The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night Volume VII Part 11

Then she gave the missive to the old woman, saying, "O my nurse, do thou admonish this puppy lest I be forced to cut off his head and sin on his account." Replied the old woman, "By Allah, O my lady, I will not leave him a side to turn on!"

Then she returned to the youth and, when salams had been exchanged, she gave him the letter. He read it and shook his head, saying, "Verily, we are Allah's and unto him shall we return!" adding, "O my mother, what shall I do? My fort.i.tude faileth me and my patience palleth upon me!" She replied, "O my son, be long- suffering: peradventure, after this Allah shall bring somewhat to pa.s.s. Write that which is in thy mind and I will fetch thee an answer, and be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear; for needs must I bring about union between thee and her,-- Inshallah!" He blessed her and wrote to the Princess a note containing these couplets,

"Since none will lend my love a helping hand, * And I by pa.s.sion's bale in death low-lain, I bear a flaming fire within my heart * By day and night nor place of rest attain, How cease to hope in thee, my wishes' term? * Or with my longings to be glad and fain?

The Lord of highmost Heaven to grant my prayer * Pray I, whom love of lady fair hath slain; And as I'm clean o'erthrown by love and fear, * To grant me speedy union deign, oh deign!"

Then he folded the scroll and gave it to the old woman, bringing out at the same time a purse of four hundred dinars.

She took the whole and returning to the palace sought the Princess to whom she gave the letter; but the King's daughter refused to take it and cried, "What is this?" Replied the old woman, "O my lady, this is only the answer to the letter thou sentest to that merchant dog." Quoth Hayat al-Nufus, "Didst thou forbid him as I told thee?"; and quoth she, "Yes, and this is his reply." So the Princess took the letter and read it to the end; then she turned to the old woman and exclaimed, "Where is the result of thy promise?" "O my lady, saith he not in his letter that he repenteth and will not again offend, excusing himself for the past?" "Not so, by Allah!: on the contrary, he increaseth." "O my lady, write him a letter and thou shalt presently see what I will do with him." "There needeth nor letter nor answer." "I must have a letter that I may rebuke him roughly and cut off his hopes." "Thou canst do that without a letter." "I cannot do it without the letter."

So Hayat al-Nufus called for pen-case and paper and wrote these verses,

"Long have I chid thee but my chiding hindereth thee not * How often would my verse with writ o' hand ensnare thee, ah!

Then keep thy pa.s.sion hidden deep and ever unrevealed, * And if thou dare gainsay me Earth shall no more bear thee, ah!

And if, despite my warning, thou dost to such words return, *

Death's Messenger[FN#275] shall go his rounds and dead declare thee, ah!

Soon shall the wold's fierce chilling blast o'erblow that corse o' thine; * And birds o' the wild with ravening bills and beaks shall tear thee, ah!

Return to righteous course; perchance that same will profit thee; * If bent on wilful aims and lewd I fain forswear thee, ah!"

When she had made an end of her writing this, she cast the writ from her hand in wrath, and the old woman picked it up and went with it to Ardashir. When he read it to the last he knew that she had not softened to him, but only redoubled in rage against him and that he would never win to meet her, so he bethought himself to write her an answer invoking Allah's help against her. Thereupon he indited these couplets,

"O Lord, by the Five Shaykhs, I pray deliver me * From love, which gars me bear such grief and misery.

Thou knowest what I bear for pa.s.sion's fiery flame; * What stress of sickness for that merciless maid I dree.

She hath no pity on the pangs to me decreed; * How long on weakly wight shall last her tyranny?

I am distraught for her with pa.s.sing agonies * And find no friend, O folk! to hear my plaint and plea.

How long, when Night hath drooped her pinions o'er the world, * Shall I lament in public as in privacy?

For love of you I cannot find forgetfulness; * And how forget when Patience taketh wings to flee?

O thou wild parting-bird[FN#276] say is she safe and sure *

From shift and change of time and the world's cruelty?"

Then he folded the scroll and gave it to the old woman, adding a purse of five hundred dinars; and she took it and carried it to the Princess, who read it to the end and learned its purport. Then, casting it from her hand, she cried, "Tell me O wicked old woman, the cause of all that hath befallen me from thee and from thy cunning and thine advocacy of him, so that thou hast made me write letter after letter and thou ceasest not to carry messages, going and coming between us twain, till thou hast brought about a correspondence and a connection.

