The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night Volume V Part 10

THE KAZI ABU YUSUF WITH HARUN AL-RASHID AND QUEEN ZUBAYDAH

The Caliph Harun al-Rashid went up one noon-tide to his couch, to lie down; and mounting, found upon the bed-clothes s.e.m.e.n freshly emitted; whereat he was startled and troubled with sore trouble.

So he called the Lady Zubaydah and said to her, "What is that spilt on the bed?" She looked at it and replied, "O Commander of the Faithful, it is s.e.m.e.n." Quoth he, "Tell me truly what this meaneth or I will lay violent hands on thee forthright." Quoth she, "By Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, indeed I know not how it came there and I am guiltless of that whereof you suspectest me." So he sent for the Kazi Abu Yusuf and acquainted him of the case. The Judge raised his eyes to the ceiling and, seeing a crack therein, said to the Caliph, "O Commander of the Faithful, in very sooth the bat hath seed like that of a man,[FN#121] and this is bat's s.e.m.e.n." Then he called for a spear and thrust it into the crevice, whereupon down fell the bat. In this manner the Caliph's suspicions were dispelled,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Three hundred and Eighty-ninth Night

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Kazi Abu Yusuf took the spear and thrust it into the crevice, down fell the bat, and thus the Caliph's suspicions were dispelled and the innocence of Zubaydah was made manifest; whereat she gave loud and liberal vent to her joy and promised Abu Yusuf a magnificent reward. Now there were with her certain delicious fruits, out of their season, and she knew of others in the garden; so she asked Abu Yusuf, "O Imam of the Faith, which wouldst thou rather have of the two kinds of fruits, those that are here or those that are not here?" And he answered, "Our code forbiddeth us to p.r.o.nounce judgement on the absent; whenas they are present, we will give our decision." So she let bring the two kinds of fruits before him; and he ate of both. Quoth she, "What is the difference between them?" and quoth he, "As often as I think to praise one kind, the adversary putteth in its claim."

The Caliph laughed at his answer[FN#122] and made him a rich present; and Zubaydah also gave him what she had promised him, and he went away, rejoicing. See, then the virtues of this Imam and how his hands were manifest the truth and the innocence of the Lady Zubaydah. And amongst other stories is that of

THE CALIPH AL-HAKIM[FN#123] AND THE MERCHANT

The Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amri'llah was riding out in state procession one day, when he pa.s.sed along a garden, wherein he saw a man, surrounded by negro-slaves and eunuchs. He asked him for a draught of water, and the man gave him to drink, saying, "Belike, the Commander of the Faithful will honour me by alighting in this my garden." So the Caliph dismounted and with his suite entered the garden; whereupon the said man brought out to them an hundred rugs and an hundred leather mats and an hundred cushions; and set before them an hundred dishes of fruits, an hundred bowls of sweetmeats and an hundred jars of sugared sherbets; at which the Caliph marvelled with much amaze and said to his host, "O man, verily this thy case is wondrous: didst thou know of our coming and make this preparation for us?"

He replied, "No by Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, I knew not of thy coming and I am a merchant of the rest of thy subjects; but I have an hundred concubines; so, when the Commander of the Faithful honoured me by alighting with me, I sent to each of them, bidding her send me her morning-meal in the garden. So they sent me each of her furniture and the surplus of her meat and drink: and every day each sendeth me a dish of meat and another of cooling marinades, also a platter of fruits and a bowl of sweetmeats and a jar of sherbet. This is my noon-day dinner, nor have I added aught thereto for thee." Then the Commander of the Faithful, Al-Hakim bi-Amri'llah prostrated himself in thanksgiving to the Almighty (extolled and exalted be His name!) and said, "Praise be Allah, who hath been so bountiful to one of our lieges, that he entertaineth the Caliph and his host, without making ready for them; nay, he feedeth them with the surplusage of his day's provision!" Then he sent for all the dirhams in the treasury, that had been struck that year (and they were in number three thousand and seven hundred thousand); nor did he mount until the money came, when he gave it to the merchant, saying, "Use this as thy state may require; and thy generosity deserveth more than this." Then he took horse and rode away. And I have heard a story concerning

KING KISRA a.n.u.sHIRWAN[FN#124] AND THE VILLAGE DAMSEL

The Just King, Kisra a.n.u.shirwan, one day rode forth to the chase and, in pursuit of a deer, became separated from his suite.

Presently, he caught sight of a hamlet near hand and being sore athirst, he made for it and presenting himself at the door of a house that lay by the wayside, asked for a draught of water. So a damsel came out and looked at him; then, going back into the house, pressed the juice from a single sugar-cane into a bowl and mixed it with water; after which she strewed on the top some scented stuff, as it were dust, and carried it tot he King.

