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

Seventy-first Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King’s son spread great banquets for the townsfolk and they held high festival a whole month, at the end of which time he went in to the Princess and they took their joy of each other with exceeding joy. But his father brake the ebony horse in pieces and destroyed its mechanism for flight; moreover the Prince wrote a letter to the Princess’s father, advising him of all that had befallen her and informing him how she was now married to him and in all health and happiness, and sent it by a messenger, together with costly presents and curious rarities. And when the messenger arrived at the city which was Sana’a and delivered the letter and the presents to the King, he read the missive and rejoiced greatly thereat and accepted the presents, honouring and rewarding the bearer handsomely. Moreover, he forwarded rich gifts to his son-in-law by the same messenger, who returned to his master and acquainted him with what had passed; whereat he was much cheered. And after this the Prince wrote a letter every year to his father-in-law and sent him presents till, in course of time, his sire King Sabur deceased and he reigned in his stead, ruling justly over his lieges and conducting himself well and righteously towards them, so that the land submitted to him and his subjects did him loyal service; and Kamar al-Akmar and his wife Shams al-Nahar abode in the enjoyment of all satisfaction and solace of life, till there came to them the Destroyer of deligights and Sunderer of societies; the Plunderer of palaces, the Caterer for cemeteries and the Garnerer of graves. And now glory be to the Living One who dieth not and in whose hand is the dominion of the worlds visible and invisible!

Moreover I have heard tell the tale of

 

UNS AL-WUJUD AND THE WAZIR’S DAUGHTER AL-WARD FI’L-AKMAM OR ROSE-IN-HOOD.[FN#30]

 

There was once, in days of yore and in ages and times long gone before, a King of great power and lord of glory and dominion galore; who had a Wazir Ibrahim hight, and this Wazir’s daughter was a damsel of extraordinary beauty and loveliness, gifted with passing brilliancy and the perfection of grace, possessed of abundant wit, and in all good breeding complete. But she loved wassail and wine and the human face divine and choice verses and rare stories; and the delicacy of her inner gifts invited all hearts to love, even as saith the poet, describing her, “Like moon she shines amid the starry sky, *

Robing in tresses blackest ink outvie.

The morning-breezes give her boughs fair drink, *

And like a branch she sways with supple ply: She smiles in passing us. O thou that art *

Fairest in yellow robed, or cramoisie, Thou playest with my wit in love, as though *

Sparrow in hand of playful boy were I.”[FN#31]

 

Her name was Rose-in-Hood and she was so named for her young and tender beauty and the freshness of her brilliancy; and the King loved her in his cups because of her accomplishments and fine manners. Now it was the King’s custom yearly to gather together all the nobles of his realm and play with the ball.[FN#32] So when the day came round whereon the folk assembled for ballplay, the Minister’s daughter seated herself at her lattice, to divert herself by looking on at the game; and, as they were at play, her glance fell upon a youth among the guards than whom never was seen a comelier face nor a goodlier form; for he was bright of favour showing white teeth when he smiled, tall-statured and broad-shouldered. She looked at him again and again and could not take her fill of gazing; and presently said to her nurse, “What is the name of yonder handsome young man among the troops?”

Replied the nurse, “O my daughter, the dear fellows are all handsome. Which of them dost thou mean?” Said Rose-in-Hood, “Wait till he come past and I will point him out to thee.” So she took an apple and as he rode by dropped it on him, whereupon he raised his head, to see who did this, and espied the Wazir’s daughter at the window, as she were the moon of fullest light in the darkness of the night; nor did he withdraw his eyes, till his heart was utterly lost to her, and he recited these lines, “Was’t archer shot me, or was’t thine eyes *

Ruined lover’s heart that thy charms espies?

Was the notched shaft[FN#33] from a host outshot, *

Or from latticed window in sudden guise?”

 

When the game was at an end, and all had left the ground, she asked her nurse, “What is the name of that youth I showed thee?”; and the good woman answered, “His name is Uns al-Wujud;” whereat Rose-in-Hood shook her head and lay down on her couch, with thoughts a-fire for love. Then, sighing deeply, she improvised these couplets,

 

“He missed not who dubbed thee, ‘World’s delight,’ *

A world’s love conjoining to bounty’s light:[FN#34]

O thou, whose favour the full moon favours, *

Whose charms make life and the living bright!

Thou hast none equal among mankind; *

Sultan of Beauty, and proof I’ll cite: Thine eyebrows are likest a well-formed N�n,[FN#35] *

And thine eyes a S�d,[FN#36] by His hand indite; Thy shape is the soft, green bough that gives *

When asked to all with all-gracious sprite: Thou excellest knights of the world in stowre, *

With delight and beauty and bounty dight.”