Thou leavest not to say, 'I will ensure thee against his mischief and cut off from thee his speech'; but thou speakest not thus save only to the intent that I may continue to write thee letters and thou to fetch and carry between us, evening and morning, till thou ruin my repute. Woe to thee! Ho, eunuchs, seize her!" Then Hayat al-Nufus commanded them to beat her, and they lashed her till her whole body flowed with blood and she fainted away, whereupon the King's daughter caused her slave-women to drag her forth by the feet and cast her without the palace and bade one of them stand by her head till she recovered, and say to her, "The Princess hath sworn an oath that thou shalt never return to and re-enter this palace; and she hath commanded to slay thee without mercy an thou dare return hither." So, when she came to herself, the damsel told her what the King's daughter said and she answered, "Hearkening and obedience." Presently the slave-girls fetched a basket and a porter whom they caused carry her to her own house; and they sent after her a physician, bidding him tend her a.s.siduously till she recovered. He did what he was told to do and as soon as she was whole she mounted and rode to the shop of Ardashir who was concerned with sore concern for her absence and was longing for news of her. As soon as he saw her, he sprang up and coming to meet her, saluted her; then he noticed that she was weak and ailing; so he questioned her of her case and she told him all that had befallen her from her nursling. When he heard this, he found it grievous and smote hand upon hand, saying, "By Allah, O my mother, this that hath betided thee straiteneth my heart! But, what, O my mother, is the reason of the Princess's hatred to men?" Replied the old woman, "Thou must know O my son, that she hath a beautiful garden, than which there is naught goodlier on earth's face and it chanced that she lay there one night. In the joyance of sleep, she dreamt a dream and 'twas this, that she went down into the garden, where she saw a fowler set up his net and strew corn thereabout, after which he withdrew and sat down afar off to await what game should fall into it. Ere an hour had pa.s.sed the birds flocked to pick up the corn and a male pigeon[FN#277] fell into the net and struggled in it, whereat all the others took fright and fled from him. His mate was amongst them, but she returned to him after the shortest delay; and, coming up to the net, sought out the mesh wherein his foot was entangled and ceased not to peck at it with her bill, till she severed it and released her husband, with whom she flew away. All this while, the fowler sat dozing, and when he awoke, he looked at the net and found it spoilt. So he mended it and strewed fresh grain, then withdrew to a distance and sat down to watch it again. The birds soon returned and began to pick up the corn, and among the rest the pair of pigeons. Presently, the she-pigeon fell into the net and struggled to get free; whereupon all the other birds flew away, and her mate, whom she had saved, fled with the rest and did not return to her. Meantime, sleep had again overcome the fowler; and, when he awoke after long slumbering, he saw the she-pigeon caught in the net; so he went up to her and freeing her feet from the meshes, cut her throat. The Princess startled by the dream awoke troubled, and said, 'Thus do men with women, for women have pity on men and throw away their lives for them, when they are in difficulties; but if the Lord decree against a woman and she fall into calamity, her mate deserteth her and rescueth her not, and wasted is that which she did with him of kindness. Allah curse her who putteth her trust in men, for they ill requite the fair offices which women do them!' And from that day she conceived an hatred to men." Said the King's son, "O my mother, doth she never go out into the highways?"; and the old woman replied, "Nay, O my son; but I will tell thee somewhat wherein, Allah willing, there shall be profit for thee. She hath a garden which is of the goodliest pleasaunces of the age; and every year, at the time of the ripening of the fruits, she goeth thither and taketh her pleasure therein only one day, nor layeth the night but in her pavilion. She entereth the garden by the private wicket of the palace which leadeth thereto; and thou must know that it wanteth now but a month to the time of her going forth. So take my advice and hie thee this very day to the keeper of that garden and make acquaintance with him and gain his good graces, for he admitteth not one of Allah's creatures into the garth, because of its communication with the Princess's palace. I will let thee know two days beforehand of the day fixed for her coming forth, when do thou repair to the garden, as of thy wont, and make shift to night there. When the King's daughter cometh be thou hidden in some place or other";--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-fifth Night,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old woman charged the King's son, saying, "I will let thee know two days beforehand of the King's daughter going down to the garden: do thou hide thee in some place or other; and, when thou espiest her, come forth and show thyself to her.

When she seeth thee, she will fall in love with thee; for thou art fair to look upon and love covereth all things. So keep thine eyes cool and clear[FN#278] and be of good cheer, O my son, for needs must I bring about union between thee and her."

The young Prince kissed her hand and thanked her and gave her three pieces of Alexandrian silk and three of satin of various colours, and with each piece, linen for shifts and stuff for trousers and a kerchief for the turband and fine white cotton cloth of Ba'albak for the linings, so as to make her six complete suits, each handsomer than its sister. Moreover, he gave her a purse containing six hundred gold pieces and said to her, "This is for the tailoring." She took the whole and said to him, "O my son, art thou not pleased to acquaint me with thine abiding-place and I also will show thee the way to my lodging?" "Yes," answered he and sent a Mameluke with her to note her home and show her his own house. Then he rose and bidding his slaves shut the shop, went back to the Wazir, to whom he related all that had pa.s.sed between him and the old woman, from first to last. Quoth the Minister, "O my son, should the Princess Hayat al-Nufus come out and look upon thee and thou find no favour with her what wilt thou do?" Quoth Ardashir, "There will be nothing left but to pa.s.s from words to deeds and risk my life with her; for I will s.n.a.t.c.h her up from amongst her attendants and set her behind me on a swift horse and make for the wildest of the wold. If I escape, I shall have won my wish and if I perish, I shall be at rest from this hateful life." Rejoined the Minister, "O my son, dost thou think to do this thing and live? How shall we make our escape, seeing that our country is far distant, and how wilt thou deal thus with a King of the Kings of the Age, who hath under his hand an hundred thousand horse, nor can we be sure but that he will despatch some of his troops to cut off our way? Verily, there is no good in this project which no wise man would attempt." Asked Ardashir, "And how then shall we do, O Wazir of good counsel? For unless I win her I am a dead man without a chance." The Minister answered, "Wait till to-morrow when we will visit this garden and note its condition and see what betideth us with the care-taker." So when the morning morrowed they took a thousand dinars in a poke and, repairing to the garden, found it compa.s.sed about with high walls and strong, rich in trees and rill-full leas and goodly fruiteries. And indeed its flowers breathed perfume and its birds warbled amid the bloom as it were a garden of the gardens of Paradise. Within the door sat a Shaykh, an old man on a stone bench and they saluted him. When he saw them and noted the fairness of their favour, he rose to his feet after returning their salute, and said, "O my lords, perchance ye have a wish which we may have the honour of satisfying?"