Thereupon he seeing in it what resembled dust, drank it, little by little, till he came to the end; when said he to her, "O damsel, the drink is good, and how sweet it had been but for this dust in it that troubleth it." Answered she, "O guest, I put in that powder for a purpose;" and he asked, "And why didst thou thus?"; so she replied, "I saw thee exceedingly thirsty and feared that thou wouldst drain the whole at one draught and that this would thee mischief; and but for this dust that troubled the drink so hadst thou done." The Just King wondered at her words, knowing that they came of her wit and good sense, and said to her, "From how many sugar canes didst thou express this draught?"

"One," answered she; whereat a.n.u.shirwan marvelled and, calling for the register of the village taxes, saw that its a.s.sessment was but little and bethought him to increase it, on his return to his palace, saying in himself, "A village where they get this much juice out of one sugar-cane, why is it so lightly taxed?"

He then left the village and pursued his chase; and, as he came back at the end of the day, he pa.s.sed alone by the same door and called again for drink; whereupon the same damsel came out and, knowing him at a look, went in to fetch him water. It was some time before she returned and a.n.u.shirwan wondered thereat and said to her, "Why hast thou tarried?"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Three hundred and Ninetieth Night

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when a.n.u.shirwan hurried the damsel and asked her, "Why hast thou tarried?" she answered, "Because a single sugar-cane gave not enough for thy need; so I pressed three; but they yielded not to much as one did before." Rejoined he, "What is the cause of that?"; and she replied, "The cause of it is that when the Sultan's[FN#125] mind is changed against a folk, their prosperity ceaseth and their good waxeth less." So a.n.u.shirwan laughed and dismissed from his mind that which he had purposed against the villagers. Moreover, he took the damsel to wife then and there, being pleased with her much wit and acuteness and the excellence of her speech. And they tell another tale of the

WATER-CARRIER[FN#126] AND THE GOLDSMITH'S WIFE

There was once, in the city of Bokhara, a water-carrier, who used to carry water to the house of a goldsmith and had done this thirty years. Now that goldsmith had a wife of exceeding beauty and loveliness, brilliancy and perfect grace; and she was withal renowned for piety, chast.i.ty and modesty. One day the water- carrier came, as of custom, and poured the water into the cisterns. Now the woman was standing in the midst of the court; so he went close up to her and taking her hand, stroked it and pressed it, then went away and left her. When her husband came home from the bazar, she said to him, "I would have thee tell me what thing thou hast done in the market this day, to anger Almighty Allah." Quoth he, "I have done nothing to offend the Lord." "Nay," rejoined she, "but, by Allah, thou hast indeed done something to anger Him; and unless thou tell me the whole truth, I will not abide in thy house, and thou shalt not see me, nor will I see thee." So he confessed, "I will tell thee the truth of what I did this day. It so chanced that, as I was sitting in my shop, as of wont, a woman came up to me and bade me make her a bracelet of gold. Then she went away and I wrought her a bracelet and laid it aside. But when she returned and I brought her out the bracelet, she put forth her hand and I clasped the bracelet on her wrist; and I wondered at the whiteness of her hand and the beauty of her wrist, which would captivate any beholder; and I recalled what the poet saith,

?Her fore-arms, dight with their bangles, show *

Like fire ablaze on the waves a-flow; As by purest gold were the water girt, *

And belted around by a living lowe.'

So I took her hand and pressed it and squeezed it." Said the woman, "Great G.o.d! Why didst thou this ill thing? Know that the water-carrier, who hath come to our house these thirty years, nor sawst thou ever any treason in him took my hand this day and pressed and squeezed it." Said her husband, "O woman, let us crave pardon of Allah! Verily, I repent of what I did, and do thou ask forgiveness of the Lord for me." She cried, "Allah pardon me and thee, and receive us into his holy keeping."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Three hundred and Ninety-first Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the goldsmith's wife cried out, "Allah pardon me and thee, and receive us into his holy keeping!" And on the next day, the water-carrier came in to the jeweller's wife and, throwing himself at her feet, grovelled in the dust and besought pardon of her, saying, "O my lady, acquit me of that which Satan deluded me to do; for it was he that seduced me and led me astray." She answered, "Go thy ways, the sin was not in thee, but in my husband, for that he did what he did in his shop, and Allah hath retaliated upon him in this world." And it related that the goldsmith, when his wife told him how the water-carrier had used her, said, "t.i.t for tat, and blow for blow!; had I done more the water-carrier had done more";--which became a current byword among the folk. Therefore it behoveth a wife to be both outward and inward with her husband; contenting herself with little from him, if he cannot give her much, and taking pattern by Ayishah the Truthful and Fatimah the virgin mother (Allah Almighty accept of them the twain!), that she may be of the company of the righteous ancestry.[FN#127] And I have heard the following tale of

