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

of dirhams and dinars: wherefore he had in his time encountered dangers and suffered duresse of the way such as would grizzle little children and turn their black hair grey. He was possessed of black slaves and Mamelukes, eunuchs and concubines, and was the wealthiest of the merchants of his time and the goodliest of them in speech, owning horses and mules and Bactrian camels and dromedaries; sacks great and small of size; goods and merchandise and stuffs such as muslins of Hums, silks and brocades of Ba’allak, cotton of Mery, stuffs of India, gauzes of Baghdad, burnouses of Moorland and Turkish white slaves and Abyssinian castratos and Grecian girls and Egyptian boys; and the coverings of his bales were silk with gold purfled fair, for he was wealthy beyond compare. Furthermore he was rare of comeliness, accomplished in goodliness, and gracious in his kindliness, even as one of his describers doth thus express,

 

“A merchant I spied whose lovers * Were fighting in furious guise:

Quoth he, ‘Why this turmoil of people?’ * Quoth I, ‘Trader, for those fine eyes!’”

 

And saith another in his praise and saith well enough to accomplish the wish of him,

 

“Came a merchant to pay us a visit * Whose glance did my heart surprise:

Quoth he, ‘What surprised thee so?’ * Quoth I, ‘Trader, ‘twas those fine eyes.’”

 

Now that merchant had a son called Ali Nur al-Din, as he were the full moon whenas it meeteth the sight on its fourteenth night, a marvel of beauty and loveliness, a model of form and symmetrical grace, who was sitting one day as was his wont, in his father’s shop, selling and buying, giving and taking, when the sons of the merchants girt him around and he was amongst them as moon among stars, with brow flower-white and cheeks of rosy light in down the tenderest dight, and body like alabaster-bright even as saith of him the poet,

 

“‘Describe me!’ a fair one said. * Said I, ‘Thou art Beauty’s queen.’

And, speaking briefest speech, * ‘All charms in thee are seen.’”

 

And as saith of him one of his describers, “His mole upon plain of cheek is like * Ambergr�s-crumb on marble plate,

And his glances likest the sword proclaim * To all Love’s rebels ‘The Lord is Great!’”[FN#378]

 

The young merchants invited him saying, “O my lord Nur al-Din, we wish thee to go this day a-pleasuring with us in such a garden.”

And he answered, “Wait till I consult my parent, for I cannot go without his consent.” As they were talking, behold, up came Taj al-Din, and his son looked at him and said, “O father mine, the sons of the merchants have invited me to wend a-pleasuring with them in such a garden. Dost thou grant me leave to go?” His father replied, “Yes, O my son, fare with them;” and gave him somewhat of money. So the young men mounted their mules and asses and Nur al-Din mounted a shemule and rode with them to a garden, wherein was all that sould desireth and that eye charmeth. It was high of walls which from broad base were seen to rise; and it had a gateway vault-wise with a portico like a saloon and a door azure as the skies, as it were one of the gates of Paradise: the name of the doorkeeper was Rizw�n,[FN#379] and over the gate were trained an hundred trellises which grapes overran; and these were of various dyes, the red like coralline, the black like the snouts of S�d�n[FN#380]-men and the white like egg of the pigeon-hen. And in it peach and pomegranate were shown and pear, apricot and pomegranate were grown and fruits with and without stone hanging in clusters or alone,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

 

When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night, She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the sons of the merchants entered the vergier, they found therein all that soul desireth or eye charmeth, grapes of many hues grown, hanging in bunches or alone, even as saith of them the poet,

 

“Grapes tasting with the taste of wine * Whose coats like blackest Raven’s shine:

Their sheen, amid the leafage shows, * Like women’s fingers henna’d fine.”

 

And as saith another on the same theme, “Grape-bunches likest as they sway * A-stalk, my body frail and snell:

Honey and water thus in jar, * When sourness past, make Hydromel.”

 

Then they entered the arbour of the garden and say there Rizwan the gate-keeper sitting, as he were Rizwan the Paradise-guardian, and on the door were written these lines, “Garth Heaven-watered wherein clusters waved * On boughs which full of sap to bend were fain:

And, when the branches danced on Zephyr’s palm, * The Pleiads shower’d as gifts[FN#381] fresh pearls for rain.”

 

And within the arbour were written these two couplets, “Come with us, friend, and enter thou * This garth that cleanses rust of grief:

Over their skits the Zephyrs trip[FN#382] * And flowers in sleeve to laugh are lief.”[FN#383]

 

So they entered and found all manner fruits in view and birds of every kind and hue, such as ringdove, nightingale and curlew; and the turtle and the cushat sang their love lays on the sprays.

Therein were rills that ran with limpid wave and flowers suave; and bloom for whose perfume we crave and it was even as saith of it the poet in these two couplets,

 

“The Zephyr breatheth o’er its branches, like * Fair girls that trip as in fair skirts they pace:

Its rills resemble swords in hands of knights * Drawn from the scabbard and containing-case.”[FN#384]

 

And again as singeth the songster,

 

“The streamlet swings by branchy wood and aye * Joys in its breast those beauties to display;

And Zephyr noting this, for jealousy * Hastens and bends the branches other way.”