Replied the Wazir, "Know, O elder, that we are strangers and the heat hath overcome us: our lodging is afar off at the other end of the city; so we desire of thy courtesy that thou take these two dinars and buy us somewhat of provaunt and open us meanwhile the door of this flower-garden and seat us in some shaded place, where there is cold water, that we may cool ourselves there, against thy return with the provision, when we will eat, and thou with us, and then, rested and refreshed, we shall wend our ways." So saying, he pulled out of his pouch a couple of dinars and put them into the keeper's hand. Now this care-taker was a man aged three-score and ten, who had never in all his life possessed so much money: so, when he saw the two dinars in his hand, he was like to fly for joy and rising forthwith opened the garden gate to the Prince and the Wazir, and made them enter and sit down under a wide-spreading, fruit-laden, shade-affording tree, saying, "Sit ye here and go no further into the garden, for it hath a privy door communicating with the palace of the Princess Hayat al-Nufus." They replied, "We will not stir hence." Whereupon he went out to buy what they had ordered and returned after awhile, with a porter bearing on his head a roasted lamb and bread. They ate and drank together and talked awhile, till, presently, the Wazir, looking about him in all corners right and left, caught sight of a lofty pavilion at the farther end of the garden; but it was old and the plaster was peeled from its walls and its b.u.t.tresses were broken down. So he said to the Gardener, "O Shaykh, is this garden thine own or dost thou hire it?"; and he replied, "I am neither owner nor tenant of the garden, only its care-taker." Asked the Minister, "And what is thy wage?" whereto the old man answered, "A dinar a month," and quoth the Wazir, "Verily they wrong thee, especially an thou have a family." Quoth the elder, "By Allah, O my lord, I have eight children and I"-- The Wazir broke in, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Thou makest me bear thy grief my poor fellow! What wouldst thou say of him who should do thee a good turn, on account of this family of thine?" Replied the old man, "O my lord, whatsoever good thou dost shall be garnered up for thee with G.o.d the Most High!" Thereupon said the Wazir, "O Shaykh, thou knowest this garden of thine to be a goodly place; but the pavilion yonder is old and ruinous. Now I mean to repair it and stucco it anew and paint it handsomely, so that it will be the finest thing in the garth; and when the owner comes and finds the pavilion restored and beautified, he will not fail to question thee concerning it. Then do thou say, 'O my lord, at great expense I set it in repair, for that I saw it in ruins and none could make use of it nor could anyone sit therein.' If he says, 'Whence hadst thou the money for this?' reply, 'I spent of my own money upon the stucco, thereby thinking to whiten my face with thee and hoping for thy bounties.' And needs must he recompense thee fairly over the extent of thine expenses. To-morrow I will bring builders and plasterers and painters to repair this pavilion and will give thee what I promised thee." Then he pulled out of his poke a purse of five hundred dinars and gave it to the Gardener, saying, "Take these gold pieces and expend them upon thy family and let them pray for me and for this my son."

Thereupon the Prince asked the Wazir, "What is the meaning of all this?" and he answered, "Thou shalt presently see the issue thereof."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-sixth Night,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Wazir gave five hundred ducats to the old Gardener, saying, "Take these gold pieces and expend them upon thy family and let them pray for this my son," the old man looked at the gold and his wits fled; so he fell down at the Wazir's feet, kissing them and invoking blessings on him and his son; and when they went away, he said to them, "I shall expect you to-morrow: for by Allah Almighty, there must be no parting between us, night or day." Next morning the Wazir went to the Prince's shop and sent for the syndic of the builders; then he carried him and his men to the garth, where the Gardener rejoiced in their sight. He gave them the price of rations[FN#279] and what was needful to the work- men for the restoration of the pavilion, and they repaired it and stucco'd it and decorated it. Then said the Minister to the painters, "Harkye, my masters, listen to my words and apprehend my wish and my aim. Know that I have a garden like this, where I was sleeping one night among the nights and saw in a dream a fowler set up nets and sprinkle corn thereabout. The birds flocked to pick up the grain, and a c.o.c.k-bird fell into the net, whereupon the others took fright and flew away, and amongst the rest his mate; but, after awhile, she returned alone and picked at the mesh that held his feet, till she set him free and they flew away together. Now the fowler had fallen asleep and, when he awoke, he found the net empty; so he mended it and strewing fresh grain sat down afar off, waiting for game to fall into that snare. Presently the birds a.s.sembled again to pick up the grains, and amongst the rest the two pigeons. By-and-by, the hen-bird fell into the net, when all the other birds took fright at her and flew away, and her husband flew with them and did not return; whereupon the fowler came up and taking the quarry, cut her throat. Now, when her mate flew away with the others, a bird of raven seized him and slew him and ate his flesh and drank his blood, and I would have you pourtray me the presentment of this my dream, even as I have related it to you, in the liveliest colours, laying the fair scene in this rare garden, with its walls and trees and rills, and dwell especially on the fowler and the falcon. If ye do this I have set forth to you and the work please me, I will give you what shall gladden your hearts, over and above your wage." The painters, hearing these words, applied themselves with all diligence to do what he required of them and wrought it out in masterly style; and when they had made an end of the work, they showed it to the Wazir who, seeing his so-called dream set forth as it was[FN#280] was pleased and thanked them and rewarded them munificently. Presently, the Prince came in, according to his custom, and entered the pavilion, unweeting what the Wazir had done. So when he saw the portraiture of the fowler and the birds and the net and beheld the male pigeon in the clutches of the hawk, which had slain him and was drinking his blood and eating his flesh, his understanding was confounded and he returned to the Minister and said, "O Wazir of good counsel, I have seen this day a marvel which, were it graven with needle-gravers on the eye-corners would be a warner to whoso will be warned?" Asked the Minister, "And what is that, O my lord?"; and the Prince answered, "Did I not tell thee of the dream the Princess had and how it was the cause of her hatred for men?" "Yes," replied the Wazir; and Ardashir rejoined, "By Allah, O Minister, I have seen the whole dream pourtrayed in painting, as I had eyed it with mine own eyes; but I found therein a circ.u.mstance which was hidden from the Princess, so that she saw it not, and 'tis upon this that I rely for the winning of my wish." Quoth the Wazir, "And what is that, O my son?"; and quoth the Prince, "I saw that, when the male bird flew away; and, leaving his mate entangled in the net, failed to return and save her, a falcon pounced on him and slaying him, ate his flesh and drank his blood. Would to Heaven the Princess had seen the whole of the dream and had beheld the cause of his failure to return and rescue her!" Replied the Wazir, "By Allah, O auspicious King, this is indeed a rare thing and a wonderful!" And the King's son ceased not to marvel at the picture and lament that the King's daughter had not beheld the dream to its end, saying in himself, "Would she had seen it to the last or might see the whole over again, though but in the imbroglio of sleep!" Then quoth the Wazir to him, "Thou saidst to me, 'Why wilt thou repair the pavilion?'; and I replied, 'Thou shalt presently see the issue thereof.'

