The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 1 by Sir Richard Francis Burton (classic literature list TXT) 📕

them and asked, “What is the matter?” however, they pinioned me with out further parley and threw a chain about my neck, saying, “The necklet which was with thee hath proved to be the property of the Wazir of Damascus who is also her Viceroy;”

and they added, “It was missing from his house three years ago at the same time as his younger daughter.” When I heard these words, my heart sank within me and I said to myself, “Thy life is gone beyond a doubt! By Allah, needs must I tell the Chief my story; and, if he will, let him kill me, and if he please, let him pardon me.” So they carried me to the Wazir’s house and made me stand between his hands. When he saw me, he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and said to those present, “Why did ye lop off his hand? This man is unfortunate, and there is no fault in him; indeed ye have wronged him in cutting off his hand.” When I heard this, I took heart and, my soul presaging good, I said to him, “By Allah, O my lord, I am no thief; but they calumniated me with a vile calumny, and they scourged me midmost the market, bidding me confess till, for the pain of the rods, I lied against myself and confessed the theft, albeit I am altogether innocent of it.” “Fear not,” quoth the Viceroy, “no harm shall come to thee.” Then he ordered the Syndic of the bazaar to be imprisoned and said to him, “Give this man the blood money for his hand; and, if thou delay I will hang thee and seize all thy property.”

Moreover he called to his guards who took him and dragged him away, leaving me with the Chief. Then they loosed by his command the chain from my neck and unbound my arms; and he looked at me, and said, “O my son, be true with me, and tell me how this necklace came to thee.” And he repeated these verses:—

 

“Truth best befits thee, albeit truth * Shall bring thee to burn on the threatened fire.”

 

“By Allah, O my lord,” answered I, “I will tell thee nothing but the truth.” Then I related to him all that had passed between me and the first lady, and how she had brought me the second and had slain her out of jealousy, and I detailed for him the tale to its full. When he heard my story, he shook his head and struck his right hand upon the left,[FN#597] and putting his kerchief over his face wept awhile and then repeated:—

 

“I see the woes of the world abound, * And worldings sick with spleen and teen;

There’s One who the meeting of two shall part, * And who part not are few and far between!”

 

Then he turned to me and said, “Know, O my son, that the elder damsel who first came to thee was my daughter whom I used to keep closely guarded. When she grew up, I sent her to Cairo and married her to her cousin, my brother’s son. After a while he died and she came back: but she had learnt wantonness and ungraciousness from the people of Cairo;[FN#598] so she visited thee four times and at last brought her younger sister. Now they were sisters-german and much attached to each other; and, when that adventure happened to the elder, she disclosed her secret to her sister who desired to go out with her. So she asked thy leave and carried her to thee; after which she returned alone and, finding her weeping, I questioned her of her sister, but she said, ‘I know nothing of her.’ However, she presently told her mother privily of what had happened and how she had cut off her sister’s head and her mother told me. Then she ceased not to weep and say, ‘By Allah! I shall cry for her till I die.’ Nor did she give over mourning till her heart broke and she died; and things fell out after that fashion. See then, O my son, what hath come to pass; and now I desire thee not to thwart me in what I am about to offer thee, and it is that I purpose to marry thee to my youngest daughter; for she is a virgin and born of another mother;[FN#599] and I will take no dower of thee but, on the contrary, will appoint thee an allowance, and thou shalt abide with me in my house in the stead of my son.” “So be it,” I answered, “and how could I hope for such good fortune?” Then he sent at once for the Kazi and witnesses, and let write my marriage contract with his daughter and I went in to her.

Moreover, he got me from the Syndic of the bazaar a large sum of money and I became in high favour with him. During this year news came to me that my father was dead and the Wazir despatched a courier, with letters bearing the royal sign manual, to fetch me the money which my father had left behind him, and now I am living in all the solace of life. Such was the manner of the cutting off my right hand.” I marvelled at his story (continued the Jew), and I abode with him three days after which he gave me much wealth, and I set out and travelled Eastward till I reached this your city and the sojourn suited me right well; so I took up my abode here and there befell me what thou knowest with the Hunchback. There upon the King of China shook his head[FN#600]

and said, “This story of thine is not stranger and more wondrous and marvellous and delectable than the tale of the Hunchback; and so needs must I hang the whole number of you. However there yet remains the Tailor who is the head of all the offence;” and he added, “O Tailor, if thou canst tell me any thing more wonderful than the story of the Hunchback, I will pardon you all your offences.” Thereupon the man came forward and began to tell the

 

Tale of the Tailor.

