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

the words of the two Ifrits, they arose and departed from the well; and it was the morning hour when, behold, a caravan was passing by that place, so the travellers halted seeking a drink of water. Presently they let down a bucket which was seized by Abu Niyyah and as he was being drawn up they cried out and asked, “What art thou, of Jinnkind or of mankind?” and he answered, “I am of the Sons of Adam.” Hereupon they drew him up from the pit and questioned him of his case and he said, “I have fallen into it and I am sore ahungered.” Accordingly they gave him somewhat to eat and he ate and travelled with them till they entered a certain city and it was on First day.[FN#405] So they passed through the market streets which were crowded and found the people in turmoil and trouble;[FN#406] and as one enquired the cause thereof he was answered, “Verily the Sultan hath a beautiful daughter who is possessed and overridden by an ‘Ifrit, and whoso of the physicians would lay[FN#407] the Spirit and is unable or ignorant so to do, the King taketh him and cutteth off his head and hangeth it up before his palace. Indeed of late days a student came hither, a youth who knew nothing of expelling the Evil One, and he accepted the task and the Sultan designeth to smith his neck at this very hour; so the people are flocking with design to divert themselves at the decapitation.” Now when Abu Niyyah heard these words he rose without stay or delay and walked in haste till he came into the presence of the Sultan whom he found seated upon his throne and the Linkman standing with his scymitar brandished over the head of the young student and expecting only the royal order to strike his neck. So Abu Niyyah salam’d to him and said, “O King of the Age, release yonder youth from under the sword and send him to thy prison, for if I avail to laying the Spirit and driving him from thy daughter thou shalt have mercy upon yonder wight, and if I fail thou wilt shorten by the head me as well as him.” Hereupon the King let unbind the youth and sent him to jail; then he said to Abu Niyyah, “Wouldst thou go at once to my daughter and unspell her from the Jinni?”

But the other replied, “No, O King, not until Meeting-day[FN#408]

at what time the folk are engaged in congregational prayers.”

Now when Abu Niyyah had appointed the Friday, the King set apart for his guest an apartment and rationed him with liberal rations.—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 Hundredth and Seventy-seventh 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 Abu Niyyah having appointed the Sultan for Meeting-day, when he would ensorcel the Princess, waited till the morning dawned. Then he went forth to the Bazar and brought him a somewhat of wormwood[FN#409] for a silvern Nusf and brought it back, and, as soon as the time of congregational prayers came, the Sultan went forth to his devotions and gave orders that Abu Niyyah be admitted to his daughter whilst the folk were busy at their devotions. Abu Niyyah repaired to his patient, and scattered the Absinthium beneath the soles of her feet, when, lo, and behold!

she was made whole, and she groaned and cried aloud, “Where am I?” Hereat the mother rejoiced and whoso were in the Palace; and, as the Sultan returned from the Mosque, he found his daughter sitting sane and sound, after they had dressed her and perfumed her and adorned her, and she met him with glee and gladness. So the two embraced and their joy increased, and the father fell to giving alms and scattering moneys amongst the Fakirs and the miserable and the widows and orphans, in gratitude for his daughter’s recovery. Moreover he also released the student youth and largessed him, and bade him gang his gait.

After this the King summoned Abu Niyyah into the presence and said to him, “O young man, ask a boon first of Allah and then of me and let it be everything thou wishest and wantest.” Quoth the other, “I require of thee to wife the damsel from whom I drove away the Spirit,” and the King turning to his Minster said, “Counsel me, O Wazir.” Quoth the other, “Put him off until the morrow;” and quoth the Sultan, “O youth, come back to me hither on the morning of the next day.” Hereupon Abu Niyyah was dismissed the presence, and betimes on the day appointed he came to the Sultan and found the Wazir beside him hending in hand a gem whose like was not to be found amongst the Kings. Then he set it before the Sultan and said to him, “Show it to the Youth and say to him, �The dowry of the Princess, my daughter, is a jewel like unto this.’” But whilst Abu Niyyah was standing between his hands the King showed him the gem and repeated to him the words of the Wazir, thinking to himself that it was a pretext for refusing the youth, and saying in his mind, “He will never be able to produce aught like that which the Wazir has brought.”