And behold, now its issue thou seest; for it was I did this deed and bade the painters pourtray the Princess's dream thus and paint the male bird in the pounces of the falcon which eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood; so that when she cometh to the pavilion, she will behold her dream depicted and see how the c.o.c.k-pigeon was slain and excuse him and turn from her hate for men." When the Prince heard the Wazir's words, he kissed his hands and thanked him, saying, "Verily, the like of thee is fit to be Minister to the most mighty King, and, by Allah, an I win my wish and return to my sire, rejoicing, I will a.s.suredly acquaint him with this, that he may redouble in honouring thee and advance thee in dignity and hearken to thine every word." So the Wazir kissed his hand and they both went to the old Gardener and said, "Look at yonder pavilion and see how fine it is!" And he replied, "This is all of your happy thought." Then said they, "O elder, when the owners of the place question thee concerning the restoration of the pavilion, say thou, ''Twas I did it of my own monies'; to the intent that there may betide thee fair favour and good fortune." He said, "I hear and I obey"; and the Prince continued to pay him frequent visits. Such was the case with the Prince and the Wazir; but as regards Hayat al-Nufus, when she ceased to receive the Prince's letters and messages and when the old woman was absent from her, she rejoiced with joy exceeding and concluded that the young man had returned to his own country. One day, there came to her a covered tray from her father; so she uncovered it and finding therein fine fruits, asked her waiting-women, "Is the season of these fruits come?" Answered they, "Yes." Thereupon she cried, "Would we might make ready to take our pleasure in the flower-garden!"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Princess, after receiving the fruit from her sire, asked, "Is the season of these fruits set in?"; and they answered, "Yes!"

Thereupon she cried, "Would we might make ready to take our pleasure in the flower-garden!" "O my lady," they replied, "thou sayest well, and by Allah, we also long for the garden!"

So she enquired, "How shall we do, seeing that every year it is none save my nurse who taketh us to walk in the garden and who pointeth out to us the various trees and plants; and I have beaten her and forbidden her from me? Indeed, I repent me of what was done by me to her, for that, in any case, she is my nurse and hath over me the right of fosterage. But there is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!" When her handmaids heard this, they all sprang up; and, kissing the ground between her hands, exclaimed, "Allah upon thee, O my lady, do thou pardon her and bid her to the presence!"; and quoth she, "By Allah, I am resolved upon this; but which of you will go to her, for I have prepared her a splendid robe of honour?" Hereupon two damsels came forward, by name Bulbul and Siwad al-'Ayn, who were comely and graceful and the princ.i.p.als among the Princess's women, and her favourites. And they said, "We will go to her, O King's daughter!"; and she said, "Do what seemeth good to you." So they went to the house of the nurse and knocked at the door and entered; and she, recognising the twain, received them with open arms and welcomed them. When they had sat awhile with her, they said to her, "O nurse, the Princess pardoneth thee and desireth to take thee back into favour." She replied, "This may never be, though I drink the cup of ruin! Hast thou forgotten how she put me to shame before those who love me and those who hate me, when my clothes were dyed with my blood and I well nigh died for stress of beating, and after this they dragged me forth by the feet, like a dead dog, and cast me without the door? So by Allah, I will never return to her nor fill my eyes with her sight!" Quoth the two girls, "Disappoint not our pains in coming to thee nor send us away unsuccessful.

Where is thy courtesy uswards? Think but who it is that cometh in to visit thee: canst thou wish for any higher of standing than we with the King's daughter?" She replied, "I take refuge with Allah: well I wot that my station is less than yours; were it not that the Princess's favour exalted me above all her women, so that, were I wroth with the greatest of them, she had died in her skin of fright." They rejoined, "All is as it was and naught is in anywise changed. Indeed, 'tis better than before, for the Princess humbleth herself to thee and seeketh a reconciliation without intermediary." Said the old woman, "By Allah, were it not for your presence and intercession with me, I had never returned to her; no, not though she had commanded to slay me!" They thanked her for this and she rose and dressing herself accompanied them to the palace. Now when the King's daughter saw her, she sprang to her feet in honour, and the old woman said, "Allah! Allah! O King's daughter, say me, whose was the fault, mine or thine?"

