The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night Volume V Part 3

When shows that slender form that doth the willow-branch outvie.

If Rose herself would even with his cheek, I say of her *

'Thou art not like it if to me my portion thou deny:'[FN#55]

His honey-dew of lips is like the grateful water draught *

Would cool me when a fire in heart upflameth fierce and high: How shall I give him up who is my heart and soul of me, *

My malady my wasting cause, my love, sole leach of me?"

Then, as the glooms of night closed around her, her yearning increased and she called to mind the past and recited also these couplets,

"'Tis dark: my transport and unease now gather might and main, * And love-desire provoketh me to wake my wonted pain: The pang of parting takes for ever place within my breast, *

And pining makes me desolate in dest.i.tution lain.

Ecstasy sore maltreats my soul and yearning burns my sprite, *

And tears betray love's secresy which I would lief contain: I weet no way, I know no case that can make light my load, *

Or heal my wasting body or cast out from me this bane.

A h.e.l.l of fire is in my heart upflames with lambent tongue *

And Laza's furnace-fires within my liver place have ta'en.

O thou, exaggerating blame for what befel, enough *

I bear with patience whatsoe'er hath writ for me the Pen!

I swear, by Allah, ne'er to find aught comfort for their loss; * "Tis oath of pa.s.sion's children and their oaths are ne'er in vain.

O Night! Salams of me to friends and let to them be known *

Of thee true knowledge how I wake and waking ever wone."

Meanwhile, the hermit said to Uns al-Wujud, "Go down to the palm- grove in the valley and fetch some fibre."[FN#56] So he went and returned with the palm-fibre, which the hermit took and, twisting into ropes, make therewith a net,[FN#57] such as is used for carrying straw; after which he said, "O Uns al-Wujud, in the heart of the valley groweth a gourd, which springeth up and drieth upon its roots. Go down there and fill this sack therewith; then tie it together and, casting it into the water, embark thereon and make for the midst of the sea, so haply thou shalt win thy wish; for whoso never ventureth shall not have what he seeketh." "I hear and obey," answered Uns al-Wujud. Then he bade the hermit farewell after the holy man had prayed for him; and, betaking himself to the sole of the valley, did as his adviser had counselled him; made the sack, launched it upon the water, and pushed from sh.o.r.e. Then there arose a wind, which drave him out to sea, till he was lost to the eremite's view; and he ceased not to float over the abysses of the ocean, one billow tossing him up and another bearing him down (and he beholding the while the dangers and marvels of the deep), for the s.p.a.ce of three days. At the end of that time Fate cast him upon the Mount of the Bereft Mother, where he landed, giddy and tottering like a chick unfledged, and at the last of his strength for hunger and thirst; but, finding there streams flowing and birds on the branches cooing and fruit-laden trees in cl.u.s.ters and singly growing, he ate of the fruits and drank of the rills. Then he walked on till he saw some white thing afar off, and making for it, found that it was a strongly fortified castle. So he went up to the gate and seeing it locked, sat down by it; and there he sat for three days when behold, the gate opened and an eunuch came out, who finding Uns al-Wujud there seated, said to him, "Whence camest thou and who brought thee hither?" Quoth he, "From Ispahan and I was voyaging with merchandise when my ship was wrecked and the waves cast me upon the farther side of this island." Whereupon the eunuch wept and embraced him, saying, "Allah preserve thee, O thou friendly face! Ispahan is mine own country and I have there a cousin, the daughter of my father's brother, whom I loved from my childhood and cherished with fond affection; but a people stronger than we fell upon us in foray and taking me among other booty, cut off my yard[FN#58] and sold me for a castrato, whilst I was yet a lad; and this is how I came to be in such case."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Three Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the eunuch who came forth from the castle, where Rose-in-Hood was confined, told Uns al-Wujud all his tale and said:--"The raiders who captured me cut off my yard and sold me for a castrato; and this is how I came to be in such case."[FN#59] And after saluting him and wishing him long life, the eunuch carried him into the courtyard of the castle, where he saw a great tank of water, surrounded by trees, on whose branches hung cages of silver, with doors of gold, and therein birds were warbling and singing the praises of the Requiting King. And when he came to the first cage he looked in and lo! a turtle dove, on seeing him, raised her voice and cried out, saying, "O Thou Bounty-fraught!" Whereat he fell down fainting and after coming to himself, he sighed heavily and recited these couplets,

"O turtle dove, like me art thou distraught? *

Then pray the Lord and sing 'O Bounty-fraught!'