 

On the trees of the garden were all manner fruits, each in two sorts, amongst them the pomegranate, as it were a ball of silver-dross,[FN#385] whereof saith the poet and saith right well,

 

“Granados of finest skin, like the breasts * Of maid firm-standing in sight of male;

When I strip the skin, they at once display * The rubies compelling all sense to quail.”

 

And even as quoth another bard,

 

“Close prest appear to him who views th’ inside * Red rubies in brocaded skirts bedight:

Granado I compare with marble dome * Or virgin’s breasts delighting every sight:

Therein is cure for every ill as e’en * Left an Had�s the Prophet pure of sprite;

And Allah (glorify His name) eke deigned * A noble say in Holy Book indite.[FN#386]

 

The apples were the sugared and the musky and the D�m�ni, amazing the beholder, whereof saith Hassan the poet, “Apple which joins hues twain, and brings to mind * The cheek of lover and beloved combined:

Two wondrous opposites on branch they show * This dark[FN#387]

and that with hue incarnadined

The twain embraced when spied the spy and turned * This red, that yellow for the shame designed.”[FN#388]

 

There also were apricots of various kinds, almond and camphor and J�l�ni and ‘Ant�bi,[FN#389] wereof saith the poet, “And Almond-apricot suggesting swain * Whose lover’s visit all his wits hath ta’en.

Enough of lovesick lovers’ plight it shows * Of face deep yellow and heart torn in twain.”[FN#390]

 

And saith another and saith well,

 

“Look at that Apricot whose bloom contains * Gardens with brightness gladding all men’s eyne: Like stars the blossoms sparkle when the boughs * Are clad in foliage dight with sheen and shine.”

 

There likewise were plums and cherries and grapes, that the sick of all diseases assain and do away giddiness and yellow choler from the brain; and figs the branches between, varicoloured red and green, amazing sight and sense, even as saith the poet, “‘Tis as the Figs with clear white skins outthrown * By foliaged trees, athwart whose green they peep, Were sons of Roum that guard the palace-roof * When shades close in and night-long ward they keep.”[FN#391]

 

And saith another and saith well,

 

“Welcome[FN#392] the Fig! To us it comes * Ordered in handsome plates they bring:

Likest a Surfah[FN#393]-cloth we draw * To shape of bag without a ring.”

 

And how well saith a third,

 

“Give me the Fig sweet-flavoured, beauty-clad, * Whose inner beauties rival outer sheen:

And when it fruits thou tastest it to find * Chamomile’s scent and Sugar’s saccharine:

And eke it favoureth on platters poured * Puff-balls of silken thread and sendal green.”

 

And how excellent is the saying of one of them, “Quoth they (and I had trained my taste thereto * Nor cared for other fruits whereby they swore),

‘Why lovest so the Fig?’ whereto quoth I * ‘Some men love Fig and others Sycamore.[FN#394]’”

 

And are yet goodlier those of another,

 

“Pleaseth me more the fig than every fruit * When ripe and hanging from the sheeny bough;

Like Devotee who, when the clouds pour rain, * Sheds tears and Allah’s power doth avow.”

 

And in that garth were also pears of various kinds Sina�tic,[FN#395] Aleppine and Grecian growing in clusters and alone, parcel green and parcel golden.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

 

When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night, She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the merchants’ sons went down into the garth they saw therein all the fruits we mentioned and found pears Sina�tic, Aleppine and Grecian of every hue, which here clustering there single grew, parcel green and parcel yellow to the gazer a marvel-view, as saith of them the poet,

 

“With thee that Pear agree, whose hue a-morn * Is hue of hapless lover yellow pale;

Like virgin cloistered strait in strong Har�m * Whose face like racing steed outstrips the veil.”

 

And Sultani[FN#396] peaches of shades varied, yellow and red, whereof saith the poet,

 

“Like Peach in vergier growing * And sheen of Andam[FN#397]

showing:

Whose balls of yellow gold * Are dyed with blood-gouts flowing.”

 

There were also green almonds of passing sweetness, resembling the cabbage[FN#398] of the palm-tree, with their kernels within three tunics lurking of the Munificent King’s handiworking, even as is said of them,

 

“Three coats yon freshest form endue * God’s work of varied shape and hue:

Hardness surrounds it night and day; * Prisoning without a sin to rue.”

 

And as well saith another,

 

“Seest not that Almond plucked by hand * Of man from bough where wont to dwell:

Peeling it shows the heart within * As union-pearl in oyster-shell.”

 

And as saith a third better than he,

 

“How good is Almond green I view! * The smallest fills the hand of you:

Its nap is as the down upon * The cheeks where yet no beardlet grew:

Its kernels in the shell are seen, Or bachelors or married two, As pearls they were of lucent white Cas�d and lapped in Jasper’s hue.”

 

And as saith yet another and saith well, “Mine eyes ne’er looked on aught the Almond like For charms, when blossoms[FN#399] in the Prime show bright: Its head to hoariness of age inclines The while its cheek by youth’s fresh down is dight.”

 

And jujube-plums of various colours, grown in clusters and alone whereof saith one, describing them,

 

“Look at the Lote-tree, note on boughs arrayed * Like goodly apricots on reed-strown floor,[FN#400]

Their morning-hue to viewer’s eye is like * Cascavels[FN#401]

cast of purest golden ore.”

 

And as saith another and