Hayat al-Nufus replied, "The fault was mine, and 'tis thine to pardon and forgive. By Allah, O my nurse, thy rank is high with me and thou hast over me the right of fosterage; but thou knowest that Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) hath allotted to His creatures four things, disposition, life, daily bread and death; nor is it in man's power to avert that which is decreed. Verily, I was beside myself and could not recover my senses; but, O my nurse, I repent of what deed I did." With this, the crone's anger ceased from her and she rose and kissed the ground before the Princess, who called for a costly robe of honour and threw it over her, whereat she rejoiced with exceeding joy in the presence of the Princess's slaves and women. When all ended thus happily, Hayat al-Nufus said to the old woman, "O my nurse, how go the fruits and growths of our garth?"; and she replied, "O my lady, I see excellent fruits in the town; but I will enquire of this matter and return thee an answer this very day." Then she withdrew, honoured with all honour and betook herself to Ardashir, who received her with open arms and embraced her and rejoiced in her coming, for that he had expected her long and longingly.

She told him all that had pa.s.sed between herself and the Princess and how her mistress was minded to go down into the garden on such a day.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-eighth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old woman betook herself to the Prince and told him all that had pa.s.sed between herself and the Princess Hayat al-Nufus; and how her mistress was minded to go down into the garden on such a day and said to him, "Hast thou done as I bade thee with the Warder of the garden and hast thou made him taste of thy bounties?" He replied, "Yes, and the oldster is become my good friend: my way is his way and he would well I had need of him." Then he told her all that had happened and of the dream-paintings which the Wazir had caused to be limned in the pavilion; especially of the fowler, the net and the falcon: whereat she joyed with great joy and said, "Allah upon thee, do thou set thy Minister mid- most thy heart, for this that he hath done pointeth to the keenness of his wit and he hath helped thee to the winning thy wish. So rise forthright, O my son, and go to the Hammam-bath and don thy daintiest dress, wherein may be our success. Then fare thou to the Gardener and make shift to pa.s.s the night in the garden, for though he should give the earth full of gold none may win to pa.s.s into it, whilst the King's daughter is therein. When thou hast entered, hide thee where no eye may espy thee and keep concealed till thou hear me cry, 'O Thou whose boons are hidden, save us from that we fear!' Then come forth from thine ambush and walk among the trees and show thy beauty and loveliness which put the moons to shame, to the intent that Princess Hayat al-Nufus may see thee and that her heart and soul may be filled with love of thee; so shalt thou attain to thy wish and thy grief be gone." "To hear is to obey," replied the young Prince and gave her a purse of a thousand dinars, which she took and went away. Thereupon Ardashir fared straight for the bath and washed; after which he arrayed himself in the richest of robes of the apparel of the Kings of the Chosroes and girt his middle with a girdle wherein were conjoined all manner precious stones and donned a turband inwoven with red gold and purfled with pearls and gems. His cheeks shone rosy-red and his lips were scarlet; his eyelids like the gazelle's wantoned; like a wine-struck wight in his gait he swayed; beauty and loveliness garbed him, and his shape shamed the bowing of the bough. Then he put in his pocket a purse containing a thousand dinars and, repairing to the flower-garden, knocked at the door. The Gardener opened to him and rejoicing with great joy salamed to him in most worshipful fashion; then, observing that his face was overcast, he asked him how he did. The King's son answered, "Know, O elder, that I am dear to my father and he never laid his hand on me till this day, when words arose between us and he abused me and smote me on the face and struck me with his staff and drave me away. Now I have no friend to turn to and I fear the perfidy of Fortune, for thou knowest that the wrath of parents is no light thing. Wherefore I come to thee, O uncle, seeing that to my father thou art known, and I desire of thy favour that thou suffer me abide in the garden till the end of the day, or pa.s.s the night there, till Allah grant good understanding between myself and my sire." When the old man heard these words he was concerned anent what had occurred and said, "O my lord, dost thou give me leave to go to thy sire and be the means of reconciliation between thee and him?"

Replied Ardashir, "O uncle, thou must know that my father is of impatient nature, and irascible; so an thou proffer him reconciliation in his heat of temper he will make thee no answer; but when a day or two shall have pa.s.sed, his heat will soften. Then go thou in to him and thereupon he will relent."

"Hearkening and obedience," quoth the Gardener; "But, O my lord, do thou come with me to my house, where thou shalt night with my children and my family and none shall reproach this to us." Quoth Ardashir, "O uncle, I must be alone when I am angry."[FN#281] The old man said, "It irketh me that thou shouldst lie solitary in the garden, when I have a house." But Ardashir said, "O uncle, I have an aim in this, that the trouble of my mind may be dispelled from me and I know that in this lies the means of regaining his favour and softening his heart to me." Rejoined the Gardener, "I will fetch thee a carpet to sleep on and a coverlet wherewith to cover thee;"

and the Prince said, "There is no harm in that, O uncle." So the keeper rose and opened the garden to him, and brought him the carpet and coverlet, knowing not that the King's daughter was minded to visit the garth. On this wise fared it with the Prince; but as regards the nurse, she returned to the Princess and told her that the fruits were kindly ripe on the garden trees; whereupon she said, "O my nurse, go down with me to-morrow into the garden, that we may walk about in it and take our pleasure,--Inshallah; and send meanwhile to the Gardener, to let him know what we purpose." So she sent to the Gardener to say, "The Princess will visit the parterre to-morrow, so leave neither water-carriers nor tree-tenders therein, nor let one of Allah's creatures enter the garth."