KHUSRAU AND SHIRIN AND THE FISHERMAN

King Khusrau[FN#128] Shahinshah of Persia loved fish; and one day, as he sat in his saloon, he and Shirin his wife, there came a fisherman, with a great fish, and he laid it before the King, who was pleased and ordered the man four thousand dirhams.[FN#129] Thereupon Shirin said to the King, "Thou hast done ill." Asked he, "And why?", and she answered, "Because if, after this, though give one of thy courtiers a like sum, he will disdain it and say, ?He hath but given me the like of what he gave the fisherman.' And if thou give him less, the same will say, ?He despiseth me and giveth me less than he gave the fisherman.'" Rejoined Khusrau, "Thou art right, but it would dishonour a king to go back on his gift; and the thing is done."

Quoth Shirin, "If thou wilt, I will contrive thee a means to get it back from him." Quoth he, "How so?"; and she said, "Call back, if thou so please, the fisherman and ask him if the fish be male or female. If he say, ?Male,' say thou, ?We want a female,'

and if he say, ?Female,' say, ?We want a male.'" So the King sent for the fisherman, who was a man of wit and astuteness, and said to him, "Is this fish male or female?" whereupon the fisherman kissed the ground and answered, "This fish is an hermaphrodite,[FN#130] neither male nor female." Khusrau laughed at his clever reply and ordered him other four thousand dirhams.

So the fisherman went to the treasurer and, taking his eight thousand dirhams, put them in a sack he had with him. Then, throwing it over his shoulder, he was going away, when he dropped a dirham; so he laid the bag off his back and stooped down to pick it up. Now the King and Shirin were looking on, and the Queen said, "O King, didst thou note the meanness of the man, in that he must needs stoop down to pick up the one dirham, and could not bring himself to leave it for any of the King's servants?" When the King heard these words, he was exceeding wroth with the fisherman and said, "Thou art right, O Shirin!"

So he called the man back and said to him, "Thou low-minded carle! Thou art no man! How couldst thou put the bag with all this money off thy back and bend thee groundwards to pick up the one dirham and grudge to leave it where it fell?" Thereupon the fisherman kissed the earth before him and answered, "May Allah prolong the King's life! Indeed, I did not pick up the dirham off the ground because of its value in my eyes; but I raised it off the earth because on one of its faces is the likeness of the King and on the other his name; and I feared lest any should unwittingly set foot upon it, thus dishonouring the name and presentment of the King, and I be blamed for this offence." The King wondered at his words and approved of his wit and shrewdness, and ordered him yet another four thousand dirhams.

Moreover, he bade cry abroad in his kingdom, saying, "It behoveth none to be guided by women's counsel; for whoso followeth their advice, loseth, with his one dirham, other twain."[FN#131] And here is the tale they tell of

YAHYA BIN KHALID THE BARMECIDE AND THE POOR MAN

Yahya bin Khalid the Barmecide was returning home, one day, from the Caliph's palace, when he saw, at the gate of his mansion, a man who rose as he drew near and saluted him, saying, "O Yahya, I am in sore need of that which is in they hand, and I make Allah my intermediary with thee." So Yahya caused a place to be set aside for him in his house and bade his treasurer carry him a thousand dirhams every day and ordered that his diet be of the choicest of his own meat. The man abode in this case a whole month, at the end of which time, having received in all thirty thousand dirhams and fearing lest Yahya should take the money from him, because of the greatness of the sum, he departed by stealth.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Three Hundred and Ninety-second Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the man, taking with him the money, departed by stealth. But when they told Yahya of this, he said, "By Allah, though he had tarried with me to the end of his days, yet had I not stinted him of my largesse nor cut off from him the bounties of my hospitality!"

For, indeed, the excellences of the Barmecides were past count nor can their virtues be committed to description, especially those of Yahya bin Khalid, for he was an ocean[FN#132] of n.o.ble qualities, even as saith the poet of him,

"I asked of Bounty, ?Art thou free?' Quoth she, *

?No, I am slave to Yahya Khalid-son!'

?Boughten?' asked I. ?Allah forfend,' quoth she, *

?By heirship, sire to sire's transmission!'"

And the following is related of