 

When she had finished her verses, she wrote them on a sheet of paper, which she folded in a piece of golf-embroidered silk and placed under her pillow. Now one of her nurses had seen her; so she came up to her and held her in talk till she slept, when she stole the scroll from under her pillow; and, after reading it, knew that she had fallen in love with Uns al-Wujud. Then she returned the scroll to its place and when her mistress awoke, she said to her, “O my lady, indeed I am to thee a true counsellor and am tenderly anxious on thy account. Know that love is a tyrant and the hiding it melteth iron and entaileth sickness and unease; nor for whoso confesseth it is there aught of reproach.”

Rejoined Rose-in-Hood, “And what is the medicine of passion, O

nurse mine?” Answered the nurse, “The medicine of passion is enjoyment” Quoth she, “And how may one come by enjoyment?” Quoth the other, “By letters and messages, my lady; by whispered words of compliment and by greetings before the world;[FN#37] all this bringeth lovers together and makes hard matters easy. So if thou have aught at heart, mistress mine, I am the fittest to keep thy secret and do thy desires and carry thy letters.” Now when the damsel heard this, her reason flew and fled for joy; but she restrained herself from speech till she should see the issue of the matter, saying within herself, “None knoweth this thing of me, nor will I trust this one with my secret, till I have tried her.” Then said the woman, “O my lady, I saw in my sleep as though a man came to me and said: ‘Thy mistress and Uns al-Wujud love each other; so do thou serve their case by carrying their messages and doing their desires and keeping their secrets; and much good shall befal thee.’ So now I have told thee my vision and it is thine to decide.” Quoth Rose-in-Hood, after she heard of the dream,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

 

When it was the Three Hundred and Seventy-second Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Rose-in-Hood asked her nurse after hearing of the dream, “Tell me, canst thou keep a secret, O my nurse?”; whereto she answered, “And how should I not keep secrecy, I that am of the flower of the free?”[FN#38] Then the maiden pulled out the scroll, whereon she had written the verses and said, “Carry me this my letter to Uns al-Wujud and bring me his reply.” The nurse took the letter and, repairing to Uns al-Wujud, kissed his hands and greeted him right courteously, then gave him the paper; and he read it and, comprehending the contents, wrote on the back these couplets, “I soothe my heart and my love repel; *

But my state interprets my love too well: When tears flow I tell them mine eyes are ill, *

Lest the censor see and my case fortell, I was fancy-free and unknew I Love; *

But I fell in love and in madness fell.

I show you my case and complain of pain, *

Pine and ecstasy that your ruth compel: I write you with tears of eyes, so belike *

They explain the love come my heart to quell; Allah guard a face that is veiled with charms, *

Whose thrall is Moon and the Stars as well: In her beauty I never beheld the like; *

From her sway the branches learn sway and swell: I beg you, an ‘tis not too much of pains, *

To call;[FN#39] ‘twere boon without parallel.

I give you a soul you will haply take. *

To which Union is Heaven, Disunion Hell.”

 

Then he folded the letter and kissing it, gave it to the go-between and said to her, “O nurse, incline the lady’s heart to me.” “To hear is to obey,” answered she and carried the script to her mistress, who kissed it and laid it on her head, then she opened it and read it and understood it and wrote at the foot of it these couplets,

 

“O whose heart by our beauty is captive ta’en, *

Have patience and all thou shalt haply gain!

When we knew that thy love was a true affect, *

And what pained our heart to thy heart gave pain, We had granted thee wished-for call and more; *

But hindered so doing the chamberlain.

When the night grows dark, through our love’s excess *

Fire burns our vitals with might and main: And sleep from our beds is driven afar, *

And our bodies are tortured by passion-bane.

‘Hide Love!’ in Love’s code is the first command; *

And from raising his veil thy hand restrain: I fell love-fulfilled by yon gazelle: *

Would he never wander from where I dwell!”

 

Then she folded the letter and gave it to the nurse, who took it and went out from her mistress to seek the young man; but, as she would fare forth, the chamberlain met her and said to her, “Whither away?” “To the bath,” answered she; but in her fear and confusion, she dropped the letter, without knowing it, and went off unrecking what she had done; when one of the eunuchs, seeing it lying in the way, picked it up. When the nurse came without the door, she sought for it, but found it not, so turned back to her mistress and told her of this and what had befallen her.

Meanwhile, the Wazir came out of the Harim and seated himself on his couch; whereupon behold, the eunuch, who had picked up the letter, came in to him, hending it in hand and said, “O my lord, I found this paper lying upon the floor and picked it up.” So the Minister took it from his hand, folded as it was, and opening it, read the verses as above set down. Then, after mastering the meaning, he examined the writing and knew it for his daughter’s hand; whereupon he went to her mother, weeping so abundant tears that his beard was wetted. His wife asked him,