When word came to him, he set his water-ways and channels in order and, going to Ardashir, said to him, "O my lord, the King's daughter is mistress of this garden; and I have only to crave thy pardon, for the place is thy place and I live only in thy favours, except that my tongue is under thy feet.[FN#282] I must tell thee that the Princess Hayat al-Nufus hath a mind to visit it to-morrow at the first of the day and hath bidden me leave none therein who might look upon her. So I would have thee of thy favour go forth of the garden this day, for the Queen will abide only in it till the time of mid-afternoon prayer and after it shall be at thy service for se'nnights and fortnights, months and years." Ardashir asked, "O elder, haply we have caused thee some mishap?"; and the other answered, "By Allah, O my lord, naught hath betided me from thee but honour!" Rejoined the Prince, "An it be so, nothing but all good shall befal thee through us; for I will hide in the garden and none shall espy me, till the King's daughter hath gone back to her palace." Said the Gardener, "O my lord, an she espy the shadow of a man in the garden or any of Allah's male creatures she will strike off my head;"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-ninth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Gardener said to the Prince, "An the King's daughter espy the shadow of a man in her garden, she will strike off my head;" the youth replied, "Have no fear, I will on no wise let any see me. But doubtless to-day thou lackest of spending-money for thy family." Then he put his hand to his purse and pulled out five hundred ducats, which he gave to him saying, "Take this gold and lay it out on thy family, that thy heart may be at ease concerning them." When the Shaykh looked upon the gold, his life seemed a light thing to him[FN#283]

and he suffered the Prince to tarry where he was, charging him straitly not to show himself in the garden. Then he left him loitering about. Meanwhile, when the eunuchs went in to the Princess at break of day, she bade open the private wicket leading from the palace to the parterres and donned a royal robe, embroidered with pearls and jewels and gems, over a shift of fine silk purfled with rubies. Under the whole was that which tongue refuseth to explain, whereat was confounded the brain and whose love would embrave the craven's strain. On her head she set a crown of red gold, inlaid with pearls and gems and she tripped in pattens of cloth of gold, embroidered with fresh pearls[FN#284] and adorned with all manner precious stones. Then she put her hand upon the old woman's shoulder and commanded to go forth by the privy door; but the nurse looked at the garden and, seeing it full of eunuchs and handmaids walking about, eating the fruits and troubling the streams and taking their ease of sport and pleasure in the water said to the Princess, "O my lady, is this a garden or a madhouse?" Quoth the Princess, "What meaneth thy speech, O nurse?"; and quoth the old woman, "Verily the garden is full of slave-girls and eunuchs, eating of the fruits and troubling the streams and scaring the birds and hindering us from taking our ease and sporting and laughing and what not else; and thou hast no need of them. Wert thou going forth of thy palace into the highway, this would be fitting, as an honour and a ward to thee; but, now, O my lady, thou goest forth of the wicket into the garden, where none of Almighty Allah's creatures may look on thee." Rejoined the Princess, "By Allah, O nurse mine, thou sayst sooth! But how shall we do?"; and the old woman said, "Bid the eunuchs send them all away and keep only two of the slave-girls, that we may make merry with them. So she dismissed them all, with the exception of two of her handmaids who were most in favour with her. But when the old woman saw that her heart was light and that the season was pleasant to her, she said to her, "Now we can enjoy ourselves aright: so up and let us take our pleasance in the garden." The Princess put her hand upon her shoulder and went out by the private door. The two waiting-women walked in front and she followed them laughing at them and swaying gracefully to and fro in her ample robes; whilst the nurse forewent her, showing her the trees and feeding her with fruits; and so they fared on from place to place, till they came to the pavilion, which when the King's daughter beheld and saw that it had been restored, she asked the old woman, "O my nurse, seest thou yonder pavilion?

It hath been repaired and its walls whitened." She answered, "By Allah, O my lady, I heard say that the keeper of the garden had taken stuffs of a company of merchants and sold them and bought bricks and lime and plaster and stones and so forth with the price; so I asked him what he had done with all this, and he said, 'I have repaired the pavilion which lay in ruins,' presently adding, 'And when the merchants sought their due of me, I said to them, 'Wait 'till the Princess visit the garden and see the repairs and they satisfy her; then will I take of her what she is pleased to bestow on me, and pay you what is your due.' Quoth I, 'What moved thee to do this thing?'; and quoth he, 'I saw the pavilion in ruins, the coigns thrown down and the stucco peeled from the walls, and none had the grace to repair it; so I borrowed the coin on my own account and restored the place; and I trust in the King's daughter to deal with me as befitteth her dignity.' I said, 'The Princess is all goodness and generosity and will no doubt requite thee.' And he did all this but in hopes of thy bounty." Replied the Princess, "By Allah, he hath dealt n.o.bly in rebuilding it and hath done the deed of generous men! Call me my purse-keeperess." The old woman accordingly fetched the purse-keeperess, whom the Princess bade give the Gardener two thousand dinars; whereupon the nurse sent to him, bidding him to the presence of the King's daughter. But when the messenger said to him, "Obey the Queen's order," the Gardener felt feeble and, trembling in every joint, said in himself, "Doubtless, the Princess hath seen the young man, and this day will be the most unlucky of days for me." So he went home and told his wife and children what had happened and gave them his last charges and farewelled them, while they wept for and with him. Then he presented himself before the Princess, with a face the colour of turmeric and ready to fall flat at full length. The old woman remarked his plight and hastened to forestall him, saying "O Shaykh, kiss the earth in thanksgiving to Almighty Allah and be constant in prayer to Him for the Princess. I told her what thou didst in the matter of repairing the ruined pavilion, and she rejoiceth in this and bestoweth on thee two thousand dinars in requital of thy pains; so take them from the purse-keeperess and kiss the earth before the King's daughter and bless her and wend thy way." Hearing these words he took the gold and kissed the ground before Hayat al-Nufus, calling down blessings on her.

