lame.

If pine for Thee afflict my sprite, or men * Hale me to death, the rein Thy hand shall claim!

So turn Thee to or fro, to me ‘tis one; * What Thou ordainest none shall dare defame:

My love hath naught of aim but Thine approof * And if Thou say we part I say the same.’”

And of the tales they tell is one concerning

THE ISLAND KING AND THE PIOUS ISRAELITE.

There was once a notable of the Children of Israel, a man of wealth who had a pious and blessed son. When his last hour drew nigh, his son sat down at his head and said to him, “O my lord, give me an injunction.” Quoth the father, “O dear son, I charge thee, swear not by Allah or truly or falsely.” Then he died and certain lewd fellows of the Children of Israel heard of the charge he had laid on his son and began coming to the latter and saying, “Thy father had such and such monies of mine, and thou knowest it; so give me what was entrusted to him or else make oath that there was no trust.” The good son would not disobey his sire’s injunction, so gave them all they claimed; and they ceased not to deal thus with him, till his wealth was spent and he fell into straitest predicament. Now the young man had a pious and blessed wife, who had borne him two little sons; so he said to her, “The folk have multiplied their demands on me and, while I had the wherewithal to free myself of debt, I rendered it freely; but naught is now left us, and if others make demands upon me, we shall be in absolute distress, I and thou; our best way were to save ourselves by fleeing to some place, where none knoweth us, and earn our bread among the lower of the folk.” Accordingly, he took ship with her and his two children, knowing not whither he should wend; but, “When Allah judgeth, there is none to reverse His judgment;”[FN#499] and quoth the tongue of the case, “O flier from thy home when foes affright! * Whom led to weal and happiness such flight,

Grudge not this exile when he flees abroad * Where he on wealth and welfare may alight.

An pearls for ever did abide in shell, * The kingly crown they ne’er had deckt and dight.”

The ship was wrecked, yet the man saved himself on a plank and his wife and children also saved themselves, but on other planks.

The waves separated them and the wife was cast up in one country and one of the boys in another. The second son was picked up by a ship, and the surges threw the father on a desert island, where he landed and made the Wuzu-ablution. Then he called the prayer-call,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.