 

Know, O King of the age, that most marvellous was that which befell me but yesterday, before I foregathered with the Hunch back. It so chanced that in the early day I was at the marriage feast of one of my companions, who had gotten together in his house some twenty of the handicraftsmen of this city, amongst them tailors and silk spinners and carpenters and others of the same kidney. As soon as the sun had risen, they set food[FN#601]

before us that we might eat when behold, the master of the house entered, and with him a foreign youth and a well favoured of the people of Baghdad, wearing clothes as handsome as handsome could be; and he was of right comely presence save that he was lame of one leg. He came and saluted us and we stood up to receive him; but when he was about to sit down he espied amongst us a certain man which was a Barber; whereupon he refused to be seated and would have gone away. But we stopped him and our host also stayed him, making oath that he should not leave us and asked him, “What is the reason of thy coming in and going out again at once?”; whereto he answered, “By Allah, O my lord, do not hinder me; for the cause of my turning back is yon Barber of bad omen,[FN#602]

yon black o’face, yon ne’er do well!” When the housemaster heard these words he marvelled with extreme marvel and said, “How cometh this young man, who haileth from Baghdad, to be so troubled and perplexed about this Barber?” Then we looked at the stranger and said, “Explain the cause of thine anger against the Barber.” “O fair company,” quoth the youth, “there befell me a strange adventure with this Barber in Baghdad (which is my native city); he was the cause of the breaking of my leg and of my lameness, and I have sworn never to sit in the same place with him, nor even tarry in any town where he happens to abide; and I have bidden adieu to Baghdad and travelled far from it and came to stay in this your city; yet I have hardly passed one night before I meet him again. But not another day shall go by ere I fare forth from here.” Said we to him, “Allah upon thee, tell us the tale;” and the youth replied (the Barber changing colour from brown to yellow as he spoke): Know, O fair company, that my father was one of the chief merchants of Baghdad, and Almighty Allah had blessed him with no son but myself. When I grew up and reached man’s estate, my father was received into the mercy of Allah (whose Name be exalted!) and left me money and eunuchs, servants and slaves; and I used to dress well and diet well. Now Allah had made me a hater of women kind and one day, as I was walking along a street in Baghdad, a party of females met me face to face in the footway; so I fled from them and, entering an alley which was no thoroughfare, sat down upon a stone bench at its other end. I had not sat there long before the latticed window of one of the houses opposite was thrown open, and there appeared at it a young lady, as she were the full moon at its fullest; never in my life saw I her like; and she began to water some flowers on the window sill.[FN#603] She turned right and left and, seeing me watching her, shut the window and went away.

Thereupon fire was suddenly enkindled in my heart; my mind was possessed with her and my woman hate turned to woman love. I continued sitting there, lost to the world, till sunset when lo!

the Kazi of the city came riding by with his slaves before him and his eunuchs behind him, and dismounting entered the house in which the damsel had appeared. By this I knew that he was her father; so I went home sorrowful and cast myself upon my carpet bed in grief. Then my handmaids flocked in and sat about me, unknowing what ailed me; but I addressed no speech to them, and they wept and wailed over me. Presently in came an old woman who looked at me and saw with a glance what was the matter with me: so she by my head spoke me fair, saying, “O my son, tell me all about it and I will be the means of thy union with her.”[FN#604]

So I related to her what had happened and she answered, “O my son, this one is the daughter of the Kazi of Baghdad who keepeth her in the closest seclusion; and the window where thou sawest her is her floor, whilst her father occupies the large saloon in the lower story. She is often there alone and I am wont to visit at the house; so thou shalt not win to her save through me. Now set thy wits to work and be of good cheer.” With these words she went away and I took heart at what she said and my people rejoiced that day, seeing me rise in the morning safe and sound.

By and by the old woman returned looking chopfallen,[FN#605] and said, “O my son, do not ask me how I fared with her! When I told her that, she cried at me, ‘If thou hold not thy peace, O hag of ill omen, and leave not such talk,