Then he returned to his house, and his family rejoiced in him and blessed him[FN#285] who had been the prime cause of this business.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Seven Hundred and Thirtieth Night,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Care-taker took the two thousand ducats from the Princess and returned to his house, all his family rejoiced in him and blessed him who had been the prime cause of this business.

Thus it fared with these; but as regards the old woman, she said to the Princess, "O my lady, this is indeed become a fine place! Never saw I a purer white than its plastering nor properer than its painting! I wonder if he have also repaired it within: else hath he made the outside white and left the inside black. Come, let us enter and inspect." So they went in, the nurse preceding, and found the interior painted and gilded in the goodliest way. The Princess looked right and left, till she came to the upper end of the estrade, when she fixed her eyes upon the wall and gazed long and earnestly thereat; whereupon the old woman knew that her glance had lighted on the presentment of her dream and took the two waiting-women away with her, that they might not divert her mind. When the King's daughter had made an end of examining the painting, she turned to the old woman, wondering and beating hand on hand, and said to her, "O my nurse, come, see a wondrous thing which were it graven with needle-gravers on the eye corners would be a warner to whoso will be warned."

She replied, "And what is that, O my lady?"; when the Princess rejoined, "Go, look at the upper end of the estrade, and tell me what thou seest there." So she went up and considered the dream-drawing: then she came down, wondering, and said, "By Allah, O my lady, here is depicted the garden and the fowler and his net and the birds and all thou sawest in thy dream; and verily, nothing but urgent need withheld the male pigeon from returning to free his mate after he had fled her, for I see him in the talons of a bird of raven which hath slaughtered him and is drinking his blood and rending his flesh and eating it; and this, O my lady, caused his tarrying to return and rescue her from the net. But, O my mistress, the wonder is how thy dream came to be thus depicted, for, wert thou minded to set it forth in painture, thou hadst not availed to portray it. By Allah, this is a marvel which should be recorded in histories! Surely, O my lady, the angels appointed to attend upon the sons of Adam, knew that the c.o.c.k-pigeon was wronged of us, because we blamed him for deserting his mate; so they embraced his cause and made manifest his excuse; and now for the first time we see him in the hawk's pounces a dead bird." Quoth the Princess, "O my nurse, verily, Fate and Fortune had course against this bird, and we did him wrong." Quoth the nurse, "O my mistress, foes shall meet before Allah the Most High: but, O my lady, verily, the truth hath been made manifest and the male pigeon's excuse certified to us; for had the hawk not seized him and drunk his blood and rent his flesh he had not held aloof from his mate, but had returned to her, and set her free from the net; but against death there is no recourse, nor, O my lady, is there aught in the world more tenderly solicitous than the male for the female, among all creatures which Almighty Allah hath created. And especially 'tis thus with man; for he starveth himself to feed his wife, strippeth himself to clothe her, angereth his family to please her and disobeyeth and denieth his parents to endow her. She knoweth his secrets and concealeth them and she cannot endure from him a single hour.[FN#286] An he be absent from her one night, her eyes sleep not, nor is there a dearer to her than he: she loveth him more than her parents and they lie down to sleep in each other's arms, with his hand under her neck and her hand under his neck, even as saith the poet,

'I made my wrist her pillow and I lay with her in litter; *

And I said to Night 'Be long!' while the full moon showed glitter: Ah me, it was a night, Allah never made its like; * Whose first was sweetest sweet and whose last bitt'rest bitter!'[FN#287]

Then he kisseth her and she kisseth him; and I have heard of a certain King that, when his wife fell sick and died, he buried himself alive with her, submitting himself to death, for the love of her and the strait companionship which was between them. Moreover, a certain King sickened and died, and when they were about to bury him, his wife said to her people: 'Let me bury myself alive with him: else will I slay myself and my blood shall be on your heads.' So, when they saw she would not be turned from this thing, they left her, and she cast herself into the grave with her dead husband, of the greatness of her love and tenderness for him." And the old woman ceased not to ply the Princess with anecdotes of conjugal love between men and women, till there ceased that which was in her heart of hatred for the s.e.x masculine; and when she felt that she had succeeded in renewing in her the natural inclination of woman to man, she said to her, "'Tis time to go and walk in the garden." So they fared forth from the pavilion and paced among the trees. Presently the Prince chanced to turn and his eyes fell on Hayat al-Nufus; and when he saw the symmetry of her shape and the rosiclearness of her cheeks and the blackness of her eyes and her exceeding grace and her pa.s.sing loveliness and her excelling beauty and her prevailing elegance and her abounding perfection, his reason was confounded and he could not take his eyes off her. Pa.s.sion annihilated his right judgment and love overpa.s.sed all limits in him; his vitals were occupied with her service and his heart was aflame with the fire of repine, so that he swooned away and fell to the ground. When he came to himself, she had pa.s.sed from his sight and was hidden from him among the trees;--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Seven Hundred and Thirty-first Night,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Prince Ardashir, who lay hid in the garden, saw the Princess and her nurse walking amongst the trees, he swooned away for very love-longing. When he came to himself Hayat al-Nufus had pa.s.sed from his sight and was hidden from him among the trees; so he sighed from his heart-core and improvised these couplets,

"Whenas mine eyes behold her loveliness, * My heart is torn with love's own ecstasy.