Would I knew an thy moan were sign of joy, *

Or cry of love-desire in heart inwrought,-- An moan thou pining for a lover gone *

Who left thee woe begone to pine in thought,-- Or if like me hast lost thy fondest friend, *

And severance long desire to memory brought?

O Allah, guard a faithful lover's lot *

I will not leave her though my bones go rot!"

Then, after ending his verses, he fainted again; and, presently reviving he went on to the second cage, wherein he found a ringdove. When it saw him, it sang out, "O Eternal, I thank thee!" and he groaned and recited these couplets,

"I heard a ringdove chanting plaintively, *

'I thank Thee, O Eternal for this misery!'

Haply, perchance, may Allah, of His grace, *

Send me by this long round my love to see.

Full oft[FN#60] she comes with honeyed lips dark red, *

And heaps up lowe upon love's ardency.

Quoth I (while longing fires flame high and fierce *

In heart, and wasting life's vitality, And tears like gouts of blood go railing down *

In torrents over cheeks now pale of blee), 'None e'er trod earth that was not born to woe, *

But I will patient dree mine agony, So help me Allah! till that happy day *

When with my mistress I unite shall be: Then will I spend my good on lover-wights, *

Who're of my tribe and of the faith of me; And loose the very birds from jail set free, *

And change my grief for gladdest gree and glee!'"

Then he went on to the third cage, wherein he found a mockingbird[FN#61] which, when it saw him, set up a song, and he recited the following couplets,

"Pleaseth me yon Hazar of mocking strain *

Like voice of lover pained by love in vain.

Woe's me for lovers! Ah how many men *

By nights and pine and pa.s.sion low are lain!

As though by stress of love they had been made *

Morn-less and sleep-less by their pain and bane.

When I went daft for him who conquered me *

And pined for him who proved of proudest strain, My tears in streams down trickled and I cried *

'These long-linkt tears bind like an adamant-chain:'

Grew concupiscence, severance long, and I *

Lost Patience' h.o.a.rds and grief waxed sovereign: If Justice bide in world and me unite *

With him I love and Allah veil us deign, I'll strip my clothes that he my form shall sight *

With parting, distance, grief, how poor of plight!"

Then he went to the fourth cage, where he found a Bulbul[FN#62]

which, at sight of him, began to sway to and fro and sing its plaintive descant; and when he heard its complaint, he burst into tears and repeated these couplets.

"The Bulbul's note, whenas dawn is nigh, *

Tells the lover from strains of strings to fly: Complaineth for pa.s.sion Uns al-Wujud, *

For pine that would being to him deny.

How many a strain do we hear, whose sound *

Softens stones and the rock can mollify: And the breeze of morning that sweetly speaks *

Of meadows in flowered greenery.

And scents and sounds in the morning-tide *

Of birds and zephyrs in fragrance vie; But I think of one, of an absent friend, *

And tears rail like rain from a showery sky; And the flamy tongues in my breast uprise *

As sparks from gleed that in dark air fly.

Allah deign vouchsafe to a lover distraught *

Someday the face of his dear to descry!

For lovers, indeed, no excuse is clear, *

Save excuse of sight and excuse of eye."

Then he walked on a little and came to a goodly cage, than which was no goodlier there, and in it a culver of the forest, that is to say, a wood-pigeon,[FN#63] the bird renowned among birds as the minstrel of love-longing, with a collar of jewels about its neck marvellous fine and fair. He considered it awhile and, seeing it absently brooding in its cage, he shed tears and repeated these couplets,

"O culver of copse,[FN#64] with salams I greet; *

O brother of lovers who woe must weet!

I love a gazelle who is slender-slim, *

Whose glances for keenness the scymitar beat: For her love are my heart and my vitals a-fire, *

And my frame consumes in love's fever-heat.

The sweet taste of food is unlawful for me, *

And forbidden is slumber, unlawfullest sweet.

Endurance and solace have travelled from me, *

And love homes in my heart and grief takes firm seat: How shall life deal joy when they flee my sight *

Who are joy and gladness and life and sprite?"