Hereupon Abu Niyyah asked, “An so be I bring thee ten equal to this, wilt thou give me the damsel?” and the King answered, “I will.” The youth went from him when this was agreed upon and fared to the Market Street, where he bought him a white cock in its tenth month, such as had been described by the ‘Ifrit, whose plume had not a trace of black or red feathers but was of the purest white. Then he fared without the town and in the direction of the setting sun until he came to the Azure Column, which he found exactly as he had heard it from the Jinni, and going to it, he cut the throat of the cock thereupon, when all of a sudden the earth gaped and therein appeared a chamber full of jewels sized as ostrich eggs. That being the Hoard, he went forth and brought with him ten camels, each bearing two large sacks, and returning to the treasure-room, he filled all of these bags with gems and loaded them upon the beasts. Presently he entered to the Sultan with his string of ten camels and, causing them to kneel in the courtyard of the Divan, cried to him, “Come down, O King of the Age, and take the dowry of thy daughter.” So the Sultan turned towards him and, looking at the ten camels, exclaimed, “By Allah, this youth is Jinn-mad; yet will I go down to see him.” Accordingly he descended the staircase to the place where the camels had been made to kneel, and when the sacks had been unloaded and as the King came amongst them, the bags were opened and were found full of jewels greater and more glorious than the one was with him. Hereupon the Sultan was perplext and his wits were bewildered, and he cried to the Wazir, “Wallahi!

I think that all the Kings of the Earth in its length and its breadth have not one single gem the like of these: but say me how shall I act, O Wazir?” The Minister replied, “Give him the girl.”—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 Seventy-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 the Wazir said to the King, “Give him the girl.” Hereupon the marriage-tie was tied and the bridegroom was led in to the bride, and either rejoiced mightily in his mate,[FN#410] and was increased their joy and destroyed was all annoy. Now Abu Niyyah was a favourite of Fortune, so the Sultan appointed him the government during three days of every week, and he continued ruling after that fashion for a while of time. But one day of the days, as he was sitting in his pleasaunce, suddenly the man Abu Niyyatayn passed before him leaning on a palm-stick, and crying, “O ye beneficent, O ye folk of good!” When Abu Niyyah beheld him he said to his Chamberlain, “Hither with yonder man;” and as soon as he was brought he bade them lead him to the Hammam and dress him in a new habit. They did his bidding and set the beggar before his whilome comrade who said to him, “Dost thou know me?” “No, O my lord,” said the other; and he, “I am thy companion of old whom thou wouldst have left to die in the well; but I, by Allah, never changed my intent, and all that I own in this world I will give unto thee half thereof.” And they sat in converse for a while of time, until at last the Double-minded one, “Whence camest thou by all this?” and quoth he, “From the well wherein thou threwest me.” Hereupon from the excess of his envy and malice Abu Niyyatayn said to Abu Niyyah, “I also will go down that well and what to thee was given the same shall be given to me.” Then he left him and went forth from him, and he ceased not faring until he made the place. Presently he descended, and having reached the bottom, there sat until the hour of nightfall, when behold!

the two ‘Ifrits came and, taking seat by the well-mouth, salam’d each to other. But they had no force nor contrivance and both were as weaklings; so said one of them, “What is thy case, O my brother, and how is thy health?” and said the other, “Ah me, O my brother, since the hour that that I was with thee in this place on such a night, I have been cast out of the Sultan’s daughter, and until this tide I have been unable to approach her or indeed at any other time.” Said his comrade, “I also am like thee, for the Hoard hath forth from me, and I have waxed feeble.”[FN#411]

then cried the twain, “By Allah, the origin of our losses is from this well, so let us block it up with stones.” Hereupon the twain arose and brought with them crumbling earth and pebbles,[FN#412] and threw it down the well when it fell upon Abu Niyyatayn, and his