I wake o'erthrown, castdown on face of earth * Nor can the Princess[FN#288] my sore torment see.

She turned and ravished this sad Love-thrall'd sprite; *

Mercy, by Allah, ruth; nay, sympathy!

O Lord, afford me union, deign Thou soothe * My soul, ere grave-niche house this corse of me; I'll kiss her ten times ten times, and times ten * For lover's wasted cheek the kisses be!"

The old woman ceased not to lead the Princess a-pleasuring about the garden, till they reached the place where the Prince lay ambushed, when, behold she said, "O Thou whose bounties are hidden, vouchsafe us a.s.surance from that we fear!" The King's son hearing the signal, left his lurking-place and, surprised by the summons, walked among the trees, swaying to and fro with a proud and graceful gait and a shape that shamed the branches. His brow was crowned with pearly drops and his cheeks red as the afterglow, extolled be Allah the Almighty in that He hath created! When the King's daughter caught sight of him, she gazed a long while on him and noticed his beauty and grace and loveliness and his eyes that wantoned like the gazelle's, and his shape that outvied the branches of the myrobalan; wherefore her wits were confounded and her soul captivated and her heart transfixed with the arrows of his glances. Then she said to the old woman, "O my nurse, whence came yonder handsome youth?"; and the nurse asked, "Where is he, O my lady?" "There he is," answered Hayat al-Nufus; "near hand, among the trees." The old woman turned right and left, as if she knew not of his presence, and cried, "And pray, who can have taught this youth the way into this garden?" Quoth Hayat al-Nufus, "Who shall give us news of the young man?

Glory be to Him who created men! But say me, dost thou know him, O my nurse?" Quoth the old woman, "O my lady, he is the young merchant who wrote to thee by me." The Princess (and indeed she was drowned in the sea of her desire and the fire of her pa.s.sion and love-longing) broke out, "O my nurse, how goodly is this youth! Indeed he is fair of favour. Methinks, there is not on the face of earth a goodlier than he!" Now when the old woman was a.s.sured that the love of him had gotten possession of the Princess, she said to her, "Did I not tell thee, O my lady, that he was a comely youth with a beaming favour?" Replied Hayat al-Nufus, "O my nurse, King's daughters know not the ways of the world nor the manners of those that be therein, for that they company with none, neither give they nor take they. O my nurse, how shall I do to bring about a meeting and present myself to him, and what shall I say to him and what will he say to me?" Said the old woman, "What device is left me? Indeed, we were confounded in this matter by thy behaviour"; and the Princess said, "O my nurse, know thou that if any ever died of pa.s.sion, I shall do so, and behold, I look for nothing but death on the spot by reason of the fire of my love-longing." When the old woman heard her words and saw the transport of her desire for him, she answered, "O my lady, now as for his coming to thee, there is no way thereto; and indeed thou art excused from going to him, because of thy tender age; but rise with me and follow me. I will accost him: so shalt thou not be put to shame, and in the twinkling of an eye affection shall ensue between you." The King's daughter cried, "Go thou before me, for the decree of Allah may not be rejected." Accordingly they went up to the place where Ardashir sat, as he were the full moon at its fullest, and the old woman said to him, "See O youth, who is present before thee! 'Tis the daughter of our King of the age, Hayat al-Nufus: bethink thee of her rank and appreciate the honour she doth thee in coming to thee and rise out of respect for her and stand before her." The Prince sprang to his feet in an instant and his eyes met her eyes, whereupon they both became as they were drunken without wine. Then the love of him and desire redoubled upon the Princess and she opened her arms and he his, and they embraced; but love-longing and pa.s.sion overcame them and they swooned away and fell to the ground and lay a long while without sense. The old woman, fearing scandalous exposure, carried them both into the pavilion, and, sitting down at the door, said to the two waiting-women, "Seize the occasion to take your pleasure in the garden, for the Princess sleepeth." So they returned to their diversion.

Presently the lovers revived from their swoon and found themselves in the pavilion, whereat quoth the Prince, "Allah upon thee, O Princess of fair ones, is this vision or sleep-illusion?" Then the twain embraced and intoxicated themselves without wine, complaining each to other of the anguish of pa.s.sion; and the Prince improvised these couplets,

"Sun riseth sheen from her brilliant brow, * And her cheek shows the rosiest afterglow: And when both appear to the looker-on, * The skyline star ne'er for shame will show: An the leven flash from those smiling lips, * Morn breaks and the rays dusk and gloom o'erthrow.

And when with her graceful shape she sways, * Droops leafiest Ban-tree[FN#289] for envy low: Me her sight suffices; naught crave I more: * Lord of Men and Morn, be her guard from foe!

The full moon borrows a part of her charms; * The sun would rival but fails his lowe.

Whence could Sol aspire to that bending grace? * Whence should Luna see such wit and such mind-gifts know?

Who shall blame me for being all love to her, * 'Twixt accord and discord aye doomed to woe: 'Tis she won my heart with those forms that bend * What shall lover's heart from such charms defend?"

--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.